Chapter 53: Ber’s Last Stand

Kim Jaewoo pressed his hand against the wound, but the cut was too wide for the pressure to have much effect.

In no time, his shirt was soaked with blood.

The cost of having his torso slashed so deeply was immense.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, followed by a burning pain that spread from the wound.

He tried to move immediately, but as soon as he put weight on his right foot, he collapsed forward again.

“H-Hwang… Contestant Roy…!”

He saw the doppelgänger—who had just attacked him with a sword—running straight toward Roy’s back.

The blade, which had been pointed toward the sky, came slashing down diagonally.

Just moments ago, Kim Jaewoo had been calmly dealing with his own doppelgänger, who had taken on his exact appearance.

Though he hadn’t landed a fatal blow, the doppelgänger’s body had become increasingly covered in shallow cuts.

Kim Jaewoo had been waiting for the perfect moment to land a final strike.

But then, the doppelgänger’s movement suddenly changed.

It had happened right after the one fighting Roy let out a scream of agony.

The change was only for a moment, but Kim Jaewoo couldn’t keep up with its speed—even blinking once caused him to lose track.

By the time he realized what had happened, his sword had been taken, and his torso had been slashed.

This wasn’t the movement of a monster at the same level.

The difference in power was easily ten levels apart.

Kim Jaewoo’s pupils trembled violently.

“An incident has occurred!”

One of the production staff, who had been filming with a camera, grabbed his walkie-talkie in shock.

He should’ve been protecting them from the doppelgänger instead of just holding a radio!

Just as Kim Jaewoo let out a frustrated breath—

Ber’s eyes began to burn, fiercer than the blazing sun.

Though he hadn’t shown it openly, Ber had been on edge ever since reuniting with Roy.

Throughout his long life, Roy was the first human Ber had ever contracted with.

But before Roy’s natural lifespan even ended, Ber had lost him.

After being forcibly summoned back to the Spirit Realm, Ber had fallen into a deep depression.

For the first time in his existence, he even experienced self-loathing.

Yet, somehow, he had reunited with his still-living contractor.

Though he’d been forcefully summoned to this different dimension from the Spirit Realm, Ber had been grateful just to meet Roy again.

But now, his contractor was in danger once more.

“PIIIIIIIII!” (Do you really think I’d lose my contractor twice!?)

Ber’s cry echoed across the area.

Though it was the clear, pure call of a bird, Kim Jaewoo felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Was it an illusion?’

The tiny bird that was Ber now seemed like a massive, overwhelming presence that could envelop the entire battlefield.

“Ber!”

Just as the doppelgänger’s sword was about to slash Roy’s back, Ber spread his wings wide and wrapped himself around Roy.

Ber, who was only the size of a grown man’s fist, couldn’t possibly cover much of Roy’s back.

But he was desperate.

Tears welled up in Ber’s eyes.

Spirits were generally dull when it came to emotions.

Especially spirit kings—after living for so long, they typically grew numb to feelings.

[Summoned Spirit ‘Ber’ has entered an abnormal state!]

[Phoenix Trait has been activated!]

A glowing screen flashed in front of Roy’s eyes at the exact moment a tear fell from the corner of Ber’s eye.

Following that falling tear, dazzling flames erupted.

“…This is insane.”

Kim Jaewoo’s expression shifted from shock to awe.

His heart nearly stopped at the thought of Ber’s tiny body being slashed by the doppelgänger’s sword.

But then, something extraordinary happened.

From Ber’s center, flames shaped like the wings of a bird spread wide and engulfed the doppelgänger attacking Roy.

“Uwaaaah!”

The flames consumed the doppelgänger, growing even more brilliant.

Soon, the creature’s agonized screams were drowned out by the roaring fire.

Even the doppelgänger Roy had bound began to flail its limbs.

The flames extended, reaching that one as well, and burned it to ash in an instant.

“Ber…”

A bad feeling welled up inside Roy as he slowly turned his head back.

He didn’t even notice the doppelgängers disintegrating into cinders.

“PIII…” (As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters…)

Ber, once always brimming with energy despite his small body, now lay limp on the ground.

Roy knelt down, trembling, and gently cupped Ber in his hand.

“You… why is your body…?”

The feather on Ber’s forehead, once vibrant, now wavered weakly and fell off.

His body’s feathers continued to fall, turning into flames and vanishing.

His once-plump body had withered away, now nothing but bones and skin, slowly fading from existence.

“PIIII…” (I have no strength left…)

“No, Ber. No… please…”

Roy couldn’t even hold Ber tightly.

He could only kneel, pleading.

This wasn’t like when they were in the continent of As.

Ber had said that in this world, there was no known way to return to the Spirit Realm.

In the continent of As, even if one was forcibly unsummoned, they would simply return to the Spirit Realm.

But here, no one could predict what might happen.

