Chapter 026
[Chapter 026]
< This Is Too Easy >
26
The axe Kim Min-jun gifted was a power exceeding expectations.
Whish!
I threw the axe once more.
This time, toward a rock in a distant place.
In that instant.
Crunch-ch-ch!
The rock hit directly by the axe lost its form and scattered as fine sand powder.
Grab.
The hand axe that decomposed the target returned instantly into my hand like a bullet.
“Is this why it's a throwing type?”
It was a brilliant performance as a throwing axe.
The automatic recovery function plus an overwhelming power unbelievable for a hand axe.
“Let's see. If I throw it like this....”
I repeated the practice of throwing the axe into the air and pulling it to change the trajectory.
At first, it only went back and forth in a straight line, but soon as I adjusted the flow of Internal Energy (Naegong), I could even control mysterious movements such as the axe flying in an S-shape or stopping suddenly in mid-air and turning direction again.
‘...I don't think this was the original production intention?’
Surely the description said it's used matching mana operation.
This Return-to-Hand function was also a simple principle of remembering the user's mana wavelength and returning.
Such precise and complex trajectory change should be impossible in the system normally.
‘Furthermore.’
As I injected Internal Energy (Naegong) more strongly, it seemed as if the axe were increasing as it left afterimages along with the axe's immense vibration.
If this method is possible, not only power amplification but it could also confuse enemies by appearing to be an illusion.
And the most important fact.
When using mana, I felt the artifact's durability minutely wearing down every time I threw it.
But when using Internal Energy (Naegong), such a phenomenon didn't appear at all.
Rather, a tempering effect where Internal Energy (Naegong) seeped into the artifact, making the blade even harder and sharper, appeared.
‘As if my Internal Energy (Naegong) is growing this artifact.’
It was a truly limitless synergy.
* * *
MK Sphere Tower, Hunter Management Team Office.
Kim Min-jun, while processing a mountain of documents, took a short break to drink coffee and look out the window.
Suddenly, the Kang-hyun he met the other day came to mind.
“I hope you like that hand axe.”
Kim Min-jun muttered to himself.
He wanted to gift a better artifact if he could, but he thought that would be too much so he adjusted it to the current gift.
Still, the [Return-to-Hand Tomahawk] was an artifact that other hunters would enough covet.
Although the purity wasn't high, it boasted a wondrous cutting power being crafted with mithril, a powerful magic metal. The handle was also a very precious material.
Above all, the function alone of being able to surely recover a thrown weapon was enough for a value of at least 1 billion won.
‘That much should be more than enough to be used for self-defense in the countryside.’
He showed a satisfied smile.
Of course, Kim Min-jun couldn't know.
The fact that Kang-hyun was loading Internal Energy (Naegong) onto that axe to create a formidable technique that 초토화 (devastates) the area while decomposing everything it touches.
A sight that would make them doubt their eyes if they knew was currently happening in the Tower.
* * *
[Entering the 11th Floor, ‘Steel Thorn Vine Labyrinth’.]
The 11th floor was a scenery completely different from previous floors.
Instead of giant steel trees piercing the sky, sharp steel thorn vines covering the entire floor and walls formed a labyrinth.
The smell of iron vibrated in the air.
‘The goal of the 11th floor was that.’
To destroy the Mother Thorn Tree hidden somewhere in this labyrinth.
I closed my eyes and read the structure of the entire labyrinth and the flow of energy by operating Internal Energy (Naegong).
A single core where uniquely powerful and giant energy gathered was felt amidst the minute mana flows emitted by the numerous thorn vines.
“It's there.”
Slither, slither!
From far away, the sound of thorn vines crawling like living snakes was heard.
It was a pack of Blade Vines, C-Rank monsters.
Nasty fellows that entwine and tear the intruder's entire body with movements as flexible as a whip while being as hard as steel.
“Kkiyot?”
The Gorani stepped forward, preparing its sonic attack toward them.
“No. Just watch this time.”
I focused on loading the Internal Energy (Naegong) inside my body onto the hand axe handle.
Whish!
The hand axe left my hand soundlessly.
The axe didn't head toward the vines before my eyes.
As if it were alive, it turned its trajectory on its own and passed through the complex walls of the labyrinth toward that deep center.
A moment later.
Grab.
The hand axe returned to my hand again as if nothing happened.
The thousands of steel thorn vines that were surging toward me stopped abruptly on the spot.
And.
Slid-slid-slid-slid-
The entire labyrinth scattered soundlessly as fine iron powder, losing its form as if a giant sandcastle were collapsing.
