Chapter 48
The Unicorn Subjugation Battle (4)
“Phew—! I can’t do this anymore!”
Clang!
Kang Jia threw the saw aside as if flinging it away and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Ugh… I think my arms are about to fall off…”
“It’s fine. Human arms don’t come off that easily.”
Would this be how a demon smiles?
He was clearly joking, but to Jia’s ears, it didn’t sound that way.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made her work nonstop for half a day.
Watching Sehyun smile brightly, Jia forced a grin.
Right, there’s no way he meant it seriously.
It was just the kind of talk that came out when people were working hard together.
“Haha, good joke. Why don’t we take a little break now?”
“What are you talking about? It’s only been half a day.”
“…”
Jia’s expression turned flat.
That wasn’t a joke.
He actually meant it.
At this rate, he was going to work her to the point of collapse!
Jia quickly turned her gaze aside.
Inha, who showed no signs of exhaustion, was still sawing away when she noticed Jia’s desperate eyes.
“…You want to rest too, right? Don’t you?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s why I’m pacing myself.”
“…”
These people… were impossible to reason with.
Even if they were “pacing themselves,” they were still working nonstop!
Jia had plenty to say, but instead, she swallowed her sigh.
Noticing her expression, Sehyun finally spoke.
“Hmm, if you’re really that tired, want to do something easier?”
“…Sure.”
He didn’t say “take a break,” but at this point, she’d take what she could get.
Half resigned, she trudged after Sehyun.
He carefully packed the bundles of vine they had gathered into a large clay jar.
Jia watched with curiosity.
The vines kept vanishing into the jar’s opening without end.
“How does all of that fit in there?”
“Oh, I haven’t shown you this, huh?”
“…?”
Sehyun gripped the jar’s handles with both hands and stretched his arms wide.
Rumble…
The jar scraped along the ground as it expanded to the width of his arms.
Perching on the rim, Sehyun extended a hand toward her.
“Come on, you’ll understand once you’re inside.”
“Wait—inside? Kyaa!”
Before she could react, Sehyun tossed her into the jar.
Jia let out a shriek, but fortunately, she landed safely on the pile of soft vines inside.
“Ow… What is this place?”
There were simple earthen walls lit by a hanging lantern,
and a rustic shelf filled with jars and ingredients.
Beyond an old wooden door, faint light flickered, hinting that the space went deeper.
It looked like the inside of a traditional Middle Eastern house.
“This is… inside the jar?”
[Xerxes’s Jar]
A legendary storage vessel said to have been used by an ancient alchemist who collected materials from across the world.
It could recreate the alchemist’s workshop and preserve any material inside under optimal conditions.
“The only downside is that you have to load everything in by hand,” Sehyun said, offering her another basket of vines.
“It’s easier than harvesting, though. No complaints, right?”
“…Right.”
She hadn’t wanted easy work—she wanted a break…
But she couldn’t say that aloud and just took the basket.
“Finally done…”
Jia sprawled on the ground, arms spread wide, staring up at the sky.
An aurora shimmered across the dark navy heavens.
The sun didn’t move—it was the endless night of the polar region.
There was no way to tell how much time had passed.
It was beautiful, like someone had hung a massive photograph above her head.
“Tiring as it was… it feels kind of refreshing.”
The “rifts” she’d seen before had never felt like this.
For someone who could barely pull her own weight, a rift had always been pure hell.
When will this end? Why is time crawling by?
That was how it always felt.
But today was different.
Time had flown by, and not a single negative feeling remained.
Her body ached from repetitive work, but it felt cleansing—like she could empty her mind through labor.
“This is better, honestly. If we’d been hunting the unicorn…”
Even if it wasn’t due to incompetence, she would’ve been tormented with guilt again.
She still couldn’t bring herself to enjoy hunting monsters.
Even though they were threats to humans, she couldn’t help but feel pity for them.
Could someone like her really be of use…?
“Ugh, focus, Kang Jia. Stop thinking weird stuff and just—”
Then,
Rustle—
Something moved in the bushes.
Jia shot up, senses on full alert.
Rustle—
She hadn’t imagined it.
She could feel a clear presence.
‘…But something’s off.’
Even if she was inexperienced, she was still a Tamer.
Her sharp senses could distinguish between humans, plants, animals, and monsters.
But there was no stellar energy coming from that direction.
‘…Let’s check it out.’
Moving as quietly as she could, Jia crept forward.
After pushing past the brush—
Her eyes widened in shock.
—Prrrhh…
A long, silver horn.
A sleek, white body that shimmered faintly with iridescent hues.
Somewhere between a horse and a deer—slender, elegant, and otherworldly.
Its beauty struck her speechless.
As she stared, the creature slowly turned its head toward her.
Jia crouched down at once, hiding herself.
Prrhh…!
When she looked again, the horned horse was calmly nibbling on the moss-covered ground.
‘…It’s a unicorn!’
Now it made sense—why she’d sensed its presence but no stellar energy.
With its stealth trait, it could hide its power, but not from a Tamer’s intuition.
‘Still… what do I do now?’
