Level Up Machine

Chapter 30 Another Jackpot (3)

“So, you can’t pay this quarter’s tribute?”

“Haha. No, Guild Leader. Just a little more time, please…” The branch manager of the Light Shield Guild in the port city of Belen, Hong Seung-gal, was groveling in an unusually obsequious manner before a man.

The man he was bowing to was Han Cheol-ho, the Guild Leader of the Light Shield Guild, one of the six top guilds.

Han Cheol-ho, who had a long scar on his left cheek, was an imposing figure, nearly two meters tall, a height unusual for an Asian. His solid body, as if carved from a massive rock, combined with his unique heavy aura, exuded an intimidating charisma that was hard to approach.

While kowtowing to Han Cheol-ho, Hong Seung-gal inwardly cursed him harshly.

‘Why did Han Cheol-ho come all the way here himself…’

As the Guild Leader of the Light Shield Guild and a near-ranker with a level of 95, Han Cheol-ho was not someone who would normally come to a city full of novice summoners.

“Just a little more time…”

Han Cheol-ho placed both feet on the table where Hong Seung-gal was sitting. He glared at Hong Seung-gal with deeply sunken eyes.

“I’ve heard a rumor recently.”

“A r-rumor?”

“Yes.”

Nodding his head, Han Cheol-ho continued in a cold voice.

“Hong Seung-gal. Are you thinking of betraying the Light Shield Guild and running away?”

Han Cheol-ho’s words hit the mark, causing Hong Seung-gal’s expression to harden. Desperately, he shook his head and answered in a pleading voice.

“No, Guild Leader! I would never do something so insane!”

“Really? But still…”

Han Cheol-ho placed his hand on the large table. The solid wooden table was torn apart in his grip.

A fierce light began to appear in Han Cheol-ho’s eyes.

“It seems like you have some hidden money.”

“There, there’s no such money!”

Hong Seung-gal shouted urgently.

Han Cheol-ho frowned slightly and stomped his foot harshly.

Boom!

The heavy impact was strong enough to shake Hong Seung-gal’s entire office.

“Do you really not know why I came here myself, Hong Seung-gal? Do you think I’d come without any evidence?”

Han Cheol-ho glared at Hong Seung-gal with burning eyes.

Hong Seung-gal flinched and swallowed hard. He realized that excuses about not having money would no longer work on Han Cheol-ho.

“That’s all emergency funds for the guild’s operations!”

Hong Seung-gal, with an expression full of injustice, hurriedly spat out another excuse.

However, he found it difficult to control his violently trembling heart because he was indeed planning to betray the guild and run away.

“Ho. Emergency funds, you say. You do realize that just having funds unrecorded in the guild’s ledger is a crime worth dying for, right?”

“Er… I’m sorry. But please believe me! All of this was for the Light Shield Guild! I never intended to betray you!”

Hong Seung-gal bent deeply at the waist and shouted in a desperate voice.

Han Cheol-ho looked at him with a sneer.

He, too, had experienced many things since coming to this world. He knew better than anyone that the excuse Hong Seung-gal was making was utter nonsense.

“There’s no reason to keep a dog that bites its owner.”

Han Cheol-ho said this as he stood up and picked up the massive shield next to his chair.

The shield, emitting a subtle white light, was an iconic item symbolizing the Light Shield Guild.

“Ugh…!”

Hong Seung-gal shuddered as he looked at the white shield gripped by Han Cheol-ho.

The shield was not merely a tool for blocking attacks. It was a rare item capable of generating powerful shockwaves that could crush even rocks into pieces.

‘No, it can’t be!’

Hong Seung-gal wore a look of despair, realizing that his plan was falling apart just before its success. He considered grabbing his halberd to fight, but he knew all too well that he could never defeat Han Cheol-ho.

In this situation, the only thing he could do was bow deeply and beg for mercy from Han Cheol-ho.

Ding.

As Han Cheol-ho, holding the shield, slowly walked toward Hong Seung-gal, a bell rang from within Hong Seung-gal’s bosom.

It was the notification sound from a communication crystal.

Hong Seung-gal, clutching at straws, pulled out the crystal from his pocket. A message from one of the indigenous people he had bribed was displayed on it.

Reading the message, Hong Seung-gal’s eyes began to tremble violently.

‘It really was that Choi Yu-na!’

A few weeks ago, when he lost contact with Jung Chan-hyuk, whom he had ordered to kidnap a novice summoner, he set out to find Jung Chan-hyuk himself.

Finding Jung Chan-hyuk wasn’t difficult because the nametag of the Light Shield Guild members had a tracking spell. Jung Chan-hyuk and his four subordinates were found lying in a swamp, their bodies covered in terrible burns.

Sword wounds and burnt, distorted skin.

Among the summoners, there were a few who used sword and fire skills, but adding dual swords to the mix significantly narrowed down the suspects.

Choi Yu-na.

A former executive of the Salvator Guild and now a wanted woman in the Elnot Kingdom.

Knowing this, Hong Seung-gal was ecstatic.

Currently, the Elnot Kingdom had placed a massive bounty on the Salvator Guild, especially on its leader, Tiria von Erman. The amount was far beyond what he could get by kidnapping and selling pretty-faced summoners to brothels.

