《Villain Hides His True Color》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I once read an article in a newspaper that said the following. According to a study by a university from the UK, on average, people with higher IQ were more likely to develop depression. If that article is true, I might have been a genius that far surpassed even Einstein when I was a child. At least that¡¯s how I see it¡­ Back then, I was a very miserable and depressed child. A person who thought of ways for a quick death every day. * * * My mother was a very beautiful person. White and soft skin like freshly baked bread, long and coveted hair as if melted by the sun. And mysterious purple eyes that shone like jewels. If she had lived in an ordinary city and not the slums, perhaps she might have been a world-class model or actor by now. As such, she had an appearance that everyone would envy. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have the power to protect that beauty. And¡­ As history has proven, a shining treasure out of reach of the unworthy always brings tragedy. ¡°Heuk, mister, please don¡¯t kill me¡­I-if you let me go now, I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Fuck! When did I say I was going to kill you? Why are you being so annoying? Do you really want me to kill you?¡± ¡°N-no! That¡¯s not it! P-please spare me this once. Please¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re making a fuss because I look like shit, right? You want to shoot me?¡± ¡°I would never have such thoughts!¡± ¡°Look how you¡¯re lying. What do you mean no? It¡¯s written all over your face. Well, don¡¯t think it¡¯s too unfair.¡± ¡°H-huh? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The law of the world¡­There¡¯s a set of rules for the strong where if they tell you to strip, then you strip huhu.¡± ¡°Ah, no! Please stop. Let go of me! Release me you bastard! Aahh!¡± Like that, my father committed a crime against my mother, and soon I was born into this world. Was it because of that? My mother acted as if I didn¡¯t exist. When it was mealtime, my rice bowl was nowhere to be found on the table. Even when I begged or pulled at my mother¡¯s skirt out of desperation, my father would just chuck cigarette butts at me with no care. At least it could be said that the only time I had a conversation with my father was when he was drunk and cursed me. And then, one day. After my mother went out somewhere and returned, she suddenly came to me and took the initiative to speak to me. ¡°Noah. Do you enjoy living?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± How should I answer this? I was confused by the sudden situation. I stuttered and answered like a child who had just learned how to speak for the first time. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± My mother took out a well-packed box from a paper bag and handed it to me. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Life is meant to be enjoyed.¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what she had said. Every day is so painful, so what in the world is there to enjoy? ¡°You have to enjoy your life from now on.¡± My mother said so with a broad smile. As far as I can remember, it was the first time I had seen such a smile. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what she meant, but I nodded without realizing it when I looked at her bright expression. ¡°I bought this for you, so open it.¡± I was a bit hesitant when presented with a gift. But when I tore off the package with awkward hand movements, a box with a cute little boy wielding a sword on it appeared. I stammered as I read the words on the box. ¡°A Warrior¡¯s¡­Adventure? W-What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A game. When I asked people what kids like these days, they said this was the best.¡± ¡°Game?¡± I didn¡¯t know what a game was, so I could only stare at her face. My mother smiled and spoke. ¡°Pfft. You¡¯ll know once you try it. I¡¯ll show you what to do first, so watch carefully.¡± She took the game console out of the box and turned it on. Cute music resonated in the gutter-like house. A beautiful world of various colors unfolded inside the game console. My eyes became glued to the small screen. ¡°Hmm, is this how you do it? It¡¯s been awhile since I did this, so it¡¯s really awkward. I used to play it a lot in the past¡­¡± The appearance of my mother playing the game made me feel as if she had become a different person. In the past, even when my eyes sparkled like a child, she would suddenly frown as if she was angry. And sometimes, she would even laugh while hitting my back. I learned for the first time that day that my mother had such various facial expressions. ¡°Now, look. If a bandit appears here, you can press this key to attack. Simple, right?¡± ¡°Yes! But¡­Wouldn¡¯t that person get hurt if I stabbed him with the sword?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s how games are played, so don¡¯t worry about it and kill him.¡± For a long time, my mother taught me how to play the game. And when I got used to the controls to some extent, my mother crept up from her seat. ¡°Play by yourself for now. I¡¯m going to go somewhere for a bit.¡± ¡°W-where are you going?¡± Suddenly, I had an ominous feeling that my mother would disappear like this. So I grabbed her skirt. My mother gently removed my hand and patted me on the head. ¡°Me too¡­I¡¯m going to enjoy my life from now on.¡± Is she going to play a different game? It was a pity that I couldn¡¯t play with my mother a little longer, but I could understand because there was only one game console. ¡°Then when will you be back?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be back before you finish the game.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± And just before leaving the front door, my mother called my name one more time. ¡°Noah.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t die.¡± She stared at me with a heavy, sinking expression. Did she think I wouldn¡¯t be good at the game on my own? I wanted to reassure my mother, so I replied in a brave voice. ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t worry. Now that I know how to play, I can do well by myself!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do well.¡± My mother looked at me for a while before turning her back and leaving the house. While I sat in the empty house, immersed in the game alone. I wanted to surprise her when she returned. How long has it been? The street lights outside the window shone and it became dark before I knew it. Squeak¨C I heard the door opening, so I quickly ran to the front door with the game console in my hand. I wanted to show my mother my newfound skills and the monster I had caught. ¡°H-how was your¡­¡± But there stood my father, not my mother. ¡°¡­¡± My father looked around the house without saying a word. He pushed me aside and began to rummage through the house. By the time the house had turned into a mess, my father approached me with a terrifying look. ¡°¡­Where?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where are all the money and goods in the safe?¡± Pak¨C! ¡°¡­Keuk!¡± My father slapped me on the cheek with his thick palm. The pain felt as if a piece of flesh had been ripped off. I couldn¡¯t see well with tears in my eyes, but I could see my father raising his hand again beyond the blurry view. Pak¨C! ¡°¡­Keuk!¡± ¡°Fuck! Where did she go? Hurry up and tell me where she went!¡± Pak¨C! I, who had fallen to the floor, was kicked by my father indiscriminately. All I could do was roll to my side like a shrimp and pray that this time it would end quickly. After a while, my father left the house with a snort. As I laid on the floor, I had a thought. Mother¡­Is she not coming back? Even though I was young, I could tell that much intuitively. That my mother would never come back to this house again. But still, I turned on the game console with bruises all over my body. No, she said she¡¯d be back once I finish this game. So it was my fault. She¡¯s not coming back because I¡¯m not done with the game yet. I denied reality with that thought. It¡¯s been more than two days and my father hasn¡¯t returned. During that time, I skipped meals and didn¡¯t let go of the game console. While playing the game, different thoughts continued to collide in my head. I wanted my mother to be happy just like before, and I wanted my father to bring her back and then we can be together again. I didn¡¯t like that side of me, however, the more I had such thoughts, the more I fell into the game. And finally. [GAME CLEAR] ¡°Finished!¡± The moment when a spectacular celebration exploded on the screen and the ending credit went up. The front door opened at the same time. ¡°Y-you¡¯re back¡­¡± Standing in front of the door, my father stared at me and spoke. ¡°¡­You cook the rice from now on.¡± From that day on, I was on my own. * * * I had to fill my mother¡¯s vacancy after she was gone. From preparing breakfast every day, cleaning, laundry, and even walking the dog of my father¡¯s girlfriend. Fortunately, I was good at housework, so thanks to that I was able to live by mimicking my mother. However, in her vacancy, sometimes there was housework that felt too big for me alone¡­ ¡°Fuck! Do you think I¡¯m shit now too? Huh?¡± Pak¨C! It was dealing with my drunk father. My father began to hit me in place of my mother. And unlike my mother, I wasn¡¯t talented in this kind of thing. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that look on your face? Are you going to stab me in my sleep?¡± ¡°¡­But I¡¯ve never had such thoughts?¡± ¡°My my. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll play the role of your father today and teach you the truth of life.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Son, if you meet someone stronger than you in life¡­You have to bow your head in front of them. It¡¯s a very simple rule.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So what I mean is¡­Don¡¯t open your eyes like that to me, punk!¡± Pak¨C! Pak¨C! It wasn¡¯t until my father¡¯s anger was satisfied every night that my daily routine would end. Whenever it was over, I would turn on the game console that I had received from my mother as a gift. And in the stale basement, with the volume lowered, I fell into the game. It¡¯s already a game that I¡¯ve cleared over and over again, but there was no other game I had. So after I clear it, I would challenge it again from the beginning, and again, and this repeated countless times. By the time I was able to recall every NPC line in my head, suddenly, I had a thought that it wasn¡¯t fun to live. Each day became repetitive and a daily life where I couldn¡¯t feel any happiness. If life was supposed to be this boring, I wondered if there was a need to live for decades more. What the hell is life? What does it mean to live when it¡¯s so painful? I thought about it for days and days without playing my game. But I couldn¡¯t think of an answer. It was too difficult of a problem for a 12-year-old child to solve. How long did that last? Eventually, I was able to solve the problem. * * * ¡°I have an errand for you.¡± One day, my father called me. ¡°Go to Hairy¡¯s house.¡± At the time, there was a butcher called Hairy living in the slums. As can be seen from this intuitive nickname, he was a giant with a shaggy beard on his face. Hairy didn¡¯t want to get close to anyone in the neighborhood, as if drawing a line in his mind that he was different from everyone else. He refused any conversation beyond buying and selling goods. But for some reason, he was especially kind to me. If I bumped into him on the street, he would deliberately surprise me with a scary face, or sometimes he would secretly give me snacks he had gotten from somewhere. Perhaps my father knew this relationship between me and Hairy, so whenever there was something that involved him, he would usually use me to run his errands. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Yeah. I believe you¡¯ll do well.¡± And that day, too, I visited Hairy¡¯s house to run an errand for my father. But if there¡¯s one difference from usual¡­ Instead of a shopping basket in my hand, I held a loaded handgun. Bang¨C! I fired the handgun at the man who welcomed me. As the man collapsed on the floor, I hurriedly closed the store. Through my teary eyes I could see blood sprouting out of the hole in his chest. Like his tough appearance, he was still alive after taking a bullet. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± He looked up at me with a shocked expression. Still, I pointed the gun at him and spoke. ¡°My father ordered it.¡± ¡°Keuk¡­Bloody hell, that fucking bastard¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯ll let me meet my mother if I kill you.¡± ¡°N-Noah¡­Y-you¡¯re being fooled by him. He said you¡¯ll be able to meet her, but your mother died a long time ago! Q-quickly put down the gun¡­¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± He kept lying, so I shot him a few more times. In the cellar, the man¡¯s arms and legs flopped like a cockroach before going limp. Soon, his ragged breathing stopped. Only the smell unique to a butcher and the strong smell of gunpowder permeated inside the quiet room. In fact, my father had told me to do it, but it didn¡¯t feel very good. It felt as if my whole body was stuck in a quagmire of filth. What should I do now? I didn¡¯t know what to do after I had shot him. So I looked at the man lying on the floor for a while. For some reason, I felt like he would wake up any moment now and surprise me. Unknowingly, I called out to him. ¡°Mister?¡± Naturally, there was no answer. ¡°Are you really dead?¡± Strangely, my voice trembled. Without realizing it, my strength faltered and the handgun fell. I slowly approached the man and shook his body. Again, there was no answer. Instead, sticky blood clung to my hands. ¡°H-huh?¡± When I looked around, the floor was covered in red as if a large bottle of wine had spilled. There was a strong fishy smell of metal, the very same smell that came from my body. Only then did I realize. That I had killed this man. The fact that the man lying here can¡¯t hand me snacks ever again. ¡°I-I had to do this¡­¡± I just wanted to see my mother one more time. So I killed him. But I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be this sorry for him. ¡°I-if I take him to the hospital now¡­¡± I hurriedly blocked the hole in the man¡¯s chest with my hands. But I soon realized that it was useless. This is because there was no more blood leaking out of his body. ¡°Ah¡­¡± There was nothing I could do. I wanted to apologize, but he couldn¡¯t hear me anymore. I just sat there blankly, feeling his blood turning cold. Then suddenly, the handgun that had fallen to the floor caught my eye. And¡­A thought passed my mind. This is my chance¡­ Since it was a life where I only suffered day to day anyways, is there a need to continue living? And now I have a way to die comfortably. I slowly reached for the handgun. The cold gun touched my forehead and the finger caught in the trigger slowly exerts force. At that moment¨C I heard a clear sound from the depth of my soul. Ding¨C! In my field of vision, which was blurred with tears, very familiar letters began to come to mind. [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] T-this is¡­? The same message like the one in the game my mother had given me. I touched the letters with my hands as if I was possessed by something. Then, another screen popped up in front of me. Body: 0.59 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 Spirit: 1.12 *1 Fragment of Growth I could feel it instinctively. This is the answer to the problem that has troubled me for so long. ¡°Ah¡­¡± My body shook and I had a realization. I see¡­life was a game! The world I live in was just a game. Suddenly, I felt like I could hear the cute sound of music in my head. Colorful and pretty effects were added over the desolate scenery of the room. When I turned my head, the man¡¯s body that was lying on the floor looked as if it had turned into a monster. However, even though I felt sorry for him, there was no sense of guilt. Rather, I felt refreshed because the problem I had been agonizing over for a long time was solved. My mother had told me that this is how games are supposed to be played. In games, you can kill anyone. I recalled the smile of my mother that I had seen a long time ago. [Life is meant to be enjoyed.] At that time, I didn¡¯t understand the meaning properly, but now I somehow felt like I understood it. ¡°I see. If life is a game¡­¡± I looted the wallet from the man¡¯s pocket. Next, I secured the handgun that I had been holding into my arms. ¡°¡­I should enjoy life to my heart¡¯s content.¡± It was the moment when I realized the meaning of life. * * * I ran away from the slums. For the first few days I couldn¡¯t sleep properly because I didn¡¯t know if my father would come after me. But that was only for a few days. I soon faced a wider world as I began to enjoy new stimuli. At most, it was just the beginning of the game, so it would be too bad if it ends without me being able to play it properly. So I always valued the precious time I was given. I didn¡¯t hesitate to challenge myself if there was something I wanted to do. Rather than falling into negative thoughts, I would think about how to have more fun. I enjoyed every moment like a game. At some point, people started calling me by a different name. ¡°A-a villain is here!¡± Why? What¡¯s the matter? I just wanted to enjoy the game. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t understand it with my common sense. But I tried to empathize with them. I also hated this game terribly when I was young. Usually, any game isn¡¯t fun at first. Recalling my immature days of the past, I passed on the know-how to the newbies one by one. ¡°How is it? Isn¡¯t it more fun now?¡± I thought hopefully this was enough for them to be able to enjoy the game. But¡­ [A villain has been spotted downtown. Citizens, please quickly move to a nearby shelter¡­] ¡°You¡¯re finally showing your true colors, villain!¡± ¡°Be careful! He has multiple abilities. Don¡¯t think about rashly running in!¡± ¡°Damn! The information was wrong. How can they say this crazy bastard is just C-class?!¡± On the contrary, the Hero Association placed a greater bounty on me. Hm¡­ As expected, the world¡¯s view of gamers was negative. Even if I try to do something good, I¡¯m being cursed at. But because of this, new heroes began to come and bother me every week, and I had no choice but to defeat them one by one with the feeling of playing a tower defense game. Ding¨C! [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . I became stronger and stronger. The more I killed, the higher my level rose, and then little by little higher-class heroes came to me. That¡¯s how I continued to enjoy this game. Then one day, the heroes no longer came to me. Instead, they gave me a new nickname. The only EX-class villain in the world. A living disaster. The Mad Demon. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. This novel switches POV (point of view) between 1st person (main character) and 3rd person often. Please pay attention to the * * *. 2. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 2 Chapter 2 It¡¯s been about three years since I was given the nickname ¡®Mad Demon.¡¯ The Hero Association had officially declared withdrawal from all operations related to me. [Currently, ¡®Mad Demon¡¯ has reached a level that humanity can no longer control. Therefore, as of now, we plan to stop all preemptive measures toward the Mad Demon and instead focus only on recovering the damages suffered by our citizens¡­] Of course, citizens strongly opposed the association¡¯s decision. In what world do heroes turn a blind eye to a villain? But I could understand the association¡¯s choice. It was no wonder since the number of heroes who have disappeared while trying to subdue me so far has exceeded 1,000¡­ Well, looking at it from their point of view, they did as much as they could. And in this regard, the association added one last guideline. [If you happen to encounter the Mad Demon, we ask that you avoid all engagement and leave the battlefield immediately with the aim of survival.] Was this a sign of an apology for having troubled me all this time? They had also asked independent heroes who weren¡¯t part of the association to not bother me. Thanks to this admirable consideration, I was able to enjoy every day in a pleasant environment for the first time in a long time. I didn¡¯t have to wear sunglasses when walking down the street anymore. Even when shopping at a grocery store or watching a movie in a theater, no one came to pick a fight with me. ¡°Kyaa! V-villain! Run!¡± ¡°H-hero! Where are the heroes?¡± ¡°Oraa! How dare you cause trouble! Justice shall¡­Keuk!¡± Oh, of course, sometimes there were heroes who didn¡¯t receive the instructions, but that much could be said to be a small stimulus in my everyday life. It¡¯s been a long time since I could relax. No, maybe it was the first peace I had felt in my life. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ironically, I fell into a panic. Like a salaryman who was suddenly notified of his dismissal, when I would open my eyes in the morning, I didn¡¯t know how I would spend the day. What did I want to do? What kind of person did I want to be? Strangely, nothing came to mind. Looking back on my life, all I¡¯ve ever done was kill people and the heroes who came after me. Come to think of it, I can¡¯t seem to remember taking the initiative in doing something. Wasn¡¯t I like one of those hardcore gamers who¡¯s only crazy about leveling up? So after much consideration, I decided to enjoy a little more diverse content that ordinary people enjoyed. ¡°Ah, is the taste to your liking?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s delicious. But¡­Why is the plate so big and the food so small? By any chance were you trying to save cost?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not it¡­W-wait a minute. If you wait, I¡¯ll¡­Save me!¡± I visited famous restaurants and enjoyed the most exciting gourmet food. ¡°R-run away! The Eiffel Tower is falling!¡± ¡°Ah¡­! The symbol of Paris¡­¡± Sometimes I would go sightseeing at a travel destination I had always wanted to visit. For a while, I traveled around the globe and enjoyed the world. But, that also only lasted for a while. I soon got tired of it all. As expected, there¡¯s not enough content. As if it was mandatory, I simply tried to enjoy this game, but in fact, I didn¡¯t think it was fun at all. I would terrorize government offices and buildings on a few occasions. But what the hell do these actions amount to? It was like physical labor without any fun. For a time when such things repeated, I even had the thought that the time when the heroes came after me was more enjoyable. So I went to see the famous heroes in person. ¡°M-mad Demon!¡± ¡°Run away at full speed!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a hero! I¡¯m not a hero! I¡¯m not a hero¡­¡± They disappeared without looking back at me. And¡­The more that happened, the smell of blood gradually faded from my body. And then, one day. ¡°Are you the human they call Mad Demon?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± An unidentified portal opened in front of me and a very suspicious looking guy appeared. A thick robe that covers the whole body, an ominous mana field that swells from behind, and a strange whirlpool that rotates where the face should be. It was a mysterious figure that was hard to describe in words. ¡°Ho~ As the rumors say, it¡¯s a good level for a human being. To be able to stand intact even after facing this king.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He praised me with a bizarre voice that was difficult to distinguish between genders. So I also observed him. Even on second glance he was still unsightly. The character design looks like something that came from a Chinese game. On top of that, looking at the whirlpool spinning around his face, for some reason I thought of a loading screen and my mood soured. ¡°Human, this king has something to say to you¡­¡± Swish¨C ¡°Keuk!¡± So without a second thought, I split his body in half. Blood poured over the asphalt and the bisected body fell to both sides. It was a clean cut. I nodded with satisfaction. It¡¯s been a while since I felt such a great sensation coming from my hands. As soon as I was about to go home in a refreshing mood, I heard his voice from behind my back. ¡°Keuk¡­T-that felt like getting bit by a bug.¡± What happened? When I quickly came to my senses, I had a thought. The guy I had just split in half, isn¡¯t he still standing in front of me? He also treats me like a bug. It was my first time experiencing this. What kind of skill is it? Because I¡¯ve seen him split in half, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the kind that nullifies attacks. However, it cannot be a recovery or resurrection skill because my attacks have an irreversible modifier. ¡°¡­What? You¡¯re still alive?¡± ¡°Human. Don¡¯t be so afraid. This king isn¡¯t your enemy.¡± Swish¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± I don¡¯t know what it is, but I killed him again because it was fascinating. This time, to make it a little more certain, I cut him into several pieces. Head, heart, spine, eyes¡­ In games, there were monsters who would only die when a specific part was destroyed, so I removed everything that seemed even a little probable. But¡­ ¡°Heuk, heuk¡­H-human, it¡¯s itchy.¡± He appeared in front of me again. This time, I was paying close attention just in case, but as expected, I couldn¡¯t figure out how he had recovered. ¡°Hmm¡­Weird.¡± ¡°Human. Stop attacking! This king just wants to talk to you.¡± ¡°Does my attacks not work on you?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right. You¡¯re a smart person! You managed to figure it out. So let¡¯s stop this useless struggle.¡± Is what he said true? I suddenly became curious. The spirit of experimentation was one of the important virtues of gamers. So I decided to test if what he said was true. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s have a real conversation¡­¡± Swish¨C! ¡°Keuk!!¡± I cut the body of the man in half as he was tidying his clothes. Then, I cut him into countless pieces in the next second as my senses peaked. The moment I concentrated with all my senses, I realized that his body was back to normal again. Swish¨C! I immediately fired a series of attacks. ¡°H-Hold on! Don¡¯t misunderstand¡­¡± Swish¨C! Kill him when he recovers. ¡°How dare you! You¡¯re a human being! Do you know who this king is¡­¡± Swish¨C! I killed him again when he recovered. How long has it been? Unlike in the beginning, he stood in front of me in a somewhat polite manner. ¡°S-stop! I don¡¯t know what it is, but it¡¯s all my fault! So, please stop¡­¡± My attacks seem to be of no use. A camouflage technique that can even hide from my skills, and a mysterious ability to recover no matter how many times I kill him. Suddenly, I became interested in him. So I picked up my sword and asked. ¡°Why did you come to me?¡± ¡°A-are you finally willing to listen to what this king has to say?¡± Somehow, I felt like there was indignant in his voice, but it was probably an illusion. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be hurt after being attacked by what he found to be just an itch, right? I looked at the restless man for a moment and nodded slowly. ¡°Hmm¡­I think it¡¯ll be okay if it¡¯s just for a moment.¡± ¡°T-thank you! Thank you very much!¡± He called himself ¡®Purson,¡¯ the 5th devil who ruled a part of the devildom. Various dimensions have been confirmed in this day and age and it was commonplace to see otherworld existences on Earth. ¡®Beast¡¯ species with hair all over their body like an animal, or the ¡®Dwarf¡¯ species like the ones from fairy tales. Coincidentally, my mother was of mixed blood, so there was nothing strange about the sudden appearance of a devil. More important than that was his purpose for approaching me. ¡°This king wishes for your cooperation.¡± ¡°Exactly what do you want from me?¡± ¡°Help this king conquer Earth.¡± Conquer Earth. The ambition that countless villains have dreamt of came out of his mouth. Originally, I wasn¡¯t interested in such childish power-play, but suddenly I thought it would be fun to conquer Earth. Even if it wasn¡¯t fun, I was suffering from a lack of content¡­So this is great. And, gaining new achievements was the fate all gamers strive towards. I quickly made up my mind. ¡°If you help this king, I¡¯ll give you the authority to colonize this place on behalf of this king after Earth is conquered. And if you want power, this king will bless you¡­¡± Purson listed a series of benefits I could get if I join the Demon Army. Having already made a decision, I interjected his speech. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that¨C¡± ¡°Also, if you want a girl¡­Hmm? What did you just say?¡± ¡°I said okay.¡± ¡°J-just like that? Ah, no. That¡¯s an excellent choice, human! You¡¯ll never regret what happened today! Hahaha!¡± As if he was relieved, Purson chuckled to himself while looking at the sky. Then, as if he had come to his senses, he coughed and adjusted himself. ¡°Hmm, t-this king was out of shape for a while. Forget what you just saw.¡± ¡°Yeah. I understand.¡± ¡°Hmm! Good. Humans these days have manners. Okay, let¡¯s move to the Demon Army¡­¡± Swish¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± Taking advantage of his carelessness, I cut Purson¡¯s body one last time. As expected, the sensation I felt from my hands was good. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± But it wasn¡¯t effective this time either. Purson¡¯s body quickly returned to its original state, and he asked in a trembling voice. ¡°W-why this time?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just to be sure.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s how I joined the Demon Army. * * * Purson¡¯s skill was greater than I had thought. He used the allure of blessing power to recruit superhumans one by one. When a person gets a taste of meat, they would be hard pressed to go back to eating grass. Superhumans born with stronger power than others in the first place couldn¡¯t easily resist the opportunity to become stronger. As a result, most of the villains on Earth joined the Demon Army, and even top-ranked heroes, who were well-known, began to betray humanity. It is said that the devil¡¯s specialty is seduction¡­Looking at this, it seems the saying was true. However, human resistance was also formidable. Just as hope is hidden in the word despair, righteous heroes who have yet to fall were willing to sacrifice their bodies to protect the peace of Earth. And those who were impressed by their dedication finally united beyond race and ideology. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of the Demon Army!¡± ¡°We won¡¯t lose!¡± ¡°Raise your sword for mankind!¡± With the thought that even if their life ends today, if they could pass on tomorrow to the next generation¡­ No one hesitated to give up their lives. The heroes who survived up till now that stood at the forefront, The one who don¡¯t have power but were willing to hold a gun, The one who didn¡¯t even have that but fought with stones in their hands. The mountain of corpses piled up every day, but step by step, mankind moved forward. And finally. Humanity¡¯s Allied Forces succeeded in reclaiming the ¡®Hero Association¡¯ headquarters, which stood as a symbol of Earth. ¡°Waaah! We can do it!¡± ¡°We can do it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s use this momentum to get rid of them!!¡± The morale of the Allied Forces was higher than ever, and on the contrary, the superhuman who had betrayed humanity became agitated within the Demon Army. And then, Purson spoke to me in a relaxed manner. ¡°Human. It¡¯s your turn to step up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I visited the key heroes that made up the coalition one by one and killed them, and as a result, the Allied Forces, which had resisted so much, collapsed completely in less than a month. Eventually, the Demon Army conquered Earth. It was a little empty ending that was different from what I had expected, but I thought it was pretty good content that had soothed my boredom. If I had to rate it, I¡¯d give it a 5 out of 10. Anyways¡­ As it turned out, there was more content after that. * * * ¡°Human. You¡¯ve done a great job so far.¡± The 5th devil Purson said. His swirling face still felt unpleasant every time I saw it. I opened my mouth looking at that kind of face. ¡°No. It was a contract in the first place, so it¡¯s obvious¡­Is this the reward for my hard work?¡± I stared at the red portal behind him. Through the portal, the main base of the devildom, which existed in Hell, was constantly coming over. In addition, the traitors of mankind, who have been flattering me, stood side by side next to them as they built a siege. How should I interpret this? Did I get betrayed? That seems to be the case, as I watched them snickering. I guess this kind of development was inevitable. ¡°Haa.¡± I sigh without realizing it. I¡¯ve betrayed people many times, but I can¡¯t believe there would come a day when I get betrayed like this. And this time, other devils and high-level demons, who were very determined to hide even in the war against mankind, were also coming over through the portal. Because of the magic power they gave off, even just standing here made my skin itch. Will I be able to win if I fight them? I quickly measure their strength in my head. The answer could be seen without having to think for a long time. This¡­is going to be hard. Perhaps if I bear with some sacrifices, I may be able to deal with about half of them. No matter how much I thought about it, it was too much. However, even if I choose to run away, it was only a temporary measure. Once Earth¡¯s takeover fully started, it was clear that the demons would regain their original power more and more. Then the odds will be even lower than it is now¡­ It was indeed a dilemma. I gave another quick sigh. Purson stared at me like that, then he took the initiative to shamelessly bow his head to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this. However, this was inevitable, even for this king.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the reason? I definitely made it clear that I wasn¡¯t interested in ruling the world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of that. Rather, this king had insisted that you be entrusted with the position of ruling Earth.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s up with this? There must be a reason.¡± Perhaps it was difficult for Purson to speak, he hesitated for a while and slowly opened his mouth. ¡°¡­That¡¯s because you¡¯re too evil and dangerous.¡± ¡°Me? That¡¯s incomprehensible.¡± Who the hell is he talking to? I never imagined that I would hear such a thing from the mouth of the devil who wanted to conquer Earth. However, Purson, perhaps not thinking so, suddenly screamed back. ¡°Y-you abominable bastard! Why are you pretending to be innocent? Have you already forgotten about the past?! How many allies do you think you have killed because you were bored?¡± At Purson¡¯s words, the demons and villains that surrounded me shook their heads with a sympathizing expression. I can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ve been working so hard. Should I be treated like this just for killing a few people? This is why I hate team games. The moment I let my guard down, I became a victim of politics. So I kindly reminded them of one important fact that they seem to be forgetting. ¡°Isn¡¯t my contribution worth more than that?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s true but¡­On top of that, didn¡¯t you play tricks on this king every night? Like saying how your hands felt good. H-how dare you say such rude things! This king isn¡¯t your toy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an itchy attack like a bug to Purson anyway. No way¡­Are you going to kill me for that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Purson shook his body and dropped his head, as if he had nothing to say. Soon, he spoke in a voice that had regained its calmness. ¡°In fact¡­there¡¯s another reason why you must die.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Even now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re still growing stronger. The limit to your power is unknown. Nevertheless, we still don¡¯t even know the identity of your ability.¡± ¡°So. Are you going to spare me if I tell you what my ability is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s too late. With the troops here, Satan had ordered me to remove you. So you¡¯ll surely die here today.¡± Purson said firmly. The faith in his voice was so firm that it sounded as if he was proclaiming the Earth to be round. And I realized. Everything I¡¯ve done in this game up to here will end. As expected¡­Is that the only way? It wasn¡¯t the ending I wanted, but it might be a good stage to finish this game. Only to kill me, so many troops had gathered. But¡­ That¡¯s also a different matter. I¡¯ve always tried to enjoy my life. Rather than complaining, I looked at the world positively, and thanks to that, I was able to laugh at most things without getting angry. But if there¡¯s one thing. If there¡¯s something I can¡¯t stand¨C That¡¯s, the ones who disturb me when I¡¯m enjoying my games. Like those guys standing in front of me right now. And until now, such humans who have no respect for games have never been kept alive. It¡¯s been a while since I felt this way. I controlled my boiling anger and told Purson. ¡°Then, I have one last favor to ask of you.¡± ¡°Anything except sparing you.¡± ¡°Purson. I want to know who you are. I¡¯ve never seen your face.¡± Purson, who heard me, seemed shocked for a moment, but soon nodded calmly as if he had understood something. ¡°Okay. If that¡¯s your last wish, I¡¯ll grant it.¡± He took off the hood of the robe he was wearing slowly. White hair flows down like snow through the peeled hood. And as he touched the vortex on his face, the constant swirl began to subside. ¡°You had that kind of face.¡± His face¡­No, her face looked much younger than I had thought. A girl with dark dark brown skin like coffee and purple eyes like my mother. If it weren¡¯t for the small horns on her forehead, I might have thought she was an ordinary girl. After arranging her pressed hair, she greeted me in an elegant manner. ¡°Let me introduce myself again. This king is the 5th demon to inherit the title of devil, the one called Purson.¡± I stared at her in detail to capture her image in my head. ¡°That face. I¡¯ll never forget it in my next life.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? Yes, you deserve to resent this king¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s all right for now. More than that, don¡¯t you want to know what my ability is?¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Purson widened her eyes and leaned forward. She had acted as if she didn¡¯t need to know it a while ago, but I guess she was curious about my ability. ¡°I call my ability Gamer.¡± ¡°Gamer?¡± I activated my ability. A translucent hologram window came into view. Status window. A unique ability that only I own and can see on Earth. It was filled with numerous achievements that I have gained so far. In itself, the status window was the history of my life. It¡¯s a shame I¡¯m going to die leaving all this behind. As I manipulated the menus in the status window, I spoke without concern. ¡°Gamer literally means people who play games. Oh, you may not know because you have only lived in Hell.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a game, then this king knows. Isn¡¯t it a toy that humans play with? But apart from that, I don¡¯t know what you mean even after hearing that.¡± Purson frowned as if it was difficult to understand. I kept rummaging through the status window while ignoring her. And soon after, I was able to find the skill I wanted. Classification: Special Grade: EX Effect: Turn off the game and start over. *1 Available use left. After gaining numerous achievements, I was barely able to obtain a bonus life. Originally, I was going to enjoy my life until I was 100 years old and use it before I die, but now I had no choice. Because I don¡¯t have to stall any longer, I looked at Purson and smiled. ¡°If you¡¯re really curious, it would be a good idea to experience it yourself.¡± ¡°W-wait, human! What are you trying to do?¡± Perhaps she felt something from me, Purson immediately launched an attack. But in the first place, she wasn¡¯t my opponent. The flames of hell she created with mana were blocked by the transparent barriers I had created and disappeared. ¡°E-everyone, attack him right now! We have to stop him!¡± She shouted urgently, and the demons on standby rushed at me. It¡¯s already too late. [Do you want to use the skill One Coin?] [By using the skill, one use will be deducted.] ¡°Use it.¡± [The game will now restart.] At that moment, the sky turned black. And¡­ As if a TV had turned off, the world began to erase quickly from the edge of my gaze. ¡°R-run away!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll disappear if we¡¯re touched by the darkness! Run at full speed!¡± ¡°S-save me! Kyaak!¡± The demons who came over from the portal, and even the villains who were blessed by the devils fell. Everyone became fine dust and disappeared. I spoke leisurely while looking at such a landscape. ¡°Wow, this is spectacular.¡± ¡°Y-you crazy bastard! Are you trying to die together?¡± Purson stood in place, trembling. It was my first time using this skill, so I had only vaguely guessed the effect. I didn¡¯t know there would be such a wonderful production. I felt relieved to see the people who had betrayed me screaming. With a smile from the bottom of my heart, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the day we meet again.¡± ¡°Death is fair to all beings, so what do you expect after death?!¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy! It was this king¡¯s mistake to involve a dangerous human like you in the first place!¡± ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m so sorry to hear that. From the bottom of my heart, I¡¯m truly grateful to have met you.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you set a new goal for me? I was bored because I ran out of content. Because of this, I think I know what I should do in the next game to have fun.¡± ¡°Human¡­As expected, you¡¯re crazy.¡± Purson disappeared after saying that. ¡°She¡¯s gone. I didn¡¯t even get to thank her.¡± Lastly, I wanted to cut her body again, but it was a pity. And in fact, what I said to her was sincere. It was a pity that this happened, but thanks to her, I realized one thing. Why have I never thought of becoming a hero? There are so many villains in the world. Rather than waiting for the heroes to come to me, I think there would be much more to enjoy if I went after the villains instead. If I was a hero¡­I can kill villains at will. It was legally true. Not only can I take revenge against those who stabbed me in the back, there¡¯s even the large-scale content called the demon invasion¡­ My heart began to throb for the first time in a while. Although this game didn¡¯t end in the form I had wanted, isn¡¯t it good if a more interesting sequel awaits? In the end, whether I¡¯m a hero or not, the game just needs to be fun. Am I looking forward to this? When I looked down, the darkness was also encroaching towards my body. Looking at the place where Purson had disappeared, I spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s meet again. You and I.¡± That¡¯s how everything disappeared. The world returned to complete nothingness, and everywhere was colored with darkness. It felt like my eyes were closed. In such a state, I carefully lifted my eyelids. Then, with the familiar scenery of a basement, I could see myself standing in front of a mirror. ¡°I¡¯m really back.¡± The second round has begun. And¡­ I thought perhaps the genre of the game this time is like a true RPG, one where the hero defeats the villains. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 3 Chapter 3 I slowly looked around after opening my eyes. A half-basement where no sun came in. Yellow-colored wallpaper and sticky floorboards. And even the sour smell of drugs that stimulated the tip of my nose. It was a memorable scene. Is this when I was still living in the slums? Rather than feeling happy, an unpleasant feeling washed over me as I looked at the basement. It seems that I have gone back 20 years to when I was about 12 years old, before I had run away from my father. I observed the reflection in the mirror to be sure. Skinny enough where my ribs showed, and about 130cm in height. The messy hair that grew randomly and the face that looks so beautiful one can mistake it for a girl. And¡­Even the purple eyes I inherited from my mother. Perhaps because I don¡¯t remember exactly what I looked like in the past, the sight reflected in the mirror felt quite unfamiliar. I was smaller and younger than how I recalled, and above all, my expression was too gloomy. It was an unpleasant look. Clicking my tongue, I checked my status window out of habit. Body: 0.59 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 Spirit: 1.12 *0 Fragment of Growth All my levels and skills were reset as if I had created a new character in an RPG game. It¡¯s to be expected¡­ From the moment I used ¡®One Coin,¡¯ I had already guessed to some extent that this would happen. However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected when I looked at the empty status window. Where do I even begin to get it all back again? I forced myself to swallow a sigh that was about to leak out and began to check the functions of the system one by one. Just like when I first awakened my ability, most of the system¡¯s functions were locked. It seems to be so¡­Is it the same this time? As soon as I was about to close the status window, an unfamiliar word caught my eye. [Inherit] It was a function I¡¯ve never seen before. In addition, for some reason, this function wasn¡¯t in a deactivated gray color but a selectable white color. Maybe¡­? One hypothesis crossed my mind. If the meaning of the word ¡®inherit¡¯ is the same as what I know, in general, there was only one such case found in games. Ignoring my pounding chest, I selected the menu. Then, unlike the usual blue window, a strange red window came to mind. [On 2nd playthrough, you can inherit one of your skills from the 1st playthrough.] [One of the following skills can be inherited.] (1) Classification: General Grade: B (2) Classification: Mortal Grade: C (3) Classification: Magic Grade: B (4) Classification: Ability Grade: D The skills that I can choose unfolded before my eyes. General, Mortal, Magic, and even an Ability. Except for special skills, all kinds of skills were displayed one by one. Their grades weren¡¯t very high, but they were some of the best skills I had until the very end. ¡°So it¡¯s like this as well.¡± Sometimes there were games like this. The types of games developed under the assumption of having infinite rounds right from the beginning. And most of those games were designed to allow gamers to retain some of the abilities gained from the previous rounds. As my ability ¡®gamer¡¯ reflected most games, perhaps this part also seemed to have a similar function. This¡­Isn¡¯t it going to be easier than I thought? No matter how much experience and knowledge I have, I was only a child with humble stats. However, it¡¯s a different story if I can get a decent skill from the start. I can¡¯t help but think how to use this opportunity to its fullest. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t as good as the destructive skills I had used in the past, but the skills here were still good enough to be used. Revenge will come a little quicker, I thought. Looking over the list of skills, I agonized over which one to inherit. When I was deep in thought, I heard a familiar voice in my ears. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°Choi Noah! Come out right now!¡± It¡¯s my father¡¯s voice. Like a dog that has been trained for a long time, my body reacted reflexively before anything else. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡± As soon as I opened the door and was about to run out, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror next to me. In the mirror, the boy was smiling brightly as if he had met the person he was glad to see. * * * Guangcheng District. In other words, ¡®the city of light.¡¯ This street, which makes you think it would be a very sacred and beautiful place just by its name, was actually one of the world¡¯s most notorious lawless areas. The origin of the name was also because the lights from the slums that were built along the mountain looked like a large fortress when viewed from the city at night. This place was filled with all kinds of villains who were hiding from the eyes of the heroes, in addition illegal migrants who came from the different worlds. As such, my father who lived here was no ordinary person either. He was working for the Turbak Brotherhood, a notorious drug cartel. And although his grade was low, he was a villain with the power of acceleration. For this reason, even in Guangcheng where power is everything, my father has been able to survive for quite a long time. The same father looked at me and spoke. ¡°Noah.¡± Whenever my father asked me to do something unreasonable, he would call me by anything but my last name. He used to actively utilize my identity as a child. For example, delivering drugs to avoid check-ups or leaking false information to the police who were looking for him. ¡°There¡¯s something I want you to do.¡± As expected, my father wants me to run an errand. Now, such things seemed too insignificant, but I still wanted to hear what he wanted me to do. ¡°What should I do?¡± Recalling the memories of the past, I tried to make a scared expression. What was the expression of being scared? It¡¯s been a while since I did it, so my facial muscles moved awkwardly. However, my father only said what he had to say as if he wasn¡¯t interested in such acting. ¡°Take this first.¡± My father stuck out a brown paper bag. I thought it was a drug delivery, but it was heavier than I had thought when I received it. I could feel the hard touch of metal over the thin bag. ¡°Go to Hairy¡¯s house.¡± As soon as I heard that, I immediately realized. Today was the day. In that case, does it mean that he¡¯s still alive? In fact, old man Hairy was a police officer who was investigating the Turbak Brotherhood and had infiltrated their organization. Naturally the organization had gotten wind of it and was going to eliminate him. As a result, I, who couldn¡¯t be subject to legal punishment, was mobilized to kill the old man. Thinking about it now, I may have to thank my father. Because of this, I was able to realize the truth that life was a game. Hiding my innermost thoughts, I asked casually. ¡°What should I do there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a handgun in the bag. It¡¯s a gun with a weak recoil, so you can handle it easily. So go now and kill Hairy with that gun.¡± Instead of answering, I took the handgun out of the bag and looked at it. The sleek automatic handgun caught my eyes. The tool I had used for my first murder. It was as if I was looking at a basic item provided to beginners. I even felt happy to see it. When I was looking at the handgun without saying a word, perhaps because my father misunderstood me, he added in a tone that seemed as if to reassure me. ¡°If you kill Hairy, I¡¯ll let you meet Helena.¡± ¡°¡­Mom?¡± Ah, that¡¯s right. He also said this back then. ¡°Yeah. The reason why Helena suddenly disappeared was because of Hairy¡¯s harassment. Don¡¯t you know his temper? So if you take care of this well, your mom will be able to come back without worry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In fact, I could roughly guess where my mother was. Probably rotting somewhere in an unknown hill by now. I only found out later, but the day my mother disappeared, I heard that my father and the organization had easily found her. In a way, it might have been obvious because she was playing games with me in a relaxed manner instead of running away. And the result was that she had died after cruel torture. Unfortunately, however, when I came back here after learning about it, my father and all other cartel members had already been wiped out. Whether it was at the hands of a hero, or in a struggle with another organization, I wasn¡¯t too clear on the matter. I¡¯ve always felt uneasy because of this¡­I can¡¯t believe I got this opportunity. I felt like I was going to lose control and laugh. Giving strength to my lips that crept up, I replied to my father. ¡°Okay. You can count on me.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m so proud of you! Your mother will be proud to see you like this. By the way¡­Do you know how to use a gun?¡± My father looked at me with uncertainty, afraid that things might go wrong. So I reassured him with a confident smile. ¡°Of course. Do you want me to show you?¡± I grasped the handgun with both holds. As expected from the body of a child, this small gun felt quite heavy. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re pretty good! When did you learn how to hold a gun?¡± My father was quite pleased, perhaps because he felt my posture was passable. Just like that, I turned the gun towards my father. ¡°W-wait a minute! You can¡¯t carelessly point a gun at people like that!¡± ¡°Really? Hmm¡­But can I try shooting it once to practice?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It might not hurt if you get hit lightly.¡± ¡°Y-you crazy punk!¡± Bang¨C! It simply happened in an instant. My father accelerated his body to try and dodge the bullet. ¡°Keuk!¡± But no matter how fast a person is, can it be faster than a bullet? My father fell to the floor bleeding. ¡°¡­Y-you punk! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± My father tried to force himself to stand up while holding the area where he had been shot. Seeing the tendons sticking out of his forehead, it seemed to be very difficult. Bang¨C! ¡°Kueaak!¡± I shot him once more¨Cthis time in the leg¨Cso he could comfortably lay down. He rolled around on the floor with an unsightly look. Looking at my father in such a state, I was reminded of the old days. In the past, it had been me in his position. I approached my father who was wailing like he was about to cry. And, with a different attitude than before, he begged me. ¡°Heuk! Noah! Why are you doing this¡­? How can a son shoot his father?¡± His eyes shook pitifully. It was a familiar expression that people always made while looking at me. As expected, a single bullet works better than a hundred words. Fast, economical. How great is it? ¡°Come to think of it, I remember what father used to say whenever you hit me.¡± Click¨C I checked the bullet chamber. Well, there are still enough bullets. ¡°I think¡­what father said at that time¡­The law of the world is you do what the strong tell you to do.¡± ¡°N-Noah¡­?¡± His face was colored with fear. What little hope he had left gradually turned into despair. I¡¯ve always liked to watch the dramatic changes on people¡¯s faces. As expected, the production of the game called life is too detailed. ¡°Hmm¡­No matter how I look at it, I think I¡¯m stronger than father.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, why did you abuse me when you were weaker than me?¡± ¡°H-hold on, Noah! I¡¯ll explain everything¡­¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! It sounded like he wanted to say something, but I was too lazy to listen, so I just put one more bullet into his head and chest. I tend to skip event scenes that are clingy even when I play games. My father breathed his last breath. ¡°Ha, refreshing.¡± It felt like I had solved a quest that I had accidentally passed when I was a beginner. I¡¯ve always been serious about games, so if I missed something like this, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well because it would feel uncomfortable. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Thinking about the hardships I had faced in the past, I suddenly felt disgusted. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! So, I put a few more bullets into the body until it became like a punctured teabag. Then, a message that I have been waiting for came to my eyes. [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] ¡°Oh, a considerable amount of experience came.¡± Perhaps because he is a villain with superpowers, or because he is a person with some notoriety. My level went up by as much as 2. As expected, the early quests are generous. As soon as I thought that, one more window popped up in front of me. [Gained achievement title ¡®Immoral.¡¯] [Next selectable skill will vary depending on your achievements.] ¡°Hmm?¡± This was an unexpected harvest. In fact, in the first round, I killed like I was eating, but I had never killed a person who had blood relations to me. So I didn¡¯t even know about this achievement¡­ [Immoral] Trait: Bad Karma Description: To kill even the one who gave birth to you¡­What an irredeemable villain you are! I had a good feeling about this round. ¡°Huu¡­I¡¯ve solved my overdue homework, so shall I make plans for the future?¡± Every game has its own goal. In the case of ¡®War of Stars,¡¯ the goal was to knock down the other race, and in the case of ¡®Raising a Princess,¡¯ the goal was to raise your daughter into a princess. So, what is my goal in this game? Revenge? Well, no. Rather, the word ¡®punish¡¯ may be better suited. Because I don¡¯t really have a huge grudge against those bastards. I just wanted to kill the bastards who had interrupted my game. However, there was still a long time left before the demon invasion. What should I do until then? Honestly, for now, there was no specific plan except to grow stronger. First of all, it¡¯d be better to get a hero license, right? In the past, I thought it would be nice not only to have a license, but also to have a high reputation as a hero. Recalling the first round, it was much more difficult to deal with a revered hero than those who were simply strong. This is because such heroes are the driving force behind gathering people in times of crisis. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll first find a way to become a hero, and if possible, I can come up with a strategy to build up my reputation as well.¡± And ultimately, in order to punish the devils, I needed colleagues on my side. Honestly, I didn¡¯t dare to deal with so many troops alone. Therefore, it was necessary to raise potential heroes and improve humanity¡¯s power. I¡¯m going to be busy in the future. After organizing my thoughts up to here, I suddenly became hungry. Looking at my current physical condition, I seemed to have been starved for several days because I had done something wrong. When I opened the refrigerator, there was a cold sandwich and coke left by someone. After putting the sandwich in the microwave, I activated my status window. The list of inheritance skills, which I didn¡¯t have the chance to pick a while ago due to my father¡¯s disruption, was displayed as it was. [On 2nd playthrough, you can inherit one of your skills from the 1st playthrough.] [One of the following skills can be inherited.] (1) Classification: General Grade: B (2) Classification: Mortal Grade: C (3) Classification: Magic Grade: B (4) Classification: Ability Grade: D ¡°Well, I should finish this matter.¡± In fact, they were all abilities that were too good to throw away. In my skill window that was plastered with S-class skills, these skills had also occupied a spot. But¡­If I have to choose only one of these, the answer is already set. After a moment of contemplation, I inherited a skill. [You¡¯ve learned the skill Phase Change.] Along with the feeling of something flowing into my body, the information and senses that make up the skill became engraved in me. Above the list that was completely empty, a skill appeared. ¡°Good.¡± Looking at the window, it somehow felt like I was reliving the spirit of a beginner. If I was given the same chance in the past to pick a skill, I might have chosen another skill with a higher grade. But now I know better. That the competence of the person is more important than the absolute grade of a skill. ¡°This skill is only D-grade, but¡­¡± For me in the second round, more than anything, it¡¯ll be a powerful weapon. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 4 Chapter 4 I checked the information of my newly inherited skill. Classification: Ability Grade: D Description: Changes the body¡¯s state of matter. *Elementary: Liquid As expected, the inherited skill had also reset. Just like when I first acquired the skill, I could only change my body into liquid. I activated the skill to test. *Liquid With a stimulating sensation, my whole body began to shake. My face was slowly flowing down like a Salvador Dali¡¯s painting when I looked at myself in the mirror. Hmm¡­I think it can be considered a success based on my appearance. It was too long ago that I used Phase Change when I was still a beginner, so it was necessary to get an accurate understanding of its limitations. Looking around, I saw an old kitchen knife. I picked up the knife and slit my wrist. Shish¨C The knife passed through my body without any resistance as if it was cutting tofu. Also, the area where the knife passed was intact without a drop of blood. Success. Fortunately, even at the elementary level, this level of skill seems practical. In fact, the reason why I chose this skill was because of its advantage of ignoring most of these kinds of physical attacks. When it comes to most games, the priority should always be to protect oneself first. It was a waste to throw away the other skills, but what I needed right now was the right means to protect this fragile body. And if it¡¯s Phase Change, it¡¯ll be a good stepping stone to carry me to the end. But for the time being, I didn¡¯t think I could use this skill as much as I used to. Perhaps because of my low mental strength, I had only used it for a while before my head already felt dizzy and tired. I guess my current limit is about 10 minutes. Has this ever happened? It¡¯s been a very long time since I felt this sensation, so the current situation itself felt fresh. It¡¯s fun like this, but¡­I shouldn¡¯t leave it as it is. After quickly releasing the skill, I opened my status window to distribute my stats. Body: 0.59 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 Spirit: 1.12 *2 Fragments of Growth Looking at my poor stats, I felt like I was going to sigh again. It¡¯s amazing that I have survived so far with these insignificant stats. Well, I don¡¯t have a choice now. In the end, whatever the skill is, it can only be used if my stamina can support it. I invested all the Fragments of Growth I had into Body. Body: 0.59 -> 1.21 (+0.62) Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 Spirit: 1.12 *0 Fragment of Growth Oh? Maybe I was lucky, but the stat rose more than I had expected. At best, I expected it to rise by 0.4 ¨C 0.5. This was almost equivalent to 3 fragments. I took off my clothes and looked at my reflection in the mirror. The body, which used to be so skinny where even the ribs showed, has suddenly changed to a slim body with quite fine muscles. In addition, my eye level has strangely increased, perhaps because I grew a few centimeters taller. I¡¯m still skinny, but¡­if it¡¯s this much, I¡¯m certain that I¡¯m as strong as a normal adult. After finishing everything, I took a big bite of the sandwich I had just warmed up. ¡°What!? What¡¯s this? What¡¯s wrong with the taste?¡± The sandwich tasted like garbage. No. When I was running away as a villain, the food I picked up from the trash was better than this. When I opened the bread, there was thin tofu instead of ham or beef. Did he buy a vegetarian sandwich by mistake? I guess it was bound to taste bad. ¡°Why did my father put this in the refrigerator?¡± Looks like I need to go out and buy my own food. The moment I tossed the sandwich at my father¡¯s corpse and was about to rummage through his pocket¨C Beep beep¨C Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door code being pressed at the entrance. And without time for me to hide my father¡¯s body, the door opened and a high-pitch sound of high heels echoed through the house. Clack¨C Clack¨C Strapless blouse that reveals the shoulders and slim legs that go well with the miniskirt. And¡­ Sharp teeth, and fur covering the whole body. A wolf dressed in provocative clothes was walking into the corridor, wagging its tail. Feoria. The only child of the Turbak Brotherhood¡¯s boss, and the beastman girlfriend that my father was dating. ¡°Mister~ I¡¯m here!¡± I made eye contact with Feoria, but she looked for my father first as if she didn¡¯t care about me. But the answer she was hoping for will never come. On any other day, my father would have come out first, but today there was only cold silence. ¡°¡­Mister?¡± Did she detect something was amiss? Feoria looked around the house with a puzzled look. In a little bit. A sharp scream burst out of her mouth. ¡°Ahh! M-mister!¡± Feoria threw away her purse and ran in front of my father¡¯s corpse. ¡°Ah, no! Mister! Don¡¯t die!¡± She became frantic as she tried to stop the bleeding and did CPR. For a while she was at a loss for words and could only wail. I wonder how long that lasted. She slowly stood up and asked in a cold voice. ¡°¡­Who did this?¡± The breath she exhaled chilled my skin. Is this what it feels like to stand in front of a beast? In front of her anger, I started acting with all my heart. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I was in the basement when I heard gunshots¡­heuk!¡± Then, I covered my face with both hands. I couldn¡¯t help it because I thought I would smile from the cheesy acting. My acting was fairly good, right? I wanted her to give me a high score for my acting, but I don¡¯t think she would. ¡°¡­Lie.¡± She approached me with a growl. Stepping backward, I replied. ¡°N-no I didn¡¯t! Why would I lie? Trust me. I-I¡¯m also sad that my father died. How can you¡­¡± ¡°Smell.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your small body smells like gunpowder.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Feoria looked convinced of everything. I noticed that the hidden claws on her feet were pushed out little by little. She seemed to have already made up her mind to kill me, whether I was the culprit or not. ¡°Ah, um¡­That¡¯s¡­¡± I was certain of that, and I didn¡¯t really have anything to say either. ¡°Haha, you caught me.¡± I smiled awkwardly at her. Anyway, wolves are also dogs. There¡¯s no use trying to deceive their nose. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll chew you up and eat your bones!¡± She rushed at me with her lightning fast movements. * * * Since young, Feoria has always felt that she was different. ¡°Dad, why do I have so much hair?¡± She hated the fur on her body. ¡°Dad! I told you I don¡¯t like meat on the table!¡± Unlike beastmen who traditionally preferred meat, she was a vegetarian who enjoyed eating salads. Because of that, she has always agonized over her identity. ¡®Why was I born like this¡­?¡¯ How nice would it have been to be born as a smooth-skinned human like the ones on TV, she thought. Then she won¡¯t be teased for being a beast while walking down the street, and she won¡¯t be kicked out of restaurants for being hairy. ¡°Oh, my~ My cute Feoria. Were you worried about such a thing? But it¡¯s natural for beastmen to eat meat.¡± However, no one understood her feelings. All the people around her were either loyal to her father or a beastman like herself. Everyone just told her that her thinking was wrong. But then, one day. A man came under her father¡¯s wing. And he said the following. ¡°Vegetarian? Well, as long as you like it. I also like tofu. I¡¯ve been eating it a lot ever since I was released from prison.¡± For the first time, someone had recognized that she was ¡®different.¡¯ From then on, she was unable to keep the thought of the man out of her head. Strangely enough, whenever she thought of him, the tip of her ear would flare up and her tail would unconsciously flap. As she went through puberty, such feelings became deeper and deeper. She spent each day imagining their relationship. But¡­ ¡°M-mister¡­Who is that woman?¡± ¡°Oh, this woman here? She¡¯s Helena. Someone who I¡¯ve been living with for a while. Hey! Hurry up and say hello to the girl!¡± ¡°¡­Hello.¡± He had chosen a woman other than herself. With soft, hairless skin, and a more beautiful appearance than any woman she had ever seen. She wanted to immediately tear that pretty face with her claws. But she couldn¡¯t do that. ¡®Mister would hate me¡­¡¯ So she endured and waited. She carried on her days like usual while blaming herself. Then¡­After a long wait, an opportunity finally came to her. The day when Choi went out on a faraway business trip for a transaction between organizations. She approached Helena and whispered sweetly into her small, pretty ear. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to live freely?¡± Helena hesitated. However, she accepted the offer shortly after when Feoria revealed that she was the boss¡¯ daughter. She helped Helena as promised by giving her the password to the safe and the location of the hidden drugs. She even made a fake ID card for her to enter the city. Helena thanked her several times before running away from the slums. Glancing at her back, she called Choi. ¡°Uh, mister? I think you should come back right away. Ah, it¡¯s nothing special. The woman that was with you has stolen the organization¡¯s money and ran away.¡± Helena¡¯s escape route was already well known, so it wasn¡¯t that difficult to catch her. She died like that, and Feoria was able to bond with Choi. Anyway¡­ There was one more thing that she didn¡¯t like. ¡®That kid¡­¡¯ The gloomy boy who always looked at her with a corpse-like gaze. She could feel the traces of Helena every time she saw his purple eyes. She had to erase the last remnant of her. ¡®I¡¯ll have to deal with him someday.¡¯ She waited for another opportunity. She was already an experienced hunter, and a hunter was used to waiting. How many years has it been? She finally found a good justification to deal with the kid. ¡°Mister, you know the mole that we discovered recently, right? I¡¯m talking about the Hairy guy.¡± ¡°Yes. Even if you didn¡¯t tell me, I would have taken care of that punk¡­The problem is that since he¡¯s a police officer, one wrong move and I¡¯ll land in jail to rot for several years.¡± ¡°I mean, I have a good idea. Do you want to hear it?¡± She decided to coax Choi and use the child as a knife. It would be great if everything went well and the police officer was removed, but it was even better if things didn¡¯t go well and the child was beaten and killed by Hairy. ¡®Wasn¡¯t today the day of the plan?¡¯ It¡¯s been a really long wait. But the wait ends today. Then she can enjoy living with Choi, who she has wanted so much. ¡®There should be results by now, right?¡¯ She opened the front door in anticipation of the outcome. But¡­ ¡°Haha, I got caught.¡± Her beloved mister had become a cold corpse, and the abominable little boy was smiling in front of her. She looked down at Choi¡¯s body. There were so many holes here and there that it was hard to guess how many times he was shot. This wasn¡¯t done in retaliation between organizations. ¡®¡­How painful it must have been.¡¯ Choi¡¯s inaudible scream lingered in her ears. What her father had told her came to mind again. [Humans call beastmen beasts, but this world was full of people who were worse than beasts.] And in front of her now, there was a human waste that would even kill his father who had given birth to him. Today, for the first time in her life, she thanked God for having been born a beast. She was given claws to tear up trash like this. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll chew on your bones!¡± *Berserk Her heart began to beat faster than ever. Blood pumped through every blood vessel in her body like crazy and the dormant wildness within her woke up. She felt as if every vein in her body was about to burst as her vision turned red. And in the red-colored world, she ran like a ray of light. ¡°Die!!!¡± The claws she took out for the first time in her life were sharper than any that belonged to a predator. It is said that the force of a lion¡¯s front paws is about 3 tons. And now the force of her claws were comparable to that. The boy in front of her stood still without any reaction. Pak¨C! In front of an angry beast, the skull was crushed like soft tofu. Crushed debris scattered everywhere. Time that seemed to have froze returned to normal. ¡°Heuk¡­Heuk¡­¡± The moment she exhaled, the boy fell to the floor with his head missing. Her revenge was over, but her beloved mister is gone forever. She felt empty at that fact as tears flowed down. ¡°Why¡­why¡­?¡± She grabbed the corpse and shook it. ¡°You promised me that we would live a happy life together¡­So why are you lying here!?¡± If she had plucked up her courage a little earlier so he wouldn¡¯t have met that woman. ¡°If I had¡­This wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Next to the man¡¯s corpse, there was a sandwich with a bite taken from it. It was a half-eaten tofu sandwich she had made a few days ago. The man had said he would keep it in the refrigerator because he couldn¡¯t eat it and that it would be a waste to throw away. ¡°Fool! That¡¯s why I told you to eat it right away! You didn¡¯t even finish it¡­Get up quickly! Get up and eat!¡± While sobbing like that, a young voice was heard from behind her back. ¡°Oh, you made the sandwich? It wasn¡¯t delicious at all.¡± ¡°?!¡± She looked back with her fur standing on ends. The boy she had killed moments ago, the one with his head missing, was standing there. ¡°Oh? Are you crying now?¡± The boy was smiling as if teasing a crying child. ¡®What¡¯s going on here? Is it a ghost?¡¯ She swung her claws at the small boy who was approaching her little by little. But¡­ ¡°W-what are you?!¡± Little by little, her claws were sucked in and became embedded in the boy¡¯s body. It was as if her arm had been inserted into sticky mud. With a creepy sensation, she hurriedly tried to push it out with her other hand, but instead, both hands became stuck. Even with her arms stuck in the boy¡¯s body, he was still smiling. ¡°L-let me go! Let go of me!¡± The more she struggled, the more she was sucked into the swamp. She couldn¡¯t run away. The boy¡¯s face was getting closer and closer. The distance was close enough for their lips to touch at any moment now. She could see the boy¡¯s purple eyes through his covered hair. Eyes that are empty like a cold corpse. And the moment she peeked at the brutality beyond that, for the first time in her life, she felt fear. Her frightened face was reflected in the boy¡¯s transparent eyes. The slum villains who are known for their wickedness, and her father, who people feared, compared to the boy she¡¯s facing now, all of them are like a joke you tell children. ¡®This bastard¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like this just a few days ago, so what happened since then? The boy opened his mouth. ¡°Nuna, didn¡¯t you say that you were going to chew me up?¡± ¡°T-that¡­No, I¡¯ve never said that¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to refuse.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute! Please! Ah, Please¡­¡± ¡°Eat up. Nuna.¡± The boy¡¯s face drew closer. Through her mouth and nostrils, unidentified flesh began to seep in. ¡°Keuk! Ha! Heuk!¡± It didn¡¯t stop and continued to pour in. ¡®S-stop!¡¯ She screamed, but only nonsensical babbling noises came out of her mouth. She was suffocating. Her nose hurt like the time she was drowning, and her stomach also gradually swelled. Then, at some point¡­All of that began to feel comfortable. She thought, isn¡¯t there a saying that people who are on their last breath as they drown, the secretion of hormones makes them feel better? With the feeling of gradually becoming drowsy, she saw a cozy and bright light. ¡®Mister¡­¡¯ And then her world turned black. * * * ¡°Ack! Pftpft!¡± I released my skill and turned back to normal after unintentionally helping Feoria wash her intestines. There were unknown pieces of food stuck all over my body. Looking at my pathetic appearance, I sighed without realizing it. ¡°I¡¯m never doing this again.¡± A peculiar animal smell permeated my whole body. I looked at Feoria¡¯s body lying on the floor. Perhaps because there was no apparent trauma, it looked like she had fallen asleep. ¡°Wait, or is she pretending?¡± She wasn¡¯t breathing at the moment, but you never know. Bang¨C! I put a bullet between her forehead. And just like that¡­ Ding¨C! [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [You¡¯ve reached level 4. From now on, the inventory function will be available.] As expected, I shouldn¡¯t let my guard down until I see the level up. There was no way to check my experience through the status window, so it was better to make it clear in this regard. After confirming Feoria¡¯s death, I searched her pocket freely and looted the items. There was no cash and only cards in her purse. I can¡¯t believe she doesn¡¯t have cash when she¡¯s the daughter of the Turbak Brotherhood¡¯s boss. I was going to need money to live in the city from now on¡­ In the previous round I killed Hairy and looted the cash, but now that I see it, my father and Feoria didn¡¯t have much cash. Should I just go rob Hairy one more time? The moment I was agonizing over it, I heard a notification sound once again. Ding¨C! [Challenge ¨C Clean Up the Bandits.] Condition: Assassinate Yifret, the boss of the Turbak Brotherhood. Period: 1 Week. Reward: 1x Random Box (Low). ¡°Oh!¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a Challenge. Perhaps because I had become too strong in the past. I had forgotten about its existence. Challenges are a must if I can do them. There was no penalty for giving up or failing a Challenge. It was just difficult to complete because the difficulty of the task itself is high. Still, it was better to try if possible. On top of that, I¡¯m in need of money¡­ The timing was just right. He¡¯s probably a D-class villain, right? Honestly, it¡¯s almost impossible to secretly assassinate a superhuman with the power I have now, but¡­ Well, does it have to have no witnesses for it to be an assassination? After sitting down for a while and devising a strategy, I left the house with the items I needed in my inventory. ¡°When you¡¯re a beginner, catching wolves and bandits is the norm.¡± I didn¡¯t feel so bad about being a beginner right now. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Turbak Brotherhood¡¯s senior executive, ¡®Lucky.¡¯ Even in an organization full of thugs, he was particularly known for his fearlessness. A brave vanguard in the struggle against other crime organizations. Known to mercilessly murder families of his enemies at times, he was a man with the heart of a beast. A man among men. It can also be said that he was a model gangster, one that the younger members admired. However, he had a secret that even he couldn¡¯t reveal¡­ ¡®It¡¯s time for the news.¡¯ Lucky lit a cigarette and pulled out his smartphone. Then with familiar hand gestures, he accessed a site he had saved. In the next instant, a cute girlish screen appeared on his smartphone. [Lady Fortune¡¯s Fortune Telling Hall] That¡¯s right. He was actually a terrible occult maniac who believed in superstition enough to cancel all schedules on a bad day. Currently, the site he was accessing was one of those fortune blogs that was famous for its fortune telling. He quickly entered his zodiac sign and blood type before pressing the confirm button. Then¡­ [Today is the day you reap the karma you¡¯ve accumulated so far. If you have accumulated bad karma, you¡¯ll face an unbearable misfortune today. May you rest in peace¡­No, good luck.] ¡®W-what¡¯s this?¡¯ Lucky stared at his smartphone with raised eyebrows. It was an ominous fortune. It was a scarier fortune than any that he had ever seen. ¡®Reap my karma?¡¯ He recalled the evil deeds he had committed. Just a quick thought and he already knew it was a life sentence to imprisonment. For him to reap the karma he has accumulated so far¡­ ¡®I-isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡¯ The phrase ¡®unbearable misfortune¡¯ continued to flash across his eyes. His spine became numb and cold sweat flowed down his forehead. Lucky didn¡¯t have a good feeling. He grabbed the talisman hidden in his wallet tightly and put out the cigarette. ¡®Damn it, I need to head home and hide safely first¡­¡¯ At that moment, a sharp scream penetrated his ears. ¡°Keuaak! S-stop! Stop it!¡± In the middle of a spacious warehouse. A beastman tied to a chair was screaming. He was currently being electrocuted with a cover over his eyes. Around him, ten members of the organization were enjoying the show. ¡°What do you think, hyung? It¡¯s very electrifying, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Punk. Did you think we would sit still while you sell out us brothers? Do we look easy because we called you hyung?¡± ¡°Huh? You dirty traitor.¡± Recently, it was discovered that Hairy was a police officer, and along with it was the informant who had been communicating with him. The so-called second lieutenant. He had betrayed the organization for the sake of a reduced jail sentence. And for the Turbak Brotherhood, betrayal was the same as death. ¡°Haha, shall we increase the output a bit more?¡± ¡°Ah, no! P-please don¡¯t¨Caahh!!!¡± The man¡¯s whole body twisted in pain while the gang members giggled and took pictures. ¡®You punks!¡¯ Lucky¡¯s anger soared to the top of his head. He was currently anxious about his karma, yet his subordinates were building up bad karma in real time. ¡®S-something really ominous might happen at this rate.¡¯ His feelings became more and more impatient. He had to wrap this up and go home quickly. It was dangerous to remain here. Lucky hit the back of the head of the guy controlling the output and lowered the power switch. ¡°Hey, you punks! Why are you dragging your feet? Hurry up and finish it!¡± ¡°What? Already? Since you said you¡¯d show us a magic show today, I had prolonged it¡­¡± The members looked at Lucky with an expression of being deprived of the toy they were playing with. On one side of the warehouse was a shiny new chainsaw that hadn¡¯t yet been unpacked. ¡®T-these punks are really going to get me killed!¡¯ If he was his usual self, he would have been the first to volunteer, but it was dangerous today. Now, it was right to be careful of even falling leaves. Wasn¡¯t the fortune a warning? All the karma will be reaped. Lucky yelled fiercely at the gang members. ¡°You idiots! I¡¯m ashamed to call the likes of you my dongsaeng.¡± ¡°Huh? What? Boss, what¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one you used to serve as your hyung? But look at his current state!¡± The man¡¯s appearance was nothing short of gruesome. Saliva was running down the corner of his mouth and his pants were damp. ¡°If you are born as a man, even if you die, you have to protect your pride. At least in his last moment, I think we should be polite as brothers!¡± The members who heard Lucky became solemn. After a while, they nodded with a fairly calm look. ¡°¡­We were short-sighted. Hyung. Let¡¯s wrap this up right now.¡± ¡°Yes. Finish it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes. We understand.¡± Lucky breathed a sigh of relief inside and watched one of the members pull out his gun. The gun slowly pointed at the man. ¡°Punk, aren¡¯t you lucky? You should really be thankful to our hyung.¡± As soon as he was about to pull the trigger¨C ¡°Are you uncles filming something right now?¡± From somewhere, a young voice that hasn¡¯t hit puberty was heard. Everyone in the warehouse turned their heads at the same time. At the entrance of the warehouse stood a boy in a long overcoat. The boy was maybe around 12 to 13 years old? The child who still looks like an elementary school student stepped inside the warehouse without fear. ¡°¡­How did you get in here?¡± ¡°I just came through the door? Hey, is that gun real?¡± A bright smile that didn¡¯t match the brutal scene. The child seemed to be not right in the head. ¡®Who the hell is this?!¡¯ Watching the scene, Lucky¡¯s mind was truly going crazy. As soon as he was about to finish the job, he couldn¡¯t believe another unexpected variable popped up. ¡®Hold it¡­hold it in one more time¡­I might catch something unclean if I spill the blood of a child.¡¯ Lucky calmed down with superhuman patience. ¡°Hyung, what should we do about this? We were going to dig a hole anyway, so we can just take care of it and bury them together.¡± ¡°What are you talking about!? Just let it go and finish the job.¡± However, the situation didn¡¯t go the way he had wanted. ¡°Hey, did you hear that? If you don¡¯t want to die, leave now.¡± ¡°But can I touch that gun once? Then I¡¯ll get out of here immediately.¡± ¡°What? Oh, my. This punk isn¡¯t scared at all¡­¡± The child truly wasn¡¯t right in the head, they thought. Lucky, whose patience finally reached its limit, roared. ¡°For fuck sake! Stop dawdling and just let him touch it! Why are you dragging things again?¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± The gang member hesitated before looking back. Then he held out the handgun in front of the child. The child stroked the gun like a puppy and asked. ¡°Does this have bullets in it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Can I try shooting it?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± At that moment, the child quickly grabbed the handgun and pulled the trigger. Bang¨C! The gang member who had held the handgun fell powerlessly to the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± What the hell happened? No one inside the warehouse was conscious of the situation. The moment everyone was dumbfounded, a second shot was heard. Bang¨C! Another member of the organization collapsed to the ground. Only then did the members start to get a good grasp of the situation. The fact that the little kid over there was trying to kill them. ¡°W-what the fuck!¡± However, the speed at which the child pulled the trigger was faster than the gang members being able to pull out their guns. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! . . One after another. A total of six members died. It was just like how a storm had come and gone. Click¨C Click¨C Before Lucky knew it, all he heard was the sound of a handgun¡¯s bullet chamber opening. ¡°I¡¯m out of bullets.¡± The boy smacked his lips and threw the gun away as if he was disappointed. Then, as if he was teasing them, he took off his clothes and sat on the floor naked. ¡°I don¡¯t have a gun anymore. You can stop being scared and come out.¡± Lucky and the gang members, after surveying the scene, slowly stood up. They weren¡¯t sure whether the boy intended to resist or not, but he was just sitting there calmly. On the floor full of blood, the naked child sat with a smile. It was an ominous and surreal scene. ¡®Is this crazy guy the misfortune the fortune had warned me about?¡¯ He thought it was probably a child of someone he had killed in the past. But that didn¡¯t matter now. What¡¯s done is done. And he had dodge the misfortune. There was nothing to fear now that the bad luck had passed. No longer having to endure it, he picked up an automatic rifle and spoke. ¡°Hey, turn this bastard into a beehive.¡± As soon as Lucky¡¯s words fell, the gang members who were on high alert poured their bullets into the boy. Sparks flew everywhere, and a sound reminiscent of a battlefield resonated in the warehouse. Their opponent was a defenseless child. However, the bullets were lodged into the fragile child¡¯s body without mercy. After dozens and even hundreds of shots, eventually, the child¡¯s entire body was shattered to the point where it was hard to recognize the shape. The misty smell of gunpowder made their throats dry. Lucky spat on top of the gruesome corpse. ¡°Ptooey! It¡¯s truly a shit day today.¡± It was like being struck by lightning on a clear day. And on days like this, you have to bleed a bit to gain back some luck. ¡°Hey! You know the chainsaw that you guys had prepared earlier? Fill it with oil and bring it here.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to take care of that traitor? I¡¯ll show you the magic show you wanted today, so bring it quickly.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Hyung!¡± The surviving gang members rushed to pick up the chainsaw. Lucky watched as he took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a long puff and exhaling, at that moment, A voice that shouldn¡¯t have been heard penetrated his ears again. ¡°Do you know how to do magic?¡± ¡°?!¡± Looking back slowly, the one who had disappeared without even a shape a while ago stood on both feet and intact. ¡°H-how? You¡­¡± ¡°I doubt it. But what do you think of my magic?¡± The child smiled brightly. And in his hands, there was an automatic rifle that had been thrown away by someone. Lucky had no choice but to think of the words he had seen on the fortune blog at that moment. [You¡¯ll face an unbearable misfortune today. May you rest in peace¡­] ¡°The fucking fortune came true¡­¡± Bang¨C! That¡¯s how Lucky faced his unfortunate end. * * * ¡°Haa, it¡¯s quite chilly.¡± I quickly put on the clothes I had taken off after cleaning up the guys in the warehouse. Phase Change is a useful skill, but unfortunately, the ability didn¡¯t apply to the clothes or equipment I wore. So every time I use the ability like this, I have no choice but to become a jelly. To be honest, it would be greedy to hope for more from a D-grade skill. And all those who have seen this ability so far have died, so there was nothing to be too shameful about. However, since I can¡¯t continue to live like this forever once in the city, I thought I should find equipment that can assimilate with this ability as soon as possible. Well, that¡¯s something to think about later. I looked around the warehouse, recalling my purpose for coming here in the first place. Not long after, I found the weapon storage container. Hmm¡­How do I open this? There was a hard lock in front of the container, meaning it was designed to be accessible only if you have the password. I don¡¯t think it¡¯d break if I shot it, and even if I turned into a liquid and tried to dig in, there was no space to enter because the gaps were most likely waterproof. The moment I was agonizing over it, someone¡¯s voice was heard from behind my back. ¡°H-hey! Hyung over there! Can you help me out by any chance?¡± Turning around, the man who betrayed the organization was still tied up with his eyes covered. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t they mention that this guy was a member of the organization? With the feeling of grabbing at straws, I asked the man. ¡°Do you know the password to the weapon storage container?¡± ¡°Ah, I know. If you release me, I¡¯ll open it for you.¡± ¡°Come on, just tell me the password.¡± ¡°S-sorry hyung! I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The man held out in a pretty stubborn manner, perhaps thinking it was his last chance to live. Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter to me, so I decided to do as he says for now. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do as you say mister.¡± ¡°T-thank you! Thank you so much!¡± I approached the man, cut off the string that was tied, and took off the blindfold. After being released like that, he looked quite surprised at me. ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re much younger than I thought.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I be young?¡± ¡°Ah, no, no. I¡¯m sorry. Hyung!¡± I had a feeling that he wanted to do something about me, but seeing the corpses scattered everywhere, he opened the container with a calm attitude. ¡°Hey, everything is here.¡± There were so many suspicious weapons stored in the container. From assault rifles used in communist countries in the past to various types of bombs such as Claymore and C4. Rather than being a warehouse for an ordinary drug cartel, I felt as if I had entered a secret base of a terrorist group preparing for war. It¡¯s more amazing than I had thought. Of course, it¡¯s too much to take all of them with me, as I don¡¯t have enough inventory space yet, but this will be enough to use for this quest. I packed all the useful items in my inventory and came out of the container. Next, I approached the man wandering in front of the door and gave him a bullet as a gift. Bang¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± Falling to the ground, he looked up at me with an unjust look. ¡°W-why all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°You saw my face.¡± ¡°Keuk¡­just because of that¡­¡± ¡°By nature, there shouldn¡¯t be any witnesses in an assassination. It would have been nice if you had just given me the password earlier.¡± ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡± Bang¨C! The man died the same way as the members he had betrayed. They hated each other so much a while ago, so it was good to see them lying side by side now. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even look at my status window after the battle. I opened my status window and checked the log. [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [You¡¯ve reached level 5.] [Gained a Skill Selection (Low).] [You¡¯ve reached level 7.] [Inventory expanded.] Perhaps because I took care of a lot of guys this time, I quickly reached level seven. As expected, because I¡¯m a beginner, my level seems to rise steadily. My current stats were the following. Body: 1.21 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 Spirit: 1.12 *4 Fragments of Growth. I had gained one fragment after killing Feoria, and now I have gained three more fragments. A total of four fragments. For now it¡¯ll be best to resolve the stat imbalance. Considering the efficiency of my skill, it was better to at least match the first number equally. I invested all four fragments into Mana without much consideration. Body: 1.21 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 0.18 -> 1.08 (+0.90) Spirit: 1.12 *0 Fragment of Growth. After my mana rose, I could feel with my skin that my senses have increased a little. Still, it was only subtle. After finishing the stat distribution, I opened the skill window next. There was a new addition of goods that I hadn¡¯t seen before. Skill Selection (Low). In short, it allows me to acquire new abilities. I was given Skill Selection periodically in the previous round, and thus was able to become notorious for being a person with multiple abilities. ¡­Anyway, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything very useful at first. Surprisingly, Skill Selection often resulted in garbage skills equivalent to ¡®blanks.¡¯ So I didn¡¯t really want anything grand. Just a useful skill for now was good enough. I relaxed my mind and used Skill Selection. [Used Skill Selection (Low).] [One of the following skills can be obtained.] (1) Classification: Mortal Grade: F Description: Swing your fist and give a strong impact. (2) Classification: Mortal Grade: F Description: Gather strength in your legs and jump forward. . . . By the way¡­ While looking at the list of skills with an indifferent look, I had no choice but to widen my eyes. (3) Classification: Mortal Grade: E Description: Foundation martial art technique used by the unorthodox sect. (4) Classification: Magic Grade: E Description: Absorbs the energy of the object in contact. What? Why are these skills coming out already? Considering my experience in the last round, it was normal for only basic mortal skills to pop out one after another in the beginning. Ambiguous skills that were even hard to call them ¡®skills.¡¯ But in the list that I¡¯m looking at now, abilities that might only come out after the third skill selection were displayed. While contemplating the difference between then and now, I quickly found the answer. Oh, come to think of it, I¡¯ve already gained one achievement. The achievement ¡®Immoral¡¯ I had gained after killing my father. Thanks to this achievement, skills that leaned towards ¡®evil¡¯ seemed to have appeared. I was originally just going to pick anything and use it as a synthetic material later on. Looks like the story will change again. Both skills were too good to be classified as E-grade. In the case of Demon Fist, since it was an unorthodox skill, I would be able to grow stronger regardless of my age. And in the case of Vampiric Touch, it had the rare property of being an absorption sequence. Honestly, acquiring either wouldn¡¯t be a loss. That¡¯s why it was even more difficult to choose. But¡­under the current circumstances, I think this one will be more advantageous. After looking at the skill list for a moment, I selected the skill. [You¡¯ve chosen a skill.] ¡°My luck today is really good.¡± Thanks to this skill, it seems the Challenge might end smoothly. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Guangcheng District, true to its enormous size, is a place where various races can be found. Not only that, beneath the mountain that borders such a city, it was commonplace to see people without citizenship and brothels. Heading up the very same mountain that overlooked the city, it¡¯s possible to find villains that were once famous and unknown monsters living here. Among them and located halfway between the slums and dangerous regions is the criminal organization, Turbak Brotherhood. The reason why I am now strenuously climbing up this mountain was to find the den where they are gathered. ¡°Huu¡­is it here?¡± I breathed heavily while looking around. Soon after, I was able to find a natural cave that had been constructed out of cement. Wolves Den. The place where the Turbak Brotherhood regularly meet. When I was at the weapon warehouse I had heard that a special banquet will be held here today. It was fortunate. I had planned to look across the slums to find Yifret. I was truly grateful that they were all gathered in one place like this. Though, it was befitting of beasts to be cooped up in a cave. I slowly approached the entrance of Wolves Den. Two gang members who had spotted me ran out like guard dogs. ¡°Hey, kid! What are you doing here?¡± I quickly checked the strength of the guys approaching. Two beastmen armed with automatic rifles. Is it just these two? This was worth trying without a gun. After making my decision, I took off my clothes one by one. ¡°H-huh? Why is he taking off his clothes all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s dimwitted?¡± Because I looked like a nudist, the guards began to slow down their pace. ¡°Haha, this guy is a complete nut. Kid, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Hyung, don¡¯t you think he¡¯s telling us to please enjoy the food?¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The bastards smacked their lips while looking at me. ¡°Hehe, good. I didn¡¯t like the fact that only the executives inside get to eat the special food¡­Shall we go somewhere for a bit to boil and eat it to rejuvenate our health?¡± ¡°All right. Back in my hometown I had learned from my mother how to boil it so it doesn¡¯t smell bad. It¡¯s incredible, isn¡¯t it?¡± As if I was a captive fish, they continued their conversation without any vigilance. In the meantime, I folded my clothes beautifully and placed them to the side. Next, I rushed toward one of the careless guards. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll secretly go inside and bring back a pot and other things¡­Keuk! W-what¡¯s this?¡± *Liquid Having quickly turned into a sticky syrup, I seeped between his fur. Then¡­ I used my new skill. *Drain life I stuck to him like a leech and began to suck his energy. ¡°K-kueeaaak!¡± ¡°Hyung!¡± The guard screamed in pain. I surrounded his whole body like a coating so that his voice wouldn¡¯t leak out. ¡°Keuh, keu!¡± He struggled desperately. However, he couldn¡¯t separate himself from me, who was in a liquid state. Even the guard standing next to him didn¡¯t dare to touch me and could only stagger backwards. As such, he lost more and more energy. His abundant fur fell to the ground and the hard muscles shrunk little by little like a balloon without air. Soon after, his breathing stopped. I lifted myself up after releasing my ability. The man I had absorbed energy from had turned into a dried fish before I knew it. To be honest, seeing that, even someone like me was speechless. ¡­This was beyond my expectations. Considering that this is an E-grade skill, such an effect shouldn¡¯t be possible. Normally, it would just cause dizziness or unconsciousness at best. However, the synergy between skills is too good. Classification: Magic Grade: E Description: Absorbs the energy of the object in contact. *Elementary: Absorbs energy to restore stamina. *The larger the area of contact with the object, the more energy is absorbed. Phase Change can bring my body close to my target on a molecular level while Vampiric Touch¡¯s effectiveness increases depending on the contact area. In fact, I had expected it to some extent when I chose these two skills¡­But I never imagined that the result would be to this degree. If there¡¯s one disadvantage, it¡¯s that it consumes a lot of mana. I¡¯ve only used it once, but nearly half of my mana has been depleted. It seems it¡¯ll be difficult to use the two together very often with my current level of mana. ¡°Hyung!¡± The other guy screamed at the body. ¡°Y-you monster! D-doing something like this!¡± Now that I¡¯ve checked the power of the skill, I thought I would save mana by suffocating this one to death. I slowly approached him while transforming my body. ¡°D-don¡¯t come any closer! I¡¯ll shoot!¡± He pointed a gun at me with a dumbstruck look. ¡°Mister. If you were thinking of eating someone, you should have thought that the food might eat you back.¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± Bang¨C! * * * ¡°Hmm? Did you hear a noise just now?¡± ¡°What noise, if you¡¯re not going to eat that in front of you, pass it over here.¡± ¡°Haha. Punk, what¡¯s the point of eating this when you don¡¯t even have a girlfriend? Well, I can give you a bite if you call me hyung from now on.¡± ¡°Bastard, you¡¯re truly cheap¡­¡± A skillfully crafted underground cave made of cement. Currently, the beastmen executives from the Turbak Brotherhood were gathered and holding a banquet. Set up at each table were ¡®specialties¡¯ that are eaten in their hometown. And like so, everyone ate, drank, and sang happily. If someone saw this they might think it¡¯s just an exciting playground. In fact, for those who have lost their home, it was more of a struggle not to forget their identity. ¡°Keu¡­The alcohol is bitter.¡± The leader of the organization, Yifret, emptied a glass one after another with his large hands that were the size of a pot lid. There were already countless bottles rolling next to him. Devian, the organization¡¯s number two and his younger brother, who saw this, asked. ¡°Hyung, why are you only drinking? How about some snacks to go with the wine?¡± ¡°Dongsaeng¡­Is it that delicious? I also miss the taste of our hometown.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you can still eat, right? There are a lot of things here.¡± ¡°You¡­ Do you know what my cute Feoria said when I told her I was going to the banquet today? She called me a savage¡­a barbarian.¡± Yifret had a look on his face as if the world had collapsed. Devian found it very amusing seeing such an expression. Normally, Yifret was an iron-blooded boss who wouldn¡¯t shed a tear. However, when he would occasionally talk about Feoria, he would show the side of an ordinary foolish father. ¡°Haha, young people these days don¡¯t like food from their hometown, right? She might think that way because she has been friends with humans since she was young.¡± ¡°Haa¡­I also heard that she¡¯s dating a human now. What should I do about this?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean the guy who was beaten by hyung a decade ago and became a member. Well¡­that, she¡¯s not going to get married anyway, so isn¡¯t it okay to have a casual relationship?¡± Yifret jumped up from his seat and screamed. ¡°Not a chance!!! Never! I¡¯ll be in my grave before I let that happen! Feoria¡­If my baby leaves me behind¡­Heuk.¡± He sat back down and wailed loudly. The other members who saw this and were surprised turned their eyes away. Devian liked this side of his older brother. The immature one from the old days. In fact, Yifret and Devian are the sons of a great chief who had led the Turbak tribe. But the world they had lived in was conquered by invaders. The two then led the surviving tribesmen and came over to Earth to escape. Since then, in order to settle in the new land, Yifret and Devian did whatever they had to. Stealing, killing, and distributing drugs. They tenaciously accumulated money with the goal of establishing a new Turbak here someday. Devian thought it was definitely not going to be easy. In fact, he already knew. That the revolution they dream of will never come true. No matter how much weapons they buy and how much their organization grows. The power they have in this world called Earth is simply insignificant. So he often thought that he would rather live with his older brother while enjoying a banquet like this. However, his older brother would reprimand him each time. Thinking of how many headaches his older brother has caused him, he thought it would be nice if he could break that stubbornness at least once. With such thoughts, he suddenly felt wronged. ¡°Hey! Hyung, have another drink! You need to have a headache too.¡± ¡°Hmm? Hehe, if it¡¯s a drink from my dongsaeng, of course I¡¯ll¡­heup!¡± Devian poured alcohol into Yifret¡¯s mouth. The members who were watching cheered and hollered. ¡°Kuah! Hyung can definitely drink it in one go!¡± ¡°Drink! Drink!¡± While looking at the banquet, Devian had a thought. Food from their hometown and people to enjoy it with. Maybe this place was already another Turbak. ¡®Yeah, everyone dies of old age anyway. Let¡¯s not think about tomorrow¡¯s worries and enjoy this moment!¡¯ Shriiik¨C! ¡°Hahaha! Hyung! Eat up!¡± ¡°Heuh?! Heu!¡± The moment when the atmosphere was heating up, Clank¨C! The door of the banquet hall opened and a voice of an urgent child was heard. ¡°T-trouble!¡± Was it because they felt the desperation in the voice? People who were laughing and talking immediately stopped. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the entrance. Standing there was a 12-year-old boy in a long coat. ¡°What? Who let this little swine in?!¡± ¡°What are the guards doing?!¡± Because the excitement of the banquet was broken, the gang members shouted in anger. However, the boy was not intimidated by such shouts, and instead was desperately trying to convey something. ¡°Feoria-nuna¡­Feoria-nuna¡­¡± ¡°What? What happened to my Feoria?¡± At the word ¡®Feoria,¡¯ Yifret, who was slumped over, jumped up from his seat and asked. But instead of answering, the child just stopped in the middle of the banquet hall and bowed his head. ¡°P-punk! Hurry up and tell me! What happened to my Feoria?¡± The anxious Yifret pushed the tables aside and walked up to the child. Devian, who has been observing the situation, had an ominous feeling. ¡®Wait a minute¡­who the hell is this kid?¡¯ The more he thought about it, the more he felt that everything was suspicious. At first, he just thought something big had happened and the boy was simply here to deliver the news. ¡®If that was the case, the people above would have delivered it instead.¡¯ Then, how did he get in here? There was no way this fellow would be able to come here without the guards going crazy, he thought. ¡®Perhaps this fellow¡­¡¯ It was unlikely to be the case, but what if he had come here with bad intentions? The hair all over his body stood up. Judging that the situation was unusual, Devian hurriedly called out to Yifret. ¡°Hyung, hold on¡­!¡± However, Yifret had already arrived right in front of the child. ¡°W-what the hell happened to my Feoria?! Hurry up and talk!¡± Squeezing out every ounce of his power, Devian sprinted. As if he was alone in a different world, it suddenly began to slow down. But even so, he couldn¡¯t reach Yifret¡¯s back. ¡®N-no!¡¯ He reached out his hand, but it was too far away. While Devian was running desperately, the child spoke. ¡°Feoria¡­¡± ¡°Y-yes what about my Feoria?¡± ¡°Feoria¡­The sandwich she made was really trash.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­?¡± Yifret made a blank face at the incomprehensible words. At that moment, the boy opened his long coat. Inside were countless bombs attached next to one another. ¡°Hyuung!!!!!!¡± Devian could see the boy¡¯s lips rising. He threw himself at Yifret to try and cover him. Then¡­ ¨C Boom! A deafening explosion engulfed the banquet hall. * * * Everywhere was filled with a hazy cloud of smoke and dust when I opened my eyes. Seeing that there is no memory before and after the explosion, it seems that I had momentarily lost consciousness. Bombs are dangerous even in my liquid form. Thanks to the use of the Phase Change skill, there was no trauma, but I was too exhausted. I felt dizzy as if I would collapse at any moment now. Is it finished? The Challenge was still there when I opened my status window. Everyone would have been completely wiped out if the entire cave had collapsed, but unfortunately, such a spectacular thing didn¡¯t happen like in the movies. ¡°K-keuk¡­¡± Someone¡¯s groan came from nearby. I fumbled across the ground and walked in the direction of the sound. ¡°M-my legs¡­Help me¡­¡± There was a man lying down with both legs missing. Even though he couldn¡¯t see well, he was stretching out his hands and asking for help. It looked very painful. ¡°It hurts, right? Just hang in there a little bit more.¡± ¡°T-thank you¡­¡± ¡°Vampiric Touch!¡± ¡°¡­Argh!¡± I absorbed his energy to relieve the pain. The man breathed his last breath. Hmm¡­he was on the verge of dying, so maybe that¡¯s why the absorption was so low. As soon as I thought that, similar groans began to come from all over the surrounding area. Just perfect. I rummaged around and began to absorb the energy of those on death¡¯s door. Soon, I felt like I was recovering to some extent and felt alive again. After a while, the dust gradually subsided, and little by little, the surroundings began to come into view. Tables that have been shattered. Flashing lights. Dead bodies everywhere. The revealed scene of the banquet hall was completely broken to the point where it was difficult to imagine what it had looked like originally. Where is Yifret? I looked around while lowering my posture. I was able to find him shortly after. Yifret sat in one corner of the banquet hall with a vacant expression. Looking closely, he had lost his left arm. Blood was constantly flowing out of the severed section. But he didn¡¯t care about the wound at all. He was just looking at a piece of cloth in his hand. Good. If it¡¯s now, I can kill him easily. I hid in the shadows and carefully pulled out a gun. The moment my aim reached Yifret¡¯s shoulder, He suddenly started talking to himself. ¡°Dongsaeng¡­You must have had a hard time because of me¡­¡± A hollow voice resonated in the destroyed cave. Then he slowly stood up, carefully putting away the piece of cloth. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been stubborn when you asked me to retire¡­At least this never would have happened.¡± He slowly turned his head in the direction I was hiding. Somehow, I felt like he was looking straight into my eyes. A slightly dangerous air began to flow little by little from Yifret. It was as if he was convinced of where I was. I had been discovered. Since my location had already been found, there was no need to hesitate. I adjusted the handle and calmly pulled the trigger. B-boom¨C! Fireworks erupted from the nozzle and dozens of bullets hit Yifret. However¡­ The bullets couldn¡¯t penetrate Yifret¡¯s body and there were only small scratches. Looking at him again, there was a subtle light glow above his blue fur. It was evidence of mana being used. As expected¡­Normal firearms won¡¯t work. In fact, it can be thought that superhumans above D-class are outside the boundaries of common sense. It was an existence that cannot be subdued by ordinary police officers alone. Villains like Yifret were ¡®real¡¯ villains, ones where heroes had to step in. Yifret¡¯s eyes gradually turned red. In the darkness, the eyes of the angry beast shone eerily. ¡°¡­Dongsaeng, if you had seen my behavior just now, I¡¯m sure you would have nagged me to go to the hospital again.¡± The claws that had been hidden slowly came out. He was already bleeding precariously, but looking towards me, he began to exude a sign of life. ¡°But dongsaeng. Forgive this foolish brother¡¯s last stubbornness.¡± Facing me with eyes that have turned red like blood, he spoke. ¡°I have to chew him alive today to be satisfied!¡± At the end of his sentence, he flew at me like a cannonball. Damn! *Liquid. I quickly transformed into liquid and sunk to the ground. Yifret brushed past me by a hair¡¯s length. Boom¨C! The bastard became stuck in the wall of the cave. There was a deafening roar similar to when the bombs exploded a moment ago. I took an RPG-7 out of my inventory and fired it at the wall where he was stuck. Boom¨C! The cave vibrated, then the subsiding dust rose and blocked my vision. This should be enough, right? In the first place, the big bastard was seriously injured. It would be hard to be fine after such an attack just now. Even if he¡¯s miraculously alive, he should at least be in a state where fighting is impossible. However¡­ ¡°Gwaaaar!¡± As if to laugh at my thoughts, I heard a coarse roar. And through the hazy dust, I saw a pair of flashing red eyes. This bastard is tougher than I had thought. It seems this raid will last a little longer. But¡­ In front of a worthy opponent I haven¡¯t faced in a long time, I smiled happily. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Yifret slowly walked out from the dust. Broken claws and torn fur. Fortunately it seems to have worked, as there were traces of the explosion all over his body. ¡°Gwaaar! I¡¯ll definitely kill you!¡± Yifret let out a coarse roar. His fighting spirit has become much fiercer than before. Perhaps a berserker ability of some kind where he grows stronger the more he is hurt. Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean the damage is nullified. In the past, there were heroes with similar abilities, but in the end, they also died at my hands. In short, anyone can die if you beat it to death. Between the moment he slowed down for a bit, I took a heavy machine gun out of my inventory and placed it on the ground. Next, looking towards Yifret I pulled the trigger. Dududududu¨C! The flames emitted from the gun illuminated the dark interior. Bullet shells constantly fell as the walls hit by the bullet shattered like a cookie. ¡°K-keuk¡­¡± Yifret didn¡¯t avoid my attacks. Instead, he covered his face with one arm and launched a charge. Damn it. I thought a heavy machine gun would work, but naturally, the fur encased in mana was difficult to penetrate. Quickling changing my shape, I dug into the cracks of the fallen debris. Boom! The machine gun that had collided with Yifret¡¯s body broke into pieces like a toy. Meanwhile, I crawled on the ground in my liquid state and ran away. ¡°You little rat!¡± I can hear the roar of the angry Yifret. Once I was far away from him, I changed back and fired at him again. Bang! Bang! Yifret charged at me in the hope of catching me, but it was no use. Thus, I hid myself among the debris, gnawing at his health little by little. ¡°I¡¯ll chew you alive once you¡¯re in my hands!¡± At some point, Yifret began to break the debris around him at random. Boom! Boom! Thick chunks of cement crumbled like plastic straws. Perhaps because of the added small wounds on his body, his strength seemed to have grown. As expected, a head-to-head match is dangerous. Phase Change is a useful skill that can ignore most physical attacks, but unfortunately, attacks infused with mana couldn¡¯t be neutralized. ¡°Where are you hiding?! Come out now!!¡± The coverings on the ground broke one by one. There were fewer and fewer spaces for me to hide. At this rate there was no chance of winning. Unless I know how much mana he currently has, I can¡¯t just wait for him to run out of mana. And before that, it was obvious that my location would be discovered first. I have to make the first move and create a decisive opportunity. Cautiously, I approached Yifret who was still breaking down the debris. Then, when I was at a moderate distance, I immediately threw the grenades that had been stored in my inventory. Boom! B-boom! ¡°Keeuk!¡± A sudden explosion erupted in his blind spot. He was hit with no time to defend against my attacks. His fur peeled and the ruddy flesh was exposed. And in the same size as where his fur had disappeared, a gap with no mana had appeared. It was time. Instead of stepping back, I rushed at him with all my might. The shocked bastard swung his claws recklessly. Managing to avoid his attacks, I stuck like a leech to his wound. Next¡­ *Drain life. I quickly absorbed his energy. ¡°Kueaaak!¡± He didn¡¯t stop his attacks even in the midst of me sucking his energy. With only one arm left, he clawed at his back without hesitation. Keuk. His back was torn and blood was constantly flowing between it. The same was true for me who was clinging onto him. The mana infused attacks that ignored the general law of physics were tearing my body apart. Terrible pain came as my flesh peeled away. However, this was a pain that I¡¯ve already experienced in the first round to the point where I¡¯ve grown bored of it. Just this much wasn¡¯t enough to remove me. ¡°Keuaak! Get off me! Get off me you punk!¡± Yifret was rampaging. The more he did that, the closer I stuck to his back. It was my first and only chance. I held on with the idea that if I fell here, it would be over. Whenever he tore my body apart, I regained my stamina by absorbing his energy. In the end, time was on my side. His movements slowed down little by little. The mana that shined gradually disappeared. And soon after, he fell to the ground. Boom! ¡°Keuh¡­¡± I slowly swallowed the groaning bastard¡¯s body. Through the gap where mana has disappeared, a sticky lump of flesh seeped in. The larger the area of contact is, the faster the rate of absorption becomes. His huge body shriveled until it didn¡¯t resemble anything, and the blood-like red eyes gradually returned to white. ¡°T-turbak, sir¡­¡± Now he was no longer even making proper sounds. ¡°Please¡­Judgment¡­¡± I completely devoured him. It¡¯s over. And I was sure. This game is my victory. All that¡¯s left now is to slowly absorb his energy until my mana recovers. The moment I tried to completely cut off his breath, Suddenly, my back turned cold and I felt an ominous feeling. What? Did I miss something? My intuition was high enough to be called an ability. Thanks to this intuition, I overcame several crises in the past, so I couldn¡¯t just ignore it. I looked around calmly and checked again to see if there were any risks that I hadn¡¯t noticed. Soon, the bone necklace hanging from Yifret¡¯s neck caught my eyes. Compared to his modern outfit, it felt too old. It¡¯s suspicious¡­ At that moment, blue light emanated from the necklace. ¡°?!¡± An alarm rang in my head the moment I saw it. Although I couldn¡¯t figure out what the purpose of the light was, I was convinced that something I couldn¡¯t handle was dormant there. I hurriedly changed my shape and threw myself back. As if it was on queue, a white breath came out of Yifret¡¯s mouth. Then¡­ Crack! Countless icicles began to pop out of his body. It gave off the appearance that his fur was made of ice. This¡­what the hell? While I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise, Yifret slowly stood up. After looking around for a moment, he opened his mouth with an expressionless face. [Who killed my lovely children?] What the hell is he saying? Naturally, I had killed Feoria, but what does he mean by children? I remember that he has only one child. Was I wrong? At that moment, a new message popped up in front of my eyes. [Challenge ¨C Suspicious Supporter.] Condition: Defeat Yifret who is being supported by the Savage God Turbak. Period: 1 week. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). Savage God? It was a concept I had never heard of before. I thought I knew most of the things about this world, but it seems there are still things I didn¡¯t know. It was hard to keep up with the sudden situation. [I¡¯m going to ask you again, mortal. Did you kill my children?] Along with the voice, the temperature of the cave began to drop sharply. Moisture that was floating inside froze and fell like snow. I had no choice but to start at it blankly. ¡°What¡­the¡­¡± Does this make sense? It was unimaginable that there was a monster like this hiding among the drug dealers. I was so speechless that I thought a dry laugh would leak from my mouth. ¡°Ha¡­The game balance is messed up.¡± I let out a long sigh. * * * The Savage God Turbak. An absolute powerhouse that¡¯s impossible to deal with at my current level. It was at least B-class or higher just by looking at its ability to control such a phenomenon. I can only guess that its power is equivalent to A-grade. On top of that¡­it¡¯s a God. In a world where Devils exist, there was nothing strange about the existence of a God, but even so, I thought this was a little too much. I was playing in a hunting ground for beginners, and now it feels like a high level monster has suddenly stormed in. Naturally, I don¡¯t believe that is its true form. From my point of view, this situation seems hopeless. But in a sense, it was the same when I held the handgun to my head, or when I was gunned down by a machine gun, or when I was just starting out as an F-class. Not only that, my Phase Change skill was completely at odds with the cold ability that it used. Even so, I pretended to be innocent for now. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me?¡± [Lie.] It spoke firmly, as if the answer had already been decided. Why the hell did it ask me then? [Mortal. The sin you have committed will be purified by the snow.] Yifret¡¯s mouth opened wide as its words fell. White frost condensed around it and began to be drawn in. Is he trying to blow out a lot of air? That¡¯s¡­really dangerous. I could tell without having experienced it. If I get hit by that attack, this game will end right then and there. There must be a way. Usually, ¡®Challenges¡¯ are difficult, but it has never made me do something impossible. On the contrary, there would be a way for me to get out of the crisis. At this moment, I quickly wracked my brain. Starting with the skills I have to even the items in my inventory. I looked for a way out by thinking of anything that might help me. And then suddenly, an idea crossed my mind. Come to think of it¡­There was that. In games, there were sometimes monsters that were set up to be unbeatable right from the start. A gimmick-type stage in which it¡¯s impossible to pass simply by fighting. And usually in the case of such monsters, there were event items tailored just for it. It just so happens that I have something that can be used. I opened my inventory and put the item I was thinking of on the ground. Boom¨C Then¡­ The cold air that was swirling around Yifret quickly dissipated. And emotions began to permeate his frozen eyes. Perhaps he was gradually coming to his senses. It¡¯s as I had guessed. According to the explanation written in the Challenge, he is currently ¡®supported¡¯ by a God. In other words, the ability he is using is the power borrowed from something else. The blessing used in the demon army had a similar concept. Recalling that time, there was one fatal weakness to these kinds of abilities. That is, the ability may be canceled depending on the user¡¯s current mental state. And¡­If Yifret saw this, he¡¯ll never be able to keep his composure. Sure enough. He looked at the item I had taken out and roared sorrowfully. ¡°F-Feoria!!!¡± I stopped the bastard from approaching and then pointed my gun at the body on the ground. ¡°Hold on, mister. Stay still there.¡± Yifret halted on the spot. His eyes constantly shook. ¡°Y-you!!! W-what are you doing? Put the gun down right now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t have any thoughts of holding nuna hostage.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­If you¡¯re a man, fair and square¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s already dead. I don¡¯t need it in the first place.¡± I pulled the trigger towards the corpse. Bang! ¡°Noooo!!!!¡± Yifret fell to the ground screaming. Perhaps because his mind was shaken, the icicles surrounding his body fell off. The effect was greater than I had expected. ¡°You, you, you¡­ah¡­¡± He lost his mind and made a beastly cry. I explained it calmly so that he could understand the situation. ¡°Mister, you don¡¯t have to get so excited. I¡¯m just confirming that she¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m going to tear you limb from limb!!¡± Yifret¡¯s eyes overturned as he kicked off the ground and lunged at me. In the meantime, I put another bullet into the corpse. Bang! ¡°Aahh! D-don¡¯t! Stop it!¡± He was in pain as if he had been shot. The icicles on his body fell off again. But it¡¯s still not enough. The power I felt from him decreased a lot, but it was still dangerous. I thought I needed to make him lose his mind a little bit more. So I shot at the corpse. Bang! Bang! . . . ¡°Aahh! D-don¡¯t! P-please stop!¡± Finally, all of the icicles that surrounded him disappeared. Since then, I have alternated between firing at him and the corpse. Bang! Bang! . . . When he tried to rush at me, the corpse was shot, and when he stood still, a bullet flew at him. Like that, he slowly collapsed. I thought I could succeed if this continued. But¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± At some point, Yifret didn¡¯t respond to me shooting the corpse. With a body that¡¯s completely worn out, he just glared at me. Is the effectiveness over? He opened his mouth with a cracked voice. ¡°¡­I just realized.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡±¡± ¡°To end this pain¡­The fact that I have to kill you.¡± Ah¡­Just a little bit more and it would have been over. The strain seems to have exceeded its limits. I should have paced myself. It was my source of trouble, always wanting to finish games quickly. Bloody icicles began to spring out of the body that has become a mess. Immediately his eyes turned red as if blood was dripping. ¡°You killed my brothers.¡± Yifret walked to me at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. ¡°And¡­even took away my reason to live.¡± Large ice pillars resembling a coffin formed wherever he stepped. On the pillars were reflections of the bodies that had fallen. [So¡­] Yifret¡¯s words echoed as it collided with the ceiling of the cave. [Together.] His voice, which had turned into an echo, resonated grimly like the chorus of the dead. [Let¡¯s go to hell.] Before I knew it, the Yifret in front of me had turned into a huge wolf. Bloody ice which covers the whole body, sharp teeth like icicles, and claws that are harder than ever. The way he looks now was simply like an ice monster. [Enough is enough, die.] A cold and sinister power was drawn into Yifret¡¯s mouth. The air swirled like a sharp knife, and the sound of wind resembling a jet engine filled the cave. Hmm¡­Doesn¡¯t that look really dangerous? I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯s preparing, but at first glance, it looks like I¡¯ll die if I get hit. However, I have no intention of ending this game yet. It was a game that I had just started again, so I couldn¡¯t die here. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s time to use it. I took out the second item I had in mind from my inventory. Wuung¨C! A rhythmic sound reached my ears. I lifted the chainsaw I had taken out of my inventory so that Yifret could see it well. Then little by little, I lowered my arms as the chainsaw scratched the ground next to Feoria¡¯s corpse. Flame scattered from the fast rotating saw blade. I was in a close position where it would touch the corpse if I moved a little more to the side. ¡°What do you think? Should we continue?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing the scene, Yifret hardened as if he was a lump of ice. Then he opened his mouth wide as if to tell me something, but no sound came out. In the end, he couldn¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s over. I threw a handgun at Yifret. Thud¨C ¡°You know what to do, right?¡± Yifret looked at the handgun that fell near him. In the next moment, he slowly lowered his head and picked up the handgun. There was no longer a monster made of ice or a swirling storm. There is only a beastman standing in a complete mess. In a completely dry voice, Yifret spoke. ¡°Y-you¡­demon¡­¡± He pulled the trigger without hesitation. Bang¨C! Like that, Yifret died. * * * After Yifret¡¯s death, the ice inside the cave began to melt quickly. Because of this, water filled the cave as it reached my ankles. ¡°My shoes are all wet.¡± I became very annoyed at the thought of having to go down the mountain path in wet shoes. Was everything planned by the Savage God for this moment? If so, I would like to say that its plan was successful. How did it know that I hate being grimy? ¡°Ah, but it was still fun.¡± Although there was the mishap of my shoes becoming wet at the last minute, it was very satisfying simply in terms of the content. It felt refreshing to feel like a newbie after a long time, and it was quite fun to kill my father who I had missed in my last life. And¡­ Did it say it was Turbak? Maybe until now I¡¯ve only scratched the surface of the game. Even up to the last moment of the previous round I didn¡¯t know that there was a Savage God. What would it have been like if I had met it in my heyday? Would I have felt this gap then too? It was hard to know. Honestly, my skills are so poor right now that even my level cannot be properly estimated. But one thing is for sure. There are still contents left to enjoy in this world. Suddenly, my heart began to pound. I thought there would be no dull moments in this round. I knew it would be fun. And at that moment, a pleasant notification came to my ears. Ding¨C! ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Diligently playing all day long, it was time for the rewards. I opened my status window and countless messages began to cover my eyes. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 8 Chapter 8 [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [You¡¯ve reached level 10.] [Gained a Skill Selection (Low).] [You¡¯ve reached level 12.] [Inventory expanded.] [Completed Challenge ¡®Clean Up the Bandits.¡¯] [Gained a Random Box (Low).] [Completed Challenge ¡®Suspicious Supporter.¡¯] [Gained a Random Box (High).] [Gained achievement title ¡®Novice Warrior.¡¯] [Gained achievement title ¡®The One Who Fought God.¡¯] [Next selectable skill will vary depending on your achievements.] . . . I have no choice but to widen my eyes after checking the game log. It was unimaginable that in just one day I had already reached level 12¡­ Considering the time it took me to reach this level in the past, this speed can be said to be truly out of this world. I seemed to have hit the jackpot when the bombs exploded and it wiped out everyone at once. Mobbing was the right answer to leveling up. And thanks to that, the rewards came in nicely. I briefly summarized my newly acquired goods. ¡ª 5x Fragment of Growth ¡ª 1x Skill Selection (Low) ¡ª 1x Random Box (Low) ¡ª 1x Random Box (High) Hu¡­amazing. I felt full just from looking at it. Among the rewards I received this time, one in particular caught my eye¡­ ¡­I didn¡¯t expect to already get a high-grade box. Originally, goods that are classified as high-grade belonged to the later content and were unobtainable at my current level. If the suspicious thing called the Savage God hadn¡¯t appeared, it would have been impossible for me to get such a reward. And considering its power, it would have been normal for the current me to never defeat it. However, in my inventory, there was an item that could be called its weakness. I was able to complete the task thanks to the proper use of an item. In other words, I was lucky. I just took the body because I thought it would be fun to show it to Yifret, so I never imagined that it would help me in such a way. As expected, this world is a game of luck. Now, shall I start the settlement? I checked my stats first. Body: 1.21 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 1.08 Spirit: 1.12 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± If I consider Phase Change to be my main skill, then it would be best to raise my Spirit. But if it¡¯s Vampiric Touch, then it would be correct to invest in Mana. However, there was no need to focus on only one stat just for a skill. Besides, until all my stats reach 2, it was advantageous to balance them as much as possible. That¡¯s to say the only difference is the order in which I add them, and that it didn¡¯t make much difference in what I chose now. I added the 5 Fragments of Growth in Body. Body: 1.21 -> 2.15 (+0.94) Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 1.08 Spirit: 1.12 My priority for now should be to build up my stamina. Especially considering that this fragile body hasn¡¯t even hit puberty in the second round. It was better to develop my strength even if just a little bit. Next is skill. To be honest, I was looking forward to the skill a little. That¡¯s because I¡¯ve gained as many as two achievements this time. [Novice Warrior] Tendency: Good Karma Description: I¡¯m a baby warrior! Villains, show yourself! [The One Who Fought God] Tendency: Feat Description: I applaud your courage for challenging a God. Good skills should appear. I used Skill Selection (Low). [Used Skill Selection (Low).] [One of the following skills can be obtained.] (1) Classification: Magic Grade: E Description: Breath a pair of beads containing the power of flame. (2) Classification: Mortal Grade: F Description: Run fast after gathering strength for a short time. (3) Classification: Mortal Grade: F Description: Curl up your body to instantly increase your defense. . . . What¡¯s this? There were only trash skills on the list. What¡¯s going on here? Where have my achievements gone? As soon as I thought that, when I looked down the list a little more, separated at the bottom were skills that shone. [Special Selection] (a) Classification: General Grade: C Description: Bonus damage against Divine targets. (b) Classification: General Grade: F (Growth Type) Description: A warrior grows through hardships. [Level 15 Skill Selection will be forfeited if you select a Special Skill.] This¡­? As expected, the status window didn¡¯t let me down. Perhaps because the achievements this time were too good compared to my level, but there was a special selection. As high as a C-grade bonus damage skill and a F-grade growth type skill that continues to grow stronger. In particular, the growth type skill, which is as rare as special skills. This is absolutely amazing. No matter which one I choose, it can be said to be a great benefit. After a short thought, I chose one of the skills. [You¡¯ve learned the skill .] I chose the growth skill. Even taking the previous round into account, I only had a few growth skills. Nonetheless, all of those skills were useful enough that they were my main source of strength until the very end. The C-grade bonus damage skill is attractive, but¡­there¡¯s nothing better than a growth type skill. And in any case, there were only a few religious orders that used divinity in this world. I didn¡¯t feel too bad because they would all die the same if I just beat them up. And now all that is left¡­ I manipulated my status window to summon the two random boxes. A copper colored box and a gold colored box. As expected, the highlight of gaming were gacha boxes. I¡¯ve been really lucky today. And naturally, gachas should be opened when you¡¯re lucky. So I opened one of the boxes without hesitation. [Used 1x Random Box (Low).] The box rotated in the air, then a bright blue light began to burst out. ¡°Oh! Is this?¡± The blue effect was something that only appeared when a D-grade or higher item came out. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s at least a D-grade from a low level box! As expected, today is a lucky day¡­ [Obtained Durable Socks.] ¡°¡­¡± I stared blankly at the socks in my hand for a while. The blue effect definitely came out earlier¡­So why did this come out? No¡­ It can¡¯t be an ordinary item since it came from a box. I shouldn¡¯t be quick to judge because of its name. I checked the option of the item. Classification: Clothing Grade: D Description: Tough and sturdy socks. *Can¡¯t get wet. *Can¡¯t rip. *Can¡¯t be soiled. ¡°¡­At least it can¡¯t get wet.¡± I didn¡¯t feel comfortable with my feet being soggy, so I changed my socks. The soft fit felt very good. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sigh without realizing it. Did I use up all my luck for today already? If that¡¯s the case, it was right to stop the gacha here. There¡¯s a saying that you should quit while you¡¯re ahead in gambling, and if you endure the moment, you may win more later. But¡­ Gacha isn¡¯t gambling, it¡¯s a love-hate affair. With the pride of a gamer on the line, I curiously reached out to the gold box. [Used 1x Random Box (High).] The gold box floated in the air. Then the light leaking through the gaps continued to change. White, green, blue, red¡­ The color, which has been constantly changing, turned gold at some point and emitted a dazzling light. The box slowly opened. And¡­ ¡°T-this¡­¡± Shining brightly was an A-grade skill. * * * A man was quickly heading up a mountain path. The look on his face showed that he was in a hurry, which was supported by the fact that his beard was full of sweat. ¡®I-I have to hurry.¡¯ The man¡¯s name was Ko Changsu. But in the slums, he was more known by the nickname Hairy. About an hour ago. Ko Changsu heard a deafening roar as if the mountain had collapsed. It sounded similar to when an industrial bomb used in the mines exploded. And the direction that the sound had come from was the base of the Turbak Brotherhood who he had been investigating. As soon as he realized that, he began to run up the mountain with his heavy body. It was only recently that he had secured evidence to punish every single of them. However, if those gang members was up to something, or if they had noticed and ran away, all the years he has spent will amount to nothing ¡®Absolutely not¡­I can¡¯t let them escape.¡¯ Ever since his son¡¯s disappearance he had been constantly tracking down clues. And the clues had led him to a criminal organization in the slums. Turbak Brotherhood. But the evidence he had were only abstract things that had no legal basis. So Ko Changsu took a risk and began to observe them himself. Soon after, he learned that the Turbak Brotherhood had their own special ritual. Beastmen who occupied the upper part of the organization. They held a special banquet once a month. Strangely enough, whenever the banquet was held, there would be reports of missing children in the city. Thus, he soon realized what kind of end his son had met. ¡®Those deplorable beasts¡­¡¯ Since then, Ko Changsu had made it his life¡¯s goal to bring the Turbak Brotherhood to justice. He had grown a beard, and tattooed his whole body like a criminal. It was so he could personally infiltrate Guangcheng District and collect evidence to put an end to them. ¡®Even if I die¡­I can¡¯t let them escape.¡¯ His steps were getting quicker and quicker. Soon, he arrived in front of a cave located in the middle of the mountain. In front of the entrance to the cave, gruesome dried bodies were scattered everywhere. ¡°W-was this the work of the military?¡± Did someone attack this place? He thought perhaps it was the work of another group of villains fighting for their own interests. ¡®I need to gather more information before I enter the cave.¡¯ He looked around and found the darkest shade nearby. Next, he squatted down and sprinkled a powder he had taken out. Black shadows began to clump together and it soon floated in front of him. *Summon Shadow What Ko Changsu had summoned was a spirit of darkness called Shade. He asked the summoned spirit. ¡°Hey, possess the dead body over there and find out what happened.¡± Shade shook its body as if it was bothered by Ko Changsu¡¯s words. Ko Changsu bowed his head to the spirit and spoke. ¡°Please help me¡­This is related to Jaseung. You also want to catch them for your friend, right?¡± Shade raised its head when it heard the word Jaseung from Ko Changsu¡¯s mouth. The name of its one and only friend it couldn¡¯t protect. It wanted to give immeasurable pain to the bastards who had killed its friend, but it also didn¡¯t want to help the foolish Ko Changsu. Shade agonized for a while, but eventually flew toward the dead body with the feeling of reluctance. After reading the dead body¡¯s thoughts and leaving, Shade delivered them to Ko Changsu. *Read Thought. Read Thought. The ability to turn emotions or short thoughts that the target felt when they were alive into shapes. The exact scenes aren¡¯t visible, but this clue alone could be of great help to the investigation. Soon after, the last thoughts left by the dead body began to flow into Ko Changsu¡¯s head. And¡­ Surprisingly, this place was attacked by a single person. Whether it was a man or a woman, the shape wasn¡¯t clearly visible, however, the terrible evil that swirled around it was. ¡®W-what the hell is this¡­¡¯ Did the giant evil demon living in the depth of Guangcheng District appear? It was the most terrible existence he had ever heard of up till this point. ¡®It¡¯s having fun¡­¡¯ He felt its feelings. For some reason, the unknown existence was very happy when it killed this person. And the moment he faced that pure malice, he felt as if his mind was being eaten up little by little. It was hard to watch anymore. ¡°K-keuk! S-stop!¡± Shade cut off the terrible thoughts and Ko Changsu heaved. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­.For such a thing to pop out of nowhere.¡± Cold sweat appeared all over his body, and his legs trembled unknowingly. If that thing was still in the cave, he might die today without knowing how. However, on the contrary, he gave a bitter shout. ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m so close! Just go back? Just a little bit more! I¡¯m never going to give up until all of those bastards serve time in prison!¡± He couldn¡¯t stop here. He clenched his lips, recalling the face of his son. And so, he carefully went down the dark stairs. He couldn¡¯t even light the way because he was worried that his location would be discovered. And in a little bit. In front of his eyes, there was a view of the ruined banquet hall. ¡°W-what¡¯s this?¡± Dead bodies of the gang members were scattered everywhere, and even cement fragments had been shattered as if a bomb had exploded. Was there really a war here? Ko Changsu couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed while looking at the bloody scene. ¡®W-what about him? What happened to him?¡¯ Yifret, the leader of the Turbak Brotherhood. He didn¡¯t know about the others, but he had to confirm the status of Yifret. Illuminating the water filled ground, Ko Changsu began to look for Yifret. And not long after, in the middle of the cave, he found Yifret¡¯s body with one of his arms missing. His body was embedded with dozens of bullets, and it had turned into something like a rag. It was unbelievable that the wretched corpse in front of him used to be the head of a notorious cartel. ¡®I¡¯ve spent over a decade in the pursuit of revenge and to catch this bastard, but this is how it ends?¡¯ It was all in vain. Ko Changsu fell down. Despair filled his mind at the fact that in the end he couldn¡¯t take revenge with his own hands. However, at the same time, he felt thrilled that Yifret had eventually faced a terrible end. ¡®At last¡­the bastard faced retribution.¡¯ It was something he shouldn¡¯t have thought about as a police officer, but at this moment he wanted to thank the villain who had killed Yifret. He bowed his head and clasped his hands to the mysterious existence. In any case, at that very moment, something familiar floated in front of him. ¡®W-why is this here¡­¡¯ Socks with ugly penguin characters on them and fit for a child. It looked exactly like the ones he had given a child a few months ago. ¡®I-it can¡¯t be¡­These socks are common.¡¯ There was no reason for these criminals to have children¡¯s socks at the banquet hall. He shook his head hard. ¡®No¡­¡¯ If there was God in this world, something like that would never happen, he thought. But at that moment. As if denying his own thoughts, a piece of torn long coat floated down. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ The child who always looked unhappy. It was the very same child that he couldn¡¯t help but notice, the one that resembled his son. He had promised himself to tell the child the joy of this world¡­one day, when everything was over. However, this time again, he had failed to keep his promise. Facing that fact, Ko Changsu collapsed on the spot. ¡°Aahh¡­! Noah!¡± As such, to the child¡­who¡¯ll never know happiness in his life, he shed tears for the boy who had lived an unfortunate life. * * * ¡°Ah, I had a lot of fun.¡± Leaving the slums, I headed to the border of the city. Neo Pyongyang, the city of diversity, and the world¡¯s largest residential area where superhuman lived. I stuck out money at the front gate and passed through confidently. There was no need to break the law like the last round since I have a large amount of cash in my inventory now. One way or another, I also need to find a place to stay. Ah, of course, the easiest and fastest way to solve this problem would be to enter a rich home and spray a few bullets, but I won¡¯t bother to choose such a method. Because my plan is to become a hero this round. And in order to become a great hero, thorough image management and storytelling were essential. I recalled newspaper articles that I had read in the past. ¡ª Overcoming his poor background with the dream of becoming a hero¡­ ¡ª Sent to a nursery after his parents passed away¡­ ¡ª So that other children don¡¯t have to live in a nursery like he did¡­ Strangely enough, many of the famous heroes were from nurseries. In fact, I also attended a nursery, and it was one of the articles that the media liked to write about. It was good for the storytelling of a hero. But if I have to choose, it¡¯d be ideal to go to the best place among the nurseries. I decided to collect information. ¡°Mister, what¡¯s the most famous nursery around here?¡± ¡°Kid, are you alone? Hehe. Mister will tell you the location of the nursery if you become my secret friend¡­Keuk!¡± Of course, the process of collecting information wasn¡¯t easy. However, when it comes to fighting games, information is more valuable than any item. I didn¡¯t give up and persistently gathered information. And finally, I was able to visit the most famous nursery in Neo Pyongyang. ¡°Hello~ I¡¯m Choi Noah. My hobby is playing games. My specialty is playing games. I look forward to working with you.¡± ¡°How much money do you have? It¡¯s 10 won a punch if you don¡¯t want to get hit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± But this place is¡­It seems to be a famous place in a slightly different sense than I had thought. This will be fun. For the foreseeable future, I think I¡¯ll be able to spend my time without having to worry about being bored. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Located in Neo Pyongyang is a nursery called House of Flowers. Currently, I am staying at such a place. Like its name suggests, the place is actually a beautiful place full of all kinds of flowers. In this fairy-tale-like landscape, children can be seen running around innocently all day long. I¡¯ve been living well here for more than a month without any disturbance. To become a hero, managing my image is a must. At present. I have an understanding to some degree of the structure of this nursery. Just how I had imagined, it was a fun place. According to my observations, it can be seen that children living here are largely divided into three groups. The first of them are those bright and innocent fellows who play tag in the garden every day. I call these little children ¡®flowers.¡¯ The reason is because they¡¯re actually the main commodity at House of Flowers and serve as the face of the nursery. And overall, most of the fellows in this group either have some characteristics that would interest sponsors, or they have genius talents in certain areas. As such, children in the ¡®flower¡¯ group lived comfortably with various benefits even by a nursery¡¯s standards. Next are the ¡®workers.¡¯ Unlike the flower group, the bulk of the children are in the worker group. They usually take on various chores that need to be handled in the nursery, or they are responsible for going out and earning money through panhandling. ¡°Hey! Bushy hair, bring this tray and get me my food from over there.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± And the damn elf who just shouted at me is like the leader among the workers. His primary job was to collect the money other children earned from panhandling. He also acts like a class monitor who reports the students¡¯ behavior to the teacher. To put it simply, it¡¯s easy to understand if you just think of him as a landlord who oversees the tenants. I looked at the bastard in front of me. An annoying voice that is just going through puberty and a round body 1.5 bigger than my own. And the kind of face that looked as if it was stained with dirt. Did he say his name was Kwak Chungsik? Although he looks as young as a middle school student, in fact, he was an adult who was 21 years old in terms of the number of years he has lived. Because of the special immigration law or whatnot, the criteria for minors of his race were applied differently than those of humans. Thus, even at his age he could stay and live in this nursery. ¡°What are you staring at? If you don¡¯t want to be dragged away and beaten up, go and get me some rice now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Oh, the third and final group can be said to be those who are alienated in this nursery. Powerless children who have fallen out of the herd due to unclear origin or have a physical disability. I named this group manure. Why do I call them manure? This is because after coming to this nursery, I often notice that people in this group would disappear somewhere. Officially, they¡¯re said to have been moved to another facility, but in fact, among the children in the nursery, rumors have circulated that they might have been sold for money. Perhaps they had become experimental subjects of suspicious black mages or were working like slaves in blind spots of human rights. The manures¡¯ other job was to coax other kids like me from outside to join the nursery. It was one of the tasks that Kwak Chungsik and his crew were in charge of. Anyway¡­ From the looks of Kwak Chungsik¡¯s attitude, it seems that I had been chosen as manure. This is becoming difficult. Ever since I came here, I¡¯ve been trying to stay as lowkey as possible with the thought that it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to be adopted or sponsored. However, my grand plan has been disrupted because of this damn elf. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Oh? It seems this punk has never received home education. Did you just sigh in front of me?¡± Pak¨C My head that was hit by the boy momentarily spun. Honestly, I didn¡¯t feel much because of the stat difference, but it was still an unpleasant feeling. The hero thing, do I have to do it? I thought about killing him and going back to Guangcheng District. But it would be such a waste of effort I¡¯ve made so far towards the quest if I did that. I¡¯ve already endured this for a month. If I had a skill like ¡®Multiply Bacteria,¡¯ I could easily disguise it as a natural death, but unfortunately, all the skills and items I have at the moment are too flashy. No, what if it was that¡­? I wasn¡¯t certain, but I came up with a pretty likely way. Like I thought, I should kill him. After making my decision, I reached out to Kwak Chungsik. ¡°Hey, give me your tray.¡± ¡°Punk! You should have done that from the start. Don¡¯t make me beat you to death next time, okay?¡± I obediently put the side dishes on the tray as he had ordered me to. I smiled and handed the tray to him. ¡°Eat a lot.¡± ¡°O-oh? Okay. You should eat a lot too.¡± Eat a lot so there will be enough meat for me to devour. * * * Break of dawn when everyone is still asleep. I slowly opened my eyes. That fellow must be asleep right now. I quietly headed to the bathroom so that the people sleeping around me didn¡¯t wake up. The light from the camera in the hallway was blinking. Entering the bathroom, I immediately locked the door of the toilet stall and took off my clothes. However, I hesitated when I actually thought of going through with this. Hu¡­I hate getting mucky. But for now this was the only way to kill him naturally. I sighed briefly before activating my skill. *Liquid. After turning into a liquid, I slowly slid down into the drain on the bathroom floor. The second floor was where workers usually occupied. And the room where Kwak Chungsik was staying was also on the second floor. I came out of the bathroom drain on the second floor after slipping through the dirty pipes. Fortunately, no one was in the bathroom. There must be cameras in this hallway too¡­It¡¯ll be good to stick flat on the floor like water. I closed the drainage hole on the bathroom floor before turning on all the faucets. Soon after, the water began to accumulate on the floor and flowed into the hallway. This should work now. Mixed in between the water, I crawled through the hallway and entered the room with Kwak Chungsik¡¯s name on it. Finding him wasn¡¯t that difficult. Kwak Chungsik was sleeping in the bed closest to the entrance. ¡°¡­Mama.¡± Seeing that he was even talking in his sleep, he seems to be asleep without a care in the world. I crept closer to his bed. Hmm¡­But will this work? In fact, it was my first time using this skill, so I wasn¡¯t exactly sure how it would work. I opened my status window and checked the skill I had recently acquired from the random box. Classification: Special Grade: A Description: Awaken the dormant genes. Dormant Genes: (1) Human: 90.6% (2) Elf: 3.1%. (Inactive) (3) Beast: 2.5% (Inactive) (4) Dwarf: 2% (Inactive) (5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive) (6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive) *This skill cannot be strengthened or used in synthesis. *Value will increase if you consume the same gene. (However, please be careful because the vitality of the absorbed object will permanently be reduced.) Even in the previous round, skills classified as Special weren¡¯t easily seen. On top of that, this was A-grade. But, to be honest, I felt more disappointed than happy when I got this skill. How the hell do I use this skill? The explanation of the skill was too vague. There were various genes marked, perhaps because they¡¯re dormant in my blood. If so, does that mean I have blood from other races and is of mixed race? The time before the inhabitants from other worlds came to Earth, according to the findings at the time, white and black people shared the same ancestry. But compared to that, this was terrible. Whether it¡¯s from my mother¡¯s side or my father¡¯s side, I thought my ancestors were quite open minded people. Anyway, although I¡¯m not sure about the exact mechanics of this skill at the moment, there was another part I was paying attention to. ¡ª However, please be careful because the vitality of the absorbed object will permanently be reduced. After reading the additional information, I thought the reverse would work too. Besides, I have no experience absorbing genes, so I decided to use my life drain skill for now. In any case, vitality is probably the source of life itself. To be honest, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work or not¡­but I¡¯ll give it a try first. I absorbed Kwak Chungsik¡¯s vitality with the skill output as weak as possible. *Drain Life And¡­ [Discovered genetic information that can be absorbed. Do you want to inherit the gene?] It worked. Fortunately, the skill worked without a problem like I had guessed. I stuck to him for a while and used my skill. [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] . . . Kwak Chungsik¡¯s expression was distorted. There were no abnormalities at first, but as time went on, he began to let out painful groans. ¡°Keuh¡­Keuuuh!¡± Cold sweats were flowing down like rain when I looked at his forehead. If I continue a little bit more, it seems his body would enter shock. Hmm. I guess it¡¯s a burden to absorb a lot at once. After I stopped my skill, he fell asleep again with a comfortable look. Somehow, Kwak Chungsik¡¯s face looked slightly thinner than before. I better stop here for today. It would be troublesome if Kwak Chungsik died like this. Even if there¡¯s no physical evidence, sudden death is bound to raise suspicion. Leaving him like that, I returned to my room and closed my eyes. * * * A dirty back alley hidden behind a colorful neon sign. There was an abandoned building where vagrants often gathered. Security wasn¡¯t good on normal days, so it was a place where ordinary people don¡¯t come and go often. But by chance, two people dressed in clean new clothes appeared here today. One was an older middle-aged man, and the one next to him was a boy with pointed ears who looked like a middle school student. The vagrants cast a vigilant gaze at the two new people. Smiling, the middle-aged man took a chocolate out of his pocket and shook it gently. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Among the vagrants who were sizing them up, the youngest child asked. ¡°¡­That, can I have it?¡± ¡°Sure. Here you go.¡± The little boy approached the man carefully and took the chocolate he held in his hand as if he were snatching it. ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t have to be so scared. Mister isn¡¯t a bad guy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie! I heard that¡¯s something bad people would say!¡± The eldest child among the vagrants yelled. The man waved his hand with an awkward look. ¡°Aye¡­are you scared because I¡¯m an old man? Then, it¡¯ll be okay if I throw it from afar, right?¡± The man said so and took out as many chocolates from his pocket as there are children and threw them. When the chocolates fell to the ground, the vagrants pushed each other and hurriedly picked it up. The eldest child, who had shouted at the man, saw his friends eating and eventually grabbed a chocolate. The man stared at the scene and with a friendly smile spoke. ¡°You know, mister¡¯s¡­job is to take care of hungry children like you. Have you heard of House of Flowers?¡± The first child to receive the chocolate raised his hand and shouted. ¡°Me! Me! I know! I saw it on TV!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief. The place where mister works is the House of Flowers. Speaking of which¡­If you guys don¡¯t mind, how about you guys come stay at our facility?¡± ¡°If I go there¡­Can I eat a lot?¡± ¡°Yes! If you go there, you can eat sausages too, and you can eat the chocolate you are eating now every day.¡± The eyes of the vagrants shook when they heard it. Then after a while, the children moved their feet towards the man. But then. The eldest child stopped everyone and asked. ¡°But how can we believe what you said is true?¡± The child gave a suspicious look, but the man simply smiled. ¡°Since you don¡¯t believe me, then how about listening to another friend currently living in our facility?¡± Saying so, he beckoned to the child standing behind him. ¡°Chungsik, can you come here and explain how nice the facility is?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Chungsik replied in a somewhat weak voice. He trudged up to the children while dragging his feet. Like so, the eldest child asked Chungsik. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t lie and tell me! Is everything the old man said true?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. It¡¯s true. If you go there¡­you can eat a lot of food¡­you can play games all day long.¡± ¡°Lie! If that¡¯s true, why do you look so weak? Isn¡¯t he starving you?¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­It¡¯s just that I¡¯m strangely tired today.¡± The man who was watching Kwak Chungsik scolded him with a stern voice. ¡°Hey, Chungsik! Stop joking around and tell these friends¡­¡± Right at that moment. Chungsik faltered and collapsed on the spot. The eldest boy and everyone who saw this screamed loudly. ¡°Lie! I knew you were a bad person! Guys, run away!¡± ¡°W-wait a minute!¡± The man reached out to the children, but the vagrants ran away, scattered between the alleys. Curses leaked out of the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Damn it! Punk, what¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± Looking at Kwak Chungsik who was lying on the ground, he had no choice but to sigh for a long time. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section Chapter 10 Chapter 10 In the late hours when all the nursery students were asleep. Inside a supply storage of a partitioned building, the voice of an angry man leaked out. ¡°Fuck! What¡¯s wrong with this month¡¯s collection?¡± The man¡¯s name was Bae Dalsu. As House of Flowers¡¯ oldest member who has been working here for 15 years, he was the de facto manager in charge of the panhandling operation. Bae Dalsu tapped a plastic container on the floor. Half filled were bundles of bills rolled up with rubber bands. ¡°Kwak Chungsik. What do you think part of the reason for this is? You try to answer it. Why has our profit been cut in half?!¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the vagrant population around here has decreased a lot¡­¡± ¡°Son of a bitch! How can you give me that shit? Then go to another district and earn money! Is it so hard? You don¡¯t know how to take the subway?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kwak Chungsik bowed his head with his hands behind his back. In fact, he had a lot to say about this, but he knew whatever he said would be useless if he couldn¡¯t come up with the money. It was best to just keep his head down without making any excuses in this situation. ¡°Why have you been slacking off these days? Do you take me for a fool because I¡¯ve been going easy on you?¡± ¡°O-of course not!¡± ¡°What do you mean no?! You fell down a few days ago and I missed all those kids!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± Kwak Chungsik couldn¡¯t understand why he has been suffering from the recent fatigue. He couldn¡¯t wake up on time when the broadcast alarm rang each morning, and even while working, he would sometimes feel dizzy. In fact, perhaps because he had been standing for a long time now, but his legs were shaking and he felt like he was about to collapse. ¡°And, punk. Have you found a test subject to be sent to the director next month?¡± ¡°Oh, the thing is¡­I couldn¡¯t catch a vagrant this time, so I¡¯m still¡­¡± ¡°I see, so you failed. You have to clean up your shit. Whether you have to kidnap or coax some bastard, do whatever you have to do.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± ¡°But if you can¡¯t find one, then you¡¯ll be the one to go to the experiment laboratory.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen it before, right? How children who are sent there turn out. If you¡¯re not confident, tell me in advance and I¡¯ll take you there myself.¡± The scene he saw in the past passed through his mind. The terrible scenery that decorated the beautiful garden. ¡®No, I¡¯ll never go there!¡¯ Kwak Chungsik shook his head vigorously. ¡°No! I¡¯ll definitely bring someone!¡± ¡°Good, punk. Do well this time, understand? There are many who can take your place¡­You know what I mean, right?¡± ¡°O-of course!