Demonification.

A condition primarily observed in physical mutation-type ability users, caused by mana intoxication, where the body retains lingering effects even after abilities are deactivated.

It was first brought to the world’s attention three years after the Millennium Shock.

[Iceland’s Hero Becomes the Pale Undead.]

The first recorded case was an Icelandic hunter named Olavir, who possessed necromancy abilities.

His metabolism had begun to plummet drastically even when he wasn’t using his abilities, until eventually, he became a walking corpse.

Demonification remains a disease with no clearly understood mechanism even today, dismissed as incurable.

To make matters worse, the mutation phenomenon itself has been etched into the public consciousness as an object of terror.

If it carries such notoriety even now after years of research, what must it have been like when the disease was first observed?

The era when Demonification first appeared was a time when everything—dimensional portals, magical beasts, and even the hunters who hunted them—was entirely unfamiliar.

Olavir, the first case, was exiled to a gate Zone due to a fear of contagion that bordered on superstition.

Herein, nicknamed the Mermaid, couldn’t set foot on land for over ten years until the misunderstandings surrounding her condition were cleared, and Annan, the Fallen Angel, lived cut off from civilization for six years.

And it was this disease that the old woman guarding Korea’s 38th Parallel had been suffering from.

Jung-woo felt a surge of bewilderment rush to the top of his head.

S-Rank Hunter Park Soon-ae, estimated age in her nineties.

That was all he knew about her, and he had assumed that was the end of it.

But it wasn’t.

The realization filled his chest.

‘Ah, so that’s why…’

Even at the moment Seoul fell, Hunter Park Soon-ae couldn’t appear.

The price of blocking the demonic energy that had tried to encroach upon this land for decades had been this devastating.

Faced with human sympathy, awe, and the knowledge of her sacrifice and secret, Jung-woo found himself unable to speak carelessly.

It was at that moment.

That Hae-seo parted her lips.

“This is Hunter Shin Jung-woo. He’s the strongest person in Korea now.”

[Hmm? This young man?]

Soon-ae’s gaze landed on Jung-woo.

Then, a question burst from her.

[Stronger than Jun-ho?]

To which Hae-seo replied.

“…Probably, for now. Definitely in the future.”

It was a remarkably understated praise.

Only after hearing those words could Jung-woo collect himself.

He bowed his head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hunter Park Soon-ae. I’m Shin Jung-woo, head of the Gate Disaster Management Department under the Hunter Association.”

[Hmm? Association? Department head? What’s all that now?]

“A lot has happened while you were asleep, ma’am. I’ll explain everything first.”

It was truly fortunate to have a companion who already knew her.

In this moment, at least, Jung-woo felt grateful for Hae-seo’s presence.

‘Glad I listened to the Chairman.’

Bringing Hae-seo along as a companion had been Ho-jong’s advice.

He had said she was particularly close to Soon-ae and would be able to converse with her comfortably.

[My goodness, the outside world certainly changes fast. Well then… have you children eaten?]

That was the moment.

“Yes, we’ve eaten.”

“Oh, but we haven’t eaten…”

“We’ve eaten. Right, Hunter Shin Jung-woo?”

“???”

Jung-woo felt a pressure akin to pleading in Hae-seo’s eyes.

So he nodded without thinking.

At that, Soon-ae muttered with what sounded like regret.

[Is that so? That’s a shame. Since our Hae-seo came after such a long time, I was going to make something for you.]

“…Next time. Next time.”

Hae-seo’s shoulders trembled faintly.

Whatever it was, that reaction alone was enough to tell him they had narrowly escaped a dangerous experience.

Jung-woo felt a chill run down his spine for no reason.

Seolyang Village was exceptionally desolate.

Given that its sole resident was Hunter Park Soon-ae, this was perhaps inevitable, yet the silence and chill that permeated the place stood out starkly.

Why was it,

As he pondered, Jung-woo was able to grasp the reason without much difficulty.

‘It’s been too long since human hands touched this place.’

It wasn’t that the village was unmaintained.

Though it didn’t show on the surface, the roots of the World Tree crawling beneath the ground would occasionally surface to repair buildings or clear streets, performing a kind of environmental upkeep.

