After Episode (1)
“Hm? Jeonghyeon-ssi?!”
Philip's face popped into view as he stared in shock at Jeonghyeon, who had opened his eyes.
“Piss off. You're gross.”
Jeonghyeon swatted away Philip's concern with one hand and sat up effortlessly.
His body felt perfectly fine, as if he'd never been on the brink of death.
“You're okay! Don't get up—rest! Your body's all healed...? Why are you fine?”
“……”
“Did you get infected by a zombie or something?”
“Yeah.”
“For real?”
“Keep it up and I'll smack you.”
Jeonghyeon made a playful motion to ruffle Philip's hair. Philip flinched a bit but grinned happily anyway.
“I'm so glad! That you're okay!!”
Tears welled up in Philip's eyes as he lunged in for a hug.
No chance. Jeonghyeon dodged and hopped out of bed right away.
“Don't get all huggy with another guy, you creep.”
Standing up, Jeonghyeon ignored the awkward Philip and flexed his arms this way and that.
It didn't hurt at all—in fact, his body felt even better than before, full of energy.
“Impressive.”
Kim Jeonghyeon
Attribute: Field Porter (F)
Revealer: Demon King Malekith
Skill Possession Status
• Attribute Disruption Lv.4 (new!)
• Attribute Analysis (new!)
• Demon King Shop (new!)
Current Understandable Monster Count: 3/???
Understandable Monsters: Goblin, Draco, Minotaur (new!)
Monsters with Increased Understanding: Beast-type Monsters (new!)
“Oh. What the hell?”
The main quest must've cleared—Attribute Disruption had leveled up, and there were new skills like Attribute Analysis and the Demon King Shop.
“What's up? Something there?”
Philip leaned in curiously.
“Nah. Did you make that Epic Weapon?”
“Yes! Here...!”
The Epic Weapon Philip handed over was a crude, basic-looking mace—barely worthy of the name.
But Jeonghyeon didn't even need Attribute Disruption to see right through it. He let out a dry chuckle.
“Heh... Who would've thought you'd get Soul of the Mountain... Guess you're more promising than I figured.”
“Huh? You know this weapon? It was the first time since awakening that the status window showed different text—I had no idea!”
“...That so.”
Uldran's slacking hard.
The status window was basically a communication tool between contractors and dragons, visualizing their power link. If Philip had never seen any other text besides his own since awakening... that meant Uldran had either ditched him or was too busy surviving on his own.
Yeah, around now, Uldran should be deep in dragon faction wars.
Dragons waged their power struggles to claim more, stronger awakeners. That phase lasted about five years.
During it, countless lower dragons lost their power to higher ones. Five years later, when the full Afraksas era hit, the dragons' hierarchy would extend to humans too.
Uldran, of course, was among the lowest ranks.
“To get Soul of the Mountain as an awakener of a dragon like that? You're lucky.”
“Is this weapon... famous?”
Back in my time...
Jeonghyeon barely swallowed the words.
“Yeah. It's damn good. Especially for stubborn types like you who just grind training nonstop—it unleashes overwhelming power. Use it well. Don't get any funny ideas.”
“Yes sir! Thank you! But how'd you know I've trained so much...?”
“Just look at you. Even with that dark skin, you're burned pitch-black from the sun, covered in scars... No hunter's ever trained as brutally as you.”
Jeonghyeon was just stating facts, but Philip was moved to tears again—someone finally recognizing his grind.
As Philip approached for another hug, Jeonghyeon scowled.
“I'll kill you, for real. Stay back.”
“Yessir.”
“Now get out. Discharge is tonight. Prep some food loaded with beef for dinner—killed a calf, so I'm craving it.”
“I finished it off, though...”
Jeonghyeon shot Philip a glare for nitpicking, then dramatically flopped back onto the bed, clutching himself like he was in agony.
“Agh! Guess I'm not fully healed...! Some gloomy hunter asshole wouldn't help, so this lowly porter had to push it, and now my body's...! Ow!!”
“Not now...! ...Got it! Rest up!!”
Philip stammered, indignant, then gave up and left the room.
The second the door shut, Jeonghyeon leaned against it, listening to make sure Philip was gone.
Thud, thud.
Once the footsteps faded completely, he sat on the bed and resumed thinking.
“Quest's done, at least...”
He didn't distrust Philip, but no need to show anyone this info.
“Next quest?”
Quest: Attribute Analysis
Reward: Attribute Domination
Additional Reward: Next quest opens probabilistically.
“What the fuck? 'Probabilistically'? Just open or don't.”
Jeonghyeon flinched at his own words.
Oh, right. I'm not Solgaleh's awakener anymore.
