CH 1

It’s been 10 years since Towers and Fields–dungeons–have been appearing around the world.

There hadn’t been a hunter who has obtained an S-class crafting or manufacturing trait yet.

Except for me.

***

I’m just a C-class hunter, Yoon Gaho. That’s me.

A hidden secret that fortuitously rolled my way changed my life.

[You’ve encountered an opportunity to evolve your skills .

A Blessing For You (C) –> Everlasting, Immortal Blessing (S)]

[Grant Attribute (C) –> Enchant (S)

– Your items will be imbibed with a special power.

– A master’s instruction can reinforce the power of your blessing. Your item will be imbibed with a permanent special power.]

It all began with a quest.

***

1 – A hidden piece 1 in a dry sky (1)

A strange phenomenon began to occur after tower-shaped mirages suddenly appeared in the capital of every country in the world.

Of these strange new phenomenons, the most noticeable was the emergence of hunters: awakened individuals who could exert special powers. Dreaming of making a quick buck, countless awakened hunters leaped into unfamiliar ‘worlds’ like moths to flame.

[Hwalbin’s new star: Snowfall Beauty from the Seconds Organization has been increasing on the ‘Rising 100’ list.]

[Will the new hunters’ conglomerate’s gallop to success continue…?]

[“I want to become a hunter” The ranking for the teenage population’s dream future career has changed.]

[The Hunter industry and Entertainment industry collides! Han Jae-yi’s appearance on HBS’s new variety show.] 2

I, too, entered the Hunter industry with a burning passion for success. ‘I thought I had the chance to turn my life around.’

However, reality was a tough awakening.

“Top class? Making a living through raiding Towers? Shucks. I’m just happy to do my best with what’s in front of me.” Releasing a deep sigh, I handed a pink-haired girl a bunch of clovers. 3

“Thank you, player-nim!” 4

[Sub-quest, ‘Charlotte and the Five-Leaf Clover (E)’ has been completed.]

Her reaction was the same as always.

Charlotte–the npc on the 33rd floor.

This girl looked for five-leaf clovers in order to make her wish–her sick mother’s recovery–come true; she was quite famous for being in tears as she stood at the entrance to the floor, looking to hand her quest to anyone.

However, despite her popularity, very few hunters completed Charlotte’s request.

In this vast clover garden, she asked for not a three-leaf clover or even a four-leaf clover…but a five-leaf clover. Furthermore, the quest reward wasn’t that good. For those reasons, many hunters casually ignored Charlotte and passed her by.

Before the 33rd floor was fully raided, there were often hunters who accepted the quest, wondering if Charlotte was a clue to the main quest.

However, after the gong announced that the floor had been cleared, one rarely ever saw her basket full of the requested clovers.

“Well, it’s not that difficult anyway.” I accepted Charlotte’s quest on a whim.

Perhaps I found it hard to shake off a desperate child hanging onto my sleeve. Though I found the quest annoying, I didn’t waste too much time through the use of a skill. “I wish your mother well, Charlotte.”

Every time I stopped by the 33rd floor, I accepted this quest; now that I’ve become accustomed to the job, I could find the five-leaf clover in record time.

‘I probably filled about 30% of that basket?’

Today, I even found a six-leaf clover as a bonus. Now, Charlotte would probably hand over a potion with a shy smile…

“Player-nim, can I ask you for one more thing?”

‘…Another request? This is different from the usual pattern?’

Charlotte took out a letter from her embrace. “I found this in my mother’s drawer. It appears my mother’s acquaintance lives in the Rom Plains and she hasn’t seen him in a long time. Could you deliver this letter to him?”

[Will you accept the Hidden Quest: ‘Violeta’s letter(?) ?’

– Clear conditions: Deliver the letter

– Time limit: None

– Reward: ???

– Penalty: ???]

“A hidden quest?”

Was this a dream or reality? I was stunned by the sudden, lucky windfall.

Hidden quests could only be received if certain conditions were met; they were famous for their magnificent rewards.

‘Rumor has it, the rewards are comparable to the completion of a main quest…’

Hidden quests were so rare that it was difficult to find records of them on the Hunter-only site, Towers.com. Who knew that Charlotte, the NPC everyone ignored, would give out a hidden quest?!

“That’s right, a person should live kindly!”

Charlotte, you lucky girl! I hummed happily at the opportunity to turn my life around. “Of course! Just trust me, Charlotte!”

“You can deliver the letter to Carlos, the blacksmith in Roma Village.  I’ll leave this to you, player-nim.”

‘Can’t someone do anything about the way they call us players?’

For some reason, all NPCs called hunters ‘players.’ Their speech pattern constantly reminded me that these human-like NPCs were just plot devices arranged by the world’s tower system. Furthermore, this address felt too lighthearted for a dangerous or emotionally-intense scene.

‘Well, it’s no use complaining about the system set by the World’s towers.’

Scratching the back of my head, I took the letter into my hands.

***

“If it’s a blacksmith, then will I be given equipment as a reward?” The only people who could craft high-grade equipment–at least rank-B or higher–were Rowena Watson from America and Ishikawa Hayato from Japan. Only those two.

Even so, grade-A items have also been discovered. Those were offered at auctions very occasionally; they were priceless, since these greater-than-B-grade equipment were scarce drops.

