Hunter (1)

The Oldest Dream couldn't believe his eyes, the regressor was running low on stamina.

Yoo Jonghyuk invested all his remaining coins in his stats, but it didn't make any difference.

For the first time since long ago, Yoo Jonghyuk's arms wearily trembled.

When he endured the clashes one after another, he had accumulated damage. However, even though it was hard, he continued to swing his weapon and never let go of it.

A red light was coming out of the hunter's long sword.

Clang! Thud!

The force of the blow was enough to throw Yoo Jonghyuk into the wall at the other end of the station. In less than a second, without letting him regain his senses, the hunter appeared in front of the regressor and hit him again.

"Ugh…!"

He coughed up blood.

However, Yoo Jonghyuk still tried to get up again, only to get miserably hit and fall to the floor.

…Should he give up?

Should he regress now?

There were two many variables and Kim Dokja wasn't there. Why should he continue living in this world line anyway?

Bang!

Yoo Jonghyuk considered giving up.

Bang! Bang!

"Cough!"

Lying on the floor, Yoo Jonghyuk clenched his hand.

'Kim Dokja…'

Would he see him if he regressed this time?

Tsutsutsuchut!

Sparks swirled around him in the air.

'Don't die, you sunfish bastard!"

Yoo Jonghyuk felt as if he was hit in the back of the head and touched his nape. He didn't know whether the words just now were imagined or not.

The regressor remembered the man who had killed grasshoppers in the first scenario; the cheeky man he had thrown off a bridge with a smile; the man who tried to save his friends; the man who died at his hands after becoming a demon king…

Tsutsutsuchut!

Strangely, the sound of probability resounded in his ears.

…Right, Kim Dokja wouldn't have wanted him to give up.

But why did that matter now?

["Yoo Jonghyuk. I will tell you two things first. One, I'm not your subordinate. So I hope you will treat me fairly from now on. Two, I will cooperate with you but you also have to promise to cooperate with me."]

Yoo Jonghyuk gritted his teeth.

["Get your hand off me and get lost, you damn jerk."]

Memories of the past flooded his mind.

["Alone? What did I come here for if you are alone? Why are you alone?"]

["Don't worry about it. Thank you for everything."]

'Kim Dokja.'

["It was a really great story. Isn't that right?"]

Yoo Jonghyuk gathered his strength and got up again. Through his gradually blurring vision, he looked at the hunter.

["Let's meet again, Yoo Jonghyuk."]

The regressor raised his sword once again and swung toward the man.

He would continue to fight, just a little longer, to live just a little longer.

Clang!

Unconsciously, as his mind became clouded with the stories of the past, his posture didn't waver anymore. It seemed as if he had forgotten his fatigue.

And Yoo Jonghyuk…

["The one who can save the world... It might be you, not me."]

Breaking the sky swordsmanship!

["I won't give up on this life. So don't give up either."]

…Became a woman.

He transformed and had waist-length hair and deep, sultry eyes beneath neat eyebrows. He was smaller and sleeker than usual and appeared more beautiful than in his male form.

However, he was also stronger.

For the last time, Yoo Jonghyuk made a desperate attempt to defeat the hunter and charged at him.

The man's unwavering grin only made the regressor want to punch him.

Clang!

So, he swung his sword.

Clang!

Again.

Clang!

And again.

Clang!

'Will you really regress now?"

Tsutsutsuchut!

A calm voice reached his ears. This time as well, Yoo Jonghyuk didn't know whether it came from his imagination or if he really heard it.

'Did you do all this only to die? Are you only good at dying?"

Tsutsutsutsuchut!

'Do you only have so much willpower?"

Devoid of any disappointment or anger, the familiar voice calmly stated the words and echoed in his mind.

Yoo Jonghyuk unleashed an even stronger aura, increasing the amount of probability sparks around him.

Tsutsutsutsutsuchut!

[A few constellations are questioning the probability of this scenario!]

'Go, Yoo Jonghyuk."

The Oldest Dream smiled.

[A bounty scenario has arrived!]

+

< Bounty Scenario – Defeat the hunter >

Difficulty: S+

Clear Condition: Defeat Jung Yi-Rang.

Time Limit: None.

Reward: 6000 coins.

Failure: ???

+

'Defeat him."

Claaang!

Instead of reacting at his transformation, the constellations seemed to go silent.

Yoo Jonghyuk couldn't hear anything around him.

The regressor opened his mouth and spat out his declaration of war.

"I will defeat you."

['Will to live' Lv. 1 is activated.]

He had gained a new skill, but it didn't matter.

Tsutsutsuchut!

With an unwavering gaze, the regressor swung his sword.

He didn't know who the man who called himself a 'hunter' was, but it matter.

Yoo Jonghyuk would defeat him.

Claaang!

The collision of the two weapons threw the regressor away.

Thud!

