I Possess Too Many Characteristics

Chapter 22

“……So, the deeper you go into the cave, the stronger the Rock Spiders get. If you feel like you’re reaching your limit, you should cut it off somewhere in the middle.”

Sunhyeong-hyung was giving them a brief overview of the Rock Spider Cave.

Most of them had probably done their own research beforehand, but this was a process to check if there were any discrepancies with what they knew.

When Sunhyeong-hyung finished speaking, Jeonghyeon opened his mouth.

“I heard that the Boss Mob respawns here. Have you heard anything about it?”

“Ah, according to the Association, the respawn cycle passed recently. But it hasn’t been seen. The Association suspended reservations and sent a team to search inside, but they couldn’t find it. Well, it’s an unpopular Gate, so they probably took it easy.”

“Hmm……”

Jeonghyeon fell into thought.

The fact that the boss hadn’t appeared even though it was time for its cycle was definitely a strange sign.

Even if it was just a boss, it was still a giant Cave Spider.

However, even if it was just a simple difference in size in battle, the advantages that size brings couldn’t be ignored.

“Well, we won’t be going deep enough to encounter the boss anyway. Even if it’s there, we won’t run into it.”

Sunhyeong-hyung answered with a smile, but,

‘Hmm……’

Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

It was a very low possibility, but sometimes boss-level monsters would respawn as mutants.

A really low probability.

Of course, in such cases, most of them would be caught early due to their increased aggression as soon as the cycle turned.

Even though he thought it wouldn’t happen, he couldn’t shake off a lingering sense of unease.

“More importantly, Jeonghyeon-ssi.”

At Sunhyeong-hyung’s call, Jeonghyeon turned his head.

He asked with an awkward smile.

“Do you happen to know how to dismantle Rock Spiders?”

“Ah, I’ve done it a few times, but it’s been a while, so I went back and reviewed it again just in case.”

“Aha, then……?”

Sunhyeong-hyung sent a suggestive glance.

Jeonghyeon couldn’t help but guess what he meant, so he grinned and scratched the itch.

“I heard Rock Spiders go for about 80.”

“Wow! 80?”

The party members’ faces brightened immediately.

The usual reward for a Rock Spider was around 300,000 won.

The amount, which was several times higher than that of a Zombie, was also an indicator of how difficult an opponent it was.

While Sunhyeong-hyung, Jeongah, and Doyun were discussing the price, Sangsu, who had been listening with a displeased expression, spoke up as if tossing a remark.

“You said you know how to dismantle them?”

“Yes. I worked at a processing plant before becoming a Hunter.”

It wasn’t a secret, so Jeonghyeon answered without hesitation.

In fact, how else could he explain his dismantling skills?

But Sangsu, as if he had found a fault, smirked, tilting one corner of his mouth.

“Ah, I see. You worked at a processing plant. Must have been tough.”

Again, it wasn’t hard to guess his intentions.

Jeonghyeon didn’t react much and just watched Sangsu quietly.

He didn’t stop the taunting he had started.

“Hyung had a reason for calling an F-Rank Hunter-nim.”

“Hey, what are you saying like that?”

Jeongah immediately rebuked Sangsu, hitting his shoulder.

He stared at her intently but didn’t add anything, instead, he snorted.

“Jeonghyeon-ssi, that guy didn’t mean it in a bad way━”

“Ah, of course. I know.”

Jeonghyeon gave a genuine smile.

It seemed like he was trying to make a harsh mockery, but it was far from affecting Jeonghyeon.

Looking down on working at a processing plant?

He had already endured enough of that in society.

Knowing that clearly, and being in the same boat themselves, the processing plant workers cared for him even more.

Scoffing at being an F-Rank Hunter?

If he was a truly insecure Hunter, he might have been offended, but if he had confidence in his skills, there was no way he would fall for such cheap provocation.

Moreover, Jeonghyeon had an EX-Rank trait that no one knew about.

Technically speaking, Jeonghyeon now also had a D-Rank trait, just like Sangsu.

It was just cute.

‘Well, it’s not like I don’t understand why he’s acting like that.’

He had just joined the giant guild Jeongjin, and his attitude softened whenever Jeongah intervened.

Only a fool wouldn’t be able to guess.

However,

‘That’s that, but he needs to pay the price for poking at me.’

Understanding and letting it slide were two different things.

