Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Master of All Arts (3)
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“Hmm?”
When I opened my eyes, a blinding fluorescent light assaulted my vision.
The sharp scent of disinfectant stung my nose....
‘A hospital?’
Ah, right.
I cleared that dungeon, didn’t I?
The old man had ultimately accepted my offer.
I’d even received the stage clear message, so it had to be real.
The fact that I couldn’t remember anything after that....
Meant I’d lost consciousness.
“......”
As I frowned, adjusting to the bright world around me.
“Hm?”
I felt prickling stares from nearby.
Forcing my eyes open, I saw a young woman in a formal suit, arms crossed, looking down at me.
She spoke curtly.
“Looks like you’re awake.”
I tilted my head and asked.
“Who.... are you?”
Then my eyes went wide.
A face I definitely remembered.
And the golden nameplate at her waist.
It was Gi So-yul.
‘No way.’
I marveled inwardly.
She was a far cry from the battle gear she’d worn last time.
Back then, she’d had the vibe of a tough female warrior, but now she seemed like a cool-headed career woman.
“Since you’re up, let me reintroduce myself. I’m Gi So-yul, vice master of Blue Guild. The world also knows me by my alias, Dark Emperor.”
Gi So-yul recited matter-of-factly.
I nodded.
“I see. Though....”
Why was she here?
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
The hospital room held only her and me.
No one else.
What was this?
Had she come to snatch my opportunity away?
It wasn’t impossible.
She was the queen of assassination.
Even if she took my head right here, this superhuman could leave not a shred of evidence.
“Honestly, I was shocked. That boss seemed impossible to beat, but I never imagined the porter would smash it. In one go, no less.”
Contrary to my worries, her demeanor remained polite.
But I didn’t let my guard down.
You never knew.
She could be some psycho who murdered with a smile while speaking politely....
“......Why do you keep giving me that look since earlier?”
Gi So-yul frowned, sensing my wary gaze.
Afraid of upsetting her, I waved both hands frantically.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just wondering why someone like Blue Guild’s vice master would come see me alone.”
“Of course I was curious too.”
“Pardon?”
“How exactly you cleared that absurd dungeon. What the rewards are if you clear it again. Whether you really earned his recognition and became the old man’s disciple. Things like that.”
“Ah......”
I pondered her questions.
Her doubts were perfectly reasonable, in fact.
The dungeon’s ownership had clearly been hers.
I’d only been given one shot at the opportunity.
From her position, it must’ve looked like some random rock had rolled in and stolen her fateful encounter!
‘If it’d been some brutal ranker, my head might’ve already been rolling.’
The mere fact she wasn’t furious....
Showed just how solid Gi So-yul’s reputation was.
‘And besides.’
This world was harsh.
Brutally harsh.
If word got out that a total newbie like me had scored an incredible opportunity?
I could become someone’s target.
Whether some jealousy-crazed lunatic....
Or an underworld group looking to nip a seedling in the bud.
I always had to stay cautious.
“Hm, porter? What’re you thinking so deeply about?”
“Ah, Dark Emperor. Before I answer.... could I first hear how the articles reported this dungeon expedition?”
She gave me a surprised look at my question.
“I can guess what you’re worried about. No need to fret too much on that front. For now, we reported it as Blue Guild’s advance team clearing it safely. We got nondisclosure agreements from all the survivors too.”
“Pardon?”
That meant....
The world didn’t know I was the one who cleared this dungeon?
Oh man, I was genuinely touched.
What consideration!
I bowed my head politely.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Dark Emperor.”
“You’re more mature than you look, porter. Other hunters are dying to flaunt their achievements to the world.”
“Safety over showing off. Safety first, safety second.”
“No need to thank me. This ties directly to Blue Guild’s pride.”
“Huh?”
I blinked, and she smirked.
“You think people would believe an E-rank mercenary porter was MVP on a search team with a ranker?”
“Ahh......”
The gist was simple.
We’d look pathetic, so we’re keeping it quiet.
But don’t go blabbing or you might end up dead. Get it?
Anyway, I was grateful.
‘But still.’
There was something bothering me.
Did I owe her full disclosure of my abilities just because she’d given me one chance?
Her favors toward me....
Her leisure....
All stemmed from her strength.
But I was weak.
I had no luxury of exposing my full power to anyone.
“Anyway, Dark Emperor.”
“Yes, porter?”
“How many days have I been lying here?”
“Hm, it’s been three days since you emerged from the dungeon. So, day three.”
Damn.
I’d been out for a while.
I met her eyes with an awkward look.
“Honestly, I still don’t know what’s what, and I haven’t even checked the rewards.... so it’s hard to answer right away.”
This was true.
We’d jumped straight into this talk the moment I woke up.
“Hm.... I see.”
Gi So-yul’s eyes narrowed.
She suspected I might be dodging, but she understood.
“Give me a little time, and I’ll sort it out and tell you.”
“Hm.”
“No need to worry I’ll run. What hunter in the world could evade Dark Emperor’s eyes?”
“Fine. I appreciate the cooperation. I’ll come back once you’ve sorted things out.”
Gi So-yul acknowledged coolly and left the hospital room.
Her overwhelming presence vanished from the space.
“Whew.”
I could finally breathe a bit.
Damn.
Lately, life had been nothing but spectacle.
Orcs popping up out of nowhere, awakening after three years, meeting a ranker.
And now a weird dungeon.
One wrong move here, and I could end up enemies with Blue Guild.
