Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Hunter's Spirit (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kang Sa-hu's face twisted in anguish as he watched the spirits soaring upward, dragged along as if by force.
"How could a spirit act like that...!"
Ordinary people—even hunters or monsters—couldn't see it, but Kang Sa-hu, the necromancer, could.
A spirit was supposed to linger briefly in the corpse after death before naturally fading away toward the afterlife, as per the natural order.
But right now, that order was being unnaturally shattered.
Even necromancers who handled spirits avoided forcibly controlling them.
It wasn't just a matter of respect for the dead; it was also wildly inefficient and carried the risk of curses if mishandled.
And yet, here they were.
Those spirits were being yanked away against their will, like puppets jerked by strings on their heads.
As fury surged through Kang Sa-hu, the Giant Hound beneath him sensed it and panicked violently.
Noticing his mount's unease, Kang Sa-hu took a deep breath to steady himself.
"You lot head down and support the hunters."
Cringe...!
He issued the command to the other Giant Hounds via intent, then directed his own mount to pursue the ascending spirits.
Muttering a quick incantation, he thrust his hand toward the rising spirits.
"Bind, Appease Spirit."
He bound the spirits with magic, then cast a spell to soothe their agitation. But upon inspecting them, his expression soured.
Something utterly impossible by his understanding was unfolding.
"No soul or魄 in the spirit...?"
Living beings with spirits—especially intelligent ones like humans, apes, elephants, or dolphins—usually left behind a fused cluster of hun (the spiritual mind) and po (the corporeal soul) alongside the spirit after death.
Yet these hunters' spirits lacked both, existing as pure spirit alone.
That was bizarre enough, but the true horror lay in their condition.
"Too big."
A normal person's spirit was about the size of a billiard ball.
Some cultivated theirs through religion or martial arts, making it denser and stronger, but a hunter's spirit was on another level entirely.
It was like a foie gras goose, force-fed through a hose while restrained, its body swollen and unbalanced.
This was unprecedented, even in the Necromancer Society's records. Kang Sa-hu couldn't help but falter.
"...Maybe."
Kang Sa-hu cautiously extended his hand toward the hunters' spirits.
His mind screamed it was impossible, but his instincts whispered to try anyway.
As he summoned his will, message windows erupted like cascading error pop-ups on a glitching computer.
Error. Cannot ■■.
Will ■■ the ■■.
"Long time no see."
Like the shattered glass panes he'd seen at his awakening during the funeral, invisible message windows demanded his focus. Kang Sa-hu's eyes ignited—green light surging thickly from his gaze.
It looked as if twin green horns were sprouting from his temples.
■■■'s ■ activates ■■.
■■■ applies to ■■ user.
■■'s ■■ limit has ■■.
The barrage of messages shattered and vanished in an instant.
With them gone, Kang Sa-hu instinctively sensed a shift in his abilities.
Closing his eyes to probe the change, an image surfaced in his mind: the black Necromancer card he'd chosen at class selection.
[1st Skill - Soul Core Creation]
The sole skill he'd gained through awakening floated into view.
But its description had changed drastically.
Originally detailed with lines like "Harvest the soul of a fallen being" and "Forced creation yields lower quality than voluntary," complete with conditions—it was now brutally concise.
Exceeds original limits. Converted to Unique Skill.
Ability limits determined by user's power.
"...?"
Kang Sa-hu blinked at the stripped-down description.
It had always provided clear guidelines—"how to use it, what you can't do"—but now it felt like being shoved off a cliff: "Go anywhere, do whatever."
He hadn't anticipated the skill evolving so abruptly, leaving him rattled.
As he reeled, a soul core tumbled toward him, rolling like a ball.
Turning, he saw his experimental cast had worked on the hunter's spirit, yielding a melon-sized core.
"..."
He reached out and grasped it.
Channeling his power to commune, he got nothing—as expected from a core devoid of hun or po.
Endlessly prodding it yielded no response. Through his senses, he felt the Giant Hounds struggling against the trolls.
And that distress came from every one of the three-pronged pack simultaneously.
"...Sorry."
Kang Sa-hu rose, surveying the melon-sized cores scattered on the ground.
He couldn't lug these around.
With that thought, he extended his hand and activated the skill.
Soul Core Creation is used.
Unique Skill - Abilities reconfigured per user power.
Reducing Soul Core size.
Detected discrepancy in ability and name. Correcting.