“If I get an A-class item, I’ll be able to sell it for a decent price.”

‘If I’m getting equipment, though, I wish it could be something I could use. People are already side-eyeing me because I’m a C-class Hunter. No, maybe it’d still be better to sell it…’

“Yoon Gaho hunter?” I was brought back to my senses by a call from the party leader.

With my ability, I couldn’t cross the Rom Plain–an area populated by B to E-grade demonic beasts, so I joined a party farming nearby.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.” I said.

“I accepted your offer to join this party because you were affiliated with ‘The Wilds’ guild, but we’ve been able to travel leisurely thanks to you, Hunter Yoon Gaho.”

“I suppose there’s something special about members in big guilds. Are you really C-class?”

“Don’t make me blush with all that flattery. I’m not really so great–Ah, by the way, Kim Won Il hunter…” 5 I hurriedly changed the topic whenever my guild was mentioned.

What’s the point of being a member of a big guild anyway. I only barely managed to gain entry because of a few of my rare skills; I’m not so different from other Hunters.

‘Sure, my skill is a little unique, but it’s only C-rank.’

That fact had been drilled into me over these recent years.

A half-baked, partner-less C-class. That was my reputation in the guild.

In this world, except for the E and F-class awakened folks who were banned from entering the towers, it would be faster to find me in a ranking of talent and potential by counting from the bottom.

And, the less said about my ranking in my guild–one of the top five guilds in this country–the better. Come to think of it, my contract expiry date is just around the corner.

‘Will I…be able to renew my contract?’ I hid my sigh from the rest of the party members.

“We’re planning to replenish our item stock here and return to the plains. What are you planning to do, hunter Yoon Gaho?”

“I think I’ll have to go my own way due to a quest. Thanks for letting me join your party,” I said.

The party leader, Kim Won-il, held out his hunter watch, asking to exchange contacts. When I placed mine next to his, to show my acceptance, a message popped up.

[You have registered Player Kim Won-il’s contact information.]

“We’ll continue to farm on the 33rd floor for now. If you perhaps need to party up again, feel free to contact me,” Kim Won-il said.

“Long-distance damage dealers are always welcome! See you next time!”

I was bombarded with hospitality that I rarely ever received in big-name guilds with high-ranked hunters. For some reason, it felt like a weight was taken off my shoulders.

The important part would come now:

After parting ways with the group, I immediately visited the blacksmith’s forge near the town square. A middle-aged woman wearing a matching set of work clothes was nodding off on the counter.

“Good day,” I called out.

“Uh…Mmm? Welcome. Is there anything you’re looking for?”

“I’ve come to find Carlos-ssi. 6 Is he here?”

“Carlos? We don’t have anyone like that at our smithy?”

This was the only forge in Roma village. Did I stumble upon a locked or long-term quest or something? Anxiety made cold sweat run down my back.

“I’ve definitely heard that a blacksmith named Carlos lives in Roma village though.”

After hearing my words, the woman pondered for a long time before clapping her hands, as if something came to mind. “I don’t know if he’s a blacksmith, but I heard a freak named Carlos lives south of the square. I often hear hammering sounds from there as well. Maybe you’re looking for him?”

Whew, what a relief. The woman’s words soothed my heart. I heard that high-grade quests often turned into long-running quests that required much time and energy. It seems luck was on my side this time.

She had even kindly drawn a map to show me to my destination; due to that, I was able to find Carlos’ home without much difficulty.

The small house at the end of the alley to the south was quaint, but the owner’s aesthetic sensibility stood out. It was clear the fence, garden decorations, and mailboxes were carefully chosen.

‘Mm, she said you were a freak, but he seems to have an eye for design.’

Knock knock–!

“Are you there?” Maybe he didn’t hear me. This time, I pounded on the door with my fist to generate a larger sound. “Carlos-ssi, I’ve come to deliver a letter!”

Is he not home? I thought I should wait around a little longer, so I plopped down on the ground.

It was then–

The door opened silently, and a huge man who didn’t suit the petite house suddenly appeared in the doorway.

TL: Hello! I’ve had this first chapter rattling around my google drives forever, so I thought I should post it. There’s a few other novels I’m focusing on, for now, but I’ll keep uploading this novel slowly but surely~

Footnotes

히든피스 or Hidden Piece are hidden secrets within a game. Usually this term is used for hidden race, classes, skills or items that require a lengthy quest or unbelievable odds in order to gain. Often these hidden pieces tend to be “OP.” Variety shows are exactly that shows that show a “variety” of things. Popular ones in Korea are stuff like Running Man, Funstaurant, Infinity challenge, alongside competition shows like Show me the money and Street Woman Fighter. 탑수저 (Literally Tower Spoon and Chopsticks) literally making a living off of going to towers. This denotes having the economic or power class to be able to go raiding as well. In Korean, the ‘ –nim’ suffix indicates respect to those either on the same hierarchical level or higher as you. It’s equivalent to the Japanese ‘–san’ suffix. 너무 비행기 태우지 마세요 (Literally, don’t burn the plane) is an expression that showcases someone’s modesty in the face of flattery. The suffix ‘-ssi’ is less formal than ‘-nim.’ It’s used generally with everyone, especially with those that are on the same social hierarchical status as you.