Or, on the flip side.
I could build a good connection with them.
As I mulled that over and shifted in bed.
[Check your clear rewards!]
‘Oh, right.’
The message I hadn’t opened yet due to passing out.
Time to check it now.
* * *[Rewards have arrived!]
[Congratulations!]
[Stamina permanently increases by 20.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Teaching of the Master of All Arts’ (S-rank).]
“Whoa!”
I couldn’t help but shout.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body.
The stamina boost was huge, but.
‘Another S-rank.’
A grade of skill others struggled a lifetime for just one of.
And I’d nabbed two in such a short time.
[Hunter: Joo Dong-hoon]
[Alias: None]
[Stamina: 120/120]
[Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer]
[Rank: D]
[Effects]
-You are a Necromancer, a class that handles the souls of the dead. Subdue foes with terrifying evil spirits and deadly poisons. However, you are cursed.
-You can only summon skeletons.
[Possessed Skills]
-‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank)
-‘Memory Recall’ (S-rank)
-‘Teaching of the Master of All Arts’ (S-rank)
‘Insane.’
This was why the masters chanted ‘dungeons, dungeons.’ There was reason to it.
Looking at my status window, now even fuller.
My chest swelled with pride.
‘First, let’s check Memory Recall.’
[Skill: Memory Recall]
[Rank: S]
[Effect 1: Consume 50 stamina to read the memories of the deceased.]
What even was this?
I wondered.
It didn’t seem all that impressive, yet it was high rank.
Plus, it was clearly a hidden skill.
One that only awakened when facing a ‘cursed’ soul.
Curious as I was, there was no way to find out now, so I skipped it.
‘Hope it’ll come in handy for clearing dungeons.’
I’d only cleared this one because I could see the old man’s memories.
It’d prove useful again someday.
‘Next, Teaching of the Master of All Arts.’
Calming my pounding heart, I checked the next skill carefully.
[Skill: Teaching of the Master of All Arts]
[Rank: S]
[Effect 1: Consume 20 stamina to summon the absolute being who conquered otherworldly realms, ‘Master of All Arts,’ for 60 minutes.]
[Effect 2: The summoned ‘Master of All Arts’ cannot exert physical force in this world. You can only receive his knowledge during the limited time.]
[Effect 3: This skill’s cooldown is 24 hours.]
[Effect 4: Only the skill user can perceive the ‘Master of All Arts.’]
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
‘An absolute being who conquered otherworldly realms....’
My chest swelled grandly.
Finally, my skeletons.
Had landed a one-shot instructor who could even devour rankers?
“Damn, can’t just sit here.”
I yanked out the IV drip in one go.
No time for fluids now.
I had to check this fast or I’d go mad.
Rustle, rustle.
I quickly changed into the clothes hanging nearby and stepped out the door.
“Huh? Patient Joo Dong-hoon?”
A flustered nurse called, but I was in a rush.
“Eek! No, you need to rest more....”
“Sorry. Got something urgent. Bill the hospital fees to my name.”
My heart pounded.
-Truly immense potential. Undoubtedly monstrous talents in life. I’ve always wanted ones like this, so why only now? Tsk.
The old man’s voice still echoed vividly in my ears.
Was this how parents felt hearing praise for their kids?
I wanted to get them trained ASAP.
* * *[Using skill ‘Teaching of the Master of All Arts’ (S-rank).]
[20 stamina consumed.]
[‘Master of All Arts’ appears.]
I’d arrived at my usual clearing and activated the skill right away.
Thwack!
“Argh!”
Agonizing pain exploded on my forehead.
It hurt so bad tears welled up and stars spun in my vision.
Snapping to, I saw the old man glaring fiercely.
“You brat! Tsk, you promised to inherit everything, then what took you so long to call? Slacking like that, you think you can even match my pinky toe?”
“No, wait. Elder.... I came and called you right after waking up....?”
I felt wronged.
Wait.
Before that.
Hadn’t the old man said he couldn’t exert physical force in this world?
“You’re still a greenhorn. Your face shows everything. Tsk tsk. Our minds are linked, so what’s the problem sharing pain? None, right?”
The old man shook his head in disapproval.
He seemed like a super tiresome boomer type....
“Anyway, since you called. Let’s start right away, kid. No time to waste.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
I nodded at his urging.
“Like we agreed, I just summon the boneheads, right?”
“No need for that.”
“Huh?”
“Before training, first decide what to learn. I’ve gauged those ten’s talents, but the problem’s you.”
“......Pardon? What do you mean?”
My eyes widened.
Ten meant....
The skeletons’ abilities.
Had he even assessed the ones not awakened yet?
‘And before that.’
Why was I the problem?
No way this old man.
Planned to teach me too?
That’s when he spat it out.
“Do you know why it’s called Master of All Arts?”
“......?”
“My moniker, Man-sool, comes from mastering countless talents. When even I’d have no qualms passing on every technique, you think I’d limit to just ten?”
Heh.
The old man grinned creepily.
A chill of unease hit me.
A deep, eerie unease.
“Then just teach the skeletons?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Their talents are all skewed one way. They won’t take to other techniques.”
“Th-Then?”
“What then! Obviously, you learn them.”
“Me? But.... didn’t you say my talent was trash....”
“Quiet. You made a promise with me, so you inherit the arts. Like it or not. Don’t worry. Turning trash into genius-level is just another technique. Lucky for you, I can exert physical force on you too.”
Wait, what the hell was this all of a sudden?