Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“!!”

Skill acquisitions weren’t uncommon for hunters. They could obtain a skill as a reward for attacking dungeons, learn a spell through a magic book, or gain a secret martial art technique by killing monsters or by completing certain conditions...

The methods were endless. Through such ways, one could obtain magic skills, martial arts skills, or passive skills like Choi Yeonseung’s Impenetrable Skin and Immunity to Ten Thousand Poisons. The better the skill, the stronger and more valuable the hunter became. Even D-grade hunters would be welcome in any party or clan as long as they had unique skills.

Meanwhile, Eternal Regeneration was an A+ rank skill. He had no idea how much it would be worth.

[Eternal Regeneration]

[You have inherited the hydra's essence. Your immortal body is constantly regenerating.]

Recovery skills were of immense value, no matter how low their rank, simply because of their regenerative capabilities! Even D-rank skills, like Low-grade Regeneration and Healing Power, were valuable. The skill to heal oneself or others in a dangerous dungeon was worth a fortune.

‘I thought I can't obtain skills like this because I'm a martial artist.’

Choi Yeonseung got a strange feeling after obtaining Eternal Regeneration. He really didn’t know anything about the world. He thought he would only learn Origin of the Celestial Divine Arts in his life. Hence, he never expected to acquire so many different skills.

-Kkiing! Kkiiing!

“It has been a while, Onix.”

-Kkiing!

The rock snake approached Choi Yeonseung and shook its body happily.

“Is that your family behind you?”

-Kkiing!

“It is nice to have a family. Congratulations.”

Choi Yeonseung looked fondly at the rock snake. He had spent an unimaginably long time in the Abyss, so his memories were blurry, but he was happy that the rock snake had met a mate and given birth to a baby.

‘I wonder if my clanmates are doing well.’

It wasn’t big or powerful, but it was still a good clan. Their clan firmly trusted and cared about each other! In this world where clans were full of conspiracies, schemes, and internal conflict, clans like Choi Yeonseung’s were rare. That was only natural, however, considering the huge amount of money and interests involved.

‘I hope I’ve only been gone a while by the time I get back to Earth...’

-Kkiing?

“Ah. No, it’s nothing. I was just reminiscing for a moment. So, you have a family now. You should give birth to children in moderation. If you use too much strength, you’ll suffer from muscle or internal energy loss... No, it’s probably rock loss in your case. That could happen.”

-???

The rock snake stared at him, seemingly wondering what he was talking about.

“Anyway, I’m thinking of cutting up this hydra. Do you need any of its meat, skin, or bones?”

-Kkiiing!

The rock snake shook its head with a disgusted expression. The hydra’s eerie corpse was visibly dripping with poison! It was dangerous to try touching something like that.

“It is too big to take with me. I’ll rip off its skin and eat all the meat here...”

“?”

[The artifact ‘Space Pocket Necklace’ has been obtained.]

The rock snake threw at Choi Yeonseung a necklace that seemed to be roughly made of chains. Its design was terribly rustic, but...

It had a very powerful effect.

A space warehouse! It was one of the artifacts hunters dreamed of.

“Are you... giving this to me?”

-Kkiing. Kkiing.

“Onix...!”

Moved, Choi Yeonseung hugged the rock snake. It was so big he could only hug the tip of its tail.

***The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Dungeons started to pop up everywhere after gates connected Earth to the Abyss. Scientists said it was a ‘phenomenon where some of the Abyss’ spaces are temporarily connected to Earth.’ However, that didn’t matter to the hunters. All they cared about was that they would be transported to a dungeon if they entered any of the dungeon gates all over the world.

Gulp.

“Are you okay?”

—!

The rock snake was startled. The moment it ate the meat, a powerful magic power spread throughout its body. The magic power that the hydra had in its body! That was only natural, considering the meat he had just ingested was a part of the hydra. Every piece of it was an elixir.

“Is it good? Large serpents like this hydra are traditionally believed to be healthy food.”

-???

That wasn’t the reason why Choi Yeonseung gave the rock snake some, though. He just fed it because it was his old habit...

Nevertheless, it was a really great elixir!

-Kkiing? Kkiing?

“Why isn’t it poisonous? I took care of that. I couldn’t just keep the poison in it since you're going to eat it.”

-Kkiing...!

The rock snake cried out emotionally. Such careful consideration.

I’m sorry for thinking you were crazy!

[The giant rock snake and its family now believe in you and worship you.]

[The number of followers that serve you as a constellation has increased.]

[Your strength and power of existence as a constellation has become stronger.]

Choi Yeonseung became thrilled upon feeling the power of existence rising inside him. His strength was boiling!

Choi Yeonseung could feel the power that the rock snake family sent him. Was this why the constellations chose apostles and made humans worship them? The constellations that appeared after the Abyss’ opening had always been mysterious and amazing.

They were truly like gods!

Starting with the religious groups, everyone began taking an interest in what the constellations were like. Why help humans? What was their purpose?

Now, Choi Yeonseung could fully understand their hearts. Being worshiped as a constellation was something they could never abandon. The good constellations gained worshippers through peace, while the evil constellations did so through coercion... No matter the method, their goal was the same.

The rock snake family's belief in him already had this much effect. What if he got his hands on Earth? This made it obvious why the Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead feared the future where the evil constellations ruled Earth.

‘... But when can I return to Earth?’’

He wondered if the goddess had forgotten about him. Well, he did get caught up in a magical storm and disappeared, so there probably wasn’t any way to find him.

‘If only we signed a contract in advance... No, I wouldn’t have been able to walk the path of a constellation then. This is fine. I’ll find a way.’

The Abyss was infinitely vast, but if he kept wandering around, he should be able to find a gate connected to Earth one day. Choi Yeonseung didn’t know at this time that he would have to wander for a few thousand more years.

***

Choi Yeonseung and the rock snakes stayed in the hydra’s realm for over a month to consume the remaining meat.

Upon waking up in the morning, they ate raw hydra for breakfast. For lunch, they had hydra tartar steak (egg and no seasoning), then drank hydra fluid juice for dessert in the evening. The dishes didn’t taste that good, but the rock snake family loved it. It was healthy food!

“...Onix. You look bigger.”

Nod nod.

The giant rock snake nodded. It hadn’t been that long, but the family of rock snakes had grown several times in size!

Choi Yeonseung was surprisingly right.

“Why did you become bigger?”

-Kkiing.

The rock snake pointed to the hydra’s meat. Filled with an enormous amount of condensed magic power, the meat increased the rock snake’s body size.

“Are you sure that isn’t a strange side effect?”

-Kkiing!

The rock snake made noises that seemed to say he was being ridiculous and how could he spit nonsense about such pure magic power!