“Huup!”
Taehoo jolted awake, startled by the chilly air.
The temperature had always been low, but now that he was regaining consciousness, he could really feel it.
“Where am I?”
He opened his eyes to find himself in a place that looked like a log cabin, almost like a villa. Torches made of branches were stuck into the walls here and there, lighting up the surroundings.
It felt like a scene straight out of a medieval movie.
Moonlight seeped in through the crude window patched with animal skins, making it clear that it was nighttime.
“Ugh?!”
Taehoo gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
It was because of the bear’s head right in front of him.
“W-What the—bear skin?”
Only then did Taehoo realize the blanket covering him was actually made of animal hide.
[Kik, kik. You’re awake?]
At last, Ba’al’s voice rang in his head.
It seemed he’d been holding his breath all this time just for this scene.
‘Seriously… What kind of Constellation acts like this…’
[What, punk? I hope you haven’t forgotten you found your grandfather faster thanks to me.]
As Ba’al spoke, Taehoo finally remembered what had happened before he collapsed.
He’d lost his mind and swung his sword wildly. Then Namjin had effortlessly subdued him.
‘Grandpa?’
Taehoo thought the question, as if asking Ba’al.
[No idea. After you passed out, he laughed his head off and disappeared. Anyway, that old man seemed pretty fond of you.]
Ba’al added that Namjin had brought him here as if handling a precious treasure.
‘So, I guess I’ve at least half succeeded…’
That was the conclusion Taehoo came to for now.
“Haah…”
A sigh escaped him without thinking.
Just earning Namjin’s favor was already an achievement in itself.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about dying.’
With that thought, the exhaustion piled up in his body washed over him again. His whole body felt heavy, as if soaked with water.
‘Is it because I swung the sword?’
The sudden fatigue was probably because of that.
‘Ah, maybe I should just sleep more.’
That urge was rising up inside him—
[Hey, if you’re going to sleep, sleep. But before that, how about checking your Skill Window again?]
Right. Now that he thought about it, a lot of messages seemed to have popped up in his head.
[Not just in your head? Didn’t they appear right in front of your eyes too?]
Ah, he knew that. His brain just wasn’t working for a moment.
[That’s why I corrected you, right?]
Forget it. Taehoo briefly thought and decided to open his Stat Window first.
[Name: Nam Taehoo]
[LV: 2]
[Supporting Constellations: ‘Sword God’, ‘Ba’al’]
[Title: Coexistence of Good and Evil (Temporary), One Who Devoted Life and Effort.]
[Hunter Rank: ??]
[Special: You are the first Coexistence of Good and Evil! Due to this unexpected variable, status calculation is delayed! {Please wait a moment >_</}]
Even though his level had gone up, his stats were still the same…
There was something cute and quirky added to the side, but he decided to ignore it.
With so much information hidden, he decided to focus on the things that stood out first.
‘One Who Devoted Life and Effort…’
Compared to Coexistence of Good and Evil, it was a rather unimpressive title.
But—
For some reason, Taehoo found himself drawn to that title. He opened the description window.
[Title: One Who Devoted Life and Effort]
-Origin: Self
-Description: Ah, this is a dog-like reward to comfort your dog-like life! The heavens know your hardships! This is your reward! All stats increase by 10!]
The origin was listed as “Self,” but the description felt almost like it was mocking him.
His feelings, which had been leaning towards the title, evaporated just like that.
‘Still, the effect isn’t bad.’
A title that increased all stats, not just specific ones, was hard to come by.
And it wasn’t just +1 or +2, but a whole +10—definitely a good title.
‘Are they at least giving me what I’m owed?’
Taehoo decided to just take it at face value.
It was frustrating, though, not being able to see his total stats because the calculation wasn’t done yet.
‘If it’s even acting cute, I guess it’ll be ready soon enough.’
Maybe it was because Ba’al was so unexpected, but Taehoo decided to just accept the Stat Window being a bit out of it.
Next, he opened the Skill Window.
[Black and White Aura]
-Origin: Sword God, Ba’al
-Description: This Skill was created by the title ‘Coexistence of Good and Evil (Temporary)’! Your Aura contains the power of two Constellations! Two opposing forces are mixed, producing even stronger abilities. Aura’s physical attack power increases by 5%!]
‘Percentage? And the origin is both of them?’
A pretty surprising Skill had been created.
It was hard to explain with just “percentage Skill.”
It didn’t show the numerical value of Aura’s physical attacks, but still, it meant his Aura was 5% stronger than normal.
And—
‘Is Coexistence of Good and Evil about creating Skills that combine the powers of two Constellations like this?’
He could roughly guess the potential of the title whose calculation wasn’t finished yet.
Of course, he couldn’t say for certain it was just that.
‘And what about the “Temporary” part?’
Even now, it was creating Skills like this.
If he could get rid of that “Temporary” tag, just how amazing would his abilities become?
A smile naturally spread across Taehoo’s lips. His heavy body felt lighter already.
[Wow, I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak.]
Ba’al, who’d been silent, finally spoke. His voice was brimming with irritation.
‘Why?’
Taehoo, now in a great mood, asked kindly.
[No, why? Why! Why mix my powers with that kind of Constellation to make a Skill like that? If it’s a better ability, there’s plenty more behind those question marks! What the hell!]
A howl of curses echoed in his head.
It was a voice wounded to the core of its pride.
At that moment—
Bang!
The door of the cabin burst open.
