Tyrant's Path 2
Kwon Si-hyuk suspected that all these scenes might be his own memories. No... the memories he'd wanted to forget were far too vivid.
It was my memory...
The reason his mother had suddenly converted from Christianity to Buddhism. Why he possessed the ability to not burn in fire... why he could summon flames at will—he'd always wondered about the origin of that power. The kids who had burned to death at the summer Bible school long ago. Could that surviving baby have been him? When he'd asked his mom, she'd denied it in a panic. The Pandora's box of his sealed memories had been flung open.
The demon that had turned that place—where young boys and girls laughed and played—into a fiery inferno... was me.
I... I killed them all.
Flames bursting from his own body had devoured everything. Screams, agony, people crumbling into ash. In the midst of that hell, a boy had soothed and comforted his crying self.
"This is... a nightmare. Fuck!!"
It was a nightmare crafted by the gate's master. Kwon Si-hyuk desperately tried to wake from it. But the memories faded like mist, and he just wanted to drift into cozy sleep. Like the drowsy pull after a bellyful meal.
Yeah... a quick nap, and it'll all be better.
- Yeah! A quick nap, and it'll all be better!
This voice wasn't his own. It was Ifrit's.
...Don't sleep.
- Give up, human. You'll wander forever in your deepest despair.
Another voice echoed in his mind. The gate's master, perhaps? Kwon Si-hyuk's consciousness sank deeper into the darkness. All hope vanished, and that day's despair swallowed him once more—right at that moment.
Like a flash, one face surfaced. The face of B-rank hunter Park Woojin, who had saved him from mana rampage.
Why... why him... now? His face oddly overlapped with the boy from his memories. An absurd thought, but in that instant, a tiny spark of hope ignited in Kwon Si-hyuk's heart.
"Yeah... I can't give up. I owe him... I have to repay that debt."
When he opened his eyes again, the real world came into view. He was still inside the gate, and before him loomed the gate's master, baring its grotesque form with a gaping red maw.
"!!!"
But something had changed. A sturdy back blocking his path. And in that hand, a dagger gleaming with cold silver light.
...Park Woojin.
"You... you're a real pain in the ass."
The moment his low voice reached him, Kwon Si-hyuk realized it. The savior from his past and the one now had finally become one.
Psssh—
The moment the holy sword Phnoima pierced the red eye—the core—of the Abyssal Predator, the monster's body convulsed wildly, as if screaming in agony. The overwhelming mana that had shaken the space dissipated like a lie.
"Grraaaah...! You bastard... how dare you...!"
Dozens of tentacles erupted from the monster's body, thrashing madly toward me. But I didn't flinch. Instead, I drove Phnoima deeper, channeling the sacred flames within me through the blade into its core.
"Time for purification, you filthy demon scum."
Shwaaaa—!
As blue flames surged along the holy sword into it, explosive light burst from the Abyssal Predator's innards. Its pitch-black body turned transparent from the inside out, and the screams of countless trapped souls exploded forth. The sight of all those nightmare-bound souls breaking free at once was utterly horrifying.
"This... impossible... my power...!"
The monster's massive body shrank rapidly, like a deflating balloon. I yanked Phnoima free and stomped on its collapsing head.
"Your nightmare games end here."
Target: Soul of the Abyssal Predator, T-28 High-tier Demon
I hesitated for a second. A mental ability similar to the high-tier succubus 'Quickshit,' but it only poked at traumas—basically a downgrade.
"You're not worth it."
Stab, stab, stab.
"Gweeeek!!"
I diligently stabbed it with Phnoima until it cleanly vanished.
"Whew..."
I let out a light sigh and turned around. Kwon Si-hyuk stared up at me in a daze, his eyes filled with awe and the pure gleam of a child beholding a hero.
"How's your body feeling?"
At my question, he scrambled to his feet like he'd just snapped out of it.
"Woojin hyung-nim... thank you... so much! I... I owe you again..."
"Forget it. Pay me back with your body later. By the way, you're weak to mental attacks. Gotta watch that."
His face flushed beet red at my jab.
"Th-that's because it dug into my past trauma..."
"I know. I saw it."
"What? You saw it? My memories...?"
His eyes widened in shock. I shrugged.
When Phnoima pierced the Abyssal Predator, I'd glimpsed Kwon Si-hyuk's nightmare.
"Eh, sorta. Who knew the kid messing with fire at that summer Bible school was you... Kinda wild how our fates connect like this."
"...!!!"
He was speechless. The look on his face went beyond surprise—pure reverence, like a mortal facing a god.
With a trembling voice, he asked, "Then... back then... the boy who saved me... was really you, hyung-nim?"
"These thick eyebrows didn't scream 'me' to you? I nearly died because of you back then."
I chuckled and summoned a flame from my index finger, spraying it like a fountain into the air.
"I handle fire the same way you do—without burning."
Kwon Si-hyuk collapsed to his knees right there. Thick tears began streaming from his eyes.
Korea’s strongest S-rank hunter, the man called the 'Tyrant,' was sobbing like a child.
"Hic... waaah... it really... really was you, hyung-nim... I... I've lived my whole life never forgetting that grace... I swore if I met you again... I'd repay it... I've just been racking up debts..."
I crouched beside him and patted his back.
"Why cry, you big lug? Debts can be paid off slow and steady. Wipe those tears first."
My comfort only made him sob harder. After a long cry, he wiped his face and looked up at me with resolute eyes.
