Part 8
‘Every last one of them moves in groups, I swear.’
B-Class raids were, quite literally, party raids.
There was no information to be found about anyone taking down a boss alone.
In the first place, not even the exact numbers of A and B-Class rankers were known.
They tended to operate in secret that much.
‘This isn’t helpful at all.’
The rankers who operated publicly were mostly mediocre fellows.
They wanted to raise their name value; they wanted attention—that was Jonghyeon’s conclusion.
The truly outstanding and capable rankers mostly belonged to famous guilds.
And their rank information was known to virtually no one outside of the committee that assigned the grades.
Information known only to an extremely select few.
But Jonghyeon knew one very special fact.
It was when he was thoroughly drunk, having a drinking bout with his handler.
“Jonghyeon. Have you heard of S-Rankers?”
“S-Rankers? Aren’t rankers only up to A?”
The agent shook his head with half-drunken eyes and explained.
“There was apparently an S-Ranker selection exam. Though no one knows exactly how many participated, or how many passed.”
‘It’s none of my business, though.’
Jonghyeon focused his thoughts again.
Group or no group, clearing his own dungeon came first.
‘The statues in the third stage were fast from the very start of their movements. And strong.’
The training dungeon itself was a personal bound dungeon.
Since he had to clear it alone, no one could enter with him.
He spent countless hours worrying about how to block those six arms.
A fight relying on brute force was absolutely impossible.
Just the wind generated when the monster swung its arms was enough to make his body sway.
And even if he suppressed one or two arms, the remaining four wouldn’t be idle.
‘It definitely doesn’t lack weaknesses.’
Jonghyeon thought that if he stabbed the stone statue monster in the neck, there was a possibility.
Compared to the monster’s size, Jonghyeon’s short sword was like a toothpick, but the stone statue monsters moved almost exactly like humans.
Their weaknesses would surely be the same.
But how?
The night was growing deeper.
★ ★ ★
Three weeks later, as promised.
Jonghyeon barely cleared the third stage and was able to board a plane to New York.
And then, the fourth stage.
The mission that appeared in the fourth stage looked like the survival mission he had anticipated.
But the scale was on a different dimension.
The place he appeared in was a desert of tremendous size!
Hunting giant scorpions and snakes within it, and ultimately finding the King’s Tomb to cut off the Sphinx statue’s neck inside was the goal.
When the remaining monster count appeared on his watch, Jonghyeon’s mouth hung so wide that sand could have entered.
‘How am I supposed to catch 249 of them in 5 days?’
Jonghyeon fought them, wondering if perhaps the giant monsters weren’t a big deal.
Individually, they weren’t as strong as the stone statues, but just finding one took over an hour.
Because the monsters were so large, the desert was that much wider.
Only the pyramid that seemed to be the King’s Tomb was barely within sight.
Around the time Jonghyeon let out a sigh after thinking that far, the plane arrived safely at the airport.
Jonghyeon got off the plane and looked for his lodgings immediately.
Uncharacteristically directionless, Jonghyeon wandered for a while before finally finding the lodgings he had reserved near Harlem.
A five-star newly built hotel, no less.
The top floor of a ten-story hotel!
A hotel room so spacious he could kick a ball around and play!
There was one reason why Jonghyeon, usually frugal, had chosen such a place.
The MasterCard he had received for travel expenses and auction fees, which had been enclosed with his plane ticket by mail.
It was a card that only the wealthy certified by the World Bank could receive after strict screening.
Of course, it wasn’t Jonghyeon’s card but Chairman Lee’s.
The card’s nature was even more tremendous than he had thought.
It could be used in any country in the world, with a limit of 1 trillion won in Korean currency.
Jonghyeon couldn’t even begin to imagine an amount like 1 trillion.
Because even adding up all the money he had earned as a hunter didn’t reach 100 billion.
Jonghyeon had had a chance to become quite wealthy. No, to be exact, even now he was much richer than ordinary people. Perhaps it was the price of working with his life on the line.
But the power of the client who had entrusted him with the request was so great that even such a Jonghyeon couldn’t fathom it.
