Staying in the Shadows
All skill cooldowns have been reduced.
Instant Death unique skill cooldown: 44 days → 39 days
A five-day reduction.
“Oh...”
What to say.
“...It didn't decrease that much.”
It was true I could use it more often now, but there wasn't much practical difference between 44 days and 39.
In reality, it was only a 10% cut.
“It's probably because the Instant Death skill you possess is a unique skill, Master.”
Lucifer said it like he was consoling me.
Unlike regular skills, unique skills could only be owned by one person. In exchange, they were overwhelmingly superior in performance most of the time.
“You can see my skills too?”
“Of course. As your loyal apostle, I know everything about you, Master.”
“...”
Everything?
A bit creepy.
But it was helpful, no doubt. Unlike the constellations, he could communicate properly.
“Feel free to ask me anything you're curious about. I can't tell you everything right now, but I know quite a lot.”
Lucifer spread his black wings wide, looking proud.
In that case, first things first: accurately gauge his power level.
There were mountains of places to conquer ahead. Gates, labyrinth dungeons, even the death wave.
Just now, we'd cleared an E-rank gate, but it had been such a one-sided slaughter that it was hard to measure his combat strength.
I cut straight to the chase.
“How strong are you?”
“Hmm... That's a tough question.”
Lucifer furrowed his brow, deep in thought at my question.
“If I said as strong as a space wolf... would that answer it?”
Space wolf? What kind of nonsense was that? I'd never heard of such a monster.
“Just tell me in levels.”
“Apostles don't have levels. Hmm. It's hard to pin down exactly, but I'm stronger than any hunter currently on Earth.”
That much...?
Of course, it was his own word. There was bound to be some exaggeration.
“So you can handle errands, monster hunts, even planetary conquest. Just leave it all to me.”
“...”
Anyway, he seemed ridiculously strong.
Next up: laying out my activity policy.
“Up until now, I've been operating while hiding my abilities...”
Up until now was just two days, but still.
I explained everything that had happened so far to Lucifer, up to defeating the world boss and entering the nickname Mumyeong.
Lucifer nodded gravely as he listened.
“Oh, you did very well. Wise choice. Your abilities are so outstanding that hiding them for the time being is the right call.”
Kneeling on the floor, Lucifer spread his fingers emphatically as he spoke.
“When I was summoned, I even considered the possibility of World War III breaking out around you. It could seriously lead to humanity's extinction...”
“Lead to?”
“Slip of the tongue. Anyway, your potential could bring about humanity's downfall.”
Lucifer spouting utter nonsense with utmost seriousness.
“...”
One thing was clear. I didn't know about the rest, but this was certain.
This guy was subtly insane.
Were apostles all like this?
Anyway, picking up where I left off.
“But the situation's different now.”
I'd drawn the powerful card of apostle summoning. Lucifer was insanely strong, as you could see.
My personal safety was now guaranteed.
“Do I really need to keep hiding?”
“Yes, you do.”
Lucifer said it with absolute certainty, his smile vanishing.
“At least until you can protect yourself.”
“Yeah?”
“My specialties aren't exactly protection. Plus, though I can't say for sure, there might be threats in this world even I don't know about.”
Even Lucifer's protection had limits. Even if he stuck by me 24/7, he might not prevent unlucky accidents.
“So instead of becoming a visible ruler, I recommend staying as the shadow black curtain pulling the strings from behind.”
Well, ruler was a bit much...
But he had a point.
Yeah.
Revealing my name would just drag me into endless trouble.
Decision made.
“We'll keep things as they are for now.”
If something urgent came up, I could just send Lucifer to handle it. At least until I got stronger.
That was when I felt my activity policy was roughly sorted.
“Hold on.”
A sudden thought struck me.
“Come to think of it... didn't you just leave Hunter Sa Choiheon behind?”
“Pardon? Yes. You told me not to say anything.”
True.
I'd been in a rush earlier and told him to return first.
But now that I thought about it, wouldn't Sa Choiheon think something huge had gone wrong?
He'd been glaring at Lucifer like he wanted to kill him. Even I could tell it wasn't ordinary killing intent.
Better clear up the misunderstanding.
“You... go back to Sa Choiheon.”
Bulmyeol.
It was the name of one of Korea's three major guilds.
And among them, Bulmyeol stood unrivaled at number one.
It was also the guild led by Sa Choiheon, Korea's rank 1 hunter.
Step, step.
Sa Choiheon, drenched from the rain, walked into the state-of-the-art guild building.
His colleague, who happened to be in the lobby, greeted him.
