Solo Leveling Vol 7 by Chugong
Solo Leveling Vol 7 by Chugong
Solo Leveling Vol 7 by Chugong
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E3-20230224-JV-NF-ORI
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Yen Newsletter
1
THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE
HUNTER’S ASSOCIATION
[Stats]
Strength: 308
Stamina: 307
Agility: 316
Intelligence: 321
Perception: 298
Jinah snuck toward her mom, who was doing dishes, as quiet as
a cat.
Clink, clink.
Kyunghye either didn’t hear Jinah or pretended not to notice
her approaching, and as soon as Jinah got close enough to hear
her mother breathing, she tackled Kyunghye into a big hug.
“Mom!”
Kyunghye didn’t seem surprised in the slightest, and
responded with warmth in her voice. “Are you bored, my
dear?”
“Yeah, super bored. Jinwoo hasn’t been home in a few days,
and you won’t play with me.”
While her mom was asleep in the hospital, Jinwoo had
stepped up to fill her shoes. Not only was he the breadwinner
but he also did the housework so that Jinah could focus on her
studies. He wasn’t any old sibling but also a parent and a friend
to her. Since he was regularly out of the house due to how busy
he had become, Jinah missed him terribly. Everyone in Korea
knew his name now, but who cared about that if she never saw
him? Jinah looked to her mother for comfort from the loneliness
she felt at the absence of her brother.
“But I’m happy because you’re here.” Jinah nuzzled
Kyunghye’s back and grinned.
Kyunghye chuckled as she continued to do the dishes. For a
time, Jinah silently stuck to her mom like a cicada clinging to a
tree.
“Mom, I think we should move.”
Kyunghye’s hands froze for a moment, and then she started
up again, still with a smile. “You want to move to a different
apartment, honey?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh dear. I still like this place, though.”
“Why would anyone want to live in this old dump?”
Kyunghye’s hands never stopped doing the dishes as Jinah
whined to her.
It wasn’t like Jinah wasn’t aware of the truth. She knew
exactly why her mom didn’t want to move. Jinwoo already
made more money than most people could only ever dream of,
but she stayed here in a rented apartment for one reason only.
She was waiting just in case her supposedly deceased husband,
the father of her children, ever returned.
Jinah herself no longer had any memories of her dad, so she
felt like it was a waste of time. On the other hand, Jinwoo had
never brought up the idea of moving ever again after hearing
his mom’s reasoning.
“I still like our home here.”
Jinah puffed out her cheeks and let her mother go at her
mother’s gentle rebuttal. “Hmph.”
“Don’t be like that— Oh!” Kyunghye spun around. “Can you
bring in the laundry I hung to dry outside, my beautiful
darling?”
“You only call me ‘beautiful’ at times like this, you know.”
Not that Jinah minded it. She hummed as she stepped out
onto the balcony where the laundry was hanging. In her mom’s
absence, Jinah had become a pro at laundry and was making
quick work of it, but she suddenly paused.
The sky had darkened above her.
“Huh?”
Was it about to rain? She looked up without much thought,
and her jaw dropped at what she saw. The laundry basket fell
from her hands.
“M-Mom!”
“Oh, Mr. Sung! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this
moment.” Thomas ushered Jinwoo into his hotel room with
much enthusiasm.
Receiving presents might feel good, but Thomas was of the
opinion that giving presents had its own charm. Ever since
Jinwoo had requested a dagger, he’d been dying to gift Jinwoo
with the best weapon in the guild’s storage room that just
happened to be lying idle. Thomas hadn’t made the trip out
here for any old reason. He couldn’t wait to see how the hunter
he personally acknowledged as the best in the world reacted to
these beauties.
With a snap of his fingers, his bodyguards brought in a box
with a cloth draped over it.
Truth be told, Jinwoo had been feeling rather indifferent
toward the present, as he wasn’t in want of anything. However,
he perked up as the bodyguards drew closer.
What’s this……?
Vmmm, vwooooom……
His magic power was resonating with whatever was in the
box. Thomas gleefully noticed Jinwoo’s expression shift.
That’s what I’m talking about!
Thomas had accurately predicted that Jinwoo would
recognize the daggers as his weapons, and the weapons would
recognize him as their master. This was the moment his
prediction would be validated. These weapons might have
bided their time in the darkness of the Scavenger Guild storage
room for this very moment.
Clack.
The box was placed on the table between the two S-rank
hunters.
“This is to repay you for showing mercy to my guild and me,
Mr. Sung.”
Thomas carefully slid the cloth off to reveal a transparent
case holding two daggers stabbed into a giant scale.
Jinwoo wondered if daggers was the correct term for them.
The daggers’ blades were shorter than swords but longer than
the typical dagger. Yet it wasn’t the length of the weapons that
caught Jinwoo’s eyes but their color. They were as white as
snow. The weapons weren’t made of any kind of metal but of
some different type of material. They reminded Jinwoo of his
very first dagger, Kasaka’s Venom Fang, which he’d acquired in
an instance dungeon. Thanks to that, he deduced that they
were fashioned from the fang of a magic beast. And there was
only one dead magic beast whose body parts could emit this
kind of energy.
“Kamish……”
Thomas shook his head and applauded. “It’s impressive that
you correctly guessed what these guys were made of at a
glance.”
Jinwoo was right, but that raised another question. “Aren’t
the remains stored at the Hunter Command Center……?”
“We surrendered Kamish’s remains to the US government
upon request because we knew we could leverage them for
things better than money.” Thomas grinned as he recalled the
raid against Kamish. “But I got to keep Kamish’s biggest and
sharpest fang as a souvenir. Pulled it out myself when the
bastard bit me.”
No awakened being had been capable of crafting a dragon’s
fang into a weapon……except one. Thomas explained that since
the craftsman who had created these masterpieces had died of
old age, however, no other weapon would ever be forged with
the dragon’s remains.
“At that time, the fang was too short for a sword, so the
craftsman made it into these daggers. Looks like it was the
right choice after all.” Thomas seemed happy as he told Jinwoo
about what had happened in the past. He slowly lifted up the
case and pushed forward the dragon scale that the daggers had
been stabbed into. “These are yours now.”
The greatest weapons were finally united with the greatest
warrior. Thomas tried to stay calm as he watched Jinwoo’s
reaction.
Jinwoo pulled out one of the daggers.
Shiiing…
The dagger easily slid out, as if it had been waiting for this
moment.
Ping!
A notification sounded, and Jinwoo swallowed hard. Soon,
the dagger’s stats popped up in front of him.
What?
Jinwoo couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It wasn’t
possible. He summoned the Demon Monarch’s Dagger, his
main choice of weapon, in order to compare them.
Jinwoo’s strength stat was over 300, so his attack power would
be over 500 with the set buff. The set buff alone made it very
useful. However, it couldn’t compare to the new dagger. He
was floored as he stared at the difference between them.
……Are you kidding me?
2
KOREA IN CRISIS
Jinwoo’s gaze was fixed on the daggers made from the fang
of Kamish the dragon. He could hardly believe what he was
seeing on the info screen.
The largest recorded gate until now had been Kamish’s gate
in the US, but this new gate was easily ten times that size.
Its rank was obvious even without an evaluation, but the
association stuck to protocol and sent up a helicopter.
Everyone on the job was a hunter, as regular employees
physically couldn’t withstand such large amounts of magic
power.
Takakakakaka!
As the pilot, copilot, and two staff members flew toward
the gate, they couldn’t help but feel as if they were being
sucked into a black hole.
One of the employees inside the vibrating helicopter gazed
at the massive black circle and asked his colleague, “Sir,
have you seen anything like this before?”
They had to rely solely on the light coming from the
chopper because the sun had already set, but the darkness
did nothing to hide the magnitude of the gate.
The senior employee shook his head. “No, and I’ll bet no
one else has ever seen a gate this size before, either.”
The whole world was in a panic because of this single gate
being both an unprecedented size and location. Had they
known that even Thomas Andre had been taken aback at the
sight, this wouldn’t have been a topic of discussion in the first
place.
While the employees were trying not to let their fear get
to them as they stared at the gate, the helicopter began
slowing down as it approached its destination.
The copilot announced, “It’s too dangerous to get any
closer.”
The employees nodded in understanding and prepared to
evaluate the gate’s rank. Usually, they would go right up to
the front of a gate, but that wasn’t necessary this time. As
soon as they turned on the mana meter, it overloaded and
died. As expected, their instruments couldn’t handle the
amount of magic power coming from the gate.
“Sir.”
At the senior employee’s nod, the junior employee opened
a line of communication to the Hunter’s Association in order
to report on the result of the evaluation.
Just then, the senior employee spotted something in the
distance and yelled, “Look out!”
His colleague flinched and looked around. “Wh-what is
it?”
“I think I saw a magic beast right outside……!”
“What? A magic beast? Already?”
It should have been impossible for a magic beast to
escape from a gate that was less than a day old, but the
senior employee was a high-rank hunter. His perception was
much better than anyone else’s in the helicopter, and sure
enough—
“Over there!” He pointed at what he had seen earlier.
At that moment, Jinchul’s urgent voice came over the
junior employee’s headset.
“What? What are you talking about? Sangwon!
Sangwon Yoo! What’s going on?”
“P-President Woo, it’s a magic beast! A huge magic beast
has been sighted near the helicopter!”
“What?!”
“But it doesn’t appear to be any ordinary magic beast……”
“You don’t stand a chance against a magic beast
in the air! That’s not what I sent you in to
investigate. Land right now!”
“N-no, that’s not it, President Woo…… Someone is riding
the magic beast!”
“What are you talking about? How could a person
ride a magic—?”
Jinchul paused as he recalled a man who did indeed ride a
magic beast.
“Sangwon…… Can you see the face of the person
riding that magic beast?”
“Stand by. Oh, yes, I can just about make out his face.”
“By any chance, is it Hunter Jinwoo Sung?”
“Excuse me?” Sangwon pressed his face against the
window and squinted. He then exclaimed, “S-sir, how did you
know that?!”
“Kreeee!”
Jinwoo rode Kaisel the winged dragon up toward the gate.
As Kaisel flew directly under it, Jinwoo noted that it was like
looking into a bottomless black lake rather than a gate. Its
size was overwhelming, and an ordinary hunter would’ve
found the staggering amount of magic power coming from
the gate unbearable, but Jinwoo was unfazed.
Judging that it was too dangerous to stick around, the
association’s helicopter hastily retreated at a lower altitude.
Jinwoo watched them go before heading closer to the
gate. The opening faced the earth, and he was now close
enough that he could touch. With the black membrane still
intact, he had no idea what it was like inside.
