Chapter 86
Chapter 86
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: 17. Countdown (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TV came into view.
The announcer explained the unfolding situation in a grave yet urgent tone.
Static.
More static.
The screen switched.
Same channel, same announcer.
But her face now looked far more serious than before.
Static.
More static.
Static.
More static.
It was a voice of utter despair.
A desperate cry.
And when it reappeared...
Snap.
Kang San's eyes flew open.
Back in familiar surroundings, he gasped for air like a diver surfacing from depths.
"Hah... hah..."
A sequence of visions.
The pattern had changed.
Unlike before, where it demanded he resolve the immediate trial, this time it showed a glimpse of the future about to unfold.
And then.
A bewildering situation.
One year from now.
An outbreak would strike the Republic of Korea.
Outbreaks resembled Links—monsters spilling from dungeons into the real world—but far deadlier. Links, as he'd experienced, could be cleared by slaying the monsters and severing the gate. No more would come after.
Dungeons were different.
Without warning, monsters flooded out like a dam bursting, overwhelming everything. Even rapid response meant thousands dead in outbreak zones.
And if it was S-Rank?
No need to elaborate.
If the announcer's report depicted the future, even Lee Han-sung—who'd crushed a Werewolf Lord in one blow—would fall to this trial.
'How the hell am I supposed to stop this?'
His breath caught.
Kang San was merely D-Rank.
Even with a year to prepare, unable to speak of the trial to anyone, his options were severely limited. The heavens seemed impossibly distant. He'd believed enduring trials would lead to a brighter future, but like the tenth, this was a crisis beyond individual effort.
"...This is bullshit. For real."
Cursing was the most defiance he could muster.
Daunting as it was.
He couldn't give up.
Wouldn't.
Kang San returned home first and checked records of past outbreaks.
"Not a single S-Rank outbreak worldwide. Ever."
Despair from the start.
S-Ranks hadn't emerged via Links either—no precedents anywhere.
A-Rank: exactly three times.
Each called an abyss opening.
Dungeons unleashed hordes at once, so even A-Rank devastation was immense. Tens of thousands dead per incident—a stark measure of danger.
The problem?
'This trial's condition: no more than 10,000 deaths. Impossible alone.'
The deeper he dug, the bleaker it got.
If he were S-Rank, he might plan countermeasures.
Even then, slim odds.
Lee Han-sung hadn't survived.
Dark Lords grew stronger if not crushed early, commanding wraiths. "17 Days of Catastrophe" implied 17 days of buildup. Lee likely fell to the horde. S-Ranks terrified because of such powers, beyond personal might.
Whatever.
Overwhelming.
Even Kang San, veteran of misfortunes, grasped no countermeasures.
'The trial insists fate's wheel turns as predestined. Exposing the dungeon and evacuating Pohang would defy it. So the outbreak must happen exactly in a year. I can pinpoint the dungeon but prepare silently.'
Impossible.
Could a mere D-Rank buy time until government response post-outbreak?
No answers after endless scenarios.
Couldn't bring allies.
Consider: The no-disclosure rule included comrades. How to rally them on outbreak day without lying? Raid? Excuses demanded deception, forcing sacrifice. He hated that. Fine if voluntary, but this shoved them into hell.
In the end.
He'd prepare alone.
Face it alone.
When monsters surged, he'd stand solitary against the despairing wave.
'...No clear plan now. Only one thing I can do.'
Get as strong as possible.
He focused on that goal.
Kang San packed his gear.
En route somewhere, he called Jo Han-byeol.
"Han-byeol. Raids are off for a while."
[Gasp. Everything okay?]
Pre-discharge.
He'd promised a raid with Jo's group.
Shocked by Werewolf Lord, he'd vowed parallel plans for rapid growth. But circumstances shifted. Incremental progress wouldn't cut it after glimpsing the future.
Breakthrough.
Shatter norms.
Unsure if his head's scheme worked, he had to try something.
"Got a personal experiment. No clue on timeline, but when we reunite, I'll be way stronger. Tell the others: grind hard on their own. Slack off without me, and the gap widens big time."
[...Got it. I'll pass it on.]
Click.
Harsh words, but stagnation meant they couldn't keep up.
Obvious.
He needed S-Rank outbreak readiness; D-Rank teammates wouldn't suffice. Light raids okay, but real crises? They'd drag, not aid.
Next, Jeong Hye-mi.
Lectures paused awhile.
She replied positively to his promise of more later.
Then he set off.
His plan stemmed from one question.
Burning Time.
What was it?
Sudden anomaly: stats surged abnormally.
He'd thought foe strength boosted rewards.
But A-Rank Werewolf Lord should've triggered it too—didn't after.
Dismissed as one-off, but now? Lifeline.
Hunter power hinged on stats.
Grades defined by stats; growth meant raising them.
Thus.
Short-term leaps required Burning Time.
Hypotheses on triggers aside, he pondered further.
'I need time. A year's grind hits D-Rank limits. Burning Time might miracle, but I need trials galore.'
For that challenge.
He headed there.
A place he'd experienced it before—like Burning Time.
Time warping, equally for all humans.
Arrival.
Kang San revisited the mecca of training.