Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: This World's Happy Ending: The 7th Subordinate Conquest Battle (5)
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11.
[Notification: 'Samcheong-dong' is incorporated into 'New Seodaemun-gu.']
The spot where the Ice Dragon had been.
Now, only a clear, blue glacier floated above the abyss.
Scesari's soulstone, no doubt.
I raised my wrist.
The watch hands pointed to 22:29:59.
The moment I confirmed it.
A startled voice came from above the chasm's opening.
"W-What? Where the hell did this come from?"
"Isn't that... Jeong Ha-kyeong?"
"She's alive! Someone bring a cover! Light a fire too!"
Had the curse vanished?
Was that why her body had instantly reverted to adulthood? They'd said she popped out of nowhere... Yeah, that had to be it.
Fine... Fine...
Anything was good enough.
What mattered was... I'd gotten Jeong Ha-kyeong back from this insane world's pranks.
"Ha... Hahaha... Haha..."
A tearful wave of relief crashed over me.
I laughed like I was crying, then my knees gave out and I collapsed onto the ground.
"Mister?"
And then... I crawled on my knees through the abyss, hugged Scesari's soulstone, and prayed.
[Notification: 'Purification work' begins in the region 'Samcheong-dong.']
To Dragon Lady Xserinia.
And to her poor son... Please grant them peace and rest at last.
That prayer.
That string of text before my eyes.
It was the peace that settled in my heart when the 7th Subordinate hunt ended.
It didn't take long for that peace to shatter.
12.
At first, everything seemed exactly the same as before.
[Region Entry: Star Pleasure Garden - 'New Seodaemun-gu']
[You are currently located in the 'Paradise Zone.']
- Hunter Privilege: The 'Stars' Healing' effect activates.
"Kim Baek-jun, you alright?"
Choi Uk rushed to me where I sat slumped and extended a hand.
"Ah... Choi Uk... I'm more worried about Ha-kyeong."
"Jeong Ha-kyeong's fine. The female Hunters are taking care of her."
Shin Tae-yeop grabbed my other hand and helped me stand. I asked.
"Did Ye-jin come too?"
"No. I told her not to."
"Good call."
"It's not just the danger. When there's an abyss that strong around... Scesari goes berserk."
I paused for a moment.
Ah, Shin Tae-yeop must've been part of the攻略 teams like Paul once. No wonder he remembered攻略 knowledge like that.
"Association President!"
"Kim Baek-jun!"
"Baek-jun! What the hell did you do...!"
"Hieeeeng!"
Lee Seong-mi. Im Yong-gon. Do Su-jin. Park Ji-won. And then the Nightmare Hunters swarming in behind them.
"Ah, everyone..."
And so.
The [Hunt Success] notification came.
The [Paradise Incorporation] notification came.
Star mist gathered, transforming the攻略 region into paradise.
Up to here, it was exactly the same.
But that day in Samcheong-dong, when we emerged into the heart of the modern city... It was different.
'It' was there.
"Ah... Ah...?"
"Th-That...?!"
"F-Fuck, fuck, what is that?!"
The Nightmare Hunters cried out in shock.
Some trembled violently, others barely gasped for breath.
I was the latter.
「How faithful indeed.」
A body of pure white.
Seven pairs of holy wings.
「Though nightmares oppose you.」
A rainbow halo shimmering above its head.
「And you suffer tribulation.」
A surreal vastness that made paradise look like a toy city.
「Stand firm boldly within the grace of the Holy Apostles.」
A form that harbored something capable of crumbling human reason.
「You have finally reached the tail end of one nightmare.」
The being that brought despair and death to all humanity on the first day of ruin.
Guider.
That day in Samcheong-dong... It was looking down at us.
「Now, the Stars desire to temper you even more firmly.」
I caught my breath.
What the hell did it want to say?
「Endure with meekness before any trial.」
Just like the first day of ruin.
Those words were the prelude to tragedy.
I blinked.
Paradise... Paradise annihilation? Already soaked in fatigue, my mind wouldn't turn.
"Everyone, battle ready!"
