Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Taking a Break
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Crunch.
I walked through the dark forest.
My entire body was soaked in Daicon's blood.
The blood made my skin sticky all over, driving me mad.
- Even I, who lived in that rundown shack, find this gross.
That was what I'd thought inside the dungeon.
Did it show on my face?
- There's a lake a bit further in.
Kim Sang-cheol, who had been watching me for a moment, pointed to one side of the forest, mentioning the lake.
- And if you don't have to rush off right away, how about grabbing some meat first?
Then Oh Myung-yoon followed up.
Oh Myung-yoon, who had been a skilled chef before becoming a hunter.
Even though his upper body had nearly been blown off, he offered to cook with the still-fresh Daicon meat.
I hesitated for a moment.
- Sure.
My stomach was growling anyway, so I turned to wash up and come back.
I'd hear about the Yullas garden once I returned, too.
No need to rush.
If Oh Myung-yoon hadn't asked, I would've headed straight for Yullas's magic stone.
After the fight with the Daicon ended, those assassins from the cliff came to mind.
I felt like I needed to gather engravings faster, level up quicker, and find a way back.
- Hyuk, beware of impatience. Impatience clouds judgment and leads to unwise choices.
I was feeling that very urgency for revenge without realizing it.
My master's repeated warnings echoed in my head.
Calm down, Kang Hyuk.
You fell once because of that impatience.
My body had broken down from nonstop forced marches in Katabi.
If I'd heeded my master's words even a little and taken breaks along the way.
Even if I'd fallen to the enemy's assassin arts, I wouldn't have crumbled just a year after reaching my peak.
Why was I in such a hurry?
Even now, it puzzled me.
Back then, it was like I was possessed.
Was it joy? Pleasure?
Fighting strong opponents was exhilarating.
It felt good seeing those who had looked down on me crushed beneath my feet.
The more I advanced, the more my name spread across Katabi—it filled me with pride.
But.
Even accounting for all that, it was abnormal.
I'd rush to the next battle without rest the moment one ended.
It was because impatience to climb higher, faster, dominated my entire body.
Splash... plop.
I dipped my hand into the lake I'd reached before I knew it.
The coolness of the night lake tingled up my fingertips.
My mind cleared at the same time.
Calm down, Kang Hyuk.
I can't afford to repeat the same mistake and fall again.
Katabi wouldn't vanish if I was a little late.
Those assassins who came to the cliff.
They might be dead by the time I got there.
But they weren't the point.
They weren't the only ones targeting me and my master—it was all of Katabi.
As long as Katabi existed, my revenge held meaning.
Splash!
I stripped off my top and immersed myself in the lake.
The refreshing water enveloped my whole body.
It felt like the sticky fatigue was washing away clean.
My goal hasn't changed.
Just... a little slower.
So I don't repeat the same mistake out of impatience.
Let's go a bit slower.
That was why.
I didn't refuse Oh Myung-yoon's offer to eat some meat first.
It wasn't just hunger—it was my first act of restraint to avoid repeating past errors.
Apart from telling me the two materials—Daicon's horn and Yullas's magic stone—in the tutorial.
I didn't know exactly what this skill could do.
But somehow, I was certain.
That the engravings out there would come to me, even if I didn't rush or get impatient.
"Puhah!"
Of course, I had no intention of slacking off, dragging my feet, and relying solely on the Fate of the Engraver.
I'd choose my path with all my effort and keep moving without pause.
"Haa."
I lifted my soaked head and looked up at the sky.
True to Seoul, not a single star was visible in the pitch-black sky.
Whoosh.
But with the forest breeze drying my body, it didn't feel half bad.
A faint smile.
Having such thoughts made me chuckle unwittingly.
Not long ago, I'd despaired over my broken body, waiting for death to come.
I knew there was nothing I could do with my own power.
After hearing of my master's death, I hadn't even wanted to live longer.
"And yet here I am, soaking and enjoying the breeze."
Live long and prosper, indeed.
A second chance I'd thought impossible.
That chance was now in my hands.
I raised my hand toward the sky.
Droplets sparkling like jewels in the moonlight.
"Master."
- Find your purpose.
"I don't know what that purpose is. Not sure if I can even find it."
But.
"I'll give it my all to search. And."
I clenched my fist.
"I'll send Katabi up in flames without delay."
Crackle. Crackle.
I returned to the Daicon's cave after washing up clean.
The bonfire burned larger and brighter than before.
