Deep Thoughts About Hunting (1)
The Market had an automatic translation function, so trading with MKKrrZ, who appeared to be a user from another country, was not particularly difficult.
Naturally, Seon Yul had no intention of paying the full price, so he negotiated. In the end, the deal was concluded for 1 kg of magic stones.
MKKrrZ, an Australian user, accepted the deal without much resistance since it was an item he had practically forgotten about anyway.
Having obtained what he wanted more easily than expected, Seon Yul received the item through the community mail and immediately placed an object in front of him to use it.
When granting an Enchant Soul, it absolutely should not be applied to a high-quality item. The quality of the target item did not matter at all. 100% of the Enchant Soul’s ability would be applied regardless. Therefore, using it on something high-quality would actually be a waste.
And so, the item Seon Yul chose was… The safety helmet he treasured like a talisman.
A helmet with the words ‘Safety First’ written on it.
This was the most suitable item to receive the Enchant Soul.
“Safety first!”
Reaffirming his motto, Seonyul infused the Enchant Soul into the helmet.
[Using Enchant Soul ‘Will of a Rock Like Mountain’.]
[The unique-grade head armor ‘Safety Helmet of the Rock-Like Mountain’ has been created.]
[Safety Helmet of the Rock-Like Mountain <Unique>]
[A safety helmet imbued with the will of a rock like Mount Taesan.]
[Base Effect] Defense +100
[Skill] First Strike Resistance—Blocks the very first attack of any type that carries even the slightest hostile intent. Cooldown [4 hours]
[Penalty] Movement speed reduced by 90%.
“I like it.”
Honestly, for a unique-grade item, it was somewhat unimpressive, especially considering the absurd penalty.
But Seon Yul smiled in satisfaction as if it didn’t matter at all. Movement speed was not particularly important to him.
When moving outside, he always advanced cautiously and slowly while observing his surroundings. Speed was practically meaningless to him.
What truly mattered was the skill: First Strike Resistance.
If he could block just one initial attack, that would give him enough time to open Absolute Space and escape.
“That takes care of defense… next…”
While browsing the Market, Seon Yul had learned that through the community mail system, purchasing firearms in South Korea was not as difficult as he had thought.
As an ordinary civilian, this would have been impossible.
But through a mail system guaranteeing complete anonymity, firearms could be acquired without identity verification.
The only thing required was magic stones.
So this time, Seon Yul planned to purchase firearms as well.
Among them, the most important were anti-materiel sniper rifles, best suited to his ability.
Specifically, the idol of anti-materiel sniper rifles known for both fame and advantages: the Barrett M82.
And the Maadi Griffin 30mm, which Seon Yul believed would best execute his intended purpose.
Both of these were already in his shopping cart.
Although various other anti-materiel rifles were available in the market, he saw no need beyond these two.
He also added several assault rifles.
Assault rifles were purchased less for hunting and more for other purposes, but they would surely prove useful eventually.
Finally, he purchased portable mass-destruction weapons such as grenades and claymores.
Seon Yul planned to spend his remaining 1 kg of magic stones entirely on weapons and ammunition.
In truth, these weapons were unpopular among users.
Mana did not merely damage electronic devices… it altered gunpowder itself, turning it into inert dust.
Not only gunpowder, but all human-made explosive energy weapons became nothing more than scrap metal.
So if someone brought firearms into Gate territory, they would quickly become useless junk.
Gunpowder deteriorated faster than anything else. Even minimal exposure to mana for mere seconds was enough to render it inert.
Users described this phenomenon as “gunpowder rotting.”
For this reason, firearms. Once considered the strongest weapons, they had become obsolete.
As a result, even after purchasing a huge collection of personal firearms and ammunition, 1 kg of magic stones was more than enough.
Other users had to worry about gunpowder rotting.
Seon Yul did not.
For him, this was advantageous.
After purchasing both armor and firearms, there was only one final item he intended to buy.
To afford it, he sold high-grade materials such as “Elite Orc Fang” and “Troll’s Blood.”
