Chapter 12

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: Black Wyvern Hatchling

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Kang Hyuk furrowed his brow.

In his memory, the Big Butter Fly he'd just hunted was the last monster in this cave.

Yet beyond the depths of the cave right now,

another monster was roaring, defying his recollection.

Meuuu!!

The cry was so uniquely bizarre that he couldn't even mistake it for something else.

Because of that, Kang Hyuk muttered to himself.

'Could the future have changed?'

Then he shook his head.

'No, it's more likely a future I never knew about. In the original timeline, I'd have been passed out after taking down the Big Butter Fly by now.'

That meant it wouldn't be strange if there was another monster beyond that tunnel.

With his conclusion reached, Kang Hyuk gathered his strength.

A variable had cropped up, but nothing had really changed.

He had no worries either.

If it was a monster stronger than the Big Butter Fly, he'd sense a powerful presence—but all that reached his heightened senses, sharpened by the giant's power, was a faint breath.

If it was weaker than that thing, it couldn't harm him anyway.

With that in mind, Kang Hyuk stepped forward without hesitation.

He arrived at the hiding spot where the Big Butter Fly would normally be asleep.

It was a small plaza woven from mucus and threads, reeking of rotten corpses from all directions.

'Not the Big Butter Fly's corpse—carcasses of animals it had caught to eat.'

Muttering to himself, Kang Hyuk scanned the area.

At the same moment, that earlier cry echoed again.

Meuuu!!

Kang Hyuk's gaze shifted to a cocoon-like mass in one corner.

He tilted his head.

'A monster inside that silk lump?'

The small question circled his mind.

But he soon dismissed it and picked up the cocoon.

The instant he tore open the tightly bound cocoon of the Big Butter Fly with his bare hands...

"......What?"

Kang Hyuk stared in shock at the creature inside and muttered.

It was a small wyrmling covered in black scales—the source of that distinctive cry.

"That's... a Black Wyvern hatchling?"

Frozen in disbelief, Kang Hyuk watched as the wyvern broke free from the cocoon and let out a cry.

Meuuu!

Then it started rubbing its face against the hand of Kang Hyuk, who had saved it.

The rough scales snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at the baby wyvern again.

'Why is a wyvern here...? Did the Big Butter Fly kidnap it for food?'

It wasn't certain, but it seemed the most plausible guess for now.

With that thought, an old memory surfaced.

'Far in the future, the leader of Britain's national-level hunters, the 13 Round Table, rides a wyvern to hunt monsters.'

It was something unimaginable by today's standards, of course.

A human coexisting with a monster to hunt others together?

But Britain's national-level hunter, the 'Knight of the Round Table,' made that impossible feat a reality.

And later, the astonishing secret of the Black Wyvern he tamed came to light.

Unlike other aggressive wyverns, the exceedingly rare Black Wyvern could be tamed by human hands.

'That's how Britain's national hunter dominated the skies on that Black Wyvern. No hunter—or monster—could stand against him in aerial combat.'

The Black Wyvern's strengths went beyond mere flight.

Surprisingly, as a 'sub-dragon species,' it could wield magic to some degree.

'Monsters that use magic see their threat level skyrocket. In that sense, news of an A-rank Black Wyvern being tamed caused a massive uproar.'

Every nation launched state-backed projects to breed them.

But Black Wyverns were an ultra-rare species, impossible to mass-produce.

As a result, the price of a Black Wyvern egg or hatchling hit a staggering '1 trillion won' at the time.

The cost of a top-tier fighter jet.

'And prices varied wildly based on the egg's condition or the hatchling's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠growth. But...'

He had just discovered a priceless Black Wyvern hatchling in the most unexpected place.

Meuuu!!

Meanwhile, the Black Wyvern cried out and burrowed into Kang Hyuk's arms.

Startled by the movement, he flinched and nearly swatted it away—but the wyvern beat him to it, nuzzling his nose against him.

'......'

Seeing that, Kang Hyuk lowered his raised hand and sank into thought.

He compared past and present.

In the future, a Black Wyvern's value was beyond money.

But now, it was a monster that needed killing.

'Is that why I never knew? In the original timeline, Lee Yong killed it?'

His lips curved into a smirk.

'In that case... I've gained something completely unforeseen. No.'

His eyes gleamed.

'Maybe I've hooked a big one. A Black Wyvern hatchling, no less.'

Then he recalled his chronic weakness.

Even among S-rank abilities, the uniquely powerful 'Power of the Last Giant Clan' wasn't without flaws.

'Aerial combat.'

It often showed vulnerability against mages or transformation hunters.

No matter the giant's power, he couldn't stay airborne indefinitely on jumps alone.

Taming and riding a Black Wyvern might plug that gap.

'Plus, it'd make fighting mages easier. Since Black Wyverns can use magic.'

In other words, killing it now would be a massive loss.

Considering the potential, taking it in was a no-brainer.

But there was one issue.

'Public perception is the problem. Right now, wyverns aren't pets to tame—they're objects of terror.'

As he pondered how to handle that...

Meuuu!

The Black Wyvern's cry rang out again.

At the same time, the one nestled in his arms vanished.

"What?"

Kang Hyuk muttered in surprise, and the Black Wyvern reappeared.

Peeking its head out from a rift in the air.

"Subspace...? You can enter that space?"

As Kang Hyuk marveled, the Black Wyvern emerged fully and rubbed its scales against his cheek.

Kang Hyuk gently stroked it, his eyes shining.

With the only obstacle resolved, there was no reason not to take it in.

"Calling you 'wyvern' outright feels off, so from now on, you're Blackie."

Meuuu!!

"If possible, come out only when I call you... Can you do that, Blackie?"

The clever Black Wyvern cried in response.

