Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Munk Elder
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The highest-grade mana stones, said to only drop from B-rank boss monsters or higher.
An item with a monthly circulation averaging less than one kilogram. Annually, it only amounted to about seven kilograms.
Not only was production rare, but even when obtained, they were sold through direct trades or purchased first by government entities rather than being listed on the exchange.
Some countries even had laws mandating this.
Thus, it was a rare item to see on the exchange, so scarce that it was sold in one-gram units.
“Fifty kilograms of highest-grade mana stones. Did I hear that correctly?”
Uncharacteristically, Han Young-im sought confirmation.
—That's right. Bae Wang-sik and Min Ha-na came together. Fifty kilograms of highest-grade and two tons of high-grade mana stones.
The numbers were staggering.
Fifty kilograms of highest-grade was astonishing enough, but two tons of high-grade mana stones?
‘Last time, it was four hundred kilograms in a month. Does this mean their production has increased by about fifty percent?’
Viewed this way, the amount was understandable.
‘But how? Did they really discover a mana stone mine?’
It made sense mathematically, but it was impossible in reality.
‘How many A-rank gates did they clear?’
Her mind raced, arriving at an unbelievable figure.
‘That would mean they cleared over one hundred and fifty A-rank gates a day….’
And there was another condition attached to that.
‘Assuming they didn't confiscate the supply from others, the two of them must have done it alone.’
Only then would the numbers add up.
‘Impossible. There has to be another way.’
Han Young-im shook her head, trying to clear her complicated thoughts.
‘I need to check if anyone else could possibly have this much supply.’
The method didn't matter. What was important to her was the existence of competitors.
—Requesting approval for emergency funds.
“Proceed. And I'll meet them myself for the next appointment. Let them know in advance.”
—Understood.
After hanging up, Han Young-im felt a sense of clarity.
The payment would be so large it would exceed the cash she could mobilize immediately.
‘A lump-sum payment will be impossible.’
Two tons of high-grade mana stones sold at the normal price would be 120 billion won. No matter how solid the Guseong Group's finances were, they couldn't afford to pay that much cash at once.
On top of that, the highest-grade mana stones would likely be worth over 50 billion won, though that would require negotiation.
It was such a massive quantity that it was doubtful they could pay for it all in cash. They would probably have to adjust the commission and arrange for payments over an extended period.
Setting aside the payment issue, Han Young-im considered the card she now held more deeply.
‘With this much volume, we can set the market price for highest-grade mana stones.’
To be precise, it meant that until now, no one had possessed enough supply to control the price.
Many places desired highest-grade mana stones.
Item crafting.
Mana stone energy research.
Mana stone alloy research.
Mana research.
The reality was that the higher the grade, the scarcer the supply.
The value of highest-grade mana stones was so great it was difficult to list all their uses.
“I'm starting to see that ten percent.”
She immediately called an emergency meeting.
“You're not a true merchant if you only take what an opportunity offers. You have to use the opportunity you've seized to gain even more.”
Her mind began to spin rapidly.
* * *
After a three-day break, Wang-sik and Min Ha-na crossed through the gate once more.
“Starting today, let's begin the real assault.”
On the first day, they pushed through the fourth-stage area and reached a cliff overlooking the Giant Munk settlement.
“Alright. If we’re doing this, let’s go all out.”
Min Ha-na took a deep breath. The A-rank flame ring she had received as partial payment glittered in the sunlight.
“Women charge right in.”
Wang-sik watched her steel her resolve and said.
“Back up.”
“What? I thought you said men push straight ahead.”
“If we go in there, we'll both die.”
It was a place even Wang-sik couldn't take lightly.
‘So he has limits too.’
It was obvious, but this was the first time she'd heard him say it.
As Min Ha-na hid her surprise, Wang-sik continued, unfazed.
“There are fifty elite warriors and five chief-class ones. Inside that cave, there’s also one who seems to be a shaman. They call him the Giant Munk Elder.”
“Didn't you say we were starting the assault today?”
“We are.”
They exchanged questioning glances.
‘Is he messing with me?’
‘Is a frontal assault the only thing on her mind?’
Wang-sik decided to just explain.
“Starting today, we'll take out ten of them per day. When I judge the time is right, we'll go for the Elder.”
“Ah!”
Min Ha-na’s face showed she finally understood. A wave of embarrassment washed over her.
“I’m not usually this simple-minded. It’s just that fighting so recklessly here has naturally….”
“Recklessly?”
“No, I'll correct that to 'aggressively'.”
“Then let's begin. We'll start with the scouts.”
They walked along the cliff surrounding the settlement.
As the cliff gradually lowered and they neared the entrance, they slipped into the dense forest.
‘They're quite systematic.’
The Giant Munk scouts didn't enter the forest. Their large bodies made it difficult for them to even walk among the trees.
They patrolled along the treeless border, and thankfully, the area was large enough to present an opportunity.
The first was an ambush.
Hiding at the edge of the forest, Min Ha-na easily blew off one Munk's head, and in that instant, Wang-sik bound another's body with his chains.
Min Ha-na quickly gathered her power again to finish off the Munk, which was under the effect of powerlessness, and the two retreated back into the forest.
The sound of the flames drew the attention of other Munks, and soon, six of the giants had gathered.
After a brief discussion, they entered the forest with furious expressions.
They normally wouldn't enter, but they weren't so docile as to ignore the death of a comrade.
“They're coming.”
The scouts who heard the news spread out and entered the forest.
There were about twenty in total, and Wang-sik and Min Ha-na used the terrain to launch repeated ambushes.
There was no time to collect mana stones, but taking down the Munks in the forest wasn't difficult.
