Ch. 52 - Chapter 52

"Hey there, Noble Hunter."

"Don't ruin my mood as soon as we meet."

I spat at Yaksha’s greeting, almost as if I was chewing it out.

Noble Hunter.

Lately, reporters have been attaching that hellish modifier in front of the name Chun Haesun.

The 'S’-ranker who quietly clears poison dungeons and saves people around the world.

I did what I did out of my own necessity, but in others' eyes, it seemed to appear as some sort of 'donating service to society.’

Noble Hunter.

Just thinking about the term made my face burn with irritation.

"I'm just delighted to see you. Noble Hunter."

That damn bastard kept calling me by that nickname.

Of course, it was to tease me.

Because he knew better than anyone that I was not so noble.

"When is Do Isu arriving?"

"He is supposed to arrive in 30 minutes.”

"Bold of him to even think of setting foot in this black market. It's quite a dangerous place."

"Doesn't it remind you of someone who came to the black market for the first time, without knowing anything about it?"

A person who came to the black market carrying a rare herb packed in a black plastic bag.

Yaksha reminded me of my past self.

Hmm.

Thinking about it now, it was quite a reckless thing to do.

"What's my role?"

"Just explain what happened in the Poison Dungeon. From my perspective, you're an important informant and witness.”

After saying that, Yaksha had someone deliver two items to me.

"What are all these?"

"Disguise tools. To conceal your identity.”

"I brought something of my own too."

"Whatever is in that bag of yours won't measure up to what we've prepared."

"How much shady business have you done in the back to be that confident?"

I said as much but accepted the items without protest.

At a glance, the quality of what was in the bag was completely different from my shoddy paper mask.

One softly glowing fox mask, seemingly carved by a master craftsman.

And the other thing was...

"A cloak? You expect me to wear this thing?”

"Big businessmen like Do Isu have sharp instincts. Simply covering your face won’t be enough. We need something that can hide your entire silhouette.”

Hmm.

That was true.

But something about it felt off.

Because Yaksha was being kinder than necessary today.

"They say people change when their time to die is near…”

Muttering to myself, I put on the fox mask and cloak.

Sure enough, with the shoulder padding stuffed in, my originally slender frame transformed into that of a giant.

But there was a problem.

Compared to the small size of the fox mask, my shoulders were as broad as the Pacific Ocean, giving me a comical appearance, like a character straight out of a cartoon.

“Wahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”

Yaksha burst into uproarious laughter, practically spraying spit.

That damn bastard.

He persuaded me just to see me like this from the start.

"What a magnificent sight. I almost want to take a picture.”

"You'd better stop provoking me. The price I'll settle later is rising like Bitcoin."

"Ah. That would be troublesome if it goes any higher."

Yaksha stopped laughing and quietly guided me to a private room.

As I followed him, a girl with fiery red hair cautiously waved her hand.

Her blazingly red hair suited her so perfectly.

A pickpocket with a deadly beauty that matched the scar at the corner of her mouth.

Bisu.

'Do Isu is one thing, but I have something to discuss with her too.’

Her expression was as mischievous as always, so it seemed she didn't realize the change that had occurred to her.

The day after I finished clearing the 8-star dungeon, I shared with Yuk Cheolwan what had happened.

He told me about an incredibly intuitive experience.

"It felt like I suddenly ate five bowls of rice!!"

I've never eaten five bowls of rice, but given that I received the same buff, I could imagine what it felt like.

Buffs are abilities that benefit hunters as much as healing abilities.

She was a type of esper that hadn’t appeared even once in the history of our country.

If she were to take the Hunter Qualification Test, she might receive as much attention as I did.

If it hadn't been for Bisu's Buff that day, it wouldn't have been the Giant Treasure lying on the ground but me.

I responded with a bright smile, and Bisu grinned widely as she cautiously called out.

"Noble Hunter...!"

What the hell.

***

"Do Isu, Umbrella Industry."

No matter how I looked at him, he didn't look like someone you'd meet on the black market.

