TL: Hayath
Chapter 8
Corpses whose time of death cannot be determined. No, skeletons.
Even such skeletons can be interred. That means it’s possible to increase stat points.
It was the only way to escape this situation.
“Identify.”
A glimmer of light seeped into the bones.
Soon, a status window appeared before Yohan.
[Kang Chilhan]
rank: E
Occupation: Hunter
Karma: 13
A first-year hunter, actively operating when dungeons first started appearing. Entered a barren field recklessly and was dragged off and killed after being stung by poison. He’s been missing for seven years and is wanted.
He was not just a skeleton but a set of human remains.
Information about other skeletons, including Kang Chilhan, began to appear in succession.
A total of 8 pieces of information appeared, all involving individuals who had been missing for over five years.
“No wonder they couldn’t be found when only their bones were left. Rest in peace, everyone.”
He bowed his head slightly in a simple gesture of respect.
Perhaps these individuals had desperately sought Yohan in the hope of being found.
“Inter.”
As the skill activated, the coffin moved on its own and opened its lid. A storm from the darkness sucked in the skeletons.
Roar!
The creature’s convulsions grew more intense. Yohan felt deeply relieved that he had allocated all his stat points to agility at this moment.
Even so, the distance was closing little by little.
It wasn’t far. The 10 meters had shrunk to 9, then 5 meters within just 5 seconds.
3 meters.
2 meters.
1 meter.
Thud—
The coffin closed after absorbing all the remains. At the same time, a notification sounded.
[You have stored 8 corpses. You have gained 32 stat points.]
“Got it!”
As soon as the notification rang, he allocated all the stat points.
Except for the minimum strength and stamina needed to endure this situation, he poured everything into agility and sense stats.
Strength: 15
Agility: 25
Stamina: 15
Sense: 25
Spirit: 2
His body felt as light as a feather. When Yohan jumped, his body flew like a bullet.
“Oh, oh. Stop!”
He barely managed to stop right before falling off a ridge.
His rapidly enhanced body was struggling to process the new information.
Among all this, the sense was the most overwhelming.
“This flow of air, temperature, humidity, even mana—I can feel it all.”
He had increased the sense stat by 14 points, which was said to be the realm of talent. Many people struggle just to increase this stat by one point.
All his senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch—became several times more acute. The most notable was his sixth sense.
Whir—
He could see every movement of the approaching creature.
The faint sound of muscles moving roared like thunder, and he could feel the mana surging from the creature’s core.
Swish—
The axe sliced through the air. Despite its speed being difficult to track with the naked eye, it seemed slow and detailed to Yohan, like viewing through a high-speed camera.
The air brushing against his skin indicated the axe’s target.
Thud—
He lightly tapped an apparently empty spot with his fist. His punch struck a vital point without any resistance and returned.
“If my strength was higher, the creature would already be dead.”
Due to his insufficient strength, it was difficult to deal significant damage.
However, the greatly improved senses made the urgent situation somewhat more manageable.
Huff— Huff—
Despite being in a berserk state, the creature was slowing down. Even with its extreme movements, it seemed to have reached its limit.
“Hah, hah, hah. Just die already, damn you.”
Yohan was just as exhausted.
His agility was nearly on par with the creature’s.
His enhanced senses allowed him to perfectly evade the creature’s attacks, but it required his utmost effort.
The creature’s attacks were gradually slowing.
Just about one minute remained.
The creature’s body, exhausted from the berserk state, was becoming sluggish like a soaked sponge.
But Yohan was also reaching his limit.
Every movement made his body scream in agony.
His entire body seemed to suggest that giving up would be easier, more comfortable.
‘Damn it. Do they think I’m going through this hell just to die here?’
No way. He couldn’t give up on life over a few movements of his body, not when he had struggled so hard
for this chance.
He just needed to endure for 50 more seconds.
He widened the distance. Concentrating all his strength in his legs to ensure the exhausted creature couldn’t catch up.
40 seconds.
30 seconds.
The distance gradually increased. A gap of about 10 centimeters grew to 1 meter, then 2 meters.
Whizz—
The creature finally threw its only weapon, the axe.
The axe flew fiercely toward his head, but Yohan flattened himself on the ground, avoiding it.
20 seconds.
