Former Ranker's Newbie Life-Chapter 44

In his inventory sat the Poison-Infused Dragon Heart, a major upgrade from the Chimera’s Poison Gland, all thanks to that hidden quest reward.

This wasn’t from some ordinary drake. It had to come from a Poison Drake or something even stronger like an elite-tier, dragon-type monster. Even then, the drop rate was absurdly low. Just having it boosted his poison resistance significantly. It was high-grade material, suitable for crafting potent potions, specialized gear, or even direct use. The problem was that he couldn’t use it right away.

“If I refine it to remove the toxins, its effects would weaken... But if I eat it as is, I’ll drop dead on the spot. Hmm, I’ll probably need to be at least Level 100 before I can even think about putting this in my mouth.”

Just in case, Do-Jin pulled the heart out of his inventory. The moment it touched his gloves, a sharp sizzle rang out as they burned away in an instant. Clicking his tongue, he put it back. If he ate this now, he’d end up like one of those reckless martial arts idiots who blindly consumed whatever they found and went berserk, smearing crap on the walls in their madness.

“Well, I can always sell it if I ever get desperate for money.”

In any case, compared to the Chimera’s Poison Gland, this was several levels higher in quality, and that alone was enough for him. If he could eventually consume it, it would be great for boosting his poison resistance. If he was lucky, he might even gain a poison-related trait.

It was also worth a fortune, and if he ever needed fast cash, this thing could sell for an absurd amount. Players aside, even NPC mages and alchemists would be willing to drop a hefty sum. This was the kind of item that made players stop thinking about their gold count and start checking their real-world bank accounts.

He moved on to the real treasure of the loot haul. It was a dagger actually made from a dragon’s remains, unlike the usual “dragon-type” labeled items. Do-Jin’s heart pounded as he pulled up the details.

[Black Dragon’s Fang Dagger]

Level Requirement: 53

Grade: S

Physical & Magic Attack: 150

Unique Skill: Black Dragon’s Venom Fang

Just seeing the S-rank tag was enough to warm his chest. Who needed food? That single letter felt like a full-course meal. Do-Jin didn’t recognize this particular dagger, but from a quick glance at the stats, he knew this thing was insanely good.

For a weapon with “dragon” in the name, the level requirement was ridiculously low. It probably kept the base stats of its original form, Haberkan’s Fang Dagger, an item meant for low-level players. The result was no class restrictions or penalties, just raw power. It boosted both physical and magic attack, making it appealing to any build that could use daggers. To top it all off, it came with its own skill.

[Black Dragon’s Venom Fang]

Duration: 3 minutes

Cooldown: 10 minutes

Inflicts poison using the cursed fangs of the black dragon. The poisoned target suffers fixed damage every second, and once the curse is fully manifested, the venom detonates, dealing three times the accumulated damage as fixed damage.

Do-Jin let out a low whistle. This thing is a damn masterpiece.

The fixed damage alone was already ridiculous, but that was just the appetizer. The real kicker was the burst damage. It was a full triple explosion that triggered once the poison and curse had fully spread. Trying to counteract both poison and a curse at the same time was already a nightmare, but if you didn’t manage it in time, a ticking time bomb would go off in your face.

A skill this brutal was something only curse-focused warlocks or venom-based sorcerers could pull off, and even then, it usually took a Tier 6 spell to get anything close. Yet, Do-Jin, who had barely even touched Tier 4 magic, had just gotten his hands on a dagger that let him dish out Tier 6 carnage with every stab.

“This damage scaling is busted.”

He checked the numbers in the detailed breakdown. The damage over three minutes, as well as the triple multiplier explosion at the end, was on par with firing off ten fully powered Flash Lances in a row.

A slow grin spread across Do-Jin’s face. Even though the dagger’s blade was pure black, it practically glowed in his eyes. “This thing’s basically S+ tier.”

Even within the same S-rank category, there were always items and weapons that stood out. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he immediately swapped out his old weapon and scanned the area for any loot he might’ve missed. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much left to pick through. Every corpse had already disappeared.

“Tch. Would’ve been nice if those Useless Bloodshed fuckers dropped something worthwhile.”

