Chapter 186: #Destroyer Yu Il-Shin (1)

“At around 1 PM today, a large number of monsters appeared without warning across downtown Seoul. This simultaneous outbreak of high-ranking monsters, known as a 'Monster Wave,' had the potential to cause massive casualties and extensive property damage."

MBD Broadcasting Station Reporter Park Dae-Gi paused for a breather. Even as a veteran, he struggled to maintain his composure before the carcass of a monster whose hand was larger than a mountain.

"We are pleased to announce that the monster wave has ended without a single casualty, thanks to the outstanding efforts of Hunter Steve Choi, who was recently recruited as an S-rank Hunter in Korea."

Then, footage of Steve Choi teleporting all around Seoul and defeating monsters appeared.

「

Aaargh!

Stop chasing me already! Damn monsters! Get lost!」

In the screen's corner, a man in a black helmet trailed him, moving his forefingers. Everyone dismissed him as Steve Choi's assistant.

“What’s more, Steve Choi was also later found to have made crucial contributions to stopping the monster wave at Disneyland in the United States two months ago. Having become a national hero for his actions today, all attention is now on him to see how he will fare in the upcoming Hunter War...”

Reporter Park Dae-Gi’s voice was tinged with excitement.

***

Swoosh!

After playing cat-and-mouse, I returned to the Hunter Association’s training room. I watched the news broadcast of Choi Bong-Shik’s performance.

He’s doing pretty well. I’m a proud dad.

“

Uuugh

... Please, save me...”

The man himself was sprawled out on the ground, mumbling. I felt a pang of guilt.

Did I bully him too much?

In my defense, it was just a cause and effect of using the malevolent title.

“Mr. Yu!”

“Oh, hey. I’m sorry for cracking your helmet.”

“It’s fine! I have lots of spare helmets!”

My followers, led by Sung Mi-Ri, came rushing at me.

I noticed Sword Demon biting hard on his nails, glaring at Choi Bong-Shik.

“Grr...

Sword God left me and went with that blond rookie!”

Gosh, what’s wrong with him?

Clenching her fists with excitement, Xu Zhu exclaimed, “Mr. Yu is amazing!”

“I didn’t do anything, though?”

“Hey, no need to be so humble. I saw how you helped him in secret! What kind of skill is that? It looks like some sort of finger technique. Maybe One-Yang Finger? Or Shaolin’s Great Strength Vajra Finger?”

It's not martial arts—just divine power.

Choi Bong-Shik’s haggard eyes lit up when he heard Xu Zhu’s voice. His dry lips seemed to have found an oasis in the middle of a desert.

“

Haa, haa...

I love y

—

”

Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed, dead. Nah, he was just unconscious.

Stalking was a crime, so I couldn’t cheer him on. Still, it was heart wrenching to watch.

“

Haa.

Xu Zhu, can you bring him to the infirmary?”

Xu Zhu lifted him up easily and ran to the infirmary. How dependable of her. Her small frame hid the strength of a warlord. Sword Demon followed them with a sinister look for some reason.

Is he worried about his junior?

“Hunter Yu.”

I turned toward the voice calling me and saw Gal Joong-Hyuk with a grim expression.

“Let’s have a word.”

***

We had a private meeting in his office. The bare interior, consisting of basic furniture and sofa, seemed to reflect his personality. The robot figures on his table caught my eye, though.

“You’re finally back.” Gal Joong-Hyuk took a sip of his coffee and continued, “I was quite worried, but I knew exploring dungeons can sometimes warp the flow of time in rare situations. I figured that you would be back eventually, though I didn't expect it'd take two months. I believe that you’re capable of winning the Hunter War, even though you're in the substitutes list. You’re just lacking the fighting spirit and drive! Fix that and I’m sure you’ll have a chance against even the strongest of Hunters, the SSS-rank Hunter Royce...”

“

Hoahm~”

I’m getting sleepy.

His nagging alone could cure my insomnia. What was he, a school principal lecturing at an assembly?

“Hey, are you listening to me?!”

“

Nyem, nyem.

Yes, Mr. Principal...”

