Chapter 176
[Kamish’s egg!]
Suho asked with a puzzled expression as he saw Berg jumping next to him in surprise.
“why? “Do you know the name?”
[Of course I know! Kamish is…!]
Ber spoke passionately and told Suho about the red dragon Kamish.
Suho, who heard the whole story, nodded his head.
“Right. “It’s the egg of a light dragon that his father met when he was young.”
[yes. Kamish was one of the prisoners of war captured by the rulers during their war with them. So, I think this is the egg that Kamish laid before he went to war.]
While listening to Ber’s explanation, Suho felt a strange feeling.
“hmm. perhaps….”
‘Will the dragon that will be born from this egg someday become a descendant of the Dragon Emperor?’
Suho, who was looking closely at Kamish’s egg, couldn’t help but think of this thought.
When he looked back on the series of events he had experienced so far, there was a very high probability that he would end up like that.
Laura, who was listening to the conversation between Su-ho and Ber, then relayed to Su-ho what Cha Hae-in said when he handed over Kamish’s egg.
“Cha Hae-in said it would be a good idea to put this in the shadow dungeon.”
“It would certainly be better to do so.”
Suho nodded his head.
After Cha Hae-in discovered this egg in the tomb of the dragons, he thought a lot about what to do with it.
It would be a waste to just break it.
But I feel uncomfortable just leaving it in its original place.
Then, what he finally came up with was Suho’s Shadow Dungeon.
No matter what monster was born from this egg in the future, it seemed safe as long as the place was the Shadow Dungeon.
It was a good idea.
“thank you for telling me. “I think we can dispose of this egg as his mother says.”
Suho immediately thanked Laura, and Laura then opened the second bag she brought.
“And this is the high-grade magic stone you asked for last time.”
At the same time, Lee Chae appeared in Suho and Ber’s eyes.
Surprisingly, the number of high-level magic stones in the bag was not just one.
“You got three?”
“yes. Of course it wasn’t easy. “Because the number of high-grade magic stones on the market was so small, the bidding competition was a bit fierce.”
Year 2 of Cataclysm.
The hunter industry is still in the early stages of development, so there is a lot of things to develop, but there is always a lack of resources, so there is a thirst for it.
In particular, the high-grade magic stones that hunters retrieved from dungeons are truly the rarest of rare items.
As they were released on the market, the scientific community and the hunter industry were eager to grab them.
So, of course, the price was also very high.
“It must have been very expensive, but thank you very much.”
“It was nothing. “If you think of it as the price of our boss’s life, would this be a problem?”
Laura promised that she would bring it again if she found a higher-level magic stone.
“…and now is the real point.”
With a stern expression on her face, Laura slowly turned her gaze to look at her subordinates who were currently in the office of Woojin Guild.
Then, as if they had promised in advance, the Scavenger Guild employees left the office.
“From now on, it will be confidential, and if it becomes known to the outside world, there may be some sensitive content.”
“Ah, our guild members are fine.”
“All right.”
Anyway, the only members of Suho’s guild were Lim Do-gyun and Esil, and they weren’t people who would go around sharing secrets.
On the contrary, Su-ho caught Lim Do-gyun as he got scared and secretly tried to follow Scavenger’s employees out.
“You should know this too.”
“No, I don’t think you need to know….”
Lim Do-gyun was feeling anxious because the scale of Suho’s activities these days was becoming more and more unbearable.
However, he had no way to escape because Lim Do-gyun was in charge of most of the work except combat.
Esil sat down next to Suho as if it didn’t matter.
Suho plugged the USB stick that Laura first handed him into his laptop, and Laura explained by displaying the video files in the data on the screen.
“Then please watch this video.”
“Christopher Reed?”
The face that appeared on the screen was Christopher Reed, an American S-class hunter who was killed by Thomas Andre.
“This is data discovered during our current investigation. “Christopher Reed was receiving psychiatric counseling periodically after awakening as an S-class hunter.”
As Laura said, in the video, Christopher Reed was having a conversation with a psychologist.
-…I don’t know why I feel so empty these days. Do other awakened people feel this way too?
He looked quite tired, and the counselor opened his mouth with an expression of not understanding.
-Chris, other awakened people I have counseled feel the exact opposite of you. Everyone gets intoxicated with energy and feels a sense of elation.
-But why am I the only one who feels this way?
-People… sometimes feel anxious when they win a huge jackpot that they can’t handle. You may feel better as you gradually adapt to your own strength.
-Are you saying it’s because I became an S-class hunter? Do you suddenly feel like you won the lottery? But sir. What I feel is a little different from that.
Christopher Reed continued to express his feelings with a serious expression.
Laura showed Suho the videos he received regular counseling in order.
Most of the conversations that took place in those consultations were similar.
-Teacher, I’m still anxious. I think I have lost too much strength.
-Why did you think like that? Chris, you are an S-class hunter.
-I do not know. Although I have clearly become the pinnacle of hunters, I feel weaker than before. I want to become stronger.
“….”
While watching the videos, Suho exchanged glances with Laura with a stern expression.
Laura nodded her head and said.
“you’re right. “What he was feeling is exactly what our boss was feeling not too long ago.”
Meanwhile, Christopher Reed’s counseling videos were continuing in order in the video.
Most of the content was there.
-Teacher, I want to become stronger. No, I think I can become stronger. But I don’t know how to do that.
-Teacher, I thought about it carefully. Maybe there is tremendous potential hidden within me? S level or higher?
-Teacher, I…
But suddenly.
Suddenly, at some point, Christopher Reed’s expression while receiving counseling began to change into a confident one.
-Teacher, he seems to have found a clue to becoming stronger. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m
-Chris, this is some good news. But what is the method?
-I can’t tell you that… it’s a secret. But I’m sure it is. If I use the methods ‘they’ taught me, I can definitely become stronger.
-Who are they?
“them?”
At that moment, Suho also had doubts about those words.
Pop.
At the question asked by the counselor, all expressions disappeared from Christopher Reed’s face in an instant.
Creepy.
His eyes look as if his soul has gone out.
