LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 6
Chapter 6
As if drawn by something, Kang Jin-hyuk grabbed the handle of the bat.
‘This is the detection effect.’
He didn’t know it would not only detect enemies but also defend automatically.
Thanks to the baseball bat automatically blocking the enemy’s attack, Kang Jin-hyuk could afford to relax.
Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat without hesitation before the retreating Orc could regain its stance.
“Kwaagh!”
The Orc, hit in the shin, screamed and collapsed.
Lee Jun-chul was astonished, his mouth agape at the sight of the Orc’s leg bent like a reverse joint.
“He broke an Orc’s bone with a single blow?”
Orc bones were harder than titanium alloy and thicker than an adult male’s thigh, making it difficult to even scratch them with ordinary force.
Breaking it in one strike was something only an A-rank Hunter could do.
“I thought he was a beginner…….”
Kang Jin-hyuk was equally surprised.
The power of the Durability S enchantment on the baseball bat was greater than he had imagined.
To think it could deliver this much impact, beyond just being hard.
“Heave-ho!”
Feeling confident, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat and struck the head of the collapsed Orc.
With a refreshing sound, the Orc’s head spun 360 degrees.
With its skull and neck bones broken, even an Orc couldn’t survive.
As the lifeless Orc collapsed to the ground, Kang Jin-hyuk saw numerous messages announcing his level up.
His level soared from 15 to 27, but he didn’t have time to celebrate.
“Swish!”
Seeing its comrade die, another Orc charged with its eyes wide open.
This time, Kang Jin-hyuk wasn’t flustered at all.
Having gained confidence that he could win, he realized that the Orc’s attack was only visually threatening and not fast at all.
It was at a level that he could dodge even if he saw it coming, as long as he reacted calmly.
“Kuaagh!”
The club swung by the Orc with a powerful shout only grazed the air.
Kang Jin-hyuk, who had ducked in advance, seized the opportunity and aimed for the Orc’s side.
“Take this!”
The Orc hurriedly tried to move its club, but it was too late to block Kang Jin-hyuk’s attack.
No matter how much it moved its fat body, it was too slow with the heavy club.
Kang Jin-hyuk’s baseball bat dug into the Orc’s flesh, completely shattering its ribs.
“Kuegh!”
The Orc collapsed with a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.
While the Orc was incapacitated by the pain, Kang Jin-hyuk swung the bat towards its temple.
The Orc, hit in a vital spot, could no longer scream.
The Orc died on the spot with its head smashed.
Kang Jin-hyuk once again checked the level-up messages appearing before his eyes and realized the battle was over.
“Did I…… really just kill two Orcs?”
Even looking at the Orcs lying in the parking lot, it didn’t feel real.
Just a day ago, Kang Jin-hyuk was a D-rank Hunter who could only hunt Goblins.
It was natural that he couldn’t believe it himself, having single-handedly accomplished a task that would require at least four B-rank Hunters.
“Woohoo!”
“Awesome!”
Lee Jun-chul’s subordinates, who had been busy running away, cheered.
They weren’t the only ones impressed by Kang Jin-hyuk’s ability to quickly dispatch the Orcs.
Lee Jun-chul felt like he had found a precious gem that no one had ever discovered before.
“I never knew there was a Hunter with such skill among those I didn’t know…….”
Lee Jun-chul thought he knew the faces of all the famous Hunters.
That’s why when he first saw Kang Jin-hyuk, he only thought of him as a beginner, and never considered him a veteran Hunter.
But he realized it was his own mistake.
“You have remarkable skills.”
Lee Jun-chul approached Kang Jin-hyuk, clapping his hands.
“As a reward for saving my life, I’ll buy all these Goblin corpses for 600.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, I have no intention of lying to my benefactor.”
Hearing Lee Jun-chul’s words, Jo Hyeong-il thought the sun might rise in the west tomorrow.
If they bought these corpses for 6 million won, the profit the organization would gain would be close to zero.
It was the first time Lee Jun-chul, who was always after profit, had volunteered such an offer.
‘Does he have something up his sleeve?’
Sure enough, as Jo Hyeong-il expected, Lee Jun-chul made an offer to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“But sell us the Orc corpses too.”
“The Orcs?”
Kang Jin-hyuk fell into thought.
Unlike the Goblin corpses, the Orcs were monsters caught outside the labyrinth, not inside.
There was no reason to sell them to these people, as revealing the hunting location wouldn’t be a problem.
When Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t answer immediately, Lee Jun-chul realized he needed to offer a more enticing condition.
After a moment of thought, Lee Jun-chul opened his mouth.
“If you hand over the Orcs, I’ll add 10% to anything you sell us in the future.”
“You mean you’ll give me 10% more than the price offered by the Association?”
“Of course.”
Even if they bought it at a higher price than the market price, selling monster materials was still profitable.
Lee Jun-chul wanted to establish a continuous trading relationship with Kang Jin-hyuk, even if it meant taking a small loss.
If he continued to trade with him, he could continuously receive monster materials, allowing him to expand the market.
“Add another 5%.”
Kang Jin-hyuk tried to bargain by spreading all the fingers of his right hand.
5% wasn’t a small amount, but Lee Jun-chul nodded without hesitation.
It was because Kang Jin-hyuk had proven before his eyes that he had the ‘power’ to deserve such treatment.
