Chapter 14 - Yongyongi (1)
Yongyongi (1)
Suddenly, I have this thought.
I'm truly grateful for this moment.
Ever since my parents passed away, becoming an Awakened was my dream. A strong Awakened, that is.
Until recently, I thought that dreams were just dreams.
As an Unawakened Hunter, I helped the Awakened and took a little satisfaction in contributing to Monster extermination.
That's why I didn't dislike the training I was doing now to get stronger, not even a little bit.
"Hunter Han Hye, you're amazing. There aren't many people who work this hard."
Even the trainers were surprised. Uncle Deok-su was the same. The dragon's hatching was imminent.
I continued the intense training to the point where Uncle Deok-su's personal trainer tried to stop me.
"Ugh!"
The trainer, who was sparring with me barehanded, clutched his side. It was where my kick had landed.
"W-What was that just now?"
The trainer asked, startled. He was a martial artist who had been preparing to be a mixed martial arts fighter before Awakening.
I think his level is 3.
"I got a Martial Arts Secret Manual from inside the Gate this time."
It was a plausible excuse. Survival-type Gates were difficult, but the rewards were decent.
I planned to explain things that came from Subspace in this way in the future.
"No, did you learn it yesterday?"
"Yes."
Five days had passed since I cleared the Labyrinth's Dead End. In the meantime, I had focused solely on training.
I decided that adapting to my newly acquired abilities was more important than entering a Gate.
Learning 'Fighting Cock' yesterday was in the same vein. Having a sense of space to feel 20m around me was the priority.
Actually, I liked this one the most.
I could feel the opponent's attack path with an accurate sense, not just see it with my eyes.
"Even before, your fighting skills were improving faster than most martial artists every day..."
The trainer marveled.
Well, even though he said that, I mostly practiced dodging for four days. It was what I asked for. It was for training my sense of space.
Even though there was a difference in Stats, his attacks were quite fierce, perhaps because he was an expert. I got hit a few times.
There was pain, but the more I got hit, the more the trajectory was drawn and the more predictable it became, so I was satisfied because my evasion became more skillful.
"I think I'm going to lose now? I didn't even know how you were attacking until I got hit."
"Haha, no way."
I said no, but it was probably true. Just now, I had landed a blow on his side, hadn't I?
[Martial Arts 'Fighting Cock' (C-grade)]
-A martial art inspired by Fighting Cock.
-Can be learned when Strength and Stamina Stats are 15 or higher, and Agility Stat is 20 or higher.
When the UFC world champion Awakened as a martial artist, his 'Fighting' Skill grade was C-grade.
That meant the Fighting Cock martial art I learned was the same grade.
The grade of the Fighting Cock I learned would be higher than the grade of the martial arts trainer who was preparing to be a fighter.
Moreover, it was level 1 because I learned it yesterday. I would win once I got used to the martial art.
[Lv9 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 18
Agility: 20 (+2)
Stamina: 21
Spirit: 9
Mana: 21
Spare Points: 8
Skills: Subspace (S-grade) lv2, Fire Resistance (A-grade) lv1, Fighting Cock (C-grade) lv1, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-grade) lv4, *Wind Split (lv1)
These were my current Stats. I raised my Agility by 2 points for Fighting Cock, and I left the spare points.
My Stats were ridiculously high for level 9, so I was going to leave them alone for a while.
Even if the Stats were the same, my body itself was getting stronger as I continued to train.
I was definitely satisfied with the training center.
'I also leveled up once while sparring with swords.'
I didn't forget to train in other areas. The skill I gained as the Subspace level increased.
It turned out that 'Portalization' of Subspace itself was possible.
If I opened the entrance and exit of Subspace in advance, the baseball flying towards me would go behind the enemy.
However, the problem was the speed. The trainer and I had the same thought.
-This is a really amazing ability, isn't it? However, the problem is that it's not suitable for use in actual combat yet...
It was because I had to open two Subspaces in the two places I designated at the exact timing.
I had only opened and closed them so far, but I had never thought about opening and closing them quickly.
I was practicing this whenever I had time. It seemed like the speed was increasing little by little.
What I felt while practicing was that Portalization would not have been possible if I hadn't gained the power to feel the sense of space.
'Even if I can't use it right away, it could be a hidden card.'
