Chapter 4: Hunt the Hero (1)

I can’t beat the Fire Emperor with an ordinary method.

My heart pounded. I tried hard to be calm, but it wasn’t easy. Maybe it was only natural—it hadn’t been long since I’d died from the fire that he started in my head. On top of that, I had still been alive while my flesh and bones were sizzling... The pain I had experienced... was horrible.

“Fuck you, son of a bitch.” I glared at the newspaper and magazine clippings covering the walls.

All of them were from interviews he had been in from when he was an obscure, rookie Hunter until he became the number one Hunter in the world. Of course, I also had the Fire Emperor’s photos on the walls—I now wanted to rip down those photos of his smug face.

“Tsk. But this fucker will also return to twenty-four hours ago if he dies.”

The biggest problem was that the Fire Emperor wouldn’t stay dead even if he was killed.

It’s the ultimate cheat.

The difference between the Fire Emperor and I was like that of the sun and a firefly. My opponent was the Rank 1 Hunter while I wasn’t even in the ranking.

Even though the Tower had acknowledged my jealousy... it didn’t mean I was strong. Even if I relied on every possible coincidence and miracle in the world, it was unlikely that I could kill the Fire Emperor.

Even if I manage to kill him, I still have problems.

When he died, the Fire Emperor would simply return to twenty-four hours before and try to kill me using any means possible. Once he realized he couldn’t kill me, he would create a dungeon in his basement and lock me up forever. With the Fire Emperor’s abilities, it would be a piece of cake to subdue me, so Kim Gong-Ja’s second attempt at life would end with fabulous eternal incarceration.

“Ah, fuck. Fuck, fuck...”

The chances of me killing him were close to zero, and killing him wouldn’t even be the end of my problems.

How am I supposed to get revenge on this psychopath? How should I do it? How can I screw over the number one Hunter in the ranking?

I cooped up myself in my studio for over a day, glaring at the newspaper clippings on the walls. They had all the information and history about the Fire Emperor, so they might give me an idea.

“The Fire Emperor has cleared the thirty-ninth floor on his own!”

“The Fire Emperor has created another legend by singlehandedly clearing the thirty-eighth floor!”

“Yoo Soo-Ha, the Fire Emperor, has officially become the first Korean to earn the highest place in the Hunter Ranking.”

...

“With the disappearance of the Sword Star, the seat of the world’s Rank 1 Hunter is empty. Who shall inherit his seat?”

“All foreign experts unanimously agree that the most likely candidate is Yoo Soo-Ha from Korea.”

“The unassailable tenth floor has been cleared. Who is this mysterious hero?”

“It has been twenty-two days since the Sword Star went missing. Could this be the start of the greatest chaos the Hunter industry has ever seen?”

Just then, a tingle ran down my spine.

“Huh? Wait... This is...” I mumbled as I touched one of the newspaper clippings.

The clipping was from the Fire Emperor’s magazine interview. The article was online, but I had printed it myself to put it on the wall.

“Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha, how old were you when you Awakened?”

“I was twenty-one years old. It’s already been eleven years since that summer.”

“You must have very good memory to remember the season.”

“I never really thought I had a good memory, but the day I Awakened just happened to be my birthday, June 7th. That’s why I remember it.”

It was an ordinary interview, but... it was an invaluable piece of information for me.

“Whoa, wait a minute. Seriously? It’s...really going to work.”

There was a way to kill the world’s Rank 1 Hunter. It was far from easy, and people would call me crazy if they heard about it. But it was the only way to kill the Fire Emperor as a lowly Class F Hunter.

I really can get revenge on him!

Just then, I heard shouts from outside the window.

“Fire!”

I opened the window, wondering what was going on. The nearby residents were buzzing about smoke rising from the side of the neighborhood.

“Oh, no!”

“This isn’t the time to stand around here. Let’s go help extinguish the fire!”

“Okay!”

The residents went running toward the fire.

The place I lived was different from the outside world; this was the city made by the people who had entered the Tower to become Hunters. The city on the Tower’s first floor had various names, because it was populated by people from around the globe. Some people called it Babylon or Abaddon. It was sometimes just “Floor 1 City”, but some even referred to it by an elegant name: “Ascending City.”

Most people living here were Hunters. Whether they liked it or not, they had all looked death in the eyes, so they moved faster in an emergency than people from the outside world.

As I quickly left my studio and joined the others, I checked the time on my smartphone.

What the fuck.

It had already been around twenty-four hours since I had been killed by the Fire Emperor and regressed in time. It was also around the time that the Fire Emperor was going to kill the Saintess. In other words...

