6

A FRUITFUL HARVEST

“Excuse me? The camera?”

“Yes.”

The cameraman looked at him, surprised. Jinwoo’s expression was sincere.

“Why the camera…?”

Jinwoo didn’t provide an answer.

“……”

This was a tough call for the cameraman. Jinwoo had saved his life. Even now, he held multiple lives in his hands, so there was nothing the man wouldn’t do for him.

But to turn off the camera…

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone in Korea was tuning in, so for a professional in the broadcasting industry, it was a very difficult request to hear.

Jinwoo spoke up as he hesitated.

“If you don’t turn it off, I’ll break it.”

The cameraman flinched at Jinwoo’s icy tone. If he chose to do so, would the combined efforts of the other hunters be enough to stop him? Whatever Jinwoo’s reason for this request, the A-rank hunter had no choice but to agree.

“Y-yes, sir.”

He removed his head-mounted camera and turned it off. Once Jinwoo confirmed that it had stopped recording, he took Haein from Yoonho’s arms.

I didn’t want to have to threaten him, but…

There was no other option if he was going to help Haein. With her limp body cradled in his arms, Jinwoo surveyed his surroundings. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

What is he trying to do?

All the hunters waited for Jinwoo’s next move.

Soon, Jinwoo opened his eyes. Having located what he needed, he started briskly walking deeper inside the ants’ cave, careful not to jostle Haein. The others weren’t sure what to make of this but eventually followed behind him.

Before long, Jinwoo stopped and carefully put Haein down. He then cleared the piles of ant corpses around him.

“Ah!” The cameraman gasped as he spotted something on the ground.

“Oh…” Everyone else swallowed hard.

There lay Byunggu’s cold, lifeless body. It was horrendous seeing the headless corpse. Everyone realized why Jinwoo had asked for the camera to be turned off. No one would want to be subjected to that sight.

“Ngh…” Yoonho had been closer to Byunggu than anyone here. He turned away and squeezed his eyes shut.

But then…

Wait a minute…

A thought popped into his head.

How did Hunter Sung locate Byunggu among all these magic-beast corpses?

The answer was quite obvious. If Jinwoo wasn’t using a special skill, there was only one other explanation. The mana signatures of humans were slightly distinguishable from magic beasts’. Jinwoo seemed to have successfully located Byunggu by the healer’s residual mana.

If that was truly the case, Jinwoo’s perception had to be off the charts. Even Yoonho’s Eyes of a Beast, a skill specializing in mana detection, couldn’t have accomplished this.

With that in mind, Yoonho turned back to Jinwoo. Although seeing Byunggu like this broke his heart, he wanted to observe with his own eyes what happened next.

Hunter Sung…what are you planning?

Yoonho broke into a cold sweat as he watched Jinwoo standing between Byunggu’s and Haein’s bodies.

Jinwoo inspected the black smoke emanating from Byunggu’s corpse. This should be an indication that it was possible to extract a shadow. And as expected…

Ping!

The familiar electronic sound and accompanying notification helpfully reminded Jinwoo of this possibility, though Jinwoo had already been certain from the moment he’d heard of the healer’s demise.

He simply hadn’t wanted to. He refused to turn an innocent person into one of the undead to use him as a soldier, even if that individual was an S-rank hunter. No decent person could do such a thing.

However…Jinwoo glanced down at Haein’s face, which was growing paler by the second.

…This is the best I can do.

In a situation where every moment counted, what if he had the ability to call on the best healer to cure her? There was no debate. If Byunggu himself could choose, he would’ve made the same decision.

With an apprehensive look on his face, Jinwoo gave the command.

“Arise.”

The result wasn’t as he expected.

Ping!

Jinwoo was both puzzled and worried. Had it failed because his Shadow Extraction skill level wasn’t high enough? Or was it because he’d been too hesitant to extract the shadow?

He cleansed his mind of any useless thoughts and spoke with conviction.

“Arise.”

The transformation began.

Gaaaaaaaaah!

A frigid wind swept around them as a deep sound that was a cross between a yell and a scream echoed heavily.

The other hunters were wide-eyed as they felt chills crawl up their spines.

“Oh my gosh!”

“Look at that!”

A black hand shot out from Byunggu’s shadow. It grasped the ground tightly as if it were desperate not to go back and pulled itself out.

No way!

Yoonho felt like his heart would stop as he watched. It might be difficult for everyone else to tell what was actually happening, but it was as clear as day to him.

