Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 119 Guardian Angel
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"Form a hunting team and send them to Cheongju. Even if I didn't say this, you'd have to hunt anyway to maintain your current lifestyle. You don't expect me to provide the mana stones for water and electricity too, do you?"
"N-No, of course not."
"For now, the mana stones obtained from hunting will belong to the hunting team."
"Pardon?"
Im Gu-seong looked shocked at my words.
Did he think I'd demand they hand over even the mana stones?
I could work prisoners for free without issue.
But I couldn't treat regular Awakeners like prisoners.
With my power, I could force unpaid labor.
Even if it worked at first without knowing how things would go, resentment would build over time.
I wasn't desperate enough to exploit the survivors' mana stones when I made astronomical amounts of money in the original world.
And more importantly than mana stones were skill points.
Skill points couldn't be bought with money, no matter how much you had, unlike mana stones.
So it was better to boost hunting efficiency even if it meant giving up mana stones.
There was a clear difference between tasks with gains and those without. There was no reason to work hard if there was nothing in it for you.
It was only natural to put more effort into things that benefited you.
The prisoners made it obvious.
Forced to work for free, they were visibly slacking off. Without the bomb collars, they would've all run away long ago.
I needed skill points, so naturally I wanted the survivors to hunt harder.
Mana stones were the carrot to motivate them.
"Instead, think of it as paying management fees for the residential area."
"Management fees...?"
"Like electricity, water, and communication bills for the living area."
"So you're saying we pay management fees with mana stones from hunting...?"
"Mana stones aren't just used for generators or water supply devices. You'll see with Cheonbu Gate. Cars and communication base stations run on them too."
"Surely you're not saying you'll sell those to us as well?"
"Exactly. If there's something tangible coming their way, they'll hunt even harder."
If Suni put in a little effort, maintaining a lifestyle like before wasn't a dream, even in this limited area.
I planned to use her to monetize mana stones here to some extent.
Buying items from the original world and selling them here would be a hassle if I had to move myself. But I had Suni, who could materialize.
If she handled it, I wouldn't have to worry much.
-Kieeeek!!
"Net!"
Nets flew toward the spider monster from all directions at Kang Yu-jin's shout.
The spider monster thrashed, caught in the net.
"Stab it!!"
The hunters who threw the nets quickly grabbed spears and stabbed the spider monster's belly in unison.
They were civilians hired by Kang Yu-jin.
-Puk! Puk! Puk!
Green bodily fluids splattered from the belly pierced by the spears.
-Kieeeek!!
The spider monster let out an unpleasant screech.
Kang Yu-jin frowned involuntarily at the sight.
"Yu-seong!"
"Got it, sis!"
At Kang Yu-jin's call, her younger brother Kang Yu-seong swiftly grabbed a large axe as if it were routine and charged forward.
He smashed the joints of the netted spider monster's legs with the axe.
-Crunch! Crunch!
The spider monster could only writhe helplessly, trapped in the net.
Kang Yu-seong stepped onto the spider's body, raised the axe high, and smashed its head.
-Clang!!
It was as expected.
These things had hard heads, their most fatal weak point.
"Heavy smash!!"
Kang Yu-seong relentlessly hammered the defenseless spider's head with the axe.
-Clang! Clang! Crack!!
After several blows, the head finally split, and the life faded from the monster's eyes.
Its legs still twitched, maybe rigor mortis or something.
Few women liked bugs.
Kang Yu-jin was no exception.
She'd seen it many times while hunting, but it never got easier to watch.
Her brother reached into the split spider head and pulled out the mana stone.
'How much will that fetch... Over 100 coins would be nice...'
"Hand it over."
Kang Yu-jin snatched the mana stone from her brother's hand and carefully stowed it in her bag.
"Sis, couldn't even look at it?"
"That's enough. Uncle, clean it up."
"Yes, Team Leader!"
At Kang Yu-jin's order to the men holding spears, they swarmed the spider corpse, removing the nets and dismantling the body.
The hard leg armor and head fetched good prices, almost as much as mana stones.
Kang Yu-jin noticed her brother tilting his head.
"What's up?"
"Sis, didn't you feel anything?"
"What? Nothing?"
