Chapter 4 …

A grand message alert rang out, announcing the demise of the Red Sky Demon Horse.

In an instant, ten levels were gained, and new skills appeared.

“Now that’s a reward.”

Leveling up ten at once was immediately noticeable. The power coursing through my body felt on a completely different level. My body, already tough from surviving countless scrapes, felt even healthier and more resilient.

But this isn’t even the main deal.

Even more than growth, skills were the true prize.

[Necro Bloom
[You can strengthen the deceased under your command.]
[Enhancement materials may vary depending on the corpse.]

One skill per ten levels. Considering the difficulty of leveling up, it was reasonable. But judging by the power the skill offered, it wasn’t bad at all.

The ability to make the corpses I’d collected stronger…

So I immediately checked what materials were needed to enhance Kim Yeoul, the only corpse I’d obtained.

[Summon – Kim Yeoul]
[Enhancement Materials]
[S-Rank Magic Stone 0/1]
[King’s Authority Stance 1/1]

“Huh…?”

King’s Authority Stance was already ridiculous, but an S-rank magic stone? What kind of difficulty is this?

Maybe because she’s an A-rank hunter, the materials were brutally expensive. Even just the value of those materials easily exceeded billions of won. Only a country like the U.S. or China would even attempt to acquire an S-rank magic stone.

And now I’m supposed to hand over such treasure.

“Well… I probably won’t need enhancements for now…”

“Hyunsu, look at this!”

“Hm?”

The magic that made up the Red Sky Demon Horse’s body was absorbed into me, and its corpse crumbled completely, scattering in the wind.

Where the Red Sky Demon Horse had vanished, two jewels remained.

The first was a sphere containing a blazing flame. The crimson fire roared within the orb, about the size of an apple.

The surface was smooth as glass, but inside, molten energy churned violently without pause.

[Essence of Heavenly Fire
[The essence contains fire bestowed from the heavens.]

“Do you know what this is for?”

“I don’t… but I’m sure it’s valuable.”

It looked expensive, so I carefully wrapped it in newspaper and put it in my bag.

The second was a magic stone glowing red like molten lava.

Magic stones retain the traits of the creature that bore them. The stone, infused with the Red Sky Demon Horse’s power, burned intensely even after its death.

An S-rank monster’s magic stone…

“Ah, right. We have this too.”

Is South Korea a land of opportunity? Not flowing with milk and honey, but a land of adventure filled with magic stones and danger!

The danger might be a bit extreme, but that’s the nature of pioneering. How many people died or were injured when America was settling the West?

Success has always come with risk.

I carefully held the magic stone and called over Kim Yeoul, who was staring blankly.

“Yeoul, come here.”

“Hm? Why?”

Kim Yeoul’s bright eyes approached, and I activated Necro Bloom.

[Necro Bloom – Activated on the deceased Kim Yeoul]

As the skill activated, a cluster of light gathered near Kim Yeoul’s heart. Having learned Necro Bloom, she instinctively understood that now was the time to use the magic stone.

“W-What!? What is this!?”

Startled, Kim Yeoul flailed.

“It’s for your benefit. Just stay still.”

I held the back of her head and pressed the magic stone into her heart. Amazingly, there was no pain, and Kim Yeoul watched with wide eyes as the stone sank in.

After a short moment, the light fully absorbed the stone.

[Beginning Bloom – Kim Yeoul]

A number appeared above her head: 1%. The S-rank magic stone was too powerful to absorb at once, so this was the gradual process of making it her own.

“How does it feel?”

“Um… really… warm…”

Kim Yeoul closed her eyes, sensing the power settle in her heart. After feeling her pulse calm, she opened her eyes again.

Her black eyes gradually glowed with a golden hue.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Hmm, that’s probably because it’s just starting.”

“Seems like it.”

Fascinated by her new power, she kept touching her chest where the energy had settled.

That said, I had given an S-rank magic stone to an A-rank Kim Yeoul—does that mean she’s now an S-rank hunter?

Her strength had visibly increased, but no Korean association remained capable of measuring it.

Still, since she had been an upper-tier A-rank, once the absorption completed, she might just barely reach S-rank.

A-rank hunters are considered humanity’s limit; S-rank is beyond comparison. Even I couldn’t gauge the full extent.

Regardless, a stronger ally was worth celebrating, so I packed up and stood.

“If you’re done resting, let’s go. We need to get near Daejeon today.”

“Hehe, Master, we’ll make it safely!”

“Alright, let’s go, mule!”

Geumsan County, South Korea.