Solgaleh, the light dragon, nitpicked everything—from vocabulary to posture—popping up in the status window with crap like [Mind your words] or [Maintain dignity]. Old habits died hard.
“Phew. This is convenient.”
In this shitshow, not even being able to swear properly? Disaster. He was relieved, but self-loathing hit for being glad about this.
“Fuck it. No point overthinking—just go. What's Attribute Domination though?”
He knew Attribute Analysis.
The ultimate skill for piercing enemy attributes and exploiting weaknesses.
Even most awakeners couldn't get anything similar, and mighty Solgaleh lacked it too.
In his previous era, only four users total.
Ironically, those four betrayed humanity, becoming the Demon King's four mage tower lords—with Attribute Analysis as their foundation.
They'd analyzed monsters so well they sided with them. Pathetic excuse. Jeonghyeon remembered killing them all vividly.
“Bastards.”
He muttered and opened the Demon King Shop.
Available Purchases
Strength Stat – 50 Demon King Points (Max purchases: 50)
Agility Stat – 50 Demon King Points (Max purchases: 50)
Intelligence Stat – 50 Demon King Points (Max purchases: 50)
Understanding Rate Buff – 500 Demon King Points
Seek Great Advice from Demon King Malekith – 1 Point (Points required increase per purchase)
Current Points: 1 Demon King Point
“What bullshit. 'Great' my ass?”
Jeonghyeon tsked and closed the shop.
Nothing he could afford anyway, and he sure as hell didn't want Malekith's “advice.”
It reeked of mockery already. Why humor that prick?
Save up and ask how to kill the Demon King right in his face later. Jeonghyeon vowed.
“Nothing special. Items change with levels, huh.”
This shop was familiar to him—and to awakeners.
Climb the tower high enough, prove yourself, get dragon advice, buy items or knowledge from their reports.
Points came from expanding dragon factions or merits against the Demon King.
Demon King Shop probably filled by killing monsters.
Malekith killing his own minions for fun? Perverted, but not surprising anymore.
What impressed Jeonghyeon was the purchase limits next to stats.
“Stats aren't infinite... So save 'em or grow power another way?”
His class: Field Porter.
Obviously a taunt—Escort hunters as a porter and reach me.
His stats capped; hunters he trained with past-life memories could go infinite.
Malekith's dare: Bring your best past-life protagonist as a sidekick this time.
No way in hell, asshole. I'll crush your face with my own power.
Jeonghyeon imagined spitting on Malekith's face.
Right then, the door opened—Philip peeked in.
“Jeonghyeon-ssi, done thinking?”
Seeing Philip's hurt puppy face cracked Jeonghyeon up.
“Kukuk. How the hell did I make it that far with a guy like that? Impossible. Gotta do it myself.”
“Huh? Outta nowhere, insulting my looks...?”
“Not that. What?”
“Figured you'd head out soon, so I handled discharge. Hospital finally realized—they asked why the hell they put you in a private room when I was hurt worse. Haha!”
“You get treated?”
“Yup! My body's tough—healer fixed me right up! Let's go!”
Stubbornly eager to follow, yet sharp as hell for a Uldran awakener.
Jeonghyeon sighed and followed Philip out.
***
After a massive meal and a solid day's sleep, Jeonghyeon woke refreshed. In Philip's bed, of course.
“I mean, I'm the homeowner, but you sleeping in my bed every time is kinda...”
“Got your Epic Weapon now, huh?”
“No, sorry. So, where to now?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“What else? I'm coming too!”
“You? Why?”
Philip paused—not hurt or flustered.
“...You're right. But why shouldn't I come?”
“Didn't say don't.”
“Oh.”
Philip scratched his head.
“Anyway, let's go together? You're heading to the field with some plan, right? Tough as a porter. Thanks to you, I cleared a C-rank dungeon and got B-rank promo shot—I'll repay that by going wherever you want.”
“Smooth talker. You just wanna level up with me.”
“Hehe, two birds. Gotta repay for the Epic Weapon!”
Philip joked around.
Not sly, but easygoing, affable, stubborn—hallmarks of Uldran awakeners.
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Great! Field now?! Or the Tower?”
“First, sell mana stones.”
“Mana stones? Oh, that Kang... whatever guy?”
“Not Kang Moojik. Got a spot.”
“Ooh... Another dealer!”
“Yeah. Someone we need to lock down now—they'll supply us valuables going forward.”
Jeonghyeon had one person in mind.
His biggest enemies weren't monsters or the Demon King—but humans.
Among them, the woman who'd tormented him most. Recalling that old grudge, Jeonghyeon headed to a mana stone black market.