Just as I was preparing to leave the Dungeon after obtaining all the materials I needed, I saw a group of people in the distance.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo had already told me that people were approaching, but I had not expected them to be from the Hunter Association.
“It has been a while, Ms. An Mi-hyeon.”
I returned An Mi-hyeon’s greeting.
This was already our third meeting, so I no longer felt awkward around her.
“Do you know him?”
A man stepped forward and questioned An Mi-hyeon.
That man looked remarkably strong.
I could feel the pressure he gave off simply by standing face-to-face with him.
His attire was typical of the Hunter Association, although it appeared somewhat more refined.
He probably held a high-ranking position.
Perhaps he was the leader of a team.
“……Yes.”
After giving a brief answer, An Mi-hyeon stared at me with a surprised expression.
She had seemed startled from the beginning, but why was she reacting like that?
“Then, take care.”
I gave them a slight nod and prepared to continue on my way.
“Did you happen to enter that water?”
The man who had stepped forward questioned me.
“Why do you ask?”
“I asked because you appear to be soaking wet.”
“That is a secret.”
I had no desire to share the information, so I told him it was a secret and tried to leave.
However—
SWISH!
“I would appreciate your cooperation.”
The man blocked my path.
He was the person who appeared to hold the highest position
and the one giving off the most powerful presence.
“Who are you?”
“……I am Kim Young-hyun, Team Leader of the Hunter Association’s Combat Team 3.”
“So you are the Team Leader. I am Yu-gwon.”
“Hunter Yu-gwon, I would appreciate it if you shared why you entered the water.”
“No. I don’t want to share that.”
“I ask that you reconsider. It would be best if you cooperated with us.”
I had made my refusal sufficiently clear, yet he remained stubborn.
Had these people also come looking for the ‘Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert’ and the ‘Giant Sandworm’s Stone’?
If so, I supposed his reaction was somewhat understandable.
- What an insolent group.
Agreeing with Jin Cheon-woo, I walked past Team Leader Kim Young-hyun, who had been blocking my path.
I did not want to waste any more time dealing with him. It would be better to craft the Inner Elixir quickly and become stronger.
“Team Leader, should we stop him?”
“What would you like us to do?”
The people who appeared to be members of Combat Team 3 spoke up.
They were suggesting that they stop me merely because I had refused their request.
The absurdity of it made me laugh.
“That’s enough. From this point onward, we focus on our mission.”
Team Leader Kim Young-hyun shook his head and shot me a sharp glare.
His face was filled with displeasure.
I had only seen him briefly, but he seemed to have a terrible personality.
Ms. An Mi-hyeon must have suffered quite a bit as a member of his team.
Then again, perhaps she was the same sort of person.
At that moment—
“Mr. Yu-gwon, it would be better not to travel through Dungeons alone. Dangerous situations occur far too often, especially in a D-Rank Dungeon like this.”
An Mi-hyeon advised me with a worried expression.
I should discard the thought that she might be the same sort of person.
Someone like that would never disregard her Team Leader and teammates’ reactions to offer me advice.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll take it to heart.”
I truly did take it to heart.
I would be more careful in Dungeons and fight more safely.
However, I did not think I would stop traveling alone anytime soon.
‘It’s extremely convenient.’
The expressions of Combat Team 3’s members twisted further when they saw me conversing with An Mi-hyeon.
Judging by their faces alone, one might have thought they were jealous.
WHOOSH! SWISH!
I quickened my pace.
The unexpected encounter with the Hunter Association had already taken too much of my time, so I needed to hurry.
***
“An Mi-hyeon, you owe us an explanation.”
It was Team Leader Kim Young-hyun of Combat Team 3.
The team members immediately turned their attention toward An Mi-hyeon.
“You seemed close. What kind of relationship do you have?”
“He isn’t your boyfriend, is he?”
“You smiled at him quite warmly. You never smile at us like that. I’m feeling a little hurt.”