Byunggu’s mana had risen from his shadow and taken on a human form. To be precise, it had taken the form of a soldier wearing black armor. Soon, the minion was fully corporeal.

“……”

The hunters were speechless and could only stare at the new minion Jinwoo had summoned. They could sense that this minion possessed magic as powerful as an S-rank hunter.

No, could that be…?

Jongin’s eyes widened in shock as the quick-witted man caught on to the truth.

While everyone else nervously held their breath, Jinwoo calmly gazed at Byunggu’s shadow.

When their eyes met, the shadow nodded. As soon as shadows were extracted, a bond was instantly created with Jinwoo. They understood exactly what their master desired.

Without a word from the hunter, Byunggu’s shadow started to cast healing magic on Haein.

Vmmmm…

No sooner had warm light begun emanating from the shadow soldier’s hands than Haein’s complexion started returning to normal. The soldier was using the highest level of healing magic possible.

I was right!

Jongin trembled as his observations confirmed his theory.

The black soldier’s identity was none other than Byunggu.

One by one, the other hunters also arrived at the same conclusion.

Dongwook’s mouth had been hanging open from the moment the shadowy hand appeared.

“Master Sung, you’re no ordinary summoner, are you?”

Jinwoo neither denied nor confirmed it, but he didn’t have to. Each and every S rank here was a great hunter in their own right, as well as a leader of a top guild, after all. They understood even without an explanation.

“Then…can you utilize the power of the dead, Hunter Sung?” Jongin asked nervously.

Jinwoo nodded. He had no reason to hide his abilities anymore, and he didn’t want to lie.

They wouldn’t fall for a lie if I tried anyway.

It was a weight off his shoulders to be able to tell them. Others might fear this power, but Jinwoo appreciated how far it had helped him come. He was proud of the power of the Shadow Monarch.

Some of the guild masters felt a bit frightened of the source of Jinwoo’s power after hearing his confident answer.

He can summon minions by using the powers of the deceased?

The fiercer the battlefield, the stronger he grows… What a terrifying ability!

I don’t even know what to say.

The hunters who had witnessed Jinwoo’s capabilities with their own eyes today had many thoughts, especially Yoonho, who was also privy to Jinwoo’s other secret.

Not only can Hunter Sung himself grow stronger, but he can also transform his defeated enemies into minions…

It was already difficult enough to predict the limit of Jinwoo’s power. Yoonho shivered as he imagined the level of power within Jinwoo’s grasp in the future.

The cameraman came to a sudden revelation. “So the reason you asked me to turn off the camera earlier was…”

Jinwoo’s power could frighten even the strongest hunters in the country. It made sense that Jinwoo hadn’t wanted to reveal such an ability to the entire nation.

At that moment, Byunggu’s shadow stood up. The treatment appeared to be complete, and some pink was starting to creep back into Haein’s cheeks.

Whew…

Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief. Haein was still unconscious, but her breathing and pulse were back to normal. Her wound was also completely healed.

Jinwoo placed his hand on Byunggu’s shoulder as a gesture of praise for a job well done.

……

Based on the warmth coming from the shadow’s eyes, Jinwoo was able to tell what kind of person Byunggu had been when he was alive. Jinwoo removed his hand from Byunggu’s shoulder and then…

Release.

With a light smile on his face, Jinwoo released Byunggu’s shadow. The man had given up his life to fight against magic beasts, so Jinwoo couldn’t justify keeping him as one of his soldiers. He decided that wasn’t the right way to honor a fallen comrade.

…Time to leave.

He pushed any lingering regrets to the back of his mind and lifted Haein from the ground.

After the magic-beast ants lost both their queen and king, they’d retreated to different areas of the island to escape from Jinwoo’s shadow soldiers. The cave that had once been crawling with the ants was now completely empty.

Jinwoo took a few steps, then looked over his shoulder.

“Shall we go?”

The hunters were physically recovered thanks to the system’s potions, but the whole ordeal had been mentally draining, so they automatically brightened at Jinwoo’s words.

It was finally over. The huge smiles on their faces made it clear how they felt.

Thanks to a bit of lucky timing, they safely emerged from the cave just as the retrieval helicopter started circling the sky above.

“The hunters are over there!”

“Great!”

