Chapter 1717 – 1717. The Dark Merchant
I received the fruit containing Vanilla’s mana seed and examined it. I had heard rumors about it, but this was my first time seeing one in person, so it was quite fascinating. This kind of item isn’t something you can easily get even if you have money.
When I focused my mind, I could feel mana from the fruit. However, it was weaker than I had expected.
‘This is supposed to be a panacea? It’s nothing compared to the panacea of the Light Ascension Path.’
It didn’t seem like it would be of much help to me right now.
“Are you disappointed now that you’ve seen it in person?”
“Yeah. I’m disappointed. I don’t think it would help me even if I ate it.”
“Those with skills above A-rank all say that. But not B-ranks and C-ranks. For them, this mana seed is hope itself! It’s a damn expensive hope, though!”
Park Jung-gu added more about the uses of the mana seed.
Besides direct consumption, mana seeds are used in various ways. A prime example is the manufacturing of special potions, and there are many families and companies that possess special and secret recipes using mana seeds.
“In short, Vanilla’s mana seed has high utility. They say even dog poop has its uses, right? How about a mana seed that’s incomparable to dog poop? It has a lot of uses!”
“Let’s get to the business. Can HB-1 mass-produce mana seeds? As far as I know, HB-1 isn’t very effective for special plants like panaceas.”
The reason why panaceas are special in the first place is because they contain mana. Even if a plant grows fully with the help of a catalyst, it’s meaningless if the mana hasn’t matured.
“You seem to know quite a bit about HB-1. I thought you weren’t interested?”
“Just answer me.”
“You’re right. That’s what’s officially known. But mana seeds can be produced with HB-1 if the environmental factors are right. Did you think I would have proposed this without knowing that?”
“Is it proven?”
“According to the information.”
Park Jung-gu grinned. Among the items sold by Park Jung-gu, a dark merchant, was information. So, it was reliable.
“What are the conditions? Tell me in detail.”
“Fertile land. Of course, not just any fertile land. It has to be land where mana is dissolved. It’s even better if the mana in the atmosphere is higher.”
“That’s land that doesn’t exist on Earth.”
“It doesn’t exist on Earth, but it does exist in dungeons.”
I narrowed my brows. The environments of dungeons vary greatly. Most have a higher mana concentration than Earth, but conversely, there are also dungeons with low mana concentrations. Even if the mana concentration is high, there are many cases where the environment is frozen or made of rock, making it impossible for plants to grow.
“You’re not telling me to find a dungeon with the right environment for Vanilla’s mana seed, are you?”
“They say ‘what if’ can be a killer… but not today.”
Park Jung-gu took out a map from a drawer. It was a map of South Korea. There were several places marked on the map.
‘It seemed familiar… he’s marked the open-type dungeons.’
Open-type dungeons. Unlike closed-type dungeons, anyone who qualifies can enter. These open-type dungeons are where hunter crimes most frequently occur. At the same time, there is much more public information about them than closed-type dungeons.
‘Open-type dungeons are managed without being cleared on purpose.’
In that they can periodically yield mana stones, open-type dungeons were similar to natural resource mines. Hunters were like miners digging for mana stones.
“The markings are different for each dungeon.”
“The blue markings are nothing to look at. They’re unsuitable.”
“Most of them are blue, though.”
“Exactly.”
Park Jung-gu moved his finger, pointing to various places on the map.
“The places marked in red here are dungeons where mana seeds can be mass-produced. The investigation is already complete.”
“You’re confident. Have you already tried it once?”
“No. It’s a conclusion I reached by collecting, comparing, and calculating known information.”
“I don’t trust theorists.”
“It’s not theory, it’s preparation for a plan, you bastard!”
“Isn’t that the same thing? But you’re not telling me to go around all these red-marked places, are you?”
“Are you crazy? Of course not. There’s an unpopular open-type dungeon. Yeah, here in the Jeolla Province… it’s a bit far, but if you want to do it safely, you have to put in the effort.”
“What if we get caught?”
“Of course, they’ll try to take it away. Especially be careful of getting caught by large guilds. They might sue you legally… or kill you and take it… either way, it’s bad, so proceed as discreetly as possible.”
I looked at the mana fruit containing the mana seed. After feeling it directly, it didn’t feel that great. I’d say my interest has waned a bit.
‘But it’s something that’s not easy to get… I should keep a few just in case I need them.’
And if I enhance it with my Light Ascension Path, it might become quite useful.
I took the HB-1 and the mana seed and got up from my seat, saying to Park Jung-gu,
“Let me borrow a car.”
“Don’t you have a car? You have so much money, and you don’t have a car? Buy a car with the money you made this time.”
“I don’t want to use my car for this kind of thing. If you don’t want to, I’ll quit here.”
