The Light, In itself (2)
“Mr. Wei, what made you choose the path of the hunter when you possess such a tremendous ability?”
I asked, out of curiosity. Many people desired his powers. It was natural for any compassionate man to want a skill that made him capable of giving others life and saving people from certain death.
“I…don’t know,” he replied. Zhang Wei had an immense reputation. He was often said to be Jesus’ Second Coming. His unrivaled strength and gentle character enchanted people. It would be no exaggeration to say that he had gained a cult following.
There was certainly a reason why 1.3 billion people in the world considered Zhang Wei as practically divine. Yet, he prized his powerlessness and his humble stature before God. He shrugged his fame off with a warm smile.
“Well, Mr.Wei, I don’t know either.”
Calmly, Zhang Wei answered my question, “Your hands save the lives of many people if you learn to move them in a certain way. Look at doctors, especially surgeons. Wealth and fame will find their way to you naturally and you can enjoy yourself as much as you want.”
“You could have saved more people than as a hunter, and yet you…,” I replied clumsily.
“It is not in my nature to sit still. To cure people is good, to make sure they never get hurt in the first place is much better,” I had never looked into more determined eyes than his. “You are an analyst, don’t you believe you make a difference?”
This man had such an admirable personality.
“You have to simply sit back and analyze the data. It always helps when your life is at risk.”
Of all the ‘Heroes’ I knew, he was the one who most deserved the title.
* * *
Ah! So hot.
Even after I had become immune to heat, I never stopped sweating. How ironic. Before, I wouldn’t have been affected so much, even if I was crossing the desert rifts.
‘How did you manage to survive a month in this harsh, unforgiving place?’
It was only a month after the hunters had rescued Zhang Wei.
He had expelled the first monster wave and had barely endured the second one. Only after entering the nucleus to destroy the Crack did I find him. He was barely conscious.
It felt like being in the heart of a volcano, almost hot enough to melt a person.
“Who…”
I took in a gasping breath. Whenever I breathed heavily, my lungs became sore.
“We should move quickly.”
Even if you didn’t save Zhang Wei, he would survive. It was more likely you were helping yourself by saving him.
Healers had always been hard to find. And now, they were even rarer. On top of that, there were very few people who had abilities as remarkable as his. The best of them could barely synthesize potions that accelerated healing. In that case, it was only sensible to treat a low-ranking healer like a first-class hunter.
However, Zhang Wei was not like the others; he was different.
‘Not a single casualty occurred in the attacks he participated in, except for one unfortunate incident….’
It was an attack on the Overlord; he died, I died, we all died. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t count when everyone dies.
Do you know what this means? There were zero deaths when Zhang Wei was involved in your average crack attack.
“…Can do.”
“Kreul…” struggling to say that, he hurriedly lowered himself, in response to the cry of a beast nearby. He looked ahead.
[Name: Cerberus]
[Species: Devil]
[Proceed with caution]
[Difficulty: High (at current level)]
It was extremely difficult from the get go.
* * *
Three monstrous heads. Blood red skin with its body being a similar size of an adult human. Vapors were frothing from its mouth, and sticky saliva was falling in large drips. Its screech sounded like the scraping of blackboard, enough to grind your gears and make you mad.
[Name: Cerberus]
Reading the data, I recalled some information.
[Species: Devil]
[High flame resistance]
[Boasts a jaw grip that can crush steel and a seal that destroys the magic of shields. Engraved on the teeth]
‘Even if it is burned, it does not die, and when it bites, it destroys both armor and shield magic.’
I remembered it as a pretty tricky beast, especially in this scorching hot environment.
[Cerberus adapts to the surrounding environment]
[‘Fire’ and ‘Cerberus’ fit very well]
[The jaw grip strength of the ‘first head’ increases]
[The sensibility of the ‘second head’ increases]
[The health of the ‘third head’ increases]
“It’s disgusting!”
There were common traits in all of the demons. They had a very strong ability to adapt to any environment. Go hunting they said, it will be fun they said…
‘It is better to fight than to flee.’
Sure.
I observed the enemy from my hunkered down position. Escaping the canine monsters was almost impossible because of their heightened senses. No matter where you ran, they could chase you with incredibly high speeds; you wouldn’t get anywhere on foot.
“Grrr…”
Three stealthy heads crept up to me as I watched. I changed the sword style.
‘Stay calm. You can do this. They are vulnerable to swords.’
Their magic resistance was unmatched, but they weren’t that tough when it came to physical attacks. Tankers were known to take them on easily with direct attacks in the past.
[Arrogant Swordsmanship activated]
My senses instantly heightened. The heat on my skin increased painfully, but thankfully I maintained a sense of awareness.
“Bark!”
I could hear a faint cry in the distance.
“Kaaah!”
I hit the ground
“Bark! Kaah”
Three heads barked in unison. Their sound rang in my ears as they flung a stone and continued pounding the ground.
Thump!
The middle head bit the stone and broke it. This was the opportunity for me to strike. The stone was tricky for them to bite through, and their attacks were less deadly without the ‘bite’.