Along with this, he realized that Hunter Park Soon-ae could go anywhere her roots extended, not just the ginkgo tree at the center of the village.

Jung-woo followed Hae-seo to a certain farmhouse.

There, he met Soon-ae, who had poked her head out between tree trunks that had grown up through the wooden floor.

[Alright, go ahead and tell me the story.]

Her appearance was still something he hadn’t fully adjusted to.

However, knowing full well how great a discourtesy it would be to stare, he made every effort to treat her as he would any ordinary elderly woman.

In that manner, he managed to explain everything that had happened in Korea while she slept.

[Oh my, so that’s what happened to that boy Jun-ho… oh my…]

She was remarkably lucid and sharp-minded.

Thanks to that, the process of confirming each detail by asking her to repeat what she heard went incredibly smoothly. The most striking thing during this process was that even Soon-ae, who had brushed off everything else with an accepting nod, couldn’t do the same when it came to the circumstances of Chun Jun-ho’s death, expressing profound sorrow.

Soon-ae couldn’t immediately compose her emotions and remained upset for quite some time.

When she had sufficiently washed away her grief, Jung-woo spoke.

“That’s why we’ve decided to make the North Korean expedition the first priority project of the new Association. And for that, we need your help, ma’am.”

Fifteen years ago, when Chun Jun-ho traveled to North Korea, it was because she had opened the way for him.

He explained everything they needed help with this time, which was on an even larger scale, including drawing borders after reclamation.

However, Soon-ae’s response was negative.

[You’re going there again?]

“Yes, it’s the best we can do given Korea’s current situation…”

[No. This old woman won’t allow it.]

Soon-ae’s tone was resolute.

This was before he could even add another word.

[Young man, your name is Jung-woo, you say?]

“…Yes, ma’am.”

[Is that truly your best option?]

That question didn’t feel like an ordinary attempt to dissuade him.

What dwelled in Soon-ae’s eyes was deep concern.

[I can see you’re quite a remarkable person. Your future must be bright and boundless. But let me tell you. Someone like you shouldn’t be coming to a place like this.]

“I fully understand your concern. But with our capabilities, we can certainly…”

[Young man.]

Another dissuasion.

At her following words, Jung-woo found himself unable to summon any more arguments for persuasion.

[In my life, being fooled by those words and sending a young person away… isn’t once enough?]

Jung-woo’s body froze.

He could tell from the gentle smile she offered along with those words.

Chun Jun-ho, the hero who saved the nation.

That man, whose very survival was now uncertain, must have departed for that place saying the same things Jung-woo had.

[Go on back. I’m sorry, but this is one thing I cannot grant you.]

Jung-woo bowed his head.

He had realized that no words could persuade her today.

They couldn’t discuss the matter further until their meeting ended.

Thus, they left Seolyang Village and returned to the observation base.

It was there that he was about to part ways with Hae-seo as well.

“So you couldn’t get her permission in the end. Are you going to give up?”

Jung-woo answered Hae-seo’s question.

“No, I can’t do that.”

“Let me tell you, ma’am is an incredibly stubborn person. The fact that she’s still living alone in that village with her abilities is purely because of her own stubbornness.”

That was something Jung-woo could readily feel himself.

But there was no way he could scrap this entire project just because he failed to get permission.

Even setting aside various external reasons, if they couldn’t survey the North Korean Erosion Zone, they couldn’t accumulate data on Zero Gates.

“I’ll visit her again. I heard she’ll be awake for a while.”

“Are you going to commute here every day?”

“Yes, I suppose I’ll have to.”

Right after answering, Jung-woo felt Hae-seo’s piercing gaze.

Had he said something wrong? He flinched involuntarily and laughed awkwardly.

“Then I’ll commute here starting tomorrow as well.”

“Huh? Oh, I’ve already memorized the route, so it’s fine…”

“Isn’t two better than one?”

She seemed to have already made her decision.

For Jung-woo, there was no reason to refuse.

Given that he’d already been pegged in a not-so-positive light, having Hae-seo, who was close to Soon-ae, along would be quite reassuring.

“I’d really appreciate that. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“It’s fine. It’s only natural as a senior hunter.”

An expressionless face, a tone suggesting it was no big deal.

But given the conversation they’d had on the way to Seolyang Village, he thought he understood the reason.

