“They said my contributions are significant and I don’t need money, but they can’t give everything. The management office said they need samples for analysis.”
*Nod, nod*
“First, we’ll go to find it the day after tomorrow. We need the bones, right?”
*Clap, clap, clap!*
“I can’t even imagine how powerful the bomb made from that monster’s bones would be. Will the Earth blow up eventually? Huh? Are we going to become the villains that destroy the Earth, Il-wol?”
She poked my side, joking around.
*Sahara… – rustle*
In response to her joke, I placed a pillow on my thigh and roughly stroked her hair as she lay down.
Yeon-hee raised her head with a smile, and for a moment our eyes met. I could feel her heart racing a little faster.
‘It’s a face that could instill fear just by looking at it.’
Maybe I should wear a mask when at home.
I turned my head to calm her, and she fumbled for a moment before showing me a crystal.
‘Ancient Crystal… Could that monster really have been a raid-level monster? This is absurd.’
“I assessed this on the way here, and seriously, don’t be shocked! The price is 240 million! With that money, we could pay the penalty for this house and move somewhere bigger right away!”
‘240 million means we have a lot of options. But it’s better to refine it into a magic orb than to sell it.’
If I had no intention of working as a Hunter again, selling it would be the way to go. Otherwise, refining it into a storage orb for magic power or to increase recovery speed would be the smart move.
“I wanted to sell it right away, but I brought it to show you! What do you think? The light is incredibly pretty, right?”
*Nod, nod*
The crystal was mingling with purple and orange, displaying a mystical color. That light was so brilliant and beautiful that it could even be used for a wedding ring. Of course, it’s disgustingly expensive, but in terms of price for its size, it feels even better than diamonds.
‘Should I ask for a drawing for this?’
Giving a signal to switch it to an orb might raise suspicions about my identity. Just as I was wondering what to do then…
*Buzz, buzz*
Yeon-hee’s phone rang, and the voice of the caller was Kang Yeon-su from the White Knight Guild.
‘What’s going on?’
They talked for a while, and absurdly spent a considerable time gossiping about Jo Gi-man.
‘Is it alright to talk like this to someone who’s about to join…? If they dislike him that much, they should just leave with Yeon-hee. Please.’
Of course, as a founding member, Kang Yeon-su wouldn’t just bolt from the guild. She acts indifferent, but in reality, she has a fair attachment to it.
Anyway, she had heard that Yeon-hee had appraised the crystal, so she contacted her.
‘Are these folks tailing Yeon-hee? Hmm… It’s quite possible. After all, there’s an investment involved.’
I hadn’t sensed any suspicious presence within my range yet, so it didn’t seem like they were tailing us on a personal level, but they could be reporting every now and then.
At the end of the continued call, Kang Yeon-su suggested refining the crystal into an orb, similar to my thoughts.
When they say “orb,” it doesn’t refer to the size that sorcerers carry with both hands; it means breaking it into smaller pieces for ease of transport.
The main function would be to replenish magic depleted in battle with the stored magic instantly, and the side effects would marginally boost spell power and recovery speed.
‘Yeon-su can be helpful sometimes. I only remember her grumbling at me, but she seems to take care of her sister pretty well?’
“Yeon-su said that if we make an orb, the magic storage efficiency will go up a lot! But the processing fee is over 5 million won? Ugh… I just spent everything on moving costs.”
‘You can earn that back again.’
“So tomorrow, we’re running nonstop!!”
*Nod*
*Sahara…*
“Uhh…”
Even while I saw her cheerfully exclaim, I gently stroked her head. The shadow of darkness loomed behind that bright face.
“When I finished talking with that B-rank Hunter at the empty café and came out, the fog outside had completely cleared… But there were corpses…”
She must have known about the many victims. I’m just a weirdo with high sensory stats; her sensitivity level is far above average.
But suspecting it vaguely and witnessing it with one’s own eyes are entirely different dimensions.
“Counting the Hunters who were dispatched, at least over 700 must have died. And according to internet articles, Hunters who encountered the Spore Snails are still undergoing treatment.”
*Nod*
The longer the time one is infested by Spore Snails, the longer it takes to fully recover. Since it took over an hour from the onset of the toxin to the completion of the battle, if infestation progressed during that time…
‘Even assuming they received instant treatment, there would still be enough aftereffects to leave some kind of disability behind. Unless they experience a second awakening from the shock, it would likely be the end of their Hunter career.’
