I Got A Legendary Sniper Rifle - Chapter 95
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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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Episode 95
Ep. 95
“Welcome, brother!”
Deokhuun, who had been waiting at the entrance of the warehouse for Ihyeon’s arrival, bowed respectfully the moment he came into view.
“How have you been?”
“All is well, thanks to your generous warmth, brother. I believe I’ll be able to spend this winter comfortably because of you.”
It seemed that after just two transactions, Ihyeon had become something like a major client in Deokhuun’s eyes.
Well, the volume I handed over last time was quite substantial.
Whether it was his business acumen or not, he offered Ihyeon high prices while still securing sufficient profit for himself.
Indeed, the heavens were not fair.
They had blessed Deokhuun with excellent business skills and charisma, but conversely….
“Ahem.”
“Oh, did you catch a cold?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Ah, well, this whole area is nothing but factories. Let’s head inside quickly.”
Ihyeon glanced casually around the surroundings before following Deokhuun into the warehouse.
As expected, the interior of Deokhuun’s warehouse was neat and empty.
Ihyeon immediately began retrieving items he had organized for sale from his inventory and laying them out.
“As generous as always!”
As if he had already anticipated this, Deokhuun clapped his hands in delight.
He wasn’t even surprised by the large quantity like last time.
Thud— Thud—
With each movement of Ihyeon’s hand, items stacked up neatly.
When the byproducts from the Arc Reindeer of the 35th Floor appeared, Deokhuun showed considerable interest.
“This is from the 35th Floor, isn’t it? It’s rare to see items in such excellent condition.”
Finally, everything obtained from the 30th Floor range was displayed.
Deokhuun nodded contentedly while observing the items stacked up to just under half the warehouse.
“It seems you’ve been diligently clearing the 30th Floor range.”
Ihyeon also nodded in response.
“That’s correct.”
I had indeed been diligently clearing the 30th Floor range.
Among other places.
“Well then, shall we settle the accounts now….”
Thud— Thud—
“???”
Deokhuun seemed to think they were finished and attempted to lead Ihyeon toward a table at one side of the warehouse.
But that was far from the case.
‘I’ve only taken out half so far.’
Ihyeon still had byproducts from the 40th Floor range remaining.
Moreover, in terms of quantity alone, this portion was far more abundant.
“Ah, yes, well, you must have climbed to the 40th Floor range as well.”
Deokhuun was genuinely surprised, but he carefully examined the items as if trying to make sense of it all.
The 40th Floor range was a famous money-making location.
If you had the skill, it boasted the best efficiency.
From Deokhuun’s perspective, since Ihyeon was clearly not the lazy type, it made sense that he could reach the 40th Floor range.
‘B-but could you really reach the 40th Floor range in such a short time?’
The pace was remarkably fast.
For an ordinary Hunter, it would take at least two or three months just to clear the entire 30th Floor range.
So even if Ihyeon had only managed to defeat the Arc Reindeer, it would still be a respectable pace.
But here Ihyeon was, confidently laying out undead byproducts from the 40th Floor range without hesitation.
Moreover, what he was producing was far from ordinary.
“Gasp! Is this a Skeleton Warrior’s helmet…? And there’s a Troll Ghoul’s iron plate too?”
The fact that mid-boss byproducts were occasionally mixed in was proof that he had reached at least the 45th Floor.
‘Ah, I almost made a mistake. I shouldn’t have taken that out.’
With Deokhuun trailing behind and making a fuss, I had to be careful not to accidentally reveal byproducts from the higher floors that would look suspicious.
Most of it was ordinary Skeleton and Ghoul byproducts anyway.
Still, given the sheer volume, stacking it all up filled the warehouse with quite an impressive display.
…Everything was excellent except for one thing—the characteristic stench of undead byproducts was quite overwhelming.
I frowned slightly as I spoke to Deokhuun.
“This is about all I have for now. Is this acceptable?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Of course it’s acceptable. Let’s proceed.”
But despite the stench, Deokhuun didn’t frown at all—he was simply grinning from ear to ear.
From the perspective of someone who was a merchant through and through, these items looked like money in physical form.
I, sitting in a chair at the table, casually asked a question.
“By the way, do undead byproducts actually sell?”
Deokhuun waved his hand as if asking what I was talking about and replied.
“Of course they do. In fact, Dark Mages are eager to buy them. Hmm… I’d say these could age for another three days or so.”
‘…Age for another three days here?’
I gazed at the items I’d laid out with a vaguely uncomfortable feeling, thinking there really were all kinds of peculiar people in this world.