Christopher Reed, who had always received counseling with an empty and despondent expression, had a completely different expression than before.
Then he looked straight at the camera lens that had been recording the entire counseling process so far and slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
-I don’t think I can answer that. If that were the case, I would be… Anyway, thank you for everything, teacher.
Pop.
The video was paused, and Laura explained further.
“…After that counseling session, he never went to a counselor again. Instead, he bought a luxurious mansion and began to live in pleasure.”
There were many cases where hunters lived in shamanism.
These were the ordinary actions of those who became wealthy over a long period of history, transcending gender or age.
However, in a way, Laura did intensive research into Christopher Reed’s actions, which were obvious to her.
She was able to discover one strange fact.
“But many of the people who had been invited to his mansion went missing.”
“Si, are you missing?! Could it be murder?”
At those words, Lim Do-gyun asked back with a frightened expression.
Laura shook her head slightly and responded.
“hmm. If it was murder, it would be murder, but upon investigation, it was a little different. “A large amount of stardust was discovered in Christopher Reed’s mansion.”
“Stardust? “Stardust?”
“Yes that’s right. “It is a magic power booster that is quite widespread in Korea.”
Suho, who heard the unexpected story, suddenly looked at Esil.
Originally, stardust was a magic power booster developed by low-level demons in the process of imitating bloodstone, the exclusive property of demon nobles.
Esil nodded with a stern expression.
“It seems like there are demons of our race in that country too.”
In a way, it was natural.
Even at this moment, the demon world was still torn into several pieces and wandering through the gaps in the dimension.
And from a global perspective, there was no way that the fragments of the demon world were connected to the dimensional rift only in Korea.
If this were the case, there was a high probability that devil factories existed in the United States, or more precisely, throughout the world.
“It’s a demon factory… I also know quite a bit of information about Stardust. But rather than the demons, our boss actually had a different reason for killing him.”
“…?”
Laura turned on the next screen.
It’s one photo.
The interior of Christopher Reed’s luxurious mansion, which has now disappeared after being destroyed by Thomas Andre.
It was a photo taken by a brave reporter who snuck inside and risked his life.
“…The reporter said that at some point, Christopher Reed seemed to have been drawn into a strange cult.”
“A pseudo-religion?”
Suho asked back with a puzzled expression.
“yes. And the very next day, the reporter suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth without anyone noticing it. “He is probably dead, but we recently found a note left by the reporter.”
Click.
Laura turned to the next page.
Immediately, the words he left appeared on the screen.
[Outer God]
…!
At that moment, everyone’s eyes, including Suho’s, widened.
“Foreign religion.”
Laura opened his mouth, looking at those words with a heavy expression.
“They seem to be calling their religion by that name.”
Chapter 177
foreign god
Outer Gods
There are many different names of gods on Earth, but as far as Suho knows, there has never been a god called by that name.
If there is only one.
“Italim.”
[It seems that the apostles of Italim have begun their activities on Earth in earnest.]
Ber glared at the screen Laura was showing with narrowed eyes.
“According to the investigation, Christopher Reed’s mansion appears to have been used as a temple for foreign religions.”
“sanctuary? Could it be that there were other Itarim apostles there as well?”
“I presume that is not the case. “It seems that the only Apostle of Italim that our boss dealt with was the one who took the body of Christopher Reed, and the rest were all just his followers.”
Suho suddenly noticed something strange in Laura’s words.
“I think I did it? “Aren’t you sure?”
“yes. The others were all caught up in the battle between Boss and Christopher Reed and died, making exact confirmation impossible. But the strange thing is, every time Christopher Reed killed his supposed followers, his power grew stronger.”
“…It’s a similar situation to the time of the Gwanghyeolma.”
Esil, who was listening quietly next to her with his arms crossed, changed.
“It seems like our demons are being raised well somewhere. “In many ways.”
Esil Ladir, the only demon noble.
She gritted her teeth with an expression of utmost resentment.
Those who made stardust in the first place were demons, but the most important ingredient in stardust was also demon blood.
In short, the so-called foreign religions are now thoroughly using demons for their own purposes.
And the purpose is clearly…
‘They are probably trying to find a vessel that can absorb the power of Itarim and make them their own limbs.’
And the most qualified are those who were national power-level hunters in their previous lives.
Suho looked at Esil and Lim Do-gyun and said.
“Esil, haven’t you heard anything about the Light-Blooded Demon from your subordinate demons?”
“There wasn’t much income. In the first place, those guys didn’t even know that the Light Blood Demon was an apostle of Italim. “But just in case, I’ll go back and find out.”
“okay. Please do me a favor. And Dokyun hyung.”
“Yes?”
“Please look into the dungeons that our guild will be targeting in the future that are infested with demon-type monsters. “If we start by shaking things up in our country, something will come out.”
“okay.”
Suho decided to use this opportunity to eliminate all evil factories in Korea.
Then, wouldn’t something come out, whether it’s an apostle of Italim or a foreign religion?
“Laura, do you have any other information about the Foreign Religion?”
“yes. We are continuing to investigate, but it appears to be a secret organization whose true identity has never been identified. “If it had been an ordinary pseudo-religion, there would have been many believers.”
“Then let’s reverse the order.”
“On the contrary?”
Suho recalled the conversation Christopher Reed had with his counselor.
If everything he said was true, ‘they’ approached him first.
If so, there was a high possibility that they would approach others first as well.
He might already be hovering nearby, looking for an opportunity.
“…So, if we hover near those hunters and keep watching their movements, wouldn’t something come out?”
“That’s natural, but the problem is that it has become difficult for our scavenger guild to carelessly interfere in countries other than the United States.”
As Thomas Andre said directly to Suho, for the time being, Skevinje was in a situation where he had to buy his body.
However, Suho had no intention of just giving up.
“I have another way.”
“Are you really planning on going in person?”
“no. “I have someone to send instead.”
Suho smiled and answered.
* * *
“Guardian! Thanks for inviting me! “This is a housewarming gift!”
“…Why are you here so fast?”
“I came running at full speed! Because Suho is my friend!”
Asura Guild’s B-class hunter Rio Xing.
