Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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19
“The treatment is complete. You survived because of the poison antidote and the potion administered immediately. Without that, you would have died before reaching the Hospital. Now just observe your condition for a bit longer, and you can be discharged.”
The Doctor who had been treating Sang-heon explained my treatment progress and left the hospital room.
If I hadn’t stockpiled a massive quantity of potions in preparation for training with Sang-heon, this could have been dangerous.
I hoped Sang-heon would develop a poison resistance skill from this experience, but such things rarely occurred among ordinary Awakeners. Still, he might develop some resistance to this particular toxin.
As I waited for Sang-heon to wake, my stomach growled audibly. It was already evening, and I’d only eaten breakfast—nothing since then.

Leaving Sang-heon, who showed no signs of waking anytime soon, I headed toward the Cafeteria.
“Oh? Hello there.”
A familiar face in the corridor bowed to greet me. A woman in her early twenties with an expression that seemed both naive and kind. Her style differed from Choi Mi-ran’s cat-like aesthetic, yet she possessed the kind of beauty that made passersby turn their heads on the street.
“Bae Na-young….”
Her name escaped my lips before I could stop it.
“You remember me. I’m sorry I couldn’t thank you properly last time and just rushed off to Seoul. I had to come urgently. I’m finally greeting you now. Thank you so much for saving me.”
Bae Na-young bowed deeply in gratitude for rescuing her from the Hellhound pack.
“Oh, don’t mention it. But what brings you to the Hospital?”
What business could a villain from my past life have at this Hospital? Was that innocent face a facade, and did she intend to spread curses here? My body instinctively retreated a step.
“Ah, my Mother is ill. Her condition worsened back then, which is why I had to rush up here.”
Bae Na-young’s expression darkened as she pointed toward her Mother’s hospital room in the back.
With my B-rank sensitivity level heightened, I could detect lies or hostile intent and killing intent from others, yet I sensed none of that from her.
I felt sorry for suspecting her just now. Perhaps in my past life, Bae Na-young had undergone some transformation that turned her into a villain. No matter how I looked at her now, she didn’t seem like the villain from my previous life.
“What’s wrong with your Mother?”
“Lung cancer.”
Bae Na-young’s expression as she spoke of lung cancer was utterly gloomy.
Since Gates opened, cancer rates had risen noticeably. Mana and Mana Stones had become indispensable to human society, but people with no resistance to mana and Mana Stones grew inexplicably weak, fell ill, and in severe cases, died.
“Stay strong. Since you’re a Hunter, you can earn money from Gates and buy Elixir.”
Elixirs made from materials obtained in high-rank Gates boasted healing power incomparable to potions, even at the lower grades. At the higher grades, they were nearly panaceas, commanding substantial prices.
However, lower-grade Elixirs, commonly used for cancer treatment, were released to the market in steady quantities, so even low-rank Hunters could afford them if they worked hard enough.
“I wish that were the case, but it’s difficult for me to join a party with my abilities.”
Bae Na-young began explaining in detail. She seemed to regard me quite favorably.
“Would you like to form a party with me?”
Even if she hadn’t awakened her full potential yet, considering Bae Na-young’s abilities from the future, building connections wouldn’t hurt. I could potentially redeem someone destined to become a villain, and since she was still F-rank, recruiting her before she knew better wasn’t a bad idea.
“I appreciate the offer, but my job is Witch. My main skill is Curse, but it can’t distinguish between allies and enemies—it catches all nearby party members too, which is why I can’t join parties.”
Bae Na-young, who had been surprised by my offer, fell silent for a moment, then shook her head with a bitter smile.
Seeing that her job was Witch and her skill was Curse suggested her status window was based on English.
The system displayed abilities in whatever format each Awakener found most comfortable. Consequently, each Awakener’s status window and skills had different language bases.
Still, level and stats were absolute standards—those at the same rank produced equivalent power.
“Actually, that works in my favor.”
“Pardon?”
“If your Curse hits me, that’s actually beneficial.”
I could raise my curse resistance. I’d originally planned to increase curse resistance to counter villains like Bae Na-young, though I hadn’t anticipated raising it through a party with her.
“What do you mean by that?”
When I mentioned that getting cursed would be beneficial, Bae Na-young took a small step backward. Her eyes held a look of suspicion—was this person mentally unstable?
“Ah, it’s because of my skill. I can explain the details after we sign a contract, but if you’d like, I can also advance your medical expenses.”
With my insane Gate-clearing speed, tens of billions had already accumulated in my account. If I didn’t spend it, the taxes would bleed me dry anyway. Using it for a good cause while simultaneously raising my own skill level seemed like the best possible outcome.
“I’ll prepare a contract and send it to you through the Hunter App. Review it and let me know.”
Preventing the birth of a future villain while becoming Bae Na-young’s benefactor wasn’t a bad outcome either.
“Thank you.”
Bae Na-young thanked me, but she didn’t seem to hold much hope.
* * *
I drafted the contract not just fairly, but tilted heavily in Bae Na-young’s favor. I didn’t want to risk becoming a villain myself through exploitation—that would haunt my dreams. Money was abundant enough that preventing the birth of a future powerful villain was practically a bargain. Of course, I made sure to secure everything I needed in the process.
