The Nightmare Returns (3)
A thousand hands swept across the land. "Krarrak!" "Kaaak!" As if determined to leave not a single tree or rock standing, a colossal tidal wave crashed over the ogres. They were swept away like autumn leaves in the wind. Like waves. Like a tsunami. Once that merciless wave passed, a fifth of the ogres had vanished.
This won't do. I had to kill them faster, more decisively. The hands of mana seized the ogres by the throat and lifted them skyward. "Krrrk……!" "Kieeeek!" They swung their glaives desperately to shake free, but the mana hands, bluer than ever, held firm. Ten meters. Twenty. A hundred. The thousand hands rose endlessly before slamming them mercilessly into the ground. BOOM! Flesh tore, shattered bone fragments scattered. The once-lush forest became a barren wasteland, red blood flowing freely. Hell. This place was a living hell.
"He's alive……." Irena walked weakly through that hell. Her body was already in poor condition, and pushing herself like this was bound to take its toll. "He's alive……" Like a zombie, she scanned her surroundings and pressed onward. The boundary line. The dense forest and the barren plain. The area Irena had destroyed and the untouched zone were clearly divided. Stepping inside, she saw—
"……." Kim Seongho. His corpse lay sprawled on the ground, his face barely recognizable. Irena clutched her chest at the sight. "Haa… haa…." Her heartbeat grew erratic, pounding as if trying to burst through her ribs. "No… it's not Lee Seonghyun……." Fighting through ragged breaths and blurring vision, she forced her body forward. The deeper she went, the more traces of him appeared. "……." Torn scraps of clothing. A wallet. His belongings surfaced one after another. With each discovery, Irena's expression grew more lifeless.
"No… no… no… no… no… no… no… no…." The light in her eyes had long since faded. Mouth hanging open, she muttered the same word like a madwoman as she advanced. What greeted her was—
"……." Lee Seonghyun lay beside dozens of ogre corpses. The ground was blackened as if scorched, the stench of burning flesh thick in the air. And—
"Aah……" He wasn't moving. His body was covered in wounds, blood still flowing. She approached, praying desperately that he had only fainted, that he had merely lost consciousness. Cradling Lee Seonghyun in her arms, she pressed her ear gently to his chest. No faint heartbeat. No subtle sounds of organs working. Bodily functions had ceased. Realizing this, the tears she had held back finally spilled from Irena's eyes.
"I'm sorry……." An apology that would never reach him. Yet she couldn't stop speaking. "I'm so sorry… truly… truly……!" She clutched his now-cold body tightly. The second time. All the resolutions she had made, all the vows she had repeated, meant nothing. I— What was I? I had sworn to make him my disciple. I had resolved never to repeat what happened with Lee Seongyul. That was why I deliberately delayed naming him my official disciple—afraid he might grow arrogant, overconfident, and recklessly charge into dungeons. But all of it had been pointless.
If I had named him my disciple sooner… He might have survived. With the academy's support, he could have bought elixirs or artifacts and grown stronger. It's all… my fault. Did I even deserve to live after turning him into a corpse? Her mind crumbled. That tattered, patchwork spirit shattered completely. Self-loathing surged in her chest, driving her toward the edge. Rather than… I'll go that way… Instead of struggling to survive in this hell, she wanted to meet the two children waiting in the sky. At her will, mana hands wrapped around her throat. As the pain of her cervical spine crushing hit, she clung tighter to Lee Seonghyun. You must have hurt far worse than this… Thinking of his suffering made this pain feel like nothing. Just as her consciousness began to fade and her vision whitened—
Vwoooom. A golden radiance enveloped her and Lee Seonghyun. It resembled the color of his Thunder God skill, yet far more brilliant. She had seen something similar before. When he used the Wishing Stone… When three bolts of lightning had tried to consume Lee Seonghyun, golden lightning had emerged to protect him. The same golden light now wrapped around him, gently caressing him as if embracing a loved one.
"His wounds……." His ragged body was restoring itself. His stopped heart resumed beating. Necrotic organs revived. "What on earth……." A miracle. A miracle only a god could perform was unfolding. What does it matter if it's a miracle? The theory didn't matter. Even if it was a demon's contract—
"I'm so glad……." He had returned. That was enough. "I'm truly glad……" Irena wept as she held him tightly.
