LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 20. Korean Magic Tower (3)
“An advanced appraiser without an affiliation?”
Esther jumped out of her seat.
“No, you should’ve said that earlier!”
“Huh?”
“Come to the Magic Tower. We’ll hire you on the spot! Then what’s the point of gate entry? I’ll just give you that gate!”
What a treat.
As soon as that S-Class Hunter heard he had no affiliation, he caused a scene.
While I was dumbfounded by the spectacle, Ahn Yoon-seung whispered in my ear.
“Major guilds have immense distributions of magic stones and equipment. They’ll fight over anyone with analysis skills.”
Ah, right.
These primitive folks can’t even check the purity of magic stones with their own eyes.
‘If you don’t want to get scammed in magic stone deals, you need to take an appraiser with you…’
There are plenty of places where appraisals are needed, yet the number of awakeneds in that field is minimal. It’s a severe manpower shortage.
“The contract amount is 500 million!”
But I didn’t expect things to escalate to this level.
“What did you just say?”
Five… five hundred million?
Did I mishear something?
“What’s wrong? Is it too low? The Neo Sisters XX are offering about 700 million? Ahn Yoon-seung is already poaching, but why am I always getting the short end of the stick with the hunters I’ve taken a fancy to!”
“Please calm down, representative!”
As the secretary of the Korean Magic Tower tried to cool Esther down, I pondered the amount presented.
500 million.
How many bowls of gukbap does that even amount to?
‘You mean I’d get 500 million just for working here?’
This time, my salivary glands kicked into overdrive.
Huff. Taking a deep breath, I double-checked Esther’s proposal.
“Do you want to hire me as an appraiser? For 500 million?”
“Of course!”
Sitting at the desk merely categorizing items feels like sitting on a mountain of gold. Then I wouldn’t have to do the tough and risky work of being a hunter.
“Besides, our Korean Magic Tower already employs many excellent appraisers, so the workload for Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo wouldn’t be too heavy.”
Ooh!
I was just one step away from succumbing to the temptation of money dangling in front of me.
However…
“The analysis department follows a flexible four-day workweek policy!”
Wha…!
“Ah, but sometimes there are important gate raids on the weekends, so you might have to pitch in…”
Work.
As soon as I heard that two-syllable word, my vision spun, and a throbbing pain shot through my bones.
Ugh, my head…
“Hyung?”
As I suddenly bowed my head and rubbed my forehead, Ahn Yoon-seung looked at me with concern.
But I couldn’t move a muscle until this nausea settled down.
Hiii, work…!
A severe flashback.
The word “work” triggered memories from my past where I was overworked at my old job.
Work, overtime, morning greetings from my boss, difficult clients…
“I don’t want to go back to work!”
At this point, I had to point out that I reincarnated solely to escape employment.
Yet, here I was, about to sign a contract and walk right back into a company?
Now just hearing anything work-related sends chills down my spine.
This trauma instinctively overturned all my decisions.
‘W-wait. Isn’t entering a company on Earth a bit premature for you? You aren’t even used to this planet yet, and there’s no way you wouldn’t be discovered as an alien.’
Ah, right! I also have the critical mission of regaining my magic.
If I live among humans, I’ll have less time for personal research. That gives me even more reason not to join!
Steeling my resolve, I dropped my hands from my eyes and lifted my head.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo! How about some incentives? Not bad, right?”
The first thing I saw when I looked up was the staggering price of the contract, but…
“I’m sorry.”
I flatly rejected the offer.
“How much do you want?”
“It’s not about the money. I have no intention of joining a guild.”
Perhaps due to just experiencing a flashback, my words came out sharper than intended.
Esther observed my reaction, and with a face dripping with disappointment, she folded the contract.
“If that’s how the awakener thinks…”
Thus, the scouting matter returned to square one.
However, we still had subjects to discuss.
“But are you sure about this? Turning down this offer means you’ll have to bear the gate entry fees.”
Esther’s expression suddenly cooled.