‘But there are quite a few strange points.’
The item such a person wanted him to bid on was a Magic Transaction Oath.
It was simpler than he had thought.
Ordinary people using magic items was the result of a very long struggle.
And the result of some money-blind mages continuously supporting ordinary people’s use of magic items. Among them, this oath scroll, which brought disadvantage if trading parties violated the deal, was indeed one of the essential items for businessmen.
‘But this is absolutely not something to buy at auction.’
First, the oath scroll itself circulated sufficiently in the market. Even excluding himself, there were plenty of D-Class rankers who could come to Harlem.
There were quite a few D-Class rankers who worked as auction proxies or magic item distributors.
The fact that they still used Jonghyeon meant there was something to this transaction.
‘What does that mean?’
Jonghyeon lay on the bed thinking about that “something,” and fell asleep just like that until the next day.
★ ★ ★
The next day.
“Eek!”
A woman’s scream and the noise of the bustling street. The meaning of Harlem had faded considerably for a time.
Because until dungeons appeared, the world had been changing for the better.
But as dungeons emerged and nations began to shake, vagrants began to flock to Harlem once more.
Even those vagrants were rankers. Ordinary people were helpless.
Of course, Jonghyeon wasn’t so nosy as to pay attention to a woman being harassed on the street.
The reason was simple.
Because it wasn’t his business.
“Tch.”
He just clicked his tongue and passed by.
Since Jonghyeon had some time to spare, he stopped by a cafe in front of him for a moment.
A cafe that looked quite tranquil.
“One cold green tea, please.”
Of course, Jonghyeon couldn’t speak English, but the employee understood his words and handled the payment.
The reason he didn’t need to know English was thanks to the bracelet imbued with language magic.
Of course, it cost hundreds of millions, but Jonghyeon was someone who worked with his life on the line.
Since learning English was a waste of time, he had made up his mind and spent several months of income to purchase it.
‘I didn’t think I’d use it to order cold green tea. Before I bought this bracelet, clients always attached guides for me.’
*Tap—*
While enjoying his cold green tea with such thoughts, a hand came down on Jonghyeon’s shoulder.
Of course, Jonghyeon had noticed someone approaching, but he hadn’t particularly minded.
Because he hadn’t sensed any killing intent.
‘But I refuse this kind of touching.’
Jonghyeon asked in a calm voice without turning around.
“Who are you.”
“Come out with me for a moment.”
“I asked who you are.”
A conversation where both sides traded words in voices that weren’t loud but forceful.
The man with a mid-low voice who had placed his hand on his shoulder spoke, putting strength into his hand.
“I’ll say it one more time. Come along quietly.”
Jonghyeon’s shoulder, already being gripped, was starting to hurt.
Jonghyeon tossed the remaining cold green tea into his mouth, stood up, and turned around.
A giant of a man who looked to be around 190 cm.
He had quite a beard, and his solid body matched his height, looking threatening at a glance.
“What business do you have?”
“This isn’t something to talk about here.”
The man indicated for him to follow, and Jonghyeon seemed to think for a moment before soon following.
The man led Jonghyeon into an alley, glanced around briefly, and continued the conversation.
“My name is Martin Elvis. I’ve come to give you both a warning and a proposal.”
The man said with a serious expression.
Jonghyeon felt he knew what the man would say, but asked with an expression of feigned ignorance.
Since it was good to extract whatever information he could.
“What warning?”
“There are people targeting you.”
Jonghyeon couldn’t hide his disappointment at the man’s words. Information he had expected all too clearly.
Jonghyeon spoke without hiding his disappointment.
“I’m already aware.”
“Do you really know exactly?”
The man spoke as if playing a game of push and pull, but Jonghyeon, not wanting to drag out the conversation, got to the point.
“What do you want?”
If the man had simply come to warn him, he would have just told him from the start.
The fact that he was beating around the bush suggested he wanted something from Jonghyeon. And as expected, the man disappointed Jonghyeon once again.
“I would like you to become part of our organization.”
In the end, it was a kind of scouting.
