Chapter 4

004 Discharge Uniform (2)

On the first day, Han Yul only used Magic Missile.

On the second day, Han Yul realized that it would be difficult to exterminate multiple Blood Wolves with just Magic Missile, so he bought a crossbow at the dungeon entrance. He wanted to buy a firearm, but the price was too high, and the expensive ammunition led him to choose the crossbow as a secondary weapon.

Han Yul, holding the crossbow, aimed and chanted a spell as soon as he spotted Trini.

The crossbow is a secondary weapon.

The primary weapon is magic.

"Magic Missile."

Whoosh! Bang!

Piercing followed by an explosion!

However, unlike the Blood Wolves, only part of it was destroyed.

When the wriggling roots rushed at him at high speed, Han Yul hastily pulled the trigger and retreated.

Swoosh!

The power is negligible compared to Magic Missile.

But if aimed at the glowing blue part, the weak point, it can be a threatening weapon.

Han Yul, noticing that the momentarily paused roots retreated to protect the main body, chanted another spell.

Whoosh! Bang!

Another piercing followed by an explosion.

"Twice."

Unlike the Blood Wolves, he had to use Magic Missile twice.

But Han Yul smiled when he secured a mana stone from Trini's corpse.

Name: D-grade Mana Stone (15).

Description: A D-grade mana stone containing mana.

A D-grade mana stone from the first hunt.

"Good. Lucky."

***

"Luck!"

Swoosh!

"Good? Hell no!"

Thud!

"My life! That's right!"

Han Yul, who had rolled on the ground to avoid the roots, pulled the trigger.

Han Yul was sure that if there was a 'Status Window' in the support system, his 'Luck' stat would be negative.

Whether it was beginner's luck or a bad start, he managed to secure three E-grade mana stones within three hours after obtaining a D-grade mana stone from his first hunt.

Indeed, they were higher-level monsters than Blood Wolves.

The problem was the bad luck of encountering three Trini at once.

To hunt them all, he would need to use Magic Missile six times.

Mana?

Not a problem.

But concentration was an issue.

Han Yul wasn't familiar enough with magic to chant spells while dodging attacks.

Just now, the Magic Missile flew into the air in vain.

"Tch!"

Han Yul hastily stopped the incantation and threw himself to the side.

Dirt flew into his mouth and his discharge uniform was a mess, but the situation was too dire to care about appearances.

Han Yul used Magic Missile again.

But this time, the mana arrow missed and hit the nearby Trini roots.

Whoosh! Bang!

Dirt splattered from the explosion right in front of him.

Han Yul, covering his face with his arms, rolled on the ground and quickly got up to chant another spell.

The distance was sufficient.

"Magic Missile!"

Han Yul, without realizing it, shouted loudly and launched the mana arrow. When the mana arrow formed above his head and flew forward, he clenched his fist.

The formed mana arrow was not one but two.

Bang!

The simultaneous explosions eliminated two Trini without a trace.

"Huh? Damn! Unbelievable!"

Han Yul rolled to the side again to avoid the roots and chanted another spell, shouting loudly at the end.

"Ma! Gi! Missile!"

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Not one but two again.

"Does it get stronger with a shout?"

A small voice incantation resulted in one arrow, while a loud voice incantation resulted in two.

Bang!

It might be an illusion, but the destructive power seemed to increase.

"..."

The corpse remained, but the roots lay flat on the ground, and the blue-glowing bark, known as the weak point, lost its light.

"Damn."

Han Yul, realizing he had exterminated the last Trini, lay on his back and looked up at the sky.

"Really tough."

If he had encountered three at once from the front, he would have run away. But the bad luck was that he only noticed the Trini in front, unaware that two more were sleeping on the sides.

Was it a mistake rather than bad luck?

No.

Trini are diurnal monsters.

While it's not impossible for them to sleep during the day, only one in ten Trini would be asleep during the day.

"Maybe it would have been better to shoot and run repeatedly?"

To block Magic Missile, the roots would protect the main body, requiring three or four arrows instead of two, but it would ensure safety.

The problem was the low efficiency.

"Sigh."

Han Yul, now habitually sighing, got up.

He moved to check if the Trini had dropped any mana stones and found two items lying where the corpse had been.

"Still good."

Two mana stones had dropped.

One was a blue mana stone called a resource mana stone, and the other was a white mana stone, likely a consumable mana stone.

"Hmm? Is the consumable mana stone white?"

