Chapter 158: Production Request (2)

A week after the Gate Dwarven Mine was destroyed, Kim Ki-Rok visited the Northern Border City again, this time with Kim Ji-Hee and Lee Ji-Yeon.

"Wooah! Wah!" Kim Ji-Hee exclaimed in awe. "Pretty!"

"

Heheh...

" Travis, the representative of the dwarf race and one of their best craftsmen, sighed in relief.

"Benefactor."

"Yes, Representative Travis."

"Please put your hand on... Ah, right."

Kim Ki-Rok's hand was tightly bandaged and immobilized.

"We'll register you as its owner another day... Let's see. I heard that Hunters can use a superpower called Appraisal. Check the work first," Travis said.

"Understood. Appraisal."

[

Travis's Light Armor (S)

]

Description: Armor crafted with the heart and soul of Travis, one of the best dwarven craftsmen

Limitation: Can only be equipped by the first mana provider

Effect 1: Reduces magic and Skill damage by 40%

Effect 2: Reduces damage from mana sword-related Skills (including Aura) by 35%

Effect 3: Vitality +15, Willpower +10

Effect 4: Reflect (B) can be used

"Oh! Skill check, Reflect."

[

Reflect (B)

]

Description: Reflects magic up to 4th-Circle spells

Effect: Magic reflection

Daily usage: 3/3

"Woooah!"

The skill allowed the Armor's user to reflect up to four 4th-Circle magic spells, three times a day. Considering that frequent clashes with the Black Wizards were imminent, this ability would be invaluable.

"Thank you," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"We should be the ones thanking you. We, the dwarven craftsmen, plan to move to the center of the Continental Alliance and set up shop there. Although it will be difficult to meet often due to the distance, I've arranged for you to be able to request production through the elves. Feel free to contact us anytime," Travis explained.

It would be difficult to accept his requests all the time. He would have to procure the necessary materials himself, and with the commission fee added, the cost would be significant. However, if the craftsman was a dwarf artisan, the high price would be worth it.

Kim Ki-Rok once again expressed his gratitude. "Thank you." He then looked up at Travis. "Um, Sir Travis?"

"Hmm?"

"About the production request, am I the only one who can make them?"

"No, any Hunter can, or more precisely, any Hunter who is acquainted with the elves can make a request."

"I see. But the conditions seem a bit peculiar."

Travis tilted his head. "Peculiar? What do you mean? I was merely following your advice."

Kim Ki-Rok and Kim Ji-Hee, who was sitting on his lap, also tilted their heads. "Advice?"

"That's right. The advice you gave to the elves."

"Aha."

In the past, Kim Ki-Rok had advised the elves that "heroes" are also human and should not be trusted unconditionally.

"Is there anything else you're curious about?" Travis asked.

"If I secure the production cost and materials, how many times can I make a request in a month?"

"Let's see... We have to supply the Continental Alliance army and provide equipment to the Aura Masters and Aura Knights... So, about twice a month."

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "So, once every two weeks?"

"That's right."

"I see. Thank you for answering. Then, I will contact you through the elves once I secure the production cost and materials."

"I'll be waiting for your message."

***

A video was uploaded to the DG MeTube Channel, breaking its long hiatus. Because Kim Ki-Rok, who usually filmed, edited, and uploaded the videos himself, had been injured, subscribers who clicked on the notification assumed he had hired an editor to handle the uploads.

Seeing that five new videos had been posted, presumably edited by this skilled editor, the subscribers' guesses seemed correct. However, one subscriber clicked on the last uploaded video instead of starting with the first. It was a video of Kim Ki-Rok, sitting in a wheelchair with Kim Ji-Hee on his lap. The title read:

Kim Ki-Rok sends His Greetings.

—Ah, hello. I, DG Guild's Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok, greet the subscribers of the DG channel and those who have not subscribed but have visited the channel after hearing the rumors.

He bowed his head after introducing himself with his signature "Ah." Following his lead, Kim Ji-Hee, sitting on his lap, also bowed.

—I was considering doing a livestream, but the PR team advised against it due to my personality and the expected flood of questions from our curious subscribers. So instead, I decided to upload a recorded video.

The subscriber, who had been watching blankly, paused the video and scrolled down. As the DG Guild's PR team had feared, the comment section was filled with questions. They scrolled back up and resumed the video.

—Questions related to the Gate will be answered if you watch the videos before or after this one. Now, let's get back to the main topic. Following our last Gate clear, Hunters can now request production from the dwarves. This is limited to the Hunters who participated in the Gate clear, and those who helped the elves in the Northern Border City to fight their monsters and the Black Kingdom, but I uploaded this video because I wanted to share the news.

Since dwarves were naturally renowned for their craftsmanship, the subscriber watched the video with even more focus.

—For your information, you will need to gather the necessary materials to craft the equipment yourself and pay the production costs. The cost may vary depending on the quality of the materials, but it will be considerable. Still, opportunities like this are rare. I urge all Hunters to visit the Permanent Gate, help the elves, and participate in the siege.

The video felt like a promotion for the Permanent Gate in South Korea, the only country with such a Gate. It also seemed like he was promoting his guild, encouraging people to join.

—Those who have watched my previous educational videos will know that the difficulty of the Gates is gradually increasing.

