CH.77 Reward (1)
After the Min Chae-hwan incident had finally concluded.
We could finally confirm our dungeon rewards in peace.
Just as the dungeon boasted of its high difficulty.
The rewards in the Rest Room were also nothing to scoff at.
There were various magic stones, equipment, and special items in abundance, and the rewards were splendid to the point where rare items, and even epic items, were often seen.
These rewards were initially attributed to the clan, but since our hunting team 5 were the ones who successfully cleared the dungeon themselves, we could request appropriate reward distribution and specify the rewards we desired.
“Intern, intern. Tell me just this. How on earth did you manage that earlier? How did you stick all those arrows into the ground?”
Even amidst the confirmation of the Rest Room rewards, there was a team member bothering me.
A senior named Lee Soo-mi, belonging to the Recovery lineage.
Her skills were great, but she had too much mischief in her.
“That’s an industry secret. You’d get hurt if you knew.”
“Hmm – Are we doing this between us?”
“What kind of relationship do we even have…”
Sometimes, or maybe quite often.
Conversations with Lee Soo-mi were challenging to follow.
Looking at overly exposed body parts was also quite embarrassing.
Nevertheless, there were team members who helped in such awkward situations.
“…Holder Lee Soo-mi.”
Just one word from Kang Juyeon was enough.
No matter how much of a character Lee Soo-mi was, she couldn’t be disrespectful in front of the clan’s successor.
So, after we had claimed all the Rest Room rewards.
We cleanly completed the dungeon clear.
Upon leaving the dungeon…
The scene unfolded just as Kwon Oh-jun had described.
Seemed to be affiliated with <Villain>.
Holders kneeling with their bodies restrained.
Clan members from <Judgment of Fire> monitoring and subduing them.
And among all these people…
“…Clan Master?”
“Master, we greet you!”
“Master, we greet you!”
There was also Kang Woo-hyun, the clan master of <Judgment of Fire>.
I kept him in my eyes and silently marveled.
‘Wow. What a sight…’
Seeing Kang Woo-hyun in person for the first time was astounding.
It might sound cliché, but he wasn’t an S-grade Holder for no reason.
Despite not doing anything other than holding a greatsword stuck in the ground, magic overflowed around him… just looking at him made you feel overwhelmed.
Was the charisma Kang Juyeon possessed inherited from her father?
Indeed, she was a top-tier female Holder in the country.
“You’ve all worked hard in clearing the dungeon. Today, there are many matters to deal with regarding villains and spies, and the day is already drawing to a close, so let’s return quickly. We can discuss reports and rewards at the clan tower tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood!”
Kwon Oh-jun responded so loudly that it echoed in the mountains.
It was the first time I heard such a big voice from him since we met.
Is this the level of social life for a team leader…?
Anyway, we received the disbandment order and each went back to our homes.
A particularly tiring and exhausting day it had been.
The completion of a troublesome dungeon conquest.
***
Ippotranslation
***
After the duel victory against Shin Yuna a while back,
I developed a certain habit.
That is, whenever I win a duel based on the criteria of a [Rune Hunter], I tend to delay claiming the rune acquisition reward until I’m alone, if possible.
There isn’t any grand reason for it.
It’s just that when there are people around or when I have matters to attend to, it can be challenging to properly assess the information, and there’s also the possibility of an awkward situation occurring if, like during the previous ‘higher rune combination,’ my entire body starts to shine and becomes visible to others.
It was a habit to prevent embarrassing situations.
“…But that doesn’t mean you should check it in the bathroom.”
Instead, the place I always go to for rune acquisition rewards is the bathroom.
For some reason, it seems like good things happen when I acquire runes in the bathroom…
It’s a superstition of my own.
…Even I find it a bit strange.
Anyways, after the conquest of the Forest Covered by Snakes dungeon, I was in my own bathroom, checking the information window.
“First… Min Chae-hwan’s rune.”
By defending against the arrow baptism with [War Declaration of a Hundred Soldiers] and then immediately attacking Min Chae-hwan, I had employed a trick to satisfy the ‘duel condition’ of the [Rune Hunter].
This trick had worked perfectly.
As soon as the chaotic situation from back then had ended, the information window that appeared right after confirmed it.
[You have won the duel! Your significant contributions in the duel have been recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.’
[1. Bow (unselectable) 2. Ice-Cold Focus 3. Starry Spells 4. Celestial Void Magic 5. Precise Arrow Tip 6. Magic Control (unselectable) 7. Agility 8. Exploration]
Min Chae-hwan’s rune setup was orthodox.
If any archer-type Holder saw his rune setup, it would catch anyone’s eye…
They were clean and charming runes.
Since Min Chae-hwan’s main weapon was a bow, he naturally possessed the [Bow] rune, and he also had [Magic Control] for smooth magic manipulation, [Agility] as a common rune among archers, and [Exploration].