A barrage of rude remarks followed.
Unlike when she had been speaking to Yu-gwon, An Mi-hyeon’s face became expressionless as she parted her red lips.
“Mr. Yu-gwon is a Hunter who recently became famous online. This was only the third time I have met him. That is all.”
Even after hearing An Mi-hyeon’s explanation, the members of Combat Team 3 still looked displeased.
“Famous? He didn’t look like anything special.”
“The equipment he was wearing was practically rotten.”
“How can anyone walk around wearing equipment like that? And what gives him the confidence to travel alone? Is he desperate to get himself killed?”
At that moment, the atmosphere around An Mi-hyeon turned cold.
“Please do not speak carelessly about Mr. Yu-gwon when you know nothing about him.”
Her words were as cold as the atmosphere surrounding her.
The Hunters of Combat Team 3 hurriedly closed their mouths.
Only Team Leader Kim Young-hyun spoke, his face contorted.
“Enough. Stop talking about someone we’ll never see again and search the water. Don’t forget that we came here to find the flower and the Stone.”
Following the Team Leader’s orders, the members of Combat Team 3 entered the water one by one.
A short while later, the Hunters emerged from the water looking bewildered.
“We found a Giant Sandworm with a triangular mark on its forehead, but it had been split in half and was already dead!”
“We searched its body for the Stone, but we couldn’t find it! However, judging by the mark left where something was removed from its internal organs…… we believe someone already took the Stone!”
“……We couldn’t find the Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert either. As you know, Team Leader, the flower normally grows wherever a Giant Sandworm with a triangular mark on its forehead resides…… but we couldn’t find it no matter how thoroughly we searched.”
After hearing his team members’ reports, Team Leader Kim Young-hyun’s face stiffened.
“……That man was wet earlier. Anyone could tell that he had just emerged from the water.”
As Team Leader Kim Young-hyun muttered to himself, his gaze shifted toward An Mi-hyeon.
“You said that man’s name was Yu-gwon?”
“……Yes.”
“Compile everything you know about him and send me a report before the end of the day.”
“……Understood.”
GRIND!
Team Leader Kim Young-hyun ground his teeth.
He could not understand it at all.
Judging by Yu-gwon’s appearance, he did not seem to belong to any organization.
How, then, had he found the ‘Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert’ and the ‘Giant Sandworm’s Stone’?
They were such exceptional materials that even many Major Guilds were unaware of their existence.
“And An Mi-hyeon! Find out whether that Yu-gwon fellow has the flower and the Stone.”
“And if he does?”
“Bring them back. Even if you have to pay him a reasonable price.”
“…….”
“Also, find out what organization is backing Yu-gwon. The flower and the Stone are materials that no individual could possibly learn about through his own intelligence network.”
“……Understood.”
Swallowing his mounting irritation, Team Leader Kim Young-hyun issued an order to the entire team.
“We are moving to another location.”
***
While heading toward the Dungeon’s exit, I was attacked by Giant Sandworms several times.
RRRUMBLE! ROOOAR!
Giant Sandworms erupted from beneath the ground.
They resembled enormous caterpillars, but their maws contained hundreds of saw-like, razor-sharp teeth.
I had heard that those jaws could even sever steel.
Just how powerful were they?
Of course, I had no desire to experience it firsthand.
WHOOSH! SLAAASH!
My sword split a Giant Sandworm in half.
Despite its enormous size, it was easily cut apart by the Limitless Sword wielded through the Limitless Sword Method.
By the time I had killed more than ten Giant Sandworms, the exit finally came into view.
SWOOSH!
The environment changed the moment I left the Dungeon.
The familiar scenery of Seoul appeared before me.
I could even smell a faint trace of exhaust fumes.
‘This is still better than having sand enter my eyes and nose.’
It was not exactly a pleasant environment, but it was far better than the desert landscape of the Giant Sandworm Dungeon.
