The Wasteland's Hunters
The sun blazed mercilessly over the wasteland.
Two figures walked across the parched earth.
Normally, the burden of crossing a wasteland would be indescribable. Yet these two were different.
Shanette possessed an overwhelming resistance to heat. Even though this was her first time traveling this route, she handled thirst and scorching temperatures with surprising ease.
Kang Yoonsoo, on the other hand, moved with perfectly controlled strength. Even if he walked from dawn until dusk, no trace of exhaustion could be seen on him.
Their strides matched perfectly, as if they were siblings.
For days on end, the two had walked together and camped together. Yet Shanette still found it difficult to adjust to Kang Yoonsoo.
Whenever she tried to strike up a conversation, he would only reply in short, curt sentences. The only thing she had learned about him so far was that this man possessed an absurdly vast amount of knowledge.
“We should conserve our water in the wasteland. According to the map, there’s a decent spring nearby.”
“It’s contaminated.”
Shanette found his answer suspicious. How could he know that without even going there?
Stubbornly, she went to check the spring herself. The once-clear water had turned into a muddy mess.
Flustered, she apologized.
“……I-I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve looked for food instead.”
In response, Kang Yoonsoo rolled up his sleeve and reached into the mud.
Shrik!
He pulled out a snake that had been coiled in the muddy water.
That day, they prepared the snake and enjoyed meat for the first time in a while.
That was usually how it went.
Whenever Shanette brought something up, Kang Yoonsoo always seemed to be several steps ahead of her.
It was behavior no ordinary person could replicate.
And that wasn’t all.
Contrary to his appearance, Kang Yoonsoo drank alcohol almost obsessively.
The whiskey Lord Hermia had given them as a gift was gone in less than half a day. That was because Kang Yoonsoo kept his lips glued to the water bottle filled with liquor almost all day long.
“You drink that much and never get drunk? I can’t tell any difference between before and after you drink.”
“Yeah.”
“Then why do you like drinking so much? Does it taste good?”
“My head hurts.”
“Pardon?”
“When I drink, my head hurts. That’s why I like it.”
……He really was a strange man.
It was the fifth day since they had left Kellin territory.
Kang Yoonsoo suddenly stopped walking.
Just as Shanette was about to give him a puzzled look, a faint vibration rippled through the ground beneath the sweltering wasteland.
“Kweerrrk—!”
A thick earthworm burst out from the cracked ground.
It looked like an earthworm, but its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth.
The landworm let out a piercing cry.
“Kweeriaaaak—!”
It wasn’t alone.
“Kweerrk!”
“Kwerk! Kweerrk!”
Ten landworms poked their heads out of the wasteland, screeching as they searched for prey.
Landworms were pack-hunting predators of the wasteland.
The two of them had been marked as their next meal.
‘Landworms.’
Kang Yoonsoo didn’t particularly like landworms.
They were the first monsters he encountered right after regressing. They reminded him of the vague helplessness of having to start everything from the beginning again.
‘……Though I barely feel that way anymore.’
He drew his machete.
The blade of the reinforced greatsword gleamed with a blue light.
Kang Yoonsoo’s current level was 34.
A landworm’s level was around 50.
The gap in level and numbers was significant, but he wasn’t worried at all.
‘I’ll treat this as a light warm-up.’
Kang Yoonsoo charged forward immediately.
Sharp teeth burst from the dirt toward him.
He ducked slightly and swung his machete at an angle.
The sturdy blade accurately shattered the vital point between the teeth.
“Kweerrk!”
He leaped high, using the landworm’s head as a stepping stone.
The landworms writhed through the earth, howling in rage, but Kang Yoonsoo responded with cold precision.
Every time his blade grazed them, at least one landworm suffered a fatal wound or collapsed.
Life Drain
A blue-white energy flowed from his arm, absorbing the landworms’ life force.
Life Drain skill level has increased.
The amount of life force absorbed has risen.
He completely compensated for the level difference with pure combat skill.
When they realized Kang Yoonsoo was unexpectedly difficult to handle, the landworms turned their attention to Shanette.
They burrowed through the ground, attempting to tear apart the slender woman’s body.
Shanette drew her weapon from her waist.
“Kweerrrk!”
One landworm lunged at the back of her head.
Shanette spun around instantly and swung her scythe.
Thwack—!
The landworm’s head was split cleanly in two.
Her weapon was a large scythe with a long handle—the weapon she was most proficient with from her days as a lord’s soldier.
Shanette swept her scythe through the landworms, slicing them apart without hesitation.
There was no uncertainty in her movements.
Her time as Lord Hermia’s soldier hadn’t been solely due to their personal friendship.
By nature, her physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. She had trained several times harder than the other soldiers.
Besides, she had faced landworms several times during her service.
Was it because of the Fragment of Power?
Her body felt several times lighter than usual. No matter how much she swung the scythe, her hands never grew tired.
Although Shanette fought well, the landworms kept coming without end.
Kang Yoonsoo pulled a dark iron dagger from his pocket and threw it.
The landworm trying to bite Shanette’s shoulder collapsed after being stabbed in the gums.
“Thank you!”
Even as time passed, the number of landworms showed no sign of decreasing.
Kang Yoonsoo immediately stretched out his right arm.
“Summon 78 skeletons. Summon giant hobgoblin zombie.”
