I approached and touched the massive root.
Perhaps it was because it was a remnant from the life of a great beast; the repulsive odor had completely disappeared. It just felt like an ancient tree imbued with mystical energy.
‘…… I’m a bit sorry about this.’
It didn’t feel right that I was taking something that should have been shared among thousands of hunters.
[It’s not just a worthless material called a shell. If it’s handled by a skilled alchemist and blacksmith, it could produce equipment of the highest grade.
Of course, there might not be many usable parts, but still, how could you think of hogging all of this alone?]
Even my master questioned whether this was a bit too much.
‘I didn’t mean to do this… I’ll cut some off and return it later.’
[Very well. The resentment of humans has a mystical way of finding its target and causing bad effects. So it’s only right to return it.]
‘Oh… I see.’
Following my master’s confident guidance, I began cutting the root down to a reasonable size to practice swordsmanship.
[Just cut from here to here—should be fine if you cut at the thinning section with the joints. Processing this chunk should yield at least one piece of top-grade equipment.]
‘Is that all?! This is like truckloads of material, and I’ll only get one piece of equipment from it?’
The range my master set seemed quite vast, yet only one could be produced from this gigantic material? It was beyond my understanding.
[It may look big on the outside, but there’s a lot of hollow space inside. As it dries and is processed in the sunlight, it will surely shrink in size.]
‘I see.’
Regardless, time passed as I confidently followed my master’s instruction, and just as I had only completed a third of it, my master called out to me.
[Stop there for now, let’s move on to training.]
I paused my cutting and entered the newly revamped secret art space my master had created, dedicating what felt like an eternally long time to training in swordsmanship.
The efficiency of my training had increased, and the dizziness I felt upon exiting the space had significantly diminished.
Wow—!
‘Whoa—I’ve almost reached 3 meters!’
As I swung my sword again after training, a long blade mark was engraved on the ground. It would have been embarrassing if I had no results whatsoever.
After all the nagging I endured while trying hard in there!
Regardless, as I gradually began to understand what it meant to step into that space, I felt greatly moved.
My master nodded, appearing satisfied.
Initially, he was unhappy with my meager talent, but now he had accepted it and was reaching a level where he could be satisfied as long as I produced results surpassing my talent.
[After the next training session, I’ll reveal clues that will help you break the limitations imposed upon you by your master.]
‘Oh… understood!’
After receiving additional adjustments to my posture, I felt a near prophetic intuition.
‘It’s about time I should go.’
(Oh, are you really leaving already? Stay a bit longer~ Hmph…)
Rainy noticed my intention to leave and blocked my way, pouting.
Even though there wasn’t much we could talk about and she could merely watch me train, it seemed that was an enjoyable time for her nevertheless.
(Look at this! I cleaned the crystal nicely.)
‘Oh… already?’
The polluted crystal that the blue-eyed organization had been busy hiding underground.
It was now crystal clear and sparkling with brilliant light thanks to Rainy’s ability.
=====
Ancient Purified Crystal
– Has the power to strongly attract and store mana from the atmosphere.
– When fused with a Dwarf’s work, Magic Power +300
=====
‘300?!’
It became a rare item with a whopping 100 more magic power than the ‘Ancient Rare Crystal.’
‘Thank you! Should I give you some more magic power?’
(Hehehe—yes!!)
When you give something, you should also receive something in return for it to feel exciting.
I offered a reward to Rainy and stealthily handed her one piece of the polluted crystal.
(Leave it to me!! But I think I could do it faster if I eat this one! Can I eat it?)
Rainy pointed at the corpse of the Devouring Creeper I had cut.
‘Ah, go ahead. But don’t eat all of it, okay?’
(Kyaah! Alright! I’ll savor it bit by bit!)
It’s hard to comprehend that a tree would consume another tree, but if Rainy could eat that and gather more strength to stay with us, that would be fine.
[Hehe… what a curious little one.]
My master chuckled, looking at Rainy with newfound interest.
[Purification doesn’t just happen easily… especially for a being that doesn’t serve a god…]
(Hahaha! I don’t need any god to do this!)
Rainy strutted, puffing out her chest confidently.
[Oh— it’s not as simple as you think… If one were to dig deeper, there must be ancient lineage behind it…]
‘……..’
To me, the crystal master seemed like quite a mysterious being too, but I didn’t say it out loud.
‘I really should go now.’
I had already far surpassed the time of my resummoning.
Perhaps Yeon-hee was delayed in summoning me because she was trying to sort things out.
(Do come often! If it looks like you can’t, then at least contact me!)
‘Contact…? How?’
(That’s something the clever Il-wol has to think of!)
‘R-right. I’ll think of a way.’
I waved a short goodbye to the two and threw myself through the summoning gate.
* * *
In a world where a vast lake stretched endlessly.
Jo Gi-man had already been here for more than ten nights.
After agonizing hours searching for a maze-like path.
Finally, noteworthy geographical changes began.
Something moving caught his sight.
“Kekekekeke… Who would have thought I would see that guy here? Is this a new route being opened?”
Jo Gi-man rejoiced at the sight of a red-bodied creature leading a group of dozens of monsters.
