NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 19
“My ears are suddenly itchin’.”
Strangely bothered by an itch, I scratch my ear and smile at my reflection in the mirror.
Wearin’ General Yi Sun-sin’s helmet makes me look pretty dang impressive.
Like some kind of Joseon-era general or somethin’.
“Ugh.”
My sister Choe Seoyeon gives me a disapprovin’ look.
“What’s with that weird helmet? Are you doin’ cosplay now, bro?”
“You have any idea how much this thing costs?”
“How much?”
“Hmm… two hundred billion won?”
Well, if General Anwi’s old Hwandou sword was worth fifty billion, then General Yi’s helmet should be worth at least four times as much, right?
“Bro, are you strugglin’ lately?”
Choe Seoyeon looks genuinely worried, but I shake my head.
‘Better not say anything.’
What’s the point of explainin’ the value of relics to a high schooler who doesn’t know squat?
“Ahh! Bro, you’re actin’ weird!”
“Dad! Bro’s actin’ all weird!”
“Stop teasin’ your brother about his hobbies, Seoyeon. Go watch TV over there.”
Sittin’ on the couch, our dad Choe Do-Jun scolds Seoyeon.
─Hunter Kim Ha-Yoon has just emerged from the Noryang Gate after successfully conquerin’ it!
─Kim Ha-Yoon! How was conquerin’ the Noryang Gate?
On the TV screen, Kim Ha-Yoon is surrounded by reporters for an interview.
─This victory wasn’t mine alone. It was made possible thanks to General Anwi’s Hwandou.
“Kyaa~ She’s cute AND humble too.”
“I really like her.”
Seated cozily on the couch, Choe Do-Jun and Choe Seoyeon praise Kim Ha-Yoon.
Even our non-hunter family can’t help but admire her, and the whole nation seems captivated by Kim Ha-Yoon.
After all, she stopped the Noryang Gate from goin’ berserk.
Community boards are flooded with posts about Kim Ha-Yoon, and the stock prices of Dawn Star Constellation have doubled since before the Noryang Gate conquest.
‘Guess the Hwandou was more useful than I thought.’
Now I kinda regret sellin’ General Anwi’s Hwandou for fifty billion.
Of course, it’s only because Kim Ha-Yoon is such an amazing hunter that the Hwandou could shine like that.
A relic, no matter how great, won’t help if the user isn’t skilled enough.
Unless we’re talkin’ about legendary relics like the Twin Dragon Sword.
Anyway, while Kim Ha-Yoon rose to fame as a hero, there was another hunter who utterly disgraced themselves.
“Ugh, what kind of guy is he anyway?”
“Why did he bring Chinese hunters along? That’s so annoying.”
The hunter they’re dissin’ is none other than Lee Tae-Jun, the second team leader of Dawn Star Constellation.
Instead of helpin’ Kim Ha-Yoon, Lee Tae-Jun led his group toward the wrong area with those so-called “support” Chinese Communist Party hunters.
And that’s not even the worst part—Lee Tae-Jun somehow managed to summon a boss-level monster.
No less than the A-rank Burning Black Ling Bone.
In full view of his bodycam, broadcasted live across the nation, Lee Tae-Jun tossed the Black Ling Bone at Kim Ha-Yoon and ran away like a coward.
Needless to say, the Dawn Star Constellation forums exploded with threads demandin’ Lee Tae-Jun’s expulsion.
└This guy blocked comments too after pullin’ that stunt.
└How much money did he get to bring Chinese hunters into the Noryang Gate?
└I work at the Hunter Association, and apparently those Chinese hunters were tryin’ to steal Yi Sun-sin’s relics.
└Really? There were Yi Sun-sin relics in Noryang?
└Not sure. But higher-ups seem to think so.
└Wow, Lee Tae-Jun’s a traitor!
Now there’s even a national petition to ban Lee Tae-Jun from the hunter industry.
“A hunter ranked A, what’s he tryin’ to gain by betrayin’ the country?”
“Maybe it’s better to be useless like our bro here.”
And now I’m caught up in their bickering again.
“Choe Seoyeon, is E-rank funny to you?”
“Nah, it’s actually good. At least he won’t cause trouble.”
“Seoyeon’s right. Sometimes it’s better to stay low. Those mid-tier hunters always end up makin’ mistakes in Gates.”
“Yeah, totally.”
“…”
It’s true though—it’s a fact.
Mid-tier hunters die the most in Gates.
Anyway, while Lee Tae-Jun’s reputation tanked, China didn’t come out unscathed either.
Despite gaining popularity through photos of Wang Wei, the Chinese ambassador eating fish cakes in the market, he got roasted online for “performin’ too much.”
Videos of Chinese hunters runnin’ away went viral on Nertube, attractin’ international ridicule.
Meanwhile, while the Noryang Gate incident ended with Kim Ha-Yoon carryin’ everyone, there was still one topic everyone was buzzin’ about.
The conqueror of the Mingliang Gate.
“The Connector.”
─If the Connector joins the association, I’d gladly hand over my position as a top-tier hunter.
Famous S-rank hunter Han Yoo-jin, a huge fan of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, declared he’d step down for the Connector.
─If the Connector comes to Sandouchon, I promise him the position of vice-guildmaster.
