Chapter 69
Chapter 69
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Treasure (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I took the ring the king held out to me.
A ring engraved with delicate patterns.
I read the item's description.
[Memory of Fire]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Effect: You can view the dwarves' blueprints.]
[You will be able to imitate their techniques.]
[Current Level: Lv. 1]
“Try putting it on once.”
When I slipped it onto my finger, it felt like it had been mine from the start, fitting perfectly.
The king looked down at my hand with a satisfied expression.
“That ring contains all the knowledge and blueprints our dwarf race has accumulated since ancient times. Armor, weapons, mechanical devices, even ancient relics….”
“But I’m not a blacksmith.”
“Don’t worry. Anything a dwarf can make, you should now be able to make as well.”
As expected of a legendary item, the description was grandiose.
An artifact containing an entire race’s technological prowess?
Its value was beyond measure.
The surrounding dwarves gazed at me with faces full of pride and self-assurance.
They seemed convinced they had offered their greatest treasure.
But my expression was subtle.
‘…They want me to go hammering away?’
My mind grew complicated.
I got that it came with blueprints.
But that was it.
There wasn’t even a proper hammer at my house, let alone a furnace.
No, even if all the equipment were there, could I even use it?
I was a mage.
Fighting from afar with skills was my style.
I had never even imagined sweating buckets while pounding metal in front of a blazing fire.
Unaware of my inner thoughts, the dwarves kept showering me with praise.
“The king’s got a big heart! In our long history, that’s only been given as a gift once!”
“That’s the soul of our race itself! It’s not something you can put a price on!”
“It’s on a whole different level from those pointy-eared elves’ wooden trinkets!”
Despite their enthusiastic reactions, my expression remained ambiguous.
‘It’s good, sure….’
But how the hell was I supposed to use this?
I fiddled with the finger wearing the ring, lost in thought.
The dwarves apparently interpreted my silence as being moved.
The king chuckled in satisfaction and patted my shoulder.
“Haha! You really know its value!”
“Ah…. Thank you?”
“No need for thanks! We dwarves never forget a grudge or a favor! I’ll remember this day until my beard grows long enough to trip over!”
That was the final farewell.
As soon as the king finished speaking, a familiar system message appeared before my eyes.
[The dwarves remember you.]
With those words, the scenery around me was enveloped in light.
The sensation of being ejected from the tower.
The noisy dwarven cheers and the furnace’s scorching heat faded in an instant.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on my exclusive pathway.
I raised my hand and looked down at the new ring I’d acquired.
“For now, I’ll try it out at home or something.”
A sigh escaped me naturally.
***
Back home, I immediately threw myself onto the bed.
The fatigue from clearing the 30th floor and enjoying the banquet hit me all at once.
But there was something I had to do before sleeping.
I sat up and settled in front of the computer.
Then I logged into the Hunter Gallery as usual.
“Gotta do what I gotta do….”
Even if it didn’t seem immediately useful to me.
I still had to brag about it.
The question was how to package this reward.
“Should I just call it Unique grade again this time?”
Lower the grade like always?
But a ring didn’t have the impact of a weapon.
A mere Unique ring might get lukewarm reactions.
Plus, the options were tricky to explain.
After some deliberation, I made a bold decision.
“Alright, let’s go with Legendary this time.”
[Title: Got my first Legendary item but the options are kinda meh ㅠㅠ]
[Author: ?? (5F5.5F5)]
[Content: (ring photo.jpg)]
[Snagged a Legendary ring but the options are kinda iffy.]
[This is a dud pull, right?]
Less than a minute after my post went up, dozens of comments started pouring in.
ㄴ Ha~ Hunter Gallery, the land of dreams.
ㄴ You again, Tower Anon?
ㄴ Lmao wtf, options are meh? There are tons of people who’ve never even seen a Legendary lol
ㄴ Ugh, Gallery’s gonna burn for hours again. Logging off for an hour.
“The reaction’s hotter than I expected?”
I tilted my head at the more intense response than anticipated.
Even if it was Legendary, it was just an accessory, not main gear.
Was it really worth this much hype?
Fortunately, some helpful folks started explaining my doubts.
[Title: Hmm, isn’t that just….]
[Author: ?? (128.48)]
[Content: It’s just a ring, not a weapon, right? If the options suck, it’s a dud?]
[Why’s everyone losing it? I seriously don’t get it.]
ㄴ Yeah, pretty much.
ㄴ You got no fingers? You can equip 10 rings.
ㄴ Even if the options look meh, you can wear 10, so it’s still worth it.
ㄴㄴ (Author) So you’ve got 10 rings now? Nah.
ㄴㄴ Ugh, stubbornly denying it.
Reading the comments, I learned a new fact.
You could equip 10 rings per person.
“Oh right, I can only equip 8?”
One of my fingers was gone, used to make the Super High-Speed something-or-other.
And of the remaining nine, one was already taken by the Sandworm.
Plus, I sometimes consumed fingers for spells, so filling all 10 seemed impossible.
But that wasn’t the important part.
I realized something.
No matter the item’s actual performance, if people thought it was good, that was enough.
Smiling in satisfaction, I headed to my next destination.
The anonymous community for A-rank Hunters and related folks only.
I posted the exact same content as in Hunter Gallery there too.
My first post in the A-rank Gallery.
I wondered what kind of reactions these people would have.
ㄴ ??1: If you’re open to selling, please reply.
ㄴ ??2: Can trade rings.
ㄴ ??3: I’d just like to buy the info. Where’d you get it?
