episode_0025

Inside the shaking subway line 1.

I closed my eyes and was lost in thought.

Level 3 awakening.

Thanks to Beatrice’s cooperation, things went easily.

Just in case, I drew a blueprint for the nectar storage from memory, but

Fortunately, there was no need to secretly steal nectar from there.

‘Let’s see… There’s a bit of a delay for level 3 skills to appear… so you should prepare the equipment in advance.’

Currently at level 2, I can enhance my weapons up to grade [B].

Looking closely at the skill, I found that it needs to be upgraded from [C] to [B] grade.

You have to overcome the 30% reinforcement probability to obtain high-grade items.

It was written very small at the bottom of the skill description window.

As the level increased, I could only hope that the probability of success also increased.

‘I wonder what skills will be added in the future… Anything that can make me stronger is good.’

At first, you quickly become friends with the girls, and then

The plan was to monopolize all 5★ level skills.

I was planning to become a musou by firing off all the ultimate skills each character possesses.

After seeing that scary sight that Yu-ri Lee showed,

That ridiculous greed disappeared in an instant like melting snow.

‘Anyway, let’s do our best. Because I was able to survive this game with my level and equipment. Moreover, the equipment has skills attached to it…’

At least until the midterm exams and possible terrorist attacks by organizations.

I became greedy to set all my equipment to at least [C] level or higher.

There was nothing urgent,

Feeling anxious even in peace

This situation makes me feel like I have to do something right away.

It was a bad habit I picked up during my time as a commander.

“This station is Yongsan, Yongsan Station. The door to get off is on the left.”

‘Let’s take it slow… there’s no need to rush…’

I got up and prepared to get off.

Not only me, but many other hunters were standing in front of the screen door like me,

Compared to other stations, this is where far more people prepare to go up and down.

I arrived at Yongsan Station.

——

A place where all hunters in Korea gather.

Of course, all of the most famous hunter stores in the country are gathered here.

Not only is there a system for registering hunters, checking level information, and joining associations, but

The headquarters and management offices of numerous hunter associations were all crowded together.

The digital stores that previously focused on electronic devices

Now the area has been completely transformed into a space for hunters.

‘I miss it… I came here when I was young and was sold a strange game console by a scary man.’

Is it because I visited Yongsan frequently before returning?

All I could think about was that this was a place I would visit so often that I would get sick of it.

“Okay… then let’s see. Let’s check the condition of the items first…“

Unlike the day when I was penniless, I am now full of money.

With the greed to sweep away everything as soon as I like it.

I walked towards Hunter Market with great strides.

A large shopping center like a huge 9-story department store.

The newly remodeled building five years ago was particularly impressive in its cleaner and neater appearance.

Numerous hunters were looking at the items displayed in the show window,

Some people actually wore them or tested them on the spot.

‘It’s a memory. It’s all memories.’

I entered the most extravagant and largest store among the stores inside.

[Mir The Premium]

A place operated directly by [Mir], one of the best hunter associations in Korea.

It was a store with a well-displayed selection of gorgeous products made up of premium lines.

As soon as I went inside, a neatly dressed employee approached me with a smile.

“Welcome~ What brought you to our store today?“

“Oh, I want to take a look.“

“Yes, I understand. After taking a leisurely look around, if there is anything you are looking for, please let me know anytime~”

I entered the store full of anticipation,

Inside, there were some pretty fancy weapons and armor on display.

Among them, I was curious about the red-colored armor, so I went closer and took a look.

Quite useful skills and nice appearance,

Even though it was grade [C], it wasn’t quite bad.

But the moment I read the price tag underneath…

[Bloodhound Gauntlets – KRW 350,000,000]

[Very sturdy armor of the highest quality. This is the best product recommended for level 2-3 hunters.]

‘What…is this worth 350 million won…?

It wasn’t even the total price of the set.

A single piece, and that’s the price of one gauntlet.

Even upper body armor and helmets were much more expensive.

