NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 98: Rumor (3)
“Uh… uh?”
An expression of emotions gone awry!
Now is not the time to blame the Nachalsawon for losing their mind.
Kim Gi-ryeo himself would be a little daft if he wasn’t at least a tad shook as well.
‘What’s going on?’
It doesn’t make sense that a criminal bold enough to plan an S-Class assassination would just run away, especially when that man speaks in a mocking tone about Park Jun-tae’s death…
The doubts are creeping in.
“Did you really not know… you truly didn’t know?”
Esther asked again with a flustered expression.
“So, Mr. Gi-ryeo, you didn’t tell me about someone as dangerous as Park Jun-tae?”
“At that time, I didn’t know my opponent’s motives in detail.”
“Really?”
“Miss Esther, you also didn’t realize you were the target.”
But all Esther returned was a face that showed she couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.
Gi-ryeo maintained his honest demeanor, but Esther’s misunderstanding only deepened over time.
“No, I can’t understand… then just explain why Park Jun-tae ran away.”
“Um, that’s a tricky one.”
“Really?”
“At that time… I didn’t do anything, and Park Jun-tae just got scared and backed off.”
Just so you know, the noise pollution caused by the dead birds was, from the Great Mage’s perspective, nothing but ‘nothing’.
Gi-ryeo thought he didn’t need to spill the beans on such trivial magic, so he omitted that part of the explanation.
He dismissed it.
“But can we stop talking about the dead guy soon? It’s a waste of time.”
And this was him trying to spare the busy Guild Master, cutting off the small talk.
To Esther, it looked like he was dodging the question.
‘What the heck is going on?’
In the end, Esther couldn’t shake off the unease.
The suspicion that the Hunter in front of her might have been involved in Park Jun-tae’s death lingered heavily.
“Geez, you’re confusing me…”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing, just a slip of the tongue.”
But, hey.
If this doubt turned out to be true, then she’d actually prefer Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo.
‘If that guy had done something to Park Jun-tae, I’d actually welcome it.’
Esther promised with a gentle smile.
“Anyway, I’ll fully reflect your request in my schedule.”
This S-Class Hunter would indeed wait for the winter Imugi.
*
Good thing I tried this even if it means losing money.
In a way, this was like a low-tier Hunter telling an S-Class to do things, right?
‘Must be thanks to all the flattery I poured out in the meantime?’
Now that I’ve gotten an S-Class waiting commitment, it’s time to go back to searching for the Imugi.
But hold on a sec.
Why’d I suddenly stop by the Association when I’m looking for the Imugi?
I quickly passed the Association and entered a building across the street.
Today was the day the rare magic stones I got from Baron Hwa-won would be sold.
‘It took a while just to get appraisals done.’
Thanks to this deal, my balance flipped to a different number again.
But honestly, I wasn’t particularly thrilled. Today’s earnings would be used entirely for living expenses.
‘For someone like me, if I want to survive a Dungeon Break, I need some decent gear.’
How can a person stay positive all the time?
I was anticipating a failed search for the lost Imugi, and assuming a terrorist attack could happen was just being practical.
In other words, I was preparing to buy items in advance just in case the worst happened.
“Hmm.”
Finally inside the Hunter Market.
I stepped into the building and hovered in front of the potion shop. Then I heard a voice.
“Hyung!”
Oh, my entry ticket… no, my precious alien buddy is right here.
“Did you wait long?”
“No! Not at all!”
I lightly waved to Ahn Yoon-seung, who was greeting me with great respect.
It’s been a while since I last saw him.
This was the first time I was seeing him since the weird mutant incident.
“Thanks for making time for me. You must be busy lately too.”
“Hahaha, busy? Compared to you, my newbie tasks are nothing! What!”
I felt a bit guilty that I only seemed to call on him when I needed something…
Since I planned to use the 5th floor of the Hunter Market today, I had no choice but to involve this A-Class Hunter.
The 5th floor, dealing with items found in A-Class Gates and above, is off-limits unless you’re a VIP.
But having someone like Ahn Yoon-seung, who ranks high among Hunters, allows for accompanying entry as a friend.
“Shall we go up?”
“Uh, sure.”
Thus, we took the elevator to the 5th floor.
By the way, I wondered why it was so expensive when it was just a different floor, and then I realized.
‘Ohho.’
The 5th floor showed a stark difference as soon as we entered.
A large lobby marked VIP Lounge was visible, plus staff began welcoming us warmly right from the entrance.
“Welcome.”
Following their guidance, we promptly sank into plush sofas.
“Would you like warm tea?”
“Do you charge for that?”
“No, it’s complimentary.”
“Then, please!”
But usually, such hospitality comes from capital.
And sure enough, a quick glance at the 5th floor’s item catalog revealed the lowest prices starting in the hundred millions.
Naturally, since wealthy people casually spend hundreds of millions on a single shopping trip, the quality of service was high.
‘Ugh!’
Potion: 200 million, Hat: 300 million.
Just thinking about my savings melting away made me want to cry blood…
‘My money!’
Right now, there was no room for options.
If I were to die unexpectedly, what would a shabby afterlife even mean?
