Chapter 24: Murim
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: Murim
Tiring—
[Matching has ended.]
[Favorability Change]
[Iris Remeria Baiart Peledeia 85♡ → 95♡]
[Bond Level Change]
[Iris Remeria Baiart Peledeia Lv.1 → Lv.3]
[Calculating rewards…]
[600 Love Coins have been awarded.]
[Remaining Coins: 1,850]
[Name: Iris Remeria Baiart Peledeia
Age: 524
Race: High Elf
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Archmage
Disposition: Virtuous, Pacifist, Devoted, Vegetarian······]
[Time until next match: 143:59:45]
The moment the air shifted, I was back in my room.
“Damn, the rewards are nice.”
On top of that, perhaps because my Bond Level with Iris had gone up, the time until the next match had been reduced from a week to six days.
I smiled at the numerous screens floating before my eyes, but the tension from facing a C+-rank magical beast just moments ago suddenly drained away as I returned to the safety of my room. I collapsed onto my bed.
“Ah, fuck, it stings... I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die...”
My clothes and bedsheets were stained with blood from the lacerations all over my body, which I hadn't been able to treat properly.
I wanted to just wash up and sleep, but I had to get treated before my wounds got worse.
A normal person would go to a hospital when they were sick, but things were different for people with money.
“Is there a church with an official priest near my place...?”
Of course not. The church I found on a map app was a good thirty-minute taxi ride away.
I sighed, already annoyed by the hassle, but I slapped on some bandages and plasters, changed my clothes, and left the house.
The taxi I called with the app arrived shortly.
“Seoul Central Holy Church, please.”
“You got it.”
Priests, who wielded divine power manifested through their faith in God, could perform the miracle of healing others' wounds.
I heard that mages once researched healing magic with great enthusiasm because it was difficult to achieve with their own methods, but I wasn't sure about the current situation.
In any case, becoming a priest was as difficult as becoming a mage. Talent was a given, but it had to be backed by sincere faith in God.
Those selected then had to undergo years of rigorous training at the Vatican.
“Haha, it looks like you've been hurt. Seeing a young man like you heading to the church, you must be successful, huh? I wish my son would work as hard as you, but he just lazes around at home all day... Sigh...”
Just as the taxi driver said, a single treatment at the church started at several hundred thousand won [a few hundred dollars], and the price on the bill could skyrocket to unbelievable amounts depending on the patient's condition.
Still, considering they could heal external injuries without leaving a single scar and even cure chronic diseases like hair loss or cancer, the price wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Of course, I heard those diamond spoon bastards go to the church even for a common cold.
“That'll be 23,000 won.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
As soon as I got out of the taxi, a magnificent church building came into view.
It was impossible to guess how much money had been poured into it.
“Should I exchange my stuff first?”
For the record, my bank account was at zero.
I'd spent it all on a bed and other things before going to meet Iris.
But I wasn't worried. I had fifteen magic stones from the dungeon. And they weren't from ordinary D+-rank magical beasts; every single one was from an elite specimen.
According to what I saw on the forums, magic stones from elite specimens were more expensive than those from regular beasts of the same rank.
And right next to this church was the Hunter Association building.
“Customer number 54.”
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, I sat down at the counter where my number was displayed.
Just like at the Magic Tower, the female employee here was stunningly beautiful.
‘What other high-paying job has you dying as easily as a hunter?’
I shouldn't generalize, but honestly, for someone that pretty, is there really any merit in working at the Association?
“I'd like to exchange some magic stones.”
“Yes, please place them all here.”
Her bright, smiling face was certainly a factor that could lift the mood of anyone coming in for business.
Even if her intentions were obvious, wouldn't hunters love it?
If I'd just come back from grinding my ass off in a Gate, I think I'd be happy too if a beautiful woman greeted me with a smile.
“Just a moment.”
I took the magic stones out of the bag I'd brought and placed them on the counter.
“Oh... my?”
“They're all D+-rank. And they're from elite specimens.”
The sight of a beautiful woman with her jaw hanging open was definitely not something you see every day.
A short while later, after I left the Hunter Association, a small notification sound chimed from my phone.
[S Bank]
[Deposit: 31,200,000 KRW]
[Balance: 31,275,420 KRW]
The price for a D+-rank magic stone was 1.3 million won each. Since they were from elite specimens, I got a 60% bonus, for a total deposit of 31.2 million won.
“...This really makes hunting worthwhile.”
For now, cash was definitely better than coins.
Maybe because there were so many things I could use it on right away.
“I should probably move soon, and I want to buy a decent car... Hmm, I'll need to save up a bit more for that.”
Thirty million won wasn't a small amount of money by any means, but it wasn't enough to both move and buy a car.
Ultimately, I had to solve one of the two first, and of course, it had to be the house.
I was so sick of this smelly, uncomfortable studio apartment.
*
Kang Cheolho, the 13th branch manager of the World Hunter Association's Korean division.
He was one of the ten most powerful figures in all of East Asia, and an S-rank hunter with a body strong enough to withstand a missile barrage.
His epithet was the Iron Man.
“So many magic stones, from a single 21-year-old man?”
True to his name, the Iron Man rarely showed any change in emotion, but right now, the pitch of his voice was noticeably different.
It was a subtle change that only his closest aides would notice, but he was clearly astonished.
“Yes, he just exchanged them at the first-floor counter and left.”
“He must have found an undiscovered Gate.”
Although technological advancements made it possible to know the location and creation time of Gates, it wasn't 100% perfect.
Occasionally, Gates with concealment abilities would evade the range of detectors, biding their time before causing a surprise Dungeon Break that resulted in numerous casualties.
Such Gates were called undiscovered Gates.
