Decisive Battle 01: Seeing Is Believing
Hearing it a hundred times doesn't beat seeing it once. Or was it just seeing it once? Yeonwoo couldn't quite recall the exact proverb she'd heard drilled into her head over the years.
Anyway, the moment morning rolled around, she slipped out of the hospital room. She wanted to test out her legendary weapon right away. And to scout the gate "Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate" ahead of the event.
Gotta rack up that species annihilation.
It wasn't just the stacks of "Queen's Pheromone" she planned to test. To make the most of the event, she intended to steadily build up her superiority inside the gate.
Of course, the biggest reason was to catch the first subway of the day.
Clunk. Clunk.
Yeonwoo was aboard Line 6. Her destination: Bukhansan Mountain.
Maybe I should get a car after all. For the future, at least a compact one. She already had a decent haul of magistones from the Ant Nest.
But they're just Ant Nest stones, nothing special.
The Ant Nest was, after all, a place every hunter passed through—like a subway transfer station. The stones poured in by the bucketload, but ants were easy prey, so their value was low. Honestly, it was barely better pay than loading dock work. The community even called it the hunter-exclusive day labor gig.
And buying a car was just the start. She didn't even have parking right now.
...Do I even have a license? Thanks to the regression, she was fuzzy on whether she'd gotten one in this timeline. She could've checked her wallet, but Yeonseo had burned everything in that bonfire.
Why'd she have to torch it all? Yeonwoo briefly worried if it stemmed from the orphanage fire trauma.
A strong memory or trauma can have a massive impact on innate Stigma awakening.
She recalled words from a cheeky Numbers hunter she'd teamed up with once. He'd even claimed it was the source of his own strength.
...But I'm just burying it and moving on.
It wasn't a fond memory—for her or for Seo-ah.
"Sigh."
A sigh slipped out in the end. She really needed to get stronger faster.
Let's make bank at the event.
Yeonwoo gripped the subway strap tight, steeling her resolve.
"Aigoo, I'm gonna collapse! Old timer, scoot over a bit!"
"Me? You talkin' to me?"
"Who else but you, gramps! Come here, young lady. It's fine, take this seat."
The priority seating area was packed with hikers in colorful gear. One grandma shoved her neighbor aside and yanked Yeonwoo over.
"Y-yes?"
Her grip was lightning-fast, honed by years of experience—she had Yeonwoo's arm in a vice before she could blink.
"I'm f-fine, really. You should—"
"This old coot was hopping along Bibong Ridge like a goat last week! Sit already. Can't have a sweet thing like you keeling over!"
Her face drew eyes inevitably. But in a public subway, no one dared approach. The pitiful, ethereal aura helped, but more than that, it was the vibe that anyone making a move first would get mobbed. An unspoken peace treaty, taut with tension.
But when she let out that frail sigh... they couldn't just watch anymore.
"Uh, wha—"
Yeonwoo plopped into priority seating, dazed. A spot she'd never sat in her whole life—not even glancing at it before.
"Aigoo, look at this skinny little dear. Did you eat breakfast?"
"Want some water? Or maybe kimbap?"
No time to savor her first priority seat. The elders started pulling snacks from their bags.
"Ah, um..."
Worried about bothering rush-hour commuters, she glanced around.
"It's fine. No one's complaining."
Not lip service—passengers just smiled warmly, relieved she'd found her "rightful" place. The subway's ambient temperature felt five degrees warmer.
"Here, eat up."
"This too. Share a sip."
Yeonwoo accepted the foil-wrapped kimbap. They were so insistent, she couldn't refuse.
"Good girl, eating well! Minari's great for the blood."
She hesitated at first, but...
Whoa, it's good?
The elders' home cooking was next-level. One bite, two, and she was hooked—especially that bitter kick from the minari.
"Try this too."
"Even the way you eat is pretty."
She was scarfing it down, but to onlookers, it was heartwarming.
Subway's not bad. She'd eaten breakfast, sure, but free food was free food.
"That's it, good job."
"Eat hearty, you're too bony."
Praise just for chowing down? Yeonwoo dove into the impromptu priority-seat buffet.
