Yoo Jin-Ho had placed particular emphasis on the word "legitimately."
'Sure enough…'
That really was the safest way to secure the mana crystals. The crystals were currently ownerless. No matter how greedy Hwang Dongsuk had been, he couldn't take the mana crystals with him to the grave. Only one person — Yoo Jin-Ho — held any claim to them. And now that very Yoo Jin-Ho was offering to hand them over willingly. If it were a matter of taking them by force, Jin-Woo would have declined…
'But why kick away a gift horse?'
Without his help, Yoo Jin-Ho would already be dead or dragged around as a hostage. When he thought about it that way, the claim that this was a fair reward made a fair bit of sense. Seeing Jin-Woo's expression soften, Yoo Jin-Ho grew certain his guess was correct.
'So the reason he doesn't refuse is that the mana crystals are the legitimate price of blood paid for hunting Hwang Dongsuk's party.'
The two men's understanding of "legitimately" differed wildly, but neither of them had the slightest clue.
"Fine."
At Jin-Woo's assent, Yoo Jin-Ho's face lit up. He was even beginning to feel a trace of awe toward Jin-Woo, who upheld his principles so thoroughly. But then Jin-Woo's face went blank again.
"But how can I trust you?"
The thought of his original objective had resurfaced in Jin-Woo's mind. He hadn't started this by creating fear in order to gain something. It had all begun because he wanted to nip troublesome problems in the bud.
"How could I possibly betray someone who saved my life multiple times?" "You could just ignore your promise and go blabbing to everyone."
Truth be told, even if he did blab, it wouldn't be that big a deal. Killing Hwang Dongsuk's party was a hundred-percent case of legitimate self-defense. The other side had been eight people, all armed, and had even launched a preemptive strike with powerful magic. With the law having changed due to the rise of Hunters, he could definitely get off clean. Still, he'd rather have things go quietly without any fuss. For that, he needed Yoo Jin-Ho's cooperation. The method of asking for cooperation had its problems, but the effect was undeniable.
"Hm?"
Jin-Woo stared at him pointedly, demanding an answer. Yoo Jin-Ho put on a solemn look.
"I would never do something so cowardly. Especially not to the benefactor who saved my life."
'Wait a second…'
That gaze — he felt like he'd seen it somewhere before. It was the same look Yoo Jin-Ho had given when he rejected the accomplice proposal from Hwang Dongsuk's group earlier.
'This guy… is sincere.'
Give and take. At the crossroads where his life hung in the balance, Yoo Jin-Ho had chosen Jin-Woo. He had chosen to trust Jin-Woo and face eight Hunters. So Jin-Woo decided to trust Yoo Jin-Ho in return. Of course, not right away — just after instilling a bit of wariness first. Jin-Woo picked up the shield that had been tossed aside on the ground.
"The back of my head still stings from Hwang Dongsuk's hit."
After turning the shield over in his hands, Jin-Woo hurled it at the cave wall with all his might. The shield embedded more than halfway into the rock. Yoo Jin-Ho broke into a cold sweat and swallowed hard.
"You wouldn't disappoint even your own little brother, would you?" "N-No, of course not, hyung-nim."
Just then, the Dungeon shook violently again.
—*Rrrumbleumbleumbleumbleum.*
There was no more time. Since Jin-Woo had never intended to harm Yoo Jin-Ho in the first place, he decided this was enough of a lesson. He gave Yoo Jin-Ho his orders.
"Pack up all the mana crystals. We're leaving the Dungeon." "Thank you, hyung-nim!"
Yoo Jin-Ho stood up and bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle. A smile had returned to his face. While Yoo Jin-Ho went to gather his bag, Jin-Woo rummaged through Hwang Dongsuk's pockets.
'I've got to take what's mine.'
The two million won he was promised today. He couldn't let a single won slip. Inside Hwang Dongsuk's wallet were dozens of fifty-thousand-won bills. Forty-five in total — a little over two million. He'd said he'd pay cash the moment everything was over, so he must have prepared it in advance. Can't keep pulling the same trick every time, after all.
"I'll be taking my pay."
Jin-Woo offered the greeting to no one in particular and left first. Arriving late with the bag of mana crystals, Yoo Jin-Ho looked around for Jin-Woo, who had already vanished.
"Hyung-nim?"
All around were the corpses of the Hunters Jin-Woo had taken down.
"Gahh!"
Face pale, Yoo Jin-Ho scrambled after Jin-Woo in a panic, afraid he might lose him.
***
Investigators from the Hunter's Association had arrived at the scene. The procedure when a death occurred during a raid was simple — report the situation to the Association, submit to an investigation, and that was it. This investigator was a stern-looking middle-aged woman.
"Your names?" "Sung Jin-Woo." "I'm Yoo Jin-Ho."
Hunters dying in Dungeons was a common occurrence, so this was more of a formality. It was just for the record — as long as nothing suspicious turned up.
"…But all of the C-rank Hunters perished, while one D-rank and one E-rank made it out alive?"
The investigator adjusted her glasses and asked. Her eyes narrowed.
'Normally, raid casualties are the weakest members of the team…'
She scrutinized the two of them carefully, and upon noticing something, raised her voice.
"Oh my!"
Her eyes sparkled as she approached.
"Is this the new 'Kalion' longsword from Maya Armaments? Oh, and is this a Royal Series shield crafted by Master Gredos?"
Yoo Jin-Ho's face lit up.
"You really know your weapons!" "Oh, not really. I just skim through new item catalogues from time to time. Ho ho ho ho ho!"
