Episode 021
After ordering Gunther to lure Siegfried, I began preparations to hunt him.
I held in my possession a weapon crafted from Hydra’s venom—Poison Fog, a weapon capable of killing gods.
But having the weapon alone wasn’t enough.
The problem was whether I could land a strike.
‘Even with Beowulf, I barely managed to graze him.’
That moment made one thing clear:
My current body is still weak.
As my Chronicle level rose, I could feel myself getting stronger, but it was still insufficient to stand against a true hero.
I needed to accelerate my growth.
‘I can’t go around killing other heroes right now.’
Gunther and Hagen were potential assets I could use in the future.
Killing them would be like throwing away my own chess pieces.
So instead—
[Hero of Germania – Grade A]
[Skill: Hrunting]
[Description 1: Like a famed sword that grows stronger the more blood it drinks, you grow stronger with every enemy slain.]
[Description 2: The stronger the enemy, the more powerful you become.]
[Effect: The stronger you grow, the higher the chance you acquire the status ailment: Berserker.]
[Status Ailment: Berserker – Aggression increases. Attack ↑, Defense ↓]
[As your Berserker level rises, you become increasingly consumed by battle.]
I looked at the skill I had acquired by registering Beowulf’s tale into the Chronicle:
“Hrunting,” the skill that made me stronger with each kill.
Even after slaying the Lady of the Lake, it still wasn’t enough.
‘I need to hunt more.’
I couldn’t afford to be picky, even if they weren’t heroes.
Even if they were monsters from the Abyss, I had to kill as many as possible.
There was a growing risk of turning into a Berserker, but that wasn’t my concern—yet.
Even if I did become a Berserker, I could retain some reason up to a certain level.
Shing, shing.
Sharpening my Solitary Sword with a whetstone, I glanced at Gunther, who gritted his teeth while holding Brunhilde’s belt.
He had stopped pretending now. His once-dead eyes were burning with fire.
“Brunhilde…”
Gunther softly murmured his wife’s name and let out a deep sigh.
“Why did she have to leave like that…?”
Though I could’ve answered that, I chose to remain silent.
Telling him now would do no good.
Sometimes, ignorance is a blessing.
“Stand up. It’s time to hunt. We need to slay as many monsters as we can before Siegfried arrives.”
I needed Gunther to enter a high-level Abyss.
Though not well-known due to keeping a low profile, he too was a hero from an epic.
His strength and authority were incomparable to most guild members.
With Gunther and Hagen, even a B-rank Abyss wouldn’t be unreachable.
To maximize Hrunting’s effect, which increased with stronger enemies, we needed to tackle the highest-level Abyss possible.
As I approached for departure, Gunther, still clutching the belt, asked:
“Do you know why I turned a blind eye to Siegfried’s death?”
“Because he was a threat to your royal authority?”
“That’s true. But there was another reason.”
He caressed Brunhilde’s belt gently.
“I loved Brunhilde. More than anyone else in the world. But the more I loved her… the more I doubted her.”
“Because of this belt?”
“Yes.”
In the old legend, Siegfried kept Brunhilde’s belt until the end, then gave it to his wife Kriemhild.
To the ancient Vikings, a woman’s belt symbolized virginity.
The fact that Siegfried had it led Gunther to constantly suspect and jealously question her.
Did she love Siegfried, not me?
“You were jealous of Siegfried?”
“Yes. I was. And I doubted my own wife, Brunhilde. That doubt kept eating away at me.”
“So that’s why you let it happen.”
“Indeed. Had I known that bastard would come back like this, I wouldn’t have allowed it.”
He sneered and gripped the belt tightly.
“Until recently, I regretted it every day. If I hadn’t doubted her, would she have stayed by my side?”
He blamed himself.
In his past life, the thing that drove him to the edge wasn’t just a longing to return to Valhalla and see her again.
“Do you still regret it?”
“Of course I do. But I hold on to the hope that I can fix things.”
He looked at me and said:
“Thanks to you. Hearing that she left it behind to meet me gave me courage. Just knowing she might still think of me… that gives me strength.”
He must’ve truly loved her.
To Gunther, the belt symbolized Brunhilde’s love.
Now that it had returned to him, he regained a sliver of hope.
Though he smiled, it didn’t seem like a smile born from happiness.
It was… a bit pitiful.
It reminded me of the side profile I saw on the beach that first day.
That image of a lonely fisherman may not have been entirely an act.
“Will you continue your revenge on Siegfried?”
“Of course. I can’t let personal matters delay our greater mission.”
Gunther’s gaze turned toward me.
“You said you had a plan to kill him. What do I need to prepare?”
“As I mentioned before—we need to hunt werewolves.”
“Then let’s go. As you said, we don’t have much time.”
We headed for the Abyss.
To grow stronger—before Siegfried arrives.