‘She liked being called senior.’

Thinking she really was a transparent person, Jung-woo just laughed awkwardly at that moment.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you. Senior.”

“…Ahem.”

Then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he asked.

“By the way, why did you say we’d already eaten? It was right around lunchtime, so I was quite puzzled.”

The answer he received was this.

“I didn’t think you’d want your stomach to burst and die before fighting magical beasts.”

“…?”

“It’s better not to know. I was better off not knowing, too.”

For some reason, Hae-seo’s eyes went hollow.

It was still an incomprehensible statement.

Jung-woo’s daily routine changed from that day forward.

After dropping Se-gi off at daycare, he headed straight to Cheorwon to meet Soon-ae.

Permission or not, he figured he needed to build a rapport with Soon-ae first before he could even broach the topic again.

After all, weren’t a smile and persistence the most perfect weapons for melting a person’s heart?

He acted on that belief.

Naturally, the start wasn’t entirely smooth.

“Hello, ma’am! I’m here again!”

[Didn’t I say I couldn’t help you? Go on back.]

“I’m not here about that today. I just thought I’d help repair the village as part of Korean hunter welfare.”

Soon-ae showed her displeasure.

However, she didn’t go so far as to drive him away, so he was able to stay in the village for about two hours. During that time, Hae-seo kept Soon-ae company while Jung-woo worked on repairing the village buildings.

The third day was the same, and on the fourth day, there was a small breakthrough.

[You’re here again? What’s that in your hand?]

“The village felt a bit empty. I bought them from a flower shop. Do they not suit your taste?”

[…Leave them there.]

Feeling that arriving empty-handed each time was discourteous, he had brought flowers.

Someone had once said that no matter their age, women love flowers, and acting on that thought, it seemed to have worked—Soon-ae’s demeanor softened compared to before.

On the fifth and sixth days, he brought flowers again.

And so, on the seventh day, he was finally able to have a personal conversation with Soon-ae.

[Eat something first, young man. Here.]

“Oh, steamed potatoes!”

[There are some growing wild nearby, so I steamed them. What kind of hospitality would it be to not give a snack to the young man fixing the village?]

“Thank you for the food.”

[…But, young man. What’s your relationship with our Hae-seo?]

“Yes?”

[A young man and woman coming together every day… well, wouldn’t feelings develop even if there weren’t any before?]

“Ahaha… we’re just colleagues. And I have a kid, too.”

[Hmm?]

“Shall I show you a photo of my daughter?”

[…Let’s see. Oh my, what a pretty little thing. She has the same eyes as you…!]

Without ever bringing up the North Korean reclamation project, simply visiting Soon-ae as if doing conversational volunteer work allowed him to grow closer to her on a human level.

Should he call it a minor harvest along the way?

The old woman who had birthed two sons and six daughters ended up teaching him parenting tips about what girls that age are like and how to raise them.

That was the turning point.

With the common denominator of having a daughter, their conversations increased, and from then on, Soon-ae no longer displayed any sign of displeasure.

On the eighth and ninth days, she came out to the village entrance first to greet Jung-woo warmly.

And so came the tenth day.

“Have a good day!”

“Yeah, Se-gi, you listen to your teacher, okay?”

“Okay!”

After dropping Se-gi off at daycare, Jung-woo took a car to Cheorwon as he had done the day before.

He met Hae-seo at the observation base, and as they had for the past ten days, they began walking up to Seolyang Village together.

Today, Jung-woo carried a bucket of paint in his hand.

It was to repaint the cracked and broken walls of the village buildings.

Amidst this daily routine, Jung-woo had grown quite close to Hae-seo as well.

With her lack of expression and flat tone, it had been difficult to read her emotions at first, but now he could understand the feelings behind her words from just a few brief reactions.

For instance, in a situation like this.

“You don’t use hunter communities, do you? You’re doing the right thing. Nothing good comes from trying them.”

“But isn’t the quality of information quite good there?”

“It’s overflowing with malice. Those boar-like people from Marang spread all sorts of rumors. Saying Athens is an anthill or whatever…”

Her brow furrows slightly, and the end of her sentence rises.

This was irritation and anger.

How should he put it.

