Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Girl Does Not Despair (3)
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7.
“Tracking.”
Park Ji-won sliced deep into her palm with the tri-section sword in its single-blade form.
“《Bloodline Pursuit》.”
The blood dripping to the ground instantly took on the form of a living creature.
A low-grade heteromorph, human-bat.
It was the one that had passed through here ten seconds ago and fled. 《Bloodline Pursuit》 tracked and recreated everything from the past twelve hours.
“Chase it!”
The blood-formed human-bat slipped into the ruins of a collapsed commercial building and hid.
The implication was crystal clear. Right there.
“The main body’s in there too!”
“Uratcha!”
Do Ye-jin immediately aimed the barrel of her Cannon X and pulled the trigger hard.
A deafening roar that battered the eardrums.
A heavy recoil that shook her entire body.
The shell buried itself into the commercial building and exploded. Debris flew in all directions.
“Kee-ee-ee-ee-eeek!”
From amid the debris, the human-bat shot into the sky.
“White, Black!”
Ryu Hyeon-ji shouted right away.
The moment the contractor’s command dropped, White & Black transformed into their grotesque, massive cyclops wolf forms.
「GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!」
Black leaped straight into the air and clamped its vicious jaws around the human-bat’s wings, while White tore into its scruff.
A chilling death screech.
Soon, the human-bat’s body began crumbling into dust. Heteromorphs vanished upon death, leaving behind a soulstone.
“Nice!”
Do Ye-jin and Park Ji-won shouted in unison and high-fived.
White returned to the trio and yawned wide, its bloody maw dripping. The soulstone clattered to the ground.
“You’re the best, White!”
Do Ye-jin giggled as she stroked White’s fluffy fur.
“How about contracting with me too while we’re at it? I’ll give you tons of treats!”
White & Black snickered.
「We don’t do idiots, dummy.」
“You’re the idiot dumbass mutts. And after I complimented you.”
Do Ye-jin stuck out her tongue, and Park Ji-won sighed in exasperation.
“Why do you always get serious with these puppies……?”
Do Ye-jin scooped up the soulstone and turned to her teammates.
“That’s seven now!”
“Two, two left.”
Ryu Hyeon-ji replied with excitement in her voice.
The field training was taking place on the outskirts of the Nightmare Zone.
The outskirts were mostly inhabited by low-grade heteromorphs, so it was relatively safe.
Field training doubled as an exam.
The passing condition was to acquire three soulstones. As a three-person party, Do Ye-jin’s group needed nine.
“Let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing. Just find two more carefully. I’ll grab ’em by the throat and carry us.”
Park Ji-won wrapped a hemostatic bandage around her palm and stood. As they moved along the ruined street again, Do Ye-jin asked,
“Not dizzy?”
“Unlike some people, I’m competent. You think this little thing would make me dizzy?”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Didn’t you say you were anemic earlier and use Seongun Liquid? Is your head hurting so bad you forgot?”
Do Ye-jin asked innocently, and Park Ji-won’s expression slowly crumbled. Ryu Hyeon-ji burst into a bright aha-ha laugh.
The city was dead, so it was silent.
To each other, they felt like the entirety of this world.
“Let’s try this way.”
A cracked asphalt boulevard.
As they trudged along it, a motel caught their eye.
“The sign and windows are intact.”
“Hmm…… Heteromorphs usually hide in ruins, right?”
Park Ji-won tilted her head, then looked to the other two as if seeking agreement.
“That’s not a ruin, is it?”
The entrance door was open.
Do Ye-jin led with her Cannon X and stepped inside.
Naturally, there was nothing useful.
On her way out, in the torchlight, she spotted ‘it.’ An old internet phone.
……Does civilization adjustment not erase this?
Do Ye-jin walked to the counter and picked up the phone. She punched in the keypad—click click click—and held the receiver to her ear.
“What’re you doing?”
Ryu Hyeon-ji whispered, having followed out of worry.
“010-5349-xxxx.”
“?”
“My dad’s number. Easy to remember, right?”
Do Ye-jin let out a heh and smiled.
Hollow silence. Ryu Hyeon-ji hesitated a moment before saying,
“Can…… Can I try pressing it too?”
8.
Shwaaaa……
Rain pouring down, painting the heavens gray.
Do Ye-jin sat huddled with her classmates at an old bus stop, silently watching the scene.
“Too cold. Let’s huddle closer.”
Everyone agreed with Do Ye-jin.
They’d all lost body heat. White & Black were on watch, but they couldn’t risk a fire with attacks a worry.
“How much time left?”
“Tell me, please.”
“Tell me.”
