The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 27: 136-140, a 13 tzameti fanfic

6:30 am.

Bambaaaam baaam

Together with the cheery trumpet alarm, I opened my eyes. I left the warm cover of my blanket and sat on the edge of the bed. Although I couldn't sleep really well, I still felt refreshed.

Around me, several 'seniors' had also woken up and were already putting on their military boots. They were my seniors. To be exact, they're seniors who had joined Jay Company and 'Monster Special Combat Forces' before me.

"New recruit, you up already?"

"Yes."

"Hey, new recruit. Where and how did you meet her? Did you know her before the destruction?"

"Yes."

"You know… She's reaaaaalllllly pretty…."

"Kim Joong-wi-nim, if we think about your age, isn't that a complete crime?"

"What did you say, you bastard? I just said that she is pretty!"

For reference, Kim Joong-wi is in his late twenty. He's younger than me and of course Aracelli.

"So, tell me, how did you meet her?"

"I just met her somewhere. There's nothing going on between me and her."

It's bothersome to answer their questions. In the end, they weren't someone whom I would have a deep relationship with anyway. We are just fellow soldiers under Kim Ha-soo, so it was better to reduce interpersonal connections as much as possible.

"Nothing my ass!"

A senior next to Park Joong-wi suddenly shouted. He was wearing a beret with a single diamond on it. When I looked at him to question what he's talking about, he said,

"Yesterday I asked her and she said that both of you are dating."

"…Pardon?"

"So, she drew a line telling me not to flirt with her……Honestly, I was a little offended."

"But we are not dating?"

"By the way, why is it a crime for me but not a crime for the new recruit?"

"No matter how you see it, new recruit is at most twenty one years old or twenty two years old. His age difference with Lieutenant Aracelli is not that much. So it's okay."

"Keuk… But well, is there really anything that could be considered as a crime in this destroyed world? I heard that across the sea, the leader of a large group of survivors has made a harem for himself. He didn't care whether it's a child, teenager or an old woman. He's really crazy."

"But I'm more envious of new recruit compared to that harem guy. If Lieutenant Aracelli had been born before the destruction, I bet she would become a superstar….."

I really couldn't keep up with the stupid story that these stupid seniors shared around me this early in the morning.

'Aracelli. Just what kind of story did you tell them…….'

Well, in this military base, women were quite rare after all. So, it's only natural that their attention was focused on Aracelli as soon as she joined. Moreover, the only concern for these soldiers were only two. First was whether there's seafood bibim sauce on the menu this evening or not, and the second was a pretty woman. Therefore, it's only natural for Aracelli to lie that she had a lover. She must have felt fed up when the soldiers kept flirting with her only after one night passed.

I put on my military uniform and got up. The color of Jay Company military uniform was black. Aside from that, I don't think there was any difference between this uniform and the uniform of Korean military on Earth.

'Are these guys really special forces?'

The special forces I knew consisted of terrifying guys who could execute thorough action and could freeze a living person with just their gaze.

'…well, their ability seems to be real.'

Every member of the special force had a power equivalent to at least B rank superhuman on Earth. It could be considered as high because this world doesn't have many high-ranking awakeners in the first place. It could be said that with 30 members of the special force, Kim Ha-soo's plan of gathering outstanding individuals to make a group to fight against monsters was already successful.

In the first place, monsters in this world don't have ether protecting their body, so they are vulnerable to firearms. Wouldn't awakeners be much more powerful if they fight with guns?

After a while, the soldiers quickly left the barracks and gathered in the indoor training facility. Hundreds of soldiers had already gathered in the spacious space, and Kim Ha-soo was also standing there while receiving the morning roll call.

After the morning roll call, everybody started running with Kim Ha-soo at the forefront.

"While running! Don't forget to sing the military song! Run! honey!"

""Run! honey!""

"The trick! Is to be Cool! And sexy! Military songs start in one two three four!"

Just like that, I ran together with them as I felt complicated in many ways.

Even though I just met him yesterday, I could see that Kim Ha-soo was sincere to the people of this fortress.

When he saw someone digging the ground, Kim Ha-soo wouldn't think twice to help them dig the ground, and when someone butchered meat, Kim Ha-soo would step forward to lend his hand to them.

He's doing the same to the soldiers.

He was sometimes charismatic, and sometimes friendly towards the soldiers.

No one ignored him. Everyone respected him and sincerely followed him. I could tell just by looking at the soldiers, workers and residents of the fortress who were laughing happily as they followed him.

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It could be said that his schedule was really hectic. He didn't even spend a minute to treat himself.

Afternoon came.

After finishing the training, thirty members of Monster Special Combat Force were called to a quiet place by Kim Ha-soo.

"Sir, I feel sleepy after having lunch!"

"You are a noisy man!"

"Sir, is there any seafood bibim sauce for dinner?"

"This, this crazy guy…. Is it really that good?"

"Sir? Isn't it delicious?"

"Your taste bud is really strange."

With a light conversation and joke, Kim Ha-soo led the special forces to the ammunition storage. After storing all the inflammables we carried to one room, we entered the ammunition storage. We were greeted by the salute of numerous soldiers who were in charge of the ammunition storage. There was a lot of respect in their eyes.

"Hey Woodpecker! Sorry to disturb you when you are busy."

"Welcome sir! Correction, now I am the ammunition storage chief."

"I see. By the way, even today, the ammunition store smells unsexy."

"Please say it smells like gunpowder!"

"Whatever! Woodpecker, bring me the H-R2 ammo storage box in a cool and sexy manner."

"Wait sir, in order to take out one of those, we have to turn it all off."

"If I said bring me, then bring it to me."

"Ah, okay then…."

….This army is really an army without any military discipline.

After a while, the chief of the ammunition storage brought out a storage box containing the so-called H-R2. Kim Ha-soo opened it and showed us what's inside.

I was left speechless as I saw it.

'That's… an ether-coated bullet? No, is it another technology?'

A technology similar to ether-coated bullets but slightly different, which should never exist in this era, was in Kim Ha-soo's hands. It was very similar to what we had on Earth. It may be made possible because this world is a different world…

However… My hunch was not wrong.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Yes. Isn't that a bullet that goes into the 'WH-102' that only you use?"

"That's right. When we use that, a medium-sized-monster could be easily killed."

"Can you give it to us?"

Judging by the reaction of other soldiers who recognized it, it seems that Kim Ha-soo used it often. However, for some reason, the bullet could not be used by everyone. And the reason was immediately revealed.

"That's impossible. Because this bullet is created by 'future technology'."

"…….!!"

Hearing that, the members of Monster Special Combat Force were all taken aback and shut their mouths. They realized that it wasn't time to joke around.

"With my awakening ability, 'Shop Window' being upgraded not long ago…. it's now possible to purchase technologies from the future. No, maybe it was a technology that we could have developed if our world had not perished. I can only buy this technology from the future if I pay with expensive coins."

He put the bullet down and walked deeper towards the ammunition storage.

"Chief! Bring me the keys to the cellar."

"….Understood."

We followed Kim Ha-soo climbing through stairs in a labyrinth-like space that twisted around, and finally arrived at a place with only a dim flickering light. After Kim Ha-soo unlocked the lock as well as the state-of-the-art locking device through fingerprint recognition, we could see a glass protective tube occupying the empty space.

Inside the tube, there was a 'missile' about the size of two adults.

"……Sir, what is that?"

Hearing the question from one of the soldiers, Kim Ha-soo replied with a stiff expression.

"It is commonly referred to as 'Zone Destruction Missile'. If we detonate it, it will evaporate anything in the radius of one kilometer. No shield or thick armor could ever stop it. Better yet, unlike ordinary gunpowder or atomic bombs, there are fewer aftermaths after using this missile. We could continue to plant seeds in the area of destruction."

"Pardon?"

My face became even stiffer. It was unbelievable.

However, Kim Ha-soo had no reason to lie here.

"Last night, the special forces had almost completely formed. Both Lieutenant Aracelli and Lieutenant Yoo Seodam, their abilities are very special, they are just as great as the rest of the members who have trained here. They will surely be a great help in the future….. In other words, it is time to put our 'Dream' into action."

Kim Ha-soo turned his head and looked at me. In his eyes, I could see a certain passion burning bright. But it was a passion that I couldn't handle.

He looked around at all of us and said,

"We are the post-apocalypse generation."

Lost Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, so on. There have been many words that describe the characteristics of generations living in modern society.

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"And, we are the last generation. Do you know what that means?"

"…I do not know."

"The characteristics of the last generation is that there is nothing left to be passed on to the next generation."

With a distant look, Kim Ha-soo stroked the transparent tube surrounding the missile.

