Chapter 194
Survival
Son Jo Woo slowly looked around.
The vast rocky chamber was silent and empty, with no sign of a single soul within sight.
The altar stood in the center, the torches extinguished, and the air felt heavy, as though time itself had come to a halt.
"Damn it... where did everyone go?"
The silence was broken by a hesitant, faint voice, as though it were being forced out of a chest on the verge of collapse.
"Son... is that you?"
Son Jo Woo immediately turned, his exhausted body jolting.
"Who are you?"
A brief silence followed, then a low, trembling voice filled with a mixture of fear and exhaustion.
"Damn it...
It's me... Sung Jin-Woo."
Son Jo Woo managed to identify the source of the voice.
It came from the opposite side of the altar.
The young man was sitting on the ground, barely maintaining consciousness.
'Wasn't he the one who led everyone?
The one who told them to bow...
The one who guided them to the altar...
The one who figured all of this out...'
Sung Jin-Woo spoke with a faint smile that concealed profound despair.
"It seems that in the end... only you and I are left, Son Jo.
Tell me...
Is there anyone who would miss you? Anyone who would mourn your fate?"
Son Jo Woo sighed quietly and raised his gaze toward the towering stone ceiling, as though searching for an answer there.
"No...
No one.
Just me.
What about you?"
The reply came accompanied by the sound of suppressed sobbing, an obvious tremor in his words.
"I have...
A sick mother.
And a younger sister."
Son Jo Woo slowly closed his eyes.
Events rushed through his mind while helplessness gnawed at his chest.
'Cain... is there anything I can do?'
|No.
Your power is weak.
Your techniques are beyond this body's limits.
And you do not have access to the healing potions.
You transferred only a short while ago...
You cannot even open the storage.|
'Damn it...
I'm completely crippled.'
He opened his eyes and saw the stone statues moving slowly, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground as they advanced toward the altar without mercy.
"Sung... stand up."
Son Jo Woo moved toward him.
It was not truly movement...
Only a painful crawl across the cold stone floor.
When he reached him, he saw the extent of the disaster.
Sung Jin-Woo's leg had been completely severed.
His face was covered in blood.
His body was frail, barely holding together.
Son Jo Woo grabbed his shoulder and helped him stand.
"What are you doing?" Sung asked weakly.
Son Jo Woo gritted his teeth.
"Damn it...
I'm not going to die here.
There are things I still haven't done.
A promise I haven't fulfilled.
Things that matter."
His voice was firm despite his weakness as he slowly pulled him away from the altar and toward the open gate.
Gathering what little strength remained, he stood...
Then began dragging him one step at a time.
'Cain... can I use my skill?'
|Your magical energy is far too weak.
You cannot.|
'Damn it.'
After only three steps, Son Jo Woo tripped over something and crashed heavily to the ground.
His face slammed into the stone floor, blood flowing from his nose and hand.
Sung Jin-Woo fell behind him, and blood began pouring heavily from his severed leg.
Son Jo Woo painfully raised his head.
The thing he had tripped over...
Was the corpse of one of the Hunters.
A strangely calm smile appeared on his face as he raised his trembling hand toward the corpse.
"Arise."
Pure dark energy surged from his palm and struck the corpse directly.
|The target is stronger than you.
If the awakening succeeds, the target will lose all of its power and return to Level One.|
"Damn it... it doesn't matter.
I want anything... anything that can help me."
The black aura wrapped around the corpse.
The clothes vanished.
Then the flesh.
Then the skin.
Until nothing remained but bones.
The skeleton trembled...
Then shattered into fragments.
'Damn it...
I can't control my magical energy.
The power core in my body is destroyed.'
Son Jo Woo weakly struck the ground, cursing himself.
'If I hadn't been reckless...
If I had controlled my emotions like I always do...'
"Cain... I'm sorry.
It seems this is... the end."
He said it calmly, his eyes closed.
Then—
The sound of something violently piercing through flesh.
He opened his eyes to see one of the statues had pierced Sung Jin-Woo's chest with a long stone spear, lifted him into the air, and then threw him onto the altar.
The altar lit up with a pure white heavenly light, beautiful...
And terrifying.
The light engulfed everything.
And Son Jo Woo lost consciousness.
---
Five Days Later
"There are still no signs of him waking up."
"And not only that... this boy doesn't have any family or emergency contact for us to notify."
"What do we do now, Doctor Jin?"
The voices exchanged quiet words inside a clean white room.
The smell of disinfectant filled the air.
Everyone wore white medical coats.
"I'll cover the treatment expenses."
Silence fell.
"What are you saying, Doctor Jin?"
"Are you joking? You don't even know the boy."
The man called Jin sighed.
He was in his late thirties, with a calm appearance, a gentle smile, clear green eyes, and long black hair brushed back.
A strange aura of purity surrounded him despite the deep scar running from the top of his forehead down to his mouth and the black glasses he wore.
"Do you remember that boy... Sung Jin-Woo?"
"Yes, the Hunters Association brought both of them out of the dungeon.
That boy woke up after three days...
As for this one—"
"That boy promised me he would cover his treatment expenses."
"But he can barely afford his own treatment!"
"I don't care."
Jin said it calmly.
"This boy... reminds me of my late son."
"Mr. Jin—"
"There's no need."
The voice came from behind them.
It was Son Jo Woo...
He had awakened.
"How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
Doctor Jin asked gently.
"Thank you... I'm fine and in perfect health."
Son Jo Woo smiled and patted his chest before coughing lightly.
'Damn it... I haven't fully recovered.'
|You idiot.
You haven't recovered at all.
Your body has neither magical energy nor healing ability.|
'Cain... why didn't you use a healing potion?'
|Am I your mother to take care of you all the time?|
'It seems you're still angry.'
|Who said I wasn't?|
Son Jo Woo sighed.
"Are you alright? You seemed distracted for a moment."
"I'm fine. Thank you... for everything."
"There are some people who want to meet you."
"Who?"
The doctors left, leaving only Doctor Jin behind.
A few moments later, two men wearing luxurious black suits entered the room.
"Would you mind leaving us alone, Doctor?"
The blond man looked toward Jin.
Despite the powerful aura emanating from the other man, Jin did not move.
"It's alright, Doctor Jin. I'm fine."
Jin smiled and left.
"How is that boy doing?"
Son Jo Woo asked calmly.
"If you mean Mr. Sung Jin-Woo, he is fine.
He woke up two days ago.
I'm here to confirm what happened."
Son Jo Woo recounted everything...
Word for word, without altering a single detail.
The man nodded.
"All the testimonies match.
Then... has Mr. Son Jo Woo truly lost his magical energy?"
"Yes."
He answered calmly.
"The magical power core within my body has been destroyed."
---
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