The Only Enhancer - Chapter 14

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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 14
Episode 14 – Hunter Market (1)
0.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled a long breath and gazed out at the sky through the window.
This is ridiculous.
‘I’ve been broke before, but I’ve never actually craved cigarettes.’
The stress was overwhelming.
Still, things had gone reasonably well.
I looked at the items scattered across my room.
All ten of the unenhanced items emitted a faint white glow.
I’d upgraded them all to +1.
The problem was that two of those ten were accessories.
They’d only reached +1.
‘I was aiming for at least +2.’
Failure after failure.
Each had failed twice at +2 enhancement.
Enhancing to +2 consumed a staggering 30% of my total mana.
Considering I recovered 10% mana per hour, I needed to attempt enhancement roughly once every three hours.
Yet I’d failed four times total.
I’d even used the Enchanter’s Blessing, and it still failed.
A loss of twelve hours.
“Ugh.”
Thinking about it again, the sigh came naturally.
I’d considered giving up out of frustration, but I couldn’t.
The skill enhancement option that only appeared on +3 accessories.
I couldn’t abandon this for that reason.
It was essential for enhancement.
‘Among skill enhancement options, there are many that reduce mana consumption, or increase natural mana recovery.’
It was precisely what I needed most right now.
Occasionally, +3 accessories offered options that reduced mana consumption by as much as 30%.
My obsession with accessories wasn’t without reason.
With just that, I could enhance far more in a single day.
I’d learned that rarely, at extremely low odds, accessories could even grant options that directly enhanced the hunter themselves, not just skills.
Options like increased mana recovery speed, things like that.
‘I absolutely need this.’
How could I not be obsessed?
I’d been cooped up at home doing nothing but enhancement for two days straight.
I’d spent a total of twenty-two hours upgrading ten unenhanced items to +1, including accessories, and attempting +2 enhancement four times.
But what was probability, really?
This time, I might actually succeed.
‘Should I push further?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.
How is this any different from gambling?
‘I’m just wasting time.’
Strengthen, rest, strengthen again, rest—the cycle was endless.
I felt like I was falling into a rut.
Of course, I’d studied various things on Hunter Net during my breaks.
I’d even browsed the Healer Community while I was at it.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was slipping away.
Ideally, I’d wanted to enhance all my accessories to at least +2 before moving forward, but at this rate, it wouldn’t happen.
‘I need to get out and get some fresh air.’
My mind was withering away from being cooped up at home all the time.
I was using my enhancement skill like some gambling addict.
And rightfully so.
That’s why I decided to head to the Hunter Market today.
I planned to sell some items and do some shopping.
‘I shouldn’t buy too many unenhanced items.’
It’s not like I’d buy them just to flip them immediately.
Besides, to level up, I’d need to run raids consistently, so unenhanced items were easy to come by.
I should pick items I could actually wear right now.
Leather armor, boots, gauntlets—the kind of gear healers and magic-type dealers typically used.
Accessories couldn’t be overlooked either.
‘Two accessories feel insufficient, even though they’re expensive.’
Unenhanced items ranged from 2 to 50 in price.
When selling, that’s what I’d get, so buying would probably cost me around 100 or less.
But accessories were a different story.
Unenhanced accessories were as rare as +1 items, and they were incredibly popular.
They were the most purchased items by ordinary people rather than hunters.
So their prices skyrocketed inevitably.
As a result, they cost about the same as +1 items.
So what I needed to buy were additional accessory slots and unenhanced items I could wear immediately.
My goal was simple: full gear.
‘Even with just two +3 items, I want to complete a full set.’
Just two +3 items alone had already drawn considerable attention.
But what if every single piece of equipment I wore was fully enhanced to +3?
Damn, I couldn’t resist that.
How could I possibly pass up that kind of style?
For now, I planned to buy unenhanced items that I could wear and that matched my goals.
Raids didn’t always drop exactly what I wanted, after all.
I’d already decided on a shopping list.
And I’d gathered the items to sell!
“Then let’s go.”
Now it was time to head to the Hunter Market.
1.
Items that hunters obtained after defeating monsters were sold at the Disaster Zone Checkpoint.
