Chapter 120
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Hero
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What matters most is always the finale, no matter what.
Just like how boxer Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman and became a legend. An impressive finish has a way of firing up the masses even more.
In that sense... Hunter Jin's grand exit had sent shockwaves through the world.
'A hero who vanished while battling a colossal dragon.'
It sounded like something straight out of an old fairy tale, but this was real—it had actually happened.
The high-ranking knights, grand priests, Rolang, Saintess Cecilia. Devout followers with real influence and sway had all witnessed it firsthand. They reported back to the Church Alliance, spreading word of Woojin's apparent demise.
But rumors have a strange power all their own...
Before long, tales of Woojin started circulating among the city folk. Stories of his exploits bubbled up to the surface, and in an instant, he shot to fame.
Hector the Hunter's disciple, Skull Crusher, the first to tame a wolf beast, recipient of the Silver Shield Medal, friend to the trolls, foe of the fallen dragon...
"...They even bundled those stories into a book, from what I hear. And they made a bunch of statues to boot."
Logar explained, glancing around cautiously. Woojin, bowler hat pulled low, let out a sigh.
'Things got twisted in the weirdest way.'
This meant people close to him—like Claire and Cindy—would think he was dead too.
How was he supposed to fix this mess?
No good ideas came to mind, no matter how hard he racked his brain. So for now, he decided to wrap up what he was already doing.
"Let's head to Knartash."
"Understood."
Logar led the way with utmost diligence.
As they hurried along, a rugged building came into view. A mansion topped with the massive skull of a drake. No prizes for guessing the owner's taste.
"That the place?"
"Yes, exactly."
Knartash's residence.
Woojin stepped inside with Logar. It wasn't long before they spotted Knartash, sprawled lazily on a huge bed, living the good life.
The troll queen yawned as she spoke.
"Logar, what brings you this ti—"
Mid-sentence, Knartash caught sight of the man who'd entered with Logar. Her words caught in her throat, leaving her stammering like a fool.
Woojin waved at her dumbfounded face. Knartash broke into a huge grin and shot up from her seat.
"Guardian!! Damn it all, I knew you were alive! Knew it all along!"
"Pretty sure? They even put up a memorial statue."
"Now it's a commemorative one!"
With that, Knartash rushed over in a flash. After a quick embrace, they headed to the drawing room and settled into chairs across from each other.
Woojin got straight to the question that had been bugging him.
"What did you do to turn this city into what it is?"
"Don't overhype it. It's all flash—no substance underneath."
Knartash brushed it off casually.
The big structures were just skeletal frames thrown up hastily. It was a half-baked city in every way, still a long way from done.
Even accounting for that, though, the changes felt unnaturally rapid.
"Tell me the details. I'm dying to know what went down while I was gone."
Prodded by Woojin, Knartash crossed her arms and recounted the past.
The troll queen finally spoke.
"Where to start... Guess from right after you vanished."
After the dragon abomination and Woojin soared into the sky. The people on site panicked at first but quickly got to work sorting things out.
The war wasn't over yet.
The dragon had fled, but the army it dragged along was still there. An army of abominations. Trolls, nagas, and holy knights banded together to repel the enemy forces.
It went smoothly. The biggest threat—the dragon abomination—was gone.
"In the end, the abominations started hightailing it. We chased 'em down and butchered what we could... but there were just too damn many to wipe out."
A partial victory. Heartening in its own way, but it left the situation murky.
Variant abominations multiply at a terrifying rate.
With the dragon abomination alive and kicking, pushing north recklessly was off the table. As they mulled it over, the Church Alliance's third expeditionary force finally arrived in troll territory, fashionably late.
"Huge army. I figured we could press on north with that many... but their brass was picky. Real cautious types."
The dragon abomination was a tough nut to crack.
Flight capability, bone projectiles, deadly poison, and the ability to spawn more abominations. Once the Church Alliance clocked that, they crunched the numbers carefully.
After much deliberation... they concluded that hunting the dragon head-on was too risky.
"With that flight ability? Even if we muster forces and hit it, the thing just flies off when the tide turns."
Without grounding the dragon, it'd be pointless attrition warfare.
Variant abominations bred fast, and if the dragon played hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, allied forces would get whittled down endlessly.
That scenario meant massive losses for the coalition. They needed a breakthrough first.
"Mages? That's what you called 'em. One of those weird-power types said they'd research a way to block the dragon's flight."
Facing the dilemma, the Church Alliance called on the Mage Tower for help. In response, the tower started developing new spells and artifacts.
The problem was...
The third expeditionary force was already in the Demonic Realm. They'd gathered all these troops and marched here, only to twiddle their thumbs for a while.
So now what?
Letting manpower sit idle was a waste. The Church Alliance decided to focus on consolidation.
They patrolled the area, cleared out beast habitats, then purified rift cores to drive back the Demonic Realm.
The troll clan needed busywork too, so they pitched in on beast hunts. Humanity repaid the effort by aiding their civilization.
Win-win all around.
"To keep pushing north, humans would need to come through here often anyway."
