Song Hyungseok's house was now somewhat tidied up.
But since it was basically no better than a shanty, even after cleaning, it was still
a mess.
"Th-thank you. I don't know how I should express my gratitude…"
Song Hyungseok bowed deeply.
He said he'd bring something to drink and returned with tea, but one look at the
state of the cups made Yoo Baekjun not want to drink it.
"Ahem, let's get straight to the point. You're a Hunter, right? A D-rank Hunter,
now effectively retired."
"Y-yes. That's right. But how did you…?"
"Your father was also a Hunter."
"..."
Song Hyungseok's expression changed.
It was filled with anger and contempt. Yoo Baekjun could get a glimpse of the
emotions he held toward his father.
"I don't consider that man my father."
"Because he racked up a mountain of debt under your name and ran away?"
"Yes."
Yoo Baekjun clicked his tongue internally.
Song Hyungseok's father had also been a Hunter. Once successful, now
completely ruined.The reason was simple.
"He lost his arm and leg, right?"
"…Yes. He let his guard down while raiding a Gate. After that, he couldn't go on
any more raids. The problem is…"
"Wasteful spending habits don't disappear."
In this world, Hunters make a lot of money.
Song Hyungseok's father had been active for quite a while and earned a
significant amount.
Naturally, his spending was extravagant.
"Even after becoming a civilian, he didn't listen when told to save money. He
spent money like he was still a Hunter, borrowed when he ran out…"
"And then turned to loan sharks?"
Yoo Baekjun tutted.
If there was any fault, it lay with his father, not with Song Hyungseok.
Unless you count ignorance as a crime.
"Thanks to that, we had to sell our house in downtown Busan and ended up in a
hillside slum like this. If you hadn't come today, I'd probably have been dragged
away."
"That's fortunate then."
"Yes, so… I wanted to ask why you helped me."
Song Hyungseok asked cautiously.It wasn't likely someone would help him without a reason. There had to be one.
That made him feel uneasy.
"..."
Yoo Baekjun recalled a memory.
It was seven years ago when Song Hyungseok's father got injured. That's when
their household collapsed.
Until then, he had been working as a Hunter.
"When I was young, your father saved my life once. I came to repay that debt,
but things turned out this way."
"My father… did?"
"Yes. I couldn't find out where he'd gone, so I thought maybe his son would
know."
Song Hyungseok let out a bitter smile.
"I don't know either. If I did, I wouldn't be living like this. He dumped his debts on
me and ran away…"
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
It was a sigh soaked in a life of hardship.
"…They say your father was a famous Hunter back in his prime. Collected all
sorts of items and artifacts."
"Ah, yes. He did. But because of that, he spent all his money and didn't save any
wealth."
He sighed again."Of course, he sold all those things a long time ago."
"Really?"
"Yes. Because of the debt, he sold every item and artifact. The only thing left
is…"
Song Hyungseok rubbed the back of his neck.
There hung a small necklace. A very plain-looking gold necklace. It didn't seem
valuable at all.
"This is it. He gave it to me as a gift when I was a kid. Just a necklace."
Yoo Baekjun quietly looked at him. Song Hyungseok stared down at the necklace
for a long time.
Then, after a while…
"…I guess I don't need this anymore."
Plop, he took off the necklace and tossed it aside.
"I kept it for the memories, but screw that. It's all just clinging to the past. I don't
have any good memories with my father."
"That's unfortunate."
"Yeah. I'll just throw it aw—no, would you like to take it? It's pure gold, at least."
He handed it over to Yoo Baekjun.
Even though life was hard, he couldn't sell it because of the memories. But since
those memories brought him to this point, his attachment to it had vanished.
"Are you sure I can accept it?""Of course. I feel bad that this is all I can give you after you helped me."
Yoo Baekjun carefully received the necklace.
Song Hyungseok looked at it with complicated eyes, then suddenly remembered
something.
"Oh, right. This might be helpful. I found this while rummaging through my
father's things—a dungeon is supposed to be nearby."
He pulled out an old smartphone and showed a marked spot on the map.
"You might want to check it out."
"Thanks."
"No, really… Once my debt is cleared, I need to start fresh."
Yoo Baekjun nodded.
Song Hyungseok's event had a follow-up. If he went there, he could find an
artifact—and it was a rather interesting one.
"No reason to stick around."
Suppressing a smile, Yoo Baekjun left with Han Seonga.
She tilted her head as she looked at him.
"It just looks like a regular necklace. Are you that happy about it?"
"Does it really look like just a necklace to you?"
"Yes, it does to me."
Tsk tsk, Yoo Baekjun clicked his tongue.It was just a plain necklace for now. But with a little work, it would change.
"It only looks that way because it's sealed."
"It's sealed?"
That's right.
The necklace was sealed.
If the seal could be broken, it would regain its original form.
"Is Jin Seoyeon still here?"
"Yes, she's teleporting to Seoul tomorrow. She'll probably head straight to the
magic tower from there."
"Perfect timing."
He would ask her one last favor.
