Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: The Returning Dagger
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Chapter 71
"Is this for real?"
No matter how many times he looked, the situation was utterly astonishing.
The dagger he'd just thrown across the room had returned to his hand in no time at all.
He tested it several more times, but the result was always the same.
The dagger came back to Jeong-hyeon's hand after about two seconds, seemingly homing in on the hand that had thrown it.
What was one of the biggest weaknesses of projectile weapons like daggers?
Once you'd used up your fixed supply, you couldn't attack anymore.
Of course, they were better off than arrows, which were practically impossible to reuse, but retrieving daggers mid-battle was nearly impossible too. So the auto-retrieval effect of this artifact was nothing short of a game-changer.
On top of that, its base performance outshone anything he'd used before, making it priceless treasure worth billions to Jeong-hyeon.
...Though he hadn't expected anyone to actually hand over billions for it.
"Um, Jeong-hyeon. Sorry to interrupt while you're having so much fun."
"Yes?"
Jeong-hyeon's face hardened as he played with the dagger.
He knew from countless experiences what that expression and tone meant.
People like her—every single one of them—
"When someone gets an artifact, it's customary to give the other party members a share of the value."
Was after his money.
"Ah... right, of course. I knew that. Haha."
As Shin Jin-ah said, it was practically an unwritten rule among hunters.
The proposal from Suyeong had included the same clause.
Jeong-hyeon had just pretended not to notice, never imagining he'd actually acquire an artifact himself.
"So... how much for something like this?"
"We'd need a proper appraisal from the guild to know for sure, but..."
Shin Jin-ah cautiously quoted an estimate.
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"It's cheaper since it doesn't have any enchantments."
'Cheaper? That's cheap?'
The amount initially seemed suspiciously high, like they were colluding to rip him off.
But why would they have let him take the artifact if that were the case?
They could've just said Ha-yul wanted the dagger and kept it.
Sure, it might hurt their pride, but artifacts trumped pride any day.
Fortunately—or not—the guild was waiving its usual commission fee this time.
Half out of goodwill, half because no one had expected Jeong-hyeon to snag the artifact.
But one thing was clear: he didn't have that much cash on hand right now.
'Should I ask if I can pay in installments...?'
Jeong-hyeon's eyes twitched.
He'd saved a decent amount from recent hunts, but it was nowhere near enough.
Was he really going to give up the artifact after coming this far?
After throwing it around a few times, no less?
Jeong-hyeon averted his eyes from Shin Jin-ah and rolled them around.
Then he spotted it—something so massive he couldn't ignore it.
'Huh?'
Maybe that could work?
'It'd be a bit embarrassing, but...'
Still better than begging for installments.
And functionally, it could be a win-win.
Steel-ing his resolve, Jeong-hyeon broached the subject carefully.
"Would you... maybe take payment in goods?"
"...Huh?"
No one could answer right away.
Not even Ha-yul.
"...What?"
But Jeong-hyeon was already pulling out his utility knife as if he'd gotten permission.
'Worst case, I can sell it myself and pay them!'
Even for him, skinning a drake with a knife the length of his finger was a monumental challenge.
***
"Oof! Oof!"
Jeong-hyeon rolled around his room clutching his stomach.
It wasn't sudden stomach pain, though.
"You damn lizard bastard! I knew something was up when you came back as an undead freak!"
His title for the drake had shot up to "Lord Drake" with a triple skill level-up, but now it was "lizard bastard."
Talk about hubris biting back.
The party members had freaked out at first seeing him skin the Demi Drake, but after hearing his plan, they were mildly surprised but okay with it.
The plan? Entrust the Demi Drake leather to Doil to make armor sets for all five of them, using that to cover the artifact's share value.
There was plenty of intact leather left over, so if it wasn't enough, he could sell the excess.
The undead factor was a minor flaw, but Demi Drake hide was top-tier even for level 6 gates, so no one objected.
That part was fine.
The problem hit when he got home and opened the trait shop.
[Coins needed for next level: 13]
[Coins in possession: 12]
"What the hell is this?"
He thought he'd misread at first.
But no matter how many times he checked, it was the same.
13 coins to level up.
He had exactly 12.
