Chapter 26: 25

I Alone Level-up: Chapter 25

 

-11. Arrangement-

 

It had been 3 days since Jinwoo had returned from the C-rank Gate.  Having come home early on a Saturday, Jinah smelled something delicious and quickly threw off her shoes.

 

“What’s this? Oppa, did you order chicken?”

 

“Yeah, you got here right on time.”

 

“Yay!”

 

Jinwoo gestured to a seat next to him at the table, and Jinah shuffled towards him with a surprised look.

 

“But what’s the occasion? Did something good happen to my cheapskate oppa?”

 

“Hey, hey, now. Go put your bags away, you’re being too impatient.”

 

“Ha! I’m good, the bag’s not that heavy.”

 

This was the same girl who complained about the extra weight of an umbrella in her bag.  Even as he clicked his tongue, Jinwoo struggled to hide the smile on his face.

 

‘Did something good happen?’

 

Of course!

 

The numbers in his bankbook had increased from just 800 thousand to a whopping 180 million and 300 thousand.  The 180 million was the income from selling the magic cores, and 500 thousand won was sent to the landlord as rent.

 

A hundred and eighty million won!

 

This was the incredible amount he had obtained from a single Raid.  He had diligently worked as a Hunter in the past, but this was the first time he truly felt like one.  After all, great wealth was associated with being a Hunter, but his past income was not that great. The face of the magic core exchange staff still remained fresh in his mind.

 

“You, you gathered all of this on your own?”

“Yeah, I managed it somehow.”

“How in the… amazing.”

 

49 C-rank magic cores.  Initial estimates were little over 300 million, but the taxes on the sale took a bulk amount.

 

“40%?”

“Yes sir. A personal sale has a tax rate of 40%. On the other hand, a Guild sale has a tax rate of 10%.”

“Is there a reason why Guilds get a much better rate?”

“Well unlike a private party, a Guild cannot ignore a mobilization order.”

 

Now that he thought about it, he recalled that even the great Baekho Guild was pulled into assistance by the Association during the Double Dungeon incident.  Because of the many benefits and leniencies they were allowed, Guilds would comply with the orders from the government and the Association. This made Jinwoo stop and think for a second.

 

‘Should I just enter a Guild and wait on selling these magic cores?’

 

But he quickly waved away the thought.  If he became active in a Guild, the Gates he would be entering would be B-rank or A-rank.  The income from those Gates would be much larger than the amount obtained from the C-rank Gate.  There was no need to miserly count every penny on these C-rank magic cores.

 

‘I can’t just thoughtlessly enter a random Guild to save on taxes for just this amount’

 

“I understand. I’ll make the transaction.”

 

And like that, 180 million won came into his account.  As his sister had guessed, the chicken and beer were to celebrate the large windfall.

 

“Thank you for the food~”

 

Jinwoo flicked the forehead of Jinah who was coyly reaching for a can of beer.

 

thwack!

 

“Ow!”

 

“This is for you.”

 

He placed a can of cola in front of her.

 

“Hiiing… I was just kidding…”

 

As Jinah rubbed the red spot on her forehead, Jinwoo took a swig of cold refreshing beer.  An unexpected sound appeared in his head.

 

ring~

 

Jinwoo grimaced at the electronic tone.

 

‘A System message?’

 

A harmful substance has been detected.

The effects of the ‘Detoxification’[1] buff will be activated.

3, 2, 1… Detoxification complete.

 

‘A harmful substance was detected? Is it talking about the alcohol?’

 

Jinwoo finished the beer and opened another can.

 

gulp gulp gulp

 

A harmful substance has been detected.

The effects of the ‘Detoxification’ buff will be activated.

3, 2, 1… Detoxification complete.

 

As expected, the same message appeared.  Even after chugging two cans of beer back-to-back, Jinwoo did not feel a hint of a buzz.  The effect of the buff was clear.

 

‘But when and where did I get a buff?’

 

Jinwoo tilted his head.  He had never met a Hunter would could place buffs on others.  Hunters with such special abilities mostly worked for large Guilds.  There was no chance of meeting someone like that under the Association.

 

‘Even if someone buffed me without knowing, I should’ve gotten a System notification.’

 

That left two possibilities.  Either he was buffed while unconscious or he had received the buff before the appearance of the System.  Jinwoo’s thoughts leaned towards the latter.

 

“Oppa, what’s wrong? Indigestion? Should’ve ate slower.”

 

Watching his face deep in thought, Jinah asked with concern.

 

“No, something just came to mind. You keep eating.”

 

He went to his room.  He ran through his memories, trying to remember if he had missed anything in the past.

 

‘Ah.’

 

A realization flashed across his mind.

 

‘All the quests have had a reward so far, even the penalty quest. But there was one quest that I haven’t verified the reward for.’

 

He quickly opened his message box.  At the time, he did not know anything about the System or its rewards, so he had put the message aside, but that message definitely had mentioned a reward as well.

