Chapter 55: Hierarchy Establishment
Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe – 55
EP.55 Hierarchy Establishment
[The Legendary Prophet Who Even Sensed the Future has exhausted all his power and has vanished.]
[Although the constellation has disappeared, the power remains with you.]
[Name: Lee Junhyun]
[Age: 24]
[Gender: Male]
[Title: Avatar of Prophecy]
[Strength: 16(+10)] [Agility: 17(+10)] [Stamina: 13(+10)]
[Mana: 11(+10)]//////////
[Passive: Blessing of the Constellation (LV.1)]
[Ability stats and skill effects increase according to the level of the blessing.]
[10 points per level.]
[Skill enhancement varies depending on the skill effect.]
[The Blessing of the Constellation skill grows when monsters are defeated.]
[Detection skill evolves into Future Prediction.]
[Future Prediction (LV.1)]
[Beyond sensing the present, you can see a bit into the future.]
[Abyss Resistance (LV.1)]
[Resistance to the fundamental fear instilled by the Abyssal Terror.]
[The higher the level, the greater the chance of overcoming stronger fears.]
Despite the stats window showing that he had trained somewhat as a hunter, the numbers were still at a novice level.
However, the additional 10 points attached to his stats elevated his novice-level attributes to at least the entry level of a D-rank hunter. Not only that, but he also had three skills. A growth skill similar to Park Yujin’s, a skill that allowed him to see slightly into the future beyond ordinary detection, and a skill essential for facing Park Yujin, which provided resistance to the Abyssal Terror.
The sacrifice of his constellation had indeed paid off.
“…Alright. Since it’s come to this, let’s give it a shot.”
Lee Junhyun decided that, having returned to the past and received new powers, he needed to find and stop Park Yujin as soon as possible. If he didn’t, the only things awaiting him were the destruction of the world and his own death. He had been given a chance to change that dreadful future. Wasn’t that a good thing?
‘But it’s difficult right now. Park Yujin revealed his power early on and quickly grew under the protection of a major guild.’
It was too much for Lee Junhyun to handle on his own. Would it even make sense to stop Park Yujin before he went on his rampage? Even if he killed him, Lee Junhyun would just become a criminal who killed a promising hunter.
‘It’s better than the world ending and dying, but… honestly, it’s not very appealing.’
Was there another way? A method to stop him without killing him before his rampage? Or perhaps…
“Or become strong enough to kill him even after his rampage.”
Both options seemed incredibly difficult. But he needed to decide quickly. Even at this moment, Park Yujin was laying the groundwork to become stronger, and once he hit his stride, he would reach A-rank within a year.
‘I can’t win right now anyway. I need to break through the protection of the major guild and grow strong enough to face him directly.’
For now, worrying was pointless.
He needed to become stronger. Even a little bit stronger, and he believed he could do anything. With this conclusion, Lee Junhyun came up with a clever plan.
‘I’ll hinder his growth as much as possible while using my knowledge from the previous timeline to gather as many resources as I can.’
For example, legendary weapons or elixirs that appear in gates. He would block Park Yujin’s growth while accelerating his own using his knowledge as a regressor. All the famous items had been documented in articles, so he roughly knew when and where they would be found.
‘The only way I can grow faster and stronger than him is by doing this.’
With this in mind, Lee Junhyun began to move quickly. Every second wasted felt like a loss.
#
[Ah, indeed. The charm of regression stories lies in using regression knowledge to gather resources.]
Lee Junhyun, this guy knows what he’s doing. As expected of a hunter who survived until the end, he’s quick-witted and sharp.
This is interesting. Instead of the will of the universe, I’m creating the adversary myself. The Abyssal Demon who will destroy the world is my power, and although I didn’t directly give it, the hero protagonist who regresses to oppose him is also my creation.
It’s like pitting animated characters against each other to see who’s stronger. I’m quite looking forward to seeing who will win. If he can’t win, I could turn it into an infinite loop story where the protagonist becomes more and more desolate. After he wins, I could reveal that there was another mastermind all along and introduce the Abyssal Constellation I created. Would that be too bleak?
