Chapter 84
[Experience points reached maximum. Lv.19 → Lv.20]
―A week has passed. After chasing and being chased, the wolf finally achieved level 20.
‘I couldn’t kill them all, but…’
Still, the condition to uproot them was met. This was due to hunters going missing from each clan.
‘To be precise.’
The Tang clan had picked up the traitors they had infiltrated. As long as there’s intimidation, the tails can keep chasing one another. They seemed to have realized this too.
[Regarding the continuing disappearance of hunters before Neverland…]
Breaking news. Some clans like Dawn might know the ins and outs, but they haven’t revealed anything yet. Of course, they must have their own thoughts on it.
[This was an incident that happened a week ago in Ganghwa Island. Hunter Hong Yu-ri and an unidentified wolf monster…]
[Hunter Hong Yu-ri has yet to wake up, so the exact details remain unclear. Up until now, the Dawn has been working to understand the situation. Furthermore, experts suspect a connection with the Skull Wolf that had recently caused a stir on NewTube…]
Another changed factor is that my existence has finally come to light. With Hong Yu-ri’s Great Magic rising into the sky, it was impossible to avoid recognition. The small screen of the news report zoomed in, and faint footage of me captured by CCTV played.
‘What a bummer.’
I wanted to stay hidden as much as possible, but now that’s impossible.
‘Not much will change though.’
The Tang clan had dug a trap. Whether it was intentional or not, they were aware of my presence. It wouldn’t change anything now. Things might get a bit more annoying, but I felt like I had checked one thing off my list.
‘Traitors.’
I had uprooted all the traitors from each clan. Of course, the Tang clan would hesitate, and finding their traces in Korea would now be difficult. No matter how much they prepare and devise, there are limits as their numbers dwindle.
‘Moreover.’
In fact, I was now confident that no matter how much they clung to me, they wouldn’t be able to defeat me. Tails might vary, but unless they were executives, the Tang clan no longer posed a threat.
‘The problem is that executive.’
Being able to defeat Broken Finger was solely due to having the advantage. If that guy could use false immortality wherever he wanted, winning would have been impossible. It likely wouldn’t be much different now.
However, put differently, it meant that under the right conditions and circumstances, I could take them down. And knowing the story’s progression…
‘I know their identities and weaknesses.’
It wouldn’t be easy, but I now thought it wouldn’t be impossible to prevent extinction. I had grown a lot so far.
Ironically, it had barely been three months since the slime incident. Winter would soon be upon us, but even so, there still remained a little over a year until the timeline of the original story. As I handled things one by one, I believed that someday I would surely be able to stop the apocalypse.
‘For now.’
Neverland. I needed to return to the fantasy world to grow a little more in preparation for that coming day.
***
The atmosphere of Dawn wasn’t good. Despite Hong Yu-ri’s stubbornness and willfulness, there weren’t many who truly disliked her. She had the ability to back up her arrogant attitude, and there was a sense of responsibility as a hunter. Even if people might not like her, she was someone to be respected as a hunter. Above all, she was someone who had the potential to become the successor of the Square but had thrown that away.
―Her personality was a wreck though.
“What are you looking at?”
Hong Yu-ri frowned, seemingly displeased with the concerned gazes.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Aside from this.”
Hong Yu-ri raised her casted hand. Her wrist still hadn’t healed. No, it was gone. She had acquired a healing skill, but time was needed since there was no wrist left. However, with Neverland right around the corner, it would be absurd for her to drop out now that the Square wasn’t participating.
“Damn it.”
Kang Tae-ho, who had been firm about participating, didn’t say anything to Hong Yu-ri, but I could guess how he felt. In the end, it had become a hindrance, and my head was complicated over that fact.
“If only you had a wrist…”
Euna, who was listening, shook her head. It wasn’t just her wrist; her entire body was bruises, burns, fractures, and abrasions… The wounds were countless. Her side was pierced by thorns requiring surgery to stitch dozens of needles, six ribs were broken, and her chest was caved in with blood pooling in her lungs. It was a miracle she was alive after all that.
‘Alpha.’
Moreover, it was said that Alpha had cruelly poured seawater over the fallen Hong Yu-ri. This caused setbacks in her treatment and nearly cost her life. It was undoubtedly a warning to not pursue him. Euna, who had been staring for a while, nodded slightly. Like it or not, Hong Yu-ri was her master now.
“If you need anything else, just call, okay?”
“Why are you messing around when there’s a nurse here? Ugh, just! I get it, so scram! Go train!”
At Hong Yu-ri’s shout, Euna left the hospital room, and Gu Jin-ha, who had been quietly sitting, stood up. Hong Yu-ri shot a sharp glance at him.
“What?”
“Let’s give up on this raid.”
“Are you crazy? Because of this?”
Hong Yu-ri swung her arm that was missing a wrist.
“I’ll manage whether I attach a prosthetic or patch it up with magic, so don’t worry about it!”
“….”
“What? You think I can’t do it? I can do this right now…!”
Seeing Hong Yu-ri’s scarlet eyes darkening, Gu Jin-ha sighed. While she seemed the same as before, the moment she grabbed the remote and switched the TV channel to Animal Farm…
“―――!”