With one axe strike.
“Kkiyooooot!”
The Gorani cheered while staring at me with wondrous eyes.
[Successfully cleared 11th Floor by completing raid goal ‘Destroy Mother Thorn Tree’!]
[Clear Time: 15 seconds]
[Raid Grade: EX]
[Earned Gold: 120 G]
I looked down at the axe in my hand.
“This is too easy.”
* * *
National Hunter Management Bureau, Press Conference Room.
“This is Hunter Kim Tae-seong, an A-Rank who newly joined our Bureau this time.”
Park Jin-soo introduced triumphantly.
Dozens of camera flashes went off and Kim Tae-seong stood before the microphone with a confident smile.
“What is the reason you suddenly joined the Bureau after always being active alone?”
“It's because they evaluated my value with a proper price. Naturally, I had to accept it happily.”
He revealed his confidence in his skill and greed for money without hiding them.
“It's truly a reply typical of Hunter Kim Tae-seong.”
“As expected, this is the charm of Hunter Kim Tae-seong.”
At Kim Tae-seong's honest reply, the press conference atmosphere rather became hotter.
At the fact that the Bureau finally recruited a heavyweight talent, everyone was pouring out questions positively evaluating the Bureau's future.
Beep!
But, right then.
Along with the alarm sound ringing on everyone's terminals, whispering began among the reporters.
“What? Is it real?”
“Real-time breaking news! Muryong again!”
“Crazy, everything from the 11th to 20th floor?”
In an instant, every spotlight in the press conference room moved away from Kim Tae-seong.
The reporters' gazes were all fixed on their terminal screens.
[Breaking News] Muryong sweeps comprehensive 1st place in all sections up to Tower 20th floor!
[11th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 15 seconds]
[12th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 28 seconds]
[13th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 19 seconds]
[14th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 25 seconds]
[15th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 21 seconds]
[16th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 18 seconds]
[17th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 26 seconds]
[18th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 23 seconds]
[19th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 17 seconds]
[20th Floor Raid Ranking 1st: Muryong (EX) - 29 seconds]
- 30-second cut breakthrough for all sections! All existing records of S-Rank Hunters, destroyed!
Has the rumored Muryong become much stronger than before?
“Wow... does this make sense? Breaking through 20th floor boss Chimera in 29 seconds means they effectively killed it instantly as soon as they entered the Tower?”
“The records are shortened much more than the 1st to 10th floor!”
The astonished reporters were no longer interested in Kim Tae-seong.
Only stories about Muryong.
Park Jin-soo stopped the reporters while flustered.
“Wa-wait! Reporters! Right now is Hunter Kim Tae-seong's press conference! Please keep order!”
But the seething heat could no longer be blocked.
‘Something big is going to happen...?”
The faces of Park Jin-soo and Bureau staff watching that sight were pale white.
Because they were trembling knowing the personality of Kim Tae-seong, a time bomb that didn't know when it would explode.
“Now, feel free to ask if anyone has a question. Reporter over there! Quickly.”
From then on, the reporters' questions flowed completely differently from before.
“Ah... Hunter Kim Tae-seong. What do you think about Muryong, who is currently shaking the hunter world?”
“Do you happen to have a guess about Muryong’s identity?”
“As an A-Rank, are you confident in breaking Muryong’s record?”
“....”
The smile vanished from Kim Tae-seong's face.
Clutching the microphone and trying hard to suppress anger, he spoke.
“About that E-Class nobody... I have no interest.”
But at that remark, one reporter spoke as if intentionally to scrape his temper.
“Then, are you saying you will ignore Muryong, who is practically the No. 1 hunter ranking in South Korea currently?”
“What? No. 1? Who says that! How can a guy who isn't even an S-Rank be No. 1?”
Unable to hold back, Kim Tae-seong even threw a water bottle toward the reporter.
“Kyaak!”
As the water bottle flew and fell in front of the reporters' seats, the startled reporters screamed.
“From now on, the one who says one more word about Muryong, will die...!”
Beep-
The flustered Park Jin-soo turned off Kim Tae-seong's microphone hurriedly.
“Please calm down, Hunter!”
“The press conference ends here! Everyone please leave!”
Park Jin-soo and Bureau staff hurriedly held Kim Tae-seong back, and along with security guards, sent the reporters out and forcibly ended the interview.
Muryong, Muryong, Muryong!
The whole world wasn't even looking at his name and only talking about that unidentified E-Class nobody.
Returning to the waiting room after the press conference ended, Kim Tae-seong kicked the table, unable to contain his anger.
