Chapter 7: Fulfilling the Awakening Conditions

There are various forms a Guild can take.

But they can largely be categorized into two types.

The Corporate Guild, where people commute like office workers and handle their assigned duties.

And the Sect-Style Guild, where disciples live together and train as a group.

The Sword Pavilion, founded by the Swordmaster, was a Sect-Style Guild.

“Rise!”

“Wake up!”

At the sound echoing through the halls at dawn, the disciples who had been sleeping sprang up and rushed out to the training yard.

The disciples lined up in rows and columns.

A Master Instructor with a stern expression stood before them, hands clasped behind their back.

“Everyone’s mind must be troubled. Mine is too, so how could yours not be?”

The pillar of the Sword Pavilion had vanished.

The Swordmaster’s favored first disciple, Kim Muhyeok, had defected to China.

The other disciples, claiming the Sword Pavilion’s future was lost, had returned to their home countries.

And with the Swordmaster himself nowhere to be seen, it was natural for the remaining disciples to be shaken.

But, it was precisely at times like this that they could not afford to waver.

“If there’s one thing I can say with certainty, it’s this. Don’t worry. I promise you, the Sword Pavilion will never collapse. Until the Swordmaster returns, we will do our duties and protect this place. Understood!”

“Yes!”

“The sword of the Sword Pavilion does not waver!”

“The sword of the Sword Pavilion does not waver!”

“Then let’s begin the dawn training.”

The disciples formed a single line and ran a lap around the yard before heading up the mountain path.

The Master Instructor’s gaze turned to the very front.

Standing alone where the Swordmaster’s direct disciples had once been. The youngest, last disciple personally accepted by the Swordmaster.

Yoo Seolha.

The daughter of Yoo Baekjun, Korea’s first S-rank Hunter, and brought to the Sword Pavilion by the Swordmaster, who was Yoo Baekjun’s close friend.

At first, many were interested in her.

Some childish jealousy from a few disciples, but most were simply curious about Yoo Seolha’s talent.

-…It’s an F-rank Skill.

A stark contrast to Yoo Baekjun, who awakened with an A-rank Skill from the start.

But just because she started at F-rank didn’t mean she couldn’t reach S-rank.

As long as she had talent for combat.

Even an F-rank Hunter could rise all the way to S-rank Hunter. There were even cases overseas where an F-rank became an S-rank Hunter.

-I won’t give up.

In fact, Yoo Seolha trained relentlessly.

She worked harder than anyone, refusing to lose to anyone.

The Master Instructor knew this better than anyone.

Because they had watched Yoo Seolha’s efforts up close.

‘It’s unfortunate… but she has no talent.’

Yoo Seolha had reached the limit of what could be achieved through effort alone, and for years now she’d been unable to break past the wall, stuck at her current level.

The Master Instructor stayed until the dawn training ended, then called Yoo Seolha over separately.

Yoo Seolha approached, sweat dripping, her expression calm.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was steady.

But her eyes were strangely dull.

“Do not lose your way, even if you’re shaken.”

“Understood.”

“Then go inside and prepare for morning training. I’ll instruct you personally, so steel your resolve.”

“Yes.”

Yoo Seolha watched the Master Instructor leave, then took out her phone and logged into the Exchange on the Hunter Community.

There was a reply to the message she’d sent yesterday.

-Let’s do the deal. Contact me whenever is convenient.

With this, all the preparations were complete.

‘Now I can get stronger too.’

Yoo Seolha sent a reply to the trader.

-Let’s trade this evening. I’ll come pick it up myself. Let’s meet at 6 o’clock at the Association.

Stretching, she let out a long yawn.

“Haaaam!”

She turned her head to look out the window and saw the sun was already up. She was so used to waking in surprise at the alarm that rang at dawn.

But now, there was no need for that anymore.

She could earn money without waking up at dawn.

Growl.

Last night she’d eaten ten servings of meat by herself.

And even added fried rice on top.

She’d eaten until she was about to burst, but by morning the hunger was back with a vengeance.

“…Let’s eat first.”

She threw on a simple jacket and stopped by the convenience store in front of her house. Maybe because it was morning, the owner wasn’t there—just a part-timer.

She passed the part-timer, who was staring at his phone, and headed for the shelves.

Maybe because she was so hungry, everything on the shelves looked delicious. Triangle kimbap, kimbap rolls, lunchboxes, hamburgers, hot bars, and more.

She picked out one of each flavor and type.

She also chose one of each kind of drink and paid at the counter.

