Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: A Shell Game (4)
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Ignoring Ji-han, who couldn't understand me, I explained my traits.
I currently had two of them.
One was the Blessing of Soter.
[The stronger the divine power becomes, the stronger the power it brings. It can be stacked up to ten times. You can think of it as a sort of comprehensive buff skill.]
“You should've told me about a skill this good sooner. I went through hell and back over here.”
[How could you not even think of trying to use it?]
“It was called a ‘Talent,’ so I thought it was some kind of passive skill. Is that my fault? Whatever. Then what about this Punish… no, the Executioner's Sword?”
[The more you kill members of a specific group, the higher your stats become against that group.]
The Executioner's Sword wasn't a skill that summoned a sword.
Using it didn't make a sword appear.
It was a buff that targeted a specific group.
“A skill that gets stronger the more you kill, and another that raises your stats for killing a specific group… Isn't this totally for a homicidal maniac?”
Despite his words, his expression told a completely different story.
It was obvious who Ji-han was thinking of when he heard "specific group."
Who was he to call anyone a homicidal maniac?
I used Ji-han's remaining Contribution Points to gift him some skills and items.
He nagged me to get him some better potions.
This is all I have, what am I supposed to do?
This is so frustrating, I can't do this anymore.
* * *
The next day.
I came to my senses in the suite of a luxurious hotel.
Having cleared the 5th floor, my mental fatigue still lingered.
But my body felt refreshed, and that was a happiness in itself.
I ordered breakfast through room service.
The room Park Si-woo had gotten for me was incredibly nice.
It seemed to be a private room that Park Si-woo had all along.
Keeping a suite on hold for a whole year… I couldn't fathom what kind of insane waste of money this was.
I should try it myself someday.
Just as I finished my meal, the phone I got from Park Si-woo rang.
“Doesn't this guy ever sleep?”
Even though it was morning, it wasn't even 6 AM yet.
Assuming it was Park Si-woo, I answered without even checking the number.
─ Han-gyeol! Are you, are you okay? I heard you were hurt. What on earth happened?
─ Huh? Noona?
I was momentarily flustered by Eun-young noona's voice.
Is she with Park Si-woo?
Just in case, I checked the caller ID. It was Eun-young noona's number.
─ How did you get my number?
─ Is that what's important right now?
─ Well, I'm a little scared of stalkers, you know?
─ Who's a stalker! I got it from Choi Soo-hyun!
I was relieved to hear it was Choi Soo-hyun.
‘But he seems more loose-lipped than he looks.’
Not that it mattered if he told her.
─ Your house was completely wrecked. Are you really okay?
First, I needed to calm down the frantic Eun-young noona.
I calmly explained to Eun-young noona what had happened.
Everything except the part about Ji-han.
The story was long, and I didn't have time to explain every detail.
It was better for her not to know for now.
‘That guy's a Black Hunter, right?’
Korea managed its Hunters relatively well compared to other countries.
It had been an IT powerhouse even before the Gates appeared.
When it came to data processing, no country could keep up with Korea.
Korean Hunters are registered with the Hunter Network (HN), managed by the Korea Hunter Association.
Not only do many other countries lack a system like Korea's HN, but not everyone follows it either.
The definition of a Black Hunter was ambiguous, but broadly speaking, it referred to Hunters who weren't registered with the HN and thus weren't managed.
This included foreign Hunters, so being a Black Hunter wasn't a crime in itself.
Though it likely came with some disadvantages or inconveniences.
The HN system was started for convenience in the first place.
If it wasn't convenient, there was no reason or obligation to use it.
The fact that Yoo Ji-han was a Black Hunter was simply unexpected.
─ That's a relief. So you'll be staying at that hotel for a while?
─ Probably. I think I'll be here until the dungeon expedition is over.
─ I was going to ask if you wanted to run a dungeon together… But given the situation, I guess it can't be helped.
Rumors about the Raon Guild and the dungeon expedition had already spread throughout the guild.
She also seemed to know that I was included as a ticket member through Park Si-woo.
─ Let's do a dungeon together after this is over.
─ Okay.
Without further conversation, I ended the call with Eun-young noona.
I drank my morning coffee with the dessert that was served after the meal.
This time, a call really did come from Park Si-woo.
All the important topics had been covered, so it was basically just a check-in call.
Park Si-woo got straight to the point as soon as I answered.
─ What are your stats right now?
─ Uh, one second.
I immediately opened my status window.
[Kang Han-gyeol (Soter)]
-The dimensional master of the 'Tower of Trials'.
Title: Proxy (8%)
Strength: B (21%)
Stamina: B- (11%)
Mana: B+ (30%)
Healing Power: C+ (85%)
Contribution Points: 6,950
Skills: <Line>, [Wind Fang], [Moonlight Slash], [Mana Detection], [Meteor Slash]
Talents: [Blessing of Soter], [Executioner's Sword], <Advent>
Achievements
- A Blow for a Blow
It had been a while since I'd last opened my status window.
Except for Healing Power, most of my stats were in the B-rank.
