005- Who Are You

The Magi shimmered all over the monster's body.
That black, haze-like smoke was the source of the monster's power, and at the same time, it was an armor that deflected most attacks and impacts.
So he was worried this arrow might not work, but...

'If it doesn't, I'll have to give up.'

He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
With a little anxiety and a lot of tension, Jinwoo released the hand holding the bowstring.
Perhaps because it was an old bow, the tension was weak. Even the sound of the string being released was feeble.
Still, the arrow flew reasonably fast.
Fortunately, the arrow flew straight into the cave and struck the head of the bear crouching inside.

—KRRHUUUUUOOOONG!

It pierced the black smoke and hit it right in the eye!
The result was better than expected. Jinwoo clenched his fist and threw the bow aside. There was no time to shoot a second arrow.

BOOM! K-KOOM!

The enraged bear slammed its body against the cave walls and shot out like a cannonball.
Then it charged madly in the direction the arrow came from—that is, toward Jinwoo's position.
Jinwoo, having anticipated this, ran as calmly as possible toward the area where he had prepared the traps.
Calmly, he told himself, but his heart was pounding, and his head was hot.
Still, he tried to maintain his composure as much as possible, constantly recalling the plan and route he had set up.

His eyes focused, and the surrounding scenery blurred. With a concentration similar to when he had fled from the Elf, he leaped over a thick log lying horizontally.

—KRRHUNG!

KWAA-JIJIK!

The moment he jumped, he heard the sound of wood being crushed behind him.
He didn't need to look back to know what had happened to the log.
If he got caught, he was dead.
His entire body would be pulverized before he could even register that he'd been caught.

Maintaining a focus as sharp as walking on a knife's edge, Jinwoo took out a knife and cut a rope as he passed it.
THUD!
The pre-bent tree branch was released, striking the bear.
For the first time, Jinwoo glanced back.
The result of the first trap was...

KRRHUUUONG!

...nothing.
The charging bear didn't even flinch from being hit by a tree branch.
Its body, shrouded in black smoke, crashed through every tree and rock in its way, charging straight for Jinwoo.
It was the same at the spot where he had set the snare.
The thin wire bit fiercely into the bear's ankle, but it snapped it as if it were a spider's web.
The pit he had dug with a shovel to trip it was also useless.
If anything, the beast used the pit as a foothold to leap even higher, trying to strike Jinwoo's back.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Feeling the encroaching presence of death, Jinwoo scrambled to get out of the way.
He squeezed his already screaming thigh muscles and dove forward.
Just ahead was a narrow gap between a thick tree and a rock, a space just big enough for a person to pass through, but too small for the bear.

BOOM! CRACK!

Of course, the beast just bulldozed its way through.
All the traps and obstacles so far had failed to slow it down even a little.
In the end, it caught up to Jinwoo.
A front paw, wreathed in black smoke, swiped at Jinwoo's side.

"Aaaaaaaack!"

Jinwoo's body flew like a ball and slammed into a nearby tree.
Blood streamed from his side where the paw had grazed him, and a shock that made it hard to breathe shot up from his back where he'd hit the tree.
Even so, Jinwoo couldn't afford to stay down.
The bear had already closed in and was raising its paw to strike him.

'The spear!'

He had to block it.
Fortunately, he had the spear from Mark's corpse. Perhaps its long, sturdy shaft could block a paw of such monstrous strength.

KWAJIK!

No.
He thought it was a decent spear, but the bear's paw instantly shattered the shaft and clawed at Jinwoo's chest.
The only silver lining was that the shaft seemed to have absorbed a good deal of the impact, so the wound on Jinwoo's body wasn't immediately fatal.
But it was still a serious injury.

'Damn it.'

The bear raised its paw again.
Standing on two legs with the sun at its back, the bear raising its paw toward Jinwoo looked no different from an executioner dropping a guillotine.

WHOOOSH—!

