In that instant, the surroundings rapidly flickered dark then bright, like a fluorescent light reaching the end of its lifespan. Jin-Woo raised his head. The sphere of light that Choi Jong-In had suspended in the air for the Ant Queen raid was flickering.
'Is the magic wearing off?'
At first, that was his vague assumption. But the Korean Hunters hadn't even been on Jeju Island for a full hour yet. And the magic was already starting to disappear? An S-rank magic-type Hunter had cast it specifically so a life-or-death raid could proceed smoothly. That was impossible. Then.
'...No way?'
The thought that the Shadow Extraction skill he had just used on the monster ant might be the cause had just flashed through his mind when—snap—everything went completely dark. If even a speck of light had leaked in, he could have used the power of his Sensing stat to see his surroundings, but the darkness was too deep for even that. Perhaps a second passed by his count? In a very brief moment, the darkness that had hung in the air receded, and when the surroundings brightened again, the monster ant was right in front of him, facing him head-on.
'...!'
Jin-Woo flinched and stepped back. Had the message 'Shadow Extraction successful' not appeared at almost the same moment, he would have thought the monster ant had come back to life and attacked.
"Whew— that scared me."
Jin-Woo let out a sigh of relief. Looking at it calmly now that he had taken a step back, the creature did look somewhat different from when it had been alive. Black mist was continuously rising from its body.
'This is the monster ant's shadow...'
He wasn't sure how its other stats had changed, but at the very least, its sense of dread seemed to have risen several levels higher than before. Jin-Woo stood before the ant's shadow. He could feel tremendous mana. Standing this close and sensing its mana up close, it finally hit him that the monster ant truly was now his soldier.
'Hmm...'
He wanted to stay composed, but the corners of his mouth kept curling upward. Thump, thump, thump! His heart pounded like a child who had just gotten the present they'd been wishing for. Before long, the shadow's information appeared. Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed as he read the text above the shadow's head.
[?? Lv.1] General Grade
Seeing the grade, Jin-Woo clenched his fist tight. A grade he had never seen before had appeared. That meant this creature possessed strength on an entirely different level from his soldiers up until now.
'Well, considering its abilities when it was alive, that's only to be expected.'
Even just the name of the grade told him this was no ordinary soldier. There had been a reason he wanted it so badly. Just then. Whoosh. The shadow, meeting Jin-Woo's gaze, knelt down. The 'absolute loyalty' that was innate to shadow soldiers apparently was no exception for this one either.
'Good.'
Next was the Queen's turn. Jin-Woo turned around with a satisfied smile. But then.
"Your Majesty..."
The voice from behind made Jin-Woo freeze in place. He had never considered himself particularly cowardly, but in that moment, his heart dropped into his stomach. ...Was he hearing things? Jin-Woo turned around. He could have sensed it without looking, but behind him there was no one—nothing but the ant's shadow. And that shadow was still kneeling, head bowed.
'...'
Jin-Woo gazed at the shadow and slowly turned back around.
"Is it you?"
As if it had been waiting for that, the creature spoke.
"To me as well... a name..."
Clumsy but unmistakable, the ant's shadow was addressing him.
***
The helicopter carrying the Hunters headed straight for Seoul. Tatatatatatatatata—! As soon as the helicopter landed at the Hunter's Association, Chairman Goh Geon-Hye, who had been waiting anxiously, opened the helicopter door himself and asked.
"Where is Hunter Cha Hae-In?"
The Hunters' gazes pointed toward where Cha Hae-In lay. Still unconscious, she had been laid flat on the helicopter floor on top of a blanket.
"Bring her here right away!"
At Goh Geon-Hye's orders, two A-rank healers who had been standing by outside rushed in and examined her condition.
"...?" "...?"
They then exchanged puzzled glances.
"What's going on?"
At Goh Geon-Hye's question, nearly identical answers tumbled out of both of them at the same time, neither waiting for the other.
"There are no injuries." "She's in perfect condition." "You're saying there's no need to treat Hunter Cha?"
The healers nodded. They then added an explanation.
"Someone, I don't know who, cast an incredible recovery magic on her. There's nothing left for us to do."