“Whoa, Guild Master. You're soaked. Sudden downpour out of nowhere. Want a towel?”
“I'm fine.”
“...What about Mumyeong? Everyone's dying to know.”
“I'll explain the details later.”
Yoo Jihun nodded at his words. Normally, he'd back off there, but...
Yoo Jihun scratched his cheek awkwardly before speaking up.
“Guild Master, if something's bothering you, tell us. We're always on your side.”
Leaving those words, Yoo Jihun vanished with instant teleportation, seemingly embarrassed.
“...”
Sa Choiheon stared at the spot where he'd disappeared for a moment before heading to the elevator.
The colleagues in Bulmyeol Guild were all individuals with exceptional potential, handpicked one by one by the regressor Sa Choiheon.
Yet none of them could he confide everything in.
They don't know I've regressed.
So he couldn't talk about Mumyeong, nor the sudden appearance of a higher being.
Not yet.
Whoosh—.
Sa Choiheon headed straight to the shower room and turned on the water.
His mind was a mess; he needed time to sort it out.
Something's changed. The future has been completely twisted.
The world boss had died instantly right before his eyes.
Before he could even lift a finger.
Mumyeong had done it alone. System contribution rank 1: Mumyeong.
He'd thought he'd at least uncover who Mumyeong was.
But not even a trace of mana remained at the scene. Was that even possible? The 'phase' pointing to humanity's extinction hadn't even begun.
Damn it.
Thud.
Sa Choiheon punched the shower room tile.
But that wasn't the end of the problems.
Mumyeong alone was a headache of a variable, yet Sa Choiheon had encountered another.
The higher being that appeared on the mountaintop.
That guy was definitely... an apostle.
Apostles were higher beings that shouldn't appear until phase 2 of extinction or later. At this point, they should only exist as constellations.
Why the hell had that lunatic descended to the mortal plane now?
He'd asked its name, but it didn't answer. He'd slashed at it with his sword, but he wasn't sure if it even connected.
It screamed after taking the hit, but it felt like a deliberate feint to escape. No sensation of cutting flesh.
Was there a black-series apostle like that?
Maybe the world's causality was already broken beyond repair.
Sa Choiheon despaired.
Is saving this world... impossible?
His anguish deepened.
What method could he use to fight this world? Or where should he start over from?
“Haa...”
Sa Choiheon let out a deep sigh—
“Why sigh like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders?”
“?!”
A shadow of another being flickered through the shower steam. Sa Choiheon instantly drew his sword from his inventory.
“Who are you!”
Fwoosh—!
Sa Choiheon's aura spread out, instantly clearing the steam. What emerged was an apostle with black wings.
Lucifer.
Sa Choiheon's pupils shook like an earthquake. Even in this defenseless state, he hadn't sensed a thing.
How had it slipped in?
“...Here to eliminate me?”
Sa Choiheon said sharply.
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding. Most higher beings were the pinnacle of arrogance.
On the mountaintop, Sa Choiheon had attacked the apostle. This could be retaliation.
But Lucifer averted his gaze awkwardly and coughed.
“Ahem. Why'd you clear the steam? Ack, stings the eyes.”
“Answer me.”
“It's a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
Lucifer clicked his tongue and continued.
“I have no intention of harming humans. It'd go against my master's will.”
“Your... master?”
Sa Choiheon repeated in disbelief.
A lofty higher being calling someone master?
“My master is human. So I'm on your side. Okay?”
“...?”
“Anyway, misunderstanding cleared. I'm outta here?”
And that was the end of the conversation.
“Wait—!”
Lucifer flapped his black wings once and turned into a crow, flying out the window before Sa Choiheon could grab him.
A one-sided exchange.
Sa Choiheon froze in place.
It was so absurd he could barely process it.
Whoosh—.
Water from the shower poured over the sword in his hand. How long he stood there like that...
Still frozen in absurdity—
Crash! Guild members burst into the shower room.
“Wh-what's going on?!”
“Guild Master, what happened?! Why the weapon...?”
“...”
Sa Choiheon sighed deeply.
Mumyeong, wielder of unknown power, wasn't enough—now a human controlling an apostle?
Two variables.
But it's too early to despair.
In a way, this was an opportunity.
If the apostle's descent was by human summoning, there was room for persuasion.
Mumyeong and the apostle's master.
If those two(?) were on humanity's side... no, even if just one was.
This world's fate could change dramatically.
With that thought, Sa Choiheon addressed his guild members.
“...I'll find them no matter what.”
“Pardon?”
