A S-Class Hunter With Great Agility - Chapter 164
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 164: Butterfly (1)
“Didn’t I tell you that I’d rather die than go to the field…? Hunters are too scary!”
Sob sob.
Jegal Hyeon even took off his glasses and wiped away his tears vigorously. With his nose all red, he hardly looked like a team leader capable of leading a team.
“I’m truly grateful that the Guild Leader took me in when I was only doing unprofitable research, but there are things I can and can’t do…! Sob.”
“…Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down. I’ve developed a complete trauma.”
Despite his young age, she had put him in the team leader position due to his exceptional abilities, but this personality was really…
‘I can’t handle this.’
Yeon Na-yeon held her forehead and shook her head.
‘Is it my fault for hiring a former shut-in…?’
Jegal Hyeon was one of the guild members with very little social experience.
Especially since he couldn’t adapt to his own body even after awakening, breaking laboratory equipment was a daily occurrence. To think he’d be afraid of fellow Awakened – that said it all.
The world’s greatest coward. An unparalleled social misfit, crybaby. But also a genius…
“…”
Yeon Na-yeon had no idea how to define Jegal Hyeon.
“So, what exactly happened? You came to report, didn’t you?”
“*Sniff*, Yes. That’s right.”
Jegal Hyeon seemed to have calmed down a bit as he put his glasses back on. Then he took a small deep breath and poured out his words.
“The Siren Dungeon we had reserved turned out to have an owner. Someone had won it at an auction hosted by the Association.”
“…”
“The situation was pitiful, but that dungeon was really important to us too, so *sniff*, I hastily proposed a bet with the dungeon at stake…”
That made sense. Returning less than half a day after departing for the field meant they must have suffered a crushing defeat in that bet.
“We lost, we lost. What good was our state-of-the-art equipment? He killed over ten Sirens by himself in just a few seconds, and honestly, I was so scared I almost ran away on the spot…”
‘By himself? That quickly?’
Yeon Na-yeon showed an intrigued expression.
“Why am I really like this? I should have sized up my opponent before challenging them. You must find me pathetic, right? You’d be justified in kicking me out… But could you let me finish my current research before kicking me out…?”
“I’m not kicking you out. Why would I over something like this? It was the Association’s mistake. You did nothing wrong.”
“…! Guild Leader…”
First, she needed to help Jegal Hyeon regain his composure. At her words, his face visibly showed relief.
“But this is troublesome. There are no more Siren Dungeons left domestically.”
At the following statement, he immediately became dejected, creating walnut-shaped wrinkles on his chin.
“There might be some overseas if we look…”
“O-overseas assignment?”
“…I can’t send you there either. Besides, going overseas to collect materials wouldn’t be cost-effective.”
If she sent Jegal Hyeon overseas, she might find his corpse the next day. And it would cost a lot of money too.
‘I need to resolve this domestically if possible…’
Yeon Na-yeon continued pondering while plucking withered flowers from the garden, then asked back.
“But who is that Hunter? If we could at least know his name, this might be easier to resolve than expected.”
An ordinary Hunter would hire a cleanup crew to collect dungeon byproducts, and among those would be the materials Nabi Guild was trying to obtain.
‘We only need fragments of Siren’s Tears.’
“How about we find that Hunter and either persuade or threaten him? We could propose a trade for the Siren’s Tears fragments.”
“Ah…! That’s a really good idea, Guild Leader! No matter how scary a Hunter is, it would be hard to refuse Nabi’s proposal.”
Jegal Hyeon regained his energy. And he began describing the Hunter he had seen.
“I don’t know his name well, but he was a man with an incredibly cold expression. It felt like cold wind was blowing fiercely around him… He wasn’t particularly tall, but maybe because his face was handsome, I didn’t really think of him as short.”
“…”
“Oh, he was wearing very unusual clothes. The inner garment was blue silk, and a black coat? No, it wasn’t a coat. What do you call it… Anyway, he wore a long black outer garment.”
“…I see?”
Somehow the characteristics seemed to overlap with someone she knew.
“Tell me more.”
“I was too scared to look at his face properly, so I can’t really remember much… Ah!”
Jegal Hyeon clapped his palms together.
“He said he knew you somewhat, Guild Leader.”
“Me?”
At this point, it was certain. Yeon Na-yeon stroked her small chin.
“And he used a thick, heavy-looking sword…”
“No. That’s enough. I think I know who it is.”
“Already? As expected of the Guild Leader!”
It must be the person I’m thinking of. There wouldn’t be another Hunter in Korea with similar characteristics.
That man who had recently begun showing his face frequently among the S-ranks.
“I should make contact.”
A butterfly landed on Yeon Na-yeon’s finger.
* * *
“Phew.”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
“There’s an incredible amount. This is all from three dungeons?”
The Shaman House was filled with sacks. They were all magic stones and byproducts from the dungeons I had conquered.
