《The Gardener in a Hunter World》 Chapter 1 ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a worker class.¡± The day he succeeded in awakening; the Seoul branch of the Hunter Management Center experienced chaos. The receptionist tilted her head and held out the documents. ¡°Look. Only about 30 classes have been identified so far. But I do not see the worker class.¡± The 20-year-old young man kept looking at the content of the documents. Swordsman, magician, thief, and other highly recognized classes were listed, but no worker is seen. ¡°Then am I the first to be awakened as a Worker class?¡± ¡°Awakening is still awakening, but skills and characteristics are important. What did you get?¡± The receptionist¡¯s glasses flashed, but Yoo Ji-Ha didn¡¯t say anything. Because he didn¡¯t get any. ¡°Nothing.¡± The receptionist who was just about to write something on the application paper stopped her hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t get any skills? How about Characteristics?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. Usually, when you awaken, you get one or two combat skills¡­ You should be able to go inside the dungeon and fight.¡± ¡°I know, right.¡± The receptionist informed him that he was the only exception. In the end, only the most basic things such as personal details and class were written in the document. ¡°What will happen in this case?¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha questioned, the receptionist¡¯s pen stopped, and she gave an inconspicuous smile. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. Do you know what I do? Registering and managing awakened hunters. We also accept complaints. I can introduce you to a suitable company or guild, but it might be a little difficult for Mr. Yoo Ji-Ha, who has no skills.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Unexpectedly, Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s expression was dull. The receptionist thought he must have been too shocked and said hurriedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but should I schedule an interview with the manager?¡± She recommends an interview with a manager-level official at the management center. However, everyone knows that a hunter without skills is useless on the battlefield inside the dungeon. ¡°No. So I don¡¯t have to pay taxes? I have no income.¡± ¡°For once, it is. The hunter tax is generated from your income¡­¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha became the first unskilled hunter. Everyone in the management center was shuddering at the birth of a hunter who was no different from an ordinary person. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we applaud? I looked at your eyes1Awakened hunters¡¯ eyes turn golden. and you did awaken.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a hunter with no skills, why would you clap? I can¡¯t even enter the dungeon¡­¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to be disappointed.¡± ¡°My face is burning on the inside¡­ It¡¯s better not to awaken at this late age if I can¡¯t enter the dungeon.¡± ¡°But can¡¯t you still join the latecomer group?¡± ¡°It would hurt my pride to become a hunter and join the latecomer.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s the lowest decision.¡± The staff at the center looked at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s back. The lowest ranking Korean Hunter was born. That day came. The day the dungeon opened; monsters poured out. At almost the same time that very few people succeeded in awakening and were called Hunters. Society changed rapidly. Various resources from within the dungeon brought a ray of hope to mankind who were exhausted and defeated in the war against monsters. The Ether stone that comes out after hunting monsters has come into the spotlight as a next-generation fuel. Someone said this ¡°In the future, the ranks will be divided into hunters and non-hunters.¡± It was not known whether that would happen, but it was true that many privileges were granted to the hunters who hunted monsters inside the dungeon. It is because they are what sustains human society. 10 years after the first dungeon was opened. Two hunters entered a general store in Seoul¡¯s District 7. Yoo Ji-Ha, a 25-year-old young man with glasses, looked up while reading a book. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°This is a place that sells potions, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him. The person who has awakened as the worker class.¡± As the two hunters entered the store, their gaze briefly focused on Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s golden eyes. Yoo Ji-Ha answered with a smile at the two hunters who looked like rookies. ¡°Yes. It is a general store. As you can see, we sell potions and stuff.¡± ¡°Stamina potion¡­ Here it is.¡± On the wall full of shelves, various potion bottles, scrolls in jars, maps, etc. were arranged in an orderly manner. As the male hunter picked up a potion bottle with a red liquid, the female hunter whispered in his ear. ¡°Will this work well? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait for items in the Hunting Grounds and buy them?¡± ¡°When do you expect the items to arrive? And he said that the interior here is a little bit bad, but the potion effect is good.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°SeongHo Hyung.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± When the name SeongHo came out, the female hunter kept her mouth shut. For her, after graduating from the academy and becoming a rookie hunter, the words of Top 100 hunters were like gold. The male hunter whispered to her. ¡°Even if the store looks a little sloppy, the quality of the items are fine, overall.¡± ¡°But why are there so few customers?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a place nearby.¡± There means the Hunting Ground, a good supply store dedicated to hunters. As a franchise of a large corporation, it has high-quality services and opened chain stores nationwide. With such a large chain store nearby, it is unlikely that many hunters would be interested in such a small general store. As the two hunters talked and put some potions into the basket. The female hunter¡¯s curious gaze scans Yoo Ji-Ha as he closes the book and stands up. ¡®Hunter, not Hunter.¡¯ The owner of this general store was called that. It is said that he succeeded in awakening but had no characteristics or skills. No one knows what a worker class means. The Hunter ranking is 12,782, so if you want to know the number of registered hunters in Korea, you can look at what Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s rank is. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t really have any skills?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have characteristics either.¡± ¡°How many years have you been without skills? How do you hunt?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hunt. I go with the latecomers and dig up resources.¡± ¡°AHA! So that¡¯s how you¡¯ve been doing.¡± She can barely guess. He doesn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person that lives on the various resources that come out of the dungeon. As she was about to ask more questions, there was a loud noise outside. Kurreung- (rumbling) A long-wheeled armored car equipped with various heavy weapons was driving down the road with a loud noise, followed by a police car and an ambulance. ¡°I think a Category 3 dungeon has opened.¡± ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t seen an ambulance in a long time. Ha¡­ I also want to go into a place like that one day.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t even dream of it yet with our skills.¡± ¡°Ah, hey, please calculate this.¡± The male hunter held out a basket and a card to Yoo Ji-Ha. This black card issued only to hunters was like a dream for Yoo Ji-Ha, a small business owner. After finishing the transaction, the two hunters left the store. Yoo Ji-Ha stood on the doorstep of the store and gently pushed up his glasses. If it was a Category 3 dungeon, a lot of resources would come out, but no one will call him. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Asking a proper alchemist or pharmacist would be more important than someone who wasn¡¯t even treated like a hunter. He smiled bitterly and went back to his seat and opened the book. It was getting late in the evening before he knew. Five years have passed since Yoo Ji-Ha awakened. He got a unique class called a worker, but it was useless because he lacked skills and characteristics. He couldn¡¯t even dare to dream about entering the dungeon with other hunters and hunting monsters. Instead, he was faithful to his work as a latecomer. It was a job to rake up scraps of resources from the dungeons that companies or guilds had searched and sell them at the general store. It is something that no one notices, but it did not interfere with him purchasing old books, which is his pastime and an occasional hobby. As usual, after closing the shop door, he washed up, laid down on the bed, and opened an old book he had bought at the wholesale center. It was an original copy from the ruins inside the dungeon. It was dirty and old, but it is what he likes. An unknown word appeared in his eyes as he carefully turned the pages. Obviously, the main character of this illustration¡­ seems to refer to a tree, but it is not written in the official language of the continent, so he could not read and interpret it. ¡°How do I read this?¡± Even if he stares intently, no sounds came from his mouth. Yoo Ji-Ha continued to read the contents. In the world inside the dungeon, the gigantic tree seemed to boast the majesty of a god. Time flies when reading the myths of each race related to the gigantic tree. He fell in love with the book and forgot the time. The whole place became completely silent, and his consciousness was becoming clouded, ¡®Should I just sleep?¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to refuse the sweet temptation. It was also his daily routine to fall asleep while reading a book. He closed his eyes without taking off his glasses. He didn¡¯t notice it when the word that indicate the giant tree in the book shone brightly. Because his consciousness was sucked into somewhere. Soon after, he felt like he was falling endlessly, and when he opened his eyes. ¡°Hyuk!¡± He woke up in a forest. 1Awakened hunters¡¯ eyes turn golden. Chapter 2 ¡°Where am I?¡± Bewildered, Yoo Ji-Ha looked around. He was lying in the bed when he closed his eyes, but when he woke up, he was in a forest. He felt the soil with his hands on the ground. The fresh air was different from the air in Seoul¡¯s District 7. A feeling of freshness that seemed to clean his lungs enveloped him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I slept on the bed? Could this be a dream?¡± He pinched his cheeks, but it hurts. When he got up and brushed his butt, the status window of his vision was particularly prominent. Why does it look darker today? ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± [Class: Worker 1st stat: HP: 80 Vitality: 70 Ether: ¨C Essence: ¨C Secondary stat: Endurance: 7 Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Talent: 9 Spirit: 9 Resistance: Physical: 5 Elements: ¨C Poison: ¨C Abnormal Status: ¨C Characteristic: ¨C Skill: -] Nothing had changed. The class was still a worker, and it was a status window that was no different from ordinary people. ¡®But it¡¯s kind of weird here.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha looked around. The forest, which look about 30-40 pyeong1an estimate of 99 ¨C 132 square meter, was foggy. Only the surroundings were visible, and the rest was obscured by fog. ¡®It¡¯s a strange forest.¡¯ All he could see was an old tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning, a rock, a stream, and strange plants. It was messy as if it had been hit by a typhoon, and as he got closer to the fog, he saw a strange plant. The height is about 100 cm. The tip of the stem was spread out like an umbrella, and several round fruits were hanging. ¡®This¡­¡¯ [Etheric Herb LV1: Reduces ether consumption of all skills to zero for 10 seconds.] ¡®Did the description originally look like this?¡¯ Of course, it wasn¡¯t. Even if hunters could use the system, all they could do was check their status window and see the species name of a monster. No system has been reported that is kind enough to list material descriptions like this. ¡®Anyway, this is incredible.¡¯ Hunters need ether to use their skills. It is a kind of fuel and making the consumption value to 0 is a lot effective than just thinking about it. It means that you can pour out your skills continuously for 10 seconds. ¡®I thought this would only come out from the ruins?¡¯ It is always found as a finished product and in potion form, so he had never heard of it being crafted. Many people have tested it and found that 5 seconds is the maximum time, but this thing has 10 seconds. Yoo Ji-Ha touched the ambiguous thing to identify whether it was a fruit or a flower bud. With a slight touch, golden liquid was smeared on his hand. But will it work? ¡®I¡¯ll know when I make it.¡¯ But where should he put this liquid? While looking around and he came closer to the fog, but it didn¡¯t move as if it was blocked by a wall. He was trapped in a space of about 30 to 40 pyeong. ¡®The sound of water¡­.¡¯ He knelt near a calm creek and scooped up the water with his hands, and it was very clean. Can he drink this? He slightly moistened his lips to make sure there was no taste then drank slowly. The water was very cool and delicious. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s good.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha sat with his buttocks lying on a rock on the ground and looked around, but there was nothing to see. It was impossible to go outside as if the fog had become a wall. Is there any way to get out of here? No, will there be people? ¡°Excuse me!¡± He shouted, but only an echo was heard. Long after, there was no response. Yoo Ji-Ha came to understand that there was no one in this forest. ¡°What should I do?¡± With his eyes, he saw the branches trembling. If you think about it, that tree branch is strange. The whole tree has been completely smashed, but it is alive only by itself. A single leaf at the end looking pathetic. He approached the branch. ¡®If I cut it and plant it in the ground, the appropriate land is here¡­¡¯ After finding the suitable soil, he dug up the soil with his fingers and planted the branch. He cleaned the ground and drew water from the stream with his palm and scattered it around. At that moment, the status window was updated. [Plant-friendly LV1 skill. Acquired.] [XXX blessing LV1 characteristics. Acquired.] ¡°What is this all of a sudden¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even smell a skill for 5 years, but to give him a skill just because he planted a branch was absurd. Is it right to give skills and characteristics just because he planted a branch in the first place? ¡®Whatever happened, happened.¡¯ It was necessary to check later whether there was such a thing as a plant-friendly skill. And what is this XXX blessing characteristic? ¡®Ahh. I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have anything to do, so he cleaned up the surrounding area. The scattered branches and bushes were gathered in one place and the messy excavated ground was pressed down evenly. Oddly enough, the branches he had gathered in one place disappeared. What happened? ¡°What is this?¡± Something unbelievable happened next. The old tree that had been split in half and smashed was gone. When did it disappear? Who took it? Questions were asked one after another. Yoo Ji-Ha shook his head as he pondered the unanswered questions. In a world where monsters come out of reality, something like this could happen. And because this is a dream. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s really good here.¡± As he sat on a rock and enjoyed the wind, he slowly fell asleep. If he sleeps here, will he go back and return to reality? It was disappointing that he can¡¯t take the Etheric Herb, but he doesn¡¯t really have the ability to take it. As he lay down on the rock, he could see the cloudless sky. ¡°Surely this must be a world somewhere.¡± Although the world the hunters witnessed in the dungeon was a little cloudy, there were many places where there are traces of civilization. If only he could break through that fog, he could explore the nearby area. But the fog didn¡¯t intend to disappear. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ He slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. He instantly lost consciousness. ¡°Hyuk!¡± Yoo Ji-Ha woke up with the same sound as when he fell into the forest. He looked outside and it was early in the morning. The glasses were roughly draped over his face, and his body was strangely light. It was as if he had slept soundly and woke up with a clear head. ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­¡± It was a really strange dream. To lie on a rock and fall asleep while doing a trivial task in a small forest. He shook his head and got up. However¡­ ¡°What? Why are my hands like this?¡± His palms and bed were full of soil. Could it be that he had sleepwalked and gone outside? He knew himself better that he didn¡¯t. Was what he thought was a forest in his dream was a reality? If he sleeps again, will he be able to go to that forest? ¡°Let¡¯s experiment.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha slept on the floor instead of the bed. It was still early in the morning, and he was a man who could fall asleep whenever he had space for his back. The moment he closed his eyelids and lost his consciousness, he found himself lying in the forest. But something is strange. ¡°Was there grass here before?¡± The dirt floor had disappeared, and green grass was fully grown. The branch, which was only finger thick, grew quite large, and the range of the fog expanded considerably. As a result, he saw things he couldn¡¯t see before. For example, the solar apple tree. Although rarely found in dungeons, it was a tree that was too far away and could not be approached due to time constraints. Yoo Ji-Ha approached the tree as if possessed by something. [Solar apple LV1: When combined with Stamina Potion, recovery amount increased by 20%, duration reduced to 80%] ¡°I can mix it with a stamina potion?¡± It was amazing. The stamina potion restores the stamina of the hunters working in the dungeon. No matter how much sugar was added, the bitter taste could not be hidden, so it was also famous as a potion that every hunter cursed at. If you hunt in the dungeon, you are bound to get hurt, and you cannot always receive healing skills, so you have no choice but to use it regularly. If he can increase the effect. Yoo Ji-Ha unconsciously swallowed his saliva. He thought that he needed only as much money as he needed, but he had a desire to decorate the store a little cozier. ¡®It¡¯ll be okay if I bring a little and sell it, right?¡¯ These days, there are so many Category 0 dungeons opening that they are not even counted in the statistics. Many dungeons open briefly and then disappear after being robbed of their resources by the people. It is classified as Category 0 because it is safe as there are no monsters inside. ¡®Let¡¯s try it out and see if it works or not¡­¡¯ But he doesn¡¯t know how to bring it to reality. He came with his clothes on, so can he just tuck them into his clothes? Thinking of this, a leather bag appeared in his eyes. It was randomly placed under the previously planted branch. ¡°What is this?¡± [Dimensional Pouch] Inside the pouch were several small glass bottles with cork stoppers. When the stopper was pulled out, there was a popping sound. ¡®I can put the Etheric Herb liquid here.¡¯ He planted the branch in the ground and cleaned the area a bit, and then it gave him a gift like this? It was hard to believe, but he couldn¡¯t help but believe it because he was experiencing it himself. Yoo Ji-Ha tied the leather pouch on his back and opened the side to take out a bottle. As the fruit was squeezed, a fragrant golden liquid dripped into the bottle. Five bottles were filled with Etheric herb solution, and some Solar apples were picked and placed in the leather bag. The reason he didn¡¯t pick them all is because of his character who is not usually greedy. He thought that it would be enough to eat and live in moderation. ¡®Is this the end?¡¯ He looked around and saw something moving. Something long and black lingered through the grass. Yoo Ji-Ha knelt and brought his face closer to the ground. Thick worms were writhing on the grass. [Earth Worm] It¡¯s too grand, but he thinks it¡¯s the names of these guys. ¡®But what is it doing here?¡¯ To Yoo Ji-Ha, an earthworm is nothing more or less than a microscopic creature that lingers on the ground on a rainy day and is trampled on to death. But seeing them procrastinate on the grass made him feel sad for some reason. ¡°Go in, get in here.¡± After digging through the grass and soil with his fingers, he picks up one and push it in. He manages to dig a hole. As one guy walked in like that, the others lined up. Dozens of earthworms slipped in in a row, leaving no trace. And he got a new skill. [Animal-friendly skill LV1. Acquired.] Now that¡¯s not too surprising. At the thought of acquiring skills and saving earthworms, Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s mind was light. Now it¡¯s time to go back to his single room. Laying down on the rock, he closed his eyes with a leather pouch on his stomach. He wishes he could go back to his room as casually as he came here. As his consciousness became blurred, he woke up in the room. A leather pouch was placed on his stomach as if it were natural. He looked inside and a few bottles and a Solar apple popped out. ¡®I can put something in this pouch and go back and forth!¡¯ Perhaps the opposite is also possible. Isn¡¯t that a cool thing? Yoo Ji-Ha got up and headed for the studio thinking about things. He¡¯s about to make a potion with Etheric herb liquid and Solar apple. 1an estimate of 99 ¨C 132 square mete Chapter 3 Amazing Potion (1) Hunters are often referred to as drug addicts. When a dungeon opens, the army calls in the hunters on duty and guard around them, and the hunters carry dozens of potions each. The kind of monsters and ecosystems in the dungeon is unpredictable, so it¡¯s better to be prepared for all cases. Although it is said that it is all potions, the effect is very different depending on the material and the manufacturer. The stamina potions made by Yoo Ji-Ha cost less than 100,000 won, but those made by artisans far exceed 1 million won. It was natural to invest in expensive potions because with just one category 3 dungeon, billions of won worth of resources will be poured out. Yoo Ji-Ha potions placed on the store shelves were brought to the studio. ¡°Let¡¯s put it together first. The recipe¡­¡± Thin fingers fumbled through the book in which the potion recipe was written. As the resources from the dungeon are there, the recipe is almost standardized. One or two ingredients are added or omitted, and depending on the purity of the ingredients, the price varies dramatically. The potions made by Yoo Ji-Ha was reliable, but it was not popular because the store was small and shabby. ¡°Prepare purified water¡­ Where are the Undine¡¯s tears¡­ Ah, here you are.¡± There is one thing common to potions, and that is purified water. Water stagnating at the roots of huge trees that can be seen in dungeons is the purified water essential for making potions. If you use bottled water instead of purified water, the effect is halved. ¡®First, we start by refining the ingredients¡­¡¯ His slender white hands were busily moving back and forth on the alchemy table. On the table are all kinds of equipment necessary for making potions. The potion¡¯s production method is almost standardized, and the four steps are grinding, mixing, concentration, and purification. The performance of the crafting tool is meaningless, and it depends a lot on the purity of the material and the talent of the manufacturer. Pong, Jorororok. Pushishit. The studio was filled with pungent smoke, and suspicious air bubbles rose from the small cauldron. Potions made this way have one thing in common: they have no taste. Even if you blast it with sugar and flavoring, there is no change. To be precise, it felt like the taste was out of place. So, when hunters drink potions, they often have distorted faces. They¡¯re already sick and tired, but the potion is not delicious, so they can¡¯t help but get annoyed. ¡®Finally, if I add Etheric herb solution.¡¯ The golden liquid flowed down the glass tube, dripping into the potion bottle. Finally, as soon as he filled the bottle and sealed it with a cork, a message on the status window popped up. [XXX Blessing LV1 characteristics. Applied] [Great Success Judgment. Applied] [Special Potion LV1. Completed] [Special Potion LV1: Ether consumption of all skills becomes 0 for 14 seconds] [Alchemy LV1 Skill. Acquired.] ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Why can I see this?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha remained frozen and stared blankly at the status window for a while. Was this phrase supposed to come out when making potions? Moreover, it was awkward to have the descriptions listed next to the potion bottles. It was like seeing an augmented reality that was popular in the past. Furthermore, it was an alchemy skill that he had never heard of before. Many self-proclaimed alchemists manufacture potions, but none of them obtained alchemy skills. ¡®It must have been the influence of entering the forest in my dreams.¡¯ The description did not disappear even after tapping and shaking the bottle. Considering the reliability of the system used by hunters, the accuracy of this explanation can be said to be 100%. In other words, if you drink this potion, the ether consumption of all skills becomes 0 for 14 seconds. ¡®This¡­ Can I sell it?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha shook the bottle and fell into trouble. How much should he sell it for? Can Hunters understand this rare effect? What if they ask him where he got it? ¡®I can say that I have been raking resources from Category 0 dungeons. They¡¯ll treat me like a lucky guy.¡¯ After that, the procedure to make them believe the effect of this potion was left. It is difficult to sell alone, so he decided to mix it with a stamina potion. ¡®Let¡¯s mix some solar apples.¡¯ Make a juice out of it and add it to the stamina potion. If you make a potion like this, it usually gets messed up, but he thought it would work for some reason. When he took the juice of the solar apple and mixed it with the special potion, a surprising thing happened. The description of the potion was changed after the Characteristic: XXX Blessing and the phrase ¡°Great Success judgment¡± appeared. [Special Potion LV1: Ether consumption of all skills becomes 0 for 14 seconds. Recovers 14% of max HP over 15 seconds.] ¡°The effect is amazing.¡± Although the exact number was not known, it seemed that this result was obtained by mixing the 20% increase in the effect of the solar apple with a great success judgment. ¡®The Blessing Characteristics are great.¡¯ In addition to the great success judgment, what kind of function it has can be tested gradually in the future. How does this taste? After tasting the potion, Yoo Ji-Ha fell in love with the sweet scent and taste. ¡°This one is delicious.¡± Compared to most potions boasting their disgusting taste and scent, this was heavenly taste. He continued to make potions. The new phrase appeared in the status window and then disappeared. [Alchemy LV1 Skill. Applied.] [Great Success Judgment. Applied] There are days when potions run out of stock. This phenomenon occurs when a dungeon is concentrated in one area and hunters flock to it. Demand is overflowing, but supply is limited, so it is difficult to obtain even though the price is skyrocketing. In ¡®Hunting Ground¡¯, which aims to be a high-quality hunter supply store, employees were trained to deal with the hunters who flocked to them. There are as many as five dungeons open in Area 7 right now. The entire area of Area 7 was very noisy with armored vehicles, police cars, ambulances, and luxury vehicles carrying hunters. ¡°Are there any paralysis resistance potions left?¡± ¡°Sorry, we have run out of paralysis resistance potions in stock.¡± ¡°When are they coming in?¡± ¡°I think it will take at least an hour. Dungeons are open in other areas as well.¡± ¡°NO! Jihoon they don¡¯t have any! Have you been to another place?¡± ¡°The Witch¡¯s cauldron doesn¡¯t have it either! I¡¯m contacting the Pyramids right now!¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t prepare this properly, the chance may be stolen by another guild!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll also contact the Five Star Alliance!¡± ¡°Call quickly. To those who can, bring it right now. Say I will pay for it later.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hunters in and out of the ¡®Hunting Ground¡¯ were on the verge of death and contacting here and there. Some hunters even instructed Guild¡¯s warehouse to urgently airlift potions. At that time, a sports car appeared in the parking lot in front of the Hunting Ground. In this era where oil cannot be easily imported because the sea is blocked by monsters, driving a personal vehicle was only possible with a wealthy person. Hunters paid attention to the vehicle because they knew who the owner was. Seo HyeJin, ranked 12th in the Korean Hunter Ranking, appeared. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Seo HyeJin, Seo HyeJin.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s what she¡¯s wearing, right? The armor from a Category 4 dungeon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what armor looks like these days?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare artifact, Artifact.¡± Seo HyeJin had an appearance that was enough to attract the attention of many hunters. She had jet-black hair that reaches her waist, armor that sticks tightly to her body, and even a sword on her back. In the past, people would have been criticized for what kind of cosplay she was doing, but now everyone looks at her with envy. This is because of how strong Seo HyeJin is and how much money she makes. Some hunters fell in love with her appearance rather than her abilities, but the probability that she would pay attention to a man other than Han SeungHyuk was close to zero. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Seo HyeJin gets out of the car and looks up at the colorful signboard of Hunting Ground for a moment. As if waiting, the manager came out of the store and bowed in front of her. ¡°We are preparing potions. If you wait a little bit¡­¡± ¡°Are there really no stamina potion?¡± Her voice was very cold. The manager was quick to respond. ¡°Yes, not now, but it will be ready in an hour!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± It¡¯s really difficult. This is because she must finish all preparations and enter the dungeon within the next 30 minutes. Ignoring the manager, she took out her smartphone and press on it, and found something. There is another place that sells potions around. Soon, Seo HyeJin¡¯s sports car drove down the road with a loud engine sound. She is headed to an old general store. HyeJin entered the general store located on the outskirts of District 7. She looked down at the young man who seemed to be the owner of the store. The white-skinned man with black horn-rimmed glasses looked up while reading a book. Overall, it was a harmless impression. ¡°Welcome.¡± HyeJin looked around the store instead of answering. There was a stamina potion she wanted. But can she trust the potions of this old shop? It¡¯s not a place run by a large corporation like ¡®Hunting Ground¡¯ or ¡®Witch¡¯s Cauldron¡¯. HyeJin glanced at the clock and asked him. ¡°How about the potion effect?¡± The young man smiled softly at her question. He had a good-looking face, but when he added a smile, she felt that he was quite handsome. Of course, HyeJin is not interested in men except Seunghyeok. You¡¯re handsome, that¡¯s the end of it, what¡¯s important now is the potion. ¡°It¡¯s not great, but it won¡¯t disappoint the customers.¡± Any trader would say so. However, she liked the young man¡¯s non-exaggerated way of speaking. Trust is important because potions don¡¯t always have the right effect. But in this store, it¡¯s a bit difficult to follow through. ¡°What is the price?¡± ¡°Ah, the price¡­.¡± The price the young man spoke of could never be said to be high by today¡¯s standards when prices are skyrocketing. This is especially true for HyeJin, who drinks potions worth more than 1 million won like water. She stopped as she ran her fingers through the shelves. ¡°From here to here. I do not have time.¡± I don¡¯t have time, which means I want you to finish the calculation quickly. Yoo Ji-Ha packed the potion bottles well and the black card was handed to him to complete the transaction. ¡°Thank you.¡± HyeJin nodded her head once and went out of the store with the potion. There was the sound of glass jars hitting each other. ¡°It will be fine.¡± It is unreasonable to expect great effects from cheap potions bought at old general stores. There are existing potions, so she thought this was back-up so there was no need to use it. If you do, you should at least do it. If it doesn¡¯t meet to her expectations¡­ Then she¡¯ll never use this place again. She thought as she drove towards the designated dungeon. Chapter 4 Amazing Potion (2) Seo HyeJin is a swordsman. If you ask what its difference is from the general swordsman class, it is said that it summons an intangible sword and performs various techniques. When the dazzling movement of the intangible sword in the battlefield is added to her beautiful appearance, only admiration is felt. However, it is known that her personality is not good. Most people are ignored by her, and even some skilled hunters say it is difficult to talk to her. One Hunter who was acquainted with her said: ¡°HyeJin is not a bad girl. It became more like this because of SeungHyuk¡¯s disappearance¡­ I hope you don¡¯t hate her too much.¡± Han SeungHyuk. A hunter, who was ranked number 1 in Korea. He was the envy of all Hunters. He was Korea¡¯s representative hunter with endless strength, beautiful appearance, and leadership. He, who was her lover, went into a Category 5 dungeon with his guild members and disappeared alone. HyeJin, who was absent at the time, was said to grieve while wandering around for a few days after the dungeon disappeared. It was probably from then. Seo HyeJin¡¯s face turned cold, and her personality changed. She jumped into dungeons recklessly regardless of the grade. The purpose was not clear. People were only guessing that she¡¯s trying to find even the smallest clue of Han SeungHyuk¡¯s disappearance. She is protecting junior hunters unintentionally because she would not decline even a low-difficulty dungeon. Today, she jumped into a Category 2 dungeon. The scenery in the dungeon, which is slightly different from the forest on Earth, was already familiar. At the splendid intangible sword shower performed by the Sword Witch, the class monsters, fat and thin, were swept away as a group, The hunters assigned to this dungeon had no choice but to pick up the ether stone when they got tired of her skill delivery. Three intangible swords protruded out of the air and pierced the bodies of the five earthworms hiding in the ground. The mole-shaped corpse disappeared and all that was left was a brilliant golden ether stone. At this point, Ether Stone is treated as money. But HyeJin didn¡¯t even care, and the hunters hurriedly took the small stones. ¡°We have nothing to do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to be comfortable, isn¡¯t it? But we also need to improve our skills.¡± ¡°What about the guild?¡± ¡°The Sword Witch has jumped in, so you should give up and follow her. If you touch her, you hurt yourself.¡± But suddenly, the mood of the forest changed drastically. Unknown birds flew in the air, and bizarre cries were heard everywhere. The dungeon-specific gloomy air that covers the light was spread all over. When the hunters were tense, Seo HyeJin grabbed the sword¡¯s body behind her back. ¡°Run away.¡± ¡°Yes? I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°I told you to run away.¡± ¡°No, suddenly¡­.¡± When a male hunter tried to object, something roared and popped out of the forest. Sassaak! A scorpion monster the size of an armored car. Where the eyes should have stood, a half-squashed human body stood tall. Manstalker. It is a hate-grade monster that only appears in Category 4 dungeons. The frequency of appearance was extremely rare, so the attack data was not accumulated. The only thing Hunters know about this bastard is that it exhibits agile behavior that is unimaginable for its large size, and that its poison is dangerous. As soon as it appeared, the quest received when entering the dungeon was updated, but only HyeJin noticed. ¡°Everyone, run away!¡± In the end, Seo HyeJin shouted loudly. The rookie hunters¡¯ complexion changed when they saw the Manstalker¡¯s ugly appearance. In particular, its thick tail contains extreme poison that they cannot withstand even a minute of resistance to poison. They ran away, knowing that holding on would be of no use. Instead of chasing after the hunters, the Manstalker glared at Seo HyeJin. Growl. Her arondite was pulled out of its scabbard and floated in the air. It is an intangible sword unique of a swordsman that spreads to the left and right. The moment HyeJin raised her eyes, the Manstalker¡¯s tail trembled, and something popped out of the tip. The Manstalker called the cubs. Although HyeJin has superhuman reflexes and agility, it was unreasonable to avoid the tongs and stings of a dozen Manstalkers. Despite the high poison resistance, her stamina kept dropping, so HyeJin hid in the forest and found a stamina potion from the belt and drank it. ¡°Ha¡­ Well.¡± The taste and smell of potions were terrible, so she frowned in advance without knowing it. It¡¯s a kind of defense mechanism. But the liquid flowing down her throat was very sweet. It was to the point that she was mistaken as to whether she was drinking potion right now, and it smelled good. ¡°Why does it taste like this?¡± Even if you pour sweeteners including sugar into the potion, it doesn¡¯t taste like this. Anyway, the stamina that was quickly consumed and the Manstalker¡¯s extreme poison began to recover. Thinking about the ether consumption of the Arondite Sword, she confirmed that the ether item in the status window had changed to golden. Is this what happens when you drink that ether potion? Could it be that the potion she just drank has a hidden effect that reduces the ether consumption to 0? ¡°I need to check.¡± The thought of running away was gone. Among the skills, she has learned, the Big Sword Rumbling consumes the most ether. The time has come to unveil that feast. Attribute Swordsmanship. HyeJin¡¯s feet slammed into the ground, and the long sword Arondite floated her into the air. In an instant, she looked down at a dozen Manstalkers. Still, they don¡¯t know yet. Hurrying up before they notice¡­ A golden glow emanated from her body. Arondite was split into dozens of intangible swords in an instant and was shot at the Manstalker. Papapapa¡­. It was a wave and dance of the sword. After cutting off the tail of the young Manstalker, the intangible sword produced by HyeJin followed HyeJin¡¯s hand gesture, draw an arc, and returned to target them again. Dozens of swords were fired, so there was no time even for a group of Manstalkers. kyaaah! ¡®I can do it¡­ I¡¯m doing it!¡¯ HyeJin felt extreme bliss. The ether consumption of the skill was so great that it was difficult to spread even 3 seconds, and this sword dance continued for nearly 10 seconds. The intangible sword cuts the Manstalker¡¯s tongs and separates the tail. And when several swords were stabbed into the back of the last mother Manstalker, it spits out a scream and swung its tail as if in a frenzy. Puck! HyeJin¡¯s armor shattered, and a burning pain spread from her shoulder. The Manstalker gave her Essence, the essence of life, as the group was annihilated with one blow. But her condition was not very good. The poison entered the body through 25% poison resistance. She fell off Arondite and crawled on the floor. ¡°Aww, damn it¡­.¡± She took out a poison resistance potion from the gear belt. It¡¯s an unreliable potion, but it¡¯s still better than not drinking it. Her vision blurred and her hands trembled. She popped the stopper and poured the potion into her mouth. Now all that was left was to pray for the potion to defeat the poison. ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± Fortunately, the potion¡¯s effect could overcome the Manstalker¡¯s poison. However, the aching pain and lethargy that weighed on her whole body were still there. HyeJin moaned, got up, and tried to forcefully support her shaking legs. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the potion that supplied ether for over 10 seconds, she wouldn¡¯t have even dared to deal with the Manstalker hordes. Did she buy it at the general store? ¡°Uncle Hunter, no, that, Hunter¡­¡± He¡¯s too young to be called an uncle, but somehow, she remembers buying a potion from his general store. She needs to check where she got it. HyeJin only recovered the largest ether stone and collapsed while walking. The pain from the poison did not subside easily. She was only breathing for a while and was rescued by new hunters who ran late. They were astonished to learn that about a dozen Manstalkers had popped out. ¡°Ten, eleven, twelve¡­ Thirteen, alone?¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Manstalker¡¯s ether stone? Aren¡¯t you crazy?¡± ¡°I think it really is a Manstalker¡­ Look at the discoloration of the ground. Poison doesn¡¯t go away easily.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°You must really be¡­¡± ¡°A real witch¡­¡± ¡°Hey, shhh.¡± ¡°We do not have time. Let¡¯s go quickly before the dungeon closes.¡± The three hunters supported HyeJin and quickly escaped from the dungeon. The soldiers, who were on the lookout for monsters from outside, applauded all at once. Hunters had to explain hard why the dungeon didn¡¯t break. ¡°You¡¯re here again.¡± That hunter came again. Yoo Ji-Ha bookmarked the book he was reading, stood up, and greeted her. As a result of searching for information late, she was Seo HyeJin, who was ranked 12th in the Hunter Ranking. The reason she, a top hunter, came back here is probably¡­ Her lips opened. ¡°The potion you sold to me; something was strange.¡± ¡°Where was it strange?¡± ¡°For a low-level potion, it fills up stamina very quickly and has a strange effect. I didn¡¯t know the ether would decrease.¡± The effect was real. He smiled inwardly but didn¡¯t say anything. She informed him that she had dealt with a group of Manstalkers. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a hate-grade monster? It¡¯s great to be able to handle that alone¡­¡± ¡°I am not great. If it wasn¡¯t for that potion, I¡¯d be dead. Where did you pick it up? Did you make it?¡± Instead of answering, the Yoo Ji-Ha took out a yellow fruit from the basket on the shelf. ¡°I named it a Solar apple, would you like to eat it?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± HyeJin also knows the identity of the yellow fruit. It is sometimes found while wandering the dungeon. Most of the dungeon quests have a time limit, and most of them are far away, so they had no choice but to just look. She can¡¯t believe it¡¯s coming from the hand this young man. Gulp. HyeJin swallowed her saliva without realizing it. She doesn¡¯t know if yellow fruit are delicious. But she could read the thoughts from the young man¡¯s good face. It¡¯s delicious, and you won¡¯t regret eating it. Maybe she will be the first hunter to eat the fruit called the solar apple. No, is she the second? She nodded and pulled up a small chair and sat down. She came to ask about the effect of the potion, but she laughed at the fact that she was waiting for the young man to cut the fruit. ¡®I¡¯m laughing.¡¯ It was a strange thing. She swore she wouldn¡¯t laugh until she found him again. HyeJin bit her lip and frowned. Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-Ha was perplexed because he couldn¡¯t figure out why this lady was laughing and then frowning. What don¡¯t you like? Maybe a silent protest to prune the fruit quickly? When the skin of the solar apple was peeled off, yellow meat came out. He cut it into cubes, put it on a plate, put a fork in it, and gave it to her. HyeJin hesitated, took a bite of the solar apple, and opened her eyes wide. It was so sweet and fragrant that she thought it was sprinkled with honey. ¡°Did you put this fruit in the potion?¡± ¡°You are right, but I don¡¯t know what effect it has. Did the ether go down?¡± ¡°What exactly happened is that¡­¡± She glanced at the young man and said that she used her skill for over 10 seconds to deal with a horde of monsters. He said he wasn¡¯t a proper hunter, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t normal. He looked a little surprised when he heard that she had dealt with the monster horde alone. ¡°I see. I picked this solar apple from there thanks to a small dungeon opened behind the shop. I was lucky.¡± Finally, the answer she had been waiting for came. Category 0 dungeons appear to have been opened for a short time and then closed. ¡°How was it inside? The scenery.¡± ¡°It was a small forest. I didn¡¯t take any quests. There were no monsters. The time was too short to bring only a solar apple. ¡° ¡°Hmm. So that¡¯s how it happened.¡± Category 0 dungeons are also called safe dungeons. There are no monsters, but the resources are that small, and the time it can stay is short. The question was solved. There was no need to ask how the solar apple was processed into a potion. It was the work of the alchemists, not hers. ¡°First, let me say thank you. And I said that because I think I bought a potion too cheap¡­ Call the price.¡± ¡°No, I think I sold it properly.¡± HyeJin lowered her eyes slightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the only potion that makes ether usage 0 for more than 10 seconds?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s how I sold it. I wasn¡¯t sure about the potion¡¯s effectiveness, so I sold it moderately high. After selling it to a customer, I ate a delicious lunch. That¡¯s it.¡± This man is not very greedy. She noticed what kind of person the young man was and did not push further. ¡°You, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard it somewhere.¡± He laughed a little. ¡°He¡¯s famous as a hunter without skills and characteristic.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Only then did the name and face match. He is famous for being the lowest hunter in the world. There was also a saying that if you want to know the number of registered hunters in Korea, you can look at his ranking. She looks at the bright golden eyes, he must have awakened. HyeJin took out her wallet, placed a bundle of banknotes on a chair, and left the store. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Without a moment to react, a loud engine sound of a sports car was heard. Yoo Ji-Ha glanced at the money. A thick one looks like a few hundred thousand won. It¡¯s already been given to you, so let¡¯s make it useful. He happily waited for the time to return to the forest. As he fell asleep, an amazing scenery greeted him. Chapter 5 Visitors (1) The landscape of the forest has changed again. About 20 pyeong1 wide was added, and it was full of trees and bushes that he had never seen before. Above all, Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s newly planted branch grew quite like a tree, adding a sense of pride. ¡®That¡¯s a cave¡­¡¯ The entrance to the cave was located near the edge of the fog. He doesn¡¯t want to go inside so he looks around. ¡®The Etheric herb and the Solar apple are new.¡¯ New fruits have appeared on the solar apple tree. He couldn¡¯t harvest it because it was small, but he thought it wouldn¡¯t take too long. Yoo Ji-Ha was stunned by its growth rate. Could it be that there is some kind of magic here that speeds up the growth of crops? ¡®That¡¯s a strawberry.¡¯ A new strawberry tree that did not exist before. [Winter Strawberry LV1: Increases cold resistance by 20% for 30 minutes.] It¡¯s a simple explanation, but the effect was great. Resistance stats are options that is rare, and even if it was attached to an artifact, it was only about 5% or 10%. Advanced hunters wore all kinds of artifacts acquired from dungeons on their bodies, but it rarely exceeds 20%. Cold resistance potions came out very rare and were often sold by hunters. ¡®This number is higher than any other cold resistance potion.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha remembered that there are hunters failing to capture a polar dungeon. It was said that they all ran away because it was too cold and could not withstand the cold attacks of monsters. Even in Korea, where the attack success rate is high, it is at that point, so other countries could not even dare to attack. It is troublesome because you cannot bring various cold protection items made with cutting-edge science into the dungeon. ¡®Is it possible to attack such dungeon with this winter strawberries?¡¯ Although it is only a possibility, there will be no monsters breaking out. Yoo Ji-Ha focused on the figure of LV1 in the winter strawberries. Does that mean he¡¯ll see LV2 someday? ¡®Maybe I can change this garden to look nice.¡¯ With that in mind, he rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning the area. It would have been convenient if he had brought all sorts of cleaning tools in his dimensional pocket. ¡®I¡¯ll be sure to bring it next time.¡¯ As he was trying to clear the messy bushes and spread the soil evenly, sweat was forming on his forehead. While working in Yoo Ji-Ha found small insects. [Theradrone] Earth worms also had a grand name, Earthworm, but this little insect was called Theradrone. ¡®Look at this.¡¯ The little guys were carrying something under the winter strawberry tree. ¡®It¡¯s a strawberry that fell to the ground.¡¯ It was quite impressive to see a group of small insects gathering and carrying strawberries and digging the ground. Are they building a house? ¡®Let me help you a little.¡¯ When he used his fingers, the insects retreated in amazement. But it didn¡¯t run away at all, they were amazing. Usually, insects run away when they see something big. After digging an appropriate hole, they started digging up the soil inside. ¡®Working hard.¡¯ When he looked into the hole, he could see a big ass and hind legs scooping up the dirt. They demonstrated technique of digging holes by clumping the soil and passing it back. It¡¯s no different with a person carrying a load backward. ¡®It¡¯s pretty cute.¡¯ He never knew insects could be so cute. Yoo Ji-Ha remove his attention from the guys and continued to work. He moved carefully to avoid destroying the insect¡¯s nest, then he looked into the entrance of the cave. ¡®What¡¯s inside?¡¯ Strange wind noises were heard from the entrance, large enough to fit two people. It seems to be connected somewhere. But he was too scared to go into the dark space. ¡®If there are monsters inside, it¡¯s a big deal.¡¯ He was awakened, but he was a hunter with no skills or attributes, so if he encounters a monster, he has no other choice but to die. Besides, there¡¯s nowhere to run. But suddenly, it started to rain. The raindrops fell with a plock-plock, and it soon turned into a heavy downpour that seemed to sweep the forest away. Yoo Ji-Ha confirmed that insects had entered and taken refuge in a cave. ¡®It¡¯s like asking me to go into the cave.¡¯ It seemed like someone was teasing him, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He squatted at the entrance of the cave, waiting for the rain to stop. Alas- The rain seems that it will not stop right away. Bored, he thought about sleeping on the floor, but he soon changed his mind. After entering the cave, he thought it would be better to explore the inside. If there¡¯s something inside, you¡¯re bound to die in one way or another, so it¡¯s better to do something. ¡°Whoooh, nothing will come out.¡± Carefully following the walls of the cave and going inside. It wasn¡¯t as dark as he expected because of some light. ¡®It¡¯s because of this.¡¯ A light shone from the stones scattered on the walls and floor. [Glow stone] ¡®Is it just a shining stone?¡¯ When he touched it with his hand, the crumbs fell. The material is weak, so he thinks he can dig it out with a pickaxe. He decided to bring tools next time when going inside. Two glowing stones appeared next in the dark wall space. [Ignition Stone] ¡®After the glow stone, it is the ignition stone¡­ Can I light a fire with it?¡¯ Should he hit two stones like flint? The inside was getting narrower. The thought of going into that dark cave took his breath away. Yoo Ji-Ha gave up further exploration and came out to the entrance. He felt like he had to go to the store and get some tools. He fell asleep listening to the rain. The rain has stopped. After he bought various tools in reality and put them in a leather pocket, he began to clean up the forest after the rain with great care. The fallen trees were cut and removed with a saw, the floor was leveled, and even the bushes were cleared. After removing all the grass and branches that had fallen on the floor, he was sweating profusely. ¡°Whooh.¡± After washing his neck and face with cool water, he felt better. Yoo Ji-Ha sat under the solar apple tree for a while, ate the chocolate bar he brought with him, and cooled his sweat. ¡®Let¡¯s take the glow stone, the ignition stone, and the winter berries.¡¯ What he can do in this forest is limited, so there is nothing he can do but just stay and sightseeing. The best thing to do is to do what you need and then go to sleep. Taking a breath, he took a pickaxe and entered the cave. Kang, Kang. When he hit around the glow stone with a pickaxe, it was dug deep as expected. It¡¯s definitely a soft rock. After 30 minutes of pickaxing, Yoo Ji-Ha was able to obtain a glow stone with a size of a fist. ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡± A glow stone with a soft glow. With this, he will be able to move in the dark. He decided to take only two out of the five and continue to dig up the rock with a pickaxe. ¡®I can¡¯t help it because I need two ignition stones.¡¯ He took the ignition stone and went out and started collecting winter strawberries. Not all, but only half. ¡®Let¡¯s not be greedy.¡¯ Up until now, Yoo Ji-Ha has lived without much greed. If there¡¯s one thing he has learned while living alone after losing his parents, it¡¯s that if he doesn¡¯t get too greedy, it¡¯s okay to live. He was not pessimistic about his situation compared to other Hunters. It must have been fate, so he accepted and was satisfied with his life. ¡®So, you gave me a present?¡¯ There must be a huge number of people who conform to a fate as he does, but no way. Carrying his leather bag on his back, he contemplated how to use the glow stone. He thought it would be better to use it like a torch by attaching a handle. Tying a few long pieces of wood together and insert a glow stone at the end to make a suitable torch. ¡®If I convert the leather pouch into a backpack and put a torch in it, I will be able to use both hands.¡¯ As the fog grows wider, the space he can explore also grows. Maybe one day he will be able to roam the forest like a real adventurer? ¡®I have to go inside the cave once.¡¯ All of this may be thanks to the branch planted in the middle of the forest. It was growing rapidly at a speed different from that of other trees. After saying thank you to the guy, he lay down on the floor of the cave. As he fell asleep, the trees in the middle of the forest were dyed golden and radiating light in all directions. On the Korean intranet, there is a community, Hunternet, that only hunters can use. One of the most viewed places on Hunternet was none other than the review board. Many hunters challenge the dungeon, clear it, and sometimes share their experiences. Because it was a real-name system, it was rare to see nonsense. Although the occasional irregulars scratch the hunters¡¯ hearts, it is said that they cannot be systematically blocked. A post was posted on the review board today. But it wasn¡¯t an ordinary review. ©¸Bae KangMin: It¡¯s surprising that Seo HyeJin destroyed about a dozen Manstalkers, isn¡¯t it? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Who did? ©¸Bae KangMin: When I saw the battle reports of the juniors, it said so. ©¸Ashley: That information is interesting. I¡¯d like to hear in detail if possible. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Wait, when did that happen? ©¸Bae KangMin: It was just yesterday. There¡¯s an open dungeon in the 11th area of the district 7, right? It was originally Category 2, but suddenly it was changed to Category 4. ©¸Cha HwaYeon : Is that true? ©¸Bae KangMin: Yes, I¡¯m not deceiving you. For real. ©¸Park SeongHo: I¡¯ve heard that rumor. The official battle report hasn¡¯t been released yet, so I¡¯m not sure. ©¸Cha HwaYeon : That makes no sense. In our guild¡¯s first guild mobilization, we only managed to catch four of them. You can¡¯t kill them all at once, you know how fast they regenerate, right? Not enough firepower. ©¸Ashley: Manstalker¡¯s regeneration ability is known to be superior even among hate-class monsters. ©¸Park SeongHo: Still, those hunters wouldn¡¯t have lied¡­ ©¸Hyun SeungAh: It could be just a rumor. It wasn¡¯t a Manstalker, it was a blue scorpion or something, they may have exaggerated it. ©¸Bae KangMin: I can¡¯t get over that. Are you saying the juniors lied to me? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a lie, but it doesn¡¯t make sense. Dungeon quests change abruptly from time to time, that¡¯s true, but thirteen Manstalkers? ©¸Bae KangMin: Oh, I forgot something, but only one was an adult. The rest are babies. ©¸Cha HwaYeon : No, why are you saying that now? So, it¡¯s dumb. ©¸Bae KangMin: I forgot for a moment. So, is it convincing if there are thirteen including the young? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Still, it¡¯s difficult alone¡­ It¡¯s no joke that they sting. Even if you pour out your skills at first, it won¡¯t last long, so you¡¯ll have to avoid the sting poison. ©¸Park SeongHo: Then, how did HyeJin kill them? At this point, several hunters interfered, and each shared their experiences. The suspicions that they could not believe pushed Bae KangMin, but he did not back down saying that he trusted his juniors until the end. At that time, a hunter implicitly asked a question. ©¸Kim ChulSoo: What would it be like if it was Han SeungHyuk? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Why is that oppa suddenly? ©¸Kim ChulSoo: It¡¯s nothing special, I¡¯m just curious. Because he was the immovable ranking number 1. ©¸Cha HwaYeon : If it were that person, he would have killed the Manstalkers alone. He is in a different league. ©¸Bae KangMin: Acknowledged. SeungHyuk had his damage amplification characteristics, didn¡¯t he? If you use an ether blade and charge, most monsters will be cut. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: I remember when we had a fight with a disaster-grade monster before. He was the person who fought alone in the end even after shouting to run away like that. ©¸Park SeongHo: Let¡¯s stop talking about the missing person. After that, everyone turned around and suggested the possibility that HyeJin used an ether consumption potion. ©¸Bae KangMin: This is the most probable one, but among the ether consumption potions on Hunter Mania, how much was the longest? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: I check all the special potions, but the 4 second one was sold 3 days ago. Of course, it¡¯s not likely that HyeJin bought it. ©¸Cha HwaYeon : 4 seconds, including her ether, 7 seconds¡­ Still, it¡¯s a little lacking. ©¸Bae KangMin: I¡¯m really frustrated. Does anyone have HyeJin¡¯s number? ©¸Cha HwaYeon : Even if I have, she won¡¯t answer. I¡¯d like to talk a little bit more about the Manstalker than that. Long fingers tapped the keyboard. Cha HwaYeon , the head of the Eternal Flame Guild, chatted for a while and gathered information about Seo HyeJin and the Manstalker. She then contacted the guild¡¯s chief alchemist, Choi CheolHeon. ¡ªWhat do you think of Seo HyeJin? ¡ªWell¡­ I don¡¯t know with this kind of information. What is certain is that HyeJin cannot catch a bunch of Manstalkers alone. Actually, it¡¯s not just HyeJin, but anyone can¡¯t catch it alone. ¡ªShe has a helper or received some help. ¡ªThe number of people entering the dungeon cannot be hidden. And it¡¯s hard to believe that HyeJin hunted with anyone. You¡¯re probably right that she got help from Artifacts. I¡¯ll checked HyeJin¡¯s movement for the past month. The movements of the top rankers were always almost revealed. Because so many people know about it. HwaYeon opened the file and checked the movement. ¡ªShe¡¯s so out of her mind. Does it make sense to just go back and forth between the house, the shop, and the dungeon? She¡¯s a girl, a girl. ¡ªWell, since her lover is missing, isn¡¯t it obvious? She went to the hospital yesterday. ¡ªIt has been three years; how long will she be like that? Sometimes it¡¯s good to just forget about it. ¡ªTell me directly. ¡ªThat¡¯s okay. But where is he going? A general store? Why is HyeJin going to this corner? There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything here. ¡ªShe stopped by the day before entering the Manstalker dungeon. And she went there after clearing the dungeon. Do you smell something? HwaYeon twisted her red hair in her hands. It was a habit she did when she had something to think about. Her finger tapped the keyboard again. ¡ªCheck it out. ¡ªI will go by myself. So, the conversation ended. HwaYeon turned on the map and checked the general view of the general store. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± It was a shabby shop. With only one rating, she thought it would be like this if there were no customers. She sighed and closed her laptop. While conversations took place in the high-rise building, Yoo Ji-Ha was concentrating on making potions in the shabby workshop. And an amazing thing happened when the alchemy skill level rose to 2. 166 square mete Chapter 6 Visitors (2) ¡°Oh, this is good.¡± As much as 32% cold resistance was attached to the potion made by Yoo Ji-Ha. When the alchemy skill level rose to 2, the word ¡®concentrated¡¯ suddenly appeared and the number went up. But where did the 32% figure come from? ¡®Assuming that the original 20%, the great success is 1.2x, the blessing attribute is 1.2x, this concentrated option will be 1.1x.¡¯ As a result of the calculations, this figure was reasonable. Just in case, another winter strawberry was purified and made into a potion, but a potion with a concentrated effect did not come out. ¡®I see its by chance. Anyway, five potions.¡¯ [Concentrated special potion LV1: Increases cold resistance by for 48 minutes.] ¡°Whoah.¡± It couldn¡¯t be a greater potion. If you have this potion, you will be able to fight if you enter any polar dungeon. Yoo Ji-Ha placed five bottles of potions on the table and prepared for business. The general store¡¯s opening time is 8 am, but it didn¡¯t mean much. He didn¡¯t want to be lazy, so he just opened it early in the morning. ¡®After going to that forest and cleaning things up, it¡¯s 7:30, so the time is right.