There were several Intelligence Guilds in Korea.
However, due to the nature of dealing in information, they were notoriously difficult to operate.
Naturally, few Intelligence Guilds were managed properly.
Those that remained successful for many years earned considerable recognition.
And among them—
The guild regarded as the finest of all properly managed Intelligence Guilds was undoubtedly the ‘Rumor Guild.’
‘Their intelligence network is top-tier, and their reliability is highly regarded as well. That is why even Major Guilds continue to trade information with the Rumor Guild.’
I was about to meet a member of the finest Intelligence Guild.
“Hello!”
The man with a bowl cut trimmed in a perfectly straight line bowed deeply the moment he saw me.
He had a small frame, and his face looked so incredibly young that it was difficult to guess his age.
Of course, age did not matter in this line of work. Skill mattered most.
“Mr. Jeong, thank you for taking the time to meet me.”
I was sincerely grateful.
I had contacted him without knowing whether he would agree, yet he had come immediately.
“I am the one who should be thanking you. I am not merely saying that. You truly saved my life, Mr. Yu-gwon. Had you not been there, I would not have lived to attend this meeting today.”
“……Is that so?”
It was a little embarrassing to hear him put it so strongly.
Then again, it was not entirely untrue.
Even while I had been slaughtering Goblins like a madman, I had devoted a great deal of attention to rescuing people.
“I am telling you this in case you are concerned, but you do not need to think about payment at all. I am merely trying to repay you for saving my life.”
“Even so, I should pay for the information.”
“No! Please do not. Should accepting this for free truly trouble you, it would be more than enough if you came to me the next time you needed information!”
So Jeong Bo-won was not simply the type to give everything away for free.
He had managed to slip in a sales pitch even now.
Well, that was only natural.
There was no way a member of the finest Intelligence Guild would simply give everything away without expecting anything in return.
“Hearing you say that puts me a little more at ease. I will purchase information from you whenever possible in the future as well.”
“Haha! That is more than enough!”
I normally believed that it was unwise to accept things for free, but Jeong Bo-won’s expression was completely serious.
I had the feeling that if I insisted on paying him, he might refuse to give me the information altogether.
Therefore, I went straight to the point.
“I am looking for several materials.”
“What materials are they?”
“I need three things: a Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s Fang, a Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert, and a Giant Sandworm’s Stone.”
“Hmm…… Every one of those is difficult to obtain.”
“As expected, it will be difficult?”
“No! They may be difficult to obtain, but they are not impossible to find.”
“……What? You mean they can be obtained?”
Honestly, I had not expected much.
I had assumed that he would tell me they were impossible to acquire, but to my surprise, he said otherwise.
“To be precise, I know the locations where they can be obtained. Would you like me to share those locations with you?”
“Yes, please.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Jeong Bo-won took out his smartphone and began working busily.
A brief glance showed me that he had opened an unfamiliar app and was searching for the materials.
That was probably the Rumor Guild’s proprietary app.
“I found them!”
It did not seem as though even a minute had passed before Jeong Bo-won announced that he had found them.
He had found with a few taps in an app the information I had failed to uncover despite searching every corner of the internet?
I was incredibly envious of that app.
“That was very fast.”
“Ahaha……! We can find most information through the guild’s proprietary app.”
Jeong Bo-won laughed bashfully.
He then told me every location he had found.
All of them were Dungeons, which was only natural.
They were materials that could only be obtained inside Dungeons in the first place.
“So I can obtain the materials I need by going to these places?”
“I cannot guarantee that you will obtain them. As you know, too many unpredictable factors exist inside Dungeons. The Giant Sandworm’s Stone, in particular, can only be obtained by killing a Giant Sandworm.”
The implication behind Jeong Bo-won’s words was clear.
I would have to fight and defeat a dangerous Monster called a Giant Sandworm to obtain it.
He probably also meant that he was uncertain whether I could accomplish such a feat.
“It is a dangerous Monster. All the Dungeons you told me about are dangerous as well.”
“To be honest, I am worried. You appeared to be traveling alone in the last Dungeon too.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Hunter Yu-gwon, please do not get hurt under any circumstances! I do not want to hear that my benefactor was injured at a location I gave him!”
“Understood.”
Warmth filled my heart.
Perhaps because I had encountered so many awful people while working as a Dungeon Porter, meeting a decent person like Jeong Bo-won felt especially pleasant.
“Then I will see you again!”
After bowing deeply, Jeong Bo-won hurried away.
I hastily bowed in return.
“Take care on your way back.”
***
After parting ways with Jeong Bo-won, I headed toward the first Dungeon where I could obtain one of the materials.
It was far away, so I used a Hunter-Exclusive Taxi.
“I hope you have a safe day, Hunter.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After stepping out of the Hunter-Exclusive Taxi, I looked ahead.
A Gate stood there.
As I approached, Hunter Association employees blocked my path.
They were people who tirelessly worked to ensure the public’s safety.
I greeted them politely and presented my Hunter License.
“Yu-gwon…….”
The Hunter Association employee examined my Hunter License from several angles before looking at me with startled eyes.
“Wait, Yu-gwon?! Excuse me, but are you…… the Shabby Hunter?”
“I am not sure.”
I shook my head in denial.
I did not particularly like the nickname Shabby Hunter.
“Hmm…… Are you planning to enter the Dungeon alone?”
“Yes.”
“That could be dangerous…….”
The Hunter Association employee looked at me with concern.
I understood why.
The Gate before us was connected to an E-Rank Dungeon.
It could be extremely dangerous to enter such a place alone without a Party.
“I will be fine. Thank you for your hard work.”