As soon as he received the call from Suho, he immediately rushed to Woojin Guild’s office.
He even had a gift wrapped in both his hands.
After Lio Xing saw Laura and greeted her warmly, he told her about what he was up to these days.
“These days, I am in charge of the business of purchasing weapons from Blacksmith in Korea and sending them to the guild!”
Rio Xing was demoted to Korea and failed to recruit Suho, but he did not give up and took a new opportunity for himself.
“Korean weapons are of very good quality! “I heard that the Korean Hunter Association is supporting it, which is really amazing!”
Lio Xing had just become more proficient in Korean.
“But what is the reason you called me?”
Lio Xing didn’t think that given Suho’s personality, he would have called him for no reason.
Moreover, since he had Laura from the Skevin’s Guild in the same place, he was able to sense his purpose with his instinctive business sense.
“Are you talking about Echo Forest’s spring water and detox potion?”
“That’s almost correct.”
“Lio Xing, we would like to sell a detox potion to the Asura Guild.”
Laura stepped forward and presented her contract to Lio Xing, formally proposing business.
Lio Xing glanced over the contract and nodded his head with a bright expression.
“If it is such a good offer, of course I would like it. But what are these requirements? Would you like the guild leader to taste it himself?”
“yes. This is a courtesy promotional purpose. “Our detox potion has not been promoted yet, so the mere fact that someone like the guild leader of the Asura Guild tried it himself will have a significant publicity effect.”
“I’m sure so.”
Hearing Laura’s explanation, Lio Xing nodded his head, his eyes sparkling.
Since he had already been to the Glacier Dungeon, he knew very well about the efficacy of the spring water in the Echo Forest.
“This is a huge undertaking! “I’m sure I’ll get promoted this time!”
“…You don’t even hide your true feelings anymore.”
“ha ha ha.”
After laughing heartily, Rio Xing contacted the Asura Guild Leader and succeeded in receiving confirmation of his demands.
And he immediately signed all the contracts presented to him by Suho and Laura.
“This business is very important, so I have to go to the guild myself.”
“Lio Xing, let me ask you one favor.”
“What are you asking? “He entrusted me with such a big project, and I will listen to anything Suho asks.”
Suho spoke with a serious expression to Lio Xing, who was smiling happily.
“Be careful of the guild leader.”
“Our guild leader? why?”
Hearing the strange words, Lio Xing looked puzzled.
Suho’s eyes were too serious to simply dismiss it as nonsense.
Suho recalled the information he had heard from Ber in his head.
There are a total of five people who were national power-level hunters in their past lives.
Among them, the names of the four people who used the ruler’s power, excluding one healer, were as follows.
1. Thomas Andre of the United States
2. Christopher Reed of the United States
3. Liu Zhikang of China
4. Siddharth Bachchan of India
The previous two have already been resolved, and only the remaining two need to be confirmed.
And the first person Suho paid attention to was none other than the fourth.
Siddharth Bachchan of India.
He was none other than the guild leader of the ‘Asura Guild’.
“An unidentified group called the Foreign Religion may have approached your guild leader, Siddharth Bachchan.”
“Foreign religion? “What is that?”
“Do you remember Thomas Andre’s appearance in the Glacier Dungeon?”
“…!”
Since we had been through that situation together, there was no need for further explanation.
Lio Xing made a shocked expression as he remembered the image of Thomas Andre transforming into a huge ice dragon and running wild.
“Are you saying that our guild leader will be like that too?”
“Nothing is certain yet. So, can you take a look when I get back to the guild?”
“Of course. “Even so, I have a lot of respect for our guild leader.”
Rio Singh boasted like that and packed a lot of detox potion to feed to Siddharth Bachchan.
Meanwhile, Suho’s eyes glanced at his own shadow.
‘Kira, follow me.’
Slurp.
Then, Suho’s shadow grew longer, and shadow assassin Kira hid in Lio Xing’s shadow.
Suho’s eyes sparkled as he saw that.
This was an opportunity to use the new skills he had acquired by completing the quest his father had given him.
* * *
[yes? You found a dragon egg?!]
When Suho entered the shadow dungeon with the ‘Egg of Kamish’, the person who was most surprised was queen bee Arsha.
“huh. “Her mother sent it to me, saying she found it in the tomb of the wild dragons.”
[oh my god. It’s real…?]
Arsha felt dizzy as she looked at the egg in Suho’s hand.
Although it was too small to be a dragon egg, the dragon energy gently flowing out of it was real.
That energy continued to stimulate Arsha’s survival instinct.
she asked, as Arsha looked at Kamish’s egg with a reluctant expression.
[Why did you bring this… dangerous thing here?]
“Of course I brought it because it was dangerous. “You’re safe here, right?”
Suho shrugged his shoulders and responded.
“Just like my mother said, I think it would be safer here than putting it in the tomb of the wild dragons or on Earth. Besides, if something happens here…”
[Crook?]
As he said those words, Suho’s gaze slightly shifted to the side.
Ammut, the huge crocodile monster there, showed his teeth with an extremely ferocious smile.
[If it comes to this, can I just chew it and eat it?]
“hmm. After all, this is the right place.”
It was very reassuring.
Suho nodded his head, satisfied.
“But don’t really eat it. “Maybe this egg could be the last remaining descendant of the dragon race.”
Ver also agreed with Suho’s words and nodded his head.
[There is a strong possibility that this is the case. At that time, the Dragon Emperor led all the dragons under his command into battle.]
Ber frowned as he remembered that terrible war.
‘Dragon Emperor’
Antares, the king of the bright dragons and the lord of destruction, was the only monarch who overpowered the shadow lord Seong Jin-woo.
He was the strongest dragon in name and reality, and the light dragons he led were also an invincible army, each with tremendous strength and magic.
The Dragon Emperor was a true embodiment of destruction who did not hesitate to destroy himself for the sake of a war filled with blood, screams, madness, and destruction.
That’s why Seong Jin-woo pushed back against the Dragon Emperor’s army even more thoroughly.
But that’s why, the more I looked back, the more amazing I was at the Dragon Emperor’s power.
