Chapter 19: The Eyes of a Treasure Hunter

Lee Tae-sung looked at the flames flickering on his dagger.

This was originally an effect of the Flame Sword Art.

It used to be possible to ignite only the blade of a sword, but upon reaching level 6, it could now be applied to weapons other than swords.

‘However, it might be a bit difficult to use in a variety of ways.’

The mana consumption was high compared to the size and temperature of the flames.

While igniting flames from a weapon or one’s body might surprise an opponent, doing so against a true master would not be easy.

Thinking back to the Crimson Leader he met earlier, this wouldn’t be enough to do much.

It would likely be more effective to simply coat the dagger in poison.

‘Still, I should keep practicing.’

The more weapons and options he could use, the better.

Since efficiency would improve as the skill level rose, now was the time for steady training rather than being picky.

***

The next day.

“You are diligent even from the break of dawn.”

Elder Dam Ho-pung visited Lee Tae-sung, who had been sitting in the training grounds since the crack of dawn practicing the Solar Holy Force Technique.

“Elder. Is your body alright?”

Yesterday, Elder Dam Ho-pung had a serious clash with the Crimson Leader.

The Crimson Leader, Baek Woon-ho, was clearly a master a level above the Elder.

Although they managed to fight to a draw thanks to Lee Tae-sung’s support, the Elder’s body was not in perfect condition.

For that reason, he was currently recuperating, sitting out of the search operation being conducted by the entire Flying Dragon Sect.

“Ahem. Why is a junior worrying about a master? I am perfectly fine.”

Dam Ho-pung waved his hand as if telling him not to worry about useless things.

However, the gaze he leveled at Lee Tae-sung was soft.

‘I wish the other Outsiders were even half as good as this fellow.’

He had come because he had something to say, only to find him training early in the morning.

Dam Ho-pung had met several Outsiders before, but he could swear there wasn’t a single one like this guy.

It was natural.

Most people played games to enjoy themselves.

There weren’t many people tenacious enough to wake up early in the morning just to train.

Lee Tae-sung’s mindset was bound to be different!

‘Not just the Outsiders, but the regular sect members should learn from him too.’

As a senior who had lived life longer, rather than just an Elder of a sect, seeing such a sight made him want to do even one more favor for the boy.

“I am sorry for interrupting your training, but there is a place I’d like you to go with me. Would you like to go…”

“I’ll go!”

“…I haven’t even finished speaking yet.”

“I must go wherever you suggest, Elder.”

Lee Tae-sung spoke with sincerity.

Had anything bad ever happened from being involved with Dam Ho-pung?

He had gained skills, received great rewards, and survived a life-threatening crisis…

If such a man said he was going somewhere, Lee Tae-sung would have grabbed his pant leg and begged to tag along.

“Ha, well.”

Dam Ho-pung shook his head.

Of course, he acted this way on the outside, but inside, he didn’t dislike that attitude.

“Lady Serina invited us before. I was thinking of visiting her today.”

It was best to go on a leisure day like today; otherwise, it would be hard to find the time.

It was also a chance to discuss matters regarding the Crimson Brotherhood.

“Understood. I will prepare immediately.”

“Right. I’ll see you in a bit.”

***

The metropolis of Ellen.

Located in the south-central part of the Western Continent, it was a place where logistics from the central and southern regions converged.

Due to its geographical advantages, the city had grown massive, and numerous factions had moved in with their eyes on the area.

The Flying Dragon Sect was a reasonably large sect, but in Ellen, they were barely mid-tier, which said it all.

“This is the Ellen branch of the Red Magic Tower.”

However, the Red Magic Tower was different.

With branches in numerous cities, the Red Magic Tower was a force whose name was known across the entire continent.

Its appearance was equally grand.

A tower soaring high, piercing the sky.

In reality, one could see many such high-rise buildings, but within Dream World, most buildings were built wide rather than tall.

This sight alone demonstrated how powerful the Red Magic Tower was as a faction.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes, sir!”

The first floor was crowded with people.

It was a place where various magical supplies were sold, but Dam Ho-pung strode through the crowd toward an administrator.

“I am here to see Lady Serina.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“I do.”

