“...Why is this here?”
[For Sale] Hell King’s Farm Weed – 100,000,000 won
Ji-hoon looked at the screen again and again.
A weed.
It was definitely a weed.
The kind that had been so plentiful in Hell, it would trip you at every step.
“.......”
Ji-hoon slowly raised his head.
“Poppy.”
[Yes, Big Brother.]
“Do we have... a lot of weeds on our farm?”
A brief silence.
[You said pulling them was too much trouble, so one whole side of the field was nothing but weeds. The ones we did pull are piled high in the warehouse.]
Ji-hoon clutched his head.
“Ah.”
You fucking idiot, you moron!
“If I’d known, I would’ve pulled some and brought them back...!”
Why did I think that just because they weren’t used in Hell, they wouldn’t be used on Earth either?!
[Big Brother, what is wrong?]
“Poppy... this is a weed from Hell, right?”
Please tell me it isn’t.
Poppy examined the picture on the screen and let out a derisive snort.
[It is a worthless weed from Hell, not even used as snail feed. Why do humans pay money for things like this?]
“.......”
So it is that weed.
“How many of those... do we have on our farm?”
[I am not sure.]
“More than a thousand, right?”
[If you mean sacks, yes, about that many.]
“.......”
A thousand sacks.
Not a thousand weeds, but a thousand sacks.
“Motherfucking hell....”
“B-Brother? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Oops.
He had blurted out a harsh curse in front of Woo-jae.
Ahem, ahem. He still had to preserve his dignity as the older brother.
“It’s nothing. There’s more on the market than I expected, hahaha.”
“Right? This weed is expensive because it’s an ingredient for Enhancement Potions. Veteran A-rank Hunters buy it often.”
“...Where do they farm it?”
“They say monsters in B-rank Gates or higher sometimes carry it. That’s why it’s incredibly rare.”
Of course it’s rare.
No Demonic Beast in Hell carries weeds like that around.
A thousand fires raged inside Ji-hoon as Poppy winked beside him.
[Put your worries to rest, Big Brother! The others from Hell Farm will bring some with them!]
“You think they’ll bring sacks of that trash weed? We don’t even know whether they’ll arrive in their right minds!”
Ugh.
Poppy’s beak drooped dejectedly.
“Besides, it won’t be easy for them to get here.”
First, a Gate had to open.
And it had to be one connected to Hell Farm.
Ji-hoon scratched his chin.
“For now... let’s check one thing.”
“What?”
Woo-jae tilted his head.
“This really sells, right?”
“Of course.”
Woo-jae swiped through the screen a few times.
Another post soon appeared.
[Buying] 10 Hell King’s Farm Weeds – 95,000,000 won each
“See? A lot of people are looking for it.”
“.......”
Ji-hoon quietly looked up at the sky.
Then he muttered,
“I’m a real fucking idiot.”
“Oh, it just sold.”
DING–
[SOLD]
As someone pocketed 100,000,000 won,
Ji-hoon could only swallow tears of blood.
***
Baek Kang-hyeon had been dispatched to a newly opened Gate.
“All right, everyone, let’s get ready. Hey, mister, only Hunters can enter this area... Gasp! H-Hunter Baek Kang-hyeon!?”
Oh Tae-sik recognized Baek Kang-hyeon and swallowed hard.
“Hello, everyone.”
“I-I am a fan. Perhaps we could take a picture later....”
“Hahaha. After we clear the Gate.”
Baek Kang-hyeon gave Oh Tae-sik a small smile.
Then he carefully examined the Gate.
“.......”
There was nothing unusual about it.
If anything, the mana around it was so excessively clean that it felt alien.
‘Could there be another Mutation like that?’
An F-rank Gate had changed into an S-rank Gate.
Baek Kang-hyeon was investigating in case the same thing happened again.
“Oh? Fancy meeting you here again!”
Just then, Oh Tae-sik greeted someone behind Baek Kang-hyeon with delight.
It was Ji-hoon, carrying Poppy in his arms.
“Hello, sir....”
“To think I would meet the extraordinary Hunter again! Hahaha.”
“I’m hardly extraordinary. You’re diligent too, sir. You’ve already come back to another Gate....”
Sigh... I must’ve lost my mind... sigh....
“At this rate, your sighing will make the ground cave in. Did your girlfriend dump you or something?”
“...Just think of it as my stock investment going bust.”
“Oh... That must have hit you hard....”
Oh Tae-sik clicked his tongue. Tsk, tsk.
“I have to make money too. I may only be C-rank, but I worked up the courage to come. My kids have not even graduated yet.”
They would both have to work hard.
“Yeees....”
The older man’s gaze turned to Poppy in his dog clothes, and he lowered his voice as he asked, “Is... is that the monster?”
“Yes. He doesn’t bite and won’t hurt anyone, so don’t worry too much.”
Oh Tae-sik looked Poppy up and down with fascination.
Displeased by Oh Tae-sik’s stare, Poppy glared viciously at him.
[What is with that human?]
“He’s someone I’m grateful to for helping me. Don’t be wary of him.”
“Oh! It can talk too. As I said, you are no ordinary Hunter.”
“And, um....”
“Yes?”
“Please keep the fact that I have this little one a secret if possible....”
“Oh, of course. Of course. Certainly.”
Oh Tae-sik covered his mouth with a hand and nodded once.
Just then, the supervising Hunter clapped his hands to draw the Hunters’ attention.
“Since this is a C-rank Gate, we need to split into teams to harvest carcass byproducts and Mana Crystals. We’ll take volunteers for the Byproduct Processing Team first.”
The moment the supervising Hunter finished speaking, most of the Hunters, including Oh Tae-sik, quickly raised their hands.
“This pays far more. It is 500,000 won per carcass. Mana Crystals pay 300,000 won.”
That was quite a difference.
Ji-hoon nodded.
“What about you? Are you going to collect Mana Crystals?”
“Uh....”
In truth, Ji-hoon had another reason for coming here.
Baek Kang-hyeon had contacted him.
–The mana around the newly opened Gate today is a little strange. If possible, could you come....
Baek Kang-hyeon had promised to contact him first if a high-grade Gate appeared. If the mana was strange, there was a chance the Gate’s grade was high.
That was why Ji-hoon had come here.
‘Still, I have to work in the end....’
Ji-hoon gripped his shovel.
Then it happened.
“Hello.”
“...Oh, hello.”
It was Baek Kang-hyeon.
Ji-hoon returned the greeting offhandedly and asked, “So, what exactly is strange?”
“That is....”
Baek Kang-hyeon briefly surveyed the surroundings.
“Outwardly, there is nothing wrong.”
“...What?”
“That is what makes it even stranger. It is too clean.”
Ji-hoon narrowed his eyes.
Just then.
[SNIFF, SNIFF.]
“Poppy, what’s wrong?”
[I can smell mana. It is incredibly dense.]
Poppy’s gaze turned toward the ground.
“This Mana Crystal?”
[Golden Guidepost (S) activates.]
As before, a golden haze began creeping upward.
Ji-hoon immediately dug up a Mana Crystal the size of his fist.
When he handed it over, Poppy swallowed it without hesitation.
Then.
[Blech... It tastes bad... but power is surging through me!]
“What? Really?”
[Yes. I wish to run wild this instant.]
“Absolutely not.”
Ji-hoon flatly cut him off.
“If you cause trouble here, I’ll seriously leave you behind.”
[.......]
Poppy closed his beak, utterly dejected.
Baek Kang-hyeon, who had been watching, quietly murmured, “...A monster that eats Mana Crystals.”
“He is not a monster.”
Ji-hoon cut him off.
“He is my family.”
A brief silence.
Baek Kang-hyeon looked directly at Ji-hoon.
“...Family.”
“Yes.”
[Big Brother.... As your little brother and a member of your family, I—]
“Be quiet.”
Poppy shut his beak.
Baek Kang-hyeon gave a short laugh.
“Interesting.”
Then he stepped closer.
“Hunter Lee Ji-hoon.”
“Yes.”
“The history of Hunters is only ten years old.”
“...That’s right.”
“People think things have stabilized.”
Baek Kang-hyeon looked toward the Gate.
“I do not think so.”
He quietly continued.
“Many variables remain.”
His gaze returned to Ji-hoon.
“You are one of them.”
“Why?”
“Because of that monster... no, because of your family.”
Poppy growled.
[I do not like that human.]
“Then I will make you an offer.”
Ji-hoon furrowed his brow.
“From now on, please accompany us whenever a Gate is suspected of displaying an unusual phenomenon like this.”
“.......”
Ji-hoon considered the offer for a moment.
It was not entirely bad.
He could obtain information, and his chances of finding the others from Hell Farm would increase.
“Oh, if you think this is surveillance, it is absolutely nothing of the sort.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
You followed me here even now.
“If you had come alone, you probably would have been hounded by Hunters from the Five Great Guilds. We will take care of those shit flies for you.”
He was not wrong.
Ji-hoon had not encountered a single member of the Five Great Guilds when he entered the C-rank Gate.
“In return, I would like you to provide any information you know to the Management Bureau first.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Yes, I know. I also know that you must be very confused.”
Was Baek Kang-hyeon sincere?
“What does the Management Bureau gain from that?”
“First claim to managing top-grade Gates. And....”
Baek Kang-hyeon clasped Ji-hoon’s hand.
“And... a bond with you, Hunter Ji-hoon.”
Sigh.
Ji-hoon scratched his head.
“...Well, that doesn’t sound bad.”
From Ji-hoon’s perspective, it would also be good to put the Management Bureau in his debt.
“As expected! Then....”
“But I have a condition.”
Baek Kang-hyeon’s eyes narrowed.
“Go ahead.”
Ji-hoon stroked Poppy once.
“If you lay a hand on any of them, our cooperation ends right then.”
“Of course.”
The answer came without hesitation.
“Hunter Baek Kang-hyeon—no, Branch Director.”
“Yes?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you tend to be confident in your instincts?”
“Exactly! I trust my own judgment a great deal, so....”
“At least when it comes to politics, you should be careful with those instincts.”
Only someone as nice as me would accept it.
Baek Kang-hyeon’s face brightened at Ji-hoon’s mutter.
“Thank you, Hunter!”
His path forward was set.
“First, let’s find the others from Hell Farm.”
[Yes, Big Brother!]
Following the Golden Guidepost (S), Ji-hoon walked on, searching for any other presence.
***
Meanwhile, at the Awakened Management Bureau Seoul Central Branch.
CRASH—!
“Where did Baek Kang-hyeon go?!”
The speaker was a middle-aged man with gray beginning to show in his hair.
“The Branch Director is currently out patrolling Gates.”
Baek Kang-hyeon’s secretary answered in his stead.
CLENCH—
The middle-aged man’s fist tightened as though it could crush steel.
“An S-rank Gate has appeared. Tell him to get back here immediately.”
“What? An S-rank Gate? We did not receive a separate report....”
“Of course you did not! I saw it myself, which makes me the first person to report it! Contact Baek Kang-hyeon immediately!”
“Y-Yes, understood, Commissioner. What is the address?”
“Pyeonggyun-gu, Pyeonggyun-dong.”
Pyeonggyun-gu, Pyeonggyun-dong.
Seoul, Republic of Korea.
And of all places.
“It is an S-rank Gate with unstable mana. Shut down every ordinary Gate and evacuate the people!”
It was only a few blocks away.