I felt a bitter taste in my mouth watching the hunters swept away by the atmosphere rather than rational judgment.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“Senior… are you still here?”
Hyeon Joong-gil was already sharing a moment with the Insect Sorcerer Kim Seon-min, ignoring the interest of the crowd focused on Jo Gi-man.
“Joong-gil, I don’t have much time. I should leave as soon as we meet.”
“Of course. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent a terrible disaster. I appreciate it.”
“Heh, it’s only natural! This incident probably took half my lifespan! Work diligently so I won’t have to be summoned again!”
“I will make sure of it.”
“You always just speak well. Huh-huh—”
Kim Seon-min chuckled and quickly disappeared, and Hyeon Joong-gil was about to leave without regrets when Kang Yeon-su grabbed his ankle.
“Guild Leader! I have something to discuss—”
“Hmm?”
Yeon-su rushed over to Hyeon Joong-gil to have a conversation.
I wanted to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t due to the sensory waves blocked by Hyeon Joong-gil’s unique domain.
Still, wanting to show him something, I approached, and Yeon-hee followed me without much thought.
After a brief exchange, they turned to us and smiled gently.
Kang Yeon-su pointed at me as she said a few words, and Hyeon Joong-gil, after releasing the domain, approached me and said.
“Hmm— So you’re the so-called mysterious existence… is it true?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Eh? Hahaha! A sentient skeleton soldier? It’s reminiscent of that guy.”
I know who he’s talking about.
‘Ancient Empire Skeleton Commander…’
When it comes to the ultimate undead, people think of Arch-Liches and Death Knights, but those who’ve experienced it would unanimously say the Skeleton Commander is the strongest.
Sure, he’s also in the Death Knight class, but there’s a clear difference.
Of course, his physical strength is far superior, and surprisingly, he’s known to possess a clear sense of self, so he doesn’t kill people recklessly.
“Is his name Il-wol?”
“Yes, yes!”
Hyeon Joong-gil gauged Yeon-hee’s energy with curious eyes and said.
“I see. Summoner Lee Yeon-hee… you have amazing potential just as I’ve heard. To deal with someone like her so casually… I’m looking forward to the future.”
“Well… I didn’t really do anything today…”
“No way. Think again. Did you really do nothing?”
“…… I did rescue several people trapped in a building…”
“That’s right. That’s enough.”
Hyeon Joong-gil smiled warmly like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter, then suddenly his complexion turned pale, and he tried to leave.
‘As expected, his body…’
Separating my bitter feelings, I blocked Hyeon Joong-gil’s way, drew my great sword, and grabbed the upper right side.
“Hmm?”
Then, just as I learned from him in my past life, I swung the sword down from above with all my might.
Whoooooosh──!
“?!”
I repeatedly swung the sword a few times, showcasing my terribly poor swordsmanship.
If I were in human form, my face would be as red as a tomato.
But I wanted to show him at least once, even at the cost of my embarrassment.
‘Thanks to you, I can at least do this much now…’
As I continued to swing, Hyeon Joong-gil’s expression grew complicated, and he was momentarily speechless after I finished my display of swordsmanship.
“W-where on earth did you learn that swordsmanship?”
“……?”
Yeon-hee and Yeon-su looked completely puzzled as if they were asking what on earth was happening.
I briefly locked eyes with Hyeon Joong-gil before tossing him a dagger.
Swish—
“Oh my!!”
“What?! Hey!!”
Yeon-hee was startled and jumped up as I suddenly threw the dagger, and Yeon-su seemed to hesitate for a moment about whether to catch the incoming dagger.
‘At least I need to create a connection with my first master.’
I had only lived with him in that dungeon maze for a month.
I can’t say I know everything about him, but by my standards, he is a very kind and righteous person, balanced in both spirit and body without leaning towards one side.
If anyone could be on our side, I would first think of him.
But he had no relation to me in this life.
So, it wouldn’t make sense for him to watch our backs for no reason.
So, I had prepared one thing since I job-changed for the day I would meet him.
A dagger made from my own bone.
I had carved one secret known only to me into it, and now I sent that dagger.
Hyeon Joong-gil lightly snatched the dagger with his index and middle fingers before looking at the bundle of ‘news notes’ tied together with the dagger, staring at me as if confused.
‘The more insurance, the better.’
If Jo Gi-man had any intention of harming us, I might not even get to use the earring artifact before being subdued.
That item activates just by tearing or burning it, so it would be useful as a backup plan.
If my master responds, I might buy myself some time to escape, even for a moment.
I know it’s a terrible thing to do, but if it means saving Yeon-hee, I might as well become a bastard.
Right now, I am trying to use him.
But Hyeon Joong-gil would also willingly let himself be used by me.
As he read the engraving on the dagger, his face suddenly contorted, and his gaze fixated on me.
“Wh… what is this…”
Hyeon Joong-gil’s voice trembled slightly as he glanced at the dagger repeatedly.
Whoooosh──
After a moment, his domain violently rippled and revealed colors.
