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nChapter 70 To Protect (5)

n「Content of the challenge varies depending on choice.」

nWhat? The story changed? How? His unexpected questions were soon solved by the man’s words.

n“The curse on me is not definite. It’s not impossible to let you live through today.”

nA ray of hope was also built on the face of the companions. But…

n“However, I suffer a lot of pressure to suppress the curse. So prove it.”

n“…”

n“If you guys are worth it.”

nThe moment the man looked at Yoon-seok and spoke aloud, a new message appeared.

n「Having been alone for a long time, he finds you interesting.」

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n「A person who can withstand his blow without fearing him. If you meet the conditions, you will have the opportunity to be his close friend.」

nThe content itself was too specific for Yoon-seok to understand. The words that the man spoke with a rich voice and the phrases in front of him were so different.

n‘Friend…?’

nHe said to prove their worth. Was the worth he’d mentioned the prerequisites of becoming his friend? Yoon-seok looked at the man again, but his eyes remained empty and his form motionless. At first glance, he seemed almost transcendent, but he also appeared lonely for some reason.

nJames shouted at the man.

n“W-worth? How am I supposed to prove that?”

n“Once. Just once is fine. As long as you survive my heartfelt strike.”

n“That, that…!”

nJames’s face turned dark. It was obvious that he thought there was no chance of surviving the Disaster.

n“There’s nothing to worry about.”

nYoon-seok, who calmed him down and stepped forward, stood about five meters away from the man. He understood exactly how the current situation was going.

n“If I prove my worth, will you send them back safely?”

n“…Of course. If you prove it, I can suffer that much loss.”

nThey didn’t know what penalties would be incurred to suppress the curse. However, he could see his willingness to accept it if he found a friend.

n“All right, let’s give it a try.”

nFirst of all, he asked his companions to fall back. He noticed there was no judgment mark above the man’s head. At least he could tell that he wasn’t enjoying the situation. He didn’t know if he should be happy or sad about that, however.

n‘It would’ve been nice if you can have fun today…’

nHe was particularly desperate today to have the additional abilities of the Judgment Sword. But like they say, take the next best thing. There was an increase in capability in a slightly different way.

n「You have met an enemy who is not a human nor a beast person.」

n「Agility increases by 1 temporarily.」

n「You have met a creature classified as a large species.」

n「Strength increases by 3 temporarily.」

nThe Arch Hunter’s Hunting Gloves were activated, and his body was strengthened. It was something he should feel happy about, but on the other hand, another problem had arisen. Let’s say it’s possible that he wasn’t a human or a beast-man…

n‘A large species…?’

nHe checked the man once again, but no matter how hard he looked at him, he was far from being a large creature. But then.

nFlash!

nWhite light burst out of the man’s body. Then the man of an average human figure disappeared, and a Western-style dragon that only appeared in mythology popped out.

n“D-Disaster’s real identity was…a dragon….”

nHis companions were speechless as they watched from afar. They were astonished to know the true nature of the Disaster, but…in terms of absurdity, Yoon-seok wasn’t the only one shocked.

n-Here we go.

nA voice rang in his head. He didn’t know how, but it was clear who sent it. Yoon-seok gulped and prepared to receive the blow.

n「 To Lady’s Commandment, all attacks within the realm will be reduced by 1

/10.」

nThe condition also applied to Yoon-seok. Nevertheless, the consumption of energy was beyond what he could’ve imagined. It took all of his energy to maintain it.

nBut he had a consistent thought.

n‘How the hell does a dragon fight…?’

nHe could easily guess that it was far from a normal battle…

nBut he couldn’t imagine it. It was at that moment.

n-Hell, Plasma.

nSomething similar to black horns rose on the dragon’s forehead…that was the last thing Yoon-seok remembered.

nWhen he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kanna’s upside-down face.

n“Are you awake?”

nYoon-seok sprang up.

nBecause of that, he almost bumped into Kanna, who was using her knee as a pillow, but he didn’t have time to pay attention to it.

n“Where am I?”

nThe place was pitch black. He’d stood up for now, but it didn’t feel like he was stepping on the ground. Looking at something shiny silver in the distance, Yoon-seok was reminded of the universe.

n“This is my area. I’m sure you’ve been to a similar place when you signed with Elle.”

nOnly then did Yoon-seok realize the woman in front of him was Kanna Blitz, but she wasn’t the one he’d met on the mission.

n“The admin who contracted me…it was you, as expected. But why did you bring me here? I see, I failed the mission.”

nKanna smirked.

n“No, you didn’t fail.”

n“…?”

n“Seeing that face, it would be faster to show it to you in person.”

nAs Kanna beckoned, the darkness receded and transformed into a new space. It was the forest he was in just a moment ago. There was a dragon called Disaster and Yoon-seok who was pointing a sword at it.

nSo this was what she meant by showing it. Yoon-seok focused on what he could see without saying a word.

n-Hell, Plasma.

nWith a voice that sounded like a starter, a ray that looked like it would appear in a Sci-fi movie fired off at him. No, it was right to say flash. Yoon-seok couldn’t properly see the beginning of the end.

nNot knowing how to react, he only saw himself moving his hands to the path.

nWhoosh-!

nA flash of light that one might not even have time to react to. When it was over, Yoon-seok was able to see the left side of his body had been completely blown off. Not only his body but the whole forest was cut away in that direction as if it had been pushed by a massive drill.

