#10 Who Are You?
As they entered Cheorwon, snow began falling from the sky. Gone was the clear sky over Seoul; instead, dull gray clouds hung heavy overhead.
Furball panted with delight, wagging his tail as if welcoming the snowy world.
"Good job, Furball."
Furball set Kang-ho down in front of the house and sat obediently, gazing up at him. Hah hah hah! His massive eyes followed Kang-ho, rolling eagerly.
Kang-ho headed to the barn and pulled out a hefty chunk of meat, offering it to Furball.
"Eat up."
Krreung! Furball snatched the meat eagerly.
That was prime rib from a Monad bull. Those beasts lived in hot regions, not around Cheorwon, but as safe species, Kang-ho bought them whole during city visits—essentially the role of livestock from the old days. Loaded with fat and delicious, but unhealthy, so he gave it as a treat.
Furball decided to devour the ribeye right there, crunching through it whole and swallowing in moments. Krreung! Still, his eyes lingered with longing.
Kang-ho knew exactly what those rolling eyes craved.
"Can't give you this yet."
Krreung...
Of course he wanted a fairy stone. But that was problematic. Fairy stones triggered rapid growth in monsters, but with severe side effects: stats and physical abilities lagged far behind natural development. Like jumping to level 10 in a game but only gaining level 5 stats.
There was a right time to feed them, and he'd do it then. Furball nodded at Kang-ho's firm tone.
Seol-a, meanwhile, showed no interest in fairy stones, just sniffing around curiously—sniff sniff sniff.
* * *
Carrying a glass jar dusted with pollen from the barn, Kang-ho entered the orchard. Seol-a's eyes widened at the unfamiliar sight.
A new world! She was surely crying out in her mind.
Kang-ho set her down and inspected the Ability Fruit trees first.
Harvest season lasts until January, so... About a month of watching, then pick the fruits. The good ones went to nearby monsters—only one per year worked anyway. The lesser ones became fertilizer or fed to the Gallags living in the Ability Fruit grove. Those guys ignored fruit obsessively, burrowing underground; had to force-feed them.
Kang-ho went to the dungeon where the existing fairy stone lay and placed the new one from Im Cheol-bae beside it.
Kung-kul kung-kul! Land fairies swarmed out, surrounding him and chattering in their tongue. Some wept, others bowed repeatedly. Gratitude, clearly.
Guuuuung— As the new stone settled, immense energy surged from the dungeon. The warm, enveloping power unique to land fairies filled the air.
And simultaneously—shwoop! Every land fairy's body grew slightly larger. They were deeply attuned to fairy stones.
That's a huge one. Biggest I've seen. The old stone was already big; this was double.
Fairy stones weren't bought with money alone—acquisition was insanely tough. Demand was low, too.
Now with an extra stone, the orchard would grow faster. Rare fruits were possible, too.
Thanks, buddy. Kang-ho murmured as he circled the orchard.
Nng! Nng! Far off, Seol-a frolicked joyfully with the land fairies. Kang-ho smiled faintly.
It had taken him ages to befriend them; Seol-a fit right in like old pals. The fairies sprinkling pollen around her showed their warm welcome.
Her affinity at work? Partly, but Seolhwa had good fairy relations too—just not interested. Fairies were alien beings. Kang-ho didn't classify them as monsters. They weren't in the Beast Ledger, fiercely wary of outsiders. They fled at human sight. Kang-ho's long stay and approach helped.
"Come here, everyone."
He distributed the Mash Flower pollen from the jar.
Leaving the orchard, Seol-a perched on his shoulder, ears perked, head swiveling. Suddenly, she lifted her head high.
Nng!
"Hm?"
At Kang-ho's voice, Seol-a looked up, then—tap!—dashed off.
Tatata tatatap! She bolted into the brush.
Kang-ho shrugged and released a wisp of mana.
Thud—thud—thud— Mana from his heart enveloped him.
Soon—tap— He lightly kicked off, the world compressing as he covered a kilometer in one leap, landing beside Seol-a.
He grinned; she blinked.
Kiiing? Challenge accepted—she bolted again.
Kang-ho followed leisurely.
She's fast.
They reached a dense forest Kang-ho patrolled occasionally for rare fruits or plants.
