Ch. 43 - Chapter 43

"Why do you look so down?"

At Yaksha’s question, I replied curtly,

"Since when were we ever all smiles with each other?”

“Heh heh. That’s true enough. But your face looks so bad I can’t tell if it’s a face or a trash can.”

“If you’ve seen the goods, just make the trade instead of running your mouth.”

Conversations with Yaksha were always like this.

There was never any friendly talk between us, we just growled at each other while doing business.

Every time it happened, Bisu and a few of his other subordinates gave me uneasy looks.

Don’t get on Yaksha's nerves if you don’t want to die.

They probably mean something like that.

But to Yaksha, I was a pretty useful business partner.

The things they worry about never actually happened.

Well, I could guess why.

Though a menacing Aether constantly flowed through his body, there was no ‘killing intent’ in it.

He just talked roughly, but it meant he was actually enjoying our conversation to some extent.

“The rare herbs are in good condition this time too. The old lady offered 480 million.”

“Fine.”

“Did you know? Among the individuals who come to the black market, your profits are in the top 1%.”

“I suppose I wouldn't know. Guess everyone else just has lousy business sense.”

“Hehe. I guess you can interpret it that way. Even though you’re being handed a bundle of cash, your expression’s sour, you didn’t get what you wanted?”

‘That old lady…..’

At Yaksha's words, I glared at the old woman standing behind him.

It seemed she had reported to Yaksha that I’d asked about Aurum Bloom during our previous deal.

Whether it was because she couldn’t see, or because she was pretending not to know, the old woman just stood there expressionless.

“There’s no need to glare like that. I’m just trying to give you some valuable information.”

“Information?”

“As you know, various waves emanate before a dungeon is generated. It’s been quite some time since monsters first appeared, and human technology has developed accordingly matching up with the pace. Nowadays, it’s possible to gauge the difficulty without entering directly, but just a few years ago, the only way was to test it with one’s own body.”

“So you've been studying history at the black market.”

“A while ago, a company made me an offer. It was quite an intriguing proposition.”

Yaksha, the de facto owner of the black market.

He was a man whose pride reached the very heavens.

There was no way he would show interest in just anything.

Sure enough, that proposal was shocking even to me.

“They claimed they could predict the appearance of a Poison Dungeon in advance.”

“!!!!!!”

That was impossible.

No, actually, I should phrase that differently.

Until now, that had been impossible.

If one could know in advance where a Poison Dungeon would appear, it would be possible to clear it quickly without anyone noticing.

It meant achieving our goal without the usual annoyances and interference from other guilds or having to get the Association’s approval.

Not just for me, it was also quite an enticing story for the black market thugs who dig through dungeons in the shadows.

“The proposal itself is bold, but the nerve is impressive too. To think of making a deal with the head of the black market.”

“Do Isu, he's called. Apparently, he's the CEO of a fairly large operation.”

“Do Isu…..”

It strangely stuck in my mouth.

I felt like I’ve heard the name before, but where did I hear it?

"To prove that their predictions were reliable, they gave me a set of coordinates. And arrogantly, they even warned me to be careful, saying it was a 7-star (★★★★★★★) Poison Dungeon.”

"7-star...!!"

My eyes widened.

Just as Yaksha said, the reason my expression looked so sour was that I couldn’t get the item I wanted.

Aurum Bloom (金永花).

I thoroughly explored the Poison Dungeons within the Glory Guild, but perhaps because the dungeon’s difficulty was low, I couldn’t find the Aurum Bloom.

But if it was a 7-star Poison Dungeon?

It was a place worth putting my hopes on.

Yeah.

Now I understand why Yaksha came out personally today, and why he babbled on for so long.

He was trying to use me to see if the guy Do Isu was someone he could trust.

“Isn’t this a fair deal? You get a place where you can search for the Aurum Bloom, and on this side, we can check if I can trust this Do Isu.”

“Fair deal my ass. I'm the one who has to do all the dirty work.”

“Whether you take it or not, the choice is yours.”

Damn bastard.

