The sole heir to a ruined world

The Sole Heir of a Ruined World – Chapter 4

—

*Trickle, trickle.*

Water was flowing.

A stream ran through a deep groove in the grassland, winding its way through the plain before reconnecting to the stump.

“So clear.”

Leaning closer to the water, Hunkyul stared at it silently.

The water was so clean that the bottom of the stream was visible.

—

「‘Spring Water of Asgard.’」

—

The description of the stream was brief and simple.

Hunkyul reached out and dipped his hand into the water.

*Splash.*

It was refreshingly cool.

Cupping his hands, he scooped up some water and drank.

“Wow.”

It was crisp and refreshing.

He had never tasted water this clean, pure, and cool in his entire life.

It felt as though the freshness was cleansing him from the inside out.

—

「‘Spring Water of Asgard.’

When consumed, it restores injuries.

When consumed, it temporarily boosts mental strength.」

—

“…Huh?”

Reading the additional description, Hunkyul’s eyes widened.

He had assumed it was just clean water, but it also restored injuries and enhanced mental strength.

At this level, it was comparable to potions currently sold on the market.

‘Maybe it’s even better.’

Most potions sold in stores were either for healing injuries *or* boosting mental strength—rarely both in one potion.

As Hunkyul stared at the explanation, a thought suddenly came to him, and he returned to reality.

He rummaged through his kitchen drawers and eventually found an empty water bottle.

With it in hand, he returned to Asgard.

—

**To Sell the Spring Water, I Need to Become a Hunter.**

To sell the spring water—or even mana stones—without raising suspicion, I’ll need official recognition from the government.

Becoming a registered Hunter was the only way to avoid questions.

Hunkyul was deep in thought, planning his next steps.

*Plop! Plop-plop! Plop-plop!*

The sound of the resident jumping up and down beside him caught his attention.

Turning his head, Hunkyul froze when he saw a giant apple tree standing in front of the resident.

“…What is that?”

When he had gone to fetch the water, the tree had only been a small sprout.

Now, it had fully grown, with large, vibrant apples hanging from its branches.

The apples, peeking out from between the leaves, looked incredibly tempting.

As Hunkyul stared in awe, the resident climbed up the tree with some effort, picked an apple, and brought it down.

*Plop!*

The resident held the apple out with both hands, as if proudly showing off the fruit it had grown.

Hunkyul let out a small laugh.

The resident looked so adorable, acting as if it wanted to show off its hard work.

“Thank you.”

Hunkyul patted the resident on the head and took the apple.

—

「‘Apple of Asgard.’

Extremely delicious.

When consumed, randomly increases one stat below 50 by 1 permanently.

Restores a small amount of injuries.」

—

“…What the hell…”

Hunkyul muttered in shock.

The apple’s effects were unbelievable.

He had thought it was just a regular apple, but it could *permanently* increase stats.

On top of that, it had healing effects like a potion.

‘Is this for real?’

His expression grew serious as he stared at the apple.

From a quick count, there were at least ten apples on the tree.

If he ate all of them, his stats could increase by ten or more points permanently.

And the tree would surely grow more apples in the future.

‘Now I see why this place is called the land of the gods.’

Hunkyul finally understood how Asgard was able to conquer the other realms in Norse mythology.

If a single apple could permanently boost stats, what would happen if he planted other crops?

Just imagining it made him let out a hollow laugh.

“So… all I have to do is buy seeds from outside and plant them here.”

He decided to test that idea soon.

‘If I keep eating these apples myself…’

With that thought, Hunkyul opened his status window.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had checked his status since awakening.

Most Hunters’ status windows displayed their stats and skills, almost like a game.

But…

—

「Hunkyul.

Owner of ‘Asgard.’

(Mana: 47)」

—

“…That’s it?”

Hunkyul’s status window was incredibly simple.

The only information displayed was that he was the owner of Asgard.

There weren’t even any stats listed.

“Does that mean eating this apple would be pointless for me?”

If he had no stats to increase, eating the apple wouldn’t change anything.

That realization left Hunkyul speechless for a moment.

Sighing, he turned off the status window and stared at the apple in his hand.

An apple he couldn’t use—it was like a delicious treat he could only look at.

But he didn’t dwell on it for long.

‘I can sell it.’

Even if he couldn’t raise his own stats, he could still grow other crops and potentially discover more powerful abilities.

There was no reason to be disappointed.

With the apple in hand and the water bottle filled with spring water, Hunkyul returned to reality.

—

「2 hours and 21 minutes until the next invasion.」

—

### Hunter Examination Center

The examination center was crowded with people hoping to strike it rich.

After the cataclysm, the gap between the awakened and non-awakened had grown wider.

People of all ages desperately wanted to awaken and change their lives.

The room was filled with hopefuls trying to prove they were awakened.

The examiners, however, didn’t look too happy.

“Sigh… so many people again today.”