Due to broad usage, 1st Skill 'Soul Core Creation' renamed to 'Soul Core'.
The skill reshaped itself fluidly to match his intent and power.
The melon-sized cores began shrinking like snowballs in sunlight.
The smaller they got, the steeper the mana drain—but with his vast reserves of mana and qi, they soon compacted to the size of kumquats.
"Whew."
Having forged the hunters' spirits into cores, Kang Sa-hu exhaled deeply.
Resizing them had guzzled mana ferociously.
He fished out a centipede monster's soul core from an F-rank gate hunt and absorbed its mana.
The skill's upgrade must have boosted absorption efficiency; his mana surged back fuller than expected.
With a complicated look, he pocketed the hunters' cores and gritted his teeth.
Seventeen in total.
Meaning at least seventeen hunters had died in this gate.
If more spirits had slipped skyward unnoticed, the toll was even higher. His eyes blazed with grim light.
"Let's move fast."
Krrrang!
The Giant Hound bearing him bellowed powerfully in response to his will.
With Giant Hounds pinning trolls for hunters to finish off, the top guild reached the rendezvous first.
Next came the Dragon Guild hunters Kang Sa-hu had saved.
Scattered by the ambush, they sighed in relief or shed tears upon reuniting, steadying their nerves.
Soon after, Han Si-yeon's military hunters arrived, towing the Daehan Guild crew. Every group that entered the gate was now assembled.
"Has Hunter Kang Sa-hu not arrived yet?"
Han Si-yeon asked Kang Ji-ye, who nodded gravely.
The operation's architect was absent, darkening her face.
"What if something happened to him...?"
"Oppa wouldn't have a problem. Don't worry."
Kang Ji-ye knew the Giant Hounds, linked to him, would react if he were in danger. Her firm reassurance dispelled the doubt.
No sooner had she spoken than Kang Sa-hu descended the cliff atop his Giant Hound, landing before them.
"We're moving out."
He didn't dismount, issuing the order on the spot.
The hunters, just calming down, bristled with fresh fear at the abrupt demand.
"Hunter Kang Sa-hu, could we rest a bit? Everyone's barely settled."
Dragon Guild master Maeng Yu-na stepped up, but he shook his head.
"I scouted on the way here. Trolls are heading this way now. They've started grouping up after taking heavy losses."
Realization dawned—explaining his late arrival—mingled with horror at the grim news.
"No more picking them off piecemeal. We pull back, find a spot to hunker down, and strike when their guard slips."
"Y-Yes, got it."
With ironclad reason to bolt, no one argued.
"Thirty Giant Hounds total. Five per hound on average—plenty of room, so mount up carefully."
Reading his will, the hounds crouched low for easy boarding.
Spotting curious hunters eyeing the docile beasts, Kang Sa-hu added,
"Note: These are my Giant Hounds. Petting, pulling fur—anything annoying could backfire. They might refuse to carry you next time, forcing you to walk."
The hounds bared teeth and growled at his words. A few hunters who'd tentatively reached out yanked hands back in alarm.
Once all were mounted, the hounds charged up the cliff face.
Across the vast gate cliffs, the pack tore through the wilderness like wolves on the hunt.
At the gate's heart.
Every troll inside had converged on their fortress, kneeling with heads bowed to one figure.
The brutal, fearsome trolls paid homage to the massive troll seated before them.
Towering over two meters with a hooked beak of a nose, its rocky dark-gray skin already terrified other races on sight.
Yet this troll they worshipped was even more monstrous.
[So. You let it get away.]
Troll King Kata's voice rumbled deep as he demanded answers from his worshippers.
The five trolls before him trembled violently under his glare.
[Wa, King! Giant wolf too fast. We... we catch again. Offer to King. Sp-Spare us. We can do it!]
Trolls who'd rampaged against hunters now quaked in terror—a sight that would shatter any hunter's mind.
Kata snorted. Hot breath from his scorching innards condensed in the cooler air, billowing like cigarette smoke.
[I'll forgive you this once, since you brought sacrifices. But no next time. Fail again, and I'll chew your skulls myself.]
[G-Got it! Got it! Won't fail! No chew skull!]
The trolls cringed in panic.
Kata stared them down a moment longer, then glanced sidelong at their "sacrifices."
Helpless hunters bound in bizarre magic and iron chains, skills sealed, strength sapped—shitting and pissing themselves in raw terror.
Meeting Kata's eyes, they convulsed and rolled back whites in horror.