Chapter 54: Isn't it? (3)

Isn't it? (3)

"I can't believe we already finished everything," Najimak said, looking at his tired friends. They were enjoying a short break.

"It was much easier for you though, hm?"

"That's probably because you were with me."

"Ah, hehe, I always suffer when I follow you...I didn't expect anything else this time either."

"..."

Yoo Ji-Yeon radiated positive energy. Her words surprised me.

"Next time, I'll take you somewhere more unpleasant, again."

I hadn't expected everything to be so easy. When I did the power analysis, I had expected us to take at least two or three days. We had great synergy.

'... The new weapon I got played a big role.'

The growth of Yoo Ji-Yeon and Sung Hyun-woo was also amazing. Combined, the two of them had incredible firepower. I wouldn't hesitate to place them in the second row of an army. Zhang Wei was also a bit of a surprise.

'Except for a few mistakes, I have no complaints. He's a very skilled healer.'

With Han Yeon-soo and only two more people, I had already formed a team that rivaled my team's strength in the old days.

"Whew."

I took a deep breath. Like everyone else, I was exhausted. I had new skills and traits that greatly increased my power, but to keep fighting for such a long time was draining.

In other words, my body couldn't keep up with my growth speed.

'I have to solve this problem-'

Until now, I had managed to keep it together, but stamina was very important for hunters. No matter how good you were, destroying rifts took time. If I used all my power, I could keep that up for maybe an hour.

'...Well, with my new item, stamina should no longer be a problem.'

I turned my attention to the object in my hand. I held a golden necklace with a ruby-like gem shining brightly in the center.

[Name: Greedy Flame]

[The 'power' of a mutant.]

[*Provides excellent fire resistance.]

[*You get the trait 'Feeding Frenzy'.]

[→ Every time a creature is killed near you, you absorb a certain amount of its stamina and mana.]

[→ Every time a creature is killed near you, you absorb a part of its stats.]

[→ When you kill a powerful creature, there is a high chance you gain one of its abilities.]

It was a remarkable artifact. Whenever a creature was killed near it, it absorbed their stamina and mana. The more you killed, the stronger you got. Perfect for a hunter.

'The more monsters I kill, the stronger I become...'

Of course, everyone got stronger by hunting. When in an actual battle that put your skills to the test, you would gain experience from killing monsters and improving your skills.

No one grew immediately, however. The experience accumulated over time, developing your skills usually took a longer time.

[The item has power comparable to the martial arts of Magyo.]

"... What?"

"Magyo. You may not know them, but it is one of the very famous groups in Moorim."

It wasn't that I had never read a martial arts novel before. I put on the necklace and glanced at the traveler.

"Aren't they the bad guys?"

In every novel I had read, the Magyo always appeared as the villains.

"Well yes, kind of...they might be bad, but they are no worse than many of the people I've met."

"..."

"Well, if it sounds like the power that bad guys possess..."

"What's wrong with killing a monster and dismantling the body? Don't change your mind now, do what you had originally planned."

"Okay."

With this, our conversation was over. I slowly rose from my seat. The others looked at me.

"Si-woo, where are you going?"

Yoo Ji-Yeon looked at me while eating an energy bar.

"I have somewhere I must go. If I take too long, you can go back."

I wanted to take a break, but I had a reason to go now.

* * *

"Wow, whoa...!"

Her chest suddenly felt like it was on fire.

Flame Empress Lee Seong-Yeon found a suitable place to sit down and took slow, long breaths.

'...Why?'

She didn't understand why it was so hard. This great rift was perfect for her. The temperatures were so high, not many other hunters would be able to handle them. The environment was very favorable for Lee Seong-Yeon. As someone from the first generation, her abilities became stronger the hotter her surroundings were.

She was even able to absorb the fireballs hurled at her by the monsters. They seemed similar to the monsters she faced on the front lines, back in the day.

The monsters were especially dangerous in a swarm. They had been very fortunate that the crack had opened on a remote island. She couldn't even imagine the devastation the monsters would have caused if the crack had opened in the middle of a city.

The rift hunters in any city wouldn't be able to deal with these monsters. Even she would be in trouble if the monsters chose to attack all at once. They would probably overrun them. That's why she had ventured into the rift, and was taking them on one by one.

Having been active since the first generation, Lee Seong-yeon, had good judgment. She'd already asked for support, and soon, her trustworthy supporters would wipe out this crack. But...there was a reason why she was so tired. Thinking about it made her laugh bitterly.

