Five-Time Regressor Walks the King's Path - Chapter 32

Five-Time Regressor Walks the King’s Path

[Translator – Anwen]

[Proofreader – Valirius]

Chapter 32

Children who, like him, had lost their parents.

The bright appearance of such children seemed to somehow comfort Ho Baek-San.

That day, Ho Baek-San ate with the children and tucked them into bed. He then came out to sit on the front porch of the house.

The woman walked up next to him and gave him a cup of tea.

“Name’s Santa, and you are?”

“Ho Baek-San.”

“What a stiff name. What’s your reason for doing this for five years?”

“I don’t know. I just felt like I needed to.”

“Is it compensation for the past?”

Hearing her words, Ho Baek-San turned to look at her.

“Your face says it all. Sometimes, there are people like you. The ones weak in the head who see their own past in the young children and emphasize with them.”

Weak in the head.

Certainly, he may be.

“So? Were you satisfied with the fact that you kept them warm and hunger-free for five years?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Of course not. The underlying cause hasn’t changed.”

After saying that, she took a few steps away from Ho Baek-san to stand under the moonlight.

She looked up to the night sky, her red hair glowing beautifully beneath the moonlight as she began to speak.

“In recent years, humans have begun to hunt Phantoms.”

“I’ve heard.”

“All the children inside this home have lost their parents. For the Phantoms, it was by such humans. The majority of the human children also lost their parents to Degenerate Gods.”

She let out a  bitter laugh before continuing.

“Phantoms become Degenerate Gods due to their anger toward the world. The Degenerate Gods spread infectious diseases among the humans, destroying villages. Humans began hunting those Degenerate Gods in hopes they’d disappear. The Phantom children who’ve lost their parents would once again aim their anger toward the world. It’s an eternal and vicious cycle.”

“Are you saying everything would’ve been okay if humans hadn’t hunted Phantoms?”

“No, not exactly. We are a kind of a device. A device created by the world. There are too many humans, and many lives are lost to starvation. The gods saw that and decided to curse the world with Phantoms to reduce the population, as a device to maintain this world.”

Her smile under the moonlight looked so full of grief.

“So long as the curse remains, Phantoms and humans will endlessly fight. It’s likely the only ending is for one side to be destroyed.”

“Despite knowing that, you’re raising both humans and Phantoms?”

“That’s right, because the world doesn’t always function only around the present. I believe there might be something different, something better, in the future. Humans are outstanding, and smart. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be able to create something that can stop us Phantoms from becoming Degenerate Gods. If such a time comes, humans and Phantoms might be able to coexist.”

What a dream.

However, maybe it wasn’t an unimaginable dream for a Phantom, a species considered to have no concept of lifespan.

She was saying such a dream might become reality one day.

“Name?”

Ho Baek-San asked, and the woman looked back at him with a self-deprecating smile.

“Preeminent Fury. Remember it well.”

That was the first encounter between Ho Baek-San and Preeminent Fury.

But neither of them predicted that this first encounter would also be their last.

Ho Baek-San left. Sometime later, he returned again with food.

The house had disappeared, only leaving behind a pile of ashes.

Soon after, news reached Ho Baek-San’s ears.

News concerning a single Phantom that was leading tens of thousands of Phantoms to destroy human countries one after another. A Phantom named Preeminent Fury.

Ho Baek-San ran.

As soon as he heard the Phantom’s name, he ran and ran.

The night he saw her under the moonlight, smiling beautifully and holding hope for a dream-like future. Ho Baek-San could only shout out ‘why?’ and continue to run.

After days and days of running after her, he managed to finally stand before her.

Flying in the sky was a huge red hawk. He was able to recognize it at first glance, despite her not being in her human form.

He stood in front of the woman who burned down the human world in its entirety.

“Preeminent Fury!”

The moment he called out her name, the hawk’s eyes moved down.

Her eyes were filled with intense anger, and Ho Baek-San felt chills at the sight of her raging hatred.

She was stronger than any creature he had ever met.

Whether it be humans, Phantoms, or even Degenerate Gods, no matter what he had encountered, she was stronger than anything.

Even himself.

However, even though she was furious at the world itself, she had not become a Degenerate God and still remained as a Phantom.

As if saying it was her own will to destroy the world.

[……Ho Baek-San.]

She recognized Ho Baek-San. Ho Baek-San shouted once more after hearing her speak.

“What’s going on?! What happened?! Why are you doing all this?!”

His cry was met with silence.

[Humans… humans were not to be trusted. In this world, all humans must perish.]

With those words, she disappeared in a ball of flame.

Ho Baek-San could only stare blankly at the space she occupied mere seconds ago, noticing her sincerity.

She truly intended to erase the existence of humans from this world.

“Baek-San!”

A familiar voice reached him.

Turning his head, Ho Baek-San spotted someone he was familiar with, Kang Min-Hyuk.

He was surprised by Ho Baek-San’s appearance.

It was because, for a long time, Ho Baek-San had only been receiving news of Degenerate Gods. Now, though, he had unexpectedly arrived even before Kang Min-Hyuk himself.

Originally, the Phantom Hunters were divided into two groups. But with the Phantoms attacking humans now, he came with the Phantom Hunters.

In the end, the Phantom Hunters on Kang Min-Hyuk’s side also began to take on the Phantoms that were hunting humans.

“You’re all right! That’s a relief.”

“…Brother Min-Hyuk.”

