Lee Tae-sung returned to the clearing.
He approached Ji We-shin, who was still suffering from his injuries.
“Wait here for a moment. I’m going to look around the forest.”
“Are you planning to gather herbs? Let me tell you what they look like.”
Ji We-shin began to explain in detail which herbs he needed.
Tae-sung nodded, letting the words drift in one ear and out the other.
He had no intention of looking for herbs to treat Ji We-shin right away.
“Do you understand?”
“…Ah, yes.”
Thinking about how to deal with the monsters in the forest, his reply was a beat late.
Fortunately, Ji We-shin was in too much pain to notice the delay.
“And you must be careful not to provoke the monsters in the woods. They’re powerful, but their ability to sense presence is weak, so if you move cautiously, you won’t be caught.”
“I understand,” Tae-sung replied with a nod.
He then strode into the forest.
He activated Hidden Detect to search for traces of monsters.
One by one, the signs appeared.
He intended to clear them all out as quickly as possible.
***
The forest monsters were creatures called Forest Cramps.
They were monsters with short torsos and limbs but large faces and sharp teeth.
They possessed powerful attack power, capable of crushing enemies with their saw-like fangs.
Because of this, the standard hunting method was to prevent them from getting close or to constantly maintain distance while attacking.
*Crunch!*
However, Tae-sung chose a slightly different approach.
**[Notification]**
**[You have defeated a Forest Cramp]**
**[You have earned 1,350 SC]**
He simply wandered around, used Hidden Detect to find the ones hiding throughout the forest, approached them, and stabbed!
‘The cutting power is excellent.’
Magma’s Fang.
This sword he brought from the game was truly a masterpiece.
The sensation of the blade sinking in was completely different from the longsword he used to use.
Combined with the newly learned Red Cloud Seven Styles, the sword flew with rapid speed, allowing him to kill the creatures before they could even react.
Furthermore…
*Whoosh!*
When he ignited flames from the sword, the mana consumption was low, but the power was significantly greater.
In many ways, it was the perfect sword for him.
**[Notification]**
**[You have defeated a Forest Cramp]**
**[You have earned 1,350 SC]**
When he encountered areas with multiple Forest Cramps, he charged in boldly.
Since they weren’t particularly fast, he engaged them in direct combat.
*Sizzle!*
Tae-sung’s hands, dyed bright red, dominated the air.
Hand shadows covered the surroundings, striking down the Forest Cramps.
It was a terrifying heat that melted skin and hides just by grazing them!
**[Notification]**
**[You have defeated a Forest Cramp]**
**[You have earned 1,350 SC]**
**[Notification]**
**[You have defeated a Forest Cramp]**
**[You have earned 1,350 SC]**
He swiped away the notifications that kept popping up.
‘I’m seeing the effects just by having the sword at my waist…!’
As the option to increase fire-type hybrid efficiency was constantly applied, the power of the Thousand Nets Flame Hand had become noticeably stronger than before.
Powerful skills like the Thousand Nets Flame Hand were sensitive to even minor changes, making him realize why people obsessed over gear.
The Thousand Nets Flame Hand, which was already strong, had become much more formidable!
After that, Tae-sung spent some time roaming the entire forest, sweeping away every Forest Cramp he found.
Since he used his footwork technique and followed the clues from Hidden Detect, it didn’t take very long.
He eventually returned to the clearing.
“O-oh, you’ve returned. But… the herbs…?”
Ji We-shin tilted his head.
Tae-sung was holding herbs, but the quantity was far too small.
“Was it difficult to find them? They shouldn’t have been that hard to locate…”
“Ah, these were the only ones I saw on the way. Will these not be enough for treatment?”
“Hmm. Normally, this would be enough, but…”
As a bear beastman, Ji We-shin’s natural recovery rate was incomparably higher than a human’s.
Even now, his wounds were visibly lighter than when they first met.
However, this was not a safe place.
Monsters would flock here before long, so he needed to recover quickly and leave.
To do that, he needed fast healing, which required many herbs.
“It can’t be helped. Honestly, as the one receiving help, I’m grateful for even this much. Let’s recover as much as possible and leave this place together.”
“You can take your time.”
“But if an ambush comes…”
“You don’t have to worry about that. There isn’t a single monster left in the forest.”
“…Pardon?”
“I looked through the area thoroughly just in case I missed even one.”
Tae-sung was certain of this.
Since they were worth 1,350 SC each, he had searched with fire in his eyes to catch them all.
The only living beings left in the forest designated as the mission area were the two of them.
“Uh…”
Ji We-shin was flustered.
The forest monsters were powerful enough that he had to flee while suffering such heavy injuries.
And yet…
‘He killed them all?’
At first, Ji We-shin couldn’t believe it, but as time passed, he had no choice.
As he recovered and moved slowly, not a single enemy attacked them!
“T-this is incredible!”
Ji We-shin walked slowly out of the forest, clutching his side.
Even though they moved while leaving obvious tracks, there were no ambushes.
It really meant that every monster had vanished!
Meanwhile, Tae-sung looked slightly disappointed.
‘Tsk. There really are none left.’
It wouldn’t have been bad if a monster had miraculously stayed hidden and attacked them.
They were all points, after all.
However, the performance of Hidden Detect was reliable, and no monster had managed to hide from it.
Thus, Tae-sung and Ji We-shin safely made it out of the forest.
