Translator: Nox
Chapter: Chapter 40
The Territory Dispute of Young Creatures
The building was blackened with ash.
The researchers stood in front of it, faces blank with despair.
Was this what a bolt from the blue felt like? Suddenly, a giant bird had appeared and crashed through the wall.
A strange man wearing a bizarre Bone Helmet had ransacked the interior. The result was what they saw now.
The research lab, now a pile of ashes, seemed to offer nothing salvageable.
Everything, from the main computer to the detached annex where data was backed up, had been burned.
"Oh, no..."
"What on earth is this! Do you think you'll get away with this?"
"Whoever you are, we'll find you!"
"And what will you do when you find me?"
The researchers, who had been shouting with such vigor, were silenced.
Their opponent was someone who rode a Parrot Poison Bird. Someone who could command a high-level Awakened with Pyrokinesis with a mere gesture.
What could they possibly do against such a person? Still, driven by spite, they shouted.
"We'll catch you and bring you to justice!"
"Oh, really? Then come and get me."
Cheon Dowoon flicked his hand. The thread that came from his fingertip made a sound like tearing through the wind. Starting with that, the trees in the area began to fall one by one.
Thump, thump, thump. The sound grew fainter and fainter as the trees fell like dominoes, centered around Cheon Dowoon.
The researchers froze, unable to move as it continued endlessly.
"No way. What is this..."
A lush mountain had instantly turned into a plain.
Even now, the sound of trees falling could be heard from beyond their sight.
Cheon Dowoon looked at each of the researchers one by one.
"Come and get me. I'll come and get you too."
The researchers stumbled backward and collapsed. The dry voice, like someone reading a book, had never sounded so chilling.
The researchers, averting their gazes, ultimately couldn't say anything. No matter how important the research was, it wasn't worth their lives.
Cheon Dowoon looked at them and then climbed onto the bird.
"Tear down the building."
At Cheon Dowoon's command, Nam Ki-seok reached out his hand.
The fireball shot from his hand collided with the building and exploded. A firestorm erupted, erasing the very trace of the building.
The researchers were blown backward by the gust and rolled across the ground.
As Nam Ki-seok climbed onto the bird, the Parrot Poison Bird soared into the sky.
The researchers could only watch with blank faces.
* * *
The Parrot Poison Bird landed on a mountain near the slum.
Cheon Dowoon, who had guided it there, broke the Return Stone and sent the bird back first.
"I need to give that guy a name too. I can't think of anything suitable."
"How about asking Big Sis Bird and Big Bro Bird to come up with some name candidates? They're the same avian family, so they might have some insight."
"Ask them? Well, that might not be a bad idea."
He already knew that their naming sense was on the verge of hell.
It wasn't a bad idea to get help from others here.
"Now, take off that face covering. Cover this with that cloth and follow me."
He took off the Bone Helmet and handed it over. Nam Ki-seok unwound the cloth he had been wearing around his head and wrapped it around the helmet.
As they descended the mountain, they could hear the lively discussions of the slum residents here and there.
"Did you see? That bird came again!"
"It looked like it went to the mountain behind us. Shouldn't we report it to the Hunter Association?"
"I already reported it. But when I said someone was flying around on a Parrot Poison Bird, they just hung up. They told me not to make prank calls."
Nam Ki-seok laughed at the words he overheard.
'I understand. If a stranger heard that, they would never believe it.'
It wouldn't be long before it was revealed that this wasn't a false report.
A research lab had been destroyed by a Bone Helmet-wearing monster who appeared on a Parrot Poison Bird, so it was bound to be on the news.
Enjoying the murmurs around them as they walked, they arrived at the Alchemist Association branch.
The association building was undergoing interior construction, unlike before.
"Ah, Teacher! You've arrived."
Chief Kim, who had been directing the workers outside, smiled brightly when he saw Cheon Dowoon.
"It's a bit noisy, isn't it? We're doing some remodeling. Hahaha. Come in. The inside is clean since the interior work is finished."
Chief Kim led the two into the office.
Nam Ki-seok gave Chief Kim a fervent look.
'Is that person the Alchemist with S-Class potential? The one who will make my scalp lush again.'
