Jinhyuk stepped in front of everyone like a natural-born leader, his presence steady even as the tension spiked. "On my count, get her out of here."
We all knew who he meant.
Me.
The weakest hunter among us, and more of a liability than help.
"One."
My throat went dry. This can't be happening...
"Two."
My heartbeat thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else.
"Three—!"
Hye-in moved.
Everything blurred at once. Wind rushed past me as she grabbed my arm, her body lunging forward with explosive speed, but before we could take even two steps—
Thud.
Something slammed down right in front of us.
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
Hye-in skidded to a halt, dragging me back with her as dust burst into the air. My arm scraped hard against the rough ground, a sharp sting flaring instantly before settling into a dull, throbbing ache. I sucked in a breath, fingers twitching as the pain spread up to my elbow.
"...It blocked us," Hye-in muttered under her breath.
The monster hadn't even made a proper move. It simply took a step, just one, and the floor shattered beneath it. Then it was suddenly there, right in front of us, its presence crashing down so heavily it stole the air from my lungs.
"We'll hold it off, take her and go!" Minwoo shouted as the three of them surged forward, cutting off its path.
I couldn't follow the fight with my eyes. They moved too fast, too sharp, but the pressure alone made my skin prickle, each clash sending invisible shockwaves through the air.
Minwoo moved first.
Flames erupted from his hands, roaring forward in a wide arc that forced the monster back. The heat warped the air, bending light, pressing against everything in its path.
"Stay back!" he shouted.
Fire coiled around the creature, tightening, trying to trap it, overwhelm it with sheer force.
For a moment, it worked.
Then,
It opened its maw and swallowed the flames whole.
A fire large enough to consume a house, gone in an instant.
What is that thing?
"I'm going in. While it's focused on me, get Elena out of here!" Jinhyuk said, tightening his grip on his sword.
He didn't wait for a response before rushing in.
Petals scattered into the air as he struck, delicate at first glance, but each one cut like a blade, slicing toward the monster in a storm of razor edges.
But it blocked them... How is it stopping an L-ranker's attack like that...?
No.
It wasn't just blocking. It was matching him.
It felt like... the monster itself was just as strong as Jinhyuk-ssi.
If that was true, then none of us were safe here.
My arm throbbed where it had scraped against the ground, the sting pulsing with each beat of my heart, but I forced myself to focus, pushing past the pain.
I need to see it.
If I could check its status, maybe I could understand what we were up against.
『 Name: ???
Rank: ???
Title: ???
Abilities: ???
Stats
— Strength: 999+
— Agility: 999+
— Vitality: 999+
— Focus: 999+
— Luck: ??? 』
I gasped upon seeing its status. I've never seen anyone with an incredibly high status like Jinhyuk.
Is 999 the limit the system can measure?
"Now!" Hyein shouted as the rest of us tried to escape. But I halted from my spot at the blue screen appearing in front of me.
『 Emergency Quest! 』
『 An Outsider has threatened the system in order to seek ██ ██ ██. Help the chosen hunters erase its existence. 』
『 Rewards: Aerial Healing (S), +10 in all stats 』
『 Failure: Death. 』
"I just got a quest?!" Hye-in blurted, and the others exchanged looks.
"I got one too! It says that as a chosen candidate, I have to defeat the Outsider. The rewards are insane!" Minwoo shouted, the others quickly chiming in with similar confirmations.
What's going on...?
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
You must stay and help.
"Tree-nim?" Even this constellation was telling me to stay, despite how dangerous it was. How could I possibly survive when even the top rankers were struggling?
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
It will not stop coming after you.
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, but now wasn't the time to focus on my constellation. I forced my attention back to the situation in front of me.
"I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm staying. I also have an important quest," I said.
"No! Elena, run!" Chiyeon shouted.
But I couldn't. No matter how many times they told me to leave, I couldn't.
If I did, I'd die...! This damn cursed system..!
Just as the Baekwha girls tried to push me to escape one last time, a deafening roar tore through the air, so loud my ears rang.
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
Make a contract with me, child! You will die at this rate!
I ignored the screen, my gaze fixed on the battlefield as the Obsidian guild members tried to hold the creature back on their own.
"Damn it," Chiyeon cursed. "Stay hidden no matter what!"
I nodded as the girls moved to join the fight.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
The one-eyed creature was surrounded by high ranked awakeners. Although it seemed like the creature was cornered, that was hardly the case.
It stood still for a moment. Not out of fear, but as if it was observing its opponents.
Did this creature have its own consciousness?
The ground shattered beneath its step as it lunged forward, closing the distance in an instant. Chiyeon was the first to meet it.
Instead of dodging, she stepped into it.
Her blade rose just in time, braced horizontally as the creature's arm slammed into it. The impact sent a violent shockwave through the already tattered café, the force cracking the floor beneath her feet as dust burst into the air.
"...Urgh," she muttered, her boots grinding against the ground as she held her position.
The creature didn't falter. It pushed forward, forcing Chiyeon back half a step, and that alone was wrong.
