A Public Servant Hunter Who Exploits Skill Combinations – Chapter 33
Translated by: Hanzo
Chapter 33: Fragments of Memory (2)
“So, what are you planning to make?”
“Something like weapons, armor, or accessories?”
“Accessories require dexterity, or you’d need to be good at handling ores, or maybe just strong...”
“That’s right. Exactly! Fire!”
Right.
Flame Flower.
A skill that lets you ignite fire in the palm of your hand.
I’d been overcomplicating things.
A simpler approach would have been better.
The crafting skill I want doesn’t matter specifically.
My goal is the blueprints.
I plan to acquire blueprints from an era where no one else has obtained them, use those blueprints to gain crafting abilities, and bring Lee Jung-hyeok to my side.
Not just Lee Jung-hyeok—other crafting talents will emerge later as well.
During the transitional period of Hunters, crafting specialists become quite numerous.
By then, the blueprints I hold will undoubtedly provide a massive advantage.
Real estate investment?
If a gate opens in the wrong place, buildings collapse.
You might get compensation, but it’s not guaranteed to be 100%.
However, blueprints in my inventory won’t disappear.
Besides, owning a lot of real estate would only become a nuisance for someone like me aiming to be a public service Hunter.
That’s why what I need are blueprints.
The key is how many valuable blueprints I can acquire.
So now, I’m trying hard to recall a crafting skill fragment.
If I think simply about making a sword, it involves melting metal, hammering it into shape during forging, forming the blade, and sharpening it on a whetstone.
When considering what’s needed for that...
Strength, fire, wood, water, stone, iron, dexterity.
Right. Power-up skills.
Aqua Shot, Wooden Clone Technique.
Stone—was it Stone Drop?
Iron···. Iron what again?
Iron Sword? Metal Guard?
I’m getting confused here.
I’ll just try both.
It’s not like I have all those skill cards right now, so I can’t test it immediately.
‘I’ll have to swing by the skill shop later and skim through the skill list.’
Maybe seeing the list will jog my memory.
The Hunter Festival was an annual event initially meant to commemorate those who sacrificed themselves in battles against monsters.
So, on this day, there were no classes, and everyone participated in the festival with a sense of unity.
Over time, it evolved into a true festival for Hunters, complete with events for them.
There was even a long speech by Principal Hong Pal-gwang.
I sneaked out during that, of course.
Because of this, many events and sales took place, including skill card sales.
The skill cards sold here won’t be rare, so I decided to buy all the skill cards I might need.
It didn’t matter what I get, as long as I unlocked one crafting skill.
“Jun-hyuk, let’s go buy some skill cards.”
“Really? Perfect timing. I was planning to buy a few too.”
Let’s not rush too much.
Rushing can ruin even achievable tasks.
There was a saying: the more hurried you are, the more you should take the long way around.
As for my mana pathways issue, I’ve been told that as long as I didn’t overdo it, it wouldn’t be a significant problem for now.
In the meantime, if I quickly grow the snake with the mana stones I have, it should solve itself.
Looking at the snake, it seemed like it had already grown a bit...
But was it okay for a pet to keep growing like this?
The snake continued to eat the mana stone in its mouth.
Seeing its gleaming scales made me feel like my future was shining too.
For some reason, a smile crept onto my lips.
Crunch.
<What’s with the sudden smile? It’s unsettling.>
‘I just think you look cute while eating.’
<That’s the first time I’ve heard such nonsense.>
I cautiously asked the snake a question.
‘By the way, how much more do you have to grow before you can heal me?’
<After my next molt, I should be able to.>
I was slightly surprised at how soon that was.
‘That quickly?’
<The mana concentration in the stones you collected this time is high, so my recovery speed is faster than expected. Even I didn’t anticipate this.>
‘That’s good to hear.’
<I’m becoming more dragon-like.>
‘But how exactly do you plan to fix the distortion once you’ve grown?’
<I’ll explain once I’ve finished growing.>
‘Can’t you tell me in advance?’
<You must really like spoilers.>
‘Not really, but I need to know to prepare, don’t I?’
<You just need to sit tight. I’ll handle it.>
‘Show-off...’
I was not entirely sure if I could trust this snake.
While chatting, we eventually arrived at the skill card shop.
“Hello, I’m here to buy some skill cards.”
“Oh? Mr. Jung Tae-sung...!?”
The shopkeeper recognized me.
“You know me?”
“Of course! You’re one of the most famous people right now.”
“Does that mean I get a celebrity discount?”
“No.”
“You’re quite blunt.”
“I have to make a living too.”
Maybe I should’ve gone to a secret shop underground.
But my face is too well-known for that now...
It’s not like I’m short on money.
And the skill cards I’m planning to buy aren’t expensive anyway.
I purchased the cards from the shop and moved on, experimenting with combinations as I walked.
***
I came to the auction house for a simple reason.
To buy items whose value wasn’t recognized in this era.
Why wasn’t their value recognized?
Because back then, they were just thought to be ordinary items.
Among such items were hidden treasures.
Hidden items that appeared to be nothing special but awakened their abilities in specific circumstances.
For instance, there was this one time...
A C-rank Hunter purchased a relatively cheap greatsword for 10 million won.
For 10 million won, it was considered a high-grade weapon but was still a very standard choice for a Hunter.
Then, the Hunter happened to enter a dungeon, encountered a monster, and swung the sword at it. The sword broke, revealing another sword inside.
