With the raid on the A-rank dungeon concluded, Seong-jun’s party resumed clearing the B-rank dungeon they had opened at their hideout.
Since it would take time for all the equipment needed for research to be prepared, Lee Seon-hwa actively participated in the hunt.
In some ways, she even seemed to be enjoying herself.
It appeared that being fused with a monster had influenced her more than a little.
Additionally, their hunting speed had increased exponentially.
Today marked the fourth day since Seon-hwa officially joined them.
Excluding the first day, which had been a test run, this was their second full-scale hunt.
*Swooosh! Shink! Shink!*
*Boom! Crash! Thud! Thud!*
“Kieeeek!”
The B-rank monsters, Demon Warriors, were being slaughtered without being able to put up any resistance.
“The hunting speed is incredible just by adding one person. At this pace, we’ll be able to clear the dungeon today.”
Gwang-taek and Seon-hwa were both 28 years old.
Although they still used formal address with each other, they treated one another like friends.
Meanwhile, after Seon-hwa joined, the efficiency of their hunt skyrocketed.
This was because they could quickly identify the locations of the monsters.
When there were no monsters nearby, Yuseon’s spirit scouting played a major role.
Conversely, Seon-hwa was able to detect any enemies within a 100-meter radius with uncanny precision.
It seemed that her fusion with a monster had granted her a special sensing ability.
“Yuseon’s scouting is excellent, but your detection ability is also a huge help, Sister. By the way, is 100 meters your limit? Or can you increase the range through practice?”
Over the past few days, the team had fully accepted Lee Seon-hwa, and they had become comfortable enough to speak casually.
The fact that they had shared drinks and heart-to-heart conversations at the hideout between hunts had played a significant role.
“I’m not sure yet. Excluding the first day of testing, this is only our third serious hunt. I think I’ll get a feel for whether the range can be expanded after a few more runs like this.”
Seon-hwa had seamlessly blended into the group before anyone realized it.
“If you could detect things at a distance of at least 200 to 300 meters, our speed would increase even more.”
Even now, her ability was a massive help, but if the range increased to 300 meters, it would be no different from having a map hack.
While monsters were often concentrated within 100 meters, there were many instances where the distance between groups of monsters far exceeded that.
“What’s certain is that while I only felt a faint sense of their positions at first, I can now even estimate their rough numbers. Given that, I think there’s room for the range to grow.”
Initially, she only had a vague feeling that monsters were in a certain direction.
However, after two full hunts, her detection ability itself seemed to have strengthened.
While it was still impossible to determine the exact number of enemies, she could now categorize them as small scale (one to two), medium scale (three to four), or large scale (five to six or more).
“At any rate, we originally planned to clear this dungeon in four to five runs, but thanks to you, Sister, we can finish it in three. That in itself is amazing.”
With Chang-su joining, they could clear C-rank dungeons in two runs, but they had estimated that B-rank dungeons would require a minimum of four and a maximum of five.
However, with Seon-hwa’s unexpected addition, they were now able to finish a B-rank dungeon in just three runs.
Of course, this didn’t mean they were ready for A-rank dungeons yet, but for B-rank dungeons, they had brought their clearing speed close to that of a C-rank.
“Since we swept most of them in the last two hunts, we should finish early today if we can wrap up the boss quickly.”
They had hunted about 100 monsters during the test run and nearly 2,000 during the two subsequent major hunts, leaving about 400 remaining.
Now, 2 hours into the hunt, they had already killed 200, which was half of what was left.
If they maintained this pace, they would finish as early as 1:00 PM, or 3:00 PM at the latest.
“Should we skip the hunter rations for lunch and go out to eat instead, even if it’s a bit late?”
“Oh! That sounds great! But wouldn’t it be difficult for Seon-hwa to go outside? You said she should minimize outdoor activities as much as possible.”
Gwang-taek asked with concern, as Seon-hwa had been avoiding public appearances just in case. Seong-jun replied with a smile.
