*Ding-*
[Matching has ended.]
[Affection Change]
[Iris Lemeria Vaihart Peladia 85♡ → 95♡]
[Affinity Level Change]
[Iris Lemeria Vaihart Peladia Lv.1 → Lv.3]
[Calculating…]
[600 Love Coins have been awarded.]
[Remaining Coins: 1,850 Coins]
[Name: Iris Lemeria Vaihart Peladia
Age: 524
Race: High Elf
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Archmage
Disposition: Benevolent Ruler, Non-Lethal, Devoted, Vegetarian…]
[Time Remaining Until Rematch: 143:59:45]
The air shifted, and I was back in my room.
"The settlement reward is pretty good."
And because my affinity level with Iris went up, the time remaining until the rematch decreased from a week to six days.
I smiled as I looked at the countless screens floating before my eyes, but the tension that had been building while facing a C+ class monster suddenly released as I returned to the safe zone of my room, and I collapsed onto the bed.
"Ugh, it stings so much… I'm dying, I'm dying…"
Because I hadn't treated them properly, my clothes and bed were stained with blood from the cuts all over my body.
As much as I wanted to wash up and sleep right away, I had to get treatment before things got worse.
Ordinary people would go to the hospital when they were sick or hurt, but things were different for people with money.
"Is there a church with an ordained priest near my house…"
Of course, there wasn't. The church I found on the map app was quite far, requiring a 30-minute taxi ride.
I sighed heavily, already annoyed, but I put on some bandages and changed my clothes before leaving the house.
The taxi I called through the app arrived quickly.
"Please go to the Seoul Central Holy Church."
"Yes, sir."
Priests, who use divine power based on their faith in God, perform miracles of healing others' wounds.
Magicians had once studied healing magic very diligently because it was difficult to do with magic alone, but I don't know about now.
In any case, becoming a priest was as difficult as becoming a magician; talent was essential, and unwavering faith in God had to be the foundation.
Those selected had to undergo rigorous training for years at the Vatican's Pontifical Council.
"Haha, you seem to be hurt, but going to the church must mean you've made it, young man? My son should live as diligently as you, but he's always just playing at home… Sigh…"
As the taxi driver said, getting treatment at a church cost at least hundreds of thousands of won, and the amount on the bill could skyrocket depending on the patient's condition.
Still, considering that they could cleanly fix external wounds without leaving scars and cure chronic diseases like hair loss or cancer, it wasn't an unreasonable price.
Of course, the silver-spoon crowd goes to church even when they have a cold, I heard.
"Yes, that'll be 23,000 won."
"Thank you for your service."
As soon as I got out of the taxi, I saw the magnificent church building.
I couldn't even imagine how much money they'd poured into it.
"Should I exchange the magic stones first?"
For the record, my bank account is currently at zero.
I spent it all on the bed and other things when I went to meet Iris.
Of course, I wasn't worried. I had a whopping 15 magic stones collected from the dungeon. And not just ordinary D+ class monster magic stones, but all magic stones from elite individuals.
As I'd seen on the community forums, elite individuals' magic stones were more expensive than magic stones from monsters of the same class.
And right next to this church was the Hunter Association building.
"Customer number 54."
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, I sat down at the counter where my number was displayed.
Like the Mages Association, the staff here were incredibly beautiful.
'Where else can you find a job that pays so well when you die so easily as a hunter?'
I'm not trying to generalize, but honestly, there's no merit in working at the Association if you're that pretty, right?
"I want to exchange some magic stones."
"Yes, please put them all here."
Certainly, her smiling face was an element that made people who came to work feel good.
Wouldn't that be nice for hunters, even if she showed her true colors?
If I had just gone through hell in a gate and a pretty woman greeted me with a smile, I think I would feel good too.
"Just a moment."
I took out the magic stones from the bag I had brought.
"Oh… my?"
"They're all D+ class. They're from elite individuals."
Seeing a pretty woman's mouth drop open wasn't exactly a common sight.
Shortly after, a small notification sound rang on my phone as I left the Hunter Association.
[S Bank]
[Deposit 31,200,000 won]
[Balance 31,275,420 won]
The price of a D+ class magic stone was 1.3 million won each, and with the 60% extra for being from an elite individual, a total of 31.2 million won was deposited.
"…It's really fun to hunt, isn't it?"
Certainly, cash is better than coins for now.
I guess it's because there are so many places to use it right away.
"I should move out soon and buy a decent car… well, I need to save a little more for that."
30 million won in total assets is by no means a small amount, but it's not enough to move and buy a car.
In the end, I had to solve one of the two first, but no matter what, it's still a house, right?
I want to get out of this smelly and uncomfortable studio apartment.
***
Kang Chul-ho, the 13th head of the World Hunter Association's Korean branch.
He is one of the top ten most powerful people in East Asia and an S-class hunter with a strong body that can withstand missile strikes with his bare hands.
His nickname is the Iron Man.
"This many magic stones, from a 21-year-old man?"
As befitting his nickname of Iron Man, he didn't usually show much emotional change on the outside, but this time, the pitch of his voice was noticeably different.
Of course, it was a subtle difference that only his close associates could recognize, but he was clearly amazed.
"Yes, he exchanged them at the counter on the first floor just now."
"Did he discover an undiscovered gate?"
With the advancement of technology, it was possible to know the location and timing of gate creation, but that wasn't 100% perfect either.
Occasionally, gates with concealment abilities escaped the range of detectors, waiting for the right moment to trigger a surprise gate break and cause numerous casualties.
