Episode 28
Lucia wanted to know why she no longer felt divine power from Kang Jinhyuk.
Kang Jin-hyeok also noticed that it was pure curiosity without any malicious intent.
So I decided to open my mouth honestly without any hesitation.
“actually…….”
The moment Kang Jin-hyeok tried to explain what had happened, the glove the dwarf had thrown landed squarely in his mouth.
“Huh?”
Kang Jin-hyeok, who was struggling in surprise, made eye contact with the dwarf who had jumped right in front of him.
The dwarf reached out and grabbed Kang Jinhyuk by the collar, and landed on the ground.
Thanks to that, Kang Jin-hyeok got down on his knees and got down on all fours on the ground.
“What the heck! What the heck are you doing?!”
“Shut up and stay still, Emma.”
Instead of letting go of Kang Jinhyeok’s collar, the dwarf searched through his pockets and took out a small brooch.
“You can’t fool my eyes with toys like this.”
Kang Jin-hyeok looked surprised when he realized that it was the brooch that the detectives had handed him, saying it was a device for surveillance.
“Oh, right, that’s… … !”
“What are you so surprised about? Are you working as a lackey somewhere else?”
The dwarf, whose expression had become fierce, looked ready to swing the hammer in his hand at any moment.
Just like Kang Jin-hyeok, who was flustered, Lucia was also confused about how to accept the sudden situation.
“What, what? What did you find that made you do that?”
“You little punk, you don’t know.”
The dwarf’s sharp remark made Lucia’s face turn red again.
“This little brat is really… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok tried to calm down Lucia, who was trembling, with kind words.
She also had common sense so she didn’t make a fuss, but she was so angry that she kept chewing and breaking several candies.
Kang Jin-hyeok continued the conversation before the dwarf could provoke Lucia any further.
“I didn’t accept it because I was acting as a lackey, but because I had special circumstances.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I can’t tell you the details.”
“Why can’t you tell me? Is there something wrong?”
Instead of answering, Kang Jin-hyeok pointed to the brooch the dwarf was holding with his finger.
If I opened my mouth carelessly about the incident, that brooch would definitely be eavesdropping, so I had no choice but to hope that the dwarf would take care of things tactfully.
Fortunately, the dwarf, who had noticed the brooch’s purpose, nodded in understanding.
“Well, no one would entrust a sniper like you with a job.”
Even though it was a hurtful remark, Kang Jin-hyeok did not say anything in rebuttal.
Anyway, I was satisfied with that for now, since it meant that he believed that I was innocent.
“How did you find it?”
“Tsk tsk, of course you can’t fool my eyes with such a crude item.”
Kang Jin-hyeok couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the words that came out of the dwarf’s mouth.
It’s an item.
What was thought to be a simple wiretapping device was clearly called an ‘item’ by the dwarf.
‘Police officers who aren’t even hunters are using the items?’
Items are items that are dropped with extremely low probability when hunting monsters.
Since it was a very precious item, using it for personal purposes was strictly prohibited.
Only hunters can handle items.
The only time it can be used is when hunting monsters.
Violation of even one of these two was punished as a felony by the association.
‘Did the association allow the police to use the items?’
Using items is a privilege reserved for hunters, so if the police were also given that privilege, they would have definitely heard about it.
But Kang Jin-hyeok never heard any such news.
Since I check the news and internet communities every day, there was no way I could have missed it.
‘It seems like there are secret deals going on without any public announcement.’
It’s understandable, given the recent increase in crimes involving hunters.
It is true that it is difficult for police officers to deal with hunters with only ordinary equipment.
The difference in ‘stats’ is inevitable, but at least in terms of items, they should have been on the same level so that the hunters who committed crimes could be arrested.
‘Well, whatever the circumstances, it’s beneficial to me.’
It was fortunate for Kang Jin-hyeok that what the detectives gave him was an item and not a machine.
If it’s an item that isn’t a machine, then it’s a dwarf specialty.
“Excuse me, sir. Could you please take a look at that?”
“These kids are worse than toys, of course we can take care of them.”
“Then please just disable the surveillance function so that the person who gave it to me doesn’t notice.”
The dwarf, who heard Kang Jin-hyeok’s request, laughed in vain and said, “Look at this guy.”
“Now you’re making demands so openly.”
“It’s not a demand, it’s a request. Please.”
“Please… … Then it would be difficult to do it bare-faced.”
“Hey, you gave me the bat for free.”
“Inma, I did it because I liked it.”
The dwarf had no intention of doing something for free that didn’t involve precious metals or interesting work.
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“I don’t want to waste my precious time fixing such a cheap item.”
When I think about all the things the dwarf had done for me over the years, it wasn’t petty at all.
You have done so many things that cannot be converted into money, so now it is a legitimate exercise of your right to ask for anything.
Kang Jin-hyeok, who thought that there was no point in bargaining, asked the dwarf what he wanted.
“Then what can I do for you?”
“It’s nothing special, I just need you to do me a favor.”
A request is a request. The dwarf rationalized his request by saying it was an equivalent exchange.
I’ll listen to you even if you don’t say it like that.
When I see it emphasized, I feel even more uneasy.
I’m saying this because I’m worried that you might be asking me to do something too unreasonable.
“It’s not that difficult, so don’t look so scared already.”
“Ugh, is that what it looked like?”
“I can hear your eyes rolling so easily, so did you think I wouldn’t get caught?”
