Chapter 49: I’ll Be a Prospect Starting Today
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: I’ll Be a Prospect Starting Today
The basis of any trade is value.
Regardless of an object's actual worth, the price is determined by how valuable it appears to be. Once the price is deemed reasonable, the deal is struck.
Even if I spent my best years rotting away in the military, I know these basics.
Right now, I need to sell a product to Square Garden, and I need to inflate its value as much as possible.
I already told Kim Yun-ah that I’d teamed up with Square Garden, but the truth is, I haven't seen Lee Ru-da or Millionface since our last encounter. It was just a temporary measure to completely sway Kim Yun-ah’s heart, which was still struggling to break free from Park Sung-jun’s influence.
But since I am going to meet them, it wasn't exactly a lie.
Until then, shall I increase the value of the product I’m going to present to Lee Ru-da?
Let’s see... who are the current top prospects among the D-rank heroes?
I searched the internet for the list of the hottest prospects. People love these kinds of rankings, so the results popped up as soon as I typed the keywords into the search bar.
Yoon A-young is in the top ten, Square Garden has two, and the rest are split among various other clans.
Yoon A-young is the only one from a small-to-medium clan.
Good for her. To think she made the rankings while operating out of a dump like the Break Line. Her skills must be that good, and since she’s expected to reach C-rank in less than a year, expectations are high.
Still, fourth place is an incredible achievement for someone in a small clan.
I turned off the computer and stood up.
Well then, shall we get started?
I feel a bit bad for Yoon A-young. Since two people are about to take the first and second spots, her rank is going to drop by two places.
Who are those two people, you ask?
"Master, you're late. You said today was D-2, right? We’re finally moving up a step. I’ve been looking forward to this."
It’s this cocky purple-haired girl and me.
"From today on, I’ll be fighting alongside you."
"Yes! It’s pussy-fucking comfortable fighting with you, Master. Let’s raise our ranks like crazy."
Kwon Ye-jin chattered excitedly.
Yeah, we’re going to raise them. Much faster than you expect.
As I headed to the shooting range, Sung Hee-na, who was already waiting, greeted me and handed over my maintained pistol.
"You're always helping me. Thank you."
"I do it because I want to. Please come back safely without getting hurt."
Sung Hee-na, who had serviced my pistol—which had been overworked from recent training—smiled. Her tone made her sound like a wife seeing her husband off to war.
The atmosphere felt like I should give her a kiss or something, but Kwon Ye-jin cut in from the side.
"Unni, just trust me. I’m a Defender. I’ll make sure to protect Master."
"Yes, I’m counting on you."
Just a few weeks ago, she was whining about not wanting to be a Defender, but now she proudly calls herself one. It’s a good sign that she’s developing an identity as a Defender, so I’ll let it slide without a comment.
Once again, there was no support provided, so I was about to call a taxi when Kwon Ye-jin told me to head to the parking lot.
"Tada! This is my first car, Thunderblue."
Kwon Ye-jin stood in front of a blue compact car and gave it a grand introduction.
Thunderblue? Isn't she embarrassed to have named it that herself?
The compact car looked quite old, likely bought used. It was the kind of car a hero would never even glance at. D-rank heroes don't earn a lot, so they often don't buy cars while at that rank.
I’d only heard this from the staff, but seeing as none of the D-rank heroes in the Break Line had cars, it was probably true.
"Did you buy it used?"
"Yeah. It was a pain taking a taxi with you every time, Master."
She already had a bike, so there was no real need to buy a car, yet she went and got a compact one. It was a car a hero might be too embarrassed to ride in. Moreover, it didn't suit Kwon Ye-jin’s flashy personality at all.
"Thank you."
"Huh? Uh, yeah... I hate how quick you are to catch on, Master."
Kwon Ye-jin scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
Taking a taxi to and from dungeons is a huge hassle. Loading and unloading equipment is hard, and dealing with taxi drivers who look at you strangely is annoying. For someone as prideful as Kwon Ye-jin, this was a car she wouldn't be caught dead in, but this compact car was likely the best choice she could make within her budget.
