Chapter 230: The Life of a Crow Isn’t So Bad
Days passed since then.
On a drizzly morning.
Han Seong, who returned to Seoul on the first flight after resolving the Dungeon Break on Jeju Island, and Esther, who soaked in her bathtub after wrapping up guild branch issues, both came across the same report.
[“No more worries.” Golem Crisis Resolved]
They received the news that the disaster in the capital had ended without their knowledge.
“Huh? Golem?”
Well, the area near the Han River often gets covered in certain monsters during the summer.
In the past, the Flame Bats caused such a commotion, and this time it just had to be Golems.
Esther enjoyed her bubble bath while gazing at the TV on the bathroom wall.
But the announcer’s next statement was shocking.
– “In handling this situation, the Neo Sisters Hunter Team made significant contributions, with Team 3 reportedly tackling a whopping 58% of the gates.”
58%.
58%?
With a difficulty of A-Class, and with Golems inhabiting it, they had to clear the gates within a week to prevent a Dungeon Break. 58%?!
“Oh.”
The sweet scent of British bath salts mingled with the steam of the bathroom.
Esther relaxed her work-induced fatigue and intriguingly turned up the volume on the news.
“How on earth did they do that?”
Indeed, this was a situation where one simply couldn’t help but exclaim.
*
Trudge, trudge.
“……”
Plop.
At a gate by the Han River.
A disheveled Hunter stepped out from the generated exit.
This individual was an A-Class Hunter belonging to the Neo Sisters, well-known for wielding a crossbow.
Additionally, he was the leader of a certain group of five.
“Mom……”
Yet, why would someone who had long surpassed the age of independence suddenly seek their parents?
It was connected to the reported 58% that would soon make headlines.
Indeed.
The regular Team 3 of Neo Sisters had finally cleared the last [Grasp of the Giant] after four days of relentless efforts post the distribution agreement.
[Grasp of the Giant].
An A-Class dungeon set against a rugged temple backdrop.
The monsters that appeared were simply the standard ‘Sand Golem’ infantry and the leader ‘Peres,’ making it a straightforward monster nest.
For reference, the Sand Golems there were not made of sand; they merely had brightly colored outer shells, making them formidable foes.
Yet, she had just overcome them all and returned.
How?
Thanks to a certain bald-headed student who had been on leave.
‘Mom……. Mom’s daughter……. brought back a lot of money this time……’
Shivering.
The crossbow marksman trembled as he fiddled with a family photo in his wallet.
It still felt unreal.
The Sand Golems that emerged here were entirely different from the Golem sentinels of the Golden Fragrance, meaning they were unknown enemies to whom someone hadn’t told Yun-seung the emergency stop method.
They said the goal of education was independence.
In that sense, an alien had performed excellently in his role as a teacher.
– “Yoon-seung, look closely.”
– “Yes.”
– “This is the Golem’s joint. It rotates and moves from here to there.”
– “Yes.”
– “However, unlike humans, these joints form a perfect half-circle when they bend.”
– “Ah!”
– “When facing a Golem with rounded joints, watch the angle of its arms carefully and plunge right into its hug.”
– “Into its hug….”
– “Don’t be scared.”
At that time, Ahn Yoon-seung absorbed all the Golem-related knowledge that Gi-ryeo had once explained so casually.
Moreover, the assets he gained from the last [Golden Fragrance] were only the beginning.
It wasn’t just Mages who were influenced by battles where pride played a major role.
In a world where a mammal standing 174 cm tall and weighing 66 kg could flee from a mere 1.3 cm and 0.3 g insect.
Fear heavily impacts the success of one’s actions.
Thus, it may have been why Ahn Yoon-seung won such a resounding victory this time.
He had completely shaken off the twisted fear, thanks to some scenery displayed by Kim Gi-ryeo.
At first, Golems felt like incomprehensible monsters from another dimension, but gradually, they revealed countless weaknesses.
That was how Golems appeared to the current Ahn Yoon-seung.
– Bang!
The sudden, overwhelming weight was as sharp as a harsh winter wind.
– Bang!
If you just keep your wits about you, you can dodge safely.
When Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo went hunting, Golems stumbled like foolish vacuum cleaners caught on a high threshold, turning into rusty scrap metal.
