Selling the Red Heart Nectar.
It was a sudden thought, but it didn’t seem bad.
[Red Heart Nectar]
-An elixir potion created using the secret techniques of the Red Magic Tower. It is a revolutionary method that saves 14% in production costs compared to existing elixirs.
-Based on the blood of a Red Dragon, it strengthens and fortifies the heart.
-Upon consumption, the user’s mana capacity increases by 10 to 15 years, depending on their current state.
He checked the information once more.
Since it was an item that tremendously increased mana, wealthy Hunters would surely scramble for it with bloodshot eyes.
‘And the effect of strengthening the heart can’t be ignored either.’
A mage’s magic is cast based on the heart.
Therefore, this elixir was also effective for heart reinforcement.
Lee Tae-sung, who had already taken it once, felt his body become sturdier.
If it had an indirect effect even on martial artists who practiced martial arts, how much more so for a Hybrider like him?
And Hunters in reality would surely see the benefits as well.
The skills they used operated based on the mana in the heart, just like a mage’s.
‘Let’s wait for now. I have to go to the ruins soon anyway.’
At the request of the Red Magic Tower, he was headed to the ruins of an ancient mage.
He didn’t know what good things he might obtain there, so it was better to use the Dream Manifestation Runes cautiously.
Or, the Red Magic Tower might hand over something decent as a reward for the commission.
However, if that reward turned out to be a skill, he couldn’t just take it to reality recklessly.
Basics are vital for magic and martial arts. Without foundational knowledge, it is impossible even to begin.
There was a reason Lee Tae-sung dumped skill points into the Heavenly Net Flame Water when he learned it.
An advanced hybrid skill like the Heavenly Net Flame Water was so complex that even reading it would sound like utter gibberish to the uninitiated.
“Alright. Let’s go to the ruins first.”
Lee Tae-sung set off.
His destination was the East Gate of the metropolis, Eln.
It was the meeting point for the journey to the ruins.
While Lee Tae-sung was focusing on Dream World.
The National Hunter Association was in a state of chaos.
“…”
“……”
The executive conference room was located on a high floor.
An emergency meeting was held, attended only by those at the department head level or higher.
The topic of the meeting was one: How to stop China’s moves to poach their own country’s Hunter!
Zhang Xuan didn’t particularly intend to take Lee Tae-sung away, but the association’s executives had no way of knowing that.
Because of this, the atmosphere was extremely serious.
“Now. Everyone, please give your opinions on how to resolve this issue.”
“…….”
“……”
Executive Director Choi spoke, but no answers came easily.
The reason Hunter poaching was so rampant was that there were actually many Hunters who changed their nationality in that way.
In particular, China, the leader in that field, treated Hunters who came to their country like kings.
They would grant them vast tracts of land and allow them to act like literal kings within that small territory!
They even promoted this on YouTube or social media from time to time, and talented Hunters couldn’t help but be tempted.
Those who pursued physical comfort over patriotism often crossed over to China easily.
Of course, there was plenty of support for Hunters in Korea as well.
Specifically, Hunters who proved their skills were classified as Super Rookies and benefited from various support policies.
Tax benefits, equipment rental and full transfer, provision of mission information, medals provided by the state, and being treated as quasi-national merit recipients, and so on.
However, it was inevitably lacking compared to the reckless giving in China.
“…Honestly, isn’t there only one way? We have no choice but to provide such good treatment that they won’t even think about going to another country.”
One department head-level official said.
It was a principle-based statement.
And a difficult one.
It might be possible to pour everything into one person in a communist country, but that was impossible in Korea.
Moreover, no matter how great Lee Tae-sung’s potential was, realistically, he was a rookie who had only completed five missions.
What if he didn’t produce proper results after receiving massive support?
The chances were slim, but the possibility wasn’t zero.
If things went wrong, these people could be held fully responsible.
“Of all times, the Chairman is currently on a business trip to the United States….”
The head of the association, the Chairman, was currently in America.
Since he was there for an important matter, he shouldn’t be disturbed recklessly, but… what could be more important than this right now?
Various opinions came up, but none felt like the “right one.”
“Phew. For now, let’s report the results of this meeting to the Chairman. It’s no use us doing this among ourselves if we can’t find an answer.”
“Understood.”
“Actually, since the Chairman is the final decision-maker, his opinion will likely be the most important.”
The others agreed with Executive Director Choi’s words, and the meeting came to a close for the time being.
Yoo Jae-mok, the Chairman of the National Hunter Association, was currently in the United States.
Recently, Korea and the United States were in the middle of various negotiations to cooperate more closely in the economic and military sectors.
The scale of this closed-door summit was large enough for the President to attend in person, and the American side had requested Chairman Yoo Jae-mok’s presence.
The United States, where he had gone with the President.
Yoo Jae-mok wondered why he had been called, but he found out the reason after arriving.
‘This has become a headache.’
The first day of the closed-door negotiations.
The American ambassador spoke cautiously.
-What I am about to tell you is top secret.
-Everyone here is thoroughly vetted for security.
-That’s a relief. Then… by any chance, do you know about Ryan Anderson?
-Of course. He’s a famous Hunter known as an American Ranker.
The United States had as many Hunters as its landmass and population, and among them were top-tier Hunters called Rankers.
Other countries, including Korea, also operated ranking systems, but they were generally considered a step below compared to American Hunters.
It was a famous fact that a lower-tier American Ranker was stronger than a top 10 Hunter in Italy.
-He is currently hovering between life and death.
-!!! No, how?
-It is presumed that he was hit by a curse during a mission.
Ryan Anderson.
A man who enjoyed popularity beyond his rank as a mid-tier Ranker thanks to his handsome looks.
He had collapsed after returning from a mission a short while ago.
