novel
| ← Ch.093 | Ch.095 → |
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
'Knock, knock!'
After a series of knocks, the door opened, and Sia, who was in a tight, thin tank top, appeared before Ho Sung. Her top had a deep cut in the front, revealing her cleavage. Engrossed by the sight, Ho Sung stood in a daze, staring at her breasts with his mouth agape.
"What are you looking at?! Pervert!" Sia shouted, slapping Ho Sung across the face.
At which point, Ho Sung snapped out of it and said, "W-wait! Y-you've got it all wrong!"
After the door slammed shut, the sound of Sia locking the door could be heard coming from the other side.
"I was... gonna ask you if wanted to catch a movie or something..." Ho Sung murmured. Of course, there was no response from Sia's room. Dejected, Ho Sung made his way downstairs, thinking, 'Of course. She's way out of your league, man. '
Then, just as Ho Sung sat on the couch, sighing heavily, he heard a set of footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Sia, who came up behind Ho Sung and said, "Ey, mister."
"What?" Ho Sung asked, mustering up every bit of willpower not to look at her breasts.
"I heard you say something about a movie earlier. Did I hear that right?"
"I did, but don't worry about it. I'm sorry I bothered you, " Ho Sung said bitterly. Hearing that, Sia contemplated briefly before staring intently at Ho Sung and saying, "Do you like me or something?"
While Ho Sung was caught off guard by her bluntness, Sia asked, "You're that hunter, right? I remember seeing you on TV."
When Ho Sung nodded affirmatively, she said, "My friends are dying to meet you. Who knows? I just might go to the movies with you if you go with me to hang out with them."
Hearing that, Ho Sung's eyes widened, and his breathing quickened.
"Or nooooot."
'This might be my chance!' he thought, and springing up from the couch, he replied to her, "O-of course! I'll go right now! We are leaving now, right?"
"Yeah, but you might wanna clean yourself up a little. You're starting to look like a bum. How about a shave?"
"You got it. I'll be right out, " Ho Sung said, rushing into the bathroom. After seeing that, Sia messaged her friends with a haughty look on her face.
—
Min Sung found himself engulfed in utter darkness. However, it wasn't enough to put him in a panic as his reflexes and overall senses were much quicker than his sight.
'Where am I?' he asked himself, feeling slightly hazy.
It felt as though he had been abandoned in the middle of space. Then, while he was wondering if he was under some sort of spell, he saw a speck of light in the distance, which grew bigger and bigger. Eventually, the speck of light turned into a screen, and it played Min Sung's past like a movie. Standing completely still, the champion looked intently at the screen, which showed the moment of his birth, him playing with his childhood friends, his parents getting killed in that car accident, him growing up with his grandmother, and his grandfather's funeral. The movie lasted for quite a while, until it showed the part where Min Sung crossed over to the Demonic Realm, that is. Gaping darkness engulfed the surroundings, and a brief silence followed. At that moment, a light flashed out of nowhere, turning the dark surroundings into a bright, white void and revealing a figure. With well-groomed black hair and skin as pale as snow, the man looked quite young in appearance. Sitting on a wooden chair, the man looked at the champion and smiled subtly.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Min Sung asked, looking around.
"It's meaningless to ask about me or this place. What's important is that we're meeting each other for the first time."
Hearing that, Min Sung furrowed his brow and glared piercingly at the man. At that moment, a strange feeling washed over the champion. At which point, he tried to open his inventory, but to no avail.
"Something tells me that I'm not under a spell. What, then? Am I dreaming?"
"That's right. Relaxing, isn't it?"
"Sure, until I saw you, " Min Sung said, slightly disgruntled. At that point, the man in the wooden chair looked down and chuckled quietly. There was no trace of malice in his laugh.
"What are you? A god?" Min Sung asked, tilting his head.
"Me? A god? I wouldn't dare. I just had a few things I wanted to ask you, " the man said, and Min Sung looked straight into his eyes as if telling him to keep going. Staring intently at the champion with deep, mysterious eyes, the man opened his mouth slowly and said, "You just saw your past unfold right before your eyes. How are you feeling?"
"It's not excitement, that's for sure, " Min Sung said in a dull voice.
Nodding affirmatively, the man asked another question, "How about this? Do you still remember your time at the Demonic Realm vividly?"