As the claws descended, the only thing Jinwoo could believe in was the sword in his hand.
'The sword.'
The standard-issue sword that appeared from his inventory into his hand.
The blade's craftsmanship was clumsy, and the hilt's finish was poor, with a leather strap coming loose and dangling.
It must have been made from cheap scrap iron, as the color of the blade wasn't clean, but speckled as if mixed with dust.
And yet, when he held it, everything changed.

His breathing stabilized, and his posture shifted.
Even without the achievement of having felled a wolf with a single stroke, Jinwoo's instincts themselves considered him complete while holding the sword.
Perhaps it was more accurate to call it a sense of oneness than a sense of security.
It wasn't simply that the sword felt like a part of his body.
He felt a sense of unity with the sword from a place deeper than his physical form. It told him that by holding the sword, his very existence became more complete.
However, his sword ability had already been awakened.
He had heard that it was difficult for a Hunter's ability to awaken further in the same area.
For example, if someone like Jinwoo had awakened abilities in their 'legs' and 'sword,' it was extremely rare for those legs and sword to awaken again.
A single awakening was already a breakthrough of one's limits; it was not possible to break through those limits again without some profound realization.

[A Fragment of a Past Life emerges.]

Therefore, this was a miracle that Jinwoo could not understand.
Something he did not know, but his past life did.
[You shall cut its soul and covet it.]

His head spun. His mind was pushed to its absolute limit, and his vision blurred as if he would collapse at any moment.
Within that dizzying vision, something shone.
Inside the monster's body, at its very core, was a shape like a burning blue flame.
The beast's size, the way it was swinging its paw—none of that entered Jinwoo's eyes.
The sword Jinwoo swung was drawn as if mesmerized toward the blue flame at the creature's core, and—

Hwaaa—

—he cut it in a single stroke.
The low-grade iron sword, a mere standard-issue item, pierced the monster's black smoke, and cut through its hide, muscle, and even bone.
The sight of the giant bear's body being bisected was truly overwhelming, but what Jinwoo was seeing was something else entirely.
The image of the blue flame being severed.
The cut flame, as if in a final struggle, flared up before scattering, breaking apart, and being sucked into Jinwoo's sword as if absorbed.
The flame wasn't just in the beast; it was in Jinwoo, too.
The beast's flame, drawn in through the sword, merged with Jinwoo's flame, which then flared up a little larger.

'What is this...'

In his shimmering, distorted vision, he could only see the blue flame.
The beast had it, Jinwoo had it, and so did the grass, the trees, the chirping birds, and the crying insects.
There were only differences in size and hue.
The sudden expansion of his senses and the flood of information forced Jinwoo's mind into a shutdown.
With eyelids as heavy as lead, Jinwoo managed to push them open and looked at the being before him.
Next to the bisected, fallen corpse of the monster, he saw a figure he had seen before.
The long-eared, black-haired Elf.
She had approached with all of her presence concealed. Anyone who had not reached a considerable level of mastery would not have easily noticed her presence with their ears or their skin.

"&#%#$......."

She was muttering something, staring at the black bear's corpse in astonishment.
When she realized Jinwoo was looking at her, she looked back, surprised once again that her presence had been detected.
She had approached hiding her breath, her footsteps, even the sound of her heartbeat. How?
It wasn't Jinwoo's eyes or ears that had noticed her.
He had simply felt the presence of the blue flame burning in the center of the Elf's body.
The flame she projected in Jinwoo's eyes was far more orderly and beautiful than the monster's, resembling a flower bud made from a traditional craft.

'Damn it...'

He had to run, but he couldn't.
It was good that he had noticed the Elf's presence, but he didn't have the strength to hold onto his consciousness.
The eyelids he had barely managed to lift were forced shut. Like a film snapping, his consciousness faded into darkness.

"Hut!"

Snapping to his senses, Jinwoo shot up and scanned his surroundings.
The sword was still in his hand, ready for battle at a moment's notice.
But Jinwoo quickly realized there were no enemies.
A sixth sense, completely different from sight or hearing—the one that detected blue flames—told him there were no threats to be wary of nearby.

