Chapter 22. Gold, Sense, Source
“Are... are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Kim Suho had almost become Icarus—not by wings, but by a spring-loaded bed.
After accepting the female Hunter’s apology, Suho sat down, stood up, and rolled his arm in a circle to check his body’s condition.
His muscles seemed a bit shocked from the unexpected launch, but nothing he couldn't handle.
He looked at the flustered female Hunter standing awkwardly in front of him, still feeling guilty.
She was wearing high-grade gear, and the emblem on her chest indicated she was affiliated with a guild. Judging by the mana she had and the bounce of the airbed, he guessed she was around level 35.
“I-I’m really sorry,” she said again.
To break the awkwardness, Suho gave her a faint smile and spoke.
“Sarangi.”
“…Sorry?”
“Charming, Soma, Gunma—summon.”
“…?”
While the female Hunter tilted her head in confusion, a magic circle appeared suddenly, and a bunch of summons dropped out of it.
Shwoop. Thud.
“Meow!”
Landing on Suho’s head was Sarangi, who raised her chin and looked down at the female Hunter with smug authority.
“A... cat?”
“Meow.”
Sarangi raised her paw in greeting. The Hunter’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“Maah!”
The woman turned her gaze toward Suho’s shoulder—where a cute little plant creature was perched.
“W-Wow…”
“This is Sarangi. In order—Soma, Charming, and Gunma.”
“Their names are... really cute.”
“They’re not just cute in name. Their entire existence is adorable.”
As the woman nodded in agreement, Suho extended a hand to his shoulder. The small demon kids leapt off and landed in his palm.
“Would you like to play with them?”
“C-Can I?”
“Of course.”
“Th-thank you!”
One by one, the summons moved from Suho’s hand to hers.
“Maah!”
Charming raised both arms in joy, thrilled to meet a new friend.
“So... so cute!”
Suho had made a dramatic entrance, and naturally, the attention turned to him and the female Hunter who had made the earlier mistake.
“That guy…”
“Isn’t he a bit too cool to be an 'ahjussi'...?”
Because Suho had so many younger siblings, he was more used to being called "oppa" than "ahjussi." And to be fair, he did look more like an oppa than a middle-aged man.
As he turned his head, he saw a young girl—probably a high schooler—staring at him with sparkling eyes.
“I want to play with them too!”
“You’re a student.”
“I’m a Hunter!”
“Wait, did you drop out?”
“Yeah.”
“You should at least get a diploma.”
“I passed the GED.”
“Alright, so you want my permission to play with them?”
“Yes!”
“Go ahead.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“Yesss!”
The teenage Hunter ran off with a bright smile to join the others playing with the demon kids.
That was the start.
Other Hunters, bored from waiting without orders, started approaching Suho as well.
Suho sent the oncoming group toward his summons. Sarangi leapt gracefully from his head and strutted around with a regal air.
“Oh, right.”
When he took down one Poison orc, there was a system message he didn’t get to read because three more had rushed him.
Name: Kim Suho Level: 22 Skills: Undead (D), Demonkind (D), GoldSenseSource (F)
“Huh? Why the hell is there a human agency in my skills?”
"금감원" (Geumgamwon)—short for the Korean Financial Supervisory Service.
By this point, Suho had become skeptical about every new skill he acquired.
“Check skill: GoldSenseSource.”
Name: GoldSenseSource Grade: F Description: Allows summoning of GoldSenseSource.
The description was short and vague. It had no summon list, like his Undead skill. Different from the Demonkind skill.
“What even is this?”
Muttering to himself, Suho closed the skill window and drew up his mana.
“Summon: GoldSenseSource.”
He felt like a criminal just saying the name.
Vwoooom.
A summoning circle appeared above his head.
The Hunters nearby turned their heads toward the magic circle, hoping to see another adorable creature emerge like last time.
Some were curious. Some smiled in amusement.
And then… it appeared.
“Whoa!”
Suho hurriedly reached out both arms and caught the falling creature.
Squeak.
“…Are you a summon that manages money?”
Squeak! Squeak!
A baby monkey, nestled in Suho’s arms, smiled up at him with a bright innocent face.
“Status window: GoldSenseSource.”
Name: Not yet designated Species: GoldSenseSource Rank: None Skill: Master of Metal (F)
Suho quickly checked the species description.
Species: GoldSenseSource Description: A type of monkey that lives deep in the “Metal Caverns.” Some of these monkeys, born near mines rich in mana-absorbed high-grade minerals, awaken the ability to control metal. These monkeys are known as GoldSenseSources—'Gold (금), Cavern (嵌), Monkey (猿).’
“…So that’s what you are.”
Squeak squeak!
“Let’s name you… Ogong.”
Squeak! Squeak!
The appearance of a new summon drew everyone’s interest.
‘Well, to them, Sarangi and Ogong are both new.’
To the Hunters who had come to the orc Forest, every one of Suho’s summons was completely unknown.
“Sarangi! Come to me! Come to big sis!”
“I brought Churu for you, Sarangi!”
Hearing the word "Churu," Sarangi bounded over to the Hunter holding the treat.
“My Sarangi!”
“Huh? My?”
Suho turned his head and burst into laughter at the sight of a Hunter pressing her face lovingly into Sarangi’s fur.
