The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 75

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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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75

Chapter 75

The Flower That Never Withers (2)

“A giant earthworm…”

 The underground that Dea pointed to.

 She said an earthworm larger than a person lived there.

“Thanks to that earthworm, the soil becomes fertile.”

 Dea explained.

“It keeps turning over the earth and circulating mana.”

“So?”

“Thanks to that, many mana-rich flowers can bloom in this garden.”

“Hmm.”

 Kim Jun nodded.

 Ecosystem circulation.

 Earthworms enriching the soil was the same outside the Tower.

“So there’s a special item in that earthworm’s head?”

“Yes! It’s called a 「Mana Crystal Core」.”

 Dea gestured to show the size.

“It’s a crystal about this big, containing tremendous mana.”

“And I just need to bring that back.”

“Yes! But…”

 Dea said urgently.

“You absolutely must not kill it!”

“Huh?”

“If the earthworm dies, the soil won’t be enriched anymore. The flowers will wither too.”

“…Got it.”

 Kim Jun sighed.

 Don’t kill it, just bring back the item.

‘It’s not as difficult as I thought.’

 With Kim Jun’s current speed.

 He could extract the item without even scratching the earthworm.

 However, the problem was.

“Where exactly is it?”

“Well…”

 Dea made a troubled expression.

“I don’t know the exact location.”

“What?”

“The earthworm keeps moving around underground.”

“…”

 Kim Jun’s brow furrowed.

 If it were a dungeon, it would be different.

 But this was an endlessly vast garden.

 Earthworms were creatures that moved through all the soil.

 It wasn’t fixed in one place.

“To find it…”

 It seemed like it would take a long time.

“What should I do?”

 Kim Jun stroked his chin.

“Meong!”

 Just then, Meong Meong jumped down from Kim Jun’s shoulder.

Patter patter-

 Running on short legs.

Scratch scratch-!

 It started digging in the ground.

“What are you doing?”

 Kim Jun tilted his head.

 Meong Meong excitedly dug up the dirt.

 Scratching with front paws.

 Kicking with back paws.

Trickle-

 It even peed.

“…That little guy.”

 Kim Jun chuckled.

 Meong Meong diligently covered the spot where it peed with dirt.

 And then.

Rustle-

 It went to the flower bed and rubbed its body around.

“Meong~”

 A satisfied expression.

“Cheeky little thing.”

 Kim Jun muttered.

 Unlike its owner who was deep in thought.

 The black cat was so excited.

Scratch scratch-

 It started digging in another spot.

“Meong!”

 This time it seemed to have found something.

Scratch scratch scratch-!

 It dug up the ground even more enthusiastically.

“Meong Meong. Stop it, stop.”

 Kim Jun approached.

 The hole that Meong Meong had dug.

 Something wriggled inside it.

 A small earthworm.

“Meong!”

 Meong Meong meowed proudly.

“Ah.”

 Kim Jun’s eyes lit up.

“That’s it.”

 He had found a method.

*

Whoosh-

 Kim Jun drew his greatsword.

“What are you trying to do…?”

 Dea asked with an anxious expression.

“Don’t worry.”

 Kim Jun held the sword upside down.

“I won’t kill it.”

 And then.

Bang-!

 He thrust his sword into the ground.

“Ugh…!”

 Dea staggered.

 But the vibration hadn’t started yet.

 Kim Jun closed his eyes.

 He concentrated.

 Steadying his breathing.

 He felt his heartbeat.

Thump-thump-thump-

 The regular sound of his heart.

 And slowly.

 He began to channel his mana.

 The mana that started from his heart.

 Flowed through his blood vessels.

 Along his arm.

 To his fingertips.

 And through the palm gripping the sword.

 Into the blade.

 Very carefully.

 As if handling a baby.

 Delicately.

 So the earthworms wouldn’t get hurt.

 So they wouldn’t get startled and run away.

 Slowly, slowly he channeled his mana.

Woooo-

 A faint vibration began from the sword.

 A small, gentle tremor.

“Th, this is…”

 Dea muttered.

“Just bear with it a little.”

 Kim Jun channeled a bit more mana.

