I Look for Information. I Pick Up a Bug.

<Hunter Gallery - Information Archive>

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【Amber】

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An organic gemstone formed when tree resin from tens of millions of years ago hardened and fossilized.

Often found with insects or plants trapped inside, amber is also known as a 'time capsule.'

▪ It is also occasionally found inside the supernatural phenomenon known as a [Gate], and its value varies greatly depending on the purity of the mana it contains.

Recent studies have reported that the darker the amber, the higher the purity of its mana.

▪ However, if you find amber with an insect, a plant, or an unidentified

grotesque entity

trapped inside, you must report it to the Hunter Association immediately.

The damage caused if an insect, plant, or

grotesque entity

trapped inside the amber is released into the world is beyond imagination, ranging from the sealing off of a building to, in severe cases, the quarantine of an entire city.

▪ Similar incidents have occurred in Korea as well.

For details, see the

「Erosion Quarantine Zone - Suraksan Mountain」 <Link>

document.

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'Hmm… I see.'

Kang Yul closed the Gallery window and examined the amber.

It was opaque, perhaps because of the scratches on its surface, but its deep vermilion color was unmistakable.

Since darker amber meant purer mana, this was probably top quality.

Considering it was the size of a watermelon, this amber was likely so valuable it would be difficult to put a price on it.

Just putting it on the market as it was would probably have the government and corporations rushing to get their hands on it… but.

'The problem is that there's a bug inside.'

When Kang Yul shone a light on the amber, he could see the shape of a bug curled up at its center.

He couldn't tell exactly what kind of bug it was from its shape alone, but at a glance, it looked like a caterpillar curled into a ball.

'I thought I'd finally found something, but it's a bust again.'

If there was a supernatural life-form inside the amber, it couldn't be traded.

Of course, he could still sell it secretly.

But the moment the transaction was discovered, a Hunter under exclusive contract with the Association would come after him, snap, "You damn traitor, selling out your country for money-!" and break all of Kang Yul's limbs before throwing him in prison.

…Was that over the top? No, it wasn't.

After South Korea had suffered through several such disasters, smuggling supernatural life-forms had become such a serious crime that even summary execution wouldn't be questioned.

There were already several regions that had turned into realms of inhuman horrors, and Suraksan Mountain, which he'd just read about in the archive, was one of the most prominent examples.

<Hunter Gallery - Information Archive>

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【Erosion Quarantine Zone - Suraksan Mountain】

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【Supernatural Life-Form - Spore Colony】

【Danger Rating: C】

▪ A supernatural life-form made up of a large colony of mushrooms resembling eyeballs.

It continuously releases spores, eroding the surrounding ecosystem and transforming the area within a certain radius into a dreamlike forest.

Any living thing that enters the eroded zone becomes mentally hazy and feels intense happiness and calm.

Mushrooms then begin growing inside its body, eventually using it as nutrients and killing it.

▪ The mushrooms are a key ingredient in tranquilizers and have a high market value.

▪ It was confirmed that the Suraksan Mountain erosion incident occurred when an individual Hunter failed to manage the mushrooms while artificially cultivating them. The Hunter voluntarily reported the abnormal growth to the Hunter Association as soon as they noticed it.

▪ Although the Association's own extermination team was dispatched immediately, the entire Suraksan area had already been eroded by the time they arrived, and they determined that complete eradication was impossible.

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Though it wasn't an incident caused by amber, this is often cited as one of the cases in Korea where a supernatural life-form turned an area into a realm of inhuman horrors.

Given that it caused erosion on that scale despite being discovered and dealt with early, the accepted theory in academia is that, if the erosion had fully taken hold, all of Seoul would have been consumed.

It's apparently still slowly expanding its territory even now, giving the Association quite a headache.

Apparently, ordinary people can't approach because of the high mana concentration, so Hunters have to manage it.

Anyway, back to the point.

'What am I supposed to do with this pretty little nuclear bomb that could go off if I so much as touch it…?'

Kang Yul stroked the amber as he pondered.

There was no way he could put this amber on the market.

Considering the risk of getting caught selling it secretly, trying to sell it would only be a loss.

It was too big to fit in the box, so he couldn't sell it to the Friendly Merchant.

