Transcendent Warrior with a Dimensional Shifting Inventory

9

Splash, splash-

As he stepped into the swamp, the water rose up to his thighs.

However, unlike last time, his feet and legs did not get wet.

＜Waterproof Armor Crafted by a Master＞

-Armor made of leather reinforced with iron plates

-Seams are waterproofed using a special technique

-Iron plates are highly resistant to corrosion, even after prolonged use in wetlands

I brought a set of armor from the Imperial Palace.

I didn’t even have to ransack the armory to get it.

Various functional armors were on display in reception rooms and hallways throughout the palace.

The attendant told me that they were expensive items made exclusively for royalty and high-ranking nobles.

There was armor that protected against heat and incredibly heavy plate armor.

I wanted to take them all, but they were too bulky to carry multiple sets.

So I brought only one set that I could use right away.

‘This is waterproof, waterproof!’

There’s nothing like waterproof armor when hunting in swamps.

However, being waterproof didn’t mean I could dive deep into the water.

It just meant that the clothes I wore under the armor wouldn’t get wet easily.

In short, it was everyday waterproof.

Minhyuk wore only the pants of the armor.

If he wore the top as well, it would hinder the movement of his arms and waist.

Agility was the most important thing when dealing with those damn cottonmouths.

Moreover, unlike the pants, it was difficult to put on and take off the top of the armor by himself.

That’s why he only wore the pants.

With only his thighs out of the muddy swamp water, Minhyuk was satisfied.

Splash-

A snake swam quickly across the water’s surface and approached Minhyuk.

＜Swamp Moccasin has been detected.＞

Kyaaak-

The creature lunged at Minhyuk, baring its fangs.

Having drunk the pink potion, he could clearly see the creature’s movements even in the darkness.

However, the snake was much faster than when he had faced it during the day.

＜Swamp Moccasins are nocturnal.＞

＜Nocturnal creatures have heightened motor abilities after the sun sets.＞

As a nocturnal creature, it became stronger at night.

That didn’t mean it was particularly threatening, though.

Swish-

Minhyuk swung his dagger at the snake.

The dagger was also something he had brought from the Imperial Palace.

＜Steel Dagger Crafted by an Artisan＞

– A dagger made from steel refined using a special method.

Even without having learned swordsmanship, a dagger was useful.

As Minhyuk’s swing was incredibly fast, his attacks were quite powerful despite his lack of skill.

In one blow, the moccasin’s head was separated from its body.

＜Swamp Moccasin has been killed.＞

＜As a reward, 20 seconds have been added to your return time.＞

Oh!

Normally, he would only get 10 seconds added to his return time for killing a moccasin.

But this time, he had received double.

As the creature was stronger because it was nocturnal, the reward had also increased.

Splash-

Splash, splash-

Groups of snakes swam in from all sides.

There were many more than during the day.

＜Nocturnal creatures have heightened group behavior after the sun sets.＞

He tensed up a little as more snakes than he had expected gathered.

Minhyuk gripped the dagger tightly.

Kyaaak-

From all sides, snakes jumped out and lunged at Minhyuk.

Swish-

Swish, swish-

Minhyuk swung his dagger quickly and calmly.

The snakes’ necks were cut off clean.

However, he couldn’t block all of their attacks.

Whizz-

One of them bit Minhyuk’s bicep.

The snake’s fangs pierced his skin and dug into his muscle.

Compared to when the werewolf bit his bicep, it was a slightly stinging pain.

However, in an instant, the venom spread throughout his body and intense pain surged.

It was as if a fire had been lit inside him, and it was scorching hot.

Groan-

Minhyuk clenched his teeth and endured the pain.

Even then, the snakes continued to pounce on him, and Minhyuk also swung his dagger without rest.

He beheaded about five or six more.

Whizz-

Another one broke through Minhyuk’s defenses and bit his shoulder.

After being bitten twice, it was really hard to endure the pain.

Splash, splash-

Minhyuk jumped out of the swamp.

“Inventory!”

Poof-

A refrigerator appeared before his eyes.

He hurriedly took out a bottle of green potion and drank it.

Gulp-

After drinking the potion, he felt much better.

However, one bottle of low-grade potion was not enough to completely detoxify him.

Gulp-

He drank another bottle.

Then, the pain completely disappeared, and his body felt refreshed.

Whew-

It was a more painful experience than the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear warfare training he had received in the military.

Still, he killed 15 snakes in a short amount of time.

He earned 20 seconds for each snake, so he had earned 5 minutes.

＜Remaining return time: 17 minutes 22 seconds＞

If he earned just 13 more minutes, he could reach his goal of 30 minutes.

‘Let’s go in and out three more times, 5 minutes at a time!’

Pop-

Minhyuk opened the green potion.

He put the potion in his mouth but didn’t swallow it.

He intended to swallow it when needed.

Splash, splash-

He went back into the swamp.

***

After waiting for a long time and the princess still not returning, the emperor ordered General Drake to investigate the situation.

The general came out of the civil war and asked the maids passing nearby.

“Where is the princess?”

“She is in the VIP dining room.”

When he arrived at the dining room, the princess was standing there.

The general approached her and said,

“His Majesty is looking for you. By the way, where is he?”

The princess shook her head with a depressed expression.

“He left.”

“Left? Where did he go?”

Just then, a soldier came running in a hurry.

He was a messenger from the eastern gate of the castle.

“A red-haired man went out of the gate!”

At that, the princess’s expression hardened even more.

She had hoped that he would stay in the castle,

but she had a feeling that she would never see Minhyuk again.

The general did not know what was going on.

However, he did not have the courage to continue asking the princess, who had a serious expression on her face.