Once famous for its herbs, this land was now charred and bare, a rough patch left in the wake of the Red Sky Demon Horse’s rampage.

“This place is really desolate.”

Kim Yeoul frowned at the blackened mountains and ash-dusted landscape.

The trees were gone, so visibility was easy, but the black hills radiated a sinister atmosphere.

“At least there shouldn’t be many monsters.”

“They probably all burned to death.”

“True…”

A land where both humans and monsters had perished was paradoxically easy to traverse. There was nowhere to stop, and no monster dared attack.

“Maybe someone still lives in a place like this.”

“Hmm… could be safe, but getting food would be hell.”

“In today’s world, what’s safe anyway?”

“Still, how could anyone live here?”

The air was full of ash. A person might die from respiratory issues before anything else.

Kim Yeoul smiled and poked me in the side.

“Then, should we bet if anyone actually lives here?”

Her fox-like eyes crinkled; the curve of her mouth suggested confidence.

“There must be a village nearby.”

“Eh… really obvious?”

“Very.”

Kim Yeoul always spread her magic widely in case of emergencies. Having absorbed the S-rank stone, her sensing range was far broader now.

“Well… people living in terrain like this…”

I watched her carefully. She smiled gently, and didn’t seem dangerous.

“Shall we take a look?”

“Sure! And maybe replenish supplies if we find anything worth trading.”

“You don’t need food anyway.”

“In a harsh world, at least there’s joy in eating…”

“…Okay, fair enough.”

Following Kim Yeoul’s senses, we moved forward. Fortunately, we didn’t have to backtrack.

The village we reached had been formed by refugees.

It was fairly large, with fences and even guards.

Inside, they farmed using slash-and-burn techniques.

“Who are you? Identify yourselves.”

Two men, likely E-rank at best, blocked our way with spears.

“We’re wandering drifters. If you could let us stay just for tonight, we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

The guards glanced at me and gave Kim Yeoul a leering look. I clenched my fist, and Kim Yeoul quietly stepped behind me.

“Hmm… understood. Please wait a moment.”

Soon after, a man in his fifties approached with the guards.

“Greetings, I’m Kim Deok-su, the head of this refugee village.”

“I’m Cha Hyun-su, and this is Kim Yeoul.”

Kim Deok-su appeared clean and well-kept, suggesting life in the village wasn’t too harsh. Smiling warmly, he spoke softly.

“You’re only staying a day?”

“Yes, we have somewhere to be.”

“Hehe… People in our situation should help each other. Rest comfortably for now.”

Kim Deok-su extended his hand. I lightly shook it.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“It’s nothing.”

He led us to a stack of containers, which surprisingly survived the fires. Most villagers, including the head, lived in these containers.

“Not much of a room, but it’ll do for tonight.”

“It’s more than enough just to have a place to stay.”

He handed us some essentials and clothes, then glanced at Kim Yeoul.

“Is the woman with you an awakened?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Just E-rank though, hehe.”

Before entering the village, Kim Yeoul had already absorbed her magic to kill, and she now smiled innocently.

“Even E-rank but an awakened… impressive! I envy you.”

“It’s not really something to brag about. Embarrassing, actually.”

He handed over some simple food: semi-dried jerky, hard bread, and two potatoes.

“Well, I’ll be off. It’s late. Have a comfortable night.”

“Thank you.”

Kim Deok-su returned to his container. We went inside and closed the door.

First thing we did wasn’t rest or eat.

“CCTV? Bugs? Nothing.”

“People around?”

“None.”

“Awakened who can spy or eavesdrop?”

“Also none.”

A generous village in such a harsh land—there’s no utopia in this hell.

Kim Yeoul immediately noticed I was awakened and seemed oddly relieved upon hearing her E-rank status.

And the food smelled incredibly foul.

“Try it.”

“Okay.”

We chewed the jerky first. Kim Yeoul’s expression twisted.

“This tastes like the meat was cured with sleeping medicine.”

“And the potatoes or bread?”

“Same story.”

She spat out the food, clearly unimpressed. Even human sleeping agents had no effect on her body, now an S-rank hunter after absorbing the S-rank magic stone.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Hmm…”

In the past, we would have killed or fled in such a situation, but things were different now.

Kim Yeoul’s absorption is only about halfway complete…

No force here could handle her.

“Let’s see what they’re trying to do with such a sleep-inducing scheme.”

“So… we act?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, let’s see what they’re up to…”

Kim Yeoul abruptly cut herself off mid-sentence and signaled outside. Someone was approaching.

I silently held up three fingers and closed my eyes.

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