I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 52. Aftermath (2)
〚Item: Stone of Temperance (節制石) [Rare-SSS]〛
It was an item I’d never seen before. Even with knowledge from the future, this was my first encounter with it.
I poured more mana into The Sun to read more detailed information, and I couldn’t help but let out a short exclamation.
“An item like this exists?”
The question was inevitable. The Stone of Temperance had only one ability: stabilizing a dungeon’s state. Whether a Dungeon Blackhole occurred, a dungeon runaway happened, or a dungeon break took place, using this stone would stabilize the dungeon in any situation.
If such an item existed, humanity could truly escape from the unknown threat of dungeons.
Even if people were sucked into a Dungeon Blackhole, we could use the Stone of Temperance to stabilize it and then deploy hunters to rescue the victims.
During a dungeon runaway, we could prevent the dungeon from exploding like a bomb.
When a dungeon break occurred and monsters tried to emerge into reality, we could stabilize it and make the barrier even stronger.
It was truly an item capable of turning the world upside down. Yet such an item never appeared in the future?
‘It’s one of two things. Either the established powers monopolized this item, or this is the only one in existence.’
Given the item’s rare grade, there was a higher probability that multiple copies existed, but there was no guarantee that earthlings could obtain the rest.
“I understand what you’re thinking, but unfortunately, I only have one. And I haven’t told anyone that I obtained this item. So even if I claimed to have two and used one, no one would suspect me.”
That way, the incident would naturally resolve itself.
I could align the story so that I didn’t defeat all the assassins through force and break out of the rampaging dungeon alone. Instead, after the Stone of Temperance stabilized it, I received help from hunters to survive and was immediately rushed to Miracle Hospital.
“With a hand this strong, I could gain so much more. You’re really going to show your cards just to create an alibi for me?”
The Stone of Temperance—I wasn’t entirely certain, but it was definitely an item with enough value to obtain tremendous things.
It was an item with value on an entirely different dimension from other rare-grade items that could be purchased for mere hundreds of millions.
The Association Chairman simply nodded at my words, as if asking whether this much could restore even a fraction of my shattered trust.
An appetizing bait. Bait to hook me. Ultimately, he sought to elevate his own power and authority by cutting down those sitting in higher positions than himself.
Using me as a blade. It also meant he intended to use me, driven by the incredibly powerful force of revenge.
No matter how much he invoked his former mentor or my parents, whom he called friends, his true nature was not good.
If he were truly good, the Former Association President who was his mentor and my parents who were his friends would not have met such miserable ends while he stood by and ignored them.
He had ignored them to reach his current position.
‘But he’s worth using.’
While he couldn’t become a reliable ally, maintaining a relationship where we mutually used and took advantage of each other wasn’t bad.
Just because he wasn’t good didn’t mean he was evil.
‘If you’re going to use me, you’ll have to cough up your share.’
Above all, the Association’s power would be a very solid shield protecting me while I was still weak.
If Seo Mi-na provided some assistance and the Seohwa Guild also helped me, it would be perfect.
I handed the Stone of Temperance back to the Association Chairman and relaxed my expression. My mind was made up.
It was awkward, but escaping this situation safely by shaking hands was more important. He wasn’t someone who couldn’t help me, and ultimately, even if our individual goals differed, our objectives aligned.
“Help me, then. And I’ll cooperate as well.”
At my words, the Association Chairman nodded as if he’d expected this.
“I’ll wrap this up cleanly myself. It’ll be a good card to use against that young punk Changsung and the old man, so I won’t count this as a debt. Equal exchange. Fair dealings between you and me would be clean and good, wouldn’t it?”
He knew as well. That a single incident couldn’t earn my complete trust. That’s why he spoke that way.
“Let’s do it that way. Then I’ll leave the conclusion to you. If you happen to catch someone named Moon Kang-un, contact me again then. He’s the one who sent assassins after me twice, so I’d like to see his face at least once.”
“Park Seo-ha, take care of it.”
“Tch. Got it. I’ll handle it. I’m already on it, hiding carefully, but it’ll probably take a few more days to find him.”
With those words, I rose from my seat and promptly left the Association.
‘Chang-sung. He irritates me. Deeply irritates me.’
My parents had many enemies, but among them, Chang-sung and Lee Seo-yong were the ones most interested in me.
The others merely treated me as a fledgling who’d just awakened, but those two—they watched me, observed me, and actively countered my moves.
‘I need to grow faster.’
This time I’d managed to slip through, but there were limits to how much I could rely on the Association’s aid.
‘I need to go to the Abyss.’
The fastest way for a Hunter to grow was ultimately to traverse the Abyss and Dungeons, accumulating strength through trials.
‘Once I obtain that class, I’ll become exponentially stronger.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Before my regression, the man who obtained that class had poured years of effort into it, they said. He’d brushed with death multiple times.