-Flames erupt from his body at regular intervals, and his heart’s pulse is gradually weakening.
A body burning at set intervals.
A gradually weakening pulse.
Thanks to the powerful vitality of a Ranker-class Hunter, he was still alive, but it was only a matter of time.
-That is very unfortunate.
I hope Mr.
Anderson makes a full recovery.
-Speaking of which, is there an item in Korea capable of lifting such a curse?
The American ambassador said while looking at Chairman Yoo Jae-mok.
This was the very reason they had insisted on the Chairman’s presence.
They wanted to ask about the possession of an item that could treat their country’s Ranker!
However, just because he was the Chairman didn’t mean Yoo Jae-mok knew everything about the association.
-Hmm… I’ll have to check.
I will look into it.
-Please do.
If you save Ryan, we will process most of the treaties in this summit in favor of your country.
It was an exceptional condition.
At the same time, it was a scene that showed how serious the United States was about its Ranker-class Hunters.
The first day’s meeting ended like that.
Government officials, including the President, subtly asked Yoo Jae-mok to handle this matter well.
If it went well, it would be a huge national benefit.
But it wasn’t easy.
Upon checking, the association had no items capable of resolving such a curse.
‘It’s not something that can be easily obtained somewhere either…!’
Because the body was constantly burning, they couldn’t even determine exactly what kind of curse it was.
They managed to conduct tests only when he wasn’t on fire and confirmed only that the heart was weakening.
Usually, one would need to find an item that offsets the curse, but that was difficult.
They would have to either buy it from the Score Shop or, if it wasn’t there, obtain it randomly from a Hunter mission.
The US government likely scoured every auction house in the world to find what they wanted but failed to obtain it.
Even if they requested such a thing from the Korean Hunter Association, there was no easy solution here either.
-Chairman.
I’m sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but there is something important I must tell you.
It’s related to the rookie Hunter Lee Tae-sung whom I reported about earlier, and recently in China…
A sudden contact in the midst of that situation.
China’s talent poaching.
Chairman Yoo Jae-mok sighed deeply.
He thought to himself that life was truly not easy.
“Then. We shall depart.”
In front of the East Gate of the metropolis, Eln.
The research mages of the Red Magic Tower said so and boarded the carriage.
The personnel participating as escorts took their respective positions.
Lee Tae-sung was among them.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of ruins they are.’
Lee Tae-sung’s role, positioned at the right rear, was to escort the carriage.
To protect the research mages from any possible ambush.
The number of people who had come after receiving the escort mission, like Lee Tae-sung, was ten.
Including the five research mages, it was a total of fifteen people.
Taking a quick look, they all exuded an aura of strength, as expected of people who would take a mission from the Red Magic Tower.
Everyone seemed taciturn, moving while looking only ahead after exchanging brief nods.
Lee Tae-sung also intended to go quietly, but another escort who was behind him approached.
“Hey there.”
“Yes.”
It was a man with a friendly appearance.
Lee Tae-sung thought the man might want to build some rapport, so he figured he should just chat as they went.
But…
“Did you master the Heavenly Net Flame Water well?”
“……?”
Words that suddenly popped out.
How did this person know that?
A question arose instantly, and he looked closely.
It was definitely a face he had never seen before.
But those eyes!
Those eyes, smoldering with a faint heat, were certainly ones he had seen once before.
The man who had almost killed him but instead gave him the hidden piece called the Heavenly Net Flame Water.
“Ba-Baek Wun-ho?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Did you forget that I’m a wanted man in Eln?”
“……!”
No… why is this person here?
Hadn’t he run far away to escape the Soaring Dragon Sect?
Lee Tae-sung checked his surroundings and whispered quietly.
“Why are you here?”
“I was going to leave, but I heard some news that caught my foot.”
“…Is that the news about these ruins?”
“Yeah. To think it’s the ruins of Flame Master Avison. Actually, I don’t give a damn about a mage like that, but isn’t he a contemporary of the Flame Emperor? If there’s something useful, I have to snatch it.”
“……”
Baek Wun-ho had participated in this mission wearing a Magic Face Mask for that purpose.
Lee Tae-sung became worried.
‘Should I just let this slide?’
He wasn’t simply following the ruins.
He had received a quest from the Red Magic Tower. To escort the research mages.
But if something good was discovered in the ruins, Baek Wun-ho would try to seize it even if he had to attack the research mages.
If that happened, the quest would naturally fail, and the reputation Lee Tae-sung had worked so hard to build would drop.
But if he tried to inform the others, he questioned if they could even win….
Baek Wun-ho’s skill level was above that of an elder in the Soaring Dragon Sect.
He didn’t know the specific level of the escorts here, but it might be difficult even if they all attacked together.
If he wasn’t careful, the quest might fail before it even properly began.
“Tsk. Your face is scary enough to kill someone. Alright, alright.”
At that moment, Baek Wun-ho clicked his tongue.
“You’re the type who won’t take even a single loss. You don’t have to make that kind of face; I’ll make sure you get your share. We’re comrades searching for the traces of the Flame Emperor together. So you don’t have to worry about me keeping my mouth shut and running off with only what I need.”
“!!?”
He would share if they got something from the ruins?
‘If so… isn’t this not so bad?’
However, one more thing.
“…You shouldn’t kill the Red Magic Tower mages either, okay?”
As long as they were safe, the quest wouldn’t fail.
Lee Tae-sung’s job was purely an escort.
Wasn’t it unavoidable if the ruin’s treasures were snatched due to unavoidable circumstances?
At that, Baek Wun-ho looked at Lee Tae-sung with a strange expression.
“Unless I’m insane, I have no intention of messing with the Red Magic Tower. I don’t want to die early either. I was just planning on stealing it secretly.”