Chapter 127: A Return?

It had been a perilous day, but Sang-woong and his companions had survived, achieved their goal, and even secured an unexpectedly massive profit. Bright smiles, a mixture of relief and achievement, spread across everyone’s faces.

“Sang-woong, you should really return as a Hunter. It’s a total waste to let those incredible skills rot as a restaurant owner, seriously!” Ji-hoon Kim said earnestly.

However, as if the words felt awkward even to him, he quickly added, “Wait… you’re an Alchemist now. You could probably make way more money with Alchemy… Anyway, for a guy who retired, your skills have grown like a monster’s, and you’ve even mastered Alchemy… You’re truly amazing.”

Ji-hoon’s face was filled with a complex mix of emotions: astonishment at Sang-woong’s unexpected talent and brilliant performance, pride in his friend’s success, and even a hint of envy.

Since Sang-woong’s contribution in this dungeon had been the greatest, Ji-hoon wanted to give him a larger share of the party’s distribution.

“Ji-hoon, let’s keep the distribution equal. I didn’t come here for the money.”

Sang-woong firmly rejected Ji-hoon’s proposal. His purpose hadn’t been money. Saving his friend and escaping the deep guilt of his past—that alone was enough of a reward for him.

It was a precious compensation that nothing else could replace.

Ji-hoon hesitated for a moment, but seeing the sincerity in Sang-woong’s firm gaze, he eventually nodded.

“Alright. If that’s how you feel, let’s do it that way. Everyone worked so hard today, so let’s go eat some meat for the after-party! It’s on me!”

“Whoo! A company dinner!”

The party members cheered at Ji-hoon’s suggestion, but Sang-woong quietly shook his head. Since it wasn’t a party he would be staying with, he felt his presence might only make the atmosphere awkward.

“I’m fine. Consider me full already.”

“Why? It’s been a while, so why don’t you at least grab a bite before you go?”

“I need to get back to the restaurant quickly. I only followed along because I was curious how much my skills had improved, and I’m fully satisfied for today. I’ll see you next time.”

“Fine, I get it. Thanks so much for today. I’ll head down to your restaurant sometime soon.”

“You punk!”

Sang-woong clenched his fist and spoke in a playful voice. “If you don’t visit often, I might just cut off your support, you know?”

“Oh, yes, yes! My Lord High Alchemist! How could I have been so forgetful of my place! I shall make sure to visit you very, very often!”

When Ji-hoon responded to Sang-woong’s joke with exaggerated groveling and “yes-sirring,” Sang-woong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! Hey, I’m really going. See you later!”

Sang-woong gave Ji-hoon a pat on the back and returned to his parked, old truck. He leaned against the vehicle and looked up at the sky.

The evening sky was just beginning to be tinged with darkness. A beautiful sunset was bathing the world in a warm orange glow. The last rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds shone pathetically, like a lingering warmth.

To Sang-woong, who had once faced Ji-hoon’s cold corpse in his past life, this moment felt like a miracle. He closed his eyes for a moment, engraving this moving instant deep into his heart. He prayed fervently that this beautiful moment and this peace would last forever.

***

On an afternoon filled with warm sunlight, the land boasted a peace brimming with vitality. Sang-woong was walking along a forest path, listening to the joyful sounds of children playing near the pond.

Tall trees stretched their branches toward the sky, and the sunlight filtering through them embroidered golden patterns onto the forest floor.

The songs of nameless birds carried by the wind tickled his ears, and the scent of damp earth put his mind at ease. Sang-woong was savoring the peace, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction within this quiet and beautiful nature.

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed over his head. It was of such an overwhelming size that it felt as if the entire sky had suddenly turned dark.

“…What is that?”

Sang-woong’s eyes widened in shock as he looked up. Entering his field of vision was a bird so gargantuan it looked like a small mountain was flying through the air.

It had a body the size of a house and wings that seemed capable of covering the heavens. The giant bird lowered its altitude precariously before crashing into the ground with a thunderous *thud!*

The impact was so great it felt as though the very axis of the earth had shaken.

[This is a Giant Hawk, a Divine Beast of this world. Having lived on this land for an immeasurable time, it is currently in critical condition due to prolonged exposure to Magi. It likes meat and enjoys flying in the firmament.]

His Appraisal Skill immediately provided information about the creature.

“A Giant Hawk? A Divine Beast?”

It was the appearance of another Divine Beast following Leon. However, unlike Leon, who had come here through the Yellow Gate, this Giant Hawk seemed to have found this land on its own. Perhaps it had been drawn to the air here, which was purified of the Magi lingering in the world.

The Giant Hawk showed sharp wariness at Sang-woong’s unexpected appearance. Its sharp talons dug into the earth, and a threatening sound leaked from its beak. At its magnificent and terrifying presence, everyone—from the Elves to the Ahoa and Kahuka tribes—gathered while holding their breath.

The first to move was, as expected, the Kahuka tribe, who were skilled at handling animals.

“Whoa! That is amazingly cool, kahu!”

Beon-jeu of the Kahuka tribe approached the Giant Hawk with sparkling eyes. Surprisingly, the Giant Hawk relaxed its guard and allowed his approach.