The helicopter carefully landed upon spotting the hunters, and they boarded the aircraft one by one. Only two people dawdled outside—Jinwoo and Yoonho. Jinwoo gently handed Haein over to Yoonho instead of getting on the helicopter.

“What about you, Hunter Sung?”

“I still have things to take care of here.”

Yoonho could only smile at that.

Jeju Island still had numerous magic-beast ants at large. Had any other person said they were going to stay alone on this island, Yoonho would’ve called them insane.

It took a monstrous hunter to deal with such monstrous beasts. Yoonho didn’t think anything Jinwoo did would ever surprise him again.

“By the way…” Yoonho wanted to ask Jinwoo one last thing before leaving the island. “Then Byunggu—or rather, the minion who came from him… What will happen to him? Will he have to fight on as your soldier forever?”

Jinwoo shook his head. “I released the summon, so you won’t ever be able to see him again.”

Yoonho nodded with a content smile. “I’m glad.”

“Huh?”

“That kid, he absolutely hated fighting. Byunggu would’ve appreciated it.”

With that, the six brave warriors and their intrepid cameraman left Jeju Island. Their fight was over.

However, things were merely beginning for Jinwoo.

Only one more level until I reach 100.

Considering how many magic beasts remained, that shouldn’t be a problem. What was more, there were plenty of shadows to extract in the ant cave.

It was showtime.

Let’s take care of those escapees first…

Jinwoo grinned and summoned Kaisel.

At the Hunter’s Association of Japan, President Matsumoto turned off the huge monitor in anguish.

A Korean hunter had single-handedly dealt with the magic beast that had killed ten of Japan’s best hunters.

How? How is this possible…?

He tugged at the few remaining bits of hair he had on the side of his head.

Something unimaginable had happened. Due to this incident, Japan’s power had been diminished by more than half, and his position as the president of the association was in critical danger.

Had Korea failed their mission, he could’ve overcome this crisis by asking other countries for help. But the Korean hunters had both cleanly defeated the queen and safely escaped the hands of the monstrous king and his army of several thousand ants.

Jinwoo Sung. That single hunter had foiled his plans.

Jinwoo Sung…Jinwoo Sung…

President Matsumoto recalled a phone conversation with Ryuji they’d had while the hunter was stationed in Korea.

If only… If only he’d listened to Ryuji at the time. Ryuji was better at analyzing the power levels of other hunters than anyone else, and this was the first Korean hunter he’d ever praised.

How could I have been so arrogant…?

Had they thoroughly analyzed Jinwoo’s abilities, they could’ve cooperated with Korea and avoided all these issues. In fact, had Japan left Korea to its own devices, Korea could’ve taken care of the problem on their own.

President Matsumoto had dug his own grave by trying to trick them.

“M-Mr. President?”

One of his staff members worriedly called to him at his ashen complexion.

President Matsumoto waved them away without looking up, wanting to be left alone. The employee bowed and hurriedly excused themselves.

President Matsumoto frowned.

There’s only one way out of this situation for me.

He needed to restore the power of the Hunter’s Association of Japan, and he needed just one person in order to do that.

Jinwoo Sung…

He had to recruit Jinwoo to the Hunter’s Association of Japan by any means necessary. Since Ryuji had lost his life in vain, this was the only viable way to revitalize the organization.

Since the entirety of Korea had watched what Jinwoo could do, it wouldn’t be an easy task, but one of Korea’s S-rank hunters had been successfully poached by another country before, so it wasn’t unheard of.

How can I recruit Hunter Jinwoo Sung?

President Matsumoto cast out any despair from his mind as the gears began turning once more.

On the eastern coast of the United States…

Riiing, riiing, riiing!

The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. David Brannon couldn’t stand it any longer and finally picked up.

What kind of lunatic calls at this hour?

David was the head of the Hunter Command Center, the most powerful organization in America. If this was a prank call, he was going to track down the caller using any means necessary and throw them in jail.

Beep!

“Hello?”

“Sir, it’s me.”

“Assistant Director…?”

David pushed himself upright as the familiar voice drove away any vestiges of sleep.

“What are you doing calling at this hour?”

“There’s something you have to see.”

“Something…?”

He checked his cell phone and saw that he’d received seven missed calls and a video file. He’d missed them because his phone had been muted.

“Understood. I’ll call you back after I take a look.”

“No need, sir.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’m already outside your house.”

“What?”

