Villa complex on the outskirts of Seoul.
A sedan with the emblem of the Jungjin Guild slid into one of the villas and came to a stop.
Of course, the one getting out of the car was Jeonghyun.
“Thanks for the ride. Please go in safely.”
“Yes, Hunter Han Jeonghyun, please go in. If you ever want to hunt together, feel free to contact us.”
“Oh, well, I’m sorry then.”
It wasn’t an empty apology; Jeonghyun really had no intention of hunting casually with Junjin.
Just look at Jinho’s stern gaze.
‘Is this where you live?’ His eyes seemed to ask, full of suspicion.
This time, he accepted because the conditions were good, and there was no immediate promise, but Jeonghyun was extremely reluctant to incur debts without good reason.
“Heh, truly a formidable person.”
As Junjin’s group parted ways, Jeonghyun made his way home.
“What on earth is this?”
Jeonghyun looked down at the mace handle in his hand with a disappointed expression.
Although he knew that it might not be very durable because it was a rental, he didn’t expect it to break so suddenly during a hunt with no warning.
“If I meet Uncle Cheolyong again, I won’t let him off easily.”
Jeonghyun threw the handle on the corner of the room after realizing it was useless.
Even if he didn’t let Uncle Cheolyong off, what could he do?
It wasn’t long, but he doubted that Cheolyong, if he knew, would willingly cover the repair costs.
“By the way, it seems the test results are accurate.”
Jeonghyun murmured, recalling his memories from the ‘Cursed Castle.’
Based on the test results from the Association, he was in the top 25% of D-grade level 3.
At first, he thought there might be some margin of error, but through hunting with D-grade hunters this time, he could gauge his own level to some extent.
Sangjun was undoubtedly strong.
But when it came down to it?
He didn’t think he would lose easily, even when facing him directly.
Not only because Jeonghyun could use Dagger Technique, giving him an advantage in terms of distance, but also because Sangjun’s overall level, apart from combat power, wasn’t much different from Suhyuk or Yujun, considering Jeonghyun took on the role of a leader.
Even if he engaged in close combat only with a mace, wouldn’t it be worth a try?
With the enhanced synergy effect, his confidence increased even more.
In fact, Jeonghyun could see that even at D-grade level 3, he was quite high in skill.
Still, he probably didn’t receive below-average hunters from Jungjin.
“Anyway… even if it’s D-grade level 3, Chief-nim won’t be a pushover.”
The problem was Seo Jinwook, who was at C-grade.
What if he faced him?
Close combat alone would be impossible, and even using Jeonghyun’s unique D-grade attribute of Dagger Technique wouldn’t be enough.
Even though he only glimpsed it for a moment, considering Sangjun’s movements, Jeonghyun couldn’t see a clear path to victory.
The gap in grade alone was not easy to narrow.
‘Indeed, hiding the grade was a wise decision.’
Even though he raised his specs to a level that couldn’t be compared to the beginning, he still fell far short of C-grade.
Moreover, the gap between grades reportedly widened significantly as the grades increased.
If he had registered for the flashy EX-grade without thinking, by now…
‘He must be either detained or being manipulated like crazy.’
Fair treatment was nothing but a distant dream.
Jeonghyun, who had experienced it more than enough until now, knew that the world was not generous to the luck others obtained unknowingly.
Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, Jeonghyun called up the Attribute Shop.
“Tsk, Attribute Shop.”
Even though he invested a whopping 12 coins last time to obtain an E-grade Attribute, it was still a magical scene that always made him feel better.
[Attribute Shop (Lv.2)
Coins needed to the next level: 10
Equippable Attributes 0
Saveable Attributes: 6
Attribute probabilities: F 62%, E 30%, D 4.5%, C 2%, B 1%, A 0.4%, S 0.1%]
“Ah, this taste.”
Even though nothing had changed from before, just looking at the Attribute probabilities made his heart swell with excitement.
