A Gold Core. A treasure of exceeding rarity, one that was said to only be obtainable from an epic monster of 7-stars or higher, and even then, the chances were infinitesimally small. A rare treasure, of which even the Guilds and the Hunter Association possessed only a few, was right before my eyes.
For a while, I stared at the Gold Core, my mouth agape. As they say, a truly fine item stands out from its very appearance. A brilliant, dazzling light radiated from the box, unabashedly flaunting its presence.
"This is..."
For a moment, I gazed at the Gold Core, lost in a trance. Then, with a puzzled look, I stared at Supervisor Pyo Hyeok-gyu.
"This is a Gold Core, right? The one I saw at the examination site."
"That is correct."
"I don't know how high your position is, Supervisor, but is it really alright for you to bring a treasure of the Association out just like this?"
It was an item that could stir anyone's heart, but on the other hand, there were many suspicious aspects. Whether Pyo Hyeok-gyu was in a position to pull something like this off. And whether the task he entrusted to me was valuable enough to warrant a Gold Core as payment.
At most, it was just a matter of clearing out Poison Dungeons one by one as a precaution. To offer a Gold Core as reward for such a task. It was unbelievable.
Isn't there a saying? 'Be wary of those who buy you beef. The only free favor is pork.'
All the more reason I couldn't blindly trust someone who would just toss a Gold Core over for a job like this.
"Hmm... I should correct myself."
Pyo Hyeok-gyu gently pushed the box forward. So that I could examine the Core more closely.
"It 'was' a Gold Core. Perhaps I should put it that way."
"What?"
"Take a closer look. It is the same Gold Core you saw before, but it's a little different."
What is he talking about now? I lowered my head and stared intently at the Gold Core before me.
"Huh."
It's true.
Before, it had been a perfect golden sphere without a single flaw, but now, there were tiny cracks scattered here and there. No. Rather than cracks, it looked more like a familiar dark red color had seeped into various parts of the Gold Core.
This color...
"My god."
It resembled the color of Black Ether.
"Since we checked Hunter Cheon Hae-seon's Awakened Value, the Gold Core has changed. Its core energy levels are no longer detectable, and its appearance has been altered."
"... What a coincidence."
I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I had a hunch. The Awakened Value is scored based on the degree of reaction between the Awakened and the Core. That meant the measurement process affects the Core in some way.
I had completely purged the poison from my body before the test, but the Gold Core was still damaged? I was once again reminded of just how potent a substance Black Ether was.
"Do you, by any chance, know anything about this?"
"I don't." In a situation like this, even if I did, the answer would be no. If by some chance the Association demanded compensation on the grounds that I damaged the Gold Core, I might have to live as a slave to the Association for the rest of my life.
"To be frank, at first, I suspected it was related to you, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon."
No, you devil.
"However, considering that you are a healer type and that you healed the poisoned Imperial Tiger, we concluded there was no particular connection."
That's a relief. I won't have to live as a slave.
"The Association decided to dispose of this Gold Core. But I found it a waste to just throw it away."
"Why? An altered Core should be no more than a simple stone."
"That's right. But for some reason, I felt it was a shame."
His gaze was strange. It was different from the business-like Pyo Hyeok-gyu I had seen until now, a sharper gaze.
"The thought occurred to me. Perhaps, to someone, this Core is still a treasure."
'This bastard...'
I was half in doubt, but this confirmed it. That man, Pyo Hyeok-gyu. He is not just a simple Association employee.
Never mind him bad-mouthing the Association's Vice Chairman earlier, this business with the Gold Core had huge implications. The fact that he went out of his way to bring something deemed useless by the Association could be interpreted as him acting not on the 'Association's will,' but on 'the will of something else.'
If it was true that the Gold Core was affected because of me, then even if others couldn't, there was a very high chance that I could make use of the Core. I was already absorbing Black Cores extracted from Monsters; was it really impossible just because a Gold Core was slightly damaged?
The problem was that Pyo Hyeok-gyu was thinking the same thing I was.
"What do you say? As you said, it might just be a simple stone. Will you accept the Association's request?"
'This bastard...'
It's a checkmate. If I accept this offer, I become a strange person who accepts trash as payment for my troubles, but if I refuse, I have to give up the Gold Core. If I take this, Pyo Hyeok-gyu will likely become certain of the 'something' he's been thinking of.
Is the Pyo Hyeok-gyu outside the Association someone who could harm me? Is he an enemy or an ally? That, I still don't know.
However, it seemed clear that Pyo Hyeok-gyu's true nature lay somewhere different from the Association.
Ah, whatever.
They say a well-fed ghost is a happy ghost, so what's the harm in taking it?
"You've essentially smuggled out something that could be useful to me. Are you sure there won't be any repercussions?"
"One must bear that much risk to be called an accomplice, wouldn't you say?"
I let out a small laugh at Pyo Hyeok-gyu's words.
Accomplice.
Such a blunt word. In any case, there was no immediate disadvantage for me. Since the Association knows nothing of this, I can just feign ignorance if problems arise later.
And I was planning to frequent the Poison Dungeons anyway. Pyo Hyeok-gyu's true intentions could be figured out later.
It shimmered. And.
To be honest. Setting everything else aside. I coveted that thing so much...!!
"I accept your offer."
"Oh my..."
Most women like shiny things. My sister was no exception. When I took out the Gold Core in the living room, my sister approached, her eyes sparkling.