The surprise? That new sword was a rare item.
A 10-million-won weapon instantly became a 10-billion-won miracle.
Of course, this occurred only because the weapon and the monster were a perfect match—a highly unlikely scenario.
But what if you already knew about such possibilities?
I never imagined my past interest in Hunter Magazine would turn out to be so useful.
Among its special features, I particularly loved the hidden item specials, which I recalled vividly.
In my previous life, I had been very interested in the "item" field.
Why? Because my rank was low at the time, and I wanted to rely on equipment to bridge the gap.
Much like how Yoo Chae-ah, who is currently B-rank, is treated like an A-rank thanks to her equipment.
Of course, it requires extremely expensive gear for that kind of treatment...
Before entering the auction house, my ID was checked, and I was handed a mask.
"Is the mask meant to keep purchases confidential?"
Officially, yes. But—
"It's just a fake pretense."
"A fake pretense?"
Most of the attendees here knew who everyone else was anyway.
Even if you were wearing a mask, once you've reached a certain level, you could sense the mana of others and guess their identities.
Of course, this was assuming you've reached the level where such a thing was possible.
Or, like me, if you had a related skill.
"In reality, the masks are intended to prevent excessive competition, but it’s a meaningless effort."
In fact, the masks often fueled even more intense bidding wars.
It was better to assume that the organizers of the auction devised this for their own financial gain, to take a larger commission.
A good number of guild financial managers had gathered.
Naturally, competition for items between guilds was fierce.
The kind of items a guild possessed could determine its status.
"Thank you to all the esteemed guests attending our auction today. I hope you all acquire the items you desire at the prices you wish for."
Auctions didn’t always start with the expensive stuff.
Most of the expensive items were saved for the end, while the cheaper ones were displayed early on.
As a result, the heavyweights hadn't shown up yet.
"Our second item!"
Though covered by a white cloth, I could sense it was the item I’d been looking for.
Finally, the item was unveiled.
"That’s it...!"
The auctioneer introduced the item while an assistant provided additional explanations.
"This item was obtained a year ago from a C-rank dungeon after slaying an Wicked Witch yokai. It is a high-grade weapon in the form of a spear, and it grants a 3% boost to attack speed. Starting bid is 10 million won."
Finally, it’s here.
"Jun-hyuk, don’t you need a weapon?"
"Huh? My weapon? Well, it’s a basic-grade one, but..."
"Shall I buy you one?"
"What? Since when are you my ‘hyung’? Wait... You’re serious?"
This guy had reminded me of the crafting skills I’d forgotten, so... spending this amount is worth it.
Of course, the money I’m spending wasn’t a huge sum.
This weapon would only show its true worth after awakening.
I raised my bidding number.
"100."
"We have 11 million won. Any other bids?"
Someone in front of me raised their number.
"200."
"We have 12 million won. Any further bids?"
This was just a starter item.
It was unlikely to be sold at an exorbitant price.
In fact, auction items at the Hunter Festival were typically cheaper than usual.
But competition could change that narrative.
After a few rounds of bidding, the price rose to 30 million won.
I raised my hand one last time.
"30."
"30 million won. Any other bids? Going once... going twice... sold!"
‘Got it.’
Due to its mediocre stats, there wasn’t much competition for the weapon.
Moreover, spears were a less popular choice overall.
I snagged a great weapon for a very low price.
Considering the benefits Jun-hyuk would bring me in the future, the amount I spent was nothing.
But... will he be able to awaken it?
This weapon reveals its true power when used against a monster with dark/shadow skills.
At that moment, the original spear breaks, transforming into its true form—a Luminous Crescent Spear.
It was once used by the Hunter Baek Gwang-hyun.
As a rare-grade weapon, its awakening would surely accelerate Jun-hyuk’s growth.
I plan to take him along when a dark monster dungeon gate opens.
For now, I shifted my focus to the next item being auctioned.
This item was...
A bracelet.
Nicknamed the "Flower Bracelet."
There were several types of bracelets, but the Rainbow Petal Bracelet was the most famous.
Its name might sound like something an older woman would wear, but it was actually quite different.
This bracelet protected against seven types of elemental magic. When worn and infused with mana, it created a shield with seven petal-shaped mana barriers.
That’s how it got its name.
But the true potential of the Flower Bracelet wasn’t limited to that.
For now, it was just a basic piece of magic-resistant equipment.
Once awakened, however, it didn’t just defend against magical attacks—it absorbed the magic attack and used it to recharge its user's mana.
And I was the only one who knew how to awaken it.
"Bidding starts at 100 million won."
"200 million."
"300 million."
"400 million."
"500 million."
"700 million."
"Any more bids?"
"1 billion."
It was no surprise that many people didn’t bid on the bracelet.
There were far better defensive items out there.
Besides, the auction was just beginning, and nobody wanted to blow their money early without knowing what was coming later.
People might think I’m a naive rookie...
Far from it.
In the past, this item sold for 1 billion won as well.
I smiled to myself.
"Going once... going twice... sold!"
This bracelet typically trades at 2 billion won.
Once awakened, it was worth well over 30 billion.
The thought of turning 1 billion into 30 billion made it impossible not to grin.
Hehehe.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Good thing the mask covered my face.
Was the real purpose of these masks to let people laugh freely?
Snake, hiding in my jacket, muttered.
<Have you lost it? Why do you keep giggling?>
‘...’
My plans to use my fragmented memories for easy gains were steadily falling into place.
....
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