"This missile…. Is a technology from the future. I bought it from the 'Shop Window'. Thanks to that, I used up all the 'coins' that I had collected painstakingly."

It seems that the warning message that came to me last night was due to Kim Ha-soo's purchase of this missile.

"Are you all familiar with the existence of a super monster that we call 'Colony'?"

"Yes. I know about it."

The other soldiers also nodded.

"It's also referred to as 'The Mother Beast'. It is unknown how many of these monsters exist on Earth… but at least all the monsters in our Koran Peninsula were produced by the Colony in the northern plains. It's not sexy."

I don't know about that. Well, in the first place, I didn't know much about this world.

"This boring and dull rain outside are actually seeds scattered by the 'Colony'. It has no effect on humans, but when a 'non-human' comes into contact with the rain, it usually starts to evolve at the rate of tens or thousands of times faster than normal. Whether it's a bug, animal, beast, a dirt floor, a concrete wall, a metallic can, anything can turn into a monster. No matter how sexily we killed a monster, it would never end unless we stop the rain."

He said.

"So, we will go to the northern plain. Killing the 'Colony' in order to stop this rain and to reclaim our land. To lay a groundwork, to pioneer our devastated land, create a farm to ensure prosperity, and finally, build a new country. That's why I decided to borrow the technology from the future."

He said as he stroked the glass tube containing the missile.

"It's a missile that contains all my dreams. Don't you all think it looks really sexy?"

I sighed. It was truly ironic.

Kim Ha-soo had used his abilities to help people in a destroyed world and to make the world even a little bit better. However, the more he uses his abilities, the faster the destruction of this world approaches.

"When I bought this missile from the store, I missed an important fact."

Kim Ha-soo smiled bitterly.

"This Zone Destruction Missile is a technology from the future. Of course, we will also need a missile launcher from the future. So, we can't use it now. Can you help me? If you collect a little bit of coins, really a little bit more… We can finally take one more step towards our dream. We will be able to coolly shoot this missile to get rid of the Colony, take the land, and sexily put our flag on it."

At Kim Ha-soo's sincere words, all the soldiers nodded as they clenched their teeth.

"Darn it, please don't ask for something like that in the first place. There is no need to do that, because from the beginning we decided to follow the captain until we die!"

"Whether it is a million or ten million monsters and coins! I will earn it!"

"Nothing can't be done for our land! our future! With this one life I will help you buy that Zone Destruction Missile Launcher or whatever!"

The soldiers' eyes become bloodshot. Their spirit went out of the roof as the fact that they can dream of the future simmered in. They were proud and grateful that the leader they believed and followed was doing all he could for them and the world.

However, in my eyes, no matter what Kim Ha-soo does, as long as he keeps using the 'Shop Window', the probability of this world would continuously be consumed. If he uses his shop window more than this and buys even more expensive 'future technology'….

This world will be completely destroyed, Seodam.

This world will become a place where no life could live and be born.

He should stop using the 'Shop Window'. Even if it's for the revival of mankind.

"That is all for tomorrow. Let's take rest for today."

Then Kim Ha-soo led his troops out, and I also followed.

Yoo Seodam….

'I know. I will kill him.'

It's not simply a matter of whether the protagonist is good or bad.

In the first place, I didn't become a protagonist hunter simply because the protagonist was harming the world.

I did it because I wanted to live.

After that, I want to become stronger and make my dreams come true.

That was why I killed the protagonists.

I am nothing but a selfish trash. I'm not different from the protagonists.

Whether my target is good or bad, my only mission was to kill them.

But all of a sudden, I was hesitant to kill them just because I felt that my target was a good person?

It was clearly an insulting thought to all the lives I had reaped as well as to my own convictions.

I am a selfish trash. However, even so, it wasn't the case that my humanity was completely lacking. I just tried to survive. To live my own life.

Yes, very little humanity remained inside me.

If someone was dying right in front of my eyes, I'd try to save them. If a mother held a hungry child in front of me, I might give her a piece of bread.

'Kill him, I will kill him. I'm going to kill him…'

I have been here for too long. I had become familiar with the atmosphere of this world.

In this post-apocalypse world, I saw many of those who had given up on being human and gradually immersed in madness for survival, for a tiny hope they kept in their heart.

That's why,

At least, I wouldn't turn away from Kim Ha-soo's dream to re-establish human civilization in this destroyed world.

It was a night where rain fell heavily and thunder struck continuously.

I settled on top of a building that had been abandoned since the destruction 10 years ago. With a camouflage covering over my body, I peeped into the Winchester's 9x scope.

By this world's standard, Winchester 777 is a weapon from the future. It was a weapon capable of automatically calculating the wind direction, speed, planetary rotation, as well as the zero point adjustment according to the distance. It also means that the sniper no longer had to do detailed manipulations while operating it.

"Site C7, ready to fire."

-Already? Hey, You are too fast. I haven't even arrived yet!

-Lee Seong-soo, hurry up! You're Yoo Seodam's senior, how could you be slower than him?

-Wait a minute, Captain. I told you it was because Yoo Seodam is just too fast!

The person called 'Lee Seong-soo' on the radio was a man who took the role of sniper in this world. Befitting the concept of firearms and a destroyed world, his shooting abilities were quite excellent. I dare to say that his talent was at least at S rank level. Moreover, using his special ability 'Emotional Empathy', to determine his target's next movement, he was able to showcase a highly accurate predictive shot.

He's way better than me. Fortunately, I was able to perform at a similar level to him thanks to the aid of the ether science equipment from the mid 21st century as well as my S rank body.

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Then let's get started.

It's been a month since I joined Kim Ha-soo's group.

I've wandered around hunting monsters together with him and his group in order to earn 'coins' for the sake of mankind's future.

-Start shooting!

As I heard Kim Ha-soo's order, I pulled the trigger. Seconds later, a hole was drilled in the forehead of a giant monster which was moving from one building to another.

….Boom!

Explosion erupted from the bullet that was lodged inside the monster's forehead. However, it wasn't only once. Explosion after explosion erupted inside the monster's head thanks to the bullet shot by Lee Seong-soo from the distance. His bullet was also enchanted by magic, and the effect was great.

-Good!

-Attack now!

In most ecosystems, a monster's weakness has always been on its head or heart. But on rare occasions, there were monsters that deviate from the norm. Those monsters could still move even when its head or heart was cut off.

But there's no need to panic. It just means that its weakness was somewhere else. Hunters just had to calmly find its weakness and launch another attack.

In the vicinity of the monster, I could see members of the Special Forces move while firing flames or releasing lightning. Someone bound the monster's body with a lightning rope, while others hit its chest with firearms and cannon.

Even if it was a monster that didn't have ether coating its skin, S rank monster is still an S rank monster. They are unbelievably strong and tough to beat.

Only after barrages of joint attacks, the monster started to falter.

Kung, kuoong…!

The monster slowly began to step backwards.

Once the soldiers saw it, their attacks intensified further in excitement.

-Aracelli! Hit that bastard!

Seconds later, a light flashed from above and pierced the monster's skull. Although it didn't die immediately as its weakness was not its head, the monster whose head had completely burned and melted was unable to make a proper judgment anymore.

Nevertheless, the monster kept struggling as it blocked every attack coming from the front without backing down.

I furrowed my brows at the spectacle. Something feels weird.

I clenched the Winchester harder just before the giant fell to the floor.

Kuung…!!

-Yahoooo!

-We finally kill it!

-That damn monster! We scoured the entire city just to kill it.

When the monster fell, the soldiers cheered. It was understandable. In the first place, it took us almost three days to prepare for the ambush and lure one of those S rank monsters out.

But, I still felt that something was out of place.

"Please wait. I don't think it's over yet."

-What are you saying?

-This is its territory, so there are no other monsters here. You can rest assured now.

"No, that's not it. The action it took at the last minute… I think it was trying to protect something-" And, in most cases, there's only one reason that guarantees such action. "-There seems to be an offspring nearby."

That moment.

-Oaaaaaahhhhhh!!

A bloody scream echoed from the distance.

It was the voice of the sniper, Lee Seong-soo.

-Lee Seong-soo! What's the matter?!?! Answer me! Lee Seong-soo!!

Kim Ha-soo's urgent voice rang over the radio. But there was no answer from Lee Seong-soo except for his unending scream. Then Kim Ha-soo hurriedly ran towards where Lee Seong-soo was with a superhuman speed.

When the soldiers arrived where Kim Seong-soo was, they couldn't help but look terrible.

It was unavoidable, because there was a body of a 3m monster, presumably the offspring of the monster we fought earlier, as well as… Lee Seong-soo, whose body was cut off in half under his thigh.