"You said you went to meet someone from the Association. Looks like you received a gift?"
"Yeah. A gift. A very precious one."
"Is this gold? The color is so beautiful."
"It's a little different. You can think of it as a Monster's heart."
"A-a heart?"
"Yeah. When a Monster dies, Hunters cut open its belly and take this out. It's used as an energy source."
"Ugh. How scary."
As if imagining the process of taking a Core out of its entrails, my sister shuddered and went back to the kitchen. I chuckled, then composed my breathing and held the Gold Core with both hands.
Billions?
No, it was a precious item considered to be worth tens of billions on the market. If I could absorb this thing, how much power would I be able to wield? Just imagining it made my heart pound.
I activated the energy of Black Ether in my hands. Whether it was a normal Core or a Black Core, they would usually turn into a liquid state a few seconds after infusing them with energy like this.
"..."
Huh.
There's no change at all. I struggled with the Gold Core for over ten minutes, but the thing was immovable.
"No... there is a change."
Looking closely, I could see that the Black Ether, which had appeared as cracks on the Gold Core, was slowly expanding its territory. It was just that the rate of increase was so slow it wasn't noticeable. I called up my V1 to scan the Gold Core's status.
Sneaky Griffin.
The legendary Monster said to have slaughtered five A-rank Knights with a single swipe of its claws. It's a boss Monster notorious for its ferocious temperament. It certainly has fitting additional attributes.
Anyway, is it possible for me to absorb this thing? In short, I'm not up to par yet. What's the percentage now?
<2%.>
"So I need the virtue of patience, is that it..."
I licked my lips and stood up. If it were up to me, I'd want to devour this thing right now(?), but since it's a precious item, absorbing it perfectly is what's most important. Besides, I'm currently on probation, so I don't have a particular need for killing abilities.
"Ah. Come to think of it, it's tomorrow."
Another schedule, completely unrelated to the Hunter Association, was just around the corner. I should probably do a lot of stretching before bed tonight.
"Pant. Pant."
Damn it.
I'm so damn pissed. It's a good thing I've seen this once before; otherwise, my own fist might have shattered my nose.
"Do not stop moving."
Oh Ji-ho.
The man known as Phantom Strike in the black market. Today was the first day of learning martial arts from him.
"Ugh!"
I swung Exa in its 'White Dream' state recklessly, pressuring Oh Ji-ho. But Exa's blade and my fist would somehow turn back towards me, never getting even close enough to graze Oh Ji-ho. The B-ranker who was half-crippled by Oh Ji-ho must have felt like this.
An unbelievable experience where all attacks are nullified as if possessed by a ghost, and the arm you extended to attack ends up attacking you instead. Since it was the first day, Oh Ji-ho told me to try every attack I could muster. But what was there to call an attack?
Since a mere graze from Exa's blade meant death, I had only ever scraped at Monsters' bodies however I could. So I swung Exa at Oh Ji-ho just as I had always done, and his expression grew increasingly cold.
"Your fundamentals are far worse than I expected."
"Pant. Pant. Thanks for the compliment."
What do you expect from a 'Poison-type Hunter' who hasn't even been Awakened for a year? Stroking his scruffy white beard, Oh Ji-ho asked.
"I wonder how you were able to retrieve the rare herb with such combat skills. At this rate, I'd believe you even if you told me you dug up the Silver Eternal Flower while your body was split in half."
Oh Ji-ho maintained a blunt attitude throughout the training. It seemed to be his natural disposition, and also likely because Yaksha had forced him into this. But I had to learn, even if it was forced.
Even if it meant revealing the skill I received from Kiril.
"It's going to be a little different from now on."
"?"
Just as Oh Ji-ho said, it was impossible to harvest the rare herb with my current movements. If not for 'that skill' I always showed when facing a boss Monster, I wouldn't even be here now. A skill that, in terms of mobility alone, far surpassed that of the B-ranker Kim Gwan-tae, who had been beaten to a pulp before.
I activated 'Poison Step'. In a flash!
"...!!"
Even if the amount is minuscule, Ether is still Ether, I guess. Perhaps thanks to the amount of Ether I'd absorbed during my probation, my footwork felt a little lighter. Just as I had always done, I swiftly moved behind Oh Ji-ho and readied Exa's blade.
The blade sliced through the air! Exa aimed diagonally for Oh Ji-ho's back. He didn't even seem to have located me yet.
Got him.
It feels a bit iffy to have used the 'Poison Step' skill, but you were the one who told me to attack with all I had, so don't blame me. However, just as the blade was about to make contact, Oh Ji-ho's body moved in a peculiar direction.
Even more, the White Dream's blade was now coming toward the bridge of my own nose.
"Shit!!"
I barely managed to jerk my head to the side and dodge the blade. But the blade grazed my cheek, and a drop of blood trickled down my face.
"No way...!"
A feeling of utter shock washed over my entire body. This time, it was a strike I was sure had succeeded. In fact, Oh Ji-ho had momentarily lost track of my movements.
But the tip of Exa's blade had ended up not at his back, but at my face. This is a cheat. A downright malicious cheat.
I instinctively realized that there was something special about Oh Ji-ho's martial arts.
"I see... so that's the technique you used to catch the Hyena."
Staring at the dripping drops of blood, Oh Ji-ho gave a faint smile.