Chapter 3: What’s the Item Level?

There are countless ways to obtain a Unique Skill.

Some people get them by hunting specific monsters, while others acquire them by leveling up. Sometimes, you can even get one by using an item.

However, there is one thing that applies to all Hunters.

Unique Skills are crucial to a Hunter’s growth.

I really got another Unique Skill just like that!

So Suho was surprised.

Dimensional Mission.

Just by completing it, I get a Unique Skill.

“Trade? What kind of ability is that?”

Suho hurriedly checked his new skill.

[Trade]

-Exchange goods with a race from another dimension you are in contact with.

‘Does this mean I can finally trade with the Dwarves?’

That’s great.

When you think of Dwarves, you think of blacksmiths!

They’re busy moving in now, but before long, they’ll be making something, right?

They’re Dwarves after all—surely the quality won’t be lacking.

A faint smile crept onto Suho’s lips.

“It’s warm! Now I can really work hard.”

“Oh, this is amazing. Look over there, the snow is melting!”

“What a sight. Makes me want a drink!”

Pushing through the excited Dwarves, Tarunga approached.

“Thank you, Giant. You’ve done us a great favor.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing, you say? Never did I imagine I’d see such a scene in my lifetime. You’re truly extraordinary. Haha!”

Tarunga let out a hearty laugh.

When he first saw the giant hand appear, he thought his tribe was doomed.

But he was wrong.

The Giant wasn’t a monster, but a savior sent from the heavens.

‘Is the reason the oracle sent us here because of you, Giant?’

A hint of fondness glimmered in Tarunga’s eyes.

While the Dwarf chieftain was lost in thought, Suho observed him.

“That Tarunga fellow, his gaze is a bit off.”

Can he not see this way?

Suho asked directly.

“But Tarunga, can you see what I look like?”

“No, I can’t. All I can see is a faint shimmer in the air where you stand, Giant.”

Tarunga replied calmly.

His attitude was extremely polite.

A great mage who can control the climate.

And the one chosen by the oracle.

Suho was careful in his own way.

He’d received a Unique Skill just by granting a small wish.

He couldn’t treat them carelessly.

“I see. Is there anything else you need?”

“I couldn’t possibly trouble you further, Giant. Now that the weather is warm, there’s nothing more we need. Haha.”

Tarunga replied calmly.

“Does this mean no more Dimensional Missions will pop up? That’s a shame.”

As Suho smacked his lips, someone suddenly popped out beside Tarunga.

It was a Dwarf with a particularly shiny crown and sparkling eyes.

He shouted in a childlike tone.

“Giant! I want a drink. Please let me taste your world’s liquor!”

A message appeared before Suho’s eyes.

[You have acquired the Dimensional Mission [Work Motivation Boost].]

[Check the Dimensional Panel for more details.]

“A mission!”

Suho’s eyes widened.

He quickly opened the Dimensional Panel to check the mission.

「Work Motivation Boost」

• The Dwarves, exhausted from the physical labor of building a village. Deliver them morale-boosting supplies so they can regain their strength.
• Rewards: Red Hammer Dwarf Satisfaction. Tarunga’s Reward.

Just as the title suggested, it was a mission to cheer up the Dwarves.

Thinking back on what the Dwarf just said, the meaning was clear.

‘They want alcohol.’

While Suho was checking the mission, Tarunga shouted in a startled voice.

“Bold! What are you doing? Don’t be rude to the Giant!”

“Giant! Sorry, please don’t be angry. But I really want a drink.”

“Bold, you rascal! Still, you—!”

At this point, there was no need to ask what would motivate the Dwarves.

Suho quickly intervened in the conversation.

“Tarunga, please don’t scold him. It’s fine.”

“But still. We already owe you so much for driving away the cold…”

“It’s fine. Would you like to try this?”

Suho picked up a Beer Can that had been lying on the ground.

The moment the Beer Can entered the freezer.

There was a slight sense of resistance.

[Would you like to Trade this item with the Red Hammer Dwarves?]

[Accept / Decline]

A message popped up.

“So that’s how it works. What happens if I decline?”

Suho quickly chose decline.

Even so, the Beer Can went into the freezer.