The faces of the Sang-cheol trio around it looked much brighter than when we'd first met.
"Come sit quick!"
Kim Sang-cheol spotted me and beckoned eagerly.
As I approached, dripping water, his eyes widened in shock.
"Your... body, what the...!"
Ah.
Since I'd washed up properly for once.
I couldn't put back on the blood-soaked clothes.
I'd left them by the lake without thinking.
"... ."
Oh Myung-yoon and Kim Gil-sang, preparing the food, were stunned too.
No wonder.
It wasn't just the battle-honed muscles.
The scars etched across my body from countless fights.
They likely accounted for much of their shock—innumerable marks of near-death.
"I shouldn't say this, but seeing your body, Kang Hyuk... maybe it's a blessing you were unconscious."
It was understandable.
Many scars were from wounds that could've killed me in vital spots.
"Sit already. Dry off."
"I'll lend you some clothes once you're dry. I carry extras since I'm out so much."
"Haha... thanks."
I sat beside Kim Sang-cheol, feeling the bonfire's warmth.
Nice and toasty.
By the warm, bright fire.
It was utterly foreign to me.
Unfamiliar enough to feel a twinge of discomfort.
I'd always been in the shadows.
Never knowing when an enemy's attack might come.
Fighting solo, without any group.
Exposing myself to light instead of darkness was suicidal.
- Remember this. For an assassin, darkness is your greatest friend and weapon.
My master always teased me to visit bright places with a smile.
But training tied to survival was different.
Groups or average folk saw light as essential even in battle.
To spot enemies and distinguish friend from foe.
I need to get used to it.
This wasn't Katabi.
It was a city full of constant bright lights, day or night.
No one here threw knives or assassin arts at every meeting.
Whoosh.
...!
Lost in thought by the fire for a moment.
A large plate of meat appeared before me.
"Kang Hyuk, try it. Best when it's hot."
"Thanks."
The savory aroma of sizzling fat wafted as I took the plate.
Sweet and spicy notes from various spices mingled in.
"Myung-yoon handles food since he cooks so well. Carries a ton of spices too."
Kim Gil-sang explained, and Oh Myung-yoon tapped the lined-up spice jars.
Well-maintained despite frequent camping.
Cooking wasn't just a hobby for him.
Gurgle.
Maybe because the mouthwatering meat was right there.
I gave in to my stomach's demands and bit in.
Crunch!
"Wow."
I hadn't meant to say it.
The exclamation slipped out the instant my teeth sank in.
Sweet juices burst forth immediately.
"Tasty, right? Ex-chef skills."
They say good food brings tears.
I didn't cry, but it was top-notch enough to recall the saying.
A faint smile.
Eating grilled meat after so long.
- Smack!
I remembered the meat my master grilled in the mountains.
- Eat when it's done!
After grueling training, my hunger peaked.
I'd snatch it the moment the blood cooked off.
My master smacked my head, yelling to wait.
- Eat it all, no leftovers! Meat builds the body. When it's done!
I couldn't recall exactly what meat it was.
Probably wild boar or tiger from the mountains.
It was delicious.
No spices at all.
Yet.
In my memories, the meat with my master remained the best.
"What's up? Not eating? Not to your taste?"
"No, it's incredible."
I took another big bite of the meat in my hand.
Whoosh.
I stood and looked at the sleeping Sang-cheol trio.
After feasting on Daicon meat, they were in deep slumber.
This is one thing I can't get used to.
I slowly walked to the massive tree ahead.
A towering giant reaching the sky.
I gripped the trunk and climbed.
Thud!
Atop the tree in an instant.
The forest born from Kalderon had unusually thick trees.
Plop.
I lay on a sturdy branch and took a deep breath.
In the dense woods, no one could spot me from below.
Except for my last days in the shack, this was always where I slept.
It provided the peace I needed to rest.
What a hectic day.
I should've died to the assassins who came for me.
Yet here I was, back on Earth, stuffed with werewolf meat, lying in a tree.
Hard to believe it was real.
Comfortable.
No soft mattress or warm blanket.
Still, it felt comfy.
Sleeping without threat to my life.
Sure, monsters might lurk in the forest.
But no assassins hunting me obsessively.
Chirrr—! Chirrr—!
Forest insects buzzed in my ears.
Nothing else—no noise, no suspicious presences.
Not bad.
I felt languor spread through my body unwittingly.
I slowly closed my eyes.