The subscriber stiffened without realizing it. "Ah..."

—The Gates are becoming more difficult, and with that, the level requirements for Hunters are rising. There is a possibility that another S-Class Gate will appear within a year. A new S-Class Gate will appear in two or three years at the latest. I'm talking about more A-Class and S-Class Gates.

—Of course, even if I say this, some people will laugh it off. That's why I want to provide new information along with the announcement about the dwarf production requests.

Given the build-up, it was clear that what he had to say next wouldn't be good news for Hunters.

—A Greater Demon by the name of Mammon exists in the Yuashiel Dimension. He's the one who turned me into this mummified state. His level is over 200.

"Tw-two hundred?" the subscriber watching the video managed to stammer in shock.

The highest known level among Hunters was currently only 120.

—In one of the new videos I uploaded, there is a video of a one-on-one battle with Mammon. As the subtitles explained earlier, this demon only used thirty percent of his power, and at the end, only forty percent. Mammon, along with four Greater Demons whose average level is estimated to be 180, will unify the continent in ten years and invade Earth through the Gates.

***

The video titled

Mammon VS Kim Ki-Rok

surpassed ten million views in just one day. This was all thanks to Kim Ki-Rok's statement that the Greater Demon, estimated to be Level 200, would unify the Yuashiel Dimension in ten years and invade Earth.

Even Hunters who hadn't watched Kim Ki-Rok's introductory video soon confirmed the demon's estimated level through the government or the Hunters Association. After seeing for themselves how Kim Ki-Rok handled himself against Mammon, they immediately sought permission from their respective governments to travel to South Korea—or more specifically, to the only Permanent Gate in the world, Northern Border City.

The public was shocked to see that, despite being equipped with an S-Class magical weapon called Guardian and fully boosted with food, potions, and spell scrolls, Kim Ki-Rok had not been able to inflict any damage on the Greater Demon Mammon. Earth would be doomed if they couldn't reach at least Level 200 during the ten-year grace period. Thus, the respective countries and the Associations of the Hunters who made the requests had no choice but to accept their requests immediately. It simply wasn't the time to worry about their Hunters becoming naturalized in other countries.

"

Oong.

"

Kim Ki-Rok, sprawled out on his bed, stared intently at Kim Ji-Hee sleeping next to him. "The shock must be greater than I thought."

There was no denying that he had been thoroughly beaten to a pulp, but thanks to that, he had managed to send a proper warning. There was no need to worry about the S-Class Gate this year. If anything, he should be more concerned about A-Class ones.

"S-Class Gates will appear each year, and starting from 2045, the number will increase exponentially... but it should be better this time around."

He had received reports that Northern Border City was practically overflowing with people, proof that the top members of each guild were fully committed to their training. They had every reason to be. After all, how humiliating it must have been to ensure their own survival by sacrificing a weaker Hunter?

The members of the DG Guild were no different. Normally, after the Gate Dwarven Mine was destroyed, the guild members' growth rate would increase, but during this Attempt, their growth rate seemed to have doubled.

Perhaps due to his habit of talking to himself, Kim Ji-Hee, whose head was resting on his arm, slightly furrowed her eyebrows and let out a mumble. "

Ugh."

Things will be a bit easier now,

he thought inwardly, giving a leisurely yawn.

His task of protecting talented individuals wasn't completely off his to-do list. But it was clear that the frequency of such tasks would significantly decrease in the future.

***

Since 2041, an S-Class Gate had appeared on Earth every year. One led to a desertified realm overrun by monsters, and another opened onto a dimension swarming with mechanical enemies. Unfortunately, none of them connected to the Yuashiel Dimension, so the new Gates couldn't be cleared quickly by exploiting the Permanent Gate as had been done with Dwarf Mine.

Most operations succeeded, but the results varied greatly. Sometimes the Hunters suffered heavy casualties, and sometimes they finished without a single loss. It became clear that the casualties rose or fell in tandem with the clearing team's average level, and the Hunters' explosive growth rate was key to keeping that to a minimum. Year after year passed in a steady cycle of Gate appearances and clears, each with its own challenges and outcomes.

However, Kim Ki-Rok was now facing a matter so serious that he had to put aside all those considerations. It was March 3, 2045, and he was squatting on the ground, tightly holding onto Kim Ji-Hee's hand.

"Ji-Hee," he said seriously.

"Yes, Mister."

"All men are dogs."

Kim Ji-Hee stood in silence for a moment before answering. "Huh?"

"Because all men are dogs, if any of your friends, whatever their age, confesses to you, you must immediately tell me... got it? If you receive a love letter, don't open it. Keep it and give it to Mister. Understand?"

Kim Ji-Hee hesitated to answer. "Mister."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to be late."

"Oh, right," he said, still unwilling to let go.

Kim Ki-Rok slowly released her hand and watched blankly as the adorable, pretty, cute, and lovely Kim Ji-Hee walked farther away, then pulled out a handkerchief.

Kim Ji-Hee passed through the main gate and turned her head.

"Ji-Hee! All men are dogs!" Kim Ki-Rok shouted again, waving his hand and the handkerchief.

Dozens of Hunters followed suit, waving at Kim Ji-Hee from afar.

Kim Ji-Hee bowed, her bag on her back, and bid farewell to her family. "I'm off to school!"