Chapter 17 — After an Hour
For a long time… nothing was moving. The street, once a battlefield of shattered concrete and burning metal, fell into an unnatural silence. Smoke curled into the sky in thin, twisting lines. Dust settled slowly, like the aftermath of a storm that had taken everything with it. Aken layed on the ground, his body refused to respond. Every muscle felt torn apart, every breath dragged against pain that refused to fade. His vision flickered between clarity and darkness, the world tilting slightly each time he tried to focus.
The system window still hovered faintly in his vision.
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[Quest Complete]
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Objective: Survive the Hunter — Cleared
Rewards Granted:
+100 Possibility Points
+3 Stat Points
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For the first time since the chase had started… It was actually over. Aken let out a slow, broken breath. "…Finally."
Miokuo's voice came gently, almost relieved.
"You did unimaginably well, Master."
Aken didn't respond immediately. He simply layed there, staring at the sky above him, feeling the weight of everything settle into his bones. The Hunter still stood several meters away, frozen. Its body trembled unnaturally, like something holding it together had suddenly been removed. The glowing red eye flickered once… then dimmed.
Cracks began spreading across its form, not just physical cracks, something deeper, more unstable. Aken forced himself to move, slowly, painfully. He pushed himself up onto one arm. "…It's still not dead?"
Miokuo responded. "No master, but it is no longer sustained."
Aken frowned slightly. "…Meaning?"
"It should not be able to exist here any longer." Miokuo glowed slightly.
The Hunter's body twitched violently. A low, distorted sound escaped its throat— not a roar, not speech, but something in between. Fragments of dark energy began leaking from its wounds, the same energy Aken had felt before. Cursed, dense and raw. It felt somewhat like decaying flesh. The creature took one step forward, then another. It was unstable, breaking, but still moving toward him. The movement was similar to that of a zombie. Aken's eyes narrowed slightly. "…You've got to be kidding me."
Behind him, a weak voice groaned. "…Is it dead yet?"
Aken turned his head slightly. Jae-Min, still alive but barely breathing.
Aken glanced "…Not yet."
"…Of course not." Jae-Min coughed, clearly in pain. "…Because why would anything be so easy…"
Aken let out a quiet breath, then slowly stood. His legs trembled under his weight, his entire body rebelled against his will, but he stood anyway, because it wasn't over. Not completely that is. The Hunter staggered closer, each step slower than the last. Its body flickering, breaking apart at the edges like corrupted data. Still…It reached for him. "THE… CHO…" The words broke apart before they could finish. Aken tightened his grip on Miokuo. "…That's enough."
The blade responded with a faint pulse, his cursed energy was low, but not far from enough for another full strike. Still, this didn't need power, just precision. Aken stepped forward, the distance closed slowly. The Hunter raised its arm weakly, Aken moved, one clean step, one controlled motion. Miokuo flashed. The blade cut through the creature's neck, clean and silent. For a moment… nothing happened. Then, the Hunter's body froze, the glow in its eye faded completely.
Its form began to collapse, dissolving into fragments of dark energy that drifted into the air before disappearing entirely. Gone, just like that. Aken stood still, watching the space where it had been. "…So that's all."
Miokuo hummed softly. "For now master."
Aken exhaled slowly. "Hope so."
He turned, walking back toward Jae-Min. Each step felt heavy but at the same time controlled. When he reached him, he crouched down. Jae-Min looked terrible, blood loss mixed with shock. His shoulder wound was deep, too deep. Almost like a hole going straight through it. "…You look worse than me," Jae-Min muttered weakly.
Aken glanced at him. "…You got hit. Sorry about that."
"…Yeah… not recommended by choice."
Aken shook his head slightly, then reached into his storage. A small vial appeared in his hand, the D-rank health potion. He hesitated for a second, then handed it to Jae-Min. "Drink up."
Jae-Min blinked. "…That's quiet expensive."
"Drink it." Aken ordered.
"…Okay fine." Jae-Min agreed.
He didn't argue further. With shaky hands, he opened the vial and drank. The effect was immediate, the bleeding slowed, his breathing stabilized slightly. Not fully healed, but alive, stable enough. Jae-Min let out a long breath. "…I take back everything I said about your weird curse."
Aken sat down beside him. "…You said a lot."
"…And I regret some of it." Jae-Min laughed.
Aken smiled. For a few seconds, they sat there in silence. Just breathing, thankful for existing. Then—the system flickered again, a new notification appeared.
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[Hidden Condition Met]
[Curse Resonance — Activated]
[New Pathway Unlocked]
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Aken's eyes narrowed. "…What now."
Miokuo's voice carried a faint edge this time. "Master, something has changed."
Aken stared at the message, the air around him felt different. Not dangerous but heavier, like something unseen had just taken notice. Jae-Min noticed his expression. "…Don't tell me there's another problem."
Aken didn't answer immediately, he just kept staring at the system window. Then finally— "…Yeah, there is."
Jae-Min sighed. "…Yep. Should have guessed."
Aken slowly stood again, his body still hurt, still exhausted, but his mind was clear. Because he understood something now. That Hunter wasn't random, it had been searching for him. "…The Chosen One…"
The words echoed in his mind. Miokuo spoke quietly. "Master, you may no longer be able to remain hidden."
Aken looked at his hand, at the faint pulse of cursed energy beneath his skin. "…I was never trying too."
Then he looked at the destroyed street around him, at the aftermath of the battle, at the proof of what he had just survived. "…Not really."
Sirens grew louder in the distance, Union forces were finally arriving. Too late for the fight but right on time for the consequences. Aken exhaled. "…Can you stand?"
Jae-Min tried, then fell "…Give me a minute."
Aken nodded. He looked up at the sky, clouds drifted slowly above the city, calm and peaceful. Like nothing had happened, but everything had changed, because somewhere out there—
Something had called him "Chosen." and that thing had sent a monster strong enough to wipe out entire squads of Players… Just to find him. Aken closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, cold and focused. "…Let them come, I'll be waiting."
Because if the world wanted to hunt him—
Then next time… he wouldn't just survive, he would be prepared.
END OF CHAPTER 17