Reward? Reward! (2)
After manifesting Agni, Zerphael had been certain of victory, yet a wave of doubt surged through him as he stared at the glowing spirit. He yearned to question Do-hyun, but his rival looked just as stunned.
Mid-battle, Do-hyun’s eyes glazed over as he muttered in confusion. He had nearly missed the fresh notification, but the new message demanded attention.
【“Spirit Magic [B]” added to “Ether Heart [S]” and “Sovereign’s Dignity [A]” interferes with the contract.】
【“Flame Intermediate Spirit – Agni [D]” has temporarily departed from its master.】
【“Flame Intermediate Spirit – Agni [D]” has been temporarily strengthened by “Ether Heart [S]” and “Sovereign’s Dignity [A]”.】
What the hell was this?
Analysis had explained it all. Do-hyun’s diverse skills had lent their strength to Spirit Magic, allowing Agni to be temporarily bound. Do-hyun flashed a sharp, predatory smile. Zerphael felt a chill crawl up his spine and yanked his sword free, but it was already too late.
Do-hyun reached out with blinding speed. Agni answered the call, extending his own hand and unleashing a torrent of scorching heat. A blaze of deep azure light erupted toward Zerphael.
Zerphael swung his blade to cleave the flames, but his elf companion beside him melted instantly. The duo vanished, leaving only ash in the air. Agni, sensing his master’s absence, waved sadly and faded.
The battle ended in an instant. Park In-su, who had been hiding far away, leaped out, froze mid-step, and stared blankly at the flawless aftermath with wide eyes.
He wasn’t the only one stunned. Every Korean hunter from the Association who had rushed in to support them stood rooted in shock.
“E, elves…?”
“They just melted??”
“M, mad…”
Ten elves—hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the seventeen-strong party—had vanished in under a minute. Everyone’s mouths hung open in disbelief.
The group had tasted the party’s overwhelming firepower and stayed silent.
“Whoa, that’s insane!”
“Who are these guys? I’ve never seen them before…”
“Three guys against ten elves and it’s a total stomp?”
“They just finished a dungeon, too…”
“Is that even real?”
The Association hunters had seen support missions before, yet none could grasp what had just unfolded.
All of them whispered in awe as a few turned to Park In-su and asked.
“Who are those people?”
“Are they about to be promoted?”
“You called them, so you must know something, Park In-su.”
“Guild members? Or Association…?”
“…”
Everyone fired questions, yet Park In-su could only stare blankly. He knew almost nothing.
Still, one truth was clear.
“They’re definitely about to be promoted.”
“…”
“If they don’t leave soon, we’re all screwed.”
“Exactly.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. If Do-hyun’s party didn’t promote, who would?
With the mission complete, the exhausted group scattered. Do-hyun’s party shook their heads in confusion.
Do-hyun alone grinned with satisfaction and thought to himself.
‘How much was that?’
Villain defeated. Villain’s points acquired.
Points distributed by party contribution.
Total: 26,351P obtained.
‘I’m gonna become addicted to hunting villains.’
The hunt had been a success, so it was time to head back to the dormitory.
First day in the E-rank floating island.
Do-hyun’s party had spent the day more productively than any other.
Right after entering, they raked in over two thousand points from hunting. They then wiped out a dungeon and two elf parties—three impossible feats for anyone else.
The gains were enormous.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t managed to contract Agni.
Since Zerphael was already bound, duplication wasn’t possible. Still, they weren’t overly disappointed. The skills alone were impressive.
Vision—Instant Teleport—Spirit Magic. Not contract, but close enough.
The points were staggering too.
‘Wow.’
Do-hyun’s jaw dropped as he stared at his points.
The units were unfamiliar. Converting them to cash meant over three hundred million won. Even the AP was generous, so there was no need to exchange. That truly was pure money.
‘This is huge.’
A 15 million won loan from yesterday now seemed laughably small. Do-hyun couldn’t stop smiling even if he tried.
The real surprise was that it had happened in just one day.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan were probably exhausted from the grind. They had washed up and collapsed into bed the moment they returned, but Do-hyun couldn’t sleep because of all this.