With his fair skin and stylish pomade hair, he hardly looked like he was in his late forties.

He was a man with such a noble air that you couldn’t help but think of him as a ‘Master’.

And there I was, having to wear a fox mask and a cloak padded at the shoulders in front of a man like this.

Yaksha. You bastard.

Tell me where the mouse hole is.

"Yaksha."

Unlike Do Isu, Yaksha didn't have an embossed business card.

His introduction was so simple it almost felt rude.

Well, that was to be expected.

There was no way the head of the black market would go around handing out business cards.

"This is the first time I've heard your real name. It's an honor to meet you.”

I've heard that Umbrella Industry was a fairly large company, but Do Isu maintained an impeccably polite attitude throughout.

I wondered if Yaksha really was that big of a figure in the industry.

Seeing him just messing around with me, he seemed no different from a neighborhood thug.

"May I ask who this is...?”

"He's my subordinate. His name is 'Gogwi'."

I almost threw a punch at Yaksha's face.

Anyway, the reporter who came up with that nickname was bound to get a taste of my revenge sooner or later.

[T/N: ‘Gogwi’ literally translates to ‘Noble’.]

"Yaksha... Gogwi... How characteristic of the black market, with such distinctive names."

No.

That's not it.

While I was screaming internally, Yaksha cut to the chase.

"I hate dragging things out, whether it's words or time. From now on, my subordinate 'Gogwi' will explain the condition of the dungeon.”

Yaksha gestured to me with his chin, and I took a deep breath to maintain my composure.

"The dungeon confirmed on-site was undoubtedly of the Poison-type. The air was saturated with toxins, the appearance of poisonous monsters, the discovery of rare plants, every element that could be called characteristic of a Poison dungeon was present inside.”

"How difficult was the dungeon?"

"My rough estimate is that it appears to be around an 8-star level. The boss mob confirmed on-site was a Golem covered in Pranium, known as Giant Treasure.”

Hearing my report, Do Isu let out a deep sigh.

"My goodness. We nearly got you killed, Mr. 'Gogwi'.”

"I've already heard that the dungeon was not to be taken lightly. Even if an accident had occurred, it would have been under our neglect. We actually gained as much as that.”

Do Isu stared at me with a peculiar gaze.

Hmph.

Even if you look closely, all you'll see on this side is a fox mask and a cloak.

"The wavelength detector your company made has been verified as usable. Now, it's time for you to bring up the deal you mentioned."

"Yes."

Do Isu reached into his coat and pulled something out.

As expected of black market personnel, some of the people surrounding Yaksha tensed sharply, but he raised a hand to stop them.

Beep—

Do Isu picked up a small electronic device and projected it onto the wall, and soon a clear screen appeared.

"Since this kind of presentation is more convenient... we'll do it our way."

"Whatever you prefer.”

Do Isu began his explanation based on the information on the screen.

How did these abnormal waves originate?

Why do these abnormal waves appear before the dungeon manifests?

How does their wavelength meter predict a poison dungeon?

A few minutes passed like this.

Click.

In the middle of his explanation, Yaksha let out a rude yawn.

And only then could I finally let out a sigh of relief in my heart.

Good.

So I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand.

"...For this reason, our wavelength detector can predict the emergence of a Poison Dungeon up to three days, or even a week, in advance. Although the range is still limited, within a designated area it has an accuracy rate of over 97%.”

“If the accuracy is 97%, it's practically guaranteed to be completely accurate.”

“Our conditions are threefold. First, sharing the profits generated from the Poison Dungeons with us. And second…”

Do Isu glanced at me and Yaksha in turn before continuing.

“The second is the collection of Poison Monster blood samples.”

“……!”

What were they planning to use Poison Monster blood for?

Black Cores might be useful for Poisoners, but blood is truly a material with no practical use whatsoever.

No.

It’s not just that it’s useless, it’s classified by the Association as a top-grade deadly poison.