If they aged for another three days here, they’d probably become something unsightly.
Though I suppose that’s the buyer’s concern.
The transaction process itself was clean and swift.
By now, we’d built up a certain level of trust.
Deokhuun was the type who always offered a satisfactory amount first without me needing to haggle.
Ding—!
The moment I finished signing the contract, a notification rang out confirming the deposit into my account.
“Yes, thank you again. Then.”
I tried to leave immediately, but for some reason, Deokhuun stopped me.
“Wait a moment, Hunter.”
“Yes?”
I turned to look at Deokhuun, wondering if there was anything else he needed.
Deokhuun began speaking with an awkward smile on his face.
“Actually, while discretion is my motto, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“….”
I waited for Deokhuun’s words, feeling slightly tense.
‘Could he have figured out that I’m Ilgyeok?’
I had deliberately avoided displaying the by-products I’d recently collected, just in case, but perhaps that wasn’t enough.
Considering when I awakened, reaching the 40th Floor now did seem remarkably fast.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible.
Gulp—
Noticing my slight tension, Deokhuun quickly clarified, as if trying to dispel any misunderstanding.
“I absolutely have no intention of prying into your personal information, Hunter! I’d much prefer to continue our dealings for a long time.”
It was a fairly convincing reason, but I remained cautious.
‘What if he’s just reassuring me like this, then suddenly shouts “Don’t move, Ilgyeok!” and special agents come crashing through the windows?’
As an excellent marksman, I always make sure to identify escape routes!
I had already mapped out at least ten ways to escape from this warehouse in case of emergency.
Deokhuun, having no idea I was thinking this far ahead, revealed his purpose.
“Usually, hunters at this pace—no, even much slower than this—are already affiliated with major guilds and handling things internally. But it seems you still don’t belong to any guild, Hunter.”
“…That’s correct.”
I nodded.
It certainly must seem strange from Deokhuun’s perspective.
Normally, hunters desperately wanted to join guilds, and there was no way someone capable of joining would refuse.
As Deokhuun said, once affiliated with a guild, most conveniences were handled by the guild itself, allowing hunters to focus solely on clearing floors.
That’s why people like Deokhuun—by-product dealers and self-proclaimed consultants—mostly conducted business only with novice hunters who had recently awakened.
Most hunters joined guilds once they reached the 20th Floor, making further transactions impossible.
My relationship with Deokhuun was therefore all the more valuable to him.
“Of course! You must have your reasons, Hunter. Joining a guild does make things easier, but it also comes with certain restrictions… Some people find that frustrating. However, I’m confident you’re no ordinary hunter, so I’d like to share some special information with you.”
“Information?”
I tilted my head curiously.
I sensed no hostility or ulterior motives from Deokhuun.
He genuinely seemed to want to share information, and I was quite intrigued by what he might say.
Deokhuun leaned in close as if to whisper something in my ear, lowering his voice.
“It’s like this….”
“Wait, there’s only us in this warehouse—there’s no need to do this.”
I stepped back slightly from Deokhuun as he approached uncomfortably.
If this were somewhere else, maybe, but this is my warehouse!
However, Deokhuun, treating it as truly secret information, paid no mind and whispered to me anyway.
“There’s a rumor that soon, ‘teams’ will be legally recognized instead of guilds.”
“Huh? Teams, you say?”
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term.
A team.
At first glance, it seemed like a smaller organization than a guild.
Even after hearing Deokhuun’s explanation, the context was similar.
“It seems there’s criticism that guilds have become too stagnant lately… and there’s an intention to relax regulations to bring crews into the light.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
It wasn’t vastly different from my own thoughts.
Just as Deokhuun had mentioned earlier, there were certainly Hunters who found the rigid organizational culture of guilds suffocating.
And among the crews, many weren’t entangled in serious crimes—they simply sought to earn illicit income quietly.
It seemed the intention was to address these blind spots.
Seeing me lost in thought, Deokhuun spoke in a subtle tone.
“Of course, it’s still just in the planning stage. However, newly implemented systems tend to come with considerable benefits. Seeing the quantity you’ve brought, surely you’re working with others, aren’t you?”
“Yes, well.”
I nodded.
If I’d claimed to bring this much alone, it would certainly have been suspicious.
And now that I had Jia and Elsie, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Then perhaps consider it until the system is formally implemented.”
“Understood. Thank you for the information.”
“And if you do form a team, please make me your exclusive manager…”
“….”
So that was the real purpose?
I was impressed by Deokhuun’s cunning way of slipping his true agenda in at the very end.
