Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“It’s over...”

At someone’s mutter, the tension that had been stretched taut suddenly snapped.

Thud.

The strength left my legs, and I sank to the ground.

“Haa. Haa.”

I gasped for breath. My entire body was drenched in sweat. The palm that had gripped the spear was still trembling faintly.

I wasn’t the only one.

Kim Dohyeon had been using his spear like a cane to stay upright, but eventually collapsed flat onto the floor. Lee Seoyeon was sprawled out completely, staring up at the ceiling.

“Everyone... worked hard.”

Park Jeongsu barely managed a smile as she leaned against her shattered shield. Her voice was half-hoarse.

Dozens of golems increased by the mutation, plus an E-rank boss.

The fact that all of us were alive and sprawled across this floor was a miracle in itself.

Step. Step.

Then footsteps approached.

It was the Awakened. Blood was still dripping from his fists, but there was no unsteadiness in his steps.

He knelt on one knee before me.

“Ruler. It seems... it is time for me to return.”

The edges of his body began glowing faintly.

[Remaining Duration: 2:47]

The system window displayed the remaining time.

‘Already.’

I felt reluctant to part. This had been the first battle we fought together after he crossed dimensions.

I stared at him.

His face was covered in blood and stone dust. Yet his eyes alone burned brightly.

The primitive man who used to tremble before bears was nowhere to be found.

Then I suddenly realized something.

“...Come to think of it, I never gave you a name.”

“A name... you say?”

The Awakened blinked.

That was right. Until now, I had only called him ‘the Awakened.’

The first Awakened. Guardian of the tribe. Chief.

He had plenty of titles, but no actual name.

He was the one who had stood with me before the pack of bears. The one who had taken an orc’s club in my place. The one who had torn through dimensions to come running to me.

And I had been calling him without even giving him a name.

“That’s a good idea.”

Park Jeongsu cut in from beside me. At some point, she had caught her breath and walked over.

“They say that when your bond with a summon deepens, it can display greater power. Apparently, the strength of the bond can affect skill power. There are actually quite a few cases like that.”

“That’s right. Why not give him a name while you’re at it?”

Lee Seoyeon also sat up and joined in. Curiosity gleamed on her exhausted face.

I looked at the Awakened again.

“If you’re okay with it, I’ll give you a name.”

His eyes widened instantly.

Then he nodded vigorously. Again and again. So hard it looked like his neck might break.

“It would be an honor, Ruler.”

‘What would be good.’

I didn’t have to think long. One name had already come to mind.

Dawn of the Races.

In that game I had played for more than a decade, there was a legendary-grade hero who was born only at an extremely low probability when playing as Primitive Humanity.

The strongest spearman, who split battlefields apart with a single spear.

The name suited him. No. He could become even greater than that.

“Pantelun.”

I pronounced it clearly.

“Your name is Pantelun.”

“Pantelun...”

He slowly repeated the unfamiliar pronunciation as though engraving it onto his tongue.

“It’s the name of a character from a game I used to enjoy. He was extremely powerful with a spear.”

“Pantelun. Pantelun!”

He smiled brightly.

It was an expression I had never seen before. A childlike smile spread across a face that had always been serious.

At that exact moment.

Ding!

[Bond of Souls Formed]

The Ruler has bestowed a name upon the first Awakened.

‘Pantelun’

A name defines existence.

A deep bond of souls has formed between the Ruler and the Awakened.

Effects:

▸ Bond limit surpassed

▸ The Awakened’s latent talent blossoms.

‘His talent blossoms?’

Before I could even finish reading the message.

Flash!

Golden light erupted from Pantelun’s body.

“What is it this time?”

“The summon is glowing!”

The Hunters sprang up in surprise.

It was a warm and brilliant light, the complete opposite of the golem’s dark red glow.

Within the cluster of light, Pantelun slowly closed his eyes. He didn’t look like he was in pain. Rather, he looked peaceful. As though something inside him was finally settling into its proper place.

Ding!