……
If he poked it, would he penetrate the surface or would he
get sucked in like with a red gate? It was possible he’d be
able to take care of it before the dungeon break occurred.
Expectantly, Jinwoo placed his hand on the gate’s membrane.
Huh?
He had never experienced anything like this in his time as
a hunter. The black membrane was as hard as a wall and
prevented Jinwoo’s hand from going through the gate.
If this was some ordinary wall, I could break through,
but……
He pushed against the wall with all his might, but it
wouldn’t budge.
Knock, knock.
Jinwoo pursed his lips as he knocked on the membrane.
Something’s different.
He hadn’t heard of a gate that an awakened being couldn’t
go through. Since this gate was unlike any other, would the
inhabitants also differ from the usual magic beasts?
Whatever they are……
Jinwoo had family and friends he needed to protect, so he
had no intention of letting whatever was in there anywhere
near them. He had increased stats and intrepid soldiers on
his side.
“““Raaaaaah!”””
His army roared in response.
Ba-dump.
Jinwoo felt a mix of unease and excitement. He’d never
felt this way before. He’d always assumed that there was a
reason why he had been chosen as the Player and granted
this power by the system. Maybe it was to deal with this.
I’m being silly……
Jinwoo laughed at how emotional he’d suddenly gotten and
took his hand off the gate.
At that moment, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket.
The phone call was one he’d been waiting for from the
Hunter’s Association of Japan.
“Hello? Hunter Sung?”
“Yes, this is he.”
“My apologies, but it’s hard to hear you. Should I
call back another time?”
Jinwoo smirked at the buildings below him. At this
distance, they looked like tiny toy blocks. “No, that’s fine.
I’m somewhere high up. Is this about my request?”
“Oh, yes. I scanned all of Japan via satellite just
now, but……”
Uncharacteristically, the representative from the Hunter’s
Association of Japan seemed to be at a loss for words. Had
something bad also happened in Japan?
Jinwoo never would’ve guessed what the representative
said next.
“There is no gate. Not a single new gate has
spawned in Japan.”
……!
After defeating the giants, Jinwoo had spent most of his
time raiding dungeons in Japan, so this hit him like a bolt out
of the blue. “Not one?”
“Yes, that’s right. I contacted hunter-related
organizations in other countries in case this was an
isolated case, and I discovered that……”
The representative hesitated, then continued, clearly
vexed.
“Ever since that gate appeared over Seoul, all
others have disappeared.”
It had been three hours since the appearance of the
monolithic gate. What were the odds of every single gate in
the world vanishing during that three-hour window?
……That can’t be a coincidence.
Stunned, Jinwoo wordlessly stared at the black mass
above him.
The representative cautiously probed him.
“Um…… Excuse me, but may I ask why you wanted
me to locate the highest-rank gate we had?”
“……” Jinwoo didn’t know how to answer that. How could
he explain that he wanted to try out Thomas’s gift of 1,500
attack power before this gate opened?
“Even if tomorrow the world would go to pieces, someone
still has to plant an apple tree, you know?”
“Oh…… Apple trees. I see. Such a great saying.”
Jinwoo was about to hang up after giving his vague
answer, but the representative had something to get off his
chest.
“Um, Hunter Sung?”
“Yes?”
The representative faltered as if embarrassed, then
confessed.
“I was never a fan of Korea. As you know, those
ants from Jeju Island were a real headache for the
Hunter’s Association of Japan for the past few years.
As a Japanese person and an employee of the
association, I didn’t hold Korea in the highest
regard.”
Jinwoo quietly listened to what the man had to say.
“However, it was you who changed my mind. Korea
saved us. I am truly grateful to both you and your
country.”
The representative began to sob.
“From the bottom of my heart, I hope that Korea
doesn’t go through the horrors we experienced.”
Giants crushing humans underfoot, cities burning, screams
echoing, and the never-ending despair. It hadn’t been long
since that waking nightmare, and the representative had
experienced it firsthand. No one should ever have to go
through that.
Jinwoo replied softly, “That won’t happen.”
That wasn’t a promise but a declaration. He had
consistently pushed himself in the pursuit of leveling up for
this very reason, and it was time to show the fruits of his
labor.
The employee chuckled at his answer.
“Ha-ha! I never thought I’d ever be jealous of
Korea, but I envy them for having you, Hunter
Sung.”
“No need to butter me up. I’ve got nothing else going on
besides hunting magic beasts, so I’ll keep visiting Japan as
long as magic beasts show up there.”
“Whoops, you got me. I can’t slip anything by you,
can I? And here I was, trying to score some points
with you.”
The representative was thankful that Jinwoo had lightened
the mood with banter, and he bid the Korean a sincere
farewell.
“Please keep in touch.”
“I will.”
Jinwoo tucked his phone back in his pocket, then inspected
the gate before him. It was eerily quiet like the calm before
a storm.
If the time line for a dungeon break hasn’t changed……
There were about six days left. Jinwoo’s eyes shone in the
dark of the night.
“……Let’s head down.”
“Kreeee!”
With a flap of his huge wings, Kaisel began his descent.
The public also noticed the change the next day. Gates had
disappeared, and no new ones had spawned after the
monolithic gate appeared in the skies above Seoul. No one
knew if this was good or bad, but there were those who
welcomed the news, including President Woo and the
Hunter’s Association of Korea.
After apprehensively listening to the report, Jinchul came
to a decision. “Let’s summon all the hunters in Korea to
Seoul.”
“Sir? That’s too risky.”
“If there’s an undetected gate and a dungeon break
happens, then……”
“How about summoning half of the hunters and leaving the
rest where they are?”
As he continued to receive opposition, Jinchul slammed his
hand on the conference room table.
Bam!
Everyone cowered at the display of rage by such a high-
ranking hunter.
Jinchul bared his teeth. “Do you think we have the luxury
to take what ifs into account?”
Everyone in the meeting room fell silent as Jinchul waved
a hand toward the outside of the room and bellowed at them.
“This is an unprecedented situation. Even if we pour every
resource into stopping this fucking thing, there’s still no
guarantee we’ll win!”
He looked around the room. “I’ll take full responsibility
for any damage that occurs in other areas, whether that
means giving up everything I own or laying down my life to
fight.”
After this clear display of his resolution, no one dared
argue with him.
Leaders have been known to kill their own squadmates in
a dungeon if they didn’t fall in line during life-and-death
situations, as insubordination could lead to an entire squad’s
demise. It would be a crime outside of a dungeon, but
dungeons followed different rules. Raids were wars with
people’s lives on the line, not playtime. And now, war was
about to break out not inside of a dungeon but on their own
turf. Time was of the essence, and Jinchul wasn’t a slipshod
hunter who would waste precious seconds hearing out the
opposition.
“Summon all our hunters to Seoul immediately. Do not
excuse anyone who is able to fight.”
Under Jinchul’s orders, every single Korean hunter
converged in Seoul.
[BERU LV.MAX]
Marshal Rank
The marshal acts as the leader of the army, of
which there can be only one. If more than one
soldier reaches the marshal rank, a hierarchy
must be decided.
“Enough.”
Haein stopped swinging her wooden sword. She had
practiced her swordsmanship until her white training
uniform was soaked through with sweat. She turned around
to face the master of the dojo, an older man in a similar
uniform who was missing an arm. He gestured for her to sit
down, and Haein did so, kneeling politely as she put down
her wooden sword.
The old man was her swordsmanship teacher. As an S-
rank hunter, she was nearly unmatched physically, but she
still needed to train skills that played to her strengths.
Hence, Haein had chosen this quiet kumdo dojo to practice
the way of the sword whenever she had had time.
Her teacher, Chiyul Song, who was proud of her for never
wasting a single day, sat down across from her. “I sense
much hesitation in your sword lately, Haein.”
His words compelled Haein to look up, her face grim.
Chiyul made eye contact and continued softly. “I’m
concerned that you may have developed fear in your heart.”
“……”
Haein said nothing, but she didn’t have to. In addition to
running a dojo, Chiyul went on raids as a hunter whenever
the association requested his assistance, so he understood
her fears.
No one had ever seen a gate like the monolith before.
There was no telling what kind of terrifying creatures would
come out of it. Even the strongest people knew fear. In fact,
the strong felt a fear in their bones that ordinary people
would never know.
Chiyul let his eyes shut and slowly nodded as he reflected
on his past. “Of course you’re scared. Why wouldn’t you be?
I’ve been there. I can’t compare the magic beasts I’ve met to
the magic beasts you’ve encountered, but that time I lost my
arm……”
At that moment, the phone that Haein had tucked away in
the corner so she wouldn’t be disturbed began to ring.
“How can a hunter not answer her phone?”
“I’m sorry, master.” Haein bowed in apology and ran to
pick up.
As Chiyul waited for her to wrap up her call so he could
finish his story, he noticed a delighted look on her face.
Hmm……?
Haein tried her best to hide it, but because she was
usually rather expressionless, Chiyul caught the change in
her expression.
Haein walked back to Chiyul after hanging up and
cautiously told him, “Master, um…something came up, so I
have to go.”
Her cheeks were flushed. Seeing her eyes lit up, Chiyul
realized he may have made the wrong assumption. The
hesitation he had seen in her sword hadn’t come from fear.
“Of course. Get going, then.” Bewildered, Chiyul nodded
and gave her leave.
“I’ll be off.” Haein left with a spring in her step.
Chiyul gave a bemused smile as he watched her go. “I
see…… So that’s it.”
Ha-ha.
Chiyul wondered who was lucky enough to garner the
affections of such a charming and sincere young woman.
Seeing his esteemed pupil so happy gratified him as well.
“Isn’t that Hunter Jinwoo Sung?”
“What, where?”
“Damn…… It really is Jinwoo Sung!”
The amusement park was packed with weekend visitors
who recognized Jinwoo and gawked at him in amazement.
“Who’s the woman with him? His girlfriend?”
“Wait a minute…… Isn’t that Hunter Haein Cha from the
Hunters Guild?”
“Seriously?! Whoa!”
“Those two are dating?”
Jinwoo was accompanied by a woman with a short and
neat hairstyle that allowed her to move freely.
Not used to having so much attention on her, she lowered
her head and murmured to Jinwoo, “Do you like these kinds
of places?”
Jinwoo answered with a smile. “Not particularly, but I’ve
always wanted to come to a place like this at least once.”
Gone was the ice-cold glare he had when killing magic
beasts. The man next to Haein had an impish grin on his
face, and she couldn’t help but notice how her heart sped up
at the sight. Jinwoo was an outstanding S-rank hunter, so
there was no way he didn’t notice her racing heart, either.
