Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Ding.

A clear, pleasant notification rang inside Hong Man-gi's head.

A system window appeared before his eyes.

[A-rank Hunter Kang Min-hyuk's soul has been saved.]

[The curse of the AX-rank dungeon has been purified through cooking.]

'Another inheritance?'

Another reward had arrived.

[1. Skill Inheritance: Warmth of the Soul, S-rank Passive]

[The dishes you prepare heal not only the bodies of those who eat them, but also the wounds of their souls. Trauma, curses, and mind control can be removed or weakened simply by eating your food. Anyone who eats your cooking will experience absolute psychological stability for a certain period of time.]

[2. Special Item Acquired: Heart of the Snowfield, Mythic-grade Ingredient]

[The core and essence of the dungeon that Kang Min-hyuk protected at the cost of his life. When used as a cooking ingredient, it can produce a miraculous dish with enough life force to save even a dying Hunter.]

[3. Title Acquired: Chef Who Melted the Abyss]

[Your success rate when developing recipes and the grade of the resulting dishes have increased significantly.]

"What...!"

The rewards were extraordinary.

In particular, the Heart of the Snowfield was practically the final piece of the puzzle needed to complete Cha Kang-il's unfinished recipe, the absolute weapon intended to save the world.

But rather than celebrate his rewards, Hong Man-gi first approached Song Hwa-rin.

"Master."

Song Hwa-rin raised her head, her eyes still unfocused.

"This jewel... Kang Min-hyuk left it for you, Master."

Song Hwa-rin picked up the blue jewel with trembling hands. It was cold, yet for some reason, she could feel a strange warmth coming from it.

"Min-hyuk..."

She held the jewel against her chest.

Then,

"It's yours."

She gently pushed the Heart of the Snowfield back toward Hong Man-gi.

"Thank you..."

Hong Man-gi gave her enough time to grieve. After a while, he spoke quietly.

"Let's go back. To the place where a warm meal is waiting for us."

Song Hwa-rin wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Yeah... let's go."

She looked at Hong Man-gi and smiled.

"Thank you, Hong Man-gi. And... I'm hungry."

Hong Man-gi smiled back.

"I'll make you something delicious when we get back. As much as you want."

It was at that moment.

[RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!]

An overwhelming tremor shook the ground.

"Wh-what's happening?"

Lee Yu-han lost his balance and staggered.

Hong Man-gi instinctively looked upward. Something had begun pouring down from the top of the towering cliff, the same terrifying height from which Kang Min-hyuk had thrown himself.

It was an avalanche.

However,

'This isn't a natural avalanche... There's something else.'

[ROOOOOOOAR!!!]

Along with the avalanche, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the dungeon.

"D-dodge!"

"There's nowhere to go!"

"Damn it! Get down for now!"

Just as the enormous snowstorm came crashing down like a waterfall, threatening to swallow Hong Man-gi and his companions, a massive shadow dropped to the ground from within the white tempest.

[BOOOOOM!!!]

The ground erupted as though an explosion had gone off.

Hong Man-gi and the others were pushed several steps backward by the impact.

"Urgh..."

A figure gradually emerged through the rising cloud of snow.

It was a giant whose entire body was covered in white fur harder than steel and blue ice armor. Enormous ice horns rose from its head like a crown, and its burning red eyes shone with a cruel, savage light. Its vicious expression made it seem as though it intended to devour and tear apart everything it looked at.

The true boss of the Hellish Snowfield.

The monster responsible for Kang Min-hyuk's death and for trapping Song Hwa-rin in a living hell for years.

The dungeon boss, the Tyrant of Eternal Snow, the Yeti King.

[Huff... Hoooo...]

Every time it breathed through its nose, the surrounding air instantly froze, turning into crystals that fell to the ground.

Its presence was overwhelming. The Frost Giants they had faced earlier seemed like mere toys compared to this monster. It inspired a completely different level of terror.

"Ah..."

A short gasp escaped Song Hwa-rin's lips.

Her pupils shook violently.

"Th-that... that bastard..."

S-rank Hunter. Master of the White Lotus Guild. Mad Tyrant.

All the powerful titles used to describe her crumbled like sandcastles before the monster standing in front of her, leaving her looking like an ordinary, vulnerable woman.

"Th-that's the one..."

Song Hwa-rin stepped backward. Her legs nearly gave way, and although she barely managed to remain standing, the White Lotus Sword in her hand was trembling uncontrollably.

"...Our party... Min-hyuk... and me..."

It was trauma.

A primal fear buried deep within her soul, something she could not control through reason alone.

Memories she had tried to forget came rushing back. The sounds of her companions being torn apart, their limbs freezing and shattering from a single breath of the monster, and the final sight of Kang Min-hyuk falling from the cliff.

"Urgh... Aaaah..."

Song Hwa-rin clutched her head.

She knew she had to fight, but her body refused to obey. Her breathing grew rapid, and her vision began to narrow.

Trauma.

She was having a panic attack.

"Master!"

Hong Man-gi called out to her urgently, but Song Hwa-rin did not seem to hear him. She simply crouched down and trembled like a terrified child.

[Grrrr...]

