Chapter 170

As my mind cleared, my concentration sharpened even further.

—Bang!

The ice crystal shattered with a violent crack.

Once I grew accustomed to using them, the skills began firing off in rapid succession even before the system windows appeared.

But this still wasn’t enough.

—Fwaaash!

Sensing my improved condition, So Yeri the Hunter unleashed a massive ice crystal unlike any before.

“!”

If that hit, it wouldn’t just trap me in an ice prison—it would flash-freeze me solid.

Who the hell blasts like this?!

Of course, there was no time to complain.

The moment multiple system windows overlapped before my eyes…

“!”

The instant the system window appeared, I started staring at So Yeri the Hunter with fervent eyes.

“Oh?”

Amazed, So Yeri the Hunter—who had paused her attacks—picked up on my signal.

“You finally made a macro!”

So Yeri the Hunter cleared her throat.

“So Yeri Naming Services, commencing!”

She swooped toward me and whispered in my ear.

“Super… Ultra… General… King…”

I barely managed to protect the macro’s name from the grotesque monstrosity invading my brain.

“Phew.”

The moment I successfully defended the name, So Yeri the Hunter’s eyes sparkled.

“How’d it turn out? Did it become Super Ultra General King God Swordsmanship?”

“As if!”

We almost had another disaster!

I can’t let anything worse than Butter Soy Sauce Squid stain my perfect system windows!

“Aw, so close.”

So Yeri the Hunter pulled away from me again.

No matter how I looked at it, she’d clearly prepared the “Super Ultra something” name from the moment she mentioned her naming services.

“Close my ass! Get back here!”

I chased after So Yeri the Hunter, sword in hand.

Giggling wildly, she floated just above the ground, zipping across the clearing.

“You said So Yeri Naming Services!”

“I didn’t register the business!”

What a lame excuse! That little rascal!

I was chasing the giggling, fleeing So Yeri the Hunter when…

“This is all to help Shin Yuli Hunter-nim achieve independence. To avoid naming it something like ‘Right Now Monster Flying At Me’ even in emergencies, we need plenty of practice—”

While she was explaining with her hands spread wide…

“Behind you!”

By midway through, I couldn’t even hear her anymore.

I freaked out at the sight of an enormous stag beetle-like monster charging at So Yeri the Hunter with insane speed.

No matter how I squinted, it was unmistakably a monster.

And moreover…

No rank appeared above its head.

Since I’m A-rank, this thing was at least S-rank. Plus, its entire body was covered in a hard exoskeleton that no ordinary stab would penetrate.

“Huh?”

There was no time for So Yeri the Hunter to turn and dodge.

In my panic, I’d mixed in the macro, and it all applied perfectly.

I focused my mind on the sword tip, ignoring the flurry of system windows.

The spot that opened up when that monster moved.

I had to stab it precisely there, or I couldn’t stop those horns from goring So Yeri the Hunter.

Then the system window blocked my view.

Get out of the way!

—Stab!

Slipping past the startled So Yeri the Hunter like a shadow, my sword pierced between the monster’s exoskeleton plates.

“M-Mommy!”

So Yeri the Hunter jumped back in shock.

Forest Hard what? The half-assed name and the suspicious “+” next to it didn’t help.

But what was even more suspicious was my macro window.

“Whew, almost got gored by those horns.”

While So Yeri the Hunter caught her breath, I was pondering the vanity of life.

Saving her was great, but…

“……”

I glared at the skill macro window with a grave expression.

Still, wasn’t “Get Out of the Way” more normal than “Butter Soy Sauce Squid” or “Right Now Monster Flying At Me”?

“You okay?”

I tore my eyes from the system window and checked on So Yeri the Hunter.

Even with eyes accustomed to afterimages, I hadn’t seen the monster graze her, so she should be unharmed.

Sure enough, she held up both hands.

“Thanks to you, I’m fine. Gave me a scare, though. But…”

She eyed me carefully.

“Why the serious face? You didn’t overdo it, right?”

“Not overdoing it, but…”

I said with a wistful expression.

