The Altar of the Apostle of Death

A resonant, low hum vibrated through the air.

Having initiated the transfer through the Ruin System, Jeon Jaewoo stepped into the Legendary-grade ruin alongside Myeolgeop.

Wow. No matter how many times I experience this, it never ceases to amaze me.

To be transported across space the instant a hunter connected to the Ruin System and declared their intent to enter was nothing short of miraculous. If an awakener on Earth possessed a spatial teleportation trait of this caliber, they would have been hailed as an S-rank strategic asset without question.

Well, I suppose I shouldn't be too envious considering I awakened a Transcendent-grade trait myself.

In any case, this was the Altar of the Apostle of Death. Jaewoo had no inkling who this so-called "Apostle of Death" was supposed to be. Judging solely by the macabre name, he had braced himself for an eerie, bloodcurdling landscape drenched in chilling gloom.

"……??"

Yet the moment he set foot upon the soil, his breath caught for an entirely different reason.

Instead of a bleak, storm-laden sky, brilliant sunlight poured down from a warm, open expanse of blue. Spread out before his eyes was nothing more than a solitary, massive stone altar sitting abandoned in the midst of a boundless plain. Looking closer, he noticed two weathered iron braziers flanking either side of it, along with a flight of stone stairs ascending to an elevated dais designed for sacrificial offerings.

…Is this seriously all there is?

Jaewoo stared in utter disbelief. The contrast with the Ancient Golden Palace—the Normal-grade ruin he had visited earlier—was night and day. Compared to this desolate stone slab, a palace forged entirely from solid gold felt tens of millions of times more valuable. Surely the system didn't expect him to chisel off chunks of limestone from this altar and sell them on the open market?

"Myeolgeop. Were there monsters here too?"

"[Yes, Creator.]"

Beyond the altar stretched an endless, empty grassland. Whatever could be said about the lack of scenery, the sweeping vista of the open plain was undeniably refreshing.

"What kind of monster appeared?"

"[A skeleton knight clad in full armor and brandishing a longsword was awaiting my arrival.]"

Jaewoo’s jaw dropped at the golem’s dispassionate response.

"A skeleton knight? Wait, you don't mean an actual Skeleton Knight?!"

A Skeleton Knight was an apex entity among the undead, a terrifying monstrosity universally recognized as equal in combat power to an individual S-rank hunter. To ordinary hunters, the mere mention of one was synonymous with dread.

Now the moniker 'Altar of the Apostle of Death' made complete sense. Unlike the Ancient Golden Palace, which had swarmed with three thousand goblins, this ruin featured only a single entity—one of overwhelming, concentrated lethality.

Wait… hold on a second.

The more Jaewoo pondered it, the less sense the difficulty of a Legendary-grade ruin made. Granted, a Skeleton Knight was terrifyingly strong, matching the caliber of the Republic of Korea's premier S-rank hunters. But if a Legendary ruin contained only one such creature, the word "underwhelming" immediately sprang to mind.

If there was only a single monster on par with an S-rank hunter, it meant that an elite S-rank hunter could theoretically conquer a Legendary ruin single-handedly. Yet by definition, a Legendary-grade ruin was never something an S-rank hunter—no matter how exceptional—could conquer alone. Even the Korean Hunter Administration had to coordinate with major Hunter Companies, marshaling their combined strike forces to raid such perilous sites.

If there was truly only one Skeleton Knight, the total threat level wouldn't be drastically higher than an army of three thousand goblins.

Just then, Myeolgeop seemed to hesitate before carefully typing out a clarification.

"[Pardon the intrusion, Creator. I believe there has been a misapprehension. The entity I eliminated was not a standard knight, but a Knight King.]"

"A Knight King?"

Jaewoo’s expression grew even more bewildered. He had heard of Skeleton Knights, but a Skeleton Knight King was completely foreign to him. Would such a creature even be recorded in the Hunter Administration's monster archives?

