My Selfish Skill Book – Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Thwack!
The tree trunk, the axe-spear driven deep into it, burst apart with a loud noise.
"Uwaack!"
Jeong Cheonyeol wrapped his arms around his head and ducked down deeply. It was a very quick movement.
After confirming that he was unharmed, he raised his head, and I pressed the tip of my spear to the space between his eyebrows.
"Do you still think the guild will save you?"
Jeong Cheonyeol couldn't answer.
"If I kill you here, it won't be any different from what you people did. So I'll give you a choice."
"A... choice?"
"Yeah. Depending on how honestly you answer my questions from now on, I might let you live."
Jeong Cheonyeol gave me a bewildered look.
"You tried to get a bound item from the field boss earlier."
Jeong Cheonyeol's face filled with surprise.
"How do you know about bound items...!?"
"Just answer."
I waggled the spear aimed between his brows. Jeong Cheonyeol grimaced.
"That's right."
As I suspected.
The reason he had driven away the other hunters and said that he and Ha Jiho would go to the field boss alone was precisely because of the bound item.
I got to the main point.
"Do you know how to increase soul capacity?"
"Th-that's...."
He hemmed and hawed, then averted his gaze.
I waggled my spear once more, and he bit his lip before finally opening his mouth.
"There are two ways to increase soul capacity."
"Tell me both."
"One is to raise your stats. Every time all your stats pass a multiple of ten, your soul capacity increases."
Right now, except for Vitality and Strength, none of my stats had passed ten.
"The other way is...."
Jeong Cheonyeol suddenly stopped speaking and gauged my reaction.
"Speak."
He made a tearful face and opened his mouth.
"The other way is to kill hunters."
*What!?*
I was shocked inwardly but did my best not to show it.
"What do you mean by killing hunters?"
"Exactly what it sounds like.... A fairly strong hunter.... At first, usually killing an S-rank hunter increases soul capacity."
"Does everyone start with a different initial soul capacity?"
"Everyone starts with one."
I currently had two bound items.
*It was Jang Soyu.*
The answer came immediately.
When I killed S-rank hunter Jang Soyu, my soul capacity must have increased without me knowing.
The reason Jeong Cheonyeol had hesitated to tell me this was probably because he thought I might kill him to increase my soul capacity.
"Let me ask one last thing."
"Wh-what is it?"
"Have you ever heard of a being called the Listener?"
Jeong Cheonyeol shook his head.
"No. I've never heard of it."
I glared at him.
"I'm telling the truth! I just heard about it for the first time right now!"
"Then shut up."
When I spoke in a low voice, Jeong Cheonyeol quickly closed his mouth.
"You answered my questions, so as promised, I'll spare you."
Jeong Cheonyeol let out a sigh with a relieved expression.
I stabbed my spear into his stomach.
"!?"
Jeong Cheonyeol looked at me without even being able to scream.
"Don't worry. I will spare you. I just want to avoid any annoying trouble."
After confirming that Jeong Cheonyeol, who had fallen into a coma state, had gone rigid, I summoned my book.
Then, using the word *Forget*, which I had separated into an everyday word, I created a 6-word skill called [Oblivion].
The description stated that it could erase memories from within several hours of the skill's activation.
*To erase one hour, the target needs Mental Strength of 20 or less....*
The more memories one erased, the harder the skill was to work. For example, erasing half a day's worth of memories was only possible on a target with a Mental Strength stat of five or less.
I erased about two hours' worth of memories from Jeong Cheonyeol and Ha Jiho, then left them behind.
If they woke up from their coma state, the two would probably be startled to suddenly find themselves in the forest.
"Mr. Hwajin!"
The Vice Guild Master ran toward me upon seeing me. The mister and Ms. Hyeri followed behind him as well.
"I'm glad you're safe."
"Yes. I caught the field boss safely as well. And Vice Guild Master, I have a request."
"A request?"
The Vice Guild Master blinked his eyes as if puzzled.
Thirty minutes later, I was returning to Seoul by taxi.
I had asked the Vice Guild Master to mark me down as having withdrawn early from this operation.
*Please list the reason as an unexplained memory disorder.*
And I told him to search for the two Tyrant Guild hunters together with hunters from other guilds.
*If the two wake up and recover, please tell them this. Say that quite some time had passed since they went to defeat the field boss, and when they didn't return, you searched for them. They won't know what happened. Then please say that the hunter who found them first showed the same symptoms.*
Then they would probably think they had lost their memories after being attacked by a monster.
In Ha Jiho's case, he might suspect me, but what could he do without evidence?
Since I hadn't taken their inventory or items, they would eventually conclude that they had been attacked by the field boss.
When I explained the circumstances between the Tyrant Guild hunters and myself, the Vice Guild Master clicked his tongue.
"Then not only did you catch the field boss alone, but you also defeated two SS-rank hunters by yourself?"
He had an expression that said he simply couldn't believe it.
"Normally, Hwajin should have received all the quest rewards. What a shame."
"Truly."
The mister and Ms. Hyeri made disappointed expressions.
"It can't be helped. The guild's safety takes priority over my personal gain."
When I said that, the Vice Guild Master looked at me with slightly moved eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. Hwajin. Please trust me. I will handle everything exactly as you requested. Protecting guild members is also the duty of a Vice Guild Master, after all."
He was truly a dependable Vice Guild Master.
***
The overflow of the 6-star dungeon subsided after one week had passed.
The incident, in which S-rank hunters from various guilds were fully deployed to catch the field boss and stop the overflow, stirred up the world for quite some time even after it ended.
└ At this rate, won't overflows happen in 7-star and higher dungeons too?
└ Finally, Hell Joseon is doomed lol
└ Look at all the collapsed buildings and roads, it's insane;;
└ Look at the moss covering the perfectly fine roads. The world is turning into a dungeon
└ The guy above is talking shit
People's anxiety only continued to grow due to the unceasing overflows in intermediate and lower dungeons.
The fear that if this continued, the same thing would happen in 7-star dungeons and even higher-level dungeons covered Korea.
The fact that the Guild Master was leaving his seat more frequently was probably related to this matter.
Although the details were still unknown, the Vice Guild Master told me that discussions were taking place between the government and the Hunter Guild.
In the midst of all this, I was busy in my own way.
Through a series of events—the battle with the Flame Dragon, the meeting with a hunter named O Seyeon, and this recent overflow—a single goal had formed within me.
It was to obtain power stronger than what I currently had.
Not simply strong power, but absolute power like what O Seyeon, who had cut down the Flame Dragon, had shown.
*Thud!*
Looking at the massive monster falling with a heavy sound, I shook off the blood on my spear.
As the boss's remains disappeared, only a magic stone remained on the ground. I collected the magic stone and put it in my inventory.
The place I was at now was a 5-star dungeon in Dongdaemun, known to drop magic stones that raised Perception.
"Refine."
I refined the magic stones I had gathered so far, removing penalties and increasing the stat boost.
[Will you absorb the magic stone?]
When I assented in my mind, the magic stone in my hand disappeared.
I checked my book.
--------------------
-Status-
Lee Hwajin
HP: 200/200 MP: 100/100
Vitality: 10(5+5) Strength: 13(3+10) Magic: 10(3+7) Mental Strength: 10(4+6) Perception: 12(3+9)
Unique Skill: [Edit Lv.3]
Exp: 80562
--------------------
As my Perception, which had been 4, shot up to 12, the sensations I felt changed completely.
Objects appeared clearer, and I could even clearly hear the faint sounds of the wind that I hadn't been able to hear just moments before.
Having learned from Jeong Cheonyeol how to increase soul capacity, I had gone magic stone hunting in order to increase the number of bound items I could possess.
As a result of pouring one month into magic stone hunting, I finally achieved the feat of raising Perception to 12, thereby reaching ten or above in all stats.
*To actually confirm whether my capacity increased, I need to catch a field boss, though....*
After leaving the dungeon, I turned on the guild app on my smartphone. I was checking if there was a suitable raid quest.
However, there were no raid-related quests at all.
*Lately, it seems raid quests have definitely decreased.*
Whether it was because field monster appearances themselves had decreased or there was some other reason, no raid quests had come into our guild since the 6-star dungeon overflow incident.
*Can't be helped. Should I wait a bit?*
I put my smartphone in my pocket and headed toward City Hall.
***
After arriving at City Hall, I went to the guild workshop. Guided by the staff at the workshop counter, I went inside.
Thanks to my enhanced Perception, the sound of machinery that I had heard even before entering the workshop grew louder the further in I went.
When I went downstairs, I saw the figures of Seono and the workshop owner.
The two were working without even knowing I had arrived.
Seono's profile as he hammered away, sweat pouring down, was serious. I was a bit surprised to see an expression on Seono that I had never seen before.
"Whew.... Oh! Hyung Hwajin!"
As if catching his breath, he raised his head and found me, and a smile appeared on Seono's face.
"You're working hard."
When I said that, Seono made an embarrassed expression.
"This boy Seono is pouring all his heart and soul—every bit of sincerity he has—into making equipment for you."
The workshop owner said. At those words, Seono stealthily averted his gaze from me as if embarrassed.
"Hyung, you came at just the right time. The work will be done soon."
Seono said that as if trying to change the subject.
"Got it. I'll wait."
After about 30 minutes, Seono came up. In his arms was a large box.
Seono set the box down in front of me. Inside the box was light armor to be worn on the chest, arms, shins, and so on.
Seono personally equipped the armor on me.
I moved my body while wearing the light armor. Seono watched me with a nervous face.
"How is it....?"
"Mmm. Very good. It doesn't feel uncomfortable at all when I move, and it's as comfortable as if I'm not wearing armor."
I gave him my honest impressions. Then the tension vanished from Seono's face and was replaced by a light of joy.
I had been surprised when Seono suddenly said he would make me a set of light armor.
He wanted to repay even a little of the debt he owed me until now.
After hearing Seono's words, I said I would procure the materials. I thought it would be better to use good materials since it was equipment for me anyway.
I had also calculated that it would be a good experience for Seono.
When I placed my hand on the armor I was wearing, a gray window appeared before my eyes.
--------------------
[Fractal Light Armor Set]
A set of light armor made from the remains of a Fractal Bird. It captures three elements: physical defense, magic defense, and mobility.
Maker: Yu Seono
(Usage Restriction)
Strength: 5
--------------------
Even though I had 'Hecil's Protection,' which reduced physical attack damage by 70%, it didn't mean the damage was completely nullified.
Especially in the case of magic attacks, I had no countermeasures whatsoever. That was why the battle with the Flame Dragon had been difficult.
Although I had the skill [Damage Compensation], which recovered a portion of damage taken, I couldn't respond to every attack using skills.
*That skill only lasts for 3 seconds anyway.*
There is a big difference between a fight where one hit ends it all and a fight where you can endure hits.
The light armor Seono made me would undoubtedly be a great help in the battles to come.
"Now, this is completed as well."
The workshop owner approached holding a long weapon in his hand.
It was an axe-spear with a golden haft and a red blade.