“Minimize doesn’t mean she can’t go out at all. We’ll be moving by car anyway, and I’ll book a restaurant with private rooms, so there shouldn’t be any big risks.”
As much as they were cautious, they weren’t planning on being complete hermits.
He judged that going out for a quick meal wouldn’t be a problem, though they would still be extremely careful.
“Is that so? Well, then let’s finish this up quickly and head out.”
Thinking about finishing early and grabbing a real meal, everyone doubled their efforts in the hunt.
***
The Holy Emperor, William, had completed his schedule and was preparing to return to the United States.
He had purchased a separate building to establish the Korean branch of the Holy Emperor for Karl Buckman’s team.
Even though they would only be active here for a short period of three months, he wanted to provide them with the best possible facilities.
Furthermore, even after Karl’s team returned to the US, William intended to keep staff there to maintain the Korean branch.
This was essentially a move to ensure potential future cooperation with Seong-jun.
A day before leaving for the US, William invited Seong-jun’s party for a private gathering.
“I suppose you’ll be heading back to America tomorrow. It was a short stay, but very beneficial. Ah, and if you find out anything about that device, please let me know as much as you can.”
At Seong-jun’s words, William spoke with a smile.
“Understood. If we discover anything, I will inform you immediately. By the way, you haven’t forgotten our promise, have you? I’ll contact you once the schedule is set, so I look forward to seeing you in New York.”
“Haha, yes. I’m the type who keeps his promises if nothing else. Once the raid date is fixed, I’ll be there.”
Since there was still plenty of time before the raid, Seong-jun figured he could easily adjust his schedule as long as he knew the date in advance.
“I’m already looking forward to it. An A-rank dungeon raid with Seong-jun. Oh, that reminds me… Karl’s arm has been restored more than I expected. At this rate, it seems he’ll be fully healed earlier than planned. Is that correct?”
It had been about ten days since the Holy Emperor arrived.
In that time, Karl Buckman’s arm had been visibly reconstructed compared to when they first saw it.
Seong-jun nodded in response to the question.
“My skill level rose in the meantime. Because of that, the treatment period will be a bit shorter than originally estimated. Of course, it’ll only be shortened by about ten to fifteen days. Then again, who knows? If my skill level rises one more time, we might be able to save even more time.”
By periodically treating patients at OO Hospital, his Cure skill had reached Level 6, and God’s Miracle had risen to Level 3.
Accordingly, Karl Buckman’s recovery timeline had shifted forward by about fifteen days from the initial three-month estimate.
Moreover, if the levels rose again through consistent casting, he expected the date to be pushed up even further.
“Haha, nothing would be better for us than Karl’s early recovery. Oh, that’s right, Karl! I was so busy I almost forgot. Here is the Skill Enhancement Stone you asked me to bring.”
William said as he handed the Skill Enhancement Stone to Karl Buckman. Karl looked at Seong-jun and spoke.
“You should give that to Seong-jun, not me. That’s what I promised as payment for the treatment.”
At Karl’s words, William held out the Skill Enhancement Stone to Seong-jun.
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Seong-jun, please take it. This is the Skill Enhancement Stone Karl promised you.”
Seong-jun took the stone from William’s hand.
“Oh! So this is a Skill Enhancement Stone.”
Seong-jun stared blankly at the brilliant glow of the stone.
‘I originally planned to use it on Holy Weapon Enchant immediately, but since I’m close to reaching the next level anyway, it might be better to use it after I increase its level and rank.’
When he first heard about the Skill Enhancement Stone, he had decided to use it on Holy Weapon Enchant.
However, since they were clearing A-rank dungeons back-to-back and focusing on B-rank dungeons for their primary hunts, he felt he could reach the next level much faster than expected.
In the end, Seong-jun decided he would check the skills added at the next rank before using the Skill Level Up ticket and the Skill Enhancement Stone.
“Do you plan to use it right away?”
“No. I want to think a little more about which skill to use it on.”
William nodded at the answer.
“That makes sense. Every skill you possess is so remarkable that it won’t be easy to choose just one.”