And Ahn Yoon-seung, who had witnessed that scene, surely no longer bore any Golem trauma.
– “I’ll lure in the big attack. Once it starts swinging its arms, concentrate fire on the joints after ten seconds!”
The members of Neo Sisters admired the performance of a defensive Hunter.
The once timid young man transformed into a sharp version of himself the moment he stepped into the dungeon.
Before a Golem five times his size, he displayed no signs of shrinking back.
– “Yoon-seung, aren’t you scared of Golems?”
Even the attacks of Sand Golems posed a threat severe enough to burst the insides of even an A-Class Awakened at the forefront of evolution.
Thus, ordinary defensive Hunters would flinch at least a little when blocking a Golem’s attack.
Yoon-seung answered the junior’s question about whether he was scared.
– “My brother told me not to be afraid. So I just decided not to be scared.”
Perhaps this was where the essence of religion began.
Ahn Yoon-seung, at the age of 23, had finally achieved the right kind of belief.
He diligently analyzed the positive aspects of his mentor and incorporated them into himself.
With the skills he accumulated, he managed to successfully thwart the recent high-level gate flood in Seoul.
“Wow~ I can’t believe it’s expelling the core even against the final boss!”
“How much is this worth?”
“Geez, at this amount, selling would be a hassle. Hey.”
“Don’t worry. The director told me a ton of contacts have already come in wanting to book trades with the guild.”
“Oh!”
“Well, if it’s the Infinite Power Core, selling in bulk wouldn’t be a problem; the buyers would even offer a premium.”
Chatter.
After a while, the remaining team members poured out from the opened exit.
They all wore refreshing smiles, visibly proving the winners of the battles fought over the past few days.
“Honestly, at this rate, we should all be able to buy new gear!”
“Yoon-seung, Ja-Kyung! Don’t think you can back out of the distribution now!”
“Yup, yup.”
“Haha, yes~”
Well then, since the job was finished, they could just head home, wash up, and sleep.
Wiping off the beads of sweat, Yoon-seung suddenly thought.
He had taken the initiative to resolve the trivial (A-Class Golem Dungeon) issue so that Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter wouldn’t feel any undue burden, but…….
In fact, if one traced it back, it was all thanks to that Hunter after all.
Without the meticulous help from some S-Class Awakened, he wouldn’t even have thought to get involved in this situation.
“Ah!”
Yoon-seung, intending to express a heartfelt thank you, resolved to share the good deed of the Hunter who brought him to this point.
“Ah-ha! I finally found it. The exit was here!”
“Whoa!”
“Hello! I’m Creator Han Je-heon TV, the one who reached out earlier. Because of an interview, can you spare a moment?”
The problem was that none of this goodwill was in the form that the recipient desired.
*
【Anonymous Forum】
[Title: Hey, did you see the Han Je-heon video this time?]
[Content:
The upload speed is insane.
How did Team 3 manage to recruit Neo alone? LOL
On public broadcasts, they always cut the interviews with the explorers short, so it’s frustrating not knowing what happened inside.
Wow~~ the full 30-minute video is amazing!
Hearing the testimonies from the Hunters, it seems like Ahn Yoon-seung was flying around in this dungeon too.
This is exactly what regular team members hope for.
Is it true that bald people are strong? LOL]
[Comments (22)]
[Anonymous: Is Yoon-seung your friend? Use honorifics!]
[Anonymous: How could one team contribute 58%? I’m still dumbfounded; even if it was a different monster, it would have been tough. ㄷㄷ]
[Anonymous: (video capture.jpg)
Yoon-seung said,
‘I’ve seen Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo defeat Golems a few times before, and the biggest reason I overcame my trauma was honestly this. That Hunter clears Golems so easily.’ 18:22]
[Response: Legend]
[Response: LOL Wow, so that’s how they managed to defeat all the Golems, learning from that Hunter!]
[Response: But is that story even possible afterward?]
[Response: O]
[Response: The boss-level Golem appeared at the first level 5+ mutated F-Class Gate and was torn apart with bare hands while dressed in a suit <— once you attach “Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo” to the front, it instantly sounds believable.] [Anonymous: No, that Ahn Yoon-seung guy is not bald; he has stylish hair loss! If you look back at his school days, he had a full head of hair, and he just shaved it stylishly. ㅡㅡ] [Response: What’s your problem? Why are you getting angry all by yourself?] . . . Half a day passed. When the interview of Neo Team 3, conducted in celebration of the Golem Crisis resolution, spread across the internet. Ahn Yoon-seung enjoyed a jog in a park near his home after a long, well-deserved day off. - Ding!
