"The smell of dust is downright sweet today."
Taehu grinned as he pulled a pair of thick cotton gloves over his hands.
The temporary warehouse stood behind the Iljin Appraisal Center building.
Cobwebs swayed in the corners of the ceiling, while the musty smell of mold mingled with the rank odor of monster fluids throughout the space.
Most appraisers would have pinched their noses and fled within a minute.
Taehu, however, rolled up his sleeves while even humming to himself.
The smiling faces of his parents as they enjoyed premium Hanwoo beef the previous evening lingered vividly in his mind.
And his mother's excited voice when he told her that he had bought her a brand-new smartphone worth 1.5 million won—an excitement she had failed to hide even while smacking him on the back.
Those small but undeniable moments of happiness filled Taehu's entire body with energy.
'Yeah. Money really is nice.'
Taehu dragged one of the stacked plastic boxes toward himself.
It was filled with all manner of junk that porters had picked up from lower-level dungeons or novice Hunters had used and discarded.
Daggers with chipped, blunted blades.
Spent Magic Stone husks that had leaked all their mana and were now little different from ordinary rocks.
Tin helmets crushed so badly that their original shapes were barely recognizable.
To anyone else, it was nothing more than a trash heap.
And in truth, ninety-nine percent of it really was worthless garbage.
But to Taehu, this place was practically a gold mine.
"Let's see. I wonder what's hiding in here today."
Taehu began taking the items out of the box one by one and examining them.
Whenever he lightly coated his fingertips with mana and touched an item, a blue Status Window appeared in midair.
[F-rank Goblin Bone Fragment]
[F-rank Rusted Iron Sword / Damaged]
[E-rank Wild Dog Leather Vest / Damaged]
"Garbage."
Without hesitation, he tossed the items into the actual disposal bin behind him.
For more than two hours, Taehu dug through the warehouse while getting covered in dust.
Sweat gathered on his forehead and dripped from his chin.
His lower back ached, and his fingers had begun to go numb.
Even so, the look in Taehu's eyes was completely different from the days when he had merely passed the time as a perpetually C-rank appraiser.
He continued stubbornly digging through the mountain of trash.
Then, in the deepest part of the warehouse, at the bottom of a mold-covered wooden crate, he discovered a black lump.
"Hm?"
Taehu reached out and pulled it free.
It was an old black leather glove.
The fingers were badly torn and hanging in tatters, while dried monster blood had hardened into dark crimson stains across its surface.
No one would have found it strange if someone threw it straight into a garbage bag.
Without much thought, Taehu sent mana through the glove.
The familiar blue window appeared like a hologram.
[E-rank Hunter's Glove / Damaged]
It was an extremely common piece of entry-level equipment.
A brand-new one could be purchased at any neighborhood Hunter shop for less than fifty thousand won.
Naturally, it was not even worth repairing.
Out of habit, Taehu started to toss the glove toward the disposal bin.
But at that moment, a strange heat surged from his palm.
FLASH!
The blue Status Window trembled and scattered.
Then dazzling golden text overlaid it, bright enough to sting his eyes, as a torrent of new information poured forth.
[Damaged Tracker's Glove]
[Original Rank: A]
[Status: Damaged and Mana Circuit Severed]
[Hidden Properties: Agility Increase, Weakness Detection]
[Restoration Possible]
[Required Materials: 1 B-rank or higher Monster Hide, 1 Mid-grade Non-Attribute Magic Stone]
Taehu's breath caught in his throat.
The glove trembled in his grip.
'A-rank?'
He swallowed hard and carefully read the golden text again.
He had not misread it.
It was unmistakably A-rank.
And its properties were incredible.
Agility Increase and Weakness Detection.
Taehu might have obtained an exceptional ability as an appraiser, but his combat capability was still only on the level of an F-rank Hunter.
If he encountered a monster inside a dungeon, the most he could do was maintain a safe distance and avoid danger.
And now he had found equipment that would increase his Agility and even reveal an opponent's weaknesses.
It was quite literally a lifeline—an invaluable treasure that could dramatically compensate for his lack of practical combat ability.
'How did something like this end up mixed in with this pile of garbage?'
Whatever the reason, it did not matter.
At this moment, Taehu was the only person in the world who knew this item's true value.
Suppressing his violently pounding heart, he stuffed the glove deep into the pocket of his work clothes.
Then he relaxed his facial muscles and put on his usual easygoing expression.
