The sole heir to a ruined world

The Sole Heir to a ruined World: Chapter 7

—

After the Great Cataclysm, many changes occurred in the world.

One representative example was the Hunter Market.

The Hunter Market, managed by the system, became the most important facility in the world following the Great Cataclysm.

All awakened individuals in production roles sold and purchased goods exclusively through the Hunter Market, and the same was true for combat roles.

The Hunter Market, accessible only to officially registered Hunters, was a secure trading platform, and because it was operated by the system, there were no additional taxes imposed.

As a result, every Hunter utilized the Hunter Market.

A C-rank Hunter party arrived at the globally-operated Hunter Market.

“Oppa, we need to buy arrows, a one-day camping set… and also potions, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

At Healer Yoo In-seo’s question, Lee Joo-yeop, the party leader and tank, nodded.

After entering the Hunter Market and opening the market window, he studied the potions, letting out a “hmm” as he deliberated.

“They’re expensive.”

“Well, there’s no helping it. There aren’t many people making potions, and even those who do are working together to keep the prices high.”

“The Alchemist Guild—those guys are the problem.”

Lee Joo-yeop frowned.

For Hunters entering dungeons, potions were more than essential.

Potions were practically like a second life for Hunters. No matter how expensive they were, they had to be acquired one way or another.

“If my mana capacity was just a little higher, we wouldn’t have to stress so much over potions. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. The ones charging outrageous prices for potions are the ones to blame. And even if your mana capacity was higher, we’d still need to stock up on potions.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry too much. Once we hit the jackpot this time, we’ll be able to cover all the costs for the potions.”

Lee Joo-yeop spoke with a reassuring smile.

Despite his smile, Yoo In-seo couldn’t bring herself to smile back.

“Oppa, you’re covering all the expenses yourself. You can charge us for it too, you know.”

“How could I do that to my team? Besides, I get a larger share of the profits, don’t I?”

“You only take 5% more, which isn’t even that much.”

At Yoo In-seo’s mix of complaint and guilt-ridden expression, Lee Joo-yeop let out a light chuckle.

He patted her lightly on the head and turned his attention back to the market window.

—

**[Basic Potion]**
Quantity: 17
Price: 250,000 won.
Heals minor injuries.
Seller: Alchemist Guild.

**[Low-Grade Potion]**
Quantity: 8
Price: 1,000,000 won.
Heals minor injuries and internal wounds.
Seller: Alchemist Guild.

**[Intermediate Potion]**
Quantity: 3
Price: 3,000,000 won.
Heals serious injuries.
Seller: Alchemist Guild.

**[Mental Strength Potion]**
Quantity: 4
Price: 2,400,000 won.
Enhances mental resilience.
Seller: Alchemist Guild.

—

“They’ve raised the prices again…”

Just yesterday, the price for a Basic Potion had been 190,000 won.

But in just one day, the price had increased by over 30%.

The same was true for other potions.

This was exploitation at its finest.

Even though Hunters earned a lot of money, spending at least one million won on potions every time they entered a gate was an immense burden.

Not all Hunters made good money, after all.

Lee Joo-yeop let out a deep sigh and reached to purchase a Low-Grade Potion.

“Oppa! Look at this!”

Just before he could confirm the purchase, he heard Yoo In-seo urgently calling out to him. Startled, he paused and turned his head toward her.

Like him, Yoo In-seo was also looking at a market window.

“What is it?”

“Search for ‘Odin’ in the search bar. Quickly!”

“Odin?”

Lee Joo-yeop tilted his head in confusion and typed the name she mentioned into the search bar.

—

**[Asgard’s Elixir of Life]**
Quantity: 28
Price: 1,000,000 won.
Heals all types of injuries and greatly increases mental strength.
Seller: Odin.

—

“Insane.”

The words slipped out of his mouth without him realizing, stunned by the potion’s incredible performance.

The system never lies.

That meant the potion he was looking at had guaranteed effects.

‘Heals all injuries and boosts mental strength? This is almost on par with a low-grade elixir!’

