Chapter 126: Lone King of Equipment

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Confused about his whereabouts, Kang Woo looked up at the mysterious, hammering giant before him. How strange. His gray hair scattered, covering the ground like a snowfield. His body was covered in moss like an ancient rock. Just how long had this giant been at it?

With a trembling voice, Kang Woo asked, “Who... are you?”

Oddly enough, the fire roaring in the furnace and the clanging of a hammer seemed to have cleared Kang Woo’s half-insane mind.

Clang clang!

Without ceasing his activity, the giant spoke.

-I am your god. I’ve been granting fire to humans since ancient times.

Could this be an illusion before his death? But there was a particular word that he could not overlook.

“...My god?”

-Indeed. All craftsmen are my followers, and their hammer is akin to a prayer, whereas their craft is a tribute. You’re the best among all of them, worthy of being my apostle.

Kang Woo was an atheist by circumstance. If god truly existed, how could they allow humans to endure such hardship and torment? As such, this must be a near-death illusion. Despite knowing that, Kang Woo couldn’t hold back his anger.

“If you’re really my god, why didn’t you help me?! Where were you when my family and the woman I loved were slaughtered like animals?!”

The giant didn’t even glance at Kang Woo.

-Gods aren’t omnipotent. They are only slightly more powerful than you humans. Compared to this vast universe of countless worlds, the so-called gods are nothing but specks of dust, entangled in the laws of causality. The only true gods are the creators of this universe and the God of Destroyer, who consumes it.

The giant stuck the steel he was pounding into the blazing furnace.

-I helped you as much as I could.

“You... helped?”

-That’s right. I gave you a degraded version of the God’s Shop, allowing you to take revenge and prevent the God of Destroyer’s alter ego from descending on Earth.

Kang Woo’s gaze wavered.

“Then, did you... did you create the Hunter Shop?”

-Not everything is born from nothing. The name may be different, but it traces back to me. Although it might be a sliver of hope, akin to a candle flickering in the sea of darkness, it was the best goodwill a fallen god like myself could offer to your doomed world.

Pulling out the previous steel, the giant continued striking it.

-Aside from myself, many other gods are also lending a hand to the people of your world. Do you humans really believe these powers are entirely your own? Of course, there are wicked gods who plague your world with evil...

Kang Woo was confused by the secrets of the world that were revealed to him. Still, something stood out to him.

“My world is... doomed?”

-Correct. You sacrificed your life to prevent the God of Destroyer’s alter ego from descending. A noble act, indeed. However, your world is still on the brink of destruction. You humans only have a year to live.

The giant declared the end of Kang Woo’s world with such nonchalance that his heart raced with anger. How could his sacrifice, along with the lives of his loved ones, be for naught?!

For the first time, the giant stopped swinging his hammer. He turned to Kang Woo with blazing eyes.

-Are you furious?

“Of course I am!”

-Then why don’t you try fighting back for once?

“...Pardon?”

-Many worlds and gods have been devoured by the God of Destroyer, and I’m no exception. My feelings are no different than yours. I threw away 100,000 years of causality here to take my revenge. Finally, I’ve created the perfect sword.

Flicker!

The piece of steel forged by the giant turned into flames, before taking the form of a sword.

-Fire makes and breaks everything. This is the Sword of Causality, forged from that essence. If you wish for it, I shall give it to you.

Kang Woo gulped dryly. “Will I be able to save my world with this?”

The giant shook his head.

-No. Compared to the impending havoc, this sword is nothing but a speckle of hope. The path ahead holds only hardship, laden with despair, frustration, and heartbreak.

The giant’s words, which sounded like a curse, left him silent. Moments later, Kang Woo bit his lips and reached out.

“Please give it to me.”

Maybe the giant was right, only suffering awaited him. Still, he couldn’t just overlook this injustice and let it end like this?!

For the first time, the giant smiled.

-Alright, I hereby bestow this upon you.

The giant tossed the fiery sword to Kang Woo.

Pwoosh! Kwaaa!

It plunged squarely into his heart, engulfing him in flames.

“

Aaaargh!

”

Being burned alive, Kang Woo screamed in horrifying pain.

Ding!

Faintly, a notification rang in his ears.

[Guardian of Fire and Blacksmith has bestowed you the Sword of Causality, which he had honed for 100,000 years.]

[Fire makes and breaks everything. This is the Sword of Causality, forged from that essence.]

[Activating the Sword of Causality’s special ability, Fate Restoration.]

Ding!

[Kang Woo’s Fate Restoration is successful.]

[You have 6 Fate Restoration chances left.]

“

Gasp!

”

Kang Woo’s eyes flung open as he gasped hard.

Then, he saw a familiar ceiling. He had returned to his own workshop. It was the morning of the day, exactly a year ago, before he sacrificed himself.

***

The first round of regression.

Since his ability didn’t reset, Kang Woo rushed to the Hunter Association to renew his rank. Naturally, there was an uproar because of how rare an S-rank Creation-Type Hunter was. Moreover, he also had access to the Hunter Shop. His appearance was like a blessing in disguise.

