Episode 3

“…Wow, it’s no joke. This is awesome.”

I let out an expression of admiration and looked at myself all over again.

My height, which was in the early 170cm, had grown to 185cm in an instant.

My body, which had been ambiguously trained, now showed the toughness of iron that had been hammered in flames multiple times.

My previously lean and thin physique now had a perfect balance of muscle and fat, securing both strength and flexibility.

Literally, I looked like a real man now.

“I like this a lot.”

All of this was triggered by the combination of the ‘Heavenly Fig Tree’s Fruit’ and the ‘Physical Growth Elixir’, each costing a whopping ‘110,000 won’ in cash, expensive paid goods.

In the case of the Heavenly Fig Tree’s Fruit, it was an elixir that had the effect of raising overall ability stats.

The elixir, because it was in a game, achieved a level of physical reconstitution that was possible.

‘…Of course, the elixir only shows a one-time permanent effect.’

Drinking more than one afterward would just be a powerful doping effect that was temporary.

To be precise, drinking more than two would cause the body to explode and die.

In fact, in the game, it was an Easter egg that would immediately result in a game over.

But this first growth was important!

If the body was treated with the ‘Physical Growth Elixir’ and the ‘Heavenly Fig Tree’s Fruit’ at the same time, it would undergo greater enhancement. This fact was well-known among ‘Supervisors’ who played ‘GAL’.

I placed my hands on my waist and shouted with a bit of confidence now.

“Status Window!”

“…Nice.”

This was the typical stats of a close-range dealer focused on agility.

‘I also got traits now.’

After the Physical Growth Elixir and Heavenly Fig Tree’s Fruit, what I used were two ‘Trait Rights’.

Among them, the first was [Basic Trait Selection Right].

It was an item that allowed you to choose one normal-tier trait, the lowest grade one.

Even though it was a mundane choice available with in-game currency, in this context, even one such option was a rarity not to be taken for granted.

“…There was no other choice but this.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I chose [Swordsmanship].

It was the most basic and crucial trait that would allow one to handle all types of ‘swords’ to perfection, just by picking this.

Considering I primarily used swords, lacking the [Swordsmanship] trait would have been absurd.

Next, I used the [Random Trait Gacha Ticket].

A valuable and precious item that could only be purchased with the paid currency ‘Crimson Stone’, guaranteeing a trait of at least a rare grade or higher.

However, despite its incredible value, not many ‘Supervisors’ bought it.

The reason was simple.

Because it was random selection.

Though it was supposed to select traits based on the user’s character’s tendencies and potential, making it somewhat predictable, the randomness was somewhat limited.

‘…Even considering that, the range is still too wide to feel glad about.’

In simple terms, it wasn’t cost-effective.

I had bought a few but never used them until now…

“This came out…”

An epic-grade trait.

It was one of the cheat-like traits rated at the top within the community.

‘It has good sense.’ With just this phrase, I could decipher all sorts of tricks, almost as if I could see the future with its accuracy.

Maybe that’s why?

There were really only a handful of guys who could learn it.

Even if the performance was poor, the general consensus was that if one could learn it, it should be utilized in some way.

It was clear that Yu Seha, this person, could not learn it.

After countless experiments, that was the conclusion I came to.

Moreover, for some reason.

It couldn’t be copied with [Eyes of Reversed Heaven] either.

‘…Strange, isn’t it?’

Other [Intuition]-related skills weren’t locked like this, and only this skill was not given to Yu Seha.

As if Yu Seha shouldn’t learn it at any cost.

In fact, the status window right in front of me was bugged if you compare it to ‘GAL’.

Yet, here we are.

‘…Well, a good thing is a good thing.’

I didn’t particularly care about it and moved on.

Anyway, was this all I could use for now?

‘…It seems a bit lacking.’

Truthfully, I should be grateful for this much, but human greed sees no end, so I kept finding myself wanting more and more

How do I put this?

It was as if I had built a sturdy framework but lacked the cement to cover it, like a ‘boned chicken’.

