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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 45
Rachel’s strategy livestream became an explosive hit.
After all, it was the world’s first-ever gate-clearing broadcast using only Cursed Gear.
And even more surprising it had all just been a promotion.
That bombshell announcement? Dawn Constellation was officially entering the Cursed Gear distribution game.
[Dawn Constellation: First in the world to purify Cursed Gear?!]
[Hunters can now wear Cursed Gear?!]
[How does monster Cursed Gear differ from human-made artifacts?]
└ Is this for real?
└ Looks legit from the articles...
└ Wow, never thought I’d see the day.
└ These lunatics really went and stole monster weapons now lol.
The internet was in full-on festival mode.
And who could blame them?
Cursed Gear was originally considered Magical Tools usable only by monsters.
Now suddenly, the tools everyone believed to be unusable by humans were back on the table.
Granted, Magical Tools were still considered inferior to true relics.
They had been developed as mass-produced alternatives to relics, which were rare and difficult to obtain.
In terms of function, Cursed Gear didn’t offer anything too different from ordinary Magical Tools.
So it was unlikely this would disrupt the artifact-centered market.
After all, relics tied to legendary figures were in a completely irreplaceable league of their own.
Still, Cursed Gear marked a new frontier, a fresh genre within the Magical Tool category.
And even that was hard for people to fully accept.
Because among the Cursed Gear held by unclaimed top-tier Gate bosses, some were known to far exceed even human-crafted Magical Tools.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward Rachel’s press conference, hoping for answers.
And then—
—Yes, it’s real Cursed Gear.
└ I knew it!
└ Told you it was the real deal!
Her confirmation sent shockwaves through the Hunter community.
└ Does that mean we can use Balrog’s Dark Whip now??
└ I’ve been obsessed with that Orc Warlord’s longsword if it gets released, I’m selling my soul to buy it.
There were plenty of Hunters out there obsessed with monsters true monster maniacs.
For them, wielding the same Cursed Gear as the creatures they admired was the ultimate flex.
But Rachel wasn’t done.
Her next revelation sent the community into total meltdown.
—When equipped, Cursed Gear removes the hostility of monsters of the same kind.
—Could you explain what that means, exactly?
—They mistake the Hunter holding it for one of their own.
—…Is that really possible?
Even the reporter conducting the interview stammered in shock.
Monsters mistaking humans for fellow monsters?
That was nothing short of broken.
—It’s possible. Though only briefly. And starting from higher-level Gates, it only works on low-intelligence targets.
Even then, they catch on quickly.”
Rachel clearly stated the limits of Cursed Gear. But that didn’t matter.
Maybe that power was useless to someone like her, an S-rank Hunter.
But most Hunters couldn’t even enter high-level Gates.
And just that one ability sowing confusion was enough to make Cursed Gear worth every penny.
As Rachel’s interview came to an end, Dawn Constellation unveiled its catalog of purified Cursed Gear.
└ Holy crap, they’ve got the Minotaur’s axe too?!
└ How the hell did they get the Ogre’s club? LOL. That’s mine now.
└ Full goblin chieftain loadout. Don’t stop me.
└ I need it. I need it, I need it, I need it, I need it.
[Join the Cursed Gear Festival with Princess Rachel Bonaparte!]
[Tuesday, March 2nd, 1:00 PM]
[Only at Dawn Constellation!]
The world’s attention now turned to the upcoming Cursed Gear Festival.
***
News of the purified Cursed Gear spread across the globe in an instant.
It even reached the ears of Patriarch Felix of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow.
“They say Korea has successfully purified Cursed Gear.”
But despite the bishop’s report, Felix continued reading from his Bible without a word.
“Shall we secure some for ourselves?”
“Jesus said,Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and serve him only.”
It was his way of saying: We have no use for such things as Cursed Gear.
And the bishop agreed it didn’t seem meaningful.
Perhaps useful to low-ranking Hunters at best.
But nothing more.
It couldn’t compare to the divine relics wielded by the Church’s high clergy.
“Understood.”
The bishop bowed, ready to leave.
Then, just as he reached for the door, the patriarch quietly spoke again:
“Only one blessed by the Lord could truly purify Cursed Gear.”
He was referring to the Saint.
And if Felix brought up the Saint there could only be one reason.
The bishop silently shut the door and exited the room.
***
Meanwhile, the news of the purified Cursed Gear had made its way to the far side of the globe.
“Sir.”
The middle-aged gentleman being addressed didn’t respond.
He silently watched a video on the screen before him.
It showed Rachel Bonaparte, clad head to toe in Cursed Gear, cutting down a Banshee.
“If they purified Cursed Gear, that means they’ve solved the magic corruption problem.”
“That seems to be the case.”
The man Marquis Gerald Cunningham lifted a sword from atop a marble table.
Its once radiant blade was now dull and murky, soaked in corrupted magic.
“Then perhaps they can also purify this Eudes.”
