A Prayer for a Bite
That was a sudden turn of events.
[The Plague of the End. Healing is possible only by clearing it.]
[Current estimated number of infected people in Korea: 28.4 million.]
[A time frozen in fear, streets swallowed by terror.]
[Insanely fast plague spread. Neighboring countries are already...]
Even more terrifying than a gate break: the plague of the end.
[This is absurd... I never thought the world would end like this...]
— A gas mask doesn't even work, does it?
— Thank goodness I'm a hikikomori. My world hasn't changed at all.
— I suppose if you just keep the gate sealed, it comes back like this.
— No food at home... famine versus the plague...
Everyone had lost their dreams and hopes, and they were all just staring at the ground in despair when—
[Congratulations!]
[The Apostle of the Skeleton Star has solo-cleared a hidden end-grade quest.]
[The plague is immediately lifted.]
Messages appeared right in front of everyone infected by the plague.
The internet was the first to react.
[(Breaking) Plague of the End quest cleared! Infected people recovering rapidly!]
[(Breaking) Shocking solo clear! Who is the hunter hiding behind the Skeleton Star?]
— No way! We were already expecting the hopeless end of the world... but...
— Solo clear means he did it all by himself?
— Who is the Apostle of the Skeleton Star?
— How is the constellation named Skeleton Star lol
— Is the Skeleton Star dad your friend?
— Wow, he really saved the whole world!
— Parents, you're awake... Thank you.
— Thank you.
— Thank you is all? I really thought I was going to die...
After about five minutes, posts and comments from people who had been infected and then woken up began to appear. Their relief was clear even in the text.
End-grade quest cleared.
The message, twisted with tears of joy, meant a new life. The world that had seemed at its end was reborn.
Those who had nearly died thanked the unknown hunter, the Apostle of the Skeleton Star, endlessly.
He had literally brought them back from the dead.
Most people had no idea who he was, but not everyone was in the dark.
Right away, Kim Cheolgeun, the chairman of Babylon who had died and come back from the other side of the globe, knew that the Apostle of the Skeleton Star was Doosik.
“It really is Lee Doosik... from the very first meeting, huh. My benefactor in this life...”
“Papa, too sick? You’re still in a lot of pain?”
“No, not too sick, too... Do sick?”
“Still in pain, Papa?”
“Haha, no. It’s a person’s name—Lee Doosik.”
“What the... How is a person’s name Lee Doosik?”
“Haha... But Sera, our pretty daughter. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No!”
And then—
“If it’s the Skeleton Star... could it be that friend? I only had a tiny hope... Solo clear? Impossible...”
Anseongjin, who had been suppressed by Hwang Tae-san, also recognized him.
“...I guess it’s time for me to retire too... I’m seeing people way too clearly now...”
Baek Jongdu, who had given Lee Doosik an E-rank judgment along with Anseongjin, was also there.
[Oryukdo Gate, Shelter for the Forgotten]
Thanks to Kim Taesu and Cho Chiyong, a crowd had gathered at the shelter in Hae-mu.
Even Choi Kang, who had been trying to recruit Doosik, was there.
“Whoa, we almost died and came back to life.”
“Hee, I thought Great Lord was gone.”
“But if it’s the Skeleton Star, then the Skeleton Ping... He saved our lives. Let’s go, Maria.”
“Neng? Where to?”
“First, to the Breath of Steel.”
“Neng!”
Even the head of Babylon’s Future Strategy Planning Division, Executive Director Jang Ja-wook, had noticed.
“P-please... take me with you...”
“Babylon isn’t a competitor?”
Choi Kang mounted Maria’s staff and soared into the air.
Jang Ja-wook felt like a dog chasing its own tail.
At that moment, a call came in.
[Chairman Noh Jang-cheon]
“Huk! Chairman, yes, it’s Executive Director Jang Ja-wook. I have no issues at work... Wh-what? You want me to recruit him no matter what? H-but right now... the Mir Guild already... Wh-what? Even if I have to give you everything you want? H-but... Uh. Yes. I’ll do my best! Chairman!”
