A Cradle to Avert Apocalypse

[Quest. In order to save a world on the brink of annihilation.
Do you desire another chance?
Then this time, find the “true” savior.]

Nam Shinhoo, an S-rank Hunter who tried to prevent the world’s destruction and yet ended up surviving alone, is granted a miraculous final opportunity at the very brink of death.
Believing another S-rank Hunter—Kwon Haeju, with whom he had never been on good terms—to be the “true” savior, Nam Shinhoo resolves to stake his entire life on protecting him, so that Kwon Haeju will not meet an early death in this life as he did in the previous one….

No matter what happens, don’t die.
Don’t even think about something like suicide—live on, stubbornly and relentlessly.

Will Nam Shinhoo be able to safely protect the prophesied “true” savior and prevent the world’s destruction?

[Preview]

Kwon Haeju, who had been staring intently at Nam Shinhoo, finally spoke.

“Then I will compensate you properly after all. Please tell me what you want. I will do my utmost to accommodate it.”

He stubbornly brought up a reward Nam Shinhoo had already refused. Looking at Kwon Haeju’s resolutely fixed gaze, Nam Shinhoo hesitated. Even if he said he did not need it, this was not the sort of look that would accept such an answer and move on.

And then—

Something I desire…

There was, indeed, something he desperately wanted—something he truly needed.

No matter what happens, don’t die.
Don’t even think about suicide—live on, no matter how stubbornly you must.

Until the Nukelabi was defeated.¹

It was a wish he could never voice aloud—just like the words he had once let slip to Choi Kanghyun by mistake. From the moment he realized he had returned to the past, Nam Shinhoo had made a decision. It was enough for only himself to change. He did not want to burden others with memories of despair born from his own failures. Kwon Haeju was no exception.

Burying the words he truly wished to say deep within himself, Nam Shinhoo spoke lightly.

“If there’s something I really want, then… yes. I hope you’ll keep living the way you have so far. Unchanged. Safe and sound.”

Kwon Haeju had to live a life similar to his past one. That way, at the crucial moment, Nam Shinhoo could prevent his death. That way, he could respond without any unforeseen variables.

At the utterly unexpected words, Kwon Haeju’s expression shifted subtly.

“Are you mocking me?”

“It’s just a normal well-wish. For now, at least—I am your senior, after all.”

Kwon Haeju’s expression grew even more complicated, as though he could not tell where to begin his rebuttal. Nam Shinhoo adjusted his clothes once more.

“I can’t even joke around, can I? You keep bringing up heavy topics like compensation and all that, so I thought I’d try a little humor.”

Nam Shinhoo stepped forward. He lightly patted the shoulder of Kwon Haeju, who stood there as if frozen.

“If something dangerous happens to our guild members next time, look out for them. That alone will be more than enough.”

note

1. Nukelabi: A powerful monster derived from Korean folklore, often depicted as a fearsome supernatural entity. In hunter-fantasy settings, it is typically reimagined as a catastrophic-level boss monster whose defeat is tied to major plot turning points.