The sword in Gerald’s hand had once belonged to Godfrey de Bouillon, protector of the Holy Sepulchre and one of the legendary warlords of the First Crusade.
It was also a treasured heirloom of Gerald’s bloodline—symbol of the Swordmaster Alexander Cunningham.
When Alexander died within an unclaimed gate, the sword had been contaminated by magic corruption.
Restoring Eudes had long been a sacred mission for the Cunningham family.
It was vital to reclaim the unclaimed gate known as the Sultan’s Mirage, which had slowly been devouring their household.
Gerald had entrusted Eudes to countless purifiers over the years.
But none had been able to cleanse its corrupted mana.
Now, suddenly, word came from the other side of the world:
Cursed Gear had been successfully purified.
For Gerald, who had long regarded the restoration of Eudes as his family's lifelong mission, this was a piece of news that made his eyes light up.
“At last, the day has come when I can wield Eudes once more.”
He gazed at the sword with deep emotion as he spoke.
“Contact Dawn Constellation. Tell them I have something to discuss.”
“Understood.”
The venerable British noble, Marquis Gerald Cunningham, boarded a flight to Korea that very day.
[Join the Cursed Gear Festival with Princess Rachel Bonaparte!]
[Tuesday, March 2nd, 1:00 PM]
[Only at Dawn Constellation!]
He was headed there to attend the Cursed Gear Festival.
***
“Who’s coming?”
“Marquis Cunningham, sir.”
“Swordmaster Cunningham?”
“Yes. He reached out, asking to have a relic purified.”
“If it’s a relic… it must be the cursed sword Eudes.”
“Correct.”
Ha Jinwoo let out a soft grunt, swallowing dryly.
They had only planned to sell cursed gear never expecting a major figure like him to move.
Gerald Cunningham.
A close confidant of the British royal family. And a powerful Hunter in his own right, one who stood just shy of S-rank.
Jinwoo had forgotten that restoring Eudes was Gerald Cunningham’s long-standing goal.
But Eudes wasn’t just any relic.
It was the spoils of war once wielded by Godfrey de Bouillon, protector of the Holy Sepulchre and leader of the First Crusade.
A sword taken after cutting down the right hand of a Turkic sultan.
Given how deeply it had been corrupted, purifying it would not be easy.
“And the price?”
“He’s offering 20 billion won.”
Twenty billion.
It was just a number but one that a single person could never finish spending in a lifetime.
And yet, Marquis Cunningham was offering that much, just for the purification of Eudes.
That’s how critical this relic was.
Of course, if one hoped to challenge the Sultan’s Mirage, it would make sense to want the cursed blade once wielded by a crusade commander.
But this wasn’t a matter they could decide on their own.
The purification didn’t depend on them, it was up to Choi Seojun.
“I’ll go speak with Mr. Seojun.”
“Please do.”
Kim Hayoon rose from her seat.
***
Jeanne, lately, had fallen completely in love with reading.
Having grown up without the chance to learn, she now seemed to relish every moment spent deciphering the written word.
Her books were mostly about gates, monsters, and modern science.
Understandably so Jeanne lacked modern knowledge, and had much to catch up on.
Every now and then, she would pick up a romance novel as well.
Whenever she did, she’d sit still with wide eyes and parted lips, utterly absorbed.
To someone raised in a time that valued chastity and decorum, modern romance novels were... stimulating, to say the least.
For some reason, though, Jeanne seemed to want to keep her romance reading a secret from me.
“Today it’s the tall uncle’s turn.”
I decided to pretend not to notice.
Meanwhile, Vanessa sat at the table, knitting.
As a seamstress, she enjoyed making clothes for children.
And yet, her expression as she knitted looked unusually happy.
“What are you making?”
“A scarf.”
“A scarf?”
“The weather’s getting chilly.”
She smiled softly at me as she spoke, then resumed knitting with that same content look on her face.
Bzzz—
Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrated.
[Team Leader Kim Hayoon]
Her name popped up on the screen.
‘What could this be about?’
I tilted my head curiously as I answered.
“Team Leader Hayoon, is something the matter?”
— Mr. Seojun, I’m heading to your house right now. Are you home?
“Yes, I’m here. But what’s going on?”
— It’s not something I can say over the phone. I need to talk to you in person.
I glanced at Vanessa and Jeanne, who were engrossed in their knitting and reading, then quietly rose from the sofa.
“I’ll step out and meet you.”
— Alright. I’ll be waiting at the Starbox in front.
“Got it.”
As I ended the call and reached for my coat, Vanessa stood up naturally.
Jeanne, who had been deeply focused on her novel, looked up as well as if somehow sensing the shift.
I couldn’t quite explain it, but it felt like I wasn’t supposed to go out alone.
“Shall we go together?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Their faces lit up with warm smiles as they answered.
I scratched my head awkwardly.
And in the end, the three of us headed out together.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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