“That’ll be 213,000 won.”

“Here you go.”

Arms full, she carried everything home and fired up the microwave.

As soon as it was warm, she stuffed it into her mouth.

Each bite, without pause, was packed with flavor.

“This is crazy.”

Why does everything taste so good?

Ever since she’d become a Dragon’s Descendant, her appetite and need for sleep had shot up. Yesterday, she’d eaten and then immediately passed out the moment she got home.

That’s why she hadn’t visited the Dragon Lair, either.

‘The side effects are real.’

But if these were the side effects, she’d welcome them any time. No matter how much she ate, she didn’t gain weight or feel bloated.

This was a blessing.

“Hooah.”

With her stomach full, she washed it down with a refreshing soda.

Time to get started on today’s tasks.

First, she needed to visit the Dragon Lair and check on the changes.

[Moving to Dragon Lair.]

Shuaaaak!

A white light flashed, and the cave appeared.

A Goblin that had been waiting rushed over.

[I picked up everything you told me to, Master.]

Both hands were full of F-grade Mana Stones and various material items.

A rough estimate put the value at around a million won.

But that wasn’t all.

An Orc standing nearby shoved the Goblin aside and set down its own haul.

It was similar to what the Goblin had brought.

“…Wow.”

I just slept and woke up, and made two million won?

That was nearly equal to my monthly earnings.

Being a Dungeon Worker paid well, but there were lots of deductions, and you couldn’t work every day.

So the actual monthly income was about 2.5 million won.

But now, just by sleeping, money was going straight into my pocket. Earning money effortlessly put a natural grin on my face.

‘Isn’t this a jackpot?’

If I made two million won every day, that’d be sixty million a month.

I covered my mouth in shock at a number I’d never even imagined.

Suddenly, the Goblin glanced at me and dropped to its knees, bowing its head.

[I’m sorry!]

For what?

[I couldn’t bring back some things because my abilities weren’t good enough!!]

“Things you couldn’t bring?”

[I couldn’t pick up the purple stone, the blazing flower, or the sparkling sword!!]

I wasn’t quite sure what those were.

But I had a feeling they’d be worth money.

The reason the Goblin couldn’t bring them was probably due to lacking elemental resistance or physical strength, so even if it wanted to gather them, it couldn’t.

“…How many more things like that are there?”

[Quite a few. From what I found… at least five.]

A grin tugged at my lips.

“You remember where they are, right?”

[Of course! But there are dangerous creatures nearby, so you have to be careful.]

I wasn’t planning to rush anyway.

“Alright, got it. What about the assignment I gave you yesterday?”

[Follow me!]

When we went to the place where I’d first met the Goblin, I saw that a drawing had been made on the ground.

They had decent hands and a good eye for detail.

The depiction of the ruler was quite detailed and easy to recognize.

A bull’s face with horns.

A horse’s body.

And a devil’s tail.

‘Minotaur?’

A D-rank boss monster nicknamed the Minotaur for its bull’s face and centaur-like body.

It was strong enough that several D-rank Hunters had to team up to take it down. Not very smart, but physically powerful.

“This shouldn’t take too long.”

If I kept clearing Main Quests, taking down a Minotaur shouldn’t be too hard.

“View Quest.”

The Quest I’d seen just before passing out yesterday appeared.

[Main Quest]

-Appoint a D-rank Guardian, or raise one to D-rank.

-Reward: Upgrade item grade and spawn rate around Dragon Lair.

I didn’t know if I could appoint a monster yet, since I didn’t have all the info on my abilities, so the fastest way was to raise the Orc.

If I used the money I’d saved up, I could probably meet the Awakening requirements.

I thought about the balance left in my account.

Money I’d set aside just in case. Out of ten million won, I’d raise the Orc’s attack power to D-rank, leaving nine million.

‘Let’s invest.’

With all the money I’d be making in the future, there was no need to hold back.

“View Orc’s stats.”

[Attack: D]

[Health: D]

[Endurance: E]

[Evasion: F]

[Magic: F]

I raised all the lacking stats to D-rank.

[Increasing Endurance.]

[Increasing Evasion.]

[Increasing Magic.]

My account balance dropped rapidly.

I’d spent a little over three million won.

[Desert Crocodile Tribe Orc (E) has met the Awakening requirements.]

[Awakening Quest granted.]

[Awakening Quest]

-The Desert Crocodile Tribe Orc must hunt a D-rank monster or an E-rank boss monster.

