Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Selling Strategy Guides for Free!
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In the world of hunters, information was an indispensable necessity.
Yet, in a truly ironic twist...
...it was also the most meaningless thing in the hunter world.
That was because the environments and monsters inside gates changed constantly, moment by moment.
On top of that, hunters weren't just allies cooperating with each other.
They were also rivals fighting over each other's rice bowls.
This meant fewer and fewer people were willing to share the information they'd uncovered with their enemies.
All these countless internal circumstances and external factors had intertwined to form the current delicate ecosystem. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that.
And for some hunters...
...they had flatly concluded that gates were phenomena beyond their comprehension.
Choi Geonwoo was no exception.
The head of Titan Guild and one of Korea's representative S-Rank Hunters.
"...This is the strategy guide you made?"
But today, as he looked over the document brought by a certain girl, Choi Geonwoo felt the need to revise that thought for the first time.
"Yes, Uncle."
Sluuuurp—
She slurped at her chocolate latte piled high with whipped cream.
Then, swinging her legs just like any kid her age, Hayang replied nonchalantly.
The innocence of her demeanor contrasted so sharply with the document in his hands that Choi Geonwoo alternated between looking at her and it, a hollow laugh escaping his lips.
'This is ridiculous.'
Even filled to the brim with A4 pages, it was quite a thick stack.
Normally, just skimming it would be daunting.
But Choi Geonwoo carefully read through it as best he could, stroking his chin.
The papers contained information gathered over the past three weeks or so by Hayang and Han Yuseol pooling their efforts.
And every single piece of that information was shocking enough to leave even him speechless.
"So, to sum it up... the monsters and environments inside gates share certain commonalities?"
"That's the gist of it, in simple terms."
Han Yuseol answered his question on Hayang's behalf.
It was because Hayang inside the gate was on another level of intelligence that made her untouchable.
But Han Yuseol was also a remarkably sharp woman.
Synthesizing the info Hayang obtained and holding a conversation wasn't all that difficult for her.
'Phew, what a relief.'
Hayang glanced at Han Yuseol and inwardly sighed in relief.
Truth be told, outside the gate, she'd been worried about whether she could answer well herself.
But Han Yuseol had stepped up, offering to handle today's talk, which eased her mind considerably.
"This is quite shocking. Especially this part: 'Most races share weaknesses, and boss-level individuals often have the exact opposite weaknesses of the monsters that appeared before them.' That's crucial."
There were plenty of other fascinating points besides that.
Too many to list one by one.
"Jungles mostly feature beastkin and insect monsters, who favor ambushes and poison. Sanctuaries tend to have spirit-type monsters, who frequently use darkness or mental disruption debuffs... Hah."
Reading the lines aloud one by one, Choi Geonwoo let out a sigh.
Half admiration, half exasperation.
"...Even the monsters' patterns and habits are all noted down."
"Yup. How they mostly attack, how they hide, everything we found out is written down."
It was astonishing that even the minor habits and attack patterns of small fry monsters were documented.
But what surprised him most was the boss monster section.
It was written like a game strategy guide, complete with patterns.
Like what to do after certain attacks for ease.
Or that some attacks came on specific second intervals.
Or that once a certain attack happened, it wouldn't come again.
Choi Geonwoo was a man who'd played games in his youth, so he knew.
This was straight out of an RPG raid strategy guide.
'It's definitely limited, sure. But even this is a tremendous help.'
Just three weeks.
No matter how busily the two had scurried about.
They couldn't have uncovered patterns for every gate on Earth and all the monsters inside.
Plus, just the two of them meant limits to info gathering.
The gates listed here were all Erosion-grade or below.
In other words, the minimum level Han Yuseol could safely scout while protecting Hayang.
Yet Choi Geonwoo could assert this.
This alone was an enormous achievement.
In fact, just looking at the contents.
There were quite a few cases of encountering the same monsters.
And evidence showing their behavior patterns matched perfectly every time.
What did that mean?
Simply knowing this info.
At least for scouting the gates listed here.
Even if it was their first time, they could navigate the interiors as if they knew them like the back of their hand.
'That fact alone skyrockets scouting stability.'
The one regrettable thing was not being able to know gate info beforehand.
If that were possible, dying in dungeons would be nearly impossible.
They could optimize gear and party composition perfectly for that gate in advance.
It was a slight shame that wasn't the case, but this level was beyond gratitude long ago.
"By the way, are you sure about handing this info to us first? I didn't expect it to be this substantial, so honestly, I'm a bit flustered."
To the point where even the great Choi Geonwoo felt a twinge of burden.
The value this info provided was immense.
Even calling it experimental, could they just accept it like this?
But Hayang's response was nonchalant.
"Yes! It's for a good cause, after all. Plus, if Uncle verifies it, nothing could be more reliable."
"A good cause..."