Deokhuun chuckled and spoke.
“Haha, truth is, my business hasn’t been going well lately. If you form a team, you’ll need someone like me, won’t you?”
Though I was taken aback by how roundabout he’d been, Deokhuun’s words were sound.
After all, I did need someone like Deokhuun.
And Deokhuun was essentially saying he’d abandon other dealings and focus solely on me—which could be seen as mutually beneficial.
But nothing was confirmed yet.
“Yes, I’ll give it some thought.”
“Haha, yes. That’s good enough. Take care!”
Deokhuun bowed respectfully and escorted me out of the warehouse, just as he had when I first arrived.
‘Business must be really tough these days.’
I felt a pang of sympathy, wondering how few clients he must have lost to treat me so well.
Thinking back to our first meeting, he’d been at the Management Office soliciting business from beginner Hunters, hadn’t he?
“Anyway, the economy only gets worse, never better.”
Truly, it was a difficult world to live in.
That’s why Ilgyeok lived in hiding, afraid of the Defense Ministry.
…They were completely unrelated matters, but I decided to think of it that way anyway.
I shook my head and left the warehouse grounds.
Then a sudden question occurred to me.
“Information that hasn’t been made public yet… how does he know about it?”
Is it gradually spreading among the relevant merchants?
Well, if even merchants operating in such remote corners know about it, then my information network is actually falling behind on this front.
I never had much of an information network to begin with.
‘I just need to clear the Tower well. Why worry about anything else?’
Ihyeon decided not to dwell on it and moved forward.
Just as Ihyeon’s figure disappeared into the city.
A middle-aged man in a business suit approached Deokhuun.
“Young master, is it alright to share such information so carelessly?”
“Well, it’s not a state secret, and I think something like this is fine. People who should know already know about it anyway, don’t they?”
“That may be true, but…”
The man’s expression showed clear concern.
Deokhuun burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry too much about it. If any problems arise, it’s my responsibility.”
“That’s true, but it seems you’re paying quite a lot of attention to that man.”
The man spoke while looking in the direction Ihyeon had disappeared.
To the man, Deokhuun was quite an eccentric.
The fact that someone of Deokhuun’s caliber was conducting business in such a remote place with Hunters who didn’t even belong to guilds was strange enough.
And even that business, despite having its own ‘secrets,’ barely broke even.
He had even accepted losses when dealing with Ihyeon.
Then Deokhuun’s frivolous expression immediately turned serious as he spoke.
“I need to look at different markets. …Especially, I don’t want to get entangled with that man.”
“Of course, I understand your intentions well.”
The man bowed his head obediently.
The fact that Deokhuun’s father still hadn’t let him go was proof enough of his abilities.
Of course, Deokhuun despised him intensely.
He wondered what use any of this was, but still—perhaps it was the blood they shared.
The man sometimes thought that Deokhuun and his father saw a different world than ordinary people like himself.
“And… there’s a saying that a true merchant is one who discovers products others cannot see.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The products Deokhuun spoke of weren’t merely goods traded in markets.
Business in modern society was truly a war of marketing.
Even something the entire world had never known existed could become a world-shaking product depending on how it was marketed.
And to discover such products, it went without saying that one had to dig through places everyone else ignored.
What did it matter to be mocked as a rag picker?
If you found treasure in a garbage heap, you were the victor in the end.
And Deokhuun still remembered his first meeting with Ihyeon vividly.
That ‘light’ radiating from Ihyeon.
The young Hunter he had met by chance in front of the Management Office was a treasure that couldn’t be exchanged for anything.
Deokhuun, who prided himself on having met many people.
Among the people he had met, there were many influential figures that ordinary people would never encounter in their entire lives.
Yet Ihyeon’s brilliance was difficult to compare even with such titans.
‘Perhaps not someone who would shake the world, but someone who would overturn it entirely.’
I didn’t know Ihyeon’s name, where he lived, or even precisely what kind of person he was.
Still, Deokhuun wanted to trust his instincts.
While it would be possible to investigate Ihyeon’s background if I wished, the reason I hadn’t ordered it was precisely for this reason.
After all, in the modern world, the space where a person’s true worth was revealed wasn’t reality where background checks could be conducted, but another world called the ‘Tower’.
It was also Deokhuun’s choice to share policy information that hadn’t been made public yet.
“If it fails, I’ve simply thrown away investment funds at a cheap price. How many times have I done that before? Hahaha!”
….
As Deokhuun turned his steps toward the Warehouse, the man followed him as well.
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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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