Chapter 40
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Clash of Young Creatures
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A building burned to black ash.
The researchers stood before it, their faces utterly bewildered.
Was this what they called a bolt from the blue? A giant bird had suddenly appeared and smashed through the wall.
A bizarre intruder wearing a skull had torn the place apart. This was the result.
Nothing seemed salvageable from the smoldering ruins of the research institute.
Everything from the main computer to the annex archive where data was backed up had been incinerated.
“N-No…”
“What is the meaning of this! Do you think you can get away with this?”
“No matter who you are, we’ll find you!”
“And do what when you find me?”
The researchers, who had been shouting so boldly, were left speechless.
Their opponent was someone who rode a parrot-poison bird. Someone who commanded a high-level pyromancer with a mere gesture.
What could they possibly do against such a person? Still, fueled by defiance, one of them shouted.
“We’ll capture you and make you face the judgment of the law!”
“Is that so? Then come and get me.”
Cheon Doun flicked his hand. A thread shot from his fingertip, slicing through the air. With that as a signal, the surrounding trees began to fall, one by one.
*Thud, thud, thud.* The sound grew more distant as trees toppled like dominoes in a circle around Cheon Doun.
The researchers froze, unable to move as the felling continued endlessly.
“Impossible. What is this…”
The dense forest was transformed into a plain in an instant.
Even now, they could hear the sound of trees falling somewhere beyond their sight.
Cheon Doun looked at the researchers one by one.
“Come and get me. I’ll be coming to get you, too.”
The researchers stumbled backward and collapsed. Never before had such a dry, monotone voice sounded so chilling.
Averting their gazes, the researchers ultimately said nothing more. As important as their research was, it wasn't worth their lives.
Cheon Doun turned from them and climbed atop the bird.
“Destroy the building.”
At Cheon Doun’s command, Nam Giseok extended a hand.
A fireball shot from his palm, striking the building and detonating. A vortex of fire erupted, erasing any trace that the structure had ever existed.
The blast sent the researchers flying backward, tumbling across the ground.
Once Nam Giseok was on the bird, the parrot-poison bird soared into the sky.
The researchers could only watch with vacant expressions.
* * *
The parrot-poison bird landed on a mountain near the slums.
Having guided it there, Cheon Doun shattered a return stone and sent the bird back first.
“I need to give that one a name, too. Nothing suitable comes to mind.”
“How about we ask Saenabi and his wife for some suggestions? Since they’re also birds, they might have some insight.”
“Ask them? Hmm. I suppose that’s not a bad idea.”
They were already well aware that their own naming sense was abysmal.
Getting help from others wasn’t a bad option at this point.
“You can take off the face covering now. Use that cloth to wrap this up. Follow me.”
He took off the bone helmet and handed it over. Nam Giseok unwrapped the cloth from his head and used it to cover the helmet.
As they descended the mountain, they could hear the heated discussions of the slum residents all around.
“Did you see it? That bird from before came back!”
“I think it went toward the mountain back there. Shouldn’t we report it to the Hunter Association?”
“I did report it. But when I said a person was flying on a parrot-poison bird, they just hung up. Told me not to make prank calls.”
Nam Giseok chuckled at the overheard conversation.
‘I get it. Anyone who doesn’t know would never believe it.’
It wouldn’t take long for them to find out it wasn’t a false report.
A research institute had been destroyed by a mysterious figure in a bone helmet riding a parrot-poison bird; it was bound to make the news.
Strolling along while enjoying the surrounding murmurs, they soon arrived at the Alchemy Association branch.
Unlike before, the association building was now in the middle of extensive interior renovations.
“Ah, sir! You’ve arrived.”
Manager Kim, who was outside directing the workers, smiled brightly upon seeing Cheon Doun.
“It’s a bit noisy, isn’t it? We’re doing some remodeling. Hahaha. Please, come in. The interior is finished, so it’s clean inside.”
Manager Kim led the two into his office.
Nam Giseok gazed at Manager Kim with an intense look.
*Is that the alchemist with S-rank potential? The one who will restore my scalp to its former glory?*
Manager Kim broke out in a cold sweat under that fervent stare.
‘Why is he looking at me like that? Did I save his life in a past life or something?’
It was a gaze so intense it prompted such thoughts. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him, and Manager Kim spoke first.
“Who is this gentleman with you?”
“My name is Nam Giseok! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
Overjoyed, Nam Giseok shot up from his seat and bowed deeply.
“I heard from my brother. He said you have the potential to reach S-rank.”
“M-Me?”
Manager Kim looked at Cheon Doun with a bewildered expression. He had received an A+ rank, but he had never heard anything like that before.
There were a total of seven Hunter ranks.
F through A were the common ranks. S was an exceptionally rare rank, treated as being in a class of its own.
The ‘+’ symbol after a rank was merely an indicator of a high probability of promotion; it wasn’t considered a separate rank.
Just seven ranks.
But between each rank was a chasm as wide as heaven and earth.
The gap widened with each step up, so by the time one reached S-rank, they could be considered beyond the realm of ordinary humans.
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding. I’m not S-rank, I’m A+. I barely received this ‘+’ 20 years ago, so I gave up on advancing long ago.”
“That’s not true. You’ve just built a wall for yourself, thinking you can’t do it. It’s possible, so give it a try,”
Cheon Doun said. The casually spoken words made Manager Kim’s jaw drop.
Someone with that much power wouldn’t speak carelessly. Could he really possess such potential?
Manager Kim’s heart began to pound.
A passion that had faded with age stirred somewhere deep in his chest.
“A-Alchemist Awakeners… It’s a field where it’s difficult for high-rankers to emerge.”
“I know.”
“If I become S-rank, I’ll be the first in the world in the field of alchemy. Are you saying that’s possible for me?”
“Yes. It’s possible.”
At the quiet confirmation, Manager Kim clenched his fists.
An invisible wall crumbled within him. It was a fixed mindset that had defined his own limits.
“Anyway. I came today because of this.”
Cheon Doun took six feathers out of his bag.
“Find out if you can remove the spell engraved on the owner of these feathers. You should be able to recognize the power imbued in them.”
“Understood. Are there any clues to breaking the spell?”
“It was cast about seventy years ago.”
At Cheon Doun’s words, Manager Kim’s expression turned troubled.
“That’s quite an old spell. It likely uses old-generation formulas that are no longer in use.”
Seventy years ago was only twenty years after the Gates first opened.
That era was a time of chaos in every field. There was a high chance it was an outdated formula for which no records remained.
It was his job to figure it out and decipher it. Manager Kim nodded with a serious expression.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Then you two talk. I’ll be outside.”
He stepped out, guessing why Nam Giseok had asked for an introduction.
If Manager Kim truly had such potential, he should be able to create the potion Nam Giseok desired.
Even if not right away, it would be resolved once Manager Kim’s abilities blossomed. Cheon Doun was certain of it.
* * *
Nam Giseok emerged from the association with a bright smile.
“All done?”
“Yes, brother. As if by fate, he’s apparently been secretly researching this field for twenty years. You know how hair loss tonics are an unconquered frontier even among alchemists. He said he got stubborn and just kept at it, and now it’s been twenty years.”
He’d even been told that a breakthrough was just around the corner.
“He said he’ll contact me first as soon as the potion is complete.”
“That’s great. Looks like you won’t have to ask Kim Nari to cut your hair.”
Nam Giseok’s shoulders twitched.
“And there won’t be any incidents of a root from my garden suddenly disappearing one day.”
“O-Of course not. Hahaha.”
Nam Giseok laughed awkwardly.
“Anyway. Meeting you, brother, has been the greatest fortune of my life.”
Though he’d said it to change the subject, his words were sincere.
If he just followed this man, he was sure he could reach the pinnacle of his life.
He didn't know where that peak was, but he was certain this would be a choice he’d never regret. He felt it in his bones.
Cheon Doun smirked and shattered a return stone.
On the way back home, having resolved all they set out to do, their steps were light.
* * *
Kim Nari and the siblings were sitting in front of the house, polishing ore.
Knowing it was a meaningless task, the siblings only pretended to be working diligently.
Kim Nari, on the other hand, was scrubbing away with all her might.
“Our little one is doing a great job. At this rate, you’ll become a master of ore polishing.”
“A master of ore polishing? Is that a good thing?”
“Of course it is. It means you’re very good at polishing ore.”
“Ooh. Cool. Then I’m gonna be a master of ore polishing.”
Kim Nari responded earnestly to Yu Beom’s teasing.
At that moment, a blue Gate opened in the yard.
The siblings stood up, thinking Cheon Doun had arrived, but what emerged from the Gate was a small seedling, about thirty centimeters tall.
The leafy seedling looked around, walking on its roots. Following it, all sorts of creatures began to pour out of the Gate.
‘Looks like Cheon Doun is sending them. Are they the kid’s old colleagues?’
The last to emerge was a small fox cub. Seeing it, Kim Nari hid behind the siblings.
It was an obviously strange reaction, but the siblings didn’t ask.
If they were from the same research institute, there must be a story behind it. They guessed as much and pretended not to notice.
-What are all these things? Who do they think they are, invading this place?
Guu, who had been napping peacefully inside, was startled by the influx of monster energy and shot outside.
Sasa, too, bristled at the scent of trespassers in its territory, letting out a sharp chirp.
The chimeras, dropped into an unfamiliar land, milled about in confusion and huddled together.
They flinched and cowered at the threatening roars of Guu and Sasa.
These creatures had spent their entire lives in a closed-off research institute.
Even after arriving in a wide-open forest, not a single one of them dared to run toward freedom.
The first to move among them was the seedling that had come through the Gate first.
The seedling’s round eyes were fixed on the garden patch.
Had it ever seen such fertile soil in its life? The rich, savory demonic energy wafting from it seemed incredibly enticing.
Unable to contain its excitement, the seedling headed for the patch.
Just as it timidly approached, five roots shot up from the soil.
-Huuung!
-Hung, hung!
Startled by the sudden appearance of the territory’s owner, the seedling fell over.
The Mandragoras were just as surprised.
They had emerged from the ground full of bravado, but they froze in shock at the seedling’s thirty-centimeter height.
They needed to establish dominance. They had to make themselves look bigger, too.
-Huuung!
At the largest Mandragora’s signal, a smaller one climbed onto its head as if for a piggyback ride.
Another one scrambled up, stacking itself on top like a tower.
A four-story Mandragora root tower. When four ten-centimeter roots gathered, they easily surpassed the thirty-centimeter seedling in height.
The mechanical Mandragora, aware of its own weight, didn't climb but instead supported the large root at the bottom.
-Huuung!
-Hung, hung!
-Huuung!
As the five roots roared in turn, the seedling scurried backward to rejoin the other chimeras.
-What in the world are these things? Where did they come from?
Guu stood before the chimeras.
-Piiyak!
Sasa moved to their rear, as if to surround them. All the while, its eyes remained on the Mandragoras.
A four-story Mandragora root tower. Seeing their towering form, Sasa stretched its own body upward as much as it could.
Its twenty-centimeter body shot up straight. Sasa glanced back at the Mandragoras.
Still not enough. Sasa stood on its tiptoes. Standing on the very tips of its feet made it about a centimeter taller.
-Piiyak!
It finished with a menacing cry. Its duty was done.
Before long, the Mandragoras had also surrounded the chimeras.
A temporary alliance was formed. Faced with a large number of unidentified intruders, they had entered into an unspoken cooperative relationship.
Just then, the Gate opened again, and Cheon Doun emerged. He paused, taking in the scene before him.
The chimeras were huddled in one spot. Guu and Sasa were surrounding them. And a four-story Mandragora root tower.
-Huuung!
This is our land. Get out, the Mandragoras roared. Among the trembling, huddled chimeras, the seedling stepped forward and cried out.
-Ssshasasa.
Its leaves rustled, making a sound. We want to live, too. Please spare us a little space.
Though they couldn't understand each other’s words, each side stated its case.
None of them lunged at the other. They simply exchanged a heated debate with threatening cries.
“What’s all this about?”
Cheon Doun looked around the yard with an intrigued expression.
He had returned home to find a large-scale battle unfolding in his yard.