He hit the wall and fell to the floor, then got back up.

Even his transformation didn't have any difference.

Claaang!

Thud!

Yoo Jonghyuk got back up, then got back up again.

Claaang!

Thud!

Claaaaang!

"Cough…!"

His ribs were broken and the regressor was losing a lot of blood.

Claaang!

He was losing.

Claaang!

However, Yoo Jonghyuk still got back up and swung his sword.

"Cough! Cough!"

Even his arm was broken now, but he continued.

Why? Why wasn't it enough?

Why wasn't his current strength enough?

Clang! Clang! Clang…!

The intensity of his attacks gradually weakened while the hunter lightly deflected them.

Yoo Jonghyuk gritted his teeth.

He had to be faster! And stronger…!

The hunter punched him in the abdomen.

"Ugh…!"

Yoo Jonghyuk accidentally bit his tongue.

He was still too weak.

Without letting him any time to get back up, the hunter hit him, and hit him again.

Yoo Jonghyuk didn't have any more strength to scream. Even breathing was difficult.

At one point, he had let go of his weapon.

Could he really not do anything?

Bam!

"…!"

Everything was blurry.

"Too many bones in your arms have shattered. You can't even hold your sword now."

However, the regressor didn't hear him.

The hunter clicked his tongue and hit Yoo Jonghyuk.

'Who are you?' Yoo Jonghyuk wanted to ask.

How can such a strong person exist at the beginning of the scenarios? What was the 'offering' he had talked about earlier?

Yoo Jonghyuk's numb senses didn't even feel the blows anymore. His entire body was burning and he felt dizzy. His head was spinning.

The regressor felt powerless. His full strength wasn't nearly enough to hurt the hunter.

Was it the end…?

Was it really the end?

The hunter was disappointed. This man was far weaker than he thought.

The regressor summoned up his strength and tremblingly raised his fingers, trying to grab his sword to swing it one more time, but the hunter stepped on his hand and crushed all the bones in it.

Yoo Jonghyuk's brain didn't register the pain as he mechanically continued to try to get up.

"What a monster." The hunter commented.

Then, Jung Yi-Rang raised his sword and slashed Yoo Jonghyuk's body, preparing to give the final blow.

In the regressor's blurry mind, a familiar voice softly reassured him.

Tsutsutsuchut!

'It's alright now. You did well."

When Yoo Jonghyuk blacked out, crimson entered his vision. He didn't know if it was because of blood or the light from the sword.

Claaang!

A silver shield deployed its wings and prevented the hunter from killing Yoo Jonghyuk.

***

Cale had arrived at the periphery of another station when he received a message.

[The constellation 'Believer of Mysteries' says that Yoo Jonghyuk is there.]

However, the people were currently in a scenario and he couldn't enter.

The Oldest Dream made up his mind and used a lot of probability to rewrite the world line. He couldn't let Yoo Jonghyuk die now.

Tsutsutsuchut!

In front of Cale, an opening in the barrier was created.

[You have entered the hidden scenario.]

[Hidden Scenario – Defeat the dragon!]

Category: Hidden.

Difficulty: S.

Clear Conditions: Hunt down the weaker 'lesser dragon Igneel'.

Time Limit: None.

Compensation: 5,000 coins.

Failure: Death.]

Cale walked through the flames, protected by the Indestructible Shield, and bypassed the corpses on the ground.

Ignoring the dragon spewing out flames, he saw two people who were still alive.

Cale stopped and his eyes widened.

On the floor, Yoo Jonghyuk was heavily injured. The crimson-haired teenager stopped the other man's attack by sending the Indestructible Shield to protect the regressor, while using Sound of the Wind to keep the flames away from himself at the same time.

As the hunter turned to him, Cale made a wide smile.

"You…"

The crimson-haired teenager cut him off.

"It's been a while, Jung Yi-Rang."

He raised his Dominating Aura higher and higher.

He had seen this hunter in the Sealed God's test. Anyway, the Sealed God had another seal on him now. However, the hunter shouldn't remember him since it was an illusion.

Jung Yi-Rang also recognized Cale's powers.

"You're Kim Rok Soo, the punk who was with Choi Jung Gun."

Huh?

[A bounty scenario has arrived!]

+

< Bounty Scenario – Defeat the hunter >

Difficulty: S+

Clear Condition: Defeat Jung Yi-Rang.

Time Limit: None.

Reward: 6000 coins.

Failure: ???

+

Cale had already considered this option but was still shaken. What if that test was not an illusion but a parallel word like in the first Sealed God's test?

Cale used the Fire of Destruction and summoned bolts of lightning from the sky.

However, like how Cale had gotten stronger, the hunter had also gotten stronger since their last meeting.

The sky was dyed in a fiery rose-gold and a sea of fire descended from the sky.

Ruuumble!

He would begin with 10% of his power.