Minwoo reacted immediately, sending flames surging forward from both sides. The streams of fire were sharp and controlled, aiming to restrict its movement rather than overwhelm it.
"Don't let it move freely!" he shouted.
Taewon followed, ice spreading rapidly across the ground in a sweeping pattern. Frost climbed upward, locking around the creature's legs in an attempt to pin it in place.
For a brief moment, their coordination worked. Its movements slowed, and that was more than enough for Jinhyuk.
He didn't hesitate as his sword carved a clean arc through the air. "Fifth form," he murmured.
The strike landed, leaving a shallow cut across the creature's side. It wasn't deep, and that was concerning.
"Again," he said.
The second strike followed immediately, faster and sharper, with petal-like fragments trailing behind his blade as if carried by the wind.
This time, the creature reacted and raised its arm to block.
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, already adjusting his stance. "Seventh form."
The petals shifted, no longer drifting but striking, converging from all directions as Jinhyuk aimed for its scales—
Crack.
His sword snapped in half.
For a brief moment, everything stilled. A weapon forged with meticulous care, worth billions, had broken just like that.
But Jinhyuk didn't hesitate. The shock vanished from his expression as quickly as it appeared.
"Keep the pressure!" he ordered sharply, already repositioning himself.
Even without his weapon, it didn't change anything. He could still fight.
Seo Elena's breath caught before she forced herself to move.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm, she rushed toward the wreckage of the café and dropped to her knees, pushing aside broken wood and debris. Her fingers scraped against rough edges until they brushed against something solid.
Her hand stilled as the hilt of a sword came into view.
This is it...!
She picked up the sword, its surface cold as ice, as if it were rejecting her touch.
In truth, it was.
As an ego sword, a flawed imitation of a greater weapon, it was trying desperately to reach her. But to someone with no affinity for weapons, its voice never registered.
To her, it was nothing more than a tool she couldn't even use properly.
"Human! Use me! I want to cut that Outsider down!" it screamed, its voice frantic and eager.
But it was pointless.
For a split second, his heart dropped. He thought something had gone wrong, that she had been caught in the fight, but instead, something flew toward him.
A sword.
"Ooooh~ A new master? Hooray!" the voice cheered brightly.
Jinhyuk caught it cleanly, but the moment his hand wrapped around the hilt, his eyes widened.
He could hear it.
'An ego sword...?'
The brief distraction cost him. The force of the clash pushed him back a step.
"Gaah! Another weak human? Why am I so unlucky..." the sword grumbled.
Jinhyuk steadied himself, then spoke under his breath.
"Hey... I can hear you."
The sword froze.
"...What?"
"I said, I can hear you."
A beat passed. Then—
"No way...!" it gasped. "Human! Use me this instant! Since you cannot defeat this tiny Outsider, I shall grant you what you lack!"
Jinhyuk frowned slightly. "And what exactly do I lack?"
"Isn't it obvious?" the sword snapped. "You cannot properly damage its hide! I will amplify your ability. Now, use your strongest attack!"
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
He didn't like being ordered around—but he didn't have the luxury of arguing.
Besides...
The timing couldn't be better.
There was a reason he had been holding back. A skill he hadn't used yet. One that could stop Outsiders from regenerating. Because Outsiders didn't die easily.
Even if you severed their head...
They would still live.
This skill was, in essence, a death sentence for Outsiders.
If he severed its head while it was active, the creature would die instantly.
But there was a cost.
He could only use it once before the cooldown began. That meant he couldn't afford to make a single mistake, or it could become a serious problem.
"Move! I'm using an AoE skill!" he shouted.
With Wukong's Eyes, he had already assessed the creature's fighting style. It relied on overwhelming defense and speed, charging head-on without any regard for its own safety.
Whether it was confidence or something else entirely, it didn't matter.
To Jinhyuk, this was an opening.
If it could tank attacks and move at that speed, then the answer was simple.
Overwhelm it.
Cut off every possible path before it could even think of dodging. "Human, now!" the sword urged.
"Tenth form," he whispered.
A storm of petals erupted from his blade, spreading outward until they blanketed the entire area. There was nowhere to escape, no safe direction to move. Anywhere the creature stepped, it would be cut.
Each petal was as sharp as the blade itself, swirling together like a violent storm of knives, tearing through everything in its path.
The creature let out an indescribable sound, something between a roar and a cry, as its body was shredded from all directions.
And in that moment, Han Jinhyuk activated his skill.
The effect took hold instantly, halting the creatures insane regeneration completely. Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed the result.
...He didn't even need to go this far.
With the amplification from the sword, the Seventh Form would have been enough.
The petals continued to carve into the creature, relentless, merciless.
Beside him, the sword chattered endlessly, praising him in an almost obnoxiously bright tone.
He ignored it.
Instead, his gaze shifted.
Seo Elena stood at a distance, quietly picking through the remains of her ruined café, letting out a small sigh as she worked.
At this point, he couldn't deny it anymore. She was something that had never existed in any of his regressions.
Whether her existence would bring ruin or change everything, he didn't care. For now, he was simply relieved to see her safe.