Chapter 2

A full day had passed.

In that time, Siyoon had made his way to the outskirts of the city.

Sageurak.

Low-growing brush brushed against his forearm.

In stark contrast to the bright sunlight above, the forest’s atmosphere was dreary.

Leaves trembling in deep green.

Abandoned cobwebs and upturned tree roots.

Even the wind carried an inexplicable, unpleasant odor.

In that place, Siyoon’s presence was conspicuously out of place.

Clad in a black leather jacket, a BB Gun in his right hand.

On his left arm, several books were haphazardly bound together with tape, fixed like a shield.

An appearance that no one would call ordinary.

But these were items Siyoon had ‘Enhanced’ one by one.

‘I made it here, but I’m nervous.’

Sabak.

At that moment, a presence stirred nearby.

Holding his breath, he approached the underbrush and spotted a red-furred creature.

A lowest-rank magic beast that inhabited the area.

-Kkik?

It was an Alun, a lowest-rank magic beast that inhabited this forest.

Sharp teeth and inwardly curved claws.

Its appearance—a grotesque blend of sloth and mole—was hideously distorted.

Siyoon calmly aimed his BB Gun at the magic beast.

Then he fired.

Taang!

The bullet flew with a heavy crack and reached the magic beast in an instant.

Sensing danger, the Alun’s pupils contracted in a flash.

Before the creature could even move, the close-range bullet struck dead center between its eyes.

Peogeok!

Its head burst with the sound of a watermelon splitting.

Debris scattered in every direction as if it had been hit by a bomb.

The destructive force was so tremendous it was hard to believe it came from a BB Gun.

“I had my doubts, but it actually works.”

Siyoon stared in astonishment at the headless corpse.

The Magic Beast he had just killed.

The Alun was among the more aggressive of the lowest-rank magic beasts.

It was too agile and its hide too tough for an ordinary F-Rank hunter to handle.

Yet Siyoon had dispatched it in a single shot.

-Kieeek!

-Kyaat!

Just then, a magic beast lunged at him from behind with a monstrous shriek.

Siyoon hastily spun around.

Two Aluns were glaring at him with bright red eyes.

The one that had kicked off the ground and leapt into the air bared its sharp fangs.

‘It’s fine. I expected this.’

A sudden situation.

Any Hunter on their first hunt would have panicked, yet Siyoon remained calm.

He had anticipated various scenarios and prepared accordingly.

Tung!

He blocked the attack with the books fixed to his left arm.

Books that should have been torn apart effortlessly were perfectly intact.

The ability of his personally Enhanced ‘Book Shield.’

+

【 Book Shield +1 】

Rank: Normal

▶Blocks enemy attacks.

+

An unhelpfully terse description, much like the BB Gun’s.

But the effect was real.

Rather than tearing, the Book Shield perfectly blocked the magic beast’s claws.

Its defensive power was surprisingly formidable.

That was proof of just how remarkable the effects of Enhancement were.

-…?!

-Keureuk?

“Sorry, but that level of attack won’t even scratch me.”

Siyoon took precise aim at the stunned magic beast and pulled the trigger.

Taang! Tang!

Two clean shots rang out.

The Magic Beasts’ bodies were punched through along the bullets’ trajectories and dropped.

Two lowest-rank magic beasts were reduced to chunks of meat in an instant.

Siyoon turned his back on the corpses and moved on.

‘The performance of the Enhanced items exceeds my expectations.’

A smile tugged at the corners of Siyoon’s mouth.

The reason he had come to such a dangerous place today was to test his skill.

[ BB Gun +1 ]

[ Book Shield +1 ]

[ Leather Jacket +1 ]

Currently, Siyoon had three Enhanced items equipped.

Among them, the BB Gun’s power was particularly outstanding.

Enough to instantly kill even a lowest-rank magic beast in a single shot.

‘Plus, the Book Shield and Leather Jacket are quite impressive too.’