She flushed at the realization.
She asked another question in an attempt to distract him.
“So why me……?”
“Because you’re the only friend I have.”
“Pardon?”
When had Jinwoo and Haein become friends? Haein
looked up at him as she tried to recall, and Jinwoo smiled
mischievously when their eyes met.
“That’s what you said to that weird statue, right……?”
Oh, that. The day she had entered the double dungeon to
save him, she’d said something to that effect to the angel
statue inside.
“What is your relationship to Jinwoo Sung?”
“……We’re friends.”
The next day, a tabloid that had long since replaced their
coverage of celebrities for gossip about hunters printed a
rather provocative headline.
dating?
LI hope it’s real. Their surroundings would be
point.
LHunter Sung and Hunter Cha, please do something
Jinwoo tried several more times, but the result was the
same.
Ping, ping!
“Yeahhh!”
As the soldiers in black crowded the streets of Seoul,
viewers around the world threw their hands in the air with joy.
Having already lost one national-level hunter, Americans had
been the most devastated at Thomas’s defeat, so they were
more exhilarated than anyone. Their cheers were loud enough
to shake the country.
The video of Jinwoo on the Jeju Island raid had gotten more
than two billion views, so there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know
who he was. The whole world chanted Jinwoo’s name.
“Hey, I know that other guy! I know exactly who he is! It’s
Lennart Neirmann from Germany!” But even the person trying
to show off his knowledge quickly joined in on chanting Jinwoo’s
name.
The entire world was focused on Jinwoo Sung.
“Skraaaaah!”
Jinwoo turned at Beru’s scream. The Queen of Insects had
trapped Beru under her foot, and no amount of struggling could
break him free. Jinwoo’s eyes widened as he felt magic power
leaving Beru’s body, the ant soldier’s very existence fading.
Is this how they got rid of the soldier attached to Thomas?
Jinwoo first repelled the attacks of the two remaining
Monarchs and then called Beru back into his shadow.
Not only was the Plague Monarch not a threat to Jinwoo, but
she was also within his reach now. Jinwoo’s eyes gleamed.
The Frost Monarch survived a stab to the heart earlier.
It was highly likely that the Plague Monarch would as well.
Jinwoo would have to attack until he found a weak spot. He
gripped his daggers tightly.
Mutilation!
Shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk!
Jinwoo’s daggers dotted the Queen’s body with holes like a
Gatling gun, ripping her to shreds.
“Arghhh!”
But the maggots inside her twisted and bound together to
instantly regenerate her body.
Regeneration?
Not a problem. If the Queen had the ability to regenerate,
Jinwoo simply needed to pour on the attack and push things
beyond her healing abilities. He followed her as she was
knocked back, continually using the Mutilation skill.
Shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk! Shhhk, shhhk, shhhk,
shhhk, shhhk!
Surrounded by a black aura, Kamish’s Wrath bit into her
nonstop.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Jinwoo stripped the Queen of Insects of every inch of flesh by
relentlessly using Mutilation until finally……
[SKILLS]
Passive skill: (Unknown) Lv.Max, Willpower Lv.1,
Dagger Master Lv.Max
Shf……
[Stats]
Strength: 324
Stamina: 320
Agility: 340
Intelligence: 340
Perception: 321
[Skills]
Passive skill: Willpower Lv.1, Dagger Master Lv.Max
Active skill: Flash Lv.Max, Murderous Intent Lv.2, Mutilation
Lv.Max, Dagger Barrage Lv.Max, Stealth Lv.Max, Ruler’s
Authority Lv.Max
[Job-Exclusive Skills]
Active skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.2, Shadow Storage Lv.2,
Monarch’s Domain Lv.2, Shadow Exchange Lv.2
President Go……
Jinwoo came to a halt. There was President Go, alive and
well as he went over documents. Jinwoo stood in the doorway,
his heart aching at the sight.
President Go let out a chuckle. “You opened the door with
such confidence, but you don’t seem to have the courage to
enter. Please come in, Hunter Sung.” He moved himself to the
couch in the room and gestured. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Jinwoo’s face fell as he realized that this President Go was
meeting him for the first time. He stood with a blank face for a
moment before taking a seat. “Thank you.”
President Go addressed Jinwoo. “Seeing as you came
straight here after the reevaluation, it appears as though
you’re familiar with the process.”
“That’s right.”
“Then allow me to cut to the chase.”
“Before you begin, I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?” President Go was caught off guard at this
young man who seemed to already be aware that he’d been
reawakened as an S-rank hunter. On the other hand, spunk was
a great weapon for a youngster’s arsenal. He found that he
rather liked this man sitting across from him.
Maybe that was why he didn’t bother hiding his smile and let
him continue. “What is it you’re asking for, Hunter Sung?”
“Please change the rules so that a hunter’s minions can be
counted as strike squad members.”
“Change the rules……? That’s quite a big ask. I expect you
have something to offer in exchange that I won’t be able to
refuse.”
Jinwoo paused for a beat. “I’ll kill the ants on Jeju Island.”
Jinwoo’s priority was to replenish his army, and plenty of
quality magic beasts awaited him on Jeju Island. If President Go
accepted this deal, he would be able to replenish his soldiers
and progress with plans without worry about minimum
requirements for raid members. Jinwoo wanted to finish this
step before waking up his mother with the Elixir of Life.
But to President Go, it sounded like Jinwoo was out to get
himself killed. “Stop talking nonsense!”
Jinwoo had expected that reaction. Instead of faltering, he
calmly released the entirety of his magic power for a split
second. Infinite power spilled out of Jinwoo. Only powerful
individuals could recognize another powerful individual like
this, and President Go, the man known as a god among gods,
could not believe the sheer power he was witnessing.
“How……how could this……? What is this?”
He trembled with excitement. President Go had never felt
this much magic power from anyone anywhere until now.
Jinwoo seemed to be well beyond even the national-level
hunters. President Go’s jaw hung open in surprise.
“I can take care of the ants on Jeju Island.”
That was President Go’s lifelong wish. He’d been about to
lecture Jinwoo about being too reckless, but he changed his
mind.
“Are you……serious?”
Jinwoo nodded. “I’m the only one who can do this. Please
leave it to me.”
“I am you.”
As the bearer of the Black Heart, Jinwoo understood what
those words meant.
He turned to his right, and a tree as tall as dozens of
skyscrapers combined rose into the sky. He turned to his left,
and a Maglev train shot past him in the blink of an eye. The
items instantly appeared as soon as he thought of them.
Something had been created from nothing.
“That is right,” the Shadow Monarch confirmed. “In my
domain, you can do anything you wish.”
“Because you and I have the same power?”
The Shadow Monarch nodded. He turned his gaze to the
giant tree, and it immediately shrank down into a small,
common flower.
Despite it being limited to this domain, the Shadow
Monarch’s ability to create, unmake, and transform this
world was marvelous. And now that omnipotence was in
Jinwoo’s hands as well.
Jinwoo blinked, and the same kind of flowers began
spreading out from under his feet.
Perhaps it was due to Jinwoo’s keen perception or
because they were connected, but the hunter could sense the
satisfaction the Shadow Monarch felt as he watched the
flowers bloom.
The Shadow Monarch returned his attention to Jinwoo.
“I’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time.” He
officially introduced himself. “I am the Shadow Monarch, the
King of the Dead who wields the power of death itself. I am
the overseer of the deepest reaches of darkness.”
Despite being before Death himself in the entirety of his
majestic glory, Jinwoo wasn’t frightened at all. They were
one and the same, after all. Jinwoo was overcome with
emotion at meeting his second half. At last, he was able to
ask the question that had weighed on his mind ever since
he’d first encountered the system.
“But……why me?”
Why had the system chosen Jinwoo as the Player? Was it
just because Jinwoo had survived the double dungeon? No,
there had to be another reason. It was finally the moment of
truth.
“I shall show you.” The Shadow Monarch slowly stretched
his hand toward Jinwoo. When his index finger touched
Jinwoo’s forehead, what he could see in front of him changed.
“I shall show you our beginning and our end, as well as your
beginning.”
In all of human history, had this many people the world over
cried out at once? Screams tore through the air as the
monster’s dagger plunged into Hunter Jinwoo Sung’s chest.
Silence then fell like a block of steel, broken only by
mourning gasps as everyone watched Jinwoo collapse limply
to the ground.
“Ah……”
First the national-level hunter Thomas Andre and now
Jinwoo. There was nobody left. People were literally
petrified knowing full well there was no one left to defend
them.
“What? What’s going on? Huh? Huh?”
The last thing broadcast before the live transmission cut
out was the reporter’s flustered cry.
The monolithic gate floating in the sky of Seoul. The
sudden emergence of monsters that were killing off the top
hunters one by one. Viewers everywhere could not help but
think it was the end of the world. Yet amid their shock and
awe, they could not bring themselves to pull away from their
screens even after the broadcast was cut off.
The helicopter that had been filming the scene was now
frozen solid and falling out of the sky, leaving a trail of
smoke.
The Frost Monarch lowered his hand and looked back
down at Jinwoo’s body. His icy lips announced, “He has
breathed his last breath.”
The Fang Monarch confirmed the death with his wolflike
vision and hearing. There was no trace of life in Jinwoo at all.
The Monarchs were thrilled by their victory. They had
succeeded in killing one of the Rulers’ allies before he could
be much of a variable. But there was still some business to
take care of. The two Monarchs’ eyes snapped to where
Thomas Andre had managed to escape.
Sensing their eyes trained on their location, Lennart
shuddered. “Dammit……!”
He had managed to muster up the resolve to die defending
against the bestial man, but now there was an ice elf to
contend with as well.
How did Hunter Sung deal with them for as long as he
did……?
Lennart’s heart stuttered. He was now the only hunter
who could buy some time against those two enemies. He
took a deep breath.
“Hey…… I can’t sense Hunter Sung anymore. What
happened?” Thomas asked, not even halfway recovered.
Lennart struggled to reply. “He was……”
Just then, the two approaching Monarchs spun around at
the same time.
“……!”
“……!”
The impossible had happened. The human’s heart had
been destroyed without a doubt, but a powerful heartbeat
was coming from his body once more. But how?
The two Monarchs exchanged looks of disbelief as the
worst-case scenario popped into their heads. They had
overlooked one possibility.
“Don’t tell me……”
They had thought that if they killed the human vessel, the
Shadow Monarch would die as well, just like them. However,
their opponent was the King of the Dead. Death came for
everyone, but there was no guarantee it would be the same
for him. The end for one could be the beginning for another.
“No…… This cannot be!”