Do Ye-jin glanced at the wristwatch her dad had given her.
“One hour.”
Field training was both hunting and survival training. They had to survive seven hours in the Nightmare Zone.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be Nightmare Hunters.”
Park Ji-won said excitedly.
“Why’d you come to the Nightmare Zone, Hyeon-ji sis?”
“B-Because…… of my little siblings.”
A faint smile lingered in Ryu Hyeon-ji’s eyes.
“To the Hunting Zone?”
“Yeah……. Hunters from the other world started showing up, so it’s not safe anymore. But the <Association> is giving Paradise tickets to raid participants, so…….”
“Otherworld hunters, huh…….”
Park Ji-won clasped her hands behind her head and looked up at the sky.
“Similar to me, but different. I came to get strong enough to kill those bastards.”
“Why?”
“Why…….”
Park Ji-won looked stumped at Do Ye-jin’s question.
“Just…… I know some people.”
“To protect them?”
Do Ye-jin flashed a big grin.
“Eww, acting cool doesn’t suit you.”
“Shut up. Why’d you come?”
“Me?”
Do Ye-jin swung her legs silently for a while before answering.
“It’s part of the subordinate conversion experiment.”
Unlike her classmates, Do Ye-jin had no choices.
I want to be with my sister even one second longer.
That was Do Ye-jin’s sole wish. Park Ji-won paused at the response.
“……Hey.”
They were right next to each other.
Yet Park Ji-won felt an insurmountable wall between her and Do Ye-jin.
“……Sorry.”
Do Ye-jin gave an awkward smile.
“What for? It’s fine, I said. It’s no big deal.”
Everything in this world is no big deal.
That’s why she could smile today. Walk again.
9.
“I trust you all know what soulstones can do.”
The training instructor said.
“You’ve passed the final exam. This bundle of soulstones is the <Association>’s subsidy for rookies.”
Do Ye-jin pocketed two bundles of soulstones.
One from the field training, the other above that as subsidy.
“Don’t dawdle—head straight to the cathedral. Carriages are waiting.”
10.
“Ah…… Yes, it’s you.”
The Star Messenger smiled with her eyes.
Starry robes. Silk sleeves swayed softly with every movement.
“To think…… a hunter carrying such a deep abyss scent…….”
The Star Messenger suddenly leaned in close to Do Ye-jin and sniffed.
“Sorry, but I don’t smell. I showered before coming.”
“Hahaha…… I am Karlen, priestess who aids you hunters in your mission.”
“Am I a hunter too?”
“Indeed. Though your lord has lost his name, he once ascended the stellar throne.”
Do Ye-jin yawned boredly. Not pretending—genuinely.
“My head’s not great. No clue what you’re saying. Just level me up quick and send me off.”
Her classmates watching froze solid.
“They say fools are fearless…….”
“That idiot…… Doesn’t she know backtalking a Star Messenger gets you killed?”
“Ji-won, go stop her!”
But the Star Messenger just burst into loud laughter.
“Very well. Let us perform the Rite of Transcendence.”
Do Ye-jin did as told.
The Rite of Transcendence was the hunter kneeling before the Star Messenger and offering soulstones with both hands.
The Star Messenger elegantly extended her hand. The soulstones turned into orbs of starlight, flickering brilliantly.
“The spirits of the stars descend upon you, for the stars pour oil upon you to aid in achieving great transcendence.”
Starlight exploded in an instant, flooding her vision white. At the same time, text appeared before her eyes.
Warrior-type hunters invest in strength and agility.
Archer and gunner types invest in penetration and perception.
‘Put all 9 points into strength, she said.’
She thought the starlight vision would fade after the so-called ‘level up,’ but no.
“Since the Crow Hunter keeps repeating meaningless acts, I shall teach you your fate directly.”
The Star Messenger stepped into the starlight.
“The power dwelling in you is Despair. It can only bloom from despair, of course. This is an inescapable fate.”
“……?”
“Three.”
The Star Messenger held up three fingers on her left hand.
“When you lose three bonds at once, that despair shall become yours…… Choose those bonds wisely.”
11.
“Welcome, little hunter friends.”
The graduation ceremony was held in the training yard.
Surprisingly, the guest of honor was the Lead Hunter.
“Over these eight days, you’ve excellently completed the virtues every Nightmare Hunter must possess.”
The nine trainees stood in a line before the platform, all crisp in new <Association> uniforms.
“Nah, forget it.”
Kim Baek-jun suddenly looked up from his parchment and chuckled.
“I got bored with long principal speeches too. Let’s keep it short. Better that way, right?”
Tension from meeting the legendary hunter eased, drawing small laughs.