At that moment, the man's eyes flashed blue, and the memories from the Demonic Realm started to rush into the champion's head at a frightening speed. With great amounts of information came great amounts of stress. At the sheer amount of information flooding into his mind, Min Sung staggered, falling on one knee with his hand on his forehead. From the moment he first arrived at the Demonic Realm to the fierce battles against the demons, it felt as though those memories were taking roots in Min Sung's mind all over again.
"Agh... Agh!" he let out, breathing heavily, his face turning red, and his eyes blood-shot as pain crept up his body, feeling too real for it to be a dream. It wasn't until every bit of his memory of the Demonic Realm was burned into the champion's mind that the pain subsided. After that, Min Sung glared at the man in the wooden chair with weak, sunken eyes. Rising from his seat slowly, the man smiled and said, "I'm not here to fight you. I just needed proof."
Although Min Sung couldn't stand the man's casual attitude, he had no experience fighting someone in a dream. On top of that, it felt as though his every movement was being controlled by the man. In other words, Min Sung was in a world that defied the very laws of physics. Seeing the glare in the champion's eyes, the man breathed a small sigh and said, "How disappointing. I thought you would know better than to harbor such harsh emotions toward me."
At that moment, Min Sung closed his eyes.
The Phantom Sword was the ability to actualize a sword in one's mind, and it wasn't until one reached the profound extremes of their martial arts that they were able to use it at their disposal. However, in a world of conscience, where the laws of physics were completely irrelevant, being able to use the Phantom Sword required one to dive beyond those extremes. In the champion's case, being away from the physical world also meant that he could tap into another level of the Phantom Sword. It was that small possibility that shaped Min Sung as a fighter, making him a champion.
Min Sung opened his eyes, which surged with bright aura. While the man stared at the champion in a daze, Min Sung imagined a sword, which started to take shape in front of his chest. Looking at the sharp, sturdy sword as he would a beautiful piece of art, the man smiled, impressed.
"Your very existence exceeds my expectations, " the man said, charmed by the sword. However, that charm was short lived, as the champion sword came flying at him, flashing like lightning. The sword grazed past the man's shoulder, leaving a small cut. Instead of blood, what appeared to be shards of glass scattered in the air. Taken aback, the man looked toward the champion, only to discover that he was nowhere to be found. Appearing behind him, Min Sung swung the sword. However, the man disappeared into a puff of smoke.
"We'll meet again, " the man's voice echoed throughout the void. Breathing heavily, Min Sung looked around in search of the man, but to no avail. The man was nowhere to be found, and no matter how long Min Sung walked, he couldn't see or sense the man's presence. After what felt like an eternity, darkness came and swallowed the white void once again. At the same moment, Min Sung felt his conscience fade.
—
Although entirely black and dark when it first appeared, a light started to emanate from the Tower of Demons from what appeared to be the ground floor. It seemed like only the first floor of the tower had opened up. However, the soaring height of the tower made it obvious that the first floor was only the beginning of a perilous adventure. Meanwhile, Ethan, the Great Lord of the American Institute, slammed his hand on the desk. The shattered pieces of the desk rained onto the ground. Unlike his expectations, the Central Institute was keeping quiet instead of begging for the American Hunters' Institute's help. Seeing right through the Central Institute's plan to make the US reach out to them for help, Ethan shouted angrily, "That bitch!"
'I can't just sit here. We have to make a move before the dungeon floor gets any higher, ' he thought, springing up from his seat and calling to the Director of Investigations, who rushed into his room and saluted the Great Lord.
"Put together a team of second-class elites to investigate the dungeon."
Although appearing slightly taken aback by the Great Lord's command, the director regained his composure and said, "Right away, sir."
"Sweep the ground floor for now. Don't go any higher."
"Sir, " the director replied, saluting the Great Lord and leaving the room. Still infuriated, Ethan looked out the window and bit down on his lower lip, the sound of his gritting teeth echoing throughout the room.
'You will pay for this. A hundred. No, a thousand fold. '
—
Mike, the second-class Director of Investigations, carried out the Great Lord's orders and put a team together. As the number of men gathered at the camp grew, Mike called for a meeting with the officers in order to devise a strategy to clear the ground floor of the tower. By the time the meeting was coming to an end, the process of forming a team also came to an end.
Opening the tent, Mike walked outside in order to inform his men of the strategy. At which point, the men immediately and simultaneously stood at attention.
| ← Ch. 093 | Ch. 095 → |