A shield to block magic beast attacks, and the Leather Jacket as armor.

The ‘Book Shield’ with its excellent defensive power was superb.

But the Leather Jacket was equally indispensable.

After all, the only reason Siyoon was still in one piece was thanks to his armor.

+

【 Leather Jacket +1 】

Rank: Normal

▶Reduces a portion of incoming damage.

+

The ‘Leather Jacket’ reduced a portion of all incoming damage.

This damage reduction wasn’t limited to taking hits.

The impact that came through even after blocking with the ‘Book Shield.’

Even the recoil from firing the ‘BB Gun.’

All of it was mitigated, reducing the strain on his body.

‘The BB Gun and Book Shield are great, but the Leather Jacket is the real deal too’

Without the Leather Jacket, moving around in one piece like this would have been difficult.

The BB Gun’s recoil alone was considerable.

Even setting aside the recoil, this was a massive advantage.

Thanks to the jacket and shield, he could respond even when magic beasts closed in.

The armor bought him judgment and time.

In combat, such ‘breathing room’ was worth its weight in gold.

“Hmm.”

Siyoon scanned his surroundings.

In truth, it was illegal for an unregistered civilian to hunt magic beasts.

But as always, the law wasn’t always followed.

Blind spots always existed.

This forest was one of them.

“Still, at this rate, I can hunt without much trouble.”

Siyoon had chosen this forest for several reasons.

First, it was an abandoned area where he was unlikely to encounter anyone.

Second, the magic beasts inhabiting it were all of the lowest-rank.

The Hunter Association merely advised against approaching the area.

It wasn’t actively restricted.

The danger level was correspondingly low.

In other words, it was the perfect place for Siyoon to test his skill.

There was no need to tremble with guilt over killing.

Ever since magic beasts began threatening humanity, basic education on the subject had become mandatory.

Besides, living in this world meant occasionally facing real threats from magic beasts.

One inevitably grew numb to such things.

‘From here on, it’s easy.’

Sageurak.

Another Magic Beast came into view.

Siyoon did exactly what he had done before.

Calmly aim, then pull the trigger.

That was all there was to it.

It looked simple, but the reality was far from it.

The aiming process required absolute steadiness and zero hesitation.

Easier said than done.

A first hunt was the most difficult hurdle for a newly Awakened Hunter.

It wasn’t the reluctance to take a life that froze them, but the ‘overwhelming presence’ of the magic beast.

Taang!

The gunshot echoed once more.

The struck magic beast collapsed limply, a clean hole punched through its body.

“Haa.”

The reason Siyoon could pull this off so easily.

Largely came down to his personality.

Siyoon was calm in everything he did.

Even when major challenges arose, he sought solutions rather than drowning in emotion.

Sitting idle solved nothing.

Once he set his mind to something, he found a way to make it happen.

“Just as I expected.”

Siyoon gripped the BB Gun firmly.

He could do this.

And quite well, at that.

The realization set his heart racing.

At this point, a bit of greed began to creep in.

“Shall I go a little deeper?”

Having swept the surrounding area clean, no more magic beasts were in sight.

Since his goal had been verification, turning back now would be the optimal choice.

But Siyoon’s heart wanted otherwise.

For twenty-eight years, Siyoon had lived quietly without any particular adventure.

Surely a little deviation like this every now and then couldn’t hurt.

After a moment’s deliberation, Siyoon decided to venture a little deeper.

* * *

Sparkling sunlight filtered through the branches, weaving together like cobwebs.

Siyoon looked around.

“Maybe it’s because there’s no one around, but it’s remarkably desolate.”

Despite the bright midday sun, the forest was pervasively dark.

It wasn’t the absence of light.

Animal bones scattered about, tree roots blackened with death.

The stench of rotting, moisture-laden leaves.

These elements combined to define the atmosphere.

-Kiieeit!

-Keureureuk.

In proportion, magic beasts appeared more frequently as well.

What started as one became two.