If you buy all the armor sets, it costs a whopping 1.5 billion.

Even with a 10% discount when purchasing the set, the armor was worth 1.35 billion won.

‘If you wear that… it’s no different from an apartment in Bundang that you can walk around in…?!’

In the past, when I was a commander, I had to FLEX the equipment sold here.

I just wanted to arm them with premium equipment.

I was quite disappointed with the lower grade than I expected.

Moreover, I was once again disappointed by the crazy price.

What shocked me even more was,

It was the sound of other hunters looking at things nearby like me.

“Hey… this is okay. It looks quite useful.“

“The explanation written next to it is the same, and the material is also the same. It’s pretty good. At this price.“

“Yes. Because it was appraised and posted by the association in advance. It’s pretty good.“

‘Oh, now that I think about it… I guess knowing things in detail was purely due to my skills…?’

Even when I was a commander, I bought items that were appraised by the association.

They just roughly wrote down the specifications of the product.

If it is an item dropped by defeating a high-level monster,

Of course, I thought the quality would be good as well.

If you look at the battle patterns after wearing them on most of them,

In a way, the emotions they wrote down seemed to match.

‘Then… there’s no need to get dumped in a place like this…?’

By combining low-grade items, you could create higher-grade items.

Moreover, if you don’t like the skill of an item after examining it, you can just use it as a strengthening material.

I scratched my chin and looked coldly at the premium, expensive equipment.

“Guest? Do you like this item?“

An employee suddenly came out next to me and started talking to me.

I laughed awkwardly and waved my hand.

“I’ll check out some other places too. Everything is good, but I don’t like the color…“

“Aha…! All right. Please be sure to visit us later.“

I quickly walked away.

Of course, it is true that Han Seo-jin’s family is rich in money,

Still, it pricked my conscience to carelessly pay such a high price.

In the first place, if it was at that level, I had the ability to make it myself right away.

‘Then… I guess I’ll have to go to plan B. As expected, Beatrice, you were right…’

Let’s take the elevator up to the 5th floor of the shopping mall.

There were more people there than other places.

Before entering the store, I stopped at the cafe next to it.

Strawberry flavored macaroons and iced Americano were packaged.

It was a groundwork to gain a slight advantage in future transactions.

“Total is 17,800 won~“

I handed a 50,000 won bill to the part-time worker.

“Please keep the change. Thank you for your hard work.“

“Yes…?! Thanks…!“

I gave her about 30,000 won as a tip.

I immediately walked towards the store I was standing in front of.

Low-price line position in the hunter market.

A place that buys low-grade goods at low prices and sells them at low prices.

And it was a store run by the woman who had always helped me since my academy days.

“If there is something you are looking for, please let me know~~~!“

With the words of employees wearing passionate red uniforms

Numerous hunters were leisurely purchasing inexpensive items one by one and heading out.

I approached one of the employees and asked cautiously.

“Did the boss come to work today? I think he’s probably in the office right now because it’s Monday.”

“The boss…?“

She looked at me wearing a suit and black sunglasses.

I was shocked, as if they mistakenly thought I was not a typical customer.

Then he immediately guided me to the president’s office inside the store.

When I entered there, a young woman was diligently cleaning an item.

She wears a black suit, a green cape, and fresh green short hair.

Catherine smiled warmly and greeted me.

“Oh, welcome. What brought you here? Please contact me in advance.“

All awakened people are born with a variety of abilities.

Although it is not a combat type, it still has unusual abilities,

With Catherine’s ability to be a [master of operations], she succeeded in starting a business.

And when I was a commander, I was grateful to her for always being with me and taking charge of supplying supplies.

I was very happy to see her currently working as the president of this place.

“Nice to meet you. It’s been a while since I saw you.“

“Hmm… Well, I don’t have a good memory. Where have we met before?“

I smiled softly, took out the macaroons and iced Americano I was holding and placed them on the table.

