TL: Hayath
Chapter 25
Episode: 3 [The Inevitable Battle (8)]
When Lee Gyu-jin turned into a monster, an urgent quest was generated.
Now that I had dealt with him, it was time to receive the reward.
What would it be?
I pressed the completion message of the urgent quest with my finger.
But then.
[A reward for completing the urgent quest will be given.]
[You can acquire one of Lee Gyu-jin’s skills.]
[Cards containing the skills will be displayed.]
[You can choose one of the cards.]
Shuarururuk-!
The reward distribution method was a bit different from before.
Six silver cards appeared in the air.
Unlike before, when the reward was determined randomly or forced upon me, this time I had the option to choose.
‘I can acquire one of the six skills Lee Gyu-jin had. But which one should I pick?’
I stroked my chin and stared at the cards floating in the air….
In reality, it was meaningless to examine them.
All the cards were the same color, and there were no descriptions.
At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.
‘Wait, maybe…’
I quickly put it into action.
[Character Summon: Jejang]
“Hello, Lord! Did you call for me?”
“Yes, Jejang. Do you see those cards? Can you go and check if anything is written on them?”
“Yes, Lord!”
I could only see the back of the cards from my current position.
But what if I used the character to look at the front?
I might be able to find clues about the skills.
I was trying to exploit a loophole in the reward system using [Character Summon].
However.
“There’s nothing written, Lord! They just glow silver.”
“Figures. Thanks for your help. You can go rest now.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, Lord.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”
“Yes…. Please call me anytime, Lord.”
Despite my reassurance, Jejang seemed a bit dejected as he left. He must have felt quite sorry for not being able to help.
I tried to be clever, but unfortunately, the trick didn’t work.
‘I guess I have no choice but to do it the right way.’
There was only one method left.
A frontal attack.
Although it was up to luck, I decided to face it head-on and chose the card in the middle.
At that moment.
Flash-!
[You have acquired one of Lee Gyu-jin’s skills.]
[Skill: Infiltration acquired.]
[Skill: Lv 1. Infiltration – Penetrate the blind spot of the target. Consumes 5 mana.]
A flash of light erupted, and then it absorbed into my body.
“Infiltration? Is that the one from back then?”
The skill I chose from Lee Gyu-jin was [Infiltration].
And as soon as the skill description appeared, I immediately understood what it was.
A technique that allowed one to vanish from the opponent’s sight and quickly move to their side or rear.
Thinking back, there were countless times when my life was in danger because he vanished from my sight and swung his dagger.
In fact, towards the end of the battle, I was even cut by a dagger coated with poison.
‘Well, it’s not bad.’
Although I was used to overpowered skills like [Character Summon] or [Empire Knight’s Swordsmanship], [Infiltration] was also a pretty good skill.
It was tricky to deal with in battle, and it was a skill possessed by a B-rank Hunter.
‘Now the next thing to do is… level up?’
After receiving the reward, I turned my gaze to the quest window. Then, new messages appeared after claiming the achievement reward.
[You have successfully achieved the fourth achievement.]
[The fifth achievement will be unlocked upon meeting the prerequisite conditions.]
[Prerequisite – Reach level 75 (50/75)]
[Hidden Quest: Lord’s Achievement (4/10)]
[Achieve all achievements to obtain a hidden reward.]
Reach level 75.
The prerequisite for the fourth achievement was reaching level 50, but now it was 75.
It was a bit disappointing that the fifth achievement didn’t unlock immediately, but in a way, it was perfect for my current objective.
Due to recent events, I got involved with a large guild, and my face became known to the public. It would be hard to level up quietly on my own as before.
So I needed to level up as much as possible before things got too hectic.
I opened my status window.
[Status Window]
[Name – Han Sang-woo]
[Level – 50]
[Unique Trait – Lord of Hayer]
[Strength: 86] [Agility: 75] [Intelligence: 58] [Stamina: 78] [Magic: 83]
[Unique Skill – Lv 4. Character Summon] [Lv 1. Empire Knight’s Swordsmanship] [Lv 1. Will of Protection] [Lv 1. Little Blacksmith’s Blessing] [Lv 1. Eruption] [Lv 1. Lava Deployment] [Lv 1. Infiltration]
My current level was 50.
Although I visited the Ice Fortress, due to partying with high-ranking members, I experienced the penalty of [Solitude], a 99% reduction in experience points, so I didn’t level up.
After all that effort, I didn’t gain even one level.
Considering the penalty of [Solitude], it seemed best to conduct future raids alone.
‘But… what should I do about this?’
While planning the next steps to achieve my goal after receiving the reward, I suddenly remembered an unresolved issue.