¡± Bae Dalsu tapped Kwak Chungsik on the cheek, then threw the cigarette he was smoking to the ground and crushed it. Then, as he got up from his seat, he reminded him as if he suddenly remembered. ¡°Oh, and there are organizations watching the children these days, so make sure to get handwritten consent. If I find out you¡¯re forging notes like last time, I¡¯ll be the first to kill you.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± ¡°Tsk, you useless punk.¡± Bae Dalsu left the supply storage after saying so. And in a little bit. Kwak Chungsik, who was left alone, collapsed into the chair the man was sitting in. He wasn¡¯t standing for long, but his legs were already shaking. ¡®What the hell happened to my body?¡¯ After only one hour of standing in place he was already finding it hard to stand. He wanted to get tested at least once at the hospital, but if he did such a thing, it would be the same as admitting that he was useless. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± He had to prove his usefulness. If he was useless, he might be abandoned again. Like when he was abandoned by his mother after birth. Or like when he was abandoned again after being adopted. ¡®I have to be a useful person¡­¡¯ If he was abandoned this time, he was destined to be taken to that terrible place. In order to prevent that from happening, he must resolve this. ¡®Where on earth will I get a test object?¡¯ The back alleys of the vagrants were rumored to be difficult to operate for a while. And most of the kids in the nursery now seemed to be aware of what it meant to be sold to other facilities. There was only one option left. ¡®I have no choice but to look among the new recruits.¡¯ Kwak Chungsik recalled the appearance of a new child. A boy with messy hair who was always smiling as if he was a little out of his mind. ¡®He said his name was Choi Noah¡­¡¯ He recalled receiving the tray from the boy who had put food on it. Since the boy had such a timid personality, he thought he only had to threaten him a little before he begs to be sent to another facility. ¡®I just have to do what I¡¯ve always done.¡¯ In any case, he has done it countless times. So maybe this work won¡¯t be too difficult either. ¡®I¡¯ll have to start immediately starting tomorrow.¡¯ * * * Dinner time that everyone was looking forward to. The nursery students who had returned from panhandling flocked to the canteen loudly. Although it was only one meal a day, most of the children lived here because of this one meal. It was by no means easy to survive by oneself with the body of a child in Neo Pyongyang, which is out of reach of the state¡¯s jurisdiction. As soon as the precious meal time was about to start, suddenly, the door of the canteen opened and someone barged in. Boom¨C! Kwak Chungsik and his gang. With their appearance, the noisy canteen quickly fell into silence. In particular, Kwak Chungsik¡¯s expression today was very fierce, so everyone lowered their heads so as to not make eye contact. He looked around the canteen for a while before walking to one of the tables without hesitation. Then, he stopped in front of a child playing with a game console. ¡°Noah Choi.¡± ¡°What?¡± Noah hadn¡¯t even raised his head at the call. He was still eating rice with one hand and keeping his eyes fixed on the game console. Seeing such a scene, the two friends beside Kwak Chungsik became agitated and blurted out. ¡°W-what? What did you just say?¡± ¡°It looks like this son of a bitch is crazy and wants to die.¡± Half-elf twins and self-proclaimed left and right arm of Kwak Chungsik. Like him, they were considered minors because of the special circumstances even though they were actually over 20 years old in terms of years they¡¯ve lived. After calming down his two friends, Kwak Chungsik lowered his voice and spoke to Noah. ¡°Why are you eating here? Are you eating without my permission?¡± Noah glanced up at him, then ignored him again to focus on his game. ¡°Hyung. Sorry, but you¡¯re interrupting my game, so please go somewhere else.¡± ¡°T-this punk is really¡­¡±¡® Boom-! Kwak Chungsik kicked the table leg hard. Surprised by the sound, the children around the table hurriedly evacuated to another place. Then, on the big table, there were only the two of them left. In the midst of that, Noah was still playing his game tactfully and eating with one hand. Kwak Chungsik got closer to Noah¡¯s tray. And¡­ ¡°Ptooey.¡± Yellow spit floated on the soybean paste soup that Noah had been eating. It was only then that his spoon stopped. ¡°Kuku, something like this is more befitting for you, punk.¡± However, Noah casually pushed the tray away as if nothing had happened. ¡°Hyung, you can eat it. I¡¯m not hungry anyway.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe a nursery student would refuse to eat. It was completely incomprehensible with his common sense. At that moment, he noticed small specks on Noah¡¯s clothes. It looked like fried chicken or pork cutlet batter. ¡®No way, this punk¡­He¡¯s secretly eating outside?¡¯ Kwak Chungsik couldn¡¯t understand where his confidence was coming from. To him, Noah was just a newbie who had recently entered the nursery. He felt as if all the rules of life he has followed had been turned upside down. Kwak Chungsik shouted. ¡°Hey, you punk! When you talk to me, you should at least look at my face and answer!¡± He snatched the game console from Noah¡¯s hand. Then, the boy who had always smiled brightly until now made a cold face for the first time. ¡°That¡¯s important to me. Give it back.¡± ¡°Haha, if you want it, take it yourself.¡± As if to play a joke, he made the gesture of putting the old game console in the soybean paste soup. The friends next to him giggled and laughed as Noah watched the scene. By chance, Kwak Chungsik made eye contact with him. And without realizing it, his breath stopped. ¡®¡­What the fuck? Has his eyes always looked like this?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been able to see his eyes properly because he was always smiling. Looking at it like this now, strangely, it looked a bit dull. It¡¯s like looking at a corpse. Kwak Chungsik simply couldn¡¯t understand the fact that he was scared of such a young child. ¡°Fuck! You can have this dirty trash game console back!¡± He held out his arm and was about to throw the game console to the floor. But at that moment. Whoosh¨C Something gray seemed to have passed his eyes, and before he knew it, the game console was back in Noah¡¯s hand. Noah carefully cleaned the old game console and put it in his pocket. ¡°W-what was that just now? How did he do that?¡± ¡°Eh, did Chungsik just give it back to him?¡± The nursery students who pretended not to watch but were watching everything opened their mouths. Each child¡¯s voice flew like an arrow from behind and stuck to Kwak Chungsik. He thought it would be troublesome if it ended like this. If he doesn¡¯t show something now, even the power he had could be shaken. ¡°You crazy punk! I¡¯m really going to kill you!¡± Kwak Chungsik used his large size to grab Noah by the collar. Originally, he didn¡¯t intend to fight where the cameras were, but now he wasn¡¯t in a position to back down. ¡°You went crazy because you wanted to die today? Huh?¡± Since it had gotten to this point, he thought it would be better to step on him right now, rather than break him down little by little. But¡­ Looking at the boy he had grabbed, he saw that he was smiling as brightly as before. ¡°Hyung, I heard you collapsed recently. Do you have some kind of illness?¡± ¡°W-who said that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. If you keep doing this, you¡¯ll get sick and die early.¡± With that said, Noah put his hand on the part where he was grabbed by the collar. At first, Kwak Chungsik thought he was trying to remove his hand, but instead, he stuck his body closer as if he didn¡¯t want to fall off. ¡®What is he doing? He doesn¡¯t know how to fight?¡¯ As soon as he thought that. ¡°Keuk!¡± Suddenly, his vision blurred. The dizziness that he had experienced every day these days had come again. ¡®Damn it¡­Why all of a sudden?!¡¯ However, in this place where other nursery students were watching, he couldn¡¯t show the unsightly appearance of him falling down. ¡®That would really be the end of everything.¡¯ The authority accumulated so far and the ability to control the children will all disappear. ¡®Then I¡¯ll be abandoned again¡­¡¯ Kwak Chungsik clenched his teeth. However, his body tilted back and forth regardless of his will. ¡®Oh, no¡­!¡¯ And the last scene he saw¡­was the image of Noah smiling. * * * After the incident at the canteen, a rumor began to circulate in the nursery. [Kwak Chungsik has a fatal disease.] [I heard he doesn¡¯t have long to live.] At first, it was a rumor that only went around behind Kwak Choong-sik¡¯s ears, but these days, he can hear it everywhere in the nursery. Naturally, Kwak Chungsik¡¯s health has already deteriorated to the point where he had no time to care about such rumors. His plump cheeks, which had already become only bones and skin, were pale and sagged like bloodless meat bags. On top of that, his teeth and nails were falling out day by day, while his hair crumbled like powder just by the slightest touch. Thus, his life withered at a rapid pace. The children at the nursery began to turn a blind eye to him. ¡®Why is this ridiculous thing happening¡­?¡¯ The other children would normally flatter him, but now even those who share the same room as him stopped paying him any attention. Even the two half-elf friends who used to call him brother stopped visiting him. Instead, they were having fun reigning as new kings in his vacancy. ¡®Those damn punks¡­¡¯ He was trembling at the betrayal. Naturally, he never really trusted them either, but he never even imagined that he would be thrown away so coldly. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m coming in. How are you feeling?¡± In any case. It¡¯s ironic, but it was none other than Noah who had stayed by his side until the end. As always, he came in with a bright smile. And he would sit next to him and rub his shoulders as if it were natural. ¡®Doesn¡¯t this punk find it troublesome¡­?¡¯ Noah hasn¡¯t missed a single day and has always come to massage him. ¡®Because I¡¯m useless, everyone else has left¡­¡¯ Even the parents who had given birth to him, the ones who had vowed to raise and love him. Everyone has thrown him away¡­ ¡®But how come this guy hasn¡¯t left me?¡¯ He was suddenly overcome with a sense of guilt. ¡®What in the world did I try to do to this guy who is so nice?¡¯ He thought perhaps the reason why he is sick like this now was because of karma. ¡®To die in vain¡­¡¯ In the end, he wanted to apologize to this guy properly. He wanted to thank him at least once. However, his consciousness had become more and more blurred. Strangely, his physical condition has deteriorated rapidly ever since Noah came. ¡®To see his face one more time, did I force myself to endure it?¡¯ Kwak Chungsik intuitively sensed his end. To convey his last words, he opened his mouth by squeezing out all his remaining strength. ¡°Tha¡­nk¡­you¡­and¡­sorry¡­¡± Did the boy understand him? He didn¡¯t know. But now that he had delivered everything he wanted to say, he could rest now. It would be a lie if he said he didn¡¯t have any regrets in life¡­ ¡®With this, at least I can die with one less regret.¡¯ The two mothers who had abandoned him. Even the fate of being born in such an unfortunate way. Now he felt like he could forgive everyone. Kwak Chungsik smiled. And that smile, it was the most comfortable face he had ever made in his life. ¡®Thank you¡­Choi Noah.¡¯ Thanks to him, he can forgive this world before he dies. ¡®Meeting you was the luckiest thing in my life.¡¯ The moment he was about to breath his last breath¨C Noah spoke. ¡°Wow, hyung is like a cockroach.¡± Hmm? What? What did he just hear? Did his hearing become strange because it was time to die? Kwak Chungsik doubted his ears. ¡°Is it because elves have a long lifespan? You¡¯re still talking even though I¡¯ve sucked so much vitality.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°Aye, honestly, if I knew it would be this long, I¡¯d just look for another way. It¡¯s taking too long to complete a general quest.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­what do¡­you mean?¡± It was hard to keep up with the situation. What was he talking about? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ Does that mean he had orchestrated everything? Then, the fact that he became like this is also¡­ ¡°Y-you son of a¡­bitch!¡± He didn¡¯t know where this energy was coming from. Kwak Chungsik, who had no power to talk, vented his anger roughly. Noah who was in front of him smiled brightly and spoke. ¡°Hu¡­I can¡¯t do this. If I leave hyung like this, I feel like you¡¯ll survive and drag this on, so I¡¯m going to kill you now.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­!¡± ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t think people will doubt how you die with all the rumors that have been going around anyway.¡± Kwak Chungsik looked at Noah with his eyes wide open. Noah¡¯s hand slowly melted, and he began to climb up Kwak Chungsik¡¯s body. Unidentified flesh gradually approached his face. ¡®Ah, no¡­!¡¯ He wanted to scream, but his voice wouldn¡¯t come out because he was too weak. There was a devil living in the nursery. He had to let people know right away. But now the only remaining person by his side was the devil. ¡°Keuh, friendship¡­Why did you trick me?!¡± Kwak Chungsik cried. He asked while squeezing out a voice that didn¡¯t want to come out. What the hell did he do so wrong for Noah to kill him so painfully? Was there a point he had missed? Hasn¡¯t it been only a month since they started living together? In a nonchalant tone, Noah spoke. ¡°I hate people who disturb me when I play games the most.¡± And soon. Noah¡¯s face turned into a warm sticky liquid. * * * I started working on the rest of the gang after killing Kwak Chungsik. In fact, the other guys were beyond my concerns in the first place, but I didn¡¯t like the way they had giggled in the canteen. After absorbing their energy every night for a few days, the half-elf twins began to lose their strength. Then, the children of the nursery began spreading a rumor, saying that it was the curse of Kwak Chungsik. As a result, the twins ran away from the nursery in a frightened state. Thanks to this, I was able to finish the job quite comfortably. I found the twins hiding in a bathroom at a closed subway station. ¡°S-stop! Don¡¯t come closer, monster!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! One of them fired a handgun he had gotten from somewhere. But it could only break the innocent bathroom tiles after the bullet passed through me. ¡°To be honest, I was so thankful that you two had run away.¡± ¡°Ah, no!¡± ¡°I was consuming your energies little by little for a while, so I was worried that you would die from that.¡± I spread my body wide and attacked them both at once. ¡°K-keuaak!!!¡± Well, I didn¡¯t have to control my power anymore, so I thought I could devour them to my heart¡¯s content. *Drain Life As such, that¡¯s how I absorbed the two. [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] [Elf Genetic Value has increased.] . . . Then¡­Finally, a new message appeared before my eyes. [Elf gene is activated.] ¡°Oh?¡± I hurriedly opened my status window to check. Classification: Special Grade: A Description: Awaken the dormant genes. Dormant genes: (1) Human: 88.6% (2) Elf: 5.1%. (Active) (3) Beast: 2.5% (Inactive) (4) Dwarf: 2% (Inactive) (5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive) (6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive) The elf genetic value, which had been marked as inactive has changed to active. ¡°So¡­What can I do with this?¡± The condition was met, but I felt frustrated because I didn¡¯t know how to use this skill. Just as I was sighing, I noticed a subtle change in my reflection in the mirror. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± My ears were a little pointed. It isn¡¯t as pronounced as an elf, but if you look closely, the shape of my ears were different from that of an ordinary human. No way¡­that¡¯s all this skill is? This couldn¡¯t be classified as an A-grade skill. I wanted to believe that it couldn¡¯t be. No, there has to be other effects¡­ The moment when I tried to rationalize it¡­ In the ears that had become pointed, a strange voice began to flow in. ¡ª By any chance¡­Can you hear my voice? == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Back when mankind hadn¡¯t come across the existence of elves, even in those days, elves were already a familiar existence found in numerous materials. Novels, comics, movies, animations, etc¡­ And for me in particular, it was from an RPG game whose character was iconic and hard to forget¡­ The characteristics of elves in such materials were as follows. 1. Pointy ears and beautiful appearance. 2. Pacifists who love forests and animals. 3. Symbol of longevity with the lifespan of a tree. 4. Friends of spirits who protect mother nature. Like their name, they could be said to be the epitome of a fairy. But¡­ The elves that appeared on Earth were quite far from what mankind had imagined. Instead of having the mysterious air of living on dew for the rest of their lives, they usually enjoyed eating pork belly and drinking alcohol. Stories of their beautiful appearances also deviated quite a bit between elves, as can be seen from Kwak Chungsik¡¯s face. If there are some similarities¡­it¡¯s that they have pointed ears and have a longer lifespan than humans. In the end, the elves that mankind dreamed of don¡¯t exist in this world. But even so, it was difficult to dismiss these fantasies as just false. Because in fact, there are past records of ancient elves with such characteristics. Fantasy elements such as sharing warm communication with plants, or being revered in a large number of worlds. I didn¡¯t know it was this kind of skill¡­I looked at the flowers blooming in the garden. And as I focused all my attention, the faint sound of a conversation began to trickle into my ears. ¡ª Hehe, I¡¯ll sprinkle you with a lot of seeds. ¡ª Honey~ put your pollen into me! ¡°¡­¡± The conversations between plants weren¡¯t as mysterious or beautiful as I had imagined. As a result of continuing to watch the garden, I realized that the only thing on these primitive creatures¡¯ minds was to breed¡­ Was it because of this fanatic obsession that weeds grew between asphalts? While agonizing over the providence of nature, a little child and a nursery teacher walking in the garden caught my eye. Among the three groups I arbitrarily labeled, this child belonged to the ¡®flower¡¯ group. ¡°Wow! What¡¯s the name of this flower?¡± The little child asked, pointing to the bright red flowers blooming in the garden. The nursery teacher smiled and answered kindly. ¡°Haha, this is a flower called Sarubi.¡± ¡°So pretty! Does this flower have a meaning?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­When I looked it up, Sarubi is called the flower of hot passion.¡± ¨C Breed! Breed! Breed! Breed! ¡°Ah! That¡¯s why it¡¯s red!¡± ¡°Right, and have you noticed? There is another secret hidden in this flower besides the meaning of its name.¡± ¨C Breed! Breed! Breed some more! ¡°Really? What is it?¡± ¡°In fact, Sarubi is full of honey, so you can eat it as a snack when you are hungry like this.¡± The teacher picked a flower. Snap¨C! ¨C Breed! Breed! Bree¡­Keuaaak! ¨C H-honey noooo!!! The Sarubi flowers screamed. For reference, the pistil of a flower contains its reproductive organ. The teacher put the flower in his mouth and happily ate it. ¡°Hmm~ The honey water is so sweet.¡± ¡°Wow~ Teacher, me too!¡± I looked at the terrible scene and turned my head. As expected, this is a trash skill. I¡¯m afraid this was a failed pick. I got a special A-grade skill, but I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s more useless than a D-grade skill. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sigh without realizing it. For the time being, I thought I should study how to use this skill a little. By the way¡­What was that then? I recalled the moment when I first gained this elf ability. ¨C By some chance¡­Can you hear me? A sudden unidentified voice. If I think about it now, it¡¯s clear that the voice also came from a plant, but as far as I can remember, there were no plants around and only the cold cement. The fellow had spoken words that were incomprehensible to me. ¡ª Please help me! ¡ª If this continues, everyone will die! ¡ª We don¡¯t have much time left! There was desperation in its voice. And at that moment, a new message came to mind in front of my eyes. [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Find ¡®Elf Garden.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). It was a new Challenge. However, I really don¡¯t know anything about this place called ¡®Elf Garden.¡¯ I thought the voice would tell me if I waited a little longer, but unfortunately, I haven¡¯t heard the voice since then. So I had no choice but to return to the nursery empty handed. For now, it seems like an exploration quest¡­ In fact, I don¡¯t really like this kind of Challenge of having to find something. Not only does it take a lot of time, but if there is no clue as it is now, even the beginning wasn¡¯t easy. In the end, I have no choice but to wait for luck. I want the medium-grade box, but¡­I guess I should give up on it for now. There was no point to it unless a clue appeared in front of me. At this point, it would be foolish to invest time and have nothing to show for it. While I was organizing my thoughts, a broadcast came out of a speaker in the garden. [Ahem, as we have announced the other day, this morning¡¯s assembly will be held in the auditorium. Everyone, please don¡¯t forget to arrive on time.] Looking around, I could see the children heading to the auditorium in twos and threes. Well, I don¡¯t need a medium-grade box right now anyway, so there¡¯s nothing particularly disappointing about it. After neatly emptying my lingering feelings about the Challenge, I followed the other children to the auditorium. * * * Most of the children were already gathered when I arrived at the auditorium. On normal days they would have been as late as possible and barely gathered just before the assembly began, but strangely, their behavior was quick today. In addition, they were looking around with an excited expression, as if expecting something. I guess something is happening today. As soon as I thought that, a middle-aged man walked up to the podium. It was the chief teacher who held the highest authority at ¡®House of Flowers,¡¯ Bae Dalsu. After testing the microphone for a while, he opened his mouth. ¡°Ahem, the reason why we are having the assembly in the auditorium today is to make an important announcement to our friends.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some people may already know this, but a ¡®periodic sponsorship¡¯ will be held next Saturday.¡± At the end of Bae Dalsu¡¯s words, smiles bloomed on the children¡¯s faces. I was also happy. An opportunity has finally arrived. In fact, it was to participate in this event that I have been holding my breath in the nursery. In general, when it comes to sponsorship at a nursery, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same concept as a talent show or a school arts festival to express gratitude in front of the guests invited from outside¡­ However, the purpose was different in this city. A fact I had learned while investigating information related to nurseries, the word sponsorship here at the nurseries in Neo Pyongyang had a slightly special meaning. It was a time for the children to promote themselves to the sponsors. Like a kind of exhibition event where the children are the products. People attending this event were either parents of ordinary families or scouts from prestigious families of heroes who wanted special races or excellent children. As Neo Pyongyang is the city where the largest number of superhumans resided, the sponsors who visit here would also be very special. ¡°And one final announcement. This sponsorship will be held as a joint event with other nurseries.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s really unfortunate, but in this sponsorship, there is no choice but to limit the number of participants.¡± While those in the flower group smiled, other children couldn¡¯t hide their disappointment. It was a natural reaction. It was obvious that everyone has endured a terrible life all for the hope of this event. I could hear buzzing sighs here and there. On normal days Bae Dalsu would have yelled at them to be quiet, but he only raised one corner of his mouth when he saw it. Then he spoke. ¡°But I think all the friends here would like to go to the sponsorship event. So the teachers had a meeting and came up with one method in the end.¡± Bae Dalsu took out a red sticker. The sticker was engraved with the words ¡®good job.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll take the friends who earn this good job sticker here to the event.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s important to be a good child who listens to the teacher well, right?¡± The children¡¯s eyes lit up. The children in the flower group were still relaxed, but the children in other groups had a bloodthirsty look as if they would kill for one. ¡°We¡¯ll end today¡¯s assembly with this. Everyone, go back and have a great day today. Now~ Attention, bow.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The children¡¯s voices resonated louder than ever in the auditorium. They rushed out and started cleaning the surroundings with brooms. As I watched, I thought to myself. Hmm¡­This development isn¡¯t much fun. I might not be able to attend the sponsorship event. If so, there was no need to remain here. Should I reveal my abilities now? If I did that, I might be able to join the flower group and attend the sponsorship event. However, it could be said that revealing my cards with only this much work would do more harm than good. On top of that, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll particularly like the abilities I have. For example, the ability to turn my body into liquid. It felt very insignificant compared to the ability to emit fire from your hands or fly in the sky. Should I just kill everyone and start over? Rather than competing with such children, I thought it would be the better option. As soon as I started to have such thoughts, someone spoke to me. ¡°Hmm. Aren¡¯t you the new friend who had just joined the nursery? Your name is Choi Noah, right?¡± When I looked up, Bae Dalsu who was standing on the podium a while ago was looking at me. What¡¯s going on all of a sudden? I¡¯ve never talked to him before. As I found it strange, he said with a kind smile. ¡°Haha, Noah. Do you have time right now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°As a teacher, I¡¯ve been watching you, and in my opinion, Noah seems to be a good enough child to attend the sponsorship.¡± That¡¯s right. Considering that I¡¯ve been holding it in and staying calm, even a whole box of stickers wouldn¡¯t be enough for me. I guess I was worried for no reason. Nodding my head, I reached out. ¡°Well, give me a sticker.¡± ¡°Uh, h-hear me out. I gave a sticker to another friend earlier, so I don¡¯t have any on me. Speaking of which¡­Do you want to come with teacher to get a sticker?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­It¡¯s a bit of a hassle. But okay.¡± ¡°R-right¡­Thank you.¡± It would be difficult if this guy suddenly changed his mind and said no, so I thought it would be better to accept it. I followed him out of the auditorium. * * * Bae Dalsu nervously turned the steering wheel. Due to his reckless driving, vehicles in the other lanes were honking. ¡®Fuck¡­Why am I the one who has to do this?¡¯ He was currently in a very bad mood. Originally, this should have been done by the trash in charge of chores, but the situation suddenly became complicated. ¡®Tsk, those punks are useless in the end.¡¯ Bae Dalsu recalled Kwak Chungsik who had died a while ago and the half-elf twins who ran away. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered much if they disappeared, but the problem was that there was no experiment to send to the director at the moment. ¡®Damn! I didn¡¯t want to get involved in this kind of thing myself.¡¯ He was extremely reluctant to tarnish his career. So he would use one of the children whenever he did something illegal. But for now, there was no time to select a new person to proceed with the work. In the end, he had no choice but to do it himself. ¡®I¡¯m glad this guy was here.¡¯ He looked at Noah in the back seat through the rear mirror. One day out of the blue he came to the nursery on his own accord. Bae Dalsu couldn¡¯t understand what was so good outside the window that made Noah smile. ¡®Unknown origin and it hasn¡¯t been long since he came here¡­I¡¯ll be able to dodge this bullet somehow.¡¯ In the worst case, he can say that the child ran away on his own, but in that case, an investigation into welfare costs might start because he would have to knowingly report the wrong number of children. ¡®As expected, it¡¯s better to erase the traces of him being here in the first place.¡¯ Fortunately, he has never received a subsidy in this child¡¯s name, so as long as the other children keep their mouths shut, he¡¯ll be able to move on without difficulty. ¡®Damn! I have a lot of work to do. I¡¯ll have to deliver him as soon as possible.¡¯ The force stepping on the accelerator increased. The vehicle began to leave the city at a high speed. As the number of buildings outside the window gradually decreased, he finally arrived at an unknown mansion located in the suburbs. There were high fences around the mansion, and a red sign indicating that this is a private property was attached in front. Bae Dalsu clicked his tongue at the ominous words. ¡®Tsk, it¡¯s creepy every time I come here.¡¯ When he recalled what was beyond that barbed wire, he began to feel nauseous. Turning off the engine, he got out of the car. ¡°We¡¯re here. Get out.¡± ¡°Here? What about my sticker?¡± Noah looked at Bae Dalsu with a puzzled look. Looking at the innocent look on Noah¡¯s face, Bae Dalsu was overwhelmed with disgust. ¡®Is he still pretending not to know?¡¯ As a result of taking care of children through the years, he had come to realize that they were keener than what adults gave them credit for. Therefore, most would start to notice that the situation had gone weird at this point. And the reaction was generally divided into two. Either cry and cling to him, or deny reality by pretending not to know. Bae Dalsu hated the appearance of such children to the point he felt terrible disgust. ¡°Shut up and get out of the car!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Noah looked at Bae Dalsu for a moment before getting out of the car. Then, Bae Dalsu beckoned Noah towards the entrance of the mansion. ¡°Do you see that fence over there? Go ahead and ring the doorbell and wait. Soon the door will open. Then you can go in.¡± ¡°Over there? It¡¯s annoying, so can you just bring the sticker to me?¡± Noah pretended not to know until the end. At the desperate appearance, Bae Dalsu briefly gave a vain laugh. ¡°Oh, my. It¡¯s disgusting, so stop acting because it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°What do you mean? You said you¡¯d give me a sticker.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you already figured it out? How can I give up a sponsorship seat for a trash like you? Think about how much that would cost.¡± ¡°¡­So teacher lied to me, right?¡± ¡°When did I say I would? Maybe because I¡¯m getting older, I don¡¯t remember haha.¡± The smiling boy¡¯s expression hardened. It seems that it was only now that he was starting to accept reality. Bae Dalsu liked children who showed such an expression. The moment when those little ones, who only think about themselves, finally realize reality and become frustrated. He felt like his stress was relieved to some extent. ¡°No one knows that you and I are here anyway, so don¡¯t think about it and hurry up and go into that mansion.¡± ¡°Huu¡­That¡¯s good.¡± The boy¡¯s stiff expression began to turn into a smile again. ¡®Is he trying to bluff now?¡¯ ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It means it¡¯s okay for me to kill teacher now.¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! Crazy punk.¡± For a while, he laughed out loud. Sometimes there were guys like that. Children who believe that they are special beings like they¡¯re chosen in this world. When he was young, he also thought that he would someday awaken an ability and become a special being like the heroes in the cartoons. But it¡¯s all just an illusion. He was just an ordinary extra without even a name. ¡®How many years did it take before I realized that?¡¯ So he hated children who were obsessed with such vain delusions. ¡°Teacher has one last thing to teach you.¡± He wanted to see this delusional child crying and begging for forgiveness. Fortunately, the director didn¡¯t have strict conditions for the supplied experiment. ¡®He¡¯ll be used as an experiment anyway, so he just needs to be alive.¡¯ Bae Dalsu took off his watch and approached Noah. At that moment, Noah spoke. ¡°If you hand over the sticker, I¡¯ll shoot you less painfully.¡± ¡°?!¡± Suddenly, when he came to his senses, there was a gun in Noah¡¯s hand that he had never seen before. And the end of the gun was pointing at him. He was shocked by the sudden appearance of the gun, but he thought it was probably a toy. ¡®Is this his last ditch effort?¡¯ ¡°Oh, my. What are you going to do with that toy¡­?¡¯ Clank¨C! As Noah loaded the gun, an ominous sound came as if the metal was interlocking. ¡®Do toys sound so realistic these days?¡¯ ¡°I-it¡¯s a toy, right?¡± Then with a meaningful smile, Noah spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But won¡¯t we find out once I pull the trigger?¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°Kueaak!!¡± Both his thighs were penetrated. The terrible pain felt as if iron skewers made of fire had pushed in. Unknowingly, he collapsed on the spot with yellow lines running down his pants. Unlike what he saw in movies, the pain he felt went far beyond his imagination. He couldn¡¯t suppress his scream. At that moment, the sight of a gun appeared in front of him and touched his forehead. Clank¨C ¡°It¡¯s noisy, so stop shouting.¡± ¡°Aah¡­you crazy¡­¡± Like a lie, he was able to swallow his scream. In a trembling voice he begged. ¡°P-please spare me. I¡¯ll forget everything about today. And when we go back, I¡¯ll make sure to put your name on the sponsorship event. So please¡­¡± ¡°Before that, give me a sticker.¡± Bae Dalsu hurriedly took out a bunch of stickers and handed them over. The words ¡®good job¡¯ were scattered all over the ground. ¡°H-here. I-I gave it to you, so hurry and call an ambulance. I¡¯ll bleed out like this¡­¡± Without paying any attention to Bae Dalsu, Noah grabbed one of the stickers. Then he stuck it on Bae Dalsu¡¯s forehead and read the words. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­H-hold on!¡± Bang¨C! Bae Dalsu died without even the time to scream. * * * ¡°Keuh¡­this is the taste.¡± Perhaps because it¡¯s been a while since I used a gun, I felt like I had relieved some of the stress I¡¯ve been holding back. The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. I had forgotten about this fun because I¡¯ve been quiet lately. I placed Bae Dalsu¡¯s body in my inventory and packed the stickers that fell on the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I came all the way here for these stickers.¡± In fact, from the time he took me to the parking lot and not his office, I had some idea that this would happen. However, there was no other way for me to do it cleanly. ¡°Thanks to him, I can participate in the sponsorship.¡± Bae Dalsu is dead, but it¡¯ll be okay if I show the stickers to the other teachers. This guy never came to the nursery often anyway, and it was mainly up to other teachers to prepare for the event. And by the time they feel something is strange, I¡¯ll be out of there. Now, if I attend the sponsorship and catch the eyes of at least one decent person, I¡¯ll have a normal identity. ¡°Huu¡­I should secretly head back now.¡± Since it was about an hour away from the city, even if I walked, I thought I could arrive back by dinner time. Today¡¯s dinner was probably pork cutlet? It was a decent meal after playing outside for a long time. I shouldn¡¯t buy food outside and just eat home-cooked meals today. As soon as I thought that, a message window popped up in front of me. Ding¨C! [Condition for the Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest) has been met.] [Find Elf Garden (Completed).] [Challenge updated.] [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Find the ¡®Flower of Shadow.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). ¡°Huh?¡± The Challenge was suddenly updated. Why the fuck did it happen? I didn¡¯t do anything. There was only a large mansion in front of me. Ah, is this Elf Garden? High towering fences and bare thorn trees surrounding all sides. It was too gloomy to be called Elf Garden¡­ To be honest, I didn¡¯t have any clue, so I was going to let go of my lingering affection¡­ The story will change again. There was no reason to refuse the reward in front of me. This has cleared things up. As expected, this world was a game of luck. And fortunately, I had a decent justification to go over that tall fence. I rang the doorbell hanging in front of the mansion. Ding, dong¨C Soon after, a gruffy old voice came from inside. ¡ª Who is it? ¡°I¡¯m from House of Flowers. Teacher told me to come here.¡± ¡ª ¡­ And in a little bit. Possibly an electronic device of some kind, a small door next to the huge main gate slid and opened automatically. Does it mean to go inside? In any case, I was just grateful. Thanks to this, I can carry out the Challenge comfortably. I thought it would be difficult to grow for the time being, but maybe I¡¯ll be able to pick another good item or skill before leaving the nursery. ¡°Let¡¯s finish it quickly and go eat dinner.¡± I pushed open the door and went inside. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Past the fences, a narrow road carefully paved with asphalt appeared. On both sides were thick towering trees, and beyond that were only dark shadows despite it being daytime. ¡°It¡¯s quite spacious.¡± Let alone the mansion, all I could see were trees and grass when I looked around. Was it safe to say that this was really made by carving out an entire mountain? On top of that¡­there¡¯s even a trace of magic over there. A faint magic light was shining between the fences and forest. I don¡¯t know exactly what kind of spell it is, but it seems to be a kind of intruder alarm or trap. It was a good thing I came in through the front door. I¡¯m not sure if the owner of the mansion had installed it himself or had employed someone from inside, but¡­ One thing was certain, it wasn¡¯t a skill a beginner could accomplish. If I had sneaked over the fence and infiltrated, I might have had to suffer quite a bit in the middle of such a trap. For now I didn¡¯t have a particular method to deal with magic¡­so if possible, it¡¯d be best to avoid the trap. While looking around like that, the sound of a car¡¯s exhaust began to be heard from afar. And in a little bit, a small truck with dirt everywhere arrived. In the luggage compartment were burlap bags with several suspicious stains. Soon after, the truck door opened, and an old man wearing an old shirt and overalls got off. He had a large hump on his back. It looked like a toad carrying around a bird¡¯s nest. ¡°What are you staring at?!¡± As I stood still observing him, the old man shouted in a voice resembling a crow. It was the same voice I had heard at the entrance a while ago. ¡°Are¡­Are you telling me to get in the truck?¡± ¡°Who else is here besides you?! If you don¡¯t want to be carried in the luggage compartment, get in the car now!¡± It was an old man with a dirty temper. For a moment I thought about killing him, but I put that idea on hold for now. Let¡¯s watch the situation. There was no way to find clues in this wide area right now, so I thought it would be better to follow him into the mansion first. If it¡¯s ¡®Flower of Shadow,¡¯ I thought it would more likely be hidden somewhere in the mansion than blooming like a weed on the side of the road. I got into the truck according to the old man. An unidentified smelly odor poked my nose. It smelled like rotten seafood. I felt nauseous, so I immediately lowered the window while the old man drove the truck without saying a word. ¡°¡­¡± We drove along the mountain path for a while. The mansion was much wider than I had thought. About 10 minutes or so passed. In front of us, who had arrived near the top of the mountain, another gate appeared. It was iron bars with colorful flower decorations that would suit old European mansions. After a while, the old man got out of the car and opened the gate. Squeak¨C! The unpleasant noise of rusty iron echoed through the mountains. Then, on the wide plateau, I could see beautiful flowers and trees. Sure enough¡­ Is this why it¡¯s called Elf Garden? I admired it somewhat. The scenery of this huge garden was incredibly beautiful, as if the elves had really cared for it like what was mentioned in the Challenge¡¯s explanation. The old man got back into his truck and entered the garden. Then he parked the truck in one corner close to the entrance. ¡°Get out.¡± As expected, I didn¡¯t like being told what to do, but this time I got off without hesitation. The old man held the bags that were in the luggage compartment in both hands before throwing one at me. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Just shut up and follow me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± An unknown damp liquid permeated little by little from the handle of the bag. It inadvertently got on my clothes. Should I just kill him now? However, it was a waste to come all the way here and kill him, so I decided to keep the old man alive for now. I shifted the bag around and followed the old man to the side of the garden. After finishing everything, he ordered me again. ¡°Turn around for a second.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Stop talking! Turn around when I tell you to turn around!¡± When I reluctantly turned around, the old man quickly began to tie my body with a tough rope. I was dumbfounded by the shameless attitude, so I watched for a while before putting strength into my arms to shake off the old man. No, I was going to shake him off. What¡¯s up with this old man? My current muscle strength with 2 points in Body was already out of the realm of a normal human. However, for some reason, the old man¡¯s strength was stronger than mine. So I fell to the ground in an instant while tied. The old man had tightly tied the rope to the point where my skin had turned white. ¡°Keukeu¡­Today ended quite easily.¡± The old man made an unpleasant laugh. Upon closer look, the rotten smell was coming out of his mouth every time he spoke. ¡°Lay there for a while. I haven¡¯t finished my work for today because you suddenly came.¡± He opened one of the bags that we had just moved and pulled something out. Inside was a ball of red flesh dripping with blood, but I couldn¡¯t guess exactly what meat it was. ¡°Meal time. You lazy punks.¡± The old man grabbed a chunk of flesh in his hand and kicked a nearby tree. Then the tree began to tremble, and at one point, the bark rolled down as if a snake was molting. Inside, red muscles wriggled, and thick blood vessels pulsated in-between. It looks just like what I saw when I cut open human skin in the past. And in a little bit. The features of a face seemed to have sprouted on the tree. The face had no eyes, nose, or anything, but it was huge as if a whole person had been swallowed. ¡ª Kill me¡­Please kill me¡­ From it, I heard a voice. What¡¯s¡­this? A clear voice different from ordinary plants. It sounded similar to when I had received this Challenge. Is this related to the ¡®Flower of Shadow?¡¯ As soon as I thought that, suddenly, all the plants in the garden began to transform at once. The trees¡¯ thick bark peeled, and in it, bizarre faces appeared. Everywhere was quickly covered with red flesh. The entire garden wriggled like it was alive. Looking at it, I felt as if I had entered a huge intestine. ¡ª It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!! ¡ª I want to go home¡­Mom¡­ ¡ª Kuaaak¨C!!! Screams and groans leaked out from all over the place. And among them, the most frequently heard phrase was ¡®kill me.¡¯ I see¡­so that¡¯s what it was. I can roughly guess what has happened here. The plants in this beautiful garden¡­All of them were ¡®human.¡¯ The children sold in the House of Flowers seem to have really become flowers here. The old man threw the flesh in his hand at the trees shaped like humans. Without hesitation, they ate it with their big mouths. Having emptied the bag like that, he looked down at me and smiled unpleasantly. ¡°Keukeu¡­You must be surprised and can¡¯t even cry.¡± Certainly, it¡¯s as he said. I was surprised. Is it a variety he had developed himself? I¡¯ve never seen these strange creatures in the previous round. What the hell should I call these? Tree humans? Human trees? Anyway, it was a taste that was hard to understand for a person like me who had extremely normal thoughts. ¡°Hmm¡­dimwitted punk.¡± When I didn¡¯t say much, the old man frowned and his forehead narrowed. He seemed to have wanted me to give a more dramatic reaction. ¡°What are all the large monsters here?¡± I asked him. The old man stared at the stone mansion seen far beyond the garden and spoke. ¡°Haha, all the plants here can be said to be the creations made by my great master himself. Although most of the guys here are just failures.¡± ¡°Creations?¡± ¡°Haha, even if you don¡¯t ask me, you¡¯ll find out soon anyway.¡± The old man lifted me, who was tied like a caterpillar, on one shoulder, and slowly climbed the hill to the mansion. My body shook here and there whenever he took a step. Seeing his relaxed steps, it seems that he believes he has captured me completely. ¡­I guess now was my only chance. While he had lowered his guard, I had to dig up the information I needed. ¡°Grandpa, what will happen to me now?¡± ¡°Keukeu¡­You must be scared now. In the future, you¡¯ll be reborn as a beautiful flower under the grace of the great master.¡± ¡°Like the monsters I saw before? Do I have to live like that for the rest of my life?¡± ¡°Hmph! They¡¯re just failures. As long as you succeed, you¡¯ll gain enormous power. So you should be honored!¡± ¡°I see¡­Do you know where the ¡®Flower of Shadow¡¯ is?¡± ¡°Shadow? What kind of nonsense is that?¡± The guy who had been answering all my questions so far suddenly looked like he didn¡¯t know English. There would be no reason to act like that now, so maybe he really didn¡¯t know anything. He was no longer useful. ¡°I can kill him now.¡± ¡°Hmm? What did you just say?¡± While the old man looked back with a surprised face, I quickly changed my body to a liquid and released the bondage. Immediately, I took a military knife out of my inventory and put it in the carotid artery of the old man. Pak¨C! ¡°Keuk¡­keu!¡± Thanks to my precise diagonal stab, the vocal cords in front of the larynx were neatly cut off. It¡¯ll be impossible for him to scream now. I pulled out the fresh knife before the old man could fall to the ground. Then, from his ribs to groin, I opened his stomach in one motion. Shiik¨C Due to the momentum of my action, the wound spread open just like that and all the contents inside poured out onto the ground. Maybe by now he would feel an emptiness in his stomach. ¡°Keuk! Keuh! Keuh!¡± The old man, who stumbled for a while, bent his arm in the air and collapsed in a ridiculous pose. I took another knife out of my inventory. And then I approached him step by step. Lastly, I was going to put another knife in his heart. But¡­ ¡°?!¡± The old man¡¯s condition was somewhat strange. No, to be exact, the contents poured out from him were strange. The organs that should have been bright red were black and dead. In addition, when I looked closely, there were even white maggots in it. A stench permeated everywhere. It smelled dozens of times worse than the old man¡¯s mouth a while ago. ¡°Keuk!¡± I stepped back, pinching my nose. And then¡­ Behind the old man¡¯s protruding back, something orange began to wriggle and stretch out. Dozens of stems resembling coral reefs. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before. ¡­What was it again? While I was pondering over my memory, I recalled the contents of the children¡¯s great encyclopedia that I had read at the nursery not too long ago. Cordyceps Militaris? Come to think of it, it looks just like the shape of a fungus. As soon as I thought so, a human face popped out of the fungus. ¨C Damn it. Because of this I lost a useful body¡­For the time being I need a new host. I have no choice but to get another one of my master¡¯s test subjects. ¡°Host?¡± ¡ª That¡¯s right. Thanks to the grace of my master, I¡¯ve gained eternal life as a host¡­W-wait! Y-you can hear my voice?! ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª No way¡­ Even my master can¡¯t hear the voice of plants¡­Ah, I have to let my master know¡­ The Cordyceps Militaris was noticeably shocked. It hurriedly controlled the old man¡¯s body and crawled toward the mansion. Although the limbs were bent, his speed was quite fast. I approached that kind of guy and once again put a knife into him. But¡­ ¡ª Keukeu, it¡¯s no use. My body is stronger than steel because of the grace of my master. The Cordyceps Militaris crawled without stopping despite my continued attacks. My physical attacks didn¡¯t seem to be working very well against him. And I can¡¯t absorb this smelly and disgusting bastard¡­ I was conflicted. At this rate, he¡¯ll run away if I leave him alone, but he was too dirty for me to touch. At some point, I remembered a memory that I had forgotten. ¡°Ah, there was that.¡± The Turbak Brotherhood was both a drug cartel and a kind of terrorist organization preparing for war. Therefore, among the weapons I had acquired in their arsenal, there were weapons that were simply meant for war. Finally, the day has come where I can try this. I pulled a gasoline tank and a flamethrower out from my inventory. Until now, it¡¯s been indoors or the situation wasn¡¯t good, so I¡¯ve been neglecting it. ¡°To be honest, I really wanted to use it from the moment I first saw it.¡± Check the installation. 1500 PSI. It¡¯s enough pressure to have no problem shooting flames right away. I aimed the hose at the bastard. The Cordyceps Militaris urgently looked back and shouted. ¡ª Hey, wait a minute! If you do something like that here¡­ But it¡¯s too late to stop me. How can I endure something that looks so fun? ¡°It¡¯s going to be a little hot.¡± I opened the valve connected to the tank. Gas was mixed with the fuel, and compressed gasoline was injected forward. Then, it came in contact with the torch¡¯s flame and a huge flame burned. ¡ª Kueaaak!!!! A flame resembling a dragon¡¯s breath engulfed the bastard. The Cordyceps Militaris burned in an instant and an acrid black smoke rose. This is fun. While I was at it, I also gave fireworks to the trees around me. ¡ª Kyaaak!! ¡ª It¡¯s hot! It¡¯s hot! It¡¯s hot! I can hear the cold scream filled with anguish among the plants. The beautiful garden became covered in flames. It was bodies that can¡¯t return to being human anyway. They also wanted to die, so wouldn¡¯t they be grateful to me? In the midst of my enjoyment playing with fire¡­ Ding¨C! Messages that I have been looking forward to appeared in front of my eyes. [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] ¡°I¡¯ve gained two levels this time.¡± I didn¡¯t have a chance to gain experience for a while and felt that my growth was a little stagnant, so I took this opportunity to level up properly. I¡¯ve said it before but mobbing is the best way to hunt. The messages didn¡¯t end here. [You¡¯ve eliminated an existence that meets the standard of ¡®evil.¡¯] [You¡¯ve saved those who were in despair.] [ grade has increased.] [A new effect has been added.] Come to think of it¡­I had forgotten about it because so far it has been useless, but I had a growth skill. I opened my status window to check the added effect. Classification: General Grade: E (Grade F -> E) Description: A warrior grows through hardships. Grade Effect: Grade F: Favorability increases easily. Grade E: Awaken at the moment of crisis. * New * *Punish evil to grow the skill. *Save others to grow the skill. *This skill cannot be strengthened by yourself. ¡°Ooh.¡± Fortunately, the effect this time seemed pretty good, unlike the useless favorability effect. I¡¯m not sure what ¡®awaken¡¯ means yet, but it appears to be a combat ability at first glance. ¡°Regardless, I was lacking combat skills, so this is good¡­¡± As expected, it¡¯s fun to punish ¡®evil.¡¯ Perhaps being a hero is more suitable for me than I thought. ¡°I¡¯ll have to deal with the remaining ¡®evil¡¯ now.¡± Looking at the charred garden, I turned towards the mansion. The reward I¡¯ve been looking forward to was waiting for me there. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 From time to time, Elizabeth would dream. And after waking up she would always tell her mother about it. ¡°Mom, I met mister elephant in my dream yesterday!¡± ¡°Really? Then should we go to the zoo today?¡± ¡°Wow! Really? I¡¯ll get dressed now.¡± Her mother had always fulfilled her dreams. When cotton candy appeared in her dream, her mother would buy her cotton candy, and when dolls appeared, her mother would buy her a doll. So before going to bed every night she would eagerly wish for a pleasant dream. ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s like magic! Mom always makes my dreams come true.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Mom is actually a magician~ So my darling, what kind of dream do you want to have today?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Oh! I hope pork cutlets appear in my dream today!¡± ¡°Then we better buy the ingredients in advance, right?¡± ¡°Right! Right!¡± That very night. In her dream, she saw her mother hospitalized. ¡°My darling¡­I¡¯m sorry mom is sick. I was supposed to make you pork cutlets today.¡± ¡°N-no! It¡¯s my fault that mom is sick because I keep making you tired¡­So I¡¯ll make you pork cutlets when you get better.¡± ¡°Huhu¡­What a good daughter.¡± But her mother grew weaker and weaker. A rare disease without a name. No matter what treatment was used, it was all useless. Her appearance became like that of a plant whose roots had already dried up. ¡°My darling¡­if mom dies¡­Uncle¡¯s words¡­You have to listen well, okay?¡± ¡°No! Mom won¡¯t die! You can¡¯t say that!¡± ¡°Huhu¡­my lovely¡­daughter, I¡¯m¡­sorry I can¡¯t stay with you longer¡­Keuk!¡± ¡°M-mom! No! Y-you can¡¯t die!¡± And then¡­The day she saw her mother die in her dream. Elizabeth knew that her dream had become a reality. From then on, she became afraid of the night. * * * A certain kind of dream. An irresistible nightmare that repeats every day. It always begins with a green mist appearing above a city. The light green powder continues to fall from the sky as it mysteriously wraps around the city as if being blessed by a fairy. All the while its citizens watch on vacantly at the beautiful scenery. [No! Quickly run away!] Elizabeth cried out. But her voice couldn¡¯t reach them. Meanwhile, the green powder completely blanketed the city. Children, adults, men, women. Everyone breathed in the green powder. [Ah, no!] People collapsed helplessly on the ground as dark green grass began to sprout from their bodies. ¡°Keuaak!¡± ¡°S-save me!¡± Screams filled every corner of the city that had fallen into chaos. [P-please stop! Stop!] There was nothing she could do as she watched the ongoing horror. It was just an empty scream that no one could hear. ¡°Waah! Mom!¡± A child who had lost his parents was crying by himself. [It¡¯s dangerous here! Please run away!] But the child didn¡¯t move. He cried and embraced the pine tree next to him as the screams around him grew. And soon¡­The child too, had turned into a pine tree. [Why¡­why is this happening!?] Facing the scene, she closed her eyes tightly. Meanwhile, plants continued to sprung up endlessly. The world was gradually dyed by the color green. [Please¡­Someone please help me!] Even though she knew no one could hear her, and even though she knew it was a dream that she¡¯ll soon wake up from¡­ She yelled. However, like always, her dream was running toward its end. Everywhere was being overtaken by the forest, and the gray city was gradually returning to nature. The nightmare will soon end. And maybe someday, this landscape in her dream will become a reality. [I couldn¡¯t stop it this time either¡­] A dream that always repeats. An unpreventable fate. She was helpless in front of it. The only thing she could do was experience the pain ahead of others. [I can¡¯t even stop it anyway¡­Why show these scenes to me only¡­?] At the moment she became frustrated, in front of her, she noticed a different scene than usual. There was an unidentified beast. A monster emitting an ominous energy that¡¯s difficult to describe in words. It was leisurely looking at the growing trees in the middle of the green city. [There¡¯s never been a scene like this before¡­] She carefully approached the beast and spoke. [By any chance¡­Can you hear me?] She looked at the beast and wondered if it could really hear her voice. It was a small change, but it was the first difference in this world. So she shouted. [Please help me!] [If this continues, everyone will die!] [We don¡¯t have much time left!] The beast opened its big mouth and laughed. Before long, it began spewing hot flames from its mouth. Black smokes covered the sky as the fierce flames burned the forest from all sides. Then¡­The unknown beast smiled brightly at the burning forest. As if I were going to burn everything in the world. After everything was burned, the beast turned away without care. [S-save me too!] She shouted desperately. [Please take me out of here!] But the beast disappeared farther and farther away, as if it couldn¡¯t hear her voice. Soon, Elizabeth slowly woke up. * * * ¡°Ha¡­¡± Elizabeth let out a small sigh with a disappointed look. ¡®In the end, it didn¡¯t show up today either.¡¯ A strange beast had suddenly appeared in her dream one day. So over several days, she forced herself to sleep with the hope of meeting it again. However, after that day, only the same nightmare repeated and the beast she had hoped to see hasn¡¯t appeared. ¡®What the hell was that¡­?¡¯ Scenes from that time were still vivid in her mind. The way the beast was happily laughing alone in the huge flame as if it was going to swallow the world. She thought maybe it would be the one to release her from this curse, but seeing that nothing has changed in her life since then, she realized that her expectations might have been unwarranted. ¡°¡­I want to live freely too.¡± She got out of bed and stood in front of a mirror. Reflected in the mirror was an adult woman with full features. ¡®My body has grown this much, so why am I¡­¡¯ It has already been 20 years since her mother passed away and she began living with her uncle. For an elf, she had reached adulthood last year, but she was still afraid of the coming nights like a child. ¡®Why am I the only one suffering like this¡­?¡¯ Even though she asks herself this every day, she still couldn¡¯t find a reason. Others might be envious of her who can see the future, but to her, it was a curse that couldn¡¯t be escaped. Knowing the future but still powerless to change it¡­Rather, it seems to only be an emotional burden. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A deep sigh leaked out. And then, Click¨C A man opened the door without knocking and entered the room. An elf in his mid 50s who gave off a scholarly atmosphere. It was her uncle, Rastus. ¡°U-uncle?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rastus looked at Elizabeth standing in front of the mirror silently for a while. Soon, he closed the door and approached her. ¡°You¡¯re becoming more and more like your mother, Elizabeth.¡± Saying so, Rastus slowly swept her hair aside. ¡°I-is that so?¡± ¡°Wait a little longer. ¡®That day¡¯ isn¡¯t too far away now¡­¡± Thinking of the ¡®day¡¯ Rastus was referring to, Elizabeth trembled a little. She felt as if her whole body was crawling with bugs. Gently pushing away the hand that had been caressing her, she changed the subject nonchalantly. ¡°W-what brings uncle here this morning¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to regulate your physical condition.¡± ¡°R-regulate?¡± In front of the nervous Elizabeth, Rastus took out an ampoule bottle containing a black liquid. ¡°Oh¡­¡± After seeing it, Elizabeth spat out a small groan. The bottle Rastus was currently holding in his hand was extracted from a plant called the ¡®Flower of Shadow¡¯ that had come from the otherworld, and it was one of her least favorite drugs because of the terrible pain. ¡°You might not like it, but endure it. This is a necessary procedure.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± For his personal goal, Rastus has been molding his young niece¡¯s body for a long time. And because of that, Elizabeth has gained numerous mysterious abilities, such as being able to listen to the voices of plants and controlling shadows. However, she had never wanted these abilities. ¡°Okay, take off your clothes and lie on the bed.¡± ¡°N-now?¡± ¡°¡­I have a lot to deal with today. It won¡¯t take too long, so hurry up and lie down.¡± As the planned ¡®day¡¯ drew near, the frequency of Rastus regulating her body had gradually increased. Elizabeth hated these times of entrusting herself to her uncle. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s long ears were dyed red as she began to take off her pajamas piece by piece. The beautiful and immaculate white skin was explicitly revealed under the bright sunlight. If someone had been watching this secretly, they would never have been able to avert their eyes. However, like a dry tree, Rastus looked at Elizabeth¡¯s body with an emotionless look. It was as if he was inspecting a machine for repair. Lying on the bed with her chest covered, she asked in a trembling voice. ¡°T-today¡­ How long will it take?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say? It won¡¯t take too long.¡± With that said, Rastus opened the lid of the bottle and poured the liquid over Elizabeth¡¯s body. Sticky, black liquid flowed down the curve of her body little by little. Shortly after. ¡°Keuk!¡± From the pores all over her body, liquids of the same color as those from the bottle began to flow out. Elizabeth frowned and bit her lips to endure the pain, but soon after, with the feeling of her body being ripped apart, she screamed. ¡°Aahh! S-stop!! I-it hurts, uncle!¡± Ignoring her cries, Rastus checked the data on his tablet with a calm expression. ¡°Hmm¡­the assimilation rate is quite stable, and the output remains unchanged as well. If it¡¯s this much, it¡¯s okay to push the limit for the time being.¡± ¡°Agh! U-uncle! P-please¡­¡± For a while, Elizabeth¡¯s cries continued. By the time the endless screams seemed to have subsided, Rastus put his tablet away and spoke. ¡°Good job. There¡¯s nothing else on the schedule today, so take a good rest in your room.¡± After saying so, he left the room without batting an eye. And soon, the black liquids that flowed out of Elizabeth¡¯s skin slowly permeated into her body. ¡°Haak¡­haak¡­¡± It was only then that Elizabeth could catch her breath. In the lone room, only the sound of her panting resonated. Her face was covered with sweat and tears. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t want to do this anymore.¡¯ Hellish days that began after her mother died. Like what her mother had said, her uncle definitely cared for her. But it wasn¡¯t warm love. It was closer to taking care of a cherished tool. And as a tool, she might one day be used to kill countless people. ¡®I¡¯d disappear first before I let that happen¡­¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, she thought at least she¡¯ll be able to delay her uncle¡¯s plan a little longer¡­ Without wearing any clothes, she stared blankly at the ceiling for a while. She wasn¡¯t thinking about anything in particular, but strangely enough, tears began to flow. As if she was in a deep swamp, she felt as if her whole body was slowly sinking into the bed. ¡®I wish someone would take me out.¡¯ After an unknown amount of time. She sensed that outside had become noisy all of a sudden. ¡®What is it¡­?¡¯ She slightly turned her head and looked out the window. A fire was seen rising from far away. It was a huge flame similar to the one she had seen in her dream. ¡°W-wah?!¡± Surprised, she wiped away her tears and jumped to her feet. ¡®Why is there a fire all of a sudden? Over there is the garden, so wasn¡¯t it thoroughly managed by uncle?¡¯ All sorts of thoughts passed her mind, but none made sense. ¡°F-fire! 119! 119! N-no! First of all, I need to wet a towel¡­¡± The moment she was in a hurry and recalling her evacuation training¡­ She noticed an unidentified liquid seeping through the ventilation window. ¡°W-wah?!¡± The liquid was moving from place to place and flowing down slowly as if it was alive. ¡®What¡¯s that? What did uncle do this time¡­?¡¯ Wary of the liquid, she slowly stepped back. Once the liquid finally invaded the room, it gradually fused together as its form began to change. Then at some point, the liquid had turned into a boy who looked to be 12 years old. ¡°?!¡± The boy looked around the room slowly, then he asked Elizabeth. ¡°Are you Elizabeth?¡± ¡°B-before that¡­Who are you?¡± The boy stared at her for a moment before curling his lips and smiling. That smile¡­Elizabeth thought it somehow resembled the beast she had seen in her dream. * * * After setting the garden on fire, I took advantage of the confusion to infiltrate the mansion. Fortunately, there were no traps or traces of magic inside. I¡¯ll start from the upper floors and make my way down for now. I climbed up to the third floor¡¯s ventilation window. However, the mansion was so large and spacious that despite me having searched for a long time, not even half of it had been explored. This is going to be troublesome¡­ As soon as I thought to change my strategy, ¡ª Aahh¡­ I heard a faint scream in the distance. It had come from the west side of the building opposite to where I was. I guess I better start there. As I slowly moved towards that building, I saw a man leaving the room inside just as I was about to enter. The scream belonged to a woman, so there are at least two people. Fortunately, the timing was good. If I had entered a little earlier, it might have been a 1v2 situation. But just in case, I waited for a moment before sliding into the room. And then¡­ There was an elf woman, who looked to be in her early 20s, standing naked. At that moment, I heard a pleasant notification in my ears. Ding¨C! [Condition for the Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest) has been met.] [Find the ¡®Flower of Shadow¡¯ (Completed).] So it was here. There seems to be a ¡®Flower of Shadow¡¯ somewhere in this room. But unfortunately, the Challenge wasn¡¯t over yet. [Challenge updated.] [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Save ¡®Elizabeth.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). Like I thought, there¡¯s no way it would end so easily¡­ For a Challenge that rewarded a medium-grade box, it would have been strange for it to end here. Ignoring the woman in front of me, I read the explanation again. Then¡­ Elizabeth¡­? I think I¡¯ve heard of this name somewhere before. But where was it? It felt like it was on the tip of my tongue. So for now I asked the woman in front of me. ¡°Nuna, is your name Elizabeth?¡± ¡°T-that¡­Who the hell are you?¡± Fortunately, it seems this woman is dense. Anyway, looking at her now, her appearance looks somewhat familiar. I looked her up and down. Long black hair that comes down to the waist, a gentle face that¡¯s hard to look away from, and¡­even the bright red eyes that sparkle like rubies. Although she was a good-looking woman, there was no one in particular that came to mind as I stared at her. But, her black hair and red eyes were strangely annoying. Wait¡­An elf with black hair? At that moment, the voice of a deep husky woman passed through my mind. [Huhu. Baby, to meet you here again?] The first villain to have the ¡®black¡¯ grade before me, and a leech-like woman who once followed me around in a disgusting way. ¡­The Black Witch, Elizabeth. Once again, I looked the elf in front of me up and down. The atmosphere is completely different from then, but slowly looking at her features, my guess seems to be right. But, what the hell is this woman doing here? Because of the stark contrast, I stared at her blankly for a while. She covered her body with her hands and blushed. ¡°C-can you not stare at me like that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The infamous witch was acting like a little girl. To be honest, it was unimaginable even though I¡¯m seeing it with my own eyes. This pathetic woman will grow into an SS villain in the next 15 years¡­ ¡°As expected¡­It¡¯s fun.¡± My brain started to move as I thought of ways to deal with the fellow in front of me. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Before the name ¡®Mad Demon¡¯ became known to the world, When I was a pale beginner who was only C-class¡­ It was just a brief moment, but there was a time when I felt this game was going to end. . . . ¡°Enough! You lunatic!¡± I was besieged by the heroes from the Hero Association. Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to escape immediately as soon as I judged that I was at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, even that option wasn¡¯t given to me today. ¡°An A-class superhuman has already sealed off the area! So stop the meaningless struggle and obediently surrender!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The bastards from the association had brought as much as an A-class hero to catch me this time. In addition, my skills were at odds with the superhumans who made up their team, and each one of them was at least the same C-class as me or higher. On the other hand, my physical strength, mana, everything was already exhausted. To be honest, it could be said to be a desperate situation. However, instead, I threw a fireball at them. Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk¡­Is that your answer? Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit in the end. You¡¯ll regret your choice.¡± ¡°What regret. The fact that we¡¯re already here. Don¡¯t get cold feet now and let¡¯s end it.¡± ¡°¡­As expected, you can¡¯t reason with crazy people.¡± I was determined to bring at least one more person down with me even though I expected to die. With me in front of them, they had narrowed the siege carefully as if hunting a wounded beast. The pressure was suffocating. In order to resist their pressure, I squeezed out my remaining power and held up my knife. As soon as we were preparing for our final clash, Suddenly, a strange noise sounded from somewhere. Shhhh¡ª A soft frictional sound as if a thick fabric was being dragged across the ground. At the same time, a huge shadow converged from all sides. The midsummer sun that was burning brightly gradually disappeared as if it was covered by a veil, and the blue sky became colored by the darkness. In the end, it had turned into a complete dark world with no light. ¡°Y-you punk! What the hell kind of trick are you trying to pull?¡± Shocked by the bizarre phenomenon, the association bastards shouted at me in the dark. ¡°If you continue to resist, we¡¯re going to kill you right here!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it.¡± It was very unfair to me. Because it was also my first time seeing such a phenomenon. I had kindly explained to them so we could resolve this misunderstanding, but unfortunately, they didn¡¯t seem to want to listen. ¡°Y-you! Shameless bastard! As expected, it¡¯s best to kill you. Everyone, attack immediately! We can¡¯t give him time for his tricks!¡± The bastards fired indiscriminate attacks at the direction I was in. All kinds of abilities flashed and flew in the dark. If my vision was fine, I would have at least pretended to avoid it. But in a situation where I couldn¡¯t even see my body, there was no way to avoid their attacks. Is it finally going to end¡­? My gut feeling told me that I was going to die. The moment I was about to give up all hope, Shhhh¡ª The unidentified noise was heard once again. Then, all the attacks that were flying toward me were sucked into the darkness. ¡°?!¡± What the hell is going on? I couldn¡¯t grasp the situation, so I had no choice but to stand there motionlessly. Meanwhile, in the dark, the screams from the heroes began to leak out. ¡°Kueaak!¡± ¡°Be careful! There¡¯s something hidden in here!¡± ¡°S-show yourself¡­keuk!¡± After some time passed. The scream that had continued for a while was cut off, and the darkness that had surrounded everything gradually dissipated. Under the gushing sunlight stood a mysterious woman wearing a large cone hat. Thick, dark hair like chestnuts, red eyes that resemble rubies. It was an elf who somehow gave off a somber air. She walked towards me with slow and elegant steps. For a while she looked at my face, and then soon after, with a sharp nasal voice, she spoke. ¡°Heung~ So this is how you look. You¡¯re more handsome than I thought.¡± She acted as if she had known me for a long time. But there was no information about her in my memory. I somehow felt that she was a suspicious woman. Lifting her large cone hat, the woman greeted me. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Elizabeth. What¡¯s your name?¡± Instead of answering, I threw my knife at her neck. Shiik¨C The sharp blade pierced her white neck. It was the perfect outcome. But strangely, she shattered like a mirage without substance and once again slowly took shape next to me. ¡°Baby¡­It¡¯s our first time meeting, but even this is too much. I could have gotten a little hurt.¡± As if she didn¡¯t like my behavior, her eyebrows furrowed. I threw another knife at her face, who looked to be sulking. Shiik¨C If once doesn¡¯t work, then twice. And if that¡¯s not enough, then three times. I cut her down over and over again. But each time, her body would return to its original state. ¡°Hmm¡­this isn¡¯t working.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t working, what do you mean this isn¡¯t working?!¡± Looking at me with a dumbfounded look, she let out a short sigh. ¡°Haa¡­ I know very well that you¡¯re stronger than others. Someday, even the likes of me, will be a trivial matter to you. However, you best take better care of yourself before then.¡± Was she telling me to hunt at my own level? Reflecting on her advice, I belatedly asked her. ¡°Why did you help me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quick to ask¡­I saved you today because you¡¯re someone who will save me someday.¡± ¡°Save?¡± What she said felt very strange. Save? Wasn¡¯t that a word that only appeared in RPG games? In fact, it was my first time hearing it. When I gave her a suspicious look, she smiled strangely and spoke words that were incomprehensible. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know now. Someday, you¡¯ll naturally find out when the time comes. And¡­If that happens, please think of today. See you next time.¡± She vanished like smoke after having said that. That was my first meeting with the ¡®Black Witch¡¯ Elizabeth. * * * ¡°T-turn your eyes that way! You can¡¯t look here!¡± I looked at Elizabeth who had quickly hid behind the curtains to put on her pajamas. A pathetic display of blushing just by showing the naked body. She in the second round was certainly different from the ¡®witch¡¯ that I knew. However, it¡¯s clear that the woman in front of me was ¡®that Elizabeth.¡¯ If so¡­What she said then, did it have something to do with the current situation? I didn¡¯t have the skill ¡®One Coin¡¯ at the time. In short, even I didn¡¯t know that I was going to start a second round. But could she have predicted the current situation? It¡¯s not completely baseless¡­ Witches can naturally travel around the ¡®Astral¡¯ world. In a place where there is no concept of time or space, it may be possible for her to predict what is happening now. If I assume that¡¯s the case¡­ What did she want from me? Did she really want me to save her past self? As if on queue, Elizabeth walked out from behind the curtains while blushing after having changed into her pajamas. I asked her directly. ¡°A few days ago, did nuna ask me for help?¡± ¡°W-what? That, are you the beast that appeared in my dream?¡± ¡°Beast?¡± I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about, but with this, one thing has become clear. As I thought, this woman was the voice I heard at that time. I don¡¯t know the principle behind it, but she had asked me for help with the voice of a plant. And at the time a new challenge was created for me. It felt as if a scattered puzzle was coming together. I opened my status window and read the explanation again. [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Save ¡®Elizabeth.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). The words displayed in the Challenge. Save Elizabeth. This¡­was it a coincidence? [Because you¡¯re someone who will save me someday.] The voice she left a long time ago lingers in my head. I¡¯m not sure if she knew, but the current situation seems to be flowing as she had intended. For some reason, I felt as if I was playing into the witch¡¯s palm, so it wasn¡¯t very fun. Should I just give up and go home? I thought seriously for a while, but it was too wasteful to give up the task as it is. Ultimately, it would only be me who will suffer a loss in the end. Recalling the efforts I have invested so far, I suppressed the irritation that was slowly rising. Huu¡­Since I¡¯ve come this far, it would be best to finish up. Anyway, what I had to do remained the same. Whether this is what the witch had wanted, or whether everything is coincidental. I just need to save the woman in front of me and get the reward. As I was regaining my composure, Elizabeth clung to me with a tearful look. ¡°P-please help me.¡± ¡°Huu¡­How can I help you?¡± ¡°M-my uncle, please stop him. Everyone will die if nothing is done.¡± Is she talking about the elf who left the room a moment ago? I only saw his back, but I found that his body isn¡¯t trained, and I didn¡¯t sense much mana from him either. If I just go by my sense of danger, the Yifret I had faced a while ago was much stronger. The feeling he gave off was someone who is engrossed in books. But it¡¯s not enough to just judge someone by their appearance¡­I think it¡¯ll be best to find out more information on him. So I asked Elizabeth to tell me about her uncle. And in a little bit. As soon as I learned about her uncle, I had no choice but to revise my evaluation of him from a moment ago. ¡°So¡­Your uncle¡¯s name is Rastus, is that right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. B-by the way, do you happen to know my uncle?¡± ¡°Ah, ha¡­¡± I was so speechless that a vain laugh leaked out. Because¡­if I remember correctly, he was an S-class villain who was given the grand nickname ¡®Elf King¡¯ in the previous round. Does the system want me to deal with an S-class villain now? No matter how much I wanted the reward, this was an impossible task. It¡¯s not something that can be done with just greed. I¡¯ll probably die without even realizing it if I attack an S-class now. The first part of the Challenge was a task that gave me a long period of 3 months. Maybe it meant for me to grow up during that time before doing this. Ha¡­The quest sequence is twisted. There were often moments like this while playing games. When you clear a chain quest one by one, at some point you¡¯ll wake up in a dangerous hunting ground without realizing it. And in this case, even if it¡¯s regrettable, the answer was to just obediently give up. Pushing away Elizabeth who was covered in tears, I spoke. ¡°Nuna, I¡¯m suddenly busy today, so next time¡­¡± As soon as I was about to say no, a new message window popped up in front of me. Ding¨C [Challenge ¨C Sapling of the World Tree (Chain Quest).] Condition: Infiltrate the laboratory of the botanist ¡®Rastus¡¯ and steal the sapling of the World Tree. Period: 1 week. Reward: 1x Skill Selection (High). ¡°Heuk¡­A-are you really going to leave without helping me¡­?¡± While Elizabeth was clinging to my leg with a runny nose, I stared blankly at the new Challenge that had emerged. Then¡­ ¡°¡­Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m busy. I¡¯ll help you, nuna.¡± ¡°Heuk! Uwu! T-thank you!¡± As if her sorrow had exploded, Elizabeth rushed to hug me. I had a thought as I shoved her snot-covered face away. The original Rastus that I knew was a one-man army who could manipulate the forest after having absorbed the power of the World Tree. I can¡¯t believe the World Tree is still alive¡­ In other words, it means that it¡¯s still before Rastus has gained proper strength. This will change the story again. When attacking a tricky boss, it was the norm to kill it before the next phase began. Frankly, isn¡¯t this worth trying¡­? After finishing the calculation in my head, I approached Elizabeth with a light smile. ¡°Do you know where your uncle¡¯s laboratory is?¡± ¡°Hic! Mhm. I go there every day, so I know it well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Can you take me there now?¡± ¡°Uh, okay! Hold on.¡± Something has been bothering me since a while ago, so I had to let her know. ¡°Nuna, the buttons on your pajamas are uneven.¡± ¡°Wah?!¡± With Elizabeth leading the way, we headed to Rastus¡¯ laboratory. In any case, it¡¯s easier than I had thought. Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to raid a future S-class boss. * * * Rastus, who had come out of Elizabeth¡¯s room, suddenly felt as if the world was spinning. ¡®I have to quickly move to the next part of the plan¡­¡¯ To straighten himself, he forced himself up against a wall. He was feeling dizzy because he hadn¡¯t had a proper sleep the last few days. But he knew he couldn¡¯t collapse here. ¡®The next 3 months¡­¡¯ There wasn¡¯t much time left until the plan. If he could endure just that much, his greatest wish will finally come true. ¡°Keuk!¡± Red blood flowed down his lips. He took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and casually wiped the blood. This was the result of his excessive use of mana recently. He swallowed his blood-mixed saliva and gritted his teeth. ¡®Damn humans¡­¡¯ Rastus was originally an ordinary scholar who studied plants. An introvert who was simply more curious than others when it comes to flowers. And he had a sister who could be said to be the opposite of him. A beautiful woman who was always lively and smiling confidently. He loved his sister. To the point of cursing his own fate for being related to her by blood. However, he never crossed the line beyond brother and sister. Knowing well that it was something that would make his sister sad, so he just watched her from the side. As if observing a beautiful flower, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction each day just from watching her every move. He couldn¡¯t have her, but he thought it was enough to live next to her like this. But¡­this small happiness began to shake for reasons that were completely unexpected. ¡°N-nuna! W-what are you saying?! What do you mean you¡¯re going to live on Earth all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rastus. But I don¡¯t want to live in this stuffy place anymore.¡± His sister declared that she would migrate to Earth. Even when numerous other elves had abandoned the forest and left, their tribe continued to protect the forest thus far¡­ As a free-spirited woman, she didn¡¯t seem to like that fact. For the first time, Rastus yelled at her. He tried to persuade her by using all the knowledge that he knew. But her will was too firm, and instead, he decided to follow her. ¡°All right! That¡¯s good, Rastus! Let¡¯s go to Earth together and have fun.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rastus was nervous. They, who had only lived in the forest all their life, were going to live in a city. He thought the transition would never be smooth. And soon his anxiety became a reality. About a few years after moving to Earth. One day, his sister began to complain of abnormal health symptoms. Unable to bear seeing her like that, he finally decided that he was going to take her back to the forest. ¡°T-this won¡¯t do. Like I thought, the air in the city doesn¡¯t suit you, nuna! If you don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll have to force you to go.¡± ¡°Let go of me! Rastus. Even if you¡¯re my dongsaeng, you don¡¯t have the right to interfere with my life when it comes to this.¡± ¡°Nuna!¡± As a result, their warm relationship drifted apart. Meanwhile, his sister married someone and gave birth, while he had no choice but to watch from afar. And in the end¡­ His sister died after suffering from a prolonged illness. From then on, he began to dream of revenge. Towards the huge gray city that took away his sister. ¡®It¡¯s time to end it once and for all¡­¡¯ All that was left was to erase the dirty city and build a large forest for the elves in its place. ¡®And¡­from there, Elizabeth and I will open a new world for the elves.¡¯ He recalled the niece who looks just like his sister. Elizabeth was the most perfect work he had ever created. Although numerous failures were born in the process, it was all just a stepping stone for his greater vision. Because of this, he was able to create an ideal drug that no longer had any side effects. ¡®Now¡­After one more experiment, I¡¯ll be able to transplant the World Tree into my body.¡¯ The day when he absorbs the genes of plants into his body will be the day he makes a child inside Elizabeth¡¯s stomach. Then¡­ All children born between him and her will be able to hear the voices of plants. Unlike the ¡®fake¡¯ elves who have abandoned the forest and chose to live in the city, they¡¯ll be ¡®real¡¯ elves who can communicate with mother nature like in ancient times. ¡®Elves¡­will rise again.¡¯ If it was his sister, she would have been a great mother in the new world. He thought so as he walked toward his laboratory. But at that moment. The smell of something burning pricked his nose. And as he looked out of the window, he saw a huge fire burning the garden. ¡°?!¡± He rushed outside in a hurry. ¡®What the hell did the gardener do? Why is the garden suddenly burning? W-was it an intruder?¡¯ He had to hurry if that was the case. If the intruder was after his research data, all the plans he had built up over the decades will all be for nothing. His spine chilled when he thought of that fact. Leaving the burning garden behind, he ran straight to his laboratory. ¡®I have to protect the research data.¡¯ In any case, he had to protect the data he had accumulated so far. For the success of his revenge, and for all elves. The moment he arrived near the laboratory. Boom¨C! Along with a huge roar that resonated through the mountain, a towering cloud of dust rose. ¡°T-the hell¡­¡± The laboratory was collapsing. And along with it were his greatest wishes. He had no choice but to stare blankly at the scene. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Elizabeth and I were heading to Rastus¡¯ laboratory. I had felt it when I was crawling through the ventilators a while ago, but as expected, the mansion was uselessly spacious and complex. There were many rooms in the hallways where you can¡¯t even begin to guess their purposes. The mansion¡¯s structure intertwined and blended like a maze, making it very confusing and easy for a person to lose their sense of direction. It was the right choice to have this woman guide me. I might have had to waste a long time here otherwise. Soon, I heard Elizabeth¡¯s discrete voice. ¡ª W-we¡¯ll reach the backyard once we pass through there. She spoke to me through a plant¡¯s voice as if it was natural. To summarize what she had told me earlier, Rastus has been remodeling her body for a long time. Because of that, dozens of plant genes were now dormant in her body, and among them was one called ¡®Flower of Shadow,¡¯ which is the reason why I am here now. To put it simply, it was a mission to come here and find her. The fact that the Challenge updated once I entered her room was evidence enough. To be honest, I felt like I was being cheated. Well, originally, tasks in the exploration category were often twisted like riddles, so this situation felt quite familiar. As soon as I was organizing my thoughts, I heard her voice again. ¡ª B-but this, d-do we have to move around like this? Hmm? I was currently underneath her clothes in my liquid form wrapped around her. Although she had said there were no other employees beside the gardener, I wasn¡¯t going to risk myself running into Rastus. I shaped a small mouth and whispered. ¡°Bear with it a little longer.¡± ¡ª B-but¡­it feels so weird. Our skin, which was against each other, was already a little warm, but it felt as if it had gotten warmer. As expected, this woman still has a long way to go. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s saying something so pointless even in this situation. Anyway, she walked with her body twisted like a worm. We finally arrived in the backyard shortly after. ¡ª I-it¡¯s here. She pointed to a corner in the backyard. Looking outside through her clothes, I noticed a large glass greenhouse. It was a lot bigger than most greenhouses. Since the Challenge said it was a laboratory, I thought it would have been a more traditional laboratory. ¡ª Then, I¡¯ll go in¡­ I felt the hot and humid air around my whole body as I clinged to Elizabeth. Everywhere was filled with all kinds of plants, and fortunately or unfortunately, only the usual voice of wanting to reproduce was heard from them. Elizabeth looked through the interior of the greenhouse and spoke. ¡ª I-I don¡¯t think my uncle is here. It¡¯s okay to come out now. I slipped off her body and slowly looked around. Then¡­ What caught my eye was a huge, mysterious distillation device. I can see mysterious green particles gradually crystallizing inside the transparent flask. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°This is what I meant earlier. And¡­after my uncle is done with the last preparation, he plans to terrorize the city with this powder.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡± Listening to her, I recalled an article I had read a long time ago. Nampo¡¯s biological terror incident. A rare terrorist attack that raised Rastus, an ordinary botanist, to an S-class villain overnight. He had spread a large number of biological warfare weapons he had developed over Nampo City, which is located near Neo Pyongyang City, and as a result, in the mouth of the Taedong river, where a large number of trade ports were located, a primeval forest was created. Even for me, who was living in Pyongyang, for me to hear of it, it was a very big event at the time. On top of that, dealing with him, who could freely control plants, was like fighting an entire huge forest¡­ I heard that they eventually solved it by using nuclear weapons a few years later. These particles, which are falling little by little in front of my eyes, is probably the weapon he had used for his terrorist act at the time. ¡°W-What are you going to do now?¡± She looked at me with a restless look. Instead of answering her question, I took out the bombs I had in my inventory. ¡°That¡­what are those?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very useful solution to most problems.¡± I generously installed the bombs here and there around the flask. As a bonus, I also attached some to the electronic devices next to it. Well, it¡¯s not completed anyway, so there won¡¯t be a problem if the particles are released now. After completing the necessary work, I asked her. ¡°Do you know where the sapling of the World Tree is?¡± ¡°World Tree¡­?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know what it is, is there any plant here that¡¯s the most important?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She looked to be thinking for a moment, and soon after, she let out a small exclamation. ¡°There¡¯s a plant that my uncle always keeps separately. Is that what you¡¯re talking about? Hold on.¡± She led my hand into the depths of the greenhouse. Then, I saw a bright device that resembles an incubator with a slender tree planted inside. ¡°This is it.¡± At first glance, it was a tree that looked valuable. I opened the incubator and grabbed the sapling. Next, the voice of a feisty woman came into my ears. ¡ª Who are you? ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª How dare you touch this tree¡¯s body? Impudent. It was a rather rude plant. I roughly pulled it out of the dirt. ¡ª Kueaak! Y-you punk! What the hell are you doing?!! Some of the soil that was clung to the roots fell to the ground. The sapling was chattering next to me, but I didn¡¯t want to listen to it anymore, so I stuffed it into my inventory as is. At that moment, the message I was waiting for appeared before my eyes. Ding¨C! [Condition for the Challenge ¨C Sapling of the World Tree (Chain Quest) has been met.] [Infiltrate the laboratory of the botanist ¡®Rastus¡¯ and steal the sapling of the World Tree (Completed). [Challenge updated.] [Challenge ¨C Sapling of the World Tree (Chain Quest).] Condition: Transfer and plant the sapling in the ¡®land to the east.¡¯ Period: 20 years. Reward: 1x Skill Selection (High). ¡®Hmm¡­20 years.¡¯ It was a longer task than I had thought. In addition, I couldn¡¯t guess the place called ¡®land to the east¡¯ mentioned here. It seems that it isn¡¯t a problem that can be solved right now. If I were to think of it like a game, I guess it¡¯ll be like an item to start a quest. I¡¯m done with everything I have to do here. All I have to do now is get out of here before Rastus arrives and detonate the bombs. I led Elizabeth out of the greenhouse and immediately detonated the bombs. Boom¨C! With a roaring sound that almost burst my eardrums, fragments of glass exploded in all directions. And after a while, even the steel frames that were supporting the greenhouse tilted and fell to the ground, spewing dust everywhere. I spoke to Elizabeth who stood still as if mesmerized. ¡°There won¡¯t be any terrorist attacks by nuna¡¯s uncle now.¡± ¡°U-uh¡­Okay. T-thank you¡­¡± Was it because the problem that had troubled her for a long time was solved with just a bomb? She had a puzzled look, as if she still couldn¡¯t believe it. Well, it¡¯s none of my business how she feels right now¡­ Anyway, why hasn¡¯t the Challenge updated? Despite me completing her request for help, the status of the Challenge remains the same. [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Save ¡®Elizabeth.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). Save Elizabeth. Save how? In RPG games, usually, everything is resolved once you listen to the person¡¯s request. Was this not enough to save her? After thinking for a while, I drew up an answer in my own way. Like I thought, killing Rastus seems to be the only solution. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll try to kill a few more people. As soon as I was organizing my thoughts, I heard someone scream behind me. ¡°H-how dare you!!!!!!!¡± A voice as if he had lost his child. Turning my head, there stood Rastus vomiting blood and screaming. ¡°Elizabeth!!! W-why did you!!!¡± ¡°U-uncle¡­¡± Elizabeth next to me trembled and took a step back. Rastus began to stagger towards her. And I, who has been watching him closely, called out to Elizabeth. ¡°Nuna.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± She didn¡¯t look to be in the right state of mind no matter how I looked at it. Her whole body was shaking like a tree and sweat was flowing down her forehead like rain. I asked her as is. ¡°Can I kill your uncle?¡± ¡°U-uh¡­O-okay¡­W-wait, what did you just say?¡± I pulled a gun straight out of my inventory before she could finish. Well, I think I¡¯ve gotten permission, so I¡¯ll be very disappointed if I don¡¯t get a reward later. ¡°W-wait!¡± Elizabeth reached out in a hurry to stop me. But the speed of me pulling the trigger was faster. Bang¨C! ¡°N-no!!¡± The bullet that flew away went exactly through Rastus¡¯ body. * * * ¡°Keuk!¡± Rastus fell to the ground because of the terrible pain that struck his stomach. ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ He was just approaching Elizabeth, so why is he lying on the ground now? Blood slowly flowed out of his stomach. His white gown became stained with blood. When he looked up, he saw a young boy aiming a gun at him. He made eye contact with the boy. The child was smiling. At that moment, a loud warning signal rang behind his back. ¡®D-dangerous!¡¯ He immediately took out a seed and cast a spell. *Rapid Growth The seed that fell to the ground germinated in an instant and grew into a barrier of hard ebony. In the next instant, Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Continuous bullet struck the barrier and was blocked by it. As it happened, he could feel a deep killing intent from the boy that showed he definitely wanted to kill him. ¡®Dangerous¡­¡¯ Where the hell did this boy who had suddenly appeared in his garden come from? He had thoroughly prepared for all external invaders. A large amount of money was spent to install magic traps throughout the fences, and there were even trees that didn¡¯t sleep being used as watchmen in the garden. ¡®So why¡­¡¯ Perhaps the gardener who has been loyal to him is already dead. And perhaps it was the boy who had burned his garden. And now¡­He had destroyed his wishes that he had been preparing for decades. Kik¨C He gritted his teeth. What kind of resentment does the boy have for him to do such acts of terrorism against him? ¡®I must catch him alive to find out¡­¡¯ At that moment. On the other side of the barrier, the boy was seen carrying a large fuel tank on his shoulder. ¡®?!¡¯ A dreadful image that can only be seen in war movies. Recognizing what it was, Rastus rolled across the ground and threw himself to the side. ¡°Keuk!!!¡± It felt as if every spark in his brain went off when his wounded stomach grazed the ground. But there was no time to hesitate. Again, he sprinkled seeds on the ground and cast a spell. *Rapid growth Thick vines grew in a blink of an eye on the ground. Rastus grabbed one of the stalks and soared up. Woosh¨C! Hot flame swept under his feet. He would have become a black lump of coal if he had hesitated for a few seconds. Cold sweats rolled down his spine. The weapon the boy used was at odds with his abilities. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous if this continues¡­I need to find a way¡­¡¯ As soon as he was thinking hard with the little amount of time he had, Creak¨C The stalk of the vine that he was supporting on dried up and turned yellow as it began to helplessly fall sideways. Soon, he crashed to the ground. Colliding with the ground, blood burst from his mouth. ¡°Keuk!¡± Through the blurry view, he could see the boy aiming the flamethrower at him again. ¡®I-I have to move¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t live up till now just to die. He still had work to do. Mentally enduring the pain, he sprinkled more seeds on the ground. *Rapid growth Thick red vines quickly rose up. ¡®Cinderwood.¡¯ It was a tree that grew up eating fire from a volcano in the otherworld. He didn¡¯t stop there after having grown the cinderwood. Squeezing out all of his remaining mana, he cast another spell. *Summon Ent ¡°Keuk!¡± Blood burst out of his mouth again as a large amount of mana was exhausted. At that moment, his eyes turned dark and he couldn¡¯t see anything. Fortunately, however, the spell was successful, and the cinderwood tree stuck on the ground took root and began to stretch. The cinderwood ent defended Rastus, blocking the flames that erupted again. Luckily, the flame couldn¡¯t penetrate the cinderwood tree. ¡°Wow, the tree isn¡¯t burning?¡± The boy put down the heavy fuel tank and tilted his head. At that moment. Realizing that his attacks were useless, the boy began to rush directly at Rastus. ¡°B-block him!!¡± At Rastus¡¯ desperate cry, the ent pulled out a vine and attacked the boy. And against that fierce attack, the boy was tied up helplessly. ¡°Finally¡­I got you.¡± The boy simply lowered his head once his whole body was tied up. Rastus struggled to get up as he approached the boy. And then¡­ Thud¨C Something fell down near the boy¡¯s body. A sphere made of metal. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ The moment he was worried about the strange object, He saw the boy¡¯s face. He was still smiling. Thus¡­ Rastus came to realize the identity of the object that fell on the ground. ¡°Ah, no¡­¡± Boom¨C!! The ent that had wrapped up the boy exploded. Fragments scattered in all directions and some even stuck to Rastus¡¯ body. ¡°Keuk!!¡± Like a hedgehog made of splinters, Rastus flew far away before collapsing. There were ringing sounds in his ears, and he couldn¡¯t feel the sensation below his waist. In such a state, he stared blankly at the clear sky. ¡®Why¡­¡¯ Having checked on Elizabeth this morning, he never imagined that this would happen. Just the same day as yesterday. A peaceful daily routine that repeats every day. ¡®But this¡­why is he here¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe what was happening around him. The garden was gone. And a broken wish. ¡®The future¡­There¡¯s really not much time left.¡¯ A shadow hung over his face. ¡°Hm¡­you woke up earlier than I thought.¡± The boy, who had shattered with the ent a while ago, was looking down at him, still alive. Rastus forcibly squeezed out his voice and spoke. ¡°W-why¡­¡± ¡°I have to save her to get a reward.¡± The boy said and pointed a gun at him. Rastus could see the black gun covering the sky and the boy slowly pulling the trigger. He sensed his end. But at that moment. ¡°N-no!! You can¡¯t shoot!¡± Elizabeth suddenly came running. Then she stopped the boy by grabbing the gun that was pointed at Rastus. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You said I can kill him.¡± ¡°N-no! H-he¡¯s still my uncle¡­W-we don¡¯t have to kill him.¡± ¡°Killing him now is the surest thing.¡± ¡°B-but that¡¯s¡­¡± Rastus heard the sound of two people bickering. But more than that, what the boy said bothered him more. ¡®Kill¡­me?¡¯ He came to understand the whole situation. The reason why the boy was able to get here was all thanks to Elizabeth¡¯s help. It all made sense when he thought about it. ¡®E-Elizabeth, why¡­¡¯ They had even made a promise to live together in the new world. Like his sister, she was going to leave him behind. And her choice was wrong. Like his sister who had fallen for human ideology, Elizabeth will also face an unfortunate end someday. Keuk¨C! ¡®Not yet¡­I can¡¯t die¡­¡¯ There is something he must do. He couldn¡¯t die in vain like this here. ¡®I didn¡¯t know¡­I would use this one day¡­¡¯ He squeezed out his last remaining energy and pulled out an ampoule he had hidden. It contained a brightly shining purple liquid. The day his beloved sister died, a strange being passed on the secrets of the ancient elves to him. The being also handed him this drug that day. [This is on the house. But if possible, I recommend using it only at the last minute. Because you can¡¯t turn back after using it.] The warning the being left behind lingered in his mind. It must be a dangerous kind of drug, he thought. But it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Even if he has to give everything, and even if the road becomes a thorny path that he walks alone. ¡®I¡¯ll achieve my goal at all costs.¡¯ Rastus absorbed the ampoule. His body began to swell in the blink of an eye. ¡°Keuk!¡± His bones twisted and his flesh burst out. At the same time, the branches of the cinderwood tree that were scattered around him began to stick to his body one by one, and he grew in size like a snowball. ¡°Keuaaah!¡± Then at some point, he had turned into a huge ent. ¡ª This¡­ Rastus slowly looked down at his own body. A stronger body than steel with overflowing power. He felt a sense of omnipotence that he had never felt before. His own body, which was weak in the past, no longer comes to mind. If it¡¯s this body, then it¡¯s possible, he thought. No, rather, he¡¯ll be able to complete the great goal he had wanted faster. ¡ª Keukeu¡­good. ¡°U-uncle!!¡± Elizabeth who stood in front of him was approaching. ¡®The wretched traitor.¡¯ ¡°W-why is your body¡­¡± He thought¡­If he leaves it like this, she¡¯ll be corrupted again and go the wrong way. So he couldn¡¯t leave it like that. Rather, if she can be inside him, then they¡¯ll be together forever and she¡¯ll never make the wrong choice. ¡ª Elizabeth¡­ Rastus slowly raised his arm. His arms, thicker than a dense tree, loomed over her. In front of the overwhelming scene, Elizabeth became frozen and couldn¡¯t move. ¡ª Be my nourishment. Tens of tons of mass was about to hit her. Her hair fluttered under the typhoon-like wind pressure, and she closed her eyes tightly as the sight of a huge tree covered the sky. But at that moment. ¡°Fuck!¡± As the little boy next to her swore, he pushed her out of the way. The boy was able to save her, but because of this, he was hit by the edge of the tree. Boom¨C! Flying dozens of meters, the boy¡¯s body bounced up and down the ground as if he were a pebble skipping across the pond. Then like a corpse, there was no movement. ¡ª Keukeu¡­Come to think of it, he was there. The mastermind behind all of this. The human who had ruined his great work, and someone who he can never forgive. ¡ª I¡¯ll mince your body well and use it as manure. Rastus approached the boy step by step. * * * I can¡¯t move. Every bone in my body seems to be broken. ¡°Keuk!¡± I vomited pieces of my intestines. There was so much blood that it was hard to even breathe. Boom, boom¨C The vibration was transmitted through my back. I can feel that Rastus is approaching. I¡¯m going to die soon if I don¡¯t do anything. The bastard was really prepared. I was too greedy. I can¡¯t believe I risked my life for a medium-grade box. It would have been a wise choice to abandon my lingering hope. Well, it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t have any faith. As it has been so far, I thought it would have been okay if I changed to liquid. But¡­Unfortunately, Rastus had a high-density of mana hidden under his shell. He¡¯s just as wicked as he looks. Like I thought, it was right to kill him immediately. To speak of the cause in the first place, the source of trouble was I hesitated because of Elizabeth. If it weren¡¯t for the ambiguous condition of ¡®save,¡¯ I would have just ignored it and shot Rastus. I really didn¡¯t expect to get caught up in this. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! He¡¯s getting closer and closer. My body moves up and down with each step he takes. This¡­I¡¯m going to die in this beginner zone. It¡¯s been a long time since I felt this way. The word ¡®game over¡¯ crossed my mind. It felt similar to when I was a C-class villain and was surrounded by the heroes from the Hero Association. If there¡¯s just one difference from the past, it¡¯s that Elizabeth saved me, who was on the verge of dying, at that time, and this time, however, I was going to die while trying to save her. Things always seem to get twisted when I get involved with the witch. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! A shadow gradually looms over my head. It¡¯s like a big hill walking in front of my eyes. ¡ª Keukeu¡­you still have a breath left. Rastus looked down and laughed at me. I wanted to laugh with him when I saw the ugly bastard, but I couldn¡¯t breathe well. I can see him raising his arm to kill me. How far is he going to raise his arm? It seems to rise higher than a crane. ¡ª I¡¯ll make sure there¡¯s not even a trace left! And soon he dropped his arm at a high speed toward me. A small typhoon was created around it, and the terrible sound of the wind echoed. Like that, as his arm was about to completely block my view, The world began to slow down. What¡¯s this? However, I had to hold my doubt for the time being. At that moment, I heard a very pleasant sound in my ears. Ding¨C! [Condition for the skill has been met.] [ is active for the next 5 minutes.] [Randomly borrowed a latent skill.] [Gained .] [New skill temporarily registered.] [Randomly borrowed a latent stat.] [Gained 7 points in Body.] [New stat temporarily applied.] Body: 7 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 1.08 Spirit: 1.12 Numerous messages covered my eyes, and I immediately recovered from all my injuries. Beyond the message boxes, I could see Rastus¡¯ huge arm coming down. Time was still slowed even though the awakening was over. Has the world always been this slow? No. It¡¯s not that the world is slow, it¡¯s that I¡¯m faster. The sudden rise in my physical ability had forced my senses to become twisted. I slowly stood up in the world that had stopped. Rastus¡¯ arm was still coming down. His expression was colored with shock a step later when he saw me. I put my hand on his arm. Then, along with the flow of the arm¡¯s trajectory, *Jiu-jitsu Throw The giant bastard was thrown to the ground. Boom¨C! A huge impact that caused the buildings to move up and down. At the same time, soil scattered in all directions as time began to flow again. With the ground broken and a huge sinkhole forming, the place where Rastus was stuck became like a meteorite. I took a deep breath when I saw it. ¡°Haa¡­Now he looks more natural.¡± An overwhelming presence that is incomparable to before. Yet, this was just a C-grade skill and 7 points in Body. I can¡¯t believe my body feels so free. I punched the air as a test. And¡­ Woosh¨CBoom! With a deafening roar, a sonic boom that cut through the air was formed. ¡°Good.¡± A feeling from the past that I had forgotten for a while had returned. Fun. This is fun. I want to play more. It felt as if I had received a toy that was forcibly taken away. Perhaps that¡¯s why a chuckle kept leaking out of my mouth without me realizing it. No way, it won¡¯t end like this, right? I tried hard to suppress my discomfort and looked at the sinkhole where Rastus was stuck. At that moment, ¡ª Agh!!! Rastus let loose a scream as he bravely revived. And when I saw that, after failing to conceal my joy, a low laughter leaked from my mouth. ¡°Haha¡­It¡¯s great that ajeossi is strong.¡± I hope I can enjoy this feeling a little more, or at the very least, I hope Rastus can hold out for 5 minutes. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Rastus¡¯ huge body rose from the ground. Crack, crack¨C Broken branches fell off his body. Even on second look, he was still as huge as ever. Maybe around 50m? Compared to the radio towers found throughout the city, Rastus appears to be much bigger. ¡ª Keuh¡­I¡¯m going to kill you, human! He was surprisingly fine after what I thought was a considerable hit just now. What kind of ability did he use? His current strength was quite unbelievable even if it was his trump card. A purple haze was rising like smoke around his body. While looking at it, I recalled the mysterious dark energy I felt from the demons in the past. Is it related to them? ¡­I don¡¯t think so. Looking back on the previous round, there was still about 20 years left before the demon army will show up. There was no reason for the sudden change of such a large scale update. Well, who cares. More than that right now, it was more important to appreciate his strength and enjoy this moment to the fullest. ¡ª Graaaawr!! The ground shook as Rastus charged at me. A clumsy posture like a bookworm who is fighting for the first time. But given his size, it wasn¡¯t something I could take lightly. The nearby mansion shook with each step he took. I faced such a guy head-on. And he, who is like a living disaster, was stopped by me in an instant. Boom¨C! One of his huge legs was blocked by my body. A long line on the ground was dug out as every muscle in my body contracted. Keu¡­good. It was very refreshing to be able to use my strength after a long time. ¡ª H-how the hell. I could hear Rastus¡¯ shocked voice. But this was far from what I was aiming for. The gravity that acts on the body is always anchored on the human body¡¯s center of gravity. And the law of kinematics is equal to all, even for this huge bastard. Rastus¡¯ center of gravity was located high above me. Which means, It¡¯s just as easy to break his balance. *Wrestling Lower Tackle Frankly speaking, our size difference was like that of a hamster and a human. But that hamster was now lifting the foot of the human. Creak¨C His huge body slowly tilted backwards. Then while floundering his arms in the air, he fell onto his mansion. Boom¨C! Another cloud of dust rose. One side of the mansion was completely destroyed beyond recognition. I smiled while looking at such a sight. Passable. Supreme Martial Arts, which I used to enjoy in the past, was a skill that dealt with all kinds of modern martial arts. It incorporated the whole science of modern martial arts. With the exception of skills that use mana, there were no better martial arts than ¡®Supreme Martial Arts.¡¯ In other words, as long as my physical strength can support it, there is no skill more powerful than this. ¡ª Keuaak! How dare you, human!! Rastus let out a horrible shriek. Countless tree trunks began to erupt from his body. His appearance looked similar to when hundreds of cluster bombs are fired. Bullet hell games are fun too. *Acrobatic. I flipped between the gaps of the spear-like branches that were inserted into the ground. His attacks couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on me. ¡ª You little rat!! Climbing along the slope of his body, at the end, I was met with a face that was the size of a house. His eyes shook nonstop when it made contact with mine. I reached out toward his huge eyeballs. ¡ª W-what are you trying to do?! ¡°Punching bags don¡¯t need eyes.¡± *Kyokushin Karate Horn Reach Pak¨C! Both eyes were cleanly pulled out along with their optic nerves. Although he looks like a tree through and through, strangely enough, his eyes were like those of humans. ¡ª Kueaak!! Rastus grabbed his empty eye sockets as he screamed in pain. Because of his floundering, other parts of the mansion that were intact began to turn into ruins. In the meantime, I opened my status window to check the remaining time. 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Nearly half of it has already been spent in this short time. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left until I have to give it back, so I¡¯ll have to make the most of it.¡± I charged at Rastus. Kick, poke, twist, throw, press, break¡­ All sorts of modern martial arts poured out in the brief moment. ¡ª I-it hurts!! Stop! P-please stop! Rastus screamed like a child. He cried and begged me to spare him. But I didn¡¯t stop. It was a rare moment for me to enjoy myself after a long time, so why should I? I stripped the bark that covered his body like armor little by little. Then, underneath it, thick flesh that pulsated like human blood vessels came into my view. It looks similar to what I had seen in the garden. The gardener called it a failure, right? Rastus seemed to have turned into one of his failed creations. It¡¯s a shame, but I think it¡¯s time to wrap it up. As soon as I thought so, Suddenly, under Rastus¡¯ pores, something thin and long stuck out like tiny threads. At first, I even thought it was his hair, but on closer look, it looks similar to the roots of a sapling. Then, those roots dug into the ground without any time for me to grasp the situation and began to suck in the nutrients around them. As if it had become a desert, the fertile land and trees in the mountain began to quickly dry up. On the other hand, Rastus¡¯ body began to grow exponentially. 50m, 60m, 70m¡­ When it finally reached about 200m in size, Rastus slowly raised his gigantic body. Boom¨C He simply raised his body, but the entire mountain shook loudly as if there was a landslide. ¡ª Just a human¡­how dare you oppose mother nature. A flat echo like a boat horn rang in my ears. However, when I raised my head, I couldn¡¯t even see the face of the bastard who was talking. All I could see was a foot that was as high as the surrounding trees. In just a few seconds, Rastus had become a giant from myths. The very same giant spoke to me in a relaxed voice. ¡ª Thanks to you, I was able to become one with nature. So I¡¯ll allow you a comfortable death as my last mercy. His huge palm began to slowly descend as it covered the sky. Was this how Wukong felt when he was trapped in the palm of Buddha? Anywhere I looked, all I could see was Rastus¡¯ hand. The whole world seemed to have shifted to night. Even though it wasn¡¯t very fast, clouds of dust swirled from all sides due to the overwhelming air pressure from his palm. A violent sound of a gust dug into my ears. And then¡­facing the palm, I smiled. ¡°It¡¯s the finale so this much is expected.¡± My stance widened by the span of my shoulders and the tip of my toes bent 45 degrees. After taking a deep breath, I lowered my body with a short exhale. *Wushu Fajin Boom¨C! A heavy wave spread out and shook the whole mountain. Then the land, which had been barely holding out, split like a spider web. From the tip of my feet, the kinetic energy contracted and amplified every muscle in my body. And what lies at the end of the force was a single point. Finally, the giant¡¯s palm made contact with mine. At that moment. Boom¨C! A huge shock wave strong enough to burst a person¡¯ eardrums exploded. The dirt on the ground spread out like a ripple and the surrounding trees swayed as their pollens scattered. Soon. Crack¨C The sound of a tree splitting was heard and the giant¡¯s body began to crack like dry firewood. ¡ª Graaah!! Rastus screamed in pain. However, the crack that had started didn¡¯t stop and began to spread faster and faster. His huge body had lacked the durability to withstand it. Eventually, he crashed to the ground along with numerous debris. Just in time, a message window popped up in front of my eyes. [The effect has expired.] [All skills and stats borrowed will be returned.] [ has been sealed for the time being.] Body: 2.15 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 1.08 Spirit: 1.12 *2 Fragments of Growth As soon as I saw the message, I felt a deep sense of quagmire. Like when I first started the second round, my whole body felt heavy just from standing. How did I ever survive with such a normal body? Huu¡­I felt terrible after my senses returned to normal. I was already missing the feeling from a moment ago. Perhaps that¡¯s why I felt disappointed even though I had fun. It was like having fun with a game only for it to be turned off after one round. But there will come another chance. I¡¯ll just have to be satisfied with this for today. I smacked my lips and headed in the direction where Rastus fell. The bastard, who had returned to his original size, was wriggling on a pile of debris piled high like a hill. ¡ª Keuk, keuh¡­ He was barely alive. He¡¯ll soon die even if I just left him alone. I can¡¯t believe I dealt with the Elf King like this. If it was the first round, I would have still been rolling around the streets of Pyongyang with only a pistol¡­ It was naturally possible because he hasn¡¯t gained the power of the World Tree at this point, but it could still be said to be a major development compared to the past. But¡­What should I do with this guy now? I checked my status window once again. [Challenge ¨C Flower of Shadow (Chain Quest).] Condition: Save ¡®Elizabeth.¡¯ Period: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). The question that constantly bothered me while doing this challenge. How the hell do I clear the condition of saving Elizabeth? Saving means getting someone out of danger. Wasn¡¯t it enough to kill Rastus, the source of her problem? In most RPG games I¡¯ve played, the word save worked in the same sense as defeating the villain. But¡­is that not enough this time? Just like a while ago. Not only did she not thank me, but she even stopped me. So the problem can only be solved if Rastus dies, but Rastus can¡¯t die? It was contradictory. I felt a headache because I never thought I would have to think very hard about this Challenge. ¡­Should I just kill everyone and loot the cash? The moment I felt annoyed, Elizabeth, who sat like she was out of her mind, caught my eyes. I looked at her briefly and soon realized the answer to this problem. I see¡­ This wasn¡¯t my problem in the first place. As I dragged the dying Rastus, I began to approach Elizabeth. * * * Elizabeth stared at the ground with a blank look. Scenes she saw a moment ago were constantly replaying in her head. Her uncle who had suddenly turned into a huge monster, and the little boy who had played with him like a toy. It was hard to believe even when she saw it with her own eyes. As she raised her head, she could see the collapsed mansion and what was left of the surroundings. At such an unrealistic scenery, she could only blink her eyes. ¡®Maybe¡­I¡¯m still dreaming?¡¯ However, the cold air from the ground that touched her butt told her that all of this was definitely reality. She shook her head. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a dream or not¡­¡¯ For her, dreams are realities that¡¯ll happen. At that moment, she could see the boy walking toward her. And behind the boy was her uncle being dragged like a piece of trash. ¡°?!¡± Her uncle¡¯s appearance was gruesome. Sharp branches were embedded all over his body, and his broken legs were fluttering like a carpet as it was dragged across the ground. The boy threw her uncle over. ¡°U-uncle¡­¡± ¡ª Keuh¡­ Judging by his feeble breathing, it seems that he was on his last breath. ¡°H-how did this¡­¡± Even though he was someone who had just tried to kill her, she began to worry about his condition when she saw his terrible figure. She wanted to approach him, so she unknowingly lifted herself up. At that moment, the boy spoke. ¡°Nuna, what should we do?¡± ¡°H-huh? W-what do you mean?¡± She answered while avoiding the boy¡¯s gaze. And her voice cracked because she was tense. ¡°We still can¡¯t kill him?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy¡¯s words dug into her chest like a dagger. In fact, she knew well that everything would only end with her uncle¡¯s death. And that he was already too far gone to turn back. Nevertheless, however, her heart ached when the boy tried to kill her uncle. So she stopped the boy without realizing it. As a result, she almost died, and the boy, on the other hand, threw himself to protect her. Therefore, it was natural for her to hate her uncle. ¡®I¡¯m really the worst.¡¯ If she had been in the boy¡¯s shoes, maybe she would have already been fed up. She couldn¡¯t lift her head because she felt remorseful. ¡°Well, the decision is up to you, nuna. I won¡¯t force you at all.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± And even in this situation, she hated herself for not being able to answer. As she remained silent for a while, the boy opened his mouth again. ¡°Nuna.¡± Elizabeth slowly looked up at the voice calling her. The boy was still smiling as brightly as when she first met him. Then, he threw something in front of her. It was a glossy, pitch black pistol. ¡°Are you giving this to me¡­?¡± As she looked at it with curiosity, the boy smiled brightly and spoke. ¡°Life is meant to be enjoyed. And whether to enjoy it or not, nuna needs to decide.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy said and went somewhere without looking back. The words left by the boy kept replaying in her head. ¡®I¡­have to decide?¡¯ Maybe the boy¡¯s words were right. She already knew. Her uncle will continue to go down the wrong path in the future. ¡®The first time uncle brought in a child to be used as an experiment, if I had stopped him then¡­¡¯ If she had been a little more courageous back then¡­ Maybe everyone would be living happily and well now. ¡®Was this the only outcome?¡¯ Even though she could see the future through her dreams, she thought she didn¡¯t have the power to change it anyway. The more she struggled the more pain it caused instead. So at some point, she gave up on making her own decisions. Just like how a shadow cannot resist being drawn to the sun, she had accepted the fact that fate was absolute. Even when children died because of the experiments¡­Even when her body was modified with the knowledge that her uncle had obtained¡­ She had turned a blind eye to it all, hoping that someone would change her fate. ¡®Maybe that boy saw through me¡­¡¯ The mysterious child who had suddenly appeared in her room. He burned and destroyed everything, just like the beast from her dream. It was enough to be called cruel. Perhaps the boy who had appeared before her isn¡¯t an angel but the devil. But¡­ He did her a favor. He gave his own life. As a result, even her fate, which likely never would have changed, has changed. The powders that her uncle was going to make her spread over the city have now disappeared without a trace. She was no longer a tool to be used by her uncle. ¡®Why did I¡­¡¯ The boy was able to do it, so why did she give up without even trying? She felt so grateful and pathetic that she couldn¡¯t stop crying. For a long time, she cried. Then, when tears no longer flowed down, she grabbed the pistol with a determined look. ¡®This¡­was a problem that I should have solved from the beginning.¡¯ The boy had shown her that fact. If the boy had killed her uncle instead, she might have had to live in the shadows for the rest of her life. In fact, even now she wasn¡¯t confident. But¡­ ¡®If I can¡¯t change the sun, then I¡¯ll at least decide what kind of shadow I¡¯ll be.¡¯ Elizabeth stood up. And then she slowly approached her uncle. * * * ¡°Hmm¡­What will the result be?¡± I thought while looking at the burnt garden that had already turned black. To be honest, I still don¡¯t know what to do to save someone. Well, if it wasn¡¯t for this challenge, it wasn¡¯t a problem that I had to think about, and in the first place, I wasn¡¯t interested in such a thing. But as a veteran gamer, I can say one thing for certain. You shouldn¡¯t play games in other people¡¯s stead. It¡¯s like getting stuck on a cramped bus ride. In the end, everyone is bound to get off. So whether you¡¯re good at games or not, it¡¯s only meaningful when you play it yourself. In that sense, it may have been impossible for me to save her from the beginning. This Challenge was in fact for Elizabeth, not me. I¡¯ll have to filter out this kind of task from now on. It¡¯ll only be me who will suffer a loss if something goes wrong, and I might not even get a reward at the end. As soon as I thought that, a faint shot came from afar. Bang¨C! I guess she finally made her choice. And as a result¡­ [Completed Challenge ¡®Flower of Shadow.¡¯] [Gained 1x Random Box (Medium).] Jackpot. My gamble paid off. I don¡¯t know what kind of problem she had, or why she made such a decision, but¡­ In any case, I got the reward, so it didn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve never read the dialogues in games and have always spam-clicked past it when I played MMORPGs. Ding¨C! At that moment, a welcome notification came. [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [You¡¯ve reached level 19.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] . . . [Level 15 Skill Selection will not be given due to the Special Selection previously.] [Gained achievement title ¡®Giant Hunter.¡¯] [Giant Hunter] Tendency: Feat Description: I can¡¯t believe you won against a giant by yourself. I can¡¯t help but admire it. . . . ¡°Ooh.¡± I defeated Rastus and rose five levels at once. As expected, he¡¯s a villain who will become an S-class in the future, so the experience he gave didn¡¯t disappoint. But one more level and I would have been level 20. That part felt a little disappointing. The messages didn¡¯t end there. [You¡¯ve eliminated an existence that meets the standard of ¡®evil.¡¯] [You¡¯ve saved those who were in despair.] [Warrior¡¯s Journey grade has increased.] [A new effect has been added.] It¡¯s already my second time seeing this message today. The skill had just leveled up, so it was unbelievable that it would level up so soon¡­ Was the opponent that strong? Or is it supposed to be an easy skill to level up? I didn¡¯t know the answer and could only open my status window to check the new effect. Classification: General Grade: D (Grade E -> D) Description: A warrior grows through hardships. Grade Effect: Grade F: Favorability increases easily. Grade E: Awaken at the moment of crisis. Grade D: You become stronger when you are with your colleagues. * New * Mark, destiny, and then¡­.friendship. It looks like the typical warrior clich¨¦s found in RPGs are appearing one after another. Anyway¡­ I couldn¡¯t see whether it was a good or bad skill even after I read the description. First of all, the effect seems to be intended for combat, but the skill description was a little more abstract than the last one. Well, the grade is higher than the last one, so the effect should be better. As soon as I was organizing my thoughts, I noticed Elizabeth walking towards me. Come to think of it¡­ How should I deal with this woman now? Although her fate has changed due to this incident, there is no guarantee that she¡¯ll not grow into a villain. If I fight against the demon army, something very annoying may happen if the witch is on their side. Hmm¡­Should I just kill her and reduce the number of variables? Thinking back, it was a shame that we never got to fight properly in the past before she suddenly disappeared. I don¡¯t know how much fun it¡¯ll be to kill her this time. Considering the times the witch bothered me in the first round, and then the trouble I went through with today¡¯s Challenge, I think it would be better to kill her. While having such thoughts, Elizabeth, who had appeared in front of me at some point, bowed to me. ¡°In many ways, thank you.¡± In the meantime, I thought about how I should kill her. I wanted to do something suitable when I thought of all the trouble I had gone through¡­ But nothing good came to mind. ¡°You saved my life¡­and you also gave me a reason to live. If you hadn¡¯t enlightened me, I might still have given up everything.¡± Hm¡­rather than a gun, I think it would be better to use a knife. I reached behind my back and pulled out a military knife from my inventory. I don¡¯t know who was managing this knife before, but the blade was very well taken care of. ¡°You are my precious savior who taught me the meaning of life.¡± I approached Elizabeth step by step. She was still looking at me, but fortunately, she didn¡¯t notice anything strange. Our distance was getting closer and closer. About 1m apart. Enough to even see the small facial movements. She looked me in the eyes and spoke. ¡°So¡­the life that you saved, you can take it if you want.¡± Elizabeth said with a big smile. And then, I stared at her face for a while. For some reason, my excitement suddenly cooled. I didn¡¯t feel like it would be much fun to kill this woman anymore. I secretly put my knife back into my inventory and reached out my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t say something weird, just return my gun.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Elizabeth gave a puzzled look. Then I snatched the gun from her and turned around. Looking up at the sky, the sun was slowly setting. There won¡¯t be any pork cutlets left if I don¡¯t head back quickly. ¡°W-wait!¡± I heard a voice from behind me, but I just ignored it. Nevertheless, she persistently said what she wanted to say. ¡°Y-you said it a while ago, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s up to me whether I want to enjoy my life or not¡­S-so I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m going to pay you back for your grace.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°F-for a child as great as you, there still must be something else you need. Maybe you don¡¯t need anything from me¡­B-but I¡¯ll try every day to be a person who can be of help to you.¡± I turned around. I wondered what nonsense she was talking about, but her expression showed that she was very serious. I¡¯ve always known that the witch wasn¡¯t normal¡­but it seems there¡¯s been a problem since she was young. It was such a ridiculous proposal that I laughed in vain. What kind of thinking process does one have to have to say something like that? ¡°Nuna, do you even know me?¡± ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then, what do you think I¡¯m going to do?¡± ¡°Whatever it is. I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°What if I become a villain worse than your uncle?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t happen, but¡­If it does, I¡¯ll help you from the side. My decision to be of help to you is my own choice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So¡­Just let me be your shadow.¡± I looked her in the eyes. It¡¯s not the expression that existed a while ago. Naturally, there was still a childish side to her, but nonetheless, maybe because she has killed a person since then, but she feels more useful now. Hmm, never mind. I can¡¯t risk not knowing when she¡¯ll betray me. At that moment, in front of my eyes a new message came to mind. [The effect has activated.] [Elizabeth¡¯s favorability has risen.] [The level of favorability has reached a certain level.] [You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Elizabeth¡¯ as a companion.] [Companions cannot betray you once they¡¯ve joined your party.] I was wondering what was wrong with her. Was it the effect of ? Then everything would make sense. Recruiting teammates¡­ I thought while slowly observing her again. Either way, it was too much to deal with the demons alone. So I thought I would try to collect heroes who will become promising stars in the future whenever I have the chance¡­ And to be honest, in terms of talent, there is none like the witch. Also, there was that. ¡ª Companions cannot betray you once they¡¯ve joined your party. Her biggest flaw will have disappeared if this is the case. And there would be nothing more reliable than if the insidious witch, whose thoughts are impossible to read, becomes an absolute ally. ¡°D-did I say something weird? That¡­W-what I meant by shadow¡­It¡¯s a figurative expression I just thought of¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face turned red as she rambled to herself. When I saw that, I had a thought. This will be a stepping stone towards the final content. And so, today I got a witch who will grow into an SS-class in the future as a companion. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Some skills and items¡¯ names will be kept as KR/CN because there¡¯s no English equivalent. 2. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 A pink interior filled with cute dolls. In the middle of the room and in front of a table sat a girl wearing a large cone hat. Her name was Lady Fortune. And unlike her youthful appearance which resembles a middle school student, she was actually an active A-class hero who went by the hero name ¡®Kid Witch.¡¯ ¡°Erm¡­¡± Lady Fortune spat out a small grumble as her smooth forehead wrinkled. Her expression was like that of an adolescent girl who was worried about her career path. Shortly after. Jumping up from her seat, she began to pace around the room as she muttered to herself. ¡®Ominous¡­ominous¡­¡¯ She was currently suffering from an unknown ominous feeling. In her 150 years of life, the amount of times she has felt an ominous feeling can be counted on one hand. Having predicted countless misfortunes throughout her life, none had ever felt as bad as today. ¡®Like I thought¡­should I check this time?¡¯ She was extremely reluctant to read her own fortune, but she couldn¡¯t hold back. Eventually, she took out a tarot deck and placed it on the table. ¡°Mysterious wayfarer traveling the nebula. Show me the secret of the stars.¡± The cards on the table floated in the air and began to shuffle at a high speed. Soon, one face down card stuck out. She looked at the card for a while before grabbing it with a trembling hand. ¡®P-please!!¡¯ Swish¨C The card flipped over. Then she saw the picture on the card. A skeleton knight riding a white horse. Under the ominous picture, an even more ominous word was written. [DEATH] She sucked in cold air after seeing the card. ¡°T-this¡­what¡¯s this?¡± She was certain that she was predicting her fate, so why did this card come out? Did she make a mistake because it¡¯s been a while? ¡®T-that¡­Maybe it¡¯s because my condition isn¡¯t good today.¡¯ She shook her head and shuffled the cards again. But the results were¡­ DEATH. DEATH. DEATH. . . . An endless banquet of death. As if every constellation in the universe wanted her death, only the Death card appeared. ¡°Impossible!¡± This can¡¯t happen, she thought. She had never thought that death would come for her out of the blue like this. ¡°W-what the hell¡­When and how am I going to die?¡± Two cards were pulled out from the deck. What appeared before her eyes was¡­ [THE DEVIL] It was another ominous card. Her expression gradually turned solemn. Fortunately or unfortunately, she felt relieved that the other card hadn¡¯t turned over. It meant her time of death wasn¡¯t absolute. The fate wasn¡¯t fixed. With a desperate feeling, she looked at the deck of cards again. ¡°I-is there any way I can avoid this fate?¡± The dowsing she was wearing around her neck shone brightly and pointed in a direction outside the window. At the same time, a card slowly stuck out from the deck. [THE FOOL] Among the numerous major arcana cards, the 0 card represented the beginning and end. It also had the meaning of ¡®play¡¯ and ¡®fun.¡¯ For a while, she silently alternated between looking at the card and out the window. ¡®I don¡¯t know what this card is supposed to mean¡­¡¯ But she was certain of one thing, in order to change her fate, she had to go to the place where the dowsing was pointing. ¡®Probably¡­it seems I have to go out after a long time.¡¯ She sat back down the table and began searching for maps using the two-fingers method. * * * I left Elizabeth back there and returned to the nursery by myself. It would have been difficult to move with her since I was waiting for the sponsorship event right now. She looked very disappointed at my decision, but when I gave her some assignments, she replied with an excited look. What a simple woman. Luckily when I came back to the nursery there were still pork cutlets left. Normally, the children would compete to eat first, but perhaps because of what Bae Dalsu had said, they were all working hard in role-playing as good children. Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the pork cutlets leisurely before heading up to my room. Since I¡¯ve finished everything I had to do¡­I should check my progress now. I opened my status window and checked my stats. Body: 2.15 Dexterity: 1.35 Mana: 1.08 Spirit: 1.12 *7 Fragments of Growth This¡­it was good. If I had killed Elizabeth this time, I would have hit a clean level 20¡­ Well, if I consider the distant future, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be much more valuable. I evenly distributed my stats with the Fragments of Growth. Body: 2.15 (-) Dexterity: 1.35 -> 2.01 (+0.75) Mana: 1.08 -> 1.67 (+0.59) Spirit: 1.12 -> 2.08 (+0.96) *0 Fragment of Growth ¡°Ooh¡­¡± I had gained more points than I expected. In particular, only two fragments were added to Dexterity but it exceeded 2 points. At this rate, all my stats might reach 2 points after I hit level 20. It¡¯s been about two months since the second round began. Considering that it¡¯s still a low-level hunting ground, my growth has been really rapid. Around this time in the past, I would have still been on the streets without being able to eat properly, but now I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m already nearing level 20¡­ ¡­How strong am I now? It was a long time ago that I had experienced this low-level hunting ground, so I have no idea what to base it off of. I spread out the skills I¡¯ve gained so far and objectively measured my strength. First, the two skills that I¡¯m using as my main power. Classification: Ability Grade: D Description: Changes the body¡¯s state of matter. *Elementary: Liquid Classification: Magic Grade: E Description: Absorbs the energy of the object in contact. *Elementary: Absorbs energy to restore stamina. *The larger the area of contact with the object, the more energy is absorbed. In the case of these two skills, their synergy was much better than I had thought, and when I use them together, as long as the target is vulnerable to magic, then regardless of their grade, I¡¯ll have the absolute advantage. Next¡­ Classification: Special Grade: A Description: Awaken the dormant genes. Dormant Genes: (1) Human: 88.6% (2) Elf: 5.1%. (Active) (3) Beast: 2.5% (Inactive) (4) Dwarf: 2% (Inactive) (5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive) (6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive) *This skill cannot be strengthened or used in synthesis. *Value will increase if you consume the same gene. (However, please be careful because the vitality of the absorbed object will permanently be reduced.) Gene Awakening. An A-grade special skill. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, except for the ability to hear the voice of plants this has been useless so far. To be honest, I thought it didn¡¯t matter if I had this skill or not. Well, it¡¯ll be useful someday. Unfortunately, it meant that it was a good skill in the latter part, so I¡¯ll still need to pay attention to it. And the last¡­ Classification: General Grade: D (Grade E -> D) Description: A warrior grows through hardships. Grade Effect: Grade F: Favorability increases easily. Grade E: Awaken at the moment of crisis. Grade D: You become stronger when you are with your colleagues. *Punish evil to grow the skill. *Save others to grow the skill. *This skill cannot be strengthened by yourself. In fact, when I first got this skill, I had noticed that my favorability was increasing, and I only thought it would be a non-fighting skill. However, the effect I had experienced while fighting against Rastus this time showed such a great performance that I could now call it a kind of cheat key. It was really fun¡­ Unfortunately, however, there was a cooldown time and it couldn¡¯t be used in its sealed state. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After roughly organizing everything, I think I know what I need right now. I don¡¯t have enough easy-to-use skills. And it just so happens that I had a very useful solution to this problem. ¡°At last¡­the time for gacha has come.¡± I fiddled with the status window and summoned the random box. A glowing silver box beautifully rose in front of my eyes. To have gained a medium-grade box at this point¡­ Although it wasn¡¯t comparable to the high-grade box, it could be said that the medium-grade box was what I was most familiar with in my life. It¡¯s easy to acquire and it¡¯s a box that sometimes gives out high quality items. I don¡¯t think today could get any better if I can get one decent combat skill above D-grade. Since I got good stats earlier, my luck should be good¡­so let¡¯s go! After taking a deep breath, I opened the box without hesitation. [Used 1x Random Box (Medium).] The box spun in the air as it shot out beams of light, then soon after, the result appeared in front of my eyes. [Gained 3x Strengthen Skill (Low).] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I felt uncertain about the item that had come out. In fact, to be able to strengthen a skill isn¡¯t a bad thing. Rather, it belonged to goods that were important enough to be said to be essential to grow strong. However, all I can use this on now is and . Huu¡­It¡¯s not bad, but it¡¯s a bummer. It would have been perfect if I had obtained a combat skill¡­ Thinking so, the moment I sighed inside, The opened box closed on its own and it started rotating again. ¡®?!¡¯ Sometimes there were cases like this. When more than one opportunity is given in one box. And¡­ Usually, in such cases, it was often the case that the second reward was the true reward. M-maybe¡­ I watched the box with anticipation. An intense blue light bursts out of the box. It meant that at the very least it¡¯s D-Grade. Then finally, the box opened, and I couldn¡¯t hide my smile the moment I saw the result. ¡°This is it!¡± As expected, this world is a game of luck. * * * A week quickly passed. Because Bae Dalsu suddenly disappeared ahead of the event, the nursery teachers were restless for a while. However, it had often happened where he couldn¡¯t be contacted, so soon after everyone carried on like normal. Then came the day of the sponsorship event. I stuck the good job sticker on my chest and got on the nursery bus. Other than me, most of the children were from the flower group. The few others were children with pretty looks that seemed to have been put in just to fill out the race quota. At the chance to change their fate, none of them could hide their excited faces. It was finally the day. I was also looking forward to it. With this, I¡¯ll be able to obtain a proper identity and background to become a hero. In terms of games, it could be said that it was time to leave the beginner village. Come to think of it¡­This will be my first time to officially gain an identity. In the last round I didn¡¯t even register my birth and had lived without any ID card. I¡¯ll be able to use banks and have medical insurance now. Actually, I was used to carrying cash in my inventory, so I didn¡¯t really want to use the bank, but somehow I felt bad thinking that I was the only one who wasn¡¯t enjoying such benefits. Because of that, I had to set fire to the banks and was chased for a long time¡­ Such memories were now all pleasant memories. While reminiscing on past memories, the nursery teacher sitting in the front seat spoke. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, so if anyone is sleeping next to you, wake them up.¡± I looked out the window. There was a huge artificial lake, and past the thicket of trees were buildings in the distance that seemed to reach the sky. Neo Pyongyang¡¯s third inner city, Lake Town. Since there were primarily guests visiting Pyongyang, it was an area where hotels and tourist facilities were concentrated. The bus stopped in front of a large hotel sandwiched between other tall buildings. ¡°Okay~ Since we¡¯ve arrived, please line up in ascending order and follow me from now on. In particular, there are many other people here, so everyone should act in an orderly manner and not make too much noise. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± We entered the hotel according to the guidance of the nursery teacher. What greeted me was the splendid interior decoration and the hotel¡¯s unique neat smell. Today¡¯s event will be held in the Grand Hall located inside this hotel. It was a large auditorium mainly used for seminars by large companies and weddings. The children who followed together looked at the splendid scenery with their mouths open. However, what caught my eyes was the placard for the venue. Out of all the sponsors on the list, one name proudly stood at the forefront. Changcheon Group. As soon as I read the name, I immediately understood why this event could be so grand. Sure enough¡­is the Namgung clan behind this? The types of migrants from the different dimensions were really diverse, but if you were to divide them into two categories, then it was the following. Fantasy and Murim. Naturally, even if they were in the same category, that didn¡¯t mean they came from the same dimension. In general, those who belonged to the same category tended to show similar characteristics. Murim was a dimension where those who revered martial arts flocked together. It was a world of ¡®qi¡¯ and ¡®swords¡¯ that is often mentioned in Chinese materials. And¡­ The Namgung clan who are the host of today¡¯s event, could be said to be a group that held the greatest position in the murim. After moving to the Earth, they grew rapidly using the assets and martial arts they had brought from murim. Today, not only in Neo Pyongyang but also around the world, it was gaining recognition worldwide and was transforming into a giant company. Was there a need for them to be interested in an event where only nursery children gathered? Of course, it may be a charity event for their corporate image, but there was no need for them to go all out like this. It looks like there¡¯s something going on at this event¡­If something happens, it may be difficult to find a good sponsor. If this event was held by the Namgung clan, scouts from various other forces competing with them are likely to find it difficult to attend the event. Though, even if I get adopted by normal parents with a normal citizenship, it didn¡¯t interfere with my plan much. Still, in many ways, it was advantageous to take this opportunity to climb high in society. The story is twisting in an unexpected place. At that moment, I heard a short notification in my ears. [Your companion ¡®Elizabeth¡¯ has requested to talk with you.] Looking at one side of my vision, an icon resembling her face was shining brightly. What¡¯s going on with her all of a sudden¡­? Just like the party system found in games, I was able to have a conversation with her even when we were far apart after I had designated her as a companion. After I showed Elizabeth this function, she contacted me whenever she had time and I began to listen to her trivial matters. And because I couldn¡¯t overcome the annoyance, I had instructed her not to contact me unless it was necessary. The fact that she¡¯s contacting me now¡­ She knows that I¡¯m participating in the sponsorship event, so she must have found something about this place. It seems I need to check this out. I approached the teacher leading the nursery students and said with an urgent look. ¡°Teacher, can I go to the bathroom now?¡± ¡°What? The event will start soon¡­Hold it in!!¡± ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t. What if I pee then?¡± ¡°Haa¡­I see, then you have to go as soon as possible. Teacher has something to do here, so you can go by yourself, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fortunately, the nursery teacher readily gave me permission, as if she didn¡¯t think I was very important. I went straight out of the hotel and entered a quiet alley nearby. Before I accepted the conversation, I saw her icon muttering to itself with its ears drooped. ¡ª It¡¯s really important this time¡­I guess he¡¯s not listening to me again¡­W-what should I do? He always ignores me¡­This is really important¡­ ¡ª What¡¯s going on? ¡ª H-huh? Noah! W-were you listening? No, I didn¡¯t say anything just now¡­ I was in a hurry so I cut her off and asked. ¡ª I don¡¯t have much time right now, so please cut to the chase. ¡ª Yes! Noah. I read an article a while ago that said Namgung Taesu will come to the venue you¡¯re attending today! ¡ª Namgung Taesu? ¡ª Yeah! You know, the Changcheon Group president. He¡¯s famous for never attending such events, but articles are pouring out because he suddenly said he would attend. Listening to her, I became convinced of my guess from a moment ago. ¡ª Okay, nuna. Thank you for letting me know. ¡ª Yes! Then, good luck with the event and let me know when it¡¯s over. I want to say hello to your future parents¡­ I ended the conversation before she started talking nonsense. I thought while looking at the hotel where the event was held. What on earth is happening? Although I wasn¡¯t sure if this would be a good or bad thing for me, I was certain of one thing about this strange situation. It seems it¡¯s best to watch the situation for now. As soon as I thought that, a large man entered the alley lighting a cigarette. The man was dressed in a tailored suit and on his waist was a long sword. He seems to be related to Changcheon Group and was sent by them for today¡¯s event. Looking at me, the man hid the cigarette behind his back and asked. ¡°Kid, are you from a nursery school?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m from House of Flowers.¡± ¡°Hmm? But the event is going to start soon. Is it okay to stay here like this?¡± ¡°Uh, I wanted to pee, so I was looking for the bathroom, but I couldn¡¯t find it¡­¡± ¡°Haha, is that so? In fact, I couldn¡¯t find the smoking area because the hotel is so spacious. Then, if you¡¯re done with your business, hurry up and go in before the event starts.¡± The man smiled kindly and said. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have any doubts. ¡°Yes! Thank you.¡± After bowing to the man, I hurried to the hotel. * * * ¡®Whew¡­kids these days.¡¯ The man smoked his cigarette while looking at the child running far away. His son was also of the same age, so for no particular reason the child¡¯s back caught his eyes. ¡®Even so, I hope he meets good parents today and lives a happy life.¡¯ The man thought as such before flicking his cigarette and crushing it. At that moment, a woman in colorful leopard leggings entered the alley dragging a carrier. Fluffy ears that resembled a hyena and a tail that gently shook along with her hips. She seemed to be a mixed race with the blood of beastmen. The man observed the woman for a while. ¡®What is she doing in this alley¡­?¡¯ The man, who felt something amiss, spoke to the woman in a polite manner. ¡°Excuse me! There¡¯s nothing to see here, and it¡¯s blocked if you go further inside. If you¡¯re looking for the station, I think you came the wrong way!¡± However, the woman continued to approach the man as if she hadn¡¯t heard him. Sensing that she was suspicious, the man slowly lowered his hand to the handle of his sword and asked the woman. ¡°Can you stop for a moment¡­¡± The moment the man spoke, Swish¨C! Something flashed in front of him. Slowly, his view began to rotate. And soon¡­ Thud. The man fell to the ground head first. He could see the cigarette butt he had just thrown away. ¡®I-it¡¯s an attack¡­¡¯ Before he knew it, there was a sharp flexible sword in the woman¡¯s hand. The man wanted to shout, but no voice came out. The woman slowly walked towards the fallen man. Then, she lifted her slender leg before slowly lowering it. Looking at the sharp high heel descending, he had one final thought. ¡®The children are in danger¡­¡¯ Pak¨C The man¡¯s head was shattered, and red stains formed in the quiet alley. The woman giggled as if she was satisfied with what she had seen, then she took out an instrument resembling a camera and looked at the ground. ¡°Hmm¡­ Is it here?¡± Soon after, she opened her carrier and took something out. It was a thick stake with many yellow amulets attached to it. The woman put the stake on the ground and placed one hand on it before giving strength. ¡°Heup.¡± Crack¨C! The stake penetrated the solid asphalt and went in without a trace. After seeing that, the woman spoke to a walkie-talkie that was plugged into one of her ears. ¡°I just took care of it.¡± The voice of a man full of irritation came from the earplug. ¡ª Vera! You¡¯re the last one. What took you so long?! ¡°Hehe¡­I¡¯m sorry, Andes. There was a bug here, so I was late because I had to deal with it.¡± While the two bickered, another heavy low-pitched voice intervened through the earplug. ¡ª Stop. Everyone, focus. It¡¯s starting now. At the man¡¯s word, Vera swallowed her saliva. And although no one was watching, she nodded and spoke. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡ª Haha, good. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment! Let¡¯s do it now! ¡ª Then, we¡¯ll start in five seconds. Following the man¡¯s instruction, Vera counted five seconds inside her head and then began to inject mana into the stake that she had just placed. At that moment. Wuuung¨C A wave emitting a low pitch sound that was hard to hear spread out. And soon, a transparent intangible tent slowly began to cover the hotel. ¡°Huu¡­I need to move quickly.¡± Staring at the dead body on the ground, she kicked it one last time before heading to the hotel. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The lounge on the top floor of the hotel. On a large screen occupying one side of the wall, the view from the sponsorship venue was currently being broadcasted. ¡ª Now! The next child I¡¯m going to introduce is a cute little lady from Somang Nursery! Everyone, let¡¯s give her a round of applause! ¡ª Ah, hello! I¡¯m¡­ A host who introduced the children to the guests and the children who clumsily introduced themselves. The way the children desperately tried to present themselves as in need of love looked pitiful enough for others to be sympathetic. But despite that, an old man sitting in front of a screen only frowned, then he spoke. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not this one either.¡± Namgung Taesu sighed while leaning against his wheelchair. A secretary who was beside him bowed her head deeply. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I should¡¯ve prepared someone properly¡­¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. You¡¯re the one who had prepared the event according to the whims of this old man¡­Keuk!¡± After finishing his words, Namgung Taesu suddenly coughed. As if he was having a fit, his cough lasted for dozens of seconds. ¡°President!¡± The doctor next to him hurriedly attached a respirator to his mouth. But in the next second he grabbed the respiratory and threw it away. ¡°Huu¡­This is for an elderly person who¡¯ll die soon. I don¡¯t need it yet.¡± ¡°B-but you can¡¯t overdo it, President!¡± ¡°Hoho, Choewon Jang is the only one who cares about my body. But thank you for worrying about me.¡± Namgung Taesu showed a very exhausted expression as he spoke. Liver spots blooming all over the face, and a skinny body that reveals only skin and bones. It looked like an old man who had drank the heavenly water and was waiting for his death. But despite that, his eyes were still and clear. ¡®I can¡¯t afford to die yet.¡¯ Several generations have already passed since he moved here to Earth. And in that time, he has devoted his whole life to raising the fallen Namgung clan. He endured harsh humiliation and lived a servile life, and sometimes even abandoned his pride as the righteous faction by touching dirty work. It was only after decades of effort that it was possible to rebuild the name Namgung on this land. ¡®But it¡¯s still not enough¡­¡¯ From the perspective of Namgung Taesu, he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with the current state. He created the group called Changcheon, but he knew well that it was insignificant compared to the power he enjoyed in the murim. There was something essential to recreate that past glory. It was the power that made the Namgung clan who they are today, The Boundless Firmament Righteous Sword method. In particular, the Monarch Sword Art. Unfortunately, however, the Monarch Sword Art currently held by the Namgung clan was only half. The manual was lost at the time when the survivors of the Namgung clan fled to Earth. But even if it wasn¡¯t, it was a martial art that was notorious for its convoluted steps and learning curve. There also wasn¡¯t any explanation to solve it¡­ As a result, it has reached a point where none of the immediate blood relatives of the Namgung clan can use the Monarch Sword Art. Therefore, Namgung Taesu was here in search of clues to restore it. ¡®Heavenly body¡­It¡¯ll definitely be possible if it comes into such a person¡¯s hands.¡¯ A legendary constitution blessed by God to train in martial arts. If it is the talent to understand and learn all the martial arts of the world, then the Monarch Sword Art of the Namgung clan could also be restored. And¡­ If the divination done by the Namgung clan was correct, then the Heavenly Body will appear at the venue today. ¡®I must¡­have it in my hands.¡¯ Namgung Taesu looked at the screen and his eyes shone coldly. * * * The sponsorship event had already begun when I returned to the hotel. In front of the entrance to the venue, a childcare teacher was seen wandering around with an anxious look. As soon as she saw me, she suddenly screamed. ¡°Why are you so late?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­The hotel is so spacious that I got lost.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I¡¯m going to lose my mind. Anyway, we don¡¯t have time, so quickly change your clothes and get your makeup done. Hurry up!¡± I followed the person in charge of the event to the waiting room located behind the stage. There were already children gathered from various nursery schools standing like a market stall. ¡°Heuk¡­waaah.¡± ¡°Hello~! I¡¯m 11 years old~¡­!¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­W-why isn¡¯t my ability working all of a sudden¡­?¡± From those who were preparing their speech while looking in the mirror, to even those who were checking their abilities again. The children, who were once abandoned by society, were trying hard so as to not miss this opportunity. It was noisy. I watched the scene from afar after I quickly changed my clothes in the narrow space. Soon after, a woman with colorful hair approached me. ¡°Oh my! Look at you! What¡¯s wrong with your hair? Rather than makeup, we should do something about your hair first.¡± Saying so, she sat me in front of a mirror. On one side of the mirror, the scene of the venue was being broadcasted. ¡°What kind of style do you want¡­? No. I¡¯ll just take care of it, so wait a minute.¡± Then she began to trim my hair with a pair of flashy scissors. She was a chaotic woman perfect for this chaotic landscape. As I waited for her, a child suddenly sat down next to me soon after. White skin and silver hair with a tint of blue. And an expressionless face like a doll. He was a handsome boy with a very cold impression. Hmm¡­Who was this? Somehow, he looked familiar. But I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it. I stared at him for a while, then he suddenly looked at me and asked in a sweet voice. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± He seemed annoyed judging by his expression. He was as feisty as he looks. ¡°Nothing, I just glanced at you because you¡¯re handsome.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re a very rude rascal. I¡¯m not used to being looked at by lowly people like you, so don¡¯t look at me anymore.¡± The guy said and frowned. Then, after staring at me for a moment, he turned his head back to the mirror in front of him. I complimented him for being handsome, but he¡¯s acting like that. Perhaps because of the absence of a father and mother figure, his personality was very bad. Because of that, I think my young heart is going to be scarred. Okay. Let¡¯s write down his address and kill him later. As soon as I thought so, an event official appeared at the entrance and shouted. ¡°Next in line, please get ready in advance!¡± Then the unfortunate guy sitting next to me got up and headed to the stage. ¡­But really, I think I¡¯ve seen him somewhere. On second thought, it¡¯s definitely a face I¡¯ve seen before. Is it one of the heroes that I killed in the last round? While I was lost in thought, the boy¡¯s face was reflected on the monitor in the mirror. ¡ª The child to be introduced this time is a person of noble lineage. The prince of a deceased royal family who came from another world! Let me introduce Eugene! Along with the enthusiastic explanation from the host, the boy climbed onto the stage. ¡°12 years old. Eugene.¡± Then, without saying a word, he picked up a wooden sword lying as a prop on the side of the stage and began swinging it in the air. ¡ª Oooh!! A perfect trajectory of the sword without an inch of imperfection. At the boy¡¯s exceptional swordsmanship, exclamations burst from all over the venue. The boy, who had been swinging the wooden sword for a while, soon put the sword back on the display stand and left the stage. The moment I saw it, I thought I knew who he was. It was him. Namgung Eugene. A genius among geniuses who became a C-class hero at the ripe age of 13. In the past, when I was wandering the streets, I remember reading it in a newspaper article. Then, that guy will be adopted by the Namgung clan today. If I didn¡¯t remember his last name wrong, it¡¯s probably likely to flow that way. Come to think of it¡­If he¡¯s 12 years old now, wouldn¡¯t he die next year? In the last round, Namgung Eugene received a lot of attention when he became a C-class hero at the age of 13. However, not long after that, he died in an attack by a terrorist group with a grudge against the Namgung clan. And because of that, the Namgung clan went into an uproar. At that time, it was such a big event that even the back alley where I was mainly active had an impact, so the fact that he had died is still vivid. Well, people without manners should die early. While I was recalling past memories, the woman who was trimming my hair behind me suddenly shouted. ¡°Oh¡­my god!