The Omega Hunter (Solo Leveling)

Chapter 34

(A/N Hello yall I'M BACKKKKKK)

Jin-Woo's emotions churned violently as he stared at the figure standing at his doorstep. His father—no, someone wearing his father's face—stood before him, and his mind struggled to accept what his eyes were seeing.

Without warning, Jin-Woo lunged forward, shadows flaring out around him as he attacked with blinding speed. "Whoever you are, you're not my father!" he snarled, his hand tightening like a vice as he gripped the "imposter's" throat, demanding, "Reveal yourself!"

The man before him—Sung Il-Hwan—stumbled back, raising his hands in a desperate bid for peace. "Jin-Woo! It's me," he gasped. "It's really me—your father!"

Jin-Woo hesitated for a brief moment, but he wasn't ready to believe it yet. "Prove it," he demanded, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He'd seen too many faces twisted by the Monarchs' deceit.

But Sung Il-Hwan didn't back down. He looked directly into Jin-Woo's eyes, his voice steady and filled with an emotion that stirred something long-buried in Jin-Woo's chest. "Do you remember the last thing I said to you before I left?"

Jin-Woo's grip loosened just slightly as fragments of his childhood came rushing back. Sung Il-Hwan's gaze softened as he continued, "I told you... that I'd always be watching over you and your sister, even if I had to do it from afar."

At those words, the dark tendrils of doubt clouding Jin-Woo's mind finally lifted. He staggered back, heart racing. His father was alive—somehow, impossibly, alive, though his presence was tinged with something otherworldly, a residue of Chaos that only the Monarchs seemed to carry. But this was his father, back from the void.

Overwhelmed, Jin-Woo reached out, pulling his father into an embrace. After everything he'd lost, one piece of his past had been returned to him.

---

In the Korean Hunter's Association, Woo Jin-Chul sat in his office, his gaze fixed on the news. The screens displayed chaotic footage from North America, where the monstrous army marched forward like a tide of darkness. Each clip was a grim reminder of the stakes at hand, and with every passing second, his anxiety grew.

He couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that wrapped around him like a shroud. Jin-Woo was out there, facing the Dragon Sovereign and its relentless army, alone. The thought twisted in his chest like a dagger. Despite the power Jin-Woo wielded, despite the strength he had shown time and again, Jin-Chul couldn't help but feel utterly useless, watching from afar while the man he cared for fought the battles of the world.

They had shared moments of intimacy, laughter, and connection. The mutual understanding of their feelings lingered in the air between them, unspoken yet palpable. But the timing had always felt wrong, overshadowed by the relentless dangers surrounding them. They both knew it, yet that knowledge did little to alleviate the weight in Jin-Chul's heart.

"Jin-Woo," he whispered, his voice barely a breath. The name held so much significance, a mix of longing and worry that clenched at his throat. He wanted to reach out, to offer his strength, his support, to stand beside him in this fight. But all he could do was watch, powerless and tormented by his inability to help.

His heart raced as he imagined Jin-Woo, alone amidst the chaos, facing the monstrous forces that threatened to consume everything. The thought sent a chill down his spine. "Please," he murmured, a silent prayer escaping his lips. "Please be safe."

He closed his eyes, envisioning Jin-Woo's determined expression, the way his eyes lit up with fierce resolve even in the face of insurmountable odds. "You're strong," he reminded himself, though doubt clawed at his mind. "You can do this. Just come back to me."

The news continued to broadcast the horrors unfolding across the ocean, but Jin-Chul found himself drifting into thoughts of Jin-Woo instead. He pictured their future together, one unmarred by conflict—a dream that felt impossibly distant now. He would fight for that dream, for the chance to stand by Jin-Woo's side, to support him, as someone who truly understood him.

As the weight of his worry threatened to overwhelm him, Jin-Chul clenched his fists. He wouldn't allow despair to take root. He would hold onto hope, channeling every ounce of his energy into a single prayer for Jin-Woo's safety. "Come back," he whispered into the silence of his office. "I need you here."

---

Jin-Woo felt a growing urgency; there was no more time to waste.

He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing the familiar weight of his phone. This might be his last chance to speak to his family, to hear their voices before he faced his greatest enemy.

To hear Woo Jin-Chul's voice.

The thought sent a pang through his chest. Jin-Woo hesitated, staring at the 'Call' icon, feeling the intensity of his emotions swell within him. Memories of their moments together flooded his mind—Jin-Chul's reassuring presence, the way he always managed to calm the storm within Jin-Woo, how they had grown closer through every challenge. There was a warmth in his heart, a mutual longing that neither had fully expressed. But Jin-Woo couldn't bring himself to reach out, not now.

If he heard Jin-Chul's voice, it would ground him, tether him to this world in a way he couldn't afford. He might falter, might lose the fierce resolve driving him forward. The thought of hearing that deep, steady voice filled him with both comfort and fear—comfort because he knew Jin-Chul cared deeply, and fear because that care could become a distraction he couldn't allow.

Instead, he let his phone drop, shattering it with a soft crack as it hit the ground. He stared at the broken pieces, a symbol of the connection he was severing, a silent goodbye to the warmth he was willing to sacrifice for the sake of the world.

With a deep breath, Jin-Woo steeled himself, focusing on the battle ahead. The pull of his heart remained, heavy and insistent, a reminder of the love that flourished in silence between them. But for now, he had to embrace the darkness, to become the shadow that would face the looming threat.