Chapter 458
Not long after the Towers of Heroes and Abyss of Demons overturned the world, humanity went through trial and error countless times to establish the systems upholding the world today.
They, who had suddenly gained the superhuman power known as mana, tried everything from martial arts and diving into the occult to imitating fiction. Like that, humanity grew—however, so did the Demon Force.
“They were known as Head Hunters.”
Ha-Rin, placing a single flower on the corpse of a village resident, was calm.
“They hunted other demons, claiming they could grow stronger by devouring the heads of their kind. But recently... they’ve shifted their focus to awakened individuals.”
“...”
“They seemed to realize that eating their own kind no longer strengthened them, making them turn to the next best thing.”
“...”
The Kwang-Soo of the past didn’t say a word, listening silently. Although she was talking to him, it felt more like she was talking to herself.
“But the heads of awakened ones didn’t satisfy them either. That was when, right when they were about to change their targets... they heard the rumors about me.”
A master of swords who had turned a deserter stronghold—despised by the government army—into an impregnable fortress. Having heard that rumor, the leader of the Head Hunters gathered more information on Ha-Rin’s feats and came to a single conclusion:
Maybe... her head would be different.
No theory, no evidence—just instinct. In the eyes of many, acting on just that was sheer foolishness. However, for the beings who had forsaken their humanity, it was a gamble absolutely worth taking.
“There was an explosion. The barrier fell, and then demons poured into the village, attacking everyone. When I stepped outside after hearing the commotion, the leader of the Head Hunters was already waiting.”
The leader was every bit as powerful as his infamy suggested. His body was so tough and durable that even Ha-Rin couldn’t easily cut through it. On top of that, his regeneration was so fast that even attacks to his vital points healed almost instantly.
She was trapped, unable to defeat him or escape—all the while the other demons dragged the villagers away.
“They tortured and killed the villagers one by one, right in front of me.”
“...”
“At first, I thought they were trying to shake me up, to make me slip. But... it turns out it was the exact opposite.”
By that point, the theory that awakened individuals could grow stronger in extreme situations had been proven somewhat—which the Head Hunters took and turned into a method of enhancing their “dishes.”
“They forced people into desperation. So that they would fight for revenge and to save the ones still alive. They did all that so... I could grow stronger.”
And just as they intended, Ha-Rin fought with everything she had—and more. As she fought, her desperation began unlocking her innate talent. However, no matter how fast or sharp her swordsmanship became, it still wasn’t enough; she still couldn’t overcome the leader’s regeneration.
Helpless, the villagers slowly went silent, one after another. And when their voices had been completely replaced by the demons’ euphoric laughter filling the air...
Slice!
A blade laced with blue aura cleaved through the leader’s neck.
“After that... my memory became all hazy. I think I just started swinging my sword like a madman.”
Guilt from failing to save anyone. Fury toward the demons who killed them. A rush of fulfillment from reaching a new stage. Caught in a whirlwind of emotion, Ha-Rin fought as if possessed.
And when she came to, the demons were all dead.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? They were wiped out by the very person they helped strengthen...”
“...”
“The villagers are also probably confused. ‘If it was this easy for her to slaughter all the demons, then why did we have to die?’ they would say.”
Reaching the end, Ha-Rin placed the last flower into the arms of Village Head Kim Jeong-Hoon as her voice dropped to a whisper.
“Why... did they have to die...”
If only she’d realized sooner.
If only she’d trained harder.
If only she’d never lived in the village at all.
Without her... everyone might have survived.
...This is the worst-case scenario.
Seeing Ha-Rin’s face darken, Se-Hoon furrowed his brow.
Although enlightenment not only allowed one to overcome obstacles but also had the potential to enhance their synesthetic mindscape significantly, it wasn’t always so positive. As shown in the case of Li Kenxie, if that growth was entangled with negativity, the boon could easily turn into a bane.
If one chased after enlightenment while sinking deeper into negativity, it was highly likely they would be led to ruin before even realizing it.
Most end up as criminals or demons if they’re not lucky...
To escape, the only way was to correct the direction of the synesthetic mindscape and reach new enlightenment. Once one had already set foot into that swamp, however, it was easier said than done.
In the end, I guess it’s up to Kwang-Soo to do something...
But could the Kwang-Soo of the past—who was suffering from the same negativity—really give sound advice? Se-Hoon looked on in anticipation, watching the past Kwang-Soo silently ponder.
“They were going to die, anyway.”
“...”
His words were so blunt they were basically a provocation—and that continued.
“How long was a village built by runaway awakened ones ever going to last? The fact they survived more than a year is already a miracle.”
Neither hiding in secret nor in plain sight, but just living out in the open, nestled in a mountain valley like some idyllic countryside retreat. Even though the village was composed solely of awakened individuals, from a rational perspective, they were hopelessly complacent.
“If they really wanted to keep living like that, they should’ve actively gathered more people. If not that, they should’ve at least tried harder to fortify themselves.”
“...”
“But they didn’t. Rather than face the danger head-on, they relied on your strength and lived comfortably. And this is the result.”
They were dead because they didn’t even bother to become stronger—that was the world they lived in.
