NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Once, I dreamed of a silver whale leaping into the starry sky.
I had seen a massive whale joyfully exhaling water and stars through its enormous blowhole, creating great arcs of vapor.
What feelings did I conjure as I gazed upon that spectacle?
What did that beautiful dream transform into within me?
It belonged to long ago, a dream of my childhood.
*
“It pains me to say this as a teacher, but…”
The man with a refreshing appearance and black hair was somewhat uncomfortable, perhaps due to rarely wearing a suit, fidgeting with his tie and letting out a sigh.
Ranked 57th among Korean Hunters, widely known by the alias ‘Starbreaker,’ Kim Hyun-soo wished he were currently raiding a dungeon instead.
The boundary between words that could be uttered and those that couldn’t becomes quite hazy when life is at stake.
And the words he was about to speak were undeniably in the category of what should never be said.
The words of a Hunter bearing the name of Starbreaker were, in this abnormal society, a kind of absolute sentence.
“You’ve made a useless effort.”
He had to cut that hope off decisively, so this child could find another path.
“Examination number 1022, Choi Yeon-woo, is unfit for magical aptitude.”
At that remark, the boy crumpled in despair.
*
Yet, he did not give up.
Was he going to give up? Even a Hunter without magic could do something. Other professions were out of the question.
It was improbable to expect an income enough to maintain a dilapidated orphanage without being a Hunter.
This was a debt of gratitude. A debt owed to Sister Claire, who silently took me in on a snowy winter’s day when I trembled at the orphanage’s front.
It was a kindness I had to repay, even if it broke my body. Though Sister Claire wouldn’t expect it.
Thus, ten years rushed by.
No longer a boy, I had carved out a name for myself as a mid-tier Hunter despite the ridicule.
Through physically training to the limit, accumulating experience, and holding on with somewhat useful eyes, I had endured and endured. Once I made it onto the rankings, requests stacked up.
The ranking showcased my abilities, and being without magic worked in my favor, lowering my market price.
But now, my limits were nearing.
Yeon-woo returned to the orphanage after a long time and, to prepare for retirement, accepted a request regarding an unidentified gate that had been discovered near the orphanage.
…….
“Long time no see, Sister Claire.”
Yeon-woo politely bowed his head while looking at the nun, who hadn’t changed at all since he was five years old.
Even Yeon-woo, who exuded a cheerful and playful image publicly, maintained a respectful and serious demeanor within the orphanage.
Sister Claire appeared to be no more than in her mid-twenties. Her long ears peeked out from her blonde hair beneath the nun’s veil—she was an elf, a member of the forest fairy clan, not so rare nowadays.
Due to their long lifespans, their physical growth is slow, and they take care not to raise unnecessary misunderstandings among others.
Sister Claire must not be blocked from marriage when she eventually decides to leave her position as a nun.
The nun, who had been looking at him silently, let out a deep sigh. When Yeon-woo lifted his head, his gaze met her emerald eyes filled with concern.
“I told you to take better care of yourself… How do you expect to get married looking like this?”
Her words pierced him like an arrow. He had been handsome as a child, and even from the nun’s perspective, Yeon-woo truly was a waste of talent.
Seeing the once pretty child turned into a grizzled man made it even harder.
He was sure that there would be many scars on his body as well.
Sister Claire sighed once more.
“I told you not to push yourself time and again… I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said that. If you’re going to be this reckless, at least show your face so I won’t worry!”
The phrase “silence speaks volumes” could not have characterized this situation better. The hardest part was that he could count how many times she had said it. All the letters she’d sent were stored in his desk drawer, and in every single one, she wrote to tell him not to overdo it.
87 times. Considering that his life as a Hunter spanned 10 years, and 8 years excluding the time spent as a porter, it was no small number.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the number of times he dove into danger and returned was nearly 100 during that span.
“I’m sorry…”
With nothing to say, Yeon-woo slumped down, and Sister Claire couldn’t help but let out a warm chuckle before gently pulling him into an embrace.
Her decades of experience caring for abandoned children hadn’t helped her adapt to the unique growth patterns of humans.
“You’re still looking just like you did back then despite that horrid expression. Given what you’ve done for the orphanage, I shouldn’t be scolding you. Thank you for coming back alive.”
As the scent of the forest tickled his nose, Yeon-woo felt tears welling up. No matter how hard he tried to keep her from being blocked from marriage, it felt like she was barricading herself off, lighting the fire.
A warmth swelled inside him. Whatever would happen, would happen. He carefully reached out and lightly embraced Claire, who felt as warm as she did on that winter day 20 years ago.
*
The orphanage nestled in the mountains was strikingly luxurious for an orphanage. The annex of the chapel was adorned with exquisite stained glass, and the main building, a three-story structure responsible for housing and meals, could easily be mistaken for a mansion.
The once-dilapidated orphanage was in a state that didn’t suggest it could be on the verge of collapse any longer. Although Sister Claire had refused, Yeon-woo had insisted, as his ranking had led to an immense influx of money once he made it.
