Chapter 4. The Fox’s Cunning Scheme
Kang Sang-hyun, a brilliant consultant and the top ace of ‘‘Black money’’, also known as “the Fox,” was far from a clean individual.
In fact, he was so petty and cunning that one could hardly call him an honest person. He was just like the sly fox mask he always wore.
His unique ability was ‘Discerning Eye’, one of the highest-ranking emotional abilities, classified as ‘Ancient’ grade.
Among the ten revealed ranks—Common, Advanced, Rare, Unique, Epic, Heroic, Ancient, Legendary, Mythical, and Primordial—the Ancient rank was the fourth highest. In fact, the Primordial rank’s existence hadn’t even been confirmed, and only a handful of people across the globe possessed abilities of the Mythical rank, making his ability top-tier by any standard.
If he were to formally take the Hunter exam, a top guild would offer him a fortune just to hire him as an appraiser, but he hadn’t obtained a Hunter license.
More accurately, he couldn’t obtain one. At the time of his awakening, he was on the run from the police.
Though born into poverty, Kang Sang-hyun was overflowing with greed and ambition. Eventually, he turned to crime, specifically fraud, but he was caught and was being chased.
Even after awakening to his powers, his grand dreams were crushed as he spent the next month desperately fleeing for his life. He only narrowly escaped capture at the very last moment, thanks to a helping hand.
“Hm, you’ve awakened a nice ability. How would you like to work with me? Stick with me, and you won’t be getting arrested for some petty fraud charge.”
He followed the person who introduced themselves as the Director of ‘‘Black money’’ and entered the underworld.
“All you have to do is appraise the items clients bring and assist them. The base salary is high, and the incentives are proportional to the work you do. You won’t have to risk your life on minor crimes like fraud anymore.”
Thanks to a fortunate string of events, Kang Sang-hyun, who had once scraped the bottom of society and dabbled in crime, quickly climbed to the position of ace in ‘Black money’, amassing a fortune.
However, his greed and ambition knew no bounds.
“It’s not enough!”
Now that he had money and a comfortable life, he craved even more. His greed intensified.
“Those Hunters are out there living proudly and earning huge sums, so why am I stuck here cleaning up after them?”
As he handled and managed money in the billions every day, his sense of reality became twisted. His greed and ambition led him back down the path of crime.
This time, it wasn’t just small-time fraud. He committed robbery, murder, and extortion, targeting the money and lives of his own clients.
In the underworld, the ‘Black money’ card was not only a status symbol but also a currency. The higher the card’s rank, the greater the respect and recognition you received in the underworld.
But the biggest problem lay with the cards themselves.
Since the cards and accounts were created in a semi-illegal manner and the underworld was full of people hiding their identities, there was no name on the card, nor any way to prove ownership.
In other words, if someone stole your card, the money in it was effectively transferred to them.
Of course, from VIP rank onwards, the bosses managed them directly, so the situation was different. But each of those bosses was a monster, a living bomb, so one had to be careful not to offend them.
Thus, Kang Sang-hyun, “the Fox,” devised a plan.
“I’ll use my Discerning Eye to pick my prey!”
Being clever and cautious, he never acted personally.
Using his Discerning Eye, which allowed him to observe parts of a person’s stat window, he targeted people with low levels, lots of money, and little fame.
To avoid getting caught, he hired criminals who lived parasitically on the Outer Region of the Black Market, and the crimes were only committed when the targets ventured into those crime-ridden areas.
In reality, there weren’t many targets who met all these conditions.
But the money he could make from a single target was so enormous that he constantly sought new prey.
And today, he found a target that fit his criteria perfectly.
As soon as his target walked in, he activated his Discerning Eye, revealing their stat window.
『Status Window
Name: Shin Juha
Title: X
LV 0 (0%)
Status:
-Access Denied!
-Access Denied!
Remaining Points: 0
!@#$!@#$!
Access Denied!』
It was as if the person had a mental defense ability, blocking everything except for their level and name, but those two pieces of information were enough for him.
And when Shin Juha, a novice Hunter, exchanged over 5 billion won in cash, the Fox silently rejoiced.
Soon, this money would be in his hands!
