Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Infinite Respawn Hunting Grounds
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Straight to the infinite respawn hunting ground.
In Utopia, the established wisdom was that monsters respawned randomly within a set area roughly once every twenty-four hours after death.
The infinite respawn hunting ground was regarded as something akin to a bug.
'Exactly ten minutes after death. Right back in the same spot.'
It was information that probably wouldn't become public knowledge for a few more months.
By then, the major powers would have seized it as a premium farming spot and started collecting fees, but right now, there was no one to bother me.
'Pretty lucrative. And plenty of magic stones to boot.'
The place I was heading to now was one I'd discovered while killing monsters and eating right there on the spot.
How startled I'd been when one suddenly respawned.
Lost in old memories, I followed the safe path marked with signs in areas where no monsters spawned.
'Now, which way was it from here?'
About thirty minutes of walking brought me to the orc zone.
Unfortunately, it had been so long ago that I couldn't pinpoint the exact location.
'There was that damn huge tree.'
Not knowing when or where orcs might appear, I proceeded cautiously, scanning the surroundings.
"Kill it!"
"Hey! It's heading that way. Catch it!"
"Oh! A magic stone!"
Excited voices echoed from all directions. Compared to the goblin zone, the orc zone was crawling with people.
'If I cut straight through, any orcs that follow will be dealt with for me.'
I deliberately skirted around groups of hunters as I kept moving.
'There it is.'
I spotted the massive tree from my memory.
'From here, that direction.'
Orienting myself to three o'clock relative to the tree, I plunged into the forest.
After pushing deep inside, the familiar spot finally came into view.
A breathtaking scene where a serene blue lake blended perfectly with the surrounding woods.
'It's been a while.'
Standing alone nearby in jarring contrast was a green-skinned, pig-headed monster clutching a weathered wooden staff.
'Orc Shaman.'
An Orc Shaman—the one I'd hunted to boredom in my previous life.
My current level was 3.
I planned to grind at least up to 15 here.
"Kkaebi. Summon."
At my call, a black hole tore open in the ground beside me, and Kkaebi slowly crawled out.
The order I gave him was simple.
"Kkaebi. You wait here. I'll feed you some experience points soon enough."
Just wait.
Kkaebi had no real role in taking down the Orc Shaman. It was too risky anyway.
He just needed to share experience with me.
Kkaebi tilted his head at my words.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kkaebi harbors doubts about the master's words.] A message I'd never seen before popped up.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Wonders if his own existence is unnecessary.] Who would've thought it could even express emotions. The more I learned, the more useful this trait seemed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Says he can do anything.] Seeing Kkaebi so eager brought a smirk to my face.
'This guy's kinda cute?'
Still, it was time to teach him some reality.
"Listen up. The Orc Shaman's fireball might pack less punch than the Goblin King's, but it's way faster. Get what I'm saying? Even a graze means instant death for you with your single point of health."
Growth needed a solid kick in the pants.
"Which means right now, you're not much help to me."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Asks what he should do then.] "How? For now, just eat the experience I give you and level up. After that? Figure it out yourself."
If it were a regular skeleton, I wouldn't bother saying any of this.
"You know your own power better than I do—and how to use it."
It was a faint hope pinned on Kkaebi's human-like thinking.
"Alright, wait here."
I left the nodding Kkaebi behind and carefully parted the underbrush as I advanced.
'Never thought I'd be doing this again.'
Luckily, the Orc Shaman didn't pick up on my presence and stayed rooted in place.
'Almost there.'
My target wasn't the Orc Shaman—it was the lake right in front of me.
I slipped silently into the water and submerged completely.
Swimming around behind the Orc Shaman, I called out to it.
"Hey. Pig-head."
It turned its head and peered at me, with only my head poking out of the lake.
"Gruk?"
"Been well?"
"Gruk!"
"Still got that fiery temper, huh."
The Orc Shaman ignored my greeting, thrust out its staff, and conjured a fireball on the spot.
A blaze fierce enough to incinerate bone if it hit squarely.
"Dumb as a rock, too."
But it was useless against me right now.
'Three seconds... two... one—now!'
BOOM!
This lake I was in was my shield.
"Puha!"
I dove under to dodge the fireball, then resurfaced.
Unscathed, I poked my head back out. The shaman bellowed in rage at the sight.
"Hurry up and attack. Water's cold."
As if it understood, another fireball rocketed straight toward me.
Bang!
I fully submerged and resurfaced a total of eleven times like that.
"Finally done."
Its mana reserves were tapped out—no more fireballs.
I slowly swam to shore and stood before the shaman.
"Gruk..."
Seeing the sword now in my hand, the shaman began backing away.
Obviously. Without its fireballs, an Orc Shaman's physical prowess was even below a goblin's.
"Can't have your mana regenerating, so let's wrap this up quick."
Dispatching a terrified shaman was child's play.