Even Noh Jang-cheon, chairman of Babylon and owner of Huntred, knew his identity.
Of course, the closest people to Doosik didn’t need to say anything.
“As expected, Doosik hyung. You’re amazing.”
“Skeleton weirdo... The crazy bastard actually pulled it off. Tsk, damn tears...”
Choi Hyeondo and Kim Taesu.
And finally—
“Our Doosik... Honey, Doosik... Hic. Our son Doosik... saved the world. Heee... My son! My son! He saved the world... Honey...”
There was no way Doosik’s father had not heard the news first.
* * *
【The rank of the Skeleton Star has increased by 32 levels.】
【The Skeleton Star praises your outstanding performance.】
【The Skeleton Star is considering a generous reward.】
My stomach feels like it’s going to burst.
There’s still more reward left?
More important than the reward, though—the evolution result first!
“It worked, right? Attached, right? Evolution?”
Hansik, Geunsik, Minsik, and Cheolsik were all jumping up and down yelling “Long live!” It was definitely attached. Success rate 18.8 percent, failure over 80 percent, and it succeeded. But what was confusing me was that the original Throne of the Immortal King had been a chair, and it had changed.
“Why did it become a belt?”
Of course, becoming a belt wasn’t unwelcome. The design was cool enough.
“—If evolution succeeds, the item will evolve!”
“—It will evolve to be perfectly tailored for the user!”
That was what Minsik and Geunsik had said, but I hadn’t realized what it meant until I saw it.
[(Legend) Throne of the Immortal King +1]
(Wearing location: waist)
...(More)
“The name is still the same... Oh!”
One option from the original had been added!
▶ [Throne Summon] A custom-designed ergonomic throne is summoned. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
“Ah, this is it! The throne? When a king sits, isn’t that a throne? I’m a monarch, so it’s natural that wherever I sit is a throne.”
Actually, the original Throne of the Immortal King had been uncomfortable.
Too hard, hip would go numb.
Too big to touch the backrest.
Waist hurt, armrests too high.
So I had to sit in a bad posture.
Maybe it had finally reflected my exact needs.
But—
“Eh? What... The reflection option is gone? But the lump is still there.... Yeah, it’s still a chair.”
Deleting the reflection item that caused -70% HP probably reflected the fact that I was now wearing the Dimensional Ruin Gauntlet as well.
It was satisfying.
“Evolution... this is really....”
Fail = bang. Succeed = massive boom.
Evolving into an item perfectly suited for my current situation....
Way better than random gacha synthesis.
I was hooked on evolution already....
If I evolved the Oculus Eye, would I really be able to go to America? No. Don’t get greedy.
Or else I’d just go blind. One eye ruined is the same as losing both.
I shook off the temptation and immediately put on the Throne of the Immortal King (belt). While worn on the waist, no effects applied.
Yeah.
[Lump]: Movement speed -100%
If the belt applied it, I’d be bypassing the limit.
“Throne Summon.”
A majestic yet restrained throne was summoned. Not as luxurious as a Herman Miller, but the moment I sat—
“Oh...”
My waist felt perfect.
My body felt weightless, like in zero gravity, without any pressure on any part of me. It was this gentle hug.
I quickly felt drowsy.
But then—
“My body... called out to me....”
“Waaaaah!”
I shot up from my seat at the sudden, chilling voice.
Realization kicked in.
“What? What? What is this? Hansik, did you hear that?”
Click-click.
“Geunsik, you? Cheolsik, Minsik. None of you heard?”
The skeleton guys looked confused.
Was it a hallucination?
Too tired?
I had pushed myself way too hard today.
There had been way too many things to do.
I’d suffered in Kalid’s belly.
If not for Tess-hyung, I’d still be in Kalid’s belly....
Oh, right!
“I almost forgot. Tess-hyung!”
I hurriedly climbed onto the warhorse.
‘Will it work?’
“Throne Summon.”
“Oh!!”
On the warhorse, a saddle materialized.