“I did well to sell off the corpses in advance.”
I couldn’t have brought the corpses home anyway. It was a good choice to quickly sell them off at a reasonable price through the Cleanup Crew.
“Two sacks of B-grade magic stones and one sack of C-grade magic stones… I should send about a third to Kim Bok-soon’s shop after a long time.”
I’ll go to the exchange and convert the rest into money.
“Good, good. I’m starting to feel like a real professional now.”
Dungeon reservations, conquest, and cleanup all by myself. It was a level of proficiency I couldn’t have imagined before.
I praised myself and smiled with satisfaction.
“Besides, not only did my mana and achievement rate improve, but I got plenty of other results too. This was really unexpected.”
[Level Up!]
Spirit Summoning (S) lv.4 → lv.5
[Level Up!]
Divine Descent Ritual (S) lv.4 → lv.5
[Level Up!]
Spiritual Sight (S) lv.4 → lv.5
My skill levels, which had been quiet for a long time, finally reached lv.5.
Since they rose around the same time my achievement rate exceeded 50%, there seemed to be some correlation.
“My mana is still insufficient, but since this improved, I can have some expectations.”
When skills reach certain benchmark levels, their functions improve, and even if not, their power and mana efficiency get better.
I closed the status window with relief. Then I checked another sack next to the magic stone bags.
“But I have no idea how to use these things. I feel like I should sell them somewhere, but I don’t know any suitable places. Would Kim Bok-soon know if I brought them to her?”
Inside were various dungeon byproducts excluding magic stones.
‘I could sell the goblins’ gems to a gold shop, but these from the Siren Dungeon are completely…’
I reached into the sack and pulled out one of them.
Sparkle sparkle.
The item that looked like a lustrous orb appeared to be a gem at first glance, but it felt soft and seemed like it would crumble easily with just a light press of my finger.
“Spiritual Sight.”
[Siren’s Tear Fragment]
— The hidden wound of a fairy said to enchant even the sea.
A tear fragment from the aquatic monster Siren. Legend says it holds the ancient secrets of the ocean.
“…So what exactly is this?”
The description lacked any important details. I should just send it to Helena Shop or something.
“I’ll put it off until tomorrow. Let me wash up and rest… Ugh, I’m tired.”
Despite continuously wearing the blood bond, my fatigue wouldn’t disappear. I yawned and organized the sacks.
Ring—
Just then, the phone rang.
“Is it Choi Yu-il? How did he know I finished the conquest?”
I casually turned on the screen. But an unknown phone number was displayed.
010—XXXX—XXXX
Who is it?
“Hello?”
When I answered the phone, a familiar voice came through.
[I was skeptical, but this number seems to be correct. To think Red Dog remembered a cell phone number… How interesting.]
“Who is this?”
[Who do you think it is?]
The drawn-out sentence endings. A gentle, somewhat sleepy-sounding voice.
“Yeon Na-yeon?”
[That’s right.]
Yeon Na-yeon, the Guild Leader of Butterfly.
“…What’s the reason for your call?”
I swallowed nervously for a moment. After all, I had just gotten into trouble with Yeon Na-yeon’s guild.
‘The timing is exquisite! This makes me a bit nervous.’
I waited for the other party to speak, feeling like a child who had gotten into a neighborhood fight and was now on the phone with the other kid’s parents.
[First, let me apologize. Our guild’s person in charge has so little dungeon experience… they probably didn’t know the proper way to handle this kind of situation.]
“Ah.”
[A bet, of all things, throwing away the cards of negotiation and dialogue. It was a foolish proposal.]
It had been an odd proposal indeed. Well, we lacked experience too, so it wasn’t incomprehensible.
“Yes, I’m glad to hear an apology like this.”
I decided to accept the apology that was being offered.
[Thank you. But I didn’t contact you just to say sorry… In the Siren Dungeon, did you bring out anything other than magic stones?]
“Hmm. Why do you ask?”
[Did you?]
My gaze turned to the sacks piled up in one corner of the house.
“I’m not sure if it’s what you’re looking for, but I do have some strange marble-like stones.”
[Are they blue and shimmering by any chance?]
“Yes.”
[…Phew, that’s right. That’s what I’m looking for.]
Fragments of the Siren’s Tears.
‘So this was the material Jegal Hyeon mentioned they needed to collect.’
Yeon Na-yeon continued with her explanation.
[Recently, Butterfly has been conducting research on aquatic monsters… That item is something that absolutely cannot be missing from that research.]
“….”
[If you’re willing to make a deal… I’d be delighted. Is there anything you want? Whatever it is, Butterfly can make it possible.]
Hmm.
“Anything?”
[Yes.]
I stroked my chin. Then I looked at the sacks and pondered for a moment.
The pondering didn’t last long.
“Understood.”
[….]
“I’ll bring the items and come see you.”
A pumpkin that had rolled in with its vine attached—no, it was Butterfly.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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