.

.

.

‘Is this the true power of an S-class boss…?’

Alec briefly lost consciousness before waking up. Only a few seconds had passed, but the impact from Minty’s attack had been overwhelming.

*Thud! Thud!*

Minty, now enraged, continued to pummel Alec with his massive fists.

‘Mana?’

Alec had a considerable amount of powerful mana, didn’t he? Then why couldn’t he move a finger now? It seemed his mana wasn’t responding to his will as it usually did. Was it because the desperation he felt now was different from what he had felt when he was with Louise?

He really didn’t want to die again…

Biting his lip, Alec struggled to counterattack, but there was no strength left in his arms or legs. It felt as though his bones had been completely shattered.

‘No… Move!’

Why wasn’t anything happening? With this much determination, shouldn’t he have awakened to a new level of mana control by now?

‘You fool…’

‘Boom!’

Minty’s fist sent Alec flying like a ragdoll, smashing him into the wall again. Alec had faced powerful monsters before, but Minty’s strength was beyond anything he had ever encountered.

Bl＊＊d gushed from his mouth.

“Pathetic! Are all humans so easily crushed by Minty’s fist?”

“…”

“Hunter!”

The faint sound of other hunters calling to him reached his ears. Whoever had cast a skill managed to push the flames back from around them.

Alec felt genuine worry for them. His last conscious thought was hoping that they were strong enough to defeat Minty.

.

.

.

“Dead again…”

Alec lamented in the darkness of his consciousness. This wasn’t the first time he had been beaten by a monster, so it wasn’t shocking or humiliating. However, it was the first time he truly grasped the overwhelming power of an S-class gate boss monster, and it left him feeling utterly defeated.

If a single boss monster was this strong, what kind of monstrous opponents would he have to face in the final battle of this world? How much stronger would he have to become to survive?

He felt as small and powerless as an ant.

“D＊mn it…”

He clenched his teeth in the dark void, vowing that next time he opened his eyes, he would be as strong as an S-class boss monster.

Just as he made that promise, a system window popped up.

Ding!

[A penalty is being applied for your fifth death!]

‘Penalty…?’

There’s a penalty?

[To become a stronger hunter, the system will take your memories. Transfer all your memories into the Memory Potion, abandon your past, and be reborn!]

[Warning! If you refuse, you will not be able to revive.]

[Warning! Once lost, your memories cannot be regained.]

‘What…?’

Alec blinked three times, rereading the system’s message. What did it mean by taking his memories?

This was absurd. Penalties were one thing, but taking all of his memories was far too extreme!

He couldn’t argue the fact that he had died five times, but losing all of his memories? That was something he couldn’t easily accept.

“This can’t be happening…”

Ding!

[The penalty will be applied in 5 minutes!]

[Abandon your memories and be reborn as a stronger hunter!]

[Time remaining: 00:04:59]

‘No way…’

Alec’s mind went blank as he stared in disbelief at the countdown. The seconds were ticking down quickly. This system was something his mana had created, yet he had no idea how to override its authority.

Was he really going to lose his memories? Every memory from his first marriage to Louise, through to her death and their reunion today?

‘No…’

Suddenly, Alec remembered something Louise had said—that he had no memories before.

‘Oh my God…’

“So, this is how I lost my memories and ended up returning to Louise…”

He was overwhelmed with confusion. He didn’t know how long he’d be trapped in this world, but it wouldn’t be a short time. Had he wandered for all that time without his memories, even by Louise’s side, never regaining them?

When would his memories come back in the future?

Alec felt as though he was truly dead now. It reminded him of the moment he drank poison at the inn. His consciousness and existence seemed to be drifting into a void, about to be snuffed out forever.

Even if his soul and body remained intact, without his memories, could he still call that person ‘himself’?

For a brief moment, Alec pondered that question, but he quickly let it go. If losing his memories would make him stronger and allow him to protect Louise, then it was worth it.

‘It’s actually a good thing,’ he thought, feeling a strange sense of relief. He had been weak and pathetic for so long—perhaps losing his memories would allow him to become the stronger person he needed to be. He had hated himself for so long that being able to start fresh felt like a blessing.

This system, with its relentless push, seemed like it would kill him over and over again until he became stronger.

Three minutes before losing his memories, Alec gathered the last of his strength and tried to channel his mana. Louise’s future was his past. If he could unlock his power, maybe he could one day save her from the poison she might take again in the future.

