Dark Fantasy Genius Demon Hunter

Is this how bodybuilders feel?

Gaon woke up again after a few hours.

The mental fatigue was gone, so he quickly came out of sleep.

He immediately went down to the first floor to have a meal.

The menu was bread and a stew with meat.

It might seem simple, but Gaon, who had once lived as a modern person, understood.

He knew how important a balanced diet rich in the three macronutrients was.

To build strength and muscle on his scrawny body, eating was crucial.

He slowly chewed and finished his meal.

Even with such a small portion, a sense of fullness filled him. After all, his stomach had shrunk from the long period of not being able to eat properly.

Once he finished eating, Gaon returned to his room and started doing bodyweight exercises.

The inn room was definitely not an ideal space for exercising.

But Gaon was no ordinary person.

With the memories of his modern life, he knew well what exercises were most efficient to do in a cramped space like an inn room.

“I should start with basic exercises like sit-ups and push-ups.”

He wasn’t particularly fond of working out, but to survive the intense office life, he had consistently done weight training and swimming.

He usually went to a gym, but when work got busier and he couldn’t make it, he often did home workouts.

Though he had to do home workouts due to circumstances, he wasn’t interested enough to buy equipment for serious training.

Thanks to that, he was very familiar with bodyweight exercises that could be done without any equipment.

“Ugh.”

His arms, thin as if only bones and skin remained, betrayed his will, trembling uncontrollably.

But Gaon didn’t stop working out.

He knew very well that when it gets tough, and you feel like you can’t go on, that last rep you push yourself through is the one that really helps build muscle.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it.”

Again, Gaon was only working out out of necessity.

Knowing something and being good at it are two completely different things.

It was not surprising that harsh words came out of his mouth.

Sweat dripped down and soaked the floor.

Gaon struggled, trying to steady his shaking arms, and got up to start doing squats.

“Ugh!”

His thighs screamed in pain after just a few sets.

It was normal for his thighs to appear slightly thicker and more swollen after doing several sets, but there was hardly any noticeable change.

His body was still too skinny, just bones.

“Ugh!”

Making a grimace, Gaon did his last squat and collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

Knock knock knock.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

He had no strength left to get up and open the door.

Lying on the floor, Gaon just turned his head toward the door.

Is something wrong? I thought I heard a scream.

Gaon flinched inwardly but responded nonchalantly.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Are you sure you’re okay?

“Don’t worry about it.”

Ah, alright. If you need anything, just let me know.

“Sure.”

The inn worker walked away.

Gaon sighed without realizing it.

“Phew.”

Gaon realized that this was not supposed to be such a difficult task, but his frail body was so weak that he had inadvertently screamed out loud.

Looking at his trembling arms and legs, Gaon thought to himself.

I don’t want to… really don’t want to.

His breath was coming fast, and it felt like the sky was turning yellow.

It was painfully exhausting, so much so that he felt like he was going to die, yet despite all that effort, it seemed like his muscles and strength weren’t growing at all.

He knew. Gaon knew.

That exercise doesn’t bring immediate, dramatic changes in the short term.

It’s about slow, steady progress.

It might seem foolish, but after taking step by step, if you look back, you’ll realize you’ve made a lot of progress.

So, I should keep going.

With that thought, Gaon steadied his breath and pushed himself off the floor.

Sit-ups, push-ups, planks, squats, lunges, and more.

There was no shortage of bodyweight exercises to do.

And time, too.

Hmph!

He took another step forward.

In the end, that stubborn perseverance was probably the fastest way to get there.

……

Yeah, he knew that now.

What is this…?

Gaon realized after just a few days that his assumption had been a big mistake.

Hah.

Gaon sighed briefly.

He had to admit he had underestimated his own talent.

And it was significant!

This isn’t even the body of a steroid-abusing bodybuilder…

It had only been four days since he started staying at “Where the Wind Stayed.”

Surprisingly, muscles had started to develop on his previously scrawny, unattractive arms that were nothing but bones.

The change was so noticeable that it could be seen with the naked eye.

The effects of exercise, which should have appeared gradually over time, began to show up immediately—and explosively.

I did increase my food intake on purpose, but I never expected these kinds of results.

He thought of it as an investment for the future.

After all, to increase muscle mass, the first step is to increase food intake.

Moreover, the amount being excreted was significantly low compared to what he was eating.