“Come out.”
Namjin called Taehoo from outside. There was a campfire crackling outside, who knows when it had been lit.
Taehoo gathered his excitement and stepped outside.
Next to the campfire, rabbit, wild boar, and even freshwater fish were all skewered and roasting.
His mouth watered just looking at them.
“Eat it all.”
Namjin spoke to Taehoo, who was staring at the food as if possessed.
“Huh?”
Namjin left those words and vanished without a trace.
[What’s this? Is he acting like a doting grandpa now?]
Ba’al asked Taehoo, as if he couldn’t make sense of it either. Of course, Taehoo had no idea what Namjin’s intentions were right now.
But Namjin was the kind of person who even had a reason for giving him a puppy to raise for a year.
There was definitely some purpose behind his actions now. Taehoo racked his brain, trying to figure out what Namjin was thinking—
Growl!
His stomach rumbled loudly.
[Puhaha! Puhahahaha!]
‘Guess I’ll just eat first…’
Face flushed at Ba’al’s laughter, Taehoo sat down by the fire.
He grabbed a well-roasted fish and took a big bite.
Crunch!
The sound that proved it was perfectly cooked rang in his ears.
‘It’s delicious?’
The fish was seasoned just right and cooked to perfection.
Taehoo hungrily stuffed fish and meat into his mouth.
Rabbit meat, rat meat, wild boar meat—none of it was familiar, but all of it tasted great.
‘Are these things normally this tasty? Or is it because he’s a good cook?’
He was almost convinced it was the latter, but it didn’t matter. Tasty food was tasty food.
Taehoo sat there for a long time, devouring every last bit of food Namjin had prepared.
His stomach was about to burst, but he waited a long time for Namjin to return.
He’d eaten because he was told to, but it was hard to believe that was the only task.
Yet, that night, Namjin didn’t show himself again.
And so, the night passed.
Taehoo sat by the fire as if standing watch, dozing off.
By the time the sun rose, Namjin—the one Taehoo had been waiting for—finally appeared.
Taehoo didn’t miss the presence and sprang to his feet.
‘What the—?’
Instead, Taehoo was taken aback by Namjin’s appearance.
This time, Namjin was carrying all sorts of wild greens in his arms. Judging by the dirt caked on his hands, he’d picked them himself.
Taehoo stared blankly, unable to make sense of the situation.
A man over two meters tall, picking wild greens. And not just any man, but the legendary First Generation Hunter. It was beyond imagination.
“Don’t overthink things. Don’t sleep outside, just sleep inside.”
“Yes… But…”
Taehoo tried to ask Namjin a question, but was cut off immediately.
“You said you wanted to be my disciple, so you’d better not talk back.”
With that one sentence, Taehoo’s mouth snapped shut.
One thing was certain: there was definitely a purpose behind Namjin’s actions.
And it was surely connected to the reason he’d accepted Taehoo as a disciple.
He knew it. He was sure of it.
[What the heck is going on?]
Ba’al grumbled in Taehoo’s head, voicing exactly what Taehoo wanted to ask.
Through the crack in the window, Namjin could be seen cooking the wild greens he’d gathered.
He poured water into a pot from who-knows-where, added salt, and blanched the greens.
Namjin continued cooking like that, and soon brought out a full table of wild greens for Taehoo.
It was a neat, temple-style meal you’d only see at a monastery.
“Eat all of this too.”
Namjin repeated the same words as the night before, then vanished again.
Lunch, dinner, the next day, and the day after that—the same thing kept repeating.
He’d bring mysterious ingredients from who-knows-where, cook them perfectly, and feed Taehoo.
It was delicious.
A week passed, with Taehoo receiving food in the cabin.
‘I can’t just sit around like this.’
[Agreed.]
With that resolve, Taehoo started following Namjin.
He chased him up the mountain, for who knows how long.
‘Where did he go?’
He suddenly lost sight of Namjin—
[Behind you!]
At Ba’al’s shout, Taehoo was struck on the back of the neck and collapsed.
When he opened his eyes, he was back in the same cabin.
‘I was completely caught off guard.’
If Ba’al hadn’t warned him, he wouldn’t have even known Namjin had approached from behind.
But even with the warning, being able to react was another matter.
Namjin’s level was simply on another plane, even compared to Taehoo’s previous life, and moving his body on instinct like during the qualification test was out of the question.
‘In the end, all I can do is stay put.’
A month passed by in a flash.
During that time, Namjin kept feeding Taehoo.
As a result, Taehoo’s once-scrawny body filled out considerably.
Maybe not quite like Jiho, but at least he was about the same as other kids his age.
How much time had passed since his body had been built up like this?
‘Is this what it means to fatten someone up before eating them?’
With that reasonable suspicion, one day Namjin gave Taehoo a different look than usual.
He poked and prodded Taehoo’s body, seeming to contemplate something.
Then, he finally spoke.
“This should be enough to make a decent vessel.”
Then he pointed up at the mountain peak.
“I’ll keep preparing your meals like before.”
And then—
“Climb to the summit. If you can reach the top of this mountain in a single day, I’ll take you under my wing.”
He finally said the words Taehoo had been longing to hear.
[A Quest has been given!]
[Reach the summit!]
Description – The First Generation Hunter Namjin is testing you! Climb to the summit before he changes his mind!
Reward – Namjin’s recognition. Bonus Stat Points +3
[Looks like things are finally getting started, huh?]
Ba’al cheered.