"Is there anyone close to you who is a Hunter, or someone who isn't currently a Hunter but has been designated as an Awakened individual?"
The doctor dropped a strange question out of nowhere. Yoo Myung-Han had asked what was wrong with him, so why was the conversation suddenly about Hunters?
"What do you mean? Hunters all of a sudden."
"Have you ever heard of Lethargic Syndrome?"
At the word Lethargic Syndrome, Yoo Myung-Han's eyes—until now perfectly composed—trembled violently. Lethargic Syndrome. An inescapable sleep. It wasn't simply about being unable to wake from a slumber; it rapidly drained the patient's life force, making life-sustaining devices that utilized mana an absolute necessity. Since Gates began appearing, the disease had started to crop up, condemning many people who lacked the means to borrow such life-support equipment to death.
"It's a condition where drowsiness hits you in waves until you eventually never wake up again."
The doctor wore a somber expression. To date, there had been no recorded case of a patient with Lethargic Syndrome waking up. Extending one's life while remaining unable to open one's eyes amounted to the same thing. It was a death sentence for the patient.
"..."
Yoo Myung-Han waited for the doctor to finish explaining before asking.
"But what does that have to do with Hunters?"
"Lethargic Syndrome is known to have a deep connection with mana."
Some people are born with a poor tolerance for mana. One of the abnormal symptoms that manifests in individuals chronically exposed to mana over long periods is Lethargic Syndrome.
"Didn't you say the device that supplies life force to the patient uses mana?"
"That's true, but—"
Just as raw nuclear material is hazardous but the electricity it produces can be used safely, magic powered by mana poses no harm, the doctor explained.
"What you need to watch out for are mana crystals, magic stones, and people who carry mana." 'People who carry mana...'
Yoo Myung-Han thought of Yoo Jin-Ho, the only Awakened individual in his family. The doctor spoke carefully.
"I hear your second son is a Hunter, sir."
At the mention of Yoo Jin-Ho, Yoo Myung-Han's face hardened.
"So… you're telling me not to see my own son?"
"It would be best if you kept your distance as much as possible…"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Yoo Myung-Han cut him off and hammered the point home. "Ridiculous."
Then, as if dismissing the matter, he waved his hand for the doctor to leave.
"Sir…"
The doctor hesitated, unsure of what to do, but under the force of Yoo Myung-Han's stern glare, he fled the room. Yoo Myung-Han stared after him through the door with fury in his eyes.
'They tell me to stay away from my son because I'm afraid the illness will get worse. Is that something you say to a father?'
Even granting that it was true—if even a sliver of that news reached Jin-Ho, what would he think? A father could not burden his son with that kind of guilt. At least, that was what Yoo Myung-Han believed.
'Besides…'
Mana was expanding in its use by the day, and the number of people who possessed it was growing steadily. In a world like that, saying you couldn't tolerate mana was the same as admitting you were already obsolete. Yoo Myung-Han scoffed.
'Me, obsolete?'
Impossible.
'I do not lose.'
Every endeavor that others had pointed at and declared impossible, he had accomplished in spite of them. Inheriting Yoo-Jin Construction—barely hanging on in the bottom thirties of the corporate rankings—and growing it into the number one company in the country was proof of that.
'And now I'm supposed to bend my knee to some petty illness?'
I do not lose. Yoo Myung-Han repeated the words to himself, over and over.
***
Jin-Woo carefully opened his sister's door before heading out. Since it was still early, Jin-A was sound asleep—deep enough that she wouldn't have noticed if someone carried her away. A sudden thought of worry struck him.
'While I'm gone, someone might try to approach my sister.'
Of course, no one would be brazen enough to threaten the younger sister of an S-rank Hunter, but one could never be certain. A minimal countermeasure was necessary.
'Wait—now that I think about it, my soldiers can hide inside shadows, can't they?'
Jin-Woo recalled the time he had his shadow soldiers patrol the neighborhood when a serial killer appeared. Back then, the soldiers had slipped into the shadows of objects to move around. A little application of that trick, and he could protect his sister without anyone noticing. Besides, he had just the right guys on hand.
'Come out.'
Jin-Woo summoned the beast soldiers who had served as Mairga's bodyguards in life. Ssssh. Three of the High Orcs—massive even among their kind—materialized simultaneously, and the already-small room suddenly felt cramped. But then—
'Huh? Why are there three?'
There had been four bodyguards. As Jin-Woo retraced his memory, a silent exclamation escaped him.
'Ah.'
He belatedly remembered that he had planted one of them into the ceiling and forgotten to extract its shadow.
'Next time I'll keep better track.'
Jin-Woo smirked and regarded the three beast soldiers, former High Orc bodyguards. All elite-grade. A cut above the ordinary-grade High Orc shadows he'd dealt with before. With these three, even an A-rank Hunter would be no problem. That wasn't empty talk—Son Gi-Hoon, an A-rank Hunter and former raid leader, had struggled against just three run-of-the-mill High Orcs. Let alone these. Jin-Woo jerked his chin toward Jin-A. The shadow bodyguards shifted into their shadow forms, slid across the floor, and merged seamlessly into Jin-A's shadow.
