Chapter 44: The Resonance of Flame

“Ar— Are you sure you can give this to me?”

Lee Tae-sung asked in surprise.

A thirty-year-old Polygonum.

One might dismiss it as being only thirty years old rather than a century, but in reality, such medicinal herbs were extremely rare.

Whether they were NPCs or Players, everyone was thirsty for spiritual elixirs, so simply putting it on the market would start at a minimum of ten gold coins.

Anything older than that would increase the price exponentially.

Therefore, handing it over so casually was unheard of.

To be honest, he was quite moved.

“It’s hard for me to see much effect from that,” Baek Woon-ho said nonchalantly.

The more mana one had accumulated in their body, the harder it was to see results from mediocre elixirs.

That was why the strong sought out even more superior spiritual herbs.

“Then I will eat it gratefully.”

“You won’t see a massive effect either, so concentrate as much as possible. If you mess up, you’ll just waste a precious elixir.”

“Yes, sir!”

Lee Tae-sung chewed and swallowed it, careful not to let even a single root hair fall, only roughly shaking off the dirt.

It had a bitter taste, but it didn’t feel bitter at all.

Afterward, as he operated the Solar Holy Force, a warm energy enveloped his body.

‘My mana has definitely increased a lot lately.’

From the Red Heart Nectar and training in the flames to the mana gained while treating Mr. Ryan — along with using the thirty-year-old Polygonum this time — the mana stored in Lee Tae-sung’s body had now reached a little over forty years.

With this much, the burden of performing the Heavenly Flame Water and the Seven Red Cloud Forms would be significantly reduced.

“If you’re done eating, let’s head out,” Baek Woon-ho said as he moved ahead.

Now began the main task: the hideout of the Flame Emperor located on Chimgeom Mountain.

“It won’t be easy. I came here first and searched quite hard, but I couldn’t even find a trace of it. So, you’d better be prepared.”

“Understood!”

Now that he had eaten the Polygonum, Lee Tae-sung strengthened his resolve.

Even if he had to pour all his mana into Hidden Detect, he would find it as quickly as possible!

***

Just as South Korea had the National Hunter Association, the United States had a similar institution: the US Hunter Association.

It was commonly abbreviated as the USHA.

Even in Korea, the authority of the National Hunter Association was considered large, but it was far lacking compared to the USHA.

It was a place that held almost extra-judicial powers, and today, a meeting was held between the association chairman and the heads of each department.

“Hunter Ryan has recovered?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Phew. That is a relief. I feel like a stake driven into my chest has been pulled out.”

Chairman Alex leaned back in his chair and sighed in relief.

The others had similar expressions.

Every single Ranker was vital to the security and economy of the United States; it had almost turned into a disaster.

Since Ryan had recovered, giving up various concessions in the treaty signed with Korea was nothing.

They could do such things with a smile.

Ranker-class Hunters were truly the ones who protected American soil.

“Are there any aftereffects?”

“None. Apparently, he already completed a mission immediately after his recovery.”

“…Crazy. Does he really think he’s a lion or something? Did no one stop him?”

“How can we stop a Ranker’s stubbornness? If he says he’ll do it, he does it.”

“And the result?”

“He succeeded without a single injury. According to him, he’s actually stronger than before.”

“What? Really?”

“The treatment that the Korean Hunter provided had a heart-strengthening effect. We believe it’s because of that.”

The organs Hunters used to utilize mana were mostly the heart and the dantian.

The Red Heart Nectar was a spiritual elixir with heart-strengthening properties.

Not only had Ryan’s mana capacity increased compared to before he collapsed, but his heart — the output organ — had been reinforced, making him stronger than ever.

“…He sold a medicine like that?”

Chairman Alex blinked.

Of course, they had requested it… but why did he sell it instead of taking it himself?

It wasn’t as if there were two of such incredible treatments.

“Well, now. He’s an impressive Hunter in many ways. Was his name ‘Mystery’?”

“Yes. I investigated what kind of person he is. It turns out he was recently designated as a Super Rookie by the Korean Hunter Association, and he has completed every task up to his tenth mission with a perfect rank.”

“A talent has appeared in Korea.”

“We’ve even confirmed that he is on friendly terms with Committee Member Zhang Xuan of China.”

“…That man from the Central Committee?”

Zhang Xuan was a politician that even the United States was keeping an eye on.

He was a member of the Central Committee, which consisted of only twenty-five people, and his father was one of the seven members of the Standing Committee.

