Readjustment (1)

From a gunner’s perspective, a “Dark Energy magic bullet” was far stronger than an ordinary “mana magic bullet.”

To put it simply, it was like the difference between throwing a snowball made only of snow during a snowball fight and throwing a snowball with a stone inside it.

Of course, there were not many gunners who used Dark Energy. No, they were rare.

Even while knowing how powerful Dark Energy magic bullets were, they could not use them because they had not awakened the hidden stat.

But now that the path for Ayane to grow a hidden stat had opened, it could only be considered a fortuitous encounter.

The same was true for debuff skills, where the efficiency of Dark Energy was high. It had the effect of drastically increasing their traits.

For that reason, both Ayane and Park Dong-jae were repeatedly shocked and had no choice but to thank Kang-hoo.

They had awakened a hidden stat by chance? That was impossible.

They knew it was because Kang-hoo had continuously exposed them to an environment where they could obtain Dark Energy.

For some reason and by some method, Kang-hoo seemed to have the ability to distinguish monsters that provided Dark Energy.

Ayane said.

“I can’t believe it. Kang-hoo. I seriously keep thinking this. Are we…… actually being helpful?”

She was independent and bold in everything, but in front of Kang-hoo, she always became cautious in conversation.

It was because of the imbalance in what they gave and received.

Ayane herself did not feel like she was exactly an essential option for Kang-hoo. She felt he would do well even without her.

Yet she was gaining far too many benefits thanks to Kang-hoo. Even the Mana Storage Talisman was an item she could not have obtained without Kang-hoo.

Feeling that she was always “only” receiving someone’s grace and “only” being indebted to someone was always a shameful thing unless one was thick-skinned.

“You are helpful. Even if you think you aren’t helpful, wouldn’t it be productive to find a way to become more helpful from now on?”

Kang-hoo said calmly.

It was not a meaningless investment.

Ayane and Park Dong-jae were companions who had a very high probability of staying with him even in the long term.

The fact that such companions became stronger was just as important as Kang-hoo himself becoming stronger.

Whether he aimed for Jang Si-hwan later, or Chae Gwanhyeong and the subordinates under him…….

There was a limit if he only had one option. Shin Kang-hoo’s single body could not face many opponents at once.

At times like that, if he had companions who would become reliable allies, this side would also gain various attack options.

“Hyung, thank you so, so much!”

Park Dong-jae outright knelt on the dirt ground, lowered his head, and bowed until his forehead hit the ground.

Awakening a hidden stat had enough impact to divide a hunter’s life into Act 1 and Act 2.

If he obtained more Dark Energy from now on and increased the frequency of using Dark Energy in his skills.

He would be able to become a much stronger hunter than he was now. It was certain that a new chapter would open.

“It’s good that everyone got results. I raised my Dark Energy by quite a lot too. I’m satisfied.”

Kang-hoo also looked pleased.

Thanks to Conviction of the Dark King, the total Dark Energy acquisition that might have ended at around 1,000 became 1,500.

Conviction of the Dark King was also a skill he used very usefully every time he came to a Dark Energy collection region.

It was a divine power skill he had borrowed after killing the boss monster Listic in relation to the Angel of the Battlefield’s third privilege before.

Constellations had many privileges, but there was no growth method as useful as the Angel of the Battlefield’s third privilege.

As long as he defeated the designated Dark Energy monster, no matter what he chose, there were only elements that became a great benefit.

The next designated monster was near the Yalu River, but there were many dangerous parts if he moved through the domestic route.

So he intended to enter later through the Chinese route.

Of course, to do that, he needed cooperation from a local guild, and that guild was none other than Shinto Guild.

In other words, it would become possible after helping Yu Cheonghwa win the succession battle.

‘It’s about time I went to the Tower of Spirits too.’

Because his schedule had been too busy after he climbed the Tower of Greed once before, he had not been able to climb a tower.

Since five towers still remained uncleared, he intended to go there soon.

There were many towers with interesting names. For example…… what would there be in a place like Lust?

With that, the first North Korea outing of the three-person party of Kang-hoo, Ayane, and Park Dong-jae ended.

Kang-hoo decided that their next schedule would be the route on the Yangyang side of Gangwon-do, not the Nampo route.

This time, they had chosen the Nampo route because they had to come to No. 17 Dungeon, but in terms of efficiency, the Yangyang route was better.

For now, the team temporarily disbanded.

Kang-hoo intended to make time to visit England, and during that time, he gave Park Dong-jae and Ayane an assignment they had to tackle with all their strength.

It was to become accustomed to handling Dark Energy precisely.

If they wanted to fight more actively in North Korea than they did now, using Dark Energy was essential. It was not optional.

Before parting.

Kang-hoo gave Ayane and Park Dong-jae a few tips in the manner of pinpoint tutoring.

“To prevent a Dark Energy rampage, you absolutely need rest time. Once you exhaust all of your Dark Energy, don’t overdo it under any circumstances. Recover it fully until the end.”

“Unlike mana, are you saying we shouldn’t use Dark Energy right away just because a little of it has recovered?”

