CH 13

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I returned home, biting my tongue. The house was quiet, and Seo Taeju seemed to have already gone to his room. I was exhausted, perhaps from the tension of my unexpected encounter with Shin Sooha.

I took little Salt out of my crossbody bag and flopped down on the bed. The Blue Cloud fell to the floor with a clink and rolled away.

“Ah, the Blue Cloud.”

‘I had gone through a lot of trouble to get this, only to forget about it. I must be really something, huh?’

The Blue Cloud, which I had washed with my cleaning supplies, was a stone with an odd mixture of blue and green hues. It looked more like a gem than a pebble at first glance.

I picked up the Blue Cloud from the floor and used my appraisal skill on it.

“Huh? Partial?”

Description: A stone that is imbued with the power of water. It’s currently on the verge of breaking due to its strength being weakened by the Death Tree.

※ Summons a large amount of water at once.

※ If returned to ■■■’s ■, you will receive ■■’s blessing.

※ You can obtain ■■■ of ■■ at ■■ time.

“Even though my appraisal skill is at its maximum level, there is still some information that is obscured. Does this mean that there is information that cannot be found out even with my appraisal skill?”

I gave up pondering while staring intently at the item window.

Unlike Salt, ‘Blue Cloud’ was only useful for dealing with the monster wave, so the hidden information was not important.

“Hmm, I wonder if it will summon water if I inject mana into it?”

It would be good to test it, but the water ‘Blue Cloud’ summoned was like a tsunami. I could not control the amount, so I would have to wait until the monster wave to rescue Michael to test it.

“Ppi ppi.”

Salt perched on my finger, looking at the Blue Cloud. Then it started to peck at it.

“It’s not food.”

“Ppi.”

“That’s not food,” I said, grabbing little Salt and placing it on the pillow. I leaned back against the headboard and checked my information window.

My Alchemy level had increased to 7 thanks to the quest, but I still hadn’t reached the level-up mark from killing monsters in this dungeon. I thought killing C-level dungeon monsters would raise my D-level by about one level, but it seemed like a lot of experience was needed to level up.

The skill window was the same. Disassembly was at level 10, but Refining was still at level 9.

“Hmm… If it wasn’t for Shin Sooha, I would have definitely leveled up by now.”

Even non-hunters with a good amount of courage could try hunting in the forest dungeon if they brought a bunch of items. It was considered one of the easiest C-level open dungeons. Even if Seo Go-woon was weak, he could fight enough to level up once, but since Shin Soo-ha killed all the underling monsters and the boss monster, the experience gain was too low.

‘Come to think of it, Shin Soo-ha’s contamination level…’

I regretted not paying attention to the message that popped up when I got close to Shin Sooha. My Diagnosis skill had been activated, but I had not seen what it said before it disappeared.

“I should have looked at it,” I said to myself.

The forest dungeon was a C-rank, but that did not mean it did not accumulate contamination. It accumulated less than when I killed high-ranked monsters, but I was still worried about Shin Sooha’s contamination level.

Even if everyone else gave up, Shin Sooha was the most needed existence from the cradle, so I was more concerned.

“Should I carry around an elephant tranquilizer gun?” I wondered. “Should I knock him out with a tranquilizer gun whenever we accidentally meet and then purify him? Or should I send Salt? It has the homing instinct to return home, so it’ll come back on its own, right?”

I shook my head. Shin Sooha had been watching Salt closely in the dungeon. Even if he didn’t have a perfect memory like me, he was smart enough to recognize Salt once he saw him.

“So what should I do?” As I was fiddling with the Blue Cloud and worrying about Shin Sooha’s contamination level, a quest alert rang in my ear.

“Huh? A quest?”

[★Surprise★ Don’t forget to infuse mana!]

Remember the first quest where you had to infuse mana into an item? This is a surprise quest for you, who forgot to do it while you were busy disassembling and refining items!

This time, try infusing mana into the Blue Cloud! Something mysterious will happen!

Infuse mana into Blue Cloud (0/100)

Reward: Acquisition of ■■■ ■■.

I sat up straight.

“Infuse mana? What does that mean? I thought it was supposed to summon water when mana was infused?”

In the novel, it definitely said that a tremendous tidal wave was summoned whenever mana was infused into the Blue Cloud. However, the reward for the quest was to acquire something obscured, just like when I acquired Salt.

“If something hatches like Salt due to mana infusion, I wouldn’t be able to handle the upcoming monster wave.”

Anxiously looking at the Blue Cloud, I infused magic into it, thinking that at worst, I’d break even.

“Haah.”

I let out a sigh of relief and chose option 1.

Unlike the time with Salt, I could feel a huge amount of magic draining away. My already tired body felt like it was sagging, and when I checked the status window, my magic was at 0.

“Huh? My mana is… 0?”

Using the Comprehension skill once consumed 10 mana points, but I was the type to recover mana quickly.

So, when I infused mana, mine should have been full at 2,000. ‘Is the system saying that Blue Cloud consumed all 2,000 of my mana?’

“This thing is a total pig.”

‘It’s not even a useful item like Salt, but an item that consumes 2,000 of my mana?’

‘If the monster wave to save Michael had broken out much later, it might have been fine, but I don’t think I’d be able to infuse magic until then.’

“It can’t be that it takes this much mana to summon water, does it?”

