Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: 3rd Floor Uninhabited Island
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Ju Gonghyeok arrived at the center of the incident.
“You’re here.”
The hunters who had arrived first were already there.
All their gazes were fixed on one spot.
A torn mantle and a pitch-black sphere atop the boiling outer core.
“It’s a baby gate.”
“A baby. An SS-rank spatial-type avatar held by a baby.”
Inside the pitch-black sphere was a baby about six months old.
The item the baby wore was one of the rare SSS-rank unique items.
Nyx’s Veil, which formed absolute concealment and a protective barrier.
Along with spatial distortion abilities that permitted no attacks or approaches.
‘Ah, now I see how it all went down.’
Newly born awakeners were weak. With no monsters around, it was hard for them to wield world-destroying power.
But spatial-temporal ability users were the exception.
Even a baby would be killed the moment its powers were identified.
Yet the precious grandchild of Ben-Hur and Yulia, executives in the surveillance agency, turned out to be that spatial ability user.
They had killed other people’s children without hesitation, but they couldn’t do the same to their own grandson.
Most hunters already harbored resentment toward Gonghyeok anyway.
A dictator who preached empty ideals about preventing extinction.
An executioner from the surveillance agency who might chop off their heads at any moment—that was how they saw Gonghyeok.
‘Kill this child for a destruction that might or might not happen? Absolutely not! We’ll protect this child.’
As executives, Ben-Hur and Yulia knew the surveillance system ‘Argos’ inside out.
The couple exploited its weaknesses to hide the child. They used the SSS-rank stealth item ‘Nyx’s Veil’ and every item scraped together from Babel to evade Argos’s watch.
‘But the child’s power must have been unexpectedly strong.’
The first few months might have gone as they planned, with the baby staying quiet. But once it used its powers, things spiraled out of control.
Dawn cries warped space, wails for its mother sliced through it.
An ability rampage impossible to control, dictated solely by the infant’s emotions.
The first victims were Yulia’s ordinary son and daughter-in-law. By the time Yulia and Ben-Hur realized the extent of the child’s powers, the disaster had already struck.
And then Yulia and Ben-Hur willingly gave their lives to Zeus’s lightning.
Gonghyeok’s body trembled.
His knees gave out, and he slumped against the shattered mantle rocks, utterly drained.
“Haha, hahahaha.”
He clutched his face with both hands. Only hollow laughter escaped his lips.
How many minutes passed like that? A few hunters approached Ju Gonghyeok.
“Mr. Ju, I get that you’re sad, but let’s stop the despair act. Even though Earth ended up like this, with our stats, we can survive in space.”
“You’ve been preparing Mars terraforming with ability users for years. Let’s try that plan. It might take 200, 300 years...”
The laughter stopped, and fury spilled from his lips.
“Shut your mouth.”
Crack.
The two men’s necks caved into their torsos. Their bodies shook back and forth a few times before vanishing in the outer core’s heat.
“It’s all over. Damn it, it’s all over!”
Don’t say creepy shit. Spend centuries turning Mars livable, die peacefully, and then I alone regress 900 years back—what then?
Regress.
The whisper came again.
Regress.
Regress. Regress.
Regress.
Protect humanity.
Save it from destruction.
An unknown whisper urging him to regress and save the world.
It carried some coercive force.
‘I’ll go mad.’
He’d already gone mad about eleven times, but one more would snap his humanity.
Casually regress hundreds of times to find a future where hunters don’t destroy the world?
His nerves wouldn’t hold.
In a corner of Gonghyeok’s mind, a thought he’d been avoiding finally surfaced.
Kill them all.
‘For real?’
You think you can stop dozens of extinctions alone?
‘That’s why I killed the most dangerous ten thousand.’
Even the safest hunter can destroy the world.
As long as even one hunter remains in this world.
The chance of destruction isn’t zero.
No matter how many hunters you cull, their sons, grandsons, great-grandsons will carry the risk.
You... can you protect the world until then?
‘......’