Chief Kim was sweating under that intense gaze.
'Why is he like that? Did I save his life in a past life or something?'
That's the kind of intense look it was. Eventually, unable to resist his curiosity, Chief Kim spoke first.
"Who is the person next to you?"
"I'm Nam Ki-seok! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Filled with joy, Nam Ki-seok jumped up and bowed deeply.
"I heard about you from Big Bro. You're someone with the potential to reach S-Class."
"M-Me?"
Chief Kim looked at Cheon Dowoon with a flustered expression. He had received an A+ rating, but he had never heard such a thing.
There were a total of 7 Hunter ranks.
F to A were common. S was treated as an extremely rare exception.
The + sign after the rank was just an indication that there was a high possibility of promotion, and it wasn't treated as a rank in itself.
A mere 7 ranks.
But there was a gap as wide as the sky and the earth between each rank.
The higher the rank, the greater the gap, so by the time you reached S-Class, it was safe to say you had transcended the realm of humans.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding. I'm not S-Class, but A+ Class. I only received this + sign 20 years ago, so I gave up on promotion a long time ago."
"That's not true. You've just built a wall for yourself, thinking it's impossible. You can do it, so try."
Cheon Dowoon said. Chief Kim's mouth dropped open at the casual words.
Someone with that much power wouldn't say something frivolous. Then, did he really have that potential?
Chief Kim's heart raced.
The passion that had faded with age was stirring somewhere in his chest.
"Alchemist Awakened... It's a field where it's difficult to produce high-level ability users."
"I know."
"If I become S-Class, I'll have the world's first title in Alchemy. Is such a thing possible for me?"
"Yeah. It's possible."
Chief Kim clenched his fist at the quiet, confident answer.
An invisible wall crumbled from within. It was the fixed idea that had defined his own limits.
"Anyway. I came today because of this."
Cheon Dowoon took out 6 feathers from his bag.
"Find out if you can remove the Spell engraved on the owner of these feathers. You should be able to recognize the power imbued in the feathers."
"I understand. Are there any clues to undoing the Spell?"
"It's a Spell engraved about 70 years ago."
Chief Kim looked troubled at Cheon Dowoon's words.
"That's quite an old Spell. It must have used outdated formulas that aren't used now."
70 years ago was only 20 years after the Gate opened.
That era was a time of chaos. There was a high possibility that it was an outdated formula that wasn't even recorded.
Figuring that out and interpreting it was what he had to do. Chief Kim nodded with a serious face.
"I'll try."
"Good. Then you two can talk comfortably. I'll be outside."
He had guessed why Nam Ki-seok had asked him to introduce Chief Kim, so he gave them some space.
Someone with that kind of potential would be able to make the medicine Nam Ki-seok wanted.
Even if it wasn't right away, it would be resolved when Chief Kim's abilities blossomed. Cheon Dowoon was certain of that.
* * *
Nam Ki-seok came out of the association with a bright face.
"Did you take care of everything?"
"Yes, Big Bro. What a coincidence, he's been secretly researching this field for 20 years. Hair loss medicine is a field that even Alchemists haven't conquered. He's been continuing his research out of spite, so he's been doing it for 20 years."
He even heard that he was close to reaching his goal.
"He said he'd contact me first when the medicine is completed."
"That's good. I won't have to ask Kim Nari to cut my hair."
Nam Ki-seok's shoulders twitched.
"And one of the Roots in my garden won't suddenly disappear one day."
"T-That would never happen. Hahaha."
Nam Ki-seok laughed awkwardly.
"Anyway. Meeting Big Bro has been a great stroke of luck in my life."
It was a statement made to change the subject, but it was sincere.
If he just followed this person, he would reach the peak of his life.
He didn't know where that peak was, but he was sure it would be a choice he wouldn't regret. He had that conviction.
Cheon Dowoon chuckled and broke the Return Stone.
On the way home. Both of them, having resolved all their business, walked with light steps.
Kim Nari and her brother were sitting in front of the house, polishing ore.
Knowing that this was a meaningless task, the siblings only pretended to do it properly.
In contrast, Kim Nari put her heart and soul into polishing them until they sparkled.
