Chapter 3

Waking from sleep, Jaeha opened his eyes. He looked around and first checked how much time had passed. After confirming that well over 12 hours had gone by, he slowly began removing the needles.

After pulling out the numerous needles, Jaeha lay still for a moment, and before long, he got up from his spot.

“What the—”

Discovering that the bed had turned pitch black, a flustered Jaeha looked around.

He hadn’t noticed right after waking up, but not just the bed—the entire room was filled with a terribly foul odor.

“Ah, is this waste discharged from my body?”

Muttering to himself, Jaeha stripped off the bedsheets, and upon seeing that the mattress had also turned black, he let out a sigh and disassembled the bed. He propped it against one side of the wall while airing out the room. Then he checked his status.

[Na Jaeha]

[LV: 1]

[Total Ability: 50]

[Skills: Give Me Strength on MuTube, Half Recovery, Divine Physician Hua Tuo’s Secret Art]

“50?!”

Jaeha’s eyes went wide as he confirmed his Total Ability. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

“Considering my Unique Skill, that makes sense.”

Then, while checking his information, Jaeha also examined his condition. His body felt at its peak right now, but he wanted to see it visually.

[Penalty — Constitution Improvement]

“Penalty?”

He began checking the detailed information.

[Penalty (Loss of Innate Vitality): A penalty incurred from forcibly altering the constitution one is born with. Total Ability -100%, Duration: 2 months]

“……Tch.”

Jaeha let out a sigh and muttered.

“Is there no way to shorten it?”

[The duration can be reduced by using an Elixir.]

Jaeha’s eyes lit up at the helpfully appearing window.

“Elixir……? Ah, herbal medicine!”

The Divine Physician Hua Tuo’s Secret Art that Jaeha had obtained was divided into two branches. Namely, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.

Herbal Medicine was, fundamentally, using medicinal herbs to accomplish something. If that was the case, then he should be able to make an elixir¹ too.

With that, Jaeha activated his skill and began searching for an elixir that could restore his current condition. The elixir was easier to find than he expected, and after checking how to make it, Jaeha smiled and spoke.

“There are more ingredients than I thought. I wonder if I can buy them all with the money I have now. First, I need to head to Gyeongdong Market.”

With that, Jaeha got up, took the bed out to the trash area, and headed for Gyeongdong Market.

* * *

The shopkeeper recognized Jaeha as he came into the store where he’d bought the needles, and smiled as he spoke.

“It hasn’t been that long and you’re already back.”

“While doing some things, I found I need medicinal herbs too.”

“What do you need?”

Jaeha handed him a note with the necessary items written on it.

“Hmm……”

Looking at the note, he said,

“I have most of these. But this usnea lichen—it’s a really rare herb. It’ll take some time to source it.”

“How long would it take?”

“Hard to say……. This is normally harvested starting in autumn, you see? It’s May right now. I think most of what was picked last year has already been used up. I’ll try to find some, but I can’t promise how long it’ll take.”

“……So it would take a long time?”

“Does it have to be exactly 200g?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’ll take at least a few months.”

“…….”

“Mind if I ask what you’re using it for?”

“I’m trying to make a medicine.”

“You said you’re a Hunter, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, are you making it using some kind of skill?”

“Yes.”

“Then it doesn’t have to be usnea lichen, does it?”

“I…… suppose not?”

“Try dungeon herbs instead. There are plenty among dungeon herbs that have the same effect. Plus, the quantities are larger.”

“Ah…….”

Jaeha nodded at the shopkeeper’s words.

“I know a place that deals in that sort of thing. Want me to introduce you?”

“Yes, please!”

“Haha, alright. Wait a moment.”

With that, he went to the back of the store, and about 10 minutes later, he came back out.

“Go to this place. Well……. Hunters often use something called the Auction House, but there’s no reliable information about it, right? Go there and ask around. They’ll probably be able to get it for you.”

“Thank you.”

After giving his thanks, Jaeha paid for the herbs other than the usnea lichen, stepped outside, and headed to the place he’d been directed to.

* * *

“Is this…… the place?”

Arriving at a building with no proper signboard, Jaeha looked around as he spoke.

Just then, an old man appeared.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, I’m……”

“What brings you here?”

“Yes. Well, the owner of the acupuncture shop in Gyeongdong Market told me to come here.”

“I asked what brings you here.”

“Ah, yes. Well…… I’m looking for a dungeon herb that has the same effect as usnea lichen.”

“Pine mushroom?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, wait a moment.”

With that, the old man went into the shop, and Jaeha waited outside feeling a bit awkward. A moment later, the old man came out carrying something.

“Here.”

Taking the mushroom the old man handed him, Jaeha looked at it.

“That should have a similar effect to the usnea lichen you mentioned. I can’t say for certain, but that’s how it seemed when I used it.”

“Ah…… yes. Thank you. How much is it?”

“Forget it. Money, what money. Go sell some goods to the one who introduced you here later.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As Jaeha said that, the old man went back into the building, and Jaeha headed straight home.

Once home, Jaeha immediately began making the elixir. He applied heat to the herbs on the gas stove, then dried them thoroughly, ground them up, and bound the ingredients together to form a pill.

[Incomplete Divine Physician Hua Tuo’s Pill]

[Has an excellent effect on restoring vitality. However, something about it feels incomplete.]

