CH.90 Stained Rock Pile (2)
A month has passed since I joined the <Judgment of Fire>.
At first, I didn’t even know what kind of office was in the clan tower, but now I was firmly established as a clan member.
“Good morning, senior.”
“Ah, good morning. You’re an intern, right? The one who just joined Hunting Team 5.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The number of people I greeted every morning gradually increased.
I began to memorize the faces of not only Hunting Team 5 but also all the clan members in the hunting department, and I never forgot to greet them whenever I met them.
Image within the clan is self-made.
Thanks to this, the clan members who received my greetings also remembered me roughly.
After about a month, my face seemed to be somewhat imprinted.
“Hmm- Intern?”
“Yes, Holder Lee Soo-mi.”
“Could you write up the content I just organized into a report according to the format? Like the one you submitted last time.”
“Understood. Should I send an email directly to the administration team after writing it?”
“Huh- You know everything without me saying it now?”
There were also paperwork tasks that had to be handled internally among the hunting team tasks.
At first, I thought it was difficult because I wondered why Holder was writing a report on a computer…
Now it seems like this task is also getting used to my hand.
The complicated tasks within the clan were slowly becoming familiar.
‘It definitely helps.’
Intern clan member.
This is ultimately a preparation process to become a full-fledged clan member.
Even though it was a short period of time, I was still a member of <Judgment of Fire>.
As a clan member, I was able to understand the world of Holders and clans more deeply by doing my best to handle what I was responsible for.
Not a student at the academy, but a rune Holder.
It felt like stepping into that full-fledged world.
‘Well, there are many things to gain in reality.’
It wasn’t just mental growth.
If that were the case, I wouldn’t have thought about joining the clan in the first place.
[You have won in battle! With the mysterious power of Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of your opponent’s runes. Please select the rune you want to duplicate.]
[You have selected Magic Amplification. Since it is a normal rune at level 11, its level will decrease and be registered at level 6.]
[You have obtained a new rune.]
[You gain 3 magic due to the nature of the rune.]
“I lost, I lost. It’s hard to beat a warrior Holder.”
Hunting Team 5’s mage-type B-grade Holder.
Kim Seong-cheol raised his surrender flag.
It was the result of a duel that was realized after countless requests.
Thanks to this, I was able to get a new rune.
One of the core common runes of the mage class, [Magic Amplification].
And it’s quite a decent rune level at level 6.
[Magic Amplification] is a rune that can generally amplify its power when a Holder uses a technique using magic.
For example, when creating [Fiery Flame], if [Magic Amplification] is added, its destructive power becomes much more intense than using runes alone.
Although it consumes more of my magic, it is expanding the container itself that can contain it.
Moreover, this includes not only when using magic runes but also when putting magic into weapons.
In other words, it is efficient even when using warrior-type magic-related skills such as [Wave Sword Technique] or [Water Sword Technique].
Although there were many other runes for Kim Seong-cheol, who is a standard B-grade Holder, I chose a rune that can be used universally.
The reward for obtaining it was not over yet.
[You have satisfied the special effect of ‘Effort of the Seeker’ Rune. All 100 hours of training time are filled and new time is counted.]
[You gained 1 recovery through special effects.]
Fierce duels are also counted as training time.
[Effort of the Seeker] has an effect that allows you to gain random stats when you complete a total of 100 hours of training.
The stat gained through steady training is 1 point.
This was accumulating and accumulating and becoming an undeniable level.
‘It’s not bad to get recovery.’
The stat gained from this effect is random.
In the early days, I only prayed for strength and speed, but now that my stats are growing evenly, there was nothing bad about any stat coming out.
Especially since recently acquiring [Combat Healing] Rune and Epic Item [Penitent’s Sword], the influence of recovery on my battle itself has increased.
Now I couldn’t ignore the performance of recovery stats either.
“Thank you for your hard work, senior.”
I wiped off my dripping sweat and greeted Kim Seong-cheol across from me.
The battle between warrior-type and mage-type Holders.
He accepted a duel with a disadvantageous disposition.
I felt both gratitude and respect.
Kim Seong-cheol shrugged his shoulders and asked.
“Jae-hyun, are you really a C-grade? It feels almost like a B-grade when I face you.”
A month is both short and long.
During this time, I became quite close to the team members, and Kim Seong-cheol was speaking comfortably to me.
Now, the only team member who speaks honorifics to me is Lee Soo-mi.
“I think my stats have gone up a lot. But B-grade is not a grade that can go up just because the stats are there.”
“Well, that’s true.”
The promotion of the Holder is supervised by the Korean Holder Association.
Up to C-grade, the criteria are clearly defined.
Achievement of 30 main stats and association ability evaluation.
And evaluation of hunting achievements as a rune Holder.
If you meet these points, you can complete the promotion to C-grade Holder.
I also became a C-grade in this way.
‘From B-grade, the evaluation criteria are a bit different.’
There is a criterion of achieving 50 main stats, but from B-grade, more focus is placed on rune level and achievements than stats.
As the level goes up, it becomes harder to raise stats, and in battle composition, there are many cases where it diverges depending on the utilization of runes rather than stats.
So even if the main stat is close to 50, it doesn’t mean that you can be promoted to B-grade Holder.
“You’re going around breaking seniors’ seals these days.”
Kim Seong-cheol asked while wiping his sweat.
