A Man Without Shame
“If you keep staring like that, you'll catch flies.”
“Do you know him?”
Of course I did.
He might not know me, but I knew him for certain.
How could I not?
The promising talent who passed the S-rank promotion exam five years ago. The single most likely candidate to become Korea's eleventh S-rank hunter. The man once hailed as the very symbol of the younger generation of hunters—Jung Shinho.
“Why the hell is that guy going to China?”
I set the absurdity aside for a moment and focused on the interview spilling from the television.
“Hello. I am Jung Shinho.”
“The reason I am leaving Korea is the Rift Agency's mismanagement and the steadily worsening public perception of hunters.”
“Gate Breaks are growing more frequent, yet the treatment of hunters has only deteriorated.”
“Politicians who ought to look after the people's livelihood treat hunters as nothing more than tax-drainers.”
“As a guild member rather than Rift Agency personnel, I found it difficult to act even when I witnessed such outrages.”
“Therefore I have chosen to sacrifice myself in order to sound an alarm for the Republic of Korea.”
“Though I will now work in China, my heart remains with Korea.”
“Should the nation ever face danger, I will return at any time. Thank you.”
“What a load of crap.”
Jung Shinho was Chilseong Guild's prized prospect. Only a few days ago I had seen that high-ranking gentleman—Director Baek Seonghyeon, if I remembered correctly. Baek was the one who had scouted and trained him; thanks to that backing he had risen to S-rank. Yet in the interview there was not a single word about the guild—only blanket condemnation of the Rift Agency. Anyone listening would think he had been Agency staff.
“An official statement with no substance whatsoever.”
“Nothing but blame-shifting.”
Exactly. He droned on about hunter treatment and the Rift Agency—topics that had nothing to do with him—at great, self-important length.
“That son of a bitch!”
“What in the world is he on about?”
“Oughta deep-fry the bastard in oil!”
Even the elderly diners scattered through the restaurant spat curses in unison.
“He is not even a servant of the state. Why does he curse the wrong place?”
“If he badmouthed the guild he'd be looking at extra damages and lawsuits.”
He had abandoned Chilseong Guild without leave and signed with China's Superhuman Bureau. The breach-of-contract penalty would be enormous. Admitting he had any grievances with Chilseong would only make the mess worse. So he had chosen the softer target—the government—and invented his excuses there.
“What a shameless knave! Does he know no shame?!”
Why are you the one getting worked up? I'm Korean and I'm still holding my temper.
“A knight bears the duty to protect. Yet he enjoys every right and casts his duty aside like a worn-out shoe!”
“You can't expect chivalry from a guy like that.”
“Bah! Any man of power ought to hold such principles in his heart, knight or not!”
“I don't agree with the iron-head, but that was a foolish act.”
Ingrid made no effort to hide her displeasure either.
“If you casually spew lies even you yourself do not believe, you can never reach higher realms.”
“Right. Well said, magic-user.”
Higher realms, whatever. Right now I hadn't even hit the level-100 requirement for C-rank promotion, never mind aiming for S-rank.
“Sundae gukbap, please.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I muttered the thought while shoving blood sausage and rice into my mouth, yet I still could not tear my eyes from the screen.
Domestic media did not hesitate to unleash raw, scathing condemnation. The man tipped to become the eleventh S-rank hunter had fled to China. The content of his interview was breathtaking—crude attacks on the Rift Agency paired with zero self-reflection and pure shamelessness. Public opinion seethed like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
The restaurant by my place. In front of gates. Every television channel. Online communities. Wherever you went, the only topic was Jung Shinho.
“Should I be glad about this or pissed?”
“Has an offer come your way as well, my lord?”
“As if.”
“You have already made a name for yourself. It is hardly impossible.”
“Even if one came, I wouldn't go.”
China? No thanks. Language different, lifestyle different—I had zero interest in moving to another country. Korea was still a comfortable place to live. Why put up with unnecessary hassle?
“Honor above wealth! You are worthy indeed to be my lord—Isra's master!”
That wasn't it at all.
“That guy sucked up every scrap of attention, so things finally quieted down.”
The alley in front of my studio apartment was almost empty. A few reporters still waited, but compared to yesterday it was peaceful.
Bzzzt—!
“This is the Rift Agency. We have delivered the byproducts and ghoul corpses recovered from the recent Break to the designated location. Kindly confirm receipt.”
“Fast.”
I had expected a government office to drag its feet, yet they had finished processing the byproducts in under forty-eight hours after the Break. Delivery on a weekend, no less. They were taking care of me.
“Let's head to the workshop.”
“You are most diligent, my lord.”
“What else am I going to do, sit around?”
Thanks to Heavenly Martial Body and my increased stamina stats, my body felt brand-new. Sleep alone wiped out every trace of fatigue. Sitting still just made me restless.
