Dark red flames flickered from Ryan Anderson’s body.
Lee Tae-sung recognized at a glance that they were cursed flames.
The Sun Holy Power within his body seemed to cry out, as if the flames looked delicious.
In fact, Tae-sung felt the same way.
However, he couldn’t afford to be careless.
‘If I eat that recklessly, I’ll definitely get indigestion.’
Sweet fruit could be poisonous.
Moreover, these flames looked blatantly toxic.
No matter how much the Sun Holy Power could absorb mana from flames, this was bound to cause problems.
“Will you give it to me?”
Hans, the Guild Master of the Astral Guild, reached out his hand from the side.
He was asking for the Red Heart Nectar.
Instead of handing it over, Tae-sung made a suggestion.
“May I feed it to him myself?”
“Pardon? Well…”
“I’d like to observe the symptoms up close.”
Hans glanced at Elvia.
She gave a small nod.
Since Tae-sung was the one who brought the elixir and the situation was currently hopeless, they decided to allow it.
Perhaps he had another method in mind.
“Very well. However, you must be careful. We only approach when the flames die down; otherwise, we wouldn’t dare get close.”
“I understand.”
Hans stepped back, and Tae-sung approached the lying Ryan.
As he drew closer, the intensity of the flames and the aura of the curse grew stronger.
Thanks to the effects of the Sun Holy Power, Tae-sung’s fire resistance was significantly high, so enduring the heat wasn’t much of a problem.
‘As I thought. I must never absorb it directly.’
He was certain now.
If he tried to consume it as it was, it wouldn’t just be indigestion; his internals would be thrown into a complete mess.
However, there was a solution.
Tae-sung took out the Red Heart Nectar and carefully poured it into Ryan’s mouth.
This was an elixir created using a secret technique of the Red Magic Tower.
It wasn’t just a simple potion.
It was an item that mimicked a dragon’s heart.
It was fatal to such wicked energies.
It would strengthen Ryan’s weakened heart while simultaneously neutralizing the cursed aura.
*Ssssss*
As soon as it was poured into his mouth, it dissolved and was absorbed.
The cursed aura weakened drastically.
‘It’s working!’
Tae-sung’s eyes sparkled.
The curse that had been stinging his skin had faded immensely.
At this level, there would be almost no problem absorbing it with the Sun Holy Power.
“Ah… Is even this not enough…?”
“Elvia…”
Behind Tae-sung, Elvia collapsed to her knees, and Hans looked at her with a pained expression.
Elvia was devastated.
Tae-sung’s elixir had been their last hope, yet Ryan showed no signs of waking.
On the contrary, the flames grew even more intense.
This happened because the Red Heart Nectar had removed the curse but strengthened the flames themselves, but the two onlookers misunderstood and were on the verge of tears.
Tae-sung moved even closer to Ryan.
He then operated the Sun Holy Power at full strength.
*Hummmm!*
The essence of the massive flames began to flow into his heart and dantian.
*Sizzle!*
There was still some weakened cursed energy mixed in, but it was purified within his body like licorice, transforming into a greater flow of mana.
It felt less like mana circulation and more like inhaling an elixir.
As Tae-sung stood still and concentrated for a long time, Hans and Elvia were deeply moved.
They had already half-given up, yet he was putting in such serious effort!
Perhaps the heavens recognized his sincerity?
“!!?”
Slowly, the flames surrounding Ryan’s body began to weaken!
“L-Look at that, Elvia! The flames are…?”
“!!!?”
Hans and Elvia stood up in shock and approached.
Only then did they realize that the ominous cursed energy had vanished without a trace.
“Could it be…?”
Elvia muttered in surprise. Ryan’s expression, which had always been pained, now looked peaceful.
She quickly turned her gaze toward Tae-sung.
Tae-sung had a distressed look on his face.
They assumed he had used some kind of ability to heal Ryan and was now suffering from the backlash.
However…
‘Ah… what a waste.’
Tae-sung wasn’t suffering; he was just feeling regretful.
The weakening of the flames meant he had almost sucked them dry.
