The One Who Saved a World Before Will be Best at Saving Another

Two rookie Hunters were going to take down a grade 2 Erosion Zone. And not just any one, but the one located on Tsushima Island. If things went well afterward, thanks to me and Han Sang-ah, Korea might even end up owning the island.

It was a perfect combination of rising public expectations surrounding me through media exposure and tapping into national sentiment. And rescuing the captured fishermen on top of that?

There probably wasn’t a clearer, smoother path to becoming famous quickly and without backlash in Korea.

— Alright. I can’t be sure, but if we prepare and it falls through, we can just pretend it never happened.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The relationship between Taebaek and the Association President was a complicated one. This call likely wouldn’t be reported to Yoon Sung-hyun.

After hanging up, I stared at the fog for a bit longer and clicked my tongue.

“Looks like this is going to be a bit of a pain.”

Tsushima was a fairly large island. Roughly twice the size of Geoje Island. Finding and destroying a grade 2 Erosion Zone here would take time.

“There might be other grade 3 or unranked zones around too.”

Han Sang-ah, who had just finished sorting the supplies and stepped outside, spoke up beside me.

“That’s fine.”

I had something to rely on too. Wiping my gloved hand, I replied confidently. If I used the mana stored in this glove, I was confident I could survive for five minutes even against someone like Lee Se-eun.

“According to the testimony, the place where the fishermen are being held is...”

They were being held in a shrine. Tsushima had two shrines. One was Kaijin, the other was Watatsumi.

In terms of distance, we would head to Kaijin Shrine first, and if it wasn’t there, then to Watatsumi.

“It’s about 50 kilometers away. It’s not an impossible round trip.”

For Hunters, that kind of distance could be covered in just a few hours. Assuming there were no obstacles.

“The problem is, after rescuing the fishermen, we have to bring them back here.”

We’d be going empty-handed, but we’d be returning with cargo. Han Sang-ah listened and thought for a moment. I looked at her for a moment and spoke.

“Unload all the supplies we brought.”

I planned to change our approach. At my words, Han Sang-ah gave me a puzzled look.

“What are you planning?”

“We drive a mid-sized van with no cargo straight down the road.”

We’d rush to the shrine, sweep away the monsters, rescue the people, and cram them into the car.

A van with eight seats should be enough. There were about fifteen missing people. Even in an eight-seater, we could pack them in.

“And then we floor it back here.”

Once we arrived, we’d unload them again and contact the coast guard to send a ship. Once it came, we’d put the rescued people on board.

“...You think that’s possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s actually a really simple plan.”

We’d get a car, drive to the shrine, wipe out the monsters, and load the survivors. Then we’d race back here.

Only three steps. That was it.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“You came to this mission thinking it’d be safe?”

Han Sang-ah muttered under her breath at my words.

“I didn’t expect it to be this kind of dangerous. But fine.”

“Can you drive?”

She nodded at my question.

“Even my grandfather was impressed.”

That’s...

“What kind of ‘impressed’ are we talking about?”

She answered.

“He was worried about my driving and sat in the passenger seat once. He never got in again.”

“That doesn’t sound like admiration.”

Maybe it was more of a life-threatening experience. But Han Sang-ah shook her head.

“If someone that was worried about your driving skill never gets in your car again, doesn’t that mean my skill was acknowledged by them?”

“Yeah, in a variety of ways, your driving has certainly been proven.”

Han Sang-ah responded calmly as if that were obvious. I scratched my head. It was a little late to start worrying about safety now.

“Driving is easy. I don’t even have to do much.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She answered confidently,

“Once I hit the road, other drivers just get out of the way.”

Why? Because they didn’t want to die? I wanted to ask but held my tongue.

Other people valued their lives too. I didn’t know what kind of driving she did, but apparently it was good enough to make other drivers think, “If I don’t move, I might die.”

What was that called again? Intimidation-based defensive driving?

They do say the best defense is the best offense.

“If you’re not happy, you can drive instead.”

“No thanks. I’m more effective at handling monsters right now.”

I was much better suited for dealing with any monsters or ghosts that might chase the car.

“Agreed. Let’s go get the car.”

We got in the vehicle. And I finally understood what Han Sang-ah’s aggressive driving meant.

“Um, we’re over 150 kilometers per hour.”

“Yeah, is that too slow?”

I clicked my tongue. No wonder her grandfather avoided the passenger seat. I couldn’t tell if I was in a car or a hearse heading to the afterlife.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t drive. It was just that she was too reckless.

“I think they are moving.”

“I see them too. Let’s get going.”

I double-checked the climbing rope tied to the end of my spear. It supposedly could hold up to three tons. I was curious if that was true.

I’d find out by using it. I aimed for one of the monsters chasing the speeding car and hurled the spear with the rope tied to it.