He belonged to a family with power that could be counted on one hand in China.

Furthermore, Zhang Xuan was famous for not moving for trivial matters, so the fact that he went to Korea personally was significant.

It was a testament to how much potential Lee Tae-sung possessed.

“Talent as a Hunter and a network of connections… what a formidable individual. Was the name of his guild Taesung Guild?”

“Yes.”

“Does he have no plans to expand into America? I’d like to get closer to him.”

Perfect or not, he was still a Hunter classified as a rookie.

It was a mystery where he had obtained such a medicine.

He had to be hiding some secret.

Alex wanted to become close enough to naturally share secrets.

“It has only been a few days since he established his guild. Since it’s a solo guild, it seems he is already overwhelmed with domestic activities.”

“Oh, what a shame. Still, send him a message saying we’re willing to help. The US market is massive; it’s a waste for such a great guild to stay only in Korea.”

“Yes. I will send a proposal regarding that.”

“Good. Next is the current situation regarding the semi-Ranker Hunters…”

The USHA meeting continued for several more hours after that.

***

*Pshhh—*

Lee Tae-sung stepped out of the capsule.

It was almost time for the plane to land.

“Was the game fun?”

“…”

Manager Song Sang-yeop asked, but Lee Tae-sung only gave a bitter smile and a vague nod.

Actually, it hadn’t been very fun.

‘Damn it. Where on earth is it hidden?’

The flight from the United States to Korea took over twelve hours.

All he had done during that time was meet Baek Woon-ho and scour the mountain.

However, there were no results.

If it hadn’t been for the clues he saw in Abison’s research log, he surely would have left Chimgeom Mountain thinking there was nothing there.

‘Well, I suppose that’s why it hasn’t been discovered for hundreds of years… If I think about it that way, maybe I should consider it a good thing instead.’

His mind was complicated.

After disembarking from the plane and entering the airport, Association President Yu Jae-mok approached him.

“Hunter Lee. You’ve worked hard.”

“Hardly. Astral Guild lent me a private jet, so I traveled comfortably.”

Originally, Yu Jae-mok was supposed to finish his work quickly and visit Elvia’s workshop, but he was delayed because politicians kept pestering him.

Consequently, he had departed from the US separately and arrived in Korea a bit earlier.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lee. I am Whittaker Thompson.”

At that moment, an American man standing next to Yu Jae-mok smiled and offered a handshake.

His Korean was fluent.

“Uh… yes. I’m Lee Tae-sung. You speak Korean very well.”

“Haha. I lived in Korea for a few years when I was younger. There wasn’t a single famous restaurant in Itaewon I didn’t visit.”

Lee Tae-sung glanced at Yu Jae-mok, silently asking who this person was.

Yu Jae-mok spoke.

“Mr. Whittaker is a member of the House of Representatives. He came to Korea with me to finalize the Charles Agreement.”

Although the agreement had been successfully signed, there were several tasks to handle for the aftermath.

Whittaker Thompson had come to Korea with Yu Jae-mok for that work, and he had come here to meet Lee Tae-sung.

Whittaker approached Lee Tae-sung with a friendly smile.

“It’s good to be back in Korea after a long time. In my memories, Korea was a very pleasant land.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“But America is just as good. I’d love for you to experience it, Hunter Lee… would you like to go on a tour of the US with me next time?”

“I’d love to if you’d let me. But as a congressman, aren’t you busy?”

“I can always make time for Hunter Lee, haha. Who knows? You might like it so much you’ll want to immigrate. Of course, if you do, we can arrange for you to come to the US with the highest level of preferential treatment—”

“Wa— Wait a minute, Mr. Whittaker! What are you doing!?”

From the side, Yu Jae-mok looked at Whittaker with horrified eyes.

He thought it was just a simple greeting, but the man was naturally trying to kidnap Lee Tae-sung!

Whittaker shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s a joke, a joke. An American-style joke.”

“It feels like there’s a lot of truth in that joke. Please refrain.”

“Oh boy. Your expression is too scary, President Yu. I understand.”

As Whittaker stepped back slightly, Yu Jae-mok let out a deep sigh.

‘It wasn’t long ago that we fended off China, and now it’s America… this is driving me crazy.’

They say being able to protect a treasure without having it stolen is also a skill.

That was exactly what came to mind.

***

Lee Tae-sung briefly stopped by the National Hunter Association building with Yu Jae-mok and Whittaker.

