LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 42: Guild Scout (3)
“Anyway, I’ll let you know the appraisal results.”
Just when everyone was frozen in surprise, Kim Gi-ryeo began his work.
“But will this really mean anything? Your investigation is correct.”
“Excuse me?”
“This is just a sword that gets better the more magic power it absorbs. That’s all.”
There are no hidden conditions or abilities.
At his revelation, Kwak Byeong-ki looked bewildered.
“So how do we even use this sword? Even an A-Class Hunter fell in an instant!”
Gi-ryeo responded.
“You just have to endure.”
“Endure?”
“Exactly, just hold on, you know? So that the sword doesn’t suck up more mana than necessary.”
Kwak Byeong-ki’s jaw dropped.
To just endure on their own? This sounded like something only geniuses would say without any conscience.
“Hmm?”
As they all fell silent, did Gi-ryeo read the room? His expression turned serious.
“Could it be that you people here…can’t do that?”
This statement sounded like this to Kwak Byeong-ki.
– Was this guild, said to be one of Korea’s two major mountains, really only this good?
A chill ran down his spine.
The reason he had convinced Kim Gi-ryeo for this request was to showcase the magic tower’s capabilities, so that they could show no other guild could compare.
The items strewn about the analysis room were part of that plan.
Surely, as an appraiser, he wouldn’t be unaware of the value of these items.
Seeing high-grade equipment that would be hard to get even one of in small to medium guilds should make him feel something.
“Ah, no. That’s not it.”
But if it went on like this, far from giving the impression that they were the best in the industry, they’d just end up with egg on their face.
Kwak Byeong-ki hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
“The Cursed Sword isn’t meant for main raiders. I plan to give it to the auxiliary team’s hunters.”
“Is that so?”
“Haha. It’s a team full of newbies, so they still look inexperienced.”
It seemed Gi-ryeo understood the situation, nodding slightly.
“It seems trained Awakened people who can handle this are rare.”
He muttered, briefly recalling memories.
“Among the people I know… Kang Chang-ho? Hmm, yeah. I think someone like Kang Chang-ho could use it without a problem.”
He was the person who handled magic power most intricately among the earthlings he’d met.
Gi-ryeo mentioned that name nonchalantly.
It was a mere example to imply that such control was needed to wield that sword.
“Kang Chang-ho?”
However, this statement came to Kwak Byeong-ki as something entirely different.
‘So you need to be an S-Class Hunter to wield the sword. That’s saying he’s close to being an S-Class himself!’
Kwak Byeong-ki thought the man’s words pointed to Kang Chang-ho’s very Awakening Level.
‘What kind of trick did he use to make an S-Class look like an ordinary person?!’
Kwak Byeong-ki was someone who was meticulous about physical conditioning.
So even in middle age, he was built like a tank.
In contrast, Kim Gi-ryeo had a slim silhouette that didn’t look particularly healthy…
Ironically, if they ended up fighting, it would be Kwak Byeong-ki who would bleed.
‘He doesn’t seem to have any magic power at all on the surface.’
Thinking of the hidden Awakening Level, he figured that man could probably smash a human skull like an eggshell.
“Mr. Kwak Byeong-ki, why do you look like that?”
He suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
That man felt like a beast wearing a human mask, and his body instinctively froze.
“Uh, that is…”
But just then.
Bang Bang! With a loud noise, the white door of the analysis room swung open.
At the same time, Kwak Byeong-ki’s expression brightened.
With that person around, there was no need to fear any Awakened.
“Representative!”
“What’s up? Why is everyone so happy to see me today?”
The true S-Class Hunter!
Seo Esther greeted them with a big smile.
“Hello! I heard Mr. Gi-ryeo visited, so I came to check in.”
The man with dull, lifeless eyes calmly looked her over.
*
‘Wow~ If I mess up from here on out, I’m dead~’
Why did she come out instead of just working?
Now that Esther showed up, he had no idea what to do.
Should he start with greetings?
“Nice to meet you.”
“How’s it going? Is work going well?”
“I just finished.”
“Oh, really? Let’s hear the results!”
Since it was the Curse Mage’s word, he had to oblige.
He quickly revealed the information about the magic tool.
Esther nodded, showing a satisfied smile.
“So there are no particularly hidden dangerous aspects, right?”
Whoosh-.
Esther lightly picked up the cursed sword that was next to her.
“I was worried there’d be some big secret, so I couldn’t even touch it.”
As expected, being S-Class means they can endure mana drain too.
He absentmindedly watched Esther twirl the sword, but oddly enough, the staff’s reactions seemed off.
‘What’s going on?’
The employees looked at them with overly fearful expressions.
Were they worried that the representative would cut herself playing with the sword?
“Esther Hunter, before finishing up, I’d like to do one more check. Can you hand me the sword?”
“Okay~”
Esther willingly handed over the cursed sword.
However, despite retrieving the dangerous sword, the staff remained in shock.
In fact, they looked even more surprised than before.
What on earth were they expecting?
Ah, whatever.
It was just a one-time look for them.
It was better to get back to work than worry about that. He quietly began to recheck the magic tool.
“Mr. Gi-ryeo! Is that sword to your liking?”
“Excuse me?”
But in that moment.
Esther secretly leaned in and whispered.
