Chapter 11
“Is this... really what we have to do?”
The number one ranked hunter in Korea. The grand archmage who dominated space. Lee Shinwoo, the head of Zeus Guild, asked in a trembling voice.
In his hand, instead of the legendary-grade artifact Sage's Staff, he clutched a rusty [Field Shovel] airlifted straight from Earth. A particularly hefty one, at that.
The first day in the Abyss had dawned. Of course, there was no sun rising here—the blood-red moon still hung in the sky—but the clock hands pointed to 7 a.m.
True to Jinhyeok's declaration, they had decided to hunker down in this place. His wife Yoo Isu's condition made any movement impossible. The problem was that the environment here was the absolute worst for a patient to recover in.
A poisonous wind that flayed the skin. Rotten corpses of magical beasts scattered everywhere without room to step. And skeletal skulls popping out with a 'peekaboo' at every turn.
To treat a patient here, they needed a [sterile room] completely isolated from the outside—and a [fortress] that no magical beast could breach.
“Got a problem with it? If you're feeling hard done by, head home right now.”
Jinhyeok said as he mixed instant coffee into a paper cup for his morning fix. One hand held the steaming brew, the other a crudely sketched construction blueprint from all night. He looked every bit the construction site foreman.
“H-Home? With lifetime free treatment on the line?!”
Ma Dongtak yelped in horror.
“Then get to work. Gotta earn your keep, right?”
Jinhyeok slapped the blueprint.
“Alright, briefing time. Goal: Build a [two-story surface-scale defensive facility] before sunset today. Materials sourced on-site, manpower... the top-tier trio right here.”
Jinhyeok's gaze swept over Lee Shinwoo, Ma Dongtak, and Seo Jihu. Their combined worth had to be tens of trillions of won.
“Lee Shinwoo, you're on civil engineering. Ma Dongtak, foundation work. Seo Jihu, plastering and utilities. Any questions?”
“None, sir!”
“Good. Let's get to it!”
With Jinhyeok's whistle, the most expensive—and most ridiculously overkill—'Abyss day labor' in hunter history began.
“Lee Shinwoo! Corpse pile at your 1 o'clock—flatten it all!”
Lee Shinwoo stepped forward with grim resolve. He yanked off his tie, rolled up his sleeves. His mana, the kind only seen in national disasters, hummed with vibration.
“Space Severance—Wide Area Deployment!”
Zzzzzip—!
With a slash of his hand through the air, the mountain of ghoul corpses and jagged black rock pile ahead sliced clean like tofu. No noise, no dust. The obstacles simply vanished into subspace, as if space itself had been erased.
What would've taken 100 excavators a week on Earth? Cleared in 10 seconds flat.
“Ooh... nice and clean. As expected from number one. Better mileage than a backhoe.”
Jinhyeok clapped like a seal in admiration.
Lee Shinwoo wiped his sweat, puffing up with pride.
“Heh, a glimpse of spatial magic's essence. Error margin not even 0.1mm—”
“Good job. Next, shave down that hill at 11 o'clock too.”
“Pardon? That far?”
“Hurry up. Sun's setting.”
Lee Shinwoo's face turned ashen.
“Ma Dongtak! Ground's too soft! Pack it hard like concrete if you wanna build on it!”
“Leave it to me! What's my nickname? The Human Roller!”
Ares Guild Master Ma Dongtak thumped his chest like a gorilla. He ballooned his muscles like balloons, then leaped—what looked like a good 20 meters into the air.
“Titan Stomp!!!”
Kuuuung—!
The Abyss ground quaked like an earthquake. Not mere destruction—Ma Dongtak's precise power control drove shockwaves deep underground, forcibly compressing the loose soil particles.
As the dust settled, his landing spot gleamed smooth and hard as marble flooring.
“How's that, bro? Solid as hell, right?”
Ma Dongtak flashed a thumbs-up in his Chungcheong dialect.
“Looks good. But that corner's a bit loose—jump again.”
“Aw, boss, my knees are shot...”
“Want me to revoke your VIP ticket?”
“Jumping! Here I go! Hoo-rah!”
Ground was prepped, but no materials for building. No wood, bricks, or rebar in the Abyss. Just...
“Uh... how about bones?”
Ice Emperor Seo Jihu suggested cautiously. He pointed to the nearby 'Tomb of Giant Magical Beasts'.
Ribs from ancient dragons estimated dead centuries ago, Behemoth femurs—house-sized bones bleached white and scattered everywhere.
Jinhyeok's eyes lit up.
“Oh ho, eco-friendly stuff. Tough too. Let's use 'em.”
They rushed to the bone yard. S-grade alchemy materials worth tens of millions per gram on Earth rolled around like industrial waste here.
“Whoa... one of these could buy a Gangnam high-rise.”
