#16 If You Raise Her, She'll Turn Out That Way.
Choi Kang-ho headed to the private vault with the branch manager.
The back door of the VVIP room opened to reveal a long corridor.
Oh ho.
He couldn't see it with the naked eye, but high concentrations of mana pulsed from various spots. This was Seoul Bank, the highest-security financial institution under the protection of the Awakener Association. Elite Awakeners stood guard here.
They walked down the corridor until they reached a dead end at a wall. A massive iron vault door dominated one side, secured by dual layers. The first door activated with the branch manager's mana.
Rumble—
The door swung open, revealing the second one waiting beyond. The branch manager bowed toward it.
"Please."
"Sure."
Kang-ho breathed his mana into the door. The embedded magic stone began to hum.
Vrrr—
The security system, keyed to his personal mana signature, activated. The door slowly ground open. The branch manager swallowed hard.
It had been twelve years since he'd become manager of the Seoul Bank branch. VVIP clients were exceedingly rare—only six in total. A visit from one was a major event for the bank. And among them, this Choi Kang-ho was especially unique. He hadn't visited once since the manager had taken over.
The previous manager had called him the bank's largest individual client.
So young...
Looking at him now, it was hard to believe he was one of the five legendary heroes from the textbooks. Without his thorough training, the manager might have overlooked it entirely—Kang-ho looked that young.
These kids nowadays... even seeing them in person, I wouldn't recognize them.
No one would. He never appeared in the media anymore; only old photos remained.
The manager stepped back as the door groaned open, bowing deeply despite his burning curiosity to peek inside the biggest client's vault.
"I'll wait here, then."
* * *
Kang-ho entered the warehouse and scanned the interior with indifferent eyes. Everything was neatly organized. His last visit had been about fifteen years ago, give or take.
Truth be told, he hadn't needed money much during that time. Nor weapons for battle. Living self-sufficiently in the Cheorwon mountains had been comfortable enough. He'd sold off everything except the magic stones and gear piled up at home—too cumbersome to store—and dumped the proceeds here.
First off.
The warehouse spanned about 1,600 square feet. It was divided into sections: the left for magic stone storage, holding stones from FF-grade to SS-grade.
Magic stones were considered top-tier from A-grade up. S-grades only appeared occasionally in BIG3 guild raids, and SS-grades hadn't surfaced in the last five years—the pinnacle grade.
There were thirty-five S-grade stones. Each one alone was 9 o'clock news material, but Kang-ho passed them by like ordinary pebbles.
"Was this originally five?"
He tilted his head at the SS-grade compartment. He'd thought four, but there were five. Thinking back—ah—he nodded.
Yeah, about thirty years ago, that Ammon Drake...
He realized now there'd been an extra SS-grade drop. Kang-ho's face relaxed.
But he didn't need SS-grades today. He grabbed three S-grades, two A-grades, five B-grades, and a handful of C- and D-grades, then headed to the right side: armament storage.
Kang-ho didn't typically use swords, blades, spears, or the like. As a Beast Master, he could channel his beasts' abilities directly into his body. But fighting bare-handed was foolish. Efficient weapons were worth using.
Two bracelets lay preserved there. Plain-looking: about a centimeter wide and thick, matte black, etched with indecipherable runes.
He slipped one on each wrist, removing Im Cheol-bae's watch and pocketing it. Clink!
Blue mana flared from the runes, signaling activation.
It's been a while.
Unimpressive at a glance, these were masterpieces forged by otherworld artifact smiths using four SS-grade magic stones.
Kang-ho clenched his fists experimentally, then slowly infused mana into the bracelets.
Vrrrrrr—
Whoosh!
The runes glowed, mana enveloping his fists. It extended like lightsabers, forming sharp blades protruding from his knuckles. From his wrists sprouted two brilliant, crystalline sword blades nearly a meter long.
Shing, shing.
The sound of solidified mana slicing air carried a chilling edge. Satisfied after some swings, Kang-ho nodded.
Ung!
Seol-a, watching curiously, reached out. Kang-ho startled, retracting the mana.
Fizzle!
The blades vanished, leaving plain bracelets.
"Don't touch recklessly."
He stroked her head, grabbed two stacks of cash from the pile, stuffed them in his pockets, and left the vault.