“I am called Beon-jeu, kahu! Nice to meet you, kahu!”

Beon-jeu carefully reached out his hand and gently stroked the Giant Hawk’s wounded wing.

“The people here are all good tribes, kahu! You can be at ease, kahu!”

At Beon-jeu’s pure heart, the sharpness in the Giant Hawk’s eyes softened considerably. Sang-woong slowly approached the creature and spoke.

His voice flowed out in the language of the Giant Hawk. His Level 4 Appraisal Skill allowed him to understand and speak the languages of all races in this world.

“I am Sang-woong, the Owner of this Land. It is a pleasure, O Giant Hawk.”

At Sang-woong’s words, the Giant Hawk fluttered its massive wings in surprise. It wore an expression of disbelief that a human could speak its language.

“We have no intention of harming you. If you promise not to harm us either, we can become good friends.”

The Giant Hawk’s gaze fixed on Sang-woong. Its eyes wavered with deep contemplation, as if asking, ‘Can I really trust this human?’

Then, Leon entered its sight. The aura of a fellow Divine Beast. Furthermore, it was a powerful Divine Beast that had lived for ages.

To see a human casually accompanied by such a being… The Giant Hawk’s wariness melted away like snow, replaced by budding curiosity.

To be honest, the creature did not want to leave this land. Because it had been exposed to Magi for a long time and had consumed only contaminated food, its body was slowly falling ill.

No matter how much it wandered the vast world, there was no place with air as clear and clean as this. This air reminded it of the nostalgic home it missed—the world as it was before the wicked invaders appeared ages ago.

At that moment, Sang-woong took a delicious-looking, massive hunk of meat from his Inventory and carefully placed it in front of the Giant Hawk.

“You look very hungry, so let’s eat first before we talk.”

When the stomach is full, wariness tends to soften and the mind becomes stable. The Giant Hawk hesitated for a moment, but the smell of fresh meat stimulating its nose was an irresistible temptation.

It could barely remember the last time it had tasted meat that wasn’t contaminated by Magi.

The Giant Hawk reflexively bowed its head and began to eat the meat ravenously. It was so delicious that it felt as though tears might well up.

Seeing this, Sang-woong smiled and pulled out another hunk of meat. Considering the hawk’s massive size, the initial amount was woefully insufficient.

After tasting fresh meat for the first time in a long while, the Giant Hawk became convinced that this place was safe.

Then, amazingly, its massive body began to shrink. Having judged that there was no danger, it reduced its size just as Leon did.

The Giant Hawk stared quietly at Sang-woong. In that instant, a message window appeared before Sang-woong’s eyes.

[The Giant Hawk wishes to become a resident. Do you accept?]

Sang-woong accepted readily without hesitation. “Of course! It will definitely be good for you to stay with us.”

With his permission, another message popped up.

[You can share vision and senses with the Giant Hawk.]

Sang-woong’s eyes widened at the unexpected ability. Reconnaissance. It was exactly what he needed most right now.

With just himself and a human body, there were physical limits to the distance he could reach, which meant he was inevitably blind to the surrounding situation.

But with the Giant Hawk becoming a resident, all those problems could be solved in one go. He didn’t know how large the hawk’s activity radius was, but looking at those massive wings, it was clear it would be broad beyond imagination.

Furthermore, since they could communicate, he could ask it to scout even further away.

And so, another new member was added to his land.

The Giant Hawk immediately went into recuperation. It settled in a quiet spot with good sunlight, breathing the fresh air and eating the clean food Sang-woong provided.

“By the way, what should I call you?” Sang-woong asked the Giant Hawk, which was currently tearing meat off a bone.

The Giant Hawk tilted its head. ‘A name? I don’t have one.’

Having lived alone its entire life, the creature had never needed something like a name.

“Then let’s make one. It’s better to have a name if you’re going to live here together.”

At Sang-woong’s words, the Giant Hawk nodded obediently. Sang-woong fell into thought for a moment. He recalled the creature’s majestic appearance and the image of it flying freely through the sky.

“Hmm… You love the vast sky, and your appearance is noble… so let’s call you ‘Kai.’ How is it? Do you like it?”

The Giant Hawk—no, Kai—tilted its head slightly at Sang-woong’s words before letting out a low, soft cry as if satisfied.

Having newly obtained the name ‘Kai,’ the Giant Hawk quickly became one of the most loved beings on this land.

Specifically, the children, seeing that Kai had shrunk from a house-sized giant to the size of a Mud-Pit Pig, approached him without fear and mingled freely.

Kai also opened his heart to the innocent children and became their friend. The first to run to Kai’s side were, naturally, the children of the Kahuka tribe.

“Kai! Kai! let’s play together, kahu!”

They stroked Kai’s glossy feathers carefully with their small, chubby hands, their clear eyes sparkling.

Every time the children’s hands touched him, Kai responded by gently bowing his head. His large golden eyes were filled with playful curiosity.

The children giggled as they tried to lift Kai’s feet with their sharp talons as if they were their own, or played pranks by grabbing his long tail feathers and spinning around. Kai responded generously to the children’s mischievousness, occasionally fluttering his short wings to create a cool breeze over their heads.