...it’s the Fucker! The Fucker set the fire to erase the evidence!

Yoo Soo-Ha, the Fire Emperor, was truly an evil son of a bitch.

***

The Watchman League’s Hunters were already at the site of the fire, followed by other Hunters from major guilds. They usually fought like cats and dogs, but they joined forces to deal with the fire.

“Those of you with water-type Skills, don’t use them on your own!”

“Yes, use them together! That’s it!”

“The Black Dragon Guild will take command here! Please follow the Black Dragon’s lead on this one, people!”

A couple of High Rankers also showed up. I kept glancing at them as I helped other people.

“I-I finished closing off the area. The problem is whether or not there are survivors... We should hurry and send a rescue team.”

She was the Rank 5 Hunter and was called Master Alchemist, who led the Alchemist Office, the guild of doctors and pharmacists.

“It’s okay. It used to be a slum and it’s been abandoned for five years now. Ever since, access has been prohibited, so I guess that’s one silver lining.”

That was the Paladin, the Rank 10 Hunter and the assistant leader of the Watchmen League that maintained order in the city.

The only time I’d met them before this was in the newspapers. Unlike many High Rankers out there, these Hunters were known to work with others to help people. They got on the site before anyone else and took charge of the emergency response.

The Saintess was supposed to be with them too...

But she wasn’t. She had already been killed by the most arrogant of the solo High Rankers. The only people who knew of her death were the Fire Emperor and I. Even those two High Rankers didn’t know it yet—no, they would probably never know.

The Master Alchemist looked around. “Strange. Why isn’t Miss Saintess here yet...?”

“She told me that she had plans tonight. Although I don’t know what it is, it’s probably a date.” The Paladin laughed quietly. “She hangs out with the Fire Emperor pretty often nowadays.”

“...I don’t like the Fire Emperor.” The Master Alchemist’s shoulders drooped. “Something doesn’t feel right about him... Although I know it’s not polite to talk badly of him, I still think Miss Saintess deserves someone better.”

“Your standards are too high. The Fire Emperor is the Rank 1 Hunter, so if she has to find someone better, who’s she supposed to date? This is why you still haven’t found yourself a partner.”

“A-age has nothing to do with this now... And I’m still in my late thirties. It’s not too late...” The Master Alchemist trailed off.

Speak of the devil...

“It’s the Fire Emperor!”

The firefighters ground to a halt. Even the High Rankers turned to look. The Fucker just ambled in wearing a hoodie and sweatpants.

“What the shit?” the Fucker demanded, obviously annoyed. “Who played with fire without my permission?”

He was indeed an absolute psychopath.

“Welcome, Fire Emperor.” the Paladin nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yup, your big bro is here.”

“As you can see, a fire broke out in the old slum. Can you help us?” the Paladin politely asked.

However, the Fire Emperor wasn’t fazed. “What do I get if I help you?”

“You’ll feel great about helping many people for free.”

“Ah, drop the bullshit and make me a real offer.”

“The media around the globe will print front page articles about you tomorrow. The headlines will be something like ’The Fire Emperor extinguished the fire, saving a lot of people.’ It’ll be a refreshing shock to people, and you’ll be able to improve your image.”

“Ha.” The Fire Emperor sneered with his hands still in his pockets. “I don’t remember tiptoeing around those media jackals.”

He was one crazy asshole.

The residents already had their phones out and were filming the Fire Emperor, so his facial expressions and the words he said would be broadcast around the globe right now. People on the internet must be having a heated discussion, either advocating for or criticizing the Fire Emperor. What would the Fire Emperor’s advocates say?

—He’s right. ofc you should look out for yourself

—Only an idiot would help out people for free.

—I like how he’s still honest even after becoming a hero.

My head went blank.

No one knows who he really is.

A shiver ran down my spine.

He isn’t honest. He’s...just crazy. He isn’t in his right mind.

The fire was right near me, but I felt cold. The Fire Emperor had started this fire and all the tragedy that accompanied it, yet he had the audacity to come back and ask for a price with a straight face. That was when I resolved myself.

He has to go!

It wasn’t just for my revenge. For the sake of humanity and the honor of all Hunters, the Fire Emperor had to be eradicated. He was no different from monsters, and it was Hunters’ duty and life’s mission to hunt monsters!

I have to kill him...by whatever means necessary.

A fire-spitting monster was living in the Tower. Yes, there was, but that was going to change. That monster was now my prey.

Even if it costs me my life...

I walked past the heroes, who were discussing how to sort out the aftermath. Ordinary Hunters were also working hard to put out the fire, but I brushed past them as well, headed toward the seemingly unquenchable inferno.

