Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Lucia wanted to know why she no longer felt divine power from Kang Jin-hyuk.

It was evident to him that her curiosity was purely innocent.

Thus, he intended to open his mouth honestly, without any resistance.

“Actually…”

The moment Kang Jin-hyuk began to explain everything that had happened, a glove thrown by the dwarf landed right in his mouth.

“Wha—?!”

Startled, Kang Jin-hyuk found himself locking eyes with the dwarf, who had jumped right before him.

The dwarf seized Kang Jin-hyuk by the collar and landed on the ground.

As a result, Kang Jin-hyuk was forced to kneel and lay flat on the ground.

“Cough! What the heck are you doing?!”

“Shut up and stay still, you punk.”

Instead of releasing the collar, the dwarf rummaged through Kang Jin-hyuk’s pockets and pulled out a small brooch.

“With this toy, you can’t fool my eyes.”

Recognizing that it was the brooch the detectives had used for surveillance, Kang Jin-hyuk was taken aback.

“Oh, that…!”

“Why are you so surprised? Are you playing the part of a goon elsewhere?”

The dwarf’s expression darkened, and he looked ready to swing the hammer in his hand at any second.

Lucia, equally stunned, was confused about how to react to this unexpected situation.

“What’s going on? What did you find?”

“You don’t need to know, eavesdropper.”

The dwarf’s sharp dismissal turned Lucia’s face a deep shade of red.

“This little brat is really….”

Kang Jin-hyuk tried to calm Lucia, who was trembling with anger.

While she was sensible enough not to create a ruckus, her frustration boiled over as she continued to chew on various candies.

Kang Jin-hyuk pressed on with the conversation before the dwarf could irritate Lucia further.

“I’m not working as a goon; I accepted it out of necessity.”

“What necessity?”

“I can’t go into details.”

“Why not? Are you hiding something?”

Instead of answering, Kang Jin-hyuk pointed toward the brooch the dwarf was holding.

He knew that carelessly revealing matters about the incident would certainly invite eavesdropping through that brooch.

Fortunately, the dwarf seemed to pick up on the hint and nodded in understanding.

“True, no one would assign a goon-like job to a clumsy fellow like you.”

Even though the remark was a blow to his pride, Kang Jin-hyuk chose not to retaliate.

After all, it meant that the dwarf believed in his innocence, and for now, that was enough.

“How did you discover it?”

“Tsk tsk, it’s only natural that a shabby item like this can’t fool my eyes.”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t hide his surprise at the dwarf’s words.

‘An item?’

What he thought was merely a surveillance device was referred to as an ‘item’ by the dwarf.

‘Are even non-hunters using items now?’

Items are things that drop in exceptionally low probabilities when hunting monsters.

Rarely seen outside of specific contexts, using items for trivial matters was strictly forbidden.

Only hunters could handle items.

The only time they could be used was during monster hunts.

Violating even one of these rules would garner punishments from the Association.

‘Has the Association allowed the police to use items?’

If the police were given the privilege to use items, it would have surely made headlines.

Yet, Kang Jin-hyuk had heard nothing about it.

Having scoured news and internet communities daily, he would have noticed something amiss.

‘It seems like there’s a hidden transaction going on without public knowledge.’

Understanding that the crimes related to hunters were increasing lately, he could see how this came to be.

If the police were dealing with hunters, ordinary equipment wouldn’t suffice.

While the difference in ‘stats’ could not be ignored, being on equal ground with items would make it conceivable to arrest the criminal hunters.

“Well, either way, I benefit from this.”

Fortunately for Kang Jin-hyuk, the device handed over by the detectives wasn’t a machine but an item.

If it was an item, it was within the dwarf’s expertise.

“Excuse me, sir. Could you take a look at that?”

“This toy is worse than a child’s plaything; of course, I’ll fix it.”

“Please just disable the surveillance function without letting the one who gave it to me know.”

The dwarf let out a chuckle at Kang Jin-hyuk’s earnest request.

“You’re quite bold with your demands now.”

“It’s not a demand; it’s a request.”

“A request, huh? That means you’re empty-handed.”

“Come on, you fixed the bat for free.”

“Listen, that was because I wanted to.”

The dwarf had no intention of doing anything for free if it was neither a rare metal nor something particularly interesting.

“Seriously, I don’t want to waste my precious time on such junk.”

However, considering all the benefits he received from the dwarf, this was not being petty.

With countless deeds that could not be quantified in money, Kang Jin-hyuk felt justified making requests now.

Instead of negotiating, Kang Jin-hyuk inquired about how he could repay the favor.

“So, what do I need to do for you?”

“It’s simple, just fulfill my request.”

In line with the idea of equivalent trade, the dwarf rationalized his own demand.

He would have likely granted the request without needing to press.

Yet, the emphasis made Kang Jin-hyuk a bit uneasy, wondering if the request was overly burdensome.

“Don’t make that face. It isn’t anything too hard.”

“Uh, did it look that way?”