After saying goodbye to the Hunter Association employees, I entered the Gate connected to the Dungeon.
SWOOSH!
The location around me changed, accompanied by an unpleasant, clammy sensation.
I found myself on a plain.
Green grass stretched across the vast expanse.
“ROOOAR!”
The roar of a beast greeted me the moment I entered the Dungeon.
There was a high chance that it was a Red-Eyed Tiger.
It was classified as an E-Rank Monster, one rank above F-Rank.
‘I had no idea the Boss Monster of the Red-Eyed Tiger Dungeon was a Red-Wrinkled Tiger.’
I had visited the Red-Eyed Tiger Dungeon quite often during my two years of working as a Dungeon Porter.
That made it all the more surprising.
I had never seen or even heard of a Red-Wrinkled Tiger.
‘I thought the Red-Eyed Tiger Dungeon did not have a Boss Monster, but it turns out that its appearance rate is simply so low that hardly anyone knows about it.’
I had learned all of that thanks to Jeong Bo-won.
If I could kill the Red-Wrinkled Tiger, the Boss Monster of this Dungeon, I would be able to obtain the ‘Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s Fang’ needed to craft the Inner Elixir.
“GRRRRR!”
It did not take long for me to encounter a Red-Eyed Tiger.
It was wandering alone.
SHING!
I drew the Limitless Sword.
I had never intended to avoid fighting in the first place.
It was an E-Rank Monster, which meant it was the same rank as the Kirak I had easily killed before.
Unless something extraordinary happened, there was no chance that I would lose.
SLASH!
I cut down the charging Red-Eyed Tiger.
“R-ROAR……!”
With a brief death cry, the Red-Eyed Tiger split cleanly in two.
I used Limitless Footwork to quicken my advance deeper into the Dungeon.
“GRRRRR!”
“ROOOAR!”
This time, two Red-Eyed Tigers attacked me.
However, nothing changed.
SLASH! SLASH!
By responding with Limitless Sword Method and Limitless Footwork, I could dispose of them with ease.
【Limitless Sword Method】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s Sword Method
【Limitless Footwork】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s Footwork
Even my Inner Arts Consumption was not particularly high.
Although I had been fighting with Inner Arts surrounding my sword from the beginning, very little had been consumed.
It was thanks to the ‘Inner Arts Consumption reduced by 30%’ effect gained when the Limitless Sword’s Second Seal was released.
【Limitless Sword】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s sword. The Second Seal has been released.
[Effects] Attack Power increased by 30%, Evasion increased by 30%, Ego, Inner Arts Consumption reduced by 30%, Magic Resistance increased by 30%, Devour
‘I want to test Magic Resistance increased by 30% and Devour as soon as possible, but the opportunity simply will not present itself.’
As I continued deeper into the Dungeon, I cut down every Monster that entered my sight.
Then, during my advance—
“Oh!”
A message appeared before my eyes.
[Limitless Sword Method Proficiency has increased!]
[Limitless Footwork Proficiency has increased!]
They were messages related to Proficiency.
My Stats had not increased, nor had I obtained a new Skill.
However, I could clearly feel that something had changed.
WHOOSH! SLASH!
Limitless Footwork and Limitless Sword Method had become slightly sharper and easier to execute.
“R-ROAR……!”
The number of Red-Eyed Tigers rapidly dwindled.
Then it happened.
“Please save me!”
In the distance, I saw someone being chased by a Red-Eyed Tiger.
Despite being inside a Dungeon, he did not look like a Hunter at all.
However, his clothing was far too familiar to me.
‘He looks like a Dungeon Porter.’
I could not understand it.
Why was a Dungeon Porter being chased by a Monster alone?
Where were the Hunters who should have entered with him?
Countless thoughts filled my head, but I decided to save him first.
WHOOSH!
I closed the distance with Limitless Footwork and swung my sword.
The Red-Eyed Tiger that had been about to attack the man dressed as a Dungeon Porter was decapitated in a single stroke.
SLASH!
Perhaps it was the relief of realizing that he had survived.
The fleeing man’s legs gave out, and he collapsed.
“What happened?”
“……First, thank you for saving me. As for what happened…….”
He began to explain.
As expected, the man I had rescued was a Dungeon Porter.
And the reason he had been chased by a Monster alone was…… because the Hunters who had entered the Dungeon with him had abandoned him.
‘This hits far too close to home.’
I had experienced the same thing.
I had nearly died after being abandoned by those scumbag Hunters in the Kirak Dungeon.
In the end, I had survived through sheer luck and even obtained Martial God’s Legacy.
But that was exactly what it had been—luck. One wrong move, and I would have died as Monster food.
Thinking about it was making me angry all over again.
“Let us go somewhere safe first.”
After escorting the Dungeon Porter to the Dungeon’s exit, I asked him a question.
“So, where are those pieces of trash?”
“The place they went is……!”
After the Dungeon Porter shared the scumbag Hunters’ location with me, I used Limitless Footwork to head there.
WHOOSH!
Since I had already cleared the Monsters from the path so thoroughly, I reached the desired location without encountering any interference.
There, I saw a single Monster.
Three Hunters were fighting it.
The Monster’s appearance was the first thing to seize my attention.
‘Something is different! It looks similar to a Red-Eyed Tiger, but its skin is covered in wrinkles! That has to be a Red-Wrinkled Tiger, right?’
According to the information I had obtained from Jeong Bo-won,
that Monster was indeed the Boss Monster of this Dungeon—the Red-Wrinkled Tiger I had been searching for.
And—
The three Hunters fighting the Red-Wrinkled Tiger were……
“It is them.”
They were the very same bastards who had abandoned me in the Kirak Dungeon.