Chapter 63

It was a dangerous proposal.

One misstep could lead to an irreversible situation.

Yet, the reason he hesitated was the reward.

The Fragment of the Core obtainable during a Dungeon Break held considerable value.

Its density and purity far exceeded those of the Magic Stones harvested from magic beasts.

In other words, On Taebaek’s offer was a classic high-risk, high-return gamble.

Exactly the kind of opportunity Siyoon had been searching for.

‘…If I think about it rationally, it’s not a bad offer.’

In fact, from Siyoon’s perspective, it was quite favorable.

Siyoon had little room for gradual growth.

There were many reasons, but two stood out.

The Enhancement skill and his rapid growth rate.

A Singular-Rank that defied conventional frameworks.

He had originally operated in the shadows to conceal it.

However, after carrying out his revenge against Haind and clearing an unconquered dungeon, rumors began to spread.

‘Hiding in a situation like this is actually the worst move.’

This underworld was not so forgiving.

Talented rookies would rise to prominence, only to vanish without a trace.

Why would that happen?

It was easy to infer just by looking at the recruitment offers Siyoon had received.

They would recruit talent by any means necessary.

But if refused, they would eliminate them before a rival organization could snatch them up.

Such incidents were rare, but they did happen.

Of course, Andor had already promised Siyoon a commission, so that was unlikely to happen to him.

As long as he chose to live as a hunter, Siyoon had no choice but to press forward.

To shake off such latent dangers, he needed to grow stronger.

He needed to build a more solid position than he currently had.

That was why Siyoon remained so obsessed with his growth.

“…You know it’s a crazy undertaking.”

“Of course. I’m not stupid enough to dive into something without knowing that much. And above all, the reward is sweet, isn’t it?”

On Taebaek said.

“So, what’s your answer? I’d prefer you join me if possible. There are plenty of Cores, which means I need plenty of crazy bastards.”

“What about the compensation?”

At Siyoon’s words, he grinned.

“I’ll give you 30% of the recovered Fragments of the Core. You can also buy more with a premium if you’d like.”

“30%…”

It was more generous than expected.

However, On Taebaek’s offer didn’t end there.

“And I’ll provide 200 billion won, along with equipment, potions, and doping agents.”

“You’re willing to spend that much for a commission fee?”

“If I want to get this done quickly, I need a capable guide. Given your track record in an unconquered dungeon, I can trust you to hold your own in a chaotic brawl, can’t I?”

In short, he was paying for Siyoon’s proven competence.

Even so, the fact that it was an unprecedented compensation package remained unchanged.

It was hard to believe he was offering this to a B-Rank hunter.

It showed just how highly he valued Siyoon’s abilities.

Siyoon looked into On Taebaek’s eyes.

Bathed in the backlight streaming through the wide glass window, his eyes gleamed eerily.

Much like a gambler aiming for a single massive jackpot at a casino.

He must have gained a substantial profit from acquiring Haind, yet he harbored quite a bit of greed.

‘Is he being too greedy? Or… maybe he has his own circumstances.’

But one thing was certain.

If he accepted this commission, his growth would stand out significantly.

It was a crazy endeavor, indeed.

But without taking risks, he would only grow at the same pace as any other hunter.

To create a meaningful gap between himself and the rest, he had to push himself to the limit.

‘I’ve made my decision.’

He finished organizing his thoughts.

Siyoon dryly pulled up one corner of his mouth.

“I accept.”

“Excellent choice.”

On Taebaek nodded in satisfaction.

It was the moment he accepted a new commission from the pharmaceutical company Serpa.

* * *

After accepting On Taebaek’s offer.

Stepping out of the room, Siyoon was guided somewhere by Ganghon.

His destination was Serpa’s warehouse.

“I was ordered to provide you with your desired armor and weapons. Please take your pick.”

“Can I choose anything in here?”

“Yes. Just take as much as you can equip.”

A subtle hint to be greedy, but within reason.

Understanding this, Siyoon examined the goods.

