Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 256

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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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256
“Then you didn’t stop it at all?! It’s still up there right now?!”
Bae Na-young, who thought she was hearing about how I’d defeated the Manager, stared at me in shock upon learning the truth.
“Gaia mentioned strengthening willpower, and I’m developing magic to use it for defense and offense.”
“Willpower?”
“Bae Na-young, would you show them?”
The other Bae Na-young, who had been listening from behind, looked at me with eyes asking if it was okay to demonstrate this.
“She’s not someone who would harm us. Besides, you’re the foundation of this anyway.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I don’t trust her… Well, fine.”
Bae Na-young floated the magical circle she’d developed so far into the air.
“Hmm… You’re not trying to amplify one person’s willpower, but rather gather the willpower of many people?”
Bae Na-young B grasped the structure of the complex magical circle at a glance.
“Exactly. But it’s not producing the power I envisioned yet.”
“That’s obvious, isn’t it? Look at reality straight on.”
“What?!”
“Come on, don’t fight. Bae Na-young B, if you have thoughts, share them.”
“Don’t call me Bae Na-young B. I’ll kill you.”
“If I call you both Bae Na-young, it’ll be confusing.”
“You don’t call her A, do you?”
“That’s because I’m the Bae Na-young of this world!”
“Tch… Call me Violet.”
Violet, the other Bae Na-young, had a rough exterior, but I could sense genuine gratitude toward this world that had accepted her.
“Hmph, Aurora has such a dark aura, and now Violet…”
“Bae Na-young.”
I calmed down the Bae Na-young who kept picking fights.
“From now on, you’re Green.”
Violet pointed at my body, fused with the World Tree.
“This body and that body are ultimately one person, so why the confusion…”
“Saying ‘this body’ and ‘that body’ is confusing.”
“Got it. Then, Violet, if you have any opinions, let me know.”
I gestured toward the magical circle.
“Hmph. I’m only listening because you asked.”
Violet pretended to be reluctant and turned her attention back to the magical circle.
“Individual human thoughts vary greatly. Even gathering just ten people’s willpower isn’t easy—do you really think you can collect the thoughts and willpower of countless people so effortlessly?”
“Who doesn’t know that? So what do you suggest?”
Green asked Violet sharply.
“If you modify this part here and add the magical formula I created…”
Violet pushed the magical circle she’d drawn with her mana into Green’s magical circle, and the color of the formation deepened slightly.
“…You want to brainwash the entire global population? Are you insane?!”
Green cried out upon recognizing the new magical circle.
“You don’t like brainwashing? Ah! Then, what about pain? All living creatures respond similarly to pain. The will of every living being, not just humans, will converge.”
“Ha…. How fitting for a banished witch to think.”
“It’s funny. I’m you.”
“No! I’m different!”
“Now, now, let’s not fight. That opinion has merit.”
“Jae-in! Are you saying we should listen to what she’s saying?”
“No. Bae Na-young, think about it calmly again.”
At Jae-in’s words, Bae Na-young furrowed her brow and examined the magic circle more closely.
“…Ah! Just changing the direction would work!”
“Exactly.”
“Change the direction? How?”
Violet tilted her head in confusion.
“We don’t need to inflict pain. But the method itself was sound. We just need to make everyone in the world feel good.”
“Ah, brainwashing then? You really are a mad scientist—at least we can communicate.”
“That’s not it…. Wait, am I a mad scientist in your world?”
“Then, is it drugs?”
“No, it’s not that either.”
“No brainwashing, no drugs, and you’re going to make billions happy simultaneously?”
For The Witch’s Bae Na-young, this was impossible, and even listening to it, I wondered how such a thing could be possible.
* * *
“Ladies and gentlemen watching worldwide, I’ve returned alive! When you think Hunter Sports broadcasting, think Benjamin! When you think Benjamin, think Hunter Sports broadcasting!”
An excited Benjamin introduced himself on screen, spittle flying.
“Thank you for your patience! We now raise the curtain on the magnificent First Hunter Race!”
People from nations across the world gathered in front of televisions and in plazas with massive screens, cheering.
“Despite the Gates increasing several times over recently, this race has only been possible thanks to our Hunters sacrificing their lives and fighting on the front lines. We express our deepest gratitude for the Hunters’ sacrifice and contribution.”
As Gaia expended her power blocking the Manager’s avatar, more Gates opened on Earth. With Vito dead and several Legion Commanders eliminated, I’d thought things had become easier, but it seemed our damage to the Manager’s army was negligible given the countless enemies filling entire planets.
In conclusion, the Gates increased, and so did the enemy numbers. Had the Hunter population not grown thicker during this time, we could never have held them back.
Only the leaders and Hunters of the highest-ranking nations knew that Gaia was holding back the Manager. Information was suppressed for fear of panic among the general populace.
The general public, Benjamin, and even the presidents of several nations had no idea that Gaia was blocking the Manager, nor did they know the hidden intention behind this race.
“Now I’d like to introduce someone who will assist with today’s broadcast! The radiant flower of the Hunter world! A-rank Hunter Jung Jang-mi joins us!”
“Hello! I’m A-rank Hunter Jang Mi!”
Jang Mi had an overwhelmingly high male fanbase thanks to her dazzling skill of wreathing her body in flames and her bikini armor. Today, for the broadcast, she wore neither the flames nor her usual bikini armor. The blue dress she wore instead of her usual attire looked quite different from her normal appearance, but it suited her well.
“Hunter Jung Jang-mi, everyone has been waiting for news of Hunter Jung Min-gi, but how has Hunter Jung Min-gi been recently?”
Hunter Jung Min-gi had been caught in Jae-in’s self-destruct attack while holding back Vito on Mars, and remained in a coma.
“My father’s condition remains unchanged. However, I believe he will wake soon. My father is a strong person.”
When Jang Mi first heard of the accident, grief had overwhelmed her, but with the belief that her father would recover, she dusted herself off and stood again.
And to become an even stronger Hunter, she honed her skills by slaughtering monsters.
“I have no doubt! Because of people like Hunter Jung Min-gi, we enjoy the peace we have now. Before the competition begins, let us observe a moment of silence to honor the heroes who gave their precious lives for us.”
The broadcast booth faded from the screen, and a massive monument erected before the World Tree appeared on screen. The monument was densely inscribed with the names of the fallen.
The screen returned to the broadcast booth.
“Now then, I’m sure those individuals wouldn’t want us to remain consumed by grief! Today’s competition! A battle, you ask?! No! A flag capture, perhaps?! That’s not it either! I present to you the inaugural Space Hunter Race!”
The Solar System appeared on the screen.
“With many races arriving from different planets and dimensions, and Earth Hunters’ abilities having grown, competing solely on Earth has become far too cramped! Therefore, we’ve expanded the arena to encompass all of space!”
“So if it’s a race, we’re just running without fighting, correct?”
Jang Mi read the lines written on her card with a somewhat stiff demeanor.
“Ah~ Hunter Jung Jang-mi! An excellent question! The race is indeed the primary focus. However! That alone wouldn’t be very entertaining, would it?”
Benjamin smiled with a cunning grin.
“Now then! Let me explain the inaugural Space Hunter Race. Victory is simple: depart from the World Tree, hit each Checkpoint, and reach the finish line. But! Anything goes during that journey—this is an unrestricted, anything-goes race!”
“Anything at all?”
“Of course. Isn’t the world of Hunters one where only the strong survive? But there’s more. In this competition, your cheers will actually give the Hunters real power.”
“Cheers give them power? How is that even possible?”
“Thanks to a device created by Park Jae-in, director of Rigen’s new product development research institute, and his team. If you unite your will, that power will genuinely aid the Hunters!”
Benjamin believed this explanation, but the reality was somewhat different.
The magical device created by Jae-in and Bae Na-young channeled most of the unified will toward constructing a spiritual defense magic circle to block the Manager, with only a tiny fraction actually converted and transmitted to the Hunters.
“Hunter Jang Mi, would you mind introducing the competitors before the match begins?”
“Of course! Competitor number one! My mentor and Korea’s rising powerhouse! Hunter Yang Sang-heon!”
Yang Sang-heon, clad in gleaming armor and wielding a sword of light, waved from the starting position. His demeanor as he savored the crowd’s attention was different from before.
“Hunter Yang Sang-heon has garnered a broad fanbase thanks to his radiant knight-like appearance and gentlemanly personality.”
“Next is China’s rising star, Mei-ling! She’s the competitor who rose above the many male Hunters in China, where the male Hunter population is particularly thick.”
Mei-ling glared at the broadcast booth.
“Uh…? Did she just glare at us?”
“Out of admiration for Hunter Hong Long, she learned tai chi, and Hunter Jang Mi is actually Hong Long’s direct disciple, isn’t she?”
“Well, if she doesn’t like it, she can come at me!”
Jang Mi brushed it off casually.
“Next competitor! Naume Baldri from Luna City!”
“Competitor Baldri put on quite an impressive match with Metalim’s Ridi in the last Hunter Fight. We’re looking forward to another great performance.”
Naume Baldri from Luna City stood motionless. Though Naume naturally enjoyed interesting things, being the object of interest felt awkward.
[Baldri! Didn’t you hear that you need to receive the power of will to get stronger?! Don’t just stand there stiffly like that—do something!]
Luna City’s director sent a telepathic message to Baldri.
Without stakes, there’s no enthusiasm for cheering. This race carried substantial prize money and development privileges as victory rewards.
“Ah… understood.”
I didn’t want to play the fool, but many people were counting on me.
Baldri conjured flames in her hands, drawing the crowd’s response, and Luna City’s spectators erupted in loud cheers. Many residents simultaneously felt the same surge of excitement, and the drone magic circles hovering above the plaza and residential areas absorbed that fervor.
“Director! It’s coming in steadily! Success!”
A researcher at the World Tree Research Institute shouted to Jae-in upon seeing the numbers on the monitor.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. This level is nowhere near enough. Stay sharp! Keep your eyes wide open and monitor your assigned sectors.”
“Yes!”
Alice, Smith, and the other researchers responded.
* * *
“How is it? Is the power gathering?”
Ji-seok asked Gaia, who was holding the Manager imprisoned.
“That human is remarkable. I can feel the unified will of intelligent life converging.”
Gaia’s teal-blue mental barrier deepened slightly.
“But this alone is still insufficient.”
“We’ve only just begun. Trust us.”
Ji-seok gazed down at the World Tree, the starting point of the race. Even from this great height in the sky, he could feel the heat of the competition radiating upward.

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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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