“Orc 4th Legion Commander Char… to think I’d see him here.”
If the 1st Legion Commander and the supreme leader of the Orc Legion was ‘Por,’ 4th Legion Commander ‘Char’ was a monster that would create a mess in Japan.
Of course, he was nowhere near the power of ‘Por,’ who had taken root in Korea, but as an orc of high rank, Jo Gi-man remembered him well.
Though he had no clue how they met here, it wasn’t surprising since orcs also received the system’s blessings.
From the looks of his body, blazing with fiery flames, he was clearly beyond a certain threshold.
“I’ve just managed to avoid the trouble of going to Japan.”
With that thought, Jo Gi-man disappeared.
He reappeared above ‘Char’s’ head.
“Kreek?!”
“Hehe, long time no see?”
‘Char’ was startled when he suddenly saw a humanoid wielding a notably unusual sword.
Clang────!
With astonishing reflexes, he blocked Jo Gi-man’s ambush, but the impact caused the ground to crack greatly, throwing him off balance.
Scrape—scrape—
As Jo Gi-man circled and slashed his sword, the orc warriors guarding ‘Char’ had their heads separated from their bodies in the blink of an eye.
An overwhelming power difference.
“What the hell…! What are you?!”
The aspiring 4th Legion Commander, currently an Orc Battle Commander, ‘Char’ roared in frustration.
“Wow, you’ve got some strong vibes.”
His voice was loud enough to make the area resonate.
Jo Gi-man dug his fingers into his ears and approached ‘Char’, who was staggering in the lowered terrain.
“I just have one question. I know you won’t answer, but there are so many variables this time around, and I’m in the mood to throw in some whims.”
“Wooaaargh!!”
Of course, ‘Char’ ignored Jo Gi-man’s question and activated [Blood Frenzy].
He was clearly aiming for a mutual destruction, yet he chose the wrong opponent.
A few seconds later, ‘Char’ had one arm and both legs severed by Jo Gi-man.
With gushing blood like a waterfall from the severed stump, ‘Char’ glared at Jo Gi-man with a fiery look that showed he wouldn’t yield even if he died.
“Hah— You guys are disappointingly consistent. But since you’re stacking up levels, I guess I’ll settle for that. Now die.”
Swoosh─!
“Mm?!”
But the feel of the sword piercing the orc’s abdomen felt different somehow.
“This is…?!”
The blackened ‘Char’ was engulfed in black smoke and suddenly moved hundreds of meters away.
And there, stood a figure radiating an immense presence along with thousands of plague soldiers.
“… Hahaha!! This world is ridiculously fun, isn’t it? Why are you out here?!”
An existence of darkness gazed piercingly at Jo Gi-man in the distance.
“Malachias!! Follower of the Blue-eyed!! King of Plagues!! What are you doing here? Hahaha!!”
It was absolutely delightful.
I should have met him when I was going to take on the Blue-eyed, yet here we are, running into each other early!
[……… The black-haired humanoid. One not present in the revelation… What’s going on? Moldred.]
For a brief moment, the joy of obtaining a useful orc faded.
Seeing the humanoid opposing the orcs, Malachias instinctively sensed something was wrong.
From beneath the deep hood, blue eyes glimmered with intensity.
In a chilling voice, Malachias’s right arm, Moldred, calmly replied.
[…….. My king. What is clear is that now is the turning point. A single misstep could greatly change the future…]
[So, it seems this orc isn’t the one you saw in the revelation from another world…]
[I apologize, my king—]
“Hey, you guys. Am I not even in your sights? You’ll regret it!”
───?!!
Jo Gi-man had infiltrated the space between Malachias and Moldred.
But as terrifying screams from the legion of demons erupted from Moldred’s body, even Jo Gi-man had no choice but to brace himself and retreat.
“Hm… this is strange? Moldred wasn’t that strong. And now that I think about it, his face looks a bit different from what I remember. What’s going on here?”
[………]
Jo Gi-man tilted his head in confusion but, as usual, didn’t ponder it deeply. Instead, he reached out to the sky.
“Die.”
Boom───!
[Heavenly Thunder Palm]
With a terrifying explosion, red lightning beams fell from the sky and engulfed Malachias’s army.
Of course, the ‘King of Plagues,’ known as ‘Malachias,’ also activated comparable powers, marking the beginning of their long battle.
* * *
Just before Il-wol was summoned from the Dark Space.
The key figures leading the Great Beast Hunt Team gathered and slightly recovered their stamina, barely managing to meet in one place.
“I have nothing to say to you all… It’s all due to my lack of ability and preparation.”
The association head ‘Choi Gang-han,’ finally regaining consciousness, found it hard to lift his head.
He had fainted from being struck by Escalon when he was supposed to play a leading role in the hunt, becoming a burden to the other hunters, leaving him at a loss for words.
Even now, he was only just able to steady himself without fully recovering.
“I am eternally grateful to all the hunters for minimizing the damage.”
In reality, the hunter casualties in our country were the least.
Thus, Choi Gang-han lowered his posture even further.
As the highest-ranking figure among Korean hunters, his demeanor could somewhat quell the discontent of the hunters who had been openly vocal about their grievances.
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