My plan was simple. First, show the advanced Hunters gathered in the hall that I wasn’t a pushover even without S-Rank protection. That part went off without a hitch. Next, I was supposed to demonstrate my actual abilities in person—but then.

“Sweetie, a gift!”

Before I knew it, Riet appeared and tossed a huge shell to Kang Soyeong. Kang Soyeong caught it, opened it, and beamed.

“A blue pearl!”

“Where’s my sister? Honey, your gift too!”

A shell flew toward me, and Yuhyun caught it and opened it. Inside lay a pink pearl. I hate pink. I waved Riet closer.

“What is that?”

I whispered, and Riet grinned.

“A monster.”

I know it’s a monster, but I didn’t recognize it.

If I wanted to leave an impression on the Hunters, nothing beat a battle. So I asked Riet to drop a broad hint and lure some monsters from the sea. Just like in Hong Kong, dungeons existed in the Japanese seas—and more of them, since the country is larger.

Dungeons usually appeared near densely populated areas, so even underwater ones often formed near beaches, though some went unnoticed in the deep until they erupted. Thankfully, most monsters from underwater dungeons couldn’t make it onto land.

I’d told Riet to bring me monsters crouching quietly in the depths, but that one…

‘…Doesn’t look S-Rank at all.’

Could it be an SS-Rank I missed back then? When the King of the Harmless intervened in the Black Bull Forest Dungeon, many SS-Rank monsters appeared in Japan. We lured and defeated those roaming on land, but if a water-type SS-Rank had only ever appeared at sea, we wouldn’t have known about it.

‘I intended to set out a few S-Rank monsters, tell the guests to stay put, and handle it…’

Life never goes as planned. More importantly, what kind of monster is that? A giant turtle?

“That thing isn’t S-Rank!”

Shy Boy shouted. He’d tried to leave the island but run into the monster.

“It might be one of those SS-Rank monsters that appeared in Japan.”

“If it’s water-type, we couldn’t have found it until now. But why has it appeared all of a sudden?”

Well, you see—I didn’t plan this.

“Maybe it sensed the threat from the many S-Rank Hunters gathered.”

Fine, I’ll buy that.

“In that case, Director Han Yujin could just use that Proud Parent skill.”

…Proud Parent skill? The one I used to capture the SS-Rank monster? I only told the truth back then—thanked them as a brother, never bragged as a Hunter. Why call it Proud Parent? It’s unfair.

“Proud Parent skill?”

One Hunter looked puzzled while another recognized the name. Since a few had witnessed my skill, word had spread. With enough people here, one use of that skill could easily take down an SS-Rank monster. But that would be too wasteful.

“Are my ears playing tricks on me?”

I stared at the Hunter who first mentioned my skill and raised my voice deliberately.

“It sounded like an S-Rank Hunter offered to pass off a monster to an F-Rank. Surely that’s not what you meant.”

S-Rank pride being what it is, the Hunter shook his head.

“No, no—back then I just saw the skill used and Director Haeyeon handled the fight.”

“We were right beside each other. It was dangerous, but necessary given the urgency. But with dozens of S-Rank Hunters here…”

He let out a long sigh, as if incredulous. The Hunters who had agreed to use my skill shifted their gazes.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to put Director Han Yujin in danger—”

“But!”

I clapped to clear the air.

“They’re my guests, after all. As the host, I never promised to protect you from monsters, but I can’t pretend nothing’s happening.”

I held out my hand to Yuhyun, who handed me his communicator.

“The schedule’s changed. Yeah, come down with Noah.”

“Please wait a moment,” I said with a smile. Meanwhile, the lesser monsters around us were all hunted down. To be more visible, I stepped onto a flowerbed. Yerim stood guard at my sides, and whispered.

“Uncle, it’s my turn this time, me.”

Yuhyun insisted he’d gone last time and that this was the sea, but I’m sorry.

“I’ll avoid using it if possible. If I must, I’ll ask you, Yerim.”