“As expected of A-rank Hunters, different vibe?”
The reactions weren’t as explosive as Hunter Gallery.
More serious-toned comments.
Instead of raging at my trolling, most were assessing the item’s value and expressing purchase interest.
Of course, I had zero intention of selling.
That’s when other comments started popping up.
All about my wrecked IP.
ㄴ ??5: Wait, isn’t this the Tower Anon from HunGal?
ㄴ ??6: What’s that?
ㄴ ??5: You don’t even check Hunter Gallery?
ㄴ ??6: Why would I? They don’t even talk about hunters.
ㄴ ??5: ㅉㅉ That’s the fun part.
ㄴ ??7: But yeah, turns out this guy’s A-rank too. Knew it.
ㄴ ??8: Same bullshit here as in Gallery lmao.
People recognizing me.
And people trying to figure me out.
ㄴ ??9: If A-rank, can’t we narrow it down?
ㄴ ??10: Anyone in the group chat notice board could figure it out.
ㄴ ??11: I’m A-rank, but digging into this guy seems like a bad idea…. He’s the real deal.
ㄴ ??9: Lmao pretending to know when you don’t ㄴㄴ.
ㄴ ??11: ? Prove it? There are levels you porters don’t know about.
I let out a hollow laugh.
I thought A-rank Gallery might be different, but it quickly turned into the same Hunter Gallery chaos.
Maybe my presence was what polluted the Gallery.
“But looks like I’m pretty famous now.”
People recognizing me everywhere I went.
It didn’t feel bad.
No, it was actually kinda fun.
Still, I was starting to get curious about the real reactions.
From people who could talk about the ring’s true options.
Finally, I headed to the Mage Gallery.
There, I didn’t need to hide the options anymore.
I attached a photo revealing the ring’s name and all options, then posted.
The first to show interest was Fridge.
ㄴ Fridge: The original owner of the 20s floors was a dwarf? Interesting. Might solve one of my old hypotheses.
ㄴ ?? (88R.Y88): What hypothesis?
ㄴ Fridge: I picked up an item in the 20s once.
ㄴ Fridge: Couldn’t figure out what it was for, so it’s in storage, but now it seems dwarf-related.
With that, Fridge attached a photo.
The photo showed a fragment of unidentified metal.
Its surface was painted with vibrant colors and patterns, easy to guess it had broken off something.
ㄴ Fridge: If you’ve got that ring, maybe we can figure out what this came from. Could even restore it.
“Hmm…. That might actually work?”
Her hypothesis made my heart race.
An unexpected possibility.
This ring could be the key to deciphering and restoring existing relics.
If that fragment was part of a legendary dwarf artifact?
That’d be a massive jackpot.
ㄴ Fridge: If you want, come to the lab anytime and check it out yourself.
ㄴ Fridge: Actually, to be precise—I’d love it if you did. I’ve been curious about this item’s identity forever.
She went further with a bold offer.
ㄴ Fridge: If we uncover the fragment’s identity and successfully restore it, you can have it. The data from the process is enough for me.
At those words, I swallowed hard without realizing.
A chance at a free Unique or even Legendary item.
“What to do….”
I pondered for a moment.
Meeting people in person was still awkward.
But this offer was too tempting to refuse.
ㄴ ?? (88R.Y88): Okok. But not right now…. I’ll swing by when I have time later.
I tossed out a vague promise for now.
I’d go someday, but no specific time.
Like taking out insurance.
Then, other mages who’d been quietly watching chimed in.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: Hold up. Why only her? What about me? Why not meet me? I’ve asked multiple times!
ㄴ pKkaechu: First Beetle, now Fridge too? I’ll be the one left out. I’m so sad I can’t live like this.
Magic is Firepower and pKkaechu protested in unison.
I chuckled and tapped out a playful response.
ㄴ ?? (88R.Y88): Firepower sis seems like she’d kidnap me the second we meet, so I’m too scared.
ㄴ ?? (88R.Y88): Plus, no real reason to meet? Nothing to trade.
ㄴ Magic is Firepower: No, I had something to give…. But not anymore….
ㄴ pKkaechu: I have something too.
ㄴ ?? (88R.Y88): What?
ㄴ pKkaechu: I can duo-game with you 24/7 anytime. Even on Discord….
“Jeez, what’s she on about.”
True to form, pKkaechu’s quirky response made me burst out laughing.
I wrapped up there, closed the Gallery, and lay back on the bed.
Fiddling with the ring while staring at the ceiling, the recent conversation replayed in my mind.
“Meeting up with Gallery folks, huh….”
Something I couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago.
I had always avoided getting tangled with people.
Interactions were strictly through the filter of the internet.
Real-life meetings were a hassle and a risk.
But when did it start?
Out of necessity. Or inevitability.
I met the broker, faced Beetle in person, and even built some rapport with next-door Mr. Jeong Man-ho.
And little by little, things started changing.
Kim Su-ho felt less like an S-rank Hunter and more like a goofy neighborhood bro.
The broker became more than a mere business partner—a reliable ally.
Even Jeong Man-ho felt less annoying and more like a funny neighbor.
Maybe meeting people face-to-face wasn’t all bad.
It was still a hassle and something to be cautious about, no doubt.
But the old urge to avoid it at all costs was gone.
Instead, a bit of curiosity and anticipation was budding.
Meeting Fridge.
It might open new possibilities for me.
Not just curiosity about the unknown item.
I wanted to meet another mage like me and hear how they lived.
I tossed and turned in bed.
It was still a distant story.