Chapter 6: Absorption and Intervention

The conversation with Kim Seong-ho proceeded smoothly, concluding on a constructive note for both parties. As advised, Se-hyeon agreed to formally raise an issue with the Association regarding his faulty potential test. Separately, he accepted the Special Management designation.

Since he couldn’t emigrate immediately because of Se-hui—and didn’t feel a pressing need to even if he could—it was only logical to squeeze out every bit of support available.

“He told me to file the complaint tomorrow, so should I hit an F-rank dungeon today?”

For some reason, Kim Seong-ho had asked him to wait a day. He likely had his own preparations to make. Regardless, after leaving the Association, Se-hyeon intended to find a suitable dungeon to scout.

“Let’s see…”

Pulling out his phone, Se-hyeon logged into Hunter World. Since his registration was finalized, he had gained immediate access to the platform.

“Hmm. Thirty-five F-rank dungeons in Seoul. Six of them have a clear rate below 50%.”

Dungeon portals appeared randomly regardless of time or place. If 48 hours passed without intervention, a Dungeon Break occurred, spilling monsters into the outside world. However, the moment an Awakened entered, the countdown timer froze. As long as a human remained inside, the break was halted. Thus, the Association managed these portals in coordination with guilds to ensure they were cleared before the limit.

Hunter World provided real-time data on these portals, including their creation time and current progress. One entry caught Se-hyeon’s eye.

“Ho? Created this morning with a 34% clear rate? And it’s close by? Perfect.”

A morning creation with a 34% clear rate meant there would be plenty of monster corpses less than 24 hours old. It was the ideal environment to test his Vitality Absorption skill. Se-hyeon hailed a taxi and sped toward Jongno.

A short while later, Se-hyeon arrived at the portal site. As he approached, an Association guard blocked his path.

“Civilians are not allowed in this area.”

Since Se-hyeon wasn’t wearing even basic hunter gear, the guard naturally assumed he was an ordinary citizen.

“I’m an Awakened.”

The guard’s brow twitched in surprise. “Is that so? May I see your registration card?”

“Here.”

Se-hyeon handed over the card. After verifying it, the guard handed it back with a look of concern.

“Confirmed. But… are you alone? Even at D-rank, soloing can be dangerous due to unpredictable variables.”

“I just awakened, so I’m just here to get a feel for the atmosphere. I’ll just hunt a few and come right back out.”

Seeing Se-hyeon’s casual attitude, the guard stepped aside. “Very well. You may enter. For your information, the clear rate is currently at 42%.”

It had jumped 8% since he checked his phone. Se-hyeon stepped through the swirling vortex.

Flash!

Beyond the portal lay a massive cavern. Near the entrance, employees from various corporations were stationed to buy monster remains.

‘It’s just like what I saw on the forums. These guys are all here to buy carcasses. And wow, look at those piles.’

Monster remains were incredibly versatile; everything from the hide to the internal organs was used in various industries. Mana stones, in particular, were in high demand. Corporations dispatched these “buyers”—who were themselves at least F-rank Awakened since civilians couldn’t enter—to secure resources as soon as a dungeon opened.

As Se-hyeon observed the corporate stalls…

“Are you here to hunt?”

A man in his mid-thirties approached him. Se-hyeon nodded.

“Yes. Nothing serious, just checking the place out since I just awakened.”

The man handed him a business card. “I see. I’m Assistant Manager Park Sang-su from Taekwang. If you do some hunting, we’d appreciate it if you’d sell the remains to us. We offer top market rates, and if you need a porter, just say the word. We have them on standby.”

In the past, parties brought their own porters, but recently, processing companies started leasing them out. Assistant Manager Park’s stall had about twenty Kobold corpses stacked in groups of five, likely separated by the teams that sold them. Looking around, Se-hyeon estimated there were nearly 100 corpses at the entrance alone.

‘Hmm, nearly 100 bodies for a 42% clear rate. I wonder how much I’ll grow if I absorb these?’

Growing the ring increased Se-hyeon’s own stage. Naturally, that was his priority. He looked at Park Sang-su.

“I’ll keep your number in case I need a porter.”

“I’d appreciate that! Just call, and I’ll send one to your coordinates immediately. Hahaha!”

As they spoke, Se-hyeon quietly cast his skill.

‘Vitality Absorption!’

[There are 87 corpses with residual vitality nearby. Would you like to absorb them all?]

The count was precise: 87.

‘No, just the closest one for now.’

