Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Orc Takedown and Dwarven Brew
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As if drawn by some force, Kang Jin-hyuk gripped the handle of his bat.
‘So this is the presence detection effect.’
Not only did it detect enemies, but it also automatically defended against them—something he hadn’t expected.
Thanks to the baseball bat blocking the enemy’s attacks on its own, Kang Jin-hyuk could afford to relax a bit.
Before the retreating orc could regain its stance, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat without hesitation.
“Grrraaahhh!!”
The orc, struck in the shin, let out a monstrous scream as it collapsed.
Seeing the orc’s leg bent backward like a reverse joint, Lee Jun-cheol gaped in astonishment.
“You broke an orc’s bone in one hit?”
Orc bones were tougher than titanium alloy and thicker than an adult man’s thigh—nearly impossible to even scratch without immense strength.
Shattering one in a single blow was something only an A-rank Hunter could manage.
“I thought he was a rookie…”
Kang Jin-hyuk was just as shocked.
The S-rank durability enchantment on the baseball bat packed more punch than he’d imagined.
It wasn’t just tough—it could deliver devastating impacts like this.
“Take this!”
Buoyed by newfound confidence, Kang Jin-hyuk smashed the bat down on the seated orc’s head.
With a satisfying crack, the orc’s head spun a full 360 degrees.
With its skull and neck bones shattered, not even an orc could survive that.
As the lifeless orc slumped to the floor, Kang Jin-hyuk saw a barrage of level-up notifications.
His level skyrocketed from 15 to 27, but there was no time to celebrate.
“Chwiik!!”
Another orc, witnessing its comrade’s death, flipped its eyes in rage and charged.
This time, Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t panic at all.
Now that he knew he could win, the orc’s attacks seemed merely intimidating—hardly fast at all.
If he stayed calm and reacted properly, he could dodge them even while watching.
“Guwaa!”
The orc bellowed with force as it swung its club, but it only sliced through empty air.
Kang Jin-hyuk ducked a step ahead and struck without missing a beat, targeting the orc’s side.
“Eat this!”
The orc hurriedly moved its club to block, but it wasn’t enough.
No matter how it flailed its pudgy body, the heavy club was too slow.
Kang Jin-hyuk’s baseball bat plunged straight into the orc’s flesh, utterly pulverizing its ribs.
“Gwuk!!”
The orc squealed like a pig being slaughtered and crumpled.
While it writhed in agony, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat at its temple.
Hitting the vital spot silenced the orc for good.
With its head caved in, the orc breathed its last right there.
Kang Jin-hyuk glanced at the level-up messages flashing before him and finally felt the battle was over.
“I… took down two orcs? For real?”
Even staring at the fallen orcs in the parking lot, it didn’t feel real.
Just a day ago, he’d been a D-rank Hunter who could barely hunt goblins.
Handling a job that required four B-rank Hunters by himself—it was no wonder he could hardly believe it.
“Woooaaah!!”
“That’s insane!”
Lee Jun-cheol’s underlings, who’d been scrambling to flee moments before, erupted in cheers.
They weren’t the only ones impressed by Kang Jin-hyuk’s swift dispatch of the orcs.
Lee Jun-cheol felt like he’d uncovered a priceless gem no one else had noticed.
“To think there was a hunter with skills like that, and I never knew…”
Lee Jun-cheol prided himself on knowing every notable hunter by face.
That’s why he’d dismissed Kang Jin-hyuk as a total newbie at first sight, never suspecting a veteran.
But he realized now it had been his own mistake.
“Impressive skills.”
Lee Jun-cheol clapped as he approached Kang Jin-hyuk.
“As thanks for saving our lives, I’ll buy all these goblin corpses for 600 each.”
“You mean that?”
“Yes. No reason to lie to my benefactor.”
Jo Hyeong-il, overhearing Lee Jun-cheol, thought the sun might rise in the west tomorrow.
Buying those corpses at 600 each meant the organization’s profit would be next to nothing.
For Lee Jun-cheol, who chased profit day and night, volunteering such a deal was unprecedented.
‘He’s got some ulterior motive, doesn’t he?’
Sure enough, as Jo Hyeong-il suspected, Lee Jun-cheol made a proposal to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“But sell us the orc corpses too.”
“The orcs?”
Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated.
Unlike the goblins from the labyrinth, these orcs were killed outside.
No issue disclosing the location, so there was no real reason to sell to them.
Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk not answer immediately, Lee Jun-cheol realized he needed a sweeter deal.
After a moment’s thought, Lee Jun-cheol spoke up.
“Hand over the orcs, and from now on, we’ll pay 10% above whatever you’re selling.”
“Ten percent more than the Association’s price?”
“Of course.”
Even selling monster byproducts at a premium was plenty profitable.
Lee Jun-cheol was willing to take a small loss for ongoing business with Kang Jin-hyuk.
Steady trade with him could mean a reliable supply of materials, expanding their market share.
“Make it fifteen percent.”