Ho Baek-San called out while looking up at the sky. He slowly turned his gaze to Kang Min-Hyuk.

“I will stop Preeminent Fury.”

“What? No, it’s impossible to stop Preeminent Fury by yourself. Preeminent Fury is much stronger than the Degenerate Gods that have appeared thus far.”

“I know. But I am the only one who can stop her. She must be stopped by me.”

Kang Min-Hyuk saw Ho Baek-San’s sincerity and fell silent.

However, even at a glance, he could see that Ho Baek-San had grown much stronger.

He knew he was stronger than anyone present.

Like he said, he was the only one who could stop Preeminent Fury.

Kang Min-Hyuk bit his lip.

‘I can’t believe I have to put another heavy burden on someone who has been alone his entire life.’

“…Then, I’ll help. The situation is different from when you stood alone in the past. If you can’t stop Preeminent Fury, humanity is finished. I will do my best to help, so please stop her.”

“Thank you.”

With Kang Min-Hyuk’s answer, Ho Baek-San once again chased after her.

Wherever Preeminent Fury appeared, Ho Baek-San was also there.

With Kang Min-Hyuk’s full support, he was able to acquire information and arrive at the location with the swiftest speed.

[You again… Ho Baek-San!]

[Do not block my path! Don’t stop me!]

[Humans must disappear! All of them!]

“Preeminent Fury.”

“Stop, Preeminent Fury.”

“I will stop you this time, Preeminent Fury.”

Ho Baek-San repeatedly lost against her.

He would injure her, but would come face-to-face with death.

He was able to defend the country, but he was on the verge of death.

He saved humanity, but he himself stood at death’s doorstep.

Nevertheless, Ho Baek-San stood up.

To stop Preeminent Fury.

To prevent her from killing a single person more.

To lessen the guilt a little, for the time when she one day came to her senses and regretted her actions.

Knowing her sincere desire for a better future, knowing that she would one day realize it once more, he tried to stop her.

He couldn’t win.

He knew that long ago.

Of course, Ho Baek-San continued to grow stronger.

However, that strength was too little to reach Preeminent Fury.

Even so, he appeared whenever she did… and stopped her.

His body was a mess. His aura was broken, and through that broken aura, even infectious diseases began to seep in.

But he still rose up.

[Why, why are you…]

“…I’ll stop you this time.”

Ho Baek-San appeared, covered in wounds, wherever there was Preeminent Fury’s presence.

Whenever he appeared, Preeminent Fury stopped killing humans and fought only him.

And for some unknown reason, she would leave the area as soon as he collapsed.

One year, then two, three, and four years…

Ho Baek-San had become humanity’s hope.

Humanity’s only hope. He who could make Preeminent Fury, a being no one could stop, retreat.

The divided Phantom Hunters also reunited.

No, all of humanity began to unite with Ho Baek-San at the center.

They poured everything into Ho Baek-San, and with their help, Ho Baek-San rose again to stop her.

Then, the year that Ho Baek-San turned forty-nine, for the first time…

He was no longer able to stand back up.

The feeling in one leg was gone, and the only part of his arms he could move was his left pinky.

Ho Baek-San tried to rise.

But his body refused.

His body was screaming that he could no longer continue.

And mysteriously, when Ho Baek-san failed to appear, Preeminent Fury vanished.

After she disappeared to parts unknown, the world, which was in despair at the news of Ho Baek-San, whose body was completely ruined, slowly regained its peace.

The world despaired at the news of Ho Baek-San’s body being completely ruined, but with Preeminent Fury disappearing to parts unknown, the world slowly began to regain its peace.

“Baek-San, it has already been three years since Preeminent Fury last appeared.”

“I know, Brother Min-Hyuk. However, I’m not done with Preeminent Fury yet. I have to get back up again. I have to make sure to tie up my loose ends with her.”

“Ho Baek-San!”

Kang Min-Hyuk shouted at Ho Baek-San, who tried to get back out of bed and train on crutches.

Kang Min Hyuk bit his lips, slowly seating Ho Baek-San back down.

“Rest. We’ve all relied too much on you, so please rest now. You can no longer move. Take a look at your daughter. Ever since she was born, she’s only seen her father who chased after Preeminent Fury, and her father lying sick in bed. Think of your family now.”

“…Family.”

He had forgotten for a while, but he’d made a family.

The woman Kang Min-Hyuk introduced liked Ho Baek-San very much, and supported everything he did with all her heart.

He held no special feelings for her, but Ho Baek-San felt it would be okay to make a family with her, and so the two soon had a daughter.

However, he had to leave to stop Preeminent Fury, and the daughter had no choice but to be raised by her mother alone.

But the mother was naturally weak and died from an illness last year.

His daughter, six years old, was left alone and still struggled to get along with Ho Baek-San. She had only one friend, Lee-Han, and was living a lonely life.

“The sadness that comes from the loss of your parents. Are you going to make your daughter suffer that same sadness?”

When Ho Baek-San heard that, he slowly hung his head.

“…Brother, things haven’t ended with Preeminent Fury.”

“I know.”

“However… However, is it okay for me to leave her behind and think about myself?”

“Just think that it’s for your daughter, not yourself. Forget about Preeminent Fury. We have put too much pressure on you. All this time… I’m sorry, Baek-San.”

Kang Min-Hyuk embraced Ho Baek-San.

“Let’s rest, Baek-San. It’s enough. Let’s rest now.”

“…Okay.”

That day, Ho Baek-San retired as a Phantom Hunter.