Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Rest to This Ruined World, Gyeongbokgung Siege (6)
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14.
“But a Hunter from another world with the power to wipe out all the northern Hunters...?”
Lee Sung-mi wore an incredulous expression. Seo Hwa-yoon spoke up.
“We should send out an official notice to be cautious when dealing with otherworldly Hunters from now on. We can’t let the same tragedy happen again.”
“Let’s do that.”
Choi Uk nodded. It was then that Um Jae-beom turned his gaze to me.
“How was it?”
“...What do you mean?”
“The end of that bastard. Was it a fitting end for all the atrocities he committed?”
Roheirits’s end?
I lowered my gaze without a word.
- Will you finally let me go now?
Perhaps because I didn’t want them to see my eyes shaking.
- Beyond that distant sky... the world of light. The land eternally bathed in twilight... The heavens where warm winds always embrace the body... A peaceful world without nightmares, sorrow, or hunting.
The guy, coughing in agony.
The moment the Dawn Sword pierced deep into his heart, his expression had been utterly serene.
“Because of my inexperience, I couldn’t give him that kind of end.”
That was my answer.
In truth, it wasn’t a lie.
My adoptive mother always told me this.
- Baek-jun, it’s fine to hate a person’s mistakes. But you must never hate the person themselves.
The slaughter Roheirits committed was unforgivable. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to hate him.
Because I knew it all stemmed from a misunderstanding.
He was different from the trap Hunters.
He didn’t take pleasure in killing humans.
He left no soul stones behind, so he wasn’t an otherworldly Hunter either.
“Even so, he wished for atonement in the end.”
“...An otherworldly Hunter?”
“Yes. And I granted him death as that atonement.”
With that, I ended the conversation.
What deserved hatred were those stars in the sky. The outer universe beings who turned the whole world into a meaningless game, making people kill each other.
- If it’s you... maybe you really could pull it off...
I closed my eyes briefly.
To mourn all those sacrificed by that game. That mourning would end when I completed this hunt.
“Then let’s move on to the final agenda.”
While I silently reflected, Choi Uk steered the meeting.
“As you all know, it’s about the disposition of Do Ye-jin going forward.”
“...!”
“The new First Hunting Squad was run on a trial basis, but there’s no need for that anymore.”
Choi Uk glanced at me before continuing.
“We’ll reorganize the First Hunting Squad with personnel who can prioritize Do Ye-jin’s safety above all.”
The mood was one of unanimous agreement.
The one who objected was me.
“No. I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Explain.”
“The First Hunting Squad members all survived two raids. They’re already veterans.”
Saying that in front of these ultimate veterans felt awkward. So I revealed my true thoughts.
“Above all, keeping the squad as is seems like the best way to prioritize Ye-jin’s mental health. That’s what I think.”
Seo Hwa-yoon nodded vigorously.
Choi Uk pondered for a moment, then turned to Shin Tae-yeop.
“What’s your take?”
“I mean, if the Chairman says jump, I jump... Nah, kidding. I’m all for it. Those guys have gotten pretty strong now.”
Choi Uk let out a smirk, and Shin Tae-yeop looked shocked. The Choi Uk laughed?
“We’ve been skipping votes too much lately, so let’s do one now. If we keep skipping, we might skip them even on really important matters later.”
“I’m in favor.”
“Me too.”
“Same here.”
Me, Seo Hwa-yoon, Shin Tae-yeop.
“I’m in favor as well.”
Lee Sung-mi.
“I agree too. Do Ye-jin is reliable now.”
Um Jae-beom.
“Well, I hope you all know that the other Nightmare Hunters, including myself, think the same.”
Yoo Sung-deok.
And... even Choi Uk.
“I see. Interestingly, I’m in favor of this agenda too. Unanimous.”
15.
“What’s this?”
Do Ye-jin pointed at the strange stones in the box and asked.
“It’s the legacy of the former First Hunting Squad.”
“Legacy? Don’t use hard words. My head’s really not good with that stuff.”
Kim Baek-jun smirked and ruffled Do Ye-jin’s hair wildly. She looked horrified.
“Try touching one. You’ll understand right away.”
The first one he picked up was a sky-blue stone.
It smells like the wind.
The moment she muttered that, an info window popped up before her eyes.
[Combat Consumable Acquired: Hunter Cha Seung-hyeon’s Blood Spirit Stone]
What, what is this?
Do Ye-jin lifted her pale face. Kim Baek-jun nodded.
“It’s okay. Read it all.”
In that instant, Cha Seung-hyeon’s smile flashed by. What surged in her chest was the pain of longing for their bond.
- Hey, you idiot moron.
Do Ye-jin smiled bitterly down at the Blood Spirit Stone, then picked up the second one.
It had a thick herbal scent.
The smell near Yoon Geon-woo.
Do Ye-jin pulled that Blood Spirit Stone to her chest and felt its warmth.
- Even a side character has pride, you know. Gotta be a premium supporting role at least, right?
No, you weren’t a side character.
Oppa, the First Hunting Squad—you were the best mentors in my story.
Now, the last one.
A massive gray Blood Spirit Stone, as big as its owner. Do Ye-jin glanced at Kim Baek-jun.
“See? It’s the message they left for you.”
Hong Byeong-gyu’s laughter brushed past her ear.
- Thanks to me, Ye-jin statue, I got to meet someone like you.
Do Ye-jin finally clutched the Blood Spirit Stones to her chest and burst into tears. Kim Baek-jun patted her back.
“That uncle said it back then. They all chose it themselves.”
“It was... really true... I... I thought they died because of me...”
“No. Ye-jin, you are their dream.”
“Yeah... yeah...”
“When you said that, I can’t even describe how happy I was. That uncle didn’t have the words for it.”