“Your eyes are squirming; did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

The brief thoughts cross Kang Jin-hyuk’s face, revealing his internal state, giving him no chance to explain himself.

Thus, there was only one appropriate response.

“Sigh, fine. I’ll do it.”

“Why didn’t you just say that from the beginning?”

The dwarf, still smiling, handed Kang Jin-hyuk an item that seemed pre-prepared.

Then he began explaining the use of the item, which resembled a compass.

* * *

Deep within the dungeon, past the maze where the temple resided, lay the fifth floor.

Unlike other mazes, the fifth floor was structured like a staircase, with numerous cliffs stacked upon each other.

Kang Jin-hyuk looked down and swallowed hard.

Peering into the pitch-black depths made him feel a sudden onset of acrophobia that he never experienced before.

“Don’t just stand there and fall over. If you fall straight down, you won’t even have bones left.”

Lucia crunched the candy she had, then spun her arms to warm up.

She appeared like an athlete preparing to set off.

“I thought you’d ignore requests like that from the dwarf.”

“I’d prefer to, but the dwarf not having materials means significant loss for me.”

Only the dwarf could create arrows that could withstand Lucia’s might and aura.

Thus, he had no choice but to comply, even if it felt like swallowing mustard.

“And if I don’t follow along, how would you get through this place on your own?”

“Ugh…”

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t retort against Lucia’s comments.

Once again swallowing his anxiety, he tied a rope around himself and anchored it to the ground securely.

One careless mistake, and he could plummet down the cliff.

“I’m heading down; don’t stray from my path.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk nodded, Lucia wasted no time diving off the cliff.

Different from Kang Jin-hyuk, she leaped into the void without any ropes and used a dagger stuck in the cliff to slow her fall, maintaining her momentum.

When she came close enough to other cliffs, she pulled out the dagger and planted her feet against the wall, propelling herself forward.

Her flight resembled an arrow, but her landing was as soft as that of a feather.

“Wow.”

That whole series of movements took barely over 15 seconds—a feat Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t hope to replicate.

Was there anyone else who could accomplish such light movement aside from herself?

Even an S-rank hunter wouldn’t be able to maneuver as elegantly.

“This isn’t the time to be in awe.”

While marveling wouldn’t help him descend that cliff, Kang Jin-hyuk, who couldn’t emulate her agility, carefully climbed down, gripping protruding rocks.

“Never thought I’d start rock climbing like this.”

Having thought it would be exciting to try once, he never felt it would be during such a tense moment.

With life on the line, it was an exhilarating experience that made his heart race.

“Gah!”

Kang Jin-hyuk, panting heavily, finally reached Lucia and let out a heavy breath.

Though his strength was no issue due to his significantly improved stats, mental exhaustion was a different story.

Just peeking down made him envision himself falling and turning into a bloody mess, a terrifying thought.

Lucia glanced down at the panting Kang Jin-hyuk with disdain in her gaze.

“What’s with the panic? For you, this cliff is nothing.”

“Well, I get it mentally, but once doing it in reality, it gets frightening.”

“Did you grow up under a rock without such experiences?”

“I was born without a silver spoon, so why would I have those experiences?”

He had lived a life without trying what everyone else seemed to have done at least once.

Hearing Lucia’s implication that he had grown up spoiled caused him to chuckle.

“Get up already. We have to go down at least five more times to reach the lower floor.”

Lucia’s words drained the motivation building within him.

Checking the compass the dwarf gave him revealed that the arrow pointed downward.

There was no mistaking it; their goal was to reach the floor below.

“A compass for locating mines… this is truly impressive craftsmanship,” he muttered.

Having realized they needed more mithril from the second floor, he understood why new mines were in demand.

However, he couldn’t fathom why they insisted he take on such a burden.

“Why didn’t the dwarf just go himself?”

“Hah. That little brat? Do you really think he’d dare attempt it?”

Lucia laughed as if she were being told a joke.

“Just think about it. With those stubby limbs, how could he scale down such a cliff?”

“…That is true.”

Despite the insult to his appearance, there was a point in her words.

Comparing dwarves with ordinary people, their height resembled that of a child’s.

Facing a descent like this would challenge them significantly harder.

Thus, it was reasonable for Kang Jin-hyuk to take on the request.

“Besides, now that I’ve paid up front, quitting isn’t an option.”

Kang Jin-hyuk had the brooch the dwarf modified tucked away safely.

While the police believed it was operational, in truth, it was nothing but a hollow shell.

“It means you’ve broken the item meant for surveilling you.”

“Pretty much.”

“What exactly was it watching over?”

“Let’s just say it was private.”

Kang Jin-hyuk could tell that Lucia was eager to hear the story she missed during the incident spurred by the dwarf’s abrupt intervention.

“So now that the brooch is gone, you can talk about it?”

Kang Jin-hyuk sensed a spark in Lucia’s nosy gaze.

“Do you want to hear it?”

Catching the twinkle in her eyes, he settled on a nearby rock to take a breather.

“Then sit down. I’ll tell you an epic tale.”