Chapter 019
[Chapter 019]
< Mysterious Spirit (1) >
The morning after returning from the Tower.
I headed to the garden as soon as the sun rose.
Because I was curious how the [Primordial Fleeceflower (Hasuo) Seed] I planted last night had changed.
And the sight that unfolded before my eyes.
“...Huh?”
The very spot where I had planted the seed last night.
Something strange was in that spot.
“What is this?”
It wasn't a vine or a fruit, but a root that only poked its head out above the ground.
“It looks strange.”
In the moment I brought my face close while muttering.
The leaves attached to the very top of its head trembled.
Thump, thump.
“Pulse?”
A faint pulse was felt when touched.
That pulse was throbbing along the entire root.
And the message that soon followed.
[Item: ??'s Fleeceflower (Hasuo)]
[Rank: ???]
[Description: A mysterious spirit (灵物) that has not yet found its true name and rank as the primordial energy is condensed. It will prove its value while embracing time.]
A mysterious spirit unidentified even by the system.
“I don't think this is an item I can handle right now.”
If I harvested it carelessly, I might lose the giant energy this spirit possessed.
“Let's wait a bit longer.”
For now, I decided to postpone harvesting and leave it in the field.
Until it revealed its true form while absorbing more of the herb garden's energy.
“Ah, I can try using these.”
I took out the mysterious farming tools I bought from the Tower shop.
“Let's see.”
The first item.
[Lazy Fairy's Sweatdrop] contained in a small glass jar.
[Item: Lazy Fairy's Sweatdrop]
[Description: A miraculous sweatdrop shed by a lazy fairy who tilled the field only once. If you drop a drop of this water on the soil, the soil begins to till itself and changes into the most optimized state for planting seeds.]
I opened the glass jar and let a drop "tok" in the middle of the herb garden.
Then the soil swelled up softly like a living organism and created furrows good for planting seeds by itself.
The ground that Muryong had messed up by digging was also arranged in a neat texture, as if well-combed fur.
The second was the [Singing Scarecrow (Assembly Kit)] which looked like an old music box.
[Item: Singing Scarecrow]
[Description: Sings a beautiful lullaby every night to relieve plants' stress and prevent the approach of pests. (Caution: Occasional off-key notes may occur.)]
Pests.
This was also a troublesome problem.
The domain of diligence where one had to spray different medicines individually depending on the type of pest.
But with this scarecrow, all that effort could be saved.
I tinkered and assembled the scarecrow, standing it in the middle of the field.
The money invested here alone was roughly 10 million won.
But it was not an expensive price at all.
Farming is the product of sincerity and consistency.
Only when receiving sunlight every day and being watered without drying out can it finally sprout and bear fruit.
If that daily sincerity and labor can be replaced with money, it's actually cheap.
And the last one.
[Item: Old Giant's Heart Fragment]
[Description: A stone made of the hardened heart of an ancient giant said to have controlled time. It has an effect of minutely influencing the flow of time nearby, shortening the growth period or increasing the aging period of plants.]
Previously, an ordinary Hasuo seed had turned into a 100-Year Fleeceflower overnight.
But not every Hasuo was like that.
‘Could I grow an even greater spiritual medicine than that with this?’
My chest swelled with expectation.
I placed the stone carefully right next to where the doll-like Hasuo was.
After finishing all the preparations and sitting on the veranda, Kim Min-jun, who had visited yesterday, suddenly came to mind.
‘In the end, it must be because of Hunter Yu Jin-hyuk.’
The miraculous recovery of Hunter Lee Seok-ju.
After hearing that rumor, he must have come to grab even a straw in case.
‘There will be more such occurrences in the future.’
Every Awakener is mandatory to register their information with the Association, and the Bureau manages hunters based on that data.
A Hunter registration card was like a resident registration card for this era.
So knowing information is possible through simple viewing.
‘Unless I had selected the private information option in the Tower system, that is.’
My country house address would have already been on the desks of every guild in South Korea.
At that time, I had chosen it impulsively because I hated being laughed at by guys like Cha Jin-seok, but in the end, it became the best choice.
