Chapter 10
The Three-Legged Crow
“Undead?”
[Danger level 25. Once human corpses, but now cursed beings that crave flesh and blood. Their joints are stiff, so they move very slowly, but be careful—their teeth and nails contain corpse poison.]
Grrraah…
Dozens of corpses shuffled down the hallway, letting out hoarse groans like the sound of air being squeezed through broken throats.
Their skin had rotted away to expose bone in places, and a vile stench filled the air.
“Jiangshi, is it?”
As someone who had mastered every demonic art under heaven, Cheonma was also skilled in corpse-binding and spirit-controlling techniques.
The moment he recognized that the “undead” before him were jiangshi created through necromantic arts, his gaze darkened.
“So even monsters born from the martial world appear here, it seems.”
The dungeons, said to overflow with monsters from other worlds—apparently, that “other world” included the martial realm as well.
[There’s no need to engage them. They move too slowly to ever catch up with you, Master Cheonma.]
“I am the Heaven of the Demonic Path and the Grandmaster of the Demonic Gate. How could I simply leave these cursed souls to wander, unable to rest?”
Cheonma bit into his index and middle fingers, drawing blood.
Then, with the crimson drops, he began drawing large symbols and runes across the hallway floor.
Swish, swish—
As the final stroke was drawn, the blood-soaked sigil flared to life, radiating orange light.
[Master Cheonma—]
Cheonma didn’t head for the rooftop this time. Instead, he strode back outside. Nameless quickly followed after him.
[Why are we going back out again?]
Without answering, Cheonma crouched low and drove his fist into the corner of the derelict building.
“Soaring Wind, Ascending Dragon!”
CRACK!
The blow was strong enough to pulverize granite—yet the building didn’t even tremble.
Though it looked ready to collapse, its structure seemed as tough as the bronze-like metal that made up the dungeon walls.
[Master Cheonma, no matter how ruined it looks, this place is still part of the dungeon.]
“I see… so it is.”
Cheonma looked down at his own hands.
Even with his formidable body, without his inner power, he could not hope to destroy a dungeon by force.
[Even a first-class awakened being cannot destroy a dungeon by any means.]
“Impossible, you say? Absolutely impossible…?”
At that moment, a crimson blaze flickered in Cheonma’s eyes.
He was a man who had long since shattered the boundaries of what was said to be impossible for humans.
To him, the word impossible was something he could never accept.
Crack…
A strange noise came from his clasped hands.
Vrrrmmm—
An eerie vibration filled the air, shaking the ground as if the very earth groaned.
“Heavenly Demon Grand Power!”
Cheonma had once devised this secret art within the demonic realm—an art not based on inner energy, but on unleashing the body’s dormant potential.
It was a technique he had never used before, for it required infinite energy to endure.
That was the Heavenly Demon Grand Power.
Thud, thud, thud.
Thick veins bulged across his skin, and his eyes flared with red light.
“Fist Demon’s Seventh Form—Thunderous Chaos!”
With a roar, he thrust out his fist, launching a swirling torrent of blue flame toward the building.
BOOOOOM!
With an earth-shattering explosion, the towering structure before him crumbled in a single instant.
Rumble…
Amidst the white dust, the dungeon itself collapsed into the ground and vanished.
[Master Cheonma’s awakening level is… i-is…—]
Nameless suddenly began stuttering, its mechanical voice glitching and looping.
Then—
Skreeee!
A sharp, piercing shriek split the sky.
Hovering above the ruins was a massive bird. Its feathers gleamed gold, and it bore three legs and great wings.
“What is that?”
[That is the Three-Legged Crow Queen. A hidden monster whose danger level and traits are yet unrecorded.]
“A hidden monster?”
[They appear only under specific conditions. Unlike normal dungeon creatures, hidden monsters can freely move outside dungeon zones and often possess rare relics of great value.]
“A relic, hmm…”
[Master Cheonma, you’ve fulfilled the conditions for the hidden monster of this dungeon to appear. You can have your name recorded in the Monster Compendium. If you do, the Association will grant a reward.]
He didn’t fully grasp the meaning—but apparently, there was a reward for discovery.
And Cheonma was not one to refuse having his name recorded.
“Very well. Register it under my name.”
[Registration denied. Unregistered awakeners cannot add entries.]
“I see.”
He nodded without regret.
After all, this world was nothing more than a brief stopover for him.
[The Three-Legged Crow Queen’s danger level cannot be measured. I assume advising you to retreat would be pointless?]
“Of course.”
[Then at least, please refrain from destroying the creature’s body too severely. The relic within might be damaged.]
Knowing that Cheonma’s power far exceeded that of a first-class awakener, Nameless gave up trying to dissuade him from fighting.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Clenching both fists, Cheonma glared at the golden queen in the sky.
“Heavenly Demon Grand Power!”
Fwoosh!
As he unleashed his body’s innate might, red mist coiled around him.
Throb.
Veins bulged like ropes, and his entire figure, wreathed in crimson haze, looked like a demon god born of flame.
Skreeee!
Sensing his killing intent, the Three-Legged Crow Queen screeched, its golden eyes gleaming arrogantly.
“Come, beast.”
As if understanding his taunt, the queen’s eyes flared brighter with golden fury.
With a long, shrill cry, it dove, a streak of golden light aimed straight at his head.