At the time, the Shadow Corps led by Seong Jin-woo had absorbed the troops of all other monarchs.
Nevertheless, Yongje fought fiercely with Seong Jin-woo until the very last moment against that enormous army.
Of course, it was Seong Jin-woo who ultimately won, but it was an unavoidable fact that the Dragon Emperor’s Legion was truly the strongest when considered as a single race.
[Well… it’s a bit unpleasant to see a new descendant of the Dragon Emperor be born.]
“Well, if you raise it as a ‘pet’ from a young age, there will be no problem.”
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
As he said that, Suho looked at the gray wolf that was clinging to him from earlier.
Gray, a canine wolf tamed through the pet system. nove(l)bi(n.)com
Unlike Arsha, this guy was busy sniffing Kamish’s eggs with his beady eyes.
Clap, clap, clap!
Moreover, he flicks his tongue and tastes it.
Meanwhile, the tail was very busy, wagging excitedly.
However, it didn’t seem like he really wanted to eat it, and it looked like he had found a fun toy(?) after a long time.
[Well, for now. Just in case, I’ll make a nest here.]
Arsha, with her own worker bees, began to build her nest in the corner of Ammut’s pyramid, where she would place Kamish’s eggs.
Why~
It was a nest, in effect a prison for the monsters that would be born within it.
Chapter 178
[phew. I feel reassured at this level.]
“….”
Suho was dumbfounded when he saw Arsha looking refreshed after completing the nest.
“Is this a nest or a safe?”
[If you think that a dragon is born from this egg, this is actually not enough.]
Arsha still felt uneasy about Kamish’s eggs.
[The dragon race is already an apex predator from the moment it is born from an egg. In particular, red dragon hatchlings breathe fire from their mouths from the moment they are born. Suho is human, so you may not know, but the dragon race…]
[what are you talking about! Our Solord has been flying in the sky since he was a baby!]
[….]
Arsha had no choice but to keep her mouth shut at Ber’s angry words.
When she thought about it, Suho here wasn’t normal either.
No, in some ways, she could be said to be the most sinister being among these.
‘under. ‘How did I end up living in such an ugly place?’
Arsha chewed her lip and let out a sigh of relief at this harsh environment she had been thrown into.
Suho asked Arsha.
“But do you know anything about the dragon race?”
[Collecting information is my specialty.]
Clearly, her ability to create numerous clones was specialized for information gathering.
In fact, aren’t her worker bees traveling around the country looking for villains at this very moment?
“Then do you know how to hatch dragon eggs?”
[I heard that the dragons periodically shower their eggs with magic to hatch them.]
“Baptism of magic? “What is that?”
[To put it simply, it means continuously infusing magical power. Umm. Now that I think about it… this egg is too small to be called a dragon egg. Perhaps because her parents died young and she was unable to receive the baptism of magic, she was unable to grow up normally.]
Arsha’s guess was very accurate.
Kamish’s egg was the smallest among the eggs found by Cha Hae-in in the tomb of the dragons.
Suho’s expression hardened slightly at those words.
“Does that mean this egg might not hatch?”
[I’m not sure what’s exact.]
“hmm. “It’s a baptism of magical power…”
After hearing Arsha’s explanation, Suho was lost in thought for a moment.
“Then shouldn’t anyone other than the parents be able to imbue the egg with magic?”
[Nothing is certain, but wouldn’t it definitely be helpful?]
“Then I guess I can too.”
[yes?]
Suho grinned and placed his palm on the surface of Kamish’s egg in the nest.
Then, he slowly began to raise the magic power within his body and push it into the egg little by little.
Seaaaaaa.
[oh my god. How can humans be like this….]
Arsha was once again impressed by her delicate magic control ability.
Considering that Suho was human, this was truly an incredible ability.
For demon beasts, using magic power is as natural as breathing, but humans have only been using magic power for two years.
However, Suho became even more awakened…
[Khem. Our Solord was already a prodigy since he was a newborn. He took his first steps with the power of a ruler….]
[….]
It was Ver who had been patting his shoulder next to me earlier.
Since she was very familiar with Ber’s outstretched arms, Arsha tried not to look at Ber and expressed her concern to Suho.
[Suho, I think you can do it that way. However, no matter how much you do, the effect will be minimal.]
“Why is that?”
Suho asked as he continued to pour his magic into Kamish’s egg.
[The Balaur are a race of people with innate magical power. This is because the egg continues to receive the parent dragon’s enormous magical power as nourishment until it hatches.]
Therefore, the baptism of magical power was also called ‘mana shower’.
Even if the egg cannot accept all of that enormous magical energy, it continues to inject an overflow of magical energy into it.
[I know that Guardian is a great person, but no matter how much magic he pours into the egg until he is exhausted, compared to the magic power of the dragons, it is nothing more than fresh blood… hmm?]
Startle.
While saying that, Arsha felt something strange.
For some reason, the protective magic that went into Kamish’s egg… showed no signs of being depleted.
And before I knew it, Suho had something in his mouth and was continuing to drink.
gulp. gulp. gulp.
[Use ‘Item: Intermediate Magic Potion’.]
[Use ‘Item: Intermediate Magic Potion’.]
[Use ‘Item: Intermediate Magic Potion’.]
….
“There is enough horsepower.”
A confident smile appeared on Suho’s lips as he drank the magic potion without stopping.
It is confidence that has a clear basis.
His eyes were constantly focused on his status window, which was rising and falling in real time.
[MP: 358/6,410]
[MP: 1,410/6,410]
[MP: 431/6,410]
[MP: 2,160/6,410]
….
“Even though I’m not a dragon, I can use magic all day long as long as I have gold.”
[This can’t be happening….]
Arsha, who saw this, was astonished and opened her mouth wide.
Truly a mana shower!
The guardian’s magic was infinitely showering Kamish’s egg with magic!
[Khehe. Huh. For our Solord….]
[….]
Ber is flattered that it’s this time again.
Su-ho, the person in question, was keeping quiet, but why was Ber taking care of the condescension? Arsha thought it would be good if someone could tell her.