At a makeshift desk near the warehouse entrance, the employee responsible for inventory management was scrolling through his smartphone while yawning repeatedly.
When Taehu approached, the employee raised his head without much interest.
"Taehu. Find anything useful?"
"Don't even ask. It's all garbage. I've done nothing but eat dust."
Taehu groaned theatrically as he rubbed the back of his neck.
The employee replied indifferently.
"Well, this is where we keep the stuff that's already been marked for disposal."
"True. By the way, could I take one of these?"
Taehu pulled the old leather glove he had just found from his pocket and casually tossed it onto the desk.
The employee frowned as he looked at it.
"Is it scheduled for disposal?"
"I've gotten interested in leather repair lately. I thought I'd use it to practice stitching and restoration."
"Judging by the condition, it's completely ruined."
"That makes it perfect for practice. What do you think? Can I take it?"
The employee waved a hand dismissively.
"Go ahead. It's already on the disposal list for the incinerator this afternoon. With the employee discount, just transfer thirty-five thousand won."
"Thank you. I'll send it right now."
Without a second of hesitation, Taehu turned on his smartphone and transferred thirty-five thousand won to the company account.
"Sent. Please check."
"Payment confirmed. Have a good one."
The employee turned his attention back to his smartphone.
Taehu picked up the glove and turned away, biting down hard on his lip.
Thirty-five thousand won.
He had just acquired the remains of an A-rank accessory for a mere thirty-five thousand won.
Celebrating inwardly, he breezed through the remainder of his shift.
The moment his workday ended, Taehu headed straight for a commercial district specializing in Hunter consumables.
The sun was beginning to set, and the streets bustled with Hunters getting off work and merchants tending their shops.
Taehu opened the door to a mid-grade materials shop that he normally would not even have glanced at because of its prices.
"Welcome. What are you looking for?"
The owner greeted him warmly.
Taehu swept his gaze across the display shelves.
"One B-rank Monster Hide and one Mid-grade Non-Attribute Magic Stone, please."
"A B-rank hide? Would you like it processed, or as an untreated whole hide?"
"Processed, please. Something soft would be even better."
The owner disappeared into the storeroom and soon returned carrying a smoothly processed sheet of leather and a gray Magic Stone roughly the size of a fist.
"The hide is from a wolf-type monster, and the Magic Stone has been thoroughly purified of impurities. The total comes to 1.2 million won, but I'll make it 1.1 million."
"Please charge my card."
Taehu handed over his card immediately without haggling.
He had more than forty million won in his account.
He could now afford to casually spend 1.1 million won.
Carrying the paper bag filled with the weighty materials, Taehu left the shop with footsteps as light as feathers.
Inside his shabby studio apartment.
Taehu took a quick shower, then sat down at his desk.
After taking a long, refreshing drink from a bottle of water he had pulled from the refrigerator, he carefully arranged the materials he had purchased and the old glove on the desk.
The glove still looked hideous.
But in Taehu's eyes, there was no treasure more precious.
What would happen if he restored it completely and put it up for sale through the Black Market Exchange?
An A-rank combat support item.
And one with both Agility Increase and Weakness Detection.
He could easily receive tens of millions of won for it at the very least.
But Taehu firmly shook his head.
'No. I'm not selling this.'
He could keep making money from now on.
All he had to do was search through piles of discarded items, buy worthless-looking equipment for next to nothing, and restore it.
Combat capability, however, was not something that could be purchased so easily with money.
His Special Appraisal Ability was unquestionably a powerful weapon.
But to make full use of that ability, the day would eventually come when he had to move beyond rummaging through piles of garbage brought back by porters and personally farm items in higher-rank dungeons or dangerous areas.
To do that, improving his ability to survive had to come first.
Combat capability on the level of an F-rank Hunter would never be enough.
So that he could claim what was rightfully his without having to worry about anyone else's scrutiny.
So that he could make even more money while staying safe.
"I'm using this myself."
Taehu murmured with determination in his eyes.
He rubbed his hands together and loosened up his body.
The restoration sequence revealed by the golden text appeared vividly in his mind.
How to reconnect the severed Mana Circuit.
Where to reinforce the leather.
How to infuse the power of the Magic Stone into it.
He could see every step with perfect clarity.
"All right. Let's see what I can do."
Taehu rolled up his sleeves.
A faint stream of mana flowed from his fingertips and slowly began seeping into the old glove.