Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Banshee's Tear
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Choi Seung-gi took a full week to finish his investigation of the jewel.
"What took so damn long?"
Choi Seung-gi responded to my question.
"This thing turned out to be way more vicious than I expected. Our internal resources weren't enough, so we had to bring in outside help."
Choi Seung-gi handed me a report.
"Anyway, here's the rundown. We've named this jewel 'Banshee's Tear' for now."
What a name. Keeping that thought to myself, I started reading through the report.
"It's poison."
"Yeah, layers upon layers of incredibly concentrated, potent poison that's hardened over countless years."
This so-called Banshee's Tear wasn't a jewel at all—it was solidified poison.
"And to cut to the chase... yes, it can be used as a catalyst. You should be able to fuse it with the spear you're using now and the new one you sent over."
"Good news."
They also estimated a massive performance boost. Choi Seung-gi continued at my prompt.
"One more thing—even after using it as a catalyst, about half will be left. I suggest inlaying it into the spear blade with some filigree work."
Filigree work?
"I'm listening."
Simply put, it involved carving fine grooves into the spear blade and embedding an alloy mixed with bits of the jewel into each one.
"What kind of effect are we talking?"
"It's poison."
I let out an "aha" at that. In other words, anyone hit by an attack would get poisoned.
"Of course, pure jewel filigree would be far more potent, but after using some as catalyst, we won't have enough left."
That was why he'd mix it with other materials to bulk it up for the inlay, Choi Seung-gi explained.
"You've got one shot at this. Once the two spears are fused via catalyst, our current tech won't allow any further modifications."
So, decide now. No reason to say no. But there had to be a catch for him to emphasize it like that.
"The price?"
Choi Seung-gi nodded.
"You're getting one hell of a spear out of this. And the processing fee is hellishly high too. This kind of filigree requires specialized craftsmen and equipment, plus the materials aren't cheap."
When he quoted the price, my jaw dropped a bit without me realizing.
"Jesus."
It'd eat up sixty percent of my total savings, including the latest haul.
"You're not scamming me right now, are you?"
"No way. Sure, the production cost is insane, but the results will be equally insane."
I pondered for a moment. The cost was nuts, but...
Poison ignores magic resistance. If this had been some mana-based item, I'd have sensed its power right away.
Paradox Flame was handy, but against foes with magic resistance, I had to burn that off first—a real hassle.
Poison? No such issue. Unless they had both magic resistance and poison immunity, this spear would clean house against anything lacking one or the other.
Plus, I specialized in drawn-out wars of attrition. Dot damage on top of that? Perfect.
"Let's do it."
Worth every penny. Hell, if I was short on cash, I'd take out a loan for this.
"Got it. We'll get started right away."
It'd take a decent chunk of time. Until the weapon was ready, I'd have to hold off on the next Grade 1 Erosion Core raid. Can't go in bare-handed.
"In the meantime, got any rental spears I could use?"
Choi Seung-gi nodded readily.
"No problem. I'll prep a few suitable ones pronto. Send them to the Association?"
"Yeah, appreciate it."
I shook hands with Choi Seung-gi and headed elsewhere. One more person to meet before heading back to the Association.
"Owner Sa Seung-hee."
— Hunter Yoo Chan-seok. I heard the news. Congrats. Heard you visited Wonder Club too.
Her tone wasn't great. I knew why.
"Yeah, they tried recruiting me. Turned 'em down."
She figured we'd join Wonder Club.
— What? You turned them down?
She sounded shocked.
"Bunch of lazy asses. Strong, sure, but no drive for anything."
Telling me to quit hogging all the Grade 1 Erosion Cores. I'd half-expected it, but that didn't make it sting less.
— True enough. But I didn't think you'd refuse.
"I keep my promises when I can."
Not always, but deals like this? Yeah.
"That said, I'm planning to tackle some non-Grade 1 Erosion Cores for about a month."
— Mind if I ask why?
I explained the situation to Sa Seung-hee.
— So, you need time for weapon upgrades. No issue. It needs prep anyway.
Prep for the takedown. Now what could that mean?