I handed the HB-1 and the mana seed back to him. His face crumpled as he realized I really wasn’t that interested.
“Damn it. Are you detached from money? But when I see you taking money from me, it doesn’t seem like it… I really don’t know what kind of guy you are.”
“The more money, the better. But there are many ways to make money, not just through you.”
“Ugh, damn it. I guess so. Since you’re an A-rank hunter… Do you need anything else?”
“What is it? Are you planning to give me things like a pushover? Where did the miser Park Jung-gu I knew go?”
“Hey. That was worth 3 billion, right? If you include the mana seed, it’s well over 3.5 billion. If you mess up, you’re screwed, so you have to prepare as much as possible.”
“Was the mana seed 500 million?”
“At the current market price.”
“Then you need to get at least seven.”
“If my prediction is correct, I can get over 100. I can make 50 billion with 3.5 billion! This is a money duplication bug!”
“It’s a mana seed duplication bug. But half of that is mine.”
“Okay, do you need anything else?”
“No. I’ll take care of the rest.”
As I was about to go outside, I paused for a moment. When I looked back at Park Jung-gu, he frowned.
“What again?! Why?!”
“Why did you choose me for this job? You could have chosen other guys besides me.”
“First, skill. You’re one of the top-tier guys among my clients. Second, greed for money. You don’t seem to have a desire for money despite consistently making it. Third, you and I have known each other for over two years. Isn’t two years enough to trust someone?”
“…It’s so easy to make 50 billion. You idiot.”
“Hey, you bastard! If you run away with my money, I’ll chase you to the ends of hell and kill you!”
I left the store, leaving him raging behind me.
I had no intention of betraying Park Jung-gu for a mere 50 billion. My reputation was something I could change by switching to an Invisibility Mask, but there weren’t many dark merchants I could trust like Park Jung-gu.
I went to the car parked next to the store. It was a common sedan that could be seen anywhere in South Korea.
• • •
By the time I arrived at my destination, the sun had set. Even hunters usually work during the day and go home in the evening, so even an open-type dungeon would be deserted inside. Good.
‘B-rank open-type dungeon, Fourth Temple.’
As expected, an association employee was guarding the dungeon entrance. Since I was a B-rank hunter, I could easily enter by showing my hunter’s license.
But I wasn’t here as Sung Yu-jin to do hunter activities.
‘It’s better to avoid leaving a record. It’s not good for anyone if what I’m doing gets out.’
I had an item for times like this.
I used the Illusitor. My body became transparent. For the next 30 minutes, I would be an invisible man. And 30 minutes was more than enough time.
I controlled my breathing and erased my presence. The Yeongcheon Style was quite helpful in times like this.
Just as I was about to move forward, I sensed a presence behind me. It was a party of five.
“It’s less crowded when you come at night. And there aren’t many people here, so there won’t be anyone inside the dungeon, right?”
“I don’t know why we came all the way here for that so-called comfortable hunting…”
“I’m so tired because it’s night. Can’t we take a nap before going in?”
They were chatting as they approached the association employee.
Strangely, the association employee blocked their path.
“…What brings you here?”
“Why else would a hunter come to a dungeon? Here’s our hunter’s license.”
“Hmm.”
“If you’ve checked, please move aside.”
“It seems like your group is tired because it’s night. The Fourth Temple is a dangerous place. How about taking a good rest and entering tomorrow morning?”
It was strange. The association employees guarding the dungeon don’t usually say this much. Their job is to check the hunter’s license and let the hunter into the dungeon. That’s all. They don’t care what the hunters do inside the dungeon. That’s the rule.
“Stop being nosy and move aside. We need to go into the dungeon now when there are fewer people so we can hunt monsters. We’re a bit short on money, you know?”
The man who seemed to be the leader of the party frowned. His sharp voice was full of annoyance. The association employee reluctantly stepped aside.
“I’ve checked. Go ahead.”
“Tsk.”
The party entered the dungeon.
What happened after that was also strange. As soon as the party disappeared, the association employees gathered and started talking among themselves.
“Team leader, isn’t this screwed?”
“We’re not the ones who are screwed, it’s those guys. Stop talking nonsense and get one person ready to go in. Ah, don’t run into those guys, so go in after three minutes.”
“Yes.”
After hearing their conversation, I understood.
Something was going on in this dungeon. I didn’t know the details, but it was something illegal where even the association employees were bribed.
‘Why the hell is this happening here? What a pain.’
I retreated for now.
This might be a trap. I retreated to a place where the association employees couldn’t see me and called Park Jung-woo.
-What’s going on in the middle of the night?
“Your voice is hoarse. Did you go to sleep after giving me work?”
-That’s how much I trust you. And isn’t sleeping at night common sense?
“Did you set a trap?”
-What are you talking about?
