He had brought Magma’s Fang out through the Dream Realization Rune.
With this, he could receive help in real-world missions and ensure his safety.
However…
“Oh, wait. Can I not use this in the game now…?”
Magma’s Fang had disappeared from the game!
It was a frustrating situation.
In his rush to bring a good item into reality, he had used the Realization Rune without thinking of the consequences.
The Dream Realization Rune didn’t copy an item; it breathed life into a virtual object from the game to create it in the real world.
‘Well… it can’t be helped.’
Lee Tae-sung scratched his temple and decided to look on the bright side.
Performing well in the game was important, but it couldn’t compare to surviving in reality.
Furthermore, he needed to clear more missions perfectly to grow his guild, making equipment reinforcement essential.
It was a hasty choice, but it wasn’t a wrong one.
He placed Magma’s Fang safely in a corner of his room.
Next, Tae-sung held the Red Heart Nectar in his hand.
It was an elixir made by the Red Magic Tower, and he had already consumed one.
Since the efficiency dropped drastically starting from the second dose, he had intended to sell it.
But he needed a proper buyer.
‘Let’s look into it first.’
If the selling price was terrible, he would just consume it himself, even if the efficiency was poor.
Even with diminished returns, it was still an elixir, so it wouldn’t be completely useless.
Thinking so, Tae-sung sent a message to Manager Song asking him to look for a buyer for the Red Heart Nectar.
***
Yoo Jae-mok, the chairman of the National Hunter Association, was still staying in the United States.
A tug-of-war negotiation between Korea and the US was ongoing.
However, that was only the surface reason; the real delay was due to a condition set by the American side.
— Anderson Ryan.
If you can treat this man, we will ensure that all conditions are met to Korea’s satisfaction.
This agreement included various economic sectors and mutual defense treaties.
If successful, it would be a monumental achievement for the president and his officials.
Thus, they had earnestly pleaded with Chairman Yoo Jae-mok.
They begged him to find a cure.
Yoo Jae-mok desperately wanted to find one as well.
The problem was…
‘Where am I supposed to find a cure that doesn’t exist?’
Ryan Anderson was currently suffering from a curse he contracted during a mission.
His body periodically burst into flames, and his heart was slowly stopping.
Because he was a young ranker who many believed would become the next representative hunter for the US, the Americans were desperate to save him.
The US had already exhausted their efforts and failed to find a cure.
Therefore, it was nearly impossible for Yoo Jae-mok to succeed, no matter how hard he tried.
“Whew…!”
Yoo Jae-mok let out a long sigh and opened his laptop in his hotel room.
He needed to check the messages from Korea.
‘At least the talent drain issue seems to have been stopped. I’m glad I have one less thing to worry about.’
One of his recent concerns had been Lee Tae-sung, a high-spec newbie who had appeared in Korea after a long time.
He had heard reports of Tae-sung achieving perfect scores from the tutorial through the fifth mission, but he felt more proof was needed.
There were plenty of hunters who started strong only to crumble later.
However, once he heard that a member of the Politburo in China had moved personally, he began providing Tae-sung with top-tier treatment under his authority as chairman.
If a figure of that magnitude was involved, it meant the association had to act quickly.
As it turned out, his judgment was correct.
Good grief!
In just one night, the boy had received perfect scores from the sixth through the ninth missions!
‘I thought the report from the association was spam.’
Had the directors manipulated the data out of over-eagerness?
Or was it a hacker attack?
The report was so absurd that such thoughts crossed his mind.
Fortunately, despite the time difference, the Korean association was in a meeting until dawn, so he was able to speak with them in real-time and confirm the results were true.
The decision to treat Lee Tae-sung as a super rookie in advance had turned out to be an excellent move.
“Now then. Let’s see how he’s taking his first steps as a one-man guild…”
He looked through the reports on Tae-sung.
He had spent about 100,000 points to buy various items and supply them to large corporations—it wasn’t a bad start.
While 100,000 points were minor for a guild, that amount would increase significantly in the future.
The association was satisfied with the birth of a solid new guild.
Yoo Jae-mok smiled, but then he saw a question attached at the end.
Red Heart Nectar.
Tae-sung could see the details of in-game items through his status window, but ordinary people could not.
Instead, they used appraisal items purchased from the score shop.
[**Appraisal Result**]
Strengthens the heart of the consumer due to the influence of unknown ingredients.
Increases the consumer’s mana capacity.
Minimum intermediate-grade.
These were the specs of the Red Heart Nectar written in the document.
It didn’t show the exact name or detailed figures like it did in the game, only providing a general overview.
Even so, it was enough to guess the elixir’s properties.
Chairman Yoo Jae-mok read the contents in shock.
‘…Heart strengthening? Increased mana capacity?’
The mana increase was one thing.
Elixir-type items couldn’t be bought in the score shop and only appeared occasionally as mission rewards, so he knew how incredible their specs could be.
However, an elixir that both strengthened the heart and increased mana was rare.
And this…
‘Could this be used for Ryan Anderson?’
A curse that periodically burned the body and weakened the heart.
He wasn’t sure how to handle the burning, but at the very least, this seemed like a solution for the weakening heart.
Once that thought occurred to him, Yoo Jae-mok jumped to his feet.
“This might actually make the treaty happen!”
