Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 285

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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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285
“What is that?” Baek Young-shin asked, observing the thick tome Alice had brought.
Most administrative functions had been digitized, so physical books were scarce—it seemed peculiar that Alice would carry such a volume.
“This? It’s a dimensional map,” Alice replied.
Without hesitation, she opened the book to an unmarked page. Light spilled from within, materializing into a hologram that conjured an entire cosmos in the empty space of Baek Young-shin’s office.
“Ah, so it’s not an ordinary book after all. Is this… our universe?”
“No. It’s the dimension where the Administrator kept his Legion. The Gate is sealed, but we can open it and venture there.”
“…Why would we do that?”
Baek Young-shin had read Ji-seok’s report. Monsters blanketed the Monster Planet endlessly. Was opening that Gate truly a sound decision?
“To harvest resources. The monsters may still be petrified, or the petrification might have worn off. Either way, it’s time for the Hunters to act.”
“But wouldn’t the enemy numbers be overwhelming? The war only recently ended. A full-scale confrontation against a planet teeming with monsters won’t gain approval from the various governments.”
“We won’t launch a direct assault. Instead, we’ll establish buffer zones. Since monster types vary by planet, we can also divide Gate ranks just as Gaia did.”
It would be ideal if Gaia herself created these buffer zones, but Earth had suffered catastrophic damage during the countless disasters, and Gaia’s avatar had vanished once more.
“Director. Resources are never enough, no matter how much we gather. The Administrator is gone, but we don’t know when another crisis might strike. Without strength, the freedom we barely won won’t endure.”
Alice gazed at Baek Young-shin with eyes as transparent as sapphires, and he perceived an unwavering resolve within them.
He had treated her as an adult because of her intellect, but now he understood—Alice was far more than merely intelligent.
“An excellent proposal. Share the schedule with me, and I’ll dispatch the necessary Hunters.”
* * *
Before the Administrator’s era, the world had been plagued by endless wars and invisible conflicts.
While the disappearance of a common enemy was welcome, many feared disputes would resurface within Earth itself.
Yet that concern assumed scarcity. Now, with boundless monster resources and land to develop, no one needed to fight anymore.
What mattered was developing one more region instead of wasting time in conflict.
Led by Rigen and Korea, development of other dimensions commenced in earnest.
As a result, while minor crimes persisted, international disputes vanished entirely. United by a single purpose, the reconstruction of Earth, Mars, and the Moon progressed rapidly.
Simultaneously, monuments honoring the fallen were erected across every nation, and beside each stood a statue of Ji-seok.
People prayed before the statues, and flowers, photographs, and candles accumulated at their bases.
For smaller statues, visitors would touch Ji-seok’s fist, seeking fortune.
Bae Na-young also participated in the reconstruction efforts. Remaining idle at home only deepened her sorrow.
Each time she ventured out, she encountered Ji-seok’s statues rising throughout the landscape, and it felt as though someone were crushing her heart.
“I’m sorry… I need to rest for a moment.”
“Ah, thank you for your hard work!”
With Bae Na-young’s telekinesis, work that would take hundreds of laborers an entire day was completed in an hour. The workers welcomed her arrival.
Bae Na-young flew up to a secluded mountain near the work site.
Sitting at the summit, she gazed down at the bustling figures engaged in reconstruction. Their vitality was palpable.
Bae Na-young withdrew the thought-form orb Ji-seok had left behind and held it in her palm, focusing her consciousness.
Ji-seok’s image materialized before her eyes.
“Hello.”
Bae Na-young’s eyes glistened with tears.
[Hello.]
Hi.
Ji-seok offered a bitter smile and waved his hand.
“Really… are you truly gone?”
[Haven’t you asked that question many times already?]
“…”
[…I’m not dead. I simply followed The God. It’s only that I cannot return.]
“But your memories are here. So why can’t we create another avatar? Make a clone like we did with Jae-in….”
[You know it won’t work. The moment we create a clone, a different soul will inhabit it. That becomes someone else wearing my memories—not what you truly want, is it?]
Bae Na-young fell silent for a moment, her head bowed low.
“Oppa, this place is peaceful. But… I wish you were beside me, even if this place weren’t peaceful….”
[I’m sorry.]
“Well, well~ how have you been?”
Gaff, in the form of a young boy, climbed up from the base of the hilltop.
“…What brings you here?”
Bae Na-young pocketed the soul orb and sharpened her gaze. Though her mood was poor, and despite their temporary alliance against a common enemy, demons remained inherently harmful beings that exploited human souls.
“Just wanted to check if you were doing well~”
Gaff glanced around Bae Na-young, as if searching for something.
“You wouldn’t come to the human realm without purpose.”
“How hurtful! Thanks to your husband eliminating that lunatic, the Demon Realm is safe too, right? So I was curious how you were faring.”
“What, are you offering compensation?”
“I don’t recall ever making such a contract.”
Gaff grinned wickedly. Though Ji-seok had aided the Demon Realm, Gaff had made no formal agreement and was hardly the type to distribute favors without one.
“Well, seems like everything’s fine, and I’m clearly not welcome here anyway, so I’ll be going. Take care~”
Gaff flew down the hilltop.
“…What was that?”
Sensing something amiss, Bae Na-young sought out Violet, who possessed far greater knowledge of the Demon Realm and dark magic than she did.