¡¯ He opened the door to the store, went to the front, and stretched out. If there is one thing that has improved with the appearance of dungeons and monsters, it is the quality of the air. The concentration of fine dust has decreased considerably since the news that dungeons had been opened in many factories in China years ago. It¡¯s not as good as the air in the forest, but it was refreshing to breathe the morning air. He came out with a broom and cleaned the front. The time is 7:40. As it is the district 7 with the most fluctuating population in Korea, it was crowded with people from the morning. Since the price of Oil has long exceeded 10,000 won per liter, most people use public transportation. The road seemed empty because the people who use it were already working hard. There were many places that were completely damaged because there was no budget for repairs. Yoo Ji-Ha, after watching people, found someone. ¡°Hyung.¡± A big size man broke through the people and appeared in front of Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve been diligent since morning, too. Do you have any guests these days?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just right.¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t do that¡­ If you succeed quickly, I will be at peace.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with this.¡± The man called Hyung let out a small sigh when he saw the shabby signboard and shop. Then, he draped his strong arm over Yoo Ji-Ha shoulder and dragged him into the store. ¡°Come on, I brought you some good information? Do you want to hear it?¡± This man¡¯s name is Park SeongHo. As a hunter who had awakened from the knight class, he was marked about 100th in the rankings. He formed a small guild called Happy Hunters, and he was tempting him to join after getting to know Yoo Ji-Ha for some reason. He said he won¡¯t let him starve. Even now, he politely declined saying that he was not starving, but he was still aiming for Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡®He¡¯s a good older brother.¡¯ That was the goal of the guild itself, to be happy hunters. SeongHo entered the store, sat down on a simple chair of the shop, and took out his smartphone. ¡°Can you see this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a polar dungeon.¡± What he saw on the phone was the Hunter.net app. It was full of information such as: ¡®An easy and fun polar dungeon appears!¡¯ A dungeon with a minimum temperature of -70 degrees Celsius, could not be easy and fun. ¡°Uh. Category 1 Polar Dungeon is now open. Do you have plenty of time? This will allow you to get inside too.¡± What SeongHo took out was a small potion bottle. ¡®I see it again.¡¯ [Cold resistance potion: Increases cold resistance by 10% for 15 minutes.] He thought he could only see the ones he made, but he can even see the options for the dropped potions. It was a small figure compared to the potion he made, but it was obvious that SeongHo was trying to save this potion, so Yoo Ji-Ha didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Isn¡¯t this potion looks good?¡± SeongHo smiled and shook the bottle, and the blue liquid fluttered. ¡°This is a cold resistance potion. You know sometimes it comes out of the box. If it¡¯s blue, they usually say it¡¯s cold resistance. Thunderbolt buffs are very rare, but I don¡¯t think it will come out in Category 2 dungeon, but it has a slightly different color. ¡° ¡°Yes, I know.¡± There are quite a few places in the dungeon with artifacts such as ruins and villages. If you clear such place, you will have to kill the boss monster and get a treasure chest. Depending on the difficulty of the dungeon, the number of boxes and the quality of the treasures vary. He had no experience of getting boxes, but he knew the detail. ¡°It was hard to get this¡­ Your noona worked especially hard, so thank her later.¡± The person called noona here refers to Hwang SeonYoung of the Happy Hunters Guild. She was three years older than Yoo Ji-Ha, and her hobby was collecting old books and scrolls and so was his, so they sometimes go to the wholesale center together. She had the nickname, a book ghost, but she was just a book reader. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I need this.¡± It means he doesn¡¯t need to go into the dungeon. SeongHo patted his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go in together this time. It¡¯s really not dangerous there. You never know, if you keep entering the dungeon, you can acquire skills and characteristic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been there a few times so far, and it¡¯s never like that.¡± As Yoo Ji-Ha smiled awkwardly, SeongHo sighed. ¡°Still, keep going. There is nothing to lose. You¡¯re not saying you can¡¯t leave because you can¡¯t leave the store empty right?¡± ¡°As you can see, there are not many customers.¡± ¡°Haha, it would get better.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha was grateful for the Hyung in front of him. Come to think of it, he would often go to SeongHo Hyung¡¯s house and get a meal. His wife, Lee Jumi, also welcomed him warmly and treat him more than a brother. If you think about it, it¡¯s like entering a dungeon. ¡°All right. I will go.¡± ¡°Hey, it looks like we¡¯re asking for a favor, but it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re going. You know the witch¡¯s cauldron, tomorrow at 10am, come out there.¡± ¡°Who are we going with?¡± ¡°Me and Jumi, and SeonYoung. The other two were dispatched, so the four of us can go in.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha suddenly remembered the solar apple. It would be nice to make a potion, but he wanted for his close friends to taste it one by one. ¡°Hey Hyung, would you like an apple? I¡¯m in the dungeon¡­¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know what it is, but we¡¯ll eat it later. I¡¯m going.¡± He thought about serving a solar apple, but SeongHo rushed out of the store as if he had work. Shortly after he disappeared, a large sedan stopped in front of the store. ¡°Who is it?¡± Eventually, the person who got out of the car was a man in his 30s wearing a cloak. The option attached to the cloak is rare class were great. He¡¯s sure, it¡¯s over 10 billion won. Seeing that he had a driver in a large sedan, there was a high possibility that he was a senior hunter. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s him, the alchemist of the Eternal Flame Guild.¡¯ Among Hunters, he is considered the first to be considered an alchemist. He doesn¡¯t have separate skills or characteristics, but he put a lot of effort into it and it have paid off. It would not be an exaggeration to say that 30% of his effort went into the formulation of the recipes for various potions. But why did he come here? CheolHeon looked around and found Yoo Ji-Ha that came out of the store and bowed slightly. ¡°Excuse me, are you the owner of this place?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I came here just to buy something. May I take a look?¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem like it was the real intention of a senior alchemist to look at such a shabby shop, but he still move away from the door. CheolHeon went inside and looked around slowly. Potion bottles were nicely displayed on the display stand, and on the table in the middle were old books and scrolls in jars. ¡®It¡¯s old, but it¡¯s well organized.¡¯ But that alone would not attract HyeJin¡¯s attention. There is definitely something she needs here. ¡®Or there was¡­¡¯ Cheol-heon, who was looking around the shelves, noticed a yellow fruit and widened his eyes. Why is that fruit here? ¡°Maybe that fruit¡­ May I ask where you got it?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ I got it from a Category 0 dungeon. When I add it to the potion, they said it had a surprisingly good effect.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t tell.¡± It is forbidden to inform other people of the transaction with the customer. CheolHeon looked at the yellow fruit with a curious expression because it was the first time, he had seen the yellow fruit up close. ¡®It¡¯s quite fragrant.¡¯ It turned out so delicious that he almost stretched out his hand without knowing it. He barely restrained himself and smiled at Yoo Ji-Ha, The whole of the situation was fortunate enough to monopolize a Category 0 dungeon, obtain the fruit, make a potion, and sell it to HyeJin. He probably won¡¯t have a chance to make such a potion again. CheolHeon bought some potions as a courtesy and asked Yoo Ji-Ha to calculate it. ¡®Looking at the color or concentration of the potion, it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t have skills.¡¯ However, there are many alchemists of this level under his command. After finishing the calculations, CheolHeon went straight back. And reported to Cha HwaYeon, the head of the guild. ¡ªThere was nothing special. He was a lucky man. ¡ªWhy exactly? ¡ªI think he got the yellow fruit from a Category 0 dungeon, added it to a potion, and sold it to HyeJin. ¡ªYellow fruit? Not sure exactly what the effect is? ¡ªIt is most likely related to ether consumption. ¡ªHe¡¯s a lucky guy. Would he have gotten ten million won? ¡ªProbably. It was the driving force behind catching the man stalker. ¡ªHow about person? ¡ªWell¡­ He was a good-looking young man. Lines are a bit soft¡­ Maybe it¡¯s the guild leader¡¯s taste. ¡ªIt¡¯s annoying. Anyway, next time you find that yellow fruit, you need to secure it first. ¡ªWhat about it, how many times have we found it? It¡¯s so far away. ¡ªSo, we must unite. It¡¯s difficult because we¡¯re so focused on firepower¡­ Who is the fastest hunter? ¡ªI¡¯ll find out. The conversation between the guild leader and the chief alchemist almost always ends like this. CheolHeon smiled bitterly, took off his cloak, put it on his chair, and went straight to work. However, the yellow fruit is of little concern. ¡®Why didn¡¯t I bought one and to eat?¡¯ But he didn¡¯t want to eat a fruit worth 10 million won. Cheol-heon thought about that and wondered why the young man had left the fruits in a pile on the shelf. ¡®It¡¯s so precious¡­ Something¡¯s strange.¡¯ Did he bring a lot at once? Still, if he had noticed the effect of the potion in his conversation with HyeJin, he wouldn¡¯t treat it like that. ¡®It¡¯s somewhat inappropriate to show the fruit openly¡­¡¯ If it was CheolHeon, it would have all been made into potions or hidden. His troubles deepened. ¡®Animal friendly¡­ Plant friendly¡­¡¯ Hunternet is where information about dungeons and hunters is posted, frequently. Yoo Ji-Ha is also a hunter, so he is registered here. He put two words into the search bar and searched, but nothing came up. When he added alchemy and blessings, only irrelevant ones were listed. ¡®Certainly, this is the first skill I got.¡¯ It is the only one in the world. What does this mean? ¡®Maybe someone entrusted me with a mission.¡¯ But no one spoke to him. It may have been shown through the environment rather than words. Like a forest in his dream. ¡®Anyway, it means that the forest should be well cared for.¡¯ If you do what you can do without being greedy, the rewards will follow. After organizing his thoughts, he got up from his chair and closed the shop door. ¡®I have to go in.¡¯ These days, he enjoyed entering the forest of his dreams. Because if you do little good deeds, the rewards will follow. Putting the dimensional pouch in the backpack, tying a few pieces of wood together and placing a glow stone in the center made a plausible torch. ¡®Now put this in my backpack.¡¯ The torch was securely fastened to the backpack. The lights were turned off and the surroundings were clear. He was satisfied with the performance of the glow stone. ¡®I think it would be better to process the ignition stone and make it like flint.¡¯ He decided to do it later, ate dinner in a hurry, lay in bed, and closed his eyes. As soon as he felt the familiar forest air, he looked around. ¡®As expected.¡¯ The small solar apples have fully matured. It was fuller than the first time. ¡®If I take half, it¡¯s more than 10.¡¯ The winter strawberries haven¡¯t opened yet, so he decided to wait a little bit. ¡®There¡¯s nothing else that is different.¡¯ At that moment, he saw something wriggling at his feet, and he almost stepped on it. ¡°What is it?¡± A Theradrone was biting something, put it down at his feet and ran away. Is there such an absurd thing such as insects giving gifts? Is it giving this because he helped dug a hole before? [The Seed of Hummingbell] ¡°I don¡¯t know what a hummingbell is but thank you.¡± It¡¯s not an ordinary forest, so he thought it would grow well on its own. He dug a hole in the ground and planted the seeds. Then he scooped up water in the stream, put it in a bottle, and carefully went into the cave. Fortunately, there was nothing threatening. ¡°It¡¯s not that deep¡­¡± Relying on the glow of the glow stone, he was able to get out within a few minutes of walking. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± His eyes widened. An open white sandy beach, and an emerald sea appeared. Chapter 7 Your Own Beach Is this a dream or real? ¡®Was the sea always this close?¡¯ Was the terrain he thought to be a forest, actually a sea? It didn¡¯t even smell like the sea, so he didn¡¯t notice it. ¡®Or maybe there¡¯s something like a portal somewhere in the cave.¡¯ At the narrowest point, he felt a strange sensation as if his whole body was shaking. At first, he thought it was vertigo, but after a while, it didn¡¯t seem to go away. ¡®Maybe the entrance to the back is blocked¡­¡¯ It was only by hurriedly returning to the cave and seeing the forest that Yoo Ji-Ha was reassured. He came back to the sea and took off his shoes. Because it felt like a crime to leave shoeprints on the white sand where nothing existed. The soft sand tickled the soles of his feet, and the subtle scent of the sea brushed the tip of his nose. It¡¯s a really nice view, but it was a bit hot, so he took off his jacket and put it in the backpack. ¡®If the weather is this hot, it¡¯s probably not the same terrain¡­¡¯ The forest and the sea here are in different dimensions. He thought it would be better to interpret it that way. Yoo Ji-Ha walked along the white sandy beach and approached the sea. ¡®I¡¯m walking on the white sand¡­¡¯ The sea was the object of fear for modern people, including him. There were so many monsters that it was difficult to sail a ship and trying to escort it with a warship was not excessive. So, most of the imports and exports these days are done by plane. ¡®I thought there was nothing, but¡­¡¯ The palm tongs hanging from the palm trees and the hundreds of sand crabs busily roaming the white sand caught his attention. What is even more surprising is that palm tongs have a special effect, just like the solar apple and winter strawberry. [Palm tongs: Acquire Pain Resistance LV1 for 30 minutes.] ¡®Pain resistance? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen it.¡¯ First of all, there is no pain resistance part in the stats. If that¡¯s the case, then it should be considered a characteristic. Among the hunters, there were those who were exceptionally patient with those who were active as tanks. Wouldn¡¯t it be the same as the characteristics of those people? ¡®If that¡¯s true, that¡¯s great.¡¯ If you can use someone else¡¯s characteristic, they¡¯ll come rushing to you with money. However, Yoo Ji-Ha was not very greedy for this kind of buff. Most of all, he was scared of the palm tongs which is as big as a human. ¡®It¡¯s like a monster.¡¯ If Yoo Ji-Ha tried to catch that, he might be the one caught instead. He turned his gaze away from the palm tongs and looked around further. The quick sand crab did not have a special buff and the large one looked delicious. ¡®It¡¯s been almost 10 years since I ate crab.¡¯ Seafood became extremely difficult to eat because the seas and beaches were seized by monsters. Importing from overseas is done by air, so the unit price is extremely high. If you¡¯re rich, you could simply spend some money to eat. As a result, countries with low self-sufficiency food are said to be on the verge of collapse. ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ For some reason, the sand crabs didn¡¯t run away from Yoo Ji-Ha. Perhaps it is the effect of animal-friendly skills. It didn¡¯t struggle too much when he picked one up and opened the tongs. Yoo Ji-Ha unconsciously gulped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please be my food.¡± Shortly, a bonfire was lit on the border between the white sand beach and the palm grove. It was made by collecting dried palm leaves and branches and finally, kindling it with an igniting stone. ¡°It catches well.¡± The branches had a lot of fiber, so they caught fire very easily. Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s knife was put in the mouth of the sand crab, and it was threaded through a thin wooden skewer and put on the fire. Tatatak. The smell of grilled crab meat was no joke. And as the sand crabs became roughly red, Yoo Ji-Ha took it from the fire and began to eat. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Although it was hot, he was able to see the red flesh using a branch as chopsticks and cutting the carapace with a camping knife. Slurping. ¡°Ah, so delicious.¡± The chewy texture and the rich umami flavor filled with the smell of the sea were mouthwatering. Yoo Ji-Ha indulged in crab meat without hesitation. Until now, the only thing similar to crab meat was the meat sold in the supermarket. Even then, fish meat was expensive, so he didn¡¯t eat it often. After gulping the flesh, crab shells piled up on the floor. ¡®I have to take what I ate.¡¯ He wrapped it in plastic, put it in the backpack and cleaned it up. There was barely any trace of fire. He wanted to eat one more sand crab but decided not to. In the first place, he didn¡¯t eat much. ¡®By the way, that guy¡­¡¯ His gaze reached the palm tongs hanging from the palm tree. Sand crabs are so delicious, what about that guy? He wanted to check out the pain tolerance buff and taste it. Yoo Ji-Ha stared at it intensely. tuk. Suddenly, the palm tongs fell. ¡°Great!¡± Some dungeons have a long-time limit. There are places that last for more than a few days, and in cases that they enter such place, hunters bring food. When it comes to food, the mainstream is high-calorie and easy-to-eat. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to be luxurious in the dungeon. Anyway, hunters don¡¯t spare money on supplies for hunting. Therefore, each company gave the canned food a special name: Survival Wheat or Special Food. Yoo Ji-Ha has tried to make it a few times, but this market is not easy and he couldn¡¯t beat the ready-made ones. ¡®Well.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha was now staring at the flesh of the palm tongs. Perhaps due to its weight, the palm tongs that fell to the floor, died on the spot so Yoo Ji-Ha succeeded in disassembling and separating the flesh. Due to its size, the carapace was extremely thick, so he had to bring a pickaxe and break it. The amount of meat it contain was no joke, it seemed like it would be enough for 4 or 5 people. ¡°How do I make this?¡± After experimenting around, he found that the pain tolerance buff of Palm tongs had to be cooked to be applied. ¡®It would be better to make it similar to a Pemicon.¡¯ Pemicon is a preserved food made by mixing animal meat, fat, flour, fruits, and nuts. Making it in the form of a bar is convenient to carry and has a lot of calories per piece, so it was a preferred food for hunters. However, he was worried about whether it could be replaced with the flesh of palm tongs as the original¡¯s main ingredient is beef. ¡®Let¡¯s try it first.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha brought the flesh of palm tongs to the store and started cooking in the kitchen. The well-roasted flesh was pounded with a meat hammer, dried, and ground until it turned into fine flour. Pemican is completed by adding fruits and nuts and adding fat, which is used to solidify. ¡®How about the taste?¡¯ He took a bite, and it was edible even before it was done. At the same time, Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s status window was updated. [Characteristics: XXX blessing LV1. Pain Resistance LV1.] ¡°It¡¯s real.¡± And as a result of searching for Pain Resistance on Hunternet, it is stated that it is a characteristic of some hunters focused on melee combat. Yoo Ji-Ha read the comments of some Hunters curiously. ©¸ Lee Myeongjong: Ha¡­ An article about me¡­ I¡¯m a loser who is not resistant to pain¡­ ©¸ Park Chang-soo: Haha, can you say that you are not resistant to pain? ©¸ Lee Myeongiong: It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ Everyone knows anyway¡­ ©¸ Han Chae-rim: Ah¡­ Where can I get the Pain Resistance Potion from? ©¸ Lee Myeongjong: You are dreaming. When a characteristic comes out as a potion, what do hunters with it do? ©¸ Park Chang-soo: That¡¯s right. When it comes out, it will become a complete mess. ©¸ Han Chae-rim: I also want to not get sick while I¡¯m defending against monsters! My god¡­ Since then, there have been a lot of comments from Hunters expressing their sympathy for him and her. Yoo Ji-Ha was able to feel the pain of those hunters by just reading it. ¡®It¡¯s great to reduce pain.¡¯ Wounds can be healed with healing skills or potions, but pain is difficult to reduce. The reason why warrior-type hunters receive a lot of distribution is probably because their job is so dangerous and troublesome. According to the experiences of the hunters, even if the pain resistance is LV1, the pain of being beaten with a hammer is lessened to the amount of like being hit by a fist. Yoo Ji-Ha was planning to give this to SeongHo Hyung tomorrow. ¡®Monsters appear even in polar dungeons.¡¯ Even if SeongHo notices the pain tolerance trait, no one will suspect that it was Yoo Ji-Ha. Not everything in the dungeon has been identified, so some strange things happen. In particular, no one would doubt that they developed characteristic by eating something like a Pemican. But you might eventually get caught if it repeats often. ¡®It doesn¡¯t really matter if I get caught.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha cleaned up the kitchen in case he was caught. He was picking winter strawberries and packing for the polar dungeon to go tomorrow when a sports car stopped in front of the store. Seo HyeJin is here. ¡°Welcome.¡± As always, Yoo Ji-Ha greeted her as usual. Seo HyeJin came to this general store for one reason. She felt uncomfortable with the service of the existing Hunter supply stores. It is a franchise of a large corporation and quick service was the basics. When Seo HyeJin visits the store, two employees follow her. She felt an indescribable discomfort, when she just wants to take a leisure look at what¡¯s new. In the past, there were no options, but now there is a general store. Obviously, the owner of the general store was just lucky and she thought he would never be able to recreate a potion that would open her wallet again. But it¡¯s okay to just look around. ¡®Maybe I can eat it a solar apple.¡¯ Seo HyeJin, who was driving the car, felt a little excitement at the thought of the fruit. If she asks her manager to buy one, she will receive a box of imported fruits within a few days. However, the solar apple she ate was different from the sold fruits of the earth. She will never forget its crispy flesh and sweet and sour taste. So Seo HyeJin drove to the general store. ¡®As expected.¡¯ This young owner welcomed her just as then. He gave her one glance, but when she looked at the display, he started looking at the book again. It was a pleasant thing for Seo HyeJin, who has difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and it was nice to be able to slowly browse the shelves. ¡®There are some basic things, but¡­¡¯ This general store had basic potions such as health potions, etheric potions, and poison resistance, but minor ones were rare. For example, a paralysis resistance potion. It¡¯s small, so you won¡¯t be able to stock up on a variety of things. HyeJin looked through the shelves and found the solar apple. And next to it was an unidentified raspberry-like thing in a basket. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Oh, that is. I was lucky enough to find it in a dungeon. First of all, I named it Winter Strawberry.¡± She rolled her eyes. Category 0 dungeon appeared twice for one person? ¡®Well, it¡¯s possible.¡¯ HyeJin was a person who values results. As long as the result is right in front of her, she doesn¡¯t ask too much. She wondered what effect these strawberries had. ¡°Have you tried it? Like that solar apple?¡± ¡°Yes. It is delicious to eat as it is, but when I make a potion by concentrating it, the resistance to cold increases.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know about the ether potion, did you?¡± ¡°I tried it, but nothing changed.¡± Well, this young man has neither skills nor characteristics. Skill is needed to consume ether. The cold resistance was different, so he could tell right away. When HyeJin touched a bottle of blue liquid, she was informed by Yoo Ji-Ha that it was 32%. Her hand stopped. ¡°32%? really?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t lie. An increase over 40 minutes.¡± If that¡¯s true, HyeJin can run through the Polar Dungeon alone. She pointed to the potion rack with a trembling gesture. ¡°From here to here.¡± ¡°Well¡­ There is one problem, I haven¡¯t decided on a price yet.¡± ¡°You can search for it in Hunter Mania.¡± It¡¯s strange to have a conversation with this young man. HyeJin, who has never talked to anyone other than her manager, couldn¡¯t stand it because she is awkward. She has been living in a house, shop, and dungeon for three years, all her friends and colleagues are gone. Her manager doesn¡¯t have many conversations with her because she takes care of things so that she feel comfortable in her life. Sometimes they didn¡¯t talk all day. However, when she comes here, it is strange that she talks a lot. The two put their heads together and searched for a price. The result was beyond imagination. ¡°It¡¯s too expensive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth it. Call the total amount.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll give you a little more at this price.¡± HyeJin couldn¡¯t understand the young man who dared to sell products at a discount, but she tried to. After the deposit was completed, Yoo Ji-Ha brought some winter strawberries on a plate. ¡°This is delicious, try it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s precious, is it okay to eat it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to treat guests like this.¡± She has felt it before, but it seems that money is a good thing for this person, whether he has it or not. HyeJin picked up a dark red strawberry and brought it to her mouth. Munch. Munch. Where does this little flesh come from with such a rich aroma and refreshing taste? It was a really delicious fruit that made her cry. Without noticing, she ate the strawberry in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, the plate emptied, and Seo HyeJin felt embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is all I got.¡± ¡°That, no¡­ it¡¯s okay. I shouldn¡¯t have been greedy.¡± After taking the bottle, she nodded and asked. ¡°Mr. can come back?¡± That¡¯s a weird question. If there¡¯s something to buy in the store, just come. Yoo Ji-Ha answered without hesitation. ¡°Of course.¡± Coming here makes her feel at ease and good things happen. HyeJin left the store with a light heart. ¡®When I visited before, I thought I would never come back¡­¡¯ She was wrong. Without realizing it, HyeJin drove the car with a smile on her lips. Yoo Ji-Ha saw her off from behind. Chapter 8 Cold Dungeon (1) ¡®I don¡¯t know if I should wait here.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha is waiting for others in front of the witch¡¯s cauldron hunter supplies store in Seoul¡¯s district 7. ¡°Come on, get in line!¡± ¡°If you do not follow the order, your entry time will increase!¡± There were originally many hunters in front of the Hunter Supplies Store, but today it was particularly crowded. The blue-waving dungeon gate was sitting right in front of the store. Hunters enter the dungeon through this gate and receive quests to proceed. The main content of the quest was to annihilate the monsters inside, survive, etc., but there were cases where there were no such things like this dungeon. Hunters in winter clothes murmured as they passed. ¡°There are many cases where there are no quests at all in places like polar or desert dungeons. The time limit is either very generous or nonexistent.¡± ¡°Ah, so survival itself is the goal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that¡­ What is certain is that no one has broken the Polar Dungeon. Since there is no goal in the first place, no one knows what to do to break it.¡± The new hunter looked around the gate and murmured. ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot of people here? I think they are newcomers like me.¡± ¡°The rankers are resting. It¡¯s cold and there¡¯s nothing inside, so what are they supposed to do? At the very least, newbies who wonder what a polar dungeon is are the one who comes.¡± ¡°Well, I guess so.¡± He has experience entering the dungeon, so he has a rough idea of what a polar dungeon is like. But hearing the stories of the hunters at the scene made him wonder why they came here. Does SeongHo Hyung really think this dungeon will be helpful to him? ¡®It¡¯s a favor from my brother.¡¯ He thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have some experience. Seeing the situation positively was one of his strengths. After waiting for a while, SeongHo and Jumi appeared wearing special winter clothes. ¡°Damn, didn¡¯t you wait long?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I think our Yoo Ji-Ha has improved quite a bit. Do you eat anything good? Or are you dating?¡± Jumi came over and smiled broadly and rubbed Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s cheeks with her hands. She awakened the healer class as SeongHo¡¯s wife. According to the people around her, she has a gentle personality that they¡¯ve never seen her get angry. In particular, she was a person who treated Yoo Ji-Ha more warmly than family. Yoo Ji-Ha was grateful when she come and hand out a bag of side dishes every now and then. ¡°I don¡¯t have a woman, I¡¯m kind of lucky these days.¡± ¡°What luck?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha briefly explained about Category 0 dungeons. Because HyeJin and CheolHeon know anyway. SeongHo frowned slightly after hearing everything. ¡°It¡¯s my first time hearing about it. It didn¡¯t happen yesterday, did it?¡± ¡°I was going to tell Hyung, but you suddenly left because you were busy.¡± ¡°What? When?¡± ¡°When you brought information about polar dungeons.¡± SeongHo¡¯s hardened face melted like snow and became a confused face. ¡°Hahaha, so that¡¯s what happened. Sorry, sorry. I had something to do then.¡± ¡°Hey, you think Yoo Ji-Ha is hiding things from you?¡± SeongHo is embarrassed when Jumi slaps him on the forearm. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that you¡¯re hiding something from me¡­ Uh, here comes SeonYoung, SeonYoung.¡± Just in time, Hwang SeonYoung appeared through the crowd while reading a thick book. She looks like a thin scholarly girl with round glasses while carrying a large backpack, but she fell over. ¡°Gosh.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°My book.¡± To her, the book is more important than her falling. SeonYoung is a serious type of book addict who also know Yoo Ji-Ha, and she was always reading books. Thanks to her, people used to guess that he had awakened to the rarest class. ¡°Noona are you okay?¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha asks, she quickly picked up the book and spoke. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. But it¡¯s been a while since I saw you. It¡¯s been about a month?¡± ¡°We went to the wholesale center together before, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Huh? Did you? My memories are getting older.¡± ¡°What kind of memory is that at a very young age?¡± When Jumi, who surpassed 30, said something, SeonYoung stuck out her tongue. Yoo Ji-Ha also explained to her the Category 0 dungeon, ¡°A book, you didn¡¯t have a book?¡± ¡®After all, this noona¡­¡¯ Resources and materials mean nothing to her. Only ancient books written in the continent¡¯s official language were important. ¡°Unfortunately, there were none.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Next time you find one, you have to lend it to me, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± SeonYoung smiled and opened the book and asked about the interpretation of one part. Even though she read so many books, her continent¡¯s official language skills were inferior to those of Yoo Ji-Ha. It seemed like it¡¯s because he read a lot, so if he didn¡¯t know something, he skipped it. SeongHo sighed and grab the two of them by the shoulders. ¡°You guys, go home to read books but focus on today. You came to the polar dungeon. I need to do a briefing.¡± The two put their books in and waited for SeongHo to speak like a good student. [Difficulty: Category 1 Type: Polar Goal: None Time limit: none] ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°This is no joke!¡± As soon as they entered the gate, screams started pouring in. The four shivered from the frigid cold in the ice field, even the winter clothes were of no use. ¡°It¡¯s minus 55 degrees.¡± ¡°Drink one potion. I¡¯m going to freeze to death.¡± It was so cold that even his breath almost froze. SeongHo turned the potion bottle back and forth as if he couldn¡¯t understand no matter how much he thought about it. ¡°God. This is a 32% cold resistance per bottle¡­ I don¡¯t think it makes sense.¡± ¡°I heard that Ji-ha tested it himself. And you¡¯ll know when you drink it, won¡¯t you?¡± When Jumi gave him a compliment, he was embarrassed. SeonYoung tapped the shoulder of Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha, isn¡¯t this expensive? 15% costs of hundreds of thousands of won.¡±¡°Yeah. If I sell this to the Hunter Mania, will I get some money?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, just drink.¡± ¡°No, though¡­¡± Jumi tried to say something, but Yoo Ji-Ha shook her head. ¡°Anyway, the cold resistance potion is not very expensive because it is not used much. There are no resources here.¡± ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha is right. Because the price of a potion varies greatly depending on the usage¡­ If there is no Polar Dungeon, the demand will be quite low.¡± ¡°Actually, everyone who was outside at the gate was a newcomer.¡± Still, at least 1 million won will come out, but they can understand Yoo Ji-Ha response. Everyone opens the lid, gulps, and checks their status window. The three of them opened their mouths wide. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°This is how it happens. It¡¯s great, it¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°Our Yoo Ji-Ha made something really good.¡± His words were not false. Frost was changed to 32% in the element resistance section of the status window. Even though he was wearing winter clothes, the feeling that his whole body was going to freeze was greatly alleviated, and he was able to somewhat endure it. SeongHo shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no time limit, but we can¡¯t stay here long, so let¡¯s go quickly.¡± The three diligently followed SeongHo. The briefing said it was nothing but a barren ice field, but monsters still appeared frequently. If you want to return to the gate, use a compass. The compass is an artifact that is frequently dropped in various dungeons, and it was an object that indicated the direction of the gate. If it wasn¡¯t for this, there would have been quite a few people who couldn¡¯t get out of the dungeon. ¡®By the way, there¡¯s really nothing here.¡¯ Everywhere they look, there is only ice and ice. If he were to find the most desolate place in Antarctica, it would be like this. The group set out to explore with Yoo Ji-Ha in the center. But what is this? Suddenly the temperature started to rise. Jumi, who was walking with a thermometer, tilted her head repeatedly. ¡°SeongHo, the temperature keeps rising¡­ It¡¯s minus 40 degrees right now.¡± ¡°Ok? There was no such thing on the report? It¡¯s strange.¡± However, the higher the temperature, the easier it is to endure. 32% of cold resistance was added to the winter clothing, so it felt like minus 20 degrees. Yoo Ji-Ha looked around and found something. ¡®What is that?¡¯ A golden light shone across the horizon. As if no one else had seen it, they hurried their steps, saying it was much better when the temperature rose. He walked a little faster and grabbed SeongHo¡¯s arm. ¡°Hyung. Do you see that over there? It shining gold.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Everyone stopped and looked in the direction Yoo Ji-Ha was pointing and found it. ¡°Shining in gold¡­ Can¡¯t we go, see?¡± Jumi urged, and SeongHo made the decision. ¡°We should go. It¡¯s important to find anything here. Yoo Ji-Ha, well done. You have good eyes even when you wear glasses.¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± SeonYoung, who was wearing glasses, smiled and stroked Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s head. The group went on foot and walked in search of the golden light. The snowstorm, which had stopped for a while, came again, but strangely, the light was very clear. But something is strange. After the snowstorm stopped, what the group discovered was not a golden light, but a huge tree root. Everyone was overwhelmed by the hugeness and visuals and forgot what to say. Each tree roots had thickness of a building protruding through the ice. ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s really big.¡± ¡°Books, books, books¡­¡± SeonYoung was busy looking for a book, and Yoo Ji-Ha who was silent for a while, was staring at the root of the tree. woo woo woosh- Can¡¯t anyone else hear this? The air from the root of the tree continued to bother him. It was as if he was being guided somewhere. SeongHo¡¯s loud voice intervened. ¡°This won¡¯t hit us, will it?¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Do you know where this tree comes from.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. Anyway, it¡¯s very warm here. How¡¯s the temperature?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness. The device says it¡¯s 20 degrees.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s a little weird. If the root of this tree was this close to the gate, there is no way other hunters could not find it.¡± When SeonYoung pointed this out, everyone nodded. There was definitely something odd about this tree root. ¡°Because the tree root is so big¡­ Somehow, I feel pity rather than pressure. Do you think it¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a tree this big, I don¡¯t think it will die at all¡­ The body must be somewhere else.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this supposed to be something like a god of another dimension?¡± SeonYoung, who had read a lot of old books, made an absurd comment and everyone laughed. ¡°Hey, what kind of god¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha left behind the discussion of the party and walked to the place where a loud rumbling sound was heard. SeongHo called him, but he did not hear him. Not long after walking, he noticed something green forming between the roots of the tree. [Sap Jelly: Food of Theradrone. Symbolism Award] ¡®Theradrone eats this?¡¯ If so, have they been starving until now? The starving Theradrones came to Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s mind. They didn¡¯t look cute, but they were quite affectionate, giving him a hummingbell seeds. When he touched it with his hand, it was like jelly. The symbolism probably indicates how much the Theradrones like this. Yoo Ji-Ha got down on one knee, took out a tool, and put the sap jelly in a plastic. The group that followed him was confused. ¡°What is it? Is that used for alchemy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but I think the answer will come if I refine it.¡± ¡°At least, I¡¯m glad Yoo Ji-Ha got something here.¡± At that time, insects gathered around Yoo Ji-Ha. At first, everyone thought it was a firefly, but the shape was different. When Jumi saw the brightly glowing insect, she was startled and hugged SeongHo¡¯s arm. ¡°Whoa.¡± While SeonYoung opened her mouth, insects began to fly around Yoo Ji-Ha. It felt like a curtain of light. [Symbiote] It means living together and helping each other. Could these insects have a symbiotic relationship with tree roots? ¡®For now, let¡¯s catch it.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t know what it is, but he thought it had something to do with the forest of his dreams, so he diligently collected insects. Then someone appeared from behind the root of the tree. SeongHo tensed the muscles of his body and raised the wooden shield, while SeonYoung made a sound. The person who appeared in front of the group was none other than Seo HyeJin. But as soon as she appeared, the dungeon quest was updated. [Difficulty: Category 3 Type: Polar Objective: Kill the Frost Trolls in the Northwest Valley. Time limit: 2 hours] All of their expressions changed drastically. While Seo HyeJin who just arrived, did not understand why they had such faces because her quest window did not change. Chapter 9 Cold Dungeon (2) Fortunately, Park SeongHo, Lee Jumi, and Seo HyeJin knew each other. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re friendly. No one is close to HyeJin. Except for one. So, even when the hunters met HyeJin, they went by unnoticed. SeongHo and Jumi were gentle, but they weren¡¯t kind to those who were rumored to be ignoring people, HyeJin feels lonely again and goes out coldly¡­ When things get messed up like this, there¡¯s no way to fix them. But there are still people who don¡¯t care about that kind of atmosphere. ¡°Hello.¡± Silence fell for a moment. The party of the Happy Hunters guild wondered why Yoo Ji-Ha pretended to know Seo HyeJin. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± The strange thing is that HyeJin reacted. SeonYoung was not interested, but SeongHo and Jumi were greatly surprised. Seo HyeJin, the ice princess, greeted them. Yoo Ji-Ha smiled softly, not paying attention to their reaction. ¡°I am lucky. I know some good people, so I got a chance.¡± ¡°I hear that word lucky quite often.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ By the way, no matter how much I saw for the effect of the potion, I couldn¡¯t believe that I had come this far.¡± ¡°Why does it sound like HyeJin came through a lot of hardship?¡± ¡°I think it took at least three or four hours.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we arrive early? I think it was less than 30 minutes.¡± Jumi sighed and checked her watch. SeongHo looked at it together and nodded. ¡°Exactly 28 minutes have passed. HyeJin, did it really take that long? We just came.¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­ Have you received a quest? Now its updated to kill hordes of Frost Trolls.¡± ¡°No.¡± Jumi felt saddened for HyeJin¡¯s short answers. How heartbroken would you be for your personality change like this? Before SeungHyuk¡¯s disappearance, HyeJin wasn¡¯t this cold. Even though she had difficulties in interpersonal relationships, but somehow she was still able to talk to people¡­ At the same time, it was strange for Yoo Ji-Ha have a conversation with HyeJin. What kind of relationship did they have? Between the store owner and the 12th ranked hunter. Then SeongHo stepped in. ¡°As I just said, we have been given a quest. I don¡¯t know why HyeJin wasn¡¯t given the quest, but I must deal with it anyway. We must stop the catastrophe.¡± The catastrophe of the dungeon means that all monsters run out to the outside world. Although the monster¡¯s stats burst, it would not mean much because soldiers and hunters were camped outside. However, in that case, those who received the quest will be recorded on the Hunternet, their points will be greatly reduced, and their ranking will drop. So, the hunters spent a lot of time trying to complete the quest. ¡°Let me join.¡± HyeJin said, and SeongHo and Joumi tilted their heads to see if they heard it wrong. ¡°Uh¡­ Are you going with us? Are we doing it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I hate it, but since you didn¡¯t receive the quest, the points won¡¯t go up if it breaks, right?¡± ¡°¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Oppa, we don¡¯t have time, we have to go quickly.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know where the location is¡­ It is true that we must hurry.¡± ¡°Huh, okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± At the urging of the two women, SeongHo lowered his shield and took the lead. As the three of them walked around Yoo Ji-Ha, HyeJin had no choice but to follow behind him. But it¡¯s really strange. ¡®Something strange happens when you meet this person.¡¯ It was the first time she had discovered such a huge tree root in a polar dungeon. Above all, she never imagined that the surroundings would be this warm. In addition to the effect of the potion, it started to get hotter by wearing winter clothes. Maybe other people felt it too, so she opened the zipper up to her neck. It¡¯s really unfortunate. The Frost Troll is a variant and enhanced version of a regular troll. It is 1.5 times larger in size and has superior stats including stamina. The troublesome thing is that the troll¡¯s characteristic, wound regeneration, is incredibly strong. What further annoys Hunters is that it knows how to use an ambush with its size. The story of a rookie hunter who lost his life when he was attacked by a Frost Troll while wandering in a snowstorm unique to the polar dungeon is often heard. Fortunately, the party receiving the quest was a veteran. Besides, there is also Seo HyeJin, who marks 12th place, so there is no big problem¡­ Everyone thought so. ¡°There are a lot of them. Its ten.¡± Heading northwest, the group went through a snow storm and found a hollow valley terrain. The Frost Troll¡¯s Ice Nest was right there. At first, they hid to understand their movements, and it turned out that there were ten. ¡°If you drink all the potions and walk towards them, it will work out somehow. It would have been better if there was a Flame Hunter, but there is nothing we can do about it.¡± SeonYoung opened the book and muttered. Trolls are weak against fire-based skills, but Frost Trolls are even more so. Because they melts completely, guilds with flame magicians have great strength in polar dungeons. The problem is that resources and materials are scarce, so their strengths are meaningless. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± ¡°Are you sure? No matter how strong you are-¡± HyeJin took the lead without saying a word. Looking at her hands on her belt, she seems to be drinking a potion right before the battle. The group got ready and followed her. Except for one. ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha, you have to hide here quietly, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jumi covered Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s hand with hers and emphasized it again and again. It would be the end if he, who was only a normal person, went out. ¡°It will be fine because I know myself well. You can go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± SeongHo and SeonYeong followed HyeJin along the ridge of the valley. Down there, they could see the entrance to the nest the Frost trolls had built. Luckily, they don¡¯t seem to have found them. SeongHo took a potion from his belt and poured it into his mouth. ¡°Ugh. Everytime I drink it, I¡¯m sick of it. HyeJin, we will come first, so all you have to do is support us.¡± HyeJin, who was walking before, stopped, and nodded. At this point in time, it¡¯s time to stop talking. ¡°Jumi help me not to fall down like you used to, and SeonYoung breaks out a few Frost Trolls to attack, you know? Like you¡¯ve been doing so far.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll beat them with this book.¡± SeonYoung looked at the book and smiled. Those who knew about the paper magician laughed. Will the trolls get hurt by those thick old books? SeongHo looked at the trolls and said one last time. ¡°A wide range of skills is good, but it is important to reduce the number of them. It¡¯s sufficient to do them one by one.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go from the left.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Okay.¡± HyeJin and SeonYoung matched their words. If the attacks of the two dealers are disorganized, they will be pushed by the regenerative power of the trolls. Of course, HyeJin has a destructive power that surpasses that regenerating power, but it is better to match up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, because I want to get rid of them quickly and rest in a warm place.¡± SeongHo pulled out his wooden shield and sword at the end of Jumi¡¯s words. When skills such as battle cry and beast power were applied to the stone skin, the surrounding ether shook violently. ¡°Waaaaaaaaa!¡± He became a bear and began to gallop down the valley. The trolls quickly found him and started yelling at him. A fight between ten monsters over 3m tall and a 195cm human. No matter who looked at it, the human side was at disadvantage. However, the person who supported SeongHo was Lee Jumi, a specialized healer. Following her gestures, a soft ether enveloped SeongHo¡¯s whole body. The troll¡¯s claws were torn like a piece of paper, and the armor was broken and damaged, but it healed quickly. bang! bang! Kook! The trolls got excited and smashed SeongHo¡¯s shield. There were those who can¡¯t keep up, but they noticed it in advance with the sense of a seasoned knight, and retreated back to form the ranks again. At that moment, Seo HyeJin, who flew with a sword, spread the ether. The intangible sword was concentrated on one point and separated the body of a troll. SeonYoung concentrating on the cliff with her open book. Pararack. The pages of the book were torn apart, hovering around her at high speed, and then flew away. She is a paper magician. Paper is easier to handle than limbs. Hundreds of sheets of paper wrapped around the two trolls and threw them away. They collapsed without even knowing a thing, and their necks were separated by the intangible sword. ¡°Three guys!¡± The trolls who lost their comrades shone red eyes and fiercely smashed SeongHo¡¯s shield. They kept getting annoyed, but they couldn¡¯t do anything. As long as there are two solid dealers, the tank can only serve as a sandbag. While the party was killing the trolls, Yoo Ji-Ha was hiding and watching their activities. ¡®The battle of the hunters is also great,¡¯ They are superhumans. The wooden shield that SeongHo casually slaps contains the power of smashing concrete walls. The ether that flies away with Jumi¡¯s gentle touch heals any wounds on the spot. The difference from Yoo Ji-Ha where he have to hide because he don¡¯t have any combat skills can be seen. But he didn¡¯t regret it. ¡®I¡¯ll have something else to do.¡¯ Do what you can and don¡¯t be overly greedy. As he was thinking, something popped right in front of him. ¡°Whaat!¡± Yoo Ji-Ha fell backwards in surprise, and the Frost Troll suddenly leapt out, growling with its red eyes glowing. One of them was in an ambush. SeonYeong, who was nearby, hurriedly pulled out another book, but it was already too late. The troll slammed the ground with its long arms and rushed into Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Ah!¡± His body is stiff, and he can¡¯t move. Yoo Ji-Ha, which became a prey from a bystander, had to stand still and watch the troll¡¯s attack. ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha!¡± SeonYoung clenched her teeth and threw papers his away, but it was quite a distance. In her eyes, the troll¡¯s long arms seemed to slash Yoo Ji-Ha. Before the scream could end, something broke the ice and rose. Dark tongs cut the Frost Troll¡¯s waist and hid again in the ice. It happened so quickly, Yoo Ji-Ha or SeonYoung couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. ¡°Huh¡­ What, what was that?¡± ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay¡­ But noona, did you see what just popped up? What kind of tongs did it look like?¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw it too. It looked like a monster¡­ Oh no, it was a quick one! You say, are there more monsters here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll run away on my own, so please help me them, noona!¡± ¡°Yeah! Take care of yourself!¡± But there were no trolls left to attack. SeongHo, Jumi, and HyeJin were looking at the trolls who had its waists cut off with a shock look. ¡°What happened! ¡° ¡°I don¡¯t know! Suddenly, something popped out!¡± ¡°It was a forceps! Like a stag beetle! It¡¯s like that!¡± To summarize, the monster-like guys that popped out suddenly killed the trolls and disappeared. Is that possible? Why didn¡¯t it attack humans? Various questions popped up in the group¡¯s minds, but it wasn¡¯t the most important thing. There is no reason to delay here since the quest window shows completion. SeongHo called Yoo Ji-Ha and told him to eat the essence left by the troll. ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to support you, come on, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ji-ha, eat it quickly. You said you wanted to try the essence. I wonder how you will feel?¡± ¡°Is this your first time eating it? Maybe you will feel good.¡± Essence is the source of life that comes out when you defeat a monsters. Because its probability to come out is low, there were some who fought while distributing it. Upgrades such as stats, various resistances, and skills are made with essence, so if you are a hunter, you must do your best and try to secure it. The golden mass was floating in front of Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll just eat one.¡± ¡°You can eat two. We¡¯re going to give them to you anyway except for HyeJin anyway. But the ether stone is ours okay? We also have to live.¡± How grateful Yoo Ji-ha to these people. Yoo Ji-Ha looked at HyeJin. As she nodded, without further hesitation, he brought his body into contact with the golden mass. ¡®Ah¡­ That¡¯s how it felt.¡¯ It felt like walking into a warm blanket in winter. Like a cloth absorbs water, the essence is absorbed into the body and the essence item in the status window is updated. [Class: Worker 1st stat: HP: 80 Vitality: 70 Ether: ¨C Essence: 2 Secondary stat: Endurance: 7 Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Talent: 9 Spirit: 9 Resistance: Physical: 5 Elements: Cold/32 Poison: ¨C Abnormal Status ¨C Characteristic: ¨C XXX Blessing WI Skills: Plant-friendly LVI, Animal-friendly LVI, Alchemy LV2] ¡®Oh.¡¯ Of course, obtaining an essence did not change anything. For now, he is satisfied with this. Yoo Ji-Ha escaped the polar dungeon with the party. As they exited, the gate surface shook violently, signaling the end of the dungeon. The hunters who were inside came out in bewilderment. ¡°So, in the end, what was it?¡± ¡°How do I know that? I¡¯ve only seen this ambiguous battle report.¡± Cha HwaYeon threw the papers on the desk. The place where she was located was the office of Kim HyungOk, who is be said to be the most credible hunter force in Korea. He was a man in his early thirties, and he had an appearance that anyone would like. He is tall, has a sleek muscular body, and a neat suit that looks great. ¡°Hmm¡­ To clear the polar dungeon out of nowhere¡­ Even trolls are understandable, but suddenly they¡¯re tongs monsters. Was there a monster with tongs in the polar dungeon?¡± ¡°If you have to think of monsters with tongs are Kroxis, devil ants, and KangOh. Is it a new monster?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we raise the rating a little bit? To destruction grade.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me right now? There¡¯s no way those monsters will appear in Category 3 dungeons.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s true. It wasn¡¯t supposed to come out.¡± Their eyes were directed at the wall at the same time. There was a picture of the monsters that popped out when the first dungeon was opened. Also known as destruction-grade monsters. A disaster that should not come out again. Humanity had to make great sacrifices to kill them. And now, 10 years later, the sea has been lost and we barely manage to defend the land and sky. The damage suffered in the war against them is that great. HwaYeon turned her gaze away from the picture and looked at HyungSeok. ¡°And that huge tree root¡­ It¡¯s a bit unreasonable to say that Yoo Ji-ha is simply lucky.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that name. But I think it will be important.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a person who makes potions by picking strange fruits. Isn¡¯t your information a bit slow?¡± HwaYeon smiled, but her face hardened when she saw the fruit HyungSeok was taking out of the safe. This is a solar apple that has not been secured yet. ¡°Are you talking about this?¡± ¡°Mischievous snake.¡± ¡°I think it would be better to express it as a quick-footed person. Anyway, I heard the story of the potion. But this fruit we got had no particular effect.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, then.¡± ¡°You either have special abilities, or you lied.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like a liar.¡± HyungSeok whistled at her words. ¡°Already have a crush? He seems to be a young man with great charm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I have no hobbies playing with children. Anyway, you¡¯re sure it doesn¡¯t work for that fruit, right?¡± ¡°I have no reason to lie to the guild leader.¡± For once it is because the two are allies. Then, what really happened? Does he really have any special ability? ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense, if I had that kind of ability, I should have made a lot of money¡­¡¯ In the light of HwaYeon¡¯s common sense, it was nonsense for Yoo Ji-ha to stick with that shabby general store. What is it? While she was in trouble, HyungSeok put the fruit in and said. ¡°If you can¡¯t figure it out, ask around. I¡¯ve have already sent someone.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to threaten him, are you?¡± ¡°What do you see me as? I understand that I has a bad image as a chaebol, but Cha Guild leader should know better that I am not that kind of guy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re such a sneaky person, so I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re plotting.¡± ¡°Hey, even though this is an alliance, but you have a strong hatred. Well, for the time being, I will not approach and just watch.¡± Is that true? When HwaYeon looked at him as if he was unreliable, he smiled and spread his arms. ¡°I love talented people. If that young man is a talented person who fits my plan, I must pay him millions of dollars to attract him. If they have the right talent, I can give them the right position.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my problem, so take care of yourself.¡± She turned and left the office. In the end, the important questions were not resolved, but HwaYeon had a lot of problems, so it was quickly forgotten. After HyungSeok confirmed that she had left, he took out a file folder from the safe. It was a document that recorded the monsters of extinction level or higher that mankind faced. His eyes flipped through the page. Theradrone. This is the name of a myth class monster. ¡°Surely, it¡¯s not.¡± Chapter 10 Little Wars (1) After clearing the dungeon, Yoo Ji-ha couldn¡¯t resist the couple¡¯s words to eat after clearing the dungeon, so he came home after filling his stomach. Jumi kept trying to feed him because she felt sorry for the skinny Yoo Ji-Ha, and thanks to that, he had to grab his bloated belly and come back. ¡®By the way, they don¡¯t have a baby yet.¡¯ It¡¯s been a while since they have married but they did not have any children. The red thread between the couple seems to be good and the will is full. Is there a problem on one side? ¡®That¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ It would be cute if a baby was born between the two of them. He couldn¡¯t sleep for a while because he was worried about his bloated stomach, and then he barely fell asleep. The forest in the dream was quite different during the day. ¡®Hummingbell¡­ It looks like a real bell.¡¯ For that reason, it looks almost identical to the Golden Bell you think of when you think of a Bell. However, it was not known what the role of this flower was. ¡®It knows how to make a sound¡­¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha tapped the hummingbell, noticed that the creek was quite wide, and approached it. ¡°Wow.¡± He can¡¯t help but admire it. The creek, which was only a narrow stream, has become quite wide. He didn¡¯t even know there was life before, but now there are quite a few small fish roaming around. ¡®There are also crayfish.¡¯ It is said that 20 years ago, you could see freshwater crayfish by lifting a stone from a creek like this, but now, because of monsters, he can¡¯t even think of it. Yoo Ji-Ha squatted and watched fish and crayfish for a while, then he was startled by the sound of something ringing. Woong woong woong- ¡®What is this suddenly? Ah, it is a Hummingbell.¡¯ He approached Hummingbell, but the sound was coming from outside. The sound of the humming bells subsided as he touched the mist next to the cave. ¡®It must be here.¡¯ However, nothing can be seen outside because it was foggy. There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything unusual¡­ Looking everywhere, he saw the Theradrones tumbling under his feet, and knelt down. ¡®I¡­The tongs are similar.¡¯ It looks very similar to the tongs that killed the troll in the polar dungeon. But the size is too different. These guys were the size of a fingernail, but that monster was bigger than SUVs. He thinks it¡¯s not even the same species¡­ Now, the Theradrones were going out of the fog, Yoo Ji-Ha was stuck as if it was blocked by a wall, but these tiny insects came in and out casually. When he put his hands on the ground and carefully observed the boundary line, the surrounding fog became transparent. And a new world opened. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s mouth was wide open. The world outside the fog was something he could not have imagined. It seemed like an ordinary forest had been reduced to a hundredth. A forest is still a forest, but the size of trees, rocks, and lakes is so small. When he saw a tiny deer passing by, Yoo Ji-Ha opened his mouth. ¡®I feel like I became Gulliver.¡¯ But he cannot interfere with this lovely forest. When he looked more closely, the Theradrones were fighting something. ¡®It¡¯s a devil ant!¡¯ A dangerous class monster named in Korea. However, the hunters working in the field hated them more than their hate ratings. This is because they come out in swarms and spit out poison that smells bad, making them difficult to deal with. If you kill one, you have to deal with ten, so even a hunter with a fairly wide range of energy will get tired of it. Although the Theradrones were larger than the devil ants, they were struggling with a quantity that was several times larger. ¡®For a moment I thought¡­ Are these guys small or am I big?¡¯ The forest, a remin-iscent of a miniature, and the devil ants, everything felt small to him except for the features and flora and fauna within the territory. ¡®They¡¯re trying to come in here.