It wasn't wrong, but the weight of those words felt incredibly heavy.
Of course, Choi Geonwoo wasn't a villain.
He was glad that no more innocent lives would be lost thanks to this info.
Still, as the head of a guild, his first thought upon receiving it was...
The expectation that future raids could leap ahead based on this.
'I'm such a materialist.'
What thoughts had this girl had when handing over this stack of papers?
What mindset when entrusting him with this heavy burden?
He hadn't even considered that, just thinking of filling his own pockets?
A wry smile tugged at his lips, but Choi Geonwoo didn't let go of the papers.
Right here, right now, getting sentimental and giving it up would mean he couldn't face this girl squarely anymore.
"Alright, got it. I'll prioritize briefing our guild members heading out for scouting with this. If any info's wrong or needs additions during the process, we'll let you know..."
"No. Let me know."
As Choi Geonwoo tried to wrap up, Han Yuseol cut in sharply.
Wondering if they'd discussed it, he glanced at Hayang.
She nodded with an awkward smile.
"Ehehe, truth is, I still can't use computers. Yuseol-unnie agreed to help."
"Oh right, you said you'd never used one. You'll pick it up in time."
"Yes!"
As Hayang grinned and downed her second chocolate latte,
A warm smile formed on the lips of the two watching her.
BAM—!
- Master! Masteeeeer! Open the door right now! Calling Hayang without me—what's this nonsense?!
"......"
The sudden racket from an uninvited guest outside silenced the room instantly.
Unable to bear the tension, Hayang fidgeted with her hands and made a request to Choi Geonwoo.
"C-Could you let her in? I miss Yujin-unnie too, it's been a while..."
"...Fine."
He'd wanted to go out and send her packing by force.
But since it was Hayang's request, he reluctantly opened the door.
"Hayaaaang!"
"Eek?!"
"Please step away from the Master. Jeong Yujin."
But the moment the door opened,
Jeong Yujin burst in with arms wide open and a bright smile,
Grabbing Hayang—who wriggled like a startled kitten.
'Shouldn't have opened it.'
Choi Geonwoo regretted his decision.
After Hayang handed over the strategy guide and left.
Four guild members of Titan Guild received a sudden summons and rushed over.
A thick stack of documents was promptly thrust into each of their hands.
"What's this, Master?"
Jeong Inhyuk, the man wielding a blunt weapon, tilted his head quizzically.
Were they being assigned paperwork, of all things?
He was hopeless at that stuff.
"You have one day. Memorize it all."
"...Pardon?"
But upon hearing Choi Geonwoo's follow-up, he thought paperwork might've been better.
"Wait a sec, Master! Memorize all this?! In one day?"
"How much is there...?"
"Even so, this is too much!"
"At least explain what it is that we're supposed to memorize."
As seasoned guild members,
They didn't nod along immediately to Choi Geonwoo's words.
Instead, they showed reluctance, trying to back out.
"This could save your lives. No backtalk—memorize it."
But at his firm tone,
They realized this wasn't something to take lightly.
They decided to at least check the contents of the paper stacks.
"What is it, a gate strategy guide?"
"Monster habits... and patterns too?"
"This says beastkin are weak to fire attributes..."
"You didn't mix this up with a game guide, did you?"
Jeong Inhyuk blinked in bewilderment, asking on behalf of the group.
And rightly so—the contents were utterly absurd even to these four veteran hunters.
"By the way, external disclosure of this info is strictly forbidden. Memorize as much as you can in a day, then for the next week, you'll handle most scouting except for higher gates."
"A whole week?!"
Handing full duties to a trusted raid team temporarily happened in the guild.
But only when manpower suddenly freed up or issues arose.
And even then, two to three days at most.
Full-time for a straight week out of nowhere?
No wonder Jeong Inhyuk nearly fell over in shock.
"Yes. In return, all rewards from this scouting are yours. Report mana stone sales to accounting, and I'll tell them to triple the payout."
"Triple...?!"
"Hold on, the overtime pay's too juicy."
Fortunately, Choi Geonwoo was a leader who guaranteed fair pay for labor.
He offered rewards tempting enough to sway them.
Thus, the three who'd looked dead inside suddenly brimmed with motivation.
"Ugh, I had a date planned with my boyfriend this weekend...!"
Except for Lee Yejeong, the sole couple among them, who looked miserable.
She and her boyfriend had barely aligned schedules lately, with few chances to meet.
They'd finally carved out this weekend, and now this.
At that, the other three shot up their hands triumphantly.
"Wahaha! Tease Yejeong!"
"Ooh, tormenting Yejeong sounds sweeter than overtime."
"Master's orders—how could we refuse? Haha!"
"You jerks...!"
Overtime and weekend work? Pfft!
United as couple-hell single-heaven, the three ganged up.
By majority rule, Lee Yejeong had no choice but to swallow her tears and join in.