The checkpoint was naturally overseen by the Hunter Association, which then sold the items to various businesses.
The Hunter Market was where all these businesses that purchased items gathered together.
Each major city had a branch, and Seoul’s was the largest.
That’s why Seoul’s branch was always crowded.
There was even a dedicated parking road just to enter the Hunter Market.
You could easily tell how massive the operation was.
That’s why most people from the Seoul metropolitan area came to the Seoul branch.
Min-jun, who lived in Gimpo, was no exception.
‘It really is vast.’
With twelve floors above ground and six below, the building’s sheer scale made even large department stores look trivial.
There were many people trying to enter, and cars lined up waiting to pull into the parking garage.
Without the Hunter Market’s dedicated parking road, traffic in this entire area would have been completely paralyzed.
That’s probably why they built the dedicated road in the first place.
Even though markets existed in every major city, any hunter worth their name made the trip here.
It was only natural—this was Korea’s largest Hunter Market branch.
Looking around, I spotted quite a few hunters I’d researched back when I was considering becoming one.
As I felt the reality of being a hunter again, I observed several famous faces.
‘Wow, isn’t that a promising member of the Ilseong Guild? And there’s a main tank from the Mirae Guild? And that person is a famous dealer from the Changgong Guild, right?’
Promising members and already-famous hunters from what were called the Five Great Guilds appeared frequently enough.
For someone like me who’d admired hunters, it felt like stepping into another world.
Coming here made me truly realize I’d become a hunter.
But why did they all walk around in full gear?
High-grade enhanced equipment wrapped around them brilliantly, and people gazed at them with longing and admiration.
Those wearing slightly lower-grade enhanced gear, on the other hand, seemed a bit self-conscious, their shoulders hunching slightly.
It might have been embarrassing, but they all strutted down the corridors with expressions overflowing with confidence and pride.
Was this the culture here?
There was nothing like that in the Healer Community.
So why?
‘That’s so cool.’
I imagined what it would be like to walk around wearing a full set of triple-enhanced gear.
Even in this high-level place, only those with positions in major guilds or promising members from the Five Great Guilds wore triple-enhanced full sets or higher.
Should I have brought my own equipment?
The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I didn’t regret it too much.
Well, next time I come, I’ll just wear a full triple-enhanced set.
There was nothing to regret.
After all, once I completed the accessory parts, I could enhance far more than I currently could.
In other words, the more attempts I made, the higher my success rate would become.
‘Should I sell some items first?’
It wasn’t as though I lacked money immediately.
Through two raids, I had accumulated a total of 3,000 in my possession.
The money I had saved previously was separate funds.
The first raid had netted me 800, and the second had brought in 2,300.
Of course, even this wasn’t enough.
All because of the accessories.
‘Since other options might appear, I need to buy as many as possible.’
Worry about money?
Why would I do that?
Money duplicates itself.
I possessed eight +1 enhancement items that were separate from my accessories.
If I sold them all at market rate, I’d receive at least 8,000.
With that, I could easily afford the accessories and unenhanced items I wanted.
The accessories might fall short, but I had no intention of buying and enhancing unenhanced items I didn’t use just to resell them.
‘After all, even if accessories increase, there’s a limit to how many I can enhance.’
I could match them at my own pace.
Even just today, I’d have enough accessories to enhance for a while.
I wanted to make a few into +2 and sell them, but since I hadn’t even managed to create +2 accessories myself, it wasn’t easy.
‘Let’s see. The item purchase counter should be in the basement.’
I headed downstairs.
Unlike the first floor, which overflowed with people, the basement was considerably quieter.
The first floor had cafes and was designed for various people to enjoy, so it was more crowded, while the basement was the opposite.
Perhaps it was because there were no restaurants in the basement, unlike a department store.
The number of people had noticeably decreased.
Coming to this quieter space, I felt my breathing ease as I headed straight for the purchase counter.
The prices for selling items here and at the checkpoint after raids were identical.
Both were operated by the Hunter Association, so the purchase rates were fixed.
That’s why I had come here.
‘Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered.’
I would have gone to a place offering higher prices.
In any case, as I headed toward the purchase counter,
I could see a long line stretching across quite a spacious area.