An elixir is a legendary potion said to be crafted only by the finest alchemists.

It heals all injuries and even boosts one’s stats—a supreme medicinal item.

Although the potion he was looking at didn’t increase stats its ability to heal all injuries made it comparable to an elixir.

And yet, something like that was being sold for just one million won.

‘Isn’t the current price for an elixir over a billion won?’

He was still staring blankly at the potion when—

“Oppa, what are you doing! Buy it now! Most of them are already sold, and only three are left!”

“Huh? Oh, right! I need to buy it!”

Lee Joo-yeop hurriedly pressed the purchase button.

He wanted to buy all the remaining potions, but he could only purchase one.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah, I did… but I could only buy one.”

“Even getting one is good. They’re selling out incredibly fast.”

Yoo In-seo let out a sigh of relief, glad he at least managed to purchase one.

Lee Joo-yeop nodded in agreement.

“But who could it be? The person selling such a powerful potion for just one million won?”

Just one million.

That amount felt insignificant for a potion with such extraordinary performance.

Based on its effects alone, the name “Elixir of Life” didn’t seem like an exaggeration.

“The Alchemist Guild must be in chaos over this.”

“Of course they are. Selling something this incredible for only one million won must be driving them crazy.”

Lee Joo-yeop still had a dazed look on his face.

He quickly snapped out of it and took out the potion he had just purchased.

“That’s the one?”

“Yeah.”

“It doesn’t look special at all. It looks just like a Basic Potion. Are you sure it has that level of performance?”

“Well, we’ll know for sure once we use it.”

Clutching the potion tightly, Lee Joo-yeop began moving again.

After purchasing all the necessary supplies, Lee Joo-yeop headed toward a D-rank gate with his party.

“C-rank Hunter Lee Joo-yeop, confirmed. Are these people behind you your party members?”

“Yes.”

“Confirmed. You may proceed inside.”

“Thank you.”

“Best of luck to you.”

The gate manager sent them off with well wishes as Lee Joo-yeop gave a slight nod and stepped into the gate.

As mana surged across his entire body, his surroundings changed.

What had been a city just moments ago now looked like the heart of the Amazon rainforest—a dense jungle surrounded him.

*Splash.*

Beneath his feet was a swamp, and around him were thick vines and trees that blocked much of his view.

“Visibility is poor. Stay alert and keep an eye on the surroundings.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Got it, Hyung. I’ll keep a close watch on the rear.”

Park Ji-ho, another party member, replied confidently while holding a bow, a cocky smile on his face.

Glancing at him briefly, Lee Joo-yeop raised his massive shield, which was over a meter tall.

*Splash, splash.*

He moved forward cautiously, his shield up, while keeping an eye on his surroundings.

His party followed close behind, scanning the area as they moved.

‘The monsters that appear in this gate are probably goblin-like creatures.’

A jungle with a swamp.

The types of monsters that lived here were predictable.

Alligator-headed monsters called Aligators, goblins, and orcs.

All of them were monsters ranked between D and E.

As long as they stayed alert, these monsters wouldn’t pose much of a threat.

Lee Joo-yeop thought this to himself but suddenly stopped walking when he felt vibrations coming from under his feet.

Raising his fist into the air, he signaled his party to stop.
They instinctively halted and focused their attention forward.

*Splash.*

*Grrrrrrr.*

Even though they had stopped moving, the swamp kept rippling and bubbling.

Lee Joo-yeop braced himself, lifting his shield to cover his feet, while glaring ahead.

*Kreeeek!*

“It’s an alligator! Fall back!”

“Yes!”

Monsters shaped like crocodiles, over two meters in size, came charging at Lee Joo-yeop.

*Thud!*

A heavy impact slammed into his shield, making him grit his teeth as he held his ground.

“I’ll take it down now!”

Park Ji-ho, standing behind him, shouted as he nocked an arrow onto his bowstring.

Next to him, Yoo In-seo cast a buff spell on Lee Joo-yeop.

