Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Mutual Aid
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Association President Choi Tae-seung.
His demeanor was heavier and more subdued than usual.
"The truth is, recently... Russia has requested our support."
"Russia?"
I tilted my head.
They weren't even allies with us, so why?
"Sigh. Lately, they've been unable to clear their dungeons. As you know, communist countries like China and North Korea have weak hunter forces among their allies. Russia's been playing neutral, hemming and hawing."
"Well, yeah, that's true."
"Russia's at least ranked 15th in the world for hunter nations, so they've managed to hold on somehow... but sigh, apparently, the internal mafia conflicts there are fiercer than we thought."
"Hmm, mafia..."
I leaned my head back and rubbed my neck.
When it came to mafia, only one name came to mind.
Vladimir.
I'd heard that after the hunter world emerged, the mafias that had always been around started running even more rampant.
And that guy started eating hunter rations to take them down.
"Anyway."
It was pure curiosity.
"Is there any other reason why we have to help them?"
There were plenty of countries in need of support.
Korea was a hunter powerhouse, so it didn't hit as hard here, but I'd heard many nations were in dire straits.
Dungeons kept popping up.
And there weren't enough hunters to clear them.
If a Dungeon Break happened, with monsters bursting out?
'Hmm.'
I shook my head inwardly.
It would be absolute chaos.
A disaster.
Just like the orcs I'd faced back in my E-rank hunter days—a calamity no civilians could resist would sweep over them.
"Africa, Qatar, El Salvador, and so on—there are plenty of countries we could help. And Russia has a decent number of rankers, from what I know."
"Ah, well."
Choi Tae-seung closed his eyes at my question and let out a groan.
His expression screamed guilt.
"Just be straight with me."
"Honestly, we could ignore it... but some of our own hunters went there voluntarily. And it's been a month with no word. The association's in a tough spot. The families of those hunters keep filing complaints."
"..."
So that's it.
The association was basically a government office, huh?
The terror of civilian complaints was beyond imagination for public servants.
"I get the families' feelings... but there's nothing we can really do."
"Yeah, I suppose."
Clearing an S-rank dungeon safely required at least a ranker.
'But.'
In the competitive hunter world, rankers were always the top dogs.
The association was inevitably the underdog.
And underdogs couldn't just order top dogs around, so here he was, asking me.
"Plus, the families are stirring up public opinion with articles, making it a real headache. Sigh... If the Russians would at least give us some info, but their situation's just as bad. The dungeon hasn't been cleared, and their scouting parties haven't come out either. It's driving everyone mad."
"Hmm, I see."
Crack, crack!
I cracked my knuckles.
"Anyway, to put it simply, it's a pretty dangerous place, right?"
The association president paused at my blunt question, then sighed.
And admitted it coolly.
"...Yes, that's right."
"Hmm."
I thought it over.
S-rank dungeons were extremely rare.
That's why rankers and guilds rushed to claim them first.
The tougher the dungeon, the sweeter the rewards.
The hunters who volunteered were probably that type.
'So.'
I didn't feel particularly sorry for them.
No one forced them; they went for their own greed. Who could they blame?
Life was high risk, high return, wasn't it?
I'd always staked my life on the dungeons I'd cleared so far.
That was the bittersweet fate of a hunter.
'But.'
This time, something smelled off.
A rotten stench.
Setting aside that no one had come out alive.
Russian rankers leaving an S-rank dungeon alone?
'Looks interesting.'
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
In the old days, I'd have been terrified.
The fact that I felt this way now was intriguing in itself.
'I've seen too big a world.'
I'd gotten a glimpse of the vast universe through Delaila.
Compared to that, one dungeon felt utterly insignificant.
"I'm not forcing Joo Dong-hoon here. You're just one of the four high rankers in Korea now..."
High ranker meant rankers in the top 100.
"I was just asking. Feel free to say no if it's uncomfortable."
"No, no."
I shook my head.
"I'm good to go. No pressure."
I wasn't the type to back out of dungeons anyway.
I'd breezed through 'Delaila's Trial'—which could devour S-rank dungeons—with the top record.
"But."
I grinned.
"Can I make one condition?"
If you help out just because you can,
people call you a sucker.
"A condition...? Yes, of course!"
Choi Tae-seung shot to his feet.
He looked shocked, like he'd only poked and I'd actually agreed.
"Anything within the Korean association's power, we'll make it happen!"
As he stood there ready to bow his head, I hurriedly calmed him down.
"No, no. Calm down first."
"Ah, yes, yes... Right."
"Have you heard of the Ancient Magic Fragment?"
"...Ancient Magic Fragment?"
He looked like it was the first time hearing it.
'Tch.'
No luck, huh?
But I couldn't give up.
[Effect 4: To activate this item, 'Ancient Magic Fragment' (SS-grade) is required.]
It was the material needed to activate the medium 'Diary of the Magic Dropout' (S-grade).
I planned to use the association to find it.
'The associations' alliances are tight-knit.'
Countries shared info closely through the World Association.
And they had departments managing hunter info, so it'd definitely help.
"Could you use the World Association's reach to look for any hints or traces? I need it."
Mutual aid.