'Perfect.'
They were to stay hidden like good soldiers, and the instant Jin-A was in danger, they were to destroy whoever the threat was—no mercy. Having issued his orders, Jin-Woo quietly closed the door.
'Now I can relax.'
A weight lifted from his shoulders. After locking up, he headed down to the apartment entrance, where Yoo Jin-Ho was waiting just as promised.
"Hyung-nim!"
Yoo Jin-Ho greeted him with a bright face.
"Was sleeping there alright?"
"Yes, hyung-nim. Motels these days are actually pretty nice."
Since Jin-A was home, Jin-Woo had put Yoo Jin-Ho up at a nearby motel. Apparently it hadn't been too uncomfortable.
"Stay there until we find a guild office."
"Got it, hyung-nim."
Whatever was making him so happy, Yoo Jin-Ho was grinning from ear to ear. Jin-Woo had gotten a rough rundown the day before. He'd listened to the whole story thinking it couldn't be true—yet the guy had really up and quit his guild master position. When Jin-Woo had pressed him, unable to believe it, Yoo Jin-Ho answered as though he'd been wronged.
"Did you really think I wouldn't come just because you called?"
"Well… you called, hyung-nim!"
Still, Jin-Woo couldn't bring himself to scold a man who had ditched a director-level title just because the opportunity looked good.
"Let's go."
"Yes, hyung-nim."
Yoo Jin-Ho climbed into the driver's seat and Jin-Woo into the passenger side. The van carried the two of them toward Daeseong Tower. Yoo Jin-Ho glanced sideways at Jin-Woo.
'What business could hyung-nim have at Daeseong Tower at this hour?'
He was curious, but he felt it would be presumptuous to pry, so the words stuck in his throat. Only when the van pulled up in front of the tower did he finally find the courage.
"By the way, hyung-nim, what's at Daeseong Tower that—"
"I'll be right back."
"Huh?"
Yoo Jin-Ho turned his head quickly. But the van door was already open and his brother was gone. He felt like he'd experienced something like this here before. Yoo Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head.
'No matter how many times I see it, hyung-nim really is elusive.'
***
[You have entered the Demonic Castle Dungeon.]
Jin-Woo deactivated his Stealth skill.
'I've finally returned.'
The thought of being back in a place where he could go all out made his heart race. The moment he stepped past the gate, a mechanical chime rang out as if it had been waiting. Ding.
[A quest has arrived.]
Unlike his first visit, Jin-Woo wasn't surprised. The quest he had received back then was 'Collect the Souls of Demons! 1', so he'd figured a follow-up quest would arrive sooner or later. Jin-Woo opened the message window. Ding.
[Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! 2] The Demon Monarch 'Baran' resides on the highest floor of the Demonic Castle. Defeat Baran and claim his soul. If you succeed in sealing the Demon King's soul, you will receive a generous reward. Quest requirements: - [Normal Quest: Collect the Souls of Demons! 1] completed - Re-enter the Demonic Castle
Quest completion conditions: - Defeat the Demon King
Rewards: 1. Supreme Rune Stone 2. Bonus Stats +30 3. Undisclosed reward
'The quest objective is to defeat the Demon King?'
Jin-Woo's face lit up. He didn't need to go anywhere special for this—he just had to reach the highest floor of the Demonic Castle as fast as possible. And the rewards were generous.
'Bonus stats plus thirty!'
The previous quest had demanded collecting ten thousand demon souls—a peak grindfest. The bonus stats he'd received for all that effort was twenty. Now he was being offered thirty just for taking down one Demon King. That was ten days' worth of Daily Quests—the same number of stats he would earn from six Level Ups. The unexpected bounty drew an involuntary smile.
'But what's a Supreme Rune Stone?'
Jin-Woo checked the first reward. Ding.
[Supreme Rune Stone: Shadow Exchange] Crush a Supreme Rune Stone to acquire a job-exclusive skill.
'I can learn a job-exclusive skill?'
Jin-Woo's eyes widened. He had earned three job-exclusive skills so far: Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, and Monarch's Domain. Every one of them was extraordinary—none he could bear to part with. The thought of adding yet another skill to the lineup set his heart pounding.
'What kind of skill will it be?'
He tried to check the skill details, but only the name appeared—a full description was nowhere to be found. Tsk. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment.
'Well, I'll find out once I complete the quest.'
A job-exclusive skill and thirty bonus stats. Even setting aside the undisclosed reward, that was already an enormous haul. He felt an almost irresistible urge to sprint straight to the top floor.
'But before I start…'
Jin-Woo pulled up his status window for the first time in a while.
Ding.