Especially the probabilities of C-grade or higher Attributes that Jeonghyun hadn’t acquired yet.
A ridiculous 3.5% chance was given to Jeonghyun.
Furthermore, there were two promotion-related body movement Attributes stored in the warehouse.
It was a factor that made Jeonghyun feel like he had become rich.
“Let’s see how many coins I earned this time.”
However, the highlight was, of course, the shop window where he could purchase Attributes.
Because he didn’t confirm the coins earned due to lack of attention in the last battle, he was even more curious.
[Shop List (Coin cost for renewal: 2)
“Decent Endurance” (E, Lv.1), 2C
–
“Stinging Lightning Magic” (E, Lv.1), 2C
“Wall Climbing Beyond the Fence” (F), 1C
“Meager Mana Sensitivity” (F, Lv.1), 1C
Current coin balance: 7]
This time, he earned a total of seven coins.
Although he had a hard time in the last battle, it wasn’t bad at all.
“What’s wall climbing? There’s something like this too?”
However, what caught Jeonghyun’s attention was his wall-climbing ability, which one could never guess where it could be applied.
There were no stories of hunters awakening with such a characteristic.
And just like his movement speed, there were magical attributes that appeared when he was bored.
Honestly speaking, some magical attributes were quite fascinating.
Especially for Jeonghyun, who could equip multiple attributes, it was needless to say.
The reason Jeonghyun didn’t initially purchase the Mana Sensitivity attribute was simply because it alone wouldn’t yield any significant effects.
But what if he combined Mana Sensitivity with other elemental magic attributes?
There would undoubtedly be effects beyond just using two attributes together.
If luck was on his side, he might even receive synergy support from the system.
However, Jeonghyun shook his head.
“It’s a bit late at this point. It’s a shame.”
Even if he were to purchase magical attributes now, he couldn’t use them immediately.
He also had to consider the attention of those around him and the limitations of his available slots.
In this situation, wouldn’t it be better to level up and purchase higher-grade attributes within the system?
There was no need to clutter his warehouse with low-grade attributes that he wouldn’t use.
[Would you like to update the list?]
So, the only option left was to update.
Jeonghyun nodded his head.
As 2 coins were deducted, the list changed.
[“Meager Mana Sensitivity” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Meager Mana Sensitivity” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Spirited Fire Magic” (E, Lv.1), 2C
“Mediocre Movement Speed” (F, Lv.1), 1C
“Decent Mana Sensitivity” (E, Lv.1), 2C]
“…What is this? Am I dreaming?”
However, Jeonghyun couldn’t believe the contents of the list and blinked his eyes.
Was what he saw in front of him real?
As if mocking his decision not to purchase magical attributes just now, the list was flooded with related attributes.
And to top it off, one of them was about movement speed.
“What’s going on? Is this really happening?”
Jeonghyun recalled the previous list before the update.
There was definitely one F-grade Mana Sensitivity.
If he had purchased that, wouldn’t there have been another E-grade in the list that he could have immediately upgraded to?
He had missed the opportunity to swiftly reach just before D-grade.
“No, if it was going to turn out like this, they should have told me in advance.”
Even if Mana Sensitivity was currently useless for Jeonghyun, it would have been different if it was a D-grade.
It might even be more helpful for a sensory-focused combat strategy.
Jeonghyun thought in that moment.
This attribute was an unexpected stroke of luck, regardless of how he planned it.
Everyone had plausible plans.
Until you see the next updated list.
Even if realistically he couldn’t use magical attributes right now, what if an S-grade magical attribute came out?
Regardless of public opinion, wouldn’t he have to buy it immediately?
“Ugh…”
Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh.
The update had already been done, and there was no turning back.
‘Well, I’ll endure it with evil and strength.’
With that mindset, he rolled the list once more, but the results were even more dismal.
Even though he had 3 coins left, the festival of F-grade attributes that made him lose the will to spend coins continued.
