After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite
chapter-50

Everything is Mine (3)

“Wow…What…”

The hunters in the front lines were in awe. They had heard of Jeong Si-woo. He was supposed to be a genius, and the first person to get perfect scores in both analysis and hunting.

However, no matter how impressive the rumors were, he was only a novice who had been a hunter for less than a year. Even when Han Yeon-soo had said ahe vouched for him as a commander, some had doubts.

“We are having a difficult time understanding…”

Jeong Si-woo’s appearance confused the monsters. They seemed to think he was an underwater creature, just like them, but they knew something was wrong.

“Kiyiyi!”

“What is everyone doing just standing around? Wizards specializing in ice magic, provide support. And close the lines!”

Everyone was overwhelmed. It was time for Han Yeon-soo’s support troops to arrive.

She gave her orders in such a bored voice; it made some of the hunters laugh.

For the Association soldiers, it wasn’t difficult for people to see Jeong Si-woo’s potential. They could see quite clearly how much of a help he would be in fighting the monsters.

It was an amazing sight. Jeong Si-woo was struggling alone against the monsters, with the hunters standing around in the background. He was no longer an inexperienced boy who just passed sixteen; he was now a hunter of legendary fame.

“Go quickly.”

Veterans, middle-aged, and worn out on the battlefield for decades, appeared in the Rift.

* * *

They weren’t difficult to deal with if one knew how and where to attack. Yet, the tanks despised them.

‘Is the official name <Armored Horror>?’

“Kiyiyi….”

Of course, they were no match for a hunter of my caliber.

[‘The Great Heart (B)’ is active.]

[*Temporarily increases the power of all stats, soul, and skills]

[*When activated, the ‘Great Body’ is applied.]

[*Great Body: the surrounding environment is not binding. No matter what environment you are in, you can move as if it was your natural environment.]

[*Currently, your body is optimized for the ‘underwater’ environment.]

Green saliva was dripping from its open mouth. As soon as I saw lots of buildup, I forced it’s jaw shut.

“Kiyi…This…”

Its eyes bulged out. That liquid appeared to be the armored horror’s main weapon, but it wasn’t immune to it either.

Its organs produced some form of protective agent against the spit in regular intervals, but it dissolved quickly once it came in contact with the spit. That meant that if you forced the spit back down, it would eat through the monster’s organs.

Fuwook.

My dagger pierced its neck. Erosive fluid started to ooze out, accompanied by lots of blood.

Its scales were resistant to magic but very vulnerable to physical attacks.

“Kiyi…”

They stumbled back, away from me. I immediately converted the nightmare into a bow and started firing arrows at the fleeing monsters’ heads.

The water decreased the arrows’ power, but the monsters’ scales were so weak that they were still effective.

Moreover, they weren’t ordinary arrows; they were strengthened with mana.

Fubububuk!

The monsters died one by one, letting out pitiful cries. Again, it was much better to work together than alone.

‘When I had found the weakness of these creatures, it had frustrated me immensely, not being able to tell everyone.’

‘Since combining hunting with analysis, everything is going a lot smoother.’

It was also impossible to concentrate on hunting alone. Analysts during this period were too foolish. Because I talked about the act of analysis as if I was writing a strategy book of monsters appearing in online games, it became fun.

Since monsters were also living organisms, it was essential to derive information by analyzing all their habits, characteristics, and habitat. There were still many people who did not want to accept the new reality in this ever-changing world.

‘There is still a lot to do.’

“Everyone, gather together. I will send you the location coordinates.”

“For now, let’s get the job done.”

“I will go now.”

I overwhelmed and killed the last wriggling monster and dashed to the surface.

* * *

The crack’s assault went smoothly. This was partly due to the Association’s hunters being present, but the Queen’s army was no less useful.

‘In the past, Han Yeon-soo, rather than stepping forward, had barely stopped the hunters from dying.’

After hearing the news, the first-class hunters were preparing to bury the fallen and to prevent any damage to civilians. In contrast, the third-class hunters and soldiers threw their lives away by becoming human shields.

Everyone remembered them, and I also became more energized at the thought.

‘To reduce the pointless sacrifices, to move the real force, I have to climb a little higher and stand in a position where I can control them…’

‘Well, what are you doing with that in mind now? Now I can make it, so that there are no such sacrifices.’

“Team one cleared!”

“Team two also cleared!”

“Team three cleared!”

In the mentioned positions, there were no more monsters in sight. It looked like we’d done it.

That was great news. The armed forces on the outside would prevent any other monsters from escaping into our world. It seemed our presence here was no longer necessary.

It was much more efficient to destroy the nucleus after wiping away all the monsters if the other rifts were active or a wave.

Military forces were made from soldiers and militants. They were not conditioned to enter the Rift and would be afflicted with mana poisoning within a few minutes.