“Maah! Maah!”
Charming was running around joyfully, with Soma and other Hunters chasing after her.
Suho figured Charming just loved to run.
Then he scanned the area to find his third demonkind summon—Gunma.
“Maah maah maah! Ma! Ma!”
Gunma was putting on a flashy magic performance for the crowd.
Then Suho turned to check on Ogong.
“So… so cute…”
“I want to poke its cheeks…”
“I just want to pet him…”
Ogong was asleep in a female Hunter’s arms, like a baby being held by its mother. The tiny monkey had already stolen hearts.
“Hmph.”
Without thinking, Suho muttered,
“The summoner gets no love, but the summons are all the rage.”
“Hehe.”
He heard someone chuckle behind him.
Turning around, Suho smiled awkwardly.
“S-sorry.”
“No, not at all.”
“I’m Kim Hwarang from the Hunter Association. I’m leading this orc extermination operation on the Association’s behalf.”
“Kim Suho. I’m an unaffiliated Hunter.”
“I wanted to check if you'd be willing to participate, and share any information you might have.”
He meant the upcoming orc raid.
“I’ll join the operation.”
“Great. Then may I ask what you know about Poison orcs?”
“Do we need to move somewhere private?”
“No need.”
Hwarang shook his head and handed Suho a smartphone.
1. Name (Tentative): Orc Legion 2. Total Force: 850 - 2-1. Poison orcs: 476 - 2-2. Others: 374 (excluding rider wolves, numbers still increasing) 3. Evolved Monsters: 151 - 3-1. Orc Warriors: 100 - 3-2. Orc Magicians: 50 - 3-3. Orc Commander: 1
Suho scrolled down. The list included names, levels, and traits of the monsters inside the gate.
“Anything incorrect?”
“Nope. But I do have something to add.”
Suho nodded and shared what he knew.
“There’s a scout unit.”
“Scout unit?”
“Yes. A small group moves ahead of the main force to scan the area.”
“Ah…”
When Suho last checked, he had just escaped from rider wolves after defeating a Poison orc.
“Then… the first five Poison orcs you encountered?”
“Yes. I think they were part of the scout unit.”
“Then traps are useless.”
If the scouts move ahead, it’s unlikely the main force will fall into traps.
“Thanks for the info. I’ll contact you after the meeting.”
30 minutes later.
After getting Suho’s intel, Kim Hwarang called back national and guild representatives to revise their plans.
“The Orc Legion deploys scouts to survey ahead. So, here’s what we’ll do: All Hunters will engage and eliminate the scouts before they can report. If we fail, the scouts will rejoin the legion, report to the commander, and the enemy will adjust strategy. This cannot happen.”
Conditions:
Level 35+ Hunters: Teams of 6 to handle scout units.
Level 15–34 Hunters: Stay behind and set traps, barricades, and prepare for combat.
Since Poison orc data had now been shared, no one complained.
“Alright, let’s—”
RUMBLE!
Just as Kim Hwarang began recruiting parties, the ground shook.
But moments before, there had been a noticeable mana shift—not from monsters, but pure, natural mana.
“…Hmm?”
He turned and spotted Suho crouching on the ground, Ogong in his arms, hands glowing gold and waving about.
“Hunter Kim Suho?”
Skill: Master of Metal Grade: F Effect: Can freely control metal.
Suho double-checked Ogong’s skill.
Squeak… squeak…
“Hmm? You awake?”
Squeak.
Ogong smiled like a baby, and Suho couldn’t help but grin.
‘Freely control metal, huh?’
Deep in thought, Suho called to him.
“Ogong.”
Squeak?
“Can you… make a gold bar?”
Squeak?
WHAP!
Sarangi, clearly fed up, swatted Suho on the back of the head.
“Meow meow. Squeak.”
“Meow meow squeak.”
After Sarangi explained, Ogong’s eyes sparkled as he looked up and stretched out both hands.
He waved them grandly, and—
Squeak.
—an impure metal chest erupted from the ground.
“...That’s steel.”
“Where’s the gold?”
WHAP!
Sarangi smacked him again.
“But Sarangi, the skill is Master of Metal, not Master of Gold. I’m just checking what metals he can control.”
Kyarururur.
'Still… you greedy bastard.'
“…Do you think Ogong knows what mithril is? Orichalcum? Adamantium?”
He had a point. But Sarangi hit him again anyway.
Grrrr...
'Then why did you hesitate, huh?'
“Okay, fine. Not gonna lie—I did get a little excited. But if a summon with a ‘Churu Master’ skill joins our family, are you seriously saying you wouldn’t ask for favors?”
WHAP!
Sarangi sighed, then went back to talk with Ogong.
Squeak!
Understanding the request, Ogong borrowed Suho’s mana and used his skill.
RUMBLE!
Another tremor.
Squeak!
From the ground rose a sparkling gold chest.
“Whoa…”
It had lots of impurities—but it was gold.
“Maybe… I should quit being a Hunter.”
Suho muttered as he reached for the box, hands trembling.
“…Hunter Kim Suho?”
“….”
He turned around and saw Kim Hwarang standing behind him.
“I wasn’t smuggling.”
“…What?”
“This gold was obtained during gate activity. It’s not smuggling—it’s loot.”
“…What are you even talking about?”
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