Ch. 49 - Chapter 49

Umbrella Industry / CEO Do Isu

“Right. That was the name.”

I thought I had absentmindedly thrown it away, but fortunately, I managed to find Do Isu’s business card tucked away in the corner of the desk drawer.

I was really a high school student with no experience in the real world.

I hadn't grasped the importance of business cards, but now I understand why people bothered to make them.

This business card was given to me by the twin siblings.

I taught a lesson to those who had been extorting unfair gains under the strange pretext of ‘training fees’ and returned the money to the siblings.

They handed me this card, saying it might be helpful in the future, and the owner of the card turned out to be none other than Do Isu of Umbrella Industry.

Of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility that it was just someone with the same name.

But the twins mentioned that their father worked in a field related to hunters, and Do Isu wasn’t exactly a common name either.

"Let's see…"

Hmm.

The business card listed fields like ‘Eco-friendly Industry’ and ‘New Renewable Energy’.

There was no mention of items like Hunter devices or electromagnetic wave detection.

'That's odd…'

It was strange that a business card would omit the core industry.

Feeling suspicious, I searched online and found a brief article from a few years ago.

'Umbrella Industry. Excluded from the Hunter Association's partner bidding. A five-year partnership comes to an end.’

Hmm.

That seemed to be the case.

It seemed they were forced to abandon their work with the Association and seek other opportunities.

Well, so far, that was a fairly common story.

But while Umbrella Industry publicly announced a shift to other businesses, they were quietly dealing with dungeon-related matters behind the scenes.

The renewable energy business and detecting electromagnetic waves in Poison Dungeons, could two businesses be any more different?

Something about this felt suspicious.

Yaksha said if I attend the meeting, he'd pay a fair price.

He was strict about deals, so he would definitely offer something lucrative to me.

But putting the reward aside, I was genuinely curious about something.

Even though their relationship with the Association soured long ago, they were still involved in dungeon-related work regardless.

And that too in the shadows of black market.

“Well, I’ll find out once I meet them in person.”

I closed the PC screen and sat down on the bed.

Next to me lay an object just as puzzling as Do Isu’s true identity.

“What on earth should I do with this thing…..”

A pitch-black sphere.

It was the core extracted from the body of 'Giant Treasure.'

Under normal circumstances, I would have absorbed it on the spot, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

That’s because countless gleaming ‘Pranium’ crystals, like hedgehog quills, had sprouted all around the core.

I could feel how hard Pranium was in the last battle.

There was nothing I could do with brute strength, so what should I do about this?

–Kkuwang!

Seeing me struggle with the core, Brie let out a frustrated whine as if annoyed.

"Hey. I told you to be quiet inside the house."

–Kkuwang!

Why are you making such a fuss?

Brie folded his wings and lightly tapped his head.

It seemed he was trying to say ‘if you have a brain, maybe you should think a little’.

"This punk?"

–Kkuwang!

Seeing him so frustrated like that made me think there might be a way after all.

But just how was I supposed to remove that Pranium?

It was not like I could just pull it out of the core.

"Pull it out...?"

No.

There was a way.

Even though it was densely covered with spikes, it wasn’t completely sealed shut.

The core was a 'solid,' but Aether was more akin to a 'liquid.'

If it were in a solid state, I wouldn’t know, but since it was liquid, there was no need to dismantle the Pranium.

It would just flow out through the gaps.

"Hey. No wonder you were getting frustrated."

–Kkwang.

I openly admitted my foolishness to Brie then placed the core on my thigh.

The sharp points of the Pranium were prickly but bearable.

I placed my hand as close as possible to the core inside, then focused my mind.

Up until now, I had never attempted to convert a Black Core into Aether ‘remotely.’

I wasn’t sure if things would go as I imagined, but since my psychokinetic abilities were at the early stage of development, there was some possibility.

Shrrr…

"Oh!!!"

Despite telling Brie to keep quiet, I couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

It was working.

Though not as fast as when I touched it directly, the Black Core was slowly beginning to melt away.

Like a frozen ice cream melting inside its mold, the core dissolved into Black Aether and flowed down, seeping into my skin.

'Cold...!'

The core of an 8-star monster was truly something else.

A chill surged through my body, intense enough to make it tremble uncontrollably.

At this point, slowly absorbing it actually felt more like a relief.

Shaaa…

If the Black Cores I had absorbed until now were like espresso, this felt more like Dutch coffee.

It wasn't until five hours after I started the process that I was finally able to absorb the Giant Treasure’s core.

It was the first time I tasted an 8-star core.

And indeed, there was a clear change.

[User Information]

[Black Aether: 4,512BA]

[Physical Enhancement Ability: 'C'-rank]

[Healing Ability: 'S'-rank]

[Psychokinesis: 'F'-rank]

[Abilities:]

[Poison Steps - Level 2]

[Beast Communication - Level 1]

[Lion's Roar - Level 1]

[The core of the Giant Treasure has been absorbed. The Black Aether value has increased by 1,022.]

[New Skill Acquired: Body Shield - Level Max]

[The Pranium energy contained within the core enhances the user's body. The user possesses powerful physical endurance, independent of their physical level.]

[Physical Enhancement ability has increased. You can now utilize physical strength equivalent to a 'C'-rank Knight.]

"Wow…”

In one fell swoop, my Black Aether value increased by over 1,000.

