Chapter 21

A splendid chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the table below had a neat row of expensive liquor. Lee Minsung was once again heavily intoxicated in the VIP room. Normally, the room would be filled with lively laughter and salacious socializing, but the atmosphere now felt different for some reason.

Shatter!

“Ah!” A young escort let out a scream, startled by the sound of the shattered glass Minsung had thrown.

“Oh dear. I wonder why my handsome Minsung isn’t in such a good mood today.” The madam of the establishment entered the room wearing an elegant smile and took a seat beside him. Her eyes motioned for all the other staff to leave, and the young ladies swiftly slipped out of the room. The room instantly fell silent.

Clink.

Pouring another glass of liquor, the madam discreetly observed Lee Minsung’s reaction. He had been glaring at his phone with furrowed brows ever since she came in.

What’s going on?

She carefully glanced at the screen he was staring at.

Online comments?

A faint crease appeared on the madam’s forehead.

—So, who’s the hunter that wiped out the Hyena members?

—I’d like to know as well.

I heard he went into Gwanaksan alone and saved everyone.

—That’s amazing.

Who is this guy?

—Info: they say he wore a mask, so nobody saw his face.

—Seriously, who’s this mysterious hero?

He did a good deed, and now he’s hiding his face?

—Isn’t it obvious?

There’s a rumor that the Hyena Guild was backed by the Fiend Guild. Of course, he has to hide his identity.

—I’d like to know as well.

Whoever he is, just don’t get caught.

You’ll face instant retaliation from the Fiend Guild, lol.

The stories about the Gwanaksan Field were still making quite a buzz online. People were actively speculating about the identity of the hunter who had allegedly single-handedly resolved the incident, but there was a severe lack of evidence.

—But seriously, who could it be?

—Well, if they solo-ed a boss monster, they should at least be an A-rank hunter, right?

—Nah, theoretically, a B-rank with good skills could’ve achieved that.

—Nah, with good skills alone, a C or even a D-rank hunter would have achieved that.

—D-rank, really? LOL.

—Ah, save those ideas for your novel.

Thousands of comments were all curious about the hunter’s identity. There were many jokes and much fake news, but the online consensus eventually boiled down to one statement.

—He’s a hero.

As the heinous actions of the Hyena Guild over the years continued to be exposed one by one, people began to regard them as demons. On the other hand, public approval for the hunter who had single-handedly annihilated them was skyrocketing nationwide.

“What? They still haven’t found out who it is?”

In an instant, Minsung’s demeanor crumpled at the madam’s offhand remark. Glaring at the madam, he said through his gritted teeth, “Are you trying to piss me off?”

“Oh my, that’s hardly the case. I’m concerned, of course. How incompetent must our Vice Guild Master’s informants be if they have to rely on comments for hints?”

Lee Minsung continued to grind his teeth.

“You’ll ruin your teeth by doing that. But more importantly, what about the informants you sent to find the survivors? What did they say?”

“The figure wielded dual swords and...”

“And?”

“They summoned magic beasts.”

“Summoned? Oh my.” The madam covered her mouth in surprise. “How unusual. Are there summoners capable of such feats?”

“No.”

“None at all?”

“A summoner killing that giant hyena Broki? That’s absolutely impossible.” Minsung was certain about this, having seen the beast himself. “Clearly, the part of the summonings skills is a ruse to disrupt information. Maybe an illusion skill was used, or maybe there was more than one hunter involved. Perhaps, there was a summoner lurking behind the scenes... No, I’m sure of it.”

The more he thought about it, he grew more certain that the feat couldn’t have been achieved by a single person. In any case, there was one highly significant fact: Broki was killed with dual swords.

“Well, anyone could theoretically wield two swords.”

“Exactly. That’s why there’s no concrete information.”

“How terribly boring.” Irritated, the madam picked up the glass of liquor from the table and downed it in one go.

He caused such a big fuss just because he was simply annoyed.

How childish.

But she understood why.

Having been born with a silver spoon, Minsung had always lived a life of constant victories. In his younger days, he became a Hallyu star. And when the Great Cataclysm happened, he awakened as an A-rank hunter. It was truly remarkable. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire universe revolved around Lee Minsung.

But then suddenly, his own chauffeur had become an S-rank Hunter.

It happened on the very evening the whole world was celebrating Minsung’s awakening. His long-time friend and chauffeur, Lim Taegyu, unexpectedly became an S-rank Hunter. Minsung had been blinded by jealousy ever since—the power dynamic that had seemed unchangeable had flipped in an instant.

Well, that was a good thing, though.

People with complexes are the easiest to manipulate.

The madam chuckled and poured a drink into Lee Minsung’s glass, “Don’t worry too much. We’ll catch him someday. Shall we discuss more important things like business?”

“Hmm.” Minsung’s expression turned serene.

“Stardust,” the madam said with a seductive smile. “There seem to be a few defective products from the last batch of prototypes, don’t you think?”

“There are no defects in the product. The defects are in the people who consume it.”

“Defective people? How defective do you have to be to die from consuming a mana enhancer? Who in their right mind would use this now?”

Contrary to her words, the madam didn’t display any fear in her expression, and neither did Minsung.

“How many people died, and who were they?”

“Well... from what I heard, about thirty or so? Interestingly, they were all lower-ranked hunters. People taking them might be the problem after all.”

“Only lower-ranked hunters... It seems that Stardust reacts differently depending on the user’s mana composition.”

Despite the fact that people had died, Minsung showed no emotion and remained solely focused on the effects of the prototype.

