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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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[You have successfully defeated Lexa, a core executive of Illusion.]
[Rewards and special benefits will be awarded.]
[All resistance effects increased by 300 as a reward.]
[Special Skill ‘Summon Wraith’ acquired as a special benefit.]
[Special Skill: Summon Wraith]
[Upon discovering the remains or traces of a deceased person, you can summon their soul to converse with or utilize them. Summoning requires only a small amount of mana, and the summoned wraith is bound to you in a master-servant relationship. There are no time restrictions.]
[However, you cannot summon the wraith of someone whose death you are responsible for.]
The bustling noise subsided, and a heavy silence fell over the cave.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Only Lexa, hanging from the cave wall like a crucified figure, with her head bowed, bore the marks of the fierce battle.
We had defeated the Azure Witch, a formidable mid-boss level villain.
It still felt unreal, a feat almost too incredible to believe, achieved just three months after I had transmigrated into this world.
As I withdrew my mana completely, the arrows pinning Lexa to the wall vanished.
And,
Thud!!
Lexa’s body fell to the ground.
As a side note, my [Magic Arrow] skill had reached MAX level during the battle.
And,
[As a MAX level perk, the ‘Magic Arrow’ skill’s transformation and control functions have been activated.]
[The transformation function allows you to change the shape of the arrow, and the control function allows the arrow to fly freely according to your will.]
These were incredibly powerful upgrades.
These two functions had played a significant role in my easy victory over the monsters and Lexa.
Ordinary arrows would have simply pierced Lexa’s hands and feet.
But I had transformed the arrowheads into hooks at the moment of firing, allowing me to pin her to the cave wall.
And using the unlimited firing perk of the MAX level [Multi-Shot] and the control function of [Magic Arrow], I had wiped out the monsters in an instant.
It was a massacre.
An overwhelming slaughter, not even giving them time to respawn.
The sheer efficiency and power of it all sent a thrill down my spine.
Moreover,
My total stat value was now approaching [8,000].
More than double the average for an S-rank Hunter.
This didn’t simply mean I had the power of two S-rank Hunters.
Generally, when combat abilities reach a certain level, even the slightest difference can determine the outcome of a battle.
A Hunter with a total stat value of 3,000 could easily defeat two Hunters with 2,000 each.
The reason Lexa, who had easily overpowered our group, which included A-rank and S-rank combatants, was so quickly defeated by me was because of the vast difference in our power levels.
While the actual difference might have been between 1,000 and 1,500, the perceived gap, the instinctive understanding of the power disparity, would have felt several times greater.
That’s why she had laughed like a defeated general facing his final moments.
Anyway,
Putting aside my slightly chuunibyou-esque musings, I jumped from Roque’s back and landed in the classic “superhero landing” pose.
It was something I had always wanted to try.
My favorite hero, Iron Man, always looked so cool landing like that.
Thump!
The ground slightly caved in, and a cloud of dust billowed around me.
But,
“Oof.”
That hurt.
My knees, my fists.
It hurt like hell.
They made it look so easy in the movies.
Guess reality was different.
But I couldn’t lose face, so I pushed through the pain and stood up, forcing a casual smile.
“Is everyone alright?”
I asked as I approached them, but they all just stared at me, dumbfounded.
A brief silence hung in the air.
It was Renia, as always, who broke the silence.
“I knew it! I knew Tae-jin could do it! I’m so glad you’re safe~!”
Wah!
Renia pushed through the group and hugged me, overjoyed.
And the cave, which had been silent a moment before, was filled with life again.
“Tae-jin! Are you okay? What happened?”
Na-yeon rushed over, fussing over me like a mother hen checking on her chick.
It felt like she had been waiting for her turn… but that must have been my imagination.
“I’m fine. Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any major side effects.”
“Amazing, truly amazing. What are you?”
Na-yeon’s eyes widened like a cat’s as she looked up at me.
It was the look of a loyal servant begging their master for treats.
“I… guess I just got lucky? Inheriting power like this is supposed to be a miracle.”
As I had explained before, inheriting power was still largely uncharted territory.
It was a risky procedure, potentially fatal for both the extractor and the recipient.
Perhaps Tae-jin’s father had been a brilliant scientist.
In any case,
‘Thank you, Father.’
I offered a silent thanks to the father I had never met.
Then I looked at my mother, Baek Mi-hwa, and my younger sister, Han Yu-ra.
They were both still stunned.
It seemed my transformation, after ten years of separation, had come as quite a shock.
Back then, I had been practically an invalid, and now, ten years later, I had not only recovered but become a completely different person.