Meuuu!!

Kang Hyuk burst into laughter at the answer.

Blackie vanished into the air.

Watching it all the way, Kang Hyuk took a deep breath and nodded.

'I've got a huge opportunity in my hands. A massive one.'

Then he turned his gaze.

'And there's another opportunity left.'

From the Big Butter Fly's ashen remains, he picked up a glinting piece of jewelry.

The message before his eyes left Kang Hyuk marveling once more.

'With abilities like these, no wonder a Rare item fetches 3 billion won.'

He slipped it on immediately to test it.

Wuuung!

A subtle vibration pulsed through him, and a special energy from the ring enveloped his body.

It soothed the tensed muscles from the recent battle and cleanly healed the scattered minor wounds.

Kang Hyuk nodded and muttered.

'As expected of a Rare item—clear limitations. It can't heal life-threatening wounds. But... in the current situation, it's perfect. A solid gain.'

Smirking, he surveyed his haul.

The Black Wyvern hatchling.

A Rare item worth 3 billion won.

Plus enhanced abilities and realms achievable over six years.

'It's only been two months since I returned to the past. Considering that, I've gained the impossible.'

That sparked some doubt.

His growth plan so far was based entirely on his past life.

But now that he'd surpassed it, he wondered if he needed to stick to it.

'In this state... I can grow faster, more perfectly. Why go slow?'

Muttering, Kang Hyuk closed his eyes.

In that fleeting moment, he weighed his options.

Then he opened them and decided.

"No reason to delay. I'll grow even faster than now."

A pristine white ceiling.

Staring at the fluorescent light attached to it, Lee Yeon-hee blinked.

Too unfamiliar for her home ceiling, she muttered.

'Where...?'

Then her last memory before blacking out resurfaced.

The steep mountain path.

Her exhausted self.

The sudden monster appearance.

"...!"

All the memories flooded back, jolting her upright.

She frantically looked around and spotted Kang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hyuk watching her.

"K-Kang Hyuk-ssi?"

"Calm down, Senior Officer. You're in the hospital."

"Hospital? Then..."

"Yes. It's all over. We cleared the Butter Flies hiding in Bongrae Mountain. You're at a university hospital in Gwangalli now."

At his explanation, Lee Yeon-hee's eyes widened in shock.

Then she bowed her head and closed her eyes.

Kang Hyuk silently gave her space as quiet sobs escaped her.

"Are you okay, Kang Hyuk-ssi?"

Composing her surging emotions, she lifted her head again.

"Yes, no issues."

"...That's a relief. What about the others?"

"The others..."

"...?"

"They're safe. Except one."

Her eyes widened again.

"Except one? What do you mean?"

Kang Hyuk hesitated briefly before answering.

"2nd Team Leader Lee Yong passed away."

"...!!!"

"He discovered the Butter Fly dungeon at the mountainside where you collapsed. Instead of reporting to HQ first, he entered alone..."

Lee Yeon-hee burst into tears again.

"He fought a fierce battle against the Big Butter Fly that created it and died trying to save his team—and me."

Kang Hyuk handed her a handkerchief as if waiting.

She accepted it without refusal and wept for another ten minutes before muttering.

"Th-the rest are really okay?"

"Yes. Some injuries of varying severity, but nothing life-threatening."

Her throat bobbed at the response.

Thinking of the 2nd Team Leader, she broke down again.

He'd done plenty wrong, but the death of someone she knew hit hard.

Kang Hyuk waited patiently once more.

"Got it, Kang Hyuk-ssi."

Regaining her composure, Lee Yeon-hee murmured.

"Thanks for explaining. And for staying by my side. Really... lately, you've been saving me and helping so much in every situation."

"No, it was just what needed doing."

"Don't say that. At first... honestly, I kept my distance from you. You were getting chewed out by Section Chief Kim Shin-nam every day, always tense, so it felt awkward to approach. But lately, you're so reliable. I feel more like the junior hunter here."

At the sudden confession, Kang Hyuk tilted his head.

"...Senior Officer?"

"It makes me want ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to try harder, but tough situations keep piling up, and it's so hard. Then you step in so steadily, handling everything so well that I end up relying on you... it feels great..."

Lee Yeon-hee cut herself off.

She realized too late what her rambling words implied amid her daze.

"You look great! Yeah, you look great!"

She didn't see him as a man.

But she was relying on him more than ever lately.

More than any colleague or junior from her work life.

Her subconscious slip came out in her haze, with some mistakes and weird vibes.

"Uh... um... yeah."

Kang Hyuk replied with an awkward expression.

She wanted to yell something, but clamped her mouth shut.

"......"

An uncomfortable silence settled.

They eyed each other cautiously until Lee Yeon-hee spoke again.

"Um... I... I want to rest my eyes a bit. Could you give me some space?"

Kang Hyuk stood.

As he turned to leave, he paused and faced her again.

"...?"

She tilted her head, so he sat back down.

Then slowly opened his mouth.

"Senior Officer Lee Yeon-hee."

"Y-yes?"

"I have a confession."

"...A confession!?"

Her mouth fell open at the abrupt declaration.

'N-no way, did he misunderstand my words just now...'

She tried hiding her reddening ears.

'B-but this suddenly? I've never thought about office romance! No one recommended it either...'

Unconsciously, she sized him up.

Broad shoulders.

A sturdy frame well over 185 cm.

Neatly combed black hair.

A balanced nose, neither too high nor low.

And monolidded eyes fixed on her.

As she swallowed dryly, Kang Hyuk spoke.

"I've awakened."

Her eyes rounded.

"During the encounter with the hunter this time."

Her mouth slowly opened.

"I think I've gained abilities. Yes, I seem to have become a hunter."