“He didn’t open the usual Demon Realm gate—he just walked through. Don’t you think he’s searching for something on Earth?”
“But why did he come to me?”
“Hmm…. I’m not sure either. Since it concerns the Demon Realm, let’s summon one of Ji-seok’s subordinates there.”
“Ah, the Vampire Lord?”
Spirits and demons could not directly leave the World Tree, which is why they couldn’t fight in the battle against the Administrator.
Spirits, celestials, and demons dissolve and vanish instantly if they stray beyond the World Tree.
Violet immediately drew a demonic summoning circle.
The magical formation inscribed on the ground glowed violet, and soon the Vampire Lord Valefor materialized at its center, establishing his presence with weight.
“Who dares summon me, the Demon King of the Demon Realm, Master of Blood, and King of all Vampires?”
His introduction was rather lengthy.
“It’s been a while.”
“Hmm. So it was you. What do you want?”
Valefor held his neck stiffly and gazed down arrogantly at Bae Na-young and Violet.
“…Your attitude leaves much to be desired.”
“Hmph. Now that he is dead, I have no reason to follow you. If you require something, pay the price and make a contract.”
“Hmm, a price, you say…? Ah! What if we simply send him back to the Demon Realm instead of killing him?”
Bae Na-young, who had been pondering, snapped her fingers as she spoke.
“Insolent wench…I shall make you pay the price for how your husband has used me all this time.”
Though Gaff and Lilith were formidable, and even in raw power I yield to Marbas, Valefor stands as the Vampire King—the current ruler of the Eastern Demon Realm.
Yet this very Valefor had submitted to Ji-seok as his subordinate, his actions severely constrained. Forbidding a vampire from drinking blood? It was like telling a human never to eat. Absurd.
Of course, Rigen provided excellent artificial blood, but what vampire would eat the same monotonous sustenance every single day? Sometimes I craved the blood of a maiden, and on other days, the rich essence of a plump human called to me.
“Fine. I needed somewhere to relieve stress anyway. This works out perfectly.”
“Same here.”
Bae Na-young and Violet radiated an ominous aura. Two of Earth’s five strongest warriors stood in this very room.
Valefor flinched at this unexpected response. Since he had been summoned by contract, he could wield his true power—victory seemed assured. Yet somehow, an easy triumph felt equally unlikely.
“Ahem…A jest. Merely a jest. Are we not splendid allies?”
Valefor was the first to back down. Having survived so long in the Demon Realm despite relatively modest strength, he had mastered the art of tactical retreat at precisely the right moment.
“Hmph…Gaff came directly to Earth searching for something, didn’t he? What is it?”
“Ah, the Demon Realm has been chaotic lately. Did it reach here?”
“What exactly is he looking for?”
“I don’t know.”
“…Fine then. Let’s just fight a little.”
Bae Na-young cracked her knuckles with a sharp sound. It was not an action befitting a mage, yet her sinister gaze made it seem perfectly natural.
“No! Wait! I truly don’t know! Gaff’s subordinates suddenly began searching for something in the Western Region, and when they expanded the search across the entire Demon Realm without finding what they sought, they came to Earth—I swear I knew nothing of this!”
“They searched the Demon Realm for something, then came to Earth? What about other dimensions?”
“I only just learned they came to Earth. As for other dimensions, I have no knowledge.”
“Go investigate and report back.”
“If you wish to command a demon, you must pay the price.”
“A price? But I said I wouldn’t kill you…”
“Do not overstep your bounds.”
Though I had retreated moments ago, sensing I could not win easily, a demon’s pride would not permit me to obey human commands without resistance.
“And if I do?”
“Sigh…This is of your own making.”
A scarlet mist of blood spread around Valefor.
Bae Na-young and Violet, as if they had been waiting, unleashed their violet mana.
Just as Valefor’s aura collided with that of Bae Na-young and Violet, the World Tree gate opened, and Ji-ho stepped through.
“Mom, I’m home.”
Ji-ho, who had been playing at the neighbor’s house, had returned.
Ji-ho had slept for days on end, a side effect of consuming excessive life force, and had grown during his slumber. When he awoke, his body had matured to that of a ten-year-old child.
Though I had been robbed of the joy of watching his childhood unfold, if this was the extent of the side effects from dying and returning to life, it was a price I could accept.
“Ji-ho!”
As Ji-ho suddenly entered the house where vampire blood had spread everywhere, Bae Na-young cried out in alarm.
“Too late!”
Valefor, seizing the opportunity, hurled droplets of blood toward Ji-ho to take him hostage.
Each droplet shot forth with such speed that it resembled a barrage of crimson needles filling the entire space.
Ignorance breeds fearlessness. Though Ji-ho’s body and soul had grown stronger, he lacked experience—especially against those who would oppose him. He stared blankly at the droplets of blood hurtling toward him.
“Ji-ho!”
“No!”
Bae Na-young and Violet unfurled barriers of mana before Ji-ho, but their timing fell short.
Just before the blood droplets struck him, they froze mid-air as if suspended by invisible chains.
In that instant, the mana shields of Bae Na-young and Violet enveloped Ji-ho in layers upon layers of protection—so densely woven that even Valefor could no longer pierce them.
Yet neither Bae Na-young nor Violet understood why the attack had ceased.
“What…? How…? Could it be…?”
Valefor’s pale face drained to ashen gray as he beheld the suspended droplets of blood.

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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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