‘His constraints are already…’
If he doesn’t quickly enter that space, he will be a body that can no longer remain in this world.
“What… what is it? What did Il-wol do—”
“No, it’s nothing… you’re quite the interesting kid, aren’t you? You must have wanted to test my power.”
“Huh…”
“Goodness…”
Yeon-su and Yeon-hee looked at me with shock as they heard his words.
Even in a situation where constraints bared their fangs, Hyeon Joong-gil calmly gathered mana and gave me a large nod before disappearing into his unique domain like the wind.
“…… He’s gone…”
“Uh… well…”
He disappeared without saying anything due to the constraints.
Yet, as if that was somehow my fault, Yeon-su glared at me with fierce eyes.
“You bastard! What the hell is this! Are you crazy?!”
He looked ready to chop me into dozens of pieces at any moment.
“Do you know who that guy is, throwing a dagger?! Did hitting your head with [Meteor] make you crazy?!”
‘Ah… was that the point that made him mad?’
I thought he must have seen what was written on the dagger.
I felt a little justified since I threw it out of his sight intentionally.
I shrugged, pretending not to understand, and Yeon-su continued to glare at me with half-open eyes before receiving a sudden emergency call and had to turn his body away reluctantly.
“We’ll talk again later.”
Yeon-su made a gesture of slicing his neck with his thumb, trying to intimidate me.
To be honest, I was prepared to take a hit or two, so I wasn’t scared by such a warning.
As Yeon-su disappeared, Yeon-hee also asked why I did such a thing, and I told her I wanted to test my power against a very strong person.
In response, Yeon-hee looked exasperated and urged me not to do that to him, of all people.
“And why did you throw the news note with it? Just tearing the paper won’t make him come help us. You didn’t just throw one, but twenty of them, right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Yeon-hee lamented that she’d thrown away an expensive item she bought at the market.
I handed her the ten news notes I paired with Hyeon Joong-gil, while quickly stashing the remaining ten in my armor for easy burning.
Yeon-hee made a pouty face for a moment, then eventually put the items into her space.
After our little event passed, we walked towards the place where the monster was.
There, several hunters had already gathered, all busy taking pictures in front of a massive crater.
‘Having contributed to subduing a top-tier monster appearing in the city, that’s to be expected.’
I was more curious about whether the monster disappeared without leaving a trace.
‘I was a bit dazed by the mana storm earlier.’
As I pushed through the crowd to check the remnants of the monster, I noticed it had left no signs at all.
But a two-meter rock hidden beneath the ground was pulled out, completely blackened and still emitting a lot of smoke.
It looked precarious enough to crumble into dust and disperse if touched, but surprisingly sturdy, as the Head of the Investigation Department from the Hunter Management Bureau kicked it several times and nothing happened.
“There’s no mana or biological response detected at all.”
“Phew—it’s finally over. What are we going to do with this rock?”
Park Yong-hwan, Kang Yeon-su, and other key figures including Jo Gi-man had gathered to discuss the rock.
“For now, we’ll put it in the space and move it before starting an investigation. But there’s a problem.”
Park Yong-hwan said as he gently tapped the rock several times with his hands.
“It won’t go into the space. It won’t even budge.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
Kang Yeon-su, curious, immediately attempted it, but indeed, the rock did not move at all.
“Could it be… this is alive?”
“As you can see, the existence of the monster has completely been obliterated.”
“Is there anything more certain than the defeat message?”
“That part, well…”
“I want to try too—”
About thirty top-tier hunters all tried to put the object in their spaces or move it, but no one succeeded, not even Jo Gi-man.
After failing, Jo Gi-man nodded as if realizing something, but from what I could tell, he seemed rather displeased that something had shown up that he couldn’t manage.
But more than that, I started to question something gradually becoming apparent to my senses.
‘… Something feels… off?’
I tilted my head while looking at it together with Yeon-hee.
“Huh? Why? What’s strange again?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap…”
What puzzled me wasn’t anything else.
‘Why is there a Flame Mark deep in the rock?’
I felt that the massive monster had completely perished, and that rock planted in the ground was simply the condensed byproduct of the monster being sliced and burned.
‘Is the mark engraved because it came from the monster… but could a non-living thing bear a mark?’
I was burrowing into my unresolved question, but before I knew it, I was stepping closer to the rock.
Yeon-hee and Ah-rin followed me without much thought as I casually walked down to the crater.
– You cannot store it in the space.
Wary, I attempted to put it in the space, but it was not possible.
If Ran’s [Acceleration] had opened up a possibility, it might’ve been a different story.
‘…… It can’t be stored? This makes me suspicious now?’
I produced a bone dagger the size of a finger.
‘Just in case…’
As the other strong beings who had tested their limits were gathering again to discuss, I quickly approached the monument and began engraving the Flame Mark.
Seeing my actions, Yeon-hee now showed a resigned expression.
[Flame Cut]
[Flame Cut]
[Flame Cut]
…
…
…
Rustle- Rustle-
Before long, I filled twenty-five marks and was just about to continue when Kang Yeon-su caught me by the nape of my neck, halting my engraving.
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