These four were without a doubt.
The first two were already in my possession, so they were unselectable, and there was no reason to choose [Agility] because I had a higher-tier equivalent called [Agile Agility].
[Exploration] was useful, but considering my role in the party, it didn’t mean much.
“Starry Spells… not so much.”
[Starry Spells].
This was the most basic rune related to archery among archers.
A rune similar to the swordsman’s [Threefold Sword Technique] and the martial artists’ [Eternal Fist], belonging to the category of martial rune techniques.
It wasn’t a rune I had, but it seemed a bit wasteful to bring it as a reward, as it was a kind of common rune that any archer-type would possess.
“Celestial Void Magic and Precise Arrow Tip. These are a bit tricky…”
[Celestial Void Magic] was a rare-grade rune among archery techniques.
I don’t know the details of the rune or its contents.
I’ve only heard the name.
But Min Chae-hwan’s exceptional archery skills during the conquest and the skill ‘Arrow Baptism from Empty Air’ he sent towards the Hunting Team 5 at the last moment… there was a high probability that all of these were based on [Celestial Void Magic].
[Precise Arrow Tip] was also a rare rune.
It was a rune that occasionally appeared for some talented archers among archer-type Holders, allowing them to imbue their arrows with magic to trigger specific conditions in their target.
Among my possessed runes, this was a rune that had similarities with [Simple Curse]. Due to this rune, archer-type Holders were sometimes referred to as the party’s CC (Crowd Control) specialists.
“Still… I think…”
Although I hesitated slightly, my gaze eventually settled on [Ice-Cold Focus].
The first two runes were undoubtedly good runes. They were rare grade, and Min Chae-hwan’s primary runes, so their levels should be quite high. However, the drawback was that these two runes were limited to archer-type Holders, and my archery skills were not advanced enough to make full use of them.
On the other hand, [Ice-Cold Focus] was a rune that had an impact on the entire combat. It was a rare rune in the willpower category that allowed one to resist various status effects without being shaken by sudden attacks, unexpected variables, or special status ailments, and it also countered runes related to status effects like [Precise Arrow Tip] or [Simple Curse].
Even if it was one step below Park Jin-woo’s [Clear Mind Index], considered the best in this field, it would still be helpful to me.
[You have chosen [Ice-Cold Focus]. Since it is a level 9 rare rune, it will be registered as level 5.]
[You have acquired a new rune.]
[By the rune’s disposition, you gain 4 points in Willpower.]
A new rune was inscribed on one side of my body. The special effect of [Ice-Cold Focus] was the ability to resist various status effects in proportion to the ‘Willpower’ stat, just as I had anticipated.
“Next is… The Mountain Serpent.”
I called up the second information window I had postponed.
[You have won the duel! Your significant contributions in the duel have been recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of your opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.]
[1. Fragmented Earth Garden 2. Sturdy Stamina (unselectable) 3. Sturdy Fangs (unselectable) 4. Magic Control (unselectable) 5. Iron Wall Defence (unselectable) 6. Agile Agility (unselectable)]
The rune setup for the ‘Mountain Serpent’ was straightforward. Most of the runes were already in my possession, leaving only one choice available. Judging from the fact that most of the runes were focused on physical enhancement, it seemed that this monster’s basic abilities were already quite high.
Its abilities and rune setup went beyond the standard A-grade monster, and it even included dungeon gimmicks like freely manipulating trees. The fact that I had managed to hunt it down was a miracle in itself.
[You have chosen Fragmented Earth Garden. Since it is an epic-level rune at level 11, it will be registered as level 6.]
[You have acquired a new rune.]
[By the rune’s disposition, you gain Earth Resistance 6 and Magic 3.]
[A new resistance has been activated.]
With all but one rune being unselectable, the choice was made automatically. I quickly examined the rune information.
<Rune Information>
◎Name: Fragmented Earth Garden
◎Grade: Epic
◎Level: 6
◎Engraved Location: Sole of Foot
◎Special Effects: –
: Allows the user to freely reshape the earth and manipulate the energy of the land. Usage is restricted in special terrain such as deserts.
: Abilities are enhanced in terrains like mountains or forests. The user can designate the direction of ‘Mountain Landslide,’ which is generated by causing vibrations in the ground.
: Earth Resistance +6, Magic +3
◎Derived Skill: –
: [Power Break]
◎Detailed Information: –
: The crevices of the Fragmented Earth Garden contain accumulated energy from countless years. Within the garden’s territory, the user can freely manipulate that energy.
Staring blankly at the rune information, I muttered to myself, “Jackpot…”
They say that after all the hard work, there’s a reward. Well, this was like hitting the jackpot after enduring hardships. Obtaining these sweet rewards after conquering the dungeon…
