Insect Extermination (2)
Bae Yeong-seok.
A mid-tier superhuman at Level 47.
“This is driving me crazy.”
He let out a long sigh along with his teammates.
“Giant insects out of nowhere. What kind of lightning strike is this?”
“Exactly. Haah.”
They had been operating mainly around the Taebaek Mountains in Gangwon Province, so they were among the teams hit hardest by the sudden appearance of giant mantises and spiders.
“I heard the non-forest dungeons are already saturated.”
“Makes sense. Everyone must have rushed there.”
“Guess we’ll just have to sit on our hands until someone figures out a countermeasure.”
“Augh, and I’ve got so many places the money needs to go.”
“Why don’t we team up with other groups and try tackling them together?”
“If we go in with oversaturated numbers, there’s barely any experience or byproducts left for anyone.”
“Yeah. Getting injured on top of that would be a total loss.”
The sighs grew deeper.
Everyone felt as though they had suddenly lost their jobs overnight because of the unexpected crisis.
‘What if this situation drags on?’
The anxiety that they might even have to resort to farming low-level dungeons crept up on them.
In the worst case, they might never break through the Level 50 bracket at all.
That was when it happened.
“Huh? Madoje just posted that he’s selling insect-type monster repellent spray.”
Kim Yeong-seok, the team’s vanguard, suddenly spoke up.
“What? Insect repellent spray?”
“What kind of childish nonsense is—wait, if it’s Madoje who posted it, that’s a different story.”
If anyone else had posted it, they would have dismissed it as a scam or bait.
But the name Madoje carried weight.
Especially in Korean superhuman society.
“What does it say…? Never mind, I’ll check myself. He posted it on the Superhuman Net, right?”
They logged into the Superhuman Net.
And quickly found the post Madoje had uploaded.
Effective against the giant mantises and spiders that have been causing such a stir lately.
Also works on other insect-type monsters below Level 60.
The spray is designed in the shape of a pistol for single-shot firing, and can also be used in mist form through the small opening at the back.
Spraying it on your body grants a repelling effect.
I hope this spray offers a small measure of help to fellow superhumans thrown into chaos by the sudden appearance of these giant insects.
[Insect-type Monster Repellent Spray: 500 Coin]
[Refill Solution: 100 Coin]
[One per person purchase limit]
Bae Yeong-seok and his teammates read the post slowly.
Honestly, if the author hadn’t been Madoje, it would have looked like a suspicious scam.
“Is this… real?”
Doubtful glances passed between the team members.
The price of 500 coins felt steep, and the very concept of a monster repellent spray seemed absurd.
But the name Madoje changed everything.
If it was Madoje?
That was different.
He wasn’t someone who built his reputation on rumors or empty boasts.
Everything he had sold had already proven its worth to countless superhumans, and those who trusted him were far from few.
“500 coins.”
Five million won in cash.
It was a burdensome price.
Bae Yeong-seok hesitated for a moment before making his decision.
“I’ll buy one and see what happens.”
He clicked the purchase button right away.
His teammates watched with expressions mixing anticipation and anxiety.
“Please let it work.”
That 500-coin spray carried their last hope.
Could this really be the breakthrough they needed?
Fwoooosh.
Bae Yeong-seok examined the spray that had appeared in his hand.
“It really does look like a pistol.”
“Spray gun would be a better name.”
“That’s not important right now. Let’s try using it.”
At his teammates’ urging, Bae Yeong-seok aimed at a nearby tree and pulled the trigger.
Fwoosh—!
Pop!
A small amount of golden liquid shot out at high speed, bursting at the target and scattering powder in all directions.
The ejection speed was as fast and intense as a mana-infused crossbow bolt.
“Nothing special. Just a bitter smell mixed with dirt and grass.”
Bae Yeong-seok sniffed and said.
“Hmm… Is it really okay to trust this?”
“Madoje made it. It might actually work.”
“Yeah, let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll pull out immediately.”
Thus, Bae Yeong-seok’s team headed toward Ghost Forest.
After spraying the repellent all over their bodies with the mist function, they began cautiously exploring the forest.
In the dark, eerie woods, they dealt with forest crows and forgotten warriors while venturing deeper.
Yet everyone felt something subtly different even amid the tension.
And then it happened.
“Samaaaat!”
A sharp cry from a giant mantis echoed nearby.
At the same time, several giant house spiders slowly emerged from the forest shadows.