Kim Ha-soo was holding Lee Seong-soo's body with a dark expression.

"Ah, uh, ah…!"

Lee Seong-soo opened his eyes and tried to hold Kim Ha-soo with his left hand, but he soon realized that his left arm had disappeared.

"Hey, Lee Seong-soo! Wake up, Lee Seong-soo!!"

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"I'm…I'm o—keukkk!"

Other soldiers were busy laying emergency treatment kits on the floor and injecting a few shots of morphine in Lee Seong-soo's body. But it seemed to be too late.

"……Captain. There is already no hope for me. I'm bleeding too much."

"Dammit! You can't! You can't die like this…"

Kim Ha-soo looked at Lee Seong-soo with red eyes as if he was obsessed. Meanwhile, Lee Seong-soo's eyes were already losing its focus. There was not much time left for him.

"Captain. This is a noble sacrifice…. Through this Lee Seong-soo's sacrifice, you will move forward-"

"Shut up! There will be no more sacrifice. I will never lose anyone, anymore. I will never let you guys be sacrificed for my goals."

Suddenly, Kim Ha-soo waved his hands in the air. Then, something golden, brilliant and translucent appeared. The soldiers gasped as they witnessed the scene.

"Ca…captain! Don't tell me you are thinking about buying a 'nano-recovery agent'… Please no! All the coins you've collected so far will be blown away if you do that!"

"…..Then, are you saying that Lee Seong-soo's life is less important than the coins?"

"No, but weren't we supposed to collect coins to achieve our dream? Coins were made by our sacrifice! It's yours, but it's also ours!"

Then Kim Ha-soo's hand paused for a moment, before saying in a low growl.

"Everyone, I apologize. But, right now, I'll make my judgement as a captain. These coins, which we all collected together, will be used to save Lee Seong-soo's life."

After that, without hesitation, Kim Ha-soo purchased a nano-recovery agent and injected it within Lee Seong-soo's body.

To my surprise, Lee Seong-soo's lost limbs slowly started to regenerate. At that incredible sight, I shared the amazed feeling with the rest of the soldiers who opened their mouths like a fish while kneeling.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Lee Seong-soo! Are you okay?"

"Sir, Lieutenant Lee Seong-soo reporting sir!"

When Lee Seong-soo finally opened his eyes, Kim Ha-soo hurriedly tried to hold him. However, with his left arm, he pushed Kim Ha-soo away.

"Captain… It's burdensome, so please step back a little…."

Meanwhile, his gaze was directed to Kim Ha-soo's hand.

Lee Seong-soo realized that the coins they had gathered so far had been used to buy a nano-recovery agent to save his life. He came back to life from the boundary of death.

Lee Seong-soo suddenly shed tears when he thought about it.

"Damn, damn… I'm sorry, Captain. Sorry. I'm sorry… Thank you so much. Really, really… Thank you very much…"

Lee Seong-soo kept crying for a while, and we didn't say anything and let him be.

And I looked up to the sky.

[Probability limit has been exceeded.]

[The complete episode 'Can A World Be Destroyed Twice (1)' begins.]

That night.

Just like everyday, the rain is falling.

However, together with the rain, a horde of demons appeared above the Jay Company's fortress.

It was not real demons by any means, it was just a flying monster… However, its overwhelming majesty made them look like a demon.

"It's an aerial strike!!"

"Haste Pace!" (T/N it's the hangul..)

"All industrial facilities will be converted to defensive systems! Announcing emergency martial law!"

"To all residents, please evacuate to the underground shelter!"

Wheeing-!

The sirens rang and the fortress soldiers moved quickly in unison.

"….it's a little bit too much, isn't it?"

Who would believe that all the dark clouds that cover the sky are monsters?

Obviously, the fortress has a defence system against flying monsters in place. However, they don't have nearly enough to deal with so many monsters…

"I can't believe it."

Kim Ha-soo looked at the sky with wide eyes.

"Is God really trying to abandon the world?"

Otherwise, there is no way God would bestow such despair towards humans.

-Interceptor missiles! launch!

Fwooooshhh~!! Fwoooshh~!!

Numerous explosions went off in the sky, causing hundreds or thousands of monster bodies to fall to the ground. But in less than a second, a new batch of monsters filled the vacancy left behind by its dead comrades. It was truly an endless wave of monsters.

They were clearly aiming for the fortress because of its dense population compared to other areas.

'It's over.'

Kim Ha-soo said to himself.

'We can't win.'

He was aware that those monsters weren't something he could fight with the current level of soldiers and weapons they possessed.

'If so….'

Before his eyes, a golden translucent window appeared.

It was the golden carriage.

An awakening ability that allows its user to purchase all civilization heritage from the past, present and future.

"From now on, I……"

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The moment he tried to buy something from the Shop Window, someone grabbed Kim Ha-soo's hand and stopped him.

"Don't do it!"

"..!!!! What are you doing!"

That someone was none other than Aracelli. Her hair was completely soaked and stuck to her shoulders and neck as she was running without even wearing a raincoat.

"Please don't use the Shop Window anymore! If you use it, it will only accelerate the destruction."

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing? Go away. I'm too busy to hear your nonsense. You're not sexy today, Lieutenant Aracelli"

"Ah, nooooo…!"

Aracelli used her magic to stop Kim Ha-soo, but she was a step late as Kim Ha-soo only needed a simple hand gesture to purchase things from his shop window.

Hwaahak! Flash!

Suddenly, a cannon with a sleek shape was summoned on the outer wall of the fortress.

It was a particle accelerator cannon. An amalgamation of future science and technology.nov𝑬𝑳𝓊𝐬𝑏/𝕔\o\𝗆

"Fire it."

When Kim Ha-soo gave his order, the soldiers instinctively learned how to use the weapon from a distant future as if they were possessed. Then, they manipulated the particle accelerator.

…..Flash!!

Five pure white flashes split the sky, rendering anything on its path into nothing.

-Good! It works! Great… Uh.. Captain?

-….What is that?

However, the cheer did not last long.

"Ah."

It was because the dark clouds suddenly began to move.

Kim Ha-soo was aware of the fact that all those dark clouds were seeds of monsters created by beings called 'Colony'. Anything struck by the seeds of monsters which fell from the sky, whether it was living things or non-living things, would evolve faster than normal. Humans were the only exception to this.

-Captain…… The dark clouds opened their eyes.

It was by no means a metaphor.

Red eyes began to appear from the dark clouds that filled the night sky. The entity that sowed the seeds of the monster itself had turned into a monster.

Kim Ha-soo looked at the sky with trembling eyes, then as he remembered something, he looked at the ground once again. His gaze was directed towards Aracelli who was sitting down on the floor as she looked at the dark clouds with bleak eyes.

He grabbed Aracelli's shoulder and asked.

"Did you…… did you know that the situation would turn out like this?"

Kim ha-soo gulped. For a long time, he had felt something strange.

Whenever he bought something from the Shop Window, the situation that forced him to use his newly purchased item always happened soon after.

When he purchased a futuristic flamethrower, a monster that could only be defeated by fire appeared the very next day. And when he purchased a futuristic hydraulic cutter, a monster that must be knocked down by a hydraulic cutter appeared the very next day. It was as if the Shop Window and the appearance of a monster were connected.

However, he wasn't aware that it was all the works of 'Probability'. A flow of the world that Protagonists had to follow.

Even when he didn't know, if the same thing keeps repeating until the end of the world… wouldn't he naturally notice something is strange?

"Please, tell me. Please…. Just what in the world is going on?"

Kim Ha-soo knew that it was stupid to cling onto Aracelli, who had only been around him for a mere 1 month. But for some reason, he believed that she seemed to know something.

"….Every time you use that Shop Window ability of yours, you are draining the very 'essence' of this world."

"What?"

Aracelli raised her head and directly confronted Kim Ha-soo's gaze with her clear blue eyes.

"I heard that on the day of destruction, all the military in this world also disappeared. The question is, Where did they all disappear to? Why, on the day of destruction, did the army disappear and at the same time the Shop Window manifested in you? Have you ever thought about the reasons why it was given to you in the first place?"

"That's….."

"Actually…."

Aracelli stood up.

"I, no, we came here to kill you. Because if you keep draining the source of this world, the end of this world will soon manifest itself. Just like what is happening right now."

"What are you talking about….. The world had already met its end…"

"You are wrong. The world has not ended yet. Civilization has indeed perished. However, humanity has yet to go extinct. Humanity will eventually rise, and someday regain its civilization. In other words, there is still a chance to revive a world that had been destroyed."