They built a pioneer city in troll territory. Things progressed smoothly.
Trolls were warriors with immense strength, so hauling heavy bricks and stone was a breeze for them. Humans handled the fine details to polish it up.
And just like that... in a mere half-year, the troll city had developed at an astonishing pace.
"That cover it?"
"...I heard you out. Impressive stuff."
No empty flattery. Woojin leaned back in his chair, nodding in genuine admiration over and over.
Honestly, he'd been seriously worried before arriving. He'd often imagined friction arising between the trolls and the Church Alliance in his absence.
But what was this? Reality was the polar opposite.
'It's running smooth without me.'
Seemed safe to relax.
As he sipped his tea with that thought, Knartash spoke up curiously.
"Your turn now. How'd you make it back alive? What happened to the dragon?"
"Killed it, obviously. The bastard's life force was insanely tough—gave me hell."
Now it was Woojin's turn to talk.
He laid it all out, step by step. Starting with getting stuck far north with the dragon abomination, hunting lion packs, bagging a hydra...
"...And that's how I made it back."
The long tale wrapped up.
Knartash stared blankly. At some point, the troll queen had stopped chiming in, just listening raptly.
Leaving her dazed, Woojin fetched the gear bag from the corner.
"Here's some hydra blood for you. Use it wisely somewhere good. Fresh preservation magic on it today—should last a month."
With that explanation, he pulled nine vials of hydra blood from the bag and set them on the table. Knartash's eyes swept over them.
The troll queen looked skeptical.
"This... ancient one's inner core?"
"Don't believe me? Chug a vial."
Woojin gestured encouragingly. Knartash cracked one open and downed it without hesitation.
The change was immediate and dramatic.
Crack, crunch—!
Joints popping loud. Her muscles split open with bulging veins. Savage light flared in her eyes.
Woojin whistled at the sight.
'Hits hard.'
Knartash was already a skilled warrior. She absorbed the hydra core's power and essence fully.
The troll queen muttered in awe.
"...This really is an ancient one's inner core."
"Told ya. I wouldn't lie about something like this."
"I know, but... soloing an ancient one? Hard to buy."
Her reaction made sense. Deep-zone ancients were monsters too formidable to face.
Anyway...
"Where are my wolves? Wanna feed them some too."
Rex and the other three wolves. He planned to give them hydra blood as well.
Knartash glanced away sheepishly.
"Thing is... I don't know."
An unexpected answer.
"Don't know? Why?"
"After you got dragged off by the dragon, the wolves up and vanished one day."
Rex, Misha, Sean, Yan.
The four wolves often headed out. They'd roam mountains and fields, hunt beasts, then return to the Church of Harmony when ready.
So when they disappeared, everyone figured they'd come back like always... but
"Waited forever—no sign. Searched the area, nothing."
The wolves had wandered off somewhere far.
Rolang and Cecilia were the same. When the third expeditionary force arrived, the two handed off their duties and hit the road.
Woojin sank into thought at that.
'All my party members scattered...'
In a way, it was inevitable.
The people around Woojin weren't the type to sit still. They were out there chasing their own goals.
So what now? Woojin crossed his arms, pondering long before speaking.
"...For now, keep it secret that I'm alive."
"You sure that's necessary?"
"The system's holding up fine without me. Me popping back could just stir up chaos."
Since things had played out this way, stepping back to observe might not be a bad idea.
He'd treat it like a vacation and enjoy the situation.
...Of course, first he'd need to track down his people and explain things.
"Lend me a mount. No wolves, so a rhino'll do."
"Got it. Leaving right away?"
"Eh..."
Woojin paused, then said,
"Better head out tomorrow morning. Gotta grab some supplies first."
He was sick of beast meat.
After stocking up on preserved rations and survival gear, he'd grab a nice meal in town and crash in a comfy bed.
One more thing he needed, though.
"Gimme some money. I'm flat broke."
"...Fine."
Woojin beckoned, and Knartash rummaged in her pouch for a coin purse.
Extortion successful.
"Back by evening."
Woojin geared up to leave. Arwen and Coco, who'd been sitting quietly, stood too.
"Where to now?"
"Let's stroll around troll city. We'll stay the night here."
"Sounds good."
As they walked and chatted...
Suddenly, kids' voices rang out.
"It's true! I saw a guy who looks just like the hero on that statue! Molta saw him too!"
A boy shouted at the top of his lungs, wandering the square with his friends.
His intent was obvious.
'They're looking for me.'
Spotting Woojin's face, the kid bolted off somewhere—probably to fetch his playmates.
His friends weren't buying it.
"Noah's a liar."
"No way! I really saw him!"
Noah stomped in frustration. Woojin smirked as he watched the boy.
But maybe his chuckle was too loud. Coincidence or not, Noah glanced over while craning his neck. The kid's eyes went wide.
"Th-there!"
Crap.
He yanked his bowler hat down quick.
"Let's beat it before the kids swarm us."
"Right."
Woojin and Arwen melted into the crowd.