The Gardener in a Hunter World

‘I never thought I’d get in here.’

Ji-ha was waiting for people in front of the Witch’s Cauldron Hunter Store in District 7 of Seoul. 

“Come on, get in line!”

“If you don’t follow the order, the entry time will increase!”

There were normally a lot of hunters in front of the hunter supply store, but today it was especially crowded. The black and blue dungeon entrance was sitting in front of the store. Hunters enter the dungeon through this gate, and they receive quests when they proceed. Most of the quests were about annihilating the monsters inside or holding out for a while, but there were also cases like this dungeon where there were no quests at all. Hunters in winter clothes muttered as they based in front of Ji-ha. 

“There are many cases where there are no quests at all in places like polar regions or desert dungeons. The time limit is either very generous or nonexistent.”

“Ah, so survival itself is the goal, right?”

“Well, I don’t know about that… What is certain is that no one has cleared a polar dungeon. Since there is no goal in the first place, no one even knows what to do to break it.”

The hunter, who seemed to be a newcomer, muttered as he looked around the gate. 

“Surprisingly, there are a lot of people like that, right? I guess they are newbies like me.”

“The rankers are taking a nap. It is terribly cold, and there is nothing inside, so what are you going to do? At most, newbies who are curious about what polar dungeons are come to them.”

“Well, I guess so.”

He had the experience of entering the dungeon as a latecomer, so he knew roughly what a polar dungeon was like. However, after hearing the stories of the hunters in the field, it made them wonder why they had come here. Does Seong-ho really think that this dungeon will help him?

‘It’s a favor from my brother.’

He thought that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some experience. Seeing the situation positively was one of his strengths. I was about to move my feet for a while, but Seong-ho and Jumi appeared in special winter clothes. 

“Ji-ha, did you wait long?”

“No, what?”

“Our Ji-ha, it seems like your face has improved quite a bit. Have you eaten anything good? Or are you dating a girl?”

Jumi approached and rubbed Ji-ha’s cheeks with her hands, smiling broadly. She was Seong-ho’s wife and had awakened as the healer class. According to the people around her, she has a mild personality to the point that they have never seen her get angry. In particular, she was a person who treated Ji-ha more kindly than blood relatives. How thankful I was that she sometimes came and gave me a bundle of side dishes. 

“I don’t have a lady, but I am a bit lucky these days.”

“What luck?”

“What is that……”

Ji-ha gave a brief explanation of the category 0 dungeons. Because Hye-jin and Cheol-heon know anyway. After hearing everything, Seong-ho furrowed his forehead slightly. 

“Why is this my first time hearing that? Didn’t it happen before yesterday?”

“I was going to tell my brother, but he left because he was busy before I could.”

“Uh, when?”

“When you brought the information about the polar dungeon.”

Seong-ho’s hardened face melted away and became a dumbfounded face. 

“Hahaha, it was. Sorry, sorry something happened then.”

“This man, what is Ji-ha hiding from you?”

Seong-ho is embarrassed when Jumi slaps him on the arm. 

“No, I’m not saying you’re hiding something from me… Uh, over there comes Seon-yeong, Seon-yeong!”

Just in time, Hwang-Seon-yeong broke through the crowd and appeared while reading a thick book. She looks like a skinny literary girl wearing round glasses, but she collapses while carrying a large backpack and approaching her with a gun. 

“Oh my.”

“Be careful.”

“My book.”

To her, where the book went is more important than whether she fell. Seon-yeong is admitted to the dungeons as a serious typographer, but is always reading books. Thanks to that, people used to guess that she had awakened as the rarest class. 

“Is sister ok?”

When Ji-ha asks, she quickly picks up the book and approaches. 

“Yes, I am fine. But it seems like I haven’t seen you in a very long time. Has it been about a month?”

“We went to the wholesale center together before, don’t you remember?”

“Huh? Did we? I’m getting older, so I can’t remember……”

“What kind of memory is this girl at an age where she can easily move around?”

