Chapter 10: 701st Wave (3)
Light seeped through the shabby curtain of the one-room.
There was no time to welcome the morning that had forced its way in.
My eyes were still fixed on the dot screen.
[Half Drake 1 took 1 damage from Goblin Fighter!]
Since starting the 701st Wave, I was facing the third morning.
During those 3 days, I had only tapped the dot window while waiting.
Waiting for the moment to completely block the 701st Wave.
Gurgle…
It was bearable for the first 12 hours.
The problem started afterward.
After 12 hours, my arms, tapping the barrier every 3 seconds, began to scream.
After that, it became a matter of survival.
At first, the urge of nature tormented me.
Next, my starving stomach ached as if being wrung.
After another 12 hours, my stomach no longer ached.
My cracked throat longed for a sip of water instead of a feast.
[Wyvern 1 took 1 damage from Goblin Fighter! Critical hit! Wyvern 1 has been destroyed!]
It only became somewhat bearable about 30 hours into the play.
Wyverns with low health began to die and scatter.
And as the number of monsters decreased, the restrictions suppressing me loosened.
[Critical hit! Wyvern Rider 1 has been destroyed!]
When twenty wyverns disappeared, I could open the fridge with one hand and gulp water.
When five riders disappeared, I could pick up the soggy chips left on my desk.
After two Half Drakes vanished, the system only allowed me to the bathroom.
"Only one left now."
Thus, 60 hours.
After 60 eons, finally, only one monster remained on the screen.
[Remaining Monsters: 1/60]
The last Half Drake wandered in front of the barrier piled with corpses.
It was the one that had dodged the goblin’s spoon thousands of times.
In one sense, it was lucky.
In another sense, it was cursed.
[Half Drake 1 took 30 damage from Goblin Slave! Critical hit! Half Drake 1 has been destroyed!]
And eventually, the status window popped up.
Even after confirming the phrase that ended the long battle, I froze for a moment.
I felt a slight disbelief.
A fleeting anxiety crossed my mind.
But fortunately, a new information window appeared just above the dot screen, calming that unease.
[Congratulations. You have cleared the 701st Wave.]
This was not the information window inside MonMonMak.
Instead of the rough dots, it was a smooth hologram, the familiar status window I knew.
"I cleared it."
Finally, the sound escaped my lips.
‘Hoo, haha. How did I clear it again…’
The joy rising from deep within my chest escaped through my cracked throat.
It had been a long time since I felt such overwhelming emotion.
When I cleared the 100th Wave with a single goblin?
When I first received a donation from a viewer?
When I cleared the 700th Wave thanks to the Lord’s miracle?
No.
This was not an emotion that could be expressed at that level.
‘Rather…’
It was similar to the overwhelming feeling when I first awakened.
When I had no idea how high the walls of reality surrounding the world were.
[“Monsters are blocked by Monsters” play ends.]
I tossed the status window aside.
Then, like a zombie, I stood from the chair and collapsed onto the bed.
It was time to face the incoming sleep demon.
[Reward calculation begins.]
Because of that, I didn’t immediately notice the status window flashing in the distance.
***
“Reward calculation?”
After being unconscious for a full 12 hours.
Only then could I check the status window, abandoned for 12 lonely hours.
[701st Wave Reward Calculation]
Concise information was displayed.
But the information below was far from concise.
[You have repelled Count Gular and his Dragon Child unit! The Count probably never dreamed it. That he and his elites would die to a spoon! Ah, now even if you wanted to dream, you can't!]
It felt as if my 60 hours of gameplay had been watched entirely.
And below the verbose message, specific rewards were listed.
[Dream Lord’s Castle acquired loot. Loot obtained: Wyvern Bone x20, Half-Dragon Scale x10, Half-Dragon Heart x5]
"Loot?"
The concept of loot was unfamiliar.
Previously, rewards in MonMonMak were simple.
Only Gold.
But the status window version of MonMonMak was different.
There was no Gold on the reward list.
Instead, there was “loot,” the byproducts extracted from monsters.
I rubbed my earlobe to check more details.
A new message immediately appeared over it.
[The “Workshop” for utilizing loot can be used upon achieving specific conditions.]
“Workshop?”
My eyes widened.
In the original MonMonMak, the rooms were only barracks for placing monsters or trap-related dark chambers.
But a workshop meant…
“You can create special rooms too!”
I had made a mistake.
I should have collected all the information before the MonMonMak screen disappeared.
Of course, there was no chance before the Wave started or after blocking it.
Next time, I would perversely collect the new information from MonMonMak.
With firm determination, I rubbed my earlobe.
[Two conditions for Skill 「Conversation with the Lord」 have been fulfilled. * Defend Monster Wave 1/1, Play for over 50 hours 1/1]
Speaking of which, there was the “Conversation with the Lord” skill.
During this Wave, the Lord returned not as the previously terrifying overpowered character, but as a pretty ornament.
Once this skill was unlocked, I had a mountain of questions for this pretty ornament.
“Good, next.”
[Check the final reward.]
I nodded and moved to the last reward section.
And…
“…Huh?”
This time, I froze without saying a word.
***
“I’m sorry. I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths for this.”
The next morning.
I bowed in apology against the backdrop of the clear autumn sky.
Flap flap.
A pigeon flew up.
Fortunately, no droppings fell on the back of my neck.
Though that did not lessen the embarrassment I felt.
“No, Kim Han-ul Hunter! You don’t need to apologize! You explained your situation last night!”
In front of me was a Hunter I had once devoted my life to as a fan, waving her hands in exasperation.
Yoon Su-a of Pungbaek Guild.
I admit it again.
It was worth devoting my life to.
She was an angel.
