CH 5
Feeling envious, I reached out and touched the magnificent muscles, only to snap out of it when I heard a groan.
[Shin Soo-ha – Corruption Level 15%]
‘He’ll probably wake up soon as the corruption level drops. I need to get going.’
I snatched the egg out of Shin Soo-ha’s hand and walked through the boss room’s exit portal.
‘I’m not even sure how to explain the situation if we meet now.’
The same flash of light from the gate greeted me as before, and I was once again treated to a view of the ground floor. Fortunately, the taxi I had asked to wait for in front of the building was still there.
“Thank you. I’d like to go back to where we left off earlier.”
“Got it.”
Fortunately, Shin Soo-ha did not follow me.
“Phew. I have to keep doing this…” I stretched my tired body as the taxi finally took off.
Although I had obtained a purification item in order to save the hunters, I had no intention of informing them beforehand.
The main reason for this was hunters would feel pain as corruption builds up within them. Although they could choose to ignore it while their corruption level is low, the pain would soon become intolerable as the corruption level rises.
Therefore, hunters who had already experienced a sense of tranquility through the purification egg, they would be driven mad and become obsessed with the item, almost as if they were addicted to it. As a result, a gruesome bloodbath among hunters took place in the novel—with hunters slaughtering one another for control over the purification egg.
‘In the end, it’s always about greed.’
It is said that the conflict between the hunters at the time nearly escalated into an international war but was resolved only when the adventurer hunter who had possession of the purification egg gave it to his own country.
Nevertheless, there was a reason why stories about human greed and the endless cycle of making the same mistakes are being told repeatedly.
‘Only because the same thing is likely to happen this time. However, I have no plans to engage the hunters I rescued in such a futile conflict. They are people that I will use for me to return back to my own world. So, I don’t really want my plans to fall through for no apparent reason.’
“We’ve arrived.”
“I appreciate it.”
Despite the passage of time, the inside of the house remained exactly as I had left it.
‘That son of a b*tch, he can’t be coming back after leaving like that, can he? I’d rather it be that way, though.’
I entered the bathroom with a light smile. The home with the gushing hot water was better than paradise.
“I wonder what problems that conceited jerk Seo Go-woon had living in a place like this,” I thought to myself. In truth, I had never liked him even though he was just a fictional character from a book.
After finishing my hot water shower, I took the purification egg from my trousers pocket. Despite referring it to as an egg, its outer appearance actually appeared to be a solid, stone-shaped egg.
“Doesn’t seem like it would crack as easily as it did in the book,” I mumbled to myself.
However, despite how it looked, the egg would actually crack for a completely absurd reason. It was all because of the President’s greed, wanting to sell the purification ability as a potion.
At the time of the incident, researchers conducted a series of lab experiments on the egg, but they still couldn’t understand how the purification process worked. At some point, the President who become frustrated with the researchers’ incompetence, accidentally knocked the egg and it soon fell off the desk before breaking into pieces.
When they looked inside the broken egg, there was nothing inside despite its original appearance. To top it off, the purification ability also vanished. In the end, the item had inevitably turned into ‘a shell of its former self.’
“That’s when the President was replaced,” I sat on the bed, recalling his resignation due to widespread criticism.
‘But where do I hide this and keep it well hidden?’ I thought as I looked around.
“The desk drawer? No, that’s not it.”
‘If Seo Taeju happened to search through the drawer and touch it, I’d definitely be caught.’
“Between the clothes? Hmm, that’s not right either.”
It could fall out accidentally and that would be disastrous.
“The bed is also risky. Where should I hide it?”
As I pondered where to hide the purification egg, I heard a notification sound from somewhere.
“Oh, there’s additional information,” I remembered and called up my skill window to check my active skills.
‘As of now, I have four skills that I can use.’
Disassembly, Creation, Comprehension, and Appraisal.
Disassembly and Creation are obviously not the right skill to use right now, so what’s left is Comprehension and Appraisal.
“Comprehend?”
As soon as the message appeared, I felt something rushing out of my body. At the same time, the message box appeared again.
“What the hell?”
‘An incomprehensible item?’
I checked the description of the ‘Comprehension’ skill again.
“Then are you saying this thing’s an item without any background, or that you have no knowledge of its background?”
