Chapter 32

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 32

Chapter Title: The Seed Blooms

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'It blossomed!'

"Waaaaah!!"

And in that instant, gasps of admiration erupted from the crowd.

"Dark Fairy J is up! That was monstrous strength capable of shattering every bone in his body—what the hell happened?!"

He'd stopped hating himself, and the seed I'd planted had burst into magnificent bloom. As a result, Hunter Choi Jae-yoon rose to his feet.

Pssshhh.

Black smoke began gathering around Hunter Choi Jae-yoon, soon weaving into thin threads that connected to various parts of his body. Like a marionette doll, his upper body lurched forward. He stayed perfectly still for a long moment.

"Ah~! There it is! Dark Fairy J's berserk skill, 'Possession'!! The skill he'd registered but never once shown—it's finally here! Finally!"

"Go for it!!"

"Tiger, you bastard! Snap out of it!!"

It was a moment of mixed cheers and jeers from the stands.

"In Possession state, J's skill power surges, letting him unleash nearly ten times his normal strength!"

"Ah, yeah~! Now that's a twist!"

Ji-ho unnie, who'd been craving some excitement in the match, raised her beer mug and bellowed enthusiastically.

I had no idea why he hadn't used that skill until now, but in any case, control of the match flipped to Hunter Choi Jae-yoon in an instant.

"The best defense is a good offense. J's storm of attacks leaves S defenseless!!"

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon swung his daggers in unnatural, jerky motions, as if someone else were forcibly puppeteering his body. Even when S's claws dug into his shoulder blade, he showed no sign of pain and pressed the attack.

"Wh-what the hell is this guy?!"

Wounds kept appearing on S's arms as he panicked. Blood droplets rained down onto the field with every step back he took.

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon's body launched high into the air, spinning several times before plummeting ferociously toward S.

Boom!!

"Dark Fairy's strike!! Oh, S's beast transformation is starting to unravel! Looks like he's out cold?!"

"10! 9! 8!"

S lay sprawled on the cracked field, gradually reverting to his original form. A countdown erupted from the stands as Rapid-Fire cautiously descended toward the field.

"3! 2! 1!"

Pop!

The moment the crowd shouted "1," confetti rained down from the ceiling. It was the victory salute for Hunter Choi Jae-yoon.

"Revenge Match~! Today's winner is... Dark Fairy J!!"

"Waaaaah!!"

"The winner, J, receives a prize of 1 million won and a free entry ticket for the next fighter!"

Rapid-Fire bounced around excitedly as if he'd won himself, and the crowd went wild for Hunter Choi Jae-yoon. They must have loved seeing J pull off the revenge win.

But Hunter Choi Jae-yoon himself remained calm, still swaying unsteadily, propped up by the black smoke.

'...Something's off.'

Rapid-Fire beamed as he handed the mic to Hunter Choi Jae-yoon, who stared blankly back at him.

"You got crushed by Tiger S just a few days ago! Now that you've avenged that loss, how do you feel?"

"......"

"You must be stunned! I mean, you took down an opponent several times your size!"

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon said nothing. Still tethered by the smoke, he kept staring at Rapid-Fire, occasionally readjusting his grip on his dagger.

Thump, thump.

An unpleasant tension gripped my entire body. I glanced around briefly before invoking the authority I'd borrowed from the Creator.

'If he doesn't realize he's in Possession state... it won't end?'

The absurd skill description sent chills down my spine. It was basically a suicide skill.

That's why he never used it before!

"We need to subdue him, right?"

"Ha, there's always one or two like that."

That's when Se-bin and Ji-ho unnie stood up, and Se-bin started heading slowly toward the field.

'Ah, this is it.'

Thump, thump.

My stomach churned as memories from the past timeline flooded in.

"He barely escaped the berserk state."

"At least he survived. Though he'll be bedridden in the hospital for a while."

From what felt like a distant echo, I heard Se-bin and Hunter Ha Mi-jun's voices. Clutching my throbbing chest, I strained to listen to the past memories.

"The highest level of disciplinary action will be imposed."

Past Se-bin spat coldly.

"...There must have been a better way."

With those words full of regret from my past self, the memory ended. The scattered fragments clicked into place like puzzle pieces.

Right—Hunter Choi Jae-yoon had activated Possession in the previous timeline too, losing control completely.

We got the report and rushed here, and only after Se-bin beat him nearly to death did things calm down. When Hunter Choi Jae-yoon came to, guilt consumed him, and he ended up...

'...Stop thinking about it.'

Gripping Ego tightly, I quickened my pace and grabbed Se-bin's shoulder.

Thud.

"Ji-ui?"

"...I'll handle it."