‘Ah! If I decline, they just can’t recognize it.’

The Beer Can sat in one corner of the freezer.

Like a beam projector, the Beer Can and the Dwarf world overlapped.

But the Dwarves couldn’t see the Beer Can.

Suho took the beer out and put it back in.

This time, the same message appeared.

‘Accept! I’ll trade.’

As soon as Suho answered, the Beer Can appeared at Tarunga’s feet.

But something caught Suho’s eye.

‘It’s shrunk!’

The Beer Can had shrunk to fit the Dwarves.

“So when you Trade, the item changes size to match their world.”

Suho understood how [Trade] worked.

Just then, Chieftain Tarunga asked in surprise.

“Amazing! Giant, what is this?”

“It’s alcohol. If you pull up the tab at the top, the lid opens and you can drink it.”

“Oh—what a fascinating method.”

As expected of a Dwarf.

With just a simple explanation, he figured out how it worked and soon popped the top.

Tarunga immediately took a swig of the beer.

But his expression was ambiguous.

Suho had a hunch.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

Just by looking at them, these Dwarves looked like they could guzzle vodka. Wouldn’t beer be too weak?

“It’s fine. The flavor is more than good enough.”

Tarunga managed his expression as he replied.

But Bold snatched the Beer Can and took a swig, then shouted.

“Giant! Is this water? Why is it so bland?”

“Hey, Bold! You rascal. Again—!”

As expected.

Suho quickly spoke up.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll get you something else.”

“You really don’t have to—”

But he couldn’t stop now.

A Dimensional Mission was on the line.

‘Better get them drunk and get my reward.’

This time, the reward wasn’t another Unique Skill.

But it did mention ‘Tarunga’s Reward.’ That’s the Dwarf chieftain’s personal reward.

‘Let’s go buy some booze.’

Suho hurriedly grabbed his jacket.

***

Thirty bottles in a box.

Suho brought Soju from the supermarket.

“Haha, this stuff goes down smooth. I like it.”

“This one’s not bland and tastes great, heehaw!”

“Alright, let’s hurry and finish up!”

The Dwarves cheered as they held up their bottles.

Then they hung 1.8-liter plastic bottles from their belts.

Bang bang—clank clank clank—

The sounds of work echoed through the air.

Sometimes, you could see them raising a Soju bottle to take a swig.

“This feels oddly satisfying.”

Seeing the Dwarves so excited, Suho felt good too.

Of course, it wasn’t just his mood that was good.

[Red Hammer Dwarves]

• Dimension: ESKHJ-0702L
• Members: 23
• Satisfaction: 70/100

‘Just bringing them alcohol raised their Satisfaction by 25.’

It went up by 30 when I changed the climate, so there’s not much difference from booze.

Just how much do they love alcohol?

Suho chuckled.

“By the way, the item I got as a reward isn’t ordinary either.”

The moment he completed the mission, Tarunga handed something to Suho.

-For now, the only thing I can give you is Fire Flower Water.

-It’s a secret brew of our tribe, a tonic drunk by our youths during their coming-of-age ceremony. Please accept it.

With that, he handed over a bead no bigger than a fingernail.

Inside, crimson liquid sloshed.

Suho’s eyes locked onto [Fire Flower Water].

A description appeared.

[Fire Flower Water]

• A tonic drunk by Red Hammer Dwarves during their coming-of-age ceremony. Greatly increases resistance to fire and sharpens perception.
• Item Grade: Rare
• When consumed: Strength +20, Agility +5, Stamina +20, Mana +3.
• [Flame Resistance] +50
• [Perception] +10
• Cannot be used more than once.

After checking the item’s stats, Suho tilted his head.

“Did I remember wrong?”

A few days ago, Korea’s first Five-Star Dungeon was cleared.

The Boss Monster’s drop item was the talk of the town.

Thanks to that, Suho roughly remembered the item’s stats.

“Fire Flower Water and the Five-Star Dungeon drop item don’t seem all that different.”

I should check.

Suho placed the Fire Flower Water on his bed and picked up his phone.

It was easy to find related articles.