Even with a cursory glance, there were plenty of high-end items.

Not only premium firearms from RTB Company, but also armor forged from magic beast hides and Magic Stones.

There were also quite a few pieces imbued with special abilities.

‘I’d love to take a weapon if I could, but that won’t do.’

There was one reason for this decision.

He wouldn’t be able to use his Enhancement skill on them.

‘In the case of weapons, their capabilities have probably already been measured. If I use them after enhancing them, there will be a stark difference from their recorded power.’

Unless they were fools, they wouldn’t miss the discrepancy in actual power.

It would inevitably be discovered during the commission.

If that happened, there was a high chance he would later be interrogated about the skill he had kept hidden.

‘It’s a bit of a flimsy cover, but I need to acquire weapons separately.’

It was a shame to pass up such excellent weapons, but safety and secrecy came first.

Siyoon chose armor instead of weapons.

“…Are you sure that will be enough?”

“Yeah. It’s enough.”

Seeing this, Ganghon asked in return.

It was understandable, as Siyoon had only picked out armor, completely ignoring the expensive weapons.

A situation that defied common sense.

“I already have some weapons in mind.”

“This commission will be quite dangerous. I think you should take at least two or three weapons.”

“That’s exactly why I picked armor instead.”

Siyoon showed him the three pieces of armor he had selected.

[ ‘Indra’s Vitality Belt’ ]

[ ‘Arkmore’s Protective Upper Garment’ ]

[ ‘Special Mobility Acceleration Boots’ ]

Though Ganghon had his reservations, these pieces of armor were also exceptional items.

Indra’s Vitality Belt possessed the effect of increasing life force and restoring the body with vitality.

The upper garment was woven from the webbing of Akmor, a high-rank spider-type magic beast, granting it considerable elasticity and defense.

The boots had acceleration to aid movement and an emergency evasion option attached.

In short, while they lacked the firepower of weapons, they were armor pieces that provided a significant advantage for survival.

Recognizing this, Ganghon didn’t add anything further.

“Understood. Is there anything else you’d like to pick?”

“I’ve got roughly what I need, so I’m done.”

He could have been greedier if he wanted to.

But Siyoon stopped here.

The items he just picked out were armor pieces worth around 30 billion won combined.

He didn’t know what price he might pay later if he overreached.

It was best to keep it moderate.

“I’m done selecting equipment.”

“Understood.”

Siyoon turned his back and left the warehouse without any lingering regrets.

* * *

After he finished selecting the equipment, Ganghon escorted Siyoon to the exchange.

He didn’t waste time going back to his residence.

He needed to talk to Kim Jeonhwan and prepare a few more things.

“…It went exactly as expected.”

Kim Jeonhwan nodded after hearing the full story.

To say it was unexpected, the timing was far too coincidental.

The information Kim Jeonhwan had brought him later only added to his conviction.

“But it’s really a shame you couldn’t bring back any weapons.”

“That couldn’t be helped.”

Rather, his interest was focused on the equipment.

Naturally, Siyoon hadn’t told him the entire truth.

Kim Jeonhwan believed Siyoon hadn’t taken any weapons because he suspected Serpa.

It wasn’t a complete lie; he had just appropriately mixed in Ganghon’s meaningful remarks.

“I don’t know what price I might pay if I greedily pick out expensive weapons.”

“Fair enough. Even if they said they’d provide them, it’s hard to just take their word for it.”

Still, Kim Jeonhwan made no secret of his disappointment.

It made sense, considering they had left behind premium weapons worth hundreds of billions of won.

Siyoon said to him.

“So go get some weapons for me instead.”

“…What? Me?”

“I took a commission from Serpa directly, so you couldn’t get your commission fee.”

It wasn’t for nothing that Kim Jeonhwan gave Siyoon designated commissions.

In exchange for introducing and managing commissions, he took a portion of the compensation as a fee.

It was the same context as an agency taking a commission.

