Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Celebrity (2)
“That’s him!”
“I came out of KCT. Are you the man who’s been clearing F-rank dungeons alone recently?”
“If you haven’t joined a guild yet, our guild…”
“Just show us your face once.”
They were broadcast journalists and guild managers.
While the issue of a man clearing dungeons alone was growing, everyone had gathered after receiving a tip that the rumored man had appeared.
“It’s not me, and I’m not interested.”
Becoming famous doesn’t help at all in getting stronger.
Not wanting to waste time, Kang Hyeon pushed through the people blocking his way.
“Whoa, what’s going on!”
“Did he just hit us?!”
Kang Hyeon was just walking, but the people surrounding him were pushed back like scarecrows.
‘This is becoming troublesome.’
Right now, time is tight to run more dungeons and get stronger.
If this kind of thing continues in the future, it would be a problem.
-Beep beep
Kang Hyeon opened the door of Bentley No. 2, which he had parked a little away from the dungeon.
“Mr. Kang Hyeon.”
Kang Hyeon turned around at the sudden voice.
“Who are you?”
A man he had never seen before recognized him and even called his name.
Kang Hyeon’s eyes showed wariness.
“You don’t need to be so cautious. I’m here to help you, Mr. Kang Hyeon.”
The man handed over his business card as he spoke.
“Ability Users Union… Seon Yeon-ho?”
“We’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while, Mr. Kang Hyeon. If you come to us, we promise to provide all the support you need for your growth.”
Seon Yeon-ho said with a friendly smile.
“Hmm…”
“You don’t need to answer right away. We’d appreciate it if you contact us whenever you want. Well then, goodbye.”
Having finished speaking, Seon Yeon-ho left as if his business was truly done.
‘Ability Users Union…’
The Ability Users Union is a bit different from guilds that pursue profit.
It’s closer to a public interest organization that works closely with the government to enhance the rights of ability users.
Of course, joining and leaving were free, but he had never heard of them actively recruiting people like this.
“Well, he didn’t ask for an immediate response anyway.”
Kang Hyeon pushed the business card to a corner and started the engine.
***
Ippotranslation
***
Upon arriving home, Kang Hyeon immediately took a shower.
-Whoosh
Kang Hyeon was lost in thought as he washed his body under the falling water.
‘How can I increase my magical power further…’
Currently, most of Kang Hyeon’s magical power is consumed in regenerating his body, which is being destroyed by ‘Wayne’s Secret Technique’.
Because of this, even though he had good attack skills, he couldn’t use them unless it was absolutely necessary.
“And now Entria’s Shell has appeared too.”
‘Entria’s Shell’ is a useful skill that hardens the body’.
But if he used it now, it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to maintain Wayne’s Secret Technique for long and his magical power would soon be depleted.
“Items. I need to get magical power items.”
If he wore equipment or accessories related to magical power, it would give him a bit more leeway.
-Whirr
After finishing his shower, Kang Hyeon turned on the computer to look up items. He accessed ‘Radar’ and browsed around to find the information he wanted.
“The auction section… Here it is.”
Radar is mainly used to find dungeon information or form raid parties, but it also mediates the buying and selling of necessary items among ability users.
“There’s nothing particularly useful.”
Even equipment that increases magical power only raises it by 1-2 at most.
Regardless of type, the number of accessories that can be worn is limited to 4.
Kang Hyeon already had items of the level listed on the site, so there was no need to look further.
“What’s this?”
While looking for information related to magical power after leaving the auction house website, a title caught his eye.
-Sharing information about a dungeon that drops magical power increase rings
Kang Hyeon immediately clicked on the post.
—————-
There’s an E-rank dungeon called ‘Goblin Village’ in Hanam City.
If you catch the shamans there, they drop rings that increase magical power stats by 1 or 2 with a pretty high probability.
Occasionally, they even drop rings that increase stats by 4.
The dungeon boss is the Goblin Grand Shaman, and I think it might drop even better rings if defeated.
It used to be a gold mine where only those who knew about it, quietly farmed and made money.
But recently, some bastards have illegally occupied it and claim it’s their territory, preventing others from entering.
The government doesn’t care as long as the dungeon doesn’t burst, damn it.
I just hope a large guild or something sees this post and clears it.
So no one can make money. Bastards.
I’ve attached the location, refer to it.
—————-
It was quite a long post, but to summarize, it was a post with the mentality of ‘if I can’t have it, no one can’.
Kang Hyeon scrolled down to check the comments.
-Those guys are the large guild, lol.
-This isn’t the only dungeon like this. They hoard the gold mines for themselves, control the item quantity, and even set the market price.
