Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Where’s the tooth?”

“Young-jin, Min-ho. Look at this! The speed is completely gone!”

Shim Young-jin’s group rummaged through the corpse of the Cerberus.

But there wasn’t a single thing left that was worth any money.

The only thing left was the hide, but it was already in tatters from the battle.

“Did you say Lee Do-jae?”

Deok-hoon asked Do-jae, who was staring into space.

He might think Dojae was just dazed from exhaustion, but he was wrong.

Do-jae was looking at the ‘loot’ inside his sub-space.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Do-jae answered as he unfastened the golem armor.

The stones that had been encasing him fell limply to the floor.

“I’m clearly the senior here, so I guess we can speak casually?”

Intrigued, Deok-hoon dropped the formalities to build rapport.

“I suppose so.”

“Well, this is fascinating.”

Duk-hoon’s expression brightened as he picked up one of the fallen stone fragments.

He applied a little pressure, and it crumbled, scattering like dust.

“Just an ordinary rock.”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t seem to have any special treatment either. Just the kind of rock you’d commonly find in a dungeon.”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t be so wary. I didn’t come here to pick a fight.”

Deok-hoon smiled.

Do-jae relaxed his guard without resistance.

Deok-hoon is an A-class Hunter.

If he’d decided to subdue Dojae, the situation would already be over.

“Just to let you know in advance, as we discussed earlier, I won’t touch the spoils at all.”

“I don’t really care about that petty cash. Young-jin might get a little pissed, though.”

“Then what brings you here?”

“Why, is your foot itching?”

Though he had nothing to feel guilty about, Dojae found himself unnecessarily intimidated.

His attitude was a natural reflection of all the experiences he’d lived through.

After all, he was Lee Do-jae, who had always survived by reading the room.

“Huh… Are you curious about my abilities? Or do you want to ask why I’m an F-rank?”

“Ha ha. Aren’t you overestimating yourself? And even if I did ask, would you honestly answer?”

Deok-hoon was right.

He had no choice but to reveal himself, but there was no need to explain in detail.

Especially not in the hunter society.

For hunters who had dungeons—places optimized for crime—there was nothing more foolish than going around bragging about oneself.

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing much.”

Deok-hoon pulled a small piece of paper from his wallet and handed it over.

It was a business card.

“You… interested in working for our guild?”

Stunned by the sudden recruitment offer, Dojae stared blankly at the card.

The Manseong Guild’s sophisticated logo and the title “Deputy Guildmaster” were engraved next to Deok-hoon’s name.

Even the lowest-ranking members of this elite guild were all C-rank Hunters or higher, and now the Deputy Guildmaster himself was making him an offer.

“Why me…?”

“Why do you think I came here? I didn’t say it outright, but you wanted me to bring some of your friends into the guild, right? I came here planning to bring one person anyway, but you caught my eye more than those guys.”

Deok-hoon nodded and complained.

There are plenty of hunters like Shim Young-jin or Kim Jun-su.

Even a healer like Sung Min-ho wouldn’t be out of place in a major guild like Manseong.

But Deok-hoon believed Do-jae was different.

His instincts were telling him not to let this talent slip away.

Nod, nod.

Deok-hoon kept nodding his head.

Finally, Dojae took the business card.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Hahaha. You’re going to think about it? That’s bold of you.”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“No. Something better? And you know what? I have a good instinct. You seem to have something more to offer.”

With that, Deok-hoon left the room.

Though he hadn’t displayed flashy techniques or immense destructive power, Dojae felt somehow acknowledged and let out a quiet smile.

***

“Ah, Uncle!”

“I’ll contact your mom myself, so don’t say anything stupid.”

“Oh, come on! That’s too much!”

“Shut up.”

After leaving the dungeon.

A big commotion broke out.

“Ah, I worked so hard! I spent so much money on this to show Uncle. How could you do this?”

“You’re not even hurt, so why keep whining? Fine, don’t call Uncle over for stuff like this anymore. I’m leaving.”

Shim Young-jin asked to be admitted into the guild.

But since Song Deok-hoon flatly refused, he was throwing a tantrum.

Manseong’s work team was there for the dungeon annihilation, and the situation was so embarrassing that Deok-hoon left somewhere with a deeply furrowed brow. Shim Young-jin and his friends scurried after him.

‘They’re just like kids.’

I chuckled softly watching them fade into the distance.

‘Thanks to them, I got something good, so now they even look cute.’

The group led by Shim Young-jin, whom I hadn’t particularly liked when I first met them, now even seemed endearing.

After all, didn’t I benefit from the things they did to impress Deok-hoon?

Level-up, title, Manseong’s scouting.

Plus this on top of that.

‘They called it Persephone’s Ruby, I believe.’

The crimson gem in my hand.

It is a beautiful gem that seems to shimmer with fiery red flames.

Its official name is Cerberus’ Gallstone.

That’s what it said in the sub-space.

But people, captivated by the gem’s hellish, mesmerizing glow, named it after Persephone—wife of Hades, god of the underworld, and queen of the realm of the dead.