When Jumi, who had turned 30, said a word, Seon-yeong stuck out her tongue. Ji-ha also explained the category 0 dungeon to her. 

“Book, didn’t you find a book?”

‘As expected, this older sister……’

Resources and materials mean nothing to her. Only ancient books written in the common language of the continent were important. 

“Sorry, but there were none.”

“I see… Next time you find one, you must lend it to me, okay?”

“Yes.”

Seon-yeong smiled and opened the book and asked about the interpretation of one part. Even thought she had read so many books, her continental language skills were lower than Ji-ha’s. I think it is because she reads so much that if she doesn’t know something, she skips it. Seong-ho sighed and held the two of them by the shoulder. 

“You guys, you can read books when you get home, let’s focus today. You came to the polar dungeon and I need to brief you.”

Like students who are obedient, the two put their books away and waited for Seong-ho to speak. 

***

{Difficulty: Category 1

Type: Polar

Target: None

Time Limit: None}

“Wow!”

“This is no joke!”

As soon as the dungeon was entered, screams erupted one after another. The four of them trembled from the bitter cold in the icy field. Even the winter clothes were of no use. 

“It is minus 55 degrees……”

“Potion, take a potion. I will freeze to death like this.”

It was so cold that even the breath would freeze. Seong-ho turned the potion bottle around as if he couldn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it. 

“Oh, that’s 32% cold resistance in one bottle… I don’t think it makes sense.”

“You said that Ji-ha tested it yourself. And won’t you know it when you consume it?”

When Jumi scolded him, he felt embarrassed. Seon-yeong pressed down on Ji-ha’s shoulder.

“Hey, isn’t this expensive? 15% costs hundreds of thousands of won.”

“I know. If you sell this on Hunter Mania, won’t it be worth a lot of money?”

“It’s ok, just consume it.”

“No, but……”

Jumi tried to say something, but Ji-ha shook his head. 

“Anyway, the cold resistance potion isn’t expensive because it isn’t used much. There are no resources in a cold dungeon.”

“Ji-ha is right. Because potions vary widely in price depending on their use… Since there are no resources in arctic dungeons, the demand for them must be quite low.”

“Well, the people camped at the gate were all newcomers.”

Still, at least 1 million won would be the price, but anyway, since Ji-ha shows this reaction, they have no choice but to accept it. Everyone opens the stopper, gulps, and checks their status windows. The three of them had their jaws drop. 

“Wow……”

“This is how it works. Awesome, great.”

“Our Ji-ha, he really made a good one.”

What he said was not a lie. In the elemental resistance section of the status window, cold resistance has been changed to 32%. Even though they were wearing winter clothes, the feeling that the whole body was freezing was considerably alleviated, and they were able to endure it moderately. Seong-ho shrugged and stepped forward. 

“Come on, there is no time limit, but we can’t stay here for long, so let’s go quickly.”

The three diligently followed Seong-ho. It was a dungeon that seemed to have nothing but a desolate field of ice, but the briefing said that there were monsters that still appeared from time to time. They would use the compass when they wanted to return to the gate. The compass was an artifact that was frequently dropped in various dungeons, and was a magical item that indicated the direction of the gate. If it wasn’t for this, there would have been quite a few people who couldn’t get out of the dungeon. 

‘Anyway, there’s really nothing here.’

Wherever you look, there is only ice, ice. It looked like something you would find in the most desolate place in Antarctica. The party set out to explore with Ji-ha in the middle. But what is this? Jumi, who was walking with a thermometer, tilted her head. 

“Seong-ho, the temperature keeps rising… it’s minus 40 degrees now.”

“Ok? This wasn’t in the report. It’s strange.”

Anyway, the higher the temperature, the easier it was to endure. With the addition of 32% cold resistance to the winter clothes, it felt like 20 degrees below zero. Ji-ha looked around and found something. 

‘What is that?’

A golden light shimmered across the horizon. It was as if no one else had seen it, but as the temperature went up, he felt his steps urged forward. Ji-ha walked a little faster and grabbed Seong-ho’s arm. 

