Trait Hoarder – Chapter 78

Tiger Hunt — Part 3

Thud.

The Mountain King collapsed.

A creature about the size of a rhinoceros.

Weighing close to 1.5 tons.

When that massive body fell, the ground shook for a moment.

“Phew!”

I exhaled, finally able to release the tension.

The Mountain King was not an easy opponent, even for me.

If I hadn’t known its patterns, if I hadn’t acted exactly as I would in the game, this fight might have been a lot harder.

I picked up my holy sword, which I’d tossed aside to wield the sniper rifle.

There was a tingling sensation lingering in my fingertips.

The scene from earlier replayed in my mind.

The Mountain King charging at me.

Sliding under its paw with my shield, then driving in a pinpoint strike—the sensation of that moment!

Acquired the trait: [Counter].

This joins the basic combat traits, alongside Smash, Chain Attack, Defense, and Evasion.

Up until now, I’d mostly been on the offense without delivering a clean counterattack, so it took me this long to acquire it.

It made me realize how much more experienced I’d become in combat.

“What to do…”

I looked at the Mountain King’s corpse and pondered for a moment.

Should I just take the heart?

Or bring the whole body?

What am I even debating here?

This isn’t just any ordinary Horned Tiger—it’s the Mountain King. The Mountain King.

Every part of a Horned Tiger’s body, not just its heart, is considered a rare magical ingredient.

Its blood, marrow, organs, claws, bones, muscles, hide, sensory organs—nothing goes to waste.

Even on the low end, it would be worth several billion won.

Leaving this behind would be unthinkable.

‘I’ll take it all.’

The issue is the weight limit.

Can the SUV handle it?

Well, I’ll just have to trust magi-tech.

These vehicles are sturdier and more powerful than cars from the original world.

I approached the Mountain King’s body.

Gripping it tightly, I tried to lift it onto the SUV.

But it was much heavier than I expected.

Despite putting all my strength into it, the corpse barely budged.

“Wow… what is this?”

Even a Superhuman isn’t invincible.

This thing weighs nearly a ton.

Considering that the world record for a deadlift in the original world was 505 kilograms, just imagine how strong you’d have to be to lift a one-ton corpse.

To load this whole thing onto the car, I’d need a crane.

Or I’d have to cut it into pieces.

The standard method would be to cut it up and stack the pieces neatly, but that felt like a blow to my pride.

Plus, this was the car Manager Choi gave me, and I didn’t want to cover it in blood.

Spitting into both palms, I braced myself.

I focused my strength into my core and stood in front of the body again.

[Strength], [Mighty Strength], [Toughness]

[Einherjar Cultivation Technique], [Mana Core], [Deep Breath]

Let’s see if it can resist this.

I squatted down, gripping the Mountain King’s body as if preparing for a deadlift.

“Hoof, hooof…”

Long, deep breaths.

The metallic scent filled my lungs as I inhaled deeply.

My chest expanded, growing broad.

My protective suit began to glow, amplifying my physique.

My belt sparkled, concentrating mana into a single point.

And then—release.

With a single explosive breath, I hoisted the Mountain King’s corpse.

“Argh!”

It lifted!

The massive bulk, the heavy slab of meat rose into the air, almost defying gravity!

I felt a powerful surge of mana release, accompanied by a rush of exhilaration.

[Mana Amplification] trait activated.

The thrill lasted only a moment.

Practically throwing it, I managed to heave the Mountain King’s body onto the SUV.

It looked a bit ridiculous.

The Mountain King was so large that its legs hung limply out the windows, and its tail was dragging along the ground.

“Maybe I should’ve brought a driver…”

Doing all this grunt work on my own was annoying.

I took out the ropes I’d prepared and tightly secured the Mountain King’s body to the SUV’s roof rack.

I gave the SUV a little shake to test it; it was holding up, albeit barely.

Getting it all the way to Seoul might be a stretch, but I should be able to make it to Cheorwon City-State.

Vroom!

I set off.

The car moved sluggishly under the weight, but it was still running fine.

Following the route I’d taken to get here, I drove southwest, heading toward where Cheorwon Town would be in the original world.

“Caaaw!”

“Screeeech!”

“Bark! Bark! Bark!”

Was it because I had the Mountain King’s corpse tied to the car?

Just by driving, I was sending magical creatures scattering in fear.

It was like witnessing Moses parting the Red Sea.

I spotted some valuable magical creatures along the way, making me salivate.

If they weren’t protected species, I wouldn’t mind taking down a few.

If I weren’t transporting the Mountain King’s body, I might have hunted a couple of them just for pocket money.

“Stop! Stop!”

As I left the hunting grounds, I reached a checkpoint.

Eastern Army soldiers rushed out to block my path.

They gaped at the Mountain King’s corpse in shock before asking me,

“What is this? It looks like a Horned Tiger, but why is it so big?”

“It’s the Mountain King.”

“The Mountain King!”

“The real Mountain King?”

“Lieutenant, judging by the size, it must be.”

“Yeah, only the Mountain King could be this big. Wow, how did you manage to take down the Mountain King? I heard that thing’s so smart it can dodge sniper shots.”

