Infinite Evolution Hunter [NOVEL] - Chapter 1

“Cough….”

Blood gushed out of my mouth.

That wasn’t all. There wasn’t a single part of my body unharmed. Any normal person—no, even an average Hunter—would’ve long been dead from these wounds.

“Damn it…. Is this the end….”

Gates all over the world simultaneously underwent a Break phenomenon, and hordes of monsters poured out.

I’d love to say I fought against an S-rank monster, but I was just a mediocre Hunter who had to risk his life even against A-rank monsters.

Among the few remaining defense bases in Korea, the one I stayed at was swarmed by undead.

To stop them, every available force was urgently conscripted this evening.

If only it had ended with “after a desperate struggle, we defeated the enemy and peace returned to Earth.”

But reality was cruel. After fierce combat, the undead, the Hunters, and the soldiers—all died here.

Thanks to my regeneration skill, I alone managed to survive until the end, fighting more tenaciously than the undead themselves.

An allied A-rank Hunter sacrificed his life to deal a fatal blow to the undead commander, the Death Knight.

I seized that opportunity, struck from behind, and barely managed to finish it off.

But even among A-ranks, the Death Knight was one of the stronger ones—it didn’t die quietly.

Even as its body shattered under my attack, it countered, leaving me with fatal wounds.

“Haa…. If only I had learned to use my skill a little earlier, I wouldn’t be dying here.”

As death drew near, regret filled me—regret for my ignorance and weakness.

I awakened an F-rank regeneration skill and wasted five years failing to realize its limitless potential.

And even after discovering its true value, I didn’t give my all.

I was content with what I had, too cautious to push myself to grow stronger.

I tried to fight back this past year, but it was too late.

“It doesn’t matter now. Even if I survive here, the world’s already over.”

Monsters were flying across the sky, and explosions echoed all around.

The undead army we fought today was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the endless hordes pouring onto Earth.

From the Gates that broke, S-rank and A-rank monsters—enemies that required S-rank Hunters just to stand a chance—were emerging one after another.

My mother, my comrades—everyone was dead.

In a world without hope, I had no will to live.

Having given up everything, my eyes slowly closed.

[The level of your Regeneration skill has risen from B to EX.]

“What? EX-rank?”

My half-closed eyes shot open at the notification sound.

[No resources nearby to regenerate an Awakened’s body.]

[Regenerating user’s life.]

“What… what does that mean….”

Before I could comprehend what was happening, my vision grew darker and darker.

—

“Gasp!”

Just like Neo waking up from the real world in The Matrix, I jolted upright from where I lay.

Cold sweat ran down my face as I looked around.

“My old apartment?”

The small, damp room I shared with my friend during my senior year of university—the one that always smelled musty.

“Hey, why the hell is it so loud.”

Beside me, my friend Jaewon grumbled, wrapped in his blanket like a caterpillar.

“Huh? Jaewon?”

“What, man, let me sleep. What time is it? Six?! You crazy bastard, why are you up and making noise already.”

Checking his phone, Jaewon groaned in annoyance and pulled the blanket over his head.

I took my eyes off him and looked down at myself, touching my cheeks and stomach.

My body before awakening—soft and squishy from drinking, with no hint of exercise.

The apartment I’d only lived in during my fourth year of college.

And Jaewon—who would die years later during the Gate incident.

“Does regenerating my life… mean going back to the past?”

I went to the fridge, grabbed a cold two-liter bottle of water, and drank it straight before sitting on the floor.

Staring blankly into space, I tried to piece together what had happened.

“Ah!”

As a thought struck me, I shouted involuntarily.

“Shut up and let me sleep!”

Jaewon threw a pillow at me.

“Jeez…. So touchy.”

Annoyed, I took my phone and went out to the balcony.

“Mom.”

Countless people had died in repeated Gate disasters, and my mother hadn’t escaped that fate either.

If I had truly returned, then she would still be alive.

With trembling hands, I tapped the first contact in my phone—my mother’s number.

My heart pounded as I listened to the dial tone, and soon, my mother picked up.

“Hello? What’s up, son? You actually called?”

“It’s nothing. I just… wanted to hear your voice.”

“Huh? Well, that’s sweet of you. But I’m at work right now—can you call me later?”

While her son wasted his life drinking and sleeping in, my mother had been up early every morning, working tirelessly.

Thinking about how she’d suffered to support her useless son until the day she died filled me with guilt.

“Okay. Everything’s fine, right?”

“Of course. What’s with you?”

“It’s nothing. I just woke up and thought of you.”

My voice trembled, my vision blurred—but I clenched my teeth, holding back tears.

After two years of living through hell before dying, I thought my emotions had long dried up.

Yet hearing her voice again made those feelings come rushing back.

“Silly boy. Still, it’s nice hearing your voice. I’m busy, so call again later when I’m free, okay?”

