The Only Enhancer - Chapter 114

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 114
114 – The Conquest of Kaesong (2)
Our eyes met?
Lava Hunchback swallowed hard at the sight.
Impossible.
I knew it was supposed to be that way, but why did it feel different?
“Found you.”
Those words sent chills racing across my entire body.
This was that bone-deep dread I hadn’t felt since the Great War itself.
In that instant, Lava Hunchback could sense it with pure instinct.
The aura radiating from Min-jun appeared to be descended from those ancient ones, yet it could also be seen as an unripened seed—but my instincts screamed something far different.
Flee this place immediately.
That’s what they were crying out.
The reason I, a researcher, had survived this long.
Acting on that instinct-like impulse, Lava Hunchback made a judgment and moved in the blink of an eye the moment Min-jun called out.
The research materials and transmutation records I’d gathered here were far too precious to abandon.
Transmutation sorcery was the foundation that would make me strong, allowing me to finally achieve supreme power.
But.
-Such things only matter if one survives to use them.
There was nothing I could grab in time.
I wanted to destroy this place before leaving, but that too was impossible.
Well, it didn’t matter much anyway.
-A human could never use transmutation sorcery.
Chuckling darkly, Lava Hunchback moved to escape.
A spatial transfer sorcery infused with my own aura.
I attempted to enter another lava spring through the lava spring, moving to a different underground realm.
In that instant.
The space tore violently open with a shattering crack.
Something burst forth, trying to emerge.
Seeing that, I was certain.
That creature was a monster.
A being of such overwhelming strength that a non-combatant like me would be slaughtered in an instant.
Just as I felt reassured by the correctness of my judgment.
Crack!
My arm was severed.
My withered arm, thin as an ancient, gnarled tree, flew off and rolled across the ground.
But I managed to escape.
Min-jun, who had torn open space and launched his attack too late, teleported to that location.
“Hmm.”
I retrieved the newly crafted Tier 7 item, a short sword named Pursuer.
A dagger of space that pursues even across dimensional boundaries.
But unfortunately, it seemed it couldn’t even bind me.
While it would be natural to feel regret, I didn’t.
I could always capture it again later anyway.
For now, understanding this place took priority.
‘It’s filled with lava.’
And I could sense a vile mana as well.
An aura that transcended mere gloom—it was downright repugnant.
And I could discern the source of that aura.
Multiple body fragments torn apart haphazardly.
They were dissected with such precision and cleanliness that they could have been called a puzzle.
Not just from monsters, but from humans as well.
These were the identities of the survivors who might have been in North Korea.
‘They must have made that judgment because they appeared human on satellite imagery.’
But it felt like no one who could still be called human remained.
Though I wasn’t unfamiliar with gruesome scenes, this was truly depraved.
Had someone performed human transmutation?
I surveyed the scene further.
There weren’t no living people here.
Most were merely corpse fragments, but some of them writhed about, signaling their survival.
But could those really be called alive?
“…Sigh.”
After exhaling a long breath, I drew my sword and swung it as I looked upon them.
I severed the necks of those who could no longer be called human, one by one.
I didn’t need to ask Gwen to know.
This was not the kind of condition that could be reversed.
Because they had merged with monsters, they possessed the nature of both beast and human.
The Disaster Level 6 creature I’d fought outside was like that, and so was the one here.
The Tiger Humanoid.
Just from seeing it drop items and evolution spheres upon death, I could tell.
It was a monster, not a human.
Then what about these creatures?
They were the same.
Upon death, they left no corpses but dissipated, dropping items and mana stones.
Watching them all drop at least Level 4 or higher-tier items before perishing, I frowned slightly.
I knew it was necessary, but I couldn’t help but feel reluctant.
There was no choice but to frown.
As I continued killing them one after another in that place.
Rat-a-tat-tat.
“…?”
“Aaah! Auuu!”
It wasn’t the sound of a beast, yet something cried out like one, wailing with primal anguish.
Hair grown wild and unkempt made the creature look every bit like some monster or monstrosity.
But Min-jun could sense it.
“A person?”
“Auuui! Ahya!”
Hearing those cries, Min-jun found himself staring at the figure without thinking.
The moment his eyes fell upon it, his Scouter ability activated automatically.
[No Name]
-Lv. 5(?)
-Ability Stats: 14.
“??????”
Min-jun felt considerable confusion at what he saw.
I already sensed and confirmed it was human.
A boy who appeared to be barely five years old.
A creature with a stunted frame so small it could be called a child.
But through my transcendent senses and intuition, I could discern the truth.
This skeletal, emaciated wretch hadn’t grown properly due to malnutrition—I could sense he was actually around eight years old.
But that wasn’t the important part.
No name listed, and ability stats of 14?
And the level cap shows as a question mark.
This had only happened once before.
Only with Gwen, the alchemist.
In other words.
‘Does this creature possess abilities similar to an alchemist?’
The probability was extremely high.
Rather than just high, I could say with certainty.
But.
“….”
Min-jun looked past the figure blocking his path, at what lay beyond.
A being similarly fused with monsters, now something that could no longer be called human.
And.
“…The eyes are alike.”
I realized the eyes of the being behind and the eyes of this boy bore a striking resemblance.