10 seconds.
The distance widened again. The blood-red eyes were slowly returning to white.
The creature’s body, which had been unleashing its power, was trembling slightly.
9 seconds.
8 seconds.
7 seconds.
The creature’s legs were too slow to close the 10-meter gap to Yohan.
At this point, he didn’t need to keep running.
“Come out. Time to level up.”
Screech—
The coffin opened silently. The creature couldn’t see the coffin placed behind it.
5 seconds.
4 seconds.
3 seconds.
Tap, tap, tap—
Something jumped out of the coffin and dashed wildly.
2 seconds.
As it got closer to the creature, it leaped powerfully.
1 second.
Thunk—
An iron axe embedded itself in the creature’s neck. Blood spurted from the severed artery.
Screech—
The berserk state ended. The creature’s eyes, now only white, were the eyes of the dead, devoid of intelligence.
Thud—
The creature fell slowly, and behind it stood the glowing-eyed kohen.
Yohan gave a thumbs-up to kohen, who had brilliantly completed the task.
[Servant ‘kohen’ has leveled up. Lv.3 -> Lv.5]
[Servant ‘kohen’ stats have increased.]
Kohen’s level had risen. The final blow before the creature’s death was acknowledged as a valid strike.
Though kohen looked unchanged on the outside, Yohan sensed the thickening spirit within him.
That spirit was only slightly less potent than that of the deceased King Kobald.
“Phew. That was close. I almost died.”
Thud—
As the tension eased, his muscles lost their strength. He wanted to lie down and sleep for hours, but this was a dungeon, and it wasn’t time to rest yet.
Instead of lying down, Yohan bowed respectfully towards the coffin containing the remains.
If not for the bones, he would have been the one lying dead instead of the creature.
“It’s thanks to you. I’ll make sure you get to reunite with your families.”
He had information about the skeletons—their names and detailed circumstances. This information would ensure they could reunite with their families.
“Now, let’s take care of this one.”
The reason he chose to fight instead of flee.
He had risked his life to bring this one under his command. Now it was time to make it his own.
“Identify.”
[King Kobold]
rank: D
Karma: 400
The king of all Kobolds. Born extraordinary, it grew by devouring higher predators and killed countless animals with its innate ferocity. It has a history of killing 15 humans.
It was of a staggering D rank. The King Kobald had transcended its species’ limits, proving its existence.
“Servant.”
After extracting the mana stone, he activated the skill.
Bandages emerged from the coffin. Perhaps due to its size, there was twice the usual amount.
[You have stored one servant. Spirit stat increased by 1.]
Finally, the creature was his. The time it took for it to transform into a mummy felt longer than ever.
The mana stone in his hand, the size of a fist, barely caught his attention.
“What should I do with this weapon? It looks like it would fetch a good price if sold.”
He barely managed to lift the axe with both hands. It was so heavy that swinging it would be difficult for Yohan.
[Jade Axe]
rank: C
Durability: 100
Polished over years, the jade has become harder than steel. The exclusive weapon of King Kobald, it increases strength by 20% when used by King Kobald.
“It’s best for the creature to use it. Anyone else would struggle to handle it.”
Although it was a pity, he couldn’t skimp on such investments. The value created by the creature in the future would far surpass the price of this axe.
When the transformation was complete and the coffin opened, Yohan faced the silently emerging creature.
Thud—
Heavy footsteps.
Unlike the small kohen, King Kobold boasted an overwhelming physique.
With its bright blue eyes and massive axe, it was a perfect warrior.
Screech—
The creature, which had attacked furiously just moments ago, knelt on one knee. There was no trace of hostility, only complete loyalty.
It brought a natural smile to his face.
“From now on, your name is King. I look forward to working with you.”
***
A small commotion arose. Eight hunters who had been missing were found all at once.
Though only their remains were found, DNA testing confirmed they were indeed the hunters who had vanished years ago.
Their families welcomed back their husbands, fathers, mothers, and sisters with tears.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness.”
They all repeated the same words. Having to
After a lifetime of living with his disappearance in her heart, she was finally able to accept death.
“Who, who, who found my husband? I want to say thank you.”
I wanted to thank the person who found the ashes, but alas, I couldn’t.
