Chapter 200: It Seems Absent, But It Exists (2)
Epic, huh?
No matter how Legendary an item one possesses, a Hunter shouldn’t underestimate something of Epic value.
For a Hunter, both were precious beings that couldn’t be gone without.
“Epic level… So, it has some effect on me too.”
A cold sweat dripped down Ha-seong’s dry face.
Though his expression stayed neutral, he spoke awkwardly with a slightly trembling voice.
“Then I’m sorry, but could you lend me just one antidote potion?”
However, Kim Gi-ryeo couldn’t offer him what he wanted.
“I don’t have anything like that.”
“…Are you telling me that someone who handles Epic-level lethal equipment doesn’t have a regular supply?”
Thus, we took an unexpected break.
What a total curveball during a smoothly progressing dungeon raid.
*
A moment later.
“I’m really sorry. Mr. Kim Hunter handled it so easily that I thought it was only unique level.”
They were sitting on a large stump somewhere in the dungeon.
The Green Dragon’s nest had been famous for its vastness, even before the dungeon began to expand.
If the monsters were cleared nicely, there were plenty of spots to rest.
“How about drinking a lot of water for now?”
Gi-ryeo realized something during the recent mishap and started bringing simple drinks and supplies whenever he went to a dungeon.
So he opened his messenger bag slung over his shoulder and handed Ha-seong a bottle of water.
Ha-seong accepted it, surprised at first, then gratefully drank it.
“How’s that? Is it okay?”
“Yes. I don’t think there will be any problems if I just rest like this.”
Fortunately, since the victim was S-Class, it wasn’t a major issue.
‘What would my liability percentage be if a Hunter died over this incident?’
Clang.
Gi-ryeo firmly sheathed the Hydra that caused the accident.
But at that moment.
Ha-seong sitting on the stump just couldn’t take his eyes off Gi-ryeo.
“By the way, Mr. Hunter, you don’t use a holder.”
The holder Jeong Ha-seong mentioned referred to the additional leather belt mainly seen in the Hunter industry that allows you to carry swords in their sheaths.
And there was no need to search far for an example.
Dungeon items often had impractical designs for wearing them.
“Oh, that.”
Upon hearing that, Gi-ryeo looked down at Jeong Ha-seong’s waist.
Then he spotted the complicated holder, just as he mentioned, peeking out from the other’s long coat.
However, he didn’t really feel a desire to have it.
“I just find it comfortable as is. My belt just needs to secure my item box.”
Whether this was unique to the Alphauri or not, Gi-ryeo felt an inherent instability in dropping a weapon imbued with magic power somewhere without holding it.
So, he declared he intended to keep wandering around like this.
Either wedging the longsword in his side or holding it loosely in his hand.
Honestly, he rarely engaged in any serious battles, so this should be sufficient.
‘Now that I have the item box, portability is taken care of.’
But then Ha-seong suddenly spoke up, having heard Gi-ryeo’s response.
“What’s the name of that sword?”
Another question about the artifact.
“[Hydra]. And you know the effect; you just experienced it, it’s related to poison damage.”
As the owner replied flatly, Jeong Ha-seong nodded while calmly continuing the conversation.
“Both [Scream Stake] and [Hydra], for some reason, you seem to utilize quite dangerous items. They all seem to be weapons that activate effects even with the owner’s touch…”
“Well, that’s true.”
Wait a minute.
Didn’t I mention to Jeong Ha-seong that I used the Scream Stake?
‘Hmm?’
Gi-ryeo felt puzzled for a moment, then figured he might’ve seen something in the news and let it slide.
In truth, these occurrences were omens of something he was unaware of.
“Um…”
In any case.
Jeong Ha-seong stopped glancing at Gi-ryeo’s sword and spoke as he cleared his throat.
“However, I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo, do you prefer to assess your equipment personally instead of entrusting it to outsiders?”
Gi-ryeo nodded.
“Then… Could you possibly assess my sword with your appraisal skill?”