David shot up out of bed and checked the clock on his bedside table. It was exactly 4:12 in the morning. He tossed his phone to the side and rushed over to the window to see the assistant director waiting in a parked car in front of his house. The assistant director waved in greeting when they made eye contact.

David turned away from the window, speechless.

What in the world?

He sensed something huge had occurred, and he tightly gripped his phone, ready to give the video a watch.

The video finished playing.

“……”

It was about a raid in a small eastern country. David, the director of the Hunter Command Center, was stunned by the contents.

“What are your thoughts?” the assistant director asked cautiously.

“Is there anything to say?” the director answered instantly. “You’re here at this hour because you knew how I’d react.”

David was right. It was, after all, very unusual for the director and assistant director of the Hunter Command Center to hold a meeting at four in the morning in the director’s kitchen.

The two men sat in silence at opposite ends of the table.

Puff, puff…

The director lit a cigarette as he replayed the video. Even the second time around, the footage was spectacular. David was especially thrilled at the part when the hunter summoned the shadow soldiers to deal with the ants.

……

What more was there to say? He continued puffing on his cigarette.

The director’s wife appeared at the top of the stairs, looking for her husband. She called out to him.

“Dave, is everything all right?”

He wordlessly gestured at his wife to go back upstairs. She obliged with a concerned look.

After his third cigarette, he spoke quietly. “That man is too talented to stay in a small country like South Korea.”

“I agree.”

“Do we know anything about him?”

The assistant director took out a file containing Jinwoo’s personal information. The director gave a pleased smile as he skimmed the papers.

“Good.”

The raid on Jeju Island had ended only about an hour ago, but he already had all this information at his disposal. The file was comprehensive, including details on what kind of hunter Jinwoo was as well as his personal relationships. Such was the power of the United States.

Meanwhile, the assistant director kept his smile hidden.

We got lucky.

Their intelligence network was certainly impressive, but luck had also been on their side this time, thanks to the previous Ilhwan Sung incident.

They hadn’t been sure if the unidentified being discovered in a dungeon was a human or a magic beast. Said unidentified being had insisted that he was a South Korean hunter. The center had retained all the information they’d collected on him at the time.

At this moment, other than Korea, no one else knew anything about Hunter Jinwoo Sung, much less his name. America was two steps ahead of everybody else.

God bless the United States of America.

The assistant director couldn’t help but think that the heavens were looking out for them. However, it took more than a little luck to succeed. Someone had to turn that luck into opportunity.

The assistant director now put on a serious expression. “He was never properly compensated despite losing his father to a gate.”

“Hmm…”

“Additionally, before he was reawakened, he almost died numerous times trying to earn enough money to pay for his mother’s hospital bills.”

“…Well, that’s unacceptable.”

A hero had died while fighting magic beasts for his country, but his widow and son were neglected? This was unimaginable in the United States.

“Also, this is unconfirmed, but…”

The director looked up from what he was reading, and the assistant director spoke in a hushed voice.

“He hasn’t joined a guild as of yet.”

“……!”

That was interesting news. The director closed the file.

“This is different from the Dongsoo Hwang case.”

At the familiar name, the assistant director’s gaze changed.

The director continued. “Poaching two S-rank hunters from the same country…that would be like turning our backs on our own.”

South Korea was a longtime ally of the United States. That meant whatever they did would cause a huge storm.

Yet the assistant director confidently persisted. “Still…isn’t he worth it?”

“……”

Of course. The director couldn’t deny it.

And so, instead of replying, he asked, “Can you do this?”

The assistant director offered him the same answer he’d given when he’d been assigned to recruit Dongsoo Hwang.

“I’ll do my best.”

That very response had gotten him promoted to where he was today. This wasn’t his first rodeo.

The United States already had two of the strongest hunters in the world, so powerful that they were classified as “national-level” hunters, but the director desperately wanted to bring this man to America as well.

As he lit his fourth cigarette, the director proclaimed, “Give him whatever he wants. Just bring him to me.”

Jinwoo used Kaisel to fly around, searching for and exterminating every ant that had escaped his shadow soldiers.

SKRAAAH!

Another ant hit the ground with a throw of a dagger. Jinwoo easily recalled the blade without dismounting Kaisel by using Ruler’s Hand.

I think it’s almost time to level up.

There weren’t many ants left, and, if possible, Jinwoo wanted to level up here.

One more level, and he’d reach 100. Jinwoo was partial to numbers that were multiples of five, so one hundred was a very special number to him.