“Hunter Park Minho! Just one comment!”
“I'm busy. I'll do an interview next time.”
Dressed in comfortable clothes, I shot out of the studio apartment the moment I left and sprinted away at full speed. I checked around the workshop for reporters; luckily the place was quiet.
“Alright.”
I flung open the locked door. There was a considerable amount of cargo to move. Six carefully packaged corpses—including the boss monster, the Evolved Predatory Ghoul—plus every usable fragment of the destroyed undead monsters, each wrapped separately.
“Iron-head, are you just going to watch while our master does all the heavy lifting?”
“Ah! My negligence. My lord, call me forth at once!”
“If other people see you, it'll look weird.”
A zombie-like monster hauling cargo in an open space. Not exactly a sight that would put people at ease.
“Does chivalry say the lord has to carry everything himself?”
“My loooord!!!”
Sir Isra's thoughts sounded ready to burst into tears. Fine, fine. I get it.
Death Space
4/10 → 3/10
“Let's finish this quick.”
If anyone saw, it would only cause trouble. I had no desire for the nickname “Guui-dong Necromancer” to stick.
“Leave it to me!”
Thud. Thud.
The cargo stacked outside the workshop vanished inside in moments.
“Assign me every menial task, my lord!”
“Uh… right. I'll count on you next time too.”
“Hahahaha!”
Every ghoul corpse had been vacuum-sealed to keep air out. No decay that way. Thorough work. I liked it.
“Let's start by analyzing the ghouls.”
I laid the Evolved Predatory Ghoul on the workbench.
“Have you not already examined it?”
“I'm wondering whether I can extract the variant's ability as well.”
A ghoul that had strengthened itself through predation. If I could apply that power to my own undead, I could reinforce them further.
“Amazing! Undead modification is Master's unique ability, so it shouldn't be impossible!”
“Whether analysis works is another question.”
The ability to study an undead's structure and absorb knowledge. I had only discovered the secondary function attached to Corpse Processing during the Break. Back then the situation had barely ended, so I never had time for a calm examination of the variant. This time I would take all the time I needed.
“Sir Isra, give me a hand opening the ghoul.”
Even a reinforced scalpel barely bit. One of a ghoul's traits was its tough hide; the blade simply would not reach the interior.
“Understood.”
Shhk—
Her sword sliced through hide and ribs alike. Even with postmortem rigidity making the corpse harder, she cut it open with ease.
“What a mess.”
Whatever it had been eating, a wave of rotting stench billowed up from inside.
“Ugh. Poison attack!”
“No, not that bad.”
A little more decay and corpse toxins would have formed. Luckily we were still short of that stage; it posed no real danger.
“Should've expected a Predatory Ghoul to still have food in its stomach.”
“Those who perished inside the gate, I expect.”
More precisely, parts of them. According to the Rift Agency hunters, every ghoul had once been an entrant. Rest in peace. I pressed my palms together for a moment, then returned to examining the interior, holding my breath and peering carefully.
“This it?”
A protrusion attached to the swollen stomach. Strange mana clung to the growth. It looked withered, like a drought-stricken dead tree.
Corpse Processing
I fed a sliver of mana into it. The dormant growth twisted its entire body with a sudden thrash.
“Danger, my lord!”
“It's fine.”
What could it possibly do with that tiny amount of mana? When I yanked the growth free from the stomach it thrashed even harder.
“Let's see how long you can struggle.”
After about thirty seconds the thrashing slowed. A minute later it hung limp again.
◈ When crafting undead: Durability +12%
◈ Adds the skill Predation
Predation
Grade: B
Type: Passive
Restriction: Undead
Consumes living beings and absorbs a portion of their abilities.
Accumulating Predation stacks can trigger mutation. The result of mutation cannot be guided.
“I knew it was there.”
The reason a C-rank boss could appear inside a D-rank gate. All because of this tiny growth.
“Master's insight is something this girl could never hope to match.”
“Hahaha! As expected of my lord!”
Even if the Rift Agency had analyzed the Evolved Predatory Ghoul, they might never have found it. And even if they had, they could never have read the information of a corpse part. Asking them to package the body exactly as it fell and deliver it had been the right call.
“But what a waste.”
Only one Predation Organ. Whether I transplanted it into an undead I had already built or attached it to a newly crafted one, that would be the end of it. The ability to stack Predation, raise stats, and even mutate like the Evolved Predatory Ghoul—throwing something like that away as a one-time use felt too wasteful. Being a mutation monster, I probably couldn't find another elsewhere.
“What a waste. Such a waste.”
You have discovered a rare material.
The essence dwelling within this material can be extracted and recorded, then applied during the Corpse Processing procedure.
…What?