So the best option seemed to be to chip off small pieces of the amber and sell them….

'…But that seems no different from releasing this bug into the world.'

Kang Yul recalled the notification window he'd seen earlier and thought.

[It will awaken from its slumber and follow you once the conditions are met.]

It would awaken and follow him 'once the conditions were met.'

That could be interpreted to mean he had to awaken it by some particular method in order to make it follow him.

It could also be interpreted to mean that if he awoke it by some other method, it wouldn't follow him.

And Kang Yul thought that waking it from its slumber with some crude method like 'breaking off the amber and taking it out' probably wouldn't be a good idea.

'How many people would be happy if you forced them awake while they were sleeping?'

And the same would probably go for bugs, not just people.

So if he had to wake this bug, he needed some other way—a 'condition' that would let it wake up in a good mood…

'…Come to think of it, didn't the Friendly Merchant say they could appraise items, too?'

It had just occurred to him.

The Friendly Merchant had written in the post that they could estimate an item's value from just a photo or a brief description.

If so, maybe they could appraise this amber, too?

'It doesn't cost anything anyway, so should I give it a try?'

Kang Yul opened the Gallery and searched for the Friendly Merchant.

A long list of posts by the Friendly Merchant appeared, and he left a secret comment on the most recent post at the top, attaching a photo of the amber and the information 'Mountain-Eating Worm - Bakai.'

He would've preferred to send a private message, but the Hunter Gallery's system was a little unusual, so for now, he had to leave a comment.

Since it was the Hunter Gallery, creating an account with a fixed username required proof of Hunter activity, but Kang Yul had no such record at all because he'd been holed up mining.

'I really should go into a Gate sometime soon.'

Anyway, after leaving the comment, Kang Yul kept checking the Gallery as he waited to see when a reply would come, but.

Even after three days, there was no reply.

It was the same even when he commented on a freshly posted thread.

'What? Am I getting left on read right now?'

In the end, tired of waiting, Kang Yul decided to ask what the amber was through a transaction using the box.

He put in soil and asked for information worth as much as the soil in return.

Specifically, he asked about the identity of the bug sleeping inside the amber, or the 'conditions' that would wake the bug in a good mood.

And this time…

Clack—!

There was a response.

Just like when a transaction was completed, a note had appeared inside the wooden box, replacing the soil that had filled it.

Only, it was a little different from the notes he usually saw.

'A black note?'

The Friendly Merchant, who always sent white notes, had sent a black one this time, and Kang Yul felt a chill.

But having come this far, he couldn't just choose not to read it, so he picked up the note and unfolded it.

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Don't take it out

You'll die if you do

Never let blood touch it

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….”

Written in red ink, the black note bore a warning that looked like it had been hastily scrawled.

It said that if he took it out, he'd die.

It warned him never to let blood touch it.

…But here's the thing.

'Blood… already touched it, though…?'

Three days ago, at that.

Thinking he'd finally found a mineral, he'd dug through the soil with his bare hands, then touched the amber with his bleeding hand.

But if that had been the 'condition' for waking the bug in a good mood, then the condition had already been met long ago… so why hadn't it woken up?

'…Wait, could this thing be…?'

Kang Yul looked at the amber lying on the floor and thought.

What if it wasn't waking up yet because it was taking its time waking up pleasantly?

Could it be dragging its feet because it didn't want to wake up?

After all, unless someone forced you awake, the moment just after waking was the perfect time to fall back asleep.

And at that very moment.

Crack…!

As if proving Kang Yul's guess right, cracks formed in the amber he'd set on the floor, and it began rocking from side to side.

Like a chick breaking out of its eggshell, it cracked the amber and emerged… no, wait a second. Why does it look…?

Scritch-scritch-scritch…

Kang Yul closely examined the bug gnawing on the amber.

Its long, yellowish-brown body, reminiscent of an earthworm, and its densely packed teeth, which almost looked like bristles, stood out.

And apart from being only about the size of a finger, it looked remarkably similar to a supernatural life-form Kang Yul knew.

'This… isn't that a worm…?'

But weren't ordinary worms supernatural life-forms known to be large enough to swallow a building in one bite? Why was this one so small?.