“I got lucky. If I hadn’t heard it sneaking up on me, I would’ve been the one getting hunted.”

“Wow…”

The checkpoint officer, an Eastern Army lieutenant who looked to be at least Level 3, hadn’t even glanced at me when I left for the wilds.

But seeing the Mountain King’s corpse, he rushed over, awestruck.

He kept looking back and forth between me and the Mountain King’s body before finally pulling out his smartphone.

“That’s incredible. You took it down alone?”

“Yes, I hunted it by myself.”

“The Mountain King has eluded even the top-ranked hunters from the Association… Haha, well then, I just need to complete a quick procedure. Could you show me your permit? The Horned Tiger is a Class 1 protected species, so you need a permit to hunt it.”

“Here it is.”

“Level 3 warrior-class Superhuman, Warrior Kim… huh? The permit was issued today? And it was registered today too? Don’t tell me, is this your first hunt?”

“It’s my first hunt here, yes.”

“I figured as much. You’re clearly not a total beginner, but… still, that’s impressive. Your first hunt here, and it’s the Mountain King.”

The lieutenant shook his head in disbelief.

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of you. Um, pardon me, but could I take a photo with you? If I say the Mountain King was taken down, none of my buddies will believe me.”

“Go ahead.”

We took a photo with the Mountain King’s body on the SUV as the backdrop.

One with the lieutenant, and a few with the other soldiers.

The lieutenant and his men were all smiles.

“I’ve never seen one this big during my service!”

“Same here, and I’ve been here for over five years.”

“This is gonna blow up if we post it on social media.”

“What, so you can pretend you took it down? Tone down the bragging, you punk.”

“Isn’t that what social media is for?”

I passed through the checkpoint.

Beyond it was Cheorwon City-State territory.

Finally, I was driving on smooth, paved roads.

Thud, thud.

Maybe it was the 1.5-ton weight pressing down, but the SUV shook violently.

At last, I reached the heart of Cheorwon City-State.

All eyes turned toward me.

A couple stepping out of a café with coffees in hand froze in place.

The guy, who’d been laughing while looking at his girlfriend, turned to look at me and went stiff.

Thunk! His coffee fell, the lid popping off as it exploded like a geyser.

“Oppa! Why did you—oh my…?”

The girl was no different.

Upon seeing the Mountain King’s body, she froze and dropped her coffee too.

Others reacted similarly.

A woman crossing the street stopped in her tracks, gawking.

An old man, squatting down to rest, blinked, then took off his glasses, put them back on, and stared in shock.

Kids jumping up and down, shouting, “Tiger! It’s a tiger!”

A middle-aged man stood with his mouth hanging open wide enough for a fly to fly in.

Even dogs on their walks cowered, tail between their legs, some even peeing themselves in fear.

It felt like the entire population of Cheorwon, every living thing, was watching me.

Vroom!

The SUV sputtered out black smoke as I turned onto Exchange Street.

True to its reputation as Korea’s largest monster-hunting market, the street was lined with huge exchange centers.

“Whoa!”

Hunters chatting by the roadside gasped when they saw the Mountain King’s body.

“Isn’t that the Mountain King? Hey, aren’t you the guy I saw a few hours ago?”

The hunters who had warned me about the Mountain King while tending to their injured companion between the trees had gathered around.

I nodded politely at them.

“Yes. How’s the injured person doing?”

“They’re up and about. They got treated by a Priest from the Association. But… weren’t you alone, Hunter? Did you really take down the Mountain King all by yourself?”

“I got lucky.”

“Hah…”

The hunters looked at me in amazement.

“Luck doesn’t really count in monster hunting. It’s all skill and capability.”

“Thank you.”

“Director Kang is going to be so jealous he’ll lose his mind. He’s been going on and on about how he’d be the one to take down the Mountain King.”

Director Kang?

Was there a Director Kang in the Hunters’ Association?

I remember that the chairman’s last name is Kang, but I don’t recall the directors.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

Then I started untying the ropes and spread out a tarp on the ground.

“Hunter! Are you planning to sell that carcass?”

“If you are, would you consider selling it to our exchange?”

“No, no! Sell it to our exchange!”

The exchange managers, catching on to the situation, rushed over like lightning.

I do plan to sell it, but not right now.

I activated my traits again and lifted the Mountain King’s body.

“Ungh!”

Even with the Mana Amplification trait, it was still heavy.

Thud!

When I dropped the Mountain King’s body, the ground shook with a deep, muffled sound.

A cloud of dust rose around us.

Silence fell.

The onlookers who had been chattering noisily, the exchange managers who’d been shouting at me to sell, and the hunters who’d been whispering to each other all closed their mouths and stared at me.

“Wow, Hunter…”

One of the hunters who had been speaking with me gave a wry smile.

“I already figured you were no ordinary person after seeing you take down the Mountain King, but… did you really load that onto the SUV by yourself?”

“Of course.”

“I thought you used some sort of artifact… You should be an officer in the Eastern Army, not just a hunter.”

I pulled a butchering knife out of my golf bag.

As I brought the knife to the Mountain King’s chest, the hunters looked alarmed.

“Wait, wait, hold on!”