“Good.”
Cheonma crouched, drawing power into his legs.
“Fist Demon’s Seventh Form—Soaring Wind, Ascending Dragon!”
A crimson blaze surged upward to meet the descending gold light.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed, scattering golden feathers through the air.
The Queen of the Three-Legged Crows was obliterated midair by Cheonma’s strike.
Tap.
Landing softly, Cheonma exhaled as golden feathers drifted down around him.
“This… can’t be controlled like inner power.”
Shaking his head, he reached out and picked up three particularly radiant, multicolored feathers.
“I’ll take these.”
[Mission complete: Obtained three feathers of the Three-Legged Crow. Would you like to return to the shop?]
As Cheonma nodded, Nameless projected a map.
[Then I’ll guide you back through the hidden passage to the rooftop.]
The round drone spun once and emitted a low hum.
[Is this what people call karma, I wonder?]
“What do you mean?”
[The Three-Legged Crow King has appeared. It manifests only when the Queen is slain in a single blow.]
High above, a black-feathered crow gleamed with a sinister light.
It made no sound, no presence—so much so that even Cheonma, with his keen senses, hadn’t noticed it.
If not for Nameless’s 360-degree detection, he might have been caught off guard.
“You’re useful after all. I nearly got ambushed.”
[You thought I was only a navigation tool, didn’t you?]
“I did.”
[Appreciate the honesty. So, will you deal with that King as well?]
“Not a chance.”
To Nameless’s surprise, Cheonma shook his head.
Cold sweat drenched his body, and his trembling fingers betrayed his exhaustion.
“The Heavenly Demon Grand Power… it strains the body more than expected.”
He had never meant to actually use the technique—he had created it merely as a legacy for future generations before leaving the demonic realm.
But in practice, even his adamantine body could barely withstand its toll.
[How long can you maintain that full-power sprint you used earlier?]
“About fifteen minutes.”
[Then please lift me onto your shoulder.]
[Now searching for an escape route.]
Light poured from Nameless’s body as it scanned the dungeon map, tracing a glowing blue line across the ground.
[I’ve calculated a route that will take you out of the King’s attack range at your maximum speed. When I say run, follow the blue path.]
Cheonma nodded.
[Run—now!]
As soon as he bolted, a whistling noise sliced through the air behind him.
The Crow King had begun its attack from above.
Beep-beep!
Each time Nameless detected a strike, the glowing line changed direction.
Cheonma’s breath grew ragged, but he grit his teeth and kept running.
[Enter that building ahead!]
He dove through the ruins just as a deafening whizz tore the upper half of the structure away.
Crashing into a wall, he barely caught his breath before following the next blue line onward.
“What the—what is that thing?!”
Screams reached his ears.
Up ahead, a small outpost crowded with dozens of awakeners came into view.
Even Cheonma, in the midst of his sprint, wondered the same.
“What is that place?”
[It’s a rest area run by Association-affiliated awakeners.]
“A rest area?”
[A convenience facility where awakeners can rest inside a dungeon—sleep, resupply, or buy food and tools.]
Nameless rambled on before returning to the point.
[The awakeners running it are likely rank 4 or higher. You don’t need to enter—just pass by.]
Following the glowing path, Cheonma sprinted past the rest stop.
Moments later, he heard the sound of shattering energy barriers and terrified shouts.
“Arghhh!”
“What the hell just tore through our shield?!”
“It’s a hidden monster! Everyone, battle stations!”
When he looked back, the rest stop had descended into chaos.
“….”
For the first time, Cheonma felt a strange, unfamiliar stirring inside him—something he’d never experienced before.
He didn’t realize it was the faint prick of conscience.
* * *
Inside Bokbok Interior, the workshop.
“Wow! What is this—are these really the Three-Legged Crow’s feathers?!”
Sitting at the reception table, Jang Chaewon gaped at the shimmering feathers Cheonma had brought her.
“They’re usually glossy black, but these shine with five colors! And the spiritual energy—so much denser too!”
“I’m glad the shopkeeper is pleased.”
“‘Pleased’? I’m thrilled! With these, I can craft the finest brush imaginable! You really outdid yourself, Cheon—”
Her smile faded mid-sentence.
Cheonma’s face looked weary, dark circles heavy under his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen in the dungeon?”
“No. Just… tired.”
Forcing a faint smile, Cheonma shook his head.
“Nothing serious.”
“Alright, you deserve some rest. I’ll just pop by the general store for a bit.”
“Go ahead.”
Grabbing her handbag, Chaewon cheerfully skipped out of the shop.
Cheonma’s gaze, however, remained fixed on the television.
On the muted screen, breaking news showed a devastated rest area—awakeners lying scattered, defeated by the Three-Legged Crow King.
“Earlier today, in the Safe Dungeon Zone of District XX, a hidden monster known as the Three-Legged Crow King appeared…”
“Authorities are criticizing the Association for its poor management of unregistered awakeners following the unexplained destruction of an F-rank dungeon…”
“Hmm.”
Cheonma’s low hum rumbled like distant thunder.
From his shoulder, Nameless spoke, its voice tinged with smug pride.
[It’s fine, Master Cheonma.]
[With that many awakeners there, at least no one will die.]
It spoke with the quiet confidence of a machine proud to have kept its user safe.