Woooooong-!

 The vibration grew stronger.

 Deep underground.

 The waves spread out.

“Meong!”

 Meong Meong leaped up and clung to Kim Jun’s shoulder.

 The ground was shaking, making it hard to stand.

Bang-bang-bang-!

 The vibration found its rhythm.

 At regular intervals.

 Like raindrops tapping the ground.

 No.

 Like an earthquake was happening.

Bang-bang-bang-!

“Ugh…”

 Dea staggered, trying to keep her balance.

 The vibration grew stronger and stronger.

 The ground began to crack.

 The flowers swayed.

‘Th, this much…’

 Dea’s face turned pale.

‘Isn’t this too strong?’

 The vibration was much stronger than expected.

 At this rate.

‘Won’t the garden get ruined?’

 Anxiety crept in.

 The flowers might get uprooted.

 The soil might get damaged too.

‘Could this person…’

 Dea looked at Kim Jun.

 His cold expression.

 His concentrated face.

‘Does he think he just needs to get the flower and leave?’

 Suddenly her mother’s words came to mind.

“Dea, be careful of Hunters.”

“Why?”

“They only focus on climbing the Tower.”

 Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears.

“They don’t care about Tower residents like us. Same goes for the Tower’s ecosystem.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They’re people who will destroy anything to achieve their goals. They even plunder without hesitation.”

 Were those words true?

‘Does he think it’s okay to just ruin this garden?’

 The garden she inherited from her mother and had cherished and grown with such care.

 Dea’s hands trembled.

Bang-!

Bang-!

 The vibration grew even stronger.

“Um, excuse me…”

 Dea said with a trembling voice.

“It’s too strong…”

 But Kim Jun didn’t answer.

 He was concentrating.

‘As expected…’

 Dea bit her lip.

 Hunters.

 They only think about their own goals.

 Just as she was feeling disappointed.

“Don’t worry.”

 Kim Jun spoke.

 His eyes still closed.

“I won’t ruin your garden.”

“…What?”

 Dea blinked.

“I’m controlling it.”

 Kim Jun’s voice was calm.

“Only the earthworms will come up. The flowers are safe.”

“R, really?”

“Yeah.”

 Kim Jun smiled softly.

“I promise.”

“…!”

 Dea’s eyes widened.

 Had he read her mind?

 Or was it just something he said by chance?

 But.

‘He was paying attention after all.’

 Dea’s heart warmed.

 It was different from what her mother had said.

 This Hunter.

 He was thinking about her garden.

“Thank you…”

 Dea murmured softly.

‘When will it come up?’

 Earthworms are sensitive to vibrations.

 When it rains.

 Or when the ground shakes.

 They instinctively come up to the surface.

 To avoid drowning.

 To escape to a safe place.

Kurrrr-

 That’s when it happened.

 A sound came from deep underground.

 The sound of something massive moving, rapidly pushing through soil as it came up.

“I-it’s coming!”

 Dea shouted.

Kugugung-!

 The ground swelled up.

 Soil burst out in all directions, the ground surface bulged, and massive cracks formed.

 And through those cracks.

Pushushshoot!

 A giant earthworm revealed itself.

Kwaaaaang-!

 Like a grenade exploding, soil erupted.

“What a catch!”

 Like a massive fish caught on a line shooting up from the vast ocean, the earthworm’s enormous body soared high into the sky.

 Its size was beyond imagination.

 Its length alone looked to be well over 30 meters, and its thickness was as wide as a person’s height.

Kiiiii-!

 The earthworm twisted its body in mid-air.

 Soil poured down like rain, and the earthworm’s skin glistened smoothly in the sunlight.

 At that moment.

 Kim Jun’s eyes flashed.

‘There it is!’

 On the earthworm’s head, precisely where its forehead would be, a crystal emitting blue light was embedded.

 「Mana Crystal Core」.

 Kim Jun didn’t miss a single moment.

Flap-!

 He spread his wings and leaped into the air, and at the exact moment the earthworm reached its peak.

Swish-!

 He reached out and snatched the crystal.

“Meong!”