Aracelli stopped to take breath before continuing.

"The true meaning of 'end' is…. There is literally nothing left. Monsters, humans, and the world itself."

She said in a cold voice.

"Everything disappears."

Kim Ha-soo fell to his knees. He stared at Aracelli who was blankly looking at the sky.

"Then… what am I supposed to do…? If I don't use the Shop Window from now on…"

"It's already too late…. I'm really sorry. Just by being alive, you continuously eat away at the 'essence' of the world."

Kim Ha-soo felt bitter. He couldn't believe it.

In the first place, how could he believe that the world would only be able to live if he died?

Until now, he had lived with only one conviction, it was to save the world.

"…You will probably survive until the end. The world will reject your death until all your loved one dies and turn into dust."

Surviving until the end was everyone's wish in a destroyed world… However, for Kim Ha-soo, who wanted to save everyone, it was nothing but a cruel curse.

"It doesn't matter whether your words were true or not—"

He still didn't fully believe her words. No one could simply accept it just because they had heard a word like that."–However… It was indeed just as you said. The more I use the Shop Window, the more terribly the world changes… I've been through it all along, and it has become like this. So I'm sure."

He realized he could no longer use the Shop Window. The moment he brings something new, he's sure that another demon will appear.

If so, in this moment when even the sky was hostile to humanity. The sexiest option Kim Ha-soo could choose to save his loved ones…

"…It looks like there is only one way."

(P/N that felt bitter…)

Experienced hunters observe their target for at least a week before hunting it. And a skilled killer observes their target for nearly a month before springing into action.

And between these two categories, Yoo Seodam was the latter, a skilled hunter and a killer. After spending one month observing Kim Ha-soo, he had devised a plan to achieve a complete victory.

There were many methods he could employ to hunt Kim Ha-soo. He could easily take advantage of Kim Ha-soo's righteous mind, he could hunt him by creating chaos in the fortress by destroying the facility, or he could deliberately fall into a monster's trap and let the group be annihilated while hunting on the outside.

Yoo Seodam was sure that most of the methods had a success rate close to 100% unless the variable called 'Shop Window' came into play.

However, in the end, Yoo Seodam did not carry out his hunt.

He was aware that the existence of Kim Ha-soo was harmful to this world. Just by being alive, monsters will keep being born in this world, and every time he uses the Shop Window, the world's destruction would accelerate.

It was a sad tale, but Yoo Seodam couldn't be bothered by it. The most important fact for him was the 'conviction' that Kim Ha-soo held.

In the first place, Yoo Seodam was a hunter with many years of experience under his belt. Throughout the numerous battlefields, he saw countless deaths. He also had lost his loved ones because he couldn't protect them.

Therefore, Yoo Seodam could sympathize with Kim Ha-soo's feelings of wanting to protect his loved ones even though he's weak.

In the first place, there's only one reason why he wanted to become stronger.

'Hell Gate'.

It was to return to that accursed place one more time and meet the person he had once lost due to his weakness. Unlike the past, he was now strong and is going to become stronger. So, maybe, just maybe, he would be able to save her.

That was why he did not refuse to do such vile things. He killed, killed, and killed regardless whether the person was good or evil.

But….

When he came to this world and saw a man with the same conviction as himself, someone who was trying to protect everyone, he couldn't bring himself to put a hole in his head.

"I will kill him…. I'll be the one to carry out his conviction. I will kill him for sure."

……..

Even though the system didn't respond to his words, Yoo Seodam continuously repeated such words. For other people, it sounded like he was trying to memorize a spell of some sort.

"…Wait a minute. Maybe, If the protagonist's 'ultimate goal' disappears, things could be solved in a better way, right?"

That is…….

Impossible. The system tried to say so, before stopping. She had a feeling that whatever she said, Yoo Seodam wouldn't be heeding to her words.

"I can see it."

On the day when Kim Ha-soo purchased a nano-recovery agent to save Lee Seong-soo, Yoo Seodam deserted the group and went straight to the northern plains.

Rumble!! Rumble!!

The ground trembled as the octopus-headed monster turned its head. It was bigger than the '63 Building' that was attacked and destroyed by a monster in the past. (T/N 63 Building is a real skyscraper that exists in Korea.)

That octopus monster with blue eyes was none other than the 'Colony'.

He finally arrived to the northern plains to hunt the so-called 'mother of all monsters' that existed in the Koran Peninsula.

The chances of him failing was high. In the first place, he was aware that there was no way he could hunt something that could only be hunted by the protagonist with the help of protagonist correction. He was neither a protagonist nor did he have the power of probability backing him up. Nevertheless, he still came to this place.

If he didn't do this, he felt like he wouldn't be able to keep his sanity.

Yoo Seodam bit his lips. He disgusted himself with his own reasoning. After he became a protagonist hunter, he had always killed every protagonist without hesitation. But now, he couldn't help but hesitate when he saw someone who reminded him of himself.

That was why Yoo Seodam planned to hunt the Colony for the sake of his target. So, even if his target dies, he could die comfortably.

…Or, he hoped that he could come up with some 'other' method to successfully complete this hunt once he erased the protagonist's final goal.

Hunting more difficult targets for his own peace of mind?

Yoo Seodam laughed wryly since it was really stupid and crazy idea.

At that moment, Taylor Nine came to his mind. He felt like he could hear her cursing vividly, 'You are really crazy. I fell in love with some lunatic bastard.'

He also felt guilty towards Aracelli. He didn't say anything to her before leaving for this place. He also wanted to take her to Earth. The child had walked a very painful and difficult road, so he felt a responsibility to make her happy.

Then, Seol Jungyeon's face passed through his mind. Her warm smile vividly appeared in front of his eyes. She is a woman who planned to spend the rest of her life by living for him.

[E/N: Four harem members confirmed….]

'I will definitely return.'

He had promised Seol Jungyeon, but what kind of expression will she make once she learns that he is doing such a stupid thing? Will she be angry? Or will she praise him for doing well? He didn't know.

What you are doing is absurd, Yoo Seodam….

"I know. So what? Do you think I will die? I've come back alive from the pit of hell before."

Clack clack!

Yoo Seodam loaded his Winchester and put it on his back, then he pulled The Lost Morning Star from his inventory and wielded it. Soaked by rainwater, the red inscription on its body glowed brighter than it ever had.

The Flower Pot was also silent today. However, through the feeling of magic that was actively wriggling on his heart, he knew that even that little child was sincerely preparing.

Kuooh…!!

The fight began without anyone's knowledge.

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Through the rain, tentacles, each as big as pillars of a building soared high into the sky. It might penetrate Yoo Seodam's body if he stayed on the ground. However, he was already flying in the sky.

Moments later, another tentacle whipped towards him as if trying to snatch his body.

Then, Yoo Seodam activated his boots skill [Wind Leap] and shot towards the ground.

Thanks to the repaired Bright Armor and Wind Step, he was able to exert his full power. With the effect of magic and items on top of his S rank physical ability, he was able to exhibit the might of an S rank superhuman's physical ability. If the match was good, he might be able to demonstrate the strength of SS rank.

That was precisely the case right now.

Due to the windy condition, the effect of the Dharma's 'Heavenly Wind God Technique' had been reinforced. Therefore, he could move swiftly and hit the giant monster while avoiding its powerful and heavy attack.

When Yoo Seodam landed on one of the tentacles, it suddenly exploded. He was taken aback at the scene because he didn't do anything but touch it. But then, he realized that the Flower Pot was the one who caused it.

'Good. This much is enough.'

Yoo Seodam moved towards the biggest tentacle that hangs above his head. He assumed that it was the cause of the rain cloud. So, his business here would be finished once he removed it.

As he tried to move closer, numerous tentacles rushed towards him. However, Yoo Seodam skilfully avoided it all and quickly clung onto the Colony's face. He then swung his sword and left a long 5m scar on its face.

KUOOOOHHHHH!!!!

Angered by Yoo Seodam's action, the octopus-headed monster pulled out another tentacle from the ground and tried to hit Yoo Seodam with it. But Yoo Seodam had already moved to its right cheek area and struck his sword on it before running toward its forehead with its sword still dug deep on its flesh.

The tentacle whipped towards where Yoo Seodam ran into. However, just seconds before it reached its target, Yoo Seodam quickly pulled out his sword and moved to the octopus-headed monster's back, before swinging his sword once again.

Like a wind gale, Yoo Seodam struck the monster's nose, left chin, forehead, back head, head, neck, and shoulders while he flew around avoiding the chase on the tentacle. He relentlessly cut down anything on his path, just like a raging storm.

