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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: New Powers and a Princess's Welcome
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It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“My god…”
As if by some unspoken agreement, the Hunters all stared up at the Ouroboros, their mouths agape.
Its sheer size was so immense that they wouldn't even dare to think of confronting it.
Even though only its head had peeked through the sudden rift, it blotted out the entire sky.
“If its head alone is that massive…”
A Hunter who had been muttering quietly trailed off, swallowing a dry gulp. Then, in a dazed tone, he finished his thought.
“Its body must be…”
It was then.
Slurrrrp…
The Ouroboros, having swallowed Yamata no Orochi in a single gulp, craned its head high.
A large mass, caught somewhere in its throat, could be seen squirming violently.
Thrash! Thrash!
It was Yamata no Orochi, sensing its demise and putting up one last struggle from within.
But with a series of loud “gulps,” the Ouroboros’s throat convulsed a few times…
“Slurrrrrrrrp…”
The Ouroboros, flicking its long tongue, suddenly spat a single sword from its mouth onto the ground.
“A sword?”
As Kang-jun approached the fallen sword, everyone watched him warily and parted to make way…
Kang-jun picked up the sword, which was covered in some sort of venom, and was examining it closely.
Ting!
[The Authority, ‘Mythos Weaving’ (EX-Rank), has been activated.]
[The Creator God begins weaving your myth.]
Once again, the story resounded.
「The mightiest serpent in the realm, the Ouroboros, obeyed the command of its master, ■■■, and devoured Yamata no Orochi…」
「From among Yamata no Orochi's eight tails, it retrieved the sword hidden within the eighth and hardest tail, and offered it to its master.」
Kang-jun muttered under his breath.
“Spoils of war, I see…”
Kang-jun stood facing the Ouroboros and beckoned with his finger…
The Ouroboros immediately lowered its head like a well-behaved puppy.
“Good job.”
With that, Kang-jun gently stroked the Ouroboros’s scales and added.
“You can go back now.”
At that simple command, the giant serpent vanished back through the rift and disappeared without a trace…
“A summoned beast? Is he a tamer…?”
Japan’s S-rank 1st Hunter, ‘Nuclear Samurai,’ who had been watching the scene unfold with a blank expression, asked cautiously.
“Wh-who are you?”
The young man before him had apparently dealt with the ‘boss monster’ of this place single-handedly—the very same one that had subdued him with a mere flick of its hand…
And he had instantly dispatched the serpent with eight heads and eight tails, a creature that the combined advance teams of both nations had struggled against.
It was no exaggeration to say that this young man alone had accomplished the feat of clearing the Cataclysm-rank Gate in Oda, Shimane Prefecture.
Was such a thing even possible?
It should have been utterly impossible.
At least, according to his common sense.
He frequently interacted with the top-ranking Hunters from various countries, yet he couldn't think of anyone capable of such a feat.
Just then.
Kang-jun turned his head slightly and gazed at the Nuclear Samurai with an indifferent expression.
Their gazes met and tangled in the air…
The Hunter felt crushed by an ‘overwhelming presence,’ as if a giant were looking down on him.
“Listen carefully.”
Kang-jun began to speak.
“This victory is yours.”
After speaking, Kang-jun glanced at Jeong Yun-chan…
Jeong Yun-chan nodded once and replied in a low voice.
“I’ll handle it.”
Kang-jun replied with a simple, “Alright,” and patted Jeong Yun-chan’s shoulder lightly, adding in a low voice.
“Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.”
“Yes…”
“I’m leaving first, then.”
With that, Kang-jun kicked off the ground and leaped up, landing effortlessly on Naglfar, which was floating in the air…
Krrrrrrrack…
Naglfar once again tore open a part of space with its prow and began to move unhindered through the rift.
At that moment.
A system message with the same content appeared before all the Hunters present.
[The Gate ‘Colony of Natural Disasters’ will soon be extinguished.]
This was the typical system message that appeared upon successfully clearing a Gate…
“Could everyone please gather for a moment?”
This was the only chance for all the Hunters in the advance team to gather in one place and speak privately.
Sensing they didn’t have much time, Jeong Yun-chan got straight to the point.
“The credit for clearing this Cataclysm-rank Gate must go to us, the Hunters of the ‘advance team.’”
It was time for someone to handle the aftermath.
“It absolutely has to be that way.”
***
Meanwhile.
“Status window.”
Riding Naglfar back to Korea, Kang-jun decided to check his status window for the first time in a while.
It was because of the system message he had seen when he defeated Susanoo with his own hands.
[A new Authority will be unlocked.]
