Chapter 1

Fated Usurper: The Hunter Who Sees the Future

Chapter 001

Prologue

World Storm.

It refers to a massive disaster that could potentially bring about the end of the entire Earth.

Asteroid impacts, droughts and floods, extreme weather, pandemics, and even alien invasions...

World Storms have repeatedly pushed humanity to the brink of extinction in various ways.

Humans were unaware, but World Storms were 'predetermined' crises.

No matter how hard they tried to avoid and prevent them, they were an inescapable fate!

After a dormant period, another World Storm swept over the Earth.

Although World Storms had threatened the world at intervals of hundreds or even tens of years, this time the situation was a bit different.

It was a disaster caused solely by humans, with all external factors excluded.

A world war.

The world was divided into two camps, hating each other and starting a war that ultimately led to mutual destruction.

As the war reached its final stages, only the battles between transcendent beings, which ordinary people dared not even look at, remained.

Beings who had borrowed the power of the gods or acquired powers comparable to the gods themselves, or even more advanced cosmic entities.

Each time they clashed, the impact was so powerful that it altered the map. Mountains crumbled and river courses changed frequently.

On one side were those called 'Great Heroes,' and on the other, forces known as 'Enemies of the World.'

Their battles were so intense that even a slight tilt in the balance could completely determine the outcome of the war.

On the day the sky turned yellow, a battle between such transcendent beings took place on the ruins of a city.

"Die!!"

BOOM!!!!

The man wielding a giant sword was a transcendent being with the power of Ares, the god of war from Greek mythology.

When he swung his sword with all his might, he could cut through a mountain in one stroke.

But his powerful attacks were repeatedly blocked by his opponent, who was also a transcendent being.

"Devourer!!!"

Ares' avatar gnashed his teeth and glared at his opponent.

His opponent was a man with a red skull mask, who had a concrete-colored skin reminiscent of a zombie and wore a loose leather jacket.

No one knew his true face behind the mask. Many had seen his face, but their composite sketches always differed.

In his hand, he held a colossal scythe made from bones.

Wielding this heavy and unwieldy weapon, he easily countered Ares' avatar.

"Die! You filthy undead scum!"

Ares' avatar poured divine power, borrowed from the gods, without restraint.

He was confident that he could easily defeat the undead, who were vulnerable to divine power, but for some reason, his attacks had no effect on his opponent.

Worse, his supposedly unstoppable attacks were easily deflected, and his opponent launched a fatal counterattack.

"You coward! What trick are you using?!"

He thought his opponent must have used some evil sorcery, but the response was a mocking sneer.

"How ridiculous. There are always guys like you. When you win, it's skill; when you lose, it's sorcery?"

"Ugh! Shut up! Are you saying I'm losing?"

His words made the man with the red skull mask laugh again.

"Doesn't your appearance say it all?"

Realizing the truth, Ares' avatar checked his condition. As his opponent had said, it was a mess.

Deep cuts were visible on his limbs, still bleeding. His hair was a tangled mess, and his breathing was labored.

In contrast, the man called Devourer was unscathed, looking as if he had just stepped out of his house.

Realizing this, Ares' avatar was consumed by rage.

"AAAAAAA!!!"

Since becoming Ares' avatar, no one had ever humiliated him like this.

But this Devourer had always looked down on him and mocked him.

Determined to settle the score this time, he decided to use the skill he had been saving for the last resort.

"God of War!"

As he shouted the skill name, his armor changed, transforming into the attire that the god of war, Ares, would wear.

The great sword in his hand also changed into an ancient spear overflowing with divine power.

This was his ultimate skill, 'Divine Possession,' which he had been saving until the end. By using this skill, he could wield powers comparable to Ares.

Whoosh!

Even a casual swing of his spear created a powerful shockwave that tore the earth apart.

BOOM!!!!

The ground where the spear had passed was left with deep, long scars as if carved by a giant.

"Haha! Arrogant corpse! I'll show you that you're still within the palm of a god."

With each breath, a powerful wave of energy emanated from him, unable to contain the surging power.

His abilities were so formidable that he could cut through the moon, not just mountains. But the man called Devourer casually shrugged and said calmly.

"Now it's getting a bit more interesting. It was too boring just now."

Ares' avatar had hoped his opponent would tremble in fear at the sight of his power, not remain so calm.

His face turned grim as his expectations were shattered.

"I'll turn you to ashes. Filthy ghoul!"

In response to Ares' avatar's words, Devourer merely snapped his fingers.

This action was enough to enrage his opponent.

"AAAAAAA!!!"

Ares' avatar leaped forward and swung his spear.

BOOM!

The shockwave from his movement alone was like a thunderclap. The spear he swung carried an even more powerful energy.

Devourer deflected the powerful attack with his scythe, sending it to one side.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

While he couldn't completely neutralize the force, it was reduced to the level of a winter gale.

Such an attack couldn't inflict a fatal wound on Devourer.

On the surface, it seemed Ares' avatar was overwhelming his opponent with his superior power, but in reality, Devourer's counterattacks were more sharply threatening his opponent.

At first, Devourer's counterattacks were sporadic, but as time passed, they became more frequent and precise.

And finally...

CRACK! THUD!

Devourer's colossal scythe pierced through the man's abdomen, splitting his bones and emerging from his back.

Cough!

Ares' avatar was more puzzled than in pain.

"How... how?"

His stats were nearly twice as high. No matter how skilled his opponent was, the difference was insurmountable.

Moreover, his combat skills were powerful enough to never be outmatched.

