“Where did you say the center of the cataclysm is…?”
The Cataclysm was the second change that would be brought upon the world after the advent of the Hunters.
“It’s in China,” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded clearly. He was able to reply with such confidence as he was someone who even knew the cause of the cataclysm. Although he had returned to the past and wasn’t sure of what changes would occur because of it, he was confident in one thing.
That the cataclysm would start in China.
Yeo Seong-Gu frowned. “Okay… Let’s just say that’s true for now. But what does that have to do with you going to China?”
He responded casually to the bald man’s question, "I know where the survivors are."
"…!"
At his indifferent answer, Yeo Seong-Gu had an expression of disbelief, and he stood, surprised and alarmed at the response.
“Are you… being serious right now?” he asked somewhat shrilly.
Lee Jun-Kyeong’s lips quirked. “It’s one of the few things I know of. I can’t guarantee that it would be all of the survivors. It’s just a single city where the survivors have gathered.”
China had become a kingdom of monsters and transformed into a barren land. Many people had died, but some survived, waiting for rescue. The entire world had tried to save them, but it wasn’t easy, as there was no way to precisely determine where the survivors existed in the vast expanse of China.
All the communication facilities had been destroyed, and the mana that had exploded forth from the countless gate breaks continued to interfere with any further attempts at establishing communication. Attempts were still going on, but there was still another issue.
“However, because of the barrier, it's impossible to enter normally.”
The lack of communication wasn’t the only thing that resulted from the gate breaks. All of China had been put under a barrier due to the influx of mana. That was why no one could even set foot in China unless they were a Hero-Grade Hunter. That was why they were only able to send Hero-Grade Hunters to search for survivors.
'But we would need too many of them.'
However, it was impossible for the world to send the heroes of mankind to a place where they couldn’t even identify what sort of dangers they would be subject to. Therefore, the world tentatively concluded that all of China’s government and population had perished. They had decided to abandon China.
The only information they had on the situation there was from the front lines of the battle against the monsters.
“Therefore…” Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at Yeo Seong-Gu and continued, “That’s why I came looking for you, Hyung. If we leave the cataclysm to happen without doing anything, then many people who could have been saved will die.”
Yeo Seong-Gu nodded absently and mused over the situation for a long time. Finally, he looked over and said in a firm tone, “Okay. I understand for now. I’ll let you know after I think about it for a while. However, in return, it’ll take some time.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed. He already knew when his hyung spoke in that tone that he had already come to a decision.
Yeo Seong-Gu was going to send him to China.
***
The First Hunters were extraordinary, with powers that transcended the ranks of ordinary Hunters. However, there was still a place that struck fear into them, who held the world in their hands from within the shadows.
That place was China.
Countries that had been destroyed by the appearance of the gates were corrupted and isolated by the mana that emitted from the gate breaks.
‘That was the beginning of the Cataclysm.’
Even if one tried to warn others about the cataclysm, or even if the colossal secret organizations attempted to prevent the cataclysm by making a move, the result was inevitable.
Moreover, there would be organizations that would have wanted to take advantage of the cataclysm and prepare in advance. If anything, there would be countless people who would only think about furthering their own plans and suppressing the spread of information.
So, Lee Jun-Kyeong prepared for it by himself when it came to something like the cataclysm, as nothing could be changed about it anyway.
He knew that if he at least prepared himself, step by step, it would be of some help against the coming threat.
His preparations were simple as well. He just had to get stronger and level up enough so that he would become even stronger.
‘At least as strong as Heracles.’
He may not be able to reach the level of the leaders of the secret organizations, but he at least had to be at least the level of Heracles without the boost from the dragon’s bloodstone or the red ore before the day of the cataclysm.
‘I wonder if he’s doing well.’
Suddenly, Lee Jun-Kyeong thought of Heracles. He had heard from Yeo Seong-Gu that the giant had woken up. Furthermore, he was sure that Heracles would have dealt with that fatal weakness of his.
‘He’s probably succeeded in controlling his madness.’
Not only would he have eliminated his weakness, but he would have also gotten stronger, able to control his madness as he pleased.