And without any gates booked, he currently had no other way to gain experience points. If he was lucky, he might receive a key from a random box or a dungeon break might happen nearby.

Is lucky the right word for a dungeon break?

At least one strike squad would have to fail during a raid in order for a dungeon break to occur. In conclusion, it was better for everyone that he reached level 100 this way.

There was something else weighing on his mind. When he was trying to extract Byunggu’s shadow, he’d recalled a painful memory. Jinwoo had failed twice when trying to extract the shadow of Barca, the boss of the Ice Slayers.

When he’d failed to extract Byunggu’s shadow on the first go, his heart had sunk at the thought of failing once more.

But somehow, I managed it on the second try…

If at first you don’t succeed…

There was no way of guaranteeing success when he extracted the Ant King’s shadow, especially since the ant’s abilities were incomparably stronger than Byunggu’s. Jinwoo wanted to level up at least once in order to increase his chances of a successful extraction even a little.

Huh?

Something caught his attention, and he ordered Kaisel to land.

Kreeee!

Kaisel slowed the flapping of his wings as he touched down. Jinwoo dismounted to inspect the area.

It must be around here…

Jinwoo searched the bushes, frowning each time he discovered a human corpse. The bodies of Japanese hunters were scattered throughout the area. Some were headless while others were damaged beyond recognition. Jinwoo looked at them closely.

What strong magic power…

They had clearly been powerful hunters, the likes of which shouldn’t have been killed in a place like this. Even so, the Japanese hunters had been brutally murdered. It could only mean that their opponent had been just that powerful.

This is probably the work of that monstrous ant.

Jinwoo couldn’t think of any other culprit. The first time the ant had struck him in the head, he’d felt actual pain in his jaw. Chances were, they had been knocked off their feet with a single blow.

Jinwoo walked around the area with a bitter taste in his mouth, then abruptly stopped.

This energy…

He crouched to check the ground. It was sticky with a huge amount of blood. The residual mana was one he’d encountered before.

…Ryuji Goto.

Jinwoo scanned the area. Although he could sense Ryuji’s magic power, his body was nowhere to be found. It looked as if the ant had completely consumed him.

Tsk.

Jinwoo shook his head as he stood. For the strongest hunter in Japan to die like this…

Right then, the shadow soldiers he’d sent to hunt down the rest of the ants informed him that they were done.

…That’s it?

Any other Korean would cheer if they heard this news, but Jinwoo pursed his lips in disappointment. That meant he wouldn’t be able to level up. Since there were no more living magic beasts left, he had nothing else to do but return to the ant cave to extract shadows from the monstrous ant and his queen.

But at that moment…Jinwoo paused.

Wait…there are still some left?

His acute senses detected something promising in the area. Quite a few promising things, in fact! Jinwoo’s disappointment was replaced by excitement.

He swung himself onto Kaisel’s back.

“Let’s go!”

It was as Jinwoo expected. His face glowed as he entered the spawning grounds.

Countless eggs filled the floor, the walls, the pillars, and the ceiling. Movement underneath the translucent shells indicated that these were definitely living magic beasts.

I’m not sure how many experience points I can get from these, but…

These eggs might just be enough to cover the experience points he needed.

Jinwoo summoned shadow soldiers who specialized in wide-range attacks.

“Attention.”

Fang and three mage soldiers lined up according to rank. One by one, Jinwoo inspected the four soldiers and then placed the Sphere of Avarice in Fang’s hand.

“You know what to do, right?”

They all nodded, so Jinwoo pointed at the eggs.

“Begin.”

Terrifying flames shot out of the enlarged Fang’s mouth as the mage soldiers threw balls of fire everywhere.

Kra-koooom!

Kaboom!

Boom!

The defenseless eggs were incinerated.

Skraaa!

Jinwoo spotted some ant pupae in one corner. The pupae shells had melted away to reveal the almost fully grown ants inside, though they were now all dead. Every single one had wings.

Imagine if these beasts had reached adulthood and crossed the ocean with that monstrous ant in the lead…

Even if the Korean hunters had succeeded in eliminating the queen, neither Korea nor Japan would have been able to avoid the aftermath. Jinwoo was glad he could put a stop to things here and now.

Kaboom!

Boom!

He took the Demon Monarch’s Sword from his inventory after seeing his soldiers sweating profusely.

Should I try this out?