I was planning to use it all at once, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility that there might still be a Fire Golem left.

‘It’s really one problem after another. As soon as I solve one, another crops up. It seems like my life doesn’t get any easier even after reincarnating. Maybe I should perform some good deeds when I return to my world.’

Just then, my phone chimed.

“A text message?”

In the novel, Seo Go-woon didn’t have any friends. The only people he communicated with were those who siphoned off his money or exploited him. So it was quite a sight when a barrage of messages arrived as soon as I got a new phone. Asking for loans, offering ‘good’ dr*gs, inviting him for a drink… Simply seeing these was enough to make one’s eyes rot, so I blocked every number that popped up.

‘Had I missed any?’

I took out my phone from my pocket and checked the message.

Guild Contract Renewal Notice.

Hello, Hunter Seo Go-woon. We’re sending this message to remind you that the renewal date for your guild contract is approaching. We kindly ask you to visit the guild by XX of X month, even if it might be a bit bothersome.

Documents required for renewal: Hunter’s License, Resident Registration Card, Resident Registration Certificate, and a copy of your bank account.

Thank you.

“Ah, it’s that time again, the contract renewal. Seo Go-woon’s parents’ memorial day falls around this period.”

‘Now I knew why Seo Taeju hadn’t come home.’

Seo Go-woon’s parents suffered severe injuries while trying to save Seo Taeju from a monstrous wave. Upon witnessing this, Seo Taeju, who was an ordinary person at the time, awakened as a hunter and fought off the monsters.

However, his adoptive parents, who were critically wounded, breathed their last breath after entrusting Seo Go-woon’s care to him. Two years later, Seo Go-woon joined the guild, which served as a reminder to Seo Taeju of his parents’ wishes on their Memorial Day.

“Tsk, tsk. He must be feeling distressed.”

Losing something you once had is always painful.

‘I, who have no parents, wouldn’t understand, but he had them and lost them because of himself. How tormenting that must be.’

Once again, I clicked my tongue and entered the room. It was better to confine myself to the room rather than instigating him and causing pointless violence.

“Ppi!”

Ignoring Salt’s chirping near my ear, I put on a shirt. As I looked at the wardrobe, which used to be filled with luxurious items but now contained affordable yet decent clothes, a sense of relief washed over me.

‘That’s right, the best kind of clothes are from the mart,’ I nodded and closed the wardrobe door.

“Ppi, ppi, ppi!” Salt flew in front of my face, protesting with its chirping.

“No. If we go out, they might discover your true identity.”

“Ppi-ppi-”

“No, you can’t. I told you, I’ll just step out for a bit.”

I couldn’t understand what it was trying to convey, but I spoke firmly to Salt, who seemed to be causing a commotion. However, Salt remained adamant.

Instead, it nipped at my lips as a counterattack.

“I told you, you can’t hide in my pocket. You’re not getting in there, it’s a no-go. Ouch!”

“Ppi!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll take you with me!”

Upon hearing my outcry, Salt stopped nipping and sang in satisfaction.

“How can it be so pleased after biting its owner? I’m not sure if I’m the owner or the servant. Damn it.”

“But remember, you have to stay quiet. Got it? If not, I’ll lock you up in a birdcage.”

“Ppi-ppi-”

It’s chirping, resembling singing, didn’t inspire much trust. However, I had no choice but to let Salt perch on my head. It was somewhat rebellious, but I was worried that it would follow me alone into the forest dungeon.

‘Being controlled by a mere sparrow-like bird, will I really be okay?’

“Promise you’ll behave?”

“Ppi.”

As if telling me to stop repeating myself, Salt pecked at my scalp. Feeling a tingling sensation, I stroked my head and entered the taxi I had called.

Never did I imagine that after my reincarnation, I would find myself heading to the Noeul Guild, the guild of the protagonist. In the novel, Seo Go-woon’s visit to the guild was only to extort money from Seo Taeju.

“We’ve arrived.”

The Noeul Guild stood tall like the headquarters of major corporations competing for the top spots in the real world. In reality, the guild was established by Seo Taeju’s high school senior and was barely being operated by a small number of people. However, after the protagonist, Seo Taeju, joined and started rapidly conquering high-level dungeons, the guild’s capital skyrocketed, and it quickly grew in size. Now, it had become one of the three largest guilds in the country.

Observing the glass-encased building, memories of Seo Taeju’s struggles through dungeons after his awakening flooded my mind. ‘Even if he couldn’t acquire everything, approximately half of the building’s shares would come from the value of the monster by-products that Seo Taeju obtained.’

Contemplating the description of him never taking a day off and relentlessly delving into dungeons, I made my way toward the lobby. Being one of the top three guilds in the country meant there was a constant flow of people coming and going.

“Where should I go from here?”

The message only instructed me to come to the guild without specifying a particular location. ‘Where do I go?’

“Hmm,” I surveyed the surroundings and approached the security guard stationed at the reception desk. ‘When in doubt, asking is always the best option.’

“*Ga-gasp*. Seo, Seo Go-woon-ssi?!”

‘But why is this person reacting like this?’

The guard’s face turned pale as soon as he saw me. I brushed my hand across my face, trying to decipher his expression as if he had encountered a monster.

‘Seo Go-woon, you basta*rd… How much did you bother this guard to elicit such a reaction?’

This damn former owner body of mine, was utterly useless. Damn it all…