‘Is there a need to stand before the world?’
Lying on the veranda, I thought while looking at the blue sky.
Next to me, Muryong was dozing on my belly, and in the yard, the Gorani was leisurely grazing.
The reason was simple.
Right now, this place is heaven, so there was no reason to go out into the noisy world.
The fun of harvesting mysterious crops growing in the herb garden every morning.
The joy of laughing out loud while watching the silly antics of Muryong and the Gorani.
‘The crops I send to So-ye also seem to be helping quite a bit.’
The happiness of hearing my sister So-ye’s voice become brighter day by day after eating the food I made.
They were perfect days I had never enjoyed even once during the last 6 years.
Above all, my mind was comfortable.
Someday, if I get bored, I might go out for a look at the world.
But not right now.
“What should I harvest today?”
For now, deciding on today's dinner menu was much more important.
* * *
At the same time, Hunter Management Bureau Operations Headquarters, Field Response Team 2 Office.
“Team Leader, a reply has arrived regarding the case of identifying Muryong's identity.”
Kim Min-su handed over the report with a stiff face.
Kang Dong-cheol took the report, and his brow furrowed as soon as he read the first line.
“Personal information non-disclosure request? What does this mean?”
“According to the Tower system regulations, it is said that if the ranker themselves wants, they can turn all personal information into non-disclosure. It's a regulation S-Rank Hunters occasionally use for personal protection, but this is the first time an E-Class Hunter has used it.”
“It's not like they're playing a prank....”
All clues were blocked.
Kang Dong-cheol rubbed his face with dry hands out of impatience.
Muryong was currently like a lifeline dropped to the Bureau.
The Bureau is precarious.
It is not properly grasped on the surface, but everyone in the working-level staff knew.
In this situation, if the Bureau secured a rookie with potential surpassing S-Rank first, all the tables could be turned.
A golden opportunity to recover the fallen honor and flatten the noses of the private guild bastards.
Even at this very moment, all guilds would be frantic trying to find Muryong.
Kang Dong-cheol closed the Muryong file and took out the [Unconfirmed Strongman] file, which was a mystery yet to be solved.
“In the end, is this what's left.”
He stared at the photo of the Rock Lizard's corpse, hideously smashed, taken at the scene last time.
Overwhelming power.
Perfect control power that left not even a trace.
And the perfect stealth ability that did not leave even a trace on the latest mana detector even after using that power.
Everything was a mystery.
“Team Leader, maybe.”
Kim Min-su spoke cautiously.
“That hidden master, could there be a possibility that they are the same person as Muryong?”
“Is there a basis for putting the two incidents on the same line?”
Kang Dong-cheol asked sharply.
“Yes, there is.”
Kim Min-su answered confidently, displaying two maps side by side on the data pad.
“When personal information is requested for non-disclosure, the Tower system hides the exact identity of the ranker, but the initial access time and approximate access region log are bound to remain. Of course, this log is encrypted, and one cannot look at it by specifying a certain ranker. It just pops up as hundreds of records of who accessed from throughout South Korea at a certain time period.”
“So?”
“Exactly the time period Muryong renewed the 1st Floor ranking. Based on 18:24:13, I have searched all 347 access logs of E-Class Hunters that occurred throughout South Korea.”
“You... checked all of them?”
“Yes. And I have cross-referenced those logs with the time we received the Rock Lizard incident. And only a single log matched perfectly in terms of time and place.”
Kim Min-su pointed to a single red dot marked on the map.
“It's right here. This village on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do. It's the very place where we discovered the traces of the hidden master.”
It was an absurd imagination.
But at the same time, it was also a hypothesis where all the puzzle pieces fit strangely.
A top expert disguised as an E-Class.
Perfect stealth ability.
And decisively, the intersection of the two incidents.
“...There's a possibility.”
Kang Dong-cheol firmed his resolve.
“Field Response Team 2, everyone pack your gear. We’re going to that village again.”
“Pardon? Right now?”
“Yeah. This time, throw away things like disguised patrols, and enter into a formal door-to-door inquiry.”
Then he stood up and ordered firmly.