But—sniff sniff—sniff— Seol-a sniffed, blinked, then whipped toward the mountainside.
Kang-ho sensed presences. Opening his senses: monsters.
Three.
Increasing.
Four.
"Hm?"
As Seol-a ran, monsters multiplied exponentially.
Thirty-four. One A-rank disaster-class, fifteen B-rank disasters, rest below C.
Kang-ho followed calmly.
Seol-a stopped gracefully at a large bush, pawing it and crying up at Kang-ho.
Kiiing!
"What's there?"
Kang-ho tilted his head, parting the bushes. Beyond lay a wide clearing.
* * *
The clearing.
Memories. Kang-ho knew it.
Trained Furball here as a cub. Well-cleared, spacious.
Now, a desperate survival game raged. Monsters swarmed from all sides.
In the center: familiar faces. A horde of land fairies, dozens strong, exhausted but in defensive formation.
"What fairies are these?"
Kang-ho tilted his head; Seol-a whined up at him.
She tracked them from afar?
And—tap!—she charged forward.
Kang-ho blinked.
Seol-a dashed to the center, blocking the fairies.
Kiiiiiing! Ears perked, legs braced, fur bristling—she growled warnings at the monsters.
Feisty one.
Seol-a was aggressive, eyes blazing with battle lust. Her mindset: No mercy for those bullying friends.
Kang-ho watched, arms crossed.
But—These aren't ordinary land fairies.
A strange vibe; one stood out amid the group. Normal land fairies were palm-sized, human-proportioned. But the central one was double—triple the size.
Why so big?
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The big fairy gazed at Seol-a in rapture. The group bowed deeply to her—like worshiping a sacred god.
Then back to defensive stance against monsters.
Land fairies' defense: splat! Hurling mud. Peck peck! Flying body-slams. Child's play.
Non-Awoken civilians hunted them easily.
Even flinging mud, monsters eyed one leader.
A massive beast with jagged fangs—four protruding top and bottom. House-sized, like Furball; covered in deep blue-green scales.
Charararak— No legs—snake-like. Eyes glowed sickly yellow.
A-rank disaster-class Titano Boa. Top predator here.
The house-sized serpent twisted its dozens-of-meters body, slithering slowly. Head swiveling, tongue flicking—flick flick!—coveting the fairies.
Monsters glanced nervously at it.
Kang-ho eyed the Titano Boa impassively.
Shok shok! It hissed hungrily. Fairies: perfect prey.
Kyarrgrrr! Seol-a roared a challenge, fearless against the giant, body aflame with fighting spirit.
Trouble.
Kang-ho released mana from his heart.
Ziiing— Mana cloaked him. His ability, Beast Master, activated: Predatory Instinct.
A pressure wave crushed lesser beasts' wills.
The Titano Boa froze.
Shok? Like facing a supreme predator. Tongue out, it turned to stone.
To it, Kang-ho was a mountain-sized monster.
Natural instinct: body trembled. Pleading eyes begged mercy.
Demoted from predator to prey.
Kang-ho spoke slowly.
"Now."
Shok—
"Go far away."
Eyes rolled; statue-still.
"Don't come back. Caught lurking or harming them? You'll regret it."
He raised a fist; it nodded frantically.
"Go."
Shok shok! It fled.
Kang-ho eyed other monsters, pointing.
"You too. Scram."
Fairies' would-be snacks sweated, then bolted.
Clearing emptied—fairies and Seol-a alone.
Kiiing! Seol-a puffed proudly, claiming victory.
Kang-ho chuckled, approaching.
The 'big fairy' eyed him fearfully.
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She'd seen him rout the monsters: half fear, half thanks. Hid behind Seol-a.
Seol-a tilted her head, then hopped into Kang-ho's arms.
Kiiing nng nng! She beamed at him.
The big fairy looked puzzled, then waved a hand.
Fairy mana scattered; she spoke.
[Who are you?]
A clear, resonant voice. Unlike the prior gibberish—now intelligible Korean.
Magic? Fairies drew nature's essence; combat weak. Never heard of spells.
[Who the hell are you? Why does Lady White Fang follow a human?]
"Hm..."
Lady White Fang?
[Not just any White Fang... a Silver White Fang!]