Chapter 553: Rebellion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 553: Rebellion (1)
The memories, once hazy as if shrouded in a thick fog, sharpened into focus.
The grit jamming the gears that should have been turning smoothly was finally dislodged.
Now, I finally understood.
The history this body had built.
And the true extent of the power that history could wield.
From top to bottom.
Swoosh—!
As I swung the sword down, the hard, muscular monster was instantly split in two and collapsed.
Thud!
Hot blood gushed from the cleanly severed cross-section.
Staring down at a sight that would have made me retch in the past, I was quietly immersed in ecstasy.
“Hahaha…!”
I had simply moved as the images in my head dictated, but the result was astonishing.
Though I’d used almost no strength, the sword had sliced through the monster’s flesh as if it were tofu.
The monster was an Orc, a common sight in B-rank dungeons.
It was also what Hunters called a “newbie killer.”
Why?
Because its hide and muscles were so thick and tough that it couldn’t be easily taken down with ordinary attack power.
For that reason, my joy was beyond words.
Hadn’t I just felled a monster in a single strike—one that only a seasoned Hunter could handle?
A tightness swelled in my chest.
‘Yes, this was it.’
Equivalent Exchange.
This power was one of the reasons I had used an absurd SSS-rank trait to claim this body.
An unexpected obstacle had forced me to take a long detour, but it didn't matter now that I had reclaimed my strength.
‘The years of hardship are over.’
Now, it was time to enjoy it.
After clearing the B-rank dungeon in the blink of an eye, he emerged and spoke to Michelle, who was waiting in front of the rift.
“I think it’s about time I made my comeback.”
“Huhu… It’s about time, indeed.”
The rumors were already starting to fly.
Whispers that he might retire due to his severe injuries.
Speculation that his sabbatical was actually time to contemplate retirement.
Yes.
Everyone was worried.
They were afraid that the National Hunter, Son Si-woo, would disappear just like that.
Which meant one thing.
‘People still think of this body as the best.’
The weight of the name Son Si-woo, a name that had descended upon the Republic of Korea, remained undiminished.
“Well then, shall we hit the ground running tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
A plan was already in place.
Not made by him, of course, but by Michelle.
The true value of an S-rank Hunter was demonstrated in S-rank or higher dungeons.
But that wouldn’t be easy.
Going straight into an S-rank dungeon right after regaining his strength was too much in many ways.
So, they chose a slightly different approach.
The plan was to conquer several A-rank dungeons, one step below S-rank.
Michelle had said, “There’s no need to push yourself and go straight to an S-rank dungeon. What people want is Son Si-woo’s return itself. Just showing them that you’re still going strong will be enough to cause a stir.”
And her prediction was spot on.
【Son Si-woo Bids on ‘The Great Swamp,’ an A-rank Dungeon in Gyeonggi Province! Is He Finally Making a Comeback?】
From the very first A-rank dungeon bid, articles poured out.
The public’s anticipation soared in response.
Expecting a swarm of reporters, he entered the dungeon at dawn, cleared it quickly, and vanished.
This, too, was part of Michelle’s strategy.
“You need to complete your dungeon raids like a phantom. It will make people’s interest grow even deeper.”
Son Si-woo followed her instructions to the letter.
His trust in Michelle was already nearing 100%.
It was only natural.
This was the woman who had told him how to heal a body that even the Saintess had declared unrecoverable.
If he couldn’t trust a woman like that, who could he trust?
With that faith, he silently continued to conquer A-rank dungeons.
Swoosh!
Slice—
Skak!
It wasn’t easy at first.
The monsters in A-rank dungeons were on a completely different level than those in B-rank.
But that was only for a moment.
‘I’m starting to get the hang of it.’
Visualizing something in your head and manifesting it with your body were two different realms.
But Son Si-woo was rapidly closing that gap.
Was it because he was so incredible?
Sadly, no.
It was simply because Son Si-woo’s body was incredible.
Despite having barely moved for the past few years, the body had not forgotten the martial prowess it had displayed in its prime.
“Wow…”
Michelle, who had been watching him silently from the side, let out a gasp of admiration as he reached the eleventh dungeon.
“You’re really… amazing.”
The National Hunter was far more incredible than she had imagined.
To move like that after wasting nearly three years.
She could picture the divine prowess he would display once he fully regained his form.
But that wasn’t all.
The current Son Si-woo had not only recovered his body but had also shattered his previous limits.
This meant there was still room for him to grow even stronger, depending on his future actions.
“Hah… I wonder what it will feel like.”
She couldn’t quite picture it.
When that impossibly robust body, that unbelievably pure energy, was corrupted in an instant.
What form would it twist into, and with what power would it blanket the world?