He decided to check the items they had looted from the dungeon boss that day.
【Analyzing “Blind Man’s Necklace”.】
【Blind Man’s Necklace】
▶ All senses except sight increase upon equipping.
▶ Additional senses beyond the five can be enhanced.
The description was plain, yet the implications were massive.
A necklace that granted sixth sense was extraordinary. Most items like this required appraisal before use, but Do-hyun already knew through Analysis.
Still…
‘We looted it together, so let’s discuss tomorrow.’
Excitement slowly faded, leaving him drained.
And so another day in the E-rank zone came to a close.
After Zerphael’s death.
A small ripple spread across Parvi in the floating island.
Elves dying wasn’t uncommon, but their numbers were few. They always operated in units of ten, so total wipeouts were rare. Ten members from Zerphael’s team vanishing was especially unprecedented.
At first no one knew, but contact had been lost. Elf party leaders sent scouts to the area Zerphael had claimed, only to find nothing. Leaders gathered in confusion.
“Is it true Zerphael has disappeared?”
“Hm… the guy was arrogant, but he could summon a flame intermediate spirit. How did he just vanish?”
Zerphael’s disappearance raised too many questions.
One leader recalled the rumors and spoke.
“Did he find a dungeon and clear it?”
“Zerphael? No way. Even among elf knights he was above average. He couldn’t have been better than us.”
Yet he was immediately refuted.
Through Do-hyun’s Analysis, Zerphael’s traits ranked B-class—impressive but not overwhelming. That wasn’t limited to Do-hyun either.
Elves had long been the superior race in history, and talented individuals had been plentiful.
Zerphael wasn’t rare, but he wasn’t common either.
How could he abandon his mission? This one was to verify the prophecy and identify its protagonist.
Everyone had been desperate, yet suddenly Zerphael vanished and chaos reigned.
There was more trouble.
“After today, the dungeon tied to the prophecy will appear.”
“It was supposed to manifest in two weeks, but we haven’t even seen a trace of any dungeon.”
“That means…”
No dungeon had been found.
With that much evidence, even an idiot would connect the dots.
Though the situation felt ominous, someone had to speak up. One elf leader quietly said.
“…Hm. Someone else already cleared it, Zerphael realized and tried to steal the spoils, only to be robbed?”
“That’s the most likely explanation.”
“The real problem is we can’t prove it.”
The dungeon had vanished without a trace, so no one knew who had cleared it. They needed to find evidence of a fight between Zerphael and the other party.
The leaders had already ordered their members to scour the area thoroughly. It wouldn’t take long.
Sure enough, a few members returned, bowing and reporting.
“We found the battlefield.”
The leaders moved without hesitation and followed the scouts.
Five leaders arrived at a one-sided slaughter site. Two long, deep pits looked as if they had been gouged by spears. Two more had been brutally excavated. Finally, one patch of the ground had melted and hardened into glassy, gleaming obsidian.
The leaders’ faces twisted. Especially the last mark drew sharp frowns. The earlier pits were unknown, but the long scratches were obviously swordsmanship. The final trace was something elves couldn’t miss.
“A spirit.”
“Power from a flame intermediate spirit or higher.”
“No, maybe above Agni.”
“…Azure flame marks. Upper-tier Agni.”
Elves who didn’t know Do-hyun had borrowed power from Ether Heart mistook the spirit for something above Agni.
“There was a spirit stronger than Zerphael.”
“The guy was a spirit knight, so he could fight anyone at the same level. But with traces of azure flame…”
“He must be at least our caliber.”
The five leaders exchanged glances, frowning deeper. They could only conclude that the protagonist of the prophecy—someone who would bring transcendence—was a high-level spirit mage who commanded spirits.
After reaching the verdict, they spoke.
“We need to report to the upper ranks.”
“The elders won’t be happy.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“We’ll investigate more first.”
“We’ll check every spirit mage in the E-rank zone.”
Uninnocent spirit mages would now face sudden suspicion thanks to Do-hyun, but he was fast asleep, completely unaware.
Of course, if he knew, he probably wouldn’t care much.