Chapter 51
Unicorn Subjugation Battle (7)
“Damn it!!!”
Just as they were nearing the entrance, a furious shout rang out.
“You ruined the value of it!!!”
It was Javier’s voice.
As expected — handsome men usually had something rotten behind them.
He must have wanted the unicorn for himself too. Otherwise, there’s no way he’d react so violently.
But he had underestimated Kang Jia far too much.
He should’ve known — if someone can find a unicorn, they can also contract with it.
Once a monster is contracted, it becomes completely bound to its tamer.
Meaning, no one else can ever control it.
“Hey~ Kang Jia!”
“…Oppa!”
“You made the contract, huh? Just as I thought.”
Javier turned back, a look of disbelief crossing his face.
“What do you mean, ‘just as you thought’?”
“What do you think I mean? There’s a reason I let you go, you know.”
Crack—!
He ground his teeth in frustration.
“Don’t tell me… you let me go on purpose?”
“Think whatever you want. No need to get all worked up.”
“…”
“Anyway, since you’re done here, how about you head back?”
Sehyun’s gaze flicked to the glowing sigil on Kang Jia’s left hand.
“There’s nothing you can do now.”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh!”
Javier raised his hand, the mark on its back bursting with light.
– Awooooo…
One by one, the wolves around him began to howl.
The golden-maned pack shimmered, their forms flickering like mirages before fusing together into a single enormous shape.
The indistinct blur solidified, forming a gigantic wolf.
It raised its head and let out a thunderous roar.
– GRRROOOAAAAR!!!
“Fine then. I’ll just send you all to heaven. Starting with…”
Javier’s eyes locked on Kang Jia.
“Kill the contractor first! Fenrir!”
At his command, the colossal wolf leapt toward her.
“…That bastard just crossed the line.”
Sehyun’s face twisted in irritation.
Sure, with the unicorn bound to Kang Jia, targeting her made sense strategically.
But still — she was a kid.
If you’ve got business with the kid, you deal with her guardian first.
Swish—
Using the shadow at his feet, Sehyun instantly moved behind Kang Jia.
“Oppa? How did you…?”
“I attached a little something to you earlier. But that’s not important right now.”
From the jar on his back, he pulled out a single vine.
“A mutt shouldn’t be running around without a leash.”
Hummm—
Channeling stellar energy, he infused the vine with a bright blue glow.
It unraveled into thin, fibrous threads, spinning together into a ball of violet yarn in his hand.
It didn’t look like much — and Kang Jia glanced at it nervously.
“You’re not seriously going to tie that thing up with that, are you? It’s huge!”
“This will do just fine.”
Since it was “Fenrir,” there was no better restraint.
Sehyun hurled the ball of yarn at the charging wolf.
The beast opened its jaws wide to swallow it whole—
Whrrrraaaap—!!
In an instant, the yarn unraveled, coiling around Fenrir’s entire body faster than the eye could follow.
Its forelegs and hind legs were bound together, and even its gaping mouth snapped shut.
Thud—!
The wolf crashed headlong into the ground, rolling violently before collapsing in an undignified heap.
Javier’s brow twitched as he shouted,
“What are you doing?! Just rip that stupid string apart—!!!”
“Don’t underestimate it. That’s no ordinary thread.”
[Gleipnir]
The legendary fetter that bound Fenrir until Ragnarok in Norse mythology.
By mythic law, it could never be broken.
Of course, there was one flaw—
Snap—!
This Fenrir wasn’t the Fenrir of legend.
It was just a giant wolf players had nicknamed “Fenrir.”
And because Gleipnir was an imitation tied to a myth, that difference introduced flaws — plus, Sehyun had forged it hastily, limiting its durability.
It could only hold the beast for a short while.
But—
“That short while is enough.”
Whoosh—
While Javier’s attention was fixed on the bound Fenrir, a translucent figure appeared behind him.
Riding Nikon, wrapped in icy winds, Kang Jia appeared — her spirit spear in hand.
Thrust—!
“Gaaah!!”
The spear pierced through the back of Javier’s hand before he could react.
Immediately, Fenrir convulsed.
Crackkkk—!
A fracture appeared on its forehead, spreading rapidly.
No matter how strong it was, a familiar was still just a servant.
The moment its link to its tamer was severed, it became nothing more than a beast.
The only worry was whether the softhearted Kang Jia could finish it.
But in the end, that worry was unfounded.
Shrrkk—!
“Aaaaagh! My hand!!!”
As she withdrew the spear, the mark on his hand lost its light. Fenrir’s body dissolved into golden dust, scattering into the air.
“…I see. You didn’t want to fight either, did you?”
For a brief moment, their souls resonated. Kang Jia gazed sorrowfully as Fenrir vanished.
Then she looked down at the writhing Javier, clutching his wounded hand.
“If you hadn’t been his master, you might’ve lived a different life.”
“…”
…Unfortunately, that wasn’t true.
Even if it hadn’t been Javier, Fenrir’s fate would’ve been the same.
Untamed beasts are killed long before they ever become true predators.
That was simply their destiny.
Monsters and players — beings fated to kill or be killed.
It had always been that way, and still was.
