Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The First Fork of Destiny (2)
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"Hah!! Hah... W-where... is this?"
Finally coming to my senses and opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was Sophia, her face pale as she poured mana into me.
"S-Sophia? What are you doing right now?"
"Finally... you're awake, Hyun-sol."
Whether it was mana exhaustion or something, Sophia smiled at the sight of my face before collapsing forward onto me.
I grabbed her shoulders lightly and shouted.
"Hey! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"It's not full mana exhaustion, so don't worry... I just used too much mana all at once, so I'm feeling a bit drained."
Sophia assured me she was fine and explained what had happened after I passed out.
I listened silently to her explanation, then took a sip of potion to let her catch her breath as she panted. Slowly rising to my feet, I looked out the window.
Kuoooooh—!!
"A descent-type gate... The fluctuations are incomparable to Arkin Low's."
Even from this distance, the suffocating pressure felt like the gate was right in front of me, wrapping around me tightly.
A pressure so intense it could make me lose consciousness again if I wasn't careful.
I barely held onto my wits and recalled the system alert that had rung just before I blacked out. I checked the messages.
Main Story Chapter 11: "The Red Scar Left by the Sovereign of Pride" and some quests have encountered an unexpected variable.
Arkin Low's exit was faster than anticipated, making Apostle Theo Bain's descent nearly impossible. Thus, the Demon King has made a decision: secure the eternal frost core and force through the Red Scar left by the Sovereign of Pride.
The main story content has changed.
Main Story Chapter 6: "The End of the Snowflower and the Red Dawn's Beginning," along with the First Fork of Destiny, now commences.
Main Quest: Defeat the Lord of Obsession Kalias, the Lord of Comparison Raes Belkel, the Lord of Indulgence Pasara Nebrigos, and the Lord of Ruin Azator Harmegeion—and survive.
These enemies are beyond your current level... No, utterly impossible to survive against. Quest rewards have been enhanced to maximum.
Reward (Upon Survival): 100,000 SP, Guaranteed S-Rank Item Draw Ticket, 1 A~S+ Skill Draw Ticket, Guaranteed S-Rank Trait Draw Ticket.
Vow of No Retreat (S) activated. Book of Restraints demands additional price for Contractor's survival.
"What the hell... is this?"
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I rubbed them furiously and checked the quest window again.
But nothing had changed.
It was really true. To secure the eternal frost core from Seolga's treasure, four Lords had descended.
An utterly unexpected scale of quest had appeared, and that was the reality.
Unable to believe it, I collapsed back into my seat, and Sophia supported me from behind.
"Hyun-sol!!"
"This... what the hell."
"I'm just as shocked, but you can't collapse like this!"
"...Damn..."
I checked the quest window again, and again.
But the text didn't change.
Four Lord-class demons.
Lord of Indulgence Pasara.
Lord of Comparison Raes.
Lord of Obsession Kalias.
And finally—the Lord of Ruin Azator Harmegeion.
"...Don't screw with me. Don't bullshit me, this is insane...? This is straight-up crazy..."
My lips trembled on their own.
Four.
Even one Lord was beyond an average S-Rank Hunter, and now four?
On top of that, this was Seolga.
Not some mid-tier guild or poorly managed gate—this was one of the safest places in Korea.
That sanctuary was being raided by four Lords like it was a joke.
"Hyun-sol, calm down...!"
Sophia grabbed my shoulders from behind, but I gasped roughly, forgetting how to breathe properly.
"Does this make sense...? You think this makes any sense? Even at its worst, it was never this unfair..."
My mind went blank.
The near-appearance of the Black Yin Loop Crawlsaga during the multi-gate, Durahan already showing up, and even going back to Arkin Low—it was all unfair as hell.
But this time, it went beyond that... straight into forcing an annihilation route.
I can't win. No... I can't even survive.
That thought sent a cold, damp fear crawling up from my heart.
The will I'd clung to shattered completely.
Even gathering every bit of power here... we'd only take down one or two Lords at best...
No matter how I thought about it, that was the truth.
I couldn't deny it—not when Sophia and I were overwhelmingly weak at this point, and the enemies overwhelmingly strong.
At that moment—
Tap—!
Cold hands touched both my cheeks.
My eyes shook uncontrollably again.
"Hyun-sol."
It was Sophia.
Her clear violet eyes, unwavering even in this madness.
"Are you... giving up right now?"
"......"
"You, who charged headlong into the dungeon boss's lair to save the students while fighting hundreds of undead?"
Sophia's voice began to tremble.
But listening closely, it wasn't fear—it was anger.
"Hyun-sol, the reason you couldn't pull back even knowing you'd die. Don't tell me... you don't know?"
I couldn't say a word.
"You're far stronger than you think. Far more... resilient."
Sophia drew closer, lifting her head until our foreheads nearly touched.
"So if you give up here— all that time you've fought tooth and nail to survive will truly mean nothing."
"......"
"Lady Seol Yu-bin, Ye-eun, Seo-jun... They're all risking their lives right now. So we have to fight and help them too."
"...But you know Lords are on a level where even they need to team up to take one down. Us two combining our strength wouldn't even..."
"Yeah."