But suddenly, a shockwave erupted and pushed Yoo Seodam's body away.

"Kuhh…!"

Yoo Seodam crashed into the ground and rolled over the floor.

"Cough cough…."

Yoo Seodam found it difficult to breathe. He could feel blood was flowing from his ears. He was only attacked once so far, but his Bright Armor was already cut in half.

He stood up and staggered before trying to run, however, he lost his centre of gravity and fell over.

Swiishhhh!!

At that moment, a tentacle flew towards him.

It hit Yoo Seodam on the chest and blew him away.

Yoo Seodam bounced on the ground for nearly 30m before stopping.

"Damn it!!!!"

Yoo Seodam got up once again. Then, he took a potion from the inventory and injected it into his arm.

His bleeding quickly stopped. He also felt energized. Unlike potions from the fantasy genre, potions made in modern earth contains a very small amount of narcotics, therefore it couldn't be used often.

"Heup!"

Yoo Seodam put strength on his feet and leaped towards the Colony once again. From the opposite site, he could see lots of tentacles flying towards him.

Yoo Seodam moved around the tentacles by stepping on the tentacles, swinging his sword and avoiding it.

Every time his feet touches a tentacle, it either exploded, burned by lightning or froze.

After tearing several more tentacles, Yoo Seodam pulled the Winchester with his left hand and landed on the snout of the Colony.

Papa Papang!!

An energy bomb exploded, creating a magical storm of sharp blades inside the Colony's mouth.

Cutting, exploding, ripping and breaking.

Yoo Seodam used every method available to him to damage the Colony.

His sword contained numerous swordsmanship from other worlds. However, out of all these sword styles… Something pink that resembled a lotus flower was shining brighter than anything else.

A swordsmanship that resembled Seol Jungyeon, a breathing method obtained by Ha Sun-young, a heart-beating method created by Aracelli, a violent and aggressive hunting skill inspired by Taylor Nine, and a strategic but unexpected magic utilized just like Yekaterina.

Even though he was fighting alone, Yoo Seodam felt like several people were helping him.

'Sigh….'

As Yoo Seodam exhaled. He pulled Winchester's trigger before reloading it and put it on his back. Then he struck the Colony's eyeball with his sword.

Boom!!

The eyeballs burst. It seems that his sword contains mana in it, and Flower Pot was the one who controlled the mana.

After that, his legs finally gave up. However, amidst the exhaustion, a smile bloomed on Yoo Seodam's face.

It was because he could see the Colony fall backwards as it lost its eyeballs.

"Hahaha……."

Even though he was laughing, Yoo Seodam knew his condition was a complete mess. His shoulder had been dislocated and blood was gushing from his head. Moreover, his vision keeps getting darker and darker.

However, he didn't really mind. Because he had successfully killed the Colony.

Now, he could dream of a better ending for this protagonist hunt. Maybe, if he was really lucky, he could reap the protagonist's power itself from Kim Ha-soo without killing him just like what he did to Yekaterina.

However,

Rumbleeeeeee!!!

The ground shook, and 'something' raised its head.

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"……Ah."

Yes. So far, the enemy that Yoo Seodam had been dealing with was Colony.

However, it was only a small part of a monster called Colony.

"Crazy…."

Yoo Seodam said in disbelief.

The true body of Colony was enormous and overwhelming. Its previous size that he thought was around the size of 63 Building was tiny compared to its true size.

The whole sky was obscured by its body. For a moment, Yoo Seodam thought that the rain had stopped because of it.

It rolled its blue eyes and looked at Yoo Seodam.

At that moment, Yoo Seodam realized. He could never face it alone. Because it was, at minimum, an SSS rank monster.

It was truly a monster worthy to be called as the Final Boss of this world's protagonist.

"Haaaaaa, damn it…."

Yoo Seodam clenched his teeth. It doesn't matter how big the opponent is or how powerful they are. He had long forgotten the fear of death. That didn't mean he was planning to die here. There were many people who were waiting for his return.

His intuition had told him so.novℯ𝓁𝓊𝕊𝓑\𝕔/o/𝚖

'It's not my time to die just yet.'

And so, he wielded his sword once again. His whole body was screaming in protest as he tried to get up.

Wooooshhhhh!!

At that moment, from a distance, something flew towards him with a noise that seemed to tear the sky apart.

Yoo Seodam knew what it was. He didn't know the exact model, but it's something he'd seen often in modern times.

'Jet fighters?'

The moment he thought about it.

Someone jumped off from one of the jets. It was an impossible action for many human beings. But in this world, there's one person who is capable of doing so.

It was the protagonist, Kim Ha-soo.

Boom!!

Kim Ha-soo landed on his knees in front of Yoo Seodam and raised his head. Then, he smiled at Yoo Seodam, revealing his pure white teeth.

"Lieutenant Yoo Seodam, thank you for your hard work. I was worried about how to pull its real 'body' outside… But your hard work has made things easier. There will not be a single victim."

Rain poured down.

The Colony was furious. It swept the sky with its tentacles, fending off dozens of fighter jets.

"So, stop now. Please go back and rest. From here and on, I will be the one who solves it."

What?

The moment Yoo Seodam tried to express such doubts, someone grabbed him by the shoulder from the back.

When he turned his head, he could see a transport aircraft and soldiers who walked towards him from it.

Then, the man who grabbed him by the shoulder, Lee Seong-soo said to him with a stiff expression devoid of his usual pleasant smile.

"…Let's go back. It's Captain's command."

"Wait, I can't-"

"Lieutenant Yoo Seodam. I don't know who you truly are. But I know that you're stronger than I thought. I know you can beat us all and do whatever you want if you want to."

He was bowing his head. His head was covered in a beret, so his eyes couldn't be seen. But for some reason, rain flowed from his eyes. It was a hot rain that could not be stopped.

"Please… It's Captain's comm— no, it is his last request. Can you please heed it?"

Yoo Seodam clenched his teeth and nodded. Then, he was promptly carried to the transport aircraft.

The moment he boarded the aircraft, he was able to see something Kim Ha-soo was carrying on his back.

'That's…… Zone Destruction Missile?'

Only then did he realize something. However, it was too late. As he tried to move his body, someone suddenly grabbed his arms. It was Aracelli.

"Professor, please…."

Aracelli was looking at Yoo Seodam with pleading eyes. Then, she hugged him tightly with both hands, worried he might run away again somewhere.

If Yoo Seodam really tried to run away, the strength of a teenage girl wouldn't be able to stop him. However, he could never resist Aracelli.

In the end, Yoo Seodam had no choice but to look at Kim Ha-soo, who was alone on the ground, with blank eyes. Kim Ha-soo was looking straight towards the monster, so Yoo Seodam could not see his expression.

"You lots!!!"

Kim Ha-soo's voice resonated far and wide. It was loud enough to be heard by all soldiers in several aircrafts in the sky.

"Do you know why main characters in movies never look back at the last minute?"

And when the transport aircraft and several fighter jets had moved far enough from him. Kim Ha-soo raised his thumb high to the sky. His small back stood straight against the magnomous monster in front of him. It was a scene no one here could ever forget. It was imprinted forever in their memories.

"It's because it's not sexy."

Wooooonngg!!!

Then, a pure white glow covered the world.

The rain that had always covered the world without a single day of rest, finally stopped. And a dazzling light that had almost been forgotten penetrated through the crevices of the clouds.

It was the first sunlight to ever illuminate the destroyed world.

When Yoo Seodam opened his eyes, a warm, bright sunlight greeted him. Even though S-rank superhumans' eyes are reinforced to some degree, anyone who faces sunlight the first thing in the morning would always flinch because of the sudden brightness.

However, rather than feeling upset because of the sunlight, Yoo Seodam felt quite refreshed. It was because it had been more than a month since he last felt the warmth of the sunlight.

'Is this….infirmary?'

Yoo Seodam thought he had to get up and tried to raise his arm. But, he felt something heavy on his arms, pinning it down. As he expected, it was Aracelli. She opened her blue eyes and stared at Yoo Seodam intensely.

"You woke up, Professor."

"Yeah. How's everyone?"

"They are fine…. also, the funeral just finished a few hours ago."

Aracelli briefly told Yoo Seodam about what had happened in the fortress while he was asleep. About Kim Ha-soo's funeral. About how the rain finally stopped after the 'Colony' died. And about how there were more people mourning than those who were pleased.

Yoo Seodam could understand those people who mourned Kim Ha-soo's death. After all, his death changed the history of this world itself. He sacrificed his life to stop the world from running towards destruction, and it was a sacrifice that no one could insult.

Yoo Seodam frowned as Kim Ha-soo's death kept lingering in his mind.