“Brother. See that thing over there? It shines gold.”

“What is there?”

Everyone stopped and looked in the direction Ji-ha indicated, and saw it. 

“Something is shining gold… Shouldn’t we go?”

Jumi urged Seong-ho to make a decision. 

“We have to go. It is important to find anything here. Ji-ha, well done. Even if I wear glasses, can my eyes see so well?”

“I was lucky.”

Seon-yeong, who was wearing glasses, smiled and stroked Ji-ha’s hair. 

The party kept walking to find the golden light. The snow storm, which had stopped for a while, raged again, but strangely, the light was still very clear.  But something is strange. After the snowstorm stopped, what the group found was not a golden glow, but a huge tree root. Everyone was overwhelmed by the massiveness and visuals and went speechless. Tree roots, each as thick as a building, protruded through the ice. 

“Wow… It’s really big.”

“Books, books, books……”

Seon-yeong was busy looking for a book and drawing, while Ji-ha blankly stared at the tree roots for a while. 

*woo woo woo-*

Was no one else hearing this? The aspiration from the roots of the tree continued to irritate his nerves. It was as if they were guiding him somewhere. Seong-ho’s thick voice interrupted. 

“No way, this won’t attack us right? This giant tree?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Do you know where this tree came from?”

“No, I was just asking. Anyway, it is very warm here. How is the temperature?”

“Oh my goodness. It is 20 degrees.”

“…Hey, something is a little strange. If these tree roots were this close to the gate, there is no way other hunters wouldn’t find them.”

When Seon-yeong pointed out this strange thing, everyone nodded. Certainly, there was something strange about the roots of this tree. 

“Because the tree roots are so big… My feeling about it is more pity than fear. Do you think the tree is dead?”

“If it is a tree this big, I don’t think that it will die anytime soon… the main body should be somewhere else nearby.”

“Couldn’t the tree be a god-like being in this dimension?”

Seon-yeong, who reads a lot of old books, said something silly and everyone laughed. 

“Ah, what kind of god……”

Ji-ha, leaving behind the group’s small talk, walked towards the place where the loud humming sound could be heard. Seong-ho called for him, but he didn’t hear him. After walking for a while, he noticed something green forming between the tree roots. 

{Sap Jelly: The Theradron’s food. Preferred.}

‘Theradron eats this?’

Then, have they been starving up until now? The Theradron’s starvation came to the mind of Ji-ha. They didn’t have a cute appearance, but they were pretty likable creatures, doing things like giving humming bell seeds. When he put his hand on it, it felt like jelly. Preferred must have been to show how much the Theradrons like it. Ji-ha got down on one knee, took out a tool, and put the sap jelly into a plastic bag. The people who followed him were bewildered. 

“What is that? Is that used for alchemy?”

“I don’t know yet, but I think the answer will come out if I refine it.”

“It is fortunate that Ji-ha got something.”

At that time, bugs gathered around Ji-ha. At first, everyone thought that it was a firefly, but the shape was different. Jumi was surprised to see the brightly glowing insect and hugged Seong-ho’s arm. 

“Wow……”

While Seon-yeong opened her mouth, insects began to fly around Ji-ha. It felt like a curtain of light was drawn.

{Symbiote}

It means living together and helping each other. Could these bugs have a symbiotic relationship with the tree roots?

‘Let’s grab some for now.’

I don’t know what it is, but I thought that it might be related to the forest in my dreams, so I diligently collected some insects. Then someone appeared from behind the roots of the tree. Seong-ho tensed the muscles of his whole body and lifted the wooden shield, but Seon-yeong let out a gasp. The person who appeared in front of the group was none other than Seo Hye-jin.As soon as she appeared, the quest in the dungeon was renewed. 

{Difficulty: Category 3

Type: Polar

Goal: Kill a group of Frost Trolls in the Northwest Valley.

Time Limit: 2 Hours}

People’s expressions changed dramatically. Seo Hye-jin didn’t understand why they were making faces like that. Her quest window did not change.