“Huh? Hold on, where are you going?”

And I walked.

“Hey, bro! Don’t get too close!”

And I walked.

“Huh?! He’s crazy!”

“Somebody stop him!”

“Who the fuck is that?!”

And I ran.

I could hear people going wild behind me. Some people anxiously jumped up and down, unsure of how to stop me. On the other hand, several guys yelled at me as they fought the fire. I ignored them and charged straight into the fire. People called me crazy, but I wasn’t; in fact, I couldn’t be more level-headed right now. I understood the situation.

It’s hot!

I was in hell. The fire came at me like a snake flicking its scarlet tongue.

It hurts!

Whenever I took a step, more of my flesh melted. I could feel the surface of my eyes being burned to a crisp.

But it’s better than the time I got killed by the Fire Emperor!

This was the only way to kill the Fire Emperor.

I ran for a long time, but at the same time, it also felt like only a minute passed. I kept coughing because of the smoke. By the time I stopped coughing, I heard a voice.

[You have died.]

Yes.

[Rewinding twenty-four hours.]

It was my second death.

***

“...I’m back.”

It was my hell, my twelve-square meter studio. The walls were covered in newspaper clippings, and my old television was playing the Fire Emperor’s live interview for the third time.

「Breaking news! The Black Dragon Guild confidently declared that they’d clear the Tower’s fortieth floor...」

I returned to yesterday.

Okay. The Skill is working.

Unlike the last time, I didn’t even spare a glance at the TV. I didn’t need to because all I had to know was that my Skill that rewinded me twenty-four hours worked. With this Skill, I would be able to kill the Fire Emperor.

[Your current Hunter Class is F.]

[You will not receive your Skill penalty.]

“I knew it,” I muttered to myself.

Returner’s Clockwork... The description said that a higher penalty would be given if my Hunter Class was high.

In other words, Class F Hunters like me wouldn’t receive one at all.

Now is my one and only chance to kill the Fire Emperor.

I pulled a dagger out of my backpack. It had been with me ever since I had started working as a Hunter. The dagger was now too dull to hunt monsters, but... it was sharp enough to kill a human.

How shall I kill The Fire Emperor?

I had been contemplating it.

The Saintess isn’t dead yet, so should I work with her? Maybe I can reveal my ability to the Black Dragon Guild. Then they might help me incarcerate the Fire Emperor forever. Or when the Fire Emperor kills the Saintess, I can secretly film the moment and send the footage to the media.

All of these methods were good, but they didn’t guarantee the Fire Emperor’s irreversible demise.

I don’t have any way to make the Saintess trust me.

I didn’t have any reputation.

The guild might just discard me when it’s done.

I didn’t have power.

Is it seriously possible for me to film the Fire Emperor without getting discovered?

I didn’t have confidence.

But... I go back twenty-four hours after I die.

I still had Returner’s Clockwork, the Skill I copied from the Fire Emperor.

Yeah, I have the Skill. Don’t worry, Kim Gong-Ja. You can do it.

I swallowed my saliva and stared at the clipping of the Fire Emperor’s magazine interview.

“Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha, how old were you when you Awakened?”

“I was twenty-one years old. It’s already been eleven years since that summer.”

“You must have very good memory to remember the season.”

“I never really thought I had a good memory, but the day I Awakened just happened to be my birthday, June 7th. That’s why I remember it.”

Eleven years ago. June 7th. Summer.

Yoo Soo-Ha, the Fire Emperor, hadn’t had the Skill that summer eleven years ago. If I counted back from today to that specific June 7th, it was...

4050 days.

Yes.

I die 4050 times.

It was the only way to kill the Fire Emperor.

Yoo Soo-Ha. If you won’t stay dead, you monster... I raised my dagger up high. ...I’ll kill you before you become a monster!

And I stabbed myself in the neck to go back to the past, where I could kill the Fire Emperor!

“Urgh...!”

It was hot, and it hurt. As my heart raced, I could vividly feel every one of my nerves scream. After some time, I couldn’t see or feel anything, but I heard a voice.

[You have died.]

[Rewinding twenty-four hours.]

When I went back another day, I found myself lying on my bed. The TV was off, but the clippings were still all over the walls. Going back a day wasn’t enough to erase the Fire Emperor—no, that lunatic’s death. I glared at Yoo Soo-Ha’s photo.

A day, a week, a month, a year... I didn’t care how long it would take.

“Now...” I held up my dagger again. “...4049 days to go.”

And I stabbed myself again.