Regardless, the regal epithet made it clear that this creature vastly eclipsed standard Skeleton Knights. In other words, Myeolgeop had slain an entity far stronger than an S-rank hunter in single combat. From Jaewoo’s perspective, he was merely relieved the beast had been turned to dust before he ever had to cross paths with it.

A renewed sense of awe washed over him. Patting the golem’s sturdy shoulder, Jaewoo smiled broadly. "You really are incredible, you know that? Absolutely amazing."

"[...Thank you, Creator.]"

A mechanical golem was incapable of experiencing human emotions, yet at this moment, Jaewoo could have sworn the construct seemed quietly pleased.

All right, so the monster's tier makes sense now. But where on earth is the reward?

Aside from this lone altar, the surrounding plains were entirely barren.

Could those braziers on either side be special relics?

He walked over and inspected them, but they were merely rusted iron braziers filled with cold ash. Just as Jaewoo began wondering whether he needed to dig into the bedrock to locate a hidden mana vein, Myeolgeop raised an arm and pointed toward the summit of the dais.

"[Creator. If you are searching for the reward bestowed by the ruin, it rests over there.]"

"??"

Jaewoo narrowed his eyes and peered toward the center of the platform. Because the altar was so massive, whatever rested in the middle looked like a speck of dust from below. Hurrying up the stone steps to investigate, his gaze landed upon a set of armor.

A heavy, oppressive wave of energy surged forward.

It was a suit of pitch-black plate armor, radiating a torrent of dark mana so intense that it instinctively forced him to recoil half a step.

Whoa, holy crap.

For a fleeting second, he wondered if the Knight King was still lurking inside. Shaking off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his apprehension, Jaewoo reached out as if drawn by a spell, lifting the armor to inspect its craftsmanship.

"Could this be...?"

"[It is the armor worn by the Knight King. Upon its defeat, the entity dissolved into dust alongside its greatsword, leaving only this armor behind.]"

Ah. So this ruin yielded a single piece of equipment as its reward.

Reward structures naturally varied from one ruin to another. Some, like the Ancient Golden Palace, served as harvesting grounds where hunters could extract vast deposits of natural resources. Others yielded only one or two extraordinarily rare relics. Obtaining a single item did not mean one had drawn the short straw; often, a solitary artifact condensed the value of an entire mountain of mana ore into a single, devastating vessel.

While Jaewoo knew little about high-tier magical armaments, the dense aura pulsing through this dark steel left no doubt that it was extraordinary.

"What do you think, Myeolgeop? Is this good armor?"

"[As a combat-oriented construct, I am not optimized to perform detailed appraisals of magic artifacts. However, to provide a preliminary summary...]

A comprehensive analytical readout generated by Myeolgeop instantly unfurled before Jaewoo’s eyes like an academic thesis.

Well. That's certainly thorough.

One fact was indisputable: this armor was an absurdly powerful piece of defensive gear. As the sole reward of a Legendary-grade ruin, its strategic worth was so immense that even surrendering the entirety of the Golden Palace's gold would fail to match it.

The problem is... I don't see myself ever wearing this.

With his production-oriented trait, the idea of him donning heavy black armor and charging into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠melee against high-tier monsters was downright comical. Draping it over Myeolgeop, an earth-crafted combat golem, would look equally preposterous. Still, a world-class relic could always be sold for an astronomical sum to an S-rank combatant down the line, so keeping it safe was the sensible choice.

"By the way, why didn't you bring this back with you after clearing the ruin?"

"[Creator's explicit command was solely to eliminate the hostile entities. Would you prefer that I retrieve all resources and rewards going forward?]"

"No, no, you did great. Keep doing exactly what you've been doing."

Jaewoo hurriedly shook his head. If he hauled an artifact radiating this much dark mana back to his cramped studio apartment, it would be an open invitation for thieves and government surveillance. Leaving it inside the ruin was far safer.