Without either of them needing to go first, the two opened the notepad apps on their smartphones and typed Kang-hoo’s words.

Since Kang-hoo was already known for his use of Dark Energy, they trusted 100% of whatever he said.

“Yeah. Until you get used to using it, make sure to do that. Otherwise, the flow of Dark Energy can get tangled.”

“That is the rampage…….”

“Right. It’s a disaster where you lose all the Dark Energy you have and become unable to use Dark Energy forever.”

At the face that suddenly came to mind, Kang-hoo smiled faintly.

It was Jang Si-hwan.

After Kang-hoo plundered the Seeker of Pure Darkness with the Twisted Contract, Jang Si-hwan lost one of his most important advantages.

Thanks to obtaining the Seeker of Pure Darkness, Kang-hoo no longer had to worry at all about controlling Dark Energy.

But now, Jang Si-hwan must feel like he was walking on thin ice every time he used a black-magic skill.

Jang Si-hwan was the type to explosively pour far more Dark Energy than Kang-hoo into his skills.

To do that, his vessel had to be sturdy, but that was no longer the case, so he could not help but always be concerned about it.

“Tell us everything you know, hyung.”

“Try mixing Dark Energy into all of your existing skills and using them. Then the firepower improves, and the attribute-related abilities are strengthened.”

“…….”

“Ground Zero is perfect for training if you want to increase your Dark Energy recovery amount and stimulate it frequently. I’ll tell you a place where you can train safely. I’ll pin the location for you, so go straight there.”

Kang-hoo sent Ayane and Park Dong-jae the address and map of the place he recommended by message.

It was a place where the frequency of Dark Energy monsters appearing was very low, while it was easy to adapt to the Dark Energy environment.

There were about seven such safe spots in Ground Zero, and he recommended one of them.

“Where are you going, Kang-hoo?”

Ayane asked, sounding curious.

It was also a question she threw out because she knew Kang-hoo was always busy with mercenary work or personal circumstances.

Then Kang-hoo grinned and answered Ayane with eyes full of anticipation.

“I’m going to take away the most precious things from someone. And not just one, but two.”

After safely returning Ayane and Park Dong-jae to the south of Ground Zero, Kang-hoo headed to the place he had planned.

Maryong-ri, Cheongdan County, South Hwanghae Province.

It was a place much farther south than Nampo and close to Haeju.

There was an unnamed low mountain here, and inside the mountain was a dungeon that Jang Si-hwan used very usefully.

At a glance, it was a place with absolutely no reason to attract the interest of hunters, let alone look like a dungeon.

But to Jang Si-hwan, it was a place that had brought many benefits in the past and still did now.

Because Jang Si-hwan did not want the existence of the dungeon to be known outside, there was only minimal security around it.

Instead, he had not forgotten to put up the Jeonghwa Guild’s flag and a sign saying it was Jang Si-hwan’s private land, so that people could clearly know who the owner was.

At this point, unless someone was thinking of making an enemy of Jang Si-hwan, no hunter would even come near.

That method was quite effective, and after Jang Si-hwan discovered this dungeon, no hunter had approached the nearby area.

Even if there had been one, the moment they discovered the sign, they turned back. There was no need to touch a sleeping lion’s whiskers, was there?

Kang-hoo kept using the Shadowless skill while moving in a concealed state.

There was still quite a distance to Jang Si-hwan’s dungeon, but surveillance CCTVs could be anywhere.

Of course, unlike what he had thought, there were actually no such facilities. It was the same in the original work.

The reason was that there were no hunters who would touch this dungeon.

Even if someone went inside, they would have to come back out in the end.

Then Jang Si-hwan could punish the hunter who had illegally intruded as much as he wanted. Yes, it was an expression of confidence.

‘First, it’s a one-person dungeon, and entry is restricted for anyone below level 500. Then, if I eliminate the main boss monster, I definitely get one Hematite, right?’

He retraced his memories.

He remembered most of the content he had written in the original work, but there were times when he forgot the detailed parts.

Of course, when he kept thinking about it, his memories crept back up as if he had found hidden fragments of memory.

‘I could also obtain a buff that definitely strengthens Dark Energy attribute abilities by at least 1%. Up to here, it’s actually close to an appetizer, and the main dish is separate.’

The key points were the two things after that.

They were also the reason Kang-hoo had resolved that he absolutely had to take this dungeon away from Jang Si-hwan’s hands.

A dungeon that handed out truly many privileges.

To put it simply, it was a dungeon that openly poured out fortuitous encounters to help the growth of Jang Si-hwan, the protagonist of the original work.

So even in the original work, Jang Si-hwan always went to this dungeon without fail every time its reset finished.

That was how much merit lay in the “main dish.” Kang-hoo’s interest was also focused solely on that.

‘Jang Si-hwan. You’ll never find a way to find this dungeon. Unless I foolishly tell you first.’

The corners of Kang-hoo’s mouth rose.

A dungeon that was always a honey pot.

It was time to say farewell to the former owner of the dungeon that would become a tree that gave generously.