It was impossible for me to single-handedly defeat an SS-Rank monster. I could only play a supporting role. Even supporting by actually fighting differed greatly from using my skill once and stepping back.

Especially with my skill—it’s like an item anyone could just use without judgment. I couldn’t do that now.

I had to show that I was leading the situation.

“Yuhyun, keep suspicious people from approaching me.”

If needed, use force. I didn’t say the last part because Yerim was there, but she would understand. Since we’d left the hall, we had to watch out for Pak Hayul’s foolish schemes…

“Oh? ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) It’s a smith.”

Noah and Myeong-woo emerged. The crowd murmured as Riet casually threw the remaining shell at Noah.

“A gift!”

Noah caught the shell as if by habit. Riet teased her brother often, but always brought gifts when traveling. Some were weird or difficult to handle, but… he did care, I suppose.

“What’s that stain?”

Myeong-woo asked as he approached.

“Just spilled some alcohol.”

Now that I thought about it, Seong Hyunjae was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he’d gone to change. I had poured a lot, after all.

Myeong-woo drew a weapon from his inventory: Parmini’s Ice Tree Spear. Its form was familiar, but now it gleamed a deeper blue. Inside the merqueen’s jewel, I saw a white, mist-like swirl.

He handed me the spear.

[Ice Tree Spear Bloomed in the Abyss – SS-Rank

A spear crafted by a skilled artisan from an ancient Ice Tree branch. Infused with the power of the Abyssal Lord and the Harmless Tribe. The balance between the two seas is unstable.]

As its rank rose, so did its name. It sometimes transformed into the Ice Tree Spear Awash in Harmless Power. Upgrading it fully fused the merqueen’s jewel into the spear. But since Abyssal and Harmless forces were imbalanced, it couldn’t channel both at once.

Myeong-woo said that for the two powers to harmonize, Yerim needed to guide them. If the wielder mastered both, they would unite naturally.

‘Then it might rank up again.’

All eyes turned to the spear in my hand. Everyone knew Myeong-woo had forged an S-Rank Ice Tree Spear. I held it aloft and handed it to Yerim. She floated up gracefully, accepted it, and smiled brightly. The long spear turned a soft blue as it spun at her fingertips.

“It’s really SS-Rank!”

Yerim’s exclamation drew surprised gasps.

“SS-Rank?!”

“Wasn’t it S-Rank?”

Officially, only the Noble Scout’s Chain was known as SS-Rank. There might be secret weapons like Yuhyun’s Conqueror’s Blade, but officially the Ice Tree Spear would be the second SS-Rank weapon.

“I thought Parmini’s Ice Tree Spear was S-Rank.”

One curious Hunter stepped forward. His gaze moved from Yerim to Myeong-woo.

“So if it’s become SS-Rank, does that mean you can upgrade other weapons’ rank?”

Quick on the uptake. The Hunters grew more excited. Myeong-woo nodded calmly.

“Yes. I can’t create new SS-Rank weapons yet, but I can upgrade S-Rank ones. While I can’t guarantee a full SS-Rank rise, performance will improve. At minimum top S-Rank, possibly near SS-Rank.”

Silence fell. The Hunters listened, as meek as lambs. First SS-Rank weapon from Korea, second also from Korea. Other countries stood to gain little impact. With a third SS-Rank weapon, Korean Hunters would dominate.

Hunters from different nations shot murderous looks at one another. If they couldn’t have it, they might block others.

“Here’s an Upgrade Application Ticket.”

Ta-da— I produced a sheet of paper from my inventory. Eyes glared at it as though it could be pierced.

“This was to be the special final-day item, but circumstances changed. Of course, you must provide materials and fees. This is just top-priority application. As you know, our famous Hunter Myeong-woo rarely takes commissions.”

He definitely wouldn’t do it for free.

“But with this, you can immediately entrust your weapon.”

