Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Lucia noticed that Kang Jin-hyuk had a stiff expression on his face.

It was unusual for someone to look so tense with food just delivered right in front of them.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

“Can you even call this a problem?”

Becoming a famous figure wasn’t inherently a bad thing.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk felt that the timing was off.

Online communities were already praising him as a talent surpassing S-rank hunters, but he knew he hadn’t reached that level at all.

Receiving excessive expectations with an unprepared body would only add more pressure.

Lucia, unaware of the situation, grew frustrated at Kang Jin-hyuk’s silence as he clenched his head.

“Stop groaning to yourself and just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Well, you see…”

Taking a deep breath, Kang Jin-hyuk slowly began to express his distress.

“I’m doing too well right now.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No, I’m not joking. I’m really in trouble.”

“Yeah, I think I might be in trouble too, thanks to your ridiculous antics.”

Lucia felt an urge to smack the back of Kang Jin-hyuk’s head to alleviate the disgust rising within her.

As Kang Jin-hyuk, realizing her intent, took a step back and waved his hands, he sputtered, “Calm down and hear me out!”

“What nonsense are you going to spout now?”

“That monster you hit before… I told everyone that I defeated it, and now it’s spiraled into something much bigger!”

“And so?”

“Huh?”

Kang Jin-hyuk thought he would immediately be punished for taking credit for something Lucia had done.

Given the gravity of the situation, he braced himself to reveal the truth. However, Lucia’s response was surprisingly calm.

“That’s your karma then. You can sort it out yourself.”

Lucia had no interest in the accolades for capturing the new type of monster.

It was a place that didn’t even belong to her, so she didn’t care who became famous.

“Right, you’ve got a point there…”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t respond further to Lucia’s cold remark.

As she stated, it was a matter of his own making.

He had been so eager to seize the glory that he hadn’t thought about the consequences.

Of course, the benefits he gained were substantial.

But the attention that came with it was too much for him to bear.

“The most likely candidate for S-rank? What a joke.”

At the moment, Kang Jin-hyuk’s level was 199. Even raising it to 200 would at best qualify him as a B-rank hunter.

He couldn’t even reach A-rank, let alone S-rank.

No matter how adeptly he learned to use his aura, he could only hold his own against hunters focused on close combat.

He didn’t fare well against those who had transitioned to magician classes or relied on long-range skills.

Had he switched to a class like warrior, it would’ve been different.

Unfortunately, his class was cleric.

With no skills to close the distance quickly and lacking measures against long-range attacks, he felt vulnerable.

If an A-ranked magician showed up, as the rumors suggested, he’d undoubtedly face disaster.

This wasn’t an unfounded fear either.

‘The hierarchy in this field is incredibly rigid.’

The more established hunters were, the stronger their hold on their territory.

Just look at Ando-yun.

Even when he’d come to offer help, he had been looked down upon and dismissed.

“Damn it, I stepped in it trying to take one monster’s carcass.”

Kang Jin-hyuk scratched his head and clicked his tongue.

It felt like he’d acted on excessive greed for the new monster’s body.

Moreover, he couldn’t affirm what could be created from its materials.

It was risky compared to the potential benefits.

If he turned over Leviathan’s carcass to Titan and admitted he wasn’t the one who captured it, the present situation might be remedied.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk had no intention of doing so.

People have their pride. Just because things got complicated, that didn’t mean he should grovel.

‘If I hadn’t brought Lucia back from the dungeon, none of this would have even happened.’

Though it had been Lucia who dealt the final blow to Leviathan, the feat had only been possible thanks to Kang Jin-hyuk’s support.

Since Lucia surrendered her claim to it, he had every right to assert ownership.

Reasoning that way, he felt no guilt.

Now was the time for action instead of brooding.

‘First, I need to level up.’

To withstand the territorial tugs of the experienced hunters, his current skills and level were simply insufficient.

The priority remained raising his level.

With a clear path ahead, Kang Jin-hyuk started to rapidly consume the untouched delivery he had ordered.

“Slow down. You’re not a pig, you know?”

“I don’t have time to waste right now.”

“No time, my foot. Is someone chasing you or something?”

No matter what Lucia said, Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t slow down.

He finished his meal at lightning speed and stood up immediately.

His movements seemed to signal that every second counted as he turned to Lucia.

“Let’s head to the dungeon.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Kang Jin-hyuk briskly walked toward the attic and opened the door.

Lucia, astonished to witness the human who had been muttering to himself suddenly ablaze with enthusiasm, found it hard to process.

