Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Mother Harpy's Gift
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Let's go back in time.
Before Do-jae reached his brother and Eun-hee.
Back when he was in the strange dungeon the quest had sent him to.
"Kieeeek!"
A harpy screeched, its leg broken.
Its wingbeats were sluggish from the pain.
*Thwack—.*
Seizing the opportunity, Do-jae drove his fist into the harpy's belly.
"Kuek. Kuek."
With vocal cords different from a human's, the harpy retched with an unintelligible sound.
*‘This one almost sounds human.’*
*Flap— Flap—.*
The harpy flapped its wings powerfully, but it couldn't fly with one wing caught.
It could only spin in circles on the ground.
*Crack—.*
[You have leveled up.]
Do-jae's foot stomped down on the harpy's neck.
The harpy finally went limp.
He had hunted the harpy with ease, taking no significant damage.
It was all thanks to the sturdy defense of his Golem Armor.
*‘95% complete!’*
Do-jae checked the quest window, unable to hide his delight.
He just needed to hunt a little more to complete the quest.
The quest's completion percentage increased just by spending time here.
After all, the quest was to survive, not to hunt.
But after hunting the first harpy and seeing the completion percentage rise, he had started seeking them out.
It was the natural course of action, given that a faster way to escape had presented itself.
Plus, he could level up by hunting harpies, killing two birds with one stone.
*‘Each one raises the percentage by about 5%. I’ll rest for a bit, then finish this quickly.’*
The mana cost to simply maintain the Golem Armor was 1 per minute.
If it took damage and had to regenerate, the mana drained even faster.
He needed to fully recover his mana for the next fight.
"Five points into Agility."
He was now level 5.
He'd just leveled up again from the last hunt and spent the given points on his Agility stat.
Five points per level up.
With this, Do-jae's Agility reached 30.
*‘Maybe I should sit for a moment.’*
Do-jae sat on a rock and looked up.
*‘When was the last time I looked at the sky like this?’*
His gaze was always fixed on the ground, where monster corpses lay scattered.
*‘The sky is so clear.’*
The sky in this field-type dungeon was surprisingly blue and pristine.
A few scattered clouds drifted slowly, creating a refreshing scene.
"Kyaaaak!"
He thought he might get a moment's rest.
Unfortunately, this was a dungeon, and the sky was ruled by harpies.
*Whoosh—!*
With a sound of slicing wind, a large shadow approached from the distance.
It was a creature twice as large as the others.
Before he knew it, the creature had arrived, and a single flap of its wings sent Do-jae's hair whipping violently.
"A Mother Harpy?"
Mother Harpy.
The boss monster found in harpy dungeons.
They were two, sometimes nearly three times larger than regular harpies, with much thicker and more powerful talons, legs, and wings.
Most notably, its face was so grotesque it felt wrong to even call it human-like, despite being a harpy.
*‘It looks like a shoebill stork.’*
Do-jae had made a mistake.
*‘I thought there wouldn't be a boss. My mistake.’*
This was a dungeon.
A field-type dungeon, at that.
It wouldn't be strange for a boss to appear at any time, from anywhere.
In any case, this was no time for self-reproach.
The Mother Harpy's attack had begun.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
*Scraape—!*
The Mother Harpy shrieked, a sound that made his hair stand on end, and raked its talons across his Golem Armor before he could react.
*Clatter—.*
Unlike with regular harpies, a shower of stone fragments fell with a single attack.
The impact was strong enough to make his head ring.
The relentless talon attacks and the regeneration of the Golem Armor.
He could feel his mana draining rapidly.
*Bam—.*
Do-jae's fist collided with the Mother Harpy's foot.
His plan to break its leg was blocked more easily than he'd expected.
*‘I should have raised my Resistance and Strength.’*
Regretting it now was useless.
The Golem Armor had been sufficient for dealing with regular harpies.
Investing all his points in Agility to increase his speed had been a perfectly rational decision.
"Kirrrrk."
The Mother Harpy let out what sounded like a mocking cry and soared high into the sky.
It spread its massive feet wide, looking dangerous.
*Swoosh—.*
Just as he'd feared, its huge talons grazed past his shoulders.
If he hadn't ducked at the last second, he would have been caught without a doubt.
This time, he was reaping the full benefits of investing points in Agility.
"Kyaaa!"
But the Mother Harpy was persistent, swooping down to snatch him.
Since its talon attacks weren't working, it intended to drop him from a great height.
But Do-jae wasn't about to be caught so easily.
He rolled and crawled, doing everything he could to avoid being grabbed.
As he did, he began to get a feel for the timing of its attacks.
*Thwack—!*
"Kyak!"
"Hoo, hoo."
Do-jae finally landed a hit.
The Mother Harpy was furious.
It stopped its physical attacks.
And instead of a shriek, it began to make a different sound.
*Peeee—.*
The ultrasonic attack that only Mother Harpies could use.
It repeatedly opened and closed its grotesque beak.
Once it hit a certain frequency, cracks began to spiderweb across the stones of his Golem Armor.
"Ugh…"
Moreover, the ultrasound didn't just affect the Golem Armor.
Do-jae's ears felt clogged, and he grew nauseous.
The sound waves passed right through the Golem Armor, so covering his ears was useless.
His mana flow became unstable, and pieces of the Golem Armor crumbled away.
*‘I have to endure.’*
With things as they were, Do-jae focused his mind and poured his effort into regenerating the Golem Armor.
The creature seemed to be waiting for his armor to break, continuing its sonic assault.
Moving was a struggle, so he held on, hoping to buy some time.
He'd already reached 95% completion; it couldn't be much longer.
*Ting—.*
After a few minutes of repeating the cycle of collapse and regeneration in a daze...
...a cheerful sound rang in his ears.