He approached the attendant, Alfredo, who was nearby and asked,

“What is going on? Explain it to me in detail!”

“Well, that is…”

The attendant told the general exactly what had happened a little while ago.

He said that Minhyuk had stolen the palace’s belongings, such as armor, weapons, and medicine, after finishing his meal and ran away.

The general’s eyebrows twitched as he listened to the story.

“This is outrageous!”

He said to the princess.

“Princess! I will catch that bastard!”

“No, you don’t have to. The things he took… were what I promised to give him in return for saving my life.”

“Even so, how dare he leave without even saying goodbye to the princess! This is an insult to Asdel! He couldn’t have gone far, so I will chase him and catch him right away!”

The general immediately set out with his elite soldiers.

They galloped towards the eastern gate.

The princess did not stop the general.

She secretly hoped that the general would bring Minhyuk back, although the possibility was slim.

Clatter, clatter-

The elite force led by the general galloped across the castle like the wind.

In fact, the general was more curious than annoyed by the red-haired man.

An ordinary person would have asked for something like money or a noble title that would last a lifetime in return for saving a royal’s life.

Because money and power are what humans are most obsessed with.

However, he only took weapons, armor, and potions with him.

All of them were items necessary for combat and hunting.

The general knew people like the red-haired man well.

He used to be like that too.

‘The kind that only cares about hunting and fighting.’

There used to be quite a few of that kind of person when the general was young.

But now, it was hard to find them.

Creak-

He exited the eastern gate and arrived at the top of the barren hill.

This was the highest point in the vicinity.

He stopped his horse for a moment.

One of the soldiers reported to the adjutant.

“There’s a light in the swamp!”

Then the adjutant took out a small glass bottle from his saddlebag.

It was a pink potion that could be seen in the dark.

Gulp-

He drank the potion and looked in the direction of the light.

The soldiers also drank the potion and looked in the same direction.

Minhyuk came into their view.

“Found him! It’s the redheaded man!”

“What is that human doing now?”

“He’s killing snakes.”

“I know that···.”

The adjutant couldn’t understand the man’s actions.

If his goal was to cross the swamp, he should have moved forward while killing the snakes.

However, he kept moving back and forth.

It was as if he was hunting the snakes.

“Why is he doing that?”

“I don’t know! He’s not trying to get meat or hide, is he?”

The flesh of the swamp moccasin was not poisonous, but it was so foul-smelling that it was impossible to eat.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to solve the food shortage.

And the snake’s hide was as tough as steel when it was alive, but it became soft as soon as it died.

So the meat and hide of the swamp moccasin had no value at all.

“Is he trying to get venom?”

“That’s even less likely.”

When extracting venom from a swamp moccasin, it had to be stimulated while alive to release the venom.

That was the only way to get good quality venom.

He wouldn’t be able to get venom by just stabbing it like that.

“Why on earth is he doing something so dangerous?”

“Well, maybe he has a grudge against snakes?”

Listening to his subordinates’ conversation, the general clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Those who eat with their swords don’t know the reason···.’

The general knew why the redhead was doing that.

‘That mage is currently training!’

Watching the red-haired man, memories of his youth surfaced in the general’s mind.

At that time, all that mattered in the world was being stronger today than he was yesterday.

In any case, seeing it with his own eyes made it clear.

That man was not a transcendent being capable of summoning superior spirits and calling down lightning and rain, as Raymond had said.

‘Beings like that wouldn’t be running around gathering potions and such.’

That mage was clearly a martial artist obsessed with honing his skills.

However, he couldn’t observe him for a short while and make a hasty judgment.

The general had a method he always used in such situations.

‘If we cross swords, I’ll know for sure what kind of man he is.’

An aide spoke to the general.

“I shall go and apprehend him at once!”

“You men wait here. I shall go alone.”

***

＜Remaining Return Time: 32 minutes 32 seconds＞

I had accumulated the target 30 minutes.

I would have liked to continue accumulating up to an hour, but there was a problem.

I had used up both of the pink potions.

I had to put the remaining bottle in the refrigerator and take it back to the real world.

And I couldn’t use the dagger anymore, either.

The swamp viper’s scales were as hard as steel.

After hunting a few dozen, the blade had become completely damaged.

This would also be a problem when hunting during the day.

I had a greatsword, but I couldn’t just swing it around without knowing swordsmanship.

If I made a mistake, I would end up hurting myself with my own blade.

It wasn’t a good idea to fight the snakes that were attacking from all sides with a long spear, either.

And strangling them with my bare hands took too long to kill a single one.

I wouldn’t be able to catch many, and I would just end up wasting potions.

‘Should I try learning swordsmanship?’

Suddenly, I thought of the man I had met at the city gate.

The message had said that he was skilled in swordsmanship.

However, I didn’t know where he was, and even if I did, I couldn’t just go up to him and demand that he teach me how to use a sword.

In any case, tonight’s hunt was over.

‘Let’s go to the mart for a bit.’

Minhyuk put the newly acquired potion bottles in the refrigerator.

I would return to the real world, check what they had changed into, and fill the refrigerator with them.

I hoped that they would change into something cheap and easy to obtain.

For Minhyuk, who was living on 30,000 won a month after deducting communication and food expenses, even buying oranges and eggs had been a huge expense.

He had to tighten his belt if he wanted to pay off all his debts by the end of the year.

‘In the end, money is the problem no matter what.’

Just as Minhyuk was about to return to the real world,

Suddenly, he felt a presence.

He looked back to see a man approaching him.

A message popped up in front of his eyes.

＜[Swordsman detected.]＞

＜[You can learn swordsmanship from the swordsman and increase your combat power.]＞

It was the man he had encountered at the city gate.