Chapter 17 (1/2)

Status: Very Unstable (3)

Pretending to be bummed out, I looked around me mindlessly.

‘I can see. I can see them all!’

Originally, since there was no way to surely check the other option’s identity from the standpoint of the person who chose the additional reward option, it was a procedure in which everything was clearly rigged; however, if I could see it clearly like this, the story would become completely different.

‘Oh, my God!’

It wasn’t that hunters had never thought of this method in my previous life, taking me to dungeon exploration and letting me pick a reward. However, all attempts had failed. First of all, I couldn’t increase my contribution no matter how much effort I put into it. I was often ‘riding the bus,’ which was commonly thought when another hunter knocked out a monster, and then I would kill it. That was why my contribution didn’t accumulate.

It was considered pointless even if I held powerful artifacts in my hands, as I didn’t have enough Mana to activate them. Even if I drank Mana potions, my Mana box remained in the 10s digits, so it was of no use. The contribution wouldn’t go up at all by solving the trick or finding the nucleus’s location. In the end, I tried all the methods, but I had never succeeded. Moreover, as time passed, our guild’s standards increased, so we didn’t even care about it unless it was a high-end item, and I couldn’t even tag along in those kinds of dungeons since the higher the level of dungeon meant it was going to be more dangerous.

Wouldn’t it have been possible to change history if we had tried a little more tenaciously and found a way in the previous life? What if we could raise the level of human strength and prevent the collapse of civilization?

‘It’s meaningless to feel sorry about it now.’

Shaking off my lingering regrets, I looked at each of the white light bodies that lit up dark spaces. There were many skills and items in the world that I had never witnessed. However…

‘I’ll pass on that… That’s not the one. This is also garbage.’

I quickly scanned the surroundings and took in everything. The speed of cognition couldn’t keep up with the speed of my eyes rolling around. Although, in the case of a skill card that I hadn’t seen, the activation and Mana control method would need to be observed by my eyes after putting them in the slot and using them. I could still roughly predict what level it would be with the amount compressed in the card. For example, I didn’t know the exact effect of that type, but it was roughly a movement-based skill card, and it was an F-class without a doubt. Picking those kinds was unnecessary.

I recorded everything with my eyes, saved it in my head, and made a conclusion.

‘That’s the best.’

Without my skills, I wouldn’t have to focus on it, and it was just one of the many light bodies — an inconspicuous option. The drawn pattern wasn’t a skill card but an item. The clarity of light was comparable to that of a C-class skill card. It was a great level for the rewards you’d get from an F-class dungeon. And what I liked the most was that, although I wasn’t sure of the exact kind, it did look like a weapon artifact. It was perfect.

“I’ve decided.”

-User-specified rewards are awarded. You worked hard.

The system message praised me, which was rather gritty because no emotions were displayed.

Weeing!

Then, the white ore that I chose came to me and circulated around me. As if a small firecracker exploded, it sprinkled gentle rays of light in the air. An item was placed in the air where the rowdy light disappeared. It was just a small dagger. I hefted it up. Even without the analyzing scroll, the system message was generated with The Successor’s Eyes’ effect.

[Lorto’s Dagger]

Item Description: The dagger favored by the Lorto Tribe in the Rahu-Ki jungles. Having specialized in assassination and pursuit, their main weapon was dipped in a neurotoxin, and even a brush could paralyze their prey.

※ If you are a diligent hunter, make sure to replenish it in advance before all the poison stored is consumed. Note that poisoned prey must be stored at room temperature for at least 2 hours and consumed after detoxification.

I didn’t know what kind of race Lorto was or what dimension Rahu-Ki was placed in. It was my first time seeing this weapon as well. What I knew was that this item had an effect comparable to that of a C-class skill and that it was an item that could respond to Mana and worked with it. As I read the description, even the additional function of the paralysis poison lasted for 2 hours. It wasn’t all that bad. As soon as I chose the reward, the dark and white lights disappeared, and I returned to the forest landscape that I was exploring before.

And···

“They’re pretty fast, huh?”

In the distance, four lumps of Mana were approaching. It was natural for these guys as they spent their time here and repeatedly farmed this dungeon. Besides, it would’ve been easy to trace me because I didn’t erase any of my tracks. I watched those who hadn’t found me yet.

*

Optimus Guild Master and expedition leader Gye Yong-hwan’s mood wasn’t very good. The information on the F-class dungeons purchased from a dungeon explorer a year ago was a bold investment for his guild, and to be precise, for himself as the Guild Master to gain greater wealth and honor. If there was a small problem, was the limit of the number of people that could enter the dungeon was only five. The orcs living in the dungeon were of a type with poor farming efficiency considering their hunting difficulty.

“Anyways, how many dungeons in the world would there be these days that we can have it all by ourselves without the government intervening?”

Gye Yong-hwan had bought the gate information, and, after that, they regularly farmed by forming a party of five. By hunting the orcs, they collected cheap items and Mana cores that could be sold for a high price. All by-products from these unusual dungeons, opened beyond the government’s awareness, went into the guild’s treasury.

In particular, among them was the mana core. Dungeons were the only way to source the most useful gems in the world, which already had formed the industry’s foundation. And, since not all countries had the same level of hunter pools, there was a big difference in each country’s mana core supply/demand ratio.

Countries that didn’t have many excellent hunters eventually had to pay high prices to buy them from other countries. Meanwhile, those with many resources weren’t going to sell them easily, even if they had surpluses or sold them at ridiculously high prices. This trend was closer to a kind of national protection. Naturally, securing mana cores was directly related to a country’s strength. Due to this situation, new criminals eventually arose to meet countries’ demands to get mana cores cheaply, called mana core smugglers.

The source of profit for the Optimus Guild was, of course, to mine mana cores and hand them over to such smugglers. They then sold the purchased items to other countries without the knowledge of the Korean government. However, it was difficult to make up for the investment because the information was so expensive.

“Out of all the possible numbers, the limit is five people. If only it could accommodate at least ten!”

Hunting with only five people had limitations from a perspective of efficiency and was dangerous. There were also quite a few guild members who had already left the world. Additionally, it was a problem that the boundaries of the dungeon weren’t so wide.

“The resource is dry again today.”

“Brother, we can’t. Let’s withdraw for now…and wait for the Orcs to settle again.”