'Heracles...'
Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t quite understand the giant’s special ability. His special ability as a Berserker was something that should have been suppressed in the past. In fact, in the previous history, the giant would have gone crazy over and over again, forcing Olympus to send him into battlefields that they had prepared. Only by accumulating resistance against the madness would Heracles would have been able to finally control the power.
Also, he didn’t know if they knew it or not, but Odysseus had died at the hands of Heracles in the original history. Now that Heracles had gained early control over his ability, Lee Jun-Kyeong was sure that as long as the duo’s relationship didn’t get damaged, nothing would go according to the history he knew.
‘Also, Mr. Jeong…’
He had heard about him as well through Kim Su-Yeong. Apparently, his partner would go in and out of gates every single day. The manager had said that the man was aggressively and decisively raiding gates to the point that he had actually raided more than Lee Jun-Kyeong.
‘Is he doing it by himself?’
After the Catalyon Mountain Gate, everyone had been walking their own path. It was the same for him as well.
Rattle.
It was time for him to move on.
“Hyeon-Mu.”
Skeletons raised up around him even before he had called out.
Hyeon-Mu had said that any skeletons that it had raised before would be stored in its inventory and could be raised at any time, or anywhere. Furthermore, even if they died, it said that they would return to the inventory. Once they had been given a certain amount of mana and stats, it would be able to return them to the state they were in before they had died.
However, the price to revive them was high.
“It’s a legion of immortality in its own way… no, it's more like a troop.”
Hearing the murmurs of Lee Jun-Kyeong, Hyeon-Mu, who had grown a little further, responded.
– Did you, by chance, not know? If I grow more, then I’ll be able to raise an army.
It seemed to have gained confidence as their hunting progressed. It seemed as though the skull had realized it wasn’t much help before and had suddenly developed a complex when Lee Jun-Kyeong wasn’t watching.
Now, it had been completely reborn and was able to show its ability as a Skeleton Mage without regret.
“Did you study strategy and tactics, as I asked?”
Furthermore, what Lee Jun-Kyeong expected from Hyeon-Mu wasn’t just strength.
– I have read all the books as ordered.
As the leader of the unit, it was training in order to use the skeletons in the correct place more accurately. Fortunately, as it was an undead, it didn’t sleep. In addition, it also seemed to have developed more intelligence due to its growth, so it had become well accustomed to human strategy and tactics.
Clatter, clatter.
Rattle.
Now, they had arrived at a gate. Hyeon-Mu was standing next to Lee Jun-Kyeong, looking down at the battlefield. Naturally, his blue skeleton troops were slowly hunting the monsters.
– Focus on forming the phalanx. Your life is my ability. Be careful and don’t die.
‘Hyeon-Mu seemed to have the qualities of a commander in its own strange way.’
“You’re the first child.”
– ...
Hyeon-Mu’s blue eyes widened, and it was unable to respond to its master’s sudden remark. Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at the skeleton and raised his arm.
Clink.
A single small skull hung from his bracelet.
“We don’t know the future, right? Who knows how many of your siblings will be born? You’ll have to work hard if you want them to listen to you quietly.”
– Ma… Master.
Hyeon-Mu seemed to feel touched by his words.
“Won’t you regret it if your younger siblings outperform you just because you’re a little bit lacking?”
Hyeon-Mu’s dark blue eyes blazed with enthusiasm.
– Your order! I’ve received it!
– Sweep through them!
It seemed as though it had been moved, as the skeleton started giving unreasonable orders.
‘How nice.’
Even to Lee Jun-Kyeong, someone who was utterly ignorant of strategy and tactics, the skeletons seemed to be moving well as they hunted monsters. Hyeon-Mu and its skeletons had to hunt monsters to gain a lot of experience, so this outing was unavoidable.
However, it wasn’t as Lee Jun-Kyeong had nothing to gain from this.
[A small amount of experience has been earned due to the Familiar’s hunting.]
In a way, it could be thought of as passive income.
As something free, it felt nice.
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed to himself and looked down at the battlefield. Eventually, he would have to join the hunt, but he didn’t have Muspel’s Spear.