I drove my sword into its chest and severed its breath in one go.
"Kkaebi!"
I called for Kkaebi right away. He rushed over and took position at my side.
"Watch what I do closely from now on. Once you're leveled enough, it'll be your job."
Nine minutes until respawn.
I had to gut it and check for a magic stone before then.
'Nope.'
Strikeout.
But with plenty more Orc Shamans ahead, it wasn't a big deal.
I stood right on its respawn point and waited patiently.
Sss.
When the time came, the Orc Shaman's corpse vanished.
"Let's see."
An ugly foot emerged first, as if being sketched into existence, followed gradually by the rest.
"This way."
I followed the direction of its foot.
The spawn point was right behind its back.
"Gruk."
The instant it fully materialized from head to toe, my sword plunged into its nape once more.
"Gruk...?"
It met death without even knowing what hit it.
"See? Easy, right?"
Nod.
At level 3, each one netted about 30% of a level.
At this rate, three sleepless days should get me to 15.
"Around level 10, he should handle it himself?"
Dreaming of true auto-hunt, I mechanically slaughtered Orc Shamans.
The issue? Sharing experience slowed our progress more than expected.
As levels climbed, the exponential experience requirements made it a real drag.
Still, compared to my past life—risking death just to mine magic stones—this was nothing.
We were sucking honey together when we broke past level 7.
That's when uninvited guests arrived.
"Hurry up and follow. There's a hunting spot over there where we can kill 'em."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Just orc soldiers, no archers, and they're spread out far enough that we can handle them ourselves."
"How'd you find a place like that?"
"Kim the secretary scouted it."
"No kidding? What even does that secretary do? Should I just cut him loose?"
"Can't do that. Let him walk out on his own two feet—no loose ends later."
"Makes sense. All this human rights noise lately, anyway. Buncha pigs and dogs yapping."
A group burst through the underbrush.
Seven in total—a mixed team of men and women.
"Huh? What's that guy doing all alone?"
"Looks like he just hunted here. Orc Shaman's dead."
"Impressive. Soloing an Orc Shaman."
"Oppa. Think he's a necromancer? Ew, gross!"
"That skeleton's kinda unique, though?"
They spotted me and started whispering among themselves.
This was awkward.
'Back then, I'd just tell 'em to fuck off.'
But if I did that now, my head might end up chopped off and tossed in the lake.
"Hello?"
The man who seemed like the leader flashed a friendly smile and greeted me first.
"Yes. Hello."
I returned the greeting while subtly checking out their gear.
'Rich kids, huh.'
Armor crafted from rare materials like ogre hide, and the sword sheath emblazoned with the characters 'Woosung'.
'Rocking the Woosung maker mark like it's nothing.'
It was the logo of Woosung, one of the more renowned item fabrication companies.
Every piece was worth close to 100 million won at minimum.
The man seemed to have the same thought.
"Soloing a shaman like that—you must be pretty high level."
He scanned me up and down, subtly fishing for my level.
In lawless Utopia, sizing up opponents was basic survival.
'Here for orcs? Average around 20.'
Time to give him what he wanted.
"Yes. Level 29."
Of course, heavily inflated.
It was my warning shot to them.
Touch me, and some of you might not walk away.
"Oh, yeah, that tracks. Explains the casual gear."
Casual?
Those were the items I'd sunk my entire 3 million won fortune into.
'Starting off on the wrong foot.'
My first impression of him soured instantly.
Unaware of my thoughts, the man pressed on.
"We're planning to hunt orc soldiers in the zone up ahead. Hope our spots don't overlap?"
"No. I was just about to head out."
Roughly five minutes until the Orc Shaman respawned.
'Hurry up and leave.'
Better to send them packing clean before things got messy.
The man grinned broadly at my reply.
"Haha, good to hear. Nothing more awkward than overlapping spots."
"True enough."
"Your trait rank must be pretty high, huh? First time seeing a black skeleton like that."
The man approached, eyeing Kkaebi up and down. He even reached out like he meant to touch.
I shoved Kkaebi straight into the black swamp that opened at my feet, right in front of the man's eyes.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 7 💨 Agility: 7 ✨ Magic Power: 33 💪 Stamina: 7 Still low vitality stat even after hitting level 7.
'Can't have him poking around and accidentally crushing it.'
It risked exposing my level too—no room for error.
The man's hand sliced through empty air as Kkaebi vanished.
Embarrassed, he turned his head and shot me a glare, face twisted.
"You really treasure that thing, huh? Won't even let anyone touch it."
Four minutes until the Orc Shaman respawned.
"I'm in a bit of a rush."
Pretending to leave first seemed the way to shoo them off.
I turned to go without hesitation. But then—
"Wait, Lee Han? You're Lee Han, right? Dongmyeong High."
One of them greeted me like he knew me.