“Well, I’m fine with it as long as I get my cut that way. What’s the budget I should be looking at?”

“Let’s see. Roughly 100 billion won should do.”

“What? 100 billion?”

“Up to 150 billion is fine too. I got a hefty commission fee this time.”

Kim Jeonhwan’s jaw dropped.

The money received from Andor was 50 billion won.

And On Taebaek had deposited 100 billion won as an advance payment, half of the total cost.

Even excluding the money he had saved up so far, there was a staggering 150 billion won in his account.

“Suddenly that much… Never mind. Go inside for now.”

“Alright.”

Chwararak!

Kim Jeonhwan closed the door to the exchange and pulled down the shutter.

Siyoon left him to his hurried movements and opened the inner door.

* * *

Paradoxically, the information broker Kim Jeonhwan didn’t just sell information.

He provided various commissions, and sometimes sold weapons he had collected.

This was because he occasionally received high-quality weapons in exchange for information.

“Now, take a look around.”

Tak!

A warehouse connected to the basement of the exchange.

When the lights flicked on, various types of weapons were neatly displayed in showcases by category.

“You’ve sure hoarded a lot of stuff all this time.”

“Hoarded? I earned these through perfectly legitimate compensation.”

Kim Jeonhwan said.

“I’ll show you the firearms first.”

“Is there anything usable?”

“Of course. I don’t even let substandard, low-rank goods in here.”

Siyoon followed him and scanned the displayed firearms.

Though it couldn’t compare to Serpa’s warehouse, there were still plenty of good items.

The most notable among them were a rifle and a machine gun.

Behind the black barrels, a somewhat unique exterior covered by mechanical devices processed from Magic Stones.

A hologram floating in place of the scope displayed ammunition count and information about the surrounding terrain in a bright blue light.

They could be considered firearms utilizing the latest technology and Magic Stones.

But Siyoon shook his head.

“That’s enough. I’ll pass on the firearms.”

“Why? Nothing catches your eye?”

“That’s not it.”

There were definitely a few guns that satisfied Siyoon’s standards.

However, a Dungeon Break was bound to become a prolonged battle.

No matter how much ammunition he packed, there was no telling how things would play out.

‘Even when I cleared Enseodotar’s Rainforest last time, I was almost out of ammunition.’

It was impressive that the ammunition held out after he fired wildly for over half a day.

But a Dungeon Break would have a vastly different scale of monsters than the Monster Wave he experienced then.

Ultimately, a cold weapon with no consumable limits was a better choice.

Besides, unlike a dungeon, there would be many eyes watching this time.

If he sprayed bullets like before in that situation, the immense power would draw unwanted attention.

Since firearms became incredibly powerful through Siyoon’s Enhancement, there was no telling how far he could push them.

“Then, do you have a specific type in mind?”

“Hmm…”

Siyoon pondered for a moment.

There were many weapon classes to choose from.

Gauntlets, maces, hammers, spears, and so on.

Since he had Enhancement, there were no restrictions for him.

That meant it was also possible to fight using a variety of weapons.

“Show me the swords.”

“Swords? That’s unexpected.”

Among them, Siyoon chose swords.

The most universal and easy-to-handle weapon.

“Alright. Come this way.”

Siyoon followed Kim Jeonhwan, who guided him once again, deeper into the warehouse.

* * *

Kim Jeonhwan showed him the display case containing the swords and spoke.

“Anyway, what’s the occasion? You, looking for swords.”

“None of your business.”

“Cold as always.”

Siyoon ignored Kim Jeonhwan’s remark.

In truth, it was his first time handling a sword as well.

Yet, there was one reason he chose them.

Swords were quite convenient for facing magic beasts.

A sword imbued with a sharp aura was a fine weapon capable of both offense and defense.

Thinking back to how he parried attacks with his gun barrel in close combat, a sword would suit him better.

“All the swords I’d recommend for you are right here.”

Siyoon looked at the display case he pointed to.

Inside, three swords radiating a chilling aura were on display.