“Ugh…” he groaned in pain.
– Are you okay, master?!
Moreover, waves of pain would wash over him from time to time. It was the black beads. They had been quiet until now, but they were beginning to make their move.
‘I have to go to China quickly.’
He was afraid of the change. Since they were something foreign to him, he couldn’t tell what sort of changes would happen. So he had to find a way to either extract them or use them.
"Hyeon-Mu. Go and hunt..."
Lee Jun-Kyeong gave an order to his Familiar as he closed his eyes while sitting cross-legged.
[The mana stream has been activated.]
He activated his mana stream. At the same time, mana, spread out seemingly in the form of a spider’s web, began to appear around him in the gate. Lee Jun-Kyeong turned his attention away from the mana within the gate and narrowed his view to only his body and its surroundings. Mana was running wildly, and at the center of it all was a specific black bead. It beat as if it was a living heart, shocking him. Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly moved his mana around it, enclosing it in the mana.
“Whew…”
It was the temporary stopgap to calm the black bead that Lee Jun-Kyeong had recently uncovered. Then, as he manipulated the mana stream around him, flames seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
***
"Haa-eup!"
A blast of energy shot forward, accompanied by a tremendous shout. A man moved forward like a bird while holding a sword as large as he was tall. He slammed the ground with his foot, his body soaring into the air. As he swung down, the sword barrelled forward like the beak of an eagle diving toward its prey. The gigantic greatsword then split through the air and cut through the wind.
Slice.
It was even cutting through mana, and as the man and the greatsword fell, it eventually cleaved through a giant ogre.
"Keheuk…"
Shimmer.
He could see the blade of his sword shimmering with mana. Around it, swirling blue mana was spreading like fire. He flicked his greatsword, shaking off the ogre’s flesh and blood.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
He looked at the flames that stuck to the greatsword. Eventually, the flames faded away.
"It keeps doing this."
It had already been several days for Jeong In-Chang. He had once been the deputy guild master of the Northern Army Guild, but now, he was one of the most powerful Hunters who was working as a pair—no, currently, solo. He had realized his shortcomings and had come out alone to grow. It had been almost a month since he had started hunting alone, but since yesterday, there had been a strange change in his attacks.
He scratched his head. “I mean, it's nice because it cuts well, but…”
Due to the nature of the greatsword, its blows were more akin to tearing through a body rather than slicing through it. As the friction required to cut through something with a blow was stronger, it required more force. Furthermore, it was difficult to chain continuous attacks. However, these shortcomings seemed to have disappeared as the blue flames occasionally were generated.
He muttered, “It’s not even a skill…”
It wasn’t something that happened because he wanted to use it. The flames had suddenly appeared into existence naturally as he swung his sword. While he was wondering what it was, the appearance of some angry ogres forced him to stop thinking.
“Keugahhh!”
He grumbled, “I’ve decided. I’m never going to hunt ogres again…”
Jeong In-Chang looked at the ogre that was running toward him and shortened the distance.
“This is nothing.”
Jeong In-Chang had been beaten day and night by a much greater number of ogres. Just looking at the incoming ogres made him sick.
“Ugh…”
He was being reminded of some bad memories, but, nevertheless, he continued to hunt the ogres for the past fortnight. More than ten ogres were running together toward him, clustering together, forming a cloud of dust.
Then, there were more than ten ogres, who had eventually become one with the cloud of dust.
“...”
In Jeong In-Chang’s eyes, they only looked like a single figure, an enemy he never seemed to be able to overcome.
'Heracles.'
Although the giant hunter was smaller compared to the ogres, his strength was far greater than any of the ogres in the gate. The sense of shame that drove him was because of that Hunter.
"Ha…"
Jeong In-Chang let out a breath and moved his greatsword. Then, as the greatsword that was rising to the right was about to swing forth, something caught his eye.
“Huh? That’s an ogre that I’ve never seen before…”
Although he had raided numerous ogre villages for a full month, there was an ogre mixed into the herd he had never seen before.
‘Red eyes?’
It was a red-eyed ogre.
“Where did you say the center of the cataclysm is…?”