“You’ve received much instruction, but the most important is this: Trust and cherish your comrades.”
Kim Baek-jun flashed a grin.
“Good luck, rookies. May we all share that triumphant joy here when this Nightmare ends.”
At the graduation, they received their assigned unit insignias. Kim Baek-jun personally handed them out one by one.
“Name?”
It started with Cha Seok.
“H-Heo Cheon-gyeom, sir!”
“Right. So you’re the Cheon-gyeom.”
“An honor, sir!”
Heo Cheon-gyeom looked ready to faint from elation. The guy who’d always been skeptical when Park Ji-won talked about the Lead Hunter……
“Ji-won, you made it here after all.”
“Came to see you, bro.”
“Don’t die.”
The two shared a subtle smile only those with shared history could. They really were close.
“You must be Ryu Hyeon-ji.”
“You know me?”
“Famous for that unique innate skill. High expectations.”
Ryu Hyeon-ji bowed her flushed face.
Last was the top graduate, Do Ye-jin.
Kim Baek-jun patted her shoulder with a smile.
“Really the top, huh.”
“Yes.”
“Well done. You did great.”
Sometimes, words carry such sincerity they move you. Do Ye-jin felt it then.
Her mask nearly slipped.
But Do Ye-jin heh-ed a smile, holding the cracking facade.
“I’ll keep expecting great things.”
The unit insignia from Kim Baek-jun bore a blood-red serrated blade. The mark of the main unit [Hunting].
At 17, Do Ye-jin’s hunting era in life began.
12.
“Ah, you’re here on time.”
Choi Uk said.
“Take a seat up front. I’ll wrap it up quick.”
“Take your time.”
Shin Tae-yeop said, pulling out a chair.
The two met in the headquarters [Intelligence Archives]. Scrolls of info gathered by <Association> hunters filled the shelves.
“What do you think intelligence is?”
Choi Uk swept the piled scrolls aside on the desk and asked. Shin Tae-yeop shrugged.
“In this era…… it feels like a marker of death.”
“……?”
“The blood legacy of those who went ahead, becoming signposts for those who follow.”
Shin Tae-yeop gave a wry smile.
He knew well. Nightmare hunting stood on incalculable sacrifices.
“If you’re giving a philosophy lecture, say so. Should’ve brought my notebook.”
「Note. Note. Note.」
Rin buzzed from the far end of the desk. Shin Tae-yeop waved it off lightly, then said gravely,
“Something you’re curious about regarding intel?”
Shin Tae-yeop’s position was commander.
He was leading the frontline investigation in Sajik-dong, bordering Gwangnam and Muak-dong.
“Yeah. How’s the Grand Library investigation?”
“It’s a real mess.”
Shin Tae-yeop shuddered briefly.
“Personally, it feels worse than Independence Gate Station.”
Sajik-dong Jongno Grand Library.
Transformed into the world’s greatest library since its construction by presidential decree in 2027.
“I don’t get why you’re obsessed with it. Casualties keep piling up. Three already. I’d love to just collapse it.”
“The key to Do Ye-jin’s subordinate conversion lies in the Grand Library.”
What?
Shin Tae-yeop froze.
Choi Uk briefly relayed Star Messenger Karlen’s words. Shin Tae-yeop fell silent for a long time.
“……Can we trust that intel?”
“On this matter, yes. Problem is, it didn’t say what dangers we’d face.”
Choi Uk’s tone implied clear dangers ahead.
“The personnel for the Grand Library. You know even <Association> internals are sending only elites, right?”
“Of course.”
“But how do we get Do Ye-jin in…… She’d die in under five minutes. Wanna bet?”
“Attach elite escorts as guards?”
Choi Uk’s dark eyes fixed on Shin Tae-yeop.
“Say, your squad.”
Shin Tae-yeop cleared his throat.
His squad meant First Hunting Squad: Hong Byeong-gyu, Yoon Geon-woo, Cha Seung-hyeon.
“Not a pleasant proposal.”
Escorting a newbie through that hell…… It meant massive risk.
“But the surest one.”
“…….”
“The Grand Library op is already at go-time. If small team fails, we push with numbers. What’ll it be?”
“Any other options?”
“Nope. Not in my head. You got any?”
Most of the talk, Choi Uk stared at the desk map—the Grand Library schematic.
It was already decided.
“Got it.”
Shin Tae-yeop sighed and rose from his chair.
“We’ll handle Do Ye-jin’s escort for this op.”
[Choose Stats to Enhance]
A. Stat Overview
- Strength: 35
- Agility: 16
- Penetration: 57
- Perception: 7
- Vitality: 35
B. Essence Possession: 9