Chapter 10. The Elemental Island
The newest dungeon had spawned in an awfully convenient location for civilians and Hunters alike: right at the doorstep of the Association building. Thanks to that, several nearby Hunters were quick to spring into action at the sound of the alarm.
"Did you hear about the Goblin Riders?"
“They're D-rank at best, but they're bound to land us some pocket money."
The monsters released by the dungeon break were a catastrophe for many, but a treasure trove for the first on the scene to defeat them.
That said, many of the Hunters rushing onto the scene had found themselves twiddling their thumbs, late to the party. A dozen or so of the Goblin Riders that had emerged from the ground had already become roadkill across the asphalt.
Standing right in the center of their corpses was a man: Kim Do-Joon.
"What the hell? It's already over?"
"Looks like he handled it on his own."
"Ugh, we wasted our time coming here."
The Hunters clicked their tongues as they witnessed the scene. It was fortunate that there were no casualties, but hurrying over only to find no gold mine to speak of put a damper on their spirits.
Once they left, dejected, only Kim Do-Joon, Lee Ji-Ah, and the combat officers who had scrambled to set up the barricades remained.
One of the combat officers approached Kim Do-Joon. "We appreciate you helping secure the perimeter, Mr. Hunter! Thanks to you, there were hardly any casualties or property damage."
"I just did what needed to be done," Kim Do-Joon replied. He moved to scratch his head absentmindedly but stopped upon realizing that his hands were stained with the Goblin Riders' blood.
In fact, the fight had left him covered in blood and dust. Kim Do-Joon's agreeable demeanor, devoid of ill-mannered grumblings and visible annoyance, left a lasting impression on the police.
With an affable face, the officer asked, "Can we have your name and affiliation? I can contact your guild or the Association for you."
"That's alright. My liaison is right here," Kim Do-Joon said, looking at the approaching Lee Ji-Ah.
She wore a shell-shocked look that suggested she had yet to process what had just transpired.
"Oh, I see. I apologize for the unnecessary meddling, then," said the officer.
"No, no. Thank you for your consideration," Kim Do-Joon replied.
Seeing the two men exchanging warm pleasantries, Lee Ji-Ah muttered absentmindedly, "He's not a Hunter."
"Sorry?" said the officer, not believing his ears. “Could you say that again?"
"Mr. Do-Joon is an Awakener, not a Hunter. He hasn't gotten his license yet," Lee Ji-Ah clarified.
Taken aback by her words, the officer repeated, "Sorry?"
As far as combat ability went, a non-Hunter Awakener was more or less a civilian. Although Goblin Riders were low-rank monsters, they were far beyond an ordinary person's ability to handle.
"Actually, I'm a soon-to-be applicant. I'm planning on getting my license soon," Kim Do-Joon said.
The officer looked at him with admiration and awe. “You're new to this? I can hardly believe it, what with how experienced you act!"
Evidently, he seemed to have the false impression that Kim Do-Joon had recently awakened with an extraordinarily powerful skill. However, Kim Do-Joon did not feel compelled to correct his assumption.
"We do hope to see you again," said the officer. Bidding farewell, he returned to his colleagues.
The officers would hold up their barricade to monitor the situation around the World Tree's roots for a while longer.
In contrast to the officer's nonchalance, Lee Ji-Ah remained full of questions. Having known Kim Do-Joon as a Potion Crafter and Gatherer for all of six years, she struggled to come to terms with the changed man before her.
What on earth happened to him? Is he really the same man?
The Kim Do-Joon she knew was the type of man to lounge about in a quiet general store while drinking tea. He was not a man who would run around felling monsters with an axe in hand.
"Ms. Ji-Ah?" Kim Do-Joon called.
"Huh? What is it?" Lee Ji-Ah replied.
"Are you alright? You weren't injured, were you?"
“No, I'm perfectly fine."
Now settled, Kim Do-Joon looked to be his usual self—perhaps due to his age or the fact that he was a father, the man's maturity often eclipsed that of her yet-naive coworkers.
It did, however, feel off-putting for the very same man to carry around a bloodied axe.
"Going back to what we were talking about earlier, could you schedule me for the Hunter exam?" Kim Do-Joon asked.
"You want to take the Hunter exam?"
“That's right—I chanced upon a skill rune while wandering inside the dungeon."
Lee Ji-Ah's eyes widened with surprise. "You did?"
“It's the physical enhancement sort. Potent enough for me to become a Hunter," Kim Do-Joon explained with a nod.
He had already resolved to keep his copy-paste ability a secret. Conveniently enough, his skill set would allow him to pass for an ordinary enhancement-based Hunter.
"I see," said Lee Ji-Ah, her doubts eased somewhat.
