001.
The sky filled with ash-gray.
Screams echoing through.
The demise of humanity was now inevitable.
Five out of the nine heroes had perished, leaving only four.
Even those remaining had become half-hearted.
A bloody battle with the overlords of the extraterrestrial race that invaded Earth.
Most of humanity’s last stand had died to give them that chance.
But in the end, the efforts of the nine heroes resulted in nothing but a bitter defeat.
“In the end, it’s a failure.”
Spoke a muscular man who had lost one arm.
One of the four heroes barely surviving.
The Barbarian King, Quabna.
Once a hunter who ruled all of North Africa.
A great transcendent who had entered the territory reached by only nine individuals in the world.
“Is that the only way left?”
The Archmage Eileen said, lifting her head.
They, or rather humanity, had ultimately failed to save themselves.
But there was still hope left for humanity.
“······.”
“······.”
Eileen looked at Idohyuk.
Not only her, but Quabna and Marcus also turned their gaze towards Idohyuk.
Marcus, known as the strongest hunter of humanity.
Yet he was not the hope left for humanity.
Marcus knew he was not the chosen one.
“Idohyuk. If only one person has to go, it must be you.”
The last hope humanity found at the end of the 20-year war.
The Stone of Temporal Regression.
It had to be Idohyuk who used it.
The remaining four, as well as the other nine heroes in their lifetime, all agreed.
The nine heroes, the most exceptional beings among 8 billion humans, none of them could guarantee victory in the war against the extraterrestrial race, no matter who regressed.
But if they had to choose the most likely one, everyone pointed to Idohyuk.
“···Alright. Leave it to me.”
Idohyuk did not deny it either.
All four of them were the greatest hunters in the world, but if they had to pick just one, it was undoubtedly themselves.
Twenty years.
Since the first outbreak, the emergence of hunters with superhuman powers, and the passing of time.
Idohyuk had spent half of those ten years as an ordinary person.
If put differently, Itohyuk was ten years behind the other 8 heroes, yet stood in the same position as them.
A transcendent talent surpassing genius.
Moreover, an unbelievable unique ability called ‘Copy,’ allowing him to use others’ traits and abilities as his own.
That’s why he was chosen.
What if Itohyuk went back to the past and awoke from the beginning?
The 9 heroes didn’t even know if he could achieve the impossible salvation of humanity.
“I guess you remember everything you need to do, right?”
“I know. I’ve read this how many times now.”
Itohyuk said, shaking out a note from his embrace.
A ‘strategy guide’ filled with various information provided generously by the Hunter Corps, including Hidden Pieces, not only for the 9 heroes but also for the entire human race.
It detailed the strategies formulated by various heroes based on that, including how Itohyuk should grow after his first awakening, which factions to ally with, and which individuals to recruit.
A regression guide written like a game walkthrough.
“…There’s also a list of guys who need to be killed.”
The war with the alien race couldn’t be won simply by the power of one regressor.
A matter to be discussed when the power of all humanity was united.
Hence, those who hindered this process had to be actively rejected.
Not only the tribes like pests causing harm to humanity but even the hunters who were once called heroes if necessary.
Especially Chen Tao, one of the 9 heroes who died in the battle with the dominator this time, and who had unified China, divided into six countries after the outbreak, was the top priority to be eliminated for Itohyuk’s growth.
Chen Tao himself agreed to this.
“We’re out of time. If they catch wind of us, it’s all over.”
At that moment, Eileen, sensing the surroundings with a magical net, spoke up.
Hearing that, Itohyuk took out the Time Regression Stone from his embrace.
The usage was not difficult.
Just infusing it with magic.
Itohyuk glanced around briefly, exchanging nods with the other three.
Farewells had been said long ago.
Nothing more was needed.
– Pahh!
As Itohyuk infused magic, his body was engulfed in light along with the Time Regression Stone.
Eventually, Itohyuk fell down with a thud, supported by Eileen.
“…Looks like he’s gone.”
“I feel strangely relieved.”
“Heh heh. Now, he’ll have to handle all the hardship alone. Our job is done.”
“No, there’s still one thing left.”
With those words, Marcus fixed his pet in his arms.
The pursuers that could be felt in the distance were suddenly closing in on them.
Perhaps it would be the final battle.
“I feel this every time, but these guys are just too rude even when they lack manners.”
