“Uncle Trigo! Can you take a picture of me? Please?”
“Hmm. Like this? Just holding it?”
“Yes! Can you see me on the screen?”
“Very clear. Hehe. So this little thing is called a cellphone, right? It’s always fascinating no matter how many times I see it.”
Trigo took a photo of Yeona with the cellphone he received. Yeona, wearing a tracksuit, reflected on the screen.
“Hmm, there we go!”
Yeona spun around in place. The black checkered hem of her skirt swayed lightly in the wind. It was her school uniform.
“Uncle, I’m going to school! I’ve finished all the transfer procedures and got my class assignment. Hehe. I’m filming to let you know. Oh, and this outfit I’m wearing now. It’s the academy uniform, isn’t it pretty?”
It had been three days since Jong-sik left home. Three days were enough time to change many things.
The news that Dok Yeona had completed the transfer process and would finally be going to school was one of the new developments. But that wasn’t all.
“Oh, I have something else to say. Wait a moment. Uncle Trigo, now I’ll take it. Hehe.”
“Yes. Here you go.”
Yeona received the cellphone again and showed the interior of Dok’s restaurant.
“Ta-da. Can you see inside the store? Uncle Trigo made all the tables and chairs in the store brand new. Honestly, you shouldn’t just look at them; you have to sit on them yourself…. Hmm. The moment you sit down, it feels like you’re in paradise, even if it’s a bit exaggerated.”
With Trigo’s skillful hands, Dok’s restaurant transformed into a new look.
In the store, items created from master craftsmanship were scattered all around.
From chairs to tables, refrigerators, and cash registers. There was nothing he hadn’t put his heart into. These were not just simple household items.
For example, the ergonomic chair he made relieved fatigue as soon as you sat down.
In fact, it was closer to an artifact than a chair.
Anyway, Trigo, the creator of these items, burst into hearty laughter. Compliments for his work always made him feel good, no matter when he heard them.
“Haha! This is just the basics. So, how about learning master craftsmanship from me….”
“Oops! Uncle, are you talking about that again?”
“Again? Do you know how important this proposal is?”
“Stop it, Uncle. If you have something to say to Uncli Jong-sik, say it here! I’ll film it for you.”
Yeona smoothly changed the subject.
Upon Yeona’s response, Trigo made a face that said, ‘Another failure,’ and suddenly leaned his face towards the camera.
“Is it like this?”
“Oops. You, you’re too close. Step back a bit. Yes! Like that. Go ahead and speak.”
“Uh, well. Brother Jong-sik. How have you been? We’re doing well here. Oh, we also visited the Association yesterday. They said people from there could stay here. Oh, and we met the human who made a sword for Jong-pal there. She was quite annoying. Anyway, she had a message for you…”
At that moment, Jong-pal came out of the kitchen and carefully set down the bowl he was holding. Inside the bowl were white noodles. It was none other than feast noodles.
A savory aroma wafted through the air.
How could one resist that scent?
Trigo abruptly ended his speech.
“Um. I’ll pass on the message when Brother returns. It’s quite a long story. Well, then!”
“Eek. Uncle, where are you going while talking!”
“Brother Jong-sik said. Don’t do anything else when you’re eating. We can’t go against his words.”
Trigo suddenly took a seat.
Yeona watched him and nodded her head.
But Yeona was no different. The sound of noodles being slurped made her stomach growl.
“You’re right. Ah, we shouldn’t do anything else at the dinner table. Hehe. Well then, I’ll go listen to Uncle Trigo. Don’t skip meals, Uncle, and take care of your health while working. Well, that’s it for today’s video!”
In the end, without being able to say what she wanted, she finished filming. There were some surprising stories that Uncle would be shocked to hear….
‘It’s better to leave that as a surprise, right?’
She decided to save the surprise for later. Yeona sent the saved video and cheerfully sat down, holding her chopsticks.
“Well then, let’s eat well today too!”
So, it was inevitable for Jong-sik to be amazed by the number of runes he brought back.
Moreover, were the runes he brought back ordinary runes?
A color never seen before, a dull gray.
For reference, runes represent skills, and so far, only five colors of runes have been discovered.
Black runes represent physical attack skills, yellow runes represent magic-type skills, green runes represent elemental skills, blue runes represent tank-type skills, and white runes represent healing skills.
The important thing here is that the gray-colored rune is the first one discovered.
“In other words, it’s a rune that the whole world will pay attention to.”
Because of this, heavyweight figures, including rune appraisers and the Minister of Defense, are visiting this place. Although there are other reasons, the key figures from the United States have already arrived.
