Ch. 5 - Chapter 5

"Haesun, ah...!!"

My older sister, who had been treated by Kiril, regained consciousness.

After holding me tightly and crying for a while then she fainted shortly afterward.

Until the moment she fell asleep, she kept repeating the words "Thank goodness”.

The thought of telling someone like her that she had been given a ‘terminal diagnosis’,made me feel dizzy.

My sister didn’t remember anything that happened after she encountered the giant toad.

So I was able to make something up.

I said, “Luckily, a nearby hunter came to help,” and as always, she believed me without question.

Well, I guess she was too shaken up right now to question anything anyway.

While my sister was in a deep sleep, I skimmed through some online articles and then turned on the TV.

A breaking news report about today’s Gate incident was being broadcast on the old TV screen.

[The Gate incident that occurred this afternoon is an unprecedented and unusual case……]

Now that the urgent matters have been settled, the doubts I had about the Gate incident began to peek out.

Why hadn’t the hunters been on standby in advance?

Not only did they not appear to defeat the monsters, but there wasn’t even a safe line set up to restrict civilians from entering.

If only that line had been properly established, my sister wouldn’t have entered the Gate.

[The Glory Guild in charge of the area inevitably……]

The more the host continued the report, the more my anger flared.

Today, a ‘double gate’ opened in South Korea.

A rare situation where gates open in two locations at the same time.

It was uncommon, but it wasn’t something that had never happened before.

However, there was a reason the host was emphasizing the matter, calling it an ‘unprecedented and unusual case’.

The appearance of a poison-type monster was already a once-a-year occurrence at best, but the monsters that emerged from both sides of the ‘double gate’ were poison-types.

[Due to the limited resources of hunters and equipment specialized for dealing with poison-type monsters……]

The locations where double gates had appeared were Gupa Neighborhood and Gaebang Neighborhood.

Although both were in the same district, they are often mentioned as areas with extreme wealth gaps.

Gupa Neighborhood, known as the wealthiest neighborhood in South Korea.

And Gaebang Neighborhood, where people like us, struggling to get by day to day, are gathered.

[The Glory Guild expressed deep condolences to the families of those who died in the Gate incident, and announced plans to expand equipment for dealing with poison-type monsters in the future……]

I heard from somewhere.

That those who talk too much are the ones who lie the most.

The host might not be from the Glory Guild, but watching them go on and on with their explanation made my face twist in anger.

And soon, I came to the following conclusion.

‘Gaebang Neighborhood was abandoned.’

The comments under the articles I read online weren’t any different from my thoughts.

└Wow, shit. What kind of rotten luck is that poison-type monsters show up in a double gate?

└They say over 500 people died. Isn't it the highest death toll in recent years?

└Those fucking Glory bastards always have money for fake ads but not for equipment to handle poison-type monsters?

└Nah nah. You know what kind of guild Glory is. The poison response team was dispatched right away. It's just that the place they dispatched wasn't Gaebong Neighborhood.

└They had two options: split the team in two, or abandon one area completely. Looks like they chose to give up on the beggars in Gaebang Neighborhood.

└Honestly, wasn’t that the obvious choice? The Hunter Association pressured them to expand their jurisdiction, so they had no choice but to take on a poor area too. They have only one team, so of course they would protect the rich neighborhood first, lol.

└Glad it’s not my neighborhood. Now they’re scrambling to recruit more people and upgrade their equipment, same old shit we've seen a hundred times.

└And in the midst of all this, Glory Guild swept up all the A-rank Hunters this quarter. Looks like they're gearing up to conquer the world or something.

Glory Guild may be officially recognized as a prestigious public interest organization,

but in the end, they’re still a group driven by profit.

Maybe they made what seemed like the most rational choice for themselves.

But, I wonder if the residents of the abandoned district think the same.

‘A bunch of bullshit ……’

The more I thought about it, the more I felt disgusted.

Whether it was a double gate or poison-types, it didn’t matter.

The very idea of weighing lives was what bothered me.

And that too not for anything else, but for money.

I could have understood it if they’d solved their side first and then came to help us. But no.

According to a witness in the Gupa Neighborhood, after the situation was settled, the Glory Guild immediately withdrew.

While mass deaths were taking place right next to them.

Even if there were some rational reasons behind it, the fact remains that those abandoned met a pitiful death.