***
Returning to the clan, Yoo Baekjun immediately headed to the mansion where Jin
Seoyeon was staying.
She was sitting in the courtyard with her eyes closed, concentrating on
something.
"You're leaving tomorrow, right?"
"…Hm?"
Jin Seoyeon opened her eyes.
Her gaze silently asked why he was here."I need a favor."
"You want a favor again? Haven't you used me enough already?"
–Kyahooong...
Yoo Baekjun held out Seol Young to her. Her expression crumbled instantly.
"So cute."
Sleek, sleek.
Jin Seoyeon petted Seol Young's head. He'd been worried she might claw her,
but that didn't happen.
'I already asked her beforehand.'
Seol Young must have really liked the meat she ate that morning.
In exchange for more of that, he asked Seol Young to let Jin Seoyeon do as she
pleased.
'See? This one totally understands words.'
Apparently, Seol Young hadn't liked her name. She'd ignored him when he gave
Yoo Baekjun carefully placed Seol Young on Jin Seoyeon's thigh.
"She's heavy."
"Tiger cubs are heavy, even when young."
"I see. So they're different from cats."
Jin Seoyeon began gently petting Seol Young's head on her lap.Seol Young looked expressionless.
She didn't want to do this, but she seemed to be enduring it for the meat reward.
"Ahem."
Now was the time.
Yoo Baekjun handed her the necklace.
"What's this? A gift?"
"No, it's a magic-sealed item. I was hoping you could undo the magic."
"Magic?"
Jin Seoyeon took the necklace.
Her eyes turned a shade of blue, and mana flowed through her hand into the
necklace.
"Hm, it's a sealing spell. Hmmm."
As she examined it, Jin Seoyeon let out a small admiring sound.
"This is a pretty high-level seal. Most Hunters wouldn't even realize it's sealed."
"Can you undo it?"
"Well, it's not too hard. But…"
Jin Seoyeon glanced at Yoo Baekjun.
"I'm not really in the mood to do this for free."
"Should I pay you?""Do I look like I need money?"
Of course not.
The magic tower was just as wealthy as the Sword Saint Clan. She wouldn't care
for mere money.
"…Then come visit the magic tower next time."
"The magic tower? Why?"
"I have a favor to ask of you."
A favor.
Yoo Baekjun ran through the events related to the magic tower in his head. There
was one where Jin Seoyeon would ask for help…
'There it is.'
Jin Baekcheon would assign her a difficult mission.
She was likely going to ask for help with that.
And it would come with rewards.
"Not bad."
Yoo Baekjun nodded.
Jin Seoyeon closed her eyes and focused.
Blue mana flowed from her and poured into the necklace.
Bzzt! A spark flew.Kraang!
And something shattered.
The necklace glowed and began to change shape.
"This is…"
From a necklace, it transformed into a monocle.
Seeing the transformed item, Jin Seoyeon's eyes widened.
"It's an artifact? Where did you get this?"
"Got lucky."
"Lucky?"
Jin Seoyeon stared at Yoo Baekjun in disbelief as she handed the artifact back.
She wasn't someone who would covet something like that.
Watcher's Eye.
Yoo Baekjun checked the artifact's description.
[Watcher's Eye (Artifact)]
A monocle used by a man who served the emperor to observe others.
Allows detailed insight into others.
– Option: Watcher's Gaze
*Watcher's Gaze: Allows the user to view the status window of anyone they see.
A grin naturally formed on his face.It only had one option, but that alone was incredibly helpful throughout the game.
'Even I can't memorize everyone's traits.'
Yoo Baekjun used the artifact.
Shhhh! The Watcher's Eye turned to dust and seeped into his body.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
– Artifact: Watcher's Eye used. Watcher's Gaze is now permanently active.
In Heroes Road, there were items, and then there were artifacts.
Unlike normal items, artifacts had unique effects and could not be undone once
used.
'They either become permanently bound to the user, or they disappear after one
use.'
Tracker's Eye, used by Shin Woo-Hyun, was the latter. What he had now was the
former.
They were usually found by clearing rare dungeons or events.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Yoo Baekjun opened his eyes again.
The Watcher's Eye was gone, but now resided inside him.
He could use it whenever he wished.
'Let's give it a try.'Yoo Baekjun activated Watcher's Gaze.
[Jin Seoyeon]
Strength: C, Agility: C
Stamina: C, Mana: A+
[Innate Ability: Master of the Magic Tower (S)]
[Trait: Magic Prodigy (S), Blessing of Mana (S), Innate Composure (A), ...]
The list of traits seemed endless.
It was an awe-inspiring status window.
'If she's this strong already in the early stages, she'll become a monster later.'
If he mishandled her event even slightly, that monster would become his enemy.
Yoo Baekjun shivered.
"Hey."
"Hmm?"
"Let's be friends."
"…What?"
Jin Seoyeon looked dumbfounded, but he was being sincere.
'I'll need to stop by the magic tower soon.'
The cause of the magic tower collapse event was hidden within the tower.
He planned to observe what that thing was doing.'First, I need to find the Martial God's trace.'
It was time to unlock the achievement system.