The first to finish assessing the situation was, as expected, Choi Uk.
"Form up by squads! Prepare for immediate return to HQ for resupply! Injured, administer Star Cloud Liquid!"
Then the Hunters started babbling in confusion.
"Wait, hold on!"
"What the hell's going on?"
"Squad Leader, why inject Star Cloud Liquid? This is paradise!"
Choi Uk replied.
"No... From what I see, this is just the beginning."
The Guider pressed two pairs of arms together in prayer.
「To those who give thanks before any trial, the Stars shall grant the crown of transcendence.」
The dome of mist that had transparently enveloped paradise began peeling away from the ceiling.
「Now, I shall impose upon you the true trial.」
Then the warning window popped up before my eyes.
[Warning: You are currently located in the 'Nightmare Zone.']
What... What?
Nightmare Zone? How?
It didn't take long for all the Hunters to comprehend the despair. Because.
[Warning: Exalted One, the Dim-Witted Serpent Barpakh'Tika has detected the presence of life.]
- Until full detection: (0) minutes.
- The Exalted One heads toward land dense with life.
......Rumble rumble rumble......
The ground shook wildly.
This... No way... Cold sweat poured down.
The vision flashing before my eyes was S-042.
Senior Sergeant Hwang Cheol-man.
The boy and girl, their mother, and countless deaths.
- The Exalted One heads toward land dense with life.
It's the same... Exactly the same as back then.
It... Prioritizes places dense with life... Which means...!
"We have to go back. Right now."
Go and protect them.
From those meaningless deaths. From the Stars' pranks.
"Yeah. We're heading back right away. But not you."
"...Pardon?"
"Look at your condition. Yours and Jeong Ha-kyeong's. You can walk, sure. But run?"
I shut my mouth for a moment.
My condition was the worst after the bloodbath with Scesari. My senses were blurry...
"But we can't just leave it like that."
"Stay calm, Kim Baek-jun."
Then Im Yong-gon hoisted me onto his shoulder like a child and propped me against the outer wall.
"You can't do shit like this. You'd just be dead weight."
As I tried to protest, Im Yong-gon jabbed a Star Cloud Liquid syringe into my arm.
"I'm not saying sit back and watch."
Then Lee Seong-mi, carrying Jeong Ha-kyeong, came over and set her down beside me.
"We'll hold the front line. Association President, recover and join us later, okay?"
"...But!"
"Forgot? We're Nightmare Hunters too. Seodaemun-gu's elite combat force."
Then Shin Tae-yeop walked up.
"Mister, like I said."
He'd been bawling earlier, but now he flashed that pure smile again.
"Real heroes always show up late."
"...What?"
"I'll yield the spotlight to you this time. Just don't take too long fooling around with Ha-kyeong sis."
This kid...
Meanwhile, Choi Uk finished squad assignments and gave his final orders to the comms officer and subordinates.
"Deploy formation. Main force, return immediately to Gyonam-dong!"
13.
"Uh... Why the long face?"
Ryu Hyun-ji asked cautiously.
She'd been eyeing Do Ye-jin for a while before finally speaking up.
"Feels like the world's being unfair."
"...Out of nowhere?"
Do Ye-jin, who'd been staring blankly with a resigned look, suddenly burst out.
"Think about it!"
"About what?"
"I was the first one to say we should go help Kim Baek-jun mister!"
"Th-That... true?"
"But does this make sense? They left me out!"
That was a distortion of the facts.
The [Kim Baek-jun Search Team] assembled by Choi Uk and Shin Tae-yeop had 34 members total.
All top elites from the <Association>.
To put it simply, only the handpicked squad leaders headed to Samcheong-dong.
"No, uh... They said if Ye-jin went, it might make things worse."
"What about Park Ji-won? She went!"
"J-Ji-won? She's an exception. Her unique skill was too crucial for that situation..."
At Ryu Hyun-ji's point, Heo Cheon-gyeom clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"She won't remember that 'cause she's an idiot. Her memory maxes out at 3 seconds."
Then, black and white.
