TL: Hayath
Chapter 26
Episode 4: Fate Rides the Wind (1)
“Huwooo….”
[Character: Taeseng Gilgeol has defeated Lava Golem (C).]
[Level up!]
[You have reached level 75.]
[You have gained +1 Agility and +1 Intelligence.]
[Prerequisite – Reach Level 75 (1/1)]
[As a reward for completing the prerequisite, you gain +1 Mana.]
“As expected.”
The giant golem melted away from Taeseng Gilgeol’s sword, and messages announcing level-ups and completion of prerequisites filled the screen.
I must have cleared it over 40 times.
In any case, my prediction was correct.
Before diving into a full-scale raid, I thought I would reach level 75 by clearing C or D-rank dungeons about fifty times, and that prediction was accurate.
It definitely takes more clears to level up the higher your level gets.
Of course, there was also the option of moving up to B-rank dungeons for more experience points, but it wasn’t time to challenge them yet.
Just because C-rank dungeons are easy doesn’t mean B-rank ones will be too.
And I had to consider variables as well.
I’m not yet at the level for B-rank dungeons.
Even though Taeseng Gilgeolis strong, if I can’t defeat the monsters in a B-rank dungeon, accidents can happen at any time.
There must be a reason for the prerequisites in the hidden quest.
Anyway, my next goal is to clear the fifth achievement, and I have some guesses about it too.
However.
[The fifth achievement has been unlocked.]
[Fifth Achievement – Clear an Unresolved Dungeon (0/1)]
[Hidden Quest: Lord’s Achievements (4/10)]
[Achieve all achievements to unlock a hidden reward.]
‘It’s not clearing a B-rank dungeon?’
This time my prediction was off.
Since the dungeons to be cleared had progressed from F-rank to D-rank, I expected the fifth one to be a B-rank dungeon, but the direction changed to an unresolved dungeon.
‘Hmm, this might be tough.’
An unresolved dungeon.
These are dungeons that have never been cleared since their creation, and there are currently no unresolved dungeons in Korea.
Globally, there are many dungeons that have not been cleared or even discovered, often located in deep seas, remote areas, or underdeveloped regions. Dungeon breaks usually occur in such cases.
However, Korea, being a powerhouse of hunters and a small country, has no unresolved dungeons.
In fact, if an unresolved dungeon appears, guilds compete to clear it before the government even gets involved.
The reason is the ‘first clear reward.’
Clearing an unresolved dungeon for the first time provides much greater rewards than already cleared dungeons.
Unresolved dungeons are not precisely graded, such as ‘B-rank or higher,’ and have no strategies, so they take several times longer to clear than regular dungeons, but guilds are eager to bid for them because of this first clear reward.
No matter how good my temporary special hunter license is or how outstanding my abilities are, if I can’t win the bid, I can’t enter an unresolved dungeon, so this is not something I can solve immediately.
‘Well, I’ve achieved my goal for now, so I should call it a day.’
Although the fifth achievement has been unlocked, I had been raiding non-stop for a while, and finding a suitable unresolved dungeon would take time, so it seemed better to wrap things up.
“Good job, Taeseng Gilgeol. You can rest now.”
“Thank you, master.”
I collected the boss monster’s drop items, dismissed Taeseng Gilgeol, and headed out of the dungeon.
Then.
“Oh, Hunter, you’re out? You were in there for a long time. Good work.”
“Yes, thank you.”
As soon as I exited the dungeon, a dungeon guard who seemed to have been waiting for me approached and greeted me.
Unlike the guards at Seoul Station who didn’t care about hunters entering, this guard was friendly, though it could be seen as bothersome.
They approached and talked to me every time I went in and out of the dungeon.
“Pardon me, but which guild are you affiliated with?”
So this time, I thought it better to handle it before it became more troublesome.
“Who asked you to?”
“Ye, yes?”
I turned my head to look around.
Then.
“Gasp!”
“He’s looking at us!”
Swish, swish, swish!
Far off, people who had been smoking in cafes or at the hunting ground entrance averted their eyes.
I didn’t know where they came from, but more than ten people had been watching me for a few days.
It’s not like Luminous would openly spy on me, so it seemed like various guilds had sniffed me out and sent scouts to recruit me.
I had anticipated this, but the hunter world is truly competitive.
To already have people tailing me.
Looking back, after clearing the Ice Fortress, I had returned home immediately, and it seemed that the Ashin Guild had figured out my residence at that time.
After I moved to the Sindorim hunting ground, other guilds caught the scent and started tailing me.
The guard asking me about my affiliation was likely prompted to gather information.