“Today, we’ll find a clue even if we have to search the entire village thoroughly.”
* * *
“Gorani, catch!”
I threw an item I bought from the Tower toward the Gorani.
[Item: Steel Tooth Whetstone]
[Description: A mysterious whetstone that makes any teeth as hard and sharp as steel. (Caution: If ground too hard, the teeth may all wear away.)]
It was a 10 Gold gift bought for the Gorani who left a great achievement in the Tower.
“Kkiyot!”
The Gorani accurately caught the flying whetstone with its sharp fangs.
It then rolled the whetstone on the ground and played with it for a long time by tapping it with its front hooves and gnawing it with its fangs.
Muryong, who was watching that sight, bit the Gorani’s tail "ang" as if it was jealous.
“Now, don't fight. Today is a special meal.”
I presented a special meal made with crops freshly harvested from the garden before the fellows.
“!!!”
What the Gorani was especially crazy about.
It was arrowroot grown in the garden.
Unlike ordinary arrowroot, the arrowroot from my field was full of honey-sweet juice.
I finely chopped the arrowroot and gave it to the Gorani after tossing it with other vegetables.
“You’ll get indigestion.”
While spending such a peaceful afternoon.
Swish!
The Gorani, who was ravenously eating arrowroot until a moment ago, hid its body behind the shed in an instant.
There was only one reason the Gorani did this.
“Young man! Young man, are you home?”
It was when the old lady next door or a person approached.
Whenever the old lady came, there was a reason the Gorani hid like that.
Perhaps thanks to the energy of my garden, the Gorani’s body size was becoming more and more u-rak-bu-rak (burly) day by day.
Now it was a size not outclassed even when compared to an average medium-sized monster.
It was certain that the old lady, an ordinary person, would pass out if she saw such a Gorani.
“Old lady, what's the matter?”
“Oh dear, those Bureau gentlemen have come again. This time they brought some machine and are poking through the whole village.”
“The Bureau?”
Looking outside, trucks and vans with the Bureau logo were entering in a line.
Employees in protective suits began to move busily.
“Ah, those people you said came when I wasn't here last time?”
“Yeah, why did they come again.”
I was already curious who would have come.
Since I’ve seen those faces for 6 years even if the departments were different, there were almost no people I didn't know.
I hadn't been able to face them last time as I was at the Tower, but I felt a bit tense at the thought of facing them.
“National Hunter Management Bureau. We request your cooperation.”
Finally, five or six team members in protective suits stepped into my yard.
And soon, a familiar voice was heard.
“...Huh? Kang-hyun?”
“Team Leader Kang?”
Team Leader of Operations Headquarters Field Response Team 2, Kang Dong-cheol.
He was a superior with a rigid integrity I had encountered several times during my Bureau days.
If Park Jin-soo was a person who played politics before the desk, Kang Dong-cheol was a person who spoke with worn-out combat boots.
He was a field specialist to the bone, to the point he was said to lack a knack for things.
“Kang-hyun! You were staying here?”
Team Leader Kang Dong-cheol let out a hollow laugh as if his tension was loosened.
“Ayu, I was surprised. Min-su, come here. What hidden master! It's Manager Jang, Jang Kang-hyun who was on the field support team!”
Then Kim Min-su ran over quickly.
“Manager Jang? It’s Manager Jang?”
“Min-su, it's been a long time.”
He was a clumsy rookie when I last saw him, but I felt a mature air as he had already become Team Leader Kang Dong-cheol's right arm.
A promising talent among the few in the Bureau who awakened as a C-Rank at a young age.
He was a guy with a bright future because he was sincere and passionate.
“But what does a hidden master mean?”
“Ah, that is.”
Kang Dong-cheol scratched his head with a troubled expression.
Next to him, Kim Min-su explained instead.
“A few days ago, we discovered traces of a C-Rank monster processed in a single blow in this area. But there are no combat traces, let alone mana remnants, at the scene. By any chance... do you happen to know anyone, Manager Jang?”
I shrugged.
“Well. This is such a quiet village....”