Seaaaaaa-
Anyway, Suho nodded as he looked at Kamish’s egg, which was endlessly absorbing his magic power.
“good. “From now on, I will have to earn gold as well.”
In order to use magical power to the level of the dragon race, the cost of the potion was going to be quite high.
***
Lim Do-gyun, a ‘former’ university administrative assistant, had been doing similar work since he somehow became a seonhunter.
There is only one thing that has changed.
The only thing that happened was that the professor, who always gave only difficult and difficult tasks, had now changed into a boss named ‘Sung Su-ho.’
“Now, let’s see….”
For the first time in a long time, Lim Do-gyun took out the tablet PC he used when working in the school’s teaching assistant’s office and began writing down his work diary.
“The conditions of the dungeons that Suho wants….”
Ssuk suk.
1) A dungeon where the Demon Factory is likely to be hidden.
(A place where demon-type monsters haunt?)
(Rumors about stardust, or where the missing person is?)
2) A dungeon where you can earn a lot of gold.
(What is this again? A place where a lot of expensive materials are found?)
Brainstorming occurred in Lim Do-gyun’s head as he wrote down numerous thoughts.
And his eyes and ears continued to do whatever it took to find dungeons that met all the conditions.
First of all, connections.
“hello? Dad, can you call me? “If you’re not busy, I have something to ask you.”
I even called my father, whom I still have an awkward relationship with.
“Oh, hello? This is CEO Jinho Yoo’s secretary’s office, right? CEO Jinho Yoo told me that if I need anything, I can ask for it here. yes. What we need is information…”
I tried my best to call the secretariat of that great, great company.
“ah! Vice President Baek Mi-ho? I am Lim Do-gyun, Vice President of Woojin Guild! “Can you please share some information about the dungeon?”
It was like that.
Lim Do-gyun is usually very scared.
However, he was a former teaching assistant who could do anything for public affairs.
And he achieved the feat of finding dungeons that met all of Suho’s requirements in less than an hour.
“Suho! No, boss! The dungeons I found are listed here! “I have prioritized them according to my own standards, so I think you can attack them in this order!”
[Kiek? what? Has this coward ever been this capable?]
“Hehe.”
Lim Do-gyun felt extreme catharsis at the sight of even Berg being surprised.
And riding on that momentum, he confidently conveyed his demands to Suho.
“So I don’t have to go into the dungeon this time?”
“What can I say, of course I have to go in.”
“….”
Lim Do-gyun suddenly became sullen.
***
So, Su-ho’s guild began touring the dungeons found by Lim Do-gyun and attacking the demon factories one by one.
There was enough money.
Coincidentally, a huge amount of money from selling all the dungeon resources mined in Busan was deposited into the guild account.
With that money, Su-ho bought the dungeons found by Lim Do-gyun without hesitation and started attacking them right away.
Having already worked together in Busan, the shadow soldiers led by Suho completely destroyed the dungeons at a truly dazzling speed.
[Your level has risen!]
[Your level has risen!]
….
At this level, the leveling up speed was not bad.
‘As expected, you did a good job creating the guild. ‘It’s much easier to get a dungeon than when you’re a freelancer.’
You don’t just increase your level by going through dungeons.
Expensive materials obtained from defeated demons were sold in store windows to earn gold.
The cost of a potion is the same as that of a potion, but to speed up the battle, I also bought defensive items from the store and wore them.
[Item: Senior Knight’s Breastplate]
Difficulty of acquisition: B
Type: Armor
Physical damage reduction + 7%
(If your strength is less than 80, your movements will be slow.)
[Item: Senior Knight’s Helmet]
Difficulty of acquisition: B
Type: Armor
Physical damage reduction +6%
(If your strength is less than 80, your movements will be slow.)
Because of my lack of strength stats, I bought the items I was coveting from the store.
As you increase your defense, you can save on potion costs and the speed of battle becomes faster.
‘It seems like he is gradually becoming a full-fledged tank.’
Suho was a little surprised by his own fighting style.
When you look at him leading shadow soldiers, he is clearly a necromancer, but in reality, he stands out in front of his summons and calls himself a tank.
Then, the shadow soldiers who followed him took out the remaining demonic beasts that he had left behind.
“…Should I call it a ‘necro tanker’?”
Suho smiled and continued to conquer the dungeons.
Then I actually discovered the Devil Factory.
However, since they were ordinary(?) devil factories, they could not obtain any information about the Foreign Religion.
Instead, I was able to obtain the magic stones that were stored there as an ingredient for stardust, which went into Ver’s mouth intact.
And once again, Guardian himself drank the potion and repeated to infuse Kamish’s egg with his magic power….
It was then.
[Suho.]
Queen Bee Arsha spoke to Suho with a serious expression.
[I think my worker bees found something.]
Chapter 179
These days, queen bee Arsha has been under a lot of mental pressure.
She has no choice but to do that.
Since her body was already held hostage in the shadow dungeon, her life was mortgaged to her guardian.
In addition, Suho was the priest of Quresha, the king of bugs and the lord of plague, so he had to show off to him as best as possible.
But the problem was that no matter how much I tried to impress him, there wasn’t really much I could do for him.
At best, she can use her worker bees to gather information…
I couldn’t help but feel impatient when Lim Do-gyun, who I thought was a useless person, suddenly began to show tremendous work ability.
‘I can’t believe I should feel competitive with a person like that!’
Are there any other shameful situations like this?
It was a very unpleasant situation for Arsha, who had so far treated Lim Do-gyun’s status as lower than that of a worker bee.
But what can you do?
I had to do something to avoid getting caught by Suho.
At the very least, shouldn’t he be more helpful than Lim Do-gyun, who is at the bottom of Woojin’s guild?
‘This can’t go on. ‘Let’s increase the number of worker bees as much as possible.’
Although he never thought that his men were lacking, he decided to increase it tenfold.
‘If it’s a worker bee without fighting ability, he can increase it as much as he wants!’
Arsha has never expanded her worker bees in this way before.
Because quality was more important than quantity to ensure the safety of her queen bee herself.
