The Gold Sword Book? (Part 2)
After finishing their drinks, Dohyun’s party rose from their seats to explore the Hunter Department Store.
The three of them had visited plenty of ordinary department stores before, but this was their first time at the Hunter Department Store. Still, it wasn’t all that different. The basic layout of the shops felt familiar, though most of the brands were new to them, and the merchandise wasn’t limited to accessories—there were also weapons that only hunters used.
Dohyun, Hana Rin, and Ji Yu-chan wandered through the displays, genuinely intrigued.
The atmosphere reminded them of the alleys in the Black Gate safety zones, only far more luxurious, and they couldn’t help glancing around.
Then—
“There are more ordinary people here than I expected.”
“A few of the accessories can be used by non-hunters, after all. Though they charge more if you pay in cash instead of points.”
“Ah, I see.”
It was just a casual remark, yet both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan turned to look at Dohyun the moment they heard it.
Why did it feel like he was already calculating how much more money he could make by selling accessories to ordinary people?
They knew they had nothing to worry about when it came to Dohyun’s schemes, but an inexplicable chill still ran down their spines.
Surely he won’t try to use us as employees, right? They clung to that fragile hope, but then remembered the bribe he had slipped them last time. He hadn’t done that for nothing.
Still, even while feeling uneasy, the two found the experience of browsing the Hunter Department Store with Dohyun surprisingly enjoyable.
Most of the shops inside dealt in appraised items, which naturally drove the prices up.
Mostly dungeon drops or raid rewards.
Every now and then, crafted items appeared as well.
Dohyun had heard that quite a few awakened individuals chose to master production skills rather than combat ones, and now he could see the results of their work actually being sold.
After all, even dwarven gear was crafted, wasn’t it?
As Dohyun examined the merchandise, one thing became clear.
Crafted items were priced noticeably lower.
[Hansung Workshop One-Handed Sword]
— A one-handed sword forged by a master of Hansung Workshop.
— The blade is sharp. Two-year after-sales service included.
— Price: 100P
— Cash: 1,000,000₩
Reading the shop’s description and price tag, Dohyun activated Analysis, a puzzled look on his face.
『Plain One-Handed Sword』
▶ “A simple one-handed sword forged by a blacksmith who only began crafting a few years ago.”
▶ “The balance is off. It is not a particularly good piece.”
Staring at the Analysis result, Dohyun scratched his cheek. Even this was considered cheap because it was a crafted item.
When he turned his gaze to another item, a dungeon drop appeared.
It came with an appraisal certificate and a prominent authenticity seal.
[One-Handed Sword from the Tranquil Bone Graveyard]
— A one-handed sword obtained as a reward from the E-rank zone, Tranquil Bone Graveyard.
— Appraisal result: Strengthens bones and enhances the wearer’s stamina while equipped.
— Price: 1000P
— Cash: 20,000,000₩
『Bone Augmentation One-Handed Sword』
▶ “A sword that strengthens bones and replenishes stamina.”
Two million won for something like this?
Dohyun stared at it again and again, utterly dumbfounded.
Crafted items only carried a fifty-percent markup in cash, but dungeon drops were priced at a full hundred percent more.
Honestly, the Bone Augmentation One-Handed Sword should have gone for around 300P on the Black Gate market.
Disappointing as the sight was, Dohyun’s lips curved into a bright smile.
This place is a goldmine.
Not every item sold here was appraised.
Many pieces couldn’t be identified even with appraisal stones. Shops sometimes bought unappraised items cheaply, then tried to sell them as-is. Those unappraised goods usually sat at lower price points, but buyers had to sign a waiver stating the shop wouldn’t take responsibility if anything went wrong.
Even then, purchasing unappraised items was illegal for non-hunters, so most of the stock simply gathered dust.
While Dohyun’s eyes sparkled with excitement, Ji Yu-chan called out to him.
“Dohyun, could you take a look at this?”
“Hm?”
Since they had come to shop together, Dohyun quickly refocused and turned toward Ji Yu-chan, who stood in front of the skill-book section—just as he had mentioned back at the café.
Countless manuals lined the shelves, but most were unappraised dungeon drops rather than point-purchasable books.
Unlike regular items, these manuals rarely came with appraisals. Appraisal stones simply didn’t work on them.
Normally you either read them with mana or pay points to translate them.
That was why no one could buy them on impulse.
This was exactly why Ji Yu-chan had called Dohyun over. Only those skilled at handling mana could interpret unappraised manuals before paying the points to read them.
Most people bought based on the title alone and guessed, but the chance of drawing a dud was extremely high.
It was like web novels, really.
People got hooked by flashy titles only to end up with worthless manuals, so very few hunters ever bothered learning from unappraised dungeon manuals.
