The sole heir to a ruined world

**The Sole Heir To a Ruined World, Episode 10**

Jang Hyunsoo had gathered his team to clear a C-rank gate.

He was a B-rank Hunter, and his teammates included two other B-rank Hunters and one C-rank Hunter.

With their combined strength, clearing a C-rank Gate was, in a way, an obvious outcome.

“Let’s finish quickly, get the reward, and head to that Korean beef restaurant nearby,” Jang Hyunsoo said confidently.

No matter how long it took, they expected to clear the Gate within 12 hours.

One of his teammates, a Hunter specializing in reconnaissance, could pinpoint the location of the Gate’s core with ease.

The clearance seemed guaranteed.

Neither Jang Hyunsoo nor his team thought for a second that they might die.

*Crrrrrk.*

That is, until *it* appeared.

“Why is there a demon here?!”

Standing near the Gate’s core, Jang Hyunsoo shouted in disbelief, his face full of frustration.

This was a C-rank Gate.

At worst, even if D-rank Hunters tackled it as a group, it was a Gate they could clear with a bit of sacrifice.

In a C-rank Gate, the strongest monster you could encounter would be a B-rank monster.

But now, standing before them, was a *demon*.

Demons were at least A-rank monsters.

No, could you even classify demons as monsters?

Monsters didn’t possess intelligence.

To have intelligence, a monster had to be at least A-rank or higher.

But demons, whether weak or strong, were all intelligent.

They were vicious and knew exactly how to deal with humans.

That’s why even demons with only C-rank abilities were evaluated as at least A-rank threats.

And typically, demons only appeared in A-rank Gates or higher.

But now, they had encountered a demon in a C-rank Gate.

A situation that should never have occurred.

“I smelled blood, so I came. And this is all the level of humans amounts to?”

The demon spoke.

Its words didn’t enter through the ears; it was as if they were directly drilled into their minds.

Though it spoke in the demon’s language, they could understand it without issue.

For demons, speaking with their mouths didn’t carry much meaning.

“Why is a demon here?!”

“Why, you ask? What a ridiculous question. Where I go becomes the path, for I am the 3rd Commander of Baal,” the demon sneered.

“B-Baal?!”

Baal, one of the seven Demon Lords of Hell, ranked second among the great demons.

Even Earth had experienced the terror of a Demon Lord before.

The 1st Demon Lord, Satan.

Satan’s appearance had wiped several countries in Africa off the map, and the continent where Africa used to exist had become a demonic realm—home to demons and a land of dark magic.

Had it not been for heroes like the Sword Saint and the Tower Master, who were hailed as Earth’s strongest, half the planet might have been swallowed up.

Some people considered it fortunate that Satan had been defeated.

But Hunters knew the truth.

The Satan that appeared back then was nothing more than a fragment of his full power—less than one-tenth of his strength.

Since that event, the danger level of demons had skyrocketed.

And now, standing before them, was the 3rd Commander of Baal, who was considered the second strongest after Satan.

An estimated S-rank demon, at minimum.

‘…We can’t win.’

By now, all of Jang Hyunsoo’s teammates were already dead.

He dropped his shield and sword, standing frozen as he stared blankly at the 3rd Commander.

“Have you lost your will to fight? How boring,” the Commander remarked.

The 3rd Commander extended her hand toward Jang Hyunsoo.

She grabbed his head and smiled with intrigue, her lips curving into a thin smile.

“So, this one is only C-rank.”

The 3rd Commander, Astera.

She wasn’t just a Commander of Baal’s forces because of her raw power.

Astera possessed the ability to read the memories of living beings.

“This place is called a Gate, huh? How interesting. I can see why those beneath me are so eager to visit this Earth.”

Jang Hyunsoo’s memories flashed through Astera’s mind.

Korea, and information about the country filled her thoughts.

Finding it amusing, she chuckled.

“The Sword Saint… If I leave this place, I’ll get to fight him? How entertaining.”

Her competitive spirit ignited.

The strong of this dimension, Earth.

The mere thought of fighting them made her body tingle with excitement.

Demons were born to kill.

Their nature made it impossible to suppress their desire to challenge the strong.

“So, if I destroy this, I can leave the Gate? Fascinating, truly.”

Astera extended her hand toward the Gate’s core.

*Crack.*

*Crack-crack.*

The air itself began to fracture.

Through the cracks, the city beyond the Gate came into view.

Astera reached her hand out toward it.

“Now, let the slaughter begin.”

The monsters lurking inside the gate became frenzied and surged toward the cracks, spilling into the city.

—

**Screeeeech!**

The city was filled with the sound of blaring sirens.

Lee Hank Yul’s smartphone vibrated wildly, blasting out alarms and spewing messages.

—

**「Emergency Disaster Alert.

(Seoul, Dobong District) A Gate has gone out of control, and an outbreak has occurred. Residents near Dobong District are advised to stay inside their homes. Please ensure children and the elderly are evacuated first.」**

**「Emergency Disaster Alert.

(Seoul, Dobong District) The entire district has been surrounded by a black barrier. Please remain in a safe place until the warning is lifted.」**

—

The phone kept vibrating, urging him to flee.

As Lee Hank Yul read the messages, he noticed the surroundings growing dimmer and furrowed his brow.

*Kieeek!*

A monster’s scream echoed from far away.

“Run away!”

