Blood, Fire, and Awakening

The smell of blood and fire stung my nose.

A clear blue sky filled my vision.

It was nothing like the sky I'd seen for over forty years.

"This can't be... real?"

The crumbling Earth's sky could never be this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pure.

I tried to sit up, but pain throbbed through my entire body.

A deep knife wound across my abdomen caught my eye.

I touched it with my fingers, and a sharp jolt of pain brought back vivid memories.

I should have died from that.

My memories slowly returned.

S-Class Crafting Hunter.

I fell at the world's final defensive line, as everything ended.

I was forty-two then.

That was me.

But this body...

A young, twenty-one-year-old frame.

1st-class mage, enchanter, and hired mage for the Florence Slave Trading Company.

My main job: crafting and maintaining slave collars.

Just a run-of-the-mill mage's run-of-the-mill gig.

Mage or not, nothing special.

If I'd had talent, I'd be 3rd or 4th class by twenty-one.

If my family had pull, I'd be honing my skills at a magic academy or as a court mage.

But no talent, no family.

Just a hired mage for a slave outfit.

That's me too.

Reincarnation? Transmigration? Or...?

Being alive was a relief, but the tangled memories made my head spin.

No time to think, though.

I had to stop the bleeding first.

If I didn't plug this gushing wound, I'd cross back to the afterlife after all that effort.

I rummaged through my pouch and pulled out an emergency potion.

Downed the red liquid in one gulp.

Smeared some on the wound too.

A stinging pain hit, and the gash began to knit closed.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Then, things popped up—like potion side effects, but weirder.

Familiar text in this strange world.

Hunter-era system messages.

"What the hell...?"

A bewildered mutter escaped me.

My past-life hunter powers carried over?

And magic imprinting too?

I quickly checked the messages, scanning my status.

Hunter knowledge... magic imprinting!

My hunter crafting skills mixed with magical abilities.

Some entries didn't make full sense yet, but now wasn't the time for details.

I looked around: corpses strewn everywhere.

Wreckage from the ambushed caravan.

The blood stench thickened.

A rival caravan's raid.

Slave traders—probably caught in political infighting.

Slaves, huh... no surprise they got hit doing that crap.

No sympathy for the ruined Florence outfit.

Survival came first—for me.

Current state: too risky.

Need a weapon...

No safety here.

Memories confirmed: this world wasn't kind.

No helpful travelers or rescuers.

You saved your own skin.

My limbs weren't fully responsive.

Bleeding not fully stopped.

Melee? Suicide.

Sword or axe would get me killed.

Ranged weapon... what can I craft?

Thinking of crafting weapons triggered hunter-style message windows.

Surroundings?

New message—not from hunter days.

Before I could question it, recipes flooded my vision.

I ignored melee, focusing on ranged.

Bows, crossbows, even gunpowder weapons.

Past memories poured out as data.

Hold on... this one?

A familiar name jumped out amid the list.

Craftable.

Seemed to count wrecked wagons, armor, and weapons from corpses as materials.

Environmental analysis in action.

This is it! Best choice right now.

Sunogi: Chinese repeating crossbow adapted in Joseon.

Easy to make, deadly firepower.

Perfect for one against many.

"Huh?"

Focusing intent, materials flew in, ground down, reformed—several times.

No special processing; the weapon just took shape.

"This easy? No prep or machining?"

A new message, and the finished Sunogi was in my hands.

But I focused on the weapon, not the text.

Hunter days required boring processing even with materials.

Here, combined with magic—something changed.

Simple materials? I'll figure it out later... won't starve now.

A wry smile formed.

Sunogi's simplicity helped.

Unlike my hunter special weapons, no rare stuff needed.

Then, my pathetic mage life flashed—working for slave traders for scraps.

Mass-produce and sell these? I'd eat fine.

I hefted the completed Sunogi.

Light, sturdy.

One of my hunter masterpieces.

But not the end.

Magic imprinting on this too?

Shock was brief.

No hesitation: imprinted accuracy boost and penetration boost.

Imprints succeeded instantly.

Two at once.

A 1st-class enchanter pulling off dual 1st-class imprints?

Even 2nd-class wouldn't do it easily.

This okay?

Doubt flickered, but cut short.

Unwelcome sound.

"Grrr..."

Beast musk mixed with blood hit my nose.

I turned: five kobolds.

Drawn by corpse stench.

Grey-skinned freaks dragging bodies.

Old me—1st-class caravan mage—would've run.

Not now.

A smile crept up.

"Perfect... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠test dummies."

Raised the Sunogi.

Used corpses as cover, steadied breath, pulled trigger.

Tut-tut-thung— tut-tut-thung—

Arrows fired in bursts.

Magic-laced bolts homed on kobolds.

Gr?

Thud-thud-thunk! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Thud-thud-thunk!

Grrrk—

Two dropped, heads pierced clean.

Skulls practically exploded.

Others scanned around.

Missed me behind the corpse wall.

One more, then.

Tut-tut-thung—

Sunogi's chatter dropped another.

"Grrr!"

They spotted me.

Normal kobolds would've fled at three down.

They're that cowardly.

Fleeing ones call more—trouble.

But they charged.

Saw me alone.

Thick blood scent: easy prey.

Come closer—much appreciated.

No shaky aim here.

Hunter life: fighting monsters more routine than meals.

Kobolds? No sweat.

Till they closed distance.

Tut-tut-thung— tut-tut-thung—

Thud-thud-thunk—

Grrk...

Another down.

Unexpected: last one dodged sideways, predicting trajectory.

"Damn—huh?"

Curse died on my lips.

Arrow curved.

Chased the kobold.

Thud-thud-thunk—

Grrrk.

Dodger hit, crumpled.

3 shots/sec.

15 arrows pierced kobold flesh dead-on.

Accuracy and penetration boosts: insane.

Staring at kobold corpses, I let out a hollow laugh.

"This... kinda scary."

My creation, but beyond expectations.

Stronger than my past-life version.

Why...? Oh, right.

Magic imprint effects.

1st-class enchanter base, but synced with S-Class hunter crafting.

Synergy overload.

Picked up an arrow.

Faint magic glow.

"Accuracy boost... penetration boost."

Two imprints amplified each other.

Arrows flew like guided missiles, exceeding base lethality.

"Just point and shoot to kill."

No blocking, no dodging.

New killer weapon, breaking old Sunogi limits.

Hasty emergency craft did this.

Making something this broken... what if I take my time?

A grin spread.

Scraping by as slave-trader mage? Over.

Things would change.

Big time.