'I'm so old.'

She didn't know how old she was, exactly, for she had stopped counting a long time ago. She usually had no issues, thanks to mana. Her body only showed its age in fights.

"I feel dirty."

The old woman looked at the monsters in the distance. She had thought she'd never get old.

'I thought I would be forever young.'

It had been as if she had closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, her body was full of wrinkles. The end was gradually approaching.

'Damn it!'

She flicked her finger lightly, and huge flames fell like bombs on the heads of inferior monsters. Their bodies, which normally had excellent fire resistance, were torn apart and melted.

"I might be old, but I've learned a lot in my days."

She had no regrets in life. However, one thing kept her going. One thing that made her endure the pains of aging, made her depend so much on mana. Her husband had died under mysterious circumstances a long time ago. Unlike her, the world-class hunter, her husband was an ordinary human. To this day, she hadn't found out how he had died. With each flick of her fingers, 100 or 200 monsters lost their lives. Flames were pouring on their heads like rain and exploded on impact. The explosions killed even more monsters, and left behind only ashes.

A wizard of a certain level was not unlike a natural disaster.

She carried on.

* * *

'That's exactly what I remember.'

Based on her coughs, it seemed like she was in bad health. No matter what I did, some things I couldn't change. Lee Seong-yeon dies exactly ten months from now, of old age. Until her last dying breath, she won't stop trying to find the person responsible for her husband's death. Many people admired her for her devotion to her husband.

'It had taken me a long time to find out who they were.'

It was a group of villains. At the time, it was said that they were so powerful that people knew only their names. It was the time before the third plague. Only when the five heroes were at the height of their power did the War God defeat the villains. Only then were all their evil deeds revealed.

One of their victims had been Lee Seong-Yeon's husband, Geon.

'The faster they progressed, the better they became. It was an opportunity for them to realize how atrocious they really were.'

It became particularly clear during the third disaster. It became very apparent what would happen if Torai, who had faith, also had power.

'If the Flame Empress helps me...Even if I can't get to them, I'll be able to suppress their powers enough.'

Then, the force of the third catastrophe that was originally contained in the group would also be cut off, and it would be delayed.

'I will give you information and lend you my strength... I'll even get help fight the villains. Two birds with one stone,' there were no problems with the plan yet. I looked at the beads in my hand; red beads.

I dug up what I had buried in the sand before. Luckily, they didn't disappear after creating the crack, so that I could take them back.

'... Let's continue as planned.'

If anything went wrong, I wouldn't be able to diminish the third disaster's power, and die. That's not something I wanted to experience again. Followed by Lee Seong-yeon, I went on.

I transformed the 'miracle' shapes that revolved around me into a generously-sized hood made of Orichalcum. I also deliberately made the color dull so that they wouldn't see the connection between my weapon and this appearance.

"... I'm sorry, senior."

I was also one of those who once admired Lee Seong-Yeon. She was a true hunter who put everyone else in front of her own needs, and never stopped improving herself. What I was about to do wasn't intended to hurt her feelings, but to set the perfect plan in motion.

"The Flame Empress."

She stopped at the sound of my voice. The old woman slowly turned towards me. I hit her in the chest with my foot.

A Perfect kick.

The impact caused Lee Seong-yeon to fly a few feet backward.

'I did it.'

Tuk, tuduk.

Red mana appeared around her as she floated into the air and landed on her feet again, gracefully. Her expression had changed dramatically. Until now, she must have saved her strength. This was the real Flame Empress.

"You, what are you?"

Old eyes flashed dangerously, like the ones of a beast. Without responding, I pulled the hood deeper into my face and turned around to start running.

"... Where do you think you're going?!"

Her sparks fly towards me.

But.

[The red Orb makes its wearer immune to fire attacks.]

My red Orbs completely absorbed her powers. As the embers scattered, a confused expression appeared on her face.

"What..."

Fire immunity and a hood that could not be destroyed. With the right equipment, you could do almost anything. I ran fast, leaving Lee Seong-yeon behind, staring at me in disbelief.

She would come.

[The red Orb makes its wearer immune to fire attacks.]

Only

[The red Orb makes its wearer immune to fire attacks.]

.

.

.

[The durability of the red Orbs has decreased!]

[Please be careful.]

The plan would succeed if I could endure her attacks for long enough.