They had to stop the advent of the true Monarch through
the vessel’s death. Instinctively, the two alarmed Monarchs
advanced on Jinwoo, aiming their sharp claws and ice spear
at him. They focused all their magic power in their weapons
in an attempt to stop Jinwoo’s body from becoming the
avatar for the rise of the Shadow Monarch.
However, their weapons were blocked by the daggers of a
mysterious stranger who had noiselessly appeared on the
scene. The Shadow Monarch was still unconscious, so who
could it be?
“……?” The two Monarchs could not hide their shock as
their attacks were blocked.
An individual wielding two daggers deactivated Stealth
and revealed himself. He glared from under a shimmering
golden robe.
“Keep your hands off this child.”
O Divine Ruler,
Why do you not help your loyal subjects who fight in
your name?
Why do you ignore our suffering?
Have you not heard the cries of the soldiers who have
died for you?
Please help us.
Please lend us the strength to vanquish our enemies.
We will cut off their heads and offer them up to you.
However, there was no response from the Supreme Being.
At that moment, the Fragment of Luminosity realized
something. The war between the Envoys and the Monarchs
had merely been a source of ongoing entertainment for the
Supreme Being, and so the Supreme Being had no desire for
the war to end.
The Fragment fell into deep despair at this revelation. The
war would never end as long as the Supreme Being was
alive. The despair turned into rage, and the rage turned into
hatred. In an act of rebellion, the Envoys drew their swords
to try to end the meaningless war.
Jinwoo witnessed the march of countless soldiers that
seemed to span the whole universe. “Oh my God……”
However, another group of soldiers appeared in the
distance to stop the rebels. The Shadow Monarch stretched
his hand out and pointed at the six-winged Fragments of
Luminosity standing at the front.
“Behold, me in the past.”
He was the only Envoy of the Light who opposed the
rebellion against the Supreme Being. His pitiful band of
soldiers fell helplessly to the allied armies of the other
Envoys. Loyal to the end, the brightest Fragment of
Luminosity died watching his brave subordinates
overwhelmed by countless adversaries.
He assumed it was over. That is, until he opened his eyes
in the darkness and realized that the Supreme Being had
hidden a special power within him, his most faithful servant.
A sinister power, a fail-safe to be used if everything went
wrong.
Within the dark abyss, the King of the Dead was finally
awakened to this power. He tore off his own wings, which
had been burned in battle, and used the very darkness
around him to fashion himself new armor.
“Arise!”
He then woke up the souls that were asleep in the abyss
and returned to the world with his new legion of soldiers.
But it was all over by the time he arrived. The other
Fragments of Luminosity, those so-called Envoys of the Light,
had killed the Supreme Being and established themselves as
the gods of this new order, the Rulers. Using the power of
the Supreme Being, they began to hunt down the Monarchs.
The capture of Regia, the Monarch of the Beginning, the
King of Giants, shifted the balance of power, and the other
Monarchs realized just how dire the situation was. It was
then that the Shadow Monarch offered his hand to the
Monarchs. They took his hand to counter their common
enemy, the Rulers.
Just like that, the war between the Seven Rulers and the
Nine Monarchs raged on. However, as things dragged on,
the shadow army grew larger and larger. Time was on the
Shadow Monarch’s side. Thanks to his brilliant performance,
it appeared as though victory would go to the Monarchs.
However, as the shadow army became as powerful as the
destructive army led by the King of Wild Dragons, the Rulers
weren’t the only ones who came to fear them. As the war
drew to a close, the Monarch of White Lightning and the
Fang Monarch decided to backstab the Shadow Monarch.
The scene shown in the data unfolded. Together, the
demon army and the beast army advanced on the shadow
army, bringing them to the brink of annihilation. The Fang
Monarch, the King of Beasts, abandoned his own soldiers
early on, leaving the Monarch of White Lightning, the King of
Demons, to pay the price for their betrayal.
Jinwoo’s eyes widened as he finally got to hear Balan’s
dying words, which had been redacted from the data
previously. After that, a quartet of six-winged angels slowly
descended from the skies, marking the end of the footage the
data had presented to him back then.
Surrounded by four of the Rulers, the weary Shadow
Monarch didn’t have the strength to manipulate the shadow
army. He threw his sword on the ground in surrender.
But if they killed the Shadow Monarch here, then how did
the Shadow Monarch in front of Jinwoo come to be? Jinwoo
swallowed hard as he watched what appeared to be the
demise of the Shadow Monarch.
However, at that very moment, the Rulers dropped to
their knees before the Shadow Monarch.
The Ruler in the front of the group spoke. “Please forgive
us, O Greatest Fragment of Luminosity.”
The Rulers were asking for the Shadow Monarch’s
forgiveness even though they clearly had the upper hand? If
they wanted to, they could send the Shadow Monarch to the
void, but they wanted to reconcile with him instead.
They used to be comrades who had been born from the
same light. This was a show of respect to the greatest
warrior, who had led the Envoys’ armies on the front lines
against that of the Monarchs. Although the Shadow Monarch
hadn’t been their leader, they nonetheless had the utmost
respect for him. That was why they ignored the command
from their own leader, the brightest Fragment of Luminosity,
to kill the Shadow Monarch and knelt before him instead.
“We no longer have a reason to fight.”
The Shadow Monarch thundered, “How dare you say we
have no reason?!”
He grabbed the collar of the Ruler who had asked for his
forgiveness and forced him to his feet.
“Did you not betray my master with your swords and
spears?”
“He was our master as well.”
“Which makes your sin all the more abominable!”
Despite the Shadow Monarch’s anger, the Rulers
maintained their decorum. “You know better than anyone
how we felt about taking up arms against our master, don’t
you?”
The Shadow Monarch looked up to see that his soldiers
had gathered and were now looking on with concern. His
devoted soldiers. How could he not know the feeling of
watching them fall at the hands of the enemy? He had been
the one to lead them in battle in the name of their master,
after all.
“We simply wish to end this war.”
The Shadow Monarch loosened his grip on the collar of
the Ruler.
“And we finally have a chance to do so.”
“Yes, you can end this.” The Shadow Monarch picked up
his sword and put it in the Ruler’s hand. “Strike me down
with this sword.”
He looked around at the other Rulers and declared,
“Pierce my heart with your spears! That will bring the end
you speak of! You will be the victors of this war!”
But the sword fell out of the Ruler’s hand. None of the
other Rulers raised their weapons, either. Instead came a
desperate plea.
“Please, won’t you forgive us now?”
Their desperation pained the Shadow Monarch more than
any weapon ever could. After losing his men, after losing his
master, and after plunging into the eternal darkness himself,
the one thought that brought him back was revenge. The
desire for revenge was what had taken him this far. His
determination to make them pay was what led him to
command the army of the dead.
But how could he hate these Rulers who were begging for
forgiveness and trying to end this fighting? He who had
fought to protect his master and they who had fought for the
lives of their soldiers were all victims of destiny. He realized
that the beings kneeling in front of him weren’t horrible
enemies but his allies in life and death.
With his reason for living gone, the Shadow Monarch
screamed, “Kill me!”
He would end it all right now. He would rather return to
the void and be at peace, able to forget everything.
“Do it now!”
But the Rulers didn’t budge a millimeter, staying on their
knees with their heads bowed. The Shadow Monarch looked
up at the sky. The Rulers’ soldiers placed their fists on their
chests in remembrance of the greatest soldier they had ever
fought with.
“……”
Although they had been on opposing sides because of their
different ideals, they hadn’t lost their respect for him. There
were so many soldiers that they blocked out the sky. As the
last soldier bowed to him, the Shadow Monarch quietly
turned his back on them. And with that, he simply vanished.
Because of the infighting between the Shadow, Fang, and
White Lightning Monarchs, the Monarchs eventually lost to
the Rulers and retreated with the remnants of their armies
through the gap between dimensions.
Jinwoo was rendered speechless by the sight of the
Monarchs’ soldiers passing through a humongous gate.
The losing army still has that many soldiers left……?
He couldn’t even imagine how many soldiers had
sacrificed their lives for the so-called Supreme Being’s
entertainment. He understood why the Rulers had decided to
rebel against their master.
But then the Shadow Monarch resurfaced. The other
Monarchs grew nervous at the possible confrontation
between him and the Fang Monarch, but the Dragon King
intervened before it came to that.
“Now is the time to rebuild our diminished armies, and I
will not allow you two to fight despite what has occurred
before.”
The Dragon King then welcomed the Shadow Monarch
back into their fold.
The sight of the Dragon King in his humanoid form made
Jinwoo nervous despite knowing that he was watching a
memory.
It’s the King of Wild Dragons, the Monarch of
Destruction……
Jinwoo could tell just by his eyes that the Dragon King held
incredible amounts of power.
The Monarchs had fled through gaps in the dimensions
and were searching for a new world where they could
rebuild their army out of the Rulers’ sight. Various planets
and galaxies flashed before Jinwoo’s eyes before stopping on
one planet.
Jinwoo couldn’t help but gasp. “Oh……”
Shining in the middle of a dark expanse was a beautiful
blue planet: Earth. The Monarchs had found a passage to
Earth after much effort. Annihilation was inevitable for
humankind at the sudden appearance of such creatures.
Jinwoo was startled to see cities in ashes just as he had seen
on each floor of the Demon’s Castle dungeon.
“Is this the future?”
“It is what has happened in the past.”
Jinwoo stared bewildered at the unexpected answer.
The Shadow Monarch calmly explained. “The Rulers
belatedly caught wind of the Monarchs’ movements and sent
in their soldiers, but by that time, it was all over.”
If the purpose of the Monarchs was to destroy, the
purpose of the Rulers was to protect. That was how they
maintained the balance of the universe. So it infuriated the
Rulers to see the Monarchs and their armies elude them and
destroy another world. To right this wrong, they then used a
forbidden tool.
Before rebelling against the Supreme Being, they had
made it a priority to steal the Cup of Reincarnation from him.
It was an incredible item that could reverse ten years of
time.
Ten years!
Was it a coincidence that gates and hunters had first
begun to appear in his world ten years ago?
“It is as you suspect.”
The Rulers had done their best to protect Earth, but it
was too weak to endure a war between them and the
Monarchs. Earth did not contain the magic power it needed
to survive such a struggle. No matter who won, whether it
be the Rulers or Monarchs, the planet was doomed.
After repeating the same battle over and over again, the
Rulers came to a decision. If they couldn’t save everyone,
they would find a way to at least save enough of this world to
allow it to continue on.
“So you mean……?”
“They came up with a process to create humans capable
of surviving the clash between Rulers and Monarchs. The
Rulers meant to protect you in this way.”
