18
The first weekend welcoming the new semester.
The ingredients to neutralize the hex horns, which I had ordered from Nicolai, had arrived.
“Oh, they arrived quickly.”
I meticulously checked the ingredients to ensure nothing was missing.
There were quite a few hard-to-get items, like a lightning-struck tree sapling or a flower grown on the blood of an executed prisoner, but thankfully, Nicolai delivered them without fail.
Well, if it’s the Association of Extraordinary Individuals, they should have all sorts of bizarre ingredients, so this should be a piece of cake. I should make use of them more often. Anyway.
“Now that I have all the ingredients.”
I’m at a loss on how to make the neutralizer with these.
In the game, you just gather the ingredients, pay 500 gold, press the synthesis button, and it’s done.
“There’s no way this…”
Though I thought it wouldn’t be, I still used the Projection of the Anomaly out of curiosity.
[Advanced Neutralizer]
[Cost: 500 SP]
[You have sufficient points for projection. Would you like to proceed?]
“Huh.”
The text stating 500 SP in the cost left me momentarily speechless.
It was understandable; while 500 gold in the game could be earned by defeating a few dungeon monsters, SP was not money you could earn at will just because you wanted to. It was a limited resource that only came through quests. Moreover, 500 SP was equivalent to the points I earned from passing the Eternity Admission. 500 gold was obviously of a different value. But to equate them like this?
“This is… bewildering.”
I was frustrated with the conscienceless system, but I had no choice but to go on. To obtain the effects of the hex horns, I needed an Advanced Neutralizer. And such a neutralizer couldn’t be made in this world, like a restriction of this world.
Based on what I had learned over the past few weeks, most items used in the ‘Eternity Game Era’ were not present in this world, except for some basic ones.
In other words, items from the Eternity game could only be obtained through SP.
In the end, I reluctantly spent the precious SP to purchase the Advanced Neutralizer.
[Consuming 500 SP.]
Whoosh!
A white light flashed, the ingredients disappeared, and in their place appeared a familiar blue potion.
[The Advanced Neutralizer from Eternity projected by the Anomaly Understanding Sol. It is used to neutralize specific toxins or create antidotes.]
I poured the Advanced Neutralizer into a large iron container containing the hex horns.
Sizzle…
A hazy smoke rose as the hex horns melted into a purple liquid.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have obtained the essence of Hexagon.]
[Essence of Hexagon]
[A solution imbued with the energy of Grade 5 Mana Hexagon. Manufactured by the advanced alchemist Lee Haesol using a high-grade neutralizer.]
*Upon consumption, acquire ＜Intermediate Poison Immunity＞, ＜Low-level Curse Evasion＞.
“Oh, even curse evasion is included.”
Having just poison immunity alone would be beneficial, but to have curse evasion as an additional attribute.
This way, even spending 500SP is justified.
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Satisfied with the outcome, I drank the essence of Hexagon contained in the iron vessel.
“Ah…”
The fiery energy circulated through my body before dissipating.
Checking the updated status window, I stood up.
Although I felt like resting in my room over the weekend, my financial situation prevented me from idling.
“Ugh, not even 10 won in the bank account.”
I sighed upon seeing the balance of 0 won on the bank app linked to my smartphone.
I couldn’t even afford a single piece of bread from the convenience store. After using the vending machine a few times, my balance quickly dwindled.
Fortunately, there was free food at Eternity; otherwise, I would have been worried about having a meal. Moreover, there were things I couldn’t obtain without money, even if I just wanted to play Hidden Pithos.
“…I need to earn some money.”
In that case, the answer lies in demon hunting. Some individuals made demon hunting a side job because selling demon corpses could bring in a decent income. Since I now have poison immunity and curse evasion, I could also test my abilities.
“Eternity is off-limits on weekends, so how about going to Bukhansan?”
Bukhansan’s field is the area where demons appear most frequently after Seoul.
Although it was a restricted area for civilians, it wouldn’t be a problem for an Eternity Academy student.
As I was planning and about to leave, I suddenly froze in place like a malfunctioning machine.
“Oh, transportation fare.”
I realized I didn’t have the fare to go to Bukhansan.
“It’s too far to walk…”
After a moment of contemplation, I opened my smartphone and scrolled down the 1st Class Student Group. Then, I clicked on the name Amelia.
***
The scenery of Bukhansan was like a ‘modern fantasy.’
Streets lined with magic shops, potion stalls, blacksmiths, and more.
People armed to the teeth roamed the streets exuding that fantasy scent.
Swords, axes, staffs, spellbooks, guns…
Various weapons ranging from ancient to modern, but there was no one wielding a whip among them. Well, using a gun instead of a whip was more practical.
Upon entering the main road towards Bukhansan, a checkpoint appeared.
For the record, the field areas where demons appear are managed by the Association of Supernaturals.
“Please state your name, where you are from, and your guild affiliation.”
The checkpoint officer scanned me up and down before pointing to the registration book on the desk.
“I’m not affiliated with any guild.”
“Then, may I see your Supernatural License?”
The officer, showing signs of annoyance due to the lack of guild affiliation, reached out his hand. Instead of the Supernatural License, I handed him my Academy Student ID.
The officer’s demeanor changed instantly as he glanced at it briefly.
“Ah! So you’re an Eternity student. hahahaha, welcome to Bukhansan. Please, come in.”
For others, the process that usually took 10 minutes was a mere formality for Eternals.
Indeed, Eternity. It seemed like students from the elite of elites had a different treatment from the start.
As we passed through the gate like a Hi-Pass, a well-dressed man approached us.