Despite gathering information at the PC room, he couldn't recall. Han Yul tilted his head and picked up the mana stones.

The moment he held the mana stones, a description window appeared, making him blink.

{Absorbing Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone. Enhances the user's equipment.}

"Wha...?"

'Enhance?' not 'Do you want to enhance?'

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, he watched as the white mana stone melted and seeped into his uniform.

Naturally seeping into the uniform he would discard upon returning home.

"Damn."

Surely.

No way.

"Appraisal."

Name: Republic of Korea Army Uniform (30) / Bound.

Description: Republic of Korea Army Uniform that has absorbed an Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone.

Effect: 5% damage reduction.

"..."

Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone.

A mana stone that starts at one million won.

Perhaps because it was reality and not a game, and because it was used upon contact rather than by choice, the white mana stone had been absorbed.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha."

Good luck. He had obtained an Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone.

Bad luck. It had been absorbed by his discharge uniform.

"Damn."

He had obtained an Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone.

"My money!"

But he had used it.

Recalling the hunters' advice to appraise before picking up, Han Yul pulled his hair.

***

5 days.

Short if short, long if long.

To Han Yul, 5 days was a very short time.

"I wanted to trade properly, but I lacked time. I apologize."

If he had remembered that the white mana stone was an Equipment Enhancement Mana Stone, he could have traded properly. But due to a common mistake among hunters, he had used it.

Name: Three-Leaf Grass (30).

Description: A spirit grass that grew by absorbing mana.

Effect: Physical Enhancement (0~3%).

Name: Mysterious Magnolia Tree (20).

Description: A spirit grass that was born by absorbing the aura of an Awakened.

Effect: Maximum Mana Increase (0~2%).

He sold the mana stones and bought two types of spirit grass, replacing the remaining 80 with mana stones.

"Ugh!"

It was really tough.

"I will definitely pay back this debt."

"R-Really? Then next time?"

The message window did not appear.

No matter how long he waited, the message window did not appear.

"Haha. Just kidding. Just kidding."

"Hahaha."

"I think it's fine to take a break before trading."

Unlike Rest, he needed to prepare items for trading spell books and items for skill trading.

Feeling a sense of injustice, Han Yul glared at the skill window and drank the iced cafelatte he had ordered.

Other items besides spirit grass?

The value of items varies by region.

But dimensional trading proceeds with fixed values.

"Do you need anything?"

"Ah, yes."

The other party wanted items. While he couldn't include skill trading, perhaps he could trade by purchasing large quantities of needed items and exchanging them.

"Can I buy spell books with the items you want? I can cover the shortfall with currency like last time."

Click!

Han Yul got up. He sucked down the remaining latte and stepped outside, speaking in a very small but confident voice.

"Let's trade. The magic I want is defensive magic."

Clap.

Is this what trading is supposed to be like?

Why does it feel increasingly difficult?

He stopped walking as soon as he left the cafe. Despite his confident proposal, he couldn't continue and, after a moment's thought, asked again.

"Poison?"

"..."

"..."

***

At a smoking area in Gyeryongdae.

"Corporal."

"What."

"Isn't there a rumor floating around the internet?"

"The wronged soldier?"

It's a very famous story among soldiers.

The corporal, chuckling, brought a cigarette to his mouth and asked, to which the sergeant laughed and replied.

"Yes. The wronged soldier. Is it our squad leader, or Han?"

"Right. Hahaha!"

He must be really wronged. He awakened his ability on the day of his discharge.

The current squad leader, who had come to see him off, burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"I found it funny too. But, is our squad leader, or Han, really okay?"

Many people liked Han Yul, the squad leader.

He, too, struggled with the reality of being deployed like many others.

But as he advanced in rank and had more people to protect, he began to change.

He smiled intentionally to prevent the heaviness of the seniors from passing to the juniors, and despite the clear danger of being a hunter, he participated in operations he didn't have to, to protect the juniors.

"Well, Han should be fine. He has considerable combat experience."

He's not an ordinary hunter. Though a soldier, he has experienced combat differently from regular hunters.

While he used firearms to fight monsters, the experience of actual combat cannot be ignored.

Moreover, he had to train consistently, not knowing when he might be called to action, even as his discharge approached.

"Phew, hmmm. Still..."

The current squad leader, taking a puff of his cigarette, wore a serious expression. The sergeant followed suit.

"Still?"

"Still..."

"Still tough, right?"

"No, it's really funny. Hahaha!"