Chapter 27
Day 1 of the 7-Day Growth Project.
Johan took on a request to recover the body of a porter who had been kidnapped by the Uruk tribe.
Among the available requests, it was the most straightforward one.
[Body Recovery]
Difficulty: D+
Reward: 3,000,000
– Recover the porter’s body from the Plains of White Bones. According to a witness, the porter was killed by a spear that pierced his spine.
The Plains of White Bones is the largest existing dungeon, a place where plains and mountains meet. It’s twice the size of Seoul, making searches for missing people often take weeks.
Such a vast size means monsters are lurking everywhere. However, in the Plains of White Bones, monsters do not move easily. Each has its own territory, so as long as you don’t stray from the already cleared areas, there’s no danger.
“Luckily, the approximate location is marked. It won’t be difficult.”
It’s not a difficult request. The body should be in the village of the Uruk tribe, which has already been cleared.
“It would be great if there were unidentified bodies as well.”
He finished his preparations. Since the dungeon is near Daeseong-ri, he needs to move quickly.
Creak –
“Whoa, you scared me!”
He was startled to find someone standing right in front of the door as he opened it. The energy was so faint that he thought it was just the neighbor.
“Coming out now? I’ve been waiting for quite a while.”
“Why are you here?”
“I told you, I’m free these days.”
A woman in a black tracksuit with a hat pulled down low waved nonchalantly. She was as bright as a sunny morning at 8:30.
“How did you find my house?”
“I asked someone. Alex? He told me.”
“That’s a personal information leak. Should I sue?”
“I came to give you money, should I leave?”
“Welcome to Yohanland, more fantastic than Wonderland.”
In reality, it didn’t matter much whether she knew his address or not. He wasn’t a celebrity, and compared to the wad of 50,000 won bills in her hand, his personal information was trivial.
“So, it looks like you were going somewhere?”
“Oh, I took on a request.”
“Oh, you’re going to work! I don’t want to take up your time, so I’ll give you a ride there. We can talk on the way.”
“To Daeseong-ri?”
“It takes a little over an hour, right? Even better.”
I heard the sound of a car door opening. The car’s emblem, which blinked its headlights, had a shield design on it.
“It looks like a comfortable ride. Let’s go.”
Spending some time with her was a hundred times better than taking the subway.
Anyway, I was planning to meet Yusol again, so it was just that the timing came a little earlier.
With a grand exhaust sound, the car smoothly started moving.
She skillfully maneuvered through the alley as if she was used to the area.
“I noticed there were a lot of reporters in front of your house last time.”
“So I escaped through the 7th floor window.”
“You like using windows?”
“Windows are doors too, right? You use them according to their purpose.”
A woman with a unique mindset.
I don’t know if that’s what it takes to survive in the entertainment industry, but she seemed more relaxed than last time.
“I had some questions, so I wanted to see you.”
“You could have called.”
“I prefer talking face-to-face. I have quite a variety of questions.”
“What are the questions?”
“There are three. The first one is out of curiosity.”
“What is it?”
“What were you thinking when you came to rescue me?”
“I certainly wasn’t thinking about you.”
“Not that. Why did you risk your life? What’s more important than life?”
“I didn’t risk my life. I went in to borrow a life. Protecting a life that’s about to perish is like earning one.”
“What’s the next question?”
“The next one… a bit of respect?”
“Respect?”
“What do you want to become, Johan? The greatest tracer? A respected tracer?”
It was a question I hadn’t heard in a long time.
Of course, my goal is to become the best, someone no one can look down on. But I also have personal goals I’ve held for a long time.
“To make up for personal regrets and to become someone who doesn’t worry.”
“That’s abstract.”
“If it looks too easy, it seems trivial.”
“I admit, it does seem significant.”
“That’s a relief. What’s the last question?”
“The last question is personal.”
She, who seemed ready to answer anything, hesitated.
It was a question that seemed awkward to ask, as she kept moving her lips without speaking.
“How was I back then?”
“Back then?”
“At the rescue. My skill.”
“Ah.”
Finally understanding her question, I thought it over.
A skill that uses dance to provide buffs.
