Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: End of Endless Torment
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The long ordeal of pain had finally come to an end. I glanced down at my body, soaked through with blood and sweat, then grabbed my smartphone with trembling hands to check the time.
"Three days have passed."
I lay back for a moment and took a deep breath. It had been an incredibly precarious attempt. There were so many crises along the way that it was hard to even pinpoint which one was the worst.
It had all been one endless crisis. One wrong move, and my body would've exploded. Then the Association's janitors would've had a hell of a time scrubbing tomato ketchup off every surface in the place.
"Ugh."
Forcing myself up from the floor, my entire body creaked in protest. My joints felt like they might pop out, and my muscles were shredded to bits. Still, a quick trip to the hospital for a Hunter-grade recovery shot would fix me right up.
"Let's see... how are my kids doing?"
Maybe they'd bailed by now? With that thought, I pushed the door open.
The moment I did, Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun—who'd been locked in a sweaty duel with swords and rifles—both snapped their gazes toward me.
"Looks like you've been putting in the work."
Jeong O-hun responded to my words.
"Oh, we've worked hard, alright. But seeing you makes it all feel like a pointless waste of time."
Han Sang-ah jumped in.
"I can sense magical power from you that's way beyond a typical Partner Hunter. And for you to have that much? That's huge."
Unlike other Hunters, my magical power had low capacity but stayed constant, never depleting.
In other words, every single strike of mine now packed more punch than a regular Partner Hunter's finisher.
"I bet I could even take on Se-eun noona now."
I turned and spotted Lee Se-eun, who was listening in with a grin.
"Yeah?"
I wasn't surprised. I'd sensed her presence the moment I opened the door. But hold on—what the hell?
"No, seriously, why'd you get even stronger in the meantime?"
"Fought what looked like the leader of Dangun's Heirs during that transport op. Felt like my skills were lacking, so..."
She got pissed off and powered up? What kind of logic was that? Still, she felt like a perfect sparring partner right now.
"Wanna go a round?"
"We might bring the place down."
Lee Se-eun burst out laughing at my words, then jerked her chin toward the door.
"Then let's take it somewhere else. I've been waiting a full day for this."
"Aw, and you're such a busy lady."
She nodded at my quip.
As we walked down the corridor, Lee Se-eun and I chatted about this and that.
"Once the rail line opened, the amount of aid heading to Europe ramped up. Great news, but it's kept me busier. Plus a few requests on top. So, what's your next target?"
I answered.
"The crown."
She let out an "ah" and scanned me up and down.
"You could definitely handle a top-20 Hunter. Looks like that headache's finally found its match."
"What about Choi Yeoreum?"
Lee Se-eun stopped in her tracks and stared at me.
"You mean the Choi Yeoreum I know?"
"Yeah, Choi Yeoreum from Wonder Club. She's ranked third, right? Got a chance to meet her right after dealing with Jaun Valley."
Lee Se-eun dragged out an "eung?" before coming to a conclusion.
"You'll need to train harder. As things stand, I don't think you'd beat her yet."
"Plenty of time left."
She nodded.
"Just so you know, deaths are rare at the selection event, but permanent injuries aren't. You get close with Choi Yeoreum? Given your personalities, somehow I doubt it."
"We had a long talk. A very long talk where we scraped at each other's nerves raw."
Lee Se-eun let out a small sigh in lieu of a reply.
"Choi Yeoreum's third in the world. Beat her, and there'd only be two Hunters above you globally."
"More organizations than I'd like hate me smashing Erosion Cores."
Dangun's Heirs, the Korean government, Taebaek LLC, Wonder Club. Give it a little more time, and the Korea Hunter Association would probably sour on me too.
Too many enemies. Aside from Dangun's Heirs, the others were holding back thanks to my records and fame, but the second I slipped, they'd pounce like they were waiting for it.
That's why.
"I need that title."
The guy sitting pretty at number one on Hope's List was some honorary big shot doing who-knows-what. Effectively, second place was the top active Hunter.
Challenge Choi Yeoreum at the convention, snag the win and the title, and I'd climb to that number-two spot.
Plus, Choi Yeoreum seemed obsessive about holding her rank, with sky-high pride to boot. After I openly picked a fight during our meeting, she wouldn't just let it slide.
So, I'd strike first.
"Honestly, the gap from second to tenth doesn't seem that huge."
To swap ranks, Hunters dueled it out, but top-tens brawling risked massive losses, so everyone avoided it.
The official ranking matches used basic provided gear instead of personal equipment, purely testing raw skill.
