We agreed to take a break for two days before parting ways, without entering any dungeons.
Apparently, the orc dungeon under Nargul was undergoing rapid changes, so we needed to keep an eye on it.
“I need to get my great sword…!”
Yeon-hee suddenly mentioned this, but it wasn’t urgent, so we could deal with it tomorrow or the day after.
We headed straight home, and after her bath, Yeon-hee rushed to me, resting her head on my lap and promptly fell asleep.
She could’ve just gone to her room to sleep…
Sigh—
‘It’s understandable she’s tired.’
She must be feeling the aftereffects after fully exerting her abilities for almost a week.
As I gently stroked her head and ears, she seemed to be enjoying it, smiling in her sleep.
Then my eyes caught her oversized, stretched-out t-shirt.
‘Why doesn’t she throw away that worn-out shirt?’
I felt a bit sorry for her; it seemed she had a habit of cherishing things too much.
However, as the loose fabric bunched up, her deep cleavage became somewhat distracting.
‘Must resist…’
I muttered the Heart Sutra in my head—the one I could hardly recite—and thought it best to focus my attention elsewhere by pulling out some loot from my inventory.
‘Wow… What is this?’
Every time I saw [Obsession] organizing something, I found it strange, but now that I pulled it out, I think I get it.
The monster’s mana stones are all different shapes and rough, but the ones [Obsession] organized are rectangular and perfectly shaped, even with stands to keep them aligned.
‘…I can’t even touch this.’
I felt like I’d get scolded for messing with it.
She even made a case with grooves for the stones to fit perfectly.
And more and more of those sets just kept coming out.
– Trait [Obsession] stresses out upon seeing the disordered mana stones…
‘…What? I just took it out?’
I ended up having to estimate the value for each set on my own.
‘Just the mana stones and runes probably add up to about 720 million. That’s insane!’
The biggest income came from the mana stones and runes traded with Big Boar. I couldn’t cash them in yet, but over half of my income came from there alone.
Moreover, there was also the compensation for the meat, Irmana’s water, and Ddung-i’s club that I didn’t get from the people who ventured into the hidden dungeon with us, which Bae Joo-ah promised to thoroughly secure.
When I considered that, it might even exceed 1 billion.
That feels like winning the lottery.
‘Hmm… I’ll use the money to relocate the cash I found last time first…’
Now that I had funds, my mind was filled with things I could do.
But first, I had to decide on the rewards for helping Yeon-hee grow.
‘Hmm— Is it [Flame Explosion] after all?’
I became completely captivated by this skill after using it several times near the dungeon’s end.
Its overwhelming destructive power and instant-kill capability were truly amazing…
But if I had to pick one downside, it would be the range.
Since the flames soar up into the sky, it shows some limitations against giant foes like the transformed Giant Skeleton.
Of course, if I hit them five times, that ridiculous huge creature would come and swallow me up, but not every opponent is as dumb and has simple attack patterns as the one we just faced.
‘Using Flame Cut twenty-five times for the ‘instant kill’ ability would be tough against human-type foes…’
I thought back to Jo Gi-man.
Not just once, but twenty-five times against that monster…
Impossible.
‘The self-destruction ability, I never got to use that.’
It’s a good thing not to have a need for it, but the curiosity about what kind of power it could unleash was killing me.
It must be stronger than [Flame Explosion].
Still, my dagger quest was almost done, and I was level 58.
Things were going smoothly.
But I was just a bit scared that the next job change quest would require something ridiculous again.
‘It’s already past nine.’
Since the sweet night I spent with Yeon-hee, I hadn’t used [Mimicry].
So now I planned to use it to check the neighborhood’s safety.
I was worried the Blue-eyed guys might be plotting something again, laying their ‘Teeth’ all around town.
However, just as I was about to use [Mimicry]…
I felt a disturbing sensation.
‘…Who is it?’
Someone was watching us.
More precisely, it seemed they were keeping an eye on Yeon-hee…
‘So stealthy. I can’t even feel them as a living being. If I weren’t in such a sensitive state after these few days of hardship, I might’ve missed it.’
A figure moved silently, like a shadow, peeking into Yeon-hee’s room.
From the silhouette, it looked like a woman… Hmm… Quite impressive.
‘Can she see inside the room… is it [X-ray]?’
The shadow-like woman started taking notes while alternating her gaze between Yeon-hee and me.
‘If I react, it seems like it’ll cause a bigger problem.’
I wanted to jump out and figure out the identity of that person right away, but realistically that was impossible.
‘A-rank… or maybe even higher.’
The shadow was a powerful being at a level far above mine.
The difference was so stark that I couldn’t even consider the odds of winning or losing.
If I made even the slightest unnatural movement, that shadow might leap forward and harm Yeon-hee.
At times like this, being a skeleton was convenient. There was no biological activity, so I could remain still like a statue.
‘Go away, just go away.’
Whether my wish was heard, the shadow soon vanished and quickly moved away from my sensory range, disappearing as if it had just ceased to exist.