Ryu Hyun-ji's unique skill, the wolf-like divine beasts, flew around Do Ye-jin, giggling.
「Idiot. Idiot. Idiot x300.」
「Agree. Agree. Total agree.」
Heo Cheon-gyeom nodded with a smirk.
"Smart ones, aren't ya? Starting to like you guys lately."
A barrage of verbal abuse.
As Do Ye-jin looked ready to cry.
"Y-You guys, cut it out?!"
Ryu Hyun-ji quickly soothed her.
"It's okay, Ye-jin! It's natural to feel bummed! Yeah! I-I'd feel the same."
Heo Cheon-gyeom yawned, signaling his disinterest in the topic.
"Still frustrating though. Park Ji-won's off in the Nightmare Zone with the seniors."
He gestured with his chin across the sparsely populated night street.
This was Cheonun Hyoja-dong.
A region the <Association> had incorporated into paradise ten days ago.
"And we're stuck on paradise patrol."
Association President Kim Baek-jun.
He'd also assigned his Association members sheriff duties.
"Who'd cause trouble when they're busy surviving? Hunters managing paradise security is honestly kinda overkill."
"It's not just that role. Some people use tricks or force to steal supplies from the weak."
"Maybe one or two here and there."
As Heo Cheon-gyeom replied, he turned his gaze east.
The walls.
Toward the grand 20-meter walls filling the horizon.
"Get caught doing that, and you're exiled from paradise. Who'd want to get kicked outside those walls?"
It was right then.
Info windows began unfolding before the eyes of 1st Hunter Squad.
[Hunt Success: Exalted Subordinate, 'Final Dragon, Scesari']
[Notification: 'Samcheong-dong' is incorporated into 'New Seodaemun-gu.']
[Notification: 'Purification work' begins in the region 'Samcheong-dong.']
The boy and girl fell silent for a moment.
Then Heo Cheon-gyeom let out a hollow laugh.
Ryu Hyun-ji and Do Ye-jin sighed in relief and laughed along.
"See, Ye-jin? Told ya it'd be fine."
"Yeah!"
"That's why I said it'd be okay, dummy."
Sis is coming back.
Kim Baek-jun and Shin Tae-yeop are coming back.
Do Ye-jin beamed and checked her wristwatch.
22:31:59.
Tick, 32 minutes.
In that instant, it felt like the world's time had frozen... A chill ran down her spine.
What... What is it?
The moment she looked up.
Left. Heo Cheon-gyeom's face pale as a ghost.
Right. Ryu Hyun-ji the same.
"Why... What's wrong?"
No one answered.
But... Strangely, both were staring at the same spot.
East, atop the walls.
The moment she followed their gaze... Is this... a dream...? Her heart froze solid.
It... It's it.
The being that made the 20-meter walls look like Lego toys.
The being that brought nightmares to the world.
The being that raised the curtain on countless tragedies.
Guider.
The moment that existence.
Revealed itself before humanity once more.
[Population Limit]
Paradise Name: New Seodaemun-gu
- Region 'Muak-dong' incorporated. (+500)
- Region 'Gyonam-dong' incorporated. (+500)
- Region 'Buam-dong' incorporated. (+500)
- Region 'Sajik-dong' incorporated. (+500)
- Region 'Pyeongchang-dong' incorporated. (+500)
- Region 'Cheonun Hyoja-dong' incorporated. (+700)
- Region 'Samcheong-dong' incorporated. (+500)
Current / Limit
- [Paradise Main District]: 3,000 / 3,000
- [Paradise Sub-District - 1]: 500 / 500
- [Paradise Sub-District - 2]: 500 / 500
- [Paradise Sub-District - 3]: 500 / 500
- [Paradise Sub-District - 4]: 500 / 500
- [Paradise Sub-District - 5]: 500 / 500
- [Paradise Sub-District - 6]: 700 / 700
- [Paradise Sub-District - 7]: 0 / 500
[Warning: Paradise Annihilation]
- This Paradise Zone, 'New Seodaemun-gu', is temporarily incorporated into the Nightmare Zone, 'New Jongno-gu'.