Here’s the full English translation of Chapter 1 you provided:

Chapter 1 …

“Hey, Cha Hyun-soo! Why bother burying each one individually? Why go through all the trouble?”

“May your soul ascend and find peace in paradise….”

Ever since I was a kid, my family had been funeral directors at the National Cemetery.

My grandfather, my father, and then me—all of us were deeply influenced by that.

“Corpses are everywhere these days. Do we really have to bury each one individually?”

“Exactly because there are so many corpses, that’s why we bury them.”

“Considering how noble that is, you looked strangely excited while doing it earlier.”

“That never happened.”

“Ah, yes~.”

Then the gates opened, and the world was thrown into chaos.

The government stopped functioning, and the legal system became nothing more than useless scraps of paper.

The rich scrambled to emigrate to developed countries to survive.

Even the so-called developed nations, like the U.S., had lost half of their territory.

Still, it was probably better than the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

“Today, the sky is blood-red again.”

“Yesterday, it even rained red….”

“I guess the world really is ending.”

“At this point, hasn’t it already?”

“Now that you mention it… damn.”

Hah, I wish I could awaken too.

Right now, the Korean Peninsula is hell, even for high-rank hunters.

There are civilians like me who couldn’t leave, low-rank hunters ruling as kings after top hunters left, mobs living day-to-day, and the monsters vomited out by the gates.

Wherever you go, it’s a living hell.

A society where you have to hide, constantly suspecting everyone, just to survive.

“My chest feels tight….”

“It’s your fault for having no money, what can you do.”

“I don’t have money, but you can leave, right?”

“Why, you gonna ditch me and head to the U.S. alone now?”

“Oh, Yeoul-naeuri, that’s not it.”

“Then behave.”

At least my situation was relatively better.

My companion, Kim Yeoul, was an awakened hunter.

An A-rank hunter, Kim Yeoul.

The girl next door I’d known since childhood suddenly awakened as an A-rank hunter.

I couldn’t help but sigh—why her and not me? But what can I do? Awakening isn’t based on merit.

An A-rank hunter is an incredibly rare talent, even countries like the U.S. would recruit them.

And yet, she didn’t go to the U.S. but came with me—that in itself was something to be grateful for.

Thinking about it, I felt thankful again. It was time to sincerely express it.

“If you die, I’ll personally make sure you’re buried in the National Cemetery.”

“…What?”

For a moment, Kim Yeoul stared at me as if I were insane.

Maybe my kindness had been too intense.

Well, at this point, it was practically a confession; it’s understandable she’d be embarrassed.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and gave a thumbs-up.

“I’ll make it grand, like a royal tomb in prime land… aah!”

“Performing a ritual so he dies quickly!”

“Not that kind of meaning! Gyaaah! Tap! Tap!”

“Cheeky…”

“The villagers… there’s a hunter beating people here!”

After a brief struggle, I finally freed her arm and we could continue moving.

With smartphones and electronics dead, the only way to navigate was a paper map.

While checking directions, Kim Yeoul rested her chin on my shoulder and asked:

“So, how far is it to Busan?”

“Considering our current location and speed… factoring in variables, it’ll take about three more days.”

“Three days is still manageable.”

The reason we were heading to Busan was absurd.

Originally, I planned to fly to the U.S. from Incheon International Airport with A-rank hunter Kim Yeoul.

For A-rank hunters, there are no restrictions on bringing family or acquaintances.

Since both of our parents had passed in the incident, I was her only remaining acquaintance.

So initially, we intended to go to the U.S. together.

But that plan was completely ruined when three U.S. planes were shot down by airborne monsters.

So now, we were heading to Busan, where a Japanese rescue vessel would pick us up.

Japan, though not as advanced as the U.S., is still considered a developed country and is actively naturalizing high-rank hunters.

I felt bad relying on Kim Yeoul so much, but since she insisted on coming, I had no choice but to follow her lead.

Thinking that, I felt a lump in my chest and thanked her once more.

“Sob… when we get to Japan, I’ll serve you my whole life.”

“Huh!? Your whole life!?”

“Even a doghouse is fine, just give me a single square meter….”

Kim Yeoul glared at me, cheeks red, then sighed heavily.

“Haa… enough. Just look at the map properly.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

If nothing goes wrong, we should reach Busan safely.

With an A-rank hunter and knowledge of monster concentrations, we had a good chance.

Still, we had to consider maximum safety since anything could happen.

“Let’s keep moving; we’ve still got a long way to go.”

“Aren’t we going in circles?”

“If anything happens, you’ll have to protect me while fighting. Confident?”

“Of course. There’s no one stronger than me in Korea right now.”

“I’m not worried about you, it’s the monsters I’m concerned about.”

“Ugh… true….”

Kim Yeoul followed me diligently, accepting the plan.

It would’ve been nice to have a car, but in this broken world, finding one operational and fueled was nearly impossible.

“My legs… they’re killing me….”

“Still, we’re lucky. Plenty of food, water, and you’re here.”

“And me?”

“The strongest A-rank strategic weapon in Korea.”

“You can’t say no to a girl, huh.”