“I don’t know anymore.”
In the end, Jeonghyun left the 3 coins as they were and threw himself onto the bed.
It had become a regrettable update.
‘Yes, endure it with evil and strength.’
With such determination, Jeonghyun thought about the remaining coins, but the desire to spend them disappeared completely.
“Ugh…”
Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh.
Regretful or not, he had already gone through the update.
‘Well, I guess I’ll rest for a bit.’
With that thought, Jeonghyun unknowingly fell asleep.
—
*Ring ring
“Hey, who’s bothering me just as I fell asleep… Won’t leave me alone…”
Jeonghyun opened his eyes after his phone’s message alert rang.
He had just fallen asleep, and Jeonghyun frowned unexpectedly as he got up.
However, when he checked the time on his phone’s screen, it was already 10 a.m. the next morning.
Since Jeonghyun had entered around 7 p.m. the previous day, he had slept for at least 14 hours.
“Ugh.”
The sender of the message was Team Leader Seo Jinwook.
Jeonghyun, who was wondering what was happening so early in the morning, widened his eyes as soon as he checked the content.
– Hello, Hunter-nim. I’ve transferred the settlement funds to your account. Please check it. ^^
The lingering discomfort from yesterday’s ambiguous final memories melted away instantly.
Jeonghyun’s face now only had a smile left.
“So soon? Must be a big company after all.”
To receive a settlement notice the day after hunting—it was impressive.
Checking the balance on the banking app, Jeonghyun could confirm that Jin Guild’s words were true.
– KRW 15,707,000 Jin Guild
“Wow, amazing…”
Jeonghyun couldn’t help but marvel at it.
With this, the amount stamped in Jeonghyun’s bank account was approaching nearly 30 million won, including the settlement from the Rock Spider incident.
In fact, the most definite evidence for Jeonghyun that he had become a Hunter was not his abilities or Hunter ID, but the amount in his bank account.
“I guess I did become a Hunter.”
Even when working in the workshop, the pay wasn’t bad, but accumulating this much money was still a challenging task. He used to scrape by, barely managing to gather some funds, often just in time for loan payments. How could one accumulate wealth in such a manner?
Fortunately, the conditions for Mana Awakening Art loan were lenient; otherwise, obtaining a regular loan might have turned him into a credit defaulter.
“After paying this month, I should have around… What, 2,000 left?”
In other words, such words were unimaginable. However, Jeonghyun couldn’t just rejoice at the sudden influx of money.
The handle of his Mace, broken as if pierced by thorns, came vividly to his eyes.
To earn money as a Hunter, one had to hunt, and for hunting, equipment had to be adequate. Even though the emphasis had shifted towards Dagger Techniques, the main weapon remained the Mace. With the main weapon broken, naturally, new equipment had to be procured, but the funds were scarce.
Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh and raised his head.
With things turning out this way, he had to visit the Hunter Workshop once again.
“Time to return the borrowed equipment and… Ugh, how much will a new weapon cost?”
Though he was advised to earn like a dog and write like a master, it seemed he was earning like a dog and writing like a dog.
When he became a Hunter, he thought he could finally enjoy a somewhat different and affluent lifestyle from before. However, instead of affluence, he felt even more impoverished than before, having spent all his money on equipment.
“There probably won’t be a discount from Doil Elder this time.”
Even though he seemed to be favorably looked upon, the calculations seemed certain, and there probably wouldn’t be any extravagant discounts this time. Just last time, didn’t he buy the Dagger set at a discounted price?
However, delaying the purchase would only prolong the dilemma.
Since he had already decided to spend the money, he needed to immediately fill the gap in his equipment, even if he didn’t know when he would go hunting.
Having concluded his thoughts, Jeonghyun stood up confidently and walked purposefully towards the restroom.
Thump, thump, thump—
However, for some reason, an unavoidable sense of anger seemed to seep into his footsteps.