The impressive sword glowed with a blue light and sparked electricity with each swing. He had stashed it away in his inventory after acquiring it as a reward for defeating the Demon Monarch in the Demon’s Castle. Its magic effect was the only reason he pulled it out now instead of his usual daggers.

Shiiing!

Jinwoo swung the sword with all his might.

KRA-KOOOOM!

A storm of blue lightning raged in the room.

Oh!

Jinwoo was delighted. The sword didn’t have the same destructive power or the stun effect as when the Demon Monarch had wielded it, but it was strong enough to incinerate the eggs.

It’s a waste to just let this sit in my inventory, isn’t it?

Jinwoo didn’t think he’d use the sword much in the future, since he preferred daggers, but it was too good a weapon not to pull out now and then.

How long had he been dealing with these eggs? Eventually, he heard a welcome sound.

Ping!

Finally, Jinwoo exclaimed to himself.

He returned the Demon Monarch’s Sword to his inventory and headed to the queen’s den after leaving his soldiers behind to finish with the spawning grounds.

Naturally, the monstrous ant was still lying in the same spot where he’d died.

Jinwoo stood before the corpse. His heart pounded due to how badly he wanted the ant’s shadow as a soldier.

However, he’d come to realize the importance of concentration when he’d extracted Byunggu’s shadow.

I need to calm down.

He breathed slowly until his heart calmed, and he gazed coolly upon the ant’s remains.

…Okay.

Jinwoo was in the right frame of mind.

He looked at the ground. Frighteningly thick plumes of smoke, the likes of which Jinwoo had never seen before, rose from the Ant King’s body. Was this because the beast’s magic power was on a different level compared to previous opponents?

As Jinwoo pondered this, he stretched his hand forward.

“Arise.”

The area switched between bright to dark in quick succession, much like a flickering light bulb at the end of its life. Jinwoo looked up. The huge ball of light Jongin had cast during the attack on the queen was blinking.

Is the magic fading already?

That was his first guess. But it hadn’t been an hour since the Korean hunters had first entered the den, so why was the spell wearing off so soon? Plus, it was a magic spell cast by an S-rank mage hunter to make the raid go smoothly for him and his teammates. Therefore, there was no way the magic was wearing off already.

Then…

Could it be…?

Jinwoo wondered if the flickering was caused by Shadow Extraction.

Tak!

The area plunged into darkness. His high stat perception would’ve allowed him to see in the darkness if there was even the tiniest glint of light, but it was pitch-black.

It must’ve been only a second. In that short period of time, though, when the darkness gave way to light again, a monstrous ant had manifested before Jinwoo.

……!

Startled, Jinwoo took a few steps back. If it wasn’t for the notification of successful extraction he received, he would’ve attacked, thinking the monstrous ant had somehow respawned.

“Whew…that scared me.” He let out a sigh of relief.

When he looked at the ant from a distance after he’d calmed down, he could see that the beast was definitely different from when he was alive. Eddies of black smoke continued to rise from his body.

So this is the Ant King’s shadow…

Jinwoo wasn’t sure how the ant’s stats had changed, but his threatening presence seemed to be much more menacing than before. Jinwoo faced the shadow ant. As he sensed a mighty magic power within him, it finally sank in that he’d turned the formidable creature into his soldier.

Hmm…

Jinwoo wanted to act cool, but he couldn’t keep from smiling.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump!

His heart fluttered like he was a child who had just received a present he had been begging for.

The shadow’s information promptly appeared. Jinwoo squinted as he read the words floating above the shadow’s head.

Jinwoo grinned as his eyes landed on the shadow’s rank. It was one he’d never seen before, which meant that this soldier was on a whole different level compared to his other soldiers.

Considering his abilities when he was alive, that makes sense.

By rank alone, Jinwoo could tell this was no ordinary soldier. It made his efforts all the more worthwhile.

Then…

Shf…

As he made eye contact with Jinwoo, the shadow dropped down to one knee. Like the other soldiers, this one possessed absolute loyalty to him.

Nice.

Satisfied, Jinwoo turned to extract the queen ant next when…

“My king…”

Jinwoo froze at the voice coming from behind him. He didn’t spook easily, but his heart had almost stopped. Had it been an auditory hallucination?

He looked back, but even without checking, he knew for a fact that there was only one energy signature—that of the shadow ant. He was still on one knee with his head bowed.

……

Jinwoo slowly faced him.

