Chapter 22

The tree shattered as easily as a scrap of paper. Not to mention the damage—the arrows flew more than twice as fast. Of course, he’d never tested it on a tree before, but that’s how it felt. And now that he could manipulate the wind, he couldn’t change the direction at will, but he could guide or curve the arrows in a certain direction.

“Nice.”

Smiling, Jaeha experimented with the skill this way and that to figure out the best way to use it. Then he tried it with his gun as well.

Bang—

Bang—

‘Seems like the efficiency is best when used with a gun.’

Jaeha continued experimenting, firing at various positions with the gun.

‘The gun suits it best after all. The bow is powerful on its own, but it’s hard to do unconventional attacks with it. It pairs well with the gun.’

Of course, thanks to the effect attached to Sarlinga, Jaeha didn’t need to keep drawing arrows and nocking them, so that part didn’t bother him much.

On average, a bow required nocking each arrow one by one, aiming, and drawing the bowstring. But a gun was far more convenient in that regard.

The Fire Dragon Jaeha had created was a 12-round pistol. So as long as he had enough bullets, it didn’t matter whether he fired 12 rounds in a row or 120. In other words, using a gun meant he could pour out attacks relentlessly in a short amount of time.

But that was impossible with a bow. No matter how fast he shot, he needed nearly a full second before the next arrow.

‘I should practice with the gun too.’

Deciding he needed to test it in real combat, Jaeha put the gun back into his Inventory. After storing the gun, he entered the Blacksmith Shop and called Herb Gramps.

“It’s me.”

<What is it this time?>

“Did you know I went to the Elf Forest?”

<Of course.>

“Yes. I have nearly 500 elf corpses right now, and it would take too long for me to dissect them all and process the byproducts myself.”

<Well, I can do it. How much are you giving me?>

“I’ll pay you.”

<I don’t take money.>

“Then I’ll just hire someone else on my own.”

<You slippery bastard.>

“Haha.”

Jaeha smiled at his words.

“And personally, I’d like you to procure some gunpowder for me.”

<Gunpowder?>

“You know what I mean.”

<Hoh. You made a gun?>

“Yes, that’s right.”

<And it can be used on monsters?>

“I haven’t tested it yet, but since it’s an item, it should deal plenty of damage.”

<I see. So you want me to get gunpowder for making bullets?>

“That’s correct. Is it difficult?”

<Hmph. Do I look like someone who’d find it difficult?>

“No. Well, if you have connections with the Triads or the Yakuza, it’d be easy. Gunpowder, at least. Still, since our country has strict gun regulations, I thought I’d ask just in case.”

<How much do you need?>

“As much as you can get. The payment will be World Tree branches and vocal cords, right?”

<Right. I’ll take the price plus transport costs and a little extra.>

“Yes.”

With that, Jaeha smiled, said his goodbyes, and hung up. After ending the call, he began making bullets in the Blacksmith Shop.

* * *

“And so?”

<And so what? Because of that, things got a bit more complicated. I can still bring it in. It’s not like there’s no way to import it.>

“Hmm.”

Jaeha fell into thought for a moment.

“Gun regulations suddenly getting stricter. What’s the reason?”

<If you’re asking for the reason, I don’t know exactly either. But it was Busan, or was it Daegu—there was a fight involving guns over there.>

“Is that so?”

<Yeah. It was buried at the time, though. Well, the bastards who did it buried it. Anyway, that happened a few weeks ago. The government found out.>

“So that’s why they started regulating firearms more strictly?”

<Right.>

“Is the burden of bringing it in heavy?”

<Burden, huh…… As long as you don’t get caught, there’s no problem. But if you do get caught, things get a bit annoying. Of course, I can still smooth it over. This country’s always been like that.>

“Hm.”

<You decide. From our perspective, it’s almost like we’ve already received a down payment. If you ask me to do it, I’ll do it.>

At that, Jaeha began to mull it over. If he was being honest, this wasn’t something he needed to worry much about. But among organizations operating in the shadows, very few had Hunters on their side.

On top of that, Herb Gramps’s organization was composed almost entirely of Hunters, which meant there was almost no chance of them failing at something due to public authority stepping in.

But even that had its limits. No matter how capable the organization, in the end it was still just a shadow organization. If they started operating out in the open, they’d eventually have no choice but to run and cut their losses. And if it was the power of the state they were up against, even more so.

“Still, it would be a burden, wouldn’t it?”

<It’d be a lie to say it wouldn’t be.>

“As the head of an organization unknown to the world, you have no choice but to think of the group.”

<Of course. The only reason I’m making a decision based on your words is because, in effect, I’ve already received a down payment. And that down payment is something money can’t buy. That’s reason enough to take a gamble.>

“Haha.”

With a smile, Jaeha spoke.

“Let me think it over for a moment, and I’ll get back to you.”

