Chapter 160

When did it start?

Yeo Ju-kyung suddenly recalled the rookie-like Choi Gi-woong.

Just an F-Rank, a guy who had nothing.

Han Seung-hoon had singled out that guy.

Saying this guy was the hero who would save them.

The image of Han Seung-hoon, shouting excitedly, overlapped in her mind.

Of course, she hadn’t believed it. She doubted him constantly and tested Choi Gi-woong.

And Choi Gi-woong had always passed those tests, as if to prove a point.

When did it start?

The moment she started entrusting everything to Choi Gi-woong and relying on him.

Well, that doesn’t matter.

Didn’t it turn out just as Han Seung-hoon had said, in the end?

“How about it? Do you still think the same?”

“About what, sir?”

Han Seung-hoon, biting his nails right next to her, asked anxiously.

“Do you think Choi Gi-woong will save us?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“What?”

“My future ability, that bastard took it. I’m a Civilian now.”

“Then why is a guy like you here?”

“Because I’m bored.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Yeo Ju-kyung smirked and swung her hand down.

Thousands of approaching Monsters were annihilated in a single blow.

Yeo Ju-kyung’s thoughts continued.

Because the answer she had been looking for had come to her.

It was from the very beginning.

From the very beginning, everything had depended on Choi Gi-woong. The safety of the dimension, and the lives of the people here.

All Yeo Ju-kyung had to do was either accept it or not.

She and Han Seung-hoon were merely supporting characters who made the star named Choi Gi-woong shine.

She wasn’t resentful.

That was enough. Thinking this, Yeo Ju-kyung threw herself forward.

Grrrrrr-

A monster, drooling, lunged at her. The saliva dripping from the creature was full of acid.

To say, “Who cares about some stupid acid,” was difficult when…

There were far, far too many enemies swarming in.

Even counting them was meaningless.

Yeo Ju-kyung’s sword drew a long, horizontal line.

Saaaaak-

Wherever the flash of light passed, the creatures were sliced in half.

Whether they were angel-shaped, Demons, or grotesque lifeforms she had never seen before.

Nothing could survive it.

It was the price of the SSS-Rank she had obtained by sacrificing her lifespan.

“Heok, heok. How was that?”

“Amazing. You were just like Choi Gi-woong.”

Han Seung-hoon replied glibly.

Normally, she would have shot back a witty retort, but she didn’t even have the energy for that.

Amidst the swept-away wreckage, Yeo Ju-kyung gasped for breath.

Her SSS-Rank Mana and stamina, which had seemed infinite.

They were finally hitting rock bottom.

And still, the creatures swarmed in endlessly.

Forming a legion that stretched beyond the horizon.

“It feels like I’m watching the same scene on repeat.”

“I feel the same way.”

“Why don’t you try fighting for once?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Then why the hell did you come here?”

The same conversation repeated. Even this felt like watching the same scene over and over.

As she was thinking that and laughing inanely.

“If you die, Chairman, I plan to die too.”

“…What?”

Han Seung-hoon had changed his answer.

“What’s the point of me surviving alone? It’s better to die together.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Han Seung-hoon cackled.

“I’ve grown a lot compared to 20 years ago, haven’t I?”

“You mean back in your greenhorn days, when you were going on about how the world was going to end and begging for help.”

“Why are you bringing that up again?”

Yeo Ju-kyung, who had been cackling, glanced behind her.

Kim Soo-gyeom, Choi Soo-jung, Im Han-na, Kim Yoon-joong. Besides them, countless other Hunters were fighting the creatures at their designated posts.

Her brow, which had relaxed, furrowed once more.

“Reinforcements!”

“Hold on a little longer!”

“We’ve lost contact with headquarters!”

“They’re probably in chaos over there too. Hold on! If you can’t, then just die!”

“Fuuuuuuuuck!”

Screams erupted from all over.

It was like a scene from a game. A defense-type game where you had to endlessly block swarming Extraterrestrials.

But the difficulty was so high that it was a game no one could ever beat.

“…Haha.”

Yeo Ju-kyung shook her head.

“Time.”

“10 minutes.”

Han Seung-hoon said, looking at his wristwatch.

10 minutes. They had held out for a staggering 4 hours and 50 minutes.

In 10 minutes, Choi Gi-woong would arrive.

