Chapter 182: A Method to Survive Through a Cataclysm Pt. 2  

“...”

Sangun stayed silent. That was no different from outright saying that Lee Jun-Kyeong’s guess had been correct.

“Are you really becoming a ruler?”

Sangun had undergone a huge change. He had lost his pure mana, developed demonic mana, and had even had his appearance transformed.

“You’re even becoming more and more obsessed with desire and authority…”

“That’s right,” Sangun interjected as if he didn’t want to listen to Lee Jun-Kyeong continue any longer. “I am becoming a ruler.”

He was morphing into a ruler of an area, just like Elfame.

"How…” Lee Jun-Kyeong muttered blankly as if shocked by something he had never heard or thought of.

Sangun slowly opened his mouth. “I…”

“I needed strength,” he then said with a bitter smile and sunken eyes. “Surviving through the cataclysm…that means doing whatever it takes and paying whatever it costs in order to survive.”

***

If one could become a ruler just by needing power, then everyone would clamor for it. That was because a ruler was no different than being the greatest being under God at this moment.

The power of the rulers had forced all of the apex Hunters to work together to defeat them, and it was also the power of the rulers that had left all the Hunters to die when they weren’t strong enough.

During the cataclysm of his past, it was rare for a ruler to disappear. In the midst of all the sacrifices of the Hunters, the only solution was time. As mentioned before, the rulers were not mortals.

There was only one person who could get rid of a ruler: Lee Jun-Kyeong. Only he, alone, could completely slay a ruler. Until he was able to do so, the ruler would be an existence that would be reborn even when slain. The more they were taken down, the harder it would be for the next battle.

‘They were existences that were the root of human suffering up until the end of the cataclysm.’

Those bastards were no different from Gods. But their essence, their core, was just like the devil.

Lee Jun-Kyeong was alone in his room, lost in thought.

Sangun was becoming a ruler. Moreover, it was the result of his own Sponsor.

What he had told him had been devastating. Ungnyeo, Fenrir, and the residents of Heaven Lake Village had been captured by Odin, and Sangun had to save them.

However, it was even impossible for him to stand against Odin. It just wasn’t possible.

After undergoing several near-death crises, Sangun also grew like the rest. However, he still lacked power. The divine beast continued day and night, longing for a power mighty enough to defeat Odin. As if his Sponsor had been waiting for this very moment, Sangun was given a role to play and the strength to match it: demonic mana.

It was the power to create monsters and control them. It was also the power to maximize desires. So, Sangun had begun to change.

'I'm just suppressing that change as much as possible.'

Lee Jun-Kyeong thought back to the story of Sangun.

‘However, there will be a point where I won’t be able to suppress it anymore. One day, I will become a ruler… I will harm the humans.’

The rulers’ hostility toward humans was not something that could be controlled. Almost as if they had been made to do so, they had to kill humans, and that was Sangun’s fate.

“Ha…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong sighed after realizing the suddenly impending despair. “Hel.”

No, he had to find a way.

Hel appeared before his eyes, lowering its head and waiting for Lee Jun-Kyeong's next order.

“How much of Elfame’s soul have you absorbed?”

Sangun was becoming a ruler. So, he had to unlock all of the secrets of the beings known as rulers.

‘Even the secrets regarding the Sponsors.’

All of that information was in Elfame’s soul. Hel moved its bony lips slowly, the figure’s face covered by a hood and the only visible part of its lips.

–Soon…

A sense of pride radiated from it.

–It will finish.

***

After Sangun’s return, the people in the cave were bustling about even more vigorously. Just like when Lee Jun-Kyeong had become a Hunter for the first time and cleared gates day after day, they, too, were desperate.

“Move!”

As if they were feeling great danger from the upcoming fight, they were moving non-stop as if they had begun burning the last of their fuel. They went out to acquire food, hunt monsters, and train. Whatever time they had left was spent with their family, while those who had no families left spent their time alone in contemplation.

Everyone was preparing for their own death. They all knew no matter the outcome of the fight, many of the Hunters would die.

“They really…” Jeong In-Chang seemed to have many feelings wash over him as he watched them. “They really are amazing.”

“...”

“Everyone is doing their best.”

As he crossed the city, Lee Jun-Kyeong could see it too. The cataclysm had come by surprise, so everyone here had survived it through their own way.

‘In a world rocked by the cataclysm…’

In addition, all of them would resist. They had wills stronger than any other and spewed with the desire to survive.

Seeing them persevere through almost certain death gave the entire party, and Lee Jun-Kyeong, a special kind of inspiration.

“...”

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at them silently. They were all desperate and tense, just waiting.

‘They are preparing to die.’

The world had made them this way. He wondered if this was really the right thing to do?

‘Will it continue to be like this till the end?’

Those who moved this fiercely were all Hunters as they were the ones with the strength to fight in this world rocked by the cataclysm.

But, the Hunters that he remembered in history were all disgusting. One could never find any Hunter like this. He wondered were there any uncorrupted Hunters in the world that he had lived in,

Of course, he knew that there must have been Yeo Seong-Gu and others who lived in hiding. Even among those that weren’t, there should have been some normal people. However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had never seen such a Hunter. From his point of view, all of the Hunters other than Yeo Seong-Gu, were vermin.

If he could survive this cataclysm, would he become one of them? ‘What could have made them like that?’

Lee Jun-Kyeong was looking at everyone with thoughtful eyes when someone suddenly interjected, “You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

When he turned back, there was a half-man, half-beast. Sangun slowly approached Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“How are you feeling? Would you like to have a little spar?”

Sangun made a request, and Lee Jun-Kyeong could see the hidden meaning in his eyes.

‘This bastard…’

His unspoken request was basically that if he became ruler one day, he wanted Lee Jun-Kyeong to take him down. Sangun silently pleaded to him with sorrow in his gaze.

.

***

Shine!

It was no different from any other day. Sunlight came in from the entrance of the cave. The light bounced repeatedly as it reflected off some magic tools and illuminated the entire cave. It looked as if the dawn had been set ablaze.

“...”

In this tranquil time, no one was asleep, and their eyes were open.

“Everyone, everything, is ready.”

They were all prepared as everything had finally been finished today. It was the promised and long-awaited day.

Step.

Someone walked out among the lines of Hunters: Lee Jun-Kyeong. His eyes did not waver, and he did not tremble. His body had fully recovered.

“…”

Behind him were Sangun, Won-Hwa, and Hyeon-Mu, and behind them were Jeong In-Chang, Yeo Seong-Gu, and Hel. They followed Lee Jun-Kyeong to the front and watched the sunlight coming into the cave. All of them had waited for a long time. It was time for them to face the reality, the pain of their companions and family members being captured but being unable to go rescue them.

With a gentle expression, Won-Hwa said to the Hunters in a warm voice, “Today, we will save everyone.”

Gulp.

The nervous Hunters could be seen relaxing a little.

“However, it won’t be easy.”

The next to speak was Jeong In-Chang. He looked over at the Hunters as he spoke. Somewhere along the line, Jeong In-Chang had built up a fairly strong bond with the Hunters. He had helped them and empathized with them the entire way.

“...”

“...”

On the other hand, Hyeon-Mu and Hel were silent.

The Hunters liked them, but the Familiars didn’t get along well with people, possibly because of their innate gloominess. Even so, the Hunters looked over at the two with eyes of faith.

‘Odin is…’

Odin wasn’t alone. Just as their side had Hunters, Odin had soldiers. The Hunters that had gathered in Gyeonggi-Do were obviously strong, but they were not yet complete. On the other hand, as for Asgard, Odin’s army…