<Do that.>

Hanging up the phone, Jaeha lay down on the bed and quietly sank into thought. There were several options. If he simply accepted the gunpowder and bullets, as far as Jaeha was concerned, everything was fine. It wasn’t like they’d come biting at his heels. Whether the organization got caught or not was hardly his concern.

Even if they got busted and the whole organization fell apart, he wouldn’t be affected much. There were plenty of organizations he could use besides Herb Gramps’s.

Whether illegal or legal, there was nothing he couldn’t use if he set his mind to it. If Jaeha put in just a bit more effort from here on, becoming strong enough to rival the world’s best wouldn’t take all that long.

‘What should I do.’

Jaeha began to deliberate but couldn’t come to an easy answer. Tossing and turning through the night, he kept turning it over in his mind until he finally reached a conclusion.

‘Honestly, the right answer is to just request the purchase, and if problems arise, switch to someone else. But……’

That was the correct move in the current situation. Yet the reason Jaeha hesitated was that he didn’t want to abandon Herb Gramps and his organization. A rational mind that said he should cut them loose clashed with a sensibility that said they were still far too efficient to throw away. After much deliberation, Jaeha ultimately decided not to abandon them.

The reason was simple.

‘Literally, the shadows have their own uses. Besides, I’ve already built up a debt with them. It’d be a waste to discard that without using it. And you never know how things will turn out in life.’

With that, Jaeha smiled and rose from his seat. Gazing out at the dawn breaking outside, he began to move right away.

Episode 20

“It’s me.”

<Right. Took you longer than I expected.>

“I’m sure you already know, Elder.”

<……>

“That from my position, I’m in a situation where I need gunpowder, and I’m in a position to make demands.”

<Right……>

“And that once you grant my request, due to various circumstances, you’ll end up having to keep doing that work.”

<That’s how it’d be. You’re the bastard soloing the Elf Forest. There’s no way you’d give that up. And if that happens, from my position working in the shadows, the World Tree branch and the elf vocal cords are things I can’t afford to let go.>

“Yes, that’s right. In the end, if I make the request, you and your organization have to do it. And in the end, if the trail gets long, you get caught. The shadows are, literally, just the shadows.”

<Right. If you start stepping out into the light properly, eventually your range of movement shrinks or your trail gets stepped on.>

“Yes, exactly. And if you step into the light and your power wanes……”

<You’d abandon us. You’re a guy with unrivaled strength and ability. In the end, we’d be discarded by you. Because we’d lose the power to support you.>

“That’s correct.”

<And even if I tried to pressure you, considering the ability you have, you’d reach an unrivaled position anyway, so it’d be pointless talk.>

“That’s why I had to make a decision. Whether to abandon you and your organization, or to keep you along.”

<Right. But the fact that you’re talking to me this long tells me you’ve come up with something.>

“Yes, I have.”

<What is it? Spit it out.>

“Through one method or another, I’ve come to be able to create something new.”

<Hm. Something new?>

“Yes.”

<And what is this new thing?>

“Guns.”

“You’re saying you’ll sell guns?”

“Haha. Guns themselves aren’t anything new, are they?”

<New, you say……. Stop tormenting an old man and get to the point. You young pup.>

“Hahaha. It’s the bullets.”

<……Bullets?>

“Yes. I’m going to make bullets imbued with abilities this time.”

<Imbued with abilities…… you mean?>

“Yes. You know it. Bullets imbued with magic. If civilians could clear dungeons too…… well!”

<The whole world would come running in shock.>

“Exactly. And if the government says no…… well, I could always go to another country. No matter how stupid our government is, they’ve still got brains, don’t they?”

<They’d lift the sanctions. No—they’d withdraw the sanctions against you.>

“Yes. Well, they might lift the sanctions, but that’s a story for much later. Once enough of the things I’ve started selling have spread through the world that sanctions become pointless.”

<Right.>

“Once that happens, no one can say anything to me no matter what I do. Because if I don’t sell…… they’d fall behind the rest of the world.”

<……So in the end, what exactly am I supposed to do?>

“For now, I’ve only got a clear blueprint in my head—I haven’t actually started yet. It’ll take some time. In the meantime, please get me some bullets.”

<Understood.>

“Well, that’s about all I need.”

With that, the conversation came to an end, and Jaeha hung up. After hanging up, Jaeha immediately began searching through videos. It wasn’t long before he found one. He watched it right away. And then, a new skill was born.

[Enchant]

[Rank: Hero]

[Imbues objects, items, etc. with magic, properties, or effects]

[Mechanism: Total Ability × 500]

[Proficiency: 25%]

[Congratulations. The skill has received a synergy boost, increasing its proficiency.]

“Oh ho.”

[Enchant]

[Proficiency: 75%]

‘What did it synergize with?’

Jaeha checked his skills.