Goh Geon-Hye was taken aback. When he had checked Cha Hae-In's condition on the live broadcast, her injuries had looked quite severe. The reports he'd heard said her condition was critical and she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. That was precisely why he had scoured everywhere until he managed to urgently summon two A-rank healers to stand by. But.
'Nothing to treat?'
Goh Geon-Hye's eyes swept over Cha Hae-In. Sure enough, her complexion was fine. She looked as though she were simply sleeping. What had happened in the time the cameras were off? Goh Geon-Hye tilted his head.
'And there were no healers on scene either...'
The only healer, Min Byung-Gu, had been gravely harmed, after all. Goh Geon-Hye turned to Ma Dong-Wook, the team's leader.
"How did this happen, Hunter Ma?" "Well..."
While Ma Dong-Wook hesitated, wondering how to explain this, one of the healers called out.
"She's waking up!"
All eyes turned to her at once. Goh Geon-Hye carefully sat beside her head and asked.
"Hunter Cha, are you feeling a little better?"
Cha Hae-In slowly opened her eyes.
"Where am I?" "You're inside the helicopter. We've currently landed at the Hunter's Association, and we'll be transporting you to the hospital shortly." "Hospital..."
After briefly looking around, Cha Hae-In took a deep breath. The scent of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had soaked into her body. She looked at Goh Geon-Hye with unfocused eyes.
"...Was Sung Jin-Woo Hunter here?"
Coming from her mouth, who had been unconscious the entire time, the name Sung Jin-Woo caught the Hunters off guard. Goh Geon-Hye answered with a slow nod instead of words. A faint smile crossed Cha Hae-In's face.
'So... it wasn't a dream.'
As if she were about to wake, Cha Hae-In instead sank back into a deep sleep. Confirming that her breathing had steadied, Goh Geon-Hye ordered his attendants to move her to the hospital so she could rest comfortably. Now that he thought about it, Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was nowhere to be seen. Goh Geon-Hye shifted his gaze back to Ma Dong-Wook.
"By the way, where is Sung Jin-Woo Hunter?"
Baek Yoon-Ho, who had been listening, joined the conversation.
"Hunter Sung Jin-Woo said... he'll be staying behind." "Staying behind?"
Goh Geon-Hye wore a confused expression. The helicopter, powered by a mana engine, had picked up the Hunters from Jeju Island and flown straight here. There hadn't been a single stop along the way, so what did he mean, staying behind? Where, how? Goh Geon-Hye asked again.
"Staying behind where?" "He said he still has things to do on Jeju Island." "...He didn't even board the helicopter?"
Goh Geon-Hye asked, flustered, and Baek Yoon-Ho gave an awkward smile and nodded.
"No."
***
"How can you speak?" "I was... able to."
The ant's shadow answered every question without fail, but unfortunately, it wasn't much help. The reasoning being that since it could speak before becoming a shadow, it could still speak after becoming one?
'No.'
Jin-Woo shook his head. The former Hunter Kim Chul, who had become the loyal knight 'Iron,' could speak and was still fully human. Yet conversation had been impossible. Min Byung-Gu was the same. He had returned to the world of the dead without uttering a single word. The magical beast Eargnash, who had been quite the chatterbox in life, had permanently sealed his lips once he became a shadow soldier. But. But why was this one the only one who could speak? The only difference between this creature and the others who couldn't speak was exactly one thing.
'Grade...'
Unlike his other soldiers who held the Elite Knight or Knight grade, this one bore a new grade: 'General.' In other words, once a shadow reached a certain grade or above, it could speak. He had no solid proof yet, but for now, it was the most plausible hypothesis.
'Then the soldiers I have right now might also be able to speak once their levels go up...'
It was as if he had just gained one more reason to raise his soldiers' levels. After a moment of thought, Jin-Woo asked the ant's shadow a question he had always wanted to put to his soldiers.
"I'm the one who killed you." "..." "And yet you still willingly pledge to follow me?" "I..."
The creature gave an answer he had never anticipated.
"I did not die... I was reborn... through my lord's power."
The creature raised its head. With their gazes now locked, it continued.
"Inside me right now... joy overflows... I will follow my lord... for all eternity."