"How much was it? I’ll chip in."
"No, no way. I have plenty of money. Besides, you’re going to make sure I can afford a much better car later. Uh... why are you looking at me like that?"
"I was wondering if you ate something wrong. You're not acting like yourself."
"In times like this, you’re supposed to be moved and throw yourself into my arms! Men have no sense of mood."
Kwon Ye-jin grumbled as she climbed into Thunderblue.
When I sat in the passenger seat, the scent of a new air freshener wafted through the air.
"When I first got it, it smelled like an old lady. I spent a fortune getting the interior professionally cleaned."
"It’s almost like a new car. The interior is actually better than the exterior."
"Hehehe—I’m glad you’re satisfied."
Kwon Ye-jin gave a bashful look and started the car.
She didn't seem to have much driving experience since she usually rode a bike, but thanks to her superior physical abilities, we reached the dungeon without any trouble.
Since the D-2 dungeon we were heading to wasn't owned by a clan, a government official checked us in with a stiff attitude.
"Are you really planning to clear this with just two people?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"...I see. I suppose the Break Line sent you because they trust you."
The Strategy Department didn't exactly trust us, though. They had only approved the dungeon applications under the pretext of me specially managing Kwon Ye-jin; in reality, they were probably hoping we’d fail quickly.
"Put on your communication gear."
"Huh? Are we running with an operator today?"
Kwon Ye-jin’s face fell, as if she had been expecting some 'fun' activities that only the two of them could do in the dungeon.
"No, from now on, we’re going to record our achievements. It’s time the world knew what we’re capable of."
"I’ve been waiting for that."
Kwon Ye-jin grinned at my words, her motivation surging. The government official listening nearby chuckled as if she found it cute.
It wouldn't take long for that chuckle to turn into shock.
Once inside the dungeon, Kwon Ye-jin took the drones out of their cases, and I checked the communication status.
"Checking comms. Situation Room."
"Status confirmed."
The operator replied curtly in a cold tone.
It’s been a while, Parrot.
"As per hero authority, please record and share all current data."
"Understood."
When I asked her to hand over the dungeon clear footage to me as well, the Parrot gave a one-word answer. I guess I’ve really rubbed her the wrong way.
It didn't matter; we wouldn't be seeing each other for much longer anyway.
After confirming the drones were moving correctly, I checked the bullets in my magazines and stood up.
"I’m the party leader from here on out. No honorifics, and you follow every command I give."
"Yes, sir!"
Accustomed to the routine we’d practiced several times, Kwon Ye-jin answered playfully and raised her shield.
The monsters here were Jacorats—creatures with a rat-like appearance that were barely worth calling monsters. However, unlike the Goblins of D-1, they appeared in massive numbers.
They weren't quite like a swarm of rats fleeing an earthquake, but since they were as big as dogs, seeing them swarm together was quite disgusting.
"Kwon Ye-jin, take the frontline as the Defender and pull all the aggro. You don't need to protect me. I’ll act as both Attacker and Supporter from the third line."
"You're a greedy party leader, aren't you?"
Though she grumbled, Kwon Ye-jin trusted and followed my orders.
As the first pack of Jacorats charged, Kwon Ye-jin lunged forward alone, shield first.
The Jacorats moved like a single, writhing organism, but Kwon Ye-jin didn't seem disgusted at all. She dove into the middle of the pack with gusto, drawing their attention by bashing them with her shield.
The Jacorats swarming from all sides bared their large incisors, but they were powerless against Kwon Ye-jin’s reinforcement skill. Without a single scratch on her body, she grabbed the Jacorats clinging to her and tossed them away like they were annoying pests.
I moved back, drew my pistols loaded with live ammunition, and dropped into a prone position.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
As the pistols in both hands spat fire, they made a sound like a burst-firing assault rifle, tearing through the Jacorats.
I reloaded, aimed again, and the high-penetration bullets pierced through the Jacorats swarming around Kwon Ye-jin.
Ugh, shooting from a prone position with pistols is incredibly uncomfortable. Since I was dual-wielding, I couldn't even support my upper body properly, which felt stifling.