Jonghyeon had refused all the countless scouting offers he had received when he first started as a troubleshooter.
Even now, Jonghyeon didn’t have the slightest thought of belonging to a guild or anything like it.
Whether it was some large-scale guild or a famous guild, it was all the same.
Jonghyeon threw out a line with a bit of feigned ignorance, as if to hear the rest.
“The reason?”
“It would be a pity for someone like you to be hunted over something as petty as a guild’s grudge.”
‘Prey, huh. The guild that’ll bite me this time doesn’t seem to be an ordinary one.’
“I’ve been watching you for quite a long time.”
“Just who gave you my information? It’s fairly confidential.”
He was almost on the level of a national secret agent. Reliable information should be impossible for anyone to know outside of national agencies.
“I can’t say.”
“Then I have no reason to trust you.”
“But...”
“Then I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
Jonghyeon cut the man off.
And leaving the man behind, he began walking toward the auction house.
The man just stared at Jonghyeon with a blank expression.
Having taken only a few steps, Jonghyeon stopped for a moment.
And without looking back, he delivered his final words.
“Ah, right. If you tail or watch me any further, I won’t stay still either. As you know, it’s a profession where security is important.”
At Jonghyeon’s rather cold words, the man sighed and shook his head as if it couldn’t be helped. And with a dejected expression, he began walking in the opposite direction from Jonghyeon.
★ ★ ★
$80,000!
$120,000!
The auction was in full swing.
Jonghyeon, who had almost been unable to enter had he been just a bit late, quickly took a seat in the very back.
The auction house was darker than he had expected, seemingly remodeled from a small theater.
There were about 70 people.
Among them, about 50 were D-Class auction proxies.
But there also appeared to be around 20 extraordinary individuals who looked like actual high-ranking rankers.
The auction was heating up.
‘Haaahm~ When is it going to come out?’
But Jonghyeon found the auction boring and kept yawning.
There was nothing he particularly wanted to buy.
Of course, there were quite a few items that piqued his curiosity.
Among this auction’s items, 〈Pibrinu’s Sword〉, which sold for the highest price, had gone for about 10 billion won.
Since it had come from a high-ranking dungeon even among B-Class dungeons, the quality was only natural.
Just as Jonghyeon kept yawning from boredom, the item he had been waiting for finally appeared.
“The next auction item is the Magic Transaction Oath.”
People murmured.
Questions about why it was up for auction poured in from here and there.
But the auctioneer skillfully quieted everyone with a fairly loud voice.
“Now, now! Quiet. We’re holding the auction because there’s a client. Then let the auction begin.”
Jonghyeon first called out $30,000, the market price.
No one bid, and just as Jonghyeon thought he would naturally win, a man’s voice pierced his ear.
“$1 million.”
Simultaneously, the people present maintained an incredible silence out of shock.
The auctioneer also looked at the man who called out $1 million with a surprised expression.
“O-o-one million dollars.”
The auctioneer shouted with a trembling voice.
Feeling that this auction was unusual, Jonghyeon began raising the bid.
“$1.1 million.”
“$1.2 million.”
“$1.3 mil—”
As the auction price continued to soar, people were busy watching the spark-flying showdown between the two men.
“$3 million!”
The man draped in a black robe shouted a high amount at once, as if losing his temper.
But Jonghyeon put on a leisurely smile.
‘It’s not my money. Ehh, I don’t care.’
He had clearly said it didn’t matter how much it cost.
“$5 million.”
“Hieek!”
The power of $5 million was tremendous.
There was even someone so surprised they hiccupped.
The robed man had no choice but to give up the auction, grinding his teeth.
*Grind.*
Jonghyeon, who had mastered the second stage of training.
Having become quite sensitive to sounds, he clearly heard that noise even amid the clamor.
“We’ll assist you with payment over here.”
After all auctions ended and some calculations, Jonghyeon was able to receive the envelope containing the item.
Without any lingering attachment, Jonghyeon returned to his lodgings.
‘Tonight will be the critical moment.’
An Asian who could spend $5 million.
