Chapter 65: Déjà Vu (9)
In the mental space where the Heavenly Demon could wield infinite power, Hyun Suho had created a robot as massive as the sun to attack the Heavenly Demon.
The result was a complete failure.
The Heavenly Demon effortlessly neutralized Hyun Suho’s attack and sliced the giant robot in half.
Considering the Heavenly Demon’s abilities, this outcome was only natural.
After all, this was the same Heavenly Demon who belittled even the Death Star as pathetic.
However, what shocked Hyun Suho at that time wasn’t just the result; it was the fact that the Heavenly Demon used only the faintest fraction of his power.
In that single strike, Hyun Suho's speed, strength, and the amount of divine energy he used were all overwhelmingly greater.
The attack could have split a galaxy in two, yet the Heavenly Demon blocked it with the lightest motion and minimal force.
It wasn’t out of disregard but to teach a lesson.
"It's not about the size or scale of your strength."
The Heavenly Demon had said.
What mattered wasn’t having the destructive power to shatter the sun, but the miracle of making the sun rise in the west.
At the time, Hyun Suho had been uncertain, but now, he finally understood the meaning.
“Sharpen it more.”
This wasn’t referring to the thickness of a sword’s edge.
It was about an intensely focused mental state.
The belief that anything could be cut.
The concretely formed ideation.
Divine power honed sharper and keener could overturn even the superiority of strength and attributes.
This was the strategy to defeat the Death Star.
With that teaching as a foundation, Hyun Suho had succeeded in delivering a decisive strike.
“Should I call it an Immortal Slash?”
Luck had also been on his side.
If it weren’t for the Suho Sword Technique that allowed the projection of divine power, it would have been far more difficult.
Embedding divine power into plasma required much more focus compared to a sword.
“Let’s end this.”
As Hyun Suho approached, Gula began to break out in a cold sweat.
The confidence and arrogance he initially displayed were now completely gone.
“S-S-Stay back! This can’t be happening! How could Lord Aphos’s power be in the hands of someone like you...?!”
Stumbling backward, he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his back.
Hyun Suho snorted in disdain at the pitiful sight.
“Ranker’s power? Don’t make me laugh. You’re just a high-level fool.”
Aside from his ultra-regeneration, Gula was nothing as an opponent. Even compared to another Ranker like the Demoness, he was insignificant.
His attack pattern was limited to transforming his hands into hexagrams and hexagons.
Thanks to the power granted by Aphos, his destructive force was high, but it was crude and only effective against weaker opponents.
Even if it wasn’t Hyun Suho, Gula would have been easily defeated by another strong warrior.
Compared to the formidable swordsmanship of the Demoness, who didn’t falter even in her battle against a bone dragon, Gula was laughable.
He must have become lazy in his training, relying solely on his immortality.
Hyun Suho swung his sword without hesitation.
Swish! Swish!
First, Gula’s arms, then his legs were severed.
Now, with only his torso left, Gula couldn’t even struggle.
Yet, he was still alive and begged with his mouth.
“Argh! No! Spare me! Please spare me! I was wrong!”
“Unbelievable! After offering people as sacrifices to monsters, now you beg for your own life?”
“They’re not like me! I’m blessed by the gods! Please, I beg you! With my recommendation, you could become a member of the Order!”
Even in the face of death, Gula didn’t repent, which Hyun Suho found pathetic, though one word caught his attention.
“The Order, you mean the Order of Reus?”
Hyun Suho hadn’t killed Gula yet to extract information.
The Order of Reus, which even Nova’s search couldn’t uncover.
It was a group so feared that the ruthless Akula hesitated to even mention it.
Hyun Suho had been feeling an ominous vibe, and sure enough, they were scheming something right next to Seoul.
Interrogating this man would reveal their true nature.
“Why did you try to awaken the Dark Phoenix?”
He first asked the most pressing question.
Why commit such a horrific act of sacrificing people? What did they hope to gain?
The answer was both shocking and absurd.
“To kill Silver Knight, Korea’s EX-level hero...”
“What?!”
Hyun Suho felt like he had been struck in the back of the head.
“Silver... Knight?”
There was a prophecy from the Shrine Maiden that Korea’s EX-level hero was the greatest obstacle in their path.
Even the Japanese government had become involved.
Japan, with its top-tier Rankers, would undoubtedly win if war broke out with Korea.
The crucial factor here was Lakshmi’s “Code of Conduct” authority.
A strict command that students must not fight each other.
In other words, those who had received even the slightest teaching from Lakshmi couldn’t engage in direct or indirect conflict.