I was sorry, but what followed next had to happen. It was ruthless to chop a head off in one blow, but I did it anyway.
It flinched; I turned around without pause and drove my sword deep in its groin.
Blood spewed forth.
I kicked the first head with my sword still inside it. Wounds opened, and a river of blood gushed forth. One head was finished.
“Grrrowr!”
When the second saw me, it pulled back to strike.
[Momentary Acceleration (E) activated]
Rrrip!
Its teeth had torn away the edges of my hem. Fortunately, it hadn’t broken through my skin…
I pulled the first ‘nightmare’ from its head. In an instant, I changed its form into a different weapon; a swift dagger.
The dagger moved like an arrow and pierced the nape of the neck several times. The holes started to bleed. I pushed the head aside with force.
“Rrrraugh!”
Because the second head blocked its way, the third one found it difficult to attack me. I wasted no time, took a huge bottle out of the subspace pocket, and threw it at him.
klannng!
The glass bottle shattered on contact with the fangs, and the contents swiftly spilled into its throat.
“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The poison in the bottle was nasty. The monster’s flesh seemed to decay. I changed the nightmare’s shape again.
A bow.
“I hit it much harder than I expected.”
Three pitiful heads, each with an arrow stuck in the brow.
It stopped breathing.
‘It would have been problematic if other demons came. Glad…’
My body was completely stiff. Using strong force on nearly impenetrable skin had its side effect.
I consumed a potion from the subspace pocket.
The pockets were really handy; they kept all of the items cool. I felt rejuvenated and recovered a bit from my fatigue. It would get better in a short while.
[Operating in harsh environment]
[Stats temporarily reduced by 5%]
[Recovery potion consumed]
[Muscle growth due to hurt and recovery]
[Strength increasing]
The notification window made me smile. I had been worried I’d have to take a little break.
“Graaaaah!”
A tremendous roar erupted in the distance; it felt as if the earth was trembling.
Boom! Boom Boom!
I heard something large collide.
‘Is it a territorial fight?’
This was common inside the Great Rift. Monsters often fought over a fire in the Rift. That’s what happened when any species’ population got out of control.
At the incoming threat, I decided to retreat cautiously. There was still a long way to go, and no time to rest.
“Haaa.”
The way back was filled with monsters. Small, fierce creatures with the features of a bat. Not very strong, but extremely irritating.
[Name: Small Imp]
[Species: Devil]
[Hated by adventurers]
[Can call nearby monsters and disrupt mana with a cry]
“Ki-i-i-i-i!”
Curse it! They started their call.
Zzzzip…
“Kiyiyi…”
An arrow pierced the imp’s skull. The miserable little monsters became desperate now. I started to shoot them with urgency.
[Muscle growth due to hurt and recovery]
[Body strengthens]
The Great Rift was much wider than I had thought, and there were a lot of monsters.
[5 days since entrance into the harsh environment.]
[The ‘Red Marble’ effect – the body begins to adapt to the heat.]
[→ Unlocking hidden abilities]
[→Red Bead: Red Heart]
[→Complete immunity to fire attacks unlocked]
The environment was certainly dangerous, but it only served to strengthen me. My skills were being honed more and more. The Cerberus was no longer a worthy opponent; it’s a shame he was just another monster in the Rift. Still, I was content.
“Woo.”
“I didn’t know it would take so long.”
A week had passed since I came here, but finally, I had found my way to the place where Zhang Wei was trapped.
[Name: The Cave of Eminence]
[A prison where sinners who incurred the wrath of nature are confined]
[‘Zhang Wei’, who touched the ‘Red Marble’ and tried to deal with its power, is currently incarcerated in the deepest part]
[Be careful]
[Don’t get caught by the ‘Nature’s Eye’, you cannot avoid the chain of flames]
* * *
“I haven’t heard from you for a week.”
“Is there something wrong with that?” I asked him to wait. He had to start believing in himself. Yet, Han Yeon-soo couldn’t help but shudder at his distress. Yes, he had grown up, but the powerlessness of a second-class hunter level was a huge blow.
Of course, he wasn’t weak, but Jeong Si-woo was only an underdog who needed help, compared to him. Jeong Si-woo was just a novice who hadn’t even achieved a third-class hunter’s qualification.
“I’m worried.”
He cracked his nails absentmindedly. He hadn’t done it for some time, but it was a habit that had come back lately. Han Yeon-soo, tapping his desk in anxiety and looking at his cell phone, became restless.
And.
Rrring!
“Oh!”
The instant the phone went off, he picked it up.
“Who is it? Who is it?”
In his haste, he accidentally opened the wrong app, “NO!”
Han Yeon-soo let out an annoyed sound and started fidgeting with the broken smartphone screen.
“Well?”
The message’s content was shocking and unexpected.
[Crack occurred – urgent call for nearby hunters]
Only
[Estimate based on the size of the great Crack]
[Assessed risk at least Level 2]
[May drop to Level 1 depending on the situation]
[Need support from hunters of at least level 2]
[Paying ten times the original compensation]
[Location – near Association]
“Association?”
In the safest area of South Korea, the most dangerous Crack of all time had occurred, the Great Crack.
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