Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Gentle Breeze
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“An unprecedented serial gate closure incident? Isn’t that a bit too grandiose?”
Investigator Jin Yu-han from the Hunter Management Department clicked his tongue while listening to the radio.
The media was buzzing nonstop about how this gate disappearance might signal the arrival of a second great transformation.
‘A few gates vanishing—what’s the big deal? Someone probably snuck in and smashed the dungeon crystals anyway.’
Jin Yu-han drove on with a bored expression, showing zero interest. Just then, a sign reading “Go’s Blacksmith” caught his eye.
This was the forge of the renowned blacksmith Go Chang-won, a place not many knew about despite his fame.
‘After his guild collapsed, he went half into hiding, and this is where he’s been.’
Jin Yu-han recalled his time staying in Santa Maria. Back then, he’d been a rookie who’d just joined the guild, a mere 2-star hunter.
Thanks to that, he’d survived the disaster that day. Otherworld expeditions were only open to 3-stars and above, after all.
The guild had taken a massive hit as a result. The guild master and most of the executives had gone missing.
Naturally, the guild disbanded, and Go Chang-won vanished around the same time.
‘And now he’s finally resurfaced. After a full five years.’
It had been five years since Go Chang-won disappeared. Yet no blacksmith had surpassed him in that time.
It was probably a matter of experience.
Santa Maria had been the most aggressive team exploring the otherworld in the country. Thanks to that, Go Chang-won had gotten his hands on otherworld materials before anyone else—and more of them.
‘Especially skilled with mana crystals. I hope his skills haven’t rusted.’
Just in case, he’d brought along a mana crystal that had dropped from a stone golem. Connect it to armor, and you could craft something infused with Stone Skin effects.
Sure, the armor would get heavier, but for a 4-star hunter like Jin Yu-han, it wouldn’t be much of a burden.
‘If I could just get my hands on some fancy armor, I’d have no regrets…’
That was when the forge door opened, and a man and woman stepped out.
The man was in his early twenties, around 175 cm tall, with a somehow gloomy vibe. The woman had short hair and was decked out in all sorts of throwing weapons…
“Huh? Song Hye-rin?”
“Who… Oh?”
Song Hye-rin and Jin Yu-han’s eyes met. Jin Yu-han floundered in embarrassment.
It was only natural. Up until five years ago, they’d been a loving couple.
But Song Hye-rin turned away with a cold, hardened expression, showing no warmth.
‘Yeah, figured she’d react like that.’
Jin Yu-han smacked his lips with a sour face. Honestly, he could understand her feelings.
Back then, he’d abandoned her while she was grieving her brother’s loss to save his own skin.
‘Of all places, running into her here. Wait… what’s that…?’
As Jin Yu-han agonized, his eyes caught the throwing axe the man was holding.
It bore the Santa Maria guild emblem—clearly no ordinary weapon at a glance.
The craftsmanship was top-notch, but what really impressed was the mana crystal integration.
‘His skills are as sharp as ever. Normally, mana leaks out a bit, but that’s seamlessly connected.’
That allowed the full power of the mana crystal to flow into the weapon.
Jin Yu-han started to ask about the axe but shut his mouth at Song Hye-rin’s icy glare.
‘Fine. Knowing he’s open for business is enough. So, who’s that guy next to her? Boyfriend?’
Just then, the man tilted his head at Song Hye-rin.
“Instructor Song. What’s wrong? Know him?”
Hearing that, Jin Yu-han couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course. There was no way that haughty Song Hye-rin would date some punk like that.
Jin Yu-han snorted, recalling Song Hye-rin’s proud past self. Thinking about it, it was laughable.
‘She was hot stuff back in the day, sure. But now? No backing, nothing.’
Meanwhile, he was an investigator for the Hunter Management Department, wielding immense authority to surveil guilds.
‘Even if you come crawling back now, begging to see me, I’ll be the one saying no.’
He’d dated her in the first place to get in good with her brother Song Seung-woo as a backer. Otherwise, he never would’ve debased himself chasing her for over a month.
Drunk on some inexplicable sense of victory, Jin Yu-han stepped into the forge.
“Anyone here?”
Go Chang-won was just wiping sweat off his brow—probably taking a break after finishing a job.
“Brother Chang-won. Long time no see.”
“Huh? Who’re you?”
“It’s me, Jin Yu-han. From back when we were in Santa Maria…”
At the mention of Santa Maria, Go Chang-won’s eyes sharpened. But he still couldn’t place him.
“Don’t ring a bell. Anyway, what brings you here?”
“N-no, I just wanted to commission some armor. Something that works with this mana crystal…”
“Oh, I don’t do that stuff anymore. Retired from it. The most I make these days is junk like this.”
Go Chang-won said, picking up a butcher knife.
“B-but you just made an axe for Song Hye-rin!”
Dumbfounded, Jin Yu-han pointed outside and yelled.
“Hm? Were you really in Santa Maria? How do you know Hye-rin?”
Go Chang-won narrowed his eyes at Jin Yu-han, then let out an “Ah~”.
“You’re that stalker kid from back then, huh?”
“Pardon?”
“She said you hounded her so much she gave in and met you once out of annoyance. Then you went around spreading rumors you were dating.”
“H-how did you…”
Jin Yu-han flushed red as a long-forgotten memory resurfaced.
* * *
“Um… what’s the deal with that guy from earlier?”
Cha In-hyeok cautiously asked, glancing at Song Hye-rin’s mood.
“Some guy who kept following me around and being a nuisance.”
Song Hye-rin swatted the air irritably, like shooing a fly.
“What, a stalker?”
“Pretty much. I met him once to get him off my back, but he blabbed it everywhere. Eventually, he even started deluding himself that we were actually together?”