It hadn’t noticed her yet.
She should quietly retreat and tell Sehyun and Inha…
“What, there you are?”
“Eek!”
“Relax. I told you to take a break, not sneak off. What are you—”
“Shh!!”
Jia frantically gestured for Sehyun to crouch.
“Look over there.”
Following her gaze, Sehyun’s eyes widened.
“…That’s a unicorn.”
The unicorn was now staring right at them—
No, at Jia.
“…Huh?”
Realizing its gaze was fixed on her, Jia froze.
Why was it interested in her?
Sehyun understood her confusion.
Unicorns avoided humans entirely.
They fled the moment they sensed anyone nearby.
Old legends said they approached pure maidens, but in a rift, that was impossible.
If it were that easy, unicorns wouldn’t have such a massive bounty on their heads.
‘…Unless—there’s another explanation.’
A thought struck Sehyun.
If he was right, Jia might be able to do something no one ever had before.
“Jia.”
“Yes?”
“Think you can connect with it?”
“What? That’s not really up to me—”
“Try it.”
Sehyun gave her a gentle shove.
“W-wait!”
Jia clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from shouting.
Surprisingly, the unicorn didn’t react aggressively.
It simply stared at her quietly.
Step… step…
Then, it began walking toward her.
“It—it’s coming this way!”
‘Just as I thought.’
Finding it “by chance” made no sense.
Its stealth ability was like a passive skill—
it was always hidden unless it chose to reveal itself.
Meaning—
it had chosen to appear before Jia.
Prrhh…
Soon, it was close enough to touch.
Jia closed her eyes and slowly raised her hand.
The unicorn pressed its face into her palm.
Her heart pounded wildly, but she steadied herself,
and opened her mind—
letting her stellar energy flow toward the creature.
They fell into sync.
A perfect communion.
The unicorn licked dew off the moss.
Jia and Sehyun stood a distance away, watching quietly.
Jia’s expression after the bond was strange—
not joyful, but bittersweet.
“That child… it’ll die soon, won’t it?”
“…”
So that was what she was worried about.
He couldn’t deny it.
The rift had formed because of the unicorn.
And with a bounty of 10 billion won, every hunter in the region would come for it.
The expedition teams from overseas wouldn’t retreat easily.
They’d hunt it down without hesitation.
Tears welled in Jia’s eyes.
“Oppa… please, at least let Nikon go peacefully.”
“…Huh?”
Before he could even comment on her naming sense, he blinked in confusion.
Let it go peacefully? What was she talking about?
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I-I’m ready for it…! I said I wouldn’t cry, but it just—ugh…”
“What are you talking about? Why would I kill it?”
Sehyun scoffed.
Jia looked up blankly.
“…What?”
“Why bother? Killing it would just close the rift faster. I’d rather use that time to gather more materials.”
“But… I thought that was just something you said to make it sound noble—because it’s hard to catch one!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
It seemed she had seriously misunderstood him.
Sure, ten billion won was a fortune—
but for Sehyun, that kind of money was tainted.
‘How could I take it, knowing where it came from?’
He’d crossed paths with the Collector before.
That bounty money could easily have been earned through corpses.
“How about this—don’t worry. I’m not catching your Nikon or Nikoni or whatever.”
“Thank goodness… sob…”
Jia burst into relieved tears again.
If she weren’t a player, she’d just be an ordinary high school girl—
the type to squeal at the sight of a stray kitten.
Sehyun chuckled softly and patted her head.
She smiled weakly, wiping her tears—
Then—
Neighhh!!
The unicorn reared and screamed.
And then it froze.
A hand had shot out and grabbed it by the neck.
“Nikon!!!”
A familiar voice followed.
“Well, well, not bad at all.”
“…!!”
“Still a bit green, but I see you’ve tamed it nicely.”
Through the bushes emerged her former teammates.
And the one holding the unicorn was a black mercenary they had hired.
“Hey, man! Remember—half the bounty, fifty-fifty!”
“Yeah, yeah, just keep it still, Mike.”
The black Tamer in a violet hood tightened his grip.
Neighhhhhh!!
The unicorn thrashed in agony.
“What are you doing?!” Jia shouted.
“What do you think? Finishing the boss fight.”
Shing—!
The team leader drew his sword and glared at her.
“Or are you planning to troll again like last time?”
“…”
“I’m not asking for help—just stay out of the way. Got it?”
Jia lowered her head, stepping back.
The leader smirked and advanced toward the unicorn.
“Good. Stay quiet.”
At that moment—
“R-run away…”
The leader whipped his head around.
“Wha—You little—!!”
“Nikon! Run!!!”
Prrhh!!
The unicorn broke free and bolted forward—
its body scattering like drifting snowflakes.
The mercenary reached out desperately.
“I’m not losing ten billion, man!!”
He tried to summon his stellar energy for another restraint spell—
“Ghh—urk!”
He suddenly clutched his throat, gasping.
“I can’t just let you do as you please.”
Sehyun’s voice came from behind him—
the chain bracelet on his wrist glowing with a cold blue light.
