Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Relics and the Final Boss
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Yubyeol-ha seemed to return to Korea every year on the anniversary of her parents' death, making sure to visit their gravesite and pay her respects.
Confucianism holds that the dead should neither be kept too distant nor too close.
Was she defying Confucian principles by living her life solely to avenge her deceased parents, or was she faithfully upholding them?
These days, funerals typically involved cremating the body after the ceremony and sending the ashes to a columbarium. But her parents' gravesite was located in a mountainous area a bit removed from Seoul.
We turned away from the Hunter Association and headed to the gravesite. We climbed an unpaved mountain path. Upon arriving at our destination, I realized why her parents were buried in the mountains rather than a columbarium.
National Osan Patriotic Cemetery. Her parents were laid to rest in a national cemetery.
An honorable place where only those who devoted themselves to the nation and sacrificed for it could be interred.
"Hunters get buried here no matter the reason for their death, huh."
She knelt before the gravestone. It bore the names Yoo Seong and Kim Min-ah. They had both passed away at the young age of 36.
"Mom, Dad, it's me."
Yubyeol-ha gently brushed the dust from the gravestone. Her gaze upon it was complex.
I, too, quietly offered my condolences to the departed.
If her parents had lived, would Yubyeol-ha have walked the path of a hunter?
Personally, I thought she would have.
The first people a child aspires to be like are their parents.
And the hunter profession was that of a hero who slayed Dimensional Beasts and saved lives.
It was absurd to think the girl with the world's greatest hunter talent wouldn't dream of becoming one.
Just... perhaps with a brighter, more hopeful mindset than now—not driven by revenge, but by a pure desire to save people.
In my heart, I gazed at Yubyeol-ha's alternate future, while my eyes beheld her present.
"Last time, I said I'd definitely get my revenge. Yeah. I did it. I finally killed the bastard who murdered you with my own hands. I made him suffer more than you did..."
Revenge. I still didn't fully understand that emotion.
There had never been anyone in my life I hated enough to kill.
I did think about killing Zero One, but not out of hatred—it was because his actions would harm me and the world. That was different from revenge.
"I don't know if this is the path you wanted for me, but I'll keep going to the end. I'll crush that society with the same resolve I started with."
Yubyeol-ha gave a faint smile. The sadness faded, replaced by a sense of relief.
She slowly rose to her feet.
"Why not say you'll crush the society and save the world while you're at it? Sounds better, don't you think?"
"Shut up."
"From a parent's perspective, the hero daughter might be a tad more brag-worthy than the vengeful one."
"What do you know about my parents?"
Fair point.
Yubyeol-ha smirked.
"You admit it quick."
"I'm a man who knows when to concede."
"Anyway, thanks for coming all this way."
Yubyeol-ha unclasped her necklace and held it out to me.
Iolite, a relic from her parents with the ability to partition space.
A beautiful gem somewhere between purple and blue—a treasure laden with meaning for her.
"Your reward. Take it."
"Huh?"
"Take it when it's offered."
I stared at the sparkling purple gem.
She was really giving this to me? "You've always worn this precious thing around your neck. You sure it's okay to give it to me?" "Honestly, I never thought I'd want to give this to anyone. It's my mom's keepsake." "..." "But I feel like I have to repay you somehow. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have avenged my parents—I'd have died right there." Her golden eyes held no hesitation. I blinked quietly. "It's my way of saying thanks. Please accept it." "Alright. I'll treasure it." I took the iolite in my hand. "Then let's head back. Business is done, and I'm getting sleepy." "Sure." We turned to leave. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ No one present noticed Baek Do-hyun's change.
The pentagram that had seeped into his red eyes began to slowly transform.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trait 'Phantasmal Demon Eye' evolution conditions fulfilled. Trait 'Phantasmal Demon Eye' has undergone final evolution to 'Eroding Demon Eye'. ✨ LEVEL.MAX - ERODING STAR ✨ The Demon Eye that erodes illusions into reality, the Absolute's eye embodying the authority of creation. Its form instills awe like gazing upon the Milky Way. The bearer erodes reality to create their own world. No one can resist this creation, and the Absolute erodes the created world in their desired direction. The eye possessed by the Progenitor True Ancestor. It invites all beheld targets into nothingness. The user possesses 'potential'—nothingness holding infinite possibilities—capable of manifesting anything desired into reality, depending on their capabilities. In this tiny world, a single star was born.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ My promise with Yubyeol-ha had wrapped up nicely. Business with the Hunter Association president was settled without issue.
All my affairs in South Korea were now complete. Except for one thing.
— Zero1[Admin] Come to the top floor of Taeyoung Building at 8 PM today. You're welcome to bring Yubyeol-ha and the other hunters. :) I looked at the message Zero One had sent me.
He must have closely monitored my movements since arriving in Korea.
I hadn't sensed any tails or watchful eyes along the way. Did he have eyes in the sky or something?
— Dracula What's the plan if I go? — Zero1[Admin] We'll hold an briefing on the human reduction scenario. It's exclusively for you, Dracula. Come at ease. :) — Dracula Can I just go and smash everything? — Zero1[Admin] :) — Dracula Joking. :) This guy actually gets jokes? Huh.
Well, he did create a community for monsters, so it made sense.
— Dracula You won't try jumping me the second I show up, right? — Zero1[Admin] :) — Dracula :( Was this bastard joking or serious?
— Zero1[Admin] You'd escape just fine anyway, Dracula. You're a Progenitor True Ancestor, after all. True enough. With Progenitor power, I'd sense any threat coming.
Of course, Zero One would have unimaginable traps prepared, so complacency was off the table.
— Dracula If it was too risky, I wouldn't have come to Korea in the first place. See you at 8 PM. — Zero1[Admin] See you then. Have a great day. "Hoo..."
"If you're worried, just don't go. Honestly, I'm against it like Winter sunbae. It's too dangerous."
"No challenge means no failure... but no success either. I have to go."
"Then at least take me with you. Why insist on going alone?"
Yubyeol-ha scowled. Her face was full of displeasure.
"You watch the perimeter from nearby. In case I need to bolt."
One of us walking into the enemy's maw was enough. No need for her too.
I still couldn't gauge Zero One's power, and escaping solo would be easier if things went south.
"Sigh, fine."
"I'm off, then."
It was 7 PM now. The sun had set.
The pitch-black sky was filled only with a pristine white moon.
Unlike Academy City, Seoul had no visible stars, making the moon stand out even more.
Yubyeol-ha and I left the hotel on foot toward the meeting spot. She waited nearby while I proceeded. We'd prepared radios for communication in case of emergency.
Fully prepared, I arrived at the rendezvous. Taeyoung Building was a 25-story office tower.
I took the elevator to the top floor. In this vast building, signs of life came only from the penthouse level.
Zero One wasn't alone. Quite a few—easily ten or more.
Even so, I didn't turn back. Beyond any reason, I wanted to lay eyes on Zero One at least once.
Ding—the elevator chimed its arrival, and I came face-to-face with this story's final boss.