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“For now, the three non-awakened ones should wait here. After all, I can put up a stationary barrier, but not one that moves.”

Jiho belatedly came to his senses when he heard Cho Seung Taek. This isn’t the time to reminisce about the little matters between him and Joo Yiwon.

Hearing that they would have to stay in the dungeon alone, the three people paled in fright.

“Th-then do we have to wait here the whole time?”

“Once we secure a safe spot towards the middle, we’ll return to bring you there.”

“Can I not wait here as well?”

Seung Taek chuckled at Jiho’s abrupt question like that was nonsense.

“Haha. That’s a funny joke.”

“I am not joking. These people will feel at ease if I stay here.”

After Jiho spoke, the three sent fervent and beseeching eyes.

If a monster appears and lurks around them, the barrier will protect their bodies from the monster. Yet for ordinary people who have never been inside a dungeon before, just being exposed to a monster is terrifying enough. And there really are many people who suffer from PTSD after making it out of a dungeon alive.

Since Jiho’s a support hunter, he can’t be the core combative force anyway. Still, if he stays, he’ll have an easier time dealing with the monsters than non-awakened ones would.

“I do not mean to stay from the start. First, we can survey the dungeon, and if we assess that Hunter Cho Seung Taek can take care of it on his own, then I will stay.”

“If that’s the criteria, you’ll just end up doing nothing.”

Cho Seung Taek sounds excessively confident in himself. However, he does have the strength to prove it.

In the end, they decided to survey the dungeon first. They set a barrier around the three people before heading off on a path.

This dungeon is pitch black without a light; not a single thing can be seen. Once a dim flame was lit, they could see that their surroundings looked like ancient ruins. Detailed reliefs are densely carved into walls and columns, but many of them had been destroyed as if they had suffered devastating trauma. 

Immersed in his observations, Jiho lifted his staff. He was about to use his skill on Cho Seung Taek when Cho Seung Taek stopped him.

“Ah, you don’t need to use your skill on me.”

“I am aware that Hunter Cho Seung Taek is strong, however…. Should we not be prepared? We do not have a healer.”

“This isn’t my arrogance…. Buff skills don’t work on me. What I meant was that you should save your MP since that skill won’t work on me.”

“It won’t work? There’s no way….”

Doubtful, Jiho used a bit of his MP in [Blessing of the Star]. A system window popped up.

System Management

This skill cannot be used on this recipient.

It’s the first time this has happened to a person. Jiho checked his system multiple times in disbelief. Seung Taek came up to Jiho and patted him on the shoulder.

“There’s no such thing as an all-powerful skill. And it’s not just buffs, recovery skills don’t work on me either.”

“That must be so uncomfortable.”

“In exchange, I’m immune to magic. It’s rare that I get hurt, and most wounds heal instantly.”

Cho Seung Taek really does have [Super Recovery] and [Magic Reflection] in his skillset. And it’s unlikely he’ll ever be in danger.

“But Shin Jiho-gun.”

Jiho closed the system window and turned to Seung Taek. Their eyes met as if Seung Taek had been staring at Jiho this entire time. 

Most eyes that people call black are actually closer to a dark reddish-brown. But when Jiho looks into Cho Seung Taek’s eyes, they are truly pitch black, completely devoid of light. Instead of sparkling, his eyes resemble a void that sucks everything–even light–in. 

In this oddly tense atmosphere, Seung Take smiled.

“I heard that Korea’s management of dungeons is very well established.”

“Yes, that is true. Seoul, in particular, should be nearly perfect.”

“I see. Then would the Korean Hunter Association know that we’re in this dungeon by now?”

“I would assume so? By this point, they have probably identified the three non-awakened ones too, not just us.”

Seoul was always a city with many CCTV’s, but that only increased once the fissures happened. Since a fissure appeared in the middle of a busy area, this was more than enough time for them to have identified everyone.

“Hm, I see.”

Cho Seung Taek mumbled as he looked further beyond the dungeon’s path. Jiho hopes it’s just his imagination, but something about Cho Seung Taek is giving him the creeps. Cho Seung Taek showed a friendly smile, as if to dissipate that atmosphere. But because of his naturally fierce impression, it didn’t completely change the mood.

“I asked because I was curious. After all, I came here to learn about Korea’s system.”

“Isn’t America’s system well-established as well?”

“Hm. But aren’t unpredicted fissures increasing in frequency these days? It’s time to start thinking about other ways to respond.”

Jiho’s heart sank at Seung Taek’s words. According to his theory, fissures are increasing because Jiho turned off his skill, [Stabilize].

‘I have to quickly turn [Stabilize] back on and level up the system.’

Had Jiho or Seung Taek not been around, the three people waiting for them at the dungeon’s entrance would’ve died here. Korea might be in a relatively stable situation, but countless people in less fortunate areas are dying thanks to the fissures.

His mood that had lifted with Yiwon immediately tanked. This isn’t the time to waste his energy elsewhere. If Jiho’s circumstances were for the sake of his duty, naturally, he has to live up to that.

After walking a bit further, a monster appeared. Though it looked similar to a human, it had no facial features. What was once a living being charged at them with no consciousness of its own.

But before it could reach them, the monster’s body rapidly crumbled from necrosis. The collapsed monster’s skin had turned black. It was Cho Seung Taek’s skill [Poisonous Breath]. 

“This isn’t an easy dungeon.”

Cho Seung Taek casually remarked as if he hadn’t just killed a monster without moving a hand. Well, this monster is a C or B-rank. If that’s an ordinary monster, the boss monster must be at least an A-rank, meaning this isn’t an easy dungeon by normal standards.

