Chapter 280: Aspiration (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: Aspiration (3)
Something incomprehensible had occurred.
How could I have not sensed a thing until they were right on top of us, when we were surrounded by creatures with nothing left but a blind hostility toward the living?
There was only one possible explanation.
“Looks like it’s starting.”
Zodiac.
The ones who entered the dungeon with us must have used some method to hide the zombies and transport them here.
They were going through all this trouble because they wanted to test my skills.
But it seemed they had severely underestimated me.
“This won’t be nearly enough.”
If they really wanted to see what I was capable of, they should have disguised at least two of the three I’d had my eye on as zombies and hidden them in the horde.
In a way, this was a good thing.
I needed more information anyway. Killing this many should yield something new.
Just as I began to draw upon my mana to cast a large-scale spell befitting the number of enemies…
“Wait a moment, Do-jin.”
Ju-yeon, who was standing behind me, placed a hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me back.
“Will you leave this to me?”
“…You, noona?”
“Yes.”
Ju-yeon nodded with a gentle smile.
“About that note from earlier. You said it looked like it was written in Hangul, right?”
“I did.”
“I have a feeling that might be some kind of provision meant for you.”
A provision.
Well… she probably wasn’t entirely wrong.
I’d never returned empty-handed after hunting a Seeker.
“So, just in case, let’s have you save your strength, Do-jin. Alright?”
There was only one answer I could give to her logical explanation.
“Alright, then.”
It wasn’t something that needed a long-winded explanation in the first place.
When an S-rank Hunter says they’ll take the lead, you naturally step aside.
There are occasional idiots who think that because she’s a Healer and Buffer, her direct combat abilities are severely lacking, but that’s a huge misconception.
There is such a thing as Divine Magic.
Though it’s called magic, its power source and application are completely different from conventional magic. It is the exclusive domain of Healers, who use Divine Power—the power to heal—for offensive purposes.
Because the energy itself is inherently attuned to life, its offensive power is weaker than a normal attack, but for someone at S-rank, even that difference becomes largely meaningless.
I’ve said it so many times, haven’t I?
Do you think S-rank is a fucking joke?
“Haa…!”
A light began to seep from her body, gradually swelling into a brilliant radiance that swept over our surroundings.
Divine Power.
A name given by the first Saintess of the Vatican when the Hunter society first began.
Whether it was truly a power bestowed by a god was unknown, but one thing was certain.
Within it slept an overflowing life force that was incomparable to any other energy.
And this overflowing life force was the natural enemy of zombies, whose deaths were merely postponed.
Kieeeek!
Kyaaak!
The zombies, which had been charging with reckless abandon, melted away without a trace the moment the light touched them.
No matter how much of a natural enemy it was, a feat of this magnitude was only possible for an S-rank.
The structure of the Divine Power surging around us became visible to my eyes.
How it was formed, what it was composed of, and so on.
But that was as far as it went.
“…It’s no use.”
My body, which could read and internalize anything, had finally found something it couldn’t do.
It seemed impossible to imitate Divine Power, as its structure was completely different from mana.
If I could have mimicked Divine Power, I would have become a true all-rounder, capable of excelling in any situation.
As I stood there in disappointment, the light seeping from her body slowly began to fade.
The hundreds of zombies that had filled the area were also gone without a trace.
Gathering her energy, she spoke with a nonchalant expression.
“Well then, shall we look for another note?”
“…Yes.”
For a moment, my heart nearly fluttered at the sight of her face, framed by the lingering light that shimmered like a halo.
No.
Maybe it already had.
Worried she might notice my feelings, I quickly turned my back to her.
About five minutes into searching for a note that might have been dropped where the zombies had melted…
“Found it.”
I discovered a single sheet of yellowed, crumpled paper.
The texture felt quite different from the first note I’d picked up.
As I carefully unfolded the paper, I saw smudged, faded photos and text.
【Special Sale! From XX to XX!】
【Come and get it at eye-popping, rock-bottom prices.】
【A carton of fresh eggs for 3,000 won, 1kg of tomatoes for 5,000 won, green onions, chives….】
It was a supermarket flyer, the kind that gets posted on every door during a special sale period.
Below, along with a small map specifying the supermarket’s location, were details about what was nearby.
【Located a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of ○○ Station.】
【○△□ Mart】
【02-XXX-XXXX】
The flyer contained far more specific information than the first note.
Of course, it would still take some time to find the exact location on the map or the subway station, but it was no longer an impossible task like finding a needle in a desert.