The word “incomplete” in the description nagged at him a bit, but Jaeha put it in his mouth anyway.

[Penalty (Loss of Innate Vitality): A penalty incurred from forcibly altering one’s inborn constitution. Total Ability -100%, Duration: 1 month 15 days]

“……Just three more and I’m good.”

He’d brought back plenty of mushrooms, so that was enough. But he was short on the other ingredients. Jaeha immediately got up from his seat.

* * *

After buying more herbs and returning, Jaeha combined them to make the elixir. He made three more elixirs and consumed them.

[Penalty (Loss of Innate Vitality): A penalty incurred from forcibly altering one’s inborn constitution. Total Ability -100%, Duration: 1 month]

“What the hell. I ate all three.”

[Consumed an incomplete elixir.]

“Ah.”

It seemed to be because of the ingredients used to make the elixir. But there was no way to obtain usnea lichens, so in the end, the only option was to make a bunch of these and eat them.

With that, Jaeha headed back to Gyeongdong Market and bought herbs as much as his money allowed. Keeping only a certain amount of money, he moved on to buy more dungeon materials.

“What is it? Why are you back again?”

“Well…… the medicine didn’t come out properly. I suppose it’s because the ingredients are different.”

“Hmm, well, that was all I had.”

“Ah…… then is there nothing else?”

“Wait a moment.”

At Jaeha’s words, the old man went into the building, and Jaeha waited quietly. After about 30 minutes, the old man walked out carrying an armful of something.

“Here.”

“How much is it?”

“Forget the money. Let me ask you a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

“Yes…… what is it?”

“This branch is similar to the usnea lichen you mentioned.”

“Yes.”

“And I don’t know the exact effects of the rest.”

“Yes.”

“Go find out what they do.”

“Understood.”

“Hmm?”

“What’s the matter?”

“Hmm. Nothing.”

“I just need to find out their effects, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll come back after I’ve sorted everything out.”

“Sure.”

Jaeha said with a smile, picked up the items, and headed home.

Back home, Jaeha began washing and preparing the branches. Since they needed to be thoroughly dried and ground to make the elixir, he placed them over the fire at an appropriate distance.

Even though they were branches, since they came from a dungeon, they didn’t catch fire on the gas stove. Jaeha set them over the flame and began checking the other herbs.

The ingredients he’d received were not just one or two. There were mushrooms, fruits, wood pieces, and even meat and leather-like things. Looking at them, Jaeha used his herbal medicine skill, and after a brief inspection and poking them with a needle, he could figure out their effects without much difficulty.

Each herb took at most about a minute to identify its effects. Jaeha organized the results and wrote them in his notebook in large letters. Then he picked up the last remaining herb, and after confirming its effect, his eyes gleamed slightly.

[Upon consumption, has an excellent effect on restoring vitality and grants mana equivalent to up to 3 Ether.]

“You gain mana?”

Mana was necessary for using skills. The absolute amount varied from person to person, but there were also methods to increase that amount. And one of those methods was items that boosted mana. Such items were uniformly expensive.

After confirming the effects, Jaeha thought for a moment, set a few aside, and began organizing the herbs’ effects. Then, while waiting for the herbs he’d use to make pills to dry, he decided to watch some videos.

‘Come to think of it, what’s my trait?’

Every Hunter had their own trait. From tanks to dealers, supporters, and so on—there were many different traits, and a trait was a snapshot of a Hunter’s talent.

For example, a Hunter who was a tank wouldn’t be very efficient even if they learned damage-dealing skills. Instead, when they learned tanking skills, they could start with higher utility and proficiency compared to others.

Jaeha, who had been about to watch videos, decided it would be best to obtain a skill suited to him, so he checked his trait first.

“Check trait.”

Not long after, a system window appeared saying it was complete, and Jaeha opened his status window to confirm his trait.

[Na Jaeha]

[Trait: Ranged Dealer]

[LV: 1]

[Total Ability: 50]

[Skills: Give Me Strength on MuTube, Half Recovery, Divine Physician Hua Tuo’s Secret Art]

“Ranged Dealer?”

It wasn’t a trait he’d never seen before, but it wasn’t a common one either. Most dealers just came up as ‘Dealer’—it wasn’t often that they were specifically classified as a ‘Ranged’ dealer.

The fact that it came out this way meant Jaeha had no talent for fighting at close range.

‘I wonder what kinds of skills ranged dealers use.’

Since nothing immediately came to mind when he thought of ranged dealers, Jaeha browsed various sites to gather information.

As he gathered information, he learned that most ranged dealers fought using bows.

‘Should I go the bow route too?’

And while searching, he discovered one more thing.

‘The perception of archers is practically garbage.’

Because they had to carry around a lot of arrows, they weren’t popular with porters either. On top of that, even if becoming a Hunter improved one’s dynamic vision and various other abilities, it was a far-fetched prospect for an ordinary person to pick up a bow for the first time in their life.

That was why the accuracy of Hunters who had just undergone Awakening and used bows was nothing to write home about. And since poor accuracy meant a chance of hitting allies, most close-range warriors reportedly shied away from archers.

Moreover, a wooden bow couldn’t deal proper damage, and bows made powerful with iron or Ogre Sinew were useless because archers couldn’t even draw the bowstring properly.

‘Extremely mediocre. High risk, and I’m not sure about the return.’