He spent a rather exciting time receiving congratulations from many people and seeing his name on the news.

However, that time was short.

After leaving a message saying he would see them again later, Lee Tae-sung returned home first.

It felt like he was coming home after a long time.

In truth, there was much more to talk about if he stayed at the association, and there was work to be done if he wanted it, but the reason he came back was simple.

To get back into the game as soon as possible. Lee Tae-sung lay down in the capsule.

“I’m definitely finding it today!”

The Flame Emperor’s hideout.

He felt like he was on the verge of seeing it, so a corner of his heart felt uncomfortable.

Doing it bit by bit on the plane wasn’t bad, but the flow kept breaking because he had to keep logging out.

From now on, he would conduct a full-scale search of Chimgeom Mountain.

He would search everything!

And so, he entered the Dream World.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. How did things go?”

“Nothing much.”

Baek Woon-ho, who understood that Lee Tae-sung was a Stranger and needed to log out, approached him as soon as he logged in.

“Instead, I found some decent herbs. Blue Steel Grass, Sweet Dew Herb, Vivid Red Seeds… Vivid Red Seeds are especially good for emergencies, but they’re hard to find.”

Baek Woon-ho took various herbs out of his basket and showed them.

Lee Tae-sung asked curiously.

“How on earth do you know all this?”

“I lived in the mountains when I was a kid. I used to make a living by digging these up and selling them.”

Baek Woon-ho shrugged and continued.

“Enough pointless talk. Let’s move again.”

“Yes, sir.”

Searching while gathering herbs.

Lee Tae-sung also realized why Baek Woon-ho was focusing on herb gathering.

If he didn’t, the search would be too boring!

Looking at the mountain scenery was fun for a few hours, but if you just looked at trees and dirt constantly, it was easy to get bored.

Therefore, Lee Tae-sung also gathered herbs bit by bit while learning from Baek Woon-ho.

“You have talent.”

Baek Woon-ho said this after seeing Lee Tae-sung gathering herbs well, thanks to Hidden Detect.

However, it was difficult to find anything that could be considered a spiritual elixir.

In reality, it was hard to find even a five-year-old Polygonum, let alone a thirty-year-old one.

What Baek Woon-ho had given him upon meeting was a discovery made with extreme luck.

In the end, they wandered until late at night that day as well, but it was in vain.

Lee Tae-sung took a spot to practice his mana, sighing deeply internally.

‘Phew. There’s no progress in the search, and training isn’t very fun either…’

Even when he operated the Solar Holy Force, the mana accumulation was underwhelming.

To be precise, because he had many opportunities to rapidly accumulate mana recently, such ordinary cultivation felt insufficient.

He felt he understood why martial artists fell into heresy or the demonic path.

‘Still, I have to concentrate.’

Lee Tae-sung pushed away the negative emotions and focused on the Solar Holy Force.

As his mana had increased significantly recently, there had been a lot of progress in the Solar Holy Force as well.

He felt as if his proficiency would increase with just a little more effort.

*Ding!*

**[Your proficiency with Solar Holy Force has increased]**

**[The skill level of Solar Holy Force has risen]**

**[Solar Holy Force (Lv. 4) -> Solar Holy Force (Lv. 5)]**

As if to prove his thoughts were correct, a notification rang out at that moment.

Lee Tae-sung’s eyes sparkled, and the Solar Holy Force created an even more haughty flow.

‘…Hmm?’

And then, Lee Tae-sung felt a faint energy.

Was it because he had become more sensitive as the Solar Holy Force grew?

He felt a faint aura of flames in the distance.

Since the Solar Holy Force was a hybrid that displayed its power even more within flames, he was able to sense the related energy.

‘Moreover, its purity is incredibly high.’

It wasn’t a simple forest fire.

It was small but robust, as if flame itself had been extremely condensed.

Lee Tae-sung jumped up from his seat.

Then, he began to move rapidly in the direction he had felt it.

He focused all his nerves as if he wouldn’t let go of the sensation he had just captured.

Baek Woon-ho had approached behind Lee Tae-sung before he knew it, but he didn’t say a word as if he didn’t want to interfere.

Instead, his eyes were sparkling more than ever.

‘Could it be…?’

Lee Tae-sung was the descendant who inherited the Flame Emperor’s orthodox lineage.

At first, Baek Woon-ho had followed him with doubt, but seeing him act like that, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation!

Two men raced through the forest in the darkness.