The Broker

Mister Lee had some relationship with Ji-woo. So, after he heard the seriousness when Ji-woo asked for help, he came without hesitation. And even though he didn't know the context either.

When Mister Lee arrived, Ji-woo brought him to met with Dong-hyun.

Dong-hyun stopped his training and greeted Mister Lee politely.

"Are you an independent hunter or a member of a guild, Dong-hyun~si?"

"I am a member of the Demigod guild, Mister Lee. Also, Mister Lee can drop the formalities with me. Since you are an acquaintance of Ji-woo Hyung."

Mister Lee was startled hearing the name of the Demigod guild. He then threw a confused look at Ji-woo. He hoped for an explanation about the current situation of how both Dong-hyun and Ji-woo could know each other.

"I have become a hunter now, Mister Lee. And I am part of the Demigod guild too."

"Wow! I didn't expect that, and congratulations to you, Ji-woo~si.

"Demigod is one of the top 3 guilds in South Korea. You are lucky to be able to enter such an amazing place. You can grow stronger in no time later."

Dong-hyun chimed in the middle of Ji-woo and Mister Lee's conversation. "Well, Ji-woo Hyung is already strong. Even C-rank or B-rank is no match for him anymore."

"Huh!? Wow!"

Mister Lee was flabbergasted hearing Dong-hyun's words. Most of the hunters, when they received Mana Blessing was always started from a low rank. It was a rare case if they had an abundant Mana from the get-go.

Ji-woo was not happy with the speech and told Mister Lee to go first to talk about their matter elsewhere.

"It's nothing, Mister Lee. He's just exaggerating. Shall we find a place to sit down and talk further?"

Mister Lee nodded and left them. After all, his purpose in coming was to help Ji-woo. About Ji-woo being a hunter could be asked later on.

Ji-woo followed behind while saying a few words to Dong-hyun with his icy gaze and natural placid expression.

"Keep doing what you were doing before. Also, don't open your mouth carelessly if it's not necessary."

Dong-hyun gulped and bowed. "Y-Yes, hyung~nim!" He looked at the back of Ji-woo that left him alone on the spot. And he then continued his training in earnest.

A bit far from Dong-hyun's place. Mister Lee sat down on the bench and began to ask. "What's wrong? There seems to be a serious problem when you called me."

Ji-woo expressed his intention. He wanted to buy the Portal Gate in order to make a lot of money. And he wondered if Mister Lee could help him with it.

It was because the Hunters Association would not allow any individual to purchase a Portal Gate. But, that doesn't hinder any broker from existing. The broker was able to manage the Portal Gate from the hands of the guild or even the Hunters Association itself without their knowledge.

The guilds sometimes couldn't clear all the Portal Gates they had already bought. Either they didn't have enough hunters left to hunt in the dungeon. Or they were worried that the Portal Gate might turn into a Red Gate if it wasn't closed as soon as possible.

At the Hunter's Association. Sometimes, there were people who wanted personal gain. And they were able to bribe the staff managing the Portal Gate's data to manipulate it so it wouldn't get discovered. The number of Portal Gates was reduced or not. No one noticed. Because every day, there were always one or two Portal Gates that appeared.

At first, Mister Lee offered to lend Ji-woo some money if he needed it urgently. However, the idea got politely rejected by Ji-woo. He contemplated it for a moment and gave Ji-woo an answer.

"I have someone I know as a broker. Anyway, you should know what it means to buy from a broker, isn't it Ji-woo~si? You only have one day to close the Portal Gate immediately after buying. It is to eliminate any trace of illegal transactions. A Portal Gate that is gone would not attract the attention of the Hunters Association."

Ji-woo just nodded, indicated he knew and understood all of the terms.

Meanwhile, Mister Lee sighed. He doesn't know how Ji-woo would close it later. But, he remembered that Ji-woo and Dong-hyun were from the Demigod guild. Mister Lee felt reassured about it. He took his phone and dialed the number with Jee Seok-jin's name on it. A 40-year-old man who had four years of experience as a broker and also had connections everywhere. Jee Seok-jin was Mister Lee's old friend from the same hometown.