The momentum she had just a moment ago vanished as Hong Yu-ri, terrified, threw the blanket over herself and trembled. Her complexion turned pale and her breathing quickened. A panic attack due to fear—by the time tears welled up in her eyes, Gu Jin-ha pressed the power button on the remote.
“Phew. Why are you being so stubborn?”
As the screen went off, Hong Yu-ri’s shaking slowly stopped. However, her complexion remained pale and covered in cold sweat. Watching her on the verge of tears, Gu Jin-ha shook his head. Cynophobia. The name of the mental illness that had come upon her after losing to Alpha. It was fortunate that she only feared Alpha, but from what I saw earlier, she now seemed afraid of even small puppies on the TV screen. It took nearly ten minutes for Hong Yu-ri to stop trembling and stop stuttering her lips in a panic.
“Gu, Gu Jin-ha, you son of a…!”
Her mental state completely shattered, engraved with fear. The usual confident demeanor was nowhere to be found. Though her wrist was gone, most of her other injuries had been treated. Yet the reason she couldn’t step out of the hospital room was this. Though she hid it for Hong Yu-ri’s sake, she couldn’t work as a hunter, let alone carry out daily activities, until she overcame her phobia. Seeing Hong Yu-ri tremble like a small animal, Gu Jin-ha let out a long sigh filled with emotion.
“Hong Yu-ri. You really think you’re going to go to Neverland like this?”
“I said I’m going! I’m going…!”
If it were a puppy, what if she encountered Alpha again? There was a chance she’d never be able to rise again. It might even take longer to heal her mental illness than to regenerate her wrist. Having crumbled and fully surrendered, she could no longer be called a hunter. With a cold gaze, Gu Jin-ha drew a line with Hong Yu-ri.
“What difference does it make if you come? Let’s abandon Neverland.”
“But if I’m not there…!”
“Don’t you realize you’re a hindrance? Hong Yu-ri, this is an order from your superior. Focus on recovery. Or do you want to show that condition to the kids?”
“……!”
Gu Jin-ha let out another deep breath. Over the past few days, his sighs had increased.
“…I’ll be going now, so take care of yourself.”
Hong Yu-ri, realizing reality from Gu Jin-ha’s words, bit her lip. The tears that nearly spilled were probably her last shred of pride. Looking back, Hong Yu-ri was still trembling. Gu Jin-ha climbed up to the hospital rooftop in astonishment at the sight of his crumbling rival, thoughtlessly took out a cigarette, then remembered he was in a hospital and put it away.
“Damn it…”
***
“You’ve grown quite a bit.”
I nodded at the White Deer’s words.
“Yeah, I’ve grown a lot.”
In the past week, Fairy’s weight had finally exceeded 1kg. It felt like growth wasn’t stopping but only increasing. Thanks to that, there was barely any remaining flesh. I was worried about where to find food from now on. To my words, White Deer shook his head.
“A young dragon is still a young dragon, but I’m talking about you.”
“…….”
I looked down at myself. Just as White Deer said, I wasn’t the only one who had grown.
[Tyrant (Shadow Wolf) Lv.20] [EXP 0 / 327658]
[Up 7.24%] [Shadow Mass (影量) 904.77cm³]
[Length 3.01m] [Height 1.25m] [Weight 266.3kg]
[Strength 254] [Agility 288] [Stamina 324] [Magic Power 316] [Endurance 15]
[Skill List]
Rid of Hunger (C) Lv.5, Thorn Tentacle (D) Lv.2, Detection (D) Lv.9, Regeneration (D) Lv.6, Excellent Stealth (C) Lv.6, Insight (D) Lv.7, Excellent Hearing (D) Lv.2, Weak Sixth Sense (E) Lv.5, Excellent Sight (D) Lv.2, All Damage Reduction (D) Lv.9, Hardening (D) Lv.8, Transformation (E) Lv.9, Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv.1, Intimidation (E) Lv.8, Gluttony (C) Lv.2, Amphibian (D), Excellent Elasticity (D) Lv.6, Excellent Insight (D) Lv.2, Gale (C) Lv.7, Excellent Smell (D) Lv.3, Excellent Intuition (D) Lv.7, Clairvoyance (E) Lv.1, Magic Regeneration (D) Lv.6, Transformation (C) Lv.5, Pain Nullification (D), Fairy Language (F), Storage (E) Lv.3, Shadow Control (B), Great Magic (B) Lv.1
[Remaining Skill Points 14]
Thanks to the shadows I had gathered, the size of my Shadow Mass increased, and my build reached a level surpassing that of a wolf, now resembling a tiger. Of course, my status had also significantly improved.
‘Considering the effects of Gluttony.’
Thanks to Gluttony, I could maintain its effects constantly, so now I wouldn’t be out of place with B-class stats. 316. The magic power that reminded me of a nuclear bomb when I first sensed Euna’s presence had now surpassed that after factoring in Great Magic.
‘It’s quite overwhelming, but…’
It felt like I had used Great Magic a lot, yet it remained at level 1. I realized how much B-class skills didn’t rise easily. C-class seemed to increase, but…
‘I guess I need to be patient.’
For now, raising my levels in preparation for Neverland was the urgent priority. There was little time left. Staring intently at White Deer, he shook his head as if he was fed up.
“You really have it bad.”
Thus, we headed towards the dungeon.