After unpacking his belongings in the room he’d used for ten years starting from age five, Yeon-woo made his way to the dining hall. He planned to have lunch and then head out to carry out a light request.
When he tried to help prepare lunch, Sister Claire, who firmly refused, disappeared into the kitchen. Sitting awkwardly at the dining table, he felt many eyes boring into him from the doorway.
Countless gazes met his, belonging to the children he was responsible for. Gulp. When his eyes met those of a little one with purple eyes at the very bottom, gulp.
As the door swung open, the kids rushed in noisily. Eight in total. The gender ratio was precisely 1:1. Was his face really that frightening? It caught him off guard, and in a hurry, Yeon-woo stood up awkwardly.
If only he had magic, he could have received them better… He shook the thought away.
“Are you okay?”
He stretched out his hand as he spoke, but the children began trembling. Facing those eight pairs of eyes that looked ready to overflow with tears, Yeon-woo felt flustered.
“Don’t touch our kids! Who are you, mister?!”
A boy with orange hair stepped forward. He expected to be unrecognizable, considering how much time had passed. Yeon-woo had faced many such situations over the last 10 years, so he pulled a card from his sleeve right from the start.
He twirled a ring in his right hand, and on his left side, a towering pile of items came tumbling down.
Artifacts from [Relin’s Warehouse]. A rather high-performance artifact capable of storing weights up to a certain limit.
It was quite valuable for someone without magical abilities, but he had fortuitously acquired it in a dungeon long ago, and he continued to use it effectively.
The carefully prepared gifts came tumbling out. There was no specific selection; he had more or less just scooped whatever up.
“Mister, um…”
Suddenly filled with mischief, the excitement on the children’s faces as they glanced between the gifts and Yeon-woo was half tension and half joy.
“I’m the tall uncle. I brought gifts, do you want some?”
“……You don’t look that tall.”
“…Indeed.”
The innocence of children could be cruel at times.
…….
After a chaotic but joyous lunch, Yeon-woo geared up. His magical weapon, a spear, along with full armor he had carried over the years.
Since he couldn’t strengthen his body using mana, he focused thoroughly on evasion, ensuring his gear was lightweight yet durable.
As he fiddled with a compact phone, the request details appeared. [Unidentified Gate Exploration]. The augmented reality map displayed arrows directing him to his destination.
Before long, he arrived at his destination, spotting an ominous black-red gate.
Booowooooo—.
A silver whale adorned with sparkling stars exhaled stardust.
By now, he understood that whales weren’t animals that soared through the skies.
Entering its mouth would lead to certain death, unlike the wide space Grandpa Gepetto had, and that what came from them wasn’t water but breath.
He now knew the whole truth—it was all a dream. He understood there was a striking difference between the dream whale and a real whale.
Suddenly, he turned his head to see a child gazing up at the starry sky with joy. The child, sitting perched on a rock, had a delighted look on their face, swinging their legs.
As that child turned their gaze to Yeon-woo, they drew a thin arc across their lips, silently whispering something.
[──────.]
“──H-huh.”
The inhale that was hastily taken circulated through his lungs.
The damp and cold air. Had he lost consciousness passing through the gate? Such instances happened occasionally, but he had never experienced it. Had he encountered this countless times as someone without magic, he would have become a skeleton by now.
He leaned against a wall that felt like the cavern’s surface. Hurriedly checking his surroundings, he found no exit that should have been there.
‘Is it a closed-type gate?’
There are various types of gates.
Unlike most gates, whose interiors can be discerned from outside through the form of mana without having to enter, unidentified gates necessitate direct entry to understand.
Among those unidentified gates, the closed-type is the worst case.
Unlike other gates, there’s no means to intervene from the inside or outside until one is either wiped out or clears it.
Even though such types require thorough preparation, it was a necessity when approaching unidentified gates.
“Measured mana types didn’t indicate it was closed type. This is bad.”
In any case, he couldn’t afford to waste time like this. Should he vanish for days and make Sister Claire worry, this time she might actually shed tears.
『Well, I’m sorry about that.』
A chill ran down his spine. A voice that should not have been heard rang out from behind him.
What he had mistaken for a ‘wall’ against his back slowly opened. A golden-eyed slit like that of a serpent slithered into view. As its massive eyelids lifted, he hurriedly tried to raise his spear, but his body wouldn’t move.
Hwa-rrk, hwa-rrk, hwa-rrk, hwa-rrk…
Great flames erupted in the vast chamber. That colossal entity was revealed.
Among all living beings in existence, one that is hailed as the mightiest, not to mention the few known beings whose numbers are uncertain.
However, the reason why their numbers remain unknown isn’t because the rest are insignificant.
Their scales mock even divine silver.
Their very existence is akin to magic.
Their breath incinerates cities.
Those who feared such overwhelming power chose merely to hide away.
To dwarves, it is called the ‘Ruler of the Mountains,’ to giants, the ‘Devourer of Worlds,’ to elves, the ‘Conductor.’ Humans refer to these beings as dragons.
(To be continued)