Baek San looked at Jinwoo, unsure of what was happening. He couldn’t help but wonder if Jinwoo, a young man who seemed perfect in every way, had done something.
In truth, Jinwoo had indeed lent a hand, but he couldn’t exactly reveal that.
Jinwoo watched Baek San in silence before asking, “Did something happen?”
“…Of course something happened. I’ve been promoted.”
“What?”
Jinwoo acted surprised, as if it were the first time he was hearing the news.
(Anonymous 1) : Look at this guy, look at him.
(God of Rain and Sunlight) : I feel this every time, but Jinwoo’s acting is legendary.
(Water God of Cheongha) : It just means my descendant is versatile.
(Warrior Who Lives Death) : He certainly is versatile….
(Anonymous 1) : Jinwoo seemed so blank when I first saw him, but from some point on, he’s been constantly surprising people.
(Warrior Who Lives Death) : Mm, definitely.
“…I’ve finally become an S-rank Hunter.”
At Baek San’s words, Jinwoo smiled broadly and congratulated him.
“Congratulations.”
He was truly sincere.
“…For two S-rank Hunters to be born, it’s truly remarkable.”
Baek San was so happy that it didn’t feel real, which ironically allowed him to stay calm. He briefly reflected on his conversation with Jinwoo. Jinwoo had said he became stronger after taking a step back from hunter work and enjoying his life.
‘I’m the same.’
Baek San had desperately wanted to return to being a hunter, but he had been blocked by the wall of reality. So, he had taken a step back, managed other hunters, and enjoyed his life by eating simple soup at the park.
“Thank you, Jinwoo.”
“Pardon?”
“It feels as though the realization I gained while talking to you broke through a wall that hadn’t budged for decades.”
(Warrior Who Lives Death) : Hunters seem to gain sudden realizations and transcend their boundaries just like martial artists.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : Not all of them, but usually, a deep realization is required when moving from A-rank to S-rank, much like those in the Murim.
(Warrior Who Lives Death) : Sometimes, one can feel a tingling realization from trivial stories or completely unrelated fields.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : I agree.
(Anonymous 1) : I’ll admit that too. Well, I use both swords and magic, and Eric is the same.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : That aside, it’s good to see that old man Kang Baek San get promoted.
(Anonymous 1) : Were you two close?
(Returnee of the Demon World) : I was close with all the first-generation legendary hunters. Especially Baek San; his personality was so flexible that he was easy to befriend. He was a consistent person who always wanted to return to the field. All those old memories are coming back now.
**[Legendary-grade Constellation, ‘Returnee of the Demon World,’ has sponsored 1,000 coins!]**
Having recalled his forgotten memories, Kang Min-seok sponsored Jinwoo as a sign of gratitude. Jinwoo accepted the sponsorship with a slight bow and then looked at Baek San.
“Did you happen to put something special in the food?”
His question came out of nowhere.
“I did put in some Orbs and buff-type ingredients I was lucky enough to find in dungeons, but they probably weren’t a big help.”
“…! Buff-type ingredients! Are you actually farming things like that?”
Just then, Maru brought over some Golden Barley, a C-rank item he had farmed himself.
After checking its effects, Baek San’s jaw dropped. It was something even his spirits couldn’t do. No, he hadn’t even thought about trying to farm with spirits in the first place.
With spirits, it had always been about subjugation.
“…It seems I underestimated the potential of spirits far too much. I’ve been living like a frog in a well my whole life.”
Baek San was truly envious of Jinwoo. If only he had traveled with spirits from a young age and challenged himself with various tasks like farming, things might have been different.
“Subjugation is fine, but I should have built bonds by traveling like you, Jinwoo.”
“You can do it now.”
“What? I’m old now, haha.”
“Aren’t you an S-rank Hunter?”
Jinwoo meant that he was surely more energetic than most people in their thirties now.
“…Haha, that’s true.”
He shouldn’t live a life of regret. Yes, the older one gets, the more one should immediately challenge the things they want to do.
“On your days off, you can go on trips with your spirits and family.”
Baek San listened to Jinwoo’s advice without taking any offense. In fact, he looked quite happy.
‘Where else would I find someone to give me advice like this?’
That was his thought. Everyone else just flattered him; no one gave him such sincere advice. What did age or status matter when it came to advice? It was simply someone who had done it first offering a word to someone trying to start.
“Yes, I definitely should go on a trip. Until now, I just spent my days off sleeping at home, using the excuse of being busy.”
Once he became an S-rank Hunter, even his stamina changed. He was already an A-rank Hunter with much more stamina than an average person, but now he felt several times stronger than that.
“Anyway, I believe I crossed this wall thanks to you, Jinwoo. These small buffs, the Spirit Orbs, and the realizations I gained through our conversation combined to break that wall.”
“That wall was likely already covered in cracks and on the verge of breaking.”
Jinwoo’s words implied that Baek San’s efforts until now hadn’t been in vain, and that he had merely added the final touch. These words made Baek San smile brightly.
In a way, it was what he had wanted to hear. Everyone who looked at Baek San told him that no matter how hard he tried, he would never become an S-rank Hunter. Jinwoo’s words were precious because they didn’t dismiss Baek San’s hard work.
“For the time being, you won’t be the subject of public opinion, Jinwoo. You’ll be buried under the articles about me.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Baek San said with a hearty laugh.
“Thank you.”
Jinwoo truly believed that Baek San would do exactly that.
