IFTD 34

Chapter 34

Giant Rabbit

In fact, armor and potions could also be bought at the Hunter Market. However, this place had a wider variety, allowed customers to see items in person, and some things were slightly cheaper than at the Hunter Market.

For example, the armor Sori was currently looking at—called “Noah’s Belt”—cost a whopping 3,000 gold at the Hunter Market, but here it was being sold for 2,500 gold.

And browsing around was quite fun as well.

The place that sold armor looked like a blacksmith’s workshop. It was humid, filled with the clanging of metal and the sharp smell of iron being ground.

However, there weren’t that many pieces of armor suitable for Sori’s level.

Noah’s Belt (B)
—Reduces the opponent’s attack power by 20%.
Can be equipped from Awakened Level 6 and above.

The Noah’s Belt she was looking at was the most reasonable option available. Another item that caught her eye was the “Lunatic Ring.”

Lunatic Ring (C)
—Reflects 20% of the opponent’s attack energy back as madness. The opponent feels fear from the madness.
Duration limit: 1 minute
Can be equipped from Awakened Level 7 and above.

The phrase “reflects as madness” instantly captivated her.

‘That’s cool.’

The price was 5,000 gold. Even though it was a lower rank than the belt, it was twice as expensive.

“I’ll buy the Noah’s Belt and the Lunatic Ring.”

7,500 gold has been withdrawn!

Shopping really was enjoyable. Sori hummed happily as she left the store.

But who would have thought she’d run into Hwang Mari in a place like that? Sori recalled the meeting from earlier. Awakening really was random, just like people said.

Even back then, Hwang Mari had looked somewhat sharp and sensitive, but she hadn’t looked strong at all.

One thing Sori wondered about was why Minjeong hadn’t mentioned the incident afterward at the time. If she had told her, they could have at least cursed together about it.

‘Am I the kind of person people can’t rely on?’

The thought made her shrink slightly.

Then she shook her head firmly.

‘There must’ve been some reason.’

Let’s not think negatively. After pausing, Sori started walking energetically again.

Suddenly she remembered that she needed to go hunt monsters in a dungeon. If Hwang Mari was an A-rank Hunter, she probably entered dungeons often.

Surely they wouldn’t run into each other inside a dungeon… right?

“I should buy a good stealth hood just in case.”

Sori quickened her pace.

This time she deliberately chose a different store from the one she had visited earlier. Running into Gijun again would be troublesome.

Inside the shop, there was a hood shaped like a witch’s hat with a pointed top. The shop owner strongly recommended it to Sori, saying it suited her well.

“This one’s a bit pricey… but miss, the quality is no joke. Someone bought one earlier too. There are only two left.”

“How much is it?”

The shop owner leaned close and whispered like she was sharing a secret.

“I’ll give you a special discount. 10,000 gold.”

A special discount and it was still 10,000 gold?

Just as Sori started thinking it was too expensive, other customers entered the shop.

“Oh my, welcome!”

The shop owner stepped away to attend to them.

At that moment, another customer who had been browsing nearby casually whispered to Sori as they passed.

“That thing is complete crap.”

It was a clear warning not to buy it.

Sori was surprised that even places targeting Hunters tried to scam inexperienced newcomers. Since items weren’t sold simultaneously through the Hunter Market, it must have been easier to pull off tricks like that.

“I’ll come back next time.”

Sori smiled politely and left the shop.

In the end, she reluctantly went back to the store where she had met Gijun earlier.

‘He won’t come again this time, right?’

Feeling rushed, Sori quickly bought a stealth hood for 5,000 gold.

Without even properly checking its abilities.

That evening

“I’m going to the dungeon.”

Sori said casually to John, who was eating watermelon.

“Oh, are you really going to a dungeon?”

John mumbled with his mouth full.

“I bought a stealth hood for it.”

“What kind did you buy?”

“This one! It cost 5,000 gold, but it looks better than I expected, right? And it’s pretty.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

John’s reaction seemed oddly negative, so Sori defended her choice.

“It’s pretty! Look, there are little gem decorations here. And this pastel blue part—doesn’t it look nice?”

She had bought it in a hurry, but it did look good. Appearance mattered too, not just function.

“Then go and return safely, Awakened one.”

John sat back down and buried his face in the watermelon again. Sori thought she saw his lips twitch slightly, but ignored it.