Do Ye-jin suddenly felt a question rise.
“But why give this... now? You could’ve given it sooner.”
“I was scared you’d just cry every day. Seung-hyeon said it once, before we met you, after Gye-sang died.”
“Seung-hyeon did?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how grateful I should be to you. This is their dream and their keepsake.”
“Can I really have them?”
“Of course it’s right for you to have them. Use them when danger comes. Don’t hold back.”
Do Ye-jin couldn’t help but hesitate at those words. Because.
“Then... they’ll disappear.”
“They won’t disappear.”
Kim Baek-jun poked her chest center with his index finger and grinned.
“They’re always with you. Right?”
Do Ye-jin lost her words for a moment, then spoke in a voice full of hope.
“And we’ll meet them again. Right?”
“...What?”
“When this nightmare ends. On the day the world returns to normal.”
Kim Baek-jun stared at her with wide eyes, then suddenly dropped his head and chuckled.
“Yeah. That day. We’ll meet again. All of us. Let’s laugh and talk together then.”
“Promise.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah. Promise. Pinky swear and thumb bump.”
Do Ye-jin held out her hand.
Kim Baek-jun smiled, hooked his pinky with hers, and pressed their thumbs together.
“Yeah, a promise. Kim Baek-jun and Do Ye-jin’s promise.”
16.
I have to admit I was surprised.
The hope Do Ye-jin envisioned was higher and brighter than the hope I had seen.
Hope spreads easily everywhere.
I felt light and warmth from that hope... and made it my dream’s guiding star.
- And we’ll meet them again. Right?
“That little kid’s such a fool.”
Jeong Ha-kyeong, who heard my words.
She took a big bite of bread, speaking in a sullen tone.
“How do you know it’ll turn out that way? They just vaguely said it’d recover.”
“Well, true.”
“But?”
“For some reason, I hope it does. So you can make that dream you mentioned back then into reality.”
- If only we’d all met like that... how great would it have been...
A brief silence.
Jeong Ha-kyeong stared wordlessly at the canal, then suddenly shoved the bread in her mouth. She downed her hot coffee in one go.
“Ha-kyeong, what’s wrong? Why are you eating so fast all of a sudden?”
“What’s wrong? Why are you so relaxed?”
Jeong Ha-kyeong shot to her feet, grabbing her gear energetically.
“You just said you’d make that dream reality. You got time to rest when you’re trying to achieve it?”
Ah...!
I grinned and stood up. [Shadow Exoskeleton Cloak], [Monster Bone Helmet], [Vibrant Iron Scabbard], Dawn Sword. I was fully geared too.
“So, where’s our next target?”
“Where else? Samcheong-dong.”
The tragedy of that world hadn’t ended yet. Sometimes, the True Dragon King’s holy mark on the back of my hand throbbed.
The child was searching for its mother.
I promised to grant that child rest. Once more, I had to enter the nightmare.
[Hunter, Cha Seung-hyeon’s Blood Spirit Stone]
[Description Summary]
- 1: Hexagonal sky-blue gem.
- 2: Remnant of a Hunter who served the ruler of Gale Wind Star Lekebal.
[Usage Method]
- By breaking the Blood Spirit Stone.
Use once the power dwelling in this gem, unique skill. 《Wind Blade》.
[Unique Skill: 《Wind Blade》]
- Infuses the blade wind of Gale Wind Star Lekebal into a weapon.
- Usable Times: (1)
The young Hunter Cha Seung-hyeon was a boy who matured pitifully fast.
Facing impending death.
He chose to sacrifice himself to save a girl.
In his youth, Cha Seung-hyeon had no dreams.
But the world ended.
He met the Lead Hunter and gained a new dream.
To achieve the Lead Hunter’s dream together.
The boy entrusted that dream to the girl and died.
His body departed.
But his soul remained.
[Hunter, Yoon Geon-woo’s Blood Spirit Stone]
[Description Summary]
- 1: Circular purple gem.
- 2: Remnant of a Hunter who served the dancer of Purple Dance Star Raysan.
[Usage Method]
- By breaking the Blood Spirit Stone.
Use once the power dwelling in this gem, unique skill. 《Flash Dance Single Strike》.
[Unique Skill: 《Flash Dance Single Strike》]
- Infuses the transcendent dance of Purple Dance Star Raysan into the body.
- Usable Times: (1)
Hunter Yoon Geon-woo was an ordinary man. People were drawn to that ordinariness and liked him.
Facing impending death.
He chose to sacrifice himself to save a girl.
Even though he had his own dream.
That dream was to record all of this ruined history.
Yet he.
Chose to save the girl and die.
That girl held the dream not just to record this nightmare, but to end it forever.
His body departed.
But his soul remained.
[Hunter, Hong Byeong-gyu’s Blood Spirit Stone]
[Description Summary]
- 1: Rectangular gray gem.
- 2: Remnant of a Hunter who served the ruler of Iron Hall Star Tirets.
[Usage Method]
- By breaking the Blood Spirit Stone.
Use once the power dwelling in this gem, unique skill. 《Tempering》.
[Unique Skill: 《Tempering》]
- Strengthens the body with the transcendent power of Iron Hall Star Tirets.
- Usable Times: (1)
Hong Byeong-gyu.
He was a worthless middle-aged man.
Before the end, he had never approached anything with passion.
Neither studies nor work.
Thus, even into his later years, he only did menial labor and odd jobs.
Half-hearted in everything.
That was his life’s motto, but everything changed after meeting the Lead Hunter.
Did he awaken to the greatness of a life embracing a greater cause?
Thus, he.
Died at life’s end to fulfill his own greater cause.
What was that greater cause?
To save the girl shrouded in despair.
Behold.
The final dawn of the whole world, guarded by that worthless man.