As soon as Shin Juha left, the Fox excused himself, claiming he needed a break, and hurried to the bathroom to make a phone call.
“Hey, partner! Long time no see?”
“I’ve got a jackpot. A level-0 Hunter, name’s Shin Juha. Dressed in a black robe and mask. Just left Black money.”
“Oh? And the reward?”
“1 billion!”
“…….”
For a mere [F+]-grade criminal, the reward was astronomical, but the Fox didn’t mind.
He knew he had to offer that much to ensure the other party wouldn’t try anything funny. After all, trust between criminals ultimately came down to money.
“Deal. Sounds like a massive score this time.”
“Not just that, I’m paying you more than usual since it’s been a while. It’s not like he’s famous or the child of a notable Hunter, so you can toy with him and kill him if you want. He looked kind of good-looking.”
“Kekeke! I like it. I’ll leave him at the usual spot as always, partner!”
“Yeah, take care, partner.”
Click!
It was done. Soon, Shin Juha, that wretch, would die, and the 40 billion won and A-grade card would be his.
Although he’d have to pay 10 billion to the mercenary, that wasn’t much of a loss. After all, money meant trust.
“This thrill is why I can’t stop!”
The Fox smiled uncontrollably, imagining what was to come, and resumed his consultations.
Little did he know, this plan would backfire in ways he couldn’t have predicted.
**********
〚A malicious and cunning misfortune has come within reach.〛
After finishing all my business in ‘Black money’, I was heading to the Outer Region of the Black Market for my next errand when a system message suddenly popped up before my eyes.
‘What… is this?’
Why had misfortune suddenly come for me?
‘Did I make a mistake?’
No, I hadn’t. I hadn’t gotten into any fights, nor had I let anyone know that I was a newly awakened Hunter.
I racked my brain trying to figure out if I’d done something wrong, but no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with anything.
Of course, I hadn’t made any mistakes. It wasn’t like misfortune was something you could see, and how was I supposed to know that my consultation with the Fox would bring about this damned bad luck?
“Well, it’s not like I’ve been lucky before.”
But the worry remained. After all, the message clearly said my life was in danger.
While the Black Market was part of the underworld, killing someone in the middle of a store was nearly impossible.
If they wanted to kill me, they’d have to do it in the Outer Region.
I stopped in my tracks. Even with the bad luck, I had to go to the Outer Region. If I wanted to safely relocate my brother from the loan sharks and their boss, it was unavoidable.
And bad luck would inevitably find me. Even if I tried to avoid it, it would come.
This was a curse and an absolute, immutable rule of the system.
“So, the only option left is to protect myself.”
Clicking my tongue, I walked into the nearest restroom to prepare.
“Golden Tower!”
As I invoked the authority, my inventory opened, revealing endless riches and consumables.
“Items that could get me out of this situation…”
There were many. From an Invisibility Potion to a Small Magic Bomb, the options were countless.
‘But nothing too conspicuous.’
Even in this outer district, a true underworld where crime was rampant, setting off a bomb would be like shouting, “Come arrest me!”
The best option was the Invisibility Potion. However, for some reason, my eyes drifted to the very bottom of the list.
I could only take out three items. And there was only one item with exactly three left.
《-Radiant Nectar ×3》
Without any appraisal abilities, I had to rely on intuition to understand its effects.
Yet, something seemed to be pulling me towards it, as if guiding my hand. I reached for the Radiant Nectar.
‘Let’s try drinking just one first.’
〚Would you like to select the item: Radiant Nectar?〛
“Yes.”
Whoosh!
A single glass materialized from my inventory, landing gently in my hand.
I still had no idea what effect it would have, but I trusted it.
Nectar, a drink even the gods considered legendary, surely it wouldn’t harm me!
Gulp! Gulp!
Without hesitation, I downed the drink.
!!!!
It felt as though my very soul was ascending. The taste was divine, and system messages began to appear one after another.
〚You have consumed the most radiant essence among the supreme beverages even revered in myth!〛
〚A spark of possibility arises from your very core!〛
〚Authority: Heavenly Fortune aids in nurturing your most precious potential!〛
〚Congratulations!〛
〚Your unique ability: Equivalent Exchange [Core] has bloomed!〛
〚The remaining traces of the nectar are converted into stat points!〛
〚Remaining stat points: 10〛
“Holy…!”