He wished it could have lasted just a little longer.
***
His mana capacity had grown quite substantially.
In exchange for healing just one person, he had gained roughly five years’ worth of mana.
The reward for coming to America was significant.
And a thought had been lingering in Tae-sung’s mind for a while now.
‘I need to learn the Mana Hybrid stage that follows the Sun Holy Power.’
Fire originally represents not just destruction, but also purification.
In fact, the Sun Holy Power possessed a faint aura of purification.
Ryan’s curse had been so powerful that it was almost ineffective, but that ironically allowed Tae-sung to deduce that there was a subsequent Mana Hybrid.
‘Baek Wun-ho said the Sun Holy Power is like an introductory version of the hybrid left by the Flame Emperor.’
Baek Wun-ho had clearly stated that the Sun Holy Power was the first thing a descendant of the Flame Emperor would learn.
If that was the case, wouldn’t his purification abilities be far superior if he found and mastered the next stage?
He felt a newfound greed for skills.
He wanted to find and learn the next one.
‘I hope Master Baek Wun-ho found at least a clue at Needle Sword Mountain.’
Once things were wrapped up here, he would need to log in as soon as possible.
After Tae-sung finished the treatment, a doctor and a Hunter with healing skills also visited.
Time passed busily, and not long after, Ryan woke up.
“Uuugh…”
“Ryan! Are you awake?”
“…Elvia?”
“Oh… God… Thank you… thank you…”
Elvia buried her face in Ryan’s chest and sobbed.
Even in his weakened state, Ryan patted her back.
At the same time, he looked at Hans, questioning what had happened.
Hans gave a bitter smile.
“Don’t you remember anything?”
“…Only bits and pieces.”
Ryan, who had just woken up and was disoriented, slowly began to grasp the situation.
He remembered going on a mission, getting cursed just before success, and returning.
He remembered losing consciousness as his condition worsened, eventually collapsing.
He remembered seeing Elvia’s worried eyes whenever he briefly regained consciousness.
“Was I… cured?”
It was Elvia who answered his question. She looked up and pointed toward Tae-sung.
“Yes. You were able to get up thanks to him.”
Tae-sung was smiling with satisfaction when Ryan spoke.
“Thank you for saving me. You’ve saved not just me, but Elvia and the Astral Guild as well.”
“Haha… It wasn’t that much.”
“No. It was exactly that much. Let’s go!”
Elvia wiped her tears and stood up abruptly.
Joy was joy, but she was determined to provide a proper reward for this happiness.
“Would you like to come to my workshop?”
“Yes.”
Tae-sung nodded.
***
Before leaving for Elvia’s workshop.
Just as Hunters had to deal with Hunter affairs, politicians had their own work to do.
Association President Yu Jae-mok spoke with regret.
“I would love to go with you, but… this matter is very important.”
“I understand.”
The details of the agreement between Korea and the United States would change depending on Ryan’s recovery.
Since this had been successful, the deal would gain proper momentum.
Even the President was among those waiting for this news, so Yu Jae-mok had to go.
“I will finish the report as quickly as possible and come find you.”
“You don’t have to do that, but… feel free.”
“Yes. And if you don’t mind… could we inform the media that Hunter Lee Tae-sung played a major role in resolving this issue?” Yu Jae-mok asked cautiously.
Although Korea and the United States were allies, there was a massive difference in national power.
In such a situation, if Korea gained a unilateral benefit, it had to be explained to the public.
It would boost approval ratings!
In the process, he wanted to let it be known that this agreement was made possible thanks to Lee Tae-sung.
There were no permanent secrets in the world.
If they hid it and it was revealed later, it could cause a backlash.
It was better to announce that a great Hunter had been born in Korea and that negotiations between nations had gone well thanks to him.
Tae-sung’s emergence was an accident, but politicians were masters at framing such events as if they had happened because of their own competence.
‘Will Hunter Lee Tae-sung welcome this?’
Among Hunters, there were many who hated becoming famous and causing a stir.
Getting one’s face known could be a nuisance.