Whenever we sat down at the negotiation table together, the refreshments were prepared according to her taste.

Catherine smiled brightly, picked up a macaron, and began to munch on it.

“We met by chance at a startup fair. I was running a booth that day, and the owner happened to give me a business card.“

“Ah~ Expo? I think I remember. Hmm…“

She looked at my face and

Soon, he smiled brightly, flipped his hair, and looked at me.

“That’s amazing. If you’re this handsome, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember you. Hmm… Is it because of the sunglasses? Would you like to take it off?“

“No, it’s okay. Because I came today to make a deal.“

“Ah, look at my mind. sorry. Now… then what happens…?“

I took out a contract from my pocket that I had drawn up in advance with the lawyer I hired during Oh Min-ah’s case.

Then, he took out the letter from the chairman that he had kept in his pocket.

She frowned and began to read the words one by one,

Next, I took out my glasses from the drawer, put them on, and started looking at them one more time.

“Hmm… It might take a little while, but is that okay? I’m the type of person who reads things like this a little slowly…“

“Of course. Because it’s better to be sure about everything.“

She read the contract carefully several times,

He signed it as if he was satisfied and handed it to me.

I picked up a gold pen and signed in the same way.

We shook hands like we always did.

It was a habitual behavior that occurred whenever she felt she had made a good deal.

“Actually, this is my first time running a business, so I’m a little nervous to see such success. I never thought Central Academy would ask for supplies on such a large scale…“

“It was all because the boss had a good reputation. Also, you have a lot of business skills.“

“Hmm… I guess you know me pretty well?“

I chuckled and pointed to the sunglasses I was wearing.

A way to avoid the [Negotiation] skill she always uses.

When Catherine gazes deeply with her green eyes,

Thanks to my [negotiation] skills, the other party would always reduce the price countless times.

In addition, even though the business she was running seemed to be unstable due to the entry of other large companies,

With her genius business skills, she managed to survive by targeting a niche market.

“Hehe… You’re a really fun person. If the person sent by the chairman… is he now working as a school official?“

“Similar, but as you have read the contract, this is… a transaction involving expenditures made with the Chairman’s personal funds. I don’t know the details either.“

“I don’t think you’ll be using this much low-grade equipment… I guess it’ll probably be used as practice equipment for students. Maybe it will be paid as standard to all students.“

‘It’s not a bad guess, but this is all going to be sacrificed material for my equipment…’

I stood up with a kind smile.

Then he took her hand and shook it again.

“Thank you for the good transaction. If you have any problems with the quality of the product in the future, please contact us at any time.“

“Haha, it’s okay. It’s a low grade anyway. Thank you for selling it to me. Thank you for your continued support.“

Leaving her hesitant and trying to say something behind, I opened the door and prepared to leave.

But she snatched my wrist and called me out.

“Um… can you give me your number? No, I’m not asking you in a weird way, but I think I might need to contact you about a transaction..!“

I smiled kindly and handed him a business card.

It was a business card I made in haste in case something like this happened.

All the necessary information was there, including names and phone numbers.

“Of course, there’s nothing that can’t be done. It would be nice if you could accurately match the period and items… but it is not urgent, so we can extend the deadline at your leisure.“

“I… I understand. Come in…!“

I went out the door, leaving her behind to see me off.

There, according to her beliefs, according to the mindset of “Armor and weapons for everyone!”

Numerous hunters were buying items at affordable prices.

[congratulations! The relationship rank with Catherine has increased!]

‘Now that I’m done with my business here… I’ll stop by one last place.’

I took the elevator and headed to the B3 basement floor.

When the door opened, an ordinary underground parking lot appeared before my eyes.

This place was crowded with cars and sparsely populated.

I passed through a small hallway and went inside.

Then, at the end of the hallway, an iron door appeared with the sign “No entry permitted except for authorized personnel.”

smart. Knock. Knock knock.

Recalling old memories, I knocked on the door according to the code,

Then the hinges on the door opened and an eye stared at me.