Could all of that really be a queue?
Why were there so many people?
Usually, people sold items at the checkpoint, so those using this place would be selling secondhand items, but this was strange.
I stood there, puzzled by what I was seeing.
A staff member greeted me warmly and spoke.
“Welcome to our establishment. Are you a Hunter, by any chance?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Ah, then could you please present your Hunter License?”
“Of course. Here it is.”
The moment I presented my Hunter License, the staff member’s eyes widened in surprise.
What? Have they never seen a Healer before?
“Ah, you’re a Healer! I’ll guide you to our exclusive counter right away!”
“Ah, yes.”
There’s an exclusive counter just for Healers?
Healers really do live in a blessed world.
Everything is convenient for them.
I followed the staff member while thinking such thoughts.
Then I was guided into an upscale room.
I wonder if a bank’s VIP counter looks similar?
I heard the branch manager even comes out to greet people?
Have I been watching too many dramas?
I let out a quiet laugh at my silly thoughts, and the staff member spoke.
“The branch manager will be here shortly. Would you mind waiting a moment?”
“…Yes.”
Is this real?
The branch manager is coming? What is this?
This is absurd.
It feels good to be treated this way, but it turns out dramas weren’t exaggerating after all.
I didn’t know this either.
While I was thinking such things, the staff member bowed and withdrew.
I waited in an awkward atmosphere.
Knock, knock.
“Excuse me for intruding.”
The branch manager entered with considerable caution and formality.
Is this the Healer privilege?
I felt anew the elevated status of Healers.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Healer Kim Min-jun. I am Jung Seung-pil, the branch manager of the Hunter Market Seoul branch’s purchasing division. As you know, I’m affiliated with the Hunter Association.”
“I’m Kim Min-jun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Watching the branch manager greet me with such courtesy and respect, I likewise bowed my head briefly and accepted his handshake.
Jung Seung-pil’s eyes widened for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
Was it unexpected?
Now that I think about it, the Healer I saw not long ago wasn’t exactly exemplary either.
I heard that one was permanently expelled from the Healer Community and couldn’t even claim to be a Healer anymore, completely buried in the raid scene. But there probably aren’t many Healers like that.
Even Healers don’t get protected if they commit crimes.
Rather, the healers themselves rejected her even more.
They claimed she had tarnished their honor.
Those with criminal backgrounds faced the same treatment.
My thoughts had wandered for a moment.
In any case, the Disaster Zone had plenty of authoritarian types.
I might never have seen a healer greet someone like this before.
And sure enough.
“It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a healer visit our purchasing center.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yes, typically they either sell items at the Disaster Zone Checkpoint or bring used equipment directly to guilds for sale.”
“Hmm.”
Was this really his first time seeing a healer?
Now I understood the earlier employee’s reaction to Jung Seung-pil’s comment.
It made sense if they’d never encountered a healer before.
“Then let me examine the items you wish to sell.”
Getting straight to business?
I actually preferred that.
As I laid out all the items at once.
Jung Seung-pil’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he examined each piece.
He probably had never seen anyone bring eight 1-star items for sale all at once.
That was certainly the case.
He was shocked by the quantity, and even more so by the uniformly excellent quality.
“Since this is typically where people come to dispose of used items, we usually see lower-quality goods. But all of your items, Kim Min-jun, appear brand new.”
I felt a slight pang at that remark, but I had prepared an explanation in advance.
“Ah, I collected them one by one as keepsakes, but I’ve run out of space and need to clear them out.”
“I see. I’ll process this right away. Normally we’d deduct taxes, but since you’re a healer, I’ll deposit the full amount without any deductions.”
There it was again—the healer privilege.
Tax exemption!
This was the best benefit of all.
Heh.
Thanks to this, even at the Disaster Zone Checkpoint, if a party had a healer, they’d waive taxes and pay more.
The other party members had to report their taxes, though.
Anyway, I waited as Jung Seung-pil finished his appraisals.
After completing the evaluation of everything, he displayed the total on the screen.
“In total, that comes to 128 million won.”
“…Insane.”
I blurted it out loud, too shocked to contain myself.

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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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