They already dealt with enough stress from periodic missions and didn’t want to be stressed in their daily lives as well.
“That sounds great to me!”
Tae-sung replied with a smile.
Becoming famous?
He liked it!
Ever since he decided to create a guild, he had intended to live that way.
He had lived an average life until now, but he had made up his mind to climb to the very top.
And this was a great opportunity for the Taesung Guild.
‘I can naturally promote the guild.’
His record was still a bit lacking, but once his name became known, other Hunters might want to join later.
It was a one-man guild for now, but who knew?
It might become a massive guild with countless Hunters in the future.
“Thank you. Then I will proceed with that in mind.”
Yu Jae-mok left with a satisfied expression.
***
Afterward, Tae-sung departed with the members of the Astral Guild.
Their destination was Elvia’s workshop.
Since she was both a producer and an alchemist, she had all sorts of things stored in her private workshop.
“Elvia is the treasure of our guild. To be honest, she helps the guild more than most ranker-class Hunters,” Hans, the Guild Master, said.
Because Elvia was in the production class, her combat power was weak, but she contributed to the overall growth of the guild.
She created items that couldn’t be bought in the Score Shop and crafted equipment using materials obtained as mission rewards.
Suddenly, Tae-sung became curious.
“But if you’re in the production class, how do you handle missions? Your martial power must be lower.”
“It’s lower than specialized combat Hunters, but my combat power isn’t bad. When doped up with various potions and items, I’m stronger than most Hunters.”
So there was a specific combat method for alchemists.
“And if it seems too difficult, I can just enter as a party.”
“A party?”
“You didn’t know?”
Hans tilted his head.
“Once you’ve cleared fifteen missions, it becomes possible to form a party and enter with others.”
So there was such a thing. Tae-sung hadn’t known.
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Ah. I’ve only done ten missions so far.”
“!”
“!!!”
Hans, Ryan, and Elvia, who were in the car, all widened their eyes in shock at the same time.
Although they had invited Tae-sung, it was purely for the purchase of the medicine and to show their gratitude; they hadn’t investigated his identity in detail.
‘Ten? He’s a new Hunter who has only done ten missions?’
Ryan was particularly shocked. When he first saw Tae-sung, he thought he was quite powerful.
Even while just standing there, he gave off a distinct aura. He expected him to be a veteran, even if not quite at the ranker level.
‘How talented is he?’
Regardless of whether the three were surprised, Tae-sung was fascinated by the fact that missions could be entered as a party.
For some reason, the Association hadn’t informed him of this fact.
“Is it good to enter as a party?”
“It’s great. It allows Hunters with weak martial power, like those in the production class, to steadily earn scores.”
However, entering as a party didn’t increase the mission rewards.
Tae-sung lost interest immediately.
If that was the case, it was better to go in alone and take everything for himself rather than sharing with others.
“We’ve arrived.”
They were in a mountainous area on private land.
Elvia’s research facility was built there.
After entering through iris and fingerprint recognition, Elvia brought out a leather armor that was stored in a glass case.
“Please, take this for now.”
Tae-sung accepted it. Despite being armor that covered the entire upper body, it was incredibly light.
“It’s my masterpiece, made by mixing Basilisk and troll hides. It’s harder than metal armor, and even if it’s damaged, it can be restored just by infusing it with mana.”
It was a Hunter-exclusive item made from materials obtained through missions or the Score Shop, meaning it could be taken into missions.
Hans flinched at the side, wondering if she should really give away such a precious item.
Tae-sung, sensing this, quickly thanked her before she could ask for it back.
“So this is the reward. Thank you.”
“Yes. And wait a moment. This is an auto-potion belt. It only holds two, but it’s quite useful. Also, I have mission check tickets and various buff potions. And since it’s bad for poison symptoms to remain, if I take those out…”
“???”
Elvia busily ran around the workshop, gathering various items and beginning to pile them in front of Tae-sung.
Tae-sung was slightly taken aback.
‘I thought she was just giving me one thing as a reward?’
Why was there so much?