Returned With Horns

* * *

An egg. Eggs appearing inside gates were the harbinger of disaster, mentioned at the very beginning of the books Han Ayoung had given me.

Generally, unless it's a dungeon-type gate, it's safe to say you won't see eggs inside gates. But if an egg appears, you need to quickly clear the gate and get out.

Eggs of birds, reptiles, or amphibians. But eggs that appear in gates are different.

Monster eggs. And not just any monster, but powerful ones.

Generally, there are two types of monsters that lay eggs: 'insect-type' monsters that only appear in dungeon-type gates, or dragons, which start from at least A-rank.

And judging by the size visible from this distance, it was definitely a dragon egg. Knowing this, sighs escaped from the hunters' mouths. I was no different. What if that dragon egg hatches, and the dragon commands the Corrupt Fairies and Hermit Lurkers to attack? Of course, I would survive. I could probably even protect Oh Sungwon. But what about the others?

Although I've fallen far from what I once was, I was still once a hero. I don't trust humans, but I fought for them; I hate humans, but in a way, I love them too. That's why I don't particularly want to see people die in front of me. My weak mentality was also an issue to begin with.

Even if they're people I've just met, seeing them die in front of me might make me a bit unstable. It's not like I haven't had such experiences before.

"The good news is, it seems it will take some time before it hatches."

"A dragon egg in a generation-type gate... Is gate mutation this dangerous?"

"Gate mutations themselves aren't common cases, so there aren't many who've returned alive to begin with."

While Kang Chaehoon and the hunters were discussing among themselves, Oh Sungwon looked anxiously back and forth between me and the hunters. Seeing Oh Sungwon like this, I let out a small sigh.

"I'll protect you no matter what happens. But I can't guarantee the same for the others."

"...The dragon is the problem. If we find the core before the egg hatches, that would solve everything."

Even the weakest subspecies of dragons have commanding abilities. They can gather nearby monsters and send them against those they perceive as hostile. Of course, the weaker they are, the more basic commands they can give, and the fewer numbers they can control, but still, we couldn't be at ease.

"Can ten B-rank hunters handle one Hermit Lurker?"

"Yes. We should be able to kill one without much trouble. The captain was close to A-rank to begin with."

"Hmm... What about Corrupt Fairies?"

"Actually, that's more problematic. We don't know how many are gathered, but if there are over 100, it might be better to just close our eyes and die."

One hand can't handle two hands, and ten hands can't handle a hundred hands. What they were saying stemmed from this kind of problem. Unless there was a hunter who had awakened abilities or magic, out of the ten hunters, all except one were combat-type hunters, so dealing with Corrupt Fairies was almost impossible.

The one remaining hunter was a healing-type, prepared for unexpected incidents, so they weren't much help in combat. How could you heal limbs that have been torn apart?

"For now, let's move quickly to find the core. If we get out before the egg hatches, it's not a problem. If we can't find it... well, then it's every man for himself."

"Yes."

Seeing the hunters nodding with determined faces, I inwardly swallowed a sigh.

Can we really find it? Judging by the magical power contained in that egg, it seems like it will hatch soon. With that thought, we quickly set off on our journey to find the core.

* * *

The journey was incredibly arduous. Not for me, of course, but mainly for Oh Sungwon.

For him, who was still just a C-rank hunter, the forced march with B-rank hunters was nothing short of torture. In the end, Kang Chaehoon had to carry him on his back.

I, on the other hand, was feeling better and better since crossing the gate. Perhaps due to the high concentration of magical power inside the gate, my body was overflowing with strength.

"By the way, it seems it was a good decision to stay together."

"Isn't it?"

At first, the hunters wanted to split into groups to search for the core, but I flatly rejected that idea.

The monsters appearing in this gate are Hermit Lurkers and Corrupt Fairies. The question was whether they could handle Hermit Lurkers and Corrupt Fairies on their own, and in separate groups, without me.

In fact, it should have been obvious from the start, but the hunters who had fallen into panic after seeing the egg seemed unable to make proper judgments.

I could understand their behavior, as I was similar to them when I was first transferred to the continent of Granterasia. Of course, it wasn't strange that they thought that way. The Hermit Lurker appeared at the entrance of the gate, and they had only found traces of Corrupt Fairies, not seeing them in person.