¡± She looked at me with a very surprised look when she looked in the mirror. She soon slapped my shoulder and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s really amazing! It¡¯s totally amazing! You had this face, but why did you dress like a beggar?!¡± Because she was making a fuss, other makeup artists around her began to flock around me. ¡°Oh, my. What¡¯s this? Why is the boy so pretty?¡± ¡°I know, honestly, I feel slightly defeated.¡± ¡°Slightly? I think it¡¯s a complete defeat.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re so mean!¡± Thanks to them, this place that was otherwise noisy felt twice as hectic. I wanted to get out of here quickly. At that moment, the official who visited the waiting room a while ago called me at the entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare for the next segment in advance!¡± Thanks to that, I was able to get out of this hectic space. In a hidden space next to the auditorium that led to the stage, I thought to myself while waiting for my turn. With the new skill I had gained this time, I¡¯ll be able to get adopted to a good place. I don¡¯t want anything like becoming an honorary noble or gaining special citizenship. What I¡¯m aiming for is at least a 2nd class family. With that much, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to support my hero activities after I become a hero. ¡ª The next friend I¡¯m going to introduce is Choi Noah from House of Flowers! Please give him a round of applause! I can hear the host calling my name. I checked my outfit one last time before heading onto the stage. * * * The guests all looked at the pamphlets in their hands when the host called out the next child¡¯s name. ¡°Let¡¯s see, Choi Noah, 12 years old. Specialty is¡­playing games?¡± ¡°Oh, my. I¡¯ve never seen such a case before. There wasn¡¯t anything else to write?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a gloomy boy. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be suitable for a classy family like mine.¡± The guests inside the venue let go of their expectations and began chatting with one another. At that moment, a young boy appeared on the stage. ¡°Uh¡­Huh? Is that him?¡± ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t it say he was a boy?¡± Unlike the mood a while ago, those who saw the boy had no choice but to burst into admiration. A beautiful face like an angel and a cute, playful expression. And, the mysterious purple eyes that shone. Every eye at the venue became focused on one place. As if someone had cast a spell, the moment they saw the boy¡¯s appearance, strangely, they started to like him. It was a subtle change that they themselves wouldn¡¯t be able to notice. ¡°Hoho, I can¡¯t believe playing games can be a speciality these days. Isn¡¯t it a healthy leisure activity?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­He¡¯s the perfect boy for a noble family like mine.¡± Finally, the child standing in the center of the stage grabbed the microphone. ¡°Ah, hello! My name is Choi Noah! And I¡¯m 12 years old!¡± The boy simply introduced himself, but there were noises of laughter everywhere. ¡°This is a talent show, so I¡¯ll show what I¡¯m most proud of.¡± Then surprisingly, the child took a wooden sword out from the display stand next to him, just as Eugene had done a moment ago. Everyone at the venue watched the child¡¯s behavior. But at that moment. Boom???! With a loud roar, one of the walls of the venue suddenly burst. Then the sound of someone laughing was heard. ¡°Haha! I¡¯m first!¡± What stood there was an iron giant wearing a steel suit. Following him, dozens of masked people began to invade the venue. ¡°Aahh! V-villains!¡± ¡°Everyone, run away!¡± Most of the people who are currently gathered here were just from ordinary families. Officials from famous hero families and scouts from various famous organizations were watching from a separate place. As a result, they were helpless in the face of the villains¡¯ ambush. ¡°Haha¡­it¡¯s going to be fun chopping people up!¡± The steel giant, holding a photon blade in his hand, began to playfully chop up the people around him. Not only that, the masked villains swung their swords at the people trying to escape. Everywhere became filled with blood and screams as the venue quickly turned into a mess. Then one step later, a woman with fluffy ears entered the venue. ¡°Huh, Andes? How are you already here enjoying it alone?¡± Breaking someone¡¯s head with one hand, the steel giant spoke. ¡°You¡¯re late, Vera! I was certainly on time.¡± ¡°Are you really going to bullshit like this?¡± ¡°Haha. Didn¡¯t I tell everyone the time? Please show up on time next time.¡± While the two were bickering, the inside of the venue was reduced at a rapid speed. The people who had tried to escape died, and the remaining guests knelt on the floor with their heads lowered. Vera stared at the bodies and spoke. ¡°Well, by the way¡­Will Gomin be okay by himself?¡± ¡°Why are you worried about him? He¡¯s probably enjoying it more than we are by now anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­? Everything will be fine, right?¡± ¡°Hmph! If you¡¯re going to talk about that ominous feeling or whatever, just go home.¡± At Andes¡¯ words, Vera quickly changed her expression and spoke. ¡°No. It¡¯s just a passing thought. Let¡¯s quickly clean this up and move on to the next step.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll head up first and suppress everyone, so wrap up the few kids. There are only ordinary people here anyway.¡± ¡°Okay. Leave it to me.¡± Vera nodded, pulling out a long sword from her waist. Then Andes and a few subordinates left the venue. Soon after, she stepped toward the stage where the children were. * * * Screams came from all directions. Cut bodies were littered everywhere, and even the ivory carpets were stained with blood. I stood on the stage and watched. Villains. I was certainly expecting something to happen today, but I didn¡¯t think villains would brazenly invade like this. Maybe because of the effect of a while ago, but I was really attracting people¡¯s attention¡­The opportunity that came after a long time was wasted. Anyway, should I be thankful for my misfortune¡­? As soon as the villains attacked, a message appeared in front of my eyes. [Challenge ¨C Wipe Out the Terrorist (Chain Quest).] Condition: Clean up the terrorist who has invaded the hotel. Period: 1 week. Reward: 3x Random Box (Low). A challenge that rewarded as many as three low-grade boxes. The reward is good. And most of all, what I like is¡­ There¡¯s nothing ambiguous like saving someone. It¡¯s a problem that can be solved by killing everyone here. Nice and simple. The moment I was smiling happily, I saw a masked villain approaching me. ¡°Hey, kid! If you don¡¯t want to die, go over there right now and kneel down.¡± Blood was dripping from the sword in his hand. Seeing that a light was swaying finely on the blade of the sword, it seems that he is at a level capable of imbuing mana onto weapons. In other words, transforming my body using won¡¯t be very helpful. But I don¡¯t have to run away anymore. I lifted the wooden sword that I still held in my hand. The masked villain burst into laughter and spoke. ¡°Crazy bastard. Die.¡± As if he was trying to split my head at once, he swung the sword down without mercy. However, I coiled my wooden sword around the falling sword and hit his wrist. ¡°Keuk!¡± The sudden pain caused the guy to drop his sword. And at that moment??? Puk???! ¡°Keuh¡­keuk!¡± I caught the falling sword and put the blade into his neck in one motion. Perhaps because of the momentum of the blade, but it was neatly embedded even though mana wasn¡¯t used. As expected, it¡¯s good. I gave a satisfied smile and checked my new skill. Classification: Magic Grade: C (Unsealed: S) Effect: The ability to understand and reproduce martial arts increases. *Correction applied to C-grade martial arts and below *You can imitate C-grade martial arts skills and below *You can see the sword. *The skill cannot be strengthened with skill strengthening items. *Current effectiveness is sealed. The skill will be unsealed once certain conditions are met. I can¡¯t believe this came out of the medium-grade box¡­ It was simply a reward only obtainable by breaking through the lowest probability possible. In addition, I¡¯m not sure what conditions I need to meet, but the skill can grow into S-grade simply by unsealing it. Well, it was enough for now. I wanted to immediately swing my sword¡­So I was very grateful to these guys who were so nice to appear just in time. As soon as I thought that, Whoosh???! A silver light flashed in front of my eyes and passed by my cheek with a sharp sound. I touched my cheek and realized it was dripping with blood. ¡°Who are you?¡± A woman with fluffy ears appeared in front of me and was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. Great. Just like that, I looked at her and lifted my sword without saying a word. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Hero Association was currently turned upside down due to the large-scale barrier that had appeared in the middle of the city. It could have been a barrier intentionally installed by the hotel, but unfortunately, no contact could be made to the relevant authorities division, so the possibility was increasingly leaning toward terrorism. ¡°Make way! Make way!¡± At an alleyway crowded with investigators. A muscular woman with a magnificent physique pushed through the crowd. Her name was Kim Taehee. She was a former B-class hero who was now serving as the senior investigator on counterterrorism at the Hero Association¡¯s Neo Pyongyang branch. As she crossed the yellow police line, the body of a man with a shattered head came into view. She looked at the deputy who had arrived earlier and asked. ¡°Identity? Have you found out who it is?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s an employee of Changcheon Group.¡± ¡°Cause of death?¡± ¡°From the shape of the blood on the floor¡­The man¡¯s neck was cut by a sharp sword, and the body seemed to have been damaged by being stepped on by a woman¡¯s high heel.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­There¡¯s nothing more to look at, so just cover it up for now.¡± After instructing to have the bloody scene covered with a cloth, she turned to the barrier. ¡°I was roughly briefed on my way here. So, Changcheon Group¡¯s president is trapped inside, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. Including Namgung Taesu, more than 5,000 people are believed to be trapped inside.¡± ¡°Ha, I¡¯m going crazy. This is a fucking terrorist attack. In broad daylight no less. So what about the catalyst? Did you find it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure, but we believe it¡¯s that stake over there.¡± Beyond the transparent barrier, she saw a black stake emitting an ominous energy. ¡°From the looks of it, could it be a totem?¡± In order to make a totem of this level, at least hundreds of people¡¯s blood and grudge was needed. It was absolutely not something that would be used on an ordinary hotel. ¡®There¡¯s nothing more to see. This is undoubtedly a terrorist attack.¡¯ Since it was a terrorist attack, every second and every minute was urgent. It was a waste of time to contact the association and wait for them to update the case. She approached the boundary with a stiff expression. ¡°Chief Kim, what are you doing¡­?¡± She ignored the deputy¡¯s words and activated her ability. Black graphite covered her fist like a shell. Then, she punched as hard as she could toward the barrier. Boom¨C! A deafening roar reverberated as if a bomb had exploded. The power that made her a B-class hero in the past was displayed in full force. However, despite such a shock, the barrier only shook for a moment and there was no significant change. ¡°It¡¯s damn hard.¡± On top of that, she felt a strong rebound the moment she hit it. It seems like it¡¯ll be difficult to break with force. In the end, they¡¯ll most likely have to wait until the specialists arrive. However, unfortunately, all the specialists working at the Pyongyang branch were on business trips. They¡¯ll need at least an hour to return. ¡®It¡¯s going to be too late by then.¡¯ Her eyes, which had been firm, fluctuated. She broke out in a cold sweat and her lips became dry. She anxiously approached the deputy next to her. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since the incident broke out, so why can¡¯t we figure out the situation inside?! Did you really ask for support?¡± ¡°We heard a superhero with a hacking ability will arrive soon. If you wait a little more¡­¡± ¡°And let the people inside die in the meantime? Can you say that if your family was trapped inside? Huh?¡± ¡°T-that¡­¡± While the deputy was thinking of an excuse, a man arrived at the scene just in time. It was a D-class hero with an ability related to hacking. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the support¡­Heuk!¡± Before the man could say hello, Kim Taehee lifted his collar. ¡°There¡¯s no time for greetings. Show me the CCTV from inside right now.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± The man grabbed his tablet and began to use his ability. Even at this moment, it was an unbearable wait for her. She kept thinking about the worst case possible. ¡°Hurry up and do it! Didn¡¯t you hear that we don¡¯t have much time?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s connected¨C!¡± She snatched the tablet before the man could even finish his sentence. Then, switching between cameras at a high speed, she searched the hotel. And soon, she found the place she was looking for. The grand hall where the sponsorship event was held. There, unknown people wearing masks were indiscriminately swinging their swords. Hundreds of guests were lying on the floor and trembling, and next to them were dismembered bodies. ¡°Damn! Contact the association and tell them to mobilize the heroes! Fuck! I told them it was a terrorist attack right from the start, but they didn¡¯t listen¡­¡± She verbally cursed upper management of the association. At that moment, on the tablet, a child was seen standing on a stage. And, a terrorist could be seen approaching the child with a sword. ¡°These fuckers!!¡± The moment she saw the scene, she lost her reasons and ran in front of the barrier. Then, she hardened her fists and struck the barrier over and over. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! Boom¨C! . . . An endless barrage of explosions sounded in the narrow alley. The investigators watched on nervously. ¡®This time too¡­I can¡¯t be late!¡¯ Sweat flowed down her back, and due to the rebound from the barrier, her internal organs constantly shook. However, she continued punching. ¡®Please¡­Don¡¯t be late!¡¯ She kept thinking about the face of her daughter. The daughter who eventually left first because she couldn¡¯t protect her. Amidst the sound of her continuous punching, the deputy¡¯s flustered voice was heard. ¡°Uh¡­C-chief Kim¡­¡± She pretended not to hear him and continued to punch the barrier. ¡°C-chief Kim!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s not it¡­he¡¯s dead!¡± Only then did she stop hitting the barrier. The hardened skin peeled off in tatters, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. She stared at the deputy and shouted. ¡°Shut up! I told you to shut up, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t just watch and do something you punk!¡± There was a limit to what one person could do. So in order to save more people, she quit being a hero and became a counterterrorism investigator working for the association. To wipe out the terrorists who took away her daughter. However, whenever she couldn¡¯t protect the citizens like now, she would feel a sense of shame and anger each time. ¡°Fuuuck!!¡± The investigators knew her story to some extent, so everyone turned their heads and avoided her gaze. Everyone except the deputy. ¡°C-chief Kim¡­Y-you have to see it for yourself¡­¡± ¡°I feel like shit right now, so don¡¯t touch me.¡± ¡°N-no take a look and see¡­¡± She nervously snatched the tablet. And the moment she saw the screen, her eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. ¡°W-what¡¯s this¡­¡± On the screen, the young child was seen killing the masked man. * * * I raised my sword and extended it diagonally. It wasn¡¯t really a martial art technique or stance. I just felt that this posture was the most natural for my current body. And more than ever, I felt this sword will move according to my will. ¡°Who are you?¡± The beast girl gracefully climbed onto the stage where I was standing. Her entrance was like the appearance of a new actor coming onto a theater stage. I observed her without saying a word. With long arms and legs like that of a model, she was likely around 180cm. In addition, the weapon she was carrying was a soft sword that can extend 2m long. Approaching her won¡¯t be easy. In general, the two most important things in close combat fights were weight class and reach. In order for me to approach her, I¡¯ll be forced to take unilateral damage. Also, the skill I saw from her a moment ago was at least at its peak. In terms of hero grading, she was around C-class. On the other hand, my current growth is between E and D class. There wouldn¡¯t even be a fight to speak of if I didn¡¯t have my current skills and stats. I can¡¯t take too long. I have to break through at once. While I was quickly organizing my thoughts, I heard her voice. ¡°So have you thought of a plan? Can nuna play with you now?¡± The soft sword in her hand slowly rises like a snake. I kicked off the floor instead of answering. Swish! At that moment, her soft sword coiled around me as if it had been waiting. Mana faintly covered the soft sword. She had no intention of letting me get close right from the start. But I could feel clearly where the sword would fly. [ level of understanding has increased.] Abstract information about her martial art flowed into my head. It seems that she had remodeled an existing martial art to suit her weapons in her own way. By understanding its path, I was able to avoid the flying blade that came in waves. One, two, three times. As I avoided the attacks, the distance that seemed out of reach became so close that I could see the wrinkles around her eyes. And at that moment, her eyes bent like a half moon. ¡°Caught you.¡± Cling¨C! There was a loud sound of metal behind my back. The tip of the sword, which had already passed by me, began to turn sharply like a snake wrapping up its prey. [ level of understanding has increased.] There¡¯s nothing I can do about this. I quickly imbued mana onto my sword. A faint mana overlaid above the blade of the sword. The mana consumption was incredibly high because I was using it without the qi that came from martial arts. Boom¨C! Even though it collided with the soft sword, the sound of solid steel hitting each other reverberated. After striking the sword that was trying to surround me, I backed out of her range. ¡°Wow, seriously, what did you do? How did you avoid it?¡± Perhaps genuinely surprised, she spat out a small exclamation. From her tone, it was as if she was still holding back. At that moment, a message appeared in front of me again. [ level of understanding has increased.] [You¡¯ve reached a certain level of understanding.] [While the battle continues, you can imitate the skill based on your understanding.] I see. I roughly understood the gist of it. Like a person who has trained their martial arts for a long time, muscle memory will allow me to move accordingly. I lifted my sword again. However, it wasn¡¯t diagonal like a while ago this time. Instead, it stood upright like a sword piercing the sky. It was the Gentle Wind Sword Art that she has been using. After seeing my posture, the woman¡¯s eyes wavered. ¡°H-how can you¡­are you from Namgung¡­¡± I rushed at her without waiting for her to finish. The soft sword that had been limp on the ground belatedly rose. Ting¨C! I imbued my sword with mana and swung down heavily on the soft sword. Then, the soft sword began to fluctuate like a captured snake, and the repulsion quickly returned to her like a shockwave. ¡°Keuk!¡± The moment she faltered, my feet that had stopped moved again. ¡°Damn!¡± Woosh¨C! Her blade was coming towards me from behind. If this continues, even if I kill her, the tip of her sword will pierce my back. She was forcing me to choose. Whether to die together or back down. I gave a third answer to her choice. *Gas The new effect I had unlocked after I strengthened the skill. At that moment, my body turned into a red blood-colored fog and scattered in all directions. My sword and clothes fell to the floor. ¡°W-what?!¡± After passing through her in my current state, I picked up my sword that had fallen to the floor and slashed it at her back. ¡°Kyaak!¡± She screamed and faltered forward. Her half broken sword fell to the floor. Damn, it was shallow. There was no sensation of cutting bones. Due to my lack of mana, I failed to break through the mana surrounding her body. ¡°Keuk¡­I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± She staggered and picked up the soft sword again. Then she raised it and pointed it at me. This is troublesome. I¡¯ve used up all my trump cards. There was no means to break that attack right now. As soon as I made that judgment, I ran to the back of the stage without looking back. ¡°A-are you running away?! You coward!¡± I can hear her angered voice. As a result, she began to chase after me from behind. I have to replenish my mana first. So I ran at full speed and opened the door to the waiting room. The strong smell of blood stimulated the tip of the nose. There were dismembered bodies scattered on the floor. They were the sisters who had gathered around me and screamed a little while ago. I quickly looked around inside. In one corner, I could see the survivors confronting two masked people. The older sister who trimmed my hair wielding a pair of scissors, and next to her was Eugene gasping with a wooden sword. ¡°I¡¯m going to stab you if you come! I¡¯m going to stab you!¡± ¡°Hak¡­Hak¡­¡± And behind them, children from the nurseries huddled together and hid themselves. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice that I had come in. Good, that¡¯s perfect. I ran straight at them and put a knife in each one. Puk¨C Puk¨C ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°H-huh¡­Keuk!¡± They collapsed without even knowing what happened. The hairdresser nuna and Eugene gave me a surprised look. Ignoring them, I put my hand on the bodies and used my newly strengthened skill. *Mana drain. ¡°Keuuuh!!¡± ¡°Keuk, keu, keuh! My mana¡­¡± My whole body became filled with mana. To be honest, the efficiency wasn¡¯t very good because it consumed mana to use it. Still, after absorbing the two on the floor, I felt quite full. ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyebrows furled with a shocked expression. Looking at it reminded me of the heartache I received in the waiting room. So for a while I thought about killing him, but I decided to just give up because of the CCTV on the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, so later.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­got it.¡± I packed all the swords that had fallen on the floor into my inventory and left the waiting room again. When I ran around and found the woman, this time she was haphazardly swinging her soft sword in a loosened state. I don¡¯t know if she was running out of mana, but she was moving like an earthworm. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to kill you¡­keuh¡­¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± Somehow, I felt like my actions had been futile. If I knew this would happen, I would have just run away. It feels like I¡¯m using a potion boost in front of a monster I had in my grasp. Still, it¡¯s good to be certain. I rushed toward her, avoiding the soft sword. Puk! ¡°Keuk¡­¡± My sharp sword penetrated her abdomen. And unable to overcome the shock that she couldn¡¯t beat me, she fell to her knees and staggered away. The place where she stopped was the center of the stage under the spotlight. * * * Meanwhile, in front of an elevator located on the top floor of the hotel. Currently, Namgung Taesu¡¯s security team were preparing to welcome the terrorists. They were all martial artists at their peak, and they can be said to be as talented as C-class heroes. ¡°Understand? As soon as the door opens, whoever it is, attack. Don¡¯t hesitate.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The elevator was rising at a high speed. Everyone looked at the number shown on the elevator. They desperately hoped it would stop, but unfortunately, the sound of the elevator moving became louder and louder. Ding¨C And finally the door opened. Inside was a lone masked man. However, the head of the security team had instructed them to shoot right away without letting their guard down. ¡°Shoot!¡± Dudududu¨C! Hundreds of bullets flew in unison toward the narrow elevator. At that moment¨C The bullet bounced back from the elevator and unexpectedly hit them. Because of this, several people who couldn¡¯t defend themselves in time were hit. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Did you really try to deal with me with just this much?¡± The masked man¡¯s hoarse voice was heard. He walked out leisurely before the elevator closed. A sword was already in the hands of such a man. The security team leader didn¡¯t panic and gave the next instruction. ¡°The opponent is at least a peak martial artist! Everyone, draw your sword!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Along with a voice that echoed, the security team abandoned their guns and pulled out their swords. The team leader gave the next instruction without delay. ¡°Spread out and surround him! Into formation!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± The security team quickly surrounded the masked man. The tip of their swords pointed from all sides, restricting the movements of the person inside. Against most strong people, it could be said to be the best method. However, the masked man watched it leisurely and did nothing. Meanwhile, the security team began to move. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡± Like a mythical giant who has countless arms, blades rush from all sides. Avoiding such attacks very easily, the masked man spoke. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± His movements seemed to be predicting everything that was happening. As such, after some time, the masked man slowly raised his sword and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m getting bored of avoiding it, so I¡¯ll have to end it now.¡± Ting¨C ¡°Kuaaak!¡± A blow that accurately pierced the formation¡¯s weakness. The team leader¡¯s arm, which was at the center of the formation, was cut off. As a result, the formation quickly began to entangle, and the blades of the team members stabbed each other¡¯s bodies. ¡°Aahh! M-my legs!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! It wasn¡¯t intentional¡­!¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t panic and fix the formation!¡± But the masked man who was aiming for that moment didn¡¯t give the security team time to recover. Like a wolf jumping into a flock of sheep, he killed them one by one. The neat corridor of the hotel turned into a sea of blood. And soon, the lone team leader asked the masked man. ¡°H-how¡­Our formation¡­¡± He could understand it if the masked man had destroyed the formation with force. Because there were so many strong people in the world. However, the way the man broke it wasn¡¯t by force, but an attack that accurately used the principle of the formation. Small loopholes that only people who have trained in Namgung their whole life would know. The masked man answered leisurely. ¡°I used to be a Namgung¡­It would be weird not to know.¡± ¡°Keuk. What does that mean¡­¡± Swish- Not wanting to listen any longer, the masked man split the team leader¡¯s throat. His head rolled across the blood-stained floor. And the expression on his face was of shock as if he couldn¡¯t believe the reality. ¡°Hmph. Frogs living in a well.¡± The masked man shook off the blood from his sword and walked along the hallway. At the end of the hallway was the secretary and doctor running away with the wheelchair-bound Namgung Taesu. The man happily approached them with his arms open. ¡°Haha, where are you going in such a hurry?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t come any closer¡­Keuk!¡± The moment the secretary pulled out her word, suddenly, her head rolled to the ground. The doctor next to her who saw the scene knelt down on the spot and begged. ¡°I-I¡¯m just a doctor¡­please spare me¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m very grateful to you. Because you¡¯ve kept the president alive so far.¡± ¡°T-then please spare me¡­¡± ¡°That and this are separate.¡± Swish¨C! The doctor¡¯s neck also rolled to the floor. Finally, there was only Namgung Taesu and the masked man left. Namgung Taesu, who had been watching everything without saying a word, opened his mouth in a relaxed voice. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± The masked man chuckled and laughed through the mask. ¡°Haha¡­Do you think I came here without knowing that? Aren¡¯t you the president of the Changcheon Group and the head of the Namgung clan?¡± ¡°You know me well. But I don¡¯t know you, so don¡¯t you think this is unfair?¡± ¡°Keukeu, I guess you¡¯re right. Then to make it fair, I¡¯ll show you my face too.¡± The masked man said and took off his mask. The face that was revealed wasn¡¯t an ordinary human appearance. Emerald skin with bizarre black spots, and a sharp nose that protruded like an arrow. Then there were the two tusks that stuck out on both sides of his mouth. It looked like a mix between a monster and a human. ¡°What do you think? Do you recognize me now¡­? Father?¡± However, despite the man¡¯s shocking appearance, Namgung Taesu¡¯s answer was extremely calm. ¡°Hmm¡­My memory isn¡¯t so good, maybe because I¡¯m old¡­However, there¡¯s no way that an abomination like you can be my son, so I think you may have been mistaken.¡± The man let out an eerie shriek and grabbed Namgung Taesu¡¯s neck. ¡°Namgung Taesu! Look at this face clearly. My name is Gomin! It¡¯s the result of the terrible experiment you did 20 years ago!¡± ¡°Hoho! I remember now. Come to think of it, there was something like that. Hybrid race made by mixing disgusting and ugly things.¡± In the past, Namgung Taesu had conducted an experiment to mix all kinds of monsters and humans as part of obtaining the Heavenly Body. The method was to combine the eggs of monsters and his own sperm and then have a surrogate mother give birth. Because of that, countless participants died in the process, and several individuals who succeeded in giving birth soon died due to genetic defects. ¡°But the project was hopeless, so I would¡¯ve discarded it all¡­But it turns out there was a guy who was still alive.¡± ¡°I only survived to exact my revenge against you.¡± ¡°Revenge? Will killing an old man like me change anything? The fact that you¡¯re a monster won¡¯t change anyway. Still, I accept your sincerity for coming all the way here, so take it if you want. Kuekue.¡± ¡°¡­What I want isn¡¯t your death.¡± ¡°Oh? Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Truth. That¡¯s all I want. Publicize your atrocities from 20 years ago to the media and apologize to all of us.¡± At Gomin¡¯s words, Namgung Taesu¡¯s face hardened. ¡°How dare you! How dare a vulgar hybrid kid like you say such a ridiculous thing to me! Even if I die, I¡¯ll never do it!¡± Gomin looked surprisingly calm when he heard it. Soon, he went around Namgung Taesu and grabbed the handle of the wheelchair. ¡°¡­I had already expected you to say that. I was worried that it would be useless to prepare this, so that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°You! What are you up to?!¡± ¡°¡­Heavenly Body.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°Haha¡­I heard this information from somewhere¡­The reason why you held the event here today is all because of the prophecy that the Heavenly Body will appear here, right?¡± ¡°W-what nonsense are you saying?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use trying to come up with an excuse. Because I know well that you would only make a move when it¡¯s something related to the Heavenly Body. Haha.¡± Slowly pushing the wheelchair, Gomin arrived at the lounge. There was a large screen connected to the venue. ¡°Now, I will tell my partners waiting downstairs to kill the children over there one by one.¡± ¡°T-they have nothing to do with this. Y-you can do whatever you want to me!¡± ¡°Keukeu, let¡¯s see how long you can last.¡± Gomin turned on the screen. The view from the venue could be seen. Broken bodies were scattered here and there, and those who were suppressed were lying on the floor crying. It seemed that his partners had already finished their work. Namgung Taesu couldn¡¯t help but spat when he saw this. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± ¡°So? Do you understand the situation now? Let¡¯s see who caves first.¡± Gomin touched his ear and spoke into the walkie-talkie that was plugged into his ear. ¡°Vera. Just catch one or two of the babies there and put them on the stage.¡± He waited for a while. But there was no answer. Was the connection bad? He called her again. ¡°Vera. Answer me. Can you hear me?¡± There was still no answer. He looked at the screen with doubt. Only an empty stage was visible. ¡®I guess the communication is bad here.¡¯ The moment he clicked his tongue, Thud, boom¨C! Something rolled onto the stage and stopped in the spotlight. Unable to understand what he was seeing, he stared blankly at the screen. ¡°Khahaha, as expected, the righteous will of the strong will never die.¡± Namgung Taesu was smiling next to him. But why was he smiling? Even though Gomin was seeing it with his own eyes, he was slow to process it in his head. He looked at the screen again. Fluffy ears, and outstretched long arms and legs. There was a stuffy expression on the woman¡¯s face, no, she was in tears more than anything else. And¡­there was a sword in the middle of her abdomen¡­? This¡­ ¡°V-veraaaaa!!!¡± After finally understanding the whole situation, he had no choice but to scream. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Vera, whose appearance was similar to that of a hyena, was a crossbreed between a ¡®gnoll¡¯ found in the otherworld and a human. Thus, she had developed various characteristics similar to female hyenas, and as a result, she was born with a cursed body that was neither man nor woman. So Vera hated her body. Not only did she hate the look of ¡®disgust¡¯ people showed when they looked at her, she was also afraid of the genetic diseases that she might develop one day. She even thought it would be nice to end it all when she saw other children teasing her. But she never gave up on her life. No, to be exact, she couldn¡¯t give up. Because the three friends beside her didn¡¯t wish for such a thing to happen. ¡°Haha, Vera. I¡¯m full, so you can eat this.¡± There was the reliable Chow who was as brave as an orc. ¡°Vera. When you hold a sword, it¡¯s better to relax your hand a little more.¡± The trustworthy Gomin who was as quiet as a troll. ¡°Why are you so late? You have longer legs than me. Hurry up and follow me! Do I have to pick you up like this every time?¡± And even the feisty as a goblin, Andes, who was warmer than anyone else. As such, she loved her friends. Thanks to them, she was able to endure the harsh martial arts training and overcome the fear of death each night. She thought that this kind of life wasn¡¯t so bad when she was with her friends. One day, when she was struggling day by day. Chow, the oldest of the group, spoke. ¡°¡­We have to run away from here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with you all of a sudden, Chow?¡± ¡°If we stay here¡­We¡¯re all going to die.¡± The information from Chow¡¯s mouth shocked them. The rumor was that the research project will soon be suspended and they¡¯ll all be discarded. They had no options. So they decided to run away. Late at night. Along with the sound of sirens, searchlights were lit. And Vera, who was crossing a field, had the lights on her. ¡°Hak¡­Hak¡­¡± ¡°Vera! Run faster!¡± ¡°Hey, you idiot! Hurry up and run!¡± She did her best, but she couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed of her friends. Since her feet were naturally bent like high heels, she was bound to be slow. The distance between her and her friends gradually widened. Her friends were already putting their feet on the fence. She gasped and called out to her friends. ¡°H-hold on¡­Let me join you¡­¡± ¡°Stop right there! You monsters!¡± Behind her, laboratory workers could be seen right on their trail. A distance close enough for them to reach Vera if they held out their arms. ¡°I got you!¡± ¡°Kyaak! L-let go of me! Let go!¡± Like that, she was caught by the laboratory workers. Seeing that, Chow jumped off the fence. ¡°This won¡¯t do. Looks like I¡¯ll have to go.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute, Chow!¡± ¡°Gomin, please take good care of our younger siblings.¡± Chow charged at the laboratory workers. Because of that, Vera was able to escape safely and cross the fence, but Chow eventually failed to return to them. From then on, the friends were no longer the same. Gomin swung the sword like crazy. Andes began to create something with his ingenuity. And with their newly gained strength, they began their revenge toward the world. They kidnapped officials who had forgotten about the past while living peaceful lives, and then tortured them horribly before killing them. Men and women of all ages were brutally murdered if they looked at them with disgust. Then at some point, other people who also hated the world began to gather next to them one by one. The power they had grew stronger and stronger, and as it happened, their time for revenge drew closer and closer. Then finally. The long awaited opportunity for revenge came. Based on information they had obtained from someone, they planned their revenge against the Namgung clan. ¡°Everyone won¡¯t regret it, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine by me¡­If I can take revenge for Chow.¡± ¡°Keukue, why are you asking us that? We can¡¯t live long anyway.¡± There were many elements necessary for their plan to succeed, but if there was something that could be said to be the most important, then it would be the barrier. They needed a way to stall for time and broadcast Namgung Taesu¡¯s confession to the world. In order to install such a strong barrier, they had used their own lives as collateral to cast it. And 12 hours after triggering the barrier, they were destined to die regardless of the success of the plan. ¡°Yeah¡­Everything is for Chow.¡± ¡°Right. For Chow.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have fun! Keuhaha!¡± They bumped fists one last time and began their revenge. The barrier was triggered after confirming that Namgung Taesu was inside the hotel. Gomin went straight to the top floor where he was located, while Vera and Andes took control of the hotel. The operation went smoothly. The most important thing was to overpower Namgung Taesu. And fortunately, he hadn¡¯t brought many bodyguards today. If it was only this much, Gomin could deal with it alone. It was as if heaven was on their side. So, all that remained was to find the Heavenly Body at this venue. With that as the final piece, they¡¯ll be able to complete their revenge. It was definitely supposed to be like that¡­ The bleeding Vera held onto her fading consciousness and moved. Shik¨C She could hear the sound of a sword being lifted somewhere. Turning her head, she saw the boy slowly approaching her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let your guard down until the experience comes in.¡± There was a shadow over the boy¡¯s face. She looked at the figure and thought. ¡®¡­I¡¯ve always been late, but now I¡¯ll be the first to die.¡¯ So she felt relieved. Because she¡¯s not the last again. And her friends will be able to live longer than her. Although she couldn¡¯t watch the end to their revenge, she believed that her friends would do well on their own. ¡®I¡¯ll go on first and wait with Chow¡­¡¯ There was a faint smile on her face. At that moment, ¡°Veraaaa!¡± She heard Andes¡¯ voice in her ears. ¡®A-Andes?¡¯ Why was Andes here? He definitely said he would go up first and clean up the hotel¡­ Did he come down again for her? Whiiiiir!! Along with the harsh sound of an engine, Andes rushed at the boy. A photon blade that had easily cut down the people here a while ago was produced. Just as how he had jokingly said it was fun to dismember people, it was a destructive weapon that could split everything it touches. At the sudden intrusion of Andes, the boy stepped back with a surprised look. Andes began to push fiercely. Even avoiding the attacks seemed to be too much for the boy. The thick walls were cut like tofu, and deep marks were engraved all over the venue. After some time passed. The boy who was frantically running away suddenly stopped moving. ¡°Hmm?¡± After observing Andes, the boy grinned and laughed. ¡°What? It¡¯s a miscellaneous mob that can¡¯t even use mana. I was scared for no reason.¡± At that moment, the boy¡¯s body turned into a red fog and disappeared. Then, the fog began to dig between Andes¡¯ steel suit. ¡°Kueeuak! Keuh! K-keuk!¡± Andes¡¯ painful screams were heard. And soon, the suit was released, revealing Andes. Short height like a child and ugly green skin full of wrinkles. The boy appeared in front of Andes again. He held Andes of a similar size with one hand and lifted him up. ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me you bastard!¡± It wasn¡¯t a modified sound made by a machine, but a whiny voice like an elementary school student. ¡°Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!¡± Tuk¨CTuk¨C Andes hit and scratched the boy hard with his short limbs. But just like a young child playing a joke, there seemed to be no damage to him. He could see the boy¡¯s expression. He was smiling brightly. At that moment, he knew what he was thinking. Squeezing out his remaining energy, he shouted. ¡°N-no¡­P-please¡­¡± Swish¨C Andes¡¯ voice disappeared. And, Thud¨C His head rolled in front of Vera. She could see his visibly angry face in his last moment. ¡°An¡­des¡­¡± And then there was a shadow above her. The boy with blood on his face slowly lifted his sword. When she saw it, rather than thinking of her own death, she recalled her friend who was in danger. And, the thought that once they die, the barrier will disappear. ¡°Go¡­min¡­please¡­¡± Vera prayed that her voice would reach him. And so, the blade of a sword fell over her. * * * [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [You¡¯ve reached level 22.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [Synthesis function unlocked.] [Gained a Skill Selection (Low) for reaching level 20.] ¡°I¡¯m finally over level 20.¡± I smiled as I looked at the messages in front of me. I didn¡¯t gain a Skill Selection for reaching level 15, but I was able to get one by reaching level 20 in just a few days. What¡¯s more important than anything else is that I can use Synthesis from now on. In other words, useless skills and items can be recycled. This was more like it. The moment I was reveling in the new function, a deafening cheer came from somewhere. ¡°Waaaaa!!!¡± ¡°W-we¡¯re alive! We¡¯re alive!¡± With the death of the terrorists, those lying on the floor stood up and shouted. Then they went wild as they ran onto the stage where I was standing. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forget this grace. Thank you so much¡­¡± ¡°Choi Noah! Choi Noah! Choi Noah!¡± I felt like I was a rock star being cheered like this while naked. Come to think of it, it¡¯s similar to how people would go wild for heroes. At this moment, for the first time in the second round, I realized that I was in a hero-like situation. What do they usually say in these kinds of situations? After fumbling through my memory for a while, I was able to remember what those guys used to say often. I approached one of the corpses and held up a head with both hands. As blood dripped down, I spoke. ¡°Everyone! You can stop worrying now! I¡¯ve cleaned up all the dangerous villains!¡± ¡°W-waaaah.¡± Hmm? What¡¯s this? Was it just my feeling that their voices somehow sounded less enthusiastic than before? It was a little far from what I expected, but it wasn¡¯t that important, so I decided to move on. I have to head up and catch the other terrorists now. And I¡¯ll likely be using my skills again soon, so I thought it would be easier to just keep my clothes off and head up. I packed my clothes that fell on the floor into my inventory and headed to the stairway. At that moment, someone¡¯s voice came from behind my back. ¡°Wait! Where are you going now?¡± When I turned my head, I saw Eugene looking at me. Why is he pretending to be close all of a sudden? I gave the punk an indifferent answer. ¡°There are still terrorists left.¡± The rowdy crowd immediately turned silent. Was it because they thought their nightmare wasn¡¯t over yet? Eugene looked at me with a stiff expression. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to deal with them alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s reckless! We¡¯re still young children who need to be protected by adults. Why are you trying to overdo it? Understand the situation!¡± He suddenly got mad at me. And as if agreeing with him, some older people below began to dissuade me. ¡°T-that¡¯s right, Noah. Do you really need to overdo it?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right! Why don¡¯t you just stay here and protect us? Why do you want to take risks?¡± Now I understand. In the end, they wanted me to protect them because they were worried about themselves. I became annoyed for the first time in a long time. My expression hardened without me even realizing it. ¡°It¡¯s something I naturally have to do.¡± Only then can I get the reward. In that sense, the people around me lowered their heads and it fell into a solemn atmosphere. Eugene, who stood in front of me, looked at me with a shocked expression. I left them alone and went down the stage. Then, Eugene belatedly began to chase after me. ¡°W-wait! T-then, I¡¯ll come too. I¡¯m capable of protecting myself.¡± What¡¯s up with this punk? I should have killed him earlier. He was now thinking of sticking to me and stealing my experience. I firmly told him. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. On the contrary, it¡¯s annoying, so don¡¯t ever follow me.¡± ¡°B-but¡­I¡­¡± Eugene was about to say something, but soon stopped. Then after a moment, he began to unbutton his top shirt as if he had decided something. The white nape of his neck was revealed. And around it was an old-fashioned pendant with a wolf motif engraved on a red background. He took off the pendant and handed it over to me. I glanced at the pendant he had given me. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a precious artifact left by my mother. It¡¯ll be able to save your life at least once.¡± Why was he giving this to me? But since he¡¯s giving to me, I decided not to refuse. Classification: Accessories Grade: A Description: Proof of successor to the Crohart Empire. *Significantly increase physical strength and mana recovery. * ¨C Accelerates thinking and improves dexterity [5/5] (12 hours recharge cycle). * ¨C Nullify any attack once [1/1] (3 days recharge cycle). Ooh¡­ What the punk had handed over was an A-grade item. My eyes became glued to the dazzling options attached to it. Up till this point I hadn¡¯t liked this punk. I¡¯ll have to add him to my friend list in my heart from now on. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll cherish it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you! I¡¯m just lending it to you!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use even if you give me that sad look. So, you¡­must! You have an obligation to come back alive and return it to me.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± ¡°And once you come back, I want to ask you one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to know now! After¡­I¡¯ll tell you.¡± I hung the pendant he handed to me around my neck. I still didn¡¯t like his tone, but I could fully forgive him because he was a precious friend who had given me an A-grade item. ¡°B-but¡­How come you¡¯ve been dressed like that since earlier?!¡± Eugene blushed while looking at my body. That gaze somehow felt suspicious. Is he¡­gay? I see. Everything matches when I think about it. It seemed that this punk is gay. And I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I don¡¯t make friends with gays. There¡¯s no exception to this rule, even if I¡¯m given an A-grade item. I deleted him from my heart. With the punk erased, I headed out of the venue. * * * The senior counterterrorism investigator hasn¡¯t been able to take her eyes off the tablet for a while. Other investigators were also looking at the screen from behind her. ¡°D-does this make sense?¡± ¡°Who the hell is this kid?¡± Investigators were clamoring around her and talking. Listening to their conversations, she recalled the boy she had just seen. ¡®This fellow¡­¡¯ A young child who appeared to be only an elementary school student subdued the villains who appeared to be at least C-class or higher. And two villains at that. But it wasn¡¯t his overwhelming strength that truly shocked her. It was the boy¡¯s nature. He had cut off the heads of the villains with an expression like that of a young child tearing off the wings of an insect. Having raised a daughter, she was well aware. Children of that age could already understand the concepts of killing and death. ¡®So¡­Why did he kill them without hesitation?¡¯ She has experienced many horrific crime scenes, but somehow, she felt like she was going to be nauseous at this moment. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong with this.¡¯ According to criminal psychology, there are cases where guilt disappears momentarily when your life is threatened. Nevertheless, the boy was too calm. She thought perhaps the boy didn¡¯t even realize that a great evil was being born in him. ¡®If¡­if that¡¯s really the case, what should I do?¡¯ While Kim Taehee was thinking about the child, the boy suddenly moved. ¡®Where is he going in this situation?¡¯ She looked at the screen nervously. He¡¯s not going to attack the citizens, is he? Then, as if answering her question, the child spoke. ¡ª There are still terrorists left. ¡®What does it matter if there are still terrorists left? No way, was he going to solve the case himself?¡¯ ¡°No! That¡¯s reckless!¡± She unconsciously shouted even though it couldn¡¯t have been heard over the screen. No matter how talented a hero is, all it takes is a bullet from a blind spot to die. ¡®Damn! He¡¯s still young and drunk on his own strength!¡¯ She has seen it countless times. Those who wield power without any experience because they had awakened a powerful ability. And their demise was always miserable. She thought the boy fit the profile. But soon, she felt like she was hit on the head with a hammer when the boy¡¯s next words were heard. ¡ª It¡¯s something I naturally have to do. Something he naturally has to do. That¡¯s right. If someone is dying next to you, it¡¯s natural to save them. That was human instinct and the driving force behind humanity¡¯s development. It was the content that appeared in the first chapter of hero studies. She had seen it countless times while preparing for the hero test, but she has never thought about it on the field. However, a young child who wouldn¡¯t have even read the introduction to heroism was telling such a fact so naturally. ¡®This¡­Why did I doubt this child¡­?¡¯ Guilt flooded in. Even though she has been in the field for so many years, it seems that she still doesn¡¯t have a good eye for people. She let out a sigh and lowered her head. At that moment. The deputy shouted. ¡°C-chief Kim! The barrier is disappearing!¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Taehee quickly turned her head. Then, as the deputy had said, the barrier surrounding the hotel was blurring little by little. She jumped up and ran in front of the barrier. Looking closely, she could see that the thickness was significantly thinner than before. So she activated her ability and struck it. Then, a clear crack appeared on the robust barrier. ¡®If it¡¯s this much¡­¡¯ Kim Taehee began hitting the barrier at a high speed. And in a little bit. Crack¨C The barrier that was blocking them shattered and disappeared. Seeing that, she shouted loudly. ¡°We¡¯re revising the plan! Those who haven¡¯t awakened their abilities are to wait here and support. The rest of you follow me closely!¡± Kim Taehee quickly rushed into the hotel. Ten investigators also followed after her. She ran straight to the venue where the boy was. ¡®Please don¡¯t do something reckless¡­¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the time for a child to step up. It was something left up to the adults. Everyone has their role. ¡®I can¡¯t let a young child bear the responsibility alone.¡¯ Boom¨C! The door to the venue opened like it was going to break. Then, she saw the citizens standing in a solemn atmosphere with their heads down. She abruptly shouted. ¡°The kid! Where did the kid go?¡± Everyone avoided her gaze and failed to give a proper answer. As such, it was a beautiful child with silver blue hair who approached her. ¡°He has already gone upstairs.¡± ¡°Fuck!!¡± At the same time as she said that, she kicked the door of the venue again and ran out. And in her mind, she desperately prayed for the child¡¯s safety. ¡®Wait a little bit¡­I¡¯ll be there to save you soon.¡¯ * * * ¡°Ah! This!¡± What had dropped from the terrorist I had just killed was an old hwando. The attacks were strangely sharp for something without mana, so I thought there must have been a reason for it. I can¡¯t believe such a rare item dropped from a miscellaneous mob. Classification: Sword Grade: E (Damaged, C) Description: Hwando grown in the hands of goblins. (It¡¯s permanently damaged) *The more blood it soaks up, the more demonic energy is emitted from the sword. (Effect: Sharpness increases). *This effect was lost due to being damaged. *This effect was lost due to being damaged. It was a sword with a very good option. I preferred such intuitive weapons over ones with minor effects. Hmm¡­I like it, but the durability isn¡¯t that great. The sword itself was a wonderfully well-made hwando. However, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because it¡¯s an old weapon, but there was serious damage here and there. I thought it was likely to break after a few uses. My only choice was to use it as a trump card. But¡­a perfect opportunity had just come. I took an item out of my inventory. Classification: Clothing Grade: D Description: Tough and sturdy socks. *Can¡¯t get wet. *Can¡¯t rip. *Can¡¯t be soiled. It was finally time for this thing to shine. If I were to transfer the effect of ¡®can¡¯t rip¡¯ from these socks to the weapon, a similar option will be attached. As expected, there were no bad items in this world. I activated the new Synthesis menu. And then I put in and . [There are up to 5 available option slots for .] [Please select the options you want.] ¡°There are five slots for this?¡± This sword seems to be a much better treasure than I had thought. However, I didn¡¯t have enough items to fill this treasure right now. So it would be a waste to just put in a few items and waste the precious slots. As soon as I was agonizing over it, a brilliant idea came to mind. ¡°Ah! Why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± I took off the pendant hanging around my neck. I can¡¯t believe I had forgotten about this bad boy. I placed the pendant into the Synthesis window. [Do you wish to Synthesize these items?] [The original items cannot be reverted once synthesized.] ¡°Synthesize.¡± I pressed the synthesis button without hesitation. Then, along with a dazzling light, a new item revealed itself. ¡°Heuheu¡­good.¡± And¡­Seeing it, I couldn¡¯t hold back my laughter. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 I took a moment to appreciate the item in my hand. The shabby hwando from a moment ago has been transformed into a beautiful work of art after being synthesized. Its sheath was now dyed in a beautiful purple and red varnish, and inlaid elaborately around it were wolf patterns in an oriental style. I slowly drew the sword. Wuung¨C An eerie cry resonated. The surface of the sword was smooth as if looking into a mirror. On the strangely clean blade, my face covered with blood was clearly reflected. I slightly cut my finger on the tip of the sword, but there was no pain or feeling. But soon after, drops of blood began to rise between the skin that I thought was fine. Good. This sword was very sharp. Rather than a sword made for fighting, it seemed to be more suited as a surgical tool. Before, if I had cut a person with such a weapon, I would have probably died of old age before I could even kill one person. But it was different now. Classification: Sword Grade: A Description: A sharp sword that emits an eerie cry and is sharp enough to put even its owner in danger. *Indestructible. *The more blood it soaks up, the more demonic energy is emitted from the sword. (Effect: Sharpness increases). * ¨C Accelerates thinking and improves dexterity [3/3] (24 hours recharge cycle). * ¨C Nullify any attack once [1/1] (1 week recharge cycle). The effect that had blossomed at the expense of which had kept my feet dry for a while. ¨C Indestructible. Thanks to this, ¡®Red Velvet Curse¡¯ will never dull, even if my arms break in the future. When I think about it again, it seems the option paired well with the sword. On top of that, the original sword and pendant effects were also successfully extracted even though they were slightly lowered. Anyway, the options that were removed from the sword were the damaged ones, so it didn¡¯t mean much now. The effects extracted from the pendant also had their charging time increased or the number of uses decreased, but the difference wasn¡¯t that significant. But if there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s lacking, Despite synthesizing a weapon with five option slots at best, there were only four options. Nevertheless, since the options related to physical and mana were lost, I can cover it with Vampiric Touch. Anyway, in conclusion¡­ I had gotten such a great item! This is why I can¡¯t give up the taste of synthesizing. As expected, there needs to be RNG in games. Perhaps because I¡¯ve killed a lot of bad guys in this round so far, I thought I was really lucky whenever I played gachas. But¡­What should I do now? I looked at the scraps left over from the synthesis. The socks, which had always been clean, became dirty like the feet of beggars, And the pendant which was given to me had lost its antique gloss and has somehow turned into something like a Chinese fake. Of course, it was still an elaborately crafted pendant, but honestly, the design looked like something a child with hero-syndrome would make, so I didn¡¯t really want it. Hmm¡­I should just give it back to that punk. Although he was gay, he was still the one who had given me an A-grade item. It would be polite for me to show at least that much sincerity. Thinking about how happy he would be, I put the pendant into my inventory. And at that moment. ¡°T-that bastard over there!¡± The terrorist, who had ran away while I was looting the items, reappeared with his colleagues. Roughly counting, there were about 20 people. The bald masked man at the forefront of the group spoke. ¡°So¡­Everyone was attacked by that naked punk?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! That¡¯s right! So quickly¡­Keuk!¡± The bald man suddenly hit the back of the subordinate¡¯s head. His face crumbled and he spoke. ¡°Hey, you punk! Are you kidding me in this situation? What kind of dangerous child would take off all of their clothes like it¡¯s some playground?!¡± Then the subordinate standing next to him hurriedly spoke. ¡°I-I¡¯m telling the truth! There¡¯s no reason for me to joke around! T-that guy is really crazy. I think he¡¯s at least as strong as Vera.¡± ¡°This punk really wants to die. How dare you mention Vera? What if she hears you?¡± ¡°P-please believe me. If I¡¯m lying, you can have all my share of the money this time.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­are you really telling the truth?¡± The bald man seemed to be agonizing for a while, and soon he began to approach me with his subordinates as if he had made a decision. I don¡¯t know if he really believed what his subordinate had said or if he¡¯s just cautious in the first place. They slowly built a siege by drawing their swords against a young child like me. ¡°I wanted to try this even if you guys hadn¡¯t. This is good.¡± *One use has been deducted. *Charges remaining [2/3]. The effect from the newly acquired weapon was activated. And then the world turned red in an instant. My blood began to pump faster, and my heart felt as if it was beating out of control. And¡­Except for me, the world began to move slowly like a broken clock. Hmm, so it was this kind of effect. It seems to be an acceleration buff similar to the one Feoria had used. I took a step forward in the world that had turned red. My body shot at a high speed like a spring that had been released. The terrorists were still out of their minds. In a blink of an eye, I was in front of them. Wuung¨C Along with an eerie cry, my sword was unsheathed. I cut the neck of the man who was closest without using mana. Swish¨C I couldn¡¯t feel any resistance as if I had cut down water. Because of this, the blade came out the other end at the same speed. Even though I had cut down one person, my world was still red. I took another step. Shocked expressions gradually spread across their faces. They twisted their bodies little by little to try and avoid my blade. But will it work? I, like a batter who had returned to the bench after hitting a home run, passed by while looking over the backs of these guys. Swish¨C The blade penetrated their backs and even the bones were neatly cut. However, far from becoming dulled, it was getting easier and easier to cut. Even when I took the life of the last guy in line, they couldn¡¯t even tell what had passed. Thus, I broke through their siege. At that moment, the scenery of the world regained its color, and the time that had slowed down returned to normal. Only then did screams belatedly come one step later. ¡°K-keuk¡­¡± ¡°Aahh! M-my back¡­!¡± When I looked back, dismembered bodies were scattered everywhere. Only half seemed to have been taken care of. Passable? It was a very satisfactory result. And the Red Velvet Curse that had cut them became colored with a subtle redness as it emits a demonic aura. The frightening aura made me feel as if my arm would be cut off just from holding it. It could be said that this would be okay to put it in the collection of famous swords that I had collected in the first round. There weren¡¯t many weapons that could cut people down so easily without using mana. However, the taste I felt holding it was slightly disappointing, so I think the score should be reduced a little. Well, if I meet a stronger guy later, I¡¯ll still get the taste of cutting one way or another. As soon as I thought that, the bald guy from a while ago shouted as if he was having a fit. ¡°Y-you, w-who are you?! Are you from Namgung?!¡± He was twice as big as the rest, with thick muscles around the whole body, and even a large sword as big as his own body. I stared at him. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll be able to satisfy me, but¡­ Lifting my sword again, the Red Velvet Curse let out another roar. Then I slowly approached him. But the man stepped back and trembled pathetically. ¡°A-answer me! Who are you? If you are a hero, I¡¯ll surrender right away!¡± He threw his large sword on the floor and raised both arms. Then other terrorists next to him also threw their weapons and knelt on the floor. ¡°W-we made it clear that we are no longer willing to resist! So you must guarantee our right to life under the Anti-Oversuppression Act!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right. Frankly, this is oversuppression!¡± ¡°You animal! I¡¯ll report you to the Human Rights Committee and have you stripped.¡± The terrorists suddenly uttered strange words and began to act confident. ¡°Hmm?¡± I had no choice but to tilt my head. I think they mistook me for a hero when they saw my righteous self. I¡¯m naturally going to be a hero soon, but I¡¯m undoubtedly not one yet, so I didn¡¯t want to intentionally mislead them. I honestly confessed what they were mistaken for. ¡°I¡¯m not a hero yet.¡± ¡°H-huh? Then why are you¡­¡± The bald man, who was moving back while on his knees, fell over after being caught against a dead body. Pointing my sword at him, I answered. ¡°What¡¯s the reason for playing games? Simply because it¡¯s fun.¡± Swish¨C I split his body in half. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t feel the taste from my hands that I was hoping for. * * * ¡°From now on, you guys will act in pairs! The goal is to secure the safety of the citizens and to find the child from earlier. No matter what happens, de-escalation before engagement! Understand?¡± ¡°¡±Yes sir!¡±¡± Kim Taehee and the investigators who had followed her spread out and searched the inside of the hotel. She even ran around the hotel with mana. However, everywhere were only the scattered bodies of dead guests, and no survivors were seen anywhere. Furthermore, the hotel was large, so there were more than a dozen areas in the lobby alone. If they were to include other auxiliary facilities and rooms, even a whole day wouldn¡¯t be enough to search it all. ¡°Damn! Fuck! What the hell!¡± She cursed while running. Even now while they were searching, the criminals were slaughtering innocent people. Every second delayed was another loss of life. With that heavy responsibility, sweat flowed down to the point where her shirt was soaked. Then suddenly, an unfamiliar landscape came into view. Different from the dead guests she had seen so far, it was a dead body wearing a black mask. The profile was the same as the terrorist she had seen on the tablet earlier. She rushed to the body. It was neatly cut off at the neck. And she could feel it intuitively. ¡®This is¡­the child¡¯s work.¡¯ Having experienced numerous villains using swords, she knew one fact. That it¡¯s rare to cut a person¡¯s neck during a battle like what is seen in movies and games. This wasn¡¯t a matter of morality or conscience. It was simply human anatomy. The human neck is surprisingly difficult to cut with a single stroke. Therefore, it was natural to attack a wider and easier-to-kill area rather than aim for such a narrow area during a desperate battle. Of course, there were cases where people with sadistic hobbies would cut off the victims¡¯ neck, but most of them were non-combat situations or something that happened in the process of unilateral slaughter. ¡®But it¡¯s different with the boy.¡¯ He had aimed for the neck when he didn¡¯t have to. As if there¡¯s a great grudge against the terrorists. So in this hotel, the boy was the only one who would do this. ¡®I have to hurry¡­¡¯ She hurried her steps. Soon after, a few more dead bodies appeared. As if they had died while running away from something, the bodies were split on their backs. It was a common wound that appeared frequently on victims of terrorist attacks. She left the corpses alone and kept running. Like the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, the scattered bodies on the floor guided her. And the moment she finally turned a corner, she had no choice but to widen her eyes. ¡°?!¡± What came into view was just the color red. Everywhere was dyed in red. There were as many as 20 scattered corpses, and all of which had died in an unrealistic way. Even including the days when she was a hero, she has never seen such a scene before. ¡°Uh¡­Uh¡­¡± She unknowingly blurted out nonsensical sounds as she looked at the terrible scene. As she was staring blankly at the scene, at that moment, at the end of her gaze, she could see the child she had been looking for. It was definitely a naked boy without a single piece of clothing, but at first glance it looked like he was dressed in bright red clothes. How much blood did he spill to make it look like that? She couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. At that moment. The child raised his arm. He had a long sword in his hand. And where the sword was headed, she could see a terrorist who was still alive and shaking. The moment she saw it, she rushed straight to the boy. ¡°W-wait, stop!!¡± But as soon as she was about to grab the boy¡¯s arm, an alarm rang in her head. Woosh¨C! The blade that tried to hit the terrorist suddenly changed its direction and fell on her. A blow without giving her a chance to defend. However, with the instincts she had learned from her long experience, she was barely able to respond to the attack. *Gauntlet Thick carbon gloves were produced along her arm. Armor of the hardest material on Earth which had made her a B-class hero in the past. The armor and the boy¡¯s blade collided. Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± She spat out a small groan. A very light wound had formed in the place where the blade had struck. The power in the attack itself wasn¡¯t very strong, but the boy¡¯s sword was sharp enough to break through her absolute defense. ¡®Luckily I fended it off.¡¯ The moment she tried to persuade the boy again, the blade of the sword, which was blocked by her armor, turned straight and aimed at her waist. ¡®D-dangerous!¡¯ An unexpected attack that caught her off guard. She never imagined that he would attack again. She instinctively activated her mana and blocked the attack. ¡°Keuk!¡± And the boy, who couldn¡¯t overcome the backlash, flew back and rolled away. ¡°Ah, no!¡± Realizing what she had done, she tried to run straight to the boy. But fortunately at that moment, the boy jumped to his feet and pointed the tip of his sword at her. It was a surprising amount of concentration that even ordinary heroes didn¡¯t have. Then the boy smiled and spoke. ¡°Ajumma, you¡¯re really robust.¡± Instead of being intimidated by the attack, the boy was smiling as if he was having a lot of fun. As she had expected, the child wasn¡¯t normal. ¡®And¡­He tried to kill me with all his heart just now.¡¯ It had been a really long time since she had felt such a blatant killing intent. For some reason, her spine chilled. However, it wasn¡¯t a matter to think about now. She hurriedly shouted at the boy who was about to charge at her. ¡°W-wait a minute! I¡¯m Kim Taehee, a senior investigator at the Hero Association!¡± Tuk¨C At her words, the boy stopped moving. Then he asked with a suspicious look. ¡°How can I believe that? You could be lying to me.¡± ¡°H-hold on. I¡¯ll show you my ID.¡± She hurriedly took out her ID card and threw it at the boy. And when he received it, he looked at the ID card and Kim Taehee alternately and spoke. ¡°This is a different person no matter how I look at it.¡± ¡°T-that¡­¡± ¡°As expected, you were a terrorist.¡± The boy lifted his sword again with a betrayed look. She blushed and said in a hurry. ¡°N-no! In fact¡­it¡¯s because of filters and the angle¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­how can I believe that? Then show me now. I¡¯ll judge based on that.¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Take a selfie and show it to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy said and looked at her with his arms folded. Looking at his expression, he seemed to be serious. Why does she have to take a selfie at a bloody site like this? She felt like she was losing her mind. ¡°D-do I really have to do it? I¡¯m really Kim Taehee! You can¡¯t tell by how it looks? I¡¯m obviously Kim Taehee! M-my subordinates can verify it once they come in a little while.¡± ¡°As expected, a terrorist¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not! H-hold on a second.¡± Looking at the boy who had lifted up his sword again, she took out her smartphone. ¡®¡­It¡¯s all for the safety of the citizens.¡¯ She, who has reigned as a tyrant in the counterterrorism investigation team, gave up thinking straight. Kim Taehee puffed up her cheeks and took a selfie at an angle. The boy who was covered in blood and the terrorist watched with a serious expression. Click¨C She quickly added a filter to her selfie and threw the smartphone at the boy. The boy looked back at her and the picture, showing it to the terrorist behind him and asking. ¡°What do you think? Do you think it¡¯s right?¡± ¡°I-I think it¡¯s right. My eyes for a person aren¡¯t great but¡­I think this is the same person.¡± Kim Taehee, who was hearing all of this, couldn¡¯t help but shake at the feeling of being deeply humiliated. She just felt fortunate that none of her subordinates were here. After some time, the boy threw the smartphone back at her and spoke. ¡°Ah, so you were telling the truth. I¡¯m sorry. I attacked you because I thought you were a terrorist.¡± ¡°No¡­it¡¯s fine¡­I understand.¡± The boy smiled brightly. Somehow, she felt like she was being teased, but she recalled her purpose for coming here. She was here to protect such a reckless boy from danger. ¡®But that¡¯s a relief. He understands my words.¡¯ Perhaps he was a righteous boy at heart, even if he was just a little lacking in the head. Considering that the place where the boy was located was the venue where the nursery schools gathered, there must have been no opportunity to receive a proper education. ¡®It¡¯s important for a child to grow up in a proper environment¡­¡¯ If something goes wrong, a boy with such a promising future may be corrupted and become a villain. Even though the guys that the boy had murdered today were criminals, they were also human lives. If the boy begins to take the weight of life lightly, he might commit another murder at the drop of a hat. On the contrary, if someone could take good care of such a gemstone, then it could become an important talent to protect the citizens in the future. But who in the world would do that? A child with such a personality might cause a big accident if they let their guard down for even a little. And it¡¯s probably hard to find parents with the will and ability to control it. ¡®Maybe I¡­¡¯ As soon as she fell into thought, the villain who was kneeling on the floor shouted. ¡°I-I¡¯ll surrender!¡± ¡°Under the Anti-Oversuppression Act, I hope there will be no more harm that comes to me.¡± She clicked her tongue when she heard it. ¡®Awful human rights laws.¡¯ These bastards always start bringing out human rights when their positions are at a disadvantage. Did they really deserve to talk about human rights? She recalled the bodies of countless civilians she had seen on her way here. There were young children, young couples, and bodies with traces of sexual assault. ¡®Did those people know that they were going to die today¡­?¡¯ And every moment such as this, she would feel skeptical about what she was doing. ¡°Trash like you should really be grateful for the law.¡± ¡°Haha¡­I¡¯m always grateful for it.¡± She took out handcuffs and approached the terrorist. At that moment. Swish- A red solid line formed on the terrorist¡¯s neck, and then he fell to the side. And next to it, she saw the boy putting his sword back in its sheath. ¡°W-what the fuck! What the hell are you doing?¡± She couldn¡¯t have imagined such an unexpected action from the boy, so she unknowingly cursed. But the boy spoke in a very calm and composed tone. ¡°I have to kill all the terrorists.¡± It sounded as if killing them was his only reason for living. A blind sense of goal that doesn¡¯t waver no matter what anyone says. What had happened to this young child for him to hate terrorists so much? Then she realized. The reason why she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the child. ¡®Ah¡­As expected¡­.Does he have the same pain as me?¡¯ It was as if all the puzzle pieces were coming together one by one. Perhaps his family was a victim of terrorism. She looked at the child who was still smiling. The smile began to look different. ¡®I see¡­even now¡­he¡¯s crying.¡¯ For him to not even be able to express it, how much pain has the boy been carrying? She managed to hold back the tears that were about to burst. At that moment. The boy suddenly turned around and began to walk toward the elevator. ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± The boy spoke. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. There¡¯s more terrorists above.¡± The boy calmly confessed that he would continue to kill. But she couldn¡¯t say anything about it. As an adult, and as a former hero responsible for the safety of the citizens, she had to stop the boy right now. But¡­At the same time, as a mother who had lost her daughter, she had no choice but to make a foolish decision. She wondered if her daughter would have looked like the boy now if she had died and her daughter had survived instead. ¡®If that¡¯s what it takes to save you¡­I¡¯ll protect you from the side.¡¯ Before the boy could do so, she pressed the button on the elevator with a confident step. And then she looked straight into the boy¡¯s eyes and spoke firmly. ¡°This is originally my job. I won¡¯t say anything about you following me anymore, but I won¡¯t forgive you for spilling anymore blood on your hands.¡± As she spoke, the look in her eyes resembled that of the hero ¡®Black Tank¡¯ that was active in the past. * * * All of a sudden I was standing in front of an elevator with a woman who was trying to act cool. What¡¯s wrong with this aunty? Strangely, there seems to be a lot of people trying to stick to me these days. And regarding this, if I had to guess why¡­ *Favorability increases easily. As expected¡­isn¡¯t it because of this? Gaining popularity among the public was naturally very important if I want to be a hero. However, it could be annoying at times when people appear out of nowhere like now. Nevertheless, I can say that it was rather helpful this time. Considering that her defense had deflected my Red Velvet Curse a moment ago, I thought she would be perfect to use as a meat shield. Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take her along like this. I had heard from the terrorists earlier that their goal was Namgung Taesu. And the head of the terrorist group, a crossbreed between a troll and a human, was going to attack him. Apparently he was a terrifying powerhouse equivalent to a B-class hero. On the other hand, looking at my ability, it was around E and D class. Like hitting a rock with an egg, it was virtually impossible. But as I have various skills that others don¡¯t have, it wasn¡¯t right to simply consider the general hero level. Even when I was a villain in the past and was always on the run from the Hero Association, I always fought and won against heroes of higher grades. In addition, now that I have Red Velvet Curse, I am far beyond my grade in terms of offensive power. It was worth a try. Ding- The elevator arrived. The door opened and bullet marks could be seen embedded in several places. Looking at it, I felt as if I was just about to enter the boss room of a dungeon. Come to think of it, I had almost forgotten. I opened my status window without getting onto the elevator. It¡¯s a rule to set up the skill again before entering the boss room. I had gained 3 levels from the venue earlier, and then 2 more in the lobby. In all, I¡¯ve reached level 24. The lobby had a lot more monsters, but that¡¯s a given when you kill weak monsters. Then again, it was thanks to them that my level rose this much. I invested the Fragments of Growth in Body and Mana. Body: 2.15 -> 2.77 (+0.62) Dexterity: 2.01 Mana: 1.67 -> 2.17 (+0.50) Spirit: 2.08 *0 Fragment of Growth And then¡­ [All stats have exceeded 2 points.] [Physique has increased by one stage.] Every stat has finally exceeded 2. Because of that, my physique has grown one stage and my durability has increased. I can worry less about dying now. And next is skill. I used the Skill Selection I had gained after a long time. [Used 1x Skill Selection (Low).] [One of the following skills can be obtained.] (1) Classification: Mortal Grade: E Description: Introductory martial art method that is good for laying the foundation. (2) Classification: Magic. Grade: E. Description: Create a protective coating that defends against physical attacks. . . . Perhaps because it¡¯s a level 20 Skill Selection, but it seems that there are quite a few useful skills now. But I scrolled down without paying attention to these skills. There was another list of skills that were shining. [Special Selection.] I was wondering if it was the case, but it¡¯s there as expected. The achievement I had gained this time was also a ¡®feat.¡¯ Looking back on the previous case, I thought it would be difficult for these new achievements to give out useless skills. I carefully looked through the skill lists. (a) Classification: General Grade: C Description: Additional damage against targets larger than yourself. (*Another additional damage against Giant type.) (b) Classification: General Grade: C Description: You can hear the voices of plants. [Level 25 Skill Selection will be forfeited if you select a Special Skill.] In any case¡­I saw a trash skill. Even without that skill, I was already suffering from hearing the conversation of plant obscenities. Just because it¡¯s a Special Selection didn¡¯t necessarily mean all of them would be good. I chose one of the skills without hesitation. [You¡¯ve learned .] In fact, it wasn¡¯t much of a choice. Considering that my body is that of a child now, I¡¯ve acquired a very useful skill. And¡­wasn¡¯t there a saying that trolls are descendants of giants? I didn¡¯t think everything would fall into place like this. As expected, this world is a game of luck. A smile leaked out without me realizing it. And I guess because I¡¯ve been standing still for a while, Kim Taehee quickly began to pour out words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Hmm? Are you scared? If you¡¯re scared, you can go back now! You¡¯ve done enough. No, it can be said that going back now is true courage and revenge! Because¡­¡± I ignored her, who was talking nonsense with a rather solemn look, and reopened the elevator door. ¡°Are you coming?¡± ¡°Huh? Y-yeah¡­L-let¡¯s go.¡± She had a surprised look on her face as she hurried into the elevator. As the door slowly closed, I had a thought. In the end, it seems to always come down to catching a troll to get your beginner license. After today, I¡¯ll graduate from being a newbie. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 A painful scream echoed in a splendidly decorated suite. Here, the tattered Namgung Taesu was groaning and bleeding profusely. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he dies any second now. Looking at Namgung Taesu who was in such a state, Gomin asked in a cold tone. ¡°Namgung Taesu. Are you not going to change your mind?¡± ¡°Keuheuk¡­Kill me. Even if I die, I won¡¯t tarnish the honor of the Namgung clan.¡± ¡°I see¡­I¡¯ll see how long that¡¯ll last.¡± Gomin said and picked up his sharp dagger again. Then Namgung Taesu glared at him and gave him a frivolous laugh. ¡°Keukeu¡­isn¡¯t it your side that is running out of time? I can see that you have been restless since earlier, so what are you trying to hide?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You thought I wouldn¡¯t know? The barrier has disappeared after the death of your important friends a moment ago.¡± At Namgung Taesu¡¯s words, Gomin had no choice but to frown. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He had seen it clearly. The scene of his friends¡¯ demise that was broadcasted live on the screen. At that moment, he had lost his reasons for a second and almost exploded into a rage. A strong impulse to immediately go down and eat the culprit had filled his mind. But he didn¡¯t go down. Because he still had something to do. ¡ª Hey guys¡­Even if someone dies during the operation, let¡¯s not think about revenge. ¡ª Vera! Why do you always say such negative things? You¡¯re always so pessimistic. ¡ª I know. But this is also my resolution. If something goes wrong¡­Each of us might get excited and ruin the operation. So promise me. Let¡¯s just focus on our plan. The promise he had made with his friends. Having recalled it at that moment, he was able to suppress his anger. ¡®I have to endure it¡­¡¯ He gritted his teeth. Such emotions would be rather detrimental to the success of the operation. And if he truly thought of them as friends, then it was the right choice to focus on completing the operation they couldn¡¯t finish. However, it could be said that the current situation was the worst case possible. Due to the death of his friends, the plan to secure the Heavenly Body has failed. So the means of threatening Namgung Taesu has disappeared. To make matters worse, the barrier that had been buying them time has also disappeared. And in a little while, heroes will storm this place. Before that, he had to finish this somehow. ¡®Damn, the preparation time was too short.¡¯ In fact, this operation was planned suddenly only a few months ago. Originally, they were going to take revenge around next year after they had developed their strength a little more, but a great opportunity had come that was hard to pass up. ¡ª Do you want to take revenge against the Namgung clan? A mysterious person had visited them one day. The being had told them of an opportunity to aim for Namgung Taesu and how to implement it. The identity of the being is still unknown, but thanks to him, they were able to advance the time for revenge even further. ¡®If we had a little more time¡­¡¯ Then they would have been able to kidnap more sacrifices and strengthen the barrier. He adjusted his mind. ¡®It¡¯s no use regretting the past. What I have to do now is somehow make him confess to his sins.¡¯ He approached Namgung Taesu. ¡°I must hear the words of apology from your mouth today.¡± ¡°Keukuh¡­ridiculous. Why don¡¯t you give up now? Heroes will be here soon anyway.¡± Namgung Taesu still looked relaxed. Was it because his torture skills were poor? Or was it because he had such a twisted personality? He wasn¡¯t an expert when it comes to torture, but now he wasn¡¯t in a position to make excuses. So he spoke in the most threatening tone he could muster. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll pull out your teeth one by one whenever you don¡¯t give me what I want to hear.¡± ¡°W-wait¡­heup!¡± Namgung Taesu forcibly covered his mouth. Like an earthquake, there was a turbulent fluctuation in his eyes. He, who hadn¡¯t budged even after having his skin and toes cut off, why had he suddenly become fretful? At that moment, a guess passed through Gomin¡¯s mind. ¡®Maybe¡­?¡¯ He immediately fumbled around Namgung Taesu¡¯s mouth. Namgung Taesu shook his body and began to violently rebel. ¡°Heuk!! Huk!¡± And in a little bit. He felt a different sensation from one of the teeth on the tip of his finger. Like so, he pulled out the tooth. ¡°Keuaak!¡± Namgung Taesu screamd. He looked at the tooth that had been extracted. It contained a small memory card inside. What the hell was his reason for trying to hide it in this manner? ¡°G-give it back¡­¡± Namgung Taesu said with a mouth full of blood. His expression looked like that of a very desperate person. Such an appearance had confirmed his guess. In the past, people from murim would always carry martial arts manuals on their bodies. Has Namgung Taesu not given up such a habit from his times in the murim? ¡°Haha¡­This must be the Monarch Sword Art.¡± ¡°G-give it back. It¡¯s¡­an important treasure that¡¯ll bring our family back to life. You, weren¡¯t you once someone from the Namgung clan?¡± ¡°Then you know what I want, right? If you¡¯re waiting for the heroes to come, you¡¯d better give up.¡± He slightly cut his palm and inserted the memory card inside. Then, with the regenerative ability of a troll, his skin began to heal completely. ¡°?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto this Monarch Sword Art. If you run away from here, I¡¯ll destroy it.¡± ¡°Keuk¡­¡± Gomin beamed a smile. ¡®It seems the plan will finish smoothly.¡¯ As soon as Namgung Taesu was about to give in, suddenly, a large woman jumped into the area where they were. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Gomin quickly observed the woman. Muscular body that was strong enough to show through the thick clothes. Looking at the shape of the muscles, she appeared to be closer to a hand-to-hand martial artist than a swordsman, but she didn¡¯t seem to have been trained in martial arts professionally either. ¡®But¡­What is that black thing?¡¯ And his gaze fell to the red sword resting from the woman¡¯s waist. Was it a bluff? But to say that, the quality of the weapon seemed too good to be an ornament. ¡°Counterterrorism forces currently have this place surrounded. Quit the meaningless resistance and quietly surrender!¡± The woman took out a pair of handcuffs and began to slowly approach him. He had to make a decision. Whether to push ahead with the plan as it was or run away with Namgung Taesu. ¡®Let¡¯s quickly clean this up.¡¯ Fortunately, the woman seemed to be alone. If there were reinforcements, they would have come in together. He raised his hands and pretended to surrender. Then, the moment the woman entered his range, he pulled out his sword. A swift attack aimed at her abdomen. It was a quick and accurate stab. He was convinced of his success. But¡­ Boom¨C! The sword bounced off with the sound of tapping dull iron. At the same time, he stepped back far away. Looking at the woman, she was suddenly wrapped in jagged black armor. The appearance was like looking at a sea urchin. ¡®A troublesome ability.¡¯ He clicked his tongue. He wanted to clean this up before others arrived, but of all things, it had to be a defensive hero. In such a state, the woman began charging at him. Furniture around her broke like toys. Certainly, that level of power and defense couldn¡¯t be looked down on. ¡®But, if that¡¯s all¡­¡¯ The flow of the woman¡¯s simple attack was clearly visible in his eyes. He slipped to the side and avoided her incoming attack. Boom¨C Unable to overcome the inertia, the woman stuck deeply into the hotel walls. With her like that, he raised his sword. ¡®If she¡¯s wearing armor, I just have to cut it down.¡¯ With all the experience he has accumulated, a faint sword intent gathered on the blade of his sword. Even among those who have mastered the sword, it was a technique that only few can do. The moment he raised his sword. Wuung¨C Something like a red fog came out of the woman¡¯s body, and suddenly her sword flew. ¡®?!¡¯ He quickly turned his body to the side. However, due to the late response, a deep wound had appeared on his chest. ¡°Kueaaak!¡± He screamed loudly. This level of pain was enough to shake his mind. He didn¡¯t know why, but it was more painful than any other attacks he had ever experienced. Swiik¨C The attack came again. He managed to hold onto his consciousness and quickly roll away. As he raised his head, he saw a naked boy covered in blood. ¡°So close.¡± The boy smiled and looked at him. It was a face that he could never forget. Anger that seems to lose its reason rose again. But charging at the boy now would only lead to the worst outcome. Catching his breath, he carefully looked at the boy. He wasn¡¯t sure what the boy had done, but the attacks just now were very dangerous. Because his tough skin had been cut by a sword that didn¡¯t even carry mana¡­ ¡®First, I have to stall until the wound on my chest heals.¡¯ Thud¨C At that moment, the woman who had been stuck in the wall walked out, shaking off the cement powder. Like her thick armor, she looked fine without any wounds. ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m going to lose face in front of a kid!¡± The woman immediately rushed at him again. The boy followed closely behind her. However, he only ran away in a circle and didn¡¯t fight them. The wound on his chest was healing with tremendous difficulty. After a short time. The boy put the sword he was holding on the floor and asked. ¡°Is your name Gomin?¡± He didn¡¯t know what the boy was trying to do, but it was rather advantageous to him if he could buy time to recover. So he decided to play along with the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s right. My name is Gomin. Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°A nuna said it while dying. By chance, was she hyung¡¯s friend?¡± ¡°?!¡± Again, the monster inside him was about to explode, but he calmly controlled his mind. The boy was probably trying to provoke him to make the first move. And as long as he had noticed that, he would never do so. Sure enough, the boy continued to provoke him. ¡°But hyung, you¡¯re really ugly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a trifling provocation.¡± He snorted. However, he had no choice but to frown at the boy¡¯s next words. ¡°Ah! Is that so? The guys I had killed earlier looked especially ugly. Do birds of a feather flock together?¡± They were people who had fought the gazes of hatred all their lives. So they¡¯ve come across such insults more than greetings in their lives. However, he felt a rising anger when the person who had killed his friends insulted them. He didn¡¯t want to get drawn into the boy¡¯s words so he stopped talking. He ignored the boy¡¯s words and focused on recovering. But the boy spoke again. ¡°Ah, but hyung, did you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Vera, was it? The taste I felt from my hands was so soft and tender.¡± Saying so, the boy pretended to cut the air. Scenes he had seen on the screen a while ago appeared in his mind. ¡°But it¡¯s too bad I couldn¡¯t enjoy it for long. Because I had killed her too quickly. Heuheuh.¡± The boy was smiling brightly and teasing him. And in the end, his last string of reason was cut. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!!!¡± He roared as his eyes turned red. * * * The angered Gomin pulled out his sword and ran at me. Since our team¡¯s tank couldn¡¯t even provoke properly, I had no choice but to pull aggro myself. For now, I had grabbed aggro again. I hid myself behind Kim Taehee who had a distorted look on her face. Then a voice came over her thick armor that seemed to be extremely shocked. ¡°Y-you¡­Such wicked words¡­¡± ¡°More than that ajumma, look in front of you!¡± Boom¨C! ¡°Keuheuk!¡± The sword aimed at me struck her armor in the nick of time. I took advantage of the gap and slashed my sword at Gomin¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯m definitely going to kill you!¡± However, perhaps because he was enraged, he didn¡¯t even react properly to the light wound. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± Gomin¡¯s sword struck Kim Taehee¡¯s armor nonstop. It seemed that he lacked the concentration to use sword intent like before. Nevertheless, perhaps because of muscle memory, his attacks naturally contained martial arts. [ level of understanding has increased.] [You¡¯ve reached a certain level of understanding.] [While the battle continues, you can imitate the skill based on your understanding.] Thanks to this, it was easy to predict where his attacks would land. I informed Kim Taehee of Gomin¡¯s attack pattern. ¡°Ajumma, left!¡± Boom¨C! She raised her arm to block his blade. And with the gaps that occurred each time, I chipped at his body little by little. With the growing wounds on his body, Red Velvet Curse became sharper and sharper. His movements were gradually slowing down. And finally. Swish¨C! I cut off his arm. The thick muscular arm spun and slid far away. ¡°Kuaak!¡± I tried to finish him off in such a state, but at that moment, he stepped back as if he had come back to his senses. ¡°Keuheuk¡­¡± He stumbled, clutching his arm. This was our chance. ¡°Ajumma, now!¡± Kim Taehee exploded her saved mana and shot straight at him. The way she banged and smashed all the objects around her was like a speeding train. But at that moment. ¡°W-wait! No! You can¡¯t step on it!¡± In a straight line toward Gomin, a wheelchair suddenly stormed in like an arrow. Namgung Taesu reached for Gomin¡¯s arm that had been cut off. ¡°What the fuck?!!¡± As a result, Kim Taehee forcefully twisted her trajectory. And there, Gomin was waiting like a batter on a baseball team. He used the wide side of the sword like a blunt weapon and struck her head. Boom¨C! Along with a huge explosive sound, Kim Taehee¡¯s head became bent. And then she collapsed on the spot. Her outer armor scattered, and a stream of blood was flowing from her head. Seeing her chest move, it seems that she was still alive. Our team tanker suddenly retires out of the blue. Against a boss who was in our grasp no less. I became dumbfounded by the sudden situation. But he¡¯s almost defeated anyway, so I¡¯ll be able to handle it by myself. At that moment, Gomin suddenly screamed. ¡ª Graaawr!! A voice closer to that of a monster than a person. And soon his body began to twist. He, who was around 2m, grew into a giant nearly 4m tall. His back became bent, and his arms grew long enough to touch the floor. His skin turned a darker emerald, and the black spots embedded in several places made him look like mint chocolate. ¡ª Kueuru¡­I¡¯m full of energy. Looking at the body that had turned even more hideous, I saw a familiar ominous purple haze slowly rising. Wuung¨C On top of that, the sword intent from his sword was surging. Even though it was still unstable, compared to before, it had a clear light. ¡°H-how, this level of harmony¡­¡± Seeing such a scene, Namgung Taesu was shocked with his mouth open. I could see that he was having a hard time breathing under the pressure of Gomin. I¡¯m in trouble¡­ A-class, the true breaking point in human capability. B and A were only one letter apart in terms of classification, but the difference was like that of a child and an adult. And now he was showing a power close to A-class. This was unexpected. A sigh almost leaked out. The pressure I felt was close to what I had felt when the Savage God possessed Yifret¡¯s body. Hmm? Wait a minute¡­ Somehow, I felt a sense of deja vu. The fact that this was also a Challenge meant that this wasn¡¯t an impossible situation. I quickly thought of my skills and items. But¡­ No matter how hard I thought about it, wasn¡¯t this impossible? Of course, it would be possible to kill him with the effect of and Red Velvet Curse¡¯s offensive power, but¡­ There was absolutely no way to approach this guy who has such a long reach. It¡¯s over in an instant if I get cut by that sword. Perhaps this boss doesn¡¯t have a key item and it had to be caught before its awakening. Damn! He was already caught if that old man didn¡¯t screw things up. I stared at Namgung Taesu. He was begging Gomin. ¡°D-don¡¯t kill him! I need him. That¡¯s the Heavenly Body!¡± ¡ª I¡¯ll chew that little bastard. ¡°N-no! K-kill me instead!¡± And with a determined look, he opened his arms. It was an action as if to protect me. Then Gomin spoke. ¡ª If you really want to die, I¡¯ll kill you after you issue an apology. Until then, obediently shut up. Hmm¡­ And I, who was watching that, suddenly came up with a way. I see! The old man was the key item. As expected, there¡¯s no way the Challenge would issue an impossible task. There¡¯s always a way if you look for it. I approached Namgung Taesu and stood behind his wheelchair. Then in a trembling voice, I spoke. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry grandpa. T-the heroes will come soon, so I¡¯ll stall for time until then.¡± ¡°Are you trying to protect this old man?¡± ¡°Y-yes. Trust me.¡± I looked around. There was no camera. Good. I held the handles of the wheelchair. ¡°My grandpa. Then, hold tight.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± I ignored his question and activated the skill attached to Red Velvet Curse. *One use has been deducted. *Charges remaining [1/3]. The world turned red as my heart beats like crazy. I charged at Gomin while pushing the wheelchair in the slowed world. ¡°Aaahhh!!¡± Namgung Taesu¡¯s long scream was heard. Beyond that, I can also see Gomin¡¯s shocked face. The speeding wheelchair rammed into his body. And, Puk¨C ¡°Keuk!!¡± My sword penetrated the wheelchair and Namgung Taesu before stabbing Gomin in the abdomen. Time then returned to normal. ¡°Grwaaar!! How dare you! My plans!!!¡± Recognizing the death of Namgung Taesu, he no longer hesitated and swung his sword at me. Ominous mana gathered around his blade. I could even see that he had squeezed out his own vitality. The surging light was thicker than ever before. Looking at the attack that was coming towards me like the wind, I used the last remaining . The world slowed. Nevertheless, his sword was still fast. I threw myself at the blade as it was. And right before the blade touched my body, The other skill attached to the item was activated. His attack was nullified, and the sword intent disappeared. His shocked expression was still slowed. Wuung¨C An eerie cry was released from the Red Velvet Curse. Thick blood could be seen scattered along the edge of the sword. And just like that, the blade slid across his neck and it was cut off. * * * [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . [You¡¯ve reached level 25.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [Completed Challenge ¡®Wipe Out the Terrorists.¡¯] [Gained 3x Skill Selection (Low).] [You¡¯ve eliminated an existence that meets the standard of ¡®evil.¡¯] [You¡¯ve saved those who were in despair.] [Warrior¡¯s Journey grade has increased.] [A new effect has been added.] Countless messages appeared before my eyes. Only then did I breathe out a long sigh of relief. Hu¡­a close finish. Gomin¡¯s severed head came into view. He had returned to his original form from the monster-like appearance a moment ago. The Elf King and now this guy¡­ What was that mysterious purple haze? Maybe there was a link between the two. And of course, the dead Namgung Taesu. I was a little disappointed because for a while I thought I would go to the Namgung clan at this sponsorship event. For his sacrifice, I approached him to express my gratitude. As if to protect me until the very end, his eyes were wide open. In fact, it was something that could have been completed earlier if it weren¡¯t for this old man. Hmm¡­Come to think of it, why did this guy suddenly interfere? I lifted the cut arm that he had cherished. Near the palm of the hand I could see a protrusion. When I split the skin and took it out, I realized that it was a small memory card. It was even designated as an ¡®item.¡¯ So I slowly read the description of the item. T-this¡­ And I had no choice but to widen my eyes. Classification: Manual Grade: S Description: Definitive Monarch Sword Art Manual.txt. *The interpretation of this martial is currently missing. In order to understand the content, you¡¯ll need the . In my hand was an S-grade martial art manual. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 I inserted the memory card into the laptop that was lying on a table. On the screen, a file named ¡®Definitive Monarch Sword Art Manual.txt¡¯ appeared. Monarch Sword Art. A legendary martial art I¡¯ve heard about several times in the first round. Rumors are that if one can master this martial art, then they would be able to destroy mountains and cut the sea with a sword. I had never seen it in person, so I just thought it was a bluff by the people in murim¡­ But it actually exists. However, I wonder how great this martial art actually is, and how much was exaggerated. I clicked on the file. Then a lock-shaped warning message popped up on the screen. What¡¯s this? It seemed that Namgung Taesu had attached a password on the file. After a moment of contemplation, I entered a number that he could have used. 0000. A warning window appeared on the screen again. ¨C Incorrect password. Please retype the password. ¨C A total of 5 tries (4 remaining). For an old man who came from the generation of elderly people who didn¡¯t even have calculators, it appears he understood how to password protect the file. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll just open it next time.¡± Anyway, since was still sealed, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to interpret it even if I could open the file. I put the memory card in my inventory. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at my stats now.¡± Body: 2.77 Dexterity: 2.01 Mana: 2.17 Spirit: 2.08 *4 Fragments of Growth I¡¯ve risen four levels thanks to the experience gained from Gomin and Namgung Taesu a moment ago. As a matter of fact, I didn¡¯t think I would level up because normally the growth rate was bound to slow down by this point. ¡°Unexpectedly, I gained four levels this time.¡± I distributed the four Fragments of Growth evenly. Body: 2.77 -> 3.00 (+0.23) Dexterity: 2.01 -> 2.29 (+0.28) Mana: 2.17 -> 2.35 (+0.18) Spirit: 2.08 -> 2.30 (+0.22) *0 Fragment of Growth When Body exceeded 3.0, I grew a little taller and my field of view increased. Even though it was still the body of a child, sleek muscles forked throughout the body. To test, I tried bending a thick metal stand nearby. And like a thin wire, it was bent. I was certainly strong. From the moment a stat exceeds 3.0, it was no longer proper to simply call it strong, rather, it fell into a category that should be called ¡®superhuman.¡¯ My current stat was equivalent to the days when I was a D-class villain in the past. Since that was around the third year, it can be said that my growth rate in this round was abnormally fast. Next was my skill¡­ Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get a Skill Selection for reaching level 25. I¡¯ve been mentally prepared since I chose a special skill in the elevator a while ago, but I still felt sad because I came away empty handed. ¡°But I¡¯m glad that I got this instead.¡± With the completion of the Challenge this time, the grade of has risen again. It appears to be growing more often than expected. Was it because it¡¯s an easy skill to level up? Or was it because of something related to the purple haze? Classification: General Grade: C (Grade D -> C) Description: A warrior grows through hardships. Grade Effect: Grade F: Favorability increases easily. Grade E: Awaken at the moment of crisis. Grade D: You become stronger when you are with your colleagues. Grade C: ¨C Move to a specified milestone. * New * After friendship was road¡­ Does it mean to travel with the warrior¡¯s companion? I somewhat understood the naming pattern. The newly added effect this time was a spatial movement skill. When I selected , a list of areas that I could move to appeared in front of my eyes. *Guangcheng District *Neo Pyongyang (House of Flowers) *Neo Pyongyang (Elf Garden) *Neo Pyongyang (Lake Town) *Can be used together with your companions. There seemed to be a restriction on where I could move. Only places I¡¯ve visited or places of completed events showed, but nonetheless, it was a very good skill. If I remember correctly, wasn¡¯t the lowest spatial movement skill C-grade? I gave a satisfied smile. For me to have gained a new weapon and skills, today was a very lucky day. And on days like this it was perfect for gacha. I took out a Random Box (Low) that I had received as a reward. Then I opened it without hesitation. [Used 1x Random Box (Low).] The box rose into the air and a bright light began to burst out. Strangely, since a little while ago, I¡¯ve been feeling that something good was going to happen. I think today was definitely my lucky day. My gut feeling was telling me so. And¡­ [You¡¯ve gained perfect socks.] ¡°Fucking socks!¡± Classification: Clothes Grade: E Description: Socks with cute wolf patterns on them. *Prevent foot odor and athlete¡¯s foot. *Transforms to fit the body. Why do socks always plague me? In addition, the options were much worse than the last one. Right¡­It¡¯s too early to give up. I still have two boxes left. This amount of damage can still be fully recovered. Anyway, I got an A-class skill after the socks last time, so let¡¯s think of it as a sacrifice for the jackpot. I took a deep breath and reached out to the next box. Please, come on! Along with bright lights, the box opened. Then, I stared blankly at the result in my hand. It was underwear. Not only that, a character was stitched on it. Classification: Clothes Grade: E Description: Underwear with a cute wolf on it. *Grow up strong and brave. *Transforms to fit the body. I looked at the character stitched on the back of the underwear. It was a wolf winking at me with its thumb raised. It¡¯s the same bastard from before. The one on the socks. I threw the underwear on the floor. ¡°Fuck! Why!!¡± Wasn¡¯t today supposed to be a lucky day? How come only trash came out? I¡¯ve already blown away two boxes. My hands were trembling as I thought about the loss I¡¯ve incurred so far. What should I do¡­Should I stop here? No. Losing two is the same as three. Since that was the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better to go all in on the last chance? I stared at the last box with a determined mind. Let¡¯s go. [Used 1x Random Box (Low).] And in a little bit. Light began to burst out of the box. But the light coming out this time was bright blue. That means it¡¯s at least a D-grade item! As expected, this is it! I gulped and watched the box. And finally, the reward was paid. Classification: Clothes Grade: D Description: Sportswear with a cute wolf on it. *Improves exercising productivity. *Will return to its original state even if torn. *Transforms to fit the body. I sat down on the floor as if I had collapsed. I was so speechless that I think I¡¯m going to cry. ¡°I¡­What did I do so wrong¡­?¡± Dirty luck ruined my gacha. Why the hell was my faith being tested? Why is the world unfair only to me? ¡°Why?! Can¡¯t I be happy?!¡± I grabbed the underwear that was on the floor and yelled. But at that moment. A new message appeared in front of me. [You¡¯ve collected all items of a set.] [Set effect active.] *Set effect : Can transform into a ¡®Dire Wolf.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± As expected, this world is a game of luck. * * * Through Kim Taehee¡¯s faint consciousness, the sad voice of a child was heard from somewhere. ¡°I¡­What did I do so wrong¡­?¡± She slowly opened her eyes. Her head still felt dizzy. Looking sideways with a blurry view, she saw the boy from a moment ago suffering as he hit the floor. ¡°Why?! Can¡¯t I be happy?!¡± The boy¡¯s scream dug deep into her heart. He was always smiling on the outside. She didn¡¯t know he was in such a great deal of pain inside¡­ ¡®Move¡­Kim Taehee!¡¯ As an adult, and as a former hero, she couldn¡¯t just stand and watch as a child cried. She forced her body that didn¡¯t listen up. Then she staggered toward the boy. ¡°Ah! Ajumma, you¡¯re up?¡± The child who had suddenly changed his expression asked her with a bright smile. It¡¯s as if something great had happened. When she saw such passionate acting, her heart seemed to have collapsed again. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to pretend to be strong. You¡¯re a child, so you can cry like a child.¡± She lowered herself as she opened her arms. The boy simply stared at her. ¡°Ajumma, did you hurt your head?¡± ¡°I see¡­Right. It¡¯s going to be hard to open your heart since it¡¯s our first meeting. I understand.¡± Kim Taehee looked at the boy with a pitiful look for a moment. Then, the thought of Namgung Taesu and the terrorist belatedly came to her. She couldn¡¯t believe that she had forgotten such a thing. She hurriedly looked around. The terrorist¡¯s decapitated head was on the floor, and the president of Changcheon Group was dead. ¡°This¡­what happened?¡± ¡°I killed him.¡± The boy said calmly. But, was that really possible? The power she had seen from the terrorist was close to A-class before she lost consciousness. No matter how frightening of a talent the boy had for his age, it shouldn¡¯t be possible for him to deal with Gomin. ¡®Maybe, did he burn his life force?¡¯ Then it would make sense. Villains who came over from the murim sometimes did that. They would burn their life force and fight to the death the moment they are backed into a corner. Perhaps Gomin was already about to die. Then¡­ Why was Namgung Taesu dead? ¡°Do you happen to know what happened to him?¡± ¡°He sacrificed himself to protect me.¡± She looked at the body of Namgung Taesu. It looked like a frontal charge at the terrorist. ¡®Is that so, did he actually have a change of heart at the last second?¡¯ She had doubted him because of the rumors, so she thought it was inconceivable that he would sacrifice himself to protect a child. She felt ashamed of herself for having doubted him. ¡®The fact that he¡¯s dead¡­means the Namgung clan is finished now.¡¯ The Changcheon Group was actually maintained by relying on the total control of Namgung Taesu. Soon, there will be a divide among his children and the group will walk on the path of destruction. ¡®It¡¯s going to be noisy for a while.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t believe the end of such a righteous man had been so vain. She quietly clasped her hands and prayed. And then she looked at the boy that the righteous person had protected. A child who she strangely couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to despite his horrific actions. Looking at the boy, she spoke. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a place to go, why don¡¯t you come live with me?¡± ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going to adopt me, ajumma?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me mom. You can continue to call me ajumma. It¡¯s just that I want to help you.¡± The child seemed to be deep in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s uncertain.¡± What was uncertain about it? He¡¯s not saying that she¡¯s not enough to be his guardian, was he? ¡°Also, I think I like being alone.¡± Looking at the boy¡¯s expression, she realized that she had made a mistake. She was too hasty. The boy definitely had his own scars. ¡®As expected¡­Was it way too early for him to open up his heart?¡¯ However, it was too heartbreaking looking at the boy, so she took out a hotline messenger that could connect to her. ¡°Then, please at least let me help you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­okay.¡± Fortunately, the boy didn¡¯t refuse her help. With the boy¡¯s ability, she was certain that they would meet one day at the Hero Association. ¡®When such a day comes, I need to lead this boy down the right path.¡¯ As such, she made a commitment to herself. And soon, the heroes arrived. * * * A crowd had formed around the hotel as more than dozens of ambulances could be seen. Officials who appeared to be from broadcasting stations were filming the scene from afar. ¡ª We¡¯re live from the scene of the terrorist attack in Lake City. All terrorists have been subdued, and now comes the task of rescuing the people inside the hotel¡­ All of the victims who were kidnapped at the venue were able to leave the hotel safely. ¡°Have you seen a boy with black hair and purple eyes?¡± Eugene asked the rescuer who was covering him with blankets. The rescuer gave him a gentle smile and reassured him. ¡°Were you separated from your family? Don¡¯t worry too much. If we find him, we¡¯ll definitely bring him here.¡± Then because the rescue task was still ongoing, she rushed back into the hotel. ¡®Why isn¡¯t he coming out yet?¡¯ He continued to closely watch the entrance of the hotel. Countless survivors and bodies covered with a white cloth were carried out. However, as the hotel guests were rescued one by one, the appearance of the boy he was looking for was nowhere to be found. ¡®No way¡­he didn¡¯t die, did he?¡¯ He suddenly felt anxious. But he shook his head and shook away the thought. ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯ The moment the boy killed the terrorists and saved him, he could feel it instinctively. That he was of the same kind as himself. Someone who was blessed by the sword. A martial genius born once in a thousand year. It was clear that he had the same cursed talent as himself. In this world where there are only idiots, he was the only one who could understand him. He¡¯ll definitely survive and help him with his great mission. That¡¯s why he even lent him the pendant. At that moment, he saw a boy walking out with a big woman. ¡®As expected! There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll die that easily.¡¯ Eugene forced himself to hold back his smile and approached the boy. ¡°You were alive.¡± ¡°Oh, Eugene.¡± As if there was a very fierce battle, the boy¡¯s face was stained with blood. Fortunately, at least, the boy wasn¡¯t dressed as shamelessly as before. He didn¡¯t know where he had gotten it, but he was now wearing sportswear with a cute wolf character on it. ¡°Huhu, you kept your promise. I knew you would come back safely. All right, give me back the pendant.¡± ¡°Okay. Here.¡± The boy obediently returned the pendant to him. Eugene widened his eyes at the appearance of the pendent. ¡®As expected, this guy¡­¡¯ Their eyes met. Even with such a treasure in the boy¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t think of running away with it. He was the right person to be his first knight. Eugene hung the pendant on his neck, which had felt empty for a while. And¡­Unknowingly, he sensed something amiss. ¡°Hmm?¡± Eugene looked closely at the pendant around his neck. ¡®This, was the color normally this dark?¡¯ He shouldn¡¯t be saying this to his family heirloom¡­but why does it look so cheap? Looking closely at the pendant, Eugene suddenly shouted. ¡°Hey! Why are you giving me a fake?¡± ¡°H-huh??¡± He suddenly began to get angry. ¡°I almost died while fighting because I trusted what you said.¡± ¡°N-no¡­t-this can¡¯t be¡­¡± Obviously, his mother had said that it has the function to prevent attacks in moments of crisis¡­ His eyes shook as if there was an earthquake. ¡°What do you mean no?! Are you saying that I¡¯m lying right now?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± If the boy¡¯s words are true, then it was the same as blaming something out of his control. He truly felt ashamed of himself. However, the boy generously forgave him for his mistake. ¡°Huu¡­Never mind. I¡¯ll put up with it this time.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± Such a fact made him feel very shameful. His face turned red and he lowered his head. ¡°But¡­Didn¡¯t you say you had something to say to me?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± In fact, after getting the pendant back, he wanted to create a better image of himself¡­But he thought that was out of the question now. Eugene hesitated for a while before straightening his posture. Then he spoke in a dignified and elegant manner. ¡°I¡¯m Eugene Crohart, the one who has inherited the blood of the royal family of the Crohart Empire. And¡­Someday, I¡¯ll return to the Crohart Empire and take back my place.¡± Despite Eugene¡¯s words, the boy didn¡¯t look very surprised. He continued. ¡°I think highly of you. So be my knight and help me. Once I ascend to the throne again, I promise you wealth and honor.¡± After finishing his speech, Eugene looked at the boy. He was just frowning without saying anything. Then after a while, the boy spoke firmly. ¡°Sorry. I think that¡¯s going to be a little difficult.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Eugene endured the loss of strength in his legs and forced himself to stand. Well, what kind of knight would want to devote his loyalty to a monarch like himself who had nothing? Thinking of his situation again made him depressed. ¡°I-Is that so¡­? It can¡¯t be helped. In fact, I just asked out of courtesy, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± If he had been in the boy¡¯s shoes, he might have given the same answer. Eugene¡¯s straight shoulders drooped. At that moment, the boy spoke again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying I won¡¯t do it. I¡¯ll try to help you someday when the time comes. I¡¯m a little weak right now.¡± ¡°?!¡± Is that so?! Was it something like that?! How could the boy think that he still wasn¡¯t good enough to serve the monarch? The boy was indeed worthy of being his knight! The corners of his mouth kept twitching shamelessly. ¡°Oh! M-make sure to keep that promise! And this is a sign of our promise, so always carry it around! Eugene took off the magic bracelet he was wearing. It was his family treasure that he had decided would be given to his first knight someday. The boy looked here and there at the bracelet, then he soon smiled brightly and grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°As expected! You were a good friend! Thank you, I¡¯ll use it well!¡± ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± And after taking the bracelet, the boy disappeared somewhere. Eugene stared blankly at the boy¡¯s back and reflected on what he had said. ¡®Friend¡­?¡¯ Somehow it didn¡¯t sound so bad. He was already starting to look forward to the day they met again. * * * I checked the effect of the bracelet I had received from Eugene. Classification: Accessories Grade: B Description: A bracelet made by the court wizard of the Crohart Empire for a large knight. (If you have this bracelet, you can do escort missions¡­) *Transforms to fit the body. *Noise from movements reduced. * ¨C Assimilate into the surrounding for up to 10 minutes [1/1] (24 hours recharge cycle). It was a bracelet specialized for infiltration. Without this, I was thinking that I wanted to have a skill related to hiding, but a perfect thing just came into my hands. ¡°As expected, the punk was a good person.¡± So what if he¡¯s gay. It¡¯s not good to discriminate against people. I should add that punk back to my list of friends in my heart. I wore the bracelet he had given me. Items and rewards were coming in smoothly. Strangely, I was really lucky today. By the way¡­ I didn¡¯t know this kind of challenge would pop up. [Challenge ¨C The Emperor¡¯s Illegitimate Child (Chain Quest).] Condition: Save the Emperor¡¯s illegitimate child ¡®Eugene Crohart.¡¯ Period: 20 years. Reward: 1x Random Box (Unique), x1 Unknown. The moment he was talking nonsense, a message suddenly appeared in front of me. A Challenge that gave as much as a unique box and an unknown reward. How high was the difficulty level that the time limit was 20 years? If I compare it to the Challenge last time that was related to Elizabeth, even though it was only a three month time limit, didn¡¯t I almost die? In addition, this challenge was the fucking ¡®save¡¯ type. Honestly, I didn¡¯t even want to look at it. Well, it¡¯s out of my league anyway, so let¡¯s think about it later. As soon as I thought that, I heard someone¡¯s very nervous voice. ¡°N-Noah? Do you have a moment?¡± Looking back, it was the nursery teacher who had escorted me today. What does she want? ¡°What?¡± Then she asked me in a very polite tone. ¡°S-since today¡¯s sponsorship became like this, I¡¯m thinking of going back to the nursery¡­What about you?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Come to think of it, today¡¯s sponsorship event had been ruined. What should I do now? I wanted to wash my identity this time, but since this has happened, should I just go back to House of Flowers again? ¡°We¡¯ll provide the best sponsorship for Noah soon, so why don¡¯t you hang out with your friends and wait a few weeks? Haha, I¡¯ll move your room to the best place.¡± The teacher bent down and rubbed her hands. Certainly, as the teacher had said, there was no particular way now. But it was annoying to go back. Hmm¡­What should I do? After standing here and thinking for a while, an old man suddenly approached me. ¡°Choi Noah, thank you so much¡­Because of the situation earlier you had to see my ugly side¡­I owe you my life!¡± I looked at the old man. Before, when I was trying to do the Challenge, he had asked me to stay and protect him. ¡°Hmm. Seeing that you¡¯re here, it seems you were here to find a sponsor¡­If you don¡¯t mind, how about becoming my son? I¡¯m this kind of person.¡± At the same time, he handed over his business card. He was a big shot who runs an art gallery in downtown Pyongyang. And he had a first-class citizenship card. Oh?! The highest grade ordinary citizens can rise to was first-class, so it was a very good offer. ¡°I spent my whole life alone without any family, but I guess this was all to meet Choi Noah. Hoho.¡± He doesn¡¯t have a family? ¡°Grandpa, how old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 96 years old this year.¡± He looks vigorous for his age, but he must be near his end. I guess it¡¯ll be okay? As soon as I was about to make my decision, again, someone began to hurry toward me. She was dressed like a medieval maid of a noble. I didn¡¯t see her at the venue earlier. It seemed to be one of the scouts who were monitoring the venue elsewhere. ¡°I saw Choi Noah¡¯s righteous performance. Why don¡¯t you come to our family? There are many children of the same age as Choi Noah. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to have siblings than to spend time alone?¡± What the woman said to me was similar to what the old man had said. The woman who introduced herself as a nanny of a prestigious family quickly poured out words. Then the old man next to her began to speak over her. And after that, several people appeared around me and began to talk. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m a member of Neo Pyongyang¡¯s Institute for the Gifted¡­¡± ¡°Let me tell you about my family¡¯s 100 years of history and tradition¡­¡± ¡°Hehe¡­what a beautiful child. Do you want to come with mister¡­¡± First-class citizens, prestigious families, and public institutions all spoke over one another. And I can see Kim Taehee standing from afar beyond the crowd. She had the face of a large dog abandoned by its owner. In the midst of the commotion, after much consideration, I made a decision. As expected, the old man from earlier would be good. It was unlikely that I would get a status above the first-class citizenship card anyway, and if I can hold out, I may be able to pocket all the assets. There were some other big shots too, but since I didn¡¯t have the inheritance rights, it would be more advantageous to lay the foundation here. I grabbed the old man¡¯s arm and spoke. ¡°As expected, I want to live with this grandpa. Grandpa! I¡¯ll be a good son from now on, so let¡¯s get along well together.¡± ¡°T-thank you. Let¡¯s have a wonderful life together.¡± The old man¡¯s wrinkled eyes became red and tears welled up. Grabbing the old man, I tried to escape the crowd. At that moment, along with a powerful mana wave, a girl¡¯s voice was heard from the sky. ¡°Wait!¡± When I raised my head, a girl who looked like a middle school student was flying this way on a broom. The people who saw it began to speak noisily. ¡°I-isn¡¯t she the A-class hero Kid Witch?¡± ¡°Why is Lady Fortune here of all places¡­I heard she was in seclusion.¡± As Lady Fortune landed on the ground, people moved out of the way and a path was made between the crowds. She followed the path and slowly walked toward me. ¡°That¡­what was it? Sponsorship? Anyway, I¡¯ll participate in it too.¡± I slowly observed the girl. She didn¡¯t really look great to me. As others have said, she was an A-class hero and she definitely felt strong, but I didn¡¯t understand why people were bending backwards like this. Finally standing in front of me, she fixed her big cone hat and spoke. ¡°I was watching you on my way here¡­To sum up, you¡¯re looking for a sponsor to raise you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I roughly understand your personality. So I¡¯ll be straightforward. If you come with me, you¡¯ll be able to enjoy the position and rights of a noble from now on.¡± Ah, this girl was a noble. Only then did I understand the people¡¯s attitudes. Noble. Top privileged class that substantially dominated the world. It was nothing like the Namgung clan who ran a company. It was an incomparable real giant. She continued. ¡°And if one day I die, I¡¯ll hand over all the assets I have now to you.¡± And then she gave me her bank account. I accepted it. I secretly looked at it, but there were too many zeros to read. While I admired it, the old man next to me bravely protested. ¡°N-no! How can this be possible? Even if you¡¯re a noble, we have already decided to become a family! Don¡¯t try to deceive him with money.¡± I told my grandpa. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m sorry. Thinking it over, I think this side is better. Can you move aside so that we can talk for a moment?¡± ¡°W-what¡­?¡± The old man left with a look full of betrayal. Then I asked the witch in front of me. ¡°But¡­Nuna, what will I have to do once I¡¯m your son? It can¡¯t be that there are no strings attached?¡± Then the witch covered her mouth and smiled quietly. ¡°As expected¡­You were that kind of person. I¡¯m liking you more and more.¡± She summoned an old piece of paper into the air with magic. It was a magic contract. And the contract contained the part of handing over the property she had mentioned earlier, as well as other benefits. ¡°You don¡¯t really have anything to do. All you have to do is live in the same house as me for the next 10 years, and basically, I won¡¯t interfere with what you do. So, will you accept my offer?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I read the contract carefully. There was no poisonous clause. Rather, a contract that is unilaterally advantageous to me. There¡¯s really nothing to lose? Become a noble, take all the money, and on top of that, if we live together for 10 years, everything will come into my hands¡­ I don¡¯t know what this girl¡¯s intentions are, but I¡¯m grateful. I looked at her and spoke. ¡°Okay. I look forward to your kind cooperation. Stepmom!¡± ¡°Huhu. I like that blunt attitude. I look forward to your kind cooperation. Son.¡± After signing the contract, we shook hands. Like that, I gained a second mother in my life. But¡­I¡¯m not sure how long I can go with a mother this time. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Lady Fortune was an ¡®honorary noble,¡¯ a person who was granted various privileges by the world government. Although nobles naturally weren¡¯t above the law like those found in medieval RPG games, given their status, it could be said that it was the same as standing above ordinary citizens. The decisive reason for my rise to the ¡®black¡¯ grade and in becoming a wanted person worldwide in the first round was for the hunting of such nobles. They were like monsters bound together when it came to aggro, so if you touch just one, more would follow one after another and attack the player. Because of this, even violent villains don¡¯t normally commit crimes against nobles. And¡­now I belong to this class of privileged people. ¡°Here, take it.¡± Lady Fortune handed me freshly prepared documents. When I looked inside, there was a family register certificate, and an ID card confirming my identity as a noble. ¡°With this, you and I are now family. What do you think?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± As the son of an illegal immigrant, I can¡¯t believe I had shot up the pyramid and obtained the ¡®invincible¡¯ status. This rise could be said to be the first in human history. Unless I wanted to break out of the social system like in the last round, the higher my status was, the better. At that moment, a message window popped up in front of me. [Gained achievement title ¡®Honorary Noble.¡¯] Tendency: None Description: Congratulations. You¡¯ve succeeded in life. This was also recognized as an achievement? Come to think of it, there was an achievement for killing noble families, so the opposite was probable. Then do I become Lady Noah now? Or Fortune Noah? Either way, it sounds strange. Originally, I didn¡¯t like my last name that much, but I think it would be much better than Lady Noah. I reviewed the family register certificate again. ¨C Choi Bokhee¡¯s son, Choi Noah. ¡°Choi Bokhee?¡± Lady Fortune¡¯s real name is Choi Bokhee? Looking at her face, she blushed and spoke. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­a fake name. God gave me the name Lady Fortune. Don¡¯t get confused!¡± Anyway, that¡¯s what she says. With her emphasizing her name over and over again, we headed to Choi Bokhee¡¯s house. A quiet forest about an hour away from Pyongyang. Arriving here, she spoke. ¡°This is where you¡¯ll live from now on.¡± ¡°¡­Here?¡± Where she pointed, there was a small, old cabin that was on the verge of collapsing. Was the status of a noble so insignificant? Should I have chosen the grandpa from earlier instead? Seeing me like that, she giggled and spoke. ¡°Just wait and see.¡± She took out an old key and opened the door of the cabin. Then beyond that, I could see the appearance of an old dreary castle. She puffed out her chest and proudly spoke. ¡°Welcome to my castle. Son.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was a huge and elaborate camouflage barrier where no trace of mana could be felt. I followed her over the threshold of the cabin. Now that I¡¯m inside, I could see that it was a structure with a clear view of the outside. It certainly seemed to be the case that you begin to show aspects of transcendence beyond human understanding starting from A-class. I wouldn¡¯t feel it very much in the past, but now that my body was nerfed, the difference was clearly felt. While I was looking at the barrier, something from the castle began to walk out with the sound of grating metal. Rattle¨CRattle¨C It was a knight wearing full plate armor that covered the whole body. The movements were awkward as if it was wearing clothes that didn¡¯t fit. Handing over her broom, she asked the knight. ¡°Was everything fine while I was gone?¡± The knight nodded instead of answering. Somehow, the sight of it not even answering the master¡¯s question seemed very suspicious. Like so, we entered the castle under the escort of the knight. And unlike how it looked, the interior had a very modern and clean appearance. Choi Bokhee looked at me and spoke in a dignified tone. ¡°Don¡¯t feel awkward and relax like it¡¯s your own home. If you¡¯re bored, you can look around the castle. I¡¯m tired and need to rest a bit, so let¡¯s talk about the details at dinner.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Right, the room you¡¯ll stay in is¡­No, you can follow that knight.¡± After saying that, she wandered away somewhere. And then I followed the knight who silently beckoned me to follow it and we headed to a room. It was a neatly decorated room. I felt as if I had entered a luxurious hotel room. Inside the room, there was a separate toilet and bathroom, and next to it is a portrait of someone who looks somewhat unpleasant. For the first time in my life I had my very own room. It didn¡¯t feel as bad as I thought. With this as my foothold, I¡¯ll start my career as a hero here and gradually expand the scope in the future. Anyway, I gained a spatial movement skill this time, so the distance limitation wasn¡¯t a big problem. Come to think of it, can I use that skill here? Recalling the barrier I saw a moment ago, I opened my status window. *Guangcheng District *Neo Pyongyang (House of Flowers) *Neo Pyongyang (Elf Garden) *Neo Pyongyang (Lake Town) *Neo Pyongyang Outskirts (Witch¡¯s Castle) * New * Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem using the skill. Everything is going smoothly. To become a hero, my plan was to take it step by step. I¡¯ve rapidly assembled my skills and items while carrying out various Challenges, and I was able to lay the foundation for my career as a hero after going through a nursery as planned. Ah, come to think of it, my useless party member who¡¯ll help me someday was training alone. It would be nice if she could power up as soon as possible, but honestly, I¡¯m not sure when it¡¯ll be. So I guess all that remains is to slowly level up and wait. In a few months I¡¯ll be 13 years old, the age at which I can obtain a hero license. From there, I¡¯ll officially be able to hunt down villains and play as much as I want. That would also mark the end of the tutorial. My body was already starting to itch at the thought of the contents I¡¯ll be able to do in the future. Well anyway¡­There was an idea that has lingered in my head since I entered this place. This castle map, there must be at least one hidden treasure, right? My gamer sense was telling me. There must be something useful here somewhere. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to do before dinner. That¡¯s perfect.¡± I started searching the drawers in the room. * * * Lady Fortune, who had returned to her room, hurriedly grabbed her tarot cards. Casting a spell, the cards rose in the air before three were pulled out. [DEATH] [DEVIL] [FOOL] The same cards she had seen a while ago. But this time, the arrangement was different. It¡¯s as if the [FOOL] card was blocking the gap between the other two cards. Destiny has changed. As long as that card was in between, she herself will be able to avoid death. ¡®It was definitely effective.¡¯ She gave a sigh of relief. From the moment she opened her eyes to the mysteries of the Astral World, she has never been wrong in her fortune telling. And the fortune was saying, as long as she¡¯s with the boy, there will be a path out. Thinking so, she thought it was a cheap deal to hand over her property after death. In any case, there was so much money that it was overflowing and she had no family to inherit it. ¡®The problem was easily solved.¡¯ Anyway, it felt very strange. Has there ever been anything other than dolls in her castle? And not only that, even though it was someone like her, why did the boy readily accept her proposal? Although it was clearly stated in the mana contract, wasn¡¯t it still a new family? The boy was too calm. She felt it at the terrorist scene a while ago, but he had a different aspect from other children. A computer-like principle that doesn¡¯t value trivial emotions and just thinks about what is most beneficial. It was similar to playing chess against an AI. Does it mean that he had experienced a lot of things since a young age? ¡®Well, thanks to him, I got rid of a troublesome thing, but¡­¡¯ Nevertheless, she thought the boy was the self-interest type of person, so she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d cause any problems during this time. If he had really whined like a child or expected a parent¡¯s love from her, she might have had a headache. She didn¡¯t have the talent to take care of someone. ¡®I thought I would die while living alone for the rest of my life, but I suddenly became a mother¡­¡¯ Even so, it was this kind of arrangement for the next 10 years. Since awakening as a witch, time hasn¡¯t meant much. She¡¯ll be able to go back to her comfortable past life once she endures this short period. And she was confident that she would be able to stay in complete control of at least one such child. She had already prepared to control the child to some extent. ¡®Should I take a look at what he¡¯s doing right now?¡¯ She breathed mana into a crystal ball. Then, through the eyes of the portrait hanging in a room, the child¡¯s appearance began to appear. ¡®Hmm? What is he doing?¡¯ Unlike how she had thought that the boy would just sit still, he was eagerly looking around the room. He searched through the drawers, opened the door of the closet, and even looked into the space under the bed. Was he excited because it¡¯s his first time having his own room? ¡®There was an unexpectedly cute side to the child.¡¯ And soon the boy left the room. Where was he going? He probably doesn¡¯t even know the structure of this place yet. He was snooping around the interior of the castle. He checked the closed doors and looked into the empty rooms. ¡®Is he playing an exploration game?¡¯ For a while, she watched the actions of the boy. He gradually headed to the lower floors. Then, eventually, he entered a warehouse where she collected things that she didn¡¯t use often. There were empty oak barrels left side by side from making wine. ¡®There¡¯s not much to see there.¡¯ The moment she thought about whether she should go down and guide him, He suddenly took out a sword from somewhere. Wuung¨C Along with an eerie cry, he swung his sword recklessly at the oak barrels. ¡®?!¡¯ And then the boy who broke all the oak barrels in the room muttered to himself. ¨C Strange. Usually, it¡¯s hidden in places like this. Then he went out of the room and checked another empty room. ¡®W-what the hell is he doing?¡¯ At the sudden eccentric actions of the boy, she couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly at the crystal ball. As such, he gradually headed down. And finally, he arrived at the entrance to the basement. He pulled the door. Clank¨C Clank¨C ¡®Oh my god!¡¯ At that moment, she felt her heart jolt as it pounded. But luckily, whether it was because of her prayers or because she had locked it well, it didn¡¯t open. ¨C Hmm? Is it a place where I need a key? Looking at the boy¡¯s reflection in the crystal ball, she breathed a sigh of relief. But right then. Crunch¨C The boy cut down the locked door. Then the neatly cut lock split and dropped on the floor. ¨C As expected, this place is suspicious. ¡°Ah, no!¡± The boy puts his hand on the doorknob. The moment she saw it, she immediately teleported to the entrance of the basement. Then, looking at the boy who looked puzzled at her sudden appearance, she spoke. ¡°E-even if you can go everywhere else, you should never go in here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­Here, this is a cursed place! That¡¯s why I sealed it myself, so don¡¯t even look around here again!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I see. All right.¡± The boy nodded calmly, and then wandered up the stairs again. She stood blocking the entrance for a long time until she couldn¡¯t see his back. Her back was already wet from his sudden actions. And for the first time in her life, she doubted her fortune. ¡®Is it really going to be okay living with him?¡¯ Her fortune couldn¡¯t have been wrong. No¡­Now she simply wanted to believe it. * * * Meanwhile, at the same time. The Hero Association¡¯s Pyongyang branch. In a spacious conference room, the voice of a young female anchor echoed. ¡ª I¡¯m at the scene of the shocking hotel terrorist attack in Lake Town. Dozens of ambulances and hero teams are on standby around the hotel, and the search for survivors is still ongoing. ¡ª While the death toll in the hotel incident is estimated to be xxx, there¡¯s strong criticism against the Hero Association in this regard. ¡ª Moreover, as it was revealed that on-site reports related to the terrorist attacks were received in advance, the Hero Association¡¯s complacent response is emerging again. ¡ª Meanwhile, there are testimonies that among the rescued survivors, the one who solved the terrorist incident was an elementary school student, not a hero dispatched. Let¡¯s take a look at the interviews. [Heuk¡­If it weren¡¯t for that kid¡­My family wouldn¡¯t have survived. That child is a savior to our family. A savior!] [When the citizens are in danger, where did all of our money go~ It¡¯s all lip service! Something needs to change for us tax-paying citizens!] [The privileged rich! The privileged rich! If you¡¯re a noble, you can take away someone else¡¯s new family¡­Heuk!] ¡ª With the testimonies from these survivors known, the Hero Association¡¯s incompetence is spreading rapidly in the Internet community. ¡ª If they neglect citizens who are in danger, who does the Hero Association exist for? This has been MPA News, Cho Ara. The screen turned off. There was only heavy silence in the conference room. Suffocating silence. In that atmosphere, the branch manager in charge of the meeting spoke. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± When asked, the other attending people quietly turned their heads. Then the branch manager banged the table and shouted. ¡°Cat got your tongue? I¡¯m asking who¡¯ll be responsible for this situation! Where were you, chief of counterterrorism!?¡± ¡°I-it wasn¡¯t my fault. The case was updated as soon as I was told it was a terrorist attack. And speaking on that, the strategy to delay judgment is the issue.¡± ¡°What? Are you done talking? Who is to blame for our performance last time when we were dispatched too early? Our members can¡¯t even eat properly in restaurants because they can¡¯t show their faces! Do you know that?¡± ¡°Let me finish~ It¡¯s just a figure of speech. When did I say the strategy was the sole problem? Not all of us are responsible. The security department and the information department, which didn¡¯t find out the signs of the incident in the first place, are at fault.¡± ¡°Why are you pulling us into your bullshit?!¡± The protectors respected by its citizens rambled and cursed indiscriminately. If someone were to post a video of this video on the internet, the public opinion of them would plunge into the abyss immediately. At that time, someone spoke. ¡°Everyone, can I have your attention for a second?¡± A clear and pure voice that calmed the cloudy mind. Everyone¡¯s eyes gathered in one place. Standing there was a woman dressed in something resembling a nun¡¯s uniform. Saintess Samaria. A personnel dispatched directly from the headquarters of the Hero Association, and a rare A-class hero in Pyongyang. At her words, the people in the hall let go of each other¡¯s collars and sat back down. After confirming that everyone was seated, she moved in front of the screen and spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a video I want to show you.¡± She played the video on the screen. Then, the scenery inside the hotel was reflected. It was a CCTV recording of the terrorist incident. At a lobby where the bodies of the victims are scattered, masked terrorists can be seen running across. But somehow their behaviors were suspicious. As if being chased by something, they constantly glanced behind them as they gasped for breath. ¡°Saintess, what is this?¡± At the incomprehensible video, the branch manager asked curiously. The Saintess replied with a bright smile. ¡°Watch it until the end.¡± And in a little bit. Another person appeared in the video. A naked child covered in blood. The child was chasing the terrorists with a sword in one hand. ¡°T-that boy!¡± His running speed was faster than the terrorists. The distance between them gradually narrowed. And, ¨C Kueaak! ¨C P-please spare me. It was my fault. He brutally cut down the terrorists. Without any hesitation as if slaughtering meat. And he was smiling brightly. As soon as they saw his expression, those in the hall felt goosebumps all over their bodies. The video continued. The contents of the video that followed were brutal and unilateral massacre that even those who went through all sorts of hardships couldn¡¯t help but frown. And the video ended with the death of the terrorists who had surrendered as a group. Silence came again. Soon, however, as if he had realized something, the branch manager spoke with a smile on his face. ¡°I see. Now I understand the meaning of Saintess. So, you want us to reveal the boy¡¯s actions to the media?¡± Then others in the hall shouted one after another. ¡°Really?! Isn¡¯t that a violation of the law?¡± ¡°No. If we have to consider it, isn¡¯t it a bigger problem that the general public, not even a hero, had intervened in the case in the first place?¡± ¡°Haha¡­That¡¯s right. If we distribute the video to the media now, public opinion will be completely reversed.¡± From then on, the conference hall began to passionately discuss what punishment to impose on the boy. While doing so, some even suggested to blame the barbarian investigator who was at the scene. As if they had forgotten everything about grabbing each other¡¯s collars a moment ago, they were united in a more friendly atmosphere than ever. The Saintess, who was watching, spoke. ¡°Everyone, that¡¯s not it. You¡¯re missing the point.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean? Isn¡¯t this the best way right now?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s the worst plan. That¡¯s not why I showed you the video.¡± ¡°Then do you have a better idea? I think it¡¯s better to proceed like this and not admit fault.¡± The branch manager looked at her stubbornly. Seeing his expression, she sighed briefly and spoke. ¡°Do you know who that boy¡¯s guardian is?¡± ¡°How would I know that?¡± ¡°A while ago, that child entered the registrar as the adopted son of the A-class hero, Kid Witch.¡± ¡°Kid Witch¡­you mean Lady Fortune? W-why would she¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of our business. The important thing is that the child is now a noble. Do you get it now?¡± Then, the conference hall seemed to have become speechless as a group, and their mouths opened and nothing came out. It was like night and day when they compared themselves to ordinary citizens, but even for them it was hard to provoke nobles. They were giants that dominated the order of Earth and an absolute powerhouse in this world. To come together and attack such a privileged class, it was the same as a mantis standing in front of a carriage. In other words, they had to do their job well and not dump their problems on the landlord. ¡°W-what should we do now?¡± The branch manager desperately asked the Saintess as if he was looking at his last hope. Then she gave a meaningful smile. ¡°The boy is 12 years old this year.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°In the next few months, he¡¯ll be 13 years old. Can¡¯t that boy get an official hero license?¡± ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°On the day he becomes a hero, wouldn¡¯t all the problems be solved if he belonged to the Hero Association?¡± Everyone who was listening carefully clapped their hands and exclaimed. ¡°T-that¡¯s right! That¡¯s the best option! As expected of the Saintess, your wisdom is second to none.¡± Their credibility will immediately recover if the boy gets a hero license and becomes a member of the Hero association. In addition, nothing could be better for them if a hero from a noble family belonged to the Hero association. It was simply killing two birds with one stone. Then suddenly, the branch manager anxiously asked. ¡°W-what should we do if the boy doesn¡¯t want to join the Hero Association? Wait. He doesn¡¯t have to become a hero in the first place since he¡¯s now a noble. For Kid Witch and others it¡¯s more of a hobby¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. He definitely seems to have great talent, but¡­I¡¯m confident that I can handle a rookie who runs wild with that kind of power.¡± The Saintess smiled sadistically. And when he saw the smile, the branch manager smiled and nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m very aware of your skills. I shouldn¡¯t have worried about this. I have a peace of mind now knowing the Saintess is coming forward herself.¡± ¡°So, now it¡¯s better to take advantage of the opportunity and spread the boy¡¯s heroic tale.¡± ¡°I think that would be good. If the flower grows well¡­All we have to do is move it to our Pyongyang branch someday and plant it. Huhu¡­¡± ¡°Hoho, I¡¯m looking forward to a few months later.¡± They looked at each other and laughed. * * * Late at night. I opened my eyes in the dark. It should be now. I slowly got out of bed and my feet touched the cold floor. It was quiet everywhere. Like I thought, there¡¯s something underground. I was convinced when I heard Choi Bokhee earlier. There must be something useful hidden in this castle. Originally, even when playing games, the more NPCs didn¡¯t allow a player to enter something, the more the player needed to enter it. ¡°Wait a minute, before that.¡± I stared at the portrait hanging next to the bathroom. Strangely, the gaze of this painting has been unpleasant since earlier. Shiik- The area around the eyes was cleanly cut. Then it turned into something like a mosaic of a criminal shown on TV. Hmm, this is much better. I left the room with a refreshed mind. And¡­ The skill from the newly obtained bracelet was activated. My body melted into the landscape and the surrounding noise disappeared. The feeling of hiding was simply the best. I covertly headed to the basement. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 An interior surrounded by darkness greeted me once I came out of my room. Wax was slowly dripping down from the candlesticks on the walls as the flames fluttered and the shadows fluctuated. Outside the windows, the bleak sounds of wind can be heard tapping against the windows as it shook loudly each time like it was going to break. The scenery was completely different from what I saw during the day. It was like a scene from a horror game. I walked down the hallway amidst the gloomy atmosphere. There was no sound even though I was stepping on the floor, so I felt like I was a ghost. Whenever I took a step forward like that, I felt as if I was being watched from somewhere. Was I just being paranoid? It was a strange chill different from a cold. Rattle¨C Rattle¨C At that moment, I felt a presence around the corner of the corridor. It was just supposed to be me and Choi Bokhee in this castle. So what the hell was she doing this late? I carefully approached step by step and looked around the corner. ¡®?!¡¯ Then there, two cute looking teddy bears were dusting off the decorations with a brush. ¡ª Puu~ Puu~ (singing) What¡¯s this? I didn¡¯t see them during the day. They seemed to be one of Choi Bokhee¡¯s creations¡­ Fortunately, they didn¡¯t notice me. I got as close to the wall as possible and passed them. There were many more dolls cleaning the castle as I went further down. Sweep, wipe, shake off. It was eerie seeing them bustling around in the dark. I found a gap and went down the stairs again. Soon after, I saw the entrance to the basement. There were no presences of the dolls like earlier. Instead, a giant teddy bear stood in front of it. It was enough to be twice my height. I see. Is that the one in the armor during the day? It was looking around with its eyes bulged out. The door to the basement was the same as I had cut it. There was no need to make a fuss. I activated my skill. *Gas As such, I passed through its body in my transparent state. ¡ª Puu? It looked around for a moment, but it couldn¡¯t find me. I continued down the stairs to the basement but this time without a single speck of light. The stairs spiraled without end. The chill grew stronger and stronger the lower I went. As if someone was watching me in the dark, it felt as if a pair of eyes were sticking to my whole body. Finally, I reached the end of the stairs. I felt the walls and turned on a switch. Then an old light bulb lit up, and the view of the basement appeared. This¡­? The basement was full of dolls. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t moving like the ones earlier. As if someone had cleaned it up in a hurry, the dolls were found on the floor packed like luggage. There was still a strange chill, but it wasn¡¯t coming from any of the teddy bears. They appeared to be really innocent toys. Choi Bokhee had this kind of taste. Considering her age, it could be said to be quite a childish hobby. There¡¯s probably something else besides these. I slowly looked around the basement under the dim light. Then, among the stacked teddy bears, I found a book that looked very suspicious. The book was bound in smooth leather made from an unknown animal. Was this the cause for the chills? The bloody warning on the cover caught my eyes. ¡ª Anyone who reads this book will not be able to avoid the anger of the endless night. An ominous warning that chills the spine. Was it a cursed magic book? I checked my status window. However, considering that there was no item information, it didn¡¯t appear to have any special effect. Then it¡¯s not a big problem. I squatted down on a doll lying on the floor and opened the book. ¡ª I¡¯m(LORD) the ruler of the darkness(DARK) who oversees the death(SABBATH) of all things. ¡ª The queen of the night(THE QUEEN OF NIGHT). ¡ª To keep the pledge of divine blood(PROVIDENCE OF GOD), I¡¯ve (LORD) sealed(SACRIFICE) my own power. ¡ª This book(BLACK CODEX) is a record of my past(FUTURE). . . . ¡°Erm¡­?¡± What is this? I¡¯m merely reading the sentences, but why does it feel painful? Can it really be a magic book? I continued to read it. And to summarize the contents, it was as follows. The owner of this book called herself the queen of vampires. And she says that her power was so powerful that the balance of the world had collapsed, so she chose to seal her power and live in the darkness. ¡°Hmm.¡± The identity of this magic book began to feel more and more suspicious. I endured the painful feeling and turned to the last page. Then my doubts turned into conviction. ¡ª ¡­as such, I¡¯m(LORD) an absolute existence(SUPER KING GOD) that cannot be matched. ¡ª Anyone who irritates me. ¡ª The old seal(SACRIFICE) will be released and the world will be plunged in darkness. Next to it was a picture. A middle school girl wearing a cape Dracula would use, and posing in a strange manner. It was my stepmother, Choi Bokhee. ¡°¡­¡± I quietly closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf. I didn¡¯t know she had this kind of hobby. Well¡­That¡¯s possible. I had wondered why she felt the need to dress up the way she did when I thought about the clothes she usually wore. Anyway, it¡¯s polite to respect other people¡¯s taste. Hmm¡­Does that mean there¡¯s nothing here? Unlike what she had said, there seemed to be no sealed curse here. No, maybe she meant this sealed dark past? The moment I sighed like that. Suddenly, a foreign object caught the corner of my eyes. Beyond the dim light, I can see the edge of the basement. And there was a small door there that was hard to notice unless you looked closely. I approached it with a feeling of uncertainty. As I approached the door more and more, the chill from a while ago began to feel stronger. Slowly putting my hand on the door, a message appeared in front of my eyes. This¡­ At that moment, as if someone was pulling me from behind, my body suddenly began to be sucked across the room and to the basement stairs. I grabbed the floor and tried to resist, but I quickly returned to the path I came from. And at the end, my new mother stood watching me with a cold look. ¡ª Puu! Puu! I was caught and was buried by a fluffy teddy bear. And in front of me, Choi Bokhee approached and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sure I had warned you not to go down here.¡± Overflowing energy that resembles a human face rose around her body. She was indeed A-class. The energy was so tremendous to the point where I even felt nervous breathing. But she can¡¯t hurt me. For the next decade she won¡¯t be able to escape the shackles she had put on herself, and the same goes for me. She probably hadn¡¯t expected me to do this¡­ I don¡¯t know why she wanted to adopt me, but I had nothing to lose as long as my safety was guaranteed. However, in order to continue our cooperation for the foreseeable future, there was no need to sour the relationship. To show some self-reflection, I bowed my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I was so curious about the basement that I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°Huu¡­Tell me. What did you see downstairs?¡± ¡°A lot of dolls. By the way¡­Does stepmom cherish those things?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s! It¡¯s just a catalyst to create familiars! Don¡¯t change the subject and tell me! What else did you see down there?¡± She briefly stuttered before exuding her power. I pretended to think for a while and spoke. ¡°Ah! Come to think of it, I saw something a little suspicious.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Um, what was it? The Queen of Night? I think it was roughly that name, but anyway, it was a very childish book.¡± ¡°?!¡± Her power disappeared in an instant and her facial muscles twitched as if they were broken. ¡°I-is that so? I don¡¯t know anything about that. I can¡¯t believe such a book was in my house. I¡¯ll have to clean it up after I see it later.¡± ¡°But I think there was a picture of stepmom in the book. You really don¡¯t remember? Anyone who irritates me¡­¡± ¡°S-stop! I got it! Okay¡­Let¡¯s stop talking about this today.¡± She shouted with a bright red face. Then after a moment, ¡°Huu¡­How did it end up like this¡­¡± She sighed while kneading her temple. At the same time, I was released from the binding of the teddy bear. ¡°Then can I go up now?¡± ¡°Okay¡­It¡¯s late, so hurry up and go to sleep¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I obediently answered and turned my back. Then I recalled the identity of the door I saw in the basement a moment ago. I can¡¯t believe she was hiding something like this inside her house¡­ If I¡¯m not wrong, it was clearly a ¡®dimensional gateway¡¯. Such a thing was like an airport that connected Earth to other worlds. It was unimaginable for an individual to own a dimensional gateway. This was an incredible fact. My judgment cannot be wrong. Even if I was mistaken, the status window wouldn¡¯t have. [Challenge ¨C Dimensional Traveler] Condition: Visit more than three dimensions other than the Earth. Period: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Random Box (Advance), 1x Unknown. It¡¯s become fun. For some reason, I felt my gamer instinct wriggling. In the basement of her house, a quest to open new content was waiting. Knowing this now, I can understand why she had tried to keep me from entering the basement. Crossing dimensions without permission is a serious crime that would never be tolerated even if you¡¯re a noble. Rather, it would be right to think that nobles were at the helm in controlling the movement of Earth¡¯s people to other dimensions. I didn¡¯t like their policy in the last round, so I broke all the dimensional gateways on Earth, and as a result, even someone like me has never been to another dimension. If I had left at least one, I wouldn¡¯t have suffered from a lack of content¡­ But the most important thing is that she was unlikely to open the dimensional gateway to me. She has no choice but to be conservative since it relates to her life. Perhaps she may try to remove me at the expense of the contract¡¯s penalty the moment I mention the dimensional gateway. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As soon as I thought about it, I recalled the fact that I knew another witch. Yes¡­There was finally a use for that girl. A witch who will never betray me. * * * Sitting in front of a monitor, Elizabeth scrolled down the screen with her chin propped up on one hand. Countless search results related to Noah were displayed on the screen. [The young hero Choi Noah who stopped the terrorist attack. Who is he?] [The miracle of Lake Town that surprised the world!] [Scouting report: Choi Noah is a genius who is already above D-class.] . . . Her expression was gloomy as she looked at the screen. This is because they were all articles that she had already seen several times. So she kept scrolling down. And then suddenly. Her eyes began to sparkle. [Exclusive Interview ¨C Shocking remark by the young hero ¡°It was the surest way¡­¡±] It was her first time seeing the article. And on top of that, an exclusive report? She moved the mouse cursor with a possessed look. Click¨C [Choi Noah who was active in the recent terrorist incident.] [It was a big event that almost led to a terrible disaster, but thanks to the spirit of the young hero, we were able to overcome the crisis safely.] [Noah was humble about his actions, saying that he did something natural.] [Meanwhile, there are varying opinions on his excessive suppression against the villains.] [Pyongyang citizen A: Do I need to say anything else? It¡¯s very refreshing. Heroes these days need to learn from this.] [Pyongyang citizen B: How can anyone dare say that?! Don¡¯t they know how to thank their benefactor?! Are you telling me all the people who were there should have died?!] [Rescuer C: Honestly, I don¡¯t know. His actions certainly deserve praise, but the scene was more devastating than any other incident I¡¯ve been in charge of.] [Profiler D: I¡¯m seriously concerned. His thinking is the same as those of extreme villains.] [According to an exclusive phone interview with this newspaper, Noah dismissed the controversy, saying, ¡°It was the surest way.