It was understandable that they would be surprised.
But even though my inner self had changed, I was still their son, their brother.
I wasn’t going to treat them coldly, especially after they had come all this way to help me.
So,
“Thank you for coming.”
I said, bowing my head to my mother.
“You too. You’ve been through a lot.”
I said to my sister, who still seemed to regard me as some sort of DNA-related stranger.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who went through all the trouble.”
“Oh, no, no. It’s fine.”
…Everyone seemed unusually polite.
Yu-ra even waved her hands dismissively.
“Mother~! You’ve worked so hard~”
“Hoho. Not at all. You’re Reina, right? You’ve done well too.”
Thankfully, Renia’s timely intervention eased the awkwardness of our ten-year reunion.
She was truly a natural at this.
“Hehe, not at all. You’ve worked hard too, Miss~”
“Oh… I didn’t really do anything.”
“No, no~ But what’s that device? Did you make it yourself?”
“Oh, yes. It measures combat power.”
“Wow~ As expected of Tae-jin’s sister! You’re amazing! So cool~”
“Hehe… Thank you.”
Renia expertly navigated the conversation, skillfully disarming Yu-ra’s initial shyness.
She truly was a queen among succubi.
With the family introductions out of the way, Hye-seo and Su-ah approached me.
“It seems the word ‘limit’ doesn’t apply to you, Brother. You’re overflowing with divine grace, like a holy grail overflowing with holy water.”
“Haha… Well, I guess I am blessed.”
Hye-seo greeted me next,
Her usual aloof expression softened slightly.
“It would have been really dangerous if it weren’t for you. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. We did it together.”
“Humble, just like your senior. You don’t have to be that humble. You defeated the Azure Witch single-handedly.”
“Then you should be deeply grateful.”
I had become quite close to Hye-seo during this training trip(?).
At first, it was difficult to even exchange a few words, but now we could even joke around a little.
So, I jokingly put my hands together and bowed my head.
“Pfft.”
Hye-seo chuckled.
It was closer to a scoff than a genuine laugh, but it was the first time I had seen her smile, so I was a bit surprised.
It was short-lived, though.
“I’ll go search the cave. There might be something we missed.”
Hye-seo, back in investigator mode, began to search the cave, while Su-ah started healing everyone’s injuries.
Na-yeon, Renia, and I gathered some flammable materials and started a bonfire.
I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to be relaxing around a fire, but we were now officially at war with Illusion.
After losing two of their high-ranking executives, they wouldn’t just stand idly by.
We needed to discuss our next move.
We gathered around the bonfire and began to talk.
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Naturally, the first topic of conversation was my family history.
Everyone was curious, including myself.
The story my mother told wasn’t particularly dramatic.
She and Han Chang-ho had separated due to personality differences, and Yu-ra had chosen to stay with her mother, while I had gone with my father.
That was the gist of it.
My mother had no idea that Han Chang-ho had become an Illusion spy.
If she had known, she would have come looking for me immediately.
She was furious that he hadn’t sent me to her after becoming a spy, but since he was dead, there was no way to get an answer.
All we could do was assume there was a reason he couldn’t contact her.
And then,
“Let me hug my son. We’ve been through so much to finally meet again.”
I felt the comforting embrace of my surprisingly… well-endowed, no, comfortable mother.
Ahem, ahem.
Sorry, Tae-jin.
You had a great mother, you know?
The brief, but heartwarming, hug ended, and Hye-seo returned from her search of the cave, shifting the conversation to a new topic.
Our plans had changed due to the battle with the Illusion executives.
Our original plan had been to retrieve Han Chang-ho’s inheritance and return to Seoul.
But now, having lost two high-ranking executives, God R’hell would undoubtedly retaliate to maintain control, and we would be his targets.
He would want to capture us and make an example of us.
“So, we’re in danger now. Just our presence could put cities and towns at risk.”
Na-yeon summarized my thoughts.
Hye-seo added,
“Especially since the Azure Witch, Lexa, was God R’hell’s favorite. There were even rumors that they were lovers, though nothing was ever confirmed.”
“Lovers, huh…”
If that were true, we were in deep trouble.
A man’s rage after losing his lover would be formidable.
He would stop at nothing to get revenge.
That left us with only one option.
A head-on confrontation.
“We have to go.”
“Where?”
“To Gaikan.”
“But Gaikan’s location is a closely guarded secret. Only high-ranking executives know…”
As Hye-seo voiced her concerns, I looked at Su-ah.
With a 52-time regressor on our team, Gaikan’s location was hardly an obstacle.
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