Chapter 45
I looked down at the massive staff in my hand.
It really looked as if it had been carved straight from the roots of the World Tree.
The wood grain was so vivid it looked alive.
“At last....”
An exclamation burst out of me without me realizing it.
[Root of the World Tree]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Effect: Power of the Earth. Beyond sand, it grants the power to command the earth itself. Earth-attribute magic evolves to a higher plane.]
The item description was still unhelpful, but that didn't matter.
Legendary. That single word was enough.
Even the name, 'Root of the World Tree,' was stylish as hell.
The cool factor was practically overflowing.
I wanted to test this incredible thing's performance right away.
Let's see, earth-attribute magic.... What was the classic one again?
A three-syllable word popped into my head right away.
I raised the staff high into the air and shouted.
“Meteor....”
“Wait!”
The hurried shout cut off my spell.
When I turned my head, the elf elder had a look of utter shock.
“What, what are you trying to do! Are you trying to destroy the World Tree we barely managed to save again?”
I shrugged at the elder's words.
“Oh, come on. I was just saying it.”
Besides, there was no way a meteor would actually fall just because I shouted 'Meteor,' right?
I didn't even have the relevant skill....
At my carefree answer, the elf elder sighed and agreed.
“Of course, I know our benefactor wouldn't seriously use such magic. But....”
The elder pointed at the staff in my hand.
“You're brimming with potential, and above all, the moment you chanted just now, I saw all the mana around us rush madly toward this staff....”
The elder's voice was still trembling with excitement.
“Of course, the chances are extremely low, but there's always that tiny possibility.... Please, be careful, and be careful again. You have that kind of potential.”
Oh, so my potential is that great?
My shoulders rose even higher.
Maybe I'd really be able to use Meteor someday?
I was already looking forward to it.
“…Ahem. Then I'll be careful, as you say.”
I cleared my throat and readjusted my grip on the staff.
Since I'd gotten the staff and been praised like that, the ferocious look on my face quickly faded away.
My business here was over.
I gave a light wave to the elf children who were still surrounding me, looking up with bright eyes.
“Then I'll be off.”
The children waved their tiny hands back and saw me off as if in response to my greeting.
Just before I was ejected from the tower, a familiar system message appeared before my eyes.
[The elves remember you.]
“Huh?”
This looked familiar somehow.
I racked my brain for a moment.
Right. I'd seen it when I cleared Floor 10.
Back then, too, a message had appeared saying the Orc Chieftain remembered me.
Of course, I hadn't met a single orc since then.
And I had no idea how some dead bastard was supposed to remember me.
“Well, nothing's going to happen, right?”
I brushed off this message as nothing special.
We'd never meet again anyway. What did it matter whether they remembered me or not?
Even if I met them again on the upper floors, it didn't seem like the elves would have a negative impression of me.
The refreshing outdoor air stabbed my lungs when I stepped out of the tower.
All right, then what should I do now?
The answer was already decided.
“Obviously, I need to brag in the gallery first.”
I headed home in high spirits.
The new staff was even taller than I was, and it couldn't even fit in my bag.
In the end, I had to sling the staff over my shoulder and move on.
“I should find a house in the hunter residential area near the tower as soon as possible.”
If I carried something like this around every day, it would only be a matter of time before I got caught by the residents.
If I lived in a place five minutes from the tower, this worry would disappear too.
I just hoped the broker would come through.
***
As soon as I got home, I propped the staff against the wall.
The staff landed with a heavy thud.
Then, without hesitation, I pressed the power button.
The short time it took to boot up felt like an eternity.
I had to share today's excitement with everyone as soon as possible.
Of course, I wasn't planning to share everything honestly.
I fell into thought for a moment before taking a picture of the staff.
‘Is it okay to just post this as Legendary?’
No, that was too risky.
Legendary-grade items were far too rare.
Even S-rank hunters had only a few of them.
There wasn't any way people could track me down anyway, but there was no need to tempt unnecessary greed.
“If you're going to flex, at least keep it within reason.”
I made a wise judgment.
Unique.
Yeah, let's say it's a Unique-grade item.
That should attract just the right amount of attention.
I found the angle that made the staff look the most mysterious and took the picture.
Then I logged into Hunter Gallery as usual and wrote a new post.
[Title: !!!Dropping Hambugi Again!!!]
Author: ㅇㅇ(B99.9C9)
(staff photo.jpg)
S.. sorry.
Actually, there's nothing like that here.
I just wanted to show off the insanely good Unique item I got this time....
Huh? You're not that mad?
As expected, everyone definitely loves me-!
Before long, the comment box exploded.
I kept hitting F5 and read them one by one.
ㄴ Damn, where's my Hambugi!!!
ㄴ What the hell is that?
ㄴ I'm so dumbfounded I can't even speak. That's literally a life jackpot.
ㄴ A Unique mage weapon lol, how much would that sell for?
ㄴㄴ First off, it's definitely something you couldn't buy even if you worked your whole life.
