Chapter 181: Lobelate’s Eyeball

Description

Seong-jun’s party arrived at the Chinese Association and, after receiving the promised 3 Skill Enhancement Stones, immediately entered the Artifact Warehouse.

The Chinese Association’s initial proposal hadn’t included the Skill Enhancement Stones.

That was precisely why they’d gone to Germany first, a place crawling with Dark Forces boss monsters, which had also offered the stones as a condition.

However, with additional Dungeon Breaks erupting, the desperate Chinese Association had ultimately conceded the Skill Enhancement Stones.

This brought Seong-jun’s total to 5 Skill Enhancement Stones.

“We’re heading for the consumables or unidentified artifacts section again, right?”

At Gwang-taek’s question, Seong-jun nodded.

“Yeah, weapons and equipment are pretty meaningless to us anyway. Like in Japan, let’s check there first, and if there’s nothing good, we can look at weapons or armor then.”

For a party already decked out in SS-rank and SSS-rank gear, armor and weapons held little value.

As they’d done in Japan, the best strategy was to first check the area storing consumable artifacts and unidentified mystery items.

Thus, the party passed the warehouse displaying weapons and armor, arriving at the section holding consumables and unidentified artifacts.

“Still, for a country as big as China, they certainly have a wider variety than Japan.”

Unlike the rather sparse Japanese warehouse, the Chinese facility housed a diverse array of items.

And in much greater quantities, too.

“The key is how many of these are actually useful to us.”

Though the Japanese warehouse had far fewer items and types than China’s, they’d still found what they needed.

In other words, quantity wasn’t what mattered. It was whether the items truly necessary for Seong-jun were present.

“True enough. Let’s split up and take a look.”

With that, the party dispersed to search for anything worthwhile.

Seong-jun also broke away from the group, slowly scanning one section after another.

‘There’s a wide variety, but most of these are things I don’t really need. Can I find something essential among all this?’

As he walked, slowly examining the items—

“Hm?”

Something caught his eye.

It was a stone tablet.

‘This… looks remarkably similar to the one I got from the Dark Elf village.’

Seong-jun picked up the tablet with a puzzled expression.

As expected, the characters inscribed on it were foreign to this world.

‘Just as I thought. This is a tablet for communicating with a forgotten god. If so, it’s one of two possibilities. Either, like the Crystal of Dimensions, multiple pieces must be combined into one to enable communication, or this tablet is for communicating with a completely different god, not the God of War.’

Another similar tablet exists?

That suggests either these tablets are fragments, pieces that combine to form a complete tablet, or each tablet represents a different god.

When he’d examined the tablet from the Dark Elf village, there’d been no mention of it being a fragment or a part of something larger.

This meant the probability that this tablet was for communicating with a god other than the God of War was very high.

Of course, the former possibility couldn’t be entirely ruled out either.

“Huh? There’s one here too?”

A similar tablet was tucked away in a corner.

Seong-jun picked up the first tablet he’d found and the one buried in the corner.

Since each person was allowed to take two items, Seong-jun planned to choose these two tablets.

“Even if these aren’t tablets for communicating with gods, there’s nothing else that stands out right now anyway. Let’s set these two aside for now and keep looking.”

Still, since there might be more important items, he decided to look around a bit more before finalizing his choice.

Just then.

“Seong-jun oppa! Come here a second!”

Yuseon called out to him.

Seong-jun immediately headed her way.

“What’s up? Find something?”

“Uh, look at this. It feels strange, but I can’t tell what it is. I tried to check its description or options, but nothing comes up.”

Hunters, influenced by the System, could identify artifacts also influenced by it.

Of course, ordinary people could use specific devices to check artifact information as well.

But the eyeball-shaped orb in Yuseon’s hand was, for some reason, impossible to identify. All the while, it emanated a strange sensation.

“It looks like an eyeball. And you say its info can’t be checked? Let me take a look.”

Seong-jun took the eyeball-shaped orb from Yuseon and immediately tried to identify it.

