The daily repetitive hunting and selling drops .
And the massive amount of earnings matching it .
I was preparing to enter the dungeon at my usual time .
Then .
I felt a massive crash and vibration that shook me .
My shield had a crack in it as if a bullet was embedded in bullet proof glass .
"What! Who's the little shit!"
My sights came on a few Awakened assembled at the entrance .
My shield had recovered at an incredible rate, regenerating thanks to my endless mana .
A situation where it looked like I swore loudly to myself .
To my yelling, everyone looked at me as if I was a weirdo .
But I definitely saw . And felt .
After leaving the guild, I made it a habit to always think of the shield cool down and constantly cast it to make sure it stays up .
A possibility that made me uneasy, I guess .
But now . Someone had attacked me on my way to the dungeon .
If my shield level was low, it was an attack that was lethal .
A sharp and precise attack that aimed for my vitals .
I tried to predict where the swift attack came from .
I quickly looked around but couldn't find anyone .
Someone accidentally casted a spell? No way .
Incredible power . Stealthing swiftly . Someone had targeted me .
And an incredibly skilled one at that… . .
I forced myself to calm down and acted as if nothing happened .
If I let myself get controlled by emotions, I would only reveal more weaknesses .
My composure only lasted for a moment though .
I felt someone looking at me from the roof of a building .
It wasn't a distance where you could clearly make out a face, but it felt like he was smiling at me .
No, I was sure . He was laughing at me .
"..."
I ground my teeth .
He turned around as if to say he did what he came to do .
Looking at that, I wanted immediately land a meteor where he was at .
Who could it be .
There was a couple that I had in mind .
But suddenly like this?
And after attacking, appearing atop the roof as if wanting me to see him .
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'It's not over . Just the beginning . ' – Is the message he was trying to send .
I didn't worry for long however .
'Hm… . . Is it happening like Jong Ho-hyung predicted?'
The face that appeared on my mind!
Noblesse's guild master Park Hyun .
It's been a couple months since I quit the guild, about the time that I'd let my guard down thinking I was safe .
If my thinking is correct, it was definitely her fox-like crafty self who was behind this .
Her words that I didn't understand and skipped over .
'If you do not need a guild, do as you wish . But you don't know how life will turn out . If we do meet again and you return to us, I hope that you'll be with us . '
Thinking about the current situation, I could understand the meaning behind her words now .
She has already predicted my ability to a certain degree .
Otherwise she wouldn't have offered such an enticing contract for me to join .
But I do not think she knows that I am wary of her .
If she knew, she wouldn't say that as I quit and there would be no attacks like this .
Otherwise, after quitting, I'd disappear without a word .
I could also guess what she wants from me .
Instead of the constant danger, come over to the safe fenced side .
The image of me that reflected off her fox-like eyes was an 18 year old child .
'You'll soon understand thoroughly that I'm not such a weak opponent . '
I stared at where he stood for a while .
Seems it was time for me to make an important decision .
I'm sure the two goons and the midget hates me .
However . Hiring someone of that skill just because of revenge?
No matter how much money was involved, the chances were low .
And if they really did try getting at me, they'd attack until I was gravely wounded .
Also they would make sure that their identity would be exposed .
* * *
It was the first time I was attacked by an Awakened instead of monsters .
I could almost feel the massive shaking even now .
The call from Jong Ho came .
Just in case more issues would arise, I talked within the dungeon .
Of course I cleared out the dungeon first, and used the leftover time before the dungeon expired .
"How about it? Pretty sure?"
"Hm… No matter how I look at it, it's done by Noblesse . "
"Hyung . There was nothing stuck to the shield . What skill was that?"
"Probably Assassin Weapon Throw, and an Awakened version at that . "
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"That's something assassins use, right?"
"Yeah . It's a skill to throw a small weapon toward a single target with perfect precision, but once you Awaken it, you can pressurize air and make it invisible . "
"Not a ranged attack, but a single target skill . A skill like that is incredibly hard to level up, but on top of that he Awakened it?"
"Definitely high skilled . "
"Guess it starts now?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"… . . If I can buy more time, I could crush them . But looks like they caught on and are trying to take care of me quickly? Instead of just waiting and doing nothing, it's probably better to strike first . "
"You're saying you're going to charge Noblesse first by yourself?"
"Solo? I have a hyung . "
"..."
Jong Ho's eyes were filled with worry .
But I had a plan in mind .
Even if I go in without a plan, I probably wouldn't lose .
Level 200s and 300s would only have 5 skills maxed at most .
Noblesse's guild master Park Hyun was only early level 200 .
But I had gained 150 levels in 4 months .
And all skills obtained were at master level .
I was already raising Awakened skills at the moment .
The one thing that I could improve on was the lack of shields to protect myself .