[Icarus Guild clears Five-Star Dungeon]

• One of Korea’s top 3 Guilds, the Icarus Guild, cleared the Five-Star Dungeon that appeared in Gangwon-do Jeongseon. The Icarus Guild’s Guild Master, Hunter Kang Minje…

The article continued.

At the bottom, there was a photo of a man holding a whip.

• The [Thorn Whip] obtained by defeating the Dungeon Boss Monster is exceptionally rare, with its options fully revealed. Since no one in the Guild can use it, rumors say it’ll be auctioned…

At the end of the article, the item’s options were listed.

[Thorn Whip]

• A whip made from the branch of Huorun, the Boss Monster of the Despair Arboretum. Its protruding thorns cause heavy bleeding in targets. Its unique poison inflicts continuous damage.
• Item Grade: Rare
• Physical Attack: 320
• [Intermediate Bleed] [Lesser Poison]
• Strength +20, Agility +20
• Durability: 250

There were thousands of comments on the article.

No way, a Rare Grade with two status effects.

-How much is that even worth?

-Wow, crazy!

-Look at those stats. That’s gotta be top-tier.

-Nah, not top-tier. There’s Hero Grade above Rare. The top players just don’t reveal it, but overseas there are even higher items.

Low Grade: POOR

Normal: COMMON

High Grade: UNCOMMON

Rare: RARE

These are the item grades known to the public so far.

There are persistent rumors that Hero Grade exists above that.

-I have a friend who’s a ranker, and he says that’s top-tier among Rare Grade.

-If it weren’t a whip, there’d be no reason to reveal it at all.

-Oh, here comes the “I have a friend” guy. Next?

-But that whip’s way stronger than my crap gear, sob.

Suho skimmed the comments and put down his smartphone.

“Seriously… Fire Flower Water is on par with a Five-Star Dungeon Boss item!”

Suho was amazed.

This was the first Five-Star Dungeon cleared in Korea.

Yet the Boss’s drop item and Fire Flower Water are the same grade.

They’re not even inferior in terms of stats.

“You can’t really compare a weapon and a potion directly.”

A potion is a consumable that increases your stats.

Once you use it, it’s gone.

You can’t resell or transfer it, so you can’t really set a standard price.

“Even so… this is a steal.”

Suho made up his mind.

Get close with the Dwarves.

Complete every Dimensional Mission without missing a single one.

***

Suho hadn’t even bothered to open his Status Window after awakening as a Hunter.

“Everyone’s starting stats are the same anyway.”

Even though everyone has different physical abilities, everyone’s initial stats after awakening are 1.

That’s how the System sets it.

So what mattered was the changes that would happen from now on.

“Let’s drink the Fire Flower Water.”

Suho decided to drink the Fire Flower Water.

If he sold it, he could make a fortune, but it was an item you couldn’t buy even with money.

Its performance was so outstanding, selling it might attract suspicion.

With his mind made up, Suho swallowed the Fire Flower Water.

A fiery sensation slid down his throat.

Soon, the Fire Flower Water was fully absorbed.

Suho checked the stats section of his Status Window.

[Stats]

• [Strength 21][Agility 6][Stamina 21][Mana 4]
• [Perception 10] [Flame Resistance 50]

The change was astonishing.

“Wow—that’s insane.”

Stats you wouldn’t believe for a level 1 Status Window.

“I got two Extension Stats too.”

Extension Stats.

Unlike the four basic stats—Strength, Agility, Stamina, Mana—you can only get these under special circumstances.

Not only is it unknown how to obtain them, but their effects are a mystery as well.

But the Fire Flower Water gave both [Perception] and [Flame Resistance].

“I won’t know their full use until later, but…”

[Flame Resistance] probably lets you withstand fire.

But [Perception] is a bit ambiguous.

My five senses feel sharper… but…

There’s very little known about Extension Stats.

Those who have them keep their mouths shut.

The reason is obvious.

“That just means they’re that valuable.”

They’re so valuable that people keep them secret.

Suho looked at the freezer with anticipation in his eyes.

Bang bang—

Clank clank clank—

Late in the evening, the Dwarves’ feverish work echoed out.

“I’d better keep an eye on the Dwarves.”

You never know.

I might get another Dimensional Mission.