However, that nodding abruptly stopped at the following words.
The ‘my sword’ that Jeong Ha-seong referred to was the first Legendary discovered in this world.
In other words, something that scholars from Earth threw their hands up over.
“I know that the effects of the skills used by appraisers are all about the same, but still, I thought that since you’ve passed through the maze of the Magic Tower, maybe you could tell something different…”
The [Sword of Sunset] that Ha-seong owned was indeed precious but complicated to the point of being almost entirely undiscovered concerning its properties.
Appraisers, scientists, and even the owner, Ha-seong, struggled for answers but ultimately failed.
Thus, now everyone regarded that weapon merely as a sturdy blade that wouldn’t melt even when exposed to S-Class flames.
“Hmm.”
Gi-ryeo looked down at the longsword hanging from Ha-seong’s holder.
“Alright. Let me see it for a moment.”
To be honest, Gi-ryeo had been interested in Legendary items for a long time, so he gave a clear answer without hesitation.
For some reason, the moment a certain Great Mage took the red sword into his hands, his demeanor changed.
“……”
There was no change in his expression.
But with the keen eyes of an S-Class Hunter, it was clear to Kim Gi-ryeo that he held his breath for a moment right after touching the sword.
“This is…”
The silence was brief.
In three seconds, Gi-ryeo resumed breathing and spoke in a calm tone.
“I don’t know either.”
A cliché statement.
The Legendary grade had remained a mystery even to numerous top-grade appraisers, so logically, shouldn’t Kim Gi-ryeo also be unable to analyze this?
“Not at all?”
“Uh, um. Yeah. Sorry, but I really can’t tell what it is.”
Gi-ryeo scratched his ear with his right hand and hurriedly returned the [Sword of Sunset] to its owner.
Ha-seong lowered his head, seemingly disappointed, and said.
“Understood. Then we should start progressing again soon.”
But the appraiser beside them interrupted.
He had certainly improved from earlier, but there was still a blue mark left on the young man’s finger.
“Well, I’m not sure. But it might not be good to continue without resting a bit longer,”
“But…”
“It’s fine. You’ve already captured so many monsters that it would take a long time for the Magic Tower to catch up.”
Saying this, Gi-ryeo pulled new food from his messenger bag.
It was high-calorie chocolate that had recently become quite popular among the Hunters.
They took a few minutes for additional rest to replenish their depleted energy.
Meanwhile, what were the people trying to conquer the Korean Magic Tower doing during this leisurely break?
*
Meanwhile.
Korean Magic Tower’s raid team.
“There’s a Green Dragon behind! One Green Dragon behind!”
“Those with AoE skills, hurry and spread over there!”
“I’ve released stealth~”
“Ah! My shield!”
Despite the Great Mage’s predictions, they had been working tirelessly, yet they were still far behind Ha-seong’s achievements.
Dragons were regarded as particularly formidable creatures even among A-class beings, mainly because their tough scales made it hard for damage to penetrate, dragging out the hunting speed.
Time dragged on.
It felt like trying to take down an elephant with just a hammer.
“Haah, done.”
But since past ancestors had hunted such mighty mammoths, what couldn’t we do today?
Crash!
Awakened ice-types unleashed their skills, freezing the skin.
Then, repeatedly setting it ablaze, they concentrated attacks on the altered protein areas.
Contemporary hunters utilized their accumulated data to execute their attacks skillfully.
Soon, one by one, loot began to appear on the previously empty blue plains.
“Everyone, stop the attack! Stop! We’ve got loot. Confirmed kill!”
Eventually, the Green Dragon pack was wiped out.
Originally, it should’ve been a time for Jeong Ha-seong’s team to exceed in hunting, but the people here decided they should take a break as well.
Meals and restroom needs also mattered.
Earthlings weren’t quite suited for laboring all day long.
“Aah~ I’m dying. Why is this pesky Green Dragon so crafty?”
“Ha ha! Exactly! Just a little relaxation, and it hits us with stealth from behind!”
