Interview with the Pathfinder
'Huh?'
The professor, Kim Tae-min, who had collapsed on the floor, suddenly sprang to his feet with a fluid motion.
I'd definitely held back, reining in my strength as much as possible, but even so, he shouldn't have recovered that quickly. I tilted my head, staring down at the fist I'd just thrown. The heavy impact I'd felt against it clearly meant the shock had penetrated deep into his body.
A chill ran down my spine.
The moment Professor Kim Tae-min lifted his head and locked eyes with me, a eerie sensation sliced through my entire body. I leaped back like a startled cat, putting a step between us.
What the hell was that just now?
The look in Professor Kim Tae-min's eyes as he gazed at me was utterly different from before. It felt like an entirely different being had taken over.
"Ahh, ahem. Huh, it's been ages since I borrowed someone's body like this—feels awkward even talking. Ahem. Ahh."
The 'something' or 'someone' wearing Professor Kim Tae-min's form cleared its throat awkwardly, muttering to itself.
"Hmm, ahh, there we go—feels right now."
A satisfied smile spread across his face as he lightly turned his head. His gaze dropped to his exploded shirt, and he furrowed his brow.
"Couldn't you have gone a bit easier? Well, first time and all—hard to gauge your strength, I suppose."
"···"
His tone implied he knew everything about me. I stared at him, body rigid with tension, as he tossed out the words so casually.
A prickling numbness spread through me, like I'd been shocked by electricity. My mind screamed at me to run, alarms blaring wildly.
"Easy now. No need to push yourself and drag in folks who don't need to be here."
He waved a hand dismissively, and the tension coiled in my body melted away in an instant.
"Huh?"
A languid relaxation washed over me, like I'd just spent hours getting a massage at a resort. It felt so good I could've lain down and slept for days right then. The alarms in my head fell silent as if they'd never rung.
"Wh-who are you?"
The formal speech slipped out unbidden. I didn't know why, but it felt like the right thing to do.
"Me? Hmm, this guy's master? Just call me Pathfinder—keeps it simple."
"Pathfinder?!"
He was the transcendent being I'd longed to meet. The one who'd awakened the first seven, including Professor Kim Tae-min.
"Yeah, that's my official title. Can't remember my real name anymore—been too long."
Whoosh.
He took a single step forward—or so it seemed—but suddenly he was right in front of me.
"Hooh~ Would you look at this? A human carrying a Dragon Heart? And wait—not just one, but two? Hold on. The second one looks familiar. Where've I seen it...?"
"···"
He scanned my body up and down like a butcher eyeing livestock, words tumbling out in a rush. His movements were so natural that I stood frozen, unable to react.
From the moment I'd sensed it, my instincts had already surrendered to him. More precisely, I'd been effortlessly disarmed. Any thought of resistance had vanished the instant that gentle breeze of power brushed over me.
"Hmm, this level of aura requires at least a Dragon Lord. Which of the lords do I know? Amates? Nah, that one's still kicking up a storm. Balrunhalt? No way—that prideful bastard wouldn't share his power with a human, even if he vanished alone. Ah! Right, Brunhilde. That was the one. Black dragon with a gentle soul and deep wisdom. Yeah, this matches the aura I felt at his coming-of-age ritual."
"···"
It felt like listening to a hyper-speed rap battle in real time. As he muttered feverishly to himself, a familiar name slipped from his lips, sending goosebumps rippling across my skin. I shuddered lightly.
Why the hell is that name coming out of his mouth?
He mumbled about Bruschmidt, Brunhilde's soul-bound partner, then nodded to himself: "So that's why you chose to stay together."
"That's why he revealed himself to the dimensional realms."
His curiosity seemingly sated, he chuckled lightly and tapped my chest.
Thump.
The Dragon Hearts pulsed faintly in response.
"At this rate, they'll fully restore their function soon. You're pretty lucky, you know—this Seed of Chaos."
"Pardon?"
"You. The Seed of Chaos born from a twist in causality. That's how you look to those drooling transcendents eyeing you up."
"Wh-what do you...?"
"Eh, no need to dive into that yet. Let's chat for a bit, you and me."
"Huh?"
Wasn't this already a chat? He slung an arm around my shoulders with a smirk.
"Too many ears around here. That cool with you? Hunter Park Cheol-gyu?"
"Pardon? Ah, y-yes, of course."
Professor Park Cheol-gyu blankly nodded at the question from Professor Kim Tae-min—no, the Pathfinder wearing his guise. The overwhelming presence made it hard to even breathe.
"Keep helping my disciple like you have been."
With that, he lightly knocked on empty air.
Tap tap.
His mime-like gesture produced a solid wooden echo from the void.
Creeeak.
The sound of an old wooden door swinging open followed.
"Huh?"
Empty space before my eyes split open, revealing a long corridor stretching into the distance.
