“Hoo…”
Returning home in a daze, Jeonghyun let out a deep sigh.
Is this world of his just an endless climb, no matter how high he goes?
Jeonghyun felt most like a hunter when he saw the amount on his bank statement, rather than when he was hunting or checking the system.
And in that sense, witnessing Yerin purchasing equipment made her feel like an A-rank hunter most effectively.
“You’re paying all that money at once? In full? I almost fainted for real.”
It was an amount so significant that even mentioning it was making him crazy.
Yerin, without hesitation, said, “Well, it’s fine. I’ll pay in full.”
Of course, the equipment she bought was truly luxurious, a treasure that wouldn’t be out of place even in a wealthy household.
In front of Yerin, who spent that much money, complaining about 15 million won seemed petty. What does it mean to see Yerin’s face from now on?
“Well, if you have that much money, can’t you buy a Mace for your junior hunter or something?”
Jeonghyun muttered, trying to sound casual.
Even if Yerin had offered, he probably would have refused.
“Sigh… I’m losing my spirit. This is when you should visit a shop or something.”
In elements like shops, luck was the most crucial factor, and controlling expectations was vital.
After all, when expectations were high, betrayals happened, and when least expected, luck brought unexpected gifts.
Now, only three coins remained.
Is it a suitable quantity to test his luck just once?
[Do you want to refresh the list?]
“Whether you refresh it or not…”
Jeonghyun nodded with a feeling that was more like digging into the ground than calm.
And among the unremarkable items on the list, there was one attribute that caught Jeonghyun’s attention.
“Goblin Eye Deception” E, Lv.1, 2C
It was the attribute of deception.
Honestly, deception attributes were close to unpopular. People didn’t have a favorable view of them.
An attribute that sneakily disappeared in front of one’s eyes and then struck someone’s back of the head.
Of course, it was biased, but he couldn’t guarantee that the back of his head wouldn’t be the target.
Thanks to this, there was a thriving private group called the “National Deception Attribute Association,” or “NDEAA,” on HunterNet.
It was full of interactions resembling teasing and mockery:
“Oh, encountered a deception attribute today. Seriously creepy.”
“Hunter who baselessly accuses, NDEAA is with you.”
“Haha, watch out for the back of your head.”
As the interactions were dominated by flooding and mockery, the perception of deception attributes was becoming even stranger.
However, Jeonghyun’s reason for paying attention to this attribute was slightly different from others.
“I wonder if this would synergize with Dagger Technique?”
It was because he had the Dagger Technique.
There seemed to be a good fit between Dagger Technique and deception.
But there was no way to confirm such speculation anywhere.
After all, the only way to have multiple attributes was through reawakening.
Reawakening itself was an extremely rare choice, and it was even more challenging for the second characteristic obtained to be a good fit for synergy.
“Moreover, there’s no guarantee that reawakened individuals will also have synergy like me.”
Obtaining a characteristic that fits with synergy was already like winning the lottery multiple times, and expecting reawakened individuals to also have applied synergy was a stretch.
In the end, Jeonghyun had no choice but to experiment personally.
“I don’t have enough coins.”
But now, Jeonghyun had only one coin left.
Even if he wanted to experiment, he had to postpone it to the next opportunity.
Moreover, the available slots for experimentation were full.
Although he could exchange existing characteristics with new ones after a week, he was hesitant to take such a risky adventure.
“Well, I’ll have to hunt again at least once. Is there a novel with contents as unbelievable as an expansion ticket coming out?”
So, in the end, the only option was to earn coins through hunting until an expansion ticket came out.
Jeonghyun chuckled at how absurdly he spoke even to himself, realizing how ridiculous the situation was.
Anyway, he needed to find a place to hunt again.
Even though they were just coins, remembering that the balance, which was close to 30 million won, was now only 500, made him feel sick.
And that remaining amount would soon be depleted as repayment for the loan.
Even though he earned a lot of money, it felt unsatisfying to spend it all.
“Sigh, is this the life of a day laborer hunter… Maybe I should contact Sunhyung.”
However, Jeonghyun felt that with the information he had revealed so far, it would be difficult to find a place on HunterNet.
After all, being unregistered and not having a specified level made it challenging.
Moreover, Jeonghyun had his own experiences, so he hesitated to join a party with ambiguous intentions.
If it was Sunhyung’s party, the atmosphere at the gate where they went hunting every time was a bit uncomfortable, but at least his mind was at ease.
While thinking like that, when he happened to pick up his phone,
*Ring ring
The phone rang.
The caller was none other than Sangsoo.
“These people aren’t nobles either. Hello?”
When Jeonghyun answered the phone, a lively voice came from the other end.
“Oh, Hyungnim! You answered right away. Shall we go hunting again?”
Despite repeatedly telling him not to use the term “hyungnim” between peers, the address remained the same.
‘Why does everyone around me do as they please?’
It was now too troublesome to point out each time.
Jeonghyun raised an eyebrow and asked, “Sure, where are we going this time?”
“To the ‘Distorted Forest of Lesser Spirits’! Is that okay?”
“There? Really?”
Jeonghyun was surprised by the location Sangsoo casually mentioned.
The place commonly known as the ‘Distorted Forest of Lesser Spirits.’
It was a level 3 gate and was popular, making it difficult to secure a spot.
‘The rewards might not be worth the trouble.’
Jeonghyun had earned more than expected so far due to his knowledge of handling valuable parts from monster corpses.
Although everyone avoided it, the work was valuable considering the rewards.
However, when it came to spirits, no such specialized knowledge was necessary.
‘Just pick up the spirit stones.’