The guild members of the Korean Magic Tower managed to secure a safe zone for their lunchtime.
What they brought out for food was not significantly different from the high-calorie preservation foods Kim Gi-ryeo had carried.
“Hmm.”
However, a few minutes later.
The A-Class Hunter sitting on the stump seemed to have gotten bored with the jerky he had eaten every day.
He suddenly wore a playful expression and casually engaged his teammates.
“By the way, have you heard about Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo?”
The topic of casual chatter was about the S-Class Awakened who had come with them.
“Honestly, they seem to be pretty close with our Guild Master, don’t they?”
The young female hunter, who was munching on kimbap, considered this.
That middle-aged man, who was the team leader of the Korean Magic Tower A-1 team, was quite decent on most days.
He just had one fatal flaw; he was overly curious about others’ love lives.
“Remember? I heard they were seen together back at some clothing store a while ago. Just the two of them!”
Does he even know that his coworkers behind his back call him “gossip monger”?
The junior hunter said with a sulky expression in response to his superior.
“You really bring up people’s relationships at every chance.”
But the other didn’t flinch at all.
“Well, in a relationship between men and women, friends don’t really exist. Given how frequently Gi-ryeo-kun and the Guild Master contact each other, wouldn’t it raise some suspicions?”
“No, why wouldn’t there be friendships between men and women?”
“Ah, I once thought like you too. But having lived life, I realized that friendships between opposite genders are quite hard to believe~”
He had a reason for this gossipy tendency.
“My ex-wife was with her male friend while cheating on me for five years before I caught her…”
“Ah.”
A solemn silence fell.
The guild members of the Korean Magic Tower forced themselves to focus on their lunch, when the problematic team leader continued the conversation.
“Well, I must admit, it’s hard to imagine Gi-ryeo acting flirtatiously anywhere.”
Having been the key commander for this raid, he had the most dialogue with Kim Gi-ryeo.
“No, he looks like a total punk, yet his manners are so incredibly refined. I was actually quite surprised when I tried to chat with him this time!”
The hunter munching on the kimbap suddenly thought that this description of the appearance might just make the S-Class Hunter furious enough to want to kill the team leader.
“Moreover, he dresses every day like he’s a company employee, wearing formal attire. He exudes seriousness just from his attire, making him a rather impressive friend.”
“Hmm.”
“Should I perhaps buy a suit for myself?”
Hearing this, he thought that regardless of the suit, he would end up looking the same anyway…
And felt that the team leader might end up getting seriously injured due to lacking defense not being an S-Class, but the hunter eating kimbap chose not to speak up about it.
“Enemy sighted! One Green Dragon ahead!”
Just then.
One guild member who was monitoring with an analyzer suddenly shouted loudly.
As the Magic Tower Hunters immediately raised their gear, amid the sounds of cold weapons, a man shouted.
“I’ll block first! Those still chewing, swallow carefully and stand up slowly!”
He took the lead, sacrificing the break for his subordinates. In that respect, he truly was an exemplary commander.
“Now’s the perfect opportunity to test this as well…”
In that instant.
One guild member spotted their superior pulling out a piece of gear he wasn’t familiar with.
A weapon with a vintage wooden handle and a sharp dagger.
“[Scream Stake]? When did you buy that?”
That was a unique item known to be used by a certain S-Class Hunter.
“I didn’t buy it to follow anyone~ Just thought it might be a clever tactic against such a high-defense opponent.”
Somehow, this felt unsettling.
Grasping the [Scream Stake] firmly, the first team leader used his area skill, Stone Spike, to dispel the enemy’s stealth.
Then he plunged the dagger’s blade into the revealed foe.
Then, what unfolded was…
“GRAAAAHHHHH!”
“Yikes!”
“Oh, that gossip monger.”
Stimulated by pain, the Green Dragon went berserk, trampling everything in sight.
Witnessing this, the guild members of the Magic Tower dropped their chopsticks and dashed toward the incident scene.