Seeing that there was no time to bid farewell to the departed one.
“Huff!”
A violent gasp escaped.
His lungs felt tight, craving oxygen.
Just breathing felt like someone was stabbing his head relentlessly.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Fortunately, the pain gradually subsided as he continued to breathe.
But his body had long since turned damp.
Sweat trickled down his eyebrows, tickling his eye sockets.
Wiping his face, Lee Dohyuk glanced around.
“······”
A faint smile crept up on Lee Dohyuk’s lips.
The familiar ceiling.
It meant the first button of the plan had been properly fastened.
The familiar ceiling of the goshiwon he once stayed in.
This goshiwon would crumble due to the first outbreak.
In other words, waking up here now meant he had successfully regressed to before the outbreak as he desired.
Lee Dohyuk fumbled around his head to find his smartphone.
“June 20X3!”
The timing was perfect.
The first outbreak would occur next February.
That left about 7 months until then.
It was just the right amount of time to train his body, gather necessary supplies, and prepare for the outbreak.
Tap, tap-
Having quickly assessed the situation, Lee Dohyuk opened the memo app and began typing.
First and foremost, it was to transfer the strategic plan in his mind.
He was confident he could remember every detail without a single mistake, having memorized it dozens, even hundreds of times over the past 10 years, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Lee Dohyuk swiftly tapped his fingers, outlining his future plans.
“Awakening is top priority for now.”
His awakening had been delayed by up to 10 years compared to others.
This time, he had to awaken alongside the first outbreak.
He knew well how to awaken.
Getting involved in the outbreak.
Opening the awakening circuit through the magical storm that emerges when a wormhole is created.
Naturally, he remembered where the first outbreak would occur in Korea.
Fortunately, not far from the goshiwon, near Bukhansan in Seoul.
All he had to do was find it at the right time.
“······.”
Having finished organizing the strategic plan,
Lee Dohyuk delved further into his phone to assess his current situation.
As I remembered, a time when I made a living as a part-timer.
Relying on faint memories, I contacted the part-time job boss to let him know I was quitting.
Tasks piled up.
Since I had returned to the past, there was no time to spare for part-time jobs.
Especially…
“What’s with this weakling?”
The first thing that caught my eye was his feeble body.
I thought he had at least some fashion muscles.
Now I see my memories were quite distorted.
Although it was a welcome sight to have my missing arm back from the final battle with the dominator and the scars that covered my body, the feeling of strength that used to fill my body leaking away was hard to bear.
Sigh.
Ido Hyuk clenched and unclenched his fist, checking his body.
Shaking his body around, he could feel the tension in his muscles and joints.
Starting from scratch, there was still a silver lining.
A fresh body with no bad habits ingrained yet.
Before the regression, his body was a highly developed physique, but metaphorically, it was more like a skyscraper built with all sorts of entangled things during the construction process.
It took years just to correct the imbalance caused by the rookie hunter’s mistakes.
But now, at best, his shoulders were slightly slumped.
It could be seen as a poorly built one-story building.
Now, tearing it all down and rebuilding from scratch would be very easy.
The blueprint for that was ready.
How to grow his body.
Ido Hyuk, who was originally a high-ranking hunter, could be considered an expert himself, but even more experts had come together to devise a growth plan for him.
“First off, join a gym.”
At stake for him were the lives of 8 billion people.
There was no time to waste.
**
– Crunch.
His body involuntarily tensed up.
The dagger held in his right hand trembled quietly.
Seven months had passed like a flash.
Without any waste, of course.
Ido Hyuk boasted that if there was a limit to effort, he had pushed himself beyond that limit.
Thanks to that, he had the body he had now.
It was hard to believe that this body, crafted in just seven months of training, had been made.
Of course, measured against its prime, he still had a long way to go, but at least he had met the minimum standards.
At this rate, it would be enough to monopolize the rewards of the first outbreak in 1 minute and 30 seconds.
“…In 1 minute and 30 seconds from now.”
If the record was correct, a wormhole would open in Mt. Bukhansan where he currently stood.
Ido Hyuk slowly relaxed his body.
The pouring of magic with the creation of a wormhole.
It forces open the human body like a baptism.
Called the ‘awakening circuit,’ it forcibly engraves the pathway of magic into the body.