- Will you craft the Inner Elixir immediately?
“Yes. But other than the Mana Stone, the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s Fangs, the Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert, and the Giant Sandworm’s Stone, is there anything else I need?”
- Those will suffice. However, you must go somewhere you can boil something for a long time.
Somewhere I could boil something for a long time?
The only place that immediately came to mind was home.
It was the home I had not visited once since becoming a Hunter.
Now, I headed there.
“It has been a while.”
It was a small apartment.
It was the rental home where I had lived with my parents.
Considering their hospital expenses, I should have ended the lease long ago.
However, I had desperately held on to it, even renewing the contract.
It was a home filled with memories of my parents.
I also believed that they would need a home to return to when they miraculously recovered.
CLICK!
After entering and closing the door behind me, I quickly began moving before I could stand there and become lost in sentiment.
CLATTER!
I took the largest pot from the kitchen and filled it with water.
I placed it over the gas burner and added the various materials I had worked so hard to obtain.
Even so, it was difficult to believe.
“You’re certain this will create an Inner Elixir?”
- What you are doing now is merely one stage of the process. Stop doubting me and follow my instructions. Then you will be able to complete the Inner Elixir.
I proceeded exactly as Martial God Jin Cheon-woo instructed.
It was complicated even with him explaining every step.
There were far too many stages, and several of them were remarkably difficult.
For instance, I had to grind the thoroughly boiled Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s Fangs into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
I also had to crush the boiled Giant Sandworm’s Stone and meticulously coat the Mana Stone with it.
- You still look doubtful. It is not too late to stop if you no longer wish to create the Inner Elixir.
“Not at all. As you can see, I’m doing everything exactly as you instructed, Master Jin Cheon-woo.”
After soothing the displeased Martial God, I continued my work.
‘It has already been five hours. When is this going to end?’
Crafting an Inner Elixir was far more difficult than I had expected.
There were far too many tasks, and every single one required precision.
Another difficulty was that even the slightest mistake would provoke Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s furious rebuke, forcing me to begin that step again.
‘Still, considering how much effort this requires, the effects should be excellent.’
Time passed.
Approximately ten hours after I began crafting the Inner Elixir, Jin Cheon-woo finally told me that it was finished.
- It is not bad for your first attempt. Let it dry for one day, and then you may consume it.
The thought of waiting another day caused exhaustion to wash over me.
However, seeing the Inner Elixir formed into a round pill eased some of my fatigue.
“I can train while waiting for the Inner Elixir to dry.”
I immediately searched online for the nearest Private Training Center.
Fortunately, it was fairly close.
I could reach it within five minutes by running.
WHOOSH!
After hurrying to the training center, I drew my sword.
However, the people from the Hunter Association continued to occupy my thoughts.
They had called themselves Combat Team 3, hadn’t they?
Every one of them had looked powerful, and they probably were.
A Hunter Association Combat Team would consist of Hunters who were at least C-Rank.
‘That Team Leader must be even stronger. He is probably at least B-Rank.’
It frustrated me
that I could not accurately determine their strength
and that I lacked the power to defeat them in battle.
‘Had the people I encountered in the Dungeon been bandits operating inside Dungeons rather than members of the Hunter Association…… I would already be dead.’
My desire to become stronger intensified.
WHOOSH!
I swung my sword.
Perhaps because my mind was distracted, the strike felt excessively tense.
The Martial God immediately roared at me.
- Concentrate!
I tried to cast aside my distracting thoughts
and focus solely on the sword.
At that moment—
SWISH!
An illustrated Martial Artist appeared.
The Martial Artist drew his sword and stared at me.
‘Is he telling me to prepare?’
The Martial Artist had not appeared recently.
There had to be a reason for his return, so I heightened my concentration even further.
Then, as though putting on a demonstration, the Martial Artist began swinging his sword.
“……!”
An instinctive sense of danger surged through me.