It wasn't the level where highly intelligent Monsters would appear yet. Since Stats were king right now, I was going to enter a Gate soon and practice in actual combat.
.
.
.
Woo-
I was taking a break from training when I received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Hunter Han Hye? This is Jo Seok-pil from Daeeop Guild. Do you have time now?"
Daeeop Guild.
It was a famous Guild that ranked 3rd in the country. Nevertheless, I frowned.
It was because of the overbearing voice and because I personally had bad feelings about the place.
Daeeop Guild had always had some bad rumors.
Regardless of whether they were Awakened or Unawakened. The Awakened received unfair distribution and settlement, and the Unawakened were despised.
They were usually ignored as porters, but it was to an extreme degree.
'In fact, they became a hot topic for cheating Unawakened Hunters out of their hiring fees.'
I had a similar experience. They gave me 30% less, saying that I was unskilled at collecting Magic stones and that my moving speed was slow.
I was very angry, but there was nothing I could do at the time. If I got on a blacklist, I would lose my job.
"How did you get my contact information?"
"Rather than that, I'd like to meet you and talk."
Jo Seok-pil ignored my words and continued. I felt even worse on top of feeling bad.
This was also similar. They would meet young Awakened and lure them into the Guild with sweet words.
Of course, the structure was such that they would suffer losses in settlement and distribution.
Nevertheless, they were highly ranked because they were basically skilled. There were also rumors that they were connected to the political world.
These were things that only people in the industry knew.
'Daeeop is a bit much.'
Even if I put aside my personal bad feelings, the rumors I heard were not good.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any intention of joining a Guild yet."
"Hey. I'm not asking you to join a Guild. I'm just asking you to meet me and talk. It's a good thing for Hunter Han Hye too. We are Daeeop."
"Huh? You're dividing the Guild? What? Why is this call cutting off like this? I have to go into a Gate soon, so I'll be going now..."
"No, Hunter Han Hye? Don't hang up..."
I didn't want to hear any more, so I hung up, but I immediately received another call. Of course, I pressed reject, but the phone rang again.
It was truly absurd. Even the Association President respects me, so who do they think they are to act like this?
Of course, there are many people like that among the Awakened. People who think they can do this because I'm strong.
The Gate incident had turned society into one that lacked common sense.
'I should block them.'
There might be discord with the 3rd-ranked Guild, but I'm not the kind of person who forgets past grudges.
Didn't they cheat me out of 30% of my precious money?
Let them do whatever they want.
I'm not the same person I was back then. In the first place, this isn't my fault either.
Woo-
Then another call came. Were they calling from a different number? I looked at it in annoyance, but that wasn't it.
[Park Seo-woong]
It was a call from the Association President's direct secretary. Was it about the Elixir? I answered the phone with a happy heart.
"Han Hye, we've obtained the Elixir."
After listening to the story, it seemed that they were exchanging Elixirs of the same grade with France and the United States to obtain the 'Flame' Elixir.
It would take about 5 more days.
"Thank you."
"No. Of course, we have to get it for you. I'll contact you again as soon as it arrives."
* * *
I cleared two Gates and reached level 11 before the Elixir arrived.
I didn't necessarily insist on a survival-type Gate.
Even if I was a specialist in survival-type Gates, I couldn't keep entering only survival-type Gates.
It had the advantage of allowing for rapid growth, but it wasn't very good for improving my skills.
Not just combat or physical abilities, but the Gate experience itself was a Hunter's skill.
Thinking about the future, I had to gain experience in various Gates.
'Having good Stats and Skills doesn't make you a good Hunter.'
Even if you have Gate experience as an Unawakened Hunter, it's different from being an Awakened. You need experience in dealing with various situations in the Gate, as well as combat.
Thanks to this, there were many achievements in various ways. I refrained from using Elegant Sword and fought with Martial Arts and Swordsmanship.
Considering my Stats, it was easy, of course, but I was gradually getting used to combat using my sense of space and Portal.
What I learned in the process was that I could adjust the space of Subspace.
'I could divide the area.'
I mean the second space and the first space that were created as the level increased. I could divide the middle of them with a wall.
Time would not flow on the side that was trapped. It would be useful for storing food.
Uncle Cheolgi also started going into Gates. He said he was adapting to the Gates before returning properly.
He was level 14, but he was regaining his senses by going through safe Gates of levels 5-10.
And.
Finally, the Elixir arrived.
.