But now that her true self was staying in the safe(?) hideout of the Shadow Dungeon, she decided to compete with quantity rather than quality.
Why ae ae ae ae-
In this way, the number of worker bees under Arsha’s control began to increase.
Arsha’s method of increasing her load was extremely simple.
Feeding her own royal jelly to the ordinary worker bees living on her planet.
With just a human-sized sip of royal jelly, she was able to keep an entire hive in her household.
like that….
Weeeeeeeeenn-
Arsha’s worker bees were scattered all over the country.
‘Until now, we have only dealt with information about villains, but from now on, we will select information about the Devil Factory, Stardust, and Foreign Religion among them!’
Weeeeeeeeenn-
The worker bees began to flap their wings busily and gather as much information as possible from Arsha.
But worker bees are smart.
This is because no special abilities were given to increase the number.
So, Arsha, the queen bee herself, had to do the work of receiving and analyzing the information they asked for.
[Tsk. Two, headache…]
Arsha’s eyes almost rolled back from the flood of information overflowing in her head.
But Arsha didn’t give up.
Her queen bee pride would not allow her to back down to this extent.
Arsha desperately tried to control the information sent by tens of thousands of worker bees by cramming them into her head.
OK….
An unexpected phenomenon occurred.
[…!]
Arsha’s consciousness, which was leading so many bees, suddenly exploded and expanded widely.
[Ahhh…!]
Arsha sat down on the spot and her whole body trembled.
and.
Jjoljjajak-!
Eventually, the transparent skin peeled off her body.
[The King of Bugs, the Lord of Plague, is keeping an eye on the queen bee.]
“hmm?”
Suho, who was in the middle of a daily quest, suddenly looked puzzled when he heard a message from Queresha.
Her limbs were crushed and she had no strength to raise her head, but Quresha’s messages continued to be heard.
[The King of Bugs, the Lord of Plague, remembers the name of her queen bee, Arsha.]
‘…Arsha’s name?’
It was the first time that Quresha had mentioned Arsha’s name so directly.
Quresha was the king of all insects.
Among them, the queen bee Arsha was just an insect, a member of her household who did not place much value on her.
But suddenly Quresha remembers Arsha’s name?
‘I don’t know what’s going on, but does this increase the likelihood that she will become a descendant of Ar Shaga Que Lesha?’
[Forty-one.]
“…?!”
At that time, Suho stopped thinking and protested at the sudden sound of Ammut’s stern voice.
“Forty-two!”
[Your posture is wrong. Forty-one.]
“Tsk.”
Suho gritted his teeth and resumed doing push-ups due to Ammut’s determination to never back down.
And just when I had barely finished the daily quest, Arsha appeared in front of Guardian.
[Suho, I think my worker bees found something.]
Arsha conveyed the information she had received from her worker bees to Suho with a slightly serious expression.
[It seems like a strange ‘superstition’ has emerged among low-level hunters these days.]
“Superstition?”
[After the association designated stardust as an illegal drug, the number of hunters who make stardust into accessories and wear them has increased.]
“accessories? “What does that mean?”
Making stardust into accessories?
When Suho made a puzzled expression, Arsha continued her explanation seriously.
[Stardust is hardened into stone and made into a necklace to wear. And every time I enter a dungeon, I pray into that necklace.]
“…Pray?”
Suho felt strange.
He said that star dust was not illegal as long as he did not eat it.
But why bother making it into a necklace and praying over it?
There’s no way that magic power could be amplified, right?
“If that’s the case… I saw it on Hunter Net recently too.”
At that moment, Lim Do-gyun, who had fainted while training with Su-ho, woke up and crawled up next to him and joined the conversation.
When Su-ho opened his mouth and fed him the potion, Do-gyun Lim stood up with an expression of determination to live and continued his explanation.
“Recently, star dust was made illegal, so people who paid for large quantities of star dust in advance went into an uproar. I suddenly ended up with a lot of bad inventory. However, the association has no obligation to pay that money instead.”
Moreover, since it was discovered that people were burned alive during the production process, no one wanted to eat it anymore.
“Then, at some point, an atmosphere of prayer began to emerge, saying that we would comfort the souls of those who died during the production of stardust.”
“hmm.”
“At the same time, people started selling the stardust they bought before it became illegal to make necklaces and sell them. Doping magical power with stardust is illegal, but this is a trick that started out with a strangely good meaning.”
Suho had a serious expression on his face the entire time he was listening to Lim Do-gyun’s explanation.
‘We honor the souls of the dead.’
This in itself clearly had a good meaning.
However, the object of the prayer was the problem.
‘Blue Fog’, the most basic ingredient of stardust, is the magical power of outer space that melts the boundaries of dimensions.
In other words, wasn’t it the Itarim invasion itself?
But praying into that blue fog?
“This… is a bit strong.”
[I told you this because I think it is related to foreign religion in some way.]
Suho nodded his head at Arsha’s words.
Looking back, nothing like this was accidental.
Especially things related to Italim.
“Arsha, hunters praying to the necklace….”
[As for those hunters, my worker bees have already found out.]
“No, rather than those hunters, please find out who are the guys who are selling stardust necklaces to those hunters.”
[ah…!]
Arsha’s eyes widened at Suho’s words.
[All right! I’ll find out right away.]
Arsha answered quickly, sending her thoughts to the worker bees spread out across the country.
And after some time.
[I found it.]
Since she had already looked for hunters who wore necklaces, it was not difficult to find the route by which they obtained the necklace.
It wasn’t illegal to begin with, so they didn’t even think about living in secret.
But Arsha went one step further and even investigated where the people who sold them the necklaces got their items from.
[There are many distributors, and they all bring stardust necklaces from one region.]
“One area? “Where is it?”
[This is Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do.]
“Yangpyeong?!”
[…?]
[Kiek?]
At Suho’s violent reaction the moment he heard about that area, Arsha and even Ber next to her looked puzzled.
[Solord, is there any problem?]
In response to Ver’s question, Suho sighed, touching his forehead with a serious expression.
“That’s where my grandfather and grandmother live.”
[Keeeeeeek?!]