‘Not a bad name at all.’

I’d only heard about it from other hunters; this was my first time seeing it. Seeing it in person, I thought it was a well-chosen name.

“A-space.”

I put Persephone’s ruby back into the hyperspace and picked up my smartphone.

He opened the HuntraNet exclusive application.

While Mr. Choi would give a good price for most junk items, he didn’t deal in luxury goods like this.

Meant I had to look elsewhere.

Being hunter-exclusive, Huntranet had an exchange that handled everything that came out of dungeons.

– Search: Perse…

Just typing ‘Perse’ brought up ‘Persephone’s Ruby’ in the related search terms.

Tapping it brought up related posts.

I checked a few recently posted threads.

– [Wanted] Looking to buy raw Persephone’s Ruby.

– Selling a 3-carat Persephone Ruby ring.

– Persephone’s Ruby Necklace (Cartienko product) – Direct transaction only.

Among the attached photos, I tapped one that looked similar in size to what I had.

“Whoa.”

Seeing the asking price took my breath away.

It listed a sum with so many zeros I couldn’t even count them.

‘One, two, three, four….’

900,000,000.

A whopping 900 million.

I checked other posts too.

‘550 million, 230 million, 5.7 billion?’

Do-jae’s eyes widened at the last post.

A single ring costing 5.7 billion won?

It was definitely large, and whether it was a piece crafted by a master artisan or not, it felt incomparably more luxurious than a raw gemstone.

‘This is insane, right?’

He turned off his smartphone.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

Every single one was exciting and joyful.

‘The first thing I need to do is…’

There was no need to hesitate.

My brother’s surgery and treatment costs.

That remains the top priority.

‘And with the remaining money, we’ll find a place to live.’

A home to live in with my fully recovered brother.

I’ll fry up his favorite pork cutlets, and I’ll cook up a pot of savory soybean paste stew for us to eat.

‘Let’s go.’

My steps toward the exchange feel lighter than ever before.

***

“Young man, how about this place?”

“Hmm… Not bad.”

Dojae carefully inspects every corner.

Two rooms, 24 pyeong, one living room/kitchen combo, one bathroom.

It’s a newly built apartment, about three years old.

“There’s a big supermarket nearby and lots of convenience stores, so it should be a great place to live. Plus, the school is close, and the neighborhood is very quiet.”

Do-jae heads toward the balcony.

Beyond the veranda window, an elementary school comes into view.

It’s within easy walking distance for a child, taking about 10 minutes.

Plus, the school itself was relocated when the apartment was built, so it was very clean.

“The boiler was replaced this year, and the plumbing? What’s there to say? It’s a waste of breath.”

Do-jae’s gaze shifted to the corner.

There stood a brand-new, pristine boiler, its plastic wrap still partially intact.

“Do you clean it for us?”

“The first tenant was incredibly neat and kept it spotless. The landlord will handle everything from floor to wallpaper and cleaning, so you can move right in.”

As the middle-aged woman, the licensed real estate agent, said, the interior was exceptionally clean.

Moreover, being the very first building in the complex and facing south, it got plenty of sunlight.

Opening the window, I could feel the breeze flow through; the ventilation was excellent.

“This is my favorite one so far.”

“Right? I was saving this one for myself, but since you said you’re buying it with your sister, I thought it was nice to show it to you. I wouldn’t have shown it to anyone else.”

“Thank you. We’ll take this one.”

“Good choice. No matter how much money you offer, you won’t find a place like this anywhere else. You know that, right?”

The woman exits first.

She went out to gather the necessary documents for the contract.

Then Dojae stayed behind alone for a moment and looked around the house.

‘I’ll make this my room.’

Do-jae opened the door located near the entrance.

Directly ahead, at about chest height, was a double window.

Opening the window revealed the expansive grounds of the university hospital.

Various specialized hospitals clustered together.

His younger brother is in the building near the small park among them.

‘It was probably about a five-minute drive.’

Do-jae gazes at the university hospital for a moment.

A flood of emotions washed over him.

After a while, Dojae exits the room and moves to the next one.

‘This would be a good place for my brother’s room.’

He looks at the inner room.

Both rooms are about the same size.

Only this room had a larger window and a balcony.

Do-jae wanted to give his younger brother the main room, which got plenty of sunlight.

And above all, the university hospital wasn’t visible from this side.

‘I’ll have to buy all new furniture too.’

Do-jae had lived alone in an old studio apartment.

He didn’t have much furniture to speak of, but worse, most of it was rusty or had mold stains because it had been stored in a basement.

He didn’t want his younger brother to see that.

Kids these days know everything, even at a young age.

He planned to buy everything new while moving.

‘Should I have looked for a bigger place to fit the Metallic Hero display? Nah. I’ll just put it in the living room.’

There was no need to put it in my brother’s room.

Dojae’s already hooked on Metallic Hero too, and good things should be shared between brothers, right?

Crunch.

Dojae stretched his knuckles, straightening his fingers.

Then, he gazed contentedly at the house he would soon live in.