I ran recklessly alongside Merrick, belatedly taking in my surroundings.
‘Hunter Lee Kwang-woo?’
That was the hunter I had encountered a few days ago when catching the zombie salmon, and he was here in this sea.
It was because of that hunter that I had come all the way to Hanseom’s waters, so meeting him again felt somewhat welcome.
But right now, I didn’t have the luxury to care about that.
Taking down the gate was the priority.
“Master! You only need to watch out for the Alpha Kingcrab’s pincers!”
Eric, who had entered the sea, relayed information about the Alpha Kingcrab.
Its speed was slow, but its shell was extremely tough, and its pincers packed devastating power.
So, while slow, its defense and offense were very high.
I nodded, drew my sword—
Pa-at—!
—and plunged into the sea.
(Chungha’s Messenger): …Come to think of it, Jinwoo can’t walk on water.
I had forgotten too.
[Hero-class Constellation, Chungha’s Messenger has sponsored a skill!]
[C-rank Skill, Walker on Water acquired!]
A skill that, at the cost of mana, allows walking on water for five minutes.
It can be used once per day and consumes a lot of mana, so many hunters have this skill but hardly anyone uses it.
Still, for someone like me without mage traits, acquiring this skill was a blessing.
Besides, my affinity with Baekgu, the water spirit, had grown recently, so if I gained water-attribute skills, I could use them better.
The more familiar you are with a water spirit, the greater your understanding of related skills.
I slowly walked atop the water, gripping my sword.
The skill was fascinating and useful, but since it consumed a lot of mana, I had to use it as efficiently as possible against the Alpha Kingcrab.
“Master!”
“Yes?”
“Since you need to manage achievements as well, I’ll take care of some of them!”
“Ah, that’d be appreciated.”
After saying that, I glanced behind briefly.
Eric and I were walking on water, while Hunter Lee Kwang-woo and a woman who appeared to be his wife watched us with wide, rabbit-like eyes.
“Master, do you find it awkward to face them?”
“Well… you could say that. They’ll probably try to get me to join their guild again, and it’s not easy to refuse.”
“Hmm, understood.”
Eric stretched out his arm.
Pa-mat—!
“What did you just do?”
“I cast a spell. Everyone around here is cursed with blurred vision.”
“…What?”
“Everyone will think it’s the Alpha Kingcrab’s curse ability. Now no one can see us, so we can use our full strength freely.”
“……”
Casting a curse felt unsettling.
“You won’t have to worry about that, Master. Don’t worry, just focus on the hunt. It’s only blurred vision, so others will probably think the fog around here got thick and they can’t see. The curse will lift soon, so finish everything within an hour and leave.”
“…Alright, I understand.”
Frustratingly, I was the type of person who, despite having power, disliked confronting others.
(Anonymous 1): That’s natural. Eric is a good person and a hero in the making, but right now he’s just a summon who follows only your orders. A summon prioritizes its master’s life and does whatever it takes to help fulfill their desires.
(God of Rain and Sun): Since Jinwoo hates making troublesome situations, Eric naturally had to pretend to be the Alpha Kingcrab’s curse and narrow others’ vision.
I nodded.
Maybe it was time to reconsider my values… but for now, the hunt came first.
Setting aside my complicated thoughts, I gripped my sword.
(The Last Night Stalker): No matter how strong their defense is, it won’t be sharper than the sword I forged. Jinwoo, just charge!
“You!”
Since everyone else was blinded by the vision curse, I used a sword energy I rarely used.
Pa-mat—!!
Thanks to the recent achievements and experience gains, my stats had increased.
Becoming an A-rank hunter had strengthened my sword energy skill as well.
But until now, I hadn’t had the chance to fully use the sword energy skill.
With the EX-grade Limit-Breaker sword, recently raised stats, and now activating the sword energy skill—how destructive would it be?
Curious, I poured all my strength into the sword and swung horizontally.
*****
Kwang-woo held his wife’s hand inside the fog.
“Will this be okay?”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine. We’re both A-rank hunters—what’s there to worry about?”
“…We’ve never fought under a vision curse before.”
“I doubt they’ll attack us.”
Ji-yeon looked at Kwang-woo holding her hand.
Because of the fog, she couldn’t see his face, but she naturally felt his expression was filled with confidence.
“How are you so sure?”
“Remember the story I told you about Gangnung?”
“Our saviors?”
“Yeah, the two hunters who caught the zombie salmon.”
“I remember, but why those people?”
“You remember the people who quickly passed by us?”
“Of course, I do. I’m worried about them right now.”
“No need to worry—they’re the hunters we think of as our saviors.”
“…The same people? Are you sure?”
Kwang-woo nodded.
Because of the fog, Ji-yeon hadn’t seen them, and Kwang-woo, realizing this belatedly, nodded once more.
“I’m sure.”
“Then shouldn’t we stop standing around? We should help! Those hunters must be under the vision curse too, right?”
“…No, we don’t have to help. It might only interfere.”
Ji-yeon opened her mouth wide at that.