In fact, among all the hunters Dohyun had met—including the instructors—not a single one had ever successfully interpreted such a manual and awakened a skill from it.
But Dohyun was different, of course.
“Let me see.”
As Dohyun stepped forward to help choose, the shop clerk noticed and approached with a polite smile.
“Is there something you’re looking for?”
Dohyun raised a hand and declined. There was no point explaining anyway.
“Thank you, but we’ll look around ourselves.”
“Ah, of course. Please call me if you need anything.”
So this really is a department store.
Impressed by the courteous service, Dohyun sent the clerk away and turned to Ji Yu-chan.
“What kind of manual are you hoping for?”
“Hmm… Something about a swordsman’s mental imagery would be ideal.”
“That does sound complicated.”
“Kuh… I’m counting on you. My points only go so far.”
At Dohyun’s teasing, Hana Rin flinched as well.
She glanced at him cautiously and spoke up.
“If there’s anything about magical imagery… could you check for me too? I’ve been trying to read them myself, but the titles alone aren’t enough to tell…”
Even Hana Rin had attempted to decipher the titles, yet she still found it difficult and ended up asking Dohyun for help.
Since it was no trouble for him, he simply nodded.
His Analysis skill would handle everything anyway.
When Dohyun nodded, both Ji Yu-chan and Hana Rin felt an overwhelming sense of reassurance.
With their requests in mind, Dohyun quickly scanned the shelves.
As expected—
『A Study on Love』
▶ “A book recounting the story of Pyrius, who had a wife yet found his eyes drawn to the woman next door.”
▶ “Even knowing Pyrius was unfaithful, he always made excuses, claiming the neighbor’s wife maintained her youthful, fair skin while his own wife aged day by day. One dawn, he spotted the neighbor’s wife leaving her house and followed her as if entranced. She headed to a quiet harbor at daybreak. There, he discovered…” (continued)
This is supposed to be a skill manual?
Why did dungeons even produce garbage like this?
Dohyun, who had learned Instant Teleportation from a true secret manual, realized just how lucky he had been. If he had cleared a dungeon only to receive some trashy mystery novel as a reward, he would have been furious.
Still muttering to himself, he flipped past it.
He examined the titles and summaries of countless books. A few seemed somewhat useful, but none were relevant to him, Hana Rin, or Ji Yu-chan.
『Manual of Flexibility』
▶ “A manual detailing movements and stretches to improve flexibility.”
『Manual of Dislocation』
▶ “A manual explaining how to safely dislocate joints and reattach bones.”
『Manual of Eloquent Speech』
▶ “A manual describing techniques for speaking more fluently and capturing an audience’s attention.”
The last one piqued his interest for a moment, but he moved on. What use would that be?
Whether they were raid drops or dungeon manuals, most of them were completely worthless.
Just as he was beginning to think they would only find duds, one book caught his eye.
『The History of Humanity and the Black Gates』
▶ “A manual detailing the history of another humanity connected to the Black Gates and other dimensions.”
“Hmm.”
Curious, Dohyun stopped.
He understood what it meant: another humanity that had been linked to the Black Gates before Earth. The implication was clear—Earth wasn’t the first world connected to them.
Records existed of previous connections, and testimonies from various other races confirmed it.
Some races spoke of earlier human civilizations that had gone extinct. That explained why so many non-human species looked down on humanity.
Every previous human civilization had eventually perished.
While Dohyun stood there, lost in thought, Ji Yu-chan and Hana Rin approached.
Wondering what had captured his attention, they watched as he decisively pulled the book from the shelf.
“I’m buying this one.”
“What is it?”
“A swordsmanship manual?”
When they asked, Dohyun answered honestly.
“Just a history book.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hmm.”
Neither of them showed it, but they looked slightly disappointed as they resumed browsing. Dohyun chuckled softly at their expressions and continued scanning the shelves, but nothing else stood out. In the end, he only purchased the history manual he had chosen.
“Thank you. Please come again.”
“Yes, thank you for your help.”
Because it was an unappraised manual, the price was surprisingly low.
After buying it for only 10P, Dohyun led the others to another skill-book shop in high spirits.
He had hoped they might find something worthwhile here as well, but once again they came up empty.
This time, not even a history book caught his interest. Ji Yu-chan’s shoulders visibly slumped in quiet disappointment.
“Haa… It really isn’t easy.”
“There’s still one last shop. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
At Dohyun’s words, Ji Yu-chan nodded.
They headed to the final skill-book shop in this branch of the Hunter Department Store.
And there, at last, a peculiar title caught Dohyun’s eye.
『The Golden Sword Manual』
▶ “A manual detailing the Golden Sword used by the Golden Sword Saint.”
“……?”
What is this?