 

His heartbeat quickened.

 

Jinwoo scrolled to the last message on the list.

 

Welcome to becoming a [Player]. (Read)

 

He spoke with a shaky voice,

 

“Open.”

 

ring~

 

This System will help with the growth of the “Player”. Non-compliance with this System’s instructions may result in a penalty.   Your reward has been received.

 

As he thought.  It had mentioned a reward.  He thought back on the first time he heard the voice in his head, back in the underground temple.

 

[You have fulfilled all conditions of the ‘Secret Quest: The Weak One’s Courage’.]

 

A secret quest was a quest like any other, but Jinwoo had never checked its reward.  All that was on his mind at the time was his impending death. Jinwoo scrolled down on the message,

 

...Non-compliance with this System’s instructions may result in a penalty.   Your reward has been received.

Would you like to verify? (Y/N)

 

‘Yes.’

 

ring~

 

‘Secret Quest: The Weak One’s Courage’, Received Reward

The Great Sorcerer Kandiaru’s Blessing [2]

One-time effect, ‘Will to be Reborn’ applied on blessing.   Continuous effect, ‘Longevity’ applied on blessing.   ‘Will to be Reborn’: All damaged parts of the body are restored.   ‘Longevity’: Become immune to all diseases, poisons and ailments. Sleeping will explosively increase your regeneration ability.   Awed by your great courage, the Great Sorcerer Kandiaru has blessed you with a special gift.  Blessed by the Great Kandiaru, you will live a long and healthy life “A bright future awaits the challenger.”

[3]

 

Everything fell into place.

 

‘So that’s why my leg was healed…’

 

The severed leg that was reattached was due to this quest’s reward.  Same with the fact that he could not get drunk off the beer just now.

 

‘Wait, immunity to all poisons?’

 

Jinwoo suddenly became alert.  Perhaps even that would be…?

 

Jinwoo took out an item from his inventory.

 

 

Casaka’s Venom Gland

Rarity: A   Type: Elixir   Buff ‘Casaka’s Armored Scales’ applied on consumption.   Debuff ‘Weakened Muscles’ applied on consumption.   ‘Casaka’s Armored Scales’: Physical Damage Reduction +20%   ‘Weakened Muscles’: Strength -35   A pouch containing the refined venom of Casaka.  Drinking will give you a permanently toughened skin, but the venom will also permanently damage your muscles.

 

‘If the muscle debuff was due to the venom, maybe the detoxification buff will block it.’

 

Only one way to find out.  Jinwoo closed his eyes and drank the substance from the pouch.

 

gulp gulp

 

The thick liquid went down his throat.  He ignored the bitter taste and finished the whole pouch.

 

‘Bleh, and they say medicine is bitter…’

 

As the pouch became empty, a message appeared.

 

A harmful substance has been detected.

The effects of the ‘Detoxification’ buff will be activated.

3, 2, 1… Detoxification complete.

The debuff, ‘Weakened Muscles’, has been removed.

 

“It worked!”

 

Jinwoo raised his fist in the air in triumph and checked his status screen.

 

‘Stat.’

 

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Stats   Strength: 53 Constitution: 30 Agility: 53 Intelligence: 30 Sense: 36   (Available stat points: 0)   Physical Damage Reduction: 20%

 

As expected, there was no reduction in strength.  It remained at 53 points, but a new attribute of physical damage reduction had appeared.  An amazing power to reduce all physical damage taken by 20%.

 

“Good!”

 

As he celebrated his new stat, Jinah called to him from the living room.

 

“Oppa, do you know someone named Yoo Jinwoo? An Yoo Jinwoo is looking for you.”

 

“I don’t think his name is Yoo Jinwoo…”

 

He went over to the living room and took the receiver from his sister.

 

“Hello.”

 

-“Hyungnim, it’s me, Yoo Jinho.”

 

Of course.

 

“…How did you get this number?”

 

-“I know someone in the Association. You weren’t answering your cell phone, so I decided to reach you through your home phone.”

 

“Make it short.”

 

-“Ah! I apologize, hyungnim. But there’s something I really want to discuss with you. It’s hard to explain over the phone, can we meet up somewhere?”

 

Jinwoo tilted his head.

 

‘After all that, you still want to meet with me?’

 

-“It’s really important, hyungnim.”

 

He was a really strange fellow.

 

 

 

Jinwoo allowed Yoo Jinho exactly 1 hour of his time.  They met at a French café near Jinwoo’s house. Even on a weekday afternoon, the café was packed with people.

 

“Hyungnim, over here!”

 

Yoo Jinho greeted him happily.  Jinwoo had expanded his senses when he entered but did not notice any other Hunters.  At the very least, this was not going to be an ambush for some retaliation. Well, Jinwoo didn’t exactly recall anything to be retaliated for.