“Thank you. Teams, tactical retreat…”

“Yeah. OK… Everyone, let’s organize!”

The chatter started picking up. I ordered the outside teams to deal with the remnants and continues giving orders.

I was left alone.

‘My physical prowess is decreasing.’

I removed the receiver from my ear, proceeding to activate the information-viewing tab; a map with the first crack’s inner structure came up.

‘But you still have yet to take what you need.’

I will follow the other teams, but I couldn’t leave just yet.

‘It was here… Wasn’t it?’

I pinpointed the exact location with the help of the map. There was a reason I was more effective alone.

The weapon was hidden in the first wave. After the second disaster ended, the auction would begin, and the item was sold for the highest price. If you suffered this much, would it be profitable to pay that much for labor expenses?

Trash.

Looking at the map, I discovered the location and started moving slowly towards it. While the most dangerous ones were dead, not all monsters had been destroyed. I proceeded with caution.

[You have entered the hidden passage of the ‘Empire sunk with God’s Wrath’.]

[Entering the ‘Forgotten Cave’.]

As I walked along, a brilliant cave made of blue ore appeared in front of me. It was boasting a movie-like mysterious atmosphere.

[Name: Heavenly Tears]

[Metal that greatly improves ‘magic resistance’. A metal often used in the making of magical weapons.]

“It contains a lot of expensive items.”

All were invaluable jewels. Some numerous gems and stones aided in the creation of magic.

‘If you leave it, the Association will take everything anyways… I must take as much as I can.’

I walked through the cave, gathering jewels and stuffing them into my subspace pocket. That was enough to get me a comfortable amount of money.

I moved on.

OK.

“I have made a great transgression against God.”

A voice appeared in my head.

‘What? The first hunters to discover the gems never said anything like that. Is this the effect of the ‘Akashic Record’?’

“Our greed has gotten worse as the days went by.”

『The abundant resources and strong national power made us arrogant and lazy』

Kuggugu.

The cave’s shape began to change. The walls disappeared, and a passage was revealed. A wall obstructed the path where the previous passage was. I looked completely different now.

‘I hear this voice because of the ‘Akashic Record’.’

It would soon begin.

‘It’s like getting an even better reward.’

The Akashic Records had never betrayed me. My lips formed a smile.

The name of the armament that a hunter discovered was an object called ‘the Bosom of the Sea’. An artifact that boasted unprecedented durability and allowed you to use all kinds of water-related skills and magic.

The Awakeners were enthusiastic about it. Several nations and guilds spent lots of money on auctions.

‘Something better than that… What the hell would they give me?’

My steps accelerated in anticipation.

“In the end, my choice was a mistake.”

『Human greed is endless』

“We dared to invade Athens and were greatly defeated.”

“The father of the sea was angry, and our great empire was buried deep in the sea.”

The further one walked through the passage, the brighter it got. Something was glimmering brightly at the end.

“We lived in the wrath of God and became ghosts, wandering endlessly in the deep sea.”

“Even so, I never forgot the days of glory and endlessly apologized to the father of the sea.”

“He didn’t say he would forgive us.”

“But I could see that he didn’t despise us anymore.”

Tap. Tap.

The passage ended. Now I was blinded by the light emanating from beyond.

“For the metal that my father had been given to protect our empire was returned.”

“That fascinating metal that could only be found in our empire.”

“Wow…”

I was stunned. When I reached the end of the passage, the voice in my head went silent.

A cave full of metal that was shining brilliantly in dozens of colors opened in front of me. I don’t think metal was the best word for it. It was more beautiful than most jewels.

[‘Information view’ activated.]

.

.

.

[Name: Orichalcum]

[Created a long time ago, by the god they called ‘the father of the sea’, to defend his empire. It has a very strong resistance to magic and physical attacks. It is never fully destroyed.]

“It would be OK to throw away the ‘Bosom of the Sea’.”

I touched it. It felt warm. That meant that a huge amount of mana was lying dormant inside, waiting to be awakened.

‘By the way, how do I take this?’

If it is not destroyed, can it be used as a weapon? I suddenly became very anxious.

But in fact, I didn’t even have to worry about that.

[I found a very good target for ‘Nightmare’.]

[Merge ‘Nightmare’ with ‘Orichalcum.’]

[By fusion, the nightmare absorbs all the properties of Orichalcum and evolves further.]

[Do you agree?]

Only

“Yes.”

The situation was getting right. There was no reason to refuse. I nodded, and a notification window popped up.

“Really… I’m very lucky.”

On seeing the artifact’s stat window, all I could think was:

‘Fortune smiles upon me.’

[‘Nightmare’ merges with ‘Orichalcum.’]

[Fusion was successful.]

[New Name: Mirage]