9
Two weeks had passed since the ring absorbed the first magic stone.
"I'll be going now."
"You're going to stay for about a week?"
"I might come back earlier. If I'm late, it means I'll be back in about that time."
"Sigh. You didn't even go to college because you didn't want to live alone, but going all the way to Busan to find a job—what kind of mindset is that?"
"I'm leaving."
Leaving the house with Mrs. Jang seeing him off, Baek Woojin boarded a bus heading straight to Seoul Station.
'About three or four more to go, I suppose.'
The gemstone that had been entirely dyed red had, over the course of two weeks, turned blue leaving only about 1 centimeter remaining. Honestly, he was a bit bewildered by the speed that far exceeded his expectations.
The reason magic stones and magic crystals were priced so high was that while their applications were virtually limitless, the supply was so scarce it couldn't keep up with demand at all.
But perhaps beginner's luck had kicked in. The number of magic stones the ring had absorbed over two weeks was a whopping 17. Converted simply to money, it was an amount close to 10 million won.
'Spending roughly 10 million won per meeting...'
It would be a lie to say the money wasn't a waste, but at least he didn't regret feeding the magic stones to the ring. However, depending on what action the old man took after they reunited, his thoughts might change, but at least for now, that was how he felt.
After getting off the bus, Baek Woojin checked the time and boarding section, boarded the train that was already stopped, and found his seat.
'I didn't think so, but I guess I was excited after all.'
The reason for going down to Busan, leaving behind Seoul which had far more dungeons and much better infrastructure, was simple.
An F-rank entering an E-rank dungeon might be a bit problematic from the perspective of the civil servant guarding the management office, but according to the rules, there was no problem at all. And an F-rank hunter killing E-rank monsters? This wasn't entirely impossible either, so there wasn't much room for controversy.
But what if that number exceeded one and approached double digits close to triple digits?
'I completely forgot about the existence of government-affiliated hunters.'
Whether before the regression or now, there was no point of contact, so it was only natural that it didn't come to mind. And that taken-for-granted complacency ended up creating a problem.
Just a message from the Association that came two days ago.
To roughly summarize the content, it was a text telling him to come get a re-examination.
That's because an F-rank was single-handedly cutting down E-rank monsters, so anyone would find it strange.
Fortunately, the civil servant who processed it didn't seem to think much of it. Though he didn't know the detailed circumstances, the text didn't set a clear deadline for when to come, but simply asked him to visit the nearest branch as quickly as possible to get examined.
'If they had checked my awakener registration date, they wouldn't have sent a text like that.'
If they had, they wouldn't have even sent a text. They would have called immediately.
"This is why you should do things properly from the start."
Seoul already had a mark on him, and if he attracted more attention here, this time he might actually receive a call from the Association rather than a text.
To avoid such a situation, Baek Woojin had to move his hunting grounds from Seoul to Busan. And his hunting method as well.
If another party existed, he would be a bit greedy, and if there was no party that had entered, he would hunt less than 20 and move to another dungeon.
"Yawn~"
Admiring the scenery quickly flashing by, Baek Woojin leaned back comfortably against the seat back and closed his eyes.
Thinking that he should stop by the Artisan Guild when he returned this time.
**
"Whether it's Seoul or Busan, densely populated areas are all the same."
Arriving in Busan without any issues, Baek Woojin immediately took a taxi to his reserved accommodation and unpacked. And he clicked his tongue at the murderous prices of the surrounding area.
They say Busan means gukbap, but Baek Woojin didn't particularly like gukbap. It wasn't because it tasted bad. He had just eaten too much of it before the regression and gotten sick of it.
The place Guild Master Kang Hyuk-soo had visited.
Even if it didn't appeal to him, it was cold and moving around to find something to eat was a waste of time, so he casually went into the most crowded restaurant and found a piece of paper with a large photo and handwriting attached to the wall.
Once someone becomes the Master of a large guild, from that point on, they're essentially someone the government can no longer do anything about.
With the appearance of dungeons, the number of strong and capable awakeners became national power, and since they could speak with a loud voice in the international community, from the moment one exceeded A-rank, it was essentially the government that had to be mindful of the awakeners.
"That'll be 20,000 won."
He had ordered after seeing the price, but actually hearing the price made him hesitate for a moment.
After finishing payment and coming outside, Baek Woojin checked the address he had researched in advance once more, then took a taxi straight to the E-rank dungeon.
Baekyangsan.
What greeted Baek Woojin, who got off in front of the hiking trail, was a sign that read 'Dungeon 600M Ahead.'
'The lack of popularity isn't just because there's no byproduct value.'
Following the zigzag hiking trail, he reached his destination before long. Thanks to his increased stats, this much didn't even make him breathe heavily.
"Here you go."
"Just a moment."
When he held out his ID card, the female civil servant sitting in the management office took out a scanner and checked the card.
"Uh..."
"Please give me the waiver."
"Yes?! Ah, th-that, haha..."
It was now so familiar that he'd almost be disappointed if he didn't get that reaction. Of course, he wouldn't actually be disappointed.
After submitting the waiver, Baek Woojin rented a single sword as always and entered the dungeon. This dungeon's environment was a swamp, making for a rather gloomy atmosphere.
After changing into boots he had purchased in advance for today, he tied the straps tightly around his thighs—tight enough that blood circulation was restricted—so the boots wouldn't come loose.
"Lucky."
Having changed into boots, Baek Woojin slightly raised the corners of his mouth at the two knots tied in the safe zone.
The knots tied in different directions were traces left by parties that had entered before them, a kind of implicit signal that they had claimed this area first, so others should go elsewhere.
'With this, I can hunt with peace of mind.'
There are occasionally those who visit dungeons not for byproducts but to rank up.
With every step, the wet dirt clung stickily, making it a rather unpleasant place. Walking through an area overgrown with very dark vines and trees, a tree with all its leaves fallen, completely withered, came into Baek Woojin's view.
It was a Living Wood, a monster that appeared in this dungeon.
A monster that pretended to be a normal tree and, when its prey let its guard down, attacked with roots hidden beneath the swamp.
True to its flammable appearance, fire was its weakness, but starting a fire carelessly in this terrain was a perfect way to burn to death together.
Having gauged the Living Wood's position, Baek Woojin distanced himself and completely hid his body from the Living Wood's line of sight. Then he climbed up a tree and lowered his stance.
'I can do this.'
The calf muscles on both sides of Baek Woojin, who had calmly caught his breath, swelled greatly.
Whoosh──!!
The branch he was sitting on broke, and Baek Woojin's body cut through the air, landing precisely on the head of the Living Wood that was pretending to be a tree.
Crack!!
A sound of bark splitting came from the withered Living Wood, and eyes and a mouth appeared on the previously flat trunk.
'Calmly.'
The roots hidden in the swamp surged up like living creatures and flew toward Baek Woojin who was sitting on its head. It wasn't that fast a speed. If it weren't for the surprise attack, it was a speed that could be seen and dodged.
'Now!!'
The moment the roots flying toward him got closer by tangling with the branches spread above its head, Baek Woojin kicked off the Living Wood's head in one motion and leapt behind it.
Crunch!!
"This is why it's an E-rank monster."
Baek Woojin drew his sword and thrust it deeply into the base of the creature toward the one struggling with all its might to move its roots tangled in its own branches.
"So damn hard!!"
The sword that had halfway penetrated was blocked by something hard and wouldn't go in any further. It was a thrust with all his might, and the fact that the single strike couldn't penetrate allowed Baek Woojin to grasp once again where his current level stood.
"Hah!!"
Quickly letting go of the sword, Baek Woojin raised his right foot and stomped on the sword with all his might, driving it in like hammering a protruding nail into place, and the blade that had been about halfway remaining plunged into the Living Wood.
And the moment the remaining portion was completely driven in, the roots of the Living Wood that had been tightening its branches went limp like a dead fish.
"Ugh..."
He had experienced this headache several times, but he still couldn't get used to it.
"Huu."
Having recovered his condition, Baek Woojin retrieved his sword and looked at the Living Wood that had died standing tall. All the monsters he had faced so far were biological forms, so the location of their hearts was very intuitive.
But in the Living Wood's case, the part corresponding to its head and upper body was an empty husk.
"......."
Baek Woojin looked at the dagger he had used so usefully over the past few weeks and scratched his head. No matter how he thought about it, he could split the base of the creature with this, but it would take a considerable amount of time.
'Should I give up here?'
Even if he couldn't obtain a magic stone, experience points were steadily accumulating and his stats were increasing, so hunting itself wasn't meaningless.
He was debating whether to prioritize efficiency or rely on beginner's luck and aim for magic stones when.
Gwooooo──!!
A very unpleasant roar came from far away.
There were no monsters other than Living Wood in this dungeon. And Living Woods didn't have vocal cords, so they couldn't make sounds.
A roar that was far removed from any sound a human would make, to anyone's ears.
The only exception that existed in a dungeon where only Living Woods appeared.
"Hah."
It seemed like one of the parties that entered first had awakened the boss.