The reason the world had remained calm with less than ten years until the Death Star’s arrival was due to this restriction.
Furthermore, Silver Knight, Eun Hui-gwang, was someone the Korean government cherished and protected like a gem.
Even though Japan was a powerful nation, harming Eun Hui-gwang would be difficult.
Most talented hunters in Japan had received Lakshmi’s teachings, after all.
Lakshmi’s lifelong travels around the world were likely for this purpose.
But their opponents were tenacious.
They were determined to find a way to kill Eun Hui-gwang no matter what.
"So you did all this for that?"
They had planned to bring the Dark Phoenix down to this land just to kill a single person, Eun Hui-gwang.
Of course, if the hunters united, they could defeat the Dark Phoenix, but by then, most of Seoul would have already been reduced to ashes.
They must have planned to assassinate Eun Hui-gwang amidst the chaos.
“This is maddening.”
Suho had thought there wouldn’t be any major issues as long as Lakshmi was alive, but it seemed he was mistaken.
The Japanese government and the Order of Reus had joined forces, determined to kill Eun Hui-gwang as quickly as possible.
It was possible that there were even more parties involved besides those two organizations.
“Alright, then...”
Just as Suho was about to start seriously questioning Gula about the Order of Reus, Gula’s body suddenly began to change in a strange way.
His body started to swell from within and then began to melt.
“What the...?”
At first, Suho thought Gula was using an ability to escape, but Gula was just as startled by the sudden development.
“No! Lord Aphos, why?! Why are you abandoning me...?”
Gula’s body turned into a sticky slime, and Suho recognized it.
“The slime of Aphos?”
It looked exactly like the slime that had covered the underground cave.
Based on the form and Gula’s words, Suho could easily infer what was happening.
“Could it be... you’ve been discarded?”
Aphos had given Gula power in exchange for sacrifices.
But now that Aphos saw no more use for Gula, he was taking back the power he had given.
“Guaahh! Save... me...!!”
Gula screamed and writhed, but it was no use.
His eyeballs melted into blood first, followed by his nose and mouth.
Soon, every part of his body turned into a viscous slime.
Sizzle!
The acidic slime that had been dissolving the floor hardened and left behind a foul stench.
This was Gula’s end.
“...How pathetic.”
Was this the price for selling his soul to a demon?
This may have been the inevitable outcome ever since he made a deal with the evil god.
Suho had no intention of pitying him.
He only regretted not being able to learn more about the Order of Reus.
As Suho was briefly lost in thought, members of the Cheonrima Guild, who had been watching the situation cautiously, approached him.
“A-Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Is everyone safe?”
“Well...”
Though they had been told to stand back, they were all ready to rush in at a moment's notice if anything had happened.
Now that the tension had lifted, they could finally catch their breath.
Jo Seung-joo spoke in a self-deprecating tone.
“In the end, we were of no help at all.”
Jo Seung-joo, even at his relatively young age in his early thirties, was a Level 6 Hunter, considered a genius during his time at the academy.
Despite running a small guild, he had enough talent and leadership to do so, and he dreamed of growing the Cheonrima Guild to fame and eventually becoming a Ranker himself.
But after today, he realized painfully that he was just average.
“We were out of our league.”
His words carried the exhaustion of someone who had just realized the limits of their abilities.
It was no wonder, given that they had been nothing but a burden in this battle.
In truth, the members of the Cheonrima Guild hadn’t done anything wrong.
The battle between Suho, who wielded the power of the universe, and Gula, who had the power of the evil god, was on a different level altogether.
It was a situation that could only be described as bad luck.
Jo Seung-joo knew this, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
It felt like he had encountered a mountain he could never overcome, far too early in life.
This was yet another stroke of misfortune.
If his spirit were broken, he might never be able to continue his life as a hunter.
In fact, many people quit being hunters after coming to terms with their own inadequacies.
Suho comforted them as he spoke.
“No, you were the reason I could overcome the wall.”
“Overcome... the wall?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I realized my own shortcomings.”
As Suho’s experience filled up, he immediately rose to Level 6.
Unlike when he had reached Level 5, he wasn’t blocked by a barrier of Magical energy this time, because he had recognized his own shortcomings during the battle.
This was proven by the skill he gained upon reaching Level 6.
◆Skill: Blessing of the Machine God
(Aura)
'Applies an aura that increases the abilities of all believers (applies double to oneself).'
'The aura is strengthened according to the number of believers.'
Suho had acquired an aura skill, which was typically only obtained by commanders.
