Chapter 04
A massive monster collapsed.
It had been unable to withstand the firepower of the mage.
People burst into cheers.
The monster hunters let out exhausted breaths, their faces worn.
It was only natural—they had been dispatched twice in a single day.
Amid them, I quietly passed by.
I had killed a total of five small monsters.
I focused mainly on the ones that targeted people.
I didn’t run into other hunters.
The small monsters had been scattering everywhere, which made it easy.
So no one knew how I had killed them either.
For now, there was no need to get involved with the other hunters.
My instant death magic…
There were things I needed to think through about this uncertain power.
And there was something else I wanted to confirm.
My flame was burning stronger than before.
As I mentioned earlier, I could also feel my physical abilities had improved.
I stretched out my arm with force.
Even that alone felt different from before—full of vitality.
I had grown stronger.
Without a doubt, I had grown stronger.
But I was naturally frail, having suffered from illness since childhood.
Killing just a few small monsters still didn’t put me on the level of an average person.
So I needed more life force.
Strength was necessary if I wanted to function as a proper human being.
And related to that, another kind of “fuel” came to mind.
‘Magic stones.’
Why were magic stones traded at such high prices among mages?
Because mages consumed them to increase their mana.
I had been a monster hunter for five years.
I’d heard all sorts of things about mages.
Apparently, mages possess something called a “seed.”
More precisely, you can’t become a mage without one.
The seed is a medium that stores mana—the source of magic.
The ultimate goal of all mages is to grow this seed into a giant tree that pierces the sky.
Magic stones are the fertilizer that nurtures that seed.
That’s why mages compete to buy and collect monster magic stones.
Magic stones that grow the seed.
My gaze fell on my arm.
The third eye, now quietly closed.
This might be some kind of parasitic monster living in my body.
But for now, it wasn’t harming me.
It was only steadily eating away at my life force.
That was fine.
Whether it was coexistence with a monster or something else, this was the strength I had long desired.
I’d use whatever I could.
I gathered the money I had saved up.
I passed by some young hunters cleaning up corpses on the street.
Coins jingled in my pocket.
It was money I had carefully saved to one day buy good equipment.
But now, even if I kept it, it would just be used to pay off my debts.
So I headed toward a magic stone shop.
High-quality stones were all bought by mages.
But low-quality ones made their way into the market.
Even non-mages used them to create useful tools.
Still, even those were absurdly expensive for ordinary people like us.
But now wasn’t the time to be picky.
I pushed open the door to the shop.
“Welco—”
“Magic stones. Do you have magic stones?”
“Eh? Yes, of course. This is a magic stone shop.”
The employee looked confused but realized I was a customer.
He handed me a catalog.
Damn, they were ridiculously expensive.
But of course—they paid our wages with these.
I picked the best one I could afford.
Magic stones didn’t lose value even if resold, so it was fine.
“Here is a Grade 7 magic stone.”
“Thank you.”
I took the stone and immediately stepped outside.
Avoiding people’s eyes, I entered a back alley.
The dull-colored magic stone came into view.
[Grade 7 Magic Stone]
It was far inferior to the one I had seen that day.
But it was still higher grade than the small monsters I had absorbed.
Then suddenly, pain shot through my elbow.
I lifted my arm—and froze.
A blue, gem-like object was embedded in my elbow.
One of the symptoms of magic stone sclerosis.
Part of my skin had turned into a magic stone.
Damn it.
So it really was progressing.
My vision spun.
The reality of my limited lifespan hit me again.
At that moment, the eye engraved on my wrist suddenly opened.
My vision wavered briefly.
Then my head snapped to the side.
Through the eye on my wrist, I saw the magic stone.
Inside it, I could see a blue life force.
With trembling hands, I reached into the stone.
My hand entered it without resistance.
Soon, I grasped the life force within.
“Ugh…”
The warmth in my hand felt like it was burning.
But I didn’t let go.
The flame of life inside the stone began to shrink.
And when it finally went out—
Tap. Thud.
Something fell from my elbow.
I looked.
A lump of dirt-like stone lay crumbled on the ground.
The symptom of magic stone sclerosis that had appeared—
had fallen off.
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
At the same time, I checked the life force of my soul.
The flame had grown larger than before.
It was certain.
If I had magic stones, I could survive.
And that wasn’t all.
My muscles felt more alive, and my knees felt slightly different.
My vision seemed higher.
It felt like my body had grown.
As expected, better-quality stones had better effects.
Crack—
The magic stone in my hand crumbled.
Its life force was gone, so it was only natural.
It had been expensive, yet it disappeared so easily.
I sighed—but it was fine.
I had found a sure way to grow stronger.
But there was still a problem.
‘What do I do now?’
Magic stones are extremely expensive.
I could hunt small monsters like before.
But approaching a large monster was a challenge in itself.
Their blazing life force…
Extinguishing it would take time.
I’d likely be crushed before I could succeed.
On the other hand, small monsters didn’t provide enough.
I carefully observed my life force.
It was still decreasing.
The sclerosis earlier proved that.
‘At this rate, I’d need to kill at least ten small monsters every day.’
That many weren’t common.
And other hunters would hunt them too.
So my target had to be medium monsters.
But medium monsters couldn’t be hunted alone.
Some hunters occasionally did it solo—
but they were extremely rare.
Normally, it took at least ten hunters.
One medium monster paid for all ten.
Even leaving profit for the guild.
That alone showed how valuable magic stones were.
Which meant buying them was impossible.
I was already in debt.
‘Not that I chose this.’
In a way, I had stolen the stone a mage hunted.
Since the creature inside me was likely that very monster.
“What are you, exactly?”
I muttered to the third eye.
Of course, there was no answer.
Whether I liked it or not, we were already one.
If I wanted to live, I had no choice.
I stepped out of the alley.
Then raised my wrist.
Through the eye, I saw the life force of people passing by.
Their souls were transparent white.
Sizes varied.
Older people had smaller flames.
Younger ones had larger flames.
Watching them, a thought crossed my mind.
Could I absorb human life force too?
Did I even need magic stones?
“…Ha. I’m insane.”
A bitter laugh slipped out.
I must’ve lost my mind.
To think of stealing the life of strangers just to survive.
Maybe being terminally ill had broken me.
Still, I couldn’t become a beast.
There was only one answer.
‘Hunt medium monsters.’
My instant death magic worked on all monsters.
If I could extinguish their flames, I could kill them.
Even medium monsters.
Instead of chasing small ones, I’d take down medium ones.
As soon as I made my decision, I headed to the guild.
There were still pending requests.
Mostly monsters on the outskirts of the city.
I planned to test my magic on them.
The moment I opened the guild door, all eyes turned to me.
Some hunters looked exhausted.
But small monsters were routine work.
Most were already drinking after finishing for the day.
And what do people talk about most in such gatherings?
The most interesting recent event.
“Oh, it’s Haren.”
“The weakling who took down the troublemaker.”
Laughter spread.
The weakling Haren who defeated Trenva.
The rumor had already spread.
Trenva himself wasn’t there.
Didn’t matter.
I walked to the request board and picked a few outskirts missions.
“Oh? Don’t tell me you’re going after medium monsters next?”
A drunk hunter spoke to me.
“Don’t be stupid. Trenva and a medium monster aren’t the same. Want me to come help?”
His tone was mocking.
Others burst into laughter.
To them, my victory was just luck.
They still saw me as a joke.
“Say that after you sober up.”
I didn’t care.
Only one thing mattered.
Defeat a medium monster.
Extend my life.
Grow stronger.
And follow my own justice.
I took the request forms and turned away—
leaving behind their laughter and mockery as I walked on.