Capturing a spirit would drop a randomly attributed spirit stone.
There was no need for meticulous handling, and the spirit stones were popular among magic-related hunters and industries, fetching high prices.
In summary, it meant that it wasn’t a place lazy Soonhyung would bother reserving.
“Did Soonhyung reserve this?”
“Yes? Of course, I reserved it through the guild! Since you’re coming too, it was quickly confirmed.”
As expected.
And again, was it the Jungjin Guild?
Jeonghyun felt a persistent connection forming and didn’t like it.
‘It feels like I might have to join the Jungjin Guild later.’
Of course, building relationships with the Jungjin Guild would be good, and joining would be even better, but the emotional debt was not easily ignored.
But what felt worse was the difficulty of refusing help from the guild.
‘How can I resist hunting spirits?’
Just by asking about the lucrative spirit gate when in need of money, Jeonghyun could tell that this was probably the case.
But before that, there was one thing he needed to confirm.
“By the way, Sangsoo, is it possible to hunt in the spirit forest?”
Whether Sangsoo sensed Jeonghyun’s concerns or not, he quickly responded.
“Yes? Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ve prepared for it in our own way.”
“Well… I’m always thankful. When are we leaving?”
“In three days!”
That settled the matter.
It seemed they had their own measures, considering the unique characteristics of spirits as monsters.
Since they were professional hunters, it was strange for Jeonghyun to inquire so minutely over the phone.
“They say good fortune follows promises.”
The real issue would be after entering the gate, but what good options were there?
The immediate concern was resolved; now, it was just a matter of preparation.
Usually, they would gather detailed information about the gate, but this time there was something more important.
Jeonghyun looked at the mace leaning against the wall.
Getting accustomed to the distance and feel of the newly purchased weapon was the priority.
Perhaps for the next three days, he would have to endure the facilities at the Association’s training grounds.
“I hope I don’t run with Director Cha.”
For Cha Yerin, the best practice was considered real combat, and it might involve a training session that included a bit of a beating.
No, it seemed quite likely.
—
“Jeonghyun, it’s been a while!”
“Is everyone doing well?”
Three days later.
The appearance of Soonhyung’s party when they met again was still lively, but there were slight changes.
“Look at this. I got new arrows this time.”
“Oh, made of Marium?”
First, it was Jeonga’s arrows.
A product made from Marium, a mineral from the Marium Mine, a mining-type gate like Jeonghyun’s mace or sword.
Moreover, Soonhyung’s armor and shield also seemed to be made of a metal similar to Marium, judging by the slightly blue color.
Certainly, it was a mineral capable of containing mana.
Although the purity seemed low, the effectiveness would be negligible, but to make an entire shield or plate armor out of such metal would cost an exorbitant amount of money, so there was no choice.
In short, everyone using physical attacks had switched their equipment to items enchantable with magic.
It seemed they had prepared well for dealing with spirits.
Spirits were not like typical monsters; physical attacks hardly worked, and hunting was possible only through magical attacks.
Moreover, even with magic, it was necessary to accurately destroy the core, a small nucleus, to kill the challenging monsters.
Defense also suffered significantly without armor that conducted mana.
‘Everyone must have spent quite a bit of money. Well, it was time for an upgrade anyway.’
Switching for the sole purpose of hunting spirits might seem like a significant expense.
However, with the considerable difference in utility even just going to a level 4 gate, it was a reasonable investment at the right time.
On the other hand, Jeonghyun’s gaze met with Jeonga, who was carrying the mace on his back.
“Wow, Jeonghyun, you changed your mace too?”
“Yes. The last one broke. Since I was changing it, I picked a good one.”
“Oh! Somehow, the appearance is really impressive.”
And Sunhyeong’s supportive comment.
Perhaps because he had already seen Yerin’s level of equipment firsthand.
It felt somewhat awkward to praise something good, but boasting about equipment to a hunter was unavoidable.
It was like praising and boasting about each other’s equipment, building a close relationship as if bragging about a well-grown child.
That’s how sensitive hunters were about their equipment.
While chatting and looking at each other’s equipment for a while, Jeonghyun turned to Sangsoo and asked.
“But isn’t it too tough for Sangsoo to enchant all our weapons?”
It’s great that the equipment has been transformed into items that can be enchanted.
But if there’s no enchantment, isn’t it like a steamed bun without filling?
Even if Sangsoo is only D-Grade Level 2, it would be difficult for him to enchant weapons for three people repeatedly.
Unless it’s a specialty in enchanting, the consumption of mana with just general magic was sure to be excessive.
As if he had expected the question, Sangsoo nodded with a smile.
“Yes. It’s difficult for me alone.”
“······?”
Is that it?
Jeonghyun, who had become somewhat bewildered, felt that the atmosphere in the party was strange.
People were silently smiling as if they were preparing a surprise for Jeonghyun.
“What’s going on? Speak up.”
“In fact, there’s one more person coming. Oh, there she is.”
At that moment, a small foreign car, popular among the women, parked in the parking lot.
Jeonghyun, who had not-so-good memories of encountering the hunter who drives this nice car once before, decided to pretend not to know for now.
A female hunter with short hair and a height that reached her waist stepped out of the car.
“Hello, I’m Park Sooyeon from the Support Team at Jungjin.”
“Welcome with a big round of applause, everyone!”
“Wow!”
Led by Sangsoo, the party members clapped and cheered in unison.
And Sooyeon, blushing, feeling embarrassed amidst the lively atmosphere for welcoming a hidden card for capturing spirits.
“Haah······.”
Jeonghyun, secretly sighing, was in the midst of this warm atmosphere.
