"Haeseon…!!"
My sister, who had been treated by Kirill, regained consciousness.
She held me tightly and cried for a long time before falling asleep, almost as if she had fainted.
Right up until she drifted off, she kept repeating, "Thank goodness."
To think I almost told someone like her that I'd been given a terminal diagnosis.
Just the thought made my stomach churn.
She had no memory of what happened after coming face to face with the giant toad.
So I was able to make something up.
I said I'd been lucky enough to get help from a nearby Hunter, and as always, she believed me without question.
Then again, it's not like she's in any state to question anything right now.
While she was in a deep sleep, I skimmed through the online news and then turned on the TV.
The old TV was broadcasting a breaking news report about today's gate incident.
"Today's gate incident was an unprecedented and highly unusual case…"
With the immediate danger out of the way, the suspicions I'd had during the gate incident started to bubble back to the surface.
Why hadn't Hunters been on standby?
There wasn't even a safety line set up to keep civilians out, let alone any effort to subdue the monsters.
If the safety line had been established properly, my sister wouldn't have ended up inside the gate.
"The Glory Guild, responsible for managing the area, stated that it was unavoidable…"
The more the announcer talked, the more furious I got.
Today, a "Double Gate" had opened in South Korea.
Two gates opening simultaneously in separate areas — rare, but not unheard of.
But the reason today was being called "unprecedented" was more than just the timing.
Poison-type monsters, which are seen maybe once a year, appeared in both gates.
"Due to limited resources of Hunters and equipment specialized for poison-type monsters…"
The two affected areas were Gupadong and Gaebangdong.
Both were in the same district, but often highlighted as examples of extreme economic disparity.
Gupadong — known as the wealthiest neighborhood in the country.
Gaebangdong — where people like us, who struggle to survive day by day, live.
"The Glory Guild expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and announced future plans to increase poison-type monster countermeasures…"
Someone once said this:
A long tongue gets you in trouble.
The announcer wasn't part of the Glory Guild, but watching him rattle on and on made my face twist in disgust.
And soon, I came to one conclusion.
"Gaebangdong was abandoned."
The comments on the articles I'd read online weren't far from my own thoughts:
└ Damn. Just our luck, huh? Poison-type in a Double Gate, of all things.
└ Over 500 people died. That's the highest death toll in years, apparently.
└ Glory Guild's got money for flashy ads but not for poison-type equipment?
└ Nah. Glory's top-notch. The poison team deployed right away — just not to Gaebangdong.
└ So they either had to split the team or abandon one site. Guess they ditched the poor folks in Gaebangdong.
└ Honestly, isn't that the logical move? They only took on the poor areas 'cause the Association pressured them. With one team, of course they saved the rich first. LOL.
└ Thank god it wasn't our neighborhood. They're scrambling to boost equipment now, but we've seen this song and dance before.
└ Meanwhile, Glory Guild just swept this quarter's A-rank Hunters. What are they, trying to conquer the world?
Glory Guild may officially be a public service entity, but in the end, they're still a profit-driven organization.
Maybe what they did was the logical choice — for them.
But would the people left behind see it that way?
"Bullshit…"
The more I thought about it, the more nauseated I became.
Double Gate, poison type — whatever.
The idea that human lives could be weighed on a scale like that… was revolting.
And all over money.
If they'd saved the rich district first and then come to us, I might've understood.
But according to witnesses in Gupadong, Glory Guild pulled out immediately after handling things there.
At the very same time that people were being massacred just a stone's throw away.
No matter how "logical" their reasoning, the people they abandoned still died meaningless deaths.
If I hadn't met Kirill, I'd have been one of them.
"Thanks to Glory Guild's swift response, casualties were kept to a minimum…"
In the end, their choice to save the rich and powerful was deemed "correct."
Government officials and elites were lining up to thank Glory Guild on camera, while the deaths in Gaebangdong were brushed off as an "unfortunate tragedy."
Thunk. Thunk.
Sitting on the floor with my knees drawn in, I lightly toss a black sphere in one hand.
To anyone watching, it might just look like I'm playing with a baseball.
But anyone who knows monsters would be shocked out of their mind.
"Info."
As I mutter the word, the device Kirill gave me projects information about the sphere.
[Identification: Giant Toad Core]
[Acquisition Difficulty: A-Class]
[Type: Black Core]
[Warning: Top-tier threat item as classified by the Hunter Association. Contains lethal toxins and requires special handling.]
Monsters typically have a heart called a "core."
Core colors vary depending on the type of monster, but poison-types always have black ones.
Hence the name — Black Core.
Among Hunters, Black Cores are often called "forbidden fruit."
They hold multiple times more energy than standard cores, but their intense toxicity makes them nearly impossible to use as weapons or absorb into the body.
In fact, their poison is so strong, most people would have their hand melted just from touching one.
Thunk.
I tossed and caught the Black Core as if I were playing catch.
It was the second gift Kirill had left me, after the lens-type device.
"This thing might be highly toxic, but compared to you, it's child's play. Try grasping it and using Poison Walk. Something interesting should happen."
"Like this… is that right?"
I recalled Kirill's words and gripped the Black Core tightly.
Fsssss...
The color of the Black Core resembled the gate that had opened during the day.
A deep black hue that looked like it could swallow up everything around it.
I closed my eyes and tried to recall the sensation of the Black Aether Kirill had passed on to me.
The energy that gathered at my feet—Kirill's energy.
