Chapter 19
The Path Not Taken (1)
A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair sat upright.
A long scar carved between his brows gave him a striking presence.
In front of him was a nameplate made of ivory.
[Baek Seonghyeon – Arahan Vice President]
The number one guild in the country.
Arahan’s second-in-command, and one of the few 7-star hunters in Korea, slowly opened his mouth.
“Commercialized intermediate potion, you say?”
“Yes, y-yes. That’s correct.”
Jung Jinho, who had been violently thrown out of the sparring ring by Yujin and ended up in an embarrassing state, had reported the incident immediately after receiving contact information.
Before the bruises on his face were even healed by a healing spell, he was summoned to the vice president’s office.
“Team Leader Jung, what was your assessment of its effects?”
“It healed broken bones almost instantly. It’s similar to potions that drop in gates.”
“I see. That matches the analysis from the sparring footage.”
Baek Seonghyeon was indirectly confirming that he had already reviewed everything that happened.
Jung Jinho bowed his head deeply.
“I-I’m sorry, Vice Guild Master.”
“What exactly are you apologizing for?”
“For disgracing Arahan’s honor…”
A faint chuckle escaped Baek Seonghyeon’s lips.
“And how exactly does your defeat tarnish Arahan’s honor?”
“I lost to a 1-star hunter from an unknown background in the guild training ground…”
“Since when did Arahan’s honor become so fragile that a single loss from a permanent 3-star can damage it?”
His cold voice cut off Jung Jinho’s words.
Jung Jinho trembled and dropped to his knees.
“Do you understand what you did wrong now?”
“I-I dared to speak of Arahan’s honor lightly…”
“I hope you never speak so carelessly again.”
Baek Seonghyeon waved his hand dismissively.
Jung Jinho bowed deeply and backed out of the room without turning his back.
A secretary rushed in immediately after being called.
“Confirm the source of the intermediate potion.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And…”
Baek Seonghyeon trailed off.
Tap. Tap.
His index finger tapped the armrest repeatedly.
The secretary knew this habit meant he was deep in thought and waited silently.
‘That man… he is not ordinary.’
Before calling Jung Jinho, he had already reviewed Yujin’s fight via CCTV installed in the training ground.
Nothing in Arahan happened without passing through Baek Seonghyeon.
Calling Jung Jinho was simply to cross-check the footage with his testimony.
‘Even with a unique trait, can someone surpass their star rank like that?’
Names of global rankers crossed his mind.
Arthur, the American hunter who commands the beast Phoenix.
Diana Sting, who possesses a spirit-related unique trait.
And others.
But—
‘No one surpasses their star rank by two full tiers.’
Fafnir’s power was unprecedentedly abnormal.
Tap.
His finger stopped moving.
‘A priest class, he said… then is it a divine beast?’
Baek Seonghyeon smiled slightly.
The Romanov family, one of the Seven Great Noble Houses protected by Odin, was known to summon Einherjar as contracted beings.
If—
Yujin truly had exceptional talent as a priest…
‘He may have received a divine beast or a spirit-class being with growth potential.’
A plausible hypothesis.
The inexplicable combat ability of Fafnir could be explained if he were a divine entity or similar existence.
“Investigate Chun Yujin. Everything about him.”
“Yes.”
“Even the smallest detail. Don’t miss anything—even his underwear color.”
“Yes.”
“And demote Team Leader Jung Jinho. Reduce him to a normal team member.”
A man who lost to a 1-star hunter and spoke of Arahan’s honor without understanding it deserved punishment.
Only then did Baek Seonghyeon smile in satisfaction.
Yujin’s business at Arahan Guild was finished.
He had promoted the intermediate potion.
Confirmed the effectiveness of his new divine spell from the Pantheon.
And completed Fafnir’s first real combat test.
‘Honestly, this is too good of a deal.’
Park Sungwook.
It was nice knowing you. Let’s not meet again.
【Sorry for turning the body you carefully prepared into a rag.】
“Don’t worry about it. It just takes some work.”
An Eldritch Dragon.
Like a lich, as long as life force remained, it could regenerate no matter how damaged the body became.
It couldn’t fully regenerate yet since the Life Force Vessel had not been created.
‘Just need the Darkness Orb my associate is preparing.’
It wasn’t a common item, but black magic tools were rare due to being a niche profession, so trade was slow.
He’d get it soon.
“How was your first real battle in 35 years?”
【I admit it. I was arrogant and unrefined.】
In the early days of the Great Cataclysm, very few hunters surpassed 6-star.
Only those who survived countless near-death battles and reached true pinnacle status could do so.