* * *
The city bustled. Towering skyscrapers sported massive screens blasting nonstop footage: guild promos, product ads, breaking news.
Ung! Ung!
Kang-ho addressed Seol-a, who peeked from his coat, wide-eyed at the sights.
"What do you think, Seol-a? Pretty crowded, huh?"
Ung!
She looked up at him, baffled. How is this possible?
"These are people."
Ung?
"This is called a city. Where people live together. You'll probably come here more from now on."
Her eyes spun; she squeezed them shut, then open. Kang-ho chuckled.
"Yeah, too much info to take in, right?"
He gently petted her head as they walked.
"Take it slow. Get used to it gradually. We've got plenty of time."
He strolled leisurely. The world had changed a lot—but not awkwardly for him. Seoul fifty years ago, when he'd last lived here, had been much the same.
Here and there, people walked pet monsters on leashes. That one shuffling along was a Pandarin.
Ung ung!
Can I play? Friend?
Kang-ho shook his head at her sparkling eyes.
"Not today."
It resembled a mini panda, ate bamboo, was docile—super popular.
He chuckled again at her curiosity, then entered a massive, shadowy alley thrumming with dark energy.
Yeongdeungpo 12th Street. Towering buildings blocked the sun, filling the air with musty dampness, yet it teemed with crowds. Gear for major raids, monster parts, magic stones, rations—everything.
These markets dotted big cities now.
Hasn't changed a bit, even after all this time.
Kang-ho came for a merchant he'd dealt with long-term.
A wave of food scents hit as he entered. Street stalls hawked sizzling dishes amid packed shops.
[Awakener Supplies]
[Portable Awakener Rations]
[Mercenaries Available ◈Always Recruiting◈]
[Monster Extermination Gear - Discount]
The taste of civilization after so long felt delightful. He bought some street food: skewers of roasted Kotelin, a rodent monster. He stripped the tender meat and fed it to Seol-a, peeking from his coat, as they wandered.
Chomp chomp chomp—
She munched the salted Kotelin, eyes widening round.
Ung ung! Ung!
Why haven't you given me something this tasty before?
Kang-ho chuckled again. He realized he'd been laughing more lately.
They stopped at the shabbiest shop on the street—no sign, barely noticeable. Just a weathered wooden door.
Creeeak—
He pushed inside with a loud groan.
"Long time no see."
"Same here."
A elderly woman greeted him. White hair, hunched back—but her eyes gleamed sharp as a youth's.
"The Beast King graces us after ages. Let me see... ten? No, fifteen years?"
"About that."
"What about the previous one?"
"Furball's out of growth phase. Entering maturity now."
"Fed him all those goodies—no wonder he's massive."
"Yeah, huge."
"So, this time?"
"Thinking of raising this one."
He revealed Seol-a from his coat. The woman's eyes lingered on her, then flicked to Kang-ho.
"White Fang?"
"Yeah."
"Haven't appeared in thirty years, far as I know..."
"Just hatched. Offspring of fire."
"Ah... that explains it."
She nodded in understanding, rose slowly, and approached Seol-a.
Seol-a fixed her diamond eyes on the woman.
Grrrrowl—
Her eyes narrowed, ears perked, fur bristling. Instinct! She'd caught the feral scent wafting from the woman.
"Feisty."
"Not with everyone."
Shadows parted under the dim lamp, revealing the woman's full form. A long tail dragged on the floor, tiger-striped. Hidden in white hair: two ears. Her face subtly catlike.
"A century as a beastkin, and this is my first White Fang. Never saw one in my home dimension either. Not just any White Fang?"
"Subspecies."
"Heavens... a fantasy subspecies, rarer than rare at birth...? No regrets dying now."
She let out a hollow laugh, stared intently at Seol-a, then returned to her seat.
"How do you plan to raise her?"
Kang-ho eyed her silently, soothing Seol-a's growls and bared teeth with pets. Seol-a blinked between them.
Why's she different?
He calmed her wordlessly, then spoke.
"Combat beast."
The woman closed her eyes.
"She'll be a monster."
"The best."
She nodded.
"If you raise her, that's how she'll turn out. Follow me."
She stood, knocked on the back door.
Rumble—
It opened to a street contrasting the gloomy shop—much like Yeongdeungpo 12th Street, but the walkers weren't human.
Exactly: beastkin in human form.