The only shields I currently have are Reflect Shield, Frozen Shield, and Spirit Armor .
The Reflect Shield was Awakened for reflecting purposes .
The other two skills had their duration and damage absorbed increased drastically as their level rose . However, they still had a cool down .
In the fight ahead, I would have to block a huge amount of damage with my shields .
If my shields broke faster than I planned, the results would be obvious .
I sorted out my thoughts and spoke to Jong Ho .
"Hyung . Does the association vendor Mana Shield?"
"Mana Shield? Even at the association, it would be hard to buy . "
"Is that so? Like Hold and Bind, there are just none on the market?"
"Mhm . It would be difficult to get one by using legal means . "
"I see . Then I'll have to rely on the small fry . "
"Hm? Small fry? What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it . I'll go first . "
"Okay . If something happens, contact me . Don't ask rashly!"
"Don't worry about a thing . "
"Together… Never mind . Said it out of habit . In this serious situation, you're able to joke? Get home quick . "
"Pfft . I'll be going!"
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* * *
I headed toward the small fry's office .
Originally I approximately knew where to contact him, but when I moved to the safe house, I was able to find his business card .
Since there was a pile of it that I could find, he probably threw one down each time he visited .
I entered by smashing through the office door .
I only came to ask for a favor, but I remembered how he used to treat my poor door .
Of course, the pile of business cards played a part in angering me .
Their eyes widened as they stared at me blankly with jajangmyeon in their hands . 1
"Sorry . I remembered how you bashed my door down . Are you well?"
"... So you came?"
The two goons tossed aside the bowls and hurried greeted me .
As they greeted me, I walked in front of the midget .
Looking at him dead in the eyes, I told what I came for .
"I was hit by an Assassin Weapon Throw today . I'm asking just in case . You didn't, right?"
"Me… What… Oh! No way . That's absurd . "
"Well, whatever . The mission this time is 'Mana Shield' . "
"Huh?"
"I told you I don't like repeating the same thing twice before . "
"Ah… Yes! Mana Shield . But the price can't be compared with the previous items… . . "
"Don't worry about the costs; you just need to obtain it . "
"Yes… . . "
"3 days . It's urgent . "
"3 days is… . . At least 1 we-"
One of the two goons spoke .
Before he could finish!
Around me were countless Banwol Jincheon's coming out .
They should be aware of the weapon and Piercing Sword skill I have .
I casted the skill and asked .
"One week?"
Mr . Goon swallowed his words along with his food and continued .
"That's not what I meant! 3 days . Plenty of time . "
"There's one more thing I need to request . "
"What would it be… . "
"I don't want to do the trade face to face this time . "
"Yes . Not difficult at all . "
"Then I'll be re-ly-ing on you . "
I said it as I stared down each of them one by one .
I never thought they could be this useful .
But there is a law in the world .
The law I'm talking about is how I get what I want and nobody gets hurt .
Well, not really my concern if these guys get hurt .
* * *
I left the midget's office .
3 days . I had to get 'Louver's Necklace' and another 'Banwol Jincheon' in 3 days .
I had the taxi change directions from the hunting grounds to the Awakened market .
If I get the right gear and weapon, I needed a physical attack skill to match it .
The skills I chose were 'Gigantic Whirl' and 'Typhoon Hole' . 2
I remembered 'Whirlwind' back in the guild war .
Spinning their body quickly to deal massive damage with the weapon held .
If Whirlwind had the range of 4 to 5m radius, Gigantic Whirlwind had 10m .
It was as if you Awakened the regular Whirlwind spell .
Whirlwind and Gigantic Whirlwind were both A ranking spells .
Then it would be obvious to use Gigantic Whirlwind over the other .
However both had a different rate of mana consumption .
Most warrior skills used up percentage of mana .
It would depend on the skill level, but the base was 3% for Whirlwind while 10% for Gigantic Whirlwind .
Same damage and same type of attack .
But the added range increased the mana consumed as well .
If one gets caught up in this skill, they'd be ripped apart like food in a blender .
If used with a massive amount of strength, it would make a huge impact against many opponents .
The next skill, 'Typhoon Hole' .
It was a skill mentioned in the additional information section of 'Eye of the Storm' .
The explanation stated that the skills have incredible synergy .
Eye of the Storm caused all living targets around the user to spin around the user, being dragged in closer and closer .
Typhoon Hole spun the other direction that Eye of the Storm did .
However, Typhoon Hole was an attack skill that incorporated sharp knife-like rain drops .
Eye of the Storm had increased damage dealt as it leveled, while Typhoon Hole spun the other way, dealing damage over time .
If both skills were leveled up, it will be able to display an incredible synergy .
"I'm here to purchase Gigantic Whirl and Typhoon Hole . "