It was a fact the villagers—except for Ha-Rin—had failed to realize.
“...”
Despite how harsh Kwang-Soo’s words were, Ha-Rin grew neither angry nor denied them. Instead, she simply made a bitter smile and murmured, “That’s... quite sad.”
Was she speaking of the dead? Or perhaps of herself, who now had to live in such a world? Regardless of which, her ambiguous whisper was met with the same detached tone from moments ago.
“If you don’t like it, you just have to change it yourself.”
“...Change it?”
“The Head Hunter leader was one of the ten strongest monsters in the country. And you managed to kill him in a single strike.”
Sure, it may have been partly due to his carelessness, but still, a single motion had been all it took for Ha-Rin to slice through the notoriously resilient leader’s neck. With that overwhelming offensive power combined with her swordsmanship, she was nearly unbeatable in close combat.
“This is a world where the weak can barely survive, and the strong... can do anything.”
If a being emerged who could cleave mountains, part seas, and even cut through the skies with a sword... who would dare oppose them? Kwang-Soo was uncertain if mana could bring humanity to that level, but if anyone could, he thought it would be the genius before him.
“Anything, huh...”
To anyone else, the word was vague. But from how Ha-Rin’s eyes had widened, it had clearly allowed her to realize something.
She looked at the villagers’ corpses surrounded by flowers.
“...You’re right. If people die because they’re not strong enough... then I just need to be strong enough for all of them.”
She would grow stronger, again and again, to keep the innocent from dying. Gaining a newfound resolve, her gaze grew sharper and cleared. Then, as if responding, a wave of blue mana rose from her entire body.
Woong-
Conjuring a blade of sword aura wasn’t enough to protect everyone; she needed more. Mana streamed from her to fulfill her wish, stretching out like threads, and began forming into the shape of swords.
“...Hahaha.”
Se-Hoon let out a soft laugh, unable to help himself. Barely a few hours after manifesting sword aura, she had already set foot in the domain of Sword Control.
Genius... didn’t even begin to describe her talent—it was monstrous.
Now I see why Kwang-Soo always thought everyone didn’t have much talent.
Having seen talent like hers decades ago, it was no wonder normal abilities wouldn’t even catch his attention. It left Se-Hoon in utter disbelief, just staring at the inconceivable. Nobody would believe just from hearing about it; and Se-Hoon, too, could only gape in shock.
Just then, out of the blue, the impassively watching Kwang-Soo of the past opened his mouth once more.
“Was my advice useful to you?”
“Huh? Well... I guess so?”
Even Ha-Rin gave him a look as if to say, “where did that come from?” And as if answering that question, Kwang-Soo’s next words got straight to the point.
“Then, in return, I’d like you to teach me your swordsmanship.”
Until now, he had never felt the need to learn anything from anyone. But the swordsmanship before him... that he absolutely had to master.
“Are you saying you want to take me as your master?” Ha-Rin asked, eyeing Kwang-Soo’s solemn face with a strange expression.
“If you wish, then yes. Master.”
“...You’re not sounding much like a disciple.”
“I’ll be careful from now on, Master.”
From his behavior, Kwang-Soo appeared willing to do absolutely anything to learn swordsmanship, leaving Ha-Rin taken aback and staring blankly. Then, upon recovering, she let out a soft laugh.
“Alright. I’ll accept you as my student.”
“Thank yo—”
“But, on one condition.”
Kwang-Soo stiffened. There was no way the condition to learn a mysterious style of swordsmanship he had never once seen in all his travels would be simple.
“What... is it?”
With his tension written all over his face, Kwang-Soo watched Ha-Rin tap her chin lightly.
“I need you to shave your beard. It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“...”
And so, with that ridiculous condition, their master-disciple relationship began—transitioning the scene to a new memory.
After cremating the bodies of the villagers, the two traveled across the country, hunting down monsters and demons. Ha-Rin’s unparalleled swordsmanship effortlessly dealt with even the most notorious demons, and Kwang-Soo, having mastered sword aura alongside Ha-Rin, also began making a name for himself through his own achievements.
This is... a full-blown heroic epic.
Two warriors braving endless adversity to save lives. Watching their fame spread beyond Korea to neighboring nations, Se-Hoon suddenly glanced to the side.
“...”
Kwang-Soo was gazing at his own past with a complicated expression: longing, sorrow, shame, and rage flickered through his eyes.
Watching him quietly, Se-Hoon looked away and softly said, “She was quite an incredible person.”
“She was incredible... far more than I could ever hope to be,” Kwang-Soo replied with a bitter smile, still lost in the memories.
In a world that had been thrown into chaos and was without a foundation for mana usage, she mastered the true essence of mana and synesthetic mindscapes, gaining an immense power which she wielded to save others.
In every sense of the word, she was a hero.
If it weren’t for her, Korea might’ve lost a good portion of its population.
However, at that thought, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but frown in confusion. Having witnessed her feats in Kwang-Soo’s memories, he couldn’t understand. How could such an incredible hero just vanish from history without even leaving a name behind?
For something like that to be possible...