“See you later!”

Click.

Wearing the hood, Sori inserted the Master Key into the pantry door closest to the kitchen and turned it. She had already equipped all her armor.

You have entered Dungeon CS-937!

Soon the dungeon appeared before her.

It looked like something out of a fairy tale—an odd land filled with houses shaped like mushrooms.

Judging by the surroundings, the dungeon had probably formed only a few hours ago.

She hadn’t come here to defeat the boss. She could have gone to a tutorial dungeon, but real dungeons had a much greater variety of monsters. That was why she came—to gain experience.

Besides, she was eager to test the performance of her new stealth hood.

I’ll just hunt a few nearby and head back.

With excitement in her chest, she walked through the mushroom-like houses. Perhaps monsters were hiding inside them.

Suddenly, a monster shaped like a giant rabbit jumped out of one of the mushroom houses.

So that was its habitat.

Giant Rabbit (C)

A C-rank monster.

It was her first time facing one. For a moment she regretted not practicing more in the tutorial dungeon.

The moment the Giant Rabbit saw Sori, it became extremely excited.

“Kyaaaak—!”

It leapt at her instantly.

“So—!”

She needed to chant her skill quickly.

But before she could finish speaking, the Giant Rabbit pounced on her.

Its sharp teeth loomed before her eyes.

The rabbit’s teeth were enormous.

Sori remembered that she had invested 4 points into Luck, and that she was wearing armor. She prayed desperately that divine protection would help her.

Otherwise she was as good as dead.

I can’t die like this. Not so meaninglessly…!

“…Huh?”

Was this heaven? Hell? Or purgatory?

When she opened her eyes at the strange sensation, it seemed she was still in the same place.

The only difference was that the Giant Rabbit was stuck to her.

“Slurp, slurp!”

It wasn’t just clinging to her—it was licking her wildly with its enormous tongue.

“Wh—!”

She tried to shout “What is this?”, but couldn’t.

The rabbit’s tongue blocked her mouth. It was so overwhelming she could barely breathe.

What on earth was happening?

Sori was confused. Completely bewildered.

Was this the Giant Rabbit’s attack method?

But if it were, her armor should have reacted somehow.

She had never heard of a monster that didn’t attack a Hunter. To monsters, Hunters were intruders invading their kingdom.

But this one didn’t recognize her as an intruder?

Carefully, she opened her eyes.

She needed to see the rabbit’s expression.

“…Whoa.”

What she saw through half-open eyes was truly astonishing.

The rabbit’s face looked absolutely blissful.

Its eyes were ecstatic.
Its cheeks were flushed.
Its lips looked happy.

Then Sori suddenly realized something.

There was only one suspicious cause.

The 5,000-gold stealth hood she had hastily bought.

Had she chosen it too quickly?

She felt a moment of self-blame, but soon it was replaced by indignation.

I asked for something that lets me hide, not something that makes monsters roll around with me!

Sori couldn’t get up for quite a while until the Giant Rabbit finally grew tired.

She definitely needed to go back and complain to the shop owner.

One hour later

When Sori returned to the restaurant…

“John…”

Thud!

She dropped what she had brought onto the kitchen floor. John, who had been peeling and eating a carrot, turned around with all the spikes on his tiny body raised.

“Gah! You startled me, Awakened one! What is that?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s a rabbit.”

“I have never seen such a large rabbit.”

“Of course not. It’s a Giant Rabbit from the dungeon.”

In the end, Sori had hunted two Giant Rabbits.

Her new stealth hood really had been the problem.

After licking her endlessly, the rabbit had slowly pulled the hood off. Once Sori’s real body was revealed, it realized she was an intruder and immediately bared its enormous teeth.

That was when she used her skill.

If she had been even 0.1 seconds slower, the rabbit might have been carrying her head to its boss by now.

She figured her Luck stat of 4 had helped.

“I wasted 5,000 gold.”

When converted into Korean won, it was 50 million won. Thinking about it that way made it feel even crazier.

“But why did you bring the monster back by hand?” John asked innocently.

Sori glared at him.

“To show you how much I suffered! Look at this tongue! These teeth! And these massive paws!”

Her anger didn’t go toward the shop owner.

“Be honest. You knew, didn’t you?”

Instead, it turned toward John.

“About the hood I bought. That it had some weird function. You knew, right? That’s why your lips were twitching earlier.”