Skill runes were immensely rare monster drops that, depending on demand, had market values ranging between tens to hundreds of millions of won. Lee Ji-Ah was, of course, astonished to hear that Kim Do-Joon had acquired one and not sold it, but she elected to hold back from questioning him further.
Figuring that the events leading up to his discovery and subsequent use were tied to his disappearance, she feared making their conversation uncomfortable.
“I'll leave it to you. Please reach out to me with the schedule later," Kim Do-Joon said.
“Of course," Lee Ji-Ah agreed.
"Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you could handle the Goblin Riders' corpses as well."
"I'll contact disposal services."
Association matters done with, Kim Do-Joon parted ways with Lee Ji-Ah. He left upon finding his parked car.
***
Kim Do-Joon spent the day and the next on his feet, running around to certify his identity. Of course, he could not complete all his myriad tasks in two days, and the test results would take even longer to process. His business remained out of operation in the meantime.
After finishing up his appointments, Kim Do-Joon returned to his store. He then took out two items from his pocket and laid them out on a table.
[Teleportation Stone]
[Tier 2 Elemental Island Key]
Both items were obtained as rewards for clearing the labyrinth. With them, there was something that he suddenly felt the need to test.
However, his phone began to vibrate the moment he reached out to pick up the key.
Buzz—
Seeing the caller ID, Kim Do-Joon picked up and held the phone to his right ear.
"Hello?" he answered.
— Hello, Mr. Do-Joon. It's me, Ji-Ah. I'm calling regarding the Hunter exam you mentioned yesterday.
"Already? You work fast! Thank you," Kim Do-Joon said. He switched the phone to his left ear.
— Of course. In case you didn't know, it's held every six months.
The Hunter exam took place twice a year; once in spring, and once in fall. That was as far as Kim Do-Joon's knowledge went; he needed clarification on when and where it would take place exactly.
— The upcoming exam is due next month…
“That's fine with me. Please sign me up for that one.”
— Ah, but, you see… Um…
Bemused by Lee Ji-Ah's hesitation, Kim Do-Joon asked, “What's wrong?"
— Well, there are rumors of a famous rookie taking the very same exam…
Kim Do-Joon struggled to understand what she was getting at. "Huh…? What's the problem with that?"
— You see, the Hunter exam doesn't simply involve securing a certification. It's also where newbies advertise themselves to the guilds.
"Oh, is that the case?"
— Yes. Your competition will be quite fierce as a result. Guild members don't look to entrust just anybody with their backs in a dungeon, after all. You'll need to compete to stand out.
“That makes sense."
Having connected the dots, it dawned on Kim Do-Joon where Lee Ji-Ah's worries lay. She was suggesting that the aforementioned rookie would likely monopolize the guilds' attention. The rest of the testees, like him, would be rendered mere accessories.
— I think you'd be better off skipping this round's exam to prepare for the next one. Your debut would be delayed six months, but you'd have a better chance to join a higher-ranking guild. It could save you several years of your career.
"Hmm…"
Her line of reasoning tracked. It wasn't something unheard of, either—students, for example, often studied an extra year or two in preparation for their college entrance exams, hoping to land themselves a spot at a prestigious university.
Guild recruiters themselves were people, and therefore easily swayed. It wouldn't be strange for them to become tunnel-visioned, seeking out the most outstanding among hopefuls. The unremarkable stragglers would simply pale in comparison.
— What do you think?
Caught unaware by the onslaught of new information, Kim Do-Joon found himself momentarily lost in thought. "Hmm…"
Mulling it over, he weighed the pros and cons.
Is joining a guild really what I should concern myself with?
Guilds were generally the go-to for new Hunters. Freelancing, on the other hand, was a rare starter—Hunters often relied on the support, experience, and connections accrued throughout their time with a guild. They could opt to go freelance afterward, safety net ensured.
But that only goes for Hunters seeking support for their growth and development.
Hunters needed to frequent dungeons to augment their stats and thus, their strength. Guilds served to foster their growth.
That was the ordinary way of going about it. Of course, Kim Do-Joon was no ordinary Hunter.
He looked at the Labyrinth Key and Teleportation Stone.
With these, I have a faster avenue for growth.
His brief foray into the Catacomb had proven that much. Kim Do-Joon was able to raise his Compatibility to fifteen percent while securing a slew of valuable system items in the process, putting what he had to fodder aside. The single drawback, being that he could not return without clearing the labyrinth first, was patched with the Teleportation Stone.
All things considered, the value of his Labyrinth Key likely far surpassed that of his copy-paste ability.
Joining an organization would sidetrack me. What if another labyrinth demands a week or longer to clear?
He could excuse his absence with a lie once or twice. Any more, and people would begin to question it—then, it would only be a matter of time before he was caught.
On the other hand, the information and connections that only a guild could provide were undoubtedly appealing.