“In the heat of the moment, the attack skills stacked up, and another macro got created.”

“Oh!”

True to form for someone who lit up at new skills, So Yeri the Hunter’s eyes sparkled at the new macro too.

“The system window was blocking my view, so I thought ‘get out of the way,’ and it set the name to ‘Get Out of the Way’.”

“I can’t even!”

So Yeri the Hunter rolled on the ground, cackling.

As the tension eased, irritation bubbled up.

“Hey, who could name a macro properly in a life-or-death moment?”

But the world is full of all sorts.

So Yeri the Hunter abruptly stopped rolling and lifted her head.

“Maybe Joo Hunter Yian could.”

“……”

…Can’t argue with that!

The world is full of weirdos, and they might be closer than you think.

That was when I had that thought.

“Huh?”

So Yeri the Hunter’s eyes sparkled as if she’d spotted something on the ground.

What she picked up was a sharp, jagged stone fragment.

“What? Suddenly into primitive tools now?”

It did look a bit fancy for a primitive tool, with white and blue mixed in.

Primitive Tool Royal Family Edition?

“No, this is a magic stone.”

“Huh?”

Primitive Tool Magical Edition?

I glanced back at the path we’d taken up.

“Aren’t magic stones only found in mines?”

Well, shells are found on mountains sometimes, so maybe this world too?

As I thought lightly about it…

Surprisingly, So Yeri the Hunter looked serious.

“Magic stones can appear outside mines, but… this isn’t one from Edelweiss.”

Not made in wherever? You can tell just by looking?

Without even using Appraisal?

As I blinked, So Yeri the Hunter raised an eyebrow.

“You can tell by the mana flow patterns engraved on magic stones. But this one…”

She frowned suspiciously.

“…looks like a Porlang magic stone.”

“Pardon?”

Porlang again?

Hearing So Yeri the Hunter, I pondered gravely.

“Could it be the system has a one-sided crush on me?”

“?”

So Yeri the Hunter shot me a horrified look.

It’s a joke!

“No, earlier the S-rank quest was to take down Porlang. But it seems clearing it requires not just chopping heads but also tanking reputation hits to the family.”

“Oh?”

So Yeri the Hunter’s eyes widened at my words.

Then she looked down at the Porlang magic stone.

“Talk about perfect timing—it just rolled right in.”

Right? I pointed at the magic stone.

“Porlang doesn’t sell magic stones; they only use them in their territory. Any way to prove this is a Porlang magic stone?”

So Yeri the Hunter nodded immediately.

“Of course. Pre-Gate incident, maybe not, but now mages are everywhere.”

She shook the magic stone.

“Each magic stone origin has unique patterns. Plus, this one’s got traces of being embedded in a monster, so…”

Porlang magic stones aren’t even sold to outsiders—they’re too busy using them themselves.

The Porlang family manages them tightly as one of their key resources.

So finding one randomly embedded in a monster’s back smack in the middle of my territory could only mean one thing.

Porlang was trying to screw over Edelweiss.

“Never thought I’d use a primitive tool as evidence.”

I scratched my cheek.

Ricas has probably already sent letters to the Eastern Empire and Porlang by now.

I’d cleared out the mansion to let them rampage freely while I trained.

Soon, a pack of idiots with the legendary dumb comp of “3 DPS, 2 Tanks, 1 Healer, 1 Buffer” would try raiding the Gate.

Even though it was S-rank exclusive, upper A-ranks would use the same strategy.

And who would use that brilliant strategy? Only Porlang and the Eastern Empire.

By then, Ricas could slap them with evidence of their collusion letter with Kinna, and we’d clean house neatly.

“Gotta start the society rumors first.”

About how Viscount Porlang didn’t wish prosperity on my daughter but instead pulled dirty tricks, embedding a Primitive Tool Magical Edition on my family monster’s back.

That gossip would be a fresh spark for the Gate-weary high society crowd.

[Viscount Porlang couldn’t pray for his daughter’s prosperity and instead schemed filthy plots.]

…Or something like that.