But then.
A disaster message arrived on Ahn Yoon-seung’s mobile phone. It notified him that a D-Class Red Gate had appeared in a shopping alley of Mapo-gu.
‘D-Class.’
Normally, it wouldn’t have been a distance worth dispatching, and knowing the low rank, he probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to it.
‘Mapo?’
The key was the location.
The map photo attached to the disaster message showed that the gate’s occurrence was suspiciously close to someone’s residence.
Well, it wouldn’t be a problem, right?
With light curiosity, Yoon-seung headed to the site.
As typical for a Red Gate that needed a slight buildup to “open,” the alley was quiet until he arrived.
After that, along with some nameless staff from the association, they began to remove the obstruction.
Boringly mundane.
– Thud, thud, thud.
But if this sound came, then the story would change.
A consistent tapping sound of shoes hitting the ground.
Surprisingly, Ahn Yoon-seung could deduce the identity of the approaching individual just from the sound of those footsteps.
That man’s pacing was similar to when he was in a monster lair, tiptoeing across a treacherous ice sheet.
Whoosh!
Yoon-seung turned his head toward the familiar sound. There, he saw the figure of someone.
An S-Class Hunter, casually strolling with a white bag clutched under his arm.
“Wow!”
“Hmm?”
What a coincidence to run into him like this!
Seeing the S-Class Hunter, he approached with a cheerful demeanor and exclaimed.
“Brother! Hello! Did you come after seeing the Red Gate alert? I really appreciate it, but honestly, there’s no need for you to deal with such trivial monsters directly. I just took them all out myself!”
To which the other responded with incredulity.
“Uh……. What? What kind of nonsense is this……”
For clarification, the alien was merely visiting a nearby discount mart….
He was purchasing some diluted soju and a small amount of dried snacks.
The shock of failing a body exchange technique a week prior was not something one could simply shrug off, leaving him deeply troubled.
Naturally, he had no time to worry about a Dungeon Break, and now, suddenly encountering Ahn Yoon-seung, he felt a bit confused.
Moreover, Yoon-seung’s odd remarks didn’t stop there.
“Oh! And about something that happened recently…….”
“Hmm?”
“It’s already on the news, so you know, but that, ahem. Our team swept through the Golem dungeon, you see. But this is, of course, not something I did alone; especially, one guild member helped immensely…….”
“Um.”
“There’s this hunter named Ja-Kyung, who uses a telekinesis skill? That Hunter has been cheering for you from behind quite a lot. And she worked really hard this time, so I felt I should let you know…….”
Gi-ryeo was in a state of utter confusion.
He still didn’t understand anything from start to finish, but this was urgent to clarify.
“Wait a second, I’m sorry, but I haven’t been checking the news for several reasons recently.”
“Really?!”
“But what did you just say? Golems? Yoon-seung, are you saying you voluntarily subjugated the Golems?”
Weren’t you scared of Golems?
In response, Yoon-seung replied cheerfully. It was all thanks to the guidance from the brother that he had long overcome it.
Plus, how effective those skills learned from him had been. Nowadays, Golems had become his preferred monsters.
“Anyway, this is a small gift I prepared, and I hope it helps lift your spirits.”
As someone blinked their dry eyes, Yoon-seung cautiously continued.
“Honestly, you haven’t been feeling well lately, have you?”
“……”
“But you’re not someone who likes money, and you just take rare Magic Stones like stones, with a nonchalant expression, so I wanted to repay you in this way…….”
Spirit, money, and repayment.
To a certain alien, piecing together such fragmented aspects could provide a rough sketch of the incident.
However, the alien soon gave up on the thought.
Trapped in an F-Class body, he found it rather cumbersome to use his brain at the moment.
“Uh, um, uh… okay.”
In reality, he didn’t understand a thing, but he pretended that he understood everything and praised the Earthling before parting.
Naturally, Yoon-seung was just happy with that, resulting in a satisfactory conclusion for both.