Hong Seung-gal followed the traces in the swamp and found out that they were headed to Ruberin. Knowing this, he immediately bribed the nearby natives to start searching for traces of the Salvator Guild.

“…Then die, Hong Seung-gal.”

While Hong Seung-gal was lost in thought, Han Cheol-ho, who had approached him slowly, raised his shield towards him.

Seeing this, Hong Seung-gal shouted urgently with a desperate expression.

“Bro, I have some good news!”

“Good news?”

Han Cheol-ho looked down at him, tilting his head in curiosity. Hong Seung-gal continued.

“I’ve found a member of the Salvator Guild!”

Upon hearing his words, Han Cheol-ho’s eyes gleamed sharply.

—

“Oh, wow?”

Yu-na arrived at the entrance of an abandoned mine and looked at it with an intrigued expression.

“Why does it look so dark inside? I don’t want to go in…”

Chae-rin hid behind Yu-na, looking pale at the dark and eerie atmosphere inside the mine.

“Then, we’ll take the lead in hunting from here.”

“Okay. If more than three stone golems aggro, we’ll join in right away, so please focus on hunting slowly.”

Bae Han-seong stepped back after saying that.

Yu-na slowly walked towards him.

“So, how’s everyone doing?”

“Very smoothly. Ara is the most impressive, but Gil-soo and Yeong-sik are also incredibly talented. Especially Yeong-sik, who shows remarkable prowess that makes me question if he really is a production class.”

“Really, Yeong-sik?”

Yu-na looked at Yeong-sik’s back with an intrigued expression.

Bae Han-seong nodded and answered.

“Yes. You’ll be surprised when you see it. His movements are unbelievable for someone at level 27.”

“Wow. He’s already reached level 27?”

In the past, Yu-na, who had leveled up as a supporter in the Salvator Guild, had never shown such rapid growth.

With a satisfied smile, Yu-na followed behind Yeong-sik.

At that moment, a thought crossed her mind.

“Wait, everyone is level 27 now?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“…Wasn’t Yeong-sik’s level cap 25?”

Recalling the first time she met Yeong-sik, Yu-na frowned. She quickly walked to the front where Yeong-sik was.

“Yeong-sik, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes.”

Yeong-sik turned his head at her sudden call.

Yu-na glared at him with sharp eyes and continued speaking.

“You said your level cap was 25, didn’t you?”

“Ah… Now that you mention it, I haven’t told you.”

Yeong-sik nodded, realizing why she had come to him, and continued.

“When I leveled up my Mechanical Engineer skills, my level cap suddenly increased by 10.”

“What, what did you say?!”

Yu-na’s voice was filled with astonishment at Yeong-sik’s nonchalant explanation.

To think that a set level cap could increase so easily!

From her perspective, it was incomprehensible.

“Is it true?”

“Yes.”

Yeong-sik nodded calmly in response to her question.

Strictly speaking, his level cap increased not because his Mechanical Engineer skills improved but because the security level within him was unlocked. However, he couldn’t explain that to her.

‘I’ll have to find a time to reveal my true identity… If this continues, it will become increasingly difficult to tell the truth later.’

“How did it…”

Yu-na still looked at Yeong-sik with a dazed expression, unable to believe it.

Cases of level caps increasing were not unheard of. Many rankers who had their level caps around 90 went through ‘Awakening’ to reach the rankers’ level. There were also unique cases, like Baek Gang-hyun, whose level cap increased from 60 to 100.

However, for a level cap to increase by 10 just by raising a class skill?

Initially, Yeong-sik’s level cap was so low that an increase of 10 levels didn’t make a huge difference, but the fact that his level cap had increased at all was astonishing enough.

“Is it so rare for a level cap to increase?”

Yeong-sik asked with an innocent expression, as if he really didn’t know.

In reality, he fully understood how extraordinary it was for a level cap to rise. However, to deceive Yu-na, he needed to act unaware of its significance.

“Well, to call it rare… it’s almost impossible.”

“Oh! I thought it wasn’t a big deal because it increased easily. Maybe it went up because my level cap was originally low?”

“No, that’s not the case.”

Yu-na shook her head in response to his words.

She had never heard of a level cap being easy to raise just because it was initially low.

“Once we’re done with this dungeon… let’s talk about your job.”

The unique weapon that emerged from his hand, the fact that his level cap increased with a skill level-up, everything about his class was too ‘unconventional.’

‘I thought it was just a useless job…’

When they first discovered that they couldn’t use the items Yeong-sik’s production class created due to the lack of outlets, she had pitied him, thinking he had received a worthless class. Now, she felt there was a hidden secret.

“Understood. Let’s discuss it after we finish the dungeon.”

Yeong-sik turned his body, thinking it was a good opportunity to reveal his identity.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

-Groooo…

“Yeong-sik, I don’t think this is the time for a peaceful chat.”

Gil-soo, who had been standing at the front, watching the path, spoke to Yeong-sik with a tense expression.

Along with the heavy sensation of the ground shaking, a stone golem and five zombies appeared.