A Core-grade ability, a tier so rare it was only found in the ancient texts of those old races from the Abyss, had appeared in my status window.
To be honest, I had speculated that the Golden Tower might be a Core-grade unique ability. But since authorities were not classified by grades, this was my first time actually seeing a Core-grade ability.
Without even fully checking my ability, I shifted my gaze.
“But I still have two more bottles left.”
An Invisibility Potion? Who needs it now?
Not only was the nectar not locked, like the Primordial Water, but it seemed almost deliberately placed to encourage growth. It felt a bit suspicious, but…
Hey, if it’s good, it’s good.
Without hesitation, I took out the remaining two glasses of nectar.
‘Wait, before I drink.’
If Heavenly Fortune could help, it also meant bad fortune could interfere.
I invested the stat points I had gained from the nectar into Heavenly Fortune, then, without further delay, drank the two glasses back-to-back.
And just as before, Heavenly Fortune, with its mythic-level power, suppressed any trace of bad luck, once again coming to my aid.
〚You have consumed the most radiant essence among the supreme beverages even revered in myth!〛
〚A spark of possibility arises from your very core!〛
〚Authority: Heavenly Fortune devours the lurking misfortune and nurtures your most precious potential!〛
〚Congratulations!〛
〚Your unique ability: Infinite Celestial Veins [Mythic] has bloomed!〛
〚Mythic-grade stat: Infinite has bloomed!〛
.
.
〚Your unique ability: Supreme Soul [Mythic] has bloomed!〛
.
.
〚The remaining traces of the nectar are converted into stat points!〛
〚Remaining stat points: 20〛
In just three drinks, I had awakened one Core-grade ability and two Mythic-grade abilities.
Not only that, but I had also unlocked a new Mythic-grade stat.
“Status Window, check the Infinite stat.”
〚Stat: Infinite
Grade: Mythic
Rank: F- (1/100)
Description: The Infinite represents the boundless, encompassing the mastery of nothingness.
Abilities:
- Contains the essence of limitless mastery over physical stats.
- As the stat increases, all talents related to martial arts improve.〛
The power of a Mythic-grade stat was overwhelming. If my previous strength was like that of a newborn baby, the strength I felt in my hands now was at least that of a well-built adult.
A single stat held the essence of four physical stats: Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Endurance, and on top of that, it enhanced martial talents.
There was no hesitation. I invested all 20 of my newly earned stat points into Infinite.
〚As your Infinite stat rapidly increases, your bones subtly undergo transformation, and your body undergoes mild rebirth!〛
〚As your body grows, ownership of the Golden Tower increases by 4%!〛
〚Current ownership: 5%〛
〚The amount of resources you can access has increased, and you can now withdraw 10 additional items.〛
Crack!
“………!!!”
I silently screamed from the sheer pain.
**************
Ten minutes later, I slowly got up, my body trembling, and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Damn, that hurt like hell.”
Though my body still ached from the pain, paradoxically, I had never felt so light or full of strength.
“This… is this what real hunters see?”
The power held by those who explore the Abyss for real, not losers like me who were stuck in the tutorial.
“No, probably not. Mythic stats aren’t just handed out like candy.”
Even among the global hunter rankings, only five people were known to possess Mythic-grade abilities, and even fewer had Mythic-grade stats.
“The number one hunter in our country has a Mythic-grade stat.”
Korea’s number one hunter, Dan Gun Ji-hyuk, also known as Dan Gun Heaven Emperor, one of the seven SS-rank hunters in the world, had a Mythic-grade stat called Heaven-Opening.
I didn’t know exactly what it did, but based on what I’d experienced with Infinite, it would surely be far beyond my imagination.
Wait…?!
Only now, after my senses expanded through Infinite, did I clearly feel the malice, hatred, and greed directed at me.
‘Those people must be my misfortune.’
The bad luck that sought my life. But now, I wasn’t afraid.
Instead, I was excited. The thrill of finally being able to use this power ignited my fighting spirit.
I reveled in their gaze as I walked deeper into the Outer Region, deliberately luring them into a deserted alley.
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