***

Fortunately, Park Seong-ho, Lee Jumi, and Seo Hye-jin knew each other. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they are friendly. No one is close to Hye-jin. Except for one person. So, even though the hunters had met Hye-jin, they were unfamiliar. Seong-ho and Jumi have gentle personalities, but they were not gentle to people that were rumored to be disrespectful of other people. Hye-jin again feels that she is alone, and goes forward coldly… When things get so twisted, there is no way to fix them. But there are people who don’t care about that kind of atmosphere. 

“Hello.”

“……”

Silence fell for a moment. The Happy Hunters Guild’s party wondered why Ji-ha pretended to know Hye-jin.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

The strange thing is that Hye-jin reacted. Seon-yeong was not interested, but Seong-ho and Jumi were greatly surprised. To think that Hye-jin, who is like an ice princess, was greeting him. Ji-ha smiled lightly, not paying attention to the reaction of the two. 

“I am lucky. I got a chance because there are good people.”

“I hear that word of luck from you quite often.”

“Because it is true.”

“Is that so… But I can’t believe that I was able to come this far no matter how many potions I asked for.”

“Hye-jin, it sounds like you came here after a lot of hard work, right?”

“I think it took at least three to four hours.”

“… DId we arrive right away? I don’t think it has been 30 minutes.”

Jumi checked her watch with a groan. Seong-ho looked at them together and nodded. 

“Exactly 28 minutes have passed. Hye-jin, did it really take that long? We came here right away.”

“Yes.”

“It’s strange… Did you get the quest? It has been updated to kill a group of frost trolls now.”

“No.”

Jumi felt sorry for Hye-jin’s short-answer tone. How heartbroken must she be to have her personality change like this? Prior to Seung-hyeok’s disappearance, Hye-jin wasn’t such a cold person. Even though I have difficulties with interpersonal relationships, I was still able to talk to people, but somehow…… At the same time, it was strange to be able to have a conversation with Hye-jin. What kind of relationship was there? Between the general store owner and the 12th ranked hunter. Then Seong-ho stepped out. 

“As I just said, we have been given a quest. I don’t know why Hye-jin wasn’t given the quest, but we have to deal with this anyway. The catastrophe must be prevented.”

The catastrophe of the dungeon means that all the monsters run out of control and run out into the outside world. Although the monster’s stats exploded, it wouldn’t mean much because soldiers and hunters were encamped outside. However, in that case, those who received the quest will have a record on HunterNet, tier points will be greatly reduced, and their ranking will drop. So, the hunters spent their energy trying to complete the quest. 

“Let me join.”

Hye-jin said, and Seong-ho and Jumi tilted their heads as if they had heard it wrong. 

“Uh… Are you going with me? With us?”

“Are you refusing?”

“No, it’s not that I hate it, but since you have not received the quest, you won’t get any points when I clear it, right?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Brother, we don’t have time, we have to go quickly.”

“I don’t know where it is… It is true that we must hurry.”

“Whew, okay. Let’s go.”

At the urging of the two women, Seong-ho lowered his shield and took the lead. As the three of them walked around Ji-ha, Hye-jin naturally had no choice but to follow them. But it’s so strange. 

‘Something strange happens when I meet this person.’

It was the first time that such a huge tree root had been found in a polar dungeon. Above all, I never imagined that the surroundings would be this warm. With the effect of the potion and wearing winter clothes, it started to get hot. The other person felt it too, and opened the zipper that was stuffed up to his neck. It’s really unusual. 

***

Frost trolls are variants and enhancements of normal trolls. It is more than 1.5 times bigger and has excellent stats including physical strength. The troublesome point is that the troll’s ability to regenerate wounds is extremely strong. What further annoys hunters is that they know how to use an ambush for a subject of that size. Stories are often told of a rookie hunter who lost his life after being attacked by a frost troll while wandering in a snowstorm typical of an arctic dungeon. Fortunately, the party who received the quest was a veteran. In addition, there is also Seo Hye-jin, who marks 12th place in the rankings, so there is no big problem… Everyone thought so. 