Then—

[This is an artifact whose information cannot be identified.]

Just as Yuseon said, a message appeared stating the information could not be confirmed.

“It’s true? It really can’t be identified.”

Seong-jun’s expression turned puzzled upon confirming it.

But immediately after, another message appeared.

[You possess a skill that can identify this artifact’s information. The skill [Lobelate’s Eye] can be used to identify this artifact.]

Deep Analysis’s secondary evolution, Lobelate’s Eye.

Through this skill, he could identify the artifact’s information.

In other words, anyone lacking that skill, no matter who they were, couldn’t identify this artifact.

‘What? Only Lobelate’s Eye can identify it? Then this item is related to Lobelate, the God of Insight?’

Seong-jun had only learned that Deep Analysis was a skill connected to Lobelate, the God of Insight, after achieving its secondary evolution.

If only Lobelate’s Eye could identify it, then this object was also related to Lobelate.

Seong-jun immediately activated Lobelate’s Eye to examine the artifact.

[EX-Class] Lobelate’s Eyeball

The right eyeball of Lobelate, the God of Insight. Only those possessing the [Deep Analysis / Divine Eye / Lobelate’s Eye] skills can identify it.

Upon equipping Lobelate’s Eyeball, the skill [Lobelate’s Eye] is absorbed into Lobelate’s Eyeball.

When Lobelate’s Eyeball and the skill [Lobelate’s Eye] are combined, enhanced analytical abilities are always applied without needing to activate the skill.

Upon equipping Lobelate’s Eyeball, a portion of the power of Insight can be used.

Upon equipping Lobelate’s Eyeball, all dimensional scripts can be deciphered.

Upon equipping Lobelate’s Eyeball, the flow of all forces can be perceived.

It had the shape of an eyeball because this artifact was, in fact, the right eyeball of Lobelate, the God of Insight.

While the basic form, Deep Analysis, or the first evolution, Divine Eye, could also identify it, unleashing its true potential required the secondary evolution before equipping it.

Moreover, from the moment of equipping this eyeball, Seong-jun would no longer need to actively cast Lobelate’s Eye as a skill. Its effects would be perpetually active.

This meant he could instantly grasp the principles of anything he saw without casting a skill, and understand any complex diagram or problem upon sight.

He would also gain access to a portion of the power of Insight, decipher scripts from all dimensions, and perceive the flow of all forces.

‘Using this, I could figure out exactly what’s written on those tablets. I absolutely must get this.’

Having made up his mind, Seong-jun spoke to Yuseon.

“Yuseon, this is the real deal. So, I’d like you to make this one of your choices. I’ve already picked my two. Is that okay?”

At Seong-jun’s question, Yuseon smiled.

“Of course. So it’s something useful for you, oppa?”

“Yeah, strictly speaking, it’s probably an item only I can use. Anyway, it looks like we found something solid. Good job.”

Pleased by the praise, a bright smile bloomed on Yuseon’s lips.

“Really? Got it. I’ll keep my hawk eyes peeled and find more useful stuff.”

“Haha, alright.”

As Yuseon resumed scanning the artifacts with Lobelate’s Eyeball in hand, Seong-jun returned to his original spot and continued examining the items methodically.

In the end, apart from Lobelate’s Eyeball and the two stone tablets, they didn’t find anything else that was truly eye-opening.

However, the armor section had a considerable number of transformation-capable equipment pieces for those with such abilities, excluding suits. Most of these ended up being funneled to Seon-hwa.

“Hmm, you’ve picked out some quite serviceable equipment. But what exactly are those for…?”

They’d brought out some decent artifact equipment, but the ones that stood out most were the two seemingly useless stone tablets and the eyeball-shaped orb.

Curious as to why he’d chosen them, or if they had some hidden value he was unaware of, the chairman asked.

Seong-jun smiled in response.

“As in Japan, I have a hobby of collecting peculiar items like these. As you can see, my equipment is already as maxed out as it can be, so I chose based on my hobby. Is there a problem?”