Why does the mere existence of a protagonist leads a world to its destruction? Was there any reason for it?

It was a question Yoo Seodam had never thought about until now, he had also never thought about why a protagonist exists. Because most of the protagonists Yoo Seodam had met so far, were all selfish and they were a threat to their respective worlds.

But for the first time, he met a very unusual protagonist. He was really a 'protagonist-like' protagonist. Yoo Seodam thought, if Kim Ha-soo was actually a hero in a novel or a movie, he wouldn't have had to die that way. Maybe he would survive and witness his dream of a better world.

'System.'

Yes?

'For what reason does a protagonist exist?'

They exist in order to let the world flow.

'But, the world will perish just because of their existence…, so why does a protagonist still exist?'

I can't tell you yet… I promise I'll tell you about it in the future.

After that, the system went silent, so Yoo Seodam stopped asking more questions.

"Are you okay?"

Looking at Yoo Seodam's blank expression, Aracelli asked with an anxious expression on her face.

Then Yoo Seodam replied to her with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay now. Tell me more about what happened."

Then, Aracelli elaborated further about the current status of the fortress.

With the leader position empty, the fortress needed a new leader. And according to Kim Ha-soo's will, Park Han-seo from Munhwa Department Store will fill the spot.

No one raised a fuss about Kim Ha-soo's one-sided election. It was because, when the fortress was first built a few years ago, Park Han-seo had the experience of staying in the fortress for a while and she had supported Kim Ha-soo.

"….And, the educational institutions here were more active than I thought, as there were quite a lot of engineers and scholars. I think, if they decided to move to another land and create a new country, they wouldn't lack any competent people."

Kim Ha-soo had told him that he had prepared in advance so that the rest of the people could live on their own, in case he lost his confidence someday.

His preparation bore fruits now. With his death, Shop Window had also disappeared. That means, they could no longer produce weapons and food from thin air. However, Kim Ha-soo had thoroughly educated them on how to make weapons and how to obtain food, as well as essential elements for living, and several related facilities were built in the fortress.

The probability remaining in this world is extremely small…. But no matter how small it is, as long as it's not exhausted, it can recover someday. Then, perhaps, returning this destroyed world to its original state won't be a pipe dream.

Hearing that, Yoo Seodam sighed.

In one way or another, he had hunted the protagonist. But he still questioned himself whether it was really okay to say that the hunt was 'successful' when he, as a hunter, didn't really want to hunt his prey?

He felt like there would be no such funny quest any more in the future.

The reward has been automatically paid….. Do you want to confirm?

He pondered for a while before deciding to check the rewards.

'Show me.'

[2010 days of lifespan has been paid.]

[Your current lifespan: 3901 Days, 19 Hours 31 Minutes]

[Your level has been raised by 5.]

[You absorbed 'Shooting (A)' talent.]

[It has been combined with your talent 'Shoot(C)' and become 'Shoot(S)'.]

'Whaaaaaaat?'

Yoo Seodam

[Level: 157]

Stats

[Strength: 153] [Stamina: 171] [Agility: 155]

[Energy: 1] [Mana: 259]

Talent

[Swordsmanship S] [Hunting D] [Shooting S]

[Cooking D-] [Intuition A] [Quick-wit A]

[Insight B] [Vital SS] [Others…]

Skill

[Protagonist Hunter Lv. 4]

[White Swordsmanship (S)] [Sixth Sense (B)]

[Inventory (S)] [Dharma Heavenly Wind God Technique (SS)]

[Concentration (SS)] [Holy Conversion (F)]

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[Ara-Sunyoung Mana Circling technique (SS)]

[Library of the White Witch (C)]

His shooting talent had risen sharply. There have been many cases where skills or talents have been combined so far. But it came as a fresh shock to him as he had never gained such a useful talent like this before.

'Shooting talent, huh….'

He believed that Kim Ha-soo also enjoyed handling firearms. He somehow felt strange knowing that he inherited his shooting talent.

Should I be happy about it or not?

In order to soothe his confused mind, Yoo Seodam unknowingly stroked Aracelli's hair. Somehow, it had already become a habit of his. As he felt her body temperature, his mind became calmer.

Aracelli leisurely enjoyed the touch on her hair, and then she said.

"Professor, because It's morning… Can't you kiss my forehead once?"

"…How come your demands have become bolder and bolder?"

"Just this once, please Professor!!"

"No."

Regardless of her actual age, Yoo Seodam couldn't do it because currently Aracelli looked too young.

When Yoo Seodam, who had always been in her heart, refused, Aracelli pouted and looked down, feeling dejected.

Looking at Aracelli, Yoo Seodam's conscience took a slight hit. But he couldn't help it since from what had happened before, he knew that if he granted her wish here, her demands would only get bolder and bolder in the future.

(T/N: way to go Aracelliiiiiiiiiii.)

So, Yoo Seodam continued to gently stroke her head.

Then, Aracelli, with a smile, as if she felt slightly better, buried her head in Yoo Seodam's chest.

Badump!! Badump!!

Aracelli's heart thumped wildly. She enjoyed this moment as she lightly bit on her own lips.

'If only I could stay like this…'

Then, when a foreign scent leaked out from the arms of Yoo Seodam, Aracelli creased her forehead as she smelled it. It was a smell that some might say was fragrant, but was absolutely unpleasant for her.

'Scent of other women….'

Because she's a 9th Circle Wizard, Aracelli was very sensitive to the energy of other people. And she was particularly sensitive to Yoo Seodam's energy.

She didn't know how about Yoo Seodam's life on earth. However, she could guess his relationship with other female to some extent.

'At least two… No… is it three?'

The fact that the scent was deeply engraved in his body means that they maintained a relationship where their body mixed together quite often. The fact that there were three such women made Aracelli's heart anxious.

She didn't want to be separated from her professor. She was anxious about the possibilities of her professor's mind turning to other women.

She felt that it would be great if she could go to Earth.

Then, a sudden knock on the door awakened Aracelli from her inner turmoil. She said as she slightly raised her head to look towards the door.

"Who is it?"

-It's me, new recruit. Lee Seong-soo.

"Ah yes. Come in."

Lee Seong-soo opened the door and then groaned as soon as he saw Aracelli clinging onto Yoo Seodam.

"Damn it. I didn't come here to see this shit."

"But I've never asked you……"

"Shut up. Or I'll get offended."

Lee Seong-soo said and looked at Aracelli.

'What?'

Lee Seong-soo's special ability was 'Emotional Empathy'. He could feel the emotions of monsters or others as if it were his own once and he could sympathize with them. Thanks to that, he became a master of sniping. However, strangely enough, he couldn't use his ability against Aracelli, as if there was a huge barrier around her.

But now, for some reason, he could feel that the barrier around Aracelli had weakened. And the way she stared at Yoo Seodam was something he could never have expected.

'You're off guard.'

A mischievous thought passed in his mind. Then, Lee Seong-soo began to sympathize with Aracelli's feelings. He wasn't reading her mind, he was just going to brush through her feelings on a surface level, so there wasn't much harm to the other person.

And then, the moment he activated his ability.

Badump!! Badump!!

His heart began to beat wildly, his cheeks turned red, his lower body got hot, and it was hard to keep his mind from going crazy. Moreover, his gaze kept turning to Yoo Seodam.

[E/N: Pfft! He turned gay]

'What, what, what is this…?!'

When he looked at Yoo Seodam, his lips felt like a sweet, exotic fruit. He felt it would be great if he could take a bite of it. He also didn't like his gaze going elsewhere, he wanted to dominate that gaze. He wanted him to call his name.

Yoo Seodam. Yoo Seodam. Yoo Seodam.

And even more Yoo Seodam.

"What is it?"

"…!!"

As soon as he snapped back to reality, he realized that he was approaching Yoo Seodam with his hand reaching out towards him. His heart, which was beating like crazy just a moment ago, disappeared and returned to normal.

"Uh…?"

Lee Seong-soo could not utter any words. He was shocked. What he felt just now was just empathy, not his real feelings. Despite knowing that, he still couldn't control himself. It was such an intense emotion.

'…..Oh my god. She actually lives with these feelings?'

Lee Seong-soo looked at Aracelli without even knowing.

'You are able to keep your reasoning despite having those feelings?'

It was such an impulsive and greedy emotion, but above all else, there was a pure and clean 'love'. And because her love towards Yoo Seodam was so great, Aracelli did not do anything that Yoo Seodam did not want.

Lee Seong-soo was really amazed by the fact that one human being could have such a passionate and intense emotion for another. Moreover, she was living just fine while holding that feeling back.