It was recommended to report them to the nearest police station or Hunter Association immediately upon discovery, but it was also possible to clear them at one's own discretion.
As long as you held a Hunter or Hero license.
Of course, even if an unlicensed person cleared one, they weren't unconditionally punished.
Undiscovered Gates were classified as special Gates and were considerably difficult. A superhuman with that kind of ability was a valuable asset that the nation needed to secure, so there was no reason to stir up trouble.
Unlike the law, it was tacitly permitted in reality.
“Fifteen D+-rank elite magic stones... Was it a C-rank Gate?”
“The intelligence team is currently tracking the individual's recent movements. We should have the results soon.”
“There's no need to rush. But you must move discreetly so the large guilds don't catch on.”
“Yes, Branch Manager.”
After the employee finished his report and left the office, Kang Cheolho walked over to the window.
He quietly gazed outside.
His line of sight passed over countless buildings, reaching a man dozens of kilometers away.
A traditional Korean mansion on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, boasting a beautiful facade.
This place, said to be where a blue dragon slept, was the nest of the leader of Blue Dragon, one of South Korea's giant guilds.
He paid no mind to Kang Cheolho's gaze directed at him and scoffed.
“Insolent human.”
*
With my bank account full, I headed straight for the church building.
The area around the church was crowded with people, but the inside was quiet.
And incredibly ornate.
‘At this rate, I could have made a killing as a priest instead of a mage.’
Of course, since priests were forbidden from contact with the opposite sex during their training at the Vatican, I had no desire to become one, even if someone offered me the chance.
“Welcome, brother.”
As I was looking around the church, a man who appeared to be a priest approached me.
“I'm here for treatment. Where should I go?”
“Ah, you've come to receive the Lord's grace. Please follow me.”
I followed him to a space decorated like a hospital.
“Could you show me your wounds?”
I immediately took off my shirt.
I had wounds on my legs too, but I didn't feel like doing a full-body strip show in front of another guy.
“...These are severe wounds.”
“I have them on my legs as well.”
The priest nodded once, then placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Our Father, who art in heaven.”
As he began to recite a prayer, a golden light enveloped his hand. The light flowed down from my shoulder, healing the wounds on my body.
“Let your mercy be upon us. Amen.”
After the short, two-sentence prayer was over, my body had completely changed.
Not only were the lacerations all over my body gone, but my left ear, which had been half-severed, was healed without a single scar.
‘This is insane.’
So this is why the news is always talking about guilds spending billions to recruit priests.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Of course, this power didn't come without a price.
As payment for healing me, the priest was sweating buckets. His complexion was also paler than before.
Divine power was a gift from God; it wasn't an omnipotent force that humans could wield freely with mere faith as the price.
“That will be 9,410,420 won.”
“...”
9.4 million won for a single treatment... It would've been better to just call an undertaker next time I get hurt.
And if it's a "donation," why the hell is there a card reader?
·
·
·
[Would you like to purchase the Imperial Army's Magic Sword?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[You have purchased the Imperial Army's Magic Sword.]
[Remaining Coins: 1,450]
Back home, I was busy preparing for the next match.
I filled my inventory with various survival tools, emergency food, and a huge amount of drinking water that I bought from a Hunter Shop on the way home. Unlike food, I could store tons of water in a single inventory slot.
However, there were so many different kinds of survival tools that I had to pack them in a separate bag. It was better that way, anyway.
The matching survey could narrow down things like the other person's appearance or hobbies, but it couldn't determine what kind of world they lived in.
For example, if I put "black magic" as a hobby, there was no way of knowing if I'd end up in another world with actual black mages, or a world with some edgy teenage girl lost in her delusions about black magic.
That meant it was entirely possible to end up in a world where I couldn't use magic.
I wasn't great with a sword, but the magic sword was good enough that even someone like me, who knew little about swordsmanship, could use it.
[Imperial Army's Magic Sword]
[Grade: Rare]
[Imbuing it with magic power increases its cutting power.]
“I wonder if this would have been helpful in the dungeon.”
I wasn't sure. Back then, I was too busy just dealing with everything using magic.
It was a stark reminder of why there were so few magic swordsmen.
I continued to pack my things, preparing thoroughly.
Tiring—
[Would you like to proceed with matching?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Thank you for using this app. Please complete the survey before proceeding with the match.]
[Preferred Race]
[Preferred Gender]
[Preferred Age Range]
·
·
·
Race: Human, Gender: Female, Age Range: 20s. I filled out the rest to get someone reasonably normal.
[Thank you for your cooperation.]
[Matching will begin shortly.]
[Please note that matching may take some time.]
I got into a stance where I could draw the sword and wand from my inventory at any moment.
I already had the monocle and ring on.
Under my clothes, I wore a light leather armor made from a magical beast's hide.
[Matching complete.]
[Transferring to Planet AXZ-174.]
A large pillar of light enveloped me.
Please, I hope I'm not skydiving without a parachute this time.
*
Fortunately, this match didn't start with a parachute-less skydive like the last one.
Instead.
“...”
“...”
[The dating consulting curriculum will now begin.]
[Analyzing Cheon Yeo-hwa's disposition.]
[Analyzing···]
[Analysis complete.]
[Name: Cheon Yeo-hwa
Age: 20
Affiliation: AXZ-174
Occupation: Second Princess of the Heavenly Demonic Cult
Disposition: ??]
A small lake in a forest.
There, my eyes met with a naked woman.
“...Hello?”
In response to my shy greeting, the woman pulled out a sword from somewhere and began to walk slowly out of the lake.
She glared at me with murderous eyes, as if she was about to kill me.
Without a moment's hesitation, I turned around and fled.