“Was that you?”

The waiting shadow opened his mouth once more.

“Please permit me…a name…”

The shadow’s speech was faltering, but the words were definitely coming out of his mouth.

The helicopter carrying the hunters headed straight for Seoul.

Tmp-tmp-tmp-tmp-tmp-tmp!

When it landed on the roof of the Hunter’s Association, President Go himself anxiously flung open the door.

“How is Hunter Cha doing?”

The hunters’ gazes moved to where she lay unconscious on top of a blanket on the helicopter floor.

“Come quickly!”

The two waiting A-rank healers rushed in at President Go’s order.

“……?”

“……?”

The two healers looked at each other in confusion.

“Is there something wrong?”

They simultaneously answered the president.

“She has no injuries…”

“Everything looks normal…”

“Are you saying you don’t need to treat Hunter Cha?”

The healers nodded and explained further. “I don’t know whose handiwork this was, but powerful healing magic was used on her. There’s nothing for us to do.”

President Go was perplexed. Her injuries had looked quite serious on the live broadcast. He had also received a report indicating that she was unconscious and in bad shape, which was why he had urgently searched for two A-rank healers and brought them here.

But…

She doesn’t need treatment?

President Go scanned Haein thoroughly. It was true that her complexion didn’t look bad. In fact, it seemed like she was merely sleeping.

What had happened while the camera was off?

He cocked his head.

There was no other healer…

Byunggu had been the only healer on the team, and he’d met a tragic end.

He turned to Dongwook, the leader.

“What happened, Hunter Ma?”

“The thing is…”

While Dongwook hesitated, unsure of how to explain things, one of the A-rank healers called out.

“Hunter Cha is waking up!”

Everyone’s eyes were on her at once.

President Go, who had carefully sat down beside Haein, asked, “Hunter Cha, how do you feel?”

Haein slowly opened her eyes. “Where…?”

“You’re inside a helicopter that has landed at the Hunter’s Association. You’ll be transferred to a hospital soon.”

“Hospital…?”

Haein inhaled deeply and then looked around her. She was surrounded by Jinwoo’s scent. She stared at President Go with bleary eyes.

“…Was Hunter Sung here?”

The other hunters were surprised to hear her mention Jinwoo, since he’d arrived after she’d been knocked unconscious. President Go elected to slowly nod instead of answering her.

Haein smiled faintly.

I knew it… It wasn’t a dream.

Haein then fell back into a deep sleep. After confirming that her breathing was stable, President Go ordered his men to transfer her to the hospital so she could recover properly.

That’s when he realized that Jinwoo wasn’t there. He eyed Dongwook again.

“So where is Hunter Sung?”

Yoonho jumped into the conversation. “Hunter Sung…wanted to stay behind.”

“Stay behind?” President Go couldn’t comprehend what Yoonho was saying.

He knew for a fact that the helicopter, outfitted with a mana-powered engine, had come straight here from Jeju Island. It hadn’t made any stops along the way, so where exactly was Jinwoo staying?

President Go asked again. “Where on earth do you mean?”

“Hunter Sung still had some business to take care of on Jeju Island.”

“…Are you saying he didn’t board the helicopter at all?”

President Go sounded alarmed, but Yoonho simply gave an awkward laugh and nodded.

“Yes.”

“How can you talk?”

“I just…can.”

While the shadow ant answered all of Jinwoo’s questions, his responses unfortunately weren’t very helpful. Was he able to talk because he was Jinwoo’s shadow soldier or because he had been able to talk before the fact?

No.

Jinwoo shook his head. Iron, his loyal knight, had originally been a hunter named Chul Kim. He had been able to speak when he was human but remained mute now. Byunggu had been the same. He’d gone back to the void without uttering a single word. Fang used to be a talkative magic beast but had stopped speaking after becoming a shadow soldier. So how come this one was able to talk? There was only one difference between him and the others.

Their rank…

The other soldiers were either elite knight or knight rank, but this shadow soldier was a never-before-seen general rank. In other words, his shadow soldiers should gain the ability to speak after achieving a certain rank. That was his running theory, since Jinwoo didn’t have any irrefutable evidence to support this.

Maybe my current soldiers will also be able to talk as their ranks go up…

It seemed Jinwoo had gained one more reason to increase his soldiers’ ranks. He thought about it for a moment, then decided to ask the ant something he’d always been curious about.

“I was the one who killed you.”