Just as Sangsu was thinking of ways to tease Jeonghyeon inside the Gate, Jeonghyeon wasn’t planning on treating him kindly either.

“By the way, Jeongah-ssi, Sangsu-ssi.”

“Yes?”

When Jeonghyeon seemingly let it slide, Sunhyeong-hyung breathed a sigh of relief.

And the two people called by Jeonghyeon focused their attention on him.

Their attitudes were almost the opposite, though.

Regardless, Jeonghyeon said what he had to say.

“Could you aim for the Rock Spider’s forehead or its third leg? Either left or right is fine.”

“The third leg?”

Jeongah asked, puzzled by the sudden remark.

Jeonghyeon recalled his visit to the processing plant on the day he received Sunhyeong-hyung’s call.

Jeonghyeon’s processing plant didn’t handle Rock Spiders often, so he had visited another plant introduced by his work team leader.

“Are you Jeonghyeon? I got a call from Daeyong! A processing plant worker becoming a Hunter, I’m so proud!”

Were all processing plant workers similar in personality?

Jeonghyeon felt a sense of deja vu at the cheerful laughter and the way he was welcomed with a pat on the back.

Indeed, one couldn’t last long in a processing plant without a strong mentality.

“It’s nothing much, just a low-rank Hunter. Thank you. Ah, is that a Rock Spider?”

“That’s right. Take a good look.”

‘Ugh, it really is hideous.’

Jeonghyeon, who prided himself on having developed a tolerance for most monsters, found the Rock Spider in person truly horrifying.

He naturally understood why Hunters hated dealing with them so much.

It was called a Rock Spider because its body was basically as hard as a rock, but one shouldn’t imagine a smooth, rock-like surface.

The dark purple shell, almost black, glistened with a sticky mucus that emitted a strange odor.

Moreover, it had a body with irregular bumps and protrusions, covered in large and small holes.

Its face had ten baseball-sized eyes, and its eight legs, also riddled with holes, ended in sharp, blade-like feet.

Even when a few had come to Jeonghyeon’s processing plant in the past, he was still a newbie then and had only watched from afar.

When he hesitated, unable to approach easily, the work team leader who had greeted him laughed loudly.

“Ehahaha, it is a bit creepy, isn’t it? But you’ll find it cute if you keep looking at it. Come here.”

‘How is that cute?’

It was an absurd statement, but Jeonghyeon followed him and began to learn about the Rock Spider’s characteristics.

Fortunately, the work team leader, having handled Rock Spiders for a long time, shared a lot of information.

“What weapon do you use?”

“A mace and…… daggers.”

“Oh, well, a mace is a good match in terms of attributes. If you swing it hard, you might be able to crush its face, even if you can’t damage its body.”

He then pointed out the area where the shell was thinnest on the face.

It was the inverted T-shaped area formed by the line descending between the eyes arranged on both sides and the hard pincer jaw located above the mouth.

“Of course, that’s if you can hit it while avoiding the front legs and mouth! Ehahaha!”

It was a weak point that made you want to say,”Easier said than done.”

Still, he said that’s where they started when dismantling them.

It was a weak enough part that even a work knife could penetrate it with enough force.

And,

“This is really high-level information……”

He had suddenly lowered his voice and shared one more thing with a serious tone.

It was the third leg that Jeonghyeon had mentioned.

Jeonghyeon explained, looking at Jeongah, who was still looking at him with a curious expression, and Sangsu, who was pretending not to care but glancing at him from time to time.

“If you strike the third leg, it’s easier to flip the spider over. The legs spread out.”

“What? There’s such a thing?”

The Rock Spider’s nerves gathered near the third leg and spread to other legs.

When it received a shock there, the other legs reflexively stiffened, and if you made good use of the imbalance created at that moment, you could flip the spider over.

As with insect-type monsters, once flipped over, the battle became easy.

Even if they couldn’t flip it over, it was much easier to inflict damage on that area compared to other parts.

Even though Sunhyeong-hyung’s party had hunted Rock Spiders a few times, it was their first time hearing this information, so they all looked surprised.

“Sunhyeong-ssi, if you see an opportunity, slam its third leg with your shield.”

When Jeonghyeon said that with a smile, Sunhyeong-hyung replied, patting his chest and saying he understood.

Nothing boosted confidence like knowing your opponent’s weakness.

“Now, let’s head in!”