‘But I have information.’
That man, who later rose to SSS-rank—equal to Dangun Cheonje Dangun Ji-hyuk—based on that class, loved boasting about himself so much that he publicly disclosed everything through interviews: from how he obtained the Quest to how he cleared it.
I could confidently say I’d read that information more thoroughly than anyone. After all, he too had been from the bottom tier, wandering through the Tutorial like me.
Such a man never despaired at his limitations and constantly strived forward.
Without giving up, he persevered, scraping together money from his impoverished days to purchase equipment and venture into the Abyss. Fortunately, he received the initial Quest that would grant him that class. Through fortune, determination, and effort, he became the protagonist of a living success myth.
‘I’m sorry, but I’ll be taking that myth of yours.’
He would receive that initial Quest three years from now. Until then, he’d still be a bottom-tier adventurer wandering the Tutorial.
I’m sorry, but I feel no guilt about it.
‘If we meet later, I’ll give him some money or something.’
That’s the extent of my sentiment. With my own nose to wipe, I had no time to worry about others.
‘First, let me head to the Black Market.’
Lucifer’s second wing. I needed to obtain the item required to unseal it.
I immediately made my way home. Using the portal the Branch Director had installed in my basement last time, I entered the Black Market directly.
“5,000 coins. Nothing less.”
“Damn it! How is this worth 5,000 coins? Why don’t you just ask for 5,000 navy coins instead? It doesn’t even cost 2,000 out there!”
“Ha! Then just buy it out there. Don’t buy it here. There are plenty of other customers. What kind of nonsense is this?”
Passing through the still-bustling marketplace, I headed straight for Black Money.
‘Unique-grade should be at the Auction House.’
Common—Advanced—Rare, and then the next tier: Unique. From Unique onward, items were literally one-of-a-kind, so their prices skyrocketed accordingly.
Epic and Heroic grades beyond that were items you couldn’t even glimpse unless you struck it big.
Ancient-grade was obtained by an initial jackpot, and Legendary-grade had so few owners you could count them on your fingers.
In reality, Unique-grade was the practical ceiling for ordinary Hunters scraping together money to their limits, so it had considerable popularity.
‘Especially magical items are even rarer among those.’
They were discovered in minimal quantities, and many sought to purchase them. Magical items—called the exclusive domain of demons—exhibited exceptional performance in curses and other undesirable applications.
Magical items had more demand than holy-infused items of any grade. So if a magical item had entered the Black Market, it would naturally go straight to the Auction House.
As I moved toward the Auction House, a guide wearing a rabbit mask stopped me.
“May I see your card, please? I apologize, but the Auction House only admits members of C-rank or higher.”
I pulled out a card with no rank inscribed on it. The moment the man in the rabbit mask saw it, his expression shifted from bewilderment to wide-eyed astonishment. Looking at both the card and me—my face obscured by mask and hat—he immediately bowed.
“Forgive me for not recognizing you. Rather than here, I’ll arrange a private premium seat for you. Please follow me.”
He guided me with utmost courtesy. How could he not? A card with no rank inscribed—it was the one and only card personally created by the Black Market’s owner, exclusively for me.
In truth, if I asked the Branch Director to procure a magic item for me, he would do so without hesitation. The reason I’m participating in this auction is singular: I simply wanted to experience it firsthand.
The rabbit-masked guide led me into a spacious chamber—a private room reserved for VVIP patrons.
As I settled into my seat, the man in the rabbit mask presented me with refreshments and a comprehensive catalog detailing every item up for auction today.
“Simply press the button beside you, and I shall come running at once. I hope you have an enjoyable evening.”
With those words, the rabbit-masked man departed, and I began leafing through the catalog—only to be struck with astonishment.
“An Ancient-grade Rune is being auctioned?”
Runes are one of the many additional systems that unlock the moment one completes the Tutorial and enters the Abyss.
They are small stones that grant a form of permanent buff—a unique ability born from the manifestation of individual potential, distinct from skills acquired through meeting certain conditions.
Think of them as akin to passive skills, though they’re closer to blessings than conventional abilities.
‘That’s precisely why every Hunter desires them above all else.’
There is no limit to how many Runes one can equip. Though the probability of obtaining a Rune is abominably low, once acquired, they become an invaluable source of power.
To date, the highest official grade of Rune known to exist in this world is Ancient-grade—the 【Survival of the Fittest – Ancient – SSS-】 owned by a top-ranked Hunter from America.
The closer the body approaches its limits, the more it evolves to meet those circumstances. Such is the power of the Survival of the Fittest Rune.
My eyes gleamed as I gazed upon the sole Rune in the catalog whose information remained conspicuously absent.
‘This one will be mine.’
Even if it costs me all four trillion won.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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