Wearing Helmet, Heading to the Ground (4)
It’s already been 30 days since Ryu Han-bin became a Beginner Hunter.
The Efen Plains was a place where various dungeons appeared every now and then including alpha dungeons which vomited monsters out into the fields.
That was why the city of Onpros had become the perfect city for hunters.
He continued to work as a part of Buckman’s Team and was commissioned two more times.
During that time, he managed to gather a lot of information and knowledge.
Like most nebby people, Buckman took care of everything even if Ryu Han-bin didn’t ask for it.
Instead of expensive inns, Buckman introduced him to public accommodations where people could stay for long periods of time.
Several people stayed in a single renovated building at the same time, and frankly, it couldn’t be called a pleasant sleep.
It was common for people to drink and raise their voices or fight with each other in the building.
However, there were also advantages.
After enough drinks, everyone would just keep on talking without prohibition.
He utilized the mischiefs of others as sources of information. Eavesdropping on conversations was enough to get quite a bit of miscellaneous knowledge about the Latna continent.
Above all else, getting information about the people from other worlds was a huge score.
* * *
Earthlings.
Also known as the people of another world, they were two-dimensional demons who tried to invade the Latna Continent and cull the top soldiers of Omphalos.
It was around 40 years ago when they first appeared in this world.
At that time, Latnains weren’t that wary of Earthlings yet.
They were just weak and pitiful beings in the beginning.
They were just poor strangers filled with fear after falling into an unknown world.
However, they quickly became strong.
It all thanks to their characteristics.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"}) Much to the Latnains’ surprise, Earthlings were human beings yet they still possessed the ‘power of dragons.’
Dragon races in Latna, including Dragons themselves, directly absorbed the energy of the enemy they’ve slain which in turn increased their strength and capabilities.
The Dragons’ main composition was the Dragon Core.
Aliens, too, had the ability to kill other creatures and absorb their powers like a dragon.
They had the amazing ability to get ‘experience’ by simply killing enemies. They could raise their levels by gathering experience.
Even their efficiency was superior.
It was possible to raise their level dozens of times faster than a Dragon, and there was no limit or debuff to their ability.
Even if all they did was play and eat, they would never become weaker.
It maintained their status.
By raiding several dungeons on the Latna Continent, the aliens quickly became stronger.
Thanks to this, many people who suffered due to the monsters were saved.
People praised them as the heroes of this world.
But in the end, they showed their true colors.
A group of aliens who used to call themselves ‘Great Earth’ went rogue and kidnapped the Freleu Church’s saint!
They aimed to kill Freleu, the Goddess of the Wind.
Only the saint knew how to get to the goddess’ sanctuary, and they intended to use her to reach the Goddess.
Naturally, the Freleu Church went all out to save the saint.
But it wasn’t easy.
It was said that the shameless men who dared assassinate the Goddess were all extremely powerful, having levels above 70. The leader was even rumored to be level 100.
Huge amounts of blood were shed due to their battles, but that wasn’t enough to stop them.
The aliens soon successfully took their dirty feet into the sanctuary of the Goddess Freleu.
But that was it.
They made fun of the power of this world.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"}) The true heroes of Latna, who received the trust of Freleu, came forward.
The strongest Swordsman on the continent, Baotolt the Sword King.
The one who has reached the limits of magic, Zenobia the Archmage.
The pinnacle of all Dark Swordsmen, Gahan the Terrible.
The ultimate Spiritist, Holrien the Transcendental.
The four absolute rulers of this world joined hands to defeat Great Earth as the Goddess willed.
The aliens were exterminated in a flash.
All of them vanished without leaving any bodies.
Since then, the trust of the six goddesses had been placed on the continent.
-The people of Earth are beings who have contracted with evil demons. Even if they seem gentle and good on the outside, deep down they are manipulative and malicious. They only desire blood and death!
A large-scale Earthling hunt took place.
Most of the aliens across the continent were killed.
Those who managed to survive hid in the dark.
Since then, the aliens only appeared rarely.
They were still powerful.
Their appearances weren’t different from the Latnains which made it hard to recognize them.
However, there were many fundamental differences between the two sides in their attitudes and common sense.
The Latnains focused on those factors as they searched for them and killed them.
They hunted them down for decades.
Now, it had become a natural custom in the Latna Continent for everyone to join forces whenever an alien appeared.
* * *
As he gathered the information together, Ryu Han-bin bit down on his lower lip.
“This is a very dangerous situation for me…”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"}) In fact, the incident was huge. The Goddess even handed down the oracles herself, so it wasn’t surprising that the Latnains considered the Earthlings as demons from another world.
Could he meet the Goddess in that situation?
Even if he was lucky enough to meet a goddess, would she believe him?
‘But I can’t think of any other way to get my revenge on those demons…’
They were godlike beings. He couldn’t help but expect her to understand his sincerity.
“The Goddess Sanctuary, huh…”
The six goddesses existed in a place called the sanctuary, and the saints of each faction could visit the sanctuary.
There was clearly a way to meet a goddess.
Of course, if he approached them recklessly, he would be treated the same way the rogue group was treated.
‘What was the group’s name? Great Earth?’