Such gates are called undiscovered gates.
It is recommended to report them to the nearest police station or hunter association as soon as they are discovered, but it was also possible to clear them at one's own discretion.
Only for those with a hunter or hero license.
Of course, people who cleared them without a license weren't always punished.
Undiscovered gates are basically classified as special gates, so they are quite difficult. Superhumans with that much ability were valuable assets that the country had to capture, so there was no reason to stir up trouble.
Unlike the law, it was tacitly accepted in reality.
"15 magic stones from D+ class elite individuals… Was it a C-class gate?"
"The information team is currently tracking the person's recent movements, so the results will be out soon."
"There's no need to rush. Instead, we need to move discreetly so that the large guilds don't notice."
"Yes, Branch Manager."
As the employee finished reporting and left the Association President's office, Kang Chul-ho walked to the window.
He quietly looked out the window.
His gaze reached a man dozens of kilometers away, past countless buildings.
A traditional Korean house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, boasting a beautiful appearance.
Here, where the Blue Dragon is said to sleep, the head of one of Korea's largest guilds had set up his nest.
He scoffed, unconcerned by Kang Chul-ho's gaze towards him.
"Arrogant human bastard."
***
With a fatter bank account, I headed straight to the church building.
The area around the church was crowded with people, but the inside of the church was deserted.
And very flashy.
'At this point, I could have made a lot of money if I had become a priest instead of a magician?'
Of course, priests are forbidden from contacting the opposite sex during their training in the Vatican, so even if someone asked me to, I wouldn't want to do it.
"Welcome, brother."
While I was looking around the church, a man who looked like a priest approached me.
"I'm here for treatment, where should I go?"
"Ah, you've come to receive the grace of the Lord. Please follow me."
Following him, I came to a space decorated like a hospital.
"Can you show me the injured area?"
I immediately took off my shirt.
I have injuries on my legs, but I didn't want to do a strip show in front of a man.
"…These are severe injuries."
"I have them on my legs too."
The priest nodded once and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Our Father, who art in heaven."
As he began to recite the prayer, a golden light gathered in his hand, and the light flowed down my shoulder and began to heal the wounds on my body.
"Thy mercy upon us. Amen."
After only two short lines of prayer, my body had changed 180 degrees.
Not only were the cuts all over my body gone, but my left ear, which had been half cut off, had been healed without a single scar.
'This is no joke.'
So that's why the news says that guilds spend billions of won trying to recruit priests.
"You've done a great job."
Of course, the power didn't come without a price.
The priest was sweating buckets as a reward for healing me. In fact, his complexion looked paler than before.
Divine power is the power given by God, not an omnipotent power that humans can use in exchange for faith.
"That'll be 9,410,420 won."
"…"
9.4 million won for one treatment… I might as well call a funeral director next time I get hurt.
And why is there a card reader under the offering box?
·
·
·
[Would you like to purchase the Magic Sword of the Imperial Army?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[You have purchased the Magic Sword of the Imperial Army]
[Remaining Coins: 1,450 Coins]
Back home, I was busy preparing for the upcoming new match.
I filled my inventory with various survival tools and emergency rations purchased from the Hunter Shop on the way home, as well as a huge amount of drinking water. Unlike food, water could be stored in tons per inventory slot.
However, there were so many kinds of survival tools that I had to pack them separately in a bag. In fact, it was better that way.
With the matching survey, you can narrow down the other person's appearance and hobbies, but you can't determine what world they live in.
For example, if you put in the hobby of black magic, no one knows whether you'll go to another world where there are real black magicians or to a place where there's a chuunibyou girl obsessed with black magic.
That means that I might end up in a world where I can't use magic.
I'm not good at handling swords, but the Magic Sword was good enough to be used by someone like me who doesn't know much about swordsmanship.
[Magic Sword of the Imperial Army]
[Rank: Rare]
[Sharpness increases when magic power is applied]
"Would this have helped if I had it in the dungeon?"
I don't know. I was too busy responding with magic back then.
It was a part that made me realize why there were so few magic swordsmen.
I continued to pack my bags and prepare thoroughly.
*Ding-*
[Do you want to proceed with matching?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Thank you for using our app. Please take a survey before proceeding with matching.]
[Preferred Race]
[Preferred Gender]
[Preferred Age Range]
·
·
·
Race: Human, Gender: Female, Age Range: 20s. I set it up so that a reasonably normal person could come out.
[Thank you for your cooperation.]
[Matching will proceed soon.]
[Please note that matching may take some time.]
I got into position so that I could draw my sword and wand from my inventory at any time.
I had already put on my monocle and ring.
Under my clothes, I wore a leather armor made of monster hide.
[Matching has been completed.]
[Moving to Planet AXZ-174]
A large beam of light surrounds me.
I hope I don't do skydiving without a parachute this time.
***
Fortunately, the start of this match wasn't like the last one, with skydiving without a parachute.
Instead.
"…"
"…"
[Romance Consulting Curriculum will be conducted]
[Analyzing Cheon Yeohwa's Disposition]
[Analyzing···]
[Analysis Complete]
[Name: Cheon Yeohwa
Age: 20
Affiliation: AXZ-174
Occupation: Second Young Lady of the Demonic Cult
Disposition: ??]
A small lake in a forest.
There, I met a naked woman.
"…Hello?"
At my shy greeting, the woman took out a sword from somewhere and slowly began to walk out of the lake.
Staring at me with murderous eyes.
Without hesitation, I turned around and ran away.