Sophia nodded firmly.
"Doesn't matter how this world turns, how strong the Lords are. How weak I am—I'm going to survive and endure to the end."
"......"
For some reason, the fear pressing on my chest slowly, very slowly began to melt away.
"...You're right."
I muttered in a barely audible voice.
"Yeah... no matter how weak or lacking, I decided to survive to the end."
Sophia gripped my cheeks tighter.
"So—don't give up."
"......"
"This time too... like last time. No running, just endure and survive!"
I took a slow, deep breath.
Yeah, the overall situation was the worst of the worst this time,
but my personal circumstances were much better.
Vow of No Retreat (S).
You face a situation against 'evil' as defined by the world.
You cannot retreat.
The higher the target's stature, the greater the increase in all stats.
All Stats +4
I looked down at my hands and thought.
Strength, agility, magic power, stamina—all boosted right up to just below S-Rank levels.
At least... fighting together with Sophia, we can hold back one Lord.
Honestly, even combining forces might not be enough, but it was better than zero hope.
"Sophia."
"...Yeah?"
I forced a smile.
"Thanks. Hearing you say that snapped me out of it."
Her eyes softened a bit.
"So... we're going now, right?"
"...Yeah. We have to."
The red curtain outside the window.
The erupting vibrations of ruin.
The distant sounds of barriers shattering.
Everything was relentlessly marching toward Seolga's end.
I pulled my pistol from my inventory and gripped it.
"...We can block one Lord."
"Yeah."
"Lady Yoon Seo-jun, Lady Seol Ye-eun, and Yu-bin noona will each handle one."
"...And we—"
"Cut off the last one's breathing room."
Our eyes met.
Sophia nodded firmly.
"Let's go, Hyun-sol."
"Yeah. Let's go."
At the end of Seolga's corridor—a red lightning bolt struck down.
We stepped toward it.
Toward the red dawn, into the First Fork of Destiny.
The sky had already lost its color.
Not blue, not gray—just massive red fissures draped across it like gaping wounds.
Chae Yeon-hwa gazed at that sky and quietly drew a breath.
"...I wonder when you'll fully descend."
The descent-type gate.
A massive red orb, sealed by enormous chains and enveloped in dozens of layered barriers, slowly rotated while vibrating.
Slash—
...Clank.
One chain.
Another.
The iron chains, utterly unmoving until moments ago, had already loosened five times over.
"The pace has quickened. Lord of Ruin... I didn't expect you to struggle so impatiently."
Chae Yeon-hwa slowly drew her greatsword, Bloodline Petal Fall.
Preparations were complete.
The aura of ruin was like poison.
Just approaching made her lungs burn from the inside,
her heartbeat squeezed by an invisible grip.
But—she had no intention of retreating from this spot.
This place was hers to protect.
From anyone and everyone.
While aiding the Lord of Ruin's descent as intact as possible.
Kwaaang—!!
A sudden gale blasted from the right.
Chae Yeon-hwa merely turned her head slightly to look.
Far off, beyond the barriers atop the mountain ridge—Seol Ye-eun unleashed an ice storm, clashing with the Lord of Comparison Raes Belkel.
Ice flowers rose like waves, and shimmering barrier shields exploded in chain reactions.
Raes's form was hard to make out, but each swing of his sword qi cleaved mountains.
And beside her—Yoon Seo-jun.
President of the Korean Hunter Association, a retired S-Rank Hunter.
Through his exclusive armament, he disrupted Raes's assaults, covering Seol Ye-eun's openings.
"...As expected, those two are holding strong."
Raes was among the top powerhouses of the Lords.
Blocking him solo was impossible, yet the pair calmly and reliably pressured the monster.
However, the problem was the other two Lords descending here, excluding herself.
Clank...!
Kwang...!
Kwaaaang...!!
The chains snapped—four, five, six—the pace accelerating.
The barriers shattered into red fragments, unable to hold.
"Heh... time's really running out now."
Chae Yeon-hwa plunged her greatsword into the ground and channeled mana along its blade.
Blood-red lightning flashed and flowed over the sword body.
"Apostle of Lust... we won't see each other again after today, one way or another."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"If you have 'dreams' or 'goals' you want to achieve in this world, never back down.
You taught me that from the moment we met. And I absolutely won't retreat."
A choice pondered over long years.
Whether to embrace even death for her goal, or drift aimlessly, belonging nowhere.
But today—she would finally answer.
Kuoooooooh—!!!
The gate vibrated.
Two chains remained.
The largest central chains.
Unlike the others, these exerted an absurd amount of power, forcibly suppressing the surrounding mana, including Chae Yeon-hwa's.
The ground shook.
The air split.
And finally—
Craaaack—!!
One massive central chain burst apart.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the red sphere, and from within, a black silhouette began to rise.
A colossal hand.
Blazing black flames.
Twisted armor.
An aura of ruin rampaging in hatred of the world.
Chae Yeon-hwa took one deep breath and raised her greatsword high.
"...You're finally emerging. Lord of Ruin."
Beyond the red fissure, an infernal blaze of energy stirred to life.
Soon—the final chain began to loosen, slowly, with an eerie sound.