But even that only reduced injury risk—it didn't eliminate it.
Lee Se-eun nodded.
"True. They say it can come down to condition on the day."
Which meant if I could beat Lee Se-eun, Choi Yeoreum's spot was fair game.
"Still, rankings exist for a reason."
We arrived at another space while talking.
"Whoa, this place."
"Remember the Hunter certification exam?"
It was where I'd first sparred with Lee Se-eun.
"You gonna go easy on me again?"
"Think that ship's sailed."
She plucked a greatsword from the wall rack and flashed me a toothy grin.
I grabbed a spear in turn. Practice weapons weren't great, but same conditions meant skill was what mattered.
"Ready?"
Lee Se-eun swung her greatsword through the air once, kicking up a gust that whitened the floor dust along its arc.
I gripped my spear, settled into stance, and we locked eyes. Our figures blurred out of sight, then reappeared as blade and spear clashed.
A deafening boom erupted, the air bursting. The spacious room shook to its core.
"This okay?"
"It's the Association's budget. Why should I care?"
Fair point. Not our problem. If they were mad, they could just spend more.
Countless blue trajectories bloomed like clouds, enveloping me. No point counting them anymore.
Thanks to the Banshee's Tear fragment I'd consumed.
"That annoying technique got even more annoying."
Lee Se-eun swung her greatsword. A fluid chain of strikes rippling like heat haze.
I backpedaled and shot back.
"No, seriously, what kind of fancy footwork is that with a greatsword?"
Greatswords were about raw, thunderous power. Crush mountains in one swing, hurricane-force rushes.
That assault? Wasn't greatsword fighting. Felt like some rapier or chain-sword bullshit. And the problem was, she pulled it off flawlessly.
"Not falling for it."
"You did, it'd change in a heartbeat."
She'd flow soft and gentle like drifting silk, then flip to savage the instant you bit.
Fluffy white clouds turning storm-dark with lightning. Get caught, and it'd hurt like hell.
Silken threads wrapping soft, then suddenly iron chains swinging maces.
"This is..."
I hated calling fights "high-level," but damn, this was high-level.
One slip, and it was over. In the tense deadlock, Lee Se-eun dashed along the wall and slashed at me.
Her swing churned the air around her, unleashing a heavy blast of wind pressure straight at me.
Not just a blast. Dodging slightly wouldn't cut it—the trajectory was off.
A graze, and it'd wrap me up, spinning me into a tornado.
To evade, I had to fully exit the zone. Forced big movements.
"But."
Why play her game? I swept my spear wide, sending the blue trajectories swirling around me.
Our winds canceled hers out. The budding whirlwind dispersed.
"Aw, take it like a champ."
"You trying to blender a promising Hunter?"
I charged at her against the wall. She kicked off like a meteor straight at me.
One, two...
Her greatsword and my spear, brimming with mana, collided. The release hurled us back in an explosion.
Then cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling, bits crumbling down.
"Weapons."
Both our weapons shattered. Suddenly grinning, Lee Se-eun rushed me barehanded.
And just like that, we traded punches. Not light taps—the force in our fists rivaled wrecking balls tearing down buildings.
"You're strong."
"Tell me about it."
Bare-knuckle meant close quarters eventually. Faces inches apart, we swung.
A meaty thwack, and we both landed haymakers. A boom like an explosion, our sweat spraying from the shockwave.
Dozens of position swaps in seconds, limbs flying nonstop in offense and defense.
Thirty minutes later, we stopped as if by mutual agreement. Lee Se-eun tossed me a towel.
"We're evenly matched."
"Then gear's where the gap would come from."
She nodded readily, then said in amazement.
"Still, your growth is insane. Kinda unfair."
Not growth—just more time forged in hell. No point explaining; she wouldn't get it. I let it slide.
"Looking forward to more."
To keep training meaningfully, I'd need to spar with Lee Se-eun from here on.
Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun would catch up fast with my help and effort.
Then—plip—a water drop hit my cheek.
"Wait, why's water leaking from the ceiling?"
Did the Hunter Association pinch pennies on roof repairs? Looking up, I let out an "oh."
"We fucked up."
Lee Se-eun glanced up and shrugged.
"Tell 'em to invest more and build it sturdier next time."
The ceiling was trashed entirely. Not just that—the whole space looked like a dog had mauled a chew toy.
"Not our fault. Places like this are built to get wrecked during use."
"Hope the Association President sees it that way."
Whatever. The damage didn't matter. The Banshee's Tear had proven its worth.
Now I was hyped for that convention. Let's see what happened.