Imagining what a catastrophe it would have been if Myeolgeop had dragged the entire Golden Palace into reality as a "clear reward" sent a genuine shiver down his spine. Ultimately, Jaewoo set the Pitch-Black Armor of the Knight King back down on the altar. Since the Altar of the Apostle of Death was now under his sole ownership, no one else on Earth could ever set foot here anyway.

"Phew."

Returning to his apartment on Earth, Jaewoo let out a long, weary sigh.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Too many world-shaking events had unfolded over the span of just forty-eight hours, leaving his head spinning.

All right. Let's stay calm and take stock of the situation.

First, out of nowhere, he had awakened a Transcendent-grade trait and obtained the skill Heaven's Box. Then, as if possessed by divine inspiration, he had shoveled a handful of potting soil into the box to test its capabilities—only for a terrifying combat golem to emerge. That very golem had subsequently conquered a Legendary-grade ruin all on its own, sending the entire globe into an uproar.

"Haaah..."

Jaewoo rubbed his temples.

To operate legally as an active hunter in South Korea—or anywhere else in the civilized world—there was one non-negotiable prerequisite: registering with the nation's hunter governing body. Evading registration while utilizing awakened abilities meant being branded an illegal combatant the moment one was discovered, facing immediate criminal charges.

Furthermore, the Korean Hunter Administration was currently scouring the country with bloodshot eyes, desperate to identify the unknown entity who had cleared a Legendary ruin within an hour of its appearance. While hunters were under no obligation to inform the state of every personal dungeon they entered, the cosmic Ruin System automatically registered the clearer's nationality and real name the moment a ruin fell.

Whoever designed that blasted Ruin System, why on earth did they have to make it broadcast that information to the world...?

That automated broadcast was the sole reason news networks had reported Myeolgeop's clearance within minutes. For now, because Jaewoo had never registered as an awakener, the authorities were grasping at shadows. But the moment he walked into the Korean Hunter Administration and sat down for an awakening assessment, the probability of being exposed was upwards of 99.99 percent.

Even if he presented himself as a green novice, discovering an unmeasurable Transcendent-grade trait would immediately lead their analysts to connect the dots. Once that happened, his quiet, peaceful life would be buried under an avalanche of politics and bureaucracy.

Noticing his master’s deepening distress, Myeolgeop seemed to experience a pang of mechanical guilt over the trouble caused by his actions.

"[Please do not fret, Creator. So long as I remain operational, I shall never permit any harm or hardship to reach you.]"

"It's easy to say, but I can't help worrying. If word gets out that I awakened a Transcendent-grade trait, every corporate executive and political vulture in the country will crawl out of the woodwork trying to sink their claws into me."

"[Should the state turn hostile toward you, Creator, I shall safeguard your person—even if it necessitates annihilating the nation in which you reside...]

"Cough! Cough, cough, hack!"

A violent fit of choking seized Jaewoo, cutting the golem off mid-sentence.

"[C-Creator! Are you injured?]"

"I-I'm fine! Just choked on my own spit! But there's absolutely no need for that! Please, I beg you, do not destroy the country!"

Hearing Myeolgeop casually propose the obliteration of an entire sovereign state drove home just how terrifying the construct truly was. Then again, why would a being who had soloed a Legendary-grade ruin—an obstacle requiring an alliance of national S-rank powerhouses—in under an hour fear any worldly authority? The golem was armed with two Transcendent-grade traits of its own.

"Uh, just out of curiosity... was the Skeleton Knight King difficult to fight?"

"[The Knight King was a formidable combatant. However, under equitable one-on-one conditions, the probability of it achieving victory against me was infinitesimally low.]"

Right. Of course it was.

Jaewoo sat in silence for a brief moment, then pushed himself up from his chair and headed toward the front door.

"[Creator. Are you departing?]"

"Yeah. The whole thing is a massive pain in the neck, so I might as well get it over with as quickly as possible."

Knowing that an unstoppable juggernaut had his back, Jaewoo stepped out toward the Korean Hunter Administration, his footsteps feeling just a little bit lighter.