'Did I awaken a detection ability?'
... No.
He remembered the final moment.
The moment he cut down the monster with this iron sword. The moment he severed and absorbed the blue candle flame burning at its core.
The detection ability to sense his surroundings through the flames was likely just a secondary effect derived from that power.
Well, that aside.

'I'm fine. The monster's corpse is still here... huh? My wounds have healed a bit, too?'
Jinwoo examined his own body and was stunned.

Of course. Here is the translation of the provided text.

---

Translation

Although this wasn’t the 3rd Realm and the location was just a movie theater, the Shadow’s stealth ability was still formidable. Even she, an S-class Hunter, hadn’t been able to find it, which spoke volumes.

Kkeu, kkeu reureu reuk…

And yet, Jinwoo had found and pierced it.

He had pierced its heart—a weak point for most creatures, but an especially fatal one for draconic species—in a single blow.

The sword that had bored through its tough scales, torn through flesh and bone, and plunged into its heart.

She couldn’t take her eyes off that sword.

It was the first time. The first time she had ever felt so captivated by a sword. Even when she saw the swords of other S-class Hunters, she would only think they were impressive, never feeling captivated. As a Druid, magic and spirit arts were far more appealing to her.

But Jinwoo's sword was different. It was undeniably drawing her gaze.

Come to think of it, the sword itself was unusual. A white gem was embedded in its pommel, and she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from it.

This feeling…

Chartia was no fool. The strange, unidentifiable feeling she was experiencing, and the fact that Jinwoo’s ability seemed quite powerful. These two points created a single possibility.

Could he, like me, be the reincarnation of an Elf?

If so, it would explain everything.

Her fascination with his sword was because his swordsmanship was Elven. Perhaps that was why she felt a sense of nostalgia at a soul-deep level.

I have to protect him.

If that was the case, she had to protect his secret. Seoul seemed more tolerant of Elves than New York, but at the end of the day, it was all the same.

There were surely many colleagues and bereaved families of Hunters killed by Elves in Seoul, too. If it was discovered his past life was an Elf, he might suffer the same fate she had.

She had to protect him so that wouldn't happen. The ugly duckling realizes it's a swan and lives as one, but they couldn't do that.

Their past lives were Elven, but they were human now. Living as Elves was a choice they couldn't make, nor did they want to.

They had to live in the human world, through and through. That's why they couldn't survive if they were ostracized by humans.

Jinwoo.

Towards this comrade, the first she'd met in the same circumstances, she felt a strong sense of kinship and attraction.

---

When he came out of the movie theater, the sky had already cleared.

The energy of the Erosion had vanished as if washed away, and the original blue sky stretched above.

The surroundings were still quiet, as the military had set up barricades at the Erosion's border and were controlling the crowds.

When he returned to the library, the building was completely unharmed.

Chartia's forest, which had swallowed the library inside the Erosion, was not here. An Erosion was a different, hidden world, so no matter how much that world was destroyed, reality remained unaffected.

Inside the library, the surviving civilians were hugging each other in joy. Off to one side, Chartia was surrounded by people in suits.

"Chartia! You've protected the citizens of Seoul!"

A very important-looking man, flanked by a large retinue of military, police, and aides, was talking to her. He was a giant of a man, looking about one-and-a-half times the size of a normal person, and his large frame was paired with eyes welling up with emotion. He looked incredibly moved.

Isn't that the mayor?

Jinwoo was quite surprised to see a face he'd seen several times on TV. Still, it made sense. An Erosion of this scale unfolding in the middle of the city was certainly an issue that would have the mayor rushing out to the scene.

Should I just leave quietly?

The mayor, who could be called the head of the city, and his elite aides. Beside them was a military officer with four stars on his shoulder and a high-ranking police official with a chest full of decorations. As someone who had lived his entire life as an ordinary citizen, Jinwoo couldn't even imagine joining that impressive group.

Just then, Chartia, who had been only half-listening to Ma Doo-sik, spotted Jinwoo and her eyes lit up.

"Jinwoo! Over here! Come here!"

As Chartia jumped up and down while waving, the entire group turned their heads in unison to look at Jinwoo.