Lee Shinwoo drooled, picking up a dragon fang.
“No side hustles—carry it. That's for window frames, don't munch it.”
The full-on [ultra-luxury skull hospital] assembly kicked off. Ma Dongtak erected massive vertebrae as pillars; Lee Shinwoo precision-fitted bones with spatial magic. Finishing touches: Seo Jihu.
“Seo Jihu! Adhesive!”
“Coming up! Frost Binding!”
Seo Jihu swung his staff, frosting the bone joints with intense cold. Abyss moisture frozen into 'ice cement' harder than concrete.
“Hey, Ma Dongtak! Level's off there! Shift right!”
“Boss, this is my best! Bones are curved by nature!”
“Seo Jihu! Keep the ice from melting! Why's the AC so weak?”
“This is demon realm! Average 122°F—how long you think ice lasts? I'm about to collapse!”
Guild masters who snarled at each other on Earth now bickered like foremen. Yoo Isu watched from her makeshift bed, dumbfounded.
“Am I hallucinating? Lee Shinwoo shoveling... Destroyer erecting pillars... Ice Emperor plastering?”
“You'll get used to it. You'll see it a lot.”
Jinhyeok calmly draped a blanket over Yoo Isu's shoulders.
And the most crucial task remained: heating and cooking. Body temp maintenance was essential for the patient. Nights plunged below freezing here.
“Balakas. Light a fire.”
[...I'm a mighty fire dragon. I wasn't born to stoke some damn boiler.]
The dragon snorted in wounded pride. Treating an S-rank dragon like a furnace?
“Tonight's dinner: Hanwoo 1++ braised short ribs.”
Jinhyeok whispered softly.
“Saved 10kg for you. Pure meat, no bone.”
[Fwoosh!]
Balakas's eyes gleamed with greed. Without protest, it opened wide and precisely flamed the bone-fired hearth. Not too hot, not too cold. The flat stone slab underneath warmed perfectly.
“Perfect temp.”
In half a day, a miracle rose. Amid the wasteland: a grotesque yet artistically bizarre two-story white bone building. Airtight, no gaps. Windows from melted crystal slime shells; roof waterproofed with dragon scales.
At the entrance hung a crooked wooden sign Jinhyeok had magic-scrawled.
(Specialties: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics / Earthlings welcome, beasts welcome / No walk-ins for trauma / Meals provided)
“Done!”
The hunters cheered. Covered in dirt, they slapped backs. Greater accomplishment than slaying an S-rank boss.
“This... it's art.”
Lee Shinwoo caressed the building in awe.
“Good work. Time to eat.”
Jinhyeok unpacked his portable burner and mess kit. Long-awaited mealtime. Menu: pork kimchi jjigae, microwave rice, and Balakas-breath-grilled charcoal short ribs.
Bubble bubble. The stew's boil shattered the Abyss silence. Spicy, garlicky kimchi scent wafted through the rotten air.
“Whoa... that smells insane.”
Yoo Isu gulped. First Korean scent in three years. Capsaicin and garlic symphony. Sweeter than any perfume—home.
“Dig in. Made plenty. Short on broth? Add ramen noodles.”
Jinhyeok ladled stew into Yoo Isu's plate: thick pork, soft kimchi, tofu.
Yoo Isu's hand shook as she lifted her spoon. One sip of broth—her eyes reddened, tears plopping into the soup.
“Delicious... so delicious...”
“Too salty? Messed up the water ratio.”
“No... perfect... sob... I miss Mom...”
Yoo Isu buried her face in her rice bowl, sobbing as she ate. Three years of rotten meat and muddy water flashed by.
Save humanity? Grand ideals long forgotten.
Just this warm meal, shared with loved ones—this ordinary dinner was what she'd craved.
“Doc, more kimchi? Total rice thief.”
Ma Dongtak asked after two bowls.
“Ration it. Kimchi's gold here. No refills. Save broth—for fried rice.”
Lee Shinwoo and Seo Jihu shoveled silently. Gourmet snobs who ignored anything less than fine dining—now, instant kimchi jjigae was the world's best.
This was hell. A death trap anytime beasts swarmed. But in this little bone hospital, they weren't lone heroes anymore. Just family huddled in a warm ondol room, sharing rice.
“Buuuurp.”
Balakas belched contentedly after 10kg ribs.
Peaceful mealtime. But that happy aroma didn't just draw them.
In the darkness, hundreds of red eyes fixed on the hospital.
“Sniff sniff... what's that smell?”
In a demon realm of blood and rot, the 'spicy-sweet aroma' spread. Locals eyed this bizarre 'hotspot(?)'. Curiosity? Appetite? Or new ties? Unknown.
Jinhyeok set down his spoon with a grin.
“Guests due any minute. Coffee break, then prep for round two.”