This was truly an astonishing change.

That amount was equivalent to one-third of everything I had accumulated so far.

Moreover, the other gains were equally eye-opening.

First, my physical level, which rarely ever increased, had risen from 'D' to 'C'.

I now possessed a level of raw strength that would be more than useful in direct combat.

And the skill that reached 'Max' level immediately.

‘Body Shield’.

Maybe it's because I took down the Giant Treasure, the very embodiment of toughness, I gained a skill that made my body more resilient.

But what excited me the most was the description that said ‘independent of their physical level’.

Since my Physical Enhancement ability had already risen to ‘C,’ this implied I could expect something beyond that.

This must be what it feels like to check the winning number on a lottery ticket.

Rubbing my palms together, I asked V1.

“Just how powerful is the max level of Body Shield?”

[In terms of physical durability alone, it is at an 'S'-rank level.]

"Whoo."

So, you're saying that in terms of sheer body strength, I could stand toe-to-toe with an 'S'-rank Knight?

I expected it to be impressive since it was an 8-star monster core, but this was truly an unexpected harvest.

It was truly a creature worth risking my life to subdue.

I really couldn't hold myself back from checking this out immediately.

Creak.

I quietly opened the front door, careful not to wake my sister.

It was dawn, and no one was around.

I once again headed to the Gabang Neighborhood Poison Gate area.

Maria must have specifically instructed the guild members.

The restoration work, which had been delayed for so long, was finally underway under the name of 'Glory Guild.'

I could still vividly picture her face, flushed red like a tomato.

I would have never thought Maria, who usually showed almost no expression, could display such a dramatic reaction.

She literally fled the scene after hearing my question.

Was asking ‘Where did you get hurt so much?’ really such a flustering question?

I asked myself that many times, but I never reached a clear conclusion.

Well, everyone has their own circumstances, I guess.

Although it was concerning to think that the woman revered as the 'Saintess' had wounds resembling mutilation, I decided to let it go.

I could see equipment here and there, suspended in the middle of work.

Soon, as day broke, people would show up wearing protective gears.

I needed to finish this 'test' before then.

"Let's see..."

I turned my head and searched for the tallest building in the area.

Since the neighborhood was underdeveloped, it was hard to find buildings over 10 stories tall.

Maybe around 15 stories.

After roughly estimating the building's height by eye, I used Poison Steps to climb the building.

Thud.

From the wall of one building to the wall of the opposite building.

After jumping three or four times across the intersection, I was easily able to reach the roof of the building.

Swoosh.

Looking down, it was hard to believe I was just on the ground a moment ago.

"Well, then..."

How many meters was it said that humans feel the most fear again?

Even after going through a bloody battle with an 8-star monster, the thought of jumping off there still made me a little nervous.

But at the same time, I was also burning with intense curiosity.

What does it feel like to be an 'S'-rank knight?

It was only in-terms of brute strength, but I wanted to find out.

Swish.

Anyone watching would probably think I was attempting suicide.

With those random thoughts in mind, I lifted both feet off the rooftop.

Drawn by the force of gravity, I plummeted toward the ground as if being sucked in.

Come to think of it, I've had a similar experience before.

When I encountered the Singing Harpy.

And also when the floor collapsed as the second dungeon began, it felt just like this back then.

That time, I took so much damage that I had to activate my healing skill immediately.

How bad would it be this time?

THUD!!!!!!

A considerable shock traveled through my back.

But it didn’t register as ‘pain.’

"Oh..."

Just in case, I tried activating my healing ability.

But aside from some minor scrapes on my back, there was nothing significant to heal.

That basically meant my body hadn’t really taken any ‘damage’ in the first place.

Even after falling from this height and landing on my back...?

I couldn't believe it myself.

If I could, I'd even want to test taking a bullet, but that's probably pushing it.

"Body Shield... It really lives up to its name.”

My steps back home felt light.

According to Kiril, Poisoners were considered a transcendent type even among hunters.

Indeed, ‘Black Aether’ circulated within my body, impervious to any harmful substance.

But that strength was internal, it didn’t make me immune to physical impacts.

Getting hit still hurt, and being stabbed would still pierce through, just like any other hunter.

But not anymore.

Not only had my internal strength improved, but my physical endurance had also grown to top-tier status.

Even attacks from 3 to 4-star monsters couldn't leave a scratch on me.

Without anyone knowing.

But surely.

I was steadily advancing, step by step, toward becoming the greatest hunter.

And besides…

[Black Aether Conversion Rate 92%......]

The item I received from Supervisor Pyo Hyeokgyu.

The Black Aether conversion rate of the Golden Core had exceeded 90%.

This was something referred to as a 'treasure' among hunters.

It must contain components on a level higher than the Black Core I absorbed today.

What kind of change would occur in my body once I absorbed this?

Just the thought made my chest swell with excitement.

I was humming a tune, almost home, when V1 sent me a message.

[New Message Arrived]

“…..!!”

Truly, the timing couldn't be more perfect.

I had always been curious about his updates, so for the current situation, it was an incredibly welcome message.

I probably didn't even need to open the message to guess who the 'sender' was.

After all, there was only one person who could send messages through V1.

[It's been a while, Haesun…..]

"So he’s set up a new base in Busan again…"

The genius scientist who gifted me the three devices.

Dr. Jin had sent me a new address.

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