ALL NOVEL Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Although it didn’t show on the surface, Seonghyeon was quite pleased with the rewards he received, and the old ghost laughed cheerfully.
He laughed like a grandfather giving a present to his grandchild.
“Hohoho, I’m glad you seem to like it! See you again next time!”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
“No, no, I’m the one who’s grateful! Hohoho!”
Just as he had first appeared, the ghost vanished, moving to a distant spot as if by teleportation, then disappeared entirely—like a ghost straight out of a horror movie.
After seeing the old ghost off, Seonghyeon immediately checked what he had received.
『Explorer』
→ 《Normal》
→ A title granted to players who uncover hidden treasures.
→ Increases the chance of receiving additional rewards upon dungeon clearance by 5%.
『Green Deer Leather Gloves』
→ 《Rare+》
→ Green leather gloves crafted from the hide of a green deer.
→ The leather is tougher and lighter than that of regular deer, making it ideal for agile movements.
→ Increases attack speed by 5%.
『Forest Hunter Set (4/4)』
→ Increases movement speed by 10%.
→ Increases attack speed by 5%.
→ Increases evasion rate by 5%.
“Wow.”
The Explorer title seemed somewhat underwhelming, but the Green Deer Leather Gloves and Forest Hunter Set appeared incredibly useful.
With the set bonuses alone, movement speed increased by 10%, attack speed by 5%, and evasion rate by 5%.
That was excellent.
In games like these, stats like evasion rate and attack speed were crucial.
Adding the item effects to the mix, his movement speed jumped by a staggering 20%, attack speed by 10%, with an additional defense bonus of +8% and penetration power of 10%.
Every single option was valuable.
“I really scored big this time.”
It was all thanks to the ghosts.
Had it not been for the old ghost’s hints, he might never have discovered the hidden dungeon. Without the hunter ghost Apik, dealing with beast-type monsters would have been far more challenging.
Moreover, if it weren’t for the Drill Instructor’s Ghost, he wouldn’t have become so proficient with a sword.
Everything had built up, one step at a time, to lead him here.
“Let’s check how these item stats actually perform.”
It was important to get a proper sense of how much the numbers had improved.
2.
As Seonghyeon headed back to the rabbit hunting grounds, several players recognized him.
“Hey, isn’t that the same player from before?”
“That guy?”
“The one who got the hidden piece in the training ground.”
“What? The training ground too? I heard he earned a title in the butcher’s shop.”
“Crazy. No wonder he was killing rabbits in one hit.”
“Unbelievable. Is he some recruit from a major guild?”
The players chattered, but Seonghyeon had already heightened his focus, ignoring their remarks.
What others said wasn’t important anyway.
He concentrated, recalling only the memories and experiences of the Drill Instructor’s Ghost.
When he first hunted rabbits, he hadn’t yet gained the memories and skills of the hunter ghost Apik.
He intended to test under similar conditions this time—just to gauge the changes in his stats.
After fully focusing and opening his eyes again, Seonghyeon moved.
Bang!
Dust and debris kicked up from the ground where he had stood moments before.
His enhanced agility had made him that fast. Even accounting for his improved stats, his current speed was far beyond what it had been when hunting deer.
The movement speed increase of 20% felt more like 40% in practice.
“What the hell?!”
“Wh-what kind of speed is that?!”
“Aren’t we all beginners with the same stats?!”
“Is that guy really level 1 too?!”
“Wow!”
Some marveled in awe, others were struck speechless, and still others were consumed with envy as they watched Seonghyeon’s movements.
Unbothered by their chatter, Seonghyeon gripped Tiger’s Fang tightly and charged toward a rabbit.
Since it was 10 cm shorter than the Steel Sword, instead of swinging it, he chose to stab—swiftly closing the gap and thrusting.
That’s what the Drill Instructor’s Ghost had taught him to do.
As he stabbed the rabbit—
Thwack!
The rabbit couldn’t even react before its neck was pierced, and its head dropped to the ground.
One rabbit’s head rolled away, and Seonghyeon quickly pivoted, charging toward another.
Thud-thud-thud!
Thwack! Thwack! Thud!
Seonghyeon thrust precisely at each rabbit, feeling how much more easily his attacks penetrated compared to before.
Was this thanks to the increased penetration power?
In an instant, the heads of five rabbits rolled to the ground, and shortly after, messages popped up, confirming the critical hits and “One Strike” effects for all five.
Seonghyeon dismissed the messages and sheathed his shortsword, Tiger’s Fang, with ease.
They say people can be so shocked that they’re left speechless.
That was precisely the state of the other players.
“What did I just witness?”
“Was that even real?”
“This is insane…”
“How can there be such a massive gap? It’s not even worth being jealous of…”
Seonghyeon’s overwhelming skill was beyond comparison.
While they were struggling to catch even a single rabbit, chasing them frantically, he had effortlessly wiped out five in one swift flurry of movements.
Words failed them.
Silently accepting their inadequacy, they stopped gawking and returned to their own rabbit hunts with renewed determination.
Even if they couldn’t do what Seonghyeon did, they wouldn’t give up!
With that mindset, the players redoubled their efforts.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Stop right there!”
“You won’t escape me!”
“Here I come!!!”
The hunting ground had become a hotbed of enthusiasm thanks to Seonghyeon.
Oblivious to the energy he had sparked, Seonghyeon calmly focused on analyzing his options.
“The effects are better than I thought.”
Although his movement speed had increased by 20% and his attack speed by 10%, it felt much greater in practice.
Perhaps the synergy between the two stats was amplifying the results.
Satisfied with his testing, Seonghyeon quietly sat down to butcher the five rabbits.