-It’s better to give up cleanly. I’ve heard rumors about that place too, and they say those guys are really vicious. There are even rumors that they quietly kill people inside the dungeon since no one would know what happens in there.
-So now they’re openly killing people for money…
Kang Hyeon nodded as he read through the post carefully.
“This is where I should go next.”
His next destination was decided neatly.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“How’s mom?”
“She’s fine, don’t worry.”
Kang Hyeon sighed at his father’s answer.
“Haa…”
Kang Hyeon’s mother had fallen into a coma after being attacked by an orc. At first, they thought she would wake up soon, but it had already been two months since she was admitted to the hospital.
“Are you okay, dad?”
“What can I do if I’m not? It’s a miracle that I even survived like this.”
His father smiled as he lifted his severed arm.
“They say prosthetic technology is advancing rapidly, so let’s wait a bit.”
“Forget it. I don’t need that. I still have one good arm, so I don’t want to wear some mechanical device.”
“Sigh. Alright. Take good care of mom. Don’t worry about hospital bills or living expenses.”
“…”
“I mean it. I’m earning good money now.”
“Okay… I understand.”
His father’s face looked somewhat bitter as he answered.
“Mom. When you wake up, I’ll let you do whatever you want for the rest of your life without working. So please wake up.”
Kang Hyeon murmured as if praying with his head bowed for a moment, then stood up.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine. Just take good care of Kang A-hyun.”
“Alright. Mom, get plenty of rest. I’ll be back.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
Geomdan Mountain, located in Hanam City.
“This is a complete backwoods.”
He had a rough idea from looking at the map, but it was even more remote than he expected when he actually arrived.
Kang Hyeon was able to find the dungeon after leaving the hiking trail and trekking through pathless terrain for about 30 minutes.
“Is there no one here?”
Contrary to his expectation that someone would be guarding the entrance, there was no one standing in front of the dungeon.
“Well, if there’s no one, I’ll just go in.”
Kang Hyeon entered the dungeon without much hesitation.
-Whoosh!
As he felt his body floating, a lush jungle greeted Kang Hyeon as he entered the dungeon.
“There’s still someone coming in.”
At the same time, he saw four men and one woman sitting nearby.
“What kind of knight is he? Why is he so heavily equipped?”
“But he looks pretty good.”
“Hey, are we getting a hefty bonus? Heheh.”
“I told you I had a dream about pigs yesterday, right? I guess this is why.”
As the group chatted and giggled among themselves, one of them stood up and approached Kang Hyeon.
“Hey, haven’t you heard the rumors? This place belongs to our Bait Guild.”
“So?”
The man smiled brightly at Kang Hyeon’s words.
“Since you’ve trespassed on someone else’s property, you have to pay the price. Hand over everything you have.”
“…”
“Then I’ll let you live.”
It seemed they not only drove people away but also robbed them of their equipment.
‘They’re even worse than I expected.’
Suppressing a laugh inside, Kang Hyeon opened his mouth.
“What if I refuse?”
“Mister, stop trying to act tough here. You’ll die. This is inside a dungeon, okay?”
He looked about 20 years old with a youthful appearance.
His hair was dyed blue, and he was chewing gum.
The way he spoke while swaggering made it seem like he desperately wanted to express how delinquent he was.
“You should know when and where to act tough. Many have died because they didn’t…”
“Because they didn’t?”
“While I’m still asking nicely, take off your equipment and get lost.”
Kang Hyeon smiled slightly at the man’s words.
“Try to take it from me.”
“What?”
“I said, try to take it if you can. Pfft.”
As Kang Hyeon let out a chuckle, their faces instantly contorted.
“You arrogant bastard!”
The blue-haired guy swore and swung his longsword without warning.
“Just die!”
The sword swung with full force.
That sword was futilely caught in Kang Hyeon’s hand.
-Crack
As Kang Hyeon applied force to his hand, the blade instantly shattered into dozens of pieces and scattered on the ground.
“Huh…?”
The blue-haired guy’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out at the sight.
“Damn it. Take him out at once!”
At that moment, a woman’s shout erupted from behind.
Then swords and magic flew in from all directions.
-Boom! Bang!
-Crash!
The ground around Kang Hyeon was torn up, and dust flew into the air.
“Phew… Is it over?”
“Shut up!”
The woman called the leader sharply shouted at the blue-haired guy’s words.
“What’s wrong, boss…”
-Crack!
Kang Hyeon’s fist struck the blue-haired guy’s teeth as he was speaking.
The impact sent his teeth scattering like corn, and he flew several meters before crashing into the grass.
“This isn’t even worth drawing my sword.”
