"Why do you always move away from the safe road and dance with death on every occasion?"
Jinwoo moved from his spot, barely avoiding the powerful downward slash from the knight, as his mind was filled with rage and hatred.
"Isn't it a great fortune that an E-Rank hunter like you was able to grow so much?"
Every word felt like an arrow piercing his very being, which only made the young man angrier.
However, when Jinwoo turned to look at the speaker, all of his rage and hatred left him. All that was left was bewilderment.
And fear.
For standing in front of him was the person he hated the most in his life.
Himself.
The weak E-Rank hunter in front of him moved around and stared at Jinwoo with curiosity.
"Wow, is this really me? I can't believe we are the same person."
"You've grown taller, gained a lot of muscle, and look much sharper. You look quite strong."
Suddenly, the curious look was replaced by one of disdain.
"But the only thing that has changed is your appearance."
"You are still a weakling."
"What's the difference between you and me?"
"You still got yourself in a situation where you are in front of death once again."
Suddenly, Jinwoo's old reflection disappeared, barely giving him any time to react to the sudden attack from the knights.
Barely avoiding the decapitating strike, Jinwoo jumped back, but the reflection appeared once again.
"E-Rank hunter, Sung Jinwoo, A failure of a nephew, a failure of a son, a failure of a brother."
"In the end, that's all you are and always will be."
"If you don't know how to control yourself, your courage becomes recklessness."
Once again, rage and hatred dominated Jinwoo's mind, yet something else also awakened within him.
He dodged the large horde of knights that started attacking him relentlessly, sometimes hitting back and sometimes letting their blows connect so that he could counter them. And yet, the horde kept coming, pushing him into a corner.
All the while, from behind this hoard, the reflection continued speaking.
"You have a long way to go."
"From now on, you have to kill more people and leave sacrifice or leave behind a lot of people. Including friends and family."
"You will be the one to bring about your own demise."
Suddenly, Jinwoo felt like he was thrown back to the past. Back before he got the system that allowed him to become the person he is now.
Back in that hall with the statues, where he was left for dead.
Back when he was the person that he hated the most in the world.
A weak and useless hunter, a failure who couldn't do anything for his family.
A son that could do nothing but cry when his father disappeared, a son that could do nothing but watch as his mother wasted away until she fell into an eternal slumber.
A brother who could not look after his sister and help her with day-to-day things because he was not as talented as her. A brother who required his younger sister to look after him.
A nephew who always worried his uncle with his recklessness. A weakling that forced him out form his comfort zone and start working again, giving up his well-earned rest to look after his weak nephew.
A weakling that Jinwoo hated the most in the world.
Yes, Sung Jinwoo hated himself the most in the world.
Suddenly, the system sprang up, showing that he had missed the daily quest, and transported him straight to the penalty zone, making the reflection sneer.
"They say, Luck is also a skill. See you soon, Sung Jinwoo."
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Jinwoo glared at the sand around him, the words of his old reflection ringing in his mind as he took out a few stamina recovery potions and other objects to restore himself, waiting for the monsters to spawn.
No matter how much he wanted to deny them, those words rang true in his mind.
However, there was one thing that the reflection had gotten wrong about himself.
As the monstrous centipedes appeared and started to attack, Jinwoo dodged and ducked between them, jumping from place to place, searching for a moment to strike.
'I was a weakling, a weakling that hated himself the most.'
One of the centipedes screeched, frantically dashing towards the human, only for Jinwoo to take advantage of the opening and jump on top of its head. The dagger that his uncle had forged for him personally, so that the issue of his items interfering with the system wouldn't happen again, came crashing down and easily pierced through the monster's head, killing it instantly.
'But, that weakling is no more.'
'Because I know that if I can survive till the end.'
The death of one of their companions caused the monsters to go into a frenzy and start swarming Jinwoo, putting him in peril even more than the Job Change quest had done just before.
'If the pain doesn't kill me.'
One man against an army of monsters, a scene that would bring despair to even an S-Rank hunter.
Yet, Jinwoo only felt determination.
'It will only make me stronger.'
Closing his eyes to center himself, Jinwoo let loose his full power, letting himself go in his instincts.
When he opened his eyes again, there was something in his glare that made the mindless monsters pause for a brief moment.
For in his eyes, they saw the reflection of something ancient, something powerful.
Something inherently human, one of the strongest weapons and a crippling weakness of their species.
'I will become stronger.'
'I will find a way to heal my mother.'
'I will find a way to remove the Darksign from Uncle's soul.'
'I will become someone worthy of the Sung name.'
'And I will protect my family from anyone who seeks to harm them.'
'Even if it is the System that tries to make me do it, I will surpass the system itself.'
'I am Sung Jinwoo, and I will become the strongest being in existence.'
'This is a promise.'
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1