It wasn’t the number of applicants that was the issue.

The problem was the process of testing and the chaos that followed.

“No mana reaction. You’ve failed.”

One of the applicants had just been disqualified during the mana test.

Normally, the rejected candidate would simply leave, but—

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

The man, unable to accept that he hadn’t awakened, shouted angrily.

The examiners clicked their tongues in frustration.

Awakening changed lives.

Registered Hunters received government benefits and immense social respect.

Because of this, some people falsely claimed they were awakened, hoping to pass the test.

Like the man in front of them now.

“I saw the system window! Your machine must be broken! It could be a malfunction, right?!”

The man shouted again, pulling out a dagger from somewhere and threatening the examiners to retest him.

“Carrying a blade without Hunter registration is illegal.”

“Then register me now! I’m telling you, I’ve awakened! Who are you to say I haven’t?!”

The man waved his dagger furiously.

Even though he was brandishing a weapon, the atmosphere around him wasn’t tense.

“People like this still exist?”

“He’s just crazy. Doing this in a Hunter exam center of all places? He’s clearly not in his right mind.”

The onlookers were more worried about the man than the examiners.

“Excuse me.”

As the confrontation continued, a man wearing glasses stepped forward.

He couldn’t see, as his eyes were covered, but his presence alone drew cheers from the crowd.

“Wooooah!”

Even the dagger-wielding man flinched and took a step back when he saw him.

“Kim Minho…”

“Causing trouble here isn’t allowed. You’re disturbing everyone else.”

Kim Minho spoke calmly as he approached the man.

“Stay back!”

The man shouted and thrust his dagger forward.

Kim Minho didn’t dodge. Instead, he extended his hand.

*Fwoosh!*

Flames erupted from his hand.

His fire-covered hand grabbed the dagger, melting it instantly.

“H-huh?”

The man stared blankly as his dagger melted into a puddle on the ground.

The sight was so surreal, so impossible, that he couldn’t process it.

“Please calm down and leave.”

“…Okay.”

The man nodded numbly and walked out of the center.

“Wooooah!”

“That was amazing!”

*Clap, clap, clap.*

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers for Kim Minho.

He bowed slightly in acknowledgment.

—

“Excuse me.”

While everyone was focused on Kim Minho, someone in a hoodie and backpack approached an examiner.

Snapping back to attention, the examiner put on a polite smile.

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“This is the place to take the test, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct! Are you here to take the test?”

“Yes.”

The hooded man nodded.

The examiner guided him toward the mana testing area.

A transparent mana sphere sat in the middle of the room.

“Please inject your mana into this device.”

“How do I inject mana?”

“Oh, just focus your will into it.”

“My will?”

The man tilted his head in confusion, then placed his hand on the device.

*Zap.*

The device lit up with a bright flash of light.

But it didn’t last long.

“F-rank.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The man didn’t seem to care much about his grade.

“May I have your ID?”

“Yes.”

He handed over his ID.

—

「Hunkyul」

—

The examiner glanced at the name and then at the hooded man.

“Um, I need to verify your identity. Could you take off your hood for a moment?”

Hunkyul pulled back his hood, revealing his face.

The examiner let out a small gasp.

‘He’s handsome.’

Pale white skin, jet-black hair, and eyes with an unreadable depth that drew people in.

“Ah… yes, your identity has been verified.”

“When can I get my Hunter license?”

“There are two options: you can provide your mailing address, and we’ll send it to you, or you can pick it up in person. Which do you prefer?”

“I’ll have it sent to my address.”

Since they were offering to deliver it, there was no reason to decline.

“It will take between one and three days to process your license. The registration fee is 100,000 won. Would you like to proceed?”

“Yes.”

Hunkyul paid the fee immediately.

“You’re registered.”

The examiner’s tone suggested he was free to leave, but Hunkyul didn’t move.

“Do you have more questions?”

“I’m an alchemist. Can I sell items here?”

“Oh, for that, you can use the Hunter Market. Do you mean you want to sell something here right now?”

“Ah, is it possible to go to the Hunter Market? I don’t have my license yet.”

The examiner chuckled and explained.

“You’re already registered in the system as a Hunter. The license is just a form of identification.”

So he could use the Hunter Market right away.

“Ah, I see.”

Hunkyul nodded.

As he fiddled with the water bottle in his hand, the examiner spoke again.

“Is that the item you want to sell?”

“Yes.”

“May I take a look? I can give you an estimate.”

“That would be great.”

Hunkyul handed over the bottle without hesitation.

‘A water bottle? That’s unusual. Maybe it’s some kind of potion.’

Judging by his shabby clothes, the examiner guessed Hunkyul wasn’t well-off.

He probably filled an old water bottle with something to sell.

But as the examiner read the description, his face frozen.

—

「‘Spring Water of Asgard.’

When consumed, it restores injuries.

When consumed, it temporarily boosts mental strength.」

—

“…What the hell…”