Hmm, lately, my sense of guilt about these things has been fading. Am I truly becoming an Outer God in my heart as well? But even such worries and fears don’t seem to affect me anymore.
I just thought, “Well, it is what it is.” Isn’t that the truly scary part? Am I, like Park Yujin, gradually being consumed by the abyss, losing my own personality? But I’m perfectly fine. Rather than my personality collapsing, it seems to be becoming clearer and more distinct. The things I want to do, the things that pique my curiosity, the things that are fun—they’re all becoming more vivid.
Is it because I have the power to realize them? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain, I am thoroughly enjoying my current situation and abilities. As long as it’s fun, isn’t that enough? After all, I created this universe, so it’s essentially my possession. I can do whatever I want with it.
Anyway, I’ll leave the fight between the regressor and the demon for later. It seems to be growth time now. Watching the regressor quickly grow by finding and utilizing the knowledge he has is fun in its own way. But the problem is, I’ve already seen what happens once. There’s a certain enjoyment in knowing what’s coming, but a story where the protagonist knows every action from start to finish isn’t very entertaining.
So, what should I do today? Maybe I’ll take a look at my beloved home, the SF universe! Yujin… Ah, not Park Yujin, but Yujin from the SF universe, the Terra race. Anyway, Yujin is still busy solidifying the Union’s internal affairs, which is a bit dull. But interesting things are happening on the Elf planet.
The Elves have started to cross the seas and lands with steamships and steam vehicles, beginning to extend into different regions. Rather than expanding and unifying their territories, they acknowledge each other’s independence and only accept those who wish to join their collective.
The Elves began to develop concepts of ‘nation,’ ‘territory,’ and ‘borders.’ Following this, Rodri declared the establishment of a Holy Nation, having learned about the concept of a nation from Rios’s knowledge. Simultaneously, Lasi declared a democratic nation. Consequently, various other nations began to form, influencing and growing alongside each other.
…But then, a discordant note emerged.
[Muwan.]
I couldn’t help but grin as I called out that name. The Overlord who brought tension among the peaceful Elves. His presence made the growth of the Elves even more interesting.
[BOOM!]
[What, what is that?!]
[It’s an attack! Everyone, get up!!]
The first strike began in the outskirts of Lasi’s nation, the Republic of Lumolasi. Located not far from the sea, this area became Muwan’s first target, having crossed the ocean from the southern hemisphere. In this lawless land, devoid of war laws or the Geneva Convention, sudden night raids without declaration of war were entirely possible. Even if the target was not a military force but a civilian village.
[Thud-thud-thud─]
[Swoosh─ BOOM!]
[Aaaargh!]
[Run, run away…!]
Bombs flew and modern firearms were fired indiscriminately. These were terrifying weapons capable of killing people effortlessly. The Elves, with their superior physical abilities, didn’t die as quickly as humans, but they were still massacred by the overwhelming firepower.
[Hold them back! Hold them back!]
[Break through everything. This land is ours now!]
Muwan’s direct subordinate commander led the Elves in attacking the villagers. Of course, they didn’t kill everyone indiscriminately. The initial attack was meant to break their spirit through a ruthless assault, but those who survived were generally captured. After all, while territory was important, so were the workers needed to cultivate that territory.
However… it was clear that the fight was one-sided. If it were the main forces of the Republic of Lumolasi, it might be different, but an ordinary village stood no chance against Muwan’s overwhelming troops and firepower. If this continued, half of Lumolasi would soon be devoured.
Something needed to be done.
[……]
The Elf god Rios was observing. It seemed he had decided not to intervene in a fight between fellow Elves. A wise choice. If the master intervenes in a fight between dogs and takes one side, things are bound to go awry. In such cases, unless both sides are gravely injured, it’s best to let them sort out their hierarchy on their own.
One of the surviving Elf soldiers was already running towards Lasi’s village, the capital of Lumolasi. Once Lasi received the news, the main forces would be deployed immediately. Recognizing the threat, they might even request support from Rodri’s Holy Nation.
Let’s see… which side will succeed in establishing their hierarchy? I’m quite looking forward to it.