Yeonwoo arrived at Dokbawi Station. Exiting the turnstile, her black plastic bag bulged with kimbap, ion drinks, tangerines, chocolate, and more.
And that wasn't all. A magnetic "health" bracelet dangled from her right wrist. Her phone sported a golden pig electromagnetic shield sticker.
"Let's go."
She stretched contentedly. Full belly, great mood.
Leaving the residential streets, she climbed the narrow hillside path. The "Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate" entrance was at the base of Bukhansan from Dokbawi Station. Bulgwangsa Temple nearby had lost its function when the gate appeared—now just ruins.
The narrow road barely fit a car opened to a wide clearing. The temple's public restroom still ran, but the opposite cafe and eatery lots merged into a cafe-cum-parking area. Rumor had it the restaurant owner sold for lottery-level cash.
Life really is unpredictable.
And she was once a victim of that unpredictability.
"But now I can see it clearly enough."
Even event intel felt accessible now. Proving its exclusivity, the gate saw few users. Yeonwoo entered straightaway.
Hunters shortened "Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate" in two ways due to its long name: "Decisive Battle Wilds" from the front, or "Eve Sanctuary" from the back. Most used "Decisive Battle Wilds," but petty debates trailed like a tail over which fit better.
The gate was always night inside, but a massive white moon lit everything vividly—no sense of darkness. The layout was vast ruins. Past crumbled walls lay an ancient castle, weathered and exposed, every corner bathed in moonlight impossibly.
Photos of "Decisive Battle Wilds" featured in every hunter exhibit. Its haunting vibe evoked "decisive battle" tension, "eve" anticipation of doom at moonset, and "sanctuary"-like relic aura.
Yet "Decisive Battle Wilds" won out for one core reason.
-Grrr...
The gate's monsters welcomed Yeonwoo: three blue wolves glowing under moonlight. Lowest-tier wolfs.
Even they're wolves, not wolf monsters—properly "ulfs."
Unlike ants, even higher tiers stayed "ulfs." Upper levels had bipedal wereulfs, even armed ones.
-Grrr...
-Woof! Woof!
Ulfs didn't charge— they howled threats first. Pack hunters with caution; they held back unless approached.
"Alright then."
Yeonwoo drew her weapon: a whip. To test "Queen's Pheromone."
"...Feels weird."
Did it have to be a whip? Pure pheromone would've been fine, but "queen" poked at her.
"..."
An itchy feeling bloomed inside, wrecking her focus. Her subconscious picking the whip felt like self-proclaiming "queen."
"Ughhh."
Her delicate lips squirmed, spilling conflicted noises. Self-loathing crashed with the moonlight.
"What kinda thoughts during a hunt?!"
She shook it off with a kiai and swung.
Base Effect: Accumulates pheromones based on the queen's prowess.
Marking / Stack / ???
Three abilities in "Queen's Pheromone." First: "Marking."
Snap!
-Yelp!
The whip smacked an ulf's muzzle. It yelped pathetically—no other change.
-Grrr!
-Huff!
The other two charged.
"Need to hit harder?"
It said "based on prowess," so more impact maybe.
Snap! Smack!
Easy against two. Familiar foes, whip kept distance. Tier II growth boosted her physicals too.
-Gr... Grrr!
The whipped one bared teeth too, but...
Huh.
It moved slower than the others. Howl weaker too.
Marking debuffs stats?
Naturally, second ability "Stack" linked to marking. Mark to stack, build superiority.
It fit perfectly.
Snap! Smack! Snap!
-Yelp... Yap!
Yeonwoo whipped relentlessly, pulling punches to test stack limits. Debuffing via basic attacks with pheromones? Legendary worthy.
"Hee hee."
Her lips curved happily. Color bloomed on pale cheeks.
As the queen's whip danced...
-Woof...?
-Grrrrr...
-Woof, woof!
Change rippled through the ulfs. The two targeting Yeonwoo turned on their marked packmate.
-Sniff, sniff.
They nosed the air...
-Huff!
-Awooo!
...and lunged at their fully stacked kin.