Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 76

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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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76
No sunlight penetrated the underground cavity. Only scattered luminescent moss and stones along the walls provided a faint glow, enough to see by. My enhanced vision posed no difficulty, but my sense of time had begun to blur. How long had I been here?
During that endless stretch of time, I absorbed life force from The Swamp. With each repetition, the scope and volume of my absorption expanded gradually.
After much longer had passed, the water level of The Swamp had noticeably dropped compared to when I first arrived.
I channeled the life force I’d absorbed from The Swamp into the roots. Each time, the shattered roots regenerated vigorously, and finally they reached The Swamp itself. Now the roots drew life force directly from The Swamp.
“Now this is becoming useful. What if you remained here and continued cleaning?”
“… Didn’t you promise to release me once I finished cleaning everything?”
Outside the time spent absorbing life force from The Swamp, I’d also cleared away collapsed soil and stone, leaving the cavity in quite pristine condition.
“Hmph. I was merely jesting.”
Darkness waved her hand, and the sleeping gown she wore transformed into an elegant traveling dress.
“Let’s go.”
The earth along the smooth wall before her shifted and compressed, creating a passage far larger than necessary for two to pass through. I’d never imagined moving such a volume of soil through magic. With such power, there had been no point in my cleaning at all.
We climbed the slanted passage in silence for a long while until its end came into view. After such an extended time underground, I finally emerged into daylight.
Beyond the Cave lay a forest. Or could it even be called a forest? Directly ahead of the passage’s exit stood a tree so immense that its boundaries disappeared from sight.
The tree towered as if piercing the heavens, its trunk diameter spanning hundreds of meters. Its branches spread across several kilometers in all directions. Beneath it, other trees grew to over ten meters despite receiving no direct sunlight—substantial trees by any measure, yet they seemed like weeds compared to this colossal being.
It was undoubtedly the same tree whose roots extended deep underground.
Emerging outside, I noticed something had changed. The life force permeating the world felt vivid against my skin, visible to my eyes. Underground, there had been almost nothing to sense, so I hadn’t realized. The training in The Swamp must have heightened my sensitivity to life force to an extraordinary degree. This opened new possibilities for detection and exploration.
“Humans call this the World Tree.”
As I quietly absorbed the abundant life force of the forest, Eres added her remark.
“I’ve only heard stories about it.”
“It’s not quite as grand as the tales suggest.”
“I see. Then I should get going.”
I wanted to marvel at the tree later—right now, I needed to escape Darkness’s presence.
“Do you know how to reach your world?”
“…”
Of course I didn’t.
Franklin had made a contract with a demon to come to Earth, and Sono Rim had received something from a great being. In other words, I couldn’t simply ask some neighborhood mage for directions.
“From beginning to end, you’re a foolish creature. I shall send you.”
“Really?”
“What purpose would a being of my stature have in deceiving a speck like you? How disrespectful.”
“Thank you.”
“Then let’s go.”
“… Do we walk? Couldn’t you use spatial displacement or something?”
“I won’t open it here.”
“You won’t, or you can’t?”
“You’re becoming increasingly presumptuous. Shall I throw you back into The Swamp?”
“No, I apologize.”
“Tsk…. Humans have erected a Barrier Wall here. It’s not that I cannot move through it, but doing so would shatter their barrier.”
“Would that be a problem?”
“Among us primordial beings, there exists a rule: refrain from unnecessary interference in the human world.”
“So you’re not sealing the Gate either?”
“Well, that’s how it is.”
“Ah… but what about me?”
She claimed non-interference, yet here I was, confined and forced to work. Was that even allowed?
“… You’re not from this world, so it’s fine.”
Darkness lifted her foot without bothering to respond further. She took a single light step, and her body surged forward effortlessly.
I accelerated, desperate not to lose sight of her receding figure.
Darkness seemed to barely brush the rocks and grass beneath her feet, yet she moved forward at a speed that defied the laws of physics.
