“Why would an intermediate spirit be here?”
Ashaka’s words were more than surprising — they were incomprehensible.
Spirits were brought into the real world from the Dream World through Lee Tae-sung’s skill, ‘Dream’.
In other words, Ashaka herself was a creature born from Tae-sung’s skill.
Yet, could there be another light spirit in reality?
‘What is this? How can that be?’
Did it mean that spirits from the Dream World also existed in reality…?
Tae-sung stared intently in the direction Ashaka had pointed.
He planned to stop by there at least once before returning to the Republic of Korea.
***
The Gate incident that occurred in Guangzhou was quickly resolved.
Since China had a large population, it also had a high number of Rankers, and they were able to restore the Dimensional Barrier by clearing the Missions quickly.
“Phew. You worked hard.”
Jang Min-su, a Korean Ranker belonging to the Cheoltap Guild, approached and spoke.
“You worked hard too, Min-su.”
“Haha. What did I even do? Honestly, I was planning to protect you, Guild Leader Lee, but I ended up just watching from the sidelines.”
The Korean Rankers were originally preoccupied with protecting Lee Tae-sung, who could manufacture Elixirs, and getting on his good side.
That was why they had hesitated when the giant monster Tararion appeared, but Tae-sung had been unexpectedly strong.
“I heard you’ve only completed about twenty Missions. You’re a monster.”
Jang Min-su was also a core Hunter who had reached his position while being called a rookie.
To become a Ranker-class Hunter in the first place, one had to be exceptional.
But looking at Lee Tae-sung, he felt he finally understood what a true genius was.
‘To think there’s news saying his main ability is Elixir crafting… I can’t even fathom where his limits lie.’
For the first time in a long time, Jang Min-su felt a sense of humility.
It was a feeling he usually only experienced when meeting the leaders of massive guilds or Ranker-class Hunters with worldwide fame.
“Haha…”
Tae-sung scratched his cheek awkwardly at the barrage of praise.
He still possessed the mindset of a commoner from his days at a small-to-medium enterprise, so he never quite knew how to respond to such words.
Still, he knew the man wasn’t a bad person.
The earlier “kill-steal” wasn’t intentional; he had been trying to provide support.
‘I guess I should let the grudge go.’
Jang Min-su didn’t know it, but he had just saved the Cheoltap Guild through that short conversation.
“What happens now?”
“There will be a reward ceremony. Although, it’s highly likely we’ll be pushed to the background.”
“Why?”
Tae-sung asked, puzzled.
They had come to a foreign country and prevented a catastrophe.
Every Hunter present had seen that Tae-sung was the most active participant.
Why would they be pushed back?
“The Chinese aren’t likely to do much for foreign mercenaries like us.”
Lee Ye-ji, who had crossed over after the eastern Gate closed, shrugged her shoulders.
Since she had the longest career as a Ranker among them, she also had the most experience being dispatched to other countries.
“Usually, in these situations, they prioritize praising and rewarding their own country’s Hunters. We’re only here because of the treaty obligations, so they feel it’s a waste to reward us.”
It wasn’t just because it was China; a similar situation would likely occur in Korea if a Gate opened and foreign support arrived.
No citizen would be happy to hear that their own Hunters were powerless and that foreigners had done all the work.
“Hmm…”
“Well, that’s just the general case. It probably won’t be that way this time.”
“?”
As Tae-sung was about to ask what she meant, a voice interrupted.
“I watched you with great interest, first-time Korean Ranker.”
A Chinese Ranker with fierce, piercing eyes approached.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the scabbard tied to Tae-sung’s waist.
“That white beam of light… Since becoming a Ranker, I never felt I was lacking no matter where I went, but seeing that made me feel as if my eyes had truly been opened.”
“Oh… thank you.”
“I am Heo Ming of the Sinseonhyang Guild.”
“The Sinseonhyang Guild?!”
Jang Min-su muttered beside him, his expression filled with shock.
Tae-sung whispered quietly, “Do you know them?”
“Yes. There are probably very few Hunters who don’t know them.”
Jang Min-su looked uneasy.
Heo Ming offered a hand to Tae-sung.
“I have no time now because of the cleanup, but I would like to properly witness your sword next time. I will report this to the Sword Immortal, and I am certain he will want to see you.”
“Oh… sure.”
“Then, until we meet again, great swordsman.”
Leaving those words behind, Heo Ming vanished as quickly as he had arrived.
Tae-sung watched his departing back before asking Jang Min-su, “What kind of place is the Sinseonhyang Guild?”
“It’s a guild formed by a group of wuxia geeks who want to become immortals through the sword.”
“……?”
What kind of crazy people were they?
“How do you become an immortal through a sword? Is there a skill for that?”
“There isn’t. But apparently, it’s possible in the wuxia novels they read.”
“???”
“And that guild is quite peculiar — they won’t accept anyone unless they use a sword and have awakened skills related to that path.”
However, one couldn’t openly laugh at them.
The Guild Leader, the Sword Immortal, was said to be a Hunter so powerful that people wondered if he actually was a true immortal.
“People say that even if you gathered the top Hunters from around the world, not just a single country, he would be at the very top.”
He was always one of the names mentioned when discussing who the strongest Hunter in the world was.
“Anyway, I see why Vice Guild Leader Lee Ye-ji said we won’t be pushed to the background.”
Jang Min-su shrugged.
“Since a Ranker from the Sinseonhyang Guild spoke like that, the authorities can’t possibly treat us poorly.”
The Sinseonhyang Guild, led by the Sword Immortal, was a group that even high-ranking government officials couldn’t disregard.
To do so would be to disrespect the Sword Immortal’s honor.
Furthermore, that wasn’t all.
Yang Hai, the leader of the Seonpung Guild, was also busy talking to officials.