Like a harpoon, it shot through the air and embedded itself into the skull of a corpse. When I yanked the rope, it tightened, and the spear popped right out.

“Okay, that’ll work.”

That confirmed the rope’s reliability. With that out of the way, I had nothing to fear. I acted as this speeding vehicle’s harpoon gun.

“Feels like I’m deep-sea fishing!”

Is that why people come to Tsushima? As my spear flew, I saw a corpse leap from the roadside toward our van. I leaned out and punched it.

The ambitious corpse was struck with a cracking sound and rolled across the road with its ribcage shattered.

“That stinks.”

Han Sang-ah gave a brief assessment. Punching a rotting corpse with a bare fist splattered rotten blood, flesh, and pus on my hand.

“I know, just bear with it.”

Or wear a mask or something. Meanwhile, Han Sang-ah used her abilities to handle enemies I couldn’t reach easily.

“We have more fans than I thought.”

“Those aren’t fans, they’re monsters.”

There were hundreds of them chasing us.

“The ghost ships were stronger.”

Individually, the monsters on those ships had been tougher. On the island, it seemed they were going for quantity.

Ghost ships had limited space, so they prioritized quality. But the island had no such limits, so they went for numbers.

Come to think of it, the undead’s biggest advantage was quantity. They could die and rise again.

To the side of the winding road was the sea. If we lost control even a little, the car would plunge straight into the water.

“Hahaha.”

Was she laughing right now?

But apparently none of this mattered to Han Sang-ah, who was driving.

With her eyes gleaming, flooring the gas, and yanking the steering wheel back and forth, I finally understood that something dark and unexplainable resided in this woman.

“When I first suggested this plan, you pretended to be against it. Were you actually excited inside?!”

While throwing my spear like a barrage at the incoming corpses, I yelled the question.

“It is dangerous, after all.”

At that moment, my body lurched to the side. I grabbed the window frame and gritted my teeth.

With a screech, the car’s center of gravity shifted dangerously. Thick black tire marks trailed behind us like ink brushed across paper.

“This is crazy.”

Even then, I continued to fend off the clinging corpses and spirits.

The car speed had passed 150 and was now reaching 170 kilometers per hour. The distance was about 50 km, so theoretically we’d arrive in 20 minutes if we kept this up.

Assuming we don’t crash into anything on the way that is!

“For the record, I’ve never had an accident.”

“Don’t lie.”

“It’s true. I couldn’t drive for three years because of my grandfather, but before that, I went three whole months without an accident.”

Should I be impressed she made it three months driving like this?

Or should I be terrified she hadn’t touched a steering wheel in three years?

“What an absolute maniac you are.”

“That’s a compliment, right?”

“Damn right, you little nutjob!”

I shouted and flipped her off while crushing three corpses and two ghosts with my spear.

“There’s one hanging onto the back.”

“That one’s fine. Just keep driving.”

I didn’t even have to do anything. As the car swerved again, the corpse clinging to the rear couldn’t hold on and went flying.

“Nice to see you believing in my driving skills. I’m flattered.”

“Yeah, your driving’s so smooth old folks could sleep through it. Forever!”

I couldn’t trust her driving at all. I only felt safe because I was confident I could protect my own body if we crashed.

Still, despite how she drove, the car reached its destination as if proving that she did indeed go three months without crashing before.

“How was it?”

“What, do you want a compliment? Just stick to the plan. Don’t stop here...”

Before I could finish, the engine roared like it was about to explode, and we surged forward again.

“Yeah, keep going. You’re doing great.”

Our plan for when we reached the shrine was simple.

The road leading to the shrine had stairs and torii gates. You know, those archways you see in every Japanese shrine.

We were going to smash them.

“One, two. Here comes another.”

Just like now. With a loud thud, the car slammed through a torii gate and kept charging.

Tires ravaged steps meant for human feet. The car bounced wildly as it climbed the mountain. Sure, it’d ruin the suspension, but...

It wasn’t our car anyway, so who cares?

“Doing great. Keep it up.”

This way, smashing through the torii gates, we’d reach the shrine in no time.

“There. I see the captives.”

No time to waste. There were too many corpses chasing us. Stopping to fight them all before saving the fishermen?

That was an option if we had twenty people, but we didn’t.

“I’m stopping.”

With Han Sang-ah’s words, the car briefly left the ground and landed hard, kicking up dirt in front of the shrine.

“Go save everyone!!”

As I yelled, I leapt out, black flame swirling around my spear, and began blocking the horde that had followed us.

“I’ll leave behind a mystery for this shrine.”

Muttering to myself, I swung the spear toward the ground. The Paradoxical Flame spread across the ground.

The corpses chasing us stepped into the burning zone, slipped, and fell hard.

“What did you do?”

“It’s a secret.”

The Paradoxical Flame had burned away the friction. Unless they completely rebuilt the entrance, the approach to this shrine would now have near-zero friction permanently.