SWNOVELXO Chapter 166: The Craftsman Chooses Their Tools
Goddess’s Blessing.
Yeah. That’s a nice saying.
For a weakling Awakened, like someone made of sugar, nothing is as crucial as the goddess’s blessing.
‘Thank goodness it has the same effect on Earth…’
I grasped the Hydra’s fang and approached the monsters.
The money I poured in to acquire the [Divine Tree Sapling] was a staggering several billion.
So how could this plant possibly have a bad effect?
‘Right. Come on!’
Swish!
As I drew closer, a nearby monster charged wildly at me.
The calmness that flowed from its eyes was typical when it spotted a weaker being.
Then, the monster rushed forward with its six legs.
But it’s fine. Bathing in the branches of the Divine Tree produces effects like this.
“Gyaaaa!”
Boom!
Just when the front paw of the nameless monster hit me.
The Hunters across the crosswalk gasped at the exploding dust.
As the wind subsided, a result gradually appeared that was far from what they imagined.
“Ugh…!”
Not even a single hair was out of place; I was fine.
“Creeek!”
The monster couldn’t understand why its attack was blocked and exerted more force in its hooves, but I coolly held off its attack instead.
A perfect defensive ability that responded entirely to an intermediate monster’s attack.
That’s right. This is the true nature that the [Divine Tree Sapling] had been hiding.
‘Got it!’
It had the ability to transform anyone covered in its fluid into a state close to invulnerability.
When diving into the magic studies, things get complicated, but for now, let’s think of it as the sap having protective properties.
‘In reality, it’s more about vengeance on beings that threatened itself.’
I then focused back on reality.
Truly, given the fortune I had poured into it, its performance was formidable. Thanks to the enhancement from the Divine Tree, I became able to ignore even A-Class attacks effortlessly.
Hiss…!
Swish, swish, swish.
I swung the longsword I was holding, leaving shallow wounds on the monster’s body.
With this, the Hydra’s special effect, [Deathly Venom], was stacked a whopping three times.
“Gruk…”
“Fwish.”
“Fsst!”
Now, shall I relieve some stress against these test subjects?
“Caw! Cough, hwaaa…?”
As the monster, struck by the Hydra, writhed and showed abnormal reactions,
I dove into the fray of beasts with the longsword in my hand.
“Kiieeek!”
Among them were some that guarded against me, bristling, and others simply ignored me, viewing me as nothing more than a mere F-Class creature.
But in either case, the destination was the same.
Swish!
I maneuvered the arm of a fallen corpse and made a cut.
Swack!
Commanding each muscle, I made another long cut. Over here, I swung the blade like a torrent of falling thunder.
The [Divine Tree Sapling] was particularly good at this.
Ordinary armor only boasted mindless toughening.
It didn’t actually nullify the kinetic energy applied, leading to rolling around with one’s gear.
Clang!
But that Epic-level was clearly different.
The ‘protect’ effect gained from it demonstrated absolute authority in shock absorption.
My body wouldn’t budge.
‘There is a slightly uncomfortable downside to it, though…’
Having successfully wounded all the monsters, I paused in the middle of the path to catch my breath.
At this moment, countless beasts were sharpening their claws toward me, but it was of no concern.
‘Do they think I spent several billion for nothing?’
A few seconds later,
Rumble. The quadrupedal beasts clustered in the area collapsed one after another, spitting blood onto the ground.
They couldn’t withstand the Hydra’s deadly venom.
The time it took to reach this point was about 1 minute and 40 seconds.
It seemed that due to their smaller size, they had quickened heartbeats and died hastily. This was also quite interesting data.
‘Hmm.’
Now then, to summarize today’s achievements in one phrase.
I finally obtained ‘S-Class Defense’!
From now on, I won’t be getting hurt like tofu just from wind pressure when my body is soft or when my weapon is drawn.
However, I don’t expect to continue my scams with just this.
Physical strength, dynamic vision, presence—among other things.
