Chapter 49
Unicorn Subjugation (5)
“Cough… kghk… s-stop…”
“They’re not the kind who’d listen even if you told them to stop.”
Boom!
Suhyeon slammed the black mercenary—whom he’d lifted into the air with stellar power—straight into the ground.
Bang, bang!
After pounding him into the dirt several times, Suhyeon flung him far away.
Thud—
The dull sound of his limp body hitting the ground filled the air, and the faces of his teammates froze in fear.
“Anyone else wanna end up like that?”
“……”
While the others stiffened in silence, Inha—who had noticed the commotion—came running.
“Suhyeon!! Jia!!”
Inha quickly scanned the scene.
Kang Jia was kneeling and crying, while Suhyeon stood protectively in front of her, his bracelet glowing as he pressured the rest of the team.
“…What the hell is going on here?”
Assessing the situation in an instant, Inha drew her sword.
The team leader’s eyes widened sharply.
“You must be Chae Inha.”
“…Do you know me?”
“Shit, I knew it.”
He spat on the ground.
“Put away your weapons. We’re retreating.”
“But, sir! The unicorn—!”
“Shut it. Don’t you know who that woman is?”
He glared at Inha with a look of recognition.
“Forget those two punks—she’s the dangerous one.”
Realizing the enemy had no will to fight, Suhyeon also withdrew the stellar power flowing into his bracelet and stepped back.
That wasn’t particularly strange.
Having experienced numerous rift expeditions alongside Seongcheol, Inha’s name had become quietly known among players.
Someone had even uploaded footage of her subjugation battles online, showing her using artifacts freely and hunting bosses solo without constraints.
Anyone who saw that would think twice before picking a fight.
“…No point wasting energy when we’ve already missed the target.”
When the team leader sheathed his sword, his subordinates followed suit, retreating one by one.
“Tch. To think you sided with trash like them.”
Clicking his tongue, he threw that line at Kang Jia before disappearing with his team.
Once their presence faded, Inha helped the fallen Jia to her feet.
“You okay?”
“Well… now that we did that, I guess we’ve drawn a clear line with that team. Hehe.”
Jia gave a weak smile, wiping away her tears.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing really, just…”
She gazed longingly toward the direction where the unicorn had vanished.
“Oppa, can I ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“I… I want to find Nikon.”
Suhyeon sighed deeply.
“Haah… Even if you find it, that doesn’t mean you can save it.”
“……”
“You’ll just make yourself a target for the Foundation.”
They were surely still hunting for the unicorn with burning intensity.
Next time they found it, they’d probably go all out.
Still… it’s not completely impossible to save it.
The official subjugation event lasted three days.
One day had already passed—two remained.
If left unchecked, a stellar-class rift would begin to affect the real world after that time, forcing it to close.
If they could find the unicorn and help it escape before then, there was still a slim chance.
Of course, that would be far more difficult and troublesome than simply capturing it.
But… there’s always a chance.
Suhyeon made up his mind and spoke.
“Alright. Let’s find the unicorn.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. As long as we can find it.”
The unicorn’s Spirit Form was a top-tier stealth ability—its presence was nearly impossible to sense, and even stellar tracking techniques couldn’t pick it up.
Even tamers specialized in monster tracking would struggle.
However—
“This should make it at least possible.”
Suhyeon handed Jia something.
“…Goggles?”
“Try them on.”
Curious, Jia slipped them over her eyes.
“Wha—what is this!?”
Her eyes widened in shock.
Things invisible before now shimmered into view—hoofprints, faint but glowing, embedded in the dirt.
They were the unicorn’s tracks.
Of course—it was the power of the artifact.
[Eyes of Paris]
An artifact inspired by the Greek myth of Paris, who famously struck Achilles’ heel with perfect precision.
With these goggles, even the faintest traces of stellar energy could be detected.
“For most people, even with that, it wouldn’t work—but you’re different.”
“…Me?”
It wasn’t because her taming skills were extraordinary.
“Remember? The unicorn chose to reveal itself to you.”
It had appeared before her willingly, and they had briefly shared a connection.
Unlike others, Jia and the unicorn had formed a special bond.
“Yes! I think I can find it!”
Her eyes sparkled with renewed confidence, and Suhyeon smiled faintly.
“Just remember—nothing’s free.”
“…Huh?”
Her eye twitched in suspicion.
What now…
“Don’t tell me… if I save Nikon, you’ll make me do all the rest of the work?”
“Hm. I hadn’t thought of that, but not a bad idea.”
“…Ah.”
Jia’s expression turned flat. She regretted saying anything.
And so, the search began.
“This way.”
Following the tracks visible only through the goggles, Jia led the way—eyes glued to the ground.
“Hey, watch where you’re walking.”
“Don’t worry! I’m following the trail perfectly.”
“No, I mean look ahead!”
“Geez, oppa, you can watch for me!”
“I’m busy too.”
Suhyeon was juggling a clay jar while channeling stellar power into his chained bracelet—prepping his artifacts for what was to come.
Since we’re chasing the unicorn, we’re bound to run into other teams sooner or later.
Everyone in this stellar-class rift was top-tier.
If things went south, he might need to use every artifact he had.
