Chapter 197: #Opening of Hunter War

-Aren't you looking forward to this as well, Lowly God's Apostle?

“

Haa...! Haa...!

”

Il-Ho woke up gasping and drenched in cold sweat. He had never felt like this before! How dangerous. The sense of dread made him feel as though he were being sucked into a perilous, bottomless pit.

“Who... are you?” Il-Ho managed to ask with transcendent willpower while gritting his teeth.

-Interesting. Normally, a lowly member of the 10th Realm would go insane from just running into me.

Swoosh!

-Is this part of the side effects brought upon by God of Destroyer’s causality? Very well. You have earned the right to know my name.

A single gigantic reptilian eye appeared on the strange man’s face.

-Look, see, and feel it.

Tzzz!

The moment their eyes met, scenes were etched into Il-Ho’s mind.

***

At first, it was just a piece of the God of Destroyer’s flesh, which was once cut by the very same knight who had sealed it. Since it came from a planet-devouring being, its flesh was larger than a continent. It drifted through the world, changing as countless years passed.

Craaack!

-

Kyaaaa!

Like a chick emerging from its shell, a giant dragon was born from the flesh, with thorn-like horns crowning its head. The dragon moved purely by instinct.

[Destroy the whole world.]

It was the same phrase that drove the God of Destroyer to destroy the world.

-You damned alter ego of God of Destroyer! How dare you destroy our world!

-I shall vanquish you in the name of our god!

The gods and their apostles fought to defend the world, but they were helpless against the dragon's sheer aggression.

-

Kyaaaaa!

-

Aaaargh!

Countless worlds perished in the dragon’s destructive flames. A few thousand years later, the dragon had grown in power and shed its primal instincts through devouring gods and reaping their worlds. Like Adam and Eve after tasting the forbidden fruit, it had gained reason and wisdom.

-How dull.

The dragon gazed upon the world it had reduced to ashes. Once again, it was too easy. Perhaps it had grown so strong that not even the arrogant High-tier Gods were a match for it. Besides, a game like chess was only fun when the opponent was of a similar skill level.

Equipped with reason and wisdom beyond a god’s level, the dragon could no longer find any thrill in meaningless destruction. So, he took in apostles in the worlds he ransacked, bestowing them some of his power so they could keep each other in check.

At times, he’d choose the noblest of beings from that world as its apostles. He'd force a king who cared for his people like a father to massacre them and pile their corpses like mountains, or make the world's most humble man—one who did good and refused to succumb to despair— stain it with blood for wealth and greed. The dragon was delighted every time.

When the apostles outlived their values, they’d just be sacrificed to the God of Destroyer along with their worlds, but until then, they were just a great form of amusement—a toy.

This time, the Despair Dragon had chosen Earth. There, it chose to do something different from what it had done with the worlds that it had destroyed before.

***

Seeing its plot to sacrifice Earth to the God of Destroyer, Il-Ho shuddered.

Swoosh!

The visions in his mind faded away, and the strange figure reappeared once more.

-Do you understand now? I am the God of Destroyer’s true apostle, the only heir to his will. I am the god you lowly creatures call Despair, who instills despair and fear.

“

Keugh

... W-why...”

Was this the aftereffect of accepting the memories of the Despair Dragon? It was too much for Il-Ho to endure. An endless stream of rotten blood trickled from his eyes and nose.

The Despair Dragon’s unexpectedly soft voice drifted through the air.

-Don’t you lowly creatures raise grains and beasts for food? I am the same. After dozens of trials, my favorite offerings are finally ripe for harvest! My father will surely be pleased with this sacrament. Oh, how I look forward to this! Make sure to devote yourself to the cause.

Kekeke!

Unable to withstand the Despair Dragon’s darkness, Il-Ho coughed up blood. Just before he lost consciousness, he muttered a name that the strange figure was after.

“Run...Lord Yu Il-Shin...”

***

Time was relative. For some, climbing the Tower of Warriors was as slow as eons, but for some on Earth, it flew past like an arrow.

-A strong and steadfast morning! Rise and shine, my lord!

Babam babam!

The unbefitting alarm came from a high school girl’s phone.

“

Ugh...

”

Sung Mi-Ri was wrapped in a blanket like a caterpillar, grimacing as she stirred awake. Her eyes were bloodshot. She was so nervous the night before and barely managed to fall asleep.

“What... time is it?”

Checking the time on her phone, her eyes widened.

“Oh my god!”

She rushed out to the living room. Her older sister, Sung Mi-Na, had finished preparing and was leisurely sipping a cup of milk at the dining table.

“Unni! Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

“Why are you in such a rush? There’s still thirty minutes before our appointment.”

“Exactly! There’s

only

thirty minutes left!”

Sung Mi-Ri really couldn’t understand her sister! They had to travel fifty kilometers to the Hunter Association to attend the meeting. Moreover, they had to leave right at rush hour, the worst time to be stuck in traffic!