I took an item out of Jejang’s inventory.
[The Fifth Key Fragment]
[Grade: Common]
[Feature: It is the fifth key fragment.]
A small golden piece of metal.
It was the only item dropped by the monster Lee Gyu-jin.
Items like the dagger and armor worn by human Lee Gyu-jin disappeared along with the monster Lee Gyu-jin’s death.
But strangely, this key remained and was dropped like a monster’s item after Lee Gyu-jin died.
Whether it was something Lee Gyu-jin was carrying or something that dropped when he turned into a monster, I couldn’t be sure, but it fell as loot regardless.
It was a common-grade item, the lowest grade, with no known use or effect.
But I couldn’t just throw it away.
The fact that it was the fifth key fragment implied the existence of the first through fourth fragments.
Based on my extensive experience playing countless games, such items usually yield good rewards when all pieces are collected.
‘Let’s hold onto it for now. A clue will reveal itself eventually.’
I stored the key fragment back in Jejang’s inventory, then slipped under the covers to get some sleep.
Late at night, in a mansion in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul.
Around a long table that could seat at least 20 people, five figures sat in the darkness.
The living room was enveloped in silence.
After some time had passed.
The large figure seated in the middle of the table finally spoke.
“Team Leader Lee Gyu-jin and Kang Du-sik from the 14th Operations Team are dead?”
“Yes, Chief. They were killed in the Ice Fortress.”
The figure in the middle, the Chief, asked, and a silhouette of a woman with glasses nodded and answered.
The Chief crossed his arms and asked in a heavy voice.
“What’s the progress of the great undertaking?”
“It would have reached 85% completion with the missions assigned to those two, but it has now dropped to 75%.”
“Just before success, they slipped. Have you found the whereabouts of the key fragment Lee Gyu-jin had?”
“We haven’t found it yet. Sorry. Even though we strictly guarded it, it was a mistake not to keep the key fragments separately….”
The woman with glasses bowed her head in apology.
The Chief raised his hand to indicate it was okay.
“No need to blame yourself. Secretary Yoon, your strategy was excellent. It was just that Lee Gyu-jin was weak. Deputy Chief, the key fragment?”
The Chief asked, and the figure opposite Secretary Yoon answered.
“The compass indicates that someone has taken it.”
“So the one who killed Lee Gyu-jin took it. Who killed the two of them?”
“We haven’t identified them yet. But we know the ranks of the Hunters who entered with them: one C-rank, four D-ranks, and one rank-unknown mercenary. The C-rank and D-rank Hunters went to the hospital immediately after the situation ended, but the mercenary went home without receiving treatment.”
“It’s likely the rank-unknown mercenary obtained it.”
The Chief quickly deduced from the Deputy Chief’s report.
Then.
“Should we dispatch intelligence agents immediately?”
“If we identify the mercenary, we can attack and retrieve it. Leave it to us.”
The figure holding a cane and the one with a large sword on his back spoke in turn.
Secretary Yoon also supported the idea.
“The opinions of the first support team leader and the first operations team leader are most likely to yield quick results.”
Pursuing the most likely suspect immediately and retrieving the desired item was the most realistic and logical approach.
However, the Chief shook his head.
“No need to rush. Haste makes waste.”
“Can I ask why?”
The Deputy Chief inquired. The Chief continued to explain.
“The Asin Guild and the Hunter Office will be frantically searching for us. If we act rashly, we’ll just leave traces.”
“Are you saying we should do nothing? We’ll never find the key fragment then.”
“Of course not. When the mercenary’s identity is revealed, we’ll attack and retrieve the key fragment.”
“How? Will someone deliver the information to us if we do nothing?”
“Exactly.”
“Huh…?”
The Deputy Chief scratched his cheek at the Chief’s answer.
The others also listened in silence.
“Do you think we’re the only ones curious about that person’s identity?”
“Ah…!”
They soon understood.
The Chief grinned, showing his white teeth.
“A rank-unknown mercenary who killed two Luminous members and saved innocent Hunters. Most guilds would covet such a person.”
“True. Most mercenaries who keep their information private do so because they dislike the hassle of guild activities. There’s a high chance they don’t belong to any guild yet.”
“Even if the Hunter Office tries to protect them, information will spread quickly if just one guild member with connections speaks out.”
Secretary Yoon and the support team leader agreed with the Chief.
Of course, the first operations team leader, with a large sword on his back, just shrugged his shoulders as if itching for action.
“Damn, I’d smash them if I knew who it was.”
“Just be patient. Just watching will reveal their identity soon enough. And then….”
In the deep darkness, the Chief bared his white teeth in a grin.
“We’ll show the power of our Luminous.”
