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It was evident that all the hunters investigating the backdrop were A-ranked, each with levels exceeding 200 and impressive careers.

Clearly, they were seasoned veterans in this field.

Considering that they could recruit such individuals even in these tight circumstances, it was no surprise that this guild was competing for the top positions in the country.

“Archers and mages…”

“They are each masters of concealment techniques and illusion magic. Do not let your guard down, even if you recognize their faces.”

“They managed to keep such high-level members. Guess there’s truth to the saying ‘once rotten, always a good catch’.”

Kang Jin-hyuk removed only the photos from the documents and pushed the rest toward the scented candle placed on the table.

The paper touched the flame, quickly igniting and producing smoke as it burnt up.

“Is there no other information?”

“Of course, there is.”

Jeong Dae-yun rolled up his sleeves, revealing a bracelet on his left arm.

The bracelet looked much like a digital watch and was unfamiliar to Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Have you heard of the Monster Counter?”

Upon hearing this, Kang Jin-hyuk remembered the time he had previously collaborated with a Titan.

“I’ve seen something that resembles a pocket watch.”

As far as he could recall, the counter was a device that recorded the number and types of monsters hunted.

Kang Jin-hyuk found himself puzzled about why Jeong Dae-yun was suddenly bringing it up.

“Are you trying to promote a new product? Because I’m not buying it.”

“Even if you don’t want to, you’ll probably end up with one soon.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Kang Jin-hyuk stopped speaking, suddenly struck by a thought as if lightning had hit him.

What entered his mind was the reason behind the development of the Monster Counter.

“It’s something you’ll end up being forced to carry around to prevent cheating. In other words, a shackle.”

“Exactly. It’s currently only enforced among the Tyrant guild members, but it will certainly spread to other hunters soon.”

This was a directive from the association to prevent the creation of another item like the Alraune’s Hwandan.

According to Jeong Dae-yun’s explanation, the association aimed to clearly document hunter growth by checking the counters once a week.

If stats significantly increased while counter records didn’t reflect that growth, it would be assumed that an item like the Hwandan was used, leading to immediate arrests on-site.

It was an effective method for the association, considering their usual leniency.

“What would provoke the association, which usually only concerns itself with major guilds, to implement such a radical policy?”

“It seems they don’t want to be targeted by the International Union either.”

“Seems like they won’t get their act together until the fire’s burning at their feet.”

Though the association had finally begun to pivot from laxity to action, Kang Jin-hyuk felt a sense of unease.

‘Hunting in a dungeon will soon become a problem as well.’

The more monsters Kang Jin-hyuk hunted, the more the counter numbers would rise honestly, and it was clear the association would investigate the source of those vast counts.

The time to significantly enhance his strength was now, while the association’s policies had yet to reach ordinary hunters like him.

Besides, Kang Jin-hyuk had his reasons for urgency beyond just the dungeon.

“Maybe I’m overstepping here, but if you plan to use the Hwandan, you should hurry.”

Jeong Dae-yun voiced the other reason Kang Jin-hyuk had been contemplating.

Since it was an open secret between the two, there was no need to hide it any further.

“Considering the effects of the Hwandan, I’d prefer to take it later rather than sooner.”

“It’s an item that doubles your stats, so I can understand why you’d want to grow a bit more before using it.”

But time was not on Kang Jin-hyuk’s side.

The Tyrant guild was currently on the hunt for leads, and the association was trying to tighten shackles around hunters with their new policies.

Under such circumstances, the best approach for Kang Jin-hyuk was one.

“Thank you for the tea.”

Without hesitation, Kang Jin-hyuk stood up.

Jeong Dae-yun was visibly surprised and stood up to follow him.

“Where are you going?”

“Where else? I’m heading out to hunt.”

“Given the guild situation, it might be difficult for you.”

“Is that something that happens just today?”

“What I mean is that it’s worse than usual.”

Currently, the large guilds that had accepted requests had been gradually returning home.

“International media are all treating Korean hunters as criminals and boycotting things.”

Though most large guilds justified their return citing that reason, it was merely the surface-level narrative.

Their true aim was to steal power from the deteriorating Tyrant guild, each eager to lay claim to the abandoned territories.

In times of pressure where everyone fought to take the first move, it would be absurd for a lone hunter to go into battle.

But that sentiment only applied to the average hunter.

“This doesn’t concern me.”

Kang Jin-hyuk scoffed before opening the door and stepping out.

He was unbothered by the surrounding circumstances.

What lay ahead was a secret dungeon known only to him.

* * *

The dwarf wore a pained expression as he examined the ore in his hand.

“So, this is what you brought back?”

After sending him to find a mine, 30 minutes had been wasted on excuses.

What Kang Jin-hyuk handed over now was merely a fist-sized chunk of ore.

The dwarf deliberated whether to smash Kang Jin-hyuk’s head in with this or with the hammer he held in his opposite hand.

“I thought you fell off the face of the earth after weeks without news…”

Hearing the dwarf mumble, Kang Jin-hyuk felt a pang of guilt.

His procrastination in visiting this place out of fear of punishment weighed heavily on him.

Honestly, he was too anxious to face the dwarf and had been avoiding it for a while.