 Meongmeong cheered from his shoulder.

Pluck-

 The crystal came out cleanly.

“!!”

 The earthworm twisted its body as if confused.

 But there were no injuries.

 Since Kim Jun had precisely extracted only the crystal.

Kugugung-!

 The earthworm went back underground.

 Quickly, to a safe place.

 Soil covered it again and the earthworm’s form disappeared.

“We… succeeded!!”

 Dea let out a sigh of relief.

 Kim Jun landed on the ground.

 The blue crystal in his hand.

 Though it was only fist-sized, he could feel tremendous magical power within it.

*

 After obtaining the 「Mana Crystal Core」, the rest was easy.

 Thanks to the 「Talisman of the Blue Abyss」, his mana recovery was fast, and Andras filled in what was lacking.

 Dea took care of everything else.

 She slowly and carefully channeled the magical power contained in the 「Mana Crystal Core」 into the 「Everlasting Flower」.

Wooong-

 The flower bud reacted.

 It began to tremble.

“Oh, ohh.”

 Kim Jun exclaimed in admiration.

 The petals slowly began to open.

 One petal, two petals, three petals.

 And finally.

Paaa-!

 It bloomed fully.

 Radiating brilliant light.

“Success!”

“Good work.”

 Kim Jun looked at the fully bloomed flower.

 It was beautiful.

 The petals had a mysterious color mixing silver and blue light, and from the center, a faint light slowly flickered like a heartbeat.

Swoosh-

 A gentle fragrance spread.

 Sweet yet refreshing, familiar yet completely new.

 Like the morning air of a spring day.

 Something you’d want to give as a gift to someone special.

“Hehe.”

 Dea smiled with a proud expression.

 Kim Jun picked up the 「Mana Crystal Core」.

 Its magical power was already completely depleted.

 An empty crystal.

‘It’s a shame though.’

 It had been a good item.

 If he could store mana and use it when needed.

‘It would suit Ji-a well.’

 Ryu Ji-a suddenly came to mind.

 He’d heard she’d exhausted all her mana potions on the 18th Floor Dark Soul Staircase.

 She’d used up all the potions she’d bought with her entire fortune.

‘Mana is life for a mage.’

 If she had an item like this, she could use it for emergencies.

 As a last resort.

 But.

“I have to return this, right?”

 Kim Jun asked.

“Yes! You have to return it to the earthworm.”

 Dea nodded.

“Without it, the soil will deteriorate again.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

 Kim Jun reluctantly threw the crystal to the ground.

Thud-

 It buried itself in the soil.

“That earthworm will come looking for it on its own. It instinctively seeks out what belongs to it.”

“I see.”

 Kim Jun carefully plucked the fully bloomed 「Everlasting Flower」 and put it in his spatial pocket.

 Now that he’d gathered all the materials, it was truly time to head to Hell.

“Thank you!”

 Suddenly Dea bowed her head in greeting.

“For not destroying my mother’s garden.”

“Of course.”

 Kim Jun smiled softly.

“It’s your garden. I should be the one thanking you.”

“…!”

 Dea’s eyes sparkled.

 When she first saw Kim Jun.

 It was a completely different look from when he’d approached in demon form.

 Not fear.

 But fondness.

 Her cheeks turned slightly red.

‘Different from what mother said…’

 She’d been told Hunters were cold and selfish.

 But this person.

 Had considered her garden.

 Had been careful not to hurt the earthworm.

 Had kept his promise.

“Will, will you come again?”

 Dea asked cautiously.

“Well.”

 Kim Jun shrugged.

“Probably.”

 Though he hadn’t been able to take them due to time constraints. 

 This place was overflowing with precious things that permanently increased stats. 

 There was no reason not to come back. 

“Then, then I’ll see you again next time!”

 Dea waved brightly with a radiant smile.

‘Master.’

‘What bullshit are you going to spout now.’

 Seeing Andras with his smirk, Kim Jun already had a feeling what he was going to say. 

‘Master just charmed another one.’

‘Just shut up;’

 As expected.

 Ignoring the nonsense.

 Kim Jun also waved back to Dea one last time.

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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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