The Yeti King's gaze settled on Song Hwa-rin.

It seemed to remember her.

Song Hwa-rin was the only survivor who had escaped from its grasp.

Then its eyes shifted toward Hong Man-gi's chest. More precisely, toward the Heart of the Snowfield that Song Hwa-rin had handed to him.

Dungeon bosses regarded Hunters who took their treasures as thieves. Protecting those treasures at the cost of their lives was their duty and an absolute rule.

[KIEEEEEEEEK!]

The Yeti King let out a piercing shriek and raised its enormous ice club.

Its intentions were clear.

It would kill Song Hwa-rin, reclaim the Heart of the Snowfield, and slaughter every Hunter present.

Kang Jae-min was the first to react.

"I'll take that bastard on!"

Kang Jae-min shouted with determination and rushed forward. His pride as a B-rank Hunter and his desire to protect his companions pushed down his fear.

"I'll make myself useful too!"

Lee Yu-han gritted his teeth.

His legs were shaking, but he was no longer the porter who did nothing but run away. With Song Hwa-rin trembling from her trauma and Hong Man-gi having used up a great deal of mana, he seemed to believe it was now his turn to step forward.

He tightened his grip on the Shadow Fang Dagger that Hong Man-gi had given him and followed Kang Jae-min.

"UOOOOOOH!"

Kang Jae-min shouted as he leaped forward.

The A-rank knuckles on his fists, Big Monkey's Nuclear Fist, began glowing red.

"Yeti? What a shitty name. Have a taste of my fist!"

Kang Jae-min aimed at the Yeti King's knee joint and threw a full-powered punch.

[BOOOM!]

A dull impact rang out.

But the Yeti King did not move an inch.

[Kieeeh?]

The Yeti King tilted its head and gave a mocking grin, as if asking whether that was all he could do.

"Wh-what? Not even a scratch?"

While Kang Jae-min stared in shock, Lee Yu-han slipped into the monster's blind spot behind it.

"Shadow Step!"

Lee Yu-han's body became hazy like a shadow, and he moved behind the Yeti King's ankle. He aimed his dagger at its Achilles tendon.

[CLANG!]

But the dagger bounced off without even piercing the monster's fur.

"That's impossible... This isn't some F-rank weapon! It's B-rank...!"

Despair appeared on Lee Yu-han's face.

The Yeti King lowered its head and looked down at the two men by its feet, as though annoying flies had gathered around it. Its mouth twisted into a cruel smile.

It took a deep breath.

The surrounding air was instantly sucked into its mouth.

"DODGE!!!"

Hong Man-gi screamed at the top of his lungs.

But it was too late.

[WHOOOOOOOOOSH!]

When the Yeti King opened its mouth, an enormous white storm burst forth.

"AARGH!"

"UWAAAAH!"

Their screams lasted only a moment.

The instant the white storm engulfed them, the winter clothing they wore froze and shattered.

[BANG! BANG!]

The two men were thrown away like fallen leaves and crashed into the snowfield.

"Jae-min! Yu-han!"

Despite Hong Man-gi's desperate shouts, neither of them could get up. White frost was already spreading across their bodies.

A single attack.

With just one strike from the AX-rank boss, Kang Jae-min and Lee Yu-han had been taken out of the fight.

"We're... all going to die..."

The sight drove Song Hwa-rin into an even deeper state of terror.

The nightmare from years ago was repeating itself right before her eyes.

'No... Again... Again, because of me...'

Her lips were bleeding from how hard she had bitten them, but she could not move even a finger.

The Yeti King showed no further interest in the two fallen Hunters. It slowly began walking toward Hong Man-gi and Song Hwa-rin.

[THUD. THUD. THUD.]

Every time the ground shook beneath its steps, Hong Man-gi felt his heart tighten.

He looked from his fallen companions to the panicking Song Hwa-rin, then at the approaching monster.

There was nowhere to run.

'And I have absolutely no intention of running.'

Hong Man-gi clenched the Heart of the Snowfield inside his clothes before placing it in his inventory.

Then he drew Full Moon from his waist.

The pitch-black sword gave off a cold glow.

"Master Song Hwa-rin."

Hong Man-gi stepped in front of the trembling woman.

"Get a hold of yourself. Kang Min-hyuk sacrificed his life to save yours. Are you really going to throw it away so meaninglessly here?"

"I... I know... But... my legs..."

"Pull yourself together!"

Song Hwa-rin's eyes shook at Hong Man-gi's sharp shout.

"But... that thing... We can't beat it... Never..."

"We can."

Hong Man-gi spoke firmly.

"I'll make sure we win. No matter what."

He pointed Full Moon at the Yeti King.

A B-rank Hunter pointing his sword at an AX-rank boss.

It was a reckless and seemingly arrogant sight.

Hong Man-gi swallowed hard and muttered like a chef examining a particularly interesting ingredient.

'This ingredient is... extremely tough, cold, and enormous.'

Then the corners of his mouth curled upward.

'But that doesn't mean I can't cook it.'

By then, the Yeti King had already reached him.

It raised its enormous club and looked down at Hong Man-gi.

At that moment, golden mana began rising from Hong Man-gi's body.