Finally, it hit Jinwoo. He realized why the Rulers had
worked in secrecy, avoiding direct contact with humans,
despite knowing that this disaster was to come.
The only people who would survive in this new world……
Would society have functioned normally had it known that
everyone, save an extremely small, exclusive group of people
known as hunters, was doomed to die? Absolutely not.
Jinwoo mentally shook his head. At long last, he had finally
been told the purpose of gates and hunters, but his biggest
question was still unanswered.
The Shadow Monarch seemed to have read Jinwoo’s mind,
and he transformed their surroundings with a wave of his
hand.
“Higher beings such as Rulers or Monarchs are able to
recognize time altered by the Cup of Reincarnation.”
The Shadow Monarch added that they were, however,
unable to control time in any way. As the Rulers corrected
their mistakes, the Monarchs altered their plans. This would
continue until the forbidden tool no longer functioned.
“Hang on…… The Cup of Reincarnation has limitations?”
“No power lasts forever. Every power has its limits, just
as the Supreme Being met his end at the hand of his own
creations.” The bitterness in the Shadow Monarch’s voice
compelled Jinwoo to turn and look at him.
“Now that you mention it, how were the creations able to
kill their creator?”
“It is not that different from your kind meeting your end
by your own inventions.”
That made sense. Machines created to help humans could
cause harm, depending on how they were used. This was the
reason why humans feared artificial intelligence despite it
being created by humans.
“We were given life in order to fight, and we were imbued
with power enough to kill our own master.”
Jinwoo nodded in understanding.
Jinwoo recognized a few of the Monarchs whose images
popped up next.
“Observing the Rulers’ methods, the Monarchs were
struck with an idea.”
Much like how the Rulers had loaned their power to
humans so that they could spread magic power over the
planet by killing magic beasts, the Monarchs decided to
borrow the bodies of humans, and once they were
acclimated to Earth, they would bring over their armies
earlier than the Rulers anticipated.
“The Monarchs’ plan was to make Earth itself into a huge
trap by using the magic power the Rulers had released on
the planet.”
“That way, they could devour the Rulers’ armies who came
to help humankind……”
“That is correct.”
The Monarchs possessed great power, so they needed
human vessels in order to come to this world. One by one,
each of the Monarchs found human bodies capable of hosting
them, except for the Monarch of Destruction and the Shadow
Monarch. Their powers were too great, so they were unable
to find humans capable of withstanding their power.
“It was then that a powerful mage who worked for the
Monarch of Transformation offered to find the right human
for me.”
That mage had been the Architect. He had aided the
Shadow Monarch in this endeavor in exchange for
immortality. Keenly interested in the human world, the
Shadow Monarch agreed to the deal, but unfortunately, no
human had been able to withstand the power of death.
“One human was highly sensitive to magic power. Another
human had an incredible physical strength. Still another had
extraordinary intelligence. Yet none of them could handle my
power and were either driven insane or died.”
No living being had been able to contain death itself. A
contract with a Monarch was no ordinary promise, and as
time passed, the Architect grew more and more anxious. But
as the Architect searched in vain for other candidates, one
human caught the Shadow Monarch’s eye.
“……” Jinwoo looked up to see hundreds of monitors airing
various images of him.
“I witnessed you escape from the brink of death a number
of times.”
The four years when Jinwoo had worked as the weakest of
E-rank hunters. He had constantly risked his life by entering
dungeons, but he kept entering them anyway for the sake of
his mother and sister. Jinwoo repeatedly threw himself into
the lion’s den and clawed his way out.
Those four years of struggling were recorded in the
Shadow Monarch’s memories.
“I chose you against the Architect’s wishes.”
Jinwoo’s heart pounded as the Shadow Monarch pointed
at him.
[“Arise.”]
[The delete code for the Player development system
has been entered.]
[The system will be deleted.]
Whoooosh!
A great gust of wind accompanied by a blinding flash
pushed the Fang Monarch and Frost Monarch back.
The Fang Monarch quickly recovered, his eyebrows
twitching. “A Fragment of Luminosity……?”
The man in front of them wore a robe and radiated a gold
light, a hallmark of the Rulers. It was a human borrowing the
power of the Rulers. But why was this person protecting one
of the most powerful Monarchs?
The Frost Monarch yelled at him. “The human you are
protecting is the harbinger of tragedy! Are you planning to
bring the end of all things by your own hands?”
“……” Instead of answering, the man raised his hands up
to his chin, each wielding a dagger in a reverse grip. He
refused to step aside.
The Frost Monarch scowled at the show of determination.
The strange man was attempting to borrow a Ruler’s power
while still in his human body, but human bodies were
incapable of withstanding a god’s power. Without the Ruler
taking total possession of the human body as the Monarchs
did, this vessel would crumble to dust.
And yet……he’s risking his life to help the Shadow
Monarch’s resurrection? What in blazes do the Rulers think
they’re doing……?
The Frost Monarch exchanged looks with the Fang
Monarch. Time was running out. The King of Beasts nodded,
and the two Monarchs charged at the man, one from the
right and the other from the left.
But the man skillfully blocked the relentless claws and
spear while getting in some jabs of his own. He moved like a
warrior who had seen his fair share of battles. Though he
was facing certain death, he proved to be a tough opponent
with his excellent skills and strength.
Boom!
The man in the robe blocked his opponents’ mana-charged
weapons and pushed them back. The two Monarchs landed
at a distance as they realized how difficult it would be to end
this fight if they continued to battle in this manner.
Tak. Tak.
The man stood his ground instead of chasing after the two
Monarchs, as if his only purpose was to protect the Shadow
Monarch’s vessel.
“……Who are you?” The Frost Monarch demanded to
know the man’s identity, but he said nothing.
It was then that the Fang Monarch transformed out of his
werewolf form. “I shall retreat.”
His sharp fangs regressed, and his long, pointy claws
turned into the fingernails of a human.
The Frost Monarch called after him. “You’re running away
after we have come this far? Are you out of your mind?”
“Can you not feel it?” The Fang Monarch raised his head.
His exceptional perception sensed a change in the air that
made his body tremble. “The mana in the air is crying out.
The Shadow Monarch is coming.” The Fang Monarch turned
his eyes from the sky to the Frost Monarch again. “I am
leaving.”
“Y-you promised to help me battle the Shadow Monarch!”
the Frost Monarch sputtered.
But the Fang Monarch shrugged. “I promised to help with
the Shadow Monarch in a human state, not his true form. I
have no reason to stay.”
“So you run away with your tail between your legs? And
you call yourself the King of Beasts?!”
Affronted, the Fang Monarch snatched the Frost Monarch
by the collar. “You do not understand because you have
never faced the true power of the Shadow Monarch!”
The Fang Monarch had witnessed the Shadow Monarch
survive an assault from six armies simultaneously: his own
army of beasts, the army of the Monarch of White Lightning,
the armies of four Rulers. Such a monster was en route, so
what did pride matter? Even if it meant being ridiculed for
hiding behind the Dragon King, survival was the most
important matter.
It had been the right call to abandon the Monarch of
White Lightning, the King of Demons, on the battlefield. And
the King of Beasts was not willing to now destroy all his hard
work by risking an encounter with the true Shadow
Monarch.
As the King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch’s power came
from the vitality of living creatures. Because of this, nothing
frightened him more than death.
The Fang Monarch didn’t have time to argue with the
Frost Monarch. He sensed death approaching quickly. He let
go of the Frost Monarch’s collar and generated a gate for
himself.
“I wish you luck.” With that, the King of Beasts stepped
through to the other side.
The Frost Monarch glared at the closing gate. “Fool.”
How could someone who abandoned prey ripe for the
taking be considered the best hunter in the World of Chaos?
The Frost Monarch was ready to do whatever it took to kill
the Shadow Monarch, outside interference be damned. He
had already cornered his prey at the edge of a cliff, so he
certainly didn’t need help from that coward.
The determined Frost Monarch transformed into a
spiritual body. Because he was not of this world, maintaining
this form consumed a lot of his stamina. He needed to end
this as quickly as possible before the Shadow Monarch
awakened.
“Taste the terror of frost, puny human!” The Frost
Monarch transformed into a raging snowstorm. The living
storm thundered as it looked down at the man in the robe.
“Face my true power!”
Mana crystals in the air merged to create tens of
thousands of icicles. They blew violently through the air like
spears made of ice, each packed with enough power to
instantly kill any human. The attack swept cars off the road
like mere toys, and gales ripped buildings apart.
Despite this, the man in the robe stood his ground and
protected Jinwoo to the best of his ability, enduring scars
from the countless ice spears.
The Frost Monarch did not relent. “My soldiers!”
Thousands of soldiers made of ice emerged from the snow
that had piled up knee-high.
“Charge!”
The ice soldiers leaped at the man in the robe. He fought
desperately to shake off the hunks of ice coming at him from
all sides.
Shhhk!
The man stumbled as he was stabbed in the shoulder by
an ice spear.
“……”
He gritted his teeth and straightened back up, holding his
own against the oncoming wave of soldiers.
Seeing the man in the robe persist, the Frost Monarch
joined the attack. He transformed into a crystalline
manifestation of cold energy, and white vapor rose from his
body as he approached.
“Move!”
His icy lackeys scattered out of his way.
Standing in front of the man in the robe, the Frost
Monarch opened his mouth wide. Bone-chilling cold began
gathering in his mouth. The air itself began to freeze, and
frost formed on the man’s exposed chin from under the robe.
The man in the robe knew he couldn’t take too much more
of this, but he also knew that if he dodged, Jinwoo would get
hit. And so the man in the robe continued to stand his
ground.
The Monarch’s face twisted in fury. This human was
merely borrowing the power of a higher being, so how dare
he look arrogantly upon the face of his mighty power?
A frightening burst of cold energy shot out of the furious
Monarch’s mouth.
Hwoooosh!
The man crossed his arms in front of his chest to block the
icy energy. His two arms froze from the blast, rendering him
unable to move them. He could no longer defend himself
from the following barrage of attacks.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
With each punch, the man’s upper body teetered, but his
feet remained planted firmly on the ground. He endured the
attacks even as blood pooled at his feet.
“The gall of this mere human!” The Frost Monarch raised
his right arm behind him. Cold energy coated his arm,
forming a massive column of ice. Would the man be able to
withstand this? The Frost Monarch dropped the ice column,
aiming to not only take down the human but also crush the
Shadow Monarch’s vessel.
Whoom!
As the ice column descended upon him, the man raised his
frozen arms above his head. He would protect Jinwoo to the
last, even if it meant breaking his arms or being completely
crushed. His body shone as he mustered every ounce of the
Ruler’s power within him.