Despite the banter, Kim Yeoul and I laughed together.

Moments like these made the miserable journey bearable.

Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.

The once prosperous city was now desolate, cold, and eerie.

Even traveling along the outskirts, it was unsettling.

“Why’s my breath visible in June….”

“It’s because Han Bing-ryong rules here. We just have to endure it.”

“Ugh… can’t someone just drop a nuke here already?”

“The one who froze that nuke was Han Bing-ryong.”

“True… the Korean Peninsula really is hopeless.”

The Korean Peninsula had become the world’s worst magical labyrinth.

Four powerful monsters divided it among themselves.

Han Bing-ryong was relatively less aggressive, so staying at the periphery wasn’t too dangerous.

If even a little territory was invaded, other monsters would attack immediately, so this was manageable.

“So, let’s move quietly. Han Bing-ryong eats frozen prey.”

“A natural freezer, I see.”

“Exactly.”

All monsters in Han Bing-ryong’s territory serve him.

Most monsters gathered near him, which made moving quietly possible.

“Just follow my footsteps exactly, no detours.”

“Got it.”

Even in midsummer, snow covered Han Bing-ryong’s territory.

Weather shifted drastically depending on the boundaries, likely due to his magic.

Han Bing-ryong’s power could alter the surrounding environment itself—definitely an S-rank monster.

Four of these monsters in the tiny Korean Peninsula—this was truly uninhabitable.

“If we make it to Japan, we’ll live in a safe house, really.”

“Do you even have money for a house? You know Japanese real estate, right?”

“Need a competent butler, by any chance?”

“What are you talking about?”

I realized I’d need to study hunter management in Japan.

“I’ll handle it….”

“Stop talking nonsense, let’s move, I’m freezing.”

“Even if we move fast, we have to be quiet.”

“Monsters won’t venture this far… huh?”

Kim Yeoul stopped mid-sentence and quietly pointed.

A giant lizard with flames on its back and sharp teeth flicking its tongue stood there.

Instinctively, fear gripped me, but I calmed myself and focused on the lizard.

“Breathe. Don’t avoid its gaze.”

I gripped Kim Yeoul’s hand and stared at the lizard.

Its sharp, snake-like eyes stared back at us.

“That much we can handle?”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Huh? Then what is?”

“Did you forget where we are?”

“Oh.”

Why were these Flame Horses in Han Bing-ryong’s territory?

They normally lived in Red Sky Horse territory—enemies of Han Bing-ryong.

For them to enter his territory in a group…

Ah.

The worst-case scenario occurred to me.

“…Damn it… run!”

“Where!?”

“Straight ahead!”

“Through them!?”

“They’re not after us anyway!”

Kim Yeoul seemed to have more questions, but we had to act fast.

As expected, even brushing past the Flame Horses, they ignored us entirely.

“Really? They don’t even care?”

“That’s not important. Run faster!”

“Eh? What’s happening?”

Kim Yeoul sprinted at full speed without losing her calm.

As a regular human, I was dying.

“Ugh… war’s about to break out.”

“War? Between who?”

“Red Sky Horse and Han Bing-ryong… they’re going to fight!”

Their territories were already adjacent, with the boundary always steaming, like a natural hot spring.

The two opposing monsters’ zones met there.

Those Flame Horses were scouts for the Red Sky Horse.

Seeing the clear signs of war, Kim Yeoul paled.

She lifted me onto her back.

“Hold tight!”

“Wha…!?”

Then she ran at impossible speed.

“Where are we going?!”

“Just forward! No time to think!”

Kim Yeoul’s white magic erupted, shattering the ground beneath us.

She shot forward like a bullet, teeth gritted.

Suddenly—

Kyaaaah!

A massive fireball flew at us.

Kim Yeoul’s magic shield tried to block it, but the flames shredded it instantly.

Her body was thrown, and I, on her back, went flying too.

“Ughhh!”

Blood ran from my split head.

Kim Yeoul had briefly cast magic on me mid-flight, preventing fatal injuries.

“Kim Yeoul—!”

The problem was her—she was down.

She moved slightly, so she wasn’t dead, but she couldn’t avoid a serious wound.

“Yeoul—!”

“Don’t…!”

“We have to escape! What are you saying?!”

“Ugh… it’s too late. You go on alone!”

“What? Too late…?”

Before I could finish, the cold in the air vanished.

The temperature around us rose sharply, heat waves rippling.

Rumble—!

“…Ah.”

The Red Sky Horse appeared, charging toward us.

Kim Yeoul staggered to her feet, wiped the blood from her mouth, and gathered magic in her hands.

“Hyun-soo, you promised to bury me if I die, right?”

“Don’t say that! Even for you, we can’t fight that thing! Let’s go together!!”

“My body will be heavy, so don’t bury me in the National Cemetery—just leave me wherever you find me.”

“Stop talking nonsense—Hey! Kim Yeoul, damn it…!”

The ball of magic in her hands shot toward me.

My skinny body was lifted and flung far away.

The last thing I saw was Kim Yeoul, tears streaming, but smiling.

She seemed to say something, but my vision blurred, and I couldn’t hear it.