Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Fairly Sharp Throwing Technique
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"Damn..."
Jeong-hyeon muttered under his breath.
It was because he realized just how naive his assumption had been—that he could expand his slots through trait level-ups.
This EX-rank trait handled slot expansion through a gacha draw, no less.
For Jeong-hyeon, it was an unavoidable necessity he couldn't postpone or ignore.
[You have purchased 「Equippable Slot Expansion Ticket」(E-rank).
Equippable slots expanded from 3 → 4.]
As if entranced, he spent 2 coins, and sweat trickled down his back.
What if a D-rank trait had appeared in the shop but he skipped it due to a lack of slots, only for an expansion ticket to show up afterward?
Or what if an S-rank trait appeared at 0.1% odds, and it turned out to be an expansion ticket?
'Ugh...'
It was just his imagination, but Jeong-hyeon felt sick to his stomach.
It was a scenario that could have happened—and one that could still happen plenty in the future.
He couldn't even decide the timing of its application himself.
It was welcome in many ways, but he couldn't just sit there blissfully rejoicing.
'Still, better that it happened now.'
However, Jeong-hyeon chose not to tremble in fear over what hadn't occurred.
[The list has been refreshed.
Remaining coins: 3]
He immediately refreshed the list once more.
He briefly considered grabbing the E-rank toughness trait on the list but ultimately chose to refresh.
'It's not bad, but it doesn't fit my combat style right now.'
Jeong-hyeon's style centered on agility and evasion anyway.
He wasn't about to enter a gate far beyond his current abilities just yet.
For gates suitable for F- to E-rank hunters, he could manage his stamina just fine without extra toughness.
Better to refresh quickly and find a trait more suited to him.
And among the newly appeared list,
"Jackpot!"
One trait caught Jeong-hyeon's eye.
[「Fairly Sharp Throwing Technique」(D-rank, Lv. 1), 3C]
A gleaming D-rank trait, framed in bronze to clearly distinguish it from F or E ranks,
had boldly claimed a spot on the list after piercing through 4.5% odds.
On top of that, it was a throwing technique—one unrelated to raw combat power even when equipped.
It matched his situation perfectly in every way.
Without a second thought, he purchased the throwing technique trait.
[You have purchased 「Fairly Sharp Throwing Technique」(D-rank, Lv. 1).]
[Remaining coins: 0]
That exhausted the 10 coins that had seemed so plentiful, but he had no regrets.
No, regrets were impossible.
He had acquired a full D-rank trait, after all.
With 22 coins needed until the next level-up—a quantity he still couldn't quite grasp—it also brought a sense of relief.
"Feels like life's going too well. Like, seriously."
It wasn't long ago that he'd thought surviving as an F-rank would be a blessing.
Yet here he was, having successfully obtained a D-rank trait in no time.
From a third party's perspective, his growth rate would be nothing short of shocking.
No— the mere fact that he could grow at all was shocking.
Humming a tune, Jeong-hyeon equipped the throwing technique in his newly expanded slot.
[Would you like to equip 「Fairly Sharp Throwing Technique」(D-rank, Lv. 1)?]
He ignored the status window's double-confirmation.
But the moment the throwing technique registered in his slot, Jeong-hyeon realized.
"Ah."
In his excitement from the string of luck, he'd completely forgotten.
New traits always came with adaptation pain.
And soon, a pain like his body was being torn apart struck him down.
When he'd equipped the E-rank Physical Ability Enhancement trait, Jeong-hyeon had thought,
'Is there worse pain than this in the world?'
At this moment, he was certain.
'There is. Fuck, there is!'
Of course there was.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Jeong-hyeon couldn't endure the pain and screamed from the depths of his gut.
"Is dinner time rowdy hour for you now, you bastard?!"
As always, a yell shot back from the next room over the unwelcome noise.
And as if acknowledging the complaint, Jeong-hyeon's screams cut off abruptly.
Of course, it wasn't the result of superhuman endurance for his neighbor's sake.
His body twitched.
The pain had been so intense he'd lost even the wits to scream.
***
Three days after acquiring the thrilling D-rank trait.
Jeong-hyeon could finally get out of bed today.
He'd woken the next morning after suffering the adaptation pain, but the aftereffects were severe, and the physical fatigue accumulated from the gate had only then begun to assert itself.
In the end, he'd been stuck groaning in bed the whole time.
At least the ordered bed had arrived, letting him lie comfortably—that was a small mercy.
"The doctor told me to rest for a week... what the hell..."
Actually, on the day of treatment, he'd felt decent, so he'd figured the doctor had overestimated the recovery time.
The real ordeal started when he opened his eyes the next morning.
Muscle pain tormented his entire body.
Especially his right arm, which had taken heavy damage.
"Heh heh heh..."
Still, what made Jeong-hyeon smile was this:
- 10,000,000 Korean Hunter Association
The massive bounty stamped in his bank account, checked once he'd regained his senses.
Below it was payment for the goblin corpses from the gate, but it was negligible compared to the bounty.