“They must know too, right?”

“Of course. They’ve become twice as fierce as before. It’s a relief their main body hasn’t shown up yet.”

“It’ll be soon.”

There was a wall only she could see.

A barrier that protected the entire dimension. It was breaking.

Kooong-! Kooong-!

The System and Chaos were pounding on the barrier as if in a desperate struggle.

In other words, they would try to find Choi Gi-woong before the 10 minutes were up.

To shatter the vessel before Choi Gi-woong became complete.

“We have to hold on.”

“We have to hold on.”

The two of them repeated to themselves.

Yeo Ju-kyung’s sword moved once again.

This was the third time.

What little Mana she had left was cut in half.

The next moment.

Yeo Ju-kyung pushed Han Seung-hoon.

“Huh.”

She watched as Han Seung-hoon was flung out of the battlefield.

Yeo Ju-kyung heightened her senses to the absolute limit.

Kugugugugung-

The blood vessels throughout her body churned. They screamed. Begging her to spare them, that if she drew out any more power, she would really die.

Lifespan? Something like that didn’t matter.

She had already resolved to die here.

If Yeo Ju-kyung’s death could guarantee Choi Gi-woong’s safety, what couldn’t she do?

It was inside a world that had slowed down infinitely.

She couldn’t tell. Applying this world’s time here was impossible in the first place.

Tick.

The moment the second hand ticked once, Yeo Ju-kyung leaped into the center of the battlefield.

Up, down. Left, right.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-

Every time her sword moved, the creatures fell.

Her speed was even faster than before.

“Wh-what is that…”

Everyone stopped fighting and stared at Yeo Ju-kyung. Because all the Monsters’ Aggro had been drawn to her.

Every time Yeo Ju-kyung took a step, twice as many Monsters lunged at her.

When she took a second step, she could no longer see what was in front of her.

It was an attack that disregarded all defense.

Kwaduk!

Something hot pierced through her stomach.

“Keol-leok.”

That momentary hesitation was the beginning.

Yeo Ju-kyung’s sword, which had been striking relentlessly, began to waver.

From then on, it was instantaneous.

She was hard-pressed just to defend herself.

Suddenly, as she swung her sword, Yeo Ju-kyung muttered.

“This is the end.”

She recalled the future Han Seung-hoon had once told her about.

The end that the guy had described at length.

He had said her death would be like this.

That she would die miserably, buried under a tsunami of countless Monsters.

She had smacked the back of Han Seung-hoon’s head as he chattered on excitedly.

But the guy’s words had been accurate.

Somehow, things had turned out differently, but in the end, not a single word had been wrong.

“Haha.”

Yeo Ju-kyung wiggled her fingers.

It wasn’t as empty as she had expected.

She had bought enough time, and the world had not yet ended.

Wasn’t this a worthy sacrifice?

How much time is left?

Let’s not think about it.

If it’s Choi Gi-woong, he’ll manage somehow.

Just as she thought that and closed her eyes.

“Hm?”

Something was strange.

No matter how extreme the time dilation, her entire body should have been a wreck by now.

It was odd. She felt no pain.

Could it be that my head has already been lopped off?

Just as she thought that and cautiously opened her eyes.

She saw a back. It was a familiar person.

“…Huh.”

“At the underpass.”

With his back still turned, the man continued.

“Right before I was about to die, you saved me just like this. Do you remember?”

She remembered. It felt like a lifetime ago, but she had certainly saved Choi Gi-woong’s life back then.

“I’ve paid back that debt in full now, right?”

Choi Gi-woong said, turning around.

He looked as familiar as if he had been right beside her just a moment ago.

She needed to shout that it was dangerous, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

It felt as if all of time and space had stopped, except for Choi Gi-woong.

The Monsters that had been charging just a moment ago, and the System and Chaos that had been screaming and trying to break the barrier.

Everything stopped.

Choi Gi-woong, who was calmly surveying the surroundings just like her, grinned.

“Thank you for holding on.”

“But, the time shouldn’t be up yet…”

“I tend to arrive a little early for my appointments.”

Bowing his head slightly, Choi Gi-woong took a step forward.

“This will be the last mission, I suppose.”

---

It was meant to be this way from the beginning.