Kang Jin-hyuk spread all five fingers on his right hand, bargaining.
Fifteen percent wasn’t chump change, but Lee Jun-cheol nodded without hesitation.
Kang Jin-hyuk had just proven he had the ‘power’ to demand such treatment.
“Deal, fifteen percent it is.”
Lee Jun-cheol stepped forward and offered his hand.
“Looking forward to doing business.”
* * *
Once the deal was sealed, Kang Jin-hyuk’s situation flipped 180 degrees.
Just yesterday, he’d been fretting over rent.
Now, over 200 million won sat in his account.
“600 per goblin makes 90 million total. Add the orcs…”
Confirming the numbers, Kang Jin-hyuk clenched his fist, savoring the triumph.
“So the big guilds have been hogging all this money, huh?”
The more he thought about it, the more outrageous they seemed.
Money was king in life, sure—but hoarding even small monsters was just plain greedy.
How much profit did they need to justify not yielding the scraps?
Even today’s online articles showed the fallout.
Comments under news of major guilds’ exploits overflowed with low-rank hunters’ grievances and fury at losing hunting rights.
“We’ll see about that.”
Orc kills had pushed his level past 30 already.
With capital to spare, Kang Jin-hyuk decided to gear up properly and challenge the labyrinth.
“The dwarf’s items do look top-notch…”
The dwarf’s gear was the best quality, but buying it outright wasn’t feasible.
The local currency wouldn’t fly with the dwarf—he’d need something else to trade.
“…Maybe haul in a ton of aluminum cans?”
The dwarf treasured aluminum as ‘orichalcum,’ so it could work as barter.
The goblins had guzzled all his attic beer anyway, so Kang Jin-hyuk hit the mart to restock booze too.
He returned with bags stuffed with beer and soju, heading straight for the labyrinth.
Recalling the way, he reached the smithy where the dwarf was hammering away at the anvil with deafening clangs.
Despite the sweltering heat hotter than midsummer, not a drop of sweat beaded on the dwarf.
After prolonged hammering, the dwarf clamped the glowing red metal and quenched it.
As steam hissed and smoke rose with a sizzle, his eyes met Kang Jin-hyuk’s.
“What? When’d you get here?”
“Just now.”
“What’s that in your hands? Why’d you bring so much stuff?”
As Kang Jin-hyuk predicted, the dwarf eyed the bags with interest.
“Wanna try one?”
Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out a beer can and handed it over.
The dwarf’s eyes bulged as he took it.
“What’s this? Orichalcum too!”
“It’s got booze inside.”
“They made a drinking cup from orichalcum? Is this the Holy Grail?”
Common trash outside, but in the dwarf’s world, it was luxury beyond popes or emperors.
The dwarf was convinced Kang Jin-hyuk was no ordinary man.
Hauling in not one, but loads of these treasures.
He had to be a hero.
“Give it a sip.”
Kang Jin-hyuk cracked the can open and passed it back. The dwarf chugged it down.
Then spat it straight onto the floor.
“What the fuck! Who pissed in this!?”
“P-Piss?”
“Yeah! Worst thing I’ve ever tasted in my life! What the hell is it?”
“Beer.”
“…Beer? This is booze?”
“Yeah.”
“You humans call anything with alcohol ‘booze’?”
The dwarf looked utterly baffled.
Pitiful humans, naming this bland swill ‘booze.’
“No way that green bottle stuff is the same crap?”
“That’s soju—different kind.”
“Gimme. Gotta see what you people drink to survive.”
The dwarf snatched the soju bottle, popped the cap, and sniffed.
“Fuuuck. No fruit, just raw alcohol stink.”
Smell gave a hint, but nothing beat testing it yourself.
Clinging to faint hope, the dwarf swigged straight from the bottle.
Unlike the beer, he took a few gulps before sighing and sharing his verdict.
“Tastes like garbage, but tweak it right and it might work.”
“Tweak it? With what?”
“Hold on. Idea’s brewing.”
The dwarf pondered, then hauled over a massive wooden barrel and dumped all Kang Jin-hyuk’s soju inside.
Then he turned abruptly.
“Hey, go mine some mithril.”
He’d emptied the remaining soju into the barrel and fixed Kang Jin-hyuk with a stare.
“Mithril?”
“Yeah. To salvage this piss-poor booze, we need mithril’s magic.”
Mithril held mana on its own—a mystical metal.
The dwarf believed combining its mana with his skills could elevate the drink’s flavor.
“Heh heh, might end up with something wild.”
Thanks to Kang Jin-hyuk’s booze, the dwarf’s long-dormant artisan fire reignited.
“What’re you waiting for? Go dig up that mithril!”
“You think I know where to find it?”
“Head down a floor—there’s a cave. You’ll spot the mithril obvious as day.”
The dwarf grabbed a pickaxe from the wall and tossed it to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“I’ll even craft you some gear as a bonus, so no whining—get going.”
“If you’re offering, sure…”
Kang Jin-hyuk had been about to ask for gear anyway, so he gladly accepted.