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Aracelli was hoping for nothing. She was just waiting quietly for him to reciprocate to her love.

Somehow, it was a heart breaking love.

Then, Lee Seong-soo said to Aracelli.

"…Lieutenant Aracelli. I don't think I've talked to you very much, but… I support you. I hope it goes well. You deserve it."

"Pardon? Ah….."

Soon after, she said with a light smile.

"Thank you for your support."

That afternoon, I was getting ready to leave right away.

Jay Company had many things to do. They had to appoint a new leader, organize a team to reclaim the northern plains, and also to supply and produce resources without the presence of Kim Ha-soo.

They looked pretty busy.

In a perished world, it was an unimaginable thing to do.

Everyone was energized, forgetting the sadness of the past, and trying to move towards the future.

"We are the post-apocalypse generation."

These were the words that Kim Ha-soo often said.

"Our generation, which had nothing to pass to future generations, has now ended."

Special Forces members, including Lee Seong-soo, who had been together with me for a month, gathered to see me off even while they were busy.

"Oh, new recruit. If you remain, it would be very helpful."

"Will you really go? Your girlfriend remained here, though."

"But, I'll be following him soon."

"Please, no! Without you, we will have no one beautiful in our team."

As the soldiers started hitting on her, Lee Seong-soo couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"…I have nothing more to say. Even though we only met briefly, our goodbye will be forever. You will live as you are, and we will live as we are."

There's no longer a hopeless future waiting for them. So, they could laugh and talk like this at the moment. They could look forward to a brighter tomorrow with no rain.

"The post-apocalyptic generation ended together with Captain Kim Ha-soo. So now…… how about wrapping it up a little nicely and calling it the 'New World Pioneer Generation'? We will rebuild our land and tread on a new land and pioneer it."

"The 'New World Pioneer Generation'…. I think it's good."

I said as I looked back at the fortress.

It was a short time, but as I walked through this destroyed world, I thought about many things. Maybe it was because this world resembles the Earth so much.

I saw how terrible the world changed because of monsters.

I witnessed how far a human could fall, how ugly humans could be, and what kind of madness consumed humans in a destroyed world.

But I could also see people who were striving to live with hope.

And, most importantly.

I saw someone who carried the same beliefs as me.

"Looking at how you are still leaving even though your girlfriend wants you to stay and yet she didn't say it… I guess you really have a goal in mind."

She's not my girlfriend…. It seemed meaningless to deny it now.

"Go, I hope you achieve that goal."

After he said that, Lee Seong-soo glanced at Aracelli who was busy talking with other soldiers before quietly whispering to me.

"And, take care of Lieutenant Aracelli a bit more. She loves you with all her heart." (P/N Trust him, he knows best lmao)

"……"

"From time to time, try to listen to what that girl wants. She is thirsty for your affection. If you keep refusing… it will be hard to deal with later okay?"

From the looks of things, it seems like Lee Seong-soo used his special ability 'Emotional Empathy' on Aracelli. I don't know what he saw from her, but… I will accept his words because it seems like a sincere word of advice.

Then, Lee Seong-soo smiled brightly and stepped back, the other soldiers then set the mood.

It's my time to leave.

When I offered them my salute, they received it. In a deserted place without anyone, it was a quiet goodbye to the soldiers. I didn't need to say anything else.

Aracelli simply said with a bright smile on her face.

"Professor, see you next time."

"Yeah. Don't cause any accident while you are here. Try to get along with everyone, too."

Eventually, when I turned around and took a step, the world began to distort.

[10…9…8….]

I feel the sensation of being sucked into a completely, black space.

[5…4…3….]

Suddenly, the system said urgently.

Seodam. There is a problem.

'Suddenly? What kind of problem?'

Uh… There seems to be a problem with the 'time difference'.

'What are you talking about?'

[2…1…0….]

After a while, a familiar scent greeted my nose. The system said again.

So, the 'time difference' that should have been applied when you were traveling to other world…. was not applied this time around.

'WHAT!?!?!?'

[Successfully return to the original world.]

As the landscape of Earth and the familiar house came into my view, I turned my smartphone on and checked the news portal in a hurry.

[Day 78 after hunter Yoo Seodam disappeared… Will he ever return?]

The news of my disappearance greeted me.

Woosshhh~~

A red bus stopped with the sound from its air compression brake in front of Celeste who stood blankly as she tucked her hand in her pocket. She only woke up from her daze after the bus driver shouted towards her through the opened door.

"Miss foreign student, are you not going to get in?"

"……"

Celeste blinked several times before getting on the bus with a transportation card in her hand.

As she sat down on an empty seat, she plugged a wireless earphone to her ears and looked out of the window. She could see the traces of winter outside, snow had piled up along the street and frozen the ground.

"Hey, look over there. It's Celeste."

"Heok.. Really? Should I get an autograph?"

"What if she doesn't like it? I think she wants some silence…"

Even though Celeste's earphones had a noise cancelling function, she could still hear the whispers around her thanks to her superhuman body. It could be said that it was one of many downsides of having awakened with a body strengthening ability.

Celeste had also become a celebrity. It was due to the incident two months ago. Videos of her fighting against Bang Ho-win spread across YTube and surprised all the body-strengthening superhumans.

[B rank superhuman, Celeste VS SSS rank Bang Ho-win from Murim!]

The video showed how Celeste blocked Bang Ho-win's attack three times as the entrance of the Great Rift became smaller before being blown away by Bang Ho-win's fourth attack.

As Celeste remembered that fight, she could only be thankful that she only suffered a few broken bones. She was also aware that she could only do so because Bang Ho-win was exhausted.

However, the public didn't care about it at all. The only thing they cared about was the fact that a B rank superhuman fought against an SSS rank without being intimidated. Even more so when she was outstanding enough to withstand three attacks from the said SSS rank.

The public also praised her action that prevented a terrifying existence such as Bang Ho-win from coming back to the society.

As a result, Celeste's fame skyrocketed.

Then everyone became aware that Celeste's body strengthening ability was special. It was different from what others had. They also become aware that she also possessed an excellent swordsmanship that could deal with an S rank even with a stat of a B rank.

In this world, there were many superhumans who lived in hiding. In particular, most of them were those who possessed body strengthening ability. They chose to live as normal people because they were aware that with talent alone, they could only become around E~D rank.

What if Celeste taught them her technique? Not only that, what if she taught her skills to an S rank body strengthening superhuman who is already strong to begin with?

There will be another explosive sensation different from martial arts and magic.

Then, a month ago, when she finally reached A rank, she received countless love calls from national corporations, guilds, and governments.

But Celeste rejected all of the offers.

'Until I die, I will remain in Another League.'

She declared it to the public.

Many people were confused and questioned her stance. However, for Celeste, it was a natural course of action. Another League had helped her take revenge against Bang Ho-win who had cut her father's right arm. They trained her hard until she achieved her dream of cutting Bang Ho-win's right arm and threw it to another world.

[Day 78 after Hunter Yoo Seodam disappeared…. Will he ever return?]

[Will he ever come back from beyond the rift?]

['It is impossible to return from crack', opinions of the Anomaly Association divided.]

Celeste frowned at the article on her smartphone.

Yoo Seodam, who declared that he would come back soon, had not come back for more than two months. Those who knew Yoo Seodam were also increasingly concerned as he had yet to return. It was unusual for him to disappear for so long since he would usually return after 1 or 2 weeks.

'Where are you……'

Celeste mumbled to herself as she stared blankly out of the window.

Celeste wasn't the only one who was waiting for him.

"Whitey. He is still alive, right?"

In the guild master room of Another League which was occupied by Yekaterina, Taylor asked as she lay listlessly on the sofa.

"If Seodam-nim dies, I will die too. So, stop asking and please go back to your work. And… Isn't it time for your departure?"

"Oh, is it the time already?"

Taylor looked at her watch. She grumbled inwardly about how time moved slowly without Yoo Seodam yet time to work comes rather quickly.

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Three months had passed since she last saw him. After his disappearance, Taylor visited Yekaterina every day because she was the only person who was spiritually connected to Yoo Seodam.

Not only Celeste, Taylor and Yekaterina,

-Did anything happen today?

"Did you call me to check whether I'm alive or dead?"

-No way…. I'm just glad that you look healthy.

"Can't you see these dark circles? I think I'm going to die soon because I'm so tired…"

-I will make some supplements and send it to you.

"I will be happy if you do that."

Seol Jungyeon was also waiting for him. And since she also knew about Yekaterina's soul, she kept calling her every day.

Very few people knew about that, but… The problem is that those who knew always bothered Yekaterina day and night.