However, strangely enough, during our journey, we frequently encountered both monsters. As if they were trying to prevent us from finding the core.

Of course, there were no casualties because Hermit Lurkers only appeared two or three at a time, and Corrupt Fairy swarms of over a hundred didn't appear.

The healing-type hunter treated those who were slightly injured, allowing them to immediately rejoin the group.

After a long journey, as the sun was setting and darkness was falling thickly, we set up camp and lit fires as usual. Then, Kang Chaehoon, who had spread out an artifact that hides us from monsters, approached me and handed me some preserved food.

"By the way, are you really okay without eating, Seohyun-nim?"

"Yeah. I'll eat if you insist, but is it necessary?"

"We brought quite a lot, so it's fine if you eat."

"No, it's okay. By the way, you seem quite used to this kind of thing?"

As I shook my head and asked, Kang Chaehoon, who had just put some jerky in his mouth, quickly chewed and swallowed before nodding.

"Well, yes. It's something a hunter should get used to, isn't it?"

"Your young master doesn't seem to be like that though."

"Hahaha. Well, that's true."

"You seem quite close. He was calling you 'hyung'."

At my casual remark, Kang Chaehoon quietly looked at me. I also blankly stared back at him.

"What are you looking at?"

"No, it's nothing. Well, we are close. We've known each other since we were young."

"Since you were young?"

"Yes. We grew up together since the young master was little. Looking back now, it seems my parents sent me to cling to power and money, but regardless of that, we get along quite well."

"Is that so?"

Kang Chaehoon, who had been poking at the embers with a branch, let out a small sigh. The young master we were supposed to protect was sleeping soundly in a corner.

In fact, Oh Sungwon was quite good at fighting for a C-rank hunter. If he had continuously trained since awakening, he would have more than enough talent to become a B-rank hunter already.

Considering that most ordinary people stop progressing at B-rank hunter, being B-rank at Sungwon's age would generally be considered fast. Especially since he was still only in his mid-twenties.

"I guess I'm quite lucky."

"Even though we fell into a gate mutation?"

"Because we'll be able to return alive. Don't you think so?"

"You trust me?"

"Yes."

At that trusting gaze, I suddenly felt a strange sensation. What exactly did he see in me to say such things? Although we had struggled together today, Kang Chaehoon and I had just met for the first time.

"What exactly do you think?"

"You cut down the Hermit Lurker with a single stroke. You also instantly cut down ten Corrupt Fairies. And... you haven't even shown your full power yet. To be honest, couldn't you just cut down a dragon if it appeared?"

"Who knows. It depends on what comes out."

Although I said that, I knew. If the dragon I saw was about the level of the fire dragon I saw on the first day, I could cut it down with a single stroke.

However, in the meantime, Oh Sungwon and the hunters would likely be decimated by the Corrupt Fairies and Hermit Lurkers. Unless they came in order like in a game. Because once the dragon wakes up, the monsters would all pounce at once.

"You should go to sleep too. I'll take the night watch."

"Is it okay for you not to sleep?"

"Yeah. A day or two doesn't affect my condition."

"Then I'll trust you and get some shut-eye."

Probably tired, Kang Chaehoon took my suggestion at face value and went into his tent. Watching that scene quietly, I silently poked at the fire.

The leather jacket I had been wearing all day was a bit uncomfortable, but I didn't bother taking it off. You never know when someone might wake up.

It's not like I don't have any sense of shame. It's fortunate that this cursed clothing doesn't slip off or come undone no matter how vigorously I move, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to fight properly.

As I glanced down slightly, I could see my snow-white upper chest. I don't know whose skin this is, but it's really fair.

Thinking that, I let out a deep sigh. I don't know who designed this body, but it came with a lot of unnecessary functions.

Among them, the most useless function was skin whitening. Why? Couldn't the skin get a little tan? When I said this, even the gentle Elucia would get furiously angry, but I was confident. After all, I was originally a man.

As I watched the crackling campfire, memories of being with them came vividly to mind. In our first formation, we ended up fleeing without even defeating the Four Heavenly Kings, let alone the Demon King. And after that, I underwent that experiment.

Not wanting to recall those memories, I quietly lay down. The night sky I blankly stared at only had a bright full moon hanging in it.