The day after we brought Meiling back from Chen Kai’s mansion—

“Hot.”

I muttered as I looked up at the sky.

Though it was still morning, the cloudless sky blazed with a sun so fierce it felt like it would scorch my skin.

I quickly stepped into the shade of the bus stop. The heat eased enough to be bearable.

Turning my head, I saw the electronic board listing arrivals. The bus I needed was about five minutes away.

My destination was the Hunter Market.

Over the past few days, I had used up every material I owned to grind crafting experience, and now I was completely out.

Dismantling gear only returned a fraction of the original materials—less than half, usually. And once you’d made or dismantled the same item too many times, the experience gain plummeted.

In the end, I needed fresh supplies.

But with Lumina back in London, I couldn’t enter dungeons—including the Bag Toter Mine.

So I had no choice but to head to the Hunter Market.

My plan was to stop by Platinum Wing, collect advance payment for the hundred-plus Rare items I’d handed over last time, and then tour the material shops.

I’ll also put in a new order with the Rare-material Hunter while I’m at it.

I needed a new Unique Item to prepare for HAUT.

It wasn’t about stats but convenience.

The name: Lens of Lavzahi.

A Unique-grade item that granted Status Vision. Just by owning it, I could see the stats of monsters and Hunters.

With further upgrades through special materials, it could reveal a monster’s weaknesses, list the materials it dropped, even identify Demonic Relics.

HAUT was filled with missions.

Each one came with random variables, resulting in hundreds of possible outcomes.

For a perfect strategy, you had to know everything about the monsters and dungeon mechanics inside.

But no matter how much I’d played the game, there was no way I could memorize it all.

When I played Latessae on PC, I always had my notes or internet resources open to check.

But here, such aids didn’t exist.

Now that the game had become reality, who knew what might happen?

If I ran into something I’d never encountered, the risk would skyrocket.

That’s why securing the Lens of Lavzahi was critical—not just for HAUT, but for survival itself.

About twenty minutes later, I arrived at Platinum Wing.

Inside, standing at the counter, was a Hunter.

He wore a feathered hat and light leather armor. His slim frame, curly brown hair peeking out beneath the brim, and mischievous features made him look like he was in his mid-twenties.

“Oh, look at that. A customer’s here.”

He turned to the manager, Lee Donghyuk, and spoke.

“Then I’ll be off…”

“No need. This isn’t just any customer. Mr. Yein is a friend of the boss.”

“Ah, I see?”

The Hunter’s eyes shifted to me.

For reference, Donghyuk usually called me Sir Yein. Today’s “Mr. Yein” was a cover, meant to hide from outsiders that I supplied the store with items.

“What about him?” I asked, looking at Donghyuk.

“This is Hess Voll, a professional Rare-material Hunter who supplies to our shop and Lady Eleanor’s workshop.”

Oh.

I hadn’t expected this meeting.

Younger than I thought. Since he always delivered requests promptly, I assumed he was a seasoned veteran.

He hadn’t appeared in the game. Maybe he existed, but I had never crossed paths with him.

“If you need any materials, just say the word. I can bring you anything from dungeons up to the sixth floor.”

Sixth floor… so he’s at least level 51–60.

“Though I doubt a Hunter trainee needs such high-level stuff. Hahaha.”

Hess laughed brightly.

“Well then, Manager, I’ll be back in two weeks. I’ll be counting on more requests then.”

“Yes, understood.”

Hm? Did I just hear something I shouldn’t ignore?

As soon as Hess left, I walked up to the counter.

“What did he mean by that just now?”

“He’s closing shop for two weeks to travel. He asked if we could buy up the Rare materials he gathered before leaving, and I agreed.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

First Lumina runs off to London right when I need to train the others, and now when I finally try to secure materials, the Rare-material Hunter goes on vacation?

“Sir Yein? You don’t look well. Is something wrong?”

Something’s wrong, all right.

“What kind of materials did he sell?”

“Here, take a look.”

Donghyuk brought out a box. It wasn’t an inventory item, just an ordinary container.

Inside was a golden magic stone.

“If Lady Eleanor had been here, she would’ve bought it immediately. So I purchased it on her behalf.”

“Definitely a fine material.”

The Golden Golem’s Core could be used in magical weapons. It greatly amplified spell power—perfect for staves designed for heavy strikes.

“As expected of a craftsman, your eyes lit up as soon as you saw it,” Donghyuk said with a smile.

“Did they?”

I’d just been reading its status.

Still, this wasn’t what mattered.

“Was that all he sold?”

“Yes. Why? Were you hoping for something else?”

I nodded.

“…Unfortunate timing.”

Donghyuk sighed with a sympathetic look.

“Well, there’s no helping it. I’ll have to make do with the other material vendors in the Market. But…”

I looked around the store.

None of my Rare items were on display.

“Didn’t Eleanor say she was going to run a special exhibition with the items I crafted? I don’t see them.”

“Oh, that exhibition ended a few days ago. Everything sold out within three days. The young lady and I were swamped. Next time we’ll definitely need temporary staff before attempting something like that again.”

Sold out in three days, huh.

“Shall I transfer your payment now?”

“Yes, please.”

A moment later, a message popped up—ten billion had been deposited.