Should I call it a horse throne?
Overwhelming pressure and momentum, plus dignity.
“This is really insane?”
Unbelievable.
Even on the warhorse, the hug was perfect.
Too comfortable.
Sleepy driving is dangerous, though....
Even with autopilot.
“Hurrt.”
The riding feel was incredibly smooth.
There were tons of unconfirmed rewards, including the Myth-grade Great Sword of the Ancient Plague reborn with me, but when I was busy, multitasking. I’d check the rest while riding.
First, I sent the Oculus Eye to scout Kalid’s disguise and check Tess-hyung’s status,
“What? That! Woowowow...”
Something blurry was moving.
I reined the horse to a stop.
I stared at the ruins of a collapsed building.
A human-shaped afterimage.
Even with the Oculus Eye, detection was this weak. It was stealth of a different level. Someone was watching me.
From when?
Enemy?
I took the Great Sword of the Ancient Plague from my inventory and gripped it.
At the same time as the heavy weight, I felt an enormous aura.
Instinctively, I knew.
This was no quest item that some quest dog had planted. This was the real deal.
‘Emotion.’
[(Myth) Great Sword of the Ancient Plague]
This great sword used by the plague lord Morba who was erased by the Apostle of the Skeleton Star.... (More)
▶ [Disease] Upon hit, there is a certain probability of inflicting a random ‘disease’ status on the enemy (10 seconds)
▶ [Curse] Upon hit, there is a certain probability of inflicting a random ‘abnormality’ status on the enemy (3 seconds)
▶ [Absorb] Upon hit, 5% of damage is absorbed.
▶ [Contagion] Some diseases are contagious; every time the carrier increases, the ‘disease’ duration is reset.
Those qualified may only use it.
‘Holy crap....’
Myth-grade really was on another level.
I swallowed my admiration and lowered my voice toward the human-shaped afterimage that was invisible to the naked eye.
“Come out. I can see everything.”
Click!
Four named skeleton knights drew their weapons and pointed them at him.
Srrrrk.
One man hiding there revealed himself, hands raised. Green hair. It was definitely the guy who had been hiding in the tree when I came out of Kalid’s nostril back then. Had he been following me since then?
“Heh, caught. I knew I could see you.... Churup.”
But something was wrong with his state.
He was drooling.
—S-rank assassin hunter, the Poison King Park Sang-yoon.
Hansik informed me via sign language.
As expected, Hansik knew everything.
He knew all the information publicly listed on Huntred.
He knew famous hunters.
But S-rank?
Even Tess-hyung is only A-rank.
I thought there were fewer than a hundred S-rank hunters in Korea combined....
“Sorry, but I’m busy right now. If you have something to say, let’s do it later. Hurrt!”
“W-wait... where are you rushing off to?”
The Poison King Park Sang-yoon appeared right in front of the horse’s nose in an instant.
“!!!”
Instant teleport?
I hadn’t even tracked it with my eyes.
My heart raced, cold sweat breaking out.
If he had been an enemy... I would have been helpless.
I calmed my pounding heart.
Don’t panic first.
“Do you have business with me?”
“I-um... can I taste your sword just once....”
Wait.
One of the most taboo and secretly rampant things in the hunter world was PK—and the main cause was ‘items’.
There were thieves everywhere who would steal someone else’s strength.
Of course, only those qualified could wear them, and I was the only one who could, but I could still take them.
I hurriedly hid the Great Sword in my spatial pocket.
“Ah, no!”
But the Poison King sat down on the ground with a thud.
A lost expression.
Would he really do this?
“What? Why are you acting like this?”
“That... that... just let me taste it once....”
“Eh?”
Was he crazy?
I doubted my ears.
“Please. I’ll give you money every time I taste it. A! Or I’ll sell it?”
“No thanks. Hurrt.”
The world was wide and there were plenty of weirdos, they said....
Stay away from this insane pervert.
“300 billion?”
What?
“Please! I’ll do anything you ask!”
He begged.
This was probably—
I’d picked up another weirdo on the way.
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