Chapter 135

“Ji-eun!”

“Ji-eun-ah!”

At that moment, Yoo Woo-jung and Si-ho came running over.

They had quickly realized that Ji-eun’s condition wasn’t good.

“Ahehe, I’m okay.”

Ji-eun said shyly to the two of them.

Seeing this, Si-ho and Yoo Woo-jung let out a sigh of relief.

After all, as a team, they were genuinely worried about Ji-eun.

Ha-chan was watching Ji-eun.

He was proud.

He could feel that Ji-eun had grown, breaking through her limits.

A child becomes an adult through various experiences.

Ji-eun, who always felt like a younger sister, was now becoming a proper Hunter.

That fact made Ha-chan feel immensely proud.

“Ji-eun-ah, what about that child?”

“Ah.”

When Ha-chan asked, Ji-eun immediately thought of the child.

Then, something flew out of Ji-eun’s arms.

It was a golden-haired girl the size of a palm.

“It’s Gold Piece.”

So that’s the name she gave.

Gold Piece hugged Ji-eun’s cheek and then flew over to sit on Ha-chan’s head.

Seeing Gold Piece, who seemed to particularly like Ha-chan, Ji-eun’s face turned red again.

“Maybe because I’ve bonded so much with Gold Piece, some of my feelings for Ha-chan oppa have transferred to her.”

She felt so embarrassed that her face felt like it might explode.

“What the… I knew this thing was an energy mass, but it’s the Next Generation Spirit King?”

At that moment, Baeksan reacted in disbelief upon seeing Gold Piece.

When Ha-chan looked at him, Baeksan explained while looking at Gold Piece, who was visible to him as well.

“The Spirit King isn’t something that becomes one by growing into a top-tier spirit. They are born as such, and before the generational shift, there are beings like the Next Generation Spirit King.”

They are like a blank canvas, devoid of any attributes or intentions.

A fetus-like mass of the Spirit King’s immense energy.

That was Gold Piece.

Ha-chan understood why the spirits were so frantic about Gold Piece.

Even in another dimension’s spirit world, the sudden appearance of the Next Generation Spirit King would cause panic, and the spirits, feeling that emotion, would go berserk.

Spirits are connected as mental entities.

“Ji-eun-ah, did you make a contract with Gold Piece?”

“Ah, um, yes, it’s more like we’re deeply intertwined.”

As Ji-eun hurriedly answered while holding Gold Piece, who was still on Ha-chan’s head, Sa-ran let out a long sigh beside her.

“It’s not a contract.”

Sa-ran, the most knowledgeable about spirits among them, looked at Ji-eun and Gold Piece and spoke.

“Your essences have probably merged. Ji-eun and Gold Piece are almost one being now.”

Hearing this, Ha-chan looked at Ji-eun with concern.

“Will there be any problems for Ji-eun?”

“Problems? If she’s merged with the Next Generation Spirit King, she’ll just become ridiculously strong.”

Baeksan answered nonchalantly, as if there was nothing to worry about.

Sa-ran also shook her head, indicating there would be no issues.

That’s a relief.

“Hey, Ha-chan, it’s good to talk and all, but…”

At that moment, Yoo Woo-jung pointed behind them.

“What about that?”

There was Ilbeli.

The last remaining head of Ilbeli was drooling, its eyes completely rolled back.

Despite Se-hee’s attacks, Ilbeli was stubbornly making its way here, desperate to devour Gold Piece.

Seeing this, Ha-chan fell into thought.

Ji-eun had saved Gold Piece.

Since Ji-eun and Gold Piece were now one, they could escape using Si-ho’s Space Movement without any issues.

In that case, it seemed wiser to bring back a Returner to finish off Ilbeli, as Se-hee had initially suggested.

“Ha-chan oppa.”

Just as Ha-chan was thinking, Ji-eun called him again.

Still in Ha-chan’s arms, Ji-eun looked up at him and spoke.

“I have an idea.”

And what followed was a completely unexpected method that Ha-chan hadn’t anticipated.

…

High above, where the sea could be seen at the edge of the land.

Se-hee was catching her breath, holding a stone plate made of talismans.

‘Haa, damn, this doesn’t feel like my body.’

Having continuously used talismans with her spiritual energy, fatigue had built up in her body.

But Ilbeli stubbornly survived even under Se-hee’s relentless assault.

Its resilience was truly something to acknowledge.

‘I lack firepower.’

Se-hee was in the process of recovering her body, so she hadn’t fully regained her spiritual energy.

Revival and recovery were two different things.

Thus, Se-hee couldn’t finish off Ilbeli.

To unleash more firepower, she needed spiritual energy.

‘Domi’s one more attack…’

That was beyond standard firepower.

She shouldn’t hope for that again.

“Grooooooar!”

At that moment, Ilbeli thrashed forward again.

Its determination to devour Gold Piece was commendable.

“No!”

Seeing this, Se-hee immediately swung her stone plate.

At that moment, the talismans detached from her stone plate and rained down on Ilbeli like meteors.

But it still wasn’t enough to stop Ilbeli’s movement.

Then, it happened.

The air in the area began to flow as if being sucked somewhere.

In the heavy air, where even she felt like she might be pulled in and swept away.

Se-hee’s eyes caught sight of someone.

