Chapter 210

Coins: 112,988 remained.

Normal boss monsters grew stronger as their health decreased.

That was why I had held off using a certain item until the very last moment.

The item description appeared.

Of course, I still had my normal stats from the current Galaxy Server’s Shin Yuri.

But there was nothing saying they wouldn’t stack, right?

It was the moment I withdrew my hand from my inventory.

What I had been waiting for appeared. I was sucked back into the universe-like space.

I ignored the system window saying analysis in progress.

Without hesitation, I popped the lid off the vial in my hand.

“Shin Yuri?”

Shin Jae-heon turned to me in surprise.

My vision sharpened in an instant, and I could feel my body’s condition improve dramatically.

And that made sense.

Even with the stats reduced due to Weight of Memories, they had nearly doubled from my originals.

“Let’s end it here.”

I gripped my sword tightly.

…

The buff window lit up chaotically in an instant.

I had to pour in maximum damage, even if it drained my magic power completely.

I poured maximum magic power into the afterimage skill and focused all my nerves on the sword tip.

Hunter Yian seemed to want me to save some magic power, but I poured it all into the afterimage.

System windows flashed chaotically. My vision split into dozens of afterimages.

Still, I focused on the sword tip. At that moment.

The sword cleaved through what I thought was empty black space.

―……!

An overwhelmingly loud explosion numbed my hearing.

I could see the boss monster’s remaining HP.

It didn’t matter that I couldn’t move.

Our team had two dealers.

I squeezed out the refilled magic power and cast a buff.

“!”

Shin Jae-heon, boosted by afterimage, shot past me like a bullet.

The boss monster, which had lost its form to my skill, took his attack head-on.

―Kwarung!

Sparks flew, and the deafening roar tore at my still-recovering hearing.

The boss monster’s health bar vanished.

It was over.

―Thud.

For a moment, it felt like the world stopped.

“……!”

―Flash……!

A blinding white light erupted from the boss monster.

Even with S-rank vision, the intense light made my sight flicker.

When I thought I could see but saw nothing.

I thought I heard a scream from behind.

Countless protective skills filled the space between the boss monster and us.

But I knew.

Shin Jae-heon’s sword had pierced the boss monster’s core.

Naturally, the sword’s owner was atop the boss monster—outside the barriers’ range.

And then.

―……Kwarung……!

With a deafening roar that numbed my hearing again, Shin Jae-heon was flung backward.

More than the system window announcing clear, the image of Shin Jae-heon flying away lingered in my sight.

Flames erupted and scattered like ashes, fading away.

His status window, tinged gray, lost its light.

I didn’t look at the continuing system windows. I didn’t want to.

“Ah…….”

As I let out a short breath, the heat faded, revealing the wrecked boss room.

It was probably due to Shin Jae-heon’s flame sword skill effect.

I thought I was used to this kind of heat. Thought it wouldn’t feel hot.

But strangely, it burned. Like my insides were scorching.

I slowly turned around.

“…….”

Shin Jae-heon lay there with eyes closed.

He seemed to have held onto his sword until the very end.

Despite taking a shock strong enough to shatter the SS+ boss room wall right beside him, he hadn’t let go of his sword.

―Clink.

A familiar necklace fell beside him.

No resistance emanated from the necklace as I slowly approached and picked it up.

There was no mention of a cherished item bonus in the Plated Necklace’s description.

There should have been.

I blankly turned to Hunter So Yeri and Hunter Yian. I saw Hunter So Yeri with her hand over her mouth.

Hunter Yian had his eyes closed.

But it seemed he could see the system window. With a slightly trembling voice, he said,

“……I’m sorry.”

His voice was like a death sentence.

“…….”

Shin Jae-heon had his eyes closed. He just looked like he was lying there.

Though every sensation in my body told me otherwise, I couldn’t believe it.

That’s weird.

I murmured silently.

Countless times you’ve closed and opened your eyes in front of me.

I’ve seen your peacefully sleeping face countless times. You’re just closing your eyes.

Why does it feel so suffocating?

Hunter So Yeri approached Shin Jae-heon and knelt beside him.

A choking silence descended.

The system window said that, but this wasn’t a clear.

The only ones who could leave here were Hunter So Yeri and me.

“…….”

If I could turn back time.

If I were given just one more chance.

It was a thought I’d had countless times over the past 10 years as a hunter—no, even before that.

In a life that could only move forward, there were moments I desperately wanted to turn back to.

This was the result of pushing past those moments with effort. There’s no way to go back to the past. I’d covered the wounds with such words.

But this time, it felt like that wouldn’t work.

“If I had…….”

If I had struck the final blow.

If I could have used ‘I’m Always in Front of You (SS)’ before it self-destructed.

He might have survived.

It was carelessness. A brief moment of it.

I couldn’t even breathe until the system window appeared and vanished.

If I could go back to that moment.

“…….”

Even if Hunter So Yeri had a regression skill, she couldn’t rewind the entire room’s time.

Meaning, the dungeon clear judgment itself couldn’t be overturned.

My rational mind clashed with my heart that refused to accept it. It felt like everything was crumbling under the shock.

“Ah.”

Even letting out a short breath changed nothing.

“Hunter So Yeri.”

I called her blankly.

“……Yes.”

Her response came late.

“Can you regress us?”

I asked, even though I knew the answer.

A hunter’s death judgment is stored in the Galaxy Server.

Unless the Galaxy Server’s time itself was rewound, there was no chance Shin Jae-heon could come back to life.

And rewinding the Galaxy Server’s time, tied to all hunters, would undoubtedly cost something astronomical.

“Hunter Shin Yuri, that…….”

She couldn’t bring herself to answer.

I know. I know too.

That death judgments can’t be undone.

If they could, we would have scraped together the power of time by any means to keep going back to the past endlessly.

For a past without regrets.

To erase the countless moments we’d gritted our teeth and pushed past.

It was then that I closed my eyes.

“I will use Resurrection skill.”

Hunter Yian’s voice rang out.

“You’ve already used the Resurrection skill.”

Hunter So Yeri responded. Her voice trembled.

As if she couldn’t bear that the person who received it was herself. She covered her face with both hands.

No, no one did anything wrong. My trembling hands gripped Hunter So Yeri’s shoulder, just like hers.

Then Hunter Yian spoke.

“It might be usable again.”

But surely the limit was once?

We turned to him.

Hunter Yian continued.

“If I regress, that is.”

My eyes widened.

“What about your eyesight?”

Then all four of us could get out?

“…….”

But to my words, Hunter Yian—who seemed ready to answer—fell silent.