“Hauhh…♥”
The mere thought was thrilling.
Thrilling enough to unknowingly drench her nether regions.
That was why she didn’t act rashly.
She wouldn’t reach out recklessly.
She would simply watch.
Watch for the moment that auspicious human would stumble, fall, and finally plunge into the abyss of hell.
“Hah…”
While Michelle moaned in her private pleasure, Son Si-woo cut down a massive monster with a single stroke.
Kwoong—!
Thump!
The corpse, split into an upper and lower half, fell in succession.
It hadn’t been difficult at all.
Even though this was his eleventh raid in a week, he felt more at ease than he had on the first.
This was the last one.
After conquering all eleven of the A-rank dungeons he had bid on, he finally stood before the people.
He had deliberately delayed his exit, waiting for the reporters to gather outside.
One of the reporters, who had been eagerly awaiting his appearance outside the rift, shouted.
“H-Hunter Son Si-woo…!”
“Where, where!”
“Over there!”
The reporters swarmed him like a cloud.
The lenses of massive cameras, reminiscent of cannons, aimed at him and unleashed flashes of light.
Flash!
Click!
A barrage of camera flashes rained down.
A sensation entirely different from when he was saddled with a rotting body flowed through him.
Back then, he had been afraid to stand before reporters. Now, it was…
‘Thrilling.’
Everything had finally gone his way.
He felt like the protagonist of a webnovel, the kind he used to hole up in his room and read.
“Hunter Son Si-woo! You’ve conquered eleven A-rank dungeons in just one week! Does this mean you’re officially making a comeback?!”
“Some have suggested that due to your severe injuries, you might not be able to continue your life as a Hunter. Is that true?”
“Please give us a statement!”
The questions poured in.
Reporters desperately hoping he would speak.
And beyond them, the people waiting for his story to become news.
“Yes, this is my comeback.”
Taking another step forward, he proclaimed it to the man who was likely enjoying a glamorous life in his body.
“It’s about time I started earning again.”
He was declaring that his time spent cowering was over.
* * *
The world was in an uproar.
The EX-rank monster, the True Ancestor.
Interest was focused on the people who had helped subjugate the monster that had stained a third of Romania with blood.
But in one place, and one place only, Korea was abuzz with a different topic.
Shin Yu-jeong, lying naked with her head pillowed on my arm, spoke in an interested tone.
“Hmm… Everywhere I look, it’s all about Hunter Son Si-woo.”
She didn’t seem too upset, even though the attention that had been on her had now vanished.
Right.
I almost forgot she used to be a Son Si-woo fan.
“The National Hunter is still the National Hunter, I guess. They say he cleared eleven A-rank dungeons in a week right after his comeback. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Hmm… Is it really that impressive?”
People were making a big deal out of it, but I wasn’t so sure.
It didn’t seem all that remarkable to me.
For an S-rank Hunter, clearing eleven A-rank dungeons is no big deal.
The only reason it was causing such a frenzy was because the person in question was Son Si-woo.
But something else piqued my curiosity more.
“…A comeback, huh.”
Why would a guy who had been living like he was dead until now suddenly make such a decision?
The answer wasn’t hard to find.
“Don’t tell me… he’s fully healed.”
“Healed from what?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
There was no other explanation except that he had healed his decaying body.
Another question arose.
But how?
How on earth did he recover from an injury that even the Saintess couldn’t find a cure for?
“Hmm.”
Swallowing a groan, I focused on Son Si-woo’s interview.
-“Hunter Son Si-woo, are you aware of Hunter Kim Do-jin?”
-“Of course. How could I not know the world’s youngest S-rank Hunter?”
-“Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Hunter Kim Do-jin being your successor. What are your thoughts on that?”
-“Uh… well.”
The man’s gaze shifted from the reporter who asked the question to the camera that was filming him.
It was a strange feeling.
It felt as if he were looking right at me, knowing I would one day be watching this very scene.
A faint smile on his face, he spoke calmly.
-“The achievements Hunter Kim Do-jin has built in such a short time are countless. He is a truly great Hunter, and I agree that he is a pillar who will lead the future of Korea, no, the world. However.”
His expression, captured in a close-up on the screen, slowly changed.
The corners of his eyes sharpened slightly.
His lips flattened into a straight line.
Exuding the air of a lofty number one, he continued.
-“All of that will be a story for after I retire.”
It was a declaration of war.
A declaration that, though late, he would now stand in my way.
“Ha, seriously.”
I could only find it absurd.
He’s the one who swapped our bodies as he pleased, so why is he suddenly trying to block my path?
“What a ridiculous bastard.”
Despite my thoughts, a premonition that something troublesome was about to happen ran down the back of my neck.