“Huff… huff…”
Even burning my life force as fuel and running at maximum speed, the distance between us widened relentlessly. What infuriated me most was the serene expression on Darkness’s face as she glanced back at me.
I watched until she vanished into a speck, then collapsed onto the ground.
“Huff… huff…”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this breathless.
I’d run long distances before, but never like this—pushing every step to its absolute limit for such an extended duration. Without the ability Darkness had granted me to absorb life force from my surroundings, this would have been impossible.
Yet even with abundant absorbed life force, my body couldn’t utilize it efficiently. What good was an ocean of fuel when my engine was that of a compact car?
“You really… lack talent.”
Darkness had returned without warning, looking down at me with pity.
“Once you’ve rested, we’ll go slowly. Follow me again.”
Less than five seconds after Darkness returned, she set off once more.
“Sigh…”
I was exasperated. My breathing was still ragged, but I ran again.
Darkness left no footprints and no scent. If I lost her, it was over. I pushed myself to my absolute limit to keep up.
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Stamina has increased by 1.]
My stats rose incrementally, and the amount of life force I burned increased accordingly. Thanks to the accelerated growth, my speed improved dramatically.
During a brief rest, I opened my status window for the first time in ages.
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Name: Lee Ji-seok
Occupation: Unemployed
Level: 50
Strength 122 (171), Stamina 126 (177), Agility 119 (167), Intelligence 55 (77), Life Force 1260, Mana 452.5
Skills: Regeneration A, Hardened Body A, Indomitable Spirit A, Poison Resistance B, Keen Senses A, Toxic Blood A
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I was still bothered by my lack of occupation, but these stats—inflated by roughly forty percent—were something no S-rank Hunter possessed. Of course, if Jung Min-gi used his skills, he could move several times faster than my stats suggested, so he might still be quicker than me. But I no longer felt completely helpless against him like last time.
I watched Darkness standing quietly beside me, surveying the surroundings. Even with these increased stats, I couldn’t muster the slightest thought of challenging that being. If there were entities like her among those I’d have to fight, hope seemed lost.
“You’ve gotten a bit faster.”
Though still catching my breath, I managed a confident smile as I caught up beside her.
“There’s no need to go slowly anymore.”
With those words, her speed doubled from what it had been.
“W-wait… just a moment… please hold on…!”
Since arriving in Telus, this had become my most frequent plea.
* * *
They said Telus was vast, and running at hundreds of kilometers per hour, it took several hours before I finally emerged from the forest. Of course, Darkness had stopped a few times because of me.
“What an enormous forest.”
Bracing my hands on my knees to catch my breath, I turned back to see the forest we’d escaped stretching endlessly behind us.
“Let’s go. We have far to travel.”
Darkness slowed her pace.
“Why aren’t you going faster?”
“Running like that here draws attention.”
I looked around, but saw no one.
“Then knowing that, follow me.”
Darkness took the lead. It seemed pointless to voice my opinion anyway, so I followed behind her.
“What kind of place is your world?”
After walking a bit, Darkness asked, apparently bored.
“Isn’t every place where people live pretty much the same?”
“How utterly uninspired of you.”
“Well… it’s a world where machines are more developed than magic.”
“Machines are more useful than magic?”
“Magic itself is something we only recently acquired. We didn’t have mana to begin with.”
“But you possess life force, do you not?”
“We couldn’t harness it.”
“Truly, you come from a difficult place to live.”
“I don’t know about that. It’s incredibly convenient, actually. With machines, we can solve almost anything. Thanks to that, our population has exceeded five billion.”
Many died in the first Gate Break incident twenty years ago, and we’ve only climbed back to that number.
“Oh… five billion? That is quite a lot.”
After chatting and walking briskly for several hours, a fortress wall came into view.
“Before we enter, I’ll teach you the common tongue of Telus.”
Darkness placed her hand on my head.
“The Telus language?”
“You cannot speak the language here, can you?”
“But I understand what you’re saying, Darkness…”
The first meeting had been so intense that I hadn’t even thought to question how we were communicating. It helped that everyone in Telus seemed to understand me.