“……”

“So why do you follow me so easily?”

“I…”

The shadow’s answer was completely unexpected.

“…I didn’t die…I was reborn…by my master’s power…”

The soldier lifted his head. He looked Jinwoo square in the eyes and continued.

“Within my body now…there is overflowing…joy. I will follow only…my master for eternity.”

Ba-dump!

Why was his heart beating so fast? Was it because Jinwoo could feel the shadow’s sincerity? When the shadow ant swore his eternal loyalty, Jinwoo’s heart began to race. He had to place his hand on his chest to calm it. His heart quickly slowed to its normal speed.

The shadow soldier lowered his head once more.

“My king…please permit me a name,” he desperately asked Jinwoo.

And so the conversation had come full circle. It was a strange experience to be prompted by a soldier rather than by the system.

A name, a name…

Until now, Jinwoo hadn’t put much thought into his soldiers’ names.

But it’s not like I can just call this shadow Ant or Bug, can I?

Jinwoo had several shadow ants already in his ranks, so if Jinwoo named him Ant, it wouldn’t have the authoritative ring befitting a general.

So Jinwoo actually pondered for a bit before grinning.

“Beru.”

He’d be named after the famous French author of the science fiction novel about an empire of ants.

He didn’t waste time agonizing over this decision.

“Your name is Beru.”

Beru bowed his head even lower than before in gratitude.

“Thank you…Master.”

The information above Beru’s head reflected the change.

Done.

Jinwoo regarded the new name with pride and then turned.

It was time for the queen. The shadow extraction from the queen went smoothly as Jinwoo’s confidence had received a boost from Beru’s successful summon.

“Arise.”

SKREEEEE!

A shadow beast identical to the queen rose up with a deafening screech.

“Nice!”

Jinwoo was about to celebrate his success but blinked after sensing something strange.

Hmm?

As soon as the queen’s shadow was created, the connections between Jinwoo’s shadow-ant soldiers grew faint, like the lines connecting him and the soldiers were covered in fog.

“Ber—”

Beru was already at his side before he could finish calling his name.

Tak.

If it wasn’t for Jinwoo’s increased perception stat, he wouldn’t have been able to follow Beru’s movements at all. For such a beast to be Jinwoo’s loyal soldier now… Jinwoo’s confidence soared.

“Do you know what’s happening here?”

Jinwoo gestured toward the queen with his chin. Beru knew how the ants worked better than any of his other soldiers.

Beru stood at attention as he answered. “Ruling the army of ants is…the queen’s unique ability.”

Ah… So this meant the control of the ants had immediately transferred to the queen.

That’s…

Though the queen answered to Jinwoo, he felt somewhat inconvenienced by the situation. He wouldn’t be able to give them orders directly.

Jinwoo rubbed his chin in thought.

“And why did the queen’s magic power decrease?”

“Most of the queen’s magic power is…for breeding. Breeding isn’t possible without…a physical body, so—”

Jinwoo cut Beru off. “That’s why her magic power is half of what it used to be?”

“That is correct…Master.”

After putting everything together based on Beru’s information, Jinwoo concluded that the queen wouldn’t be useful to him after all. In the end, Jinwoo decided to release the queen. There wasn’t any reason to keep a subordinate who just took up space in his army, was there?

SKREEEEE!

The queen’s shadow turned to smoke and dispersed into the air.

He had already maxed out his soldiers.

All that’s left is collecting essence stones, right?

Jinwoo looked around. Essence stones of the highest quality, the likes of which could be found only in S-rank dungeons, were everywhere like ordinary pebbles. With no one to stop him, he could’ve kept all the essence stones for himself if he so chose.

But Jinwoo reined in any selfishness. He’d been told that these essence stones would be used to compensate victims and rebuild Jeju Island back to its former glory. Jinwoo wasn’t desperate enough to claim something of which he had no ownership.

Still, I can take this one, can’t I?

He removed the gem from Beru’s corpse. It was a beautiful jewellike essence stone that was pitch-black in color.

He pocketed the stone and summoned Kaisel.

Kreeeeee!

Kaisel flapped his wings, ready to fly. Jinwoo mounted the dragon’s back and briefly scanned the queen’s den.

Silence had settled in the once-clamorous space.

……

The Jeju Island expedition was finally over.

Jinwoo turned toward the exit.

“Let’s go home.”

With that, Kaisel soared into the sky.