“You’re going to butcher it here?”

“Sell it whole! Sell it whole! If the carcass gets damaged, you won’t get full value!”

“Who’s going to clean up the mess after?!”

I ignored them and drove the knife in deep.

My goal was the heart.

Making a little money is enough; I’ve already prepared disposable supplies to handle the cleanup.

I tore open the chest roughly.

Warm blood, still fresh, gushed out.

As I cracked ribs and shredded muscle, a chorus of dismayed gasps sounded.

“Aigoo, what a waste…”

“Is he serious? He’s a beginner, isn’t he?”

“Just because you’re good at hunting doesn’t mean you’re good at butchering.”

“He should pay a bit for a professional to do it. Why do it himself?”

“Maybe he doesn’t trust anyone.”

That’s exactly right.

I don’t trust anyone.

A heart like the Mountain King’s is worth at least a billion won.

Who can guarantee someone won’t pull a trick on me?

And as always, treasure attracts flies.

If I don’t process and retrieve it quickly, someone might try to steal the heart from me.

Rather than let that happen, I’d rather get a bit bloody myself.

“Damaging the heart would be a huge loss…”

Someone muttered to themselves.

Too bad for them, but they’re wrong.

The rest of the body may end up damaged, but I can pull the heart out perfectly.

Because of the [Extraction] trait.

Click.

The butchering knife, which had been slicing smoothly, suddenly hit something hard.

It wasn’t bone.

The texture was even harder, coarser—something like stone or a gemstone, transmitted through the blade.

I withdrew the knife and reached in with my hand.

Then I activated the Extraction trait.

Vrrr…

With a vibration only I could feel, the heart separated cleanly.

Half-mana core, half-heart—a fusion of magical core and mystical creature.

I carefully pulled it out.

It was so large that it was difficult to extract. I had to use the knife again to widen the wound and finally pried it out with both hands.

The heart I extracted was enormous.

It was roughly the size of a child’s head.

Half mineral, half flesh, it pulsed with a faint red glow, as if still alive even after the Mountain King’s death.

“Oh? It’s perfect!”

“There’s not a single scratch on it!”

“What a strange guy. He’s a top-tier hunter but a third-rate butcher, yet he managed to pull out the heart flawlessly?”

I wrapped the heart tightly in a tarp and placed it in my golf bag.

With that, I could see faint lines running across the Mountain King’s body.

Guidelines appeared, showing where to make cuts and what to avoid.

A new sense had appeared, almost like a visual guide.

Acquired the trait: [Butcher].

I’m not sure how often I’ll use it, but it can’t hurt to have it.

I got a lot of use out of the Crafting, Modification, and Repair set of traits, so why not?

“Hunter, are you planning to sell the rest?”

“Of course.”

There’s no way I’m dragging this heavy carcass all the way back to Seoul.

Even if I get a lower price, it’s best to sell it here.

The hunter I’d been speaking with licked his lips.

“Then how about selling it to me?”

“To you?”

“Yes. Since it’s missing the heart and was roughly handled, its market value has probably dropped. If you sell it to a dealer, they’ll definitely try to lowball you. But I’ll buy it at market rate.”

“And market rate would be…?”

“A full Horned Tiger carcass sells for around 2 billion won. Since it’s the Mountain King, that value is tripled, then minus the heart’s price, which is 1 billion. So, 5 billion won in total. How does that sound?”

Five billion won!

As far as I know, that’s a fair price.

In fact, it’s very good.

The final auction price after a perfect butchering would be around that amount.

This hunter was offering to buy the Mountain King’s body without taking any cuts or fees.

“Five billion?”

“Is he crazy?”

“He has no sense of business ethics…”

“At that price, there won’t even be enough profit to cover labor.”

The exchange managers cursed under their breath and dispersed.

A few lingered nearby, hoping the deal would fall through, but they didn’t seem interested in making a better offer.

With such a good deal on the table, there was no reason to refuse.

“Alright, let’s do it. How would you like to pay?”

“I’ll transfer it to you right now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Just give me your account number.”

A moment later.

A notification popped up on my smartphone.

[Legion Bank]

[Balance: 5,102,136,711 won]

Total balance: 5.1 billion won!

After splurging on this and that, my empty bank account was suddenly full.

The hunter grinned and offered his hand for a handshake.

“Here’s my card. I hope you’ll reach out to me sometime.”

So that’s his angle.

Not a bad idea.

The Hunters’ Association is a good source of high-grade magical materials and various quests.

‘He looks familiar…’

There was something about his face I recognized.

But I couldn’t place it right away.

If he was a character from the game, I should remember him, but I couldn’t match him to anyone specific.

‘An extra, maybe?’

Still, I usually remember even the extras’ names. Strange.

If he was important enough to appear in Arcane Seoul’s mobile game, he should’ve had at least a character card or an illustration.

I don’t know.

Probably not someone important, so I’ll let it slide.

“Sure. I’ll reach out when I have some time.”

We shook hands, exchanged contact information, and parted ways.

By now, dusk was settling in.

I drove back toward Seoul.

A few days later.

The attribute elixir was finally ready.

–TL Notes–
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