Thump. Why was that? Was it because he could feel the sincerity? When the ant's shadow swore its eternal loyalty, Jin-Woo's heart raced without his permission. He gently placed a hand over his chest to calm the pounding. His heart settled back to its usual rapid but steady rhythm. Then, the creature bowed its head once more and made an earnest plea.
"Your Majesty... grant me also... a name..."
The story had come full circle. Instead of the System's prodding, he was receiving a personal entreaty—a novel experience. A name, a name. He had never really cared much for naming his soldiers.
'But calling it 'Ant' or something like that won't do either, will it?'
There were hundreds of ants. Having the General's name be just "Ant" would be a bit embarrassing, wouldn't it? So. After pondering for a moment, Jin-Woo gave a grin.
"Beru."
In that instant, he had recalled the famous novelist known for the novel "Ant." The decision came even faster than his brief deliberation.
"Your name is Beru."
The moment Jin-Woo gave it a name, Beru lowered its already-bowed head even further, as if overcome with emotion.
"Thank you... my lord."
Above Beru's head, the information had already been updated.
[Beru Lv.1] General Grade
'Done.'
Feeling a surge of pride at the new name, Jin-Woo turned toward the Queen. Now it was truly the Queen's turn. Perhaps the confidence gained from having just made Beru into a shadow soldier made it easy, because the Queen's extraction was over in no time.
"Rise."
Kiaaaaaa—! With a scream almost like a death cry, a magical beast that was the spitting image of the Queen rose from the shadows.
"Excellent!"
Overjoyed by his consecutive successes, Jin-Woo tilted his head, sensing something was off.
'Huh?'
Now that the Queen's shadow had been created, the connection to the other ant-born shadows had grown faint. It felt as though the threads linking them together had been shrouded in a pale mist.
"Beru."
Before he had even finished calling the name, Beru had already appeared beside him. Snap. Without a Sensing stat well over 200, it would have been impossible to even track that movement with his eyes. And that creature was now his loyal soldier. Jin-Woo felt his shoulders square on their own.
"Do you know why?"
Jin-Woo gestured toward the Queen with his chin and asked. Beru was the soldier who knew the ant colony best. Beru answered in a respectful posture.
"Control of the ant colony... is the Queen's exclusive ability."
Ah. So as long as the Queen existed, command of the ant colony would automatically pass to her.
'That's a bit...'
No matter how confident he was that he could subjugate the Queen, leaving the ant soldiers under her command was troubling. It meant he would have to issue orders through her. Jin-Woo stroked his chin and asked Beru again.
"And the Queen's mana has been cut down?" "The Queen's mana is mostly... for reproduction. Without a physical body, reproduction is... impossible."
Jin-Woo cut in.
"So her mana has been halved?" "Yes... my lord."
All in all, based on what Beru had told him, the Queen wasn't all that useful. After deliberating, Jin-Woo decided to dismiss her. There was no point in keeping a subordinate who could barely do anything useful yet would only consume resources. Kiaaek—! The Queen's shadow dissolved into smoke and scattered into the air in an instant.
[Stored shadows: 570 / 570]
He had already filled his shadow capacity to the brim.
'All that's left is the mana crystals, I suppose.'
Jin-Woo looked around. The highest-grade mana crystals, the kind only found in S-rank Gates, lay scattered about like ordinary stones. No one was watching, and he was the one who had killed them, so he could have swept up every last one if he'd wanted to. But Jin-Woo held back. He had heard that the mana crystals here would be used to compensate the people affected by the damage on Jeju Island and to rebuild the island to its former state. He wasn't destitute enough to covet items that didn't belong to him.
'But I'll take this one.'
Jin-Woo pulled out the mana crystal from Beru's original body. It was a perfectly black mana crystal of gem-like beauty. As he slipped it into his pocket, Jin-Woo called for Kaisel. Kiaak—! Kaisel flapped its wings and was ready to take flight. Jin-Woo lightly hopped onto its back and scanned the Queen's chamber one last time. The place that had been so chaotic before was now deathly silent.
'...'
The Jeju Island expedition was over. Jin-Woo's gaze, still examining the interior, turned toward the entrance.
"Home."
At that, Kaisel soared into the sky.