“I wonder if a mere individual like you can really gather that huge negotiation fee!”
Hmph.
The head of the magic tower crossed her arms and made a displeased expression.
Given her playful tone, she probably wasn’t genuinely angry, but it wouldn’t be wise to get on the nerves of an S-Class Hunter, especially a curse mage.
“I’d like to negotiate.”
I quickly presented the crux of the conversation.
“I know of a peculiar substance.”
At those words, I felt everyone’s gaze in the room fixate on me.
“If you mix this with metal or concrete, the walls of constructed buildings gain some resistance against skills.”
“…!”
“Even when attacked by monsters, the building won’t collapse; it absorbs mana.”
I said this while stealing a glance out the window.
The panoramic view typical of skyscrapers. Ordinary folks probably only see that blue sky, but…
“Isn’t it a bit wasteful to surround the tower with a barrier like this?”
I immediately grasped the spell laid over the magic tower and smoothly started my pitch.
Then Esther leaned forward, intrigued.
“Well, if that item you mentioned exists, it should reduce that waste.”
Esther had mentioned that she disliked unnecessarily dragging out negotiations. So I decided to lay out my trading conditions clearly.
“Then take as much as you want.”
“What?”
“I’m the only one who knows the location of this substance, and now I plan to share it with you, Esther.”
“……”
“I don’t know how much the cost of maintaining the barrier is, but I hope this serves as a sufficient entry fee.”
Esther bit her lip and slammed a hand on the table.
Could it be she wasn’t satisfied with the trading conditions?
“Well then, I almost want to beg you to trade. That is, provided your words hold true.”
Seems she’s doubting a potentially great negotiation material.
Without delay, I pulled out the small zip bag I’d prepared earlier from my jacket pocket.
“Oh! That was from the last time…!”
Finally, Ahn Yoon-seung reacted.
He recognized it because he’d seen the material once before.
Absorption agent.
The substance that lay hidden on the floor of an F-Class gate, unnoticed by anyone.
This was my bargaining chip.
‘It’s practically my only card, though.’
Revealing the existence of this rare dirt to an Earthling seems wasteful to some.
But it was a choice I was compelled to make.
‘This is only valuable in a society where magical civilizations have developed to some extent.’
In fact, there were not many things that could be done with pure absorption agents.
For this dirt pile to be worth something, ideally, a refinery specializing in absorption agents would be needed.
And considering these people often burst into gates…
Eventually, wouldn’t the raw material be revealed over time?
That’s why I decided to disclose it only when necessary, before the value of the information turned to trash.
“Does this sand truly have that effect? Or are you really using such information to gain entry into a gate like that?”
“Yes.”
“Are you planning to share that info elsewhere right after our deal is done…?”
“Why would I? How about I promise to keep it secret from now on?”
“That would leave you at a disadvantage.”
A moment ago you were acting so high and mighty, and now you’re being candid about just that gate?
“Change will suffice.”
The negotiation was nearing its conclusion. I didn’t forget to drive the final nail in the coffin.
“We’ll help each other out with rare attributes.”
The reason I was being so generous with Esther was tied to some motive I had.
A few minutes later.
As we successfully wrapped up our discussions.
Knock knock. A sharp knock sounded.
“Oh! Finally here. I was dying of thirst.”
That knock was the sound of a staff member bringing in drinks.
Esther, seeming pleased with my gift, beamed.
“Everyone, please enjoy this. It’s coffee served only to distinguished guests, and I spent some money at the auction to collect this.”
“Wow, it really smells great.”
“Yoon-seung knows a thing or two!”
Having successfully secured the gate entry ticket, I was about to down the offered drink happily.
‘They say it’s a fine beverage from Earth; I can’t pass this up.’
But the aroma of that dark liquid triggered my second trauma.
‘Huh?’
The unique, rich scent of coffee reminded me of something I had smelled often before…
‘Ah.’
Damn! This smells just like the industrial glue commonly used in Alphauri.
Ugh!