Guildmaster of Sandouchon, Black Witch Baek Seorin, offered the vice-guildmaster seat.
Neither of the offers from Thousand Martial Arts or Dawn Star Constellation fell short of these.
Internationally, the interest in the Connector was immense.
─If the Connector helps us deal with the Frozen Sea Fanatic, Russia will welcome him as a distinguished guest.
Even the Russian president personally extended an invitation.
─We would like to invite the Connector to join our guild.
Renowned French S-rank hunter Rachel Bonaparte, descendant of Napoleon, mentioned my nickname during a press conference.
Since the Mingliang Gate is globally known as an extremely difficult Gate, it’s natural that worldwide attention is focused on the Connector, who cleared it with an SSS rating.
The problem is… that the Connector is me.
“Wow, look at those offers. Insane!”
Choe Seoyeon couldn’t help but gawk at the待遇 shown to the Connector on TV.
“Seoyeon, imagine if someone like that was in our family. What do you think?”
“Well, they’re impressive, but… I dunno about family.”
“Why?”
Isn’t it great to have a famous person in the family?
“It’s dangerous.”
Of course. My little sister sees things the same way I do.
‘Being famous is dangerous.’
Forget the Frozen Sea Fanatic.
D-Rank Gates are safer any day.
*
Yi Sun-sin’s helmet is an ancient relic.
Just below legendary status, its value is immeasurable.
Even just wearing it makes you feel inexplicably secure.
You might survive a meteor strike just by having this helmet on.
That alone makes it a worthy helmet.
But…
─Yi Sun-sin’s helmet slightly increases the attack power of the Twin Dragon Sword.
‘This is unexpected.’
Is this what they call a relic set?
When relics from the same historical figure meet, the Twin Dragon Sword’s attack power increased.
The helmet’s defense also improved accordingly.
Kaaaang!
“Craaaack?!”
The hobgoblin that once hit me with a baseball bat is now clutching its own hand instead.
“Solid performance.”
Just one test, and already it’s proven itself.
However, unlike other relics, Yi Sun-sin’s helmet is too distinctive.
With the characters for ‘Admiral’ (元帥) clearly visible, anyone can recognize it.
Gotta cover this up somehow if I wanna wear it around.
[Defeated Hobgoblin.]
[D-9 Gate Conquered]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
After finishing the Gate conquest, hunters gathered nearby, buzzing with excitement.
“There it is again! Another SSS ranking!”
“No way! For real. Who is this guy?”
Clearing all D-Rank Gates with an SSS rating has definitely made me a topic of conversation.
‘Should I tone it down a bit?’
Nah. Not worth it. It’s D-Rank. Controlling strength is harder.
*
After testing the helmet, I returned to the antique shop to find someone waiting outside.
“Who’s this?”
A tall woman with long hair down to her waist and a slender figure stood there.
“Nice to see you again.”
“Hello.”
It was none other than Kim Ha-Yoon.
“What brings you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? To thank you, of course.”
Holding up a set of magic potions, Kim Ha-Yoon smiled brightly.
‘She really is pretty.’
Her smile could charm anyone. No wonder she has so many fans.
“Please, come in.”
“Thanks.”
Inside the shop, Kim Ha-Yoon casually looked around at the items before asking,
“That Mingliang Gate conquest was incredible.”
“Oh, I saw it on TV and was amazed too.”
“Actually, I meant the video on Nertube…”
“Oh, sorry. I connect my TV to play videos.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Ha-Yoon smiled lightly.
“So, where did you get the Anwi relics?”
“I found them by chance at my previous job. Handling relics often leads to finding treasures.”
“You mean Sandouchon.”
“Yes.”
“Sandouchon’s a good guild.”
Kim Ha-Yoon played with her hair as she spoke.
“But Dawn Star Constellation offers better benefits. We can guarantee anonymity and manage everything discreetly if you wish.”
Anonymity.
That’s tempting. It’s exactly what I need.
“Some anonymous hunters in our guild earn up to ten billion per month.”
“Ten… billion?”
“Yes, and the higher the Gate rank, the more you earn.”
Kim Ha-Yoon tilted her head and added,
“For clearing a Gate like Mingliang, you’d probably make around a hundred billion.”
‘A hundr—hundred billion?!’
My inner turmoil grew.
“No pressure to participate in missions either. Anonymous hunters enjoy full freedom.”
As if speaking directly to me, Kim Ha-Yoon kept listing the perks of the guild.
Then she handed over the magic potion set as a gift and left.
“I’ll visit again soon.”
Promising to return, she stepped out.
“Phew, almost fell for that.”
Once Kim Ha-Yoon was gone, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Each condition she mentioned made my mouth water, and if I had listened any longer, I might’ve revealed myself as the Connector.
‘Can’t do that.’
My goal is to keep this secret for as long as possible.
Calming my wavering heart, I stood up to grab some water.
Ding!
The door opened again.
Thinking Kim Ha-Yoon had returned, I looked up—but instead, there stood a strange blonde girl I’d never seen before.
She looked like a porcelain doll, striking enough to leave you speechless.
“Did you call me?”
Her violet eyes locked onto mine.
A message popped up:
─Encountered a Transcender from a Failed Timeline.
She was my antique shop’s third visitor.
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