Even S-Rank Hunters with overflowing wealth readily accepted fee requests.

“Conditions are simple. Defeat the presumed SS-Rank monster that just appeared. Stop where you stand! If you move on your own, you’re disqualified.”

Some S-Rank Hunters, eager to rush off, halted at once. They really were obedient chicks, I thought as I supervised the peeps.

“It’s hard to track contribution when everyone swarms. Teams are better—up to three S-Ranks per team. Solo is fine if confident. No limit on A-Rank or below. And the order is—”

I pulled out a memo pad and pen. On each sheet I wrote numbers one to ten, fanned them out like a hand.

“We start the auction.”

“An auction?” murmured the Hunters. So it wouldn’t be free?

“Each team gets thirty minutes. If you fail or are seriously injured, the next team’s turn begins. If teams one through ten fail, it cycles back to team one.”

If you can finish in one go, pick number one. If you want an easier fight, pick later numbers.

“If after two rounds it’s still not defeated, we’ll pick remaining people by free draw.”

Six hundred minutes total—around ten hours, so early morning tomorrow. I held up the “1” slip.

“Cash, real estate, dungeon management rights accepted! Item bonuses! Equipment must be A-Rank or above, consumables S-Rank or above. Who’ll try first!”

I waved the slip. Number one was at a slight disadvantage—thirty minutes might not suffice. But there were only ten slips.

“One million dollars!”

First bidder. One million is ten hundred million won. Pocket change for S-Ranks.

“One point five million.”

Cheap.

“Ten million!”

“Yes, ten million. Still just pocket money for snacks.”

Someone should wager gear. At that, Moon Hyun-ah shot her hand up.

“Ten million plus Summer Mini Lake!”

Summer Mini Lake is an S-Rank consumable that creates a lake within a one-kilometer radius for one day. Though short-lived, it’s very useful depending on dungeon terrain and monster type.

“An S-Rank item! But Guild Leader Breaker, you can’t bid—you’d skew results. Please enter the draw.”

“How unfair, Director Han. Shouldn’t you treat acquaintances better?”

Moon Hyun-ah grumbled but nodded. Thanks to that—

“Ten million plus A-Rank Tilnisol Dagger.”

Bidders emerged. Hyun-ah clearly jumped in intentionally.

“Thirty million for two A-Rank antidotes and an A-Rank bow! Any more?”

A bow is great. I’ll give it to Yerim as a secondary weapon. A-Rank antidotes are precious—consumables are always welcome. Even if I had them, I couldn’t bring them into the dungeon.

Number one sold at a modest price. But number two—

“Number two: those who watched team one and gathered monster data!”

Naturally more popular than number one. In the lively bidding, team two’s slot sold for fifty million plus two S-Rank consumables and two A-Rank equipment, and number three—

“Number three, perfect for an easy ride! Later numbers get risky.”

One hundred million in cash alone. Of course, items held higher value.

“An S-Rank ring! Anyone else? Alberto from Italy wins number three!”

Teams four and five also fetched high bids. Cautious Hunters preferred later numbers, hoping to take a quick turn and step back if time ran short. So even slots up to number ten sold for surprisingly high amounts.

“Last slot number ten—sold!”

I had to suppress a grin. Wow, what a profit. Even so—

‘The chance of success is extremely low.’

Judging by its size and shape, it was likely a defense-type like the giant toad before. With S-Rank attack power, it would be nearly impossible to inflict fatal damage. Even with support, unless attack power doubled like with my skill, breaking through would be difficult.

And if it were just a large S-Rank monster, whoever won the upgrade ticket couldn’t use it for a while—SS-Rank upgrades need SS-Rank mana stones.

The best outcome was the first: we’d have to handle it ourselves. Kill two birds with one stone.

‘My conscience stings a bit.’

But you never know.

“Follow the order, stick to the rules, and good luck!”

If they succeeded, I’d cooperate courteously and offer bonuses. Fighting spirit!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep