Moonlight Shadow
◈ Description: The heart of the Silver Werewolf, which devoured the energy of moonlight.
A Unique grade — one I hadn't even dared to hope for. And with a special keyword like Moonlight attached, the effects were bound to be good.
"What is that?"
Won-ae, who had been watching from the side, came closer and asked. Hunting monsters together and having her life entrusted to me had apparently softened her stiff demeanor—at least compared to earlier.
"An elixir."
"Really? That tiny little pebble?"
"It's called the Silver Werewolf's Heart. You've never seen one?"
"No, sir…."
This was an elixir that wouldn't be discovered until six years from now. I knew perfectly well she had no way of knowing about it. I'd only asked to tease her a little.
"Looks can be deceiving—it's a Unique-grade elixir, so take a good look."
Hearing that, Won-ae studied the elixir intently. She scrutinized it as if she refused to miss even its small shape or the flow of mana within it.
Watching her like this, I almost wonder if she really is Won-ae.
The Won-ae from before my regression had shown little interest in elixirs or items like this. Something must have happened to her before we met.
"Done looking?"
"Ah…."
I quickly reclaimed the elixir and popped it straight into my mouth. Won-ae looked disappointed, but I couldn't afford to waste any more time here.
You have consumed the Silver Werewolf's Heart.
Mana increases by 10.
You fully absorb the power of Moonlight.
My mana rose by ten to 340, and my other stats climbed along with it. All that remained was the final effect—the power of moonlight itself.
What could it be?
The moment the thought crossed my mind, the system message appeared.
Stealth (A) merges with the Power of Moonlight.
Stealth (A) absorbs the Power of Moonlight and becomes Moonlight Shadow (S).
◈ Description: Beneath the moonlight, no one can find us.
◈ Effects: Stealth effect +200% when using skills at night, Attack power +150% when ambushing after skill use, Attack power +50% when attacking with dagger-type weapons, Unlocks active skill Moonlight Strike, Unlocks active skill Stealth.
"Ha."
An S-rank skill, of all things. S-rank skills were on an entirely different level from A-rank. Despite being a passive skill, it came bundled with two active skills on top.
"S-rank really is a different beast, huh."
"S-rank?"
Won-ae must have caught my muttering, because she looked back at me.
"It's nothing."
"You just said S-rank."
"No, I didn't."
"You definitely did!"
She pressed the point relentlessly, but I played dumb. An S-rank skill wasn't something you stumbled across every day. There were even S-rank awakeners who didn't possess a single S-rank skill—people could be recognized as S-rank awakeners while holding several A-rank skills. Neither A-rank nor S-rank skills were ever common.
"You definitely said it."
"I didn't—"
I was about to deny it again when my senses picked up people approaching. Not just one—multiple signatures.
"Survivors."
"What?!"
"About twenty of them."
North Korea was blanketed in poison fog. The fact that anyone had survived out here was astonishing in itself. Judging by what my senses were telling me, at least ten of those twenty weren't even awakeners.
Ordinary people holding out inside the poison fog? That's impossible.
It was a poison even awakeners couldn't withstand. There was no way ordinary humans could endure it.
"Let's approach them for now."
"Understood."
Won-ae and I slowly made our way toward the group. Before long, the survivors came within view of the naked eye.
"Just a little farther now."
"Comrades, just hold on a bit longer."
Five adult men, five women, ten children—that was the makeup of the survivor group.
Are they really North Koreans?
Their speech was quite different from what I'd heard in dramas and movies. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so.
"Are they really North Korean?"
"I'm not sure."
Going by the emblem on their clothes, they were North Koreans without a doubt. But the speech I was hearing differed enough from everything I'd been exposed to that I couldn't quite believe it.
"Appa, how much farther?"
"Just a little more and we'll reach the safe zone. Hold on just a bit."
"My legs hurt so much."
Anyone listening would have assumed they were speaking standard South Korean. The language North Koreans used was, after all, Korean as well. An awakener's translation ability only worked on foreign languages—it wasn't about to translate a tongue we already shared.
"Shall we go say hello, then?"
"What should I do?"
"Just come with me."
Won-ae and I let our concealed presence show and approached the group of survivors.
"Who goes there!"
As we drew a little closer, a man who appeared to be the group's leader drew a blade and leveled it in our direction.
He shouldn't be able to see us.
Even at this distance, the man had picked up on both our presences. Most scouts couldn't detect anything at this range.
Is his talent exceptional? Or is he just naturally sharp-sensed?
Whatever the case….
"He's uncut gemstone material, no doubt about it."
Gems like this hadn't existed before my regression. To be precise, the other major guilds and rankers had scooped them all up first—leaving no one worth raising for me. Which was exactly why finding an uncut gem before anyone else felt so satisfying.
"I have no intention of fighting you."
I first approached the group slowly, then stored every weapon I carried into my inventory to show I meant no harm.
"Who are you! Are you demonkin? Or one of those filthy resistance scum?"
The leader's questions were bristling with thorns—as if he were desperate to resist to the very end.
"I belong to neither of the two you mentioned."
"Then who the hell are you?"
"I'm Han Jin… the Lord of the DMZ up ahead."
"……!"
At my words, the leader's expression brightened—then darkened. The first look had been one of hope; the shadow that followed carried fear.
Their destination was the DMZ.
Of course they'd be thrown off if the Lord of the DMZ himself showed up here.
Their destination was land that, if it had no master, was one thing—but its master was very much alive, and standing right in front of them. Anyone would be rattled.
"It seems you're headed for my territory. Care to travel together?"
"How can we trust that you're the Lord of the DMZ?"
"Hmm."
Fair point. I had no way to prove I was the lord of that place. That is—if the System didn't exist.
Do you wish to accept the group before you as subjects of your domain?
Yes.
System-based citizen registration. Without it, no one could freely enter or leave my territory in the first place. And a message like this was more than enough proof that I was the lord.
"You wouldn't be able to enter the territory unless you became its subjects anyway—so why not take a chance and trust me?"
At my words, the leader said nothing and simply stared blankly ahead. He was presumably reading the system message that had just appeared before his eyes. I waited a moment, and then he spoke.
"Will you allow us to accompany you?"
"Of course."
"Whoa!"
"Over here!"
"Catch me if you can!"
Not long after entering the territory, the kids were running around playing as if the place were their own backyard.
"It's been so long since I've seen them playing like this…."
And the man before me—Jin Baek-rim—watched the scene with eyes brimming with emotion. Given that children that young had spent their lives hiding, it was hardly surprising.
"Thank you, truly. I don't know how I could ever repay this debt…."
"Thank you so much."
"Because of you, I got to see that face one more time."
"If there's anything you need, just say the word."
"We'll help with anything we can."
The mothers, watching their children, all offered me their gratitude one after another. Hearing those words filled me with pride. I was usually indifferent to other people, but there was no helping the warmth that bloomed when I heard things like this.
They do say even a monkey will dance when you praise it.
I let it slide with a smile. And then, at last, the most important moment arrived.
"So? Have you decided you're willing to talk?"
"……."
The leader couldn't answer easily. He was glad to see the kids playing, sure—but whether they would actually stay in this territory going forward was still unknown. Which meant it would be wise to keep his information hidden as long as possible.
That's what he's thinking, isn't he?
It wasn't a wrong calculation. It was, in fact, close to the correct answer. Hide his information? Absolutely—he could do that. If he were dealing with an ordinary person, that is.
"If I want, I can throw you all back out."
"You wouldn't—!"
"Of course, I'm not saying that's guaranteed to happen."
It bordered on a threat, but I had no choice if he wouldn't talk. Not that I had any intention of actually driving those children back out into the poison fog.
"If you're going to live here, then there are things I need from you in return. That's only natural."
"That may be, but…."
Information was the only card they held. I had never once imagined they'd lay that card down on the table immediately. So what I needed to do here was give them a sense of safety—the assurance that when they did show their hand, they wouldn't be harmed for it.
"Share your information with me, and you're free to stay here from now on."
"Really?!"
Color returned to the leader's face at my words. Now it was time to dangle a little more bait.
"Yes. And I'll provide you with a number of facilities and amenities as well."
"Facilities?"
"Yes."
The shop offered all kinds of amenities for purchase. It was truly all-powerful. It took stat points as payment, but that meant nothing to me.
"You'd really do all that just for our information?"
"Yes. You're survivors I saved once already—no one's going to complain if I help you a little more."
After all, I was solo, and the only companion I had was Won-ae—a temporary one at that. Adding a handful of people to this vast expanse of land would pose no problem whatsoever.
"If that's truly what you're offering, then I'll talk."
"Good. Then let's work well together."
The bait I'd cast to lure them in had hooked a fish. The situation right now was exactly that.
"I am Jin Baek-rim. I will answer everything you ask with utmost sincerity."
Even if he was the leader, I doubted anyone could refuse my proposal after looking at that face.
"Hahaha!"
"Run faster!"
"Let's bet on who's faster!"
The children's cheerful racket filled the air. It was only natural for the man responsible for them to look on with joy—this was a sight they could never have witnessed in North Korea.
They say no parent can outdo their child… and this is exactly that.
Did those kids know how hard their parents were working for them like this? The thought suddenly made the man before me look pitiful. Not that I knew whether he was actually the father.
"Well, then…."