Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kang Woo, bewildered by the giant’s whereabouts, looked up at the mysterious hammering colossus before him. How strange. His gray hair scattered, covering the ground like a snowfield. His body was encrusted with moss, like an ancient rock. Just how long had this giant been at it?

With a trembling voice, Kang Woo asked, “Who… are you?”

Oddly enough, the roaring furnace and the clang of the hammer seemed to have dispelled the half-madness clouding Kang Woo’s mind.

Clang clang!

Without pausing his work, the giant spoke.

-I am your god. I have been granting fire to humans since ancient times.

Could this be an illusion before his death? But there was a particular word he couldn’t ignore.

“…My god?”

-Indeed. All craftsmen are my followers, and their hammer is akin to a prayer, their craft a tribute. You are the best among them, worthy of being my apostle.

Kang Woo was an atheist by circumstance. If a god truly existed, how could they allow humans to endure such hardship and torment? This must be a near-death illusion. Despite knowing that, Kang Woo couldn’t contain his anger.

“If you’re truly my god, why didn’t you help me?! Where were you when my family and the woman I loved were slaughtered like animals?!”

The giant didn’t even glance at Kang Woo.

-Gods aren’t omnipotent. They are only slightly more powerful than you humans. Compared to this vast universe of countless worlds, the so-called gods are nothing but specks of dust, entangled in the laws of causality. The only true gods are the creators of this universe and the God of Destruction, who consumes it.

The giant plunged the steel he was hammering into the blazing furnace.

-I helped you as much as I could.

“You… helped?”

-That’s right. I gave you a degraded version of the God’s Shop, allowing you to exact revenge and prevent the God of Destruction’s alter ego from descending on Earth.

Kang Woo’s gaze wavered.

“Then, did you… did you create the Hunter Shop?”

-Not everything is born from nothing. The name may be different, but it traces its origins to me. Though a sliver of hope, like a flickering candle in the sea of darkness, it was the best goodwill a fallen god like myself could offer your doomed world.

Pulling out the previous steel, the giant continued striking it.

-Besides myself, many other gods are also lending a hand to the people of your world. Do you humans truly believe these powers are entirely your own? Of course, there are wicked gods who plague your world with evil…

Kang Woo was confused by the world’s secrets revealed to him. Still, something stood out.

“My world is… doomed?”

-Correct. You sacrificed your life to prevent the God of Destruction’s alter ego from descending. A noble act, indeed. However, your world is still on the brink of destruction. You humans have only one year left to live.

The giant declared the end of Kang Woo’s world with such nonchalance that his heart burned with anger. How could his sacrifice, along with the lives of his loved ones, be in vain?!

For the first time, the giant stopped swinging his hammer. He turned to Kang Woo with blazing eyes.

-Are you furious?

“Of course I am!”

-Then why don’t you try fighting back for once?

“…Pardon?”

-Many worlds and gods have been devoured by the God of Destruction, and I am no exception. My feelings are no different from yours. I threw away 100,000 years of causality here to take my revenge. Finally, I’ve created the perfect sword.

Flicker!
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The piece of steel forged by the giant turned into flames, then took the form of a sword.

-Fire makes and breaks everything. This is the Sword of Causality, forged from that essence. If you wish for it, I shall give it to you.

Kang Woo swallowed hard. “Will I be able to save my world with this?”

The giant shook his head.

-No. Compared to the impending chaos, this sword is nothing but a speck of hope. The path ahead holds only hardship, laden with despair, frustration, and heartbreak.

The giant’s words, sounding like a curse, left him silent. Moments later, Kang Woo gritted his teeth and reached out.

“Please give it to me.”

Perhaps the giant was right, only suffering awaited him. Still, he couldn’t ignore this injustice and let it end like this!

For the first time, the giant smiled.

-Alright, I hereby bestow this upon you.

The giant hurled the fiery sword to Kang Woo.

Pwoosh! Kwaaa!

It plunged straight into his heart, engulfing him in flames.

“Aaaargh!”

Burning alive, Kang Woo screamed in excruciating pain.

Ding!

Faintly, a notification echoed in his ears.

[Guardian of Fire and Blacksmith has bestowed upon you the Sword of Causality, which he had honed for 100,000 years.]

[Fire makes and breaks everything. This is the Sword of Causality, forged from that essence.]

[Activating the Sword of Causality’s special ability, Fate Restoration.]

Ding!

[Kang Woo’s Fate Restoration is successful.]

[You have 6 Fate Restoration chances remaining.]

“Gasp!”

Kang Woo’s eyes snapped open as he gasped for breath.

Then, he saw a familiar ceiling. He had returned to his workshop. It was the morning of the day, exactly a year ago, before he sacrificed himself.

***

The first round of regression.

Since his ability hadn’t reset, Kang Woo rushed to the Hunter Association to renew his rank. Naturally, there was an uproar due to the rarity of an S-rank Creation-type Hunter. Moreover, he also had access to the Hunter Shop. His reappearance was like a blessing in disguise.