Just as Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes, a prediction forming, the memory changed once more. Now they were in a spacious office that was modest but filled with expensive furnishings placed with refined taste. And on a sofa near the back sat two people, facing a middle-aged man who appeared to be the owner of the office.
The man was wearing a uniform, his gray-streaked hair short and neatly combed. Looking closer, the gently smiling man with a composed face had five silver stars on his shoulder.
Wait, is that...?
Se-Hoon squinted, vaguely recognizing the man from photos in the textbooks.
“Is that Marshal Park Sung-Jin?”
One of the key figures who led Korea through the early upheaval—who, according to speculation, was the most powerful awakened individual and hero in the country at the time. Se-Hoon studied the man, a person he had only ever heard about.
“My deepest apologies. I shouldn’t be summoning heroes as busy as you. Please allow me to apologize once more.”
Seeing him bow his head respectfully, Ha-Rin shook her head.
“If it’s a matter serious enough for you to summon us personally, then there’s no need to apologize.”
“Thank you. That eases my mind, even if just a little.”
With a faint smile, Park Sung-Jin raised his head and gestured to his aide standing by his side.
“We’re pressed for time, so I’ll get straight to the point. Take a look at this.”
Cued, his aide placed a folder on the desk, which the two looked down to see the photographs inside: a massive shadow looming over the coast, where even its faint outline exuded an ominous presence.
Realizing the owner, Ha-Rin’s face stiffened.
“This is...”
“It’s the monster known as Leviathan—the one that devastated Europe’s coasts before vanishing. These photos were taken near Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan.”
Examining the trajectory of the Levithan, which had clearly been steadily moving north from Southeast Asia, Kwang-Soo narrowed his eyes.
“Northward... You’re saying it’s headed for Korea?”
“Yes. At this rate, it’s one-hundred percent certain.”
Immediately, both of their faces hardened. According to the data, Leviathan was over a hundred meters in size. It could generate tsunamis and had continued to grow ever since it first appeared.
“The European Awakened Individual Association believes that if Leviathan continues to grow at this rate, not just humanity but the entire planet could be at risk. That’s why nations are gathering their strongest awakened individuals to stop it.”
“You mean... you want us to join them?”
“Exactly.”
The affirmation made Kwang-Soo’s face twist into a scowl.
Sending us into battle against a monster over a hundred meters tall, when he knows we only specialize in close-range combat? What kind of bullshit...!
It wasn’t just a bad matchup. They could very well be slaughtered one-sidedly before they even got a proper fight. Angered, Kwang-Soo opened his mouth to refuse—
“I understand.” With a calm nod, Ha-Rin declared her intent. “I’ll participate in this raid.”
“Master...!”
At Kwang-Soo’s cry of shock, Ha-Rin placed her hand gently over his.
“It’s alright. Nothing bad will happen, so don’t worry—just wait for me.”
Feeling her warmth, Kwang-Soo realized that Ha-Rin wasn’t being reckless. There was a quiet certainty radiating from her, which made him hesitate.
And after a moment, he sighed and gave in.
“Then I’ll go too.”
“W-wait. There’s no need for—”
“You said it would be fine. But if my presence alone could make it unsafe, then there’s no way I can let you go alone.”
Despite the tone that made it clear there was no room for negotiation, Ha-Rin tried to talk him out of it. However, she eventually gave up with a wry smile.
“You really... leave me no choice.”
Though she looked troubled, a hint of happiness showed through. And though Kwang-Soo was muttering absurd excuses about needing to learn Sword Control, it was blatantly clear he had already made up his mind.
“...Why aren’t you two dating already?”
Watching the two blankly, Se-Hoon couldn’t stop the question from leaving his mouth. After all, no matter how he looked at it, it was obvious they both knew how they felt about each other.
“If you’ve got a shred of self-awareness, don’t even start,” Kwang-Soo replied with a snort.
“What? What did I do—”
“Do you want me to explain it to you?”
“...Ahem.”
Looking away awkwardly, Se-Hoon refocused on the memory.
“It’s reassuring to have both of you with us. Ah, just in time—the European representatives have arrived. Allow me to introduce them,” Park Sung-Jin said with a smile.
Following Park Sung-Jin’s signal, the aide stepped out and soon returned with two people: a stone-faced man with a sword at his waist and a bright woman holding a metal staff.
They were clearly polar opposites, making Se-Hoon frown.
Doppelganger should have shown up by now... could it be that guy?
His face and demeanor seemed vaguely familiar, and the way he carried himself matched what Doppelganger had shown so far as well. He turned to the current Kwang-Soo.
“That guy—is he Doppelganger?”
“No. It’s not him.”
The unexpected answer made Se-Hoon’s eyes widen.
If not him... then the other one is Doppelganger? Wait... that... that cheerful girl is Doppelganger?!
Visibly shaken by the answer he never would have even imagined, Se-Hoon watched with his mouth agape as the past Doppelganger bowed politely.
“Hello! I’m Sophia Green from France!” Her voice was bright.
“...”
Her companion, however, stood silently beside her in stark contrast, with a frown on his face.
And upon seeing his unfriendly attitude, Sophia sighed.
“This grump here is from Germany. Ludwig Schubert.”
“...Huh?”