He amassed power in the Hunter Association, and established connections with the guilds using the legendary equipment available in the Hunter Shop. With newfound authority and connections, the first thing Kang Woo did was take down the Brilliance Guild, which had control over the black market in Korea.

“...

Haa, haa.

Thank you for stopping...me...” A young man, fallen from grace, uttered his final words. He looked at Kang Woo as if he had received redemption. He was none other than the God of Destroyer’s apostle, Johan.

“...”

Kang Woo looked down at the corpse with mixed feelings. Johan was his enemy in his previous life. And yet, the revenge didn’t give him any satisfaction, especially after knowing that Johan was just a god’s pawn.

“Thank you, everyone.” Kang Woo bowed to his comrades. “It’s just the price of this Soul Armor.”

“

Hmph,

why did you have to involve me in such trivial matters?”

“

Haha

, Mi-Na. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Thanks to you, we managed to bring down the black market without causing any damage.”

“

Keke

. Mind if I take his corpse?”

“Don’t break the mood, Skeleton Punk.”

Kang Woo wasn’t alone there. Including himself, there were a total of six S-rank Hunters gathered there, representing South Korea. All of them were either armed with weapons from the Hunter Shop or Kang Woo’s own creations, so Johan stood no chance against them

Kang Woo clenched his fist tightly. After his regression, it took him two months to slay Johan. He had succeeded in preventing Johan from committing bad deeds, along with the God of Destroyer’s descent.

On my own, there isn’t much I can do. But with their help, I’m sure I’ll succeed!

Moreover, with his Hunter Shop around, he could help them get even stronger. Despite what the Guardian of Fire and Blacksmith foretold, Kang Woo thought that this group could save the world.

“

Aaaaah!

Unniiiii!

”

He was sorely mistaken.

Plop!

Sung Mi-Na, her upper body missing, collapsed helplessly to the ground.

It was a day like any other. The Sung sisters visited Kang Woo’s workshop to order a piece of armor as a gift for Sung Mi-Ri, who was graduating from the academy.

However, a crocodile monster appeared out of thin air, and devoured her in an instant. With a bloody mouth, the crocodile, Apostle Gustav, yelled, “

Kujitolea kwa Mungu

(Sacrifice to the gods)!”

Sung Mi-Na’s corpse disintegrated, and was absorbed into Gustav’s hand.

Gustav smirked. “A worthy sacrifice, it’s well-ripened.”

Ruuumble! Baaam!

With a thunderous explosion, a blast of tremendous power shattered the ceiling of the workshop, piercing through the sky.

“

Aaargh!

Monster! How dare you! My Unni... I’ll kill you!”

“N-no! Stop, Mi-Ri!”

However, Mi-Ri, consumed with rage, did not heed his words.

Pzzz!

Despite wielding a combat power similar to an S-rank Hunter’s, Sung Mi-Ri was a B-rank Hunter.

Pooow!

She pierced Gustav’s stomach with both hands, but the crocodile was unfazed. It smirked, pulling Sung Mi-Ri into a crushing embrace.

Crack!

“

Kyaaaak!

”

“

Kekeke

, this sacrifice has also ripened well. He’s going to be very delighted.”

“You monster! Stop right now! Summon Arjuna’s Bow!”

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Kang Woo clenched his jaws. Arjuna’s Bow was a legendary weapon, said to have been wielded by an Indian hero who inherited divine blood.

Flash!

Kang Woo shot an arrow, striking Gustav square in his head. But in the next moment, Sung Mi-Ri and Gustav disappeared instantly.

“No way!”

Terror flashed across his eyes.

Gustav had used an ability called Teleportation, which should’ve been exclusive to the Russian S-rank Hunter Sergey.

Kang Woo’s nightmare began once more. Gustav did not die, and his true colors were revealed on the same day. He could acquire the abilities of those he had consumed. And now, after obtaining Sung Mi-Na’s Psyche-type powers, nothing could stop him.

Despite fighting to the bitter end, Kang Woo eventually met his death in Gustav’s hand. At that moment, the Sword of Causality was activated once more.

Ding!

[Kang Woo’s Fate Restoration is successful.]

[You have 5 Fate Restoration chances left.]

In the second round of regression, Kang Woo decided to protect Sung Mi-Na at all costs. He didn’t stand a chance against Psyche-type Gustav.

This time, Kang Woo also made connections with Hunters all around the globe. His targets were Hunters who’d pose a threat when they fell into Gustav’s hands. He lured as many as he could to his side using wealth, power, and equipment.

He was thoroughly prepared.

Gustav’s head rolled on the ground, before being stepped on by Kang Woo.

“...I did it.”

Kang Woo rejoiced, thinking he’d finally come close to saving humanity...

“

Cough!

”

“S-Sir?”

A sword as red as blood had pierced Choi Kang-San’s heart. He collapsed helplessly.

Flick! Slap!

As his blood splattered on the ground, a captivating lady in

qipao

shrugged.

“W-why did you...?”

“My bad, Uncle~! Higher-up’s order, so it can’t be helped~”

The culprit was Lin Xiaoming, a Hunter from the Three Martial Association, who had contributed to slaying Gustav.