Just as I thought it was worth searching and was about to move…
“Do-jin, it’s almost been two hours. Don’t we have to go back?”
“Already?”
I checked the stopwatch function on my badge. 1 hour and 50 minutes had already passed.
I’d started it right before we began exploring, which meant we had about 10 minutes left.
“Hmm.”
I was torn.
Was the “Sword Demon” from the note the boss of this dungeon, or was he a Seeker?
Perhaps he was both, but… my gut told me that wasn’t it.
If, as Ju-yeon said, the Seekers were some kind of provision for the 504 participants, wouldn’t the system want to prevent them from being eliminated by someone completely unrelated to us?
Of course, this too was just a guess, but anyway.
“Let’s just keep exploring.”
That was the conclusion I reached after some thought.
Since they threw the first punch, any reason I had to meekly follow their intentions was long gone.
Seeing as they sent zombies all the way here, they already knew where we were.
If they’ve got a problem with it, they can show themselves.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
As we walked slowly through the city, my eyes scanned our surroundings.
I scraped the thick rust off a sign to confirm our location and checked the few buildings that remained somewhat intact to see if they matched the one on the map.
It was then that…
“Do-jin, over there…!”
Ju-yeon pointed somewhere.
I turned to look and found a sign, precariously standing as if it had barely survived the catastrophe.
【□□ Intersection】
It was the name of the intersection marked on the supermarket flyer’s map.
That meant the mart wasn’t far from here…
Following the map on the flyer, we turned onto the main road to our left.
Ju-yeon, who had been walking beside me, subtly pressed herself against my arm.
“Do-jin… something feels a little different from here on.”
“…It is different.”
She was right. Our surroundings had changed.
The landscape was still that of a ruined, gray city, but the scars etched upon it were different.
“The debris is all so cleanly cut.”
While the remains of other buildings looked as if they had been shattered by a great impact, the debris here all had perfectly straight, clean-cut surfaces.
As if they had been sliced through by something sharp.
“Looks like we came to the right place.”
“Ugh… this feeling is so strange.”
The entire landscape around us was densely etched with straight lines.
Every single one was a scar left by a sword.
What was even more surprising was…
“This was all done by one person.”
That, and the fact that all of this was done by a single person.
“In a single breath, no less.”
It was the trace of something accomplished in just one breath.
“Sword Demon…”
I repeated the name from the note.
Whoever he was, he had one hell of a fitting name.
I might need to get a little serious.
Tightening my loosened senses, I started walking again.
According to the map on the flyer, the mart should be coming into view soon…
“I think we turn at that corner.”
After checking the map, just as we turned the corner she pointed to…
“……!”
“Ah…”
A shocking scene came into view.
【○△□ Mart】
A large sign bore the name of the mart from the flyer.
Below it, a building stood precariously, bearing the full weight of time.
And in front of it, a small mountain had inexplicably taken over the road.
It wasn’t an ordinary mountain of dirt, but a mountain of rotting flesh and stark white bones.
Behind it, a trail of more white bones continued intermittently.
“…Looks like we don’t need to go inside the mart.”
Following the trail of bones would surely lead us to the Sword Demon.
Using the sharply severed bone fragments as our guide, we walked to the end of the path, where the thing we had been searching for lay.
○○ Station, Exit 3.
The very same subway station drawn on the mart’s map.
An ominous darkness flickered in the entrance, which was partially blocked by the rubble of a collapsed building.
Sensing it, Ju-yeon swallowed dryly and parted her lips.
“He’s in there.”
Her tone was filled with conviction.
An equally intense presence was surging through the darkness, one that exuded a sense of dread just by looking at it.
Enter, and you will die.
That was the warning it was giving.
I took Kkamseul-i, which I had transformed into a small bead and kept in my pocket, into my hand.
As if it knew what I wanted, its form began to change naturally.
Soon, it had become a hilt that was a perfect fit for my hand. Gripping it lightly, I descended the stairs.
Down the long staircase, past the stopped escalator and the broken ticket gates, I arrived at the tracks.
A person was standing there.
“Hmm… or maybe not?”
I’ll correct myself.
It was more like a sword in human form, standing there.
Gray skin, shaggy, unkempt hair, bloodshot eyes, a worn-out navy blue uniform, and a single sword at his waist.
The moment my eyes met his, which were scattering a crimson glow…
[Eliminate the Seeker ‘Sword Demon Who Betrayed Humanity’.]
A red message window appeared like a warning, overlapping with the cold smile on the man’s face as he looked our way.