“Who’s chasing you? Why are you making such a sudden decision?”

“I’m just regretting how I wasted three days sleeping.”

Given the situation rapidly approaching, staying at his current level amounted to neglect.

Kang Jin-hyuk, now anxious, completed his preparations swiftly and entered the attic.

“What are you doing? Are you not coming?”

“I’ll go without you.”

Her irritation apparent, Lucia scoffed and began to gather the gear in the attic.

Then she entered the dungeon, leading the way ahead of Kang Jin-hyuk.

* * *

The first place Kang Jin-hyuk headed upon entering the dungeon was the dwarf’s workshop.

When Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out the Leviathan’s carcass from his inventory, the dwarf whistled softly.

“Leviathan! It’s been a while.”

“Have you seen this monster before?”

“Of course. Although rare, it sometimes floats in the air.”

The dwarf began examining the Leviathan’s remains sprawled across the workshop floor.

Thanks to having stored it in his inventory, the carcass was relatively fresh.

“But how did only the head remain? What happened to the body?”

“I blew it away.”

Upon hearing Lucia’s explanation, the dwarf shook his head in disappointment.

“You really didn’t understand how precious that material was… pfft. That’s why you half-elves are just…”

“Hey, what’s that short old man babbling about?”

The dwarf and Lucia seemed to know each other, but their relationship appeared anything but cordial.

“Quit stinking up the place and get lost.”

“Just give me the arrows you promised and I’ll be on my way.”

The dwarf gestured to a corner of the workshop with a somewhat reluctant expression.

There were quivers mismanaged like garbage in that space.

“Take them as you please.”

“Shouldn’t you at least put in some effort when you collect all the food you took from someone else?”

“Be grateful I made you anything.”

“You owe the gratitude to me. Thankful for what? For providing mere scraps with your meager skills?”

Lucia glared at the dwarf with contempt in her eyes.

The dwarf, refusing to back down, glowered fiercely at her.

The atmosphere felt like it would burst into a fight at any moment.

Kang Jin-hyuk, witnessing the escalating confrontation, sought to change the subject by questioning the dwarf.

“Can we make something from that carcass?”

“Well, let’s see…”

The dwarf lifted his hammer and stood before the Leviathan’s remains.

Then, with all his strength, he struck the head with a loud clang.

The impact reverberated as if the skull had shattered.

After splitting Leviathan’s head, the dwarf began rummaging through it with gloved hands.

“Lucky for us, this part is intact.”

Following a rough search, the dwarf retrieved a small orb.

“What’s that?”

“This little guy gives the ability to shoot lightning.”

“Are you telling me that orb is an organ?”

“Yup.”

Not only was he stunned that a gem could produce such powerful lightning, but Kang Jin-hyuk was also filled with hope.

“Can it be used by me?”

“Shooting lightning, you ask?”

“Yeah.”

The most bothersome aspect of dealing with Leviathan had always been its lightning attacks.

If he could master that power, it would surely be a significant advantage in combat.

“If you enchant it, then it should be possible.”

Upon hearing the dwarf’s reply, Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes lit up.

“Could you go ahead and do that?”

“Sure, but give me a bat first.”

Without hesitation, Kang Jin-hyuk pulled out a baseball bat from his inventory and handed it to the dwarf.

“How long will the enchantment take?”

“This is quite a challenging one, so you’ll need to wait around half a day.”

Half a day. Just half a day of waiting could mean acquiring another valuable enchantment.

If it could just add durability that reached S-rank, it would be worth billions, and even better enhancements would be utterly mind-boggling.

“What do you want for payment?”

“Payment? Nothing, man.”

The dwarf found fulfillment simply in enhancing Orichalcum.

With inherent technical skill, that satisfaction was more than enough for him.

“No, I can’t accept that. I feel really guilty if you do it for free…”

“I’m telling you, I don’t want your money. You’re just wasting your breath.”

In the dwarf’s world, Orichalcum was regarded as a sacred metal.

Thus, he believed any distraction could hinder the process of enhancement.

As it was divine metal, carrying a sense of properness around it was apt.

“If you genuinely want to help, then get rid of that half-elf. She’ll definitely ruin my focus.”

The dwarf shot a sly grin at Lucia as he spoke.

“…….”

Kang Jin-hyuk observed the vein throbbing on Lucia’s head in real-time.

When she retrieved an arrow to shoot at him, Kang Jin-hyuk gasped.