Moreover, Jonghyeon, who on the outside didn’t look particularly strong, just had a well-balanced physique.
Of course, Jonghyeon was a powerhouse ranked within the top 100 among Koreans.
Though no one had made an official ranking, that just showed how few talents there were in Korea.
It was true that Jonghyeon was strong.
But to others, he would just look like an ordinary Asian.
That’s why he figured quite a few moths would be drawn to the flame tonight.
‘The moths don’t matter.’
Unofficially, Jonghyeon was C-Rank or higher.
Given that the number of people from C-Rank to A-Rank totaled fewer than ten thousand out of the world’s 6 billion population, small fry posed no threat to Jonghyeon.
The problem was the robed man from earlier.
And bad premonitions were usually not wrong.
*Clang—! Swish—!*
‘As expected.’
A dagger quickly grazed past Jonghyeon’s left ear as he sat on the edge of the bed.
Even in that brief moment, Jonghyeon had already grasped the dagger’s intent.
It wasn’t a dagger aimed to kill him.
‘It’s that robed guy from before.’
Through the broken window in Jonghyeon’s field of vision, the robed man could be seen flying in.
“Aah... It’s cold at night. If you break the window like this...”
Jonghyeon quipped as he stood up and began gauging the distance.
‘That guy isn’t an assassin.’
Judging by how the killing intent and aura he emitted weren’t restrained, he wasn’t an assassin.
“Was the dagger a warning?”
“Heh. It’s a bit rude to kill without warning, isn’t it, monkey.”
The robed man said so, sneering at Jonghyeon.
As if telling him to chatter away, Jonghyeon began approaching, closing the distance bit by bit.
About 5 seconds of silence.
Afterward, the two quickly clashed.
What Jonghyeon drew was not his short sword, but the sword among the six weapons he obtained after clearing the third stage.
He had no intention of drawing his short sword.
Because it seemed he was more of a celebrity outside Korea than he thought.
‘From the scouting earlier today, they’re all just... really getting on my nerves.’
And there was one more thing that bothered him.
That was why he chose the sword.
What fell before Jonghyeon’s hand upon clearing the third stage was none other than a keychain.
When he analyzed the item with his watch, the keychain’s performance was quite good.
When he infused ki, the individual weapons hanging from the ring could materialize like the weapons of the stone statues he had faced before.
Those six weapons were sword, spear, blade, axe, shield, and gauntlets.
The shield, gauntlets, and axe didn’t seem particularly useful.
Those miniature-like tools were convenient to carry around.
Just the fact that they could be materialized to fit him when needed made it an item with tremendous merit.
On top of that, they were hard enough not to break even when compared to his short sword.
‘It’s a bit much, but whatever.’
As Jonghyeon had expected, his opponent was a swordsman trained in martial arts.
Rarely for America, rather than having regional characteristics, various guilds were stationed there.
From martial artists to mages and ninjas, plus other obscure martial arts and ability types, there were dozens.
‘This guy must be one of those types.’
The origin was probably from Murim, but this white man in the robe’s swordsmanship was slightly different.
It wasn’t the light, brisk swordsmanship characteristic of Murim.
‘Rather, it’s heavy. It feels like facing a blade even though he’s wielding a sword.’
The opponent seemed to be at best a bit above D-Class.
“So you won’t let this go easily, huh.”
The robed man growled, grinding his teeth, and began pressing the attack roughly.
But it was hardly any threat to Jonghyeon.
Jonghyeon had even crossed swords with wooden puppets while wielding his short sword.
Jonghyeon kept parrying with a leisurely smile, and in an instant targeted the swordsman’s opening, grabbing him from behind.
“How about it. Starting to regret not throwing that dagger a bit more seriously now?”
The robed man kept grinding his teeth at Jonghyeon’s taunting.
“If you keep grinding your teeth like that, you’ll only be eating porridge later, buddy.”
But even though he could easily deal with him, unlike his usual self, Jonghyeon deliberately dragged out time without killing him.
As if waiting for something.
---------= Afterword =---------
Hondeonjjin (a loner who clears dungeons alone) is lonely again today.