Chapter 70

Chapter 70
## Chapter 70: Overwhelming the Seer

The opening contest concluded without much fanfare. From the perspective of the audience, it likely appeared as though I had barely managed to scrape by with a win.

Given that we had maintained that specific intensity, it was the ideal time for skeptics to start questioning the extent of my actual capabilities. My intention for the following bout, however, was to utterly dominate him. With that goal in mind, So Hwi and I stepped back onto the platform.

“Will you look at this guy?”

I whispered the remark while observing So Hwi closely. In these types of exhibition matches, it was standard etiquette to refrain from utilizing distinct mana signatures. It was the equivalent of sparring with blunted wooden practice tools rather than sharpened blades. Yet, I could sense this arrogant prick activating his unique mana pattern right now. Because I am exceptionally attuned to fluctuations in energy, I caught on to his scheme instantly.

Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t a high-profile, visual ability like the ones used by myself or Han Sang-ah.

“I suppose being easy on you gave you the wrong impression…”

He seemed utterly convinced that his previous loss was a fluke—a matter of inches. He likely believed that by bringing his hidden power into play, the outcome would be reversed in his favor.

The second round commenced.

“Die!”

I thought to myself, *it’s just a friendly match, you moron.* Screaming “die” seemed a bit dramatic. So Hwi lunged forward with that aggressive shout, closing the distance rapidly.

“..?!”

Right then, I noticed a shift. His movement patterns had deviated significantly from the first round. One of his short swords was already slicing through the exact space I was intending to occupy. If I moved to parry, he would pivot his strike elsewhere. If I tried to slip away, his blade was already waiting at my exit point.

I realized what was happening. It was quite transparent.

“You’re seeing the future, aren’t you? That’s a decent trick.”

“…”

So Hwi remained silent, likely caught off guard that I’d figured it out. His foresight wasn’t the type that predicted events days or weeks in advance. It was a short-range burst, likely only a few seconds, and it seemed to require very little mana to maintain. For a frontline hunter, a glimpse of the immediate next second is far more valuable than a vague prophecy of the distant future.

I exchanged a few more strikes with him to get a feel for his tempo, and then I called it out.

“Three seconds.”

My statement caused him to flinch, his fluid motions hitching for a fraction of a heartbeat.

“What, did that startle you?”

Did he honestly think I hadn’t faced precognitive opponents before? I’ve gone toe-to-toe with entities who could not only see the future but rewrite it to suit their whims. For a straightforward physical combatant like So Hwi, a three-second window into the future wasn’t an insurmountable advantage. At most, it was like starting a game of Go with a couple of extra pieces already on the board.

I didn’t even need to ignite the Paradox Flame. He wasn’t worth that level of exertion.

“You were a bit too aggressive in the last set.”

It was time to reverse our roles. This event was supposed to be entertaining for the masses. I couldn’t let him have all the fun.

The moment I shifted my spear, he retreated a step. I followed through with the swing anyway, fully aware he would anticipate it. Even with future sight, a person cannot see what lies beyond the immediate horizon of their vision.

This meant he was trapped. There was no way for him to convert those glimpses into a winning strategy against me.

My spear whipped through the air, and the azure streaks of energy I’d manifested joined the barrage. So Hwi scrambled to evade and deflect based on his visions, but eventually, one of my trajectories slammed squarely into his sternum.

“Gah?!”

The moment that first connection was made, the fight was effectively over. Regardless of his ability to see what was coming, his physical vessel still had to be fast enough to actually move out of the way. The power was excellent for reconnaissance, but it couldn’t move his limbs or block the impact for him.

Following that initial hit, I began to systematically dismantle So Hwi as if he were a practice dummy. He looked exactly like Jung No-hoon during one of our sessions in the gym. Except this wasn’t instruction—it was a public lashing. I moderated my strength just enough to ensure he didn’t suffer permanent damage, but he certainly wasn’t going to gain any insights from this beating.

The match was eventually whistled dead. The officials stepped in, claiming they couldn’t bear to watch the one-sided carnage continue.

“Excellent work.”

Looking at him, it was clear So Hwi was in no condition for another round. However, a message soon arrived from the organizing committee.

“He wants to proceed?”

“Correct, Hunter So Hwi’s representatives are being very insistent. Furthermore…”

There were five rounds scheduled, with commercial breaks pre-arranged between them. Ending the show early would result in significant backlash from the corporate backers. Not to mention the massive audience that had tuned in specifically for this showdown.

“The way Hunter Yoo Chan-seok is dominating has caused viewership expectations to skyrocket. To be honest, we’re hesitant to end it now as well.”

Even if the organizers wanted to keep going, they couldn’t force a hunter to fight if they conceded.

“I understand.”

I dismissed them and considered the situation. He had already shown his hand, even breaking the unspoken rule against using abilities in a spar. He’d been humiliated. And yet, he wanted more?

“He’s concealing something.”

This wasn’t merely a case of wounded pride or blind fury. If it were, the result would just be more of the same. But what if there was something else? Once the intermission concluded, I stepped back onto the stage with those suspicions in mind.

One glance at So Hwi made my expression sour instantly.

“What on earth have you done to yourself?”

He gave no reply. An alien presence—something that was definitely not his own mana—had taken root within his soul. It was a viscous, clinging energy that felt both repulsive and chilling to the bone.

“Stop talking and ready your weapon.”