* * *
Su-ho’s grandfather Seong Il-hwan.
When Suho was young, the image of his grandfather that he remembered was a firefighter who could always smell smoke from his body.
And Seong Il-hwan never quit his job as a firefighter, even though his son Seong Jin-woo nagged him to retire and take some rest.
And he eventually retired from active duty, working with young juniors until the moment he retired.
Suho still vividly remembered his grandfather’s retirement ceremony.
‘Seniors! Thank you for your hard work!’
‘Thank you for your hard work!’
‘Thank you for your hard work!’
….
The grandfather proudly completed his retirement and came down from the podium, receiving applause from all his colleagues and junior firefighters.
Even to that day, the faint smell of fire could be felt from his grandfather’s firefighter uniform.
Su-ho’s grandfather, having finished the work he had devoted his entire life to, went down to the countryside, saying he would live a small life by farming with his grandmother.
Of course, it is a rural area, but in fact, it is not outside the Gyeonggi-do area.
Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do.
A place that is moderately far and moderately close to Seoul, and at the same time has beautiful natural scenery such as wide plains and valleys.
The person who provided a suitable house for Su-ho’s grandfather and grandmother to live in was none other than Jin-ho Yoo.
But why Yangpyeong?
‘After all, this is where my grandfather lives!’
Suho became anxious at the thought that there might be an organization related to foreign religion there.
But there was someone who was more restless than him, and that was Ber.
[Everyone, we have to go right away! This is a really big deal!]
Only then did Ber remember what he had forgotten.
No, why!
Did it just occur to me now?
[This is entirely the little man’s fault! He deserves to be severely punished, but now it is too urgent!]
“what’s the matter? “Is there something I don’t know about?”
Suho runs straight to Yangpyeong, where his grandfather lives.
Next to him, Ber answered with a serious expression.
[Until now, we have thought that Italim’s apostles would target national power-level hunters who have the vessels to house their power… but they may not be the only ones with a chance!]
“What are you talking about?”
[The Solord’s grandfather was also a hunter who received power from the rulers in his past life!]
“…!”
At that moment, Suho rushed to Yangpyeong with all his might.
Chapter 180
While Ver was on the move, he told Su-ho about what he knew about Seong Il-hwan’s past.
Seong Il-hwan.
Su-ho’s grandfather and the father of Shadow Lord Seong Jin-woo.
He was once a top-level hunter who accepted the power of the ruler.
The exact grade is unknown.
The reason is that when he awakened, a clear hunter grade had not yet been defined.
However, Ber said that it would definitely be S-class.
In any case, it was possible for his body to accept the power of the rulers.
[And there is a very high possibility that the Solord’s grandfather has reawakened to become a hunter like before!]
There is no age limit for Hunter’s awakening.
A constitution suitable for magical power is innate.
This is because it is an area of talent in the first place.
That is why the ‘former hunters’ I have met so far have awakened the same power as before in this era.
So Seong Il-hwan was probably no exception.
Just one thing.
Regardless of talent, the timing of awakening magical power varied.
There were times when I suddenly awakened with or without any reason.
[Maybe you haven’t awakened yet!]
“I’m more worried about that.”
[That’s right!]
Suho had never heard of his grandfather’s awakening.
‘He would have said that if his grandfather had become a hunter, he would become a firefighter again. He also set up a guild with similar characteristics.’
Considering Seong Il-hwan’s usual personality, there was a high probability that he had not awakened yet.
So I felt even more anxious.
The perfect vessel for Italim’s apostles to aim for has yet to even realize its power!
Sooooooo!
Suho’s silver hair flutters in the strong wind as he grits his teeth and runs down the highway.
The speed was much faster than Baek Mi-ho, who ran with Su-ho on his back during the previous Lee Min-seong incident.
Even Gray was already physically strong, and his strength stat had increased tremendously, making it incomparable even back then.
“Hey, what is that guy!”
“Dangerously!”
“Someone report it to the association!”
Numerous drivers on the road were shocked when they saw Suho.
Occasionally, people were seen taking out their cell phones and reporting them to the police or hunter association.
But Suho didn’t care and he ran and ran at the fastest speed he could.
As a result.
He literally arrived in Yangpyeong at the speed of light.
Seaaaaaa-
Paldang Dam.
Along with the noise of the river flowing, a thick fog gently obscures the view.
Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do is divided into two with the Namhangang River as the center.
And water fog like this often occurs in areas near rivers that meet the Namhan River.
Among them, Paldang Dam in particular was a place where a lot of water was trapped up to a high water level, so the water fog was even more severe.
Shwaaaaak-!
‘huh?’
Suho, who was running through the thick water fog, suddenly felt a strange sensation that could not be described in words.
It seemed like his sensory stats, which had significantly increased due to his level-up, were activated, but it felt a little different from usual.
‘what?’
Suho looked around him with his narrowed eyes, expanding his senses.
But it’s strange.
There was no sign of any living creatures or demonic beasts around.
What on earth?
From the moment he set foot in Yangpyeong, an unexplainable feeling of discomfort continued to irritate Suho’s senses.
“Ber.”
[I understand.]
Now, if you pretend, you pretend.
Ber immediately began to twitch his antennae and look around in earnest.
Meanwhile, Suho took out his cell phone and called his grandfather.
Even before he left, he had already tried calling his grandfather and grandmother, but no one answered the phone.
But this was a common occurrence.
This is because they are people who returned to farming and live leisurely lives, so they do not always wear cell phones.
“…You keep not accepting it.”
Suho frowned as he listened to the endless beeping sound.
[…Do you not know the address?]
“huh.”
In response to Ver’s question, Suho nodded slightly shyly.
“For the past five years, I’ve been really out of my mind.”
In fact… the same would apply to anyone.
How many people would be able to remain sane when both of their parents suddenly disappeared overnight?
“…I was at a loss.”
Suho recalled his feelings at that time with a wry smile.
Although he now knows everything about his situation, at that time he really felt like the sky was falling.
And he realized.
He realized how weak and insignificant he really was.
“My parents went missing, and there was really nothing I could do as a high school student.”
What did I do?
