The ritual reached its climax. From deep within Kim Ji-young's body, a faint sound echoed—like droplets striking still water. At once, a dark crimson energy surged from her lower abdomen, thick and poisonous, the residue of unstable mana that had plagued her for years.
At first, it appeared only as a small trace. But as minutes passed, the corruption grew denser, condensing into a sphere the size of a clenched fist. This was the heart of Mana Syndrome, the rot eating her from within.
With sharp precision, Seong-jun extended his left arm. Blood flared from his palm like liquid flame, weaving itself into a net that surrounded the malignant sphere. The corrupted energy convulsed, thrashing against the bloody barrier, but every attempt to escape was sealed. With one decisive squeeze, his crimson curtain tightened. A crack rang out, followed by the shattering of the mana core into nothingness.
In the next instant, a brilliant light burst from Kim Ji-young's body, flooding the room. The Tears of the Spirit had done their work—the tainted mana had been purged, her body cleansed from within. A lifetime of illness, gone in a moment.
When she rose from her seat, astonishment filled her expression. For the first time in decades, her body felt weightless, as though a mountain had been lifted from her shoulders. Strength returned to her limbs, her vision cleared, and tears blurred her eyes with gratitude. She whispered thanks again and again, overwhelmed by the miracle.
The family stood in stunned awe. Hunters and healers alike knew that Mana Syndrome treatments could take ten, even twenty hours when handled by specialists. Yet Seong-jun had completed the impossible in barely ten minutes. His mastery of the Blood Demon's forbidden art had turned despair into salvation.
Their joy grew into celebration. Lee Soo-hyuk, the father who had guided the family through years of hardship, felt pride well in his chest as he looked at his son. Seong-jun was no longer just the boy who once dreamed of greatness—he had become a man, firm in purpose, carrying the strength to shape his own future. Gratitude filled the father's heart. Their survival through countless trials had not been in vain.
Plans for a family celebration followed naturally. Smiles and laughter replaced years of quiet sorrow. Even Seong-jun, whose life was now tangled in guild wars and looming dangers, welcomed this moment of peace. To him, this was the reason he had returned: to protect and share joy with those he loved.
But beyond their warmth, in the shadows of Incheon Port, a darker scene unfolded.
A massive iron container creaked open, revealing a man caged within. His body was a battlefield of scars, his tangled hair falling over bloodshot eyes that glowed like a beast's. This was Jo Se-hyeok, once the most promising hunter of the Grim Reaper Guild—now infamous as the Rookie Slayer, an SS-rank villain feared even by nations.
His crimes were legend. He had slaughtered countless hunters, targeting rookies in particular, crushing the future of guilds and destabilizing the nation itself. The government had once mobilized its full might to capture him, and though they had succeeded, he had vanished soon after—smuggled away by the Honor Group to China, far from the eyes of Korean authorities.
Now he was back.
Park Seong-hoon, an A-rank hunter and the Honor Group's trusted lawyer, had orchestrated his return. To him, Jo Se-hyeok was a double-edged sword: too dangerous to unleash lightly, yet too powerful to ignore. But with the rise of Lee Seong-jun, a super rookie hailed across Korea, the Honor Group's prestige was being threatened. To silence this rising star, retaliation had become inevitable.
Jo Se-hyeok was handed a file containing Seong-jun's profile and photograph. The moment his wild eyes fell upon the picture, a twisted grin spread across his scarred face. Murderous intent radiated from him like a storm—the hunter once known as the Rookie Slayer had found his next target.
Meanwhile, Seong-jun spent his evening basking in rare happiness, unaware of the storm approaching. The next morning, he sat in quiet thought, considering the future. His recent earnings totaled thirty-five billion won, a fortune by any standard. But he knew wealth left idle was wasted. In a world where strength defined survival, true investment lay not in property or markets—but in himself.
Power was the greatest currency, and elixirs were the shortcut. While legendary treasures such as Millennium Ginseng or Snow Lotus were far beyond reach, semi-elixirs—rare but attainable—offered the potential to refine his body and hasten his growth.
Resolute, Seong-jun set out for Dongmyo. Once a traditional wholesale district, it had been reborn after the Great Upheaval as a marketplace where merchants from other dimensions traded mystical wares. There, amid stalls brimming with artifacts and relics, he would seek the keys to his next evolution.
But as he stepped into the bustling streets, unseen eyes already lingered on his path.