A stranger Hunter stood her ground after being blown off two days in a row, yet, after just one call, she came running.
“Sorry? Is a single sorry enough?”
Of course, I didn’t know that she had waited here again the next day after being stood up once.
Yoon Su-a didn’t say such things on the call yesterday either.
So I probably would never have known.
“Hey, do you know how many hours our Su-a has been waiting here because of you for two days?”
A man glaring at me as if ready to kill.
If it weren’t for Yoon Su-hyeok, vice guild master of Pungbaek Guild.
“Ah, if the management office hadn’t contacted me, she’d have waited all day in this cold weather!”
I understood perfectly.
He could do that.
Yoon Su-hyeok and his younger sister Yoon Su-a were famous for their close bond in this field.
“Brother.”
“Because of you, today’s dungeon expedition was ruined! Today, Su-a might be stomping her feet in the freezing cold because of some rogue!”
“It’s still early autumn, brother. And now, stop…”
But her bare face seemed slightly more twisted.
In any case, Yoon Su-hyeok wrinkled his handsome face as much as possible and started spewing flames again.
“Thinking of Su-a being stood up two days in a row, I just want to shove fire into her scalp and investigate from inside….”
“Vice Guild Master.”
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
The air, once as heated as Yoon Su-hyeok’s ability, instantly became icy cold.
Gulp.
Maintaining a poker face, I swallowed hard at the sudden shift.
Gulp.
And a dry swallowing sound came from elsewhere.
It was the voice of S-rank Hunter and vice guild master, caught under Yoon Su-a’s cold glare.
“Uh, uh… Why?”
“Did you come to accompany us to act so informally?”
Yoon Su-a’s voice was as cold as ice taken from a freezer.
In contrast, Yoon Su-hyeok looked at her with a warm smile.
But it was a broken heater-like smile.
Sweat streamed from his bleached blond hair as proof.
“Uh, no. Sorry, Su-a. You were stood up for the first time, so I got excited. Now, calm down and let’s talk normally?”
Yoon Su-a let out a weak sigh.
Then returned to speaking normally.
“I said it’s not like that. Hunter Han-ul didn’t personally ask me to come. And you’re practically a benefactor of our guild. At least to me. What kind of attitude is that? If so, go back immediately.”
“No. I…”
Yoon Su-hyeok, opening his mouth with grievance, closed it as if under a spell.
Yoon Su-a silently glared at him.
Just that was enough for Yoon Su-hyeok to zip his mouth.
Anyone facing her gaze directly would have done the same.
After zipping her only brother’s mouth, Yoon Su-a smiled at me.
“I’m sorry, Hunter Han-ul. I’m usually a bit like this…”
“It’s fine. I understand completely.”
Looking at Yoon Su-hyeok drooping like a wet puppy, I said this with multiple meanings.
Yoon Su-a nodded and asked.
“Then should we process the Ogre settlement amount first, or start with what you requested?”
Of course, the settlement amount was important.
But right now, it was time to check something far more important.
I smiled and said.
“Please start with what I mentioned first.”
***
“Ah, no. Uh, so…”
The staff who had accepted goblin hearts with a sour face three days ago looked pale.
And understandably so.
They probably never expected an E-rank Hunter to appear before them, accompanied by current 5th and 16th ranked Hunters.
“You’re saying Kim Han-ul Hunter really hunted an Ogre?”
The staff asked me.
But I remained silent.
This wasn’t something I needed to answer.
“Yes, I confirmed. No other Hunter could have intervened in that situation.”
Instead, the witness next to me nodded with a firm gaze.
Yoon Su-a.
When she realized my rank was E, her pupils shook as if an earthquake hit, but fortunately, not now.
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, there’s no supporting evidence…”
“Don’t you trust my sister’s words?”
The blond youth leaned in at the hesitating staff’s counter.
“Our Pungbaek Guild wouldn’t…”
“Vice Guild Master.”
“Ah, Su-a!”
“Sit quietly.”
“Okay!”
The vice guild master, who had rushed in to uphold the guild’s honor, obediently returned to his seat.
“I’m sorry, but this wasn’t an S-rank Gate requiring a guild alliance, nor an official exposure to the media. So, we couldn’t secure supporting evidence.”
“Isn’t this enough?”
Only then did I speak.
“I’m sure a few days ago, no one told me to gather supporting evidence thoroughly.”
“That’s right. But this is unprecedented…”
The staff muttered in a frustrated and defeated expression.
Yes, it was unprecedented.
A Hunter who had never gone on an expedition went to an E-rank Gate to catch goblins and ended up catching an Ogre.
Normally, they’d be thrown out as nonsense or investigated thoroughly, even with a witness.
That is, if it weren’t for Yoon Su-a of Korea’s top three guilds, Pungbaek.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll check with the person in charge.”
Eventually, the staff disappeared, showing the secret skill reserved for civil servants.
Ten minutes later, they returned with a still pale face.
“I inquired, and the license officer said it’s fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But one procedure is needed. If the Ogre you hunted is D-rank, it’s fine, but this one is at least C to B-rank…”
The hesitant staff cautiously opened their mouth.
“You need to check whether to increase the rank according to the monster, or follow procedure to raise it to D-rank…”
Ah.
So that was it.
“You want to measure my stats anew before the promotion?”
“Yes. If it’s the same as previous license records, they said the promotion itself should be reconsidered for safety. Since this point-based promotion system was approved under the first head director…”
Even when answering, the staff looked at Yoon Su-a.
It could seem like they didn’t trust her words.
Even a civil servant would show caution when following orders from above.
That’s the status of Korea’s top three guilds.
“Good. Let’s do it immediately, measurement.”
Stat measurement, what I had been waiting for.
It was time to showcase the secret moves gained as rewards.