The Auraclas Hunt and a Shared Retirement
Planet H-10.
It was not a habitable world, but a nature preserve where valuable resources were periodically harvested. Naturally, entry was strictly controlled. Whether gathering plants or hunting animals, one needed official permits, and there were strict quotas on what could be taken.
However, for a Level 4 citizen like Han Yujin, it was a place he could visit freely, and obtaining collection and hunting permits was never difficult.
The planet’s most important resource was a creature called the Auraclas, which resembled an Earth peacock. Yet it was far more colorful and radiant, with plumage that shimmered in countless hues. Each specimen was the size of a house, capable of soaring freely through the skies while spewing ultra-high-temperature flames and gusts of wind from its beak.
More importantly, official risk assessments stated that hunting one in single combat required at least a Level 6 spiritualist. For the rare special variants, the manual explicitly ordered anyone below Level 7 to flee on sight.
Han Yujin had come deep into the mountains precisely to hunt such a creature. The reason he bothered moving personally was twofold: to test his natal magic treasure and to secure precious ingredients for elixirs.
‘Buying them with credits is just too inflated.’
He understood why materials that could only be obtained by hunting dangerous beasts commanded such prices, but he had no desire to accept such blatant waste.
While moving with these thoughts in mind, his widely spread divine sense caught an Auraclas. He immediately activated the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art and headed toward it at a moderate pace.
When the distance had closed by half, the creature seemed to sense his presence. It abandoned its previously relaxed posture, spreading its wings and magnificent tail feathers wide, releasing a brilliant wave of spiritual energy across its entire body.
Kiiiiaaaaaaaa—!!
A piercing cry rang out, as if warning of an enemy’s approach.
‘Perfect for me.’
This area was not suited for large flocks, so at most three or four more would appear. An ideal number to handle comfortably.
As he drew closer to a certain range, the Auraclas launched the first attack. Even though massive trees blocked its line of sight, a laser-like flame shot from its gaping maw, accurately targeting Han Yujin.
In response, a small hand mirror appeared above his head. At the same moment, a burst of dazzling five-colored light—Five Elements Divine Light—erupted from the mirror’s surface. It split the incoming flames in two, annihilated them, and surged back toward the beast.
Boom—!
The spiritual energy barrier protecting the Auraclas collided with the Five Elements Divine Light, producing a violent explosion. The slightly startled creature flapped its wings, attempting to escape into the air.
Its opal-colored eyes suddenly widened. Reflected in those enlarged pupils were dozens of Five Elements Divine Light beams hurtling toward it at terrifying speed.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom—!
Swoosh—!
There was no time for a scream. Right after the successive explosions, several beams pierced the barrier and brutally dismembered the Level 6 Auraclas.
Han Yujin, arriving at the scene moments later, was quite satisfied with the result he had created.
‘Speed, power, control, stability, efficiency… every aspect has improved dramatically.’
Especially regarding efficiency—when combined with the regenerative power of his Dream Dragon Dao Body, the spiritual power he recovered far exceeded what he consumed. And he hadn’t even tried to conserve energy while casting.
He had barely needed to focus on aiming. That was thanks to the fusion intelligence spirit Elb, who provided perfect assistance.
‘Besides, the core function is something else entirely.’
As he thought this, two more Auraclas arrived after hearing their companion’s warning cry. Upon seeing their comrade’s corpse, they let out furious shrieks and spewed laser-like flames.
Han Yujin smiled faintly as he welcomed the new sacrifices.
The Monghyeon-gyeong floating above his head emitted a powerful resonant hum. Both its front and back surfaces unleashed terrifying power.
Crimson Lotus True Flame, Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, Carefree Cloud Dragon, Supreme Clear Dark Water, Hard Metal and Thick Earth.
The five special attributes of the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture erupted like a violent tsunami, sweeping over the surroundings. They briefly took on a shape resembling the dragon Casarnox, creating the illusion that the entire area had been plunged into darkness as they engulfed the two Auraclas.
—!!!
An indescribably eerie and oppressive roar exploded alongside them.
The two beasts that had urgently tried to change direction and flee could not hold out for even an instant. They burned, evaporated, tore apart, shattered, and split open, leaving not even intact corpses behind.