The Cataclysm was the second change that would be brought upon the world after the advent of the Hunters.
“It’s in China,” Lee Jun-Kyeong responded clearly. He was able to reply with such confidence as he was someone who even knew the cause of the cataclysm. Although he had returned to the past and wasn’t sure of what changes would occur because of it, he was confident in one thing.
That the cataclysm would start in China.
Yeo Seong-Gu frowned. “Okay… Let’s just say that’s true for now. But what does that have to do with you going to China?”
He responded casually to the bald man’s question, "I know where the survivors are."
"…!"
At his indifferent answer, Yeo Seong-Gu had an expression of disbelief, and he stood, surprised and alarmed at the response.
“Are you… being serious right now?” he asked somewhat shrilly.
Lee Jun-Kyeong’s lips quirked. “It’s one of the few things I know of. I can’t guarantee that it would be all of the survivors. It’s just a single city where the survivors have gathered.”
China had become a kingdom of monsters and transformed into a barren land. Many people had died, but some survived, waiting for rescue. The entire world had tried to save them, but it wasn’t easy, as there was no way to precisely determine where the survivors existed in the vast expanse of China.
All the communication facilities had been destroyed, and the mana that had exploded forth from the countless gate breaks continued to interfere with any further attempts at establishing communication. Attempts were still going on, but there was still another issue.
“However, because of the barrier, it's impossible to enter normally.”
The lack of communication wasn’t the only thing that resulted from the gate breaks. All of China had been put under a barrier due to the influx of mana. That was why no one could even set foot in China unless they were a Hero-Grade Hunter. That was why they were only able to send Hero-Grade Hunters to search for survivors.
'But we would need too many of them.'
However, it was impossible for the world to send the heroes of mankind to a place where they couldn’t even identify what sort of dangers they would be subject to. Therefore, the world tentatively concluded that all of China’s government and population had perished. They had decided to abandon China.
The only information they had on the situation there was from the front lines of the battle against the monsters.
“Therefore…” Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at Yeo Seong-Gu and continued, “That’s why I came looking for you, Hyung. If we leave the cataclysm to happen without doing anything, then many people who could have been saved will die.”
Yeo Seong-Gu nodded absently and mused over the situation for a long time. Finally, he looked over and said in a firm tone, “Okay. I understand for now. I’ll let you know after I think about it for a while. However, in return, it’ll take some time.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed. He already knew when his hyung spoke in that tone that he had already come to a decision.
Yeo Seong-Gu was going to send him to China.
***
The First Hunters were extraordinary, with powers that transcended the ranks of ordinary Hunters. However, there was still a place that struck fear into them, who held the world in their hands from within the shadows.
That place was China.
Countries that had been destroyed by the appearance of the gates were corrupted and isolated by the mana that emitted from the gate breaks.
‘That was the beginning of the Cataclysm.’
Even if one tried to warn others about the cataclysm, or even if the colossal secret organizations attempted to prevent the cataclysm by making a move, the result was inevitable.
Moreover, there would be organizations that would have wanted to take advantage of the cataclysm and prepare in advance. If anything, there would be countless people who would only think about furthering their own plans and suppressing the spread of information.
So, Lee Jun-Kyeong prepared for it by himself when it came to something like the cataclysm, as nothing could be changed about it anyway.
He knew that if he at least prepared himself, step by step, it would be of some help against the coming threat.
His preparations were simple as well. He just had to get stronger and level up enough so that he would become even stronger.
‘At least as strong as Heracles.’
He may not be able to reach the level of the leaders of the secret organizations, but he at least had to be at least the level of Heracles without the boost from the dragon’s bloodstone or the red ore before the day of the cataclysm.
‘I wonder if he’s doing well.’
Suddenly, Lee Jun-Kyeong thought of Heracles. He had heard from Yeo Seong-Gu that the giant had woken up. Furthermore, he was sure that Heracles would have dealt with that fatal weakness of his.
‘He’s probably succeeded in controlling his madness.’
Not only would he have eliminated his weakness, but he would have also gotten stronger, able to control his madness as he pleased.
