Chapter 7

‘Still, it’s not enough.’

In its early days, the Epic Guild only had one S-Rank Hunter—Kwon Hae-joo—and A-Rank Hunters were rare. It was a guild so short on manpower that even B-Rank Hunters served as squad leaders.

The Epic Guild grew into a major guild in a short time and drew attention entirely thanks to their strictly coordinated battle formations. It was an outcome made possible because every member fully trusted and followed Hae-joo’s orders. But even with strategy making up for lower ranks, there was a limit. When they encountered stronger dungeons soon enough, they would inevitably hit a wall.

Because in the hunter world, rank was absolute.

Shin-hoo and Hae-joo were often compared for building guilds at a young age, but their circumstances differed.

Saint was co-founded from the start by two S-Rank Hunters: Nam Shin-hoo and Choi Kang-hyun. With two rare S-Rank Hunters working together, other hunters naturally gathered around them.

However, as a latecomer, Hae-joo had to achieve alone what two S-Rank Hunters had built together. It must have been twice as hard for him.

Shin-hoo hadn’t wanted to admit it back then, but watching objectively now, it was obvious: Hae-joo was exceptional in looks, leadership, and ability.

‘Especially his combat ability.’

Among his many strengths, what made Hae-joo stand out most was his overwhelming prowess.

Shin-hoo watched Hae-joo charge forward with his sword.

Hae-joo was called the “Weapon Master.” True to the title, he handled various weapons like extensions of his own body. Swords, spears, bows, axes, whips—he adapted by using the right weapon against each monster type. Thanks to this, he was the only hunter who could fight any monster without facing elemental or matchup disadvantages.

Resting his chin on his hand, Shin-hoo watched Hae-joo with dissatisfaction. He was certainly strong, but in Shin-hoo’s eyes, it wasn’t enough. The Hae-joo he remembered wasn’t just at this level.

‘I really need to find that weapon for him first.’

The reason Hae-joo used so many weapons at this time was because he was too strong. Few weapons could fully withstand his power, so he had to rotate through different types.

However, the Hae-joo Shin-hoo remembered only used a single weapon: the shapeshifting, formless weapon Jinmu, which altered its shape according to the user’s will. It was his signature weapon, which he would obtain a few years from now.

Once he obtained Jinmu, Hae-joo shed the title of Weapon Master and was called the “Ruler.”

The future Shin-hoo wanted wasn’t just a future where humanity merely survived. He dreamed of a future where damage was minimized and humanity achieved a bloodless victory.

‘I need to speed up the timeline for him to get Jinmu.’

Just as Shin-hoo was searching his memory, trying to recall where Jinmu had been discovered—

“Watch out!”

A beam of white light shot toward him. Shin-hoo instinctively reached out and caught it.

Watching the monster wrap around his wrist, burn his skin, and quickly crawl up toward his forearm, he grabbed and ripped it off with his other hand.

With a soft thud, an earthworm-shaped monster made of light dropped to the ground.

“…Huh?”

“He grabbed that with his bare hands…?”

The Epic Guild members’ eyes went wide. They looked back and forth between the sizzling monster burning the ground and Shin-hoo’s completely unharmed arm.

Crushing the worm beneath his shoe, Shin-hoo signaled with his hand.

“Focus. Dead ahead, one o’clock.”

“A-ah, yes!”

Following Shin-hoo’s command, the Epic Guild members immediately guarded the indicated direction. Even while doing so, they kept glancing sideways at him. Getting distracted during battle—they still have a long way to go.

Unfortunately, weapons weren’t the only thing Hae-joo lacked right now.

Until his death, Hae-joo never had anyone by his side who could truly be called an advisor. Even as the guild grew, recruited more S-Rank Hunters, and expanded its influence, Hae-joo was always alone.

As far as Shin-hoo knew, he was someone who always stood alone at the very front. Hae-joo, who seemed to have everything, had terrible luck when it came to the people around him.

Was that why he made such an extreme choice? Because he had no one by his side to steady him when he faltered…

‘Hmm…’

Shin-hoo recalled the past bitterly. A sudden memory from his previous life came to mind.

—We bring you tragic news today. Hunter Kwon Hae-joo, the S-Rank Hunter representing South Korea, passed away early this morning at the age of 36. Those close to him could not hide their grief at this sudden tragedy…

It was the 7:00 AM news on a heavily rainy day. The news of Hae-joo’s death shook the entire world. A state funeral was held, followed by months of tragic mourning that left many feeling helpless. Grieving citizens gathered in plazas, sobbing as long lines formed to lay flowers for him.