An unexpected breakthrough had appeared in the stagnant negotiations between the two countries!
***
Hunter missions increased in difficulty as they progressed.
Since the SC given as a reward also increased, veteran hunters who cleared many rounds became extremely valuable.
There was a secret shared among such hunters.
— Missions change significantly at certain intervals.
Just as the first three missions were called tutorials and had the lowest difficulty.
“From the tenth mission onward, the missions move beyond simple combat and become more varied.”
Mazes, deductions, puzzles, riddles, trap detection, and cooperative missions—various types began to appear.
— There were hints of this in previous missions, but it becomes much more intense.
“Does it get a lot harder?”
— It’s not just that it’s hard; it requires more adaptability.
Hunters who only had good skills and were good at fighting would struggle in future missions.
All-rounders who were good at everything would shine more.
These were the things Manager Song Sang-yeop told Lee Tae-sung over the phone when Tae-sung mentioned he was heading into his tenth mission.
— You’ve done exceptionally well so far, and I’m sure you’ll continue to do so, but I’m telling you this out of concern.
Successful hunters were the most prone to letting their guard down, and that was the moment they could die.
One had to be cautious and “tap even a stone bridge before crossing.”
— The missions will feel much more realistic, and characters like NPCs will appear.
Some of them might try to deceive hunters, so please be careful.
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
— Yes.
I’ll be waiting.
Manager Song hung up.
Even if he hadn’t said anything, Tae-sung would not have been careless.
Didn’t humans have long-standing survival instincts?
Having lived a life that always hovered around the middle—no, the bottom—caution was a habit ingrained in his very bones.
However, he braced himself once more.
After checking his resolve, a notification rang out.
*Ding!*
[**Would you like to participate in the mission?**]
“Let’s go!” Lee Tae-sung’s figure vanished from his home.
***
*Ding!*
[**You have entered the mission.**]
The setting for this mission was a forest.
It was a dark forest as the sun was setting.
Tae-sung stood in a small clearing where the trees were sparse.
“Ugh… p-please help me.”
A labored groan came from the side.
A massive, hairy man was lying down with a large wound in his side.
‘A person?’
He had heard that NPCs would appear from the tenth mission onward.
Seeing it in person was still surprising.
Then again, if monsters could appear, why couldn’t people?
Furthermore, he wasn’t exactly human.
The ears of the man leaning against a tree trunk weren’t human, but rather like those of a bear.
Now that he looked closer, his massive build and thick fur were also slightly different from a human.
‘Is he a demi-human?’
A notification appeared before his eyes.
*Ding!*
[**This is the tenth mission.**]
[**Mission: Healing and Survival.**]
[**You are currently in Draken’s Forest. Monsters exist throughout the forest, and they are approaching this clearing, drawn by the scent of blood. Save the Bear Kin man, Ji-wesin, and escape the forest.**]
[**TIP: Ji-wesin is a recognized powerhouse among the Bear Kin. If you heal him, the forest monsters will no longer be a threat.**]
[**TIP: Healing herbs are commonly found in Draken’s Forest. Ask Ji-wesin which herbs he needs.**]
[**Mission Reward: 8,500 SC.**]
The first thing he noticed was the mission reward.
Perhaps because the tenth mission was more complex and difficult, the reward had jumped significantly.
‘8,500 points.’
Not long ago, he had to achieve a perfect score to get that many points.
Here, he just had to succeed.
“If… if you help me, I will reward you handsomely. I can move if I can just stop the bleeding… ugh… p-please, could you bring me some herbs from nearby?”
Looking at the mission, the solution seemed simple.
Heal the Bear Kin man, Ji-wesin, and leave.
If he were a hunter with healing skills, he could have treated him immediately and used him as a combat asset.
According to the tip, the man seemed quite strong.
However, Lee Tae-sung had no healing skills.
That left him with Plan B.
He had to find the herbs the man mentioned, provide basic treatment, and then escape the forest.
‘So, a hunter with healing skills can aim for a perfect score, and if not, you just find the herbs quickly and aim for mission success.’
He roughly understood how to approach this mission.
“I’ll be back in the forest for a moment. Stay here.”
“It’s dangerous!”
Ji-wesin voiced his concern, but Tae-sung began to move while holding Magma’s Fang.
His eyes, glowing gold with Hidden Detect, had spotted a monster hiding behind a tree not too far away.
This was the threat in the forest.
‘Let’s see the level of these monsters.’
Utilizing the Dragon-Shadow Wind Walk, he closed the distance in an instant and drew his sword.
It was the first style of his newly learned Red Cloud Seven Styles: Red Cloud Slash.
*Slice!*
A strike that seemed to tear through space accompanied by a burst of flames.
It was the result of combining the flames of the Flame Sword Technique with the Red Cloud Seven Styles.
The monster was split in half before it could even react.
This was a demonstration of how formidable a first-rate sword technique truly was!
*Ding!*
[**You have defeated a Forest Cramp.**]
[**You have obtained 1,350 SC.**]
“……”
Tae-sung’s eyes sparkled.
An enemy that could be taken down in one hit was worth 1,350 points each?
‘Do I even need to heal him?’
Ji-wesin’s wound didn’t look fatal.
The mission would be a success as long as Ji-wesin survived and escaped the forest.
In that case… wouldn’t it be fine if he just wiped out every single threat?