Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Return
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After confirming that Im Ji-hye had vanished into the forest, I stood there for a moment, lost in thought.
She had now become my hunting dog, fetching prey in place of my eyes and ears.
How well she'd perform remained to be seen, but with this, the first phase of my automated lure plan had wrapped up successfully.
'Alright. Time for a quick check-in around now.'
The tower world had its own charms, but my roots were firmly planted on Earth. I needed to see how what I'd gained here would affect the real me.
I desperately wished in my mind to return to Earth.
'Warp end. Returning to Earth.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [End activities on Planet#010009 and return?] [Upon return, time in that world will freeze.] "Accept."
The moment I confirmed, the forest scenery melted away around me, and I was back in the space with the two planets floating.
Soon, a settlement window appeared before my eyes.
⚔ SETTLEMENT ⚔ Planet#010009 Activity Settlement Basic Settlement: 10% of total points used in tower world (6,950pt) Acquired: 695 Dimensional Crystals (DC) Achievement Settlement: [Deal with Administrator]: 500 DC [Administrator's Watch]: 250 DC [Angel's Interest]: 100 DC Final Acquired: 1,545 Dimensional Crystals (DC)
"Fuck, that's it?"
The amount was way less than I'd expected, and a curse slipped out before I knew it. Especially painful was seeing the points I'd risked my life for in the tower reduced to just a tenth. Who knew blowing 5,000 points to grope an angel's tits would bite me in the ass like this.
"Wait a sec. It's not 10% of held points, but 10% of used points?"
Only after checking the details did I grasp the system's real intent. It was telling me to spend points freely in that world, get stronger aggressively. That way, I'd earn more, spend more, and cycle into bigger Dimensional Crystal payouts.
'Yeah, that makes sense. No way it'd force repeated returns just to grind.'
If it were based on held points, I'd have to drag myself back to Earth every time I scored big, a total pain. Spending lavishly in the tower was the real long-game win.
I decided to browse the newly unlocked shop.
✨ Warp Shop ✨ Abilities | Items | Other (Gacha) Clicking the 'Abilities' tab unleashed a dazzling array of powers that made my head spin.
【Flame Dominion A】: 1,000,000 DC Description: Control all flames in the world at will.
【Time Stop B+】: 750,000 DC Description: Stop time for everything except you for 5 seconds.
【Absolute Defense S】: 5,000,000 DC Description: Perfectly block any attack once. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
【Mind Dominion A-】: 880,000 DC Description: Dominate the mind of anyone whose gaze meets yours and issue commands. Success varies by target.
【Shadow Stealth B】: 500,000 DC Description: Hide and move within others' shadows.
"Holy shit, these prices for real?"
I could only lick my chops. No way I could afford any with what I had.
As I scrolled down in disappointment, my eyes caught an item in the 'Other' tab.
🎰 SPECIAL GA CHA 🎰 ★Dimensional Traveler's First Step Support★ Limited to once per return! Random draw 10+1! Price: 1,000 DC "Gacha? Can't pass that up."
I dumped 1,000 DC in without hesitation. Dazzling effects bloomed before me, unveiling 11 cards.
🎁 Acquired Items 🎁 • [Tasty Sandwich]: Packed with toppings and meat. Delicious. • [Hole-y Sock (Left)]: Your toes will feel cold. • [Elixir of Strength (Low)]: Permanently +1 Strength on consumption. • [Comfy Chair]: Feels oddly comfortable when you sit. • [Elixir of Agility (Low)]: Permanently +1 Agility on consumption. • [Elixir of Wisdom (Low)]: Permanently +1 Intelligence on consumption. • [Dirty Handkerchief]: You won't want to wipe tears with this. • [Rusty Fork]: Food poked with it tastes rusty. • [Cursed Four-Leaf Clover]: Luck -100, then +90 after 1 hour. • [Someone's Secret Diary]: Fun to peek at. Nothing special inside. 【Ability: Third Eye C-】: Congrats! Beat 0.01% odds!