There was Ha-chan.

Amidst the red lightning, he aimed his gun at Ilbeli.

Could he still have strength left after unleashing such firepower?

As Se-hee’s eyes widened in surprise, she saw the person next to Ha-chan.

Golden hair, swaying violently from the massive energy waves.

Her eyes were golden—it was Ji-eun.

What was going on?

Se-hee couldn’t understand, but she realized one thing.

“This is the perfect moment.”

Se-hee unleashed all the talismans wrapped around her stone plate.

At that moment, the sky behind her cracked open.

Between the opened sky, a massive goblin holding prayer beads in both hands appeared.

With the translucent goblin behind her, Se-hee raised her hand.

The talismans swirling around her hand began to draw strange curves.

“Falling Heaven.”

As Se-hee’s voice erupted, the goblin Falling Heaven explosively leaped.

Boom!

A deafening roar followed.

There, Falling Heaven pressed down on Ilbeli’s head.

Like a giant nail, Falling Heaven stood firmly on Ilbeli’s head, pouring out eerie killing intent.

“Grooooooar!”

Ilbeli thrashed in anger, but Se-hee poured even more spiritual energy into her hand.

Se-hee’s spiritual energy was exploding to a level that even Ilbeli couldn’t overcome.

Ilbeli began to feel the massive energy waves that had blown its body away earlier.

Ilbeli sensed danger.

If Ha-chan’s Thunderbolt struck again, at that moment.

Ilbeli instinctively knew it would bid farewell to the world.

“Groooooooooar!”

As Ilbeli roared, its last remaining head opened wide.

Thinking its prey might escape, it unleashed its ultimate move.

All light began to be sucked into Ilbeli’s mouth.

Simultaneously, the ground shook, proving it was giving its all.

Realizing this, Se-hee tried to stop Ilbeli, but at that moment, her eyes met Ha-chan’s.

It’s okay.

Ha-chan was saying that.

“…Really.”

Seeing the confident smile, Se-hee slightly twisted her lips and focused on Falling Heaven.

Like Hyuk-seo, Se-hee had taken on the tank role in the game.

Then, as a tank, she had to hold on firmly.

As if understanding immediately.

Ha-chan smiled at Se-hee, who had grasped his intention the moment she saw him.

‘Just like Eva noona.’

Along with that, Ha-chan let out an exclamation at the massive energy flowing into his body.

Beside him, as Se-hee had seen, was Ji-eun.

What Ji-eun had suggested to Ha-chan, who was pondering how to deal with Ilbeli, was to share Gold Piece’s energy with him.

Though it seemed impossible, Ji-eun, who had gained control over Gold Piece’s power through bonding, was confident she could do it.

As proof, Ha-chan was now creating another Thunderbolt.

The red Thunderbolt, infused with the Next Generation Spirit King’s power, shone brightly with a mix of gold and red.

…

Ha-chan’s eyes met Ji-eun’s.

With her golden hair fluttering, Ji-eun looked more like a Hunter than anyone else at that moment.

Seeing her, who had grown so much in just a few months, Ha-chan realized he had been treating her too much like a child.

And he recalled the confession she had made with all her heart earlier.

Was that love really inferior to Seolhyang, Ayu, or Si-ho?

At the very least, Ha-chan was certain he shouldn’t take that feeling lightly.

“Ji-eun-ah.”

So, Ha-chan called her.

As Ji-eun’s golden eyes turned to him, Ha-chan smiled apologetically.

“I’ll think more seriously about your confession.”

“Uh, uh?”

Ji-eun’s eyes widened as she looked at Ha-chan.

Seeing those eyes, Ha-chan placed his hand on Kerafe’s trigger.

He didn’t intend to produce the same result as before.

This strike would take down Ilbeli.

“Finish it.”

As Baeksan’s voice rang out, Ha-chan immediately pulled the trigger.

Crack!

A small lightning sound echoed.

Boom!

A deafening roar followed.

The bullet of Thunderbolt, mixed with red and gold, swept everything away.

From Ilbeli’s mouth, a black beam shot out.

The Thunderbolt’s bullet and Ilbeli’s beam collided.

For a moment, it seemed like the Thunderbolt was being pushed back.

But this was the Thunderbolt’s bullet, powered by Ji-eun’s full support.

The Thunderbolt, as if mocking the pushback, swallowed Ilbeli’s beam and became a storm.

Seeing this, Ilbeli poured all its power into the beam until the end, but it couldn’t stop the approaching Thunderbolt.

That was the end.

Boom!

Ilbeli was engulfed by the Thunderbolt and burned away.

The Thunderbolt didn’t stop there, shaking Iceland as it blew away the ground.

In the midst of the rough tremors, as smoke rose, Ha-chan met Ji-eun’s wide-eyed gaze.

The sound of helicopters began to be heard in the distance.

It seemed Iceland had sent Hunters due to the commotion.

Hearing that, Ha-chan patted Ji-eun’s head.

“You did well. Good job, Yoon Ji-eun.”

Hearing that, Ji-eun’s eyes welled up with tears, and she smiled brighter than ever.

That was the last thing Ha-chan saw before he felt something snap in his head.

Ah, this is fainting.

Realizing that, Ha-chan closed his eyes amidst everyone’s screams.