The Dryad’s final scream faded as Merlin’s fireball engulfed her tree-bound core. The flames surged, turning the ancient bark to embers, and the eerie green glow that had filled the forest vanished. Silence followed—deep and absolute, as if the entire dungeon had stopped breathing.
Then, the ground trembled.
The roots that had spread across the battlefield cracked and crumbled, their energy drained. Thorned vines that had once been alive shriveled away, releasing their hold. The scent of burned wood and damp earth filled the air as all traces of the Dryad’s power faded.
A sharp chime echoed in Yun Jin’s mind.
[System Alert: All dungeon creatures have been defeated.]
[Dungeon Cleared.]
Yun Jin exhaled, lowering his blade. The tension in his body eased, though exhaustion still gnawed at the edges of his awareness.
A glowing panel appeared in front of him, listing contribution points from the battle.
* [Yun Jin: 63%]
* [Merlin: 21%]
* [Seraphine Lysval: 12%] (Alive)
* [Ilya Graves: 2%] (Deceased)
* [Ronan Vale: 1%] (Deceased)
* [Kael Duskbane: 1%] (Deceased)
Yun Jin’s brows furrowed. Other people?
His gaze swept across the battlefield. Beneath the withered vines, three lifeless bodies lay exposed. Their skin was pale, their weapons discarded beside them. They had been caught long before the fight had ended.
The forest had been feeding on them.
A faint, shaky breath broke the silence.
Seraphine Lysval.
Unlike the others, she was still alive. Her fingers twitched weakly, pressing against the ground, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The dim flicker of barrier magic still clung to her form—cracked and unstable, but holding.
She had fought to survive. And she had barely made it.
A new system prompt appeared before him.
[A large amount of residual energy remains in the dungeon.]
[As the highest contributor, you have the right to decide its fate.]
The ground beneath Yun Jin hummed, as if waiting for his command. Strands of raw, untethered energy swirled through the air—the last remnants of the dungeon’s existence, waiting to be claimed.
[Option 1: Convert the remaining energy into material rewards.]
[Option 2: Absorb the energy to strengthen you only]
[Option 3: Distribute the energy among surviving contributors.]
The energy pulsed around him, waiting for his choice.
Yun Jin exhaled and selected Option 3. The energy shifted, splitting into portions based on the recorded contribution.
The moment the energy touched his body, he felt it surge through his meridians, spreading like liquid fire in his veins. It was pure—purer than anything he had ever experienced. Even his master's energy did not feel this refined, this potent. His very core trembled under the infusion, and in an instant, his strength grew exponentially.
[Level Up: Level 12 → Level 14]
[Aura Blade: rank up! D- → D]
[Mana Manipulation: rank up! E- → E]
His body pulsed with newfound power. His Qi felt denser, sharper, and his muscles felt lighter, as though the weight of past exhaustion had been lifted. His reflexes sharpened, his perception heightened. He clenched his fists, sensing the difference in his very being—as though he had shattered an invisible limit.
[Reward Distribution Completed]
[Obtained: Dryad Heart (Age: 235 years) (Rank B+)]
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
A potent material for both magical and physical enhancements, provided it is properly refined.
Merlin gasped in excitement. "A Dryad Heart of this age?! This is a treasure beyond belief!" His eyes shimmered with admiration as he secured the massive Treant Heart he had received. Though larger in size, the mana within it lacked the sheer quality of Yun Jin's reward.
Yun Jin turned toward Seraphine, only to see blood swelling from her mouth. Her body trembled violently, her breath growing ragged. The damage she had sustained from prolonging her magic had reached a critical point—her magic circuits were completely burned out.
If left untreated, she would die.
Without hesitation, Yun Jin knelt beside her, pressing his palm against her core, channeling his Qi into her failing body. The warmth of his energy surged through her veins, stitching together the broken pathways. Color returned to her face, her breathing steadied—but her magic circuits remained beyond repair.
Even though he had saved her life, she would never wield magic again. Even living a normal life would be an immense challenge.
The realization made Yun Jin shudder. This could have been me... But he quickly shook off the fear. To grow stronger, he had to take risks. That was the only way.
He moved to examine the bodies—not to loot, but to identify them. He retrieved their Adventurer Cards, all marked with Rank D. With a heavy heart, he closed their unseeing eyes before sitting down to recover his energy.