Fafnir had once been among the top hunters before his death.
Not just empty boasting about 7-star strength.
【Master, what is the strongest hunter in the world right now?】
“9-star.”
Russia’s Magic King Dmitri.
China’s Martial King Chang Wupei.
Only a few leaders of the Seven Great Houses had reached that level.
【So much has changed while I was stuck clinging to a tree.】
A bitter thought from Fafnir.
“If you’re not confident, say so. I can let you go anytime.”
【Hah. Do you really think I’d be shaken by this?】
He answered confidently.
“Good. That’s my subordinate.”
Buzz—
His phone vibrated.
A message from a familiar contact.
[Little Brat Kang Minho]
Hyung, all items from the last hunt have been sold.
[Chun Yujin]
Good work. Want to grab dinner?
[Little Brat Kang Minho]
Yes sir. I’ll send the money right away.
Within 10 seconds, the money arrived.
Yujin smiled faintly.
“150 million won in three days.”
【Surely you didn’t add an extra zero?】
“Why would I?”
【If you’re bragging, I’ll understand.】
“What nonsense. You’ve been outside for 35 years and still don’t understand money?”
Gate items were expensive.
Even low-grade mana stones were bought by corporations.
The inflation era of gates would continue for at least five years.
【Unbelievable. In my time, hunters lived only for pride.】
“When was that?”
【Time is cruel.】
“Earning is easy, but spending is just as easy.”
To strengthen undead units, herbs found only in gates or border zones were needed.
He would need to spend heavily.
“Fafnir, I have a favor.”
【You could command it instead, yet you ask. That feels ominous.】
“You have the Eye of Martial Insight, right?”
【Correct. I can read the essence of any martial art.】
An S-rank innate trait carried over from Park Haneul’s past life.
Not system-granted.
Natural talent.
“Since you specialize in martial arts, could you also learn spear techniques if you tried?”
【To maximize this body’s strength, close combat is best. No need for spears.】
“Ah, I want you to learn it and teach me.”
Fafnir stared blankly.
Had this undead always had such expressive reactions?
Or was Yujin’s request that shocking?
A flood of words filled his mind.
Finally, he responded with restraint.
【Are you insane?】
Blue ghost flames burned intensely toward Yujin.
Yujin’s next destination was the Hunter Market.
With money from the hunt already deposited, it was close to Yeouido and convenient.
【You’re serious about this.】
Fafnir spoke from inside the Ring of Darkness, clearly displeased.
—I was serious from the start.
【I doubt you’ll use spear techniques often.】
—You prepare for the worst.
He knew that well.
Even in his previous life, he had survived countless undead armies and assassination attempts.
He had learned to handle even goblins efficiently.
【If you learn spear techniques, what about stat distribution?】
—I’m not weaker than melee hunters of the same level.
【But you don’t have a unique martial trait like [Martial Body].】
—I have a divine spell called Life Drain.
A twisted divine spell that steals and absorbs monster life force to enhance physical abilities.
Normally used for healing.
Yujin used it to strengthen his body.
【That exists in priest skills?】
—If stats go up anyway, might as well use it.
【Fair enough.】
—If spear training becomes unusable, tell me. I’ll quit cleanly.
【If you insist that much, I can’t refuse.】
Fafnir finally accepted.
Yujin respected his will more than expected.
In higher undead, autonomy affected combat performance.
‘Undead with strong will perform better.’
He had seen it in his previous life.
‘Now I just need the skill book.’
He entered the skill book store.
Rows of skill books from gates lined the shelves.
Each was locked until purchase, but hunters could still inspect item details.
【Do you already have a spear style in mind?】
—Nothing specific. Just no class restrictions.
Some auxiliary magic or martial arts had no class limits.
Lower efficiency, but unrestricted learning had advantages.
Like Light Magic or evasive techniques such as Falling Roll.
Even if clumsy, it was useful in emergencies.
‘Something elegant and strong.’
Yujin scanned the shelves.
Then he stopped.
“Found it.”
A faint smile formed.
A semi-transparent item window appeared.
[Verdian Basic Spear Technique]
Rank: Normal
Type: Skill Book
Durability: 1/1
A basic spear technique passed down from the Verdian family of another world.
Even a child can learn it once understood.
‘Yes. This is it.’
It looked like simple self-defense at best.
But Yujin smiled.
—If mastered, it unlocks the Epic skill Death Spiral.
A hidden secret said by James Rothschild, the spear ghost of England.
A future discovery.
‘Thanks for the opportunity.’
【There it is again. That nasty habit. Smiling for no reason.】
This was the privilege of a regressor.
