Chapter 3: Why I Must Become a Hunter
“Mana Gold actually exists?” I doubted my eyes.
Mana Gold. Not real gold, but the catch-all term for metals that conducted mana. Why did this make my heart race? A memory flashed through my mind.
One day, a B-rank hunter came in holding a sword snapped clean in half.
Grade: B
Status: Broken, internal mana induction circuit severed
Repairable: Yes
Required Materials: 2 B-rank mana stones, 5g low-grade Mana Gold, 100 MP
“Boss, can this be fixed?”
I'd had to shake my head back then.
“Uh... the mana contact circuit's severed, so... you'd need mana stones and Mana Gold to reconnect it.”
“I have mana stones, but what's Mana Gold?”
“It's a metal used to make wires that let mana flow...”
The B-rank hunter did a quick search and yelled,
“What the hell? This stuff's ridiculously expensive! Screw it, I'll just buy a new sword!”
That was it. Repairing high-grade gate items required not just mana stones, but Mana Gold to channel the mana. Earth's metals couldn't handle the pressure.
The scan said repairs were possible, but without materials, I couldn't do shit. Until now, lacking Mana Gold meant turning down lucrative jobs.
It was the realm of S-rank master smiths from internet headlines, charging hundreds of billions for repairs.
And yet... here it was, for a measly 500 points?
My hands shook.
On Earth, 1g cost tens of millions of won—or was impossible to find. Here? Hardware store screw tier.
If I just had Mana Gold...!
I could fix them too. Not fans and junk, but life-or-death hunter gear. Perfect restorations rivaling S-rank smiths.
“Whew, calm down. Calm down.”
My chest felt like exploding, but I held back. No points yet, and even with materials, no requests. Priorities.
I tamped down the excitement and tapped [Usage Guide].
To exploit this Multidimensional Secondhand Market properly, I needed the rules down pat.
“Let's see...”
Multidimensional Secondhand Market Usage Rules
1. No Life Trading: Trading living beings results in immediate permanent account suspension.
2. No Tampering: Manipulating item info incurs 100x penalty in that dimension's currency, forcibly collected.
3. Shipping Liability Exemption: Operators not liable for degradation (spoilage, mana volatility) during transit.
4. Cursed Items: Cursed items must be tagged 'Curse Present' regardless of disclosure. Violation: 10-year suspension.
...
*(Dozens more rules)*
“......Brutal.”
Break rules? Fines or dreaded bans. Not your average flea market.
But follow them, and anything goes.
I read every line and nodded. A miracle. My golden rope out of the muck.
“Alright, time to cash these in...?”
Needed to verify if these were real mana stones first. I checked the three B-rank mana stones in my pocket and left the workshop.
That's when it happened. Stepping out front, I bumped into a familiar face.
“Huh? Uncle Kim?”
My regular who'd griped about the 100,000-won repair fee and wired only 90,000. The epitome of cheeky uncles—hate to love him.
“Oh, yeah. Daesung. Where's my gloves?”
“Over there. Grab 'em. I'm busy, gotta bounce.”
I nodded at the gloves on the bench and hurried off. Normally I'd chew him out over the short 10k, but my pocket held tens-of-millions stones. Cash-in urgency only.
“Ah, brat's mad again. Hey, I shorted you ten grand to buy you dinner! Pork belly, my treat.”
Bullshit excuse. Food bait for drinks and woe-is-me rants.
“Uncle, nag your wife at home. Don't make her hunt you down again.”
“......You too? And quit calling me uncle. We're only eight years apart.”
“Uncle territory.”
Uncle Kim's shoulders sagged. Kinda pitiful, but my own nose was stone right now.
“Anyway, super busy!! Drink light and go home!”
“Hey! Daesung! Dinner's on me!”
I bolted without looking back. His grumbles followed.
“Huh? Free meat and he bolts... Damn... No party, no gates... No Daesung for drinks....”
Wind-carried bitter mutter:
“Tch, if that sword hadn't busted....”
I paused, then walked on.
Sword, huh. Stock points and Mana Gold later, maybe fix it. For top dollar, of course.
Seoul Hunter Association, official exchange.
I sat at the counter, feigning calm.
“So... heirlooms from your late grandpa...?”
Clerk eyed me skeptically. Scruffy kid with three B-rank stones? Expected.
“Y-yeah! Grandpa was an early hunter. Found 'em deep in the wardrobe—news to me. Turned up during the move.”
Lie. Early days, no system—personal hoarding happened. Unverifiable.
Dead tell no tales.
“...Got it. ID. Name, contact, address.”
Stolen goods check. I filled casually, heart racing, palms slick, face stone.
Clerk slotted stones into the appraiser.
Whirr—
Hum deafening.
“Energy efficiency... B-rank... Oh?”
Eyes bulged.
“These... top-grade?”
“Huh? Top-grade?”
Played dumb.
“Purity 99%+! Gates give ~70% impure. Grandpa's treasures.”
“Ah... haha, really?”
Inner cheers. Fantasy purity crushed Earth's polluted mana.
Same grade, purity swings prices wildly. B-rank avg 20 mil—but avg.
99% jackpot.
Clerk calculator-tapped, excited:
“Top B-rank: 45 million each.”
“F-forty-five?”
Double+. Heart pounding.
“Three: 135 million won.”
“!!!”
135 mil. Half my interest debt gone.
Smile creeping—
“Deduct 35% tax, deposit net.”
“......What?”
Ears failed.
“Hunter license?”
“N-no.”
“Civilian rates: misc 20% + consumption/local = 35%.”
“Thirty-five... percent?”
Brain blanked. 135 mil x 35%? ~47 mil vaporized? Mid-size car poof.
“Exemptions? Heirloom...”
“Regs say no. Hunters get hazard breaks; civilians don't.”
No rebuttal. Awakened, not hunter.
“...Proceed.”
“Yes.”
Signed pad, tears of blood.
[Deposit: 87,750,000 won]
[Balance: 90,792,100 won]
90+ mil. Massive. Lifetime first.
But...
My 47 mil...
Gone. Taxes could've upgraded my pad!
All for no license. Fist clenched.
Won't cut it. Deals scaling up—35% each time? Kill me now.
Become a hunter.
F-rank fine. License = breaks. S-rank? Nada.
To guard cash, must.
Grinding teeth out the door:
“Watch me. License up, taxes dodged.”
But first: inventory's red potion, untouched.
[Unopened red potion, safely stored in inventory]
Effect:Opens mana circuits with Dragon Heart fragment; extreme agony expected.
Survive this, then hunter dreams.
Fuck... gonna hurt like hell, huh...?
Worry crept in.