-The Desert Crocodile Tribe Orc must learn a D-rank Skill or higher.

-Reward: Guardian rank up.

An E-rank boss monster could be taken care of easily by entering a Dungeon. The real issue was the D-rank Skill. Even the cheapest would cost around ten million won.

“It’ll be settled by tomorrow.”

Once I did the deal with Yoo Seolha tonight, I’d have two million won, and if I exchanged today’s idle rewards for cash and added the rest of my savings, I’d have enough for ten million.

“Time to go do my assignment.”

You can only challenge the Labyrinth once a day, so it’s best to go every day in the beginning.

‘I should reserve a Dungeon too.’

To meet the Orc’s requirements, I’d need to clear an E-rank Dungeon.

On the Party Bus, I logged into the community.

-Is it true the Hidden Piece discoverer is Korean?

-So what? He’ll be leaving Korea soon anyway.

-What floor did he find it on? What’s the reward? Ah, damn. I’m dying of curiosity. Why is there no info being leaked?

-They say even inside the Association, they’re keeping it super secret.

-Can’t blame them. With the Kim Muhyeok mess, they have to take care of the Hidden Piece discoverer.

-Yeah, but he’ll be out of Korea within a week anyway.

-Korea’s hopeless now. Even with the Hidden Piece reward, Dungeon efficiency is trash.

-But why are all the materials sold out? Sell some! I need to get stronger!

That’s because the hoarders are sweeping up all the supply.

I scrolled through the trending posts and went to the Dungeon trading section. A bunch of posts recruiting party members were on the main page.

-Recruiting for C-rank Dungeon party!

-Need people for Ant Nest raid, urgent!

-Newly Awakened looking to clear F-rank sticker!

-Party Bus available.

I opened the search window to set my conditions.

E-rank, near the Association.

I entered those two.

“There are plenty.”

No matter how short the Dungeon supply was,

E and F-rank Dungeons were still easy to find.

The rewards were small, so efficiency was low and there wasn’t much point to clearing them.

“Hm.”

Among the many options, one caught my eye.

[Gnoll Habitat (E)]

An E-rank Dungeon with extremely low difficulty, and a well-known strategy among Hunters.

Even a single E-rank Hunter with proper gear could clear it.

It was only thirty minutes from the Association.

“Let’s go with this one.”

[Reservation complete.]

[If you do not enter by the designated time, your reservation may be canceled.]

With the reservation complete, it was time to enter the Labyrinth.

After getting off the bus and entering the Association,

There were even more people gathered on the first floor than yesterday.

Passing them, I went down to the basement tenth floor, where the Labyrinth entrance was.

Ding!

When the elevator doors opened, I got off and showed my pass to the Association staff guarding the Labyrinth entrance.

“I’m here for the second floor.”

“Yes, confirmed.”

I threw myself into the giant sinkhole and entered the Labyrinth.

[Entering Labyrinth of Bahart.]

[Trial of the Second Floor]

-Hunt all monsters in the Labyrinth and find the way down to the second floor.

-Blue Rabbit Swordsman 0/5

-Blue Rabbit Archer 0/3

-Elite Blue Rabbit King 0/1

-Time limit: 1 hour.

“Let’s go. Orc, summon!”

Wooooong!

With a flash of white light, the Orc of the Desert Crocodile Tribe appeared.

Maybe because I’d done this before,

It moved without needing any instructions.

“Kraaaaaa!”

With a fierce roar, all the monsters’ aggro focused on the Orc.

Crunch!

Crack!

Crack, snap!

The boss monster was taken care of without trouble.

[You have completed the Trial of the Second Floor.]

[As a reward for clearing the trial, you receive two F-grade Mana Stones.]

[Due to success in the Labyrinth trial, the territory of the Dragon Lair is expanding.]

Guess I should head back?

[The Golden Dragon Eye has discovered something.]

“There’s more?”

Just like yesterday, I followed the shimmering golden wave.

The wall of the cave.

This time, the left and right handprints were in different shapes. I matched my hands to the shapes and pressed.

Creak, creak!

A small Sanctuary appeared.

Floating above the altar was a tiny fragment.

A grain-sized stone piece radiating golden light.

It was the Dragon Heart Fragment I’d seen yesterday.

[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]

[You receive the Hidden Piece Discovery Achievement reward.]

[Dungeon raid rewards for the discoverer’s country will increase.]

[Trial success rewards for the discoverer’s country will increase.]

Uh… hmm.

Is this really okay?