In the wave of gazes pouring over him, Jinwoo hesitated. He considered pretending he hadn't heard, but he couldn't just leave when she was calling for him so energetically.

"Hello. My name is Ma Doo-sik, and I have the honor of serving as mayor.”

"Ah, yes. I'm Kang Jinwoo."

Jinwoo shook the hand Ma Doo-sik offered. The bear-like man's palm was as big as a cauldron lid, large enough to almost completely envelop Jinwoo's hand. It felt like if he squeezed even a little, a hand like his could be crushed with ease.

Come to think of it, I heard Mayor Ma Doo-sik was also a former S-class Hunter…

With fists like these, he could probably dismantle something like that Shadow with his bare hands.

"So you're Hunter Kang Jinwoo. I've heard a lot about you. That you accomplished something big on your very first Gate."

"Huh? You've heard my name?"

"Of course. The Director of the Hunter Management Bureau reported it to me on the hotline."

???

The Bureau Director reported directly to the Mayor? About catching that bear? It's true I got a D-class mana stone and the carcass sold for a staggering price, so it must have been an incredible monster, but…

Whether it was because of that incident or this one, Ma Doo-sik wasn't treating Jinwoo like a rookie Hunter.

What kind of rookie in the world could fell a boss-level monster from a primeval forest in a single strike and find an Erosion Core that even Chartia couldn't?

In fact, Ma Doo-sik's eyes held a strong desire as he looked at Jinwoo.

I absolutely cannot let a foreign country snatch him up.

Just as he had proposed naturalization to Chartia, foreign countries were also pouring their efforts into recruiting Hunters. If information about Jinwoo were to leak out amidst all this, they would undoubtedly dispatch agents. Until the day he received the report from the Bureau, Jinwoo had just been a person of interest, but after finding the Erosion's Core today, it was now confirmed.

"I heard from Chartia. You cut down the Erosion's Core."

"Yes."

Jinwoo nodded.

"The library and the movie theater aren't exactly close. Did you awaken some kind of search-type ability?"

"Something like that."

In truth, it was the ability to cut the flame of life, but since it also included the ability to sense that flame, it wasn't a lie.

"A Searcher. To be able to detect a Shadow with less than a month of experience… you have the talent of an S-class Searcher."

"Oh, I'm not that great… For reference, what kind of standing does an S-class Searcher have?"

"In terms of value, they can name their price. Searching and reconnaissance are the most dangerous parts of a Gate, and there are very few Hunters skilled at it. Searchers and Healers are usually valued about half a rank higher.”

"So an S-class Searcher is like an S+?"

“Well, there's no S+ rank, so that comparison is a bit off, but if an A-class Searcher applies to an S-class Hunter's party, they're often accepted."

"Wow."

The value of a search ability was higher than he thought. To think you could easily get into a party one rank higher.

Jinwoo thought back to his own experience. What had been the hardest part for him in the Gate? Not being able to sense the stalking Elf's presence, not knowing what monster might be waiting 100 meters ahead, not being able to go near the stream after the first day, and so on. All these problems arose from his inability to search. If he'd had just one teammate with a search ability, his range of movement would have been much wider.

I've also gained an ability to sense monsters and living beings, so I could apply as a Searcher! I should remember this info that Searchers can get into parties a rank higher.

Of course, right now he was an F-class Hunter with only one Gate entry on his record, so even with the Searcher classification, he could only get into an E-class party at best.

"On behalf of the city, I thank you for your work on this Erosion. Since the two of you essentially resolved it, there will be a reward from the city."

"Are you going to give us a plaque or something?"

“That's a possibility. I'd like to discuss that with you…” Ma Doo-sik looked around. The city, having just been freed from the Erosion, was still in a state of chaos. As the one in charge, he had a mountain of things to do. "I'd really like to treat you, but how does sometime next week sound? It's difficult to make time right now."

"You want to have a meal?"

"To put it simply, yes."

Jinwoo's expression soured. The title of 'Mayor' was intimidating, and the bear-like physique was intimidating too. Being asked so suddenly, there was no way he'd feel inclined…

"For the venue, how about Restaurant Jeong-un? It's considered the best restaurant in Seoul for fine dining. I'll be treating you out of my own pocket."

"Let's have a meal."

…is what he was thinking, but he had taken the bait before he even realized it.

Jeong-un was a restaurant that the foodie YouTube channel Jinwoo watched every day uploaded a video about at least once a year. The reviews always said that while it was expensive, it was worth every penny. And now he was being treated for free? He found himself nodding before he could even think.

"Can I go, too?"

"Chartia? Didn't you say you were only staying in Seoul until this week before leaving?"

"I think it'd be fine to stay a little longer. And I have something to talk about."

"If Hunter Kang Jinwoo is okay with it, then I'd welcome you. What do you think?"

"Sure."

An extra person wouldn't make the food taste any worse.

As Jinwoo gave a casual nod, both Chartia's and Ma Doo-sik's faces brightened.

This was natural enough. Even if it comes with some extra baggage…

This has become the perfect opportunity to stake my claim on Hunter Kang Jinwoo and also entice Chartia. I must clear my schedule for next week.

As they each harbored their own thoughts, the three-person meeting was set.

They say the lamb there is to die for. Come to think of it, I've never had lamb before.

Amidst them, Jinwoo was just licking his lips.

---

Ma Doo-sik left to handle the cleanup, leaving only Jinwoo and Chartia.

Once the impressive figures, including the mayor, had departed, the people who had survived the Erosion swarmed Chartia to express their gratitude.

“Thank you, Hunter-nim! We survived thanks to you!”

"I thought I'd never see my mom again. Hic, waaaah."

All sorts of people flocked to her to offer their thanks. Though it must have been overwhelming, Chartia responded skillfully, returning their sentiments.

Not only that, but she also grabbed Jinwoo's arm and raised it high.

"The one who found the Core and ended this Erosion is Hunter Kang Jinwoo right here! I only protected everyone; he's the one who finished it!"

"Waaaaah!"

"Kang Jinwoo! Kang Jinwoo!"

"Who's Kang Jinwoo? I've memorized all the A-class and above Hunters, but I've never heard that name before."

It seemed at least one person couldn't quite get on board with the mood, but overall, it wasn't a bad atmosphere.

Jinwoo had no idea what was suddenly happening, but he figured, what the hell.

He raised his other hand, and the cheers erupted even louder.

"Waaaaah!"

"Pfft, so you're not one to shy away from this kind of thing, Jinwoo," Chartia teased.

"Well, it's fun and feels good. I'm not used to it, though."

"You'll have to get used to it. Like the mayor said, you're going to be an S-class Hunter. You'll hear cheers much louder than this."

"Aren't you throwing the term 'S-class' around too much? You're not just making empty promises, are you?"

"But it's true."

Despite her words, Jinwoo couldn't imagine himself becoming S-class. That was especially true after seeing Chartia's ability to take over the entire library and the nearby roads, making them her domain. Right now, his only specialty was being a little good with a sword. Could he really become S-class with just that?

"Whew."

"It's finally over."

After a little while, the two managed to slip away from the crowd. Jinwoo let out a small sigh. So much had happened today. Getting caught in an Erosion, meeting incredible people like an S-class Hunter and the mayor…

But Jinwoo hadn't forgotten his original purpose. The thing he'd wanted to find out when he first left home today.

"Chartia. If it's not too much trouble, could I ask about your past life?"

"Of course."

Jinwoo was surprised by her immediate and cheerful agreement. As far as he knew, Chartia had faced a great deal of criticism in New York society because of her Elven past life. "Criticism" was a mild word for what was essentially bullying and ostracization. He had been prepared to get slapped at the very least.

"I would've refused anyone else, but for you, it's okay."

"Why me?"

"You know why."

"?"

I really don't know.

He genuinely had no idea why she was making an exception for him, but for now, his questions about Elves came first.

"Is it true your past life was an Elf?"

"That's right. You seem to have a deep curiosity about Elves, don't you? You were only reading books about them in the library, too."

"There's something I want to know."

"Let's move first."

Chartia gestured for them to change locations. A discussion about past lives wasn't something to have on a busy street.

"Where are we going? It's probably not a coffee shop."

There were only a few places suitable for a secret conversation. Jinwoo's house, or the hotel she was staying at?

But her response was completely unexpected. Instead of words, she pulled a ball-like object from her inventory and tossed it to Jinwoo.

When he caught it, he saw it was a motorcycle helmet. In the blink of an eye, a sleek black motorcycle had appeared beside her.

"Have you ever been outside the city?"

"Yes. My house's storage shed is outside the city."

"What? A storage shed?"

"My house is built right on the barrier…"

Chartia squinted at him as if he were talking nonsense. He had to admit, it sounded ridiculous even to him. Living in a house straddling the barrier.

But what could he do? It was the place with the cheapest rent. In this day and age, when even places on the outskirts cost at least 300,000 won a month, his house was a mere 100,000 won. Even the utility bills were cheap.

"Anyway, shall we go for a drive? Don't worry about monsters."

No one would worry about that when accompanied by an S-class Hunter. However.

"Chartia. Isn't most of the land outside the city 'black land'?"

"Not all of it, but most of it is. It's where they failed to clear the Erosions."

"Failed? Does that mean the Erosion Cores are still there?"

“Yes. But destroying the Cores now won't make the black land disappear."

Jinwoo quickly put on the helmet and got on the back of the motorcycle first. It was Chartia's bike, and besides, he didn't have a motorcycle license.

"Let's go."

The wounds on his side and chest from the monster had been partially treated.
To be precise, the wounds themselves were still there, but the contamination from the Magi had been completely healed.
This meant he’d been treated with a purification potion or a holy art.
But who did it?
It was obvious who. Jinwoo clearly remembered locking eyes with her the moment he lost consciousness.
The question wasn't who, but why.
Jinwoo shook his head. He had given up on trying to guess that Elf’s thoughts long ago.
"Time to go home."
In any case, his body was healed, and he had survived.
All that was left was to truly go home.
Jinwoo felt a wave of relief at the fact that he had somehow overcome the crisis.
It wasn't a perfect performance, and there were many moments of immaturity, but he had survived in the end, and that was enough.
After placing the monster's bisected corpse into his inventory, Jinwoo noticed a sword stuck in the ground next to it.
A sword with a white gem embedded in it.
It was the jeweled sword the Elf had been carrying when they first met by the stream.
He picked up the sword without a word.
Just by gripping the hilt, he could feel it. This was a masterwork, hundreds of times superior to the iron sword issued by the Bureau.
He was about to head to the rocky cave where the blue portal was, but then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, he scrawled something on the ground.
He didn't think the Elf could read Korean, but still.

---

His work finished, Jinwoo finally sought out the blue portal and threw himself inside.

The black-haired woman returned to the spot Jinwoo had just left.
She had originally planned to leave as well, but Jinwoo's final action had piqued her interest.
On the dirt floor where the sword had been left, a few unfamiliar characters were written.
When she raised her finger, a small cluster of light formed at its tip.
"Can you read the intention dwelling in these letters?" she asked the cluster of light.
While it was impossible to read the letters themselves, she could read the residual intent left behind from the act of writing.
It wasn't a perfect translation, but she could grasp the general meaning. For freshly written letters like these, a fairly accurate understanding was possible.
After a moment of examining the letters, the cluster of light replied.
An expression of gratitude. A name. And a question.
"There's a name written?"
Life sparked in the woman's eyes as she committed the string of characters Jinwoo had written to memory.
She didn't know which part was the name or how to read it, but she figured a day would come when she would find out.
"What's the question?"
—Who are you?
"Oh, my."
For reasons she couldn't explain, her mood lifted.
She scuffed out the letters in the dirt with her foot, then disappeared into the forest, humming a little tune.
She headed in the opposite direction of Jinwoo, toward where the red portal was.