However, to use the high-penetration bullets efficiently, I had to be level with the ground, so I had no choice.
With three or four rats dropping per shot, the battle would end faster if I just endured the discomfort.
Just as the aggro was about to shift to me because I was killing too many, I swapped magazines and supported Kwon Ye-jin with sponge rounds.
"Ah! You hit my butt again!"
You should be used to it by now.
After replenishing her health and refreshing the buffs I’d given her at the start, I switched back to live rounds and stood up.
The number of Jacorats had dwindled enough that the prone position was no longer efficient.
As I picked them off one by one while standing comfortably, Kwon Ye-jin grabbed the tail of the last surviving Jacorat clinging to her back and slammed it into the ground.
"Ugh, pussy-fucking annoying, sticking to me like that."
Lacking any 'girly' sensibilities like being grossed out or creeped out, Kwon Ye-jin kicked the dead Jacorat in anger.
"That ended really fast. How many minutes?"
"2 minutes and 15 seconds."
"You were counting? Aren't you a bit too relaxed?"
"To lead, you have to keep track of time down to the second."
"Mmm... leading is really hard work."
Kwon Ye-jin spoke with an exhausted expression as she went around stabbing the fallen Jacorats with a knife to make sure they were dead.
The only byproduct from a Jacorat is a mana stone the size of a bean. They’re so cheap that the time spent dissecting the corpses to collect them isn't worth it.
A dungeon that only spawns Jacorats ends once you destroy a few nests.
"Operator, send the nest locations."
I had left only two drones to film us and sent the rest out to scout. I checked the information.
"Yes... understood. Sending them now."
Perhaps because she’d seen us slaughtering the Jacorats, the Parrot’s sharp tone had vanished.
She shouldn't be surprised by this; she’ll see much more interesting things in other dungeons.
After confirming the nest locations, I set a route and we moved out.
Having gained experience from the first fight, Kwon Ye-jin attacked more aggressively this time. Even though she was a Defender, attacking like that was a sure way to draw aggro, so I picked off the Jacorats with ease.
After about a dozen more skirmishes, we destroyed all the nests and exited the dungeon.
When we emerged, the official, who had been chatting in a relaxed posture, jumped up in surprise and approached us.
"Are you giving up?"
"No, we’re finished."
"What? Finished?"
Thinking we had finished too quickly, the official hurriedly held a measuring device to the dungeon entrance.
"...It really... has been stabilized... The time right now is..."
"32 minutes and 33 seconds."
Personally, I thought we’d wasted some time because we’d been strolling around like we were on a walk while looking for the nests. However, because we used guns instead of clearing them manually with blades, the combat time had been drastically reduced, leaving the official in shock.
Finding it suspicious, the official brought over the paperwork and checked our IDs, looking back and forth between me and Kwon Ye-jin.
"You really... are D-rank. This is your first D-2, and it’s incredible."
"It’s nice to be praised by the official in charge of the dungeon. Good work today."
I gave a polite bow and left the area.
"Master, did you see the official’s face? Fucking hilarious."
Kwon Ye-jin giggled and chattered by my side.
After loading all the gear into Thunderblue, Kwon Ye-jin grabbed the steering wheel and spoke in an excited voice.
"That ended so fast. Should we go grab something to eat?"
"No, our schedule isn't over yet."
I fiddled with the beat-up navigation system and set the destination for the next dungeon.
"Today’s schedule is four D-2 dungeons."
When I looked at her with a smile, Kwon Ye-jin looked back with a face of pure disbelief.
"Not two, but four? Wow... Master, you always exceed my imagination."
"I told you we’d climb the ranks quickly."
"I didn't think you meant this much. We’re going to spend more time driving than in the dungeons. Good thing I bought Thunderblue."
Kwon Ye-jin chuckled, patted the steering wheel, and stepped on the gas.
Though it was an old model, Thunderblue carried us comfortably from dungeon to dungeon, and we successfully cleared all four that day.
The next day, somehow, reporters got wind of it and wrote articles that made us famous.