With his tasks completed, it was time to return to the village.
There were no more quests for him to tackle, so it was about time to leave the beginner’s village.
He needed to head to the next village to level up quickly.
Even so, a thought lingered in Seonghyeon’s mind, making him mutter expectantly to himself.
“Hero Hindel…”
It seemed fitting to leave the beginner’s village, Hindel, only after finding one more ghost.
If he couldn’t find one, he’d leave immediately. But if there was another ghost—
“The memories and experiences of a hero…”
The memories and experiences of the Drill Instructor’s Ghost and the hunter ghost Apik alone had pushed him far beyond what any beginner could achieve.
What would happen if he acquired the memories and experiences of Hero Hindel?
It was only speculation for now, but the thought filled Seonghyeon with anticipation as he made his way back to the village.
When Seonghyeon arrived in the village, an alert rang from his capsule.
[You have received a voice message from outside.]
[Seonghyeon, don’t forget to eat your meals.]
It was the voice of his mother, Mrs. Lee Nakyeong.
Was it already lunchtime?
He decided to eat before continuing his search.
0.
[Eternal World is always here for you.]
Exiting the game with the logout message displayed, Seonghyeon stretched his stiff body after emerging from the capsule.
Spending so much time inside, his body felt stiff and creaky.
It was as though he had woken up from a long nap—a lingering tiredness, as if he had been dreaming for hours.
He realized games required physical stamina, too.
“Is this why Mina exercises regularly?”
Most professional gamers, it seemed, incorporated fitness into their routines.
Maybe he should do the same.
As Seonghyeon contemplated exercise and walked to the living room, a delicious aroma greeted him.
Sniffing the air, he identified the earthy, savory scent of doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).
There were also fried eggs and his favorite sausage side dish. On the table were quintessentially Korean staples: napa cabbage kimchi and scallion kimchi.
Though simple in layout, the sight of homemade food made Seonghyeon’s mouth water.
Even though he’d had breakfast, the gameplay had left him ravenous. He sat down at the table immediately.
“Oh my, Seonghyeon, what’s gotten into you? Sitting to eat right away?”
“Ah, playing games makes me hungry.”
“Oh dear, Mina said the same thing. I thought she was just making excuses!”
“Mom! I wasn’t making it up!” Mina’s protest came with a shrill tone as Mrs. Lee Nakyeong chuckled.
Seonghyeon merely nodded, unfazed. The two of them bickering like this was nothing new.
As Seonghyeon waited, Mrs. Lee Nakyeong smiled and spoke cheerfully.
“Well, I have plans, so you two eat on your own, okay?”
“Alright. Take care, Mom!”
“You could’ve told us earlier; we could’ve made our own food.”
“Hey! Saying that makes me sound like a bad daughter!”
“Well, aren’t you?”
“Mom!”
With Seonghyeon’s jab added to the mix, Mina yelled again, making both him and their mother laugh.
Didn’t her throat hurt from all that yelling?
Still chuckling, Mrs. Lee Nakyeong added, “Since my son came home after so long, I wanted to cook three meals a day for him! We ate out the first night, remember?”
“Next time, just let us know in advance. We’ll handle it.”
“Oh, so dependable!”
“Why are you looking at me, then?” Mina grumbled, crossing her arms.
Mrs. Lee Nakyeong merely smiled innocently and waved goodbye, hurriedly leaving the house for her appointment. Her unusually brisk pace suggested she was running late.
Watching her leave, Seonghyeon felt a twinge of concern and clicked his tongue softly.
“Next time, let’s handle it ourselves.”
“…Fine.”
Looking genuinely chastened, Mina replied in a subdued voice.
Smiling to himself, Seonghyeon dug into the warm bowl of rice. Mina, apparently just as hungry, soon joined him.
As they quietly ate, Seonghyeon suddenly remembered something and swallowed before speaking.
“Oh, by the way, you were right.”
“About what? Ah! It’s fun, right?”
“No, not that.”
“Huh? You didn’t have fun?” Mina’s tone grew tense.
“Actually, I did. It was a blast.”
“Phew! That’s a relief. I mean, no one’s ever said Eternal World wasn’t fun! So, what did I get right?”
While slurping a spoonful of doenjang-jjigae, Mina waited for his response.
Seonghyeon replied nonchalantly, “I saw ghosts in the game.”
“PUHAHAHA!”
Doenjang-jjigae sprayed out of Mina’s mouth at a speed faster than it had gone in.
Reacting instinctively, Seonghyeon ducked under the table, his movements guided by Apik’s memories.
‘Huh?’
Why was this reflexive in real life too?
Though it wasn’t as immediate as in the game, it had certainly helped.
Meanwhile, Mina choked on her own laughter, coughing and reaching for water.
“That—cough cough—what was that move?! You were so fast!”
Mina stared at him in shock. Her once-normal little brother had always been average in every way, so his sudden agility took her aback.
Seonghyeon, now standing, scowled at the soup splattered around the table. Mina, noticing his expression, sheepishly grabbed some wet wipes to clean it up.
“So, um, what did you mean by seeing ghosts in the game?”
“Well, I mean literal ghosts. NPCs who died and left behind spirits. Junk data, maybe? That sort of thing.”
“Wow, seriously?”
“Yeah, but that’s not the most important thing.”
“What? Seeing ghosts isn’t important? They must help with hidden pieces, right?”
As someone familiar with Eternal World, Mina knew the significance of hidden pieces all too well.
Finding one could lead to huge advantages, especially if the ghost hinted at a hidden piece no one else knew about.
But Seonghyeon shook his head.
“You can absorb their memories and experiences.”
“…What?!”
Seeing ghosts wasn’t the important part.