“Fuck! What is Muryong! Who the hell are they, dare to block my path!”
It was a press conference where he should have been revered as the Bureau's savior.
He was expecting a flashy return starting from today.
But reality was the role of an extra for someone he didn't even know the identity of.
It was an unpleasant experience that shattered his pride.
* * *
The raid from the 11th to 20th floor was much easier.
When the Gorani opened the way with overwhelming physical ability, I gave accurate weak point instructions based on the data I knew.
Sometimes I stepped forward personally, opening the way while decomposing everything with the hand axe loaded with Internal Energy (Naegong).
Thanks to that, I could come up while organizing every floor in less than 30 seconds.
Now I could vaguely guess what boundary my power had reached.
[Successfully cleared 20th Floor by completing raid goal ‘Slay Prototype Chimera’!]
[Clear Time: 29 seconds]
[Raid Grade: EX]
[Earned Gold: 250 G]
“Good.”
I finished all the goals up to the 20th floor very cleanly.
“It's over 1,000 Gold.”
Perhaps thanks to clearing with an EX-Rank, my total assets reached 1,120 Gold combined with the Gold earned up to the 10th floor.
I checked the minor items I bought at the shops in between.
Unlike the items sold in the 1~9 floor section, 제법 usable items were slowly increasing.
[Item: Rainbow Pebble (Concentrated Candy)]
[Rank: Rare]
[Price: 15 G]
[Description: Tears of the moon are concentrated to make it like candy. It has a very thick and pleasant sweet taste.]
Muryong would definitely be crazy for it.
[Item: Gryphon Feather Fishing Rod]
[Rank: Rare]
[Price: 40 G]
[Description: A toy made of Gryphon feathers that never break no matter how much they are shaken. Large monsters especially like it.]
It was perfect for the Gorani.
[Item: Fairy Queen's Small Greenhouse]
[Rank: Heroic]
[Price: 250 G]
[Description: A palm-sized glass greenhouse. Putting a plant inside blocks harmful external mana and supplies only clear energy.]
It seemed it would be good to place in So-ye’s hospital room.
[Item: Earth's Lullaby Music Box]
[Rank: Rare]
[Price: 80 G]
[Description: If placed near the soil, it plays a lullaby liked by earth spirits to promote plant growth.]
It was a perfect gift for Hasuo.
“Is it the last floor now.”
I headed toward the 20th floor Dimensional Shop.
Opening the door, a penguin dressed in a tuxedo behind the counter was looking at me loftily.
“Hello.”
The penguin fluttered its short wings and gave a refined greeting by waddling "dwi-ttung".
“Let's see....”
I looked through the shelves.
It was certainly better than the 10th floor shop, but there were still no items that strongly attracted me.
“Hmm?”
Then I discovered an item placed in the darkest shadow at the very corner of the shop.
“This... why is it so familiar?”
It was a tiny white rabbit plush doll.
It was old and worn out in places, but the black button eyes sparkled mysteriously as if they were alive.
[Item: Secretive Rabbit Doll]
[Rank: ???]
[Price: 1 G]
[Description: A plush rabbit doll that has lived through countless long years. What it hides cannot be known. It is a rabbit doll that is kind to the master and has a warm heart toward the master's acquaintances. (This doll adjusted the price on its own out of a desire for someone to buy it, regardless of the shop's will.)]
“Ah, I remember.”
The favorite doll So-ye never let go of her arms when she was young looked exactly like that.
Exactly the rabbit doll she played with until the old cloth was worn out and the button eyes were dangling.
The memory of her crying for a whole week because she lost it came to mind vividly.
“But it's 1 Gold?”
Seeing the price part was puzzling, there was a saying that it adjusted the price on its own.
It was surely a mysterious doll.
Above all, what I liked was.
‘A warm heart.’
Wouldn't it be okay to leave it next to So-ye at this level?
“Excuse me. I’ll buy this doll.”
At my words, the body of the penguin, which had been pretending to be refined until now, stiffened "heum-chit".
The penguin slowly turned its head like a creaking robot and stared at the doll I pointed to.
"I-is that so!?"
The penguin was startled and then stuttered.
Was it originally this kind of image?
No way.
It was a penguin that was solemn and serious, always showing only a clerical tone.
But the penguin before my eyes now.
"If you want! O-of course it's a product for sale! I-I will allow it to be sold specially only to you!"
The greatly flustered penguin began to chatter incoherently while rolling its pupils.
As if checking the 낡은 (old) rabbit doll's mood.
< This Is Too Easy > END