Boom!
A collision. But he felt no impact.
What’s going on……?
The man peeked up to see someone standing in front of
him.
……!
Pitch-black armor. A long red mane atop a black helmet. It
was Igris, a loyal subject of the Shadow Monarch. To the
Frost Monarch’s disbelief, Igris had caught the column of ice
with both hands and shoved it out of the way, perfectly
blocking his attack.
“Igris the Bloodred?”
The appearance of a marshal could mean only one thing.
The startled Frost Monarch hurried to look behind the
human. Sure enough, the vessel of the Shadow Monarch had
vanished from sight.
The Frost Monarch now understood what the Fang
Monarch had been saying earlier. The mana in the air was
practically vibrating as a reaction to the appearance of a
transcendent being.
Igris turned around, respectfully dropped down on one
knee, and bowed his head.
“Skraaaaaah!”
Beru had appeared at the same time as Igris. He roared
to announce the return of their master and went down on
one knee.
Jinwoo walked out between the two soldiers. He scanned
the terrible destruction before turning to the Frost
Monarch.
“Did the beast run away?”
“……”
It wasn’t until he was finally facing the true Shadow
Monarch that the Frost Monarch realized why the Fang
Monarch was so frightened. Despite being the king of all
things frozen and being the embodiment of the shivering cold
itself, the Frost Monarch couldn’t stop quivering.
Jinwoo frowned. “……I did not allow this.”
Puzzled, the Frost Monarch asked, “What?”
“I did not allow him to leave.”
“What are you talking about……?”
Jinwoo ignored the bewildered Frost Monarch and closed
his eyes, expanding his perception beyond South Korea to
locate the Fang Monarch’s unique magic-power signature.
He was confident he could find the Fang Monarch as long as
he was hiding somewhere on earth and not between
dimensions. He eventually hit the jackpot as he detected the
Fang Monarch in his hideout.
Jinwoo opened his eyes and smiled. “Found you.”
As Jinwoo focused all his attention on locating the beast,
the Frost Monarch saw an opening. This was his one and
only shot. Despite the gap in their powers, Jinwoo was letting
his guard down in front of his opponent. If he let this
opportunity slip through his fingers, all that awaited him
would be death. It was a last-ditch effort to avoid the
encroaching shadow of death.
I must finish him with one strike.
He wound his right arm all the way back as mana
gathered around it, and he generated the most powerful ice
spear he could create. The Monarch poured every drop of
his power into this spear, so much so that the ground he
stood on froze and began to crack.
Then, when the ice spear in his right hand was impossibly
huge, he sent it ripping through the air like a missile.
Whiiiiish!
At the same time, his ice soldiers went after Jinwoo like a
pack of angry dogs.
Whish!
Right before the spear of ice pierced Jinwoo’s face, he
opened his eyes. “Found you.”
Time seemed to stand still, as if someone had pressed
Pause on a video. Well, it was more like time slowed down to
the point that it looked like it had stopped. The spear of ice
was moving slowly but surely. Behind the spear, Jinwoo could
see the Frost Monarch glaring angrily at him. He was also
able to clearly see each movement of the ice soldiers
surrounding him.
This was how the Shadow Monarch saw things when he
was in a battle. His cognitive ability was beyond human
comprehension, so living objects appeared to be frozen in
time. Jinwoo casually surveyed his surroundings as the entire
world seemingly held its breath.
I’ve felt this before……
When had that been? Jinwoo slowly recalled the moment
he had been about to die at the hands of the stone statues.
Time had drastically slowed for him back then as well.
The Shadow Monarch was already with me at that time.
Jinwoo was coming to understand just how long the
Shadow Monarch had been watching him after unlocking the
full extent of his powers.
As he looked around, he saw the backs of his two
marshals.
Oh?
Although everyone else seemed to be frozen in time, Beru
and Igris were slowly responding to the enemies’ attacks. It
was evidence of their unparalleled agility. As he looked upon
them with pride, Jinwoo then remembered the spear coming
at him.
Oh yeah.
The spear inched closer like a bug crawling in midair.
Jinwoo used his power to stop the spear’s advance.
Ruler’s Authority.
Of all the Shadow Monarch’s abilities, this was the one he
had put into practice the most. As soon as Ruler’s Authority
was activated, mana wrapped around the ice spear and
stopped it on the spot. Jinwoo gasped in amazement as he
saw the inner workings of Ruler’s Authority for the first time.
So it wasn’t some invisible hand.
Instead, it was mana that couldn’t be seen by the naked
eye carried out by the will of the user.
Awesome.
When he increased his perception to the max, he could
sense every single flow of mana around him. His eyes
sparkled with delight. This was what the Rulers had given
the world to strengthen it. Though this world hadn’t had a
single ounce of mana before, it now overflowed with it. And
with the Shadow Monarch’s power, Jinwoo had free rein over
it all.
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
His heart leaped as he felt the ebb and flow of the mana
around him.
……Let’s give it a try.
Jinwoo approached his two marshals and put his hands on
their shoulders.
You two don’t need to do anything.
Beru and Igris immediately paused at Jinwoo’s instruction.
He walked past them. He had practiced Ruler’s Authority
whenever he’d had the chance. Now he could maximize his
control of the mana. Jinwoo took a deep breath as he looked
around at the ice soldiers. He was filled with appreciation
for the Shadow Monarch and how much he had taught him
through the system. He concentrated and took control of the
mana around him. The entire area seemed to shake.
Woooom!
It literally took only a second for the powerful wave of
mana Jinwoo had emitted to sweep away the massive number
of ice soldiers. The Frost Monarch felt the mighty mana
storm coming toward him as well.
“……!”
He rushed to create an ice barrier to protect himself.
When the Frost Monarch deactivated the shield, he saw the
remains of his ice soldiers strewn throughout the area. The
powerful mana had swept away everything, including the
blizzards he had conjured up.
This was the power of the Shadow Monarch, also known
as the greatest Fragment of Luminosity and one of the two
mightiest kings.
“H-how……?!”
The Frost Monarch was left trembling in fear. The
Shadow Monarch was like a wall the Frost Monarch could
never overcome.
Satisfied by the results, Jinwoo nodded as he made eye
contact with the frightened Frost Monarch. Even at this
distance, Jinwoo was able to feel the Frost Monarch
trembling.
He still had a debt to settle with the ice elf. Jinwoo’s
expression turned cold as he remembered the late President
Go, and he decided on his plan. He’d kill this one last and
give him time to wallow in fear about his imminent death.
“You’ll go last,” Jinwoo said as he slowly sank into the
shadow beneath his feet. “Wait here while I go after that
beast.”
Had there ever been a time when the entire world cheered
with one voice? When Jinwoo reappeared and stabbed the
Frost Monarch in the chest, everyone pumped their fists and
screamed with joy.
“Whoo-hoooooo!”
It was the best gift they could’ve asked for after the
despair of witnessing the death of the most powerful hunter
in human history at the hands of monsters. People
passionately called out his name. Some were in tears, while
others tried to comfort them. And every one of them watched
as the Asian hunter killed the monster that had threatened
the whole human race.
When national-level hunter Thomas Andre fell and top
hunter Lennart Neirmann stepped up to help, the monsters
had stopped being just South Korea’s problem. It became
about the survival of all humankind.
The horrifying memory of Kamish the dragon devouring
city after city in the United States was still fresh in their
minds. No one wanted to see a tragedy like that happen
again. Viewers across the US, Germany, and around the
world lost their minds over Jinwoo’s victory. It was as if they
were trying to wash away the defeat and fright that had
overcome them when they saw the greatest hunters fall.
“Yeaaaaaah!”
The cheers continued each time Jinwoo attacked the Frost
Monarch until finally the tenacious monster fell, his ashes
scattering in the wind to a deafening roar.
“Whoooooooooo!”
The triumphant cries of the people echoed throughout
different cities. Even news anchors currently on air joined in
the celebrations.
The man in the robe walked behind a building that was half-
demolished and took off his hood. His hair was messy, and his
beard was unkempt. Ilhwan Sung leaned on the wall to catch
his breath.
“Haah, haah……”
He raised his left hand, which he’d lost all feeling in. Sure
enough, it had gone gray, and the fingertips were slowly
turning to ash. It was the consequences of using a higher
being’s power in a human body.
But despite his extreme pain, Ilhwan looked pleased with
himself. “I did it……”
He’d been able to use that power to protect his son. And
now that Jinwoo had taken on the mantle of the Shadow
Monarch, he would be a great help to humankind. It was all
worth it in the end.
He looked away from his disintegrating hand, let his head
hit the wall, and closed his eyes.
The Rulers had loaned their power to Ilhwan and asked
him to stop the Shadow Monarch. Not that he had a choice
when he had been stuck in the gap between dimensions after
the gate closed. He’d returned to earth as an avatar of the
Rulers with a very important mission.
However, he was unable to fulfill his duty. How could a
parent kill their own child even if that child housed the worst
disaster of humankind?
Ilhwan could do nothing but observe Jinwoo from a
distance. While he was putting off his mission, the Rulers’
objective changed, and the brightest Fragment of Luminosity
gave Ilhwan a new order.
Screeeek!
Boonggo, also known as the Ahjin Guild’s van, came to a
stop, and a young man got out of the driver’s side. Jinho had
rushed to the site immediately, as soon as he saw Jinwoo
being brutally attacked. Although he didn’t possess the
perception of a high-rank hunter, he was able to track down
Jinwoo in the crowd of hunters immediately. Jinho ran toward
him with tears in his eyes.
“Bossssss!”
The anger in Jinwoo’s eyes waned a bit when he saw Jinho
running toward him. Jinho tackled him in a hug, and though
Jinwoo would normally dodge it, he stayed put and accepted
the hug. Today was different.
As Jinho clung to him and bawled, Jinwoo gently patted
him on the back. Knowing that someone was so genuinely
concerned about him slowly melted Jinwoo’s frozen heart.
Maybe Jinwoo did need some consolation.
Jinwoo cracked a small smile as Jinho managed to calm
himself enough to lift his snotty, teary face off Jinwoo’s chest.
“Are you okay, boss?”
“No, I’m not.”
“What?” Jinho’s eyes widened in surprise at the
unexpected answer.
In response, Jinwoo pointed at his snot- and tear-stained
shirt.
“Oh!” Jinho hurriedly wiped his eyes and his nose with his
sleeve and hung his head. “I’m sorry, boss. It’s just that I was
so happy that you were okay……”
Jinwoo chuckled. Jinho had always been a little eccentric,
but he’d also always been quick to clue in on what Jinwoo
needed.