“Since our guild doesn’t really have anyone who desperately needs it, if you play your cards right, I might just give it to you.”
His head tilted involuntarily.
For now, he didn’t want to owe any favors to the Curse Mage.
Above all, it wasn’t a particularly coveted magic tool.
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s above my level…”
He put down the black sword he was inspecting without regret.
It was too much equipment for an F-Class to use.
Considering his minuscule magic power, he wouldn’t be able to make use of it anyway.
“Are you implying that it’s too low level for you?”
But then, Esther added something perplexing.
He thought this might be some kind of ironic earthling humor, so he just shrugged it off.
‘If I could, I’d love to laugh at the joke and win some favor, but…’
After seeing Seonwoo-yeon’s icy glare, he couldn’t even think about smiling.
“That’s what I meant.”
Esther observed his reaction with narrowed eyes.
Then she slowly prepared to speak again.
Beeeep!
Wooooo!
A sudden loud noise interrupted them.
The high-decibel alarm.
And a vibrating sound…
‘Disaster message?’
He had experienced it once before.
He reflexively pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.
Esther, across from him, was doing the same.
By the way, had anyone called over there in the midst of this chaos?
“Hello? Oh! Yes, yes. Is there a gate over there?”
Esther seemed to be urgently talking to someone on the phone, then she relayed new information.
“Seriously, the world just won’t leave me alone! Apparently, an A-Class Red Gate has appeared in broad daylight.”
“A-Class? Why would they contact you directly, Representative?”
“Because two Red Gates have appeared at once!”
Oh, she’s right. Looking closer, there’s not just one, but two alarm texts.
“Two A-Classes appearing simultaneously?”
There was no time to elaborate.
Immediately after, the employees of the Korean Magic Tower began to move busily.
“Mr. Gi-ryeo, I feel bad about this. I meant to have coffee with you today, but something came up.”
“It’s fine. Coffee is…”
But wait a minute.
“Aah, right. Since there are treasures to be had from a dual gate, can two of the analysis team come along as well?”
“Yes, Representative.”
From the looks of it, it seemed like an S-Class Hunter would personally head out to the scene.
He turned to Esther, who was in preparation to deploy.
“Excuse me. Would it be alright for me to go along too?”
“Yes?”
“If you take me, I can assist with classifying the magic stones.”
It was a somewhat abrupt request.
“I don’t mind, but what will you do on-site?”
Esther asked, genuinely curious about his intentions.
It was a simple enough reason that required only a short explanation.
“I want to see a fight up close. I’ve been curious about S-Class Curse skills for a while now.”
To put it simply, he wanted to watch their skills.
Honestly, he wanted to analyze the differences between earth’s and Alphauri’s curse magic.
“Esther, you have a lot of magic power, so you must have exceptional abilities, right?”
He seized the moment to flatter her a bit.
Then she would likely feel good and easily agree to his request.
“Haha… Thank you for the compliment. Then let’s travel together in the car.”
As expected, Esther responded with a smile, eagerly accepting his company.
‘That statement must have scored me points!’
Indeed, it’s always best to shower compliments when dealing with those skilled in curses.
That’s right. From now on, he should keep this up.
That way, he could maintain a good relationship with the fearsome S-Class Curse Mage.
He left the building, planning a hopeful future ahead.
*
Tap, Tap, Tap.
‘Kim Gi-ryeo, you bastard…’
In the white corridor of the magic tower.
Esther, who was leading the lineup, gritted her teeth in a spot where he couldn’t see her.
‘He’s got the gall to mess with me!’
What? Curious about the S-Class Curse skills?
When the man who had rendered her activated skill useless said such a thing, it had to be read with a different meaning entirely.
– Let’s see how well you fight with a skill that couldn’t even touch a single hair on me?
It sounded like a declaration of war.
Thinking that way, his subsequent comments made perfect sense.
– Esther, you have a lot of magic power, so you must have exceptional abilities, right…?
This was outright mockery!
Esther twisted her lips into a smirk with a certain conviction.
An S-Class, regarded as a jewel among Awakened.
But to think there was a man who could look down on them without changing his expression.
‘Hmph.’
It was both unpleasant and interesting.
Was he so confident in his abilities that he could hurl such provocations?
Esther thought this situation clearly revealed what Kim Gi-ryeo was hiding.
A simple F-Class couldn’t possess such arrogance.
“They’ve blocked the road from the association. Floor it!”
“Make sure to wear your seatbelt, Representative.”
“If there’s an accident, I die? You idiots are the ones who will die!”
As Esther got into the car heading to the site, she leaned back in the passenger seat and pondered.
‘But why is he provoking me like this?’
She was concerned about Gi-ryeo suddenly becoming so aggressive…
‘Could it be?’
A warning.
In that instant, those icy words swept through her mind.
Kim Gi-ryeo, knowing their curse level all too well, was provoking her on purpose; perhaps he wanted her to use her Awakening ability again.
But if she were to cast a curse over such light provocation…
‘He wouldn’t just let it slide like last time, would he?’
In the rearview mirror, a figure reflected.
An enigmatic Hunter, who despite tapping into the guild’s entire information network, couldn’t find any trace of his past.
The Nameless Awakened was now attempting to lure her out.
‘Looks like that guy plays the intimidation game rough, despite his appearance?’
Esther fell into a slight tension.