The Demon King destroyed the world, so you eradicated the Demon King.
So if hunters destroy the world...
Just kill all the hunters.
‘Yeah, I vaguely knew it.’
Hunters bring extinction to the world.
But among them were loved ones and comrades he’d fought beside.
Everyone, including Ju Gonghyeok, was a victim of Babel.
Couldn’t overwhelming power stop it?
Couldn’t killing those who caused destruction in advance prevent it?
Couldn’t executing the dangerous elements who could easily shatter Earth work?
That was how Ju Gonghyeok failed six times.
How many regressions were left?
Time was running out. He had to find a solution within that.
While he could still call himself human.
“From now on, I’ll kill them all.”
Ju Gonghyeok, a third-rate hunter from an orphanage.
216 years lived so far.
2,193,434 humans killed directly by his hand.
The number driven indirectly to death was too vast to record here.
At last, he abandoned all hunters.
= = = = =
Babel 3rd floor.
An uninhabited island in the vast ocean.
Churning blue seas.
Bright sunlight pouring down.
3,000 people gathered atop a massive ark floating in the air.
Lilianne, the alluring succubus in a bikini, lounged as if on vacation, enjoying a tan.
“The place you’re all standing is the ark itself. That’s what you need to build on this 3rd floor.”
Mission: ‘Build the Ark.’
【Rules】 1. Build an ark to escape the 3rd floor. The door to the 4th floor is in the sky.
“Anyone trying to fly up using abilities or tricks? I’ll send you flying with one shot.”
Lilianne lifted her sunglasses slightly and winked.
The ark’s stern burst into flames from the laser beam from her eyes.
【Rules】 2. Arks are built from ‘materials.’ Even the smallest 1-person ark requires 100 materials.
【Rules】 2-1. Materials drop from monsters at low probability. Killing hunters yields 20.
【Rules】 2-2. Arks need ‘floatstones’ to fly. One floatstone requires defeating 6 boss monsters.
Azazel, who had stood like a statue, finally spoke.
“There are 7 boss monsters on the island. Six inhabit individual dungeons, and the last one resides in the central crater.”
Azazel trailed off, glancing at the hunters—more precisely, at Gonghyeok.
“The seventh boss monster possesses something special. Whoever claims it will control the 3rd floor...”
“Lady Azazel, that’s far enough.”
Lilianne’s tail swished, blocking Azazel’s mouth.
“No inducing hunter actions beyond info disclosure.”
“......”
【Rules】 3. The seventh boss monster in the island’s center, ‘Lava Rock Tyrannosaurus,’ hunts once a week.
“Tyranno?”
“No way the monsters here...”
Murmurs rippled among the hunters at the sudden Tyrannosaurus boss name.
【Rules】 4. Hunters drop 10% of earned coins upon death.
All rules explained.
“Now, pair up in groups of ten and head to the island. Get ready~”
With Lilianne’s words, serious discussions erupted among the hunters.
Amid them, a shadow searched specifically for Gonghyeok.
“Oppa, Gonghyeok oppa!”
Ha Yeonsi, who had spent the 2nd floor alone elsewhere.
Her complexion looked somehow dark and unstable.
Much had happened to her on the 2nd floor.
Enough to earn her the nickname ‘Witch Ha Yeonsi.’
‘Not yet. Can’t meet her now.’
Gonghyeok—no, X—hid among the hunters.
Even masked, her recognizing him would be trouble. She needed more ripening.
More pain and wounds until she shed her idealistic fantasies.
Lilianne smiled at the bustling hunters.
“Oh my? Everyone’s working hard on teams. But descent is random.”
With a flick of Lilianne’s smooth bare foot, teleportation magic circles activated beneath the hunters’ feet.
= = = = =
Kriik-kriik.
White sandy beach to the left, dense primitive jungle to the right.
Ten hunters, including Ju Gonghyeok, were teleported to the midpoint.
“That bitch. She’s toying with us.”
Pavlov spat curses, his chest-to-neck scarred grotesquely.