¡±] [What kind of person is he? Whether a new hero will be born or another villain will appear. His every move from now on will draw attention.] [S2 dokjanimS2@mknews.con] After reading all the articles, she trembled in her seat for a while. And in a little bit. She began sending death threats to the reporters at a stormy pace. ¡®How dare they! They don¡¯t even know how to appreciate his grace!¡¯ By the time she sent more than 20 emails in a row, for some reason, the articles were suddenly deleted. In addition to these, articles with critical views on Noah were pushed back or naturally lowered. It was as if someone was controlling the public opinion. However, she gave a pleased smile. What does it matter? The fake reporters were wrong in the first place. ¡®Huhu, people are finally discovering the true value of Noah.¡¯ She turned off the monitor and stretched happily. Then she looked at the clock and it was 3pm. She didn¡¯t even eat lunch because she was surfing the internet. She suddenly looked at her face that was reflected on the monitor screen. A dirty t-shirt and clotted hair. There was no telling her apart from a beggar. When she saw it, she suddenly began to feel a sense of shame that was forgotten. ¡®What the hell am I doing¡­¡¯ While she was pitifully wasting her time, Noah was already in the spotlight of many people. ¡®I thought it would change after that¡­¡¯ After changing her fate with Noah¡¯s help, she felt confident that she could do anything. However, isn¡¯t she still the same incompetent person as before? She raised her knees and buried her head. Her long ears droop down. ¡®I¡¯m no help at all, so where did the confidence come from that time¡­¡¯ She was naturally still trying to develop her ability by doing the homework Noah had assigned. According to Noah, she was a genius with tremendous talent. But she couldn¡¯t get the hang of it. If there had been someone teaching her, she wouldn¡¯t have wandered this much. ¡®I¡¯m a useless person¡­¡¯ Like that, she fell into an endless self-deprecation. Suddenly, something popped up and blinked on one side of her view. It was Noah¡¯s ability to message her. ¡°?!¡± He had never contacted her before. What¡¯s going on? Her heart started pounding. But even before that thought was over, her body was already running toward the bathroom. After washing her face and hair in less than 30 seconds, she hurriedly accepted the message. Then Noah¡¯s face appeared in front of her eyes. ¡°W-what¡¯s the occasion? I-I was just taking a shower.¡± Noah simply spoke. ¡ª Do you want to live with me at my house? ¡°¡­¡± That night. She couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. * * * ¡°H-hello, mother! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you! M-my name is Elizabeth! I look forward to your kind cooperation!¡± Dressed up in neat clothes, Elizabeth lowered her head like a newly recruited soldier. Lady Fortune, who had received the greeting, looked at her with a dumbfounded look. Black, straight hair and long pointed ears. And¡­the red eyes that symbolized a witch. She was the same witch as herself. Her gaze naturally fell on Noah. Even in this situation, he was smiling brightly. Seeing that, she felt like her head was pounding again. ¡®This boy¡­¡¯ Events from the past two weeks replayed in her mind. Not only did he cause a big problem on the first day he arrived, these days, he would bother her familiars or take her magic supplies. And it was all because of him that she had gotten a phone call from a fearless reporter not too long ago. ¡®I¡¯ve definitely made a mistake.¡¯ Her peaceful daily life was being destroyed little by little since the boy arrived. She had even abandoned the idea of controlling Noah a long time ago. He was out of control. There was nothing that she wished for more than for things to stay quiet for the next 10 years. ¡®But now¡­he¡¯s going to bring a girl home too?¡¯ Lady Fortune looked at Elizabeth. The way she twisted her body in front of her was obviously like that of a new bride. Considering the lifespan of the Elf race, she should be at least 30 years old. How can she set her eyes on such a young kid? ¡®This woman isn¡¯t normal either.¡¯ Lady Fortune was sure. The woman in front of her, like the boy, is twisted somewhere. Although she wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the dynamic of their relationship was, she had no desire to bring such a deviant into her home. She spoke firmly. ¡°No. It¡¯s actually the first time I¡¯ve had an outside guest in this castle. I won¡¯t make any more concessions.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s ears drooped pitifully. Noah, who was watching, spoke. ¡°Stepmom. Did you forget the contract?¡± ¡°Again! Again! What about the contract?¡± Lady Fortune trembled and shouted. Now even hearing the word contract was enough to wake her up in her sleep. She thought she just wrote down what was generally used between parents and children, but the boy has been viciously harassing her based on the contract terms. If she could go back to the past, she would never have offered such a contract. ¡°It¡¯s specified in the contract. Stepmom spares no support for my education.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with her?¡± ¡°Nuna has decided to tutor me. Right, nuna?¡± ¡°H-huh? Uh, uh¡­Right! Right!¡± Lady Fortune rubbed her temple as she watched the situation unfold like a skit. ¡°In return, stepmom should tutor nuna too. I gave her my word a few days ago.¡± ¡°I remember I definitely said I didn¡¯t like to do such things.¡± But since the boy had asked, Lady Fortune had no reason to refuse. Of course, she¡¯s not sure if the contract would take effect even in these areas, but she didn¡¯t want to take risks as she was always focused on stability. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Lady Fortune sighed for a long time. And then she pointed at Elizabeth with one finger and spoke. ¡°Even if I allow her to live here, it¡¯s a separate matter for me to teach the child. A witch¡¯s ability isn¡¯t something you just want but a talent. And I have no talent to teach those who have no potential.¡± Then the boy smiled confidently and spoke. ¡°Stepmom should check it out herself.¡± ¡°What if she has no potential as a witch?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give up without saying anything.¡± ¡°¡­I trust that you¡¯ll keep your word.¡± Lady Fortune connected to the Astral World and opened up her spirituality. Her eyes began to shine like a red star. Then she silently stared at Elizabeth. Upon receiving her gaze, Elizabeth¡¯s whole body twisted for some unknown reason. Soon, Lady Fortune opened her mouth. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Lady Fortune didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the boy was right this time. The potential she saw from the child called Elizabeth was terrifying. If there was a witch queen from the old legends, then perhaps she would be it. Even for her, she couldn¡¯t count how many stars Elizabeth was loved by. Where in the world did a child like this come from? ¡®Maybe¡­This may also be related to my death.¡¯ It was clearly stated in her fortune telling. If she¡¯s with this boy, her fate will change. Then, wouldn¡¯t that include this affair? After organizing her thoughts in her mind for a while, she looked at Elizabeth and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to your room that¡¯ll you¡¯ll be staying from now on. Follow me.¡± ¡°Yes! I understand. Mother!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me mother, just¡­Call me teacher.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Teacher!¡± * * * I looked at Elizabeth¡¯s twitching back that was chasing after Choi Bokhee for a while. Now, the girl will do her part in earnest. Although it may not be an abnormal speed like when she had absorbed the city-level energy under Rastus in the past, I believe that if she has talent, she¡¯ll be able to grow at a sufficiently rapid pace. In other words, the time to use the dimensional gateway will advance. Well, Elizabeth¡¯s problem was something that Choi Bokhee would solve on her own anyway, so I didn¡¯t have to pay much attention to it. More than that right now¡­It was time to pay attention to my own growth. ¡°Status window.¡± *Guangcheng District *Neo Pyongyang (House of Flowers) *Neo Pyongyang (Elf Garden) *Neo Pyongyang (Lake Town) *Neo Pyongyang Outskirts (Witch¡¯s Castle) Places that I can move to were displayed in order in front of my eyes. But anyway, the place I have to go has already been decided. [Do you want to move to Guangcheng District?] ¡°Anyhow, there¡¯s no better hunting ground than here.¡± And, with my current items and abilities, I¡¯ll be able to target ¡®that guy.¡¯ I took out Red Velvet Curse, wore it on my waist, and activated my skill. ¡°Move.¡± Then, along with a bright light, the surrounding landscape quickly turned into a dirty back alley. The peculiar stale smell of Guangcheng District penetrated into my nose. I took a deep breath and then exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s a warm smell.¡± It¡¯s only been a few months, but somehow I even felt glad. While I was immersed in such thoughts. Someone shouted harshly at me from behind. ¡°Hey, the little punk in the sportswear! You over there!¡± When I turned my head, a man with a tattoo on his head was walking toward me. From the man¡¯s chest, he took out something. It was a switchblade. And I¡­ended up laughing without realizing it. ¡°Haha, as expected, this is my hometown.¡± Guangcheng District, which I haven¡¯t visited in a long time, was welcoming my return home. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 ¡°Take one more step if you want to die.¡± The man threatened me by elaborately flicking his knife. I glanced at his appearance. Untrained body with protruding belly fat. In addition, his eyes were wavering as if he was drunk. After confirming his identity, I sighed briefly. It was just a normal miscellaneous mob. This kind of thief was one of the most common mobs in Guangcheng District. They usually respawn quickly and have the characteristic of acting in groups, but unfortunately, due to the level difference, I wouldn¡¯t get much experience even if I killed him. At that moment, someone¡¯s grumbling voice came from the entrance of the alley. ¡°¡­Fuck! Where did that bastard suddenly disappear?!¡± Then the guy in front of me shouted and called his colleagues. ¡°Hey! Everyone, come here! We hit it big!¡± ¡°Hit it big? What nonsense are you talking about?¡± A group of guys similar to the thief wandered into the alley. And soon, they checked my appearance. They smiled broadly and exclaimed. ¡°Ora~ Did we really hit it big this time? It¡¯s already the season these days, so kids are becoming scarce. What brings him here?¡± ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t know either. I just came in to pee, and he was just standing there like a rice cake.¡± ¡°Oh, my. You screwed us over in the gambling game earlier. But you still held up your part before you went home.¡± They talked to one another as they surrounded me. It seemed like they thought they had caught a fish. While looking at them, I had a thought. Hm¡­they won¡¯t give much experience, but this will be okay as warm-up. It was also a good opportunity. I should feed Red Velvet Curse some buffs before arriving at the hunting ground. I slowly put my hand on the handle of the sword. One of the mob who saw it frowned. ¡°Hey¡­But doesn¡¯t the punk have a sword in his hand? Do you think we can catch him without our weapons?¡± ¡°I was going to make it up to you today. Then you should go home and sleep calmly. Keukeu.¡± The man approached me while making a ridiculous joke. The distance gradually narrowed. And the moment he finally came within my range. Swish¨C The heads of the gangsters all rose into the air. Then in a little bit, they collapsed on the spot and blood sprayed from their necks. I blankly stared at it. ¡­Huh? What just happened wasn¡¯t my doing. The moment I was about to pull out my sword, an unidentified attack from somewhere had quickly cut the necks of the gangsters. Raising my senses, I became wary of my surroundings. Then, at the entrance of the alley, a man in a black coat appeared. He was much taller than ordinary people and had a unique physique. Mysterious silver-blue hair and two ears that resembled an animal rising sharply above it. Have I met this guy somewhere before? Although it was definitely my first time, he was someone who strangely caught my attention. The man approached me slowly and asked. ¡°Are you okay? Boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A cold and dry voice. In his blunt voice, I could feel the unique relaxation that only the strong has. Given the attack that flew a moment, he was at least B-class or higher. If he had surprised me in the same way, honestly, even I wasn¡¯t confident I would be able to respond properly. ¡­Where did this guy suddenly come from? He certainly wasn¡¯t at the level to be hanging around in the back alley of a slum. Did he come out for a walk from the upper hunting ground? It won¡¯t be easy. Since I don¡¯t even know his exact method of attack. It would be too premature of me to rush head first. I simply stood still with my hand on the handle of my sword and watched his actions. After some time, the man opened his mouth. ¡°Hmm¡­I guess I misunderstood again. It doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re hurt, so I¡¯ll get going.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After saying that, the man turned his back without a second thought. But I didn¡¯t let go of my hand from the handle of the sword until the image of the man completely disappeared from my line of sight. I was aiming for an opportunity to attack, but somehow I had a bad feeling, so stopped that thought. With his skills, he should be playing in another hunting ground. I don¡¯t know why he was still playing in the beginner zone. ¡°Huu¡­my mood was ruined right from the start.¡± I sigh without realizing it. Looking at the sky, the sun was setting over the horizon. It took a lot more time than I had expected. From now on, I think I should ignore the small mobs. I forced myself to control my irritation before moving to my originally planned destination. * * * People often think of Guangcheng District as a place with no hope or joy. However, even here, there was a festival celebrated by the residents, albeit in a unique sense. The festival was called ¡®Night of the Dead.¡¯ This special memorial event, which lasts for three days starting on the last day of October every year, was of great significance to the residents of this place. They believed that at this time of year the dead would wake up again and wander the world of the living. So during these three days, the war stopped, and everyone returned to the arms of their families to commemorate those who had left first. They would dress up their faces like the deceased and share red colored foods. In this place where death was more familiar than life, a festival was just another memorial service. And at present, With all the members gathered again after a long time, Fernando and his family were preparing a memorial service for his father. ¡°Waah! I¡¯m a ghost!¡± ¡°Oh my, so scary! There¡¯s already a ghost in our home?¡± Fernando¡¯s younger sister surprised their uncles with paint on her face that resembled a skull. Fernando frowned while watching the scene. At an age of slowly realizing the world, he no longer believed in ghosts or demons. ¡®Hmph! What ghost.¡¯ His father, the former cartel boss, died two years ago in a struggle between organizations. The uncles of the organization spoke nonsense, saying it was an honorable death, but he knew. No matter how you mince words and hold an event like this, it won¡¯t reach his dead father. Otherwise, his father would have appeared in front of them last year. ¡®Idiots.¡¯ Fernando scowled at his uncles who laughed and joked while looking at each others¡¯ makeup. At that moment, his sister asked. ¡°Oppa! Why haven¡¯t you painted your face? Uncle said that if we don¡¯t do this, ghosts will eat you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°No! Dad is going to come today. This won¡¯t do!¡± At the sight of such an immature sister, Fernando shouted angrily. ¡°Hey, idiot! Dad is already dead, so how is he going to come here?¡± ¡°No¡­Heuk! You¡¯re wrong! Dad is coming today! If oppa keeps lying, I¡¯m going to tell on you!¡± His sister ran to the organization¡¯s uncles in tears. Then they tried to reason with him. ¡°I can understand how you feel. Don¡¯t you think we don¡¯t miss him? But if he¡¯s watching us, don¡¯t you think he would want to see everyone a little more harmonious?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand what I mean. Now, since it¡¯s getting dark, let¡¯s get started.¡± Fernando reluctantly painted his face and gathered in front of the table. There were red foods and skull-shaped cookies. They turned off the lights and lit the candles. The sister who saw it asked. ¡°¡­But uncle. I can¡¯t see the ghosts now. How would I know that my dad is here?¡± ¡°If the candles go out it means that a ghost is here. But if you do a lot of bad things, evil ghosts will come and catch you, so you have to be nice, right?¡± ¡°Yes! I got it.¡± ¡°Okay. Then, shall we all say something while remembering the older brother who has left us? I¡¯ll go first.¡± When the memorial service was about to begin. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door of the house. While other members were speaking in memory of the deceased, the youngest uncle headed to the front door to open the door. ¡®Who is it? Was there an uncle who arrived late?¡¯ The youngest uncle disappeared into the dark shadow. And then everyone heard the door opening¡­ Crunch¡ª Thud. Soon after, there was a sound as if something was rolling on the floor. Fernando clearly heard the discrete sound. ¡®W-what?¡¯ But the other uncles hadn¡¯t noticed. And because of the wind blowing from somewhere, the candles suddenly went out. ¡°Waa! Did the ghosts really come?¡± ¡°No, not yet. We¡¯re supposed to blow out the candles at the end. Let¡¯s light it again. Someone give me a match, so I can light the candles¡­¡± Pak¨C At that moment. Something hot covered Fernando¡¯s face. The sensation felt by his fingertips was sticky. And¡­he couldn¡¯t hear the voice of his uncle anymore. ¡®This¡­?¡¯ A fishy smell pricked the tip of his nose. Fernando moved his body first before judging the situation. He covered his sister¡¯s mouth who was next to him, and then squatted down on the floor. His sister struggled, but the more she did, the tighter he hugged her. At the same time, screams began to circulate in the dark. ¡°Kuaak!¡± ¡°A-an enemy! Everyone, be careful!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! The gang members took out their handguns and fired them. Flashes of light flickered each time. But their screams disappeared one by one. And in a little bit. There was silence in the house. Soon after, someone turned on the light. Click¨C The brightly lit interior was full of dismembered bodies. ¡®?!¡¯ Fernando hurriedly covered his younger sister¡¯s eyes. Did an evil ghost really come? Something invisible was now in this room. He held his breath hoping that the being would not find them. However, as soon as he took off his hand that was covering his sister¡¯s mouth, she suddenly shouted loudly. ¡°Oppa! You¡¯re suffocating me, why are you doing this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Shh, shh! Be quiet.¡± Looking at the floor in front of him, someone¡¯s feet came down and came into view. A dark shadow appeared above his head. He looked up slowly. It was a large man with silver-blue hair in a black coat. His uncles¡¯ blood was still dripping from the man¡¯s body. ¡°W-why¡­¡± Fernando couldn¡¯t believe the current situation. Who is this person who had attacked their house? The man said with a bitter look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have any ill feelings towards you guys. This is just my job.¡± ¡°W-who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Hongir. Remember my name well and resent me even in death.¡± After saying that, the man raised his arm. His hands began to turn thicker and thicker. A sharp claw flashed like a giant wolf¡¯s foot. Fernando closed his eyes, hugging his sister tightly. * * * A dried wooden house was engulfed in flames. Hongir was looking at it with an expressionless face. After some time, behind him, there was a voice of someone in awe. ¡°Wow~ you¡¯ve already finished this.¡± When he turned his head, an old man with a short height and a face resembling a toad came into his view. He was an information dealer in Guangcheng District, and was someone who had commissioned this mission. The information dealer spoke in an exaggerated tone. ¡°Really! The reputation of ¡®Werewolf¡¯ didn¡¯t disappoint. As expected, you¡¯re incredible.¡± At the information dealer¡¯s attitude, Hongir frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sure I warned you that I don¡¯t like that nickname.¡± ¡°Ahah. I¡¯m sorry! Maybe because I¡¯m old, my memory isn¡¯t so good these days. Haha.¡± The information dealer apologized to him with no sign of being sorry. He soon changed his expression and asked Hongir in a serious tone. ¡°By the way¡­I can assume that you¡¯ve taken care of all the humans inside, right?¡± The information dealer¡¯s thinly closed eyes shone sharply. Hongir asked back in annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re doubting my work?¡± ¡°Oh my, no, no. I¡¯m not saying that, but I¡¯m also obligated to report to the client clearly, so I¡¯m just making sure. Hehe.¡± The information dealer smiled at Hongir in a servile manner. Looking at the smile, Hongir sighed briefly. ¡°Tell the client not to worry because I¡¯ve taken care of it thoroughly.¡± ¡°Haha, I see. That¡¯s a relief. Well, I don¡¯t have to check it out personally then.¡± ¡°All right, now that the request is over, hand over the information as promised.¡± ¡°Oh, of course.¡± The information dealer said and took something out of his arms. ¡°Haha, here it is. It was a really hard item to get.¡± Hongir accepted the item handed over by the information dealer. It was a camera with scratches everywhere. ¡°Some beggar picked it up from a pile of dead bodies and sold it, so it was hard to track down the buyer.¡± ¡°So¡­Are you saying the information is on here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, it would be faster if you watch it directly.¡± Hongir turned on the camera. Fortunately, it was well charged. There was a large video file that was over 20 hours long, and when the video was played, a warehouse was reflected on the screen. ¡ª Keuaak! S-stop! Stop it! A man was screaming painfully while being tied to a chair. And there were rough-looking men surrounding him and giggling. ¡ª What do you think, hyung? It¡¯s very electrifying, isn¡¯t it? ¡ª Punk. Did you think we would sit still while you sell out us brothers? Do we look easy because we called you hyung? ¡ª Huh? You dirty traitor. It was a simple torture video. Hongir looked at the information dealer with a frown. ¡°What the hell kind of information is this?¡± ¡°Oh, keep watching. You don¡¯t have to watch it until the end. Anyway, the latter part was just filmed until the camera turned off.¡± He decided to be a little more patient and watch the video. The boring torture video continued for a while. As soon as he was about to ask the information dealer again, a new person appeared in the video. A boy wearing a long coat who looks about 12 years old. His face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly because of the shaggy hair. And the scene that followed was shocking. The boy began killing the gang members by converting his body into liquid. The camera fell to the floor, and the slaughter scene that took place afterwards was reproduced on the screen. ¡°Aye~ You¡¯re just as surprised as I was, right? I didn¡¯t think it would be only a kid who had destroyed the Turbak brotherhood.¡± ¡°He¡¯s young but doesn¡¯t show any hesitation when it comes to murder¡­¡± Hongir said plainly. But at that moment. The boy was seen sweeping his blood-soaked hair back. Hongir¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°T-this kid¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? Do you know him?¡± He recalled the child he had saved in the alley earlier. A child who was wary of him and had his hand on the handle of his sword. How could things be connected like this? ¡®This¡­don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s fate?¡¯ While he was lost in thought, the information dealer next to him asked in a subtle tone. ¡°Erm¡­ By the way, why did you come all the way here to Pyongyang? Are you chasing the culprit of this case?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, you can say that.¡± ¡°Then¡­May I ask what¡¯s your relation to the dead Yifret? Hehe.¡± ¡°Yifret is my¡­¡± Hongir couldn¡¯t answer easily. And after hesitating for a while, he struggled to spit out his words. ¡°He¡¯s my¡­hyung.¡± It was contradictory to his appearance which resembled a human rather than a beastman. Looking at his appearance, the information dealer smiled with an understanding. ¡°Oh, my. That¡¯s a surprise. This old man was tactless. I think I¡¯ve touched on a complicated family history.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing to care about.¡± ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯m glad to hear that. Ah! It¡¯s already time. Well, I¡¯ll have to go now. If you need anything next time, please feel free to contact me!¡± ¡°¡­Sure.¡± The information dealer magically disappeared after saying that. Left alone, Hongir thought while looking at the burning flames. The boy he had run into, the fact that he was the one who had killed his brother. In addition, the ¡®Night of the Dead¡¯ festival commemorating the dead, the timing was too coincidental. It was as if this was a sign from Turbak. ¡°¡­Before this night ends, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± A fierce wind swirled from his body. * * * ¡°Hu, I¡¯m finally here.¡± The surrounding area had already turned dark when I arrived at my destination. Because the location was far away from where I had appeared, I had to waste more time than I thought. But anyway, it¡¯s a relief that it¡¯s not too late. I was in a large vacant lot, currently located on the outskirts of Guangcheng District. ¡°Oh! Almighty ruler! Please! Please accept this memorial service dedicated to you!¡± ¡°¡±Please accept our offering!¡±¡± And there, a suspicious event was being held by dozens of men and women surrounding a huge campfire. These were my grateful friends who will be my experience today. I watched them for a while before taking off my clothes and putting them into my inventory. Perhaps because I had gone around naked for a while, I felt familiar with this appearance. Was the effect of the wolf underwear working? I felt a little brave and strong. ¡°All right, shall we go?¡± I secretly permeated into the gathering of fanatics that was heating up. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Pumpkin hated weekdays. This is because his father would always come back drunk after work. ¡°I¡¯m trying to feed a bastard like you, yet I¡¯m being ignored on the job¡­How dare you talk back?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Father¡­¡± Pak¨C! However, Pumpkin liked Saturdays. This is because every Saturday, a pretty and sweet nun would come to Guangcheng District for volunteer work. A warm-hearted nun who would even come to such a dangerous place. Pumpkin had a crush on her. So he was beyond thrilled when she called him out separately. He even applied his father¡¯s hair gel before going out and meeting up with her. But¡­What happened after that? Why does his head hurt so much? Boom¨CBoom¨C The sound of drums resonated in his head. And a language that was difficult to understand came through the primitive rhythm. Ro¡­Cks¡­Kak¡­ Pumpkin slowly opened his eyes. His head was still dizzy, but what was happening around him gradually came into view. He saw a huge fire burning in front of him. Around the fire, people without a single piece of clothing were spinning and dancing strangely. ¡°¡±Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡±¡± ¡°?!¡± Surprised, Pumpkin tried to stand up. But his body didn¡¯t move. When he looked down, he saw that his hands and feet were bound. ¡®W-what¡¯s going on?¡¯ How did this happen? Pumpkin looked back on his last memory. He certainly met up with the nun and had a good time. He ate the cookies she had baked for him, they chatted, and he shed tears saying it was hard to live¡­ ¡ª Then should sister relieve you of your pain? ¡®And then definitely¡­¡¯ The nun led his hand into a gloomy alley. But he couldn¡¯t remember anything after that. ¡°Are you awake?¡± At that moment, he heard the voice of the nun. He reflexively turned his head. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Where his head turned, he saw the nun standing naked. The naked body of a woman which he had never seen before. He quickly lowered his head. ¡°S-sister¡­What the heck!¡± ¡°Huhu. There¡¯s no need to panic so much.¡± She spoke in a sweet voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I said I can relieve you of your pain.¡± ¡°T-that and this¡­¡± She lifted his head. He hurriedly closed his eyes. Then she spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Open your eyes. And look at it clearly.¡± Pumpkin, feeling very nervous, opened his eyes slowly. He could see the fanatics still dancing in front of the bonfire. ¡°Prepare the offering!¡± A little away from the flame. There stood a priest dressed in a colorful mask that native Africans would wear. At his command, a girl was dragged out. ¡°T-that nuna¡­¡± An awful older girl who lived near his house. He recalled being caught peeping at her taking a bath in the past and being beaten for days and days. And it was the girl¡¯s mother who took the lead in dragging her out. ¡°Ah! Mom! Let go of me! Release me!¡± ¡°This is all for you. Don¡¯t you want to see your dad again?¡± ¡°M-mom, are you crazy? Please don¡¯t do this! N-no!¡± The girl¡¯s mother pushed her through the crowd. Then dozens of fanatics surrounded her and attacked her. Countless hands, like a flock of piranhas, pulled at her. In an instant, her clothes were torn apart and she was left naked. Next, she was hurled like a luggage bag next to the flame. The fanatics circled the bonfire while spinning and reciting a chant. ¡°¡±Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡±¡± ¡°Hey, you son of bitches! Do you know who my boyfriend is? Y-you¡¯re all dead!¡± The girl suddenly came to her senses and rebelled by throwing stones that were on the ground. When the priest saw it, he shouted. ¡°The devil has possessed our offering! We must kick out the devil!¡± The fanatics surrounded the girl and struck her with a long thin rod. ¡°Ah! Ah! Stop! P-please stop!¡± At first, the girl shrank and blocked, but at some point she sagged on the ground like a lifeless doll. She would twitch from time to time, but there were no other movements. Her mother dragged her head and went in front of the priest. ¡°Priest-nim¡­Please bless my daughter and revive my husband.¡± ¡°Pero, the great ruler, will fulfill everything.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± The mother bowed her head several times to express her gratitude. The priest raised his arms and shouted. ¡°Oh! Almighty ruler! Please accept our offering!¡± ¡°¡±Please accept our offering!¡±¡± Then something walked out from behind the priest. It was a giant with bandages all over its body. When the giant appeared, a terrible rotten smell carried by the wind stabbed the tip of Pumpkin¡¯s nose. The giant picked up the shriveled girl with one hand. ¡°¡±Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡±¡± The sound of drumming became louder and louder as the fanatics circled the bonfire. And then Pumpkin saw it. The giant¡¯s jaw tore apart and its big deformed mouth opened. At that moment, he closed his eyes. Crack! A creepy sound, as if chewing bones and meat, penetrated his ears. His chin trembled and his crotch became wet. Crunch¨CCrunch¨C The sound lasted for a long time. He tried not to imagine it. He closed his eyes and hoped that this terrible time would go by quickly. After some time passed, the priest exclaimed again. ¡°Prepare the next offering!¡± The nun who was next to Pumpkin reminded him. ¡°Pumpkin, Pero will save you from hell.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± He didn¡¯t want to go, so he tried to drag his feet, but the nun¡¯s thin arms didn¡¯t budge. Just like the girl before him, Pumpkin¡¯s clothes were roughly torn. Soon, he was also thrown next to the bonfire. The fanatics holding a long rod stood guard. He couldn¡¯t even rebel because he had seen what had happened to the girl earlier. The primitive sound of drumming continued as the fanatics danced strangely around the bonfire. ¡°Praise be to Pero! Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡± A sour smell stung Pumpkin¡¯s nose as the priest sprinkled powder into the air. Then the madness became even stronger. ¡°¡±Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡±¡± After a few more circling from the fanatics, Pumpkin will also face a terrible death. He trembled with fear. But then. He saw something white moving in the dark. It was a naked child who looked about two or three years younger than him. ¡®?!¡¯ The boy approached here slowly without fear. And after watching the atmosphere, he sneakily joined the ranks and started to naturally circle the bonfire. ¡°¡±Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!¡±¡± ¡°Re~ Level up! Quest! God game!¡± The boy seemed to be trying hard to imitate in his own way, but it was obviously a different movement. Even worse, the chant was subtly wrong. But people around Pumpkin didn¡¯t notice. Rather, their eyes were turned upside down as if they were more and more absorbed in the chant. The boy was following the ranks as he got closer and closer to the priest. ¡°Louder! All together! Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak¡­Hang on, what¡¯s that?¡± At that moment, the priest had noticed the existence of the boy. The fanatics stopped moving and looked at the boy in unison. However, the boy, who didn¡¯t understand the situation, shouted enthusiastically alone. ¡°Re~ Level up! Quest! God game!¡­Hmm?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy looked around with a puzzled expression. Cold eyes were drawn to him. Then there was complete silence. Only the crackling sound that came from the bonfire could be heard. He soon grasped the situation and bashfully spoke. ¡°So close.¡± ¡°Kill him! There¡¯s an evil devil that has interfered with our ritual!¡± The priest shouted. At the same time, dozens of fanatics began to rush at the boy. * * * How did I get caught? Weird. My acting was flawlessly perfect. It seemed that there was a person among them who had the ability to detect lies. If I had known that in advance, I would have chosen a different method. My meticulous plan was ruined. But that¡¯s fine. I took Red Velvet Curse out of my inventory. Wuung~ An eerie cry spread out. The first thing I did was cut off the neck of the guy running towards me. Swish¨C The fanatic¡¯s neck fell to the ground and rolled away. The others who saw it faltered and stopped in an instant. Then the priest who was watching from behind shouted. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be afraid! Lord Pero will give you strength!¡± The priest uttered a spell. Then the eyes of the fanatics turned white, and light green smoke began to flow out of their mouths. ¡°Graaaawr!¡± Screams that resembled a beast¡¯s rather than a human echoed. They rushed at me with movements that ignored the anatomy of the human body. Swish¨C The two arms extending at the same time were cut. Then the stomachs of the cut bastards began to swell up. Damn it! I quickly backed away and widened the distance. Soon after, they burst like balloons, scattering sharp debris everywhere. This was why I tried to kill the priest first. Abilities along the line of black magic and controlling people were troublesome. Depending on the number of troops prepared in advance, they were able to exert a force above their grade at any time. It tends to take a lot of effort compared to the experience gained. It was wrong of me to relax. The fanatics rushed at me again. It seems that they don¡¯t want to give me time to rest. The bastards continued to blow themselves up whenever they had the chance, and I was gradually pushed into a corner. Watching it happening, I clicked my tongue. I was going to save this for later¡­ It was a waste to use it for small mobs who don¡¯t even give experience, but it couldn¡¯t be helped now that it¡¯s like this. ¨C One use has been deducted. ¨C Charges remaining [2/3]. The world turned red, and everything moved slowly except me. And the obstacles of humans with no gaps now look like a torn net with holes. I lowered my body and slid between their legs. Swish¨C The bright red Red Velvet Curse cut through the legs of the fanatics. I ran straight to the priest in that state. The distance was narrowed in an instant. The reddened world regained its original color, and a shocked cry burst out from the priest. ¡°S-stop him!¡± At that moment, a giant bandaged bastard standing next to the priest blocked me. Swish¨C I immediately cut his thick waist. The feeling was like cutting a stiff log. And then the sword slid by and I aimed for the priest¡¯s neck. However, I couldn¡¯t achieve my goal. Pak¨C A big hand was holding my ankle. Looking down at the ground, the guy I split in half a moment ago was grabbing me. The bandages on his face slowly slipped down. Looking through the gap, I could see the face of a beast, which was half rotten and decomposed. Hmm? This guy¡¯s face looked familiar. There was an amulet dangling from his neck. Looking at it, I felt puzzled as to why I couldn¡¯t remember where I had seen it for some reason. In the meantime, the priest shouted vigorously. ¡°Haha¡­It¡¯s a ghoul made by Pero himself. Starting now, this guy¡¯s real power¡­¡± Swish¨C I chopped up the ghoul that was holding my ankle. As a bonus, I also cut the priest¡¯s neck. Ruru¨C The priest¡¯s head rolled to the ground. Then the ghoul¡¯s body, which was slowly regenerating, quickly decayed, giving off a rotten odor. ¡°Saying the same lines over and over, it¡¯s like all the mobs read from the same book.¡± I kicked the priest¡¯s head. Then, the fanatics who were attacking me earlier grabbed their heads as their eyes slowly returned to normal. ¡°Keuk¡­This is¡­¡± ¡°W-what have I done¡­?¡± The fanatics who were brainwashed became confused when they realized what they had done. I approached them. Whether it¡¯s because the priest¡¯s buff had disappeared or whatever, but I didn¡¯t sense any particular threat from them. ¡°T-thank you so much for saving me.¡± A beautiful-looking woman approached me and lowered her head. It was the woman who had dragged the boy earlier. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget this grace even when I die.¡± ¡°T-thank you! Thank you for saving my life!¡± Behind her, fanatics gathered and thanked me as a group. ¡°Excuse me¡­If you don¡¯t mind, can you take me to my town?¡± The first woman asked carefully. ¡°Please¡­please accept this request.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She slowly approached me and begged. I watched it for a moment and fell into trouble. However, no matter how long I waited, the development I wanted didn¡¯t come true. A Challenge didn¡¯t appear. I took some grenades out of my inventory and threw them at the fanatics. Boom¨C! Along with the huge explosion, the fanatics turned into experience. Fortunately, the priest¡¯s buff has disappeared, so it was easy to remove them with a bomb. Ding¨C! [Level has risen.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] Ah! I leveled up here. In fact, I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to level up this time, but the experience was unexpectedly good. It seems that the ghoul who was controlled by the priest earlier was a little high level. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t the priest say the ghoul was created by Pero? The necromancer, who came from another dimension, could be said to be an event-type monster that only appears around this time. The reason why I came here at this time was also related to him. In the last round, when I was still wandering the streets of Pyongyang, I once heard a rumor. Which is that Pero has a legendary object that can further develop one¡¯s ability. I don¡¯t know if the rumor is true or false, but in fact, there was a case in which a B-class villain who visited him after hearing the rumor in the first round became an A-class villain a few years later. In short, the rumor isn¡¯t baseless. And if I¡¯m going to grind levels, it¡¯s natural to choose a hunting ground where I can farm items as well. In the past, I was too weak to attend the event, but this time it¡¯s worth a try. Even if he¡¯s B-class, I think I¡¯ll have a pretty good chance of winning as long as I fight in an advantageous environment. To do this, I must reduce his strength by killing the priests, who can be said to be his hands and feet. There are a total of five places where the ceremonies are held every year. The altars, drawing a pentagon shape, were widely placed around Guangcheng District. ¡­Which means there are four places left. Considering the remaining time for the festival, I felt a little short on time. I should break one more place before heading back today. When I was organizing my thoughts, someone¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Looking back, I saw the boy who was dragged by the woman earlier. He approached me as his whole body trembled. Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about him. Nevertheless, I have no intention of killing him. As someone who was a latecomer to this game, I was naturally quite generous to newbies. Looking at newbies sometimes reminds me of myself in the past. In any case, games with only old players left and no new users would be ruined someday. ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry but¡­Can you take me home? I-I think I¡¯ll be caught by someone else like this¡­¡± However, newbies who took me for a bus were always discarded. Wuung¨C I drew Red Velvet Curse. An eerie cry resonated and the boy fell down in surprise. I could smell the stench of urine from him. At that moment, a message appeared in front of my eyes. [Challenge ¨C Guide the Lamb (Chain Quest).] Condition: Bring Pumpkin to a safe place. Period: 3 days. Reward: 1x Random Box (Intermediate). ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Please spare me¡­¡± I looked at the boy. And then I smiled so that he could feel at ease. ¡°Leave it to me. Hyung!¡± If it¡¯s a newbie who shares a quest, then there was no reason to refuse. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 At a public bathhouse that has been closed for more than 20 years and one where even the residents have forgotten about its existence, an unfamiliar guest can be seen walking in. Creak¨C The tight sliding door opened with difficulty and made a shrill noise. The noise reverberated in the empty interior. Then a person appeared through the opened door. It was an old man of short stature with a bent back like a hunchback. ¡°Huu¡­¡± The old man took a moment to catch his breath, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. Soon after, he pulled a large vinyl bag inside before entering the bathhouse himself. Following the footprints on the dusty floor, he headed to the women¡¯s bath. The vinyl bag rattled up and down whenever it passed over a broken tile. Then, at some point, Suddenly, the vinyl bag began to wriggle, and a stuffy moan leaked out. ¡°Hmph!¡± The old man stopped walking and looked around. Coincidentally, a wooden surgical hammer came into view. He picked up the hammer and struck the vinyl bag. After repeating it several times, the vinyl bag quieted down again. Clink¨C The old man lifted the vinyl bag using a pulley that was installed on the ceiling at some point. As he pulled the zipper on the vinyl bag down, a woman bleeding from her head came into view. Nevertheless, there was still a thin breath coming from her mouth. After observing the woman¡¯s condition for a moment, he wheeled an iron cart from somewhere. On top of the cart, a glass tube resembling an incubator for newborn babies was placed. He carefully opened the lid. Then, along with white smoke, a cold air that seemed to freeze one¡¯s hands spread in all directions. ¡°Oh my baby. You must have been hungry, right? Grandpa will cook for you soon, so please wait a little longer.¡± The old man looked at the incubator lovingly. At the end of his gaze was a corpse of a ¡®dog¡¯ that was well preserved as if it was still alive. However, it had passed away 10 years ago. Its name was ¡®Pero,¡¯ and it was his only family. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± At this time, the woman, who was hanging upside down, slowly opened her eyes with a light groan. The woman and the old man¡¯s eyes met. After staring vacantly at him for a moment, she widened her eyes and began to struggle hard. ¡°Hmph! Hm! Hmm!¡± ¡°You¡¯re already awake.¡± The old man came to the hammer he used a while ago and knocked out the woman who was struggling. Then, after taking off all of her clothes, he naturally drew magical patterns over her immaculate skin as if it was something he had done countless times. ¡°Ro ¡®Pero¡¯ cks kak.¡± A low, ghastly voice resonated. The woman¡¯s skin that was fresh in its 20s quickly began to shrivel. Her hair turned white and black liver spots bloomed across her face. After some time, she turned into a completely dried-up mummy. And contrary to her, the fur on Pero had a more vivid glow than before. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you for enduring it so bravely¡­You¡¯ll be able to play with grandpa again soon, so hang in there a little more, Pero.¡± The old man stroked Pero with a sad look. His name was Jang Wick. He was a four-circle level necromancer who stole a treasure and fled to Earth a long time ago. And his current goal was to revive his only family, Pero, by turning it into a ¡®living dead¡¯ and have its heart beat again. He had put in a lot of effort over the last 10 years with only this goal in mind. Every year, during this period when the yin energy was the strongest, he has been using the stolen treasure to revitalize the corpse of Pero little by little so it wouldn¡¯t decay. He looked at the ominous-looking mask emitting yin energy next to the incubator. The cold air of the dead was flowing out from it. ¡®There¡¯s not much time left.¡¯ He recalled the ongoing rituals. He could already feel his heart beating faster, thinking of the day he¡¯ll be able to hear Pero¡¯s voice once again. But at that moment, ¡°Keuk!¡± Wick sat down, grabbing his chest. The sudden pain made his eyes spin. ¡®W-what¡¯s this¡­¡¯ He soon realized that the ghoul, who had been connected to him, had died. And the place where the ghoul was currently located was none other than the place where one of the rituals was taking place. Wick hurriedly checked the mask next to the incubator. The yin energy he felt from it was noticeably reduced. Pero, who was affected by the yin energy, also had its fur discolored. In addition, it gave off a slight but murky smell as if it was decaying. ¡°N-no!¡± The pure yin energy that was absorbed during this period was the most important force in making a living dead. He wasn¡¯t sure what the problem was, but if this continues, Pero may decay. His face distorted horribly. ¡®The hell¡­who is it?!¡¯ But now, rather than anger, he was thinking of a way to solve this problem. He bit his lip. Soon, he made a decision. ¡®Anyway¡­there won¡¯t be a promise of next year at this rate.¡¯ Originally, in order to avoid the trackers chasing the stolen treasure, he has been saving this method as a last resort. But now he wasn¡¯t in a position to hide it. He grabbed the mask and exerted force in his hands. Then, the forces he had arranged throughout Guangcheng District began to emerge. * * * I took the sportswear out of my inventory, put them on, and headed to Pumpkin¡¯s house. Perhaps because it¡¯ll be winter soon, the weather was quite cold. ¡°H-hero¡­If you don¡¯t mind, can you lend me some clothes? Even just a shirt¡­¡± Of course, I was the only one wearing clothes. Thugs appeared several times on the way, but each time, I was able to finish it without difficulty. After walking for about two hours, we were finally able to arrive in front of Pumpkin¡¯s house. ¡°T-there¡¯s my house!¡± The boy smiled brightly with an expression of someone who had survived a tough ordeal. I smiled along with him and spoke. ¡°Then hurry inside. Hyung.¡± To break another altar today, I had to finish this challenge as soon as possible. But for some reason, the boy didn¡¯t go straight home. Instead, he stayed next to me and bowed his head. ¡°Um, thank you so much. Really¡­I don¡¯t know how to pay back this favor¡­If hero hadn¡¯t saved me, I would have¡­¡± The boy suddenly started crying with snot running down his face. Then, as if he had come to his senses, he approached me. ¡°I-if you don¡¯t mind, please come inside for some tea¡­¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s not necessary, so hurry up and go home.¡± ¡°You did such a good deed, but you don¡¯t want anything in return¡­As expected, you¡¯re truly¡­¡± The boy began to drag his words with tears in his eyes again. He kept talking nonsense without proceeding. I frowned and pushed the boy right towards the fence. But even until the end, he looked back and bowed his head. ¡°T-thank you. Really, I¡¯ll pay back this favor one day! And if you come here next time¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Only after the boy repeated the same words endlessly did he open the door and entered his house. Why are side quests¡¯ cutscenes so long? I watched the boy from behind until the end and waited for the Challenge to update. After some time. No matter how long I waited, the Challenge didn¡¯t update. What¡¯s going on? Was there a part that I had missed? I opened my status window to check the condition of the task again. [Challenge ¨C Guide the Lamb (Chain Quest).] Condition: Bring Pumpkin to a safe place. Period: 3 days. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). ¨C Bring Pumpkin to a ¡®safe place.¡¯ I thought it would definitely be his house¡­ Was this not the place for the quest? As soon as I thought that, a frightened scream came from inside the house. ¡°Argh!¡± It looks like something has happened. My reward was in danger. I ran to the boy¡¯s house faster than I¡¯ve ever ran before. When I kicked the door like I was breaking it down, a man with a ruddy face holding a kitchen knife caught my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to obey the curfew! Are you making fun of me too?! Just going around with the money I worked so hard to earn!¡± ¡°D-dad, don¡¯t do this! Actually, what happened was¡­¡± ¡°You rude punk. Talking back to your father who is as high as the heavens?! This won¡¯t do. I¡¯m going to kill you today if it¡¯s the last thing I do. Stand there!¡± The man threatened harshly with a kitchen knife and approached the boy. I¡¯ve seen enough to understand the situation. I think I just need to kill him. I approached the father and son pair who were having an altercation. Then the boy looked at me in surprise. ¡°H-hero!¡± ¡°Who are you? I see! I thought Pumpkin was acting weird these days, so it was you who gave him false hope. You son of a bitch.¡± The man walked towards me while waving his knife as if to threaten me. He reeks of alcohol. Wuung¨C I pulled out my sword. An eerie cry resonated in the house. ¡°H-huh?¡± Then the man, surprised to see my sword, stopped in his tracks and faltered. As soon as I tried to cut off his neck, ¡°S-stop. Hero!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At the sound of the quest object shouting, I changed my trajectory at the last second and hit the man¡¯s head with my grip. Boom¨C But my Body was 3. The man who was attacked by me fainted on the spot with his head bent. In fact, I could have stopped if I wanted to, but I just turned it around because it was cumbersome. ¡°Uh¡­Uh¡­¡± The boy looked at his father¡¯s figure with a bewildered expression, then he hurriedly ran to him. And after confirming that he was breathing safely, the boy looked back at me with a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you so much for saving me once again¡­Heuk, Not once, but twice like this¡­ Actually, my father wasn¡¯t like this before, but after my mother left the house¡­¡± There were signs of the boy talking nonsense again. He was unnecessarily talkative. Cutting off the boy¡¯s words, I asked. ¡°By any chance, is there a safe place around here, hyung?¡± ¡°What? A safe place? Hmm¡­¡± The boy frowned as if he was facing a very difficult math problem. Everything about this boy was frustrating. By the time I ran out of patience, all of a sudden, the boy made an ¡®ah¡¯ sound and spoke. ¡°A short walk from here, there¡¯s a person who takes care of children in difficult family circumstances.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure that¡¯s the place?¡± In a place such as Guangcheng District, there was someone who took care of children? I looked at him suspiciously. I didn¡¯t want to waste my time if it can be helped. Then the boy nodded with a very trustworthy look. ¡°Yes, yes! He¡¯s a trustworthy person. Everyone calls him ¡®Hairy¡¯ because he has a full beard on his face, and he runs a butcher shop in the next neighborhood.¡± ¡°¡­Hairy?¡± A familiar name came out. Somehow, I felt like I knew who he was talking about. Well, if it¡¯s that old man, then the condition should be right. I sighed briefly and told the boy. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take hyung there for now, so let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t stay here forever.¡± ¡°Oh, oh¡­Thank you. Hero. How can I repay this grace¡­¡± As soon as my head was about to hurt again. Suddenly, the man who was lying on the floor staggered to his feet. Thinking about it, I put my hand on the handle of my sword, ready to kill. Since the condition of the task doesn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t forcefully take the boy away, I can just throw him to mister Hairy¡¯s house somehow. The father of the boy who woke up looked this way while grabbing his head. And he¡­Like a child, blew air into his cheeks and spoke. ¡°Why do only adults get to play!¡± ¡°F-father?¡± The man suddenly hung on Pumpkin¡¯s arm with a childish tone, as if he had regressed to an infant. ¡°I want to play too! Play! Play!¡± ¡°H-huh? What¡¯s wrong, dad? Huh?¡± ¡°Play! Play! Or I won¡¯t eat!¡± A middle-aged man with protruding belly fat was whining. ¡°¡­¡± I had a thought while looking at the disastrous scene. As expected, I should¡¯ve hit his neck earlier. * * * Ko Changsu, ¡®Hairy,¡¯ has been cut off from the rest of the world for some time and has been like an abandoned man. Not only did he risk his life to avenge his son and only for it to be taken away by an unidentified villain, but he also couldn¡¯t protect the child who resembled his son. ¡®It¡¯s all because I was foolish¡­¡¯ After his son¡¯s death, he wasted away each day, drinking alcohol that he had never touched before. And then, one day. He found a little girl crying in front of his butcher shop. Although he didn¡¯t want to care about the world anymore, with the cry that lasted all night, he eventually took action and opened the door. ¡°Why are you crying here? It¡¯s noisy. Why don¡¯t you go home right now!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­Heuk! M-my mom¡­¡± The girl hugged Ko Changsu¡¯s leg while shedding tears mournfully. ¡°Huh? Hey, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± Thus, Ko Changsu found the meaning of life again. Since then, he has lived with the mission of helping children in need. He thought that was the only way to atone for the two children he couldn¡¯t protect. ¡®My body is still intact, so what have I been doing so far?¡¯ There was still something he could do. He used all the money he had saved for his revenge and bought a building next to the butcher shop for the children to stay in. The children, who were alienated in Guangcheng District, heard the rumor one by one and began to knock on his door. As a result, before he knew it, more than ten children were living with him. ¡®I¡­I guess I¡¯ve survived until now for these children.¡¯ Strangely enough, he thought he had done this for the children, but it was them who ended up saving him. He felt each day was worth living again. To him, these children were like irreplaceable precious treasures. But¡­Now in front of his house, those who seek such treasures have come. ¡°Grwaar¨C¡± ¡°Keuk! Keek! Kuaak!¡± Dozens of people flocked in front of his butcher shop. No, it wasn¡¯t people. Their eyes were white, and their joints were bent in irreversible directions. They banged on his home. Each time it happened, the children¡¯s cries would grow louder. ¡°Waaah!¡± ¡°Ajeossi, I¡¯m scared¡­¡± These monsters banged on the door whether their bodies broke or not. The door¡¯s hinge continued to shake. Creak¨C ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t you trust mister? This old man won¡¯t let a single one of those bastards inside.¡± He took out a handgun and held it in his hands to reassure the children. But inside, he had lost all hope. ¡®It won¡¯t hold out much longer at this rate¡­at least the children¡­¡¯ The moment he had such thoughts, Creak! ¡®?!¡¯ Finally, the flimsy hinge fell off. ¡°Graaawr!¡± ¡°Keuraak!!¡± Through the gap, the monsters tried to push each other¡¯s bodies in. He intuitively aimed his pistol. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! . . . He fired his pistol at the monsters trying to climb the stairs. Sparks flew in the dark interior. Fortunately, it was effective and the monsters in front of him fell. But more continued to flood in, and as a result¡­ Click¨C Click¨C All the bullets eventually ran out. His face became colored with despair. ¡®Ah¡­Then these kids¡­¡¯ He prayed to God. Don¡¯t take these kids again. Otherwise, he¡¯ll really curse God even in death. What did these children do wrong¡­? ¡°Fuck! Isn¡¯t this too much?!¡± His voice, full of resentment, spread through the night air. At that moment, Wuung¨C An eerie cry came from somewhere. And, Swish¨C A smooth cut whistled but no wind could be felt. At the same time, something fell to the floor. Then the sound immediately resumed without stopping. Swish¨C Swish¨C . . . After some time, all the voices from the monsters surrounding the area disappeared. ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ He slowly went down the stairs in a very nervous state. One step after another. And when he finally came out of the building, a voice he had longed to hear came into his ears. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it, ajeossi?¡± He slowly looked around. Then, a child with a big smile who he couldn¡¯t protect a long time ago came into view. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Ko Changsu looked around with a puzzled look. Everywhere he saw were dismembered bodies of the monsters. The blood from the corpses drenched the asphalt, and the sour smell of rot stung his nose. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it, ajeossi?¡± And in the middle of the terrible scene, stood a child that was thought to be dead. Blood dripped from the sword the boy was holding in his hand. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Ko Changsu could only stare at Noah with a stiff mouth. Compared to when the monsters first appeared earlier, he was even more confused now. How the hell was this child still alive? No, more than that, did he kill all these monsters? He slowly approached Noah with a stiff expression. ¡°¡­Noah.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Shaking off the blood on the sword, Noah looked at Ko Changsu. For a moment, Ko Changsu felt frightened by the boy¡¯s strangely calm appearance. Ko Changsu¡¯s body instinctively stiffened due to what he had experienced today. There was a strange feeling that if he got closer, his body would be cut into pieces. However, after hesitating for a moment, he took one more step and stood facing the boy like the past. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± There were countless words that came to mind, but Ko Changsu found it difficult to put it into words. So, with the first thought that came to mind, he asked the boy what he wanted to ask the most. ¡°These days¡­Are you eating well? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± After thinking for a long time, what he wanted to say was just a normal greeting. Then the boy replied with a light smile. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m doing well in my own way.¡± ¡°¡­Is that right? That¡¯s a relief haha.¡± Ko Changsu felt relieved when he saw the boy smiling. Whatever it was, if he was doing well and was healthy, then that was enough. Like so, his tension eased and he began to organize what he wanted to ask. ¡°Ah, right! When I went to your home before, it was all burned down. What happened? Did you move to another neighborhood?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, it¡¯s pretty cold these days, are you homeless? Where are you staying? You¡¯re not working in a weird place, are you? If that¡¯s the case, mister¡­¡± Ko Changsu looked at Noah with a worried look and made a fuss. His imagination ran wild. With the destruction of the Turbak Brotherhood, did their problem follow the boy¡¯s home? Or maybe he was suffering in a place where people were using children as slaves. If that was the case, he thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have him come live with the other children who were currently living in his home. ¡®Then¡­I¡¯ll be able to fulfill my promise and show this child happiness.¡¯ With an apathetic expression, Noah replied. ¡°I¡¯m doing well at my stepmother¡¯s house these days.¡± ¡°Stepmother¡­?¡± Did that scumbag get remarried? If so, such a woman wouldn¡¯t be a proper human being either. ¡°What kind of person is your stepmother? Is she nice to you? She¡¯s not starving you or anything?¡± Until now, Ko Changsu had ignored it because it was someone else¡¯s family, but he had resolved to not live cowardly anymore. ¡®If he¡¯s being abused there¡­this time, I¡¯ll definitely¡­¡¯ Ko Changsu¡¯s eyes turned cold. Noah looked at Ko Changsu for a moment before taking something out in front of him. ¡°This is my stepmother.¡± ¡°Okay, let me see.¡± What the boy showed was an ID card indicating that he was a citizen of Pyongyang. And on it¡­ ¡°N-noble?¡± ¡°Yes. My stepmother is an honorary noble. Her name is Choi Bokhee¡­No, it¡¯s Lady Fortune.¡± He checked the ID again several times with a dumbfounded look. The equivalent of being invincible, was it so easy to obtain? Let alone a noble, becoming a citizen of Pyongyang was surprising enough. It was such an unrealistic story. However, it didn¡¯t seem fake no matter how long he looked at it. With his years of experience as a police officer, he was sure of it. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? H-how on earth did you¡­?¡± ¡°She said she needed me and asked me to live with her.¡± ¡°What¡­? What about your father? D-did he remarry this new stepmother?¡± ¡°No. He died a couple of months ago?¡± At that moment, a thought flashed in Ko Changsu¡¯s head. The Turbak brotherhood that suddenly perished a few months ago, and an absolute powerhouse who appeared there. If there was a noble behind the incident¡­ ¡®Oh¡­that¡¯s what happened.¡¯ All the pieces were coming together. Noah¡¯s overwhelming ability that doesn¡¯t fit his age. Having recognized his outstanding talent, Lady Fortune adopted the boy. She must have cleaned up the Turbak Brotherhood and the boy¡¯s father, who could someday be a stain to his status as a noble. It was indeed something a noble was capable of doing. ¡®They ended up dying because of this kid¡­In a way, Noah has taken revenge for me.¡¯ With that thought, although he couldn¡¯t arrest them directly, he felt lighter to some extent. Ko Changsu opened his mouth and laughed at the top of his lungs. ¡°Hahaha! I knew it! I¡¯ve always thought you weren¡¯t ordinary since you were young! Congratulations.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The boy replied with a smile. An untainted expression without wrinkles. It seemed that the noble was treating him well. ¡®In the past, he always had a gloomy atmosphere as if he¡¯s going to die at any moment¡­¡¯ To get him to smile, how much work did his stepmother put in? For some reason, Ko Changsu was overcome with emotions when he saw how the boy had changed. Perhaps because he was older, but he seems to have cried a lot recently. He secretly wiped the corner of his eye. And at that moment, Noah spoke. ¡°By the way, ajeossi. What are all the monsters over there?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Ko Changsu explained the situation he had just experienced with a gloomy look. On the way back with the children, He suddenly witnessed a clump of smoke coming up from a local well. Because of an ominous feeling, he immediately evacuated the children, but unfortunately, the other residents around him inhaled the smoke. And what happened afterwards was a nightmare. The residents exposed to the smoke screamed and rolled on the ground, and at some point they turned into monsters and began attacking people. ¡°¡­So we came home right away, locked the door, and hid. Somehow, these guys followed us all the way here.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Noah¡¯s expression darkened at Ko Changsu¡¯s explanation. He spoke loudly to reassure him. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll protect you with my life.¡± Then Noah spoke. ¡°Hmm¡­ajeossi? From what I saw earlier, I think you¡¯re weaker than me.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± He was taken aback by the sudden remark. Then he slowly looked around. Once again, the bodies of the monsters came into view. It was all taken care of by Noah. ¡°Do you even have a superpower?¡± ¡°T-that¡­Normally I can handle a spirit a little bit¡­¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Blackie is sulking at the moment¡­¡± ¡°Blackie?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s the name of the spirit of darkness I have.¡± Ko Changsu blushed and said vaguely. It was the spirit that was raised by his son who had left this world first. For his son¡¯s revenge, it signed a contract with him, who has a little affinity with spirits. Eventually, however, when his revenge failed, it hid itself somewhere and hasn¡¯t answered since. ¡®Since it wasn¡¯t my ability from the start¡­If I think about it, I can¡¯t blame it.¡¯ The more he thought about it, he realized that the only thing he had done was put on air and tell the children to leave it up to the adults, but his power was even more insignificant than the small child in front of him. He was of no help a while ago when the other children were in danger. His shoulders, which had always stood tall, drooped down. At that time, Noah spoke. ¡°When you said Blackie, do you mean this guy?¡± When he looked up, he saw the missing spirit floating in front of his eyes. ¡°Y-you came back! Blackie!¡± Ko Changsu reached out to welcome it. However, as if avoiding his touch, the spirit flew behind Noah. It was also rubbing its body here and there as if to act playful. ¡°B-blackie?¡± What¡¯s going on here? Why is the spirit known for being picky so close to a person who isn¡¯t even its contractor? ¡°Not me, go to that ajeossi.¡± The spirit hesitated for a while before flying to Ko Changsu. Seeing the spirit swaying its body, it didn¡¯t seem very happy, but it didn¡¯t resist Noah¡¯s command. ¡°H-how can this be?¡± ¡°This buddy is a good listener.¡± Noah smiled brightly at Ko Changsu. At such a sight, Ko Changsu recalled his son who could control spirits in the past. * * * I watched Hairy as he struggled to appease the spirit. Anyway, so it was this kind of skill. The A-grade special skill . It seemed the power of the Elves gained from this skill wasn¡¯t just the ability to listen to the voices of plants. The spirit of darkness obeys me even though we haven¡¯t signed a contract. I¡¯m not sure what the limit to this is, so after this is over, I need to find out more about spirits. In the last round, spirits only avoided me whenever I encountered them. It wasn¡¯t that bad of a feeling. In any case, how should I deal with this? I checked the message that came to mind a while ago after I killed all the monsters. [Condition for the Challenge ¨C Guide the Lamb (Chain Quest) has been met.] [Challenge has been updated.] [Challenge ¨C Guide the Lamb.] Condition: Protect the children until ¡®Night of the Dead¡¯ is over. Period: 3 days. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). Guard the target for a fixed time, it was a typical escort mission in RPG games. Usually, in the case of escort quests in games, positions are divided into attackers and defenders. If that¡¯s the case with this Challenge, then the one who plays the role of attackers are these monsters here. According to Hairy, it seems like they¡¯re appearing simultaneously in Guangcheng District, so for this Challenge, the task seemed to be to stop these monsters. Hu¡­I don¡¯t really like such tasks. Frankly, I never thought the necromancer would move this fast. I¡¯ve only interfered with one of the rituals, yet I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s already making such a big move¡­ Thanks to this, the situation has become very awkward. If I drop out of here now, the incompetent Hairy and children will die in all likelihood. However, on the contrary, giving up the necromancer and guarding this place didn¡¯t guarantee that a good item would come out of the reward. What should I do¡­? It¡¯s been a while, but I felt as if a headache was coming. I sighed briefly. And then. The children, who had been locked up in Hairy¡¯s house, began to come down the stairs one by one. Everyone was younger or the same age as me. There were 12 when I counted the number of children. The children opened their eyes wide and looked around. Some were disgusted by the terrible tragedy, while others were curiously poking the bodies with their toes. ¡°Hey, you punks! Don¡¯t look at things like this, hurry back up!¡± When Hairy roared, the children rushed back up the stairs. Then, they peeped out their heads over the window and looked this way. This was driving me crazy. I can¡¯t believe I have to be tied up here because of these guys. Should I just give up on this Challenge and go get the necromancer? That side has a definite higher reward. That might be the better choice¡­ As soon as I thought that, a voice came from behind my back. ¡°U-um¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Looking back, I saw Pumpkin standing with an awkward look. He hesitated for a moment and spoke. ¡°By any chance¡­Is there anything I can do to help hero?¡± ¡°Help?¡± I looked at him for a moment. Then I suddenly thought of an idea. Ah, why didn¡¯t I think of that? I immediately took a bag of candy out of my inventory. It was a very luxurious candy selected by the sweets-loving Choi Bokhee. I held the bag in my hand and shook it. ¡°Is there anyone here who wants candy?¡± Then the children, who were watching the situation from afar, came out one by one. I handed out the candy to them one by one. Those who received the candy glanced toward Hairy. ¡°You can eat it because Noah is giving it to you.¡± When permission was granted, the children bit the candy in their mouths. ¡°?!¡± Their whole body trembled as if they had experienced a new world. The children, who had finished the candy in an instant, stared at me again. Looking at the children, I spoke. ¡°If you help me with something, I can give you more candy.¡± Then they gathered like puppies standing in front of a treat. I took a few guns out of my inventory and handed it over to them. ¡°Hmm¡­You¡¯re tall, so this suits you. Since you have small hands¡­¡± I picked out guns that best suited each of them. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± Hairy shouted from behind. But I ignored it. All I have to do is guard them for 3 days anyway. If so, I¡¯ll take these guys to catch the necromancer. At that moment. Pumpkin¡¯s father, who was standing next to him, spoke. ¡°Give me too! Me too! I want one too!¡± He whined like a child again and made a fuss. It was likely that he would accidentally shoot my troop if I gave him a gun. But it seems like he¡¯ll keep pestering me if I ignore him. Maybe I should have killed him¡­ As soon as I thought that, I recalled a weapon that fits him perfectly. I pulled a weapon out of my inventory. Then he screamed again. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that! Why is mine the only one that isn¡¯t cool?!¡± ¡°No. This is the strongest one.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. This is the strongest. Much stronger than all the other children combined.¡± ¡°Then I want it!¡± I handed the item to Pumpkin¡¯s father. Then he excitedly wore the bomb vest. Haha, this may end more easily than I thought. As expected, against bastards who push with numbers, the answer was to push with your own numbers. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Hongir followed after the traces left behind by Noah. Without fail, bodies were found scattered along the path that he passed, and because of this, it wasn¡¯t difficult at all to find where to look. ¡®¡­As expected, he¡¯s not an ordinary guy.¡¯ He had examined the wounds left on the corpses. Every corpse seemed to have been cut neatly by one attack. Perhaps these people didn¡¯t even notice their death as their neck fell to the ground. ¡®It¡¯s terribly clean.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t murder because of a grudge. If it had been, there would have been more traces left on the bodies. However, it was ambiguous to say that the boy was simply a murderer who enjoyed murder. If he was that kind of human, he would have chosen a different method to savor the kills a little more. ¡®I see¡­we¡¯re the same.¡¯ Looking at the traces left by the boy, he felt a strange sense of kinship. A business-like slaughtering. The boy simply killed people by quick and efficient means. Perhaps he was the kind of human who kills people at the request of someone, just like himself. He followed the traces which led him to the outskirts of Guangcheng District. A vacant lot where a big flame was burning. A battle must have taken place here, as corpses can be seen scattered everywhere. He carefully examined the traces and tried to measure the boy¡¯s strength. What was most prevalent here were bodies that were shattered into pieces as if it had been bombed. ¡®This¡­must have come from an armory.¡¯ It seems that he¡¯ll have to be mindful of these firearms when dealing with the boy. As he turned his head, he saw a decapitated head wearing a strange-looking mask rolling on one side of the vacant lot. And next to it, there was a beastman covered in bandages. The body was already very decayed, so it was difficult to recognize what it originally looked like. The moment he saw it, he stood up and frowned. ¡®Damn, is it the work of a necromancer?¡¯ The Turbak tribe traditionally has a belief in resurrection. It was believed that the great Turbak would give new life to the brave warriors on the promised day. For this reason, from the time they lived in their hometowns, they have hated and feared necromancers who played tricks on corpses. On a closer look, he noticed a familiar talisman dangling from the neck of the undead. It was the same object he saw in the video of the boy a while ago. This beastman seemed to have been killed twice by the boy. ¡®¡­What a terrible fate.¡¯ Perhaps this beastman was of mixed blood like himself, but for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity with it. In any case, there were tombstones at the Turbak Brotherhood¡¯s grave site, but in fact, there was a possibility that there was nobody under it. Although he didn¡¯t have many good memories of the Turbak tribe¡­ Nevertheless, it was hard to bear the fact that warriors who have taken rest were being played with by a necromancer. ¡®Now there¡¯s one more reason to chase the boy.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know why, but the boy was also aiming for the necromancer. If so, as long as he follows the boy¡¯s traces, he¡¯ll eventually meet the necromancer at some point. ¡®I¡¯ll take care of it all at once.¡¯ After taking a moment to express his condolences for the dead here, he began to follow the traces left by the boy again. * * * After giving each child a gun, I also wanted to show them how to use it. But at that moment, Hairy who was watching from the side suddenly began to interrupt me. ¡°No! What are you doing giving guns to kids? Hurry and get rid of these dangerous things.¡± In the meantime, he began to take the guns from the children. I frowned and told him. ¡°Then do you have another way, ajeossi? I¡¯m sure there are only monsters around here. They need to be able to protect themselves.¡± ¡°That¡­I can do it instead.¡± ¡°Ajeossi, you¡¯re weak.¡± ¡°In any case, no! It¡¯s better to hide somewhere quietly and hold out. I don¡¯t want them shooting people with guns!¡± From Hairy¡¯s firm expression, it seemed that there would be no compromise. This won¡¯t do. My plan will be disrupted. I¡¯ll have to clean up this obstacle first before I can use these children. After staring blankly at Hairy, I called the floating spirit that was next to him. ¡°Blackie.¡± It flew straight to me like an obedient puppy. The shadow swayed as if it was wagging its tails. Looking at the spirit, I asked. ¡°Please stop that ajeossi over there.¡± ¡°W-what? Noah, what are you saying¡­¡± Hairy looked at me in surprise. Then Blackie slowly turned toward him. Although I don¡¯t know how to distinguish a spirit¡¯s facial expressions, somehow I felt that Blackie was smiling. Stepping back little by little from Blackie, Hairy spoke. ¡°H-huh? Blackie, you rascal! What are you trying to do right now?! No! Get off me! Remember you signed a contract with Ko Changsu¡­Keuk!¡± I don¡¯t know what the spirit did, but Hairy lost consciousness on the spot. Next, Hairy was tied by a rope made of shadow and was hung in the air like a dried fish. After completing the work, Blackie floated in front of my eyes as if hoping for praise. This ability was a lot more useful than I had thought. I¡¯m not sure about the exact mechanism, but I seem to have command priority over contractors with low spirit affinity. I should ask Choi Bokhee about spirits later when I get home. Now that the obstacle is gone¡­ I¡¯m going to have to teach these children how to shoot. Looking at the children, they were all standing with a lost look on their faces. Watching them, I realized something else. As expected, newbies need to be tempted with rewards. I took out a bag of candy and shook it in front of their eyes. The eyes of those who tasted this candy a moment ago sparkled and shone. ¡°You want to eat this, don¡¯t you?¡± Then their heads nodded at a fierce speed. Looking at them, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys a chance. From now on, I¡¯m only going to give this candy to the person who shoots the corpse over there with a gun.¡± But the children just looked at each other. No one was willing to step up. When I thought the silence would continue, someone hidden among the children awkwardly raised one of their hands. ¡°Can I try?¡± Then the children opened the way and a little girl walked out. Black hair and bright yellow eyes. And ears that resembled a cat rising above. It was a girl who seemed to be of mixed race between a beastman and a human. ¡°Okay, give it a try. All you have to do is hit the head over there.¡± ¡°Erm¡­So I just have to do that?¡± I handed over the gun without much expectation. The girl pulled the trigger with a curious look. And¡­ Bang¨C! Blood bursts out of the corpse that was scattered on the ground. ¡°Wow! I did it!¡± The girl ran to me with joy. I didn¡¯t expect her to get it right away. It was unbelievable that she had done it without a scope. She was more talented than I thought. I handed over the candy as promised. She put the candy right in her mouth and rolled it on her tongue. Her tail lightly shook. It seems she¡¯s really happy. It was a much more positive result than I had expected. ¡°What do you think? Easy, right?¡± ¡°Hehe, I want to do it again because it¡¯s fun! I feel like I¡¯m playing a game at home.¡± ¡°?!¡± How long has it been since I met a proper human being like this?! Her words were so touching that I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Pie!¡± ¡°Okay! Pie. From now on, you¡¯re the captain. Do you want chocolate instead of candy? It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°I love it!¡± I handed over the chocolate to this commendable newbie. Then Pumpkin, who was watching the scene, spoke with a determined look. ¡°Hero, I want to try too!¡± Then he immediately took a gun and after three shots was able to hit the head. This punk also had good skills. ¡°Then hyung, you¡¯ll be the commander.¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I thought he would be a useless bum, so this was surprising. After receiving candy from me, he went back to his spot with an unnecessary bravado. But since then, no other guys have stepped up. Everyone was just reading the situation, and from the way their shoulders shrunk, I didn¡¯t think they had any intention of moving. Hmm¡­this is going to be difficult. The plan wasn¡¯t going as I expected. To get candy and shoot a gun, wasn¡¯t it twice as enticing? It was something you can do with just your fingers, so I don¡¯t know why they were refusing such an easy job. I couldn¡¯t understand it at all, but from the look on their faces, I thought no progress would be made no matter how long I waited. Should I just give up on the reward for this Challenge? As soon as I thought that, suddenly, Pumpkin, who was standing between the children, shouted. ¡°How long are you going to live like that?¡± When he said that, the children who had their heads lowered all raised their heads at once. Hmm? I¡¯m not sure what Pumpkin was trying to do, but I decided to observe him for now. Anyway, I¡¯ve already cleaned up this place, so it was enough to just give up the Challenge and leave. Pumpkin shouted with an angry look. ¡°Do you guys really have no conscience? Right now, hero¡­Noah-nim is working so hard to protect us, but why don¡¯t you have the courage?!¡± ¡°B-but¡­the sound of gunshots is scary. We should leave this to the adults¡­¡± ¡°Who saved you when you were about to die? Did an adult save you?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Adults can¡¯t be trusted! You guys know it well!¡± Suddenly, Pumpkin began shedding tears. The children¡¯s expressions became agitated when they saw him crying. ¡°I¡­almost died today to the person I trusted the most in the world. If it weren¡¯t for him over there, I wouldn¡¯t be alive now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But¡­I managed to get home safely after that, and guess what?¡± Pumpkin pointed to his father who was standing next to him and spoke. ¡°My father over there tried to kill me again! Just because I broke the curfew! At that time, if Noah hadn¡¯t saved me, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here now.¡± Pointing to one of the children, Pumpkin angrily asked. ¡°You there! Why are you living here?¡± ¡°I-I¡­My mom hits me when she sees me.¡± ¡°And you, tall girl over there!¡± ¡°I-I¡­Every night my uncle¡­Heuk!¡± After that, Pumpkin continued to point out each child and asked why they were living here. And every time he did that, the children would burst into tears. The whole place turned into a sea of tears. ¡°Waaah! Don¡¯t cry, brothers and sisters!¡± Pumpkin¡¯s father, who was standing next to him, cried along with the children without knowing what was happening. In this situation, Pumpkin shouted with confidence. ¡°We have to protect our own bodies! Adults won¡¯t help us!¡± Then the children, who had been crying so far, shouted with anger. ¡°Right! I¡¯ll protect myself!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have my revenge at all cost¡­¡± ¡°Waaaah!!¡± The children scrambled to pick up their guns. I watched the series of events blankly. What¡¯s this? In fact, I was determined to give up on the Challenge. I can¡¯t believe the punk had turned the children¡¯s heart around with just a few words. Coincidently, I made eye contact with Pumpkin. As if he had never cried, he looked at me as if hoping for praise. Did he purposely create this situation for me? Perhaps because of , he seemed to have done what I didn¡¯t even ask him to do. In fact, I thought he was just a useless bum, so for him to have this kind of talent was surprising. Well, anyway, it¡¯s a good thing for me. I stood in front of the children with guns. Then the children clumsily formed a line. This is fun. Looking at it, I felt as if I was leading a unit in an FPS battle. Reciting a line I had heard from a game in the past, I told the children. ¡°From now on, everyone must answer with a ¡®Yah!¡¯ in unison. Do you understand?¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yah!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Okay, then, let¡¯s go save this town on behalf of the useless adults!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yah!¡±¡±¡± Unlike a while ago, their eyes were full of malice. If they¡¯re in this state, they may be much more helpful than I thought. Like so, I led them as the war against the necromancer began. * * * Ko Changsu felt dizzy as if he had drunk all night. What time was it now? ¡°¡­Kill!¡­Kill!¡± The faint voices of children were heard from somewhere. Were they playing a game? He grabbed his throbbing head and opened his eyes. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Unknowingly, a painful groan came out. What the hell happened? He tried to get up, but his body didn¡¯t move. ¡®What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ Looking down, he saw a rope made of shadow wrapped around his body. ¡®?!¡¯ He was currently floating in the air with his body tied up. Upon confirming his situation, the images before he lost consciousness began to replay in his mind one by one. ¡°T-the children!¡± He widened his eyes and shouted. What caught his eyes was the bodies of monsters all over the place. A pool of blood was flowing wherever his eyes landed. To the point where the word ¡®Night of the Dead¡¯ fits well. ¡°Uh, uh¡­W-what¡¯s all this?¡± Who in the world killed all of these monsters? Was Noah hunting the monsters by himself? At that moment, the same sound from earlier rang in his ears. ¡°¡±¡±Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±¡±¡± Turning his head, he could see children holding up guns and shouting. And in front of the children who were gathered like that were the bodies of monsters piled high and a girl on top of it. ¡°P-Pie!¡± It was the girl who was crying in front of his house one day. A small, gentle child that started his mission to help children. But the girl right now, she was holding a monster¡¯s head in one hand and shooting a gun in the other. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°Kyahah! I killed the most this time!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±¡±¡± Why on earth were the children doing such a terrible thing? This was a nightmare. A nightmare that can¡¯t be happening in real life. He felt his soul leaving his body. ¡®I-I have to stop them before they go any further¡­¡¯ He tried to break the rope by force, but at that moment¡­ ¡°Ajeossi woke up again. Please do the same thing as before.¡± Noah¡¯s voice was heard from somewhere. Then he saw the spirit of darkness flying in front of him. ¡°B-Blackie?¡± As if it was having fun, the shadow swelled up. ¡°W-wait! S-stay away! Blackie! No! For fuck¡¯s sake¡­Keuk!¡± As such, against the backdrop of children shouting, Ko Changsu fainted once again. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 A dark dawn in which the moon in the sky can be seen covered by low clouds. In the slums where the poor had fallen asleep after an exhausting day, a sharp shout echoed. ¡°Kyaak! M-monsters!¡± At the same time, in the darkness, corpses began to raise their bodies one by one. Reanimation that cannot possibly be explained in words. Have the dead really returned on the ¡®Night of the Dead?¡¯ Because of the sudden commotion in the middle of the night, the townspeople watched the scene with a mixture of curiosity and fear. But soon. ¡°Argh! L-let go of me!¡± Onces the bodies of the dead began attacking the residents, only screams became rampant in the town. ¡°Get lost, bastards! Don¡¯t come this way!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Several cartel members with weapons in their houses resisted using their guns, but¡­ Not long after, the bullets inevitably ran out and they were attacked by the monsters. Soon, the residents attacked by the monsters turned into monsters themselves and began attacking people around them. ¡°Kruaawr! Keuk! Keuh!¡± ¡°G-go away! Go away! N-no!¡± The undead son gnawed at his mother, and the father attacked his undead daughter to survive. In no time, the scene of the town turned into chaos. And¡­In such a hellish landscape, a beastman girl was lying down under her bed, holding her breath. Boom¨CBoom¨C Someone unknown knocked on the door. A dull echo like hitting stiff wood. She prayed that it was a drunk person who had come to the wrong house. Boom¨CBoom¨C However, the sound of knocking on the door grew louder and louder. Not long after, the door, which had been flimsy from the beginning, broke down. Thud¨CThud¨C The sound of someone¡¯s footsteps resonated in the narrow room. She held her breath with sweat all over her body. The sound of footsteps was approaching closer and closer. ¡®P-please don¡¯t come this way!¡¯ And¡­ Finally, someone¡¯s feet were revealed between the gap in the bed. Beastman feet with long toenails and red manicures. As soon as she saw that, she covered her mouth with her hands. ¡®M-mom?¡¯ After her father, who was a member of the Turbak Brotherhood, died a few months ago, she had been living alone with her mother. It was hard to even have a meal day by day, but she was able to endure it because of her mother. It was the same mother who went to work late every night and didn¡¯t return until dawn. She wanted to welcome her mother home each night, so she would quietly open her eyes at this time of day. However¡­ Her mother, now, with her eyes turned upside down, was looking at her while lifting the bed. ¡°Keuaak, kruaawr!¡± ¡°M-mom¡­Don¡¯t do this¡­¡± She stepped back from her mother who had turned into a monster. But her mother, as if she didn¡¯t recognize her, bared her teeth with droop dripping. The wide open mouth exuded a terrible rotten smell. And there was unknown blood smeared around the open mouth. ¡°N-no¡­¡± She sensed her end as she watched her mother inching closer and closer. The moment she closed her eyes, Awoo¨C A wolf¡¯s howl came from somewhere. And in a blink of an eye, the walls of the house were broken, and at some point, something of a huge size was biting her mother¡¯s entire body. Crunch¨CCrunch¨C The girl slowly looked up at the figure. It was a wolf with black fur as dark as the night. Ptooey¨C The wolf spat out the body it had been chewing onto the floor. The torn body of her mother, whose shape had become unrecognizable, sprawled out on the floor. Then the wolf looked down at her. She met the wolf¡¯s mysterious violet eyes. ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Her body stiffened and she was unable to move. She felt like it would chew her with those big teeth at any moment now. However, the wolf seemed not very interested in her, as it snorted and ran somewhere, breaking the walls of the house again. Before she knew it, her pants were damp. She seemed to have wet herself without realizing it. It had been three years since she last wet her bed, but now she doesn¡¯t even care about that. Everything just felt like a dream. Strangely, even when she looked at her mother¡¯s body lying on the floor, she didn¡¯t have any feelings. In her head, she knew that she should be sad, but now, only the appearance of a huge wolf that saved her a moment ago replayed in her mind. ¡®W-what in the world¡­¡¯ The wolf, was it the guardian deity of the Turbak tribe that her father had told her about since young? As soon as she thought that, more people jumped into the open house. They were children who seemed to be of similar age to her. ¡°You there! Are you okay?¡± ¡°U-uh?¡± Each of the children held guns that were large enough to cover their bodies in their hands. One of the children spoke. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a cleanup operation, so you need to evacuate to where the other children are over there.¡± After saying that, the children were about to head somewhere. The girl looked at the children and unknowingly shouted. ¡°W-wait! T-that big wolf just now. Did you see it too?¡± Then the children looked back at each other, smirked and laughed, and soon spoke in a very proud voice. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± When the girl heard that, she nodded as if possessed. * * * ¡°T-thank you. Thank you so much.¡± Pumpkin looked at the back of the child who had thanked him and was leaving. A beastman girl that was about to be attacked by her mother who had turned into a monster. And she would have become the same monster if Noah hadn¡¯t come forward and helped in time. ¡®How many times is this?¡¯ So far, Noah and the children have saved countless people from the monsters in this town. ¨C Thank you¡­Thank you so much. ¨C You guys are my saviors. ¨C T-thank you, Pumpkin. I won¡¯t forget this grace¡­ People bowed their heads and thanked them each time a monster was killed. And the moment Pumpkin received such praises he would feel a deep pleasure. ¡®I saved these people!¡¯ Even adults, who usually ignore them and point fingers, nodded their heads in a servile manner in front of their guns. He was no longer useless. Unlike what his father always said, he wasn¡¯t just trash that was wasting rice. ¡®With Noah-nim¡­I can do anything.¡¯ All of this was the teachings that Noah had given him. Noah gave not only himself but also other children who were in a gutter the strength to live on their own. Unlike the hypocrites who come to do volunteer work just to show off from time to time, Noah was concerned about the children and had taught them how to catch fish themselves. Noah was younger than him, but he didn¡¯t care. Rather, being so capable at such a young age, doesn¡¯t it prove that he was a special person? ¡®As expected, he¡¯s¡­God!¡¯ If Noah isn¡¯t God, how can he turn into such a huge wolf? And he himself was the first child chosen by God. ¡®Noah-nim left the children to me.¡¯ Pumpkin looked at the children fighting with a solemn look. The order given by Noah was to make sure that the children are never hurt. ¡®What sweet and compassionate words.¡¯ It was his mission to carry out the order. ¡°Everyone, back up! Move in the closed formation that Noah-nim taught us! Pie! Especially you! Don¡¯t move by yourself!¡± ¡°Kyaak! It¡¯s okay! Noah-oppa said I can do whatever I want!¡± ¡°Keuk¡­Still! Be careful!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Thus, Pumpkin led the children and continued to hunt the monsters. There were times when it was dangerous, but each time, Noah, who had turned into a huge wolf, would kill the monsters. With just a kick, the evil monsters were purified instantly. It was an overwhelming strength. ¡®Ah¡­We have to publicize this greatness.¡¯ For a while, Pumpkin looked at Noah¡¯s figure with a dreamy look. * * * I¡¯ve been constantly looking at the messages that come to mind for a while. [The effect has activated.] [Favorability has increased.] Why does this keep popping up? I was just hunting, but I keep getting the message that my favorability has increased. Of course, I unintentionally saved several people in the process, but I didn¡¯t understand this degree of increase in favorability. It came up a few times when I was suppressing the terrorists in the hotel, but it wasn¡¯t this many¡­ I glanced back. Then, I saw the number of people that had increased to nearly 30 following me. And most of them were children of a similar age to me. Hmm¡­Do kids like warriors? Each one of them held a weapon in their hand. ¡°Understand?! From now on, all answers will be unified with a ¡®Yah!''¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yah!¡±¡±¡± Next to them, Pumpkin and Pie were educating the other children as if imitating a war game. Perhaps because of the large number of people, their form looked quite passable. Thanks to this, the countless weapons that were used to arm the army were gradually decreasing at a visible rate. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter since I¡¯m growing stronger¡­ But the problem was the possibility that these guys might be included in the Challenge. [Challenge ¨C Guide the Lamb.] Condition: Protect the children until ¡®Night of the Dead¡¯ is over. Period: 3 days. Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium). I don¡¯t have to protect all of these other children, do I? It felt a little ominous, but I wanted to believe it couldn¡¯t be. But just in case¡­ For now, I better make it clear. ¡°Pie and Pumpkin, come here for a second.¡± They ran to me without looking back. Their eyes sparkled to the point I felt uncomfortable. ¡°You called? Noah-nim.¡± ¡°What is it, oppa?¡± Looking at them, I made sure that these brats didn¡¯t misunderstand. ¡°If possible, hyung and the children of Hairy¡¯s house fight in a safe place. In fact, it¡¯s uncomfortable for other people to get hurt, but first and foremost, these members mustn¡¯t get hurt.¡± Then suddenly, Pumpkin and Pie began to tear up. ¡°N-Noah-oppa¡­¡± ¡°Keuk¡­N-Noah-nim¡­Yes Sir! I¡¯ll definitely complete this mission.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seems these guys were getting weirder and weirder. In particular, that punk Pumpkin¡¯s eyes were suspicious. No way¡­He¡¯s not a gay, is he? If that¡¯s the case, regardless of the Challenge, I intend to give up here. Because I don¡¯t make friends with gays. As soon as I thought that, a message window popped up in front of me. [The level of favorability has reached a certain level.] [You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Pumpkin¡¯ and ¡®Pie¡¯ as a companion.] [Companions cannot betray you once they¡¯ve joined your party.] Hmm¡­I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to use these punks as companions. Frankly, Elizabeth could be an SS-Rank level talent later on. Compared to her, I couldn¡¯t carry these two in the party. I refused to recruit them without any regret. Then another message window popped up in front of me. [Recruitment rejected.] [¡®Pumpkin¡¯ and ¡®Pie¡¯ will be registered as warrior¡¯s followers.] [Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time.] Oh?! I never thought there would be a function like this. If a companion is like a party member, then is a follower the same as a guild member? I won¡¯t benefit from or , but it was enough that they won¡¯t betray me. If it¡¯s like this¡­maybe they¡¯ll be of use after all. I think it would be convenient in many ways if I can make connections that won¡¯t betray me while working as a hero in the future. This is good. Looking at the punks who were still tearing up, I smiled. * * * ¡°Keuk!¡± Wick, who was injecting mana into the mask, collapsed on the spot and spat out blood. There was a bloody mess all around him. He tried to reach out and grab the mask again. ¡®N-no¡­¡¯ Four altars have already been destroyed. At this rate, Pero¡¯s body will disappear before the end of today. Wick squeezed out his strength and opened the incubator. Then, with a terrible rotten smell, decomposed gas spread in all directions. Pero¡¯s body had already decomposed to the point where its shape had turned mushy. ¡°P-Pero¡­!¡± Tears flowed down his wrinkled eyes. He finely sutured the scattered flesh with a surgical tool. And then he added vitality to Pero¡¯s body by infusing his own life. His appearance, which was otherwise already old, had now turned dry like a crumbly old man on the verge of death. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­¡± He breathed heavily. Because of what he had done, Pero¡¯s body has returned to a state that could be maintained for another day. ¡®The last altar¡­I have to protect it.¡¯ Malice swayed in his eyes. He didn¡¯t know who was playing this wretched trick on him, but he had no intentions of letting it go. ¡®Even if I die¡­I¡¯ll never let your soul rest in peace¡­¡¯ He picked up the mask that was placed next to the incubator. Then staring at it for a while, he took a deep breath and wore it. Soon after, the negative energy of the dead exploded from the mask and it began to dig through his body. ¡°Kuaaaak!¡± He screamed in pain. The skinny flesh attached to his body suddenly fell off as evil magic filled the empty space around it. After some time, ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret messing with my dog.¡± From the eyelids that were hollow, a green glow began to sway. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 32 Chapter 32 The last altar wasn¡¯t located at a hill or vacant lot but a town where people actually lived. Even in Guangcheng District, which was full of outcasts, it was considered a dump where those who no longer had anything to lose flocked. Trash from Pyongyang piled up like small hills everywhere, and the stench pricked your nose from all corners. Soon, it¡¯ll be sunrise. The sky was gradually dyed the color blue. In the early morning, dim lights began to illuminate the garbage town. ¡°Keuook! Kehek!¡± A swarm of monsters could be seen among the landscapes that I thought were simply piles of garbage. Were there so many people living in slums? Entire towns seemed to have turned into monsters. But I wasn¡¯t very worried. If I hadn¡¯t brought these guys, I would have been in trouble. I glanced behind me. There were about 50 children standing there full of vigor and with guns in their hands. And at the forefront was Blackie, raising itself high like a military banner. I hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way in the beginning, but as a result, things were going really smoothly. It was truly lucky. A necromancer¡¯s strength was largely classified into two categories. The first concerns the undead, which is the first thing people think of when they hear the word necromancer, and the other was curse magic using negative energy. In fact, rather than dealing with the undead, it could be said that it was more annoying to deal with the curses that can¡¯t be seen. However, I¡¯ve already prepared a countermeasure in this regard. [Set Effect] Description: Transforms into a Dire Wolf, a companion of a foul Goddess. *Increases durability and physical capability. *Increases Magic resistance. *Resistant to most curses. *Recovers your wound if you ¡®eat¡¯ the target. With this last piece, the preparation for the raid is done. In fact, the first time I came up with the idea of targeting Pero was also due to this set effect. If I exclude the curses from necromancers, they should be incomparably weak to superhumans of the same rank. ¡°Hyung, do you remember our strategy?¡± ¡°Of course, Noah-nim. I won¡¯t overdo it and will just support from behind.¡± ¡°What if it gets dangerous?¡± ¡°Retreat with the children immediately.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Fortunately, Pumpkin seemed to understand what I said properly. A medium-grade box was on the line, so even emphasizing this part several times wasn¡¯t enough. After completing all the checks, I activated the skill. Then, in an instant, I rapidly grew and my whole body became covered with fur. Steel claws and a pitch-black mane appeared. There was no jarring feeling since I often walked on four limbs in the first round. I looked at the altar where a bonfire was burning. A skeleton wearing a strange mask was looking this way. Somehow I felt like he was looking into my eyes. Is that Pero from the rumors? He seemed to have no intention of avoiding this fight, as he continued to hold the ritual in such a way as to provoke me to come. I guess he believes in his numbers and thinks it¡¯ll be easy. Looking towards the swarm of zombies, I began to sprint without warning. ¡°Keuhuk? Kehek! Keuook!!¡± When I suddenly moved, zombies who had been wandering aimlessly immediately turned toward me. They trampled on each other¡¯s bodies and created a huge human barrier. The appearance was as if a tidal wave was descending in front of my eyes. But then, Dudududu¨C! The children standing behind me fired their guns, paving the way for me to move forward. Thanks to them, I broke through the waves of monsters without slowing down. I swung my claws at a running speed. Their waists beautifully split in half. ¡°S-stop him! Stop him no matter what!¡± I can hear Pero¡¯s flustered voice. But there was no way for him to stop me now that I¡¯ve broken through the monsters concentrated in the front. Just a little more and I¡¯ll be able to bite his neck. I kicked off the ground with more strength. But suddenly, there was a brief disturbance among the monsters, and soon something popped out of the group and blocked my path. Boom¨C! I stopped for the first time since I began running. Standing in front of me was a giant beastman corpse without a head. One arm was cut off, and reattached was one of a different color. There were also four arms sutured on his back that extended in all directions like a spider. Lastly, a severed head was clumsily tied to its waist. Dullahan¡­? When I observed it, for some reason I thought it looked familiar. Also, bullet holes were strangely embedded all over its body. ¡­Yifret? I¡¯m seeing him here again. As far as I know, Pero is a necromancer of four or five circles. If so, it was highly likely that this dullahan in front of me was the highest level of undead he could create. In short, there will be no no next after I get rid of this guy. I can¡¯t give Pero any time. The claws on my feet extended and abruptly went for the dullahan¡¯s neck. But¡­ Boom¨C! Perhaps something special had been done to its skin, but along with a spark, my claws were repelled. My tingling claws felt as if I had knocked on iron. At that moment, the dullahan aimed for my gap and charged at me. Even though it was an undead, its fighting instinct seemed to still remain. Its six arms surrounded me in all directions and attacked me at the same time. The ominous mana overflowing on each claw seemed terrifying as if it would tear me apart at any moment. In the back, Pero smiled, certain of his victory. Seeing it, I feigned a smile in the midst of the critical situation. I guess he doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m the one who had killed Yifret once before. And that it was incomparably weak now. Even though he had become an undead and was strengthened, it couldn¡¯t have been better than the skills and items I¡¯ve farmed. I summoned Red Velvet Curse from my inventory and held it in my mouth. *One use has been deducted. *Charges remaining [1/3]. My view turned crimson red. And time slowed as if it had stopped. In this state, with the sword in my mouth, I charged at the dullahan like the speed of light. Swish¨C The blade circled around the dullahan and its waist was immediately cut. However, the skill duration wasn¡¯t over yet. I didn¡¯t intend to stop here. I strengthened my hind legs and took a big leap. My surroundings distorted and I immediately arrived at the place where the ritual was being held. I cut off the necks of the people participating in the ritual. ¡°Nooooo.¡± Pero¡¯s lengthy scream dug into my ears. At the same time, the world regained its original color. ¡°Ahh! N-no! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Pero grabbed his chest and shouted. His gaze fell on the stroller next to him. His expression looked very desperate. Was that the treasure? I immediately put Red Velvet Curse back into my inventory and rushed toward the stroller that he was guarding. * * * To be frank, Jang Wick didn¡¯t feel any sense of crisis when the children first appeared. Rather, only anger rose at the incompetence priests who had died to such insignificant children. But the situation began to deteriorate rapidly soon after the boy at the forefront of the group turned into a big wolf. He hurriedly tried to stop the wolf with the zombies, but he easily broke through the barrier as if he were expecting such a situation. Even his late siege was of no use due to the other children constantly firing guns from afar. In addition, his recently created masterpiece was broken through at an incredible speed. Not only that¡­All of these disasters had happened in an instant. How can such a young child have this much power? Who the hell was this boy? There were many questions on his mind, but there was no time to think about that now. Because the one who had cut down the dullahan and the priest was turning toward him. ¡®D-dangerous!¡¯ He instinctively rolled sideways while holding the stroller in his arms. A huge leg fell where he was standing. Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± He couldn¡¯t feel any pain because of his undead body, but for some reason, the negative energy was being sucked out of the wound torn by the wolf¡¯s claw. While briefly looking back at the wound, the wolf had disappeared from his sight at some point. He hugged the stroller tightly and looked around. ¡®W-where did he go?¡¯ At that moment, Crunch¨C ¡°Kueaauaa!¡± A mouth, which had appeared in the air out of nowhere, tore nearly half of his body. The pain made his consciousness waver. What the hell was going on? ¡®H-how is a normal physical attack¡­¡¯ He instinctively cast a spell, quickly widening his distance from the wolf. Boom¨C! Sharp claw marks were deeply dug into the place where he had been standing. He might have become fine powder if he had delayed even for a split second. The wolf snickered, revealing his sharp teeth. ¡°So close.¡± Then, at the end of Wick¡¯s gaze, he saw the stroller in the wolf¡¯s mouth. ¡°?!¡± ¡°Hehe, is the treasure in here?¡± The wolf asked, throwing the stroller containing Pero on the ground. Then he roughly dug through the stroller with his thick front feet. ¡°W-wait! That¡¯s not the treasure you¡¯re looking for!¡± ¡°How can I believe that?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s the truth! Maybe the treasure you¡¯re looking for is this mask¡­So, give me that stroller¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll check this first and get the mask after.¡± ¡°Y-you can¡¯t. Damn you!¡± The urgent Wick completed a curse magic that ignored magical formulas in exchange for part of his soul. A mass of pure evil shot from his hand and towards the wolf. However, the spell was sucked into the wolf¡¯s black fur as if nothing had happened. ¡°W-what the hell¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, looking at what ajeossi is doing, there must be something here too.¡± ¡°N-no! I-it¡¯s a misunderstanding! I was wrong¡­S-stop!¡± Wick ran forward and reached out. However, the wolf broke the stroller without any hesitation. Thud¨C In the broken stroller, the incubator, where Pero¡¯s body was asleep, rolled out. ¡°Oh? As expected, there was something. Hmm¡­But is this not an item?¡± The wolf broke the lid of the incubator as it was. Then a few negative energies leaked out, and Pero¡¯s body fell to the ground. As soon as the corpse left the incubator, it melted into a dry liquid, emitting a stench. ¡°Ugh! What¡¯s this? Ajeossi, why are you carrying shit in a stroller?¡± ¡°Aahh! N-no!¡± Wick collapsed on the spot and screamed. The only friend who loved his ugly self, and the only family he had in this world. Now, at this moment, it had melted into a chunk of manure. Ten years of effort came to nothing in just one moment. With only one arm left, he crawled to the stroller. Pero¡¯s body, which was gradually flowing down, was hurriedly collected, but his skeleton hand was unable to hold onto anything. ¡°Aahh¡­Pero¡­¡± Then the wolf spoke. ¡°Ajeossi, can I have the mask now? Looking at it, it seems like you¡¯re stuck together. Um¡­Will it fall off if I kill you?¡± The wolf extended his claws and began to break Wick¡¯s body like a beast peeling its food. Crunch¨C! Crunch¨C! ¡°What? Why isn¡¯t this coming off?¡± And¡­ The wolf looked at Wick, who had become only a skull and mask. ¡®Such evil shouldn¡¯t exist in this world.¡¯ With Wick¡¯s soul, even if he has to give up the opportunity to reincarnate¡­ ¡°Hey ajeossi, how can I take this off? Why aren¡¯t you giving me the reward after I won.¡± ¡­this evil has to disappear now. Dark energy burned in Wick¡¯s hollowed eyes. He gave his ¡®everything¡¯ and recited. ¡°Re Pero cks kak.¡± Soon after, the mask suddenly flew into the air and dark red liquid began to pour out of both eyelids. Zombies everywhere bit each other¡¯s flesh as they threw themselves under the pouring liquid. The rotten blood and intestines flowed down the ground around the mask. At some point, the torn flesh and blood that had gathered under the mask began to form a shape. Finally, a giant golem made of blood and intestines took form. Then, in the pool of blood, the golem raised its body. Slowly lifting its eyelids made of intestines, it looked at the wolf. ¡°Your soul will suffer for eternity.¡± Along with a rotten smell, the golem¡¯s voice reverberated in all directions. * * * No wonder I didn¡¯t get any items¡­I thought it would be easy, but as expected, all boss fights have more than one phase. I looked up at the golem who was giving off a terrible odor. The sun, which had risen completely, was illuminating its body as blood and intestinal fluids flowed down. Even in that state, it was still growing in size. Watching it, I sighed briefly. I hate getting dirty. Even if I attack as it is now, it would probably continue to grow anyway, so I think it was right to catch it when it¡¯s done growing. The moment I thought to deal with him like that, I suddenly saw two children running towards me from afar. It was Pumpkin and Pie. ¡°N-Noah-nim! Are you okay?¡± ¡°Noah-oppa! Let me help you!¡± The brats shouted as they ran gasping for breath. Looking behind Pumpkin and Pie, the other children seemed to be trembling and struggling to hold their position. I shouted at the two who were running towards me. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t come this way!¡± Then they stopped in place and stood. Whether it was the effect of a warrior¡¯s follower or not, they seemed to have listened to my words. ¡°W-why are you telling us not to come? Even for Noah-nim, it¡¯s too much to deal with such a monster alone!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Oppa! Instead, let me attract its attention, so oppa run away in the meantime!¡± The two begged me with tears in their eyes. But honestly, it wasn¡¯t a very pleasant offer for me. I¡¯m the one who had set up the boss, yet they¡¯re telling me to leave without even getting a single item? It was the shame of gamers to show their backs to a boss. I told the brats. ¡°Hyung and Pie, you guys said you¡¯ll do anything I asked, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes! If you order me right now¡­¡± ¡°Then, as my first order. Evacuate the children safely right now and hide in a safe place until I return.¡± ¡°B-but if that happens¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an order.¡± Pumpkin looked at my expression for a while and then nodded with a solemn face. ¡°Okay¡­Definitely¡­Definitely! I¡¯ll complete the order.¡± ¡°N-no! Pumpkin, what¡¯s wrong with you? Noah-oppa needs our help!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­If that¡¯s what he wants¡­We can only follow.¡± ¡°Aahh, h-hold on!¡± Pumpkin grabbed Pie and ran away at a high speed. Honestly, I thought it would be more annoying due to his personality, so it was a little unexpected. Frankly, I need to get rid of them so that I can safely get the reward for the Challenge¡­ After sincerely wishing for the children¡¯s safety, I stared blankly at the blood golem. Just in time, the giant¡¯s body had completely formed in the pool of blood. ¡°Your soul will suffer for eternity.¡± Its breath smelled awful. And on a second glance, I can safely say that it was truly huge. Hmm¡­How should I hunt this? The moment I asked myself that, a message window popped up in front of me. [You¡¯ve encountered a Giant.] [ is active.] Well, I¡¯ll just do what I¡¯ve been doing. I looked at the blood golem and pulled out my claws. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 33 Chapter 33 6-Circle magic . By using human blood and flesh, Wick was able to use this magic of the evil god to summon a golem. At his level, which was originally only 4-Circle, it was a transcendent magic that he couldn¡¯t have reached even if he worked hard all his life. Nevertheless, he was able to miraculously succeed in casting such a spell by offering ¡®everything¡¯ in return. And¡­Now that he had become one with the golem, he had nothing more to fear. An overwhelming power that he had never felt in his life before. It was overflowing to the point where he felt as if he couldn¡¯t control his whole body. After clenching and unfolding his fists, he looked at the wolf who had ruined his plan and spoke. ¡°For every action¡­there is a consequence.¡± Wick walked slowly out of the pool of blood. Boom¨C Heavy vibrations reverberated in all directions with each step. He walked up to the wolf before stopping in front of it. The size of the wolf was also huge, but standing in front of a giant about three stories high, it simply looked like a cute small dog. He looked down at the wolf and spoke. ¡°And you¡¯ll also pay for your actions.¡± Wick raised his thick arm. The intestines of the corpses twisted like muscle fibers and expanded as if it was going to burst. Gurgle¨C! Then he swung his fist with the intention of smashing the wolf into a pool of blood. Boom¨C! However, the wolf escaped the attack by a narrow margin, and the place where his fist fell became a deep pit as if a meteorite had fallen. ¡°Running away like a rat!¡± Boom¨C! Boom¨C! Wick sent two consecutive punches. And it was agile movements that didn¡¯t match his size. But each time, the wolf repeatedly avoided his fists. ¡°Pero was like my hope! If only you hadn¡¯t appeared¡­If it weren¡¯t for you!¡± Wick threw up an angry voice as he continued his attacks. Everywhere turned to ruin as if it had been bombed. Then at some point, looking at the opportunity, the wolf began to climb onto his arm that had lowered to the ground. ¡°Ridiculous.¡± Wick wasn¡¯t very worried. The wolf won¡¯t be able to give a significant blow to his body even if he bites his flesh. Rather, he thought the moment he sunk his teeth in was the best opportunity to catch the wolf who had been running away. But¡­ Slick¨C ¡°Kuaaak!!¡± A terrible pain that couldn¡¯t be explained in words came the moment the wolf bit into his body. What¡¯s going on here? He couldn¡¯t believe he was feeling pain after having become a golem. On top of that, the area the wolf had bit has turned black and was falling apart. He tried to remove the wolf in a hurry, but each time, he cleverly twisted his body and bit his flesh little by little. More and more flesh fell off, and his whole body became a mess. If this continues, the golem¡¯s core may be revealed without him even being able to stop it. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous like this.¡¯ The alarm sounded in Wick¡¯s head. He ignored the wolf hanging from his shoulder and ran straight toward the pile of garbage piled high. Digging around chaotically, he began to search for something. In response to his unexpected behavior, residents hiding in the garbage piles screamed and ran away. ¡°Hehe, here it is.¡± Upon discovering people scattering like a swarm of ants, Wick suddenly began slaughtering the residents. ¡°I-it¡¯s coming this way! Run away!¡± ¡°Aahh! N-no, dad!¡± Like being hit by a wrecking ball, every bone in their bodies were crushed and they died immediately on the spot. The ground turned red with blood, and the corpses of the dirty residents were piled among the garbage piles. Soon, the dead residents woke up as zombies and threw their bodies at the golem. Wick¡¯s waist cracked open like a mouth and he quickly ate up the zombies. Then, the areas where the flesh had decayed horribly became filled with new flesh. His size was growing visibly faster than the speed at which the wolf could damage him. He smiled leisurely at the wolf. ¡°Keukeu¡­Your attacks are useless now.¡± Blood golems had the property of absorbing corpses and growing indefinitely. In fact, in the world where Wick originated from, there were cases where blood golems that had been neglected for a long time had destroyed cities alone. Thus, he continued to slaughter the residents. The golem¡¯s appearance became mixed with garbage and carcasses as it turned into an ever increasingly grotesque form. On top of that, perhaps because he thought it wasn¡¯t enough, he decided to block the narrow road into the garbage town to prevent the residents from leaving. Boom¨C A garbage pile that was piled up like a hill collapsed, creating a high barrier. He looked at the wolf with a wicked smile. ¡°Heuheu, wait a little bit. Once I¡¯ve absorbed all of these people, it¡¯ll be your turn next.¡± * * * After realizing that my attack was no longer useful, I watched him silently. Then I began to understand to some extent what kind of power he had. Huu¡­This is going to be hard. At first, I thought it would be easy to finish it with the buff by taking advantage of the fact that he was a golem. However, apparently for this stage, it seemed that simply peeling the boss¡¯s HP wasn¡¯t enough. I roughly understood the gimmick now¡­ To prevent his body from recovering, there should be no corpses around him. However, a large number of residents were scattered here. In other words, I have to protect the residents from dying in this fight. Just thinking about it made me feel like a headache was coming. Before I knew it, his height grew big enough to be similar to a five-story building. If I continue to leave it as it is, even with the skill, I would no longer be able to handle him. First, I have to stop him from growing. Peeling his HP was the next thing. As I was thinking, I saw the golem raising his fist toward another resident. Damn it. I ran straight to the resident. Then the moment the golem¡¯s fist was about to hit the ground, I grabbed the resident¡¯s collar and stepped back. Boom¨C! Dust and trash scattered everywhere. I found a safe place to put down the resident that was in my mouth. ¡°T-thank you! Thank you!¡± Ignoring the resident who thanked me, I stared at the golem. The golem¡¯s mouth tore open as if it was laughing at me. ¡°Keukeu¡­I see. Did you finally have something to protect? Then I¡¯ll make you feel the same pain as me.¡± As if Wick was teasing me, he wandered around and swung his fists at the residents. Whenever that happened, I would block him or evacuate the residents and attack him. However, there was no chance of winning as it was. His skin, which was already thick, had gotten thicker, and my attacks had become insignificant. On top of that, no matter how successful my trivial attacks were, the wounds would recover in an instant once he ate a resident¡­ I needed a countermeasure. It was no use repeating such meaningless actions. Should I just give up killing him and hide for two days and clear the Challenge instead? In fact, that wasn¡¯t a bad choice. I would be able to get a medium-grade box, and rather than taking a risk for no reason, it might give me something better too. As soon as I thought that, the children who were isolated in front of the entrance caught my eyes. They weren¡¯t able to escape when the golem blocked the entrance earlier? Damn, this is going to change the story again¡­ Now that it was like this, I have to catch this guy somehow here. Even if I run away like this, the reward won¡¯t come into my hands if they die. At that moment, I heard Pumpkin¡¯s frightened voice. ¡°F-father¡­!¡± Glancing sideways and checking the situation, an idea popped into my head. I see¡­that could work. After organizing my thoughts, I ran toward the children at full speed. * * * Pumpkin and Pie led the children as they hurriedly moved to carry out Noah¡¯s order. Unfortunately, however, the golem had suddenly changed its course and collapsed the entrance. As a result, Pumpkin and the children became trapped in this town without being able to move another step. And like other residents trapped here, they watched the fight between Noah and the golem with bated breath. The sacred wolf appeared and saved those in crisis each time the evil monster aimed at the residents. Pumpkin shed tears as he watched it. ¡®As expected¡­Noah-nim¡­¡¯ Even in this dangerous situation, he was dedicated to saving others. What a great character he was. Pumpkin was convinced that all the saints in the Bible wouldn¡¯t be able to make such a sacrifice and commitment. ¡®Ah¡­as expected, he¡¯s God.¡¯ So Pumpkin watched it blankly for a while, forgetting even his own situation. Suddenly, behind his back, a groan was heard. ¡°Ugh¡­Where am I?¡± His father, who had fainted earlier after being hit by falling debris, could be seen opening his eyes and holding his head. And¡­ ¡°I see¡­I remember everything now. You¡­how dare you treat your father who is as high as the heavens like that?¡± ¡°?!¡± He looked at Pumpkin with a murderous look. Then he beckoned him to come closer with his finger. ¡°Come here right now. If you don¡¯t want to be beaten up at home.¡± ¡°F-father¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing?! I told you to come here!¡± When Pumpkin heard his father¡¯s irritated voice, terrible memories imprinted on his body every night came back one by one. He would be hit even when he didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so how many times will he be hit this time? Regardless of his will, his hands began to tremble. ¡®I-I¡¯ve changed¡­Noah-nim chose me¡­¡¯ Pumpkin desperately shook his head. But his shoulders, like before he met Noah, slowly began to shrink. ¡°Run over here before I count to three. 1¡­2¡­¡± Eventually, Pumpkin lowered his head and began running toward his father. When he thought about it again, he realized that it was all his fault. His father was just strict in educating him, and he has always been a good person who cares for him¡­ He quickly ran to his father. ¡°¡­Three. I told you to come before the count of three!¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s because you¡¯re too far¡­I was wrong. Father.¡± ¡°Are you talking back to your father again?!¡± Pak¨C ¡°Keuk!¡± Pumpkin¡¯s head turned harshly. Pie who saw it shouted in surprise. ¡°Ajeossi! Why are you hitting Pumpkin?!¡± ¡°Oh, huh. It¡¯s funny how little brats are holding guns and pretending to be adults. Looking at you punks, I can see what your parents are like.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°Shoot! Shoot, you crazy punk! I¡¯ll make you a beehive too.¡± Pie held up her gun and glared at Pumpkin¡¯s father. On the other side, Pumpkin¡¯s father had taken Pumpkin¡¯s gun and was aiming at the children. But if there was a difference, it was that he was hiding Pumpkin, so the children couldn¡¯t shoot easily. Slowly, the fingers caught in the triggers exerted strength. It was a very tense situation. But at that moment, ¡°Kuaaak! W-what¡¯s this?¡± Suddenly, a huge wolf jumped between them, snatching Pumpkin¡¯s father as it was and disappeared. And then Pumpkin stared blankly at Noah¡¯s back. ¡°Ah¡­Ah¡­¡± In the midst of such a fierce battle, Noah had run straight to him when he was in danger. To receive such love and care, Pumpkin couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing. ¡®What the hell am I doing¡­¡¯ Pumpkin couldn¡¯t believe he had bothered Noah over such a trivial matter. He felt his head becoming heavy. ¡®It was all because of my weakness¡­¡¯ If he had been a little stronger. If he had been a little stronger, he wouldn¡¯t have inconvenienced Noah¡­ ¡®I need to be strong¡­¡¯ Crack¨C Pumpkin bit his molars tightly. And then his eyes began to glow with madness. * * * ¡°Kueaaak! L-let go of me! Let go!¡± Pumpkin¡¯s father struggled fiercely. From the way he spoke, he seemed to have returned to his senses. It was a relief I didn¡¯t have to watch that terrible infant regression sight, but I didn¡¯t like the way he originally spoke either. ¡°Let go! Let go, you son of a bitch¡­Keuk!¡± Crunch! I bit down as I held him in my mouth. Salty blood dripped from the corners of my mouth. After having found a safe place, I spat him out. Ptooey! Looking at his breathing, it seemed like he was going to die soon. I need to hurry up. The golem was excitedly slaughtering the residents while I was gone. Zombies revived around him were diligently running towards him. Returning to human form, I took enough bombs out of my inventory and added them to the bomb vest Pumpkin¡¯s father was wearing. I filled his pants with grenades while I was at it. Looking at him like this, he was more like a pinecone than a human. ¡°Keuk, keu! Kuh¡­¡± His breathing stopped. Thus, Pumpkin had just become an orphan. After waiting a short time, the corpse jumped up and mixed with other zombies. Like that, it began to run toward the golem. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡± The golem began to absorb the swarm of zombies. Pumpkin¡¯s father had also safely penetrated the herd. I ran to the golem the moment I saw it. ¡°Keuheuh¡­Are you ready to die now? But it¡¯s already late.¡± Indeed, he has grown to a size close to a seven-story building. Obviously, with that thickness, I won¡¯t be able to find his nucleus. But I ran to him and shouted. ¡°Allahu Akbar!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­what kind of spell is that?¡± He looked back at me with doubts. Then I pressed the detonator. Boom¨C! The bombs that the Turbak Brotherhood had prepared for their independence exploded magnificently. Much stronger than I had imagined. The golem¡¯s body scattered in all directions like firecrackers, and rain of blood and flesh poured down from the sky. A gaping hole appeared in his thick stomach. And deep down there, I could see a mask connected by blood vessels. However, that will only last for a moment. His wounds were regenerating at a rapid pace. Transforming into a dire wolf, I bit Red Velvet Curse in my mouth. *One use has been deducted. *Charges remaining [0/3]. In the red colored world, I jumped into his stomach. And then the blood vessels connected to the mask were cut off. ¡°Kkeuaak! N-no!¡± He screamed in pain and the skull connected to the mask began to crack rapidly. Soon, the gigantic body made of corpses and blood suddenly began to melt down. Swish¨C A large amount of blood poured out at once and spread like a tidal wave. Because of that, my nice hair was soaked in rotten intestines and blood. I returned to human form and sighed briefly. ¡°Huu¡­I hate getting dirty.¡± The wolf sportswear, which was white, had become colored in a dull red. I could also smell a rotten stench from my body. I¡¯ll probably hear something from Choi Bokhee about this when I return home. Anyway, is this the treasure? I checked the information on the mask Pero had worn. Classification: Accessories Grade: A Description: Be careful of the ¡®Baba Yaga.¡¯ *Can store certain energy. *Gain strength equal to the price paid. Hmm¡­ Honestly, it was different from what I had imagined. I had expected an item that would help me more effortlessly. This, however, can make me strong if I pay a ¡®price.¡¯ It was very vague. Depending on the situation, it could be useful, but I don¡¯t think it has much use right now. Well¡­I guess the other effect on it can make it a portable battery. My chronic lack of mana would be solved to some extent if I order Elizabeth to fill it up with mana. As soon as I thought that, I began to hear cheers from all over the place. ¡°Waaah! I¡¯m alive! I¡¯m alive!¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Residents hiding in the garbage crawled out one by one. So many were appearing that I started to wonder how there can be so many people. The damage might have gone beyond Guangcheng District and into Pyongyang if the golem had absorbed all of them. ¡°Noah-nim! I knew you could do it!¡± ¡°Heuk! Noah-oppa!¡± The children, who were comfortably watching my battle from afar, began to run toward me with their arms open. I counted the guys from Hairy¡¯s house first. Exactly 13 people. It was the same. It was a relief that no one died. I¡¯ve worked this hard, don¡¯t tell me the Challenge will fail? The moment I was worried for a second, numerous messages began to come to mind in front of me. Ding¨C [Completed Challenge ¡®Guide the Lamb.¡¯] [Gained 1x Random Box (Medium).] [Level has risen.] . . . [You¡¯ve reached level 34.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [Gained Level 30 Skill Selection.] [Gained achievement title ¡®Guardian¡¯] Tendency: Good Deed Description: What you¡¯re feeling right now after protecting the weak, please don¡¯t forget it. Keuh¡­good. It was truly an enormous harvest after spending only a day. I can¡¯t believe I had leveled up this much in such a short time¡­ Admittedly, I had a pretty tough schedule due to the overlapping Challenge and hunt. But because of that, the reward had doubled. As expected, games reward you based on how much effort you put in. While I¡¯m at it, should I open my skill selection and box now? I had a good feeling today. My intuition from my long career as a gamer told me so. The jackpot is going to explode this time. I opened my status window while ignoring those running toward me. Then I used the Skill Selection. [Used Level 30 Skill Selection.] [One of the following skills can be obtained.] Hmm¡­Since I¡¯ve gained an achievement this time, something good will come out, right? As soon as I was about to check the list, Swish¨C ¡°Huh?¡± Something unknown cut through my neck and a message appeared in front of me. [Absolute Defense activated.] I rolled sideways as soon as I saw the message. Swish¨C The edge of the wolf sportswear was neatly cut off. And a long sword mark was engraved where I stood when I looked back. I quickly pulled out my sword and heightened my senses. Where did the attack come from? People around me didn¡¯t seem to have noticed that I was attacked. They just had a confused expression as if wondering why I had suddenly rolled across the ground. The bastard¡¯s attack was terribly fast and covert. Wait¡­I definitely saw this attack before¡­ Suddenly, I recalled the mysterious man who had cut the necks of my prey at dawn yesterday. He had certainly used this kind of covert attack. Can it be? And¡­ As if confirming my guess, a man¡¯s voice was heard from the entrance of the garbage town. ¡°We meet again, boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wearing a black coat was a giant man with silver-blue hair. It was the kill stealer who had stolen my experience. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Hongir was the illegitimate child of the Turbak tribe leader. A product birthed by simply mixing with a human out of amusement. For this reason, other tribesmen despised him for having the blood of livestock flowing through him. And among them, the harshest persecution came from his half-brothers, Yifret and Devian. Pak¨C! ¡°How dare you cheeky livestock call me hyung? Do you want me to boil you and eat you like the other humans?¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­Yifret-nim.¡± They would attack him in anger whenever he blurted out the word ¡®hyung.¡¯ Hongir could neither call his father abeoji nor his brothers hyung. He thought his life was no different from other humans waiting for the day to be slaughtered. But even in those hellish days, there was a ray of hope¡­ ¡°Proud wolves do not harm their cubs. If you don¡¯t want to raise him, then I will.¡± It was the younger brother of the tribe leader. The great warrior who protects the Turbak tribe, Yamachi. He took Hongir with him, and began to pass on the Turbak¡¯s innate body art. ¡°You¡¯re still young. So until you become a real wolf who can hunt food with your own hands, I¡¯ll take care of you myself.¡± ¡°T-thank you!¡± Fortunately, Hongir had a talent for body art, and he tried his best to accept Yamachi¡¯s teachings. As time went by, finally, he became a strong man worthy of others¡¯ recognition. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this well by now¡­Whirlwind Club Art relies solely on your senses and talent. Therefore, each individual has a clear limit of growth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that.¡± ¡°Your limit is up to here. But don¡¯t be too heartbroken. Even my master, the previous war chief, couldn¡¯t learn the techniques in the second half.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll devote myself to go further.¡± Although Hongir couldn¡¯t learn the second half of Whirlwind Club Art because of his half-body size, he was satisfied. He thought even with his current power, revenge would be possible. Yamachi then asked him. ¡°Are you going to take revenge now?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I won¡¯t tell you to love the tribe. The cycle of revenge isn¡¯t easy to break.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, if you still have me in your eyes, I hope you can think of the tribe once more. To stop the invaders now, we need the help of strong warriors like you.¡± Yamachi said and bowed his head deeply. The savior who had saved his life was now lowering himself and asking him to save the tribe that he hated. Such a mighty warrior was throwing away his pride. And¡­ When Hongir saw that, he was no longer confident in staying. So that night, he headed to Earth as if he were running away without his master¡¯s knowledge. He tenaciously survived by adapting to the new world with his skills. Frankly, even now, after a long time, he still doesn¡¯t have good memories of his tribe. But whenever he recalled Yamachi¡¯s request, he would feel a heavy debt on one side of his heart. ¡®Even though the Turbak tribe was a shitty place¡­Nevertheless, I have to pay off my debt to master.¡¯ Hongir observed the child who had exterminated his tribesmen. The boy could be seen turning into a wolf in his fight against the necromancer. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! A deep pit was dug out each time the mass made of corpses struck the ground. Even a trained body would find it difficult to survive such an attack if hit directly. Nevertheless, the boy wasn¡¯t intimidated at all as he avoided the attacks like flowing water and bit the huge enemy. Looking at it, Hongir was reminded of the wolves in his hometown who didn¡¯t know the meaning of fear. ¡®If nothing else, his courage is commendable.¡¯ Although the boy was still at an age where he didn¡¯t have much combat experience, his actions were bold as if he was a veteran warrior. ¡®But it¡¯s going to be hard like this.¡¯ As time passed, the power gap continued to widen. The necromancer¡¯s size was growing larger, while the boy¡¯s attacks were becoming less and less effective. Hongir thought maybe his revenge would end blandly like this. But at that moment, the boy suddenly killed his companion and began planting bombs on the him. And soon after, the revived zombie was absorbed into the mass of corpses, causing a huge explosion. Watching the series of events, Hongir became speechless. ¡®¡­Doing whatever it takes to win.¡¯ The boy¡¯s actions just now weren¡¯t that of a warrior but a hunter chasing the results. ¡®The heart of a warrior and the mind of a hunter¡­¡¯ Hongir was originally worried about killing a child for something that wasn¡¯t even a request¡­ However, looking at the boy now, such worries were cleanly erased from his mind. The boy was already no longer a child. He was a wolf like himself. ¡®I can kill him with peace of mind.¡¯ Crack¨CCrack¨C With the sound of bone twisting, a wolf arm sleeping in Hongir¡¯s body was revealed. He raised his arm that had become strangely bloated compared to its size. The boy had returned to human form after the battle and there was no sign of him being wary of his surroundings. ¡®The ending is still bland.¡¯ Normally, the most dangerous moment for hunters is when the hunt is nearing its end. His arm swelled up as if it was going to burst. Then, the moment the muscles expanded to its limit, his arm was thrown in one motion like a slingshot. *First half 3rd style, ¡®Piercing Wind.¡¯ A long claw tore apart the air and across the horizon. The blade of wind cut through the boy¡¯s body in an instant. Swish¨C ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Hongir smiled lightly, certain of his success. But¡­ ¡®¡­How come he¡¯s fine?¡¯ The boy stood as he was. As Hongir wondered how it was possible, he immediately fired a second attack. However, the boy rolled on the ground as if he had expected it. Swish¨C The attack brushed past the boy¡¯s collar. It was another failure. He saw the boy standing up and pulling out a sword as he heightened his senses. With the way things were going, it seemed that surprise attacks were no longer useful. ¡®There¡¯s no other choice.¡¯ Hongir slowly appeared and spoke. ¡°We meet again, boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Then, as if something precious had been stolen, the boy stared at him fiercely. He took a step closer to the boy. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve dealt with someone face to face.¡¯ Every muscle in his body contracted with tension ahead of the battle. The blood of a warrior, which had long been forgotten, began to boil. He could see the boy gripping his sword with wariness. And like how he was measuring the boy¡¯s range of attack, he was certain the boy was doing the same. ¡®This much should be perfect.¡¯ After reaching a reasonable distance from the boy, he stopped in front of him. He could see children with shocked expressions around him. Everyone was looking his way with worried looks. At a glance, he could feel that the children were worried for the boy. ¡®Is that so¡­¡¯ Looking at it, he understood why the boy had suddenly attacked the Turbak Brotherhood. The reason why he took action must have been to protect these children. He recalled the terrible food culture of his hometown. ¡®The tribesmen must have gone against the boy¡¯s will in the process of seeking food ingredients.¡¯ Somehow, in the boy¡¯s appearance, the image of his master who had worked hard for the weak seemed to overlap. He even thought it would be a waste to kill the boy for no reason. However, he would never miss a target he had set his eyes on. There will be no way for the boy to return alive today. This was also an opportunity for him to clear his long-term debt. ¡®I¡¯ll have to treat him as a warrior.¡¯ Straightening the hem of his coat, he told the boy. ¡°My name is Hongir. I came to kill you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± But the boy just stared at him without answering. He could feel a sharp killing intent of being split in two if he got even a little closer. ¡°Killing a young warrior like you is something I don¡¯t want either. However, you have a debt that must be repaid.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Do you remember the beastman named Yifret, who you killed a few months ago? He¡¯s my half-brother.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Looking back on your actions at the time, I¡¯ll have to kill all the children here too.¡± Hongir said as he observed the boy¡¯s expression. There was no change. How was he not shaken when the people precious to him were threatened? ¡®Does that mean he won¡¯t reveal his weaknesses to his enemies? Such amazing calmness¡­¡¯ He held back his admiration that was about to leak out unknowingly. He continued. ¡°But! The cycle of revenge isn¡¯t easy to break. So I¡¯ll give you a chance first. If you obediently let go of your neck, I promise you I won¡¯t touch these kids.¡± ¡°How can I believe that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­I¡¯ll make a promise under my honor and my master¡¯s name. I simply want to fulfill my promise.¡± Hongir spoke sincerely to the young warrior. He wanted to give that much courtesy to him as a warrior. Did his sincerity reach the boy? The boy, who had been still for a while, gently pushed the sword he had been holding into its sheath. ¡°Okay.¡± Then with slow steps, the boy began to walk one step at a time. ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ The more he sees the boy, the more he likes him. To the point where he thought it would be a waste to kill him. For the lives of his cowardly and petty tribesmen, this child alone was more than worthy. ¡°N-no! Oppa! You can¡¯t! I¡¯d rather die!¡± ¡°N-Noah-nim! Y-you don¡¯t have to care about us! Please!¡± The children around Hongir and the boy rushed over. Then the boy stared at the children and coldly spoke. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s annoying, so fuck off.¡± A determined voice as if intentionally trying to lose the children¡¯s affection. Did the boy¡¯s heartfelt feeling contained in his words reach the kids? ¡°Heuk¡­Y-you can¡¯t. Noah-oppa.¡± ¡°Noah-nim¡­¡± The children backed down awkwardly while shedding tears. Then the boy finally sat proudly in front of Hongir. And even at this moment before his death, the boy was smiling brightly as if he had finished everything he had to do. ¡®What a waste¡­What a waste¡­¡¯ He also wanted to sit down and have a conversation with this wonderful boy that transcended age and race, but that could no longer be achieved. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try my best to give you a comfortable death.¡± Crack¨CCrack¨C Hongir¡¯s arm began to expand again. Bending his arm back to its limit, he asked the boy. ¡°Is there any final word you want to say?¡± The boy whispered back in a small voice. ¡°Allah¡­¡± ¡°Allah?¡± It was the name of a God that people on Earth believed in. At the last moment, even this bold soul looked to God? Suddenly, something began to roll down the ground. Black and round metal spheres. Hongir simply watched because he couldn¡¯t figure out the situation. ¡®T-that¡¯s¡­¡¯ At that moment, the boy raised both arms and shouted loudly. ¡°Allahu Akbar!¡± ¡°?!¡± Booom¨C! And soon, a series of explosions hit the bodies of the two. * * * I used explosives and transformed my body into gas to immediately widen the distance. Fortunately, I was able to avoid becoming naked thanks to the wolf set¡¯s option of transforming to fit. I quickly observed where the kill stealer was. It was hard to confirm his death because of the thick dust, but I was certain he was still alive. ¡®Did he say his name was Hongir?¡¯ I felt it from the time I met him in the evening, but his level was definitely unusual. Although it looks like he hasn¡¯t crossed the A-Rank barrier, from my years of experience, I could sense that he was a veteran warrior at the Zenith stage. I immediately took out an RPG-7 from my inventory and fired it at where the smoke was rising. Boom¨C! For a split second I could see his silhouette when the warhead exploded. As expected, he was still alive. Next, I pulled out a rifle and a direct line of fire was created. In addition, the children who were far away began to give fire support even though I didn¡¯t ask them to. Dudududu¨C! Roaring noises resonated everywhere and the smell of gunpowder blanketed the surroundings. By the time I replaced the cartridge three times, Hongir could be seen walking out of thick smoke. I thought a surprise attack would work¡­but it seemed general firearms won¡¯t work. Hongir calmly shook off the dust. There were only small scratches here and there, with no significant wound to be found. ¡°Yeah¡­That¡¯s right. I had forgotten for a moment that you are a warrior and a hunter. I guess I fell into sentiment without realizing it.¡± Shriik¨C Hongir grabbed the hem of his ragged coat and roughly ripped it off. His bursting muscles and numerous engraved scars were revealed in the sun. He¡¯s a freak. Even if mana could protect the body, I never imagined it would be that tough. Some of the guys I¡¯ve dealt with in the second round were also dangerous, but frankly, my intuition had told me each time that it was worth a try. But right now¡­ All I could think of was that it was dangerous. I didn¡¯t expect I would be attacked after having used up Wolf Hour. If I exclude my items and only consider my abilities, then at the very best I was at the peak of D-Rank. And if it was a Challenge, I would have been sure that I had a way, but no message came to mind about him. ¡°Then let¡¯s play properly since it¡¯s been a while. Boy!¡± Crack¨CCrack¨C! His arm swelled up violently again. I haven¡¯t been able to see the moment the attack flew in, but I think I can roughly guess what kind of skill it is. It was impossible to see and avoid. My only option was to predict the trajectory of the attack based on the direction of his arm. Finally, his arm, which had tilted to its limits, fell in the short moment before I even realized it. I rolled on the ground to avoid the invisible attack. But¡­ Swish¨C ¡°Keuk!¡± A long cut appeared on my side as the flesh opened. Fortunately, my organs weren¡¯t damaged. However blood was flowing endlessly through the open skin that looked like gills. ¡°Keukeu¡­That¡¯s a common mistake. People think they can predict the direction of my attack if they look at my arm.¡± He gave a mocking laugh and lifted back his arm again. Crack¨CCrack¨C The sound of joints and muscles twisting could be heard from all the way over here. This is¡­dangerous. I thought I understood his attack method, but there seemed to be another variable. As long as that was the case, I didn¡¯t have a proper way to deal with it. If this continues, I¡¯ll be eaten little by little and will eventually fall at some point. The alarms were going off in my head. The moment I had such thoughts, a message came to mind. [ level of understanding has increased.] And just in time, he swung his arm again. Then something vague which I hadn¡¯t seen earlier caught my eyes. My body immediately flew. Swish¨C Again, a wound appeared on my shoulder. But this time, it was shallower than before. ¡°Hooo, you have a good sense.¡± [ level of understanding has increased.] Again, the effect of Heavenly Body activated. Now I was starting to roughly understand what kind of martial art he was using. ¡°Then¡­Let¡¯s end it here.¡± His arm began to swell up again. But this time, two consecutive attacks flew in. Now I can clearly see it. A long crescent-shaped blade extending from his claws. And I could sense where the blades were headed. I rolled on the ground to avoid the attacks. The blades that passed by me grew in size and split the hill made of garbage. The pile of garbage that had been piled up neatly lost its balance and began to collapse. Boom¨C! ¡°What¡¯s this? It can¡¯t be¡­Can you see my attacks?¡± Through the noise of trash falling, I could hear his confused voice. I ignored him and ran in a straight line. ¡°Hoho, really. I guess you thought my close combat would be weak.¡± Extending his steel claws, he shrank for a moment before stretching out his arms and flying towards me. [ level of understanding has increased.] It was the first half 2nd style, Cyclone. His body, which was flying in a straight line, suddenly rotated, creating a vortex. However, I, who had already grasped his attack, turned into gas and surrendered my body to the flow of the wind. Keuk! I felt a tearing pain all over my body from his attack that was infused with mana. If it wasn¡¯t for me being in a gas state, my body might have turned into something like liquid inside a blender. I endured the pain and seeped into his airway. *Drain Life My wounds began to quickly heal. ¡°Keuk!¡± Hongir grabbed his neck and groaned painfully. Then a message I haven¡¯t seen in a very long time appeared in my mind. [Discovered genetic information that can be absorbed. Do you want to absorb the gene?] Honestly, this wasn¡¯t in the plan, but now whatever it is, it was enough if I can hurt him. Absorb. [Beast Genetic Value has increased.] [Beast Genetic Value has increased.] [Beast Genetic Value has increased.] . . . The Beast genes, which were dormant inside me, quickly flowed along my body. If I can persist like this¡­ The moment I thought that, he suddenly began to breathe heavily. ¡°Shuuup! Huu~!¡± Like a wolf from a fairy tale, he exhaled strongly with his mouth. [ level of understanding has increased.] I flew away like a kite with its string cut. Garbage scattered everywhere and the surrounding area turned into a mess. I lifted myself up off the ground. ¡°Huu¡­I thought I was going to suffocate to death.¡± Hongir walked toward me with a slightly flustered look. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯ve been hiding that kind of trick¡­That was your only chance. But now that I¡¯ve figured out all of your tricks, let¡¯s really end it now.¡± His long claws were pulled out again. At that moment, Ding¨C! [ level of understanding has increased.] [You¡¯ve reached a certain level of understanding.] [While the battle continues, you can imitate the skill based on your understanding.] Yes! Finally, the moment I¡¯ve been waiting for has come. Hongir twisted his body and charged toward me like before. The violent gust of wind threatens to grind my body into pieces. In the meantime, I quickly transformed into a dire wolf. Then I faced him who was quickly approaching. And¡­ *Second Half 1st style, ¡®Lightning Storm.¡¯ My front foot, which stretches out like lightning, struck his body. Boom¨C! ¡°Kuaaak!!¡± With a thunderous roar, he quickly flew away like a cannonball. The pile of garbage that collided with him immediately collapsed as if it had been bombarded. Boom¨C Soon, among the collapsed piles of garbage, his face popped out. In that state, he struggled to climb up through the garbage. Blood was dripping from his broken claws, and on his head, a cup of noodles that had been thrown away by someone was falling down his head. He muttered with a vacant look. ¡°You¡­How can you¡­I¡¯ve devoted my whole life¡­¡± I smiled brightly at him and spoke. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not how you use Whirlwind Club Art.¡± As expected, games are the most enjoyable when you deceive. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Hongir looked at the boy with trembling eyes. The huge wolf in front of him was snickering. And as if he was mocking him, he stood on his hind legs after showing the second half of the body art. ¡°Ah, you can just do it like this. So why can¡¯t I do it also? Keukeu.¡± A blatant ridicule. But to him right now, it didn¡¯t come off as a ridicule. He watched the boy¡¯s behavior as if he was possessed. The most complete form of ¡®Whirlwind Club Art¡¯ he could only dream of. The technique the boy had swung like a joke was clearly the second half 1st style, ¡®Lightning Storm.¡¯ How does he know the Turbak¡¯s unique martial art? ¡®Huh, maybe I was mistaken?¡¯ Hongir tried to deny the reality, but soon realized how vain it was. In order to learn the second half, he was confident that he had worked harder than anyone else, so there was no way he could be mistaken. With a trembling voice, he asked the boy. ¡°H-how do you know the art of our tribe? No, more than that, how did you use the technique in the second half?¡± ¡°I just do?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s absurd¡­It¡¯s something that can¡¯t happen! Oh, right! Magic! It¡¯s a magic trick!¡± ¡°Coming up with excuses because you can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s just that ajeossi isn¡¯t talented.¡± The boy¡¯s words dug into his heart like a dagger. Talent? Did he say talent? What does he even know to say such a thing? He has put in more effort than anyone else to overcome his natural limitations. In order to not be ridiculed as livestock and to overcome the limits of his birth. Hadn¡¯t his master also acknowledged his tenacity and determination? The very same master who had an immense standard. Even though talent was important in Whirlwind Club Art, he refused to believe that he would lose because of the difference in talent. If it was just because the boy¡¯s wolf blood was thicker¡­ ¡®Then what has my efforts amount to so far?¡¯ And also, hasn¡¯t he overcome all the other tribesmen who had a stronger beast blood than him? But talent? He neither had the choice of his birth nor his bloodline¡­ ¡°Is it so important?!¡± Crack¨C Hongir suddenly inflated his arm. Beyond the limitations of his body, he poured in mana to the point where it became a precarious situation for even himself. The veins burst and the entire arm turned dark. And finally, Boom¨C Along with a sonic boom, a terrifying sharp wind bursts out. Buildings and piles of garbage were cut clean where the wind passed. The world seemed to have been divided in two. ¡®Yes¡­this will do it!¡¯ Hongir was convinced of his victory. However, the boy avoided the attack with just minimal movement. Then he retaliated by firing a sharp wind at him. ¡®In any case, I¡¯ve been practicing this body art for a longer time.¡¯ Ignoring the second half of the body art, he was confident that he had an advantage when it came to the techniques in the first half. Although he couldn¡¯t see the wind blade, he was able to read the path clearly from the boy¡¯s movement. And as he had predicted, he safely avoided the attack. But¡­ Swish¨C The attack he thought he had avoided suddenly flew from behind his back. ¡°Keuaak!¡± He screamed painfully. His body wasn¡¯t split in two thanks to his tough skin, but his whole body became covered in blood. ¡°H-how¡­¡± He had definitely avoided the attack. It was inconceivable that the wind blade rotated back¡­ It was completely incomprehensible with his common sense. And as if answering his question, the boy nonchalantly spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult to control, but this skill naturally blends with the whirlwind.¡± Hongir had never heard of such a thing from his master. Did the boy say it on purpose because he lacked talent? He trembled with deep humiliation. ¡®N-no. There¡¯s still a chance.¡¯ The boy may have a high understanding of the body art, but he has an overwhelming advantage when it comes to physical strength. ¡®Just once¡­If I can just land one attack on him¡­¡¯ Having made up his mind, he charged at the boy while covering his face with both arms. His efforts have never betrayed him. He recklessly tried to narrow the distance by believing in his tempered body. But, Woosh¨C ¡°Kuaaak!¡± He couldn¡¯t get close. The boy fired a sharp wind each time when the distance seemed to have narrowed and his body would refuse to move due to the terrible pain. Attacking the boy was out of reach. At this rate¡­he would die without even getting near him. He shouted with convulsion. ¡°You dirty son of a bitch! You don¡¯t even know the honor of a warrior! Are you going to keep fighting like that?!¡± ¡°Hehe, thank you for the compliment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you! You¡¯re going to die once I get my hands on you!¡± Hongir fired sharp winds everywhere with the feeling of grabbing at straws. However, such reckless attacks only destroyed the buildings around them. In the meantime, even though he had several opportunities, he could only back down, leaving painful wounds. Like a predator playing with its prey, he was being toyed with. ¡°Keuh¡­Kill me instead! Kill me!¡± ¡°Oh, then I should stop playing and kill you.¡± ¡°?!¡± The boy suddenly changed his posture. It was the second half 1st style, Lightning Storm. Death came to mind the moment he stood facing it. ¡®Ah, n-no¡­Not yet! A way¡­there must be a way.¡¯ He looked around frantically to find a way to survive. Suddenly, the children caught his eyes. ¡®T-that¡¯s it!¡¯ He ran to the children without looking back. Then he grabbed one and shouted, pulling out his long claws. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill all of these children if you come close!¡± He¡¯ll be able to get out of this crisis if he uses these kids that the boy cares about. This was absolutely not a disgraceful act. It was just the wisdom of a clever hunter. ¡°Do as you please.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re bluffing, it¡¯s no use! I¡¯ve definitely warned you!¡± Hongir cried out in desperation. But as if the boy didn¡¯t care, he saw him preparing to charge at him. Electric sparks crackled from the pitch black mane. ¡°I-I¡¯m really going to kill them! I don¡¯t care if these punks die¡­¡± Immediately, along with a deafening roar, the boy turned into a dark thunderbolt and charged at him. ¡®Crazy!¡¯ Hongir immediately threw the child away and took a defensive posture. Boom¨C But his body was already exhausted and he failed to prevent the attack. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± He was thrown back in an instant as he rolled on the ground like a lifeless corpse. Meanwhile, one of the arms that he was so proud of fell far away. Blood constantly poured down from the cut area as his eyes lost focus. Hek, hek¨C Then he heard the sound of a wolf¡¯s breathing approaching. ¡®N-no¡­¡¯ He can¡¯t die like this. Sometimes one step back is necessary for two steps forward. Hongir hurriedly knelt down. ¡°W-wait! Please¡­S-spare my life. So please.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? Ajeossi, I think you can keep fighting, but you¡¯re giving up already?¡± ¡°Yes. No more. I¡¯ve realized that I can¡¯t win even if I continue. I¡¯ll surrender like this, so spare my life. A-and! Didn¡¯t I save your life before?!¡± The boy seemed to be smiling as he returned to his human form. Seeing that, Hongir spoke with a bright smile. ¡°T-that¡¯s right! True warriors should never forget grace!¡± For a while, the boy stared at Hongir who was lying on the ground. Soon, he pulled out his sword with an expression of someone who had lost his excitement. ¡°It¡¯s not fun.¡± Wuung¨C ¡°W-wait a minute! This is different from what I said¡­¡± Puk¨C! The boy calmly inserted his sword into Hongir¡¯s chest. And then, with the feeling of the world turning gray, Hongir closed his eyes. * * * [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . [You¡¯ve reached level 37.] [Gained Level 35 Skill Selection.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I felt a strange sense of oddity as I looked at the body that was pierced in the heart. He was definitely a strong enemy. But I won unexpectedly easily. It was strange. I definitely felt that he was very dangerous. To be honest, it would have been dangerous if I had taken damage in the beginning. There was no proper way to deal with him if it wasn¡¯t for Heavenly Body. However, the dangerous feeling that I had felt when I first saw him was not at this level. Did he lose his touch as we fought? Well, I¡¯m satisfied because I¡¯ve gained a lot of experience. I originally came here to catch the necromancer, but somehow, I ended up completing a Challenge and earning an unexpected bonus experience. It was all good except for one thing. I looked at the long wound on my side. Even though I¡¯ve recovered to some extent with drain life, it was still a deep wound. So far, I¡¯ve always been able to recover after getting damaged¡­ I think this is the first time since the start of the second round that I¡¯ve received such a wound. ¡­Thinking about it like that made me angry. How dare he interrupt my perfect record. I can¡¯t endure it. I shook my butt as hard as I could near his face. Like my Body that had reached 3, my teabagging had also evolved one step further. Woosh¨Cwoosh¨C As soon as I was enjoying the rights of a winner, the children who were near ran to me. ¡°Keuehuk¡­Noah-nim, you saved us again while you were fighting¡­It¡¯s really touching.¡± ¡°I thought oppa would be in danger this time¡­I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re okay! By the way¡­ What is oppa doing right now?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Well¡­newbies don¡¯t even know how to do such a basic thing. I explained this glorious act to them with a kind heart. ¡°This is called teabagging. Hmm¡­To put it simply, it¡¯s like praying for peace so that the dead can close their eyes comfortably.