Whenever Jung-woo saw this side of Hae-seo, he couldn’t help but think that despite her external status, she was still a young woman of her age.

She was someone with a mundane human charm who got upset over trivial things and felt better over equally trivial things.

Her strong desire for recognition that made her fight in communities over the slightest provocation was regrettable, but being human, who didn’t have at least one flaw?

As a companion, she was quite an amusing person.

Thinking such thoughts, he was on his way up to Seolyang Village.

“But ma’am has been awake for quite a long time this time. Usually she goes back to sleep after four days.”

“Maybe she’s just enjoying our company that much.”

“That’s a bit of an ego…”

Kugugugugung—!

Jung-woo’s body froze.

Hae-seo’s did the same.

The two simultaneously looked up toward the source of the ominous vibration.

Toward Seolyang Village, the sky was splitting open as a dark blue gate was forming.

It was a First gate, spewing out multiple magical beasts.

‘This suddenly? Now? Here? Why?’

As he thought, a realization struck him.

‘Ah…’

This wasn’t Seoul.

It was a rural area, and Cheorwon at that, the closest town to the border.

There was no way a Third gate that could induce gate creation this far out existed.

This mountain valley along the 38th Parallel was a place where the threat of gates lurked at all times.

“Chairperson!”

“I know. We’re in a hurry, so excuse me.”

Warak!

Hae-seo wrapped her arm around Jung-woo’s waist.

Then she bent her knees and…

Paaaaang—!

Shot forward like a projectile.

It was clearly a gate targeting the village.

Though an S-Rank like Soon-ae wouldn’t fall, there was worry that with her physical limitations, she might not be able to defend perfectly.

And as ominous guesses usually go, this time the worry proved accurate.

[…Oh my, it’s Jung-woo and Hae-seo.]

The Seolyang Village they arrived at was devastated.

The wooden porch where they had sat and chatted just yesterday was crushed under magical beast corpses, the wall they had been repairing was shattered, and several buildings had their roofs caved in.

In the middle of it all, between the ginkgo trees, Soon-ae smiled bitterly and spoke.

[My, I’m so sorry I don’t know what to do… you worked so hard to fix everything, and look what happened.]

The magical beasts had already been dealt with.

Given that the roots of the World Tree, which had erupted from various spots in the ground, were soaked in blood, the battle itself didn’t seem to have been particularly difficult.

However, even after dispatching all the beasts, what hung over Soon-ae’s face was deep regret.

“How…”

That mutter slipped out.

[It’s fine. It’s fine. This was bound to happen someday.]

The roots gathered up the building debris.

Soon-ae continued speaking as if embarrassed.

[These things always wake me up when they’re about to fly in. So I’ve been staying awake here lately, but… when I thought it was time for you to arrive, my mind wandered for just a moment, and I didn’t even see these things coming…]

Only then did he understand something.

‘Ah…’

There was a reason this village had maintained its original form all this time.

She had some means of sensing when a gate was about to form nearby, and every time one appeared, she would wake from sleep to protect the village.

She had guarded the village that way her entire life, but this time, it seemed she had failed to do so because her mind had been distracted by their arrival.

What was this village that she would go to such lengths?

Even as his chest tightened with frustration, Jung-woo could vaguely grasp the answer.

‘She had no family.’

Through their conversations, he had learned that she once had two sons, six daughters, a husband, and friends.

But Soon-ae had never once mentioned where they were or what they were doing now.

Perhaps, with a very high probability.

That horrific Millennium Shock must have taken everything from her.

Such tragedies were not uncommon in this era, so it hadn’t taken long to deduce.

In other words, this village was the last evidence that someone named Park Soon-ae had once lived and laughed with people.

Jung-woo felt a sense of devastation.

But knowing he couldn’t just leave her like that, he stepped forward and summoned all his summons in front of the porch.

Pyopyopyopyopyok!

The magical beast corpses transformed into fallen dolls.

Teddy Bear, Sea Otter, and Shark popped out, and quickly reading the situation, began clearing away the beast corpses.

Surprise appeared on Soon-ae’s face.

At her questioning look of what he was doing, Jung-woo spoke.

“…I’ll help you clean up. Repairs can be done again. Right?”

He smiled.

As if this much could be fixed in no time.