Suddenly, Han Eul-min, who was begging for an antidote, came to mind.
‘Still, thanks to Yeon-hee, I managed to drink it in time, so I can continue being a Hunter. Lucky those bastards.’
Anyway, if she saw the Hunters in a state of infestation from a hundred, it makes sense why she’s trembling like this now.
It’s easy to picture how agoraphobia could suddenly arise.
‘Is it too late to just quit being a Hunter? I know she enjoys it, but watching her, it makes me quite uneasy.’
Of course, I’m well aware that Yeon-hee has no intention of quitting. She’s already neck-deep in this cruel yet captivating world. It feels like looking at my past self. Therefore, all we can do is look up and take another step forward.
Until we eventually grow tired of it.
‘I should aim to raise my strength to fight that monster for the time being.’
“But that monster… Il-wol, you’ve seen its face, right? How was it?”
“……….”
As soon as I asked the question, Yeon-hee suddenly stood up, grabbed a notebook and a pen, and thrust them in front of me.
‘Does she want me to draw it…? Hmm… I don’t have much talent for drawing.’
Feigning to be a bit slow, I gradually started moving my hand.
*Swish, swish*
As I started to sketch the monster’s features with my Monami pen, she pressed herself against me, following the pen with her eyes.
*Squish*
‘………. Hm… Yeon-hee is quite…’
Even though I didn’t inject magic into my body, I felt something curvaceous pressing against me.
I paused briefly from the unexpected skinship but went back to drawing, and soon I was able to finish.
“So, uh… this is…”
‘You must be taken aback… I was really surprised seeing that thing’s face too, so I understand.’
Yeon-hee looked at me with a shocked expression, struggling to speak.
“Il-wol, you’re terrible at drawing?! What is this? This can’t reflect my skills, right? I’m not that bad!!”
‘………’
“Puhahaha, this is so funny! Wang-wang and Ddung-i, come look at this!”
Wang-wang!!
Booh?
Wang-wang and Ddung-i stared at the drawing for a quite a while, then shot me a side glance and snorted.
‘Damn! How embarrassing. Showing my drawing to those guys.’
Regardless, while Yeon-hee enjoyed the time with the summoned creatures looking at my drawing, I couldn’t help but ruminate again on the identity of that monster.
‘It had sparse fur, so I’m not sure, but its body felt extremely solid, like that of a Werewolf or Minotaur.’
‘Its middle claws were extremely long and sharp. That aligns with the characteristics of a Monster Weasel.’
‘I saw that its face was quite protruding. When its mouth is closed, it resembles that of a Werewolf, but its mouth and tail opened flexibly like a Basilisk.’
And the most shocking part of that monster was its eyes and ears.
‘Above its snout… definitely elvish characteristics…’
Amber and green were mingled in those odd-colored eyes. Those sleek, elongated ears raised high were features exclusive to Elves, which can only be encountered in high-end dungeons.
‘I wish someone would tell me that my eyes are playing tricks on me. Hah… Could such a monster exist? A hybrid that mixes every kind of monster?’
But luckily, it only had the physical traits and didn’t seem to possess the biggest weapons of those species.
For example, the petrification ability of a Basilisk or the proficiency in elemental magic like elves.
‘But if a monster existed that could wield abilities of the Elf, Basilisk, Minotaur, Werewolf, and Weasel…’
That would not just be a simple incident.
Just an elf alone is known to be capable of holding off A-rank Hunters one-on-one…
“Il-wol, I’m about to summon them now?”
*Clap, clap, clap!*
‘We could just carry on without mentioning it, but… hmm-‘
I felt something change, but I didn’t know what exactly was wrong anymore.
Yeon-hee had spent all four summoning papers she collected, and three were Lizardmen. The other one was a different monster summoned for the first time after fixing the probability.
*Fwoosh- Hwaah!*
When a heavy-set orc with a strikingly large upward-curved tusk and a somewhat sharp axe emerged completely from the portal.
*Slurp- Slurp-*
Lizardman 1 observed the orc closely.
It appeared to be more interested in the orc than in the new Lizardman recruits numbered 8, 9, and 10.
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