His mana began to respond to his will.

It was the same mana that had refused to budge against the boss monster, but now it moved. Seeing that it responded when something involved Louise gave Alec a sense of relief.

Perhaps, in his final moments, he could see Louise one more time.

Knowing that he had just met her again made the idea of his memories being erased feel almost happy.

Ding!

[Beginner mode is ending, and standard mode will begin soon!]

[Time remaining: 00:00:03]

In the last moments, Alec thought…

“Even if I am reborn and lose my memories, please allow me to love Louise…”

* * *

Ding!

[‘The use of Alec’s Memory Potion (Phase 1)’ has been completed!]

“……”

“Hunter, please wake up!”

“My goodness, the F-rank hunter who always wore that mask was actually Chairman Ian Jung…”

“This is truly a scoop. Could it be that the Hunter Association has been turning a blind eye to this all along?”

“No, what are you all doing in front of the hospital room! Everyone, get out! The patient needs rest!”

Ahem.

The people gathered in front of Ian’s hospital room awkwardly cleared their throats, glancing at the nurse.

The hunter who had almost been killed by the boss monster was lying in a VVIP intensive care unit, visible through the glass window.

The vital signs monitor beeped steadily, confirming he was alive, and an uncountable number of machines were attached to Ian’s body.

He was in critical condition, but he would wake up eventually.

Everyone anxiously swallowed their dry throats, waiting for that moment.

It had been a week since the dungeon break, which claimed over 10,000 lives.

How wonderful would it be if the top hunter, possessing the greatest magical power in the country, could open his eyes and show people that hope still remained?

Though the boss monster had been eliminated, an S-rank hunter from the top rankings had lost their life.

At that moment, one of Ian’s fingers twitched.

It was a very slight movement, but a few reporters who noticed it covered their mouths.

“Look, look over there!”

“Get the doctor! Call the doctor!”

Twitch.

Ian’s finger moved once more.

His handsome brows furrowed, and his fine eyebrows arched.

When he opened his eyes, the bright lights of the hospital room stabbed at them.

Ian, grimacing, felt an inexplicable irritation as he sat up.

Where is this…?

A hospital?

‘Why am I like this?’

Realizing something was wrong, Ian noticed the IV needle in his arm and the various devices attached to him.

There were also braces on his waist and legs.

At that moment, doctors burst through the door.

“Hunter!”

Hunter…?

“Are you alright?!”

“……”

The doctors swallowed hard as they examined Ian.

Ian, still frowning, lifted his arm and moved his legs.

He wondered what all this equipment was doing on his perfectly fine body.

“I’m alright, so please remove all of this. It’s cumbersome.”

“Pardon?”

When Ian tried to pull out the IV drip, the doctors and nurses hurried toward him, startled.

“Oh, you shouldn’t move yet—!”

But Ian, with the expression and posture of someone far from injured, got out of bed.

The fact that he was still breathing was nothing short of a miracle.

Even the doctors were amazed by the vitality of a hunter with such extraordinary physical abilities.

His ribs had been shattered, his limbs had no intact bones, and his organs had been severely damaged.

For two days, the best doctors had worked tirelessly to treat him, but they spent more time agonizing over what to fix, as they couldn’t figure out where to begin.

Yet here he was, waking up with a completely intact face!

His face had been covered in bruises!

“Are you really alright, Hunter?!”

“We never imagined your healing abilities would be this extraordinary—!”

“As expected of a hunter worthy of being called a diamond-tier mana inheritor!”

“Your healing abilities are astonishing!”

People were amazed, and the journalists who had been watching in silence began to eagerly snap photos.

“What is all this—?”

Ian raised his hand slightly, shielding his face.

He couldn’t remember why he was in the hospital at all.

.

.

.

How long had he been watching scenes from the past?

Alec blinked.

White sky and snow-covered trees filled his vision.

The freezing air, like ice, entered his lungs.

It seemed he had fallen somewhere on Mount Kalanysh.

After lying there in a daze for some time, Alec finally sat up.

Nearby, several bear cubs with round eyes were curiously staring at him.

As he took a step, Alec unknowingly wavered slightly.

The bear cubs, startled, flinched.

Alec didn’t pay any attention to them and took another step forward.

Crunch, the sound of snow being trampled echoed loudly in his ears.

“……”

And his breathing also grew harshly amplified.

I…

“I was Alec…?”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories