My Selfish Skillbook
Episode 5
"Ugh."
I clutched my nose. The stench was so sharp it felt like it would pierce straight through my nose and into my brain.
Trying my best not to look at the sewage rising past my ankles, I relied on the flashlight's beam and pressed forward.
"Oppa, I'm sorry. Because of me……."
Jinhee's voice, which I'd heard before we parted, came to mind.
Jinhee seemed to feel guilty that I had been unable to flee because of her.
I replied to Jinhee, who had her head bowed.
"You don't need to be sorry. This isn't your fault. And it's not like we could keep running forever anyway. Just hold on and wait a little. I'll be back soon."
Jinhee had told me not to overdo it, but that wasn't an option. From now on, I had to save every second I could.
My plan was to escape the area controlled by the Soyu gang first, then get above ground.
They had probably already checked the house where Jinhee and I lived. To use any means of transportation, I had to get to a place their reach hadn't extended to yet.
Having walked through the sewers for nearly an hour, I looked once more at the map I'd checked dozens of times on the way.
I'd gotten the map, lantern, rubber boots, and everything else needed to traverse the sewers from Hyeongcheol.
"Being an underground force, you know the sewers like the back of your hand."
That punk Hyeongcheol's joke wasn't funny in the slightest, but it certainly helped.
I lifted the manhole cover slightly and checked my surroundings; fortunately, no one was in sight.
The map said I could slip in and out through a sparsely populated alley while avoiding others' eyes.
"Phew!"
I got out and took a deep breath. This was the first time the city's air had ever felt this clean.
After changing my shoes, I pulled up my hood and exited the alley.
Walking all the way to my destination, where the dungeon was located, was too difficult and a waste of time, so I headed to the bus stop.
I waited about ten minutes for the bus to arrive.
Finally, the glow of headlights appeared on the other side of the road.
After boarding the bus, I summoned the book and examined it. There were still many things I needed to find out.
First, Words.
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-Word List-
[Attribute] (0)
-
[Tool] (2)
[Action] (65)
[Modifier] (2)
--------------------
The list of Words I currently possessed looked like this.
The others were either empty or had only two, so they were fine, but there were far too many [Action] Words.
To be honest, I hadn't even checked them all yet.
'Can't I make this easier to look at?'
The moment I thought that.
[Would you like to edit the Word List?]
A voice spoke, and a quill pen appeared.
[You can set sub-categories to group desired Words together.]
The Words began to glow.
As a test, I tapped with the pen, and the letters moved as if I were touching a smartphone screen.
'So these are sub-categories…….'
I carefully examined the Words contained in [Action] and divided them into two types for now.
Words like and
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[Action] (65)
--------------------
After finishing the edit, it was much easier to look at. If I wanted to see what Words were inside, I just had to press the sub-category with the pen.
'Daily has a lot more.'
In the [Action] category, there were plenty of trivial-looking Words like
'Next is the Exp required when creating Skills…….'
I didn't know what calculation had been used when I spent 100 points to create the [Pulverize] Skill.
I was flipping through the pages, wondering if there was an explanation somewhere in the book, when—
The book emanated a faint light, and letters began appearing on the previously blank pages.
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-Q&A-
Regarding the Exp required for Skill Creation
1. Base Exp required is determined by the number of Words (max 9).
3 - 100pt
6 - 1000pt
9 - 10000pt
2. More Exp may be required depending on the inclusion of specific Words.
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'So the required points increase tenfold each time.'
Worry took over the moment I saw it. The required Exp was being inflated enormously as the number of Words increased.
As expected, nothing in this world is free; my mouth felt bitter.
'When I hunted Skeleton Dogs, the Exp I gained was 2pt per creature. So to make a skill with 9 Words, I'd have to hunt 5,000 of them.'
Even for a skill with 6 Words, I'd need to hunt about 500.
But this was only if I hunted Skeleton Dogs.
When I killed those Soyu gang bastards, I gained 20pt of experience.
Which meant that depending on what I faced, I could earn more points at once.
I returned to the Word List and examined what I possessed once more.
Right now, I had over 300 experience points.
If it was a 3-Word skill, I should be able to make three more.
But I wasn't sure if it was better to save the points or to make one more skill.
Thinking of my destination, the dungeon, I did need certain abilities for the time being. And it seemed possible to make them with my current Word List.
'I'll decide once I get to the dungeon.'
In the end, I decided to save my points rather than spend them right away and dismissed the book.
***
The sound of pounding on the shutter with fists spread loudly in all directions.
Bang bang bang!
A group was hammering with enough force to break the shutter entirely. The steel shutter was actually warping.
They all wore vicious expressions.
"Who is it, at this hour! If it's an emergency patient, go to the hospital ER!"
A bell jingled, and the shutter rolled up.
"Ah?"
Hyeongcheol hid his expression as soon as he saw the men and flinched. He acted as if he knew who they were.
The largest-built man stepped forward.
"Did a D-rank Hunter named I Hwajin come here today?"
"Hwajin?"
"He would have brought a woman with an injured arm."
"Ah! He did!"
Hyeongcheol nodded as he spoke.
"He seemed incredibly flustered because his younger sister was hurt, asking me to treat her quickly. He wouldn't tell me how she got injured either……. Did he do something wrong?"
Hyeongcheol asked, gauging the Hunters' moods.
The big man glanced past Hyeongcheol into the clinic and pulled out a cigarette.
"Go in and check if they're inside."
"Yes sir!"
At the big man's words, the Hunters went inside.
"Wh-what on earth…… Those two already left."
Sweat trickled down Hyeongcheol's face. The big man lit a cigarette and sized up Hyeongcheol's face.
"We'll know if they left or not once we look."
Another bead of sweat rolled down Hyeongcheol's face.
A short while later.
The Hunters who had gone inside returned to the man.
"They're not anywhere."
The big man silently looked at Hyeongcheol.
Then one of the Hunters lunged at Hyeongcheol and grabbed his collar.
"You little shit, tell the truth! Where did you hide that D-rank and his sister!?"
"K-kck. Wh-what are you talking about! Those two already l-left."
"Don't lie! Did you think I wouldn't know you and that guy hang out often!"
"I-it's true! As soon as his sister's treatment was done, Hwajin left! He said he didn't know anything even when I asked what happened!"
The big man dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his shoe.
"Stop."
At his mutter, the Hunter released Hyeongcheol.
"He didn't mention where he was going?"
"No. I just assumed he was going home, of course……. What on earth did those two do……"
The big man pulled a business card from his wallet.
"Not your concern. If they come back, contact me immediately. Don't do anything stupid trying to protect your friendship."
As Hyeongcheol took the business card, the big man told his subordinates to leave, and they departed from the front of the clinic.
Hyeongcheol stared blankly until they disappeared from sight, then went inside, lowered the shutter, and locked the door.
He entered the examination room and made a phone call somewhere.
"They came by here and left just now. They even came right in to search. Tell them to avoid any exposure at all costs and lie low for a few days, no matter what. Don't forget to keep sharing information."
Hyeongcheol, having hung up, let out a deep sigh.
'I Hwajin, when you get back, I'm going to cling to you and bleed you dry until I've squeezed triple the investment out of you.'
***
I arrived in front of the dungeon late at night. The bus route didn't cover the whole way, so I had to take a taxi midway.
There wasn't a single Hunter to be seen around the dungeon. Given the late hour, that made sense.
'Ugh…….'
My eyes were closing. I shook my head to drive away the sleep.
I had five days.
Within that time, I had to grow strong enough to smash a gang consisting of one S-rank Hunter and around fifty A-rank and below Hunters.
Logically speaking, it was an impossible task. But I had a book that could create skills.
I shook out my body to chase away the drowsiness, paid the entrance fee, and entered the dungeon.
I was slightly uneasy when presenting my Hunter's license, but the Dungeon Management Office was under government jurisdiction.
There was no way those gangsters had their grasp on every management office across Seoul. Besides, this place was quite far from Dongdaemun.
[You have entered Seoul Yeongdeungpo Dungeon No. 8.]
[This dungeon is a 2-star dungeon.]
[Overflow: 110/1000]
[A monster has been generated.]
The bright light from the orb embedded in the dungeon ceiling illuminated my vision.
The ceiling inside the dungeon was very high, and grass, trees, and moss grew in places, giving the feeling of having entered a forest.
In this dungeon, it was extremely important who discovered the other first between Hunter and monster, so I moved my steps with extreme caution.
Clip-clop.
The sound of hooves reached my ears. Killing even the sound of my breathing, I slowly peeked my head past the corner.
'There!'
The figure of a familiar monster came into view.