Seeing him shout and gesture toward Tae-sung every now and then made it easy to guess what was being said.
Although he looked exhausted from trying to obtain Dimensional Barrier Fragments earlier, he still remembered Commissioner Jang Xuan’s warning.
***
That night.
“You worked hard, Brother.”
Tae-sung had been invited to Jang Xuan’s mansion.
He had planned to rest for the day since the work was done, but Jang Xuan had invited him just before he could head to the hotel.
The other Hunters had looked on with envious expressions, sending desperate glances toward Jang Xuan, but he had no intention of inviting them.
“I heard you were the most active participant this time.”
“No. The Chinese Hunters were the ones who did the work.”
Tae-sung truly felt that way.
If the Chinese Rankers hadn’t restored the Dimensional Barrier, the Gate would have stayed open forever.
Most of China’s true powerhouses must have been deployed into the Missions.
“That may be true, but I heard your performance on the field was incredible. As expected of my brother.”
Jang Xuan was pleased that his sworn brother had excelled.
He had expected great things, but the reports exceeded his expectations.
He was even surprised to hear that the “Sword Demon” of the Sinseonhyang Guild had become infatuated with him.
“The reason I called you is that the urgent business is settled, and I wanted us to play in the Dream World together. I have something to show you as well.”
“That sounds good, Brother.”
Tae-sung was someone who couldn’t resist the Dream World.
“Are you in Elleun right now?”
“Hmm. I’m not in Elleun, but I’m not far.”
“Then come to the Red Magic Tower. Let’s meet on the first floor.”
“Understood.”
Shortly after, the two of them lay down in their capsules and logged in.
His vision shifted, and he found himself back in the Dark Spirit Realm.
He had logged out immediately after contracting with Ashaka, so he woke up here once more.
Tae-sung spoke to the dark spirit Gobel.
“I’m sorry, but could I go back to where I was for a moment?”
“I can’t do that. I still have more searching to do.”
He hadn’t found any traces of Abeson’s son yet.
He had to return later to continue the search.
<…….>
Gobel looked disappointed but guided Tae-sung to the exit.
After leaving the Spirit Realm, Tae-sung made his way to the Red Magic Tower.
“Over here.”
Jang Xuan, standing in a corner of the first-floor garden of the Magic Tower, waved him over.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
“No. I just arrived after getting permission to take these out. Sit.”
Tae-sung sat across from him.
Jang Xuan placed five bottles filled with shimmering blue liquid on the table.
Tae-sung’s eyes trembled the moment he saw them.
“Brother. Are these, perhaps…?”
“Hehe. What do they look like?”
“Are they Elixirs?”
“Good guess.”
“!”
Tae-sung unconsciously swallowed hard.
He had felt his lack of mana several times after summoning Ashaka.
As Tae-sung stared fixatedly at the bottles, Jang Xuan laughed.
“These are newly created secret Elixirs that have both Elixir and healing effects.”
“Wow…”
Even within the Dream World, manufacturing Elixirs was extremely difficult unless one belonged to a large organization like the Golden Altar of Alchemy or the Red Magic Tower.
This was because medicinal ingredients with mana-boosting effects often lost their stability and efficacy if they weren’t mixed with precise calculations.
For that reason, most Elixir manufacturing methods were kept as secrets.
Unless one belonged to a major faction, the only way to obtain them was by completing commissions, receiving them one by one, or finding them while exploring ancient dungeons.
Tae-sung himself had rarely had the chance to even see an Elixir.
Jang Xuan smiled and pushed the bottles toward Tae-sung.
“You can have all five, Brother.”
“!!!”
Tae-sung’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait… are you really allowed to give all of these to me?”
This was different from when he received the Red Heart Nectar.
At that time, it had been a reward for successfully completing a guard mission for the Red Magic Tower.
Handing over secret Elixirs to an outsider like this was a serious crime that could result in Jang Xuan being expelled from the Red Magic Tower.
“It’s fine. Although they were made using secret methods, they’re actually closer to medicine.”
The primary purpose of an Elixir was to increase mana capacity, but some were focused more on healing internal injuries.
The Elixirs Jang Xuan had made this time were those where the healing effect had been prioritized.
“To be honest, in terms of results, they’re failures. Though I made them that way on purpose.”
Jang Xuan shrugged.
It was better to use a potion for healing and an Elixir for growth.
Trying to clumsily mix the two resulted in something close to a failure.
While he might be praised for utilizing the tower’s secrets well, the product lacked marketability and had diminished effects.
It was an item that didn’t really need to be made.
“Why did you make something like this?”
“I suppose I had a deep desire for it in my heart. My father is ill.”
“……?”
Jang Xuan’s answer was unexpected.
“I mean my father in the real world.”
“Oh…”
“You don’t need to look so apologetic. He’s been sick for a long time, so I’ve grown numb to it. And that’s not why I brought it up. Anyway, I tried every possible way to find a cure but nothing worked, so I wanted to at least create an Elixir with healing properties in the Dream World. I looked up and realized I had made this before I knew it.”
Because it was an Elixir made with secret methods, the Red Magic Tower recognized it.
However, it was judged to be inefficient and useless.
It was thanks to that judgment that he received permission to take it out to an outsider.
In terms of actual efficacy, it was only slightly better than a Lowest Grade Elixir.
Since Jang Xuan had already consumed one bottle, taking more would yield no effect.
As he was wondering how to dispose of them, he met Tae-sung and decided to give them to him.
“Since you’re offering, I’ll accept them with gratitude.”
“I have no more use for them, so I’d be grateful if you put them to good use.”
Jang Xuan looked relieved.
Tae-sung, however, looked thoughtful as he packed the Elixir bottles away.