"Hyung-nim. From now on, my life is yours. Kwon Si-hyuk pledges to serve you as master for life. Please take me in."
He dropped to one knee before me, head bowed like a knight swearing fealty to his king. A bit awkward, but I'd gained a reliable ally. He'd probably bend over if I asked now, but for 100% mana absorption... nah, too gay for my taste.
This would solidify my position in the Patriot Guild even more.
I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up.
"Cut the master crap. Just call me hyung, dumbass."
"Yes, hyung-nim! This life is yours to command!"
His eyes now burned with blind loyalty.
"Oh yeah... Wanna summon Ifrit? The one sleeping in you seems like a real pain."
"...Huh? How did you even..."
"I figured it out from your nightmare—Ifrit's the root of your mana rampage. Just do what I say. Focus your mind, talk to Ifrit inside you."
"......"
"Call him out. You're in early-stage rampage, so it'll be easy."
"!!!"
As Kwon Si-hyuk concentrated, dark-red tentacles surged from his body, writhing wildly.
"Kuhuhu... Kahahaha. So it was you after all... me, Ifrit."
Psssh—
Psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh, psssh—
I summoned Ifrit repeatedly, forcing mana rampage, then stabbed with Phnoima. About twenty-three times? Eventually, Ifrit refused summons and vanished somewhere.
"Ah... if all hunters were like you... it'd be fucking paradise."
For some reason, Ifrit had parasitized Kwon Si-hyuk's body, making this possible.
"Huh???"
"Nothing. Let's get out. You're strong enough now, right? This sulfur stink's giving me a headache."
Thanks to that, Kwon Si-hyuk broke through the S-rank wall to become an SS-rank hunter.
Exiting the gate, the outside was chaos—Hunter Association officials and reporters who'd heard the news swarmed the place. They gawked at us emerging unscathed after ten days.
"Th-there! Kwon Si-hyuk... intact after ten days!"
"Who's that next to him? B-rank hunter Park Woojin?"
"No way... they cleared an S-rank gate... just the two of them?"
Flashes exploded wildly. I covered my face annoyedly.
Kwon Si-hyuk stepped in front of me and bellowed at the reporters.
"Everyone, make way!"
Then, pushing through the crowd came Team Leader Gu Gang-cheol and the Patriot Guild crew.
"Si-hyuk! You okay?"
"Hunter Park Woojin! Thank you. We saw it on Kwon Si-hyuk's body cam. Without you... it would've been disastrous."
Gu Gang-cheol approached me, face pale with horror. He'd seen me stabbing Kwon Si-hyuk's heart over and over.
I raised my index finger to my lips slightly, and the quick-witted team leader caught on.
"Truly... incredible. How did you take down an S-rank gate boss..."
"Just luck. Kwon Si-hyuk had already worn it down."
Gu Gang-cheol's eyes now held absolute trust in me—and a hint of fear.
Reporters surged again. Spotlights locked on Tyrant Kwon Si-hyuk.
"Hold on, reporters. We're holding an emergency press conference now."
At Kwon Si-hyuk's word, they orderly set up an impromptu stage. His mana-infused voice carried far.
"As of today, I am an SS-rank hunter."
Murmurs erupted.
Gu Gang-cheol's eyes bulged at the bombshell. Korea's first SS-rank. The only other was 'Richard Max,' forged by U.S. government and Jewish capital.
Flashes popped nonstop.
"Hyung-nim... join me up here."
I smiled faintly and stepped onto the platform at his call. Cameras turned to me, but no flashes.
All reporters tilted their heads.
"Hyung-nim is merely B-rank, but he's a greater hunter than I."
Flashes exploded toward me.
Click-click-click.
Every spotlight swung my way with his bombshell.
I smiled subtly at the cameras. No more hiding. Time to advertise.
"I'm about to reveal what the media's been hush-hush on. Hunters know mana rampage. Cause unknown, but it turns you into a demon, sucked into a gate. And the demons you fight in gates... might've been your comrades."
Murmurs swelled.
Shkshkshkshk!
Flashes burst as typing accelerated.
"Rampage turns you demon. That demon attacks back through gates. Vicious cycle. But we've found hunters using this new drug 'Oni's Blood' rampage more easily."
Shkshkshk!
I held up 'Oni's Blood.' The Hunter Association-linked drug already big in the news—reporters' eyes widened.
"It might make you stronger short-term... but long-term use leads to rampage and demonhood."
Gu Gang-cheol bit his lip, fidgeting anxiously, dreading my next bomb.
I summoned holy sword Phnoima.
"I can suppress mana rampage. If you sense signs, contact the Patriot Guild. Treatment costs, but better than turning demon."
Shkshkshk!
Blinding flashes.
"Not free, of course. Inquire at Patriot Guild. I've already suppressed SS-rank Kwon Si-hyuk's rampage multiple times."
Shkshkshkshk!
Perfect. Hunters worldwide plagued by rampage would now offer their mana to me. And the moniker 'Tyrant'... suits me better than him.
I cleared my throat, facing the cameras. This message—for Catholics and goddess Athena. With Baal busy conquering T-31 hell, now's the chance.
"This may be unfamiliar. I'm B-rank... but I have another title."
I partially unleashed my mana. Blue mana blanketed the sky; the crowd froze like statues. Perfect silence, not a bird stirring. My lips moved.
"Truth is... I'm a demon hunter."