“There are a lot of numbers, ten.”

Heading northwest, the party experienced a snow storm and discovered a hollow valley terrain. The frost troll’s ice lair was right there. For now, they hid to figure out their movements, but it turned out that there were ten of them. If you drink all the potions and rush around, something will work out. It would have been better if there was a flame-type hunter, but I can’t help it. 

“If we drink all the potions and rush around, something will work out. It would have been better if there was a flame-type hunter, but we can’t help it.”

Seon-yeong muttered as she opened the book. Trolls are weak against flame-type skills, but frost trolls are more so. It is at the level of melting, so guilds with flame magicians have a great advantage in polar dungeons. The problem is that the resources and materials are scarce, so their strengths are meaningless. 

“I’ll lead the way.”

“Are you okay? Even if it is Hye-jin.”

Hye-jin took the lead without saying another word. Judging by the fact that she put her hand on her belt, it looks like she is about to drink a potion right before the battle. The party was fully prepared and followed her. Except for one person. 

“Ji-ha, you should hide here quietly, okay?”

“Yes.”

Jumi wrapped her hand around Ji-ha’s and emphasized it repeatedly. If he , a mere ordinary person, steps out hastily, it will be the end. 

“It will be fine, because I know Ji-ha well. Let’s go.”

“All right.”

Seong-ho and his wife moved along the ridge of the valley, and Hye-jin moved with Seon-yeong. Down there, the entrance to the nest the frost trolls and their gnomes had built and could be seen. Luckily, They can’t seem to find this one. Seong-ho took a potion from his belt and poured it into his mouth. 

“Ugh. It’s disgusting whenever I drink it. Hye-jin, we will go first, so all you have to do is attack from the side.”

Hye-jin, who was walking ahead, stopped and nodded. At this point, you are going to just keep talking. 

“Jumi helps me not fall down like she used to, and Seon-yeong attacks some of the Frost Trolls by breaking them away, got it? You’ve done this a lot.”

“Don’t worry, I will hit them with this book.”

Seon-yeong smiled as she held up the book. People who didn’t know about the Paper Magician laughed bitterly. Would the troll get hurt even if you hit it with that thick old book? Seong-ho glared at the trolls and spoke one last time. 

“A wide range of skills is good, but reducing their numbers is important. Let’s make sure to take one at a time.”

“Let’s go from the left.”

“Hmm… all right.”

Hye-jin and Seon-yeong agreed. If the attacks of the two damage dealers were out of sync, they would be pushed back by the troll’s unique powerful regenerative power. Of course, Hye-jin has destructive power that surpasses such regenerative power, but it is still better to match them together. 

“Let’s go, I want to get rid of them and rest in a warm place quickly.”

After Jumi’s words, Seong-ho pulled out a wooden shield and sword. When skills such as Battle Cry and Beast Power were applied to Stoneskin, the surrounding ether shook wildly. 

“Wow!”

He became like a bear and started galloping down the ravine. The trolls quickly spotted him and screamed. A fight between ten monsters over 3m tall and a 195cm human. As far as anyone could see, the human side was utterly lacking. However, it was Lee Jumi, a specialized healer, who firmly supported Seong-ho. Following her hand gesture, a soft ether covered Seong-ho’s entire body. The troll’s claws tore the winter clothes like paper, and the armor was shattered and scratched, but it quickly recovered. 

*Bang! Bang! Kukkoom!*

The trolls continued to strike Seong-ho’s shield in excitement. There were some who took a detour, but with the intuition of a seasoned knight, they noticed it in advance and retreated back to regroup. At that moment, Hye-jin, who flew on a sword, performed a wild dance.  The intangible sword concentrated on a single point and separated the entire body of a troll. Seong-yeong concentrated on the cliff with her book open. Parala Rock. The pages of the book separated and circled around her at a high speed before flying away. She is a paper magician. Paper can be handled more easily than limbs. Hundreds of sheets of paper wrapped around the two trolls and threw them away. The creatures fell down without knowing why and their necks were separated by the intangible sword. 

