CHAPTER 75………………………………………
After that, I tried several more times to persuade Baek So-hyeok, but every attempt ended in failure. With no progress being made, our conversations kept looping endlessly.
By the fourth call, Baek So-hyeok finally snapped and said, “No matter what you say, my decision won’t change, so stop wasting your energy. Most of the guild members agree, and by this afternoon the faction choice will be finalized.”
Is it really okay to just let such a huge rift slide because it can’t be helped?
But no matter how heavy my worries were, time wasn’t going to wait for me, and the things I had to do were piling up like a mountain. The first of them to come knocking was entering the dungeon. The scheduled time was already only ten minutes away.
I had arrived in front of the dungeon that Kang Kwon-hoo had sent me ahead of time, and even though I knew it was pointless, I made one last call to Baek So-hyeok to try persuading him again.
—The person you are calling cannot take your call right now…
All that came from my phone was a cold, automated female voice.
Did he already go into a meeting? Or is he just ignoring my calls? I’ve already called him so many times today—can’t really blame him.
On top of that, I’d made quite a few biting remarks in the middle due to status effects. I knew I didn’t really have the right to complain even if he’d blocked my number, but I couldn’t help feeling resentful.
“You’re really not even going to pick up…”
I glared at the silent phone and fiddled with it for no reason.
“Woojin hyung! You got here early!”
Seeing Kim Jun arrive, I hurriedly shoved my phone into my back pocket.
“Yeah. Wow, you’re wearing a ton of stuff.”
Kim Jun’s excitement was written all over his body. He was wrapped head to toe in equipment of dubious origin. Rather than looking sturdy or safe, it just looked heavy and cumbersome.
If he trips in that, will he even be able to get back up?
I wanted to ask whether he wasn’t wearing too much, or if it wouldn’t actually get in the way during combat, but he looked so excited that I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“Yes! I got my hunter license today and went to the hunter-only shop! With this much, I should be safe in any dungeon, right? I even bought something for you—want me to show you?”
“Uh… I think this uniform is enough for me.”
“Come on, how are you supposed to block monster attacks with that? You need at least some armor.”
The armor Kim Jun was holding was even bigger than the one he was wearing, and it had spike-like protrusions on the shoulders. I’d be lucky not to get stabbed just by turning my head near it.
“With items like these, what matters more than how they look is how much defense they actually give. Did you check?”
“Uh… they said it was good because it’s C-rank?”
“Let me see it.”
[Item Name: Medieval-Style Armor
Rank: C
Description: Defensive gear said to have been commonly worn by soldiers in the medieval era… (View Details)]
Without hesitation, I pressed “View Details.”
[A replica modeled after defensive gear said to have been commonly worn by medieval soldiers.
Its historical value has been certified, resulting in a higher rank evaluation.]
Defense +100
Attack +10
Agility −30
In other words, stat-wise it was D-rank, but because it was basically something you’d display in a museum, it barely scraped by as C-rank. The stuff Kim Jun was wearing was probably no different.
Looks like he ran into some shameless merchants who scammed him.
Just thinking about the seller who’d charged C-rank combat item prices for this made my blood boil. Of all people to scam, they chose a kid who’d just become a hunter—it was infuriating.
“Jun, this is—”
“Where did you get such garbage?”
Before I could gently explain that the item was cheap junk and that he’d been scammed, Kang Kwon-hoo appeared from behind and poured cold water all over it.
“Garbage?!”
Even Kim Jun, who usually never talked back to him, jumped up in protest, clearly feeling wronged.
“There’s no way you brought this to give to Mr. Woojin, right? How could anyone walk around wearing something this ridiculous? You’d be safer going around half-naked than wearing this.”
That was basically the same as saying Kim Jun himself looked ridiculous.
“They said it was good! They said it was in such great condition it could be displayed in a museum!”
As his confidence crumbled, Kim Jun’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
Well, at least the seller must have had a shred of conscience left—they didn’t claim it was suitable for combat.
I wasn’t sure if that was something to be grateful for when Kang Kwon-hoo snatched the armor out of Kim Jun’s hands.
“The combat uniform you’re wearing now is better for you, Mr. Woojin. We’ll upgrade that later. As for Kim Jun, I’ll have something usable brought over—he should wear that instead.”
Kang Kwon-hoo giving someone an item without demanding compensation? I glanced between the two of them, wondering if he’d grown attached to Kim Jun.
“You’re giving me an item?”
“Yes. Just imagining you walking beside me dressed like that irritates me beyond endurance.”
My hopes were dashed once again. The look in Kang Kwon-hoo’s eyes as he watched Kim Jun held no warmth—only cold disdain, like he couldn’t stand to look at him.
“Wow, if you’re giving it to me, I’ll change right away!”
Even though Kang Kwon-hoo’s words were insulting enough to sting, Kim Jun didn’t seem bothered at all. If anything, he looked excited at the thought of getting a new item.
“Jun, wait a second.”
No matter how fast Kang Kwon-hoo was, it would still take a while to bring something all the way here. And simply handing him gear wouldn’t really teach Jun anything, so I decided to try something else.
“Yes?”
“Take out the S-rank item box you got from dealing with Azazel. And if you’ve got any other item boxes or materials from quests, take those out too.”
“Okay.”