I furrowed my brows at the unfriendly explanation and used the Appraisal skill this time. I felt something rushing out of me, and the message box appeared again.
Description: An egg of unknown origin. It has maintained its egg form for hundreds of years and emits a faint warmth.
Something was odd. The description hadn’t changed except for the disappearance of the question marks.
“Did the skill Appraisal fail?”
That’s when it happened. The Purification Egg’s detailed information window lit up for a moment, revealing a new sentence.
“Growth? What do you mean the egg is growing? And what does it mean that it needs an owner?”
If there hasn’t been anything born from the egg that has maintained its shape for hundreds of years, does it mean the egg is getting bigger?
But an owner? How is that determined?
After checking for additional information, I feel like I’ve fallen into a deeper mystery.
“I’m stumped.”
My head ached and I soon opted to lie down on the bed after feeling not wanting to use my brain anymore. In addition, the warmth of the hot shower I had taken earlier was making me drowsy. Since I already had completed all my tasks for the day, exhaustion washed over me as I looked back at the long day.
“How am I supposed to take care of this trash-like body….” I muttered, drowsiness settling in while feeling like I could drift off to sleep at any moment.
–Ding.
Suddenly, a sound rang in my ears.
–Ding. Ding. Ding.
I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it.
–Ding. Ding. Ding.
“…It’s so damn noisy.”
Unable to bear the noise any longer, I jolted myself awake.
‘As if I wasn’t already tired enough.’
As soon I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw a blue message window in front of me. It was a window that said “Quest” on it.
In a flash, I was wide awake.
“Quest? What kind of quest is this all of a sudden?”
I wasn’t even immersed in a game, and I’ve never seen anything like this in a novel.
“And if I fail, the Purification Egg will be destroyed.”
I alternated my gaze between the quest window and the Purification Egg. “Is this because I’m a hidden hunter? Or because I’m a person who’s been transmigrated?”
In the novel, there was only a mention of “a hunter with a skill.” So I couldn’t tell if this was originally part of the story, or if it was because of my transmigration.
“Should I ask him?”
After all, Seo Taeju is the vice-guild master of the Noeul Guild. He must have known a lot about Hidden Skills since he’s seen so many hunters, but…
“It’s no use,” I shook my head, remembering the disdainful look and criticism that the guy threw at me earlier.
There was no way he would give me a straightforward answer. That guy would probably hurl insults at me again and wonder what I was thinking.
“Tsk, how annoying. Anyway, to wake up the cradle, I have to break off any relationship with that b*stard, no matter what.”
It would feel satisfying to give him a beating for what he did earlier, however, Seo Taeju’s ability had the greatest effect during the cradle. That’s why he was able to maintain control over a feeble group which was mainly composed of A-rank and B-rank hunters, until the final boss battle.
“Sigh, how can I break off this damn relationship?” I exclaimed while clutching my head and collapsing onto the bed.
I decided to put aside my relationship with that guy for now and focus on the quest that had suddenly come up.
‘If quests were characteristic of Hidden Hunter, then there should be a designated quest window, similar to the information and skill windows.’
With some hesitation, I immediately murmured to myself, “Quest window.”
Suddenly, a blue quest window appeared in front of me, displaying all the quests.
“…Is this really a game?”
I still couldn’t figure out how it worked exactly. However, it was an unchanging truth that the more clues I had, the better. Forgetting my fatigue, I carefully examined the quest window.
Seeing the window divided into quests in progress and completed quests, I was able to see the quests that Seo Go-woon had completed before I possessed his body.
[Completed Quest]
[Quests in Progress]
I clicked on each completed quest one by one.
The basics included Disassembly and Creation skills, whereas the intermediate level comprised of utilizing Creation skills without employing Disassembly, and as for advanced alchemy, it was a repetitive quest of learning Creation skills by increasing its precision.
“Hmm, so being an alchemy expert means completing quests at an advanced level or higher.”
‘The previous quests seem really rudimentary, and not worth doing if you didn’t have to.’
Although it was a relief that the completed quests were less cumbersome, the problem righ now was the sudden quest that had popped up.
“…But how the hell am I supposed to inject mana?”
◈◈◈
“Hah, hah.”
I collapsed into my seat, gasping for breath as if I were about to explode. Although I cursed myself for having such a weak body, I didn’t realize that this body was so trashy. My heart felt like it was about to explode as I made my way running around the neighborhood. The body that I am currently inhabiting now felt like nuclear waste.