"Our little one is polishing well. You'll become a master ore polisher at this rate."A master ore polisher?" Is that a good thing?"
"It's a good thing. You polish ore very well."
"Ooh. Good. Then I'll become a master ore polisher."
Kim Nari answered Yoo-beom's wordplay seriously.
At that moment, a blue Gate opened in the yard.
The siblings stood up, thinking Cheon Dowoon had arrived, but what came out of the Gate was a small sapling about 30 centimeters tall.
The sapling, with its lush leaves, looked around and walked with its Roots. Starting with that, all sorts of creatures emerged from the Gate.
'It looks like Cheon Dowoon is sending them. Are they the little one's classmates?'
The last to come out was a small fox cub. Seeing that, Kim Nari hid behind her siblings.
It was an obviously strange sight, but the siblings didn't ask.
If they were classmates from the same lab, there must be some story behind it. They guessed as much and pretended not to know.
-What are those things? What gives them the right to barge in here?
Guu, who had been sleeping soundly in the house, was startled by the large amount of monster Magical energy and jumped out.
Sasa also chirped, bristling at the Magical energy that had invaded its territory.
The Chimera, who had fallen on unfamiliar ground, wandered around and gathered in one place.
Startled by Guu and Sasa's threatening roars, they cowered.
Creatures that had grown up in a closed lab their entire lives.
Even though they had arrived in a wide-open forest, none of them could run towards freedom.
The first to move among them was the sapling that had passed through the Gate first.
The sapling's round eyes were fixed on the garden.
Had it ever seen such fertile soil in its life? The savory Magical energy wafting from it looked so tempting.
The sapling couldn't contain its excitement and headed for the garden.
The moment it approached timidly, 5 Roots suddenly rose from the garden.
-Hoo-oong!
-Hoo-oong, hoo-oong!
The sapling was startled and fell over at the sudden appearance of the territory owner.
The Mandragora were just as surprised.
They had risen from the ground with great momentum, but they froze in surprise at the size of the 30-centimeter sapling.
They needed to seize the initiative here. They needed to look bigger too.
-Hoo-oong!
When the largest Mandragora signaled, a smaller individual climbed on top of it as if riding piggyback.
Another individual crawled up and stood on top, stacking up like a tower.
Mandragora 4-story Root tower. When 4 10-centimeter Roots gathered, they far surpassed the 30-centimeter sapling.
The Mechanical Mandragora knew its own weight, so instead of climbing on top, it held the large Roots from below.
-Hoo-oong!
-Hoo-oong, hoo-oong!
-Hoo-oong!
As the five Roots took turns roaring, the sapling returned to where the Chimera were, walking on its butt.
-What are these guys? Where did they come from?
Guu stood in front of those Chimera.
-Chirp!
Sasa stood in the rear, surrounding them as if to encircle them. Even in the midst of all this, its eyes were fixed on the Mandragora.
Mandragora 4-story Root tower. Sasa stretched its body as high as possible at the sight of its greatly increased size.
Its 20-centimeter body stretched straight up. Sasa looked at the Mandragora again.
It was still not enough. Sasa stood on tiptoe. Standing on its toes had the effect of making it about 1 centimeter taller.
-Chirp!
It finished with a threatening roar. Its role was complete.
Before they knew it, the Mandragora were also surrounding the Chimera.
Temporary alliance formed. As a number of unidentified intruders appeared, they entered into a tacit cooperative relationship.
At that moment, the Gate opened again and Cheon Dowoon came out. He paused at the sight before him.
The Chimera huddled together in one place. Guu and Sasa stood surrounding them. Mandragora 4-story Root tower.
-Hoo-oong!
This is our land. Get out. The Mandragora roared. Among the Chimera who were huddled together and trembling, the sapling stepped forward and shouted.
-Sasa-sat.
The leaves rustled as they collided. We want to live too. Please give us a little space.
They couldn't understand each other, but they each expressed their opinions.
No one attacked each other. They were just roaring threateningly and exchanging heated discussions.
"What's going on here?"
Cheon Dowoon looked around the yard with an interested face.
He had returned home to find a large-scale battle unfolding in his yard.