“Three trolls!”

The trolls who had lost their comrades struck Seong-ho’s shield with their red eyes shining. He was getting annoyed with it as time went on, but couldn’t help it. As long as there are two reliable damage dealers, the tanker is bound to act as a punching bag. While the party was killing the trolls like that, Ji-ha wats hiding and watching their activities. 

‘The hunters battling is really amazing.’

They are superhuman. The wooden shield that Seong-ho strikes, casually contains the power to shatter a concrete wall. The ether that flies away from Jumi’s hands heals the slightest wounds right on the spot.  There is a world of difference from Ji-ha where he had to hide because he had no combat experience. But he didn’t regret it. 

‘I have something else I can do.’

Do what you can and don’t be overly greedy. I thought so, but something jumped right out in front of me. 

“Wow!”

Ji-ha fell backward in surprise, as the frost troll suddenly jumped out and roared with red eyes glowing. One creature had managed an ambush. Seon-yeong, who was nearby, hurriedly pulled out another book, but it was too late. The troll charged Ji-ha, hitting the ground with its long arms. 

“Ah……”

My body stiffened and I couldn’t move. From a bystander to a pre, Jiha could do nothing but stand still and watch the troll attack. 

“Ji-ha!”

Seon-yeong gritted her teeth and threw the paper, but it was quite far away. To her eyes, the troll’s long arms seemed to lash out at Ji-ha. 

“No!”

Before the screams finished, something broke the ice and rose up. Dark pincers slit the frost troll in half, and it retreated back into the ice. It happened in an instant, so Ji-ha or Seon-yeong couldn’t figure out what it was. 

“Uh… What. what?”

“Ji-ha! Are you okay?”

“Okay, I am okay… But noona, did you see the creature that just came up? What kind of claws did it look like?”

“Yeah, I saw it too. It looked like a monster… Oh, not like this, you have to jump out quickly! You mean there are more monsters!”

“I will run away on my own, so please help them!”

“Got it! Take care of yourself!”

But there were no trolls left to attack. Seong-ho, Jumi, and Hye-jin looked at the fallen trolls with dejected expressions. 

“What happened!”

“… Mo, I don’t know! Something suddenly popped out!”

“It was pincers! There is a stag beetle! It’s like that!”

To sum it up, it is a story where the monster-like creatures that popped out of nowhere killed the trolls and disappeared. Is that possible? Why didn’t they attack the humans? All sorts of questions popped into the party’s mind, but that wasn’t the main thing. The completion of the quest appeared on the window, so there was no reason to delay here. Seong-ho called Ji-ha and suggested that he eat the essence left by the trolls. 

“But I didn’t do anything.”

Honey, we came here for you, so don’t decline.”

“Ji-ha, eat quickly. You wanted to eat essence. I wonder how you will feel?”

“Is this your first time eating? Maybe you will feel better.”

Essence is the source of life that comes out when you defeat a monster. Because it is probable to appear, there were some who fought while distributing it. Since upgrades such as stats, various resistances, and skills are made with essence, hunters tried to secure them as much as possible. The golden lump floated in front of Ji-ha. 

“Okay, then I will just eat one.”

“You can eat two, because we are going to eat two anyways except Hye-jin. But can we keep the ether stone? We have to eat.”

How generous are these people?

Ji-ha looked at Hye-jin. She nodded and, without further hesitation, he touched the golden mass.

‘Ah…This is how it feels.’

It felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket in winter. Like a cloth absorbing water, the essence was absorbed into the body, and the essence item in the status window was updated. 

{Class: Worker

Primary Stats:

Stamina 80

Vitality 70

Ether – 

Essence 2

Secondary Stats:

Endurance 7

Strength 8

Agility 8

Talent 9

Spirit 9

Resistance: 

Physical 5

Elements: Cold 32

Poison –

Abnormal Status –

Attribute: -XXX’s Blessing LVL 1

Skills:

Plant-friendly LVL 1

Animal-friendly LVL 1

Alchemy LVL 2}

‘Oh, oh’

Of course, acquiring the essence did not change anything. I am just content with this for now. Ji-ha escaped the polar dungeon with his party. As they exited, the surface of the gate shook greatly, announcing the end of the dungeon. The hunters inside were bewildered and came out.