At first, nothing seemed to change. But as I persisted and focused my mind, the shift began.
Vmmm.
"Huh…?"
My hand holding the Black Core trembled.
Not because of chills like before.
The Core was beginning to resonate with my body.
I focused more and tightened my grip.
Shrrr.
Something felt off, so I opened my eyes.
Oh, my god.
The once solid Black Core was melting—like ice cream.
That unnerving blackness began to take on a peculiar sheen.
It was the very energy Kirill had given me.
Black Aether.
I didn't even wonder how to absorb it.
The moment it transformed into Black Aether, it felt like a part of me—like an extension of my limbs.
Slurp.
The Black Core had completely turned into liquid.
And that liquid slowly seeped into my body through the palm of my hand.
Maybe it was because I had awakened.
The Black Aether being absorbed felt just like blood.
No—maybe even more fundamental than blood.
It felt like life force itself was being infused into my body.
In a short time, the Black Aether had completely entered my system, and I felt more refreshed than ever.
It seemed the Black Aether Kirill had given me before was 1,000BA.
After reviewing the information from the device, I was shocked by two things.
First—Kirill's capabilities.
The Black Aether she had given me was only a fraction of her power.
And yet that small fraction was double the amount from an A-class Black Core.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how powerful she truly was.
And second—
"Body enhancement, huh...?"
That was something Kirill never told me about.
A poison-user enhancing their physical body?
I had always thought Poizoners fought by drawing out Black Aether, like how Kirill demonstrated Poison Walk.
But now...
"Wait... maybe..."
Thinking about it, it all started to make sense.
The reason I was able to learn Poison Walk so easily—
It was thanks to the Black Aether Kirill planted in my feet.
Being able to move beyond human limits—that was only possible because the Black Aether enhanced my legs.
"…"
Then...
Let's flip the logic.
If Poison Walk is the result of enhancing the legs with Black Aether, what would happen if I spread it throughout my entire body?
I quickly asked the device:
"If I keep making more Black Aether and enhance my whole body with it, what kind of level could I reach?"
"Whoa!!"
A gasp escaped my mouth.
An S-rank Knight!
That meant I'd be able to overpower most physical-type Hunters with raw strength alone—even without using poison.
A Hunter who can brawl with the strongest Knights and unleash poison-based skills like Poison Rain on top of that.
Maybe Kirill wasn't exaggerating when she said I could become "the strongest being in the world."
Just imagining it made my heart race.
The dreams I had buried deep in my heart because of my illness—
They were slowly starting to rise from the depths again, like smoke from embers.
I want to smash every last one of those damn monsters.
I want to crush the poverty that's made life so hard for my family.
More than anything, I want to become strong enough that no one ever dares weigh my life on a scale again.
Early the next morning.
Swish.
I gently brushed aside my sister's hair as she slept.
She may not look it, but she's a strong person—I hope she can hold out.
After changing into some comfortable training clothes, I left a note by her bedside.
According to Kirill, I had a one-week deadline to get the antidote.
There wasn't a single day to spare.
Tatata!
I sprinted at full speed to the place where Kirill had first taught me Poison Walk.
My breathing grew a bit heavy, but it didn't feel hard at all.
It was nothing like before, when I needed to take the bus even for short distances.
Now that my awakening was complete, my body was no longer weak or sickly.
"Alright, then…"
In the early dawn, before even the sun had risen,
I closed my eyes to try and control the Black Aether I'd stored overnight.
Srrr...
The Black Aether drifted slowly through my body like a fish swimming through the ocean,
as if waiting patiently for my command.
I figured I wouldn't need to reinforce my legs for a while, since Kirill had already passed some Aether into them.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly began spreading the Aether throughout my entire body.
Ziiing.
Just like when I had aetherized the Black Core, it began to resonate with my body.
After a brief moment,
it took root in every corner of me.
"How effective will this be?"
Even if it was only half the amount Kirill had given me, the core I absorbed was an A-Class—considered extremely difficult to acquire.
An A-Class monster wasn't something a single A-rank hunter could handle alone.
It was said to require a team of at least five A-rank hunters to take one down.
Considering that even mid-tier guilds in Korea rarely had more than ten A-rank hunters, the core I got was a true treasure.
And since it was so hard to get, I wanted to test just how much it could enhance my body.
"This is probably a crazy idea, but…"
Facing a concrete wall in an empty lot, I raised my right fist.
The wall reminded me of the tough hide of a giant toad.
Back in the day, I wouldn't have been able to break the wall—or anything, really—and my hand would've just shattered.
But now the situation was different.
No—it had to be different.
I clenched my teeth and swung my fist at the wall.
Bang!!
"Urgh…!!"
Damn.
It hurt so much, tears nearly welled up.
Had the Black Aether really not strengthened me enough?
Crack.
"?"
A jarring, off-pitch sound rang in my ears.
Still blowing on my throbbing hand, I turned to look in the direction the sound came from—and my eyes widened in disbelief.
A massive crack had formed in the concrete wall.
A feat impossible with ordinary human strength.
Since I had spread the Black Aether throughout my whole body, it wasn't just my fist that was reinforced.
"How strong am I now?"
"…Nice."
Just before setting out on a brief journey, I could feel the incredibly satisfying changes in myself.
Even if it was the lowest tier, a Knight was strong enough to easily take down three or four average adults.
After brushing off my hand,
I gave the device a command:
"Tell me where Dr. Jin is."