Even if it's from a low-grade monster, a single drop of its blood can send a normal person to their doom.

Why bother with something like that?

“The third condition is…”

The face of Do Isu, who had seemed like a ‘Master,’ had now transformed into that of a seasoned merchant.

“Not asking the reason for the second condition. That is the third condition.”

Hmm.

It felt as if he could read people’s minds.

Considering that the third condition didn't involve money, it could be said that Umbrella Industry's purpose was twofold.

Money.

And blood.

But somehow, I had a strong feeling that money was just an excuse, and that the only thing that mattered was blood.

"I guess we can agree on your proposal based on the distribution of the profits."

Actually, these demands seemed excessive for merely providing information.

In reality, it would be the people of the black market who end up running around doing all the legwork.

Especially since the blood extraction process is a procedure where even the slightest error can fatally injure someone.

From what I've seen, Yaksha's dealings were as precise as a guillotine blade.

If the other party was engaging in any suspicious activity, they would inevitably pay the price.

Even if it was on the ‘proposal’ stage.

If Do Isu demanded a share of more than 3/10, one of his limbs could very well fly away right here.

"We'll take 1."

"10%. You have a conscience."

At the word '1', the murderous intent that had been swirling around Yaksha dissipated in an instant.

Did Do Isu even know?

That just moments ago, he was in an extremely perilous situation.

But there was something we didn’t know.

Regarding the meaning of the ‘1’ that Do Isu mentioned.

“It’s not 10%.”

"......?"

"One percent. Our Umbrella Industry will only accept 1%."

Wow.

He was a more humble man than he appeared.

Despite Yaksha's gesture of being content with 10%, Do Isu went a step further and declared he would only accept 1%.

99 to 1.

Even if certain conditions were attached, it was a contract that gave away far too much.

'This makes it even more certain.'

That what the Umbrella Industry truly wanted wasn't money.

At this point, I was extremely curious about what they planned to do with that blood.

"Alright. I accept."

Without another word, Yaksha accepted Do Isu’s proposal.

The balance of interests seemed to have been settled in his mind.

"One of the fellows standing here will handle the rest of the process. There’s no need for you to come either. We’re both busy, after all.”

"Thank you for your consideration."

"Good. Then our business here is concluded."

After unilaterally drawing the conclusion, Yaksha rose from his seat.

“I…”

“Hmm?”

"May I ask your subordinate here a few things about the Poison Dungeon?"

"...Do as you wish.”

Yaksha glanced at me briefly, then left the room with a meaningful smile.

He was making this request precisely at the time of his departure.

It was a request for a ‘private conversation’.

Yaksha didn't particularly try to stop me from speaking to him alone, so only Do Isu and I were left alone in the private room.

"They say even breathing in the Poison Dungeon is torture. You must have endured a great deal."

"Thank you for your kind words.”

"We are investigating the 'fissure' through the blood of Poison Monsters."

Fissure.

Monster Break.

Great Chaos.

The terms may differ, but they all refer to the first point when monsters first appeared.

Investigating the fissure wasn't a strange endeavor in itself.

However…

'This is strange.'

Wasn't this the very subject he had told not to bring up in front of Yaksha, even attaching ‘conditions’ to avoid it?

So why was he broaching it so readily as soon as we had a private meeting?

"Aren't you being careless by speaking so freely, considering who this private room belongs to?"

"There doesn't seem to be any wiretapping devices. We have our own ways of confirming such things.”

It didn't seem like he was bluffing.

Considering it was a company that could even predict the Poison Dungeon, it wouldn't be surprising if they've developed some kind of device.

It was time to return to the main point.

Why was he telling me this, of all people?

Yaksha clearly introduced me as his subordinate.

Then why?

So he knew who I was.

The gaze of the handsome middle-aged man felt like it was piercing through my skin from behind the fox mask.

Bow.

Do Isu bowed his head once again, then offered a new greeting.

"My children were indebted to you some time ago. I truly wanted to meet you. Hunter Chun Haesun.”

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