“Since I can’t neglect healing, buffs, or offense, I’ll have to take my time and make the best decision. Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I have a happy dilemma to solve.”
Seong-jun said as he tucked the Skill Enhancement Stone into his pocket.
He couldn’t manifest his subspace in front of them, so he kept it on his person for now.
Afterward, Seong-jun’s party and the members of the Holy Emperor guild continued their drinks and conversation.
***
Time passed, and it was Saturday evening.
Seong-jun met Gyu-taek at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Seoul.
Unlike the last time when he came with his party, Seong-jun visited the factory alone.
Since he only needed to take the corpses and mana stones out of his subspace, he decided there was no need for the whole group to move together.
It was also more convenient for him to move solo.
“Did you get the full amount?”
At Gyu-taek’s question, Seong-jun replied with a smile.
“Of course. These are the B-rank Demon Warriors. There are 2,532 standard corpses and mana stones, plus one Elite and one Boss.”
After stating the monster types and exact numbers, Seong-jun entered the factory.
He then began pulling the corpses and mana stones out of his subspace.
*Rumble!*
*Clatter!*
Gyu-taek watched the scene with an expression of awe.
“Wow! No matter how many times I see it, it’s incredible. To be able to store so many corpses and mana stones. By the way, B-rank materials… the transaction amount is going to be incomparably larger than last time.”
The previous C-rank monster deal had been worth a little over ten billion won.
This, however, involved B-rank monster materials.
The price was certain to be set between sixty to eighty billion won at the minimum.
“I’ll be dealing with B-rank monsters for a while, so you can count on that. Oh, and please set the next transaction for next Sunday as planned. Unless something special happens, I intend to clear a dungeon once a week. I’ll let you know immediately if there are any changes.”
Since they could clear one dungeon in three runs, a weekly transaction was manageable.
If any issues arose, they could skip a day of outside activity to clear a dungeon instead.
However, since unexpected situations could always occur, he promised to give Gyu-taek advance notice.
“You’ll handle it yourself, I’m sure. But listen, the people at the Mirae Research Institute cautiously asked if I could tell them the identity of the supplier. Naturally, I told them that was out of the question, but they might be investigating behind my back.”
“Mmm, really? Since we just started trading, I thought they’d be careful for a while, but they’re bolder than I expected.”
They had safely completed the first transaction and were on the verge of the second.
Normally, in such a situation, the buyer would suppress their curiosity to prioritize the stability and continuity of the trade.
However, the Mirae Research Institute had expressed their curiosity about the supplier without hesitation.
If this continued, it could become a burden for Seong-jun, so Gyu-taek asked tentatively.
“What do you want to do? If you’re uncomfortable, we can change the buyer. There are several other good places besides the Mirae Research Institute.”
While the Mirae Research Institute—backed by the Mirae Group—was the best option, it wasn’t the only one.
There were plenty of other corporations and organizations looking for black-market monster materials.
Therefore, Gyu-taek suggested they could switch buyers at any time if the research institute became a liability.
“Let’s wait and see for now. The fewer people who know, the better, so it’s not good to change buyers frequently. Instead, make it clear to them: if they keep prying into the supplier, I’ll be forced to switch buyers. Tell them that if they find themselves caught investigating us, the trade ends immediately. Tell them to focus on the materials they need. They shouldn’t let unnecessary curiosity turn us into enemies.”
Even if they had other options, switching buyers was something to be done carefully.
Although trading monster materials wasn’t illegal, these were deals done behind the Association’s back.
The fewer people involved, the better.
“Understood. I’ll make that point clear once more. And regarding the loan sharks… since they haven’t moved at all after we took care of Park Yoon-su, I don’t think we need to worry about them anymore. Still, just in case, I plan to keep people watching them for a while.”
Seong-jun already knew that Park Yoon-su had been drugged and sent off on a deep-sea fishing boat.
Nine times out of ten, he would be ‘processed’ in the middle of the ocean; he wouldn’t be seen again, dead or alive.
The problem was the other loan sharks who knew Seong-jun’s face.