*Boom! Crash!*

The Alligator’s relentless attacks made Lee Joo-yeop’s shield tremble violently.

D-rank monster: Alligator.

In terms of pure strength, it was almost at C-rank. Lee Joo-yeop tightened his grip on his shield to keep from being overpowered.

*Whoosh!*

Just then, the sound of arrows whistling through the air came from behind.

Three arrows flew straight into the Alligator’s eyes.

*Kreeeeee!*

The Alligator screeched in pain, thrashing around as it lost its vision.

Lee Joo-yeop seized the moment, raising his shield high and slamming it down onto the Alligator.

*Crash!*

*Crack!*

After several heavy strikes, the Alligator’s body finally slumped to the ground.

—

**[You have defeated the ‘Alligator.’]**

—

A system message confirmed the monster’s death.

Lee Joo-yeop let out a sigh of relief, but it didn’t last long.

He suddenly felt a chilling sensation behind him and spun around.

“Ji-ho!”

“…Yes?”

Park Ji-ho tilted his head in confusion at the urgent call.

*Shunk.*

In the next instant, a longsword pierced through his chest.

“Gah!”

Park Ji-ho coughed up blood.

Yoo In-seo screamed, immediately swinging her staff.

An arrow made of light materialized and shot toward the goblin that had stabbed Park Ji-ho.

Lee Joo-yeop quickly dealt with the surrounding goblins and rushed to Park Ji-ho’s side.

“Heal! Heal him!”

Yoo In-seo’s staff glowed as she cast her healing magic, enveloping Park Ji-ho in light.

However, his wounds showed no signs of healing.

Yoo In-seo’s healing magic could only mend minor injuries.

She wasn’t a healer specializing in recovery.

Yoo In-seo was a Light Priest—a hybrid healer who also served as a buffer and damage dealer.

Her stats were evenly distributed, meaning her abilities were versatile but not particularly strong in any one area.

Right now, her healing wasn’t enough to treat Park Ji-ho’s severe wounds.

“Oppa, Ji-ho oppa is—! What do we do?”

Her panicked voice trembled as she struggled to form coherent thoughts.

The fear that Park Ji-ho might die if they didn’t act quickly had completely overwhelmed her.

Lee Joo-yeop gently pushed her aside and took out the potion he had purchased earlier from the Hunter Market.

—

**[Asgard’s Elixir of Life.
Heals all types of injuries and greatly increases mental strength.]**

—

That’s what the system had said.

It claimed it could heal all injuries.

Lee Joo-yeop prayed the description was true.

He poured the potion onto Park Ji-ho’s wounds and then carefully fed the rest into his mouth.

*Gulp.*

Park Ji-ho swallowed the potion.

Lee Joo-yeop stared at him anxiously.

Clenching his fists tightly, he kept his eyes fixed on Park Ji-ho.

It was then that the motionless Park Ji-ho let out a faint groan, “Ugh,” and slowly sat up.

“Hyung?”

He turned to look at Lee Joo-yeop.

His face was surprisingly full of life for someone who had just been on the brink of death.

“I… I’m not dead?”

“You crazy bastard.”

Hearing this, Lee Joo-yeop let out a breathy laugh of disbelief.

“Ji-ho oppa!”

Yoo In-seo cried as she threw herself into Park Ji-ho’s arms, hugging him tightly.

Feeling awkward, Park Ji-ho scratched his cheek as he looked at her.

Lee Joo-yeop glanced at them briefly, then turned his attention to the empty potion bottle.

“This… is going to cause a huge uproar.”

The potion’s effects were undeniable.

The fatal wounds that had nearly killed Park Ji-ho had healed completely within seconds.

An incredibly skilled alchemist had clearly made this potion.

—

**At the same time.**

Hank Yul, who was refilling potion bottles with spring water, accessed the Hunter Market.

—

**[All listed items have been sold.]**
**[30,000,000 won has been deposited into your account.]**

—

“Oh, they’re all sold out already.”

He admired the message from the Hunter Market with a satisfied expression.