Kim Jun shuffled around and started pulling various things out of his inventory. There were a lot of items he must have gotten while I wasn’t around—more than I’d expected.
“Where did this robe come from?”
The one I picked up was a blue-tinted C-rank robe.
“I bought that armor yesterday, and they threw it in as a freebie. It didn’t look like much, so I just stuffed it in a corner.”
“Then let’s start by opening the item box. Go on, open it.”
It seemed to be Kim Jun’s first time using an item box—his finger hovered awkwardly in the air before suddenly moving briskly. Kids really do learn fast.
“An A-rank helmet came out! Oh, this looks cool. Can I wear it with the armor?”
I briefly wondered if Kim Jun dreamed of becoming a medieval knight.
“No. On its own, it doesn’t mean much. Mr. Kang, do you happen to have a synthesis transformation item?”
An S-rank hunter would likely carry something like that.
“Yes. I keep that much on me.”
Kang Kwon-hoo handed it over without complaint.
“Instead of bringing something over, could you give us that? It’ll be faster.”
“Let’s do that.”
I hadn’t felt the need to carry one since I rarely swapped items, but maybe I should start keeping synthesis transformation items on hand too.
I should order some online.
Taking the item from Kang Kwon-hoo, I sprinkled it over the helmet. It was clearly a high-grade synthesis item, so I wasn’t worried about the success rate. The solid helmet with massive horns slowly melted down, turning into a slime-like form.
“Huh?! Why did you ruin it?!”
“Just watch.”
I poured the melted helmet onto the C-rank robe. It seeped into the fabric, and the robe turned a deeper shade of blue.
[Synthesis successful!
The C-rank item Wind Robe has become the A-rank item Wind-Shielded Robe.]
It was an item most commonly used by A-rank hunters.
“Is this really sturdier than armor?”
Kim Jun looked back and forth between the robe and the armor, completely unaware of my thoughts.
“It’s way better than that pile of scrap you’re wearing now, so hurry up and change.”
“He’s right. This will be much better in combat. What you’re wearing now is so heavy you won’t be able to dodge attacks when it counts. And just because something looks tough doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ll teach you how to do item synthesis properly later—just put it on for now.”
I hurried to persuade him, hoping he wouldn’t hesitate any longer. Kim Jun, who’d looked doubtful when Kang Kwon-hoo spoke, seemed to trust my words and obediently accepted the robe.
“Okay. I’ll change quickly.”
Since it was just us here, he could’ve changed on the spot, but being a teenage boy, he must’ve been embarrassed—he scurried off into a blind spot.
“Weren’t you planning to pull that kid out of the guild originally? He still hasn’t shaken that rookie vibe.”
Kang Kwon-hoo’s eyes and mouth were smiling, but his voice was sharp as a blade. He’d seemed pleased when he first learned of Kim Jun’s abilities, so I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly dissatisfied.
“He says he wants to be here. And you do acknowledge his ability, don’t you?”
“That’s only after he’s grown. You’re too soft on him because he’s a kid, Mr. Woojin—it’s starting to get on my nerves. I keep worrying that you’ll jump in to save him the moment things get dangerous.”
Of course I would.
If I told him that honestly, he’d probably try to throw Jun away immediately.
I glanced up slightly, gauging Kang Kwon-hoo’s mood.
“Oh right, there was already a precedent, wasn’t there? Even the first time I met him, he charged straight at a demi-human without thinking.”
“Jun! The robe looks way better on you. How is it?”
I urgently called out to Jun as he emerged from the blind spot. It was a desperate attempt to deflect Kang Kwon-hoo’s gaze—and to show I had no intention of letting Jun go.
“It’s way lighter, but does it really raise defense by 500? It feels like I’m getting scammed again.”
Jun was still skeptical.
The one who scammed you was that seller earlier today.
I swallowed those words.
“Oh, right—didn’t you get your hunter rank yet?”
“That’s right. But…”
Kim Jun hesitated and pulled his license out of his pocket.
B-Rank Hunter: Kim Jun
B-rank was hardly a low rank, but he seemed dissatisfied.
“I was kind of hoping I’d get A-rank, but I didn’t.”
Seeing him sulk made me feel bad for him.
“When you’ve only just awakened, your growth potential is high, so they reassess your rank once every quarter. A lot of people go up then, so don’t worry. B-rank is great—why are you so down?”
“Then did you get B-rank at first too, hyung?”
Baek Woojin was barely A-rank now, so it wasn’t hard to guess he might’ve been B-rank at first—but I wasn’t sure. Saying something wrong and getting caught later would be a headache.
“Who knows…? Huh, why is Jisu here already?”
Just as I was figuring out how to change the subject—one of my specialties—Ryu Jisu approached, her clothes splattered with blue monster blood.
“Kang Kwon-hoo picked a fight, asking if I wanted to waste my skills on part-time work, so I went and finished things quickly. I clocked my full shift, and the boss didn’t complain.”
Ryu Jisu shot Kang Kwon-hoo an annoyed glare, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Enough chit-chat. Let’s go in. It’s a dungeon that’s fallen out of favor with hunters lately, so there shouldn’t be any interference. Still, it’s a B-rank dungeon, so stay sharp.”
The words you should say that before everyone steps onto the entrance rose to the back of my throat—but the warp had already activated.
