Rewards and the Clay Worm Hunt
The day after his growth. Hero Association small auditorium.
“Regarding the series of monster outbreaks that occurred during the academy dungeon practice sessions over the past three days…”
With an association staffer emceeing, the award ceremony was underway. I was receiving my award in one of the association's small lecture halls. It was basically bounty money—a reward for handling monster cleanup that was supposed to be the association's job, all while I was just a cadet.
“…despite the extreme danger, they showed courage, staying calm and composed while cooperating with their teammates…”
A quick glance sideways revealed Mo Ye-ji and Yoon Sam-won. As key players in the incident, they were getting awards too. But Mo Ye-ji's expression was off.
“……”
She looked like she might collapse any second. Didn't get enough sleep? Or maybe too much. She'd seemed deep in thought since yesterday, and now her condition looked really rough.
“…they resolved the incident smoothly, so in recognition of their abilities, we present this award.”
I clicked my tongue in mild disappointment as the award details were announced. Besides the association staff, there were only a handful of local reporters here. Probably an effort to downplay the incident. The only ones whose attention could net me points through influence were academy folks or major novel characters. Local paper coverage like this wouldn't draw their eyes.
“To Cadet Imir, who contributed the most, we award a 30-million-won voucher for the Association Forge Market. The other cadets will each receive 10-million-won vouchers…”
Not bad at all. This was originally Choi Ji-seong's reward… honestly, it was pure honey.
Sunday afternoon. Incheon Buyeong Park was buzzing with more people than usual.
Spotting her in the crowd was easy.
“Hey~ Over here.”
Shin Jae-eun waved when she saw me.
“Hi. Eaten lunch?”
“Yeah. You, Manager?”
“Me too. Hehe.”
She grinned brightly, still in her shabby clothes but with sparkling eyes full of energy.
“Didn't expect you'd be the one calling me out to hunt first… but I got ready right away. Glad I wasn't late.”
Shin Jae-eun yawned hugely, eyes watering from post-meal drowsiness—hwaaam.
“Anyway, let's go make some money.”
“Sure. I'll lead the way.”
I'd come here for training and to snag some magic stones. The reading circle assassin was still a threat, so I needed every bit of growth before then.
“Normally, guiding hunt spots is the manager's job…”
Shin Jae-eun said apologetically.
“Who says? It's just whoever knows the good ones.”
“Mm.”
“Anyway, this way.”
I led her through Buyeong Park's burrow hunting grounds. Weekends meant tons of hunters. Folks probably handled guild work or day jobs during the week, then hit these spots as side gigs.
“This is High-Tech Mercenary Office's spot. Move along.”
“Gymna Guild reserved till 6 PM.”
Groups staking claims clashed here and there.
“This is my spot.”
“What bullshit?”
“I was hunting, stepped away to the bathroom.”
“Step aside once and it's gone. No 'your spot' in public grounds.”
“What? You fucking prick. Wanna die?”
“Die yourself, you bitch.”
No wonder monster ownership disputes never ended. Burrow fields like Buyeong Park had monsters popping from the ground suddenly, making turf wars brutal.
No spots open? Fine. I veered to a secluded area.
“Not many monsters here, right?” Shin Jae-eun said.
I shook my head.
“Nah. They're thick in places like this.”
I flicked on the lantern I'd prepped. Shining it on the ground revealed dirt clumps glowing oddly against the normal soil. Breathing holes dotted some.
Hard to spot usually, but I didn't even need Insight—just Critical Strike to pinpoint them easily.
“What's that?”
“Clay Worms.”
“Clay Worms?”
“Unlike most, these non-flying monsters hide in the ground instead of popping out.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Their leather's super elastic, used in tons of gear. Not pricey, but easy to hunt—great value.”
“Whoa… you know your stuff. Impressive. Must be that Hanseong Academy cadet vibe.”
Future her had tipped me off. I chuckled inwardly and started hunting.
Not dangerous, so Shin Jae-eun helped out. We farmed easy.
Mid-grade Monster Accessory
A necklace that boosts fire attribute resistance, general resistance, and vitality.
• Vitality +1.5
• 5% resistance to fire attribute attacks
• General resistance +5%
No luck on magic stones, but scoring gear? Solid win.
7 PM. Back at the dorm, I'd scarfed dinner and showered. Time to tally today's hunt.
First, proficiency gains.
> [You've steadily struck living targets with bare hands. Talent proficiency +0.3%.]
> [Victory in combat against low-combat-power foes. Talent proficiency +0.1%.]
> [Victory in combat against hidden foes. Talent proficiency +0.1%.]
> [Critical Strike used repeatedly. Critical Strike proficiency +3%.]
> [Critical Strike pushed beyond limits. Critical Strike proficiency +11%.]
> …
Talent proficiency shot up big time. Probably from mowing down weak monsters.
Soon I'd unlock another technique. Critical Strike hit 9th grade from 10th, boosting efficiency.
Critical Strike: 10th Grade → 9th Grade
Weak point detection enhanced.
Vitality cost slightly reduced on use.
Even snagged an achievement.
'Hunting Master 1'
Reward: 3,000 points acquired.
Hunting Master was one of the hunting-related achievements—rack up kills on any monster type.
“Too bad on the magic stones.”
Magic stones were RNG drops. Good luck? Easy grabs. Bad? Zilch. Buildup varied by monster strength, grade, age—even strong ones fresh-spawned might drop none, while old weaklings could cough up high-grades.
Still, gear made it worthwhile. I checked the settlement payout.
[413,000 won deposited to your account.]
About 410k won. Friday's haul. Today I bagged more, so payout would be way bigger.
“…time to crash.”
Void Tentacle digestion window closing soon, but I was wiped. Yawned and hit the sack.
Monday morning. Before training, I fed the remaining mid-grade magic stone to the Void Tentacle.
> [Digestion ability used. Void Tentacle proficiency +55%.]
> [Time until digestion complete: 48 hours…]
> [Post-digestion: All base stats permanently +2.]
Proficiency spiked, upgrading the tentacle.
Notifications blazed.
Grade upgrade reduces digestion time.
[48 hours → 42 hours]
[Time until digestion complete: 42 hours…]
[Grade bonus proficiency adjustment.]
[Post-digestion: All base stats permanently +2.]
Fucking messy. Feeling the stat boost, I headed out for the day's routine.