**[Notification]**
**[Ji We-shin has safely escaped the forest alive]**
**[Mission Success!]**
**[Affinity with the Bear Beastmen has increased by +50]**
**[Reputation among the Bear Beastmen has increased by +100]**
**[You have earned 8,500 SC]**
“Lee Tae-sung! I will surely speak of your name when I return to my tribe! Thanks to you, I am able to return alive!”
Ji We-shin bowed politely.
Tae-sung probably wouldn’t have another chance to meet them even if he told his tribe, but it was still a good sentiment.
He smiled and returned the greeting.
“Yes. Recover well, and I’ll see you again if the opportunity arises.”
**[Mission Success!]**
**[Returning to Earth]**
***
The tenth mission.
As Manager Song had advised, the difficulty was indeed quite high.
‘A healing mission. That could have been a disaster.’
It was lucky he could clear it by hunting down every Forest Cramp; otherwise, he might have failed.
If Ji We-shin, an NPC, had died, it would have been considered a mission failure and ended right there.
For Tae-sung, who had consistently achieved perfect scores, that would have been quite a blow.
‘I should learn at least one healing skill in Dream World.’
That way, he wouldn’t be caught off guard if a similar mission appeared again.
Afterward, Tae-sung contacted Manager Song to let him know the mission was a success.
*Ring—*
The phone rang immediately.
It was Manager Song.
‘Is he calling to congratulate me personally?’
With that thought, Tae-sung answered the phone.
“Hello?”
As soon as he picked up, Manager Song’s frantic words shot out like a machine gun.
—That elixir you inquired about before!
The United States government is requesting it, Hunter!
I think they can meet almost any condition you ask for!
“Excuse me?”
Elixir?
The Red Heart Nectar?
“Ah, were you calling about the elixir?”
—Yes!
The Association is in an uproar because of it right now…
Ah, right.
First of all, congratulations on succeeding in your mission.
I knew you would succeed.
I’m just so out of it right now that my congratulations were late.
I’m sorry.
“It’s fine. We can talk about the mission later, so tell me more about the elixir.”
—Yes.
It happened like this…
Manager Song explained the situation.
As top-secret information, a ranker-level hunter in the United States was currently cursed.
During the process of forming an agreement between South Korea and the U.S., a cure for this hunter was needed, and it just so happened that the elixir Tae-sung was looking to sell seemed to be exactly what was required.
“That’s great!”
Tae-sung felt the timing was perfect.
If there was really no place to sell the Red Heart Nectar, he had planned to consume it despite the low efficiency, but it was still a bit of a waste.
If he could get a fair price for it, it would be much better to sell it and find something else!
—Yes.
And they have invited Hunter Lee Tae-sung to the United States.
Aside from the purchase of the elixir, they said they want to reward you for providing something they desperately needed.
“Hmm. To America…”
—Yes.
They promised an initial reward just for visiting in person, and additional rewards if the elixir proves effective.
After hearing this, Tae-sung nodded.
“Alright. I’ll go, then.”
He had actually planned to log into Dream World immediately, so the time spent going to America felt a bit like a waste, but with those promises, it was worth going at least once.
He didn’t have any urgent quests in Dream World anyway.
However…
‘I can’t speak English.’
They would provide an interpreter, right?
***
Ryan Anderson, classified as a ranker in the United States.
At the ranker level, one earns enormous scores in missions and obtains special rewards.
Such a person was responsible for both national economy and security.
Consequently, not only their guild but also the government was going all out to find a way to save them.
—They say a hunter in South Korea has an elixir that is presumed to be a cure.
When this news reached the Astral Guild, to which Ryan belonged…
—Oh!
Dear God!
You weren’t ready to take Ryan yet!
What a relief!
The Guild Master of Astral felt a great sense of relief.
Of course, they would have to use it to see if the cure was actually effective, but unlike before, when there were zero treatments, hope had emerged.
However, Tae-sung didn’t strictly need to go to the U.S. person, but the request was made because…
“What happened with the person providing the cure? Did they say they’re coming?”
“Yes. They’re coming.”
It was because of Ryan’s wife, Elvia.
She was also a member of the Astral Guild; though not a combat hunter, she was active as a producer-class hunter.
By utilizing the Score Shop and hunter mission rewards, she created elixirs and equipment for hunters, making her an indispensable talent for the guild!
“That’s a relief. I really wanted to meet them…”
Elvia let out a sigh of relief.
“I feel so pathetic myself. I’m supposedly a producer-class hunter, yet I couldn’t help my husband’s treatment at all and have just been waiting for outside help.”
“Elvia. Don’t blame yourself. Wasn’t it thanks to the various potions you made that Ryan was able to maintain his physical strength despite being bedridden?”
“At best, it was just prolonging a painful life a little longer.”
“Because it was prolonged, hope has arrived.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Elvia smiled bitterly.
There was one thing both she and the Guild Master had in common: neither mentioned it.
The possibility that the cure brought by the Korean hunter might not work.
Instead, they changed the subject.
“Elvia. You said you wanted to give them a personal reward when you meet, right? What are you going to give them?”
“I’m thinking of letting them choose anything they want from the items in my workshop.”
“Oh…!”
“They say he’s a hunter too, so I don’t think he’ll dislike it, right?”
The Guild Master swallowed hard.
‘He won’t just “not dislike it,” he’ll probably cheer with joy.’
A free pass to Elvia’s workshop.
If this news got out, it would undoubtedly cause a frenzy.
Even rankers in the United States would drool over such an opportunity!