***
"Shit. That's a witch, isn't it……?" Wang Taein clicked his tongue at the scene unfolding before him. In the blink of an eye, she had hurled hundreds of ogres into the air. The result was instant death, naturally. The ogres piled up like a mountain in one corner. So much for retiring because her body was ruined. She could slap around most A-rank hunters. The skill of the woman once called a rising ranker hadn't died yet. But what truly unsettled him was something else. They're terrifying. Lee Seol, Han Yuri, and Choi Ahyeon were all tearing through the area with murderous intent. They were probably looking for that boy. Wang Taein's subordinate approached, face pale.
"Just who the hell is this Lee Seonghyun guy?"
"The fastest to reach D-rank, apparently."
"But wasn't that only because Han Yuri carried him? I don't get why the Association and the Portan Guild are getting involved just to save some guy. He's obviously already a corpse……."
BOOM!
"Eek!" His subordinate trembled as a meteor embedded itself right in front of his feet. Han Yuri glared at the two of them with murderous eyes.
"Find him."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Wang Taein sighed at his flustered subordinate. After thoroughly searching the dungeon, they found Lee Seonghyun. He was sleeping soundly in Irena's arms.
"Lee Seonghyun!"
"Hyun-ah!"
"Seonghyun-ah!"
The three women rushed toward him in joy at the sight of him unharmed. Watching them, Wang Taein spat out a curse. Shit. This damn looks-obsessed world.
***
A breeze blew. A pleasant mountain breeze. Cosmos flowers and grass swayed gently in it. Swish, swish. Listening to the sound of grass rustling in the wind, I opened my eyes. I was in a garden full of cosmos flowers, my head resting on her lap—the one I had missed so much.
"……."
"……."
As if to say I'd worked hard, she stroked my bangs. There were no words between us. Just touching each other made my chest warm and my mind clear. I wanted to stay like this forever. I wished time would stop right here. My small, tiny wish. But no one knew better than I how difficult it was to fulfill. Even if this was a dream, even if it was fake—
"I love you."
The moment the words left my mouth, consciousness surfaced. At the same time, a familiar alcoholic scent stung my nose. A hospital, probably. Somehow, I survived. A forty-eight-hour marathon. Honestly, using Thunder God at the end had been a gamble, but it seemed to have worked out somehow. As I tried to sit up—
"……." Irena. She sat on the caregiver's bed, holding my hand as she slept. Contrary to her cold appearance, her hand was incredibly warm and soft. When I moved my hand slightly to pull away—It won't budge. This woman might be a marksman, but she had monstrous strength. I could force it if I tried, but then Irena would wake up. Giving up, I tried to go back to sleep when—
"…Have you woken up?"
"Ah. Yes."
"How is your body feeling?"
"I'm fine. I feel like I could do three or four assignments like this."
"I see…… I'm glad."
Irena smiled in relief. Carefully, I spoke to her. "Um, Professor… could you let go of my hand?"
"……." Was she ignoring me?
"Professor…?"
"Yes." So she wasn't ignoring me?
"Could you let go of my hand……"
"……." Damn woman. Eventually giving up, I asked her what had happened. "Kim Seongho is dead. His escape was aided by his secretary. She's currently in Association custody."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. We've decided to impose heavier penalties on the guild master and secretary for Kim Seongho's crimes."
So it all ended because Kim Seongho died. I felt a slight pang of regret—I should have tormented him more. An awkward silence fell once the conversation ended. One minute. Two. Only the ticking of the clock filled the hospital room. Irena seemed to be pondering something, staring at the floor, while I gazed at the distant window. Holding hands really does change things. Normally, both Irena and I would have chatted about recent events without hesitation. But this clasped hand created a strange atmosphere. If this continued, something might happen. As I tried to forcibly pull my hand away—
"Lee Seonghyun."
"Yes?"
"You have a goal too, don't you?"
"Well… yes."
"I'll help you achieve that goal. So." She squeezed my hand as if to break it. "Won't you please quit being a hunter?"
Her expression was more desperate than ever as she looked at me with pleading eyes.