“I’m not interested. Take care.”
I passed the guard and left the Sindorim hunting ground.
It was beginning to feel real that I was starting to draw attention from various places.
But just as I passed the entrance of the hunting ground, I had to stop.
Today was full of surprises.
“Huh? Elder Kang?”
“Gasp, aren’t you… Han Sangwoo?”
I met someone completely unexpected in an entirely unforeseen place.
“I’m sorry, Elder. I promised to tell you first if I awakened, but I’m late.”
In front of the Sindorim hunting ground guard post, I placed the coffee I had bought from a nearby café and smiled awkwardly.
Then.
“Haha, it’s alright. It was a joke, but I’m grateful you remembered.”
Elder Kang smiled brightly as he accepted the coffee.
There wasn’t really a suitable place to drink coffee in the guard post.
It would have been nice to chat in the café, but that wasn’t an option.
Elder Kang had visited the hunting ground for a shift change.
Fortunately, as a seasoned guard and since Elder Kang had been around long enough, we could at least drink coffee in the post.
Chatting in the post felt like going back to old times.
“Though I’m late, I kept my promise. You’re the first person I’m telling with my own mouth that I’ve awakened.”
“You’re still the same. Thank you. And congratulations. I knew you’d become something.”
“No, I was just lucky. How have you been?”
“Same old for me. Guard duty, visiting my wife in the hospital. I’m more curious about how you’ve been. This is a C-rank dungeon… have you grown enough to come here already?”
“Well… yes. Running around day and night led to that.”
Should I divert the conversation?
For a moment, I hesitated but decided to tell the truth about my level.
I didn’t want to lie to Elder Kang, and there was no benefit in hiding it from him.
Then.
“Haha, that’s an incredible growth rate. So… are all those people watching you for that reason?”
“Yes, something like that.”
Elder Kang clicked his tongue as he looked around at the people spying on me.
Even a regular person could tell.
Especially a dungeon guard, who constantly observes the surroundings, would immediately notice anything suspicious.
“Don’t worry too much. Even if they ask about you, I won’t tell them. Though there’s not much I know.”
Elder Kang took a sip of coffee and smiled reassuringly at me.
His warm, caring words were comforting, but I shook my head.
“No, Elder. Please tell them about me.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. If they come asking about my name, age, or our relationship, tell them everything. But get paid for it.”
“Get paid to talk about you…?”
Elder Kang looked puzzled and confused, as if asking if I was joking, but I was serious.
“Those people are likely hunter scouts. They’ll be trying to gather various information to recruit me. Just get paid for giving out my information. About… thirty million won per person should be appropriate.”
“Thir… thirty million won…!”
Elder Kang’s eyes widened at the amount, but it wasn’t an exaggeration.
There are cases where dungeon guards are asked for information about hunters.
Not long ago, Shin Daehoon sent me a message warning me to be careful.
I calmly continued after finishing my coffee.
“It may seem like a lot, but it’s just pocket change to them. Most of them are scouts from mid-sized or large guilds.”
“Are you a star hunter or something? Asking that much for information about you?”
“Hmm… I can’t guarantee it, but as you said, I might become something big, haha.”
Recently, there haven’t been any major new hunters in the domestic hunter industry. This made large guilds even more eager to recruit hunters, hence the lack of manpower at the hunter office.
In this situation, my appearance in a big event as an unknown new hunter would have everyone trying to find me.
Feeling a bit shy, I laughed to ease Elder Kang’s tension.
Then Elder Kang looked at me with tearful eyes.
“Thank you, Han Sangwoo. Really, thank you.”
“No, Elder. Please take good care of yourself.”
Before Elder Kang could react, I got up and left the guard post.
It wasn’t a bad feeling, giving a little help to the person who cared for me when I was nothing.
“I told him to use my name, but I didn’t mean for him to speak so much.”
After parting ways with Elder Kang, I had a peaceful morning.
Returning home, eating a late breakfast, and resting, I decided to train my body and swordsmanship in the training room.
By the time I finished my intense training and took a shower, it was around 3 PM.
I planned to train in the spirit world for the rest of the day.
However, plans can change.
“A guest?”
Checking the video intercom, I saw someone standing at the front door.
It wasn’t the landlord; it was someone I didn’t recognize.
Who could it be?
To my surprise, when I opened the door, it wasn’t just one person but many.
And the first person to speak was someone I recognized from yesterday’s news.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Han Sangwoo. I’m Luminous Guild Master Kang Hyejin. May I have a moment of your time?”
The person standing at my door was a renowned guild master from a large guild, well-known even to me.