“You! Who are you calling Mr. Principal?!”

Gal Joong-Hyuk slammed his fist on the table in anger, jolting me awake.

This gramp’s aggressive personality is the same as always...

“Can you get to the point?”

I didn’t recall us being close enough for a friendly conversation behind closed doors.

Gal Joong-Hyuk hesitated for a few moments, then clenched his fists.

“I want to meet a man named Il-Ho.”

Huh? Why?

“For the past two months, I've trained relentlessly, shedding my laziness and pride. I'm confident I'm now on par with Il-Ho, the one Lazenca chose over me. But I can't find a trace of him.”

Then, he bowed toward me.

“So please! Please deliver my message to him! I want to see which of us is more worthy of Soul Armor Lazenca!”

His eyes blazed ferociously with unprecedented determination and fighting spirit. I slowly avoided his gaze and saw the robot figurine on his desk.

Come to think of it, doesn’t it look similar to Lazenca? Also, is it handmade?

I was starting to fear him.

I was partly responsible, so I couldn’t ignore this. But would Lazenca willingly return to him? She had the goal of becoming a Machine God. I didn’t think she’d return to a master weaker than Il-Ho...

“

Uhm

, Gal Joong—no, you’re the director now, so Director Gal.”

It’s a little awkward calling him that, though.

Anyway, I cautiously asked him. “What is your

Big Three

[1] like?

“What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“It’s an important question, so please answer.”

“I’m not sure why you’re curious about that...” Gal Joong-Hyuk flexed his arms, emitting a blue aura. “But 300 tonnes isn’t an issue for me!”

Sure, 300 tonnes is insane, but unfortunately, still no match for Il-Ho.

“Well, Il-Ho...” I shook my head and quietly informed him about Il-Ho’s training. Il-Ho had been lifting 5,000 tonnes. Just the other day, I caught him doing 2,000-tonne barbell squats.

“N-no way! That’s impossible!”

“Would you like to arm-wrestle with me? If you can beat me, I’ll call him over.” I placed my arm on the table. “By the way, you’re free to use both hands.”

Compared to his thick arms, mine looked like a fire poker.

Gritting his teeth, Gal Joong-Hyuk grabbed my hand. “No matter how strong you are, don’t look down on me!”

He strained the muscles on his right arm, ready to break my arm at once.

“Skill Sharing, Il-Ho’s Super Strong Body.”

My arm, which had borrowed Il-Ho’s skill, didn’t move an inch. I was simply holding my ground.

“

Aaaargh!!”

Gal Joong-Hyuk eventually swallowed his pride and used both hands. Apart from his face turning even redder, nothing changed.

I added slightly more strength, easily bending his arm over.

Bam!

Unable to withstand our strength, the table shattered into pieces.

“Just so you know, Il-Ho is much stronger than I am. Sorry to say this, but I don’t think you can get Lazenca back.”

Then, I walked out of the director’s office, leaving Gal Joong-Hyuk in a state of shock.

I sincerely hope that you can forget about the armor and meet a new one, Director Gal Joong-Hyuk. There are more fish in the sea.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Objectively speaking, Lazenca’s personality wasn’t all that good either. I was honestly concerned she’d be a bad influence on Il-Ho.

“

Hyaaa!”

“

Yaaap!”

I saw Hunters sweating profusely everywhere on my way out.

Since I’m here, why don’t I join them as well?

The real issue at hand was the Sacrificial War with the emperor. After 500 years of training and mastering the divine power of two High-tier Gods, how strong would he become? He would be the strongest enemy I had ever faced.

First, I have to master my newfound powers.

I used Blind Eyes of God on my right pinky finger.

-----

[XXXX Pinky Finger of God]

An innate power acquired by absorbing the power of Princess Esmeralda, a descendant of God of Destroyer and a follower of Yu Il-Shin. To fully awaken this power, you need more divine power from God of Destroyer.

-----

I obtained this power after Yi-Shin forced that sickening, stinking octopus down my throat. Also, what did it say? I couldn’t read the hidden words no matter what. I recalled the messages I received when I first used it.

