Her brilliant blonde hair was marred by a burn scar that seemed utterly out of place.
This distinctive mark had been featured in the news countless times, making it unforgettable.
‘That’s Jeong Taeyeon, isn’t it? The Flame Mage… So people like her actually show up here….’
The woman on the screen was Jeong Taeyeon, the Guild Master of the Hwayeon Guild.
She was one of only five mages in Korea and the undisputed ruler of Busan.
Suddenly, the other attendees at this auction began to appear in a different light to me.
However, the reactions of the others present diverged sharply from my own.
“No, Ms. Jeong Taeyeon. You must already possess a superior cloak, so why are you purchasing that one?”
“Indeed. Isn’t this a bit excessive?”
A torrent of protests erupted, prompting Jeong Taeyeon to turn her head towards them.
“It’s not for me to use. I have someone else in mind to give it to.”
At her resolute reply, the auction hall once again buzzed with murmurs.
“Someone else to give it to? That’s quite the excuse.”
“She’s probably trying to hoard it for her guild while kicking away the ladder for others. That’s why guild masters are so problematic….”
“So what? If you’re so bothered, bring more money.”
….
Though people muttered amongst themselves, no one dared to openly challenge her further.
Thus, the robe ultimately went to her for the staggering sum of 300 million won.
“Haa, I wish I had an item like that….”
I clicked my tongue in a bitter sigh.
****
Just then, the auctioneer cleared their throat and announced loudly.
“Alright, everyone! This is the highlight of today’s auction! The very item you’ve all been waiting for! We reveal it now!”
All chatter in the hall ceased immediately.
Every eye in the room was fixed on the stage.
As the appraiser carefully lifted the veil, a massive battle-axe was finally revealed.
The hall began to stir with excitement.
“That’s… the Orc Great Chieftain’s Battle-Axe!”
“The unique item said to drop only from the Hard 10th Floor boss?”
“They say the drop rate is abysmal, so who on earth managed to acquire it?”
Exclamations of awe and praise erupted.
Everyone wondered about the unknown hunter who had obtained such an incredible item.
“Has any guild recently cleared the 10th floor?”
“I don’t know. Weren’t most people on strike, halting their ascent?”
“That’s for the new floors; they would have continued clearing the lower floors. It’s profitable, after all.”
“Now, now, everyone! The identity of the seller is strictly confidential! Please refocus your attention!”
The auctioneer skillfully curbed the dangerous curiosity of the crowd.
“Very well, let the bidding commence! The starting price is 100 million won!”
While disappointed, people could not conceal their curiosity about the enigmatic hunter who had acquired the axe.
The bidding became fiercely competitive, unlike anything seen before.
The price skyrocketed in an instant.
“180 million won!”
“200 million!”
Just then, Jeong Taeyeon, who had secured the robe moments earlier, rose from her seat and declared in a low voice.
“500 million.”
A hush fell over the auction hall at that instant.
All eyes turned to her.
People began to whisper amongst themselves.
“Seriously, why is Guild Master Jeong Taeyeon going for that again?”
“What would a mage even do with an axe?”
“Her greed is getting out of hand….”
At that moment, a man stood up from his seat and approached her.
He was Jeong Manho, an A-rank warrior and the Guild Master of the Iron Blood Legion, a guild based in the Daejeon region.
“Really, Taeyeon. Isn’t this a bit much? A mage can’t even use this…. Why don’t you yield it to me, someone who actually needs it?”
However, Jeong Taeyeon shook her head with unwavering resolve.
“What would a person who has no intention of climbing the tower do with an item like this?”
Instead, she retorted sharply.
“This axe is for my guild members, who quietly climb the tower without bothering with strikes.
Those are the people who truly need items, aren’t they?”
“…It seems you have quite a lot of money, then? You’ve been buying items for your subordinates left and right.”
“Oh, I do. Unlike some people, we’re continuously climbing the tower.”
“…Ha, there’s no reasoning with this person.”