“Please stop by the Association with me later. Since you’ve become an S-rank Hunter, you’re allowed to choose a weapon from the Association’s vault. However, this is a secret.”
(Returnee of the Demon World) : There’s no such rule, Jinwoo. If an S-rank Hunter stays as an exclusive hunter for the Association, they can choose a weapon from the vault, but otherwise, they can’t use it. They might give a subsidy to buy a weapon, but that’s about it.
(Anonymous 1) : But Jinwoo isn’t an exclusive hunter for the Association, is he?
(Returnee of the Demon World) : He’s probably doing it as a thank-you gesture since he’s grateful to Jinwoo. Baek San is an S-rank Hunter and an exclusive member of the Association now, right? So he can take a weapon from the vault, and he’s going to use his choice for Jinwoo.
(Anonymous 1) : …So this is the reward for making Baek San an S-rank Hunter.
(God of Rain and Sunlight) : The Association vault? Surely the things Jinwoo can buy from the Coin Shop right now would be better than vault weapons.
(The Last Blacksmith) : Besides, Jinwoo has no need for weapons. Nothing better than my weapons exists in this dimension.
Everyone, including Jinwoo, agreed with Julian’s statement.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : The Association’s weapon vault is a treasure house where everything from special equipment found in gates nationwide to truly great items are stored. You might get something unexpectedly good.
Those words were subtly exciting. With an expectant face, Jinwoo bowed to Baek San.
“…I know you’re putting in a special effort for me. I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Baek San’s eyebrows twitched. His expression seemed to say, ‘How did he know?’
Soon, he regained his composure, shook Jinwoo’s hand, and said, “Yes, I am putting in some effort. I’m showing off to you that I’m such a great and generous person, so don’t feel burdened and please keep it a secret.”
“Thank you. I’ll also show you that I’m a frugal young man who never turns down something given by someone in a high position.”
The two of them grinned.
***
After summoning Eric again to look after Byeol and the spirits, I returned to the Association with Baek San.
“Everything you see from now on is a secret.”
“Understood.”
(Returnee of the Demon World) : Originally, the Association vaults were connected to all the branches nationwide. They spent a fortune on teleportation devices to move everything from foreign hunters to equipment.
(Anonymous 1) : So they’re gathering all the items in one place.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : Exactly. That’s why they don’t open it to the public… It’s one of two things. They either trust Jinwoo completely, or they’re confident they can kill him instantly if he tries anything funny.
(Anonymous 1) : I think it’s the former… though it’s probably both.
(Water God of Cheongha) : I think it’s both, too.
(God of Rain and Sunlight) : Anyway, it’s something to be grateful for from Jinwoo’s perspective.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : But it’s surprising that the vault is at the Busan branch instead of the Association headquarters in Seoul.
I nodded slightly, agreeing with Kang Min-seok. Storing all the treasures in Busan instead of Seoul—didn’t that mean everyone trusted Baek San, the branch manager here, that much?
‘…But it really is amazing.’
In the memories of Gum Yeon, I had been inside the storehouse of the Murim Alliance. Their treasure vault had this kind of feeling.
(Warrior Who Lives Death) : It really looks like that place.
It was a vast space with walls made of impact-resistant minerals.
(The Last Blacksmith) : I see quite a few truly good minerals. The condition of the weapons is also excellent, though they can’t be compared to mine.
(Anonymous 1) : You’re right. Earth’s level is higher than I thought.
(Returnee of the Demon World) : …I’m surprised too. I’d only heard about it, but I didn’t know it was to this extent. They’ve gathered everything good in preparation for an emergency.
An emergency would mean a massive dungeon, a wave, or a war.
“Actually, these weapons were meant to be supplied to hunters when an S-rank dungeon broke out. They’re still dormant because a private hunter resolved the issue.”
I hid my slightly startled heart and looked around nonchalantly. From gold to giant diamonds, the array of incredible items was almost blinding.
Then, one thing in particular caught my eye. It was a small gold coin, like a token.
**[???-rank Item: Coin]**
— Description: It’s a coin.
— Effect: Unknown.
“I’ll take this.”
“…! This is no different from junk with no known effect. It’s just a lump of gold.”
Baek San mistakenly thought I had picked something random because I didn’t want to burden him. In reality, that wasn’t it at all.
“Pick one more.”
“I’m really fine.”
“I’m not fine. Pick one more. Didn’t you say you were a frugal young man who doesn’t refuse such things?”
“…Haha.”
I had actually picked the best thing.
(Anonymous 1) : That’s a Coin Shop coin, isn’t it?
‘Yes.’
**[Would you like to link the coin to the system?]**
I put the gold coin into the system.
Twenty-five thousand coins were immediately charged. An enormous amount of coins that could extend my life for a significant amount of time had been added. It was truly the best item, one whose value couldn’t be measured.
Even though I had obtained this, I felt almost guilty being allowed to choose another.
It was then.
As I walked through the vault without much thought, I discovered another item. It was a small box decorated in gold.
This, too, was classified as a ???-rank item. Its name was the Mysterious Vault.
‘This is it!’
Now that I had the coins, if I kept a mysterious box, the day would come when I’d use it.
(Anonymous 1) : If it were anyone else, I would have stopped them… but you’re the kind of guy who will get the key somehow.
I walked up to Baek San with the box in hand.
“I’ll take this.”
“Hoo… right until the end.”
I had picked the truly great things, but in his eyes, it seemed I looked like someone who didn’t want to impose.