“No! You can’t!”

“Me, endure? Why should I?”

Lucia was primed to blow up the workshop at any moment.

“Even if he’s rude, he’s a good person at heart!”

“Is that nonsense?”

To dissuade her, Kang Jin-hyuk pondered.

* * *

Having previously bought a basketful of desserts, Kang Jin-hyuk returned for another round.

The baker beamed with delight.

“What’s the occasion for all this?”

“Nope, just buying them for a glutton.”

The bakery owner assumed it was supplying a kindergarten or something after receiving Kang Jin-hyuk’s remarks.

The thought of someone finishing all this alone hadn’t crossed their mind at all.

Kang Jin-hyuk paid and picked up the bulging bags.

Who knew a bunch of sweets could feel this heavy…

At this point, he was beginning to feel like he was carrying livestock feed instead of human food.

“Seriously? If you’re going to eat this much, maybe just buy sugar at a mart and dump it all in.”

Why on earth was he consuming such an outrageous amount of sugar?

It felt at times like the sugary ooze might be coursing through his veins instead of blood.

“If I hadn’t fed her that chocolate bar…”

After just one chocolate bar, Lucia went and developed a taste for sugary treats.

To put it mildly, her obsession resembled that of a drug addict.

Thanks to her newfound affinity, she could master the use of aura and capture the Leviathan, but the sight of himself hauling tons of desserts brought great laughter to him.

With both hands brimming with bags fit to burst, Kang Jin-hyuk headed home.

At this time, he wished to quickly enter the dungeon and level up.

However, his situation didn’t allow for such a simple desire.

Upon entering the alley, Kang Jin-hyuk found himself embroiled in deep thought.

“It seems like something pestering is about to happen…”

Ever since he had learned the method of using aura, his senses had sharpened considerably.

While still less sensitive than the detection capabilities of his baseball bat, he could still sense when someone was stealthily approaching.

‘Is there a monster that can cloak itself?’

A monster that could hide its form like the lizardmen on the screen wouldn’t be out of the question.

Films often portrayed protagonists detecting and attacking invisible foes by sensing their presence.

Yet, Kang Jin-hyuk was far from possessing such prowess at this point.

He merely acknowledged that someone was there.

He had no clue who they were or where they were situated.

Had he possessed the detection capabilities of his bat, he could have pinpointed their exact location. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

He needed at least to be within arm’s reach to deal with them.

‘What the hell is going on the moment I step outside my house?’

If the presence he vaguely sensed had initially trailed him from the bakery, he could have ignored it.

But now, the feeling had persisted from the bakery to this alley, following him without fail.

While unsure of their intentions, it was evident that whoever or whatever they were, they targeted him.

‘What do they want?’

With confusion enveloping his mind, he pondered.

A monster shadowing a particular target had never crossed his thoughts before.

‘Could it be because of the Leviathan’s carcass?’

It was uncommon for monsters to be attracted to other monsters’ remains, yet it had happened before.

Kang Jin-hyuk was all too aware of that fact from his own experience during a past transaction.

‘This new type of monster’s body might’ve piqued interest among others.’

That or perhaps it was after the mountain of food he was carrying.

At any rate, something among his belongings drew them in, and there was no denying it.

Thus, Kang Jin-hyuk halted his footsteps.

He had no intention of handing over the Leviathan’s remains or the bakery sweets.

With the entity lurking in the shadows revealed as soon as the bags he carried were set down, they paused for a brief moment.

Then, observing Kang Jin-hyuk scanning their surroundings, they realized they’d been noticed.

“Tch.”

The being clicked their tongue and moved silently, creeping towards Kang Jin-hyuk’s left side.

‘Even if I spot their location, I can’t stop it.’

The assailant believed that swift, sudden attacks through the shadows couldn’t fail.

However, the moment they neared, Kang Jin-hyuk felt the direction from which they approached and quickly assessed their position.

Knowing meant he could resist, and he had no intention of yielding.

Empowered by passive skills, his body responded several times faster than an average person.

“Uh!?”

Ducking, he evaded the incoming blade and caught sight of his foe.

Having disguised themselves as a monster with a black mask, the figure before him unmistakably had a human outline.

Kang Jin-hyuk could not fathom why a person would target his life rather than a monster.

‘Could this be a murderer?’

He swiftly dismissed that notion;

‘No, there’s no way they’d target me, a nobody.’

So who in the world was this person?

With his inability to uncover their intent, Kang Jin-hyuk felt even more perplexed.