[Your innate power, XXXX Pinky Finger of God, has been partially activated.]

[The power has weakened the seal on the God of Harmony’s Ruins.]

I’d used it along with Lazenca to weaken the dungeon’s seal and save Il-Ho.

Since it’s a four-character Korean word, maybe breaking? Or smashing? Or weakening?

I tried making a few guesses, but gave up in the end. Anyway, it seemed I hadn't met the requirements to fully unlock it.

Besides, recalling that octopus’ stench made me want to throw up. I never wanted to taste that again!

Diriring!

Just then, my phone rang. I flinched, thinking it was my editor.

“Huh, Noona?”

***

"Why did you leave without a word?! Stop making me worry! You’ll be the death of me!”

My sister wouldn’t stop slapping my back.

“Ah!

Stop smacking me!”

It didn’t really hurt, but my dignity as an uncle was at risk since my niece was around.

“Yes! You’ll be our death! I was so bored without you around!”

Seong-Yeon started slapping me as well, courtesy of her mother.

Dear niece, don’t be like this to your uncle?!

After such a touching(?) family reunion, my older sister glared at me, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

“

Aigoo

, have you been eating properly? Look at how haggard you are.”

In the dungeon, I’d been eating nothing but rat and snake monster meat.

“Noona, do you have some food?”

“

Gosh.

Sit down. I’ve made a few dishes for you.”

The dining table was soon set with braised short ribs flown in from L.A. and a mountain of glossy stir-fried vermicelli noodles.

“Oh, braised short ribs! Stir-fried vermicelli noodles! Noona’s the best!”

I frantically inhaled my favorite ribs and vermicelli noodles. If I died today, I’d have no regrets!

“Hey, slow down. You act as if you haven’t eaten in days.”

“Uncle, is the food delicious?”

“Yeah, the best!”

I sniffled. Family was the best! After eating my fill, I laid down on the bed with a fluffy blanket draped over me, drifting into sleep like a baby.

~

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, my niece slapped my face with her tiny hands.

“Uncle, uncle. Wake up. Play with me~”

“

Oof...

Seong-Yeon, let uncle sleep a bit more... Go and play with your mom...”

Writers, nocturnal beings, were usually weak in the morning. Anyone with a rare writer friend should call them at night rather than during the day.

“Mummy went to work. She gave me pocket money, asking me to play with you,” Seong-Yeon said, waving a 50,000 Korean won bill in front of my eyes.

...I had fallen hook, line, and sinker! No wonder she fed me braised short ribs and stir-fried vermicelli noodles yesterday! It was an upfront payment for babysitting my niece!

That auntie! She just wants a babysitter!

“Come here, Seong-Yeon. Sleep with uncle.”

“

Nooo!

I wanna play~!”

It’d been a week since I’d slept in a proper bed, so I wanted to rest as much as I could. Oblivious to my plight, my niece ran like a wild foal.

“Seong-Yeon. Can’t you let uncle sleep for another thirty minutes?”

Seong-Yeon then looked at me with sparkling eyes. “Then call Keke Uncle for me.”

“Keke Uncle? Who is that?”

“You know who! He brought me to Dysneiland last time! The handsome Keke Uncle!”

Oh, Yi-Shin? Seems like she has taken a liking to him. He’s surprisingly good at babysitting despite his protests.

“Uncle, quick!” Seong-Yeon shook me, begging.

“A-alright, stop shaking me.” I raised my thumb.

This is for my niece—not because I wanted to doze off or anything.

I stamped my thumb on my forehead. “Proliferating Thumb of God!”

A dazzling light burst forth as the skill activated.

Alright, I leave Seong-Yeon to you, Yi-Shin! Off to sleep I go!

“Uncle! Uncle! That’s not Keke Uncle!” Seong-Yeon slapped my face urgently.

“

Argh!

Stop it!”

Then who?!

The moment I opened my eyes, a pair of red eyes stared right back at me. It really wasn’t Yi-Shin. Instead, a kid stood before me, probably half his size.

“W-who are you?”

Then, the child’s black lips began to move.

“Des...troy!”

1. Bench press, squat, and deadlift ☜