“One moment. I will check.”

The administrator checked something and then nodded.

“Elder Dam Ho-pung of the Flying Dragon Sect and his companion. You have been confirmed. You may go up. Chief Mage Serina is in her laboratory.”

“Thank you.”

They were guided to a magic circle in the corner.

It was a teleportation magic circle installed within the tower.

As Dam Ho-pung and Lee Tae-sung stepped onto it, a blue light flowed out with a humming sound.

A moment later, they weren’t standing in the shop on the first floor, but in a completely different place.

It was a laboratory cluttered with miscellaneous junk.

Standing before them was Serina Eldore, whom they had seen last time.

However, unlike before, she had deep dark circles, greasy hair, and exhausted eyes. Not a trace of her usual intellectual mage persona remained.

“Lady Serina. I have come with good liquor as promised.”

“Welcome. My research has been going to hell, so I was just craving a drink.”

Serina licked her lips as Dam Ho-pung shook the bottle.

Then, she turned her gaze toward Lee Tae-sung and nodded.

“Welcome to you too. I asked you to come with him next time, and you’ve granted my request.”

“Hello.”

Naturally, he had to come.

Building a connection with such a high-ranking NPC meant he didn’t know what kind of quests he might receive later.

After that, Serina guided the two to their seats.

“I don’t see the disciple I saw last time?”

“Ah. He’s doing research on another floor. It would be a bit difficult for him to leave his spot right now… Should I call him?”

“No. I was just asking.”

Dam Ho-pung shook his head.

As he popped the cap off the liquor bottle, a fragrant aroma drifted out. Serina’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh my. This is truly good liquor?”

“Haha. This Dam Ho-pung is not a man who breaks his word.”

“I’ll enjoy it. You have no idea how much I’ve been craving a drink lately. This damn research consumes tons of money and mana, but nothing ever gets solved…”

From that point, Serina began to vent her frustrations.

Most of it was about how much money went into the research, how nothing was working, how she couldn’t sleep and was suffering…

Dam Ho-pung and Lee Tae-sung spent most of the time listening and empathizing with how hard it must be.

‘…It’s a good thing I didn’t enter the Magic Tower as my first faction.’

The thought naturally occurred to Lee Tae-sung. His life might be at risk, but it was better to go out and suffer after taking a quest; being stuck in a lab helping with various things didn’t suit his temperament.

Of course, the Magic Tower was a place you couldn’t enter even if you wanted to.

If you were an Outsider, you had to either prove outstanding skill or donate a massive amount of gold converted from real-world wealth.

“Ah, right. Now that I think about it, I have a gift for young Tae-sung.”

After drinking for a while, the spark finally returned to Serina’s eyes.

As if she had suddenly remembered, she jumped up and began rummaging through the lab.

Then, she pulled out a book and handed it over.

“Take it.”

“This is…?”

“The disciple was safe thanks to you. Although death isn’t such a big blow for Outsiders… I still can’t just overlook the debt of my disciple’s life.”

At her words, Lee Tae-sung’s eyes wavered.

Serina’s rank was Chief Mage of the Red Magic Tower.

A gift from such a person was bound to be extraordinary!

He swallowed hard and checked the information on the book.

[Hidden Detect]

– 3rd Circle Magic Book

– It has the effect of finding hidden objects or concealed enemies.

You can also track disappeared enemies by gathering nearby traces.

“!”

Lee Tae-sung was shocked.

A 3rd Circle Magic Book!

In terms of martial arts, wasn’t that at the level of a low-tier first-class technique? it was on the same level as Thunder Fist.

“You’re… you’re really giving this to me?”

“Yes. I wanted to give you something a bit better, but I’m sorry. Most of the magic I know is a secret of the Red Magic Tower, so it’s impossible to leak it to the outside.”

“No! I am more than satisfied with this alone!”

Try digging into the ground.

Does a 3rd Circle Magic Book just appear?

Even in the Silver Secret Vault, which he entered by accumulating contribution points, there wasn’t a skill book comparable to the 3rd Circle.

He would have to enter something like the Gold Secret Vault, and it would take a long time to accumulate that much contribution.

