The Reason You Were There
It was the sixth day since the party arrived in the D-rank Black Gate on a labyrinthine layout. The entire group had stayed up all night training. Lee Do-hyeon’s presence felt completely different from before.
As he unleashed mana abilities never seen before, a black aura began to swirl around him. Even Ji Yu-chan, who had sparred with him countless times, refused to get too close. Instead, he was sparring with Hana Rin.
Do-hyeon moved around as if none of it mattered. His movements were anything but ordinary. The mana circulation skill he relied on had completely changed. Watching it, both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan swallowed hard and whispered to each other.
“That… it’s necromancy, isn’t it?”
“…Black magic, right?”
Ji Yu-chan’s voice was stiff and formal, but his eyes showed clear surprise.
Hana Rin gave a slight nod. That was exactly what Do-hyeon was testing right now—one of his newly unlocked skills, the Aesthetics of the Sacrifice.
‘Amazing.’
Using mana efficiently as a sacrificial offering, he was experimenting with different materials. The most effective one turned out to be his own life force. Of course, he wasn’t pushing it to the point of injury. He only drained himself to the level of mild weakness, something his Guardian’s Body could easily cover.
The only downside was…
‘If I take damage here, recovery will be painfully slow.’
The extreme regeneration that used to stop bleeding instantly and fill in the flesh had disappeared. But since he could convert the sacrifice back into mana whenever needed, it wasn’t a big problem. Do-hyeon didn’t dwell on it.
He activated the power of Extinction and infused it into the black aura. The wooden target he was aiming at began to rot and disappeared completely, vanishing into nothing. The sheer destructive force of Extinction made him test the new skill again—this time enhancing it beyond even the original mana control.
Since Extinction was originally a B-rank skill, it could only be used at D-rank levels. But with the Sacrifice’s Aesthetics now in play, its power shot straight to C-rank in an instant. Do-hyeon channeled the surging power into a magic bullet and fired it. The moment it touched anything, that thing vanished without a trace.
Sssss—
Watching the target melt away, Do-hyeon scratched his cheek, slightly unsatisfied. The power had clearly weakened compared to using it with the sword itself. When swung directly, the entire target was wiped out, but as a bullet it only erased local parts. That left a faint regret.
Moreover,
‘Extinction is meant for assassinating weaker targets. It feels almost useless against stronger ones.’
Analysis told him it did work on strong foes, but erasing them entirely or even partially was extremely difficult. Yet it consumed an absurd amount of mana. It was no wonder Do-hyeon had sealed the original version.
Still, with the Sacrifice’s Aesthetics, it might prove useful when it really mattered. Satisfied with his test, Do-hyeon stretched his limbs lightly. Seeing him finish, Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan approached quietly.
“Did you just use black magic?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah.”
“You’re really… amazing.”
Ji Yu-chan had said the same thing too many times that he was getting tired of it, yet he still had to admit it. How had he mastered it so smoothly in such a short time? If Galakro had possessed that much power, surviving there would have been impossible. Do-hyeon’s ability was simply unfathomable.
Both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan felt a surge of motivation. Despite the praise, Do-hyeon answered without a trace of arrogance.
“So, what will you do?”
The question came out too abruptly, yet both of them understood immediately. Do-hyeon was asking whether they should stay longer. Six days had passed; they could leave anytime. And deep down, he hoped they would stay longer. The training results had been extraordinary.
『Stats』
▶「Strength: 45▶48」
▶「Agility: 49▶52」
▶「Stamina: 45▶51」
▶「Mana: 50▶58」
Thanks to the Sacrifice’s Aesthetics, he could utilize the Guardian’s Body even more, causing a massive jump in stamina. Combined with the Dragon’s Heir’s influence, mana had grown close to 60. As expected, however, it wasn’t only Do-hyeon who had grown.
『Ji Yu-chan』
『Trait: Platinum Sword King [S]』
『Stats』
▶「Strength: 47▶53」
▶「Agility: 35▶42」
▶「Stamina: 40▶45」
▶「Mana: 39▶40」
Ji Yu-chan’s strength had crossed 50, and Hana Rin’s mana had skyrocketed to 55. Do-hyeon’s mana control practice had clearly helped. From 50 onward, each point became harder to gain, which was why a gap had appeared. Yet Do-hyeon could push two stats to 60 without breaking a sweat. Promotion still felt far off.