Once he had purchased the final item as well, Seon Yul happily returned to Absolute Space through the emergency exit.
And thus, his second hunting session began.
***
Inside Absolute Space, Seon Yul calmly organized his newly purchased items and supplies.
To store them, he had bought several IKEA cabinets and lined them against one wall.
Items were neatly arranged inside.
By nature, Seon Yul required order to feel at ease. He spent several hours organizing everything.
Firearms and ammunition were sorted by type into different compartments. Below them, grenades and Claymores were stacked.
Next to those, hunting tools were placed neatly, along with food and water supplies.
Since he might remain here longer this time, he purchased five additional high-end portable toilets along with special detergents and placed them in one corner.
After finishing, Absolute Space felt even more comfortable.
“Very good.”
Smiling in satisfaction, Seon Yul nodded as he looked at the neatly arranged supplies.
Now that everything was organized, all that remained was to resume hunting.
Tsssss.
The entrance opened slightly.
It reopened at the same location as the first hunt.
One mistake during the first hunt was placing action cameras outside for better visibility.
They had all been destroyed.
Long exposure to mana had melted their internal circuits.
Electronics could be briefly taken outside of Absolute Space without issue… but prolonged exposure was clearly dangerous.
So he had purchased new action cameras.
Once again, attaching one to a selfie stick, he slowly extended it outside to observe.
At this point, he could have simply peeked his head out…
But Seon Yul absolutely would not commit such a foolish (?) act.
“As expected, nothing.”
The area looked unchanged from when he withdrew.
“Move immediately…? No. Just in case, let’s observe a bit longer. If it seems safe, then I’ll move.”
He never hurried.
He was a man who believed that rash thoughts and impulsive actions would eventually bring trouble, so he always made an effort to remain calm and composed.
Slowly.
Surely.
Safely.
After observing for a full hour, he began equipping his gear.
As before, he wore a high-grade gas mask. He donned a defensive suit powered by low-grade magic stones.
Finally, he placed the ‘Safety Helmet of the Rock-Like Mountain’ on his head.
He felt as if an invisible barrier wrapped around him.
Fully equipped, Seon Yul slowly stepped outside.
Despite confirming the area was clear, he remained cautious.
After exiting, he closed the entrance and began searching for a new hunting point.
The 90% movement speed penalty was applied. But since he moved at a turtle’s pace anyway, it meant little.
Carefully scanning his surroundings, he moved.
His goal: find the next hunting point within three hours.
It proved more difficult than expected.
Several times, he sensed slight danger and opened Absolute Space to hide. But fortunately, none were genuine threats.
After wandering for nearly five hours, he finally established a second base camp at a location that seemed suitable.
He settled in and resumed fishing-style hunting.
But for some reason, even after ten hours, not a single monster appeared.
Whether the first hunt had been lucky or this one unlucky, the result was the same.
Nearly an entire day passed with no gains.
However, Seon Yul judged that it would be difficult to relocate the spot again, so he had no choice but to endure and wait a little longer.
But even after ten more hours had passed, the only monster he managed to kill was a single goblin.
The only creature that came through this path was a goblin captured by Seon Yul.
Now that Seon Yul was over level 10, goblins, among the lowest-ranked monsters, were no longer particularly attractive targets.
From this point on, he needed to hunt at least one orc to level up steadily.
***
“…I guess I need to train in advance.”
After another full day passed with only three goblins total, Seon Yul had no choice but to consider a new card.
A second hunting method… very different from fishing.
It might offer a different solution.
However, whether it would truly work or whether unforeseen problems would arise remained unknown.
Those things could only be learned by trying.
“Let’s practice little by little and prepare in advance.”
The second hunting method required significant practice.
Rrrrrk
He pushed the bed to one side, clearing the longest straight line possible inside Absolute Space.
It was still only a dozen meters… But within that space, maximizing straight distance was important.
Because…
He needed to practice shooting.
More precisely… sniper training.
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