He didn’t know what the visual effect would look like. To avoid suspicion, he started small.

[Absorbing residual vitality from the nearest [Kobold] corpse.]

Swoooooosh.

A faint trail of light rose from one of the Kobold corpses in the Taekwang pile and flowed into Se-hyeon’s ring. Se-hyeon flinched.

“Wait!”

He expected everyone to stare. However, Park Sang-su just looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Is something wrong?”

Se-hyeon blinked. “Did you… see that faint light?”

“Light? No, I didn’t see anything.”

It had been a clear, visible stream of energy to Se-hyeon. If the man standing right next to him didn’t see it, then it was invisible to others. Se-hyeon quickly regained his composure.

“Haha! I guess I’m just seeing things. Anyway, I’ll call you if I catch anything.”

He brushed it off and started walking deeper into the cave.

“I’ll be waiting! Happy hunting!” Park called out.

To Park, a promise to call was a promise of business. Se-hyeon stopped after a few paces and glanced back.

‘So, I’m the only one who can see it. In that case, there’s no reason to hesitate. Vitality Absorption!’

[There are 86 corpses with residual vitality nearby. Would you like to absorb them all?]

‘Absorb!’

[Absorbing residual vitality from 86 [Kobold] corpses within range.]

Swoooooooosh!

Eighty-six trails of silver light erupted from the piles at the entrance, converging on Se-hyeon’s ring like a spectacular light show. Yet, the corporate staff continued their business, completely oblivious. Once the process finished, Se-hyeon checked the ring’s status.

Magic Ring [Zelostan] A ring containing the essence of the Chaos Mage, Zephyrus Cravan.

• Powers are unlocked in stages for every 10% of growth. [Growth: 1.2%]

Eighty-seven Kobolds only gave 1.2%. But this wasn’t bad. He didn’t need 100% for the first milestone—only 10%.

‘At this rate, I can hit Stage 2 just by clearing a few new dungeons. I wonder if higher-rank monsters give more? I’ll have to check that soon.’

By his math, clearing the rest of this dungeon would bring him to about 3%. That meant clearing 5 or 6 dungeons total would trigger a stage up. While others took months or a year to grow, Se-hyeon could do it in days.

“I’ve seen what I needed to see. Time to actually hunt.”

He walked for a while without seeing a single living Kobold—the other teams had been thorough. He did, however, pass several porters hauling more carcasses back to the entrance. Each time, he secretly siphoned their vitality.

Then, he heard shouting.

“Dammit! I told you to be careful! Do something!” “Tanker! Get them off us!” “You idiot! Can’t you see I’m holding five of them already? You guys messed up the pull, don’t blame me!”

Se-hyeon rounded a corner to see a five-man party struggling against a pack of over ten Kobolds. It looked like a botched pull; they tried to lure a few, but triggered the whole pack. The Tanker was overwhelmed, and the excess monsters were lunging at the backline.

The melee dealers were holding on, but the Ranger and the Healer were in trouble. If the Healer went down, the party was finished.

‘They’re going to wipe if I don’t help. Should I?’

He didn’t want to be a busybody, but they were clearly desperate.

‘Let’s just take them out. Shadow Orb!’

Woong! Woooooong!

Se-hyeon manifested five orbs—his current maximum. He sent them flying.

Swaaaaaak!

The five orbs moved like living things, weaving through the chaos to strike only the monsters.

Boom! Ka-boom! Boom!

The two Kobolds targeting the Healer and Ranger, and three of the ones surrounding the melee dealers, were obliterated instantly.

“What?! Who’s that?” “Who…?”

The party looked around in shock, suddenly freed from the brink of death. Se-hyeon walked toward them.

“Are you all alright?”

The Healer, clutching her chest, gasped. “T-thank you.”

“It’s not over yet,” Se-hyeon said, pointing toward the struggling Tanker. “Should I take care of those too, or do you want to finish them?”

The five Kobolds the Tanker was holding were still very much alive.

“I don’t care who you are, just help me! I can’t hold them much longer!” the Tanker yelled.

“Sigh. Fine, I’ll finish them. This isn’t a ‘kill steal,’ so don’t go complaining later,” Se-hyeon clarified, making sure they knew he was intervening at their request.

‘Shadow Orb!’

Woong! Woooong!

Five fresh orbs appeared and shot toward the Tanker. Just before impact, they swerved sharply, circling around to hit the Kobolds in their backs.

Boom! Boom! Ka-boom!

The explosions were the final sound in the cavern. The rest of the pack was dead.

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