“Okay!”

◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈

‘Rock Spider Cave’.

It was a Gate considered suitable for E-Rank to D-Rank parties to hunt in, but……

Due to the instinctive fear that spiders instilled and their characteristic of approaching without distinguishing between walls and ceilings, accidents were frequent, giving it a bad reputation.

The main cave continued for a long time without any lighting, and the walls were dotted with small holes that spiders actually used for surprise attacks.

It exuded a much more dangerous feeling than the corridor, which at least resembled a man-made structure and only had a gloomy atmosphere.

“But do you often visit places like this?”

Jeonghyeon voiced the question he had been wondering about since he heard they were entering the Rock Spider Cave.

He had assumed it was because the reservations were full before, but this time it was an unpopular Gate again.

He wondered if they were actually seeking out such Gates despite saying they disliked them.

However, Sunhyeong-hyung shook his head and vehemently denied it.

“No, we want to go to normal Gates too. Places with Goblins or Orcs, they’re bright and have good air.”

Moreover, Jeongah, who was weak to this kind of atmosphere, shuddered, just like last time.

“Ugh, this is all because Sunhyeong-oppa is lazy. I told him to make reservations in advance!”

Jeonghyeon chuckled after hearing Jeongah’s words.

Indeed, in the case of regular parties, if they didn’t make reservations as soon as they opened, popular Gates would quickly fill up.

‘Come to think of it, Jucheol’s side was really dedicated.’

To prepare a Goblin Gate to hunt newbies, what effort that was.

And Sangsu tried to subtly appeal to Jeongah in the midst of it all.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Our guild can make reservations for up to Level 2 Gates even with a regular party.”

Sangsu’s words weren’t wrong.

The Association operated separate reservation systems for regular parties and guilds.

Regular party reservations were on a first-come, first-served basis, while guild reservations were made through consultations between guilds.

‘But things in the world don’t always go according to the rules.’

Jeongjin could easily pull out an E-Rank Gate reservation from the regular party system.

It wasn’t entirely legal, but there were unspoken rules and deals in every industry.

If they offered enough compensation or alternative Gate reservation slots, regular Hunters wouldn’t need to refuse, risking confrontation with the guild.

That’s why the competition to join influential guilds was so fierce in the first place.

“Hey, anyone listening would think you’re at least a team leader or something. Just take care of yourself. You only joined a few days ago.”

Sangsu had tried to show off for nothing.

He seemed like a rather cute guy, as long as he didn’t needlessly pick fights with Jeonghyeon.

While listening to their conversation, Jeonghyeon briefly had another thought.

It was because of Sangsu’s mention of joining Jeongjin.

‘I’ll have to join a guild someday too.’

Joining a guild was on a different level than registering as a Hunter.

It was a relationship based on a contract, so the basic principle was that the Hunter would fully disclose their abilities and the guild would provide support accordingly.

But which guild would believe Jeonghyeon’s trait, which allowed him to freely switch traits and even possess multiple traits simultaneously?

Even the absurd trait that increased in rank as he spent more coins?

Even if there was such a guild, with his current skill level that had barely reached D-Rank, he could be exploited and discarded without knowing how.

‘I guess I need to improve my skills a bit more.’

However, working independently was only a matter of time; he couldn’t remain as an individual forever.

Even if he continued as a freelancer like this, the level of the Gates would have to be adjusted upwards as Jeonghyeon’s level increased.

As the Gate rank increased, the number of free party slots decreased sharply, so for the sake of growth, he would have to join somewhere, whether it was the Association or a guild.

It wasn’t a question that could be answered immediately.

Just then, Jeonghyeon’s senses caught the presence of something approaching them.

“They’re coming.”

“Yes?”

The party members looked bewildered, as if wondering what was coming.

‘Oh no.’

Jeonghyeon inwardly realized his mistake.

With the combination of E-Rank Battle Sense and Physical Enhancement, Jeonghyeon possessed unmatched senses within this Gate.

However, on the surface, he was an F-Rank Hunter.

He should have alerted them just before they could sense it, but he had been lost in thought and spoken too soon.

“The sound echoes in this cave. Don’t you hear the rustling sound?”

“……?”

“……Combat ready!”

In the end, Jeonghyeon had to awkwardly call out for combat readiness.

He vowed to be more careful and conceal his abilities next time.

‘This is tiring in its own way.’