Chapter 320: Heart (1)
Maintenance time.
Typically, during maintenance, a team of hunters would review past events together. It was the moment to discuss what was lacking or which parts needed improvement after a break. Because it was a time for mutual feedback, it was often noisy and bustling.
However, maintenance time in this team had a different vibe. Everyone clearly secured their own space and spent time individually. Their outward dispositions were just too different from each other, so this kind of maintenance style made perfect sense.
Kang-hoo watched the three with interest. Of course, he too was resting, casually sitting on a rock.
‘Takashi’s just… being Takashi.’
Takashi’s avatar was kneeling calmly on a flat rock, immersed in meditation. Just by appearance, he looked dignified and solemn, almost like a warrior monk. But Kang-hoo knew very well what Takashi, the real one operating the pad, looked like. He was probably slurping up cup noodles he’d just poured hot water into. When you’re focused, hunger you hadn’t noticed rushes in like a tide—he was likely stuffing his face in a hurry.
‘Yu Cheonghwa, true to her greedy nature, is even training during break time.’
Yu Cheonghwa was switching between several skills while training. At a glance, they were hand-to-hand combat skills that didn’t suit her at all. But seeing her use them repeatedly, it was clear she had copied them from someone perfectly. She must’ve acquired them through the Jeonghwa Guild, similar to what she attempted with An Yeong-ho previously. With Jang Si-hwan watching her back, she could do it—this gave her a bit of a “debt” toward him. Not a legal debt, but a moral one, close to a debt of the heart.
And as for Emilia…
‘She’s such a character.’She was sitting demurely, carefully wiping her parasol with a handkerchief. Her delicate, orchid-like motions made even the observer feel tense. Devoted to her rose decorations, she was reworking a slightly frayed part of the fabric. Kang-hoo knew exactly what Emilia’s actions meant. It was a form of spiritual purification—her own way of calming the murderous and yin energy that had flared during battle.
Meanwhile, next to her, she was diligently simmering a meat stew, and the delicious aroma reached quite far. Emilia’s cooking skills had been well-highlighted in the original work, so they were reliable.
‘Guess it’s time to take the Mad Solarkium. If I break the rhythm even a little, the team’s synergy will suffer.’
He had once tried tackling a strategy without Mad Solarkium, relying on boldness—but that was no longer viable. To keep up with Takashi, Emilia, and Yu Cheonghwa’s speed while maintaining the bleeding effect perfectly, he had to be quicker. Kang-hoo had no desire to give them any reason for disappointment or frustration. It was no time for bravado anymore, so he took out the Mad Solarkium in advance.
‘Teaming up with top-tier hunters really makes you crave items more than anything. To an uncontrollable degree.’
Throughout this dungeon raid, what had been consistently stirring Kang-hoo’s motivation was the desire to buy items. Even a single top-grade item could dramatically narrow the gap between him and the others. That desire naturally evolved into greed for money.
To buy a top-grade item, you needed at least 500 billion won. Currently, Kang-hoo’s account balance stood at 410 billion won—not a small sum by any means, but not enough either.
‘Damn inflation.’
The inflation of the in-world economy, which he couldn’t avoid even while writing the original story, was still in full effect. For a normal person, 410 billion won is enough to live a lifetime in luxury. But for a hunter—especially one aiming to enter the top-tier world—it was an absurdly insufficient amount. Earning a few hundred million felt like mere pocket money.
Near the end of the original story, Jang Si-hwan once evaluated the total value of his items like this:
【No need to look far for the term “superpower nation.” Just look at my gear—it’s worth more than that.】
That’s what he had said. Compared to that, the inflation in economic perception was still “modest.” Hard to believe, but that was the reality unfolding before him now.
‘I can’t delay my soul energy training anymore. Compared to Emilia, my dark energy reserves are laughably low.’
Watching Emilia recklessly burn through her dark energy was motivating in its own way. Kang-hoo’s current dark energy reserve was so limited that once his corrupted beast vanished, he couldn’t replenish it on his own. There was still such a long way to go, and now he had to start paying attention.
The enemies he would face ahead would likely wield not only magic but also dark energy and holy power freely. As much as his own level rose, so would the enemies’, so he couldn’t let his guard down.
‘And then there’s subspace storage.’
A subspace for convenient item storage was now becoming a necessity, not a luxury. When doping, sometimes the herbs and potions he carried became a nuisance. And looting items from dead hunters would be far easier with subspace.
The problem was, the “hidden skill” related to subspace had already been acquired by Jang Si-hwan. So he had to aim for an item instead. There were about ten items worldwide that could manifest subspace. Five of them already had owners; the rest didn’t. The issue was they were ridiculously hard to find and hidden in dungeons that required risking one’s life. Even Kang-hoo, who knew the strategy, couldn’t guarantee success because of the numerous instant-death patterns.
‘If I could go back in time, I’d definitely write in more abilities for Shin Kang-hoo.’