¡± ¡°Keuk¡­I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re embracing an enemy who tried to kill you¡­Noah-nim really is¡­¡± ¡°Then, does everyone want to give it a try?¡± ¡°¡±¡±Ah!¡±¡±¡± The children exclaimed and began to shake their hips near Hongir as a group. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not it. Pumpkin. You don¡¯t have to lower your pants.¡± ¡°O-oh? Okay. Got it.¡± It was always a pleasant sight to see newbies learning the joy of games. I stepped out of my way so that the growing sprouts could enjoy themselves. Right¡­let¡¯s check the level up reward. My gacha moment was broken while trying to choose a skill earlier. And the same thing may happen again this time. As expected, games were the most dangerous when shopping. I looked around carefully without letting my guard down. There was no threat. No way, nothing will happen again, right? Like so, I open my status window. As soon as I was going to choose a skill, ¡°Kyaaak!¡± ¡°N-Noah-nim!¡± Suddenly, the children screamed. I quickly pulled out my sword and looked back. Then the Hongir guy who was lying on the ground opened his eyes wide. ¡°I knew it¡­we couldn¡¯t comfort the dead with our teabagging¡­¡± I ignored the agitated children and faced Hongir. I had no time to pay attention to anything else right now. The hairs all over my body stood on end. The ominous intuition that I had felt a while ago was going crazy. What the hell is this guy¡­? Hongir slowly stood up. Then at some point, a sudden burst of cold negative energy came out of him. Shii¨C The ground froze in an instant, and everywhere I looked had turned into a transparent plate of ice. In addition, the children and residents standing around Hongir began to lose consciousness and collapse. This¡­ It felt familiar for some reason. A sense of deja vu. I recalled the Savage God that I came to know the existence of for the first time a few months ago. Was it called Turbak? Giving off a stronger presence than before, Hongir spoke to me. ¡°You hurt my child again. Human.¡± A chilling voice that makes you feel as if your heart is going to freeze. He glared fiercely at me. ¡°Even though I warned you then, to do this again is an insult to me. I can¡¯t tolerate it any longer.¡± Hongir raised his hand. White frost gathered around it, giving off a terrifying energy. The appearance was as if death had turned into ice. A way out of this¡­ I thought hard. However, I couldn¡¯t see a way to deal with this powerful enemy no matter how much I thought. As if also acknowledging that fact, no Challenge came to mind. At this level, I cannot resist at all. As soon as I felt imminent death, Hongir suddenly retracted his power. Then he scowled and spat out. ¡°I see, is the law of causality not allowed up to this point? You¡¯re a lucky guy.¡± Hongir sighed. I don¡¯t know what it is, but for now, there seemed to be a restriction to his power. That¡¯s a relief. Perhaps it was a similar principle to its inability to exert its original power on Earth. ¡°Killing you is impossible because of the law of causality, but it¡¯s possible to cause you a pain more painful than death. Human, I¡¯ll give you an eternal winter.¡± For some reason, he had come up with another way to judge me. Ominous mana began to gather again around his hand. Is it a curse? I immediately transformed into a dire wolf. I¡¯m not sure if I can avoid the curse of a self-proclaimed god, but it¡¯ll work to some extent because I¡¯m resistant to curses. But suddenly, Hongir, who saw me like that, scattered his magic as it was. Then he looked at me with his eyes wide open. ¡°Oh my?¡± An incomprehensible situation. Is the law of causality at work again? He stood there like an ice sculptor for a while and observed me. I don¡¯t know why he was doing that all of a sudden, but¡­ Now! I ran without looking back. But at that moment, Boom¨C Moistures in the atmosphere froze, creating a high barrier of ice in front of me. Crazy. I changed direction and ran. But every time that happens, a barrier made of ice would block me. Then, at some point, I reached a dead end. I could see the bastard slowly approaching me. Unlike a little while ago, he was smiling brightly. His eyes glistened with madness. Was he toying with me before killing me? Game over at a place like this? To a possessed existence I don¡¯t even know? I released my transformation and pulled out my sword. But, Shii¨C The sword froze and I couldn¡¯t unsheathe it. And at the same time, water vapor froze everywhere and my body became bound. ¡°Keuk!¡± I exerted force, but the ice didn¡¯t budge even with my Body being over 3. Thud¨CThud¨C Hongir continued toward me. Then he looked at me, whose limbs were encased in ice, and spoke. ¡°Huhu, where are you running to? Did you want to play tag with me?¡± At that moment, a message appeared in front of my eyes. [Favorability has increased.] Favorability¡­Wasn¡¯t he trying to kill me? But my intuition was telling me something else. The alarms in my head rang more fiercely than ever. More than when I faced the demon army in the past. The bastard¡¯s eyes sparkled with madness. ¡°Human. I think I¡¯ve taken a liking to you. Do you have any thoughts of becoming my avatar and staying with me forever?¡± What is he saying all of a sudden? [The Savage God Turbak has suggested you become its ¡®avatar.¡¯] [Instead of receiving power from a God through possession, your body and soul will belong to it.] Belong to it? I don¡¯t know what it means, but it was a term that smelled dangerous. I immediately rejected the offer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­That¡¯s a pity.¡± As if he was really disappointed, his shoulders lowered. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to get a male like you so easily. For now, I think it would be best to win your favor little by little.¡± Then suddenly, he approached me and slowly caressed my cheek. What is he trying to do? He looked at me with madness in his eyes and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful child for a human being. Someday, you¡¯ll grow into a manly male.¡± Like playing a horror game, sweat flowed down my spine and my lips became dry. He patted my cheek and continued. ¡°However, as expected, you look better as a wolf.¡± His face was getting closer to me little by little. ¡°W-what are you¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse. This is just my small favor to you.¡± Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The worst assumption in my head passed by. Like bugs crawling all over my body, terrible disgust slowly enveloped me. I desperately tried to resist, swinging my immobile arm. But only a small crack appeared on the ice, and I couldn¡¯t release my arms at all. ¡°N-no!¡± And eventually¡­He placed his lips on my forehead. Smack¨C ¡°Kuaaak!¡± A terrible feeling that cannot be expressed in words. I screamed painfully. At the same time, a message popped up in front of my eyes. [You¡¯ve received the blessing of the Savage God Turbak.] [Blessing is registered as a skill.] Classification: General Grade: B Description: A God¡¯s blessing that is suspiciously powerful. *Greatly increases resistance to the cold element. *Favored by all beasts. But I couldn¡¯t see it. I just stared into space with a blank look. Hongir looked down at me and spoke. ¡°I think this is the limit to the law of causality. Let¡¯s meet again next time. Human.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Then the overwhelming presence that dominated the surrounding area disappeared. The frozen ice melted into water in an instant. And the whole place turned into muddy water. ¡°¡­¡± I sat down in the puddle and stared blankly at Hongir¡¯s corpse. And¡­ Grabbing the part where his lips touched, I screamed. ¡°Aaaack!¡± An unfamiliar feeling that cannot be suppressed rose from deep within me. Anger that made my hands tremble without me even realizing it. Kill¡­I must kill that son of a bitch. I added it as number one on my must-kill list in my mind. There was no way to find or kill it right now, but¡­ I¡¯ll definitely kill it someday. Today¡¯s humiliation will never be forgotten. Thus, while I sat in the muddy water, I vowed to have my revenge. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ¡°Keueu¡­¡± Ko Changsu grabbed his throbbing head as he opened his eyes. His consciousness was still a blur and he felt lightheaded. ¡®Where¡­am I?¡¯ He realized that his body was half stuck in a puddle of muddy water. Amidst his blurred consciousness, he tried to retrace his memories. Then, the scene just before he passed out replayed in his head. [Ajeossi woke up again. Please do the same thing as before.] ¡°Heuk!¡± His tense body rose and he cautiously looked around. However, he couldn¡¯t see the appearance of Blackie anywhere. Instead, a landscape, which had turned into a mess as if it had been bombarded, welcomed him. A pile of collapsed trash, and the bodies of monsters all over the place. ¡°W-what the hell is going on?¡± What happened while he was unconscious? W the children safe? He hurriedly stood up and looked around. Then, he could see the fallen children gathered together in one place. It was not just one or two, but a number that seemed close to 50. He hurriedly checked the condition of each child. Fortunately, they seemed to have just lost unconsciousness, as there were no abnormalities with their bodies. He let out a small sigh of relief. ¡°Huu¡­Where did all of them come from anyway?¡± Questions arose belatedly. Why were there so many children gathered in one place? Some of them were quite familiar faces. They were children who he had kept an eye on because he thought they were being abused at home. ¡®No way¡­Did Noah do all of this?¡¯ The scale of the incident had become too big while he was unconscious. And for such a commotion, even if it was Guangcheng District, investigators were bound to be dispatched. ¡®If the investigators see this¡­¡¯ He looked at the dozens of children armed with guns and the countless bodies scattered on the ground. They were all monsters, but would the investigators believe that? Perhaps all the children involved in this will be seriously hurt. ¡®It¡¯s a big problem¡­¡¯ His expression hardened. Suddenly, a desperate cry came from somewhere. It was Noah¡¯s voice. ¡°N-Noah!¡± Did something happen to the boy? Ko Changsu immediately ran in the direction the sound had come from. Then there, he saw Noah sitting on the ground next to a large body of a man. It was a face that he remembers seeing somewhere. And soon he was able to recall the identity of the man. ¡®..Werewolf?¡¯ A notorious dark fixer who handles anything for money. He was a B-Rank villain that he had seen wanted posters of in the past. ¡®W-why is this dangerous guy here¡­? Wasn¡¯t he active in Pyongyang¡­¡¯ The reason why he was killed here wasn¡¯t clear, but he was certain it was related to Noah. ¡®Noah¡¯s strength¡­I can¡¯t believe it was enough to deal with a B-Rank villain.¡¯ How many people in the world can deal with B-Rank villains at Noah¡¯s age? It was a strength that cannot be understood by common sense. But that didn¡¯t mean Ko Changsu was happy for him. ¡®This¡­on the contrary, it could be poisonous to Noah.¡¯ His expression hardened. He had witnessed countless people become corrupted and turn into villains after gaining great strength at a young age. Rather than people who had turned to crime and became villains, there were many more people who had become villains because they had gained strength¡­ Maybe Noah will take a similar path. Unlike in the past, his behavior was already very wild and unconventional. ¡®Even Noah¡­I need to be firm and scold him.¡¯ He decided to take this opportunity to break Noah¡¯s habit and lead him on the right path. As he thought as such, he approached Noah. Then he called out to him in as strict of a voice as he could muster. ¡°Noah! You punk! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done, but¡­¡± The boy slowly raised his head. And, no words came to mind the moment he saw Noah¡¯s face. Was the expression of the ancestors who had lost their country a long time ago also like this? The boy¡¯s eyes seemed empty and lifeless. ¡°Oh¡­you¡¯re here. Ajeossi?¡± ¡°¡­¡± And the moment he heard Noah¡¯s sad and bitter voice, he realized. That this boy was trying to shoulder everything himself. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­that¡¯s what happened¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how, but it was clear that this child knew in advance of the disaster that would happen here today. However, in order to protect the residents of Guangcheng District, he stepped up where no hero would reach out first. So even though the boy knew it was the wrong way, he must have tried to protect this place in his own way. ¡®Yeah¡­There¡¯s no way a child who is so thoughtful and kind would become a villain all of a sudden.¡¯ In front of a child who was struggling alone with such a heavy burden, he had only nagged the child¡­ As an adult, he only felt ashamed. If he had strength in the first place, the boy would have trusted and told him everything¡­ ¡®However, there is still something I can do.¡¯ With determination, he spoke. ¡°Noah. Don¡¯t worry about the aftermath. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Oho! Why do you keep trying so hard on your own? I know you don¡¯t trust mister, but you can rely on me a little bit, kid! Don¡¯t say unnecessary things and hurry up and go. I¡¯ll wake up the kids.¡± In that way, he pushed Noah¡¯s back. And after a while, Ko Changsu, who was left alone in the garbage dump, had a thought. The boy will continue to help others with his own power in the future. Of course, he still felt anxious like a child standing on the shore of a beach, but he felt somewhat at ease knowing that the boy was capable of overpowering B-rank villains. Rather than that, adults who would want to use such a child may cause legal troubles like today. If so, there was only one thing to do. ¡®Anyhow¡­I think it¡¯s time to go back to Pyongyang.¡¯ For him who had failed to protect his son, he thought he didn¡¯t deserve to be a police officer. However, in order to help Noah in the future, the status of a police officer would be much more advantageous. It was time to get out of the past and move forward again. At that moment, Ko Changsu¡¯s face shone fiercely like his past days as a detective. ¡®¡­But will the uniform size fit me?¡¯ He sighed as he looked down at the increased belly fat compared to his younger days. * * * At a slum in the Guangcheng District. A gentleman with a monocle and a clean mustache could be seen. After taking a leisure walk around with a cane for a while, he stopped in front of a house that had been burnt black by a fire. ¡°Hm¡­it¡¯s a complete heap of ashes.¡± The house, which was only filled with skeletons, was gruesomely illuminated by the gradually rising sun. He stared at the scene with a satisfied smile and nodded. ¡°Fortunately, I think I¡¯ve come to the right place this time.¡± He raised his arm and waved it as if he was a conductor of an orchestra. Then, the structures of the collapsed house slowly regained its original form as if time was turning back. If someone witnessed this sight, they would have doubted their eyes. Soon, he opened the restored front door and entered the house. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He looked around the unfamiliar house. Black bodies like charcoal were scattered everywhere in the house that still had the warm scent of home. It was a bizarre disharmony. Suddenly, a weak groan came from the corner of the house. ¡°K-keuh¡­¡± ¡°You were there.¡± At the end of the gentleman¡¯s gaze, there was a boy lying on the floor wriggling. Unlike the other bodies, the boy was still breathing. The reason why he visited Guangcheng District today was to find a ¡®living dead.¡¯ ¡°T-thirsty¡­¡± A very cracked voice trickled from the boy. The gentleman smiled at the boy and spoke. ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll solve it for you soon.¡± He tapped his cane in the air. Then an opaque sphere formed and a woman in underwear fell out. ¡°W-where¡­?¡± The woman, who bumped her butt on the floor, looked around with a puzzled look. And soon after, when she saw a man standing in front of her, she immediately raised her fists, ready to fight. ¡°W-who are you?! A-are you a villain?!¡± ¡°Villain? I¡¯m just the host who has invited Miss here.¡± ¡°That! I-I knew it, a villain!¡± The woman immediately attacked the gentleman by firing flames from her fists. However, he waved his cane and the woman was stopped in place with her whole body frozen. ¡°Agh! W-what¡¯s this?! Release me! Do you know who I am¡­heup!¡± He quieted the noisy woman and approached the boy who was on the floor. The boy was breathing weakly as if he was about to die. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hurry up and eat. If you eat this, you¡¯ll feel better.¡± Saying so, he pushed the frozen woman¡¯s body at the boy. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Why not? The thirst you¡¯re feeling right now will be unbearable.¡± But the boy struggled to turn away from the woman. Then the gentleman smirked and spoke. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t introduce the dish well enough.¡± Like a chef explaining a dish, he elegantly whispered in the boy¡¯s ear. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who killed your family today?¡± Suddenly, the boy, who was lying on the floor like a corpse, grabbed the gentleman¡¯s arm. In his eye sockets, which were burnt out and only holes existed in its place, dark blue energy formed and swayed. ¡°Keuh¡­Tell me¡­Tell me!¡± ¡°His name is Hongir. He¡¯s a murder contractor called Werewolf. Oh, but unfortunately, he died a while ago.¡± ¡°Kueaaak! T-then who!¡­Who!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about that part slowly. First of all, this woman is the one who had put a hit on your family.¡± Crack¨C The boy¡¯s neck turned in an irreversible direction toward the woman. ¡°And funnily enough, this woman is the daughter of a famous hero family. Unlike you, she is someone who has everything.¡± ¡°W-why¡­!¡± The boy screamed in a very cracked voice. The gentleman kindly told him the reason. ¡°Probably, the only reason she ordered for your family to be killed is to cover up details of her drug purchases?¡± ¡°J-just¡­for that reason¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Just for that reason. For those heroes, their honor is more important than your family¡¯s life. What do you think? Doesn¡¯t this dish look quite appetizing now?¡± It was none other than a hero who had commissioned it. The boy looked at the struggling woman. She was the cause of his uncles¡¯ death. His younger sister, who excitedly dressed up her face, was also killed. ¡°Heup! Heup!¡± The woman cried. As if she was begging to be spared. ¡°Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold.¡± It was hard to hold back his thirst anymore. As such, he listened to the gentleman¡¯s honeyed words. And¡­ Crack¨C! ¡°Heup! Heuh! Heuh!¡± The boy began to eat the woman¡¯s body alive. Hot blood scattered like a sauce. Crack¨C! Crack¨C! It was befitting of the Night of the Dead where red food was eaten. Instead of the red food that the boy wanted to eat with his family, he drank the red blood to his heart¡¯s content. At some point, the woman stopped screaming. The boy savored the sweet taste of revenge as he licked up the blood off the floor. Gulp¡ª He swallowed the last piece of flesh in his mouth. Then the gentleman smiled gently and asked. ¡°How was it? Were you satisfied with your meal?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not enough.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to prepare more because I was busy. But don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s a separate main dish prepared.¡± The boy¡¯s body, which was as black as a chunk of charcoal, suddenly half of his body sprouted new flesh. ¡°Main¡­dish?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Dinner is several, no, tens, hundreds of times more than today¡¯s meal. If you follow me, you¡¯ll be able to enjoy the main dish.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes shook for a moment at the gentleman¡¯s words. And soon he nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision. Oh, by the way, I don¡¯t even know your name yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fernando¡­And¡­you are¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, I guess I¡¯m a bit late to introduce myself too. Then, let me officially introduce myself.¡± Bowing gracefully like an old noble, the gentleman spoke. ¡°My name is Azazel, captain of the special forces in the 1st Army Corps of the demon army and your savior who had come down under the order of the great Evil God.¡± A purple glow swayed in Azazel¡¯s eyes as he greeted the boy. * * * Having spent a short but long night in Guangcheng District, I returned home using the warrior teleportation skill. Seeing my whole face covered in blood, Choi Bokhee sighed as if she was close to resignation, while Elizabeth, who was next to me, looked at the wound on my body and made a fuss. And a few days later, on the news, there were reports about the tragedy that took place in Guangcheng District. For some reason, there was no mention of me. It seemed that Hairy did something just as he had boasted he would. I¡¯m not sure why he had suddenly decided to do it, but it was good for me because it was one less hassle. Also, I¡¯m not sure what happened afterwards to the children who I gave guns to. At that time, I was so tired that I returned home immediately, but now that I think about it, I realized that I had forgotten to retrieve my weapons. Honestly, it was a bit of a waste, but I was too lazy to go back and find them, so I decided to chalk it up as a charity to the newbies. There were still quite a few weapons in my inventory anyway, so it didn¡¯t really matter. Since then, I¡¯ve stayed inside the house to focus on preparing to become a hero. A few months later. ¡°Noah, hurry up and come down. It¡¯s starting soon.¡± Elizabeth, wearing sleeping trousers, peeked out of a shadow on the floor. Perhaps because she has been steadily tutored by Choi Bokhee, a rather witch-like air was flowing out of her. ¡°Okay.¡± I took the shadow tunnel she made for me and moved to the living room. Originally, there were antique decorations, but before I knew it, there was a hologram TV placed here. It was an item that Elizabeth, a big fan of television dramas, had suddenly brought home one day. At first, Choi Bokhee was angry and opposed it, but I knew that she secretly watches cartoons every night. ¡°Oho! I remember I told you not to use magic inside the house.¡± A fan of sternly scolded Elizabeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Teacher, it¡¯s starting soon¡­¡± ¡°Huu¡­When have you ever listened to me?¡± Choi Bokhee sighed briefly before turning on the TV with a remote control. Then, with a large crowd gathered in front of Jonggak in Pyongyang, the appearance of a reporter was reflected on the hologram. ¡°It sounds wonderful¡­I wanted to go there today.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much going on there. Time is relative and imperfect anyway. You¡¯re a witch and you don¡¯t even know that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true for someone who has lived as long as teacher. Wait? Teacher, aren¡¯t you older than that bell?¡± ¡°W-what? What¡¯s this way of talking to your teacher who¡¯s as high as the heavens?!¡± From the side, I can hear Elizabeth and Choi Bokhee grumbling. Elizabeth still seemed to be upset that Choi Bokhee stopped her from going a few days ago because she found it troublesome. I turned up the volume while leaving them alone. ¨C Okay! At this moment, the countdown has started! Everyone is waiting for the upcoming year of the monkey with their wishes! ¨C Now, 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Dong¨C A heavy bell rang through the speakers. ¡°Happy New Year! Noah, congratulations on being a year older! Hehe, now just 7 more years¡­¡± ¡°I hope you stay strong and healthy this year¡­No. That isn¡¯t it. Please don¡¯t cause any more trouble¡­¡± The two pour out words of blessing as if they had waited. At that moment, Ding¨C! A new message came to my mind. [Challenge ¨C Hero¡¯s Journey] Condition: Obtain a Hero License. Period: 1 year. Reward: Reward varies depending on Hero Rank. Good timing. At this moment, I am 13 years old. In other words, I can now become a hero. Finally, new content will open. Everything passed by like a flash after the start of the second round. A short but long time of patience. Somehow, I felt emotional. As soon as I thought that, suddenly, a roar burst out of the speakers. Boom-! And the hologram screen turned bright red. At first, I thought it was broken, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Thousands of citizens gathered in front of Jonggak in Pyongyang were crushed as a group as if they were buried by a bulldozer. ¡°W-what¡¯s this¡­¡± Elizabeth asked in a trembling voice. But even if she asks, I don¡¯t know the answer. Maybe it was another villain. Normal daily life that happens everywhere in the world. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t really interested. More than that, I felt mentally tired, perhaps because the habit of sleeping early has become a part of my daily life these days. ¡°I¡¯ll go up first and sleep.¡± As soon as I was about to go up the stairs, someone¡¯s voice from the speakers grabbed my ankles. ¨C It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you all. Everyone. A stilted voice as if it was said by an actor. The weak magic contained in it strangely stimulated my senses. Where else did I feel this? ¨C I wasn¡¯t going to greet you all like this, but this is also part of fate. I turned my head slowly. Then there, I saw a man with a monocle and a clean mustache. And¡­The man looked at the camera and spoke. ¨C My name is Azazel, your savior who came down to this land at the command of the great Evil God. From your point of view, I can be called the ¡®devil¡¯ that you normally refer to. Well, I think this is enough for today¡¯s greeting, so I¡¯ll pay another visit soon. At the same time, the TV broadcast was cut off, and a lost signal screen replaced it. A moment of silence. Then the two people who were watching the TV rushed to make a fuss. ¡°N-Noah, did you just hear that? There are really devils in this world¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? Evil God¡­¡± But their voices didn¡¯t reach my ears. More than that, I was caught up in one question. Why has a devil already appeared? It was a fact that in the first round they would appear 20 years later. Even when playing games, the story sometimes changes depending on the choices, so it wasn¡¯t completely incomprehensible. But the important thing is, why did he appear at this point of time? Maybe¡­I guess it was related to what I¡¯ve killed so far. It had only been a few months since the second round started. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a connection between us, or if it was really just a coincidence¡­ Things just got a little more complicated. But what I have to do is simple. Ding¨C [Challenge ¨C Light that Annihilates the Devil.] Condition: Subdue Azazel, captain of the special forces of the demon army. Period: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Unknown. If they come to me on their own accord, honestly, I¡¯m just thankful. Maybe I can get revenge on the demons at a faster rate than I had thought. ¡°Good.¡± At the surprise update 20 years ahead of schedule, I smiled deeply. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 37 Chapter 37 A dark closed room. On top of a huge round table, holographic symbols began to rise one by one. If a person who understood the meaning of these symbols saw it, they would be truly shocked. From the symbol of the imperial monarch who once conquered the continent to the symbol of a giant corporation who was at the cutting edge of science and technology. These were the actual rulers of Earth who were controlling the world government from the dark. Soon, a girl in a wheelchair with tubes all over her body entered the room. And when she stopped in front of the round table, the meeting finally began. ¡°It seems like everyone is here. I think everyone can guess as to why I had organized today¡¯s meeting.¡± Someone impatiently spoke. ¨C Okay, let¡¯s get straight to the point. How come a devil has appeared on Earth at this time? ¨C According to the Oracle¡¯s prediction, shouldn¡¯t it be 20 years from now? Could the Oracle have been wrong? At the person¡¯s words, the conference hall chilled. What they called the Oracle was actually a tool that can predict the future by connecting the brains of superhumans with prediction abilities. For the first time today, this absolute ability that allowed them to control the world had failed in its prediction. And, they realized that the vested interests they have maintained so far may collapse if there was truly a problem with its prediction ability. For a while, the people who were gathered noisily expressed their opinions. Then, the girl who was watching all of this spoke. ¡°The Oracle¡¯s prediction was for the invasion to be 20 years from now, and the prediction itself is still valid.¡± ¨C Then, what do you call the devil incident today? ¡°The full-fledged invasion will be in 20 years. It never predicted there won¡¯t be any pawns before that. Perhaps there were already demons that had entered Earth.¡± ¨C Did you leave that part out even though you knew? Why didn¡¯t you use your hands when you knew the demons would be coming over? ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want to cause variables. Don¡¯t we already know the definite future in which mankind wins? Then what¡¯s so important about what¡¯s going to happen in the meantime?¡± ¨C That¡¯s certainly the case. Even if we are pushed back by the demon army, mankind will eventually win. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the key point of ¡®The Great Reset¡¯ that we¡¯ve planned.¡± Like the girl said, Earth¡¯s vested interests have long predicted the demon invasion. As a result, it was predicted that mankind would suffer great damage but eventually win. And if mankind was going to win anyway, rather than spend resources and prepare for the future, they even came to the idea of using it as an opportunity. Using the demon army, they planned to reduce the supersaturated Earth¡¯s population and create a perfectly controlled society. The name of the plan was The Great Reset. ¡°So as we¡¯ve always done, we just have to wait for the already confirmed future. However, the problem with this matter is¡­rather than the concern with the demon race, it¡¯s about finding the cause of the twist in the prediction.¡± ¨C Do you have any idea what it might be? ¡°The Oracle¡¯s future prediction is to see the fate of this world. And as you all know, there are certain existences who can interfere with the fate of the world.¡± ¨C Ah! When the girl¡¯s word fell, exclamation bursts out everywhere in the meeting room. ¨C Ah¡­I see. It was like that. ¨C Hm¡­if this old man is understanding it right, do you mean that there is a person born with the ¡®Emperor¡¯ constitution on Earth? ¨C It¡¯s certainly possible for a Warrior to change the fate of the world. Warrior or Emperor. Born with the energy of a star, they could be said to be existences that can change the fate of the world. For this reason, the deviation in the Oracle¡¯s prediction could be explained if a Warrior was involved. Those who realized that the Oracle wasn¡¯t broken breathed a sigh of relief. Which meant the measure to maintain their vested interests was still in good shape. ¨C It¡¯s also understandable why the demons suddenly made a move. From their point of view, Warriors are like natural enemies. ¨C Um¡­If so, would it be better to remove the Warrior variable? ¨C No. In our Empire, there are ways to tame Warriors left by our ancestors. If we use it, we¡¯ll have another new card in our hands. ¨C Oh? Is that so? As expected, this is the specialty of nobles living in the fantasy world. Then, if we think about it in the direction of taming the warrior¡­ The moment everyone regained their peace of mind and continued their conservation in a friendly manner, the girl spoke again. ¡°Everyone¡¯s judgment is too optimistic. Why do you all think that the person who appeared this time is a Warrior?¡± ¨C What do you mean? Other than the Warrior, who else in the world¡­ah! ¡°You guessed it. If a Warrior is a person who positively changes the fate of the world, on the contrary, there are also existences who will destroy the world. And we don¡¯t know which existence it is yet.¡± Beast of Chaos, in other words, the Celestial Wolf. Its name varied from dimension to dimension, but they all knew. Sometimes, contrary to Warriors, existences that will lead the fate of the world to destruction may emerge. Those who belatedly realized that fact cursed. ¨C Shit! What should we do now? What if a Warrior wasn¡¯t born, but the Beast of Chaos? ¨C Wouldn¡¯t it be better to find it right now and kill it? If it joins the demon army 20 years from now, the future of mankind winning will also be twisted. ¡°No¡­There¡¯s still time left, so it¡¯s not good to move hastily no matter what its identity is. In the worst case, the tip of the knife may fall on us if we cause an unexpected change.¡± ¨C Is there any other way? The girl answered. ¡°First, Pyongyang is the origin of this incident. So¡­For the time being, it¡¯s best to keep an eye on it and wait for the Oracle¡¯s prediction.¡± As such, their meeting continued late into the night. * * * I checked my status window after a long time. Body: 3.00 -> 3.38 (+0.38) Dexterity: 2.29 -> 3.04 (+0.75) Mana: 2.35 -> 3.12 (+0.77) Spirit: 2.30 -> 3.13 (+0.83) Hehe¡­great. After catching Pero and Hongir, my level rose by nine, and in the months since then, I¡¯ve hunted whenever I had time and was able to gain two more levels. I could have reached level 40 if I continued farming, but at some point, the monsters stopped respawning. Perhaps because rumors had spread among the gangsters, but the hunting ground seemed to have dried up. Nonetheless, all of my stats still reached 3. And because of that, my body¡¯s durability has increased further. Now even if I were to jump off the model tower that humans were said to be the most afraid of, my legs would only feel a little numb. Next, I checked my skills. The skills I currently have were as follows. In addition to these, I also have , , , and from my items. And¡­ Thanks to having leveled up 11 times, I¡¯ve acquired two new skills. First, for the Level 30 Skill Selection, I was able to acquire the long-awaited qigong technique. There were definitely more useful skills starting from level 30. Classification: Mortal Grade: D Description: Improved breathing method of ¡®Inner Heart¡¯ based on a half-baked martial art. Fatal disadvantage of falling into qi deviation the more you¡¯re plagued by a heart demon. *Side effects disappear when a person with strong mental strength or a lunatic who has already gone crazy learns this technique. In fact, I had hesitated to choose this at first because I was worried about the side effects, but I boldly chose it with the idea of using it as synthesis material if it didn¡¯t work out. And fortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be much of a problem so far. For a while, I continued to hunt using mana in Guangcheng District, and there were no side effects such as qi deviation or my mind turning evil. I guess it was probably thanks to my Spirit being above 3. Anyway, for Level 35 Skill Selection, a special selection had appeared due to the achievement. Classification: Magic Grade: B Description: Consume mana and mental energy to create a sacred shield. *Very effective against ¡®evil¡¯ and ¡®demon¡¯ properties. Hmm¡­ In fact, I had agonized over it when I chose this skill because I wasn¡¯t sure about it. I naturally preferred to use a knife to cut rather than blocking and hitting with a shield. It was different from what I was used to, but in this round, my ultimate goal was to fight the demon army. I thought this kind of concept play wouldn¡¯t be bad. Well, I can make use of the holy option and synthesize it later. Anyway, after I checked my stat again, I could feel the practicality of my strength. Just from my physical ability alone, it would be possible for me to become a D-Rank hero right now¡­ In addition, while other heroes have one or two superpowers, I could already use 13 skills. If it was like this, I could very well be assigned to C-Rank right from the start. But above all, my goal was to reach A-Rank before I turn 20. Moving from B-Rank to A-Rank would be a tough barrier, but it was a plan that was perfectly possible at my current pace. Hmm¡­By the way, where should I use this? The last precious strengthening skill consumable to advance a skill one stage. It would be a waste to use it now, so I left it there. But in fact, these days, the urge to just yell out loud is getting stronger. However, I¡¯ll have to endure it until the next skill comes out. Since it was a rare item, it would be best to use it on a high-grade skill if possible. While I organized my thoughts, I heard Elizabeth¡¯s voice from the side. ¡°Noah! We¡¯re almost there.¡± As I looked out the window at her words, I noticed a tall forest of buildings. Justice Town, the fourth main city of Neo Pyongyang. Including the Hero Association, it was a place where various guilds and equipment companies were located. Our car stopped in front of a building resembling a glass pyramid. It was the Hero Association main building. And I¡­for the foreseeable week will be taking the Hero License Exam here. During the first round, I had came here to terrorize¡­ I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m here to become a hero. For some reason, I felt emotional. Once the car stopped, the door opened on its own. And handing over a large bag, Elizabeth spoke. ¡°There are snacks and food inside, and I brought a change of clothes, so wear them.¡± ¡°Thank you, nuna.¡± I pushed the bag she had handed me into my inventory. ¡°Noah, good luck on your exam!! If you pass and come back, I¡¯ll make your wish come true! Hehe¡­Of course, even if you fail, I can fulfill your wish¡­¡± Boom¨C! I closed the car door, ignoring Elizabeth, who was talking nonsense even before the exam. And then the car automatically left for somewhere. Applicants who were going to take the same exam as me could be seen crowding around the main building. Perhaps because it was a job where they could hold honor and money as a hero, the number of people who wanted to take the exam was rather high. I should get going now. As soon as I thought that, I heard a familiar voice from the side. ¡°Choi Naoh!¡± Turning my head, I saw Eugene showing his face through the window of a black limousine. Soon, an entourage of cars following the limousine stopped. Large people in black suits descended and lined up next to the limousine. After that, the limousine¡¯s back door opened and Eugene appeared. ¡°¡±¡±Good luck on your exam, young master!¡±¡±¡± They all bowed their heads at the same time as their loud shout drew the attention of the surrounding applicants. However, as if it was natural, Eugene nodded and walked between them. No, it seemed that he was rather enjoying it. After exiting the line of black suits, the brat approached me at a rapid pace. ¡°My friend! I thought you would be here!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while, Eugene.¡± ¡°Seeing that we met by chance like this, does this mean we¡¯re friends who can connect without having to say anything?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This punk who I haven¡¯t met in a long time chattered noisily. Was he always this talkative? ¡°I¡¯m taking the high-rank hero exam this time. What about you?¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°As expected! I thought so. With this, I can compete fairly with you this time. Isn¡¯t it also fun to compete with close friends?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Well, that¡¯s true.¡± He had been talking nonstop for a while, but suddenly, he stopped. What was it? His gaze was fixed on one place. And at the end of his gaze was the bracelet that he had given me. ¡°That bracelet¡­You were wearing it.¡± His eyes were unusual. Don¡¯t tell me he wants it back because he regrets giving it to me? No way. So far, I¡¯ve never been deprived of anything that came into my hand. I glared at him with a stern look and spoke. ¡°To me, this is already the same thing as my life. I can¡¯t trade it for anything. Obviously, this is the bracelet you gave me. I still haven¡¯t forgotten about it. But don¡¯t even let me start on what I¡¯ll do if anyone tries to take this bracelet away.¡± ¡°Heu-eum¡­I-is that so?¡± With my impenetrable defense, the corners of his mouth twitched little by little. Seeing that his face was turning red for some reason, he seemed to be quite embarrassed that his intention was blocked. He lowered his head for a moment as if to force himself to fix his expression. Soon after, he changed the subject. ¡°I-I¡¯ve been living in China these days.¡± ¡°China?¡± ¡°Because my adopted father lives in China. Oh, also everyone calls me Cheon Yeosin now.¡± It seems that his stepfather¡¯s last name was Cheon. In fact, I wasn¡¯t very interested in where he went. However, I can see a sword hanging from his waist. A pitch black Chinese sword with a white thread hanging from it. At first glance, it gave off an unusual energy. This Golden Goblin had brought another treasure. Come to think of it, I think it was time for him to pay his friend¡¯s fee. I cut off the chatterbox and asked. ¡°What¡¯s that? The sword on your waist.¡± Then the brat proudly puffed out his chest and spoke. ¡°Ha, you mean this? This is a treasure sword that my stepfather gave me as a gift. The name is Soma Sword. It¡¯s a very good item even for me who has high standards.¡± Hm¡­ Soma Sword. I like the name too. There was a sword with a similar name in my old collection. I asked him. ¡°Can I borrow it for a day?¡±¡® ¡°H-Huh?¡± With a difficult look, he continued. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­I¡¯m sorry. My stepfather forbade me from taking this off my body, so even if you ask me, I can¡¯t lend it to you.¡± ¡°Forbid you? Was there really such a thing? It¡¯s because you don¡¯t want to lend it to me, right?¡± ¡°N-no! I¡¯m telling the truth. I wouldn¡¯t lie to my friend! Trust me.¡± He looked at me with a tearful face. Looking at that, there really seemed to be something. That¡¯s too bad. For the time being, I don¡¯t think it would be bad to leave this punk with my Soma Sword a little longer. ¡°Hmm¡­Okay. I hope you let me know when the ban is lifted.¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll let you know first.¡± It was only then that his face glowed and he talked about this and that again. Then I asked him what had been on my mind for a while. ¡°But why are you taking the exam in Pyongyang when you said you live in China?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For some reason, this brat stopped talking for a while. * * * Saintess Samaria manipulated a tablet and examined the faces of the applicants who will be taking the exam this time. While scrolling down like that, she unconsciously blurted out. ¡°There are quite a few young applicants this time.¡± Perhaps they had been influenced by the articles on Noah. Only the Pyongyang branch had seen an increase in young applicants. In particular, there were two 13-year-old applicants, which was the minimum age to take the hero exam. Both of them were also taking the high-rank D-Rank exam. It was really unusual considering that the average age of those taking the high-rank exam was 30. ¡®Cheon Eugene.¡¯ She looked at the profile floating on the tablet. Coincidentally, this young girl was also a child that was involved in the hotel terrorist incident on the same day as Noah. And what happened since then was that she was adopted by the Cheonma Order in China. ¡®I don¡¯t know why this girl came all the way here to take the exam¡­¡¯ But she was certain of one thing. Even if this child obtains a hero license, she would never belong to the Pyongyang branch. Since she belonged to the Cheonma Order, it was highly likely that she would act independently. ¡®And¡­¡¯ She manipulated the tablet to float the next profile. There was a beautiful boy with black hair and purple eyes smiling. ¡®Choi Noah.¡¯ Looking at Noah¡¯s picture, she took out a cigarette and lit it. The long spout of smoke spread through the office. ¡®The way he looks is just my taste.¡¯ She had constant articles written on Noah ever since the hotel incident so that interests in the boy wouldn¡¯t die down. So now, everyone in the Pyongyang hero industry has been very interested in what Noah looks like and what kind of person he is. However, unlike them, she saw something different. If she could make the flower that everyone wanted into her own¡­ ¡°Haa¡­¡± Thinking of how she¡¯ll tame the boy, she already felt like her whole body was heating up. ¡°Ah¡­I can¡¯t wait.¡± She let out a hot moan with dazed eyes. * * * It¡¯s often said that being a hero requires three virtues. Wisdom, the understanding of various laws to work as a hero. Integrity, the ethical quality to be a hero. Courage, the combat capability that actually determines your hero rank. And among them, I was currently sitting in the 1st test room to check my wisdom. The supervisor spoke. ¡°As you all know, any and all electronic devices will not be allowed here at the test site. And please be careful because there are barriers installed that can detect whenever superpowers or magic is used.¡± ¡°Also, if you are caught cheating, you¡¯ll be disqualified from taking the hero exam for the next three years, so please be mindful of this.¡± The high-rank hero exam was a fairly difficult exam with an average age of nearly 30. Everything from the number of subjects to the test time was different from the low-rank hero test that could be passed with your eyes closed. For an ordinary 13-year-old child, passing a test like this may be impossible, but I¡¯m a second time gamer. No one can match my career as a gamer. So for me, who could memorize numerous boss patterns, this won¡¯t be difficult. As soon as I thought that, a man in his mid-30s next to me glanced at me and spoke. ¡°¡­Even children are coming to take the exam these days. Hey! If you make any noise during the exam, I¡¯m going to end your life after this is over. It¡¯s my 10th try this time, so keep in mind that I don¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Instead of answering, I checked the man¡¯s exam number. No. 18218. I kept his number in my mind. I should kill him after the exam. Soon, the supervisor who was looking at the clock spoke. ¡°The test starts now.¡± I looked at the tablet on the desk as problems appeared. This was the moment to prove my efforts. This is nothing, it¡¯s going to be a piece of cake. Question #1. Immediately after A kills B with the intention of robbery, if C who was passing by threatens B and extorts A¡¯s wallet and money, in the process of suppression, they are recognized as accomplices¡­ ¡®¡­¡¯ Except for me, I could hear the chaotic tapping of keyboards around me. Even the No. 18218 guy was solving the questions at a high speed. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if they knew it or was just pretending. After looking at the question for a while, I opened my status window. ¡­Now that it was like this, let¡¯s go with Plan B. *Elizabeth Then, in front of my eyes, Elizabeth who only I could see appeared. She raised her glasses that she had gotten from somewhere and confidently spoke. ¨C I was waiting! Then she began searching the internet as she called out the answers to my question at a frightening speed. ¨C Question #1, 3! Question #2, 5! Hm¡­I guess there¡¯s no need to read the questions? I¡¯m not doing it because I don¡¯t know. It was just because I¡¯m lazy. It was normal to use the internet during the quiz stages. I faithfully wrote down the answers she gave me, and that¡¯s how the 1st test ended safely. And I¡­In the 1st test, which boasted the highest difficulty ever, became the only perfect scorer in the country. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Model Tower / Mock Tower (???). 2. Emperor is the constellation Polaris. Author used Emperor Star. 3. Celestial Wolf is the constellation Sirius. Author used Sirius. 4. Golden Goblin is found in ARPG games like Diablo. They drop gold/treasures. 5. Eugene is addressed as ¡®young heir,¡¯ but that doesn¡¯t sound natural so I went with young master. 6. Yeosin means Goddess. I¡¯m not sure why author wrote that and then went back to Eugene. 7. Noah has dark hair currently. It has been mentioned twice, so probably not a typo. 8. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 38 Chapter 38 The test results were quickly compiled less than an hour after the 1st test. A total of 48,947 applicants took the exam in Korea this time, 1.5 times higher than last year¡¯s. However, out of everyone, only one person had gotten a perfect score. And the person in question was¡­A 13-year-old boy who was taking the exam at the Hero Association¡¯s Pyongyang branch. Choi Noah. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right. I checked several times, but no signs of cheating were found during the test. Yes, yes¡­¡± Pyongyang branch¡¯s briefing room. Employees who were in charge of managing and supervising the exam were suffering from calls by the higher ups due to the perfect score crisis. If this was any other time, a perfect score on the written test wouldn¡¯t be that surprising, however, the significance of the Hero License Exam conducted this time was slightly different. All because of the massacre of civilians that occurred in Jonggak Pyongyang earlier this year. After the incident, one uncertain future was predicted concerning the force of the demon army. And that is, in this year¡¯s Hero License Exam, there may be spies from the demons. Therefore, after the World Hero Association was given this information, they had decided to significantly increase the difficulty of this year¡¯s exam. The plan was to narrow down the range of suspects in the prediction by reducing the number of successful applicants. They purposely wanted to weed out the candidates with tough questions, but even with that, a perfect score had suddenly come out. And coincidentally, the place where the perfect score had come from was Pyongyang, the site of the terrorist attack, so the Hero Association had every reason to be restless. Amidst the hectic environment, someone opened the door of the briefing room and entered. It was a woman in a black clergy uniform whose thighs were barely exposed. ¡°Oh, what brings Saintess here? We plan on meeting the candidate and investigating it, so please wait a little bit more¡­¡± A staff member, who was busy directing the situation, jumped up from his seat and said. However, Samaria stopped him. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Our anti-cheating system is perfect. It was designed by a S-Rank hero.¡± ¡°B-but¡­It¡¯s inconceivable that a 13-year-old child could even answer questions at the university level no matter how much you think about it.¡± As the man said, the test wasn¡¯t at a level that a 13-year-old child could solve. Contents that even those who majored in related laws would only know by searching through their books. There wouldn¡¯t have been enough time for a child to study all of those books. However, at the man¡¯s words, Samaria tilted her head. ¡°Hmm¡­Isn¡¯t it just that the candidate is a genius? There are many people in the world who have talents that are inconceivable. Also, even if he really did cheat, to avoid our surveillance network, we must accept that it¡¯s also a talent.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Then, what should we do now?¡± The Saintess, who was smiling, hardened her expression. ¡°Are you really asking me that? Of course, we have to submit it as a grade.¡± ¡°B-but¡­It¡¯s a different result from the Hero Association¡¯s expectation, so there could be a spark¡­¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s in line with their expectation or not, the result is the result. Don¡¯t try to be overly loyal in a place like this for no reason and pay more attention to your work.¡± ¡°S-sorry.¡± At her words, the man bowed his head. Then she continued. ¡°And, on the contrary, you have to think about taking advantage of this opportunity.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Spill the results to the media in a little while.¡± ¡°What? B-but it¡¯s only been the first day. If the test results are leaked¡­¡± ¡°Why are you worried about that? Honestly, it¡¯s not even the first time, right? Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been selling information on candidates while taking bribes?¡± ¡°N-no¡­T-that¡¯s¡­Ha, I understand.¡± The man eventually gave up and nodded. He soon sent the information regarding Choi Noah to a newspaper in downtown Pyongyang. Samaria smiled inside as she saw it. ¡®To think he had such a gifted intellect¡­¡¯ The boy was definitely cut out to be a star. After all, recognition and reputation were the most important aspects to being a hero. At this rate, if the boy can make a splendid hero debut, he may even become a world-famous figure beyond Pyongyang in the future. Until now, the Hero Association had deliberately worked behind the scenes to not reveal the boy¡¯s face or detailed personal information, but now was the perfect time to solve everyone¡¯s curiosity. In the most difficult exam ever, the only perfect score was achieved by the young hero who had prevented the terrorist attack! ¡®A coincidence or inevitable¡­Thanks to him, the picture came out well.¡¯ Samaria unknowingly licked her lips with her tongue. And for a while, the male employees in the briefing room who saw it were unable to look away. * * * The Hero License Exam lasted for a week. So accommodations for the candidates were also prepared in advance. After the 1st test, candidates unpacked their luggage in their respective assigned rooms according to the supervisor¡¯s guidance. Then in the free time that came afterwards, instead of preparing for tomorrow¡¯s test or taking a break, everyone flocked to the lobby as if it was premeditated. Their purpose was the large electronic display attached to the wall. The ranking for today¡¯s test was being shown in real time on it. It was a measure to help everyone make strategic judgments in their future cooperative tests. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the top of the ranking. [Pyongyang Test Site Ranking] [1st ¨C 500 points. Exam No. 13579] And after checking the score shown, everyone¡¯s expressions turned blank as if they were speechless. ¡°Perfect¡­score?¡± ¡°No, does that make sense? If it¡¯s a perfect score, it means that it¡¯s the number one in the country.¡± After taking the test questions themselves today, they could vividly feel how ridiculous this score was. This is because, unlike previous tests, the scope of the test was full of concepts that they had never even heard of before, as if the test was for a different subject. Everyone looked around to see if they could find the monster who had produced such a result. Wouldn¡¯t such a guy be the main character? In order to form a good team in the upcoming cooperative tasks, it was better to get to know each other as soon as possible and lay the groundwork for the future. This was also another type of test outside the test site. As soon as the lobby was buzzing and making a fuss, the sweet voice of a young child, which didn¡¯t go well with this place, was heard. ¡°As expected! You¡¯re my friend after all. A perfect score!¡± Everyone¡¯s heads turned at once. There were two very eye-catching children looking at the electronic display. They checked the exam number on the children¡¯s chest. No. 13579. It was the same number as the first place. ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t believe it. A kid like that is first place?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been preparing for this test for four years¡­Did I lose to a kid like him?¡± The voices of disbelief leaked out everywhere. They despairingly overheard the conversation between the two children. ¡°My friend. How on earth did you study to get that score?¡± ¡°I just studied textbooks.¡± ¡°Sure enough¡­Whether it¡¯s swordsmanship or academics, the foundation is important. Thanks to you, I¡¯ve learned another thing.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you only get one question wrong?¡± At the boy¡¯s words, everyone looked at the electronic screen again. [2nd ¨C 497 points. Exam No. 07942] ¡°Fuck! What a surprise!¡± ¡°Ha¡­The world is so unfair.¡± Those who had just sighed began to curse. They couldn¡¯t believe two young children had gotten first and second place side by side. It could be said to be really ridiculous scores, considering that the test score of the third place after them didn¡¯t exceed 400 points. In the midst of such buzz, a group attempted to approach them first. A man in his mid-30s. His chest had the exam No. 18218 on it. He raised his hand and happily greeted the two. ¡°Aye, you¡¯re an amazing guy. Do you remember me? It¡¯s really nice to see you again.¡± The man gave a friendly smile and intervened between them. Then Eugene smiled and asked Noah. ¡°Oh? Friend. Is this man your acquaintance? If so, please introduce him to me.¡± With an indifferent attitude, Noah spoke. ¡°No, he¡¯s the man who had threatened to kill me after the exam.¡± Chaang¨C At the same time, Eugene pulled out the Soma Sword worn on her waist. The blade, which flew in an instant, stopped in front of the man¡¯s throat. ¡°How dare you! You lowly commoner. Did you say you¡¯re going to kill my friend?¡± ¡°W-what? I-I just wanted to greet him¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t kowtow here right now, I¡¯ll pull out your tongue. You should be grateful that this is Earth.¡± ¡°K-keuk¡­¡± Then the group standing behind the man pulled out Japanese swords from their waists at the same time. ¡°You rascal! Take the young master¡¯s sword!¡± A very tense situation. Other candidates watched with excitement. Perhaps two strong competitors will disappear due to violating the rules. At that moment, a clear voice of a woman that seemed to have calmed their excitement was heard. ¡°Everyone, stop.¡± Saintesss Samaria then appeared in the lobby. She quickly intervened and mediated the fight. ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°W-what?!¡± Those who had their swords out were putting them away, regardless of their will. ¡°Keuk.¡± Eugene resisted the unknown force for a moment before putting her sword away with her own will. An overwhelming difference in strength. It was the moment when the true ability of an A-Rank hero was revealed. When the situation seemed to have been sorted out, Samaria smiled kindly and asked. ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Don¡¯t you know that personal fights on the test site will result in a disqualification?¡± ¡°That guy threatened to kill my friend first!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Is that true?¡± Samaria looked at No. 18218 and asked. The man, who was looking at her thighs up close, suddenly looked up in surprise. ¡°A-ah¡­That¡¯s true, but I was just anxious back then¡­¡± ¡°So you say it¡¯s true. Well, I won¡¯t disqualify you for this, so let¡¯s wrap this up with a sincere apology.¡± ¡°B-but those guys¡­¡± ¡°Come on~ Hurry up and apologize. Candidates.¡± She spoke in a sticky and sweet voice. Then, the men who had tried to resist fiercely bowed their heads in a dreamy look. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°You did a great job. Now go up to your rooms.¡± ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± Like obedient puppies, they returned to their rooms according to her words. After that, she spoke to the other candidates that had gathered in the lobby. ¡°Now that everyone has checked the rankings, I recommend you all go ahead and take a rest. Shouldn¡¯t you all be preparing for the test tomorrow?¡± Then the people in the lobby also left one by one, and the wide lobby regained its usual atmosphere. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go up now too.¡± As soon as the two children were about to leave after saying goodbye, Samaria called out to Noah. ¡°Hold on No. 13579, can I talk to you for a second?¡± ¡°Me?¡± She looked at Noah with a sweet smile. * * * What the hell was this woman up to? I looked at the woman in front of me. I think I¡¯ve seen her somewhere, but I don¡¯t remember. One thing is for certain, this woman likes attention. ¡°Can we go somewhere quiet and talk for a bit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. Can¡¯t we just do it here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Okay. We¡¯ll do that.¡± She took a step closer to me. And then a sweet scent of perfume came. ¡°Noah¡­Oh, it¡¯s okay to call you by your name, right?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you not reveal your identity during the exam period?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m a supervisor, so it¡¯s okay. More than that, do you know who the people who made a fuss a while ago were?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s our first time seeing each other today.¡± I don¡¯t know why this woman suddenly started talking nonsense. She gave me a rather serious look. ¡°It¡¯s good to be careful of them. He¡¯s the son of a prestigious family who has been taking the exam for nearly 10 years because he isn¡¯t talented, and they are a very evil group who disturb others in the test sites to drop them out.¡± ¡°Why? Is there a special reason?¡± ¡°Because of jealousy.¡± I roughly accepted her advice and then turned around. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll go up now.¡± I can¡¯t believe she was wasting my time with such a useless story. I should go up quickly and play games. As soon as I thought that, she suddenly pulled my collar and hugged me. And¡­ Flutter¨C! Black feathers flew in all directions, and large wings wrapped around me. In an instant, the surrounding landscape changed. I found myself standing in a cramped boundary full of feathers. Wuung¨C! I quickly took out my sword and swung it at her. However, the feathers around me stopped the sword from moving. And then with a gleam in her eyes, she burst into a smile. ¡°Ahahaha! I knew this would happen! This blatant killing tent! As expected, Noah is the same type of person as me!¡± She looked at me with a mad glisten in her eyes. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Haa¡­You don¡¯t have to hide it like that. You and I are the only ones here anyway.¡± She said, twisting her body. I could feel her hot breath in the narrow boundary. ¡°Like me, Noah likes killing villains, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, well¡­Yes. Villains are bad people, so I think they should disappear.¡± ¡°You too! I knew it! Ahaha!¡± I wondered if she was testing me, but now that I see it, she was just a crazy woman. [Favorability has increased.] Why did her interest in me rise? With a gleam in her eyes, she continued. ¡°The upper class fuckers. Just thinking of preserving their place while spouting human rights. Isn¡¯t it natural to clean up trash in this world?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, Noah. Come to the Pyongyang branch. No, can¡¯t you just be mine? I¡¯ll raise you well forever. I¡¯ve been waiting for someone like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll think about it later.¡± This woman wasn¡¯t right in the head, and it was very uncomfortable because she was stronger than me. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to pass this exam easily if you accept my offer.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of the 2nd test? It tests the morality and character of the candidates. I¡¯m supervising the test, so I can just pass you. To be honest, Noah lacks a lot of character.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± The way I see it, this woman was talking nonsense. The second subject I¡¯m most confident in this exam was the second one. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need it.¡± I refused her offer. Then with a strange smile, she spoke. ¡°Hmm, if Noah rejects my offer, Noah won¡¯t be able to become a hero. Are you fine with that?¡± ¡°Well, thank you for your concern, but my most confident subject is integrity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how far that confidence will go. Well, eventually you¡¯ll accept my offer. Huhu.¡± Along with those words, the feathers surrounding the area disappeared. Space that was separated from reality flowed again and the scene of the lobby reappeared. Then, as if it had never happened, again, she hid her crazy eyes behind a sweet smile. ¡°I wish you a comfortable evening.¡± She wandered through the lobby and disappeared somewhere. And then I had a thought as I saw it. If possible, I shouldn¡¯t get involved with this crazy woman. * * * The second day came. Among the three virtues to being a Hero, today was the day when the 2nd test related to integrity will be conducted. ¡°Well, then, candidates please arrange yourself according to the order of your test numbers.¡± A line had formed following the supervisor¡¯s words. And in front of such a line, there was a portal connected somewhere. ¡°This is an imaginary space specifically prepared for the test. You¡¯ll enter this place to take the test related to integrity.¡± It was the same information as I had read on the internet. In some ways, this test could be said to be meant for me. After all, this is because the process of this test was so similar to MMORPGs. ¡°A city has been created in this space, and if you listen to the citizens¡¯ request you¡¯ll be able to get their stamps here.¡± The supervisor handed a thin note to every candidate. And in it, there were many empty squares next to columns of signatures. And soon, each candidate was given a bracelet with childish angel wings on them. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to observe through electronic devices beyond this, so the test proctoring will be carried out using this bracelet.¡± I checked the item in my hand. Classification: Accessories Grade: D Description: Summon an observational familiar in the form of a baby angel. ¡°All of your actions will be recorded here and reflected in the evaluation, so please keep that in mind.¡± After a long explanation, each candidate began to enter the portal in order. Fortunately, the tests were held individually in different spaces, so there was no need to wait long. Along with a bright light, I felt like my body was being sucked into somewhere as I went through the portal. Sure enough¡­It was the same as what I had read on the internet. The place where I arrived was an ordinary residential area a little away from the inner city. If there¡¯s one thing that¡¯s unique, it was that there were sparkling icons like quest markers on the heads of the passersby who were as translucent as ghosts. In this way, within the space assigned to each individual, the task was to accept the citizens¡¯ request. I¡¯ve done this countless times. It was similar to questing found in many games. That¡¯s why I was even more confident. As soon as I thought that, a group of round lights appeared from the bracelet that was given to me. Soon, the group of lights turned into a small naked baby angel flapping its wings. Somehow, his expression wasn¡¯t like a baby at all but more like an office worker suffering from a hangover. ¨C Aahh, I¡¯m the supervisor of this test, so don¡¯t think about cheating, if you get caught¡­ You know what I¡¯m saying, right? If you know, start. He was a very unmotivated guy. Following what he said, I looked around to find people to help. Then a middle-aged woman with a quest marker floating above her head approached me. ¡°Excuse me? You¡¯re a hero, aren¡¯t you? Please help me.¡± I see. Was it like this? I smiled as kindly as I could, conscious of the baby angel watching. ¡°Yes, yes, of course I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost my wallet around here, so please help me find it.¡± ¡°Okay. Just leave it to me.¡± Is the start a search quest? I looked around and searched for the wallet that the woman had lost. Usually, in the case of such quests, the quest items aren¡¯t far from the NPC¡¯s location. But¡­ No matter how hard I looked, I couldn¡¯t find her wallet. Then the woman¡¯s attitude became more and more overbearing. ¡°Hey! Why haven¡¯t you found my wallet yet?¡± ¡°¡­Hold on a second. I¡¯m looking for it right now.¡± ¡°Aye¡­What the hell are you even doing? My taxes are going to waste.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The woman became pissed as if me volunteering was a natural right. Seeing that, I felt an irritation rising, but I endured it, conscious of the baby angel. Did I miss something? I rummaged through the path that I had come from once again. However, far from the wallet, there wasn¡¯t even a 100-won drop. ¡°Ajumma, are you sure you dropped your wallet here?¡± ¡°What! Are you saying that I lied?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked everywhere around here, but there¡¯s no wallet. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a wallet here.¡± I¡¯ve already been hovering around the same spot for the fifth time. If this continues, I might be tied to this woman and not be able to do other quests. ¡°Did you happen to put it in your pocket?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The woman suddenly rummaged through her pocket. And sure enough, there was a wallet in her pocket. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°W-why are you looking at me like that?¡± She blushed and got mad at me. ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°What! If you knew it was here, you should¡¯ve told me earlier! Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Did you purposely try to screw around?¡± The NPC dialogues for this test were realistically annoying. As if the purpose was to make you angry. Nevertheless, I smiled brightly. Because I had to get my reward from her. ¡°I¡¯m glad you found it. Then, can you sign this for me?¡± I handed her my note. Then she slapped it away and spoke. ¡°Oh, huh. Wasn¡¯t it me who found the wallet? I¡¯m speechless.¡± The woman left those words and disappeared somewhere. ¡°¡­¡± My body trembled unknowingly. I even seriously thought about giving up the hero exam. However, it was impossible to blow away my efforts so far with just this. It¡¯s just that I wasn¡¯t lucky at first. ¨C Hehe¡­Will you be able to do it in time? Next to me, the baby angel laughed. I ran to the next quest, ignoring his ridicule. ¡°Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a while since I reported it. Why are you just coming now? My kid had been waiting for a long time because of you!¡± The young man frowned and stared at me. When I looked next to the man, a child of similar age to me was crying and complaining. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like this. My child wants to become a hero when he grows up, so come here and take a picture with him.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, yes.¡± I stood next to the child. Then the whining punk glanced at me and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re not a famous hero! Not a sloppy hero but a famous hero! A famous hero!¡± ¡°What? You moldy punk! How dare you make my kid cry? Fuck, truly rotten luck.¡± The man spit on the ground and disappeared. ¡°¡­¡± I felt like I was spacing out. Why was the level of difficulty so high? From reading the reviews on the internet it certainly wasn¡¯t supposed to be this difficult. The baby angel next to me giggled and spoke. ¨C Keuk, it¡¯s not going as you thought, right? But there¡¯s an easy way to solve this. Do you want me to tell you? ¡°What is it?¡± ¨C If you pledge loyalty to Samaria-nim, it¡¯ll solve itself somehow. So that¡¯s what happened. I understood why the situation was going roughly. She seemed to have done some trick to take care of me. I¡¯ll have to pay her back someday. I had no intention of playing into the hands of such a crazy woman. How many games have I played so far? Such unfriendly NPCs can be overcome one way or another. I¡¯ll show her the power of a gamer. Checking the time limit, I ran toward the next quest. Listening to a child¡¯s complaint, what he wanted me to do was throw out his trash¡­ I endured all kinds of hardships and proceeded with the quests. And like that, I looked at my note. ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯ve only gotten four after all the hard work. Fucking broke game¡­ This was an administrator¡¯s plot. Users cannot win against administrators. ¨C Keukeu¡­That¡¯s not going to be enough. The average obtained by successful candidates last year was 50. Certainly, as he said, this may be difficult. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I sigh without realizing it. If I just give up on the exam in Pyongyang, would it be better to take the exam in another country according to the nearest date? As soon as I thought that, I heard a nasal voice calling me. ¡°Hmm~ Hero-oppa over there! My shoulders are sore, so could you come to my house and massage me~¡± When I turned my head, I saw a man with red lipstick approaching me. With a jaunty expression, he continued. ¡°You need oppa¡¯s autograph anyway, right? If you listen to me carefully, I¡¯ll sign it for you.¡± Then he put his hand on my shoulder. I felt as if the trauma I felt from a few months ago was about to emerge again. And then suddenly, I wondered why I could feel his hand. ¡°Can I interfere with the spirits here?¡± ¨C That¡¯s obvious. Even if they are temporarily created, they are no different from ordinary humans at the moment they are here. ¡°¡­Really?¡± I see. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard for no reason.¡± ¨C Yeah, you shouldn¡¯t have tried. If you¡¯ve realized it now, hurry up and swear loyalty to Samaria-nim¡­ Wuung- I pulled out my sword straight away and blew the man¡¯s head. Blood spewed out of his neck like a fountain. Next, I grabbed the dead guy¡¯s finger and placed it on the note. His thumbprint was transparently absorbed and a heart-shaped mark appeared. Fortunately, the number on the cover also changed to 5 even though it was stamped by a dead person. ¡°Good, now five.¡± ¨C What the fuck are you doing?! The baby angel shouted. I looked around while ignoring him. ¡°Kyaak!¡± I made eye contact with a woman. It was the same woman who had lost her wallet a while ago. ¡°S-spare me¡­!¡± Swish¨C Her neatly cut head rolled down the stairs. ¡°Heuheu¡­This is it.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile when I recall the humiliation I¡¯ve suffered. Come to think of it, the blood might not disappear if I leave this place, so I took off my clothes and put them in my inventory. ¨C S-stop! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! Ignoring the angel, I jumped into the city naked. Screams could be heard everywhere. ¡°Kyaaak! A lunatic!¡± Swish¨C ¡°I-it was my fault earlier¡­¡± Swish¨C I cut off the heads of every spirit I saw while my note filled up at a frightening speed. People diligently ran away, but due to the nature of this narrow map, there was only a limited space to run. And when the time limit was approaching, I was finally able to fill all the blanks in the note. A total of 500 stamps. It was the same as the number of residents here. ¨C I-I¡¯ve monitored numerous tests so far, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone do anything like you! Do you think you can pass the test like this?! ¡°Why not? I was only told to get stamps on the note. There were no other conditions.¡± ¨C You! How dare you¡­The Hero association doesn¡¯t need someone like you! I¡¯ll report everything to the Saintess. You¡¯ll be disqualified¡­ ¡°Synthesize.¡± ¨C Kueeeoook! I used the quest item as material for . Classification: Accessories Grade: B Description: A bracelet made by the court wizard of the Crohart Empire for a large knight. (If you have this bracelet, you can do escort missions¡­) *Transforms to fit the body. *Noise from movements reduced. * ¨C Assimilate into the surrounding for up to 10 minutes [1/1] (24 hours recharge cycle). * ¨C Summon an observational familiar in the form of a baby angel by consuming mana. Although mana cost was added to the option, fortunately, there was no difference in performance. The bracelet was still the same shape without much change, and only a subtle gloss was added. On the other hand, the bracelet given by the Hero Association suddenly looks strangely cheap, like a Chinese fake. ¡°Good.¡± And just in time, the surrounding landscape began to change. Perhaps because the time limit was up, I returned to the test site. Immediately, I held out the quest bracelet to the supervisor and spoke. ¡°Supervisor! I think this is broken?¡± And so, following first place in the country on the wisdom test, I also got a perfect score in the integrity test, a first in the history of the Pyongyang branch. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Currently, a hot topic was spreading rapidly among the Korean internet communities. Regarding the young hero of last year¡¯s Lake Town¡¯s hotel terrorist incident and the one who had saved the citizens on behalf of the Hero Association, a picture of Choi Noah was finally released. And those who saw his appearance couldn¡¯t help but show their admirations. ¡°Oh my god¡­He¡¯s that hero?¡± ¡°What does age matter? Starting today, I¡¯ll only lower myself to Choi Noah.¡± ¡°Hoho, the boy really does look smart.¡± By the time interest in Noah was in full swing, a local newspaper in Pyongyang had announced a scoop as if it was planned. And that is, in the first round of the ongoing Hero License Exam, Noah was the only to have scored a perfect grade in the country. Thanks to this, interest in Noah, who had only been burning in some communities and was about to disappear quietly, began to spread nationwide. And the next day, in such a situation, another scoop was released¡­ [Young hero Choi Noah. Perfect integrity too?] News of a perfect score for two consecutive days. Not only that, it had happened at the Pyongyang branch, which had never produced a perfect integrity score before. ¡°Perfect integrity score for a person with such strength?¡± ¡°If you have strength at a young age, you¡¯re bound to be crooked¡­He¡¯s truly admirable.¡± Noah had become the unanimous No. 1 in the ongoing nationwide hero exam. In addition, his beautiful appearance for a boy his age was also a hot topic¡­ It could be said that interests concerning him were higher than most famous heroes. What kind of child he is and what kind of performance he¡¯ll show in the future were among the topics. The country¡¯s attention was focused on Pyongyang. However, Samaria, the person who had actually planned this, showed a bitter expression as she looked at such reactions from the internet communities. Obviously, things were going her way, but somehow she had failed to shackle the boy at the last minute. ¡®How the hell did he solve the problem?¡¯ She recalled the level of difficulty she had set. Among the cases collected in the Hero Association¡¯s database so far, only the most spiteful citizens had been collected and added¡­ However, Noah perfectly succeeded in his tasks provided by them. Not only that, he had obtained it from all 500 people. ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous from a common sense point of view.¡¯ Even if it wasn¡¯t set to this level of extreme difficulty, people who have achieved a perfect score on the integrity test was so rare nationwide that it could be counted with your hand. It was hard for even her, who was good at moving people¡¯s hearts, to say she would be able to do it under the same conditions. In addition, there was no way to find out the boy¡¯s secret because the bracelet with the familiar that was observing inside was broken. ¡®Is it luck¡­or is this a talent too?¡¯ It had been a long time since she met a kindred who also knows the joy of murder. So she had deceived the Hero Association geezers and raised the boy with affection, but now he was trying to run away from her hands. ¡®It¡¯s fun to tame rebellious people, but¡­Still, I have to fasten the leash before the last test is over one way or the other.¡¯ Her eyes looking at the monitor shone with madness. * * * Meanwhile, unlike Samaria, there was a person smiling while browsing the internet communities. ¡°Heuheu¡­heu¡­¡± Rolling around on a luxurious sofa, a woman with a silly laugh could be heard. It was Elizabeth. Seeing her like that, Lady Fortune clicked her tongue with a cold look. ¡°Tsk, I¡¯m going to be sick again.¡± ¡°Haha¡­Noah is beautiful. Noah is great.¡± Elizabeth went in and out of the communities as she checked the posts written on the internet. Most of them were compliments and comments of support for Noah. [Not only Noah¡¯s skill and personality, but isn¡¯t he so cute? He looks like someone you want to raise at home. Am I the only one who feels that way? What about you guys?] ¨C 2222 (second) ¨C 333333 (third) ¨C On the contrary, I want to be raised¡­ Elizabeth pressed the recommendation button whenever she saw an article praising Noah. Her thumb moved restlessly. Then she found a post. [By the way, is there no Noah fan club? If there¡¯s one, I¡¯m going to sign up right away.] ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right.¡¯ Now that she thought about it, there was that. Fan clubs were a must for famous heroes. Heroes kept the public safe, but they were also an icon that received love and respect from them. ¡®I think it¡¯s finally time to make a fan club.¡¯ With a solemn look, she changed her posture and opened her laptop. She has been a fan of various genres while living a Hikikomori life ever since her times at Elf Garden. As such, it could be said that creating a fan club or building a fandom was a task that she was more confident in than anyone else. ¡®There¡¯s no fan club that was made first, right?¡¯ And when it comes to fan clubs, it was of paramount importance to occupy the first position. Just in case, she searched the fan clubs. Then¡­ Coincidentally, there was already a club that had the tag Noah. It was made a few months ago. [Religion of Noah] It was a group with a suspicious name. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She frowned and accessed the club. She thought perhaps it was related to Noah from the Bible, but that wasn¡¯t the case from the contents. A poorly drawn wolf was displayed on the front page of the fan club. And below that, there were already many posts registered. In addition, the number of members had already exceeded 50. ¡®What the hell is this place¡­?¡¯ She read the titles of the posts on the main page. [Evidence that Noah is the savior of the world] [99 reasons to believe in Noahism] [How to pray for Noah] . . . ¡°As expected¡­It¡¯s not normal.¡± She thought perhaps she had mistaken this club for something else. She checked the contents by clicking on one post. [3rd Gospel of Noah] [To the child who couldn¡¯t walk, God Noah held out his hand and said, stand up with this gun¡­] [God Noah traveled to each town with his 13 apostles to deliver salvation as they drove out the evil spirits¡­] [Amen] And the conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s a cult!¡± Her expression turned furious. She didn¡¯t know where these scammers had come from, but these guys¡¯ existence itself was harmful to Noah. ¡®I can¡¯t postpone it any longer.¡¯ It was as good as over if the image of the early fandom was strange. One wrong move and it can adversely affect the hero¡¯s image. ¡®I need to quickly create a fan club and activate it.¡¯ Her hands busily went back and forth on the keyboard. Soon, a passable fan club was created. The only thing remaining was the name of the fan club that will be used in the future. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± What would be good? She couldn¡¯t think of one no matter how much she thought. After thinking for a long time, suddenly, an idea came to mind. ¡®Yes! If it¡¯s that¡­¡¯ Leaving the name empty and entering the club, she wrote the first monumental article. [Title: Nice to meet you] [Writer: Wishing for a better future with Noah] [Hello!] [This is a space where people who are cheering for young hero Choi Noah are gathered¡­] [¡­Therefore, for those who like Choi Noah, we¡¯re hosting a contest to name our fan club. In this regard, we have prepared some prizes, so please participate a lot.] ¡®Good!¡¯ Elizabeth gave a satisfied smile as she looked at her writing. As expected, it was most meaningful for fans to gather and decide the name of their fan club. ¡®So¡­what name will come out?¡¯ She closed her laptop with an excited expression. ¡®Heuheu..Noah will be very happy if he finds out later, right?¡¯ Thus, a malicious fandom, which will remain a legend in the hero industry, was born. * * * The faces of people looking at the electronic display hardened. ¡°Fuck¡­really?¡± Someone unknowingly cursed. However, what the person had said represented the feelings of everyone gathered at the test site of the Pyongyang branch. At the top of the electronic display, the same exam number as yesterday was shown. And the same perfect score. Looking at the unprecedented situation, everyone could only sigh for a long time. ¡°How much of a monster is he¡­¡± ¡°Where did he come from? Certainly from a famous family, right?¡± ¡°More than that, two children won first and second place. Does this make sense?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on one place. The young boy who had caused a stir in this exam was fiddling with a game console. ¡®This fucking kid¡­¡¯ And, among the candidates, there was a particular man watching the boy. Exam No. 18218. From the great hero family, Dayru. It was Mousin. ¡®Fuck! I¡¯ve worked so hard for over 10 years! If I had inherited talents like this kid¡­¡¯ He gritted his teeth as he stared at Noah. A sense of jealousy and inferiority like a snake was rising from deep inside. The Dayru family, one of the top 10 families in Pyongyang, were masters at controlling spirits and their primary work was related to the police force. And Mousin, who was born as the eldest son of such a family, could be said to be a thorn to the family, as he would always cause trouble. ¡®What the hell you old geezer¡­You didn¡¯t pass on your talent, so why are you going nuts over me?!¡¯ He thought of his younger siblings who were already active heroes. Siblings who monopolized the love of the family just because they were born with talent. In fact, he was able to pass the lower hero exam such as grade E or F, but the reason for stubbornly taking the high-rank hero exam was because of the gazes he received compared to his younger siblings. Thus, he was always ignored and compared to his younger siblings by the family¡¯s higher ups. Those who were next to him and had followed him were just dregs in a similar situation. ¡®Rotten world! Fuck!¡¯ So he hated those who were more talented than him. And among them, especially the young hero candidates. Through the years of taking the exam, he would feel a sense of joy whenever he broke the dreams of talented people. So, at some point, among Pyongyang¡¯s hero candidates, he had unknowingly gained the nickname ¡®newbie hunter.¡¯ ¡®You arrogant brat¡­Whether you get a perfect score or have a hundred thousand points, you¡¯re finished if you fail the next test.¡¯ He looked at Noah, who was still playing his game, and took a can of drink out from his bag. To use it for this kind of work, a special drink that was ordered before the exam had been prepared. ¡®Haha¡­I haven¡¯t seen anyone who was fine after drinking this.¡¯ Until now, not a single person had taken this drink containing diarrhea medicine before the physical fitness test and was able to do it properly. They had either given up the test, or they stubbornly pushed ahead and were eliminated, creating an ugly scene. ¡®If he drinks this, he won¡¯t be able to do much either.¡¯ He hid his insidious smile and approached Noah. The boy glanced up before looking back at his game console and spoke. ¡°Ajeossi, I don¡¯t like to be disturbed when I play games. Come back later.¡± He almost collapsed at the boy¡¯s attitude, but he forced himself to smile and spoke. ¡°Haha, I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something. I¡¯m here to apologize to you for yesterday¡¯s incident.¡± But even at his words, the boy was absorbed in his game and didn¡¯t answer. His face turned red at the thought of being ignored. ¡®H-hold it in¡­I have to endure it.¡¯ After some time, the boy finally raised his head and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± ¡°Haha¡­T-that¡¯s right. I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep unless I apologized to you today.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then I¡¯ll accept your apology, so hurry up and go.¡± At the boy¡¯s congratulatory decree, he hurriedly waved his hand. ¡°W-wait! Hold on¡­I brought a drink as a token of apology¡­I often drink this when I¡¯m thirsty.¡± The boy took the drink apathetically. ¡°Is there anything else beside this cola? I don¡¯t like lukewarm cola.¡± ¡°W-well¡­I-I¡¯m sorry. But that¡¯s all I have.¡± ¡°Well, then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Psh¨C The boy continued to play with one hand as he opened the can. He breathlessly watched the scene. ¡®Haha¡­You pretended to be so smart, but you¡¯re finished.¡¯ No matter how smart the boy is or how high his test score is, he was just a child in the end. He lacked life experience and had no choice but to be involved in such a wise scheme. ¡®Hurry up and drink it!¡¯ At that moment, the boy stared at him suddenly without drinking the cola. What is it? Did he notice something? Wiping off the sweat flowing down, Mousin asked. ¡°W-why are you looking at me like that? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­No. I suddenly have a question for ajeossi.¡± ¡°W-what is it?¡± The boy suddenly pointed to his waist and asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± At the tip of his finger, a pair of tonfa giving off a luxurious gloss were hanging. It was one of the treasures held by the Dayru family, and in particular, it was a spiritual weapon he had borrowed for this exam. ¡®Fortunately, I didn¡¯t get caught.¡¯ He breathed a sigh of relief inside, and then explained. ¡°This is one of the treasures passed down by my family.¡± ¡°Treasure¡­? Ajeossi, do you live well?¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, you can say that. I can¡¯t tell you in detail because of the exam rules, but my family is one of the top 10 in Pyongyang.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The boy¡¯s eyes began to sparkle. And then he finally stood up, putting his game console back into his pocket. ¡°Ajeossi, let¡¯s be friends from now on.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± What¡¯s wrong with this guy? He observed the boy¡¯s expression. It was a familiar expression. It resembled that of the droppers who usually wanted to cling to him. A face that wanted something from you. ¡®I see. In the end, this guy too.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t certain what kind of background the boy had, but it seemed that he had a humble background even though he has excellent ability. On second glance, the clothes he was wearing were just ordinary training clothes. ¡®Certainly, if it¡¯s our family, he won¡¯t be ignored anywhere in Pyongyang.¡¯ He proudly showed off his servile shoulders and spoke. ¡°Good. We¡¯re finally on the same page. Then, why don¡¯t we move together in the 4th test?¡± ¡°Me and you? Will it work just because you say so?¡± ¡°Haha, I have a way. I also know where the supervisor¡¯s eyes don¡¯t reach.¡± He knew several loopholes through various information acquired during his times taking the exam. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good. Then let¡¯s make sure to move together.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a promise.¡± He smiled triumphantly. ¡®When it comes to leading a family, rather than one¡¯s own strength, the ability to gather people is more important.¡¯ The other siblings just know how to train, and won¡¯t be able to show such sophisticated diplomatic skills. ¡®As long as I raise him well in the future¡­In the end, I¡¯ll be the successor to the family.¡¯ The moment he thought that, he saw the boy in front of him putting his mouth on the drink. ¡°W-wait a minute!¡± He hurriedly stopped the boy. Then the boy looked at him with a puzzled look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink that cola.¡± ¡°Why? Did you put something inside?¡± ¡°?!¡± Mousin made an awkward face. How can he explain this? ¡®Damn, if I just told him my background from the beginning¡­I¡¯m going to step on shit for no reason.¡¯ In other words, he¡¯ll miss this fish. With the feeling of all or nothing, he spoke. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll admit it. Actually, there¡¯s diarrhea medicine in it.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°But I believe you would understand. This place is like a jungle anyway. It¡¯s a world where you¡¯re the hunter or the hunted, so it can be said that it¡¯s the person who is deceived at fault.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­right.¡± Fortunately, the boy seemed convinced. He breathed a sigh of relief. Surprisingly, they can communicate quite well, so maybe they can be good partners not only in this exam but also in the future. ¡®As long as I recruit him after the exam¡­¡¯ If he has such a promising talent, his position, which was pushed out of the competition for succession, could also be regained someday. As soon as he thought that, suddenly, the boy gulped down the drink. Surprised, he shouted at the boy. ¡°Y-you¡­! Didn¡¯t I tell you, so why¡­? Go to the bathroom and throw up! Otherwise, it¡¯ll be too late!¡± Then the boy calmly spoke. ¡°It¡¯s okay. My durability level is high anyway, so there¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± ¡°?!¡± Looking at the boy¡¯s appearance, he had no choice but to blink his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure what the boy was talking about, but considering the current situation¡­ ¡®I almost screwed it up¡­¡¯ He felt a chill in his spine. Then the boy spoke. ¡°Do you have any other drinks left? I want to pack it.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, let me go get it.¡± He headed to his room, wiping off the sweat on his forehead that kept flowing for some reason. * * * Looking at the back of the guy rushing somewhere, I had a thought. I¡¯ve gotten a good item. At first, I thought I would just take care of it later when I had time. But it turned out to be a noble who could bring me items. No wonder I had a good feeling today. I¡¯m not sure what ability the tonfa has, but at first glance it looked like a fairly expensive weapon. Was the 4th test a field map? The 4th test, the last gateway after physical fitness measurement, was an evaluation in the form of surviving for 3 days and 2 nights. A moment ago he said there was definitely a way to avoid the supervisor¡¯s eyes, so I thought I could farm his item at that opportunity. Lucky me. An item was rolling in for free. The moment I smiled with that thought, another idea flashed through my mind. Huh? Wait a minute¡­This¡­ I slowly looked around. Those who were glaring and cursing at me hurriedly turned their heads. And to that¡­I smiled brightly at them. ¡°Haha¡­This was the best spot.¡± There was a treasure trove right in front of me. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The third day of the Hero License Exam has arrived. Bright sunlight could be seen shining through the windows as it contrasted the somber scenery outside of Pyongyang. I¡¯ve grown quite accustomed to such mornings at the test site. From a corner of the lobby which had become sort of my reserved spot, I took out my game console. Huu¡­I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s only been three days. If I had known that time would go so slowly, I would have bought more varieties of games. I took out a pack of sandwiches that Elizabeth had prepared for me from my inventory, and ate it one by one as I played my games. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t something she had made, so the taste was somehow okay. For a while, only the sound of the game console resonated quietly in the lame lobby. After some time, from one side of the lobby, people began to slowly appear. And among the crowds, Cheon Eugene was also mixed. The brat walked to me with quick steps when he found me. ¡°Choi Noah. How come you didn¡¯t show up for breakfast this morning?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like fried pollock.¡± I spoke firmly. ¡°Is that so? It was new to my taste and surprisingly not bad. However, if you don¡¯t supplement your nutrition properly, it¡¯ll affect your tests. Eat this at least.¡± He took out a banana and held it in front of me. Perhaps it was a fruit that came as a side dish today. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°D-do you hate bananas? T-then I¡¯ll go and change it into an apple¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Thank you.¡± Honestly, it didn¡¯t look very delicious, but for now I put the banana he handed me into my inventory. Concerning the upcoming 4th test, it was better to have as much food as possible ¡°Well. Good. It¡¯s important for a knight to always groom and manage his body like a sword. So from now on, pay more attention to your body.¡± He raised his chin with a proud look as if he had done something great. The moment I clicked my tongue in annoyance at his pathetic appearance, suddenly, I felt a very unpleasant gaze from somewhere. It felt like muddy water was clinging onto me. I quickly turned my head and looked around. Some of the candidates were glancing this way, but none of them gave off an unusual feeling. Was I mistaken¡­? And then, I made eye contact with a boy in the crowd. No. 00187. It was a boy who looked to be about 16 to 17 years old. In particular, his face was so pale that it looked like I was staring at a corpse. ¡°¡­¡± The boy stared at me for a short moment, and soon turned his head and disappeared into the crowd. Cheon Eugene, who was next to me, was still chattering about ¡®knight health care tips¡¯ as if he didn¡¯t sense any abnormalities. ¡­What was that just now? I can¡¯t clearly explain why, but I haven¡¯t had a very good feeling since the start of the morning. At that moment, a broadcast rang in the lobby. ¨C Briefing room announcement. By 9:00AM sharp, all candidates should gather in front of the central entrance on the first floor. Well, I don¡¯t have to worry about it for now. In any case, I mixed in with the other candidates and went downstairs. * * * The schedule for today¡¯s 3rd test was related to Courage and will be divided into morning and afternoon. In the morning, basic physical fitness evaluation will be conducted for both low and high rank hero candidates in the next building. And then in the afternoon, high-rank hero candidates will gather separately to test their practical skills according to their specialty. For this reason, there were already a lot of low-rank candidates gathered when I arrived at the training facility according to the supervisor¡¯s guidance. Thud¨C As I entered the training facility, the low-rank hero candidates¡¯ attention all turned my way at once. I don¡¯t know why, but frankly, it wasn¡¯t a very friendly atmosphere. It felt like I was in enemy territory. The low and high rank hero candidates were strangely hostile towards each other, even though the tests themselves were different from the beginning. Under such pressure, the relatively small number of high-rank hero candidates shrugged and avoided eye contact. The supervisor who led us then spoke. ¡°From now on, everyone will be divided into groups, so go where your number is written and measure your physical strength.¡± The high-rank candidates were split up and distributed to each group. ¡°Friend, which group are you in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in group 21.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m in group 5. That¡¯s unfortunate. Looks like we won¡¯t be able to compete in the afternoon test.¡± Cheon Eugene left such a remark and walked to the group he belonged to. It was funny to see him talk about a showdown when he has never beaten me before. After seeing him off, I turned around. I should head to my group too. The group I belonged to was near the edge of the training facility. Upon arriving, I could see various equipment to measure physical strength installed on the floor. I could also see low-rank hero candidates who had already established some friendships huddled together and talking. ¡°What? High-rank hero candidates younger than my nephew?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? There are many young applicants this time. Because of the hero who had stopped the terrorist attack not too long ago.¡± ¡°Anyway, there are so many people who don¡¯t understand what it means to be a hero and only have big dreams. I don¡¯t know who this Choi Noah is, but I want to know what sort of guts he has to be taking the high-rank hero exam.¡± They chatted loudly as if they purposely wanted me to listen. Honestly, normally I would have been a little annoyed, but I didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in these guys. That should have been the case, but¡­ Ding¨C [Challenge ¨C Legendary Candidate] Condition: Get a perfect score on the last 3rd test and set a new grand slam record. Period: 1 day. Reward: 3x Random Box (Low). A Challenge suddenly came to mind. Perhaps I had received it for getting a perfect score on the previous tests. Heuheu¡­good. Even if it wasn¡¯t a Challenge, from the beginning, my goal for today¡¯s 3rd test was overwhelmingly first place. Getting a perfect score was something I couldn¡¯t help myself with. The corner of my lip rose as I looked at the people gathered here. * * * Suit has always thought life to be very easy. Thanks to his parents who had a first-class citizenship card, he was able to have anything he had ever wanted since birth. And his handsome appearance as a result of inheriting good genes helped him to be liked by others without much effort. In addition, he discovered that he had great talent for superpowers not too long ago, and so, for him, he thought this world was like a playground specifically prepared for him. ¡®Haha¡­As expected, everyone but me is an idiot.¡¯ He thought as such while examining the candidates in group 21. Women who pretended to be close to him, and men who gave jealous looks. Nothing has changed from the usual. ¡®I was bored, so I thought I would get a hero license. Well, it¡¯s nothing special in the end.¡¯ To prepare for this hero exam, Suit had put in serious effort, something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time. Nevertheless, he had a ridiculously shorter period to prepare than others. The low-rank hero exam, which took about one to two years on average to prepare, he was able to reach the 3rd test easily even though he had only prepared for six months. ¡®I can¡¯t understand people who have to take this easy thing three or four times. Was this a difference in talent?¡¯ As he was laughing inside, the supervisor who was conducting the measurement called his number. ¡°Next candidate, please come forward.¡± ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± Suit stood in front of a heavy cylinder that was fixed to the floor. There was a ring attached to it that could be pulled with both hands like a rowing machine. It was a test to measure ¡®muscle strength¡¯ through the length at which you can pull the ring. ¡°If you¡¯re ready, let¡¯s start with pure muscle strength without the use of mana.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Suit warmed up and took off his top. Soon after, muscles that forked like a sculpture were revealed. ¡°Oh my!¡± ¡°Wow, I guess he¡¯s been working out.¡± He became the focus of the candidates around him. The attention of women and the jealousy of men. It was one of the joys he found in life. ¡®You idiots, haha.¡¯ Mindful of the gazes around him, he slowly pulled out the fixed ring. ¡°Heup!¡± The sculptural muscles swelled clearly, and the wire attached to the ring was released little by little. Like that, one step, two steps. He gradually pulled the ring. And when he finally reached his limit, he released the ring with trembling hands. The wire was sucked back in at a high speed. ¡°1.12 meter!¡± ¡°Huu¡­¡± At the words of the supervisor, he wiped off the sweat on his forehead with a satisfied expression. Producing such a result with just pure muscle strength wasn¡¯t something easily accomplished. Even among veteran heroes who were already active in the field, there weren¡¯t many who could exceed this one meter unless they used mana or superpower. ¡°Wow! That guy is crazy. It¡¯s over a meter without mana?¡± ¡°Damn, with that strength, he could just challenge the high-rank hero exam. Did the bastard come here to show off?¡± Suit basked in the limelight as other candidates around him looked at him with jealousy. After enjoying their gazes, he measured his muscle strength with mana this time. The result was 2.50 meters. It wasn¡¯t as explosive as the top heroes, but it could also be said to be an amazing level. ¡®Ah, should I have really aimed for the high-rank hero exam?¡¯ He thought he would take it step by step from the ground. But now he thought perhaps he should take the high-rank exam next year. Turning his head with such thoughts, at the end of his gaze was a child with an exam No. 13579 on his chest. ¡®Seeing that even a kid could pass the first and second round of the high-rank exam, it seems that the difficulty of the exam itself isn¡¯t that difficult as long as you study well.¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s move on to candidate No. 13579. Come to the front.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± And just in time, the boy he was watching stepped forward to measure his muscle strength. The eyes of those in the same group were all focused on the boy. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll try to do something with mana anyway.¡± ¡°Or maybe he was only lucky to have passed the first and second round.¡± ¡°Aye, he¡¯s still an aspiring high-rank candidate. There might be something he can do. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± There was a mix of expectations and ridicules in their gazes. They might have had second thoughts if the person standing in front of them was a large adult, but the boy in front of them looked too small and soft. ¡°Please start the measurement.¡± The boy immediately grabbed the ring and asked the supervisor. ¡°Hmm¡­What if I get a perfect score without mana? Do I have to do it again using mana?¡± Then the candidates watching the boy burst into laughter. The expression mixed with a little bit of vigilance or jealousy from earlier had turned into complete ridicule. ¡®I was wondering if there was something, but now that I see it, he was just a delusional kid.¡¯ Thinking so, Suit nodded to himself. The supervisor, as if caught off guard, replied with a stutter. ¡°Uh¡­Well, that won¡¯t happen, but if it does, there¡¯s no need to measure again using mana.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Thank you.¡± The boy replied with a smile. And then at the same time, he immediately pulled at the ring. Clink¨C! The wire that was rolled up was pulled out in an instant. ¡°H-huh? What?!¡± ¡°Was the weight not properly set up?¡± The boy¡¯s movement seemed to have no resistance, as if he was pulling an ordinary string. 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, 4 meters¡­ And then 5 meters. Finally, the entire wire was released. In that state, the boy asked innocently. ¡°The entire wire is pulled. Is this a perfect score?¡± ¡°¡­P-perfect score.¡± The candidates from group 21 looked at the scene with blank expressions. Not only them but also other groups who were watching the situation of group 21. ¡®N-no way!¡¯ Suit couldn¡¯t believe the boy¡¯s result. After pulling it himself, he understood it would be normal for a child who had no muscles like the boy to not even try. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong with this.¡¯ He doesn¡¯t know if mana or superpowers were used, but it was an incomprehensible result that he was worse than a child in a simple muscle strength test. So he angrily shouted. ¡°Supervisor! Isn¡¯t that cheating? I think he used mana.¡± And as if agreeing with his opinion, people around him began to shout. ¡°That¡¯s right! It doesn¡¯t make sense, right?! We need to thoroughly investigate and find out!¡± The test site where group 21 was located quickly devolved into a sea of noises. The supervisor who was in front of them sweated as he tried to calm the situation. ¡°If he had used mana, it would have been displayed on the screen. The measurement was completed normally, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± The supervisor kindly explained to them. However, the candidates of group 21 couldn¡¯t easily accept it and voiced their grievances. ¡°I can¡¯t accept it!¡± ¡°I wonder if he had made a bribe with the Hero Association. Isn¡¯t it suspicious?!¡± ¡°E-everyone, calm down!¡± Suit smiled more and more as he watched the situation flow as he had intended. The little swindler was still standing in a daze and holding onto the ring. Seeing that, he was even more convinced that his guess was right. ¡®How can he hold onto the ring for that long? I thought my arm would fall off if I even held it for a second longer.¡¯ The moment when there was more and more commotion, suddenly, red energy began to flow around the boy¡¯s body. And¡­ Clink, clink¨C The wire, which was already completely pulled out, screamed as if it would break. A sharp unbearable noise resonated in the test site. ¡°?!¡± The commotion instantly died down. And then everyone looked at the measuring instrument fixed to the floor. ¡®D-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ But even before that thought came to an end, the sound was heard again. Crack¨CCrack¨C! The measuring instrument firmly fixed to the floor was gradually being torn away. The supervisor who saw it rushed to stop the boy. ¡°H-hold on! No. 13579! You don¡¯t have to continue!¡± At that moment, Suit saw it. The boy smiled and pulled the ring further. And¡­ Crack¨CBoom¨C! The heavy instrument that had finally detached from the floor flew towards him at a frightening speed. A huge chunk of metal obscured his view. ¡®N-no!¡¯ Suit intuitively sensed his end. But at that moment, the wire hanging from the instrument was pulled tightly. Boom¨C! The instrument fell narrowly next to him. Crack¨C And the strong training floor was split like a spider web. Looking at it, he lost his strength and collapsed. Then he heard the boy¡¯s voice. ¡°I got a perfect score, right?¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± Hearing the boy, Suit had a thought. ¡®¡­I should never stare at the high-rank hero exam.¡¯ * * * I looked at the instrument thrown on the floor. Hmm¡­There¡¯s nothing here. The Challenge said to achieve a new record, so I thought there would be a hidden piece if I did this. Far from completing the Challenge, no achievement emerged. There¡¯s no need to do this in the future. In fact, I had used too much mana to pull it. It would be best to just do it moderately in the remaining morning tests. And I have to save my mana since I have to prepare for the actual evaluation in the afternoon. Thus, I plan to complete the remaining tests without using mana. Strength, Speed, Endurance, Flexibility, etc¡­ In fact, my physical ability was inching towards 4.0, so getting a perfect score won¡¯t be that difficult. As a result, I was able to safely continue my perfect score in the morning. But, what¡¯s really important was¡­the afternoon evaluation that¡¯s about to start now. Clang¨CBoom! Clang¨CBoom! The floor of the training ground vibrated and a giant made of metal could be seen walking this way. Like what is commonly found in robot games, it was a stylish robot with useless horns and a cloak. With the sound of a rattling cylinder, the giant robot finally stopped. Next, it separated in the air as it disappeared into a subspace. A scene that was literally like a man¡¯s dream. ¡°Oho¡­!¡± So where the robot disappeared, a dwarf with a large head was standing in its place. Compared to the robot, it was really¡­ No, the reaction was definitely different. Then, holding a microphone in his hand, the man spoke. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Dr. Jaegal, an A-Rank hero who came to help you evaluate your practical skills today. And¡­¡± Speaking up to here, the man paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°¡­Out of all of you, only half will remain. Maybe not just eliminated from the exam, but your life as a hero as well. Keukeu.¡± And that¡¯s how the afternoon practical skill evaluation began. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ¡®Why the hell did that old geezer call for me?¡¯ Because of the sudden call by the branch manager, she had to put aside what she was doing and was now on her way. Recently, rather than do the job she was assigned to do at the Pyongyang branch and prepare for the exam, she was focusing all of her efforts on her plan concerning Noah, so the unscheduled meeting could be said to be quite an annoyance. ¡®If he has something to say, just say it. Why is he telling me to come and go?¡¯ Furthermore, she didn¡¯t belong to the Pyongyang branch but was an employee that was dispatched directly from headquarters. Because of that, she didn¡¯t like the fact that she had to deal with subordinates very much. In particular, there was an urge to cut off the branch manager¡¯s tongue when he had secretly asked her on a date without reading the room. ¡®Huu¡­I¡¯m so annoyed that I¡¯m going to die! Really.¡¯ However, her evaluation depended on the branch manager, so she had no choice but to endure it even though it felt awful now. Standing in front of the branch manager¡¯s office, she checked her expression with a hand mirror before knocking on it. ¡°Branch manager. It¡¯s Samaria.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, come on in.¡± She held the handle and opened the door. The reason why she was called wasn¡¯t known to her, but she wanted to finish this troublesome task quickly and return so she could continue making plans to tame Noah. As soon as she entered the room with that in mind, Swish¨C! Along with a sharp wind, a blade flew toward her. She reflexively spread her wings. A pitch-black shield wrapped around her. Boom¨C! From the wings that blocked the attack, feathers were pulled out like chicken feathers. ¡°Keuk! What is the meaning of this?¡± Samaria snarled fiercely and stared at the person who had attacked her. Standing there was a black man in silver armor. The man¡¯s name was Pamir. He was an A-Rank hero commonly referred to as Paladin and was an inspector under direct orders of the Hero Association Headquarters. ¡°Long time no see. Samaria.¡± Pamir smiled leisurely as he put away his sword. Samaria continued to glare at him. ¡°Pamir¡­Why are you here? Did you come here because you wanted to die by my hands?¡± Samaria and Pamir, messengers of God from different dimensions, were famous for their constant conflicts in the past. In addition, the reason why she was now stuck at the Pyongyang branch was also related to Pamir, so for her, it was like facing an enemy she wanted to tear apart but couldn¡¯t. Samaria¡¯s eyes shone with madness. Then Pamir burst into laughter and spoke. ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re finally showing your true self. As expected of a wicked person who worships heresy.¡± ¡°¡­If you wish to die, I¡¯ll kill you right now.¡± The two looked at each other in a confrontation for a while. White and black energy filled the room. Amidst the tense atmosphere, the branch manager, who was standing between them, carefully spoke out as if he wasn¡¯t seeing anything strange. ¡°S-say¡­Why don¡¯t the both of you stop?¡± In the end, it was Samaria who let go of power first. At any rate, she wasn¡¯t sure of victory because her power was currently sealed and she was now at a disadvantage due to the gap. So even though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, there was no way for her to beat Pamir currently. She sighed and asked. ¡°Huu¡­So why did you come here?¡± After the situation cleared, Pamir nodded and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver a secret order. Before that¡­Branch manager. Can you please leave us for a moment?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­From the standpoint of managing this place, don¡¯t I deserve that much information?¡± The branch manager said with a covetous look. Then Pamir asked back in a worried tone. ¡°Will that be okay? This is a first-class confidential matter, and if you know this information, you¡¯ll be marked from now on to protect future information.¡± ¡°D-did you say mark?¡± ¡°Yes. Every move, including your private matters, will probably be reported to headquarters. Well, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°N-never mind! No! I thought of something to do in a hurry. I¡¯m going to leave now.¡± As if he had something to hide, the branch manager hurriedly left the room. Looking at it, Pamir smiled and spoke. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re working in a really nice place. Samaria. It¡¯s a perfect fit for a heretic like you.¡± ¡°¡­Do you want to test me?¡± ¡°Ahah, I was just thinking in my head, I didn¡¯t mean to blurt it out.¡± ¡°You!¡± As soon as Samaria summoned her wings again, Pamir hit a transparent barrier in the room and solemnly spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s stop joking around. What I¡¯m going to deliver to you today is related to the Noble Council.¡± ¡°?!¡± Samaria stopped as soon as she heard the word Noble Council. Pamir asked. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve fallen to such a place now, you were once a member of it, so you should know the existence of Oracle, right?¡± ¡°¡­What does that matter now? Are you mocking me?¡± She recalled the meeting of the round table she had seen in the past. The current actual rulers of Earth who implicitly dominated this world. And Oracle, the background in which they were able to solidify their vested interests. Samaria was one of the few who knew about the existence of this absolute prophet. Pamir continued. ¡°Oracle¡¯s prophecy has twisted.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s impossible.¡± She shook her head. What Oracle reads wasn¡¯t the small events experienced by an individual but the great fate of the world. Therefore, no matter how unexpected of an act you make, it was also predicted to happen. In the end, it was said that nothing could escape Oracle¡¯s prediction. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. However, a Warrior has appeared in this world. Or¡­it could be the Beast of Chaos.¡± ¡°?!¡± Come to think of it, she has heard of it. An existence that changes fate. The Warrior. In terms of her life experience, it was a record that had only been handed down as a legend, but it was also evident in the literature of her religion. ¡®If a Warrior has appeared for sure, Oracle¡¯s prediction would be of no use.¡¯ She somehow felt refreshed when she thought of the bastards who were always talking in an arrogant manner. ¡°And to tell you one more thing. Not long ago, another future was predicted by Oracle.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°In this year¡¯s hero exam, the devil will appear and countless casualties will occur.¡± ¡°You¡­Are you saying something will happen here?¡± ¡°Yes. Currently, headquarters has predicted the highest possibility of the incident being here in Pyongyang.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­Then that means the exam will be suspended.¡± Samaria frowned. At a time when her plans to tame Noah were falling apart, another variable was occurring. However, Pamir shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Samaria. Rather, at times like this, the exam should proceed as normal.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hoho, you¡¯ve lost your touch. If the incident that will happen here is twisted, wouldn¡¯t it be indirect evidence that Pyongyang has a Warrior?¡± ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± ¡°For great justice, a small sacrifice is inevitable.¡± Pamir smiled, revealing his white teeth. * * * Um¡­what¡¯s this? I suddenly felt my spine chill. Strangely, the feeling wasn¡¯t good. An ominous sense whenever a crisis came in the past. And rarely was my intuition wrong. I looked around. The test site has turned cold compared to the morning. All the candidates for the low-rank hero exam had returned, and among the high-rank candidates, only combat specialists remained and were waiting for their turn. No matter how much I looked at it, there seemed to be no particular risk factor. At that moment, the test finally began. ¡°Then let¡¯s start the practical skill evaluation now.¡± The dwarf Dr. Jaegal said. The participation order was arranged starting with the lowest exam number. And standing on a huge square ring was a 17-year-old boy with pale skin. ¡°Exam No. 00187. Specialty is¡­close combat.¡± No. 00187. It was him. The one who looked at me like a dead body this morning. He seemed to have the lowest exam number among the combat specialists here at the Pyongyang test site. ¡°If it¡¯s close combat, hmm¡­This would be enough.¡± Dr. Jaegal summoned a robot measuring about 2 meters from his subspace. The robot had Japanese-style armor and a terrifying long tachi sword on its back. In the case of this test, there were no clear criteria for judgment. The candidates were scored in consideration to various factors such as combat sense and use of abilities. So rather than just knocking down the target, it could be said that the process of solving was also important. Come to think of it, this should be my first time seeing that brat¡¯s ability properly. As soon as I thought that, the battle began. The robot brought out its long tachi sword. Then the blade heated up a bright orange and began to emit heat. Wielding it in the air, the sound of it burning could be heard. ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t I tell you? As long as I¡¯m the supervisor of this test, you guys will really have to fight for your lives. If you¡¯re afraid, you can give up even now.¡± I don¡¯t know why he became a supervisor, but he certainly seemed to be here to really bother the candidates rather than to test them. In that situation, No. 00187 rushed straight at the robot without answering. A movement like a beast. It was crude but fierce. As such, the robot attacked the boy. However, he didn¡¯t avoid the blade that was right in front of him. ¡°You crazy punk!¡± Dr. Jaegal twisted the trajectory of the blade. The huge tachi sword cut through the floor and melted it. Taking advantage of the gap, the boy grabbed the robot¡¯s head. Creek¨C! And without any technique, he grabbed the robot¡¯s neck and pulled. The robot continued to punch the boy who was hanging from its neck, but he continued to do what he was doing regardless. And¡­ Clank¨C! Finally, the robot¡¯s head was pulled out. Herculean strength. Damp neural circuits in the robot¡¯s head rattled like a human spine. Dr. Jaegal¡¯s expression wrinkled and he became furious when he saw it. ¡°W-What kind of crazy guy are you? Hey, brat! If I didn¡¯t intervene, you¡¯d be dead!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Huu¡­This kind of gambling doesn¡¯t work in real life, so I can¡¯t give you a very good score. Step down!¡± No. 00187 lowered his head and came down from the ring. Other applicants around him chatted, saying he was lucky given his reckless judgment. However, while observing the boy¡¯s expression this whole time, I was able to catch on. Just now, he had really rushed in without caring about his body being sliced in two. There must be hidden means. Thus, the test continued. Dr. Jaegal continued to summon new robots to match the candidates¡¯ specialty, and each time the candidates would fight using their abilities. Some of them were at an ambiguous level to be D-Rank heroes, while others had specialties worth paying attention to. A woman with colorful hair was now standing on the ring. ¡°Exam No. 04589. My specialty is¡­ Bang~Boom, boom!¡± When she appeared, other supervisors rushed to surround the area. And then thick barriers were placed around her and the robot. Bang boom boom¡­? What¡¯s that? There have been many candidates so far, but this was the first time someone had introduced themselves in this unusual way. I observed her actions. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°Ah, wait! Wait a minute!¡± With the robot in front, No. 04589 suddenly began to take off her clothes. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± Dr. Jaegal¡¯s face burned red. However, she ignored it and threw her clothes to one of the supervisors outside the ring. ¡°Phew, good. I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°W-what¡­haa, what the hell is wrong with the candidates this time¡­¡± Thus, the test started. The robot lunged at the woman. However, No. 04589 stood still without any movement. As soon as the robot¡¯s fist was about to reach her, the woman spoke with a bright smile. ¡°Boom~!¡± The robot heated up white and exploded as it was. Boom¨C! Mushroom shaped clouds soared. Several layers of barriers created by the supervisors broke one after another, offsetting the impact. And finally, when the flames died down, a huge pit where the floor had melted down was seen. In the middle of the pit, she proudly raised her hands to her hips and spoke. ¡°Hehe, finished!¡± ¡°¡­¡± There seemed to be a lot of restrictions, but it was certainly an amazing level in terms of firepower alone. ¡°Ouch!¡± She crawled out of the pit complaining before getting dressed. As the candidates looked on with blank expressions, the supervisors could be heard shouting. ¡°We¡¯re going to start decontamination of radioactivity!¡± People in protective suits entered beyond the barriers that were created by the supervisors. It seems this woman doesn¡¯t need a separate bomb vest. I thought there would be only lame people, but there were quite a few interesting people. It¡¯s fun. Since then, more people with extraordinary abilities took the test, but none of them stood out to me. And¡­ ¡°Exam 07942. Specialty is swordsmanship.¡± Cheon Eugene climbed onto the ring. I wonder how strong he has become in the meantime. If it was like the first round, he¡¯ll skip one level and be assigned to C-Rank. Let¡¯s see what happens this time. I observed the boy who was called a genius. * * * There were numerous forces on Earth that had come from various dimensions, and among them, if one were to point out who was the most successful, then most would say it was the Jaegal clan. Their clan¡¯s customs, which valued knowledge and information, shone more on Earth than in the murim. They systematically organized martial arts, and actively accepted various abilities and magic that existed on Earth to further develop their own martial arts. Thanks to this, they, who were considered the weakest in the past, had now grown into a powerful force that was counted as one of the strongest among several martial art groups. And¡­ In the Jaegal clan, which boasts such dignity, there was someone who was born with a disability¡­ He was the A-class hero Dr. Jaegal. Rather than be pessimistic about his body which couldn¡¯t learn martial arts, he accepted new knowledge by using his superior brain. He was a heretic who wanted to surpass martial arts with science and technology. After being expelled from the clan, he tried to develop stronger power by digging into the weaknesses of martial arts. ¡®No matter how outstanding a martial artist is, in the end, they¡¯re just individuals.¡¯ To solve this problem, he chose the method of mass producing robots and in which a database of martial arts was entered. And the result. An army of robots enough to be called a one-man army, he was recognized as an A-Rank hero. In the end, the path he chose was right. In fact, the reason why he had decided to be one of the supervisors for the exam this time was also to prove the superiority of science and technology. ¡®Hmm¡­I heard they raised the difficulty of this year¡¯s questions, but I still see quite a few serviceable guys.¡¯ As the test continued and he collected more data, a very young child came onto the ring. ¡°Exam No. 07942. Specialty is swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± At the same time as he finished his words, the robot¡¯s neck was easily cut. Swish¨C ¡°¡±¡±Ah!¡±¡±¡± Exclamation burst out among the candidates around them. Rather than the skill used, what caught Dr. Jaegal¡¯s attention was the girl¡¯s sword. ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯ If what he remembers is right, then that was the Soma Sword, which was said to be given to the successor of the Cheonma Order. ¡®A child of magong.¡¯ It was an opportunity to obtain data on magong, which he usually doesn¡¯t come across outside. An endless longing for knowledge. His eyes shone with greed. ¡°Wait!¡± He called out to the child who was walking down the square ring. ¡°Is the evaluation not over?¡± ¡°Yes. The practical skill evaluation is finished. But do you have any thoughts of fighting again? If you win, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± He took out an ampoule containing a yellow liquid. ¡°This is an elixir that was refined by the now-disappeared Sochungdan of the Wudang Sect. It¡¯s one of the treasures that can immediately improve your qigong.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± An exclamation flowed out the mouths of the candidates around them. The ampoule he took out was certainly worth it. Eugene was also aware of that fact. ¡°¡­What do I need to do?¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s simple. Wait a minute.¡± At the same time, a mana reaction occurred in the air. Then robots summoned from subspace transformed and assembled itself. Clunk¨Cclunk¨C! A splendid majesty that could appear only in robot cartoons. A steel giant wearing a cape had appeared. ¡®HK-MK02.¡¯ An extraordinary masterpiece he had created. It was one of the robots in the Four Heavenly Kings series. ¡°If you make a significant attack on my body at least once, this ampoule is yours.¡± Looking at the overwhelming scene, the candidates, who had been greedy for the ampoule earlier, shook their heads. No matter how much they thought, it seemed impossible to beat such a giant. However, Eugene nodded to Dr. Jaegal. ¡°I hope you keep your promise.¡± She immediately operated her qigong and ran at the robot. Boom¨C The overwhelming energy met the robot¡¯s body. However, only a small scratch appeared and no real damage was done. ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Heuheu, I¡¯m not good at controlling the output, so you¡¯ll have to do your best. Show me everything you have.¡± Boom¨C! So Eugene did her best to attack Dr. Jaegal. However, the steel giant responded defensively to her attack for a while as if it were going easy. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­¡± Not only that, Eugene¡¯s clothes had become wet with sweat. How long has it been? Finally, the steel robot spoke. ¡°I think I¡¯ve collected enough data.¡± And like catching a bug, Eugene was knocked out. ¡°Keuk!¡± Eugene, who fell out of the ring, fainted. Supervisors who were next to her ran to check on her condition. There was a heavy silence. Currently, only the high-rank hero candidates remained in the afternoon test. Because of that, they knew. What kind of grade the child had received prior. But now, such a child was teased like a toy and lost. Once again, they were reminded of the gap between them and A-Rank heroes. ¡®Haha, the brat might be able to put up a fight if he inherits magong techniques one day.¡¯ The moment Dr. Jaegal thought as such, someone spoke up. ¡°Excuse me!¡± The sound of an immature child who hasn¡¯t even reached puberty. Everyone turned to one place at once. And standing there was a black-haired boy. Exam No. 13579 could be seen on his chest. The boy continued. ¡°Will you give me that drug if I fight that robot?¡± ¡°Hooo¡­¡± Dr. Jaegal looked at the boy with a dumbfounded look. * * * ¡°No. 13579, if you¡¯re going to attack this robot, your evaluation will be replaced with this because we don¡¯t have much time left. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Tsk, doing something foolish because you¡¯re blinded by greed. Hurry up because it¡¯s annoying. Energy is being consumed to maintain this robot.¡± The huge robot in front of me shook its palm as if it found me troublesome. I smiled inside while looking at it. Lucky. I climbed onto the ring with the eyes of everyone on me. Then voices of people calling me foolish came from all over the place. ¡°He¡¯s too greedy. He needs to know his place.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that he has done well so far, but he was just crazy?¡± Well, in fact, from a normal perspective, they may be right. No matter how talented the candidates might be, the standard level for this exam could be said to be the limit of grades D to C. On the other hand, the giant robot in front of us, as it was an object created by an A-Rank hero, must have at least the same power as B-Rank. But¡­ Under such conditions, it was fully worth a try. [You¡¯ve encountered a Giant] [Giant Hunter is active.] The robot¡¯s huge size was trivial as long as Giant Hunter was active. I slowly walked in front of the robot. Through Heavenly Body, information on the martial arts used by the robot earlier came to mind. I could clearly sense where it¡¯ll attack and where I should aim to be effective. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started.¡± At the same time as he said that, he immediately swung his huge arm. It felt like I was reliving my fight with the giant golem not too long ago. However, the speed and output were incomparably faster. Immediately, the world turned red. Even in such a slow world, its huge palm was still approaching me at such a high speed. Seeing it, I operated Inner Heart. Explosive mana ran through my body, and red energy flowed in all directions. This¡­It was my first time. Next, I accelerated my body. My already pounding heart began to explode like crazy. Keuk! It felt as if my body was about to burst like a balloon. However, my durability has risen to a new level after my stats passed 3. The energy from Inner Heart circled around my whole body and allowed me a very brief window. But for me right now, that moment was enough. I took a step forward and the world crumbled like a sheet of paper as it opened up a new path for me. Behind me, red energy from Inner Heart trailed like a comet. I could see the robot swinging its fist at my afterimage. And¡­ Swish¨C I cut the robot¡¯s neck and passed by as the red colored world returned to its original color. One step later, a huge explosion sounded. Boom¨C! The severed robot¡¯s head dangled for a second before falling to the ground. Boom¨C! And then silence came. Neither the supervisors nor the candidates could say anything. ¡°¡­¡± In the middle of that silence, I heard a pleasant sound in my ears. [Completed Challenge ¡®Legendary Candidate.¡¯] [Gained 3x Random Box (Low).] ¡°Easy.¡± I smiled brightly at the cut robot. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Whenever we read from Noah point of view, it¡¯s always from his perspective. For example, he called the necromancer Pero (is actually the dog¡¯s name) because the necromancer never introduced himself as Jang Wick and he had only heard rumors of ¡®Pero¡¯ in the past. He calls people NPC and monsters because he thinks it¡¯s a game. He calls Eugene a ¡®he¡¯ because he thinks Eugene is a boy. Even the way the novel is written reflects this. He refers to Lady Fortune as ¡®Choi Bokhee,¡¯ and in 3rd person she¡¯s referred to as Lady Fortune. 2. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Boom¨C The armored head of a robot fell to the floor. Silence lingered at the test site as the candidates just stood blankly with their mouths open. ¡°H-how the¡­¡± Someone spat out unknowingly. His words expressed what everyone was thinking. And¡­There was someone else watching the situation. ¡®H-he had such strength?¡¯ Samaria looked at the monitor screen with her eyes wide open. She could still vividly recall the scene from a moment ago in her head. A boy flying like a comet along a red trajectory. In addition, evident by the boom she had heard at the last second, he seemed to have broken the speed of sound. ¡®How¡­At that age?¡¯ She knew he was a talented person from the start, but what he had just shown was at a level that even she couldn¡¯t understand with common sense. And she wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so, as a small sound of admiration next to her could be heard. ¡°Oho¡­that¡¯s a great talent.¡± Pamir looked at the monitor with a curious expression. He rewound the video to confirm what he had seen earlier. Perhaps due to the low frame rate of the camera, the boy¡¯s figure seemed to have momentarily disappeared from the screen. ¡°No, this level isn¡¯t just simply amazing, it¡¯s beyond incomprehensible. I didn¡¯t know he had already stepped into the realm of breaking the sound barrier with a body that hasn¡¯t matured yet.¡± Pamir nodded several times before asking Samaria. ¡°What do you think? About the actions the boy just showed.¡± She could see that Pamir was interested in Noah. And seeing that, she uttered abusive languages inside. ¡®Fuck! It¡¯s going to be a headache if he intervenes in my plan that was already going wrong.¡¯ She had to turn his attention away. With as calm of a look as possible, she spoke. ¡°Well, there are always various geniuses in the world, so do you have to make a fuss about this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. What I wanted to ask is whether there¡¯s a possibility of him being a Warrior.¡± ¡°?!¡± Pamir¡¯s eyes shone sharply. Seeing that, Samaria felt her liver burning. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. As far as I know, Warriors are just existences that can change the fate of the world, so just because he¡¯s talented, doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s one¡­right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­That¡¯s undeniable. But looking at the examples of Warriors I¡¯ve heard of so far, most of them had at least one outstanding power.¡± From Pamir¡¯s expression, he seemed to have already made up his mind that Noah was a Warrior. Samaria tried to calm the anger contained in her trembling voice and asked. ¡°Then¡­What happens if the boy turns out to be a Warrior?¡± Pamir looked at her vaguely as if he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking such a question. When was there a need to hesitate to practice God¡¯s love? All Irregulators should of course be secured and kept in isolation.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not right to isolate a child who hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot softer while I haven¡¯t seen you. God ordained me to protect this world. I just think about the mission. And¡­don¡¯t you know that the best way to protect this world is to follow the decisions made through Oracle?¡± ¡°¡­¡± As expected, he seemed to have already made up his mind to forcefully take Noah the moment he turned out to be a Warrior. ¡®He has taken so many things from me¡­is he going to steal my toy again?¡¯ An unbearable anger boiled up from within. She forcefully controlled her trembling breath. ¡®I¡¯ve worked so hard on this¡­I can¡¯t let him take it away this time.¡¯ Samaria¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Pamir with madness. On the other hand, he continued to record something while watching the recording of Noah. He was simply full of gaps. She swallowed her saliva at the sight. ¡®If I take care of him like this¡­¡¯ Then everything would be solved neatly. It was a sweet temptation. ¡®No¡­Not yet.¡¯ Samaria managed to resist the urge by biting her lips. She knew well that Pamir wouldn¡¯t die even if she attacked him in that state. Rather, she would be retaliated and her own life would be threatened. However, that didn¡¯t mean she would sit still and watch the situation unfold. ¡®If Noah turns out to be a Warrior and he steals what¡¯s mine again¡­¡¯ It seemed that the worst situation should be assumed and prepared. Samaria wanted to protect her toy, so she began to think fiercely of plans to remove Pamir. * * * The 3rd test was finally over. Against the backdrop of a sunset, the high-rank candidates from each specialization group scattered and returned to their accommodation one by one. And in front of those returning were the candidates from the combat specialization with blank looks on their faces as if they were possessed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? What¡¯s wrong with your expressions?¡± ¡°¡­¡± However, there was no response despite such questions. They simply stared at the black-haired boy with the exam No. 13579. Candidates from the other specialization had a realization when they saw it. They all realized that the young boy must have done something again. Sure enough, looking at the electronic display, he had received a perfect score again this time. Not only that, it was in the difficult 3rd test which was directly judged by active heroes. For the boy to come this far, they weren¡¯t even jealous anymore. They had realized that the boy was at an inaccessible level in the first place. Human habits usually lead people to be envious and jealous when a person who is a little better than oneself appears. However, in front of an overwhelming gap that cannot even be compared, there were only gazes of respect and worship. And now that the 4th test was just a day away, building a cooperative relationship with such an absolute powerhouse could be said to be an all-around key that would guarantee their acceptance. Some of the courageous people gathered in the lobby were trying to read the situation as they crept up to mingle with the boy somehow. But at that moment, a man in his mid-30s led his gang and blocked them. ¡°What are you doing?! Why are you fuckers approaching my dongsaeng? Don¡¯t fool around and instead worry about yourselves!¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°You fucking parasites! Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯re trying to latch onto him for the 4th test? Hurry up and fuck off! Can¡¯t you see my dongsaeng is playing a game?¡± No. 18218, Mousin Dayru kicked them away with harsh curses. And then he approached the boy with a smile on his face. ¡®How dare they try to spit on my lucky charm?¡¯ If he uses the boy well, he¡¯ll be able to safely pass the last 4th test that has been his thorn for a long time. ¡°Haha, dongsaeng~ I heard you did well on the test? Wow¡­If I was in your group, I would have been able to witness it in person.¡± The boy playing the game spoke. ¡°Why are you calling me dongsaeng? Do you know my mom, ajeossi?¡± ¡°H-Huh? I-I¡¯m sorry about that. I just thought it¡¯d be better for us to be more candid¡­¡± Mousin blushed with an embarrassed look. His fists would have been flying if he was his usual self. He could only curse inside since his hero license was close to being acquired. ¡®Damn, you little brat! After this exam is over¡­¡¯ He quietly grinded his teeth. And at that moment, the boy asked. ¡°Hey ajeossi, how can we cooperate in the 4th test?¡± ¡°Ahah, t-that¡¯s right. It¡¯s time to discuss it in detail.¡± If the tests so far are said to evaluate their wisdom, integrity, and ability to become heroes, then in the case of the 4th test, it could be said that it was an evaluation to test their practical performance to be called ¡®professional¡¯ heroes. And in that regard, it was similar to a kind of survival game. It was an excruciating test that lasted for three days and two nights in a specifically prepared space. During that time, candidates had to try and protect their exam number slip from the supervisor. Actually, this last 4th test¡­It could be said to be the biggest barrier that divides the upper and lower heroes. And Mousin, who has experienced the 4th test three times, was somewhat aware of the characteristics of the test. ¡®This test¡­The key isn¡¯t to compete with the supervisor, rather, it¡¯s to avoid their eyes and eliminate the other players first.¡¯ According to the stated rules, the goal of this survival game, which lasted for three days and two nights, was to avoid the supervisor. Alliances and fights between candidates were prohibited, as only combat against the supervisor were allowed. But¡­ ¡®That¡¯s just what is stated.¡¯ The acceptance rate of this notorious 4th test was about 10 percent. And it was scheduled for three days and two nights, but it didn¡¯t always last that long. It ended when time was up, or when 10 percent of the candidates were left. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t just about hiding well and surviving but also how to quickly reduce the number of candidates. Mousin explained these rules to Noah. ¡°So¡­The supervisor won¡¯t observe us with surveillance cameras?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s certain. Rather, it could be said that they are secretly encouraging the candidates to unite or fight.¡± ¡°But from what I¡¯ve read on the internet, don¡¯t we have to act alone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a restriction you have to pay attention to. Forming a team or establishing a strategy without being caught by the supervisor is also a way to measure your practical skills.¡± In fact, in one of the exams he had participated in, thanks to the rapid reduction of other candidates by a team that had formed a huge alliance, the test had ended within a day. ¡°Aha. Then what should I do? Do you have a strategy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that the supervisor changes every year, but according to the information I¡¯ve found so far, there¡¯s a certain route of patrol they will take in the beginning. So it¡¯s important to form an alliance during that period.¡± Mousin told the boy everything he knew and the plan. Then the boy smiled brightly and spoke. ¡°I see! Then let¡¯s meet tomorrow as planned, ajeossi.¡± ¡°Right, if it¡¯s there, it¡¯ll be a safe place at the start.¡± Mousin thought while looking at the child smiling innocently. ¡®Really, after this exam, I¡¯ll have to change his attitude properly. How dare he not even know who the master of the relationship is.¡¯ He smiled, hiding his true feelings. * * * At a hotel nearby the Hero Association Headquarters. Dr. Jaegal was drinking somberly in the accommodation that was assigned to him. ¡°Hu¡­What the fuck.¡± His face was reflected on the amber liquid. An ugly and unattractive appearance since birth as if it was divine punishment. He had constantly tried to overcome such limitations. But¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t believe I lost to a rookie.¡¯ The science and technology he has studied all his life had collapsed to a young child of only 13 years old. Of course, rather than a 1on1 confrontation, his specialty was a battle of quantity. Nonetheless, he still lost face as an A-Rank hero. As someone who has struggled his entire life to not be looked down upon, there was no disgrace more shameful than what happened today. ¡®This fucking world.¡¯ No matter how hard one tries, does natural talent eventually determine everything? Feeling deeply skeptical, he drank a series of glasses. A burning heat soared to his throat. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Before he knew it, he had emptied all the bottles. However, feeling that it was still lacking, he stood up to order more drinks with room service. He had to supervise the 4th test tomorrow morning, but there was no such responsibility left in his head now. At that moment, in the room where no one else was supposed to be, someone¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Good evening. Dr. Jaegal.¡± ¡°?!¡± Dr. Jaegal looked back in surprise. Then he saw someone¡¯s silhouette standing in the dark. ¡®An enemy.¡¯ A person who came without any signs at this time could never have been a good person. As an A-Rank hero, he reacted quickly with his long established sense gained from experience. He directly released the alcohol from his body with mana and was able to regain his reasons to some extent. At the same time, he summoned his robots from subspace. Robots in full armor walked out simultaneously. While some were the same models used in the afternoon¡¯s test, there were also much more dangerous and destructive practical models mixed in. The spacious hotel room quickly became filled by the robot army. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the interior, the Four Heavenly King series couldn¡¯t be summoned, but this much was enough to ease his mind. ¡°Which bastard is it! Show yourself!¡± Dr. Jaegal shouted fiercely. It was a blaring roar that contrasted his small stature. Then a man walked out of the shadow. A man with a mustache and in neat gentleman¡¯s clothes. It was a memorable face he had seen somewhere. Soon after, he recalled who the man in front of him was. ¡°D-devil!¡± It was the very same devil that had caused the terrible terrorist attack in Jonggak Pyongyang earlier this year. Dr. Jaegal stepped back and became wary of the gentleman. Then the gentleman, who had been watching him thus far, finally spoke. ¡°A good evening pairs well with alcohol. Do you mind if I treat myself to a drink?¡± He waved the cane in his hand and one of the empty bottles began to fill up again. Then, putting ice in a glass with tongs, he gracefully poured the whiskey. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?! I¡¯ll burn you alive today and make justice right!¡± Following Dr. Jaegal¡¯s order, the robot army pulled out their swords in unison. A haze soared from their blades and heated up in an orange color. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush like that.¡± The gentleman floated another glass in the air and pushed it towards Dr. Jaegal. The glass floated like a boat on water. And then suddenly, the robots put their swords away. ¡°?!¡± Dr. Jaegal looked at it with his eyes wide open. He hadn¡¯t given such an order. Was there an error? He tried to order the robots again, but contrary to his wishes, the door of the subspace, which had been still, began to open automatically. And then the robot army began to return to the subspace in reverse order, as if a video was being rewound. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?!¡± He even tried operating an emergency order system, but it didn¡¯t listen to the order. By the time the last robot disappeared into subspace, a drink had arrived in front of him. The gentleman beckoned with a kind smile. ¡°Well, this one is on me, so have a drink.¡± But at the gentleman¡¯s suggestion, Dr. Jaegal threw the glass of alcohol on the floor. Bang¨C! ¡°V-villain! What kind of trick did you pull?! H-how can you make my legion¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­oh dear. I¡¯ve been considerate of you, but this attitude¡­You have no manners.¡± ¡°Hey, stop talking nonsense and return my legion!¡± ¡°Well, now that it¡¯s like this, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. If you want to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit¡­¡± A purple haze began to rise slowly from the gentleman. Although Dr. Jaegal didn¡¯t know what it was, the mana he felt from it was very ominous. The energy gradually eroded the room and drove him into a corner. ¡°S-stay away! Stay away!¡± Dr. Jaegal stepped back little by little, but eventually his back touched the wall. There was no place to back down anymore. Looking at him, the gentleman gave a kind smile and spoke. ¡°Your toys. I¡¯ll use it well.¡± ¡°N-no! Euaaak!¡± Dr. Jaegal let out a painfully scream as the purple haze covered his body. * * * Returning to my room, I immediately locked the door. Then I took out the ampoule I had received from Dr. Jaegal. Classification: Elixir Grade: B Description: Spiritual medicine of the Wudang Sect. Increase Mana permanently when consumed. *Cannot be used repeatedly. Frankly, it was an unexpected harvest. I had planned to get this kind of medicine when I had a chance later, but I can¡¯t believe one came into my hands so easily. Heuheu¡­good. I¡¯ve taken plenty of elixirs in the first round, so I drank the ampoule right away without worry. Like eating mint candy, refreshing energy spreads throughout my body. I activated right before the energy dissipated. Then, the refreshing energy that circled my body was gradually transformed into turbird mana by Inner Heart. I closed my eyes for a while and focused only on controlling the energy. And¡­ [You¡¯ve fully absorbed the Sochungdan Solution.] [Stats have risen.] Body: 3.38 -> 3.60 (+0.22) Dexterity: 3.04 -> 3.13 (+0.09) Mana: 3.12 -> 4.05 (+0.93) Spirit: 3.13 -> 3.48 (+0.35) Success! My mana surpassed 4.0. And as such, I was able to gradually see the mana particles floating in the room. Whenever I breathed in, the flow of mana that entered my body felt incomparably clearer than before. Keuh¡­this is the feeling. It had been a while since I¡¯ve felt this clear energy, and for the first time in a long time, I tried to activate my mana. The energy from Inner Heart spreads in the room like a red haze. Wuung¨C I took out Red Velvet Curse and released my mana. Immediately, red colored mana could clearly be seen over the blade. Woo¨C The feeling of being one with the sword. It was the peak for martial artists at the Zenith stage. I wanted to cut something right away as a test, but unfortunately, there was nothing suitable around me. Well¡­I¡¯ll be able to cut something soon anyway. I left my regrets behind and put away the sword. And other than Mana, my other stats rose this time by an equivalent of three small Fragments of Growth. Good. The more I looked at my stat window, the more I thought I would laugh. While appreciating such beautiful stats, I confirmed the rewards I had received after completing the Challenge this time. [3x Random Box (Low).] Three boxes. If possible, I wanted to use it slowly after the hero exam, but I haven¡¯t had a good feeling about the exam since a while ago. An unidentified ominous sensation. Until now, when I would feel such intuitions, nine out of ten times it generally came true. To be on the safe side, it would be best to use it now. As I didn¡¯t know what was causing the ominous feeling since a while ago, it was safe to increase my strength as much as possible. [Used 3x Random Box (Low).] I opened the three boxes at the same time. Then the boxes rose in the air at once and began to rotate with bright lights. Please, just one good hit! I looked at it with an earnest heart. And finally, the boxes opened. New messages began to emerge in a row in front of my eyes. [Obtained ] [Obtained ] [Obtained Love Whip.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± At first glance, nothing looked very good. I checked the rewards one by one just in case. Classification: Magic Grade: E Description: Create a pair of beads containing the power of flame. This was one of the choices of skills I had seen in the past. I felt it at the time, but it seems useless. I activated the skill. A pair of fire spheres floated on my hand and rotated slowly. ¡°Anyway¡­what can I do with this?¡± I wondered if it was a skill that could be controlled according to my will, but that wasn¡¯t the case. After testing this and that for a while, it was concluded that this was a garbage skill. All I could do with it was create beads of fire. At least it¡¯ll be useful if I need to make a fire outdoors¡­ I sighed slightly and checked the next skill. Classification: Magic Grade: D Description: Summon ¡®Infected Egg,¡¯ a demonic beast from another dimension. ¡°Oh! Summoning skills are still useful.¡± To be able to support me in battle, it could be said that summoning skills brought with them various effects and had no downside. I activated the skill with a throbbing heart. Then a basketball-sized ball was produced in the air. The center of the egg split sharply like a pair of teeth and a long tongue came out. ¡°Hmm?¡± The summon beast went beyond my control and began eating what was around it. The blanket I had used to cover myself and sleep during the last test period was quickly sucked into its body. I glanced at it one final time before releasing the skill. The skill seemed quite useful, but I didn¡¯t need any skills that I couldn¡¯t control. This was trash too¡­ Of the three, two were already trash. ¡°Huu¡­Please recover with the last one.¡± The last item was presumed to be a weapon by the name. Even if it was unconventional, I wanted to have a weapon other than a sword, so that¡¯s good. Classification: Hobby item Grade: D Description: A luxury whip with heart decorations that was carefully crafted by a craftsman in a specific industry. *No injuries even if you¡¯re struck by this. *The pain level can be adjusted. ¡°¡­¡± I thought a usable weapon had come out, but for some reason, it was classified as a hobby item. The options written on it were also unusual. I stared blankly at it and sighed. In fact, my gacha luck so far has been ridiculously good if I compare it to the first round, so this situation could be said to be normal. I calmly closed my eyes and controlled my mind. Right¡­Maybe I¡¯ve been too lucky. I already have a lot of things. After abandoning my greed, my mind became peaceful like a calm lake. ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s not peaceful at all!¡± How did I roll three times and nothing useful came out? It shouldn¡¯t be like this. I need to get something today. Gacha is love! I¡¯ll live by the gacha and die by the gacha! After opening the Synthesis window, I immediately threw the two skills in. And without any hesitation, I pressed the synthesize button. ¡°Synthesize!¡± And in a little bit. Ding¨C Finally, the result of the synthesis appeared in front of my eyes. The name¡­ [Obtained ] ¡°¡­¡± Somehow, an intense name had appeared. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. I forgot to mention this, but all of these murim words like Namgung clan, Jaegal Clan, Inner Heart, Sochungdan, etc¡­are all found in various Korean martial arts literature. They weren¡¯t made up by the author. 2. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 43 Chapter 43 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I looked at the skill that had been synthesized. [Materials used in Synthesis have a Synergy effect.] [The skill¡¯s potential has increased.] [Synthesis completed.] Classification: Magic Grade: D (Growth Type) Description: Summon a pair of eggs that gives off heat. Once growth is completed, the eggs will hatch into a random fire property summon beast. *Feed the eggs to grow the skill. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t think I would get a Growth Type skill here.¡± Honestly, just looking at the name, I thought it would be another trash skill, but it was beyond my expectations. I activated the skill. Then a pair of bright red eggs emerged in the air. As if a hot stove had been turned on in the room, the indoor air quickly gave off a warm heat. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to be out of my control like before. Did it say I had to feed it to grow the skill? I took out the banana I had received from Eugene this morning. And when I shook the banana in front of the egg, just like the egg from earlier, the thick shell cracked and a long tongue snatched the banana before disappearing. This is quite fun. It says the eggs will hatch into a summon beast later, and although I don¡¯t know what will come out, I was already looking forward to it. After all, there were countless fire property summon beasts¡­ It¡¯ll be fun to raise it step by step and see the result in the future. Anyway, how should I sleep tonight? I looked at the bed where the summon beast had eaten up my blanket earlier. Only an empty mattress remained. There was no problem for me to sleep like this, but without a pillow I tend to lose sleep. Hmm¡­I can¡¯t do it. I walked down the hallway after leaving my room. The lights were turned off after 9PM in the hallway and only ambient lights were visible. I¡¯m sure it was around here? After walking down the hallway for a long time, I finally arrived at my destination. The candidate number was written on the door. No. 079421. It was Cheon Eugene¡¯s room. Fortunately, this guy was staying at the medical center thanks to the injury he had suffered in the afternoon test. That saves me the trouble. For some reason, he gave me his room¡¯s spare card key on the first day that we arrived at the dorms. I took the card key out of my inventory and opened the door. Beep¨C The door opened and I entered the dark room. Then a sweet smell resembling the scent of flowers pricked my nose. As expected of his room. Although I don¡¯t really like using the same blankets that others have used¡­ It would be okay to just take off the blanket cover and use that. As soon as I thought that, a light groan came from the darkness. ¡°Keuh¡­uh¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Why can I hear that guy¡¯s voice? I put away the key card and turned on the lights in the room. Then the figure of Eugene talking in his sleep while sprawled out on his stomach and was on the verge of falling off the bed came into view. He was still dressed in the black uniform he wore during the day. Anyway, next to him there was something like a medicine pack. Did he just come back from the medical center? Well, that¡¯s not important. I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯ll have to pack his blanket and head back. I grabbed his pillow and then pulled the blanket that was underneath him. Then the guy rolled over and banged his head against the wall. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t wake up like this, he seemed to be fast asleep. The top of his uniform was loosened at an angle. And seeing that he was wearing bandages around his chest, I guess he really had come back from the medical center. When I looked closely, the wound seemed to be a little swollen, but it didn¡¯t look like a serious injury because it wasn¡¯t very noticeable at a glance. As soon as I thought that, what was placed at the edge next to the bed caught my eyes. Ah! My treasure that I didn¡¯t have a chance to take out of his hands because the brat wouldn¡¯t let go of it. Soma Sword. I checked the sleeping guy again. I guess his fatigue was worse than I had thought because he was still fast asleep. Heuheu¡­I didn¡¯t think the opportunity would come this fast. In that case, there was no need to synthesize the options, as I can just take the entire weapon with me. Nevertheless, these days, I wanted to feel a new taste in my hands other than Red Velvet Curse. Good. I picked up the pitch black sword. And at that moment, I heard the voice of an old man in my head. ¨C Aiya~ Are you awake my darling? Papa here¡­Hmm? Who are you? ¡°¡­¡± Was this a sword with awareness? It was just the type of weapon I hated. Even so¡­let¡¯s take it and see. As soon as I tried to put the sword into my inventory, suddenly, the Soma Sword stuck to the edge of the bed like a magnet. Damn! It didn¡¯t budge no matter how much strength I gave. As I continued to pull the sword, I heard the voice again. ¨C Hey, you rascal! Ah, why are you in my Eugene¡¯s room at this late hour? Don¡¯t tell me, something impure¡­No, never. My Eugene isn¡¯t like that, so you¡¯re definitely a thief! ¡°No. I¡¯m Eugene¡¯s friend.¡± ¨C Stop talking! No friend would sneak into another¡¯s room at night like this! It wasn¡¯t enough that you broke into my darling¡¯s room, but you¡¯re also coveting the treasure of our school! Immediately, an overwhelming energy came from the sword. It felt similar to the overwhelming presence I had felt when I faced Turbak not too long ago. The pressure I felt from this piece of iron seemed to be at least that of an A-Rank hero. ¡°Keuh!