If I hadn’t met Kiril, I too would have likely ended up like them, a corpse.

[Thanks to the Glory Guild’s quick response this time, the loss of life was minimized……]

In the end, their decision to save the wealthy and influential areas was the right one.

Interviews from high-ranking officials across various sectors poured in like a flood, expressing gratitude to the Glory Guild, while the news of the deaths of Gaebang Neighborhood residents was being swept under the rug as an ‘unavoidable tragedy’.

* * *

Thump, thump.

I sat on the floor, my knees pulled up, and lightly tossed a black orb with one hand.

At first glance, it might seem like I was playing with a baseball, but anyone who knew about monsters well would be shocked by the object in my hand.

"Information."

When I muttered softly, the device Kirill had given me displayed information about the orb.  

[Identification: Giant Toad’s Core]  

[Acquisition Difficulty: A-grade]  

[Type: Black Core]  

[Warning: Highest-risk material designated by the Hunter Association. Contains potent poisons, so special handling is required.]

Typically, monsters have a heart known as a ‘core’.

The color of the core varies depending on the type of monster, but for poison-type monsters, the cores are always black.

That’s why they’re called ‘Black Core’.

Among hunters, Black Cores are often referred to as ‘pie in the sky’.

Compared to regular cores, Black Cores contain several times more energy,

but due to their intense venomousness, they’re nearly impossible to use as weapons or absorb into the body.

In fact, forget about absorbing, the poison is so potent that most people would have their hand melt away the moment they touched one.

Thump.

I tossed and caught the Black Core as if I were just playing catch.

It was the second gift Kiril had left me, after the lens-type device.

“This thing’s poison is strong, but compared to you, it’s child’s play. Try holding it in your hand and using Poison Absorption. Something fun will happen.”

‘Is this… how it’s done?’

I gripped the Black Core, recalling Kiril’s words.

Ssssss…

The color of the Black Core resembled the Gate that opened earlier that day.

A deep, black hue that seemed like it could swallow everything around it.

I closed my eyes and tried to recall the feeling of the Black Aether that Kiril had given me.

The way Kiril’s energy gathered at my feet.

At first, there was no noticeable change, but as I stubbornly focused my mind, changes finally began to occur.

Wuuung.

"Uh...?"

The hand holding the Black Core began to tremble uncontrollably.

It wasn’t because I was feeling chills like before.

The core was beginning to resonate with my body.

I focused even more and clenched my hand around the Black Core.

Shhhrk.

I opened my eyes, sensing something strange.

Oh, my God.

The solid Black Core was melting away, as if it were ice cream.

[The state of the Black Core is changing.]

[Black Aether Conversion in progress, current status 31%... 52%... 74%]

The pitch-black Black Core began to shimmer with a unique gloss, in a way that felt unnerving.

The very energy Kiril had given me.

It was Black Aether.

I didn’t question how to absorb it.

The moment it turned into Black Aether, it felt as though it was a part of me, like my own limbs.

Swish.

Now, the Black Core has completely transformed into a liquid state.

And that liquid slowly seeped through my palm, flowing into my body.

Perhaps it was because I had awakened.

The absorbed Black Aether felt like blood coursing through me.

No, not blood, something more fundamental.

It felt like the very ‘life force’ was being injected into my body.

In a short amount of time, the Black Aether was completely absorbed into my body, and I was overcome with a sense of refreshment unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

[The User’s Black Aether level has significantly increased.]

[Black Aether Capacity: 1,000BA → 1,500BA]

[The newly injected Black Aether can be used to enhance physical abilities.]

It seemed the Black Aether I had previously received from Kiril was 1,000BA.

After checking the information provided by the device, I couldn’t help but be surprised by two things.

The first was Kiril’s stats.

The Black Aether she had given me was only a small fraction of what she possessed.

And yet, that small amount was twice the amount of an A-grade Black Core.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how extraordinary Kirill must be as a hunter.

And the second thing.

“Physical enhancement…”

This was something I hadn’t even heard from Kiril.

A poison user enhancing their body.

Just like how Kiril had shown me the ‘Poison Steps’ I had always thought that Poisoners drew out Black Aether to fight.

"No...... maybe..."

On the other hand, there was a part of me that started to nod in agreement.