At Seong-jun’s words, the Chinese Association President hastily waved his hands.

“Haha, a problem? There’s absolutely no problem.”

From the Chinese Association’s perspective, having those useless items replace the higher-tier artifacts was far more beneficial than letting even one of them slip away.

“Is that so? Well, keeping your promises so promptly is a refreshing change of pace. It builds trust.”

“Ahem, Japan is a small nation that frets over trivial matters. Would China, a country called a great power, behave like such a small nation? Hahaha.”

If there were any chance of recruiting Seong-jun? China would have been no different from Japan.

But currently, China wasn’t in a position to recruit him.

They couldn’t match the terms the United States had offered, and above all, with all of China devastated by the recent incident, restoring it alone would cost an astronomical sum.

And removing Seong-jun was nigh impossible, so the smartest move was simply to keep their heads down and play nice for the future.

“So, are you heading straight back to Korea? Or will you stay here for a day?”

At the Chinese Association President’s question, Seong-jun shrugged.

“All our business is done, so we’ll be heading back.”

It wasn’t exactly the right atmosphere or conditions for sightseeing anyway.

At most, they’d just sleep at the lodging and leave. There was no real reason to do that.

When Seong-jun said he intended to return to Korea, Rian Mei, who was standing nearby, quickly interjected.

“There are some things I’d like to ask of Hunter Kim Seong-jun. Instead of leaving, won’t you stay for just one day?”

Seong-jun looked puzzled at Rian Mei’s words.

“You’d like my advice?”

“Yes. Would that be too difficult?”

The head of Cheonghwa, China’s most prestigious guild.

Though an S-class Sorcerer like Ju So-jeong, she was known to be objectively far more powerful.

She ranked first among dealers in China, first in Asia, and ninth in the world—a figure of considerable influence.

What could she possibly want advice from Seong-jun about?

And a Sorcerer seeking advice from a Priest, at that?

“It wouldn’t be difficult, but could you at least give me a rough idea of what kind of advice you’re seeking? I might not be able to give you the answer you’re looking for.”

At Seong-jun’s question, Rian Mei shook her head.

“It’s a highly personal matter, so it’s hard to bring it up here. But it’s a matter you, Hunter Kim Seong-jun, can certainly provide an answer for.”

Since he hadn’t yet equipped Lobelate’s Eyeball, Seong-jun immediately activated Lobelate’s Eye.

‘Lobelate’s Eye!’

Recently, the number of times he’d read others’ thoughts had drastically decreased, mostly because he hadn’t felt the need to.

But this was the first time in a while he was curious enough to want to read someone’s mind.

Quickly grasping her intentions, Seong-jun thought.

‘Hm? What? She wants to move to Korea? Ha! As the head of China’s top guild, she must be treated quite well in China. Why would she want to leave?’

Surprised by her thoughts, he learned that she intended to abandon China and move to Korea.

The bigger issue was that she wanted to bring the core of her guild with her, not just herself.

She couldn’t openly discuss such matters in front of the Chinese Association officials, so she wanted to arrange a private meeting.

Having roughly grasped the situation, Seong-jun nodded.

“I don’t know what advice you’re seeking, but I’ll need to discuss this with my party first. Hmm, this isn’t something I can decide on my own.”

They’d already agreed to return to Korea as soon as their business was finished.

Now, suddenly, there was talk of staying a day in China. It wasn’t a decision Seong-jun could make unilaterally.

“Of course, you should. Ah! Just in case, I’ve already prepared a lodging. All you need to do is make your decision.”

“Very well. Let me consult with the others and get back to you.”

With that, Seong-jun stepped aside with his party for a moment.

After discussion, they concluded they would stay one more day in China.

The party was also puzzled by her intention to move to Korea.

No matter how one looked at it—China’s one-party communist system, or a socialist state that espoused capitalism—the treatment for the top hunter in Asia couldn’t be bad.

Anyway, once they agreed to stay another day, she led them to the lodging she’d reserved and excused herself, saying she’d see them later.