One coin short of trait shop level 4.
"Arrrgh!"
"Haven't been around in ages and you're still a pain in the ass! Keep it down, would ya?"
The neighbor's gruff voice rang out, but he had no time to feel nostalgic.
How could anything make up for this shock?
His rage poured straight onto the Demi Drake.
55.9% drop chance, and the bastard croaked without giving even one coin!
Level 4 required hoarding 70 coins, so missing by one stung extra hard.
"Sob sob... What did I ever do to deserve this...?"
But crying wouldn't magic up a coin.
Time to face reality.
"Actually, this is good!"
Jeong-hyeon decided to look on the bright side.
Suppose he did have that one extra coin and leveled up.
The drop rate would improve, but he'd be left with zero coins.
What if an A-rank or S-rank trait popped up then?
He'd have to grit his teeth and grind another hunt for it.
That would suck way more.
Buckling down, he opened the shop window.
Level-ups were one thing; shopping was another.
12 coins wasn't a small number objectively—maybe something decent would appear.
But,
"R-Roll."
Three rolls, and not even a remotely useful trait showed up.
"How is this a level 3 shop...? F-ranks?"
It was a parade of utterly trash F-rank traits.
Collecting F-ranks now to push toward D or C would waste insane time and coins.
Tearing up, he rolled a fourth time.
Finally, a single E-rank trait.
"Yesssss!"
[「Decent Combat Sense」(E, Lv.1), 2C]
An E-rank that now felt meager, but Jeong-hyeon jumped for joy.
Because a combat sense trait at E-rank was practically jackpot.
[「Decent Combat Sense」 advances to 「Considerable Combat Sense」.]
Finally, his combat sense trait could climb to D-rank.
And with the rank-up message came another window.
[Trait Synergy 『The Best Defense is Evasion 2』 advances from E to D rank.
Synergy component effects are enhanced.]
Just like when 『The Best Defense is Evasion』 had gone from F to E before.
Now all traits in the synergy hit D-rank, boosting the synergy itself to D.
It wasn't as dramatic as when the synergy expanded.
The details just showed slight buffs to the four elemental evasion effects.
But having felt it once before, he could guess the improvements.
"Hah... Demi Drake, okay, I get it—no coin is forgivable now."
His rollercoaster opinion of the drake settled back to neutral.
One trait rank-up wasn't enough; the synergy leveled up too.
Expecting the shop level-up on top?
Even for an EX-rank 「Trait Shop」, that'd be too greedy.
'People need some conscience.'
To outsiders, he was already a con artist extraordinaire, but Jeong-hyeon was satisfied.
As he basked in the joy,
Ding—
The intercom buzzed.
"...Who is it?"
Maybe guild staff again.
But the screen showed no one outside.
Creak—
He opened the door.
And there,
"What the... Huh?"
A hefty plastic bag hung from the front door handle.
A small note and a bag of beef.
A gruff voice leaked from the slightly open neighbor's door.
"I left it there. Eat it."
"Huh? Wait—"
Slam—
Jeong-hyeon startled and tried to respond, but the uncle had already shut his door.
Sighing, Jeong-hyeon brought the bag inside.
"Random meat?"
He unfolded the note first.
- Gamdol. I awakened to a decent rank this time and joined a pretty good guild. Moving tomorrow. Remembered you mentioning meat last time. Cut back on games and don't harass the next tenant.
"Whoa."
He was speechless.
No wonder the uncle hadn't complained much lately despite his yelling.
Who knew?
"Congrats, Uncle!"
The note's awkward tone suggested a solid awakening, whatever the rank—life-changing for a studio dweller.
'Though I awakened to EX and I'm still here, so maybe not always.'
Jeong-hyeon had been freelancing without a guild, but most got enough joining bonus for a nice apartment—no need for studios.
"Yeah, he seems employed now, but blow it all on games and you're ruined."
"Got it, Uncle."
Still, after burning coins together(?), it felt bittersweet knowing it ended tomorrow.
Staring blankly at the note, Jeong-hyeon suddenly spoke up.
"But Uncle."
"Yeah."
The gruff voice replied promptly.
"Your handwriting sucks."
"......"