The reason I was able to easily learn Poison Steps from Kiril.

It was thanks to the Black Aether she had implanted in my feet.

The reason I was able to move quickly, surpassing the limits of the human body, was because the Black Aether had ‘enhanced’ my feet, making it possible.

“…….”

Then.

Let’s think about it the other way around.

If enhancing my feet with Black Aether resulted in Poison Steps. 

What would happen if I spread it throughout my entire body?

I quickly asked the device.

“If I keep producing Black Aether like this and enhance my whole body, how far can I go?”

[If the User’s Black Aether exceeds 10,000BA, they will acquire physical abilities equivalent to an S-rank knight.]

“Whoa!!”

An exclamation left my mouth.

An S-rank Knight.

That meant I could overpower most physical-type hunters with nothing but raw physical ability, no need for fancy poison tricks.

A hunter who could go toe-to-toe with top-tier knights in close combat,

while also wielding skills like Poison Mastery on the side.

What Kiril had said, that I could become ‘the strongest being in the world’, might not have been an exaggeration after all.

Just imagining it made my heart beat quicker.

Dreams I had buried deep down, forced aside by a life of illness and limitation.

Those dreams were now beginning to rise again, slowly and steadily, from the depths of my heart.

I want to beat up all those damn monsters.  

I want to overcome the poverty that made my family suffer.  

More than anything, I want to become strong enough that no one dares to weigh my life against theirs.  

* * *

Early the next morning.

Swoosh.

I gently brushed back the hair of my sleeping sister.

She’s tougher than she looks, so I hoped she’d hold on.

After changing into comfortable training clothes, I left a note by her bedside.

According to Kiril, I had one week to get the antidote.

There was no time to delay, not even a single day.

Thud, thud!

I sprinted at full speed toward the place where Kiril had taught me Poison Steps.

I was a little out of breath, but it didn’t feel hard at all.

It was nothing like before, when I had to take the bus even for short distances.

Now that my awakening was complete, my body was no longer weak and frail.

"Alright then…"

In the early dawn, before even the sun had risen.

I closed my eyes, focusing on the Black Aether that had been simmering inside me all night.

Shrrrnng.

Like fish swimming through in the ocean, the Black Aether drifted slowly through my body.

As if it were patiently waiting for orders to be given.

My legs, which were already infused with the Black Aether Kiril had granted me, wouldn’t need further enhancement for now.

I took a deep breath, then began to slowly spread it gently, across the rest of my body.

Zing.

Just like when I transformed the Black Core into Aether, it resonated with my body.

After a brief moment.

It spread through every corner of my body.

‘How much of an effect will this have?’

Although it was only half of what Kiril had given me, what I had acquired was a Core with an A-grade difficulty rating.

An A-class monster isn’t something that can be taken down by a single A-rank hunter.

It was said that a team of at least five A-rank hunters would be required to handle only one.

Considering that most average mid-sized guilds in the country don’t even have more than 10 A-rank hunters, this was a treasure for me.

Given how difficult it was to obtain such a Core, I wanted to test how much it would actually help with physical enhancement.

‘It sounds completely crazy, but…’

Facing the wall of an empty lot, I raised my right hand.

I silently stared at the concrete wall, the tough skin of the giant toad came to mind.

If it had been before, my hand would have broken if I even touched the wall. But now, things have changed.

No, they had to change.

Grinding my teeth, I swung my fist at the wall.

Bang!!

“Ugh……!!”

Shit.

The pain was sharp enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Could it be that this amount of Black Aether wasn’t enough to enhance my body?

Crack.

“?”

The discordant sound of the cracking resonated in my ears.

I was blowing on my hand to ease the pain, but my gaze shifted toward the source of the sound.

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in shock.

A massive crack had appeared in the concrete wall.

The kind of power that manifested was something impossible for an ordinary person.

Since I had spread Black Aether all over my body, it wasn’t just my fist that was enhanced.

“How strong is my body now?”

[Your physical abilities are at a level comparable to the lowest rank of Knight.]

“....I see.”

Before embarking on my brief journey, I could feel a profound sense of satisfaction with the changes.

Even though it was the lowest rank, being a Knight meant I could easily handle a few regular soldiers.

After shaking my hand to brush off the dust,

I gave a command to the device.

“Show me Dr. Jin’s location.”

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