Chapter 3

Potions in this era only treated simple external wounds. They were completely different from the advanced potions of his past life, which could cure internal injuries and detoxify Rank-C poisons just by pouring them on.

The reality that he had truly returned to the past hit him once again.

Kang-hyun looked at Shin-hoo and sighed.

“Understood. If you change your mind, tell me right away. The same goes for any other worries. Don’t suffer alone.”

“I’ll tell you right away, so don’t worry.”

Shin-hoo lied casually. The moment he realized he had returned to the past, he made up his mind: he had no intention of telling anyone about what he had been through.

In his past life, Kang-hyun had died standing right in front of him, unable to even close his eyes. It wasn’t just Kang-hyun either; everyone had sacrificed themselves for Shin-hoo.

He had no desire to burden people who had already died for him once. The coming future was a problem Shin-hoo had to solve by himself, and he swore that this time, he would handle it alone. Besides…

‘It’s not like I have zero clues to clear this quest.’

The moment he heard the words “true savior,” a specific person crossed his mind. It was the person prophesied by Han Woo-yeon, an S-Rank Hunter in his past life who was known by the moniker “God’s Younger Brother.”

‘The damn future? Just give up. It’s already hopeless. Everyone’s going to struggle like idiots and die, and then it’s over. Completely over. A solution? Where would you find something like that? The only Hunter capable of stopping the apocalypse died a long time ago.’

Despite his grand title, Han Woo-yeon was a Hunter with a bold and hearty personality—a man who seemed impossible to shock. Yet, after leaving that hopeless prophecy behind, he did nothing but drink until he took his own life.

Back when Shin-hoo heard that prophecy in his past life, he rejected it entirely. He had arrogantly believed that effort would always open a new path, and that he could protect the world himself.

But the prophecy had come true. Humanity was left with nothing but despair, and cities turned into vast, desolate graveyards.

The “true savior” mentioned by the quest was almost certainly the same person Han Woo-yeon had spoken of. If so, Shin-hoo needed to find someone who was a Hunter, had died early in his past life, and was strong enough to stand against the Nuckelavee.

As the clues pieced together, one name surfaced in Shin-hoo’s mind: an S-Rank Hunter who had died in his previous life, but was still alive right now.

“If you’re still feeling unwell, maybe we should cancel today’s meeting.”

At Kang-hyun’s words, Shin-hoo checked the calendar. Recalling what meetings he had around this period, he checked the schedule set for today.

‘What great timing.’

Shin-hoo saw the name written on the calendar. Today happened to be the day he was scheduled to meet that very guy. Back in his youth, he had crossed paths and held meetings with him frequently, and today’s meeting was one of them.

“I have to go. I need to see his face anyway.”

“…You’re not going to fight again, are you?”

“Come on. I’m not a child.”

Unfortunately, Shin-hoo and the Hunter from the prophecy did not get along at all. It was considered lucky if their meetings ended in just light bickering. They did not see eye-to-eye on a single thing.

“Thinking about seeing him after so long actually makes me a little glad.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. This time, I really will just talk and leave.”

Kang-hyun narrowed his eyes. While he couldn’t openly talk back to Shin-hoo, who was both his friend and boss, his face showed he had plenty he wanted to say.

“By the way, what about the task I assigned this morning?”

“I’ve passed down the orders. I’ll report as soon as the intel comes in.”

“Good.”

Reassured by the reliable response, Shin-hoo nodded. He headed straight for the Hunter Association, where the meeting room was located.

Standing at the building entrance where a massive stone statue symbolizing harmony stood, Shin-hoo looked up at the skyscraper. It had been a long time since he visited the Hunter Association. To be precise, it had been a long time since he saw an intact Hunter Association building.

The impressive structure covered in glass windows had once been reduced to ruins with barely any trace left. When the stone statue at the main gate collapsed, it had caused numerous casualties in the surrounding area.

“Hunter Nam Shin-hoo. You’ve arrived?”

A Hunter Association employee waiting at the entrance ran over as soon as he spotted Shin-hoo.

“You’re early. I’ll escort you to the meeting room.”

As Shin-hoo looked around, the parking lot seemed unusually empty. While civilian access was typically restricted before meetings, it was exceptionally quiet today.

On top of that, the other party’s vehicles were nowhere to be seen.

“It seems the Epic Guild hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Yes. We received word that they would be a little late. Um…”

The employee spoke carefully, watching Shin-hoo’s reaction.