Jinho’s face brightened. “Boss, I went ahead and brought
you a change of clothes.”
“Clothes?” Jinwoo looked down at himself. He was a
complete mess after his battle with the Monarchs.
“If you show up at home like this……your mother will get
worried again, won’t she? So I brought you some fresh
clothes.”
Well, well……
Jinho beamed as Jinwoo looked at him proudly. “Let’s go,
boss. I’ll drive you home.”
Jinwoo nodded.
Mom and Jinah probably saw it all on TV, so first things
first. I should go and reassure them that I’m okay.
As Jinho got in the driver’s seat, Jinwoo looked back at the
downtown area. Many people had rushed to the location to
help and were getting the job done.
Jinwoo had gained a thing or two in this battle.
The biggest priority is finding a communication device
that I can use in that forest.
He couldn’t make the same mistake twice. But the biggest
thing he’d gained were the daggers his father had left
behind. He could still feel his father’s warmth coming from
the handles.
Dad……
When Jinwoo made no move to leave, Jinho cautiously
called to him. “Boss?”
Jinwoo gently kissed the hilt of each dagger before storing
them in his inventory. He then slid into the passenger’s seat.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, boss!”
With that, the long day finally came to an end.
South Korea or, rather, Jinwoo Sung must not fall in battle.
It was the day before the projected dungeon break from the
monolithic gate. Two days had passed since the system’s
deletion. Jinwoo was getting used to his life without the daily
quest. Without the limitations of the system, he’d run into
plenty of both conveniences and inconveniences.
One such inconvenience was the loss of the system’s shop.
Jinwoo took out a bottle of healing potion from the inventory
and stared at it as if trying to shoot lasers out of his eyes.
……
The items in the shop were originally conjured up by the
Shadow Monarch by manipulating mana. Theoretically,
Jinwoo should have been able to create the same items at
will. He closed his eyes and pictured the healing potion in his
mind. As he did, he could sense the mana moving around him.
Focus…… Focus……
However, the mana failed to coalesce and scattered every
which way instead. It was a failure.
Jinwoo opened his eyes and let out a sigh. Crafting by
himself would be difficult to master.
I guess I need to practice more.
At that moment, his cell phone vibrated.
“Hunter Sung. It’s Jinchul Woo.”
“Yes, President Woo.” Jinwoo sat down on the edge of his
bed as he answered his phone.
President Woo’s voice sounded a bit hoarse. He had most
likely been working around the clock due to various
incidents.
“Hunter Sung, um…… If it’s not too much to ask, could you
please stop by the association today?”
The estimated moment of the dungeon break was
imminent, and the association needed some advice from
Jinwoo as the one who would play a pivotal role in this raid.
Since he didn’t have any plans, Jinwoo agreed. “I’ll see you
at the association.”
Click.
Jinwoo was getting ready to leave when Igris piped up.
“Master.”
Yeah?
Jinwoo still found it a little awkward to hear Igris’s
uniquely deep tone and deferential way of speaking.
“There is something I would like to discuss with you.”
The world was turned upside down. The scene of the magic
beasts pouring out from the massive gate and then dropping
to their knees in front of Jinwoo had been broadcasted live
across the globe. Viewers were still reeling from the shock,
and online communities exploded with heated discussions.
minions?
LDamn…… I heard that at least 100k magic beasts
Stop trolling.
LThen feel free to explain what just happened.
LThey look exactly the same as Hunter Sung’s
The sun hadn’t risen yet as Jinwoo slowly ran through the
forest. He’d gotten in the habit of running ten kilometers a
day, so even though he no longer had any daily quests, it
came naturally to him. While breathing in the fresh morning
air, Jinwoo had almost finished working everything out in his
mind.
……It’s time I head back.
He needed to inform people about the eight approaching
armies that would arrive in the near future. He needed to let
everyone know that war was coming.
Jinwoo could not promise everyone’s safety or that the
world would ever be the same. The Dragon King that he’d
seen in the Shadow Monarch’s memories was just that
powerful. The Monarch of Destruction and the army he
commanded turned everything before them to ash.
And their next target was Earth. That was why Jinwoo
needed to give everyone, including himself, time to prepare.
He stopped running after exactly ten kilometers, even
without the system to prompt him. Since he had done the
daily quest almost every day without fail, he had maintained
that muscle memory.
Of course, good habits weren’t the only thing that his body
had memorized. He had learned through many fights and
gained much power as a result. The previous Shadow
Monarch had wanted to rest, and the last gift he had given
Jinwoo was a fighting chance against the oncoming disaster.
Jinwoo changed direction and headed toward the sun
rising over the ridge of a far-off mountain.
……Strange.
Due to her brother’s stubbornness, Jinho’s older sister,
Jinhee, was returning home alone. She carefully pulled her
car over to the side of the road.
The man she had walked past as she left the Ahjin
Guild……
Hunter Jinwoo Sung……
Everyone in Korea knew his face. No wonder she’d
thought he looked familiar. A regular person would have
shrugged and left it there, but Jinhee was the daughter of
Chairman Yoo, a man well-known for never forgetting a face
after just one meeting. Though she wasn’t as good, she had
inherited her father’s talent for facial recognition. She was
certain she had seen him at that exact angle where he’d
brushed past her.
When was that……?
Her eyes widened as soon as she remembered.
Was it……?
It was at the hospital. When her father had been admitted
for the Eternal Sleep Disease, she had passed someone at
the hospital entrance with a similar frame. Why hadn’t she
recognized Jinwoo back then? Though it was understandable,
because she had been a little out of sorts with her father in a
coma.
Yeah, that was definitely him.
Jinwoo had been the person she had passed that day. And
right after that, Jinhee had been told that her father had
come to, even though the doctors had been saying he’d never
wake up again. Could it have been a mere coincidence?
Goose bumps covered Jinhee’s entire body, and she took
out her phone to call her father.
Beep, beep, beep!
But she hesitated before she finished dialing.
What am I doing……?
Why did she think Jinwoo had anything to do with her
father’s recovery just because he happened to be there that
day? She was being delusional. She let out a sigh and
wondered where her mind had gone before she started the
car again.
Then her phone rang. Right on cue.
Mr. Secretary
money from the giant incident, make him pay for it!
“Ta-daaa!”
Jinah’s face brightened as Jinwoo served her the kimchi
stew he had made.
“Wow! It looks so good!”
Meanwhile, Kyunghye felt guilty for letting her busy son
cook. “I could’ve made it for you……”
Jinwoo replied with a smile. “I wanted to show you the
expert cooking skills that I’ve been honing.”
He had finally managed to persuade his mom to surrender
the kitchen to him. Jinwoo pestered his mom to taste his
masterpiece. She picked up her spoon with a smile on her
face.
“Hwoo……” She carefully blew on the stew before having
a taste. Her eyes widened in surprise.
Jinah poked her for her thoughts. “So how is it, Mom? It’s
good, isn’t it?”
“It is!”
Jinwoo grinned at his shocked mother.
“Who knew Jinwoo could cook, right? Try this, too, Mom.
His perfectly seasoned side dishes.” Jinah sang her brother’s
praises with a grain of rice stuck on her lip.
But as the look on Kyunghye’s face slowly began to
change, Jinwoo turned to her. “Mom?”
Kyunghye quietly put down her spoon. “Jinwoo……is
something the matter?”
Jinwoo tried his best to keep a straight face. “What are
you talking about?”
“Your father used to cook for me like this before he went
on a dangerous mission.”
“……”
Jinwoo hadn’t cooked for her before he went to Japan to
defeat those giants or when the huge gate opened in Seoul,
but he was now. Kyunghye couldn’t help but worry, as a
mother’s intuition was always correct.
I guess I am my father’s son. I can’t believe I’m doing the
same thing he did……
Jinwoo internally shook his head before he answered his
mother. “Nothing’s the matter, Mom.”
Kyunghye picked up her spoon again and smiled back. It
was hard to tell whether it was because she actually
believed her son or because she didn’t want to pry at his
strained smile.
Jinah held her spoon in her mouth as she observed the
exchange between her mother and brother. She joined in the
laughter as she went back to eating.
Toward the end of their meal, Jinwoo heard Bellion’s voice
in his head.
My lord. I have prepared the soldiers as you have
commanded.
Got it.
Beru continued as if he had been waiting for Bellion to
finish.
My king, accommodations for you have been prepared as
well.
……I see. Thank you.
Jinwoo hadn’t really asked for that, though. At any rate, he
slowly rose from his chair following their report.
“I’m done eating.”
As he began to put the dishes away, Jinwoo’s hands froze
when he heard a noise coming from outside.
Sounds like four sets of footsteps……
He could hear their hearts racing. Although it didn’t
matter to Jinwoo, he could tell that all four were ordinary
people and not hunters.
What’s up with them?
No thief would be crazy enough to try and rob the home of
an S-rank hunter. And with Surveillance Team members
assigned by President Woo guarding the lobby, no reporters
could enter the building. Jinwoo was puzzled when the
doorbell rang.
Ding-dong!
“Let me answer it.” He stopped his mother from getting
up and went to the door.
Kerchak.
Jinwoo opened the door to reveal three well-built young
men in black.
They don’t look like they’re from the Hunter Command
Center……
Jinwoo eyed their outfits. “What brings you here?”
The three young men stepped aside for an older man.
“Hunter Sung……my apologies for the unannounced visit,
but may we please talk?”
Jinwoo’s voice went up in surprise. “……Chairman Yoo?”
The chairman looked a bit of a mess. Whatever he wanted
to talk about was not to be discussed here. Jinwoo thought
about his mother and sister as he glanced toward the kitchen
table. He then turned back to Chairman Yoo.
“……” Chairman Yoo anxiously awaited Jinwoo’s response.
Jinwoo debated it for a bit before he answered. “As long
as it’s somewhere private……”
The chairman’s face lit up. “Then I will escort you
somewhere quiet. Please come with me.”
Jinwoo went back inside to inform his mother and grab a
jacket. He then followed Chairman Yoo and his men to the
lobby of the building. As expected, reporters were camped
just outside the entrance. It was possible the chairman had
brought along the three bodyguards in order to get through
the crowd.
The reporters yelled as they aggressively wrestled with
the hunters of the Surveillance Team.
“Come on! You let the chairman of Yoojin Construction in
but not us? That makes no sense!”
“You said Chairman Yoo was a guest of Hunter Sung’s?
Then why can’t we be his guests? Fine, we’re his guests. Are
you happy now?”
“Oh, sure, the biggest sponsor of the association is fine,
but no journalists?”