 

He sat down opposite from Yoo Jinho.  In front of him was half-eaten ice cream in a bowl.

 

“I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

 

Yoo Jinho stood up and asked,

 

“Did you order anything? Shall I go grab some coffee?”

 

“No, it’s okay.”

 

With a disappointed face, Yoo Jinho sat back down.

 

Jinwoo opened his mouth to speak,

 

“So what’s this all about-“

 

But he was interrupted by a group of students a table over.

 

“I’m telling you it’s true! You should’ve seen it, it was crazy!”

 

There were three strong looking boys wearing athletic-club uniforms talking with three girls.  Jinwoo tried to focus on the conversation on hand,

 

“So what’s this all-“

 

“What are you talking about! Look at this fucker make up shit in front of girls again!”

 

“…About…”

 

“I’m telling you! Holy shit, you want me to show you the pictures? I got the proof right here!”

 

The male students’ voices were loud, but just as annoying was the giggling female students.

 

“…”

 

Unable to talk through the loud conversation next to them, Jinwoo got up and quietly walked over to the other table.  The three boys’ faces turned to Jinwoo in unison.

 

“Could you please quiet down a little? There are other people here.”

 

One of the boys mockingly bowed his head.

 

“Yes sir, yes sir. We’ll be quiet. Sowwy~”

 

The girls laughed at his apology.

 

“…”

 

Jinwoo just stared at them, then turned around.  Suddenly, something soft hit the back of his head.  A rolled-up napkin fell on to the floor.

 

“Hahahahaha!”

“Hehehehehehe!”

“Stop it! Haha, stop it!”

 

The male students laughed out loud, while the female students pretended to stop them and laugh.  Yoo Jinho’s face that was watching the scene started to freeze.

 

“H-hyungnim…”

 

Jinwoo grabbed a spoon from Yoo Jinho’s ice cream bowl and went over to the counter.

 

“Look at that him, he’s going to tell on us.”

“Waah- mommy, there’s some people being loud, waah. Hahaha”

 

Even as he walked, the students continued their mocking.  Jinwoo asked the nervous looking shop employee,

 

“This spoon. How much is it?”

 

“I’m sorry customer, we don’t really sell those spoons...”

 

“It’s less than ten thousand, right?”

 

“Sir? Ah, well… probably…”

 

Jinwoo placed a ten thousand won bill on the counter and turned around.

 

“Customer? S-sir?”

 

Jinwoo ignored the woman’s voice and walked towards the students’ table.  Seeing him approach with a serious expression, the male students rose up from their seats.

 

“What, you wanna go?”

 

Every eye in the shop was focused on the scene that was unfolding.

 

Jinwoo held out the spoon that he was holding to the boys.

 

“…?”

 

“…?”

 

As they looked at him with confusion, Jinwoo slowly closed his fist around the spoon.  The metallic spoon crumpled into an unrecognizable mess in his hand.

 

The boys’ faces began to turn white.

 

toss

 

roll roll roll

 

The thing that rolled across the table could no longer be called a spoon.  It was a piece of metal crushed into a ball shape.

 

“!”

 

Each of the boys gulped.

 

‘That’s not an ordinary human’s strength.’

 

‘H-he’s a Hunter.’

 

As they cast glances at each other, the boy who had thrown the paper napkin was the first to lower his head.

 

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

 

The other two quickly followed.

 

“Sorry…”

 

“We made a mistake. Sorry…”

 

After repeatedly bowing their heads, the boys quickly ran out of the café with the girls in tow.

 

Whoa-

 

The other customers, also bothered by the students’ loud rambling, sent a silent gratitude toward Jinwoo.  He returned to his seat. Yoo Jinho exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes,

 

“As expected of hyungnim!”

 

“Enough.”

 

Jinwoo steered the conversation back to the start,

 

“So. What. Is. This. About?”

 

“Well… hyungnim. I gave it a lot of thought. Like, I really really thought about it hard. And there’s something I want to ask you.”

 

Jinwoo tilted his head,

 

“And?”

 

“Hyungnim, the truth is…”

 

Yoo Jinho’s face turned red with embarrassment.  He gathered the courage to finish his sentence.

 

“…I’m trying to create a private raiding party-“

 

It didn’t even take Jinwoo one second to think about it.

 

“I refuse.”

 

Translator’s Notes:

[1]: “Detoxification” (해독): Literal translation of the word.  Could also mean “neutralize/cure poison”

[2]: “Great Sorcerer Kandiaru” (대주술사 칸디아루): “great” 대 + “sorcerer” 주술사.  칸디아루 = khan - dee - ah - ru.

[3]: “Will to be Reborn” (재활의 의지): “rehabilitation” 재활 + “will” 의지.  The word for “rehabilitation” can also be read as “rebirth”. “Longevity” (무병장수): Lit. translation of the word.  “No” 무 + “sickness” 병 + “life” 장수

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