She looked at me suspiciously,

Then he spoke to me bluntly.

“No one except authorized personnel can enter here.“

“I know. Although I am not an employee here, I came here after being introduced.“

“Really? How can you prove that?“

I smiled and told her a password.

“The great goal in life is not knowledge, but action.“

Then the woman behind the door giggled and closed the hinges.

Crunch. Crash. Squeak…

About five or six locks were unlocked one by one,

Soon she opened the door wide for me.

This is high-quality information that I, who was almost penniless, paid a huge sum of 10 million won for.

There is a VIP zone on the 3rd basement level of Hunter Market that handles special items separately.

That damn woman didn’t tell me the password, so I spent the whole night sleeping in front of this place for three days.

The merchant, who opened his heart to my pity, eventually let me in.

“Nice to meet you… stranger. In this unremarkable store.“

A giggling voice wearing a black robe.

This was a hidden shop in the game that opens when you complete a side quest around Season 2 Chapter.

The room was quite old, and the only thing that illuminated the room was a blue lamp.

There were spider webs hanging haphazardly on the ceiling.

‘It looks completely shabby… but the products this person handles are the best…’

I politely took off my shoes and entered her store.

The merchant quickly approached the counter and began showing me the items.

“Let’s see… I said I was a guest who was introduced. Excuse me, but I think you are a man. Have you awakened?“

“Of course. Although I am still inexperienced, I am looking for things that may be helpful.“

“Oh~ Really…?“

She looked at my outfit and then calculated it in her head.

It was as if they thought I was a chaebol from a wealthy family with no sense of money.

Fooling the other person’s eyes with the skill of [Cognitive Decrease],

Rather, the more I pretend to be an expert, the more money they take from me.

It was a kind of plan that took advantage of the store owner’s personality.

“Hey… how about this? It will be hard to fight other girls at the academy… This armor will be quite useful.“

The merchant raised his glasses and showed me an old piece of armor.

[D] grade iron armor.

Although the skill attached to the item and the feeling of use were not that bad.

Later, after blocking a few attacks, he was completely destroyed.

It was literally a bluffing item to catch a bully.

And that day, I bought it without knowing anything about it, thinking it was good.

“Hmm… I already have the armor at home. And… the items are worse than I thought.“

I held my chin and acted as if I had no interest,

Then the merchant was taken aback and started explaining to me, showing me various different items.

“Ahh…! Then this… how about this…?”

“Not so… that good.”

“Ugh…! Well… then what about this? Hehe… This is it…”

“Pass, I have a similar one at home.”

As expected, another below average item.

If it were me in the past, I would have bought everything at the price she asked, thinking it was right.

There was a separate purpose for my visit here.

“You know, owner… I came to see the ‘work of art’. A one-of-a-kind piece of art in the world.“

“Ahh~ You should have told me earlier~~!“

The merchant seemed to understand what I meant and quickly crossed over to the other side of the counter.

Next, I approached the wall covered by a heavy wooden box.

She whined and pushed all the boxes away.

Inside was an old, shabby wooden door.

“I’m only showing this to really valuable guests… Hehe… Don’t worry, you’ll be surprised. “

“Well… we’ll have to wait and see…“

I walked into the hidden room.

Another hidden shop within a hidden shop that can only be unlocked by completing all three sub-quests with the merchant.

They say good luck comes after hard times.

True to her words, she showed the really good items only after completing all the quests.

It was absurd that the simple word ‘work of art’ in the conversation just now was the reward for such a long quest.

It was a bonus that I found out quite late that it was a password that would allow me to access this space.

“Now…! What is it like? Objects that will captivate strangers… They are one-of-a-kind works of art in this world…!“

My eyes widened and I looked at the only item on display inside.

It was completely different from the day I saw before returning.

Of course, even back then, there were very few useful items,

Most of the items had already been taken away by collectors.