“So when will the next batch be available?” The madam poured herself another drink. “The living are eagerly waiting for the next batch.”

“It won’t be long.” As the madam laughed and raised her glass to Minsung, he responded with a cold, steely glare, “I’ll ask the demons”

***

Meanwhile, Suho faced an important decision.

[You must choose one of the two random boxes.]

[Blessed Random Box: Provides a desired item to the “player.”]

[Cursed Random Box: Provides a necessary item to the “player.”]

[Which one will you choose?]

“Desired and necessary? Is it some sort of riddle?”

“At first glance, these two choices for the hidden reward may seem like wordplay, but there are clear differences.” Beru had been observing from the side and provided additional explanation. “‘Desired’ may not turn out to be necessary once you actually receive it. Conversely, ‘necessary’ might result in something you don’t want when you receive it.”

“So that’s why it must be the cursed random box.”

“That’s right. For example, in a situation where you need a powerful weapon, a horrendous bomb that will obliterate everything in the vicinity could come out!”

“Isn’t that unlikely? It’s a system that my father passed down to me. There’s no way it would put me in danger with quest rewards, right?”

“Heh. That’s also true.”

Suho no longer hesitated and said, “The cursed random box.”

“Ooh! How interesting! You’re being bold!”

“Maybe it’s because my level is still low, but I don’t really want anything specifically. But there are many things that I need.”

Since he couldn’t gauge the sheer scope of the items available via the system, the thought of choosing something he wanted was incredibly nebulous.

He chuckled, “Besides, my father has always known what I needed.”

“This reward is given by the system, not the Monarch of Shadows...”

“It’s basically the same thing.”

Suho extended his hand, and a small box appeared on top of it. The box was wrapped in plain wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon. He carefully opened the box.

Ding!

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

[Item: “Vulcan’s Horn” has been obtained.]

The box disappeared, and in its place, a sword appeared in Suho’s hand.

“What’s this?”

[Item: Vulcan’s Horn

Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Sword

Attack Power +40

It’s a sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Vulcan.

Vulcan’s power imbues it with the ability to inflict greater damage.

Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by [30%].

Effect “Demon Devourer”: As it feeds on demon souls, Vulcan’s power grows stronger.]

[Devoured Demon Souls: 0]

As Suho read the item description, his eyes grew wider. “It’s a growth-type item!”

“Interesting!”

The description was clear: the more demons the sword devoured, the higher the damage. Moreover, its base attack power was a whopping 10 points higher than Rakan’s Fang.

“Ahem.

I’ll remind you that I have the “Scorn of the Weak” and “Fatal Blow” effects, so all in all, I am a bit more...”

Despite Rakan’s Fang muttering something nearby, no one paid much attention to it.

“This is insane! This is an item I needed.” With a satisfied smile, Suho raised Vulcan’s Horn.

Whoosh!

He swung the sword around vigorously. It sounded like wind slicing through a windmill and was quite imposing. The only drawback was that the sword felt a bit heavy. Thus, Suho immediately invested all the available ability points he had received as daily quest rewards into strength, making it much easier to handle.

“I really like it. Now all we need are some demons.”

However, he hadn’t heard of any dungeons with demon-type monsters of late.

I feel like they were eradicated a while back.

Suho wondered if he should go outside and at least try searching on the internet. He immediately took out the key to the Shadow Dungeon.

[You have exited the Shadow Dungeon.]

When he stepped outside, he noticed that he had missed five calls on his phone—they were all from Dogyoon.

“Why would the teaching assistant be calling me?” Suho was curious, so he immediately called him back.

Dogyoon answered with an unexpected proposal, “Suho, do you want to do a part-time job?”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah. A few of the scheduled collectors unexpectedly bailed out.”

***

“Thanks for coming, Suho! You’re a lifesaver!”

Suho had arrived on time, and Dogyoon was ready to bow down in gratitude to pay his respects. “Seriously, days like this are rare but several people suddenly bailed out all at once today.”

“Even after they signed their contracts?”

“I know right? The audacity!” Dogyoon clenched his fists, recalling the hunters who had suddenly gone silent. “They’re probably somewhere getting drunk together and passed out.”

Dogyoon’s anger was entirely justified. Collectors and miners typically worked in teams, so in cases like this, the entire team would be fined for contract violations. But his worries had been washed away thanks to Suho.

Dogyoon placed his hands on Suho’s shoulders and said earnestly, “Suho, you have to give us everything you’ve got today. We’re counting on you.”

He was counting on Suho’s summoning skill. He remembered how outstanding his summoned creatures were during the last mining operation.

“We’ve called you in a hurry, so we’ll make sure you receive double the payment.”

“Make sure?” Beru suddenly appeared and shot a questioning glance at Dogyoon.

Dogyoon was taken aback and hastily corrected himself, “I-I will guarantee it. No, please accept it as a tribute.”

“That’s better. Since you’ve brought such a distinguished guest to such a shabby dungeon, I suggest you maintain that attitude.” Beru glared at Dogyoon, giving him a look that seemed to say,

“I might just chew through your skull otherwise...”

In the meantime, Suho briefly turned his gaze toward the dungeon they were about to enter.

—Seoul Station Field

—Danger Zone

The subway station entrance was shrouded in a blue fog. The Seoul Station Field had been abandoned for a year due to its deep underground location and complex structure. Looking at the place, Suho began to consider a few things. The cursed random box had promised a necessary item, and Vulcan’s Horn had come out of it. He wondered if had received the demon-consuming sword because he needed two exceptional swords, or perhaps because he’d be facing demons soon.

“So what are we catching here today?” Suho asked with a sly grin.