“Are you Mr. Haeisol?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Please, let me take care of you today. I’m your guide, Sindonghun.”
Guide. A porter who transports the remains of demons and settles the bill, also serving as a guide.
In rugged places like Bukhansan, it was common to hire guides to avoid getting lost.
Setting that aside…
I cocked my head.
“I didn’t make a reservation for a guide.”
“Amelia made a prepaid reservation for you.”
“…”
With a wave goodbye, Amelia’s welcoming gesture passed fleetingly.
With just a single text from me about going to Bukhansan, Amelia arranged a car with a driver without any questions.
I had used such means occasionally in games, so I thought I would repay her later, but never did I expect her to arrange a guide as well.
I was taken aback internally, but I couldn’t possibly ask the person who had been waiting to leave…
“Well, I’ll leave it to you as well.”
“Shall we?”
Following Sindonghun, I walked ahead.
***
Under Sindonghun’s guidance, the journey to the hunting ground was quite an unusual experience.
It felt… refreshing.
“Oops! Watch out! Be careful!”
Before someone’s warning could ring out, a wolf leaped out of the bushes and pounced on me.
The creature, baring its fangs, fell back with a dart in its forehead.
“Wow. Taking down a Wolfhound in one shot…”
A woman with a spear, who appeared belatedly, stood there dumbfounded. Her reaction seemed a bit excessive for catching just one demon.
“Well, I guess that’s the usual response.”
Having lived within Eternity all this time, I hadn’t realized how tough it was, but in reality, Eternity was the world’s top educational institution for monsters.
Even for most members of the superhuman society, capturing a single demon was usually a challenge.
For Eternity students, even possessing a ‘Bogu’ – something everyone had – was like reaching for the stars to them…
“Donghun, let’s go.”
“Yes. Haeisol.”
Observing the superhumans hunting demons in the vast fields, we left the surprised woman behind and continued walking.
We walked along the mountain path for a while. Looking around, I tilted my head.
“Well, I still can’t figure it out.”
Bukhansan was a place I had visited hundreds of times while playing the game to collect materials.
I was well aware of where each demon was located, where they appeared, and where monsters lurked.
But I couldn’t grasp the geography as if I had come to a new place.
It was natural. This was reality, not a game. The world I saw beyond the monitor and this world couldn’t possibly be the same.
It made sense, considering that a distance covered in 5 minutes in the game would take 30 minutes here. Not to mention, even the Bukhan Mountain in reality was completely different.
“Still, the key points seem to be the same.”
Following Shin Dong-hoon, we climbed a mountain path for a while, coming to a fork in the road.
This was a key point of the Bukhan Mountain that I knew well too.
If you went left from here, you’d reach a valley where lower-level demons appeared, and if you went right, there was a forest where monsters dwelled.
Without hesitation, I moved to the right.
Although monsters were said to appear, the area wasn’t too difficult, so even I, as I was now, could hunt alone.
To earn money, it was much more profitable to hunt monsters than demons.
However, Shin Dong-hoon stopped me.
“Um, Hae-sol? I’m sorry, but it’s better not to go that way.”
“Because of the monsters?”
“Well, that’s one reason, but there’s also a mercenary group, the Sashanghoe, that’s taken hold there.”
“Sashanghoe? A guild?”
“Not a guild, but mercenaries who specialize in hunting monsters. They’re a bit rough around the edges…”
“I see.”
With a hint from Shin Dong-hoon’s explanation, I chuckled softly and resumed walking.
“It’s fine, let’s go.”
“Are you sure?”
“If we can’t go, we’ll just come back, right?”
That’s what I said, but I had no intention of turning back. Unlike a guild, mercenaries who had settled in a place like this were no different from ordinary people hunting monsters for their own gain.
They were just thugs who had formed an alliance to monopolize monsters.
Since it was unauthorized use of common land, the Association of Ordinary People could have regulated it, but since the association was run by humans, there were cases where areas like this were created if bribes were paid or there were connections.
Although I was aware that such mercenaries existed in different regions in the game, I didn’t need to worry about them, which made me think of it belatedly.
Anyway, there was no need to clash with mercenaries, but if we had to find a new hunting ground, it would take quite some time, which was actually more of a hassle.
“Why not just confront them head-on?”
With that thought, we entered the right path, and not long after, we encountered the mercenaries of the Sashanghoe that Shin Dong-hoon had warned us about.
“Hey, stop right there.”
A big man leaning against a rock stood up. He stroked his chin and grinned.
“Shin Dong-hoon?”
“Hello.”
“Your friend here is new.”
The mercenary, who glanced at me, seemed to understand the situation roughly, chuckled as if he got it, and said, “Hey, this is an area you can only enter with a ticket. But if you just pay me 200,000 won, I can issue you one.”
“…”
200,000 won? I wondered if my ears were playing tricks on me for a moment. As if to confirm that my ears were not mistaken, the mercenary casually held up two fingers.
“Um.”
I scratched my head.
I had thought of hoodwinking him and beating him up rightfully, but 200,000 won was quite a reasonable price. Just catching goblins would earn me 10 for each. If I could avoid trouble with the mercenaries for that price, it was worth paying any amount. The problem was that I didn’t have a single penny on me right now.
“Donghoon, can I borrow some money?”
“Yes? I left my valuables at the front door…”
“Well, then it can’t be helped.”
“…?”
“Hey, kid! Don’t move… Grrk?!”
A mercenary, struck on the chin with a baton, flipped over with eyes rolled back.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes.”
Leaving the bewildered Sindonghoon behind, I headed towards the forest where monsters were emerging.