“Right? I think we misjudged the location somehow. I feel sorry for both Kang-hyun and the village people.”
Kang Dong-cheol smiled awkwardly, showing the precision mana detector held in his hand.
“I don't want to bother you with this kind of thing, but the higher-ups are pressing me so much.”
“I’m someone who knows the situation well, it's okay. Isn't the Bureau's job to prepare against possible dangers.”
At my calm answer, a deeper sense of apology passed over Kang Dong-cheol's face.
He must be concerned about the fact that I was a member of the organization that was kicked out.
“...From your perspective, Kang-hyun, you wouldn't even want to see Bureau people's faces, I’m really sorry.”
“It's okay. It must be a job ordered from above anyway, and if there's no record, won't only you two be in trouble. Let's just measure quickly and finish.”
“Would that be okay?”
Asking for understanding, Kang Dong-cheol still showed an apologetic air and brought the detector.
“But this... is a bit different from the one I used when I was at the Bureau?”
“Ah, it's your first time seeing it, Kang-hyun. We completely changed to the latest model after emptying the budget this time. It’s the latest scanner exclusively developed by Avalon at the Hunter Technology Research Lab (HTRL) in the US. They say it not only measures individual mana core ranks but also captures all latent mana or 이종 (different species) energy one is hiding.”
“Ah, it's that detector reported in the media since last year.”
“Ahem. Then excuse me for a moment.”
Flash!
The light came on in the high-end, metallic mana detector.
The faint green color, the most common color.
“...Ah, it's E-Rank. Kang-hyun, thank you for your cooperation.”
It was the expected result.
* * *
At the same time, in a secret room on the 3rd basement floor of the Secret Intelligence Service in Virginia, USA.
In a secret room that had no entrance and could only be entered by fulfilling special conditions, a single girl was sitting quietly.
"Hmm."
A woman with impressive blonde twin-tails.
Holding a Chupa Chups in her mouth, guarding before a giant monitor.
She looked as young as a high school student, but she was Jane, a top S-Rank ranker who ranked within the top three in the US rankings.
On the monitors filling the wall, information on various hunters was appearing.
It was the information of talented hunters from all over the world sent by the latest detector, Avalon.
A sight of information on several hunters appearing in the list on the screen.
[Country: UK, Name: Jacob, Measured Mana: A, Awakening Period: 3 years.]
[Country: Japan, Name: Nakamura Kenichi, Measured Mana: B, Awakening Period: 3 months.]
Normally, this information could not be obtained.
The Avalon detectors' data transfer is strictly prohibited by information protection laws in each country.
However, this specific model, backed by the Secret Intelligence Service belonging to the Bureau, was designed to secretly transmit only extremely exceptional data to the US mainland through an undetectable backdoor.
Of course, trivial information was not sent.
It was a system that only rang an alarm when a singularity with potential far exceeding the standard was discovered.
Beep-!
Just then, a strange warning sound echoed. Unusually intense and sharp.
Jane immediately checked the country.
“Hmm? Korea~?”
It was a warning sound that rarely came from Asia.
[Country: Korea, Name: Jang Kang-hyun, Measured Mana: E, Awakening Period: 6 years.]
[ERROR: Unmeasurable energy detected. System overload.]
[Mysterious power detected. Caution required!]
“...E-Rank?”
Jane took the lollipop out of her mouth and scrutinized the data with interested eyes.
“Mana rank is the lowest, but risk is unmeasurable?”
It couldn't be a malfunction.
Because this system was the legacy of an alchemist made with a dragon's heart obtained from the Tower shop.
“Interesting.”
Jane smirked and, instead of reporting the data to the director, lightly pressed the delete button.
The director would flip out if he knew, but it didn't matter.
She was always someone who did as she pleased.
Above all, Jane had no intention of sharing this suddenly appearing interesting man with the director of the Bureau.
It wouldn't matter if she told him later after watching first.
“Hmm. Korea, huh.”
Jane engraved the name on the monitor into her emerald eyes.
E-Class Hunter, Jang Kang-hyun.
It was a name that didn't feel bad at all.
< Mysterious Spirit (1) > END