Particularly, I was disappointed about not having a rare-grade sword.

‘It can’t be helped now.’

It seemed I would have to make do with that old iron sword for a while.

“Finally, I should pack the box again.”

I neatly laid down the remaining resources on the floor and crammed clothes on top of them for camouflage.

Once again, let me say, in this world, there wasn’t such a thing as ‘paid goods’ that could explosively grow a character with just a ‘click’ and no side effects.

Moreover, these items could be used by others, not just me.

If the remaining ones get known, well, it wouldn’t be strange at all if all sorts of people come flocking here.

“Nice.”

I dusted off my hands and searched through my phone to check the academy schedule.

But as a side note about Yu Seha, this guy.

He seemed to have aimed for the [Gonis Hunter Academy]

‘Mr. Yu Seha, you are not accepted…’

Of course, the result wasn’t good.

Sigh. Wasn’t it a universal rule that if you possess someone, you should at least smoothly get them into a school?

Apparently, not in this world.

Fortunately, [Gonis Hunter Academy] allowed for unlimited reapplication.

And that wasn’t something to be ashamed of, either.

It must be because it was a super prestigious academy recognized all around the world.

Every semester, a multitude of students fail.

‘…And for some reason, I don’t know why, but Yu Seha lied about his class and applied.’

The recorded class in it was <Swordsman>.

Since he wrote down the worst job among the swordsman classes, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance if I were an interviewer.

‘First, pass the entrance exam.’

The timing felt right now.

Two months until the entrance exam again.

It would have been quite difficult if it were just a week away.

In two months, it wouldn’t be easy, but I should be able to go to the place where the [Hidden Piece] was hidden in the early stages of the game.

However, there was one problem here.

It was that I had no combat experience in this place.

‘I’ve fought a lot just holding a weapon.’

Combat experience of superhumans based on the unprecedented power of ‘Class’ and ‘Skill’.

Of course, I didn’t have any of those.

Therefore, first, I aimed to gain basic experience, even if it meant entering a modest place.

“First of all…”

Should I turn on the Hunter app?

“….Ah, damn it.”

20 minutes later.

I was clutching my head with both hands.

The reason? It was simple.

-Excuse me, are you a man…? Ah… we don’t… sorry… we don’t accept male dealers.

-Huh? Your voice sounds like that of a male? Are you, by any chance, making a reservation for your older sister or younger sister here? …What? You’re going to run? As a dealer? Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep, man.

Just because I mentioned I was a man, they scoffed!

-Eh? A man? Uh, no matter how I look at it, it seems like you’re trying to let a woman hard carry for you… Do you have money? Just so you know, we only accept cash.

Those who blatantly asked for money.

-A man? Ah, a ‘porter’ applicant then. Seeing you’ve contacted us, you must be quite confident in your appearance and performance. Well, male hunters do receive decent treatment if they have the looks and physique. Fortunately, there’s a ‘lover’ position that just turned available. Since you’re an A-grade hunter and a VIP participant this time, you could just pick up the crumbs… What? A dealer? A man? Are you out of your mind?

I didn’t even know what a ‘lover’ was, and here she was, making demands.

‘…Damn it.’

What I was about to do was precisely a [Gate Sweep].

Clearing only the ‘boss’, which was the core and heart of the dungeon inside the gate, and deliberately not closing the dungeon to periodically return for subjugation and to acquire by-products was one of the important business trends in current South Korea.

Since it included the word ‘Sweep’, it was supposed to be easy, which was exactly why I aimed for it.

I never dreamed that an absurd background setting would be a barrier to entry from the start.

“Ah, shit. Should I go somewhere else?”

No, but that still felt a bit iffy to me.

Whoong.

“…Hm?”

It was when I was pondering.
My phone vibrated suddenly.

Upon checking nonchalantly, I was greeted by a significantly large text message sent from a place labeled [Hunter Association].

Huh?

“…What’s this?”

A mandatory subjugation order?