"Whoa! Long time no see? It's Kim Seong-jun. Remember me?"
I glanced back, and a man stepped forward from the group, offering a handshake.
I studied his face closely.
Sly eyes and a drooping square jaw—it rang a vague bell.
'Ah, that guy.'
The classic bully type. And from a well-off family, so the school never really punished him no matter what he did.
"Yeah. Long time."
He'd never actually messed with me. Bullies don't touch guys with nothing to lose and no backing.
My orphan status plus rumored yakuza ties kept my school days relatively smooth.
Plus, I skipped classes a lot, so we never crossed paths much.
"Wow, five years?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Congrats on getting your trait."
I took Kim Seong-jun's outstretched hand.
"Congrats? Nah."
"You always had this... weight to you. Everyone else wilted around me, but not you. Like you were just eyeing a stray dog or something?"
Was that a joke? Or a jab?
"Truth is, I once told my crew to rough you up a bit. Said your eyes pissed me off. Guess what they told me?"
A jab it was.
"Said you scared 'em more than I did? Hilarious. Even offered to cover 'em if they did it, but nope—couldn't lay a finger on you."
"Guess my friends owe you a thank-you, Seong-jun."
I released his hand.
Time to choose.
Go hard? Or tuck tail and bail?
"But Seong-jun, looks like your pals never filled you in."
I went with hard.
'Still playing bully games.'
Pack-hunting hyenas who couldn't do shit solo.
"Think about it. Why couldn't your ass-kissers touch me?"
Time to seize the initiative and shut down their brains.
As expected.
'What a moron.'
Kim Seong-jun flushed red and just glared, unable to decide.
Then.
"Hahaha! Come on, why fight like kids—you're friends!"
The man who'd first spoken to me wedged himself between us.
"Seong-jun, you can't carry high school grudges forever."
He clapped a hand on Kim Seong-jun's nape and tried to meet his eyes.
"We're all adults now. Right?"
But Kim Seong-jun kept glaring at me, ignoring him.
"Huh? Seong-jun pissed? Ignoring your bro?"
The man yanked his face closer with a flex of his arm.
Finally snapping to, Kim Seong-jun responded.
"Ah, no, bro."
His voice trembled slightly as he met the man's gaze.
'Figured. That's the brains of the operation.'
I'd pegged it from the start—that man was their leader.
"Yeah, get it together, Seong-jun. Nearly soured my mood there."
He released the nape and turned to me.
"Lee Han, right?"
"Seong-jun here's still young. Bear with him."
Flashing that friendly smile, he asked for understanding.
'Look at this guy.'
He was trying to smooth things over, sure—but birds of a feather flock together.
No way a tiger runs with hyenas.
'He's after something.'
No backing down now.
"Here, take this."
He pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it over.
[Sun Electronics Executive Director Cha Mu-hyuk]
Sun Electronics director—and same surname as the Sun Group patriarch.
No need to ask. The answer was clear.
'One of the heirs.'
Cha Mu-hyuk belonged to the owner family of Sun, Korea's top corporation.
But why hand me his card?
"Nothing major, but we're starting up a guild at Sun soon."
He kept talking as I stared at the card.
"If you're interested, give us a call."
A scout?
"Someone of your level and spunk would make a perfect janitor for the Sun Guild."
Birds of a feather, indeed.
"Kekeke. Janitor."
"Dude looked hopeful for a sec."
"As expected from Mu-hyuk bro. This ain't Earth—too soft."
Kim Seong-jun and his crew snickered at Cha Mu-hyuk's words, grinning like they'd won.
Did they think the Sun name would make me flinch?
I let out a hollow laugh.
As if the soon-to-crumble Sun had any business offering me janitor duty.
"Sure, got it. Sun's a big name—I'll think about it."
I pocketed the card with a provocative jab.
"Sun's a big name?"
The reaction was immediate. Cha Mu-hyuk's eyebrow twitched.
I stared him down and laid it out.
"Just like you hate me for no reason, I hate Sun for no reason. Got a problem?"
Roughly two minutes until the Orc Shaman respawned.
"Anyway, I'm out. Let's not meet again."
Ignoring the death glares from Cha Mu-hyuk and Kim Seong-jun, I turned away.
"Ha? Hold up there, Lee Han."
Cha Mu-hyuk grabbed me with an incredulous tone.
"Fine, whatever with Seong-jun's high school drama. But now you're pissing me off."
Two of them stepped up to block my path on cue.
No prying eyes like on Earth, so they could go full aggro. But they needed to realize something.
If they didn't care about society's gaze, neither did I.
"Swatting away my skeleton, dissing Sun—you need to learn some fear of the world."
I turned back to face Cha Mu-hyuk. Over his shoulder, I saw Kim Seong-jun smirking smugly.
"So? What now?"
Cha Mu-hyuk curled his lip slyly.
"How about a little bet?"