Chapter 183: Preparing for the Spider Hunt
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: Preparing for the Spider Hunt
“A voice suddenly called out to me…”
It didn’t take long for Jung Hayeon, who was looking around curiously, to realize she was in the Item Shop. She must have received a message, something like a quest notification: Blood Dagger is summoning you. Even after spending over ten years on this continent, new information kept surfacing, making me realize once again just how complacently I had lived my previous life.
“Sorry for calling you so suddenly.”
“No… not at all. I’m actually happy. But… wh-what’s the situation?”
I spoke to the slightly bewildered Jung Hayeon.
“I need you.”
“Huh?! I… I’d like that, but here…?”
She looked utterly startled, her face flushing a deep red. However, as I explained the situation, she quickly nodded. I watched as she let out a sigh, a bashful expression on her face.
“Oh… I see. I’m happy that you have a use for my body.”
“Thank you. I will repay this favor.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable request, but the petals and flowers were parts of her body. I was worried it might be painful to pluck a leaf from her lower body, but judging by her expression, that didn’t seem to be the case. When I asked if she was okay in a slightly concerned tone, her answer came quickly.
“The leaves on my head sometimes fall off on their own, so it should be fine. The stems are probably like hair, so that won’t be a problem. I’ve never tried plucking a leaf from my lower body, so… it might hurt a little… but I think it’ll be okay. The leaves are always growing back, after all.”
“I see.”
She gave one of the leaves on her lower body a little tug, and it didn’t seem too painful. The goblin watching us, however, was starting to look annoyed by the delay. I casually ignored the creature as it began to speak again and turned my attention back to Jung Hayeon. What I needed were two stems—her hair—one petal from her lower body, and three leaves from her head.
Jung Hayeon nonchalantly plucked the plant stems from her head one by one.
“Eek.”
With that cute little sound, she pulled out a leaf, and it truly struck me that every part of her body was a treasure. She removed the leaves from her head as well, but the petal on her lower body was the problem. Her slightly trembling hand showed she was scared.
“If it’s okay with you, Taesung…”
“I’ll do it.”
There was no need to hear the rest of her sentence. This was likely the main component. Worried it might be painful, I slowly touched the petal and pulled. She winced slightly.
“It stings a little. It doesn’t seem to be connected to my insides, just attached to my skin.”
It seemed similar to pulling a tooth or a strand of hair. I figured it would be best to do it in one go, so while she was slightly off guard, I quickly yanked the petal.
“Kyaa!”
A cute little scream escaped her, but it didn’t seem to have been that painful. Still, the aftershock remained, and her eyes were glistening with tears. Looking at the large petal in my hand, it seemed to be of excellent quality.
Seeing Jung Hayeon in pain made me feel like I should give her some kind of reward. It was only natural to compensate her, as she had helped me obtain a fine weapon. I decided that after this was all over, I would grant her whatever she desired.
Seeing my pleased expression seemed to cheer her up. Her face was bright, her expression proud as if to say the momentary pain had been worth it. I nodded and turned to the goblin who was watching us.
“The materials are ready.”
“Hmph. You don’t have enough points.”
He knew I had points to spare, so his comment seemed like a petty jab at me for taking so long. At his words, I immediately began to look through the list of items I could sell. The Dark Bat I had stolen from Park Han Cheol had a good sell value, but since the weapon was still useful, I decided to skip it for now.
I had planned to spend about 1.5 million points to upgrade the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword as well, and the items I had diligently stolen in the past were proving to be quite helpful. If I hadn’t made that haul back then, I probably wouldn’t have been able to upgrade the World Tree’s Rotten Wood Long Spear. It was another moment where I found myself grateful to Jang Gi Hoo and the victims of the East.
[Total points from selling 22 items, including the Sharp War Axe: 1,502,000 points.]
[Sell items?]
[1,502,000 points have been credited to Blood Dagger.]
[Confirming points for Blood Dagger, High Demon Weapon Specialist.]
[Blood Dagger currently holds 1,502,000 points.]
There was no need to wait. I immediately handed the World Tree’s Rotten Wood Long Spear to the goblin.
[Using 1,000,000 points and World Tree materials to perform a material enhancement on the World Tree’s Rotten Wood Long Spear.]
This time, I didn’t hear the sound of hammering. Instead, a continuous light burst forth from the forge, and after a short while, I received a fine-looking item. The spear was practically radiating vitality. Anyone could tell it had been upgraded.
Curious about the item’s details, I took the long spear and began to examine it.
[Purified World Tree’s Wooden Long Spear]
[A spear crafted by elves from a rotten branch that happened to fall from the World Tree. Having undergone a purification process using the World Tree’s flower, leaf, and stem, it has become closer to its original branch and has regained its power. It possesses the ability to continuously restore the user’s health and mana. It is extremely sharp and durable.]
[Agility +3]
‘Nice.’
It wasn’t as dramatic a change as the Ancient Flame, but it was definitely a good upgrade. The word ‘small amount’ was now gone from the description about restoring the user’s health and mana, so I could expect a greater effect. If I were to be hit by Park Hyeri’s attacks, this spear would help me last a little longer. Unlike the Ancient Flame and Dainsleif, which continuously consumed mana, this spear would revitalize me like a wireless charger. I nodded and looked at the enhancement window once more.
[Dainsleif - Dain’s Legacy - Impossible -]
[Levatain - Ancient Flame that Burns the World - Impossible -]
[Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword - Possible - 30,000 Points]
[Purified World Tree’s Wooden Long Spear - Possible - 4,000,000 Points]
[Great Tribe Leader’s Hammer - Impossible -]
“Not bad.”
Surprisingly, it could be enhanced one more time. Even if I sold all the items I had, it would probably be impossible to gather 4,000,000 points right now. But…
[Purified World Tree’s Wooden Long Spear - Possible - 4,000,000 Points]
[Can be enhanced using special materials. Materials: World Tree’s Tear (0/1), World Tree’s Petal (10/10), World Tree’s Root (1/1)]
The materials were available. I couldn’t help but look at Jung Hayeon’s body once more.
‘A treasure.’
I hadn’t realized it until now, but the value of her body was beyond imagination. I didn’t know if she was aware of it herself, but if humans ever found out about her, they would surely covet her. Her entire body could be used as material; it would be strange if she wasn’t a treasure. As I continued to stare at her, Jung Hayeon blushed and lowered her head.
“Tae… Taesung.”
She called my name, and I instinctively stroked her head. Seeing her look pleased made me feel good as well.
“Thank you, Jung Hayeon. If there is anything you desire, I will grant it, so long as it is within my power.”
“No, it’s enough for me that I was able to help…”
“This is something I want to do for you.”
I had expected her to refuse at least once. At my words, Jung Hayeon blushed and nodded.
“I-If you insist… I’ll give you my answer later.”
I nodded at her words and began to look around the Item Shop again. I hadn’t checked, but there were probably other items that could be enhanced or forged using materials from her body. I remembered seeing something called the World Tree’s Root Armor in the Secret Store; that armor could almost certainly be enhanced with her materials as well. I didn’t know when I’d get the chance, but it was definitely worth testing.
It had been a while since I’d visited the Item Shop, and the significant gains I’d made brought a smile to my face. The last task remaining was the standard enhancement for the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword.
[Using 30,000 points to perform a standard enhancement on the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword.]
[Using 40,000 points to perform a standard enhancement on the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword.]
[Using 50,000 points to perform a standard enhancement on the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword.]
[.........................]
[............]
After the continuous sound of hammering finally ceased, I left the Item Shop in a very good mood. Her business finished, Jung Hayeon had been waiting for me, but her form had faded a little earlier. I, too, felt my body falling away and returned to reality.
Back in my tent, looking at the weapons I owned, I naturally felt a sense of pride. I admired my arsenal for a moment before tucking the map into my clothes. I stopped by Jung Hayeon’s tent to thank her for her help with the research, then mounted Ibar and rode out. The weather, I noticed, had become a bit gloomy.
The map showed Park Hyeri’s presumed residence and the areas where she had appeared. I couldn’t find a clear pattern, but as I’d noted before, I could predict the timing.
Right now could be considered her dormant period. Based on the data, the time for Park Hyeri to make her move was approaching. Since she had caused trouble in the West before, I had to consider the possibility that she might move to another region, but her most recent appearances had all been in the East, so there was a high probability I would find her there.
The most important thing for now was reconnaissance. With my new weapons and equipment, I quietly left the Brother’s Land.
*
“Thank you.”
“Mm… It was a good learning experience for me as well.”
Ragia nodded at the young Orc before her. Gark, now known as Half Blade after losing his name, was, in terms of pure strength, undeniably the second-in-command of the Blood Dagger Clan.
His unique ability was to hide his presence. It was incomparable to her own paltry ability, and she could feel the difference in their fundamental experience and combat power in her very bones. He was truly strong.
“But this is unexpected. I never thought a chieftain would ask for my help.”
“It was necessary.”
Ragia’s unique ability was Intuition. After evolving into a Lamia, it had grown even stronger and was now called Snake’s Intuition, but the ability itself was rather ambiguous. It was, quite literally, intuition. On a small scale, it could predict where an attack would come from or what an opponent would do. On a larger scale, it could anticipate whether an action would have a positive or negative outcome.
It was distinctly different from predicting the future. Rather than seeing a fixed outcome, it was more like making a guess about things unseen. That was why she had been able to withstand some of Half Blade’s attacks while he used his unique ability, and it was thanks to this early-blooming ability that she had unknowingly survived for so long.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had a slight advantage in compatibility against the invisible Half Blade, as her Snake’s Intuition allowed her to avoid some danger.
And yet, she had been utterly defeated. She hadn’t even been able to properly land a strike. All she could do was block his attacks, and just enduring them left her gasping for breath. Of course, as an assassin, she had never imagined she could win a one-on-one fight against a swordsman, but the gap was far wider than she had expected. Ragia lowered her dagger and looked down at her body.
“Are you not pleased?” Half Blade asked slowly.
“Of course not. A Green Skin like you probably wouldn’t understand the feeling of stagnating.”
“So that’s why you requested a spar. You are strong as well. And you are trying. Your efforts will surely bear fruit.”
Ragia said nothing. Half Blade’s words were perfectly correct; there was nothing else to say. When she first joined the clan, they had seemed to be on a similar level. But now, the gap between them had grown so wide she didn’t dare stand beside him. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t participated in battles or had been lazy with her training. Nevertheless, the inability to catch up to those pulling away was a huge source of stress.
“There is no need to be impatient. The great chieftain, Blood Dagger, does not expect high combat power from you.”
“................”
“I may be stronger than you, Chieftain, but my vessel is lacking. That is why I lost my name. Being strong does not necessarily mean one can attain a high position. Blood Dagger’s eyes are sharp. Do not be impatient. You were chosen, Chieftain. It is a glorious thing, a great thing, something to be respected and proud of before all.”
It was a consolation of sorts, but it didn’t really touch her heart. Half Blade was fulfilling his responsibilities, and his vessel was by no means small. If anything, hers was the small one. She obsessed over minor achievements and let every little thing affect her mood.
Besides, if her vessel had been as large as he claimed, she wouldn’t have fled the glorious exam, nor would she have caused a schism among her former clan members. Her limits were clear. They were the limits of the Green Skin named Ragia. She didn’t even have the courage to voice her thoughts.
“But…”
“If you cannot trust in yourself as a chieftain, then trust in the Blood Dagger who chose you.”
He was truly righteous. There was no wavering in Half Blade’s faith. That was why he had been able to throw himself into danger back then, to leave an arm behind. It was why the goblins, too, could throw their lives away. A sudden wave of irritation washed over her as she recalled how, after that incident, she had been more satisfied with her position as chieftain than she had been saddened by the deaths of her comrades.
“Thank you… for the advice.”
“Anytime.”
Half Blade nodded and vanished. Ragia stared blankly at the spot where he had been.
‘If you cannot trust in yourself as a chieftain, then trust in the Blood Dagger who chose you.’
Gark’s voice echoed in her mind again, but Ragia shook her head. She did not possess that kind of blind faith and trust. Ragia slowly began to walk toward Blood Dagger’s tent.
There was no other reason. She simply wanted to know why he had chosen her. As she approached the tent, the Orc guarding it spoke.
“Blood Dagger has gone out. He is currently absent.”
Ragia nodded and entered the tent. The Orc swordsman didn’t stop her. Blood Dagger had given his permission beforehand. All of his favorite pieces of equipment were gone. She suddenly remembered the map she had seen before. Looking around, she saw that the map was indeed missing.
She had expected it, but now she was certain.
He was undoubtedly scouting the area to hunt that human from before. Ragia couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. Because she felt she wasn’t being trusted. Her unique ability, Intuition, gave her nothing.
Just as she swallowed hard, she sensed a presence from outside.
“Ragia, what is it?”
It was Blood Dagger.