[Talent Bloom]

The potential of the Awakened ‘Pantelun’ has blossomed by one stage.

New Trait Acquired:

▸ [Pioneer of Spearmanship]

― Does not follow an established path, but pioneers new realms of spearmanship on his own.

― Greatly increased growth rate of Spearmanship

― Can create new techniques during combat

‘Pioneer of... Spearmanship.’

Even the name sounded extraordinary.

Rather than learning, he had reached the level of creating techniques himself.

‘Just how far does this guy plan on growing.’

As I marveled at it.

Ding!

Another notification sounded.

This time, from my side.

[Inheritance of Power]

The authority of the ‘Ruler of Civilization’ activates.

The trait of the Awakened ‘Pantelun’ is inherited by the Ruler.

▸ Trait Acquired: [Pioneer of Spearmanship]

“...What is this?”

The words slipped out before I realized it.

Inheritance.

The trait Pantelun had gained had appeared on me exactly as it was.

Vwoom—

At the same time, something seeped into my mind.

It was different from when I had purchased the Spearmanship skill. Rather than knowledge pouring in, it felt as though a new sense was opening.

As though the spear I had only wielded according to what I had learned could now be wielded in my own way.

‘This isn’t the 20% conversion rate. I got the whole thing.’

Was it because this was a trait rather than a skill?

Either way, it was overpowered.

Flash!

At that moment, the light surrounding Pantelun grew even stronger.

[Remaining duration has ended]

[The Awakened will return to the planet]

Pantelun respectfully extended the spear he had been holding with both hands.

“I will return the spear you lent me.”

“Yeah.”

When I took the spear, he struck his chest with his fist.

“I will take my leave, Ruler. Pantelun will become a warrior worthy of this name.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

He smiled broadly.

Whoosh!

Light swallowed Pantelun. Particles of light scattered. Nothing remained where he had been.

“...He’s gone.”

Lee Seoyeon muttered regretfully.

“Did you see how happy he was when he got a name? He seemed less like a summon and more like a knight swearing loyalty.”

“Seriously. If I had even one summon like that, I wouldn’t ask for anything else.”

Kim Dohyeon let out a hollow laugh as he got to his feet.

Then it happened.

Ding! Ding!

As if it had been waiting, notifications sounded one after another.

[Dungeon Raid Complete!]

E-rank Dungeon ‘Corrupted Temple’ Cleared

Boss Defeated: Guardian Asura

[Level Up!]

Defeating the boss monster has broken through your growth limit.

The Planetary Ruler System converts growth into points.

▸ Reward: Planet Points +500P

▸ Current Points: 522P

‘500 points.’

My mouth fell open on its own.

Five orcs had given 250. But a single boss gave 500.

“I leveled up.”

“Me too. My Spearmanship increased.”

Lee Seoyeon and Kim Dohyeon brightened. Park Jeongsu also stared into the air for a moment before smiling.

“Everyone got a good haul. At least all the trouble from the mutated dungeon paid off.”

She looked at me and added.

“And you definitely got your money’s worth from that potion.”

“Thanks to you. It helped a lot.”

‘522 points.’

There were plenty of places to spend them.

Strengthening Pantelun. Inducing Orc Awakening. Knowledge Imprinting. Or my own skills...

‘I’ll think about it later.’

I put the thought aside. The Hunters were gathering around me.

“Looks like it’s time for us to part ways.”

Park Jeongsu said with a smile.

“Seems so.”

Bzzzt...

Just then, one wall of the temple split apart and a blue portal appeared. It was the exit marking the end of the dungeon.

A trace of regret crossed the faces of the other three when they saw the portal.

It was understandable. We had fought through dozens of golems together and even defeated the boss. It had only been a few hours, but it had been more intense than most entire days.

I spoke first.

“Let’s exchange contact information.”

All three looked at me at once.

“I’d be happy to.”

“Shall we?”

Numbers were exchanged in an instant.

A moment later, Kim Dohyeon tapped his screen a few times and grinned.

Ding.