“If I’m this weak even after awakening as a hunter, how weak was I before?”
After gulping down a bottle of water I had brought, I stood up and stretched myself. No matter how urgent things are, exercise is essential, and I can’t afford to rush and risk getting injured. When I was about to head towards the door after stretching meticulously for tomorrow’s exercise, it was then I saw Seo Taeju, fully dressed in a suit, outside. As our eyes met, he immediately gave me a contemptuous look.
Although I wanted to ignore him…
“I clearly told you to stay home, didn’t I?” Seo Taeju grumbled, seemingly determined to pick a fight.
My mind soon became muddled, hesitating what to say in response. After a short pause, I greeted him, “Are you heading to work? Your outfit suits you well.”
With the goal in mind to improve my relationship with Seo Taeju, I ultimately chose to avoid confrontation with him as much as possible.
‘Oh, I have to mention that the reason why I avoid him isn’t that he was scary, but only because the situation itself is irritating.’
If I don’t provoke him, he’ll realize that I don’t have any intention to start a fight.
“Besides, they said there’s no one who spits on a smiling face, which was why… I greeted him as kindly as possible, like when dealing with a troublesome customer.
However…
“Bullsh*t. Did you take some kind of medicine this morning? Who said you could talk to me?”
With a spitting sound, Seo Taeju spat and hit my shoulder before leaving the house’s entrance.
Huh, I guess the thing about the words being the elder’s wisdom was all lies. They said no one would spit on a smiling face[1], but look at how this guy did it so perfectly.
“Bear with it.”
I suppressed the anger that was rising inside me. If it were up to my temper, I would nail him to the ground right away and ask where he learned to act so arrogantly.
But what can I do? Everything is my fault for transmigrating as Seo Go-woon, and in this situation, where I can’t clear the game without Seo Taeju, I have no choice but to be docile for now.
“Only until I find someone more useful than him.”
To survive as a weakling, one must know how to adapt to the strong when necessary.
Footnote
[1] Being friendly and kind to others is generally well-received and unlikely to provoke negative reactions
[Shin Soo-ha – Corruption Level 15%]
‘He’ll probably wake up soon as the corruption level drops. I need to get going.’
I snatched the egg out of Shin Soo-ha’s hand and walked through the boss room’s exit portal.
‘I’m not even sure how to explain the situation if we meet now.’
The same flash of light from the gate greeted me as before, and I was once again treated to a view of the ground floor. Fortunately, the taxi I had asked to wait for in front of the building was still there.
“Thank you. I’d like to go back to where we left off earlier.”
“Got it.”
Fortunately, Shin Soo-ha did not follow me.
“Phew. I have to keep doing this…” I stretched my tired body as the taxi finally took off.
Although I had obtained a purification item in order to save the hunters, I had no intention of informing them beforehand.
The main reason for this was hunters would feel pain as corruption builds up within them. Although they could choose to ignore it while their corruption level is low, the pain would soon become intolerable as the corruption level rises.
Therefore, hunters who had already experienced a sense of tranquility through the purification egg, they would be driven mad and become obsessed with the item, almost as if they were addicted to it. As a result, a gruesome bloodbath among hunters took place in the novel—with hunters slaughtering one another for control over the purification egg.
‘In the end, it’s always about greed.’
It is said that the conflict between the hunters at the time nearly escalated into an international war but was resolved only when the adventurer hunter who had possession of the purification egg gave it to his own country.
Nevertheless, there was a reason why stories about human greed and the endless cycle of making the same mistakes are being told repeatedly.
‘Only because the same thing is likely to happen this time. However, I have no plans to engage the hunters I rescued in such a futile conflict. They are people that I will use for me to return back to my own world. So, I don’t really want my plans to fall through for no apparent reason.’
“We’ve arrived.”
“I appreciate it.”
Despite the passage of time, the inside of the house remained exactly as I had left it.
‘That son of a b*tch, he can’t be coming back after leaving like that, can he? I’d rather it be that way, though.’
I entered the bathroom with a light smile. The home with the gushing hot water was better than paradise.
“I wonder what problems that conceited jerk Seo Go-woon had living in a place like this,” I thought to myself. In truth, I had never liked him even though he was just a fictional character from a book.