Kang-hoo felt a renewed sense of regret about how poorly built the villain “Shin Kang-hoo” was in the original. If he’d given him slightly more broken abilities back then, he would’ve been much stronger now. It was a lingering regret, but what could he do? A deficit at birth could be filled with effort and challenge later on. Of course, that meant the road ahead was still long.
After 30 minutes of individual maintenance, Emilia called everyone over to eat the stew she had made, but in the end, Kang-hoo was the only one who came. Since the agreed maintenance time was one hour, the remaining 30 minutes were for personal use. Takashi and Yu Cheonghwa were more focused on their own time, so they didn’t show up. As a result, it became a rather awkward scene with just Kang-hoo holding a spoon beside Emilia.
“You’re not holding a dagger, yet I still feel a murderous aura.”
“In an emergency, even a spoon can be a weapon. No need to be picky with tools.”
Must be a habit. Just like how Kang-hoo sometimes held his dagger in a reverse grip, he realized he was doing the same with the spoon and let out a chuckle.
Emilia didn’t overreact. It was just that Kang-hoo had been a bit excessive with his stance. Soon, Kang-hoo adjusted his grip on the spoon and unknowingly swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth.
Ever since eating Ju Haemi’s cooking, Kang-hoo had been experiencing an unusual increase in appetite. He used to feel indifferent even when he saw delicious-looking food, but now his mouth watered reflexively.
“Here you go. Try it. I’d really appreciate it if you could give me an honest review. Don’t worry about being polite—I hate lies the most.”
“Well then… I’ll give it a try.”
Kang-hoo, who was never one for empty flattery, had no intention of pretending it tasted good. Chomp, chomp.
“Mm.”
The meat stew was far richer than Kang-hoo had expected. Even though it seemed she had used the bare minimum of spices and seasoning, the flavor was excellent—truly delicious.
“How is it?”
“It’s really delicious.”
“Do you like it?”
“I think I could eat just meat stew for several days without getting sick of it. It’s that good.”
Kang-hoo kept moving his spoon rapidly and emptied the bowl in no time. Just as Emilia watched him with a pleased expression, Kang-hoo’s face suddenly shifted as he felt something. Tilting his head slightly, he asked Emilia:
“Could it be… Is my dark energy recovering right now? I felt it the moment I started eating the stew.”
“That’s right. I condensed dark energy and evenly infused it into the stew. That way, part of it can be used for recovery. With only a 15% loss rate, it’s not bad.”
“…I didn’t expect that.”
Kang-hoo’s expression showed genuine surprise. If one were to name it based on function, it might be called “Dark Energy Recovery Stew.”
In the original story, there were several scenes of Emilia cooking, but never one where she restored dark energy. That’s largely because she hadn’t had a particularly close relationship with Jang Si-hwan. Moreover, Jang Si-hwan preferred structured meals under his own control. So in terms of cooking, there was barely any overlap between Jang Si-hwan and Emilia.
As Kang-hoo continued to stare at the stew with a curious expression, Emilia added, as if sensing something.
“Don’t worry. Just because you ate it doesn’t mean you’ll be bound as my servant. Or turn into a rotten undead wandering around. I mean, a handsome zombie would be such a waste of good looks, right? We can’t have that.”
This was Emilia’s style of humor. Her signature kind of joke—offbeat, unlike the average person. If you don’t respond well, she gets sullen.
“Hahaha.”
The only issue was that Kang-hoo’s laugh was closer to a mechanical one. This was also a signature of his, often pointed out by close female acquaintances like Ayane or Jung Yuri. A hearty, forceful laugh didn’t suit him. Honestly, even an AI might do better.
Fortunately, it was Emilia’s first time hearing Kang-hoo laugh, so she seemed satisfied nonetheless.
After sharing the meat stew and finishing their meal, the two of them walked along a nearby flower path. The stroll had been Emilia’s suggestion. Since Kang-hoo had already completed his maintenance, he had time to spare and joined her for the walk.
At one point, Kang-hoo pointed at the sunlight growing stronger within the dungeon as the clouds cleared.
“I’ll hold your parasol for you.”
“Such good manners.”
“It’s nothing special. Just the natural thing to do.”
Kang-hoo adjusted his pace to match Emilia, who had the figure and appearance of a young girl, and lowered the height of the parasol. Because of that, Kang-hoo himself ended up in a rather uncomfortable position. He had to lower his waist significantly, and his steps had to be shortened to an almost dainty pace. But without a hint of complaint, Kang-hoo kept by her side with his usual closed-mouth smile.
Emilia, for her part, continued to show a composed and relaxed smile, and her gaze toward Kang-hoo was just as calm. Kang-hoo, watching her, had already perceived the emotion hidden deep behind her eyes. It was loneliness—an emotion he often sensed in himself, and sometimes in the high-spirited Takashi. A bone-deep chill of loneliness emanated from Emilia. The kind of cold energy that only those who had reached the very depths of solitude could truly understand.