"Oh, fuck yeah!"
Three elixirs and an ability? Solid jackpot for 1,000 DC. I downed the three elixirs in one go.
⚙ STATUS UPDATE ⚙ Strength +1, Agility +1, Intelligence +1. Next, I checked the new ability.
⚔ Third Eye C- ⚔ Description: For 10 seconds, pierce and reveal one key piece of 'information' about a target. Usage: Look at target and think of the info you want. Cooldown: 1 hour Upgrades: [Duration Increase]: +1 sec for 1,000 DC [Cooldown Reduction]: -10 min for 5,000 DC [Info Quantity Increase]: +1 info for 10,000 DC 'Utility ability, huh. Not bad.'
If it could uncover weaknesses, hidden powers, or deepest secrets, the uses were endless.
Gazing at my remaining 545 DC, I realized that to wield these right and farm more crystals, I'd need real combat practice.
'Time to slip back into F-rank hunter Kim Joo-hyuk.'
I grinned.
'Yeah, porter. Time to porter my ass into a dungeon.'
No better test ground for new powers than a dungeon full of hunters who looked down on me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back on Earth, I plopped down at my studio apartment computer. To test the new ability and kick off my next plan for more Dimensional Crystals.
I logged into HunterNet, the dedicated hunter community. The perfect gig for a real-world F-rank like me: porter side jobs.
The [Jobs / Seeking] board refreshed nonstop with party and guild recruitment posts even at this hour.
'Lemme see...'
📌 Hot Post ★★Emergency!! A-Rank Dungeon Fire Dragon's Nest Raid Party! Need 1 Healer (B+ or higher)!!★★ 📌 Hot Post [S-Rank Guild <Valhalla> Recruiting New Members! C-Rank+, good personality welcome!] Popular posts like these filled up with applicants in seconds.
They were in their own league, irrelevant to me. I needed the bottom feeders, the ignored porter gigs.
After scrolling way down, two porter recruitment posts caught my eye.
— <1> Bangbae Tanker C-Rank Dungeon Chimera Lab: Seeking 1 Porter (Simple Carry). Schedule: Tomorrow 9AM, dungeon entrance rally. Raid Comp: C-Rank Tank, 2x D+ DPS, D-Rank Healer (Avg D+) Pay: 500k won/day (+200k incentive on clear) Notes: No exp req, reliable and sturdy preferred. — <2> HoneyPunchChaeA C- Rank Dungeon Goblin Habitat: Recruiting Porters (1-3). Schedule: Tomorrow 8AM, dungeon entrance rally. Raid Comp: B-Rank Leader/Backup, 3x C- DPS (Avg C) Pay: 400k won/day (No incentive) Both were average mid-low tier raids centered on D and C-rank hunters.
I weighed the options.
The first offered better pay, but no backup member bugged me.
Porters weren't supposed to fight, but dungeons were unpredictable.
The second had lower difficulty and rare B-rank backup for way more stability.
But lower pay—probably 'cause the B-ranker was carrying weight.
'Hmm. Safety says 2, cash says 1...'
Mulling it over, I glanced back at the second poster's nick.
'HoneyPunchChaeA.'
Obvious girl name. And B-rank to boot. B+ was elite in this scene. A woman using 'HoneyPunchChaeA'? Curiosity piqued.
I fired off an application to the second party without hesitation. Just hunter ID and nick.
My HunterNet handle: 'Ironclad178/15/15'.
No one cared about F-ranks anyway, so I'd made it flashy.
Next morning, I headed to the dungeon entrance management office. Three other guys were already there, all tense for porter interviews.
"Uh... you applying to 'HoneyPunchChaeA's party...?"
One guy asked, but I brushed him off. No reason to buddy up with dudes—especially powerless ones.
Moments later, a woman stepped out from the office.
The air shifted instantly.
It was the B-rank backup for this raid: 'Lee Chae-ah'.