18:The Huntsman Of Death
"Tell me…"
"Who is the greatest hunter in the world?"
As soon as his words fell, the world started to distort.
A suffocating sensation appeared, squeezing my neck.
I've felt this before.
The air became heavy and started crushing me. My chest ached as though a certain weight had been placed over me similar to that time when I got that blood message as a shitty bastard tried to transmigrate me.
My heart pounded like it was trying to escape, but my body wouldn't move.
When I met the Keeper's eyes, my blood froze. The gaze was dark like a void..no like a black hole that threatened to pull my soul.
Cold pricked my skin, and dread crept into my thoughts like a shadow. Despite the chill giving me goosebumps, my back was drenched in cold.
I couldn't look away. It was just a gaze, yet the effect was so drastic.
I felt like I was standing at the edge of something endless, one step away from falling.
"A hunter who never missed any target?
Anyone whom he sets his eyes on has been dealt with, leaving no survivors.
It doesn't matter if you are a poor weak soul or the mightiest under the heavens; everyone falls before him. So, name him."
The Keeper's shadow grew larger and larger, becoming more hideous as he inched closer to me.
"Now tell me, who is it?" he shouted.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and then opened them with grim determination.
As I opened my lips, unknowingly, a smile appeared on my face that surprised the Keeper.
Ahead of the fear encroaching on me, I could sense the sensation of pure thrill bursting inside.
'That power... I wanted it... I want to own that power.'
The power that was shown with just a glance awakened the untamed, wild nature hiding inside me.
"It's Death..."
The Keeper paused and then looked at me with twinkling eyes as if asking me to continue.
"Death is the greatest hunter who strikes everyone," I spoke with a crazed smile.
"It doesn't matter whether you are mortal or an immortal, or even a God that lived through the eons of time, everyone falls to death, ceasing to exist."
"Even the very world undergoes destruction and dies, so how can there be a hunter far greater than death itself?"
The Keeper's smile widened, exposing sharp blades of eerie, broken teeth, and he let out a crooked laugh.
"Kekeke..."
"Amusing... Amusing... How amusing..."
Its beak opened wide, exposing a huge black empty space that seemed to melt my heart.
"Remember, kid..."
"Death is not just an end but a force, unyielding and eternal. It moves unseen like a silent shadow, stalking every living soul, patiently. To some, it is a feared adversary while to others, it's like a release from the burden of existence."
"Death cares not for wealth, power, or prayers. It claims all equally, with neither malice nor mercy. It is the great equalizer, a force that binds the whole world in an unbreakable cycle of life and decay, ensuring balance in the endless march of time."
In the next moment, his figure disappeared, and the world started to break apart. The three doors that appeared before me converged, forming a new one that emitted dark fumes.
[Go... Step inside it and reclaim the legacy.]
Swallowing my saliva, I strived poorly to walk into the door, knowing the harsh reality that lay ahead, and the moment I stepped in...
A wave of darkness exploded in front of me, and the next moment, I felt a fiery sensation akin to burning my soul. My eyes widened as I found myself surrounded by a flame of darkness trying to devour me.
"KuRGHHHH!"
I screeched in pain.
[Remember!Every power one gains comes up with its own set of consequences.]
[You too have to pay the price.]
[Don't fall unconscious...]
An eerie cold voice tickled my ear.
"ARGHHH!"
"Don't fall!"
I repeated to myself because I didn't know what would happen if I fell now.
There was a big difference between games and reality, so who knew if I would be disqualified the moment I fell unconscious?
The pain was unimaginable, as if flames coursed through my veins, burning me from the inside out. My muscles convulsed with every nerve seared in relentless agony. It felt like molten iron filled my blood, scorching me with each heartbeat.
I tried to breathe, but even the air burned, filling my lungs with a fiery ache that tasted of ash. My bones feel brittle, ready to shatter, and my vision blurred, my sense of self slipping away in the relentless darkness.
The pain was overwhelming and unbearable.
My lips opened wide to scream but no sound came out. This made me wonder if I failed the test.
Just as I thought I couldn't go on anymore, I finally heard the prompt I had been waiting for.
"Young One, you have passed the test."
"From now on, you will be the heir and inherit my power."
[You have obtained the legacy left behind by Death.]
[You have inherited the Class: The Huntsman of Death.]
[Your Main Class has been locked.]
[The series of subclasses is being assessed.]
[Class: None → Novice Huntsman.]
...…
Somewhere in the Arcadia Empire, the air was heavy with tension.
The battlefield was bathed in a golden light that radiated from a woman standing tall amidst the carnage.
Before, a pile of dark-clothed men lay in tatters choking over their own blood.
"You bitch!
"How is it possible?
"It should have worked!"
"You should have died, so what went wrong?"
"Just what... Ahhh!" The black-cloaked man clutched his throat, trying to suppress the cough of black blood spurting from his neck.
Around him, several charred figures rustled with dust while looking up at the woman in amazement and fear as she stood there radiating a bright pious light in contrast to the cold expression etched on her face.