“He asked to remain anonymous,” I said, “We’re already proud of the fact that we were able to make a valuable contact.”
Every single person who heard the employee’s words was touched.
Someone who came and relieved their grievances like a righteous thief.
Their reason for hiding their identity was so noble that the bereaved earnestly wished and vowed.
They swore that as soon as the identity was revealed, they would find a way to repay them no matter what.
At the same time, an absurd rumor started in the industry.
It was a rumor that no one could have expected.
‘Former Rank 1 Shin Johan is preparing to make a comeback.’
Most people dismissed the rumor, saying it was nonsense.
Johan had stepped down from his ranker position because of the limits of his rank, so it was understandable.
However, there were others who thought differently.
The return of a king from a previous era always brought a sense of romance.
‘He will bring a storm one day. The world revolves not around rank but conviction.’
Regardless, Johan woke up early in the morning and prepared to go somewhere.
His destination was Gwanghwamun, where the new administration office was established, replacing the police department.
The gigantic administration building, with over 30 floors, boasted the highest daily foot traffic in the country, with tens of thousands of people coming and going each day.
After transferring between the subway and the bus, he arrived in an hour and quietly entered the bustling building.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here for a rank reassessment.”
The reason was rank reassessment.
Trace missions are conducted according to one’s rank, so an update was necessary.
He couldn’t just handle F-rank requests, so he needed an E-rank Awakener certificate to take on E-rank requests.
“Show your Awakener certificate and go over there. An employee will guide you.”
The guide pointed to one side of the corridor. There was a long line of people waiting for assessment.
Considering it was only noon, the number was quite substantial.
Just the visible people numbered over 100, most of whom were low-rank Awakeners hoping for a higher rank.
“At least it will take 2 hours.”
It had taken over 3 hours the first time he got his rank measured, so 2 hours wasn’t too bad.
Listening to the conversations ahead often made time pass more quickly than expected.
“Yeah! I finally made it to D-rank~!”
“Ahhh! Why is it still the same! The person ahead of me just got a higher rank!”
“Why, why! Everyone else is doing well, but why am I still E-rank!”
“Sigh, I guess that’s just my luck. Should I just give up? End my life?”
Cries of despair, screams, lamentations, resignation. And occasionally, cheers. The success rate of rank improvement was around 10%.
The conversations filled with mixed emotions were more entertaining than most radio shows. The reactions of those waiting as they watched the people coming out were quite interesting.
There was endless envy for those whose ranks had risen, and endless sympathy for those who came out dejectedly.
“Oh, Johan!”
At that moment, someone called out to Johan.
It was the talkative employee, but the one who had always processed payments quickly.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you here for a rank reassessment?”
“As you can see.”
“My goodness. Have you finally made progress? After eight years?”
“There was no need to emphasize that.”
“I’m just so moved. After all, I’m a big fan of yours. To me, you’re still the Master Tracer.”
“Oh, please, not that embarrassing nickname.”
It had been over five years since anyone had called him by that nickname, so it should have been discarded.
But the employee genuinely looked moved. Johan, feeling the sincerity, couldn’t say anything else.
It was impossible to be harsh to someone who still considered themselves a fan.
“I guess I should stay on your good side from now on. Come to think of it, I haven’t properly introduced myself.”
The employee fumbled around and handed him a business card.
[Management Division Team Leader Alex]
“Alex?”
“Oh, our team uses English names instead of real names. We aim for a horizontal atmosphere.”
“You’re quite high up, aren’t you? Being a team leader means you’re just below the head of the management division.”
“Young and rich, my skills are better than you might think. Haha.”
Alex, waving his hands dismissively, said everything he wanted to say. Johan looked at him with interest.
He had thought Alex was just a nice person, but now it seemed he should add the premise that he was also quite capable.
‘He could be helpful someday. A team leader has personnel authority within the department.’
“If you ever need to get in touch, call me anytime. I’ll be there with both feet.”
“I’ll try not to refuse.”
Alex looked at the waiting line.
There were still more than 150 people ahead. He suddenly smiled as if he had a good idea.
“Maybe I can help you right now.”
“Right now?”
“Isn’t it quite a hassle to wait all the way up there?”
“Of course.”
“Would you like to come with me? I can arrange a special assessment just for the Master Tracer.”