“The total sales came to about thirty-two billion. I’ll send the rest in installments due to transfer limits,” Donghyuk explained.

If I’d been just an ordinary Hunter trainee like in the game, I probably would’ve sworn off hunting right here and decided to live comfortably as a crafter for life.

Hope the tax collectors don’t come knocking on my dorm room someday.

In the game, no matter how much money the protagonist made, taxes never existed. Hopefully this world worked the same way.

“Here’s the full sales list with prices. Let us know if anything seems off.”

Donghyuk handed me a sheet.

I accepted it with a nod.

“Shall I let the young lady know to discuss the next batch of items with you?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll see her this weekend and talk in person.”

“Understood.”

I folded the statement and tucked it into my pocket.

“I’ll be heading out now. Need to check the material shops.”

“Ah, one moment, please.”

Lee Donghyuk stopped me.

“That Weight of Phase Fixation—was it your work, Mr. Yein?”

“It was. But please, keep that secret as well. I told the mayor it was crafted by an acquaintance of mine.”

“I thought as much. Understood. Still, you should be careful when walking around the Hunter Market.”

His expression grew grave.

“Word about what happened at the trainee assembly has already spread here. The recipe for the Weight of Phase Fixation was released publicly by the mayor, claiming it was for the common good. But people in this district suspect that anyone capable of creating such an item can’t be an ordinary craftsman.”

“So you’re saying they might try to corner me, fishing for information about that craftsman.”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll be cautious. Thank you for the warning.”

“Of course. Until next time.”

He folded his hands politely before his chest and bowed deeply, the way one greets a superior.

I returned the bow just as deeply, then stepped out of Platinum Wing and headed for the alley where the material shops clustered.

Still, I didn’t expect to find what I truly needed there.

Yes, the Hunter Market sold Rare-grade materials. Eleanor’s workshop had sourced some from here too. But those were the easy ones, the kind that were relatively common.

The more unusual materials—like those needed for special Rares such as the Substitute Doll, or even Uniques like Ezonil’s Teachings—were another story.

Those kinds usually dropped from at least mini-bosses, often from dungeon bosses at miserable drop rates.

In fact, after clearing out Eleanor’s workshop supply once, I hadn’t been able to make another Substitute Doll until I got in touch with Hess Voll, the Rare-material specialist.

No other place could supply those.

An hour later—

“As I thought. You don’t have it?”

“Sorry. None of the materials you’re asking for are in stock here.”

It was the same answer I’d already heard more than twenty times.

“Understood.”

“Oh, wait—your face looks familiar somehow…”

That line, too, I’d already heard at least ten times today.

“Probably just a mistake.”

I hurried out of the shop.

When I glanced back, I could see the entrance of the alley far in the distance. This was the very last store in the last stretch of the material street.

“What a waste of time.”

I’d shaken off people trying to stop me after recognizing who I was, checked every shop, and still come up empty.

Why couldn’t this one thing be different from the game? Would it kill them to stock more Rare materials in the Market?

Damn it.

“What’s this? Weren’t we not going to dungeons?”

“Circumstances changed.”

I smirked at Meiling, who looked far too amused.

On my way back from the Hunter Market, I’d called her and Seo Yui out of the dorm. I needed their cooperation to enter a dungeon.

“There are materials I need, and the shops don’t sell them.”

“Is this a dungeon we can clear without Lumina?” Seo Yui asked.

“For the most part, yes.”

“For the most part?”

Her head tilted, making her pink hair sway gently.

“There are four dungeons we’ll visit. Three only require going down to the third floor. But one of them requires reaching the fourth.”

“So that’s what you meant.”

“Yes. We’ll start with the one that goes to the fourth floor. If it turns out impossible, then there’s no point in trying the others.”

“As long as I get to kill monsters, I don’t care,” Meiling said, folding her arms.

“Then let’s go. I already notified the faculty and called a taxi.”

I ignored Meiling and looked at Seo Yui as I spoke.

Ten minutes later, we arrived in Yeouido.

The district was still a forest of towering skyscrapers.

But in the middle—where Yeouido Park used to be—stood checkpoints and barricades.

“This is the entrance to the independent dungeon, Ashen Plains.”

At the park’s center loomed a circular portal, nearly two stories tall. Beyond its surface stretched a wasteland of gray-white earth.

The moment we stepped through, the stench of dust hit our noses.

“There’s nothing to mark direction. Easy to get lost here,” Seo Yui muttered.

No buildings, no rocks, no trees. Just a perfectly flat expanse, living up to its name as a plain.

“You said we need to reach the third floor. How are we supposed to find the floor portal in a place like this?” Meiling asked, staff in hand, her robes fluttering.

“We don’t need to find it. In the Ashen Plains, the portal finds us.”

“What?”

At that moment, the ground rumbled.

“An earthquake?” Meiling gasped.

Right on cue.

WHOOM!

A thunderous noise shook the air as, in the distance, something massive and long burst up from underground.

“What the hell is that!?”

“A—A worm!?” Meiling and Seo Yui both shouted in shock.

“Come on! If we miss that thing, we won’t reach the next floor!”

I shouted, sprinting ahead.

(End of Chapter)

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