As soon as I took a sip of the coffee, I was so startled I spat it out.
How dare they give me this?
Anger boiled within me at the terrible taste, and as I instinctively turned to look at Esther, who offered it to me…
Huh!
Was it a coincidence?
In that moment, Esther and my eyes locked.
And judging by her shocked expression, I somehow felt I had gotten caught in the act of spitting out my coffee.
‘I’m not an alien. I’m not an alien. I’m not an alien.’
Desperately, I took another sip of coffee.
My entire throat and mouth were engulfed in that disgusting scent, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
“Is the coffee not to your taste?”
“No.”
Anyway, since I wouldn’t be seeing the magic tower again, I should hurry outside and purge.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
Thinking that, I barely managed to get that last sip of coffee down and bid farewell to Esther.
*
All the guests had left.
Once the warmth of people faded away, this expansive representative office felt even emptier.
Left alone, Seo Esther sat at her desk, sipping her second cup of coffee.
Yet her expression was far from bright.
“Is there something troubling you?”
The magic tower’s secretary asked, looking at her employer’s face.
Then the guild master began to respond with a tone of voice that was somewhat lacking in mirth.
“It’s not that something troubling happened, but earlier, I played a little prank on those guests…”
Hearing this, the secretary’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You cursed the visitors again? Oh dear, representative! You promised you wouldn’t do that anymore!”
In truth, Seo Esther had a nasty little hobby.
She enjoyed using her skills to bring misfortune to hunters she met for the first time.
Of course, when she used curses, it was merely small effects like stubbing a toe on furniture edges.
“What’s wrong with that? It’s fun.”
Esther had been unable to overcome this guilty pleasure for quite some time.
“What was the curse this time?”
“Thirty seconds of sneezing!”
“Oh, that’s trivial.”
At that moment, the secretary suddenly felt an odd vibe.
“Wait. But they didn’t sneeze at all.”
Esther fell silent for a moment.
Yes. It was true.
This S-Class Hunter had quietly activated her skill while the guests were drinking coffee just moments ago.
The target of application was Kim Gi-ryeo.
She had been curious about how that fearsome gaze would scrunch up when sneezing. So she had aimed at him first.
But as everyone knew, the result of that curse was…
“Right. They didn’t sneeze at all.”
Failure.
This wasn’t just a simple failure. Seo Esther was the only S-Class among the curse-type hunters.
Had her curses ever been off-target before?
No.
Even that untouchable rank one, S-Class Hunter Jeong Ha-seong, had once tripped over because of this curse.
“Are you sure the guild master didn’t make a mistake…?”
As the secretary started to grasp the situation, her expression hardened.
However, Esther’s response was cold.
“No, I even raised the intensity just to make sure, but the reaction was laughable.”
Seo Esther recalled the earlier situation.
In a moment when she thought Kim Gi-ryeo wouldn’t notice, she quietly activated her unique skill.
Originally, he should have been helplessly coughing.
Instead, he remained still for a long time before suddenly turning to look at her.
“……”
Esther still couldn’t forget.
The face of that man, with eyes glaring like a viper, silently watching her.
“He noticed. He must have known from the start.”
But Kim Gi-ryeo remained silent.
As if to say that such a petty prank would be overlooked, he calmly praised the taste of the coffee.
Did Kim Gi-ryeo realize? That serene atmosphere he maintained terrified Esther more than anything.
“An awakener who can ignore my curses that once affected even another S-Class.”
Here, a new fact was revealed.
Kim Gi-ryeo moved in a way that was different from ordinary people.
His brain was not the center; rather, an alien soul was controlling his body through magic.
Kim Gi-ryeo’s body was always directed by sophisticated magic.
Unless they had more proficiency in magic than this alien, it was impossible to usurp command.
Therefore.
“Whew, what kind of monster just popped up here?”
Kim Gi-ryeo had absolute immunity to abnormal states such as sleep, fainting, paralysis, and curses.
Like the white blood cells of the human body.
He unconsciously negated even trivial spells.