“The catalog only shows the representative items, but if you have specific gear in mind, please let us know.”
As the staff said, the catalog didn’t have many diverse items, but…
Truly, being a place that gathers the best loot found only at A-Class Gates and above, I spotted something noteworthy in just a few minutes.
[Hermes’ Shoes]
“Could I see this product in real life?”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
Moreover, the performance of the magic tool I found in the catalog wasn’t bad at all.
[Hermes’ Shoes]
[Grade: Unique]
[Description: Shoes infused with wind attribute magic. Wearing them significantly increases movement speed.]
Up till now, even if I met high-level monsters, I’d managed to dodge death thanks to their sluggish actions…
Unfortunately, the Imugi, a boss monster, is known for its rapid movements.
It was so fast that in dark backgrounds, people claimed it was almost impossible to see when it attacked.
‘Right. I should heed the words of my senior Hunters.’
Speedy running.
This is an absolute necessity for an F-Class trying to survive.
I purchased the [Hermes’ Shoes] right then and there.
As a result, my account balance instantly plummeted to 100 million, but…
Well, feeling sad can wait for later.
“Thank you for your purchase!”
As the staff escorted away a precious customer who had spent nearly 300 million with smiles, Ahn Yoon-seung hesitated and finally spoke up.
“So you came just to buy shoes?”
It seems like this Earthling was intentionally holding back from speaking to not interrupt my shopping.
“Yep.”
Now that I think about it, the A-Class in front of me didn’t even know why he was dragged along.
He jumped out first saying he wanted to help without me even explaining.
“Hmmm.”
I decided to give him the explanation I had skipped.
“Yoon-seung, I have something to tell you…”
But the reaction I got back was more explosive than I expected.
“Wha-what? Terror?”
Nachalsawon.
The growing Imugi.
And as he absorbed Su Ye-hwi’s twisted ideologies one after another, Ahn Yoon-seung jumped up and shouted.
“While I was fretting about my livelihood, such big incidents were happening undercover! As expected, Hyung’s matters are on a whole different scale!”
“Um…”
“So where is this Imugi now? If it’s such a Dungeon Break, I’ll absolutely jump in to stop it!”
Where the Imugi was, huh.
Yeah, that would have been great to know. But sadly, right now we’re…
“I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
I elaborated the current situation for Yoon-seung.
“I said I don’t know. I have no clue where the boss is hiding nor when the terror is going to happen.”
“….”
“So I’m also in this awkward position where I can’t vent my frustrations. After all, I know nothing, so it’s tricky to even reach out to the Association.”
“Ah…”
“It’s concerning that I pushed for your help, only to come up empty-handed.”
Upon hearing this, Ahn Yoon-seung hung his head in disappointment.
But one must always listen to Korean until the end.
“Still, don’t worry.”
Thud.
As I waited for the elevator’s arrival, I continued the conversation.
“I’ll figure everything out soon.”
The hall was filled with someone’s confidence.
Hearing this, Yoon-seung began to look at me with a face full of respect.
“Hyung…”
Honestly, I had no clue what part of that statement was so touching to him as an alien.
‘Hmmm.’
Well, it probably doesn’t matter much.
I wasn’t saying it lightly either.
‘Let’s see whose plan works out.’
I was going to utilize every means possible to deduce where the Dungeon Break would take place.
Moreover, I had already thought of a new method for tracking that damn closed gate.
From now on, it’s just a matter of time.
For me, nothing is impossible.
I’m a living witness of 60,000 years of Magic Studies history and represent the great mages of the times.
‘I’ll find that missing Imugi in no time.’
At this moment, Yoon-seung couldn’t stop gazing at me with admiration, but I ignored that Earthling’s attention and seriously contemplated.
‘And the moment I pinpoint the Imugi’s location, I’m buying a train ticket and escaping to the farthest domestic province from there…!’
That’s right.
In fact, since I first learned about this incident, I had only been thinking for my own sake.
I couldn’t care less about the fate of this country where I’d only lived for a few months.
Let the earth crack open!
Let the sky collapse!
As long as my safety is secured, that’s all that matters.
But since I know it’s a dangerous situation, should I at least give him a heads-up?
“Oh, by the way, Yoon-seung, you said you’d help if a terror strikes, right?”
I proposed to the A-Class Hunter.
“But how about this: if the boss shows up, instead of helping, you just run away? I feel like a grown-up Imugi could pose a danger to you too.”
“Run away?”
“Yeah. Once I figure out the Dungeon Break’s location, I’ll share it with you, so just do whatever you want in the meantime.”
Then Ahn Yoon-seung started to yell about how he couldn’t leave me behind… but…
That was a misinterpretation of the premise.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll run away too.”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“So what do you think an F-Class should do in that situation?”
Ding.
The elevator finally arrived, and as I stepped inside, I casually said.
“Yoon-seung, usually, ambiguous folks should get out early to be useful.”
“…”
“So don’t hesitate or be awkward, just take care of yourself. Got it?”
Ahn Yoon-seung made a strange face at that, but judging by his subsequent response, it seemed he understood my intention.