Chapter 170

Boom! Black smoke billowed. A tremendous shockwave rippled out from where Suho's fist landed.

[Kaaaaaaaah!] Javier's pained screech pierced through the air. The screams emanating from his massive, heaving body. And with that, Suho's relentless assault began.

Boom! Thud! Each blow was a heavy attack. Suho's fists, clad in the gigantic gauntlets, began to mercilessly pummel Javier.

[Y-you bastard-!] Javier didn't just take the hits. Dozens of giant tentacles lashed out from all directions, fiercely striking Suho's body. But he didn't block, enduring all the monstrous attacks with his bare body, focusing solely on attacking, and attacking again.

'A head-on fight.'

Even the Tenacity skill couldn't completely nullify all the pain. It hurt when he got hit. His insides churned. A surge of blood rose in his throat. His HP was steadily decreasing but Suho didn't stop. He had no intention of stopping his attacks. 

This was a test.

His father was watching.d

He had been given permission to go all out, to leave the aftermath to his father.

'So I'll show him how I overcome the challenge he set.' Suho tore through the tentacles wrapped around his body with sheer force and continued his attack on Javier even more fiercely.

Boom!

Strength. And Tenacity. A fierce exchange of blows, with neither side giving an inch. The scene was completely different from ordinary hunters' raids. It was like a bloody battle between two monsters. And they had one thing in common…

They weren't alone.

Kekekekekeke! Skeletons swarmed from all sides, trying to hinder Suho.

He ignored them and focused solely on attacking Javier. Because his side was employing the same strategy.

Whew- Crash! Que's spear pierced through the air and struck Javier's eyeball.

[Aaaaaaaaagh!] Enraged, Javier grabbed Que's body and mercilessly crushed it.

Then.

Bam! The tentacle that had pulverized Que also ruptured.

[Harman uses Skill: 'Thorn of Pain' on all Shadow Soldiers.]

[All pain and damage Que receives is shared with the attacker.]

[All damage taken by the Shadow Soldiers is reflected.] Of course, the results weren't exactly the same due to differences in defense and health, but it still cost Javier a tentacle. Moreover…

Splat! Javier's wound was forcibly torn open, and black blood gushed out like a fountain.

[Skill: 'Damage Amplification' increases the damage taken by The Demonic Illusionist Javier.]

Javier gritted his teeth as he tried to stop the bleeding. On the other hand, Harman mocked him with a wicked grin. Joy and sorrow intersected between the two.

[You traitor to the demonic spirits! You call yourself a great sorcerer, yet you have no shame...!]

Bam! Suho's attack exploded on his jaw once again.

[Keuk! You're quite... strong, but it's useless!] Growled Javier through clenched teeth. He was distracted by the unexpected series of events, but that didn't change anything. Thanks to the enhanced magic from the illusion of Sung Jinwoo, Javier was overflowing with confidence.

[Kehehe! Unleash all your power! The more you do, the more exhausted you'll become, while my magic power is constantly being replenished! Khahahahaha!] His maniacal laughter echoed through the sandstorm.

[I am invincible within this magic circle!]

"Invincible, huh..." Suho responded with a grin.

He didn't know much about magic like his father, but he could roughly understand.

"You're continuously extracting magic power from the hunters trapped in the illusion, right? Treating them like batteries?" Suho chuckled and continued.

"That's why I sent most of my soldiers somewhere else."

'To remove the batteries.'

* * *

"Ugh... Ugh..." Countless hunters were struggling, trapped in the illusion.

The S-rank Lim Tae-Gyu was still embracing his wife and crying, but his hot tears evaporated the moment they flowed out. Due to the relentless heat he was on the verge of collapse with severe burns all over his body. He wanted to die here with his wife, but his magic power was keeping him alive.

[Honey, I want to live. I need more mana.] And his wife, nestled in his arms, whispered to him with a gentle smile.

[I need it.] And she tightened her grip on him with both arms. As if she wouldn't let him go until his magic power ran out.

[Honey, let's die together this time.] Lim Tae-Gyu thought it was fortunate that he had a lot of mana, as long as any remained this illusion wouldn't end. He knew that his death awaited him at the end of this path. But even that brought him peace, thinking of it as atonement for his wife. The burning pain in his body was also beautiful. His wife's gentle voice, whispering in his ear, how long had it been...?

[Honey, let's die together thi...]

[What are you, a broken record?] Tsk.

Suddenly a tongue click came from the empty air. And then a horrible sight unfolded before Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes.

Slash! His wife's neck was severed.

[Ah.]

"...What?" In an instant, Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes widened in shock.