It was an exceptional skill that could be applied even if his allies were not physically close, as long as they were recognized as his allies.
It was far superior to any aura skill he had known before.
With this skill, Suho could strengthen not only himself but his entire guild.
What was unique was that it was a growth-type skill.
“‘Gather followers,’ huh?”
The 'Blessing of the Machine God' was a blessing skill that applied to both Suho and his followers.
'The strange thing was the criterion for what constituted a follower.'
It wasn't people who offered water and prayed, but rather, those who possessed items that had been repaired, upgraded, or modified by Suho's abilities were considered followers.
As expected from the Machine God, the standard was unique.
"Should I open up a repair shop?"
Earlier, when there was a brief moment of calm, Suho had taken the time to tweak the items of the Cheonrima Guild members.
In preparation for the fierce battle, he had strengthened their equipment using materials from the fallen monsters.
Though there were only four of them, it was undeniable that they had been of help.
"Their help was not insignificant."
Suho learned a lot while completing this quest.
The most important realization was that he couldn't face what was to come with his strength alone.
Of course, it was true that Nova could replace the role of several top experts.
Up until now, Nova had been enough.
But to handle the many incidents that were going to occur, more manpower was needed.
This didn't mean he was giving up on soloing and moving around in a party.
Frankly, to keep up with Suho now, one would need to be a Ranker.
Even if he continued hunting alone, it was necessary to run the guild systematically and expand its size.
[I was planning to suggest this as well. If we're going to expand the business and support the Bipo unit, we'll need to recruit guild members.]
There happened to be some good candidates right in front of him.
Suho turned to Jo Mina and said, "You suggested forming a party earlier, didn't you?"
"Oh. Yes! Yup!"
Jo Mina's eyes sparkled again.
"This time, let me make a counterproposal. Would you all like to join my guild? I will support you generously."
They were too valuable to let go.
Moreover, Jo Mina, a tamer, was someone Suho absolutely had to recruit, regardless of her personality or character.
She was an S-rank tamer who had even obtained a Phoenix.
Hadn't they confirmed that it would wield Level 9 power once it matured?
Though it had shrunk to the size of a chick now, it was well worth the investment.
It had tremendous potential.
The members of the Cheonrima Guild were all visibly perplexed by the sudden offer.
Naturally, all eyes turned to their leader, Jo Seung-joo.
Especially his sister, Jo Mina, who was shooting him a pleading look.
Jo Seung-joo made eye contact with each member individually, then spoke as if he had made up his mind.
"We... will join."
That day, the Ex Machina Guild gained new comrades.
* * *
A few months had passed since the commotion.
In that time, Wonsan Port had undergone many changes.
The biggest change was that passenger ships had started coming and going.
"Setting sail!"
Bwooong!!!
The age of hunters and passenger ships were an odd combination.
Both the rivers and the seas had become dangerous zones filled with monsters.
In fact, the ships that came in and out of Wonsan Port might have been called passenger ships, but they were heavily armed, and the seating for passengers was limited to just about 100 seats.
Even so, the distance of travel was short, and the danger of encountering powerful monsters was low, so the ships were only lightly armed.
After a short 30-minute voyage, the ship arrived at an island.
Those who disembarked from the ship, their faces somewhat flushed, were greeted by women who were all tall and slender, like models, and as beautiful as celebrities.
"Welcome!"
The women waiting on the island welcomed the disembarking passengers by placing shell necklaces around their necks.
Perhaps this explained why most of the disembarking passengers were men.
Some smiled broadly, while others hesitated, feeling a bit cautious.
To one of the hesitant men, a woman approached and spoke kindly.
"Don't worry, please come ashore."
Her tone was somewhat awkward.
It felt like she was a foreigner who had learned Korean.
Indeed, her face had an exotic look.
The man's wariness eased slightly at the sight of the beautiful woman, and he gulped as he asked,
"A-Are you really a mermaid?"
No matter how closely he looked, she appeared to be just a beautiful woman.
It was hard to believe that these women were the mermaids who ruled the nearby seas.
The woman—no, the mermaid—laughed softly and said,
"All the women here are mermaids. So, there's no need to worry."
When the woman extended her hand with a kind voice and demeanor, the man completely let down his guard and stepped onto the island.
This island was originally occupied by sirens.
Amazingly, in just a few months, it had been transformed into a tourist destination.
Watching this, Suho nodded in satisfaction.
"It's going very well. Good work."
At Suho's words, Coral, who was beside him, shouted in a triumphant voice.
"Hehe! This was easy!"