“So what if you glare at me like that? Want to try something?”
….
The two glared into each other’s eyes.
A tense battle of wills ensued.
An almost palpable tension, on the verge of erupting, filled the auction hall.
It was Jeong Manho who backed down first.
Still seething, he glared at Jeong Taeyeon with eyes full of resentment and spoke.
“You will regret this, Guild Master Jeong Taeyeon.”
“Oh, I’m begging you, please try to make me.”
….
Jeong Manho spat sharply on the floor, then turned his back and departed.
****
A moment later, my phone vibrated.
It was a deposit confirmation message from the broker.
[Nara Bank: 400,000,000 won deposited. Depositor: SSalDaPam]
This was the sum remaining after deducting the 50 million won advance and a 10% commission from the 500 million won sale.
I had effectively earned over 400 million won from a single axe.
“Just a few tens of millions more, and I’ll have 500 million won….”
My bank account balance had swiftly soared into the hundreds of millions.
I stared blankly at the numbers on the screen.
For some, it was a monthly income; for others, it was the cost of a single shopping spree.
Yet, for me, a jobless individual, it was an unimaginably vast fortune.
What should I do with this immense sum?
After a brief moment of contemplation, I suddenly remembered the first thing I needed to do.
“Excuse me, boss, one Golden Olive chicken for takeout, please.”
Ultimately, life is all about chicken.
Then, out of habit, I logged into the Hunter Gallery and posted an update.
[Title: Successful Hunter-bro (TL Note: A Korean internet slang term, ‘heon-boong-i,’ combining ‘hunter’ and ‘boong-i,’ a suffix often used to denote a person or enthusiast, often used humorously or self-deprecatingly.)… Tonight’s dinner….jpg]
****
The chicken was delicious.
Its crispy coating encased succulent meat.
However, something was missing. The final piece that would complete the perfect meal was absent.
“Haa… my beer….”
I pulled a cola from the Refrigerator and drank it, clicking my tongue in disappointment.
The memory of my failed attempt to buy beer at the convenience store earlier resurfaced.
My ID. That cursed ID.
Though I casually pulled out my wallet and presented my resident registration card (TL Note: ‘Minjeung,’ the South Korean national identification card), the part-timer had ejected me, stating that minors could not purchase alcohol even with a parent’s ID.
“Damn it, my chimaek (TL Note: A Korean portmanteau combining ‘chicken’ and ‘beer’, referring to the popular pairing of fried chicken and beer)….!”
A surge of indignation welled within me.
What good was becoming a mage? What good was having hundreds of millions in my bank account?
I couldn’t even buy chimaek as I pleased.
“Now that I think about it, isn’t this a seriously important problem?”
Beyond mere disappointment, a new concern had arisen.
After clearing the 20th floor, I intended to go to the Hunter Association and officially receive my A-rank certification.
Once I became A-rank, the government wouldn’t dare touch me, so the worry of having to serve in the military twice would also disappear.
My goal was then to live comfortably in the public eye, enjoying all the benefits, sucking up the honey (TL Note: A Korean idiom meaning to enjoy a very easy and profitable life, often implying taking full advantage of a good situation), and indulging in gallery activities (TL Note: ‘Gaelljil,’ a Korean internet slang term referring to browsing and posting on online forums, specifically ‘DC Inside Gallery’).
However, with this body, identity verification was impossible.
It was obvious I’d be stopped right at the entrance of the Hunter Registration building.
This was a perplexing predicament.
I pondered the problem, holding my head in my hands for a moment.
But for a law-abiding citizen like me, no ingenious solution came to mind.
Ultimately, I ceased thinking about it for a while.
If I gave it time and thought about it slowly, a good idea would surely emerge.
After all, the 20th floor was still a long way off.
****
The following day, I returned to the tower.
Floor 11. The beginning of a new section.
According to information I gathered from the gallery, floors 11 through 20 were designated as jungle and swamp fields.