Those punks who chose that name shouldn’t have tried something as crazy as killing a different world’s goddess.
With his chin up, Ryu Han-bin became lost in thought.
‘But how do I get to the sanctuary?’
* * *
It’s been 45 days since he started working as a Hunter.
Ryu Han-bin had also completed his fourth request safely by then.
The quest was to kill a group of Cobolts that appeared near the city. He could finally hunt naturally as he had gradually increased his control over his immense power.
In others’ eyes, he finally looked like a powerful Beginner Hunter.
Even so, he was still too powerful to just be a Level 5 Swordsman.
On his way back to the city of Onpros after completing his request, Buckman advised Han-bin.
“Why don’t you go to the guild and use the measuring stone? You should be above level 15 now.”
If the body had been trained rigorously, an individual would grow much faster than others even if they were to learn the same skills and gain the same experience.
Eric Garoon the novice Swordsman’s low level was due to his lack of experience.
Buckman’s speculation was based on that premise.
Ryu Han-bin could only shake his head.
“It’s still a little…”
He knew his level well.
At that moment, he turned on the guidelines, causing his stats to appear clearly in his mind.
[Ryu Han-bin: Swordsman Lv. 5
Possessed Skills: Stab, Horizontal Cut, Vertical Cut, Language Communication
Strength 25 (+1,364), Stamina 21 (+1,364), Recovery 15 (+682), Defense 16 (+1,364), Vision 7 (+341), Reflex 9 (+341), Speed 10 (+341).]
None of his stats had changed since the first day he fell on the Latna Continent.
‘It’s obvious why I don’t get experience.’
It wasn’t a big deal that his level didn’t go up.
He knew he just had to hunt monsters that were powerful enough to give him experience.
The problem was with teams like Buckman’s, he would never get to hunt such monsters on his level.
“Mr. Buckman is a great person, but his level is just too low…’
Despite his disappointment, Ryu Han-bin made up his mind.
‘I just can’t do it now. I’ll need to hang around for a month or two longer and gather some funds. By that time, I have no choice but to break up with them.”
When that time came, he’d start looking for the dungeon himself using the money he had collected.
* * *
However, the time for goodbyes came sooner than he thought.
It was even due to a reason Ryu Han-bin wouldn’t have imagined before.
* * *
A few days have passed since he finished his fourth quest.
As usual, Ryu Han-bin ran excitedly when Buckman called for him.
He thought it was regarding the fifth quest.
That was when he heard a phrase he never saw coming.
“What? You’re retiring from being a Hunter?”
Shamefully, Buckman replied.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been suffering from lower back pain…”
“…”
According to Buckman, his back had never been in a good condition in the first place.
That was why Ryu Han-bin was accepted as a team member.
Hubert was a mage, which naturally meant he had weak stamina, and Ewynn was a woman. Amber was a female warrior, but she was inevitably weaker than men.
For the most part of their journey, before Ryu Han-bin came, Buckman carried most of the group’s luggage alone. Due to it, he developed a back illness, which raised the need for a porter.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t easy to fill that position.
Their job was dangerous. He couldn’t just take anyone.
However, experienced hunters tended to avoid being treated like a servant because of their pride.
It was why he kept waiting at the guild for an upstart to appear.
“No wonder the team accepted a beginner like me…’
Some of his earliest questions were finally being answered.
He could see why Buckman tried to take care of him so much.
“I tried to keep working as a Hunter with the utmost caution, but it was too much. I have no choice but to go back to my hometown…”
Internally, Han-bin was puzzled.
‘Oh, come on, can this be happening?’
If Ryu Han-bin was too weak to be helpful as a team member, he could’ve just shown him his real skills and persuade him. However, this was a different matter.
He couldn’t force a sick person to keep working.
“What about the others?”
Ewynn replied.
“I have to treat my brother, so…”
They were going back home together.
They were siblings, after all.
Amber answered, as well.
“I decided to live with Buckman.”
The eyes of Amber and Buckman met and locked together.
Well, that atmosphere between them had always been somewhat noticeable.
“What about you, Mr. Hubert?”
“I’m thinking of taking a break from working as a Hunter and establishing my own magic knowledge!”
“Where are you going to settle?”
“… The house next to Mr. Buckman’s is empty.”
He then gave Ewynn a gentle look.
It was the typical look given to a woman that’s been in a man’s mind.
Even Han-bin, who had never been in a relationship, could recognize it at a glance.
Anyway, it was clear that all four of them would quit their jobs as Hunters.
Buckman gave one last piece of advice to Ryu Han-bin.
“First, go to the guild and renew your level. When you reach level 20, scout offers will begin to line up. No, as you are now, you can take solo-party requests.”
Buckman showed no signs of concern.
To Buckman’s eyes, Ryu Han-bin was already a prosperous hunter with enough strength to do his part in battles.
However, Han-bin was worried.
‘Oh no… I haven’t saved enough money yet…’
Without knowing what Han-bin had inside, Buckman smiled and said goodbye.
“I wish you good luck, then, Mr. Eric.”
“Thank you…”
The group turned around and left without hesitation.
As he watched the team of Buckman’s team slowly disappear in the distance, Ryu felt lost.
“What do I do now?”
The plan had gone completely wrong.