Soon, with a “Ting!” a translucent window appeared before Kang-jun’s eyes…
“Let’s see…”
Kang-jun scanned through the lengthy status window, looking for the newly unlocked ‘Authority’.
[Natural Disaster (EX)]
By consuming a large amount of divine power, you can cause disasters such as lightning strikes, typhoons, and tidal waves in a desired area.
After confirming his newly acquired Authority, Kang-jun let out a sound of admiration, “Oh,” and murmured quietly.
“A truly god-like Authority…”
Pleased with this unexpected gain, Kang-jun next examined the sword he’d obtained from ‘Yamata no Orochi’.
[Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草薙劍)]
Rank: EX-Rank
Description: A divine sword, one of the ‘Three Sacred Treasures’ of the star cluster Takamagahara, that dwelled within the eighth tail of Yamata no Orochi. It is said that only a deity or incarnation who has attained divinity can wield it.
Unique Effects: 3.
1. Phantom Sword: By infusing it with divine power and swinging it, you can create ‘afterimages’ that appear along the blade’s trajectory and slowly fade.
2. Serpent Sword: By infusing it with divine power, you can freely extend or shorten the sword’s length. The range of transformation is limited by the amount of divine power infused.
3. Venom Sword: The blade is coated with a potent venom secreted from Yamata no Orochi’s poison glands. This venom never wears off or dries out.
After scanning the description of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Kang-jun immediately infused divine power into the hilt of the sword.
Zhiiiing…
With a strange hum, the blade briefly took on a ‘mystical blue light.’ Kang-jun then gave the sword in his hand a light swing…
Swoosh…
A faint afterimage appeared along the path of his swing, then slowly faded away.
“This will be decent for misdirection…”
Growing slightly excited, Kang-jun increased the speed of his swings, performing a few sword forms that came to mind.
It was a sword style he had developed by modifying the Heavenly Demon Sword Arts, which had been displayed by the one called the Heavenly Demon, with whom he had once fought a life-or-death battle…
Swish, swish-swish, swishswishswishswish!
For a moment, it created the illusion that dozens of swords were being swung simultaneously.
This was the first effect, Phantom Sword.
Next, Kang-jun aimed the tip of the sword at the empty air before him and, performing a thrusting motion, infused a bit of divine power.
Shyaaaaaa—
The blade bent and straightened like a striking snake, extending by several handspans before returning to its original form.
“I quite like this effect too…”
Weren’t life-and-death battles often decided by a single inch—the difference between victor and vanquished, the living and the dead?
The effect seemed useful enough on its own, but combining it with the first effect would elevate its utility even further.
This was the second effect, Serpent Sword.
Finally, Kang-jun lightly nicked the tip of his index finger with the blade to feel the potency of the venom that began to seep in.
“Whoa.”
Impressed, Kang-jun muttered under his breath.
“That stings…”
His body was immune to even the most lethal poisons—the kind where a single drop could kill a giant—which was why it ended with just a ‘sting’…
Originally, Yamata no Orochi’s venom was so potent that a mere touch could melt a target in the blink of an eye.
“This could be quite useful…”
With that, Kang-jun casually tossed Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi into Naglfar’s cabin as if it were a piece of junk.
Clang, clang, claaaaang…
When it came down to it, for Kang-jun, who had never been one to rely heavily on ‘weapons,’ it was just a ‘decently useful sword.’
“I wonder if I’ll ever have a reason to use it.”
***
Meanwhile.
The ‘Snow White Daycare Center’ in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, was facing an unprecedented state of emergency.
As soon as news of the Gate’s appearance broke, a retractable dome capable of withstanding heavy bombardment enveloped the building…
And ‘Black Mamba,’ the nation’s top Hunter security firm under official contract with the daycare, secured and patrolled the perimeter.
Inside the spacious auditorium.
Hundreds of children were gathered together, laughing and chatting as they watched an animation on a large screen.
A female teacher scanned the room, then lowered her voice to a whisper as she spoke to the other teachers.
“Everyone, this might just be the safest place in all of Seoul…”
From the moment news broke about the Cataclysm-rank Gate in the neighboring country of Japan until the recent announcement of its successful clearance…
This place had been bustling with noise the entire time.
Thanks to the calm and composed guidance of the teachers, the children maintained a cheerful atmosphere, as if they were on a picnic…
The teachers, too, were able to remain at ease, unlike in other disaster situations, thanks to the meticulously prepared ‘In-house Disaster Response Manual.’