Yaksha was waving a delicious prey right in front of me.

But even if it weren't his offer, it was my job to explore the Poison Dungeons.

I also had a promise with Supervisor Pyo Hyukgyu, and above all, there was so much I gained from it.

Even if, by some chance, the dungeon I would enter wasn’t of the Poison type, I wouldn’t lose anything.

If it would be an easy dungeon, I would just clear it, and if it would seem tough, I would leave immediately.

“Alright. I’ll take it. Let’s see if it really is a 7-star dungeon.”

“That’s a good choice. You’re braver than I thought.”

“Fine, fine, I get why you trust that Do Isu guy, but why me? What if I give you false information?”

“Oh. Don’t worry about that. We’ll assign a watcher on our side too.”

“Assign? Who?”

Yaksha's gaze turned to one side.

Bisu, who was standing there, pointed at herself as if asking, ‘Me?’.

“You’re assigning Bisu to my side?”

“Yeah. Even if Bisu looks like that, she has quite a bit of experience in Poison Dungeons. It’s not her first time accompanying you.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

A 7-star dungeon is a harsh environment even most knights would struggle to survive.

No matter how much you prepare with antidotes and safety devices, it’s a level no ordinary person could handle.

Yet the answer I got from Yaksha was astounding.

“Don’t worry. The protective gear we made is better than most guild lab products. And if that gal dies, it’ll just prove even more that it really is a 7-star dungeon.”

Are you seriously saying that right now?

Just as I was about to say that, Bisu stepped forward toward Yaksha.

“I’ll be back. Father.”

Good grief.

Was she fearless, or just thoughtless?

“Since it’s a 7-star dungeon, I trust you’ll be paying plenty.”

“……!”

So that’s what this was about.

Seeing the determined look in Bisu’s eyes, I understood her intent.

The ‘payment’ Bisu mentioned was probably the debt owed to Yaksha.

Not by her, but by her real father.

Until that debt was repaid, Bisu would never be free from Yaksha.

Her eyes, filled with resentment, longing, and anxiety, turned toward him.

After seeing her expression, Yaksha bared his teeth in a grin, for a moment he looked like he had more than 32 teeth.

“Of course. There are no lies in my deals.”

* * *

“Please take good care of me, Clan Leader!”

“Wait, uh, I mean…”

Well, if nothing else, she was certainly sociable.

The moment Bisu met Yuk Cheolwan at the dungeon entrance, she linked arms with him and stuck close.

“Don’t worry too much. All the antidotes you’re taking, Clan Leader, were made by our company. If things get dicey, I can just poof and hide.”

“No matter what you say…”

Yuk Cheolwan still didn’t seem at ease. And it was understandable.

Even as a B-ranker, he’d lost sleep the night before, knowing he was about to take on a 7-star dungeon.

But this red-haired woman wasn’t even a knight, she was an ‘ordinary person’ without a hunter’s license.

She did have the ability to use Stealth, but that didn’t offer much of an advantage in a Poison Dungeon.

“I told you it's okay, didn't I? This place hasn’t been registered with the Hunter Association yet, so even if I die, no one’s responsible.”

“Hehe, really…”

Yuk Cheolwan seemed to be having quite a hard time dealing with Bisu.

He fidgeted, unsure where to place his gaze.

It made sense, since the strikingly beautiful woman wearing a tight tracksuit was clinging to him.

“Don’t worry about it, Clan Leader. She’s acting according to their needs. We just have to focus on our own job.”

“Our job….”

“Yes. It's an important matter.”

Yuk Cheolwan seemed to recall someone in his mind.

He pressed his lips tightly together and stared straight at Bisu.

“I will protect you as best I can. Try to not die.”

“Oh my… you’re so reliable, Clan Leader…!”

What nonsense, really.

Bisu covered her mouth with both hands, seemingly deeply moved.

Knowing her usual personality, it was a scene that was unusually hard for me to endure.

“Let’s get started.”

I didn’t want to ruin the cheerful atmosphere, but today’s dungeon was a place that was hard to clear without serious resolve.