Two became four.

Four multiplied to eight.

Tatatang!

Siyoon calmly aimed his BB Gun and pulled the trigger.

The combat unfolded rapidly.

Block what he could, dodge what he couldn’t.

Even with armor, carelessly taking hits was a poor strategy.

-Kyaaak!

Kwang!

The Magic Beast in front threw its full weight against his shield.

Simultaneously, he shifted his footing back to evade the magic beast behind him.

The one lunging from the side, he shot dead on the spot.

Tuhot―

A white flash burst from the barrel.

The BB bullet flew in a straight line.

Carrying terrifying power, it mercilessly punched through everything in its path.

-Kak!

-Kkik!

-Keureureuk…

One shot, one kill.

Each let out a death wail and went limp.

After hunting all eight in this manner.

Ttiring!

[ Impressive! ]

[ You have skillfully hunted Magic Beasts without any guidance. ]

[ Stamina increases by 1 point. ]

[ Agility increases by 1 point. ]

[ Your composed rationality shines in combat against Magic Beasts. ]

[ Intelligence increases by 1 point. ]

[ Willpower increases by 2 points. ]

The haul was substantial.

His stats had increased through the course of combat.

“Nice.”

Raising stats was notoriously difficult outside of leveling up.

Receiving them as rewards was a clear advantage.

“Haa… Should I start heading back soon?”

Siyoon stretched his back.

Three hours had already passed since he began hunting.

With the stamina of an ordinary civilian, pushing further would be pushing his limits.

‘I’ve thoroughly tested the Enhancement skill’s power, and I’ve gained stat points. The take is pretty good.’

Kuoong.

A heavy tremor shook the ground.

Watching the branches quiver, Siyoon quietly gripped his BB Gun.

It was instinct.

Something had tripped his senses.

‘This is dangerous.’

As if to confirm his instinct was right.

A System message chimed in.

Simultaneously, a pitch-black shape emerged from behind a tree.

“……!”

Black fur that devoured light even under the bright sun.

Claws that crunched through rotting leaves were sharp as blades.

The creature fixed its bright red eyes squarely on Siyoon.

“I’ve never heard of an elite magic beast in this area…”

Unlike the other lowest-rank magic beasts that barely reached his ankles.

This one was enormous, standing as tall as his knee.

Fully extended, it looked capable of pinning down Siyoon, who stood at 174 centimeters.

Siyoon calmly assessed the magic beast.

Unlike the sloth-mole hybrids, this one resembled a wild dog.

It must rank among the stronger magic beasts of the forest—its very aura was different.

Indeed, a strange current of energy rippled around its eyes and body.

Even the way it looked at Siyoon now overflowed with killing intent.

At that moment, the magic beast’s eyes blazed with crimson light.

[ Killing intent detected. ]

[ Your resistance to withstand it is insufficient. ]

[ Physical abilities decrease by 10%. ]

“Ugh…!”

His body convulsed involuntarily under the raw threat.

His muscles stiffened, and his legs trembled.

The effect of the magic beast’s killing intent.

-Kyaaak!

In that moment of confusion, the magic beast charged.

Its massive body closed the distance in a flash.

There was no time to hesitate.

He forced his frozen body to move and braced himself.

Right? Left?

No. Straight ahead.

The deliberation was brief, the decision swift.

Teong―!

Its fangs crashed into the raised Book Shield.

Under the crushing pressure, his arms and legs shook.

-Keureureureu!!

Had it not expected Siyoon to block?

When its attack was stopped, it howled threateningly, as if in fury.

‘A moment slower and those fangs would have torn me apart.’

[ Your innate mental fortitude has partially resisted the killing intent. ]

[ Physical abilities partially recover. ]

A hair-raising situation.

Siyoon noticed his movements had become easier than before.

His calm disposition seemed to have played a role.

But…

‘I can’t take many more attacks like that.’

One more, at most.

Any more than that, and he wouldn’t survive.