He amassed power within the Hunter Association and established connections with guilds, utilizing the legendary equipment available in the Hunter Shop. With newfound authority and connections, Kang Woo’s first act was to dismantle the Brilliance Guild, which controlled the black market in Korea.

“…Haa, haa. Thank you for stopping… me…” A fallen young man uttered his final words. He looked at Kang Woo as if he had received redemption. He was none other than the God of Destruction’s apostle, Johan.

“…”

Kang Woo looked down at the corpse with mixed feelings. Johan was his enemy in his previous life. And yet, the revenge brought him no satisfaction, especially after learning that Johan was merely a pawn of the gods.

“Thank you, everyone.” Kang Woo bowed to his comrades. “It’s just the price of this Soul Armor.”

“Hmph, why did you have to involve me in such trivial matters?”

“Haha, Mi-Na. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Thanks to you, we managed to dismantle the black market without causing any damage.”

“Keke. Mind if I take his corpse?”

“Don’t break the mood, Skeleton Punk.”

Kang Woo wasn’t alone. Including himself, there were a total of six S-rank Hunters gathered there, representing South Korea. All of them were either armed with weapons from the Hunter Shop or Kang Woo’s own creations, leaving Johan no chance against them.

Kang Woo clenched his fist tightly. After his regression, it took him two months to slay Johan. He had succeeded in preventing Johan from committing evil deeds, along with the God of Destruction’s descent.

On my own, there isn’t much I can do. But with their help, I’m sure I’ll succeed!

Moreover, with his Hunter Shop, he could help them become even stronger. Despite what the Guardian of Fire and Blacksmith had foretold, Kang Woo believed this group could save the world.

“Aaaaah! Unniiiii!”

He was sorely mistaken.

Plop!

Sung Mi-Na, her upper body severed, collapsed helplessly to the ground.

It was a day like any other. The Sung sisters visited Kang Woo’s workshop to order armor as a gift for Sung Mi-Ri, who was graduating from the academy.

However, a crocodile monster appeared out of nowhere, and devoured her instantly. With a bloody mouth, the crocodile, Apostle Gustav, roared, “Sacrifice to the gods!”

Sung Mi-Na’s corpse disintegrated, absorbed into Gustav’s hand.

Gustav smirked. “A worthy sacrifice, it’s well-ripened.”

Ruuumble! Baaam!

With a thunderous explosion, a blast of tremendous power shattered the workshop’s ceiling, piercing the sky.

“Aaargh! Monster! How dare you! My Unni… I’ll kill you!”

“N-no! Stop, Mi-Ri!”

However, Mi-Ri, consumed by rage, did not heed his words.

Pzzz!

Despite wielding combat power similar to an S-rank Hunter’s, Sung Mi-Ri was only a B-rank Hunter.

Pooow!

She pierced Gustav’s stomach with both hands, but the crocodile remained unfazed. It smirked, pulling Sung Mi-Ri into a crushing embrace.

Crack!

“Kyaaaak!”

“Kekeke, this sacrifice has also ripened well. He’s going to be very delighted.”

“You monster! Stop right now! Summon Arjuna’s Bow!”

Kang Woo clenched his jaws. Arjuna’s Bow was a legendary weapon, said to have been wielded by an Indian hero who inherited divine blood.

Flash!

Kang Woo shot an arrow, striking Gustav square in the head. But in the next moment, Sung Mi-Ri and Gustav vanished instantly.

“No way!”

Terror flashed across his eyes.

Gustav had used an ability called Teleportation, which should have been exclusive to the Russian S-rank Hunter Sergey.

Kang Woo’s nightmare began anew. Gustav did not die, and his true nature was revealed that same day. He could acquire the abilities of those he consumed. And now, having obtained Sung Mi-Na’s Psyche-type powers, nothing could stop him.

Despite fighting to the bitter end, Kang Woo eventually met his demise at Gustav’s hand. At that moment, the Sword of Causality activated once more.

Ding!

[Kang Woo’s Fate Restoration is successful.]

[You have 5 Fate Restoration chances remaining.]

In the second round of regression, Kang Woo resolved to protect Sung Mi-Na at all costs. He didn’t stand a chance against Psyche-type Gustav.

This time, Kang Woo also connected with Hunters worldwide. His targets were Hunters who would pose a threat if they fell into Gustav’s hands. He lured as many as he could to his side using wealth, power, and equipment.

He was thoroughly prepared.

Gustav’s head rolled on the ground, then was stepped on by Kang Woo.

“…I did it.”

Kang Woo rejoiced, believing he was finally close to saving humanity…

“Cough!”

“S-Sir?”

A sword, red as blood, pierced Choi Kang-San’s heart. He collapsed.

Flick! Slap!

As his blood splattered, a captivating lady in qipao shrugged.

“W-why did you…?”

“My bad, Uncle~! Higher-up’s order, so it can’t be helped~”

The culprit was Lin Xiaoming, a Hunter from the Three Martial Association, who had contributed to slaying Gustav.