A group chat invitation appeared.

[Corrupted Temple Raid Team (4)]

“Isn’t ‘Raid Team’ a little grandiose?”

Lee Seoyeon teased with a laugh.

“We cleared a mutated dungeon together. We deserve at least that much.”

As soon as I entered the room, the first message was already there.

[Kim Dohyeon: Great work, everyone. Let’s team up again next time.]

Looking down at the group chat, I found myself grinning too.

They were the first Hunter companions I had made since Awakening.

“I’ll contact you again, Junhyeok.”

“See you at D-rank next time.”

We exchanged farewells.

We stood side by side in front of the portal. Blue light swirled within it.

Vwoom!

The light swallowed us.

______________

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the familiar gate hall.

But.

‘...What?’

The atmosphere was strange.

The area in front of the gate was packed with people. Association employees. Fully armed Hunters. Even emergency personnel carrying stretchers.

“They’re out! There are survivors!”

Someone shouted.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward us at once.

“They all came out? Everyone survived?”

“There isn’t even a single injured person?”

‘Survivors?’

While I stood there confused, an Association employee hurried over.

“Are you all right! What happened inside?”

“What? Well, it was a dungeon... so we cleared it and came out.”

Park Jeongsu answered on behalf of us.

The area immediately went silent.

“...You cleared it?”

The employee’s eyes widened.

“A mutation was detected immediately after you entered. Since a four-person E-rank party was caught in it, we were assuming the worst and assembling a rescue team.”

‘Mutation detected.’

Only then did I understand the commotion.

The Association had assumed we were trapped. In a dungeon dangerous enough to warrant preparing a rescue team, we had defeated the boss and walked out on our own.

“They cleared a mutated dungeon?”

“With only that many people?”

“My god.”

Murmur. Murmur.

The commotion spread like a wave. Shocked gazes swept over the four of us.

Step. Step.

Then.

The crowd naturally parted.

A woman was walking toward us.

A pure white coat, silver hair falling all the way to her waist. And wherever she passed, the air chilled noticeably. Even indoors, our breath became visible.

“It’s the Frost Queen...”

“Why is a B-rank Hunter here?”

Whispers reached my ears.

Frost Queen.

A B-rank Hunter who controlled ice. Someone whose name I had only seen in the guidebook. A high-ranking Hunter whom guilds were desperate to recruit.

Her position as a B-rank was impressive enough, but she was also a top Hunter and super rookie believed to have enough growth potential to reach SS-rank!

And that person stopped right in front of me.

Her blue eyes stared directly at me. There was no wariness or hostility. They were filled with curiosity, like a child who had discovered something fascinating.

“How did you clear it?”

The blunt question came without even a greeting.

“...We were lucky.”

Instead of responding, she continued staring at me. Her gaze swept over every part of my face. As though trying to see through me.

How much time passed?

Eventually, she turned her head.

“Luck alone... wouldn’t let you come out.”

It was a quiet murmur, almost to herself.

Then she turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Only a lingering chill remained behind.

‘What was that about.’

I was still bewildered when.

“You’re Hunter Lee Junhyeok, correct?”

This time, a neatly dressed man in a suit approached. A Hunter Association badge was pinned to his chest.

“Yes. That’s me.”

“Congratulations sincerely on clearing the mutated dungeon. You’ve accomplished something truly remarkable.”

The man bowed politely.

Then he stepped closer and lowered his voice.

“And... the Director of the Association Headquarters would like to meet you.”

“...The Director?”

“Yes. If you have time, I can escort you immediately.”

‘The Director of the Hunter Association wants to see me?’

Me, who had been working part-time at a convenience store only a few days ago?

Thump.

My heart beat hard once.

“...I’ll go.”

There was no reason to refuse. Having a connection with someone high up in the Association couldn’t hurt.

I followed the employee.

The gazes pouring onto my back felt sharp, but strangely, I didn’t dislike them.

There Is Primitive Humanity Inside My Body

Author |

Webjung

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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.

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