“We'll start with Mumyeong. Cost doesn't matter. Whatever the price, I'll track them down.”
His voice was resolute, but the guild members looked somewhat awkward.
“What's wrong?”
One guild member cautiously spoke up to Sa Choiheon, who was tilting his head with furrowed brows.
“Guild Master, put some clothes on first.”
Lucifer returned after clearing up the misunderstanding with Sa Choiheon. I confirmed it through vision sharing.
“...”
I'd unintentionally seen an embarrassing scene, and the clarification had been awfully abrupt, but...
As long as he didn't see Lucifer as an enemy, it was fine.
“Eh, that should do it.”
And so the day came to a close.
The next morning.
Bubble bubble, sizzle—.
I woke up earlier than usual. The kitchen area was noisy.
“Ah, you're awake, Master?”
Lucifer, apron-clad, was making breakfast. Fried eggs and bacon sizzling in the pan, alongside doenjang jjigae.
A mix of Western and Korean.
“Breakfast is ready.”
Lucifer set a small table in front of me.
This guy was ridiculously diligent.
A spoonful of the doenjang jjigae was excellent. The bacon and eggs perfectly cooked.
It's touching... if only.
I spoke up while eating.
“I was thinking last night while sleeping. About the constellations.”
“Yes, there are. One's hovering around you right now.”
A black starlight orbiting near my head. I voiced my question to Lucifer.
“There must be tons of other constellations. Won't this easily expose my identity?”
I couldn't exchange direct messages with constellations. But couldn't they gather indirect info?
Was the Mumyeong nickname pointless?
Lucifer shook his head firmly.
“No, impossible. Constellations' expressions are restricted.”
True. They could only send emotions. System-related messages at best.
“Especially info that heavily interferes with the world is absolutely impossible at this stage. No need to worry.”
“I see.”
Lucifer pointed at the starlight near my head.
“And this one's just lucky to have found you. Obvious at a glance.”
Constellation Master of the Black Star beams with pride.
Lucifer added an explanation.
“For reference, other constellations are desperate to become your watch constellations. But your special abilities make it hard for them to pinpoint your exact location.”
...So that's how it was.
Constellation issue resolved, then.
But one problem remained.
“I'm planning to start tackling dungeons today...”
The highest instance gate I could open was E-rank.
Matching my E-rank rating.
Repeating instance gates for level-ups would be ideal, but impossible.
Instance gates gave no experience.
That's why hunters tackle outer gates.
I wanted to stockpile both rewards and experience.
Regular gates had no rewards, though.
So I aimed for labyrinths, which offered both.
The issue was this.
“I just want to clear them quietly.”
Even with the stealth cloak from the constellation, same problem.
The stealth cloak avoided CCTV, but rank and nickname were recorded.
Reverse-trace that, and they might find me.
“Got any good abilities for that?”
Lucifer scratched his head at my question.
“At this point, I can transform into a crow, fight, share vision, run errands... that's about it, but...”
Snap!
Suddenly, like a lightbulb moment, Lucifer snapped his fingers.
“Get sponsorship from a constellation. You already got the stealth cloak from one, right?”
“Yeah, but.”
“Each constellation can sponsor up to three times. They probably have better items.”
Lucifer stood, glaring at the tiny black starlight orbiting me.
“Hey, you.”
Constellation Master of the Black Star averts its gaze.
“Don't play dumb. Cough up one more sponsorship. Something to reliably hide your identity.”
Constellation Master of the Black Star looks troubled.
The black starlight slinks away, avoiding Lucifer. He relentlessly pursues, threatening it.
“Hey, punk. What're you? Hand it over quick.”
“...Is this okay?”
“Of course. Constellations have hierarchies too, and this one's nothing special. You can tell from the starlight's size.”
Constellation Master of the Black Star makes a tearful face.
“Squeeze 'em till they pop.”
Lucifer's cold eyes fixed on the starlight.
“Making a face after seeing Master's power? It's good for you in the end. You gonna handle me later? Just hand it over already.”
As if threats would work.
They weren't called constellations for nothing. Lofty beings watching hunters from another dimension—would they cough up items like some street thug?
As I shook my head watching Lucifer—
Ding!
Constellation Master of the Black Star tearfully declares sponsorship.
Huh?
Master of the Black Star sponsors its second gift.
Sponsorship messages popped up.
...It actually gave it.
A Unique item, no less. Item grades: common, rare, unique, legendary.
Unique was near endgame tier.
Just like that?
“See? Nothing a little talk can't solve.”
Lucifer shrugged with a satisfied smile.