“Since poison works on them, this should go easy, but…. Be careful that it doesn’t touch you.”

“Yes.”

After that first monster, other monsters began to pour out of the dungeon. Like soldiers that were hiding in ambush.

Watching Cho Seung Taek kill the monsters with ease, Jiho pulled out a dagger instead of his staff.

Jiho doesn’t have a skill related to swords. Yet Jiho gripped the dagger and stabbed straight into the monster charging at him. 

SHRIEK!

An armored B-rank monster. This isn’t a monster that Jiho, an S-rank specialized in MP with an STR that doesn’t even reach 200, can kill in one strike, but….

“Clean strike.”

Seung Taek turned back and praised. 

“I learned a bit of swordplay.”

“Impressive.”

Seung Taek replied lightly to Jiho’s suitable excuse before turning his attention back to killing monsters.

Jiho looked down at the monster on the ground with a dagger glowing blue in his hand.

Though these monsters are easy for Seung Taek to kill, they aren’t so weak that Jiho, who has an STR less than 200, can kill in a single blow.

Had Cho Seung Taek closely observed the monster on the ground, he would’ve discovered that Jiho’s dagger stabbed straight into its critical spot.

This is the effect of [Blessing of the Star].

[Blessing of the Star] can usually be used on anything but himself. However, because there was no change when Jiho had first tried it out on an item, he thought the skill had no practical use, until….

‘Apparently, while your buff was on him, he felt that it wasn’t just his stats that increased but the efficiency of the skill itself.’

He received a hint from Lim Seung Joo’s analysis that Seon Tae Woong passed on.

[Blessing of the Star] doesn’t simply boost stats. It adapts to each recipient’s attribute to make them stronger, almost like an evolution. 

And items, unlike humans, require certain conditions to be met to draw those attributes out.

First, the item must include material from Earth.

Second, JIho must use at least 1000 MP.

It’s because of this first condition that he was late to discover how to use this skill. Since [Blessing of the Star] didn’t work on the weapons he earned from dungeons.

But as soon as [Blessing of the Star] is used on an item, the item moves on its own for a second. It gains consciousness, though weak.

Of course, just because it gains consciousness doesn’t mean it transforms into a being with intelligence. However, if it finds that it’s needed in a situation, the item moves in the best direction. In other words, the dagger in Jiho’s hand had moved on its own and struck the monster’s critical spot. 

With a weapon that has the effect of [Blessing of the Star], even a low-ranked hunter would be able to handle a monster.

Naturally, this skill has its cons. The duration is extremely short and it uses a lot of MP. The weapon can only be used two or three times once the skill is cast. Using the buff on the body is more advantageous.

Yet to Jiho, who had no skill to protect himself, this is a very useful attack.

‘This should be more effective with a better weapon.’

The dagger Jiho’s holding is only a blacksmith’s practice piece. Once the weapon he commissioned from Alchemy of the Night is completed, he’ll be able to use this skill much more efficiently.

---

“We’re alive!!!”

They were in the dungeon for a little over 24 hours.

Jiho successfully raided the dungeon with Cho Seung Taek. 

It was a little difficult once they ventured further in because they ran into all sorts of traps such as bizarre mazes, thick fog that completely limited their vision, or unidentified hallucinations, but….

Thanks to Cho Seung Taek’s strength, it wasn’t hard to handle all of the monsters. Since he killed the S-rank boss monster easily too. 

‘He’s definitely on a different level from other S-ranks.’

Cho Seung Taek is the hunter brought up most often during discussions of which hunter should be promoted to SS-rank. With this strength, it’s definitely wrong to loop him in with all of the other S-ranks.

‘But he’s not as strong as Joo Yiwon.’

If they want to promote him, they have to promote Joo Yiwon to SSS-rank first…. Even though Jiho was impressed, he still inwardly drew a strict line between Cho Seung Taek and Joo Yiwon.

Still, it’s thanks to Cho Seung Taek that they made it out today. The three people who panicked when the raid took longer than they had expected were crying as they thanked Cho Seung Taek. And all of the cameras waiting in the distance were busy capturing this scene.

Since another S-rank dungeon opened in the middle of Seoul…. Of course this attracted the reporters’ attention. Jiho sighed at the thought of answering their questions but Seung Taek patted his back. 

“I’ll take care of this. Good job today.”

“However….”

“This is something I do often anyway.”

Seung Taek’s grin was trustworthy. Maybe it’s because Jiho’s grown more familiar with him after they spent a whole day in a dungeon together. 

To Jiho, who doesn’t particularly like broadcasts or interviews, this is a relief. 

Jiho avoided the eyes of the reporters that had gathered and stepped inside the temporary resting area that the Hunter Association had set up. 

Behind the curtain were a couple of members of the Hunter Association as well as familiar faces from No Name. It looks like they arrived in response to this situation.

Before, Jiho would’ve had to take care of the aftermath himself too. The current No Name is different from before, where the guildmaster and vice-guildmaster had to run on their own two feet. Jiho doesn’t have anything to do at the scene and he’s free to leave.

Jiho accepted the association’s offer to provide him a car before checking his terminal. Communication was disconnected once he entered the dungeon, so messages flooded in once he got out.

He had received a flurry of messages the last time he was sucked into a dungeon too. Today was comparably calmer, perhaps because they trusted he’d do well even without their concern.

Still, the people closest to him left messages full of worry. Reading these warm messages, Jiho scrolled down his messages before his face slowly froze. 

“…”

There wasn’t a single message from Joo Yiwon. In over 24 hours.

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LaZ Bird Corner

Yiwon, what are you doing, not at Jiho’s beck and call? You’ve changed.

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