After handing over the contract and telling her to review it, I began eating. Bae Na-young ordered food as well, but instead of eating, she stared at the contract on her phone.
“Really, I just need to do exactly this?”
My terms seemed too favorable, so she asked me. She’d seemed lukewarm before, but after reading the contract, hope bloomed across her face.
“Yes, just fulfill it as written.”
“Then, should I really sign?”
Bae Na-young asked me once more. When I nodded, she signed, and we officially formed a contract.
The contract contained several clauses, but three were essential.
First, while we weren’t in an exclusive party relationship, whenever I notified her of my Gate schedule, Bae Na-young had to prioritize my request and join.
Second, during combat, I was the party leader and she had to follow my orders.
Third, in exchange for advancing lower-grade Elixir, all of Bae Na-young’s profits from clearing Gates would be used first to repay the Elixir purchase costs.
She could have hesitated—what if we entered a Gate together as strangers and she died following my orders? But whether it was because I’d saved her once, or because she was willing to risk her life to save her Mother, Na-young signed without a moment’s doubt.
I confirmed the signed contract. Since we’d contracted through the Hunter App, failure to comply would result not only in legal penalties but also the revocation of her Awakener registration.
“Let’s go buy the Elixir.”

After finishing our meal and signing the contract, I headed straight to the General Affairs Department to purchase the Elixir.
Once I’d paid for the Elixir in cash, Bae Na-young, who had been waiting behind me, burst into tears. Her body and heart must have endured so much during her Mother’s prolonged battle with cancer, but now that the end of this long ordeal was in sight, her emotions finally broke free.
“Payment confirmed. The Elixir you’ve purchased is scheduled to arrive within two weeks.”
“Thank you so much!”
Bae Na-young approached me and grasped my hand firmly with both of her soft hands.
“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry.”
As I awkwardly smiled at her sudden closeness, she seemed to realize she was still holding my hand. She quickly released it, her face flushed crimson as she wiped away her tears and stepped back. She was so different from her past life—almost unrecognizably so.
Yet sometimes, the face from my previous life overlapped with hers, and it terrified me.
Even though the Elixir was low-grade, the quantity was limited, so there was a waiting list. To ensure her condition didn’t deteriorate during the two-week wait, I decided to hire a Healer to provide treatment throughout that period.
The Healer couldn’t achieve a complete cure, but improving her condition was entirely feasible. However, the cost was astronomical—something ordinary people and low-rank Hunters simply couldn’t afford to use on a daily basis.
“A Healer too…. I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Bae Na-young expressed her gratitude to me once again.
“Please, don’t mention it. For today, stay by your Mother’s side until the Healer arrives for treatment. I’ll send you tomorrow’s Gate schedule.”
* * *
“Now then, tell me about the skills you currently possess.”
I conducted a briefing with Bae Na-young in front of the E-rank Gate. Since we’d signed the contract, it was necessary to discuss each other’s skills.
In truth, it was time to move on to D-rank Gates, but I chose an E-rank Gate first to synchronize our rhythm.
“I can use Mana Bolt, but since it’s E-rank, the power is weak and I can’t use it very often. As for Curses, I have B-rank Blindness and C-rank Nightmare. They radiate outward from me and affect everyone in the vicinity. Until now, since I only had Mana Bolt, it’s been difficult to join parties.”
Bae Na-young explained, her head bowed as if embarrassed by her skills.
“What are the effects of your Curses?”
“Blindness doesn’t just steal sight—it takes away all five senses and renders targets unable to act. However, as I mentioned earlier, it also affects our allies. When combat becomes random flailing in darkness, monsters with superior physicality gain the advantage. Nightmare shows the target their deepest fear. This is dangerous too, since it affects our allies as well.”
With more monsters than Hunters, every battle would result in Hunters fighting blind and suffering severe injuries that would render them combat-ineffective, making progress impossible.
“Certainly, it’s an ability most people wouldn’t want to be near.”
Bae Na-young’s shoulders sagged. She’d already received the Elixir payment, and her eyes betrayed her fear that I might back out now.
“But not me.”
“Pardon?”
My answer was unexpected—Bae Na-young’s lowered head snapped up immediately.
“It’s not a disadvantage for me at all. In fact, it’s quite beneficial. My skill is Regeneration, and the more stimulation and damage I receive, the more resistance I develop against it. If I’m hit by your Curse, I’ll develop resistance to mental-type skills like Curses.”
“Are you talking about ability improvements from leveling up?”
“No. My abilities improve without leveling up at all. Remember this well. Confidentiality is a contractual obligation.”
This information would eventually become known if I gained prominence, but I had no intention of broadcasting it indiscriminately.
“Understood. Don’t worry. But that’s truly remarkable. I’ve never heard of an ability like that before.”
After sharing information about my skill, I pondered Bae Na-young’s abilities carefully.
“Let’s conduct a few experiments inside the E-rank Gate. If my hypothesis is correct, starting from D-rank Gates, your skills will actually become combat assets.”
I led Bae Na-young into the E-rank Orc Gate.
“So, shall we test out your Blindness now?”
After confirming there were no Orcs nearby, I spoke to Bae Na-young.
“Yes. Blindness!”
As she chanted the skill, a translucent black aura spread outward from her in a circular pattern.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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