This area was infamous as a section where countless hunters met their frustration.
It was, in essence, the “A-rank wall.”
Dense foliage obstructed vision, and treacherous swamps swallowed one’s feet.
The fields of the 10th-floor range were an optimal stage for monsters.
Goblins, camouflaged with protective coloring, would hide and shoot poisoned darts from behind.
Goblins would also hurl stones from invisible perches in the trees.
Other goblins would dig tunnels and set traps.
Even mere trash mobs like goblins could become the most formidable monsters when boosted by these field effects.
Adding to the misery were the sweltering weather and the persistent mosquitoes and leeches clinging to one’s entire body.
It was a floor designed to fray one’s nerves in countless ways.
Therefore, the standard strategy for this area was party play: a tank clearing the path upfront, an archer detecting traps and camouflaged monsters, and a healer included to prepare for unforeseen accidents.
However, I was once again soloing today.
[Entering Tower 11th Floor (EXTREME).]
As I opened my eyes, the muggy, humid air clung stickily to my skin.
The unfamiliar stench of damp grass and the scent of rain-soaked earth assailed my nostrils.
From all directions, the unknown buzzing of insect wings filled the air.
A single step forward could lead into a swamp or a trap.
But for me, that was irrelevant.
“Quicksand.”
I cast the skill from where I stood.
Without question or debate, the damp ground instantly transformed into a parched sand field.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a trash skill.
I couldn’t fathom why everyone rated it so poorly.
I didn’t stop there. I used Wind Erosion (TL Note: The Korean term ‘Pung Hwa’ directly translates to ‘wind erosion’ or ‘weathering’), a Rainbow-grade skill I had recently acquired.
[Using Skill: Wind Erosion (風化).]
[Combining with Skill: Quicksand, a new skill is being cast.]
[Desertification (沙漠化) is activated.]
The quicksand before me began to writhe, expanding its domain.
Everything touched by the quicksand’s edge disintegrated into dust.
Massive trees, viscous swamps, and the dense foliage that obscured vision—
All were equally reduced to sand.
The range was approximately 20 meters in radius, roughly half the size of a soccer field.
In an instant, my surroundings transformed into a flat, unobstructed expanse of sand.
“Is it because it’s plant-based? The mana consumption is quite severe….”
Even with my mana pool incomparably expanded thanks to the Awakening skill, nearly half of it evaporated in an instant.
It seemed the efficiency drastically dropped because the targets were living plants.
Had it been a rocky area, I could have transformed a much larger area into a desert with far less mana….
I heard the next section was a volcanic region. It seemed I could use this skill much more effectively then.
“Just you wait, seriously….”
Despite the disappointment, it was what it was.
I slowly walked forward.
As I walked, the world transformed into a desert in my wake.
Swamps, giant plants—everything vanished, turning into sand.
In the process, monsters cunningly hidden in the thicket were revealed.
“Got you, you little rascals.”
Taking the opportunity, I even attempted Desertification on the monsters.
After casting Sand Totem, I trapped and immobilized a goblin.
Sand slowly extended from the quicksand towards the goblin.
I attempted to transform the goblin into sand, starting from its toes.
Ah, it was too much. This was impossible.
The moment I tried, I felt my entire body’s magic being rapidly drained, so I hastily stopped the skill.
I immediately abandoned my ambition.
I flicked my fingers, launching sand bullets.
Dozens of sand bullets flew towards the monsters, now defenselessly exposed in the barren expanse.
The massacre concluded in an instant.
Contrary to the warnings from the gallery, this was an incredibly comfortable clear.
[Congratulations on clearing Tower 11th Floor (EXTREME).]
The thrilling moment of reward.
Would it be an all-stat bonus and magic stones again?
Perhaps a level-up? A skill book?
[First Clear Bonus applied!]
[Rank 1 Bonus applied!]
“Huh? What’s this?”
However, the reward that appeared before my eyes was entirely different from what I had expected.
It was an item I had never seen before.