¡¯ Just looking at it, he could see that the devil ants were constantly trying to invade the subterranean area. He can¡¯t stand still, but what should he do? He pushed the wall of fog with his body, but it didn¡¯t move. Then a message popped up on the status window. [The war between your Theradrone Corps and the invader demon ant corps has begun. Would you like to help your legion? YES/NO] ¡°Oh.¡± The bewildered Yoo Ji-Ha made a stupid noise. Can he intervene in these little guys¡¯ wars? ¡®Your Theradrone Corps¡­¡¯ He felt his chest tighten. He can¡¯t control these little insects, but if he supports from the rear and Win the War, he could probably expect a small reward. Most of all, he felt sorry for the insects, which he have a little affection, were struggling with the poison of the devil ants. ¡®Those demons.¡¯ When he looked at ¡®YES¡¯, a new option then appeared. [The Theradrone Corps needs these things. What would you apply for? Poison Resistance Potion Stamina Potion Food with high preference Physical Resistance Potion] ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ So, it means they need these things? Potions are for humans, but he thinks it could be applied to the Theradrone as well. But now he didn¡¯t have anything. ¡®If it¡¯s food with high preference, then that¡¯s it.¡¯ The sap jelly he brought from the Polar Dungeon just in case. I¡¯m sure the Theradrones will eat it. Yoo Ji-Ha took out the plastic containing the sap jelly from his backpack and put it on the ground. The Theradrones that were pushed back from the battle with the devil ants began to show interest. ¡°Eat this and be strong.¡± It was the only thing he could say. After a while, a significant number of Theradrones flocked to the sap jelly and began to suck it up. ¡®After eating they¡¯re a little bit bigger.¡¯ Had they shrunk from starvation? As you get bigger, you must get stronger. The Theradrones did not disappoint his expectations and began to separate the demon ants¡¯ waists with its large tongs. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s great.¡¯ The demon ants, pushed by the rapid charge of the Theradrones, responded with quantities. When one of them died, three came out to deal with Theradrone. They came from nowhere and was gradually expanding the occupied territory. Theradrones regained their strength in an instant, but it seemed that their stamina was running out. ¡®Poison resistance or stamina, one of the two would have to give.¡¯ Unfortunately, Yoo Ji-Ha doesn¡¯t have anything. Then another message came to mind. [Your Theradrone corps is being pushed back. You can apply a wide-area buff using your essence. YES/NO] ¡®Did you say to use essence here?¡¯ It was the precious essence that he barely obtained in the polar dungeon. It can be said that Yoo Ji-Ha without any combat skills cannot save it for the future, so it is meaningless. Still, good people gave it to me¡­. In hesitation, Yoo Ji-Ha could see the defeated Theradrone Corps. ¡®Maybe the role of Theradrones was to protect this forest.¡¯ The moment Theradrone is completely defeated, his peace may end. After thinking up to this point, Ji-Ha chose YES. The next option came. [The Theradrone Legion needs these things. What would you like to apply? Increases HP by 30% for 1 hour -1 Essence Increases poison resistance by 30% for 1 hour -1 Essence Increases physical resistance by 30% for 1 hour -1 Essence Worker¡¯s Blessing -2 Essence] ¡®What is number 4? Are you referring to me as a worker?¡¯ As in his class name worker. As much as it needed two essence, the effect seemed to be better than the above options, but he couldn¡¯t be so sure. After much deliberation, Yoo Ji-Ha chose number 4. ¡®Anyway, it would be better than the above.¡¯ The moment he looked at his options, a pale golden glow emanated from his body. It was incomparable, but it was like the radiance of the branches he had planted in the forest. The Theradrones began to move enthusiastically as if they had gained power. ¡®Huh, now the devil ants are holding on to Dokdo1.¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s because of the increased physical resistance, so even if one Theradrone fights with four devil ants, it doesn¡¯t get pushed back. The worker¡¯s blessing seemed to increase both stamina, poison resistance, and physical resistance. ¡®In exchange for using 3 buffs, 2 essence is lot cheaper.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha appreciated the effect of the package. Realizing that they were being pushed back, the devil ants retreated and formed a line. However, Theradrone was not a fool enough to wait for that, so they intensively pushed into the battle line and separated the demon ants¡¯ waists. ¡®Don¡¯t run away, fight back!¡¯ He shouted inwardly, but the devil ants moved much faster. They stopped the Theradrones by spewing poison, and then ran into the mist. ¡®Ah, sorry.¡¯ Had he pushed a little bit more, he would have been able to win completely. But he is satisfied that they have protected this forest. The Theradrones returned to the forest one after another, biting a very small golden lump with their tongs. It seems to be the loot, but Yoo Ji-Ha realized soon that it was an Essence and Ether Stone. It was too small to see clearly. A few Theradrones came to Yoo Ji-Ha with essence and ether stones in their tongs and put them at his feet. ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± Watching them carefully going around, they might be telling him to eat it. But can he eat something this small? When he gently brought his finger closer, it surprisingly seeps into his body just like in the polar dungeon. Essence changed to 5, and Yoo Ji-Ha was enveloped in a warm sensation. ¡®This is a real essence.¡¯ If so, then the ether stone would also be real. Finding a tiny stone and barely putting it on his palm, it became huge. ¡°Haha.¡± At this point, nothing is heard but laughter. Yoo Ji-Ha was satisfied with the five essences and ether stones. And since the devil ant is a dangerous monster, the ether stone will also be sold at a high-priced. The Theradrones brought more essence and ether stones, but he declined. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with this, so you guys can eat it.¡± When he took a step back, the guys understood and took it underground. These guys are clever. ¡®The cost of investing little essence has returned into a great deal .¡¯ It can be said that it was a very successful business as he exchanged 5 Essence and 5 Ether Stone for 2 Essence. With a satisfied face, Yoo Ji-Ha put five ether stones into his backpack. In the evening, Yoo Ji-Ha lit a bonfire in the middle of the forest. Tick-tack-tick-tack As he was processing the ignition stone into flint while listening to the sound of the burning bonfire, a Theradrone approached him. ¡°Uh, you, it¡¯s dangerous to come here.¡± Knowing it was dangerous, he kept some distance from the bonfire. Looking closely, this guy grew larger compared to its size during daytime. The guy who used to only as big as fingernails grew to the size of a finger, was it because he got the essence or was it a large individual? ¡°Are you the captain?¡± Instead of answering, he put down what he was biting with his tongs. ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± It was a very small seed, but when put it in his hand, it changed quite a bit. [The Seed of the Fog Chasing Flower] ¡®If it¡¯s a fog chasing flower, can it drive that fog away?¡¯ Maybe it¡¯s for the expansion of this forest. It¡¯s not good if the forest to grow too big, but Yoo Ji-Ha wanted to see something new. Yoo Ji-Ha gently stroked the shell of Theradrone that brought the seed. Perhaps it recognized a compliment, he took out his wings and trembled. ¡°You had wings.¡± It¡¯s a drone, so maybe it¡¯s normal. As Yoo Ji-Ha was rummaging through the books, a message popped up on the status window. [The Theradrone is asking to rescue the Queen. Do you want to allow it? YES/NO] These guys didn¡¯t have a queen. If they have a queen, will she give birth and lead the corps? ¡®I can have more.¡¯ When he selected YES, the insects got busy. Isn¡¯t it amazing to be able to communicate with Theradrone through this? Yoo Ji-Ha bonfire was lit and seeds of Fog Chasing Flower were planted. Then, within a day, flowers grew, and his territory expanded. A new plant appeared. [Evening Primrose: Increases poison resistance for 30 minutes] ¡®This is a plant used for poison resistance potions.¡¯ However, it displayed a poison resistance effect which is different from the evening primroses seen in normal dungeons. Well, everything that grows in this forest is like this. Yoo Ji-Ha collected the liquid scattered in the petals of evening primrose. This will make a good poison resistance potion. ¡®With stamina potion and poison resistance potion, I will be able to fight against the devil ants.¡¯ Ready to support the war of the little corps. 1Dokdo are two islets on east coast of Korea and Sea of Japan. It is controlled by Korea but contested by Japan of its sovereignty. So, it basically means that the devil ants are holding on to their territory. Chapter 11 Stamina potions can act as a surgeon. If the Theradrone soldier is wounded and flees to the rear, he recovers his health. Poison resistance potions are equivalent to chemo preventive protective clothing. To withstand the poison of those detestable devil ants, a raise in resistance stat in advance is needed. The sap jelly becomes a reliable battle food for Theradrone. These three ammunitions were almost ready so that Yoo Ji-Ha could support the Theradrone Corps. ¡®If there is only a wide area buff here, wouldn¡¯t it be nice?¡¯ Since there are five essences, he applied the Worker¡¯s Blessing buff to support the Theradrone Corps¡­ Well, it was true that he thought it was easy that way. However, the moment the Theradrones advanced and the dwelling of the devil ants was revealed, Yoo Ji-Ha was at a loss. ¡®Crazy. How big is their house?¡¯ Although the size of the devil ant is smaller than a fingernail, the cone-shaped structure made of soil reached his head. It is said that ants in real life build houses that are several tens of meters high over hundreds of years, but the devil ants act similar. How many devil ants are hiding there? Dozens devil ants were patrolling outside of the anthill, but when they saw the Theradrone Corps, they disappeared one by one. ¡®Is this a full-fledged war?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha gulped. In his heart, he wanted to directly control the Theradrone Corps, but it was impossible. And it seemed that it would be better to leave it to the instinct of Theradrone than to direct them with his clumsy knowledge. A particularly large one among the Theradrones stepped forward, opened the carapace, and flapped its wings. It¡¯s amazing to see the other Theradrones moving in unison according to his signal. ¡®They¡¯re like soldiers.¡¯ This is a War for the fate of the race. Theradrone can produce posterity and prosper the race by bringing the queen from the devil ant nest. When they were just approaching the ant nest, the devil ants suddenly appeared. Aren¡¯t they only sticking their head out in the middle and spewing poison? ¡®They have good brains.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha marveled at the cunningness of the devil ants. Even with the same distance, it accurately hit for reason that when it was shot from a high place, it would go farther. The Theradrones were taken aback by the attack. If they clash head-on on a flat surface, devil ants can¡¯t be an opponent, but the enemy was using a projection strategy. [The war between your Theradrone corps and the invader demon ant corps has begun. Would you like to help your legion? YES/NO] He thought about giving the worker¡¯s blessing buff but decided to wait a little longer. ¡®I believe in them.¡¯ Captain of Theradrone paused for a moment, then moved his feet and began to charge into the anthill. He seems to have decided to believe in the poison resistance potion and march head on. Dozens of Theradrones followed him and broke through the line. A few were poisoned but were not fatally wounded. The Theradrone, who was waiting in the rear, quickly evacuated the wounded to a wooden bowl containing a health potion. ¡®Are you acting like an ambulance?¡¯ Anyway, there were many times when he was surprised to see these nail-sized insects. When Captain of Theradrone and the corps were about to arrive at the entrance to the anthill, something popped out of the hole. It wasn¡¯t as big as Theradrone, but it was a larger soldier ant than a normal ant. They sealed the entrance with their bodies and faced the Theradrone. It looked like they were blocking the hole with meat shells so the Theradrone couldn¡¯t go inside. ¡®Hey, that¡¯s great.¡¯ If the fight between the two races was replaced with a human, it could be described as a really terrible blood battle. ¡®Can¡¯t they (devil ants) drag them (Theradone) inside and fight? They¡¯re in their house, so they¡¯re used to the geography.¡¯ Maybe the ant nest doesn¡¯t have enough troops. When Yoo Ji-Ha thought of that, a devil ant was secretly trying to leave from another entrance of the anthill. The guy was a winged variant. The system has sent a warning. [The Devil Ant Legion is about to send a messenger! It looks like they¡¯re calling the main unit somewhere. You can apply directly with your own power only once. ¡®What, what are you doing?¡¯ 3 Essence in one shot is too expensive! But the urgent thing was to stagger that wing ant and keep it from leaving. When he chose the option, the Theradrones spread out as if they understood. Yoo Ji-Ha screamed as he watched the winged ants take flight. thud! The palm of his hand smashed the wing ant, creating a large mark on the floor. The wing ant could not even make a sound and turned into a gruesome corpse, and the Theradrones, who witnessed it gained courage, rushed forward. Yoo Ji-Ha felt a soft force pushing him away. Now that the wing ants are dead, the main unit cannot return. Knowing that, it was evident that the fighting power of the demon ants had decreased significantly. ¡®At this point, I¡¯ll use the buff.¡¯ When the worker¡¯s blessing buff was applied, Theradrone ran rampantly with their full force. The Theradrone Corps took the victory. Once we got the win, the ants were destroyed. The corps, led by Captain, killed all the devil ants at the entrance and dug into the ant nest. Perhaps because of the queen ant, the inside was surprisingly wide. It¡¯s unknown what¡¯s going on inside, but from time to time the corpse of a rotten devil ant popped out. ¡®Is it going well?¡¯ When Yoo Ji-Ha was getting nervous, a few Theradrones dragged the devil ant queen out. He had an exceptionally large belly, the size of Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s little finger. ¡®It¡¯s dead.¡¯ The queen ant was limp and motionless. He felt a little sad, but on the other hand, he felt that it deserved death because it was a monster that threatened the forest. ¡®By the way, where is the queen?¡¯ Eventually, the entrance collapsed and the Theradrones came out. Dozens, including Theradrone soldiers, brought their queens out. Her stomach was so large that she could not move by herself. Theradrones placed their queen at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s foot next to the dead queen ant. [The Theradrone Queen] ¡®It¡¯s a little creepy.¡¯ The opaque milky-white belly was full of eggs. Yoo Ji-Ha gently stroked the queen. Instantaneously, the message in the status window was updated. [The Theradrone Queen wants to swear allegiance to you. If you make a contract with the Theradrone corps, you can become a supporter of the corps and receive various items. Subsequently, you will have to listen to their requests as well. YES/NO] There was nothing to worry about. Anyway, Yoo Ji-Ha and Theradrones are living under the same roof, so it seemed like they could live by helping each other. ¡®It¡¯s not that difficult, is it?¡¯ The objects and essence he possesses are of significant help to the Theradrone Legion. Theradrone brings him various items such as seeds, essences, and ether stones. It¡¯s a really an ideal symbiotic relationship, ¡®They are standing still.¡¯ Are they waiting, wondering what option this person will choose? When he selected the YES option, a new message appeared. [The Theradrone Queen and the corps have sworn allegiance to you. Now you will be able to support the corps more directly] ¡®More directlly¡­ Are you talking about out of the fog?¡¯ It would be nice to be able to do something nicer instead of a support. At that moment, Captain Theradrone spread its carapace and wings and is surrounded by a golden glow. [Theradrone Warrior] This guy has evolved from a terminal soldier. Yoo Ji-Ha couldn¡¯t help but marvel at that. Did the Queen congratulate him for his achievements on the battlefield? The Theradrones moved only then. Essence and ether stones have been collected, and various seeds and food items from the anthill have been brought out. At the same time, the miniature forest was hidden by fog again. It was a pity that Yoo Ji-Ha could not see the beautiful forest a little more. Anyway, what did they bring? A few Theradrone soldiers commanded and brought 10 Essences, Ether Stones, and seeds. ¡®Is this enough?¡¯ they seemed to ask. Yoo Ji-Ha laughed and decided to accept the offer. ¡°This is it. Use the rest for your household.¡± After absorbing the essence, the Theradrones took the queen back. After putting the ether stone in the backpack, Yoo Ji-Ha was analyzing by placing a seed on the palm of his hand. [Shadow Grape Seed] [Seeds of Tree fruit] ¡®What is the seed of the tree fruit?¡¯ All the seeds that Yoo Ji-Ha has seen so far contain the species name. Could it be that the tree fruit is the species name? He wanted to understand it once he grew it, so he dug a hole in a suitable place in the forest, sprinkled the seeds and watered it. He doesn¡¯t need extensive gardening knowledge to grow plants. Because the forest takes care of it. Yoo Ji-Ha went around the forest to harvest solar apples and winter strawberries. He wanted to go to the sea, but soon ran out of time, so he decided to refrain from going. ¡®I can sell 15 Ether Stones, but where should I use the Essence?¡¯ 10 Essences are required to raise the first stat 1. In other words, if he invests 10 pieces, he can increase his strength by 1. But where should Yoo Ji-Ha be strengthened? He can¡¯t even dare to increase his characteristic and skills because it need a huge amount. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s great to collect them like ants. Not like the devil ant.¡¯ After organizing his backpack, Yoo Ji-Ha closed his eyes. It¡¯s not good to keep sleeping on a rock like this, so he hopes to build a house next time. A smile came to his lips as he thought of going out to sea and cutting down palm trees to make a house. Dungeons in Korea are mainly concentrated in Seoul, but there are also quite a few dungeons in cities such as Busan and Gwanju. There are also hunters who mainly attack this area to avoid rankers. The reason is, of course, to avoid competition. There are only monsters in the 2nd to 9th rank in the rankings, so instead of competing directly with them, they target a relatively quiet place. The Busan Seagulls Guild, the most powerful in Busan, was waiting for a dungeon to open these days. It is a dungeon where devil ants appear intensively. Hunters are reluctant to dungeons where devil ants appear, but there was one exception. It is the dungeon where the queen devil ant is located. If you somehow defeat the anthill and the queen, you can rake in a huge amount of Essence and ether stones. So, the Busan Seagull Guild was waiting for the dungeon to open by gathering up hunters from nearby small towns. Since the devil ant dungeons are frequently opened these days, they guessed that the ant nest dungeon would appear. Finally, the gate appeared. The soldiers stood guard, and the hunters entered and checked the quest. But they came out bewildered. ¡°Brother, is the quest already broken?¡± ¡°The dungeon just opened, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°Check it out for yourself. The goal and the time limit are crossed.¡± ¡°What the hell.¡± Kim SeongCheol went directly to the gate, checked the quest, and came out with an absurd expression. ¡°No, what kind of guy¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s from another region?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that dungeons that have already been solve will not be reopened again? Damn, I can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll have to check it out myself.¡± Kim SeongCheol and the Busan Seagull Guild members made their way through the dense forest and finally found the anthill in question. ¡°It¡¯s big¡­¡± The party was overwhelmed by the size of an anthill the size of a building. How many devil ants are there in an ant nest of that size? However, there were no traces of the devil ants. Kim SeongCheol found the entrance to the ant nest, but it was completely destroyed. ¡°Hey, find the traces of the ants quickly! I mean, find out where they went!¡± Dozens of people scattered around looking for traces of the devil ants, but they couldn¡¯t see whether they had rose to the sky or were extinguished to the ground. It really was hunted. However, one Hunter¡¯s face turned blue and shouted. ¡°Guild Master! Bottom, the floor! Traces on the floor¡­¡± ¡°What marks are there?¡± Kim SeongCheol, who accidentally looked at the floor, gasped and stopped breathing. A huge handprint was left behind. The trace of one finger was thicker than a power pole. How big of a monster would it take to leave a mark like this? Even the Hunters felt it, so they were all speechless. Someone came to his senses guessed. ¡®¡°Guild leader, this is the palm of a giant¡­¡± ¡°There is no giant around, so what do you mean? It¡¯s a monster.¡± ¡°In order for a palm to be this size, it must be difficult with a certain grade.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this a destruction level?¡± People murmured, and SeongCheol made a decision. ¡°Retreat.¡± ¡°What? We should look for more info¡­¡± ¡°Here is something that wiped out the devil ants. You probably don¡¯t want to face it.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The group immediately prepared to withdraw. Meanwhile, SeongCheol was thinking of something to stop the party¡¯s mouths, and at the same time, tried to infer the person who left a palm mark. ¡®The others don¡¯t know, but I do. The fact that there are monsters beyond the extinction level¡­¡± Myth grade. When the destruction grade monsters poured out in the first dungeon, it means the monsters, not monsters who fought against them. At that time, most of the Awakened had died, and now, the myth-grade monsters have been forgotten. SeongCheol was one of the few people who knew about myth class monsters, ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not. It shouldn¡¯t be.¡¯ The appearance of a myth class monster meant the reappearance of an extinct class monster. The hunters left the dungeon with hard faces. Unknowingly, Yoo Ji-Ha, who had become a myth grade monster, was cleaning the front of the store with a refreshing feeling. ¡°The weather is great.¡± Good morning. Chapter 12 The general store is closed on Sundays. Yoo Ji-ha as a person, balances his work and rest. He got up in the morning, took a shower and got dressed. Usually, he would cook, eat and read old books in his room, but today he had an errand. ¡®I was asked to take a look at my noona.¡¯ Here, ¡°noona¡± means Hwang SeonYoung. Without work, she often stayed home, immersed in old books, her colleagues not knowing whether she was dead or alive. She doesn¡¯t even answer the phone, so that¡¯s why Lee Jumi, who was frustrated, asked Yoo Ji-ha to look for her. After making a packed lunch with fried rice and side dishes, he left the store. District 7 on a Sunday morning is as bustling as usual. Pedestrians moving on the sidewalk, soldiers standing on the border, and hunters flocking by car gathered and shouted. Yoo Ji-Ha walked in a hurry and headed for District 5. District 5 was a residential area for the rich, famous even in Seoul. There is a house for an executive of a large corporation that processes and distributes resources and materials from the dungeon and a ranker-level hunter that attacks the dungeon. Occasionally, when passing by bus, it can be seen that the mansions are sparsely built at the foot of the mountain. Of course, there are also several apartments that are similar to matchboxes, as not only the wealthy live there, SeonYeong lives in one of these apartments. While walking, Yoo Ji-Ha found a mansion at the foot of the mountain. It was a two-story mansion that looked something out of a movie. There were several vehicles that cost over a billion parked inside the high fence and dense forest. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± But even though Yoo Ji-Ha was amazed, he was not envious. After a brief glance, he hurried his way, when he met someone who was running down the path in training clothes. Who is it? The hood is used so the face was not clearly visible. He was about to pass by but stopped. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± It¡¯s Seo HyeJin¡¯s voice. The hood was removed, revealing a ponytail. Sweat is forming on her smooth forehead. Her eyes showed a slight sign of welcome, but Ji-Ha did not notice. ¡°Hello, HyeJin. Do you live near here?¡± ¡°Right there.¡± She¡¯s talking about that mansion. ¡°Oh, I see. You are working out. I¡¯m on my way to wake someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Normally, this conversation would not have taken place. This is because she has no interest in anyone except one person. However, this good-looking young man was quite interesting. Of course, it¡¯s not a good feeling as a member of the opposite sex but just a friend. ¡°That paper magician who worked with you in the Polar Dungeon last time.¡± Oh, that person. Hwang SeonYoung, the only paper magician in Korea. Her nickname was a book ghost and was recognized as a weirdo even among hunters. In a sense, she was a difficult person to get closer to than HyeJin. Because she¡¯s only interested in the old books from the dungeon. ¡®By the way¡­¡¯ HyeJin wanted to tell Yoo Ji-Ha to have a cup of coffee, but she felt that her voice wouldn¡¯t come out. Since she has been served precious fruits twice, shouldn¡¯t this also be appropriate? The reason she joined the party in the Polar Dungeon was because of it¡¯s her minimum duty as a hunter. However, the words to go for a cup of coffee did not come out. Yoo Ji-Ha greeted her with a smile as she remained silent. ¡°I have something to do, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± HyeJin who couldn¡¯t catch him and let out a small sigh. She didn¡¯t know it would be hard to say a word. Still, she thought she¡¯s getting better because it wasn¡¯t that difficult to talk to Yoo Ji-Ha but looks like it wasn¡¯t yet. She stared blankly at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s back that was getting farther away. Ding Dong. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. Beep beep beep beep- Beep beep. Yoo Ji-Ha inputted the password familiarly, opened the door and went inside. It was an old apartment with a size of 40 pyeong, but somehow it had a stale smell. It was dark as if it was a dungeon because there was no light. When he took off his shoes and entered the hallway, books were piled up from floor to ceiling. From the small room to the living room to the kitchen, there were books, books, and books. He doesn¡¯t know, but the bathroom in the main room must also be filled with books. ¡°Are you still here, noona?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha went into the bedroom, shaking the dust of the book with his hand. Inside, he could see SeonYeong wrapped in a blanket and tucked away in a corner as if she were some kind of slug. She was reading a book. ¡°Wow, look like some cocoon den.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha opened the blackout curtains casually. When the strong morning sunlight came in, SeonYeong, who was reading a book, fell and went under the blanket. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Melt away¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not melting, so come out quickly.¡± For SeonYeong, a child of darkness, this sunlight seems like the flames of hell. Yoo Ji-Ha reminded her of today¡¯s promise. ¡°Noona, you asked me to go to the wholesale center today. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± SeonYoung, who was wriggling under the blanket saying she was melting, stopped moving. She then smiled and slowly crawled out. Glasses half off her face. ¡°I remember now.¡± ¡°Then come out quickly and wash up. So, then you can eat.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I have no strength, so please help me.¡± ¡°How many days have you been starved?¡± ¡°¡­Three days?¡± ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°People¡¯s lives are surprisingly tough.¡± This nonsensical conversation continued. When SeonYeong read a book, there were many times when she sat all day, forgetting time. It is common for her to not eat for two or three days. In the past, when she passed out due to lack of energy, but she just got up again to read books, and sometimes she was rescued by guild members. There was a time when Yoo Ji-Ha woke up SeonYoung who had fallen after coming to this apartment once or twice. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the reason why she is still alive is because of a hunter¡¯s strong vitality. Anyway, Yoo Ji-Ha managed to shove her into the bathroom. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s this clean up.¡± The surrounding area needs to be clean when eating. As Yoo Ji-Ha was cleaning and mopping around the table, SeonYoung came out and stuck to the lunch box. ¡°What side dishes did you bring?¡± ¡°Jumi noona gave it to me. There¡¯s crab meat fried rice.¡± ¡°Oh, crab meat fried rice, I like it.¡± The two took out a lunch box and shared a delicious meal. She tilted her head over and over, saying that the crab meat doesn¡¯t seem to be sold at the supermarket. ¡®If I told my noona, I made it from a sand crab I caught in the sea in my dreams, I¡¯d be treated like a lunatic.¡¯ Maybe if it¡¯s SeonYoung, she¡¯ll take it seriously. She said while chewing the fried rice with her mouth full. ¡°This is unbelievably delicious. Ji-ha are you good at cooking?¡± ¡°Anyone can make fried rice.¡± ¡°Huh? Really? I only eat ramen every day¡­ By the way, you know that old bookstore guy at the center that we used to go to often. He said he¡¯s going to rest today. Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡± The center means a wholesale center. It is a kind of market located between the 5th and 7th districts, and there, hunter supplies are widely distributed. ¡°Are there any good places?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Sky Bookstore, and I¡¯ve looked through a lot of old books that have arrived this time. It¡¯s not cheap, but you can get it for a reasonable price. This time I¡¯m aiming for the Imperial Knights¡­¡± SeonYoung¡¯s mouth splashed with rice as she talked about the Imperial Knights. Her dead eyes came to life. She used to say that in ancient books, endless dreams and hopes breathe. ¡®She said she had no choice but to immerse herself in the book because reality is a gutter¡­¡¯ Maybe Yoo Ji-Ha and SeonYoung are in the same situation. He¡¯s in a dream, she¡¯s in a book. After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the apartment together. The wholesale center is just a short walk away. In fact, the reason Yoo Ji-Ha came to the wholesale center was also to sell ether stones. Ether Stone is an item that is widely used in various industries, it is handled by a licensed large company, but it is not possible to consume all the quantities. So, in these wholesale centers, tiny amounts of ether stones are often traded. What Yoo Ji-Ha brought this time was the two Frost Troll ether Stones they had obtained before. ¡®I should set aside what I got from the devil ant.¡¯ Because life is not difficult right now. SeonYeong went to the sky bookstore first and left Yoo Ji-ha alone. He touched his pocket and looked for a suitable handling store, when there was a hand tapping his shoulder from behind. He turned around and saw that it was a customer wearing a cloak who had come to his store before. ¡°The man before¡­¡± ¡°You can call me CheolHeon.¡± He is an alchemist from the Eternal Flame Guild. He was standing with a slight smile, with a cloak on his skinny physique. ¡°I really regretted it a lot.¡± ¡°What regrets?¡± ¡°That yellow fruit. The one called solar apple. Anyway, I should have tried the fruit, but later, I found out that it wasn¡¯t that expensive, right? It was around ten thousand won.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s one. I got it from a dungeon, so I didn¡¯t intend to sell it at a high price.¡± ¡°Is that so? Some people are anxious because they can¡¯t sell a product at a high price¡­ Anyway, I was impressed with the Solar apple and the Winter Strawberry that cleared the polar dungeon. Are you here to sell Ether Stones? Do you go to certain stores?¡± Glancing at his pocket, he seemed to have figured out that what was inside was an ether stone. ¡°No, it¡¯s my first-time selling ether stones.¡± ¡°Uh-huh, that¡­¡± In a way, it was an expression of naivety, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. At that moment, CheolHeon remembered that this young man was a hunter with no skills or characteristic. It must be his first time holding an ether stone. ¡°Well¡­¡± He thought a little and then said. ¡°How about doing this? There is a place that deals exclusively with our guild, let me introduce it to you. It¡¯s not huge, but we can increase the price.¡± ¡°Am I not causing a nuisance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. It suffices for us to have good feelings. Come on, this way.¡± He doesn¡¯t know what the feeling was, but anyway, his introduction to a store called Hyunja¡¯s store led to the exchange of ether stones at a decent price. When he received the generous amount of money, CheolHeon, who had his arms crossed, said in a passing manner. ¡°Actually, we found out¡­ That the solar apple. There are some fruits that don¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Is that so? I didn¡¯t know because I pick up too little.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s because of Yoo Ji-Ha.¡± CheolHeon stopped talking there. It was not good to pressure this young man in a way that it was inevitability if coincidence keeps happening. It can instill negative emotions. Because this young man had nothing, it was impossible for him to put strong pressure on his back. He had to be approached smoothly and naturally. ¡­Even if CheolHeon hears nagging from the guild leader. CheolHeon brought up another topic. ¡°Hey, you are well versed in alchemy, so it would be nice if you could visit our guild sometime. I have a lot of material in my lab. There are a lot of old-fashioned tools, and there are some talented students. It will fit well with Mr. Yoo Ji-Ha.¡± ¡°Thank you, I will visit you sometime.¡± He said this, but neither Yoo Ji-Ha nor CheolHeon know when that will be. When he got his phone in his hands, SeonYoung came running to Yoo Ji-Ha with a thick book. ¡®Don¡¯t fall.¡¯ Flop. She really fell. SeonYoung got up brushing her knees with a tearful face. Even though she looks skinny, she is a hunter and has a strong body. ¡°Ji-Ha, Ji-Ha, I found a very strange old book.¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you SeonYoung?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± SeonYeong glanced at CheolHeon¡¯s face who was greeting her, then shook her head and was busy showing off the book to Yoo Ji-Ha. CheolHeon, who was suddenly ignored, left with a bitter smile. ¡°Ji-ha, so this is¡­ Isn¡¯t what I found amazing?¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s strange about it?¡± ¡°Hold on. Here¡­¡± She took out a ballpoint pen and drew on the cover. Unfortunately, a line was not drawn. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? Not only with a ballpoint pen, but also with a fountain pen or a water-based pen.¡± ¡°Is it like this inside too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same inside. Now look.¡± The moment the book was opened, Yoo Ji-Ha felt his vision shake as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head. He felt dizzy so he leaned on the table around him. A message popped up in the status window. [You have acquired the Tome of Infinite Magic. In order to write magic in the Spell book, you will need a Thunderbird Feather and various inks.] [Ancient magic skill LV1. Acquired.] [Good writing skills LV1. Acquired] Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s eyes were filled with suspicion. Ancient magic? Not runic magic, but ancient magic? Chapter 13 13. Suspicious old book (2) ¡°Noona, did you get this from the sky bookstore?¡± ¡°Huh. The boss there complained that it keeps coming in for returns. Isn¡¯t the book ancient? It¡¯s from the dungeon though. So, they sold it cheaply for decoration, but all the people who bought it said they couldn¡¯t own it, so they sold it back. Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s kind of weird because there¡¯s no content. I think something need to be written.¡± ¡°It looks like it¡¯s under magic, but I don¡¯t like books like this either, Evie!¡± When SeonYeong was about to take the book, Yoo Ji-Ha grabbed it. ¡°I will buy this.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you doing with it when it has nothing?¡± ¡°I just thought it would be good for decoration.¡± ¡°Yeah, then.¡± Knowing that she is an ancient book enthusiast, she handed over the book without considering it to be strange. The owner of the Sky Bookstore joked that he would come back here again. ¡°I assure you; this will be back to the store in less than a day or three.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be left alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done it twelve times so far. Unless you have great talent¡­ The result will be the same.¡± The bookstore owner made a bold prediction. Well, if you¡¯ve sold it twelve times and keep coming back to the bookstore, you might think that some kind of ghost possessed it. But Yoo Ji-Ha thought differently. ¡®You have struggled to come to me. Let¡¯s go to my house together.¡¯ Infinite magic book. He doesn¡¯t know what it is, but isn¡¯t it a great name? Yoo Ji-Ha liked the mystery hidden in the mist. So, even when reading old books, he used to think deeply about the real meaning and metaphor hidden in the sentences. Most of them didn¡¯t mean much, but this seemed to be something else. Such a feeling came. The two went back to their respective homes after the shopping trip. Yoo Ji-Ha tried to write with all kinds of pens on the inside of the magic book, but in vain. ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± At this point, he wonders if some real magic is in interest. He stumbled across it by chance, but where do he get the Thunderbird feathers and ink? ¡®Thunderbird¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡¯ When he searched on Hunternet, an information article appeared. [Thunderbird: A rare creature that appears in various dungeons except the polar, desert, and ocean. It is a very large bird with a wingspan of about 25m and there was a movement to capture it, but it was not achieved due to factors such as time limit. According to the battle report #15-16563, a nest and eggs were found.] Unfortunately, this was the end of the information. Why didn¡¯t they finish it properly? In fact, most of the hunters¡¯ interests were focused on monsters, so there was relatively little interest in the flora and fauna in the dungeon. At best, zoologists were interested, but very few people went into the dungeon to study. ¡®Because there is nothing to study in the first place.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha turned off Hunternet and paid attention to the ancient magic skills and good writing skills that were proudly engraved on the status window. It¡¯s an ancient magic skill. It¡¯s not difficult like alchemy, but the problem is¡­ ¡®Is ¡®good writing skills¡¯ a characteristic or something?¡¯ When it comes to the characteristics of hunters, it was like a passive skill. Park SeongHo¡¯s stone skin, Seo HyeJin¡¯s sword riding, Hwang SeonYeong¡¯s paper skill, etc. were very effective in combat. There were about 40 classes and hundreds of characteristics, and none of them were considered unimportant. But good writing skills¡­ ¡®Am I just becoming good at writing?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha scratched his head, put away the magic book, and started writing in his notebook. scribble¡­ scribble¡­ The pen moved back and forth on the paper, printing neatly written letters. Originally, Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s writing was only good enough to look at, but now the writing on the notebook is quite beautiful. Anyone who sees it will mistake it for a print. He put down his pen for a moment and looked at his writing. ¡®It¡¯s pretty, but¡­ Where am I going to use this?¡¯ It was unknown. He looked at the text for a while and then smiled slightly. Yeah, what¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s enough that it gives a little joy in life. Yoo Ji-Ha practiced writing for a while. The good writing skill level has risen to 2, and now it is almost no different from the printed ones. And then, a dungeon opened. ¡°It opens here.¡± Originally, when a dungeon opens, the surrounding ether shakes. The wavelength is large enough to be detected by hunters as well as people who are sensitive to ether. When he felt a shaking as if an earthquake had occurred, and Yoo Ji-Ha looked around the store. The gate was opened in the alley where no one went through. ¡°Is it Category 0?¡± He can¡¯t be sure before entering, but based on his experience, there was a high probability that there were no monsters in the dungeons found in these corners. Did Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s Forest in his dream open like this? ¡®Let¡¯s go in.¡¯ He packed his backpack and stepped inside. [Difficulty: Category 0 Type: Meadow, Valley Objective: Thunderbird¡¯s Feather Time limit: 1 hour Target Restriction: Workers] ¡®Huh? Weird?¡¯ This is the first time he has seen a quest window like this. Yoo Ji-Ha thought it was absurd, so he blankly looked on the window. In Category 0 dungeons, it was common to have no goal and no time limit. And so far, target restrictions don¡¯t even exist. ¡®What is the feather of a thunderbird?¡¯ Isn¡¯t this like a dungeon tailored for him? It seems to be inviting him to enter this dungeon and pick up the Thunderbird¡¯s Feather¡­ ¡®I think someone opened the dungeon for me.¡¯ That someone might have something to do with the dream forest. Yoo Ji-Ha firmly determined, stepped inside. There was a high valley in the vast field, literally just grassland and valley. What¡¯s unusual is that the huge tree roots seen in the Polar Dungeon are also here. It was so out of the blue that he doubted if it was supposed to be there. ¡°How big is it that there are tree roots all over the place?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha squatted in front of the tree roots and stroked the bark. Perhaps this tree supports the whole world. ¡®Wait, there was a huge tree out of that book.¡¯ The myths of each race were intertwined with the huge tree, he remembers reading it quite interestingly. He fell into the forest of his dreams while reading it. ¡®Then was it this tree that called me here?¡¯ It was unknown because the tree did not respond. After staring at the tree for a long time, a large bird suddenly flew and landed on the tip of the root of the tree. [Thunderbird] ¡®It is a Thunderbird.¡¯ It was so big that he couldn¡¯t tell if it was a bird or a monster. It is a Category 0 dungeon, so it¡¯s probably an animal. The guy looked down at Yoo Ji-Ha and tilted his head, spread his wings, and shrieked. An intense shock wave spread out, and Yoo Ji-Ha curled up with his ears covered. ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s called thunderbird.¡¯ Thunderbird because its shrill are like thunder. As he was crouching for a while, several feathers gently landed next to him. Thunderbird lost interest in Yoo Ji-Ha and flew away. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± This series of situations in which the magic book was retrieved, the dungeon was opened, and the Thunderbird threw feathers felt very artificial. When he enters the forest tonight, he would not be surprised if the Theradrones would bring ink. ¡®Do you want to let me know that you are helping me?¡¯ How crazy is he to even imagine something like this? Anyway, what happened has already happened. After examining the inside of the dungeon, Yoo Ji-Ha came out with the Thunderbird¡¯s Feather. A hunter who had been lingering around him under Kim HyungSeok¡¯s instructions hastily reported. ¡°Yes, chief. Yes. I¡¯ll check it now. It seems to be a Category 0 dungeon. He went in with a backpack, but it was not confirmed what he brought back. I¡¯ll go in now.¡± He reported that he tried to enter the gate where Yoo Ji-Ha entered but was pushed out by a strange force. HyungSeok tilted his head upon receiving the report. ¡°Is there a dungeon that excludes people? Are you telling me to believe in that? What force do you think is pushing you away? I get it. Let¡¯s keep an eye out for a little bit more.¡¯ He put down his phone and folded his arms. It seemed clear that luck had come to the young man named Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°He said he was a hunter with no skills or characteristic¡­ That¡¯s the character, isn¡¯t it?¡± A characteristic that frequently opens dungeons around him. Isn¡¯t that a very good characteristic? HyungSeok concluded that it was Yoo Ji-ha¡¯s characteristic to have a dungeon open around him. There are all kinds of characteristics, so who can say for sure that there are no such characteristics? ¡®It¡¯s ambiguous.¡¯ It was unclear if he must keep paying attention or stop the attention at all. Certainly, the potion he created was great, but he hadn¡¯t made it since. Is it because the fruit is all gone? ¡®I have no choice but to watch a little more.¡¯ HyungSeok sat down and took out the documents from the safe. A report came from an alliance guild in Busan. It was the bizarre content of the discovery of giants. He couldn¡¯t believe it, but they were claiming that the giants were the ones who annihilated the monsters in the devil ant dungeon. The proof is a huge handprint. The Busan Seagull Guild leader desperately tried to cover it up, but as dozens of people participated, in the end, information was leaked. ¡®A giant¡­ Were there any myth grade monsters I didn¡¯t know about?¡¯ Tap tap tap tap tap tap. Kim HyungSeok¡¯s finger tapped the keyboard. Hunternet, an information site favored by hunters. This site has secrets that most hunters usually don¡¯t know. Single Numbers hunters, descendants of the first nine awoken. Except for Han SeungHyuk, who is missing, the 2nd to 9th places is granted access to specific bulletin boards. People called this bulletin board, Mir Wiki. Although the species name and risk level of the monster were posted, there was no way to post or edit a separate article. Even who created Hunternet in the first place is still a mystery. They don¡¯t even know where the server¡¯s data is being sent. HyungSeok searched for information about giants while navigating through myth-grade monster information for a while. ¡®It could be that it¡¯s not updated.¡¯ The information on Mir Wiki has not changed from the very beginning until now. Going back to the beginning, if more than one person is talking about it, then there must be something. ¡®Is it just a new monster?¡¯ But isn¡¯t it too big for a new monster? Judging by the size by the traces of the palm, it is said that it is almost the size of a building. It was common knowledge that the bigger the monster, the stronger it was. To achieve that size, it must exceed the extinction level. ¡®There¡¯s also something about the claw monster found in the polar dungeon.¡¯ HyungSeok¡¯s troubles deepened. ¡°Ancient magic¡­ Here it is.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha read the book with the huge tree again. According to the contents, a huge tree was said to have passed on magic to the first races. However, since this magic is so complicated and difficult to learn, it developed a kind of trick to make it easier to use. That is rune magic, Runewords! Runewords are also usefully used by modern hunters. Ether stones are processed to make rune stones, and runes are written on them and placed on staffs, etc. A magician with this runeword wand was able to create firepower beyond imagination. It¡¯s possible to call them ¡®Nukers¡¯? Taking a magician to any dungeon will solve it neatly and quickly. Recently, the importance of magicians who remove monsters over a wide area is indescribable. But this says that rune magic is just a shortcut to ancient magic? ¡°Creation¡­ Harmony¡­ Change¡­ Destruction.¡± As he read further, he discovered that ancient magic was divided into four categories. The magic of creation is not to be touched by mortals, but it is said that the magic of harmony, transformation, and destruction can be used. ¡°Well¡­ Magic is the law that changes the world, and magic is just the art of destruction.¡± If the world is the sea, then it would be accurate to say that magic is the ocean current in it. However, it did not show how to learn magic. It would be nice to have Runewords as an example. After looking at the book for a while, Yoo Ji-Ha fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, an unexpected situation awaited him. ¡°All of a sudden¡­¡± The branch planted on the ground had grown into a mature tree. And there were letters engraved on the stems glowing green. Chapter 14 The runewords engraved on the stem were indicating a single word and sentence. [Destruction. Your flame will burn everything.] The green light was slowly disappearing and the runewords fading. ¡°Oh, I should write that down.¡± Unintentionally, Ji-Ha took out the infinite magic book and picked up a feather pen but realizing that there was no ink, he was embarrassed. However, just in time, a few Theradrones brought a plate made of leaves on their heads. There was sticky green ink in it. [Green Herb Extract] ¡°Where did you get this from?¡± Even if he asks like that, he won¡¯t be able to get an answer. The insects put down the ink plates and ran away. Yoo Ji-Ha looked at the Theradrone Warrior and discovered that he had eyes. Beneath the pincers were two bright black eyes. ¡®It¡¯s pretty eyes.¡¯ It felt as if those eyes were saying- Use this ink to write runewords in the magic book before it disappears. ¡°Okay.¡± He opened a large book between his laps and wrote down the runewords with a feather pen. scribble¡­ scribble¡­ Runewords were written on paper, which could not be written with any other pen. The Runeword of destruction has been completed. Only then that the Theradrone Warrior returns to the hole in the ground as if satisfied. [The Scroll of Change: Destruction. The destructive power of rune magic increases.] ¡®This is the magic scroll of change. Can I rip it?¡¯ It was a bit depressing to tear the inside of this antique book. The thickness of the book is not a trivial matter, but the inside is quite thick, so it might be about 100 pages. ¡®98, 99, 100 pages.¡¯ Looking at the name of the Infinite Magic Book, it seems like it will still be 100 pages even if he rips the inside, right? ¡®Maybe it is.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha laughed inwardly and tore the inner paper. It was quite plausible to roll it up and tie with the herb stem the Theradrone Warrior was biting. ¡°It¡¯s looks okay.¡± There was no significant difference from the scrolls found in the dungeon. The question is, does this really work? Loosening the herb stem and cutting it in half by applying force to the paper. The runewords then lit up, and the paper burned with fire. Up to this point, it is the same as a normal rune magic scroll. ¡°¡­..¡± However, no magical phenomenon occurred. The status window has not changed either. ¡°¡­ Is this the end?¡± He got a little frustrated. He was expecting a little bit because of the magic of change, but nothing happened. ¡®Wait, it said that the destructive power of rune magic increases, so maybe a magician should use it.¡¯ But even in that case, there should be a change in the status window. In such a way like temporary characteristics appear and then disappear. Does it really have no effect? ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ It¡¯s good enough that he made scrolls, so he thought it would be nice to put a few jars and display them. So what if he can¡¯t use the ancient magic that he expected? Yoo Ji-Ha then opened the book and began to write a straight rune word on the remaining paper. scribble¡­ scribble¡­ The writing was organized and there was an impression of an ancient magician from another world carving with real runewords. After making a few scrolls and counting the pieces, it was exactly 100. ¡°It really is an infinite magic book.¡± With a small smile, Yoo Ji-Ha closed the old book. All that¡¯s left is¡­ ¡°Is there a typhoon?¡± The forest was a mess. He rolled up his sleeves and pants and started cleaning. The tree and Theradrones were watching him, working for the forest. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°This is it, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. This is the place that Uncle CheolHeon told me about.¡± ¡°¡­But doesn¡¯t it look a little¡­ shabby?¡± ¡°Shh. He can hear everything.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t know. As for what I drank before, it worked¡­¡± Several hunters sneaked into the store. Recently, the number of customers in Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s store has increased considerably. This is probably because information about the solar apple and winter strawberry leaked. It was only a matter of time before the information that only ranker level hunters knew was known to other hunters. In addition, the overall quality of the potion has improved. Yoo Ji-Ha found out how to dilute the extracts of various fruits in the forest of dream to give the desired effect. In the past, if he made a potion with a solar apple, the ether consumption was changed to 0 for 14 seconds unconditionally, but now it can be reduced to about 5 seconds. Some potions occupying a lot of space on the shelves may seem cheaper compared to potions supplied by Hunting Grounds or witch¡¯s cauldron, but the effect was superior. Word of mouth spreads quickly. A hunter picked up a poison resistance potion and muttered in a proud voice. ¡°This, it¡¯s this. It was very cheap. But the effect is amazing. You wouldn¡¯t believe it can withstand the spiger poison.¡± ¡°Spiger? It¡¯s not a big deal if you have a lot any poison resistance. What percentage did it go up?¡± ¡°It went up by 20%.¡± ¡°Nice. It¡¯s cheap. And it can handle spiger poison? Then I should buy more.¡± Then, he glances at the owner. ¡°Excuse me, can I buy all of these?¡± ¡°One per person.¡± It often happens that one person sweeps away everything, so he changed it this way. When Yoo Ji-Ha said so, the first hunter who had introduced the poison resistance potion mumbled. ¡°What did I say? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to be greedy?¡± ¡°I just wished I could buy them all.¡± ¡°Buy one, just one. Write it down and come back next time.¡± The hunters bought each type of potion then looked around the store to see what else was missing. One said, pointing to the scroll of the jar- ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°That was collected from the ruins. It won¡¯t do much but try tearing them one by one.¡± ¡°If you tear it, what magic will come out?¡± ¡®¡°Well. I can¡¯t feel it so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± The hunters unfolded the scroll and admired that the items transpired from the dungeon had an antique look. ¡°There is something really cool about this runeword. How did you read this?¡± ¡°Destruction¡­ I know that word but then I don¡¯t know the next part.¡± ¡°Everything we learned at the academy is in vain.¡± ¡°Your flame will burn everything.¡± As Yoo Ji-Ha slurred like that, the hunters admired him. ¡°I meant that. There seems to be something.¡± ¡®¡°Wow, the writing is very straight. Do you think there is such a thing as a printing press in that world?¡± ¡°Mr. Hunter. You complain about the sword and the armor looks like made by dogs and it¡¯s not reliable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He won¡¯t even imagine that the writer of the handwriting is in front of him. Yoo Ji-Ha just smiled a little. One person tore the scroll, but nothing happened. In succession, the scroll caught fire and disappeared into the air. The hunters looked closely at the status window, but when they found out that there was no change, they were a little disappointed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing much with it.¡± ¡°As long as you had bought your potion. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Boss, we are going.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Soon, a bright red sports car stopped in front of the store. The exhaust sound was louder than the car HyeJin had driven before. ¡®SeongHo-Hyung said that a car like that spills 10,000 won on the floor.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t know who it is, but it must be a high ranker. The person who got out of the car was a woman with hair color similar as the car. Because her hair color is so intense, Korean hunters all know who she is. Cha HwaYeon, ranked 5th in the Hunter Ranking and leads the Eternal Flame Guild. What reason did she, who is said to be one of the best in the world for her one-shot firepower, come to a shabby general store? Tick. Tick. Tick. The sound of high heels tickled Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s ears. Hunters usually don¡¯t wear those uncomfortable shoes, which is strange. As soon as she entered the store, Yoo Ji-Ha greeted her. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± HwaYeon did not enter the store completely and looked around the store lightly. A bit of disappointment and regret were etched on her face. ¡°I heard that people in our guild come here often these days.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really distinguish costumers.¡± It means he doesn¡¯t know who they are. As she entered the store, she crossed her arms and went around the shelves while making the sound of high heels. It¡¯s a small shop, so she returned to her place in a matter of seconds. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special¡­ Right?¡± ¡°Yes. There is nothing special about it.¡± ¡°I heard that there were solar apples and winter strawberries before, where are they?¡± ¡°I made all of them into potions. Dungeon does not open indefinitely.¡± ¡°AHA.¡± HwaYeon looked at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s face. Indeed, he seemed to have a good-looking face. It didn¡¯t look like he would lie and deceive anyone. However, it is very dangerous to judge a person¡¯s personality only by looking at his or her face. ¡®Yeah, he had the same stupid face as that guy.¡¯ A regular who stalked her with his sweet look and voice. HwaYeon almost exploded in anger inside the store, but she barely held it in. In fact, the reason she came here wasn¡¯t a big deal. Kim HyungSeok said he might be lucky once or twice, but if it continues, it should be considered a characteristic. It would mean that the frequent opening of dungeons around him may be his ability. If you think about it, it is beneficial to keep him by your side. She approached Yoo Ji-Ha with a large book open on his lap and spoke. ¡°You must have spoken to our alchemist a few times. How was it?¡± ¡°You mean Mr. CheolHeon? Well¡­ He was very considerate.¡± ¡°Yes. If you work for such a person, it will be convenient. Our guild has good facilities. Magicians are the most common, but there are also quite a few alchemists. It will be helpful if you come.¡± ¡°I like it here.¡± ¡°Here? Did you inherit it from someone?¡± ¡°It is similar. I can¡¯t leave because it¡¯s a place I¡¯ve grown attached to.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha had no intention of leaving the place his parents left him. She felt stubborn like a donkey and gave up neatly. ¡®Because he¡¯s not a great talent anyway.¡¯ Potions can be created by the guild. Moreover, there was a rumor that these days, potions with the original monstrous effect do not appear. It seemed that the sugar content of the solar apple was also dropping. HwaYeon glanced at the shelves and ordered a few bottles of potions. Still, it¡¯s the minimum courtesy as a guest. Yoo Ji-Ha finished packing and suggested tearing up one of the scrolls. She snorted. ¡°You want a fire magician to tear a scroll?¡± She thought that a rune magic scroll could never replace a magician. It was in reality. Yoo Ji-Ha said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s like a lucky message with no effect.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a lucky message¡­ I hope the misfortune doesn¡¯t cling to me.¡± Her fingers spread the scroll. ¡°Your flames will burn everything¡­ Well, I like the sentence.¡± She like the writing, but it must have been engraved by a printer anyway. When the scroll was torn in half and turned into flames, HwaYeon wiped her hands and went out of the store. ¡®I¡¯ll never come here anymore.¡¯ Brrrrrr- The bright red sports car started with a rough exhaust sound. Yoo Ji-Ha opened the book again. After a while, the Eternal Flame Guild was assigned a dungeon. It was a dungeon infested with spider-type monsters called Spiger. Dangerous monsters attack in groups as usual, but since they are vulnerable to fire magic, the Eternal Flame Guild took over. HwaYeon decided to attack this dungeon herself. Dark and humid jungle. As soon as the magicians set foot on the ground, spider webs flew all over the place. Spigers like to use a tactic that tie up intruders by blowing cobwebs, and then spit out venom to kill them. However, it was not much in front of the magicians who melt monsters with tremendous firepower. The spider¡¯s web that flew in first was blocked by barrier magic. ¡°Concentrate on one point! 10¡¯clock, 25 meters!¡± When the charismatic voice designated the attack point, the wands and weapons of the magicians all started to glow at once. The runeword was activated, and magic with tremendous firepower poured out. Boom-booom! An explosion that shook the earth occurred. One side of the jungle was completely destroyed, and the surrounding trees were swept away. HwaYeon, who was about to wipe out a few spigers, was startled and lowered her wand. ¡°Gee, guild leader, how the hell did this happen¡­?¡± ¡°The firepower has increased greatly!¡± ¡°¡­..¡± It was impossible. HwaYeon unconsciously looked at her wand with rune stones in it. Why does the runeword seem to shine brighter than usual? As she cast her flame magic once more, the embers became bombs and pounded the earth¡¯s surface. Boom! Boom! Ordinary fire magic became this powerful. The guild members, who misunderstood that her skill had risen, congratulated her. ¡°Congratulations, noona!¡± ¡°The guild leader is really amazing.¡± ¡°Oh no, It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± HwaYeon had to work hard to resolve the misunderstanding. An ancient magical ether surrounded them, but no one noticed. That day, the Eternal Flame Guild broke the record for clearing the Spiger Dungeon in the shortest time. Chapter 15 Slam! The door opened and Cha HwaYeon entered the general store with equal momentum. ¡°Welcome.¡± As always, when Yoo Ji-Ha raised his head to say hello, she came up to his nose and opened her mouth. ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretending you don¡¯t know anything when you made me tear it apart.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± She pulled up a small chair and sat down. They were so close that their knees almost touched. This bright red-haired hunter seems to be quite excited. ¡®The scroll seems to have worked.¡¯ In the first place, items that are harmful to hunters rarely drop in dungeons. He thought that the Infinite Magic Book would only give a similar buff, but it seems to have worked very well. HwaYeon shared her story with her arms crossed and her legs crossed. ¡°I am. I¡¯m not joking. Did you not hear the news? That our guild broke the record of clearing the Spiger dungeon in the shortest time.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No? As a hunter, what do you do without looking for such information?¡± ¡°My main objective is that the guests come back, right?¡± As Yoo Ji-Ha turned around, she closed and opened her eyes slightly as if she was trembling. ¡°My firepower has increased tremendously, so what I did first is to know how it happened. Is it a characteristic of the dungeon? Or the effect of an artifact I don¡¯t know about? When I asked other people, they said that if they just rip the scrolls in your shop, the magic damage will increase abnormally. Do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°I just picked up what was dropped.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Where else other than Category 0 dungeons?¡± That again. It must have been difficult for this person with no skills to tear the scroll and measure its value. That¡¯s why he claimed it was a lucky message and let them rip it for free. HwaYeon took out her phone and tapped the screen. ¡°Our guild earned more than 2.7 billion won from clearing the Spiger dungeon, and there were no injuries. Tell me your bank account.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha moved the chair back a bit. ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Her eyes turned into axe eyes. ¡°Why not? Of course, you must take it.¡± ¡°It has already been sold. I have no reason to receive it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I don¡¯t want to be indebted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± HwaYeon realized that breaking the will of a stubborn person is as difficult as breaking through a Category 0 dungeon alone1. Why is a person who looks soft on the outside so stubborn? ¡°Then you¡¯re not going to sell that for a higher price? What is this? Why is there not one? Did everyone finish tearing it up?¡± There were no scrolls in the jar. Two days ago, there were a few jars of it. ¡°There are a lot of people who buy a potion and rip it. There weren¡¯t many supplies in the first place.¡± HwaYeon let out a deep sigh. ¡°Ha¡­ You really don¡¯t know the value of that scroll. Even if you sell it for 100 million won, or 230 million won, it will sell like crazy. Why are you giving up that money? Hundreds of million won isn¡¯t even money for you?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha laughed a little. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, because I thought it wasn¡¯t the money I was supposed to get.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t a money you¡¯re going to receive? What does that mean?¡± She¡¯s rushing at people before he even gives an answer. After exchanging words a few times, HwaYeon¡¯s tone seemed to be like this. Instead of answering, Ji-ha closed the book and said- ¡°There is something like that. And I live well without that money.¡± Is this living well? HwaYeon looked around the store and clicked her tongue lightly out of pity. Even if there is no greed, it should still be moderate. This is not some kind of monk; does it make sense to live a life close to ignorance? ¡°Well, okay. I have no authority to force your life. But you, it¡¯s dangerous to keep selling things that come out of the dungeon like this. Come into our guild. I will protect you.¡± ¡°I will refuse that too.¡± HwaYeon realized that nothing could break this young man¡¯s stubbornness. Seriously, since it¡¯s in Area 7 where many people go, and there are some hunters that she knows, it shouldn¡¯t be that dangerous. She uncrossed her crossed legs and stood up. ¡°Ha¡­ I can¡¯t. Do whatever you want.¡± She pauses for a moment as she leaves the entrance. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not going in another Guild next time, are you? No matter who offers you, I¡¯ll give you more, so you better come.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep that in my heart. But that will never happen.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The conversation ended there. HwaYeon got in the car and left, and Yoo Ji-Ha opened the book again. He looked at the hummingbells planted in a flowerpot on one side of the store. It warned him of the infestation of devil ants, so it will warn him of other dangers in advance. ¡°Can you protect me?¡± woo woo woo¡ª Hummingbell made a low sound. ¡°Sigh, huh¡­¡± Oddly enough, this forest is a mess every time he comes in. Yoo Ji-Ha wiped the sweat from his forehead and straightened his back. In his own space of less than 100 pyeong2, Tree Fruit tree grew large. The name is weird, but it¡¯s really written that way, so he can¡¯t help it. ¡®As long as it¡¯s delicious.¡¯ This tree is already bearing fruit because it grows much faster than the tree planted in the center. [Berry of Tree Fruit LV1: Effect Random] ¡®This is not some random box.¡¯ Each time a fruit the size of a plum is picked and juiced, the effect changes. However, most of the effects were weak, so it seemed impossible to use them as ingredients for potions. Yoo Ji-Ha used this fruit to flavor potions. Potions with solar apple or winter strawberry are sweet, but other potions display a bitter taste. That¡¯s why, if a few drops of tree fruit juice are added, it will taste sweet and refreshing, so it¡¯s surprisingly good. It smells better too. ¡®Are they living well?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha went to the creek, knelt, and looked at the fish. The small ones have grown quite a bit, but their names are not seen yet. Crayfish were hiding under the stones and small clams and shrimp were also seen. ¡®You live well in such a small place.¡¯ It¡¯s strange to see where these little creatures come from. As night fell, Yoo Ji-Ha took a seat in the cave. Today, he has been preparing in advance to read a book all night long. He immediately fell into his own world as he read a book with the light of a torch on the backpack and a bonfire on the front to warm. But suddenly, he heard a strange sound somewhere. It¡¯s a very faint¡­ crying sound? ¡®It sounded like a cat?¡¯ It sounded like the cry of a fairly large feline. Yoo Ji-Ha concentrated his mind, trying to figure out the direction of the sound. Why is the humming bell not ringing? ¡®Maybe because it¡¯s not dangerous.¡¯ He stood up and walked around the fog. Even Theradrones came out of the hole in the ground and were busy as if trying to find the source of the sound. The Theradrone Warrior flew to one corner. ¡®There, it¡¯s over there.¡¯ As he moved, the cry grew louder. It¡¯s very weak, but soon, Yoo Ji-Ha found it. A cat lying on the border between the fog and the forest, messed up enough to be mistaken for a mop. [Arctus] You mean Ark¡¯s Tooth? However, he was quite large and had thick feet. About twice the size of an adult cat. On that subject, the body and face shape are round like a baby. Yoo Ji-Ha remained silent, then lifted him up and brought his ear closer. There was very shallow and irregular breathing. ¡®Backpack, backpack.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s backpack contains various types of potions. He hurried to the cave, then laid a cloth on the floor and put the cat down. It was so soft that it felt like it had no bones. ¡®You must not die.¡¯ He poured a health potion into his hand and took it to his snout, but he didn¡¯t move. In a hurry, Yoo Ji-Ha opened the cat¡¯s snout slightly and poured the potion little by little. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ He could see the red wounds all over his body healing little by little. The irregular breathing sound became quite comfortable. When he put it on the floor, he heard a rattling sound. ¡®Can I just leave it like this? What should I do?¡¯ He needs to know about cats to know what to do next. However, why is the Theradrone Warrior poking Yoo Ji-Ha finger with its forceps? He looked up and saw that he had painted a picture of a fish on the floor. ¡°Oh, you want to feed it?¡± There is a myth that cats like fish. But how did this insect know that? ¡®Certainly, this guy has intelligence.¡¯ It¡¯s in a dream, so there¡¯s nothing strange about it. Yoo Ji-Ha put the Warrior on his palm, approached the creek and looked at the fish. The finger-sized fish swarmed around him as soon as he put his hand in. Perhaps because of his animal-friendly skills, he didn¡¯t struggle to catch them. Yoo Ji-Ha caught two small fish, killed it, and put them on a bonfire to baked them. Ta-tack-ta-tack- The smell of grilled fish lingered around. The nose of a cat named Arctus trembled. ¡°Oh.¡± The guy responded. Starting with the nose, the entire snout loosened, and the guy opened his eyes in a blink of an eye. His eyes, which were originally sky blue, were dyed very cloudy. Perhaps the Warrior saw it, he pointed to the potion bottles on the floor with his tongs. ¡°Huh? Give it to him? Isn¡¯t that an ether consumption potion?¡± Heok-heok- ¡°Oh, not that. What¡¯s in my backpack other than that?¡± All he has in his backpack is poison resistance potions¡­ Is the cat poisoned? ¡®How did the warrior know that?¡¯ An insect that shows extraordinary abilities in many ways. Anyway, when he poured a poison resistance potion into his hand and gave it to Arctus. The cat¡¯s condition has significantly improved. His slightly bent back was straightened, and his yellowish eyes returned to a pretty light blue. The roaring sound was very powerful. Finally, he moved his legs and tried to walk, but it turned over. ¡°Wake up, wake up.¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha helped him with his hand, he cried low sound and sat down in a bread loaf3 position. ¡°Cute.¡± It¡¯s still stinky, but if he washes it well, the pretty fur will come out. As Yoo Ji-Ha stroked his hair, he rubbed his hands as if he didn¡¯t like it. ¡®I have become a butler.¡¯ Since he was acting as a butler, he made sure that he separated the flesh of the overcooked fish and placed it in front of him. Heoljjak heoljjak4 ¡°Oh, you¡¯re eating well.¡± Arctus was very hungry, so he ate the few pieces of meat in an instant. Then he climbed up on Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s lap, curled up and fell asleep. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s heavy.¡¯ If the cubs were this big and heavy, he couldn¡¯t even guess how big the adults would be. ¡®I can¡¯t move like this.¡¯ Frantic about waking the cub, he gave up and opened the book. The Theradrone Warrior was relieved at that time and returned to the hole in the ground. The next morning, Arctus was washing himself by the stream. It seems like a young-looking boy taking a bath and licking his fur with his tongue. It certainly didn¡¯t look like a normal cat. As Yoo Ji-Ha came out of the cave with his stiff body, the guy ran over to him. It is impressive that the gray fur is studded with black dots, which is very similar to a snow leopard. ¡°Hey, are you awake? Dry yourself, buddy.¡± He didn¡¯t care and hung on Yoo Ji-Ha without hesitation. For Yoo Ji-Ha, it is too difficult for a baby, almost the size of a human body, to hang like this. Wow. Are you asking for food? ¡°Yes, yes. Are you hungry?¡± But there isn¡¯t much for him to eat in this forest. The fish by the creek were so small that the stomach wouldn¡¯t feel a difference, and the crayfish were similar. While thinking about buying cat food, he remembered that there was an ocean outside the cave. ¡®Well¡­ the sea¡­¡¯ He had a vague fear of the deep sea. He can¡¯t forget how the monster named Mantis crab jumped out of the deep sea and killed people. Will this ocean be okay right? ¡®It will be fine¡­ probably.¡¯ Then the Theradrones came with long stems. It was as thin as a thread, so it looked like it could be used as a fishing line. It¡¯s a fishing rod, as long as he trims the branches properly. He could use crayfish or clam meat as bait. As Yoo Ji-Ha roamed through the forest to prepare for fishing, Arctus followed him. It looks like he¡¯s been marked as a butler. Chapter 16 After a day, shade grapes grew large in the forest of dreams. [Shadow Grape LV1: When combined with Ether Potion, recovery amount increased by 20%, duration reduced to 80%] ¡®It is almost similar to the solar apple.¡¯ The only thing different is mixing it with an ether potion. When he picked one of the grains and put it in his mouth, the juicy and sweet taste burst out at the same time. It looked the same as a solar apple or Tree fruit but tasted different. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, it¡¯s delicious.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha was admiring and ate the whole bunch. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Arctus and Theradrone Warrior sitting quietly next to him were pitiful, so he gave them a few. Now it¡¯s time to go fishing. Yoo Ji-Ha had never been fishing before. However, he thought that it would be possible to make a fishing rod, prepare it, and cast it to the sea. Normally, that doesn¡¯t do anything. Fishing is an art in which countless experiences and unpredictable natural environments meet and unfold. But Yoo Ji-Ha is under the power of a strange system. Animal-friendly skills and even the help of Theradrones. ¡°Come with me.¡± Arctus. This cat, which looked like a snow leopard, seemed to have the properties of a dog cat. When he gently touches his thick tail, he whips around and follows him around. In the dimly lit cave, he took the lead, and when he finally reached the beach, he stiffened for a while. It seems that he has not adapted to the new environment. Yoo Ji-Ha took off his shoes and walked on the white sandy beach, and the guy wept bitterly. ¡®Are you crying because I left you behind?¡¯ ¡°Come on, come on.¡± When he beckoned him, he hesitated a bit then stepped forward. Perhaps knowing that nothing special was going to happen, he gathered up the courage and started running back and forth. Yoo Ji-Ha took him to find a good place for fishing. ¡®What do I need to know about fishing?¡¯ There is no fish that can be caught simply by sitting roughly and casting a fishing rod. But this is a special place. It feels like a space made just for Yoo Ji-Ha. As he crossed the pale sea with Arctus, fish gathered around him. It¡¯s like they are shouting, ¡®catch me!¡¯ The big cat was startled by the swarm of fish, it turned over and fell on its own. Then he ran back to the beach crying. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re a coward.¡± He¡¯s still a baby, so it¡¯s understandable. Yoo Ji-Ha cast a fishing rod and stopped at a moderately deep water. The bait is clam meat. It was a really poor piece of equipment made from materials from the forest, but it was perfect for luring these fish. ¡®I think I can just catch it with a harpoon?¡¯ Maybe if he reaches out his hand, he can catch one. Still, he made a fishing rod, so he should try it. Not long after, a large fish jumped out of the sea and grabbed the bait. Yoo Ji-Ha pulled and lifted the fishing rod. As the line grew tighter, a large flounder came up in the sun. [Sand flounder: Food of Arctus.] ¡°Wow, it¡¯s big.¡± It was much bigger than the flounder that he occasionally sees at the traditional market. When Yoo Ji-Ha took it to the beach, Arctus panicked and ran away. But for a while, as the smell of grilled fish spread, he cried and put his legs on Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s thighs. Wow. ¡°Okay, wait a minute.¡± After all the sand flounder was grilled, the flesh was removed, put on a wooden plate and then cooled. Arctus ate a large amount as if it was a drink. ¡®Look at him eating¡­ You can¡¯t become a pig later.¡¯ Shall he cut him some slack because he looks pretty hungry right now? He heard somewhere that he must feed them food so that they won¡¯t lack nutrients when they¡¯re young. Yoo Ji-Ha caught another sand flounder and fed him. Listening to the sound of the waves in the sea, he remembered something to do. ¡®I have to build a house.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t need anything grandiose, just something like a hut where he can stay. When Yoo Ji-Ha finished cleaning up and stood up, Arctus followed after him. After a while, Yoo Ji-Ha was able to complete a hut on the beach. Arctus came with a palm tree bark or leaves in his mouth, and the Theradrones came out decisively. How the hell did these little insects get here? Dozens of Theradrones cut leaves and barks, helping Yoo Ji-Ha surround the hut. Even a thin palm tree was cut, which took a while, but it was a great help. ¡°You guys are amazing.¡± It¡¯s like this now, but how great will it be when it grows bigger in the future? Theradrones, which used to be the size of a fingernail, have now grown to about the size of a finger, and the captain, the Warrior, is about twice that size. What can he do for these unusual guys? ¡®Food is the best as expected.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha was afraid of water, so he fished with arctus attached to his back and caught a rare fish called two feet fish. When in the water, it looks like it is walking on two legs, so it must be why it¡¯s called two feet. When he handed the fish to the Theradrones who were waiting with their tongs on the beach, they said they liked it, so they crawled back into the cave. ¡®They¡¯re really cute.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha lay down in the hut and used his arm as pillows. Arctus patted his belly with his thick forelimbs, then looked up. ¡°Why? Do you want to come up here?¡± wow. When he sees him crying and rubbing his head, he can¡¯t refuse. When he tapped his stomach with his palm, the small guy quickly climbed up and collapsed. ¡®The fur is so soft.¡¯ Perhaps because it was a baby, it was as soft as silk. The two fell asleep while listening to the sound of the sea. ¡°This.¡± When he woke up, he felt something heavy on his stomach. He returned to the single room with Arctus. Yoo Ji-Ha groaned and put the sleeping guy down next to him. Fortunately, he only opened his snout and didn¡¯t wake up. But is this, okay? ¡®Let¡¯s search, search.¡¯ When he searched on Hunternet, there seemed to be no strict management except for ether stone. Well, the government can¡¯t afford to intervene there. Moreover, even at this moment, unheard of items and materials were being discovered. It is difficult to register and manage them all. When he looked through the posts, it was rare, but there were people who brought animals and plants from the dungeon and raised them. ¡®Most of them are plants¡­¡¯ Large animals were very quick, and hunters were not interested in them, so it was rare for them to be taken out. There¡¯s a time limit, so who cares about an animal or something? ¡®Arctus¡­ Arctus¡­¡¯ He searched for the cat¡¯s species name, but nothing came up. By the way, how do he name this guy? ¡®Ding¡­ No, that name doesn¡¯t work. Let¡¯s go with Beom1Beom=Tiger.¡¯ Because it¡¯s a cat that resembles a snow leopard, then it¡¯s Beom. He woke up to the sound of scratching the ground. After leaving the single room, he found Yoo Ji-Ha and quickly climbed onto his lap. ¡°Your name is Beom, Beom. Got it?¡± wow. Beom crying with his back stretched out. He doesn¡¯t know what that means, but he doesn¡¯t think it feels bad. Yoo Ji-Ha prepared for the opening of the store with him on his back. ¡®He¡¯s very strong.¡¯ The skeleton was different from that of a normal cat. After cleaning and opening the store door, the first customer was surprised to see Beom. ¡°Wow, surprise¡­ Mister, what is that cat? It looks very cute.¡± ¡°I decided to raise it because it was following me in a certain dungeon. His name is Beom.¡± ¡°Hello, Beom?¡± The female hunter tried to see if Beom, who had a grumpy face, like her. But. ha ha- Beom would not accept her touch. If she reaches out her hand, he hits it with his cute front paw. ¡°Cute¡­ He¡¯s so cute. Did you find it in the snowy mountain dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes. It was so cold I was about to go back, but it suddenly stuck to my pants.¡± After a little while, Beom was also tired, so he climbed up to the table in the middle and curled up. Its thick tail fluttered, and Hunter was trying to touch it, but when she faced the mandible, she was sullen. In the end, she returned without touching Beom. After that, guests came, and all said that Beom was cute. ¡°It¡¯s great, it¡¯s great. Really cute.¡± ¡°But was there a cat like this? It¡¯s a little big for a cat, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a snow leopard. Animals who live in the Himalayas. It¡¯s similar.¡± Each and every action of Beom caught the attention of the customers. Fortunately, no one was forcibly touching him. Does everyone feel weak about these cute creatures? In the afternoon, HyeJin visited the store. When she looked down at Yoo Ji-Ha, she made a slightly friendly face then completely hardened when she found Beom. ¡°That¡­ Ji, Mr. Yoo Ji-Ha, what is this?¡± After explaining the situation, HyeJin finally came inside. 12th place in the Hunter Ranking, called the Sword witch, can¡¯t believe she is looking at the eyes of a cat. When Beom yawned, she even flinched. She handed the something to Yoo Ji-Ha, trying not to attract Beom¡¯s attention as much as possible. ¡°This¡­ Coffee, please.¡± ¡°Are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯ve been treated with fruits before. Of course, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to replace the fruits with just this one.¡± ¡°Thank you, I will drink.¡± At that time, Beom intervened between the two of them, lengthening his neck and crying. ¡°Uh? Yes? Why? What do you need?¡± ¡°It sounds like he¡¯s asking you for a pet.¡± ¡°Pet? As in stroking?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s sticking his head out.¡± HyeJin hesitated, and barely put two fingers on Beom¡¯s head and stroked it timidly. A smile spreads across her lips as if she¡¯s feeling better with the soft fur. ¡°You don¡¯t really like cats, do you?¡± For reference, among the guests who have come so far, not one person dislikes Beom. It¡¯s a cat, but it may be more friendly because it looks a little bit like a dog. ¡°It¡¯s not that I hate it that much. Just¡­ I¡¯m afraid of scratching¡­¡± ¡°Is that so. He¡¯s not going to show his claws.¡± He sometimes growls at people he doesn¡¯t like, but he doesn¡¯t show his claws. HyeJin, who he has never seen before, is gentle even when petting him. SeungHyuk really liked cats too. After stroking Beom for a while, HyeJin sighed and sat down on a chair. ¡°I heard a story. It said you let people rip the buff scroll for free? Now Hunternet is in uproar because of that.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha opened the book openly. ¡°Anyway, the Eternal Flame guild leader came here.¡± HyeJin knows the result. How the hell did it spread? Rumors spread that Cha HwaYeon was rejected by the owner of the general store. At the same time, the interest in this young man among the Hunters increased. It¡¯s not a big issue yet, though. Wow. Beom jumped into Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s arms. Raising his arms to hold the cat and placing the book down looks very natural. To HyeJin, Yoo Ji-Ha, who was reading a book while wearing glasses and holding a cat, looked really comfortable. ¡®You¡¯ve lived like that until now.¡¯ So, he may want to live like this in the future. A person who is not greedy. A person who treats her comfortably without showing any feelings. HyeJin was not burdened by him. Ordinary men show bluffs or excessive interest in her to look good, but he maintained a simple attitude. ¡®Is that why I come here often?¡¯ She thought perhaps she could be friends with this person. While HyeJin was thinking like that, Yoo Ji-Ha decided to go into the dungeon as a latecomer after a long time. ¡®I¡¯m slowly running out of materials.¡¯ Not everyone can enter the latecomers but can be accepted upon request. As he was writing down the list of necessary ingredients in his notebook, HyeJin approached him and looked at him. ¡°What are you writing?¡± ¡°This is a list of ingredients to bring from the dungeon.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just go to the wholesale center and buy it?¡± ¡°If I buy it like that, the unit price will go up. I have to eat too.¡± Somehow, it feels very ironic. A person who sells potions and scrolls at a low price goes into the dungeon as a latecomer to purchase materials cheaply. Maybe this is his way of life. She couldn¡¯t understand it, but she couldn¡¯t say anything if he wanted to live like that. ¡°Tomorrow¡­¡± As she was about to say something, all of a sudden, a siren sounded loudly. The humming bell rang at the same time. HyeJin¡¯s complexion changed drastically. It was a dungeon catastrophe warning. Chapter 17 WOOOOOOW- ¡ªThis is a fourth-class catastrophic alert, a fourth-class catastrophic alert. If you live nearby, evacuate immediately. Evacuate immediately. I repeat. This is not a training situation. This is a fourth-class catastrophic alert. Evacuate immediately. WOOOOOW- A nervous siren disturbed Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s ear. There is only one action that powerless people should take when such an alert is raised. Evacuate immediately. ¡°Four alarms, where the hell did you make a mistake? Ji-Ha, you¡¯d better evacuate to a nearby air-raid shelter. Hurry now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± HyeJin went out with a stiff face, and Yoo Ji-Ha quickly packed everything he needed into his backpack. Kurreung- A few armored vehicles pass by loudly outside. He saw fully armed soldiers marching. Can they stop the monsters from Category 4 dungeons with that army? ¡®It¡¯s difficult. That¡¯s why there are Hunters.¡¯ First, the army established a line of deterrence, and then the hunters take care of the monsters. What if even the hunter is pierced? At that time, artillery units stationed in the vicinity will start firing at the same time. It will blow up everything around it. Yoo Ji-Ha, who did not want to get caught up in it, was carrying a backpack and hugged Beom, who was crying bitterly. He looked around to see if there was anything else he needed to bring and locked the door of the store. Now is the time to run towards the bomb shelter. The streets were full of people who were evacuating, vehicles such as ambulances, and hunters who flocked when hearing the alarm. Black smoke and flames soared around the gate. ¡®What is happening¡­¡¯ A catastrophe of a Category 4 dungeon rarely happens. As the quest is very difficult, the hunters who go inside are strong and prepare well. But this catastrophe seems a little different. Yoo Ji-Ha ran towards the shelter and listened to the people talking. ¡°The Category 3 has changed to category 4!¡± ¡°There was a huge horde of horror-grade monsters, and the hunters couldn¡¯t defeat it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this supposed to be sent to the military base?¡± ¡°Run! Run!¡± ¡®Something must have gone wrong.¡¯ If everything went right, there would be no catastrophe. He rushed into and entered the air-raid shelter led by police officer. Anxious people flocked to the renovated underground parking lot. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t stay outside, go inside! It¡¯s safe here! Please move a little bit!¡± ¡°Go inside! ¡°Aww, don¡¯t push me!¡± Yoo Ji-Ha went into a corner and squatted down. An uneasy light flashing from the sky can be seen at the parking lot entrance. This phenomenon takes place as the gate expands as it faces a full-fledged catastrophe. People murmured, and Beom, who was held in Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s arms, straightened his hair. Tata Tata! Boom! Boom! Loud sound of gunshots was heard. People wandered around, back and forth and the earth¡¯s axis shook heavily. ¡°I think it started.¡± ¡°Please, please, please.¡± The only thing the people who were evacuated to the shelter could do was pray. Yoo Ji-Ha comforted Beom, who was crying, with a calm face. Catastrophe occurs when the hunters who enter the dungeon do not complete the quest. If it¡¯s a low difficulty dungeon, there¡¯s no problem. Because the monsters are weak, and the numbers are small. Even if you crush the monsters that jump out of the gate with force, there is no problem. However, the story is different when a category 4 or higher dungeon is catastrophic. Even if the rankers rush in, it is difficult to guarantee control without damage. Therefore, the government conducts military operations starting with the fourth-class catastrophes. Evacuate civilians around the gate and deploy armored forces. Around the gate, which was currently catastrophic in Area 7, troops carrying heavy machine guns and anti-tank weapons were waiting in the building as cover. Behind them, the armored forces, including armored vehicles and tanks, and finally, the hunters were on standby. Soon, the brightly shining surface of the gate shook violently. The soldiers flinched and the sound of radios all over the place was lowered. Silence fell around the gate. The searchlight was turned on in broad daylight and prepared to aim at the monsters. Finally, the gate was broken. Like a mirror, fragments fell and what could be seen through them were the horror-grade monsters, Bone Knight and Lich. The moment the bare skeleton knights and corpses appeared; the command was given. ¡°Shoot!¡± Tutatatta! Pussiung! 1 Heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles were fired around the gates. The Lichs waved their skinny hands and cast their barrier magic, but it was too much to block them all. A melancholy ether spread out as some of the Bone Knights staggered from being hit by missiles. ¡ªDeath to all living things! A curse that could not be overcome even with modern science unfolded. The only thing that can purify it is a hunter with characteristics such as salvation and cleansing, but he could not be dispatched because he was hospitalized. The soldiers who fired saw terrible illusions and grasped their heads. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Stop shooting! Stop shooting!¡± This supernatural attack is always a problem when dealing with monsters. That¡¯s one of the reasons why Hunters are needed. ¡°The Bone Knight is charging! Tanks, come to the front!¡± As Kim HyungSeok, who took command of the hunters, shouted, hunters with various shields came forward. Hunter¡¯s individual ability is important, but in such a large-scale battle, more coordinated action is needed. When they blocked the advancement of the knights, healthy soldiers pulled the cursed soldiers to the rear. Doo doo doo doo doo doo- A squadron of raid helicopters flew through the buildings and aimed the missiles. There is not much fuel but flying a helicopter. It shows in an instant the government¡¯s determination to suppress this catastrophe at an early stage. When the Liches, who had been somewhat distant from the Bone Knight, raised their hands again, the missile was fired. A massive explosion smashed the barrier and shattered the lich¡¯s frail body to ashes. It was good up to here. Bone Knight and Lich were powerful but without monstrous characteristics or skills. The moment when Lich suffered massive damage from the missile rain and the Knights were blocked by the Hunters, the catastrophe was almost over. However, before the fragments of the gate completely settled, a monster appeared. Kim HyungSeok¡¯s complexion turned white when he saw it. ¡°Crazy. It¡¯s an abomination!¡± The abominable monster that seemed to have grown large by randomly fitting the monster¡¯s corpse was a dreadful object. Its size was large enough to be comparable to any building. Guaaaah¡ª As it roared while raising its bone knife, the Liches poured out various curses and buffs. The Disaster grade monster that became stronger due to the catastrophe were further strengthened. An anti-tank missile flew from somewhere, stuck in his mouth and exploded. puhahak! The patchy hair turned into a mess, but the abomination quickly regenerated and struck the hunters. ¡°Spread out! Spread out! Everyone, Avoid it!¡± Kim HyungSeok gave urgent orders. Even if single-numbered rank hunters rush in, it is difficult to deal with this guy. If there was Han SeungHyuk, he would never know, so he had to avoid an absolute head-to-head match. However, the abomination that received the buff showed a quick move that did not match its size. He smashed the tanks¡¯ shields with a bone knife and blew them away, ignoring numerous attacks and started running somewhere. ¡°Uh, where is it going?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the bomb shelter! Stop!¡± The siege formation was broken. While the hunters and soldiers rushed to and fro, the monster rushed to the air raid shelter. The liches raised their cane and shouted. ¡ªThere, there is our enemy! The atmosphere is strange. Even if a catastrophe has occurred, it should calm down after this time has passed. There are nearly 100 hunters living in District 7, but what is this commotion? ¡°Looks like something happened.¡± ¡°Is there an extraordinary monster who came out of the dungeon?¡± ¡°It must be a horror rating¡­ That¡¯s enough to stop the single number hunters when they rush in.¡± ¡°But why is it so noisy?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± The murmur between the people grew louder. The roar of something, the sound of heavy equipment moving, and the shouts of the hunters were mixed and heard. Something is happening. The murmur turned into fear, and fear into panic. When someone shouted that they should run quickly, others scolded him. ¡°This person is talking about something bad!¡± When fear is transmitted, things get out of control. The police repeatedly emphasized that it was okay and that the shelters were safe, but it was not enough to settle the anxious public sentiment. In addition, the sound of the hunters fighting was getting louder and louder. Those who knew the meaning were noticeably anxious. ¡°We really don¡¯t have to run away? If the sound of fighting is so loud¡­¡± ¡°Yes? What is the situation outside?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what it is! What if they told us just to sit blindly?¡± ¡°Right! Right!¡± At that moment, the loud noise stopped and only a dull sound of thumping and pounding was heard. Is the fight over? The moment some policemen looked out of the shelter, they let out a horrifying scream. A gigantic abomination was slamming its bizarre face. The bloody eyes glistened, and the police shuddered in fear. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a monster! A monster!¡± When someone shouted out loud, everyone went into panic. The only reason the sound of fighting stopped was because it was close to the air-raid shelter, so they were afraid that the citizens would be harmed. HyeJin, who quickly followed the abomination on a sword, fired an intangible sword at it. PapaPat! In the air, the sword was split into several pieces and the whole body of the abomination was egged, but it ignored the attack. The regenerative power is so good that even an extraordinary attack does not work. For this reason, in order to deal with disaster-grade monsters, they must attack jointly with the military. Or maybe a hunter who possesses a transcendent attack power comes forward. ¡°Attack the back, the back! 35 meters away!¡± When the magicians of the Eternal Flame Guild, including HwaYeon, performed their magic all at once, the upper body of the abomination became half a mess. But even in that situation, it tried to regenerate. It has a really great life force. ¡°What, what kind of monster is this?¡± ¡°Hurry up and take that out!¡± At that time, Beom, who was held by Yoo Ji-Ha, cried aloud. As the God of Nature who slaughtered thousands of monsters roared, a tremendous amount of ether spread. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kuk!¡± The Hunters momentarily knelt down, and the abomination ripped off its head in agony. The roar commanded. ¡ªGo away. Kuaaaak! The abomination began to run in fear. Then he bumped into a building and fell down. What is wrong with him all the sudden? The raid helicopter squadrons and tank platoons that followed aimed at him. Boom Boom! A series of explosions overturned the giant, and countless hunters attacked. The flesh turned into ashes and scattered, and the abomination disappeared without even screaming. Kim HyungSeok, who arrived late after dealing with the Bone Knight and the Liches, took a deep breath and stared at the air raid shelter. What the hell happened here? The hunters who followed him murmured. ¡°What was that just now?¡± ¡°It was the bomb shelter, wasn¡¯t it? What do you think is there?¡± ¡°Ah, there are only ordinary people there.¡± When the situation was finally settled, Yoo Ji-Ha sighed in relief and stroked Beom. ¡°That¡¯s a relief, isn¡¯t it?¡± wow. The guy slipped into his backpack and cried a little. Yoo Ji-Ha did a simple survey and left the shelter. Hunters, soldiers, and government officials gathered to have a serious conversation. ¡°¡­We must send people in and look inside, who knows if there are any artifacts?¡± ¡°No, we have to investigate all civilians.¡± ¡°Everyone has already gone home, so how do you do that? That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± ¡®It has nothing to do with me.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha walked slowly and arrived at the store. Beom jumped out of his backpack and hit the chair with his front paws. You¡¯re telling me to sit there quickly? Yoo Ji-Ha wiped the dusty glasses and sat down on a chair and opened a book. Immediately, Beom climbed up on his lap, curled up and groaned. ¡®An Abomination¡­ Ugly and bulky¡­.¡¯ As the feather pen wrote in the infinite magic book, the same explanation was written on the MirWiki, which was buried in a corner of the Hunternet. But no one noticed. Chapter 18 ¡°Welcome.¡± The Hunter Special Committee was held in District 7¡¯s tallest building. The members include single number rank hunters, guild leaders with more than a certain amount of power, and even a team leader of the company. Of course, attendance was not compulsory in the sense of respecting individual hunters¡¯ wishes, so there were many people who did not attend due to various circumstances. However, power-oriented hunters made an effort to take the initiative by attending. Kim HyungSeok, the successor of the Goryeo group, was such a case. ¡®I¡¯ve arrived in time.¡¯ Although the single number rank hunters did not attend, the heads of various guilds he paid attention to sat down. He wants to hear the full story of this situation is just one of the reasons he came here. When the time came, he beckoned the secretary. ¡°I will define this issue as the case of abominable objects. This incident happened yesterday at 2pm, and it is due to the change of a Category 3 Gate to Category 4¡­¡± The secretary¡¯s voice was pleasant to listen to, and most people could quickly understand the whole situation. The difficulty of the dungeon increased, horror-level monsters popped out, and finally, the abomination appeared. As a result, it was annihilated in front of the bomb shelter. But what¡¯s the problem? ¡°The head of the strategic planning team of the Goryeo Group will make a statement about it.¡± As the secretary pointed at the crowd, Kim HyungSeok stood up pretending to fix his tie. ¡°There is something about the above-mentioned case that deserves your attention. It was not us or the military that led to the direct neutralization of the abomination.¡± Everyone had heard the rumors, so they calmly waited for Kim HyeongSeok to speak. ¡°The Hunters who were in Area 7 at the time will remember. That the irresistible etheric waves that have brought us to our knees. Fortunately, the wave was fatal only to monsters. A disaster grade monster, the abomination, scrambled in fear and was killed by our firepower.¡± ¡°What is the cause?¡± When someone asked, HyungSeok shook his head. ¡°I do not know. We don¡¯t know anything that can be speculated as a cause. I¡¯m just guessing there must have been something in the shelter.¡° ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you think to search the shelter?¡± ¡°We did a belated search and found nothing, and we assumed people were the cause, not the facility¡­ It¡¯s already late after everyone is gone.¡± ¡°You should have done a full investigation there. If you lose a cow after fixing the barn, what¡¯s the point.¡± When Lee HwiSeong, one of the representatives of the Five Star Alliance, spoke, everyone shook their heads. But HyungSeok had something to say. ¡°People were leaving so quickly that we couldn¡¯t come in to investigate. There was no cooperation in the first place.¡± ¡°If it were me, I would have blocked the entrance to the bomb shelter and asked for cooperation.¡± Lee Hwiseong laughs. A significant number of hunters choke on the logic that citizens can be forced for convenience. Of course, there were those who thought that statement was justified. HyungSeok brought up another story to evoke the atmosphere. ¡°Anyway, it is clear that there was something in the shelter at that time. If a disaster-grade monster could be engulfed in fear, it would be an amazing artifact. If you have that kind of power, it will only be a matter of time before you show it to the world.¡± ¡°So, what is the conclusion?¡± Someone asked, and HyungSeok shrugged. ¡°As usual in our meetings, we are not going to draw any conclusions. However, if such a thing happens in the future, you can refer to CEO Hwisung¡¯s remarks. The convenience of citizens is of course important, but isn¡¯t that convenience also sustained because we are there?¡± Therefore, it was said that in the future, the search would be conducted without seeking cooperation from the relevant agencies. High-ranking official from the Office of the President was also present. If he doesn¡¯t say anything, it¡¯s safe to say that he¡¯s willing to tolerate it for now. But someone said something out of the ordinary. ¡°In the shelter, there was Yoo Ji-Ha, who runs the general store, and he had a cat that looked like a snow leopard, right? Could it be that he is the cause?¡± ¡°Hey, what are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°Haha, I wish he is. First of all, he¡¯s cute.¡± A few hunters who knew about Beom laughed, and the rest burst into laughter only after seeing the photo. It¡¯s definitely cute. HyungSeok coughed and went to the main point. ¡°Actually, I have other reasons for opening a special committee. Recently, there have been many cases of dungeon contamination, right?¡± People straightened up. The problem with the abomination could be dismissed as a one-time event, but this was not the case. Contaminated dungeons were appearing intermittently. Even hunters with moderate poison resistance are often unable to enter. There were not one or two industries that were making a living with the resources and materials from the dungeon. In a way, the dungeon contamination incident was more important than the abomination. HyungSeok cleared his dry throat and explained the outline and solution to the problem. After a while, there was a break time. Cha HwaYeon approached HyeongSeok, who was resting with his tie off. ¡°Who wrote this?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± What HwaYeon brought in was a post on Mirwiki. Abominable objects and dangers¡­ Up to that point, it was the same as usual, but the contents were below. ¡ªA monstrous object¡­ It¡¯s ugly, bulky, and smells bad. Even if it receives any kind of attack, it will recover immediately. It moves so quickly that it is unimaginable for its size. It¡¯s dripping messy liquid from its eyes and mouth, and it seems acidic. But wouldn¡¯t it be difficult to propose to someone with that face? I don¡¯t know if there is a gender distinction between monsters¡­¡ª HyungSeok frowned. ¡°Who wrote this?¡± HwaYeon¡¯s expression turned into a strange expression. ¡°I¡¯m asking you. I am wondering if team leader knows anything.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything at all. In the first place, we can¡¯t edit MirWiki on our side, right?¡± MirWiki appeared along with Hunternet not long after the first dungeon was opened. It was a interesting bulletin board in which the species names and risks of the monsters named by the hunters were automatically updated. The content could not be edited by anyone. Even network experts say they don¡¯t know where the data on Hunternet and MirWiki go. It was a surprise that the government didn¡¯t know anything about it. After reading the description of the abomination, the two of them were a little impressed when they realized that it had captured the abilities and characteristics of the creature well. Abominations are rare monsters, so there aren¡¯t many hunters who actually saw them. So, who the hell wrote it? *** ¡°Hmm¡­¡± When the darkness fades and the dawn entered. Yoo Ji-Ha was reading a book with Beom lying on his thighs in a hut in the forest. What made him fall into a dream. It was a book containing a mythical story about the huge tree of the continent of Gehenna intertwined with various races. It was a very thick book, and each race was described metaphorically, making it difficult to understand. A passage that was easy to interpret caught the attention of Yoo Ji-Ha. It is a story about a natural god created by the huge tree. ¡°God of Nature¡­ The god of the Wild¡­¡± It can be interpreted either way. This natural god is the guardian of Gehenna¡¯s nature. There were many natural gods, but it is said that they suffered twists and turns, such as dying and being corrupted and sealed while fighting monsters. ¡°You¡¯re a god but you are dying?¡± It seems that the god here is not the absolute god that Yoo Ji-Ha thinks. Instead, it was written that the soul is immortal and can be reborn at any time. However, there were passages that stood out among the description of the God of Nature. ¡°How do I read this?¡± His name is unknown, but he was a violent wild god with gray fur and black spots. ¡®Gray fur and black dots?¡¯ It¡¯s similar to Beom. He read further that this wild god had messed around with thousands of monsters. It is also called the tooth of the most violent natural god. ¡®It¡¯s like Arctus because it has teeth.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha slightly opened Beom¡¯s snout and looked into his teeth. He was still a baby, so he had cute, blunt teeth. ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense to kill monsters with these teeth, but¡­¡¯ What if this guy¡¯s identity is hidden? What if the cute figure he sees now isn¡¯t the real him? Yoo Ji-Ha remembered that a strange etheric wave had spread from the bomb shelter. He didn¡¯t feel it well himself, but since the Hunters said it, it must have been. There was a high probability that the wave was probably caused by Beom. ¡®If coincidence continues, it is inevitable.¡¯ Theradrone and Arctus met in the forest of dreams. Would it be his illusion if he said that the tree in the forest that is growing day by day and the giant tree that appeared in the ancient books are somehow related? The huge tree roots in the dungeon seemed to guide him as well. ¡®As the ¡®worker class¡¯, it feels like the tree is entrusting me with the work.¡¯ What if helping Theradrone and saving Arctus were part of some grand scheme? ¡®If that¡¯s true, that would be great thing.¡¯ But the question remains as to why him. He was not a man of great power. If he was going to entrust a class called a worker, there would have been a more suitable person. ¡®Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡¯ He can¡¯t come up with an answer after thinking about it, so he has no choice but to put it aside for now. Yoo Ji-Ha, while stroking the sleeping Beom, discovered a strange land around the fog. It was discolored as if purple paint had spilled on the ground. ¡°Why did it suddenly become like this?¡± This forest of about 100 pyeong was his realm. It was carefully cleaned and maintained, but a foreign substance suddenly got in. When he got closer, he saw that the condition was serious, such as a foul odor. Beom, who had been sleeping, woke up and ran and hung on his back. ¡°When I think of purple, it somehow reminds me of then Lich¡¯s curse¡­¡± The horror-grade monster that came out of the gate yesterday, Lich. The Lich can cast a curse that adversely affects nearby living things. In addition, there were many dungeons that it occupied had the lands turned purple. At that time, Beom, who was hanging on his back, came up to his shoulder and put his paw in front of him. As he got down on his knees and looked at the fog, the previous miniature world opened. ¡°Hyuk.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha was startled by what was happening in this small world. A few liches smaller than a little finger, are giving orders to the undead who are likely to be thousands. ¡®What is this, what a mess.¡¯ The lich was not just a lich, but elder rich, a higher-ranking species. It was wrapped around its body with dazzling jewels and golden nuggets and waved its staff with its skinny arms. Every time that happened, the undead sprang up from the purple ground. Among them, there were quite a few horror-grade monsters such as Bone Knight and Revenant. ¡®No, can Theradrone to compete with this?¡¯ Although they have grown quite a bit by defeating the devil ants, he is a little pressed by the atrocious appearance of the monsters. The Elder Lich was waving his wand and shouting something. ¡ªDeath to all life! Worship our master! ¡®What are you saying.¡¯ He thinks it¡¯s a little cute because the little guy is like that. Then the status window was updated. [The Elder Lich is polluting the surrounding land. If you let him be, he will soon invade your territory. Immediate response is difficult, but we would like to suggest a way to reduce his influence. YES/NO] At this point, he has no choice but to choose YES. Otherwise, that terrifying elder lich will invade here. After waiting for a while, a new message appeared. ¡®It¡¯s like a site requesting a response from the server that¡¯s buffering.¡¯ [I will introduce the steps to take to reduce the influence of the Elder Lich. 1) Destroy the source of the Elder Lich. 2) Purify the surrounding land.] ¡®Huh? Can¡¯t I just hit it with my palm like before?¡¯ If it is 3 essence, Yoo Ji-Ha can intervene and hit it with the palm of his hand. However, this method had the disadvantage of not being able to fundamentally annihilate the Elder Lich. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s why it suggested this method.¡¯ What¡¯s the use of killing it to be alive again? Yoo Ji-Ha decided to believe in this system. ¡®This is not a choice; I have to do both.¡¯ It seems that the land that has already been corrupted will not return after killing the lich. When he focused on number 1, the fog next to him opened and a miniature world appeared. Being a little far from the Elder Lich, he didn¡¯t pay any attention to him and was preoccupied in summoning the undead. Yoo Ji-Ha was startled by the sudden appearance of a royal palace. The appearance of the royal palace belonged to a kingdom he was familiar with. ¡®No way. Maybe this Lich¡­¡¯ Chapter 19 The dimension within the dungeon is usually called Gehenna. Not only the natural environment, but also ruins, temples, and sometimes faded royal palaces appear as dungeons. Scholars studying Gehenna estimated that it was an early modern civilization, except for ether-based artifacts. It is a world where various races live with monsters. Yoo Ji-Ha knew where this royal palace was because he had access to many ancient books and materials. ¡®This is the Estram Kingdom for sure.¡¯ Looking at the structure and location of the royal palace, it was almost identical to the illustration of an ancient book he had seen before. So, is this elder lich a royal family of Estram? ¡®I don¡¯t know that much, but¡­¡¯ The important thing now was to kill the Elder Rich who was waving his wand arrogantly. ¡®Where are they?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha, who was looking for Theradrones, was delighted to see the corps lined up next to him. Even if he didn¡¯t speak, they gathered together on their own. Ten rows were accurately aligned, and the Warrior came forward as if representing the Theradrone. It was a lot larger than when he first saw it, and above all, their number has grown significantly. ¡®I think there are about 500?¡¯ As expected, the number increases tremendously when the queen returned. Where on earth have they been hiding on this land? Come to think of it, where is the Earthworm that first dug into the ground? Yoo Ji-Ha pokes the ground around the kingdom of Estram with his fingers. ¡°Come on, your job is to get in there and bring back the Elder Lich¡¯s source. Got it?¡± Will the insects understand him? At the moment of doubt, Theradrone Warrior moved vigorously. Leading the Theradrone Corps, they entered the border and stopped at the cliff leading to the Royal Palace. From Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s standpoint, a small but huge rock for the Theradrone was blocking the way. A message came to mind. [A large boulder is blocking the army¡¯s progress. More direct support seems to consume an amount of essence. ¡®Can they remove this big rock?¡¯ Even if it was removed, it seemed that a great deal of power would be consumed. Yoo Ji-Ha brought potions and sap jelly close to the leaf plate for regular consumption. It would be nice if Beom came forward, but this guy didn¡¯t seem to know anything about the world beyond the border. ¡®He¡¯s sleeping well.¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, Yoo Ji-Ha has no choice but to use the essence to clear the rocks. When he picked No. 1 and put his hand on the rock, he quickly put it away because he was afraid that a few Theradrones including the Warrior would be crushed and killed. After clearing the fist-sized rock over the valley, the Theradrone Corps began to march again. But there was an obstacle that blocked them, it was the Bone Knight army. A message popped up and a fierce battle ensued. ¡®You can¡¯t lose to those skeletons.¡¯ Fortunately, the Bone Knight was a monster similar to the devil ant. The more powerful Theradrones swung their tongs at random and crushed them. ¡®They are like real soldiers.¡¯ Looking closely, the tasks are clearly divided. Most of the soldiers fight in the front, and relatively few in the rear support. Even if it was a fight, they did not push recklessly like the Bone Knights, but rather a method of returning to the front line after replenishing stamina by retreating to the rear if they are slightly injured. In the meantime, the Warrior¡¯s activity was truly one-of-a-kind. It¡¯s like a cannon of the Three Kingdoms jumped into the midst of the miscellaneous soldiers. Even with a clumsy knife, the warrior¡¯s carapace can¡¯t get a single wound. If he¡¯s going to charge, ten Bone Knight will fall. This is Ilkidangcheon1One calvary can defeat 1000 enemies. ¡®Awesome¡­¡¯ While Yoo Ji-Ha was admiring, he attacked the lich that appeared from behind the warrior corps, taking dozens of Theradrones and charging deep into the enemy¡¯s camp. ¡ªAaaaah! My soldiers! Defend the lord¡¯s tribute box! Lich was talking about something, but Yoo Ji-Ha did not understand it because it was not the official language of the continent. The warrior felt threatened by the Lich, ignoring the skeletons and attacking only the lich. It¡¯s falling! Instantly, a blue lightning bolt came out of the staff and attacked the warrior. The guy wanted to hold on for a while, and then he slumped down, spewing smoke from his body. ¡®This.¡¯ It¡¯s a great magic to break through the resistance of the warrior. However, he quickly woke up and grabbed Lich with his tongs to see if he was also fatally wounded. ¡ªLet go! You damn Servants of the cursed tree! Boom! Boom! Lich swung his staff and poured all kinds of magic on the warrior¡¯s carapace. It was evident that he was suffering, so Yoo Ji-Ha immediately applied the worker¡¯s blessing. As his stamina and lightning resistance increased, the Warrior gave strength to the tongs holding the Lich. ¡ªKwaaaaa! The Lich¡¯s waist could not withstand the force of the tongs and was split in two. The corpse that fell on the floor slowly turned into a skeleton as the ashes fluttered, and the surrounding Bone Knights collapsed. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha clenched his fists. As expected, the best way to deal with this type of undead summoner is to attack the main body. The Warrior bought the Lich¡¯s Essence. Essence was used to help them, so should he replenish it with this? Because a lich is a horror-grade monster, the essence is also large. ¡°Thank you.¡± Now, the Theradrone corps, carrying the wounded, marched through the cliffs and into the plains heading to the royal palace. When they opened the door of the half-destroyed royal palace, the guys cautiously entered inside. ¡®It looks like this inside.¡¯ The walls became transparent, and the interior of the palace was visible. Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s gaze was fixed on the back of the Theradrone Warrior, who bravely roamed the palace. *** ¡®Well¡­¡¯ It is certain that the people of the Estram Kingdom have perished. It is not known how long it has been since they were destroyed, but monsters were crawling all over the palace. They were all below hate grade, so there was no problem for the Theradrone Corps to move around. Every time they dealt with a few guys, the guy acting as a liaison took the essence and brought it to Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°You can bring it later.¡± When he said that, he lifted his tongs and seem to ask, ¡®Is it okay?¡¯ Whether this is communication or pretending to understand is unknown. In any case, the guy returned to the front line with the essence, and Yoo Ji-Ha paid attention to the movement of the warrior. ¡®He¡¯s bigger than I thought.¡¯ Assuming that the structure of the royal palace was made based on human standards, it can be seen that the Theradrone Warrior is large enough to fill the hallways. If it was too narrow, it was widened by breaking the wall, and if it seemed impossible, the smallest one was sent in to search. In some ways, it seems to be smarter than Yoo Ji-Ha. The results of the search were scattered in the hallway. A sword adorned with jewels, accessory box, etc. which seemed to have no practicality, were collected. When the warrior instructed something with the tongs, the liaison officer hung it on the tongs and brought it to Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have to bring anything like this.¡± However, as soon as he put down the treasure, he went back to the border. When Yoo Ji-Ha put it on the palm of his hand, it became large. ¡°Wow¡­¡± It was a dazzling sword and accessory box that seemed to cost a lot at a glance. [Seal of Estram Kingdom Rarity: Unique Stats: Spirit +5 Characteristics: Charisma of the Ruler] ¡®Is the sword a seal?¡¯ The options given to the artifact subject were no different. Is it because the seal itself has great value? ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of a ruler¡¯s charisma.¡¯ Presumably, it was highly probable that it was something like a whistle that made the people around him obey. Didn¡¯t it say that natural dignity comes out when you become a king? He doesn¡¯t think he will own it. He wanted to return it to the royal family of Estram, who was the original owner, but there was a high probability that he had already died. ¡®What¡¯s in the box¡­¡¯ There were 10 Ribble gold coins, not accessories. The actual value is not that high, but there are many people who like these gold coins, so they used to be traded at around 400,000 to 500,000 won at the wholesale centers. ¡®Ghee, 4.5 million won2total of 10 ribble.¡¯ It is an amount that is difficult to obtain even if Yoo Ji-Ha has been in business for several days. No, business is good these days. He couldn¡¯t give it to anyone, so he decided to keep it and dispose of it later and put the sword and box in his backpack. Following the Theradrone Warrior, Yoo Ji-Ha noticed that he was eager to search the royal palace. Everything he thought was useful to the owner who he swore his allegiance was being pulled out in the hallway. Thanks to this, Yoo Ji-Ha got a lot of silver plates, candlesticks, forks, and knives. ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s idea is that he only needs enough food to live, but he decided to receive it because they were gifts. Now Theradrones were digging underground. When he dug into the floor with his front foot, a hole was dug as if it were sand. ¡®If it¡¯s the life source of the lich, I think it¡¯s somewhere in the dark.¡¯ In a dimly lit room with only light of candles, an altar was prepared, and a box made of bones. ¡°Huh?¡± The place Yoo Ji-Ha imagined was found. The Theradrone Warrior looked up at the sky after tearing down the wall with tongs. The figure looked like a puppy wishing for praise, so Yoo Ji-Ha laughed. Then a message appeared. [The origin of the Elder Lich has been discovered. In order to destroy the source, it is necessary to evolve your faithful subordinates.] There is only one evolve option. It also requires 5 Essence. ¡®It cost a lot to evolve!¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha felt like being scammed, but there¡¯s no way to destroy it, so he had to do it. When choosing the choice, golden particles gathered around the Theradrone Warrior. The small loft collapsed as it spread its carapace and inner wings, and the surrounding Theradrones evacuated. Eventually, the light disappeared and a Theradrone Knight was born. Yoo Ji-Ha could not help but admire the majestic appearance. ¡®You¡¯re almost as big as a walnut now.¡¯ There were protrusions protruding from the carapace, and a large horn was formed on the tongs. Some of the Theradrones also evolved into warriors, perhaps because of that. Take money and evolve the Theradrone. Yoo Ji-Ha was satisfied with this journey. However, there was one person who was not satisfied, the Elder Rich. The guy was running outside the palace, leading his servants. ¡ªHow dare you disturb my rest! You will not be able to escape death. Aaaaaah! When he shouted something, as if Theradrone Knight had heard it, he destroyed the source. The Elder Rich and surrounding monsters slowly melted and changed into ashes where the wind blew it away. Now all that is left is to cleanse the polluted land. The method is to completely remove the soil. While the Theradrones returned to the forest and took potions and sap jelly while resting, Yoo Ji-Ha began to dig up the contaminated ground with a seedling shovel. As the purple-colored soil flew away, it disappeared without accumulating. ¡®The branches I had removed before disappeared like that, too.¡¯ It seems that the forests clear out things that are judged to be garbage. However, the polluted land did not disappear. He wondered how deep it was, so he kept digging and it was close to 50cm. As Yoo Ji-Ha digs, Beom wakes up and begins to help with his tongue out. Hundreds of moderately large Theradrones rushed in and dug up the soil. ¡°Whew¡­ You guys do a better job than me.¡± Even though the Theradrone seems small, the speed of work was faster than the exhausted Yoo Ji-Ha due to the large number of factors. After about an hour, the contaminated soil completely disappeared, and the levelling work was completed. Yoo Ji-Ha went to the sea to catch some fish and gave it to the Theradrone Corps. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too much for you to eat only sap jelly, right?¡± The guys danced their hips and rejoiced. Yoo Ji-Ha had a bonfire and had a late meal with Beom. A few essences were placed in front of him. ¡®It¡¯s 15, what are you going to do with this?¡¯ Looking at the status window, he was concerned about stamina. Despite the strength, the stamina to work in the forest is so low that even the slightest movement makes it easy to get tired. After investing 10 essences in endurance, it rose to 8 and vitality increased to 80. ¡®Because there is no other use for it anyway.¡¯ If you are a worker, you should invest in stats that can help work like a worker. When Yoo Ji-Ha was satisfied with his decision and lay down on his back, Beom jumped into his stomach. Wow! ¡°Aww, you¡¯re totally covered with dirt.¡± The two rolled on the floor and the Theradrones went into the hole. Evening was approaching. Chapter 20 The area near Mt. Jiri has been a dangerous place where access is prohibited since the first dungeon was opened. This is because monsters broke out due to a number of unfavorable factors. The government has been at a standstill for years with no clear guidelines given due to massive damage. Hunters preferred to receive quests with clear goals and perform stable hunting rather than struggling with reinforced monsters pouring out of numerous gates. Thus, 10 years later, Mt. Jiri had become a paradise for monsters. In Jeonnam, District 9. All the land that was supposed to be filled with farmland was discolored in purple. The place that should serve as Korea¡¯s breadbasket is completely ruined. It has been a while since it happened, but the government was quiet and did not inform the Hunters. This is because the Elder Lich and Undead broke out due to the wrong initial response. In order to get rid of them, a large-scale bombing of the area had to be carried out, but no one was able to come forward. Government officials slowly looked around District 9 and talked. ¡°We must bomb it now. The contaminated land is getting bigger and bigger. If it goes like this¡­¡± ¡°If we were to bomb all that wide land, we would need an enormous number of shells. I don¡¯t know if I can request it from the US.¡± ¡°The United States is going to run out of ammunition stock these days. Hundreds of dungeons have opened in the central region.¡± Hundreds of dungeons are indeed on the American scale. The ominous point is that the situation in the US is a bit better than that of China or India. The dungeons opened for one day in both countries are not even recorded. ¡°How about asking the Hunters for help instead?¡± ¡°Hunters are reluctant to come around here. As you know, there are so many Liches.¡± ¡°Neither us nor hunters are prepared for mental attacks, including curses. It would be okay if there are few artifacts that will protect them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going crazy. We have no choice but to wait until the shells arrive. If only we had suppressed them earlier.¡± ¡°This is spilled water, so there is nothing we can do about it. The only option is to use mortars to block the outskirts of the contaminated area. When it comes to Liches, at least 120mm will have to be mobilized.¡± ¡°Even if it works on the lich, the elder lich is the problem.¡± At that moment, a bizarre sound resounded near Mt. Jiri. ¡ªThis is our land! Death to all who disturb our rest! Government officials frowned upon hearing the screams that sounded like scraping iron. ¡°What kind of bullshit is it talking about, Won?¡± ¡°It sounds like all living things are going to die.¡± ¡°Hey, is that the Elder Lich¡¯s voice? I thought it was some kind of metal scraping.¡± ¡°Unless we destroy the life source of the Elder Lich, Liches and Undead will continue to exist. That is the problem.¡± Since the source is somewhere in Mt. Jiri, there was no guarantee that bombing would destroy it. The way to solve this troublesome problem is to mobilize a small number of elite hunters to search Mt. Jiri at once. For example, Han SeungHyeok and Seo HyeJin are reinforced with some hunters to form a team. But it was impossible. The former is missing, and the latter is just wandering around the dungeon day and night to find Han SeungHyeok. The three public officials looked for various ways but canceled all of them after they realized that it was not feasible. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s the only way. Let¡¯s get rid of the lich by firing precision guns at the perimeter. At least we have to stop the spread of the contaminated area.¡± *** When Yoo Ji-Ha was playing with Beom by the tree, Theradrone Knight bought a leaf plate with his subordinates. [Yellow Herb Extract] It was similar to the green herb extract they brought before. But what is he going to do with this? Even if there is ink, it is useless without runewords. As if waiting for that moment, a yellow runeword appeared from the tree. ¡°Good timing.¡± [Purification. Let your land be restored to its original state.] ¡°Well¡­¡± It sounds like a really good runeword, but where can he use it? The contaminated land of the forest was purified through a simple method of shoveling. ¡®Let¡¯s try it first.¡¯ When he took out a feather pen and the infinite magic book and wrote down rune words, the scroll was completed. [Scroll of Harmony: Purification. Bring back the state of the polluted land.] ¡®It looks good, but where is it used?¡¯ Is he supposed to go into the dungeon and use it? He decided to check it out later and made a few more scrolls. But Beom, who was staring at him from the side, covered the book and tapped Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s thigh with his front foot. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Wow. Crying low and spreading the paws seems to be asking for them to play together. Yoo Ji-Ha followed him to the cave. After he disappeared, Theradrone Knight instructed his subordinates to lift the Infinite Spellbook and tore the pages and turn it around. Withdraw, withdraw! He has to get rid of it before the forest¡¯s worker returns. The Theradrones took the scroll and fled to the hole in the ground. *** The Mt. Jiri area was a very dangerous place where civilians as well as the military and police were prohibited from entering. Byeokso-ryeong shelter, which would have been full of hikers in the past, had a gloomy atmosphere due to the early morning fog. Numerous undead roamed around, and sometimes unknown monsters howled. The ruler of this area was an Elder Lich, which was a Disaster-grade monster. He was a very dangerous guy who would spit out a fatal curse over a wide area, underestimate his skinny body, and life force will be suck in close combat. However, what made him a true disaster grade was his ability to pollute the surrounding land and raise the undead. kaaaaaaa- Woo Woo Woo- Countless Bone Knights, Liches, and Ghouls arose and wandered everywhere. But suddenly, a blue gate opened in the air. It was much larger than the gates that normal humans can see. ¡ªWhat¡¯s going on! Before the Elder Lich could command any of his servants, huge horns and claws protruded from the gate. Theradrone Knight. In Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s Forest in dream, it was the size of a walnut, but in reality, it was a monster that overwhelms monstrous creatures. His golden body was barely able to get out of the gate. A few hasty ghouls rushed in with their teeth exposed, but when it spread its carapace and wings, they were blown away by the shockwave. Kurreung¡ª The shock waves spread and the trees around it fell. When the Elder Lich discovered it, it was shocked. ¡ªThe cursed tree¡¯s servants have appeared! A gigantic fireball erupted from the staff held in its bare hands. However, the Theradrone Knight grabbed the fireball with its tongs and extinguished it. More than 90% of elemental resistance won¡¯t cause damage, so blocking is a possibility. The knight scratched the ground with its front paws and began to charge with its horns in front. As the giant moved, it felt as if an earthquake had occurred. The monster blocking his way was swept away as if it were leaves. Blue lightning bolted out of the Elder Lich¡¯s staff in various directions, but it could not penetrate the carapace and scattered in all directions. Puck, sharp horns pierced the Elder Lich¡¯s abdomen. ¡ªKyaaaaaaaaa! Dozens of monsters were swept away by the Knight¡¯s attack and fell to the bottom of the mountain, and the Elder Lich fell to sleep with a groaning scream. At that moment, a lightning bolt was emitted from the knight¡¯s horns and tongs that colored the white sky. A thick pillar of lightning whirled up and went up to the sky. The Elder Lich could not withstand the formidable damage and was scattered all over the place as ashes. ¡ªI Cursed you worker of the tree! Even if it¡¯s you, you won¡¯t be able to defeat all of my men! I will surely come back to life! Is that true? Hundreds of Theradrones appeared behind the Theradrone Knights flapping their wings. It was smaller than the Knight, but it was huge enough to resemble any other building. ¡ªFind it. At the command resounding in their unconscious, the Theradrones moved in a hurry. Horror-grade undead were not their opponents. Dozens of knights seen in one rush were shattered and fell. The Liches cast all kinds of curses, but it didn¡¯t work for them at all. Eventually, monsters began to gather around him. It was a huge number that was evenly mixed from danger-grade to horror-grade. If the hunters had to deal with them, it would have to be at least a few hundred. However, one of the Theradrone Warriors¡¯ shock wave attacks flew them into dust. The wind swept away the trees, and the surroundings became open, but they did not know. Scroll of Harmony. The Theradrone knight who brought it between the carapace carefully tore the scroll. The yellow ether spread all around. The ground that has turned purple, gradually returned to its original color. However, the Theradrones did not stop and slaughtered the monsters around Mt. Jiri. It was when the northeastern part of Jiri was cleared that government officials understood the full extent of the situation. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± ¡°What the hell happened?¡± The ground, which had obviously been discolored purple until yesterday, has returned to its original state. This earthy smell was what they remembered. The three officials looked around, escorted by soldiers, and found that there were no monsters. What the hell happened here? While they were bewildered, a huge insect engulfed in golden light flew into the sky. The CIA¡¯s Hunter intelligence officer quickly snapped a picture of him. ¡°There are no such monsters on record.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the least disaster grade level?¡± ¡°I do not know. Maybe more than that.¡± ¡°Certainly, an extinction grade.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mystery why that extinction-grade monster restored this land to its original state.¡± ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t be sure that these monsters did it.¡± ¡°Then who did it? That tremendous work that wiped out thousands of monsters and purged the contaminated land around it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The intelligence officer listened to their conversation and remained silent. That monster does not exist in the official records, but it is listed on the secret bulletin board of Hunternet. Theradrone. This is a myth grade monster that was confirmed when the first dungeon was opened. But it was so small he couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°You can¡¯t hide this. A report must be made to the VIP.¡± As a senior official in the secretariat said so, the soldier from the Joint Chiefs of Staff sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. There was a riot like that, but there¡¯s no way people wouldn¡¯t know. Let¡¯s think good. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to not have to beg America?¡± ¡®¡°It¡¯s a good thing¡­ It will depend on what their purpose.¡± ¡°I hope it has a good purpose. Now, from now on, you will have to move fast.¡± When the three left the scene in a car, the army was sent in and closed the area. *** Rumors spread among hunters that unidentified monsters wiped out the monsters in the northeastern area of Mt. Jiri and purged the surrounding area. Most of the hunters did not believe the rumors. This is because they know how many monsters there are in Mt. Jiri area. Some hunters even scoffed at the government for spreading false rumors. Since no one has the courage to go there and check it out anyway, they think it was announced to the media to appease the public mind. However, local details were reported in the evening news of OBS. Yoo Ji-Ha went to SeongHo¡¯s house to play and had dinner together. ¡ªIt can be really surprising. Theradrone. The Myth grade monster that appeared when the first dungeon was opened reappeared. They annihilated the monsters in the northeastern part of Mt. Jiri and purged the contaminated land. On TV, local videos and photos of the Theradrone came out proudly. ¡°The Theradrone¡­ They are great guys.¡± ¡°Did there ever been such monsters there? Why didn¡¯t we know it?¡± SeongHo muttered while scooping the soup with a spoon, and Jumi tilted her head. ¡°They were probably hiding it, that¡¯s what the higher-ups do.¡± ¡°I heard there was even an Elder Lich, but if they had to put hunters all together.¡± ¡°It will be difficult to resist on our own, perhaps.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha went to the kitchen to pick up a water bottle and was surprised when he saw the TV. ¡®What, why are they here?¡¯ The golden insect had the same appearance as Theradrone Knight. Except for being incredibly large. ¡®Maybe they¡­¡¯ At this point, it can only be viewed as 100%. The Theradrones in the dream have appeared in reality in some way. Anyway, he never imagined it would be that big. In his dream, the largest Theradrone Knight was about the size of a walnut. Yoo Ji-Ha sat quietly and ate his meal. He thinks he should have a serious conversation with these guys. Chapter 21 ¡°You, come here.¡± The night he saw Theradrone on TV, as soon as he entered the forest in dream, he let Beom play and find them. He caught a guy who was walking around the creek, pretending not to know anything, and put it on the palm of his hand. ¡°I know everything you did today. Call the captain quickly.¡± When he says captain, he means the largest knight, not the queen. The boy nodded his forceps to show that he understood what he was saying. When he put it on the floor, it ran eagerly and disappeared into a hole in the ground. ¡°¡­..¡± Not long after. Horns and tongs slid out of the hole in the ground. Yoo Ji-Ha, who was watching him, looked into his black eyes and wiggled his fingers. ¡°You didn¡¯t commit a crime, why are you doing that? Come out quickly.¡± After hesitating for a while, the guy scrambled glancing around. At times like this, it looks like a dog. Yoo Ji-Ha looked at him closely. It definitely looks alike compared with the Theradrone that came out of Mt. Jiri. Except for the huge difference in sizes, the Theradrone of Mt. Jiri and the Theradrone in the dream were the same species. ¡°Come here, come here.¡± When he tapped his palm, he spread his wings and jumped in. Still, he secretly ignored his gaze. ¡®Certainly intelligent.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha placed the guy on the palm of his hand and showed the mountain he had drawn on the floor beforehand. When he saw Mt. Jiri, a gesture of ¡®What is that?¡¯ was shown, but when Yoo Ji-Ha drew a fight between a monster and an insect, he retreated as if in shock. ¡°This is you, right? The insect that dragged his men to Mt. Jiri. I heard that the contaminated land was also cleansed, did you use my scroll to do it?¡± It was after confirming that one of the scrolls of harmony had been torn. The Theradrone Knight alternately looked at the painting and Yoo Ji-Ha face, then spread his wings and ran away. ¡®You have nothing to say, so you¡¯re running away.¡¯ He¡¯s an insect, so he can¡¯t talk. After waiting for a while, he came up with a large ether stone. ¡°Is it a bribe? I¡¯m sorry, but-¡± Yoo Ji-Ha, who was trying to refuse, was stunned when he saw the other Theradrones endlessly carrying Ether Stones and Essences. How many are these? Thousands were placed before him. The Essence and Ether Stones were small in size, but when they were collected in this way, the entire forest was dyed golden. ¡°Are you giving me all this?¡± nod nod. Knight moved the tongs. He tried to refuse the bribe, but this is not too much. Yoo Ji-Ha smiled slightly and dragged only a little of the corner. 10 Ether Stones and 10 Essences. ¡°I will only take this. It was you who did the work. If I look at the amount you have collected, you must have done it because you needed this much, right?¡± No, is that okay? Knight grabbed more with his tongs and placed it at the foot of Yoo Ji-Ha, but he refused. ¡°Look, there are over 500 of you. Because there are so many numbers, you will need that many, right? And it would require a lot of energy to use power. All I did was write a few runewords? So, I ended up with this.¡± These guys were sure to understand what Yoo Ji-Ha was saying. Theradrone Knight turned back and rubbed his front feet, and his men entered the hole with the Ether Stones and Essences. And the knight dedicated the largest ether stone to him. Yoo Ji-Ha eyes widened. ¡°Where did you get this big? Oh, it looks like it came from the Elder Lich. Don¡¯t you guys need it?¡± The Knight coolly spread his wings and disappeared into a hole in the ground. As a result, Yoo Ji-Ha was able to secure 20 ether stones and 15 essences. He suddenly felt rich. ¡®By the way, how do I handle this?¡¯ It is an ether stone dropped by a disaster-grade monster. He¡¯ll have to look for the price, but it was definitely more than billions of won. A stone the size of a walnut was shining golden in the palm of his hand. But Beom, who was playing alone, came and his eyes lit up. ¡°Huh? Why? Do you want to play with this?¡± wow. Why is he looking at the Ether Stone while crying bitterly? Why is the guy who hasn¡¯t even looked at it until now acting like this? When Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s ether stone was presented to him, he bit it in his mouth and chewed it. ¡°Ugh.¡± It is the first time in his life to see that an animal chews an ether stone. The boy licked his tongue and swallowed it completely, with a satisfied expression on his face. Then he climbed up to Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s thighs, curled up and fell asleep at once. ¡°Oh my.¡± He thought he was just playing with it but chewing and eating it is absurd. ¡®Is it using it as an energy source?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha guessed that Beom was a natural god or a powerful being equivalent to that. Now that he is out of the crisis of death, it may be in the process of hoarding his strength. Well, the Theradrones also took the ether stone. Did they collect it to eat it? Yoo Ji-Ha took out another ether stone and bit it but realized it was only his tooth that hurts and puts it back in. ¡®I have 15 more essences.¡¯ After much consideration, he raised his strength. ¡®Then the strength is 9 and the endurance is 8.¡¯ Looking through his backpack, there were 19 ether stones, including today¡¯s. With a satisfied face, Ji-Ha opened the book carefully so as not to wake Beom. *** Yoo Ji-Ha received a call from the management center after a long time. ¡ªThis time, we are recruiting latecomers. Because it is an unprecedentedly large dungeon, we are selecting people with a lot of experience and knowledge. Yes. It¡¯s in front of the fountain. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go. See you.¡± The call ended and Yoo Ji-Ha readied to enter the dungeon. Because they enter after all the monsters have been dealt with, there is no need for potions and scrolls, which are essential for hunters. What¡¯s important are the tools and vitality potions. Strong tools and high endurance are needed to gather resources and materials while walking around the dungeon. In the case of Yoo Ji-Ha, there was a high probability of being selected because he had a lot of knowledge, even though he had nothing much physically. ¡®It means that people like me are also useful.¡¯ Beom whined next to him, and Yoo Ji-Ha thought about whether to put him in a backpack and take him. First of all, its existence is known, but¡­ ¡®It¡¯ll be fine because there are no specific rules.¡¯ After putting all the tools in and tapping the backpack, he slipped inside and only sticking out his head. Finally, he put the vitality potions on his belt and finished the preparations. After eating, he went to the fountain in District 6, and there were quite a lot of people gathered. When it comes to latecomers, one hunter will guide them in preparation, but it seems that due to a lot of people, so there are two hunters. ¡°Come on, get in line, if you move freely, you can get excluded!¡± ¡°Hey Uncle, you¡¯ve been going back and forth ever since, I¡¯m giving you a warning!¡± ¡°Again, don¡¯t try to hide anything from your body.¡± Hunters and ordinary people are different in these places. Those who have the authority to control and those who need to be controlled. Hunters were the only ones who could enter the dungeon and deal with the monsters, so it was inevitable. An employee of the management center came out and explained to the people things to be aware of. All of them are people who have been in and out of the dungeon for many years, but there are cases where they forgot later, so this is to inform them in advance. ¡°and¡­ well¡­ Yoo Ji-Ha?¡± Unexpectedly, the woman walking around to check the number of people was an acquaintance of Yoo Ji-Ha. The person who received his information when he awakened as a worker and went to the management center. She said her greeting and passed by. Her eyes seemed to say, ¡°You are still here.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t help it because I don¡¯t have the ability.¡± He had some extraordinary things, but he wasn¡¯t strong himself. A body and abilities that are comparable to those of ordinary people. But Yoo Ji-Ha is not disappointed. ¡®Do what I can.¡¯ As he was trying to be quiet, an old man next to him spoke. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Yoo Ji-Ha. You came in at just the right time.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a while, uncle.¡± It was Mr. Cho in his 40s who he got acquainted with while going in and out of the dungeon together. He joked hard about how happy he was to have this opportunity. ¡°As you know, this dungeon is huge. There will be quite a few things that will fall for people like us. Do you know if there will be even one artifact?¡± ¡°Even if an artifact comes out, it wouldn¡¯t come to us, right?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not it. There are miscellaneous things that even hunters don¡¯t take because it¡¯s annoying. Things below general? Don¡¯t you remember the last time Jang got a rune shield? In the end, the most important thing is your connections.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Wherever they go, connections are important. But suddenly, people¡¯s eyes were drawn to the gate. Seo HyeJin finished the quest and came out of the dungeon. From her lofty figure and elegant appearance, she exudes an aura that cannot be seen in ordinary people. ¡°Did she break the quest alone again this time?¡± ¡°The people who went in with her are also at the top level, but they just watched completely.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been a pair with Han SeungHyuk, so who would dare to go with her with that skill?¡± ¡°She is a ranked 12th, but everyone treats her as a single number ranker.¡± ¡°By the way, she¡¯s really pretty¡­ Even when she¡¯s dressed in armor like that, she still shines. She¡¯s shining.¡± Everyone was talking and busy spying on HyeJin¡¯s appearance. Clearly, Single Numbers rankers exudes a slightly different atmosphere from others, and HyeJin was no exception. Han SeungHyuk was also said to be a very handsome man, and Cha HwaYeon had red hair that seemed to burn. It¡¯s unbelievable that she¡¯s a native Korean and she has red hair, but it¡¯s the reality. When Seo HyeJin was about to pass by, Yoo Ji-Ha was silently pretending not to know her. But she found him. ¡°Are you going into the latecomer group?¡± ¡°This time I got a call.¡± This person originally went into the dungeon as a latecomer. Strange things happened around him and she forgot about it for a while. HyeJin thought for a moment and spoke. ¡°Can I help?¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°If you enter the dungeon with me, you will be able to move freely until it closes. I have that much authority.¡± That¡¯s because she¡¯s a single number. They inherited abilities from their parents and developed them stronger. The government gave them considerable authority after naming the 1st to 9th places, which were tantamount to saving the country. They even had immunity, so they were like aristocrats of the present day. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m envious¡­¡± ¡°Seo HyeJin as an escort, what kind of connections do you have?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that person a hunter with nothing?¡± There was talk of envy among people. But Yoo Ji-Ha rejected her offer. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I only go in to gather materials.¡± ¡°But there are just-in-case things, so I¡¯ll follow suit.¡± ¡°You just came out. You must be tired.¡± ¡°This is nothing.¡± She suddenly stood next to Yoo Ji-Ha. She was ready to follow to the dungeon. The two hunters who act as guides had a conversation and tried to hand over authority to HyeJin, but she shook her head. ¡°No need to worry.¡± When he felt Beom wriggling in his backpack, he turned his back to show HyeJin. A gentle smile crept across her lips as the gray-haired cat slipped into of her face. ¡°Cute. You¡¯re eating something good. You gained a lot of weight.¡± ¡°Of course. He eats pretty expensive ones.¡± For example, an ether stone worth billions of won. ¡°Give me the front paw. Yes? Don¡¯t like it? Why?¡± Beom tapped HyeJin¡¯s finger with his front foot. He¡¯s really like iron wall. ¡°He hated having his front paws gripped. If I give him a snack, he reluctantly allows it for a while.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good guy.¡± Mr. Cho doubted his ears when he heard the conversation between the two of them right next to him. The Sword Witch¡¯s fame was well known to him. As he lives, he felt like he¡¯s going through all sorts of things. Before long, the leader began to enter the dungeon. Chapter 22 ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha, did you see the news yesterday? It¡¯s about a myth grade monster called Theradrone.¡± ¡°Cough.¡± The dimension in the dungeon was flat. It was a forest with no end in sight, but if he makes a mistake, he might separate with the party, so everyone moved together. He never knew that HyeJin was such a talkative person. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay to say this, but Ji-Ha-ssi1 is also a hunter¡­ There was even an uproar these days because of the traces of giants.¡± ¡°Traces of giants?¡± It was information he couldn¡¯t help but ask. Were there any giants among the monsters? When he heard the story, something was strange. ¡°A guild from the Busan entered the devil ant dungeon, but there were no ants and only a large palm print was left. Estimating those marks as a basis, we conclude that it was the work of a giant almost the size of a building.¡± ¡°A giant as big as a building?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha, who thought it was absurd, thought of something and stopped walking. Hasn¡¯t he swung his palms at the messenger ants of the miniature world? It was too coincidental to say the least. He looked at his palm and asked HyeJin, ¡°Are there no footprints?¡± ¡°Surprisingly, no traces other than the palm were found. Come to think of it, if you were a giant of that size, your footprints would have been far away, but he ran away quickly.¡± ¡°Well, it would be scary if the devil ants were nowhere to be found and there was only large palm print.¡± ¡°Originally, the plan was to attack the anthill, but it was canceled due to the palm of the hand. It is like an unknown world.¡± It¡¯s an anthill¡­ This made it clear that the palm print was left by Yoo Ji-Ha. The miniature world beyond the fog is somehow connected to the dungeons. ¡®As well as the Theradrone¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly what this is.¡¯ What does the being talking to him want, what does he want to show him? After realizing that he was falling behind in the ranks, he hurriedly made his steps. HyeJin approached him and said softly. ¡°Ji-Ha-ssi? There are other good places besides this one.¡± ¡°Other places are good, but if I separate for no reason, I will hear a word.¡± It doesn¡¯t end with nagging if you irritate the nerves of the hunters who came as guides. And while the group is moving, he knew that individual actions should be restrained as much as possible. But her thoughts are a little different. ¡°I saw precious plants there. I think it can be used as a good material.¡± ¡°A precious plant? Well¡­ Thinking about it, I think it¡¯s fine¡­¡± After all, this person seems to be quite interested in the material. HyeJin was a little overjoyed as it seemed that she had discovered Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s interest. ¡°If I tell them in advance, those hunters won¡¯t be offended either. Because the scope of responsibility narrows. And it¡¯ll be uncomfortable if I continue to follow like this.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± There was a hunter who was treated as a single number, so even those new hunters seemed to be restless. ¡®From the point of view of those people, they must be worried that the senior would nitpick them.¡¯ In fact, HyeJin has no desire to do that at all, but that¡¯s what the human heart is. This is also the dungeon where the quest has been cleared¡­ It¡¯ll be okay, right? ¡°Thank you for guiding me.¡± ¡°I will take the lead. ¡° When she told the Hunters something, her face was noticeably happy. She should take care of her facial expressions not to embarrass people, but HyeJin didn¡¯t seem to care. When the two of them went into the forest separately, people were gossiping. Beom struggled and jumped down from the backpack, and HyeJin held out her hand, but stayed by Yoo Ji-Ha without looking. For a while, nothing unusual happened. HyeJin talked about what had happened in this dungeon, and the conversation progressed in a way that Yoo Ji-Ha responded. But suddenly the forest darkened. They both stumbled, feeling dizzy. ¡°Just now?¡± ¡°Uh, something strange.¡¯ It¡¯s like entering the cave in the dream forest. Have they entered a different dimension? The warm green forest has changed to a grotesque purple. Familiar trees and plants were transformed into bizarre creatures that he had never seen before. HyeJin couldn¡¯t hide her uneasiness. It¡¯s like a Category 5 dungeon where he disappeared. *** If the dungeon has been changed to Category 5, it is wise to run to the gate immediately. Up to level 4, the terrain is relatively familiar, and the monsters are not very powerful, but from level 5 onwards, the attribute is different. It was in this forest where the powerful No. 1 Han SeungHyuk disappeared. HyeJin¡¯s frozen expression completely collapsed. ¡°It¡¯s here, here¡­ The place where SeungHyuk oppa disappeared¡­¡± Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-Ha was silently observing the surrounding moving plants. It had a large and ugly appearance that made him doubtful whether it was a real plant. He didn¡¯t know he¡¯ll get to see the cannibal plants he has only heard of. ¡®But something is a bit strange.¡¯ Cannibal plants are very hostile to animals, and most of them attack by all means. There are those who stay still until someone approach them and then suddenly attack. But these wild cannibal plants were too quiet. ¡®By the way, what should I do with this person?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha comforted HyeJin, who was stamping her feet to find SeungHyuk as soon as possible. ¡°HyeJin, calm down a little. I don¡¯t know if SeungHyuk¡¯s disappearance is around here, but a lot of time has passed by now, right?¡± ¡°That¡­ yes, time had passed. But what about that? He must be waiting for me; I need to find him soon¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s calm down and look around. We don¡¯t know if there are any monsters that¡¯ll pose a threat to us.¡± HyeJin finally came to her senses and looked around. When she saw a colony of cannibal plants making strange noises, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why don¡¯t these monsters attack us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha was about to talk about something else, something not even funny happened. Why are the cannibal plants that were drooling and dripping sap suddenly uprooting and running away? They were desperate as if someone was trying to eat them. Beom, who had been watching silently, said, ¡°Wow,¡± and rushed in, biting the stem of the cannibal plant. The wind caused the seeds to be blown, and the stem wilted and ran away. ¡°Oh my God, Beom is amazing.¡± HyeJin proudly tried to stroke Beom¡¯s head, but he changed his direction and was cut in vain. Whether she was embarrassed or not, Beom laid the seed at the foot of Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Why did you bring this? It¡¯s a cannibal plant.¡± wow. It sounded like a voice telling him to grow it. Come to think of it, the cannibal plants ran away all at once because they noticed Beom¡¯s identity? It seems that HyeJin still doesn¡¯t know. Yoo Ji-Ha put the seeds in his backpack and told her. ¡°It is a strange thing that the cannibal plant is escaping. By the way, where should we go?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± She pulled the compass out of her arms, but the needle kept moving and she couldn¡¯t get a direction. ¡°What is wrong with this?¡± ¡°If it keeps going like this, we won¡¯t be able to find the gate. It¡¯s a big trouble.¡± It¡¯s not only a trouble, but a really big deal. Since there is no such thing as a map in the dungeon, all hunters use a compass to find the gate. If the needle continues to spin like this, it was confirmed that they are missing. HyeJin stroked the compass with a gloomy face. Would he have been in this situation? It reminded her of the man who fell alone to lure disaster grade monsters. But Yoo Ji-Ha tapped her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s a golden glow flickering over there, why don¡¯t we go and see it?¡± ¡°Where¡­ What is that?¡± She looked up and was amazed. A golden light was glimmering beyond the forest. It¡¯s good to find anything in a dungeon like this, so they decided to go for now. She drank all kinds of potions and finished full doping2. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As she took the lead, Ji-Ha and Beom followed. *** What would happen if monsters took over Earth? How will the Earth change if the hunters surrender, and the day comes when even the military cannot stop them? The answer was here. Yoo Ji-Ha and HyeJin forgot what to say as they looked at the earth that had changed like hell. A foul-smelling blue smoke continued to rise from the cracks in the ground, and some areas shook intermittently as if an earthquake had occurred. What was even more unbearable was the terrible stench coming through their nose. They both covered their noses and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s really odd. There are no monsters in this place.¡± ¡®There was, but there isn¡¯t.¡¯ It would be accurate to say that there were here originally, but everyone packed up and ran away. The guy who caused it, wandered around peacefully and clinging in Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s back, howling. ¡°Here is¡­ Is this a land eroded by monsters?¡± ¡°Maybe it is where the monsters originally were. Anyway, it¡¯s hard to endure.¡± HyeJin, who has a strong body, seems to be in good shape, but Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s head has a dizzy feeling, and it was difficult to hold out. It felt like power was draining out of his body. Why did someone want to show him this hellish land? Was it the intention right in the first place? ¡®Maybe you¡¯re showing me this scenery because you need my help.¡¯ There may be some warnings in it as well. Comparing the earth and the landscape in his dreams with this place made him shudder. He¡¯s not very greedy, but he didn¡¯t want to spend even a second in such a terrible place. ¡®The Theradrones purified the earth as well¡­ The reason why mysterious things keep happening to me.¡¯ Maybe someone is asking him for help? Please help me, please help me not to change the world like this. ¡®I¡¯ll help you.¡¯ The moment he answered that inside, the scenery returned to its original state. HyeJin stayed silent, then sank down on the floor. ¡°We were on the same space but¡­¡± It seemed that she had a strong feeling that she was with SeungHyuk at the time he disappeared. There was a little water in her big eyes. At that moment, Beom, who was hanging on Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s back, slapped him in the ear. ¡°Huh? Why are you hitting me?¡± When he turned around, there was a large cave with its mouth open on the cliff. Did it originally have something like this? When he raised the glowstone torch and went inside, he heard HyeJin stand up and follow him. Not long after, the two found traces of someone. Almost ragged armor and a sword broken in half were lying around without their owner. Seeing this, HyeJin almost lost her mind and ran past Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Oh my god!¡± She frantically embraced the shattered artifacts and repeatedly called SeungHyuk¡¯s name. ¡®You¡¯re here.¡¯ There are dark red marks here and there, indicating that he bled. But it did not appear to have been fatally wounded. Because there was only one blood stain. He must have suffered serious injuries when he entered here, but it was clear that he had thrown away his armor and sword to lighten his body. He told HyeJin, who was crying almost as if she was crazy, and when he said that she came to her senses. ¡°Wow, definitely¡­ It¡¯s possible, I think so. That¡¯s probably what happened! That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s collect the stuff and get out.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± She sighed, gathered his armor and sword, and stood up. There was a little bit of vitality in her face, which was always expressionless. Is it because she confirmed his chances of survival? The two looked around more but couldn¡¯t find any traces of him. HyeJin clearly felt it as she looked at the shoulder of Yoo Ji-Ha who is leading the way. Only good things happen around this person. ¡®I have to stick with him, then¡­¡¯ Maybe one day she will meet SeungHyuk. She¡¯s not sure, but she felt that way. There wasn¡¯t even a mood to continue gathering anything, so the two went straight out to find the gate. The management center employee wondered why they came out so quickly, and the two sat down on the bench. ¡°Really¡­ thank you. Had it not been for Yoo Ji-Ha-ssi, I would have continued to live in despair. I haven¡¯t confirmed that my oppa is alive, but there¡¯s still a possibility.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°You think so? Is all this a coincidence?¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth. He doesn¡¯t know why he suddenly found such traces, but it was nice to see the bright color returning to HyeJin¡¯s face. ¡®That¡¯s all that matters.¡¯ He separated with her and returned to the store. He stopped by the dungeon after a long time, but the only income he got was the seed of a cannibal plant. He was thinking about getting another job tomorrow, but a notification popped up on his phone. ¡ªKorea 4/5 15:37 270003****** Jin SooHee deposit 1,000,000,000. Balance 1,008,532,790. Suddenly, 1 billion came into his account. ¡®Who is Jin SooHee?¡¯ He thought it had entered Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s account by mistake and quickly forgot about it. In today¡¯s world, when unexpected money comes in, it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s been deposited incorrectly. Soon after, the phone rang. ¡°Yes, Yoo Ji-Ha. That¡¯s right Yes¡­ Oh, you¡¯re a manager? You¡¯re coming to pick me up? Excuse me, but who. Oh.¡± It was then that he found out whose manager Jin SooHee was. ¡°Isn¡¯t 1 billion wrongly deposited?¡± Something absurd happened. Chapter 23 Yoo Ji-Ha was sitting on a spacious sofa where he could roll around with Beom. He had just received a call from HyeJin¡¯s manager, Jin SooHee, and had just been picked up and brought to the mansion. ¡®I understand now why you gave me 1 billion.¡¯ According to SooHee, HyeJin was motivated to see the possibility that SeungHyuk was alive. When she came home, she decided right away. But Yoo Ji-Ha could not receive the money. ¡®That¡¯s not my money.¡¯ Soon, HyeJin, who had changed into comfortable clothes, and SooHee, dressed in a suit, came out to the drawing room. ¡°You came. Thank you.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha and Beom got up and sat down at the same time, stumbling. SooHee handed him a cup of coffee and HyeJin sat down on the sofa across from him. ¡°Well¡­ What should I say? It¡¯s a lot of money.¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha parted his lips, HyeJin waved her hand saying it was nothing. ¡°One billion is nothing. It¡¯s enough just to see your potential¡­ Rather, I thought it was not enough. Drink some coffee.¡± Slurping. ¡®Ugh, bitter.¡¯ It must have been a great quality coffee, but it did not suit the taste of Yoo Ji-Ha. He likes sweet drinks. Perhaps seeing his wrinkled expression, SooHee got up and made a cup of sweet coffee. Only then did Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s expression became more comfortable, and HyeJin put a smile on her lips. He is a strange person in many ways. ¡°So¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to take it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely not the money I¡¯m going to receive, but I decided to donate it because giving it back was a bit awkward. It doesn¡¯t matter because you gave it to me, right?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Where are you planning to donate?¡± ¡°Hunter Academy. It¡¯s not much, but I¡¯m putting it in.¡± ¡®As far as I know you couldn¡¯t afford it that much.¡¯ HyeJin admired the altruistic heart of Yoo Ji-Ha a little. His circumstances may have improved a bit now, but in the past, his wallet would have been in bad shape, but he would still give it up and donate it. She thought, even if she gave this person 10 billion or 100 billion won, a similar answer would come out. She made up her mind. ¡°Then we do this. I will donate an additional 1 billion to Hunter Academy in the name of Mr. Ji-Ha.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I am doing this because I want to.¡± SooHee, who was feeding Beom with cut fruits, noticed that HyeJin was quite excited. Is it because she found Han SeungHyuk¡¯s artifacts? A very small chance that he is alive¡­ That must have given HyeJin hope. Anyway, when she, who was no different than her younger sister, is happy, SooHee felt relieved as well. HyeJin said to Soohee. ¡°Unnie, take 1 billion won from Ji-Ha-ssi and donate a total of 2 billion won to Hunter Academy.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it. Can the target audience be appropriately selected?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, but, if possible, someone with a difficult situation¡­ Right?¡± nod nod. As Yoo Ji-Ha agreed, SooHee took out her phone. ¡°Of course, it is. Leave it to me.¡± Meanwhile, HyeJin looked at Beom with a funny expression as he swallowed the fruit SooHee had cut. He did not refuse to let SooHee touch his paws from time to time, perhaps because she was perceived as a person who gave delicious food. After all, a bribe must be paid to touch. When SooHee took the tray and left, Beom, probably full, climbed up on Yoo Ji-Ha lap, curled up and groaned. I¡¯m envious, I¡¯m really envious. Didn¡¯t he say no when he first comes in. As if the deposit was complete, Yoo Ji-Ha sighed slightly. He doesn¡¯t know how much was in the original account, but most of his fortune was probably gone. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m relieved now.¡± ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha-ssi.¡± HyeJin sat next to him and held his hand. Even though he was a man, his hands were long and soft. He was taken aback by the sudden contact, but he did not deny that he knew her true intentions. ¡°Thank you very much. Thanks to Yoo Ji-Ha-ssi, I¡­ How should I say this? I think I saw a ray of light. I¡¯m not sure yet, but I have a feeling I¡¯ll see him again someday.¡± ¡°Perhaps, you will definitely see him again.¡± HyeJin smiled slightly and let go of his hand. ¡°Are we friends now?¡± ¡°Um, ah¡­ Well, you could say we¡¯re friends.¡± Not yet, but she wasn¡¯t disappointed. ¡°If you need anything, just tell me. You are welcome to come here and play anytime.¡± ¡°Oh, then¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha decided to ask a question at this time. It¡¯s about a myth class monster. There is a story that he vaguely knows about its existence, but the information that high-level hunters have is different. ¡°Can I know a little bit about myth-level monsters? It¡¯s interesting to see a monster called Theradrone on TV.¡± ¡°It¡¯s on Mirwiki in Hunternet so I can show you.¡± When she says she can show it means not say it. After SooHee brought her laptop, she backed away, and HyeJin accessed Hunternet and entered Mirwiki. When he clicked on the Myth class monster column, a list appeared. ¡®Even Earthworm was a myth-grade monster?¡¯ How the hell did the forest in that dream come to be? Theradrone has already been confirmed, and several names have not been seen so far. The strange thing is that there is no content. ¡°Is it empty with only the name and classification?¡± ¡°Because MirWiki is not ours. When the first dungeon was opened, it appeared together with Hunternet, but strangely, the names were updated. But there is no content. Everything was empty. He clicked on the Theradrone, but nothing happened. Yoo Ji-Ha was disappointed. Still, he thought there would be great information around the secret bulletin board on Hunternet. After reading his expression, HyeJin brought up a different story. ¡°This is a story handed down only to Single Numbers¡­ It didn¡¯t say can¡¯t to say it, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Excuse me, but HyeJin-ssi, you are not a single number, right?¡± ¡°Right now, it is like that. As I entered any dungeon, my points dropped.¡± By clearing the dungeon, Hunternet points increase. The ranking is calculated based on the points, but in the case of HyeJin, the point was lower compared to other rankers because she went to dungeons with low difficulty. She crossed her fingers and put it on her knees. ¡°Back in the beginning¡­ There are people who first awakened other than the current Single Numbers, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Awakened people who have shown tremendous power.¡± ¡°The descendants of those nine Awakened are the current single Numbers.¡± Up to this point, Yoo Ji-Ha knew. What¡¯s important is next. HyeJin cleared her throat with cold coffee and made a shocking remark. ¡°There is a saying that the current single Numbers has inherited the abilities of their ancestors and has been more powerful. That¡¯s wrong. The power of Single Numbers, including myself, is not as good as that of our ancestors. It¡¯s not that I lacked ability, it¡¯s that the existence that lent power has disappeared.¡± ¡°If they lent you power, do you make a contract with them?¡± ¡°Yes. My parents and the Awakened at the time called the beings demigod. In English, it was called Demigod1¡­ It is said that the Awakened who borrowed their power were able to exert tremendous power.¡± ¡°Half god, Demigod¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is, but it sounds amazing.¡± Is it an illusion to somehow overlap with the existence in the book, the God of Nature and the God of Wilds? HyeJin said while covering her laptop as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡°What I have said so far is just a speculation, not definitive information. Little was known about the battle records of that time.¡± ¡°It was only 10 years ago, but it is strange that there are no battle records.¡± ¡°That means that the situation was serious at the time. I don¡¯t know well, but it must have been terrible.¡± The Seoul of the present has little resemblance to the Seoul of the past. This is because the city has been blown away by the great war against monsters. At that time, South Korea¡¯s military power was enough to mark the top 10 in the world, so it was able to project a tremendous amount of firepower. Despite this, it is said that they did not completely finish the fleeing extinction-grade monsters. ¡®Maybe the awakened of each country made a contract with the demigod and killed the extinction level monsters.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha sighed and rubbed Beom¡¯s neck. He remembered why this guy came to him. Perhaps, during the Great War, he lost his strength by fighting monsters of extinction grade and returned to his juvenile body. ¡®Then my role is¡­ What he wants from me is¡­¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha looked down at Beom, who was groaning and sleeping soundly. Later, when he becomes fully grown, he may be contracting with someone to lend his power. Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s role is to be a forest manager and a demigod caretaker. ¡®Is that what you want from me?¡¯ The tree in the dream shone brightly, but Yoo Ji-Ha did not notice it. *** A strange rumor circulated among ranker hunters these days. It was rumored that HyeJin was suddenly crazy. It¡¯s surprising to see a person who has been only going to and from dungeons, house and shops with a cold face for years suddenly attends a social gathering. She even greeted them first and smiled, giving the impression that the person itself has changed. Someone posted on the free bulletin board on Hunternet. Hyun SeungAh: Did HyeJin have a boyfriend? ©¸Park SeongHo: What man¡­ Let¡¯s not speak rudely. You know that HyeJin only has one person. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: No, I was really shocked. She smiled softly and said hello, at first, I thought I was crazy. What would you think if HyeJin treated you like that? ©¸Park SeongHo: ¡­did she eat something wrong? ©¸Cha HwaYeon: HyeJin has a man? She can¡¯t do that¡­ No one is good enough, she¡¯s a kid who only looks at her oppa. ©¸Bae KangMin: Well, you are secretly mocking HyeJin. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: You have to speak right. ©¸Park SeongHo: Now, I¡¯ve heard some stories from my wife, it seems like they¡¯re chattering that she had hope for something. What hope? Does anyone know? ©¸Cha HwaYeon: If you know that, what are you doing here? ©¸Park SeongHo: Anyway¡­ The flow of comments flowed to HyeJin must have acted because she ate something wrong. Normally that would make them feel bad, but she¡¯s a different star. However, someone who knew her situation well appeared. It was SooHee. ©¸Jin SooHee: I feel uncomfortable talking about HyeJin carelessly. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: No, I¡¯m not insulting her, I¡¯m just curious, so I said it. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: Hunters are talking to each other, so don¡¯t bother. ©¸Jin SooHee: I am also a hunter. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: Who doesn¡¯t know that only patterns are Hunters? Before that person registered, you were at the bottom. ©¸Park SeongHo: No, why do you want to fight again? HwaYeon, let¡¯s stop here. ©¸Jin SooHee: In a dungeon, she found an artifact that SeungHyuk used in the past. Because of that, so please don¡¯t tell others that she has a man. After that, SooHee didn¡¯t comment again, and other hunters felt awkward. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Ah¡­ It¡¯s driving me crazy. I can¡¯t even remove a comment. I don¡¯t know, I should have just called. ©¸Bae KangMin: But wouldn¡¯t it be bad news if she found an artifact that SeungHyuk was using? I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s happy it. ©¸Park SeongHo: She must have found a reason for that near the artifact. Like traces of healing wounds. ©¸Bae KangMin: If that¡¯s true¡­ But where did she find it? Did she enter the dungeon yesterday? HwaYeon pursed her lips and looked away from the screen. Originally, she didn¡¯t mean to say that, but there was a side that she couldn¡¯t help it. But she had no intention of apologizing to Jin SooHee. Instead, HwaYeon gave instructions to CheolHeon. ¡ªLet¡¯s find out where and who HyeJin went into the dungeon. After a while, CheolHeon typed. ¡ªI have already checked. She entered the Category 3 dungeon opened two days ago¡­ There is a record of entering again with the latecomers after clearing. ¡ªShe went in with the latecomers? What is she doing? ¡ªI don¡¯t know that, but you know that big cat from the general store, right? ¡ªIf it¡¯s a general store cat, Yoo Ji-Ha? ¡ªIt would be strange to think that this was a coincidence. Why do these things only happen around him? Sometimes dungeon twist and different dimension appear but¡­ ¡ªHe¡¯s hiding something. I should have called 2 billion at that time. ¡ªIf it was Yoo Ji-Ha, who I saw, he would have refused 10 billion won without changing his expression. ¡ªNo way. Can he say no to 100 billion? ¡ªIsn¡¯t that much money a burden for us too? Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do. ¡ªThat¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. ¡ªAnyway, if he has special abilities, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to be close to him. ¡ªHow do you get along? He says he hates money, and he only reads books every day. Do you want me to introduce him to a lady? ¡ªI don¡¯t think he¡¯ll like it very much¡­ So, he¡¯s a troublesome guy. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no other way, so I¡¯ll look for it. There the conversation was cut off. HwaYeon was able to find the objects believed to be SeungHyuk¡¯s artifact only after digging through Hunternet¡¯s battle reports for a long time. Broken armor and a sword broken in half¡­ Her face distorted. She thought she barely forgot. HwaYeon covered her face with her palms, stealing something hazy. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± A long sigh filled the empty office. And when Yoo Ji-Ha entered in his dream, he saw a large tree. ¡®Why do you look a little weak.¡¯ A fruit hanging from a tree suffering from dehydration caught his attention. Chapter 24 [Fruit of the World Tree] ¡°Well¡­¡± So, is this the world tree? A single branch of an old tree that had been smashed must have been like a god. Yoo Ji-Ha looked up at the fairly large tree. ¡°What happened to me so far, is that you?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Of course, there was no answer. But he doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s this sloppy? ¡®Is it that hard to bear one fruit?¡¯ Or maybe there is another reason. He looked around the garden but couldn¡¯t find anything particularly helpful. The Theradrone Knight and his men crawled out of the ground. ¡®To have a myth-level monster, it should be because of world tree.¡¯ Watching Beom play, the Knight suggested something. [The Theradrone Knight wants to go find the symbiotes that the World Tree needs. Do you want to allow it? YES/NO] ¡®If we find symbiotes, will we be able to make the world tree healthy?¡¯ Then there is no need to worry. Clicking YES, the message went off, and Knight nodded with his tongs. At his command, his men marched in unison into the fog wall. Yoo Ji-Ha avoided disturbing Beom and hurriedly took the sap jelly and potions. Just in case, he wrote a scroll of change, so he was fully prepared. Finally, the Theradrone Corps entered the miniature world. The world revealed this time¡­ ¡°Wow.¡± A huge tree appeared. It was so large that he couldn¡¯t see the whole thing. ¡®If it¡¯s this big in a miniature world, how big is it originally?¡¯ He doesn¡¯t know, but he thinks the base is wider than the area of any city. Huge wooden pillars soared into the sky. ¡®It might even reach the stratosphere.¡¯ But this huge tree was dying. Were the tree roots found in each dungeon belonged to this guy? ¡®This is the body of the world tree.¡¯ The Theradrones, which are incredibly small compared to the tree, began to dig into the ground. Eventually, they drove out a small insect in the shape of a firefly. [Symbiote] Evolution was completed in an instant as hundreds and thousands of insects flew around the Theradrones. Every Theradrones have transformed into warriors, and the Knight has become more formidable. The Theradrones began to move into the forest with symbiotes flying around them. And then, the World tree in the dream began to absorb the symbiotes. Woah-ah- ¡°Ugh!¡± A sudden golden veil obscured the sight of Yoo Ji-Ha. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw a bright golden tree standing tall. About 500 Theradrones danced around the tree. ¡°Now the World Tree has been restored.¡± But he knew there was still a long way to go. Yoo Ji-Ha reached the World Tree and stroked its bark. When his face radiates a smile, the class in the status window was changed, and XXX was peeled off. [Class: Worker of the World Tree Primary stat: Stamina: 140 Vitality: 130 Ether: 140 Essence: 5 Secondary stat: Endurance: 13 Strength: 14 Agility: 13 Talent: 14 Spirit: 14 Resistance: Physical: 15 Elements: 10 Poison: 10 Abnormalities: 10 Characteristic: Blessing of the World Tree LV2, Good writing LV2 Skills: Plant-friendly LV1, Animal-friendly LV1, Alchemy LV2, Ancient Magic LV1] ¡®It has changed a lot.¡¯ Stat increased by 5 and resistance was +10. Above all, he was happy to have an ether. Until now, it was marked with -, so it was impossible to use any skill, but now there is hope. There may be other effects, but he¡¯ll have to figure it out slowly. Yoo Ji-Ha greeted the shining World tree. ¡®Thanks.¡¯ Although the wind did not blow, as if it had accepted his greeting, the branches slowly swayed. *** ¡°It suddenly widened.¡± After the restoration of the World Tree, the gardens doubled in area. When he went to the sea to catch fish for a while, there were trees and plants he had never seen before, and the stream became a river. The Theradrones brought a lot of seeds from where they came from, put them down at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s feet and ran away. Beom, who went up to the World Tree, howled and cried as if he didn¡¯t like the suddenly enlarged garden. ¡®That tree is your father.¡¯ Ji-ha is looking after him so is he a mother? In addition, insects that was not supposed to be here were also seen. He wondered where they came from, and discovered it was beyond the fog. Should he laugh or cry seeing that when they try to get inside, they are being intercepted by Theradrones? ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys so arrogant?¡± As Yoo Ji-Ha said, the Theradrones lined up unknown insects and sent them inside one by one. Occasionally, if there was strong resistance, they would turn them over and punish them. In any case, it was as if the sluggish garden was brought to life as insects roamed around. ¡®The restoration of the World Tree is regenerating the ecosystem.¡¯ Perhaps this garden is a microcosm of the continent of Gehenna. It was reduced to a certain ratio and Yoo Ji-Ha was adjusted to make it easier to work¡­ ¡®The World Tree prepared the way here and invited me.¡¯ He still didn¡¯t know why, but he decided to accept it now. Other reasons aside, it¡¯s fun and rewarding. ¡®Ike1sfx shock.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha almost stepped on an insect. Watching his body half lifted protest made him dazed. ¡®This is not Earth.¡¯ Beom jumped and hugged Yoo Ji-Ha. He felt like his body and mind were purified as he held the chubby guy and watched the river flowing with calm water. ¡°The fish are all grown now.¡± Red trout. The fish who only used to be the size of his fingers became an adult and had a buff. [Red Trout: Acquire Extrasensory LV1 for 30 minutes.] ¡®I can also give extrasensory skills.¡¯ Although there is a time limit of 30 minutes, it would be of great help if he could quickly recognize the monster¡¯s attack. However, it was difficult to sell this kind of skill that was not there, like the palm tongs. ¡®I tried to give it to SeongHo Hyung before, but in the end I couldn¡¯t¡­¡¯ If he mixes palm tongs meat and red trout flesh to make a pemicon, will he get both skills at the same time? ¡°Beom, it¡¯s your turn to pay for the meal.¡± He tapped him on the ass, looked at the red trout and Beom had a ¡®You want me to catch this?¡¯ looked. A simple fishing rod was thrown, and a large red trout rushed in. Cutting the trout without much difficulty and put the flesh in¡­ wow. Beom was crying next to him, so he couldn¡¯t help but handed over the flesh and caught another. When he sees the little guy eats well, he feels proud for nothing. ¡°You have to grow up fast too, okay?¡± Theradrone looks like its enlarged prototype, but what does Beom look like? It would be cool if he will resemble the white lion, the king of the jungle. Looking around the garden, Yoo Ji-Ha saw those crops such as solar apples, winter strawberries, and shadow grapes had risen to LV2. ¡®If I make a potion with this, it will be more effective.¡¯ It seems that these crops also seem to improve as the World tree grows. If it regains its original form, it will be possible to create potions that are now unimaginable. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Thinking of making something like that later, puts a lot of pressure on Ji-Ha¡¯s shoulders. When he went to the place where the Theradrones had laid down the seeds, he found all kinds of crop seeds and shoots. Are they saying they want to grow the garden with this? ¡®If it grows well, it can be grown and eaten in real life.¡¯ After deciding to grow it in the garden, he took out a hoe and leveled the ground. He does not know farming, but the mysterious garden will take care of it. He had to bend his back to work for a long time, but it was surprisingly not difficult. ¡®The blessing of the World Tree is really great.¡¯ His stats have risen a lot, so he can now demonstrate the strength and endurance of an adult male who has been trained through exercise. As Yoo Ji-Ha was diligently digging the ground, Beom also helped with his front foot. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ruin it, are you?¡± wow. It sounded like a voice telling him to leave it alone. Well¡­ Oh oh. He thought that Beom had hidden the qualities of a farmer. Yoo Ji-Ha was greatly surprised by Beom, who was digging up the ground. It seemed better than his hoe. ¡°The ground is not so soft, but it is strange.¡± The ground dug deep as if they had struck down a pickaxe with a single forefoot. The other paw skillfully leveled the ground, so the fit was just right. It was also very fast, like a few people were doing it alone. In return, his whole body was covered with dirt, but when he jumped into the river and shook it, it was cleaned instantly. ¡°You are the best.¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha lifted his thumb, Beom shook off his body and took out the seed bag in the backpack. ¡°No, it has cannibal seeds inside.¡± It is the seed of carnivorous plant that he gotten from the dungeon he entered with HyeJin. He brought it once, but he sealed it because he thought he would be eaten later if he planted it. But Beom hurriedly took out the seeds and planted it in the ground. ¡°Why? What if we will be caught and eaten?¡± Wow. There is no such thing, butler, no human. Well, that¡¯s roughly what it means. Yoo Ji-Ha shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on other things. Then, suddenly, something fell from the World Tree. It turned out to be none other than the fruit of the World tree. ¡®It seems that there is no effect,¡¯ Sniffing. The fruit the size of a large plum did not have any special smell. It was a bit expensive to taste. Still, it is a fruit given by the world tree. Yoo Ji-Ha left it in his backpack and concentrated on weeding to avoid insects roaming under his feet. Before long, the garden was cleaned, and the Theradrones were seen carrying a few oyster shells. Buffs were not seen so he doesn¡¯t know whether they were adults or not. ¡°What, how did you guys hunt it?¡± How did they come out of the river with a giant clam the size of a human fist? They watched and carefully laid down one of the largest clams at Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s feet. Won¡¯t you take this and pretend you don¡¯t know? Well, that¡¯s what it means. When Yoo Ji-Ha smiled and accepted it, the guys happily took the clams. They opened the shell next to the hole in the ground, buried the shell and went in with only the flesh. They are hardworking guys. *** Yoo Ji-Ha has been concentrating on making potions in the shop since morning. He wondered what effect the World tree fruit had. There is no explanation, but he may know when making a potion. Both hands rushed back and forth on the table. The purified, concentrated liquid was poured over, boiled, and finally poured into the bottle. [Alchemy skill increased to LV3.] ¡®This seems to give a huge experience.¡¯ It seems that the amount of experience increase for alchemy skills varies depending on what he deals with. Although it cannot be confirmed numerically, as it is the fruit of the World tree, it was obvious that it would produce a tremendous effect. The finished liquid was a potion named Elixir. ¡®I think I¡¯ve made something great.¡¯ When he saw the effect of the potion that was made, he felt like he couldn¡¯t sell it. [Concentrated Elixir LV1: Instantly recovers 37% of max HP, vitality, and ether. All stats +19% for 114 minutes2about two hours, Resistance +19, Invincible for 6 seconds.] ¡®It¡¯s not an artifact but for the effect of the potion can go like this.¡¯ The effect of instantly recovering HP, etc. is very rare, and the effect of raising the stats was unheard of. The invincible effect for 6 seconds, there is nothing to say. ¡®If I sell this, hunters from all over city will flock to me.¡¯ Let¡¯s only give it to close friends who won¡¯t mind giving. He sealed the potion bottle and put it in the cupboard. As the liquid in the cauldron was stirred slowly, smoke and a sweet scent rose. Beom, who was sleeping on the chair, pricked his ears. After reading the description of the potion that had been made, he was surprised. ¡°Why do I see this?¡± He saw things he couldn¡¯t see before. Chapter 25 [Special Stamina Potion LV2: Recovers 22% of max HP over 13 seconds] So far, nothing has changed. However, the moment he looked at the word stamina potion. [Stamina Potion: A potion that restores the stamina of the consumer.] A simple explanation like this came up. ¡°It didn¡¯t come out like this before.¡± The system that hunters see in common is quite inconvenient. They could see their own stats, characteristics, and skills, but they had no way of knowing exactly what kind of effect it would have. So, if a newly awakened hunter got a skill, they would practice daily in a dungeon with a low difficulty. Also, status window was not visible even after obtaining artifacts, so they had to try them on and find out the options. In the case of Yoo Ji-Ha, he could see relatively detailed effects and options, but they were still in the dark on the meaning of the word itself. ¡®For example, extrasensory.¡¯ It can be roughly thought of as superior sense, but the exact effect can only be known when the person who has acquired the skill uses it. But now it was different. When he focuses his eyes on the extrasensory, doesn¡¯t a message come to mind? [Extrasensory LV1: Increases all senses and reflexes of the caster by 20% for 30 minutes.] ¡°The time is roughly right, but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a figure of 20%.¡± Because the characteristics and skills of a hunter are very important, various institutions have studied it, but it was not easy to calculate the exact number. Because the caster is a human being, it depends on individual¡¯s feelings. Yoo Ji-Ha pulled out the dimensional pouch from his backpack. [Dimensional pouch: Can store things without spoiling them. This also applies when entering another dimension.] ¡°AHA.¡± It also included a function of keeping things from spoiling. Somehow, he hadn¡¯t thought that the fruits will be spoiled. Yoo Ji-Ha scratched his head and took out the ether stone and the seal of the Estram Kingdom. [Ether Stone: Fragment of the World Stone. It emits ether semi-permanently.] ¡®World Stone? There¡¯s a huge stone?¡¯ The word world stone does not appear in any ancient books. It must have been a huge stone similar to the World tree. If the World Tree is responsible for the ecosystem of Gehenna, then the world stone provides energy. And the characteristic, charisma of the ruler. [The charisma of the ruler: People around will naturally follow you, If the resistance is high, it will not work.] ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ In a way, it seems like brainwashing, but most of the main artifacts are like this. By the way. If he can see the effects and options like this, he thinks it would be better to reveal it. ¡®I just say that it¡¯s my characteristic. right?¡¯ It doesn¡¯t really matter, because the people around him think that he already has the characteristic of frequently opening Category 0 dungeons. ¡®It would be better to write the effect on the potion bottle accurately.¡¯ The moment the hunters know exactly the effect, the shop will be empty. ¡®Let¡¯s limit it to three bottles per person.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha decided to do so and tore the Infinite Magic Book to pieces. He can make great scrolls and it¡¯s a bit inappropriate to only use it for explanatory text, but it¡¯s infinite. ¡®99, 100.¡¯ He cut the paper with scissors and wrote the description with a feather pen. scribble¡­ scribble¡­ As it is not a rune language, the sentence itself does not have any power. However, the letters Yoo Ji-Ha wrote were neat as if they were put on a printing press. The handwriting was beautiful that he even admired himself. ¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯ After he put all the descriptions on the potion bottle with the effects, Beom cried out that he was hungry. He gave him an expensive chicken and he ate it. ¡®It costs a lot of money, but it¡¯s okay because it¡¯s cute.¡¯ Recently, the number of customers who come to the store to see Beom has increased considerably. He goes out to the roadside to groom his hair, and then when female hunters sneak into the store to pet him because they say he is cute. Then the hunter who suddenly came in, automatically buy something. ¡®He¡¯s a total solicitor.¡¯ There would be dozens of potions sold out like that. Beom was paying enough for his meal. ¡®I can sell more.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha stretches and opened the door of the store. *** Since word of mouth has spread among the hunters, quite a few guests came since the morning. One of them looked at the description written on the potion and said it was strange. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too detailed? Paralysis potion, this one.¡± ¡°Well¡­ In what way?¡± ¡°Paralysis resistance isn¡¯t listed as a stat in the first place, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t think it can be expressed like this with 35%.¡± ¡°Try it yourself and if it doesn¡¯t work, you can get a refund.¡± Having said this, the hunter grumbled as to where the refund could be found. Hunter doesn¡¯t do well with refunds. They will just never use that store again. The hunter who bought it rushed into the store in less than a few hours. ¡°I buy all paralysis potions.¡± ¡°One bottle of each type. Up to three bottles in total. As you can see, we don¡¯t have much.¡± Hunter stood in front of the shelf regretfully. ¡°Ugh¡­ I want to buy them all.¡± ¡°Did it have any effect?¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha asked, he nodded eagerly. ¡°It really worked. Do you know those desert wasps? Paralysis stinging monsters. I didn¡¯t know the paralysis would go away so quickly. It was solved about 70% faster than usual, which is very strange. What did you see to write down that?¡± ¡°It has an explanation.¡± The hunter, who was making an expression saying, ¡°No way,¡± took out a bottle of potion from his belt and showed it. ¡°This is a cold resistance potion that was expensively bought in the witch¡¯s cauldron. Can you guess?¡± ¡°It says, increase cold resistance by 10% for 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Woah. So, what about this?¡± He took a sword from his back and held it forward. ¡°It is written as the Sword of the Knight templar. Increases strength and stamina by 5, agility increases by 3, and adds swordsmanship characteristics. Above all else, the skill called the oath of the Knights¡­¡± As Ji-Ha recited the specs of the sword, his eyes widened. How the hell do he know the specs of an artifact that nobody knows until they wear it? Did he get any new characteristic? ¡°Well, maybe, what the skill effect of the oath Of the Knights Templar is¡­¡± Looking at his hesitation, it seems that he who is the sword owner, didn¡¯t seem to know the effect. Yoo Ji-Ha laughed and explained the effect of the skill. ¡°The oath of the Knights Templar skill is said to increase the caster¡¯s attack damage by 7% for 5 minutes.¡± ¡°Oh. So that¡¯s it¡­ For some reason, if I change to a different sword, the reason why the deal doesn¡¯t work is¡­¡± He murmured for a while, then tried to confirm everything about his characteristic and skills. As Yoo Ji-Ha responded kindly, he seemed to be thrilled, took out a bunch of bills from his wallet and handed them to him. ¡°Thank you very much! Take all of this.¡± ¡°No, I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first! I will come again next time!¡± It seems that the number of regulars has increased by one. At that moment, Beom jumped up, grabbed the bill, and took it to the studio. ¡°You¡¯re even playing with money now.¡± Afterwards, he may even be able to serve customers. With a happy face, Ji-Ha sat down on a chair and opened a book. ¡®I should go to the meeting.¡¯ People are complaining about why he is not coming these days, so he has to show his face from time to time so that he doesn¡¯t hear nagging. That said, what the hell did that hunter earlier was saying, people are rushing in. ¡°Boss! Can you really see the spec of an Artifact?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha could not even read the book properly and explained the specifications. It looked like the store had to close late today. *** Ancient books from the dungeon are quite popular with many people. As long as it is dropped, it is sold at a high price not only to hunters, but also to scholars and enthusiasts from all walks of life. Since it is a book that holds the story of another world, some people dig deeper into its contents. The meeting that Yoo Ji-Ha attended today was also like that. Also known as a reading group. Ancient book lovers gather and talk about a certain topic. Gehenna is a fairly large continent, and the contents of the ancient books vary widely. Today¡¯s topic was the Estram Kingdom. Yoo Ji-Ha opened the door to a small office. The smell of books wafted out, and Hwang SeonYoung and several other people welcomed him. ¡°Ji-Ha you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± ¡°I will really drag you out if you didn¡¯t come out today.¡± ¡°Haha. My noona came early. Hello.¡± The reason SeonYeong, who is lazier than a sloth, came out so quickly is probably because she can read a new book. She started poking his side with her finger as she sat down next to Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°Ouch, why?¡± ¡°Did you hear all the rumors? It said you appraised the artifacts?¡± It is said that a horse without feet travels a thousand miles1Bad news (rumors) travel fast.. It¡¯s been less than half a day since he did it, and when he asked what the rumor was, a post was posted on Hunternet. The people of the reading group asked in amazement. ¡°Yoo Ji-Ha, didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t have any skills or characteristic?¡± ¡°Recently, I was lucky enough to get a few.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ It could come out in a few years.¡± SeonYoung leaned on her desk like a sloth and looked up at Yoo Ji-Ha diagonally. ¡°Is that an appraisal skill? They say that some people in places like the US or China have it. How much did you earn today?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get any money.¡± People were shocked. ¡°Oh my God, you didn¡¯t get paid to appraise artifacts? Are you digging the ground and doing business?¡± ¡°Angel. It¡¯s an Angel.¡± He was startled when digging land was mentioned. ¡®How did you know that I was doing business by digging?¡¯ In fact, Yoo Ji-Ha potions and scrolls can be sold at high prices. He might consider selling it and donating it to the Hunter Academy, etc., but nature couldn¡¯t help it. Most of all, he believed that the fact that the World Tree gave him various privileges also meant that he¡¯s supposed to spread it widely. ¡®Because rookie hunters don¡¯t have money¡­¡¯ ¡°Come on, it¡¯s something to celebrate that Yoo Ji-Ha got a skill, but we have to do our purpose. Today¡¯s topic is the Estram Kingdom.¡± A dull-looking man with glasses placed a thick old book on the desk. Everyone could read the official language of the continent, so the title Estram Chronicle was easy to read. ¡°Speaking of Estram, it is a small kingdom attached to the southern part of the Gemark Empire.¡± ¡°The population is small, but it seems to be around 5 million people. Considering the tax revenue and the size of the army.¡± ¡°It is said that the royal family vacated the royal palace in the great war against monsters, and there are records of the public dissent because of that.¡± Gam YooJeong, who has long hair, said as she turned the pages. ¡°The one I want to pay attention to is Prince Edinskal. It said that he is really handsome. If you look at this, there are three pages that describe the beauty of the prince.¡± Everyone looked at the book and was stunned. If he was handsome, they wondered how handsome a man would be with this as a description of what kind of beauty he is. SeonYoung turned the page of the book. ¡°It is said that Prince Edinskal was the number one knight in the Kingdom of Estram, isn¡¯t this too unfair? He is complete in appearance, strength, and bloodline.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how much you need to be a prince.¡± It seems that Gam YooJeong is a prince fanatic. The organizer, Park SeonHong, pointed out a part of the book and said: ¡°This sentence. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a continental language or a rune language, does anyone know?¡± ¡°Hey, nobody knows about this.¡± ¡°Even though linguists have studied so much, they don¡¯t know what it is. In the first place, there are only a few sentences in a book, so there is not much room for research.¡± Even if they want to study, they have to have some data. Continental languages and runes had some similarities, making it easy to interpret, but this language had a completely different shape. But it¡¯s weird. Why do he see this? Unknowingly, Yoo Ji-Ha read aloud the unidentified sentence. ¡°Whoever gains the seal of Estram will rule the people.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Huh? Yoo Ji-Ha, did you read this?¡± ¡°Ah, maybe?¡± People cast a suspicious glance. It¡¯s a language no one knows, but Yoo Ji-Ha found it out? SeonYoung narrowed her eyes and said ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°Did you read anything?¡± ¡°No. I read it because it looked like that.¡± ¡°Then, once you¡¯ve seen it, can you write it down? Would you like to try it?¡± He¡¯s a pretty serious person, so he hates pranks. Instead of answering, Yoo Ji-Ha took out a feather pen and the infinite magic book. scribble.. scribble¡­ Everyone listened at the pleasant sound of the nib moving over the thick paper. Gam YooJeong was amazed when she saw the writing of Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°You write very well. Was it like this?¡± ¡°It looks like some sort of wizard scroll.¡± When the sentence was completed, everyone put their heads together and compared it with the sentences in the ancient book. ¡°It¡¯s the same, it¡¯s the same.¡± No matter how they looked at it, it was the same, so SunHong had to admit Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°How did you interpret this? A language no one knows.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but I just see it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that also a characteristic?¡± ¡®After all, XXX has been changed to the world tree.¡¯ In a way, isn¡¯t this the effect of the World tree¡¯s blessing? When he focused his attention later, a message appeared. [World Tree¡¯s Blessing LV2: All stats +5, all resistances +10, etheric, 1.3x great success in production, ancient language interpretation] ¡®It¡¯s the effect of ancient language interpretation.¡¯ This solved the mystery. SeonYoung shook Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ji-Ha, I really like your handwriting, why don¡¯t you write one sentence for this older sister?¡± ¡°What sentence?¡± ¡°Please help me find the journal of the Black Lion Knight in the Wholesale Center today! Like this?¡± ¡°What you want is too specific.¡± Although Yoo Ji-Ha grumbled, he wrote in ancient language. ¡°Write it in rune language as well. The writing is really pretty.¡± When it was written in rune language, strangely, ancient magic rose to LV2, and a sentence shone. [The Scroll of Creation: Hope. Your little wishes will come true.] ¡®Huh?¡¯ A scroll of creation that mortals should not touch has been created. Chapter 26 After the reading meeting, SeonYoung is going to the wholesale center while reading a book. It¡¯s a road she always been on, so it¡¯s natural to avoid the obstacle on the way while keeping her eyes on the pages. However, she did not see the construction sign in the middle of the road and crashed into it. Of course, it wasn¡¯t her sturdy body that was broken, but the sign. A construction official came and was about to yell, but when he saw her eyes, he swallowed his words. Golden eyes. At least in Korea, these eyes mean only one thing. Hunters are hard to deal with because they are superhumans from the point of view of ordinary people. SeonYoung saw the frightened expression of the construction official. ¡°Hey, what do you know? It¡¯s my fault to leave the sign there.¡± She hummed and headed to the wholesale center. In the backpack she was carrying, there was a scroll that Yoo Ji-Ha had given her. ¡°I wish it is there today.¡± SeonYeong has recently been interested in the Gemark Empire in Gehenna. There are several knights in this huge country and the Black Lion Knights was quite famous among them. ¡®The knights made up of only the first sons makes it unique¡¯ Looking at any ancient books published in the Empire, the reason was not revealed. Why does it have to be the first son? Can¡¯t they have a daughter? Well, she¡¯ll have to consider that she is in the modern era. The place that SeonYoung often visited was the Haneul1It was named as Sky bookstore in chapter 12. I¡¯ll use this name starting this chapter.Bookstore. It can be said that it is quite large among bookstores that handle ancient books and scrolls at the wholesale center. These days, it is said that there is an unscrupulous gang who make and sell fake ancient books, etc., but the owner at this bookstore never did that. ¡°Hey, our SeonYoung is here again. You have a good hunch.¡± The generous uncle, the owner of the Haneul bookstore, laughed out loud. ¡°What? What do you mean I have a good hunch?¡± ¡°There is an ancient book that just came in. You¡¯d be surprised to know what it is.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s an ancient book, show it to me.¡± ¡°Ta-da!¡± What he hid behind his back and brought out was¡­ A journal made of Black Lion Knight! ¡°Ah!¡± She reflexively grabbed the book. The owner pulled it gently and coughed in vain. ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t it really strange? I mean. Even though I asked for that, the person was still undecided but gave it to me today. For some reason, he wants to dispose of a few books.¡± Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter to SeonYoung why. Her eyes are burning, so the owner quickly took the card and paid the bill. ¡°Yes, I got it!¡± SeonYoung, who was always dazed, energetically left the wholesale center. She didn¡¯t know that the runes scroll that Yoo Ji-Ha had made glowed and disappeared. ¡°Ummm¡­ The seal is clear, the signature is clear¡­ This is hardcover. The reports to the Emperor¡­ the stigma of the Knights Templar? What is it.¡± A small misfortune struck her as she walked while reading the ancient book. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Strangely today, the telephone pole and the signboard from before are all on her way. Could it be the scroll of creation gave her misfortune she can handle as a result of fulfilling her wish? She was smiling even as she bumped here and there. Indeed, something magical happened. *** Among hunters, there is a class called appraiser. A person with appraisal skills, which is rarer than that rare paper magician. They cannot be found in Korea and only one or two people in a country with a large population appear. They are able to make money even though they do not have combat abilities with their appraisal skill because of the imperfection of the system. All hunters can use the system, but they cannot confirm the effects of artifacts or other miscellaneous items. In other words, they need to wear it or drink it themselves and know through the changes in the status window. What was troublesome is that there are artifacts that sometimes attached to people. If they wear it to look at specifications and suddenly pair with it, the atmosphere within teammates becomes unpleasant from then on. So, it was customary to take all artifacts drops from the dungeon to an appraiser at first. Countries without appraisers, have no choice but to keep it in a warehouse and retrieve it later. However, recently an appraiser has appeared. He is someone who can accurately explain characteristics and skills different from existing appraisers. Up to here has been fine. Finally, an appraiser has appeared in Korea. Now, everyone thought they don¡¯t have to pay a lot of money to bring an appraiser from abroad. But there was a problem. The owner of the general store, Yoo Ji-Ha, doesn¡¯t accept money. It was surprising that an appraiser who was superior to anyone else would not charge a fee of 3%. The day after the rumor became known, Hunternet started to burn2So much traffic. Bae KangMin: I¡¯m starting the fire. Everyone please enter. ©¸Jeong Sang-Il: Oh, that¡¯s crazy. Does this make sense? What if he doesn¡¯t get paid for that? What if they bring equipment from a foreign country and ask for an assessment? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: You¡¯re right. Expensive equipment fees are no joke. It¡¯s kind of weird to rent an airplane to do it all, get appraisal and run away at once. ©¸Kim HyungSeok: I heard it too. Have you ever been to the general store? ©¸Lee HyungJong: Me. ©¸Shin YeRi: I¡¯ve been there too. My tiara specs were correct. ©¸Han ChaeRim: What is surprising about that person is that he can even guess the characteristic traits that I didn¡¯t know about! For some reason, I felt strangely sick while being hit by a mob! ©¸Kim HyungSeok: This isn¡¯t a normal thing. We¡¯ll have to mediate. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: How? He said he would sell his skills for 0 won. ©¸Kim HyungSeok: It is no longer an individual problem if it brings a wave like this. It can have a huge impact all over the world. ©¸Shin YeRi: I don¡¯t think that person will care about it. According to my guildmembers, he is still appraising people. There¡¯s a line at the general store right now. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Oh my gosh, how many is all that? ©¸Bae KangMin: As HyungSeok said, it is not an individual problem if it reaches this level. We must intervene. ©¸Jeong Sang-Il: Won¡¯t he get a single won? ©¸Shin YeRi: To be precise, nobody asked. They say it¡¯s good to do it right now. ©¸Kim HyungSeok: It would be a big trouble if this became known abroad later. At this time, there are no related news on foreign Hunternet. ©¸Bae Kang-min: I wonder if that person can be scouted abroad? ©¸Kim HyungSeok: There is a good chance. Who can say no to a hundred billion dollars? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Ah, if I was someone like that, I would sell potions and appraise at a high price. But because of that person¡¯s nature, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. ©¸Seo Hyejin: All of the money I gave as a token of my gratitude was donated to the academy. Everyone was surprised by Seo HyeJin¡¯s sudden appearance. It¡¯s because she hasn¡¯t written to HunterNet since Han SeungHyuk went missing. The small possibility that he could be alive changed her. ©¸Kim HyeongSeok: What does donating mean? ©¸Seo Hyejin: Literally. As a token of gratitude for finding Seunghyuk oppa¡¯s trace¡­ ©¸Bae KangMin: Hey¡­ Hyejin wouldn¡¯t have given a small sum of money with your wealth, but it¡¯s great that he donated it. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: What¡¯s so great? If the donation is good, he should have sold the potions and appraise at an expensive price and donate it all. ©¸Lee HyungJong: Our HwaYeon is angry. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: Exclude me from what we¡¯re talking about. ©¸Seo Hyejin: What¡¯s so great? He was a person who gave money even when he couldn¡¯t make money, so why are you dissatisfied? ©¸Jeong Sang-Il: It¡¯s on fire, it¡¯s on fire. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: No, I mean, if you are a person who is kind by nature and who makes a lot of donations, you can donate things by selling them for a full price, right? Wouldn¡¯t that be more efficient after all? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: But there are people who can¡¯t do that by nature. ©¸Seo Hyejin: If he had been such a calculating person, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to have that kind of ability. Don¡¯t you remember? Hunter¡¯s awakening ability is related to personality and emotions. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: So, our flame magician, HwaYeon, has a personality¡­ ©¸Cha HwaYeon: What is my personality like? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: EEEEE ©¸Kim HyungSeok: Come on, let¡¯s stop now. I¡¯ll make a separate secret article, so let¡¯s hear from serious people. Shouldn¡¯t something be done? ©¸Bae KangMin: This is my opinion, how about opening a public account and putting some money in every time they get an appraisal? You can donate that account to an academy or orphanage. ©¸Shin YeRi: Oh, I like that. The chat ended there. Seo HyeJin put her hand down on the laptop keyboard and took a deep breath. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything.¡± It was really unpleasant to see people who didn¡¯t know anything talk about him carelessly. She stared at the screen and turned her gaze toward the general store. He must be working hard appraising the artifacts by now, right? She wondered why at first, but now she can understand. He is the one who gives people magic. It is not magic that attacks monsters and earns ether and essence, but it is magic that truly help people. The unusual phenomena that had happened to her thus far proved it. He doesn¡¯t say anything, but he must have awakened a great ability. ¡®No one else knows, but I know.¡¯ Hyejin felt a sense of pride in her heart at the thought of knowing the true side of him those others did not know. *** ¡°Its characteristic is to amplify damage when wounded. So, if the condition is not satisfied, it¡¯s useless.¡± ¡°This ring adds 100 ether.¡± ¡°Um¡­ that skill is¡­¡± There are a lot of people. It was hard to think that there were so many hunters in Korea. Originally, Yoo Ji-Ha was going to close the shop in the evening. However, a hunter who complained that he had taken a plane from Jeju Island with all his fortune caught his attention and could not stop. As he continued to accept them, it continued until night. There were still people lining up outside the store to get appraisal. Even if he tried to do it as soon as possible, there were a lot of explanations for artifacts and characteristics. At that time, Park SeongHo and Lee JuMi of the Happy Hunters Guild stopped by the store. Seeing people lining up, SeongHo said something. ¡°I knew this would happen; I knew it was going to be like this. He is doing a very free service.¡± ¡°You know. He¡¯s always that kind of guy. That¡¯s why we like him.¡± ¡°No, how long has he been doing that? He probably didn¡¯t even eat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I brought a packed lunch. Let¡¯s hurry up and do something about the crowd.¡± ¡°Excuse me! Excuse me!¡± When Seongho shouted loudly, people¡¯s attention was caught. He struggled to persuade people. ¡°The owner of this general store! Hasn¡¯t even eaten dinner yet. Why don¡¯t you leave today and getting an appraisal tomorrow? People needs to rest!¡± ¡°Still, I¡¯ve been waiting until now¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you think we can do it a little more?¡± ¡°Tomorrow, more people will come.¡± ¡°He said he didn¡¯t eat.¡± People were whispering, but after repeated requests from Seongho and Jumi, they more or less agreed and disperse. All that was left was Yoo Ji-Ha, carrying the sleeping Beom and giving advice to the last hunter. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right. What¡¯s funny about this characteristic is that¡­¡± The two waited for Ji-Ha to finish the consultation. And after the Hunter left, SeongHo closed the shop. ¡°Good job, good job. You didn¡¯t you eat, right?¡± Ji-Ha shook his head. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°What else do you think it is. You can¡¯t live.¡± ¡°You two. Stop nagging and bring a table. Feed the kid. Ji-Ha-ya3Add -ya at the end of the name to show closeness, I¡¯ve made your favorite fried spicy pork belly.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°There is no need to say Thanks between us.¡± JuMi smiled brightly at him and prepared the meal. Ji-Ha was so hungry that he shoved the rice and side dishes down his throat. When the two of them confirmed that Yoo Ji-Ha had finished eating, they asked him to go to bed quickly, and then went back. ¡®They are really good people.¡¯ After washing thoroughly, he and Beom entered into the dream. But what is this. The Theradrones were all outside. Even the queen who he hadn¡¯t seen after the first meeting. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s going on?¡± The moment he asked, the Hummingbell sounded and the ground shook at the same time. The Theradrones dispersed, digging up the crops planted on the ground and moving them outside. wow! Beom cried, and Yoo Ji-Ha took him to the cave to escape. Rumbling! The vibration got worse. T/n: I¡¯m sorry everyone. I don¡¯t think I can give you extra chapters on the next two weeks. My Grandmother pass away. I don¡¯t think I can focus on translating. I will still regularly update but post extra chapters after the funeral. Thank you for understanding. Chapter 27 The night that Yoo Ji-Ha went through an earthquake. Hunters all over Seoul were frightened about the sudden appearance of a large-scale Dungeon. The reason why they are nervous is the type of dungeon that can produce more money. An Underground Dungeon, which is worst compared to the polar Dungeon, has emerged. The temperature was quite high, and it seemed to be located about a kilometer below ground. Polar or desert dungeon are awful, but it is open above ground, so they have a good view. However, these underground dungeons were often avoided as it is dark, suffocating, and monsters are often strengthened. But this dungeon could not be avoided. This is because about one hundred Dungeon appeared at once. The heads of large companies and guilds were startled by the numbers and hurriedly set up a counterstrategy. All hunters from the Seoul metropolitan area were called up and put into the dungeons. Seo HyeJin came to be with the people of Happy Hunters Guild, who she was a little close to. Park SeongHo and Lee JuMi are people who know each other, and Hwang SeonYoung is a little vague but knows her face. And the other one was a rather frivolous man. ¡°Huh, I heard it¡¯s a cave full of vipers. Aren¡¯t there many snakes waiting inside?¡± Kim KyungBaek of the Happy Hunters Guild stood at the entrance of Dungeon. SeongHo grabbed his ear. ¡°You¡¯re noisy. Hurry up and go in. People are waiting behind you.¡± ¡°Hyungnim1, hold on a second. Jumping is a concept when entering a gate.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡±2 When the two entered the dungeon, Jumi and Hyejin also exchanged glances and entered. As soon as they entered, a quest window appeared. The goal is to kill the Viper King. ¡°If you say Viper, it¡¯s that snake, right?¡± ¡°Those little poison. Sister-in-law, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ugh, I hate snakes!¡± When JuMi shrank her shoulders, KyungBaek opened his eyes. ¡°Heh, you don¡¯t know the true value of snakes. If I hold it tight, boil it well and give it to brother, it will be a mess3.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the fuss?¡± ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re crazy.¡± When the SeongHo tried to hit him, he turned his head to avoid it. ¡°Shh, they¡¯re coming.¡± When Seo HyeJin warned him, KyungBaek also smiled and pulled out the bastard sword on his back. His class is a warrior. Although he calls himself a warrior, but in-fact, he has the nickname ¡®Namsan Wild Boar¡¯, who only knows how to charge. Such a fool who whines looking for a healer after a few hits. Fortunately, he¡¯s good at turning off monster¡¯s aggro. When several snake monster vipers with a body shape similar to that of a cobra appeared, SeongHo stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re backing up from the rear and hit it right away! Do you understand!¡± ¡°Yeah! Leave it to me, Hyungnim!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush like a wild boar and get poisoned!¡± ¡°Ah, Hyungnim, did I do business only for a day or two?¡± gulp. gulp Four hunters4 took poison resistance potions at once. SeongHo stepped forward with his shield and KyungBaek went to the rear as back up. HyeJin took on the role of cutting off the weak breathing viper with a single blow with an intangible sword, and JuMi is responsible for the stamina of three people. The roles of these three are pretty well distributed, so they¡¯ve managed to deal with both the Viper¡¯s stinger and head attacks. After that, it is the dealer¡¯s responsibility. PapaPapapat! HyeJin¡¯s intangible sword shot out through the cave, killing Vipers indiscriminately. The cave was narrow and so she¡¯s using only straight-line skill, but this worked very well. After all, there are limited places to avoid. However, as KyungBaek was rushing, it seemed that he slightly touched the intangible sword. The hip part of the pants was torn a little, and the two women were embarrassed. ¡°I can¡¯t let you two fall for my sexy ass. Hyejin, is this enough?¡± When KyungBaek took a dazzling pose, SeongHo immediately slapped his head. ¡°Stop it, you idiot.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to it, Hyejin. He is originally like that.¡± ¡°Ah! Yes.¡± Hyejin smiled at JuMi. The atmosphere was a little burdensome, but she didn¡¯t feel bad. There is something about talking to her naturally. The four of them entered the depths of the dungeon, swarming the vipers. Even though the hunters had high heat resistance, it was so hot that sweat dripped from their body. After slaying a group of vipers, KyungBaek, who ran like a wild boar on fire, was fed up. ¡°What kind of dungeon is this long? I wish there would be and earthquake and everything will collapse.¡± ¡°Hey, even if you say that¡­.¡± When SeongHo was about to say something, out of nowhere, the cave shook. Rumbling! The entire cave was about to collapse. The four of them were leaning tightly against the wall, and the terrain was falling apart, and a monster¡¯s roar was heard. Kuaaaaak! ¡°The Viper King!¡± ¡°Oh my God.¡± The Viper King was falling into the dark underground. The terrain of the cave itself was completely destroyed and the quest was cleared. And the four witnessed an unbelievable sight. ¡°Oh my. I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± There was little sun was far beyond the darkness. Are the longs things that¡¯s moving around the sun possibly be snakes? The sun was so bright that only the shapes could be distinguished. ¡°I don¡¯t what on earth is on there or why it¡¯s wandering around.¡± KyungBaek grumbled and SeongHo barely opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of something like this underground in Gahenna.¡± ¡°I know, right. What is that? It¡¯s hard to tell how big it is.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s coming this way!¡± HyeJin shouted and the party hid in the half-collapsed wall. A snake-like creature approached, and the party was terrified of its size. [Earth Worm] An animal that they could not tell whether it was a dragon or a snake flew through the darkness. The size of the eye was as huge as a hole in the cave. As the creature glared at the group and passed by, the group barely let out their breaths. Meanwhile, in addition to SeongHo¡¯s party, hundreds of hunters who entered the dungeon witnessed the same scene. Some said it was a harbinger of disaster, while others made hopeful observations that it would help them. One thing is clear: no one knows what the Earthworm and the underground sun are doing. Hunters who had nothing to do came out, and dozens of dungeons that were open overnight were quietly closed. *** On the other hand, Yoo Ji-Ha, who met an earthquake in his dream, was hiding in the cave. At first, he didn¡¯t know why the Theradrones moved the crops, but now he understand. His garden itself was being shattered. But the World tree is fine. ¡°It seems to shine a little more, but¡­¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha observed the situation while holding Beom who was wailing next to him. As soon as the shaking stopped, a strange phenomenon appeared. The ground is wriggling, and it¡¯s being aligned as if putting a puzzle together. His garden was restored. The Theradrones move and began to plant crops again, and a bright glow, brighter than before rose from the World Tree. ¡°Wow.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha and Beom closed their eyes at the same time. After a while, they witnessed a world tree that was much larger than before. ¡°It¡¯s big¡­¡± Wow. It¡¯s grown to the same size as the tallest tree in the world in America. It¡¯s so high to see the end properly. The two of them looked up, their necks falling off, but then, branches slid down and began building a house. ¡°Oh my God.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha was at a loss for words due to an unheard-of phenomenon. The World Tree built a house out of its own branches. Eventually, a small hut was completed, and the World Tree slowly retrieved its branches. ¡°Did you build a house for me?¡± Sararak. There was a sound of wind from somewhere. Yoo Ji-Ha smiled and went inside with Beom on his shoulder. ¡°I have a room¡­ I can use this as a kitchen. Wow its nice. You like it too, don¡¯t you?¡± Wow. Beom also cried lowly that he liked it. When he came out, the Theradrones suddenly started drawing. Big balls and snakes flying around? ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The Theradrone Knight drew a straight line over the picture. Also, a lot of trees and grass on the line and he¡¯s seen it somewhere? ¡°Oh, you mean this down here? Right below?¡± nod nod. How did he understand it and shook his head. This must what caused the earthquake. ¡°Hmm¡­ Aren¡¯t these the earthworms I¡¯ve seen before¡­¡± Earthworm. This is the first earthworm he met in the garden of his dreams. He wondered what they were doing and didn¡¯t know they¡¯ve would have grown like that. According to Theradrone¡¯s expression, the size of a single animal was likely to be several kilometers. ¡®Then how big is that ball?¡¯ Several branches grew above the head of Yoo Ji-Ha that spoke. At first, it was a world tree where only wooden pillars were visible, but now it looks like it is covering the sky. Leaves bloomed at the ends of the branches, and fruits grew in an instant and began to fall off. ¡°Wow!¡± Ji-Ha hurriedly escaped with Beom. The fruit of the world tree, which was bigger than before, fell. Thank you for giving me, but this is too many. ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t have anything to give you¡­¡± It¡¯s okay. Because you¡¯re doing great. ¡°Huh?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha was bewildered and then smiled. The reason why the World Tree gives him so many gifts. That is probably the story of asking him to give as much as he received. He once thought that there must be a reason for inviting him into the dream and giving him various abilities. Yoo Ji-Ha spoke to the World Tree, ¡°I just have to do it like how I have been doing, right?¡± Yes. The World Tree responded and gave him a golden glow. After his whole body was covered in ether, he exhaled lightly and opened his eyes. Somehow, his head became clear. Beom rubbed his head to see if the scent of his body was good. By the way. Yoo Ji-Ha looked around. The area that he thought was a garden was very wide. ¡°Now it¡¯s a real forest.¡± He walked through the forest with Beom. *** Bruleung- Early in the morning, two cars stopped in front of Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s general store. With Beom on his head and just stretching, Ji-Ha met Seo HyeJin and a man who came out of the car. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Kim HyungSeok¡­¡± He, in a suit, couldn¡¯t help but laugh when he saw the large cat resting on top of Ji-Ha¡¯s head. For some reason, he¡¯s staring at him as if he doesn¡¯t like it but he doesn¡¯t know what to say. It felt like a good fit with this small general store, a young man with a good face. ¡°Welcome.¡± When Yoo Ji-ha greeted, Seo HyeJin smiled slightly and greeted with her eyes. HyungSeok coughed and said to him. ¡°My name is Kim HyungSeok, who is in charge of a team in a small company. I don¡¯t know if you know, but I¡¯m also a Hunter. I¡¯m here today because I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Ah. Is that so? Come inside.¡± This is the first time for Kim HyungSeok to have actually seen Yoo Ji-ha. Hunters and subordinates around him said he had a pretty face, but somehow, he seemed more handsome than the picture. HyeJin also look over and over to see his face, which had changed for some reason but couldn¡¯t point out where. ¡®I think the atmosphere has changed a bit¡­¡¯ In the past, he was good but a bit sluggish, but now he looks as clear as the morning sun. Is it just her? The three of them went into the store and sat down. After fixing his tie, HyungSeok opened his mouth seriously. ¡°Whew¡­ I don¡¯t know where to start. The appraisal skill that Ji-Ha has¡­ To be precise, it doesn¡¯t seem to be appraisal, it seems like it¡¯s higher, but could you tell me the name of the skill?¡± ¡°An ancient interpretation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of ancient interpretation.¡± HyungSeok raised his eyebrows slightly. He thought he had awakened his appraisal skill, but it seems he hasn¡¯t. ¡°I think we need a report on this¡­ All right for now. Ji-Ha, by any chance, how many people did you give an appraisal to yesterday?¡± ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know. I did do it until the evening.¡± ¡°I heard rumors that you didn¡¯t even eat.¡± ¡°Yes, there are people who look desperate. Some people said that they brought all their possessions and flew from Jeju Island, so I couldn¡¯t tell them to wait.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± You might be wondering what it mean when you say a hunter who is tired, but there are quite a few hunters who have only awakened one skill or one characteristic. It is difficult to hunt because of their weak combat power in the first place, and essence rarely come out of lower monsters. Even if it does, they spend all their money to buy artifacts to join higher dungeon. It would be good if the artifacts could be used properly, but the system was incomplete and there was no exact explanation. HyeJin who thought up to there, made an ahh sound. That¡¯s why. HyungSeok nodded and spoke. ¡°I understand roughly. You could have been able to get a little bit of money though. Excuse me, but appraisers in other countries charge a 3% fee. For Ji-Ha-ssi, who even evaluates exact skills and attributes, they won¡¯t be able to say anything about it even if you take 5%.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°Do you hate money?¡± ¡°No. I need money to live. I sell potions so there is no problem in my life. But I¡­ I thought that there was a reason I had this kind of power.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± This time, HyeJin asked. After thinking about it for a while, Yoo Ji-Ha put down Beom. The little guy did not cry as if he understood the atmosphere and went into the studio. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but if someone gave me strength, I would like to use it like I¡¯ve been thinking about helping people.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± HyungSeok folded his arms in response to the ambiguous answer. Before coming here, he was thinking about criticizing. The existence of Yoo Ji-Ha disturbs the market. There is a lot of demand so the few appraisers around the world will not starve, but it is inevitable to cause a backlash. To put it in extreme, isn¡¯t it possible for a foreign assassin to come and slit his throat? It is undeniable that his existence would make Korean hunters more powerful. No matter how isolated each country is, it was not good that the world¡¯s power balance to collapsed. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Seeing the clear expression on his face, the thought of talking about these troublesome things completely disappeared. To him who just wanted to help people, he wondered what it was worth to talk about the existence of the market or the power balance. Looking sideways, HyeJin seems to have similar idea as she nodded her head eagerly. ¡°Wow¡­ I get it. Ji-Ha, I understand your desire to share that ability, but at this rate it will be difficult for people to gather and welcome them. So, how about adjusting the time.?¡± ¡°How do I time it?¡± ¡°How about if we set it to 8:00 to 12:00 in the morning and 1:00 to 6:00 after lunch? Hunters can be persuaded by us. It¡¯s not compulsory, but everyone will understand.¡± ¡°And I need permission from Ji-Ha, I thought about how to donate to academies or orphanages with a small fee from those who are appraised. What do you think?¡± When HyeJin asked, Yoo Ji-Ha immediately agreed. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. I think both are fine.¡± Ji-Ha hasn¡¯t decided how much the fee should be. Looking at that attitude, it seems that money doesn¡¯t matter. HyungSeok discarded numerous business items that came to mind when he first heard of his ability. ¡®I guess that¡¯s how I became a vicious businessman.¡¯ He smiled bitterly inside. At the same time, he wondered how a person could not be so greedy. Money is everything you eat, wear, sleep, and live on. He was too greedy that he was like a tree, not a person. Anyway, the purpose of the visit was achieved. ¡°All right. Ji-Ha, then we will do that and go.¡± HyungSeok did not say about preventing Ji-Ha¡¯s abilities from being known to foreign countries as much as possible and thoroughly investigating foreign hunters entering Korea. ¡®That¡¯s something people like me should think about.¡¯ HyeJin, who came out after saying goodbye, said with admiring eyes. ¡°As expected¡­ He¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°He has a very good heart, but the people around him will be a bit busy. I think I have to take on that role.¡± ¡°I heard you don¡¯t do things that don¡¯t make money.¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s still just from a business level, but I have no intention of applying it to someone like Ji-Ha. And¡­ When I saw him, somehow made me feel like I had to protect him like a natural shrine.¡± ¡°Natural Shrine?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t explain exactly how it feels¡­ but maybe there will come a day when I will get a lot of help from that person. Just like 10 years ago.¡± Ten years ago. When the first dungeon opened and the Awakened made a contract with a demigod. The two glanced back. Suddenly, they saw Beom, who came out of the studio, rushing toward Yoo Ji-Ha. A smile naturally appeared on their lips. Chapter 28 After HyungSeok and HyeJin went to the store, the number of customers who came for an appraisal decreased significantly. In fact, they were still waiting for their turn, but what¡¯s happening became more comfortable. Kim HyungSeok registered a reservation system on Hunternet, put a donation there, and make a reservation to receive Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s appraisal. Of course, they can ignore this procedure and go straight to the store. However, since the single number hunters and influential figures such as the associations and guild leaders all agreed, it was generally accepted by all. One article posted on the free bulletin board of Hunternet led the mood. Kim HyungSeok: Shouldn¡¯t rare animals be well protected and raised? Let¡¯s build a system to protect Yoo Ji-Ha. If he collapses from overwork, it is all our responsibility and loss. Although Kim HyungSeok¡¯s article compares a person to an animal, it revealed importance of the system. However, foreigners are excluded from this reservation system. The security team, including HyungSeok, tried to block the rumors as much as possible, but it seemed that they were unable to completely stop the rumors, so articles started to appear on the Hunternets of foreign countries. Expressions such as unbelievable and exaggerated followed. Hunters with appraisal skills exist, but it seemed unimaginable that there would be a hunter who would do it for free. ¡ªThat¡¯s what you¡¯re aiming for right? Make several rumors and spread them. It¡¯s a smoke screen operation. Fortunately, the existence of Yoo Ji-Ha was not immediately revealed perhaps because exchanges between countries were quite difficult. Hunternets in Japan and China are scoffing at Korean hunters that they are starting to talk nonsense again. One day they too will be shocked to find out the truth, but it doesn¡¯t matter. HyeongSeok did his best to block the information by mobilizing the funds of the Goryeo group. Yoo Ji-Ha didn¡¯t know these things. Because he was a merchant selling potions and scrolls in a small general store. As soon as he opens the store door in the morning, he will be met face-to-face with a few hunters who have been waiting for him. ¡°Hello. It¡¯s not yet opening time¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll wait.¡± He couldn¡¯t do anything else in front of crowd, so Yoo Ji-Ha had to open at 7 o¡¯clock. ¡°I have to buy one potion?¡± ¡°Just buy all of them. You can buy one for each type.¡± ¡°No, I wanted that first.¡± ¡°What do you want to do? The one who picks it up is the owner.¡± As soon as the store opened, the shelves started emptying. This is serious. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t run out of potions in the morning.¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha went to studio to pick up extra potions, and Beom came up to the table and stared at the waiting hunter for a long time. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Beom. You don¡¯t look like an ordinary cat¡­ Are you a snow leopard¡¯s baby?¡± Wow. Beom gently pressed his hand on the table with his paw. He panicked and handed him a bar-shaped preserved food. Tak. But Beom, as if he didn¡¯t want it, struck it with his paw ¡°You don¡¯t like this? What do you want?¡± Beom put his head in his arms and sniffed. Then, he hit the exact spot where the wallet was with his front paw. ¡°Money? Are you talking about money?¡± Hunters who were waiting in the back giggled and said- ¡°Haha. This is a poisonous cat.¡± ¡°Well, since the owner is not materialistic, he needs this cat.¡± ¡°The reservation fee is cheap, so let¡¯s give it a little bit. Dealing with people is not easy.¡± ¡°How about 100,000 won each so it can eat something delicious?¡± So, the consultation fee in Yoo Ji-Ha was set at 100,000 won while he was away. Beom slowly walked among the people, picked up 100,000 won each, put it in his mouth, and disappeared somewhere. Ji-Ha came out with a basket, put it on the table, and started appraising. ¡°Huh? Did something good happen?¡± The hunters across him laughed. ¡°You Cat is very smart.¡± ¡°Haha. He¡¯s smarter than me. The full-block characteristic of this shield is¡­¡± While Yoo Ji-Ha was busy with appraising, Beom who was hiding in the corner of the studio puts money in the drawer and organize it.¡± Afterward, Ji-Ha who had calculated the bill tilted his head in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­ Why are sales so high?¡± Beom, who was eating a delicious meal, yawned while sitting on the shelf. *** Sometimes, uninvited visitors come to Ji-Ha¡¯s Garden. In most cases, Theradrones is in charge of driving out the uninvited guests. However, there were cases where it took a while to finish this process. In case of powerful monsters, Theradrones couldn¡¯t push ahead, find weakness and attack them. This time, the monster who snuck through the garden beyond the fog wall was quite a powerful monster. [Outer giant] It is a disaster grade monster with one eye named by China. It is difficult to attack because it has a size that surpasses that of an abomination or ogre and has a strong defense. Sometimes the rays from its eyes boast the power to instantly kill almost any hunter. This is a dangerous monster, but because of Chinese Hunter system was so closed that other countries could only know about its existence. Anyway, more than 300 Theradrones corps gathered to stop him. It is a bit strange considering that the Theradrones that appeared in Mt. Jiri slaughtered thousands of monsters. ¡®If you go outside, you¡¯ll be greatly strengthened, won¡¯t you?¡¯ It is similar when monsters are strengthened when the dungeon reaches catastrophe and come out. Yoo Ji-Ha roughly came to a conclusion while waiting for the message. But it didn¡¯t show up. The status window was as still as usual. While Yoo Ji-Ha was restless, the Theradrone corps collided with the outsider. ¡°Hyuk.¡± Even the Theradrone Knight, which possessed a large size, could not withstand the attack of the giant. He fell out of the battlefield, his wings trembled and drooped. It was truly a destructive force. If the Outer giant wields a bat, the surroundings will be devastated. No matter which Theradrone it is, if it is hit correctly, it will be healed and will attack the enemy in one shot. The Theradrones, who felt overwhelmed, changed their strategy. Instead of charging recklessly, they began to bit a piece of wood from the world tree with their tongs and started using it as a shield. When a few guys pushed the large shield firmly with their tongs and pushed it in, the giant roared and slammed on the ground. A shock wave spread and the Theradrones were blown up like a piece of paper. ¡®This is no joke.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha looked to see what role Beom would play, but he was just sleeping. He seems unaware of the fog wall. Fortunately, even the one-eyed giant¡¯s attack did not pierce the shield of the World Tree. The fist sized monster, which is angry, pushed the Theradrones with his body. Yoo Ji-Ha was sorry to see the Theradrons corps falling like autumn leaves. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the message appear?¡± Why, when such a powerful monster appeared, it was silent. But the Theradrone Corps did not budge. Dozens of them rushed in to block the advance of the one-eyed giant, and some spread their wings and flew up to attack his eyes. Kuuoooooo! As the Outergiant roared, the surrounding air was blown away. Seeing that the Theradrones momentarily lost their power, it seemed as if they had been covered by some unclean energy. Eventually, the Outer giant¡¯s eyes began to turn red and bloodshot. ¡®What are you trying to do?¡¯ A single ray of light shot out from the eyes of the one-eyed giant. The monstrous ray was enough to evaporate a few Theradrones and it cut down hundreds of trees. It was so destructive. ¡®I have to stop that somehow.¡¯ It seemed almost impossible to dodge because of the instantaneous power. The Theradrones who had been hit with a monster beam from the front, still bravely rushed at him. A fierce close quarter battle took place. At that time, the Knight pointed something with his head, and Theradrones at the rear brought a large ether stone. ¡®What are you going to do with that?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha was astonished. Knight started cutting the ether stone with his tongs. It¡¯s quite easy to process the ether stone from a human point of view but he didn¡¯t expect the Theradrone to cut them. The Theradrone Knight fired a weak shot at the surfaced of the cut ether stone. Then the surface of the ether stone turned into a mirror. ¡°Oh, is it a refection?¡± The knight with a golden shield approached the giant. The moment the Theradrones scattered, and his large eyes fired a mysterious ray, the ether stone shield reflected perfectly. Chugok! There was a strange noise and the arms and shoulder of the Outer giant were cutoff. He was bleeding profusely and in agony. ¡°Wow!¡± It was an incredible sight to see. He can¡¯t believe they thought of using an ether stone as a shield and cutting and processing it. Theradrones without missing the timing, attacked all at once. Victory was certain. ¡®The deficit is small.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha don¡¯t know about the one-eyed giants, but he thought he¡¯d write something about it to use someday. In the Infinite Spellbook, the method by how the Theradrones defeated the Outer giant was written. ¡ªOuter giants¡­ Approximately about 15 meters tall. Possesses destructive power and defensive power to match with its size. Any defensive barrier will not be able to stop him from attacking. In particular, his roar seems to have a hidden wave that makes you lose energy¡­ Roughly¡­ His one eye emits a strange ray of light and there is only one way to block it. This method is- When Yoo Ji-Ha has written this far, Beom woke up and pulled his pants. ¡°Huh? You want to play? Oh, no. That¡¯s right. The Theradrones need to be treated first.¡± It was not the time to write this. Yoo Ji-Ha welcomed the victorious Theradrones into the garden. As he stroked their senses one by one, their wings fluttered happily. And the Theradrone Knights, who played a decisive role, proudly raised its horns and tongs. Aren¡¯t they really reliable? *** The news of several outer giant¡¯s dungeons appeared in Sichuan, China appeared on the Korean HunterNet. But due to the terribly closed nature of China, detailed information could not be obtained. A few hunters were complaining on the free bulletin board. Hyunseung: They¡¯re just going to eat it all by themselves because Chinese people are really known about their selfishness. ©¸Shin YeRi: The problem is that it cannot be solve properly while hiding it. Did you see the satellite photos leaked from the association? I heard that the nearby defense division moved. Uh, it¡¯s a waste of oil. ©¸Lee HyungJong: It must have caused a catastrophe by not being able to stop it. How many more hunters died in battle? Considering the situation, it seemed clear that a catastrophe has occurred. Hunters were playing around, but they were a little nervous. Because there is no guarantee that the same dungeon won¡¯t appear in Korea. Everyone was criticizing the Chinese Hunters Association for not disclosing information. Only the height, danger and appearance were known about the outer giant. Photos taken by an American intelligence satellite, confirmed it to be a large monster with a height of about 15m. However, it is difficult to grasp his ability. If it has powerful regeneration ability like an abomination, they will need to mobilize an artillery unit to continuously fire, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. Hyun SeungAh, with her legs on the desk, pounded on the keyboard, swearing at China. ¡°Information¡­ I need information.¡± She accessed satellite communication and search various countries hunternet, but did not find any unusual information. Finally, in Mirwiki. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s nothing.¡± But when she looked at the paged, she saw a strange pop-up window. [You need 10 Essence to acquire partial information about the OuterGiant. Would you like to pay YES/NO] She almost fell but straightened herself. ¡°What is this?¡± When did this system come into existence on Mirwiki? Paying 10 essences? What kind of robbery is this¡­? ¡°It¡¯s information about an Outer giant. SeungAh, you have to see this.¡± SeungAh closed her eyes tightly and pressed YES. A waste of essence, but she can hunt again. Then, a page with detailed descriptions of the external appearance, attack methods, and defense power of the outer giant appeared. ¡°Great, great.¡± SeungAh was thrilled and happy when she saw the last sentence. ¡ªThe only eye emits a strange beam of light, and there is a way to stop it. ¡°Yes, yes, how about the way?¡± ¡ªThe method is- That was the end. No matter how much she searched and look at the screen, there was no more content. SeungAh slammed the desk in heat. ¡°What the fuck is that method!¡± Chapter 29 A rumor circulated among Hunters that the reading restrictions on MirWiki is lifted. Originally, access was limited to Single Number Hunters, but now it is said that any registered hunter can access it. Hyun SeungAh, a member of Single Number hunters, posted on Hunternet for the first time. ¡ªHyun SeungAh: Everyone! Did you see that?? Information on the Outer giant has been uploaded on MirWiki! Access restrictions have disappeared! Try it. Try it. She didn¡¯t say that 10 Essence was needed to access information, and that there was no proper strategy. As a result, many people lost 10 Essence and started complaining. ¡ªHan ChaeRim: Oh my god, I¡¯m going crazy. Who ate my essence? ©¸Bae KangMin: This is not normal. Who lifted the access restrictions? ©¸Lee HyeongJong: There is no proper information other than the outer giant was released. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: SeungAh, are you kidding me now? No, it didn¡¯t write the strategy! Why would you want me to look at this? ©¸Hyun SeungAh: kekekeke1laugh Who told you to press yes? Temptation. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The Hunternet free bulletin board was divided into those who read the information and those who didn¡¯t. Because of the huge fee of 10 essence, lower-level hunters had to wash their hands off2Not join. However, when they heard the information, they were all stunned. To cut it off at the most important part. Kangmin Bae noticed one part of the message. ¡ªBae KangMin: Partial¡­ Considering the meaning of this sentence, I don¡¯t think the system has cheated. Because it said it was only partial information. ©¸Park SeongHo: Then the completed version will be uploaded later, right? ©¸Kim HyungSeok: But who wrote this? Seems not to be human. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: I don¡¯t even know where the server is and there¡¯s no way anyone knows, right? God knows where. ©¸Kim HyungSeok: A god¡­¡­. ©¸Hwang SeonYoung: Even if it¡¯s not a god, wouldn¡¯t it be a demigod who made a contract with the first awakened hunters? ©¸Park SeongHo: So, who? ©¸Hwang SeonYoung: The manager of the infinite library. ©¸Park SeongHo: The demigod that advised the awakened to read books? That¡¯s too obvious. ©¸Hwang SeonYoung: No. He was the first demigod to offer a helping hand to the Awakened. Do you happen to know? Maybe they¡¯re giving us information to help us this time as well. At that time, he was rejected. ©¸Kim HyungSeok: I don¡¯t think I should say it here¡­ I¡¯ll write a secret post. The story of the First Awakened and the demigod was well known, but it was still a delicate topic for discussion on the free bulletin board. For a while, Hunternet was on fire with information on outer giant. And it completely exploded when someone discovered that they could comment below the content. The comment section of the Outer Giant was overflowing of hunters protesting against the author who they didn¡¯t even know who. ©¸Kim KyungBaek: 1st place. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: Oh, 2nd place!! ©¸Bae KangMin: Let¡¯s not play ranked. We¡¯re not children. ©¸Han ChaeRim: 3rd place¡­ not, give me back my essence, you scammer!! ©¸Hyun SeungAh: kekekeke There are so many victims. ©¸Cha HwaYeon: Hyun SeungAh, Let¡¯s see what I¡¯m going to do later. ©¸Hyun SeungAh: But¡­ if I don¡¯t do this, you won¡¯t look after me!! ©¸Kim HyungSeok: I¡¯m going crazy. While the Hunters were doing so, Yoo Ji-Ha was playing in the dream, fiddled with his ears. ¡°Who¡¯s cursing me?¡± He has never done anything insulting, so it¡¯s strange. Yoo Ji-Ha vowed to live by giving more to people. *** ¡°Well¡­¡± Yoo Ji-Ha stopped while walking in the garden with Beom. The Status window is having a problem. The essence suddenly increased to 325. ¡°What is this? Is there an error?¡± The status window was very accurate and there was never an error. ¡®Other stats are the same.¡¯ Just in case, he invested 10 Essence in endurance, and it went up by 1. ¡®Where in the world did it come from?¡¯ Where did he get the essence? The only thing he did was to record the Theradrones fight against the outer giant and play in the garden. ¡®Something¡¯s off.¡¯ He went back to the hut and opened the Infinite magic book, but nothing changed. Yoo Ji-Ha then realized while scanning the passage that he had stopped in the middle. ¡®I don¡¯t want to leave it like this.¡¯ After bringing a feather pen and ink, he wrote the attack strategy. ¡ªThe method is to process ether stone into a mirror and reflect the monster¡¯s beam. If you control the direction well, you can return the brilliant beam to the Outer Giant. The power is enough to blow the shoulders and arms of the outer giant in one shot¡­¡­ ¡°This should be enough.¡± By the way, he should use the 315 essences somewhere. Beom climbed over his shoulder and patted his left ear. ¡°Huh? Let¡¯s go over there?¡± Wow. According to the child¡¯s will, he went to the Solar Apple. [You can evolve solar apple with 100 essence. Would you like to pay? YES/NO] ¡®I can raise this level.¡¯ In addition to stats, characteristics, and skills, it would be possible to raise the buff level of garden crops and animals. With that in mind, he felt that 315 essences were never too many. ¡®Because what sells the most is the stamina potion¡­¡­¡¯ It seemed to be better to evolve the solar apple first. When he selected YES, the whole solar apple shone, and it became much bigger and lusher than it used to be. Ji-Ha evacuated for a while when ripe fruits fell. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± [Solar apple LV2: When combined with Stamina Potion, recovery amount is increased by 30%, duration reduced to 70%.] He put the fallen fruits in his backpack. ¡®Now there are 215 left.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t need to fight so it is meaningless to invest a lot in stats. The Blessing of the World Tree cannot be upgraded, so he turned to other characteristics and skills. ¡®Good writing skills, I don¡¯t need this yet.¡¯ Alchemy and ancient magic require a lot of essence, so it was impossible to upgrade them now. All that remains is plant-friendly and animal-friendly. ¡®Let¡¯s raise animal friendly skill.¡¯ 100 Essence was reduced, and animal friendly rose to LV2. Now, Yoo Ji-Ha can exert influence over larger animals from a greater distance. While the people who were looking at MirWiki¡¯s outer giant went wild. *** Hyun SeungAh was staring at the laptop screen with the guild members with bloodshot eyes. It¡¯s been hours since they¡¯ve been watching at when the item will be updated. And it was finally updated. It did¡­ ¡°What? I have to pay an additional 10 Essence to see the complete strategy? Isn¡¯t this crazy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a complete robbery, a total swindler.¡± ¡°Who designed it, it¡¯s very vicious. It¡¯s not even DLC3Downloadable Content ¨C extra content players can download after purchasing a video game.¡± Hunters around her said one word at a time. Obviously, she paid the fee, but why don¡¯t it show her everything? Unbearable, SeungAh closed her eyes tightly and clicked YES. Essence can be earned again, and she was going crazy because she wanted to see it right now. Finally, the completed strategy was released. It was also strange that the outer giant was shooting a beam and block it with an ether stone shield. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Shooting rays? You¡¯re going to block it with an ether shield?¡± ¡°What? To think of making an ether stone into a shield.¡± ¡°It would be ridiculously expensive.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s expensive, if you can catch an outer giant, it¡¯s a profitable business. It says you can inflict fatal damage in just one shot?¡± ¡°But is it okay for people to see this? Now everyone knows the strategy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± While the hunters were muttering, a new message appeared on SeungAh¡¯s status window. [You have obtained the completed strategy for the Outer Giant. Increases attack power and critical strike attack power by 15% in dungeons where Outer Giant is the boss.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Those words came out. When they saw SeungAh was trembling, everyone comforted her. ¡°Cheer up. Essence is a bit expensive, but you can earn it again.¡± ¡°We will help you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Am I the only one who can see this? Did you not get a message saying that it¡¯ll give an additional buff?¡± When SeungAh asked that question, everyone¡¯s expressions changed drastically. ¡°What buff?¡± ¡°It is saying that attack power and critical strike attack power increases by 15% in the Outer Giant Dungeon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome, it¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help but also see this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who it is, but it¡¯s awful.¡± Not everyone can catch an outer giant. However, there were quite a few hunters who thought that one day they would be able to catch an outer giant. China would not able to monopolize the outer giant forever. Usually, dungeons intensively opened in one country are bound to spread throughout the world. In other words, this buff is essential in order to attack the dungeon of the Outer Giant in the future. The hunters, who realized that, was in alert. As soon as Kim HyeongSeok received the information, he called the ether stone processing plant. ¡°Turn one line into a joint. Yes. As for how to shape it, do you know the Buckler? Oh, you know that circular shield? Make it thin. I¡¯ll send you the drawing later, so let¡¯s make a sample first. Right Now.¡± He hung up and called the security team. ¡°Call the government and¡­¡­.¡± HyeongSeok, who was trying to give instructions to detect, block, and cut the line related to the outer giant going abroad, paused for a moment. He was wondering if this is right. The person who made this system and MirWiki must have had a purpose to benefit the Hunters widely. Now that they¡¯ve figured out a way to attack the outer giant a little bit easier, should Korean hunters monopolize it? ¡®That¡¯s what China did. The same goes for other countries. But¡­¡­¡¯ Should we be doing the same thing as them? Normally, he would have given instructions to block the data without hesitation. However, after meeting Yoo Ji-Ha, his mind has changed a bit. What choice would he have made if he generously gifted his talents and time to the hunters? ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡ªChief? Team leader. A smiling face of Yoo Ji-Ha flashed into his mind. HyungSeok let out a sigh. ¡°¡­No. I called the wrong number, so keep working.¡± click. He threw the phone on the desk and sat down on a chair. ¡°This would be right.¡± Strangely, he felt at ease. HyungSeok smiled bitterly as he watched the number of views of the item ¡°Outer Giant¡± increase. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are but you¡¯re hoarding essence very well.¡± *** ¡°Cough.¡± In the evening, while having dinner with Beom in the hut, Yoo Ji-Ha was startled by the change in the status window. ¡®What¡¯s happening all of a sudden?¡¯ Essence was increasing exponentially. In the end, it stopped around 2,000, but sometimes it would go up by 10. Where did this essence come from? ¡®The only thing I did here was to write a little while playing.¡¯ In the middle, he was surprised to see the carnivorous plant, but all he had to do was check whether the crops in the garden were growing well. Even though it was a garden that overcompensated for his actions, he could not think that it would give him 2,000 Essence. Then what? ¡®Is it also because of this?¡¯ The attacking method of the outer giant written in the Infinite Magic book. It was clear that this was somehow connected with the essence in some way. He doesn¡¯t know if the outer giant has appeared in real life, but he thought that if he let others know about his strategy, they would be able to catch it more comfortably. At the same time, he was worried there would come a situation that required a lot of essence. ¡®Even if I tell them, there is a problem.¡± He is not afraid to help people, but he didn¡¯t want to reveal the whole secret of this garden. It¡¯s like the last line of deterrent. ¡®Should I say that I went into the dungeon and saw the Theradrons fighting the Outer giant?¡¯ While thinking about this and that, Beom grabbed his pants and pulled them. Wow. ¡°Why? Go to the cave?¡± Only the night sea was waiting for them if they went there, so why is that? When he and Beom with a glowstone torch went out to the night sea, Theradrones were gathered on the beach. An unexpected situation welcomed them. Chapter 30 ¡°A whale¡­¡­¡± A baby whale was lying on the beach. He didn¡¯t know he¡¯d actually see a whale he had only seen on TV. It¡¯s been said that the number of whales has plummeted recently because they were hunted by monsters. Yoo Ji-Ha looked at the whale for a long time. ¡®Is it dead?¡¯ Most of whales¡¯ land on the sand after death. As he moved closer with Beom, the Theradrones followed. [WorldEater] He seems to be a natural god like Beom, but how did this happen? ¡°Poor thing.¡± Upon closer inspection, the body was full of wounds and barnacles attached to it that looked painful. Ji-Ha scratched his own arm because of itchiness1When seeing wounds, you touched your skin unconciuosly. Theradrones climbed up on the whales and started removing the barnacles, and Beom also helped with his claws. ¡®I have to do something too.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s dead yet, so he took the potion out of the backpack and put it in the whale¡¯s mouth. But this guy¡¯s snout looks a bit strange. The broadness of the whale¡¯s mouth was similar to an anglerfish. Is it because it¡¯s a world eater? ¡®Eater¡­ The one who eats¡­.¡¯ It¡¯s a great name for someone who eats the world. Maybe it will grow to a huge size in the future. Yoo Ji-Ha took out a camping knife and participated in the removal of barnacle. At that time, a message popped up. [WorldEater has been hit by a source. 1,500 Essence is required for complete treatment. Would you like to pay? YES/NO] ¡®I wondered why more than 2,000 Essences came in, it¡¯s because I have to save the baby whale.¡¯ Ji-Ha chose YES without hesitation. Still, he¡¯s glad there¡¯s a few hundred left. As time passed, he could see the wounds slowly healing. Wriggling. The tail fin was wriggling. Yoo Ji-Ha, Beom, and Theradrones looked at each other and nodded. He¡¯s still alive. ¡°This is enough¡­¡± It¡¯s no good for the whale to be in the sand, so he decided to move it. But where would be good? ¡®Let¡¯s go to the pool over there.¡¯ Beyond the white sandy beach, he could see a puddle of sea water. Yoo Ji-Ha lifted the whale¡¯s tail and put his strength on his shoulder. ¡®I can do this.¡¯ It seems to be at least 50kg, but it is worthwhile investing in the stats. When he moved him and put him in a puddle, the whale suddenly struggled. Splash! ¡°Oh my!¡± Furtunately, he wasn¡¯t in deep water, so he was able to balance on his feet. Yoo Ji-Ha admired the slow-moving whale. The snout was a bit large and looked quite funny. He put his arm under his stomach to give it strength, and it started running around in the puddle. After a while, it was able to swim alone. ¡°It¡¯s pretty cute.¡± Like all mammal babies, this baby whale was cute. However, he seemed to be hungry that when Ji-Ha approached, it pretended to bite his arm. ¡°I think you¡¯re too young and needs mother¡¯s milk.¡± Unfortunately, all he can catch here is only fish. Yoo Ji-Ha pulled out a fishing rod he had stored nearby, caught two fish, and let them flow near his snout. Zoooop! ¡°Oh oh.¡± The baby whale¡¯s snout opens wide and sucks in fish like a vacuum cleaner. A breath comes out of his back hole and his behavior has become quite agile. Yoo Ji-Ha has taken care of him for a while, and now it¡¯s strong enough to fight in front of him. It seems that there is no such thing as a feeling of satiety for the world eater, so he ate all the fish that Ji-Ha caught for him. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if sea monsters were eaten up like this.¡± Humanity was deprived by the sea to monsters. Humanity, unable to transport by sea, has shrunk tremendously and the population has also decreased significantly. He sees that the theradrones grow bigger when they come out of the garden, this guy probably does too. Ji-Ha wishes he could do something about the sea monsters with their big size. ¡°But don¡¯t come to Earth. You¡¯re going to get indigestion while eating trash.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha murmured while stroking his head. A few hours later, the baby whale surprisingly jumped out of the puddle and returned to the sea. Yoo Ji-Ha with the animals saw him swimming. ¡°Goodbye!¡± But suddenly he heard the hummingbell and at the same time he saw a huge wave coming in. As Ji-Ha and the animals retreated, the waves crashed into the beach and produced all kinds of seafood. ¡°Oh my Gosh.¡± Huge amounts of seafood, such as clams that were as big as arms closed their mouth tightly and crabs that were overturned, fluttered on the white sand beach. Maybe the baby whale gave him a present to thank him for taking care of him. Beom touched a crab and jumped up after being bitten while the theradrones collected the seafood one by one to prevent it from escaping. Ji-Ha felt his mouth water. ¡°It looks delicious.¡± *** A dungeon of an outer giant has opened in Seoul. There is a precedent that China failed to attack properly and lost hundreds of hunters, so Korea moved cautiously. Foreign countries ridiculed Korea¡¯s move. Usually, they raised their voices as a hunter powerhouse, but now, they are nothing special. Prominent hunters, including Kim HyungSeok refrained from entering the dungeon of the outer giant. Korea has a strategy of attacking from MirWiki, buffs and ether stone shield but they¡¯re still afraid to face the dungeon of an outer giant. It was because the Outer Giant is a disaster grade monster. Except for Han Seung-hyuk, who was ranked No. 1 among the hunters, none of the hunters could fight a disaster grade monster. No, it was hard to just even stall some time. Some Guilds can¡¯t even handle horror-grade monsters, and now, it¡¯s a disaster-grade monster. One hunter wrote on a free bulletin board: ¡ªWell, I like the ether shield. It is a great strategy if you can reflect the beam with it. But who¡¯s going to do it? There was no one to put the bell around the cat¡¯s neck2Take the danger upon oneself. Holding an ether shield means eventually being exposed to the rays of the outer giant. The power of the rays is enough to cut an entire arm, so who will do it? If it went wrong or MirWiki¡¯s information is false in the first place. No one wanted to die in vain, so everyone stopped holding up an ether shield. ¡ªAnyway, they¡¯re just cowards. We¡¯ll do it, so just watch. With everyone watching, The Eternal Flame Guild came out. It is called to be the strongest in Korea when it comes to long-distance firepower that is focused on one point. In particular, the guild leader, Cha HwaYeon, had a reputation as a flame magician recognized by the world. However, it was difficult for them to deal with the outer giant. There is no guarantee that he will shoot the beam right away, and it may take a few minutes to attract attention. It was difficult for the Eternal Flame guild with many magicians. To overcome it, Cha HwaYeon joined forces with the Five Star Alliance Hunters who are agile in Korea stepped up. The plan is to draw attention and block the beam with the ether shield, and finally finish with long-range firepower. The Eternal Flame Guild triumphantly entered the dungeon. *** Inside the dungeon was a space made up of countless cliffs. A distant cliff was blocking the view, and a thumping sound was heard in the distance. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It sounds like footsteps.¡± ¡°By the way, when do we get the buff?¡± Hunters knew that the buff was applied automatically when they entered the dungeon, but they were nervous. So far, buffs were applied by touching a specific object in the dungeon. There were times when you would be blessed with rare artifacts. Cha HwaYeon waited nervously with her arms crossed. They didn¡¯t plan to move even a single step until the buff was applied. Then, suddenly, something rose from the ground between the valleys. ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡± Tongs! Tongs! ¡°Magicians, get back!¡± The Hunters of the Five Star Alliance rushed to the front. The monster that broke the ground and protruded out was a large insect. Was there such a monster? The moment the hunters were puzzled, it spread its wings and a golden wave spread. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± The hunters thought it was a wave of negativity, so they winced unconsciously, but it wasn¡¯t. A new message appeared on the status window of all hunters. [Worker¡¯s Blessing: Attack power and critical strike power increase by 15% until exiting the dungeon.] ¡°Worker¡¯s Blessing?¡± ¡°There are all sorts of strange buffs.¡± ¡°By the way, why is that mob giving a buff?¡± The contents came out like this was unusual. Until now, she didn¡¯t know what kind of buff it was, but she had a rough guess. The insect-type monster that spread the wave had already disappeared. HwaYeon noticed that it was very similar to the Theradrone that appeared in Mt. Jiri. ¡®It must have something to do with the existence of a worker.¡¯ Maybe that worker is a demigod who controls the Theradrone. She stepped out in front of the crowd. ¡°We got the buff, but how long are you going to keep talking? This is all a waste of time.¡± It was already known that she was particularly obsessed with clearing time. Hwiseong pricked his ear and said- ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go soon. Front guard, lead the way.¡± Marching through the monsters lurking in the valley, the Guild Union finally met the Boss monster. Outer giant. A huge monster with big eye was walking under the valley. A sense of pressure emitted different from other monsters in the dungeon. Hwiseong gathered all the hunters and said softly- ¡°Everyone saw that article on Mirwiki, right? If you approach it carelessly, your the bones and flesh will separate, so don¡¯t approach it, but don¡¯t go too far. When it roars, immediately run away, okay?¡± ¡°Who¡¯ll carry the ether shield?¡± When someone asked that question, Hwiseong shrugged. ¡°Hwayeon should carry it. You don¡¯t want us to do the first kill.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Literally, Hwayeon didn¡¯t want to give up the first kill to anyone. After contemplating, she finally lifted the shield and Hwiseong whistled. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so important with first kill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s noisy. It¡¯s my own business.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before the battle began. *** ¡°I¡¯ll be in the car.¡± A large sedan stopped in front of a general store. HwaYeon stood in front of the store with her motionless body. At 8pm. The door was closed, but she could see a light inside. Should she open it or not? She knocked on the door roughly. ¡°Business is closed.¡± ¡°I know, I know, but I need to talk to you for a second.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha, who was just about to put shrimp on the grill, stopped. Beom looked up at the uninvited guest from Ji-Ha¡¯s arms. Wow. What are you doing here? It sounded like this. She was dumbfounded by the sight before her, so she opened her mouth before she came to her senses. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ As you can see, I¡¯m going to have dinner.¡± ¡°Why are you having dinner now?¡± ¡°I appraised artifacts until a while ago.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡­¡± HwaYeon sighed deeply, pulled a chair and sat down opposite to Ji-Ha. Chijijik- The shrimp was placed on the grill, giving off an appetizing smell. HwaYeon was surprised by the size of the shrimp. What kind of forearm-size shrimp is he grilling? Where the hell did he get it? Even shrimp imported from abroad by guild members were not this big. She spoke to Ji-Ha with a sullen face. ¡°It¡¯s a good sell. I didn¡¯t have that scroll so I had a hard time in the dungeon¡­¡± growl- An embarrassing sound echoed through the store. Yoo Ji-Ha smiled and asked her- ¡°Would you like to have dinner with me?¡± T/n: Hi Everyone! I¡¯m back! Thank you for all of your support and understanding. I did cut you off like the Ji-Ha last chapter for 2 weeks. I¡¯m sorry. But don¡¯t worry. Starting this week, I will be updating continously following the schedule. See you on Wednesday! Love you all! Chapter 31 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. ¡°¡­..¡± HwaYeon shakily looked at Ji-Ha¡¯s face. You can¡¯t spit on a smiling face1smiling is contagious, that¡¯s exactly what she was feeling in this situation. No matter how feisty a person is, he or she cannot be mean to someone who treats them kindly. The pitiful rumble created an atmosphere that was difficult to describe. ¡°¡­Thank you for the invitation.¡± If you are invited to a meal, you should have the least courtesy. HwaYeon cooled her anger by pressing her temple tightly. She didn¡¯t mean to be sarcastic to this young man in the first place. Chijijik- Trimmed crab legs and large clams were placed on the grill one after another. It is as big as the shrimp that went up first. HwaYeon asked in dazed. ¡°Where did you get this from?¡± ¡°In the beach dungeon. There are no monsters, and it is very peaceful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really nice trait. All sorts of rare things pop out of it. There¡¯s no scroll, right?¡± The words fell like thunder. But Yoo Ji-Ha changed the topic casually. ¡°You just talked about scrolls, but what happened?¡± ¡°¡­Haha, what happened was¡­¡± She sat close to the table and complained. It was the event of entering the dungeon of an Outer giant with the Five Star Alliance. It was good until they found and she got a buff from a weird insect monster. Yoo Ji-Ha was startled at that sentence. ¡®The Theradrone seems to have given you a buff.¡¯ Also, Mirwiki and he must be connected in some way. Theradrone is kind of like an errand boy. He liked that it moved on its own without his instructions. ¡®They are smarter than me, so they¡¯ll do well on their own.¡¯ ¡°They¡¯re all cowards, I heard that they didn¡¯t want to carry a shield to reflect the beam of that outer giant!¡± ¡°It must have been quite dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just quite, it¡¯s a lot dangerous. Even just touching, the human body evaporates regardless of resistance.¡± The reason she went out was because of her greed for First kill, but she didn¡¯t mention it. Ji-Ha nodded. ¡°It is said that even in China, they barely melted it by mobilizing the army. But seeing that you have come all the way here is probably¡­¡­¡± ¡°It failed. Yes, it ended up a spectacular failure. You know what¡¯s funny? When it looks like we¡¯re going to fail, the insect jumps out and quickly reflects the beam with its shield, eats it and bounces off. I mean, how can we comprehend that?¡± ¡°It seems that insect took the ether stone and essence. But, strictly speaking, isn¡¯t that ¡®eat and run¡¯? And if it had the final blow.¡± ¡°No. We did all the hard work. What are you talking about? I¡¯ve poured out all my firepower into it and I¡¯m just about to kill him. One more shot and the giant would be dead.¡± ¡®You didn¡¯t have enough firepower.¡¯ HwaYeon, who has strong pride, would not admit it, but there were widespread reviews of her failing to attack due to her lack of attack power. It¡¯s okay to attack low-level monsters roughly, but it¡¯s not easy because the defense of monsters becomes much stronger from a certain level or higher. Therefore, the main strategy is to identify the pattern of the monster, attack the weakness, and pour out firepower. This time, facing the outer giant, she had tried all these methods, but it was unsuccessful. ¡°That¡¯s where the need for scrolls comes from.¡± ¡°Yes! The scroll you made me rip. If I had that, I would have succeeded in First kill. If you hadn¡¯t let anyone rip it, I would have been able to live. If that was the case, by now¡­¡± ¡°Someone else must also use it.¡± Without objecting, she turned her gaze to the empty jar. She looked like she would take it right away if a scroll was inside. Ji-Ha cut some crab legs with scissors and offered it to her. ¡°Eat first and calm down. You can catch the monster next time.¡± ¡°A catastrophe is about to happen, catastrophe. How can you be so carefree?¡± ¡°If I go to Busan, nothing will change.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± HwaYeon was about to say something but had no choice but to take a crab leg and take a bite. ¡°Hmmm.¡± It was so delicious! It¡¯s chewy and salty, which was perfect for her taste. Besides, how much is this meat? When she took one bite and pulled it out, a large lump of flesh slipped out. Slurping. She indulged in crab meat, forgetting her problem. It¡¯s the smell of the sea she hasn¡¯t felt in a long time. After eating crab meat like that, she felt a little dejected. ¡®But with this person, she can have a conversation unexpectedly.¡¯ HwaYeon never thought that there would be anyone who could talk to her. At least except Choi CheolHeon¡­.. The guild members think they are being scolded and put up with it, but there was no reason for others to do so, so she often got annoyed and walked away. Ji-Ha doesn¡¯t respond to her sarcastic tone, but gently let it slip. ¡°Beom, what do you want to eat? Shrimp?¡± Wow. Watching the cat chewing on the large shrimp and the owner smiling happily, HwaYeon came to a point where she couldn¡¯t understand why she was angry. Why was the First kill so important? She suddenly felt frustrated and wanted to let go of her feelings. ¡°Oh, HwaYeon-ssi, please eat this too. The shellfish eggs are very large.¡± HwaYeon grabbed his wrist and put it down. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m doing this because¡­¡± No one asked but she started rambling on about her past. Guild members would have been frightened if they were listening. She talked about her memories of Han SeungHyuk. A person who she wanted to win against but could never catch up. All records including the shortest dungeon clear and first kill, were his own. Even though she mobilized the whole guild, she was barely able to keep up. Inferiority turned into respect and respect into favor. But he accepted Seo HyeJin, not her. It was a good match. Anyone would have thought that HyeJin fits SeungHyuk¡¯s lover rather than HwaYeon, who was easily angered. It has been since then. She started following in SeungHyuk¡¯s footsteps. After breaking the record, she could eventually win mentally by saying she won. Even though he¡¯s been missing for a long time. ¡°¡­maybe I still can¡¯t forget that person. Now that I think about it, I¡¯d say I wanted to stand next to him rather than liking him¡­ Well, that¡¯s it.¡± She felt relieved after opening her mouth. After hearing everything, Ji-Ha said- ¡°SeungHyuk, whom many people remember, must be a good person. I hope to see him next time.¡± ¡°If you met¡­¡± Well, she doesn¡¯t know. Wouldn¡¯t it be like a relationship between an easy-going older brother and a lazy younger brother? But he doesn¡¯t exist. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen I guess.¡± ¡°There is a possibility. Traces were also found, so the probability is not zero.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very positive. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s dead.¡± HwaYeon stared intently at Ji-Ha¡¯s face. How can a person be so positive? Indeed, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have been able to establish a minimal conversation with him. She remembered what CheolHeon, an alchemist, had said. ¡ªIf you meet someone you can talk to with, guild leader, consider yourself lucky and hold on to it. She chuckled inwardly. ¡®Funny.¡¯ Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-Ha was thinking about the scroll while feeding Beom. ¡®I can¡¯t make scrolls anymore.¡¯ The ink almost ran out, and the Theradrones did not bring any herb extracts after that. Instead, they brought herb leaves by type, but that wasn¡¯t enough. ¡®Let¡¯s get people to find the ingredients.¡¯ Green herbs, which are used as ingredients, are not so easily seen, but he has confirmed testimony that they are sometimes sold for ornamental purposes at wholesale centers. It¡¯s hard to find it on his own, but what if they mobilize people? ¡®It¡¯s not bad to live the way the world does, but¡­¡¯ When he saw HwaYeon¡¯s attitude, he thought that such a life exists. Yoo Ji-Ha lives as he is without it, but she strives to achieve things to the end. ¡®It¡¯s not about being right or wrong, it¡¯s about admitting that there is something to learn.¡¯ The reason the World Tree gave him the power may also include his intention to help people widely. It doesn¡¯t matter which one is more efficient. As he pleases, he can do whatever he wants. Yoo Ji-Ha asked HwaYeon. ¡°If you have time tomorrow, can you stop by during a break?¡± ¡°Here?¡± ¡°I want to get paid for the meal.¡± ¡°¡­price of food? Are you talking about the price of food? Can¡¯t I pay it now?¡± It¡¯s strange that a person like this scholar wants to get paid, and it¡¯s stranger to appoint it for tomorrow again. ¡°It¡¯s because I want to receive it tomorrow.¡± It wasn¡¯t the price of the meal; it was something else. Hwayeon nodded her head gently. ¡°Okay. My schedule is empty tomorrow anyway.¡± She went back and Ji-Ha finished eating. Sunday came and she came to visit. *** ¡°You¡¯re looking for the same thing as this herb leaves as payment for the meal?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha placed a small leaf of herb on HwaYeon¡¯s palm. He doesn¡¯t know how to make ink for the scroll. However, he remembered that the work in the garden was usually simplified. Like cleaning up the contaminated land that should need scrolls with just a shovel. Replanting the World Tree was just described as simply planting one branch. ¡®It will be similar to that.¡¯ As long as there is a green herb, a runeword can be completed even if it is roughly made similar to ink. His guess is that. ¡®Actually, I¡¯m not really sure.¡¯ So, without telling HwaYeon what the ingredients for the scroll were, he expressed it in the price of the meal. ¡°¡­that¡¯s an unusual herb. I just have to find this? How much?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy to find. I¡¯ll pay for it, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you could bring what you find.¡± HwaYeon chuckled. ¡°So, it was good to receive that donation. What if herbs are expensive?¡± ¡°I have to find another way.¡± The expression of Ji-Ha is saying that his mind remained unchanged. After all, he¡¯s like a tree. HwaYeon grabbed the leaf of the herb. ¡°All right. It¡¯s the price of food, so I can only save you. But you didn¡¯t have to call me. I have a mountain of people to run errands for.¡± She went back grumbling to the end. Yoo Ji-Ha got the ancient book he was reading while holding Beom. ¡®It seems that runewords are inside this ancient book¡­¡­¡¯ The runewords taught by the World Tree are only a small part of the runewords spread around the world. Yoo Ji-Ha quickly fell into the contents of the ancient book. *** It was two days later that HwaYeon brought the herb leaves. It is said she searched wholesale centers, retail stores, and botanist labs. ¡°That¡¯s what I scraped, so don¡¯t say that I have to pay more for the meal, okay?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring it yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious what the hell you¡¯re going to do with this.¡± She reacted bluntly, and Yoo Ji-Ha laughed. ¡°It will take some time.¡± ¡°I have a lot of time today.¡± She crossed her arms and sat in a chair and waited. Soon, a good scent spread from the studio. What, is he making a potion? But she never heard of a potion with that green herb. It¡¯s not often found iGehenna, so it¡¯s hard to find it even for ornamental purposes. After a while, Yoo Ji-Ha came out with a satisfied face. In his hand was a small green ink bottle. The amount was disappointingly small. ¡°Ink? What do you do with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time but I think it¡¯s well made.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha tore a page from the Infinite magic book. When he tied it with the stem of the herb, it became a perfect scroll. HwaYeons¡¯s eyes grew bigger and bigger. ¡°You¡¯re calling people to make scrolls? You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a joke.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha made a serious expression and ripped the Infinite Magic Book into pieces and drawn with a feather pen dipped in the ink. Crunch. The pleasant sound of the nib passing through the paper tickled Hwayeon¡¯s ear. Familiar runes were written on the paper, but she was reluctant. ¡®Well, he writes well.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s writing was neat enough to resemble a printing press. But it was just a decoration, not the scroll she wanted. She read aloud the rune written by Ji-Ha. ¡°Your flames will burn everything¡­ What? It¡¯s like the scroll you got from the dungeon before. Do you think you can replicate it?¡± ¡°The scroll of change, destruction. It¡¯s the same thing I gave Hwayeon as a good luck message before.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Originally, I was going to reveal it later¡­ but I changed my mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. This scroll is the one I ripped before?¡± ¡°Check it out for yourself.¡± Ji-Ha crossed the scroll and HwaYeon tore it in doubt. In an instant, the runeword turned bright, but nothing changed. ¡°What has changed?¡± ¡°If you use a little magic, won¡¯t you feel it for yourself?¡± Unknowingly, she lit fire magic from her hand. Whoosh! Originally, the flame was small enough to be placed on the palm of the hand, but it had grown several times. She opened her mouth wide and Beom yawned. ¡°Wow.¡± The tremendous firepower she felt in the dungeon blossomed again. What Yoo Ji-Ha said then appalled her. ¡°As a reminder, this is not free.¡± ¡°Th-then?¡± Chapter 32 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. T/n: Another extra chapter from panvang. When the Outer Giant Dungeon opened again, few people believed that the Eternal Flame Guild would try again. There were no deaths, but it is known that they suffered a lot. The outer giant¡¯s iron-wall-like defense prevented all attacks except for the beam that returned to him. In front of the impenetrable castle, the hunters could only watch some insect-type monsters devour it and run. Except for HwaYeon, everyone agreed that the fact that there were no fatalities was thanks to the guy who pulled the aggro. When the Outer Giant Dungeon reopened, instructions were sent to the nearby military base. ¡ªCatastrophe is unavoidable. Don¡¯t expect to be able to deal with disaster grade monsters without taking any damage. Mobilize all available firepower when he appears. The government¡¯s will to blow it aways before any damage increases was so firm. The elite hunters of the Five Star Alliance and the Union came out, but in the end, they had to come out without catching the outer giant. Now the catastrophe is imminent. An evacuation order was issued, and nearby residents were evacuated. As the tank¡¯s main weapon was heading towards the gate, a red-haired woman suddenly appeared. Cha HwaYeon immediately negotiated with the commander of the military unit. ¡°I¡¯m going back in, so please stop the troops.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you fail last time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fail twice, because this time, I came fully prepared.¡± The words ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do that from the beginning?¡± surged up to the commander¡¯s throat, but he couldn¡¯t utter it. Because the opponent is a single number hunter. He has to watch his mouth because the one in front of him is like nobles who support the present Republic of Korea. The commander was obliged to give permission on condition. ¡°Regardless of whether the hunters enter or not, the shooting will start as soon as the outer giant appears. You have to avoid it on your own.¡± ¡°There will be no catastrophe.¡± ¡°It would be great if that was the case but call the 31st troops!¡± As the soldiers retreated from around the gate, the Eternal Flame guild members drew closer. Kim HyungSeok hurriedly ran and asked. ¡°Cha guild leader, are you sure? Anyone can see that this is reckless.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there is a sure way. Because I don¡¯t throw eggs to a rock1Doing unnecessary things.¡± Suspicion flashed in his eyes. ¡°What¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret, so let¡¯s stick together. If no one was here, I would have embarrassed to call you. Good for you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go in unless you tell me.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Really. This is it.¡± HyungSeok¡¯s eyes widened as HwaYeon took the scroll out of her arms. ¡°Is this before?¡± ¡°I got it from that person¡¯s shop, so the performance is certain. Just drag the aggro.¡± HyungSeok called his subordinates with a bright voice. Even if they were subordinates, they were all hunters, so they didn¡¯t like to hit rocks with eggs. However, they seemed to be tempted to hear that there was a scroll obtained from Ji-Ha¡¯s shop. ¡°Aren¡¯t the magicians going crazy?¡± ¡°Someone said that they had used it in a Category 2 dungeon before, so they hit the ground and regretted it.¡± ¡°I heard that a strange insect helps, so it¡¯s worth a try.¡± The world first clear of an outer giant dungeon? Even a supporting actor, not the leading actor, will receives a lot of attention. It is worthwhile to try as the ranking rises with high points. Hunters who judged so gathered behind HyungSeok. ¡°We¡¯ll be the first one to clear. Let¡¯s go in.¡± CheolHeon was puzzled that HwaYeon¡¯s attitude was different from usual. In this case, it was normal to emphasize ¡®I¡¯ rather than ¡®we¡¯. It was also strange that HyungSeok was obedient when asked. Normally, he would have been half-willed to just follow her because he would take care of it himself. ¡®There¡¯s something.¡¯ Soon, the hunters entered the gate. The officials watched them with concern. *** There was no catastrophe. HwaYeon finished the outer giant by melting it with reflection and the quest was cleared. The two guild members exited the gate triumphantly. The commanders of the military units were dumbfounded and cut off their troops. ¡ªCancel the catastrophic alert, lift the evacuation order, and withdraw all but guard troops. Now, only administrative procedures remain. Such as organizing latecomers and scraping the resources inside. Hwayeon came on the media spotlight. The robe she was wearing was messed up with dirt and her gorgeous red hair had turned brown, but her expression was brighter than ever. ¡°How was the situation in there, Ms. Cha?¡± ¡°What do you think as the world¡¯s first clear of an outer giant dungeon?¡± ¡°China said it was absolutely impossible, what tactic was effective?¡± Kim HyungSeok and Choi CheolHeon waited for her self-praise. There is a repertoire that comes out every time she breaks the record in the dungeon Just retelling of how strong and awesome she is, so the reporters didn¡¯t expect too much. But today¡¯s screen is a little different. ¡°Our success today would not have been possible without one helper.¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± The bewildered reporters murmured. Was Cha HwaYeon this kind of character? The one who was condescending in every interview? Whether they were embarrassed or not, HwaYeon¡¯s words continued. ¡°He didn¡¯t want anything. Just said it¡¯s his job to help me and you. Everyone should know that he is a very frustrating and poor person, but in reality, everyone should know that he is not, because we owe him big or small.¡± ¡°Who is that person?¡± Someone asked that question, but HwaYeon didn¡¯t answer and stepped back from the microphone. It was strange for her to refer to herself as ¡®I¡¯, but it was also unusual for her not to push the microphone. Anyway, today was a weird work. HyungSeok and CheolHeon, walking behind HwaYeon, exchanged glances. Probably that person? He is right. He is the only person who will give the scroll to HwaYeon and receive nothing. HyungSeok laughed in vain. ¡®The resources from the dungeon of an outer giant are close to tens of billions. And yet, he¡­¡¯ Apparently HwaYeon bought the scroll and didn¡¯t give anything. So, there¡¯s an interview like that. ¡®What a man.¡¯ To soften Hwayeon¡¯s arrogant and sharp attitude was really amazing. HyungSeok was busy walking and ordered finish up the rest. Hwayeon was seen driving her car to go somewhere. If it¡¯s her, it¡¯s a nearby pub and have a nice drink, but how about today? CheolHeon came and said to him, ¡°I think she¡¯s going home today because she¡¯s tired.¡± ¡°I think I know where she¡¯s going.¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°There, I guess.¡± The two looked at the direction of the general store in District 7 at the same time. *** ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Someone in a high voice knocked on the door. Strange. The main character of this voice wouldn¡¯t come out like this. Ji-Ha said that it was okay to come in with a lunchbox. All the hunters went into an emergency because of the dungeon of the outer giant so his shop was quiet. Sliding- The door opened and HwaYeon¡­ No, a different version of HwaYeon appeared. She wears a suit and kills heels as relatively ordinary outfit. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I came after the outer giant clear and that¡¯s all you have to say?¡± ¡°Oh, you did it in the end. Good job.¡± HwaYeon pouted her lips in response to Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s calm reaction and put her luggage on the table. Beom showed interest and swung his forepaws, but he was repelled by her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give it to you, don¡¯t be interested in people¡¯s food, okay?¡± It¡¯s impossible for Beom to understand human speech, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case when you look at his mandibles. Yoo Ji-Ha asked with his eyes wide open. ¡°What did you bring?¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Hwayeon looked at the lunch box on the table instead of speaking. The lid is translucent, so she can roughly see what¡¯s inside. It was finished with kimchi, various side dishes, and boiled fish on plain rice. He¡¯s eating this? A hunter with ancient language interpretation and ancient magic skills? ¡­Somehow, she felt depressed. ¡°It¡¯s rice. Eating rice.¡± HwaYeon puts out two lunch boxes on the table. It was a very luxuriously packaged lunch box, which was different from what Ji-Ha ate. The contents in which the land, sea, and air met were very luxurious. It¡¯s Ji-Ha¡¯s first time seeing beef steak. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing. Rich people eat this.¡± But it wasn¡¯t a very envious tone. HwaYeon gently pushed his lunchbox and opened the lid of the lunchbox she brought and handed it over. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t need anything, but this is okay, right?¡± ¡°If you give it to me, I will eat it with thanks.¡± Fortunately, Yoo Ji-Ha did not refuse to eat. The two sat down and ate. HwaYeon carefully watched Ji-Ha eat. ¡®That¡¯s enough¡­¡­.¡¯ He has the impression of a boy with a soft line. No matter how he put his old-fashioned glasses, she thinks he will be called a handsome man. She reached for the glasses and Ji-Ha was startled. It¡¯s inconvenient to do so when they do not have a good relationship. Instead, she pouted and grumbled. ¡°It was very difficult to catch the outer giant, but he didn¡¯t even ask me.¡± If anyone asks a question, it seems like she is thinking of bragging about it. Ji-Ha laughed and praised her. ¡°It¡¯s a disaster grade, so it¡¯s going to be stronger than I could ever imagine. You really did a great job.¡± ¡°¡­well, it wasn¡¯t just me who did the hard work. But there was something interesting. Listen.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± HwaYeon excitedly talked about what happened in the dungeon. A story bloomed in a small general store. *** That night. Yoo Ji-Ha took a walk in the garden with Beom. ¡°I thought it was a little wider than before, but it wasn¡¯t, right?¡± Wow. Not just a little, but at least several times wider. The warm sunlight fell on the thousands of pyeong of land. With a chirp from somewhere. ¡®A bird is here.¡¯ As the garden expanded, not only insects, but also birds and small animals roamed around. Yoo Ji-Ha was amazed to see a small bird fly down and prey on the insects attached to the plant stems. If this garden is a microcosm of Gehenna, it would be safe to say that it is in a process of ecosystem restoration. ¡®But they don¡¯t have a buff.¡¯ Is it because he didn¡¯t think he would eat it? Everything found in the sea had a buff, but on insects and birds did not exist. Seriously, where is that little bird getting something to eat? The two walked around and found a small lake. There was a sound of a waterfall somewhere, but he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡®The water is very clear. I can drink it.¡¯ Beom got away from Ji-Ha and wandered around the lake. He sometimes behaves like that when there is a space he likes. Then, as if he had found a frog, he jumped up to Ji-Ha and hung on his back. ¡®Butler! Do something about that!¡¯ expression As he got closer, he saw a large frog sitting. When he put it on the palm of his hand and showed it to Beom, he started kicking and freaking out. Do you have any memories of being abused in the past? The two returned to the world tree after watching the fish in the lake. As he looked at the large and lush grown sun apple tree, Yoo Ji-Ha had a different thought. ¡®How about raising them on Earth?¡¯ Sun apples also have seeds. What would happen if he grew it on Earth? It was his curiosity. He also wanted to grow earth¡¯s crops in this garden. Quite a variety of crops are grown in the garden next to the World Tree, but something is missing. Peppers, lettuce, eggplants and cucumbers¡­There are so many things to plant. If this garden has the power to speed up growth tremendously, it will grow in no time. ¡®It¡¯s not just me who eats it, but it¡¯s good if I give some to the locals as well.¡¯ He sighs that it is difficult to gather wild vegetables these days. He wanted to see them happy because there were a lot of things that they usually take care of. ¡®OK¡¯ Let¡¯s move if we¡¯ve decided. Yoo Ji-Ha rolled up his sleeves and started picking fruits. Chapter 33 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. Yoo Ji-Ha came to the garden center with seeds and seedlings of all kinds of crops in his backpack from the wholesale. Meanwhile, the Theradrones set up a garden. ¡°That¡¯s it, you did a great job.¡± The furrows are straight as if they were made by machine. If this was a real garden, more work needs to be done, but it was a garden with a world tree. Simply plant it next to the golden, shimmering world tree and it will grow on its own. ¡°There will be no pests or diseases. It¡¯s the best.¡± How great would it be for the earth to be like this? At least people will not starve anymore. Yoo Ji-Ha carried the backpack and planted the crops in the garden. Right next to the garden, the carnivorous plant that had been planted before was growing quite large. Perhaps because of his plant-friendly skills, it was not aggressive at all and just looking at Yoo Ji-Ha. He thinks the small animals are going to be devoured with that big leaf, but it ignored the Theradrone and only ate other insects. ¡®But where do I use him for?¡¯ Maybe then, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to harvest and plant its seeds everywhere? ¡®We¡¯ll see that next time next.¡¯ The important thing right now is to enrich the garden. Yoo Ji-Ha drank stamina potions and worked in the fields. ¡®This is the honey-sweet potato I planted before.¡¯ There were no special buffs, but they were much larger than the common sweet potatoes. Peeling and cutting a piece with a knife to taste, it is sweet and savory as if he had added real honey. ¡°Hmm¡­ Delicious. It¡¯s delicious even if I eat it raw.¡± The sweet potatoes were addictive as if he were eating deserts. Beom sat next to the garden and yawned. ¡®Let¡¯s plant green onions, too.¡¯ It¡¯s going to grow fresh because he didn¡¯t buy it from a mart, but he cut the roots from a wholesale market. The roots of green onions were cut a little and planted everywhere. And after doing something else, he looked back. ¡°Huh? Why does it grow so fast?¡± Green onions growth is said to be fast, but he didn¡¯t know it would be this fast. It hasn¡¯t been long since it was planted, but he could see the stems were about 1 cm tall. ¡®Then other crops will also grow like this.¡¯ With the garden, there is no worry of starving to death. Yoo Ji-Ha planted all crops in the large field and harvested honey sweet potatoes. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve planted this much in the past?¡¯ Nevertheless, it came out close to 10 kg, so it¡¯s probably the invisible force of the world tree. The next task was to harvest seeds from existing crops in the garden, such as solar apples and shadow grapes. ¡®I¡¯m going to plant this behind the shop.¡¯ Behind the general store is an empty lot where no one comes. It¡¯s underground, so it doesn¡¯t matter what he does. After all the work, he sat down with Beom in front of the cabin and made a bonfire to grill sweet potato. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to make a furnace instead of this, right?¡± Wow. Beom pointed to the cabin with his front foot. It sounded like ¡®what would you do if you burned down the cabin after lighting the fire incorrectly.¡¯ It¡¯s a cabin that is made by the world tree¡¯s part, but will it be easy to burn? Many of the shields found in dungeons are woods, but they also block heavy attacks of monsters. As he played with Beom with his fingers, the sweet potatoes were baked deliciously. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Even if his resistance goes up a little bit, the hotness is the same. And when he was trying to peel it, the Theradrones flocked after smelling it. ¡®These guys¡­.¡¯ They¡¯re much bigger than they used to be. In particular, the Theradrone knight, which was waiting in the front, was almost plum-sized, so he felt quite overwhelmed. ¡°Since you¡¯ve worked so hard, you should eat too, right?¡± When Yoo Ji-Ha said so, the Theradrones shook their hips happily. ¡®The world¡¯s workers give us food!¡¯ Well, that was it mean? When the hot honey sweet potatoes were cooled down, cut into pieces and put down, the Theradrones stuck together and took them. Beom was surprisingly interested, so he gave it to him, and he ate it very well. ¡°Shall I try it too?¡± As soon as he put it in his mouth, the sweetness lingered as if he was eating sweet potato mousse. Yoo Ji-Ha constantly ate the sweet potato with admiration in his eyes. As he filled his stomach, he laid in a place under the breezy world tree, Beom came on top of him. Stroking the soft fur made his eyelids heavy. The two yawned and fell asleep. *** Since dungeons and monsters appeared on the land, food conditions in Korea have been very bad. The prolonged war has greatly reduced the population and prevented food importation from abroad. Most of the mountains were occupied by monsters, and the government had to make every effort to secure farmland. South Korea was not the only country, but most countries were in a similar position. Even some countries in Africa are said to have been filled by monsters. Satellite images show the purple-contaminated land if you take pictures of Africa. Because of the circumstances, securing food for most people was of paramount importance. There used to be no danger of starving to death, but now it¡¯s a reality. Even a few category Class 4 dungeons are opened around government-administered farmland, making food supply difficult. Unsurprisingly, the exceptions were those with money, especially hunters. Because they are the knights and aristocrats who fight monsters on the front lines. Hunters with zero points, such as Yoo Ji-Ha, are not eligible, but hunters who have accumulated performance receive food coupons from the government. He didn¡¯t have to worry about starving if there were any points because coupons came out. This was a government struggle not to lose valuable hunters to other countries. Sunday. Yoo Ji-Ha began to pack some luggage in the morning. Here, luggage refers to fruits and vegetables that are harvested from the garden. It was good to have planted crops in the garden, but the growth rate was enormous. When he went to the garden after a day in reality, he found that all the green onions were grown. The yield was great that it was impossible to handle it alone. Just in time, Jumi decided rather than eating alone, they should play so he to took some with him. ¡®Dimension pocket is really amazing.¡¯ Fruits and vegetables kept going in as if there was another dimension inside. The capacity may not be infinite, but there is still room considering quite a lot of harvests in the garden have been put in. ¡®I left somethings to eat¡­ That¡¯s it.¡¯ As he carried his backpack, Beom jumped on the cover of the backpack and hugged his neck. Now he¡¯s quite big, and he can¡¯t get on top of Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s head. As he walked through the streets on Sunday morning, one large SUV stopped, and the driver took a look. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you Mr. Yoo Ji-Ha?¡± Who was it? Ji-Ha looked up and the driver smiled and said he was a hunter who had previously been appraised with earring artifacts. Come to think of it, his face looks familiar. ¡°Oh, hello.¡± ¡°Where are you going so early in the morning?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to district 5. The residential complex on that side.¡± ¡°The residential complex there? My direction is similar. Get on.¡± There¡¯s no reason to refuse to help. ¡°I¡¯ll owe to you for a second.¡± ¡°Oh my. What are you talking about? If you owed me one, I would have lost. The artifact I¡¯ve appraised before, I¡¯m using it well.¡± The artifact is an earring with an option that gives high resistance in special situations. ¡°Oh, those earrings, they were very pretty.¡± When asked, he stroked his neck as if he were ashamed. ¡°It has great performance, but as guy who¡¯s almost 40, fighting with heart earrings is kind of weird, right? So, I change it into a ring.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Indeed, those cute earrings is an artifact that doesn¡¯t suit on a man. It does not perform just by having it, so they have to wear it, but the eyes of people around you are¡­¡­. Hunternet has a marketplace for such cases. Although Yoo Ji-Ha has never used one, artifacts that are worth billions are often traded. Before long, they arrived at the 5th district¡¯s housing complex. After thanking Hunter for driving him, Yoo Ji-Ha handed over a solar apple. ¡°No, this is precious.¡± His eyes opened wide. He looked like he was asking if he dare eat something like this. Yoo Ji-Ha laughed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t work. Sometimes, there are apples like that¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡± He drove away and Yoo Ji-Ha looked around the housing complex with Beom. Not as much as HyeJin¡¯s mansion, but quite luxurious houses were neatly constructed. SeongHo and Jumi have quite a lot of money, so they can live in these places. Most of the people who live here are Hunters, so he pretended to know them. As he walked in greeting one by one, he arrived at his destination. [SeongHo and Jumi¡¯s Love House] ¡®Uhm¡­.¡¯ It¡¯s burdensome even if it¡¯s not a sign he has seen once or twice. Yoo Ji-Ha laughed thinking how embarrassed SeongHo must have been seeing this. When he pressed the doorbell and went inside, SeongHo, Jumi, and Kyungbaek greeted him. ¡°Oh? You were here, too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up, come on. I want to get breakfast right away. Anyway, is the cat, Beom? It¡¯s giving me a nasty look.¡± Kim Kyungbaek. A man with frivolity reminiscent of a name. In the Happy Hunters Guild, he was in a position of a small brother who cause accidents. His skills are certain, but the downside was that he looks a little perverted. ¡°Oh, you came Ji-Ha.¡± ¡°What did you bring with you, Ji-Ha? The backpack looks full.¡± SeongHo greeted and Jumi showed interest in his backpack. ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised if you know what I¡¯ve brought, noona.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s it, what is it?¡± When he pulled his luggage out of his backpack in the kitchen, he heard some strange news from the TV in the living room. ¡ªBreaking news. A super-sized whale monster appeared on waters near Hawaii. The U.S. authorities have identified it as a new destruction class monster and are working to track it down. Let¡¯s check the data screen. When he saw the screen, he heard the voice of SeongHo and Kyungbaek admiring it. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s really big. Would that be bigger than Leviathan or Chromag?¡± ¡°It can swallow a Chromag in one bite. But Hyung, don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve seen that whale before?¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s you, here.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± SeongHo slapped the back of Kyungbaek¡¯s head to see what he turned on. Pak! There was a loud sound, but Kyungbaek laughed even though he was hit by a warning. ¡°Puhehe!¡± While the two were doing so, Jumi was distracted by seeing the fruits and vegetables that Ji-Ha had taken out of his backpack. ¡°Oh my God, what¡¯s all this? Where did you buy something so big?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it, I got it from a dungeon.¡± ¡°You also found this. How does it taste?¡± ¡°It was sweet and delicious. I thought about selling it at the wholesale center, but I¡¯m just going to give it to you, noona.¡± ¡°Aigoo, what are you talking about?¡± Jumi smiled brightly as she was happy with Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s gift. She is a hunter, and she makes very good money, but surprisingly, such a small gift was appreciated. Well, she is a person who wants to cook and live rather than fight. ¡°Thank you, Ji-Ha.¡± Chuk. When Jumi kissed Yoo Ji-Ha in the cheek, Kyungbaek who witnessed it, made a fuss. ¡°It¡¯s an affair! It¡¯s an affair!¡± ¡°Hey, madman, you¡¯re noisy.¡± He was suppressed by Seongho¡¯s attack on the back of his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it bother you when your wife is kissing another man?¡± ¡°If its Yoo Ji-Ha, why bother? Never mind. Just call SeonYoung and Haeseon. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Haeseon can¡¯t come because he has something to do. SeonYoung won¡¯t just come.¡± ¡°No way. She is just reading a book.¡± Before long, Jumi cut the fruit and sat in the living room with Yoo Ji-Ha. When Kyungbaek saw the yellow apple shell, he made another fuss. ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t this solar apple? A Solar apple! A 10 million won!¡± ¡°Not 10 million won. This doesn¡¯t work, so I just decided to eat it.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing.¡± Except for Yoo Ji-Ha, the three ate the Solar apple and shadow grapes, and marveled at the taste of it. ¡ªThis super-sized whale monster appears to swallow everything, including other monsters and trash. And it¡¯s getting exponentially bigger over time. We can¡¯t help but worry about how much bigger it will be. This was OBS News. Only then did Yoo Ji-Ha recognize the whale monster. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Why¡­ It looks like the worldether who he saved from the beach. Considering what has happened so far, it¡¯s probably the same one. He could see him opening his big mouth and inhaling the garbage of the Pacific Ocean. Yoo Ji-Ha unconsciously cheered for him. Please cleanse our sea, he thought. ¡®But you can¡¯t get sick from eating too much trash.