Chapter 267

I loaded nine arrows into my quiver and found it.

I calmly aimed my arrow at the enormous bird known as the King of Monsters.

When I saw it, it saw me too. Its eyes, flickering in the flames, looked at me mockingly. My tiny arrow was even smaller than its pupils. It was laughable.

But when that small arrow pierced through the surging wind and the symphony of fire, embedding itself into the creature, its mocking gaze froze in place.

It wasn’t my power, but the power of the one who chose me. Of course, that fact didn’t matter to me. I didn’t want to boast that I had defeated it with my own strength.

A hunter never duels with their prey. They simply hunt.

One shot. Then two. As I fired the third, it let out a scream. It could no longer stay airborne, staggering and crashing down. It tried to spew fire from its mouth, but only choking sounds came out. Black smoke billowed from its beak.

I was certain I could hunt it. That’s what I thought as I drew the fourth arrow.

-You mustn’t.

My body froze instantly. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help it.

My hand trembled uncontrollably, and the bow I was holding fell. I felt something hot rolling down my cheek. It was the voice of my younger sibling, which I had forgotten for so long.

-You can shoot anyone with that bow, but not that child. I’ve grown attached.

The voice didn’t come from inside my head. I quickly turned toward the direction of the voice. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice.

‘This is an illusion.’

My legs gave out, and I almost collapsed. Unable to move closer or farther away, I could only stand there. My younger sibling was leaning against a large zelkova tree, looking at me. Just as they were back then. Wearing the same clothes. Staring at me with that small face.

I didn’t remember what they were wearing back then. I didn’t want to remember. Or so I thought. But it seems I did remember. I just didn’t want to recall it. I didn’t want to.

“You’re not my sibling.”

I clutched my head and screamed. That was just a memory of my past. My sibling hadn’t truly returned to stand before me.

Even knowing that, it hurt. It felt like a demon was playing a cruel joke. I knew it was a trick, but I couldn’t look away. I knelt before my ‘sibling.’ Even as tears blurred my vision, their figure remained clear.

“It’s an illusion. I’m seeing a phantom.”

I knew it was false, but I couldn’t shoot the arrow. Even if they approached me, their small hands gripping my neck, trying to strangle the life out of me, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.

-Of course.

My sibling looked at me and smirked. It was so similar to how they smiled in life that it sent shivers down my spine.

-You know it, so you’ll agree, right? While this illusion held you captive, I could’ve killed you countless times. Chosen One.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, what stood there wasn’t my sibling.

“Since you didn’t, you owe me your life. So, in return, spare that child’s life. You can hunt any monster, but not the Phoenix. I’ve grown attached.”

Primal Demon King Grimudo. The one who tormented me with the illusion of my sibling.

He called me the one chosen by the Ancient God and assured me he had no intention of harming me.

“The Ancient God, high above, never chooses someone lightly. They only choose those they truly cherish. I could kill you, but I don’t particularly want to. No one else could handle the aftermath.”

But for the first time since I met that tiger, I felt fear from him.

Yet, it wasn’t just fear. He toyed with my mind. And he toyed with my sibling. Even if it meant my death, I wanted to at least land one arrow on him.

As I picked up the fallen bow and reached for an arrow, our eyes met. In that moment, my body refused to obey me. My limbs tangled, and my head spun. I dropped the bow again. I was no match for him.

“Mental attacks are never omnipotent. They don’t work on those without scars in their hearts, those with strong wills. But for someone like you, with deep-seated wounds, no matter how strong your spirit, there’s always a crack to exploit.”

I may look fine on the outside, but inside, I’m already rotting.

I gritted my teeth. I bit my tongue until it bled. I used physical pain to erase the mental anguish. With a momentarily clear mind, I asked him:

Why do you, with such immense power, create and protect man-eating monsters, even shielding them, while living like this?

If you wanted to conquer and rule this world, I could understand. Who becomes king and rules the land is none of my concern.

“If you want to know, pull the arrow from my bird.”

He said that, and then added,

“But you’ll probably regret it.”

And after hearing the secrets of the world from him, I didn’t regret it. At least not at that time.

I thought my death would come from being eaten by the creatures I hunted. But this time, what I had to hunt was too enormous, and my arrows couldn’t end its life. It was never something I could hunt.

The destruction of the world. It’s too big a problem for me to handle. I never thought I’d face something like this in my lifetime.

A monster as large as a continent that would devour everyone when the time came. When I heard that story, I felt like I had regressed to a child.

Now, I could beat it with the bow itself, no need for arrows. But back then, it was like facing that insurmountable wall of a tiger again.

For the first time, I gave up trying to solve the problem myself. I asked for help from the one who chose me. And he answered my call.

Remember. Becoming one with the Law of the Universe is no different from being devoured by it.

For a human to inherit the power of an Ancient God and become one is never a blessing.

My heart aches as I must bestow this cursed fate upon you, my Saint.

Even now, I want to dissuade you. I’ve told you countless times that your stubbornness is futile. Yet, you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for someone in the future.

You’ll surely regret it. So, Amin, please don’t resent me. If you can keep your sanity while being torn into a thousand pieces, remember that I tried to stop you until the end.

Dying is nothing. What’s truly terrifying is not truly living.

Now I know there’s a reason behind everything adults say. There’s a reason behind every warning. Especially when it comes from a god who has lived since ancient times.

I might regret this. No, I definitely will. Warnings and taboos exist for a reason, and now I know they’re not empty words.

But my answer was decided from the start.

If I hadn’t run away from my sibling back then, I probably wouldn’t have survived this long. I might have died with them, but at least I wouldn’t have regrets.

At least I wouldn’t be suffering from lingering attachments like now. So, I don’t want to run anymore. Even if it means being stuck between life and death, even if I can no longer remain human.

Running away from my life once was enough. Even if I end up regretting it, at least I won’t have lingering attachments.

For someone like me, whose heart is already broken, maybe this is fine.

A tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and a person leaves only a grave. But at least I can leave more behind.

That future, which I didn’t have back then when my heart was already set.

And to be honest, I truly regretted it.

If I had known it would be this painful, I would never have chosen this path.

I thought I wasn’t afraid of death or pain, but the one who chose me was right. It was an impossible task for a human from the start.

But I was half right. At least I have no regrets.

So, I want to ask. This shattered me. This me scattered across the world. Who are you, who gathered and awakened me again?