Each person has it engraved slightly differently, allowing them to wield their unique abilities accordingly.
That’s why Ido-hyuk was confident he could reawaken his unique ability, ‘Copy.’
He was certain he could reproduce his awakening circuit flawlessly, which he remembered without a single error.
Recreating it amidst a storm of magic should be a simple task.
He had already successfully reawakened other hunters who had lost their awakening abilities by losing their circuits before coming back in time.
With his exceptional sense of magic, Ido-hyuk was bound to succeed.
’30… 29…’
Ido-hyuk counted silently and looked ahead.
Accompanying the appearance of the wormhole were the vanguards of alien races.
In Korea’s case, they were the Gigant Ant and Quad Cockroach.
One resembled an enlarged spider, while the other, resembling a cockroach, was even more sinister due to its quadrupedal gait.
The particularly severe damage caused by Korea’s outbreak compared to other countries was partly due to their appearance.
“I haven’t hunted bug larvae in a while.”
Of course, to Ido-hyuk, who had been through countless trials, they were nothing but beginner-level monsters that reminded him of his early days.
But he didn’t let his guard down.
From his perspective, handling a Gigant Ant alone was challenging for six newly awakened hunters, let alone the North Han Mountain Wormhole where numerous alien races appeared, resulting in thousands of casualties.
“The lodging house collapsed too. So, I’ve been through a lot.”
Ido-hyuk reminisced about the past.
Though he had been outside of Seoul at the time and avoided the chaos, the memory of struggling with the security deposit due to the complete collapse of the lodging house and the death of the owner haunted him for a while.
It was only a mere 500,000 won security deposit, but back then, it was a considerable sum to Ido-hyuk.
-Kkwak
’10… 9…’
Finishing his meditation, Ido-hyuk tensed his body.
A gradual sensation of joints and muscles coming to life throughout his body.
It was said that there could be a margin of plus or minus 10 seconds in the appearance time of the wormhole.
From now on, regardless of time, the wormhole could appear at any moment.
‘1… 2… 3…’
Therefore, even though the recorded time had passed, Ido-hyuk maintained his body’s tense state and stared straight ahead.
To facilitate the smooth growth of his unique ability, he needed to absorb as much magic as possible and engrave the magic circuit.
There was no room for even a slight loss of focus.
‘9… 10…!’
And at that moment, after 10 seconds had passed!
Ido-hyuk’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“…Still nothing?”
But the wormhole still did not appear.
It seemed like the margin of error in the recorded time was greater than anticipated.
Still, it wouldn’t take that long.
Lee Dohyuk stared ahead without relaxing.
“······.”
How much time had passed like that?
Thud, thud.
Before he knew it, sweat drops were falling from Lee Dohyuk’s body, dotting the floor.
With trembling eyes, Lee Dohyuk opened his mouth.
“The date…”
Had he misunderstood?
Slowly, daylight was breaking.
Over 6 hours of waiting.
The effect was tremendous.
Lee Dohyuk was thrown into confusion.
**
Lee Dohyuk’s wait didn’t end after a mere 6 hours.
“Student. There’s nothing that way! The hiking trail is over there, that way.”
Even after hikers appeared on the mountain from dawn.
“Oh! You scared me!”
“Hey, isn’t that the student I saw earlier? He’s been here all along?”
Even when those hikers descended again.
“Mister. What are you doing here?”
Even after a report of a strange hiker led a Bukhansan ranger to search for him.
Lee Dohyuk did not give up waiting for the wormhole.
No, he couldn’t give up.
The weight of humanity’s salvation resting on him.
It didn’t even allow him a moment of rest.
-Kkoryuk
But being human, ultimately, physical limits would come knocking.
A day, two… three days passed.
Lee Dohyuk eventually had to descend, worn down by continued hunger and thirst.
Of course, the next day, and the day after, he returned to Bukhansan.
Unable to rule out the possibility of a wrong date being recorded.
Or the chance of other hunters’ memories being faulty.
So, a week… a month.
Three months… half a year.
Lee Dohyuk, humanity’s savior, at the end of that long wait…
“Hey, Lee. Stop slacking off and messing around.”
Three months into the demo.
In other words, he was toiling as a laborer.
Lee Dohyuk, who had returned to the past to save the world from destruction.
But the world did not perish.
Imao