To repay a debt.

To secure a core.

To heal a family.

Two men and a woman, each with a different goal, finally opened the gates of the 7-star dungeon.

* * *

They are collectively called ‘poison’.

But there are countless types within it.

Some have a fishy smell, while others give off a pungent, acrid sensation.

“For now, it seems half of Do Isu's words are correct.”

"Right?"

The moment I entered, my nose and mouth automatically felt scratchy.

It was like I was inhaling the full force of yellow dust carried over from across the sea.

A substance resembling lime powder was widespread in the air.

“Hunter Chun Haesun, are you really going to be okay?”

Yuk Cheolwan asked me, wearing his protective gear.

He looked genuinely worried about me, standing defenseless in this absurdly harsh atmosphere.

“My eyes sting a little, but it’s nothing serious.”

"Clan Leader, he's not human, so there's no need to worry about him."

“Miss Bisu, don’t come out like that. Stand behind me.”

Even someone not an expert could tell that this was a Poison Dungeon.

That left only one question, and that is how difficult could this dungeon be.

It would be troublesome if only mediocre monsters appeared.

Aurum Bloom only appears in high-ranking dungeons.

We needed monsters of a sufficiently ‘high rank’ to give us any hope.

Rumble.

Rumble.

“Oh my. Is that an earthquake?”

The ground trembled with a deep, heavy rumble.

Then, beyond the thick mist, massive shadows began to emerge.

A massive body that barely even seemed worthy of being called a living creature.

Angular limbs that looked hard and unyielding at a glance.

A colossal monster, covered in gray, was walking toward us.

"…Yeah. It has to be at least this level."

There was no need to worry that their level might be low.

The ones that appeared in a group were the ‘Gray Golems.’

[Gray Golem 

Type – Poison, Combat 

Difficulty Level: 6-star (★★★★★★) 

Physical Level: A-rank

Other Level: C-rank

Unique Ability: Spatial Encroachment – Creates a highly concentrated poison zone across the entire battle area. The longer the battle continues, the more rapidly the poison’s density increases.]

I guess you could say it was worthy of a 7-star dungeon.

It had a higher rank than the bat boss monster I had encountered while searching for the Cuprum Bloom.

Unique Ability ‘Spatial Encroachment’.

Somehow, I felt like I could understand it even without hearing the explanation.

Even as they stomped closer, substances resembling lime were oozing from their bodies.

It would probably scatter even more violently during the battle.

Swish.

When I took the ampoules out of my arms, Yuk Cheolwan looked as if he might faint from shock.

“Hunter Chun Haesun!! That’s way too dangerous!! You won’t be able to handle that many on your own!!”

“Have you already forgotten our agreement?”

"?!"

During our trips through the Poison Dungeons, Yuk Cheolwan had always kept his promise.

The promise was simple.

Do not doubt my abilities.

And focus on the role each of us is responsible for.

As always, in today’s 7-star dungeon, my role was to kill the monsters, while Yuk Cheolwan just needed to focus on mining minerals.

“Wow! It’s huge! Clan Leader! Come here!”

Watching Bisu jump around excitedly, the Clan Leader’s face froze as if possessed.

A healer welding a knife and going into battle.

Meanwhile, the knight focused on gathering minerals.

And an ordinary person was busy gawking at the golems as if she were at a zoo.

He would surely think this place is an ‘otherworldly dungeon’.

-Gooooooooooo!

As I applied the ampoules to my body, the golems immediately roared and charged.

Yuk Cheolwan’s shock was all because of this ampoule.

He probably never expected that even those golems could be lured to a single spot.

Thump thump thump thump.

‘Five… six…’

Counting roughly, it looked like there were about ten of them.

From my perspective as a Poisoner, monsters with high physical levels are relatively tricky to deal with.

However, my past experience facing the Purple Scorpion clearly guided the direction of the battle.

“Come on. You heaps of dust.”

Thud.

Casting ‘Poison Steps' at full power from the start, I leapt towards the center of the Gray Golems.

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