After the dispatch to ‘Forest Covered by Snakes’ ended and there was some room in the team, I politely requested a duel from clan members whenever I had time.
Mainly targeting Hunting Team 5 members, especially B-grade personnel.
It wasn’t just that I wanted to win in a duel and get runes… My mindset wasn’t like that, but I wanted to grow my senses by competing with senior Holders who graduated from the academy.
Battle with monsters as well as battle with Holders.
I had to prepare for this slowly and build up battle senses.
‘I might have to fight a villain soon.’
Even though I wanted to keep my distance from that psycho group as much as possible, now I can’t avoid a collision.
Since I got involved with Kang Juyeon, Park Jin-woo, and others and entered the mainstream, <Villain> might have noticed me.
After all, I was the one who stopped Ha Do-kwon at the forefront.
Even to prepare for that collision, I needed to duel more often with the Holders.
“Ah, not so much as breaking the seal…”
“Haha. It’s a joke, a joke. The desire to improve is always good. Have you ever fought with the team leader?”
“Yes. I was completely crushed.”
Actually, I won for the first time in a duel today.
I couldn’t beat Choi Dong-wook, a B-grade Holder, let alone Kwon Oh-joon, an A-grade Holder, in the duels I’ve had so far.
Both of them were veteran Holders who had built up quite a bit of experience in the clan, and there was no part where they didn’t overwhelm me in terms of stats and rune levels.
I’ve bumped into them several times, but I’ve never won.
Kim Seong-cheol was also a case where I barely won through variables I created such as series disposition and rune diversity, battle composition… Originally, there was an insurmountable gap of experience between him and me.
‘Other clan members… won’t fight.’
Lee Soo-mi is a Recovery-type, so it was difficult to establish a duel in the first place, and Kang Juyeon refused to duel for some reason.
-I can’t do it.
When I try to duel, I can’t shoot magic at you.
…Maybe because she’s afraid I’ll get hurt?
No matter how many times I said it was okay, it didn’t work.
I’ve been getting close lately and forgot for a moment, but originally Kang Juyeon’s stubbornness can’t be stopped by Moon Ga-eun.
So I had to postpone her duel until later.
“Haha. Everyone becomes like that after fighting with the team leader once.”
“Holder Kim Seong-cheol, have you ever fought with the team leader?”
“Of course. Now the team leader is A-grade, but just a year ago he was B-grade like me. I’m a bit ambitious for a mage-type.”
“You look different from what you say.”
“I hear that a lot.”
We exchanged silly stories while tidying up our luggage.
It’s already past time to leave work.
I had to leave before the clan tower closed.
In the meantime, Kim Seong-cheol turned his head and asked.
“Ah, if you’re free tomorrow, would you like to have a drink? I don’t think I’ve ever bought our intern one.”
At that remark, I responded with an awkward expression.
“Ah… Tomorrow might be a bit difficult.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Yes. It’s kind of an important promise…”
Tomorrow is the last Saturday of July.
The day to go hunting in Seoraksan field, promised to Kim Chae-eun two weeks ago.
Of course, that’s just an official excuse, and in the process we’re planning to find the ‘Stained Rock Pile’ dungeon by chance and capture it together.
***
Ippotranslation
***
And the next day.
I looked at Kim Chae-eun with my head propped up.
“…What kind of luggage did you pack like that?”
After taking the warp gate to Gangwon-do.
Kim Chae-eun came groaning with a big backpack all the way to the entrance of Seoraksan Field.
‘Why do you carry that bag when you have a magic bag?’
That scene was absurd.
Kim Chae-eun’s backpack had everything in it.
From various cooking utensils such as burners, pots, frying pans… To vegetables that are hard to count one by one, meat brought without distinguishing between land and sea…
All kinds of ingredients were occupying the bag.
…This isn’t hunting preparation but cooking preparation?
But Kim Chae-eun smiled brightly and said,
“There’s a safety zone in Seoraksan Field. It would be really delicious if we boil ramen there.”
Safety Zone.
One of the rest areas is often found in large fields like Seoraksan Mountain.
Normally, fields are habitats for monsters pushed out of barriers, but within those fields new magic barriers are created which are safety zones.
Of course monsters don’t come inside it and it serves as a resting place for hunters who are tired from hunting, often visit this place.
It was a device to reduce risk as much as possible in fields where there are too many monsters and their grades are high
‘You eat ramen there?’
It’s really like going hiking rather than hunting
And there’s another absurd thing
These ingredients aren’t for ramen but for barbecue?
“Miss. This isn’t ramen ingredients but barbecue ingredients?”
“We’re going to eat meat ramen! Anyway, since I’m making it, Jae-hyun just needs to eat.”
“No, no. I’ll do it. I’ll make it. Actually, I wanted to eat meat ramen too. Haha.”
I hurriedly stopped Kim Chae-eun.
I almost got into trouble for picking a fight.
I learned a lot from the ‘Welcome back party’ incident last time.
Whatever Kim Chae-eun wants to eat, I have to make it all.
…That’s the only way my stomach can be safe.
“Um… Okay! Jae-hyun’s cooking is much more delicious.”
After saying that, Kim Chae-eun put her big backpack into a small magic bag.
I can’t help but laugh at that sight.
‘…Was it a show-off bag?’
Anyway, after overcoming one crisis like that.
We were finally able to enter the entrance of Seoraksan Field.
Following Bukhansan and Inwangsan, it was the third field outside the barrier.