Gyu-taek had been monitoring them, but they hadn’t shown any notable movements.
It seemed Seong-jun’s warning had worked perfectly.
However, they couldn’t afford to be complacent, so Gyu-taek intended to maintain surveillance for the time being.
“Yes, it’s not time to relax yet, so please keep an eye on them a little longer. And if you see any suspicious movement, tell me immediately.”
“Don’t worry. My guys are experts in that field. I’ll contact you the moment something seems even slightly off.”
The men assigned to watch the loan sharks were professional tailors and surveillance experts.
They could monitor every move without being detected.
“I seem to be in your debt in many ways, Brother Gyu-taek.”
“What debt? Do you know how much money I’m making thanks to you? Once this transaction is done, I’m planning to move the office to a larger space. I’ll hire more staff, increase salaries, and improve benefits. This is all thanks to you.”
Once this transaction concluded, Gyu-taek would walk away with billions of won.
Furthermore, if deals continued like this every week, he would become a man worth hundreds of billions in no time.
Thus, Gyu-taek planned to expand his agency and increase his workforce.
“Haha, if you do well, it’s good for us too. Then I’ll leave things in your hands and head out.”
“Yeah, alright. I’ll wire the money to your account as soon as the deal is finalized, just like last time.”
After unloading all the corpses and mana stones in the abandoned factory and talking for a bit, Seong-jun drove away.
***
Japan, Ookami Guild.
Kato Asumi, who had received another rejection from Seong-jun, was in a foul mood.
“Ha! What did he say just now? He had the nerve to tell *me* to come to Korea?”
At her question, Sasaki Genshiro spoke with an awkward expression.
“It wasn’t exactly like that… he said he’s so busy with work in Korea that it’s hard for him to visit Japan, so if it’s urgent, he asked us to visit him instead…”
“That’s exactly what it means! Is he insane? To reject my invitation not once, but twice? He should be flying here right now to do a dogeza, yet he’s saying what? Telling me to go to Korea?”
Kato Asumi was fuming, but there was nothing she could do immediately.
At most, she could send more people, but it didn’t seem like Seong-jun would come running just because of that.
“I’m not sure exactly when his work will be finished, but it looks like it will take about two to three months. Should we wait until then? Or should I send more people? Actually, sending more people would look a bit desperate.”
They had invited him once through the Association and once by sending people directly.
Having been rejected twice, sending more people would hurt their image.
It would make it look like they were the ones who were desperate.
“Hmph! If that brat wants it, I’ll give it to him. I’m going to Korea. Check my schedule and set up a trip to Korea as soon as possible.”
However, Kato Asumi went a step further and decided she would go to Korea herself.
“What? You’re going to Korea in person? Is there a need for that? It might look like we’re bowing down to him. Perhaps you should reconsider…”
Sasaki Genshiro was flustered by Asumi’s unexpected declaration.
“I don’t care if it looks that way. I have to see that brat’s face no matter what. So hurry up.”
Since she rarely changed her mind once a decision was made, Sasaki Genshiro spoke with a resigned expression.
“Sigh, I will look into the schedule, but I beg you to reconsider one more time. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, Sasaki Genshiro left the Guild Master’s office.
He had asked her to reconsider, but seeing her determined face, it didn’t look like she would revoke the decision.
As soon as Sasaki left, Kato Asumi picked up her phone and made a call.
*Ring… Ring…*
The connection went through, and after a moment, Kato Asumi spoke in a low voice, gritting her teeth.
“It’s me. It looks like I have to go to Korea personally. Tell *that person* to prepare to accompany me. I’ll contact you as soon as the schedule is set. Yes? Of course. If the job is done right, I’ll pay a fitting price, so don’t worry. I’ll call again.”
After hanging up, Kato Asumi flashed a sinister smile.
“Right. Let’s see if you can remain so relaxed after your precious skills are stripped away, Kim Seong-jun.”
What did this mean?
Stripped of his skills?
In Asumi’s eyes as she smiled cruelly, a strange, madness-like energy lingered.