* * *
We entered a C-rank Abyss near Incheon with Gunther and Hagen.
No guild had claimed this Abyss, so werewolves roamed freely near the outskirts.
These monsters were infamous even among C-rank creatures, but it didn’t matter.
BOOM!
We were stronger.
Gunther’s axe split a charging werewolf’s head in half.
“Cover the rear!”
I slashed at a werewolf lunging from behind using the Solitary Sword.
Crash!
The clash of my blade against its mana-charged teeth burst into white flame.
“Tch…!”
Werewolves were the only C-rank monsters known to use mana.
That mana, present in their fangs and claws, was what made them so deadly.
Even the sturdiest armor for that rank was useless against it.
That’s why you had to be cautious of their teeth and claws when hunting them.
ROAAAR!
The werewolf recovered and lunged for my throat again.
I threw the Monk’s Robe, which I had obtained during my pursuit of the Fruit of Truth, over its eyes.
Crash!
“Damn mutt!”
With its vision obscured, the werewolf couldn’t avoid the uppercut I delivered to its jaw.
CRACK!
Its jaw shattered, and the beast rolled forward.
Despite their deadly attacks, werewolves weren’t particularly agile.
As long as you could dodge or obscure their vision at the right moment, they were easy to deal with.
Of course, not just anyone could pull that off.
“Whimper!”
The werewolf flopped over and groaned in pain.
I thrust the Solitary Sword between its ribs.
Shlunk!
The blade pierced its flesh with a gruesome sound.
[Enemy defeated.]
[Skill: Hrunting effect activated.]
I felt power surge through my grip.
I’d slain eight werewolves already.
I could clearly feel myself getting stronger than when I started this hunt.
“Huff…”
Thankfully, I hadn’t entered the Berserker state yet.
After wiping off the blood, I looked around.
Gunther, Hagen, and I had already killed over twenty monsters.
Unsurprisingly, the one who had slain the most was Hagen, the so-called Hero-Slayer.
“You’ve improved a lot. Your movements are sharper.”
Gunther praised me as he looked at the werewolf I had slain.
“I’ve grown used to their patterns.”
“Impressive. You’ve been surprising me since the day we met. I’ve never seen a warrior grow this fast.”
“Thank you.”
As I dismantled the werewolf carcass, I thought:
Werewolves were absurdly strong for C-rank, but they also provided guaranteed rewards.
It was just that most thought the rewards weren’t worth the danger.
Even just selling the pelt would earn millions of won.
Still, that’s not why I hunted them.
The true prize—wasn’t the pelt.
It was the teeth and claws.
“Why’re you stripping everything?”
“I’m separating the monster materials. Werewolf remains are extremely useful.”
“Isn’t just the hide enough? Why even take the useless teeth and claws…?”
‘Ah, right. He doesn’t know yet.’
Contrary to current belief, werewolves weren’t just useful for their hides.
Their real value lay in their mana-charged teeth and claws.
There was a material used by alchemists called Phystech, known for its incredible mana conductivity.
It appeared in almost every alchemy recipe—because it was unbelievably expensive.
But werewolf fangs and claws could substitute Phystech entirely.
In my past life, this discovery led to werewolves being hunted to extinction.
Just like elephants hunted for ivory.
‘The world won’t realize their true value for another two years.’
Secret trading between alchemists would begin a year from now.
‘Perfect.’
No one else knew the value of werewolf parts yet.
If I started gathering them now, I could control their future supply.
‘I could sell them to alchemists later at a high price.’
Stockpiling now, before market prices are set, was a wise move.
But I wasn’t doing this for money.
“This—these claws and teeth—will be the key to killing Siegfried.”
“These?”
Gunther looked puzzled.
Naturally—they looked useless.
“I’ll show you when everything is ready.”
There was still time to hunt more werewolves.
So—
“From now on, please give all the claws and teeth to me.”
“You don’t need the hide?”
“No. I’ll give that to you. You’ll need the money if you’re going to be king of Burgundy again. I’ll only take what I truly need.”
“You’re too generous.”
Gunther’s smile softened.
“I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”
“Save it for after we kill Siegfried.”
Because that dragon-slaying hero—still lives.
“Let’s keep hunting.”
Because I still needed to kill more.
[Hero of Germania – Grade A]
[Skill: Hrunting]
[Description 1: Like a famed sword that grows stronger the more blood it drinks, you grow stronger with every enemy slain.]
[Description 2: The stronger the enemy, the more powerful you become.]
[Effect: The stronger you grow, the higher the chance you acquire the status ailment: Berserker.]
[Status Ailment: Berserker – Aggression increases. Attack ↑, Defense ↓]
[As your Berserker level rises, you become increasingly consumed by battle.]
My skill level was still far too low.
To reach my goal, I had to grow stronger.
Even if I had to become a bloodthirsty Berserker to do it.