"What're you waiting for? Get in. Normally outsiders can't, but time's short."
"You want me to go in there?"
An inexplicable unease gnawed at me. It wasn't from the corridor itself, but the endless, pitch-black voids flanking both sides.
"Just don't screw around and you won't fall in. Hurry up."
"Uh, Pathfinder, sir—why don't you go first?"
I invoked "ladies first" principles, staring at him hopefully.
"If I go first, the door shuts."
He shrugged helplessly.
Gulp.
God, I really don't wanna go in.
I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped through the door.
Whoosh~!
A massive suction yanked my body inside.
"Wha—whoa?!"
Flailing in panic, I heard countless incomprehensible noises swirling around me.
The deafening clamor from all sides made my mind reel—until a firm grip seized my shoulder.
Grab.
"Get a grip. Get bewitched by their voices, misstep, and you're trapped forever."
"Ah, y-yeah."
Only then did the voices fade from my ears.
"Wraiths of the Abyss. They can't leave the living alone, like all lost souls."
"The Abyss..."
"Hell, Hades, Abyss, Sheol, the Pit— all the same. Ignore 'em unless you wanna end up there. Don't stare."
"Huh? Oh, right."
"Eyes on my back. Nothing else."
"Got it."
We walked the long path in silence until the eerie atmosphere felt almost familiar, letting me relax into my steps. Glancing back, he smirked.
"Adapting quick for a transcendent encounter. You've got potential—ever thought about being a Pathfinder?"
"Pardon?"
I nearly agreed on reflex, but a bad premonition warned of eternal regret.
"No thanks, I'll pass."
"Tch, shame."
Tsking softly, he pointed to a small cabin emerging ahead.
"There. No one's eavesdropping in there."
"Ah, okay."
What could possibly require dragging me to a place like this? What did "Pathfinder" even mean? And this space he navigated so freely—what was it? A narrow path flanked by hell itself couldn't be ordinary. He called me a transcendent without prompting, so he clearly knew a lot.
Well, he'd said we were talking, so I'd ask slowly.
The cabin in the cramped clearing looked cozy inside—far bigger than it appeared.
"Space expansion magic."
Reading my gaze, he smiled gently.
"Been a while since I had a guest."
He set an antique teacup before me from a cupboard.
Clink clink.
I didn't know the tea, but one whiff melted away my fatigue.
"Dried mandragora leaves, aged to perfection. Great for unwinding."
"Hmm, tastes good too."
"Right? Few things stay fresh like good tea."
"···"
The weight of ages in his voice subtly resonated in my chest.
"So... what did you want to talk about?"
"You, obviously. What else?"
He smirked, sipping his tea. He savored a mouthful, eyes closed, then met my gaze.
"First off: you're a regressor, right?"
Pffft!
I spat out my tea in a spectacular spray, staring at him in shock.
Busted.
He'd clocked me as transcendent, so maybe he knew about the regression too—but I should've played dumb first. Too late now; my reaction screamed guilt.
Part of me wanted to feign ignorance and ask what "regression" meant, but facing those bottomless black eyes, honesty felt wiser.
"How'd you know?"
"Unexpected rift in your dimension. Usually means a transcendent descends—showing themselves—or causality twists, prompting a regression to fix it. Rare either way."
"I see."
I didn't fully grasp it, but I got why he'd asked. Like the past Brunhilde showed me—if a transcendent had descended, my world would've ended long ago.
"But it's not your exact world. True regression of a world itself is impossible—the causality backlash is too much."
"Yeah, this one's a bit different from mine."
"Yours probably called it a parallel world?"
"Close enough."
Some scientist said our universe expands insanely fast, spawning slower-expanding bubble universes like foam in boiling water. They can't fill the space, so endless universes form—each bubble a parallel world.
I'd escaped one bubble and returned to the past of another—not my original.
"Regressors like you aren't unheard of. Most become extraordinary to balance causality— like you now."
"I see."
I recalled my innate Talent skill. For me, it fueled my growth.
"But they all carry a seed from that causality twist. It grows to undo the imbalance."
"Makes sense."
"Right? The universe runs on balance. Causality's the core law for a reason."
He gazed out an invisible window, chuckling wryly. Beings roamed freely, twisting that law and upending everything.
"Regressors with those seeds? Prime prey for transcendents hungry to elevate their rank. Bet that's why you died."
"···"
Come to think of it, that demon bastard called me a once-in-10,000-years feast. Said I didn't even know what I was.
"But back then, I was just a plain C-rank hunter."
"Told you—parallel universe. If this you became a regressor with a causality seed, what might another you become?"
"No way."
"Yeah. At minimum, bait tasty enough to lure power-hungry transcendents."
What the hell? All this grand bullshit meant my past self got eaten because of my regressed self?
Suddenly, a vein in my temple throbbed painfully.