"A month-long prep?"
— Probably around that. But the prep involves...
Sa Seung-hee trailed off, sounding hesitant.
"Spit it out."
— Dealing with some people.
Dealing with people?
"Didn't expect people-wrangling for an Erosion Zone clear."
— To enter that Erosion Zone, you need a specific item.
And getting that item inevitably meant clashing with people, not monsters.
Clashing with people? No biggie. But hunting down an item?
"What exactly do I need to find?"
— A crown. Platinum and gold frame, inlaid with eight different gems. Real flashy piece.
A crown. Not just for show, I figured.
"Does it do something special?"
— Pump mana into it, and undead can't touch you. Korea Hunter Association's got it in storage right now.
I couldn't help but make a baffled face at Sa Seung-hee's words.
"Undead can't touch it...?"
— Using the crown drops hostile undead to a third of their strength or less.
Damn. That answer sparked one immediate question.
"Then why the hell is it rotting in the Association warehouse instead of being used?"
— Ownership dispute, from what I hear.
Ownership? What the actual fuck? This wasn't some real estate deal or mining rights debate.
"No, seriously. These idiots wouldn't know shit from Shinola."
— Tell me about it.
Over ownership? For real? I was dumbfounded. Most monsters flooding into Korea lately were undead.
And the Association had this miracle item that could gut their power to a third!
Yet they let it gather dust over some bullshit ownership claim? What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Retards, morons, psychos, assholes... my mind was a whirlwind of curses.
"Alright, let's hear about this ownership mess first."
How big a deal could it be to shelve something like that?
— About five years back, there was a Grade 1 Erosion Core op.
Centered around the Korea Hunter Association, with hunters from the UK, US, and Japan Associations joining in.
Top hunters from all over threw down for that core clear.
— It was in Iowa, US.
The Association rarely rallied hunters directly for core clears. But they had good reason.
— We needed Iowa's crops.
Not for food. Global produce mostly routed through Korea anyway.
Iowa's output went mainly to biofuel. Needs must, so the Association mobilized hunters to wipe the Iowa core.
That's when shit hit the fan.
— This goddamn core was some freak case—only dropped one reward after the clear.
That reward? The crown in question. Insanely powerful. Slashes undead strength to a third, no question. Hell, with it, maybe even take a swing at Beijing's Gonzalo Prison.
But one reward from an op with thousands of hunters and multiple national Associations? Big problem.
"No one knew who got dibs."
One prize. A ridiculously OP one at that.
— Thousands risked their lives, but only one drop. And it was powerful enough anyone could complain if they didn't get it.
Sa Seung-hee paused before continuing.
— In the fight over it, thirty percent of the participating hunters died.
Folks killing each other over gear? Not rare. Happened in my old world too.
People called it cursed blades or demon swords to justify it. Truth? Just greed-fueled self-destruction.
Anyway, the crown's ownership was still undecided. To avoid more bloodshed, they talked it out and agreed to store it at the Korea Hunter Association until an owner was set.
"So how do they plan to pick the owner?"
— Every year, there's an event to slot new names onto Hope's List.
Open to hunters not yet on the list. Tournament-style. Regardless of entrants, ten winners get picked.
Those ten challenge a listed hunter of their choice. Win, and you take their spot.
No dodging challenges if you're on the list. Other ways exist to climb on, but this was the surest bet.
"What the fuck... that's insane. So they settle the crown with some world martial arts tournament bullshit?"
I cursed without thinking. Sa Seung-hee kept explaining.
Two conditions for the crown: Win the tournament, and challenge—and beat—someone in Hope's List top twenty.
Winning first place but beating a rank 21+? Not enough.
"Clever move by the Association. Koreans dominate the top spots anyway."
Hand it to a foreigner, and their hunters get a massive edge.
— Yeah. Most top twenty are Korean. Even if a challenger wins, high chance it's still Korean.
From the Association's view, sky-high odds the crown stays in Korean hands.
Was this "clever"? Debatable. Whoever got it—Korean or not— it'd crush Erosion Zones and monsters.
But they twisted it to keep foreigners out.