Using each other.
Not one-sided help, but a win-win.
"Leave it to me, Joo Dong-hoon."
The association president bowed politely.
"If you've come when called, it's only right to go when needed. Help us this once, and I'll do my utmost to find out."
* * *
A day passed.
After sending the association president off, I warmed up lightly with the bone crew.
Of course, on the outskirts of the vast new subspace 'Murung Do-won.'
"Lord. Is Eldrin not coming?"
Whoosh! Thud!
Taeyangi set down his spear and asked.
I nodded.
"Eldrin's sitting this expedition out."
Until the city was complete, I'd have Eldrin's forces help Demir.
No race was better at clearing forests than elves.
And now we had enough slack to spare one Eldrin.
Because.
We had Kaden and Dana.
"Master."
Boom!
Kaden approached, slammed his shield into the ground, and knelt.
At some point, he'd changed from calling me 'benefactor' to 'master.'
- Kahaha, Owner! I told them! 'Benefactor' my ass! In this world, subordinates prefer calling their lord 'Lord,' 'Owner,' or 'Master'! They said they'd switch right away since you'd like it!
Demir had educated them separately?
"..."
Whatever, titles didn't matter.
It was fresh to see skeletons sharing opinions and info.
"Yeah."
As I replied, Kaden looked up.
"I have experience leading armies through revolution. Entrust it to me—I want to drill formations into the subordinates."
"Oh, really?"
Right.
Kaden's previous job was supreme commander.
A top-tier one who toppled the elite millennial empire with a ragtag peasant army.
"Then you're chief of staff from now on. Help Taeyangi out."
"Understood!"
He sprang up.
Boom! The surrounding bone soldiers slammed their shields.
Wow.
Already training that?
"Dana."
"Yes, Master!"
I called, and Dana hurried over, lowering her stance.
"You help Kaden too."
"Our faithful shall pray only for Master's army."
Dana's vow.
Both Kaden and Dana.
They were incredibly reliable.
"Tsk tsk, this kind of training after so long."
The old man watching from the side smiled in satisfaction.
"The scale's grown, and as absolutes of their own worlds, each has their strengths. I like it."
"Right?"
"So."
The old man grinned and continued.
"From now on, set those boneheads aside. I'll devote myself fully to guiding your myriad arts."
"Good."
I'd definitely felt it in this trial.
The bones' growth mattered, but so did my own power.
If my skills stalled, I couldn't do shit.
Ultimately, protecting my body came down to my own skill, not subordinates.
"Ah, first. Hold on a sec."
Before full training began.
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
I eyed a bone shadowboxing in midair.
'Bone Arm.'
[Name: Bone 8]
[Ki: 600/600]
[Unique Ability: Skeleton Lord]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Grade: S]
[Strength: 60] [Agility: 60] [Stamina: 60] [Mana: 60] [Technique: 60]
[Held Skills]
-'Advanced Martial Arts' (Lv.1)
-'Skeleton Summon' (Lv.Max)
As expected, his class was 'Martial Artist.'
Maybe because he was a Skeleton Lord, stats were evenly distributed at 60.
Only two basic skills.
"I don't know what grudge your original body holds..."
I smiled at him.
"But keep at it. I'll free you later for sure."
Creak!
Whoosh! Whoooosh! Whoosh!
He nodded while training solo.
"Okay."
Now we were set.
Under Taeyangi and Kaden's lead, skeleton training began.
"Now you start too, punk?"
The old man picked up his spear.
I nodded with resolve.
'Timeline's one day.'
Just maintenance, then straight to Russia.
The association gave a week.
But if someone was stranded, better hurry.
"Shall we begin?"
Fwoosh!
Godslayer spear ignited red in my hand.
"Yeah. Let's check your spearwork first today!"
Once more.
Hellish training began.
* * *
Vladimir Rodigin.
A man who lost his family to the Russian mafia, his life's goal now mafia extermination.
The hunter who earned the moniker Spacian and rocketed to ranking 601.
"..."
He stared blankly at the horrific scene before him.
Grind!
His teeth gnashed.
Blood boiled.
- Hey, bastards! Your big bro's here!
- You see it on TV? My ranking!
- I told you I'd do it!
The gang boss who entered the hideout via spatial magic, laughing boldly.
The sight that greeted him was a miserable, gruesome massacre.
"What... is this."
No need to say who'd done it.
The mafias who'd always seen them as thorns in their side.
"Those... scum who deserve to be deep-fried...!"
Again.
It happened again.
The trauma he'd barely buried after losing his family to mafia resurfaced.
The gang boss who'd always acted bright and bold.
His lips twisted.
"Again... they touched my family?"
His hands trembled.
Rage made his blood surge backward.
That severed arm on the floor was his most cherished little brother's.
That corpse with dried blood around the mouth was one of his loyal men.
"How. How the hell...!"
Vladimir muttered, biting his lip.
Before leaving, he'd hidden it with spatial magic.
An underground forest hideout in a remote area, without even an entrance.
Info that couldn't leak.
'Unless there's a traitor inside.'
His eyes hardened coldly.
Pushing down sorrow, Vladimir slowly began counting the corpses.