What this means is…

It meant that most of the intake was being processed into nutrients in his body.

It meant that everything he ate was being stored in his body.

And not as fat, but as muscle.

The most ironic part of this was,

He found exercise surprisingly enjoyable.

Watching his muscles grow every time he worked out, he wondered if this was what bodybuilders felt like.

Hah.

Gaon let out a hollow laugh, feeling ridiculous even to himself.

Maybe it was because his body responded so quickly that this feeling arose.

At any rate, it could be said that the result was thanks to his limitless recovery abilities.

Without the recovery rate sustaining the intense training, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such results.

Of course, it wasn’t that the other stats weren’t helpful.

His excellent hand-eye coordination would have helped him immediately correct any slipping posture,

His steadily growing physical strength would have supported his trembling body,

And his strong mental fortitude would have kept him from succumbing to weakness when pushing beyond his limits.

Other stats also played a role.

“Gaon? You always eat in your room, so what brings you downstairs today… huh?”

The innkeeper, hearing someone walking down the stairs, turned in surprise.

“What’s going on?”

Gaon realized that this was not supposed to be such a difficult task, but his frail body was so weak that he had inadvertently screamed out loud.

Looking at his trembling arms and legs, Gaon thought to himself.

I don’t want to… really don’t want to.

His breath was coming fast, and it felt like the sky was turning yellow.

It was painfully exhausting, so much so that he felt like he was going to die, yet despite all that effort, it seemed like his muscles and strength weren’t growing at all.

He knew. Gaon knew.

That exercise doesn’t bring immediate, dramatic changes in the short term.

It’s about slow, steady progress.

It might seem foolish, but after taking step by step, if you look back, you’ll realize you’ve made a lot of progress.

So, I should keep going.

With that thought, Gaon steadied his breath and pushed himself off the floor.

Sit-ups, push-ups, planks, squats, lunges, and more.

There was no shortage of bodyweight exercises to do.

And time, too.

Hmph!

He took another step forward.

In the end, that stubborn perseverance was probably the fastest way to get there.

……

Yeah, he knew that now.

What is this…?

Gaon realized after just a few days that his assumption had been a big mistake.

Hah.

Gaon sighed briefly.

He had to admit he had underestimated his own talent.

And it was significant!

This isn’t even the body of a steroid-abusing bodybuilder…

It had only been four days since he started staying at “Where the Wind Stayed.”

Surprisingly, muscles had started to develop on his previously scrawny, unattractive arms that were nothing but bones.

The change was so noticeable that it could be seen with the naked eye.

The effects of exercise, which should have appeared gradually over time, began to show up immediately—and explosively.

I did increase my food intake on purpose, but I never expected these kinds of results.

He thought of it as an investment for the future.

After all, to increase muscle mass, the first step is to increase food intake.

Moreover, the amount being excreted was significantly low compared to what he was eating.

What this means is…

It meant that most of the intake was being processed into nutrients in his body.

It meant that everything he ate was being stored in his body.

And not as fat, but as muscle.

The most ironic part of this was,

He found exercise surprisingly enjoyable.

Watching his muscles grow every time he worked out, he wondered if this was what bodybuilders felt like.

Hah.

Gaon let out a hollow laugh, feeling ridiculous even to himself.

Maybe it was because his body responded so quickly that this feeling arose.

At any rate, it could be said that the result was thanks to his limitless recovery abilities.

Without the recovery rate sustaining the intense training, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such results.

Of course, it wasn’t that the other stats weren’t helpful.

His excellent hand-eye coordination would have helped him immediately correct any slipping posture,

His steadily growing physical strength would have supported his trembling body,

And his strong mental fortitude would have kept him from succumbing to weakness when pushing beyond his limits.

Other stats also played a role.

“Gaon? You always eat in your room, so what brings you downstairs today… huh?”

The innkeeper, hearing someone walking down the stairs, turned in surprise.

“What’s going on?”

Gaon asked.

The employee blinked several times in confusion.

“Uh, it’s just that… Gaon’s body…?”

As expected.

Gaon clicked his tongue inwardly.

If someone had seen how gaunt and thin he originally was, they might have questioned the change.

But Gaon, pretending not to understand, sat down at a table in the restaurant.

“My body, what about it?”

“Well, you weren’t like this before…”

“Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“No, you definitely didn’t look like this before.”

The employee raised their hand as if to touch Gaon’s forearm, trying to get a closer look.