‘Does she have some kind of teleportation ability… what an exhausting style.’
It was definitely some technology for moving beyond space.
Seeing her vanish as if merging into the shadows, it seemed like a technique for relocating to a designated space through shadows…
I had a memory of someone with such abilities.
It suddenly resurfaced as I recalled a story shared casually during the month I was trapped in a dungeon with Hyeon Joong-gil.
Secret backstories made possible because we had pledged an oath, just like in this hidden dungeon.
‘He said there was a shadow organization that operated within the guild without anyone’s interference…’
The look in Hyeon Joong-gil’s eyes while recounting that story was filled with deep regret.
‘Hmm… Ilseom is the most likely candidate, but are there any other possibilities?’
Apart from Ilseom, there are plenty of other organizations or individuals who could be monitoring us.
The Association, Jo Gi-man, Kang Yeon-su, and Apex might be suspects, but I hardly think they would have such capable individuals.
‘Or is the Blue-eyed Organization specifically targeting us… It’s a slim chance, but I can’t rule it out.’
Those guys wear shadow cloaks, so it’s natural to connect them with such abilities.
I’ve dealt with anything related to the Blue-eyed, but those on the dungeon roster could take notice of us.
By piecing together the abilities I heard about from Hyeon Joong-gil and the recent occurrences, Ilseom indeed seemed the most probable.
‘For now, let’s assume it’s Ilseom and think it over.’
I stroked my chin in thought.
‘Let’s see… Why would Hyeon Joong-seob be monitoring us?’
If it’s not Hyeon Joong-gil, then Hyeon Joong-seob is the only one who could operate such an organization as Ilseom.
Did someone like him send orders for information gathering targeting a bunch of low-rank hunters like us? I doubt it.
‘…Could it be Heo Min-sol?’
If I had to find a connecting thread, it would be her… If that woman really is involved, her obsession is intense.
Without disturbing the peacefully sleeping Yeon-hee, I searched for her on my phone.
‘Hmm… Ilseom, investigation, Heo Min-sol, Hunter, special department.’
I roughly tossed out the keywords for a search.
‘Whoa… she got caught?’
A few short articles clearly stating it was her popped up.
Hyeon Min-sol, affiliated with Ilseom Guild, multiple bullying issues surfaced, linked to three Ilseom Guild suicide incidents, currently under investigation by the special department─
The release date of the articles was the day after we entered the dungeon.
‘……’
Did Ham Eun-young’s request to her grandmother yield results?
According to Eun-young, her grandmother responded positively, and since her grandmother has a pretty impatient personality, that probability seemed high.
‘Ham Eun-young’s backing is incredible…? Is this the power of authority?’
A massive force that turned back the pressures placed on the Ilseom Guild in the special department.
If I were to rank this kind of influence on a skill level, it’d have to be SSS.
‘Eun-young really needs to do well… I can’t complain about what I threw away back then.’
I felt a sweaty anxiety that shouldn’t exist on my back.
I should desperately hope that Noh Ha-yoon makes Eun-young happy.
Ever since I “forcibly” connected them, they’ve slowly started talking, and today they even left work together.
I have no idea what those two might be planning, but I hope it works out well for them.
‘They seemed to be a bit intimidated by the grandmother… but it doesn’t seem that way after all.’
It was clear that Ham Eun-young received affection from her grandmother. After all, she handed over that monstrous bodyguard in the mirror. No need for words.
‘I should ask Helen to gather some intel.’
With that matter settled, it was now time to use [Mimicry] to confirm if there were any other threats immediately.
– Using [Mimicry] as Guide Yoon Han-gyeol ─
‘…No threats.’
For some reason, I felt a sense of relief.
The ongoing ominous atmosphere led me to expect two or three ‘Evil-Infused Crystals’ to be set up like last time.
‘Phew— then let’s confirm one last thing and make a decision.’
I needed to try using the forgotten ancient swordsmanship and decide which ability I’d level up.
I climbed up to the rooftop and turned my left arm into a skeleton to form a great sword.
With the rough form of the great sword protruding from my palm, I gripped it tightly with both hands and swung it down hard.
Whooosh─!
The sound of the great sword slicing through the air carried considerable weight.
Swinging it ten times, then a hundred times.
‘What the…?’
I started to feel something was off.
There should have been other changes because I had obtained the trait.
‘Isn’t it the same?’
Even trying the thrusts that Natalan Jackman used wouldn’t showcase any sense of rhythm or impressive destructive power.
‘Hmm— What could it be?’
I paused for a moment to think, but no concrete ideas came to mind.
Eventually, I was overwhelmed by the simple notion that something must happen if I keep swinging.
In a state of [Mimicry], I stayed alert while my left hand practiced swordsmanship through partial skeletal transformation.
‘Am I overdoing it?’
While I didn’t feel particularly strained, it was obviously excessive.
‘Ah, whatever!’
After surpassing three hundred swings, I began to hear phantom sounds.
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