At that moment, the front face of the Monghyeon-gyeong reflected the spot where they had vanished.
Then, the front mysteriously transformed into the back, revealing an entirely different scene.
Immediately after.
The two Auraclas, whose bodies had clearly been obliterated, now appeared as if they had simply died peacefully, their life force severed. They began to plummet from the sky. The Taiyi Five Elements onslaught that had surged like a tidal wave and swept the area had vanished cleanly, as if it had all been a dream.
The mirror spun once more, now reflecting the final Auraclas that had somehow crept up behind him.
This one was clearly a special variant. Its form, which had turned nearly incorporeal and erased almost all traces of its presence, was not a trait of ordinary specimens.
If an ordinary hunting party had been ambushed like this, they would have suffered considerable losses—perhaps even total annihilation. Unfortunately for it, the opponent this time was Han Yujin.
The front of the mirror reflecting the creature flipped once more, becoming the back.
The instant the creature’s head, as shown in the mirror’s reflection, was suddenly severed and fell—
The real creature’s head was likewise severed with a clean cut and dropped to the ground. Blood gushed out like a fountain as its body collapsed powerlessly. The sight was truly mysterious.
‘Illusion into reality, reality into illusion.’
This was the core function of the Monghyeon-gyeong.
Once something was reflected in the mirror, any being of lower rank had no choice but to suffer the consequences. In nearly any way imaginable.
Using it directly in real combat made him truly realize just how incredible an item he had created.
‘It’s definitely at the level of a Heaven-Piercing Spiritual Treasure.’
Woooong…!
From the spirit Elb, who had read his thoughts, came a wave of confident and delighted emotion. Han Yujin chuckled softly and opened the Mountain Sea Pearl.
“Mu-yong!”
He called her name toward the beautiful scenery revealed within. Moments later—
Mu-yong, with the spirit sparrow of the Five Elements True Spirit Stone perched on her head, came scampering over. She was covered head to toe in dirt, as if she had been playing somewhere.
Of course, it wasn’t actual filth—everything would fall off with a light shake—but that only made her look even cuter.
“Move them to the storage area and drain the blood separately. You know where, right?”
Jjik—! Jjik—!
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t even think about eating them just because they’re dead. I’ll cook some for you later.”
Jjik! Jjijik—!
When Mu-yong protested as if asking what he took her for, he couldn’t resist and gave her a gentle pat. Then he used the Object Manipulation Art to bring the Auraclas corpses into the Mountain Sea Pearl.
He planned to hunt a few more to grow accustomed to the Monghyeon-gyeong before returning.
And he had something to discuss with Commander Brenar.
The conversation he brought up at their usual café was about “retirement.”
“…With your skills, you could easily reach Major. Are you really sure?”
“Yes.”
“Is it because you became a Level 4 citizen? You’re not aiming for Level 5?”
Han Yujin smiled and shook his head. As he had thought before, the returns were far too inefficient compared to the effort required.
“What about transferring to the reserves instead of full retirement? You’d receive steady support payments and enjoy many other benefits.”
“That would mean annual training. It’s too much of a hassle. The reason I’m bringing this up first is…”
It was naturally because of the Ebenrak family exploration team she had mentioned before.
Only after hearing the full story did Commander Brenar’s expression completely relax.
“Then there’s no helping it. I understand you’re still staying at a hotel without a proper residence. How about coming to our family’s fief planet first? I’m not forcing you, of course.”
Listening to her additional explanation, Han Yujin nodded. It didn’t sound like a bad idea.
After that.
Everything proceeded smoothly, if a bit tediously.
He submitted his retirement application after various verifications, met with counselors, and—as a former officer—attended a committee hearing for a formal review.
He returned all military equipment he had used and completed an oath not to leak any military secrets he had learned during his service. If his citizen level had been lower, several inconvenient restrictions might have been imposed during this process. Fortunately, as a Level 4 citizen, he was exempt from all of them.
Finally, he received a merit medal nominally awarded by Emperor Luminous and held a retirement ceremony attended by all members of the Demensys battlecruiser crew.
‘Perhaps being nothing more than a Lieutenant made this smooth retirement possible.’
The thought crossed his mind briefly. Had he been a Major, retiring without any special reason might have been considerably more difficult.