From Ian being born, growing up, meeting Jaden, learning magic, surpassing Dragon Language Magic, and even dying.

It was all planned from there.

Just one thing.

In that plan, the harm to anyone other than myself was not included in the calculations.

That’s why I was worried.

Because it was obvious that these people would die protecting me.

Although I can now even bring the dead back to life with Resurrection.

Back then, I had that worry.

In any case, regardless of my concerns, these people held them off incredibly well. I had even prepared myself to face a world that had already been destroyed.

Anyway.

I waved my hand.

“Vanish.”

With just that one word.

The Extraterrestrial Monsters that were invading Earth vanished in an instant.

Becoming particles of blue or black.

I didn’t give them a chance to struggle, nor the time to leave any last words to mark the end of their lives.

For them, such things are a luxury.

Hwaaaak-!

As the stopped time resumed.

The people who had been fighting fiercely just a moment ago collapsed to the ground.

All of their gazes were fixed on me.

“Uh…”

“It’s Choi Gi-woong.”

“Uh, uh… The, the Monsters…”

“Looks like it’s over.”

Voices filled with emptiness could be heard.

Most of them kept their mouths shut, busy staring intently at me.

As the sun slowly set, the sight of the particles scattering was beyond beautiful.

It seemed they hadn’t expected it to end so anticlimactically.

Well, it was only natural, since I hadn’t given them any explanation.

Still, the main dish was separate.

I looked up at the sky.

The two bastards who had been trying to break the dimensional barrier until just a moment ago were dead silent.

I snapped my fingers.

As space split open.

I stretched out both hands.

The bastards who had been trying to flee just a moment ago were caught in my hands.

I dragged them over as they were.

Kwa-deu-deuk!

I slammed the forcefully dragged bastards to the ground.

I could see their miserable state. Their appearances weren’t that different from my own.

The two of them were glaring at me with wide eyes.

They said nothing. They didn’t try to fight me either.

They just stared intently at me, a mess of misery and resentment.

This is their true form.

They are neither ‘omnipotent’ nor ‘omniscient.’

Just things with a bit more power and overflowing with greed.

I took a step closer.

They flinched and backed away.

Look at this.

So many lives were oppressed because of pathetic creatures like these.

Just because of the greed of pathetic creatures like these.

The one moving its mouth was the System.

“Choi Gi-woong…”

Amazement and anger were tangled together.

It knew what choice I would make.

Because it had been watching me closely since my past life.

“How does it feel? For a pawn on the board to have come this far.”

“……”

“It must be miserable. I’m sure it is.”

It glared at me without a word. It seemed to have sensed its impending death.

There was no need for a long conversation. It was a waste of time to even torture them.

Just as I took another step forward.

“If you… spare me…”

“If you… spare me…”

Ha.

Look at these things.

They opened their mouths. The next moment, they looked at each other.

Displeasure and shame were mixed in their expressions.

I, on the other hand, almost burst out laughing.

Right. This is what they were. Trash-like things with not a shred of pride.

Not even a little mercy was needed. An anticlimactically easy end was what I wanted.

Snip-!

Their heads fell. To the very last, they glared at each other, and then they died.

As I’ve said several times, it was an anticlimactically easy end.

Even then, the people remaining on the battlefield just stared at me blankly, without a word.

They might not know the details, but they must have a rough idea of the situation.

People were waiting, swallowing nervously. Waiting for the words “the war is over” to come from my mouth.

I slowly looked around at them, then approached Han Seung-hoon.

“Hey…”

“I kept my promise.”

I don’t know since when that promise was made.

Han Seung-hoon, who had been fumbling for words, swept his hair back.

“Ha.”

Han Seung-hoon nodded his head, looking drained. I passed him and went to Im Han-na.

“I figured out what I want to do.”

“…What?”

“What I’ll do after this is over.”

Im Han-na, who had been tilting her head, asked a moment later with a reluctant expression.

“Wh-what are you going to do?”

“I like this.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I like being a Hunter.”

Even if I don’t have to climb to the top, I think this job suits me.

Im Han-na, making the same expression as Han Seung-hoon, grinned.

“That suits you well.”

That’s right. Even I think it suits me well.

“Let’s start with rebuilding the city.”

I said, snapping my fingers.

There was still a lot to do.

(The End)