Should’ve organized this stuff earlier…
He hadn’t expected to need them here and had just stuffed them in randomly.
While he sorted his weapon seals one by one, Inha was busy holding and tending to Woong.
Which meant—none of the three were watching where they were going.
Thunk—!
“Ah.”
Jia bumped right into someone’s chest.
“Oh, I’m so sor—huh?”
Falling backward, she looked up—straight into the face of a man with dazzling golden hair and radiant golden eyes.
He offered her a hand, smiling gently.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-y-yes!!”
That smile could melt anyone’s heart. Jia blushed furiously.
Just as she was about to take his hand, Suhyeon grabbed her arm and stepped between them.
“Who are you?”
It was too early to lower his guard just because the guy looked nice.
In a rift like this, anyone you met was at least a rival—if not an outright enemy.
And handsome guys were never trustworthy.
“Ah, my apologies. I’m Javier, a tamer with the Saint Union.”
Only then did Suhyeon notice the man’s attire—an old-fashioned European knight’s armor, fitting the Saint Union’s aesthetic.
He almost missed it because of the guy’s annoyingly good looks.
So they’ve shown up… the Saint Union.
A massive community that fancied themselves descendants of the Holy Crusaders.
A prestigious order led by players with sacred-type powers.
But they were rarely seen in person—since they usually stayed in Europe.
If they’d come all the way to Korea, that hundred-billion-won bounty must’ve been irresistible.
“And a tamer, too, huh.”
That explained the golden-maned wolf beside him.
“That your familiar?”
“This is Fenrir. Say hello.”
When Javier stroked the wolf’s head, glowing sigils on his hand and the wolf’s forehead resonated.
“A-a familiar!?”
Jia’s eyes lit up.
She’d gone from being lovestruck to totally focused—the instincts of a tamer taking over.
Well, it’s rare to see someone who’s actually succeeded in making one.
When a monster goes beyond mere connection and fully submits through a binding contract, it becomes a familiar.
That level of control required tremendous skill.
And Fenrir—one of the retainers of a divine beast—was a high-ranking boss monster.
The Saint Union’s reputation wasn’t undeserved.
“I-I-I’m Kang Jia! I’m also a tamer! I’m eighteen, and umm…”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Kang Jia.”
“Hehe…”
Overjoyed to meet another tamer, Jia happily chatted away.
Suhyeon sighed but let it go.
Well, meeting an experienced colleague isn’t a bad thing.
Since they were just following tracks, a little delay wouldn’t hurt.
“So, how’s your search going?”
Caught off guard, Jia waved her hands awkwardly.
“Oh, um… well, it’s… haha…”
“That’s too bad. I’d like to find it myself before others do.”
He didn’t care about the bounty—he wanted the unicorn itself.
“To think people would harm it just for its horn… I can’t allow that.”
“Javier…”
“Oh, but please, keep that between us. My captain would scold me for being too softhearted.”
Jia looked deeply moved.
Then Javier asked again,
“You’re sure you don’t have any leads?”
What was with that soulful gaze? Even Suhyeon felt his guard slipping.
Jia shook her head firmly.
“Then I wish you luck—though I hope I find it first.”
“Y-yes!”
With one last charming smile, Javier disappeared with his knights.
“I thought everyone was blinded by the bounty… guess there are still good people.”
“Well, everyone’s got their reasons. Still, I’m surprised you didn’t tell him.”
“Saving Nikon comes first.”
“Right. That’s what matters.”
Following the tracks again, they eventually reached—
“Nikon!!”
—Neighhh!!
Jia and the unicorn were reunited at last.
It was a touching scene—hugging its neck, rubbing cheeks together.
“Ugh… even if you’re happy, that’s a bit much.”
Suhyeon grimaced as the unicorn slobbered affectionately all over her face.
Inha, watching from the side, stroked the small Woong in her arms wistfully.
“I hope Woong grows that big someday.”
“…”
Suhyeon’s eye twitched.
If that thing ever got that big, it was going straight to Jirisan National Park.
While he was grumbling internally—
Clank! Clank!
The sound of heavy metal boots echoed from somewhere nearby.
Turning their heads, they saw about thirty soldiers forming a crescent formation atop the hill.
At the front rode a stern-looking man on horseback—and beside him…
“…Javier?”
“Surprised?”
“……”
Jia’s mouth fell open.
Javier smiled, as dazzling as ever.
“Ha, told you—never trust a pretty face.”
“I wasn’t sure, but I followed the scent. Looks like my instincts were right.”
Ignoring Suhyeon’s muttering, Javier stroked Fenrir again.
Of course he’d tracked them—the instincts of a tamer were sharp.
When Suhyeon subtly shifted his footing to retreat, the knight captain gave a sharp order.
“Deploy the Field of Holy Radiance!”
“Yes, sir!!”
The knights thrust their spears into the ground.
Fwoooom—!
A massive barrier of light spread across the dark sky.
A sanctified field that burned unbelievers to ash.
Anyone who tried to force their way through would be vaporized instantly.
They really went that far just to trap us…
Clank, clank—
The knights closed in, armor glinting under the radiant dome.
“This… we’ve walked right into it.”
Suhyeon clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes.
