Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 291

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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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291
I climbed a high mountain with clouds clinging to its waist and gazed down at the world below. Through the gaps in the clouds, I could see the landscape of Earth—a vista so expansive it seemed to encompass the entire globe.
With time to think leisurely for the first time in ages, I recalled my previous life. I had crawled through it like a dog as an F-rank Hunter, only to die pathetically as a B-rank in the end.
When I opened my eyes in this life, I thought it was a second chance given by the God. Yet I had always carried an underlying anxiety—there was no guarantee that my return would make me strong enough.
I clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling the power flowing through my body. The strongest on Earth, perhaps without rival even within the Mother Tree.
At first, I believed this strength was earned through living my second life properly and diligently. Indeed, I trained relentlessly without ever allowing myself true rest.
But I came to understand that it was merely a fraction of the countless powers the God had carelessly scattered about.
No matter how hard I had worked, an F-rank Regeneration skill would have had its limits.
I clenched my fists tightly and closed my eyes.
I felt as though my past self had been forgiven. The weight in my heart, the resentment that had accumulated, melted away and slowly disappeared.
Since my regression, I had constantly blamed my former self. A lazy coward who only looked out for himself. I had thought that if my past self had done better, I would have possessed the strength to save the world.
But without even a speck of the God’s power, no matter how hard I had strived, I would have peaked at A-rank, or at most S-rank with extraordinary luck. There was no way I could have defeated the Administrator with that alone.
“Thank you.”
I looked up at the sky and thanked the God. I knew it couldn’t hear me. I knew the God hadn’t helped with any intention. But still, I wanted to give thanks.
I had resolved the resentment from my past life and escaped the threat posed by the Administrator.
Of course, since I didn’t know when the world might collapse, I hadn’t escaped all threats. For instance, if the Mother Tree were to crumble for some reason, all the dimensions within it would shatter, and Earth would be no exception.
But that was the same as refusing to leave home because car accidents were frightening. If such a moment came, there was nothing I could do. It was a matter of universal scale.
Besides, I had a premonition that the Mother Tree’s death was a very distant future, and the other body that had ascended to become the God would never simply stand by and watch the Mother Tree perish.
I had completed my mission in this life.
Meanwhile, Jae-in had tried to prevent even inevitable destruction. Amid the chaos of reconstruction, she had begun related research. When I asked if she needed any help, she told me to rest now since I had suffered enough until now.
That’s why I had climbed the mountain.
After spending sufficient time alone, I descended from the mountain. The grand mission of saving Earth had ended, but my duties as a head of household were only beginning.
As I flew toward home, the combat robots that had been active in the battle against the Administrator passed by me.
Their weapons had been deactivated, and they were now being used for damage recovery and public order. Still, I hadn’t expected them to fly out to such remote places.
Robots were an excellent means of replacing the depleted workforce, but for some reason, they grated on my nerves.
“You’re back? Should I make dinner?”
As I entered the house, Mother greeted me. Her skin was so taut that anyone seeing her would mistake us for siblings. I resolved that I should stop giving her my life force.
“I’m fine. Where are Bae Na-young and Ji-ho?”
“We just got back too.”
Bae Na-young came in holding Ji-ho’s hand.
“Dad~”
I scooped up Ji-ho as he ran toward me.
“Did you have fun playing?”
“Yeah, I played with Luna.”
[Huff…huff…]
Luna, transformed into a white rabbit, entered the house looking exhausted.
“…You worked hard.”
[If I still had my original body, I wouldn’t have lost! Fix the Moon already!]
Luna squeaked in protest. Luna had willingly accepted the seal alongside Ji-ho to contain him, but when her true body—the Moon—shattered, she lost most of her power and transformed into a rabbit.
Since she complained of boredom and asked me to play with her, I had paired her with Ji-ho.
The divine power and excessive life force had drained from Ji-ho, but the absorption of life force equivalent to billions of lives had left its mark on his body. His mental age remained that of a two-year-old, yet his physical form had grown to that of an elementary school child, and his stamina had correspondingly reached the level of an A-rank Hunter. Thus, Luna in her rabbit form was no match for him.
“I’m working on it. Just give me a little more time.”
Fortunately, there was a way to repair the Moon. I had driven massive anchors and cables into the ground to prevent the cracks from widening further, and now I was calculating how to gradually close them again.
I couldn’t simply pull without restraint; complex calculations and designs were necessary. Once the calculations and designs were complete, Metalim would also be deployed underground to begin reconstruction.
It was a project that demanded an enormous workforce.
The problem was that there was far too much to do right now. And all of it involved human lives. Because of that, the Moon had been pushed far down the priority list.
That’s why I carried a burden in my heart regarding Luna. I had saved her child, yet I couldn’t immediately repair her home.
With an apologetic heart, I stroked Luna as she sat on the cushion and poured life force into my weary body.
[Hmph. I’ll be watching.]
Luna closed her eyes, savoring my touch.
“Ji-ho, let’s have a snack.”
“Snack! Snack!”
Mother-in-law lured Ji-ho away with the promise of snacks, and Bae Na-young approached me.