Most of them were ordinary items sparsely displayed, but…

‘Wow… this… feels completely different…?’

I looked at the items on display with sparkling eyes.

Unlike the chairman’s hidden arsenal, most of the items displayed here are accessories.

However, considering the skills attached to it, it was definitely not at a level that could be ignored.

“Well… these are all new things I just picked up yesterday…! If I reveal the source of the item, I will be in trouble… so please pretend you have never seen these works of art.“

“Of course. Wait…this is…!“

I carefully picked up a belt.

—-

[S] Megingijord belt.

A legendary belt worn by Thor in Norse mythology.

This red belt seems to contain a magical power that transcends humans.

As if these dark red marks were not a bluff,

A very strong smell of blood emanates from the belt.

-Acquire skill [Strength].

-The [Strength] skill is immediately enhanced to S level.

-Acquire the skill [Threat].

-The effect of the [Threat] skill is activated depending on the user’s strength level.

——

‘This is crazy…’

As if boasting the grandeur of the [S] class.

Even though I only held my belt for a moment,

I felt the magical power contained in it spread throughout my body.

“How about it…? Do you like it? Oh… looking at your expression, I think you really like it…!“

“I will buy it. This.“

I immediately put on my belt and raised my thumb towards the merchant.

Her face lit up and she typed on the calculator.

“Oh, you probably already know that I came here after being introduced, but the new item will be released in a week….“

bang…!

In front of the merchant who is frantically typing on his calculator.

I placed the briefcase I took out from subspace.

Is the effect of [Strength S] already showing?

Without realizing it, I put it down so hard that it made a dull sound.

The moment the merchant looked at me with an expression of confusion…

Haaa!

When I opened the silver document case, it was filled with numerous wads of 50,000 won cash.

And they shined so brightly that they caught the merchant’s eye.

“Owner, I know the rules of the store, but… if you don’t mind me being rude, I would like to monopolize all the art pieces you get from me in the future.“

“Are you… trying to lure me in with money…?“

“Of course. Why not?“

The merchant touched the stacks of cash here and there with trembling hands,

They were bundles of real banknotes, with no fakes mixed in at all.

“From now on, I will be your faithful business partner. From now on, you can call me friend or aunt.“

“Um… I understand. Please continue to look after us. So… please don’t let other people buy your art.“

“Then then…! Hehehe… I understand… Ah..! That’s right, how about seeing this too?“

She took out a pile of bags from under the counter.

‘What…I’ve never seen anything like this before…?’

I crossed my arms and waited for her to open the sack.

So the merchant quickly unfolded the leather bag…

Hwaaah not?

It contained numerous gacha gemstones.

‘My… crazy, what is this?’

“Mi… crazy, what is this?“

“Hehe… what do you think….?“

Without realizing it, what I was thinking came out of my mouth.

The merchant proudly stroked them and studied my expression.

“About two years ago… some unknown ore was discovered in Daejeon. Han… what was it? Han Tae-woo? He mobilized people and cornered the place. But somehow, after he was imprisoned… I found a very secret way to save these guys…!“

‘Han Tae-woo…! You son of a bitch…were you stealing something this important without me knowing…!’

I looked in ecstasy at the sight of countless rainbow-colored jewels sparkling.

Without any hesitation, I handed the merchant another wad of cash.

“From now on, keep everything that looks like this on hand. I will buy everything you put in. “

“As expected…! Good thing I showed you…! Okay, okay… Then let’s go in… I guess I’ll have to contact the delivery guys…“

I was carrying a belt and a bag full of jewels.

I left the underground parking lot.

An unexpectedly huge harvest.

And now I have found a breakthrough that will allow me to become stronger in the future.

I was so happy that I felt like I could fly.

‘Now… all I have to do is wait until the low-rank items Catherine sends arrive…’

After putting the sack into subspace, I prepared to head to the dormitory.

Before curfew goes into effect, so as not to be caught by the housemaster.

I quickly prepared to go back.