That was why he had invited them to stay longer. If they did, growth would accelerate until at least the promotion threshold.
Ji Yu-chan looked at the two of them with a trace of reluctance. “I have a promise. I must leave. Sorry.”
Hana Rin nodded without caring much. But when Do-hyeon mentioned the promise, his eyes narrowed slightly. Ji Yu-chan then added, “It’s my mother’s birthday.”
“Ah.”
“Ah….”
Do-hyeon froze for a second and swallowed hard. Hana Rin quickly read the situation.
Ji Yu-chan stood still. Do-hyeon answered immediately. “Whoa, family duty is absolute! Okay, let’s go!”
Ji Yu-chan used Teleportation the moment he finished speaking. Do-hyeon raised both hands in surrender before he could even tease him. Hana Rin acknowledged it with a helpless smile and headed back to the dorm to start packing.
Since they had brought only the essentials, there wasn’t much to carry.
After packing quickly, the party set off for the central stone monument. Once back on the surface, the familiar dizziness of spatial movement washed over them. Do-hyeon’s party filed out and headed straight to Hunter Association Headquarters.
They had drafted a suitable report for Han Mu-yeol before leaving. As they walked out, Do-hyeon glanced at Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan.
“Then I’ll handle my mother’s birthday. Let’s meet again in about three days?”
Since they had already discussed it, both nodded without protest.
After finishing their tasks, each returned home. It had only been six days, yet the familiar weight of returning to Earth felt comforting.
When Do-hyeon stepped into his apartment, the emptiness of the familiar room struck him. He had been gone for six days, yet the loneliness felt strangely strong.
“It’s so quiet.”
Spending days cooped up with Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan had made the noisy dorm life seem normal. The sudden peace felt alien.
At times like this, it was best to calm the mind with something familiar.
『Hunter Association Deposit: 1,000,000,000 won. Balance: 2,009,223,680 won』
“Khh…”
Even just staring at the balance made his stomach growl. This time, after converting roughly 100,000 points, the total had reached a staggering 20 billion.
‘Still, my remaining points?’
『Points』
▶「P: 116,496」
▶「AP: 70」
Over 110,000 points remained. In D-rank, a hunter with this much money was almost unheard of.
Do-hyeon couldn’t help but smile. Anyone with this kind of fortune would have gone shopping and shown off. But Do-hyeon was overthinking it. He could afford to splurge.
Unlike ordinary business owners, hunters who exchanged points had already paid taxes on the converted amount. His only real expenses would be health insurance and pension—nothing to worry about.
‘Splurging, huh.’
Most hunters did splurge, after all.
Do-hyeon considered it, but he knew he had to be more diligent. ‘Annoying.’
There was nothing urgent, so he relaxed for a moment and suddenly thought of something he needed. The last time he went home, taking a taxi with a big bag had been inconvenient. The magic pouch helped, but carrying it around every day was tiring.
He worried about losing it. The moment he did, 50 billion won would vanish. The smallest pouch held 500,000 points. Losing it was terrifying. In the Black Gate he stayed alert, but in modern life where he didn’t have to worry, the thought of losing it made his stomach drop.
How had he earned that pouch so carefully?
The battle with Galakro hadn’t been easy, but the thought of fighting somewhere else and collecting loot didn’t appeal.
Do-hyeon sighed. He really was unique among hunters.
That thought brought another idea. ‘Buying a car might be better.’
The inconvenience was real, and he had the money. Why not?
Other young professionals wouldn’t have this much. Most would pay in installments. Compared to them or even older salaried workers, Do-hyeon’s balance was overwhelmingly large. No burden at all.
He had no desire to splurge and buy something unnecessary.
‘First car should be used anyway.’
His Analysis navigator and hunter reflexes would make accidents impossible. Even so, used cars were ideal for young drivers. Imagine suddenly driving a Ferrari and telling your parents, “I’m a hunter.”
They might misunderstand. Do-hyeon smiled as he opened his phone and searched for used cars near him.
He didn’t look too hard, just checked nearby listings, picked one, grinned, unpacked his bag, and started browsing the chosen model.
‘Whoa. A Sonata with only 20,000 km for 10 million won? That’s a steal! I’m going for it.’