It was indeed an impressive skill. It was the most unusual and varied buff I had received.
“It was good. It was the first time I saw such a skill.”
“Really?”
“The buff you showed then included enchantment, attribute increase, and enemy debuff, three in total. Considering a C-rank buffer usually has 2-3 buffs, it means your skill level is already high.”
She bounced in her seat. She was so happy to receive Johan’s acknowledgment that her smile reached her ears.
‘It’s not a lie.’
It’s not an exaggeration.
The buffs I received from Yusol that day were, overall, more efficient than those of Gaon, the tracker’s healer and buffer.
To be able to simultaneously increase allies’ abilities and decrease enemies’ abilities.
This skill alone would make hunters’ team requests flood in.
Moreover, it can even grant enchantment.
“You said the effect varies depending on the type of dance, right? That means you can grant more buffs.”
“Yes. About five in total?”
“What are they?”
“Speed increase, damage increase, sensory disruption, and three more effects.”
“Wow.”
I couldn’t help but swear. Each one was a vital buff or a critical debuff in combat.
“It seems being a celebrity now includes awakened skills.”
“Am I really okay?”
“How proficient are your skills? Is there room for improvement?”
“The skill level is 3 now, and I can register a new dance with each level up. The maximum level is 10.”
“Will the skill effects improve too?”
“The higher the proficiency of the dance, the better the effect. Oh, actual combat seems to be the best practice. The skill proficiency increased significantly from using it several times in the dungeon.”
It was clear. Yusol was undeniably a talent that couldn’t be overlooked.
A talent that could more than double the power of a team.
I have to recruit her before someone else does.
Whether alone or with a buffer makes a big difference.
“Am I really okay to live as an awakened person?”
“No.”
“I’m not okay?”
“I’ll say you’re not okay because I’m jealous.”
“…I’ve made up my mind.”
“What?”
Creak
The traffic light changed. It turned red, and Yusol, pressing the brake, nodded firmly while looking at Johan.
“I want to become a tracer. I want to protect people too. I want to be like you.”
She smiled. Seeing her make a decision so quickly, it was clear she had been contemplating this for a while.
It was a rare, pure motivation.
“It’ll be tough. You’ll have to give up your current life.”
“I’ve earned a lot of money. Even if I break my contract now, there’s no penalty.”
She wasn’t just talking; Yusol truly didn’t care.
Her work as a method actor had been a hit in theaters, and she had achieved everything she wanted in independent film directing, OST production, album releases, dance sports, and appearances on ‘King of Mask Singer.’
Having marked every significant milestone in the arts, she had nothing to regret even if she retired now.
Only one goal remained.
To become like Johan, the person who saved her, and the person who saved her before Johan.
“Your abilities are support-based, so it’ll be quite dangerous to roam dungeons alone.”
“I’ll just stay with you. You’re the only one who’s seen my skill, even my mom hasn’t.”
He quietly smiled to himself. This was an opportunity.
With her abilities, exploring dungeons ranked one level higher wouldn’t be a problem.
How strong could they become by synergizing with his absolute command skills?
“You shouldn’t say such things lightly. It means you want to team up with me.”
“If you want, will you accept?”
Yusol had no hesitation. No need for persuasion.
“If you team up with me, you can’t enter dungeons with anyone else. Unless I allow it, of course.”
“Why would that be a problem? You’re planning to form a team, right?”
“Not immediately, but soon. You need to train too.”
Teaming up with Yusol would come later.
She had talent but lacked experience.
To become a capable tracer, gaining experience was paramount.
Passing the exam would require at least a month of rigorous training.
‘I’m quite good at training simulations.’
Her first task would be training Yusol to the point where she could keep up with him.
“Let’s start with private lessons. You’ll need to train daily to grow enough to pass the tracer exam.”
“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind, teacher.”
“Just so you know, my lessons are tough. To become more than a hunter, to become a tracer, you need more than just the basics.”
He sent Yusol a list of tasks she needed to do. Including the daily training regimen, Yusol left excitedly, honking the horn.
‘She’ll grow quickly. She should easily reach at least B-rank.’
To not fall behind, Johan needed to grow too.