No matter what, she was the guild master of one of the top five guilds in the Yeongdong region and an A-rank hunter.
Kwang-woo was also a hunter with respectable skills.
‘But… they say we’d be a hindrance? How?’
It was hard to understand logically.
Then—
Kwa-aaak—!!
A massive sound reached their ears.
When Jinwoo unleashed his sword energy and delivered a colossal strike, a huge explosion followed, and the fog slowly began to clear.
“…What is this??”
Kwang-woo and Ji-yeon widened their eyes at the cleared world.
The fog-covered world brightened, and the sun reflected on the sea.
The rising sun shone the brightest it had.
And…
The Alpha Kingcrabs were all split in half.
The sea was soaked with blood, and several Alpha Kingcrab corpses that should have been there were already gone.
“What is this?”
“I told you—they’re people you can trust.”
They checked inside the gate.
Monsters emerged from the gate into Earth, but the monsters inside the gate were already dead.
This was Eric’s magic, though no one knew that.
Jinwoo and Eric had already left using their stealth skills.
Kwang-woo and Ji-yeon, looking at the dead monsters inside the gate, saw hunters arriving belatedly.
Hunters sent by the government.
“…Did you two do this?”
“…Well.”
Ji-yeon and Kwang-woo hesitated to answer.
How should they explain?
Two unknown hunters appeared, and once the vision curse lifted, everything was already finished.
It probably took less than thirty minutes.
That explanation sounded awkward.
Still, as the guild master and deputy guild master of a well-known local guild, responding like that might make rumors spread strangely.
At that moment, Kwang-woo noticed something small stuck on the gate wall.
A note.
Jinwoo, who had a knack for leaving notes, had left one here as well.
Written in white ink that resembled Alpha Kingcrab blood, Kwang-woo quietly peeled it off and read it.
[It was good to see you again. Don’t talk about me, but you can take credit for clearing the gate. Even without me, you two could have handled it.]
Kwang-woo crumpled the note.
He put it in his pocket so other hunters wouldn’t see it and chuckled.
Although he’d only seen him twice, the man always left a fresh impression.
Last time, he amazed them with wondrous swordsmanship and magic.
He was a hunter who surprised and made people look back in many ways.
This time, he appeared in a critical moment to clear the gate but then gave the credit to others.
‘…He wants the gate clear credit but wants to stay anonymous.’
That was what Kwang-woo thought the note meant.
Jinwoo’s intention in leaving the note was the same.
Kwang-woo nodded at the hunters from the government.
“Yes, we cleared it. Along with guild hunters.”
The reputation of the Hanseom Guild was unintentionally rising.
*****
I stored the Alpha Kingcrab in my extradimensional bag and gazed at Hanseom’s sea from afar.
Kwang-woo and Ji-yeon, who had emerged from the gate, laughed and talked with the government hunters.
Things seemed to have gone well.
“Shall we go?”
“Good, Master.”
We headed toward the camper van we had parked near Hanseom’s sea.
Baekgu and Billy, who had already watched the sunrise with their excellent eyesight, greeted us, and we laughed as we embraced them.
“Dad! Dad! Did it go well?”
Billy smiled and asked as if he already knew what I’d been up to.
(Anonymous 1): Cute kid.
(God of Rain and Sun): Hehehe.
(Father of Crops): Watching kids grow is more fun and rewarding than watching crops grow. I finally understand.
“It went well. Let’s eat.”
“Okay!”
After entering the camper van, I drove quite a distance from Hanseom’s sea and parked near a park lot.
Eric went inside the pendant.
The summon duration was almost up, so I planned to call him again during the meal.
(Anonymous 1): The more I watch Jinwoo’s broadcast, the more charming he is. Maybe it’s because he keeps running into situations that require hunts wherever he goes.
(God of Rain and Sun): Not just a simple travel broadcast; meeting people, listening to their stories, eating food—that’s what makes it interesting.
(Chungha’s Messenger): That’s right. Though sometimes boring, for us constellations without any amusement, Jinwoo’s broadcast is the best.
(Father of Crops): Jinwoo, live long… if you die, we’ll have to watch boring constellation broadcasts again…
At that moment—
[Hidden Quest Completed!]
[Hidden Quest Unlocked!]
[Hidden Quest: Solve the Problems of People Met While Traveling]
– Description: You must solve the problems of five people.
– Description: You have solved the problems of Seo-jin, an aspiring painter; Jun-hyun, an aspiring singer; Dong-gyeom, an aspiring chef; Kwang-woo, who dreams of a happy family; and Ji-yeon, who dreams of a happy family and a successful hunter’s life!
– Clear Reward: Five Low-grade Elixir Shards.
I had one Low-grade Elixir Shard from a previous random box.
Now, with five shards earned as a hidden quest clear reward I hadn’t even known about.
Just four more to collect, and I could extend my life by another three months.
“…!!”
I roared with renewed purpose to help and live.
My options to survive were increasing.
(Anonymous 1): …!! Congratulations!