SSS-Ranked Demon Hunter: The Prodigy
Chapter 73: Her Presence is What I Needed

Chapter 73: Her Presence is What I Needed

Demon Hunter Association — Office of Dr. Shin Kyungsoo.

One hour before his death.

"You know, Hunter Park," the doctor said, sitting calmly in his chair. "You’re sharp. You figured it out and came straight to me. If only we had the chance to talk earlier. Just sit down, talk about life... I wouldn’t have minded."

The room was drowned in darkness. Only the light from the desk lamp illuminated Jisun’s face.

"But now, Doc, you’re standing on the edge of death," Jisun replied coldly. "Lee Yeonho will come for your soul, no matter what. You’re lying. If you truly wanted to tell the truth, you’d have done it long ago."

The doctor gave a short chuckle.

"Even if you’d caught me earlier, I wouldn’t have said a word. I’m a dead man walking. I betrayed him... but I don’t regret it. My hands are stained with blood—but that blood was the price for victory over the demons."

"Stop spewing nonsense. Just tell me how you know the leader of Umbra."

"...You know him as Lee Yeonho. He only looks like him. He took that name to twist the truth—to make people doubt the official version of History."

"Then tell me—how much of that History is true? It wasn’t hard to guess you omitted details to keep the narrative in your hands."

"...His name is Mujin. He has no family name. He grew up in an orphanage. No one would take him in because of his eyes. They feared him—as if he were some cursed relic, a vessel of the devil himself."

The doctor straightened in his chair, as if reliving a memory.

"He was born during the time of our experiments with demonic blood. I implanted the organs of a demon into him when he was still a child. That demon’s organs... were inherited directly from the Lord of the Dukes."

"The King of the Dukes? Who the hell is that?"

"...Astaroth. The mightiest demon, whose blood rules over all others. And that same blood... flows in you, Park Jisun."

Jisun froze. A wave of disbelief washed over him—he didn’t know whether to laugh or tremble.

"You’re kidding me, right, old man?" Jisun scoffed, his smile twitching with unease. "Don’t tell me I’ve got some demonic organs inside me."

"...You do. That’s exactly how the first demon hunters were born. It began with the S- and A-ranks. Secret experiments were conducted—implants into human bodies that could finally resist the demons. And the first subjects..."

"Were children," Jisun whispered, as rage began to boil in his veins. "Children became the first so-called heroes..."

The doctor gave a slow, solemn nod.

"It was possible because demons evolved. They began to resemble humans—externally and internally. By devouring us, they became more like their prey. When their organs became nearly indistinguishable from ours... we started harvesting them."

"This is insane. You’re monsters. That’s why, in your precious ’official history,’ the first humanoid demons didn’t ’appear’ until twenty years ago. You bastards were dissecting them long before that."

"That’s not all," the doctor swallowed hard. "It wasn’t just the Association. It was bigger. Eventually, we began creating demons ourselves... sacrificing the homeless."

"W-what...?" Jisun’s voice cracked. "The giant Worm Demon—was that you?! Tell me this is a sick joke. Because if it’s true, I’ll kill you right here and now."

"If that’s your choice, so be it. Death by your hand would be a mercy compared to Mujin’s. I saved Chanwook’s life. That betrayal sealed my fate. Mujin forced me to begin experimenting with animal genomes—to create the Worm Demon. Before you came, I burned all the research to keep it from him. Want to hear more?"

"I feel sick. Just answer me this—are you responsible for the surgeries that created the hunters?"

"My team was. Only a few of us knew the precise methods. I wasn’t the only one."

"Then tell me, how do you live with yourself, knowing you destroyed those children’s lives?"

The doctor looked at Jisun for a moment.

"I never did it out of malice. It was always for the future of this planet. For humanity."

"And the children whose bodies didn’t survive your ’future’? You don’t feel guilt?"

The doctor smirked faintly.

"It was a necessary sacrifice."

Jisun’s throat tightened. His fists clenched. His soul ached with fury. He wanted to strike the doctor down right then and there.

But he didn’t.

"You’re not even worth killing. You deserve a fate far worse. My fallen comrades—those who gave everything for victory—would weep if they saw me spare you. Their deaths are on your hands. You’re the true devil here."

"I know that," the doctor said quietly. "Park Jisun, you were the second and last experiment using Astaroth’s organs. Only two known individuals carry his blood. All of them—every last one—became monsters, guardians of the White Temple, protectors of the Dukes. That power is now within you."

"...And what do you want me to do with it?"

"My first subject... he went rogue. He wasn’t supposed to survive. At least, that’s what we thought. But he found me years later. Thanked me. I wanted him to become a hunter—but he refused. He chose another path—a twisted one. Now, he wants to wipe out humanity. To turn Earth into a sanctuary for demons."

"How powerful is he?"

"Beyond comprehension. His will alone can bend others to his command. Astaroth’s blood grants absolute dominion. He can subjugate every other heir."

"So... the heirs... they’re demons who carry Duke blood, right? Which means... the Dukes are their progenitors? That’s horrific. You’re quite the bold one, doc, for figuring that out."

"Umbra is directly tied to the Dukes. And the next Blood Moon... it’s coming soon. Sooner than we expect. This is your last chance, hunter. I pray with everything I have that humanity triumphs in the end. My entire life, all my work—it was always for that one goal. Please... win this war."

Jisun stood silent. The doctor looked worse and worse with every word—as though with each confession, he shed another layer of humanity. From the beginning, it had been clear: he couldn’t live with what he had done.

"Your sins are unforgivable, Doctor," Jisun muttered as he turned away. "May your soul rot in whatever hell is left for you."

"...Park Jisun."

Without another word, Jisun left the room, heading to the office of Kang Suwon. He needed answers—about the founding of the Association, about the true identity of Lee Yeonho. He needed to know how far the lies went.

Every cell in his body now loathed this place and everyone behind the creation of the hunters. Every thought screamed to burn it all down.

But if uncovering these secrets gave him even the slightest edge in this war... he would endure. For the sake of the fallen. For the ones still fighting.For the only people he could trust now—his comrades.

The next day.

I was with Hizumi.

We had arrived at the house she’d mentioned—a lonely home deep in the Red Zone. Not a soul around us.

The blood-red sky cast its glow through the windows, staining the walls with permanent dusk.It was strange, yet my ears could finally rest. No screams. No sirens. Just stillness.

Next to me on the bed, Hizumi lay with her arms around me. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the world had ended, and only we remained.

And truthfully... I wished it had.

In the heart of the apocalypse, there was only us. And that was enough.