Now fully a civilian, he headed to Planet B-37 carrying the letter of introduction Brenar had given him.
Surprisingly, it was an entire planet managed by the Ebenrak family. What she had called their “fief” referred to the whole world.
Of course, it was still officially part of the Galactic Empire and could not be called truly independent, but the fact that it could even be referred to as a fief was impressive enough.
After a brief, light meeting with Ebenrak family representatives, he mobilized every resource available to a Level 4 citizen. He took out massive loans from the bank, sold off all his miscellaneous items, and secured as many credits as possible.
It was quite an urgent and aggressive move, but there was a clear reason.
The moment he completed his natal magic treasure, his remaining time in the Galactic Empire became a kind of “bonus time.” Moreover, work with the exploration team was just as dangerous as frontier expeditions—death could come at any moment.
Therefore, no matter when or how this adventure ended, he intended to secure every necessary item and resource so he would have no regrets.
Fortunately, since he had personally obtained the core materials for his natal magic treasure—Diavulgos’s Eye, Five Elements Metal Stone, and Honwon Stone—he still had some financial breathing room.
The first things he purchased were production equipment—in other words, tools for artifact refinement.
Dimensional force analyzers, nano engraving stations, ether resonators, plasma fusion furnaces, and so on.
He acquired the highest-grade versions of every device that had proven so useful during the creation of his natal magic treasure.
Next, he bought equipment for manufacturing—in other words, for pill refinement.
He was lucky in that, through the Ebenrak family famous for nectar production, he could obtain top-tier equipment at a surprisingly low price.
After that, he purchased seeds of various spiritual plants that the Galactic Empire had spent tens of thousands of years improving through selective breeding.
While acquiring fully grown spiritual plants would have been difficult, seeds were easy to obtain and not particularly expensive.
Finally, he bought equipment related to barrier techniques, or what could also be called array formations or restriction arts.
There were tools for crafting formation flags, as well as practical devices that could replace his illusory formation artifacts. Since much of it overlapped with the production equipment, he didn’t need to buy too many.
By the time this near-maniacal shopping spree ended—
The credits left in his account were barely enough to survive a month if he lived on the streets.
‘Now… I truly have no regrets even if I die.’
Of course, he didn’t mean actual death. It meant he would have no regrets even if he returned to reality. Having already absorbed plenty of knowledge from the information archive only reinforced that feeling.
From now on, he planned to spend most of the credits he earned while working with the exploration team on cultivation resources.
The rest would be used to purchase newly updated knowledge from the information archive and to revisit techniques and arts he had previously set aside.
‘Half of the Thread of Fate still remains, and I have the Honwon Stone as well…’
He had also considered using the spoils obtained from the demonic investigator to upgrade the Blood Spirit Red Flower Wine Bottle.
But since he had already prepared all the refinement equipment and still had materials like the Thread of Fate, there was no need to do it here.
‘Besides, I still don’t have a clear plan for how to upgrade it.’
A single mistake in modification would be difficult to reverse, so he could not rush.
After spending several months diligently and finally beginning to feel somewhat free—
Brenar came to visit him at the Ebenrak family villa where he was staying.
“Welcome.”
Han Yujin naturally welcomed her warmly and personally served refreshments as if he were the owner of the villa.
While they exchanged brief greetings—
“Don’t call me Captain anymore.”
“…Ah, is it because I’m no longer a crew member?”
He was slightly flustered, wondering if she really needed to point out the title change so directly.
“It’s because I’m no longer a captain.”
“…Pardon?”
“I retired too.”
She tossed aside the cap bearing her Major insignia with a casual flick.
“They said I didn’t need to return the uniform. As long as I don’t go around impersonating a Space Force Major, that is.”
“……Wait, why did you do that?”
As far as he knew, she was quite young for a Major. It wasn’t simply luck—she had been recognized for her genuine ability.
She was also famous for her outstanding performance as captain of a battlecruiser assigned to extremely dangerous exploration missions. Given time, promotion to Colonel was certain, and she was even in a position to aim for Admiral.
Yet Brenar—or rather, just Brenar now—showed no sign of caring about any of that.
“I wanted to do exploration team work with you. It seems like it would be more fun.”
As she spoke, she smiled in the most relaxed and radiant way possible.