Meanwhile, Merlin gleefully summoned an earth golem to gather the battlefield’s spoils—Pixie Dust, Sap, and remnants of the Treant.
After a while, Yun Jin turned to Merlin. "Alright, time to move. The golem will carry this girl."
Merlin finished putting everything in his backpack, nodded, and ordered the golem to gently carry Seraphine.
And as for Yun Jin, without a hint of hesitation or disgust, he lifted all three bodies into his arms. "Let’s go back to town."
Merlin saw it then—grief etched into Yun Jin’s face. Death had once been a rare sight in Yun Jin’s peaceful world. But here, three people had died fighting to stop a dungeon’s expansion.
It made Yun Jin sad.
--
The town stared in shock at the sight—a boy carrying three lifeless bodies, a golem bearing a wounded woman, and a man in bloodstained, tattered clothes.
The sorrow on Yun Jin’s face weighed heavier than the bodies in his arms, and the townsfolk instinctively stepped aside, their voices hushed in the presence of such raw grief.
At the church, a fiery-haired sister greeted them—but without hesitation, she rattled off a price list in a practiced, impassive tone.
"Corpse disposal: 50 gold each. Ceremony: 200 each. Cremation: 500. Burial: 1,500."
The words rang cold and mechanical, as if she were discussing goods rather than lives lost.
A sudden sharp pain struck her neck. She instinctively reached up, her fingers trembling, as she met Yun Jin’s cold, unyielding stare. His gaze was like a sharpened blade pressed against her throat, his expression unreadable yet heavy with restrained fury. Her face turned as pale as the corpses he carried.
Before the tension could escalate, a calm yet commanding voice broke through the silence. Mother Venara stepped forward, her presence serene yet firm, and bowed slightly in apology.
"Forgive her bluntness," Venara said, her voice warm but laced with exhaustion. "Times are difficult, and kindness has become a luxury some of us can no longer afford. Merlin, take the girl inside for treatment."
Yun Jin exhaled slowly, his emotions stirred by the quiet understanding that lingered behind Venara’s blindfolded gaze. There was no false sympathy in her words—only the weight of someone who had seen too much suffering.
"What is it that you truly wish for them?" she asked softly.
Yun Jin bowed his head. "I want their families to mourn their deaths." The words felt heavier than he expected.
He had said them instinctively, but as they left his lips, a quiet ache spread in his chest.
If he had to sell the Dryad's heart, the Treant’s remnants, or anything else to ensure these fallen warriors returned home, he would do so without hesitation.
Still, the thought unsettled him. Would he truly be able to afford it? If not, was he willing to carry the body himself across miles of road?
The thought lingered—he had never been able to mourn his own family. After the massacre, he had never seen them again, never had the chance to grieve, never had the closure of a proper farewell. He refused to let that happen to others.
He had never been able to mourn his own family. After the massacre, he had no graves to visit, no remains to honor. Just an empty void where his past once stood.
Would these people—strangers to him—at least have that closure?
Mother Venara regarded him with quiet understanding, but her expression turned solemn. "We will notify their families where we can, but for those from outside this town, the responsibility falls to you."
Yun Jin hesitated before handing over the adventurer cards. She retrieved an orb from her robes—similar to the ones used by the Adventurer Guild—scanning each card with practiced ease. "Two of them are from this town. We will inform their families free of charge. The last one... you'll have to decide whether to send a letter or bring him home."
Yun Jin’s grip tightened. A letter might never reach its destination, and even if it did, how many would come to claim the fallen? He knew the answer. He had no intention of leaving it to fate.
Venara sighed, knowing the burden he had just placed upon himself. "Transporting a body is costly. No merchant will want to carry the dead, and hiring a private escort will be no less than 2,000 gold."
"I'll take him home myself."
Yun Jin exhaled. His mind raced. He thought about selling the Dryad’s heart and whatever spoils they had recovered. If it wasn't enough, then he would carry the body himself, step by step, if that was what it took.
Yun Jin exhaled, pushing the weight of his thoughts aside. He would figure it out. He always did.
Then, a deep, refined voice cut through the somber air.
"Consider it paid, Mother Venara. The fastest you can arrange."
An elegant silver-haired man in a formal suit strode forward, his presence effortlessly commanding. The chest of his coat bore a familiar emblem—the same one Harun had given Yun Jin.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he observed the young warrior.
"Nice to meet you, warrior. Or should I say... Yun Jin?"