Weighing the two paths, Kim Do-Joon remained undecided. He wanted to give the matter more time in the oven.
I'll return to this later…
Kim Do-Joon knew that his conundrum was not one to be solved on an impulse.
That aside, Lee Ji-Ah still awaited his answer.
"Put me down for next month," Kim Do-Joon said.
— A-are you sure?
"Yeah. It doesn't matter."
Kim Do-Joon felt it useless to fret over his value in comparison to the other candidates. It wasn't as if either path would shutter before him in the near future, either. Furthermore, he had a separate goal to focus on—one for which he couldn't stand to delay his progress by six months.
— Alright then.
The call ended with the matter being settled. Kim Do-Joon placed his phone back down on the desk and resumed what he had been doing prior: examining the Labyrinth Key and Teleportation Stone.
I'm not done with the verification process just yet, but I'll get the results in two days.
A month remained before the Hunter exam took place. Most testers would spend the time honing their physical strength and skills, but Kim Do-Joon had plans of his own.
Along those lines, he had ventured a passing thought that morning. The key was single-use, but he didn’t know about the Teleportation Stone.
Perhaps…
He theorized a workaround with a fifty-fifty chance of success. Calming his pounding heart, Kim Do-Joon held the Labyrinth Key to his forearm.
[The item effect of the Tier 2 Elemental Island Key can be copy-pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]
[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]
[1. Grants entry to the labyrinth 'Elemental Island.']
Seeing no reason to hesitate, Kim Do-Joon dove right in.
[The item effect has been successfully copy-pasted.]
[The Tier 2 Elemental Island Key has been destroyed.]
[The transferred ability will be adjusted according to the recipient's classification.]
Kim Do-Joon opened his status window to confirm his newly acquired ability.
[Additional Effect]
- Skill: Grants the user entry into the labyrinth 'Elemental Island.' Cooldown of 168 hours.
Nice.
A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. Despite the lengthy cooldown of seven days, the skill itself was cause for celebration. With it, he could freely hop into a dungeon without reservation.
Returning won't be a problem, either.
Kim Do-Joon still had the Teleportation Stone to work with. Rather than using it as was, after waiting for his skill’s cooldown, he copy-pasted the Teleportation Stone’s effect onto himself. Now, he could freely go back and forth between labyrinths and Earth.
I wonder how long it'll take to clear this time around.
Before delving back into the thick of things, Kim Do-Joon figured that he may as well make the most of his time back on Earth. He got up from his seat, grabbed his coat, and made to leave.
***
Kim Do-Joon headed to a large store nearby. He grabbed a cart and made his way to the underground food section.
A middle-aged sampler spotted him and called, "Are you a Hunter? Come over here and try this! It's the newly released spicy pork rib!"
The woman's sales pitch, accompanied by the fragrant aroma of seasoned meat, stopped Kim Do-Joon in his tracks.
The food aisles were home to a host of dungeon provisions, most of which were canned goods. The ribs, too, were canned food made from wild boars—they were scavenged from fallen monsters, as all emergency rations were. After all, Earth food could not be taken into dungeons.
Dungeon provisions were mildly seasoned and dried. They were not packaged like ordinary canned foods were, either, but they were priced ten times the amount.
The reality was that Kim Do-Joon had no choice in the matter. If he wanted a meal at all, it was either he cave or pray he find food on his own inside the dungeons.
Thankfully, I have the money to throw around.
Between his earnings from the herbs he had collected from the Seorim-dong Park dungeon and what the guild conceded, he had a sizable budget squirreled away. On top of that, he had the bounty recently collected off the heads of the Goblin Riders.
Kim Do-Joon grabbed a bunch of canned meats and vegetables and placed them inside his cart. He continued onto another floor, piling up ingredients for home cooking.
Beep— Beep—
"Do you have a points card?"
"It's 5498," Kim Do-Joon replied.
"Thank you."
After paying, he brought his purchases to the back of the market and made a box. He neatly arranged the food items inside and stored the newly-built food box in his inventory. Preparations said and done, he headed home.
He had no reason to delay the inevitable. Kim Do-Joon retrieved his equipment for some maintenance, then geared up: axe in his right hand, gauntlet in his left.
Elsewhere in his inventory were stocks of knives, spears, shields, and halberds. They were factory-made from beast materials, not true system items.
With everything at the ready, Kim Do-Joon used his skill to enter the labyrinth.
The scene before his eyes changed, and a familiar message popped up.
[You have entered the Elemental Island.]
Hmm… The Elemental Island…?
Kim Do-Joon scanned his surroundings with a cautious gaze.
The Catacomb was filled to the brim with Skeletons, but the monsters here were bound to be different. Even more, he wondered what else he could achieve.
Feeling a strange mix of tension and excitement, Kim Do-Joon slowly moved his feet.
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