[Name: Sung Jin-Woo] [Level: 80] [Class: Shadow Monarch] [Title: One Who Overcame Adversity (and 1 other)] [HP: 24,406] [MP: 5,019] [Fatigue: 0]
[Stats] Strength: 186 Vitality: 145 Agility: 175 Intelligence: 189 Perception: 126 (Available stat points: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 46%
[Skills] Passive Skills: Unknown Lv.MAX, Tenacity Lv.1, Dagger Mastery Lv.2 Active Skills: Dash Lv.MAX, Killing Intent Lv.1, Stealth Lv.2, Vital Strike Lv.MAX, Dagger Throw Lv.2, Ruler's Touch Lv.2
[Job-Exclusive Skills] Active Skills: Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Shadow Storage Lv.1, Monarch's Domain Lv.1
[Crafting Skills] Consumables: Life Essence (2/3)
[Equipped Items] Crimson Knight's Helm (S), Demon Monarch's Earrings (S), Demon Monarch's Necklace (A), Knight's Platemail (B), Knight's Gauntlets (B), Archmage's Ring (B), Assassin's Boots (C)
Level 80. And thanks to dumping every available stat point into one attribute, his Intelligence stat had surpassed his Strength.
'My Intelligence is already close to 200.'
As a result, his maximum mana had already crossed five thousand. Mana was nothing to scoff at—it was effectively the endurance that allowed his shadow soldiers to be resurrected indefinitely. Given that his army would only keep growing, five thousand actually felt a bit low.
'Alright, let's get started.'
Every second counted. Jin-Woo closed the status window. This was the first floor of the Demonic Castle. From here to the seventy-sixth floor—which he had already cleared—there was no need to waste time. He headed straight for the floor-transfer magic circle.
[Floors 1 through 76 are unlocked.] [Where would you like to go?]
Jin-Woo answered without hesitation.
"76."
Light flashed. In the blink of an eye—between a single opening and closing of his eyes—his surroundings had changed entirely. Cities burned everywhere. Even inside the transfer circle, shielded from outside influence, the heat prickled his skin. Jin-Woo set down his luggage and pulled two artifacts from inside. One was a black garment its creator had named the 'Wind Robe'; the other was an unnamed ring inscribed with a water-element enchantment. He equipped both. Once the robe was on and the hood pulled up, he felt like a genuine magic-type Hunter.
'…I'm cool just wearing it.'
Just putting it on was enough to make him feel as though he were standing inside a cold cave.
'Will it actually hold up against the flames of the Demonic Castle?'
Jin-Woo slowly stepped out of the transfer circle. It was worth every penny. Unlike before, the scorching heat outside had zero effect on him.
'The robe shouldn't get in the way, right?'
Just to be safe, he moved his body around and found it surprisingly comfortable. True to its name, the Wind Robe was as light as air itself.
'Good.'
He was ready. But apparently he wasn't the only one who had finished preparing—demons, sensing the scent of a human, had begun swarming toward him in droves. In the past, he might have killed time by taking them on casually, or methodically sweeping each floor for experience.
'But right now…'
His mother's treatment hinged on this—he couldn't afford to waste a single second. Instead of summoning his usual daggers, Jin-Woo summoned his soldiers. Ssssh. Dependable shadow soldiers materialized.
'Where's Mairga?'
Jin-Woo looked for Mairga. Whether it was because higher-ranked soldiers could spawn closer to their summoner, Mairga appeared right behind him. Jin-Woo retrieved the 'Orb of Avarice' from his inventory and placed it in Mairga's palm.
"Use it today."
Even though Jin-Woo himself derived no amplification effect from the Orb of Avarice as a magic-type, he figured it would benefit Mairga, who was a sorcerer.
'…'
Mairga bowed its head deeply, as though expressing gratitude. Thud, thud, thud. At last, colossal demons came into view even with the naked eye.
'Shall we begin?'
After ordering the soldiers to ready for combat, Jin-Woo gripped 'Baruka's Chakram' and 'Night Killer' in his hands. Demons were pouring toward them en masse. His own side's numbers were hardly modest either. Unlike last time, when Jin-Woo had calmly watched for an opening, he shouted.
"Go!"
No—he'd been about to shout "Let's go." But before the words even left his mouth—Whoooooosh—a horrific pillar of fire, thick beyond measure, crashed diagonally from somewhere overhead and engulfed the enemy.
"Wh-what?!"
Whoooooosh—the instant the flames grazed them, demons and ground alike melted into nothing.
"Keeeeeeeeek!" "Ki-yeaaaaah!"
The demons evaporated in moments, and familiar chimes followed one after another.
[You have leveled up!] [You have leveled up!]
'No way…'
Jin-Woo calmed his trembling heart and looked behind him. Standing there was Mairga—twice as large as it had been inside the dungeon—grey smoke pouring from its mouth. Gulping, Jin-Woo swallowed hard.
'This is the power of the Orb of Avarice?'
Demons living in the Demonic Castle would naturally possess a measure of fire resistance, yet every last one of them had been incinerated. Heh. Once he processed what had happened, a wry laugh escaped him.
'I could clear this way faster than expected.'
Jin-Woo stared at the demon corpses—still smoldering—and the scorched earth, and screamed silently with joy.
= [END]