In that moment, Bae Yeong-seok and his teammates tensed up.
“They’re here… Get ready!”
But the situation unfolded unexpectedly.
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
The giant mantises and house spiders suddenly stopped moving, curling their bodies and adopting wary postures.
They even took a step back, trying to hide themselves in the forest in a hurry.
“Samaaaat!”
“Zzzzt!”
Even the giant mantises and house spiders blocking the path began frantically leaving their positions.
Their behavior looked as though they were extremely repelled by something.
“Wh-what the—!”
Despite the sudden turn of events, Bae Yeong-seok remained calm.
He aimed the spray at one of the fleeing house spiders and pulled the trigger.
Fwoosh—!
Pop!
The spray shot hit the spider’s back dead-on.
“Z-zzziiiiiik!”
The house spider began convulsing as if having a seizure, thrashing on the ground before collapsing limply and going still.
“······!”
The teammates who witnessed the scene were speechless.
They stared at each other with expressions of disbelief.
Then one word burst out.
“H-hahaha!”
“No way!”
“It was real!!”
They rushed toward the fallen house spider with joyous smiles.
Finishing off an already neutralized monster was as easy as pie.
Only then did they realize that this dungeon was no longer a hell-difficulty avoided dungeon.
It had become a golden treasure trove.
“Hey! Sweep them all!”
“Now I get why everyone says Madoje is amazing.”
“Kuh. This is a blessing from Madoje himself. Milk it for all it’s worth while we can!!”
They encouraged one another and threw themselves into the hunt.
Ghost Forest was no longer a place of fear, but a field of blessings for the team.
A frenzied hunt began.
***
The rumor spread in an instant.
Because even a single use of the Madoje-brand spray let users feel its immediate effect.
Thanks to the spray, dungeon clearing became much easier.
Successful clears were possible with far fewer people than the recommended party size, allowing participants to fully share the experience and byproducts among themselves.
In particular, giant spiders and giant mantises provided substantial experience and high-value byproducts.
Once this fact became known among superhumans, the fear of the dungeons instantly transformed into profitability and opportunity.
Eventually, the Madoje-brand spray began to gain explosive popularity.
Given the situation, it didn’t take long for the news to reach the Hunter Bureau as well.
“What on earth is going on here?”
Kim Do-chul, Director of the Hunter Bureau, widened his eyes at Section Chief Lee Jeong-won’s report.
“So the bug repellent spray was real?”
“Yes. More precisely, it’s insect-type monster repellent spray, but…”
“Same thing!”
Kim Do-chul spoke to Lee Jeong-won again, greatly agitated.
“Madoje—is it certain that this person is a Korean superhuman?”
“Yes. He’s listed at the very top of the list of superhumans who stood out this year that was submitted in the previous proposal.”
“What got him ranked at the top?”
At those words, Lee Jeong-won let out a deep sigh inwardly.
‘He didn’t read the proposal at all. As expected from someone who’s just a signature machine.’
He swallowed the words he wanted to say.
It would have been less frustrating if he had at least skimmed it.
“Madoje is a superhuman estimated to be over Level 90. The basis is that he sells elixirs and spirit medicines confirmed to be over Level 90, and through them he greatly influenced Hong Seolhwa and Alexei in breaking through the Level 80 wall, and…”
Madoje’s personal information poured out one after another.
The longer Lee Jeong-won’s explanation went on, the wider Kim Do-chul’s jaw dropped.
“Contact him immediately! Make recruitment the top priority, and if that fails, at least establish a connection!”
***
“Thank goodness.”
I let out a sigh of relief after seeing the news that the insect-type monster repellent spray was working.
“It’s selling well?”
“Yeah. Everyone worked hard.”
“Ah! That’s a relief!”
“Chuchu!”
At my words, Bellerin and Chuchu raised both arms to the sky and cheered.
‘I can keep selling it in cooperation with the government.’
Just earlier, I had been contacted by a superhuman from the Crisis Response Headquarters of Korea’s Hunter Bureau.
The contact had come through An Seong-jae.
When I refused their request to meet, they said they would at least help facilitate smooth distribution of the spray sales.
‘It wasn’t a bad offer.’
The Reverse-Gold Residual Flower had successfully entered mass cultivation.
I had planned to continue supplying it and lead the mass distribution of the spray, and now the government was offering to handle that on my behalf.
While it would be better to partner with a private company for commercial ventures, that wasn’t easy from inside the Lair.