“Alright, let’s settle on 15%.”
Lee Jun-chul approached Kang Jin-hyuk and offered a handshake.
“I look forward to working with you.”
◈◈◈◈◈◈
Kang Jin-hyuk’s situation changed 180 degrees after the deal was made.
Until just yesterday, he was worried about paying rent.
Now he had over 200 million won in his bank account.
“600 per Goblin, so that’s 90 million in total. And with the Orcs added…….”
After confirming that the amount was correct, Kang Jin-hyuk clenched his fist and savored the sense of accomplishment.
“So those large guild bastards have been monopolizing all this money?”
The more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt.
He knew that money was everything in life, but it wasn’t right to be too greedy.
How much did they want to earn that they wouldn’t even yield even small monsters?
Even the articles posted online today showed the same damage.
The comments on the articles announcing the achievements of the large guilds were filled with complaints and anger from low-ranking Hunters who had been deprived of their hunting rights by the large guilds.
“Just you wait and see.”
By hunting Orcs, his level had already surpassed 30.
Now that he had enough capital, Kang Jin-hyuk decided to equip himself with good equipment and challenge the labyrinth.
“The Dwarf’s items looked good, but…….”
The quality of the Dwarf’s equipment was the best, but there were difficulties in buying it with money.
The currency here wouldn’t work for the Dwarf, so he needed to prepare other items to get equipment from him.
“……Should I bring a bunch of aluminum cans?”
Aluminum, which the Dwarf valued as Orihalcon, seemed like it could be used as a bargaining chip.
Since the Goblins had drunk all the beer he had stored in the attic, Kang Jin-hyuk stopped by the mart to restock.
Kang Jin-hyuk filled a bag with beer and soju and headed straight for the labyrinth.
When he arrived at the blacksmith’s workshop, following his memory, he saw the Dwarf swinging a hammer at the anvil with a loud clang.
The Dwarf didn’t sweat a single drop despite the heat that felt hotter than a summer day.
After hammering for a long time, the Dwarf grabbed the red-hot iron with tongs and quenched it.
As smoke rose with a sizzling sound, Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes met the Dwarf’s.
“What? When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
“What’s that in your hand? What did you bring so much of?”
As Kang Jin-hyuk expected, the Dwarf showed interest in the bag he was carrying.
“Want to try one?”
Kang Jin-hyuk took out a can of beer and handed it to the Dwarf.
The Dwarf’s eyes widened as he received it.
“What’s this? This is Orihalcon too!”
“There’s alcohol inside too.”
“You made a drinking vessel out of Orihalcon? Is this a holy grail?”
It was just a common aluminum can outside, but in the place where the Dwarf lived, it was a luxury that even the Pope or the Emperor wouldn’t dare to try.
The Dwarf believed that Kang Jin-hyuk was definitely not an ordinary person.
To bring so many of these items, not just one.
He was convinced that he must be the hero.
“Try it.”
When Kang Jin-hyuk opened the can and handed it back, the Dwarf took it and gulped it down in one go.
And then he immediately spat it back out on the floor.
“This, f**k! Who put piss in here!?”
“P, piss?”
“Yes! I’ve never tasted anything this bad in my life! What the hell is this?”
“Beer.”
“……Beer? This is alcohol?”
“Yes.”
“You humans call anything with alcohol in it alcohol?”
The Dwarf looked dumbfounded.
He felt pity for the humans who called this tasteless, bland thing alcohol.
“Is that green bottled thing the same kind as this?”
“This is called soju, it’s a bit different.”
“Give it to me. I need to know what you guys are drinking.”
The Dwarf snatched the soju bottle and opened the cap.
And he smelled the aroma rising from it.
“F**k. No fruit scent, just the smell of raw alcohol.”
He could guess the taste just by the smell, but you never know until you try it yourself.
The Dwarf took a swig of soju straight from the bottle with a glimmer of hope.
Unlike beer, the Dwarf took a few more sips and then gave his impression with a short sigh.
“It tastes like garbage, but I think it could be decent if I add something to it.”
“Add something? What?”
“Hold on. I just got an idea.”
The Dwarf thought for a moment, then brought a large wooden barrel and poured all the soju Kang Jin-hyuk brought into it.
Then he suddenly said to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“Go and mine some Mithril.”
After pouring the rest of the soju into the wooden barrel, the Dwarf said to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“Huh? Mithril?”
“Yes. I need to borrow the power of Mithril to save this terrible alcohol.”
Mithril was a mystical metal that contained mana within itself.
The Dwarf believed that if he combined the mana of Mithril with his skills, he could greatly enhance the taste of this alcohol.
“Hehehe, if it goes well, something unexpected might come out of it.”
Thanks to the alcohol Kang Jin-hyuk brought, the Dwarf’s spirit of craftsmanship was ignited after a long time.
“What are you doing? Go mine Mithril, I said!”
“Do you even know where it is?”
“There’s a cave on the lower floor. If you go there, you’ll see something that looks like Mithril.”
As he continued, the Dwarf took the pickaxe hanging on the wall and handed it to Kang Jin-hyuk.
“I’ll make you some equipment while you’re at it, so go without complaining.”
“If you’re offering, then I guess…….”
Kang Jin-hyuk readily accepted the request, as he was about to ask the Dwarf for equipment anyway.