“They said an issue suddenly came up with the dungeon under their charge. They’re late because of a sudden crack, so…”

The employee trailed off, his eyes wavering. It was the reaction of someone who knew how bad the relationship between Shin-hoo and the Epic Guild was.

At this point in time, relations between the two guilds were at their worst. They preferred to communicate through documents whenever possible and made all sorts of excuses to avoid crossing paths. This meeting itself was barely arranged at the strong request of the Hunter Association President.

It was only natural. The Saint Guild was the nation’s top guild, while the Epic Guild was a newly emerged guild rapidly chasing them from behind. There was no way their relationship could be good.

“S-so… what would you like to do?”

The employee’s voice grew quieter. When Shin-hoo took a moment to reply, the employee bowed his head low.

“If it’s inconvenient, I can reschedule. You’re a busy person, Hunter Nam Shin-hoo, so waiting must be difficult, right?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Pardon?”

“Clearing a crack shouldn’t take more than an hour. Rescheduling when we’re both busy would only be a hassle, so I’ll wait.”

“T-thank you. Please follow me this way.”

Afraid Shin-hoo might change his mind, the employee hurried to guide him toward the meeting room, his smiling face filled with immense relief.

Was I really that scary of a person? Turning his head, Shin-hoo made eye contact with Kang-hyun standing behind him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just… surprising.”

“Did you think I was going to leave right away?”

“Honestly, yes.”

The past Shin-hoo was indeed the type to happily call off a meeting upon hearing that the Epic Guild was running late. While he had been stubborn and self-centered in his forties, he was even more extreme in his twenties.

With a twisted sense of values formed while building the nation’s top guild with his own hands and a personality that pursued only pure efficiency, Shin-hoo had divided the world strictly into what was necessary and what was not. He considered wasting time and energy on useless things to be the most wasteful act in the world.

That was why he did it. He had easily accepted the sacrifices of the weak.

To him, they were people who would have died anyway without the help of the strong. Rationalizing that the sacrifice of the few was unavoidable, he had pushed forward with plans that demanded lives.

All without realizing that his selfish mindset would foolishly strip away everything in the end.

“…”

At the thought of his past life, his shoulders stiffened on their own. Deep self-reproach and regret weighed heavily on his back.

“We’ve arrived. Please wait in the meeting room. What kind of tea would you like?”

“I’m fine. I’d like to be alone for a moment.”

Waving his hand casually, Shin-hoo entered the meeting room and sat down by himself. As always, Kang-hyun waited outside. Left alone in the empty space, Shin-hoo sorted through his tangled thoughts. They were about the person who would soon arrive for the meeting: Kwon Hae-joo, the Guild Master of the Epic Guild.

Kwon Hae-joo.

An S-Rank Hunter just like Shin-hoo. He was four years younger than Shin-hoo. Since Shin-hoo was twenty-eight right now, Hae-joo should be twenty-four.

The cries of the people he had heard countless times in his past life echoed in his ears.

‘If Hunter Kwon Hae-joo were still alive, would things have been different?’

‘If only we had Hunter Kwon Hae-joo, we wouldn’t have collapsed this easily.’

Along with Shin-hoo, Hae-joo was the Hunter most frequently mentioned by people swallowed by despair. Even five years after his death, he had still been praised as the strongest in history.

When Hae-joo died, the world was thrown into turmoil. People were horrified by the sudden tragic news, denying reality until the funeral concluded.

And Shin-hoo alone had been shocked by a different truth. Because his cause of death, which was hidden from the public, was…

“I’m late.”

A man roughly opened the door and walked in.

It was Kwon Hae-joo, his curly bangs messy and his shirt sleeves rolled up. It was an uncharacteristic look for someone who always maintained a neat appearance. But that wasn’t the only thing out of the ordinary.

His gray suit pants and white dress shirt were stained here and there with splattered blood, and a couple of his shirt buttons were undone. To anyone looking, it was obvious he had rushed straight over after handling a scene without even having time to change.

Yet, his distinct, confident posture that made even such a disheveled appearance look natural, along with his handsome face, remained exactly as Shin-hoo remembered.

Hae-joo’s rapid rise in fame and the swift growth of his guild were widely credited to his overwhelming strength. However, some also believed his neat, attractive face played a significant role in the guild’s success. After all, even if they said the exact same thing, words spoken by Hae-joo always drew far more public attention.