“Magic Explosion!”
In the meantime, another guy used a skill to attack Kang Hyeon.
Magic Explosion.
It’s a skill that launches an explosive magic sphere, which Kang Hyeon also frequently uses.
-Bang!
Kang Hyeon casually swatted away the magic sphere flying towards him with a wave of his hand.
“He deflected it with his hand…?”
“What? He has the same skill as me?”
“…”
“I find this way much better than using it like that.”
Kang Hyeon approached the man who was standing dumbfounded after seeing his skill fly away uselessly and grabbed his arm.
“Magic Explosion.”
-Bang!
When he used Magic Explosion in his hand gripping the arm, the man’s arm instantly exploded.
“Aaaaargh!”
“The downside is that it damages me too… But the effect is much better. Remember that.”
“Aaaaaagh!”
Unable to answer Kang Hyeon’s words, the man just screamed frantically.
“Well, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to use it though.”
Kang Hyeon walked away, leaving behind the man clutching his exploded arm and wailing.
“Y-you, die!”
The man standing next to him swung a huge mace. It seemed he had used a skill to increase its power as magic gleamed on the mace.
-Whoosh
Kang Hyeon lightly turned his body to avoid the attack and grabbed the man’s hand.
-Crunch
Kang Hyeon’s current strength exceeds 50, using Wayne’s Secret Technique and the Giant’s Strength.
When he applied force to his hand in this state, the man’s hand bones instantly shattered and crumpled.
“Aaaah!”
Seeing this, the woman standing behind turned and ran without looking back.
“No, where are you going, boss! Ugh!”
The last remaining man didn’t know what to do when the boss ran away.
“Don’t worry.”
To ease his concern, Kang Hyeon planted his fist into the man’s philtrum.
“Huk, huk…”
***
Ippotranslation
***
‘Where on earth did a guy like that come from!?’
When Kang Hyeon first appeared, she had been excited about some extra income after a long time.
She had planned to just steal his items, play with him a bit after stripping him naked, and then kill him to silence him as usual.
-Crack
That thought crumbled the moment she saw the sword shatter in Kang Hyeon’s hand.
She sensed it.
This guy was on a completely different level from the ability users they had killed so far!
He was definitely not someone that she, a mere team leader, could handle.
“Huff, huff!”
The fleeing leader ran frantically through the forest.
She shook her head, gripped by fear.
“It’s okay. No matter how much of a monster he is, I’ve stayed in this forest for two weeks.”
“That’s rude, calling me a monster while I’m listening.”
“Kyaaaa!”
Kang Hyeon, who had suddenly appeared right next to the leader, spoke to her.
“You… What are you? Do you think you’ll get away with this?”
Kang Hyeon chuckled at the leader’s words and took off his helmet.
“What is this, some third-rate villain from the 60s? Why is your dialogue so poor?”
As Kang Hyeon confidently revealed his face, the leader was overcome with anxiety.
‘This bastard intends to kill me!’
There was no other reason for him to show his face otherwise.
Feeling her life threatened, the leader immediately fell to her knees.
“Please. Just spare my life. I didn’t want to do this.”
“Oh really? Suddenly a line from my favorite movie comes to mind.”
Kang Hyeon smiled mischievously at her reaction.
“You’re still a woman, right?”
“Uh…”
“Then would it be discrimination if I cripple you like your friends? Or would it be discrimination to leave only you unharmed?”
“…”
“Was that not funny? Hehehe…”
Kang Hyeon cackled as if he had just told a really funny joke.
‘Shit! I’ve run into a real psycho.’
He was clearly insane, and not just a little.
The leader, inwardly contemplating how to get out of this situation, opened her mouth.
“Hahaha… I committed the same crimes as those guys… so I should receive the same punishment, right?”
“Hmm, I was just thinking about that. Thanks for your input.”
As Kang Hyeon answered, he lifted his foot and stomped down on the leader’s knee.
“Aaaaargh!”
Her scream echoed through the dungeon as her kneecap was instantly shattered.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Hmm~”
Kang Hyeon walked through the dungeon, humming a tune.
“But since this is a field-type dungeon, I’m not sure where to go.”
The increasing number of goblins appearing seemed to indicate he was going the right way, but he wasn’t certain.
“Ah! I should have brought one of them along as a guide.”
Kang Hyeon shook his head, blaming himself for his foolishness.
“Who are you?”
At that moment, a group approached Kang Hyeon.
“He doesn’t look familiar. How did he get past the entrance? Those guys must be slacking off again.”
“That’s why those low-ranking guys are useless.”
Kang Hyeon smiled upon hearing the men’s words.
“Bingo.”