'Heracles...'
Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t quite understand the giant’s special ability. His special ability as a Berserker was something that should have been suppressed in the past. In fact, in the previous history, the giant would have gone crazy over and over again, forcing Olympus to send him into battlefields that they had prepared. Only by accumulating resistance against the madness would Heracles would have been able to finally control the power.
Also, he didn’t know if they knew it or not, but Odysseus had died at the hands of Heracles in the original history. Now that Heracles had gained early control over his ability, Lee Jun-Kyeong was sure that as long as the duo’s relationship didn’t get damaged, nothing would go according to the history he knew.
‘Also, Mr. Jeong…’
He had heard about him as well through Kim Su-Yeong. Apparently, his partner would go in and out of gates every single day. The manager had said that the man was aggressively and decisively raiding gates to the point that he had actually raided more than Lee Jun-Kyeong.
‘Is he doing it by himself?’
After the Catalyon Mountain Gate, everyone had been walking their own path. It was the same for him as well.
Rattle.
It was time for him to move on.
“Hyeon-Mu.”
Skeletons raised up around him even before he had called out.
Hyeon-Mu had said that any skeletons that it had raised before would be stored in its inventory and could be raised at any time, or anywhere. Furthermore, even if they died, it said that they would return to the inventory. Once they had been given a certain amount of mana and stats, it would be able to return them to the state they were in before they had died.
However, the price to revive them was high.
“It’s a legion of immortality in its own way… no, it's more like a troop.”
Hearing the murmurs of Lee Jun-Kyeong, Hyeon-Mu, who had grown a little further, responded.
– Did you, by chance, not know? If I grow more, then I’ll be able to raise an army.
It seemed to have gained confidence as their hunting progressed. It seemed as though the skull had realized it wasn’t much help before and had suddenly developed a complex when Lee Jun-Kyeong wasn’t watching.
Now, it had been completely reborn and was able to show its ability as a Skeleton Mage without regret.
“Did you study strategy and tactics, as I asked?”
Furthermore, what Lee Jun-Kyeong expected from Hyeon-Mu wasn’t just strength.
– I have read all the books as ordered.
As the leader of the unit, it was training in order to use the skeletons in the correct place more accurately. Fortunately, as it was an undead, it didn’t sleep. In addition, it also seemed to have developed more intelligence due to its growth, so it had become well accustomed to human strategy and tactics.
Clatter, clatter.
Rattle.
Now, they had arrived at a gate. Hyeon-Mu was standing next to Lee Jun-Kyeong, looking down at the battlefield. Naturally, his blue skeleton troops were slowly hunting the monsters.
– Focus on forming the phalanx. Your life is my ability. Be careful and don’t die.
‘Hyeon-Mu seemed to have the qualities of a commander in its own strange way.’
“You’re the first child.”
– ...
Hyeon-Mu’s blue eyes widened, and it was unable to respond to its master’s sudden remark. Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at the skeleton and raised his arm.
Clink.
A single small skull hung from his bracelet.
“We don’t know the future, right? Who knows how many of your siblings will be born? You’ll have to work hard if you want them to listen to you quietly.”
– Ma… Master.
Hyeon-Mu seemed to feel touched by his words.
“Won’t you regret it if your younger siblings outperform you just because you’re a little bit lacking?”
Hyeon-Mu’s dark blue eyes blazed with enthusiasm.
– Your order! I’ve received it!
– Sweep through them!
It seemed as though it had been moved, as the skeleton started giving unreasonable orders.
‘How nice.’
Even to Lee Jun-Kyeong, someone who was utterly ignorant of strategy and tactics, the skeletons seemed to be moving well as they hunted monsters. Hyeon-Mu and its skeletons had to hunt monsters to gain a lot of experience, so this outing was unavoidable.
However, it wasn’t as Lee Jun-Kyeong had nothing to gain from this.
[A small amount of experience has been earned due to the Familiar’s hunting.]
In a way, it could be thought of as passive income.
As something free, it felt nice.
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed to himself and looked down at the battlefield. Eventually, he would have to join the hunt, but he didn’t have Muspel’s Spear.