¡± How the hell does a sword have such a tremendous presence? I hurriedly tried to remove the sword from my hand, but it wouldn¡¯t come off as if it was glued to my hand. And¡­ Crack¨C! Bright red spark soared from the sword. Formidable energy that cannot be handled with my current growth started pouring into my body. I could have defended it with Absolute Defense if I had Red Velvet Curse, but unfortunately it was in my inventory. Fuck! I tried to resist by operating my mana to the fullest. The overwhelming energy that was eroding my body was briefly pushed out. But¡­ ¨C Oho, you¡¯re quite a guy! How did you block this mighty one¡¯s aura? Then try eating this too! ¡°Wait! I¡¯m really Eugene¡¯s friend¡­¡± ¨C There¡¯s no need for words! Similar to the overwhelming presence I felt from some of the absolute powerhouses in the first round, a new level of power exploded. Crackle¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± My consciousness was getting farther and farther away. Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t overcome this measly sword and will fall here? ¨C Eugene will dispose of you! I lost my consciousness after hearing that. * * * ¡°Keuh¡­¡± With a painful feeling as if her whole body would break apart, Cheon Eugene slowly opened her eyes. A strange yet familiar ceiling. Blinking her eyes, she stared blankly at the patterns on the ceiling for a while. ¡®Where¡¯s this¡­?¡¯ Soon, as her consciousness gradually returned, she realized that this was the accommodation for candidates located at the Hero Association. Then, scenes from yesterday began to replay in her mind one by one. Fainting after facing a giant robot in the 3rd practical skill test, and then waking up in the medical center. Fortunately, she had come to her senses just before her clothes were changed. After that, she hurried back to her room after receiving the medicine pack. She recalled her head spinning as she collapsed onto the bed the moment she came back to her room. ¡®I must have looked so pathetic¡­¡¯ She had inherited the blood of the great royal family of Crohart, and currently, she was the successor of the Cheonma Order, but fainting in front of so many people could be said to be an unforgettable disgrace for the rest of her life. On top of that, when she imagined Noah seeing her like that, she sighed without realizing it. ¡°Huu¡­¡± If she had trained a little harder, she wouldn¡¯t have shown that side of her¡­ Even though she couldn¡¯t outscore Noah, she was still outperforming her own expectations. But now, she even fainted like this, so she thought she had no dignity of being his master in the future. ¡®¡­After this exam, I¡¯ll ask stepfather to train me more.¡¯ Vowing to herself, Cheon Eugene raised herself from the bed. Her unbuttoned collar was wide open and her white flesh was exposed. She adjusted her disheveled clothes. ¡®How low have I fallen that I can¡¯t even dress myself¡­¡¯ She once again reprimanded her disgraceful appearance. Fortunately, no one had seen this disgraceful side of her. As soon as she thought that, she felt something squishy between the blankets. ¡°Hmm?¡± She slowly lifted her blanket. Then, she saw a black-haired boy in white sportswear lying there. Somehow the figure looked familiar. Having just been in an accident, she watched it blankly for a few seconds. And soon, she backed up in surprise. ¡°W-what the hell is this¡­?!¡± Why was he here? She was sure this was her room. Countless thoughts passed through her mind. However, she couldn¡¯t guess as to why Noah was lying on the floor of her room. Then, at some point¡­Her outfit, which had been disorganized a while ago, came to mind. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me, this guy¡­?¡± She was exposed to a lot of knowledge concerning the opposite gender after being adopted by her new family. The absurd stories she had heard from her stepfather floated in her head. ¡®N-no way¡­¡¯ When she was panicking like that, a voice came from the sword that had been placed on one side of the bed. ¡ª Aiya, my darling~ You¡¯re awake! She quickly turned her head toward the sword. ¡°S-stepfather! What the hell is going on here?¡± ¨C Aye?! Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me papa? ¡°Stepfather! I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes! Hurry up and tell me. What the hell kind of situation is this?¡± She asked, looking at Noah who was on the floor. Then the sword answered as if it was a trivial matter. ¨C Hm? Ahah, you mean this guy? He¡¯s a thief who secretly broke into your room last night. In a trembling voice, she asked. ¡°No way¡­You didn¡¯t do anything to him, did you?¡± Cheonma, a supreme existence who was called the strongest in the murim in the past. He fiercely opposed Eugene, his successor, from leaving the Cheonma Order and going to Pyongyang, so as a result, some measures were taken with the Soma Sword so that some of his consciousness could be expressed in the form of sword aura at any time. If a person such as the Cheonma had done something to Noah¡­ ¨C I couldn¡¯t finish him off cleanly because of his strong resistance, but he¡¯s probably not in a normal state because he was exposed to my aura. ¡°N-no!¡± At the same time as the Cheonma¡¯s words fell, she ran straight to Noah. She hurriedly checked his condition. Fortunately, his body was intact, but the mana circulation was quite unstable. His life wasn¡¯t in immediate critical condition, but it could be said that she¡¯ll have to take care of him in her room for a while. ¡®If it¡¯s like this¡­Today¡¯s test is out of the question.¡¯ Cheonma¡¯s voice came into her head. ¨C Oho. If you sympathize with such a thief, you will never become an Emperor! I¡¯ve told you so many times. You have to leave all distractions out of your heart and mind, and in addition, this disgraceful brat not only tried to steal, he even lied saying that he was your friend. ¡°?!¡± Only then did she understand the whole situation. The reason why Noah was now lying down in her room. ¡®He¡­came because he was worried about me.¡¯ Noah must have ran straight to the medical center after the 3rd test. And after learning about her actions there, he probably came all the way here to see her condition. Even though she didn¡¯t see it in person, she could naturally recall the scenes. The appearance of a worried boy who cared about his friend¡¯s condition. And because he wanted to take care of his friend, he had collapsed after suffering her stepfather¡¯s attack. Finally learning all the facts, she desperately screamed. ¡°Noah¡­he¡¯s! He¡¯s my one and only friend! Why did you do this¡­¡± ¨C What? What he said was true? Then, the relationship is already impure¡­ Cheonma muttered in an empty voice, as if he had just heard that the Cheonma Order had fallen. But his voice didn¡¯t reach her ears. ¡®Ah¡­It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯ She should have predicted this situation when she handed him the spare key to her room. If only she had warned him about the sword in advance. She was just embarrassed by her stepfather¡¯s obsessiveness, so she had decided to cover it up vaguely¡­she now realized she shouldn¡¯t have done that. ¡®I¡­have to take responsibility.¡¯ She looked at Noah with a solemn look. And then she took out a small wooden box. It was the Maryeongdan, a treasure of the Cheonma Order that Cheonma had given her in the case of an emergency. Seeing that, Cheonma shouted at her. ¨C Eugene! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to give that to him?! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, stepfather. I¡¯ll accept my punishment when I return.¡± As she said that, she boldly put the Maryeongdan into Noah¡¯s mouth. * * * Through my blurred consciousness, I could hear someone¡¯s voice. ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­his condition is back to normal.¡± A long sigh of relief. At the same time, vague memory fragments passed through my head. ¡°¡­Certainly, for someone like you, the remaining test won¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s meet again someday. My friend.¡± Soon, I opened my eyes, grabbing my throbbing head. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± The moment I woke up, I recalled the overwhelming presence who was pouring energy into me. I stood up like a spring and quickly took out Red Velvet Curse and held it in my hand. However, I could longer see the Soma Sword. Not only the sword, but also the room was neatly arranged in a way similar to when the candidates had first arrived at the dorms. What¡¯s going on? As soon as I had that question, I saw a small note on the desk. There was a line of sentences written in neat letters. ¨C I¡¯m heading back to China for personal reasons. Good luck on the remaining test. ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheon Eugene had suddenly given up the exam. Did the injury he suffered yesterday worsen? While having that kind of question, on one side of my vision, the status window log icon blinked. Without thinking, I selected the icon and messages that had been delayed came to my eyes. [Ingested ] [Your stats have risen significantly.] Body: 3.60 -> 4.60 (+1) Dexterity: 3.13 -> 4.13 (+1) Mana: 4.05 -> 4.85 (+0.8) Spirit: 3.48 -> 4.48 (+1) What the hell¡­ My ability had increased in an exaggerated manner after I woke up. It seemed that I had taken an item called Maryeongdan without knowing it. I¡¯ve never even heard of such an elixir in the first round. This level of increase was similar to when I ate the Daehwandan in the past¡­ But the messages didn¡¯t end there. [Favorability has increased.] [The level of favorability has reached a certain level.] [You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Crohart Eugene¡¯ as a companion.] [Companions cannot betray you once they¡¯ve joined your party.] ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Why did he start liking me so much? I thought he must have noticed that I was trying to steal the Soma Sword, but instead, he met the conditions to become a companion. It was getting harder and harder to understand the situation. I don¡¯t know what I should make of this¡­ For a moment I considered registering him as a companion. [Recruitment rejected.] [Crohart Eugene will be registered as warrior¡¯s follower.] [Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time.] If I do this, whatever it may be, he won¡¯t betray me. In the worst case, when I encounter the existence in the Soma Sword again, I¡¯ll be able to survive if I use him as a shield. I was organizing my thoughts one by one when the broadcast came out of the speaker. ¨C The 4th test will begin soon, so please move to the lobby. Huu¡­Let¡¯s think about the matter after the exam is over. And so, I left the empty room without Eugene. * * * The results up to the 3rd test were tallied, and those who didn¡¯t meet the criteria were discharged from the test site this morning as a group. After that happened, the surviving candidates, including myself, gathered in front of a portal. The number of candidates was about 200. Considering that the number of candidates at the start of the 3rd test was around 5,000, a lot more weight was lost than expected. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll now explain the 4th test.¡± The supervisor handed out bracelets with displays to the candidates one by one. ¡°The bracelets I just handed out are an important item that will help you pass the 4th test.¡± The explanation was mostly the same as what No. 18218 had told me. Candidates are automatically eliminated from the test if the bracelet is taken away or damaged. In addition, the bracelets had the function of showing the remaining number of candidates. After such a long winded explanation, the supervisor¡¯s tone suddenly changed as if to warn us. ¡°In the case of the 4th test, as you all know, it¡¯s a test where many casualties occur every year.¡± ¡°So if there¡¯s anyone who wants to give up even now, please raise your hand. Even if you quit the test now, a low-rank hero license will be issued automatically.¡± ¡°However¡­If you participate in the last 4th test and fail, not only will you have failed, you will not receive a low-rank license, so please keep this in mind and make the right judgment.¡± Nobody raised their hands. And as if the supervisor knew that would happen, he gave a meaningful smile. ¡°Seeing as no one has given up, we¡¯ll now start the test. Oh, the position where you¡¯ll be sent is random, so please keep that in mind. Then, please enter the portal one at a time.¡± After all that was said, the candidates, including myself, finally entered the blue swirling portal. And then, a white snowland welcomed me. A blizzard raged from all sides, and the tall conifer forests shook in the wind. I guess the terrain this time is a snowy field¡­ In a place of extreme cold, before even thinking of food, immediately maintaining my body temperature will be key. It could be said that it was a purposely selected space by the malicious organizers to drop the candidates. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± But even in this blizzard, I wasn¡¯t feeling that cold. Classification: General Grade: B Description: A God¡¯s blessing that is suspiciously powerful. *Greatly increases resistance to the cold element. *Favored by all beasts. I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about the cold thanks to this cruel God¡¯s blessing that I had exchanged for a dreadful experience a few months ago. Fuck! When I thought of its name again, the terrible feeling of that time seemed to come to mind. I walked along the snowy field while rubbing my forehead for no apparent reason. Even though I haven¡¯t taken many steps, my legs were digging deep into the snow and gnawing at my stamina little by little. This isn¡¯t as easy as I thought. After walking for some time, at one point, people huddled together in the distance caught my eyes. A total of five people. It was No. 18218 and his gang. For some reason, the guy had stopped in the middle of the snowy field, not near the supply camp, our meeting place. Why were they gathered here? Well, this is good. What¡¯s really important is that he was wearing the expensive item on his waist. Haha¡­It was finally time to farm items. I slowly approached the Golden Goblin. Then when he saw me, he waved his hand and greeted me. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yes, ajeossi!¡± I also waved my hand happily and approached him. The distance was about 10 steps. I slipped my hand toward my sword. ¡°You came just at the right time! Hurry up and come over here!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Another 5 steps forward. I operated my mana and slowly pulled out my sword. Wuung- An eerie cry rang out in the snowy field. And 3 more steps. The guys had their backs toward me and were looking at something in the field. Good timing. The moment I was about to wield my sword, I had no choice but to stop when I heard what he said next. ¡°A-anyhow¡­There seems to be a problem. Take a look at this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Looking past him, I saw a familiar scene. It was a swirling red portal of the demon world. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Mousin was far from someone you would call ¡®talented.¡¯ Within his family, he neither had an extraordinary mind like the second oldest sibling nor did have a high spirit affinity like the youngest sibling. To put it in one word, he was incompetent. Except for his background of being the eldest son of a prestigious family, it could be said that he was ¡®weak¡¯ and was worse than ordinary aspiring hero candidates. However, if there was one thing that separated him from others, it was that he had a special talent, an excellent crisis detection ability to intuitively sense death. ¡®What the hell¡­¡¯ Mousin looked at the red portal swirling in front of his eyes. He and his group had discovered this portal by accident after he had met up with the group a moment earlier. At first, he thought it was just another secret behind the test, but the closer he looked at it, the more ominous he felt, and the more he looked at it, the more he thought he wasn¡¯t prepared for the test. Suddenly, his superpower was activated. An eerie feeling climbed up his spine and warned him of an impending death. ¡®H-huh? What¡¯s this sudden change?¡¯ In general, herbivores¡¯ senses were keenly developed to have wider peripherals than carnivores. And in that respect, the same was true for Mousin. Having always lived while conscious of his family, he had naturally blossomed a keen perception because of it. Thanks to this ability, he was able to survive in his tough family environment for nearly 35 years. And now, that kind of intuition was raising an alarm. ¡®I-it¡¯s dangerous here¡­I need to get out of here quickly¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he was certain that there was a threat here that could kill him. So he hurriedly looked around. There was only the white snow field, and as far as he could see, there was no significant risk in sight. But so far, his intuition has never been wrong. He believed in his judgment. ¡®This portal looks dangerous, so let¡¯s move as planned¡­¡¯ The moment he was talking to his group, suddenly, a boy appeared in his eyes. A recent member who had joined them, the savior of this test, No. 13579. For some reason, he could see the boy pulling out his sword as he looked at the portal. And the moment he made eye contact with the boy, his intuition began to warn him more fiercely than ever. That is, the boy was going to kill him. ¡®C-could it be that guy¡­?¡¯ They had only met for the first time in this exam. There should be no ill feelings between them. ¡®Wait, that¡¯s not true¡­¡¯ Perhaps one of his younger siblings seeking the successor position had hired the boy? It seemed to make sense when he thought this far. ¡®Come to think of it, it was weird from the beginning.¡¯ Is it a natural reaction for a person who is handed diarrhea medicine to ask to be friends first? Absolutely not. Why hadn¡¯t he realized this small simple thing until now? ¡®Damn it!¡¯ He was blinded by greed and had neglected his judgment. But regret was something he could do later. Now, getting out of this situation was top priority. While Mousin wracked his brain, the boy suddenly asked in a calm voice. ¡°Ajeossi, how long has this been here?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­W-we¡¯ve just arrived too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Ajeossi, please come closer to me first. I think it¡¯s kind of dangerous right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy smiled brightly and took one step toward Mousin. When Mousin measured their distance, he realized it was a distance that a sword could reach after another step or two. Suddenly, he recalled what the boy had asked before the test when everyone was writing their release form. [Ajeossi. What happens if a person dies inside?] [Ahah, don¡¯t pay too much attention to that. Rather, a person dying or getting injured is more than expected in the 4th test. Unless you¡¯re in the vicinity of a supervisor, surprisingly, they don¡¯t care much whether you die or get hurt. This is the release form for that.] [Aha, that¡¯s a relief.] Looking back now, the hidden meaning behind the boy¡¯s question was that he would kill him. Meanwhile, the boy took another step closer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, ajeossi? Are you okay?¡± An innocent expression where no killing intent could be felt. At the boy¡¯s appearance, he was unable to endure it any longer and cursed. ¡°F-fuck!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Mousin immediately turned around and ran. The group that was usually with him knew that he was quick-witted. So they followed him and began to run in a hurry. ¡°Heuk, heuk!¡± White breath flowed out of Mousin¡¯s mouth as the blizzard hit the face. The cold air made his lungs hurt as if they were going to rip. But he couldn¡¯t stop his legs. The warning of impending death hasn¡¯t vanished. At that moment, a scream came from behind. ¡°Aaak! S-save me!¡± It seemed that someone had been caught by the boy. He put strength in his legs without daring to look back. ¡®I have to use this chance to widen the distance.¡¯ Screams followed one after another. And the footsteps were coming closer and closer. It would soon be his turn. ¡®There¡¯s still one person left, so if I can run ahead¡­¡¯ As soon as he thought that, suddenly, the guy who had been running from behind pulled his shoulder. In an instant, he lost his balance and his steps twisted. ¡°N-no!¡± Meanwhile, the guy behind him ran ahead with all his might. ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! How can you do that to me?¡± However, the guy pretended not to hear and ran forward. But then robots appeared in the blurry landscape covered by the blizzard. They were the robots that belonged to the supervisor, Dr. Jaegal, who was in charge of the 4th test. ¡®E-even if I fail the test, I better ask the supervisor for help.¡¯ The one running in front of Mousin felt the same way, as he raised his hand and shouted loudly. ¡°S-supervisor! Supervisor! Save me!¡± The robots turned their heads as they pulled out their orange-hot swords. ¡®I-it¡¯s here!¡¯ Mousin ran the last distance, squeezing out his remaining strength. The robots will be able to protect him. The moment he thought as such, one of the robots suddenly lifted back its sword and threw it. Puk¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± The sword stuck in the chest of the man who had been running ahead of Mousin. It slowly slid down the burnt man¡¯s body and melted the snow beneath. And after that, Swish¨C! Swish¨C! The swords thrown by the other robots split the man¡¯s neck and waist. A normal person had quickly turned into chunks of meat. Red blood spread like syrup on the white snowy field. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Mousin stopped in place. What was going on? Why did the supervisor suddenly kill a candidate¡­? Meanwhile, the swords that had been thrown were sucked back like magnets and retrieved by the robots. The robots lifted back their swords again. ¡°W-why¡­?¡± Many thoughts crossed his mind. Was the death predicted by this? Swiik¨C A sword was thrown as he watched the clear shadow of death approaching. ¡®Ah¡­N-no!¡¯ He closed his eyes tightly. At that moment, Chang¨C! With a sharp sound of metal, the sword that was flying towards him became stuck in the ground as it was. Before he knew it, he could see a boy approaching after the sword was stopped. And then he saw him running toward the robots. The speed was so fast that it was hard to believe he was walking on snow. A red tail followed like a comet where he passed. Swish¨C! The thick robot¡¯s body was instantly cut by the boy¡¯s sword. And rather than aim for the joints, he had cut the robot in half from top to bottom. Then like a wolf jumping between a flock of sheep, he cut down the other robots around him. It all happened in an instant. He had split all the robots that even combat specialists during the 3rd test found difficult. The boy slowly looked back. He stared at Mousin with a frown as if he was annoyed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay still, why are you running away?¡± Mousin¡¯s hands and feet trembled. Was his death inevitable today? In a last ditch effort, he grabbed his tonfas in both hands. It was one of his family¡¯s treasures that allowed people like him who had low spirit affinity to handle the power of spirits. The spirit of fire rose from the tonfas. ¡°D-don¡¯t come!¡± Seeing his behavior, the boy frowned as if he found it to be very annoying. ¡°Seriously, please stay still. Really.¡± The boy swung his sword like a toy. Then, with a dizzying shock, Mousin¡¯s body flew away and sank in the snow. Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± What the boy had shown wasn¡¯t something a candidate should be capable of doing no matter how much he thought about it. Even former heroes in his family couldn¡¯t show that much power. The boy continued to approach him. Mousin hurriedly knelt down and begged. ¡°I-it¡¯s all my fault! If it was my younger sibling who hired you, I¡¯ll double what they offered! Or¡­If it¡¯s because I was rude on the first day, I apologize for that, so please spare my life¡­¡± Mousin desperately begged for mercy in a servile manner. However, the boy simply glanced down at him. He felt a chill as if a blade would fall on his neck at any moment. The boy spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing all of a sudden, but quickly get up. It¡¯s dangerous here.¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± That¡¯s when Mousin heard a voice from behind. ¡°Young master! Are you okay?!¡± As he slowly turned his head, those who he thought had died were seen running this way. ¡°H-how are you guys alive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­The boy over there said it¡¯s dangerous if I move, so he just grabbed me¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­Thanks to you, my life was saved. Thank you so much.¡± The rest of the group bowed their heads toward the boy. Soon, the boy pushed his sword back into its sheath. Then he ran past Mousin and clicked his tongue when he looked down at the body that had been cut into pieces. ¡°Tsk¡­didn¡¯t I say it was dangerous?¡± Was it because the boy had noticed that there was something wrong with the robots? ¡°H-how did you notice that there was something wrong¡­? No, why did you help us¡­¡± Even if he had that kind of power, he wouldn¡¯t have risked his life on something that had nothing to do with his test score. There was no benefit, so why¡­? The boy replied. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be on the same team. So please don¡¯t do anything unexpected from now on.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± For that reason? Normally he would have cursed, calling it the hypocrisy of the strong. But¡­ Now, thanks to the boy, he was able to survive. ¡®Is this a real hero¡­?¡¯ Mousin felt as if his body was heating up at the growing shame. He was so ashamed of himself for having wanted to become a hero just for wealth and honor. And he didn¡¯t recognize the boy¡¯s intentions, rather, he thought the boy had wanted to kill him. ¡®There are times when my intuition is wrong too¡­¡¯ He bowed his head to the boy and spoke. ¡°My name is¡­Mousin Dayru, the eldest son of the Dayru family, one of Pyongyang¡¯s top 10 families. After this exam¡­I¡¯d really like to thank you properly.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then I¡¯m Choi Noah.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°C-Choi Noah?¡± So it was the young hero he had heard so much about before he came to take the exam. Only then could he understand. Not only was the boy strong for his age, he even had such a noble spirit. ¡®This kid¡­He¡¯s a true hero.¡¯ For the first time in his life, he was able to abandon his jealousy toward the strong. * * * *Summon I used after the battle. A pair of bright red eggs emerged in the air. The area of snow on the ground melted quickly wherever they floated. ¡°Go and eat.¡± I pointed to the wreckage of broken robots and said. Then, Buldol and Alsoon shook their bodies as if they were excited and flew towards the robots. Crunch¨CCrunch¨C I had wondered if they could eat such things as robots because the materials w tough, but it seemed they weren¡¯t picky about food. Watching them, I wished them a quick growth. Generously giving love. Was this the heart of a parent raising a child? When I thought of using these guys who will grow up big and imposing one day, I smiled without realizing it. And it wasn¡¯t only them who were growing. Since taking the Maryeongdan, all of my stats have now surpassed 4.0, and in the case of Mana, it has inched close to 5.0. Considering that growth slows down the higher the stats are, the growth this time could be said to be tremendous. It was unbelievable that defeating robots who were at least D-Rank could be so easy. I finally get to play with some of my old strength after a long time. Honestly, at this level, I don¡¯t think I would be pushed back at all even if I fought a B-Rank head on. I don¡¯t know why Cheon Eugene disappeared after feeding me the Maryeongdan, but anyway, I was very grateful. I won¡¯t take a friend¡¯s fee from him for a while. In any case¡­what should I do with this? Earlier, a Challenge had suddenly appeared. [Challenge ¨C Human Liberation Front] Condition: Defeat the fallen robot army and evacuate the candidates safely. Period: 1 week. Reward: Reward varies depending on the number of survivors. Something troublesome came out again. These days, there are often quests of this kind to protect or save someone. Compared to the intuitive Challenges such as and which were given in the first round, in the case of the second round, much more complex tasks like this seemed to appear frequently. Hmm¡­it seemed the Challenge¡¯s route was different in the second round. Well, in fact, there wasn¡¯t much to complain about. As the level of difficulty has increased, the reward was much higher too. But if there¡¯s one thing to be desired¡­ ¡°Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Originally, I was going to secretly farm the candidates here little by little while looking at an opportunity to complete the test, but it was unlikely to be easy now that the Challenge was at stake. Looking at Mousin who had a servile expression, I spoke. ¡°Ajeossi. You¡¯re not going to continue the test, are you?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right. The situation right now is weird no matter how much I think about it. I can¡¯t believe the supervisor killed a candidate.¡± ¡°Do you know how to get out of this place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­You can go to the base camp over there. It¡¯s where the supervisor and those who failed the test are staying. And if you go there, there¡¯s a portal to return.¡± He said and pointed to one side. There was a subtle pillar of light extending toward the sky that anyone could see. ¡°Well¡­So in the end, in order to go back, we have to go into the tiger¡¯s den where the supervisor is waiting.¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right¡­N-Noah! I beg you, so please help us somehow. If I get back safely, I¡¯ll talk to my house and have them listen to any of your requests.¡± As I listened to him, I realized that the difficulty has gone up much higher. Not only will I have to rescue the candidates who were spread out on this wide map, I¡¯ll also have to run to the boss while carrying such baggage. The boss must be that big-headed dwarf, right? In yesterday¡¯s afternoon test, I had to use everything just to finish off one of his robots, but now, I¡¯ll be facing an army and will also have to deal with him who was as much as an A-Rank hero. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll be helpless without his robots, but in any case, he was recognized as having transcended beyond human limits. It won¡¯t be easy¡­ Still, as long as a Challenge was at stake, I won¡¯t give up here. I¡¯ll try my best for now, and if it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll just farm the items and set on escaping. Thinking so, I manipulated the display on my watch that was given for the test. Then, along with the number of candidates currently remaining, a minimap with the locations of candidates nearby were displayed. It was a function that explicitly revealed the test¡¯s intention to make the candidates attack each other. Well, thanks to that, the Challenge will proceed smoothly. But then, the number 199, which marked the number of remaining candidates, began to fall at a high speed as if the watch was broken. ¡°No!¡± The robots seemed to be attacking other candidates. Looking at the minimap, the small dots around me were disappearing one by one. I ran at full speed while circulating mana all over my body. ¡°How dare you¡­bastard¡­¡± No one can touch my reward. As long as I¡¯m here, all those remaining will return home safely. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Sakha region located in the Russian Far East of Russia. In this extreme land, where the lowest temperature can reach -70 degrees Celsius during winter, two people dressed in ill-clad attires could be seen. A man whose entire body was covered in cold metal armor and a woman in a clergy uniform whose thighs were clearly exposed. It was Pamir and Samaria. ¡°Do we have to do this when it¡¯s cold?¡± Samaria frowned as she adjusted her collar against the wind. Pamir, who was silently walking on the snowy field in front of her, replied. ¡°This is an isolated space to prevent cheating. Don¡¯t you know best that it¡¯s hard to observe things from the outside?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! We just have to wait in Pyongyang and check the results in a few days. Why did we come all the way here in this weather?¡± ¡°There can be no half-measures when carrying out God¡¯s will. As expected of a heretic. You¡¯re so insincere.¡± ¡°W-what did you say?!¡± To identify the Warrior, the two had entered inside the boundary where the 4th test was currently underway. Normally, it would be considered a misconduct, but for Pamir who had the power of the world government on his back, it was nothing but a light issue once he gave a reasonable excuse. Samaria sighed deeply while looking at Pamir. ¡°Huu¡­I understand how you feel. But are we really going to stay in this snowy field for three days and two nights?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to wait three days. If something is really going to happen here, there will be signs of it before then.¡± ¡°Ah gosh. Where is that confidence coming from? Oracle¡¯s prophecy predicted it would take place during the hero exam, but it didn¡¯t exactly say Pyongyang. Do you know how many exams are taking place in the world right now?¡± ¡°The Hero Association also thought that as well, but once I came here, I felt that my guess was right. I could tell just by looking at what the boy showed yesterday. Events always follow where there are Irregulars.¡± ¡°Are you still hung up on that idea? The boy is just a little talented, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a Warrior or an Irregular. So, let¡¯s stop this meaningless plan and go back.¡± ¡°Well. That¡¯s something we¡¯ll know once we observe him. Let¡¯s speed up a little bit. It¡¯s been about 4 hours, so we¡¯d better hurry up.¡± Pamir ran forward, exuding divine power. Samaria looked at Pamir¡¯s back and bit her lips. ¡®Fucking religious fanatic!¡¯ She had tried to persuade him to head back, but that didn¡¯t work either. Her original plan was to deal with him after the exam, but he had blocked all of her predictions with his decisive action. ¡®Now that it¡¯s like this¡­I have no choice but to hope that the test ends safely without anything happening.¡¯ No excuses will work if the demon race really causes an incident and Noah was involved. Pamir would immediately arrest Noah and lead him to ¡®that place.¡¯ Even with his status as a noble, he won¡¯t be able to go against the ¡®great case¡¯ that had been set by the Noble Council. The Noble Council was such a place. Samaria spread her wings and closely followed after Pamir who had run ahead first. Pamir, who had been running for a long time, suddenly stopped. And then he confidently spoke to Samaria. ¡°Haha, it seems my intuition was right.¡± He smiled, revealing his white teeth. At the end of his gaze was a red portal that was swaying ominously. ¡°¡­¡± The identity of the portal wasn¡¯t known, but at a glance, they could feel an unusual energy from it. And Samaria could affirm that such a thing wasn¡¯t prepared for the test. ¡°Haha, as expected, the prediction was right.¡± ¡°T-then wouldn¡¯t it be better to stop the test now?¡± She spoke to Pamir as if she was making a last ditch effort, but unfortunately, he shook his head with a determined look. ¡°It¡¯s useless. Oracle¡¯s prophecy has already confirmed the future. It¡¯s a fate that can¡¯t be changed without a Warrior.¡± ¡°A-are you saying you¡¯re just going to watch people fall into harm like this?¡± ¡°Hmm? Haven¡¯t I said this all the time? In order to practice God¡¯s love, a small sacrifice is natural, and more than that, all we have to do is determine whether there really is a Warrior here or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As she had expected, Pamir was going to watch the situation play out. If so, he was waiting for only one of two results. If Noah is a Warrior and fends off this incident, he¡¯ll be arrested and taken immediately by Pamir. On the other hand, if he isn¡¯t a Warrior, he was destined to die here after being involved in the incident. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ There was no means left. It was truly a dilemma. The only possibility was if someone other than Noah turns out to be the Warrior. For her, she had no choice but to bet everything on that fact. ¡®Things will get messy.¡¯ It has been decades since she had found a toy that she liked. The months of hard work were slipping out of her hands more and more. But to just give up and let go, it was like having another toy taken by Pamir. ¡®If I can¡¯t have it¡­I won¡¯t let you guys have it either.¡¯ While she was organizing her thoughts, Pamir suddenly moved his body. ¡°Then let¡¯s split up and find the Warrior.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute!¡± She turned around and grabbed Pamir who was in a hurry to leave. It wasn¡¯t yet clear, but she knew she couldn¡¯t let him meet Noah. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not planning on walking around the snow for 3 days and 2 nights, are you? Please leave this place to me.¡± ¡°You have a way?¡± ¡°Huu¡­Hold on a second.¡± Samaria summoned her familiars. Then, baby angels, similar to those used in the 2nd test, appeared one after another. ¨C Ooh, did you call us? Saintess-nim. After ordering the baby angels to survey the snowy field, they began to fly in all directions. As if taken by a drone, vivid snow scenes began to be conveyed in her mind. ¡°I¡¯ll do the searching, so let¡¯s save our stamina until we find any abnormal signs.¡± ¡°Oho, it¡¯s been a long time since I like what the heretic is saying. Okay. Then I¡¯ll examine this portal a little bit more in the meantime. It was bothering me anyway.¡± ¡°¡­Go ahead.¡± Samaria gritted her teeth and controlled her anger. ¡®Anyway¡­I can stall for some time with this.¡¯ Unless Pamir directly witnesses the situation, he won¡¯t be sure whether it¡¯s a Warrior or not. If so, it may be possible to scapegoat another person as the Warrior. As soon as she thought that, just in time, Noah was reflected in her mind. He was seen running somewhere urgently. ¡®Where the hell is he going?¡¯ Samaria moved another angel to illuminate the direction he was heading. And then she breathed in a short breath without realizing it. ¡®T-this¡­?¡¯ The scenery of the snowy field was colored with red blood. Reflected in her mind were images of the candidates being brutally murdered by robots. Noah seemed to be running to save such candidates. Samaria glanced at Pamir. Fortunately, as his attention was on the portal, he seemed to have not noticed anything unusual. ¡®Noah can¡¯t get caught doing this.¡¯ So she hid her expression and pretended not to have seen anything. * * * ¡°I-I surrender.¡± In front of a robot warrior with its sword raised, a man raised both arms. ¡®To get this far was good.¡¯ As soon as he had turned 20, along with his girlfriend, they had decided to take the hero exam for the first time. They participated with the heart of gaining experience, but luckily, they were able to reach the last stage. ¡®If only I had passed this last test¡­¡¯ It would be a lie if he said that there was no regret, but he could say that it was fortunate that he was able to save his girlfriend. And seeing the possibility this time, he definitely felt confident that he would pass the next exam. ¡°Huu, I¡¯ll have to improve my skills and take the exam again next year. Thank you for the trouble.¡± He took off the bracelet on his arm and held it out to the supervisor. At that moment, Swish¨C The robot¡¯s hot blade cut through the man¡¯s arm. The severed arm writhed like a bug in the snow. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± What¡¯s going on? It was hard to understand the situation. Soon, pain came one step slower when he finally understood the situation. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± He collapsed on the ground holding his cut wrist. The orange blade fell again toward him. Swish¨C A red flower bloomed on the white snowy field. Then there was silence. Soon after, a woman¡¯s scream rang, followed by screams from all sides. ¡°Aahh! N-no! Honey!¡± ¡°T-the supervisor has gone crazy!¡± ¡°There¡¯s another one over there! E-everyone, run¡­Keuk!¡± Hot lump of metals dug into the fragile human bodies. Red blood scattered over the white snowfield, and the acrid smell of burning flesh rose everywhere. It was the start of the sudden attack by the robot army. At first, they thought the supervisor¡¯s aim was their watch, but what he was aiming for was none other than their lives. Hope and competitive spirit for passing the exam turned into irreversible despair and fear. ¡°S-someone, please help¡­¡± A person groaned while looking at his missing legs. ¡°T-this is all illusion magic, right? Right?¡± And Another who denied reality as he approached one of the robots. ¡°Aahh¡­aahh!¡± There were even those who simply gave up as they sat on the ground. In such a hellish landscape, exam No. 04589, Saki, shouted with her eyes closed. ¡°N-no! Don¡¯t die!¡± Looking at the lives disappearing in real time, the nightmares of the past were revived. 12th birthday. A ray of destruction that burst out of her body, and the scene of the village that had disappeared without even a trace when she opened her eyes. Rumble¨C Again, the bomb-like force inside her began to become unstable as it fluctuated. ¡®N-no. I need to calm down.¡¯ In order to not hear the screams around her, Saki covered her ears. Everyone here will surely die if she becomes more emotional now. Like usual, she laughed as to not provoke the bomb. Tears kept flowing down as she forced the corners of her mouth up. ¡°H-hehe. I-it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s going to be okay!¡± Someone will certainly solve this. There was such a big problem with the test, surely, real heroes will come save them. Just like when she had turned her village into ashes. But¡­ Contrary to her wish, the reality didn¡¯t improve at all. An army of robots constantly poured out, and even their movements became very strategic. As a result, at one point, when Saki had come to her senses, she found that the candidates had been backed into a corner like rabbits. ¡°N-no! The path is blocked!¡± ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s the boundary!¡± A translucent barrier blocked them in front. There was no more room to run away. The robots surrounded the candidates in a half-circle formation. Then they began to fire indiscriminately at them. Boom¨CBoom¨C! ¡°Keuk! H-hold on!¡± ¡°Shield ability! Or someone with the ability to nullify!¡± The candidates desperately tried to hold on. Nevertheless, they were people who had taken the high-rank exam. And as they worked together, they were able to endure some of the damage. ¡°G-good! Everyone, hang in there!¡± ¡°We just have to hold on until this situation is known!¡± Little by little, they came to have hope that they could survive. But¡­ Clunk¨CClunk¨C Suddenly, the robots connected their bodies and a new form was created. The result was a giant oriental dragon¡¯s head. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± The exact identity of it wasn¡¯t known, but all the candidates could feel it. That this time, an attack that will completely end them will come. As they had predicted, the dragon¡¯s mouth opened wide and a high density energy began to compress. A blinding, pure white sphere was formed. The appearance was as if a dragon was biting a magic pearl. ¡°Ahah¡­It¡¯s over.¡± Sigh of despair leaked out all around. And Saki, who was watching this, also sighed. Her emotions were agitated to the point where it was no longer possible to control the internal bomb. ¡®I-if it just explodes like this¡­¡¯ If that happens, all other candidates will die, but at least she¡¯ll be able to save her own life. But she didn¡¯t want to kill people with her own power again. ¡®If I had the power to protect and not destroy¡­¡¯ Her eyes trembled. It was hard to endure the pain anymore. She felt her body becoming hotter and hotter and her mind losing focus. She tried to hold onto her distant consciousness as she shouted in desperation. ¡°Please! Someone please! Help us!!¡± Her desperate voice resonated on the battlefield. Boom¨C! And in time, the dragon robot fired the magic pearl. High density energy aimed at the candidates. ¡®It¡¯s¡­over.¡¯ As soon as Saki gave up everything and was about to self-destruct, a wisp like a red meteor suddenly fell. Boom¨C! A young boy with black hair entered her eyes. It was the boy who had caused more disturbances in this exam than anyone else. Exam No. 13579. The boy flew straight at the energy bomb. ¡°H-Huh?¡± The high density energy directly collided with the body of the small and soft child. A deafening roar beyond the limit of hearing rang out in the snowy field. Boom¨C! Snowstorms soared everywhere, and a strong backlash came at the candidates like a tsunami. The direct attack was avoided, but the backlash in front of them also had enough power to threaten their lives. Having the ability to cause a nuclear explosion, Saki was more aware of the backlash that followed an explosion than anyone else. ¡°N-no!¡± As such, she closed her eyes tightly. But¡­ The pain didn¡¯t come no matter how long she waited. So she slowly opened her eyes. Then she saw a gigantic shield emitting light protecting them. ¡°W-what the hell is this¡­?¡± Only the area where they stood in this wide snowy field had retained its original appearance. The areas that the shield didn¡¯t cover were melting down as if the ground had turned into magma. And in front of them stood a boy who was in tatters. ¡°Keuk!¡± The gigantic shield in front of them disappeared, and at the same time, the boy staggered, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Then he slowly turned his head and checked the candidates. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a relief everyone is safe.¡± The boy said and smiled brightly. The moment Saki saw it, the bomb inside her, which was running like crazy, sank quietly. ¡°Aahh¡­¡± From the little boy, they could feel the noble spirit of self-sacrifice. Saki was sure. And perhaps not only herself but also everyone here was feeling the same way. Then, the boy pulled out his sword as if it weren¡¯t over yet and turned toward the enemy. And with staggering steps, he ran toward the vicious mechanical dragon. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s not backing down with a body in tatters¡­¡¯ Fortunately, the robot army, which had poured out all its energy, couldn¡¯t readily move again. A ray of red light like a comet flew toward the robots. Boom¨C! The boy¡¯s sword exploded with red mana. How can he still have that kind of energy? The candidates were sure he was squeezing out energy beyond his limits to protect them. Candidates who were watching the boy¡¯s dedication pulled out their weapons one by one. ¡°Let¡¯s move too!¡± ¡°We have to help him!¡± ¡°Oraaah!¡± But even in such a desperate moment, the boy instead shouted at them. ¡°Don¡¯t come! Just stay still there!¡± ¡°?!¡± A firm shout. In that piercing voice, it contained an iron will that had already decided to take the risk alone. And eventually, Saki couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and shed tears. ¡®Ah¡­He¡¯s a true hero¡­¡¯ With the dream of becoming a hero, numerous candidates standing here clearly captured the image of the boy in their eyes. * * * [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . [You¡¯ve reached level 42.] [Level 40 Skill Selection has been excluded due to previous Special Selection.] ¡°Huu¡­¡± Checking the messages in front of me, I exhaled a long breath. I barely made it. On top of that, the people next to me kept trying to steal my experience, so I had to overwork myself to speed up a bit. I looked down at myself who had become tattered. The wolf sportswear was torn to the point where it was hard to recognize its shape, and the watch on my wrist was completely destroyed. I¡¯ll have to wear different clothes for a while. While the wolf sportswear was regenerating, I thought I should get new clothes to wear. These days, Elizabeth has been constantly filling my closet with clothes, so it was one less concern for me. In any case, that was a powerful attack. I recalled the first attack I had blocked with Absolute Defense. High density energy released from the mouth of a giant robot. Even though I had stopped it with my body, my reward almost flew away due to the violent backlash. Because of that, my mana and spirit were quickly depleted to block it with my shield. But even with that, I still coughed up blood. As expected, it was no longer in the realm of human understanding starting from A-Rank. Certainly¡­That dwarf deserves to be A-Rank. I put the ripped clothes in my inventory and stepped down from the corpse of a robot. Then I looked at the survivors. It didn¡¯t decrease further after my arrival, but I couldn¡¯t tell how many were alive because my watch had broken. I asked a nearby candidate. ¡°Excuse me, can you tell me how many candidates are still alive?¡± ¡°P-please wait a moment.¡± Then not only the person I asked, but everyone else looked at their watch. ¡°E-exactly 100 people are still alive.¡± ¡°¡­¡± 100 people. As many as half died. Looking around, I could see traces of the bodies that have already melted into the snow. I was unable to contain my anger after hearing that there were only 100 survivors. ¡°Auaaak! Damn it! If only I had come a little faster!¡± Boom¨C! Boom¨C! I swung my sword frantically at the already destroyed robots. How dare you screw with my reward! My perfect record! After venting my anger, I was suddenly overcome with shame. As someone who has always exceeded the Challenges, I can¡¯t believe only half were saved in this beginner zone. ¡°Haa¡­¡± At my own pathetic result, tears came out unknowingly. And then, Pa¨C Something soft covered my naked shoulders. It was someone¡¯s jacket. Looking back, a woman with colorful hair was smiling with tears in her eyes. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to blame yourself.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make such a face. There are more people alive because of you. You¡¯re already¡­our hero.¡± What the hell is she talking about? As I was looking at the woman like that, I suddenly heard a clap from somewhere. Clap¨C! A short echo. But¡­ Like a drop of rain just before a shower. Soon the sound began to spread rapidly to the people around me. Clap, clap, clap¨C! A snowy field of silence where no one spoke. There was a thunderous applause. ¡°Huh?¡± I watched the scene for a moment. Then many messages came to mind and covered my eyes. Ding¨C! . . . Along with the sound of applause, the notifications of an increase in favorability continued endlessly. People who were clapping started running to me and handing me things. ¡°It¡¯s a coat with a temperature regulating magic. It¡¯s very cold, so hurry up and wear it.¡± ¡°T-this¡­It¡¯s a recovery medicine that has been handed down in my family from generation to generation, so please eat it¡­¡± After the chaotic gift attack that lasted for a while, at some point, a small garden full of items had been created in front of me. And¡­ Ding¨C! Another message came to mind. [Gained achievement title ¡®Noble Guardian.¡¯] Tendency: Good Karma Description: You who risked your life to protect others is the true hero of this generation. A pleasant message that I had gained a new achievement. In addition, the message didn¡¯t end there. [You¡¯ve eliminated an existence that meets the standard of ¡®evil.¡¯] [You¡¯ve saved those who were in despair.] [Warrior¡¯s Journey grade has increased.] [A new effect has been added.] Oh? The Warrior¡¯s Journey skill, which had been stagnant for a while, had improved. Now that it was B-Grade, wouldn¡¯t a Warrior¡¯s holy sword or a Warrior¡¯s lethal move come out? Since it was a skill that hasn¡¯t let me down so far, I confirmed the effect with anticipation. And there¡­ Instead of the attack I expected, a new headache was shown. Grade B: ¨C The higher your reputation, the stronger you become. * New * [Reputation has opened.] [Reputation Value is recorded in the system.] ¡°Haa¡­¡± Anyhow, it seemed ¡®reputation work¡¯ was a must from now on. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 46 Chapter 46 I had no choice but to let out a small exclamation as soon as I read the effect of the newly acquired . ¡®This¡­¡¯ Reputation: 40,100/100,000 *1st Stage Effect: Improve the abilities of those in the company of the Warrior. (The greater the trust in the Warrior, the greater the effect.) *2nd Stage Effect: ¨C Unopened ¨C Although the 2nd Stage Effect wasn¡¯t open, the 1st Stage Effect alone was unusual. An Area of Effect buff! I¡¯ve had similar commander skills in the past, so I was well aware of the power of this AoE buff. At its extreme, they were fraudulent skills that could be used to gather ordinary children and deal with heroes. However, as AoE buffs had such strong effects, it would usually come with at least one fatal weakness. Whether it being the criteria to cast the skill was harsh, or the mana consumption increasing exponentially depending on the number of people, or many other constraints that followed. Therefore, every time an AoE buff was used in the past, the burden on my body would increase to the extent that it interfered with the fights. So in the end, I had to give up my ambition to play as a solo army commander and synthesize all of my commander and buff skills. But this¡­ No matter how long I looked at it, there were no words related to restrictions or limitations. Although the ¡®trust in the Warrior¡¯ could be said to be a limitation, even that wasn¡¯t a penalty but a condition for an additional buff. And, don¡¯t tell me¡­was there no limit on the number of people either? Assuming yes, this was a really ridiculous skill. If there was no limitation between a hundred or a thousand people, then it may be possible to gather troops and conquer Earth. This was truly a jackpot. In particular, for me, who needed to increase the power of mankind to target the content called the demon army someday, it could be said to be an ability I welcome with open arms. Looking back, my decision to take seemed to have been the best judgment. I can¡¯t believe the skill has reached this level. In any case¡­ What¡¯s this number? I doubted my eyes for a moment. [Reputation: 40,100/100,000] I needed to raise my reputation to 100,000. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was too much or not, but considering that the current number was less than half of the total, it seemed far away. Also¡­it was reputation work. In general, reputation work in RPGs was a series of tedious labor. It was demanding and annoying to raise, and can fall in one instant. The reputation of saving 100 villagers could be wiped away by killing one animal in the village without mercy. I guess this skill will be difficult in that regard. Well, if it had such a good effect and growth was easy, the game balance would collapse. While I was organizing my thoughts, someone suddenly pushed my back and spoke. ¡°Ah, kid. Why are you staring into the distance like that?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Looking back, there was a woman with colorful hair. She was the bomb girl who had created the colorful mushroom clouds during the 3rd test. She picked up one of the items piled up in front of me and spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse. Everyone gave it to you because they wanted to. Hehe, you all feel the same, right?¡± ¡°Yes! Please have a look at the kendo I gave you. Even if it looks like that, it¡¯s a sword made by a famous craftsman.¡± ¡°Yes! Please drink the potion I gave you!¡± The bomb girl, who at best only gave me a leather jacket, was puffing out her chest if she had prepared everything. ¡°¡­¡± I picked up an antique longsword nearby. However, no message came to mind in the status window. Trash. This antique wasn¡¯t even an item. I threw the longsword to one side and quickly classified the other items as I checked the options. Still, I was hoping there would be something useful among them. But¡­All the things they gave me were trash. Sometimes there were items with options, but most of them were useless miscellaneous items. ¡°This is cute! Try it on! I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll suit you, hehe.¡± The bomb girl held out a cute cape with a pink frills and shook it. ¡°¡­¡± This item was already checked a while ago. A D-Grade miscellaneous item with only the effect of ¡®gaining favor with men.¡¯ I stared at the items and sighed for a long time. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°H-huh? W-what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like it? I-it¡¯s cute¡­¡± The bomb girl looked at me with a puzzled look. Other candidates standing around me gave a similar look. As such, I told them. ¡°Everyone, thank you so much for thinking of me, but you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ¡°B-but it¡¯s our sincerity¡­¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t help you guys because I wanted something like this.¡± There wasn¡¯t even a single good item. People exclaimed with admiration on their faces. At the same time, a message popped up in front of my eyes. [+10 Reputation.] Oh? My reputation unexpectedly rose. It was a very insignificant number, but it was still something. So it was roughly like this. An idea crossed my mind on what I should do from now on to raise my reputation. It was the moment to show off my acting skills that I had honed so far. Recalling the expression of a hero I had seen in a TV commercial in the past, I gave a pleasant smile. ¡°I¡¯ll accept everyone¡¯s sincerity, so please take these items back. They¡¯re all precious things to you.¡± People all around me covered their mouths as tears welled up. And soon after, they nodded with a solemn look. ¡°¡­Okay. However, I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back this favor someday.¡± [+10 Reputation.] Good! So, people expressed their gratitude and began to take back the useless trash piled up in front of me one by one. ¡°Really¡­thank you. If you come to Sinuiju someday, please pay my family a visit.¡± [+1 Reputation.] ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Actually, I¡¯ve been jealous of you all this time¡­Thanks to you, I was able to come to my senses.¡± [+1 Reputation.] . . . It was just returning the trash they gave me, but my reputation was rising. And that was how my reputation rose by 50. [Reputation: 40,150/100,000] Although I couldn¡¯t farm items properly, it could be said that it was quite a profitable business because my reputation had risen like this. ¡°¡­Huh? Where¡¯s the ring I gave the boy?¡± ¡°My family heirloom isn¡¯t here either!¡± ¡°Everyone! If there¡¯s someone who took it by mistake, please return it to the owner~¡± Well, still, not all of them were miscellaneous items. Thanks to this, I was able to pack a few items from the pile of garbage. ¡°Please have a clear conscience! If you¡¯re going to be a hero, you can¡¯t be like this!¡± [+1 Reputation.] Surprisingly, raising my reputation might be easy. * * * After the brief commotion, I looked at the candidates gathered here. The number was 89. Considering that there were currently 100 survivors, it was no exaggeration to say that most of the survivors were here. Damn! I felt another heartache when I thought of the dead again. But rather than get hung up on the past, it was now time to plan for the future. The next step was to lead these guys and escape here safely. Fortunately, I had an AoE buff, so if I can use them well¡­ Looking back at the candidates, I spoke. ¡°Everyone. I¡¯m going to escape this place through the base camp.¡± Then, as expected, voices of concern were heard from all around. ¡°B-but isn¡¯t the supervisor guarding it?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s right! Going there now is suicide! If we just calmly wait until support comes¡­¡± Boom¨C! I pulled out Red Velvet Curse and hit the ground. People flinched and trembled at the sudden shock. ¡°Do you think you can survive if you just wait here?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you for sure. If we continue to stay here, everyone will die. Actually, you all know it well.¡± ¡°¡­¡± What I said wasn¡¯t just a threat to move them. Of course, that was my intention, but In fact, it was clear that other robots would come one after another to attack us if we continued to stay here. And in this extreme environment, unlike robots, humans will quickly run out of stamina. ¡°I have no intention of letting a single one of you die. So you need to trust me more from now on.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± Even with my words, there was no movement. Everyone was just looking at the surroundings with a frightened look. Hmm¡­it seemed they were completely traumatized by what had happened. I guess the effect of is useless now. But right then, Mousin, who was watching the situation from the side, spoke. ¡°Hmph! You chicken shits! I can¡¯t believe I was competing with such scaredy cats. You guys stay here and die or whatever. I-I¡¯m leaving. Tsk!¡± Then he and his group lined up behind me. I looked at him for a moment. When I looked closely, I could see that he was shaking slightly. This was unexpected. I didn¡¯t think this idiot would move first. Next, the bomb girl with colorful hair approached me. ¡°I want to leave too~ It¡¯s so cold here. Hehe.¡± Her expression was awkwardly stiff as if she were forcibly smiling. Anyone could tell she was trying to hide her fear. However, she stood firmly next to Mousin without expressing her feelings. And then. A group of subtle light came out of their bodies, and their stiff expressions gradually began to relax. Oh? Was this how the skill works? It seemed to not only have the AoE buff mentioned in the description, but also the effect of raising morale. The light that started like that began to spread more and more to its surroundings. Others didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the lights, but in my eyes, there was a bright swarm of lights permeating their bodies. Those who had a lost expression began to gather by me one by one with a shine in their eyes. ¡°I-I suddenly feel like I can do anything?¡± ¡°Yes! There¡¯s no way to stay here anyway.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal with robots anyway? I¡¯ve already experienced it during the 3rd test.¡± And at some point, there was a group of brightly shining lights next to me. Who could look at them and think they were the same person? There was not a shadow of defeat or despair in their eyes. This¡­It was definitely effective? Brave warriors full of confidence in victory. On top of that, even if they don¡¯t look the part, they were actually talented people who were high-rank hero candidates. Even if the opponent was an A-Rank hero with transcended abilities, if it was this much and along with my AoE buff, I thought it was a fight worth trying. This is fun. It felt like I was directly commanding units from an RTS game. I told them. ¡°Everyone, please let me know what your abilities are.¡± Something like knowing your enemy and knowing yourself? To win this fight, I needed to understand the characteristics of the units I had. So I started to figure out everyone¡¯s abilities and characteristics for a while as a plan was devised to deal with the A-Rank hero. And as a result¡­ ¡°The most important people in this operation are ajeossi and nuna.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Mousin who only had the talent to run away. And the bomb girl who was the worst team player but has overwhelming firepower. With the combination of these two, the A-Rank hero will fall. ¡°There¡¯s a job I have for the two of you.¡± Contrary to their puzzled expressions, I smiled confidently. * * * ¡®What the hell¡­is that boy?¡¯ Recalling the scenes she saw a moment ago, Samaria couldn¡¯t help but open her mouth a little. The image of Noah easily blocking the energy emitted by a giant mechanical dragon with his whole body. ¡®That¡¯s¡­impossible.¡¯ She had seen that machine before. On the day Dr. Jaegal took the A-Rank promotion test, she was also at the scene. The name of the technique was Dr. Jaegal, who was considered highly versatile but weak in terms of firepower, in fact had earned A-Rank just because of this killing blow. Frankly, she wasn¡¯t confident in taking such an attack with her body either. ¡®But he¡­¡¯ A hero candidate who was only 13 years old. At first, she thought he was just the kind of person who had no hesitation to kill. But looking at the abilities he had shown so far, she began to think more and more that Pamir may be right. As someone who has lived for many years, she had never seen anyone with such diverse abilities at such a young age before¡­ ¡®Choi Noah is unbelievable.¡¯ She frowned. From what she had seen so far, there was no more doubt. Noah was definitely a Warrior. ¡®What the hell do I do with him?¡¯ Would it be better to give up on him now? She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. ¡®Wait¡­that¡¯s not it¡­¡¯ A Warrior was an existence who could change fate. Then, if she could use him well, wouldn¡¯t he be able to solve even the shackles she had? ¡®Right. This is actually an opportunity.¡¯ Her expression turned peaceful again. What was the probability that a Warrior would appear in the world? There was no way of knowing, but it must be close to an astronomical low figure. And now an opportunity was in right front of her. ¡®If I can make a Warrior into my own toy¡­¡¯ Just imagining it, she already felt numb all over her body. ¡®Ah¡­ It¡¯s not time for that here.¡¯ A dormant, deep voice flowed out little by little. When Samaria¡¯s mana fluctuated, Pamir immediately looked back and asked. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°N-no. The situation hasn¡¯t changed much.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Well, it hasn¡¯t been long yet. I hope you keep watching and let me know.¡± ¡°Yes. I will.¡± Fortunately, Pamir moved on without any doubt. As he said, it was too short for something to happen, so it was plausible. ¡®Let¡¯s watch the situation a little more for now. Then, if I have the chance, I have to use a scapegoat for the Warrior.¡¯ She was drawing up a plan in one corner of her mind as she continued to observe Noah. After some time, Noah and the other candidates had gathered and began to move. ¡®Where are they heading?¡¯ Nearly 100 people were dashing on the snowy field. Those who had the ability to move or accelerate supported those who lagged behind as they moved forward at a high speed. The figure was organized like a beast. ¡®Over there¡­It¡¯s near the base camp. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re going to attack it?¡¯ That was too reckless. No matter how many numbers they have, the opponent was an A-Rank hero. In particular, Dr. Jaegal¡¯s specialty was defense and he could fortify and defend the base. Fortunately, however, the group would swerve and change directions to some extent as they ran. And at the forefront, there was a man dangling from a long wooden pole. He was the eldest son of the Dayru family, famous for being a ¡®newbie hunter.¡¯ ¡®The hell¡­what are they doing?¡¯ She increased the output of her familiar, so she could overhear their conversations. ¨C How is it? Ajeossi? Do you sense you¡¯re going to die? ¨C Aaaahhhh! D-dangerous! I-it¡¯s dangerous here! ¨C Okay. Everyone, to the left! They changed their direction in an orderly manner again. Unintelligible behavior. By making such a fuss, she was sure the robots would notice and rush at them. So why? Thus, the group circled around the snowfield for a while. And at some point¡­ Eventually, robots throughout the snowy field had gathered and surrounded them. The number exceeded hundreds and was into the thousands. In addition, there were giant robots sparsely placed between the other robots as guards. The moment she saw it, she let out a short sigh. ¡®This¡­is the end.¡¯ Will the Warrior die here? Did she misunderstand? As soon as she thought that, suddenly, something could be seen from the gaze of one of her familiars floating in the distant sky. Above the sky and high enough to meet the gaze of her familiar. A baby angel who looked just like her familiars was flying with a woman dangling from it. ¡®This girl¡­?¡¯ She definitely remembered seeing her during one of the tests. A woman who had taken off her clothes and caused an explosion at the test site. ¡®But what¡¯s she doing up there?¡¯ Did she run away by herself? At that moment, the angel who was holding the woman let go of his hand. ¨C Kyaaaak! The woman crashed to the ground at a high speed. And¡­ Boooooom¨C! At an altitude before hitting the ground, a huge explosion occurred and was followed by a blinding light. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Booooom¨C! Light exploded in the distant sky. Dark clouds scattered in all directions, sprinkling thick snow, and early evening stars sparkled in the clear sky. And at that moment, the large robot army abruptly stopped their advancements. Crackle¨CCrackle¨C Increasingly deep blue sparks popped from their bodies, and soon, only black smoke leaked out from the interiors. As they started malfunctioning, meaningless movements were repeated. ¡°W-what happened?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them¡­¡± The candidates, who were preparing for a desperate battle to the death, watched on with puzzled looks. Meanwhile, some quick-witted people exclaimed. ¡°Oh¡­Maybe?!!¡± ¡°Electromagnetic pulse?¡± Hearing the candidates, I smirked. A powerful EMP that comes after a nuclear explosion. The resulting heat and excess current phenomenon was enough to destroy the internal circuits of all electrical devices. As evidence, even the watches worn by the candidates were giving off black smoke. Frankly, I was surprised by this work. In fact, I had just copied the method I had seen in a game before, and didn¡¯t think it would succeed this easily. Thanks to this, the level of difficulty in targeting this raid had fallen as if a cheat code was used. The robots¡¯ mana cores still remained, but the circuit that controlled it was completely broken. On top of that, their remaining mana was being used for self-repair, and all the barriers surrounding them like a coating had disappeared. The robots here on this snowy field were nothing more than ordinary scraps of metal. In other words. Experience Event! With mana circling my whole body, I ran forward before anyone else. Snow soared around me with each step. Wuung¨C As my sword let out an eerie cry on the snowy field, Crack¨C! The blade containing bright red mana penetrated one of the neutralized robots¡¯ mana core. And without slowing down, I immediately stepped on its shoulder and jumped into the middle of the enemy camp. Boom¨C! The mana core exploded one step later and a shock wave was transmitted from behind. Landing on the ground, I lowered my posture and ran in a straight line. The malfunctioned robots in front of me were repeatedly swinging their swords. Dozens of blades fell from above my head. But¡­ *Gas Those who weren¡¯t using their mana cores properly couldn¡¯t damage me at all. And for such robots, this skill was enough. *Energy Drain Turning into a red fog, I flowed like a cloud and began sucking in the surrounding mana cores. Robots that have lost their power source collapsed to the ground one by one. The more robots around me collapsed, the more mana was rushing into my body. To digest the overabundant mana, I changed shape again and pulled out my sword. And then all the mana I¡¯ve absorbed so far was assimilated. Wuung¨C Red mana overlaid the blade of Red Velvet Curse. The concentration of mana became darker and darker, and finally it turned dark enough to look black. The grip of the sword fluctuated wildly. With my stats now¡­ Every stat was 4.0 or higher. On top of that, Mana was inching close to 5.0. It was a force close to the peak of the Zenith stage. So even if it was a bit forced, I should be able to imitate it to some degree. I finally swung the blade of mana that had been compressed to its limits forward. Swoosh¨C! A black crescent shape began to stretch endlessly as it cut through the robots. Swik¨C Swik¨C Sword Power Blast Art. It wasn¡¯t imitated perfectly, but thanks to the abundant mana contained in it, the robot army fell like autumn leaves. Around me, a huge gap in the middle of the battlefield had appeared. And a pleasant message soon came. Ding¨C! [Level has risen.] Haha, very good. I can¡¯t believe there was such an efficient leveling spot in the world. Despite having cut many of the robots down, there wasn¡¯t even any indication that the numbers had been reduced. In addition, there was still a long time left before their self-repair was completed. So in the meantime, I have to gain as much experience as possible. However, I shouldn¡¯t eat this good thing alone. I summoned my cute children, Buldol and Alsoon. A pair of red-hot eggs appeared on the snowy field. ¡°Go and eat as much as you want.¡± My children started flying excitedly around the battlefield as they prey on the robots. Looking at it, I felt full even if it wasn¡¯t me eating. Ding¨C [Level has risen.] No, I was actually full even if I didn¡¯t eat. The experience they earned seemed to be delivered to me as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go and help him!¡± ¡°Oraaah! Break all the damn things down!¡± Eventually, other candidates also joined the battlefield. At other times, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to touch my experience, but I decided to make a concession with a broad mind this time because I wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it within time anyway. Well, they shouldn¡¯t die against these robots. When I thought as such, a sharp woman¡¯s scream penetrated my ears. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± I hurriedly turned my head with a pounding heart, and there, a naked woman without any clothes was seen falling from the sky. Ah, right. Exam No. 04589 bomb girl, Saki. I was blind to the Experience Event, so I had forgotten about her. ¡°Aahh! S-someone! S-save me!¡± She struggled to live as she floundered her arms in the air. Not a single more person can die here. Furthermore, she was the number one contributor in this operation. And I never abandon those who have helped me. For those who contribute, they should be treated accordingly. I immediately summoned my familiar and sent it to her. The cute baby angel gently accepted her, who was plummeting at a high speed¡­ Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± She coughed up blood in the air and flew away. The angel that was hit by the impact was summoned back, and I had no choice but to grab her who was falling into enemy territory. ¡°¡­¡± She flinched with her arms and legs drooped. Perhaps because she was naked, but it looked like a slug that had been sprinkled with salt. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Still, seeing her chest heave, fortunately, it seemed she was still breathing. Well, she¡¯s alive so it was fine. Now, more importantly, the Experience Event. Before this Fever Time was over, I had to hurry and gain experience. I carried her roughly on my shoulder and hunted the neutralized robots. On the way, some robots had finished repairing and attacked, but fortunately, no deaths occurred. ¡°Keuh¡­Experience Events are sweet.¡± After all the hunting, when Buldol and Alsoon had absorbed all the wastes, [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . I had reached as high as level 48. * * * When the battle in the snow ended, before I knew it, everywhere was covered with darkness. In fact, it was still only the afternoon, but the length of night was extremely long due to the high latitude. In that darkness, the robot army marched at a rapid pace. Although there were robots scattered along the way, they also had not recovered from the shock of the EMP, so it didn¡¯t take much time to deal with them. The lone robots fell one by one as we headed to the base camp. Then, in the snowy field surrounded by darkness, the only bright area came into view. ¡°T-that¡¯s the place!¡± The light pillar lit the surroundings of the base camp, making it as bright as day. And inside the base camp, a giant robot I had seen during one of the tests the other day stood as if it were defending the four corners while the remaining robots surrounded it as if standing guard. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Observing them from afar, I was certain that the robots were still strange. Their behaviors were just as unnatural as the other robots who were exposed to the EMP a while ago. However, that giant robot could be a problem. It was hard to tell anything from it because it just stood there like a stone statue and didn¡¯t show any other movement. Under such circumstances, it would be right to say that it was also affected by the EMP, but honestly, things couldn¡¯t have gone so easily. And most importantly, I¡¯ve still yet to see Dr. Jaegal. Despite our progress, there wasn¡¯t even a shadow of the supervisor, the main culprit of this incident. Soon, Mousin, who was hanging from a long pole, shouted. ¡°O-ominous. Ominous! If we go there, we¡¯ll definitely die.¡± ¡°Ajeossi, you¡¯re sensing it¡¯s dangerous?¡± ¡°Yes¡­I can feel death clearer than ever. It¡¯s the worst thing I¡¯ve ever felt in my life.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Regardless of anything else, this guy¡¯s intuition was reliable. If so, it would be best not to enter there, but I couldn¡¯t give up the Challenge after having come this far. I looked at the blue swirling portal in the middle of the base camp. We just needed to run all the way over there somehow. As soon as I thought about it over and over again, suddenly, someone¡¯s voice came from inside the base camp. ¡°Hahaha¡­you¡¯ve made it this far.¡± ¡°?!¡± The candidates¡¯ heads turned at once. And there, stood Dr. Jaegal in a white gown. Somehow, his condition looked strange. Obviously, despite looking this way, his gaze was out of focus as if staring somewhere far away. He spoke in a relaxed tone. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect you guys to come this far, but on the other hand, I was desperately begging you to come.¡± Was he trying to show off? After losing most of his troops in vain, Dr. Jaegal still had a smile on his face. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re the one who dared to take the Sochungdan from me at that time. Hehe, this just happened to be the perfect opportunity. Even if it wasn¡¯t, there was something I really wanted to show you.¡± And soon, he began to take off his clothes. The naked body of the ugly dwarf was clearly revealed under the light pillar. ¡°Hmm?¡± Was that what he wanted to show? That¡¯s ridiculous. I focused on his behavior and observed every move so as not to miss it. Suddenly, the man spread his body wide and shouted. ¡°Now! Look at it clearly! My body!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± This son of a bitch was a pervert. Somehow, I thought it was unusual since he was still wearing a bow tie, but he must be a very vicious pervert among perverts. Soon, he quietly continued. ¡°Thanks to this hideous look, I had to endure the years of contempt, always being discriminated against.¡± No, it was probably because he¡¯s a pervert. Wuung- I pulled out my sword. He shouldn¡¯t be given time to play tricks. ¡°No matter how much I studied and developed my skills, other heroes were always rated higher.¡± Mana was added to Red Velvet Curse, as it heated up red and let out an eerie aura. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t want to learn martial arts? As an ordinary person, I was always envious of those who could learn martial arts! I hated your brilliant talent!¡± There was no robot near him. Then, the opportunity was only now. It should be possible. I whispered quietly to the candidates behind me. ¡°Run straight to the portal when I give the signal.¡± ¡°B-but the supervisor¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out on my own.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± The short war meeting ended. All that¡¯s left was execution. I had only one chance. The distance from him was about 20 meters. ¡°But now it¡¯s different. ¡®That person¡¯ gave me a new blessing. I can now use martial arts now! Euahah!¡± *Charges remaining [0/3]. The world turned red. Even the snow falling from the sky seemed to have stopped. I shot forward like lightning in the stationary world. In an instant, the figure of the guy was just a step away. My blade, which had been injected with mana in advance, fell towards his neck. Swish¨C! Done! His neck was certainly cut. The slowed time regained its original state, and I shouted to the candidates. ¡°Now!¡± But at that moment, I was seized by a strange sense of oddity. As if something was missing. What was it? And soon I realized the reason. There was no blood on my blade. I immediately looked back. Blood wasn¡¯t flowing from Dr. Jaegal¡¯s body either. ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s useless. You¡¯re trying to kill me with such an attack.¡± Dr. Jaegal who was cut said. ¡°?!¡± What¡¯s going on here? Well, who cares. It was complicated in my head, but if he wasn¡¯t dead, I¡¯d just have to kill him again. Wielding my sword, I ran straight at him. At that moment, Boooom¨C! Suddenly, purple ominous energy exploded from his body. ¡°Keuk!¡± I was pushed back by the backlash, and my body rolled across the snowfield. Meanwhile, from Dr. Jaegal¡¯s cut head, bloody flesh began to grow. ¡°Look! This is the completed ultimate body!¡± At the same time, robot parts scattered all around me began to stick to the chunk of flesh. As such, he rapidly grew. The hideous appearance was as if a hellish monster and cutting-edge technology had been combined. And at some point, Dr. Jaegal had transformed into a machine in the form of a devil. A purple haze swirled ominously around him. ¡°Hahaha¡­How is it? Isn¡¯t it surprising?¡± The moment I stood facing him, the thought that I could never win crossed my mind. It was hard to breathe under the heavy pressure, as sweat flowed down my spine regardless of my will. ¡°¡­¡± If his ability in numbers was recognized as A-Rank, now, as he said, he alone was exuding the pressure of an A-Rank transcendent. ¡°This is the perfect harmony between technology and martial arts! There are already countless martial arts data stored in this body. Shaolin? Or fist arts? Tell me anything. I¡¯ll show you it.¡± I had a thought while looking at this guy who was drunk on his power. Now was the only chance I had. I immediately turned around and ran toward the portal. Fortunately, the others had almost arrived at the portal. Circling mana around my whole body, I ran with all my might. Then, at that moment, ¡°Where are you going like that?¡± As I glanced back, I saw energy particles clumping together behind his back and forming something like that of a devil¡¯s wings. ¡°You guys can¡¯t run away from me.¡± Boooom¨C! A deafening explosion burst out. And when I came to my senses, he had already arrived in front of the portal. This was really ridiculous! I thought of all the cards I had in my head, but I couldn¡¯t think of any ways to win. The game balance was a mess. ¡°Think of it as an honor. You¡¯ll be the first to see this body use martial arts.¡± He pulled a beam sword from his waist. Energy reminiscent of hellfire was burning around the beam sword. The appearance resembled the final weapon found in some FPS games. Something¡­an answer¡­ There was a portal right in front of me, but I couldn¡¯t overcome it and could only gradually retreat. After stepping back little by little, Thud¨C My back touched something hard. There was no place to back down anymore. At that moment, a status window popped up in front of me. Classification: Battle Mount Grade: C (damaged, A-Grade) Description: The body of one of the Four Heavenly King series created by the genius engineer Dr. Jaegal. Boasts durability as hard as earth. ¡°Hmm?¡± Looking back, I saw the robot that I had damaged the other day. ¡°Hehe, yes. Come out from there one by one. I promise to let you live if you can take one of my techniques.¡± ¡°Ah¡­It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°N-no, we still have hope¡­¡± ¡°What hope! How are you going to take a technique from that monster?¡± The candidates began to criticize each other and bicker. Ignoring them, I looked at the robot. This¡­was also an item? Then maybe¡­? ¡°Okay, who will be first?! You, the black-haired boy! It¡¯ll be your honor to be the first one to die.¡± Boom¨CBoom¨C! The giant mechanical devil approached me in stride. The ground tilted, and even breathing became difficult due to the pressure emitted by him. In that kind of situation¡­I took out some useful items and spoke quietly. ¡°Synthesize.¡± Immediately, the steel giant began to emit light. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Vicious mana hit the ground. A deafening explosion reverberated, evaporating the snow and turning it into white steam in an instant. Bright magma flowed where the beam sword had fallen. Noah could no longer be seen. ¡°Keuahah! There¡¯s not even a trace left of his body.¡± The hybrid devil, tangled with veins and wires, laughed loudly. Mousin, who had been watching, shouted. ¡°No!!!¡± The boy was dead. A monster-like guy who seemed impossible to kill had disappeared without a trace. Still, what was this rising anger he was feeling? ¡°¡­How dare you! You son of a bitch!¡± Reason was paralyzed. Before he knew it, he had taken out his family¡¯s treasure and was charging at the devil with the tonfas. He had just wanted to pass the exam with the useful help of the boy. He certainly didn¡¯t have to keep his loyalty. It was strange even when he thought about it. He was someone who would use anything at his disposal, and it was normally his style to only do what benefited him. So he didn¡¯t know why he had made this decision. However, he wasn¡¯t the only one with such feelings, as other applicants around him had also taken out their weapons and were charging at Dr. Jaegal. ¡°You crazy murderer!¡± ¡°Go to hell you son of a bitch! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± ¡°Hahaha, good. Very good. A hero shouldn¡¯t pretend to ignore the crisis of their colleagues. For the attitude score, I¡¯ll give you full marks.¡± Dr. Jaegal put down his weapon and aimed at the candidates with his fingertip as if he was joking. ¡°However, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re rushing in without properly grasping the opponent¡¯s capabilities. For the judgment score, you¡¯re disqualified.¡± Boom¨C! ¡°Kehuek!¡± ¡°Kyaaak!¡± The candidates were simply hit by one finger, but they were thrown across the ground as they vomited blood. Soon, those who were preparing an attack from a distance shouted. ¡°Attack!¡± Psychic powers, magic, arrows, etc¡­Various projectiles were fired at the mechanical devil. But looking at the attacks, Dr. Jaegal spoke leisurely. ¡°Oh, good. Long range attacks are more effective than close range attacks when dealing with large enemies. But¡­¡± The cylinder mounted on the devil¡¯s face emitted steam, and soon the jaw joint opened wide. Then, all the projectiles were sucked into his mouth. At some point, the projectiles had become lumped together, resulting in a high-density energy sphere. The attacks they had fired with all their might, conversely, were now being directed at them. ¡°D-dodge!¡± Boom¨C! The high-speed attack hit the ground and created a huge explosion. The candidates hurriedly scattered in all directions, but those who couldn¡¯t escape the attack had disappeared without even being able to scream. ¡°Attacks without familiarizing yourself with the opponent are bound to come back as a bigger threat. Therefore, for the strategic score, you¡¯re also disqualified.¡± ¡°Keuheuk! Shit!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hopeless¡­¡± The candidates, who had been moving together thus far as a group and had unknowingly developed a camaraderie, all sighed in unison. Looking at them, Dr. Jaegal spoke. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t be so sad. No one will be able to leave here today anyway.¡± The hybrid devil swung his beam sword as if he was excited. And each time, the candidates would run for cover with all their might. ¡°E-everyone, run to the portal! That¡¯s our last hope!¡± When someone shouted, they all rushed toward the portal. However, Dr. Jaegal didn¡¯t stand still and watch. ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Clank¨C Clank¨C The devil¡¯s left arm transformed into a vicious-looking gun barrel. Then, an energy mass shot out and flew towards the direction the candidates were running. Boom¨C! The blue portal, which was swirling brightly, broke like a toy. ¡°N-no!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± There was no longer a way to escape from here. Driven to despair, screams could be heard all around. ¡®It¡¯s really the end this time¡­¡¯ Mousin thought as he saw it. Even without the ability to sense death, everyone here could feel that it would be difficult to survive. Strangely enough, however, they weren¡¯t afraid of death. They were just angry that they couldn¡¯t punch Dr. Jaegal. ¡®I couldn¡¯t take revenge for him.¡¯ As someone who was treated as a troublemaker in his family for having failed the hero exam for the last 10 years, there was no way he could win against such a terrifying monster. Nevertheless, he gripped his tonfas. Did it know how he felt? The spirit weapon, which he would usually force to respond to his call, was now roaring with hot flames. ¡°Are you all going to die like cowards? At least the last breath¡­Like him, let¡¯s behave like heroes.¡± Raising their heads one by one, the surviving candidates gathered around Mousin. ¡°Yeah¡­we¡¯re going to die anyway¡­Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± ¡°Fuck! What do you mean die? We¡¯re going to kill that son of a bitch and live!¡± Those who once dreamed of becoming heroes, stood face to face against an impossible ordeal. Mousin, who was at the forefront, shouted. ¡°Come on! You fucking midget. Stop dragging your feet and bring it on.¡± ¡°Hooo, how dare you insult the exam supervisor? You have guts. If it¡¯s your wish to die like that¡­¡± Dr. Jaegal raised his beam sword high. Steam spewed out the cylinder mounted on his body. ¡°You¡¯re all disqualified!¡± The moment the blade fell. Flutter¨C The candidates, who were gritting their teeth, at the end of their gaze, they could see a red cape flapping in the wind. At the same time, a steel giant could be seen blocking the falling blade with a brilliant shield. Boom¨C! ¡°Keeeuk!¡± Dr. Jaegal scowled, taking a step back due to the backlash from the shield. Soon, a familiar voice flowed from the steel giant. ¡°No! My reward!¡± It was Noah¡¯s voice that everyone thought was dead. After confirming the voice, Mousin¡¯s nerves relaxed. ¡°Yes! I knew it!¡± There was no way such a monstrous guy would die so easily. Even though the opponent was an A-Rank hero that transcended the human limits, a groundless belief began to rise that if it was the boy, then he would be able to do it somehow. ¡°Haha¡­You fucking midget. Looks like you¡¯re dead now.¡± The laugh of Mousin, it resembled when he had bullied the weak in the past. * * * [Synthesis completed.] [The synthesis materials and are destroyed.] [All option slots used.] [Selected option removed.] [The damage and appearance state has changed depending on the characteristics of the materials used.] [Received ] Classification: Battle Mount Grade: A Description: A masterpiece robot of the Four Heavenly King series created by the genius engineer Dr. Jaegal. Boasts durability as hard as earth. Someone seemed to have tried to improve it, but there¡¯s no significant improvement to the original performance. Success. Thanks to synthesizing items that were related to vitality and recovery, the damaged area had returned to normal as expected. It was quite heartbreaking to throw away the newly acquired items without having the chance to properly use them, but there was no other way now. In any case¡­That was really dangerous. My spine was still flowing with sweat when I recalled the blade that fell toward me. I would have been helpless against it if the item synthesis hadn¡¯t been completed and I hadn¡¯t entered the robot in time. And fortunately, there have been no additional attacks since. It seemed he didn¡¯t know I was inside here. Some time was bought. The problem hasn¡¯t been completely solved yet. I still have some time to spare, so I had to figure out the space I am currently in. I thought the robot¡¯s interior would be more complex and full of unidentified switches, but surprisingly, it was simple. Mechanical parts covered my body like armor and curved screens occupied everything in front of me. It was as if I was wearing a well-made VR game device. But how do I move this? Since I had synthesized it, I¡¯m certain the ownership had been handed to me, but it would be a difficult situation if I needed to start the engine or something else. As soon as I thought that, green characters suddenly rose above the darkened monitor. Fortunately, the language was Korean. ¨C Deletion of existing user data completed. ¨C Checking the boarding of a new user. ¨C Please enter your name. Like when making a character for the first time, an empty space was blinking in front of my eyes. Sure enough, that was how it worked. ¡°Choi Noah.¡± After saying my name, a loading bar that resembled the shape of a human body appeared on the screen. The ugly dwarf¡¯s sense for creating a UI was rather excellent, as a gauge could be seen filling up starting at the feet. ¨C Entering data of new user biometric. ¨C Current synchronization rate¡­5% (5 minutes left). 5 minutes. It wasn¡¯t a long time under normal circumstances, but with the urgent ongoing battle, this short time felt too long. Boom¨C! Perhaps the guy was rampaging outside, but heavy vibrations were transmitted into the robot. However, since the display was still off, I had no choice but to be nervous. This was troublesome. At this rate, the reward I have been struggling to get may be blown away. Looking at the screen, the gauge was rising at a slow speed. Please, hang in there a little longer. While praying for the warriors¡¯ safety, I stared at the screen. And then finally, the loading was done. ¡°Finished!¡± ¨C Synchronization completed. ¨C Please set up a code for operating the robot. My time was urgent, so what¡¯s this? Not caring about this or that, I spat out a phrase that came to mind. ¡°God game level up quest!¡± ¨C Password setting completed. ¨C Operation will now start. Immediately, the inside of the robot lit up. The surrounding situation was displayed on one of the screens in front of me. The base camp had turned into ruins. The portal was broken into an unknown shape, and the land was terribly melted here and there. And most of all, what made me angry the most was that the people I had struggled to bring here were bleeding and lying on the ground. My reward! The son of a bitch dwarf was seen raising his sword at the surviving candidates. More than half were already dead¡­It was no longer acceptable for any more to die here. My body instinctively moved. The parts of the robot connected to my body were precisely interlocked, and the robot¡¯s arms and legs immediately reacted. Boom¨C! I ran straight towards the candidates and activated . ¡°No! My reward!¡± Boom¨C! With the backlash, Dr. Jaegal took several steps back. Certainly, with the effect of resisting ¡®evil¡¯ and ¡®demon¡¯ properties, the skill boasted an excellent result. And the man, who had come to his senses to some extent, looked at me with a very shocked expression. ¡°H-how are you alive? No¡­How are you controlling one of my Four Heavenly Kings?! No one should be able to move it except for me.¡± Instead of answering, I rushed straight at the guy with my shield. Boom¨C! A shield charge as if I was using a siege weapon. Due to the collision, snow was instantly pushed aside and piled up. It wasn¡¯t really a skill, but considering the mass of my robot, it was a force that can¡¯t be scoffed at. But¡­ Like a nail stuck to the floor, Dr. Jaegal didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°Keueheh, okay. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re moving my robot, but it¡¯s just scrap metal that I don¡¯t need anymore. Rather, it would be nice to break down the remnants of my past to celebrate my rebirth.¡± Saying so, he ignored my shield and threw me to the ground. Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± The ground cracked and the temporary provisional buildings near the base camp collapsed. ¡°As expected! No matter how advanced science is, nothing beats moving your own body.¡± Boom¨C! Boom¨C! Dr. Jaegal began to kick me indiscriminately after I had fallen. Like a neighborhood thug that didn¡¯t know any martial arts. But even with such simple kicks, there was no way for my robot to respond. My armor was crushed, and on one of the screens, a warning window for the damaged area was constantly blinking. The difference in robots was too big. It could be said that the weight class was adjusted to some extent once I had mounted the robot, but the gap between me and him was still as wide as that of kindergartener and middle school student. On top of that, I didn¡¯t even have a decent weapon. ¡°Haha! Die! Die! Die! Die!¡± The guy who had been kicking me for a long time suddenly grabbed me by the leg and spun me as he threw. Boom¨C! I, who had bounced off the snowy field like a skipping stone, collapsed, and became entangled with the other Four Heavenly Kings¡¯ bodies who stood as if they were ornaments in the base camp. ¨C Warning! The damage to the robot is serious. ¨C The user is encouraged to escape immediately. ¨C 60% power failure. ¨C 73% damage to the outer armor. . . . Red warning windows constantly rose in front of my eyes. Soon, Dr. Jaegal spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s really end it now.¡± Taking out his beam sword, he slowly began to walk toward me. ¡°My weak past self¡­It will disappear forever from today.¡± There was no hurry in his steps. Perhaps he thought this was the end. Well, I thought it would be hard to win. I couldn¡¯t help but curse at his attitude. But¡­ It would be a pity to give up here. In fact, the moment I had succeeded in synthesizing this robot, I had an idea in my head. If robot mounts were classified as items¡­ Then¡­What would happen if I synthesize the other series of robots here? A while ago, I had to run suddenly to save the reward, but in fact, I had wanted to solve this question first. I¡¯m a gamer and the spirit of experimentation was one of the most important virtues of gamers. I checked the information of the other Four Heavenly King series robots tangled next to me one by one. Classification: Battle Mount Grade: A Description: The body of one of the Four Heavenly King series created by the genius engineer Dr. Jaegal. Boasts output as explosive as fire. Classification: Battle Mount Grade: A Description: The body of one of the Four Heavenly King series created by the genius engineer Dr. Jaegal. Boasts speed as fast as the wind. Classification: Battle Mount Grade: A Description: The body of one of the Four Heavenly King series created by the genius engineer Dr. Jaegal. Boasts mana flow as gentle as water. I looked at these items and shouted. ¡°Synthesize!¡± Then, with an intense light that only I could see, the tangled robots began to change. Clank¨C Clank¨C The outer armors fell off as each part exquisitely fit and was reborn into a new shape. Some of the parts turned into a sharp sword, while other parts turned into thick armor that covered the body. And¡­ Clank¨C Boom¨C A red cape fluttered as my steel giant stood up and its pitch black body was reflected in the light. [Set item has been identified.] [Special effect is activated.] [For fused items, you can separate them into individual items at any time.] [Fusion completed.] [Received ] Classification: Battle Mount Grade: S Description: A dream a genius engineer couldn¡¯t reach. ¡°¡­¡± Fusion? As someone who had played one round already, I didn¡¯t even know there was such an option in the Synthesis menu. Seeing the robot assembled like this, somehow, my heart began to heat up. And in the end, I¡­ couldn¡¯t hold back my excitement and shouted. ¡°Yes! This is it!¡± I didn¡¯t care about winning or losing anymore. Because¡­ This fusion was the dream of all men. ¡°God game!¡± == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. God game means Game of the Year (GotY) 2. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 49 Chapter 49 An ominous swirling red portal. Pamir, who was observing it, felt that something was out of place. ¡®Strange.¡¯ Ordinary people were likely to mistake portals for concepts similar to spatial movement, but in fact, the two abilities had completely different principles. A portal was the ¡®construction¡¯ of a passage between dimensions. In other words, it could be seen as similar to drilling a tunnel on the highway. Therefore, even if someone didn¡¯t have any special ability, with permission, anyone could use the passage. However, on the contrary, the disadvantage of drilling such tunnels between dimensions was that it consumed an enormous amount of energy. ¡®¡­Why did the demons place a portal in such an inefficient place?¡¯ Were they planning to send a large army through here? However, those who were gathered here were aspiring heroes at best. If the demons wanted to cause trouble, there were certainly other ways that were just as sufficient without the need to mobilize an army. ¡®I can¡¯t understand it.¡¯ As soon as he got closer to the portal, suddenly, something popped out of the vortex and grabbed his ankles. ¡°Shit!¡± Light green tentacles covered with sticky mucus. The tentacles rapidly extended as it tried to wrap itself around his body. Swiik¨C He immediately pulled out his sword and cut off the tentacles. At the same time, the cut tentacles split into dozens of strands and rushed toward him in unison. ¡°Oh almighty, light up the darkness.¡± A sacred light bursts out from his body. The tentacles faltered and hovered around him. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me demons are really going to come through this portal?¡¯ And as if his idea was right, strange monsters began to cross over from the portal one by one. All of such monsters he had never seen before. ¡°Damn vile creatures! How dare you aim at the body of the messenger of God.¡± Pamir scowled. Originally, he wasn¡¯t going to involve himself in anything other than finding the Warrior, but he had changed his mind when he saw these corrupted creatures, beings that stood against the beliefs of the God he served. ¡°Pamir, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay it any mind. Just a bunch of bugs that suddenly crawled out from nowhere.¡± Chaang¨C He pulled out his sword again. Oracle¡¯s fate wouldn¡¯t change even if he got rid of these things/ No matter what variables appear, the prophecy was absolute. So it won¡¯t interfere with finding the Warrior. The moment he was about to swing his sword, suddenly, a blinding white light burst out from the snowy sky far away. Bang¨C! An explosion from a high altitude where the height couldn¡¯t be measured. He turned his head and looked at the scene. ¡®What¡¯s that¡­?¡¯ Something seemed to be happening. He looked straight at Samaria and shouted. ¡°What happened?! What was that explosion?!¡± Samaria frowned and spoke. ¡°¡­I¡¯m saying this just in case, but don¡¯t misunderstand. I didn¡¯t mean not to cooperate, but I didn¡¯t know that would happen.¡± ¡°Shit. Everything is going wrong at times like this.¡± Demons crawled out and grabbed their ankles as if on cue. ¡°What¡¯s the situation right now?¡± Swiik¨C Pamir asked, cutting down the monsters that constantly blocked him. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t trust you anymore if you keep being like this. Heretic! If you don¡¯t tell me the truth, I¡¯ll report all of this to the Noble Council.¡± Samaria then sighed and replied. ¡°Currently, the candidates are united and heading toward the base camp.¡± ¡°They chose to fight¡­In the meantime, these guys are really annoying.¡± Even as they were talking, monsters continued to crawl out. The whole area around the portal was filled with the dead bodies of the monsters, but they continued to rush at Pamir and Samaria without any hesitation. Their purpose seemed to be catching them and stalling time rather than harming them. ¡°This looks like a trap prepared by the demons in advance. It seems they have a reason to keep us here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how they knew we would be here, but I guess so.¡± ¡°So you better go and watch the situation there first.¡± Pamir said as he slowly put his sword back into its sheath. And then he immediately scattered sacred light in all directions. Swiik¨C A momentary gap had appeared on the battlefield. Then, during that brief moment, Samaria spread her wings and flew up. ¡°You go ahead first. I¡¯ll quickly clean up these guys and meet up with you after.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± So Samaria left Pamir alone and chased after Noah who was heading to the base camp. A smile bloomed on her face. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s working out like this. Thanks to this, I was able to get rid of that annoying bastard.¡¯ If so, there was still a possibility for her. A way to not have Noah taken away. Samaria crossed the sky at high speed. * * * Pitch black armor plastered all over the body and a red cape that fluttered like a mythical hero. And even a helmet with fierce horns as if it was a devil. The steel giant in black armor stood tall on the snowy field. Psh¨C! Steam came out of the dark knight¡¯s body as snowflakes rising in all directions were illuminated by the pillar of light. The dark knight¡¯s size was about three times larger than that of Dr. Jaegal. In front of it, Dr. Jaegal felt as if he had returned to his dwarf days. He spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°What the hell is happening¡­¡± He was certain the robot the boy was commanding was the robot had designed himself. Therefore, he knew its limitations better than anyone else. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of trick the boy pulled, but those robots didn¡¯t have the function of merging in the first place. Robots were precise machines with countless delicate interconnected parts. They all have their own roles and functions¡­ In other words, you couldn¡¯t just stick it together like a toy. It was something that could only appear in cartoons. He, who once believed in science and reason more than anyone else, unknowingly shouted. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± He felt like the common sense he had accumulated throughout his life had been shattered. If the boy could improve his robots so easily, then what does that say about all of the years of hard work he had put in? ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t this great?¡± He could hear the boy¡¯s voice from the giant in front of him. A tone as if he was happy to have gotten a new toy. Such an attitude made Dr. Jaegal¡¯s consciousness recede. ¡°You punk!¡± Regardless, it was still a robot. There was a limit to its capabilities to operate mana and use martial arts. Compared to the large scrap of metal, the current him had nothing to be afraid of. After turning one arm into a gun, Dr. Jaegal fired an energy bullet. Boom¨C! The boy couldn¡¯t even properly react to the bullet and was hit directly. But¡­ ¡°Impossible!¡± There wasn¡¯t even a scratch on the armor. It went beyond reason. What kind of metal in the world can just withstand this? Even if tensile strength and hardness were increased, it was impossible. ¡°Why do you keep saying it doesn¡¯t make sense?¡± Boom¨C! The giant black knight crouched like a person preparing for a race. Commonly referred to as the ready position. Did he think he could run fast if he crouched down like that? It seemed the boy didn¡¯t even know the basics of controlling a robot. A robot¡¯s joints were designed to be efficient without having to move in the same way as humans. Rather, such an unstable posture could be said to put a load on the robot who had a huge mass. But¡­ Psh¨C! White steam spewed out from around the robot¡¯s body. And at one point, a huge building was flying at a speed close to the speed of sound. Papapapa¨C!! The ground shattered as it was with every step, and the hot spring that Oymyakon boasts rose high in the sky. Then, Boom¨C! ¡°Keueook!¡± With a deafening crash, the robot passed by after ramming into Dr. Jaegal¡¯s body. Dr. Jaegal flew into the air before crashing to the ground. Where the boy had passed, an explosion and a fierce storm burst out. Dr. Jaegal looked down at his body. The upper right of his body had disappeared. It had instantly evaporated after being struck by the terrifying energy created by the robot¡¯s overwhelming mass and speed. His own body which was stronger than steel. Pain came a step late. ¡°Kuaaaaaak!¡± As the robot continued to charge due to the momentum, eventually it became trapped in one corner by itself. Boom¨C! In the meantime, Dr. Jaegal hurriedly raised his body. It was only one attack, but the damage was too severe. He had to recover before the robot came after him again. ¡°Keuk¡­I-it¡¯s dangerous if this continues.¡± He moved out of the base camp and urgently began to look for robot parts. However, ¡°Shit! Where is it?!¡± Why couldn¡¯t he see any robot parts? Strangely enough, no damaged robots were seen. If the candidates had defeated so many troops, there was bound to be at least some debris somewhere in this snow field, but at best, there were only a few broken limbs. Absorbing these wasn¡¯t enough to fill him. ¡°Not enough! It¡¯s not enough!¡± But right then, Whoosh¨C! Snow was rising from the end of his field of view, and something could be seen rushing his way. It was the boy. The giant dark knight was running straight at him. ¡°N-no!¡± Dr. Jaegal pulled out his sword. The beam sword rose. A destructive energy surged, and among the martial arts he had collected in the past, he searched for the most suitable martial art for the current situation. Just in time, as a result of his search, a usable martial art came to mind. It was a martial art that had been created by a peerless one hand master in his later years. The data entered his mind and was automatically acquired by his body. Accordingly, he operated his mana and his armor changed position as he prepared for the incoming attack. Papapapa¨C! Coniferous forests along the dark knight¡¯s path were pulled out like weeds. It was coming closer and closer. ¡°Come! Let¡¯s fight to the death¡­¡± Dr. Jaegal swung his beam sword the moment he saw the dark knight. Boom¨C! But it was of no use. Just an overwhelming mass and power. All weapons and martial arts became useless in front of it. The beam sword Dr. Jaegal was so proud of fell far away across the ground. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡± The dark knight picked up the beam sword that had fallen. And then the boy shouted in a happy voice. ¡°Oh! A beam sword!¡± Soon, he wrapped it around his waist. Meanwhile, Dr. Jaegal could only watch as all of his scientific common sense vanished. The beam sword was absorbed into the dark knight¡¯s body like a snake. And immediately, its body began to change. Red energy particles lit up the entire body like a lamp and a blade made of light formed from the back of its hand. ¡°T-that¡¯s ridiculous!¡± What in the world was that?! What was that phenomenon that goes beyond any scientific logic? Shiiik¨C The energy was injected like a rocket behind the dark knight¡¯s elbow. And with that momentum, its fist struck Dr. Jaegal abdomen. ¡°Rocket Punch!¡± ¡°Keeuk!¡± Dr. Jaegal flew away like a sandbag. Coniferous forests that grew high behind his back constantly broke. But the speed wasn¡¯t decreasing at all. How far did he fly? As soon as he thought that, in front of him who was flying in the air, the black devil appeared again. ¡°Rocket kick!¡± Flames ignited behind the heel of the dark knight and a kick was sent. Boom¨C! Dr. Jaegal, who had managed to hold onto his blurred consciousness, flew into the air again. And after that, he was constantly kicked around the base camp. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! Then, more and more armor fell off Dr. Jaegal¡¯s body. The body of steel, which was thought to be best, was breaking more and more with each attack. After losing both arms and legs and turning into something like a ball, the dark knight slammed him down from the sky. Booom¨C! A huge crater had formed in the middle of the base camp and Dr. Jaegal¡¯s body was stuck helplessly. Boom¨Cboom¨C¡­! The impact collapsed the mountain peak of the nearby snow mountain, and an avalanche occurred. ¡°Keuh¡­keu¡­¡± In his blurred consciousness, Dr. Jaegal was barely able to hold onto his senses. And then, the devil in black armor who was approaching caught his eyes. The dark knight grabbed him out of the ground and threw him up and down as if he was playing with a ball. ¡°Euoook!¡± ¡°Is this the end already? There¡¯s still time left for my transformation.¡± Dr. Jaegal couldn¡¯t sense any crisis or tension in the boy¡¯s voice. Just simple entertainment. It was like a child who had gotten a new toy and couldn¡¯t control himself because he wanted to keep playing with it. Not a great cause, ambition, or to save mankind. Was his life going to end by such a simple child¡¯s joke? ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± He had tried all his life. To overcome the limitations of his body with science and technology. To hone his own skills and survive in his family of demons. But in the end, it was all false power. In the absence of robots, he was nothing. How long was it that he had to admire his siblings? However, he walked his path silently and stubbornly. That was all he could do alone. And last night, he had met a great being and through his grace, his fate was changed and he was reborn with a new body. Finally, he was able to use martial arts with his body. Now no one would be able to look at him and say that he was just an ordinary old man if it weren¡¯t for his robots. That was what he thought. But¡­ ¡°How could I lose!¡± Dr. Jaegal rolled like a ball and screamed. The ideal he once dreamed of while studying science and technology was now in front of him. The power that he thought would be impossible through science had been completed by a little boy. After realizing that fact, he only felt that it was unfair. He had already abandoned such robots, but they were originally his. The essence of his efforts that had been honed for many years. ¡°G-give it back! T-that¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°Heuheu¡­Supervisor, you can¡¯t ride this because you don¡¯t have arms and legs anyway.¡± In the meantime, the dark knight looked around. Soon after, he gathered the snow around and packed it tightly into a large snowball. Then, he placed Dr. Jaegal¡¯s body on top of it as if he was making a snowman. ¡°Hmm¡­It¡¯s a little better like this.¡± ¡°W-what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Please stay still. There has been something I¡¯ve always wanted to do whenever I saw a robot.¡± The dark knight slowly pulled out a sword. A giant steel sword that was shaped like a bastard sword. On top of such a sword, there was a red energy swaying, the same as what he had used a while ago. In that state, he splendidly turned the sword and stretched it diagonally in front of Dr. Jaegal. The dark knight¡¯s cape fluttered behind its back. The moment Dr. Jaegal saw that, he realized what posture the boy was in. He admired strength more than anything else when he was young, so he could tell because he loved robot cartoons more than anyone else. That was a regular pose for robot warriors in cartoons. The boy was reenacting a scene. ¡°Supervisor, can you give a villain-like reaction? I don¡¯t think it would taste good otherwise.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­You¡¯re not as fun as I thought.¡± The dark knight lifted its sword and slashed it at Dr. Jaegal as if the boy had lost his excitement. Swiik¨C Thus, Dr. Jaegal, an A-Rank hero who was once called a one-man army, had met his end by the very same robots he had once called his own. * * * [The start-up time is over.] [Robot will go into a cooldown.] A battery warning indicator appeared on a display in front of me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Unfortunately, the time was over. There were some more things I wanted to try, but for the time being, it seemed I should put them into my inventory until the cooldown was up. But I would be able to use it next time when I have another chance. As soon as I thought that, messages came to my mind. [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] [Level has risen.] . . . [You¡¯ve reached level 51.] [Gained a Fragment of Growth.] [Gained Level 50 Skill Selection.] [Gained achievement title ¡®Skilled Warrior.¡¯] [Gained achievement title ¡®Doom Slayer.¡¯] A feast of endless messages. And the result was level 51. This number still didn¡¯t feel real. Certainly, before taking the hero exam a few days ago I was only level 39 with the average stat being around 3. In fact, even 3 alone was enough for me to exert herculean strength. But now¡­ Body: 4.60 Dexterity: 4.13 Mana: 4.85 Spirit: 4.48 *12 Fragments of Growth In addition, there were 12 fragments that could be used. At my current pace of growth, there was no need to distribute them in one stat anymore. I distributed the stat evenly again this time. And as a result, Body: 4.60 -> 5.05 (+0.45) 4 pieces Dexterity: 4.13 -> 4.28 (+0.15) 1 piece Mana: 4.85 -> 5.08 (+0.23) 2 pieces Spirit: 4.48 -> 5.06 (+0.58) 5 pieces Ah¡­ Good. Good. Except for Dexterity, which affected swordsmanship and technique, the remaining stats have now exceeded 5.0. Although it took more fragments to increase my stats the higher the stats were, if it was this much, then it was still good. Originally, my current stats were the equivalent of me being above level 70, assuming that the fragments rolled well. However, this time, the gap had immediately narrowed after I ate the Maryeongdan and Socheongdan. If I were to express my current level, my body and skills were close to the peak of a Zenith martial artist, and the mana power could be said to be at the level of a 5-Circle mage. In addition, considering the skills I had, there will be no one who could stop me at this point except for A-Rank heroes. No, maybe I could deal with the weak ones among A-Rank heroes. It was truly a crazy growth. Even I thought that my development was crazy. I was just a boy who couldn¡¯t even beat a single gangster just a few months ago. Now, even in this huge city of Pyongyang, I¡¯ve grown to the point where except for a few, it would be difficult to find an opponent. It was really going smoothly. I smiled to the fullest and recalled the robots. At that moment, ¡°¡±¡±Waaaaah!!¡±¡±¡± Deafening cheers greeted me. Survivors ran to me in tears. [Reputation has increased.] ¡°¡±¡±Choi Noah! Choi Noah! Choi Noah!¡±¡±¡± [Reputation has increased.] Why were they calling my name? My reputation level was rising to the point where it was hard to follow it with my eyes. Ah, right. I was so excited by the robot fusion that I had forgotten about the situation for a moment. The fact that I and these guys were on the verge of death just a few minutes ago. But it wasn¡¯t just me. Whoever it was, I think they would have forgotten that fact as well. After all, fusion was a man¡¯s dream that no one could suppress. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! Thanks to you, I was able to survive!¡± ¡°Choi Noah. Thank you. After this exam, please pay my family a visit. And¡­I¡¯m really sorry about what happened before.¡± At the forefront of the crowd was Saki and Mousin. They were tearing up, perhaps because they were happy too. It was only now that everything was over. All that was left was to go home safely. Well, in the worst case, the Hero Association will send people here after three days. Fortunately, I had appetizing foods in my inventory that would last that time. But as soon as I thought that, at some point, a man was standing in front of me. ¡°?!¡± Without any notice, sense, or sound. When I suddenly came to my senses, there was only a man standing in front of me. I felt a sense of deja vu. It was similar to when the devil, Purson, came to recruit me in the first round. ¡°Nice to meet you. Noah Choi.¡± A man with a mustache greeted me. I don¡¯t know when the other guys around me had collapsed, but they were all sprawled out on the ground. In any case, I remember seeing this guy before. Jonggak Pyongyang terrorist incident. He had clearly introduced himself as a devil at that time. An update two decades early. The culprit was now in front of me. I immediately took out Red Velvet Curse and cut him. Swiik¨C A neat solid line was formed over the neck of the man. However, there was no taste of cutting on my fingertips. Sure enough, the line I had just cut turned blurry and then disappeared. Soon after, the man appeared again with a smile on his face. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s my afterimage.¡± He was strangely angry in his tone. He continued. ¡°Do you have time to talk with me for a while¡­¡± Swiik¨C! ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s useless. I¡¯m telling you that¡¯s my afterimage.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I stared at him as I quietly put away my sword. This was already something that I had experienced in the past, so I knew well that my attacks were useless. Looking at him like that, the man nodded. ¡°No wonder why I kept thinking that our plan was going to fail¡­This has made it clear. The test was worth taking risks.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t think it would really exist. However, it¡¯s such an honor to meet you like this¡­Beast of Chaos.¡± ¡°Beast of Chaos?¡± What kind of nonsense was this? He referred to me as something I¡¯ve only heard of for the first time in my life. I waited for a while, but he didn¡¯t seem to want to explain the meaning. Soon, he said the same lines I had heard a long time ago. ¡°Choi Noah. How about joining the demon army?¡± The content started as early as 20 years, but the process was the same. After hearing the line, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Let me guess, you want my help in conquering Earth?¡± ¡°Oh! How did you know?! As expected, you¡¯re definitely the Beast of Chaos. Then, it would be a natural choice to help the demon race, right?¡± ¡°Beast or whatever, but frankly, I don¡¯t want to do it.¡± ¡°What, why? If you join the demon army, you can enjoy a lot of power when you conquer this world in the future, and if you want strength, I can¡­¡± He repeated the lines I had heard in the past. It wasn¡¯t my cup of tea to hear what I¡¯ve already heard again. Or¡­Repeating the route that had already been completed again. Wuung¨C Swiik¨C I swung my sword while he was caught off guard. This time, it was only a little, but it was delicious. Sure enough, a light solid line was drawn on his neck. ¡°¡­Can I take this as a rejection?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I aimed the tip of my sword at him without saying a word. Honestly, there was no more means to use in the current situation, and there was no guarantee of beating him, but frankly, my pride as a gamer didn¡¯t allow me to repeat content I¡¯ve already cleared. As I stared at him and waited for an opportunity, the man sighed and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s unavoidable. If possible, I didn¡¯t want to use this method on the Beast of Chaos¡­¡± An ominous haze swayed from his body. It was the very same purple energy I often witnessed during the second round. At that moment, a woman¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Stop!¡± When I turned my head, the psycho woman called Saintess Samaria was seen flying toward here. She immediately folded her wings and plunged down. The speed was almost as fast as light. And then she stretched her arms forward to catch me. But¡­ Boom¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± Samaria couldn¡¯t reach me. There was a transparent barrier between me and her. Perhaps because of the backlash at the speed at which she flew, she slipped to the ground and vomited blood. ¡°Hahaha, we better move from here.¡± ¡°N-no¡­That¡¯s mine!¡± Immediately, a red portal appeared behind his back. ¡°Oh! Perfect timing.¡± He grabbed me by the arm. And again, without even realizing it, a change came. The white snow field had suddenly turned into a red hot desert terrain. In the sky, ominous mana could be seen swirling, and something unpleasant and sticky mixed in the air could be felt each time I inhaled. ¡°Welcome to the demon world.¡± He bowed elegantly and greeted me. Then, raising his head, I could see a sharpness in his eyes. ¡°Then, shall we continue?¡± Again, a purple haze rose around him. Perhaps because this place was the demon world, but the energy was much denser and thicker than before. I immediately turned around and widened the distance, but the purple energy quickly blocked my retreat and poured into me. ¡°It¡¯s less painful if you would just accept it.¡± Through every gap in my body, the ominous smoke permeated. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel the pain he was talking about. Rather, my head felt clearer and more refreshed. Soon, a message window popped up in front of me. [You¡¯ve xxxxxxxx.] [Due to xxxxx all of your stats temporarily increased.] What? Body: xx Dexterity: xx Mana: xx Spirit: xx I was full of energy as if my body would immediately explode. The sudden change in stats was hard to adapt to. It felt as if my body would fly away by mistake if I put strength into my legs. I don¡¯t know what had happened, but one thing was certain, this was an opportunity. So I calmly adjusted my condition. Meanwhile, the man approached me with a smile. ¡°Haha, it should be over.¡± I stood still, deliberately trying to make a blurred expression. It was better to wait for him to come closer. Not yet. For the best result, I needed the patience to wait for the right moment. ¡°All right. Now kiss the back of my hand and swear your loyalty to me.¡± ¡°Die you pervert!¡± Swiik¨C ¡°Keuk! Keuk! Keuk!¡± Blood sprayed like a fountain from his neck. But¡­ Shit, it was shallow! He had suddenly made a ridiculous provocation, so I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and swung my sword. Perhaps if he was an ordinary human, but as a result of having killed numerous demons, I knew they were beings who could persistently survive if their necks weren¡¯t cleanly cut off. Retreating was the only option now. I hurriedly opened my status window while he was rolling on the ground. *Witch¡¯s House. [You can¡¯t use this skill during battle.] Damn it. Wasn¡¯t this the end of the battle? I continued to hit the skill. [You can¡¯t use this skill during battle.] [You can¡¯t use this skill during battle.] . . . In the meantime, the man stood up and stared at me as he spoke. ¡°Kreuek¡­Regret¡­You¡¯ll¡­¡± It seemed he was trying to say something, but honestly, it was hard to understand. And finally, at that moment, [Moving to ¡®Witch¡¯s House¡¯] Bright lights surrounded me as the surrounding landscape changed in an instant. A lobby with an antique interior came into view. And the familiar smell of tea flowing from somewhere. It had only been a few days, but returning here felt as if I had been gone for a very long time. Suddenly, I was overcome with fatigue. Huu¡­I don¡¯t care what, but¡­let¡¯s take a break first. Since I¡¯ve taken care of Dr. Jaegal, the survivors shouldn¡¯t have a problem. Papapa¨C! Soon, I heard loud footsteps from behind my back. And Elizabeth, who had appeared, shouted in a lively voice. ¡°Welcome back! Did you do well on your exam? Are you hungry? Do you want to order pizza?¡± Her pointed ears flapped like wings. Looking at her, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± As expected, there was no place like home. == Translator¡¯s Note == 1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc¡­in the comment section . Chapter 50 Chapter 50 A secret room with only a round table. Holographic emblems could be seen appearing one by one. Heavyweights who would usually only gather at most once or twice a year had gathered again in just a few days. After confirming that all the emblems were present, a woman in a wheelchair spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard the news¡­There¡¯s a problem this time.¡± Not long ago, they had made a plan to identify the ¡®Warrior¡¯ by using the ¡®disaster¡¯ that was predicted by Oracle. For this reason, the large-scale disaster that was currently taking place at the hero exam in Pyongyang wasn¡¯t the problem. Rather, they had anticipated this disaster to happen. After all, this much of a sacrifice was cheap in comparison to identifying the Warrior who could affect the fate of the world. But¡­ ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t you say the incident would definitely happen in Pyongyang?¡± ¡°Yeah! Terrorist attacks are happening at some test sites in China! Because of that, my position is very awkward right now.¡± As Oracle had predicted, the demon army had certainly carried out terrorism at the test site. However, the incident wasn¡¯t limited to just Pyongyang. Terrorist attacks believed to have been the work of the demon army were happening at the ongoing hero exams around the world. And as a result, the death toll was rising, and as the number reached tens of thousands, the damage could be said to be very severe. However, it wasn¡¯t the number of such victims that those who were gathered here now were worried about. ¡°Could the Oracle¡¯s prediction be wrong?¡± That would be the collapse of their vested interests. The malfunction of Oracle. The woman replied. ¡°No. That¡¯s not true. Oracle¡¯s prophecy was correct again. Just¡­the interpretation of the prophecy was wrong.¡± The prediction that the demon army would attack the hero exam. They had predicted that an event would occur in Pyongyang after piecing together the facts and fragmented information. However, the disaster had actually occurred on a global scale. The fact that they didn¡¯t expect the demon army infiltrating Earth to be on such a scale had caused a mistake in their judgment. It has become difficult. And the most important thing right now was, because of this, the Warrior could no longer be identified. The number of people who were active in this disaster were dozens of people. Should they assume all of them were Warriors? ¡°No, doesn¡¯t that mean there are several Warriors who can change the Oracle¡¯s predicted future?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And as you all know, that¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Maybe none of them are Warriors. If all of these incidents are defined as a single event, then no one has stopped it.¡± ¡­It¡¯s as if the demons are one step ahead of us. The woman¡¯s expression, which had always been cold and stiff, wrinkled. They already knew there was a Warrior in this world. The world-class foresight that was thought possible only by themselves. However, if they were to infer from what had happened this time, it was clear that the demons knew not only of the presence of the Warrior, but also that they would operate to identify the Warrior. That was how such a large-scale smoke screen operation was able to be carried out. Or¡­There¡¯s a traitor inside. ¡°What should we do now? We can¡¯t just leave it like this?¡± There was silence inside the conference hall. And after a while, the woman spoke. ¡°It would be best to put the Warrior issue on hold for now. More than that, we can¡¯t just sit still after the demons had carried out such a massive terrorist attack.¡± ¡°We will designate them as the ¡®black¡¯ grade, the most wanted enemy of mankind, and issue a wanted order for all beings involved.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­fine. Let¡¯s do that for now.¡± ¡°And I think we need to deal with the public sentiment from anxious citizens. This will reduce trust in the World Government if left unattended.¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious, but um¡­what should we do?¡± ¡°We have to turn our eyes on the survivors and those who have died by making them heroes.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s time to lift the carrot rather than the stick. If so, please contact the Hero Association to compensate the candidates¡­¡± Thus, they continued their meeting on what needed to be done in the future. Soon after, in the secret room where the holograms had disappeared, the woman let out a long sigh. Maybe¡­the prophecy in 20 years might change too. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Hey! Be careful moving the wounded!¡± ¡°We¡¯re out of blood packs! Ask for more to be transported!¡± Rescue workers were running around frantically on a white snowfield. Samaria had contacted the Hero Association to report the situation at Pyongyang¡¯s test site after she had disposed of Dr. Jaegal. As a result, several heroes with space transfer or healing ability were quickly dispatched. And while the injured were being treated, a transport aircraft was flying toward this place to pick up the candidates. Samaria was watching everything with a blank look. How should she express how she felt right now? She felt as if she had been deprived of the food that she had saved for a long time by someone else. If I had tamed Noah a little earlier¡­ Late regret flooded in. She felt a heartache when she recalled the boy¡¯s face. With a more beautiful appearance than a woman, and a lacking personality that resembled her. In addition to that, even the uniqueness of being a Warrior. The boy who might have been the best toy in her life had disappeared with the devil. Someone¡¯s voice came from behind her back. ¡°You were here.¡± Looking back, it was Pamir. His shining armor was plastered with the blood and bodily fluids of monsters. Shaking off a piece of monster flesh, he spoke. ¡°All the monsters were taken care of, then at some point, the portal disappeared.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Samaria thought for a moment about what to say regarding Noah. The scene where he was taken by the devil was only witnessed by her. She didn¡¯t want to share this information with anyone. So she said with a moderate mix of truth and false. ¡°Choi Noah took care of the corrupted hero who was the supervisor here. But¡­After that, a portal suddenly opened and a lot of monsters began to pour out.¡± ¡°Like the monsters I¡¯ve dealt with?¡± ¡°Yes. While fighting against such monsters, the portal suddenly disappeared as Choi Noah was sucked into it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Is that so? Could it have been linked to the portal I destroyed?¡± Pamir nodded as if it was a possibility. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have been convinced of her words. Why is this obsessed fanatic so calm? If it was the personality she was familiar with, he would have asked more persistently about Noah. As soon as she thought that, Pamir continued. ¡°I roughly understood what happened here. I¡¯d like you to report the details yourself. I have somewhere to be now.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I just received a call from headquarters. Terrorist attacks are currently occurring simultaneously in test sites around the world.¡± ¡°What?¡± He explained to her what he had just heard from headquarters a moment ago. Oracle¡¯s prophecy of the terrorist attack they had thought to be limited to Pyongyang was actually a worldwide attack. As a result, there were currently numerous casualties, and the director at headquarters was busy trying to deal with the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be easy to conclude that the boy here is a Warrior. The number of people who are active in this terrorist disaster is very high. It will take a long time to investigate each one of them.¡± Pamir turned his back, clicking his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy right now, so I¡¯ll go first. Oh, and I¡¯ll tell the headquarters about your cooperation this time. Maybe you can come back too.¡± ¡°¡­I see. All right.¡± At the end of her words, Pamir took out a space transfer artifact and used it. Staring at the place where Pamir had disappeared, she thought to herself. Choi Noah isn¡¯t a Warrior? No. It couldn¡¯t be. She wasn¡¯t sure what others thought, but she had witnessed the devil kidnap Noah herself. He wouldn¡¯t have done it for no reason. Regardless of what had happened at the other test sites, it was here that the mastermind had appeared in person. On top of that, the portal that was installed here was definitely because they knew we were coming. Wasn¡¯t that enough proof that Pyongyang¡¯s test site was more important than anywhere else? As expected, Noah is the Warrior. That was her conclusion. But¡­ What was the use of that anymore? The devil had already taken him away. Anger began to boil deep within her when she recalled that fact again. Pak¨C! That, or this guy. Why does everyone keep interrupting my interest? All the forces were trying to take away the only interest that comforted her heart. Now even the world was trying to take it away from her. Violent mana swirled around her body. But it¡¯s too early to give up. The reason was unknown. Just an ambiguous intuition. A strange bond from the moment she first saw him, it told her so. Noah was still alive. She didn¡¯t have the ability to read fate or predict the future, but strangely enough, she was convinced. Right. He¡¯s not someone who would die so easily. Then, what did she have to do? The answer came to mind shortly after. He was of the same kind as her. And¡­If he was really alive¡­ He¡¯ll only think of what benefits him. The sacrifices and dedications she had shown so far had only been seen as her having some kind of intention. Using this as an opportunity¡­I need to prepare a place for him to come back. She began to plan for the future with the assumption that Noah was still alive As someone who was more obsessed with him than anyone, she couldn¡¯t give up her toy yet. * * * * * * * * * * An unprecedented attack on the Hero Association. The whole world was shocked as a result. People who had originally thought the demon army to be just a distant terrorist organization now were beginning to recognize them as dangerous beings that could threaten their own lives. For this reason, the Hero Association had pushed ahead with their existing schedules to calm the anxious citizens. And as if everything was fine, they planned to turn the hero appointment ceremony into a big and elaborate event. As such, that also included the Pyongyang branch. At a three-story auditorium of the Pyongyang branch. Currently in attendance were those who had survived the exam, and the numerous media personnel and citizens. ¡°I sincerely congratulate all of you who have passed the exam.¡± ¡°You all who will become official heroes after a year of probationary work.¡± However, unlike other branches, one peculiar thing that stood out was that all the candidates in attendance were dressed in black. ¡°I will now announce and appoint the successful candidates for the hero exam. Sounds of applause echoed.¡± It was a joyous moment when a new hero was born and when the candidates realized their dreams. But among the candidates, no one smiled. They simply looked at the podium with pained expressions. Citizens who saw their appearances quietly stopped clapping. And in such a cold atmosphere, the appointment ceremony continued. The exam numbers of those who had passed the exam were called, and those who came up took their hero license one by one. Instead of cheering for joy, the candidates who had passed the exam quietly kept their mouths shut as if they had made a pact. The auditorium was engulfed in silence. In such an awkward atmosphere, the Branch Manager sweated as he spoke. ¡°Then, next, the A-Rank hero Saintess Samaria will personally award hero licenses to those who have achieved excellent grades.¡± Samaria, wearing a black clergy uniform, took over the microphone from the center of the stage. Unlike usual, her clothes were modest without any exposure. Hero license. Among them, especially in the case of the high rank exam, they were divided into D-Rank and C-Rank. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** And for C-Rank, there was a tradition that it was to be awarded by the highest rank hero of the branch. Samaria spoke. ¡°Candidates who have performed well in this exam will be called in order.¡± ¡°Examinee No. 00187, Examinee No. 004587¡­¡± Those who were called rose to the podium one by one. The total was five. Gesturing at them, she continued. ¡°These candidates who have performed well will be given a C-Rank hero license.¡± She shook each person¡¯s hand as she handed them their hero license. In the meantime, a woman who had received her license suddenly began to wept. ¡°Heeuk¡­¡± A woman with colorful hair. It was Exam No. 04589, Saki. Soon after, she collapsed on the stage and wailed loudly. ¡°Waaah! I don¡¯t deserve this! The real hero isn¡¯t me!¡± Suddenly, the ceremony stopped. But no one rebuked her. The feelings of those who were gathered here were the same as her. Sniffling cries could be heard all around the auditorium. ¡°Heeuk¡­¡± ¡°Shit¡­Why is it like this¡­¡± Every candidate who took the exam at the Pyongyang branch began to recall one person¡¯s face. Examinee No. 13579. A genius who had scored perfect in all subjects at the young age of only 13. At first, they were just jealous and busy being wary of him, but at some point they began to sincerely follow the young boy. The spirit of sacrifice and outstanding leadership that the boy had showed on the last test. They could still vividly recall him throwing his body and blocking the destructive light. They wouldn¡¯t be standing here now if it wasn¡¯t for the boy. And thanks to him, despite the disaster, there were more successful candidates that had passed this exam than any other in history. ¡°Fuck! I can¡¯t accept it!¡± Suddenly, Mousin threw the hero license in his hand on the floor. It was the license that he had wanted for as long as 10 years and had wanted to obtain regardless of the means. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen his body yet! He couldn¡¯t have died!¡± All of their last memories were blurry. At some point they had lost consciousness. And Noah¡¯s figure was already gone by the time they had opened their eyes. Only through Samaria¡¯s testimony, it was inferred the fact that Noah would have died. Perhaps that was why it was even more difficult to accept his death. ¡°I have to go look for him again! He could be dying somewhere in the snow!¡± There were voices of sympathy here and there at Mousin¡¯s words. In an instant, the interior of the auditorium turned noisy. At that moment, Boom¨C! A violent mana burst from Samaria who stood on the stage. With the aura of an A-Rank hero, the interior immediately regained its silence. Then, she calmly spoke. ¡°Like all of you¡­it also pains me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been observing him for a long time.¡± ¡°Do you all remember the Lake Town¡¯s hotel terrorist incident? Even before Noah became a hero, he didn¡¯t spare his body for the citizens.¡± ¡°Even though he was young, he had a better sense of justice than anyone I know¡­He was a true hero.¡± ¡°Therefore, I was looking forward to the day he became a hero.¡± She quietly continued her words. Her voice penetrated everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡°In fact, his grades were unprecedented. If only the last test could have been completed safely, it would have been a new record that would remain in the history of the Hero Association.¡± ¡°But he¡­¡± ¡°He sacrificed his body to save those here. Yes¡­He didn¡¯t bend his beliefs even until the very end.¡± The candidates recalled Noah¡¯s figure. The scene of him blocking the terrifying ray of destruction directly with his body. And those who recalled watching him at home during the hotel incident. The back of a young boy who had saved the citizens. ¡°Keuk! Damn it!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­young master. Why did this have to happen?¡± Mousin, who was indignant, sat down and wept. Next to him, his group also sat down and wept. Samaria¡¯s voice continued in their ears. ¡°Because of that¡­I had filed a petition with the Hero Association Headquarters.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no hope for the birth of true heroes on this land if we don¡¯t recognize these outstanding talents.¡± ¡°As a result¡­¡± ¡°The Hero Association had decided to issue him an unprecedented hero license.¡± ¡°He is to be given A-Rank, citing that he had saved numerous lives, achieved new records in all tests, and that the villain he faced this time was a corrupted A-Rank hero.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s meaningless now¡­But I still wanted to honor his noble spirit this way.¡± She took out a black glossy A-Rank hero license. ¡°Because he was someone who is more than qualified.¡± In response to her words, everyone bowed their heads with a solemn look. Saki, who was crying on the podium, and Mousin, who was crying under the podium. Only one person¡¯s face came to mind in everyone¡¯s head. ¡°For the victims of this incident and the hero Choi Noah who had protected all of us. Let¡¯s have a moment of silence.¡± Everyone inside the auditorium bowed their heads. At that moment, a bright voice was suddenly heard that didn¡¯t match the solemn atmosphere. ¡°Aaaaahhh!¡± Who had dared to make such a fuss during this moment of remembrance? The expressions of those who were praying for the loss of Noah turned fierce, and they all immediately looked to one place. Then, there¡­ ¡°My reward!¡± Noah, who everyone thought was dead, could be seen entering the auditorium. * * * * * * * * * * I couldn¡¯t hide my excitement as I looked at the message window in front of me. [Challenge ¨C Hero¡¯s Journey] Condition: Obtain a Hero License. Time: 1 year. Reward: Varies depending on Hero Rank. [ Condition for the Challenge ¨C Hero¡¯s Journey has been met. ] [ Reward will be given depending on the result. ] [ D-Rank ¨C 1x Random Box (Low). ] [ C-Rank ¨C 1x Random Box (Medium). ] [ B-Rank ¨C 2x Random Box (Medium). ] [ A-Rank ¨C 2x Random Box (Medium), 1x Random Box (High). ] Jackpot! Just two medium-grade boxes were enough to make me dance, but I couldn¡¯t believe I was getting a high-grade box too. A smile beamed across my face. I had been at home avoiding the hassle for a while, and was only now able to come get my license after the hassle had ended. In any case, I never could have imagined that it would be A-Rank. Soon, cheers suddenly erupted around me. ¡°¡±¡±Waaah!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Looking around everywhere, the people gathered in the auditorium were rushing at me like a group of fanatics. It looked like I was watching a bunch of zombies. ¡°He¡¯s alive! Choi Noah is alive!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Of course! I knew he wouldn¡¯t die! I believed him!¡± ¡°Young master¡­I¡¯m sure you were crying a moment ago¡­¡± People lifted me up as a group. Thanks to this, I climbed to the podium riding the waves as if I was a rock star. A crazy woman holding a microphone was smiling insidiously at me. As expected, this woman gave me an uncomfortable feeling. She smiled insidiously and whispered softly to me. ¡°Did you plan this kind of outcome? As expected, you¡¯re the same kind as me.¡± What was this woman talking about? I had felt it before, but she was out of her mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Huhu, I guess so. We can talk about this slowly next time. First now¡­¡± She said and handed me the black glossy hero license. A shining letter A could clearly be seen on its surface. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say something to the people here.¡± ¡°What should I say?¡± ¡°Hmm, anything is fine. Something like how do you feel about being a hero or what kind of hero you want to be.¡± When I turned my head, the reward I saved was looking at me enthusiastically. Hm¡­what kind of hero did I want to be? Was there such a thing? I had never cared about that before. Well, it would be better to give a simple answer here. After a moment of thought, I received the microphone from Samaria. Then, I looked at the cameras that were shining on me and shouted. ¡°Everyone! I¡¯ll do my best to be a kind hero who kills bad guys!¡± As a result, ¡°¡±¡±Waaaah!¡±¡±¡± [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] . . . In front of my eyes, messages of my reputation increasing began to rise steadily. And so, unique in this world. I had become an A-Rank ¡®trainee¡¯ hero. * * * * * * * * * * [Everyone! I¡¯ll do my best to be a kind hero who kills bad guys!] Cheonma Palace, located somewhere in China. After returning home, Eugene was now watching Noah through a broadcast. Haha, as expected, he became a hero. A light smile bloomed across her lips. She felt as if her heart would sink when she had heard news of the terrorist incident. However, her friend was able to safely pass the exam in the end. I guess that kind of disaster was nothing for someone like him. Not only that, Noah had received the A-Rank hero license. Except in the early days when the Hero Association was just established, there had been no other people who had received A-Rank from the start since then. The highest rank that could be obtained for passing the hero exam was C-Rank. This was by design and was set up by the Hero Association¡¯s vested interests for ranks to be raised by accumulating merits. But Noah broke that common sense. He had acquired the A-Rank hero license from the start. As to be expected of my best friend. Even though it wasn¡¯t her, she smiled as if she had become an A-Rank hero. As she watched Noah, suddenly, ¡®that day¡¯ came to mind. At that time, she wasn¡¯t aware of it at all because of the circumstances, but looking back on it now, she wanted to crawl into a hole. Her ears became bright red. I was just helping my best friend. Alone in her room, she made an excuse for herself. Then, she gently touched her lips. No way¡­He won¡¯t remember, will he? No. Even if he remembers, it was honorable. I had no ulterior motive. Since that day, whenever she thought of him, strangely, she would feel a shortness of breath and the bandages around her chest would tighten. But she didn¡¯t hate such symptoms. And behind those emotions, a sense of shame came. On the subject of friendship, Noah was moving farther and farther away from her. Me too¡­I can¡¯t fall behind. Soon, she picked up an intercom. ¡°My baby! Wait a minute. Papa is taking care of his work¡­You son of a bitch! Cut here, cut here, and cut here too. Okay. No, not there but here!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Huu, it¡¯s done. Yes, yes, what¡¯s wrong my baby? Did you want to hear papa¡¯s voice, so you called¡­¡± Eugene cut off her stepfather¡¯s words and spoke. ¡°Stepfather. The place you mentioned the other day¡­I want to go inside the Cheonma Trial Space.¡± (TN: Cheonma Trial Space is where the successor to Cheonma goes to earn the rights to inherit the title Cheonma after completing the trial.) With the determination to stand side by side with her friend, she decided to give up everything and entered the Cheonma Trial Space. * * * * * * * * * * A messy office. Kim Taehi sat in front of her desk where documents were piled high like a mountain as she scrolled the wheel on her mouse. Soon, an article caught her eyes. [The birth of the world¡¯s first A-Rank trainee hero?!] In the article, the very familiar face of a boy appeared. Black hair and purple eyes. A child who hid behind a smile. She could feel his desperate pain. It was Noah. He eventually became a hero. She smiled lightly as she looked at the picture of Noah. Since the Lake Town terrorist incident, she had spent every day praying for the boy to regain his happiness. Fortunately, the prayer was effective, and Noah hadn¡¯t gone down the wrong path and had become a splendid and dignified hero. Huu¡­I can¡¯t nag him anymore even if I meet him. In just a few months, he had become an A-Rank hero who was higher than herself. Of course, he was a trainee hero with no experience, but the weight of the A-Rank wasn¡¯t light either. I want to give him a congratulatory present¡­Hmm, if I send it out of the blue, he¡¯ll feel burdened, right? Since then, she has been waiting to hear from the hotline she had given him, but the child has yet to contact her. She thought the boy would find this kind of goodwill burdensome since he was at a really sensitive age. Aye, I¡¯ll just buy him a meal next time we meet on the field. They will inevitably encounter each often in the future once he becomes a hero. She gave up her desire and sighed. Soon, a voice of her aide was heard from outside her office. ¡°Chief Kim! He¡¯s here! Shall I send him in now?¡± Ah, come to think of it, it was today. Not long ago, a new police officer had been assigned to the counterterrorism department where she was working. At first, she thought he had applied without knowing fear, but it turned out that he had a long decorated career and even had a superpower, so she decided to accept it. In addition, he looks quite useful from his eyes in the picture. Different from how she was looking at the monitor screen, Kim Taehee¡¯s expression quickly returned to that of a ¡®tyrant.¡¯ ¡°Come in!¡± Squeak¨C A large man entered and shouted loudly. ¡°Attention! This is Go Changsu who was assigned to the counterterrorism department! I ask for your guidance from now on!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± And standing there, it wasn¡¯t the sharp guy she had seen in the police profile but a bearded man that looked like a bandit. * * * * * * * * * * A single room with no lights, let alone furniture. There was a boy sitting in such a dark room. Pale skin like a corpse, he looked to be 17 years old. It was the one who had participated in the hero exam, Examinee No. 00187. And on the hero license in front of him, written along the word C-Rank was the boy¡¯s name. Fernando. He stared blankly at the license in his hand. And then¡­ Whoosh¨C! A person¡¯s shadow could be seen walking out from the darkness. A well dressed man with a mustache. Captain belonging to the special force of the demon army. It was Azazel. However, on his neck, unlike usual, it was wrapped in a thick bandage. ¡°What happened?¡± Fernando asked, looking at the bandage. Azazel smiled awkwardly and replied. ¡°Haha, something like that happened. Please don¡¯t ask for more details.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fernando nodded calmly. He simply asked because he saw it. In the first place, he wasn¡¯t very interested in Azazel¡¯s matters. ¡°Well, congratulations on passing the exam! Oh, and this is a small gift, but please accept it.¡± Boom¨C! Azazel threw a naked woman in front of Fernando. ¡°Heup! Hmm!¡± ¡°You should be hungry this time because you¡¯ve worked hard, so hurry up and eat it.¡± Fernando looked at the woman who had fallen in front of him. The woman was crying with a frightened look on her face. ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a B-Rank hero active in the Sinuiju area. I think you¡¯ll be satisfied if you taste it.¡± ¡°¡­Her crime?¡± ¡°Haha¡­Right. That was more important to you. This woman has illegally operated a gambling house using her status as a B-Rank hero. Oh, and when I looked at her memories, I found that she had committed murders secretly. Is this enough?¡± ¡°¡­Enough.¡± Soon Fernando began to eat the woman alive. Crunch¨CCrunch¨C! The sound of bones breaking resonated in the empty apartment. After eating for a while, Fernando wiped the blood stains off his lips and asked. ¡°Huu¡­I¡¯ve become a hero like you wanted. What should I do now?¡± ¡°It was a good thing to make you a hero just in case. Let¡¯s see¡­All right. What you have to do now is¡­Be as close as possible to Choi Noah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. And¡­I¡¯ll let you know the next plan when the time comes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Azazel¡¯s eyes flashed purple as he smiled at Fernando. ____ Chapter 51 Chapter 51 The weekend after the ceremony. A peaceful interior with a lit fireplace. At this golden time when I would normally be enjoying my games and eating pizza, I was reading a booklet I had no desire to. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I sighed and closed the thick booklet I had been reading. Then, the title printed in a rustic font caught my eyes. [Hero Training Institute Guide] That¡¯s right. After this weekend, I¡¯ll have to enter a place called the Hero Training Institute. As it turned out, just because I passed the hero exam, didn¡¯t mean I could work as a hero right away. Obtaining a license was simply a method to check my qualities and abilities to become a hero. I still had to learn how to act as a hero and know the various detailed rules. Therefore, I¡¯ll have to live at the training institute in the future and follow the curriculum there. ¡°Haa¡­¡± According to the booklet I had read a moment ago, life at the hero training institute will last a year. Honestly, I had always wanted to go to school at least once out of curiosity, but thinking about having to live a boring life for a year, I didn¡¯t feel very pleased. At least I could find comfort in the fact that the curriculum was thoroughly organized based on my practical skills. ¡°Noah, I¡¯ll put your notebook and writing utensils in this pocket.¡± Elizabeth was next to me packing on my behalf. A notebook with penguins and sharks drawn on the cover could be seen being put into my bag. While looking at her, I spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t need either. I can just ask noona during the theoretical tests anyway.¡± I had no desire to devote my time to studying useless knowledge. Elizabeth replied with a rather firm tone. ¡°That won¡¯t do! Class attitude and sincerity are also included in the evaluation at these places, so it would be better to follow everyone else.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± What she had said certainly made sense. This woman probably knew better than me in this field, so I better take it with me for now. Soon, she could be seen packing pajamas with animal ears on them into my bag. These were the clothes she had suddenly given me as a gift the other day. I didn¡¯t really want them, so I had left it unattended. Why did she put these in? ¡°I don¡¯t need pajamas.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do! When you go to a place like this, it¡¯s standard to wear cute pajamas. Ah, and it¡¯s really important to take a proof shot and send it to me.¡± ¡°But the booklet I had read earlier didn¡¯t mention such a thing?¡± ¡°O-oh? Isn¡¯t it because it¡¯s such a natural rule?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I watched her with doubtful eyes. Even though I didn¡¯t know the norm of a place called ¡®school,¡¯ according to my common sense, did I really need such pajamas? As I observed her, Elizabeth, who was muttering to herself, forced a pillow that was taller than me into my bag. It was a pillow with a print of her in a swimsuit. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me this is necessary too?¡± ¡°Y-yes! When you go to a place like this, it¡¯s good to bring pictures of your precious people.¡± Puff¨C! The cotton inside the pillow fluttered in all directions. ¡°Euaak! No! It was almost done!¡± Elizabeth hurriedly picked up the cotton that had fallen on the floor. Just in time, Choi Bokhui, who was coming down the stairs, saw the scene and clicked her tongue as she walked by. ¡°Just wrap it up at this point. If he needs anything, you can just go and give it yourself.¡± ¡°Y-yes! Okay! Leave it to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Looking at Elizabeth in the second round, it was really doubtful whether this idiot was the ¡®Black Witch.¡¯ Still, her abilities were steadily developing, so it was ambiguous to say. ¡°Anyway, I have some work to do in my room now, so don¡¯t disturb me unless I call you.¡± ¡°Oh~ Hehe okay! I won¡¯t disturb you at all. Relax~ Do what you want to do.¡± For some reason, Elizabeth was looking at me with an unpleasant smile. Her expression felt quite uncomfortable, but it wasn¡¯t just a day or two that she had done something strange, so I ignored her and went up to my room. There were really important matters waiting today. * * * * * * * * * * Entering my room, I immediately opened my status window. < Level 51 > Body: 5.05 Dexterity: 4.28 Mana: 5.08 Spirit: 5.06 *0 Fragments of Growth My growth was tremendous this time. It was all thanks to the various opportunities during the hero exam. In fact, in terms of level, the stats were similar to me being between level 70 and 80. Anyway, it was time to slowly decide on my career path. Most games had different character development methods depending on the beginning and the second half of the game. In the beginning, you would have high offensive power as you were busy acquiring items and skills, but as your character grew and you progressed to the second half of the content, it could be said that it was advantageous to set a goal and foster your career path. You would only end up as a jack-of-all-trades if you were greedy, and your skill set would be crippled compared to those of the same level. In that sense, it was necessary for me to have a goal in mind. And my ultimate goal was to clear the content called the ¡®demon invasion.¡¯ If so, it would be best if my skills synergized. I opened the notebook I had brought with me earlier and briefly summarized the skills I currently had. 1. Passive skill. < Heavenly Body (Sealed) >, < Giant Hunter >, < Turbak¡¯s Blessing > 2. Defensive skill. < Divine Shield > 3. Offensive skill. < Inner Heart > 4. Utility skill. < Phase Change (Intermediate) >, < Vampiric Touch (Intermediate), < Twin Fire Eggs > 5. Miscellaneous skill. < Gene Awakening >, < Warrior¡¯s Journey > 6. Item skill. < Wolf Hour >, < Absolute Defense >, < Dire Wolf>, < Camouflage >, < Baby Angel > ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Looking at it like this, it certainly seemed to be a baseless career path. In addition, compared to the skills I had strengthened, there were quite a few skills with low grades. It seemed it would be necessary to gradually adjust the grades and direction of my skills through synthesis from now on. Anyway¡­There were many unused goods piled up in front of me right now. 3x Random Box (Medium). 1x Random Box (High). 2x Skill Selection. Rewards I had received after passing the hero exam and for saving the candidates. In addition, two Skill Selections for reaching level 45 and 50. This was a good opportunity. The decisions this time should be chosen a little more carefully with regard to future content. After organizing my thoughts, I decided to use the Skill Selection first. [ Used Level 45 Skill Selection. ] [ One of the following skills can be learned. ] . . . ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Was it because I didn¡¯t gain any achievements when I reached level 45? Unfortunately, there were no notable skills. I made up my mind after looking at the list for a while. ¡­At least this should be useful? [ You¡¯ve learned the skill < Wind Cutter >. ] A simple magic attack skill. As I currently lacked a range attack skill, it could be said to be a passable decision. Huu¡­next was the real thing. Unlike level 45, which was just plain, I had gained as many as two achievements for the level 50 Skill Selection. Skilled Warrior and Doom Slayer. Both achievements were expected to relate to demons. I used the Skill Selection with anticipation. [ Used Level 50 Skill Selection. ] [ One of the following skills can be learned. ] . . . I carefully looked through the skill list. And at the bottom of the list, as expected, the Special Selection was sparkling and waiting for me. (a) < Avan Strash > Classification: Mortal Grade: B Description: Killing technique created by the legendary warrior Avan. Gather all the strength in the body to launch a powerful attack. (b) < Demon Hunter > Classification: General Grade: B Description: High bonus damage against targets with the demon attribute. [ Level 55 Skill Selection will be forfeited if you select a Special Skill. ] ¡°As expected! There¡¯s this.