The reporters pushed so hard that they would’ve trampled
the people in their way had they not been hunters.
“Please step aside!”
The Surveillance Team was starting to seem overwhelmed
by the reporters.
“Hunter Sung has said no interviews!”
“I said, step aside!”
“You need permission from the association to see Hunter
Sung!”
Unable to use their powers against ordinary citizens, the
Surveillance Team struggled to keep the reporters in line.
Feeling bad for them, Jinwoo decided to take matters into his
own hands.
“Huh? What?”
The reporters found themselves suddenly floating in the
air.
“H-help!”
This time, Jinwoo lifted the reporters ten meters up in the
air. As he exited the building, he was enthusiastically greeted
by the hunters.
“Hunter Sung, sir!”
“Hunter Sung!”
Used to his tactics, the hunters weren’t all that surprised
by the situation. On the other hand, Chairman Yoo and his
three bodyguards couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Oh my goodness……” Chairman Yoo stared at the
reporters struggling in midair. For the first time ever, he felt
bad for the members of the press as their faces grew pale.
The person in charge approached Jinwoo. Although he
looked troubled, he couldn’t help his smile. “Hunter Sung……
we’ll get in trouble if you keep doing this.”
“They were growing too loud for me to ignore.”
“Ha-ha!”
Contained in a tent of magic power, no one could hear the
reporters screaming.
The person in charge glanced up at them. “So how long
are you going to leave them up there this time?”
“I was thinking of giving them five minutes to settle
down.”
The hunters of the Surveillance Team guffawed at the new
record.
Ha-ha-ha!
“Hush, hush!” The hunter in charge muffled his own laugh
and tried to keep his subordinates in check. He turned to
Jinwoo and made a polite request. “Please just make sure no
one gets hurt.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Jinwoo had mastered Ruler’s Authority, a skill involving the
manipulation of mana just like moving an object in his own
hands, quite some time ago. Even if he left the area, the
mana would safely lower the reporters to the ground.
I can’t help their nausea, though……
Jinwoo figured this was fair warning, considering the
ruckus they were causing in front of his home.
Chairman Yoo’s sedan pulled up to the curb, and Jinwoo
and Chairman Yoo got in the back seat. The car glided away
from the apartment building and headed toward Chairman
Yoo’s mansion.
Since all of Jinwoo’s stats were maxed out, the only thing he
could improve was the ability to command his army. He
returned to the restricted area in Japan to train. The vast
sea of trees devoid of any other humans lay in front of him.
Upon Jinwoo’s command, Grand Marshal Bellion divided
the entire army into three groups to be led by himself, Igris,
and Beru. Jinwoo nodded as he surveyed the three units from
the top of a hill. Based on the energy signatures coming from
the soldiers, it looked like Bellion had paid strict attention to
the division of power among the three groups.
Bellion bowed when he made eye contact with Jinwoo. He
seemed to be a perfectionist just like Igris.
On the other hand……
Is he kidding me?
Jinwoo turned to look at the “small” shelter at the top of
the hill.
“Beru, get your ass over here.”
Zoom!
Beru ran over in a split second and dropped to his knees
next to Jinwoo. “My king!”
“Assume the position.” Beru slammed his head on the
ground even before Jinwoo had finished his sentence.
Jinwoo exclaimed, “This is what you consider small?!
Never mind its size! How is this a shelter?”
“Skree……” Beru pouted. “This is the least you deserve as
our king……”
“……”
Jinwoo brought his palm to his face. He had forgotten that
ants were builders. Considering the sizes of their homes
relative to the sizes of their bodies, he should’ve expected
something like this.
Jinwoo looked up and was overwhelmed by the grandness
of the so-called small shelter. A huge white stone castle that
stretched the length of the area had been constructed. It
was so tall that Jinwoo had to crane his neck to look up at it.
Jinwoo rubbed his temples and sighed. “That black flag
flapping at the top of the castle…… What were you
thinking?”
Bellion quickly moved next to Beru and also assumed the
position.
Boom!
Jinwoo was at a loss for words as he simply stared at the
two marshals. He eventually turned around toward the other
soldiers.
“Okay, let’s just begin the drill, everyone!”
The thunderous cry of the shadow soldiers shook the
ground.
“Raaaaaaaaah!”
9
PRIDE AND DELUSION
One day. Two days. Three days. As three days passed since
the first appearance of the multiple large gates over eight
different countries, things began to grow critical for them
and their neighboring countries. With no one offering any
solutions to this crisis, angry citizens hit the streets to
protest and demand some answers.
The news switched back and forth between showing the
gates and reporting on the increasing number of
demonstrations.
Beep.
Jinchul turned off the TV, quietly put down the remote
control, and looked to where Jinwoo was sitting. “Hunters in
Canada are rallying behind Jay Mills. It also looks like India
and a few other countries with powerful enough hunters are
preparing for raids of their own.”
Jinwoo just nodded quietly. The choice was theirs. As for
him, it was time to focus on the battle against the Monarchs.
“The United States is watching your every move. It’s not
an exaggeration to say that the whole world is keeping an
eye out for your next step.” Jinchul dithered before getting to
the heart of the matter. “What are you planning to do,
Hunter Sung?” Jinchul watched Jinwoo for a reaction.
We must not get in his way.
The truth was, he’d been hiding something from Jinwoo.
The whole world was sending out SOS signals, asking for
Jinwoo’s help. There were so many requests that it was
keeping him from focusing on his actual work. In particular,
the United States, which shared a border with Canada, was
begging for assistance.
But the Hunter’s Association’s purpose was to assist
hunters so that they could concentrate on hunting magic
beasts. In accordance with the principles President Go had
laid out, Jinchul said nothing and awaited Jinwoo’s decision.
And Jinwoo had already made up his mind.
It’s impossible to fight all eight armies at once.
In that case, he elected to take care of the threat closest
to South Korea, where his family lived. He would deal with
the other Monarchs later. His chance at victory would
increase with each successive battle anyway.
First up is……
Jinwoo turned to Jinchul. “I’m going to China.”
Jinwoo had seen the skill locked within the rune stone
through the system. It contained the power of a dragon, but
he previously hadn’t been interested in the rune stone
because of the skill’s obvious disadvantage. Jinwoo hadn’t
needed it.
But……times change.
Jinwoo and the director descended to the ninth
underground level within the Hunter Command Center
headquarters. They soon arrived in front of the tempered-
glass display case housing the rune stone.
Without the system, Jinwoo now looked over the skill
contained in the stone using his own eyes and perception. It
was as he had remembered—a terrifying power. However,
this incredible power was worth any drawbacks, especially
in this situation.
Ba-dump!
Jinwoo’s heart pounded in his chest.
After staring at the rune stone for a moment, David posed
a question. “You said these so-called Rulers sent magic
beasts here, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why are these rune stones in the bodies of magic
beasts?”
“They’re gifts of sorts from the Rulers to help us hunt
magic beasts more efficiently.”
The Rulers had wanted to release mana into this world
through violent clashes between humans and magic beasts.
The sacrifice of humans was an unfortunate side effect, not
their ultimate goal. Having rune stones seal a magic beast’s
power when it died was their attempt at sympathy for the
humans’ plight.
That was how Kamish’s power had come to be stored in
this rune stone. Jinwoo took hold of the key for his
counterattack.
The director swallowed as he nervously watched Jinwoo
with the rune stone in his hand. “Can……can you really stop
those magic beasts with that?”
“I’ll have to try at least.”
Even at this very moment, the armies led by the Dragon
King continued their advance and destruction of everything
in sight. Thanks to the Rulers reinforcing the world with
mana, the armies could only move so fast. However, that was
just buying time. Before long, the whole planet would be on
fire.
Jinwoo couldn’t very well just watch the world come to an
end, now could he?
The enemy very much feared the power of the Shadow
Monarch. They wanted to disrupt that power even if it meant
plotting against the Shadow Monarch behind his back.
Jinwoo was going to show them how a weak creature could
wield that power.
“I’m going to do everything I can.”
The determination in Jinwoo’s eyes hit the director right in
the heart. Jinwoo had never backed down from a fight,
regardless of how powerful his opponent was. Meanwhile,
David had spent much of his time trying to avoid the threat.
Standing in Jinwoo’s presence, the director felt utterly
inadequate.
Was I really thinking of joining my daughter? How
pathetic of me……
David was ashamed of himself. Now he wanted to bear
witness to Jinwoo’s battle, regardless of the outcome.
“I have no right to ask this of you, but……please stop
those monsters!” The director sobbed.
Perhaps all David had really wanted was to avoid dying at
the hands of those magic beasts. As the head of the Hunter
Command Center, he should have led the charge against
them, but he didn’t have the courage to watch countless
Americans die. But even if they were merely hanging on by a
thread, Brannon wanted to grab on to it no matter what. He
continued to tear up as he summoned this newfound courage.
Jinwoo gently put his hand on the director’s shoulder.
“……”
To David, this gesture felt more dependable than a
thousand words of reassurance. He wiped away his tears.
“How embarrassing. I’m sorry, Hunter Sung.”
Jinwoo waited until Brannon was calmer before he spoke.
“One more thing. There’s somebody I need to find.”
……
Jinwoo stood on the roof of the tallest building downtown
and sharpened his senses to search for an energy signature,
the same way he’d located Jinho when he was kidnapped. He
sensed a countless number of soldiers making their way
south from the northern tip of the country. He couldn’t sense
a single living creature left in their wake. Everyone had been
devoured by the denizens of chaos.
Byunggu Min, Gunhee Go, Adam White, and Jinwoo’s
father. The faces of all the victims who had been sacrificed in
this fight flashed through Jinwoo’s mind. Fury clawed at and
engulfed his heart.
Jinwoo closed his eyes to search for the Dragon King
within the huge army. It wasn’t difficult to locate the eye of a
storm that was consuming everything in its path.
……Found you.
Jinwoo and the Dragon King spotted each other at the
same time. He sensed the energy scanning him and knew
that only one person possessed that kind of power. The
emperor stopped dead in his tracks and glared in Jinwoo’s
direction. Having located his true enemy, his reptilian eyes
stared into the darkness for quite some time.
……
……
The Shadow Monarch and the Monarch of Destruction
met each other’s eyes even from that distance. The Monarch
of Destruction was the first to bare his fangs.
“I am right here!” A dreadful roar like hundreds of
thousands of lightning bolts striking at once shook the sky.
“Tens of millions of your kind are already dead. How long are
you going to hide like that?”
Jinwoo’s eyes flashed with rage.
I’m coming for you. And when I get my hands on you……
Jinwoo swallowed the rest of his words and silently sank
into the shadows.
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