SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 31: Just the Beginning of Our Journey

Chapter 31: Just the Beginning of Our Journey

[Congratulations! You have awakened the power of sword creation.]

Once again, that same female voice echoed in my mind.

Previously, she congratulated me on unlocking my Second Breath. Now, it was for my Kenketsu...

It seemed these voices inside me were tied to the very nature of demons. Perhaps the stronger demons followed some kind of system or law...?

After all, they hailed from another dimension. We knew almost nothing about them.

Lowering my gaze, I examined my new weapon — the Godslayer Swordspear.

[Your Kenketsu is the embodiment of a fragment of the Taurus Demon’s power. This weapon, forged from blood, surpasses all other Kenketsu in raw might and attributes.]

Nobody asked you.

Who — or what — the hell are you anyway?

Not that I expected an answer.

I felt like a lunatic, talking to the voices in my own head.

Looking around, I realized the battlefield had finally fallen silent. The fighting was over.

Once all the demons scattered and fled, I made my way back to my unit.

Minho had been searching for me everywhere but couldn’t find me.

When he finally saw me standing among the soldiers, I could see the relief flood his face.

He was exhausted too — summoning Kenketsu and wielding Kuroen, his blood armor, had clearly drained him.

"Are you alright, Prodigy?" one of the soldiers asked.

"I defeated the enemy... but I couldn’t finish him off. He escaped with help. I’m sorry, everyone... I couldn’t avenge our fallen comrades."

"Please don’t say that, sir," another soldier replied. "Thanks to you S-rank Hunters, we survived."

The soldiers around us, listening to the conversation, all voiced their agreement.

One of them placed his palm over his heart and shouted:

"Thanks to our efforts, the operation was a success! We captured Seongwan-gu as planned. This is a major step toward victory!"

The rest of the soldiers slammed their palms to their chests and shouted in unison:

"Hoorah! Hoorah!"

Was it really over...?

Could I finally allow myself to rest?

But when I remembered the faces of my comrades who had died to save me tonight, the smile slipped from my lips.

Their faces floated before my eyes...

On the first day of this operation, they hadn’t even thought about death. Even if they had accepted it deep down — it didn’t make it any less bitter.

I would never forgive those who had brought them to ruin.

Demons... they slaughter innocent people without a second thought.

And as long as I possess the strength to stop them— I will kill every demon that stands in my way.

My somber, restless expression faded when Minho approached.

"Kihyun, why so serious?"

"Ah, Minho... I’m glad to see you’re alright."

"Don’t worry about me. But what about you? That demon carried you off — we thought we lost you."

"Yeah... about that. I think I’ve discovered the true face of that demon."

"Really? Then we need to report it to the General immediately... By the way, Kihyun — I’m sorry that all this time, we never really talked outside of battle. We should get together with the others sometime. After all, us S-rank Hunters — we’re like a family. And with you... well, we barely know each other."

He was right.

I’d never even sat at the same table with the others outside of combat. It left a heavy feeling in my chest.

"Alright," I said. "Let’s make it happen!"

"That’s the spirit! Wanna get wasted?"

"After everything we’ve been through? How could I not?"

Minho laughed heartily and clapped me on the back.

"That’s what I’m talking about! You and I — seems like we’re going to be great friends."

Nearby, Reina stood quietly, listening to our conversation.

Her gentle, composed gaze was fixed somewhere distant, her elegant presence filled with a subtle tension. Her crimson hair was a symbol — a beacon of a new era of Hunters.

"Hey, Reina!" Minho called out. "Don’t just stand there like a post. Come join us!"

My eyes met hers — eyes as pure and radiant as an angel’s.

But Reina turned away.

"No, I have things to do. I must hurry to the port."

"Eh, she’s been like that ever since you came around," Minho said with a sigh.

"Huh?" I blinked. "Why?"

"She doesn’t realize you’re the strongest among us. Or maybe she refuses to believe it because your power hasn’t fully awakened yet. You’ll have to prove yourself to her someday. Only then will she truly respect you."

So... she didn’t like me much.

I couldn’t really blame her. They had proclaimed me an SSS-rank Hunter, yet in terms of actual strength, I was nowhere near the top.

Did Minho see something in me — some potential? Or was he simply a good man by nature?

All around us, soldiers were moving frantically, searching for missing comrades.

Not far away, Harin was scanning the ruins, running circles around the wreckage, desperate to find survivors from our squad.

Suddenly, she spotted a soldier pinned under the rubble of a collapsed wall.

"Sir! Are you alive?!"

The kind-hearted young soldier rushed to him, pulling him free from the debris.

It was Dolphin — his body too battered to move.

Opening his weary eyes, he saw Harin lifting him with trembling arms, dragging him toward the others.

"Hawk... is that you?"

"Yes, sir. Please, hold on! We’re almost there!"

"Such a kind soul... I never thought an old soldier like me would have someone come back for him."

"Don’t say that, Dolphin. You fought bravely. When we return, you’ll be awarded a medal — I’m sure of it."

"Don’t tell me... we’re the only ones left from our squad?"

Harin nodded grimly.

"Glaz survived. Prodigy... the demons carried him away. I don’t know if he’s alright..."

"A demon slammed me straight into a wall. After something like that, a normal man would be lucky to survive with just broken bones — and a shattered mind. Compared to you Hunters, we’re just toys. But you’re a kind Hunter, Hawk. Without you, I’d still be buried under the rubble."

Harin nodded again, though her mind was elsewhere.

She was praying — praying to see me alive again.

She carried Dolphin all the way to the point where the remaining personnel had gathered. There, other soldiers carefully placed him into a military truck bound for the hospital.

She couldn’t find me.

At last, when hope seemed all but lost, Harin overheard a soldier speaking nearby:

"Sir Lee, we’re preparing to depart. Are you ready?"

"Just a little longer," she heard me reply. "Not everyone’s returned yet."

"We’ve already waited long enough... We’re expected at the port. If any soldiers haven’t returned by now, then... they’re likely gone."

"Please... just five more minutes."

"I understand, sir. Very well. Call me when you’re ready."

The soldier climbed into the truck.

When Harin saw me, tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away and sprinted with all her strength.

I was alive.

She cried out, overwhelmed with emotion, and rushed into my arms.

"Sir Lee! You’re alive... I’m so happy... thank goodness...!"

"Harin..."

So she’s alive, too. I’m so glad...

I embraced her back.

I knew that feeling — that desperate, joyful relief when someone you thought lost had somehow survived.

"I’m alive," I whispered. "Just as I promised."

"Yes," she smiled, lifting her tear-streaked face toward me. "And I kept my promise too."

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