Thud! His wife's head tumbled on the ground. So easily.

Fwoosh! It disappeared in blue flames, as if it was a lie.

At the same time, countless cracks began to appear all over his wife's body, which Lim Tae-Gyu was still holding. Then it began to crumble and disappear from his arms.

"No... No... No..." Lim Tae-Gyu knelt in front of her ashes, hands flailing helplessly.

In his vacant eyes, a figure slowly materialized.

Shadow Assassin, Kira.

He was looking down at Lim Tae-Gyu, tongue-clicking, with the dagger that had killed his wife dangling in his hand.

[Pathetic. An S-rank hunter, captivated by an illusion of memory. All for the sake of love.]

"...You bastard!" The moment the murderer revealed himself, Lim Tae-Gyu's once empty eyes turned bloodshot and filled with rage.

His strong hand immediately reached out and grabbed the assailant by the throat. Kira's neck snapped, caught helplessly in his grasp. But even then, he didn't die.

[Hmm. As expected of an S-rank.] Instead, he mocked him in a calm tone.

[If you have this much strength left, why don't you go find your son instead of wasting time on me?]

"...!" Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes widened at those words.

[If yours was like this, what do you think your son's worst memory is?]

"...!" At the mention of his son, the light returned to his eyes, which had been filled with madness.

"N-no! Dogyoon...!"

[He's there.] Without hesitation, Lim Tae-Gyu ran in the direction Kira pointed to.

The Shadow Assassin, left behind, watched his retreating figure and shrugged indifferently.

[...Well, there are parents like that too.] Why did it feel like only he had bad luck with family?

[Anyway, good luck catching him. That guy... I couldn't keep up with him.] With those words, Kira's body dissolved into thin air once again.

And he began hunting the illusions of other hunters, mercilessly killing them. Without any regard for the will or emotions of those suffering from them.

* * *

Lim Dogyoonon was running away.

As always…

This time, from the illusion of his mother chasing him.

[Dogyoon...]

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

[My son...]

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

He ran and ran with all his might, just like when he trained with Ammut. Lim Dogyoonon's agility had already far surpassed that of an E-rank hunter. But the illusion he had created was also chasing him at the same speed.

The memory of his mother chasing him, always hot on his heels. That image, deeply ingrained in Lim Dogyoonon's memory, was reflected in the illusion.

Watching the fierce and endless pursuit unfolding within the sandstorm, Kira gave up on rescuing Lim Dogyoonon early on. He decided it would be more efficient to save other hunters first. So he left Lim Dogyoonon to his father, Lim Tae-Gyu.

"Oh, no..."

As Kira intended, Lim Tae-Gyu couldn't help but wear a despairing expression when he found his son.

"How..." His son was being chased 'just like back then.' By his own mother.

And 'just like back then,' Lim Tae-Gyu was faced with a choice. The situation where he had to kill his wife by himself to save his son.

Of course, he knew… 

Thinking purely rationally. The answer was the same as back then. Now, it was even easier since it was just an illusion of his wife… No, maybe not easier. Even back then, his wife had already turned into a monster. But sometimes, even when you know the answer rationally, it's hard to make a decision.

"Dogyoon...!" But just like back then he didn't hesitate.

Swish! Lim Tae-Gyu's body shot forward. Chasing after his son running far ahead.

'But what is this?' The speed was no joke.

'How?! Dogyoon is only an E-rank hunter!' The gap was closing, but this was definitely not an ordinary running speed for a lower class hunter.

"Keuk!" Worried that Dogyoon might finally get caught and killed, he aimed his bow. And targeted the heart of his wife's illusion, chasing within a hair's breadth behind his son. No, that wasn't his wife.

'It's a Mist Burn.' A person turned into a Mist Burn was no longer human. It was a monster.

'That's all!'

Swish! The bowstring was released, and a magic arrow shot out.

It pierced the Mist Burn's heart.

"Huff! Huff!" Finally stopping his run, Lim Dogyoonon turned around, gasping for breath.

"F-father...?" His eyes widened in surprise.

Relieved, Lim Tae-Gyu collapsed on the spot. But his eyes were still watching his son.

"...Are you hurt?" Along with the rising relief, tears welled up in his eyes for some reason.

And another illusion was watching the whole scene from above.

"Hmm." 'Sung Jinwoo' was observing Lim Dogyoonon with an intrigued expression. To think he would witness something like this.

'...An E-rank hunter. No wonder he feels familiar.' He chuckled.

Suddenly, his hand manipulated a new magic circle in the air.

And then, click.

He opened a 'gate'.

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)