I had only just begun to mimic one aspect of what the top-tier Awakened possess.
Oh, I should probably tell Jeong Ha-seong about my sudden increase in durability?
‘Let’s just say my skills have improved, and I’ll advance to the next level of class.’
As I stood blankly organizing my next schedule, suddenly the street grew noisy.
“Huh? What’s this? A Dungeon Break…?”
“Wow, it’s Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo!”
“What’s going on? Is it already over?”
It was the voice of late-comers offering support.
*
That afternoon, at 4 PM.
A sighting report was uploaded to a certain hunter’s social media account.
————==
#Hunters
He is a god…
————==
Though brief, many understood immediately who ‘he’ referred to.
This post was accompanied by photos of the area littered with monsters.
[Is his skill for real? Just look at those corpses. Our team would have to set traps and do all sorts of things just to handle that! -.-]
[Wow, I didn’t realize how close the elementary school was!]
[I’m on the news!!♡♡]
The Dungeon Break that occurred in front of an elementary school in Seoul made headlines.
[Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter sighting report:
(Preview) Wow, the aura of an S-Class is different from the moment he walks in. And why did I think that…?]
The protagonist of this incident thought the Earthlings would praise his impressive defense, but reality was a bit different.
For the common folks, an S-Class Hunter’s sturdiness was merely expected.
Witnesses paid no attention to Giyero’s untouched skin.
But this was rather fortunate.
Conversely, it meant that Kim Giyero appeared to be a natural S-Class.
[As a father raising a child, I’m reminded to thank the Hunters once again. To those who delayed the monsters’ entry and especially to Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo, thank you very much.]
A certain Great Mage had simply chosen an adequate subject to test his newly acquired power.
Yet, people didn’t realize that, and instead lavishly praised the blond Awakened.
The man, who maintained his composure against the fierce monster attacks, simply dismissed the threats with undetectable small movements.
The sight of the fierce beasts falling like magnolias in summer—who wouldn’t be tempted by such refreshing hunting?
Admiration. Gratitude. Awe.
And then, people poured out praise for Korea’s fourth S-Class.
Giyero had now solidified his standing with this incident.
*
…[Divine Tree Sapling]. [Hydra]. [Surprise Box].
And the name value of being an S-Class Hunter.
Many elements came together for me. Yet, I know it’s still not enough.
For now, I’ve merely skimmed the surface of a strong person’s power. I still cannot contend with a true S-Class.
“I wish I had more magic tools.”
The best way to build strength in a short period is to gather Epic-level magic tools.
However, truthfully, the act of equipping myself with gear has its limitations.
The Divine Tree Sapling was a peculiar case that hadn’t revealed its true value.
Ordinary Epic-level tools can be priced similarly to new combat aircraft, making mere labor feel inadequate in this situation.
‘Hmm.’
So, here’s the conclusion I’ve come to.
I suddenly think it wouldn’t be bad to try my hand at an EX-Class Gate.
The Extra, identified as a special maze-type dungeon.
The focus there is often on the problem-solving capabilities rather than the power of the challengers, and the rewards are typically more generous than a regular dungeon.
‘And every once in a while, there’s a jackpot like [Twin Guardian Angel].’
Even bottom-tier hunters can strike it rich if they put their heads together in the EX Class!
That’s why there were even hunter teams that specialized solely in EX-Class Gates on Earth.
Of course, EX-Class meant monsters ‘almost’ never appeared, not that they ‘never’ appeared, and if you happened to encounter something like the 13th Month’s Maze, every treasure hunter might just perish…
‘Heh.’
Upon examination, I could handle that variable too.
Thanks to some item combinations, I’d reached a level hard to consider a low-tier hunter.
‘Especially this guy, I quite like.’
Pet, pet.
I stroked the Hydra’s sheath that I held in my arms. With this alone, I could easily take down even C-Class monsters; what’s there to fear?
Thus, I pinpointed maze-type dungeons as my new source for magic tools.