When the Apocalypse comes, the monsters will rise and devour humanity.
Sehyun had lived through that nightmare.
So he couldn’t share Kang Jia’s pity.
…But still.
That didn’t mean he wanted to pass his rage on to her, either.
He had no intention of letting that kind of world return.
So all he said was—
“Get stronger, Kang Jia. If you want to protect something.”
Kang Jia nodded, even though his quiet words likely didn’t reach her.
* * *
“Say that again.”
“…We failed to retrieve the unicorn.”
Bang—!
The Collector slammed his desk in anger.
“Are you telling me all those teams couldn’t capture a single damn unicorn?!”
No wonder he’d put a ₩10 billion bounty on it.
Normally, the four annual subjugation events didn’t attract much attention — the risks of attacking stellar-class rifts outweighed the rewards.
But ₩10 billion changed everything.
Top-tier teams that wouldn’t have cared otherwise had flocked to this hunt — even the famed Saint Union had joined.
And yet they’d failed.
The Collector had a very specific reason for needing that unicorn horn.
He exhaled slowly and picked up the phone.
– “Well, well, for you to call first, Collector-nim…”
A calm, middle-aged voice came through the receiver.
“…We failed to secure the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.”
– “A shame. That was the most promising material.”
Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron — another name for a unicorn’s horn.
Said to be forged in the furnace of ten thousand summers, then tempered through ten thousand winters.
Its strength wasn’t what made it special — its legend did.
Ten thousand years of heat and frost — that story gave it power.
“If I want to make that Artifact thing… I need it.”
He still remembered the night he’d tried to steal the Heir of House Wales — and failed miserably.
Those swords that shone like stars.
Each one radiating stellar power — a breathtaking spectacle unlike anything he’d seen.
Even with his extensive intelligence network, the Collector had found no record of them.
Until one day, someone approached him.
– “I know what those are.”
Objects infused with stellar energy and mysterious powers — he called them Artifacts.
When the Collector learned that, a shiver ran through him.
The realization that the weapons he’d seen weren’t unknown mysteries — but creations.
– “Then you know how to make them?”
– “Of course.”
According to the man, creating an Artifact required three things:
-
Refined stellar energy from a soul stone,
-
A material or item containing a unique legend,
-
And a non-Awakened craftsman.
– “That’s what makes them so difficult. You can’t fabricate a legend.”
He hadn’t expected it to be easy.
Losing the unicorn horn was disappointing, yes — but he couldn’t get hung up on it.
To move forward, he had to let go.
“Is there another material that could replace it?”
– “Hmm… there is, though its legend is peculiar. You’d need to obtain both the item and the person.”
“There’s no need to distinguish between the two.”
– “True enough. You really do understand me, Collector-nim.”
To him, people and objects were nearly the same — except people required a bit more maintenance.
After all, he was already collecting soul stones, which were practically human lives.
“But anyway.”
He shifted the topic slightly.
“How long are you planning to stay hidden?”
Even the Collector hadn’t heard this man’s name before.
But after several exchanges, it became clear —
He was a Sleeping Dragon.
Someone powerful, lying low, waiting for the right moment.
– “Well, the country’s still a bit unstable for now.”
“Which is why I told you — forget politics and focus on this work.”
– “No, no. Someday, this troublesome title will prove useful.”
The man chuckled softly.
From his political connections to the timing of his approach — everything about him was calculated.
He clearly had his own plans.
Not that it matters.
If there was profit to be had, that was all that mattered.
The Collector wanted to create Artifacts.
The man wanted to build his power.
A mutually beneficial relationship.
“Then I’ll be in touch again… Hail Hwan.”
– “Yes. Until next time.”
* * *
A week after the subjugation battle ended.
“Let’s go.”
“…Go where?”
Kang Jia looked up from her tinkering in the workshop as Sehyun spoke suddenly.
“Where else? We’ve got work to do. You’re part of the team now.”
“…Work…?”
Kang Jia had officially joined their team.
That meant they now met the minimum conditions for independent subjugation.
No more tagging along with other teams just to scavenge materials.
And with no restrictions on gathering resources—
“Unlimited farming…?!”
Her face went pale.
“What are you mumbling about? We’re done gathering materials.”
“What? You mean we’re not doing that anymore— huh?”
“It’s time for the next phase.”
They’d gathered more than enough.
He’d accumulated experience crafting and testing Artifacts.
Now it was time to move on.
They couldn’t keep hoarding Artifacts for just themselves.
…Even if I’d love to monopolize them forever.
Unfortunately, reality wasn’t that kind.
Because there was someone else who knew about Artifacts —
Hail Hwan would make his move soon.
The blueprint for creating Artifacts existed in his head too.
He’d only relied on Sehyun to craft them because he couldn’t do it himself.
Meaning—
If I can’t monopolize it, I’ll put everyone on the same playing field.
Sehyun intended to mass-produce Artifacts.
So that every player could wield one.
Of course, he couldn’t possibly make them all himself.
And even if he taught others the method, not just anyone could pull it off.
Which meant he’d have to pay someone a visit.
“Hope they’re still doing well.”
The Celestial Forge — the one and only workshop supplying weapons to players across the entire world.