A classic case of someone buying their own lie.
“Whoa.”
“That’s why I’ve been dodging him with every excuse under the sun ever since.”
“You must’ve been popular, Instructor Song.”
“Not really. Before that, no one dared approach because of my hotshot brother. The one guy who did was that stalker. And after the incident… I just lost all interest in dating.”
Forced into a nun-like existence, she’d lately been resenting her lost youth.
‘Never even had a proper romance when I should’ve… Though, to be fair, not many guys I could really talk to.’
A guy who didn’t cower in her presence, didn’t try to use her background, loved throwing techniques, and clicked with her conversationally.
No one had ever matched all those criteria.
‘Wait, no one? Actually… Oh god, what am I thinking?’
Song Hye-rin shook her head in alarm. She hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway, how’s your condition?”
“Not bad, but there’s still some aftereffects. And some things are weighing on me.”
Cha In-hyeok couldn’t shake the memory of killing Kim Cheol-min.
Of course not. It was murder. His first.
Not the kind of thing you get over in a day or two.
“The only fix is to train until you drop.”
“Huh? Train?”
“Push until your lungs are bursting. Eventually, all you hear is your heartbeat. Focus on that, and you realize, ‘I’m doing my best.’ It calms you right down.”
“If I train like that now, I might actually keel over.”
“Do it later, once you’re in better shape. I’ll spot you if it gets too tough.”
Song Hye-rin’s cheeks flushed pink. Cha In-hyeok stared at her for a moment before speaking.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“What?”
“Like you said, I need to listen to the voice inside me. Better do it alone.”
“O-oh, right.”
Song Hye-rin felt proud yet oddly disappointed. At the same time, she realized he wasn’t just some kid.
“Plus, I’ve got something to practice.”
Cha In-hyeok smiled faintly down at Gentle Breeze. Song Hye-rin thought, ‘That’s rare.’ He wasn’t one to smile often. And yet…
‘Dangerous.’
Good thing he didn’t smile much. If he did, she’d be in trouble.
‘Why?’
Confused, Song Hye-rin couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Gotta etch this in my memory.
* * *
“Phew. Feels like my body’s finally back to normal.”
It had been a full month since the lefty’s ambush. I’d spent it recovering my weary body and mind—basically bingeing anime again after ages.
‘Nothing beats anime for mental recovery.’
Now, I’d shaken off the shock and guilt of that murder enough to resume normal activities.
Of course, I hadn’t been idle. While resting, I’d been practicing with my new weapon, Gentle Breeze.
Slash-!
The axe, as thick as my forearm, effortlessly felled a massive tree. Incredible cutting power. But that same power was both a strength and a weakness.
‘Retrieve!’
The axe spun in the air before smoothly arcing back like a boomerang. A weapon with 40 attack power returning to my hand.
‘I can catch it. Focus. Focus!’
I watched the spin carefully and snatched it at the right moment. As the blade passed and the handle came forward, I thrust out my hand.
Clack!
Perfect timing. The handle stuck to my palm like a magnet.
‘Got it! Finally!’
My first success after a whole month.
Some might scoff, “What’s so hard about that?” But try catching a 40-attack weapon barehanded—they wouldn’t talk so tough.
One slip mid-catch, and my fingers would end up like that tree trunk—severed clean at the base.
‘This is battle-ready now.’
It took time to master the new skill, but if it worked as I thought, Retrieve was worth it.
“Time to test it out?”
That’s what I was about to do.
I slung Gentle Breeze over my shoulder and hit the road. Today’s target: the large goblin village to the west.
I’d love to hit a dungeon for goblin essence too, but with that investigator still hanging around Yangyang, I couldn’t risk it.
‘He’s staying longer than expected. Thought he’d bail after 2-3 weeks.’
Word was he had personal business keeping him for months, but details were scarce.
Still, silver lining: All-Kill Guild was behaving. Only downside was no dungeon runs.
Rustle!
I hustled to the goblin village—twice the size of the ones I’d cleared before.
Minimap showed about 70, just the patrols. Plenty more inside.
Normally, I’d snipe patrols one by one. But today? Time for a new hunting method with Retrieve.
“Hup!”
I filled my lungs and bellowed.
“An orc’s here!”
“Kieek!”
The goblins panicked at “orc” and swarmed out. They scanned around, spotted me late, and charged in fury.
About ten goblins. Too few for a proper debut, so I swung Gentle Breeze wildly to loosen up.
Whoosh—whoosh—
A pleasant breeze stirred from the axe for an instant, then the metallic tang of blood scattered through the forest on the wind.
“Krek!”
One swing decapitated three goblins. Shockingly, even the bones offered no resistance.
Thirteen down in under ten seconds. Total annihilation.
“Whoa, exceeding expectations.”
By then, screams had drawn a horde from the village—hobgoblins and goblin shamans too.
Over 200 regular goblins, 20 hobgoblins, two shamans, and at the back, a 2.5-star goblin chieftain.
For a second, I regretted poking the hornet’s nest. This setup rivaled a 1-star dungeon boss room in difficulty.
“K-kill!”
At the chieftain’s command, the goblins surged like a swarm. Sensing the moment for my new weapon, I gripped Gentle Breeze tight.
‘Heavy Strike!’
The skill needed 1 second to charge but boosted attack by 10%. Then I hurled Gentle Breeze with all my might.
This throw’s power: a whopping 90.2. Base 40 from the weapon, 42 from strength, plus 10% from Heavy Strike.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The 90.2-attack destroyer roared through the air with a chilling boom, slamming into the goblin horde. And then…
Kagagak!!
It cleaved through everything in its path.