Scanning around, everyone seemed average except for the shadowy hooded figure.
All assumed awkward stances, sizing each other up.
“Ahem. Let’s start with introductions. I’m David.”
“Huh? Who said we’re buddies?”
Pavlov stepped forward to seize control, axe over his shoulder, face twisted menacingly to project rugged menace.
“Listen up. This mission can’t be cleared solo. Even three is tough.”
“Why’s that?”
“Simple. Six boss monsters for one floatstone.”
David gestured to the group.
“Usually need ten raiders per boss.
Kill six that hard, get just one floatstone.”
“I see. So one party hunts a boss together, builds one ark for the whole party.”
“Great! Exactly.”
Various calculations flashed through minds at David’s words.
But for now, better to pretend cooperation than reveal aggression.
A middle-aged man first agreed with David, extending a hand to Pavlov.
“I’m Gerr, was a professor at a small university in reality.”
“Tch... Pavlov here. Not some intellectual like you—just a neighborhood carpenter.”
“I’m Fang Zhao, from China...”
“Zakwani. Sold goods in Congo.”
Handshakes exchanged one by one. Smiling broadly, David approached Gonghyeok.
“Nice to meet you. I’m David, from Tennessee, USA. And you?”
The hound mask stared silently at David’s hand.
“Fine. But...”
Gonghyeok’s greatsword flashed from his bosom, slicing David’s hand upward.
“Guh!”
“Wash your hands before shaking?”
“That bastard’s trouble!”
“Pin him!”
Pavlov summoned his giant avatar. As the massive hand reached for Gonghyeok—
“Wait! David’s hand.”
The severed hand by the greatsword—grass around it withered black.
“Plague-type avatar!”
“Ha! Acted all proper—scammer bastard!”
David stanched his wrist, sweating coldly.
“S-so, wait. It’s not like that...”
【Ignition Booster (D) activated】
Kwaaang!
Flames erupted from the greatsword’s tip, diagonally shredding David’s upper body into the air.
His torso flew like an object, smashing into a sturdy tree.
Cracking bones and ripping flesh formed a dissonant chord.
A higher level of violence. Hierarchy settled in an instant.
All eyes fixed on Gonghyeok’s mask.
“Whew, hot. Hood and mask on a tropical island? Tough.”
Gonghyeok casually removed his mask.
“Pleased to meet you all. I’m Ju Gonghyeok. Sorry, but hear me out?”
“!?”
A metallic clang from the hood’s end—iron chains whipped through the air like a lash.
Slash!
Three guts burst from the unguarded chain strikes.
“In this floor, I’ll operate as Ju Gonghyeok... so everyone who’s seen my mask, kindly die.”
“Damn it! What bullshit!”
Pavlov roared and charged Gonghyeok.
......
【Total materials 180 acquired】
【Acquired ‘rare material’ via murder】
【Blood-Soaked Mast - Ark speed +4 knots】
【Black Anchor Line - Ark maneuverability correction】
【Giant Harpoon - Use unknown (secret)】
“Ignite.”
A small flame kindled in the pipe’s bowl.
Gonghyeok adjusted it carefully, then slowly inhaled from the stem.
“Soul Harvest, Purify.”
【Acquired 2 Dirty Soul Shards, 4 Turbid Soul Shards, 3 Clean Soul Shards】
【Purify skill converts ‘Clean Soul Shards’ to ‘Flawless Soul Shards’】
【Turbid Soul Shards...】
【Dirty Soul Shards...】
Gonghyeok pushed the harvested soul shards into the Sephirot tree in his lower abdomen.
【Nathaniel consumed soul shards. Activity cooldown reduced to 6 hours 16 minutes】
“On this floor, make a few holy beasts too, and people...”
Gonghyeok smirked skyward, blatantly.
“Save as many people as possible, right? Azazel. Let’s coordinate this time. Disappoint me, and you’re in trouble?”
Somehow, lightning struck from the clear sky.