If Se-bin stepped in here, she'd repeat the same mistake. Ji-ho unnie, standing nearby, widened her eyes at me and tilted her head.

"I can do it with words."

"He's not in a state to listen, is he?"

Ji-ho unnie squinted toward Hunter Choi Jae-yoon. She was right—he was far from rational right now.

But deep inside him, the word seed I'd planted had blossomed. I wasn't 100% sure, but my words might get through.

I turned to Ji-ho unnie, emphasizing each syllable.

"No, I can do this."

"Looks like you've got a plan. Got it!"

Unnie nodded briskly before merging with her water dragon.

"I'll protect the stands! You handle it, Ji-ui!"

"Just leave it to me!"

"Ji-ui!"

Se-bin grabbed me as I tried to dash to the field. Her face was unusually stern as she spoke.

"What are you gonna do with words?"

I couldn't tell her about the word seeds. If word got out that I could influence people with speech, it'd invite all sorts of suspicion.

Tap.

I placed my hand over hers, and she looked down at it.

"I'm not being reckless. Don't worry too much—just protect everyone."

Se-bin's brow twitched. She didn't like it, but she seemed willing to trust me as much as she could.

Her hand released ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my arm, and I bolted toward the field.

"Wha—Dark Fairy J... Aaaagh?!"

Boom!!

"Eek!"

Bang!

My shield protected Rapid-Fire just before Hunter Choi Jae-yoon's dagger could pierce him.

Whoosh—

A black shadow whisked Rapid-Fire out of the field immediately, and screams erupted from the crowd.

"What the hell! What's going on?!"

"Aaaah!!"

Chaos. I had to sort this out fast.

"Hunter Choi Jae-yoon!!"

I shouted at him, now consumed by the stray spirit. His eyes, rolling wildly, locked onto me precisely.

"Snap out of it! If you don't end that skill now, you're really in danger!"

"Why should I..."

Ting.

He threw a dagger, but it flew so slowly that my shield deflected it easily.

"Now... I'm finally free... from guilt."

"I told you not to blame yourself needlessly—not to cast off all responsibility!"

All the conditions for him to hear me were met. I brought Ego to my lips and yelled at Hunter Choi Jae-yoon.

"Don't let some damn stray ghost take your body—snap back to yourself!!"

Taaaaang!

I hadn't even pulled the trigger, but a pure white bullet shot from Ego straight into Hunter Choi Jae-yoon's body.

"Ah... uh...?"

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon stood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dazed, feeling the spot on his chest where the bullet had entered. No wound remained.

"Huh? Uh, Hunter Shin Ji-ui? Wh-what?"

"Feeling more yourself?"

"...Y-yeah?"

'He's back!'

Thud.

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon looked around the panicked arena in shock before collapsing to his knees right there. At the same time, the black cloth masking his face slipped gently to the ground.

He touched his face and body, trying to make sense of it all. Once he did, he covered his mouth as he looked at me.

"S-sorry..."

"It's fine. You're back—that's what matters."

"Hunter Shin Ji-ui didn't say those things just for this to happen... It's all my fault for being so useless..."

"Ah~! That's exactly the pointless self-blame I'm talking about."

He flinched at my irritated tone.

"Sure, this mess happened because you went berserk, Hunter Choi Jae-yoon. You do have to take responsibility."

"Yes..."

"But that doesn't mean you're a useless person."

I knelt right in front of him and met his eyes.

"So find something the current you can do."

"Hunter Shin Ji-ui..."

"...Got it. If I run from this, then I'd really be useless."

Hunter Choi Jae-yoon slowly rose to his feet.

"Thank you. Now I've truly come to my senses."

He flashed me a bright smile before standing still and facing the approaching group of hunters.

'Hey. Wh-what the hell did you just do?'

That's when Ego spoke up. It was stammering, clearly flustered about the combo attack I'd just pulled off. Its voice dripped with bewilderment.

From Ego's speech power function to the linked passive 'Words Become Seeds'... Even I had to admit it flowed perfectly.

'So this is influencing actions... Holy shit.'

While Ego reeled in shock, I turned to look at Hunter Choi Jae-yoon. In the end, I'd snapped him out of it and prevented a lifetime in the hospital, but we'd come dangerously close to repeating the same mistake.

'Can't just plant word seeds willy-nilly to make allies.'

"Ji-ui~"

"Ji-ui, you okay?"

Ji-ho unnie and Hunter Ha Mi-jun approached me.

The hectic Friday night finally drew to a close.

"Haaa... That was exhausting."

I barely made it home, showered, and it was already past midnight.

Bzzz.

Work phone?

I pulled my phone from my inventory and opened Hunter Net. Sure enough, the notification was blinking.