[The skill ‘Golem Armor’ has leveled up.]
[The skill ‘Golem Armor’ has gained a resistance.]
But Do-jae had no time to pay attention to the sound.
He had to keep sending mana to hold the crumbling Golem Armor together.
[The resistance of ‘Golem Armor’ is increasing.]
Thirty seconds…
[The resistance of ‘Golem Armor’ is increasing.]
One minute…
[The resistance of ‘Golem Armor’ is increasing.]
[The resistance of ‘Golem Armor’ is increasing.]
[The resistance of ‘Golem Armor’ is increasing.]
…
And when five minutes had passed.
He could only hear a ringing static, but the nausea was gone.
[Skill]
Skill Name: Golem Armor
Level: 2
Type: Active
Description: Forms Golem Armor with the Heart of the Golem as its core. The Golem Armor is affected by the user's stats and skill level.
Mana Cost: 1 + α
Resistance: Sonic (50%)
The Golem Armor had leveled up.
It had gained a resistance effect.
Now, his Golem Armor began to withstand the Mother Harpy's ultrasonic attack.
"Kyaaak!"
The Mother Harpy sensed the change in Do-jae.
It stopped its sonic attack and flew at him again.
*Clang—!*
"Kiaak?"
The Mother Harpy was stunned.
Unlike before, its talons had gotten stuck in the solid stone.
"Finally caught you. Nice to meet you."
*Smack—!*
Do-jae's fist slammed into the Mother Harpy's face.
The Mother Harpy fell to the ground.
What happened next was no different from his fights with the other harpies.
*Fwaat—!*
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
…
Several level-up windows popped up in an instant.
Another message appeared shortly after.
[Quest Cleared.]
[Acquiring rewards.]
[‘Subspace’]
[Completion Rate Exceeded! You have surpassed 100% completion.]
[Acquiring additional rewards.]
[‘Brown Box’]
Immediately after he confirmed all the messages.
A small brown box appeared in Do-jae's hand.
And his body was sucked away somewhere by a powerful force.
Or more accurately, it felt like he was being pushed out.
***
*Click—.*
The brown box opened.
*Clatter—!*
Various items poured out from inside the box onto the ground.
[You have obtained ‘Mana Stone’ from the Brown Box.]
…
[You have obtained ‘Ore’ from the Brown Box.]
…
[You have obtained ‘Harpy Feather’ from the Brown Box.]
[You have obtained ‘Weapon’ from the Brown Box.]
Along with the messages, the box vanished.
On the ground were three mana stones, three chunks of ore the size of soccer balls, and a bundle of feathers.
And one longsword.
"Heh…"
He found it fascinating how such things could fit inside that small box.
*‘I was disappointed that everything disappeared after the quest, but it seems I get it this way.’*
While hunting the harpies, he had collected their feathers and talons.
But when he cleared the quest, everything except the brown box had vanished.
He had been thinking it was a shame, as he could have sold them for a decent amount of pocket money.
But now, the spoils had appeared from the box.
*‘Let’s see.’*
Do-jae placed the items on a bench and began to examine them one by one.
*‘These are expensive mana stones, even at a glance.’*
They were high-quality mana stones, the likes of which he'd never seen in the dungeons he'd cleared before.
He didn't have an expert eye for mana stones, but even he could tell these were the kind embedded in the weapons and armor of high-rank hunters.
*‘If I sell just one of these…’*
It would more than cover his brother's hospital bills for the month.
He might even be able to move him to a private room.
*‘No. I should hold onto them for now.’*
Selling the mana stones now would provide a better environment for his brother, but that's all.
The future maintenance costs would be hard to manage.
On the other hand, if he used the mana stones himself.
Most hunters didn't use mana stones directly, instead converting them to cash, but Do-jae was different.
He could summon golems with mana stones.
Thinking of the future, keeping the mana stones was the wiser choice.
*‘I’m sorry, but please hang in there a little longer.’*
*Tap, tap—.*
*Rub, rub—.*
Next, Do-jae handled the ores.
He tapped them and rubbed them.
But he had no way of knowing what kind of ore this was.
*‘Then again, I can’t even identify the pebbles on the street.’*
Having no knowledge in this area, Do-jae gained nothing from staring intently at them.
However, since they were a quest reward, he couldn't just throw them away.
*‘I’ll sell the feathers to Mr. Choi.’*
Freelance hunters each had a retailer they did business with.
Do-jae, too, had a place where he'd been selling his spoils for a long time. They would surely give him a fair price.
*‘All that’s left is the sword… Perfect timing.’*
The sword had a bluish tint.
The ornamentation was crude, but the blade's edge was exceptionally sharp.
He had lost the longsword and dagger he used to use, having left them in the dungeon.
It was just a cheap 300,000 won iron sword anyway, and he'd gotten his money's worth after using it sparingly for over two years.
It was a wonder it had lasted this long.
Though that was mostly because he rarely had a reason to use it.
*‘But how do I carry all this?’*
More importantly, what was he going to do with it all right now?
Before, he used to carry several large collection bags to haul his spoils, but he'd left them behind.
*‘It would be great if I had an inventory.’*
An inventory was something he desperately wished for during every raid.
An inventory was a type of magic pouch made of mana.
They were graded by the quantity or weight they could hold, but regardless, they were extremely expensive.
So expensive that an ordinary person couldn't even dream of seeing one.
*‘Come to think of it!’*
The Subspace mentioned in the quest.
He had definitely received it as a reward for hunting the Mother Harpy.
If it meant what he thought it did, he could perfectly handle all the ore and feathers scattered on the ground.
"Subspace."
*Szzzt—.*
The air tore open.
An entrance to a subspace appeared before his eyes.
"Ack."
Startled, Do-jae gasped.
Fearing someone might see, he hastily shoved the items into the subspace.