Victory Over Seong Jae-myeong, the Wandering Revenant
You've defeated Seong Jae-myeong, the Wandering Revenant Area Boss of the Snow Mountain Zone.
All stats and skills...
The position of Snow Mountain Zone Area Boss is now...
The Area Boss...
I quietly ignored the status window alerts ringing in my head.
Gazing at Seong Jae-myeong's fallen corpse, a swirl of emotions washed over me.
The strongest by far was regret.
I'd wanted to see it through to the end, burning everything in a final clash, but it hadn't happened.
Seong Jae-myeong might have gone peacefully in the end, but I was far from satisfied.
Deep down, I'd craved a proper fight with him fully sane, but that wasn't possible.
Nothing's more boring than battling someone who's half-lost the will to fight.
The berserk Seong Jae-myeong before he'd snapped out of it had been far more thrilling.
Well, that's my problem.
At any rate, Seong Jae-myeong had died as a hunter in the end.
I stared at his face, eyes closed in annoyingly serene peace.
The death of a legendary hunter who'd dominated an era lay right before me.
Not some vague "missing" status like before, but certain death.
It wasn't pathetic like so many other hunters' ends, nor as grandiose as I'd imagined.
Just quiet.
It didn't even feel like this could be that Seong Jae-myeong's finale.
Yet dying as a hunter to the last suited him perfectly.
All in all, it left me bittersweet and unsatisfied.
Setting aside that I was a monster, I silently paid my respects to the man I'd once admired.
Once the moment passed, I devoured the corpse as the victor, per usual.
I separately recovered his gear.
His trademark twin swords, Sun and Moon, along with all the equipment that had hounded me throughout the battle—including his item bag.
I couldn't use such gear myself, but each piece was a national treasure outside. They'd come in handy someday.
Given their origin from Seong Jae-myeong, I had no plans to sell them off immediately, impact be damned.
I'll store them and use as needed.
Sun and Moon would make a fine gift for Snow, at least.
With performance that's outright cheating and stunning aesthetics, she'd love them.
That'd give her three swords total, but she'd manage.
She could wield two with ease, no doubt.
She'd mastered the blade in no time despite starting from zero.
I trusted she'd do the same here.
Hell, she might even handle three—tails included if needed.
And Snow's haul didn't end there.
Among Seong Jae-myeong's labyrinth expedition prep, no straight-up jewelry for her, but something similar.
Far more valuable than mere gems—something extraordinary.
Shring—
The round orb dangling from the necklace emitted an otherworldly glow.
More captivating than any gem, drawing the eye inexorably.
Shifting colors sparkled with every movement—clearly no ordinary trinket.
This was the Fox Orb.
The very one from the kumiho Seong Jae-myeong had slain long ago.
Rumors said he'd used it to revive his dead lover, but a quick dig reveals zero basis.
Even if it could revive the dead—which who knows?—he never used it.
Truth is, the Fox Orb's like a mana stone from other monsters.
Just denser in mana, with mystical powers.
Essentially a mana stone.
No wish-granting, but it grants immense power.
Should I swallow it?
I pondered the shimmering orb.
Not worth it for me.
Impressive as it was, it came from an SA-rank monster.
For me, upper SS-rank, the gains would be marginal.
Some growth, sure, but two perfect candidates sprang to mind immediately.
Too soon for Suli; Snow's the pick.
Snow's SS-rank too, so limited effect, but as a fellow kumiho, she'd get way more mileage than me.
I still owed her for those two mana stones from before—this could repay that.
Or save it for Suli or Rue later.
Either way, not for me.
Decision made on the Fox Orb, I checked the last item from his bag.
His other gear was national-treasure worthy, but this was officially designated a national treasure.
Panya Bell.
The gear he'd half-blackmailed the government to borrow indefinitely.
Knew it'd be here.
The item vanished with his disappearance—now in my coils.
The Panya Bell nullifies all mental status effects, rank irrelevant.
How broken? It fully ignores even my left eye's SS-rank Magic Eye.
Even pre-existing suggestions dissolve effortlessly.
It wiped the old boss's restraints clean too.
Wished for something like this—didn't expect it'd fall into my hands.
For someone like me, heavy on mental domination, this erased my last lingering unease.
And hunting that old boss just got easier.
His seals are powerless before it—no more Yoshida mishaps.
I handled it with extra care, like the others—but especially this.
One-of-a-kind in the world.
Sun and Moon are unique too, but pale next to it.
Unlike gear I could pass on, this stays with me.
No handing it to Jeong Soo-ah or anyone.
I'll safeguard it and deploy as needed.
With that, I quietly left the snowy battlefield of my clash with Seong Jae-myeong.
I'd planned a short rest before departing, but the schedule slipped.
Fatigue from the Seong Jae-myeong fight ran deeper than expected.
Head lopped off and exploded hundreds of times—bound to wear one down.
Slept solidly for four days or so before stirring.
The now-empty 84th floor was eerily silent without Seong Jae-myeong.
His death dispersed the foul death aura blanketing the layer, but no life stirred.
Would it feel different on return?
Minor curiosity in tow, I headed for the warp gate.
84th as Snow Mountain Zone's finale meant the next zone loomed.
Untouched by Seong Jae-myeong or any outsider—true unknown.
What lay ahead?
Vast ocean as imagined? Or deep-sea translocation?
Excitement trumped anxiety as I crossed the warp gate.
Vision shifted.
Kiiiii—
Some unknown beast's cry heralded a scene utterly unlike my imaginings.
Countless labyrinth vistas paled before it.
Forest Zone's lush green, Snow Mountain's austere peaks—none compared.
Pure scenic beauty? This topped them all.
Vivid blue sky, radiant sun pouring down.
Myriad unidentified flying monsters soaring freely below.
Hundreds, thousands of floating islands amid them.
The vast Sky Zone welcomed me.
Hiss—
I gawked, partners likewise stunned by the unforeseen zone.
Reasons varied, but awe united us.
...Endless sky. Sky Zone? Or Sky Zone it is.
No one's trod this unknown zone.
As first discoverer, I named it on the spot.
Meanwhile, I scanned surroundings quietly.
Flying monsters galore beyond the horizon.
Familiar faces mixed with total strangers.
No high-ranks yet, but anticipation swelled.
What beasts lurked here?
Not just sky.
Clairvoyance revealed monsters on isles great and small.
Fewer and lower-rank than flyers, but unknowns dominated.
True uncharted land.
My languid heart raced fiercely.
Time to explore.
Left Eye's prickly query halted my eager launch.
Right—how?
Flight proved no issue, thanks to Seong Jae-myeong's loot: Hermes's Stride.
Couldn't wear it raw, so Inhwa's Art for human form—no biggie.
Human shape suited leisurely scouting over bulky true form anyway.
Bittersweet end, but gains aplenty.
Seemed smooth, but wasn't.
First solo flight felt alien.
Flown via Red Wyvern et al. before, but self-propelled? New.
Activating Hermes's Stride taught flight basics, but fine control? Headache.
Aim low, shoot to the heavens; botch mana, sudden surge; once plummeted toward endless abyss below.
Seong Jae-myeong wielded it like a limb—I'll need practice.
Won't take long.
Target: nearby small floating isle.
Whoosh—Boom!
Smashed into a midair boulder.
No pain, but mental jolt huge.
Left Eye yelled to straighten up.
Others clamored to yield body control.
Severed their thoughts, refocused on flight.
This time, properly channel mana...
Won't take long, as said.
...Boom!
Looks like adaptation needs time.
More than a bit, actually.
Hope by day's end.