“What happened to the brother who went up?”
Bae Na-young hadn’t asked immediately after the incident ended, wanting to let me rest, but now that she thought I’d rested enough, she asked.
“Ah, you mean me following the God? Well, there’s no information exchange happening at all, so I have no idea. Even if I wanted to, I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Hmm… It’s like different dimensions, I suppose? An ant trying to communicate with a human. The gap in ability is just too vast.”
“Are you disappointed you didn’t gain power?”
“Me? Why would I be? If anything, I feel sorry for him. Here I am, living so peacefully and quietly.”
Bae Na-young sat quietly beside me.
“Since Mother is watching Ji-ho, should we go for a walk together?”
“Sounds good!”
Bae Na-young was delighted by my suggestion, practically bouncing with joy.
“Oh, that’s right. Brother, lower your magic resistance a bit.”
“Why?”
“I need to cast a perception-blocking spell. Otherwise, we can’t go anywhere.”
“Ah.”
Being hailed as the hero who saved the world meant I couldn’t go anywhere freely. Requests for autographs were cute enough, but some people would suddenly prostrate themselves and weep profusely.
I understood their gratitude, but it felt like I’d get indigestion if they did that while I was eating.
The two of us cast the perception-blocking spell and walked through the city.
World Tree City had sustained considerable damage, but it was also the fastest place to recover, so the streets were already bustling with activity.
“At this rate, it’ll return to normal in no time, won’t it?”
“There are so many Hunters, and the robots are really numerous too.”
The robots, carrying loads smoothly, welding by hand, or tightening screws, worked 24 hours without rest or complaint, demonstrating work capacity far superior to that of humans.
“Get out of the way!”
A man kicked a robot in the abdomen.
[Please do not litter. Please pick it up.]
The robot, naturally incapable of feeling pain, slowly walked back toward the man and held out the empty coffee cup in its hand.
“Ugh, damn it…”
The man quickly snatched the can when attention turned toward him and hastily left the area, while the robot continued its work without concern.
“They’re used quite a bit for public safety too, it seems. Thanks to them, the city has become much cleaner and quieter.”
“Yeah. That’s good.”
After walking for a while, shopping, and stopping by a restaurant, we headed home with our hands full of bags.
“…Where’s Violet?”
My burden wasn’t limited to Luna alone. I asked the question I’d been unable to voice while spending the entire day with Bae Na-young, just before entering the house.
“…I don’t know where she went either.”
Bae Na-young answered plainly. The mere thought of another woman desiring me was unbearable, and the fact that she looked identical to myself? It was insufferable. Yet because Violet had made so many sacrifices for me and Ji-ho, I couldn’t coldly cast her aside.
“I see….”
A brief silence fell between us.
[I will arrest you on charges of theft.]
“No! No! The child put it in without knowing!”
A child’s mother was dragged away by the robot’s grip, while a child who appeared to be around four years old wailed inconsolably.
“Honey! Drop that!”
Her husband rushed over and grabbed the robot’s arm.
[Release me. Obstruction of official duties is a crime.]
“No! Just let go and listen! Let go!”
“Ah! My arm! My arm! It hurts!”
“Waaahhhhh!!!”
It was chaos.
[I will arrest you for obstruction of official duties.]
The robot issued several warnings to the husband, but the agitated man couldn’t hear its words. The robot sent a signal and called for backup.
Multiple robots converged on the man, pinning him to the ground. Even though they were models with weapons disabled and power reduced, several of them easily subdued a single adult male.
“Hold on.”
I frowned and approached the robot.
[Highest Authority Holder, Lee Ji-seok. Greetings.]
The robot responded while still holding the woman’s wrist.
“What’s the situation?”
[We discovered jewelry reported as stolen in this woman’s bag. She is currently under arrest for theft.]
The robot retrieved a beautifully crafted brooch from the bag.
“I didn’t steal it! The child must have put it in without knowing! I’ll pay for it!”
The child’s mother, remembering that the child had been examining this brooch intently earlier, went pale.
“Isn’t this excessive? The child did it, as she said.”
[There is a possibility that this woman stole it and is using the child as an excuse.]
“How would you verify that?”
[After arrest, the person will be turned over to the Police. If necessary, they will stand trial, and if innocent, they will be released.]
I understood that such a process would never conclude in just an hour or two. These people would undoubtedly suffer in the meantime.
“Do you know about my ability? I can detect lies. The fact that the child put a toy in her mother’s basket is true. I’ll be a witness, so release her.”
The light in the robot’s chest flickered. It was communicating with the mainframe.
[…I obey the command of the Highest Authority Holder.]
The robots released the woman’s arm, and the others let the man go as well.
“Th-thank you!”
The woman hugged the child and thanked Ji-seok.
Her wrists were bruised a deep purple, but fear had numbed the pain. Ji-seok channeled his vitality to heal the couple.
The husband, rising unsteadily, embraced his wife and child, but his eyes held wariness rather than gratitude as he fixed his gaze on Ji-seok.
The perception-inhibiting magic had kept him from recognizing who Ji-seok was, so he remembered only that the robot had identified him as the supreme commander.

The people’s eyes remained fixed on the robot, each wondering when they too might be arrested for crimes they hadn’t even committed.

“Brother.”
Bae Na-young tugged at Ji-seok’s arm.
“Yeah. Let’s head to the Research Facility.”
Both Bae Na-young and Ji-seok agreed that the robot’s actions had gone too far.

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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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