After finishing my hot water shower, I took the purification egg from my trousers pocket. Despite referring it to as an egg, its outer appearance actually appeared to be a solid, stone-shaped egg.
“Doesn’t seem like it would crack as easily as it did in the book,” I mumbled to myself.
However, despite how it looked, the egg would actually crack for a completely absurd reason. It was all because of the President’s greed, wanting to sell the purification ability as a potion.
At the time of the incident, researchers conducted a series of lab experiments on the egg, but they still couldn’t understand how the purification process worked. At some point, the President who become frustrated with the researchers’ incompetence, accidentally knocked the egg and it soon fell off the desk before breaking into pieces.
When they looked inside the broken egg, there was nothing inside despite its original appearance. To top it off, the purification ability also vanished. In the end, the item had inevitably turned into ‘a shell of its former self.’
“That’s when the President was replaced,” I sat on the bed, recalling his resignation due to widespread criticism.
‘But where do I hide this and keep it well hidden?’ I thought as I looked around.
“The desk drawer? No, that’s not it.”
‘If Seo Taeju happened to search through the drawer and touch it, I’d definitely be caught.’
“Between the clothes? Hmm, that’s not right either.”
It could fall out accidentally and that would be disastrous.
“The bed is also risky. Where should I hide it?”
As I pondered where to hide the purification egg, I heard a notification sound from somewhere.
“Oh, there’s additional information,” I remembered and called up my skill window to check my active skills.
‘As of now, I have four skills that I can use.’
Disassembly, Creation, Comprehension, and Appraisal.
Disassembly and Creation are obviously not the right skill to use right now, so what’s left is Comprehension and Appraisal.
“Comprehend?”
As soon as the message appeared, I felt something rushing out of my body. At the same time, the message box appeared again.
“What the hell?”
‘An incomprehensible item?’
I checked the description of the ‘Comprehension’ skill again.
“Then are you saying this thing’s an item without any background, or that you have no knowledge of its background?”
I furrowed my brows at the unfriendly explanation and used the Appraisal skill this time. I felt something rushing out of me, and the message box appeared again.
Description: An egg of unknown origin. It has maintained its egg form for hundreds of years and emits a faint warmth.
Something was odd. The description hadn’t changed except for the disappearance of the question marks.
“Did the skill Appraisal fail?”
That’s when it happened. The Purification Egg’s detailed information window lit up for a moment, revealing a new sentence.
“Growth? What do you mean the egg is growing? And what does it mean that it needs an owner?”
If there hasn’t been anything born from the egg that has maintained its shape for hundreds of years, does it mean the egg is getting bigger?
But an owner? How is that determined?
After checking for additional information, I feel like I’ve fallen into a deeper mystery.
“I’m stumped.”
My head ached and I soon opted to lie down on the bed after feeling not wanting to use my brain anymore. In addition, the warmth of the hot shower I had taken earlier was making me drowsy. Since I already had completed all my tasks for the day, exhaustion washed over me as I looked back at the long day.
“How am I supposed to take care of this trash-like body….” I muttered, drowsiness settling in while feeling like I could drift off to sleep at any moment.
–Ding.
Suddenly, a sound rang in my ears.
–Ding. Ding. Ding.
I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it.
–Ding. Ding. Ding.
“…It’s so damn noisy.”
Unable to bear the noise any longer, I jolted myself awake.
‘As if I wasn’t already tired enough.’
As soon I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw a blue message window in front of me. It was a window that said “Quest” on it.
In a flash, I was wide awake.
“Quest? What kind of quest is this all of a sudden?”
I wasn’t even immersed in a game, and I’ve never seen anything like this in a novel.
“And if I fail, the Purification Egg will be destroyed.”
I alternated my gaze between the quest window and the Purification Egg. “Is this because I’m a hidden hunter? Or because I’m a person who’s been transmigrated?”
In the novel, there was only a mention of “a hunter with a skill.” So I couldn’t tell if this was originally part of the story, or if it was because of my transmigration.
“Should I ask him?”
After all, Seo Taeju is the vice-guild master of the Noeul Guild. He must have known a lot about Hidden Skills since he’s seen so many hunters, but…
“It’s no use,” I shook my head, remembering the disdainful look and criticism that the guy threw at me earlier.