***

“So after all, what was it?”

“How do I know that? I only saw this obscure battle report.”

Cha Hwa-yeon threw the papers on the desk. This place was the office of Kim Hyung-seok, who can be said to be the biggest axis of the Korean Hunter forces. He was a man in his early 30’s, and he had good looks that anyone could admire. He is tall, has a sleek muscular body, and wears a neat suit. 

“Hmm… Clearing a polar dungeon out of nowhere… I understand the troll, but to suddenly have a clawed monster. Have there been monsters with pincers in polar dungeons?”

“… The monsters with pincers are Kroxis, Devil Ants, and Kango. Is this a new monster?”

“How about considering higher grade monsters? To the extinction grade.”

“Are you kidding me right now? There is no way that those monsters would appear in a category 3 dungeon.”

“Oops, I am sorry. That level really shouldn’t have come out.”

Both of their gazes turned to the wall at the same time. There were pictures of the monsters that popped out when the first dungeon opened. Also known as destruction grade monsters. A disaster that should never come out again. Humanity had to endure enormous sacrifices to kill them. And now, 10 years later, the sea was lost, and the land and sky could barely be defended. The damage suffered in the war with the monsters was that great. Hwa-yeon turned her gaze away from the painting and looked at Hyung-seok. 

“And the roots of that huge tree… To say that someone named Yu Ji-ha simply gets lucky is a bit unreasonable.”

“It is the first time that I have heard that name. But somehow it seems to be important.”

“He is the one who picks weird berries and makes potions, isn’t the information a bit slow?”

Hwa-yeon smiled, but her face hardened when she saw the fruit that Hyung-seok was taking out of the safe. This is a Sun Apple that has not yet been secured. 

“Are you talking about this?”

“…Snake.”

“This. I think it would be better to express it as a quick-footed person. Anyway, I heard the story of the potion. However, the fruit we obtained had no special effect at all.”

“Wait a minute, then.”

“Either they have a special ability, or they lied.”

“He didn’t seem like someone who would lie.”

Hyeong-seok whistled at her words. 

“Oh… Are you already interested? This must be a young man with great charm.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I have no interest in playing with children. Are you sure that fruit doesn’t have a special effect anyway?”

“There is no reason for me to lie to the guild leader.”

For once, yes. Because the two are allies. Then what happened? Does he really have special abilities? 

‘It doesn’t make sense, if you have that level of ability, you should be making a lot of money, even if you already had money…’

In light of Hwa-yeon’s common sense, it was nonsensical to stick with the shabby general store Ji-ha. What is it? She was in distress when Hyeong-seok spoke while putting away the fruit.

“If you don’t know who they are, ask around. I have already sent someone.”

“… You’re not trying to intimidate me, are you?”

“What do you see me as? I understand that he has a bad image because he is a conglomerate, but the tea guild leader should know better that he is not that kind of guy.”

“I don’t know. He is such an insidious person that I don’t know what he is up to.”

“Oh, even though this is an alliance, the hatred is firmly embedded in it. Well, for the time being, I am just going to watch without approaching. You can’t show two ugly faces.”

Is it really so? When Hwa-yeon looked at her unreliably, he smiled and spread and spread his arms. 

“I love talent. If that young man is a talent that fits my ideas, I will pay tens of millions of dollars to attract him. If you have the right talent, you can make the right position.”

“It’s not my problem, so take care of it.”

She turned and left the office. In the end, the important questions were not resolved, but Hwa-yeon had many problems, so they were quickly forgotten. After Hyung-seok confirmed that she had left, he took out the folder from the safe. It was a document that recorded monsters higher than the level of extinction that mankind had faced. His gaze scanned a page. The Theradron. It is the name of a mythological grade monster. 

“Certainly not.”