Yet, the result was his defeat.

Even as Devourer's power consumed his body, he wanted to know why.

Devourer twisted his lips as he looked at the dying man.

"Your abilities were impressive. If we hadn't fought 'several times' and reviewed the battles, I would have been the one to fall."

The man's eyes, like Ares' avatar, widened as if they would pop out.

He finally understood and laughed in resignation.

"S-so, it was you. We were all deceived. You can see the future..."

Ares' avatar's head dropped before he could finish his sentence.

Devourer looked down at him with a complex expression and issued a strange command.

"Devour it! Devourer!"

Suddenly, Devourer's stomach split open, revealing a massive mouth.

A small black hole-like mouth opened wide and sucked in the man's corpse.

CRACK! CRACK!

The man's corpse was completely consumed by the bizarre mouth, leaving no trace.

Devourer turned away without hesitation.

The war was not yet over.

"It's just one step. If I fail to achieve even one of the things I foresaw, we can't win this war."

After catching his breath, Devourer firmly gripped his colossal scythe and moved forward quickly.

Chapter 1

"Keeeeeek~"

A giant bird, several times larger than a human, perched on the top of a tall tree, its eyes gleaming as it stared intently at the people passing below.

It wasn't just watching them warily.

If it saw an opportunity, it would snatch them with its sharp talons and make them its next meal.

Of course, the people passing by were well aware of this.

"Everyone, stay alert! Even a moment's lapse in concentration could mean death!"

This place is known as the Forest of Monsters.

The forest was dense with trees twisted into bizarre shapes, and it was home to even more bizarre and terrifying monsters.

The Forest of Monsters is a field dungeon, a hunting ground where the monsters that inhabit it can be hunted.

However, it's not just the monsters that are hunted. The monsters are skilled hunters themselves and can hunt the hunters.

They are dozens of times stronger than ordinary humans and have thick skin that can deflect bullets.

As a result, they are known to be immune to attacks that don't carry mana.

These powerful monsters have easily torn apart many people, turning them into prey.

Of course, the people passing through this place are not ordinary.

They were all clad in sturdy armor, the kind you might see in a fantasy world, and wielded various distinctive weapons such as swords, spears, bows, and guns.

These are the so-called hunters.

They came to this dangerous place voluntarily to hunt monsters, level up, and obtain valuable items from them.

"Team leader! There's something reacting to the detection magic over there."

The guild member holding a radar-like device reported, and the person called the team leader took out a telescope to examine the area.

"Is it a boss monster? Or an item?"

"The reaction suggests it's an item."

"Good. Then there might be a Golden Griffin's egg there."

The people in the Forest of Monsters were all members of the Han Young Guild.

Han Young Guild is a guild created by Han Young Corporation, one of the largest companies in South Korea, with substantial capital.

They came to this place today to obtain the Golden Griffin's egg, which can only be found in the Forest of Monsters.

A Griffin is a monster with the appearance of a giant eagle, known for its intelligence and relatively gentle nature, making it trainable with the right skills.

Due to its ability to fly quickly, it is much more expensive than traditional mounts.

The Golden Griffin, with its golden feathers, is even stronger, faster, and more beautiful, making it highly sought after.

However, the Golden Griffin cannot be tamed by conventional means. Only a newly hatched Griffin can be tamed and ridden.

That's why the Han Young Guild is searching for a Golden Griffin's egg.

"Move forward carefully."

Following the team leader's command, the group moved forward cautiously.

Their goal was not to hunt the monsters in the area. To minimize unnecessary battles and achieve their objective as quickly as possible, they moved stealthily.

After moving quietly for some time, they spotted a large, golden egg in a nest on a cliff.

"We found it."

The team leader confirmed the target and signaled the man in black to move forward.

The man in black, wearing a black hood that covered everything but his eyes and black clothing, was a hunter with a ninja-like profession.

No other profession was more efficient for stealthy movements.

A few Golden Griffins, presumably the owners of the eggs, were also visible around the nest.

One of them needed to be carefully removed before it returned to the nest.

Snap!

The ninja skillfully attached himself to the cliff and began to climb using an ice pick.

Even with his stealth skill active, the Griffins, with their superior vision, could not detect him.

Swoosh.

The ninja, moving like a shadow, finally reached a precarious branch hanging from the cliff and moved to the Griffin's nest.

There were three visible eggs.

A Golden Griffin's egg, if sold on the market, could fetch hundreds of millions of won each.

However, taking more than one, no matter how good the stealth skill, would alert the Griffins.

So, he carefully picked up one egg and placed it in his bag.

The bag was enchanted to ensure the egg would not be damaged.

Taking a deep, silent breath, the ninja began to carefully climb down the cliff.

The stealth skill had already consumed a significant amount of mana, and it was close to wearing off.

Swallow!

The guild members, watching his every move, involuntarily swallowed hard. Their hands, tightly clenched, were drenched in sweat.

Despite the urgency, the ninja moved slowly, maintaining his stealth.

Moving too quickly would break the stealth.

"Phew~"

Finally, the ninja returned to the group. Here, he could safely deactivate his stealth without being detected by the Griffins.

The team leader patted the ninja's shoulder in appreciation and signaled the group.

Soon, the Griffins would realize their egg was missing and begin searching. They needed to leave the area quickly.

Although the hunters were all powerful, they would struggle to survive if surrounded by Golden Griffins.

"Keeeeeek?!"

Sure enough, the Griffins, realizing one of their eggs was missing, began to move frantically.