A horde of undead appeared.
He waved his hand, casting Corpse Explosion in rapid succession.
A large number of landworms were wiped out in an instant.
Kang Yoonsoo’s level rose by one.
However, all the lowest-tier undead skeletons were destroyed.
Shanette brushed the sticky residue from her hair and let out a sigh of relief.
She was grateful for Kang Yoonsoo’s efforts, but one question lingered.
“Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just let the undead handle all the fighting?”
“If I don’t participate in combat myself, the experience gained decreases.”
If he hadn’t used the undead to finish them off, he could have raised his level even more.
Kang Yoonsoo sent the giant hobgoblin zombie back to his summoning roster.
After watching his battle up close, a strange suspicion formed in Shanette’s mind.
‘No way…… That can’t be possible, but…….’
She asked, half hoping she was wrong.
“Kang Yoonsoo, could you hold my hand for a moment?”
Without a word, he extended his hand.
Shanette grabbed it and applied a little pressure.
He frowned.
“It hurts.”
“……Were you actually using strength just now?”
“Yeah.”
Shanette was inwardly shocked.
‘He’s weak!’
During the dragon soldier’s trial, the battle had been so flashy that she hadn’t noticed. But after fighting alongside him now, it was clear.
Kang Yoonsoo was far weaker than her.
Of course, his ability to target vital points and his evasive movements were far superior to hers.
But in terms of pure physical ability, he was incredibly frail.
“What’s your level?”
“35.”
“…….”
Shanette’s current level was 72.
Depending on stat distribution, it meant she was more than twice as strong as him.
“Then…… what’s your class?”
“Unemployed.”
“…….”
Shanette couldn’t help but be shocked again.
It was best to choose a class while your level was still low. Even a production class would grant various benefits through its traits, and you could learn at least one unique skill.
Since she had been a lord’s soldier, Shanette’s current class was Soldier. It provided combat advantages, and serving a lord or emperor granted social credibility.
But being unemployed meant receiving none of those benefits.
“Excuse me, but how long has it been since you were transferred to this world, Kang Yoonsoo?”
“Seven days ago.”
“That’s impossible!”
Shanette finally raised her voice.
He had reached level 35 in just one week since being transferred?
Most travelers were too busy trying to survive in this unfamiliar world to even think about growing stronger.
Besides, his combat ability was clearly far from ordinary.
Meanwhile, Kang Yoonsoo’s expression remained indifferent as he thought about something else.
‘To kill the Demon Lord, the first priority is to go through a perfect preparation process.’
He was confident he could have won the previous battle alone without summoning undead.
But it would have taken much more time, and Shanette might have been injured or killed.
There were still twenty years until the Demon Lord appeared.
Rather than growing rapidly by himself, it was better to prioritize the safety of his companions.
‘And I can’t grow alone.’
Kang Yoonsoo approached Shanette.
He brought his face so close their breaths mingled, then pressed a finger against her forehead without hesitation.
Shanette Elogran
Time remaining until 1st opening of the Fragment of Power: 798 hours.
Waiting time decreases as growth progresses.
“Still a long way to go.”
“What happens to me when the Fragment of Power opens?”
“You get stronger.”
“…….”
Kang Yoonsoo picked up his machete and cut off the landworms’ antennae, stuffing them into the front pocket of his backpack.
He meticulously gathered the antennae from dozens of landworm corpses.
“Why are you taking the antennae?”
“They’re potion ingredients.”
“……You even know how to make potions?”
“Yeah.”
Shanette’s eyes widened.
Making potions and elixirs was the domain of alchemists.
Alchemists combined materials gathered from monster corpses, herbs, and tree roots to create potions.
The process required delicate craftsmanship, so only experts could even attempt it.
Shanette was growing increasingly suspicious of Kang Yoonsoo’s identity.
Judging by the way he swung a greatsword, he seemed like a swordsman or mercenary. The spells that raised corpses suggested a necromancer.
And now he could even make potions?
It was impossible to believe he was an unemployed traveler who had only been transferred to this world seven days ago.
After collecting all the antennae, Kang Yoonsoo stretched out his right hand.
“Mass Corpse Revival.”
The landworm corpses began to rise one by one.
They had been revived as undead—their flesh rotting and their skin turning pitch black.
Kang Yoonsoo sent the dark landworms back to his summoning roster and said,
54 dark landworms have been stored in the summoning roster.
Current summons in roster — 54 dark landworms, salamander Sally.
Maximum summons that can be stored — 445.
“Before we go to Hilledan, let’s stop by the Ultika Ruins.”
Shanette’s eyebrows shot up.
“Ruins?”
Ruins.
Places where hundreds of monsters lived and rare treasures slumbered in their hearts.
Even most clans knew the dangers of ruins and would only challenge them with at least two hundred people.
Yet this man was suggesting they visit such a dangerous place as casually as if they were going on a picnic.
Kang Yoonsoo had already started walking.
Shanette hurriedly caught up to him.
“I-if it’s ruins, there must be a lot of strong monsters, right?”
“There are.”
“C-can just the two of us really conquer a place like that? Normally, ruin raids start with runners scouting ahead, fully mapping the terrain before anyone enters! This is basically suicide!”
“It’s fine.”
Kang Yoonsoo’s calm answer only amplified Shanette’s doubts.
“We’re only taking the rewards.”