I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 221

221.

Yoo Ji-an and Baek Eun-hee’s eyes met.

“Um, Unnie… Hunter Yoo Ji-an is…”

Seo-ah stepped in, sensing Baek Eun-hee’s sharp tone. However, Baek Eun-hee was firm.

“Seo-ah, this is important. I know the information that guy has given us so far has been quite useful, but now we’re really risking our lives. It would be fine if it were just me, but we all have people we’re responsible for. We need to be sure that the information is reliable.”

“……”

Baek Eun-hee’s words were undeniably true.

Seo-ah had no choice but to fall silent. The other hunters seemed to agree with Baek Eun-hee, staring at him silently. In fact, they all must have found it strange all this time.

Yoo Ji-an hadn’t explicitly revealed that he was a regressor, but he acted and spoke as if he had no intention of hiding it.

Yoo Ji-an handed the tablet PC he was looking at to Min Ji-yeon. As soon as Min Ji-yeon received it, she quickly got up from her seat.

“I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

She didn’t seem to want to hear the potentially devastating truth while in their presence.

“Be careful on your way, Manager. I’ll contact you tomorrow.”

Seo-ah didn’t try to stop Min Ji-yeon, understanding that she was overwhelmed just being among the S-class hunters, and simply saw her off.

After Min Ji-yeon left, a moment of silence filled the living room of Seo-ah’s house. Choi Eun-gyeol was the first to break it.

“Well, I was curious too. I tried to explain it away as him having a good sense, but sometimes he knows too much. It’s like he came from the future. But even a hunter with [Future Sight] (the ability to see glimpses of the future) can’t do that much.”

[Future Sight] can only show short snippets of a specific person’s future; it’s not enough to recognize the characteristics of each gate and prepare in advance.

At that moment, when everyone was focused on him, Yoo Ji-an slowly spoke.

“I’ve said it a few times. You just didn’t believe me. I’m a regressor.”

“……”

Even though he told the truth, they still seemed skeptical. So Seo-ah added her support.

“It’s true. I didn’t believe it either… but it’s real. Last time at the temporary gate, the opponent we fought before you guys arrived was Hunter Yoo Ji-an from the 2nd iteration (a repeated cycle of events).”

“Uh, um. Just a moment.”

Choi Eun-gyeol shook his head as if he was confused. Cha Tae-woon quietly frowned, and Baek Eun-hee looked like she needed more explanation.

“Being a regressor means… you died and came back to life, is that what you’re saying? No, wait. Did you just say the 2nd iteration? What iteration is this now?”

“The fourth.”

Then Cha Tae-woon, who had been silent until now, spoke.

“If you’re really a regressor and this is your fourth life, what happened in the previous three?”

“Were we there too?”

Song Jin-ah joined in with a question. Yoo Ji-an sighed briefly and then explained again.

“Let me correct myself. This world has been repeated several times. And what I remember is a total of four times, including this life. Of course, you all existed in the previous three times as well, but you just don’t remember.”

Someone gasped at Yoo Ji-an’s explanation.

“Okay, if you’re really a regressor, then the things you’ve shown us make sense. So, what really happened in the previous three times? Did it fail? Is that why the fourth life started?”

Yoo Ji-an stared intently at Baek Eun-hee, who was asking the question. Baek Eun-hee, who was looking back at him, pursed her lips for a moment.

She saw the weight of life deeply swirling in Yoo Ji-an’s eyes. It was the weight of someone who had endured a heavy truth.

And she could see Seo-ah lightly patting Yoo Ji-an’s hand in support. Soon, Yoo Ji-an took a short breath and looked around.

“From now on, just this once, I’ll tell you the story.”

While Yoo Ji-an’s story, neither short nor long, was in progress, everyone listened as if holding their breath. Seo-ah, who already knew the content, listened with one ear while thinking about other things.

Seo-ah was recalling the scene she had seen in Camilla’s [Future Sight].

‘Those countless screens probably showed each world.’

The Earth is probably just one of those countless screens. Who, why, and for what purpose are they doing this? Is the creature I saw back then the ‘system administrator’?

While Seo-ah was lost in these thoughts, Yoo Ji-an’s story stopped. Someone inhaled sharply, and someone else groaned.