Do-Jin had planned to loot the shit out of the fallen guild members, but all that remained where they died were spent Blessing Scrolls. Considering they were all Level 50 or higher, each of those scrolls probably cost at least 300,000 won a pop, typical for rich guilds. In the end, those Blessing Scrolls had at least cut their death penalties in half and stopped them from dropping their gear, so from their perspective, it had been a solid investment.

Sucks for me, though.

Taking one last look around the now silent dungeon, Do-Jin took a moment to savor the lingering satisfaction of payback well served. Then, he turned on his heel. There was somewhere he needed to be, something he wanted to see.

***

Triwood was a tiny, backwater village with nothing special to its name. There weren’t any rare resources, nor was there some sort of legendary history, only wheat fields stretching as far as the eye could see. If there was anything of note, it’d be the loud and wild brats running through its dirt roads.

A shrill scream broke through the village air. A kid tore down the street, laughter bubbling in his voice. Right behind him, a group of furious little girls chased after him with murder in their eyes.

“Gid! You are so dead when we catch you!”

“Hah! Like you’ll ever catch me! Try it, you fat-ass pigs!” Gid’s fearless taunt made the girls spit out threats that sounded a little too real.

The kind of vulgar words coming out of their mouths was far too brutal for kids who weren’t even ten yet. Apparently, if he got caught, he’d be waterboarded. Then, they'd separate his skin, flesh, and bones, piece by piece.

So he ran like hell. At seven years old, Gid had no intention of dying anytime soon.

I really made a mistake...

He scowled as he ran, regretting everything. All he had wanted to do was apologize to Eidel for making her cry yesterday. That was why he had even picked a bunch of wildflowers, thinking she might like them.

When he had gone to find her, before he could even pull the flowers out from behind his back, she had told him straight up that they weren’t friends anymore. He had wanted to apologize, but the second she told him not to talk to her again, his temper flared. He’d yanked on her short hair and teased her.

Hmph! I don’t wanna be friends with some short-haired, boy-looking freak anyway!

Eidel was the youngest daughter of Hyrus the Blacksmith. She used to have long hair, but a while ago, she’d been messing around in her dad’s forge, and her hair had caught on fire. Now it was chopped short, making her look more like a boy than a girl. She had been pretty upset about it, and he had only teased her to try and make her laugh.

She’s still really pretty... he had wanted to say.

Shaking his head violently, Gid forced the thought away. He took a sharp turn into an alley, pushing himself to run even faster.

Unlike Eidel, her three older sisters were absolute monsters. If he got caught, he wouldn’t just be paying for making Eidel cry; he’d be paying with interest. He bolted toward the far end, certain he could make it.

Then, his entire world spun. The second he turned the corner, he crashed into something solid.

“Ack!”

Was that a person? Or a goddamn wall? The impact sent him flying, and he landed flat on his butt. Dazed, he looked up to see what the hell had just stopped him in his tracks.

His blood turned ice-cold. The person he’d run into was draped in black, the long cloak making him look even more ominous. His clothes were bad enough, but his face looked worse. The guy was good-looking, sure, but there was something about him that screamed trouble. He had the face of someone who would beat a person up just because he felt like it.

Gid had exactly one thing on his mind: to get the hell away from here as fast as possible. Before he could act, however, a voice boomed from behind. “Gid!”

At the other end of the alley stood the three ogres in disguise, also known as Eidel’s older sisters.

“Hoho... gotcha now,” one of them said menacingly.

Gid’s stomach sank. Those hulking demons had actually caught up. Despite their ridiculous size, their speed was terrifying. Now he was cornered. In front of him were three furious she-devils ready to rip him apart for making their baby sister cry, and behind was a total stranger who oozed danger. Gid’s eyes darted around frantically and his entire body went rigid. He was running out of options.

Then the man in black spoke. “You look like you’re in trouble. Do you need some help?”

His voice was smoother than expected. There was even a hint of amusement in it.

Without thinking, Gid nodded. At that silent plea, the man, Do-Jin, rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. Then he shifted his gaze toward the little monsters marching toward them.