─ You're fast.
─ Well, I am a Guardian.
Among those who knew about the god Soter, only Choi Soo-hyun knew I was the god's proxy.
In fact, it was Choi Soo-hyun who had suggested it would be best to keep that part a secret.
A god is given the authority to appoint executives.
My level was still too low, but it seemed that as it rose, I would be able to grant various benefits to my executives.
The 'Starter Pack' Choi Soo-hyun had mentioned before was a prime example.
─ Seeing your growth rate, I can tell that this Soter fellow is a god with potential.
─ Thank you for the compliment.
─ I wasn't talking to you.
Jeez.
Couldn't he just accept it and move on? Did he really have to nitpick like that to feel satisfied?
The conversation strayed for a moment, but it quickly returned to the main topic.
─ With stats like those, you should have no problem becoming a B-rank Hunter.
The minimum entry requirement for an A-rank dungeon was C-rank Hunter.
Of course, it wasn't as if the dungeon itself discriminated against people.
It was merely a safety precaution.
I could go in as I was, but it wouldn't look good if a Hunter handpicked by Park Si-woo was only C-rank.
What I lacked now was the number of dungeons I'd cleared.
─ I'll provide any support you need. Become a B-rank Hunter within a month, before the A-rank dungeon raid. If you need a team, I'll assign some capable Hunters to you.
─ I don't need a team.
I appreciated the thought, but it seemed much faster to move alone.
Park Si-woo didn't argue when I said I would go solo.
─ Just assign one person to me instead. They don't have to be a Hunter, just someone who knows dungeons inside and out.
That person would handle all my dungeon-related affairs for the next month.
─ I'll call you again in the evening.
Park Si-woo wasn't oblivious to the meaning behind my words.
* * *
[Dungeon cleared.]
[Calculating Contribution Points.]
[Dungeon Clear (All) +400]
[All Monsters Eliminated (All) +800]
[Man Scorpion Eliminated +1000]
[(Hidden) Oasis Discovered +400]
[(Hidden) Sandworm Eliminated +1200]
[Total +3,800]
“Whew, what a mess.”
After exiting the dungeon, I took off my shoes and shook out the sand.
I stumbled upon an oasis out of nowhere during the boss fight.
A hidden monster appeared along with the oasis, throwing the whole battle into chaos.
Thanks to that, I got more Contribution Points, which was nice, but…
I couldn't tell if I should be happy or annoyed about it.
I hailed a taxi on the main street and returned to my hotel room.
“You're back early.”
A man sitting in the living room of the spacious suite, eating lunch, waved his hand.
Kim Kang-woo.
Twenty-seven years old, he was the man from the secretarial department who had approached me in the cafeteria while I was writing a report after clearing the Ant Tunnel dungeon for the first time.
The secretarial department was mainly divided into the 1st Affiliated Secretariat, which managed the guild's internal administrative affairs; the 2nd Affiliated Secretariat, which handled dungeon-related matters; and the Protocol Secretariat, which managed the guild representative and master-level Hunters.
They called it protocol, but it was basically just being a personal assistant.
Unlike other secretaries whose salaries were paid by the guild, those in the Protocol Secretariat received their pay from the Hunter they served.
But then again, the guild apparently subsidized a certain amount of that salary.
This… this company was really something.
Anyway, because of that, the Protocol Secretariat tended to handle all sorts of personal errands for the Hunters they served, in addition to their professional duties.
Kim Kang-woo was the youngest secretary in the Protocol Office, directly under Park Si-woo.
I sat down in front of Kim Kang-woo, who was having a late lunch.
“Early? I was supposed to be out this morning.”
“I told you the morning was too soon.”
“This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't found that oasis. And isn't eating Chinese takeout in a hotel suite a bit much?”
“I ordered it because I wanted it. Don't they say you shouldn't even bother a dog while it's eating? Stop nagging.”
Having polished off his Chinese takeout, Kim Kang-woo cracked open a can of beer and drank.
The neat and proper image he'd had when we first met was completely gone.
Now, he just seemed like a guy from the neighborhood, in a different sense.
Kang-woo had been ordered by Park Si-woo to not even come into the guild for a month and just support me.
He was in a position where he had to jump when Park Si-woo said jump, so he couldn't complain out loud. But he was only human; of course he wasn't happy about it.
Fortunately, despite his dissatisfaction, Kim Kang-woo was a man who got the job done.
After I cleared the first dungeon much earlier than Kim Kang-woo had expected, we quickly became friends.
Since we were around the same age, we agreed to speak informally, on the condition that we wouldn't tell Park Si-woo.
Kim Kang-woo pushed the empty takeout container to the side.
“Wait a minute, what did you say you found?”
“An oasis.”
Of course, I hadn't been looking for it.
Kim Kang-woo reacted at the word "oasis."
“What about the Sandworm?”
“It was there. Got in the way, so I killed it too.”
Putting down his empty beer can, Kim Kang-woo looked startled.
“Didn't you say you haven't even been a Hunter for a year? What the hell are you?”