It was useless to make excuses because what I had briefly thought was directly revealed on my face and my true feelings were revealed.
Then there was only one answer that could be given.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do that.”
“Why didn’t you speak so politely from the beginning?”
The dwarf smiled and handed Kang Jin-hyeok an item that seemed to have been prepared in advance.
Then the dwarf began to explain the purpose of the compass-like item.
* * *
A deeper part of the dungeon reached after passing the labyrinth where the temple was.
The fifth floor looked different from other labyrinths in that it had numerous cliffs stacked up like stairs.
Kang Jin-hyeok looked down and swallowed.
As I looked into the other side, which was so dark that I couldn’t tell its depth, I felt like I was developing a fear of heights that I didn’t know existed.
“Don’t fall while looking at it like that. If you fall to the center, you won’t even be able to pick up your bones.”
Lucia chewed the candy she was holding and twirled her arms to relax her body.
The sight was like that of an athlete preparing to start.
“I thought you would ignore a request from a dwarf uncle.”
“I would like to do that, but it would be a huge loss for me if that little brat doesn’t have any materials.”
Only dwarves can make arrows that can withstand Lucia’s strength and aura.
So, I had no choice but to come forward, even if it meant crying and eating mustard.
“And if I don’t follow you, how are you going to get through here on your own?”
“Ugh… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok couldn’t refute Lucia’s words.
Kang Jin-hyeok swallowed again and relaxed, tying himself up with the rope.
Then he firmly planted the hook at the end of the rope into the ground.
I was very careful because if I did it carelessly, I would suddenly fall off the cliff.
“Follow in the same direction I’m going. Don’t go somewhere else on your own.”
When Kang Jin-hyeok nodded, Lucia threw herself off the cliff without hesitation.
Unlike Kang Jin-hyeok, she jumped without a rope and slowed down her fall by sticking a dagger into the cliff.
When she had come close to the other cliff, Lucia pulled out the dagger she had planted and kicked the wall with her leg.
It looked like an arrow as it flew, but when it landed, it landed softly like a feather.
“This is awesome.”
The series of movements that took just 15 seconds or so were beyond Kang Jin-hyeok’s ability to follow.
No, is there anyone else who could be the same?
Even an S-class hunter wouldn’t be able to move as lightly as I did.
“This is not the time to be doing this.”
You can’t go down that cliff if you just admire it.
Kang Jin-hyeok, who was unable to perform mysterious movements like Lucia, calmly grabbed onto the protruding rocks and climbed down the cliff.
“I never dreamed that I would start rock climbing like this.”
I’ve always wanted to try it, but why does it have to be now?
It was a heart-pounding experience to risk my life and go down a cliff without any mental preparation.
“Gasp gasp.”
Kang Jin-hyeok, who barely made it to where Lucia was with trembling limbs, immediately let out a deep breath.
Thanks to his considerably improved stats, he had no problem with his strength at all, but there was nothing he could do about the mental fatigue.
Just looking down made me feel like I was going to die because I imagined myself falling and turning into a blood clot.
Lucia looked at Kang Jin-hyeok, panting, with a pitiful expression.
“Why are you so scared? For someone like you, a cliff like this would be a piece of cake.”
“That… … I knew it in my head, but it was scary when I actually tried it.”
“How well must you have grown up to not have had an experience like this?”
“You were born without a spoon, so how can you grow up well?”
I lived my life without ever doing what everyone else was doing.
In the midst of all that, when I heard people ask if I grew up well, I couldn’t even laugh.
“Get up quickly. You have to go down five more times before you can get to the lower floor.”
After hearing Lucia’s words, the motivation that was barely rising up disappeared into the ground.
Just in case, I took out the compass the dwarf had given me, but the arrow was pointing down.
It was a clear indication that the target was not here, but downstairs.
“A compass for finding mines… … You really made something amazing, really.”
I understand that we need a new mine because all the mithril that could be obtained on the second floor has run out.
But I couldn’t understand at all why he pushed that task onto me.
“Why did you make me do it when you could have just gone yourself?”
“Pfft. That little brat is going there himself?”
Lucia laughed out loud as if she had heard a joke that hit the mark.
“Just think about it. With those short limbs, you can easily climb down this cliff.”
“……but.”
Although it was full of derogatory connotations, it made sense.
Compared to an average person, the dwarf’s height was that of an elementary school student.
Going down these cliffs with that body would be several times more difficult.
It wasn’t too much to ask Kang Jin-hyeok for a favor.
“I can’t just quit now that I’ve already received the advance payment.”
In Kang Jin-hyeok’s arms was a brooch that the dwarf had taken care of.
The police thought the brooch was working properly, but in reality it wasn’t.
It looked fine on the outside but was empty on the inside.
“So, roughly speaking, that little brat broke the item that was watching you?”
“Not similar.”
“What on earth were you watching?”
“There was something I shouldn’t have said.”
“So what is that?”
“The reason why the cleric profession I had was corrupted.”
Lucia showed great interest in Kang Jin-hyeok’s words.
I wanted to go over the story again properly since I hadn’t heard it before because the dwarf suddenly came out.
“Then I guess I can tell you now that the item I was monitoring is broken.”
Kang Jin-hyeok felt Lucia looking at him with lively eyes.
“Want to hear?”
Kang Jin-hyeok saw Lucia nod and sat down on a suitable rock nearby.
“Then sit over there. I’m going to tell you an awesome story.”