“Fool. A being of my caliber does not convey intent through mere words. Words are merely form. I transmit my will directly into your mind.”
Ah, so that’s how I understood Gaff too? He hadn’t kindly spoken to me in Korean after all.
“Insolent wretch. How dare you compare Gaff to me?”
“I apologize…!”
Darkness placed her hand on my head, and I felt nothing at all—
“Gahhh!”
Information crammed into my head like a sledgehammer, and the pain was excruciating—yet my body remained completely paralyzed. Standing there, subjected to this torment, it took several minutes before I was finally released.
[Your Indomitable Spirit skill has advanced from A to S rank.]
The extreme agony and mental intrusion had pushed my Indomitable Spirit skill to S-rank.
“That should suffice.”
“Is interpretation magic always this painful?”
I asked, rubbing my head.
“It’s not interpretation magic. I’ve carved the common tongue of Tellus directly into that tiny brain of yours. This way, the magic will never unravel.”
“But it hurts so much.”
“That’s precisely why we don’t use it normally. The brain shatters. Though you’ll recover like a lizard regrowing its tail, won’t you?”
Damn it.
I cursed inwardly, then immediately glanced at Eres, hoping she wasn’t reading my mind and about to scold me.
“What are you looking at?”
“Ah… nothing really?”
“Hmm. Your mental barriers have grown stronger.”
Eres is an idiot.
“Before, your thoughts were so loud and clear it was irritating. Now it’s blissfully quiet.”
She really can’t hear me.
My ability affects even beings of her caliber. Discovering this fact—that my power could shield me from her—was far more significant than simply avoiding her mind-reading.
“We’ve arrived.”
Following Darkness further, the city gates came into view.
“Halt!”
Two guards leveled their spears at us.
“That direction leads to the Forbidden Forest. Where do you hail from?”
The Forbidden Forest—apparently a place one couldn’t normally enter. Their wary gazes reflected this understanding.
“Royal Court mage.”
Darkness produced a ring from her finger, revealing a seal engraved upon it. Light radiated from the ring’s gem, painting golden patterns across the air.
“My sincerest apologies!”
The guard immediately straightened his spear and assumed a formal stance.
“That’s enough. Open the gates.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
We passed the disciplined guards and proceeded through the city gates.
“A Royal Court mage, no less. I hadn’t realized you ever left the cave.”
“I venture into the human world occasionally to observe.”
Darkness navigated forward without hesitation, clearly familiar with the path.
“We’ll rent a carriage.”
She entered a building and spoke before the attendant could even greet her.
“Welcome, honored guest. How far shall we take you?”
The young clerk, who appeared to be around fifteen, displayed remarkable professionalism despite Darkness’s intimidating demeanor, smiling as he inquired.
“The Southern Border. Your finest horses and carriage.”
Darkness dropped several gold coins onto the table as though discarding them.
“W-Wait just a moment, please!”
The boy’s eyes went wide as saucers at the sight of the gold coins. He rushed toward the door behind him, then spun around and hurried back to us.
“I… I… um… If you’d be so kind as to have a seat, I’ll bring the carriage around at once. May I fetch you something to drink?”
“Alcohol.”
“Y-Yes! Of course!”
A short while later, the boy returned with what appeared to be a fine bottle of liquor and two glasses, then withdrew.
“Hmm… not bad, though rather weak.”
While Darkness savored the drink, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the proprietor returned with the boy.
“Greetings! We are infinitely honored that such a distinguished guest has graced the Brown Trading Company with their presence! I am Abraham Brown, the proprietor of this establishment. Might I be so bold as to inquire your esteemed name?”
“That won’t do. The carriage?”
“Ah, yes! We have an excellent carriage prepared. However… I do apologize, but without some means of identification, I’m afraid I cannot rent it to you…”
Darkness withdrew several more gold coins and hurled them at Abraham’s face. They stuck fast to his oily visage.
“The carriage is this way!”
Abraham led us forward with the gold coins plastered across his face, beaming brighter than the sun itself.

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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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