nThe blow stretched endlessly. Yoon-seok was filled with despair at the spectacular sight.

n“It wasn’t an achievable task from the start.”

nIf he hadn’t held his sword and dodged to the side, not only the other half of his body but his whole body wouldn’t even have remained. If he had done it, he would have failed. Suddenly, Kanna asked.

n“Do you regret not choosing a sacrifice?”

n“…No, I don’t regret it.”

n“How come?”

n“Didn’t you say that earlier? The mission was a success.”

nYoon-seok pondered for a while, answered, and then focused again on the replayed scene. Kanna smiled silently as she watched him.

nFlop.

nYoon-seok in the screen collapsed on the ground.

n“Rick!”

n“N-no!”

nKanna, who was watching, ran and used sacred power to heal Yoon-seok. And, with unfounded courage, James and Wellington each took out their weapons and stood in front of them.

n-Don’t worry. He’s still alive.

nAfter that, the dragon said nothing. In cold silence, Kanna only focused on healing Yoon-seok. Sooner or later, Yoon-seok’s body was completely restored. It was the result of a combination of divine power and b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}.

n-Call me when he wakes up. It’s a close call, but he passed. I’ll come to find him when the time comes.

nWhen he saw Yoon-seok recover, the dragon said so and spread its wings, disappearing into the sky. The rest of the companions quickly returned to the carriage with Yoon-seok. Then they were on the road for two days while Yoon-seok remained unconscious, and eventually, they arrived at Jarisman Harbor.

nThat was the whole story after what happened.

nTak!

nKanna snapped her fingers. Then, the surrounding scene returned to its original form.

n“So, do you understand what’s going on now?”

n“Yes, I was lucky.”

nKanna smiled at Yoon-seok’s humble answer and bowed.

n“Thank you for letting me know that this ending was possible.”

n“…?”

n“Okay, good. Then I’ll settle the rewards for this mission.”

n“Wait.”

nYoon-seok interrupted Kanna. Somehow, he had a hunch that once the settlement began, they wouldn’t have the chance to talk again. Before that, he wanted to ask her something.

n“Why hasn’t the eighth-floor mission been resolved so far?”

nIt was a question that remained unresolved and was packed in a small corner of his heart.

n“It doesn’t make sense that it hasn’t been cleared, given the final appearance of Disaster. Since half of them would be able to survive.”

nKanna looked perplexed but soon nodded.

n“It’s…it’s better to see it in person than to say it.”

nKanna swung her hand in the air again, and the surroundings changed. However, the only difference was that it didn’t reproduce a space in 1:1 size as before. It was like she’d turned on thousands of TVs at the same time.

n“…”

nThe same scene was not shown from At first glance, it may look similar, but all the members were different. Yoon-seok quickly realized that what he saw now was a replay of the missions that took place in the past.

n-The spirit of Edenbahm’s mercenaries is truly extraordinary, and that’s true!

nAll the scenes that began at the north gate of Edenbahm largely were the same. Unlike what Yoon-seok had experienced, some episodes went smoothly, but there were many episodes where challengers were formed to attack Kanna at night. Fortunately, Yoon-seok didn’t have to look at the scene with his own eyes. The scene turned black as if the TV was turned off right before the attack.

n“…”

nAs time passed, the blackened screen returned. Kanna, on the screen, was angry, crying, and resigned in disarray. And either way, the pack of challengers headed for their destination. The muted scenes only increased as the days went by, rather than shortening.

nSomething boiled within Yoon-seok.

n“I’m fine.”

nIf Kanna hadn’t caressed his hand, he would have spit out curse words. Yoon-seok decided to endure it and watched until the end. Time passed, and it was the fifteenth day. There were only seven replayed scenes being played, and there was only one challenger left in Kanna’s camp, no matter where they looked.

n“The Only difficulty level can only be carried out by one person.”

n“I see.”

nAside from nodding to Kanna’s explanation, Yoon-seok had more questions. He couldn’t understand at all. Although the number of people who came here was smaller than expected, most of them won against the heathens before the fifteenth.

nFrankly speaking, things were going smoothly. Whether Kanna cried or screamed, it wasn’t long before the mission neared success. There was even a place where the screen never went black. But why…

nWhy was the Only difficulty not cleared so far?

nThe question was resolved after the encounter with Disaster.

n-Choose who will die and who will survive.

nIf only two were left, it was a failure. It was over whether they chose Kanna or themselves. However, the challengers all responded the same, saying…

n-This woman and I will survive.

nElle, Wellington, James. They sacrificed these three. But…

n“H-how come…!”

n-Usually, the one who wants to live is the one who dies.

nDisaster acted against what they had chosen. It was a surprising twist that even got Yoon-seok to drip in a cold sweat.

n‘If I had sacrificed someone there…’

nIf that were the case, Yoon-seok would have failed his mission. If the dragon tried to kill him, he would never have survived.

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n“…”

nSoon all the scenes turned black. A heavy silence sank over the void. Kanna continued in a sorrow-filled voice.

n“If there were just one person like you…”

nShe continued in an increasingly small voice.

n“Then, I wouldn’t have to suffer for so long….”

nIt was a deep sorrow that Yoon-seok could not handle.

nSqueeze.

nYoon-seok clenched his fist, and he bowed his head.

nHe wouldn’t even dare call it a small consolation.

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