“So, to summarize… the 1st iteration failed because the hunters fought each other, the 2nd iteration died after meeting the 4th iteration of himself at the temporary gate, and the 3rd iteration somehow managed to stop the Legend Gate but died in front of the final enemy, without even knowing how he died.”

Choi Eun-gyeol, who had briefly summarized, looked at Yoo Ji-an with a face asking if that was correct, and Yoo Ji-an nodded.

“That’s right.”

“Woah.”

Choi Eun-gyeol scratched his head roughly and leaned back on the sofa. The other hunters also had thoughtful expressions.

“If we fail this time as well, will Hunter Yoo Ji-an live a 5th iteration of life?”

“Maybe, but even that’s not certain.”

At those words, Seo-ah couldn’t help but look at Yoo Ji-an. He alone would be forced into the 5th iteration, and she’s the only one who remembers what happened now. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what that feeling would be like.

“Then the being that regresses Yoo Ji-an… wants success? Are there other regressors in other worlds?”

Yoo Ji-an answered Baek Eun-hee’s question, which sounded like a soliloquy.

“I can’t know that far. What that bastard wants is something even I want to know.”

“How much time is left? If we stop the Legend Gate, are we going inside?”

“There won’t be time to go inside. It’ll break as soon as it comes out onto land. The entrance is currently deep in the ocean.”

That’s right. The Legend Gate has already been created, but it’s so deep in the ocean that its appearance hasn’t been revealed yet.

“In the 1st iteration, it took about 2 months, and in the 3rd iteration, it took about 1 month.”

“Why is the time getting faster?”

Song Jin-ah, who had been listening quietly, asked what she was curious about.

“I felt that the gate creation speed was getting faster with each iteration. Maybe it’s a side effect of those bastards forcibly turning back time. I estimate that we have about fifteen days left.”

“Not much time left.”

As soon as they heard those words, the hunters got up from their seats. Each of them had many things to take care of, and there was little time to settle their affairs.

“I’ll go right away.”

“I’ll take measures so that I can leave immediately if the situation escalates.”

“Should I leave a fan greeting on SNS….”

“Contact me.”

Seo-ah alone escorted them to the front door and then sat back down next to Yoo Ji-an.

Yoo Ji-an opened the wine he had brought when Seo-ah arrived. It was impressive how he opened the cork without any tools.

“The interrupters are gone.”

He smiled and poured wine into a mug instead of a wine glass and handed it to Seo-ah. She was about to comment on his relaxed appearance, but she quietly took the glass.

Yoo Ji-an knew early on that there wasn’t much she could do even if she worried anxiously, and Seo-ah agreed.

They lightly clinked glasses and took a sip. The sweet scent and the taste of alcohol filled her mouth.

There was a slight sense of unease, but that’s why this time felt more precious. Seo-ah leaned her head slightly on Yoo Ji-an’s shoulder and said in a flat tone.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something.”

“Yeah.”

She could feel the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. Seo-ah looked at the night view spread out below and continued.

“If everything ends and we all come out safely…”

“Yeah.”

Seo-ah hesitated for a very short moment. Yoo Ji-an quietly waited for her next words. If we come out safely, then what?

“Shall we get married?”

“Yeah, what…?”

Yoo Ji-an barely managed to keep from spitting the wine back into his mug. He turned his head and stared down at Seo-ah. Seo-ah also looked at Yoo Ji-an with her eyes wide open, seeking an answer. Yoo Ji-an was at a loss for words at the sight.

“……”

“Do you not want to?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to. Aren’t you a little young to be getting married already?”

“I’m twenty-two. Hunter Yoo Ji-an is twenty-six. It’s perfect, isn’t it?”

Yoo Ji-an’s lips seemed to lift slightly as he looked at Seo-ah, then he lightly pulled her into his arms.

“No way.”

Seo-ah smiled even though she was rejected.

“Why?”

“Again, no. Let’s talk about it after it’s over.”

“Tch, okay.”

Seo-ah answered lightly and snuggled into Yoo Ji-an’s arms. As he lightly patted her, Yoo Ji-an sighed deeply.

His expression, which Seo-ah couldn’t see, looked much more complicated than when he was talking about the Legend Gate.