“Ahhhhh!”

The sound of people screaming and running filled the air.

—

**「Hank Yul, you’re at the convenience store, right? Get out of there quickly. If you can’t escape, lock the doors and hold out as long as you can.」**

—

Looking at the message from his boss, Lee Hank Yul clenched his fist tightly.

He was fully aware of how dangerous the situation was.

*Buzz.*

—

**「Hunter Management Bureau.

Hunter Lee Hank Yul, we request your assistance in handling the outbreak.」**

—

Lee Hank Yul let out a deep sigh as he read the new message.

Being a registered hunter came with benefits.

Tax breaks, access to special facilities, and privileges that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

But with those benefits came responsibilities.

Registered Hunters were required to respond to the nation’s call.

Ten times.

They were obligated to participate in ten state-designated Gate missions or outbreaks.

This rule couldn’t be ignored, not even by Lee Hank Yul.

If he refused the call, his Hunter license would be revoked immediately.

—

**“You must survive. No matter what, you must live!”**

—

Throbbing pain surged through his head as he clutched it with his hand.

He knew he had to run, but he couldn’t ignore the nation’s call.

—

**“Survive!”**

—

His father’s voice and his mother’s screams echoed in his mind.

Even though no one was around, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

The dizziness was overwhelming.

Maybe it was thought that he could die.

His mind wasn’t functioning properly.

It was different from being in Asgard.

There, no matter how injured he got, he could survive.

But here, in reality, even a small injury could lead to death.

‘I need to go back.’

He needed to return to Asgard.

That was the only conclusion he could reach as he tried to move.

But his decision came too late.

*Crash.*

*Boom!*

The convenience store collapsed around him.

Lee Hank Yul stared blankly at the debris falling toward him.

“Ah….”

So, this is how it ends.

Shards of the building rained down on him.

—

「Asgard has detected that its master’s life is in danger!」
「Asgard is taking action to rescue its master.」

—

A bright white light engulfed him.

—
***

“We’re from the Hunter Management Bureau’s Gate Management Team. Everyone, please step back.”

People in suits pushed back the crowd gathered near the black barrier.

Among them was Yoo Jincheol.

“I’m Yoo Jincheol, team leader of the Gate Management Team. As of now, the Dobong District outbreak will be handled by our team.”

He walked past the hunters and civilians, approaching the black barrier.

From a distance, the barrier appeared smooth and shiny, but up close, it writhed like it was alive.

“Scan.”

Staring at the barrier, Yoo Jincheol activated his ability.

His profession was *Scanner*.

He could analyze and identify objects or living beings.

—

「The slaughterfield of Baal’s 3rd Commander.

Rank: S.

The barrier will not open unless the Gate’s core is destroyed or all humans inside are killed.」

—

“…Damn it.”

After confirming the identity of the black barrier with his ability, he cursed under his breath.

If this had been a simple outbreak, it might have been manageable.

A large number of Hunters could have been deployed to eliminate all the monsters.

But this was different.

The enemy was a demon, and not just any demon—a Commander under the Demon Lord Baal.

Rank: S.

To break through the black barrier, they would need at least an S-rank Hunter.

“There’s no way those self-serving bastards will move easily. And the Sword Saint is in Japan right now. Why now of all times…?”

Yoo Jincheol clenched his fist tightly.

The country’s S-rank Hunters were all motivated by profit.

They wouldn’t act out of pure justice.

If they weren’t offered the right compensation, they wouldn’t even bother getting out of their chairs.

The only exception was the Sword Saint, who would act without expecting anything in return.

But unfortunately, he was currently on an expedition in Japan.

Even if the Sword Saint rushed back, it would take at least ten hours.

And by then, everyone inside the barrier would already be dead.

It was inevitable.

Only S-rank Hunters or higher could face a Commander.

And none of the S-rank Hunters in Korea would bother coming to a place like Dobong District, which offered no financial gain.

“Are we supposed to pray to the heavens to hold out until the Sword Saint returns?”

Yoo Jincheol let out a sigh of resignation.

He knew there was nothing they could do right now, which filled him with despair.

If only there were someone inside who could kill the Commander, they might have a glimmer of hope.

“Team Leader, we’ve identified the people inside the city.”

“Are there any Hunters?”

“There is one… but they’re F-rank.”

“Ah… I see.”

Hope shattered into pieces.

He closed his eyes tightly.

Yoo Jincheol didn’t know.

He had no idea who that F-rank Hunter was.

He didn’t know that this very F-rank Hunter was the hope he so desperately needed.

And because he didn’t know, he had already given up.

“Get things ready.”

“Team Leader?”

“At the very least, we should return their bodies to the bereaved families.”

He was convinced that everyone inside would die.

***

While Yoo Jincheol was giving up on everything,

A light of hope enveloped Lee Hank Yul.

—

「Asgard is summoning one of the remnants of the ancient heroes.」
「All the souls of Asgard’s residents will be offered as the price for summoning the hero.」

—

Above Lee Hank Yul, a massive figure of light began to form.

The light transformed into the shape of a human.

A towering figure.

A thick, muscular upper body.

—

**「The Hero of Thunder, ‘Thor,’ gladly answers Asgard’s call.」**

—

*BOOM!*

The light struck down like a bolt of lightning, obliterating the debris that had been covering Lee Hank Yul, reducing it to dust.