Sure enough. The attending physician, who had spent the whole night examining Yoo Myung-Han's condition, kept tilting his head as he held the paper with the results. "No, how is this possible…" Seeing the physician's expression, Yoo Myung-Han asked cautiously, "Are the results not good?" The physician quickly waved his hands. "Ah, no, that's not it at all. Not at all." He stared at the results once more before speaking carefully. "Chairman, did you perhaps take your hypertension medication before the examination?" This was a body that had been on the verge of death just the night before. He had opened his eyes, but he certainly hadn't had the time to take his pills. "I didn't." Yoo Myung-Han shook his head. Nodding as if he had expected as much, the physician answered with a troubled look. "However, your blood pressure is remarkably stable. In fact, at this level, you're in much better health than an ordinary person." Chairman Yoo Myung-Han's eyes widened. What was he hearing? He had entered the "Final Sleep" state and was supposed to die without any recourse, yet after waking up, his chronic hypertension had completely vanished? The physician continued reading through the chart. "Beyond that, all of your bodily functions are operating perfectly. If I didn't know your age, I'd believe this was the test result of a man in his twenties." How could such a thing happen? As startled as Chairman Yoo Myung-Han was, the physician was even more astonished. It was to a degree that even seeing it with his own eyes was hard to believe. Just a few weeks ago, when Chairman Yoo Myung-Han had first collapsed and been rushed to this hospital, the ink on his examination report had barely dried. And now, in just a few days, these reversed results — how could he explain them? Had his constitution completely changed in the meantime? And this from a man who had been dying of an incurable illness the night before. The physician expressed his feelings thus: "I've been a doctor for thirty years, but this is a first. This… this can only be described as a miracle." A patient suffering from Somatic Hypersensitivity Disorder had awakened from the "Final Sleep" state and, moreover, had transformed into a body far healthier than before he fell asleep. Wasn't the word "miracle" made precisely for situations like this? Unable to hide his astonishment, the physician let out a low exclamation and then broke into a broad smile. "Congratulations, Chairman Yoo. Your Somatic Hypersensitivity Disorder has been completely cured." He added that Yoo Myung-Han was in good enough shape to run a full marathon right now. But. "…" Before rejoicing, Yoo Myung-Han mused over something for a moment, then looked up. "Are there any surveillance cameras installed near the room where I stayed?" "Excuse me? What does that have to do with—" "I want to confirm something. Are there surveillance cameras inside the room or at the entrance?" "There aren't any inside the room, but there should be one at the entrance." Just as he thought. Yoo Myung-Han nodded. This is no coincidence. It had long since exceeded the realm of what could be dismissed as coincidence. There must have been the intervention of someone with abilities beyond ordinary comprehension. As for who that someone was, he had a rough idea. I've received an enormous favor. Yoo Myung-Han had never known what it was like to live in debt. He had no intention of starting now. But how could one ever repay a debt owed for one's life? No. Forget about repaying or not — shouldn't he at least know the name of his benefactor? Yoo Myung-Han wanted to see it for himself. "Show me the surveillance footage recorded last night."
* * *
Naturally, the footage showed nothing. "The only anomaly is this one door malfunction." A guard pointed at the screen with his finger and explained the situation at the time. The window had been locked from the inside, so the only entrance was the hospital room door. Yet all four guards standing watch at the door spoke in unison — not a single ant had entered that room. They were all professionals from the security firm, so mistakes were out of the question. "Hmm…" The idea that Sung Jin-Woo might possess the "Stealth" skill never even crossed Yoo Myung-Han's mind, and his thoughts grew complicated. Just then, Secretary Kim hurried into the security room. "Chairman, I've looked into it." "Yes? What did you find?" "Well…" Secretary Kim glanced at the others nearby, then cupped his hand to Yoo Myung-Han's ear. "When I inquired with the Association, they said Hunter Sung Jin-Woo was in Japan at the time. They say the Hunter's entry date is probably tomorrow." "…" He had believed no one other than Hunter Sung Jin-Woo could have made something like this possible. Yoo Myung-Han realized his guess had been wrong. He now knew it wasn't him. But why… even after checking all the evidence, that lingering suspicion in the corner of his heart wouldn't go away? It was baffling. But. If Chairman Yoo Myung-Han shared one trait with Jin-Woo, it was that he didn't dwell on unsolvable problems. "I see." Yoo Myung-Han went on. "The doctor says I'm fit enough to run a marathon right now. I'll be heading back to the company starting tomorrow, so have everything prepared." If anything, it was typical of him. Seeing Yoo Myung-Han looking no different from usual, Secretary Kim swallowed a smile and replied. "Chairman, do you know what the media are calling you right now?" He had been as good as dead only yesterday, yet here he was, perfectly fine — it must have been absolute chaos. But what did that matter? Yoo Myung-Han's expression didn't change a bit as he asked back, "What are they calling me?" "The Undying. The Undying, they say." "The Undying?" The corners of Yoo Myung-Han's mouth — a man who rarely showed amusement — twitched ever so slightly. The Undying. After all the drivel about "Midas touch" and "poker face," the media had finally come up with a decent nickname. Heh. Yoo Myung-Han savored the word and smiled with satisfaction. "The Undying, the Undying." A fitting name for a man who had never yielded to any adversity and had even come back from a fatal illness. Yoo Myung-Han gratefully accepted this second chance life had given him and smiled with a contented look. "Now that's a name I rather like."