Wang-sik had the strength to hold them in place, and Min Ha-na had the firepower to finish them in one blow. Maximizing their strengths, they took out their target of ten and completely left the area.
The next day, they witnessed a strange sight.
“The trees were definitely knocked down yesterday….”
The entire forest had been restored.
“It's also strange that they don't burn. I think there’s a reason for it.”
“I see.”
It bothered Wang-sik as well. The environment of a battlefield where lives were at stake was a crucial factor.
“There must be a secret….”
For now, they couldn't even guess what it was.
“Let's stick to the plan for now.”
The pondering didn't last long. They couldn't stop anyway. That day, too, the pair took down ten Munks without much difficulty.
The situation began to change on the third day.
Realizing the attacks weren't a one-time event, the Giant Munks increased their search parties to five members.
Furthermore, not only did they narrow the search intervals, but elite warriors in the center of the settlement stood ready with armor and weapons.
“Still easy.”
Min Ha-na's magic preparation time grew longer.
“Show me what an area-of-effect spell can do.”
Min Ha-na faithfully carried out Wang-sik's order.
‘It's simple as long as I can concentrate.’
With a reliable tanker, she focused solely on her magic.
Fwoooosh!
A whirlwind of fire engulfed the five Munks. The power was enough to melt their rock-like skin, and the Munks screamed as they burst out.
Two were too late to be saved, but the other three were different.
“Tch.”
Min Ha-na, who had intended to finish them at once, showed her displeasure.
“We have to finish them before the elites arrive.”
Wang-sik shot forward, launching his chains at the giants groaning in pain. Fortunately, the Munks were not in good condition, so it wasn't difficult for Min Ha-na to finish them off.
“We're retreating.”
Wang-sik said, throwing a chain toward a nearby tree.
“Grab on.”
Wang-sik, who was tightrope-walking on the chain, extended his hand. Min Ha-na naturally fell into his arms, and they escaped the area.
“Today, I'll try to focus on area-of-effect spells.”
Min Ha-na had identified her shortcomings from the recent battle.
She was satisfied with her ability to control and apply single-target magic.
But today, she had seen the limits of her area-of-effect magic.
‘There's too much power loss, so the firepower is lacking.’
Giant Munks were, in fact, giants with tough skin, making them tricky opponents to handle with area-of-effect spells.
But it was certain she would face even stronger foes in the future. If she didn't address this weakness now, it would surely cause bigger problems later.
While she organized her thoughts, Wang-sik waited without offering any advice.
Seeing this, Min Ha-na finished arranging her thoughts and asked.
“Did you know it would turn out like this?”
“I expected it.”
“So you showed me on purpose. So I'd realize it myself.”
Wang-sik didn't bother to deny it. But he made one thing clear.
“We are a team, and you are my partner and teammate.”
“Meaning I'm not a trainee.”
“Of course. A stronger teammate means a stronger team. I am no longer your instructor.”
Min Ha-na felt reassured by his words.
One-sided consideration was uncomfortable. The training from the Hunter Management Bureau shouldn't continue here. That would require someone's sacrifice.
“Right now, I am making a strategic judgment that benefits the team. And what's certain is that I am growing alongside you.”
“Got it, Captain.”
Min Ha-na changed his title, acknowledging Wang-sik as the leader.
“Then let's go again.”
And so, Min Ha-na and Wang-sik were growing through real combat.
Ten a day—their routine began with this.
‘The difficulty is increasing every day.’
It was natural, as their opponents were adapting. There were traps, and they changed their formations. On days they stopped scouting and hunkered down, Wang-sik and Min Ha-na would roll rocks from the cliffs or collapse walls.
When strategies changed and variables arose, there were days they spent the entire day on it.
‘The Elder is quite smart.’
There were many times they fell into danger due to the Elder's strategies.
Especially when the shamanic totems hidden underground suddenly slowed their movements or obscured their vision, they truly thought they might die.
Thanks to Wang-sik holding out with his body, they barely escaped, but they had to endure a dangerous pursuit for a full two hours. Nevertheless, they managed to take out the ten pursuing Munks just before nightfall and returned to the lab.
A fierce month passed like that.
With three hundred of its members gone, the Munk village felt deserted compared to before.
“Something's strange.”
Min Ha-na said, raising her guard.
“There are too few of them.”
According to the numbers, there should still be over two hundred Munks. But there were only about a hundred in sight.
“The number of elites has dropped significantly, too.”
They soon found the answer.
“It seems there was another battle.”
There were various traces of it inside the village.
The eye-catching blue torch was still there, but the ground was pitted in places, and dried blood was visible.
The number of elites, of whom they had only managed to kill two, had been halved, and the survivors bore many wounds.
“It seems there was a fight during the night.”
“Do you think they fought amongst themselves?”
As they scanned the village, trying to deduce the situation, something emerged from the cave of the Munk settlement.
“Huh?”
Both of their gazes naturally turned toward the cave.
The giant emerging with a limp red wolf in its left hand had small, glittering stones forming a bizarre tattoo on its body.
Its build was similar to the others, but the aura emanating from its staff was extraordinary, and the other giants all moved out of its path.
The Munk stood before the altar with the floating blue flame and raised the carcass of the red wolf above its head.
Fwoosh!
The blue flame flickered violently. Then, a stream of fire shot out and incinerated the red wolf. After turning the wolf to ash, the flame flared up, scattering embers, before returning to its original state.
‘A predator.’
Min Ha-na thought of this word as she watched the flame.
Wang-sik, on the other hand, focused on the giant that had offered the wolf as a sacrifice.
“The Elder.”
He had been subjected to its shamanism before, but always through totems. This was the first time he had seen it in person.
The Giant Munk Elder.
That one is the master of the Munk settlement.