Yes, at first I reported her missing to the police.
Contact his relatives and inform them of the situation.
As I watched from the sidelines as the adults who came in such a hurry had a serious conversation with the police…
Sitting at home, waiting and waiting for my parents to contact me.
Then, I was worried that I might suddenly get a call at any time, so I held on to my phone tightly without letting go of it even for a moment.
…That was the best effort he could make.
“At that time, my uncle came to see me and said this.”
-Suho, leave these matters to the adults and stick to your studies as usual. That’s probably what your parents really want.
And Suho had no choice but to follow those words.
His uncle, Yoo Jin-ho, was a well-known conglomerate in Korea.
It is said that such a person was doing his best to find his missing parents, and there was nothing he, a high school student, could do.
So Suho returned to school.
“…But you know what?”
Suho, who was recalling bad memories from that time, asked Ber with a slightly complicated expression.
“What do you think my grandfather was doing in that atmosphere?”
He continued speaking without waiting for Ber’s answer.
“It’s really amazing… Grandpa was turning off the lights as usual. “Even though his own son was missing, he was saving other people.”
[Kiek?]
At those words, Lee Chae appeared in Ber’s eyes for an instant.
“You keep not answering the phone. It won’t work. “I’ll have to ask my uncle.”
When Su-ho’s grandfather and grandmother did not answer the phone, he immediately called his uncle Yoo Jin-ho.
However, at a time like this, Yoo Jin-ho was at work, so it was impossible to talk on the phone, so Su-ho tried the next best thing, contacting his aunt.
-Oh my, is it Suho?
Fortunately, I got it this time.
“aunt! “Can you tell me the address of my grandfather’s house?”
-huh? Why all of a sudden?
A look of surprise was evident in the voice of Su-ho’s aunt ‘Seong Jin-ah’ coming over the phone.
Well, this reaction would be natural.
As he had just said to Ber, the relationship between his grandfather and himself had become somewhat estranged since then.
Suho smiled bitterly and picked his words out of his mouth.
“I just wanted to see you after a long time.”
-Yes, yes! Well thought out, Suho! My aunt will send you the address via text message right away! Oh no! Instead, would you like to go with her aunt?
“yes? No, there’s no need to…”
-no. Even if it wasn’t for you, I was going to stop by anyway.
Su-ho immediately declined, fearing that her aunt might be involved in something dangerous, but her aunt was also stubborn.
On this occasion, I could feel the will to resolve the relationship between Su-ho and his grandfather.
-Yes, Suho. How about like this? I’m leaving work soon, so come to Ajin Hospital right away.
I paused at those words.
Suho’s expression hardened.
“…yes? “Ajin Hospital?”
Then, my aunt reacted even more strangely to that reaction.
-Oh, didn’t you know and called me? My aunt opened a hospital in Yangpyeong.
“…yes?”
-You really didn’t know?
“….”
Suho realized once again.
How carelessly he had lived all this time.
* * *
Suho arrived at Ajin Hospital in Yangpyeong a month later.
“Suho!”
Seong Jin-ah, wearing a white doctor’s coat, welcomed Su-ho warmly.
“How come you come right after you hang up the phone? Was it nearby?”
“How you doing?”
Seong Jin-ah, Su-ho’s aunt and the younger sister of Shadow Lord Seong Jin-woo, was a doctor. After all, she opened a hospital in Yangpyeong.
‘Ajin Hospital’ is not an extremely large hospital, but it was famous for the fact that each and every facility was great compared to its size.
Suho looked at the name of the hospital and asked Seong Jin-ah.
“Aunt, are you here…?”
“That’s right. “This is a hospital built by a foundation sponsored by ‘Ajin Soft.'”
In other words, it was no different from a hospital established by the company of Yoo Jin-ho, Seong Jin-ah’s husband.
Seong Jin-ah smiled bitterly as she said those words.
“So there was a lot of gossip.”
“What do you mean?”
“You may have seen it on your way here, but there are a lot of rich people living in Yangpyeong. To be exact, rich people who are old and retired.”
“ah.”
Suho was convinced by those words.
I saw a lot on the way here, but there were a lot of country houses built around here that looked expensive at first glance.
If you look at it this way, it was a perfect situation for a big company like Ajin Soft to say that it had built a medical facility for the rich.
But in fact, the order was reversed.
Seong Jin-ah said as if she felt a little unfair.
“I don’t know if you know, but this neighborhood is reasonably far and close to Gangnam, so it’s the perfect location to retire and build a country house. So, when your grandfather and grandmother said they wanted to return to farming, I recommended this place.”
As Seong Jin-ah said, the area called Yangpyeong, which Seoulites generally think of, is a good place to lead a leisurely life with nature after retirement.
Enjoy healing and relaxation in nature, but it’s not too far from Seoul, so it’s a good distance for children to visit.
“There is a saying. I sleep in Yangpyeong, but I spend my daily life in Seoul. But when I let him live here, he suddenly started to worry. “There are no big hospitals here!”
Even if they live a life in a country house surrounded by nature, the most important thing for seniors is whether there are medical facilities nearby.
And after realizing this fact, Seong Jin-ah made a decision.
To build a hospital near her parents.
“So, when I opened a hospital here, people knew about it and kept gathering around here.”
However, there was another reason why Seong Jin-ah actively chatted with Su-ho.
“… So now you’ve decided to make peace with her grandfather?”
“We’ve never had a fight, well.”
“okay. Good idea. But my dad, or rather your grandfather, has always been cool. You know that? “Did your dad suddenly run away from home for two years when he was in middle school?”
“… I heard about it from her grandfather.”
As Seong Jin-ah said those words, an image of her grandfather saying those words appeared in Su-ho’s mind.
-Originally, it was good that your father disappeared suddenly from a long time ago. Don’t worry too much, this time it will come back just like before.
-No, take that as consolation…!
It was from then on.
What caused Suho to become at odds with his grandfather.
“Suho, it’s here. “It’s really close to the hospital, right?”
Before he knew it, the rice fields that his grandfather and grandmother had grown were spread out in front of Suho.
Suho immediately expanded his spirit.
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