He hadn't done much hunting proper, after all.
Anyway, with far more profit than expected, it was time to spend.
Since his new D-rank trait was a throwing technique, Jeong-hyeon headed straight to a shopping mall specializing in hunter gear without hesitation.
It was a famous gear store topping the portal site's front page—one he'd heard of.
The rental gear from Cheol-yong still had time left, but
'How am I supposed to wear that?'
The mace was one thing, but the armor was already in tatters.
He doubted it'd properly block even a zombie's nails, let alone a goblin spear.
Plus, he needed to buy a set of daggers for throwing.
The shopping mall's main page was dazzling.
- Black Drake Chain Armor, Price Inquiry
- Fire Golem Shard Warhammer, Price Inquiry
- Chandler Mine Premium Ore Longsword, Price Inquiry
As befitting main banner items, these were the store's flagship products.
Made in extremely limited quantities by specialist forges and sold as ultra-expensive limited editions.
Even marked as "price inquiry," could he haggle with just 10 million won?
If a staffer hung up and came to slap him personally, he'd have no grounds to complain.
They were clearly for famous hunters or guilds, with the price reflecting advertising subsidies.
At this point, Jeong-hyeon felt ashamed of how thrilled he'd been over a mere 10 million won.
But naturally, the flashy items drew the eye.
"Someday... I could buy stuff like this."
Jeong-hyeon swallowed hard.
Could he really?
Someday, after enough growth, yes.
Someone had to buy them, after all.
In the end, Jeong-hyeon skipped past the pie-in-the-sky flagships with a wry smile and clicked into the 'Sturdy, E-Rank Hunter Shop' board.
"At least I can afford E-rank gear..."
E-rank hunters were nearly as common as F-ranks in the world.
Gear for them should be reasonably priced, he'd thought, clicking in.
- Erke Tail Mace, 7,800,000
- Hand-Stitched Ropu Orc Leather Armor Set by Artisan, 17,000,000
"Are these guys insane?"
Jeong-hyeon gaped at the prices.
Which E-rank hunters in the world used gear this expensive?
The materials suggested high quality, sure.
Erke—a dinosaur-like monster with a massive club tail.
Ropu Orc—bigger and stronger than regular orcs.
Not ones you'd easily handle even in a workshop.
They usually went wholesale to specialist forges, not retail workshops.
Add in craftsmanship fees and extras, and the price wasn't incomprehensible.
But understanding a product's price as an outsider was worlds apart from accepting it as a buyer.
"Who'd buy this crap?"
Even Sun-hyeong and Jeonga, who'd cleared the Corridor of the Dead with him, were E-rankers.
Had they been decked out in high-end gear like this?
'Thinking about it, they were real VIPs.'
After Hee-soo and Jucheol, Sun-hyeong's party looked like saints.
Anyway, Jeong-hyeon couldn't swing expenditures like this right now.
Wondering if this was just a luxury mall, he browsed others, but reputable ones gave similar vibes.
"Sigh... guess I need to grind more cash.'
He'd made 500k a day in the low-end Corridor of the Dead.
A few more days' grind, and he could probably afford E-rank gear.
As he thought that and scanned Hunter Net gear posts, one title caught his eye.
- Guys, heard the Association has a gear forge? Reviews pls.
"Association has one?"
Jeong-hyeon, who'd never heard of a forge there (only rentals), clicked it.
The post matched the title.
- I'm a lvl 1 broke hunter, thinking of going cuz Association forge is cheap, worth it? Not much info online. Need experiences from vets pls.
Probably a hunter in a similar spot to him.
Jeong-hyeon scrolled straight to the comments.
└ Broke gay... good luck.
└ Association forge? Exists? Misheard rental maybe?
└ Put in effort and you can buy decent value gear from malls, no effort = screwed lol
Early comments were mostly useless.
But deeper down, longer ones appeared.
└ Behind main forge building, pretty big spot ㅇ it's actually a cluster of forges run by old master crafters on Association grants. But they're loaded old timers doing batzha biz + rude af, no rec
└ 222 Went clueless, got boomer'd hard, not alone. Cheap buys prob from guys who know market prices inside out. Why hit flea market w/ supermarkets around?
└ First place that made me miss Cheol-yong uncle... agree?
└ ㅇㅈ lmao fr
"What doesn't the Association have?"
Rentals, and now a forge behind it.
Jeong-hyeon was dumbfounded, clicking his tongue.
From the comments, he got the vibe.
Unlike fixed-price malls, Association forges charged whatever—high or low—stuck if you didn't haggle.
Against crafty artisans, that is.
Comments suggested even tougher than Park Cheol-yong—not a pushover spot.
Run by elder crafters, probably untouchable even for the Association.
Most hunters would shake their heads at it, but Jeong-hyeon was different.
"Kinda sketchy, but maybe worth a look?"
Flea markets favored the savvy buyer for value.
Still wary, but with online malls out of budget anyway, he figured he'd give it a shot.