.
.
What I received from the Association was one B-grade Flame Elixir and two C-grade Flame Elixirs. I thought this would be enough.
The egg's description also said that it needed 'a little more' heat.
As I received the Elixir, the difference in the guaranteed amount also came in. It was 12 billion won after deducting the Awakened-only tax.
I decided to look into houses and cars later... First, I headed to a deserted mountain near my house with Uncle Deok-su.
"Hoo."
Uncle Deok-su took a deep breath with a nervous face. Hatching the egg would naturally be done outside.
If it hatched inside Subspace, it might not be able to come out.
As I opened Subspace to take out the egg, I suddenly became curious. Living things can't enter Subspace.
How was the egg brought in?
'Because it's an egg? Or because it's treated as an item?'
I don't know. I think I could find out if I brought a fertilized egg and tried to hatch it...
But it seems like it would be a hassle. Let's think about it later.
"Okay, shall we do it?"
I brought the C-grade Flame Elixir to the dragon's egg. And like before, the egg reacted.
Fsssk-.
The Elixir disappeared like a flame and seeped into the egg.
"Is it done?"
Uncle Deok-su shouted, but it wasn't yet. I immediately brought another C-grade Flame Elixir.
Fsssk-.
The same thing happened again. The egg tilted its head left and right once. Uncle Deok-su shouted.
"Is it done!"
It didn't seem to be. Ha, it said a little more? Did I have to invest a total of 3 Elixirs, including the B-grade one?
It was the moment I put the B-grade Elixir on it. Fsssk- The Elixir was absorbed, and there was a change.
Crack-!
The egg tilted its head greatly, and soon a crack appeared at the top of the egg. It was as if the top of an egg was breaking.
"It's done!"
"It's done!"
Uncle Deok-su and I shouted at the same time. And, Crack-! The top of the egg broke, and the head of a reddish baby dragon popped out.
"Kreu!"
The very cute baby dragon cried softly. The sound itself was like a chick chirping.
I made eye contact with the dragon. Then, it broke the egg and waddled towards me.
"Wow, crazy. So cute."
"B-Be careful!"
Uncle Deok-su was wary of the dragon, but it didn't have a hostile attitude towards me. I carefully hugged the dragon.
Including its wings, it was only the size of a human head. Its body was about the size of a cat.
"T-This is a dragon..."
When Uncle Deok-su, who had confirmed that it was okay, tried to put his hand on the baby, the dragon hit Uncle Deok-su's hand with its tail.
"I guess it doesn't like you, Uncle?"
"Did it recognize you as its mother because it saw you for the first time?"
"Hmm..."
Strictly speaking, I'm the kidnapper who stabbed its mother's eye with a knife.
Of course, that mother made Uncle Deok-su, who was close to me, into frozen meat and tried to eat me.
"Isn't it because I gave it the Elixir? And I've been with it in Subspace for a long time."
"Kreung..."
The baby dragon, which was crying softly, was very cute.
"What should I call it?"
"Should we call it Yong-yong? Uncle's pork belly restaurant is also called Yong-yong Pork Belly."
"Hmm. Isn't that a bit childish? You brought it, and it sees you as its parent, so you should name it."
"I'm not good at naming things."
I pondered for a moment.
"Electros?"
"Doesn't that sound too much like a dragon name from a game?"
"But I can't name it Choco, Mongsil, or Chunsik. It's a dragon."
"That's true."
Uncle Deok-su nodded, saying that I was right. I had a flash of inspiration.
"Hwamugi. How about Hwamugi?"
"What's Hwamugi? It sounds like a name from a martial arts novel."
"An Imugi becomes a dragon. It's still a baby, so let's call it Imugi, and it's a Red Dragon, so..."
Uncle Deok-su became serious.
"Let's just call it Yong-yong for now."
"Okay."
I looked at the dragon and said.
"Okay, your name is Yong-yong from now on."
"Kreu?"
"Yong-yong."
"Kreureu!"
Yong-yong growled, as if responding to its name.
"It's cute."
"Small things are always cute. You said the dragon you saw was very scary?"
"I guess so? It's too small."
I suddenly had a realization.
"Wait a minute."
"Why?"
"Uncle, your Skill, does it just need a dragon to be there, or do you have to ride it to use it? Can't you ride it yet?"
"Huh?"
Uncle Deok-su was flustered.