"Really? Even now... It's not an earthquake. Something's coming closer..."
Kang Yu-seong, Kang Yu-jin's brother, was a Body Strengthening Awakener.
Lately, he'd been diligently practicing the Aura Secret Technique he'd bought from Uno Vision's library. His senses were far sharper than most.
Thinking that, Kang Yu-jin couldn't easily dismiss her brother's words.
"Sis, something's coming."
Kang Yu-seong said with a serious face.
Hearing him, Kang Yu-jin recalled the training she'd received when starting as a monster hunter.
There were massive monsters here that made these look like nothing.
"Uncles, stop working and fall back!"
The civilian hunters looked at her in confusion.
Then, atop the building appeared a massive monster at least twice the size of the one they'd just killed.
-Kieeeek!!
White spider silk shot from the giant spider monster's mouth toward the hunters dismantling the corpse.
"Aaaah!! T-Team Leader! S-Save me!!"
The hunters wrapped in silk screamed for help, unable to move.
The giant spider approached them.
"Damn it!"
Kang Yu-jin couldn't just watch. She extended her hand and chanted a spell.
"Lightning Bolt!"
A ball of lightning flew from her hand and struck the giant monster spider.
-Pzzt!!
The giant spider flinched briefly and turned its head toward Kang Yu-jin.
No damage visible.
But she'd succeeded in drawing aggro.
Or maybe it saw the webbed ones as secured prey to eat later.
"Sis! That thing! I-It's coming this way!!"
"Hey! Buy us some time!"
"A-Against that thing?"
"Yeah! Time to use what we paid top coin for!"
"Damn it!"
Kang Yu-seong vented frustration by hurling a hand axe from his belt at the giant spider.
-Clang!
The hand axe bounced harmlessly off the monster's head.
But it worked; the giant spider switched targets to Kang Yu-seong.
He used his agile physique to dodge the spider silk nimbly while drawing its attention.
"S-Sis, hurry!!"
While her brother stalled, Kang Yu-jin quickly pulled out her phone and dialed 119.
It might be futile, but it was what they'd been taught for unmanageable monsters.
"Hello? Hello?"
She shouted in case someone picked up, but heard nothing from the receiver.
"Th-They said this would work..."
Kang Yu-jin anxiously glanced between her brother chased by the monster and her phone.
Then.
-Crackle!
A small spark flew from the phone, followed by black lightning shooting toward the spider.
"Huh?"
She hadn't cast any magic.
So what was that black lightning flying over there?
The even more astonishing sight unfolded next.
The black lightning transformed mid-air into a beautiful girl in a sleek black suit that hugged her perfect figure.
A massive greatsword appeared in her slender hands, contrasting her delicate frame.
The girl swung the greatsword down at the monster.
-Crunch!
The blade smashed into the spider's back with a breaking sound.
-Kieeeek!!
Sensing the threat, the spider shifted targets to the girl.
She dodged its attacks deftly, wielding the huge greatsword—nearly her height—with ease in battle against the giant monster spider.
A faint black aura shimmered along her greatsword.
The hunting team, including Kang Yu-seong catching his breath, stared dumbfounded at the black-suited girl fighting the giant spider.
The battle started even, but the spider's legs were severed one by one, tilting in her favor...
She ended it by cleaving the giant monster spider's neck with her greatsword.
The siblings and webbed hunters could only gape.
The girl casually split the giant spider's head with her greatsword.
A massive mana stone, larger than any they'd seen, floated out from the crack.
'Th-That's a mid-grade mana stone I've only heard about!'
The mana stone vanished into thin air.
"Wh-What the..."
"Ov-Over there..."
The beauty approached the siblings, who stared blankly.
"Th-Thank..."
"You can have this corpse!"
The girl smiled brightly and said that before vanishing like a mirage.
"An... angel..."
The words slipped dumbly from Kang Yu-seong's mouth.
Kang Yu-jin had heard the rumor too.
Dial 119 and a guardian angel appears to help.
She'd thought it was nonsense the hunters made up to tease her younger self.
Of course, she'd been trained: if facing an overwhelming monster, dial 119.
But she never imagined a real angel-faced beauty would show up.