Moreover, since he had recently thought it would be nice to have a tracking-related skill, it felt like a treasure had dropped from the heavens.

Lee Tae-sung quickly learned the skill.

– Ding!

[Would you like to learn Hidden Detect?]

[4 Skill Points are required.]

He had enough skill points.

– Ding!

『You have acquired a new skill.』

『Skill: Hidden Detect』

Notifications appeared simultaneously in both the game and reality.

A satisfied smile played on Lee Tae-sung’s lips.

***

After finishing the meeting with Serina in the morning, he returned home.

He thought the drinking session would last longer, but perhaps she had been through too much, as she got drunk quickly and started swaying her head.

Eventually, Zhang Xuan, who had been in another laboratory, came over with a sigh.

– I’m sorry. My teacher is a nuisance in many ways.

Zhang Xuan supported her and retreated, and the drinking session naturally came to an end.

As Dam Ho-pung and Lee Tae-sung were about to leave, Zhang Xuan called out to Lee Tae-sung at the last moment.

– Lee Tae-sung.

– ?

– We’ll see each other soon.

There’s much to discuss, but let’s save it for then.

– ???

Much to discuss?

This side didn’t have much to say.

He was also curious about what it meant that they would meet later.

No, before that, Lee Tae-sung found it fascinating that this person remembered his name.

He thought he would have forgotten it long ago…

Anyway, after returning to the Flying Dragon Sect, Lee Tae-sung prepared to head out again.

He thought he would be at the Red Magic Tower all day, but since he came back early, he had gained some time.

So, what was there to do?

‘I should do the quest.’

The quest to subjugate the mountain fortress on Byeok-am Mountain. He was supposed to do it yesterday, but he almost died and hadn’t been able to complete it yet.

The quest itself didn’t seem too difficult.

“Oh Choong. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“No. We arrived early, so don’t worry about it. Let’s head out.”

When he went to the promised meeting spot, Oh Choong and the second-class disciples he had seen yesterday were already there.

Yesterday, when they encountered Baek Woon-ho and Oh Choong considered a strategic retreat, they inevitably had to leave the second-class disciples behind.

They didn’t hold a grudge.

They knew it was impossible to retreat while rounding everyone up.

However, it was said that Baek Woon-ho didn’t vent his anger by killing the second-class disciples and simply withdrew himself.

Because of that, the second-class disciples were able to return safely.

“Nothing will happen today. Our entire sect is chasing that man, Baek Woon-ho, so there’s no way he’s still on Byeok-am Mountain.”

“That’s likely true.”

If he were there, he would have been discovered long ago.

That was why Lee Tae-sung confidently moved to perform the quest again.

And so, they set out toward the bandit fortress on Byeok-am Mountain.

Unlike yesterday, there were no problems during the process.

They arrived at the fortress without any resistance.

“E-Enemy!”

“Who is it! How dare you approach our Byeok-am Fortress! If you don’t want to be robbed of everything and die, back off!”

It was a voice that sounded terrified to anyone who heard it.

They might have recognized the Flying Dragon Sect, or even if they hadn’t, they probably looked like a formidable force.

Instead of answering, Oh Choong drew his sword.

“Let’s go in.”

They advanced straight into the fortress.

The Flying Dragon Sect members instantly smashed the entrance and went inside, beginning to deal with the bandits.

The difference in skill and momentum was clear.

– Slice!

– Whoosh!

And the one showing the most brilliant performance was Lee Tae-sung.

Unfolding the Flame Sword Art which had reached level 6, Lee Tae-sung was like a calamity as he moved about.

“Ugh…!”

“H-Help me!”

Eventually, the bandits even began to flee in all directions to avoid Lee Tae-sung.

‘I’ll complete this without much difficulty.’

A smile formed on Lee Tae-sung’s face at the easy quest.

It was the first quest he would complete after becoming a first-class member.

The reward would probably be quite decent, right?

Moreover, a fortress quest like this allowed one to obtain other byproducts besides just the quest success.

Normally, one would have to search manually, but hadn’t he just acquired a useful skill?

‘Hidden Detect.’

A golden light flashed in Lee Tae-sung’s eyes, and then, something sparkling began to appear all around.

It was time for treasure hunting.