In fact, Mister Lee wrongly guessed that Ji-woo would use the Demigod guild to help him close the Portal Gate. It was Ji-woo's plan all along, and he had to carry it out himself.

Mister Lee, who was still on the phone, shifted his face and spoke to Ji-woo. "There is currently one Portal Gate available. In Gongju City, about 3 hours from here. A tier-2 Portal Gate priced at 30 million won. It's cheap since the construction for the gatekeepers hasn't started yet."

Ji-woo was silent for a few seconds and answered. "Can I pay less than that? In exchange, I will pay more when the Portal Gate closes. And the goods from the dungeon are sold too."

Mister Lee hung up after talking to his friend for a bit.

"Sure. Just transfer the money."

Ji-woo was surprised by the quick response. Then Mister Lee informed that the broker was his friend. So, Mister Lee was the guarantee for that transaction.

"Is there anything else?"

"Ah, right. Does Mister Lee know how to find hunters with unique abilities? The low ranking ones are fine too."

Mister Lee tilted his head at the request. This time he was really confused with Ji-woo.

What was the purpose of Ji-woo needed something like that? Was he planned to build a guild and invite those hunters?

"What's for?"

"Just."

Mister Lee took a deep breath. He didn't want to force his curiosity. "I gave you the broker's contact. He knows about that sort of thing too. You can contact him later, or I can introduce you two later after the Portal Gate get closed."

"Thank you, Mister Lee." Ji-woo lowered his head. He was glad Mister Lee could help him. His plan finally started to run smoothly.

"Alright, now that's over. I will go back first. See you again after the Portal Gate closes."

Mister Lee parted ways after finishing the discussion. And Ji-woo returned to Dong-hyun's place afterward. He saw that Dong-hyun was tired from overusing his Mana Presence.

Dong-hyun, who lay on the ground with his dim eyes, took out Magic Crystals from his trouser pocket. He wanted to utilize it to replenish his Mana.

However, it got stopped by Ji-woo before Dong-hyun could use it.

"If you want to refill your Mana with those things. Your training will get wasted. It will also take up a lot of your time."

"But, if not with these Magic Crystals. It will take longer than when I used it."

"I can teach you how to exploit those things efficiently for your own benefit."

Dong-hyun's eyes brightened after previously dimming when he heard something interesting. Like children were waiting for something good and knew it would come soon. He kept nodding his head, urging Ji-woo to teach him.

Ji-woo told Dong-hyun not to felt it directly with his hands. And instead, put one Magic Crystal some distance away from him. Next, Dong-hyun sat on the ground and began to meditate. He needed to absorb the Mana from the Magic Crystal little by little.

It would force Dong-hyun to stimulate his body to adapt to Mana more quickly. It also wouldn't waste a single Magic Crystal in one go.

Yet, after a few minutes, Dong-hyun quickly gave up and complained about the method to restore his Mana.

"I can't do it. It's impossible! How can I make that thing give out Mana to my body without being held!?"

Plak!

"Ouch!"

Ji-woo came closer and hit Dong-hyun's head.

"Don't let your mind wander. Remember the sensation of Mana flowing around your body when you cast a magic spell or when you sense the Mana of another hunter. Then memorize that trait perfectly. After that, it will be easier from there."

Dong-hyun grumbled while rubbing his head. "Easier said than done. Hyung is strong. So, it's not hard for you to do that. Also, if my head keeps getting hit, I will become a fool."

Ji-woo frowned and made a hand gesture that implied he wanted to hit Dong-hyun again.

Dong-hyun instantly made a hand stop motion to prevent Ji-woo from doing so.

"Wait! Wait! Don't! Hyung, please! Mercy on me.

"I do it. I will do it!"

Dong-hyun started focusing his mind. He slowly restored his Mana along with the rhythm of his breathing with sweat all over his forehead.

Ji-woo also saw Mana surrounding Dong-hyun's entire body. A bright blue light emanated from it. He smiled and felt it was worth teaching Dong-hyun a bit of his knowledge about Mana from the Magical world.

Slowly but surely, 2 hours had passed. And Dong-hyun was fully recovering. Even though he was not a genius, he was still not a bad student at all.

"Amazing!"