¡¯ It¡¯s a natural god, so what will happen? Yoo Ji-Ha enjoyed a Sunday morning. T/n: Sorry for the late update. Chapter 34 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. T/n: Another extra chapter for pangvang. Unlike KyungBaek, who returned after eating, Yoo Ji-Ha stayed at SeongHo and Jumi¡¯s house until lunchtime. He didn¡¯t want to disturb the lovebirds¡¯ precious weekend, so he tried to get back as soon as possible, but Jumi caught him so he couldn¡¯t help it. SeongHo stopped her. ¡°Leave Ji-Ha to rest. Men need some alone time.¡± Jumi rolled her eyes at her husband, but thought it was not wrong, so she let go of Ji-Ha. But when he managed to get out of the lioness¡¯s arms, the laziest sloth in the world called. ¡ªYeah, Ji-Ha-ya, I found an incomprehensible texts you asked for. ¡°Oh, really? Send me some pictures.¡± Ji-Ha bid farewell to SeongHo and his wife, and went back to the store to checked the picture that SeonYeong sent. The sentence that no one could interpret appeared to be runes in Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s eyes. [Tracking. We will find their traces.] ¡®¡­What is this?¡¯ What a vague runeword. He focused on the word to figure out what it meant, but nothing came to mind. SeonYeong asked him what it is. ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t have much meaning, does it? ¡°Um, find traces¡­ I don¡¯t know what this sentence is.¡± ¡ªThen it looks like there¡¯s nothing much. Oh, you know last time. When you wrote a charm to let me buy the Black Lion Knight¡¯s journal, it must have really worked. ¡°Oh, you succeeded in finding it?¡± ¡°Of course, I did. But I don¡¯t know if I was unlucky that day, but I bumped and fell here and there. It was no joke. Ho, ho, ho~¡± ¡°You are strong.¡± ¡ªHeuk-heuk, Think I¡¯m still a fragile woman. oh yes. Who¡¯s punching through the door? Ji-Ha was able to deduce a hypothesis from her conversation with SeonYeong. The scroll of creation requires a price. Would it be fair to say that in exchange for granting her wish to obtain the journal of the Knights of the Black Lion, it gave her the misfortune of bumping and falling? ¡®No matter how clumsy SeonYoung noona is, she doesn¡¯t keep falling.¡¯ Since it is a small wish, it seemed to be interpreted as a small misfortune. ¡°Anyway, thank you, noona.¡± ¡ªYeah, next time, you have to write that amulet again for me, okay? ¡°Okay.¡± After the phone call with SeonYoung, Ji-Ha went to the studio and took out an ink bottle. ¡®Tracing¡­ should be part of the change, right?¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like harmony or creation. A new scroll was completed by soaking the feathered pen in the green ink and writing the runewords in the Infinite Magic book. [Scroll of Change: Find traces of life.] This is a very interesting runeword. ¡®It would be nice to use it in the jungle.¡¯ In dungeons, terrain such as jungles and swamps often appear. Monsters that have adapted to such shady places often ambush and attack the hunters. Examples includes the Green Serpent, which shows off its amazing concealment ability, and the Water tumbleweed1A kind of catfish, which sinks in a swamp and then lands attacks in between. Of course, there are some hunters with similar characteristics, but it would be very convenient if you could replace them with one scroll. ¡®The problem is that there isn¡¯t much ink.¡¯ Not even half a bottle of ink was left by scraping the wholesale center. It would be nice to be able to grow herbs, but it was still difficult. ¡®Anyway, the new runewords is a good thing.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha stretched out. Of course, it was fun to eat and talk with Seongho¡¯s couple, but again, men need their own space and time. He was about to do a perfect dive until tomorrow. If someone comes to the store, Hummingbell will notify him, so he can relax. He packed his stuff in his backpack and put various seasonings in it. ¡®I am going to make sweet potato soup and eat it.¡¯ After cleaning the single compartment room, he put Beom on his stomach and closed his eyes. Consciousness quickly fading. *** ¡°Hmm.¡± A slender hand rummaged through the old books and separated a single piece of paper. Beom and Theradrone Knight stared at the map spread on the floor. The map of Gehenna Continent. Unfortunately, half of it was torn. Yoo Ji-Ha found this map while reading a new ancient book. It was frustrating because there was only partial map of each region, but he also felt relieved. ¡®It¡¯s a little wreck, but it is what it is.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha gaze looked through the Gemark Empire located in the center and the Kingdom of Estram at the southern end of it. Down there should have something, but it was torn. ¡°I think I can finish this map by moving you guys around.¡± The Knight was startled by Ji-Ha¡¯s conversation, so he hid behind Beom¡¯s front paw. He¡¯s big, so he can see everything, but he doesn¡¯t seem to know it have grown. Yoo Ji-Ha grabbed him and put it on the palm of his hand. ¡°You guys can go out of the garden, right? You went to the Estram Palace and the dungeon.¡± The Knight couldn¡¯t turn his gaze away from Ji-Ha and nodded. ¡°So, you mean you can go to the southern part of here too? It¡¯s a place you can¡¯t see here.¡± It can appear in the royal palace of Estram or in Mt. Jiri. It means that there is no limit to the range of Theradrone¡¯s activities. The reason Ji-Ha suddenly became interested in maps was one for reason. He wanted to find out where each dungeon that appears on Earth is. For example, the previously entered polar dungeon must be located in the northern part of the continent of Gehenna. It can be assumed that the Elder Lich who polluted Mt. Jiri was stationed in the southern part of the Estram Palace He thought that if he can record it one by one, he could know where it was when the dungeon appears later. ¡®If I know where you are, I might be able to help you.¡¯ Hunters enter the dungeon, receive quests, and fight monsters. Yoo Ji-Ha can help them by consuming essence in the garden. The insufficient essence can be supplemented by writing a strategy in the infinite magic book. Well, he thought it would be a virtuous cycle. But Yoo Ji-Ha didn¡¯t really come up with anything important. The knight sat on the floor, picked up a branch with tongs, and drew a picture of a jewel. ¡°Ah¡­¡± So, they need an ether stone. After all, there is no way that a technology similar to dimensional movement is free. It is highly probable that the World Tree was helping. Ji-Ha rummaged through the pockets of his backpack and pulled out the ether Stone he had. ¡°There are 19, how many places can I go with this?¡± The knight looked at the ether stone and drew three lines on the floor. He also drew a circle in the continental map. That means it can travel this distance three times. Of course, the size of the corps will vary depending on the size of the ether stone. ¡®Wait, I think it¡¯s going to work.¡¯ The Theradrone corps are sent all over the continent to fight monsters and take the ether stone. With the Ether Stones obtained in that way, more legions were sent in, and a map can be drawn up. The essence is secured by writing the strategy, a by-product of battle, in the Infinite Magic Book. The essence assists Theradrone Knights and Hunters¡­¡­. ¡®Is this possible?¡¯¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha scratched his head. Theoretically, it might work, but unless he actually tries it, he doesn¡¯t know. ¡®It would be nice if Beom could help.¡¯ Unfortunately, he had no interest in the world outside the garden. Eating, sleeping, and playing were everything in life, but it¡¯s cute, so he leaves it alone. Yoo Ji-Ha decided to send the Theradrones to one place on a trial basis. ¡®A place where the topography is well exposed¡­ here.¡¯ The forest south of Estram¡¯s palace. On the map, there is a huge river crossing, and if Theradrone can get there, he will see a river. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha tapped piece of the map with a branch. ¡°Can you send troops here? You can only send a few. I¡¯m just checking to see if you can go.¡± Knight showed a positive intention, summoned his men, took the necessary ether stone, and went into the hole in the ground. After a while, three of them, including Knight, went out of the garden, the fog disappeared, and a new landscape appeared. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± It is a real river. Three theradrones crossed the forest and encountered a river. Fortunately, the surrounding area has not been contaminated yet. Yoo Ji-Ha roughly drawn the surrounding terrain in the Infinite Magic Book and wrote descriptions. ¡®The south side of Estram¡¯s palace¡­ Seeing that the river is steep, it must have been here.¡¯ There is no guarantee that the map will be accurate, but it is better to trust and use it for now. While he was writing various information, the Theradrone Knight suddenly spread its carapace and wings. However, when he looked at it, he could see traces of a fierce battle. Two wagons had been smashed, and a nearby tree had fallen. A bone that looked like a horse was half buried in the ground. Theradrone Knight found a weapon nearby and showed it to Ji-Ha. ¡°Is that a bear?¡± It was too small to see properly. When he looked closely, he saw a sword about the thickness of a hair. Of course, the deer also looks very small, but the sword is harder to see. ¡°Would you turn the carriage upside down?¡± A Theradrone flipped the carriage around and found a pattern and showed it to him. A single flower bud is a symbol of the Estram royal family. Which means that royal family was riding in the carriage. No body or bones were found, it looks like they¡¯ve crossed the river. ¡°This is fun.¡± Sitting in the garden and exploring the continent of Gehenna was very interesting. On the contrary, it would be so much fun if he had been there himself. After instructing the Theradrones to return, Yoo Ji-Ha was lost in thoughts. ¡®What should I do first¡­¡­¡¯ Is to secure the Ether Stone. Theradrone corps requires a significant amount of Ether Stone to move. ¡®I can supply the Essence on my own. But the Ether Stone has to be saved by them.¡¯ Where? From the monsters. But right now, it was a little hard to move. ¡®I don¡¯t think these Theradrones are ready yet.¡¯ He can¡¯t send these busy guys to the battlefield to fight. Just by looking at the Knights that keep avoiding his gaze shows that they aren¡¯t ready. ¡®I¡¯m sure they must be moving here and there under the direction of the World Tree.¡¯ Appearing in the dungeon of the outer giant and helping the hunters is one example. ¡°Let¡¯s wait.¡± *** That night. Yoo Ji-Ha, cut and planted a branch of the World Tree in the empty lot behind the store. It was not done because he was asked by someone, but he was curious about what would happen. Just like when he planted a branch when he first entered the garden, what will happen if he plants it on the earth? ¡®¡­maybe the World Tree will not hate me.¡¯ It even helped him to easily access them when approaching to pick a branch, so he didn¡¯t think so. When the bottom of the vacant lot was dug up with a shovel and the branch was planted, and a soft golden brilliance spread out. ¡°Wow.¡± Together with Beom, he stepped back a little and admired the newly grown World Tree. The small branch changed to a fairly tree-like appearance in the blink of an eye. The stale air around him disappeared and the refreshing scent of the forest gently wrapped Yoo Ji-Ha and Beom. It was the promise of the World Tree to protect him just like in the garden. Soon after, the ether wave spread widely. It was not the wave of negativity that Beom had before, but a wave of very soft positivity. On that day, no dungeons were open, allowing millions of Seoul citizen a comfortable night¡¯s sleep, No one knew why. T/n: Hi everyone! Someone asked about the animals or monsters that was mentioned here. Should I put some links so that you can imagine it better? Chapter 35 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. A new dungeon appeared in Seoul. It was not like the harsh nature of a polar or an underground, but a royal palace that was a trace of civilization. Although ruins and temples often appeared, such a huge structure had not been seen in a long time. The quest was also special, so the Hunter Committee assigned a guild to this dungeon. A total of five people entered the dungeon by reinforcing a certain dealer. ¡°HyeJin, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while. Nice to meet you.¡± Seo HyeJin and the people of the Happy Hunters guild exchanged greetings. He did not see the frivolous man from before, and instead, a scrawny hunter introduced himself as HaeSeon. She though that this person would result if we subtracted the softness from Yoo Ji-Ha and added strictness. ¡°I think we need to get some information before entering the dungeon. HyeJin, do you know anything about this royal palace? If it¡¯s possible, do a briefing.¡± The reason SeongHo, the leader, asked HyeJin is that she has the highest ranking. ¡°No, I have no idea. I think SeongHo should do it.¡± HyeJin made it clear that she would respect SeongHo. In the case of the leaders, they often were the subject of quarrels because they benefited from distribution even by a little. This is especially the case when two groups come to be cooperative. Fortunately, the happy hunters and HyeJin were not so bright in their profits. SeongHo asked SeonYoung, a bookworm. ¡°You¡¯ve read a lot of books, haven¡¯t you? Where in Estram is here?¡± ¡°Um¡­ I think it¡¯s a royal palace, but I don¡¯t know the details. Yoo Ji-Ha knows this very well.¡± ¡°Really? Then, go and visit for a while and get some information. Don¡¯t even think about bringing the child.¡± SeonYoung was surprised, ¡®How did you know?¡¯ ¡°I have a car, so I can go and comeback soon.¡± HyeJin suggested, and SeonYoung got into her car and started chattering. ¡°We have to know the inside of the palace to search.¡± ¡°Does Ji-Ha know any such information?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything else, but he¡¯s superior to me in the details of each country.¡± Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s someone who only reads books every day. But as her class is a paper magician, she thinks SeonYoung, who is known as a book ghost among hunters, would know more things. When she looked at her with that expression on her face, she said, ¡°Hehe,¡± and laughed. ¡°Because I am focused on the character. I recently just found a journal of a knighthood. It is awesome.¡± After talking about various things, they arrived at the general store. The sight of Yoo Ji-Ha wearing glasses, sitting on a chair, and appraising the artifacts of the hunters was nothing short of a normal day. But Beom was nowhere to be seen. Did he go somewhere? ¡°You¡¯re HyeJin, aren¡¯t you? What¡¯s brings you to this place?¡± ¡°I stopped by because I had some business to do.¡± HyeJin smiled slightly and answered the hunters who greeted her. It would have been unimaginable for her before. ¡°You seem to have an urgent business, so we¡¯ll make some concessions!¡± When someone shouted that, the hunters gave up their turns to HyeJin and SeonYoung. Hunters yielding concessions is a rare sight that can only be seen at this general store. The owner used to say that he couldn¡¯t show his greed because he was a little clumsy. SeonYoung put her butt on the table. ¡°Where did the Beom go? I can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°He went out to play.¡± ¡°If a cat goes out to play, it may not come back.¡± ¡°Beom is no ordinary cat. He¡¯ll come back.¡± In fact, Beom is in the garden. Unlike usual, he didn¡¯t follow Ji-Ha and just slept, so he came out by himself. Ji-Ha wondered if something was wrong, but he ate well and played well. HyeJin explained why they came here. ¡°Ah, you came to find out what the structure of Estram¡¯s palace is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually a secret, but just in case.¡± It is even more strange if the interior of the royal palace, which is the key facility of the state, is widely known. But in the world, there is such a thing as spy¡¯s report. ¡°Um¡­ the book is somewhere else right now¡­ Hold on. I can sketch it out.¡± Ji-Ha brought a paper and drew a picture on the spot. A very detailed picture was drawn as the good writing skills also affect drawing skill. SeonYoung was startled and pointed her finger at the rock above the valley. ¡°You haven¡¯t been to this dungeon, have you? How did you know this valley and rock?¡± ¡°¡­I just know.¡± HyeJin was also surprised by the detail. Can he be this accurate if he hasn¡¯t seen it in person? Inside the dungeon, the landscape that was looked into and confirmed was drawn on paper. Yoo Ji-Ha suddenly started to sweat. ¡®The Theradrones fought with the Rich. That¡¯s why¡­¡¯ The memory of that time he moved rock for them was vanish in the picture. ¡°Usually, there are a lot of compositions like this in the illustrations.¡± As they looked around, the two of them thought it was so, and concentrated on the drawing. SeonYoung was impressed by the structure inside the palace. ¡°How do you draw something like this just from memory? Aren¡¯t you drawing roughly?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you go there yourself, but it will be almost the same. Noona, don¡¯t you believe me?¡± In fact, a spy¡¯s report didn¡¯t go into so much detail. He only vividly remembered the memories of the theradrones walking and destroying the inside of the palace. ¡°Huh? Of course, I believe you. It¡¯s just it¡¯s almost the same as if you¡¯ve been there yourself. Right HyeJin?¡± Hyejin was also surprised. The composition inside the dungeon was so detailed inside of the palace. How did he know that there was a bathroom next to the large bedroom? Is such a thing also illustrated? Anyway, a great structure map of the royal palace was completed. SeonYoung smiled and hugged the paper. ¡°Thank you, Ji-Ha. I¡¯m thinking of giving you a kiss in return, how about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not payback, it¡¯s a retaliation.¡± ¡°This! I¡¯m a woman too!¡± HyeJin smiled softly at the joke between the two. The two left and the daily life in the general store continued again. *** A search team with HyeJin added to the Happy Hunters Guild entered the dungeon. Everyone was surprised that Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s picture fits perfectly. Jumi was interested in Ji-Ha¡¯s drawing, saying it was so pretty, and SeongHo, admired how the structure could fit like this when he¡¯d never been there. Kang HaeSeon took the lead and opened the door. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ji-Ha meticulous, unlike SeonYoung?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I am meticulous.¡± SeonYoung pouted her lips, but no one believes it because everyone has had the experience of rescuing her once. The traces of the battle are evident inside the palace. SeongHo scan the broken wall. ¡°It seems like a big guy broke through.¡± ¡°Yes. The entrance is narrow, so it seems like they just went through it. Is it the least disaster level monster?¡± In fact, it was Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s Theradrone Corps that broke down here and there, but they did not know. The party searched the inside of the palace and was able to reach the underground waterways. They look for treasures, but there was nothing left as if they had been thoroughly looted. The waterway went through the forest in the south of ??the Tales River. Traces of fierce battle including broken wagons, fallen wooden posts, etc. greeted them. Everyone looked around with serious expressions on their faces, but HyeJin looked down. ¡°¡­these footprints, no, it looks like an insect stepped on it¡­ Does such a large insect exist?¡± HaeSeon came near, saw the traces, and stroked his chin. ¡°If we look at the gait, is it a Theradrone that appeared in Mt. Jiri?¡± ¡°But why did he appear here? That mythical monster.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it has to do with this mess.¡± Could it be that the royal family was kidnapped and taken away? However, they were friendly to humans, such as purifying Mt. Jiri and helping the Eternal Flame Guild. After analyzing the surroundings, the party discovered that the trail continued beyond the Tales River. They easily crossed the river when everyone was working together, and finally passed through the forest to find a plain and a high mountain. SeonYoung pretended to know. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they ran over the Tales river to Mt. Apeto.¡± ¡°Is that Mt. Apeto?¡± ¡°Yeah. Even if it looks like that, it is very steep because the mountain ranges are connected to the back. There will be a lot of monsters.¡± ¡°If there are too many monsters, we can¡¯t afford it with this number.¡± SeongHo could not give the order to go further. Because he knew that the search should be over at the royal palace in the first place. He thought he would find something, whether it¡¯s a body or a skeleton, but he didn¡¯t now where it would lead to. He came to a conclusion. ¡°We will search the foot of the mountain and withdraw once the trail leads to the mountain. We have HyeJin but when I think of the monsters that will come out of that rugged mountain, it¡¯s probably¡­¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his words, but everyone understood his concerns. HyeJin is a single number hunter, but it is too dangerous. She agreed, and Jumi said sadly. ¡°The poor people must have been dragged away by the monsters.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to think that way, because we don¡¯t know who they are.¡± ¡°Oh, but if we go to the mountains and meet them, is it our first time meeting them, right?¡± When SeonYoung said that, everyone made complicated expressions. The people of Gehenna that they saw in the illustrations looked not much different from the Earthlings, but what are they like in reality? SeongHo corrected himself to be the alien, not them, and moved on. Mt. Apeto is not far away. *** Beom is curled up in the garden and got up. He has saved up enough energy and it¡¯s finally time to act. When he gave his body strength, what appeared was not the snow leopard baby, Beom, but the greatest god¡¯s tooth, Arctus. ¡ªShut it off. He stretched in place and ran lightly. He crossed over the garden and dimension in an instant and arrived at the continent of Gehenna. He was so large that his head touched the clouds. ¡ªI need to find him. That bastard who dared defy the will of the World Tree and is still fighting. One of the reasons Arctus quietly stocked up on his strength in the garden was to bring him back. Originally, he was going to act earlier, but got lazy because he liked living with the human chosen by the World Tree. Arctus¡¯ head went down and looked straight at the monsters that were swarming the mountain. ¡ªYou said you needed an ether stone. He has been treated well so far, so should he give him a present? His front paw struck Mt. Apeto. It shook as if there was an earthquake in the mountain, and about 100 monsters were annihilated by the shock wave. As if waiting for that, the Theradrone Corps appeared and retrieved the ether Stone and Essence. ¡ªTake it to your master, servant of the World Tree. Theradrone Knight delivered a message to Arctus. It is asking what he¡¯ll do. ¡ªI will go back too. I¡¯ll take a shit dog with me. The knight with a peace of mind and commanded his men returned to the garden. And Arctus gave strength to his legs and leaped to the great plains. woohoo! The whole of Mt. Apeto shook, and SeongHo and his party who arrived at the foot of mountain were startled. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°The mountain is shaking! Get down!¡± ¡°Look at that!¡± As HyeJin pointed to the sky, everyone¡¯s eyes gathered in one place. Its movements were so overwhelming that it was impossible to catch them at all. Big. It¡¯s too big. There was an illusion as if the whole mountain were moving. As the gray walls vanished with the air, a great storm broke out. The group stared blankly at the sky, speechless. Whoops! A huge aftershock of great momentum struck. ¡°What just passed by?¡± ¡°Mom, isn¡¯t that a monster?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that extinction-level monsters were that big¡­¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, the search will be difficult in the current state. Let¡¯s go back¡­.¡± SeongHo looked around and a message popped up saying the quest was complete. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± SeonYoung muttered in despair. That evening, HyeJin told Yoo Ji-Ha what had happened during the day. The traces of someone who escaped from the royal palace continued all the way to Mt. Apeto. And they met a great being on Mount Apeto. She said that it looked like a gray animal and couldn¡¯t hide her uneasy feelings. ¡®Beom didn¡¯t come today, but¡­¡¯ He hurriedly went back to the garden after eating. Instead of Beom, hundreds of ether stones and essences greeted him. Suddenly, the garden became lonely. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you, so come back.¡± Ji-Ha was worried he would go somewhere and get beaten up. Chapter 36 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. Great Plains of Calia. A vast land where the blood of many races flowed during the Great War. A long time has passed since then, but the horrors of the war have not disappeared. A natural god in the form of a wolf who is called the most faithful servant of the great god slaughtered numerous monsters in the great war. Growler1 . The growler was there. His arrogant head, which seemed to pierce the sky, drooped. His thick gray fur was stained with blood. Its size has become terribly small, and its combat power has plummeted, making it difficult to defeat even a disaster-grade monster. Yet he still fought. From the Great War to the present as if he was possessed. He doesn¡¯t know who or what makes him fight. However, it was clear that the monsters were treating him as a plaything. A really powerful monster of extinction grade didn¡¯t even show a nose. Perhaps they judged that the erosion of the Gehenna continent was more urgent. Nonetheless. Growler, the faithful servant of the God, was still living today fighting monsters. Its existence was immortal, so there was no death. If you fall, get up, if you get hurt, recover. Nevertheless, the odds of winning did not seem high. Monsters flocked from somewhere on the Great Plains. Arctus, who appeared through the clouds, glared at him from a distance. ¡ªYou¡¯re pathetic. Growler, who was sitting there, cast a glare at him. Blood dripped from his forehead, covering one eye. ¡ªI was wondering who it was. You¡¯re in a perfect situation. Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re fallen with the world tree¡¯s candy, huh? ¡ªI don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so twisted, Growler. ¡ªIt is you who are twisted. Don¡¯t get me wrong Arctus decided to surrender the fight with Growler. It¡¯s natural for that guy to growl in the first place. ¡ªSo, have you had any success? ¡ªAs you can see, it¡¯s bad. I don¡¯t know where these damn monsters are popping up. ¡ªYou know that well, don¡¯t you? As long as the source is not eliminated, the monsters will continue to appear. ¡ªYeah, the reason you came here must be to work with me to destroy the source, God¡¯s Tooth, huh? Isn¡¯t it? ¡ªNo. I¡¯m here to take you. Growler tilted his head slightly. It is a habit seen in canines, but in this case, the connection is the opposite. Canines inherited the habit from Growler. ¡ªTake me? Where do you mean?? ¡ªTo the Garden of the World Tree, where there is a worker who will heal you and help you build up your strength. To me now, he¡¯s my owner. ¡ªHeh heh¡­ Great God¡¯s Tooth. You, the cat, who slaughtered tens of thousands of monsters and eventually fell into the World Tree¡¯s trick! Now you¡¯re trying to seduce me. ¡ªDon¡¯t call me a cat, mutt. ¡ªWhatever I call you, it doesn¡¯t change that you¡¯re a cat. If you don¡¯t want to hear it, stop licking your front paws. Actus, who was actually licking his front paw, was startled and lowered his foot. ¡ªWhat am I supposed to do when I¡¯m born like this? ¡ªRight. So, fate cannot be avoided. In my case, it must have been my destiny to fight with monsters. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. Arctus felt there was no point in arguing with this exhausted mutt, so he decided to get to the point. ¡ªIt¡¯s noisy and you should go to the garden with me. There is a master who accepts even a defeated mutt. ¡ªThe guy who works in the garden of the World Tree¡­ He must be strong, ambitious, and runs in a straight line to achieve his goal, isn¡¯t he? ¡ªNo. The man I¡¯ve seen is a fool, good-natured, even the most indecisive human I¡¯ve ever seen. It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t have combat skills, and he likes books. ¡ªWhat? Growler was taken aback by the absurd remark. Did the world tree choose such a human being? ¡ªI don¡¯t understand. Why a human being like that? ¡ªBecause he is such a human being, he was chosen by the World Tree. Why not check it yourself why? ¡ªIt¡¯s useless. But there was a hint of curiosity in Growler¡¯s eyes. If you push it a little more, he¡¯ll try to find that person. Then a high-pitched cry was heard in the distance. It was a bizarre sound that no living thing could possibly make. Growler growled, raising his hair, and Arctus said dejectedly. ¡ªIt seems to have noticed my existence. It¡¯ll be here in a little while¡­ If you don¡¯t want to go, it can¡¯t be help. I have no choice but to go back on my own. As Arctus turned and posed for a leap forward, Growler stopped him. ¡ªHold on. ¡ªWhat? We have no time. A sarcastic tone of speech is definitely an act. Growler didn¡¯t care and climbed on Arctus¡¯ back. ¡ªI want to see that person. If I don¡¯t like him, I¡¯ll run away so guide me. ¡ªDoes it make sense to go in and out of the garden of the World Tree at will? ¡ªWhat do you know about the area of ??that fuzzy tree? Just guide me. ¡ªI can¡¯t help it. When Arctus stomped, the dimension approached in an instant, and the two disappeared. All that was left of the great plains was the remnants of a fierce battle. *** ¡°Ummm¡­.¡± When he saw Beom and a puppy suddenly appearing, Ji-Ha was puzzled. [Growler]2 Where did he come from? Maybe it was Beom who brought it. He resembled a wolf, and his eyes were quite fierce. He¡¯s pretty cute because the snout is blunt, and the body is round. ¡°Did Beom bring him here?¡± When asked, Beom licked his front paws eagerly. He is saying that since he brought him here, so Ji-Ha should take care of them. Yoo Ji-Ha opened up an ancient book and looked for a similar natural god. ¡®Similar to the growler¡­ It says it look like a wolf.¡¯ Is this puppy also a natural god? ¡°Come here, come here.¡± He called him, but he didn¡¯t budge. He just threw a sullen look, as if he was calling from somewhere. ¡®Is there something you don¡¯t like?¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha wanted to take care of him. Its small body was covered in blood and dirt, and it looked as if it were severely exhausted. Nevertheless, the look in his eyes that was wary of him did not change. The distance between them is about 10m. There is no way to close the distance because as he approaches it, it steps back. Ji-Ha gave up trying to approach him. If he forces him to do it, he will only get half of it. ¡®I wonder if I can catch it.¡¯ Instead, he worked as usual. He took care of the garden and planted the seeds brought by the Theradrones. He brought a clumsy ladder he made and began to harvest high-hanging sun apples. Beom sent a doctor to Growler. ¡ªWhat do you think? This place is in the niche of two dimensions. Peaceful and prosperous. ¡ªI was wondering what you were doing with the world tree, and you were playing house. ¡ªThe World Tree decided that the play was necessary now. ¡ªIf that¡¯s the case, it should have done something a little nicer. What could that idiot do? ¡ªBut he¡¯s nice and knows how to share with others. ¡ªIf you explain a clear plan, anyone can do it. ¡ªIs it Really? You probably don¡¯t even know how those who contracted with us behaved. ¡ª¡­.. Growler lowered his head to the floor at that point. It was really depressing. The World Tree generously imparts its power to others. But those who received power tried to use that power for their own sake. It was good up to there. In the end, they recognized that it was a gateway that they had to go through in order to achieve their final goal. However, the World Tree and the Immortals witnessed how ugly the human race could become for power. Beom jumped onto the back of Yoo Ji-Ha. Seeing the two happy, Growler recalled the past. Is his contractor in the womb of WorldEater by now? ¡ªYou look happy, cat. ¡ªSo, you too should relax, because this is the dimension the World Tree has prepared for us. ¡ªIs it okay to play here and accumulate power and attack monsters? ¡ªNo, that¡¯s for later. Also, we don¡¯t have to step in, and my master will take care of everything. ¡ªIt¡¯s not that human, it¡¯s the meaning of the world tree. ¡ªIt¡¯s the same. Because my master is like a tree in a way. So far, he has a good understanding of the meaning of the world tree. ¡ªThat¡¯s ridiculous. Doesn¡¯t that mean he don¡¯t have any desires? That¡¯s why he¡¯s amazing. So, what kind of great work is he going to do? ¡ªI keep telling you the same words, that¡¯s why he was chosen by the World tree. Growler shut his mouth and looked at Yoo Ji-Ha. The action is clumsy and slow. But it was fun to see him work. He seemed to be immersed in his hobbies rather than his work. When the Theradrons asked for something, he helped as if it were their own work, and they played around with Arctus. As he sat under the pillar of the World Tree and opened the book, he overlapped with someone. Supreme god arc. He is the true god who planted the world tree and the father of all immortals. ¡ªNonsense. Growler shook his head to shake off his thoughts. It is absurd that the supreme god and that idiot are alike. Are the images simply similar? In any case, it was undoubtedly true that there was peace in this garden. It would be natural as it is a space created by the World Tree, but it was clear that that human was also acting naturally without going against it. ¡ªNo greed¡­¡­ He wonders if such a human would be able to follow the dream of the world tree. If used wisely, he will have tremendous power, but will he be able to reject such a desire? ¡ªI¡¯ll watch over you. Growler got up and took a step. Yoo Ji-Ha did not overreact to such a guy and just watched. ¡®It¡¯s not good to provoke a vigilant puppy.¡¯ If he behaves normally, he¡¯ll loosen his guard and show interest¡­ Well, that¡¯s what he thought. Surely this puppy can¡¯t stand his curiosity about people, so he¡¯s sneaking closer. Yoo Ji-Ha reached out and lightly touched the tip of his nose. Thump thump. The puppy smelled him. Then he suddenly jumped at him. ¡°So cute.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha grabbed the guy¡¯s body and lifted him up into the sky. His eyes are still fierce, but its struggle is just cute. If he could give this guy a name, what would it be? ¡°It¡¯s similar to a wolf or a dog¡­ Okay, let¡¯s go with Daeng.¡± Wolf = Dog = Puppy = Mongmong-i3Childish name for puppy = DaengDaeng-i4Childish name doggy = Daeng is a great name that came out of it in an instant. Beom, who had come down from his back, walked around and chattered. ¡ªHello, Daeng. My name is beom. ¡ªShut up. Daeng struggled in Ji-Ha¡¯s hands. He let go of him and hurriedly threw a vine ball he had made to play with him. ¡ªHey, hey! Driven by his instincts, Daeng chased the ball, and Beom behind him sarcastically said. ¡ªEven if you pretend you don¡¯t like it, your body is honest. Isn¡¯t it? ¡ªShut up, cat. The garden became lively as Daeng ran around. Apparently, the cat, Beom, didn¡¯t move that much. However, Daeng go around Ji-Ha with excitement and come at it again and again. Whenever that happened, the joyful laughter of Yoo Ji-Ha spread through the garden. The World Tree looked down on them with a golden glow. *** After Daeng arrived, the general store became livelier. There were many customers who liked Daeng who wags his tail at anyone rather than the rude Beom. He¡¯s a medium size, not a very small cub and in personality. Hunters looking at the general stores liked Daeng, saying it looked like a Siberian Husky. Thanks to this, he was able to eat a lot of delicious things from customers. Beom¡¯s sarcasm is a bonus. ¡ªOh my gosh, it is truly deplorable that the immortal who tore and killed countless monsters is flattering at mere humans. ¡ªWhere the hell did you learn that way of speaking? ¡ªHe appeared often on TV. It was clear that the two of them became the mascots of the general store, whatever their feelings are. The owner is also kind and nice. The price is less expensive than nearby franchises, and the quality is excellent. The only downside was that if you didn¡¯t go in the morning, you couldn¡¯t buy anything. Before the afternoon, everything is sold out, and in that case, there was nothing, so Ji-Ha often consulted hunters and talked. It easily became a social venue, but the general store was too small. If one or two people enter, with Yoo Ji-Ha, Beom, and Daeng, it will fill up and there is nothing you can do no matter what you try. ¡®Should I expand the store?¡¯ Although the store was passed down to him by his parents, it is meaningful to continue doing business, but he did not have much attachment to the building itself. While thinking about expanding, Yoo Ji-Ha entered the garden with two pets. But it¡¯s weird today. Aren¡¯t these two guys pulling the hem of his pants? Passing through the cave and going to the beach, he saw rainbow-colored stone that caught his eye. ¡®Soul Stone¡­?¡¯ It¡¯s a grand name, but does it contain a real soul? When he lifted it up and sniffed it, it smelled surprisingly good. Where the hell did it come from? ¡®I can make candles out of it because it smells good.¡¯ In order to feel a good scent for a longtime, incense candles are the best. However, there is a possibility that there is a real soul in it, so he decided to watch it for the time being. Yoo Ji-Ha grunted and moved the stone into the garden. Chapter 37 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. Not long ago, he saved a whale called WorldEater. A natural god who grew up to be huge and he displayed an appetite to eat anything. ¡®If your name is WorldEater, it means you can eat up a whole world, right?¡¯ And the souls of countless living creatures¡­¡­ Yoo Ji-Ha left the soul stone in the room and was in distress. He wondered if this rainbow-colored stone had a real soul. If so, it should never be used for nonsense. ¡®To use the souls of living things as incense candles, it¡¯s impossible.¡¯ If there was an explanation, there would be no reason to worry. Thump thump. Anyway, it smells really good. It is said that the incense that whales spit out has a very terrible smell. If melted a little bit, it can be used as a scented candle. Among the miscellaneous items from the dungeon, candles sell quite expensively. Unlike mass-produced candles, they are made from real animal oil and have various shapes. Instead, it has a disadvantage that it smells when lit, but it can be said that there is no problem since it is for ornamental use anyway. While Ji-Ha was thinking about this, Beom and Daeng were talking about different things. ¡ªThat doesn¡¯t really have a soul in it, does it? ¡ªOf course not. It¡¯s from the whale¡¯s belly, that¡¯s just a medium. ¡ªWhat medium? ¡ªA medium that connects the countless souls that the whale has eaten. In some way, if you process that and let someone inhale it, they will be able to see the memories. Daeng¡¯s forehead, which was wrinkled from always making an expression, narrowed. ¡ªWhat does that mean? ¡ªThink about it, you big piece of shit. No soul can connect like that. What the World Tree intends is to connect Gehenna¡¯s power with those on Earth here. Like when the dead pass on his powers to the living? That would be it. ¡ªEven if the dead will do it well. If it¡¯d me, I¡¯d have an upset stomach¡­¡­ ¡ªThat¡¯s why you¡¯re a mutt. It¡¯s not a matter of doing or not doing it because it¡¯s about sharing memories. ¡ªIf you call me a mutt one more time, I¡¯ll call you a shit cat. ¡ªShit dogs and shit cats. It¡¯s clear who¡¯s doing more damage. A lot of dogs actually eat poop, but cats don¡¯t. After saying that, Beom climbed up on top of the drawers, put his front paw on the Soul Stone, and cried softly. ¡°Huh? Why? Is there a problem?¡± As Yoo Ji-Ha gently touched Beom, Beom was busy biting and chewing the Soul Stone while enjoying it. ¡°Oh no, this is very important.¡± Ji-Ha, who was trying to push him down, realized something. Beom looks like a snow leopard cub, but he is actually a natural god who knows a lot. If so, does that mean that this Soul Stone has no real soul? ¡°¡­There¡¯s no soul in this?¡± Wow. Beom cried out loud in a positive way and treated the soul stone as poop. When he pretended to cover the stone with sand with his hind feet, Yoo Ji-Ha laughed. ¡°Aha, so it doesn¡¯t have a soul. Alright.¡± He seems to have understood somehow. When Yoo Ji-Ha moved the soul stone to the studio, Daeng, who was sitting under the bed, delivered a message to Beom. ¡ªThe world tree is really stupid. Why didn¡¯t it write an explanation? ¡®Soul Stone: There is no soul in it. It acts as a medium that connects the souls swallowed by the WorldEater. You can let them inhale the scent.¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to write something like this? ¡ªSome are written like that, and some aren¡¯t. When the World Tree first recognized this place and borrowed the form of the system, it was on fire, and it had no power, so it¡¯s impossible to do everything perfectly. ¡ªHmm, so is that why the Hunter¡¯s system is incomplete? ¡ªIt¡¯s trying to fix that from now on. Through the owner. ¡ªThere must be an easier way¡­ ¡ªGo outside and take a look around. When Beom pushed Daeng, he got up and went outside despite being annoyed. When he returned, he had an absurd expression on his dog¡¯s face. ¡ªWhat? Why is the world tree here? Tell me that¡¯s not what I think it is. ¡ªThe owner planted it. That World Tree serves to condense the energy of this place, and it will grow very large in the near future. And he himself will become a giant tower and share his power with the Hunters. Instead of doing that, the World Tree left the rest of the little things to its owner. It doesn¡¯t matter if it takes some time. ¡ªThat¡¯s what it was¡­. ¡ªI think the real purpose is different. ¡ªWhat is that? ¡ªDid you feel as if you crossed the dimension? Gehenna and Earth, don¡¯t they seem pretty close together? Think about it carefully. ¡ªSo, what does that mean? Beom did not answer any further and went into the studio and rubbed Ji-Ha¡¯s hand with his body. He was working on making candles. A nice scent wafted through the studio. *** Early morning. Daeng was sitting on the table and chewing on the Pemmican1It actually does exist. that Ji-Ha gave him. Beom, who was sitting on the shelf, saw it and revealed his intentions. ¡ªYou seem to like that preservative formula quite a bit. ¡ªThis human is also surprisingly useful. I wish we could keep making something like this. ¡ªBut you did hear there¡¯s no real meat in there, did you? It¡¯s all seafood. ¡ªWhat do you know? If it¡¯s delicious, that¡¯s fine. ¡ªThat¡¯s true. Dang chewed the Pemmican for a while and then raised his head. ¡ªI¡¯ve been curious about this for a while¡­ There¡¯s a strange guy walking around this store. ¡ªNever mind. These hunters are sent to protect our owner. ¡ªIt¡¯s yours, not our owner. ¡ªLet¡¯s see how long that heart lasts. In any case, it is not a person who harms the owner. ¡ªHeh, he seems to have a good reputation? ¡ªIf the owner is in danger now, some passersby will come running right away. There wouldn¡¯t have been any major problems without me. ¡ªHe¡¯s not even that good, he¡¯s not worth protecting. ¡ªThink as you like. But don¡¯t you think you should do something in this store, too? ¡ªWhat do you mean? ¡ªTake a good look. Beom went out and glanced at the passersby. His target is a hunter, not an ordinary person. A Hunter who seems to have quite a lot of money too. When the subject is identified, gently rub his body before he passes. Then the Hunter is embarrassed but slightly pleased. He is mistaken that the cat is showing him favor. The next step is to move quickly. The hunter brought in by Beom had no intention of doing that, but the story is that he buys something and left¡­ Daeng was shocked to see that. ¡ªSolicitation? To what extent did the immortal created by the Lord fall? ¡ªHey, as long as you stay here, you have to pay for your meals. ¡ªEven if we sell only the things that come out of the garden at a reasonable price, we will still be buying a few buildings!! ¡ªThe owner has no intention of doing that, so we have no choice but to go out. Come on, do something quickly, if you don¡¯t make money, you might end up eating bad food later. ¡ªDamn it. Feed is the most hated food by Beom and Daeng. Usually, they live on meat and seafood that Yoo Ji-Ha buys, so there was no need to put feed in their mouths. Dang looked at the food piled in the corner with a shiver. He wants to throw it out somewhere. ¡ªThere¡¯s nothing I can do. He took on the role of ripping off the wallet by showing aegyo to the guest Beom brought. There are probably not many guests who can blindly refuse a pretty cat and a cute puppy who treats them warmly. When Daeng turned over and showed his stomach, the customer caressed it. Beom said sternly. ¡ªYou don¡¯t have to do that¡­ You corrupted, you bastard. ¡ªShut up. A day at the general store had begun. *** That evening. Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s bedroom was darkened and a candle made by melting the soul stone was lit. TataTak. The wick burned and a good scent was spreading, and Beom and Daeng, who were sitting right next to each other, sniffed. ¡°Oh, it smells good.¡± It felt relaxing. Yoo Ji-Ha did not resist the soft feeling that wrapped around his body and relaxed. There was no wind, but the candles seemed to flicker. Before he could think of anything, his consciousness was sucked into somewhere. When he came to his senses, he was alone in the vast ocean. ¡°Hyuk!¡± His arms and legs were wet by the blue sea water. The sea-scented wind brushed his cheeks. ¡°Oh my god.¡± He was riding on a gigantic being. It was too big to get a full appearance of it. ¡®Did he get on top of a submarine?¡¯ When he thought so, something sprang up. Poooooosh! Only then did Yoo Ji-Ha realize that the WorldEater was the one holding him. ¡°It¡¯s really big¡­¡± He never imagined it would be so big just by looking at the video taken by the aircraft. It felt like a small city was moving. A smile was etched on the corner of his mouth as he became accustomed to it. His usual wish was to travel the sea by boat. It¡¯s impossible because of monsters now, but he decided to give it a try someday. ¡®Thank you¡¯ The moment he thought that, his consciousness flew away again. Yoo Ji-Ha was moved to someone¡¯s studio. Excuse me? He waved his hand and looked around, but he didn¡¯t recognize the basement. There was an old man with a long beard. He took something from the shelf, threw it roughly into a small cauldron, and stirred it slowly. Only then did the surrounding equipment and materials came into view. ¡®This grandfather is an alchemist.¡¯ Perhaps, the Soul Stone uses its scent as a medium to link the memories of a specific person on the continent of Gehenna. ¡®I¡¯m almost certain.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha frantically paid attention to the work of the alchemist. His bold yet delicate hand movements caught his eye. ¡®So that¡¯s how you mix that.¡¯ He thought it was just stirring the powder, but he guessed that¡¯s not it. Depending on the movement of the hands and a little time difference, the material showed a big change. It was the first time he noticed that the concentration of the concentrate in the beaker changes over time. ¡®What I am doing is not alchemy, it was an imitation.¡¯ Even though he had skills, he¡¯s not like this alchemist. Yoo Ji-Ha felt ashamed and immersed himself in the work of grandfather alchemist. Not long after, his consciousness became blurred. Yoo Ji-Ha woke up feeling frustrated. ¡°Ummm¡­¡± He hugged Beom and Daeng. It was kind of scary. After stroking them, when he checked the status window, to his surprise, his alchemy skills went up. ¡®I saw that in my dream and it was added to my alchemy.¡¯ Was the grandfather a master of alchemy? Yoo Ji-Ha looked at the Soul stone, whose color changes every moment. ¡°It¡¯s almost certain that the WorldEater spit it out, so should he call it a whale-given dream? Just like when Yoo Ji-Ha enters the garden in the dream, it allows others to have a similar experience. All of this ultimately makes the hunters stronger. ¡®But what about foreign hunters?¡¯ Everything that Yoo Ji-Ha has done so far may have helped Korean hunters, but not to foreign hunters. How does the World Tree understand that? ¡®¡­I think it¡¯s too big of a subject.¡¯ The number of these Soul Stones is also limited, but if they are distributed to hunters all over the world, they will run out soon. Then maybe, what Yoo Ji-Ha should do is¡­ ¡®Understand the power of the World Tree and prepare it for future use like when Yoo Ji-ha enters the garden of dream, it allows other similar experiences. All of this ultimately makes hunters stronger¡­¡¯ For example, a tutorial. It will be a role of having to go to a tutorial in advance and teach others later. That thought made Yoo Ji-Ha feel at ease. He thought it would be good to test the exact effect with a few people. ¡°Let¡¯s make scented candles.¡± Beom and Daeng were watching him as he got up and went out to the studio. ¡ªYou understand roughly, right? ¡ªMaybe. Chapter 38 Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can¡¯t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment. T/n: This extra chapter is for Mrow! Thank you for supporting the translation. Normal men are not interested in scented candles. Especially the men around Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡®The hyungs won¡¯t like scented candles because they¡¯re unfamiliar with it.¡¯ So, it was decided that the people who would receive the incense candles as a gift were SeonYoung and HyeJin. Jumi isn¡¯t included because he knows she wants a baby. How would she feel if an unfulfilled wish appeared as a dream? ¡®I can¡¯t even use the wish scroll.¡¯ SeonYoung had the book she wanted, but she bumped and fell over and over again as a price. If having a book was like that, he couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of misfortune she had to endure to have a baby. He guesses that¡¯s why mortals aren¡¯t supposed to touch it. Meanwhile, HwaYeon visited the general store. She was surprised to see a puppy like a Siberian Husky panting in front of her. ¡°¡­Where else did you pick it up? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a husky?¡± ¡°I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and he followed me. I couldn¡¯t just throw it away.¡± ¡°Hmm. Can I touch it for a moment?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± HwaYeon put her hand on Daeng¡¯s shoulder and lifted it up. His expressionless expression, swaying hind legs, and his coated tail¡­ ¡®Ears, cute¡­¡¯ She wanted to hug him, but she felt guilty. She held the puppy in her arms as natural as possible. She felt his plump body and soft fur. ¡°I think this dog likes people a lot. What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°I called it Daeng.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha saw Daeng whimpering, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Because he thought HwaYeon would be embarrassed if he mentioned that. Apparently, she likes dogs more than cats. It¡¯s hard to see a dog like this these days. ¡°Daeng. Did you eat? Huh? Are you in a bad mood? Was the rice tasteless?¡± The people of the guild will be surprised to find out that a guild leader with a fiery character is doing this with a dog. She doesn¡¯t even raise any animals for image management. It was hard to find in her past something similar to standing and humming while holding Daeng in her arms. For some reason, she feels comfortable coming here¡­. As a smile was engraved on HwaYeon¡¯s lips, someone entered the store. HyeJin looked at HwaYeon¡¯s car and was slightly nervous. ¡®I don¡¯t have to be discouraged.¡¯ Isn¡¯t she just here to buy potions? At the same time, she saw Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s face. But she was annoyed seeing Hwayeon pacing around with a dog in her arms. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cha HwaYeon and Seo HyeJin. The two recognized each other and stopped on the spot. The two rankers are known in the hunter world and were once rivals with Han SeungHyuk in between. HwaYeon¡¯s age is slightly older, but that doesn¡¯t really matter. Because they never had anything to talk about. A cold wind blew in the warm general store. Beom, who was doing something, was caught by HyeJin and dragged away. ¡°You seem to like dogs. I heard that you didn¡¯t show that to the guild members at all.¡± It was unexpectedly HyeJin who opened the fire first. ¡°Dogs are loyal. It is fun nurturing it. The cat you¡¯re holding won¡¯t even appreciate its owner.¡± ¡°In a way, isn¡¯t a cat more suitable for Hwayeon than a dog? Because you¡¯re used to being alone.¡± ¡°No matter how much you are used to being alone, don¡¯t you need someone to give you affection? But Hyejin won¡¯t be able to do that. What a pity.¡± In short, HyeJin had been thinking about SeungHyuk all day, so she didn¡¯t have a heart to give to the cat. Obviously, there was the sound of knives as the conversation was exchanged. It was the first time Ji-Ha saw HyeJin biting her teeth. ¡®Hwayeon¡¯s eyes are not so bright either¡­¡­¡¯ There is only one way to overcome this situation. Yoo Ji-Ha presents the candles to the two women burning their eyes. ¡°¡­what is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a scented candle. It smells good.¡± HwaYeon and HyeJin accepted the scented candles to ease the tension. Yoo Ji-Ha asked them both. ¡°Turn it on when you are comfortable alone. If something happens, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could tell me a little bit. I¡¯ve tried it, and it¡¯s not a dangerous item.¡± ¡°What happens when I turn this on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think it sheds light on the dream I want to have. If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll be able to get skills.¡± The reaction of the two women was absurd. He suddenly picked up a scented candle and they can get skills with it? ¡°What are you talking about?¡± While HwaYeon asked, HyeJin nodded slightly. ¡°You want us to test it, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I really liked it when I tried it. It was really good.¡± Where the hell did he get this strange thing from? HyeJin realized that it was meaningless to ask Yoo Ji-Ha. ¡°I wish I could dream about my oppa.¡± When she responded positively, HwaYeon grabbed another candle from Yoo Ji-Ha¡¯s hand. ¡°Give me another one. I¡¯ll try it.¡± *** After returning to the mansion, HyeJin took a bath and lit the incense candles. As she lay down the bed, a pale scent tickled her nose. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her consciousness was sucked into somewhere. As she came to her senses, she was walking down the street. Who is the person with his arms crossed? This sensation, strangely enough, is not unfamiliar. When she turns her head to look at him, the person with his arms crossed is the one she was hoping for in her dreams. Han SeungHyuk. A handsome man was smiling at her. She wonders if she can remember this smile in her dream. HyeJin walked idly with him. The strong forearms and the deep-sounding voice seemed to cover her whole body. ¡®Oppa¡­¡¯ She wanted to ask where he¡¯s been so far, but suddenly the surrounding scenery changed. Even if she doesn¡¯t want to, suddenly the surrounding landscape changed. On the drawbridge leading to the castle, there was a bloody atmosphere due to the fight between humans and monsters. HyeJin was welcomed by the sight of blood pouring out and flesh flying randomly. She, as a skilled hunter, watched the scene carefully without turning a blind eye to it. ¡®There is a swordsman.¡¯ She saw a male swordsman wielding an intangible sword. Maybe he was trying to teach her something? However, his skills were not so different from hers. ¡®If I had been less skilled, I could have learned something here.¡¯ She guessed this is why Yoo Ji-Ha talked about skills. But this castle¡­ is somehow familiar. After looking around the man for a while, HyeJin found out that the castle was the same as that of Estram¡¯s palace. ¡®Was it this scene when you fled from the palace?¡¯ Not only were there warriors in armor, but also people in fancy clothing. Perhaps an Estram noble or king. Among them, a blond warrior and a woman in what appeared to be a wedding ceremonial clothing stood out. Seemingly unrelated to the battle, she was under the protection of the people around her. The vision was slowly blurring. HyeJin opened her eyes and sat up on the bed. Her dream may be linked to a swordsman from Gehenna. Whether the skills were similar or not, it didn¡¯t help much. But¡­ She gripped the bed cloth tightly. ¡®I want to see you one more time.¡¯ After checking the surroundings, she lay down, but wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. That day, HyeJin lay in bed until the candle burned out. *** ¡°Hmm. Is that what happened?¡± Yoo Ji-Ha had entered the garden and was looking through the Gehenna continent. According to HyeJin¡¯s dream, it was clear that the royal family of Estram or people of high rank had escaped the palace. So where did they go? ¡®Here¡¯s the road the theradrones found.¡¯ Yoo Ji-Ha gaze reached the mountain beyond the Tales River. It was certain that they had escaped to this Mt. Apeto somewhere. ¡®A few ether stones can be used.¡¯ It was purely curiosity. He wondered if they were still alive and how they were living. Anyway, what kind of dream did Hwayeon have? ¡®I¡¯ve never seen you so flustered.¡¯ She, with confidence, could never have dreamed of a pink love, but she must have conquered the world. Yoo Ji-Ha summoned a few theradrones passing by and pointed to the fall. They looked at the ether stone and fell alternately, and then nodded their tongs. After a while, the fog wall on one side of the garden slowly faded. Beom and Daeng looked uninterested, so they climbed up to the roof of the hut and watched what Ji-Ha was doing. ¡®It opens¡­.¡¯ Finally, the terrain around Mt. Apeto was open. It was like looking at an aerial photograph. A large monster was hanging around the foot of the mountain, but it was only about Ji-Ha¡¯s finger. Three Theradrons were scuttled and looking around ¡®No one here, no one there.¡¯ There are quite a few monsters in this mountain. No matter how strong the survivors of Estram are, they will instinctively seek out a safe place. In that sense, they are more likely to be near the lake shores to the south than the mountains. ¡°Go over there, over there.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha pointed to the south of the mountain with his fingers, and the Theradrones spread their wings and jumped up. They couldn¡¯t fly yet, so they had to land, and unfortunately, they fought every time. Ground is basic, and there were a lot of dangerous monsters such as Green Serpent, but they couldn¡¯t stop the Theradrones. Watching them beat up monsters made Yoo Ji-Ha feel refreshed. ¡®Those creatures are in a way.¡¯ But for some reason, he didn¡¯t think they were the same kind. Animals act according to their instincts. Although wary of humans, they are sometimes indifferent and sometimes show goodwill. But monsters attack only with nothing but complete hostility. It was a race that could not be liked at the moment. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s an ogre.¡¯ It¡¯s a horror grade monster famous in Europe, blocking the path of Theradrones. In many ways, it is backward compatible with abominable objects, but in terms of durability, it was comparable to that of higher-ranking species. A fierce close battle took place. Yoo Ji-Ha used essence to cheer for the Theradrones. ¡®It¡¯s about the essence for kids to fight.¡¯ When the worker¡¯s blessing buff was mobilized, the Theradrone Warriors were clearly pushing the ogre. He screamed and shook his arms and legs, but he was bitten by the pincers and had to bleed. ¡®It¡¯s going to be terrible to see in person¡­¡­¡¯ It¡¯s quite comical to see guys smaller than toys doing this. The Ogre struggled, but his head was cut off and met a futile end. However, the Theradrones were also not healthy either. He was hit by a bat wielded by the ogre, breaking everywhere and leaking body fluids. ¡°Retreat, retreat.¡± Yoo Ji-Ha called in. It was tormenting to see the Theradrones squirming. It was purely because of his curiosity, not war. ¡®When I¡¯m free later, let¡¯s send the knight and use a tracking scroll.¡¯ It was difficult to see what they were doing under the ground. Yoo Ji-Ha prepared potions and delicious food for the Theradrons returning exhausted. *** In Mt. Apeto, where the Theradrons stopped their search. To the south of the mountain, there is a village of survivors who escaped from the Kingdom of Estram. Although it was barren, it was cut off from Mt. Apeto, so it was a good place to hide so there were not so many monsters. A woman was kneeling and praying in front of an altar in the corner of the village. ¡°O Lord, thy foolish creatures suffering. Please be their unwavering strength.¡± The object to which she prayed was the now-forgotten Lord Arc. The myth of Gehenna¡¯s creator and planting the world tree has long been forgotten. Great powers, including the Gemark Empire, announced that he had become a star and left Gehenna. However, despite being oppressed, the Akkites1I think the people of Estram did not abandon the faith they had given so far. A sigh came out of Saint Selena¡¯s mouth. When will the Lord respond to them? Faith without promises was slowly faltering. Dominating this village was not the prince who lost his authority and symbol but the greedy aristocrats who colluded with the subjects. It was natural that a loaf of bread was more valuable than the faith of the hungry inhabitants. So far it was fine. But she was afraid it would blow up sooner or later. Selena once again prayed to the Lord. ¡°Please, save these poor souls¡­¡± A young blonde man came up and knelt next to her. ¡°Saint, the ogre of Apeto is dead.¡± ¡°The ogre¡­ Is it a territorial battle between monsters?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. After the roar broke out, the patrols went to see and only traces of the battle remained and everything was gone. Judging from the footprints, it looks like an insect-type monster.¡± Selena clasped her hands together with a gaunt face. ¡°I hope it will not affect us badly.¡± ¡°Anyway, Baron Grom has something to say about that. Probably because it¡¯s located in an ogre territory.¡± Selena¡¯s face frowned a bit then returned. Baron Grom and his subject, Parozak, were very difficult people to deal with. But they had control over the villagers, so there was nothing they could do about it. Selena stood up and a young man escorted her. A handsome black-haired man, who had washed himself roughly by the lake, met them and pretended to know them. ¡°Edinscal2It¡¯s a greeting, Selena.¡± Han SeungHyuk. It is the name of the man who was in distress on Mount Apeto three years ago. Mau: OMG!!! It¡¯s SeungHyuk! The Han SeungHyuk >////