“Ugh…” he groaned in pain.
– Are you okay, master?!
Moreover, waves of pain would wash over him from time to time. It was the black beads. They had been quiet until now, but they were beginning to make their move.
‘I have to go to China quickly.’
He was afraid of the change. Since they were something foreign to him, he couldn’t tell what sort of changes would happen. So he had to find a way to either extract them or use them.
"Hyeon-Mu. Go and hunt..."
Lee Jun-Kyeong gave an order to his Familiar as he closed his eyes while sitting cross-legged.
[The mana stream has been activated.]
He activated his mana stream. At the same time, mana, spread out seemingly in the form of a spider’s web, began to appear around him in the gate. Lee Jun-Kyeong turned his attention away from the mana within the gate and narrowed his view to only his body and its surroundings. Mana was running wildly, and at the center of it all was a specific black bead. It beat as if it was a living heart, shocking him. Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly moved his mana around it, enclosing it in the mana.
“Whew…”
It was the temporary stopgap to calm the black bead that Lee Jun-Kyeong had recently uncovered. Then, as he manipulated the mana stream around him, flames seemed to flicker in and out of existence.
***
"Haa-eup!"
A blast of energy shot forward, accompanied by a tremendous shout. A man moved forward like a bird while holding a sword as large as he was tall. He slammed the ground with his foot, his body soaring into the air. As he swung down, the sword barrelled forward like the beak of an eagle diving toward its prey. The gigantic greatsword then split through the air and cut through the wind.
Slice.
It was even cutting through mana, and as the man and the greatsword fell, it eventually cleaved through a giant ogre.
"Keheuk…"
Shimmer.
He could see the blade of his sword shimmering with mana. Around it, swirling blue mana was spreading like fire. He flicked his greatsword, shaking off the ogre’s flesh and blood.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
He looked at the flames that stuck to the greatsword. Eventually, the flames faded away.
"It keeps doing this."
It had already been several days for Jeong In-Chang. He had once been the deputy guild master of the Northern Army Guild, but now, he was one of the most powerful Hunters who was working as a pair—no, currently, solo. He had realized his shortcomings and had come out alone to grow. It had been almost a month since he had started hunting alone, but since yesterday, there had been a strange change in his attacks.
He scratched his head. “I mean, it's nice because it cuts well, but…”
Due to the nature of the greatsword, its blows were more akin to tearing through a body rather than slicing through it. As the friction required to cut through something with a blow was stronger, it required more force. Furthermore, it was difficult to chain continuous attacks. However, these shortcomings seemed to have disappeared as the blue flames occasionally were generated.
He muttered, “It’s not even a skill…”
It wasn’t something that happened because he wanted to use it. The flames had suddenly appeared into existence naturally as he swung his sword. While he was wondering what it was, the appearance of some angry ogres forced him to stop thinking.
“Keugahhh!”
He grumbled, “I’ve decided. I’m never going to hunt ogres again…”
Jeong In-Chang looked at the ogre that was running toward him and shortened the distance.
“This is nothing.”
Jeong In-Chang had been beaten day and night by a much greater number of ogres. Just looking at the incoming ogres made him sick.
“Ugh…”
He was being reminded of some bad memories, but, nevertheless, he continued to hunt the ogres for the past fortnight. More than ten ogres were running together toward him, clustering together, forming a cloud of dust.
Then, there were more than ten ogres, who had eventually become one with the cloud of dust.
“...”
In Jeong In-Chang’s eyes, they only looked like a single figure, an enemy he never seemed to be able to overcome.
'Heracles.'
Although the giant hunter was smaller compared to the ogres, his strength was far greater than any of the ogres in the gate. The sense of shame that drove him was because of that Hunter.
"Ha…"
Jeong In-Chang let out a breath and moved his greatsword. Then, as the greatsword that was rising to the right was about to swing forth, something caught his eye.
“Huh? That’s an ogre that I’ve never seen before…”
Although he had raided numerous ogre villages for a full month, there was an ogre mixed into the herd he had never seen before.
‘Red eyes?’
It was a red-eyed ogre.