However, because Yekaterina understood their feelings, she couldn't blame them.

"Oh by the way, Lord. Didn't you say that you're attending the Hunter's Meeting today?"

-Yes, that's right.

Seol Jungyeon was the Lord of Murim, so she was very sensitive about Murim's public image. Therefore, as the Lord, she tried to participate in official meetings as often as possible. The Hunter's Meeting was also an important event for Yoo Seodam, so she couldn't miss it.

"We also sent Taylor unnie from our side."

-Is that so?

Seol Jungyeon and Taylor Nine. They know each other very well.

From what Yekaterina knew, Seol Jungyeon was wary of Taylor because of how close she is with Yoo Seodam. So, when she remembered about it, she hurriedly opened her mouth before things got awkward between them.

"Ah, I suddenly got an urgent call. I think I have to go to work."

-I'm sorry for taking your time when you are busy. Let's end the call now.

"Okay, please take care. Make sure you get ready, too, Taylor unnie."

"Fyuuhh… Fuck. Let me look Yoo Seodam's picture one more time. "

When a hunter from a certain guild attends the Hunter's Meeting, it means they hold a considerable influence with them. Since Taylor knew the significance of this event, she had decided to attend the Hunter's Meeting, which she had never attended before, for Another League.

Of course Yoo seodam was also invited to the meeting, since he always had the opportunity to attend as the representative of F rank hunters. However, he was always absent because he knew well what would happen if he went there with an F rank status, and this year he couldn't attend because he was not on Earth.

"Whew…. This bastard, when he comes back, I oughta….. Then Whitey, this Unnie will go okay? so watch the house well."

"Okay. Please take care of yourself."

So, when Taylor headed to Indonesia, where the Hunter's Meeting will be held, Yekaterina switched on her laptop and the tablet next to her computer and started working.

She recently hired quite a few full-time employees who were good at their work, but she didn't think about reducing her own work at all.

In the building next to the guild hideout's main building, scholars from all over the world were escorted by the spirits. They would discuss about magic while in the building on the other side. C rank swordsmen or higher were receiving swordsmanship training from Ha Sun-young, and finally, the engineers and craftsmen were busy developing a new dispenser that combines mana (essence) and energy (ether) at the workshop.

It was Yekaterina who was in charge of them, so she couldn't sleep even when she was tired. And that was not an issue because she had her energy charger, Yoo Seodam.

'Seodam-nim… When will you return…….'

For her, it was fun to work every single day even when blood dripped from her nose or when she felt like she was going to die because she was too tired. It was thrilling to see the growth of 'Another League' which she had built.

However, in the end, she was someone that could not live without Yoo Seodam. With an ordinary life, 6 months was the maximum amount of time she could live without Yoo Seodam. However, she was too overwhelmed these few months, and even though he had been away for less than three months, she was already exhausted and on the brink of collapsing.

Her head was spinning with dizziness, and even in the midst of it, she was still wrestling with her work.

'Ugh…. My head…'

Yekaterina tried to endure the headache with her finger still pouncing on the keyboard.

"Ah!"

Then, suddenly, a familiar sensation ran through her body. It was the 'soul connection phenomenon'. A phenomenon that she felt whenever Yoo Seodam returned to Earth.

'Seodam-nim……!'nov𝑬𝗅𝑢𝚜𝗯.𝑪/o\𝑚

He's back. Yekaterina was sure of it.

Hunter's Meeting was an event where various hunters from F rank to SS rank gathered to discuss about the current hunter industry. It was held often, at the fastest one year or at the latest 4 year.

The venue and the topic of the discussion were also different every year. The last meeting in China and Korea passed silently without any significant content. While in another meeting, the occasional hot topic about whether a specific guild could monopolize the gate and dungeon in a specific area was discussed.

Someone said that the guild should be able to monopolize by paying a certain fee to the government where the dungeon and the gate existed, and some said that if the local monopoly culture intensifies, the gap between the rich and the poor would eventually widen, which will spoil the image of the hunter industry.

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The one who presented the former argument was a hunter who worked in the guild industry, while the presenter of the argument was a hunter who worked as an individual.

Fortunately, thanks to the latter being a SS rank solo hunter with the nickname 'Cheong', the guild monopoly idea was dismissed with excellent votes.

The Hunter's Meeting was being transmitted all over the world through live broadcasting. Thanks to this, there were some hunters who came to the meeting and got criticized for making mistakes and ultimately retired.

'It's dirty and annoying, really.'

Taylor chewed gum and sat in her seat with her legs crossed. In the room, the higher one's seat is, the higher their rank is. It was a show that thoroughly imitated the 'class system' and since the class system was correct, no one objected to it.

The number of people who could participate was also limited.

There were as many as 5 seats for the SS rank, 7 seats for the S rank, 10 seats for the A rank, and a total of 20 seats were allocated for the B,C,D,E and F ranks. However, there was a seat that really stood out from all of them, it was the F rank seat.

F rank only had 3 seats. The reason behind it was simply because there were very few F rank hunters in the world who had achieved the minimum condition for attending the Hunter's Meeting which is, they 'must be a hunter with minimum experience of 10 year'.

And amongst all qualified F rank Hunter, the only one who had a normal body and could communicate properly without suffering from mental illness, was Yoo Seodam.

Although everyone in the world knows that Yoo Seodam was only F rank in name since his actual stats was higher than that, he was still an F rank in the end because he was still sticking to the rank without renewing it.

Taylor turned her head and looked at the stage higher than her seat.

Officials from the Hunter Association, the President of Indonesia, officials from the Anomaly Association, Politicians, including several Chinese, were gathered there.

Hunter's Meeting was originally only available to Hunters, but at some point, it became a place for businessmen and politicians to show their face.

And amidst those people, she could see a woman standing proudly without any care in the world.

It was Seol Jungyeon.

Even in the noisy and festive atmosphere, Taylor could feel Seol Jungyeon sitting coldly alone.

'Well, seeing her like that…She's definitely pretty.'

Taylor thought to herself.

The moment a superhuman achieved S rank, they would undergo a famous phenomenon that changes their appearance, such as becoming younger or more beautiful. Of course, not everyone becomes a beauty. The majority of cases were just getting better skin and younger appearance.

However, very occasionally… There were cases where those who were already beautiful became even more beautiful once they reached S rank. Taylor Nine and Seol Jungyeon were examples of such cases.

As Taylor looked around, she could see several people and several cameramen staring intently at Seol Jungyeon. She understood that they were enchanted by her beauty. Even Taylor herself couldn't help but look at her. Yes, it's all good up to there…

'Why do you keep looking at me, you damn woman!'

As much as Taylor is wary of Seol Jungyeon, Seol Jungyeon is also wary about Taylor.

'She's Seodam's 17-year-old friend and colleague….'

Seol Jungyeon thought to herself as she looked at Taylor Nine.

While Seol Jungyeon and Taylor glanced at each other in silence, the chairman of the meeting finally appeared.

'Huh?'

It was a face that Taylor knew so well. However, from what Taylor knew, he was not a hunter but an anomaly expert.

"I am Tae-oh, who will be the moderator today. Nice to meet you."

He stood in the middle of the stage, bowing his head to both sides, and greeted them. It was an act for the viewers, not the hunters.

The moment Taylor yawned because she was bored and sleepy, her eyes widened at the words of the moderator.

"Today's topic is about 'Hell Gate'. Recently, it was revealed that the Hell Gate is slightly expanding and there's some opinion about closing it, so I would like to take this occasion to discuss it…"

Taylor was speechless since Hell Gate, a sensitive subject, was once again trying to rise to the surface.

'Why?'

Seven years ago, after that day, they decided to not touch Hell gate ever again.

"Therefore, we invited 'Yoo Haram', a Specialist about Hell gate, the Lost Day Guild Master and an SS rank Hunter."

Then, when Yoo Haram appeared as the so-called Specialist, Taylor's face crumpled.

'It's not funny.'

Taylor understood that there's no one who had been to Hell gate in this meeting, so Yoo Haram was certainly the best expert. He had sent his guild members to the inside of Hell gate, and some of them even returned alive and were able to uncover and investigate the inside more than anyone else.

After that day, seven years ago, Yoo Haram always attended as a specialist whenever there was an issue related to Hell Gate. However, for Taylor, it was nothing but nonsense.

Without knowing about what Taylor was thinking, Yoo Haram greeted the hunters with a very confident face before facing toward the camera.

"Nice to meet you. I am Yoo Haram."

The discussion started.

"A specialist? Who? You?"

When Taylor questioned about his title as the 'specialist' the room instantly fell silent.

It happened only about three seconds after the discussion began.