A Blunt Instrument
Crackle!
A massive shower of sparks erupted.
At the same time, the team leader holding the tray fell backward.
From the Dan tossed into the air, a current of electricity massive enough to swallow a person surged out.
Whoosh!
Then, a shadow enveloped the sparks. It was the effect of Shadow Armor.
Perhaps because it had drained my blood as the price for blocking the first strike, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
"What in the..."
If it hadn't been for Shadow Armor, I would have been swallowed by that electrical current as well.
I stared at the wooden box with a dazed expression.
A faint current was still running through the Dan.
"Are you alright?"
Kang Mina approached, her face pale with shock.
I waved off her hand and looked around.
The team leader lay collapsed on the floor, either unconscious or unable to get up, while the Dan crackled on the ground, spitting sparks.
And then...
Thud!
The government official who had guided us.
Without a moment's hesitation, I buried my fist into his stomach.
"Urgh!"
The official collapsed, drooling as he hit the floor.
"H-Hunter Lee Taepyeong!"
Kang Mina shrieked in horror.
I turned to her and spoke calmly.
"Do you have anything to tie this bastard up with?"
"W-what?!"
"Let's tie him up first, then talk."
Kang Mina stood there, her mouth hanging open, utterly speechless.
"Cable ties, or something similar?"
"I-I do have some, but..."
"Then give them to me."
I took the cable ties she handed over and bound the unconscious official's hands and feet.
But wait, why does she carry things like this around?
"...Sometimes we meet people who cause trouble," Kang Mina excused herself the moment our eyes met.
True. It's not like all hunters are sane.
Maybe Kang Mina also possessed some terrifying skills like Do Sangjin. Special forces martial arts, or something?
"Anyway, why did you hit him..."
"Didn't you see?"
"See what?"
"He didn't even blink when that lightning-like spark went off."
"...!"
Only then did Kang Mina cover her mouth.
Is her situational awareness not that great?
"He acted like someone who knew exactly what was going to happen."
I searched the pockets of the collapsed official.
Then, "Look at this."
Two phones came out.
It wasn't unusual for people to carry two phones these days, but...
Buzz.
If the second phone was set entirely in Japanese, that changed things.
"...I'll handle this," Kang Mina said, taking the phone.
"Hey, wake up."
I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up.
I held the phone to his face, and the lock screen slid open.
While Kang Mina examined the phone with a grim expression, I looked down at the Dan on the floor.
"Hmm..."
It was still crackling with electricity.
The Dan was supposed to have absolutely no abilities. It wasn't called a useless white elephant for nothing.
But then, what was that spark just now?
Could it be...?
A sudden thought struck me, and I opened the System Shop.
I purchased the cheapest protective gear, a pair of Ratman Leather Gloves, for 1 coin.
Buzz.
The leather gloves materialized like a shimmering hologram and dropped into my hands.
The craftsmanship was shoddy, making them essentially a disposable item.
After slipping on the Ratman Leather Gloves, I pulled "that" out of my inventory.
Flash.
Thunderbird Oil. It was a single-use attribute-infusing item I had obtained from a Platinum Box.
I poured the Thunderbird Oil onto the Ratman Leather Gloves.
Drip.
I meticulously coated the entire surface of the gloves with the oil.
Grab.
Then, I picked up the Dan.
"Hunter Lee!"
Kang Mina shrieked in alarm, but contrary to her expectations, nothing happened.
The leather gloves had already been infused with the lightning attribute.
Flip.
I turned the Dan over, examining it.
There was nothing particularly strange about it. Except for the fact that both this dagger and my gloves were coated in Thunderbird Oil.
"I think I know what happened."
"Y-you do?"
"Yes."
Honestly, it would have been harder not to know.
"It seems they really hated the idea of handing the Dan over to Korea."
"J-Japan did?"
"Yes."
"But they were the ones who proposed the deal..."
"They probably got anxious later on."
Japan must have realized that I was setting the record for the fastest clears on every floor.
And so, they suddenly grew anxious. Was it really okay to hand the Dan over to Korea?
But the contract was already signed, and they had to deliver it. So, they resorted to this cheap trick.
They coated the Dan in Thunderbird Oil, hoping I would get hit by the resulting discharge.
Thunderbird Oil was a single-use item anyway. Over time, both the effect and any trace of it would vanish.
If they succeeded, it would be the perfect crime.
It wasn't hard to guess their plan.
Bribe a foreign relations team official, prep the weapon with Thunderbird Oil.
Once I was incapacitated by the lightning, they would spread rumors far and wide: "The Dan has rejected the Korean hunter!"
Out of sheer embarrassment, Korea would return the Dan, and then Japan would offer a smaller sum of money... Something like that.
Still, to think they'd waste an item from a Platinum Box like this.
Thanks to them, I had to waste my own Thunderbird Oil too.
At least it ended well. Thanks to Shadow Armor, I avoided making a fool of myself.
If I had collapsed from the Thunderbird Oil...
Japan would have been absolutely insufferable.
Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me sick. I'm glad I noticed in time.
"The Bureau will handle this guy, right?"
"...Of course."
Grind. The sound of Kang Mina grinding her teeth was terrifying.
"Then I'll take this."
"Ah, yes. It belongs to you now, Hunter-nim."
Slide. I put the Dan into my inventory.
By the way, thinking about it, isn't this a huge win?
No matter how useless the Dan was, if I coated it with an attribute-infusing item like Thunderbird Oil... it proved that it could be used somehow.
Of course, Thunderbird Oil was a high-grade item that only came out of Platinum Boxes.
"Hmm..."
How to use the Dan. Let's think about it a bit more.
Until then, well.
I can just stab things with it.
You know, like in those movies. Killing people with a pencil.
A master craftsman doesn't blame his tools.
Though that might not be the right expression for this...
Anyway. Now that I had the item.
"I'll be going now."
"Ah, yes...! I'll contact you as soon as this is sorted out!"
"Yes, please take care of it."
I gave a brief nod and left the cooperation room.
Maybe I should do a quick solo run in the tower.
Now that I had the Dan.
It was rumored to be useless, but you never know until you try. Maybe it would suit me surprisingly well?
"Okay."
I walked toward the tower entrance.
"Entering the Babel Tower."
The 17th floor.
Instead of the Goblin Warrior Army, this floor featured the Goblin Wolf Rider Army.
Plus, two low-grade shamans.
It was the perfect floor for a light run.
Caw, caw, caw...
The ominous cries of crows.
Rumble...
The sound of wolves stamping their paws.
And the characteristically annoying voices of the goblins.
Since I had already cleared this floor several times, I wasn't nervous at all.
I knew all the gimmicks.
I just need to kill the shamans first.
When clearing it with Cha Yerin and Woo Jumin, Woo Jumin would first cast Eye of Horus on us.
Once we had a solid shield, Cha Yerin would draw the attention of the wolf riders, and I would go kill the shamans.
After taking out the two shamans, I would sweep the wolf riders swarming Cha Yerin from behind. Simple.
Though today, I'm alone.
Well, maybe that was actually better. It meant I didn't have to worry about anyone else.
Crack.
I lightly cracked my neck.
I pulled the Dan out of my inventory.
The effect of the Thunderbird Oil still lingered on it.
"Whew."
The tip was blunter than I thought, and the blade was rusted.
Honestly, it didn't feel like it had any value as a weapon.
But, some people would kill thirty-five more while wasting time thinking about that.
I adjusted my grip on the Dan.
Unlike a normal sword grip, I held it in a reverse grip.
It felt like it was meant to be used like a stake.
Let's take out one first.
Since I didn't have a tank to draw aggro, I had to engage them head-on.
One by one. In order.
"Kireeeek!"
The wolf riders ahead spotted me and let out bizarre shrieks.
Whoosh!
At the same time, dash! I lunged forward at high speed.
Thwack!
I drove the Dan into the crown of a goblin rider's head.
"Kigek!"
No, actually... to be precise, it didn't pierce.
It was just blunt. The spot where it hit was merely dented.
"Ah, seriously."
I aimed at that blunt dent.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I hammered the pommel of the Dan with my fist.
Crack!
The goblin's head shattered completely.
Killing Time
Ah, was that a bit too much?
Only then did I get a proper look at the shattered goblin head.
Rather than a sword cut, it looked like it had been beaten to a pulp with a club.
Does the system really count this as a sword...?
Anyway, the feeling of smashing heads wasn't bad.
It seemed like I needed a bit of knack to drive it in with one blow, but once I killed all the goblins here, wouldn't I get used to it?
Whoosh!
"Kieeeek!"
Thud! Thud! Crack!
By the time I killed about thirty of them, it took three hits to shatter a head.
Whoosh!
"Kieeeek!"
Thud! Crack!
After killing twenty more, it took two hits.
Whoosh!
"Kieeeek!"
Crack!
After killing another ten, I could finish them in a single strike.
All that was left were five goblin wolf riders and two low-grade shamans.
Whine! Yelp!
The wolves had already assessed the situation.
They shook off the goblin riders on their backs and fled with their tails tucked.
Loyalty be damned. In the face of overwhelming terror, none of it mattered.
Crack! Thud! Squish!
Cleaning up the goblin riders was easier than taking candy from a baby.
It was almost as if they were begging to be killed.
There was a groove on the crown of the goblins' heads that fit the Dan perfectly.
Once I got the hang of it, just placing the Dan there and driving it in shattered their skulls.
All I needed was... a sense of rhythm?
"Heh..."
I pulled the Dan out of the last goblin rider's head and approached the low-grade shamans.
Squelch, squelch. Stepping through the mire of brain matter.
#@$%^...!
Meanwhile, the low-grade goblins were frantically finishing their spell.
"Kiyaaa!"
At the same time, they pointed their fingers at me and shrieked.
Whoosh!
A curse spell...!
A debuff.
It hit, buzz! right on the Dan.