Sung Mi-Na put down her cup of milk and shrugged. “I’ve thought everything through. Come here, let’s put on some sunscreen.”

“

Gosh

, I don’t need that. I have to get ready for the tournament.”

“

Tsk.

The sun is strong in Africa. Come here. You have to take care of yourself as early as now.” Sung Mi-Na carefully applied sunscreen on her younger sister’s face. “Don’t be so nervous. It’s just the Hunter War. Just think of it as training.”

“Well, you’re a veteran! This is my first time!”

Sung Mi-Ri had long awaited this day. Over a hundred countries participated in the competition to determine the world's best Hunter, a contest rivaling the prestige of the World Cup. The event was believed to have been triggered when the Despair Dragon—mankind’s greatest enemy—was slain through a united global effort. This led to a movement to cultivate exceptional Hunters to combat future catastrophes, and the Hunter War was one such initiative.

“With your current abilities, you have nothing to worry about. And,” Sung Mi-Na mumbled, “h-he’s in the game as well, anyway! Albeit as a substitute...”

Sung Mi-Ri knew her older sister was referring to Teacher Yu Il-Shin. Just thinking about him made her uneasiness melt away like snow. How strange.

Yeah, as long as Mr. Yu is with me, I can do anything.

It was like believing in a god.

Swoosh!

Just then, the space before them ripped apart, and a blond stepped through, startling Sung Mi-Ri.

As if she had been waiting for him, Sung Mi-Na nonchalantly greeted the man “Oh, you’re here, Errand Boy.”

The nickname made Steve Choi’s face crumple as if he had eaten shit.

“I’m here to send you over at his request, Ms. Disciple.”

Still, Steve Choi could suppress all his anger as long as he thought of

that man—

an all-cure for his anger management issue. With a few warps, Steve Choi brought them safely to the Hunter Association.

Gal Joong-Hyuk, who was both the director and a participant, gave the Sung sisters a disgruntled look. “You’re late.”

At first, Gal Joong-Hyuk didn’t even bother competing. But recently, he had a change of heart and even declared that he was striving for victory.

“There’s still some time until the portal opens anyway, so what’s all this fuss about? Where is he anyway?”

Gal Joong-Hyuk clicked his tongue and then pointed in a direction.

Following his finger, Sung Mi-Ri saw Yu Il-Shin on the other side of the portal waiting room, accompanied by a group that appeared to be his family. One was his niece, Seong-Yeon, while the woman who looked just like her was unmistakably Yu Il-Shin’s older sister.

They were also with a young boy whose presence seemed to bother her. He was holding Seong-Yeon's hand, and he looked like a miniature Yu Il-Shin.

W-who is he? I remember Seong-Yeon being the only child in the family...

Sung Mi-Ri cautiously eavesdropped on their conversation.

“I’m already surprised that you’re a Hunter, but you're an S-rank too?

And

you’re representing the country in the Hunter War?”

“Yeah... Wait, no. That’s right, Noona,” Yu Il-Shin replied in a slightly serious tone, uncharacteristic of his usual behavior as a teacher.

His older sister, Yu Shin-Ja, pointed at the mysterious boy with suspicion. “He's not your illegitimate son, is he? He looks exactly like you when you were younger.”

“

Grr!

He’s not! How many times do I have to tell you?! He isn’t my son!”

Seong-Yeon grabbed the hems of her mother’s skirt. “Mommy! He is Little Uncle! His name is Sam-Shin!”

“What... Sam-Shin? Not even Sam-Shik? Why is his name so tacky?”

Yu Il-Shin clutched his head as if a headache had hit him.

“Damn it, Main Body! Why did you put me in such a tight spot?! Just you wait...!”

He then glared at Lin Xiaoming, the oriental beauty beside him.

“Crazy Bitch, I can trust you with this, right?”

Lin Xiaoming looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Ah, yes! I fell in love with that overpowering aura! Yes sir! I will protect Mr. Sword God’s family with my life!”

“Sam-Shin, you too.”

Still holding Seong-Yeon’s hand tightly, Sam-Shin shouted, “Des—troy!”

Sung Mi-Ri let out a sigh of relief. She still didn’t know who the kid was, but since Seong-Yeon called him Little Uncle, he had to be a distant relative. Yu Il-Shin couldn’t have a child that old, especially since Sung Mi-Ri had seen no signs of other women during her visits to his house.

Sung Mi-Ri turned around to hear her older sister's sigh.

Flustered, Sung Mi-Na hurriedly pointed to the portal. “Oh! They’re here! Get ready, Mi-Ri!”

It was a giant mirror engraved with mystical symbols.

Woooong!

A rippling blue aura emanated from the mirror, and an enchanting woman in ancient toga stepped through it. Although her beauty and attire were dazzling, what caught everyone’s attention the most were the pointed ears peeking out from her blonde locks.

The lady bowed respectfully to the Hunters gathered in the waiting room.

“I’m here to escort all the Hunters representing South Korea to the colosseum.”