Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 284

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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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284
The power that the being I believed to be The God had created so effortlessly was capable of obliterating this entire world and the World Tree in a single breath.
‘Damn it… one mountain after another. But fortunately, at least it’s not hostile.’
When I fled from The God earlier, it hadn’t used any power against me.
“I’m grateful that you sent me to the past, even if it wasn’t your intention. Because of you, I corrected my past mistakes and lived a better life. But I won’t give you my son.”
“Why not? You wouldn’t have had a child without me anyway, would you?”
In my previous life, Ji-seok had died without even getting married, let alone having children. Since I regressed and gave birth to Ji-ho, it was true that I owed this to The God.
“Just as I cannot understand a transcendent being like you, you cannot understand me. Humans stake their lives for their children.”
“Hmm. The conversational patterns of lower-dimensional life forms are quite difficult. Exchanging only fragmented information is so tedious. Tell me, do you know that child will kill you all? And that the child will also die?”
“It needs life force, doesn’t it? I can take Ji-ho to another dimension and provide him with life force myself.”
“You? Your life force wouldn’t even constitute a single meal for that child. Even if you kill other life forms and give their life force to the child, that child will eventually become a vessel that absorbs even the World Tree itself.”
“…”
“You don’t believe me. What would I gain from lying? I simply find that child interesting and wish to keep it nearby and observe. Isn’t it amusing? The small power I planted in a dying branch came to you, and remarkably, it grew even greater in your child than the power I gave you. It continues to grow even now, so if left alone, perhaps it might surpass even me!”
The God’s eyes gleamed as if genuinely delighted.
“Are you saying Ji-ho will become a god?”
“A god? Do I look like a god to you? Well, by your standards, I suppose I might be considered one. And you’ve already crossed halfway to this side yourself. Not as much as your child, but still. If you continue to grow at this rate, you will eventually cross over completely.”
“If you need the abilities you’ve sown in us, take them back. I’ll give you everything.”
“What use would I have for such trivial power? What interests me is that child’s potential.”
I racked my brain, but facing a god whose words and power held no sway, I felt utterly helpless.
“Oppa!”
Because I was taking too long, Bae Na-young crossed through the dimensional rift.
I looked at Bae Na-young, and she read my mind to grasp the current situation.
Bae Na-young stared at The God and swallowed hard.
I handed Ji-ho to Bae Na-young. She held him without taking her eyes off The God.
“If you’re going to take someone, take me instead.”
“You? Your growth is too slow to be interesting.”
“Does time have meaning to a being like you? I will definitely continue to grow. You said I’m already half-divine, didn’t you? I only need to go the other half, don’t I?”
“Hmm…”
“Then transfer my child’s abilities to me as well. Wouldn’t that accelerate my growth?”
“Do you wish to die?”
“…”
“No, I’m not threatening you. I mean that if you put that child’s power into your frail body, you will die.”
“I won’t die. I can’t die.”
“Hmm. That you’ve survived this far does exceed my expectations. Very well, this should be entertaining as well.”
The God pointed at Ji-ho with his index finger, and a small sphere of light emerged from Ji-ho’s chest. Bae Na-young’s expression was anxious, but she quietly observed the sight.
“Let’s see if you can endure this.”
The God twirled his index finger, sending the sphere of light hurtling toward my chest.
I clenched my teeth and tensed my entire body to accept the power.
“Hmm?”
The sphere entered my chest, but there was no reaction whatsoever.
The moment Ji-seok’s tension eased, light pierced through his body and erupted outward. As if a bomb had detonated within him, his form shattered, yet he desperately clung to his scattering body, barely maintaining his shape through sheer force of will.
My body had adapted to the power of annihilation, yet it proved utterly useless before the true power of The God.
This force was different from annihilation. It didn’t merely destroy—it amplified my abilities. My body overflowed with vitality, shattering and regenerating in an endless cycle.
“Grraaaaahhhhh!!!!”
Regeneration was one thing; the agony was another entirely. My body and soul fractured into countless pieces, and I screamed, yet even that cry shattered before it could fully escape my lips.
The excruciating pain blanked my mind white, and the light in my eyes slowly faded.
“Brother!”
Bae Na-young activated her mind control, drawing some of my pain into herself.
“Ugh… Ack…!”
She was confident she could endure any suffering for Ji-seok and Ji-ho, but what she felt was a type of agony no human could ever withstand. Her brain couldn’t bear it, and black blood streamed from her nose.
As Bae Na-young’s consciousness wavered and she nearly dropped Ji-ho, Violet caught him.
“Together.”
Three minds connected—Bae Na-young, Violet, and myself. The amount of pain they actually absorbed was negligible, but thanks to them, I regained consciousness.
My eyes kept shattering and regenerating, making it hard to see. Noise filled my vision like a broken television, and everything flickered on and off.
Yet within those fragmented glimpses, I could see Ji-ho sleeping peacefully, Bae Na-young’s face ruined by tears and blood, and Violet with bloodshot eyes from the strain of the pain.
I had to protect these three—Ji-ho, Bae Na-young, and Violet.
When I lowered my gaze to the branches below, I could almost see Earth within them. Mother, Mother-in-law, my friends—people I might never see again if I couldn’t endure this ordeal.