“It looks to me like it’s a pretty good material. What do you think?”

Kang Jin-hyuk tried to redirect the conversation and snagged the dwarf’s attention.

Cautiously looking back and forth between Kang Jin-hyuk and the ore, the dwarf exhaled dramatically and abandoned the thought of swinging a hammer at Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Fine, you might not be dumb for this.”

“Really? It’s a fine ore, then?”

“Yeah, it’s not a crime to be dumb.”

“Huh? Are you calling me dumb?”

“Yeah, you idiot. You brought this ore without even knowing what it is?”

The dwarf’s grievance wasn’t due to Kang Jin-hyuk’s disregard for the request.

It was the cursed item, attributed to the numerous curses amassed over countless grievances, that he had been brought.

“What in the world do you expect me to make with this cursed ore? Huh? A cursed sword, perhaps?”

“Cursed? Really?”

“Yeah. Didn’t the fairy girl mention it?”

“Not a word about it…”

At that realization, the dwarf understood why Lucia had rushed down to the lower levels ahead of everyone else.

“She was aiming for this from the start, wasn’t she?”

It was common knowledge among dwarves that they were particularly vulnerable to curses.

Having a pragmatic mindset, they weren’t numerous enough to stand against the sorrows of curses, and there had been instances where an entire clan was wiped out due to just one curse during a past war.

“Seriously, you just bring me this cursed stuff when you know I hate them?”

The dwarf complained with a displeased look on his face.

“Then… I’m really sorry…”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt immense regret.

He had anticipated that capturing Alraune would yield good weapons, yet he had never expected the dwarf to detest this so much.

“Hah… Cursed, huh? Now I understand why Lucia said it would be impossible for you.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk reached for the ore to take it back, the dwarf grabbed his arm.

“Wait a minute. Who told you I’d give up?”

With feral eyes, the dwarf glared at Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I can’t just quit now that I think the fairy was messing with me,” he stated, determination flooding his words.

“Hey, if you want me to make anything from this cursed ore, you’d better get me some materials first.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no way a human like you could purify this on your own.”

Even if he were a former Priest, the number of resentful spirits formed here could be beyond a new Priest’s capabilities.

To cleanse those kinds of curses would require, at the very least, a bishop-level priest.

The idea was ludicrous for someone who could only swing a baseball bat.

“Then how will you be able to purify it? Is there someone you can entrust it to?”

“There may not be someone to entrust it to, but I know a location where it can be purified.”

The dwarf replied in vague riddles and threw the ore back to Kang Jin-hyuk.

As the dropping ore made a parabola, he quickly caught it in his hands.

Suddenly a small object whizzed through the air toward him.

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-hyuk instinctively moved his left hand to catch the sudden item.

He barely managed to receive a luxurious-looking key adorned with jewels, barely glistening in the light.

“What is this?”

“What does it look like? It’s a key.”

“No, where does this key lead?”

The dwarf pointed downwards with his finger.

“Down below, there’s a temple known as the Temple of the Dragon. Place that ore on the altar there.”

“Temple? Is it the imitation from the second level?”

“Don’t make me laugh; that’s just a magician’s shabby imitation.”

The dwarf stated that the real temple was five levels deeper down, dwelling in the depths.

“Deeper? Even further down?”

“Right. Don’t take another detour and just head straight there.”

“Haha… I have a conscience. I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake twice.”

Even after hearing this, the dwarf still regarded him with skepticism.

Once zipping through life’s obstacles isn’t hard, then it’s plausible to think you could do it two, three times, and still come out alright.

The dwarf also thought there was a chance Kang Jin-hyuk might again go off chasing after something.

Previously, he had been tasked with simply finding a mine after all.

But the current job he was assigned carried a significant urgency regarding the time limit.

“Seriously, I’m just kidding!”

The dwarf’s blow was abruptly cut off as Kang Jin-hyuk looked disgruntled.

“I’ll have to investigate properly before leaving,” Kang Jin-hyuk confirmed.

Time before the curse would settle was limited.

“It’s going to take three days to sever the cursed knots that are sticking to its ore.”

“What? Why?”

“Because the cursed energy would drain the ore’s power entirely after three days.”

“Do you mean it would turn into ordinary metal?”

“That’s right.”

“Then in three days, it could just turn into plain iron…?”

“Exactly, you’re catching on. Don’t waste too much time now, go.”

As the dwarf moved towards the workshop, Kang Jin-hyuk quickly called him back.

“Uh, wait a moment. Can I ask one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“If I successfully cleanse this ore on time, what can I create with it?”

Considering the tight schedule he faced as a client, Kang Jin-hyuk hoped whatever reward he might earn had value.

The dwarf caught on to the intent in Kang Jin-hyuk’s thoughts and smirked slyly.

“It can definitely produce something fantastic, way beyond shooting lightning bolts.”

The ability enchanted with the material from the new monster, Behemoth, held multi-billion-dollar value.

That was something able to stir enough action to warrant such a risk; clearer offerings could spark.

With that in mind, there was no further reason to hesitate.

After all, his inventory for the raid on the Tyrant branch was still fully stocked.

Kang Jin-hyuk made the decision to set off immediately.