Which meant.
“Parent and child?”
“Aaa! Auui!”
“….”
This was quite the predicament.
What should I do in a situation like this?
What could I possibly say to a child weeping so bitterly?
Min-jun was weak in such matters and still didn’t fully understand them.
It could be evidence of his immaturity.
But.
“Whether it’s your father or mother, I don’t know—but simply existing in that state could be its own form of suffering.”
I tried to speak in a way the child could understand.
Then.
“Aaaah! Uuuh! Aaaaah!”
The child cried out in something close to a wail, trying to say something.
It was a sound one might dismiss as meaningless.
Yet somehow, Min-jun understood.
That they were still parents.
Please don’t kill them.
As the child knelt before me, I gazed down at them with a mixture of frustration and sorrow.
Should I proceed anyway?
Or…
In that moment of deliberation.
The creature that lay behind the child—presumably the parent—reached out its hand.
Seeing this, Min-jun instinctively moved to draw his blade, but stopped himself.
A soft sound.
The child looked at the hand grasping its shoulder and slowly turned its head.
The parent, now a monster, smiled faintly, and from eyes that mirrored the child’s own, something hot streamed down as they shook their head.
Don’t do this.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
Watching the child wail and the creature push them away, Min-jun made his choice.
“You will live,” I said.
With those words, I swung my blade, and the monster’s neck was severed.
And as it faded away for the last time, it smiled, gazing at the child.
The child watched their parent disappear and wept with broken sobs, collapsing where they stood from exhaustion.
Looking at the fallen child, Min-jun found himself shaking his head without meaning to.
I understood better than anyone that there was no other choice.
But still, the bitter taste in my mouth was unavoidable.
The Deep Sea, the Heavens, and the Underground—was that what they called them?
At least one thing was now certain.
“Underground, don’t expect a merciful death.”
A sharp exhale.
The breath Min-jun released was hotter than the lava that lay thick around us, scorching the ground, and I lifted the child into my arms.
Then I activated a specialized item I had obtained not long ago, one with effects similar to a Scouter.
While a Scouter displays current level, latent level, and ability stats, this skill revealed only one thing.
None other than.
[Unnamed]
[Trait – Berserker]
“A combat-class exclusive trait.”
It was a combat-class exclusive trait, different from Enhancement Mages or Alchemists.
3.
By the time I was rescuing the unnamed child, the situation had already been resolved.
All seven Disaster Level 5 monsters had been eliminated.
Naturally, the First Team had taken down two ordinary Level 5 monsters, Gwen had done the same with two ordinary Level 5 monsters, and finally, Homunculus had defeated three Level 5.5 monsters.
Perhaps because our forces exceeded initial expectations, we were able to dispatch them cleanly.
The Guild members were all cheering.
“Insane! Absolutely insane!”
“That person who looks like Gwen is seriously incredible!”
“We actually finished before the Guild Master arrived!?”
“It’s all thanks to that person!”
Seeing the excessive praise being exchanged, Gwen waved her hand dismissively and spoke.
“Oh, no! This child did help tremendously, but you all also caught two, two monsters in that short time!”
“Huh?!”
“R-really?”
“Think about it—besides our Guild, there’s no one else hunting Disaster Level 5 monsters yet, right?”
“Th-that’s true!?”
“And we took down two simultaneously…”
“Wait? Huh? Are we… strong?”
Several Guild members spoke in bewildered tones.
Standing beside Min-jun, Ma Hyun-seok, and Gwen—when would they have ever felt strong, honestly?
Because of that, they’d simply thought Homunculus and Gwen were strong and that was why it was resolved, but now that they examined it, they could newly realize that they themselves were also strong.
But still, at this level, the fact that there was still so far to go to help Min-jun left them feeling overwhelmed.
But what could they do?
They had no choice but to grow stronger.
Just then.
Min-jun walked slowly from the scene and spoke.
“Oh, you’ve finished everything. Thank you for your hard work.”
At those words, everyone looked at Min-jun with satisfied expressions, trying to say something, but they couldn’t.
First, they couldn’t help but be shocked seeing the child cradled in Min-jun’s arms.
“G-Guild Master?”
“W-what about that child?”
“There was a survivor!?!?”
“Shh.”
Seeing everyone making a fuss, Min-jun told them to be quiet since the child was sleeping, and they all nodded with an “Oh!” expression.
Min-jun opened his mouth quietly, observing his Guild members.
“First, it seems the child collapsed from malnutrition. Can we help them recover here?”
At Min-jun’s words, Isabella hurried over to examine the child’s condition and shook her head.
“Given the harsh environment here, it may be difficult. Your healing would certainly restore everything, Guild Master, but there are other aspects we need to address beyond just healing….”
“Then let’s prepare to return.”
Everyone was startled by the decisiveness in those words, but they immediately began preparing upon hearing the order.
And as I watched them, I spoke.
“Once we return, we’ll let the child recover and come back again.”
Though a slight setback had occurred, no one voiced complaints—instead, they looked at the child with sympathy.
Whatever had happened, one could sense it just by looking.
So they didn’t press for details.
About the existence of another survivor.
With heavy hearts, we boarded the Helicopter to depart.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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