* * *
While all of Korea was buzzing with the news of Chairman Yoo Myung-Han, Jin-Woo, who had returned to Japan, finally succeeded in gathering all twenty-nine giant shadow soldiers. At last… Overwhelmed with emotion, Jin-Woo lined up the giant soldiers from No. 1 through No. 29 in a neat row. The process of hunting down giant corpses to collect the soldiers reminded him of some kind of game, but the rewards of his labor were so vastly superior that comparing them to anything game-like felt almost insulting. Twenty-nine giant soldiers. Looking at the twenty-nine imposing giants billowing black smoke, he felt as though he had acquired an army of ten thousand horses. It's a slight shame that one is missing… Out of the thirty giant-type monsters that had emerged from the Gate, one had been left behind guarding the Gate and one had fled into the sea, making Shadow Extraction impossible. Still, having collected the remaining twenty-nine intact filled him with a swelling sense of pride. With twenty-nine giant soldiers gathered in one place, the ruined city felt full once more. Of course, Jin-Woo hadn't summoned the giant soldiers to decorate an empty city or to admire his giant-soldier collection. He looked around at them and asked, "Which one of you is the strongest?" Just as Beru led the Ant Legion and Igrit led the Elite Legion, the giant soldiers needed a commander of their own. When the giant soldiers only exchanged glances and made no move to step forward, Beru finally lost patience, strode to the front, and raised his voice. KIEEEEEEEE—! A roar so fierce it seemed to tear through the air, and the giants flinched their shoulders. Understandable. Some of the giant soldiers had fallen to Beru's hand, and even those who hadn't could not fail to notice the immense gap in power. Kiek! Only after receiving a sharp rebuke from Beru did one giant soldier slowly raise his hand. Beru turned around and bowed his head, and Jin-Woo gave a thumbs-up. "Good job." But just then, something neither Jin-Woo nor Beru had anticipated happened. Seeing his comrade raise his hand, yet another giant soldier thrust his own hand high into the air — with a look in his eyes that said he was still better than the first. "Oh." It turned out they hadn't been hesitating out of reluctance to volunteer. They genuinely hadn't known which of them was strongest. Caught off guard by this unexpected turn, Jin-Woo let out a small laugh and called them both forward. "No. 22, No. 6 — step up." No. 6, with his particularly massive fists, and No. 22, with his overall powerful build, walked out. Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. Hmm… As the two soldiers had claimed, their mana levels were nearly identical, making it difficult to determine a winner even with Jin-Woo's keen sense of energy. Now that it had come to this, there was only one way. Jin-Woo grinned. "Both of you ready?" No. 6 and No. 22 stood facing each other. From the look in their eyes, neither was willing to concede an inch. "Begin!" At Jin-Woo's signal, the two giant soldiers clashed. Boom! Thud! Boom! After a fierce contest, No. 6 with the bigger fists won by a paper-thin margin, knocking No. 22 to the ground. "Good. From now on, No. 6 is the commander of the Giant Legion." When No. 6 raised both enormous fists overhead, the majority of the shadow soldiers who had watched the bout let out a roar of approval. With the giant commander decided, all the work Jin-Woo needed to do in Japan was finally done. He called up his Status Window. Status Window. With a familiar chime, letters and numbers materialized before his eyes.
[Name: Sung Jin-Woo] [Level: 122] [Class: Shadow Monarch] [Title: One Who Overcame Adversity (+2 others)] [HP: 65,230] [MP: 115,160] [Fatigue: 0]
[Stats] Strength: 292 Vitality: 281 Agility: 305 Intelligence: 310 Perception: 277 (Stat points available: 0) Physical Damage Reduction: 65%
[Skills] Passive Skills: (Unknown) Lv.MAX, Tenacity Lv.1, Dagger Master Lv.MAX Active Skills: Swift Lv.MAX, Killing Intent Lv.2, Stealth Lv.2, Frenzy Lv.MAX, Dagger Barrage Lv.MAX, Ruler's Touch Lv.MAX
[Class Exclusive Skills] Active Skills: Shadow Extraction Lv.2, Shadow Storage Lv.2, Domain of the Monarch Lv.2, Shadow Exchange Lv.2
[Equipped Items] Helm of the Red Knight (S), Earrings of the Demon Monarch (S), Necklace of the Demon Monarch (S), Ring of the Demon Monarch (S), Seeker's Top (A), Seeker's Gloves (A), Seeker's Boots (A)
The fruits of his Japanese expedition were laid bare at a glance. His ability stats had grown monstrous. All stat values hovered near 300, and his Intelligence — the one he had invested in the most — had long since surpassed that mark. The rewards from the Daily Quests he never skipped, the levels gained from hunting giants, and the store-bought armor set purchased with his accumulated gold — all had contributed. The Seeker's armor set. He had never been obsessed with items before. But with the power of the Monarchs and Rulers mentioned by the Angel statue and the King of Giants unknown to him, he needed tools to protect himself when the time came to face them. If the Giant Monarch — whose power had been sealed, leaving him barely more than a walking corpse — was that formidable, then the others might truly possess monstrous strength. Jin-Woo recalled the six-winged angels he had encountered within the Shadow Monarch's memories. To be able to fight them, he would need to become far stronger than he was now. Jin-Woo's gaze moved from the item list up to his level.
[Level: 122]
By taking down a single Monarch, he had climbed eight full levels. Fighting those Monarchs — he couldn't even imagine how much higher he might rise. Thump. His heart raced. Fear. And behind that fear, excitement — he felt both at once. I am growing. The power gained through growth would become the pillar that protected everything he wished to defend. His heart beat again. Thump, thump, thump. The sound of two hearts pounding so fiercely his ears ached. But the pain was not unpleasant. Good. Sensing an approach, Jin-Woo stored all of his shadow soldiers into his own shadow. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—! A short distance away, a helicopter from the Japanese Hunter's Association, sent to pick him up, was descending to the ground. Home first. Jin-Woo boarded the helicopter with a joyful heart.