“Hey, kids.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The moment he spoke, the three little tyrants, who had been too blinded by rage to notice anything else, finally realized someone else was there. They flinched when they saw Do-Jin. Unlike the tan-skinned villagers they were used to, his skin was pale as hell. Not to mention, his entire vibe was simply shady.

“Who... who are you?” The tallest one spoke up. The fire and fury she’d had a minute ago faded, replaced by a wary politeness.

“Ah, me?” Do-Jin flashed an easygoing smile. “I know this little guy. We’ve got something to talk about.”

At that, Gid made a dumbfounded face. Do-Jin, not in the mood for his clueless bullshit, simply pressed down on the kid’s head to shut him up.

“You... know Gid?” said the firstborn, the disbelief written all over her face.

No way, this guy? Some big-shot dude with this badass aura and a face straight out of a painting? And he claimed to know some scrappy little country brat like Gid?

The other two girls were just as skeptical. But as wary as they were, they were also staring at Do-Jin like they’d never seen anything like him before. They all hesitated. Although they were still mad, they weren’t exactly eager to throw hands with someone who looked like he could absolutely cook them with a glance.

“Here, take this instead.”

Do-Jin casually flicked his fingers, and three small rings floated toward them. Nothing settled disputes faster than a good old-fashioned bribe.

The little girls gasped. “You... you’re a magician?”

They were practically squeaking in excitement now. They watched the rings float like it was the coolest thing they’d ever seen.

Do-Jin chuckled. “Something like that.”

And just like that, he went from a sketchy stranger to the coolest guy in town. Their hands shot out, snatching up the rings, their eyes wide with fascination. Any thoughts of punishing Gid for his crimes disappeared instantly.

Gid was now officially handed over to Do-Jin. With his newly purchased brat dangling under one arm, Do-Jin climbed the hill behind the village. He had spent a good chunk of time circling the place looking for the kid. He hadn’t expected him to be such a little shit. But then again, how could he have? The last time he saw this boy, he had been nothing more than a broken corpse trampled underfoot in a pile of rubble.

By the time they reached the top of the hill, the whole village stretched out beneath them.

“What’s your name?”

The brat, who had been anxiously shifting in place, mumbled, “I’m G-Gid.”

Do-Jin smirked. “And what exactly did you do to piss them off that bad?”

“I dunno... They’re just violent.”

“Yeah, sure.” Do-Jin glanced at the kid’s hand that was still clutching a crushed bouquet of flowers. “Did you rob a flower shop or something?”

Gid scrunched up his nose. “What? No!”

“Then what, did you confess your feelings for her and get rejected? Nah, that wouldn’t be enough for them to hunt you down like that.”

The kid shut his mouth.

Do-Jin burst out laughing. “So that’s how it is, huh?”

There was something weirdly nice about this moment, just sitting here, watching the village, messing around with some brat, and shooting the shit about nothing.

This place had been a wasteland, a pile of smoldering ruins with bodies buried under the rubble. What had happened back then had wiped all signs of life in an instant. In this timeline, the village was alive. The boy who had once been another nameless casualty was sitting here, living, clutching a bunch of wildflowers in a stupid little fist.

It was the kind of thing that made Do-Jin feel something. It was a warm, itchy feeling in his chest that he didn’t quite know how to put into words.

“Look down there. They’re waiting for you.” He nodded toward the girls peeking up at them from the bottom of the hill.

“Sigh...”

“They’re not gonna let you off that easy. Might as well tell me what happened before they drag you off again. I’ll listen. You know, as your wise and experienced mentor in life.”

“You, uncle?”

“You wanna get handed over to them right now?”

“I’m sorry, hyung.”

The brat finally gave in and plopped down beside him, letting out a long sigh. And then he started talking. Do-Jin listened, watching the quiet village below as the kid told his little love story, one that wouldn’t have existed if Do-Jin hadn’t changed this future.

As the story neared its end, a small figure started making its way up the hill. It was a little girl. There was no doubt that this was the girl from his story. Do-Jin wasn’t an idiot. He could read the room.

“Go on,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “Don’t mess it up.”

With one last glance at the village, the living village, he walked away. And behind him, the kid just stared, watching him go like he was some kind of mystery.