There was no way he would give me a straightforward answer. That guy would probably hurl insults at me again and wonder what I was thinking.
“Tsk, how annoying. Anyway, to wake up the cradle, I have to break off any relationship with that b*stard, no matter what.”
It would feel satisfying to give him a beating for what he did earlier, however, Seo Taeju’s ability had the greatest effect during the cradle. That’s why he was able to maintain control over a feeble group which was mainly composed of A-rank and B-rank hunters, until the final boss battle.
“Sigh, how can I break off this damn relationship?” I exclaimed while clutching my head and collapsing onto the bed.
I decided to put aside my relationship with that guy for now and focus on the quest that had suddenly come up.
‘If quests were characteristic of Hidden Hunter, then there should be a designated quest window, similar to the information and skill windows.’
With some hesitation, I immediately murmured to myself, “Quest window.”
Suddenly, a blue quest window appeared in front of me, displaying all the quests.
“…Is this really a game?”
I still couldn’t figure out how it worked exactly. However, it was an unchanging truth that the more clues I had, the better. Forgetting my fatigue, I carefully examined the quest window.
Seeing the window divided into quests in progress and completed quests, I was able to see the quests that Seo Go-woon had completed before I possessed his body.
[Completed Quest]
[Quests in Progress]
I clicked on each completed quest one by one.
The basics included Disassembly and Creation skills, whereas the intermediate level comprised of utilizing Creation skills without employing Disassembly, and as for advanced alchemy, it was a repetitive quest of learning Creation skills by increasing its precision.
“Hmm, so being an alchemy expert means completing quests at an advanced level or higher.”
‘The previous quests seem really rudimentary, and not worth doing if you didn’t have to.’
Although it was a relief that the completed quests were less cumbersome, the problem righ now was the sudden quest that had popped up.
“…But how the hell am I supposed to inject mana?”
◈◈◈
“Hah, hah.”
I collapsed into my seat, gasping for breath as if I were about to explode. Although I cursed myself for having such a weak body, I didn’t realize that this body was so trashy. My heart felt like it was about to explode as I made my way running around the neighborhood. The body that I am currently inhabiting now felt like nuclear waste.
“If I’m this weak even after awakening as a hunter, how weak was I before?”
After gulping down a bottle of water I had brought, I stood up and stretched myself. No matter how urgent things are, exercise is essential, and I can’t afford to rush and risk getting injured. When I was about to head towards the door after stretching meticulously for tomorrow’s exercise, it was then I saw Seo Taeju, fully dressed in a suit, outside. As our eyes met, he immediately gave me a contemptuous look.
Although I wanted to ignore him…
“I clearly told you to stay home, didn’t I?” Seo Taeju grumbled, seemingly determined to pick a fight.
My mind soon became muddled, hesitating what to say in response. After a short pause, I greeted him, “Are you heading to work? Your outfit suits you well.”
With the goal in mind to improve my relationship with Seo Taeju, I ultimately chose to avoid confrontation with him as much as possible.
‘Oh, I have to mention that the reason why I avoid him isn’t that he was scary, but only because the situation itself is irritating.’
If I don’t provoke him, he’ll realize that I don’t have any intention to start a fight.
“Besides, they said there’s no one who spits on a smiling face, which was why… I greeted him as kindly as possible, like when dealing with a troublesome customer.
However…
“Bullsh*t. Did you take some kind of medicine this morning? Who said you could talk to me?”
With a spitting sound, Seo Taeju spat and hit my shoulder before leaving the house’s entrance.
Huh, I guess the thing about the words being the elder’s wisdom was all lies. They said no one would spit on a smiling face[1], but look at how this guy did it so perfectly.
“Bear with it.”
I suppressed the anger that was rising inside me. If it were up to my temper, I would nail him to the ground right away and ask where he learned to act so arrogantly.
But what can I do? Everything is my fault for transmigrating as Seo Go-woon, and in this situation, where I can’t clear the game without Seo Taeju, I have no choice but to be docile for now.
“Only until I find someone more useful than him.”
To survive as a weakling, one must know how to adapt to the strong when necessary.
Footnote
[1] Being friendly and kind to others is generally well-received and unlikely to provoke negative reactions
RECENTLY UPDATES
Drama
Fantasy
Action
Action
Drama
Drama
Action
Action