His growth method was right here.
Entering the plains, Johan swallowed as he took in the vast mountain range after a long time.
It was a gulp considering how to navigate this wide area.
‘No need to waste stamina already.’
“My beloved steed, come out.”
Johan summoned Dubo.
Rustle
Dubo wagged its tail and lay down at Johan’s feet.
As the leader of the Boks, Dubo was more than capable of carrying Johan.
The ride was quite comfortable, so there was no worry about his bottom getting sore.
“Let’s move quickly. We have to go deeper to encounter bigger enemies.”
Dubo bounded towards the mountains with long strides.
The estimated time to reach the client’s presumed location was about two hours.
Though he could take his time, Johan had no intention of doing so.
“I didn’t choose this place just to complete this request.”
Right next to the extermination area, a 20-minute run away, there was another Urk territory.
A typical tracer would never venture out of the designated area, but Johan was different.
He planned to kill two birds with one stone.
Due to the previous battle with the Tau, he had nearly exhausted his supply of Urk carcasses and needed to replenish them.
The most versatile monsters at present were the Urks, so he needed to gather at least 20 more priests.
“Traces everywhere.”
Contrary to expectations, signs of battle were evident right from the foothills of the mountains.
The signs of fighting with multiple Urks were like signposts carved into the ground and surrounding trees.
Following the easily visible traces, the signs of battle soon disappeared, replaced by marks indicating something had been dragged.
“This is where it starts.”
Careless creatures had dragged the bodies along the ground.
Following these marks should lead to their village without much difficulty.
After about an hour and thirty minutes, the village began to come into view. Strange structures were visible among the densely packed trees.
The creatures’ homes, made from chopped-down trees, were little more than skeletal remains.
“There it is.”
Once the village was found, locating the bones wouldn’t be difficult.
These creatures had a habit of sharing their prey in the middle of the village.
“Here they are.”
There was no need to search further.
In the middle of the village, beside what appeared to be a bonfire site, were scattered remains.
“Rest in peace.”
Several skeletons were present, not mentioned in the request.
They all seemed to be those previously marked as missing.
[Residents of another world cannot be interred.]
“Huh? What does this mean?”
The system’s message indicating they were people from another world and couldn’t be interred caused Johan to freeze for about five seconds.
This was entirely unexpected.
“Does it mean only people from Earth can be interred…?”
Ever since the portals and dungeons appeared, he had suspected other worlds might have developed similar civilizations.
But he had never faced it so directly.
“Oh, there was Grand Duke Ian. That was the first.”
The god of the dead.
He had thought of them as a mere transcendent maintaining balance, but it seemed they had different purposes.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t differentiate resources while collecting corpses.
“I’m curious, what exactly is their purpose, and why are they making me do this?”
[You will know when the time comes. That time is not far off, so please wait a little longer.]
“Seriously? Are they watching me in real-time?”
A hollow laugh escaped him, but as the system’s response suggested, he would eventually find out.
Since he was handling the dead, he hoped the truth would turn out to be positive.
[One corpse has been stored. You have gained 4 stat points.]
Using his sense, he identified the client’s exact bones and interred them.
He then summoned Dubo to dig simple graves for the other remains.
“May you also rest in peace.”
Now the task was done.
What remained was to head to the Urk village 20 minutes away and hunt.
Rustle
At that moment, a sound came from the bushes.
The significant amount of rustling indicated it wasn’t something small.
“What’s that…?”
A white monster.
A bulky body with long, upward-pointing fangs.
It was clearly an Urk, but the first of its kind Johan had seen.
“An albino Urk?”
He recalled the first time he encountered an albino kobold. The situation was quite similar.
Was it too much to think these creatures had a common purpose?
“I have to follow it.”
His heightened senses were now more strongly urging him than before.
They were telling him he mustn’t miss this.
Ding
A quest was generated simultaneously. It was undoubtedly related to the fleeing creature.
[Albino Pursuit]
Time limit: 3 hours
Difficulty: B
– Track the albino to the shrine of the god worshipped by the Urk tribe. If you reach the shrine within the time limit, you will gain something satisfying.
Reward: Truth