To Roy, Ber was family, a friend, and at times, a comforting refuge.

He had already experienced losing him once.

The thought of possibly losing someone he’d reunited with so painfully brought tears streaming down his face in an instant.

“Are both of you okay?”

In response to a call from production, safety staff rushed to the two of them.

***

Although the doppelganger’s power had been weakened in advance, there was always a chance of unexpected variables, so the crew had stationed safety personnel across the island.

However, because Roy and Kim Jaewoo had moved away from the others and toward the outskirts, the staff hadn’t made it in time even after receiving the radio call.

The island was large, and there were many contestants.

As a result, the majority of safety staff had been deployed to where the crowd was thickest.

Looking around, the doppelganger had already turned to ash and disappeared.

But Roy didn’t look okay.

With a vacant expression, he stared blankly at his palm—now empty save for a single feather.

“Don’t tell me… Ber was really destroyed?”

Jaewoo sank down in front of Roy, unable to believe it.

The sensation of shaking hands with Ber still lingered on his fingertips.

But in the blink of an eye, Ber had vanished.

Spirit summoners were incredibly rare, and information about them was often kept secret.

The guilds they belonged to usually kept any details about them under tight wraps.

Spirits were typically considered immortal beings.

But Roy’s summoned spirit might be different.

And Ber’s final display of power—taking out an unsealed doppelganger in one blow—was nothing short of incredible.

[Hero, please don’t worry so much!]

Roy slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

Ber was gone, and only a feather remained.

He couldn’t forget those black eyes that had refused to look away from him until the very end.

He could hardly breathe.

Just when his mind had gone blank, like ink poured into it, Earth’s voice came through.

‘Ber… isn’t dead?’

[Of course not! He’s just entered a temporary rest!]

That’s when the feather resting on Roy’s palm began to tremble.

A faint glow emerged from the fragile plume, which quickly morphed into an oval-shaped egg.

“Ber… turned into an egg again, didn’t he?”

Jaewoo, sitting in front of Roy, watched the transformation unfold, eyes wide.

He had heard from other contestants that Roy’s spirit had originally hatched from an egg.

The egg, surrounded by fiery plumes, radiated an extraordinary presence.

“For now, both of you should head to the medical booth. We need to treat your injuries, Jaewoo.”

A safety officer helped Jaewoo to his feet.

***

After learning that Ber wasn’t dead, Roy managed to collect himself.

‘…My powers are too weak right now.’

Roy’s eyes darkened as he looked at where the doppelganger had vanished.

His abilities had been sealed ever since arriving in this world.

The reason Ber had taken such damage from the doppelganger’s attack was ultimately because of Roy’s lack of power.

If Ber had been at his full strength, he could’ve wiped out thousands of doppelgangers with just a few flaps of his wings.

Roy hadn’t summoned any of the other Spirit Kings yet.

Though this was still a survival program, he realized he had to level up as fast as possible.

“Roy hyung, are you okay?”

“Hyung…”

After the mission ended, the others rushed to Roy’s bedside.

Kim Chan grabbed Roy’s arm and examined him from head to toe, worried.

Lee Hajun sat next to Roy, speaking in a pained voice.

Roy’s face was pale and worn-out, and he was cradling the egg carefully in his hands.

Lee Doha’s gaze also landed on the egg.

He hadn’t heard the full details, but he’d been told an unexpected incident had occurred during the mission—

That Ber had thrown himself in the way.

Han Jihoo finally let out the breath he’d been holding and ran a hand through his hair.

He was overwhelmed by guilt the entire way to the medical booth, feeling he should’ve been the one paired with Roy for the mission.

Kim Jaemin rubbed his reddened eyes.

Roy wasn’t the only one injured in this mission.

The doppelgangers had acted far more unpredictably than expected.

One contestant performing the mission near Jaemin had even fallen from a tree and broken their arm.

“For a Hunter Idol mission… this is kind of excessive.”

Jaemin lowered his voice as he looked around the medical booth.

It was hard to find an empty bed—the place was packed with injured contestants.

The medical staff were rushing from bed to bed, doing their best to treat everyone.

Since Hunter Idol was a show involving monster missions, injuries among contestants were unavoidable.

The only question was how severe those injuries would be.

Roy hadn’t been hurt physically, which was a relief—

But now that Ber had reverted into an egg, the emotional toll must be immense.

“All contestants who are not injured, please step outside for an important announcement!”

A production staff member entered the booth, summoning the visitors who had come to check on the patients.

Not just Roy—other contestants’ beds were also surrounded by concerned friends.

“I’m fine, so everyone… go on ahead.”

Roy gently urged the others outside, though it was clear he didn’t want them to leave.

But the warmth radiating from the egg in his hands was reassuring.

He was anxious about when Ber would hatch again—

But just knowing Ber wasn’t truly gone made the waiting bearable.