The longsword was valued at seven hundred million won. The shield at five hundred million — both were high-end pieces forged with mana crystals and precious materials, powerful enough to elevate a D-rank Hunter to C-rank or above. The scene inside the Dungeon automatically played out in her head.
'With equipment like this…'
It seemed plausible that a D-rank Hunter alone could take down a boss while the C-rank Hunters all perished.
'The E-rank Hunter probably just hid in some corner and survived that way.'
In reality, it was the exact opposite. Regardless, she reached her conclusion. It was highly unlikely that someone with the financial means to purchase such equipment would betray his companions over a few mana crystals. Besides, an E-rank Hunter couldn't have done anything to multiple C-rank Hunters, so the deaths of Hwang Dongsuk and the other seven could only be seen as an accident.
"Understood."
The investigator closed the report with a satisfied expression.
"The investigation is complete, so you're free to go. It must have been a tough day for you both — thank you for your cooperation." "Thank you for your time."
Jin-Woo answered on behalf of both of them. The investigator left the scene just as quickly as she had arrived in her sedan.
"You worked hard too, hyung-nim."
Yoo Jin-Ho bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Even after leaving the Gate, his deferential attitude hadn't changed one bit. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue inwardly — the kid really had been terrified.
"You worked hard too." "I didn't do anything. You did all the work, hyung-nim. Here are your mana crystals."
Jin-Woo took the bag Yoo Jin-Ho offered with both hands. It was filled to the brim with mana crystals. The most expensive mana crystal from a C-rank Gate was worth ten million won; even the cheapest ones fetched several million. Jin-Woo eyeballed the count and silently gasped.
'How much is all this worth…?'
He had to struggle to keep a grin from spreading across his face. But then, one by one, raindrops began falling into the open bag. Plip. Plip. Jin-Woo looked up. Drops from the sky, which had been gradually clouding over since the afternoon, were starting to fall.
'I'm glad I sent that umbrella.'
He smiled faintly at the thought of his little brother.
***
It was deep into the night. The moment Jin-Woo got home, he called up his status window.
"Stats!"
[Stats] Strength: 53 Endurance: 30 Agility: 38 Intelligence: 30 Perception: 32 (Available stat points: 10)
The ten points he'd received as a quest completion reward were still there. His body itched to spend them. By Daily Quest standards, it would take three days plus one extra point to earn this many; even counting by Level Ups, he'd need two just to get this much.
'Agility first. Then Perception.'
He dumped seven points into Agility and the remaining three into Perception.
[Stats] Strength: 53 Endurance: 30 Agility: 45 Intelligence: 30 Perception: 35 (Available stat points: 0)
"Okay."
His stats had risen evenly. Agility had nearly caught up to Strength, and Perception was already at thirty-five. Once Agility matched Strength, he planned to invest in Endurance next. Aside from Intelligence, whose purpose he still didn't know, he wanted to raise all his stats evenly.
"Let's check today's progress."
Name: Sung Jin-Woo Level: 21 Job: None Title: Wolf-Slayer HP: 2600 MP: 390 Fatigue: 0
[Stats] Strength: 53 Endurance: 30 Agility: 45 Intelligence: 30 Perception: 35 (Available stat points: 0)
[Skills] Passive skills: (Unknown) Lv.MAX, Tenacity Lv.1 Active skills: Dash Lv.1, Killing Intent Lv.1
The three-level jump and the newly acquired skill "Killing Intent" caught his eye. Adding ten points had also boosted his stats considerably. This was already impressive enough, but today's gains didn't end there.
'On top of the two million won in pay…'
Plus a bag full of mana crystals. Jin-Woo counted the crystals.
'Eleven from the spider, thirty-eight from Hwang Dongsuk's team.'
Forty-nine total. Even at five million each, that came out to over two hundred million won.
"Two hundred million in a single day of hunting."
When the money was supposed to be split ten ways — no, nine — but he was taking it all, the amount was staggering. An unexpected windfall had rolled right into his lap.
'Now I just need to sell them.'
Selling mana crystals wasn't hard. There were so many buyers that they'd disappear as soon as he listed them. The problem was where to sell. Many transactions were person-to-person, and organizations like guilds or corporations also bought them in bulk. Given the large quantity this time, it would be better to go directly to a specialist dealer rather than selling through private or online channels.
'Can't I just sell them at the store?'
It would be convenient if the store bought mana crystals at a fair price, like it did with junk items. Musing on this, Jin-Woo shoved the bag of mana crystals into a corner. Then another thought about today's gains struck him.
'I was told I can use the store's purchase function now, right?'
He immediately opened the store. It wasn't a fortune, but the gold he'd saved up while clearing the Hapjeong Station instance dungeon was still sitting untouched in his vault.
"Purchase."
*Ping.* With the familiar electronic chime, a seemingly endless list of purchasable items began scrolling. From cheap potions and miscellaneous accessories to expensive armor and flashy weapons — a vast selection was available for gold. Naturally, the pricier the item, the better its options. Among the top-tier items, some cost up to ten billion gold.
"Whoa… ten billion, huh."
His current gold reserve was a mere 1.12 billion. That was nowhere near enough for anything worthwhile. But there was no rush. He had plenty of time.
'As long as I keep accumulating gold, I can buy any of these.'
Jin-Woo hummed to himself as he continued browsing the high-end items. He now had one more reason to visit an instance dungeon. He was already looking forward to tomorrow's quest and the random box he'd get as a reward.