“I heard a rumor that the dome surrounding the building is made from an otherworldly mineral…”
“The construction cost is supposedly so astronomical that it’s the kind of dome only installed on some national government residences…”
“Plus, we have the Black Mamba mercenary group, who are top-tier in the security industry, guarding the area…”
In fact, a joke was even circulating among the teachers and parents: “The day the Snow White Daycare is in danger is the day the world ends.”
“Phew. I was so worried because it was a Cataclysm-rank Gate, but I’m so relieved it passed without incident.”
Now that the Cataclysm-rank Gate was confirmed to have been cleared, all that remained was to help the children go home as their parents arrived.
Just then, the teacher who had started the conversation muttered, “Oh, right,” and turned to the new teacher, Lee Ji-hee, with a subtle question.
“Ji-hee, about Lee Seol from the Love Class.”
At her words, Lee Ji-hee nodded slightly and was about to ask, “Seol-i?”
“I heard she’s the child of someone incredibly high-ranking?”
“Really?”
“You can tell just by looking at her daycare outfits.”
When Lee Ji-hee tilted her head in confusion, the other teacher glanced around before explaining again in a low whisper.
“I heard there are countless days where her outfit for the day costs in the ten millions…”
Lee Ji-hee asked, startled.
“T-ten millions?”
At that, another teacher asked, “You didn’t know?” and chimed in with an explanation.
“On days she comes with something like a Hermès Kids Birkin bag, it probably exceeds the hundred-million mark…”
Just as Lee Ji-hee was quietly calculating in her head how many years she’d have to work to save a ‘hundred million’…
“What are her parents like?”
At the teacher’s question, Lee Ji-hee immediately pictured ‘Seol-i’s father’.
“He’s the epitome of politeness…”
Seol-i’s father always came to the daycare in a tracksuit and maintained a level of politeness that was almost burdensome.
At her words, the other teachers’ eyes widened. “Really? Really?” they asked, before sharing their own experiences.
The only thing that stood out was that he was exceptionally young and handsome compared to the other parents.
‘Ah.’
Come to think of it, Seol-i was from a ‘single-parent family’.
Her mother had passed away during childbirth, hadn’t she?
Perhaps that was why she talked so much about her “daddy.”
I must have heard the story about making pizza with her dad a hundred times.
“Usually, high-society parents are a real handful. That’s strange…”
“Right? Honestly, their love for their kids can be a bit much…”
“Hye-won, didn’t you have to submit a written apology recently for giving a student candy?”
“Don’t even get me started. They said their child only eats organic snacks made by a personal pastry chef…”
Then, another teacher spoke up.
“I heard a rumor that the line of S-rank Hunters who attended the entrance ceremony was also because of Lee Seol from the Love Class…”
“I heard that too.”
“Plus, there’s a rumor that the reason the chairman visits every day is because of Lee Seol. They say he just peeks into the Love Class and leaves…”
This rumor had started because Kajan would visit at least once a day to observe Seol-i’s class before leaving.
“Isn’t there also a rumor that the chairman performed a deep bow to little Lee Seol on the day of the entrance ceremony?”
Another teacher replied to that.
“Nah, that’s going too far…”
It was then.
“M-My lady…”
The auditorium doors swung open, and a goblin in a neat tuxedo and a monocle entered, looking around.
“Ch-Chairman…?”
It was none other than Kajan.
“Chairman, you’re here?”
The teachers all bowed in greeting, but Kajan didn’t even respond. His eyes wide, he just shouted as if in a fit.
“Wh-where is young Lee Seol of the Love Class-?”
As the teachers exchanged glances…
“Mr. Gobwin!”
Seol-i, who had been sitting far off watching the animation, spotted Kajan and came scampering over…
“My lady, are you unharmed?”
Kajan asked, his eyes welling with tears. Just as Seol-i replied with a “Yup…”
Thud!
Kajan suddenly performed a deep bow to Seol-i and continued in a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.
“I apologize for my late arrival…”
At this sight, the teachers could not hide their astonishment, their jaws dropping!
“Mister, why are you thudding again…?”
Just then, the auditorium doors opened again…
“Princess.”
Hearing Kang-jun’s voice from behind, Seol-i cried out, “Daddyyyy!” and ran straight into his arms…
“You have arrived…”
Kajan gave the Immortal a silent bow, and Kang-jun responded with a brief nod.
“Seol, just a moment.”
Kang-jun gently set Seol-i down and gave her homeroom teacher, Lee Ji-hee, a full ninety-degree bow.
“Thank you for everything today…”
Faced with the ironic situation where a parent, to whom her own employer was groveling, was now giving her a ninety-degree bow…
“Uh, ah, no, that is…”
Seol-i’s homeroom teacher, in her first year.
Lee Ji-hee’s mind went completely blank.