After that long mourning period, just as people seemed to be calming down, a new fact was revealed. The late news threw the world into shock once again: a truth just as shocking as his death itself—his cause of death.

Suicide.

Kwon Hae-joo, hailed as the strongest hunter in the world, had taken his own life.

“Moving to the boss room shortly.”

Standing at the front, Hae-joo called out across the dungeon. Pulled from his thoughts, Shin-hoo looked up. A pitch-black, dangerous-looking portal swirled on the wall.

“Any hunter whose mana has dropped below 30%, fall back. Rejoin the fight once you recover to 80% or more.”

“Understood!”

“Squad 3, check your spells and buff durations.”

“A-ah, understood. Buffs… and… spells.”

“Pull it together, Squad 3.”

“Yes…!”

Among the various orders being issued, one squad gave noticeably hesitant replies. Squad 3, was it? Looking over the members out of curiosity, Shin-hoo furrowed his brows.

There was a familiar face in Squad 3. It wasn’t someone close to Shin-hoo, but he knew who he was.

The gentle-looking man whose bangs covered his eyebrows was the A-Rank squad leader of Squad 3: Kwon Shin-joo. He was a hunter far more famous for being Kwon Hae-joo’s younger brother than for his own name.

‘I guess he’s still alive at this point.’

Shin-joo had died before Hae-joo. Not long after becoming a hunter, he died during a dungeon subjugation. Because it happened so early on, Shin-hoo couldn’t clearly remember the exact time of death. Gripped by grief, Hae-joo had halted all activities for several months. Shin-hoo only remembered the trouble he went through filling that sudden void.

Hae-joo had lost his parents at a young age, and then lost his brother—his only remaining family—in a dungeon.

Shin-hoo looked at the back of Hae-joo, who was preparing to enter the boss room. Could saving his brother prevent his suicide? Having even one family member around might steady him when he wavers.

‘If only it were that simple.’

Nothing was certain. He really needed to meet the God’s Younger Brother soon. Just as Shin-hoo was thinking that he should ask him who the savior was and whether saving the brother could prevent Hae-joo’s suicide, a shadow fell over his vision.

“…What are you scheming?”

“Hm?”

While he was lost in thought, Hae-joo had walked right up in front of him. Brushing off monster blood from his combat suit, Hae-joo looked down at Shin-hoo. Curly hair falling below his thick eyebrows cast a shadow over the bridge of his nose.

“The dungeon will be cleared soon. Speak up. Why did you follow me all the way here?”

“I told you, I came to gather herbs. If you’ll permit it, I’d like to head over to the gathering team right now.”

“…”

Biting his lip, Hae-joo suppressed his rising irritation. His true feelings were written plain on his face. Seeing him act more naive than he remembered, Shin-hoo felt like teasing him.

“If you need my help, just say the word. It’s natural to feel nervous before a boss room. If needed, I could fight alongside you…”

“I don’t need it.”

“Since we don’t know what type of boss will appear, wouldn’t cooperating be better?”

Hae-joo’s face twisted in annoyance.

“Just stay right here. Don’t even think about stepping into the boss room.”

Gritting his teeth, Hae-joo glanced at the gathering basket in Shin-hoo’s hand and muttered under his breath:

“Like a proper herbalist.”

His hostility was sharp. Shin-hoo raised both hands and shrugged.

“What a shame. I could have been quite helpful.”

Deeming it not worth listening to further, Hae-joo turned and walked away. He then led the regrouped guild members through the portal without hesitation. Left behind among the injured hunters and the gathering team, Shin-hoo scratched his cheek.

It would be troublesome if he kept getting hated like this. But suddenly changing his attitude to act friendly would be just as strange. Above all, Shin-hoo’s personality simply wasn’t built that way.

His body was twenty-eight, but his mind was forty-five. For Shin-hoo, who had stayed at the top of the food chain for twenty years, the hardest thing was catering to others’ moods. On top of that, acting friendly toward someone he had viewed as a rival was next to impossible.

‘Nothing can be done about it. I should focus on what I can do.’

In the end, Shin-hoo’s goals were Hae-joo’s survival and the subjugation of the Nuckelavee. There was no real need to build a deep friendship with him anyway.