Gaon, watching the employee, gestured toward the kitchen with his chin.

“Stop talking nonsense and place the order in the kitchen.”

“Ah… okay.”

The employee, still puzzled by Gaon’s calm reaction, tilted their head but moved toward the kitchen.

It was fortunate, or perhaps not, that since Gaon had been eating in his room every time, no one besides this employee had noticed his change.

Well, if more people had noticed, pretending not to know or offering an explanation would have been pretty exhausting, so I guess it’s a good thing.

In truth, Gaon had been too lazy to go back and forth between his room and the restaurant, so he had just stayed inside and eaten there every day.

“Here’s your meal.”

The meal came quickly.

Gaon nodded briefly and focused on his food.

“So, what brings you down to eat today?”

The employee spoke up as Gaon finished his meal and put down his spoon, as if waiting for the right moment.

Gaon had always eaten in his room, but the employee had remembered how Gaon didn’t want to be disturbed during meals on the first day, so they were being considerate.

“This is my last meal.”

“Last meal?”

“Yeah, because—”

Gaon reached into his pocket and pulled out the last of his coins, placing them on the employee’s hand.

“—I’ve run out of money.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Gaon stood up from the table.

“It was a delicious meal.”

“Are you heading to the contaminated zone?”

“That’s right.”

Gaon replied calmly, not denying it.

This place, too, was owned by the broker Ren.

The employee must have heard about the shark-tooth wolf corpse that Gaon had brought to Ren.

“We’ll meet again.”

The employee smiled broadly.

Seeing that, Gaon felt an overwhelming emotion rise in him and had to suppress it as if it were nothing.

We’ll meet again.

From the employee’s point of view, it was probably just a casual farewell, but the tone, seemingly indifferent, stirred up the tension Gaon had been feeling inside.

The vague fear of the “contaminated zone.”

Gaon, too, felt it.

He tried to force a smile, pulling his lips into a thin line.

“Yeah.”

Then he added,

“I really liked the food here.”

With that, Gaon left the inn.

And he began walking toward the distant contaminated zone.

The landscape changes dramatically, as if a line had been drawn, making it feel like a completely different world.

“This is… the contaminated zone?”

The sight before Gaon’s eyes was completely alien, but to the people of this world, it was just an ordinary part of life in the contaminated zone.

The contaminated zone, in simple terms, referred to the areas formed by the demonic environment after the Demon Lord’s arrival hundreds of years ago.

The ground was covered with sticky, purple fog, and the sky was filled with dark gray clouds.

The earth was coated in a slimy, viscous substance.

Some parts of the land were overtaken by dark red vines, and occasionally, flowers bloomed on these vines, releasing unpleasant spores in bursts.

This space, which seemed completely uninhabitable for humans, was, on the contrary, an ideal environment for the life forms originating from the demon realm.

Naturally, for humanity, the original inhabitants of this world, it was an environment that could never be good.

One example of this was the reduction in the efficiency of abilities manifested through magical power in such areas.

The reason why purification magic circles were set up to prevent the contaminated zone from spreading into the city was due to these complex factors.

Anyway, monsters rarely appear in cities with purification magic circles, as cities are unpleasant spaces for them.

However, there are occasional monsters that emerge in areas with less influence from the magic circle, but these cases are extremely rare.

It was only natural that to hunt monsters, one would have to venture into the contaminated zone.

Gulp.

The sensation of stepping on soft, squishy flesh traveled up Gaon’s foot.

The purple mist that flowed with his breath made him feel like his throat was clogged, almost as if he had phlegm stuck.

The unease brought on by the word “demon realm” was also hard to ignore.

“Ugh…”

A deeply unpleasant feeling caused Gaon to furrow his brow, and saliva flowed from his mouth.

Krukk! Khaah!

Qua-hooouu-!

The distant howls of monsters echoed, heightening the tension.

Despite this, Gaon did not stop moving forward.

Even though he remained cautious and alert, he had already ventured quite deep into the zone.

It was then that figures, who had been hidden until now, began to appear sporadically.

They glanced at Gaon.

Four, five, or maybe more.

The contrast between Gaon, who was alone, and the group of them was unmistakable.

Perhaps because of this…

“What’s this? A kid? Are you alone?”

The words directed at Gaon were filled with hostility, or at least it seemed that way as a confrontation was starting to take shape.