Bulging veins began to throb and writhe along his arms. I snapped my head toward the event staff and roared at the top of my lungs.

“Get everyone out of here! Now!”

So Hwi’s state was rapidly deteriorating.

“You absolute lunatic, what were you thinking?”

That external mana was aggressively consuming his body from the inside out. It reminded me of Kim Ji-hyun back in Dover, but this was far more concentrated, faster, and utterly relentless.

“Why are you just standing there? Are you lot deaf? Evacuate the building!”

My command triggered a frantic announcement over the PA system, telling the crowd to move to the exits. However, the spectators just stared at me with confusion, unable to grasp why I was suddenly panicking.

“Haa… haa…”

Dammit, everything was falling apart. A dark, viscous energy began to leak out of So Hwi’s pores. It was too late. There was no coming back from this. People finally began to shuffle toward the doors, their gazes darting between me and the shaking man on stage. Since there was no visible monster yet, they didn’t feel any real sense of urgency.

“We’re in trouble.”

Regardless, I would protect as many as possible.

“Raaargh!”

The stench of putrefaction filled the air. His physical form began to rot in real-time. Clumps of decomposed flesh sloughed off his body and hit the floor with wet thuds. A thick, obsidian sludge—what used to be blood—oozed out. Blisters erupted all over his skin, bursting to release streams of yellow fluid. He was no longer recognizable as a human being.

“Help… me.”

“I can’t.”

You’re already gone. I had to deliver the grim verdict. With a sickening pop, one of his distended eyeballs fell from its socket and rolled away. His flesh was caught in a horrific cycle of rapid regeneration and immediate decay. Finally sensing the true horror of the scene, the crowd began to scream and scramble for the exits.

—You hungered for triumph, and so it shall be granted.

A voice that did not belong to So Hwi emanated from his throat. The mere sound of it sent shivers down my spine.

“At least you’re polite about it. Still planning to fulfill his wish, I see.”

I summoned the Paradox Flame, using the heat to incinerate the foul miasma radiating from him. A normal person would likely rot on the spot just by touching that aura.

—The rider of conquest takes his mount and begins the hunt. That mount is named death. Let all who claim victory and hoist their flags remember the piles of decaying dead beneath their feet.

He reached out to the side, and a golden vessel filled with a murky, emerald-black liquid appeared in his grip.

“You’re quite the talker, aren’t you?”

His mana flared with enough intensity to pierce the sky. Every hunter within a several-mile radius would feel this surge.

—I sentence you to death, mortal.

“Give me a break.”

I let out a cynical laugh and pointed my spear directly at the entity inhabiting So Hwi’s shell. Whatever had taken control was significantly more powerful than the boy it had replaced. I could sense the power gap without even crossing blades.

The evacuation was underway, but clearing the room wouldn’t be enough. The entire surrounding area needed to be purged.

Suddenly, his torso split open, launching chunks of necrotic meat at me. I leaped aside; where the flesh hit the ground, it exploded into a spray of maggots that acted like shrapnel.

“You’re making me lose my appetite.”

I swept my spear through the air. Dozens of blue energy lines materialized, orbiting me like a defensive web.

—Meaningless parlor tricks.

“I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet. Have you ever felt a vibration like this?”

The hovering blue trajectories began to pulse in a rhythmic unison. Their low hum started to resonate with the ambient mana in the atmosphere. As I forced the air’s energy to vibrate at a specific frequency, those waves began to ripple through the rotting corpse’s anatomy.

—…You.

Even his massive reserves of mana began to shudder in harmony with the surrounding air, slowly destabilizing.

Lingering Echo.

It was the same principle as a singer breaking a wine glass with a specific note. I just had to identify the frequency of the enemy’s mana and then vibrate the environment to match it. Their internal energy resonates until it simply falls apart. It’s similar to those legendary internal techniques used to purge poison in old stories.

—Very impressive. It seems one of you actually possesses a profound understanding of energy.

I’ve always been a bit of an outlier. Pieces of decayed flesh continued to drop from him, hitting the floor and transforming into monstrous flies, parasitic worms, and beetles that swarmed toward me.

—Don’t imagine for a second that you’ll survive this.

“I wasn’t planning on letting you leave either, you rancid pile of trash.”

Anything rotten belongs in a bin. Why are you still moving? I gripped my weapon and lashed out at the incoming wave of insects.

The ring on my hand began to glow, causing the temperature to plummet and exerting a heavy pressure on the creature. It wasn’t enough to kill it instantly, but it definitely hindered its movements.

I continued to erode its massive mana pool using Lingering Echo, while the searing heat of the Paradox Flame burned away the toxic fumes. Simultaneously, my spear and the blue energy paths worked in tandem to deliver a relentless series of strikes.

“A bunch of scavenger bugs, huh?”

Waves of giant larvae, flies, and beetles crashed against me. My spear and the orbiting trajectories moved like a high-speed processor, shredding the swarm into a fine mist. The Paradox Flame flared, neutralizing the corruption and releasing purified mana into the surroundings.

My body absorbed that energy greedily. Meanwhile, clouds of tiny winged parasites congregated in the air, wrapping around the decaying monster like a living cloak. All at once, massive fungal growths sprouted from his skin, releasing a thick, fog-like cloud of spores.

“This is disgusting. It’s hard to stay motivated when the fight is this filthy.”

This battle was going to be a long one. And it was definitely going to ruin my dinner plans.