ㄴ Tower anon, I believed in you.... Please give me just one Hambugi....
People who were simply jealous of me.
ㄴ But this is a first-time-seen item, isn't it? There's nothing similar on the strategy sites.
ㄴㄴ Then it's a hidden piece?
ㄴ If you sold the info alone, you'd make a fortune, damn.
People trying to analyze it.
ㄴ At a glance, the design looks flashy and the stats probably suck?
ㄴ Yeah, it's way too big too, so it's not practical. How are you supposed to walk around with that?
ㄴㄴ If you're a mage, can't you just fly?
ㄴ Uh, anyway it's a mage item, so I don't need it~ not jealous at all~
ㄴㄴ Stop crying and just say it.
And even the sour-grapes crowd.
Any reaction was fine.
Leaning back in my chair, I savored the comments piling up in real time one by one.
Yeah, this is the taste.
This is why I climb the tower.
People's blatant jealousy and admiration made me feel better than ever.
I seriously wondered if I should bring popcorn, and leisurely scrolled down.
“Ah, I'm happy....”
For this moment alone, I wasn't jealous of anyone.
***
Meanwhile, in the Busan Hwayeon guildmaster's office.
Jeong Taeyeon was staring at the monitor with her chin in her hand.
What she was looking at wasn't the still-bustling Hunter Gallery.
A secret space where only five mages existed: the Mage Gallery.
Just moments ago, a new post from a familiar IP had been uploaded there.
[Title: Lied on Hunter Gallery and Said It Was Unique]
Author: ㅇㅇ(I55.555)
This is actually Legendary.
It's made of the World Tree, and the elves gave it to me as a thank-you gift.
I'm telling you guys this as a special service.
Jeong Taeyeon let out a dry chuckle without realizing it.
After causing chaos in Hunter Gallery, he was only now telling the truth here.
That was just like him.
ㄴ p깟쮸 : No, I haven't even gotten a Unique once while climbing the tower! I feel wronged every time I see it. Honestly, newbies should give me item-use rights once in a while.
ㄴ 냉장고 : I want to hear more about the elves.... What happened on Floor 20?
As always, p깟쮸 was burning with jealousy.
And 냉장고, shining with scholarly curiosity.
“They're always the same....”
Jeong Taeyeon smiled faintly as she looked at their comments.
But that smile didn't last long.
Her gaze naturally drifted to the long, elegant case in one corner of the room.
Inside it was the Unique-grade staff she'd recently bought at great expense as a gift for the newbie.
Clack—Jeong Taeyeon stopped just as she was about to snap her fingers.
A powerful urge to turn it into a handful of ash surged up in her.
But she barely managed to suppress that urge.
Jeong Taeyeon's fingers trembled slightly.
This was different from last time's Rare-grade robe.
A Unique item was too expensive to burn just because she was a little angry.
It was a little too expensive....
Even with Jeong Taeyeon's personal funds, she'd have to accept a considerable hit.
Even by guild asset standards, it was an item whose value couldn't be ignored.
“Then what am I supposed to do with this now?”
Jeong Taeyeon muttered under her breath.
She already had a Unique staff she was used to.
She stood up from her seat and opened the case.
A blue staff exuding cold air was revealed.
Jeong Taeyeon stared at it for a moment before a bizarre idea suddenly flashed through her mind.
Jeong Taeyeon lifted her own staff and the newly bought staff, one in each hand.
“…Can I use two at once?”
Jeong Taeyeon muttered with a serious expression.
***
I kept rereading the comments I'd already read over and over again.
Honestly, this never got old.
But I couldn't keep basking in this feeling forever.
“I should get to work soon....”
It was time to calm my excited heart and return to reality.
The first thing I needed to solve was the ID issue.
I picked up my phone and opened Telegram as usual.
[SSalDaPam]
[By the way, what happened to the ID card?]
The number 1 disappeared the moment I sent the message.
As if he'd been waiting for my message alone, a reply flew back immediately.
[SSalDapam : Who do you think your uncle is! Of course I've already prepared everything~ haha]
[SSalDapam : You'll be able to get it tomorrow. But are you really okay with this? ㅠ_ㅠ Your uncle worries a lot....]
“....”
I just couldn't get used to this old man's online persona.
I lightly ignored his long-winded worries and typed only the essentials.
[OK, confirmed.]
The first problem was solved.
Next was the second: A-rank hunter registration.
I went back to Mage Gallery.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(55G.555) : @풍뎅이, so how do I register as A-rank? The day after tomorrow seems like it should work.
ㄴ 풍뎅이 : The day after tomorrow?
ㄴ 풍뎅이 : I'll put a barrier up around the meeting place for a few hours. From outside, nothing will be visible or audible. So you can come out without worry.
ㄴ 풍뎅이: 2 PM. Come to the Hamham Cheese cafe near the tower.
“A barrier, huh....”
A barrier personally cast by an S-rank mage, no less.
There could be no safer place than that.
Without hesitation, I started typing.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(55G.555) : Then the day after tomorrow, let's go.