Steeling my resolve, I focused all my concentration on maintaining my body’s form while containing the light’s power within myself.
“Aaaahhhhh!!!!!”
My body grew increasingly resistant to the internal explosions, and less light leaked outward. I slowly absorbed the power I had contained within.
The white light faded, replaced by a crimson radiance that enveloped my body.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Ugh!
The mental connection severed abruptly, and Bae Na-young and Violet’s consciousness snapped back.
“Brother!”
“Hey! Are you okay?!”
The red light gradually subsided, revealing my form.
“Hahahaha! You endured that?! A mere speck of the World Tree?!”
The God clapped his hands in amazement, delighted.
“Excellent! Come with me.”
I looked down at my hands. I had transcended several levels of existence. I could feel that I had become something divine myself. Yet even so, I realized I still fell short of The God who sought to take me.
Looking at Bae Na-young, Violet, and Ji-ho, I asked The God a question.
“Can I… come back again?”
“If you wish to protect this tree, then no. Only a fraction of my true self extends here, and the World Tree is already struggling to bear it. The longer you remain in this world without controlling your power, the greater the danger to the World Tree.”
“I see…”
Even while in the Void, I could feel my existence pressing down on the World Tree.
“Brother… you can’t go…”
Bae Na-young’s face was drenched in tears.
“Your beautiful face is ruined.”
I glided toward Bae Na-young, moving through space with the same seamless displacement The God had used moments before.
“I’m sorry for making you cry so much.”
Ji-seok gently wiped Bae Na-young’s face with both hands.
“Ji-ho, I’m counting on you.”
Bae Na-young’s tears flowed even more fiercely. I worried she might become dehydrated at this rate.
Ji-seok looked at Violet.
“You two can handle this, right?”
“Yeah….”
Violet wasn’t sobbing like Bae Na-young, but tears still streamed down her cheeks.
“Listen, unless you want to destroy your world, let’s go.”
The God urged him forward.
“Understood. I’m leaving now.”
Ji-seok gazed at the ground below, offering a wry smile.
“That bastard Gaff… doing something like that….”
Ji-seok compressed memories from his palm, forming a crystalline orb of consciousness, and extended it toward Bae Na-young.
“These are my memories.”
Bae Na-young accepted it without fully understanding what it was.
“Let’s go.”
Whether because The God lacked human emotion or because the World Tree truly was in danger, he urged again.
“It will prove useful if you take it. Live well.”
The God moved first, and Ji-seok followed. Though he hadn’t been taught, he somehow knew how to follow.
Ji-seok had never desired to become a god. He hadn’t sought power. He’d simply wanted to live an ordinary life with his family as a human, yet he had become a god.
Conversely, the Manager, who had desperately sought godhood, had stolen countless lives yet ultimately failed to ascend.
Ji-seok found the irony bitter, but as he drew closer to divinity, his emotions grew increasingly distant and faint.
The two gods dissolved like mist, vanishing beyond the Void.
After Ji-seok disappeared, Bae Na-young remained standing in that spot, then, seeing Ji-ho, moved her heavy body and returned to Earth.
“Bae Na-young! Is Ji-ho going to be alright now?”
Everyone, including Jae-in, asked her.
“Yes. He’s fine. I met a being called a god.”
“…A real god?”
“Yes. But now it’s all over.”
“Um…. What about the chairman?”
“My brother….”
Bae Na-young wept silently, tears dropping steadily, and everyone understood what that meant.
“But…. He’s the chairman, isn’t he? That man doesn’t die even if you kill him. How could this happen?”
“The god took him. There was no other choice.”
Violet answered in her stead, and no one could find words to speak. The sorrowful weeping of Bae Na-young echoed through the Research Facility.
* * *
The war had ended. As the Administrator’s Planet crumbled, all the Gates vanished, and the mastermind, the Administrator, was dead.
Thanks to this, World Tree City was in a festive atmosphere.
The dimensional rifts shook, and many buildings collapsed with casualties, but since Earthlings had been frozen and didn’t participate in the final war, the death toll was relatively low.
As president of the Hunter Association, Director Baek Young-shin had mobilized every idle hunter into reconstruction efforts. Thanks to this, heavy machinery proved unnecessary, and the pace of rebuilding accelerated as if sprouting wings.
“What truly concerns me is what comes after the reconstruction is complete.”
Director Baek Young-shin furrowed his brow as he arranged the regional deployment schedules for the hunters.
“I’m keeping them as busy as possible, but there simply aren’t enough tasks to go around anymore.”
“It’s not just the hunters we have now. As the dimensional rifts stabilize, mana has become abundant, so the number of hunters will only continue to grow.”
Shin So-ra, Director Baek Young-shin’s secretary, presented a report. Crime rates had been climbing subtly.
When humans have excess strength, they cannot think virtuous thoughts. Until now, that overwhelming power had been channeled toward eliminating humanity’s common enemy—but that enemy had been completely eradicated.
“With power in abundance and the Gates—that infinite resource—now gone, we’re not just looking at rising crime rates. We could be facing war.”
Director Baek Young-shin removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He wondered if he’d die from stress before he could even retire.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Alice arrived carrying stacks of books to find Baek Young-shin. After everything she’d endured, no one thought of her as a child anymore.

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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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