Nevertheless, Nam Woo-jong found it somewhat ambiguous to push all this due to such reasons. That’s when Jong-sik drove the wedge of conversation.
“But listening to it, it feels a bit… uncomfortable. It’s as if I’m being interrogated for something I didn’t do.”
As Nam Woo-jong showed signs of discomfort upon revealing his feelings, he eventually conceded.
“Why such a disappointed remark. Interrogation? I’m just asking as a form of confirmation. I’m also in a position where I have to report to higher-ups. And I also know that your words are not lies. The prophet who went in with you testified the same way as you did. However…”
Nam Woo-jong’s voice trailed off as he pondered. ‘There’s not just one or two corners of suspicion.’
“However?”
“…No, it’s nothing. It’s not worth mentioning. Well then, you must be tired. You can go in now. Come to think of it, I’ve been holding onto the newly returned hunter too much. There are a few things left unsaid, so let’s discuss them later.”
“Thank you.”
“Yeah. You’ve worked hard. Captain Dok Jong-sik. See you at the meeting.”
Rising from his seat, Jong-sik respectfully nodded. As Nam Woo-jong had suggested, he left the gate and went straight to the president’s office. There were things he had postponed checking on.
So now, Jong-sik finally intended to confirm. About the skill he obtained, “Koolara’s Source.”
Returning to his room, Jong-sik could easily use the skill “Koolara’s Source.”
“Hmm. So it works something like this.”
Even without understanding the flow of mana or the principles of the skill, just recalling it was enough to implement the skill. What a convenient system.
With the skill “Koolara’s Source” unfolded, Jong-sik could feel his senses expanding.
It began to reach out, chasing away the dark and eerie aura.
Focused and immersed, Jong-sik thought, ‘Ramus. There must be a reason why he can become a prophet.’
Gradually, Jong-sik could sense it. The location and time of the gate opening in four days. Not only that, but he could also sense the gate that would open in four days after that.
Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary dungeon. It was a gate sealed by the Koolara tribe, imbued with magic.
‘Also, only gates opening within a week are visible. Confirming anything beyond that is difficult…’
He felt the need to enhance his abilities. What would he need for that? Should he capture demons like he captured Koolara and absorb their sources?
He couldn’t be sure, but somehow it felt like that might be the case. And then, it happened.
‘What’s this situation now?’
Suddenly, he sensed a gate. The peculiar thing was that he only sensed the location of the dungeon. And it quickly disappeared.
Given the circumstances, it seemed like magic had flowed into an already opened gate. And the fact that it disappeared meant…
‘Someone has unsealed it.’
With a furrowed brow, Jong-sik muttered, “Tsk. Koolara was just the beginning. If that’s the case, then I must hurry.”
Then, suddenly, he issued an order to Ramus.
“Ramus, let’s begin.”
It was the moment when the blueprint he drew was set in motion.
At that moment, there was someone who belatedly visited the Hunter Talent Development Institute. It was none other than the Appraiser, Joanna. She hurriedly opened the door to the chairman’s office.
Arriving out of breath, she gasped, “Whew, whew. It’s been a while, Chairman.”
“You arrived earlier than expected. Take a seat for now.”
With Joanna’s arrival, Nam Woo-jong set aside the report he was reading and stood up from his seat. Then, he took out the rune he had kept in the safe.
“This is…”
“Yeah. That’s why you’re here. I’m stuck on the report about the rune, so I need you to help me out.”
With those words, Nam Woo-jong handed over the rune. Joanna accepted it with trembling hands.
Without delay, she activated her Appraisal skill. Suddenly, her pupils glowed like lanterns.
“See that? Now tell me what it says. Don’t keep it to yourself and startle me alone.”
“According to the analysis, it is a holy power type rune. It’s said to be a power that opposes demonic dark magic. “
“But what exactly is dark magic?”
Nam Woo-jong furrowed his brows at Joanna’s emotions. He could vaguely guess what magic was.
“dark magic… I think I can explain that.”
A moment later,
Nam Woo-jong explained about the crimson monsters.
Monsters that wouldn’t die, monsters that didn’t know pain, and even dungeons where the dead would come back to life.
After finishing such explanations, he added his conjecture about magic.
“It’s likely that the power those creatures possess is magic. And that rune is probably a skill that can deal fatal blows to such creatures.”
Upon hearing this, Joanna murmured with a puzzled expression.
“What… What on earth is happening? No, what is about to happen?”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. It seems that the era of great upheaval has come again.”
Nam Woo-jong, the chairman, spoke with a trembling voice.