‘I’m not trying to maximize profits with this anyway.’
I also checked the Superhuman Net.
Due to this incident, mid-tier superhumans in Korea were filled with anxiety about their growth stagnation.
That was why I decided to charge only a fair price.
Rather than obsessing over profits, I chose to collaborate with the government for stable supply.
Thus, a point of contact was established with Korea’s Hunter Bureau.
‘That’s resolved nicely.’
Crunch!
I took a bite of the roasted Mandragora in my hand.
A subtle, savory flavor like baked onion spread throughout my mouth.
Roasted Mandragora was an excellent delicacy.
I had already raised my level quite a bit by eating elixirs earlier.
And just now, a single bite of roasted Mandragora brought me to Level 54.
One more level and I would reach Level 55.
‘I think the next passage will open at Level 55.’
And at Level 60 would come the next Guardian Room.
Before reaching Level 70, I would be able to summon at least two more passages and one more Guardian.
‘Let’s keep going like this.’
Crunch!
I took another bite of the roasted Mandragora and looked around the Lair.
『Hanbinggwa, mashiteo!』
Dania was enjoying Hanbinggwa as dessert.
Thud, clang, thud, clang!
Our Bellerin was diligently hammering away to build the dimensional amplifier.
“Show me one more time.”
『Keron. Understood.』
Ziiiiing!
Azkai was focused on Arkeron slicing through space with Dimensional Severance.
‘Why does he keep watching that?’
I tilted my head at Azkai’s behavior.
It wasn’t something he could imitate anyway.
‘Hmm.’
My gaze then moved to the Gongcheong Oil spring.
When I checked earlier, its level had risen again to 104.
I didn’t know how high it would go, but the situation was very desirable.
‘For a while, just cycling through Mandragora, Seondo, Gongcheong Oil, and Taeumyangjeong should be enough to level up to 70 without any problems.’
Time was on my side.
If nothing went wrong, I would reach Level 70 in the near future with plenty to spare.
‘But when is Mandrian going to wake up?’
Mandrian, having absorbed the Forest Essence, was still deeply rooted in the ground and asleep.
Looking closely, its petals, stems, and leaves had all grown much thicker and larger than before.
Something significant was clearly happening.
‘It’s definitely still alive, right?’
Outwardly it looked fine, but a sudden worry crossed my mind.
I had thought that even without Mandrian there wouldn’t be any major problems.
But now that it was absent, I felt a strange emptiness without realizing it.
‘I should call Emilia again tomorrow and ask her to check on its condition.’
Crunch!
Chew, chew.
I shoveled the remaining roasted Mandragora into my mouth.
‘Now then. Time to use the ★.’
With that thought, I reached into my pocket to take out the ★.
But then.
That was when it happened.
『Keron. Large-scale hostiles detected.』
Fwoosh!
Red light flashed in Arkeron’s eyes.
***
“Awooooo!”
“Awooo—!”
The shadow wolves.
They had more than earned their keep.
They had eliminated all the spider wolves approaching Elatrium in advance.
Thanks to that, the spider army still couldn’t pinpoint Elatrium’s location.
However!
The situation changed.
“So the wraiths of shadow were interfering.”
Arachne.
She opened her mouth, her eyes gleaming with malice.
“They’re troublesome, but if we catch even one, the rest will follow in a chain.”
The shadow wolves’ weakness.
They were deeply affectionate.
These creatures formed packs in family units.
When one member of the pack was in danger, the rest would throw themselves into the fire without hesitation to save it.
Despite possessing fraudulently excellent evasion and mobility.
The reason they were driven to near extinction was precisely because of this fatal weakness.
“Archenes, Terkala. Set traps all around this area.”
“Yes!”
“We obey.”
The spiders’ reach extended toward the shadow wolves.
And not long after.
“We caught one!”
One individual had unfortunately fallen into the spiders’ trap.
“Awooooooo!”
“Awooo—!”
And then.
The shadow wolves threw themselves into the spiders’ trap without hesitation to save their pack member.
Everything was unfolding exactly as Arachne had planned.
“As expected of our Queen.”
“Not a single error.”
“Don’t kill them all. That way we can find out faster what traces they were so desperate to erase.”
In that moment when the shadow wolves were on the brink of death.
『Arkeron. Combat preparations complete.』
Kwaaaaaaaaah!
Arkeron, already equipped with Combat Stance Level 4 from the start, began charging forward at the speed of light.