And with some time left, I intended to attempt tackling an EX-Class dungeon for real, and fortunately, a gate that had already appeared nearby.
[(Breaking News) The mysterious gate that appeared in southern Seoul has not disappeared for 7 days, causing a stir…]
*
A few minutes later.
I found myself in front of a bus terminal.
To be precise, I had come to investigate the unusual gate that had supposedly appeared here.
“Oh.”
Upon arriving, I faced the entrance that was talked about in the news.
A circular opening drilled into the asphalt floor.
‘No wonder it’s brighter than usual. Is this an EX-Class trait?’
The light emanating from there reminded me of cheap incandescent bulbs, and as I squinted from the glare, soon human voices broke out.
“Ugh! It’s Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo?”
“Hunter!”
The staff faltered at the appearance of an S-Class.
I passed by the startled staff and smoothly stepped beyond the barricade. Now, it was time to gather an overview.
“So…”
Summarizing the information obtained from the Association using my status as an Appraiser, it was like this:
“The advance team that went in earlier has been silent for 7 days. This passage has a one-way structure unlike usual, so they can’t return, and we still haven’t determined the internal layout?”
Given that this small passage hadn’t collapsed for seven days, there was likely a high chance of survivors.
‘Hmm.’
Flap.
I glanced over the documents the Association handed me. A list of hunters who entered the passage was written by hand on A4 paper.
[25 years old｜B-Class｜Seonwoo-yeon]
Among the names, there was one I was quite familiar with.
“….”
Including her, a total of 11 people.
Eleven!
“Why are there so many missing?”
According to their explanation, the Association had sent a self-appointed additional exploration team since the original advance team hadn’t returned.
Even taking that into account, it felt odd for so many people to become involved with the gate.
Considering that the size of hunter teams in Korea usually consists of four members on average.
‘That’s almost the equivalent of three teams.’
Tap.
When I touched the edge of light for a detailed analysis of the passage, a staff member organizing the disheveled barricade turned and answered.
“Oh, well. This gate differs from others in that even a slight touch pulls you in. So, even the analysis team that came out for investigation ended up getting involved, increasing the damage scale….”
At that moment, our eyes met.
“Eh.”
“Um.”
Cold sweat ran down our backs.
“Haha. No, it would have been better to mention that earlier…”
I tried to blame the other person due to my surprise, but I couldn’t even finish that thought.
Moments later, I was abruptly engulfed by a surge of white light erupting from the ground.
.
.
.
…When I opened my eyes again, I found myself facing a peculiar landscape reminiscent of another world.
“Great.”
All sides—up, down, left, right—were nothing but white; I instinctively pressed my nose to my palm.
“There’s no excuse for this. It’s 100% my fault. I’ve grown complacent since things have been going so well lately.”
A bait box that abducts you upon mere contact.
Those Ki-simche creatures really have a talent for making people furious in various ways…
‘Huh?’
At that moment, I caught a faint sound of crackling in this seemingly empty space.
Tap, tap.
Curiosity piqued, I decided to check out whatever dungeon it was I had landed in.
Walking towards the direction of the sound, the surroundings began to change like paint seeping into water.
Amber, sky blue, pale pink.
Soon a field blooming with flowers unfolded before my eyes.
In the center of it, a bluish campfire flickered, surrounded by indistinguishable beings dancing.
These beings had semi-transparent wings and cute faces, appearing quite similar to the fairies described on Earth.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Simultaneously, I noticed humans gathering around the campfire, clapping their hands.
But something seemed off.
They all wore beautiful floral crowns, and frankly, there were glistening fresh fruits beside them, presenting a delightful festival ambiance.
Yet for some reason, every human here had a troubled look, as if they were on the verge of crying.
“Gah!”
Well, let’s pause the analysis of the situation here for now.
As I stepped closer by about three steps, a human sitting at 12 o’clock from the campfire finally recognized me and reacted.
“K-Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter…?”
The trembling voice belonged to none other than the missing Association employee, Seonwoo-yeon.
“You’ve come to rescue us!”