“What’s this about? Why would she want to come to Korea? As Cheonghwa, she must be receiving nearly the best treatment in China.”

“There must be something we don’t know. Shouldn’t we hear the details from her? She wouldn’t just up and move to Korea for no reason.”

Seong-jun had mentioned he thought she intended to move to Korea entirely, and everyone was now engaged in a heated debate.

“As you say, hyung, we’ll only know the details by meeting her directly. But even if we do, what can we actually do?”

Even if what she said was true, it was a matter that required legal procedures, so there wasn’t much the party could do.

At best, they could offer advice, right?

But Seon-hwa seemed to have a different opinion.

“But as you already know, the Korean Association is watching you very closely. When faced with an ambiguous situation, if you make a decision in any direction, the Association is highly likely to move according to it. This matter is the same. From the Association’s standpoint, having the head of China’s strongest guild and her core forces move to Korea at once might be a burden. But if you actively push it forward? The Association can significantly reduce that burden.”

At Seon-hwa’s words, Seong-jun nodded.

“So, I’d be taking on a large portion of the burden the Association would have to bear entirely on its own?”

“Exactly. You’re the only person in the world who can clear S-rank dungeons and resolve S-rank Dungeon Breaks. With S-rank dungeons erupting across the globe, people will live in fear of when the next one will appear. I can confidently say there isn’t a single country on earth that can afford to ignore you.”

The Association, and every government, was deferential and submissive to Korea not because Korea itself was great.

It was because Seong-jun was in Korea.

If, by any chance, Seong-jun were to leave Korea for another country, Korea’s standing would plummet in an instant.

Along those same lines, the Korean government and Association wouldn’t want to accept Rian Mei and her core forces, even at the cost of antagonizing China.

No matter how much China had been ravaged by this incident, its industrial infrastructure destroyed, and its military facilities dealt a significant blow, China was still China.

The pressure from such a nation could never be ignored.

But if Seong-jun was in the picture? The story changed entirely.

China, with its history of five S-rank dungeon breaks and an active S-rank dungeon, couldn’t afford to ignore Seong-jun, the only one who could clear them.

“Hmm, so that’s how it is. Then Rian Mei seeking my advice isn’t just about getting advice—it’s about asking for my help, right?”

“That’s likely it. So? What are you going to do?”

At Seon-hwa’s question, Seong-jun shrugged.

“Having more Hunters around me can’t hurt. Until the next dimensional shift, we’ll go on our own, but after that, we’ll travel with the maximum capacity. As you know, the Guardian of the Saint only works on Awakened ones, not on the local Dark Elves. Even for the fight against Bakjehwang, I’ll bring as many as I can.”

With the battle against Bakjehwang imminent, they needed to secure as much combat power as possible.

And an EX-class individual would certainly be a significant asset in that fight.

In other words, they needed to bring Hunters to match the maximum capacity allowed by the Crystal of Dimensions.

The key point here was that the higher one’s base rank, the faster they adapted to EX-class.

That’s why Seong-jun was also in favor of Rian Mei moving to Korea.

“Well, even among EX-class, those with higher base ranks adapt much faster and, above all, their combat sense is exceptional.”

Having a high rank didn’t guarantee exceptional combat sense.

But it was true that high-ranked Hunters were more likely to possess superior combat sense than lower-ranked ones.

Even in the same situation, their responses were often fundamentally different.

“Anyway, now it’s time to try this.”

Saying this, Seong-jun pulled Lobelate’s Eyeball from his chest.

“Ohh! Finally going to use that? How do you use it anyway? Do you eat it like the other orbs?”

“No, I don’t eat it. It seems like I equip it.”

With that, he equipped Lobelate’s Eyeball.

‘Lobelate’s Eyeball! Equip!’

[Do you wish to equip Lobelate’s Eyeball? Once equipped, this artifact can never be unequipped.]

An artifact that, once equipped, could never be removed.

But Seong-jun didn’t hesitate.

“Equip!”

Then, Lobelate’s Eyeball began to emanate a brilliant light.