Hearing my mother’s gentle tone—so happy just to hear from her ungrateful son who’d never done a single thing right—made my throat tighten.

After hanging up, I stared at my phone for a while.

“Pull yourself together.”

Just because I’d gone back didn’t mean a rosy future awaited me.

If I couldn’t stop what was coming, hell would return for me and all of humanity.

Stopping everything would be ideal, but if that was impossible, I at least had to prevent the worst.

And I had to protect those around me.

I grabbed a pen and notebook, sat at my desk, and began writing down every event I could remember from my past life.

I didn’t want to overlook even the smallest detail.

“What are you doing so early in the morning?”

After an hour of scribbling everything that came to mind, Jaewon approached, yawning.

“It’s been a while.”

Seeing his drowsy face made me smile.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d enjoyed such a peaceful, ordinary morning.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Did we drink too much last night?”

Jaewon frowned at me, his face still pale from the hangover.

“Something like that.”

“Weirdo…. Want some ramen?”

“Sure. Make it spicy.”

While eating the ramen he made, Jaewon clicked his tongue as he checked his phone.

“What’s wrong?”

“Got rejected again.”

At this time, both of us had been job hunting, and even with graduation right around the corner, neither of us had landed a job.

I’d stop searching after my awakening, while Jaewon would soon find a small company job after graduation.

“It’ll work out. Don’t worry.”

I reassured him—because I already knew it would.

“What the hell, you sound so mature all of a sudden.”

Normally, I would’ve been sulking with him, so my calm reaction seemed to surprise him.

Well, I had ten extra years on him now.

And not peaceful ones—I’d spent them fighting on the brink of death.

It’d be weirder if I hadn’t matured at all.

“I just… feel like everything’s going to work out today.”

“Hope so. I’m heading out first, so do the dishes, yeah?”

Still sighing, Jaewon stood up.

“Sure. See you later.”

November 7, 2023.

After watching him leave, I glanced again at the date on my smartphone screen.

This was the day I awakened, before heading to school—when I screamed for joy all by myself.

“Guess I’ll wait.”

As I waited for the awakening, I kept jotting down memories of my past life in the notebook.

Soon, a pleasant chime sounded, and a translucent screen appeared before my eyes.

[System Alert: You have awakened.]

[Skill acquired: Regeneration (F).]

The moment had come.

My chance to start over.

Looking at the faint, glowing screen floating in front of me, I spoke with trembling excitement.

“Status window.”

At the familiar command, a display opened before me.

—

Name: Lee Jiseok

Occupation: Unemployed

Level: 1

Strength 4, Stamina 5, Agility 3, Intelligence 6, Vitality 50, Mana 28

Skill: Regeneration F

I read through the status window and tapped on the regeneration skill to check its details.

[Regeneration (F): Restores the user’s body.]

“To think I wasted so much time not knowing how to use such a good skill… idiot.”

An F-rank regeneration skill merely heals wounds by regenerating cells.

It doesn’t instantly restore injuries during battle, nor does it recover fast enough to save you if you’re fatally wounded.

Occupations provide bonuses to stats and skills—but I didn’t even have one.

On top of that, my stats were so low you could barely tell if I was an Awakened or just a normal person.

For that reason, I couldn’t participate in the combat missions—the pride of all Hunters—and spent five whole years as a mere porter.

I’d thought about finding a normal job, but in a world centered around Gates, working as a porter paid more than a mediocre office job, at least short-term.

Besides, a part of me couldn’t let go of the hope that someday my power would grow.

Had it not been for the near-fatal accident inside a Gate that caused my skill to level up, I would’ve died a porter.

“I was such a coward.”

Regeneration skills improve only when you get injured.

Looking back, maybe it was good luck—or bad—that I’d gone five years without serious harm, giving my skill no chance to grow.

And since no one else possessed the regeneration skill, I had no one to learn from.

But this time is different.

I won’t waste years again.

And my determination now is nothing like before.

In my past life, the situation was already beyond saving, so I’d given up—but now, there’s still hope.

Before Earth turns into a living hell again, there’s a mountain of things I have to stop.

And not just that.

I’d gone through so much filth just from being poor.

I wanted my mother to rest easy, to live comfortably for once.

To do that—and everything else I need to do—I must grow stronger as fast as possible.

First step: registration.

Only registered Awakened could enter Gates as Hunters, so that was my top priority.

Throwing on some clothes, I stepped outside.

A cool breeze greeted me.

I took the bus from the stop in front of our apartment complex toward the city’s Awakened Management Bureau.

“I really came back.”

Seeing the intact city buildings pass by outside the bus window made it all feel real again.

After getting off and walking a bit, the Bureau came into view.

True to the age of Gates, the Management Bureau was enormous, funded with a massive budget.

After a brief look, I stepped inside.