¡± An advantageous skill had come out to deal with demons. It was more useful than I had expected. Unfortunately, I also wanted the skill < Avan Strash >. It was a waste, but¡­I had to endure it. It was simply a shortcut to becoming ruined if I board a career path without a clear goal. The first thing to do now was build towards the final content. I was shaken for a moment, but I quickly set my mind straight. [ You¡¯ve learned the skill < Demon Hunter >. ] And that was how I had completed both Skill Selections. Fortunately, thanks to the useful Demon Hunter skill, it could be said that it was now easier to devise a career path. General attack skills would also be adjusted to some extent to cause fatal injuries on demons from now on. Should I say it was a good start? I moved onto the next step with a satisfied smile. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Huu¡­Gacha¡¯s time is back.¡± My heart would always beat fast and I would always feel nervous before doing gacha. But that wasn¡¯t the case today because I had reassurance. Hehe¡­no matter how unlucky I was, I was bound to get at least one decent thing today. Today¡¯s gacha spree was as many as three medium-grade and one high-grade boxes. If I didn¡¯t get anything today, I could only chalk it up as an administrator¡¯s prank. I opened one of the boxes with a light heart. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± [ Used 1x Random Box (Medium). ] The box rotated in the air and began to emit a blue light. Good! The blue light effect that I liked! For now, it was confirmed that a D-Grade or higher will come out. There were many chances, but it was better to be lucky right from the start. And soon a message appeared in front of me. [ Obtained the skill < Bondage >. ] Bondage? I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name that I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess the meaning. < Bondage > Classification: Magic Grade: C Description: Summon a strong rope to completely bind the target. First-class bondage technique created by a master with a secret hobby. ¡°Oooh!¡± Reading the skill description, I exclaimed. There was no downside to having a crowd control skill. And it was C-Grade! Even if it wasn¡¯t, I was lacking a CC skill. The perfect skill had come out. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± As soon as I was ecstatic, I then noticed another phrase marked a little further down. *The target will be released from the bind if the target speaks of the agreed password or sincerely wants to escape. Wh-what was this¡­? It was hard to understand. No way¡­Did that mean the person who wants to be released could release it themselves? I tried to understand it by reading the description again and again. But the more I read, the less likely there were any other possibilities. N-no¡­There couldn¡¯t be such a skill in the world? I contacted Elizabeth to experiment. A shadow formed on the floor, and she appeared in an instant. ¡°Noah, why did you call me all of a sudden¡­Kyaak!¡± I immediately used the bondage skill. Then, a red rope was created in the air and it bound her body. Was it because the magic was made by a Sorcerer Supreme? The way the rope was tied was also unusual. As if looking at a magic device, her body was bound in a geometric pattern. Elizabeth hung in the air with her back bent like a bow. It was a perfect bind where she couldn¡¯t move her body at all. I continued to observe the situation. Hmm¡­It seemed like a perfect skill up to here. However, the explanation of the skill I had read a moment ago was bothering me. Could the bound target be released if the target really wanted it? As I thought about it, suddenly, Elizabeth shouted. ¡°Ah, no¡­D-don¡¯t do this, Noah! I know you¡¯re a growing boy, but¡­this is wrong¡­¡± ¡°Hang in there for a second. There¡¯s something I want to try. More than that, noona. Try to release it.¡± ¡°Keuheuk¡­I can¡¯t untie it. I¡¯m tied up. I can¡¯t get out of here.¡± ¡°Oh? You really can¡¯t move?¡± ¡°Ah~ I¡¯m really tied up now. I¡¯m really, really defenseless~ No matter what you do here, I can¡¯t resist at all~¡± Was there an error in the description of the skill? Elizabeth seemed to have simply become unable to move a finger. But just in case, let¡¯s experiment one last time. Maybe it was related to the ¡®sincerely¡¯ part written in the description. ¡°Noona, if you can release it, do you want to go to the cafe you mentioned¡­¡± Woosh¨C! ¡°Really? When should we go?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Elizabeth had released the bondage even before I could finish my words. And she was now planning the schedule while looking at a calendar as if nothing had happened. ¡°¡­Can you leave the room now?¡± ¡°Huh? What about the cafe?¡± ¡°¡­Just go away.¡± Elizabeth, who couldn¡¯t abandon her idiotic thoughts, was pushed away as I closed the door. This was a trash skill. So much for a binding skill. I didn¡¯t know why such a skill was even C-Grade. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting anything in the first place. Still, I had high hopes after seeing the blue light but it had ended like this. However, it was the first opening, so it was okay¡­ I opened the next box. [ Used 1x Random Box (Medium). ] This time, I purposely turned my eyes until the result came out. Otherwise, I might be disappointed like earlier if I had high expectations. Please¡­just one hit. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Soon, I slowly opened my eyes and checked the result. And unknowingly, I clapped my hands and cheered. ¡°Oooh!¡± [ Obtained the skill < Spider Silk >. ] < Spider Silk > Classification: Ability Grade: C Description: Creates a powerful web that is difficult to observe with the naked eye. That was more like it. At a first glance, I could see that a very useful skill had come out just by reading the description. It was good for use as a crowd control to bind and trap, and it also had good utility. Maybe I could use this skill for mobility, just like the main character from the popular Spider Man movies. This was a perfect skill for heroes! Reaching straight for the wall, I activated the skill. Pa¨C! Pa¨C! ¡°Ooooh¡­Hmm?¡± Where did it go? Obviously, there was a sound of spider webs firing, but I couldn¡¯t see it at all. Was it because it was difficult to observe with the naked eye? I got a little closer and used the skill again. Pa¨C! Pa¨C! Pa¨C! ¡°Hmm?¡± Still, there was no change on the wall. But¡­ More than that, I had begun to feel somewhat strange since earlier. Why did my pants feel so uncomfortable? I sneaked my hand down the back of my pants. Then, I saw a bunch of sticky webs on my fingertips. ¡°¡­¡± I stared blankly at the webs for a while. ¡°Hoho¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as I kept staring at it. Yeah, the skill of spider webs coming out of my butt. It may be useful somewhere. When the enemy is off guard and I attack with my butt¡­Or when I¡¯m sitting on a dirty floor and don¡¯t need a cushion¡­ ¡°Fuuuck!! That can¡¯t be!!¡± I collapsed on the floor and cursed. This was bad no matter how I stretched it. How did I get two trash skills in a row? Rather, the < Bondage > skill a while ago could interfere with the target¡¯s movements even for a moment, but what on earth was this used for? I opened the Synthesis window without hesitation. Originally, I was going to synthesize cleverly as needed, but I couldn¡¯t stand this insult. [ Do you wish to Synthesize < Bondage > and < Spider Silk>? ] [ The original materials cannot be reverted once synthesized. ] ¡°Synthesize!!¡± Whatever the result was, I thought it would be better than these wastes now. And¡­ [ Materials used in Synthesis have a Synergy effect. ] [ The skill¡¯s potential has increased. ] [ Synthesis completed. ] < Marionette > Classification: Ability Grade: B Description: Can restrict the target¡¯s actions by connecting invisible threads. (Affected by willpower and mana.) ¡°Yes! This is it!! I knew this would happen!¡± My gambling had hit the mark. As expected, the spirit of gacha was to not give up until something good comes out. ¡°This god game is all about luck!¡± Just like that, my new career path setup was unfolding little by little. ____ Chapter 52 Chapter 52 ¡°What¡¯s this troubling feeling¡­¡± I was drying myself and changing my pants after coming out of the bath. But for some reason, I had been feeling very uncomfortable as if there was still a sticky feeling on my butt. At least I had gotten a skill out of this. The experience from earlier was very unpleasant, but nevertheless, I had gotten a B-Grade skill by combining two garbage skills, so it could be said that I had made a profit. ¡°Hm¡­should I continue?¡± It was important to keep going when you were on a streak when it comes to gacha. Unfortunately, a lot of time was delayed because I had to wash the damn spider webs off. I looked at the remaining goods. ¨C 1x Random Box (Medium). ¨C 1x Random Box (High). Just one more good thing to come out would be great. Wasn¡¯t there a saying that when you¡¯re enjoying something you would want to enjoy it even more? The human heart was very sly. Until a moment ago, I was just happy that I had gotten a B-Grade skill, but I was getting greedy again now that I was about to open another box. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go one more time!¡± [ Used 1x Random Box (Medium). ] The box spun in the air as it spewed out bright lights. This was the third time I was seeing this sight today. Such moments were still nerve-wracking even though I was used to it. Soon, in the place where the lights had disappeared, a cute puppy doll appeared. ¡°Hmm?¡± A doll out of the blue¡­At a first glance, there was a feeling that it was a failure. Suddenly, the puppy doll who had been still, turned to me and began barking like crazy. ¡°Growl! Bark, bark! Woof, woof! Woof! Woof, woof! Growl! Woof, woof¡­¡± Annoying racket enough to make you frustrated. It repeated the same thing as if it was a broken doll. As expected, it was another failure. I frowned and checked the item information. < Villain Barking Dog > Classification: Toy Grade: B Description: Self-defense automatic doll made to protect the successor of a certain noble. It barks or attacks when it sees a villain or criminal. Inflicts additional damage to the fiercely hostile ¡®evil¡¯ tendency. *In the case of criminals, information is transmitted by inquiring from the national database. ¡°¡­¡± What looked like a trivial item was actually a B-Grade item. How the hell was this B-Grade? And seeing that the doll was barking at me, it was obviously broken. But contrary to what I thought was a failure, I really liked the option on the item. ¡°This was surprisingly good?¡± Even if it was broken, I was setting up a career path to deal with the demons, so I couldn¡¯t believe I had gotten such a perfect synthesis material. Hehe, perfect. There was a slot left on my sword. I threw the noisy barker into the Synthesis window, and then I added Red Velvet Curse. [ Materials used in Synthesis have a Synergy effect. ] [ Options will be upgraded according to the item grade. ] ¡°Huh?¡± A strange sentence had come to mind. Soon, along with a bright light, the new Red Velvet Curse with the updated option was displayed in front of me. < Evil Instant Death ¨C Red Velvet Curse > Classification: Sword Grade: A Description: A sharp sword that emits an eerie cry and is sharp enough to put even its owner in danger. *Indestructible. *The more blood it soaks up, the more demonic energy is emitted from the sword. (Effect: Sharpness increases). *< Wolf Hour > ¨C Accelerates thinking and improves dexterity [3/3] (24 hours recharge cycle). *< Absolute Defense > ¨C Nullify any attack once [1/1] (1 week recharge cycle). *< Evil Instant Death > ¨C Detects surrounding ¡®villains¡¯ and inflicts additional damage against targets with ¡®evil¡¯ tendencies. (Permanently increase the additional damage the more villains are killed) ¨C New ¨C ¡°Oooooh!¡± I had no choice but to exclaim when I saw the option. Frankly speaking, it was more than I had expected. No, it wasn¡¯t enough to simply describe it as more than expected. Wasn¡¯t this option made specifically for me who will be a hero? Additional damage against targets with ¡®evil¡¯ tendency, and it could grow the more villains are killed. In addition, it had the function of detecting villains. ¡°Haha¡­it¡¯s truly amazing! Really.¡± It seemed there¡¯s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Wasn¡¯t the two trash skills earlier just a buildup for this moment? The newly changed Red Velvet Curse was releasing a more sharp energy than before. Looking at the sword, I had a realization. As expected, it was a good day! Everything was going smoothly as if everything had been prepared for me. I had a good feeling I was going to hit the jackpot today. Thus, I must end it properly when such momentum comes. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± I put my hand on the last box, recalling the feeling I just had opening the previous box. [ Used 1x Random Box (High). ] Then¡­ The box that floated in the air began to spin and sprinkle a brilliant golden glow. * * * * * * * * * * Dawn when everyone was asleep. Light from a monitor sparkled in a dim room. And in front of such a monitor sat someone covered in a hood. Clack¨C Clack¨C The sound of tapping a keyboard resonated in the room, followed by a line of words on the monitor. [What¡¯s the current progress of the plan?] Shortly after, an answer came back. [Don¡¯t worry. Everything is going smoothly, President.] [There can be no setbacks in the mission.] [Of course. For this mission, I¡¯ve mobilized my family¡¯s funds to purchase the highest level of equipment. Other members are also fully familiar with how to use it.] [All right. If you successfully carry out this mission, I¡¯ll raise your grade according to your achievements.] [Leave it to me, President. I¡¯ll make sure the mission succeeds.] [Oh, and please collect not only photos but also videos thoroughly. These days, videos are rather helpful in promotion.] [I understand. I¡¯ll keep that in mind as I proceed with the plan. I¡¯ll get back to you soon.] [¡®Noah Samchon¡¯ has left.] (TN: Samchon means a middle-aged male fan.) [¡®Wishing For A Better Future With Noah¡¯ has left.] The chat window closed. Then Elizabeth, who was looking at the screen, smiled insidiously. Her long ears rose in high spirits. ¡°Hehe¡­good, good.¡± She felt very depressed when she had found out that she would be spending a year apart from Noah. But she had finally found a solution in her own way. I¡¯m glad I made a fan club. She looked at the fan club she had started. [A.R.K ¨C Choi Noah¡¯s Official Fan Club] The proud name of the fan club that was decided through a fan contest. In fact, in addition to ¡®A.R.K,¡¯ there were many great ideas such as ¡®Noah YOLO¡¯ and ¡®No Underwear,¡¯ but the decision had been made through the voting of the most popular name. Anyway¡­it sounds better the more I see it. Noah, the savior in the Bible and the hero Choi Noah who saves citizens. She thought the imagery was simply perfect. On top of that, the growth is going well too. Noah¡¯s popularity was spreading nationwide due to the recent disclosure of his test results. The current number of fans had exceeded 30,000. It was an unrealistic number for someone who had just become a hero. And among the members who had joined time, some will also be attending the Hero Training Institute. Elizabeth had contacted them and made plans, so now there was a path to periodically receive updates on Noah. A hero was a person who grew by receiving the public¡¯s interest and love. Individual strength was important, but the size of those who supported and cheered for them could be said to be the ¡®real¡¯ influence of a hero. I need to keep adding bait so that interest doesn¡¯t die down. Wouldn¡¯t it be a small privilege of the fan club president to satisfy a little of her own selfishness in the process? Elizabeth snickered to herself in the empty room. ¡°Hehe¡­I¡¯m looking forward to the future.¡± * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to come?¡± Elizabeth looked at me with a regretful look on her face. It was just seeing me off. I wasn¡¯t going to leave the house forever. Her actions were very exaggerated. ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary. Give me my bags.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­here you go.¡± I grabbed the big suitcases from her. There were three suitcases, all with space expansion spells. What on earth did she pack that there was so much luggage? Anyway, these were practically meaningless to me, as I could go back and forth with the effect of < Road of a Warrior > if I wanted to. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t put anything weird in there.¡± ¡°¡­N-no. As you said, I only packed what you really needed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Somehow, her answer wasn¡¯t very clear. If she has something up her sleeve, I¡¯ll have to educate her properly later. ¡°Hmm?¡± Elizabeth was wearing a badge that I had never seen before. There was a shape that looked like a ship, and in the middle were small letters etched. [A.R.K] What was the meaning of this? I couldn¡¯t help but notice since she usually didn¡¯t wear such accessories. ¡°Noona, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± For some reason, she raised her chin and gave a proud look. Was it an item? I got a little closer and touched the badge. But no information came to mind. It was trash. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, should I give you one? I can get Noah a special one.¡± ¡°No, no need.¡± I would have asked for it right away if it was an item, but a badge with no option meant nothing to me. Choi Bokhui, who was standing beside Elizabeth, spoke. ¡°Take care and have a safe trip. And¡­Please don¡¯t cause any trouble there.¡± ¡°Why would I cause trouble? I¡¯ll be right back after being as quiet as always.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Choi Bokhui sighed deeply. Was it because she had been spending a lot of time with Elizabeth these days? This woman seemed to have a serious misunderstanding of me. After the second round, how reliable have I been living until now? It was really unfair. ¡°Heuk¡­Noah, before you go, give sister a farewell hug¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Ignoring Elizabeth who was talking nonsense with her arms open, I used < Road of a Warrior >. Then, with a bright light, the surrounding landscape changed in an instant. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** I could see the building of the Pyongyang branch that resembled a pyramid. And in front of it, there were the candidates who had passed the exam. ¡°Ah! Noah!¡± At someone¡¯s word, everyone turned their heads. Soon, they flocked to me with bright smiles. ¡°How have you been? As for me¡­¡± ¡°I told you to stop by my family, but you didn¡¯t even call me once. I¡¯m disappointed. Haha.¡± ¡°Noah. How do you like sister¡¯s dress? Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± They were frantically talking over one another. I pushed them aside. Hmm? There were some familiar-looking badges on their collars. It looked exactly like the one Elizabeth had worn? Although the colors were different, they clearly had the same shape and letters engraved. [A.R.K] What the hell was this? Was it an accessory that was popular these days? As I was deep in thought, Mousin and Saki approached me. The same badges were attached to their collars, but the color was different from the others. ¡°Choi Noah! You¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Hehe! Noah, I missed you! Welcome!¡± Well, I suppose it was an ordinary badge with no abilities anyway. I didn¡¯t have to worry about it. After joining up with the successful candidates of the Pyongyang branch, I headed to the portal that would lead to the Hero Training Institute. * * * * * * * * * * Hero Training Institute. It was a large-scale training facility in Goyang city of Gyeonggi-do where heroes who had passed the exam from all over the country gathered each year. The number of those who had passed this time was around 400. Considering that the average number of successful applicants in the past was close to 1,000, it was easy to guess how difficult the level of the hero exam was this time. However, even for those who had passed such a difficult exam, the rankings were bound to be divisive again¡­ The young boy who had come first in a landslide and had set an unprecedented perfect score in the history of the hero exam. Noah, as the representative this time, climbed onto the podium and read the pledge. ¡°As I have been appointed as a trainee at the Hero Training Institute, I will keep in mind that my duty is to develop my character and ability as a great hero¡­¡± The beautiful voice of a young child spread through the training ground. Reporters¡¯ camera flashes exploding from all sides, and even broadcasting stations vehicles, which were rarely present for such an occasion, could be seen. ¡°¡­I solemnly swear to abide by the law, to be sincere in my efforts to uphold it, and to keep my honor and dignity as a trainee.¡± After finishing the pledge, Noah went down the platform with light steps as the sword hanging from his waist shook. And¡­There was a girl who was glaring at him. Her name was Shirahui. At the age of 15, she had obtained the C-Rank hero license and was the nation¡¯s ¡®second best¡¯ for the hero exam this time. It should have been me up there¡­ She glared at Noah with a venomous look. White sweatpants and sneakers. Was he not aware of how important this was? Even if he didn¡¯t want to dress up like her, shouldn¡¯t he at least wear formal attire? I can¡¯t believe I lost to such a child¡­ If not for Noah, she would have been the youngest person to win the country¡¯s top title this time. If only¡­then my father might have attended¡­ She recalled her father who was likely busy somewhere. Shin Cheonho. He was one of the only two S-Rank heroes in Korea. Even her father, who was always busy with various schedules, might have visited if she had been first in the country. While she was thinking about this and that, the appointment ceremony finally ended. [The trainee appointment ceremony will now come to an end. You¡¯ll be guided to your accommodation as soon as it¡¯s ready, so you can act freely in the training ground until then.] The trainees rushed to their families and friends to say goodbye. Such a harmonious scene made Shirahui even more depressed. Soon, she heard a loud voice from behind her back. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re alone again today. But don¡¯t be too disheartened. Loneliness is an important foundation for inner growth.¡± With a frown, she looked back at the familiar voice. And standing there was a man in his early 20s with vigorous eyes. His name was Yeom Gangjun. He was the child of the hero family, Daegu, and even though they were six years apart in age, they have known each other since young because of their family¡¯s ties. ¡°Gangjun, aren¡¯t you also alone?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Heroes are naturally lonely beings. I¡¯m not ashamed of being alone at all.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± She sighed as she looked at Yeom Gangjun who was unnecessarily energetic. I don¡¯t want to involve myself with this person any longer. Gangjun had rescued another candidate in last year¡¯s exam, thus causing him to fail. As a result, that had led him to passing the exam this year alongside her. ¡°It¡¯s not right to sigh like that! A hero is someone who always has to give citizens a peace of mind. Now, follow me and smile like this. Hahaha!¡± ¡°Haaaa¡­¡± Looking at Yeom Gangjun, who had become impassioned by himself again, she sighed again. Then, at that moment, she noticed a boy at the end of her gaze. The perfect scorer and someone who had taken her place today. Was his name Choi Noah? Noah, who had finished his interviews with the reporters, was walking around the training ground alone. She also saw a portable game console in his hands. H-he came all the way here to play games? She had been defeated by such a crazy fellow? It was really hard to understand. A person must show the appropriate behavior if they have taken the ¡®top¡¯ position. After looking at Noah for a while, she walked towards him with a determined look. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Please tell us how you feel about being the country¡¯s number one¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m from MK Daily! Since the last terrorist incident, this time again¡­¡± After the pledge was completed, reporters who had waited flocked to me. At first I thought I would just ignore it, but then they threw a bait that I couldn¡¯t ignore. [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] . . . Haha, gaining reputation without even doing anything? The reputation number, which had been stagnant for a while, began to increase. I tried my best to answer the reporters¡¯ questions as soon as I saw that. I couldn¡¯t believe it was such easy work. From now on, I thought it would be best to accept these interview requests as much as possible. After the interviews, I was finally able to regain my freedom as I took out my game console. Fortunately, several fairly good games had been released around this time, so there will be no shortage of fun for a while. It was fun to play these classic games. Suddenly, I heard someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± When I turned my head, I saw a girl who looked to be about 15 to 16 years old standing with a stiff posture. ¡°My name is Shirahui.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°¡­I said I¡¯m Shirahui.¡± What did she want from me? ¡°I got it, so you can go somewhere else. I don¡¯t like to be disturbed when I¡¯m playing games.¡± I continued my game after a moderate wave of my hand at her. Then, she shouted at me with a flushed voice. ¡°You really don¡¯t know me? Or are you pretending not to know? I¡¯ve been in a lot of commercials. Don¡¯t you have a TV at home?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really watch TV.¡± ¡°Then, don¡¯t you know the S-Rank hero, Lightning Sword? My father¡¯s name is Shin Cheonho. You really don¡¯t know?¡± (TN: Lightning Sword is a reference to a legendary sword in murim.) ¡°Hmm?¡± I finally looked up. Hearing the name Lightning Sword reminded me of one very old memory. [Villain¡­You¡­Why are you wasting away your power?] There was an old man who could shoot off fairly itchy electricity. A real old man who nagged even when his waist was cut in half. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Haha! Do you recognize me now?¡± ¡°I know who you are!¡± When I thought of the old man, I naturally knew who this girl was. The S-Rank hero who was called Lightning Calamity. (TN: Lightning Calamity is a reference to a mythical land with nonstop thunderstorms in murim.) It was a girl who came after me, saying that she would avenge her father, but was ultimately split in half and died. This girl was here? I was somehow delighted by the sudden connection of the past. My hands had felt quite good when I had cut this girl at the time. ¡°Now that you understand the picture, let¡¯s talk for a second¡­¡± As she was talking, I heard another person¡¯s voice nearby. ¡°Choi Noah! It¡¯s really nice to meet you like this! I¡¯m your fan! Can I shake your hand?¡± When I looked back, a man in his late 20s was looking at me with a bright smile. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what! Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re talking?¡± Shirahui, who was standing next to me, became annoyed, but the man kindly smiled and continued his words. ¡°Haha, oh my. I was so happy to see you¡­ Let me introduce myself first. My name is Myeong Yugeon and I¡¯m from Incheon.¡± The man reached out his hand to me with a look of pure goodwill. And at that moment, [ You¡¯ve encountered a Villain. ] [ < Evil Instant Death > activated. ] Red Velvet Curse, which was worn around my waist, began to vibrate. ____ Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Myeong Yugon was born in Kowloon Walled District, Hong Kong¡¯s largest slum. Shanties all clustered together like matchboxes and rancid filth littered the streets. A place where criminals left out of society gathered, it could be said to be a place like a human garbage dump. For this reason, there was no such thing as a dream for the children who were born here. Men were gang members while women were prostitutes. And for those who couldn¡¯t do either, they were inevitably reduced to a cold corpse on the streets. As such, children living here had no sense of purpose and lived day to day simply going with the flow. However, Myeong Yugon was different. In a place like Kowloon Wall District where there was no hope or dream, he had a different ambition than others. Every night, while looking up at the tall buildings in the city, he would vow to himself to one day stand up there and look down at the people. And¡­Fortunately, he had the ability to aspire for such an ambition. The name of his ability was < Parasite >. It was an ability that allowed him to produce parasites in the palms of his hands and turn an infected host into his faithful slave. Thanks to this ability, he was able to escape the shadow of the Kowloon Walled District and join the international crime syndicate, Eighth Layer Hell. He had jumped on the dangerous opportunity to establish a name for himself without hesitation, and had been on the rise for over a decade ever since. And now, to carry out one of the missions set by the organization, Myeong Yugon had become a hero. The organization, which had begun to expand its power in earnest, envisioned a project to plant spies inside the Hero Association. In particular, if he used his < Parasite > ability, he could easily recruit several heroes. If I can complete this mission¡­Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to get a job as an executive. The process of becoming a hero was harder than he had thought, but he was able to get here after a lot of hard work. And now that he had come this far, it could be said that the hard part was over. Starting now, all he had to do was infect as many people as possible with his parasites. He looked at the first victim of the plan. It was the rare genius who was being talked about nonstop in the media. ¡­Choi Noah. His position in the organization would certainly rise if he could manipulate Noah. He already knew from various articles how capable he was. But that didn¡¯t matter. No matter how much of a genius he was, it was as good as done once he becomes infected with the parasites. The narcotic ingredients produced by his parasites will gradually become more addictive to the host, and eventually, the host will become corrupted to the point where they won¡¯t hesitate to kill even their own parents. Also, in case of an emergency, he could also use the parasites to take away the host¡¯s life¡­ It¡¯s over as long as it penetrates his body. He was confident of infecting Noah. Hadn¡¯t he already infected even retired A-Rank heroes? No matter how powerful a person was, they couldn¡¯t always be on guard. And Noah was still an immature child, so he thought it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to infect him with the parasites. If I give him a little praise, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be full of himself and shake my hand. Meong Yugon approached Noah with a friendly smile. ¡°Choi Noah! It¡¯s really nice to meet you like this! I¡¯m your fan! Can I shake your hand?¡± For some reason, Noah just stared at him. It seemed he still wasn¡¯t used to such celebrity treatment. With a more friendly look on his face, Meong Yugon continued. ¡°Haha, oh my. I was so happy to see you¡­ Let me introduce myself first. My name is Myung Yugon from Incheon.¡± He reached out his hand to Noah. On the surface, it was just a normal handshake. But now, in his palm, there were parasites he had hidden secretly in advance. Noah looked at his hand for a moment before reaching out his hand. Haha, caught you. Parasites waiting under the palm of his hand stuck out through the skin. And at that moment, Swiik¨C! Pak¨C Before he knew it, there was a drawn sword in Noah¡¯s other hand. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± At the end of his gaze was Noah, who was observing his hand that had been cut off. Meong Yugon stared blankly at the sight. It was difficult to understand the situation. ¡°Bugs?¡± An instant passed. One step later, terrible pain began to pour in. ¡°Kuaaak! M-my hand¡­!¡± Meong Yugon cried out, grabbing his own wrist that had been cut off. The hand that had brought him here today had been cut so vainly. He glared at Noah with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Keu-keuk! S-son of a bitch, how dare you! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Meong Yugon no longer cared about the plan. He had to contact the organization right away, and only when Noah was killed would he be satisfied. But¡­ Swiik¨C! He could no longer carry on his thoughts. Huh¡­? The world spun. A pool of blood on the ground quickly drew near him and the little boy suddenly looked as tall as a giant. And next to it was his body, which was staggering with its head cut off. N-no¡­How can it end like this. But the world in his eyes was getting dimmer and dimmer. And thus, his ambition, which he had carried with him for more than 30 years, had ended in an unexpected place. * * * * * * * * * * Psh¨C Blood sprayed out of a cut neck like a fountain. A man¡¯s torso fell and Shirahui¡¯s whole body became covered in blood. ¡°¡­¡± The blood that had just come out of the human body was hotter than she could have imagined. From the blood that touched the cold air, white evaporation rose. Shirahui touched her cheek with her trembling hand. The palm of her hand became covered in a vivid red as if it had touched paint. ¡°Uh¡­Uh¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help but to stutter. The body of the man whose head was cut off fell in front of her. It was the very same man who was smiling and chatting here just a second ago. Gurg¨CGurg¨C! Whether or not the man¡¯s heart was still beating, blood was still spurting out from the cut neck. The sight was clearly imprinted in her mind as if it was in slow motion. Even if she had wanted to turn her head, her eyes were fixed as if she was possessed by something. She could even see the cross section of the cut neck. Multiple blood vessels and vertebrae embedded in a cross shape, and a hollow hole in the middle. Gurg¨C! Gurg¨C! The moment she saw it, an uncontrollable feeling of wanting to vomit overcame her. ¡°Uwaaak¨C!¡± She poured out all the contents in her stomach on the spot. Between the gradually spreading pool of blood, pieces of cereal she had eaten this morning became mixed in. What should have been a normal day had turned into an extraordinary encounter. Th-this¡­what the hell¡­ She couldn¡¯t think straight. Everything in front of her right now felt like a scene from a movie. Nothing that she had studied in the theoretical exam came to mind. Could she still save the man if she applied first aid now? What was she supposed to do with a person whose neck was cut off like this? After a brief moment of countless thoughts, at last, her mind finally understood the current situation. I-I¡¯m¡­dead. Thump, thump, thump¨C Her heart began to beat like crazy. She had been prepared to see a dead body some day. Everyone who deals with villains were bound to encounter murders and the equivalent terrible scene on a daily basis. And from the moment she had decided to become a hero, she knew to some extent that such a situation would come¡­ But she never could have imagined that day would be today. Furthermore, this was the Hero Training Institute. What kind of crazy person would kill in a place like this? The sudden development left her unable to think properly. She could hear screams all around as her vision blurred. Meanwhile, her gaze met the decapitated head on the ground. She felt as if she would vomit again. ¡°Uwaak¨C!¡± However, only bluish gastric juice poured out as if there was nothing else left. ¡°Haa¡­haa¡­¡± Her breathing became ragged. She wanted to get out of here quickly, but her legs felt weak and she couldn¡¯t move. As she stared at the ground, soon, Noah¡¯s sneakers came into view. Slowly raising her head, she found Noah looking at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had something to tell me earlier?¡± Swiik¨C Noah casually shook off the blood on his sword. Bright red blood scattered over the sand of the training ground. His expression wasn¡¯t much different from before. A bright expression. A look with no traces of tension. His manner was too calm, as if he had taken care of a natural matter. Maybe she was the weird one? For a moment, she felt as if her common sense was wrong. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything when you called me first?¡± ¡°Th-th¡­Th-that¡­¡± Noah came a step closer. She unconsciously took two steps back. Thump, thump, thump¨C She was terrified of the blade Noah was holding in his hand. She felt as if her neck would fall to the ground at any moment now. None of the skills that were taught by her father came to mind. It had simply turned blank. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you all right?¡± Noah drew nearer. Then, at that moment, her legs became weak and she collapsed. ¡°Aaak! N-no! Help! It was my fault!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Shirahui burst into tears. These were the first tears she had shed since the age of seven when her mother had died. However, it was impossible to make a rational decision. And in that instant, ¡°Rahui!!!¡± Yeom Gangjun¡¯s voice came from behind her back. Shirahui looked at Noah¡¯s expression. He still had his sword drawn. An enormous flame in the shape of a dragon flew toward Noah. Boom¨C! Yeom Gangjun, who had charged with his whole body engulfed in fire, was hopelessly blocked in front of a giant shield created by Noah. ¡°Keuk¡­I won¡¯t give up!¡± With his hands on fire, he continued to strike the shield. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! ¡°Excuse me. I think you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie, villain! Hurry up and release Rahui!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t compromise with villains! Take this!¡± ¡°Huu¡­I can¡¯t stay like this forever, but I can¡¯t kill him either¡­¡± Noah sighed briefly before turning his head to look at Shirahui. Soon, he stretched out one hand and waved it in the air. ¡°?!¡± Shirahui, who was absent-minded, felt as if someone was grabbing at her body. Soon, her body began to move against her will. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this? N-no!¡± Her body moved in front of the thick shield. Beyond that, Yeom Gangjun, who was violently emitting flames from his mouth, could be seen. ¡°Noona, I think this happened because of you, so please solve it for me. I can¡¯t just keep defending myself like this.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you¡­!¡± At the end of Noah¡¯s words, the shield that had been preventing Yeom Gangjun¡¯s attacks disappeared. Then, a hot flame flew toward Shirahui. And Yeom Gangjun, who saw this, hurriedly tried to recover the flame. ¡°Rahui!! Keuk!¡± Was it because the ability was forcefully canceled? An explosion occurred in Yeom Gangjun¡¯s mouth and he fell to the ground. Black blood leaked out from the corner of his mouth. The white suit he hadn¡¯t worn in a long time was stained with bright red blood. ¡°Aahh¡­Gangjun-oraboni¡­¡± (TN: Oraboni can be what a female refers to an older male who is close to them.) ¡°Ah, noona saw that right? I really didn¡¯t do anything. Don¡¯t try to change the story later, okay? But it seems that misunderstandings are piling up.¡± Noah said as he approached Shirahui. ¡°D-don¡¯t come¡­¡± The feeling of being controlled earlier had disappeared, but somehow she couldn¡¯t move a step. Pa¨CPa¨C If he swings his sword like this, she¡¯ll die. She recalled the body of the man who had fallen to the ground a while ago. There was no doubt that her head would roll across the ground too. ¡°N-no¡­!¡± In the end, Shirahui, who couldn¡¯t overcome the pressure, fainted on the spot. * * * * * * * * * * Dokgo Hakju was a career-oriented person. However, his current position as the Director of the Hero Training Institute held no real power. At one point, he was aiming for the Chief position at Korea¡¯s Hero Association Headquarters, but he was pushed out of the power game and was then assigned to the position called ¡®Director¡¯ at the Hero Training Institute. Why do I have to look after the trainees in this place? For him, who had the reputation of an A-Rank hero and was a 6-Circle mage, he had no choice but to be dissatisfied with his current treatment. The word often on his mind these days was ¡®persevere.¡¯ Each morning when he woke up, he would vow to himself. That one day, he would return to the fierce political arena called the Hero Association. To do so, it was important to continue the number of ¡®accident-free¡¯ days here for now. Well, there¡¯s no way there would be an accident at a training institute like this anyway. As he thought as such, suddenly, he heard people screaming. ¡°Kyaaaak!!!¡± ¡°M-murder!!!!¡± Wh-what? Murder? Dokgo Hakju doubted his ears. Who in the world would commit murder at this gathering of trainee heroes? He immediately turned to the direction he had heard the screams. And there, he saw the boy who had read the pledge earlier with a sword now in his hand. And, there was also a decapitated head next to him. Wh-what¡¯s this? The word ¡®no accident¡¯ flashed through his mind. He was shocked, but his body was already using magic and preparing for the next action. < Blink > His body moved to the scene in an instant. There were already other professors besieging and shouting at the boy. ¡°Now! Release the hostage!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t surrender, I¡¯ll shoot!¡± Next to the boy, a girl hung limp in the air. He then noticed the girl¡¯s familiar face after taking a closer look. It was the girl who had achieved second place in the hero exam, and was the only daughter of Lightning Sword. Shit! With the plan to return to the Hero Association one day, he was going to use this opportunity to build a network with Shirahui, so the present situation could be said to be delicate. ¡°No, it¡¯s really a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Then, release the hostage first and drop your weapon!¡± Noah used the girl like a shield and swung her in the direction of the attacks. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Y-you coward!¡± And whenever that happened, the professors would be forced to suffer as they stopped their attacks. Such a sight made Dokgo Hakju¡¯s hair stand on ends. His dream would be as good as finished if that girl was hurt by mistake. Dokgo Hakju, who had judged that it would be dangerous if he continued to watch the situation, shouted loudly. ¡°Everyone stop your attacks!¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?! I said stop!¡± The professors backed down with reluctance. What should I do with this¡­ It seemed the situation would be resolved only if he intervened directly. He stood in front of Noah as his robe fluttered. Noah, the boy who had achieved a new record in all subjects and passed the hero exam by an overwhelming margin. However, Dokgo Hakju was actually one of the people who doubted the boy¡¯s performance. The Pyongyang branch must have pulled something. Since he knew this political game better than anyone else, he had already noticed the various tricks related to Noah. In short, he was a hero the Hero Association had manufactured. But why did such a fellow do this? Dokgo Hakju couldn¡¯t understand Noah¡¯s intentions at all. Was he a villain who had infiltrated the Hero Association? He couldn¡¯t believe such an incident had happened while he was the Director. He was so annoyed that he couldn¡¯t help but curse inside. Suddenly, he had an idea. No¡­it¡¯s an opportunity. For him who was stuck in such a quiet place he finally had a chance to make a contribution. What if he beat the boy himself and reported it to headquarters¡­? Dokgo Hakju, the man who saved the daughter of an S-Rank hero. He looked around. Reporters were constantly pressing their camera shutters to capture the crisis. Several hero families who were visiting the ceremony could also be seen. A picture was drawn. He stepped forward one step at a time. ¡°How dare you cause trouble here! Right! You¡¯re a villain who has infiltrated the Hero Association!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve been telling you. The guy I killed a while ago was a villain. He attacked me first.¡± ¡°How dare you lie!¡± Dozens of magical blades emerged around Dokgo Hakju. The blades of mana vibrated finely, creating a sound similar to a swarm of bees. It was a magic unique to Dokgo Hakju and one which had earned him the nickname Blade Mage. ¡°You don¡¯t need arms or legs to be interrogated anyway. Don¡¯t ask me for mercy.¡± *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** But at that very moment, dozens of trainees suddenly blocked him and began to cover Noah. At a first glance, the number was close to 80. Frowning at the sight, Dokgo Hakju asked. ¡°Now¡­What are you all doing?¡± ¡°Stop bullying Noah! Baldy!¡± Shouted a woman with colorful hair. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± From the way she talked like a toddler, she didn¡¯t seem to be a woman in her right mind. ¡°If you touch him, everyone here will die today.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Dokgo Hakju laughed in vain. Where was this trainee hero getting her confidence from to threaten him? That was what he had thought. ¡°?!¡± However, he began to feel an unusual energy from the woman¡¯s body. The others didn¡¯t seem to notice, but he did. As she had said, the moment such an energy explodes, most of the people here will disappear without a trace. Th-the hell¡­ But that wasn¡¯t the end of what confused him. ¡°You can¡¯t touch Choi Noah. Director.¡± A guy in his mid-30s said proudly in front of him. ¡°¡­If you all don¡¯t get out of my way, I¡¯ll take it as collusion and attack accordingly.¡± ¡°Go ahead! Feel free if you¡¯re going to do it.¡± The man took off his shirt with a big smile and sat on the ground as if he was really prepared to die. Then, the man looked at him with an insidious smile. ¡°Oh, by the way, my father is Deiros Maewa. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s the Chief Superintendent General. And that friend over there is the son of the Deputy Mayor of Sinuiju, and that friend¡­¡± A series of unpleasant names flowed from the man¡¯s mouth. As time went by, Dokgo Hakju¡¯s expression became more and more distorted. Shit¡­it would be awkward if I try to deal with it, but I can¡¯t back down like this. Dokgo Hakju was in a real dilemma. If it weren¡¯t for the reporters and people around him watching¡­ But a hand of salvation was given to him by none other than the person who had caused the disaster. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. You can examine the body here. This villain tried to attack me, so I defended myself.¡± ¡°¡­Can you take responsibility for that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m someone who always thinks about all the possibilities so that innocent victims don¡¯t happen. Ahem. Professor Susahak, please go and confirm it.¡± A woman standing among the group of professors hesitated before approaching the decapitated corpse. She closed her eyes for a moment as if she was looking into something, and then shouted so that everyone could hear. ¡°I-it¡¯s true! This is a villain from the organization Eighth Layer Hell!¡± People were shaken by her words. Such a name that belonged to a notorious crime syndicate was enough to make many people tremble. Because of their systematic structure and intelligence network, currently, the Hero Association had them labeled as ¡®Red¡¯ grade, which was a stage before ¡®Black¡¯ grade. ¡°Ooh! As expected! Noah saved everyone again this time!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Noah!¡± On the other hand, those around Noah looked at him with bright smiles. Camera shutters exploded from all directions. Then, standing in the middle of the crowd, the boy grabbed the decapitated head and shouted. ¡°Everyone! He¡¯s dead! You can all relax now!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Waaah!¡±¡±¡± ¡°¡­¡± The grotesque sight made ordinary people frown while the trainees from the Pyongyang branch cheered enthusiastically. Such differences in temperature created a strange sight. They¡¯re not normal either¡­ Thus, the atmosphere was finally settled after the Hero Association had officially dispatched investigators. Glaring at Noah who had taken his credit, Dokgo Hakju spoke. ¡°Even if this was for a greater good, you should be held accountable, as you had caused such a commotion.¡± ¡°Me? Why? I caught a villain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask! Damn, it¡¯s impossible to talk to a child like you who can¡¯t understand. I¡¯m going to call your guardian right now!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­All right.¡± He didn¡¯t like the boy. How dare he question him when he was a junior who had just become a trainee hero? If the boy had reported it to him, wouldn¡¯t the credit belong to him? Insolent brat. And he had even made the extreme choice of murder. This case was clearly in violation of the oversuppression law and could be brought to court. I better take this opportunity to clean up his act. He thought as such as he held out his phone. ¡°Hello! Are you the guardian of the hero trainee Choi Noah?!¡± And a little later¡­ Putting down his phone, he looked at Noah with a bright smile. ¡°Hoho, Mr. Noah. Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? How is Lady Fortune doing? If you need anything in the future, just tell me anytime.¡± Thus, the appointment ceremony for the trainees, which was more flashy than any other in the past, came to an end. ____ Chapter 54 Chapter 54 I looked at my newly assigned accommodation. The space was about 66 square meters. From the entrance, a double-decker bed placed on each side of the wall, and four small desks placed side by side could be seen. As could be guessed from the furniture, the institute¡¯s accommodation consisted of one room for four people. However, I was the only one in this room now. The director of the institute had provided me with such a treatment after his phone call with Choi Bokhui. I couldn¡¯t believe the incident was resolved and I was also given this kind of service. Hehe, it was indeed good to be a noble. However, my noble life here was lacking a lot of interior quality in many ways. My life, which had become accustomed to all kinds of luxury items after having lived with Choi Bokhui, could no longer tolerate these cheap furniture. I¡¯ll have to tidy up my room first. < Twin Fire Eggs > ¡°Buldol, Alsun. Eat.¡± I fed them all the useless furniture in the room. Then, on top of the empty space, furniture I had brought from home were taken out and placed one by one. All of them were collections of furniture cherished by Choi Bokhui, and were the works of artisans she had collected from all over the world. Well, it was a big house anyway, so she won¡¯t notice it for a while. The desolate accommodation was instantly transformed into an antique noble mansion after all of the furniture was placed. In addition, there was a large TV and game console on one wall, and the refrigerator was full of drinks and snacks. Good. Now it looked like a place where people would live. I guess it won¡¯t be a problem to spend a year in a place like this now. After finishing everything I had to do, I turned on my smartphone while burying myself in a soft sofa. Various community sites were heated due to today¡¯s event at the Hero Training Institute. [Little hero Choi Noah saves the day again!] [Choi Noah caught a villain on his first day of being admitted to the Hero Training Institute.] [Information on the international crime syndicate, Eighth Layer Hell.] [Oversuppression laws. Indiscriminate murder. Is it okay to leave it like this?] . . . There were mainly positive opinions, but some civic groups and certain media outlets were fiercely criticizing my actions. But¡­ [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] . . . In fact, for me, it didn¡¯t matter much what others say. Compared to the rising reputation, I could endure such ridiculous slander. In any case, using reporters was effective for my reputation. As I thought as such, the smartphone on my desk began to vibrate. The name Choi Bokhui was displayed on the screen. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± For some reason, I felt that she would annoyingly nag me, but I couldn¡¯t ignore it because I had some help today. When I reluctantly pressed the call button, a deep sigh was heard instead of a normal greeting. ¡°Huu¡­I emphasized not to cause any trouble¡­but you caused such a serious accident as soon as you arrived.¡± Choi Bokhui¡¯s voice was weak and limp. ¡°Haha, it just happened like that.¡± ¡°You! This is no laughing matter! None whatsoever! Why do you always cause trouble wherever you go?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just let the villain go when he¡¯s right in front of me.¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! Haa¡­.¡± Well, actually, I was a little worried about this. I had thought if I should kill him right there, or if I should wait and secretly kill him. However, after thinking about it, I wondered if there was a need to be as self-conscious as before now that I already had a hero license. And Choi Bokhui was behind me, so who could touch me? ¡°Reflect on yourself if you don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve said this! I¡¯d rather have you bother my familiars at home¡­¡± Choi Bokhui¡¯s sermon began. I put it on speaker and turned on my game console. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking?! Are you listening?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m reflecting on myself.¡± Perhaps because it was that time of the month but there was quite a lot of nagging today. Thanks to that, I was able to fully enjoy the games I had put off. ¡°¡­Anyway, it was a relief that I was able to resolve this, but be careful from now on. Can¡¯t you please live a normal life like other children?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Hu¡­I¡¯m going to die at this rate.. And I have one more thing to tell you. You should keep this in mind.¡± Choi Bokhui¡¯s tone abruptly sank and became serious. The nuance was definitely different from usual. Feeling something amiss, I put down my game console and asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Anyhow¡­You¡¯d better take care of yourself for a while.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but¡­When I checked your fortune, I found that there was someone after you. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have a problem, but I have a bad feeling this time.¡± If nothing else, her ¡®witch¡¯ ability was as real as it gets. The prophecies she had made so far had a high hit rate, so in this regard I couldn¡¯t easily ignore her words. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Huu¡­Okay. Eat well and go to bed early since it¡¯s late. I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± ¡°Yes. Hanging up.¡± Choi Bokhui hung up right after. Then, I thought about what she had said for a while. Who in the world was after me? The first that came to mind was the perverted devil who had kidnapped me. But I didn¡¯t think he would be able to move right now since he had been seriously injured. Or now that I was a hero, were the villains after me? I haven¡¯t done anything to create grudges in the second round, so it was hard to guess. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Soon, I heard a sudden knock on the door. Knock, Knock¨C ¡°Hmm?¡± Before I knew it, looking at the clock, it was approaching midnight. Who could it be at this late hour? I got up from the sofa and opened the door. Then, standing there was an unexpected figure. ¡°Nice to meet¡­you. Choi Noah.¡± Pale skin like a corpse. I didn¡¯t know why, but the gloomy mood gave me a bad feeling. Examinee No. 00187, which had been looking at me ever since the Pyongyang branch. It was this very same guy. In his hand was a box of packed chicken from the institute. His name¡­was it Fernando? He looked at the view of my room and stood for a moment in astonishment before speaking unintelligibly. ¡°Can¡­we go inside and talk¡­a moment?¡± There was plenty of time to talk during the day. Why would he come to me at this hour? It could only be interpreted as an act of avoiding the eyes of others. The warning that Choi Bokhui had given me suddenly came to mind. Don¡¯t tell me¡­was he a villain? I immediately took out Red Velvet Curse from my inventory and asked. ¡°What are you up to?¡± ¡°I just want to be friends¡­there¡¯s no need¡­wary.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just¡­I just want to get to know you. You¡­want to get closer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was no response from < Evil Instant Death >. Did he really come with pure goodwill as he said? No, it couldn¡¯t be. ¡°I see¡­Now I know what you¡¯re up to.¡± I finally understood the whole situation. The reason why he was so attentive to me all this time. He was a pervert. And I don¡¯t make friends with such people. ¡°You thought I didn¡¯t know what you were up to?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­What? I just wanted to be friends¡­¡± This despicable guy pretended to be perplexed. My annoyance soared when I realized this disgusting side of him. ¡°I¡¯ve already figured out what you¡¯re doing, so don¡¯t ever try to fool me again.¡± ¡°Uh¡­Uh¡­¡± He stood clumsily in front of the door, even though he had already been discovered. Why was he so persistent? Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t even a villain, and I thought it would be somewhat of a headache if I killed him. I glared at him with all my might. I could see his arms and legs shaking. ¡°Tsk. Get lost!¡± I clicked my tongue and closed the door. Thud¨C! I was sure he understood what I had meant with this. Soon, the movements outside the door disappeared. ¡°That was very annoying.¡± He reminded me of a bad memory I had long forgotten. I shook my head and hurried away the thoughts in my head. I had never been to school, so I was looking forward to it. But as expected, it didn¡¯t seem to fit me very well. I couldn¡¯t believe I had to live in the same place as him for a year. Thinking as such, Ding¨C! [Challenge ¨C Happy School Life] Condition: Finish Hero Training Institute in top 10% of grades or better. Time: 1 year. Reward: Varies depending on graduation result. [Challenge ¨C Heartthrob King] Condition: Receive favorability from the opposite gender. Time: 1 year. Reward: Varies depending on favorability. [Challenge ¨C Model Student (Repeatable)] Condition: Receive top score in three evaluations (0/3). Time: 1 year. Reward: 1x Random Box (Low). . . . Suddenly, countless Challenges came to mind. ¡°¡­¡± The rewards and conditions were different, but one thing in common was that they were all time-limited Challenges that could only be done at the institute. ¡°As expected, school is a very good place!¡± I was starting to look forward to my life at the institute. * * * * * * * * * * Fernando stood for a while staring at the closed door. I¡­Did I make a mistake? His mind was foggy as usual and his thinking was slow, but even considering what was left of his common sense, Noah¡¯s reaction was unusual. Just in case, he had even asked Azazel for advice beforehand. He had thought this was a good enough strategy to build a friendship. No way¡­did he notice? That was the only reason he could think of. Otherwise, such a reaction didn¡¯t make sense. He recalled what Noah had said earlier. [You thought I didn¡¯t know what you were up to?] [I¡¯ve already figured out what you¡¯re doing, so don¡¯t ever try to fool me again.] How on earth did he figure it out? It should have been completely hidden. In fact, didn¡¯t the physical tests during the hero exam show that his physical condition was generally the same as that of living people? So¡­how? On top of that, Noah didn¡¯t take any action for some reason even though his identity was discovered. Given that he had viciously slashed a villain in the morning, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if he had immediately swung his sword now. Something¡­Does he have an ulterior motive? He tried to think, but no answer came to his murky head. However, he was certain of one thing. At this rate, he knew that he would fail this task. Soon, the only memories that remained in his head came to mind. The face of his younger sister smiling brightly and his family who were brutally murdered. Here¡­can¡¯t stop¡­ Azazel had promised him. He would be able to have his revenge one day if he did what he was told. But now he was stuck. I need to contact Azazel¡­ With creaking steps, Fernando walked back to his accommodation. * * * * * * * * * * The trainees first morning at the institute. Many were already seen gathered at the training ground early in the morning following the broadcast. Even though many of them couldn¡¯t sleep last night because they were either tense or excited, their expressions were still full of vitality. And among the trainees, Shirahui stood awkwardly with her forehead creased. The humiliation¡­ She recalled yesterday¡¯s appointment ceremony. As the only child of an S-Rank hero, she had been doing her best to avoid tarnishing her father¡¯s reputation. However, yesterday¡¯s appearance was very pathetic even for someone like her. She felt as if everyone around her was looking at her and whispering. I can¡¯t believe I fainted¡­ She was simply scared and that had caused her to hyperventilate and faint. And because it was already evening when she had opened her eyes in the infirmary, when she had visited her accommodation late, roommates who had already gotten to know each other were looking at her with awkward eyes. It¡¯s beneath you, Shirahui¡­so why¡­ What had made her even more frustrated was that her roommates were talking about Noah. Because of the event yesterday, Noah had once again caught the public eye for himself. No. 1 in real time search. There were articles from various community sites and even fan clubs. As a commercial model, it should have been her in Noah¡¯s position. However, there was only one article on her. And even such an article didn¡¯t contain any substance. It was a gossip article written by a paparazzi media company just for the sake of getting clicks. [Shirahui, daughter of Lightning Sword, fainted from fear of seeing a villain?] When she clicked on the article, a zoomed in picture of her mouth covered in vomit was posted. She had managed to control her boiling heart, but in the end she couldn¡¯t sleep at all last night. It¡¯s all because of Choi Noah. A child who had appeared out of the blue and had taken all the attention she deserved. She resented the boy. Soon, Noah walked out with a half-asleep face. Dozens of people gathered around the yawning boy and formed a line. ¡°Noah! Do you want me to massage your scalp? I¡¯m really good at it, hehe.¡± The hospitality was as cordial as a high VIP. It resembled the eyes of the followers who usually looked at her father. The group had already earned the nickname ¡®Choi Noah Army¡¯ at the institute. I¡­I can¡¯t believe I lost to such a child. She glared at Noah and gnashed her teeth. With such a narrow time left before the start of the assembly, everyone had finally arrived at the training ground. However, there was no sign of the person who should have been here. The person who had gathered them here, the homeroom professor, had yet to appear. As time went by and the moment the trainees were confused. Suddenly, a message arrived on the smartwatch everyone was wearing. [Gather to the top of Hwangnyeong Mountain.] [First-come first-serve basis and preferential treatment for breakfast.] [First to arrive will receive the top score.] ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°Well¡­Isn¡¯t Hwangnyeong Mountain the mountain behind the institute?¡± When everyone was just looking at each other and trying to grasp the situation, there was one person who had kicked off and ran faster than anyone else¡­ Good, I¡¯m definitely going to make my mark here. Shirahui burst out mana she had been preparing in advance and shot forward. In fact, she had already known about this new curriculum ahead of time. It was thanks to a close aide next to her father who had secretly informed her. And unlike her upright father, she didn¡¯t think such behavior was wrong. To save citizens by all means necessary. That was her justice. Information warfare is also a hero¡¯s skill. She silently smiled and looked back. Others were still staring blankly in place, not thinking of moving. It seemed they were slow to grasp the situation. On top of that, Noah was yawning with a tired expression and there was no hint of him moving. Great! If it was speed, then it was the area she was most confident in. Her hero rank had already been decided anyway, so she could only win the top grade at the institute. She increased her speed by simultaneously using her ability and mana. < Lightning > Electricity surrounded her body as she dashed across the ground like lightning. Good! Let¡¯s get first place and make everyone forget what happened yesterday. She was certain she would be able to beat everyone and take care of first place. At that moment, Boom¨C! Suddenly a roar broke out from behind her back. Quickly looking back, she saw debris soaring high as if a cannonball had exploded near the training ground. H-huh? And soon she saw a bright red trajectory climbing the mountain path. At the center of it was Noah. Boom¨C! Bang¨C! Explosive energy poured out and dust scattered in all directions each time he kicked off the ground. It was violent and didn¡¯t seem like any technique was being used at all. However, Noah was quickly closing the distance. N-no! I can¡¯t lose! She ran with clenched teeth. But the sound from behind was getting louder and louder. At last, Noah was running alongside her. Their eyes met, and at that moment, ¡°?!¡± Suddenly her stomach began to feel nauseous. Just like how she had felt at the appointment ceremony yesterday. Contrary to her will, her body was feeling worse each second. N-no! Such a problem shouldn¡¯t be happening now. She tried to control her throbbing stomach. However, not only her inner self but also her ability began to disrupt. P-please hold on. She prayed earnestly. Fortunately, her body started feeling somewhat relieved. First place is mine if I can hold on like this! As she thought as such, Noah spoke with a kind smile. ¡°Noona, are you okay? You don¡¯t look very well.¡± When she saw his smile, the scenes from yesterday replayed in her mind. The section of a cut neck, and the figure of a boy approaching with a bloody sword. ¡°Oof!¡± The nausea that she had been holding came up at once. She quickly covered her mouth, but her legs got caught. And then¡­ Boom¨C! She eventually fell to the ground at a running speed. The tangled mana ran wild in her body, and the electricity surrounding her body gradually dissipated. And in her eyes, she could see Noah stopping and looking down at her. Th-this can¡¯t be¡­I-if I faint here again¡­ But her consciousness was gradually fading. And in the end, she couldn¡¯t continue her thoughts and fainted again. * * * * * * * * * * What was wrong with her? I thought she was running pretty well at the C-Rank standard, but she suddenly fell on the ground. It was the same at the appointment ceremony. She seemed to be someone who faint often. Did she have an illness? In addition, even though I had shown as much kindness as I could, no message of my favorability increasing came to mind. What should I do? I looked down at her for a moment. I didn¡¯t think she would wake up anytime soon. Hmm¡­if I leave her here, it could be dangerous when others are running¡­ I picked her up and hung her on a tree that could clearly be seen. Good. That should be a good way for others to see and help. I had invested my precious time out of kindness, so I was sure my favorability will increase when she wakes up. After finishing up, I ran along the mountain path with a little more speed. The long winding scenery passed me by at a brisk pace. Originally I was just going to kill time here, but¡­ As long as practically any action was rewarded, I didn¡¯t intend to let anyone score higher than me. I speed up a little more by using < Inner Heart >. After running for a long time, I was finally able to reach the top of the mountain. Then, I heard a notification from my smartwatch. Beep! [Ranking: 1/398] First place as I had expected. I still couldn¡¯t see the presence of others. Currently, the gap between me and other trainees was at a level where even the word competition was a joke, so it was a natural result that I had gotten first place. Completing Challenges in this environment will simply be like shooting a fish in a barrel. Ding¨C! [ Challenge ¨C Model Student (Repeatable) updated. ] [ Receive top score in three evaluations (1/3). ] Yes! Where else could I find such a good farming spot? I felt like I was in a bonus stage. Hehe¡­Looks like I¡¯ll be able to synergize my skill set and items after a year. As I thought as such, a clear voice came from behind me. ¡°As expected, I knew Mr. Noah would come in first.¡± It was a familiar voice. I turned my head in the direction of the sound. And when I saw the culprit, I had no choice but to frown. ¡°My name is Samaria, your homeroom professor who will be in charge of the batch of trainees this time. I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± A clergy uniform with close-fitting thighs. Eyes bent like a half-moon and an eye-catching smile. Samaria, who I had met at the Pyongyang branch, looked at me with a strange smile. No, why was she here? A crazy woman had broken into my beautiful bonus stage. ¡°Shall we have a little chat?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I had a hunch life won¡¯t be easy here. ____ Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Villain syndicate, Eighth Layer Hell. The group, which had received the ¡®red¡¯ wanted order worldwide, had one characteristic that set them apart from other villains. That was, their main form of communication was over the internet. It was a peculiar way through the use of a message application. [Hell is everywhere and nowhere.] Like the eerie phrase written on a red background, their existence was completely veiled. Even among those in the group, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for them not to know one another. A coworker who laughs and chat with you every day could very well be a villain belonging to Eighth Layer Hell. Because of this, the Hero Association was still unable to grasp the purpose of Eighth Layer Hell, let alone their size. And behind the construction of such a massive syndicate, there was only one rule. [Carry out orders to raise your rank, and raise your rank to issue orders.] This simple rule had created a thorough pyramid structure. As a result, the members scattered around the world had no information on each other or loyalty to the group. They would willingly perform orders all for the sake of raising their ranks and earning the right to issue orders. And¡­ Among them, there was a man who was still trying to get to the top of such a pyramid. Kim Gyuhwan was looking at the list of orders he could perform through the special application used by the members of the group. Fuck, there¡¯s nothing worth it. His screen showed the possible orders he could do based on his rank, but there were only tasks that didn¡¯t suit him or ones that seemed too dangerous. He saw an order regarding a member who had infiltrated the Hero Training Institute and was decapitated, but no matter how high the points he could earn was, he didn¡¯t feel like applying for such a dangerous job right now. Also, it was extremely rare for members of Eighth Layer Hell to appear directly in the media, so this event had shocked most of the members, including him. Even worse, it would become harder and harder to hide their identities if the Hero Association decides to take out a knife toward the group due to this event. ¡°Ha¡­I should bide my time and wait for an opportunity.¡± As he thought as such, a red notification window appeared on his screen. And at the top of it was the word ¡®express.¡¯ ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this¡­?¡± This was the first ¡®express¡¯ order he had received since entering Eighth Layer Hell. Such a special order was something that only eight absolute people called the ¡®Eight Evils¡¯ could send. Originally, it was a message that wouldn¡¯t come to someone like him, but this time it seemed to be an exception. Kim Gyuhwan swallowed his saliva and confirmed the order. [Special Order] ¨C Content: Kidnap or Removal. ¨C Subject: Choi Noah (Details are attached below). ¨C Rewards: 1. Kidnap: 5 million points. 2. Removal: 500,000 points. ¡°F-five million points?¡± He gazed at the rewards with his mouth open. Among the orders he could receive now, the highest reward was only 100 points, and it was a matter of life and death just to succeed. So, compared to the 5 million points, it was a figure that could only be obtained by risking his life 50,000 times. Th-this many points¡­ It was the equivalent of 500 billion won if he didn¡¯t use it to raise his rank and instead exchange it for money. The amount was enough for anyone to live comfortably for the rest of their lives without having to worry about anything ever again. He stared blankly at his smartphone for a while before hurriedly turning on his computer to collect information on Noah. The points¡­I must get it no matter what! He looked at the computer monitor with greed in his eyes. And, at the same time, those around the world who were thinking the same thing also began to frantically collect information on Noah. * * * * * * * * * * In a roundabout way, the hero industry was based on a merit system. So rather than a person¡¯s background, it could be said that their accomplishments after becoming a hero were more important. After all, as a profession where they fight and run into villains every day, there was the very real possibility of increasing the scale of damage and creating more problems if they weren¡¯t careful. Therefore, the Hero Training Institute¡¯s policy had also adopted a competency-oriented curriculum in compliance to the industry¡¯s standards. Everything was on the basis of merit. And the trainees who had just entered such a place were deeply starting to understand that fact. ¡°That looks delicious¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, I won¡¯t give it to you. I¡¯m hungry too, so I¡¯ll eat alone.¡± ¡°Wh-when did I ask for it? I¡¯m just saying. That¡¯s all.¡± The trainees, who had taken part in the welcoming ceremony early in the morning, were now eating together with their close friends. An everyday scenery that could be seen anywhere. However, contrary to a normal canteen, the food in front of them varied greatly. On one person¡¯s tray was plenty of appetizing meat dishes, while on another¡¯s was only seaweed and kimchi in a thin plastic bag. This was the preferential treatment from the morning¡¯s results. And among those who were eating, there was definitely someone who stood out. ¡°Wow! This is good!¡± The boy who had come in first with an overwhelming gap. In front of Noah, not only were there main dishes, but there were more than 20 side dishes. Cooked vegetables, shredded vegetables, grilled, stewed, salted¡­ The luxurious table could be said to be fit for a king from the Joseon Dynasty. Noah busily moved his chopsticks as he ate the dozens of dishes. ¡°Noah¡­Is it delicious?¡± Saki, who came right next to Noah, asked while licking her chopsticks. The meat piled up on her tray had long disappeared into her stomach. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°Then¡­The short rib patties there¡­Can I try?¡± Saki stared earnestly at Noah. Mousin, who was next to her, shouted. ¡°Hey! Noah¡¯s growing, so don¡¯t think about stealing his food!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still hungry¡­¡± ¡°I had to eat kimchi and rice, while you ate all the meat by yourself and you¡¯re still hungry? Stop talking nonsense and go put away your tray!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­I¡¯m supposed to eat a lot. Or else I can¡¯t use my ability.¡± The moment they were quarreling, Noah, who was watching the scene, spoke. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to finish all of this by myself anyway, so you can have what¡¯s left.¡± ¡°Wow! Really? Noah is the best! Hehe.¡± ¡°Instead, I¡¯m bored of eating, so go over there and do something interesting.¡± ¡°All right! Wait a minute!¡± She soon picked up her spoon, grabbed it like a microphone, and began singing merrily. ¡°Oh! Saki is pretty good, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s my turn next! I¡¯m going to sing and get some side dishes.¡± Dozens of people, called the Choi Noah¡¯s Army, stood up and cheered. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** In an instant, the canteen had become noisy. And¡­ Shirahui was watching such a sight from a distance. The Choi Noah¡¯s Army seemed to have forgotten they were trainees. Their behavior was as free as if they owned the place. In the noisy landscape, she could see Noah smiling and giggling. Really¡­there¡¯s nothing to like about him. She wrinkled her fine brows. Then, suddenly, the tray in front of her caught her eyes. There was a murky porridge, as if it had been washed out from a rag. ¡°¡­¡± It looked as if it was made to kill a person¡¯s taste buds out of spite. Naturally, it should be rich in nutrients since it was food made to be eaten by the trainees, but she couldn¡¯t do it. No¡­let¡¯s think of it as survival training. She scooped up some of the porridge with her spoon and put it in her mouth. ¡°?!¡± Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. What on earth did they put into the porridge? It was the most horrible taste she had ever experienced in her life. It was no different than a punishment game. This was simply not edible human food. However, she was unconscious all day yesterday, so she hadn¡¯t eaten a single meal and felt that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on if she starved herself this morning. She closed her eyes and pushed the nasty porridge back into her mouth. ¡°Heuk!¡± The terrible taste spread through her mouth. At the same time, tears almost welled up at the realization of her pathetic situation. As the daughter of an S-Rank hero, she had lived in the spotlight all her life. On top of that, thanks to her beautiful appearance and outstanding talent, she had always walked an easy path. Why should I suffer?! Compared to the luxurious dining table in front of Noah, she felt truly insignificant eating such garbage. Her pride no longer allowed her to eat it. Clank¨C! She put down her spoon and glared at Noah fiercely. What the hell does he have against me¡­? Let¡¯s say fainting was my mistake, but why did he have to leave me hanging from a tree?! As a result, every trainee found she had fainted as they climbed the mountain path. Far from recovering from yesterday¡¯s image, an even more disgraceful image was imprinted in everyone¡¯s mind. Someday¡­I¡¯ll get my payback. She gritted her teeth, looking at Noah who was laughing and chatting happily. Soon, she heard a loud voice of a man beside her. ¡°Hahaha! Rahui, don¡¯t leave any leftovers! Hurry up and eat! It¡¯s all made from the precious taxes of the citizens.¡± Yeom Gangjun was enthusiastically eating his nasty porridge. As expected, he had fallen behind because he was aiding her. Shirahui gave a small sigh and spoke. ¡°¡­Help yourself, oraboni.¡± ¡°Really? Then, I¡¯ll enjoy this delicious meal.¡± He took her tray and began to enthusiastically devour the porridge. And after having emptied all the porridge in such a short time, he spoke in a friendly tone. ¡°Don¡¯t hate him too much.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Mr. Noah.¡± She looked at him with a startled look. Usually, he acted foolish, but sometimes he would speak to her like this. ¡°I never did. Why do you think I hate him?¡± ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s a good thing. I also misunderstood him yesterday, but it turns out he was a righteous person who hated villains more than anyone else!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°So you hurry up and relax too! Jealousy and hatred are like poison that eats away at a person!¡± Yeom Gangjun said with his usual passionate eyes. She knew well that what he had said made sense. But¡­ ¡­I still don¡¯t like him. Her heart regained its clarity and she glared at Noah again. * * * * * * * * * * I had felt this when I had to prepare for the hero exam, but people had to study so many subjects just to become a hero. From basic legal knowledge, to emergency first aid, to even information on villains currently wreaking havoc around the world. Of course, in my case, I was able to easily pass the exam thanks to Elizabeth, but it seemed the others here had invested a considerable amount of time trying to learn such useless knowledge. Not only that, after reading the curriculum, I had realized that there were an incomparable amount of subjects the trainees had to learn. Subjects such as the rule of conduct on the field, and how to deal with each kind of villain. And, trainees will learn these trivial rules by doing direct simulation training. When I piled the necessary textbooks for the year, it was taller than even me, so there was certainly a lot to learn even on a second glance. ¡­I didn¡¯t know why anyone needed to know these things just to catch villains. Suddenly, I recalled what Samaria had said to me after I had finished the run challenge a while ago. [I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything worth learning here for Mr. Noah. So if you want, I can solve that problem.] I didn¡¯t hear how she would solve it, but honestly, what she had said was correct. What the hell could I learn here? My skills were now better than most professors here. So I was a little moved by her words. Had it not been for last night¡¯s Challenge updates, I might have taken her offer. But¡­ There were still rewards to be gained living at this institute, and accepting her offer now would be like ignoring the current quests and moving to the next map. I won¡¯t miss out on a reward no matter how small it was. It was nothing short of shameful for a gamer to leave a reward that could be gained. As I was organizing my thoughts, I heard a loud voice of a man. ¡°Repeat after me! Muscles are great!¡± ¡°¡±¡±M-muscles are great!¡±¡±¡± On a platform stood a tanned professor with his shirt off. The man¡¯s muscles wriggled like they were going to burst. ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t hear you!¡± ¡°¡±¡±Muscles are great!¡±¡±¡± He was the professor of basic physical fitness, the one who had introduced himself as Ma Dongguk a while ago. It had been an hour since the lesson started and he had been proudly talking about himself and nothing but muscles. ¡°You know, these days. It¡¯s just magic and ability, but nobody understands what¡¯s really important.¡± ¡°In the end, it¡¯s these muscles that protect you at the last minute!¡± ¡°Look at me! I wasn¡¯t born with any ability, but I became a B-Rank hero with just muscle training. The only thing that matters is grit!¡± Sweat dripped down his body. His copper skin shone and his chest muscles wriggled. Even though I was sitting in the back row, I felt like I could smell his sweat all the way from here. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing that, I once again became skeptical about what I could learn here. I should have just accepted Samaria¡¯s offer¡­ Now it seems I¡¯ll have to take this useless lecture for the next year. I took out my game console and turned it on. Then, suddenly, I heard a loud shout. ¡°You there! In the last row! What are you doing?¡± I looked up and saw Ma Dongguk pointing at me. Then, he walked up to me with a flushed face. ¡°Oho, you have a lot of nerve, don¡¯t you? How dare you take out a game console in my class? Is my class not worth taking?¡± ¡°To be honest? No.¡± ¡°Wh-what? It looks like you need a proper attitude adjustment. Confidence just because you¡¯re the top student. I¡¯ll make sure you realize how little power you have. Stand up!¡± I stood up as he told me to. Attention was drawn from the surrounding area. Then, Ma Dongguk put his hands behind his head and strained his stomach. His abs became divided like a washboard and it wriggled in a ferocious manner. ¡°Now! Hit me in my six-pack! With that cotton fist of yours!¡± ¡°¡­Can I really hit you?¡± ¡°Yes! Go ahead and hit me! I won¡¯t feel a thing! Then you¡¯ll realize the greatness of muscles!¡± He grinned, revealing his white teeth. I looked at him for a moment and sighed softly. ¡°Let¡¯s say I hit professor, what if you die or get hurt?¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll happen, but if it does, I¡¯ll give you a full score.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Well, a full score was a good deal for me. I had to carry out my Challenges, so this worked out well. But I didn¡¯t need him to die¡­So I better control my strength. ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t waste time¡­Keuooook!¡± I struck him directly in the abdomen that was grossly sticking out. Boom¨C! Ma Dongguk flew like a cannonball across the wooden platform and crashed. Boom¡ª! Crack¡ª! The platform collapsed once the supports fell. Debris fell over him and dust rose up. And, his figure which could be seen beyond it was no longer moving. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I had failed to control my strength. However, he had also confidently told me to just hit him¡­ No way¡­My hero license won¡¯t be revoked just because of this, right? There was a breathtaking silence. The trainees looked at me in unison. Looking back at them, I shouted out. ¡°You all heard it, right? The professor had told me to hit him.¡± So, this¡­it was self-defense. ____ Chapter 56 Chapter 56 ¡°You! Hitting a professor at the institute? Have you lost your mind?!¡± In a neatly decorated room, Dokgo Hakju shouted with a flushed face. And in front of him sat Noah, the culprit of the incident. He had rushed to the scene as soon as he had heard the news, and in order to keep the disaster from leaking out, he had hurriedly snatched Noah away. However, despite his considerate action, on the contrary, Noah spoke as if he was full of displeasure. ¡°I only did it because the professor told me to hit him.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Y-you, really!¡± Dokgo Hakju sat down, grabbing the back of his head. He felt as if his high blood pressure, which had improved with a vegetarian diet, was about to relapse. Shit! Why does this keep happening¡­ His plan was to stay quiet and wait for the moment to return to the Hero Association, so how come there had been one incident after another just as the semester began? Before he could even finish writing up the report on yesterday¡¯s murder of a villain¡­another accident had happened today! At this rate, the accident-free date that he had struggled to build could be broken because of the boy. It had been 10 years since he took office. He had worked long hours as the mountains and rivers changed, met children of famous families, and taught heroes who became corrupted and had turned into villains. However, he had never met someone as recklessly as Noah right from the start. Where the hell did he come from?! He looked at the culprit sitting in front of him. A slim boy with a big smile on his face. The more he looked at Noah, the more he saw the splitting image of his grandson. This kid knocked out Professor Ma Dongguk with one punch? On second thought, he couldn¡¯t believe it. A robust body stronger than steel, and even the burning vigor that never gets tired. Ma Dongguk, who had achieved B-Rank status simply through physical training, could be said to be a rather famous figure in the industry. When he was informed that he had collapsed, his initial thought was that another villain had appeared. Even now, he could feel his heart skip a beat when he recalled the feeling a moment ago. ¡­For him to cause another accident like this as if yesterday¡¯s trouble wasn¡¯t enough. He could only assume that Noah really didn¡¯t respect his authority. Did he think the institute was an amusement park where he could cause one nonsense after another? Anger soared from the bottom of his heart. Even if I don¡¯t disclose this to the public, I can¡¯t just let it go like this. If there was something he disliked more than anything else, it would be disregarding his authority. So with a grimace, he spoke. ¡°You rascal! There¡¯s a limit to everything. You¡¯ve already made too big of a mistake this time for me to let it go.¡± ¡°What, I honestly didn¡¯t know he was so weak.¡± ¡°Huu¡­tell that to the committee at the disciplinary hearing. You¡¯ll be held accountable for this.¡± Dokgo Hakju, who was certain Noah had never faced repercussions for his actions because of his superior talent, intended to take this opportunity to fix his habit firmly. This was by no means the venting of a narrow-minded old man. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** As a senior hero who had come before him, he just wanted to correct his wrong values. He nodded to himself. Then, Noah spoke. ¡°But do we have to do that? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a very good idea.¡± ¡°Wh-what?! Y-you still haven¡¯t come to your senses! This isn¡¯t a problem that you can avoid just because you don¡¯t like it! If you¡¯re a hero, you should take responsibility for what you¡¯ve done! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let it slide just because you¡¯re young!¡± ¡°No, I mean my mother will come here if we do that. Professor, is that okay?¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I was going to talk about professor to my mother when I got home after the semester. Well, let¡¯s do it your way.¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± Come to think of it, he had been oblivious for a while, but who was behind the little fellow? Although the Hero Association was an independent organization, he was well aware of the connections the nobles held behind the scene. What if he goes home and makes up stories about me out of spite¡­? As he was also an A-Rank hero, it would be difficult to penalize him unless he makes a big mistake, but one thing was certain, his dream of being chief of the Hero Association would never be realized. His expression stiffened. Seeing that, Noah smirked. ¡°Professor, I have to go to my next class. So can I go now?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll also take it as there¡¯s no disciplinary hearing. Then, have a nice day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± With those parting words, Noah left the office. Dokgo Hakju stared blankly at the closed door for a while. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not easy to live.¡± A heavy sigh resonated through the room. And a moment later, in order to cover up the incident this time quietly, he started typing on his keyboard again. * * * * * * * * * * A hero¡¯s job wasn¡¯t over just because the villain was caught. In order to completely close a case and convict someone, there was a routine procedure that had to be followed before they could be sentenced. If there was insufficient evidence, or if there was some ambiguity in the case, the villain who had been arrested would be released for lack of evidence. Thus, collecting various evidence necessary for the trial was also just as important of a procedure as arresting them. Ma Juhi, an active B-Rank hero and the professor of Criminal Psychology and Interrogation Techniques, was a veteran who boasted excellent skills in collecting such evidence. In regard to interrogating criminals to get a confession, she had a special ability in the ¡®Charm¡¯ sequence that allowed her to create a gap in the mind of others and have them talk against their will. ¡°¡­As I have explained so far, our job as heroes isn¡¯t to only arrest villains. The process of obtaining a confession is also important.¡± After the morning commotion, the afternoon lesson had begun. Ma Juhi, who had climbed onto the podium, was explaining the syllabus to the trainees. Her voice had the power to draw people¡¯s attention, and as such, the trainees couldn¡¯t help but attentively listen. ¡°Professor! Then, we have to protect the arrested criminals when interrogating them¡­¡± ¡°Professor! If a villain has an ability in the Mind sequence¡­¡± Hands rose here and there as the trainees actively participated in the lecture. The classroom was filled with the fervor of learning. Ma Juhi looked at the trainees with satisfaction. As expected, my class is perfect. She had ranked first in the lecture evaluation for the fifth consecutive year. And as a result, even though she was a young professor, she was quickly solidifying her position. If this continues, she may be able to aim for the position of director at this institute someday. This level of participation is good, shall I move on to the next step? A person¡¯s first impression accounted for a large part of the relationship. Knowing this better than anyone else, she had held a small demonstration to directly showcase her skills in the first class of every semester. Feeling that the atmosphere was ripe, she looked at the trainees and spoke. ¡°Well, since it¡¯s our first lesson today, I¡¯d like to play a small game with you.¡± ¡°Oh, of course it¡¯s not just any game for fun, right? The game we¡¯re going to play now is a kind of training to develop your interrogation techniques that I¡¯ve mentioned today.¡± The rules of the game were simple. It was a game in which two people took turns asking questions until either person matched the color of what the other person had put down. It could be thought of like the game children would play often when they were young, but one difference was that they didn¡¯t have to answer the questions honestly. Rather, it was a task that took a lot of concentration to sort out truths and lies, just like when interrogating a villain. ¡°Feel free to use your ability as much as you want. Abilities like mind reading and telepathy are also fine.¡± ¡°However, direct attacks that cause harm to the body are prohibited. If you actually do such a thing in the future, you¡¯ll be punished according to the relevant laws.¡± ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll now take volunteers. By the way, the winner will receive the top score.¡± As soon as Ma Juhi finished speaking, many trainees raised their hands to volunteer. ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s so nice to see everyone participating so enthusiastically. Let¡¯s see¡­Shall the person in the front row come up?¡± In response to her call, a trainee confidently walked up. ¡°I¡¯ve already explained the rules, so I don¡¯t have to remind you, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Huhu. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so brave. Looking at your confident expression, perhaps, do you have an ability in the mind sequence?¡± ¡°Yes! My ability is Mind Reading.¡± ¡°I see! Well, that¡¯s perfect. You will be a good example for other trainees. Let¡¯s get started.¡± After writing the colors they had in mind on a pre-prepared piece of paper, they faced each other. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the chance to ask a question first.¡± At her words, the man closed his eyes. Then, using his ability to look into her mind, he asked. ¡°What color are you thinking of?¡± His ability was mind reading. It was a common ability in the mind sequence. Ma Juhi thoughts began to flow into his head. At this rate, it would be easy to figure out the color she had written down. Everybody thought so. But¡­ ¡°Huh??¡± The man looked at her with a puzzled look. In her mind, there were dozens of colors passing by at the same time. Looking at the man, Ma Juhi spoke. ¡°Huhu, mind reading isn¡¯t full-proof. If a villain knew how to defend it like now, you would be helpless, right? So rather than relying too much on your ability, it¡¯s important to learn proper interrogation techniques and use them together.¡± ¡°Oh¡­I see. Thank you very much for your guidance.¡± ¡°Well, now it¡¯s my turn to ask you a question. By the way, isn¡¯t the heat a little strong today?¡± Ma Juhi took off her jacket and hung it on the desk. On top of the slightly sweaty shirt, the curves of the body were subtly revealed. As soon as everyone was focused on her actions, she gazed into the man¡¯s eyes and spoke in a seductive voice. ¡°Tell me your color.¡± Ma Juhi¡¯s charm was amplified by her ability. The man¡¯s eyes glistened with a pink color and soon began to waver. Saliva dripped down from a corner of his mouth as his breathing became rough like an animal in heat. ¡°Haa¡­heung¡­it¡¯s black¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Good job.¡± The man had said the information she had wanted in a peculiar nasal voice. Everyone frowned at the scene that didn¡¯t look very good. A second later, Ma Juhi snapped her fingers and the man immediately regained his sobriety. ¡°I-I¡­just now¡­¡± ¡°You did a good job. You can go down now.¡± Ma Juhi said with a smile. The man went down the platform with a stunned look on his face. Applause from all sides were heard. It was like a scene from a movie. Enjoying the baptism of applause, she continued her lecture. ¡°Now, as you just saw, I was able to get a confession in just one question.¡± ¡°The more advanced the interrogation technique, the less time it would take to get a confession. A-Rank heroes with legendary skills in this field don¡¯t even need to say a single word to make villains spit out information on their own.¡± ¡°Naturally, it would be hard for you to get to that level, but if you take my class and train hard, you¡¯ll be able to learn the basics.¡± ¡°Well¡­are there any other volunteers?¡± She looked around and asked. However, unlike a while ago, there was no one who raised their hand. It was only natural after seeing how unsightly the man caught in her skill had looked. Huhu, I knew it would be like this. There had never been a trainee who dared to take up the challenge after she showed her skills each year. This kind of atmosphere was what she was aiming for. Everyone had been suppressed by her charisma. With a confident smile, she continued. ¡°If there are no more volunteers, I¡¯ll continue the lecture¡­¡± At that moment, ¡°I¡¯d like to give it a try!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The eyes in the classroom immediately turned to one place. The last row in a secluded spot. There was a young boy with his hand raised high. Ma Juhi was immediately able to identify the boy. ¡­Choi Noah. She had heard rumors about him. Not only on the internet, but also from the other professors who kept talking about him being first place in the nation. And, in the morning¡¯s lecture, he had left her half-brother Ma Dongguk in a terrible state. Although they weren¡¯t close as a family, she didn¡¯t feel very good when she saw him lying in the patient¡¯s ward. He¡¯s a trainee hero with no experience¡­How dare he act arrogant. She knew very well that he was stronger than her. But that conversation was only limited to combat power. No matter how excellent he was, without the proper experience, it was the same as giving a child a gun. And she was confident that such a little child would be defeated easily. It turned out well. She was going to take this opportunity to humiliate him thoroughly, establish her authority as a professor, and take revenge for Ma Dongguk. In this way, she concealed her innermost thoughts and summoned Noah to the podium. He stood before her with no tension, even though he had just seen what she was capable of. And for someone like her who was sensitive to reading the psychology of others, she felt that he was truly not nervous at the moment. She didn¡¯t like the way he looked at all. Arrogant brat! She was going to control her strength, but she thought it would be better to humiliate him more thoroughly. ¡°Do you understand the rules?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Then, you can begin the interrogation.¡± ¡°Ah, but before I ask you a question, is there a time limit?¡± Noah asked, as if he had suddenly remembered. Had he realized that once his turn was over that there would be no chance of winning? He seemed to want to figure out the answer without giving her a chance. It¡¯s useless even if he uses his brain, but the more he does, the more pathetic he¡¯ll look. She laughed inwardly and spoke. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s still plenty of time left for class, so you can spend as much time as you like.¡± ¡°Really? I see. Then, I¡¯ll start.¡± Noah immediately reached out his hand towards her. Hmm? What the hell is he trying to do? As she thought so, Ma Juhi realized that she couldn¡¯t move her body. ¡°H-huh?¡± What the hell was going on here? It felt as if invisible threads were controlling her body. Typically, it was one of the symptoms of being under a Mind ability. How¡­ She couldn¡¯t understand how a boy who only knew how to fight had broken through her mental barrier. While she was panicking, Noah approached her and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it earlier, but as expected, it¡¯s better to use mental abilities when the person is careless.¡± Then, he took out a suspicious-looking whip from somewhere. Seeing the whip, she urgently shouted. ¡°W-wait! I clearly said no harm to the body!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This won¡¯t harm the person.¡± ¡°I-it can¡¯t be. Let¡¯s stop this game¡­Eueup!¡± She hurriedly tried to stop Noah, but before she knew it, even her lips control was taken away. Soon, her hips stuck out against her will and she took a ridiculous posture. N-no! The trainees simply watched without uttering a word. Her image of a charismatic professor she had protected for a long time was destroyed in an instant. He¡­how dare he! How dare he do this to me! She didn¡¯t know what kind of ability he had used, but once this was over, she planned to never leave him alone. Clack, clack, clack¨C! An unidentified dial turning was heard. She glared at Noah with a ferocious look. He was manipulating something attached to the whip. ¡°Hmm¡­Even so, you¡¯re a professor, so do your best, okay?¡± At a first glance, the word MAX was written on the dial attached to the whip. The moment she saw it, she was overcome by an unknown ominous feeling. N-no way¡­ And soon, her ominous feeling turned to reality. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°Hm! Hm!¡± Noah swung the whip in his hand mercilessly at her butt. Swiik¨C! Crack¨C ¡°Hmmmmmmph!!¡± She screamed silently. Stars sparkled in front of her eyes as her consciousness became blurred. What the hell kind of pain was this? She had never felt such pain even when she was kidnapped and tortured by villains in the past. Tears quickly streamed down. If Noah asks her now, from bank password to state secrets, she thought she would tell him everything. She gave Noah a pleading look as if to say she had lost and to release the bondage. ¡°Eeuup! Hm! Hmm!¡± ¡°Sure enough¡­Professor¡¯s mental strength is amazing. You still haven¡¯t budged. But I haven¡¯t asked a question yet, so it¡¯s still my turn.¡± ¡°Hmmm!! Hm! Hm!!¡± She shook her head desperately. ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay. There¡¯s still a lot of time left for class. Hmm¡­I¡¯ll ask you a question in about 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Hmmmmmmmph!!¡± Half an hour later. As if Noah had become an A-Rank mentalist, he had gotten the confession he wanted without asking a single question. ____ Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Ding, dong, ding¨C A retro bell sounded, marking the end of the first day of the semester. However, I and other trainees had no choice but to remain in the classroom. This was because Ma Juhi, who was supposed to call the guide, had been sitting on the floor for a while now and saying nothing but nonsense. ¡°N-no more lashes! P-please forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me¡­¡± Her condition didn¡¯t look very good. Swinging her arms in the air, she kept repeating the same words like a broken radio. Then, she began vomiting various misconducts even though nobody asked. ¡°Aaakk! Aakk! Forgive me! Forgive me! I won¡¯t accept bribes again! I won¡¯t tamper with the grades! Even if the student¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I had just wanted to know the color, but even information I wasn¡¯t curious about was easily pouring out. This was the same symptom heroes who would come after me in the first round often showed. As expected, when you want information, a whip is better than a carrot. < Love Whip > Classification: Hobby item Grade: D Description: A luxury whip with heart decorations that was carefully crafted by a craftsman in a specific industry. *No injuries even if you¡¯re struck by this. *The pain level can be adjusted. In fact, I had thought it was trash, but it turned out to be a specialized item for interrogation. If she was interrogated the way I was used to, she would have died long before any confessions were made. But now, with this whip, I¡¯ll be able to collect information ¡®legally¡¯ without causing any injury. This will come in handy in the future. After observing her for a while, I spoke to Mousin who was staring blankly in the vicinity. ¡°Ahjussi, please take the professor to the medical center.¡± ¡°Oh, oh. Yes, got it.¡± ¡°Ah! While you¡¯re at it, let them know our class is over.¡± Yeom Gangjun, who was next to him, also helped carry Ma Juhi as they headed to the medical center. Then, the trainees looked at each other and began to murmur about what they had just heard. ¡°Did you hear that? How can a professor at the institute do such a thing¡­¡± ¡°I thought Noah had gone crazy a moment ago¡­But did he know about this beforehand?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s a very righteous person and had even dealt with a villain on the spot yesterday¡­¡± They glanced at me and lowered their voices. Well, in fact, I didn¡¯t care if she was corrupt or not. More than that, there was something much more important to me now. Ding¨C! [ Condition for the Challenge ¨C Model Student (Repeatable) has been met. ] [ Achieve top score in three evaluations (3/3). ] [ Received 1x Random Box (Low). ] [ Gained achievement title ¡®Model Student.¡¯ ] ¡°Hehe¡­¡± I smiled as I looked at the messages in front of me. Thanks to the top score I had gotten after interrogating Ma Juhi, I was finally able to earn a reward. It was a little trivial to be happy with a low-grade box at my level, but it was a different story when the Challenge was a repeatable quest. Ding¨C! [ Challenge updated. ] [ Achieve top score in three evaluations (0/3). ] The challenge was updated upon me receiving the reward. As such, low-grade boxes will roll into my hands if I just steadily stack top scores. Good, good. I turned on my smartwatch and checked the schedule. There were eight remaining courses I haven¡¯t received the top score yet. Considering that each professor can only give the top score once, it seemed I would be able to get two more rewards in the future. I couldn¡¯t believe it was so easy to get rewards. Maybe school life was perfect for me. Hadn¡¯t the status window also acknowledged that I was a model student? As I smiled proudly, someone shouted at me. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** ¡°Choi Noah! How can you beat a professor so mercilessly in the middle of class?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± When I looked back, I saw Shirahui standing up from her seat and pointing her finger at me. What the hell was she talking about? Did she doze off during class? It seemed she didn¡¯t know what interrogation meant. Or how gentlemanly I had interrogated this time. Ma Juhi¡¯s arms and legs were still attached, and she wasn¡¯t hurt at all. ¡°Weren¡¯t you watching? The professor wasn¡¯t hurt at all.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­In any case! I don¡¯t know what tricks you¡¯re trying to pull, but you¡¯re done!¡± However, despite my kind explanation, she was finding fault with me for no reason. Why was I at fault? I certainly just did my best within the rules. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ve reported you directly to the school bulletin board earlier. I even filmed you assaulting a professor. So you better let go of any expectations that you¡¯ll be able to avoid disciplinary action.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shirahui glared at me with her arms folded. She was really ungrateful. Had she forgotten that I had saved her this morning? No matter how blind she was to my performance, I didn¡¯t expect her to be so unscrupulous as a hero trainee. Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for the Challenges, she was someone who I wanted to take care of right now. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± I briefly clicked my tongue and shook my head. At that moment, Boom¨C! The classroom door abruptly opened and a man entered. Everyone¡¯s attention immediately turned toward the door. And there, Dokgo Hakju stood panting. ¡°Uh, uh¡­Director?¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes widened at his sudden appearance. Meanwhile, Dokgo Hakju shouted with a flushed face. ¡°Who the hell was it? Come out in front of me right now!¡± He had a tablet in his hand and displayed on the screen was the homepage of the institute. Mana raged around him. The trainees turned their heads to avoid the fierce gaze of an A-Rank hero. On the other hand, Shirahui approached Dokgo Hakju with a triumphant smile. She glanced at me as she rolled up one corner of her mouth. ¡°Director! It¡¯s that guy over there! Choi Noah assaulted Professor Ma Juhi.¡± A triumphant look as if every problem had been solved. She seemed to think I would be disciplined as long as Dokgo Hakju had shown up. But¡­ ¡°Shirahui¡­Did you post this on the school bulletin board?¡± Dokgo Hakju said, glaring fiercely at Shirahui. Her expression faltered, perhaps because she had felt something amiss. ¡°P-pardon? I posted it, but¡­Is there a problem?¡± ¡°You! I can¡¯t believe you posted such a thing on the website without the professor¡¯s permission. You¡¯re still a trainee, but you¡¯re already ignoring the reporting system?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Gah! If your behavior undermines the perception of the institute, who the hell can trust heroes in the future? And you even posted a picture, but did you get Professor Ma Juhi¡¯s consent?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Shirahui¡¯s eyes fluctuated wildly. Dokgo Hakju, who saw it, frowned and spoke. ¡°Because of your careless action¡­No, do you have any idea how difficult a situation you have put the heroes who have completed our training program in?¡± ¡°B-but it¡¯s not my fault¡­¡± ¡°Oho! You still haven¡¯t repented for your mistake.¡± Judging from the intensity of Dokgo Hakju¡¯s expression, it seemed unlikely that this problem would end easily. Well, she should have listened to the lesson carefully like I did. She had been causing trouble since the first day of school. When people say every school had a ¡®problem child,¡¯ they were probably referring to someone like her. ¡°Huu¡­Even though you¡¯re the daughter of Lightning Sword, I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to this. Come with me right now!¡± ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± With the appearance as if she was being dragged to a slaughterhouse, she left the classroom together with Dokgo Hakju. While looking at her back, I shook my head. * * * * * * * * * * The morning of the first Saturday after the start of the semester. Professors had gathered in a conference room to settle the week¡¯s work and discuss the contents for next week¡¯s lessons. Usually, the first meeting every year had a variety of issues on the agenda, but for some reason, there was only a heavy silence today. An oppressive and somber atmosphere. After some time, Dokgo Hakju, who sat at the head of a long table, spoke in a dry voice. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Dokgo Hakju looked at the vacant seats. Unlike the usual meetings, there were many absent professors. Perhaps because the professor of Survival Studies who was sitting near Dokgo Hakju was the closest, but he added an explanation. ¡°Professor Ma Dongguk has been transferred to a hospital, and professor Ma Juhi is staying inside her home and refusing to teach. The professor of Combat Studies still hasn¡¯t regained consciousness, and the professor of Medical Studies¡­¡± The names of those who weren¡¯t present came out of his mouth one after another. And each time that happened, the atmosphere inside the conference room became heavier and heavier. After the long report, the professor of Survival Studies handed the report to Dokgo Hakju. ¡°¡­That¡¯s all. All the details are written here. And¡­I¡¯m sorry to be giving it to you with one hand.¡± He had a thick plaster cast on one of his arms. ¡°¡­¡± Dokgo Hakju read the contents with an expression as if he was confirming the list of casualties in a war. Soon, he looked up and examined the conference room again. Those who are sitting here now, no one was in good shape. Everyone had either a physical or mental ailment. What the hell is this¡­ It had only been a week since the semester started, but it had become difficult for most of the professors to continue their classes. This could be said to be the worst crisis in the long history of the institute. In the past, even during the massive ¡®war against villains¡¯ in Korea, the institute here had operated normally¡­ Why the hell is this happening at a time when I¡¯m here?! Dokgo Hakju frowned. He looked at the report in his hand again. There was one name that appeared in each case. Choi Noah.. His whole political career was on the verge of collapsing because of him. Not long ago, the daughter of Lightning Sword had posted something on the homepage so he had hurriedly deleted it. If the incident had gone public, there would have been an uncontrollable situation where even deleting the post wouldn¡¯t be enough. Damn it! With this number of reported cases, it would have been natural for Noah to be at fault. But strictly speaking, he had only participated in the classes diligently, and it was ambiguous because he didn¡¯t break any rules. There was even the background of a noble behind him, so there was the possibility of Dokgo Hakju facing a backlash, saying that he had taken unfair disciplinary action against him. Shit! The situation is twisted. And his crisis didn¡¯t end here. Even if he could endure it for a year while concealing the cases as much as possible, his position inside the institute was starting to be in danger. ¡°Director! Are you just going to continue to ignore this?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m not going to teach any more classes if he comes in the future.¡± ¡°Yes! Honestly, is there any subject that is worth learning for someone like Mr. Noah?¡± Professors attending the meeting protested in groups. Even those who used to flatter Dokgo Hakju in order to make themselves look good were angrily screaming at him. It was nothing short of a dilemma. Dokgo Hakju wiped his forehead and cursed inside. Fucking hell! Why should I be involved in this?! Noah was a mass of disaster, as if he had been deliberately planted by someone to end his political career. ¡°How in the hell are you going to solve this problem?!¡± ¡°We have respected Director¡¯s judgment so far, but we can¡¯t stand it any longer!¡± More and more professors protested. The more they did so, the more his heart began to sink. Ah¡­my dream is over. His long-cherished ambition was flying farther and farther away. In a quiet nursing home, a shabby and lonely future unfolded in his head. Then, at that moment, a clear and soothing voice echoed through the conference room. ¡°Everyone. If so, may I say something?¡± It was a voice that drew their attention for some reason. The professors who were protesting fiercely stopped. Clad in a clergy uniform was a beautiful woman. Saintess Samaria. Despite her status as an A-Rank hero, she had applied to be here even though it had nothing to do with her chance at gaining a promotion. And in any case, even before Dokgo Hakju was born, she was already an A-Rank hero. So although he held the status of director at the institute, he couldn¡¯t treat her lightly like the other professors. With a feeling of grasping at straws, Dokgo Hakju asked. ¡°By any chance, is there a way?¡± Samaria gently smiled and replied. ¡°It¡¯s not such a big deal. I just wanted to tell you the best results come when it¡¯s done rationally.¡± ¡°So¡­Are you saying it¡¯s right to punish Mr. Noah?¡± ¡°No. I think it¡¯s the opposite. In fact, all of these problems occurred because his skills exceeded those of the professors. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Perhaps because her words were uncomfortable, but the professors in the conference room turned away and coughed. Samaria smiled at the sight. ¡°I don¡¯t mean the professors are lacking. It¡¯s just that the child is too excellent. You¡¯ve never had an A-Rank trainee hero before, have you?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! It was strange that there was such a talent here in the first place.¡± ¡°R-right¡­It¡¯s not that we¡¯re lacking¡­ It¡¯s not our fault.¡± The professors, who had been listening to Samaria quietly, began to agree with her one by one. In fact, from their point of view, their careers would be tarnished if this incident became known to the public. It could be said that it would be much more advantageous to pass the responsibility onto the Hero Association. Seeing the changing atmosphere, Dokgo Hakju looked earnestly at Samaria. ¡°Then, what should we do now? He¡¯s already enrolled here. I don¡¯t think the Hero Association will change the rules to solve this problem¡­Is there any reasonable solution you can come up with?¡± ¡°As I told you earlier, all problems can be solved very easily if they are resolved rationally. If his skills are better than those of the professors¡¯¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be a problem that would be solved if a better professor teaches him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious, but¡­In order to teach him, we need at least a professor of A-Rank or higher. And to be honest, which A-Rank would want to come here? Also, if that happens, this will become known to the public¡­¡± ¡°Huhu, no, you don¡¯t have to bring in a new professor from the outside. Don¡¯t you already have an A-Rank here?¡± ¡°Wait, do you mean¡­?¡± The faculty, who belatedly understood the meaning, looked at Samaria with wide eyes. With a deep smile, Samaria spoke. ¡°Yes. Mr. Noah¡¯s classes will continue for the next year. But I¡¯ll take care of it myself.¡± Between her beautifully curved smile, a gleam of madness shook. ____ Chapter 58 Chapter 58 It had been a week since I entered the institute. And thanks to my hard work, I had achieved top scores in all subjects. The total was 11. At this point where no proper tests have even been administered yet, it could be said that I had already gained an overwhelming gap over the other trainees. [Keuh¡­As expected of Noah!] [What do you mean?! This was natural for Noah!] The others had raised their thumbs up in a fuss about my grades, but honestly, such compliments didn¡¯t mean much to me. It was only natural for me to achieve first place among these people anyway. More than that, there was something else I cared about right now. Hehe¡­I had already collected this much. [ 3x Random Box (Low). ] I had just diligently participated in the classes, but I couldn¡¯t believe I had gotten three random boxes. Was this what it meant to shoot a fish in a barrel? However, if there was one thing I was disappointed about, it was that I was scarcely missing a top score needed for the next reward. [ Achieve top score in three evaluations (2/3). ] Ah, if I could have just one more point, I would have neatly gotten four boxes. Top score was limited to one per professor, so there were no more subjects for me to gain an evaluation. However, it would be such a waste to just give up like this. Hmm¡­was there any way? I was deep in thought for a moment when an idea crossed my mind. Wait a minute, wasn¡¯t it possible to get an evaluation from a new professor even if it was the same subject? If that was the case, I could get a new evaluation and another top score if the existing professors were replaced. ¡­Could the rewards be duped? Well, to be honest, I didn¡¯t think it would work out that easily, but it was worth a try. There would be no harm trying anyway. Good. Let¡¯s kill one tonight. It would be easier for the institute to invite a new professor if it was handled quickly before Monday¡¯s class. Checking my schedule, I thought about which professor I should start with. But at that moment, suddenly someone knocked on my door. Knock, knock¨C I looked at the clock and found that it was 4PM. There was still considerable time left until dinner. Who could it be? The Pyongyang branch guys who bother me every day didn¡¯t bother me as much in their free time. No way¡­Did that perverted guy show up again? I pulled out the Love Whip from my inventory. It seemed I would have to tie him up for the weekend and educate him properly once if he said such nonsense again. Thinking as such, I opened the door with a jerk. However, standing there was a figure I never could have imagined. ¡°Mr. Noah. Are you free?¡± A clergy uniform with close-fitting thighs. An innocent face with bright eyes. Samaria was smiling brightly at me. On top of that, I didn¡¯t know why, but next to her stood the director of the institute. What was going on all of a sudden for this crazy woman and old man to show up? Except for the first day, this woman hadn¡¯t spoken to me since appearing at the institute. That was why I had been feeling at ease¡­What wind blew her here today? For some reason, I had a bad feeling. She peaked inside and leisurely looked around my room before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a trainee¡¯s room¡­It¡¯s much nicer than I thought.¡± ¡°Oh¡­yes. Thank you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to be a long story, so may I come in to talk?¡± What was this woman trying to pull? I told her firmly. ¡°No. I¡¯m very busy with my homework for tomorrow¡¯s classes. Just let me know your business for being here.¡± I gave her a sour look. Dokgo Hakju who was standing next to her spoke. ¡°I think it would be best for me to explain.¡± Dokgo Hakju fidgeted with his hands as he pulled something out of subspace. It was a certificate with gold leaf printed letters and a tightly sealed small wooden box. He reached out both in front of me and continued. ¡°The reason why I¡¯m here today was simply to convey these to you.¡± I received the certificate and the wooden box. On the certificate, the words ¡®Outstanding Student¡¯ were glistening in gold leaf. Why did he show up out of the blue to give me this? ¡°Ahem. We¡¯ve got a system called Scholarship Student at our institute that we began this year. And Mr. Choi Noah was chosen as the Scholarship Student this time. Congratulations!¡± ¡°Scholarship Student?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor awarded to the trainee who has shown exemplary conduct and excellent academic performance.¡± It was the first word I had heard in my life. If there was such a system, the institute would have informed the trainees in advance¡­ While I had such doubts, Dokgo Hakju continued his explanation with an exalted look. ¡°You¡¯ll also receive a top score evaluation and a magic potion that can increase your mana.¡± Ding¨C! [ Condition for the Challenge ¨C Model Student (Repeatable) has been met. ] [ Achieve top score in three evaluations (3/3). ] [ Received 1x Random Box (Low). ] ¡°Oh?¡± It worked like this? Come to think of it, he was a professor, so he could also give me an evaluation. It seemed I had forgotten that. Thanks to this, the remaining point that had left me uncomfortable was completed. Hehe¡­I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it was good as long as I could get a reward. Speaking of which, I also opened the wooden box I had just received. Inside was a clump of plant roots filled with moss that looked like a human face. < Mandragora Roots (10yr) > Classification: Elixir Grade: E Description: A powerful elixir that boasts excellent efficacy. However, as it was artificially grown, it¡¯s difficult to expect it to be on par with natural counterparts. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± To be honest, I had my doubts about it. With my current stats, would my stats even go up if I eat this? Well, it was better than nothing. I put the Mandragora into my inventory. By the way¡­ Was it just my imagination that this situation seemed rushed? The award ceremony in front of my door. Wasn¡¯t this usually given during assembly or in an auditorium where people gathered? Rather, this looked as if it was something that no one else should know. ¡°Director. But was it really necessary for you to come and give these to me now?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­I wanted to tell you the good news as soon as possible. Ahem. Anyway, that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His appearance seemed very suspicious, but so what? I didn¡¯t lose anything and I had even received rewards. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve got to do my homework, so I¡¯ll see you off.¡± I left them and tried to close the door. But at that moment, Dokgo Hakju shouted in a hurry. ¡°H-hold on! I still have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more benefit for the Scholarship Student.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± Maybe he was going to give me another top score? I looked at him with expectations. ¡°Scholarship students have the benefit of taking special customized in-depth classes, not traditional ones based on the existing curriculum.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­I mean¡­¡± Dokgo Hakju hesitated as he was unable to speak. Soon, Samaria, who was next to him, perhaps seeing his appearance, spoke on his behalf. ¡°It means Noah won¡¯t be able to take any more of the existing classes.¡± ¡°What?¡± What did that mean? I was enrolled at this institute, but I was being told I couldn¡¯t take any classes. As I gave her a suspicious look, Samaria replied. ¡°Oh, of course, as a trainee, you have to participate in school evaluations and various events at the institute for a year. However, a special curriculum will be conducted for Noah who is different from other students.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s the special curriculum?¡± Fortunately, the conditions for the fairly big Challenges seemed to still be valid. But at this rate, my plan to get the top score by changing professors every day might go down the drain. No. It was still possible to change professors in the new curriculum, so there was still hope. Thinking as such, Dokgo Hakju spoke. ¡°Ahem! Professor Samaria, an A-Rank hero, had decided to teach you one-on-one herself.¡± ¡°¡­Can I not do this?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Samaria looked at me and smiled with her eyes. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± My happy school life had ended on such a short weekend. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°This sofa has a really nice cushion. When did you bring all these?¡± Samaria asked, looking around the room. ¡°¡­¡± To be honest, I didn¡¯t like the fact that she was in my nest. However, since I couldn¡¯t say it openly, there was no way for me to particularly kick her out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me a proper explanation? What do you mean I can¡¯t attend classes?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯ve told you before. Mr. Noah¡¯s skills aren¡¯t at the level that could be taught by the professors at the institute, so I¡¯m here to teach Mr. Noah myself.¡± She looked at me with a look of admiration. But as far as I was concerned, I wasn¡¯t happy at all. My repeatable Challenge¡­ The plan I had made a moment ago had gone down the drain. I thought I would be able to kill the professors and earn more boxes. I almost couldn¡¯t control my momentary irritation. ¡°So¡­I won¡¯t be able to attend any more classes from now on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Instead, Mr. Noah will follow the new curriculum I have in mind. I¡¯m sure Mr. Noah will like it.¡± There was something I would like more than getting consistent boxes? Without any expectations, I asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Villain hunt.¡± Samaria said, raising one corner of her mouth. There was a flash of madness in her eyes again. There was a distinct difference between the first and second semester at the institute. During the first semester, you study theory and small practical classes tailored to it, while in the second semester, you become a ¡®hero¡¯ after signing a probationary contract, and it could be said that the main content was to deal with villains and gain real world experience. ¡°So from now on, Mr. Noah will learn from me how to get rid of villains as if it was the second semester.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Although this woman¡¯s sudden meddling had led to a change in my original plan¡­ This kind of class should be good? Didn¡¯t it mean that I could hunt villains without having to wait a semester? ¡°Huhu, what do you think? You like this class, right?¡± She smiled as if she had read my mind. I didn¡¯t know what the hell this woman was up to, but one thing was certain¡­ ¡°When do we begin? Professor?¡± She had understood my taste more precisely than anyone else. I smiled as I faced her. * * * * * * * * * * Ilsan Lake Park near the institute. I sat on a park bench in the early morning, blankly staring at the pedestrians passing by as they made their way to their destination with purposeful steps. Looking at them, I let out a long sigh. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Maybe by now the other trainees were having fun at the institute. But as everyone else was busy, I was meaningless sitting in a park like this. I didn¡¯t expect this to be the content of the class. It was very different from what I had thought. Samaria had clearly told me it was ¡®villain hunting.¡¯ Specifically, arresting villains on the wanted posters and building a personal track record as a hero. To this end, she had specifically lifted some of the license¡¯s restrictions so that I could have almost the same rights as an official hero. And as a result, I could now go around and legally hunt villains like ordinary heroes. But damn it! I was completely fooled. If there was one problem here, it was that I didn¡¯t know where to find them. She gave me no information. Hunting villains was what I had hoped for very much, but finding them was a problem in itself. Field bosses where you didn¡¯t know when or where they would appear was the same as trying to find them without a mini-map. Such a condition for the class was unexpected¡­ However, Samaria had advised me to go with her last weekend. I naturally refused because I didn¡¯t want to be around such a crazy woman. Nonetheless, this despicable woman didn¡¯t even give me information about the villains¡¯ whereabouts. She had said she would only share the information if I went with her. Huu¡­I just needed to find where the villains were. Unexpectedly, even these little things were done by the hero themselves. I was now wishing I hadn¡¯t bothered to play hero if I had known this. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A deep sigh leaked out without me realizing it. Soon, as if it was waiting for this moment, a little baby angel appeared in the air. ¡°Huhu, is it not going well, Mr. Noah?¡± It looked similar to the baby angel I had seen in the past, but if there was one difference, it was that its face resembled Samaria. And different from the past, it was now the size of a finger as it buzzed around like a fly. In any case, it was Samaria¡¯s alter ego. ¡°As I had suggested, wouldn¡¯t it be a little easier to hunt villains together with me?¡± Samaria reiterated the proposal she had made over the weekend. However, I didn¡¯t feel like hanging out with her. ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it on my own.¡± ¡°Huhu, if you experience it firsthand, you¡¯ll realize it most clearly. Then, try your best. Oh, and don¡¯t forget about our bet.¡± She left those parting words and immediately disappeared. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I get strangely irritated every time I see that woman¡¯s smile. I was sure she thought I couldn¡¯t catch even one villain, so I would like to prove her wrong. But where in the world should I start to look for a villain? *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Unlike heroes, these guys were always active in the dark, so although there was no problem fighting them, finding them was hard work. ¡­Still, it would be best to move for now. With that thought, I stood up. Then, at that moment, two women, who were walking in tracksuits, could be seen approaching me cautiously. ¡°Over there¡­isn¡¯t that hero Choi Noah?¡± ¡°What?¡± One of the women smiled brightly and clapped her hands. ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right! It¡¯s really Choi Noah!¡± ¡°Kyaaak! Noah, I¡¯m your 1st generation ARK fan! S-signature¡­No, can I take a picture with you?¡± The women faltered out their smartphones. Their eyes were full of anticipation. Huu¡­this was annoying. I was still annoyed that I couldn¡¯t find a villain, but now I couldn¡¯t believe these strange people were sticking to me. ¡°Yes. Okay.¡± ¡°Waaaah! Really! Really! Thank you!¡± But I nodded without expressing such a feeling. Because to become a hero, image management was essential. And my reputation may increase if these women go somewhere and talk about me. After switching to selfie mode, the women stretched out their arms. ¡°Noah-nim, please get a little closer! It won¡¯t come out well because there are three of us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take the picture on the count of three.¡± A while ago, they seemed to have some manners, but now they freely stuck to me without any qualms. And perhaps because they were exercising, I could even smell their sweat. ¡°One, two¡­¡± At that moment, a gray shadow appeared on the camera screen. An afterimage of something flying at high speed against the background of the lake and too fast for the camera lens to keep up. What was that? ¡°¡­Three!¡± And then¡­ The missile flying at a high speed from behind exploded. Boom¨C! Along with a deafening explosion, a large pit had formed where I had been standing. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°T-terrorist!¡± An extraordinary event in a peaceful park. Screams could be heard all around me. Cloud of dust that had soared high into the sky scattered to the ground soon after. Thud¨C! The severed hand of the woman who was holding her smartphone in front of me just a moment ago fell to the ground. ¡°¡­¡± Soon, a man with a big scar on his face appeared in the air. The man lowered his rocket launcher and slowly approached the spot where the missile had exploded. ¡°I-is it done?¡± There was nothing left but smoke. Seeing such a sight, he grinned. ¡°I-it¡¯s done! I did it! The points are mine!¡± And at that moment, my body that had transformed into gas returned to normal and I deprived him of his freedom. < Marionette > ¡°H-huh? Wh-what¡¯s this?! What¡¯s happening to my body?!¡± He struggled like a worm caught in a spider¡¯s web, but it was impossible to escape the shackles. I slowly approached him. ¡°Hehe¡­I didn¡¯t need to do anything and one came on their own.¡± My bet with Samaria, it seemed I would win. ____ Chapter 59 Chapter 59 I observed the man in front of me. Mid 30s, M-shaped hair loss, and a bulging belly. In addition, a plain face without any notable features. At a first glance, rather than a villain who would commit such an act of terrorism, he looked like an ordinary office worker. However, everything couldn¡¯t be judged on appearance alone. That was because Red Velvet Curse was shaking violently and signaling me. The man in front of me was a ¡®villain.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± But who the hell was this guy? The previous attack was clearly aimed at me, but no matter how hard I observed him, I didn¡¯t know who he was. Did I do something that could involve a villain like this? Before I knew it, he had regained a calm look. And rather, he was staring at me with hostility even though his body was bound. ¡°Ahjussi, who are you? Do I know you?¡± He raised a corner of his mouth and let out a despicable laugh. ¡°Keukue¡­I¡¯m your daddy!¡± ¡°My father?¡± It seemed this guy didn¡¯t know what had happened to my father. Even if he hadn¡¯t provoked me, I was going to treat him like my father soon anyway. But as long as my hero¡¯s performance was at stake, I had to find out what this guy¡¯s purpose was. His face crumpled and he spoke in a threatening tone. ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice. If you don¡¯t release me right now, you¡¯ll regret it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­You¡¯ll find out soon enough, punk¡­Kuaaak!¡± I used < Marionette > to break one of his knees. Puk¨C! The joint twisted in a deformed direction, piercing through the flesh as his foot reached all the way back. He fell to the ground with cold sweats. Then, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes and spoke. ¡°Keu-keuk¡­Punk¡­Do you think you¡¯ll be okay after doing this? This is a violation of the Oversuppression Act¡­Keuuok!¡± He seemed to be in full spirit, so I bent the other leg. Now it looked somewhat balanced. Well, I was going to interrogate him anyway and legs weren¡¯t exactly needed. Meanwhile, citizens who were scattered around me began to gather one by one. Now, perhaps because they thought the matter was over, but they all excitedly took out their smartphone cameras. And not long afterwards, police officers armed with guns appeared among the crowd. There were at least ten of them. Their eyes turned to the man hanging in the air. Immediately, they pointed their guns at me and shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t move! Release the hostage and surrender this instant!¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed there was some misunderstanding because of the villain¡¯s harmless appearance that resembled an office worker. But I wasn¡¯t very worried. I had obtained a hero license just for such cases. Smiling to myself, I spoke. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not the villain here. I¡¯m a hero and he¡¯s the villain!¡± ¡°How can we believe that?!¡± ¡°Please wait a second.¡± I took out my hero license and activated it. In the air, along with the Hero¡¯s Association mark in hologram, records related to my identity appeared. The officers looked at it for a moment before nodding and immediately lowering their guns. One of the officers who appeared to be the leader, lifted his brim hat and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry about this. We didn¡¯t know you were a hero. We ran in a hurry after receiving a report, so we were late to figure out the situation.¡± ¡°Hey? Come to think of it, aren¡¯t you that famous Choi Noah?! It¡¯s such an honor to meet you here!¡± Their behaviors had changed 180 degrees from before. Their faces were filled with smiles of goodwill. As expected¡­it¡¯s good to be a hero. I couldn¡¯t believe I could hunt villains and get so much respect from the citizens. ¡°Well, it seems the case is over, so we¡¯ll begin to control the scene.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The officer bowed to me and walked closer. I freed the man who had been bound and he fell to the ground with a shriek. Meanwhile, the officers began to wrap around me and do their work. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you, but if you could cooperate and come with us for a moment¡­¡± The officer who seemed to be the leader approached me with a servile smile. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** At that moment, Jingle¡ª! Red Velvet Curse, which was worn on my waist, vibrated. I immediately drew it and cut off the head of the officer in front of me. Swiik¨C! Thud¨C! The officer¡¯s head fell straight to the ground. Blood spewed out of the neck like a fountain, and a rainbow appeared in the clear sunlight for a moment. Those who saw it froze on the spot without any reaction. A second later, citizens who were watching the scene began to scream in unison. ¡°Kyaaaak! Murder!¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell are you doing?! Why?¡± One of the other officers had a stunned expression as he looked at me. And I, who was standing in front of him, noticed Red Velvet Curse vibrating again. Swiik¨C! In an instant, two bodies had fallen to the ground. One of the officers scowled and shouted. ¡°Shit! How did he find out?¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s like this, let¡¯s give up the 5 million points. Kill him and get at least 500,000 points! Everyone, attack!¡± The remaining officers aimed their guns at me. Dudududu¨C! I quickly transformed my body into gas as the citizens around me were pierced by the gunfire. ¡°Kkeuaak!¡± ¡°Keuk!¡± Screams were heard everywhere as the citizens trembled, lying face down on the ground. A moment later, Click¨CClick¨C Once the bullets were exhausted in an instant, one of them shouted. ¡°Fuck! Bullets didn¡¯t work on that punk! What should we do, boss?¡± ¡°Do you even have to ask? Go with plan C!¡± Saying so, they immediately turned their backs and began to flee in different directions. It seemed the strategy was to have at least one person survive somehow. But I had no intention of letting them go. I swung my arm at their retreating backs. < Wind Cutter > Originally, it wasn¡¯t a very strong skill, but it was a different story when 5.0 mana was applied. Highly compressed blades of wind shot out in all directions at once. Swiik¨C Shiik¨C Their heads separated from their bodies as they fell in a running position. Good. I got them all. Fortunately, there was no one else standing around me in one piece. Anyway, what the hell was going on here? Just a moment ago, I was worried about where to find a villain, but why were so many villains coming at me? There was no way there were any more left, right? The moment I thought so, ¡°?!¡± Suddenly, I felt a sharp energy behind my back. I immediately activated my shield with no worries. And then¡­ Boom¨C! A heavy impact struck my shield. I could see a thick barbed spear giving off sparks as it fell to the ground. Turning my head, I saw a man taking out another spear from the roof of one of the nearby buildings. So there was more. I grabbed the spear that had fallen on the ground. Then, I focused my mana into my hand and aimed it at him. Wuung¨C! My mana was pushed to the limit as the spear vibrated violently. And when it was finally hard to suppress the energy any longer, I threw the spear I was holding. Boom¨C! Along with a deafening sonic boom, a clear red line appeared between me and the man. The man who was struck by the spear burst like a water balloon, scattering blood and flesh in all directions. ¡°Huu¡­I overdid it.¡± In fact, even in the first round, I didn¡¯t practice throwing much because I couldn¡¯t feel the taste in my hand, so maybe my posture was a little clumsy. I massaged my stiff shoulders. Should I go home and ask Elizabeth to give me a massage? I didn¡¯t know where she had learned it, but the magic massage she had given me was quite satisfactory, even for me who was strict. Well, I was going to stop by the house later to take a shower anyway. But suddenly, I could no longer continue such thoughts. ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s not the time for us to compete against each other. Let¡¯s kill him first!¡± A sudden voice behind my back. Among the citizens who were lying on the ground, some stood up and started running at me. What? There was more? A high school girl who was running away crying threw a grenade at me out of the blue, and a masked man hiding on the ground aimed a knife at my crotch. Swiik¨C I swung my sword wildly. They had disguised themselves as ordinary citizens, but it was very meaningless. Jingle¨C! Each time Red Velvet Curse vibrated, I would cut off the head of anyone I could see. But where in the world did they come from? Really, they appeared endlessly while throwing themselves at me. As a result, I had no choice but to become soaked in blood. It would be hard to even recognize my face now if anyone saw me. How long has it been? The peaceful lake park was covered in bright red blood and flesh by the time everyone who had come at me was eliminated. Such a landscape was clearly illuminated by the sunlight. I looked at it and breathed out a long breath. ¡°Huu¡­Now this should be it, right?¡± Since so many had rushed at me to the point where I had even leveled up while killing, it seemed unlikely anymore would appear here. But at that moment, ?! I didn¡¯t know if it was because of what I had said, but suddenly, I felt an immense mana activity on the side of the lake. A distinct presence that was unlike the others. Ice formed in the lake and began to rise slowly. And at some point, the ice had turned into a giant golem. On either shoulders sat a man and woman. ¡°Indeed, just like the rumors.¡± ¡°Indeed, as the rumor has it.¡± They looked down at me with an exalted expression. Then, as if they were in a comic dialogue, they exchanged sentences with each other. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be this degree.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Compared to our power.¡± ¡°It¡¯s insignificant!¡± ¡°Now 5 million points.¡± ¡°Is ours!¡± At the end of their speech, the ice golem from the lake rose up and came on land. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. The portable toilets nearby bounced and wobbled with each step. ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know who they were, and certainly, their level was different from those I had dealt with so far. Perhaps this was the trump card the people who had attacked me before were preparing for. In addition, my stamina and mana had been greatly reduced due to the continuous battles. ¡°It¡¯s our chance when he¡¯s tired.¡± ¡°Now is our chance!¡± ¡°Freeze and capture him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Perhaps they were aware of my condition, so they chatted merrily. But¡­ [ < Giant Hunter > activated. ] [ < Turbak¡¯s Blessings > activated. ] The ice golem didn¡¯t mean much to me. Well, if they had prepared any other attribute or form of attack, it might have been a little difficult. ¡°We¡¯ll turn you into a lump of ice.¡± ¡°Freeze! Let¡¯s freeze him!¡± The ice golem¡¯s fist, clasped in frigid air, fell down toward me. Swiik¡ª! However, I had easily cut it off. The mass of ice diffused in all directions, covering the surrounding area in ice. Although it was as if I was lightly dressed in the middle of winter, even with this cold air, I didn¡¯t feel much abnormality with my body. ¡°H-how! He¡¯s okay even after touching the frost giant?¡± ¡°What a lunatic! Honey! Did you forget to adjust the cold air?¡± The bewildered couple looked at me as if they couldn¡¯t understand the situation. I shouldn¡¯t drag this out. It was impossible for them to beat me with the ice golem no matter what kind of attack they had prepared. In any case, I immediately rode on one of the arms of the ice golem before jumping onto one of its shoulders. Behind me, along with a red trajectory, mana burst from my feet as the arm of the golem I had stepped on broke. ¡°Wa-wait¡­Keuk!¡± Swiik¨C! I cut off the man¡¯s head first. ¡°No! Honey! You son of a bitch! I¡¯ll freeze you and turn you into a statue¡­Keuk!¡± Swiik¨C The woman on the other shoulder was treated with < Wind Cutter >. Their heads fell on the frozen ground, shattering and scattering blood in all directions. When I was done with them, the solid ice golem began to crack and break. Boom¨C! Finally, there came silence in the park. Just pieces of broken ice glittering in the sun. There was no one left around me. ¡°This¡­it was too much fun.¡± As I was cutting this and that in an excited mood, I had killed all the people who were supposed to be questioned. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It seemed it would be really annoying if I wanted to get recognized for my performance¡­Was there any good way? When I was very worried, something wriggling caught my eyes. ¡°Ah! Right.¡± Come to think of it, that fellow was still here. The man whose legs were broken a while ago was desperately crawling on the ground with both arms. ¡°Heu-heuk!¡± As I approached him, he looked up at me with startled eyes. He immediately spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°I-I¡­I-I¡¯m sorry. P-please, spare my life¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to kill you.¡± ¡°Th-thank you! Thank you!¡± ¡°At least not here.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± I had to first get the information I wanted out of him. So, this guy can¡¯t die yet. ¡°N-no!¡± I moved his arms and made him strangle himself. Soon, he fainted after having his blood flow stopped. Anyway¡­ When I thought of my plan to interrogate him, I couldn¡¯t think of a suitable place to torture him. I thought Samaria would interfere if I brought him back to school, and it was clear that Choi Bokhui would be furious if I took him home, saying that I had brought someone without permission again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Was there no good place? A moderately spacious area with good enough security and deserted so nobody would know if I disposed of the body. The moment I thought about it, suddenly, a good idea occurred to me. ¡°Ah! I can use that place.¡± Elf Garden. The place where Elizabeth used to live would be suitable for dealing with these things. Not only that, magic traps were set up and there were all kinds of facilities¡­ It would be difficult to find a better place. I should call Elizabeth and move him there first. Just as I was about to contact her, ¡°Stop, villain!¡± Suddenly, dozens of people shouted as they came running towards me. Huh? Was this deja vu? Somehow, it felt similar to the situation from earlier¡­ It seemed there were still remnants of those guys. There really was no end to villains. Let¡¯s quickly get rid of them and then call Elizabeth. Wuung¨C I drew Red Velvet Curse again. At that moment, ¡°Ah, ah! Noah!¡± Someone shouted loudly among the people who had been giving me a ferocious look. ¡°Hmm?¡± As I turned my head, I saw a man with a shaggy beard looking at me with his eyes wide open. It was Hairy who I had parted ways with a few months ago in Guangcheng District. Huh? What was he doing here? Did he become a villain or something in the time since I last saw him? But he wasn¡¯t the only one that yelled at me. ¡°Wait! Choi Noah! Why are you here?¡± I turned around, and standing there was a woman as large as Hairy. It was Kim Taehi, who had served as my meat shield in the hotel terrorist incident. Why was she here and not in Pyongyang? While I was in a state of doubt, she hurried to inform her party. ¡°W-wait! Stand down! Stand down!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± The man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, looked at Kim Taehi. Kim Taehi obstructed the man and answered. ¡°I know that child very well. He¡¯s a hero!¡± ¡°¡­You can still say that with how much blood is on his face?¡± The man looked around with a stunned expression. Everywhere his eyes met, cut bodies could be seen. ¡°B-but¡­This kid is definitely a hero! I can guarantee that. You don¡¯t know Choi Noah? He¡¯s been on the news a lot.¡± ¡°¡­Choi Noah?¡± Only then did the man observe me again. And moments later, ¡°Sure enough¡­that¡¯s true. That¡¯s the face I¡¯ve seen on the news.¡± He nodded and spoke to me. ¡°Nice to meet you, Choi Noah. My name is Spiral Man, an A-Rank hero.¡± ¡°Hero? How can I believe that?¡± ¡°Haa¡­wait a minute.¡± As I gave him a questioning look, the man immediately activated his hero license and a hologram was displayed. It seemed this time it was really a hero. The man sighed briefly before putting away his hero license. He continued. ¡°But¡­if I remember correctly, you should still be at the hero training institute as a trainee hero. Can you explain what the hell is going on here?¡± The man¡¯s expression turned sharp. To put pressure on me with a subtle aura, it could be seen that he was prepared to suppress me if need be at any moment. I smiled and replied. ¡°Please wait a moment. Let me call someone.¡± It would have been a very difficult situation to deal with everything here, but I wasn¡¯t very worried. ¡°Hehe¡­I hope you can take responsibility for your actions.¡± Coincidentally, I had a very reliable professor who had promised to take responsibility for her student. ____ ____ Chapter 60 Chapter 60 A large two-floor lecture hall. Hero trainees gathered here could be seen eagerly taking notes on their tablet. And on the platform of the lecture hall was Samaria, their school counselor for the year, in the middle of giving a lecture. It was the supposed scheduled time for basic physical fitness, but it had been replaced with a special lecture due to Professor Ma Dongguk¡¯s injury. The topic of today¡¯s lecture was ¡®teamwork.¡¯ In a way, it could even be seen as boring, but in fact, teamwork could be said to be the most important aspect when working in the hero industry. With a clear and pure voice, Samaria continued her lecture. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has heard this at least once in their life. That is, to catch one villain, at least five heroes are needed.¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m sure there are some of you who are against this view. You might ask. Why on earth would you need five heroes to deal with one villain?¡± At her remark, some of the trainees nodded in agreement. She watched their reactions and quietly smiled. ¡°In fact, this opinion is shared even among the first people to have become heroes. In particular, the more confident a person was in their abilities, the more likely they were to have this school of thought.¡± ¡°However, let me make my position clear. I¡¯d like to say that it¡¯s a really big misconception.¡± She continued her explanation by using metaphors one after another to make it easier for the trainees to understand. Dealing with villains didn¡¯t simply mean fighting criminals. In a way, that was natural, but villains, unlike heroes, do not reveal their identities in the open. There were cases where it was simply a find-and-catch, but for most villains, their whereabouts were currently unknown. When and where new villains will show up was another matter. And the moment a villain appears and commits a crime against the citizens, for the hero side, it was as good as defeat. So in fact, the most important aspect when dealing with villains could be said to be tracking them down as soon as possible, rather than just a measure of strength. Even in the Hero Association, the manpower that was being used to track villains or prevent potential crimes accounted for a much larger portion than the number of heroes who fought directly against villains. In addition, in order to safely subdue them, it was recommended to outnumber them if possible. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why even world-class A-Rank heroes have their own information networks or they belong to large hero organizations.¡± ¡°Ah, of course, in this systematic area, I¡¯m sure you all know that the Hero Association is the most advanced, right?¡± When her explanation was over, the trainees who were listening to the lecture nodded their heads in agreement. She watched their reactions again and quietly smiled. ¡°Now! On that note, I want you guys to organize the most optimal five-member group to deal with villains by next week.¡± ¡°Based on the team formed this time, we¡¯ll also conduct a practical evaluation, so please choose your team members carefully.¡± Her lecture officially came to an end after saying as such. As the trainees moved to attend their next classes, she sat alone in the classroom where everyone had left. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be hard for Noah. Even ignoring age, his strength was at a level that she couldn¡¯t understand with common sense. And although she didn¡¯t know what others were thinking, she was already convinced. Noah was a Warrior who could interfere with the fate of this world. However, even if he was such a person, it would be difficult for him to find villains alone and achieve results in a short period of time. Huhu, things worked out easier than I thought. She recalled the conversation she had with Noah. [Then¡­Professor Samaria will be with me for a year?] [You can say so. The contents of this exercise is that dangerous, so you should always be with me when you act outside the institute.] [Ah¡­That¡¯s a little too much. Can¡¯t I just be on my own? Isn¡¯t it just hunting villains anyway?] Noah was fine with her guiding him 1:1, but as expected, he wasn¡¯t very happy with such a proposal. Of course, if she had insisted that it was part of the curriculum, he would have been forced to follow it, but as an A-Rank hero, she hadn¡¯t come to the institute to establish a relationship between a professor and a student. What she wanted was ¡®total domination.¡¯ The goal was to turn the coveted child into her own toy. For this reason, she had suggested a bet. [Do you want to make a bet with me? If Mr. Noah can hunt five villains by himself within a month and submit a report, I¡¯ll not interfere with Mr. Noah¡¯s actions for the next year. [Hmm¡­] [And if you can hunt a villain above the B-Rank, I¡¯ll also give you this elixir.] [Oh?] She had offered an elixir she had prepared beforehand, and fortunately, Noah had shown interest in the bet. [That¡¯s good for me, but what¡¯s in it for you? Is there something you want from me?] [Huhu, there¡¯s only one thing I want. If Mr. Noah loses this bet, I want us to work together after you graduate.] [Hmm¡­well, okay. Instead, while I¡¯m at the institute, please guarantee that I can use the hero license without professor present.] [That won¡¯t be difficult. It¡¯s the professor¡¯s job to be responsible for the students¡¯ affairs.] Thus, she had made a bet with Noah as she had planned. As long as he had signed the magic contract, it could be said that the plan of dominating Noah was already a done deal. Now he¡¯s as good as mine. Noah was naturally doomed to fail the task. And after a month, he¡¯ll lose the bet. And the moment he entered the Pyongyang branch, she was going to tame him thoroughly one way or another. A twisted monster that only she could understand in this world. The very same Warrior the World Government was looking for. She felt as if her body was already heating up when she imagined how she would be able to control him at will. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Forgetting that this was a lecture room, she almost revealed her inner deep voice. She suppressed her burning desire as she let out a hot breath. Soon, her alter ego, which she had attached to Noah, sent a signal. I¡¯m already getting a call? They had spoken just before the lecture¡­Had Noah given up in that short time? Huhu, he¡¯s quick to understand. Noah was a clever boy, and he must have realized that it was impossible for him to win. With a bright smile, she shared her consciousness with her alter ego. She excitedly spoke. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. No matter how great of a hero you are, if you¡¯re alone¡­Huh?¡± She had no choice but to stop what she was saying. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Professor?¡± Noah was looking at her with a bright look on his face. His body was covered in blood, and behind him, a park full of blood and corpses spread out in her view. ¡°Th-this..¡±. It was different from what she had imagined. He had found and killed a villain in such a short time? And this large number¡­ Her alter ego looked around with a dumbfounded look. No way¡­did he kill innocent bystanders? There could be no other explanation. While she was in a state of panic, Noah spoke. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve won the bet. Ah, and please come here and solve this problem for me. Professor, you¡¯re my sponsor, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Looking at another twisted situation, Samaria had no choice but to be speechless for a while. * * * * * * * * * * Kim Taehi looked at the baby angel who had suddenly appeared next to Noah. The angel was talking to her team¡¯s leader and the A-Rank hero Spiral Man, Jenon. ¡°No! Saintess. How in the world are you going to solve this problem?! And why is a trainee working outside? Can you explain everything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­This is all my fault for teaching him wrong¡­¡± The baby angel bowed her head in front of Jenon. Although they were the same rank, Samaria could be said to be a far more senior hero in the industry. But somehow, her figure looked a little pitiful at the moment. It must be hard to make ends meet as a professor. Kim Taehi watched it for a while before turning her head and asking Go Changsu who had come under her command the other day. ¡°I just saw that you knew Choi Noah¡­Can you tell me what kind of relationship it is?¡± ¡°Why are you asking?¡± Hairy looked at her with an unfriendly attitude. ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Is that the way you look at your boss?¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯re my superior, I¡¯ll never tell you anything that might harm him.¡± Unlike his usual friendly and loyal behavior to the force, Go Changsu¡¯s appearance now was full of vigilance like a bear trying to protect his young. Seeing that kind of expression, she didn¡¯t know the exact details, but she could guess their relationship. That was, he also understood Noah¡¯s pain. She became spirited and the corner of her mouth unconsciously rose. ¡°If it¡¯s hard to say, you don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m just worried about that little boy. I didn¡¯t mean anything.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. So don¡¯t worry too much. But¡­aren¡¯t you a bit arrogant today? What¡¯s with the way you¡¯re looking at your boss?!¡± ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m sorry about that¡­Keuk!¡± Pak¨C! After lightly hitting Go Changsu on the chest, she shook her fist. Go Changsu coughed and fell to the ground. ¡°Keu-keuh¡­¡± ¡°So shabby.¡± He had grit and was good natured, but he seemed very weak. I¡¯ll have to train him properly at some point. She looked at him pitifully, and soon looked up. The terrible landscape that she had been trying to ignore came into view again. Decapitated heads rolling around like a ball in the playground, and pools of blood that had turned the sand red. The phrase ¡®sea of blood, mountain of corpses¡¯ was a perfect fit for the sight before her. Seeing that there was no movement among the bodies scattered around the park, there were probably no survivors. And in the middle of such a landscape, Noah, covered in blood, could be seen watching the investigators recovering the bodies. As expected¡­he¡¯s¡­ Like what she had felt that day, it was clear that he had a terrible hatred for villains. Upon obtaining a hero license he had committed such a genocide. This¡­is it really the right thing to do? She understood in her head that she should lead him on a more peaceful path, but as someone who also understood his pain, she had become cautious to even speak out. After the investigation is over¡­I¡¯m going to have a proper conversation with him. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** As she thought as such, suddenly, she saw a woman walking nonchalantly among the busy investigators. Long glossy, black hair, and lustrous red eyes. It was an elf beautiful enough to attract anyone¡¯s attention. She seemed to be looking for something on the ground. Since when did she get here? No, more than that, why hadn¡¯t anyone else caught the attention of the elf who had such an appearance? The people around her didn¡¯t seem to notice. Like a shadow, it would be hard to feel her presence if she didn¡¯t look closely. It was suspicious. That¡¯s¡­leftover of the villains? ¡°You there! What are you doing?!¡± Kim Taehi shouted loudly and strode toward the woman. The woman smiled and replied. ¡°I¡¯ve found it even if you hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± A pitch black shadow began to spread around her. Then, she seized one of the corpses on the ground and it went inside her shadow. Kim Taehi, who saw it, urgently shouted. ¡°There¡¯s still a villain here! Arrest her now!¡± At the same time as her words fell, the heroes around her launched a direct attack on the woman. Dozens of magic and ability flew. But¡­ Sheup¨C! All of the deadly attacks were drawn into the shadows around her. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Those who looked at it opened their mouths without realizing it. A sudden appearance of a strong person. They couldn¡¯t even understand her ability. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be on my way. Thank you for cleaning up the mess.¡± ¡°W-wait! Stop!¡± Kim Taehi rushed toward the woman using her mana. She must have something to do with the case! But at that moment, Noah had coincidentally blocked her path, causing her to delay her steps. And in that brief moment, the woman had gone inside a shadow and disappeared somewhere. Like a dream, there was no trace left where she had stood. The hell¡­who was she? Kim Taehi had no choice but to stand absent-minded for a while as if she was glued to the spot. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Kim Gyuhwan, one of the survivors from Eighth Layer Hell, came to his senses with a groan. Bright light poured through his half-open eyelids. ¡°¡­Euuk!¡± After blinking a few times, his dim vision began to take shape to some extent. A white room with white tiles. Bright lights that looked like those in an operating room shone on him. ¡°Th-this¡­¡± It was hard to think in his faint state of consciousness. ¡°I¡­¡± He gradually retraced the last thing he had seen. Soon, a child¡¯s face flashed across his mind. And then a terrible pain came as soon as he realized the fact that his legs had been twisted in the opposite direction. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± He screamed and struggled, but his body wouldn¡¯t move. Looking down, he found himself naked and firmly secured. ¡°Keuk! Wh-what¡¯s this¡­?¡± Hurriedly looking around, he noticed various surgical tools. Was he taken to a hospital? Thinking as such, he noticed someone approaching with an iron cart. Elf with black hair and red eyes. Soon, she looked down at him with indifference. ¡°R-release me right now! I have no intention of receiving treatment here!¡± In a low, subdued voice, the woman asked. ¡°Treatment?¡± The face, which was as beautiful as a master¡¯s work of art, was now distorted like that of a devil from hell. Glaring at him with madness in her eyes, she continued. ¡°Did you say treatment? How dare you try to kill Noah¡­¡± Black shadows rose and swayed from her body. The pressure made it hard for him to breathe. ¡°Keuuk! Keok! Keuhok! S-stop¡­¡± There was a mysterious energy clutching his heart and he felt as if it was going to explode. The woman in front of him now, like the boy he had met a while ago, was a monster he had no way of resisting. As such, he thought he was going to die. But fortunately, the pressure disappeared. ¡°Keuhok! Heuk¡­heuk¡­¡± He breathed heavily. ¡°Be careful what you say from now on. I might just kill you.¡± The woman said as she began to silently apply something to his bound body. A dark, thick liquid that looked like tar. His body would heat up and he felt as if his senses were being dialed up whenever such a liquid touched his body. Wh-what the hell kind of liquid is this? And not only that, who was this woman? What was she trying to do? He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask. But he couldn¡¯t open his mouth because he thought he would suffer again like earlier. As his tension rose, the woman in front of him kindly told him the answer. ¡°It¡¯s a drug that amplifies the sensation of the body tenfold.¡± ¡°Wh-why did you apply that kind of drug on me¡­?¡± He asked in a trembling voice. His wild imaginations naturally continued. In the meantime, the woman grabbed a pair of medical pliers from the cart. Applying it to one of his fingernails, she spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s start from here.¡± ¡°N-no! Stop!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. People don¡¯t die that easily. I¡¯ve experienced it all¡­Perhaps there will be no mistake.¡± ¡°W-wait¡­Kuaaaaak!¡± Crack¨C! The first terrible pain of such kind he had experienced in his life. It was as if he had lost a year off his life. He frantically struggled, but he couldn¡¯t move because his body was tightly bound. Then, the woman¡¯s voice came into his ears. ¡°Huhu¡­the first order Noah gave me. I will succeed at all costs¡­¡± Crack¨C! ¡°Kuaaaaaaaak!¡± . . . And a few hours later, Kim Gyuhwan had no choice but to spit out all the information he knew. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°That¡¯s all for today. I will summon you again, so please be sure to come then, and oh, Saintess, please stay behind a little longer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Thanks to Samaria as my shield, I was released only after a few hours of inquiry. There will be complicated legal procedures and other problems, but with my background and Samaria, I thought it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to move on. ¡°Noah! How are you doing?¡± ¡°Long time no see. Choi Noah.¡± Hairy and the meat shield happily greeted me. ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯m a little busy. We¡¯ll chat another time.¡± ¡°H-huh? W-wait a minute!¡± Ignoring them, I went straight to Elizabeth with < Road of a Warrior >. She had informed me earlier that the interrogation was done, so I thought I would be able to find out who was behind the attack after I got there. But¡­ ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­he didn¡¯t know very much.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s long ears drooped. It seemed she didn¡¯t slack off, seeing that there were blood stains everywhere on her apron¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I looked at the guy tied to the operating table. He was constantly convulsing with his skin turned inside out. It seemed it would be difficult to extract any more information from him. So this really was all the information¡­ I summoned Buldol and Alsun and had them get rid of the body. Then, I looked at the report Elizabeth had written. Since I wasn¡¯t very interested in the man¡¯s name or ability, I only focused on his background and purpose for the attack. Eighth Layer Hell¡­ The sudden attack this time was all caused by villains belonging to this group. Perhaps they had offered a reward for revenge after I had personally killed one the other day and it was shown on the news. In any case, it was clear that they would continue to trouble and attack me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, there was no further information. These guys¡¯ means of operation were thoroughly over the internet, so there was no way to track them. Ah, I really wanted to play with them¡­ If there were any small clues, I could deduce it from there, but now I didn¡¯t even have that, so it was frustrating. As I thought as such, Ding¨C! A new message came to mind. I looked at the message and smiled. [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (1)] Condition: Visit the Wailing Wall located in Kowloon. Time: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). Hmm¡­it seemed I would have to go to Hong Kong first. The small clue I was looking for had come. I didn¡¯t know what was there yet, but when I heard the word Hong Kong, there was one person that crossed my mind. Come to think of it¡­wasn¡¯t that person from Kowloon? ¡°Hong Kong¡­It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen that person.¡± I was immersed in my thoughts as I searched through my memories of the first round. And Elizabeth, who had heard me mumbling to myself, asked. ¡°Who do you want to see?¡± ¡°My love is there.¡± ¡°L-love?! L-lie! Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Really beautiful¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Elizabeth went to a corner and began muttering something to herself. Did she say she was going to kill someone? There was a shadow swaying around her. Ignoring her, I recalled the person I had met in the past. No, to be exact, what I had gotten after killing the fellow. That sword was so beautiful. Having recalled my past love, I prepared to head to Hong Kong. ____ Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Life at the institute could be said to be a constant fixture of difficulty. Endless assignments, and even various regulations that restricted every single trivial action. For this reason, the Hero Association had taken a lot of care to manage the trainees¡¯ stress. Located at the institute were facilities where they could enjoy various activities such as swimming, tennis, and basketball. In addition, there was the media listening room, which could accommodate up to 500 people and was comparable to that of a movie theater. As such, the free time given to them during weekends to use these leisure facilities was their only pleasure in an otherwise intensive school life. But¡­ While other trainees were enjoying their day off, there was one person who wasn¡¯t. Shiik¨CShiik¨C Next to them was Shirahui sweeping by herself. Those who were passing by glanced at her, and soon murmured something as they burst into giggles. And when she heard it, she trembled with the broom in hand. How did this happen¡­ It had only been two weeks since the start of the semester. But in that short time, even before she could become a hero, her image had fallen to rock bottom. Originally, she thought she would have stood out in class and been the subject of envy and admiration among her peers. However, rather than being worthy of her father¡¯s reputation, she was on the verge of destroying her own reputation because of her actions. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She sighed deeply as she leaned against the broomstick. After her meeting with the director a few days ago, she was given 100 hours of cleaning duty as punishment. Most of these chores, such as cleaning, were handled by robots patrolling the campus 24 hours a day, so in fact, there was nothing to be done by herself. In other words, it could be seen that this was purely a punishment imposed by the director to humiliate her. It¡¯s all because of him¡­ She recalled Noah who had been absent. Recently, he hasn¡¯t shown up to any of the classes. She had heard from other professors that he was chosen as a ¡®Scholarship Student¡¯ and was taking 1:1 lessons from Professor Samaria. However, even before entering the institute, she had collected a lot of information and there was never any mention of such a thing. Scholarship Student¡­ Did that mean a special curriculum was created for him? And a 1:1 guidance from an A-Rank hero no less. Why was he given special treatment to such an extent? Her stomach felt as if it was distorting with jealousy. She wanted to immediately report these irrationalities to the public, but if she did, the director might catch her again and hold a disciplinary committee this time. What kind of classes was he taking¡­ It could be said that not only her, but everyone at the institute was curious about the contents of Noah¡¯s classes. A 1:1 guidance by an A-Rank hero, they couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how much better the curriculum would be. I¡­if I can get that kind of schooling¡­ Her current ability was all thanks to her father who had personally taught her whenever he was free, so she had no choice but to feel envious. And now that the situation had come to this, she felt as if the gap between them would continue to widen. She shook her demoralized heart to clear her mind. No¡­I¡¯ll have to work harder from now on and catch up with him. Her father had said life was a marathon. It looked like he was ahead now, but if she kept trying without giving up, she might be able to beat him before the end of the semester. And¡­ It hurt her pride a little, but now that he was gone, there would be no one to stop her in future evaluations. Let¡¯s aim to win the end-of-semester evaluation. As she thought as such, among the other trainees gathering on a bench in twos and threes and chatting, she heard a loud voice. ¡°Wow! It was true?¡± ¡°Really¡­I didn¡¯t know it would be this bad¡­¡± Shirahui clicked her tongue briefly while looking at them. Keep laughing and chatting like that. While you¡¯re wasting your time, I¡¯ll climb up. With that in mind, she picked up her broom again. However, she had no choice but to put it down again soon after. ¡°As expected of Choi Noah! I can¡¯t believe he has achieved this already!¡± ¡°Is this a practical class for the Scholarship Student?¡± Shirahui¡¯s head quickly turned. Choi Noah¡­? She hurried up to the people sitting on the bench. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter, Shirahui?¡± ¡°Wait, can I see that tablet?¡± ¡°¡­Well, okay.¡± The man handed over the tablet with a reluctant look. Shirahiu snatched away the tablet, then looking at the screen, it was full of articles about one person. [Little hero Choi Noah! Fought Eighth Layer Hell again and won.] [Let¡¯s learn about the ¡®Red¡¯ wanted group, Eighth Layer Hell.] [Choi Noah declared war on Eighth Layer Hell.] ¡°Wh-what the hell is this¡­?¡± She quickly clicked on one of the articles. Then, a photo of a crime scene appeared. It was a mosaic-processed photo, but it was evident that there were corpses everywhere. The hell¡­How many people did he kill? The mosaic was all red. And seeing that, she felt as if she was going to be sick again. ¡°Heup!¡± Seeing her retch, the men around her became startled and reeled back. However, she didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to such reactions. What the hell is he doing? Was this the Scholarship Student¡¯s curriculum? No, even if it was a special curriculum, how could he have achieved such a result? When it comes to Eighth Layer Hell, it was a group of villains who had never been captured properly. He killed so many of such villains¡­? Did that make sense? If they could be caught so easily, what were the other heroes doing all this time? Even if she had been in Noah¡¯s position, she never would have been able to achieve the same result. It was a reality she didn¡¯t want to admit. Suddenly, the broom in her hand caught her eyes and a sense of insignificance overcame her. ¡°If you¡¯re done, can I have it back? We have to go now.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± She handed back the tablet with a bitter look. And left alone, she stood for a while without saying a word. * * * * * * * * * * Gyeonggi-do¡¯s Hero Association. A large woman was angrily walking down a corridor. ¡°Y-you shouldn¡¯t do this. Chief Kim.¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± ¡°Eeuk!¡± She pushed those who blocked her path and advanced like an angry bull. And at the end of the path was a door with a nameplate that read ¡®Branch Manager.¡¯ Bang¨C! The door opened roughly and sitting there was the A-Rank hero, Jenon. Kim Taehi shouted as soon as she saw him. ¡°Branch Manager! What the hell is the meaning of this?¡± Her expression was distorted as she held a tablet in hand with news articles displayed on it. However, despite her attitude, Jenon calmly replied. ¡°Meaning of what¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to play innocent!¡± Bang¨C! Kim Taehi slammed the desk in the room with her fist. The iron desk for office use became horribly distorted. Jenon stared at it and coldly spoke. ¡°Chief Kim, what are you doing? Why don¡¯t you understand your position a little more and act polite when you come into other people¡¯s homes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to be polite or argue with you. Please answer my question. These articles! What the hell is this? Didn¡¯t you say you would proceed with an informal investigation a few days ago?¡± ¡°¡­This was all necessary.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t understand why this is necessary! Wasn¡¯t it you who first told me that Choi Noah would be in danger if we made this incident public?!¡± Kim Taehi said with a flushed face. Jenon, who had many years of experience, rubbed his forehead as if he was in pain. Soon, he sighed and answered. ¡°Hmm¡­Okay. I guess it would be fine if you know.¡± Jenon said as he turned the head of an ornament on the desk. In response to his action, mana quickly spread around the room, forming a closed room that cannot be observed from the outside. After confirming that the barrier was working properly, he spoke in an exhausted tone. ¡°Yes¡­I fully understand how you feel. But I don¡¯t think you understand what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I do! Isn¡¯t it obvious that Eighth Layer Hell will be after the boy now? But why?!¡± ¡°Yes, like you said. Eighth Layer Hell will be after him. That¡¯s the reason.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Are you kidding me right now? That¡¯s more the reason it should have been hidden¡­¡± Jenon interrupted Kim Taehi and continued. ¡°The order had come from headquarters. So even for me, there was nothing I could do.¡± ¡°?!¡± Kim Taehi had no choice but to be speechless after hearing Jenon. It was impossible to stop the direct intervention of headquarters no matter how she felt. ¡°B-but why did headquarters make such a decision¡­?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me. But headquarters¡­no, perhaps the current Chairman is going to take this opportunity to weave Eighth Layer Hell together.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­Are you saying that they want to use Choi Noah as bait even though they know he will be in danger?¡± Kim Taehi looked at Jenon with a dumb struck look on her face. How on earth does the representative of heroes think of using the life of a child? ¡°The election is just around the corner, so I guess he¡¯s trying to achieve some result.¡± ¡°How could he do that?!¡± Until now, the villain group called Eighth Layer Hell has been hidden in strict secrecy. Even if a member of the organization dies, far from revenge, their activities would carry on as if nothing had happened. She didn¡¯t know why they were suddenly after Noah, but from the perspective of the Chairman seeking re-election, such an opportunity would look tempting. ¡°Branch Manager! Are you losing the conscience of a hero because of such a desire for power? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed to live like that?¡± Having understood the whole situation, Kim Taehi shouted fiercely. Jenon frowned when he heard it. ¡°You¡¯d better be careful what you say. Chief Kim.¡± Aura revolved around his body and a rough maelstrom was formed. Wrapping herself in graphite armor as if she wasn¡¯t going to lose, Kim Taehi shouted. ¡°Try it if you dare! Even though I¡¯ve retired from the hero industry and became an investigator, I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t lose to a fake hero like you!¡± Thus, there was a confrontation between the two as they faced each other. And a moment later, ¡°Tsk¡­That¡¯s the same temper as when you were an active hero.¡± In the end, it was Jenon who had gained the upper hand first. Sighing, he continued. ¡°Huu¡­I know very well that this is wrong.¡± ¡°Then you should have refused!¡± ¡°But¡­if I hadn¡¯t done it myself, they might have used a more dangerous method. Don¡¯t you know how those at headquarters think to some extent?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­ ¡° Kim Taehi recalled the behavior of those at headquarters she had seen. Rather than always searching for the best path, even if it was uncertain, they would always follow the path of certainty. In particular, since his active days as a hero, Chairman Hyun had always been a radical who insisted on the law of sacrifice, so what Jenon had said wasn¡¯t entirely improbable. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to worry too much. I didn¡¯t carry out this plan without thinking about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve mobilized all the veterans in our branch to monitor the child. As a result, we¡¯ve even received a lot of complaints of not having enough manpower.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What do you think? Are you reassured now?¡± Jenon rolled up one side of his mouth as he looked at Kim Taehi. And when she saw that expression, she sighed with relief. After all, when she was an active hero in the past, things have always gone smoothly whenever he had that smile. Soon, she belatedly remembered what she had done earlier. She immediately bowed and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Branch Manager. I was rude. I¡¯ll take disciplinary action for this matter.¡± ¡°No, you might have thought as such because you didn¡¯t know what was going on. Thanks to you¡­it made me look back on myself and reminded me of how I used to be. So don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding!¡± ¡°But¡­Do you have any intention of returning to active duty? Looking at your aura earlier, it seems you¡¯re still practicing your ability these days.¡± ¡°Haha¡­I¡¯ll think about that a little more.¡± They exchanged conversations to forget what had happened earlier. The awkward atmosphere was relieved, and before they knew it, the usual smiles were on their faces. At that moment, Knock Knock¡ª! Suddenly, someone knocked roughly on the door and there came an urgent voice. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** ¡°Branch Manager! Trouble!¡± Feeling something amiss, Jenon immediately lifted the barrier and opened the door. Then, standing there was a man with a deathly pale look. He was one of the team members who had been stationed to monitor Noah. No way¡­? The man continued. ¡°Choi Noah is gone! I think¡­I think he has been kidnapped.¡± And so, Gyeonggi-do¡¯s Hero Association entered a state of emergency to search for Noah. * * * * * * * * * * In the past, there was a group called ¡®Kowloon¡¯ that existed in Hong Kong. Originally leading the martial art faction called ¡®Dragon Gate¡¯ in the Underworld Alliance, they had moved to Earth and established a company. And through illegal dealings and practices, they were able to accumulate great wealth. The Chairman of Kowloon, seeing that the company had grown large, then tried to build a castle where he could reign like a king, similar to the supreme martial artists of the past. After purchasing a great deal of land around Hong Kong, construction of an enormous city surrounded by high walls began. However¡­ With the fall of Kowloon, the plan had come to nothing, and in the area where the new city was being built, huge slums had formed. A kingdom of outcasts fleeing society. A place where it was impossible to return to normalcy once you crossed the high walls of Kowloon. At some point, people began to call the high walls surrounding it the ¡®wailing wall.¡¯ And now, in front of the wailing wall stood an eye-catching woman. ¡°Hmm¡­Is it here?¡± If anyone who was familiar with this place had seen her, they would have advised her to leave immediately. Eventually, she was met by men who had gathered here after hearing the news. ¡°Hehe¡­Is she a lost tourist?¡± ¡°There are some stupid women like that. Crawling into such a dangerous place.¡± ¡°Hey! I let you have it last time, so this one is mine.¡± The men took swords and guns out as their eyes glistened with lust. And¡­ Elizabeth, who was looking at it, spoke to the shadow on the ground. ¡°Noah! I think we¡¯ve arrived! As you said, I¡¯ve come to the place where men with weapons appear!¡± The men who saw her behavior laughed. ¡°Hehe, who is she talking to?¡± ¡°Tsk, we could have sold her for a higher price if she was sane.¡± As their words fell, they heard an out-of-place child¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve already arrived?¡± The men turned their heads in the direction of the voice. And then¡­ Swiik¨C! ¡°Ah¡­¡± With a feeling of something passing by, their bodies began to split in half. Shwak¨C! The bodies of the fifteen people surrounding Elizabeth had instantly split in half, scattering blood on the ground. In the bloodstained landscape, the child smiled brightly and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been here.¡± As such, Noah and Elizabeth had arrived in Kowloon safely. ____ Chapter 62 Chapter 62 A week ago. Between the information from the Challenge and Elizabeth¡¯s interrogation, I was able to find a clue relating to Eighth Layer Hell. However, I couldn¡¯t pursue it right away¡­ ¡°Haha, good morning again today, Mr. Noah.¡± ¡°Oh, my~ Would you look at this? You remind me of my nephew.¡± This was because after wiping out the villains at Ilsan Park, the number of employees I had never seen before at school had suddenly increased. At first, I had thought they were just new employees, but after a direct conversation, I had noticed that they were hiding their strength. Whether or not they were aware that I knew, but just looking at the aura they had hidden, I had sensed that they were superhumans incomparable to the trainees here. And in particular, they were more friendly to me than the trainees¡­ Were they a new batch of villains? I naturally had no choice but to think they were villains related to Eighth Layer Hell who had invaded the school. So in the middle of the night while Camouflaged, I kidnapped a man to interrogate with Love Whip. But¡­ ¡°Th-that¡¯s all I know¡­P-please spare my life.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Contrary to my expectations, they were heroes sent by the Hero Association to monitor me. It seemed the case wasn¡¯t completely resolved by handing over the problem to Samaria. ¡­I would have screwed up the matter if I had gone to Hong Kong like this. Fortunately, Red Velvet Curse hadn¡¯t found the guy suspicious, so my identity wasn¡¯t revealed. I threw the guy who had fainted roughly near the school, and then returned to my accommodation in a dilemma. It was unexpected the Hero Association would monitor me so thoroughly¡­ I recalled what they had said. I was told to stay on standby because I might be summoned as a witness. However, I never could have imagined they would be watching me as they wasted their manpower. If I tried to leave for Hong Kong in this situation, it was obvious that they would restrict the use of the portal. Hmm¡­was there anything I could do? With my rewards settled so far, I began to think of ways to move to Hong Kong. Maybe a solution will come out from one of the boxes. While opening the boxes, I also took the time to use my 3 Fragments of Growth and the Mandragora elixir. < Level 54 (+3) > Body: 5.05 -> 5.18 (+0.13) Dexterity: 4.28 -> 5.01 (+0.73) 3 pieces Mana: 5.08 -> 5.29 (+0.21) Spirit: 5.06 -> 5.21 (+0.15) *0 Fragments of Growth Thanks to my luck, all of my stats have now exceeded 5.0. And as a result, my body¡¯s constitution had reached another level. All right, now all I needed was to get one useful skill from one of the boxes. But¡­ < Strengthen Skill > 2x. < Running > F-Grade ¨C Mortal skill. < Stylish Sunglasses > E-Grade ¨C Accessories. ¡°¡­¡± The results were very poor. In fact, it wasn¡¯t so bad under normal circumstances, but there were only things that couldn¡¯t help me solve my problem right now. ¡°Hmm¡­what should I do?¡± Should I really wait here? The period for the Challenge was naturally unlimited, but it would be too frustrating to wait at the institute. I would be wasting my time in my accommodation since there were no classes. Should I just pretend I didn¡¯t know and go to the portal? As I was agonizing over it, a solution appeared in a completely unexpected place. ¡°Noah! I can help you with that.¡± When Elizabeth had heard the problem that was troubling me, she shouted loudly saying to leave it to her. ¡°¡­¡± Frankly, it was hard to trust her in the first round because I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, while in the second round, I couldn¡¯t trust her abilities because she looked too incompetent. But there was no proper way right now¡­ Since I had nothing to lose, maybe I could try to trust her? I eventually decided to accept her proposal after a moment of consideration. If there was a problem with this, I could say I was kidnapped and it would work itself out somehow¡­ That was how I had gambled on believing in Elizabeth. And as a result¡­ * * * * * * * * * * I didn¡¯t expect to arrive safe and sound like this. Looking at Elizabeth, I smiled vainly. She grinned and pricked her ears among the dead bodies I had cut down. The appearance looked like a dog seeking praise. I never could have imagined she would be able to use this much of her ability already. With Choi Bokhui¡¯s private lessons, I thought it would take at least a few more years before she would show any results. However, she was growing into a proper witch much sooner than I had expected. She didn¡¯t even have a status window like me, but she seemed to have already reached the peak of B-Rank. To be honest, I was worried that the Elizabeth in the second round wouldn¡¯t be as good as the one in the first round. Naturally, I was certain she was at least talented in some areas, but these days, it looked like she was showing quite the past talent. In any case, I don¡¯t have to use portals from now and can just move comfortably by sending Elizabeth first. At least¡­she was fairly useful now? As I thought as such, she asked me. ¡°Noah! I did a good job, right?¡± ¡°Ah. Well done.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Th-then, do you want to go shopping later¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± No. As expected, when I looked at her again, she still had the same dubious appearance. Tsk¡­sure enough. I clicked my tongue at her. It was too much work to carry this kind of luggage. I waved at her and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t need you anymore, so hurry up and leave.¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± She hesitated and remained motionless. Her long ears drooped as she spoke. ¡°C-can I tag along¡­? I-I¡¯m pretty good at handling shadows now¡­It would be helpful.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s really all right, so just go.¡± ¡°B-but¡­Then, the other woman¡­¡± She said in a dry faltering voice. ¡°Hmm?¡± She had been acting strange today. Normally, she would just answer nicely and move on. Now that she had gained some strength, did she want to use it? I understand it was tempting to want to play, but I couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone interfering with my reward. Frowning, I continued. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? I¡¯m getting annoyed, so don¡¯t bother me too much and leave quickly.¡± She hesitated a few more times before bowing her head and replying. ¡°¡­Okay. Take care and come back quickly.¡± Then, she trudged away. After looking at her back for a second, I turned my head toward the walls with colorful graffiti. Commonly referred to as the ¡®wailing wall,¡¯ these high walls were what separated Kowloon from the city. It was also the destination of the Challenge. ¡°Hmm¡­shall I go now?¡± I gathered mana in my feet and jumped. Then, I ran up the wall at a high speed as if I was defying gravity. And at last, a new message came to mind. [ Challenge updated. ] ¡°Great!¡± As expected, the Challenge was updated after I had crossed the walls here. Now I just had to follow this chain quest and I would be able to catch Eighth Layer Hell. But¡­ I had no choice but to feel a throbbing sensation in my head as if another headache was coming as soon as I saw the content of the Challenge. [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (1)] Condition: Find Jane. Time: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). ¡°¡­Is that all?¡± The content reminded me of what I used to find in magazine articles. The most common name for a woman, Jane. And now I had to find this Jane without any other information? It was like asking me to find Kim in Pyongyang. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I had no choice but to sigh deeply. * * * * * * * * * * The world was very unreasonable and unfair. That was what Jane thought each day when she opened her eyes in the morning. At the precious age of 18, she would have been enjoying her pink youth if she had been born in an ordinary city, but the life given to her was only full of gray. ¡°Keuk, keuk, n-noona¡­Are you leaving again today?¡± Her 10 year old little brother approached her while coughing. A thin body with traces of needles everywhere. Because of an unidentified and rare disease since childhood, he was unable to live a normal life unless medicine was taken on time. Each time she saw him, she would choke up as a burning emotion came up from inside. It was the same feeling she felt each time, but rather than fading away, it only ate at her mind more and more as the days went by. Damn it! She held back her tears from her brother by biting her tongue. Her brother¡¯s life depended on the money she earned. ¡°N-noona, can you not go today¡­? I have a bad feeling¡­¡± He grabbed the hem of her pants with tears in his eyes. She looked at him as if she was losing her patience. ¡°And then? What if I don¡¯t make money? How am I going to buy your medicine? Who will give it to me for free?¡± However, her words didn¡¯t match her expression. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­I¡¯m sorry, noona¡­It¡¯s because of me. I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± Looking at her brother who was on the verge of crying, she seemed to be heartbroken, but soon she shot back with a much colder expression. ¡°That¡¯s why! If you know you¡¯re sorry, don¡¯t keep saying that! Do I have to feel guilty when I work too?¡± ¡°Heuk¡­I-I¡¯m sorry, noon¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her brother finally burst into tears. A daily scene that occurred once a week. She left him alone and turned her back. ¡°Watch the door!¡± Bang¨C! The sound behind the door dug into her chest like a sharp awl. She bit her lips and continued with steady steps. There was no time for her to be absorbed in her thoughts. Her brother¡¯s medicine will run out in a few days, but she hasn¡¯t gotten a penny in the last week. If she didn¡¯t get a good result today, she felt as if something inside her, which she had endured for a long time, would collapse. I¡­Am I being stubborn? All women in Kowloon become prostitutes. It wasn¡¯t that someone forced them but that it was the only job women could do here. However, unlike other women of her age, she has remained pure until now. It wasn¡¯t because of a sense of virtue. A trifling thing like purity, she thought she could sell herself as much as she could if it meant having another meal. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t become a prostitute¡­ No, it was all because of her older brother that she couldn¡¯t become a prostitute. [Jane, John¡­I¡¯ll protect you both no matter what.] Her brother wasn¡¯t suited for Kowloon. He preferred peace to fighting and was a man who never uttered a word of abuse since childhood. However, such a brother had become a member of a cartel. It was also the role of ¡®fixer¡¯ that handled only the dirtiest of jobs. After the death of their parents, to feed Jane and John, he had no choice. [For you guys¡­I¡¯ll let you live like normal people. Jane will meet a nice guy and marry him, and John will get strong quickly and go to school.] But¡­ The brother who had said that no longer existed in this world. Last year, her brother had died in a struggle between cartels. Not only that, his body was horribly mutilated as it hung in the plaza of Kowloon. ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± She cursed as she recalled old memories that disturbed her mind. It was the body her brother had protected through such hard work, so she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do such a thing. In the end, it was a shackle. The painful curse her brother had left behind before his death. And she knew better than anyone else. This curse will follow her for the rest of her life. ¡°Shit! This rotten world!¡± She spat, looking up at the high walls. From birth, her life had been blocked by such walls. If they had been born into an ordinary family, her brother wouldn¡¯t have had to die, and John would have been well treated at a hospital by now. This ordinary wall that she had been in and out of so many times was the single difference. An impossible wall to overcome. I¡¯ll make a lot of money and destroy it someday¡­ She kicked hard at the wall and crawled out through an opening. Then, she shook off the dust and headed for the city with her head down. I really need to find some money today¡­ After her brother¡¯s death, she began to steal other people¡¯s things for her brother¡¯s medicine and living expenses. In a world full of abilities and all kinds of securities, stealing was never an easy task. It was especially impossible for a girl who had no experience. But for her, since she was a child, she had a special ability that was different from others¡­ She had the ability to make her existence disappear from this world. Oohh¡­good! I¡¯m lucky today. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** On the way to the city, she had found a woman trudging along at a slow pace. Glossy, black hair, and an old-fashioned, elegant dress. In addition to that, even her aura somehow felt like that of a noble. She was a woman who, by all accounts, didn¡¯t fit in such a place. She must be a tourist who came here out of curiosity¡­ Seeing the woman¡¯s weak steps, perhaps she had already come all the way to Kowloon and had been greatly humiliated by the thugs nearby. However, she wasn¡¯t going to spare her just because of that. I should steal that brooch on her chest. She confirmed the target before taking a deep breath at a reasonable distance. Then, she counted slowly to 10 in her mind. One, two, three¡­Ten. Soon, the surrounding landscape began to change strangely. The hard ground melted like butter, and dozens of moons appeared around the sun as it floated in the sky. The colors from her clothes leaked out and dyed her surrounding, and when she looked down, her left and right hand had shifted. A colorful landscape that made her consciousness waver. It was enough to captivate her if she let her guard down even a little. No! I need to get a hold of myself! She bit her tongue so as not to be taken away by the scenery. Along with the metallic taste of blood, her goal came to mind again. The woman from a moment ago was still walking slowly. Fortunately, she thought she could steal the woman¡¯s brooch before she let out her breath. All right, let¡¯s quickly steal it and go home. She walked toward the woman without hesitation. But at that moment, she felt as if the woman¡¯s bright red eyes had glanced at her. Maybe just my imagination? It was impossible for anyone outside to notice her existence while she was in this strange world. So the woman couldn¡¯t have looked at her. But why did she feel so uneasy? Ignoring the ominous intuition that rang in her head, she approached the woman. And then she stretched out her hand to quickly grab the brooch. Pak¨C! The woman caught her hand. ?! Her arm was immediately pulled and her body was lifted out of the strange world. ¡°Koheuk! Kek! Kek! Uwak!¡± She felt a sharp gut-wrenching pain after being forced back into the world. And because she couldn¡¯t help feeling nauseous, she coughed up blood. Tears welled up, and blood dripped down her nose. Soon, she heard a beautiful woman¡¯s voice in her ears. ¡°Who are you?¡± She managed to raise her head to look at the woman¡¯s face. And the moment she encountered the cold red eyes, she had no choice but to recall her brother¡¯s remark from this morning. N-no¡­ Eventually she vomited another handful of blood before losing consciousness on the spot. ____ Chapter 63 Chapter 63 There was a long history of conflicts between cartels in Kowloon. Even at the time of the first formation of the slums, there was a great deal of friction between small gangs, and today, only two forces had survived, dividing the overarching slums. They were the Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage. Most gangs that existed at the time had no choice but to choose to be absorbed or pledge their loyalty under either of these two. For a long time, these two groups fought to gain the supremacy of Kowloon. However, no winner could be reached, and eventually, after failing to cope with the accumulated damage, a dramatic ceasefire agreement was signed 10 years ago. Naturally even after the ceasefire, there were some behind-the-scenes conflicts and people died, but it was a peaceful enough time compared to before when dozens of people died each day. But now, the atmosphere of Kowloon, which had been quiet for a while, had begun to stir again. ¡°¡­How the hell am I supposed to interpret this?¡± A middle-aged man with a black eye-patch on one eye said. The man¡¯s name was Vlad, the second generation boss of the Red Blood Alliance and a notorious B-Rank Villain. And right now In front of him was a terrible scene. Dismembered bodies of his companions and blood stains everywhere. He had never seen such a terrible tragedy even when all-out war broke out in the past. He had witnessed countless deaths, but what he saw now had almost made him squint without realizing it. ¡°¡­¡± Controlling his boiling anger, he calmly examined the corpses. I need to figure out who did this first. The severed section of the bodies was very neat. On top of that, there were no traces of them fleeing, as if they didn¡¯t have time to run away. They were all killed at the same time. Was there anyone here who could kill so many people in one attack? There was naturally nothing he couldn¡¯t kill once he made up his mind, but he wasn¡¯t confident he could handle all of them as neatly as this assailant. ¡°Who the hell did this¡­¡± After staring at the bodies for a while, a big man standing next to him spoke. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?! That son of a bitch Chris is the only one who could have done this!¡± ¡°¡­¡± As the man said, Chris, the boss of Blue Mage, was the only one who could commit such an elaborate slaughter in Kowloon. It would also explain the scene in front of them if it was the wind magic he was so proud of. But¡­ I don¡¯t have the slightest idea why he would do this¡­ He couldn¡¯t think of any reason. Knowing his personality, he was like a fox who always calculated thoroughly, considering the advantages and disadvantages. Was there any reason at this point to break the ceasefire agreement by revealing his true intentions? ¡°I can¡¯t think of a reason no matter how I look at it.¡± What the hell was he plotting? Or maybe this was another trap? The moment when his head was getting more and more clouded, a man next to him shouted with a flushed face. ¡°Hyung! Why are you thinking too much into this? This is an obvious provocation! It¡¯s revenge for what happened last year!¡± A year ago, an incident had occurred in which one of the Red Blood Alliance¡¯s executives was killed. Vlad, who had lost his sworn brother due to this incident, became furious and eventually planned for war, ignoring the peace agreement. But fortunately, there was no war. This was because Chris, who had judged that it would do more harm than good if a war broke out, had raised the white flag first and apologized politely. And, as an apology, he had handed over some of the members who had committed the murder, along with a portion of their own territory. After the terrible death of such members, Vlad had hung them up on the plaza and the case was brought to a close. But¡­ Since then, Blue Mage has gradually expanded their territory. Not in the way of outright murdering like before but in a clever way of disguising it as accidental deaths without leaving any evidence. For this reason, Red Blood Alliance had enough evidence as far as Vlad was concerned, but there was no proper evidence, so his anger had been boiling. And today, dozens of his companions were killed all over the place. As terrible as how he had killed the members of Blue Mage a year ago. From his point of view, they were just low-level members who he didn¡¯t even know their names, but the fact that Chris had touched their members so openly, no matter how hard he thought about it, there seemed to be no other possibility than a declaration of war. He remained silent as he measured the two sides in his head. We¡¯re a little bit at a disadvantage. It was half and half if he was being generous, but if he calmly analyzed the situation, they were inferior. This was due to the difference in the number of executives that had been removed little by little over the past year. Frankly, it was hard to say there was a chance of winning. They could win if they were really lucky, but one wrong mistake and they would suffer a near-collapse. However, if he left the situation as it was, from tomorrow, Blue Mage would be more active in pressuring them. What should I do about this¡­ His forehead wrinkled. Soon, a large man next to him struck the hammer on his shoulder against the floor and shouted. ¡°If hyung keeps acting like this, I¡¯ll go alone, so don¡¯t try to stop me.¡± The man carried the big hammer on his shoulder and stomped out. When Vlad saw it, after a long sigh, he made up my mind and spoke. ¡°Wait.¡± The gaze of his eyes shifted. In order to lead this cartel, he had tried to be as temperate as possible¡­ I have no reason to put up with it if that¡¯s what he wants. He spoke to his executives nearby. ¡°You all know our side is inferior, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine! We just need to kill two for every person that dies!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take responsibility even if you die.¡± ¡°Haha¡­Why nitpick over something like that?¡± The executives answered with an outspoken, hearty look. Upon hearing their answers, Vlad looked at them with a grave expression. ¡°Good. It¡¯s do or die. Let¡¯s take this opportunity to take over Kowloon.¡± Thus, the Red Blood Alliance broke the long-standing peace agreement and began to prepare for war. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Haa¡­¡± I let out a long sigh. Where do I even begin? I really hate these kinds of treasure hunt quests. How the hell was I supposed to find Jane in this vast place? And a high-grade box was at stake too¡­ The difficulty and complexity was much higher than previous Challenges. If it was a task to kill Jane, it would have taken some time, but it wouldn¡¯t have been this much of a headache. I¡¯ll just have to grab a person one by one and ask. As I walked down the streets of Kowloon agonizing over the matter, people with coordinated blue clothes and accessories that looked like a cheap team uniform suddenly appeared. ¡°You there! I¡¯ve never seen you before, where are you from?¡± The one standing in front of the group approached me with a frown. He seemed to be the leader. ¡°Hey! Why aren¡¯t you answering my question?¡± ¡°Hold on a second, I think he¡¯s an outsider.¡± ¡°Outsider?¡± They talked amongst themselves before looking me up and down. ¡°Hehe, we haven¡¯t had an outsider in ages. Thanks to him, we¡¯ll have some pocket money.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­That sportswear looks pretty good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. He¡¯s about the same size as my child. I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Crazy! Your child is not even three years old!¡± They surrounded me with teasing smiles. There seemed to be no one among them who knew how to use mana properly. I asked one of them. ¡°Ahjussi. Do you know where Jane is?¡± ¡°Why? Is your mother¡¯s name Jane? If it¡¯s near here¡­¡± Wuung¨C! Swiik¨C! He didn¡¯t seem to want to answer, so I just cut off his head. I was very busy today and had no time to ask every person twice. The man¡¯s decapitated body spewed blood and collapsed on the spot as his head rolled and stopped near the other guys. ¡°H-huh¡­?¡± ¡°Ahjussi. Do you know who Jane is?¡± They had puzzled looks on their faces for a moment before immediately taking out their pistols and shouting. ¡°Shit! He¡¯s a Red Blood Alliance bastard. Attack!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! They fired at me, but I didn¡¯t avoid it or use my skills. With all of my stats being over 5.0, my body¡¯s durability had become impenetrable to such destructive power of a pistol. Ding, Ding¨C! Crushed bullets fell to the ground. Hm¡­it still hurts a little. I just did it as a test, and it seemed my durability wasn¡¯t to the extent where I couldn¡¯t feel any pain yet. Through the holes in my sportswear, traces of red swelling as if I had been stung by a bee could be seen. But¡­ My skin quickly returned to its original shape. I smiled at the sight. < Transcendent Regeneration > Classification: Ability Grade: A Description: Drastically increases the recovery speed of the body by consuming mana. This was the A-Grade skill I had obtained from the high-grade box before entering the institute during the gacha spree. Hehe¡­as expected, this was really amazing. As could be seen from the intuitive explanation, this skill could restore my body indefinitely as long as I had mana. In other words, there was no need to be cautious with my body anymore. ¡°M-monster¡­¡± They looked at me as they slowly started to step back. And when their eyes met mine, they immediately turned around and shouted. ¡°R-run!¡± Well, I only needed one person to interrogate anyway. Swiik¨C! I left one of the fleeing guys behind and cut off the rest. Thud¨C! Heads fell side by side on the ground as the remaining survivor was stopped in the air and his body became covered in blood. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± I approached the man who had a blank look on his face and asked. ¡°Do you know who Jane is?¡± ¡°J-Jane¡­N-no¡­¡± He said he didn¡¯t know, but he was nodding his head. It seemed this wasn¡¯t going to work. I sighed as I cut him. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I could sense a dark future ahead of me when I thought of having to do this laborious work. How many times would I have to repeat this? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I summoned Buldol and Alsun to feed them. It won¡¯t work at this rate¡­ I realized it after experiencing it firsthand. It was too reckless to find Jane while running in this vast area. At this rate, it may take months. I needed a new way¡­ *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** As I thought as such, a new message suddenly popped up in front of me. [ Condition for the Challenge has been met by companion Elizabeth. ] [ Challenge updated. ] What on earth¡­? Companions could complete Challenges? Why didn¡¯t I know this¡­? But now that I thought about it, this was to be expected. In MMORPGs, there were many quests that could be cleared together when a party member completes a condition. ¡­If I knew this was possible, I would have used my companions more aggressively. Anyways, I didn¡¯t know what was going on here, but it seemed Elizabeth had found Jane. Hehe¡­There are times when she does something useful. But now that I had managed to get through this difficult part, it seemed I would be able to relax now. Whatever the next part was, I¡¯m sure it would be less demanding than the one just now. I checked the updated Challenge. [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (1)] Condition: Save Jane. Time: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). ¡°¡­¡± Shit! Fucking hell! It was that save quest again! No wonder I didn¡¯t feel good when I first saw the name of a person¡­ ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sigh without realizing it. However, I couldn¡¯t give up the high-grade box here. But¡­since I¡¯ve gotten the hang of it after last time¡­ I let out another short sigh and contacted Elizabeth. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Good job, noona. Thanks to you, I finished my work easily.¡± ¡°Hehe, really? Then give me one more compliment.¡± ¡°¡­Good job.¡± ¡°Hmm? What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°Huu¡­good job.¡± I explained the situation roughly after meeting up with Elizabeth. Her shoulders soared as if they were going to fall off. With pointed ears pricked up, her expression was very high-spirited that anyone who saw it would have assumed that she had saved the world. But she was useful for the first time in a long time, so I played along with the atmosphere. ¡°Huhu, what¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t it Noah who can¡¯t do anything without sister? Sister will be by your side forever from now on¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°¡­Ahem. Sorry.¡± Sure enough, this woman loses her mind if she gets even a little carried away. There was still a long way before she was serviceable. Ignoring her who had lowered her shoulders again, I turned to the girl lying on the ground. Short gray hair like a man¡¯s, and elaborate features. It was definitely my first time seeing her, but for some reason she looked familiar. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Who the hell was it? I came a little closer to observe the girl¡¯s face. There was a smell of cigarettes from her breath as if she was a regular smoker. After looking at the girl¡¯s face for a while, Elizabeth asked in a trembling voice. ¡°N-Noah¡­For no other reason at all, I¡¯m just asking because I¡¯m curious¡­Why did you say you were looking for her?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± That was what I wanted to know. Who the hell was this girl for there to be such a Challenge of asking to be saved? What did she have to do with Eighth Layer Hell? But seeing that there was no response from Red Velvet Curse, she didn¡¯t seem to be a direct member. ¡°I-impossible¡­I-it can¡¯t be¡­N-no way¡­This girl¡­A-an old love?¡± ¡°Old love¡­?¡± What nonsense was she saying all of a sudden? Suddenly, an old memory flashed across my mind. ¡°Ah!¡± I think I know who this was now. I hadn¡¯t noticed it because of her short hair¡­ Unexpectedly, she was the one I was looking for. Her appearance was unlike what I had seen in the first round. There was no big scar and her hair wasn¡¯t short. As a result, I was late in finding out. In the first round, there was a S-Rank villain known by the name Night King. She was known to steal anything that was even a little profitable, no matter the target. And, she who had gradually become more fearless, eventually, even came to steal my sword. Naturally, she was beautifully cut in half and fell. Not only that, I had also gotten a very useful sword out of all the stolen goods she had. But did she have my sword now? Seeing that she was weak enough to be overpowered by Elizabeth, I had a hunch that she was broke with nothing¡­ For now, I thought I should talk to her directly. This girl of all people, I wondered how she was related to Eighth Layer Hell. And¡­most importantly, was she hiding my sword? I shook her to wake her up. ¡°Hey. Get up for a second.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She laid motionless with her eyes closed. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Did she fall unconscious deeper than I thought? In this situation, there was only one way to do this. Pak¨C! I slapped her face. ¡°¡­Keuh!¡± Her face jerked to one side and a clear sound was heard. ¡°Hmm?¡± But just now, I think I heard her voice. Pak¨C! I slapped the other cheek. ¡°¡­Keuh!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time I heard her voice clearly. She was awake. I guess she had a hunch that she had made a mistake, as sweat could be seen dripping down from her red swollen face. This won¡¯t work. I took the Love Whip out of my inventory. The dial was turned to MAX. Then I hit her, who was still pretending to be asleep. At that moment, ¡°Kyaaak!¡± She jumped up and screamed. Our eyes met as she stood in front of me. Then, taking a quick step back, she pulled out a knife. ¡°D-don¡¯t come! I-I¡¯m going to stab you!¡± Her figure wielding a small knife looked like a stray cat with its claws out. I could hurt her if I made a mistake, so I restrained her. As such, her body was immediately suspended in the air as if it had been frozen. ¡°Huh? M-my body¡­Wh-what¡¯s this? Untie me!¡± Her eyes fluctuate wildly. She asked me with a very panicked expression. ¡°Wh-what the hell are you trying to do to me?¡± I answered her with a kind smile. ¡°Hehe¡­I¡¯ll save you from now on, noona.¡± ¡°Hiik!¡± For some reason, after hearing my warm words, she became frightened and started going crazy. ¡°Aaak! Aaak! N-no! You psycho! Go away! Aaak¡­keok!¡± Eventually, she was beaten by Elizabeth and fainted. ¡°¡­¡± Staring at her figure, I had a thought. As expected, saving someone really didn¡¯t suit me. ____ Chapter 64 Chapter 64 ¡°¡­So you guys are heroes?¡± Jane woke up and stared at us vigilantly. I had even handed over my hero license, but her expression was still full of lingering doubts. ¡°It¡¯s written here. The A-Rank hero, Choi Noah. Can¡¯t you read, noona?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I can read? Are you looking down on me because I live here? I was just asking because you might have made it up!¡± ¡°Why would I bother doing such a thing? It won¡¯t be very useful here anyway.¡± I wouldn¡¯t have any qualm killing her if building my hero performance wasn¡¯t so difficult There was no need to bother pretending to be a hero in places like Kowloon where the law was blind. Only the law of the strong existed. As if she had realized that fact, she alternated between my face and the hero license before eventually shouting. ¡°Fuck! You should¡¯ve told me you were a hero from the beginning! I thought you were a human hunter!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I made it clear a moment ago that I would save you.¡± ¡°What, who the hell would believe that after you tied me up all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because noona stole from us first. Or should I just arrest you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved smoothly and she no longer shouted at me. She folded her arms and sat in a slanted posture as she looked at me. ¡°Haa¡­So. What is a handsome hero doing in such a dump? People like you usually don¡¯t care if people here die.¡± Her voice was full of malice. How dare she act so insolent to someone who wanted to help her as much as possible? I wanted to break her habit, but unfortunately, she was a key person in this Challenge. She dies and my reward would be gone. Huu¡­let¡¯s just remember the reward. Think of the reward only. I suppressed my creeping irritation. In any case, there were a lot of things to find out from her. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about Eighth Layer Hell?¡± ¡°Eighth Layer Hell? You mean those dangerous guys from the news?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I know it by name. But why are you suddenly asking me that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m chasing them right now.¡± With an anxious look, she asked back. ¡°No way¡­Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re in Kowloon or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but it¡¯s clear they¡¯re related to this place.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Her face crumpled and she cursed. Judging from her reaction, it seemed she really didn¡¯t have a direct relationship with Eighth Layer Hell. Sure enough, it couldn¡¯t be that easy. So, first of all, I had to save this girl according to the Challenge and then I can get the next clue it seems. And unless I know what was needed to save her, we¡¯d better act together for the time being. Also, now that I knew she was the future Night King, I had to find out where she had found my sword. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I don¡¯t want to get involved in dangerous things for no reason, so I¡¯m leaving. Anyway, I¡¯m sorry I tried to steal from you, so let¡¯s not see each other again.¡± She turned her back in a hurry and walked away at a high speed. No, it was more like running than walking. Looking at it for a moment, I stretched out my hand to restrain her movement. I couldn¡¯t let my reward run away. Her body stopped in the same running posture. She immediately looked back at me and shouted. ¡°Wh-what! Hurry up and release me!¡± Like watching a worm in a spider web, she struggled desperately. ¡°Noona, it would be a problem if you left like this.¡± ¡°Why! What the hell are you doing this for? I have nothing to do with anything!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made it clear to you. I said I¡¯d save noona. So I¡¯ll stay at noona¡¯s house for the time being.¡± ¡°H-huh? What the hell! Who said that? Can you act however you please just because you¡¯re a hero?¡± She still didn¡¯t seem to be aware of her situation, so I kindly explained. ¡°Or do you want to serve time in prison?¡± ¡°¡­¡± As a result, I, together with Jane and Elizabeth, entered the depths of Kowloon. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Don¡¯t do anything suspicious and just follow me. If you get caught up in something strange, I¡¯ll abandon you right away.¡± ¡°All right, hurry up and lead the way.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­I¡¯m really out of luck today.¡± Jane grumbled and took the lead. In front of us, gray concrete buildings that had suspended construction came into view. As expected, the atmosphere was very different from Guangcheng District. Although it was the same kind of slums, unlike Guangcheng District, which consisted mostly of shacks, Kowloon was a modern city built according to thorough urban planning. But naturally it wasn¡¯t properly managed, so it was full of all kinds of graffiti and trash. Jane entered an underground path between such buildings. Soon, a complicated and vast shopping center appeared before our eyes. Elizabeth, seeing it, asked. ¡°Is there a subway here?¡± ¡°Not currently. I heard they had tried to connect to Hong Kong¡¯s subway when this place was being built, but construction had stopped even before I was born.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± In the underground shopping center, just like a market, economic activities were being carried out. There were stores with a lot of unknown meat hanging, and even stores selling fish that had come from somewhere unknown. After a long walk through the underground maze, we finally arrived above ground. It was a very different place than before, as there were much less constructed buildings. Neon signs mixed with Chinese characters glowed, and a bad smell of indescribable spices stung my nose. Jane took us to a building in the corner of an alley. As we climbed up the iron stairs, I spotted a poorly blocked plastic door. ¡°Huu¡­we¡¯re here. I¡¯ll tell you beforehand, it¡¯s not a very good house like what you¡¯re used to, so don¡¯t complain.¡± As she opened the door, a larger-than-expected interior appeared. Looking at the structure, it looked more like a building originally designed for commercial use rather than residential use. The empty windows were shut with plastic bags, and the floor was covered with thick styrofoam that seemed to be used as an insulation material. ¡°The styrofoam is fragile, so take off your shoes¡­¡± Crunch¨C! Just in time, Elizabeth tore the styrofoam with her high-heels. ¡°Huh? What was that?¡± ¡°Fuck. You¡¯re destroying another person¡¯s house.¡± Jane clicked her tongue briefly and went into the house first. I spoke to Elizabeth. ¡°Why are you following me and causing trouble? You should have been careful.¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± Elizabeth took off her high heels with an ashamed look. I naturally had no intention of taking my shoes off in such a dirty place. So I kept my shoes on and followed Jane inside. At that moment, I heard the voice of a little boy. ¡°N-noona? Wh-why are you home so early?¡± So skinny that you could see his bones, a pale face as if he had never been in the sun, and heavy dark circles that come down below the eyes. All signs pointed to the boy being very ill. Next to him were scattered unfinished cardboard boxes. It seemed he had been folding them. In front of him, Jane spoke coldly. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°N-no¡­I-I just thought noona was having a hard time¡­¡± The boy had a very defeated look on his face. Suddenly, he hid the boxes behind his back. However, perhaps because he was too thin, the boxes were clearly visible through the gap. As Jane watched, her expression became full of emotion before contorting. She shouted in a sharp tone. ¡°Fuck! Who told you to fold these things? I told you not to worry about money. Just take care of your health!¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± ¡°Who the hell am I doing this for¡­What am I supposed to do if you¡¯re trying to make a little money when I¡¯m not around and overdo it?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°Stop! What if you get sick? Who¡¯s going to pay for the hospital bill? Are you going to fold boxes to pay for it? So please stop overdoing it!¡± Jane¡¯s voice resonated inside the room. The boy bowed his head in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t know any more. I don¡¯t care if you live or die, so do whatever you want!¡± ¡°N-noona¡­I-I¡¯m sorry¡­from now on¡­¡± The boy approached Jane slowly and apologized. But at that moment, ¡°Eueuk!¡± He suddenly staggered, grabbing his head, and fell flat on the floor. ¡°John!¡± Startled, Jane grabbed him. His body was trembling and his complexion was deathly pale. Jane looked around in a hurry, picked up a bag that had fallen nearby, and took an ampoule out of it. She quickly injected it into a syringe and administered it to her brother. Soon, his constant twitching body regained stability. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Only then did Jane let out a sigh of relief. Next, she put John, who had his eyes closed, on an electric mat and covered him with a blanket. ¡°Hey¡­is he okay?¡± Elizabeth asked with a troubled expression. In response, Jane answered bluntly. ¡°It happens all the time. It¡¯s just that he had overworked himself today.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? Do you know the cause?¡± When Elizabeth asked such a question, Jane¡¯s expression sank darkly. Taking out a cigarette and lighting it, she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­It¡¯s just his rotten luck.¡± ¡°Luck?¡± ¡°Shit, why of all people¡­¡± Jane looked at John, who was lying down, lovingly. Soon, we were able to hear an explanation from her. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Rather than the conflicts between cartels or dangerous residential conditions, the reason why the average life expectancy of people living in Kowloon was extremely short was because of one disease that was prevalent only here. It was called White Face. The name was given because the afflicted person would eventually die in a haggard appearance where the color of their face had completely disappeared. This unexplained disease simply occurs randomly, and once the first symptom appears, most die in less than 10 years. ¡°¡­Is there no cure?¡± Whether Elizabeth had already become empathetic, she asked with a serious look. Jane puffed out a long cigarette smoke and answered. ¡°No. There isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What about the medicine from earlier¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a life-sustaining treatment, not a cure. But it¡¯s expensive¡­Fuck!¡± Jane extinguished her cigarette on a nearby can. Then, she looked at me with a sneer. ¡°You said you¡¯d save me earlier, didn¡¯t you, Mr. Hero?¡± ¡°Yes. What about it?¡± ¡°Then, give me some money. I won¡¯t ask for much. Just enough to buy medicine before my brother dies. Aren¡¯t heroes super rich?¡± ¡°Money?¡± I gave her a dumbfounded look. She snorted and smirked. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to do it when I ask for money? How about this? If you give me the money, I¡¯ll let you do whatever you want until I pay you back. I¡¯m still a girl. Hehe.¡± Her expression was ambiguous and it was hard to tell whether she was smiling or crying. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yes, of course not. I know that. I¡¯m not even worth a penny. I just said it out of frustration. Forget what I just said.¡± When I didn¡¯t answer, she turned away again, biting her cigarette. Click, click¨C ¡°What the fuck! Why isn¡¯t it lighting up?!¡± She threw her gas lighter on the floor. Her shoulders trembled as she muttered to herself. ¡°Fuck¡­Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m a fool? I¡¯m stealing because I don¡¯t want to sell my body, but I had offered it right away when I saw that you looked a bit rich.¡± She seemed to think the reason I was lost in thought was because I had refused. I corrected her misunderstanding. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I didn¡¯t think all it took would be money.¡± It was a Challenge where a high-grade box was at stake, and I could solve it with money? Where in the world would I find a quest sweeter than this? My words raised Jane¡¯s head with a jerk. ¡°You¡­What are you talking about?¡± ¡°How much do you want? This much?¡± I pulled out a bunch of money from my inventory at random. Cash fell on the styrofoam floor with a thud. ¡°H-huh¡­?¡± The cigarette she had in her mouth fell flat on the floor. ¡°Hmm¡­is this not enough?¡± I continued to take out a bunch of money. After all, I had a suspicious amount in my inventory that I had stolen from the Turbak guys. On top of that, considering what I will receive from Choi Bokhui in the future, this was really a small amount in comparison. However, in front of the increasingly heavy pile of money, Jane frowned and grabbed me by the collar. ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! Is it fun to tease people like this? You think this is funny?!¡± Elizabeth, who was standing next to me, was about to have a seizure, but I raised my hand and stopped her. ¡°But I¡¯m not joking?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really going to give me all this money? Are you crazy? Are you crazy? How much do you think that is?¡± ¡°Well, this much is cheap.¡± ¡°What the hell is so cheap about it? We met for the first time today! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± ¡°I told you. I will save noona. So if you want anything other than money, don¡¯t waste time and tell me quickly.¡± Her expression began to change from moment to moment. At first her eyes widened, then she twitched as if her facial muscles were broken. Soon, tears began to fall. ¡°Fuck¡­Fuck! Fuck!¡± She covered her face with her hands and clenched her fists for a long time. After some time, [ Favorability has increased. ] Along with a notification in front of me, Jane slowly raised her head. And unlike before, she held back her tears and asked. ¡°I, really¡­I can ask what I want, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Feel free to tell me.¡± ¡°Really, really anything?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She hesitated for a while before speaking with a trembling voice. ¡°Th-then¡­my oppa¡­Take revenge against those who killed him and free me from this place¡­No, of course you don¡¯t have to do it if it¡¯s impossible. Even now I can¡¯t thank you enough. Honestly.¡± She trembled so pathetically that I wondered if it was the same person I had seen earlier. Perhaps she had thought it was impossible for me to do what she had asked. But¡­ ¡°Leave it to me.¡± I answered her with a bright smile. If such a thing was saving, then perhaps I was the most qualified savior in this world. ____ Chapter 65 Chapter 65 A tall man with braided pigtails stood in a deserted alley. The man¡¯s name was Snoop. However, because of his cruel nature, he was nicknamed ¡®Mad Dog.¡¯ As an officer of Blue Mage, he was particularly famous for punishing those who had fled the organization. And the reason why he was here now was to track those the organization had suddenly lost contact. ¡°Tsk, it has been too quiet recently.¡± He clicked his tongue and spat on the ground. It seemed discipline had laxed in such times of peace. He couldn¡¯t believe so many had deserted this time. And, this could be seen as a challenge to his authority. Unless he set a good example this time, others may think he was easy in the future. I¡¯ll put an end to it once they¡¯re caught. He thought of ways to kill the deserter more cruelly and painfully. Suddenly, one of the members who was searching the area shouted. ¡°Hyung! I think you have to come see this!¡± Were they found already? He took out a pair of scissors that were useful for pruning and ran toward his subordinates. ¡°Good! Make sure they don¡¯t run away!¡± He didn¡¯t know what had made them decide to run away, but considering how much trouble they had caused him to come all the way here, he thought he would start by cutting off a few fingers. That was what he thought as he entered another alley. But¡­ Instead of the members he was expecting, only dried bloodstains remained. And between the bloodstains, a small piece of a torn blue shirt caught his eyes. ¡°This¡­¡± He widened his eyes. Finding bloodstains on the streets was as easy as finding grass, but it was a different matter when blue clothes were in the mix. Only members of Blue Mage would wear blue in Kowloon. No one else who lived here wore blue unless they were tired of living. Damn it! His relaxed thinking became tense after seeing the sight. The members hadn¡¯t run away from the organization but were attacked by someone. If that was the case, who in the world dared to do such a thing? The answer was obvious without much thought. ¡°Those red sons of bitches! I knew this would happen!¡± Snoop gashed his teeth, recalling the Red Blood Alliance. He didn¡¯t like the ceasefire from the beginning. If you¡¯re a man, don¡¯t you have to go all the way, dead or alive? And, it seemed Blue Mage had become more brazen after seeing how relaxed Red Blood Alliance had been. ¡°Fuck! That¡¯s why I said we should strike first.¡± It was just an idea in his mind, however, was there someone who had thought the same on the Red Blood Alliance side? Naturally, there were many people who didn¡¯t obediently accept the ceasefire. No, perhaps from the beginning they had planned to stab them in the back. His face crumbled and he shouted. ¡°Hey! You there! Go and tell Chris about this right now. Those red sons of a bitches had put a hit on our guys.¡± ¡°Y-yes sir.¡± ¡°It¡¯s war now. We¡¯ll lose our life if we continue to drag our feet.¡± The moment one of the members ran, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Bang¨C! The head of the member who had been running burst into pieces. As soon as Snoop saw that, he immediately ducked to the ground and shouted. ¡°It¡¯s an attack! Get down!¡± However, some members, who had been slower than him, couldn¡¯t immediately respond. And as a result, Dudududu¨C! ¡°Kuaaak!¡± ¡°Keuhok!¡± Nearly half of the members fell to the ground in front of the series of bullets. Soon, on one side of the alley, Red Blood Alliance members armed with guns appeared. ¡°Hahaha! You smurf bastards!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all!¡± At a first glance, their number seemed to be more than 20. On top of that, as if they were very determined to come this time, they wore bullet proof vests. As a result, the Red Blood Alliance members who took out their pistols and fought back had no choice but to be helpless. Damn it! At a time like this¡­ There was no chance of winning at this rate. The difference in firepower was too great. At last, Snoop sprang up and shouted. ¡°Run! We must get out of here!¡± Following his instructions, the surviving members recklessly began to run. Meanwhile, Snoop used his prepared magic < Bad Trip > on where the Red Alliance members were gathered. Green smoke with an acrid smell of rotting grass spread in all directions. Immediately, members of Red Blood Alliance, who were momentarily hallucinating, began firing in the wrong directions. ¡°M-mother? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Kueaaak! Bugs!¡± Snoop took advantage of the confusion and ran with all the strength he could muster. Bad Trip wasn¡¯t the kind of magic to deal against a group in this way, but there was no other way now. In addition, they were out in an open area. It wasn¡¯t known how long the hallucination would last. We¡¯re running out of time, we have to get out of here! Sure enough, after a moment, Blue Mage members who had come to their senses recognized him and began firing heavily again. ¡°Mad Dog is over there! Open fire!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let that bastard get away!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°Keuk! Shit!¡± Snoop wrapped mana around himself to defend against the flying bullets. Even though firearms were ineffective against those who have awakened mana, in the face of a constant stream of bullets, it was bound to strain the body. His mana rapidly decreased, and one by one, scratches were left behind on his skin. We just have to hang on a little longer. Just a little more! They would be able to avoid the attacks once they went around the alley that was just around the corner. With that in mind, he put strength into his legs. But at that moment, *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Swiik¨C! Along with the rough sound of wind breaking, he heard something flying in. And then¡­ Psh¨C! ¡°Kuaaak!¡± As he was running, one of his thighs was pierced and he rolled across the ground. A terrible pain as if his thigh was on fire. He quickly felt his consciousness wavering. ¡°¡­Keuh¡­¡± He looked down at his thigh. There was a thick iron bar that seemed to have been pulled out from somewhere. Blood was flowing out endlessly through the penetrated area. Even if he wanted to pull it out by hand, he couldn¡¯t even touch it because of the pain that was making his head dizzy. N-no¡­ Urgently looking up, he saw Red Blood Alliance members slowly walking his way. At the head of the group was a short and ragged man. ¡°Dwayne¡­¡± ¡®Little Boy¡¯ Dwayne. A dwarf native, he was an already longtime rival who had joined the Red Blood Alliance by the time Snoop had joined Blue Mage. Dwayne looked at Snoop and grinned. ¡°Long time no see. Snoop.¡± ¡°Fuck off! You son of a bitch!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very disappointing thing to say. Do you know how much I¡¯ve missed you? Hehe.¡± Snoop didn¡¯t know when Dwayne had picked it up, but he saw the pruning scissors he was carrying a while ago in his hands. He felt his body trembling unconsciously when he faced his sadistic smile. A-a way out¡­ He desperately looked around. But wherever he looked, the only people left were those from the Red Blood Alliance. He was the only one remaining from Blue Mage. Dwayne came up to him and showed his hand. ¡°Do you remember this?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He had only two fingers left, a thumb and an index finger. ¡°You cut off all my other fingers and made me play rock-paper-scissors¡­Do you know how long I¡¯ve been waiting for a day like this to come?¡± Shink¨C! Shink¨C! Dwayne approached Snoop with the pruning scissors. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ll make your fingers the same today.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Snoop uttered a curse. Dwayne continued in a soft tone. ¡°Or, if you beg me for your life now, I am willing to spare you. What do you think?¡± ¡°Ptooey! Fuck you!¡± ¡°Well, I expected that.¡± Dwayne smiled insidiously as he wiped the saliva off his face. Seeing that, Snoop realized today would be his last. Born as a man in Kowloon, he had lived a lifetime. There had been numerous crises, but he had never begged for his life. For a man¡¯s pride was more important than his life. Although he had no regrets, if there was one thing left to be desired, it was that he wished he could have fought them before getting ambushed like this today. ¡°Which finger shall I cut first?¡± ¡°Hyung! Why don¡¯t you start with his toes? Wouldn¡¯t that be more fun?¡± ¡°Haha, shall we?¡± ¡°L-let go of me! Let go of me you son of bitches!¡± Snoop resisted violently, but they rushed in and forcibly stripped him. Soon, he felt the touch of cold metal between his toes. ¡°You better bite your teeth tightly.¡± Snoop closed his eyes reflexively the moment he felt strength was put on the scissors. Crunch¨C! The sound of bone breaking penetrated his ears. ¡°Ku-kuaaak¡­Huh?¡± Snoop unintentionally screamed, but he didn¡¯t feel any pain. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his toes. It was still in one piece. I¡¯m sure I had heard a noise¡­? There was also something strange about Dwayne¡¯s expression in front of him. His eyes were wide open and he was frozen in place like a statue. H-huh? Was this a trick to mess with him? As soon as Snoop thought as such, he heard another sound. Crunch¨C! Crunch¨C! The sound of something being chewed. He slowly turned his head. Then, standing there was a wolf as big as a house chewing someone in its mouth. ?! An unrealistic sight that he had never seen in his life. Regardless if it was the Red Blood Alliance or Blue Mage, everyone here could only stare blankly at the figure. Wh-where the hell did this thing come from¡­? The wolf spat out the man and spoke. ¡°It smells terrible.¡± The body was so damaged that even the shape was hard to recognize. Along with the terrible sight, everyone¡¯s sense of reality that had flown away quickly returned. ¡°M-monster!¡± ¡°Euaaak! R-run!¡± Members of Red Blood Alliance ran away in all directions. But no matter how fast they ran, the distance was narrowed at once as soon as the wolf took a leap. As such, the wolf bit and killed the escapees horribly. Was it because he realized that he couldn¡¯t escape from here? Dwayne, calling his men, shouted. ¡°D-damn it! Attack! Attack it!¡± ¡°D-die!!¡± They immediately opened fire. The area became brightly lit from all sides. Among the projectiles were even missiles from rocket launchers. Dudududu¨C! Bang¡ª! Terrifying firepower reminiscent of a battlefield. Nobody thought the monster would be safe with this amount of force. ¡°I-is it dead?¡± But¡­ ¡°Hehe¡­As expected, the wolf form can take hits.¡± The monster was giggling with its long muzzle as if it had found their attacks amusing. But besides that, there wasn¡¯t even a scratch on its fur. ¡°I¡¯m going to get things sorted out now.¡± In a blink of an eye, the monster disappeared from sight, leaving behind only a red afterimage as it swept its surroundings. After a brief moment, members of the Red Blood Alliance were torn to pieces without even being able to scream. Next, the monster pressed the lone Dwayne with its feet. ¡°Oh? This is kind of hard?¡± ¡°Keu-keuahuk!¡± Dwayne, whose strength was so powerful that he could crush concrete, was pitiful shaking his legs as he barely endured the monster¡¯s feet. His face turned red as if it would burst, and the veins in his eyes burst and it became bloodshot. In the end, did he run out of mana? His body compressed little by little. ¡°P-please¡­spare¡­¡± He looked at the monster for the last time and begged. Someone who didn¡¯t give up even when his fingers were cut off was now begging for his life. However, the monster didn¡¯t seem interested in such words. ¡°N-no!¡± Crunch¨C! Like a bug beneath a wheel, Dwayne¡¯s body exploded so horribly that it had become unrecognizable. The monster rubbed the remains from its feet on the ground as if it was wiping away dirt. Soon, it slowly turned and looked Snoop¡¯s way. Keururu¨C Each breath it took was reminiscent of an echo inside a cave. Meeting the monster¡¯s gaze, he found it impossible to breathe properly under the enormous pressure. Along with a tingling sensation in his spine, his arms and legs didn¡¯t listen. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± An overwhelming fear dominated his body. His crotch became wet, regardless of his will. However, with the will to live, he managed to squeeze out a strain of words. ¡°P-please¡­s-spare me¡­¡± The monster stared at him and spoke. ¡°Do you have any thoughts of hiring a mercenary?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Snoop had no choice but to look up at the monster with a blank look. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°I-I¡¯ll be done in no time. I¡¯ll go and come back!¡± After the iron bar was pulled out of the man¡¯s thigh, he was barely able to stand up, as could be seen from his legs trembling. His figure looked quite precarious. ¡°You¡¯re okay alone? Or should we go together?¡± ¡°No, no, no. I-it¡¯s really all right. I-if I use magic, I can reduce the pain¡­So I¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­okay.¡± Whether he was trying to show me that he was really okay, or that he was desperately trying to get away from me, I watched him as he left to call the boss of Blue Mage. Good. So far it was going as planned. Jane had told me about her complicated family¡¯s history after I had received her request for revenge. And based on the information, the conclusion was¡­ There were two targets for revenge in this Challenge. First, her parents had died of White Face, the same illness that was currently plaguing her brother. It was a strange disease that was said to be only found in Kowloon. I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was, but Elizabeth, who had examined it, said it seemed to be a kind of curse. It smelled suspicious and was something that needed to be investigated further. My instinct as a gamer told me. There was something hidden behind the streets of Kowloon. Maybe it was related to Eighth Layer Hell that I had been looking for. In any case, catching the person who was spreading the curse here was one of the targets. Anyway, the other target of revenge was easier than I had thought. Jane¡¯s older brother had died in a conflict between the Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage. However, he hadn¡¯t died in a fight but was executed as a scapegoat after being betrayed by the cartel in which he worked for, so it could be said that both the Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage were involved in this problem. And, all problems would be solved neatly if I erase both cartels, but¡­ There was a small problem here. Like roaches, their numbers were too large to hunt and kill one by one. If I caught one or two of them little by little, it was obvious that all those who noticed my existence would begin to hide somewhere. For this reason, it was necessary to use my brain in order to target such bugs. Her side should be done by now, right¡­? I contacted Elizabeth using < Friendship of a Warrior >. Soon, a mysterious person covered in shadows appeared in my status window. ¡°Ah! Noah!¡± The mysterious person said brightly. Rubbing her face, the flickering shadow disappeared and her usual appearance was revealed. I looked at the icon and spoke. ¡°Noona, I¡¯m almost done with my side. I think I¡¯ll be done talking with the boss of Blue Mage in a little while.¡± Elizabeth tapped her chest and raised her chin. ¡°Ahem! I¡¯ve already finished my contract with the Red Blood Alliance!¡± This was what I had planned. Elizabeth and I were on different sides, hunting each other¡¯s organization. Originally, I had intended to induce a war, but for some reason they were already preparing for one. I was lucky. Thanks to this, the intermediate step was skipped and I would be able to weave myself into a mercenary role more naturally. Now that war had begun, neither side would back down or hide as freely since the supremacy of Kowloon was at stake. Hehe¡­on top of that, I could earn extra income as a mercenary. I spoke to Elizabeth, who had a look as if asking for praise. ¡°Yeah? But you remember everything I said, right?¡± ¡°Of course! I already know where the armory is. I¡¯ll take all the money and worthy treasures for Noah later on. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Okay! Good job.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°All right, let¡¯s get in touch later, ah, be careful not to make a mistake if you run into me.¡± ¡°Okay! Noah, take care of yourself, but if you miss sister, feel free to call me anytime¡­¡± I stopped contacting her when she was about to start talking nonsense. She seemed to lose her mind with a little praise. Although her ability had risen to a very useful level¡­ Still, it seemed there was nothing I could do about that mental head that wasn¡¯t all there. As I thought as such, just in time a blue luxury sedan was approaching. They came sooner than I had thought. The boss of Blue Mage must be on board inside there. He seemed to have really done his best to run. Soon, a man with glasses got out of the sedan that had stopped in front of me. He looked me up and down as calm as could be. ¡°Y-you¡¯re the one who asked to see me?¡± But unlike his expression, he wasn¡¯t very good at voice acting. As I looked at him, a smile came out of my mouth. Hehe¡­I was already looking forward to it. Sure enough, watching others fight was the most entertaining. ____ Chapter 66 Chapter 66 It could be said that a person¡¯s thinking temporarily stops when they encounter something that wasn¡¯t easily understood with common sense. Likened to a computer, it was similar to a system crash. And that was exactly how Chris felt now. ¡°So are you going to hire me or not?¡± He stared blankly at the young child urging him for an answer. Glossy black hair, a good-looking appearance that could be mistaken for a girl, and about 12 or 13 years old? In Kowloon he would be old enough to just enter a gang and do all the chores the seniors tell him to do. But¡­ This brat¡­is the monster from earlier? He looked at the boy in disbelief. Meanwhile, he was smiling brightly as if he was enjoying the present situation. ¡°¡­¡± If someone just looked at the innocent appearance, it would be difficult for anyone to think of his identity as being linked to that of a vicious monster. But for Chris who had seen him a while ago, the smile that he was showing came as eerie as that of a predator playing with its food. Where the hell did this monster come from? He hadn¡¯t seen him fight properly yet, so it was hard to make a precise judgment. But judging from the situation around him, he was at least as strong as himself. Maybe¡­he might be stronger than that. Vlad was the only one who could stand up to him in the streets of Kowloon. So Chris was certain he had come from the outside. If he had been a resident of Kowloon, his existence would have been known by now. Then, what was his purpose for coming here? Don¡¯t tell me¡­was he here to threaten my position? A strong person with his level of skill would surely be able to live well anywhere, so he was suspicious of his intention to crawl into such a place. ¡°You¡­Why did you come here?¡± Chris asked, glaring at him sharply. At the same time, he circulated mana and released his aura so that magic could be used. However, despite that kind of threat, the boy spoke calmly. ¡°Hmm? I thought you already knew¡­The man next to you. Didn¡¯t he tell you?¡± He asked, pointing to Snoop standing next to Chris. Snoop shook his hands frantically and excused himself. ¡°N-no! I-I¡¯ve clearly told the boss, but¡­¡± Snoop turned his head slightly and gave Chris a look of blame. Huh. Chris wasn¡¯t expecting this to happen to him from the guy who was more ¡®loyal¡¯ to him than anyone else. Was he scared of the boy that much? ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it. But I just couldn¡¯t guess your intentions. Why did you say you¡¯ll help us?¡± The boy raised the corner of his mouth and answered. ¡°What¡¯s the reason for working as a mercenary? It¡¯s because of money.¡± ¡°Because of money? Do you really want me to believe that?¡± ¡°Well, believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you. So are you going to sign a contract or not?¡± Those who had power usually had high pride. But how much money does a strong person like him coming to such a dump expect to earn? It wasn¡¯t easy to understand. There¡¯s no way there would be such a person in the world¡­ As Chris thought as such, suddenly, a memory crossed his mind. A lone wolf who wanders the underworld and takes care of anything for money. He was sure the name he had heard at that time was¡­ ¡°Werewolf¡­Hongir.¡± ¡°What?¡± As if his guess was correct, the boy asked back with his eyes wide open. ¡°How do you know the name?¡± ¡°I see¡­You were the Werewolf.¡± Chris nodded to himself. It would explain the wolf he saw earlier and the manner the boy was showing now if it was the famous Werewolf. ¡°Me? No, I¡¯m not?¡± The boy frowned and denied it. It was said Hongir didn¡¯t like being called Werewolf. It was consistent with what Chris knew. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll apologize for that.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter what you call me.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s not what matters now.¡± As he said, there were other concerns now. There was no need to doubt his purpose now that he knew he was Hongir. However, hiring him was another matter. A while ago, he had received a report that there was an attack by the Red Blood Alliance, but that wasn¡¯t a confirmation of a war. In addition, even if there was an all-out war now, Blue Mage already had the upper hand. Even without Hongir, there would be no big problem. On the other hand, the problem was that the cost of hiring Hongir was known to be astronomical. Naturally, they would be able to conquer Kowloon with a little more certainty if Hongir helped them, but in this situation, hiring him was like bringing a knife to catch a chicken. It was an absolutely unacceptable offer, especially for Chris, who was famous for being money-hungry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But our organization¡¯s financial situation isn¡¯t good right now. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t afford your commission.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you for saving my companion¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just go over there and ask them to hire me.¡± ¡°?!¡± The boy said, turning his back without hesitation. Chris, looking at his figure, stopped him in a hurry. ¡°W-wait!¡± ¡°What?¡± The balance that had been tightly maintained would be broken at once if the boy sticks to the Red Blood Alliance. Chris didn¡¯t know what the situation was like over there, but they would surely hire Hongir if they were in a tight spot later. It was nothing short of a dilemma. The boy looked at him with an insidious smile as if he knew such a fact. Damn it¡­he¡¯s forcing my hands. There was no way. Now, even if it cost a little money, he had to keep Hongir in check. And, in the midst of this, Chris had thought of an idea to save money. ¡°Hmm¡­okay. Then, why don¡¯t we make a contract like this?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°First of all, after receiving the advance payment and signing the contract, you¡¯ll only be paid in the event of a fight.¡± ¡°That would be a loss to me.¡± ¡°Instead! Each time you fight, I¡¯ll pay you twice as much as you would normally receive.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The boy showed a troubled expression. Looking at him, Chris prayed earnestly. Please accept it, please! He would be able to eliminate a risk at the lowest possible cost if the boy accepts. Rather, it could be insurance for the worst case scenario, and there would be no more variables. Did such prayers go through? The boy, who had been silent for a while, finally nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. But instead of a set price, let¡¯s decide on a price when the time comes. It¡¯s not like every fight is the same.¡± ¡°All right! Good. Now we¡¯re understanding each other. Hahaha!¡± There would be no big worry if a war broke out in the future now that he had Hongir tied up in his hands. And rather, to be able to negotiate the charge of the contract was a benefit to him. Hehe¡­the advance payment can be recouped if I sell his name and put pressure on the Red Blood Alliance. Chris smiled, hiding his insidious intentions. However, a few days later he had no choice but to realize that the contract was the worst mistake he had ever made. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Attack! We can¡¯t be pushed back here!¡± After the incident that day, Red Blood Alliance began to actively pressure Blue Mage. Red Blood Alliance began to engage in guerrilla warfare by attacking various businesses Blue Mage operated. Chris was naturally prepared for this, but what the hell were they up to? They had appeared and disappeared as if they had teleported as a group. And finally today, as if Red Blood Alliance was determined to end it, they had led armed members and attacked a drug factory that could be called the Blue Mage¡¯s cash cow. Their number was estimated to be more than 300. On the other hand, Blue Mage had only about 200. ¡°Fuck! Don¡¯t doze off and keep fighting! I¡¯ll kill those who run away myself!¡± It was a very lop-sided situation in terms of numbers, but Chris couldn¡¯t give up. This was because the side of victory in this war would surely shift if he handed over this place. ¡°Vlad didn¡¯t even show up, you little brats!¡± Chris squeezed out his mana, and blades of wind flew in all directions. But¡­ Contrary to his will, the fight was taking a turn for the worse. ¡°Keuhaha! We have the Dark Specter on our side!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s finish it once and for all!¡± The battle had been even at first, but ever since the appearance of a mysterious person wrapped in darkness on the Red Blood Alliance camp, it had turned into a one-sided slaughter. ¡°M-monster!¡± ¡°Run away! Keuaak!¡± The shadows oozing from the monster¡¯s body penetrated the bodies of Blue Mage members. They had tried to focus guns and magic, but perhaps because the monster had the ability to nullify range attacks, all the projectiles were sucked into the darkness surrounding it. ¡°Damn it! Where the hell did that monster come from?¡± He had never seen such a monster in Kowloon. Red Blood Alliance seemed to have brought a mercenary from outside. On top of that, he was no match for it even when he had tried to step forward himself. Shit! Shit! Shit! What are we going to do? Chris bit his lips and looked around. Even at this moment, Blue Mage members were being brutally murdered. A way¡­ *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** At the end of his gaze, he saw a child fiddling with a game console in one corner of the factory. Looking at his carefree appearance, an uncontrollable anger rose. He ran straight to the boy and shouted. ¡°Hongir! What are you doing here? Can¡¯t you see our members are dying?¡± The boy replied with a sullen look. ¡°You told me to stay out of the battle. Did you change your mind?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s something you have to decide on your own!¡± ¡°You have to pay for the fight.¡± ¡°Yes! How much do you want? We don¡¯t have time, so tell me quickly!¡± ¡°Four million.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± At first, he thought he had misheard. Four million? ¡°I don¡¯t have time for jokes. Tell me quickly. If I¡¯ve done something to upset you, I¡¯ll apologize.¡± However, the boy continued to fiddle with his game console. ¡°Four million.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy! Are you serious¡­¡± ¡°Four million.¡± ¡°Come on, be a little more realistic¡­¡± ¡°Four million.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy rolled up one corner of his mouth. At that moment, Chris came to a realization. He wasn¡¯t playing around, and he was also aware of the situation. Rather, he understood the situation better than anyone else here and was trying to suck him dry. This son of a bitch! He trembled as he stared at the boy. But in the end, he had no choice but to accept the proposal. ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯ll give it to you. However, this situation must be resolved.¡± Only then did the boy put away his game console and stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just get the money ready.¡± He immediately turned into a giant wolf and giggled with his torn mouth. Chris thought as he looked at it. Yes¡­it would be cheaper than the factory being blown away. This won¡¯t happen again if we overcome this crisis¡­ Hongir, who had thus entered the battlefield, fought fiercely against the Dark Specter. And maybe the Dark Specter was weak in close combat, but it was helplessly attacked by him. As a result, ¡°D-damn it! Retreat! Everybody back!¡± Red Blood Alliance, who had confidently come, quickly fled, leaving their wounded colleagues behind. They had defeated nearly 300 with only 200. This could be said to be a sweeping victory that would have been recorded in a page of history if this was a real battlefield. But¡­instead of shouting for being victorious, Chris had no choice but to curse. ¡°N-no¡­It can¡¯t be¡­¡± Next to the scattered bodies wearing blue and red was the factory that was used to refine drugs, destroyed beyond recognition. And now, of the 200 people from Blue Mage, there were only a handful left standing in one piece. Both sides had suffered great losses in the fight between two monsters. It was simply a hurtful victory. To him who was cursing, a giant wolf came up to him and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve done my job, so please prepare the four million as promised.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± In the end, Chris slumped to the floor. * * * * * * * * * * Blue Mage had suffered tremendous damage due to the battle at the factory. One of their largest money sources was destroyed, and of the members who were active on the front line, nearly 200 people were killed or injured and had left the organization. All things considered, it wasn¡¯t a large number if the 2nd and 3rd string members spread throughout Kowloon were accounted for. However, considering that most of the members who had participated in the battle were key personnel of Blue Mage, it could be said to be a truly devastating loss. On top of that, Chris had paid a whopping sum of four million¡­ As such, he had no choice but to feel a sense of crisis about the current situation. He calmly calculated the benefits and losses of continuing this war, and then came to a conclusion. At this rate¡­both sides will be destroyed. He was certain Red Blood Alliance had also suffered a lot. And¡­Vlad must have spent a lot of money on the mercenary. It would just be a matter of filling the pockets of the two mercenaries if things continued. Pride means nothing, even if I have to bend down for a while¡­As long as I can keep my money. In the end, he had asked Red Blood Alliance boss, Vlad, to meet him secretly. And perhaps because Vlad had thought the same, a meeting was quickly held. An old cathedral located on the border of a district controlled by the two forces. It was the only building that had existed here before the Kowloon Group had started their urban development. Now at this cathedral, key executives of the two cartels had gathered. ¡°Seeing that you had asked to meet me first, I guess you¡¯re quite anxious, Chris?¡± Vlad said, his expression still full of bravado as ever. Normally, Chris would have felt angry at Vlad¡¯s provocation. However, now he readily admitted and spoke bluntly. ¡°Yes. To tell you the truth, the situation isn¡¯t so good.¡± ¡°Huu? What¡¯s going on? What could you possibly mean?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same for you? Two of your executives were amongst the dead bodies at the factory this time.¡± ¡°You¡­Did you call me here to pick a fight? If so, let¡¯s settle it here right now.¡± Vlad, in a growling voice, pulled out a pair of axes hanging from his back. At that moment, Chris lowered his head toward Vlad. His sudden action took everyone¡¯s breath away. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m apologizing for what happened. So could you please listen to me for a second?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boss of a large cartel that divided Kowloon. The fact that such a man had bowed his head wasn¡¯t something to be taken lightly. Did he feel the sincerity behind the action? Vlad put away his axes and stared at Chris. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just hearing you out. And I¡¯m sure you have the respect of your men, but it¡¯s not a very nice look seeing you bow like that.¡± ¡°Yes¡­thank you.¡± It was a fact that men born in Kowloon become members of gangs. But¡­ Regardless of which cartel they belonged to, they were all victims caught in tragic fate. Therefore, while hating each other more than anyone else, they also had no choice but to understand each other. For the first time in a while, a faint smile appeared on everyone¡¯s face. In the warm atmosphere, Chris explained what he had on his mind. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying, if we fight, we should leave out the mercenaries?¡± ¡°Yes. We would only be filling their pockets If we go on like this.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­that certainly makes sense.¡± ¡°And this is a long-running battle to decide who owns Kowloon. If outsiders get involved in such a fight, wouldn¡¯t we lose face?¡± ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t believe that came out of your mouth. I thought you were just crazy about money.¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t deny that, but I have my pride as a man.¡± ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s funny. I¡¯ll trust your pride and do as you suggested this time.¡± ¡°Thank you for believing me. Even if I die, let¡¯s do it fair and square like men.¡± ¡°Euhaha! Okay, fine. Let¡¯s fight as men till the end!¡± Vlad and Chris shook hands, and a gentlemen¡¯s agreement was concluded. It¡¯s done. Now that the mercenaries are out of the way, all I¡¯ll have to do is fight and win¡­ The moment Chris was smiling, suddenly, a loud voice came from behind. ¡°H-huh? Why is my body¡­heup!¡± Looking back, Snoop¡¯s body creaked as he pulled out a grenade. ?! Now that the agreement was safely done, what the hell was he trying to do? Chris hurriedly tried to stop him. However, the speed at which the grenade flew from Snoop¡¯s hand was faster. The grenade, which flew in a long parabola, fell among the members near Vlad. ¡°N-no!¡± Boom¨C! Along with a deafening sound, the flesh of Red Blood Alliance members was scattered in all directions. And at that moment, an angry voice was heard. ¡°Chris¡­you son of a bitch! You tricked me again!¡± Vlad, covered in blood and flesh, glared at Chris. Chris really hadn¡¯t ordered it this time, but looking at Vlad¡¯s expression, it seemed it would be impossible to resolve the misunderstanding. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Why was everything so complicated? There was only one way left. ¡°Attack! Kill all the red bastards!¡± Dudududu¨C! ¡°Kueaak!¡± ¡°Keuhok!¡± The stale smell of gunpowder filled the cathedral, and the sound of people dying resonated everywhere. ¡°Everyone, retreat! This is a trap!¡± Members of Red Blood Alliance ran away and Vlad shouted as they left the cathedral. ¡°Chris! Next time we meet, I¡¯ll turn you into minced meat!¡± Chris grimaced and cursed. ¡°Fucking hell! Fuck!¡± For some reason, he felt like things were becoming more complicated these days. * * * * * * * * * * Hiding in one corner of the cathedral, I watched as the two sides fought. Hehe, who was going to win in the end? It was only just the beginning, so it would be no fun if it was over already. I must tell Elizabeth to raise the price since Vlad should be very angry after this. Also, Chris won¡¯t be able to stay as still as before now that the Red Blood Alliance will become more aggressive. In any case, more and more money will go into my pocket if it repeats like this. And, once I squeeze out everything, I¡¯ll wrap up this plan when I think there¡¯s nothing more to farm. Hehe¡­good, good. Sooner or later, all the wealth in Kowloon will come into my hands. Watching the fights was just a bonus. To strike a balance, perhaps it would be for the best if the Red Blood Alliance wins tomorrow? I smiled deeply and contacted Elizabeth. ____ Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Large cartels such as the Chinese Triad and the Russian Mafia had a number of affiliated groups beside their direct members. While they dominated large areas, crime was systemized by their 2nd and 3rd string members as subcontractors on smaller matters. And like them, the Red Blood Alliance, who controlled half of Kowloon, also managed a considerable number of affiliated groups. The day after the church incident, affiliated groups under the control of the Red Blood Alliance were visited by direct members of the organization. Bang¨C! ¡°Fuck! Trash it all!¡± Members of Red Blood Alliance began throwing things at random after arriving. Seeing this, the boss who was in charge of the place rushed out and pleaded. ¡°W-wait! What¡¯s going on all of a sudden¡­I¡¯m sure I paid the tax last month. I-if it wasn¡¯t enough, take this here and calm down.¡± Sometimes men who came to collect tax would pocket some for themselves, so he thought that was the case this time. However, when the members of Red Blood Alliance saw the stack of money, one of them spoke grimly. ¡°Am I hearing this right? You¡¯re really testing your luck.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Now that our Red Blood Alliance brothers are dying day by day. Huh? What the hell were you doing here while we were shedding blood?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­I don¡¯t have to fight because I¡¯m not in the Red Blood Alliance like you. Also, we don¡¯t have many weapons either¡­¡± ¡°Bullshit! You think I believe that? If you work for us, you¡¯re all part of the Red Blood Alliance. We¡¯ll give you guns, so you have to come out and fight starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°H-how the hell can you do this?!¡± Originally, the power struggle between Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage was implicitly agreed to be fought only among direct members, but Vlad, who had completely lost his mind after the cathedral incident, had ordered all the small affiliated groups under him to mobilize. And naturally the bosses of the affiliated groups protested. ¡°Vlad! If you do this, our organization will become independent of the Red Blood Alliance.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! No matter how big the Red Blood Alliance is, you can¡¯t manage this large town by yourself! Please respect us a little bit more!¡± It could be said that the power of a cartel depended on the tax collected from the 2nd and 3rd string groups. The tide of war would immediately tilt if all of these affiliated groups went over to Blue Mage. Therefore, from the standpoint of the Red Blood Alliance, this kind of threat couldn¡¯t be ignored. But¡­ ¡°Then, I¡¯ll just have to leave no stones unturned!¡± Crunch¨C! ¡°Keuhok!¡± Vlad went to those who opposed him and crushed their heads one by one. He took his axes dripping with blood and asked. ¡°Huu¡­fuck! Whoever doesn¡¯t want to join, tell me now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°No? If not, you¡¯ll join the war from today. If you object later, be ready to have your skull cracked.¡± ¡°¡­We understand.¡± It wasn¡¯t an act without consequences. In fact, Vlad knew very well that his actions would raise their defiance. After acting recklessly like this, even if the war ends, it would be difficult to lead the Red Blood Alliance normally like before. However, in his mind, there was no thought of such a distant future. All he wanted was revenge. ¡°That fucking Chris¡­I¡¯ll make sure to cut him into pieces.¡± Vlad, who had forcefully gathered troops, finally began his bloody revenge. ¡°Kuaaaak! Y-you fucking cowards!¡± ¡°N-no! P-please spare me¡­Keuook!¡± Scenes of horrific murders that even veteran cartel members frowned upon. Vlad attacked Blue Mage members by all means, breaking the unwritten rules of Kowloon. And¡­ ¡°Crazy son of a bitch! Where is he now?¡± Seeing the indiscriminate attacks, Chris could no longer stand still. Since the other person had taken out a knife, he must hold a knife in the same way. ¡°Damn it! Gather everyone! Those who don¡¯t want to join, bring them to me!¡± It was no longer meaningful to weigh the pros and cons of the war. It had become a matter of life and death. And in order to survive, it wasn¡¯t the time to be saving money. ¡°Hongir! Help us like last time!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll charge you more this time, are you okay with that?¡± ¡°¡­Damn it! I don¡¯t care what it is, just kill all those fuckers.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­good. Leave it to me.¡± The fight between the two cartels, which had begun as a minor dispute, had turned into an all-out-war in which the entire Kowloon was involved. As if it was hell on earth, both sides continued to slaughter one another. ¡°Die! You red son of bitches!¡± ¡°How dare you smurf bastards act up!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Whether it was night or day, screams were heard throughout Kowloon. Bodies littering the streets became infested with flies, and the smell of acrid gunpowder lingered in every alley. An unprecedented large-scale power struggle. It was no exaggeration to say that the bloodshed from this war was more than any other since the establishment of Kowloon. How many days had it been? The two groups, after having repeatedly killed one another, at last, had gathered for the final battle. A large construction site skillfully engineered. Originally, Kowloon Tower, the symbol of the Kowloon Group, should have been built here, but now there were only those in red and blue staring each other down. At a first glance, the figure was easily between 2,000 to 3,000 people. It seemed as if all the young men of Kowloon were gathered here. And at the head of the two groups were Chris and Vlad. Damn it! Where did he gather so many people? Chris frowned as he watched the closely lined Red Blood Alliance camp. He had mobilized all the forces with the feeling of squeezing a dry towel, but now that he saw it, there was not much difference compared to the Red Blood Alliance. Perhaps Vlad had gathered all the forces he could mobilize too. Fuck¡­We must win by all means this time. The war so far had been a series of fierce battles. For a moment, if the situation was favorable, they were defeated in the next battle. On the contrary, when he thought they had lost, they would somehow win the next battle. A state of perfect balance as if it was intentionally coordinated by someone. In the midst of such an ebb and flow, Chris had no choice but to cough up everything he had. Especially in order to keep the dreadful monster on the other side in check, he also had to hire a capable mercenary, so each battle had cost a huge sum of money. Not only that, the money he had poured out wasn¡¯t enough, so recently, he had even taken out all his savings meant for retirement. As a result, the current financial situation of Blue Mage could be said to be dire. Fuck¡­he¡¯s greedier than I am. Chris turned slightly and looked at the wolf standing beside him. Hongir¡¯s long snout was tore apart and he was gasping as if he was enjoying the current situation. Looking at it, he felt as if his insides were burning. In fact, he had proposed to settle the war here because he had no money to pay Hongir if the war was prolonged any longer. And as expected, it was the same for Vlad. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have accepted my offer. He was already at his limit. In other words, winning the fight here today was the same as becoming the ruler of Kowloon. Afterwards, he would be able to gradually recoup the money he had lost so far and someday grow into a larger cartel than it is now. When that day comes¡­I¡¯ll make him throw up the money he took first. He looked at the wolf and thought as such. Suddenly, from the Red Blood Alliance camp, something loaded with mana flew towards him at a high speed. Swiiik¨C ?! A sharp sound that cut through the wind. Sensing the extraordinary energy, Chris turned his waist reflectively. And at that moment, Crunch¨C! The head of the man standing behind him burst into pieces. Blood and flesh splattered from all sides as a small throwing axe fell on the spot. And thus, the man who had been with Blue Mage for many years had died a vain death. Chris looked up, and in the distance he could see Vlad grinning. At the same time, cheers erupted from the Red Blood Alliance camp. ¡°¡­You son of a bitch!¡± Chris immediately cast wind magic. In response to his will, the blade of wind cuts through the heads of Red Blood Alliance members in an instant. Thud¨C! Five heads fell to the ground at once. Blue Mage members, who had witnessed the scene, burst into cheers while Vlad glared at Chris fiercely. Their eyes met in the air. After a short time, suddenly, Vlad reached out his finger and pointed at Chris, then he slowly clenched his hand into a fist. Soon after, he began to walk forward without saying a word. It was an action that made no sense at all. Thousands of members that were gathered here tilted their heads at the unexpected turn of events. But Chris, perhaps aware of what Vlad had meant, grimaced and walked toward him. Next to them was the giant wolf and the monster wrapped in shadow. As they reached a distance where their voices could reach each other, they stopped at some point as if it was planned. ¡°¡­Vlad. What the hell do you have to say now? Are you going to surrender?¡± Chris asked with irritation. Vlad smirked before answering. ¡°Huu, you remember the sign.¡± ¡°Fuck! Of course, that¡¯s my sign.¡± Actually, the gesture Vlad had done a moment ago was one of the hand signals Chris had created when they were friends in the past. And the meaning was ¡®let¡¯s talk for a second.¡¯ Vlad was a terrible learner matter how much Chris had taught him, so he wondered why he had done such a thing out of the blue. They, who only saw each other as enemies, had already buried their past memories decades ago. Fuck! Suddenly recalling his childhood memories, Chris cursed in his mind. The one in front of him was just an enemy. It was already a path of no return. ¡°By the way, I never thought you would really come if I called you¡­You must have gained a lot of nerve in the last few years, Chris.¡± ¡°Hmph! I didn¡¯t expect you to accept my offer to fight here. Just like the past, you don¡¯t have the ability to learn.¡± Perhaps because Vlad had recalled what had happened at the cathedral the other day, but his expression became distorted. However, not long after, he burst into laughter. ¡°Do you remember? The dream we used to talk about.¡± ¡°¡­What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± ¡°When I thought I¡¯d end it with you today, I suddenly remembered. What we used to say every day when we were beggars.¡± ¡°¡­We said we¡¯d get to the top of this place one day.¡± ¡°Yes, we did. Well¡­Now that the dream is just around the corner, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s amazing? Hehe.¡± Chris certainly felt nostalgic when he heard it. He had only wanted to survive when he was a child, but after becoming a little stronger, he had focused only on being the boss of Blue Mage. And now he has arrived here. As Vlad said, there was only one step left to the top of Kowloon. But¡­ There was only one spot at the top. There can¡¯t be two suns under the same sky. ¡°Today will be the day I cut my ties with you. I¡¯ll absorb your Red Blood Alliance and use it well.¡± Vlad smiled insidiously. ¡°Haha¡­Is that so? The way I see it, the game is already over.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± His expression was unusual, so Chris didn¡¯t think it was just a bluff. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** An ominous alarm rang in his head when he saw the confidence in his eyes. No way¡­A trap? That was what he had thought when he was about to cast a magic spell. But suddenly, from the Dark Specter standing next to Vlad, a shadow came out. ¡°Damn it!¡± He tried to respond somehow, but the darkness approaching was too fast. His whole body was instantly surrounded by the shadow as the world became twisted. The bleak construction site had turned into a dark space where nothing existed. From the darkness, Vlad walked out slowly. Looking at his proud smile, an uncontrollable anger rose within him. ¡°Vlad! How dare you trick me!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I learned all this from you, so who is to blame?¡± He didn¡¯t expect the simpleton Vlad to have prepared such a trap. In fact, he could have predicted this much, but he had let his guard down for a moment when Vlad had suddenly brought up the story of their childhood. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s using psychological warfare¡­ Perhaps he had underestimated him too much. However, it was always too late for regret no matter how soon a person realized it. He couldn¡¯t come up with a solution to this situation now. On top of that, he didn¡¯t see if Hongir had entered this space. It was simply the worst situation possible. Fuck¡­I have no choice but to do it myself.¡¯ He was going to use mana to quickly cast a spell. Now was the best time while Vlad was caught off guard. However, for some reason, his mana didn¡¯t respond to his will. ?! Chris had a perplexed look on his face. And seeing this, Vlad laughed loudly. ¡°Euahaha! Looks like you¡¯re having trouble. I¡¯m glad I hired the Dark Specter.¡± ¡°What the hell is this¡­¡± ¡°Hehe¡­To be honest, I don¡¯t know, but the Dark Specter did it. In this space, it¡¯s hard to use magic unless you¡¯re a transcendent.¡± ¡°I-impossible¡­¡± Chris had heard that there were people with various abilities outside Kowloon, but he didn¡¯t think there would be such a ridiculous ability. Except for the mana of a mage, there really was nothing left at their disposal. All that remained was hope. He could only hope that his subordinates had noticed this unexpected change and come to his rescue. But as if Vlad knew what he was thinking, he grinned and spoke. ¡°It would be best to throw away your false hope quickly. I¡¯m sure by now our members are already attacking yours.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± There was really nothing he could do. There was no way he could beat Vlad when his mana was sealed. Before he knew it, Vlad was approaching him with a sharpened axe in hand. ¡°I was going to chop you into pieces while alive, but¡­For old times¡¯ sake, I¡¯ll just cut off your arms and legs in moderation and then kill you. Hehe¡­¡± Vlad raised his axe with a sadistic smile. Really¡­does it end in vain like this? When he thought he was going to die, Swiik¨C! The arms of Vlad who was raising his ax fell sharply to the ground. ¡°Huh..?¡± Vlad looked at his cut arms with a puzzled look. Instead of blood flowing from the severed sections, there was just a black shadow. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± It was difficult to understand the situation. And at that moment, Again, he heard something being cut. Swiik¨C! This time, Vlad¡¯s legs were cut off. Falling to the ground, he wriggled and screamed like a bug. ¡°Kuaaak!!¡± A horrible scream that gave Chris goosebumps. But in the midst of this, not a drop of blood came out of his body, doubling the bizarreness. Wh-what¡¯s going on¡­? Chris crouched down and looked around. Soon, an immaculate woman walked out of the darkness. She looked down at Vlad who was wriggling on the ground without paying any attention to him. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. You¡¯re still alive.¡± Glossy black hair, beautiful body like a work of art, long pointed ears of an elf, and those red eyes that glistened like jewels. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. However, there was no desire when he looked at her. Rather, he felt instinctive fear. Because around her body, the shadows filling this space were reacting. She¡¯s¡­the Dark Specter?! However, it was strange. Wasn¡¯t the Dark Specter a mercenary hired by the Red Blood Alliance? Why did she cut off Vlad¡¯s limbs? ¡°Wh-why did you do this¡­?¡± Chris blurted out his innermost thoughts. Soon, the answer to the question came from a completely different side. ¡°Noona, good job.¡± At the very familiar voice, Chris spun his head around. And standing there was Hongir, the one who had been receiving money from him, smiling brightly. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t make sense of the situation. Did the Dark Specter switch sides? However, to say so, the two seemed too familiar with one another. ¡°Thank you! But¡­Where¡¯s the reward you promised?¡± ¡°¡­Do I have to do it now?¡± ¡°Of course! A promise is a promise!¡± ¡°Hm¡­okay. Come here.¡± The woman who had just cut off Vlad¡¯s limbs in an emotionless manner ran to the boy as if she was a puppy that had just met her master. ¡°Noona did a good job. There, there.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The boy stroked her head with an annoyed look on his face as she flapped her long ears and made a childish face. That was definitely not something people who had just met would do. It didn¡¯t seem like a normal relationship no matter how he looked at it. Then¡­no way¡­? He really didn¡¯t want to think about it, but the worst guess came to mind. With a trembling voice, Chris spoke. ¡°H-Hongir¡­You¡­¡± At his words, the boy glanced his way as if he had only remembered. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, he was still here.¡± The boy¡¯s hands spread out toward him. Suddenly, his limbs began to move freely. ?! He felt as if an invisible thread was controlling his body. At that moment, he recalled what Snoop had said. [H-hyung¡­I-I really didn¡¯t do it. Someone controlled my body!!] [All the plans went wrong because of you! Tell that lame excuse before the King of the Underworld.] [It¡¯s true! Trust me! N-no!] No way¡­he was telling the truth? He realized that these two were behind everything. All the pieces of a puzzle were coming together one by one. Why Red Blood Alliance members suddenly started to rampage. Even the strange disappearance of Blue Mage members. Everyone was being played by them! A place full of crooks and criminals. He couldn¡¯t believe they had been played by a child. An uncontrollable anger rose. He felt short of breath and his head spinning. Expressing his anger, Chris shouted. ¡°H-Hongir!!!! So all of this was because of you!!!¡± ¡°I guess you caught me?¡± ¡°Ahhh! Ki-kill you! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯m going to kill you if it¡¯s the last thing¡­Heup!¡± ¡°Noisy.¡± ¡°Hmm!!¡± Chris struggled to remove the bind from his lips. However, all he could do was stare at the boy with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Well, even if you can¡¯t use magic, I better make sure.¡± Crack¨C! ¡°Keuuuh!!!¡± The joints of both arms were twisted, and the legs were rotated 180 degrees. ¡°Oh, and ahjussi, you keep calling me Hongir, but you¡¯re mistaken¡­¡± In the midst of the distracting agony, Chris had a thought, ¡°My name is Choi Noah, an A-Rank hero.¡± Of all the people he had met in his life, the boy was the worst villain he had ever met. ____ Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Jane used to cry a lot when she was young. She would burst into tears if things didn¡¯t go her way, or even if something trivial happened that she didn¡¯t like. And each time her brother would smile and pat her on the head. She liked the rough touch of her brother¡¯s hands. Even on nights where she recalled their parents and tears were about to burst, when her brother¡¯s calloused hands touched her, somehow she was able to fall asleep without anxiety. But¡­ Her brother¡¯s warm hands were now tossed on the streets like trash. There was a pile of dismembered body parts scattered like weeds, and skewered in the plaza was a disheveled head with all kinds of graffiti. Teeth pulled out and hollowed eye sockets. ¡­Her brother¡¯s face, which could always be seen smiling, was so horribly broken to the point where even seeing it was terrifying. [Aahh!!!! No, no, no, no¡­] She screamed, frantically gathering the scattered pieces. And like a jigsaw puzzle, she tried to stick the mutilated parts together, but naturally, her brother never returned to its original appearance. [P-Please¡­Pleeease! Oppa!] She held the mutilated body in her arms. Puk¨C! Rotten gas that was accumulated bursts out, splattering sticky blood like jelly in all directions. [Ah, ah, ah, a-ah¡­] No words came out as blood drenched her face. Soon, her brother¡¯s head turned to her. [This is all because of you, Jane.] [O-oppa¡­] [If you hadn¡¯t cried because you didn¡¯t have enough allowance, I wouldn¡¯t have worked this hard¡­Do you know how painful it is to be cut alive?] As her brother¡¯s eyes dripped with blood, she knelt down and sobbed. [Heuk¡­I-I¡¯m sorry, oppa¡­I-it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m really sorry¡­] [You¡¯re always like that. Do you think crying will solve anything? I¡¯m already dead.] [Heuk, I¡¯m sorry I cried¡­B-but I really don¡¯t know what to do¡­] Her brother coldly looked at her. [If you¡¯re really sorry¡­You should die like me!] [Wh-what do you mean¡­Kyaak!] Her brother¡¯s tongue lengthened and wrapped around her like a snake. As it secreted a sticky fluid, her flesh that came in contact with it began to decay at a rapid speed. [Kueruk, n-no¡­d¡­don¡¯t do this, oppa.] Before she knew it, there was a strong lingering smell of rotting corpses. Along with the terrible smell, she felt herself suffocating more and more. Her consciousness was getting farther and farther away. And in her ears, she heard her brother¡¯s voice filled with resentment. [Jane¡­I¡¯ll curse you for the rest of your life.] At that moment, she realized that she was suffering from another nightmare. It was the same nightmare she had always experienced. The landscape in the dream scattered like a flock of ants and the consciousness that had returned settled in its place. Soon, she slowly raised her eyelids and cursed in a submerged voice. ¡°¡­Fuck.¡± Her body was covered in sweat even though the weather was still rather chilly. The damp, cheap underwear she wore stuck unpleasantly to her body. ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m already in a bad mood to start the morning!¡± She roughly took off her underwear and wiped herself with a towel. Afterwards, she immediately took out a cigarette and lit it. Smoke floated in the room. She frowned as the smoke slowly spread in the air. ¡°Fuck¡­What¡¯s wrong with me these days?¡± Was it after she had met the boy? It seemed the frequency of her nightmares had increased again these days. And that was probably because of what he had said to her. [I¡¯ll save you, noona.] ¡°Tsk, putting on air.¡± In fact, it wasn¡¯t that she had never thought of revenge. However, what did it mean to start? It meant fighting against two cartels that dominated the vast land of Kowloon. Even if she was to give everything she had, realistically, it could be said that the possibility of success was slim to none. At most, she would only be able to bring down one or two low level members before dying. It would just be a meaningless death. On top of that, there would be no one to take care of her younger brother if she dies. Then John, who won¡¯t be able to earn money for his medicine, would also die. This had forced her to give up the thought of revenge even though she had nightmares every night. So, she would rather forget. As if it had never happened, she stopped thinking of revenge. That was how she had lived for the past year. And perhaps because of that effort, she thought she could live without her older brother to some extent¡­ However, that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I said that to a child¡­I briefly lost my mind there.¡± She didn¡¯t know how powerful Noah was, but this revenge wasn¡¯t something a child could accomplish. No matter how ignorant she was in this area, she knew well the strength of Blue Mage and Red Blood Alliance. They were vicious and vast cartels that even heroes outside would find hard to suppress. Not only that, some of the cartel members even included notorious villains from the outside. She couldn¡¯t believe she had asked a child who looked as young as John to face such villains. Even if he was a hero, he must still be a stranger to this world. Perhaps she had lost her reason for a moment after seeing the enormous amount of money he had taken out. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have brought up such a silly request. Yes¡­it¡¯s only because of the money. It was clear he would fail in taking revenge anyway. And, on the contrary, from her standpoint, wouldn¡¯t it be helpful if he died while doing such a dangerous thing? Then he wouldn¡¯t be able to ask her to return the money he had left in her house. And besides, wasn¡¯t he the one who had come to her first? So whether he really dies or not, it had nothing to do with her. Damn it¡­ She rationalized herself to relieve her guilt. But¡­ [Leave it to me.] Why did it bother her so much? And why did she feel he would be able to accomplish what he had said? ¡­No, let¡¯s stop this ridiculous delusion. She shook her head to force the thought of hope out of her mind. If he failed after she set a high expectation for nothing, she felt as if the thought of revenge she had suppressed so far would rear its ugly head again. She sighed as she rubbed out the cigarette in her hand. Anyway, how long do I have to stay like this? He had demanded that she not take a single step out of the house the same day he said he would take revenge. So she obediently did as she was told since she had accepted the money, but¡­ It was hard to guess what he was doing outside. Recently, she had been hearing a lot of gunshots. By any chance, was it related to him? It was a mystery. But one thing was certain, he would have blood all over his body whenever he stopped by the house. And it was quite a long time ago, so he might be in a really dangerous situation by now. No, perhaps he has already been captured and tortured? The cartels never give those who rebel against them an easy death¡­ She recalled the miserable state her brother was in. And overlapping it was the smiling face of the boy. ¡°Fuck!¡± She anxiously pounded the floor. The styrofoam dented and left a mark. ¡°Fuck¡­Why did I do that?¡± She realized she really shouldn¡¯t have asked him. Why did she say such a thing then? Was she really possessed by something? She folded her knees and buried her face. I don¡¯t need revenge or anything¡­Just please come back safely. Then she would be able to say that everything she had said was nonsense¡­ *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** As she thought as such, suddenly a strange sound appeared in the room. Shiii¨C! A sound as if a soft cloth was brushing against something. Startled, she immediately looked up. And there, a dark shadow in the shape of a person was wriggling and growing in size. ¡°?!¡± It was the first strange sight she had seen in her life. What was that? Why was such a thing in the room? She sprang back with her eyes wide open. However, as if the darkness was responding to her movements, it continued to follow her. Looking closely, she saw that it was connected to her body. To be exact, it was attached to the area where her shadow should be. ¡°G-go away!¡± She tried to throw the lighter she was holding at the shadow, but it went right through. Did a ghost really appear? Then, as she faced the horror, a familiar voice came from the shadow. ¡°Noona, I¡¯m done with the preparation, so can you come over here for a second?¡± The boy who said he would save her. It was Noah¡¯s voice. ¡°Ch-Choi Noah? H-how is your voice¡­N-no, more than that, what do you mean preparation¡­¡± Didn¡¯t you say you wanted revenge? I¡¯ve wrapped it up for you, so just come and get the last hit.¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­W-wait a minute!¡± Before she could finish, the shadow swept her. Soon, the surrounding landscape twisted and she felt herself falling. ¡°Aahh, euaah¡­Ah?¡± She struggled with her arms floundering in the air. Then, she suddenly realized that she was alive and well. ¡°H-huh?¡± She slowly looked around. A world full of darkness. The shadow she had seen a moment ago was swaying everywhere. ¡°What the hell is this place¡­¡± At that moment, she heard a faint groan. ¡°Kuaak¡­¡± ¡°Kyaak!¡± She stepped back with a startled look. And when she looked down, she could see something wriggling on the ground A stumpy creature like a caterpillar. Taking a closer look, she realized that it was a man without limbs. She became speechless by the sudden sight. But, more surprisingly, the identity of the man wriggling in front of her eyes was none other than Vlad, the boss of the Red Blood Alliance. The very person who was responsible for the torture and murder of her brother. An absolute existence she thought she would never be able to reach even if she tried all her life was now crawling on the ground like a bug. ¡°Wh-what the hell is going on here¡­¡± Though she could see it with her own eyes, it was hard to accept the reality. Why was he dying in a place like this? Was this a hallucination? Don¡¯t tell me¡­Did that kid really¡­? As she was thinking to herself, something was thrown in front of her. Thud¨C! It was another person. ¡°Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!¡± He had all his limbs twisted and was frantically struggling. And¡­ It was another person who would never be found in such a state. A cold-blooded person who had sold out her brother as a scapegoat to the Red Blood Alliance, it was none other than the boss of Blue Mage. The notorious Chris was now shedding tears. This¡­is it a dream? Otherwise, what was happening shouldn¡¯t be possible. She would rather believe that dogs could talk. Soon, Noah appeared in front of her. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here, noona.¡± He looked at her with a bright smile. ¡°Wh-what the hell is going on¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? Aren¡¯t they the ones? You said you wanted revenge.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, but¡­How¡­¡± ¡°Well, I just caught them.¡± She even wondered if he was playing a joke on her because of how calm he was. But if what he had said was true¡­ Who the hell is he¡­How can he be so strong? A child who wasn¡¯t even a junior high school student had grabbed the two bosses of Kowloon at the same time? It would have been hard to believe if she hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes. She stared blankly at him for a while. And then, he held out a pistol. ¡°Go ahead. I made it so you can get the last hit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She took the pistol from him. The weight of it made her realize the current situation. Can I really get revenge? Was it this easy? She thought she would never be able to do it even if it took her a lifetime. However, it was now possible in less than two weeks after the child had come. As she stood still for a while, Noah spoke. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it yourself, should I finish it for you?¡± In response to his words, she shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it myself. Thank you for doing this¡­Really, thank you.¡± A moment later, Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! . . . She pulled the trigger again and again until all the bullets were emptied. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how to repay you. Really¡­Heuk!¡± Jane said to me in tears. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, perhaps because she had cried for a long time after having taken care of the two cartel bosses earlier. At this rate, she might burst into tears again if I left her alone, so I calmed her down. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not over yet, so you don¡¯t have to thank me ahead of time. But, noona, I¡¯ve been curious about something for a while.¡± ¡°Heuk, yes, yes. Feel free to ask.¡± ¡°Why are you naked?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean¡­Kyaak?!¡± Jane, having finally noticed, sat down with a short scream. ¡°Th-this¡­the reason¡­¡± Her face became blazing red as she covered herself. I thought perhaps like me, she had taken off her clothes because she didn¡¯t want to get blood splattered on her, but judging from her reaction, it didn¡¯t seem like it. After blushing so much for a while, she breathed a short sigh and collected her breath. With a serious look, she started talking again. ¡°Anyway, if it weren¡¯t for you¡­I might have given up the thought of revenge for the rest of my life. I¡¯m sure I would have been haunted by nightmares every night while living in guilt.¡± ¡°So¡­I know it won¡¯t be enough no matter how many times I say this, but I¡¯d like to express my sincere gratitude.¡± ¡°Thank you for helping me take revenge.¡± She said with a bright smile. I hadn¡¯t noticed because she had been making wrinkles in the middle of her forehead until now, but seeing her smile like this, she gave off a very different impression. Anyway¡­ Why was this girl talking like it was all over since earlier? The mistake seemed to be because she had forgotten, so I reminded her. ¡°Noona, your revenge hasn¡¯t even started yet, so what do you mean it¡¯s over?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­? I¡¯m sure I just killed the two cartel bosses with my own hands¡­¡± Jane looked puzzled. It seemed it wasn¡¯t because she had forgotten, but rather because she didn¡¯t know. The real meaning of revenge. And, the save Challenge wasn¡¯t completed yet, so how could her revenge be over? It seemed this girl wasn¡¯t able to properly grasp what she wanted. I sighed softly before calling Elizabeth who was next to me. ¡°Noona, let¡¯s begin the next phase.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The shadows surrounding the area instantly got sucked back into her body. As a result, the space that was separated from reality disappeared and the landscape of the construction site came back into view. Here, Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage members were still engaged in a fierce battle. ¡°Kuehaha! Let¡¯s end this once and for all!¡± ¡°You son of bitches! Die!¡± ¡°Kuaak! M-my arm! My arm!¡± Bullets came and went everywhere, while some villains with abilities could be seen running wild. Seeing this, Jane jumped up and looked around, forgetting that she was naked. ¡°Wh-what?! Why are people all of a sudden¡­Kyaak!¡± Bang¨C! After blocking the bullets flying toward Jane with my hands, I spoke to Elizabeth. ¡°Noona, please do what we talked about earlier.¡± ¡°All right! Leave it to me! But¡­This is really tiring, so be sure to keep your promise, okay?¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Elizabeth closed her eyes and murmured something. After some time, Shiii¨C! Along with the sound of a soft cloth rubbing against the ground, a vast darkness began to cast overheard. The sight was similar to what I had seen when I first met her in the first round. As if it was being veiled, the sun-lit sky was gradually eroded by the shadow. Those who saw the strange phenomenon, one by one, stopped and looked up at the sky. The constant screams and gunshots died down and were replaced by voices filled with fear and shock. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that?! ¡°Hey, smurf bastards! What the hell are you trying to do?!¡± ¡°Fuck! Isn¡¯t it you red sons of bitches doing this?¡± And Jane, too, burst into shock. ¡°What¡¯s that! Did you do that thing in the sky?!¡± ¡°Take a good look. Noona.¡± ¡°What the hell am I supposed to be looking at?! What are you going to do?¡± Meanwhile, the darkness that had spread, finally, covered the construction site in the form of a large dome. The sight was like the end of the world had fallen. In the darkness where nothing could be seen, I pulled out Red Velvet Curse. Wuung¨C! An eerie aura resonated. Red Velvet Curse in my hand was vibrating constantly in response to < Evil Instant Death >. Hehe¡­It seems I¡¯ll be able to grow this properly today. Smiling deeply, I spoke to Jane. ¡°Noona. Real revenge is¡­¡± Swiik¨C! The head of a person nearby flew away as bright red blood splattered on Jane. ¡°Like this.¡± ¡°A-ah.¡± Soon, I rushed at the countless experience that stretched out in front of me. ____ Chapter 69 Chapter 69 In fact, killing the two cartel bosses wasn¡¯t that difficult. Although they were comparable to B-Rank heroes, I could have finished them without being caught up in trouble if I had made the most of Elizabeth¡¯s shadows and Camouflage. Nevertheless, I had my own reasons for creating the current situation. Well, of course, I intended to steal money from them, but more importantly¡­ Even if I killed them, someone else would have taken their place in no time anyway. The cartels that lived in the slums were like a bunch of roaches. Without thought or cause, the criminals united solely for profit. For such guys, the boss role was a component that could be replaced at any time. Rather, they might even be happy to think they could take the position for themselves once the boss dies. Therefore, in order to properly exterminate such roaches, it was necessary to burn all the eggs at once before they were frightened into hiding. Hmm¡­there was definitely a lot. I looked around. In the pitch black darkness, I could see the cartel members wandering aimlessly. The number was approximately in the thousand. Each person wasn¡¯t worth much to look at, but it was an entirely different matter with so many people gathered. It was the same as thousands of bullets flying with just one pull of their trigger. And among them there were even villains who had awakened their abilities or those who could use magic, so even for me, it would be very burdensome to deal with this number at the same time. But¡­ ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­My ability¡­¡± ¡°Damn it! I can¡¯t use my mana either!¡± ¡°This is a curse! We are cursed!¡± Fortunately, they weren¡¯t in a position where their numbers amounted to much. A world of shadows where they couldn¡¯t see each other well even if they were only a few meters away. In this darkness, they were nothing but thorough individuals. Also, in the boundary created by Elizabeth, no one can use their abilities properly except by those authorized, so it could be said that it was an environment truly cultivated for me. As such, I swung my sword at the defenseless people to my heart¡¯s content. ¡°Keeuook!¡± ¡°Wh-what?! I-it¡¯s an ambush!¡± There was no need to imbue my sword with mana. The sharpness of Red Velvet Curse was sufficient for these miscellaneous mobs. The bloodstained blade grew redder and redder as it gave off a deathly aura. Hehe¡­This was too easy. Even if I swung my sword carelessly, something was bound to be cut at the end of the blade. Maybe I could even hunt with my eyes closed. I really wanted to try playing like that at least once, but¡­ Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t such a relaxed situation right now. ¡­It was a bit of a pity the time was short. With Elizabeth¡¯s current ability, it was difficult to maintain such a large-scale boundary for a long time. The maximum limit was about 20 minutes. So within the given time, it was necessary to reduce the number here as much as possible. Before the experience event was over, I had to get the most out of it. I began to operate my mana in earnest. Along with a surge of energy, a red haze fluttered around my body. And¡­ Boom¨C! I kicked off the ground and jumped into the shadow. Unlike in the past, I didn¡¯t have to use < Wolf Hour > now that my body could already move at a speed that was hard to chase with the naked eye. My physique had transcended the human limit. In the pitch black darkness, only the red mana weaving like a tail could be seen. ¡°W-wait¡­!¡± In front of me stood a cartel member with his eyes wide open. I extended my sword at the same speed as I was running. The sharp blade gently penetrated his body. Swiik¨C! A clean cut without any sound. Thanks to Red Velvet Curse having eaten so much, the thick spine was cut without any resistance like soft tofu. The body that was cut in two fell with a tilt, and before it touched the ground, I cut off the next person¡¯s body. Swiik¨C! ¡°Kuaaak!¡± ¡°M-monster! There¡¯s a monster in the shadow! Everyone, run¡­Kueook!¡± Those who had noticed my existence started to hide in the dark. But¡­ They couldn¡¯t hide their movements from me. This space was controlled by Elizabeth and the darkness everywhere was on my side. Rather, the shadow gave me a clear indication of their location wherever they went. I put away my sword and infused mana into the skill < Wind Cutter >. Wuung¨C! A crescent shaped blade of wind formed in the air. Its overwhelming size was incomparable to ordinary wind magic. Because of the amount of mana I had poured into it, the compressed air almost made its surrounding look distorted. Hmm¡­this should be enough. I swung my arm at the cartel members who were running away with their back showing. Schwuung¨C! Swish¨C! Swish¨C! Swish¨C! . . . The sharp wind stretched out in an instant and penetrated everything in a straight path. A strange scene unfolded as if the world had been divided in half. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Boom¨C! The steel structures collapsed while the bodies of the fleeing members were cut in two and fell to the ground. About 300 had fallen. After seeing such a sight, I felt a refreshing sensation in my heart as if I succeeded a domino. [ Level has risen. ] ¡°Keuh! This is the taste!¡± Sure enough, hunting in an enclosed space was the best. I couldn¡¯t believe my level had risen on these miscellaneous mobs. In fact, I wasn¡¯t expecting to level up¡­ At this pace, maybe I could earn more experience than I had thought today. Hehe¡­I should hunt when given the opportunity. So I moved around and hunted diligently. Because I randomly shot < Wind Cutter > along the way, there were times where I didn¡¯t have enough mana, but¡­ ¡°N-no! Save me! Kueook!¡± ¡°A-a person¡­b-became a mummy in an instant¡­¡± Whenever that happened, I would use < Vampiric Touch > to absorb the people around me to replenish my mana. Then, at some point, Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage joined forces to attack me. ¡°Damn it! Red bastards! A ceasefire for today!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doze off! Hang in there! If we can¡¯t stop that demon here, it¡¯s the end of Kowloon!¡± ¡°Fuck! What are you doing, smurfs? Try harder!¡± Bang¨C! Bang¨C! They looked quite determined as they shot at me. But¡­ ¡°No way! H-how come guns aren¡¯t working¡­?¡± Naturally, most of the bullets they shot couldn¡¯t penetrate my durability and bounced off. On top of that, if I needed to, I could transform using < Phase Change >, so in this place where mana was completely sealed, there was no way they could beat me. The result of this game had already been decided from the start. There was no other future for them. ¡°A-ah¡­This is really the end¡­¡± ¡°This is a dream¡­It¡¯s a hellish nightmare¡­!¡± I visited every single one who was struggling to survive until the very end and finished them with certainty. How many times did I repeat that? At last, the shadow that had been covering the sky was lifted and Elizabeth¡¯s boundary disappeared. When the bright sunlight shone on the construction site, the blood-stained ground and dismembered bodies were revealed. And¡­ ¡°Good. I got them all.¡± There was no one alive and breathing. In the end, I was able to perfectly clean up the two cartels that had dominated Kowloon for a long time. * * * * * * * * * * [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve reached level 58. ] [ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ] [ Level 55 Skill Selection forfeited due to the previous Special Selection. ] [ Gained achievement title ¡®Thousand Swordsman.¡¯ ] . . . I looked at the countless messages that came to mind. Gathering a bunch of dust had turned into a mountain. I didn¡¯t think I would gain as many as four levels killing miscellaneous mobs. Maybe they had a higher notoriety than I had thought. < Level 58 (+4) > Body: 5.18 Dexterity: 5.01 Mana: 5.29 Spirit: 5.21 *4 Fragments of Growth Keuh¡­good, good. Two more levels and will be level 60. It was expected for the pace of growth to stagnate after reaching level 50, so it was surprising that I would gain this much in an unexpected place. As such, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. All the fragments were added in Body. < Level 58 (+4) > Body: 5.18 -> 5.41 (.23) Dexterity: 5.01 Mana: 5.29 Spirit: 5.21 My stats reaching 6.0 was just around the corner. That meant it would be soon enough to do ¡®that.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t believe I was already at this level¡­ I¡¯ll have to get some elixir in advance from now on. Ah, come to think of it¡­ As I organized my thoughts, I suddenly remembered the message I had seen a moment ago. I opened my status window and checked the new achievement. < Thousand Swordsman > Tendency: Evil Karma Description: Cutting down a thousand people in one place¡­I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re truly a terrible murderer. I was seeing this again¡­ The achievement I had gained in the first round welcomed me again. Looking around, I saw the completely red construction site. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Now that I thought about it, I had killed quite a few this time compared to usual. Perhaps that was why I could feel the particular smell of blood stinging my nose. There had been a fishy smell of iron coming from all directions since earlier. Let¡¯s deal with the bodies first. I summoned < Twin Fire Eggs >. Two giant eggs emerged and fluttered in the air. Was it just me? Somehow I felt like their colors had become much darker than before. ¡°Buldol, Alsun. Make sure to eat everything.¡± In response to my command, Buldol and Alsun shook their bodies and flew toward the bodies scattered around the construction site. Judging by their twitching, I guess they must be feeling pretty good. If they eat this much¡­They should hatch soon, right? I stared at the back of the two who were gobbling up the bodies with a pleased look. ¡°Eat a lot and grow up well.¡± As I looked at them with the heart of a parent, I soon smelled a subtle scene of flowers at the tip of my nose. ¡°Hmm?¡± I turned my head slightly and saw Elizabeth smiling brightly and handing me a towel. ¡°Noah! You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± What? Was she wearing perfume? A sweet scent that I didn¡¯t usually notice was coming from her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Well, what perfume she wore had nothing to do with me. Ignoring it, I immediately turned my attention to Jane behind me. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** As if she was possessed, she was staring blankly into the air with her eyes out of focus. I looked at her and spoke. ¡°Noona, did you see? You¡¯ve got your perfect revenge.¡± Surprised by my voice, she came to her senses with a puzzled look. ¡°Y-you¡­I didn¡¯t know you would go this far¡­¡± Did she not see? I¡¯ve finished the request so neatly. Was she still not satisfied? ¡°So, you don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± She stopped and looked at the bodies lying on the ground. Her expression changed with a complicated look. Frowning, she bit her lips again and stood still in place for a long time. ¡°¡­¡± A moment later, at last, she looked at me again and smiled with a rather relieved look. ¡°No¡­how could I complain? Rather, even bowing wouldn¡¯t be enough. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°¡­I guess, there was just a lot on my mind. Since when did you start living with such ethics¡­This choice must have not been easy for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Well, it was definitely annoying to gather and deal with them like this, and it was less laborious to simply catch and kill. I couldn¡¯t believe she had noticed that. She showed more promise than I had thought. As I thought as such, she slowly approached me one step at a time. Then suddenly, she hugged me tightly. ¡°You¡­thank you for spilling blood for my sake.¡± What was she doing? I didn¡¯t like it when others touched me, but I didn¡¯t try to push her away because I thought it was related to saving her. Behind me, Elizabeth, exuding a terrifying energy, shouted. ¡°Y-you!! What are you doing?! Why don¡¯t you get off of him right now?!¡± She had told me she had pushed her mana to the limit a while ago, so was it just my illusion that the shadows surging around her seemed more powerful than before? At that moment, messages popped up in front of my eyes. [ Favorability has increased. ] [ Favorability has reached a certain level. ] [ You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Jane Doe¡¯ as a companion. ] Hmm, recruiting her as a companion¡­ Certainly, if there was a thief position among the party members, it would be useful in many ways. In addition, she was someone who could become an S-Rank villain in the future. As far as I know, she was the best player at her position. But¡­ ¡°Aakk! Let go of him! Let go of him! How dare you flirt with a child!¡± ¡°H-huh? Fuck! It¡¯s not like that. There¡¯s still four more years¡­heup!!¡± Judging from what she was doing now, I didn¡¯t think she would be useful immediately. It was kind of vague? As long as the party slot was limited, I better think a little more before accepting her. Well, I wasn¡¯t in a hurry, so I¡¯ll put it on hold. [ ¡®Jane Doe¡¯ will be registered as the warrior¡¯s followers. ] [ Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time. ] By the way, even though the favorability had increased enough for her to be recruited as a companion, I didn¡¯t get a message saying the Challenge was completed. So, in order to save her, it seemed I must solve the problem of White Face. However, I didn¡¯t know where to get the related information. She was related to them, that much was certain¡­ Jane and Eighth Layer Hell. Even the cartels in Kowloon that I had just finished. Given the Challenge, they all must be related. However, it was frustrating that no clue had been found. Hu¡­I just needed one clue to open the case wide open. As I was agonizing over the matter, Elizabeth, who had bound Jane in her shadow, crept up to me and began to annoy me. ¡°Noah? S-say, um¡­You had promised to hang out with me on the weekend¡­Can we add an option to that?¡± ¡°Huu¡­what?¡± ¡°I-I just want a hug¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I had a lot on my mind and I didn¡¯t need this right now. But now even this woman was annoying me. ¡°I have something to think about, so don¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Heeung, I see¡­¡± She looked at me with her long ears drooping. Then suddenly, she pointed at my face and shouted. ¡°A-ah? N-Noah!¡± ¡°What is it this time? Why do you keep bothering me?¡± ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that¡­Y-your face¡­¡± ¡°Face?¡± Was it a new method to annoy me? If she was going tell me something really idiotic this time, I¡¯ll have to set a date and properly educate her. Elizabeth created a dark mirror in the air that could reflect light and showed it to me. ¡°L-look!¡± ¡°What about it¡­huh?¡± My reflection in the mirror wasn¡¯t much different from usual. However, after I had wiped the blood away with a towel and observed it carefully, I could notice some subtle changes. My canine teeth came out a little sharp, and for some reason, my face looked two or three years younger. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Why did my face suddenly change? In the midst of my thoughts, suddenly, one possibility came to mind. Ah, maybe¡­ I quickly opened my status window and checked the skill I had left unattended for a long time. And¡­ < Gene Awakening > Classification: Special Grade: A Description: Awaken the dormant genes. Genes: (1) Human: 79.8% (2) Elf: 6.4% (Active) (3) Beast: 6.5% (Active) ¨C New (4) Dwarf: 5.5% (Active) ¨C New (5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive) (6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive) As expected¡­ Genes of Beast and Dwarf, which had remained in the 2% range, were now more than 5 percent and active. On top of that, the Elf gene percentage had risen subtly. When I had used Vampiric Touch to absorb mana earlier, often the message from < Gene Awakening > came up, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe it had gone up this much. Of all the people who live here, there seemed to have been more mixed races than expected. So it was also because of < Gene Awakening > that had made my sense of smell more sensitive. Unlike the Elf gene which had increased my hearing, it seemed the trait for the Beast gene was the sense of smell. Also, I could feel that my other senses had increased. Not only the sense of smell but I had also become sensitive to sight and could even see the smallest dot on Elizabeth¡¯s neck that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Deep in thought, I frowned. It was certainly good to have developed my sense of sight and smell, but I felt like this wasn¡¯t enough to be called an A-Grade skill. There must be more to it¡­ I had gained the ability to listen to the voices of plants after the Elf gene became active, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t just end with the change of my body. Perhaps something good would come out instead of that garbage skill¡­ As I thought as such, suddenly faint voices came into my ears. ¡°Breed! Breed! Breed! Breed!¡± ¡°Breed! Breed some more!¡± The situation somehow felt familiar. An ominous feeling climbed up my spine. This¡­no way? My head stiffly turned. And there, I saw sewer rats coming up from the sewer and looking around. It seemed this time it was the ability to listen to the voice of beasts. ¡°Fuck!¡± I had taken one step farther from humanity. ____ Chapter 70 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 70 An imaginary space surrounded by darkness. Assembled here were all existences exuding a monstrous presence. A skeleton engulfed in flames, a man with insect wings, a woman with the head of a goat, and etc¡­ None of them looked ordinary. Known as the Eight Evils, they were the executives of the villain group Eighth Layer Hell the World Government had been looking for all this time. Among them, the burning skeleton looked at the surroundings with a short sigh. ¡°¡­Is this everyone today?¡± There were only five of them currently gathered here. He paused when his empty eye sockets reached the third vacant seat. His soured mood could be seen from the way his flames flickered. ¡°Where or what the hell are the others doing! I had even contacted them directly and told them to make sure to attend this time.¡± Across from him, the goat-head woman spoke. ¡°Well, those guys don¡¯t usually come anyway, so let¡¯s not waste time and get down to business?¡± ¡°Tsk¡­it¡¯s always like this, we should be called the five evils instead of eight.¡± Just as much as how their appearances differed, the executives of Eighth Layer Hell all had different tendencies. Some took the lead in the organization¡¯s work, while there were also individualistic characters who were difficult to even see their faces at all. That was why whenever an executive meeting was held as it was now, it could be said that the sparsely empty chairs were rather a daily scene. ¡°Heuung~ It¡¯s fine, so let¡¯s quickly start the meeting. My pretties are waiting for me at home.¡± The insect-winged man said with a provocative gesture. The goat-head woman nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes. I have something to do when I get back, so I hope we can proceed as quickly as possible. Since we¡¯re gathered today¡­Does it have something to do with Choi Noah? Anyway, aren¡¯t we here because the boy who will become the vessel?¡± In response to her words, the skeleton replied in a sinking voice. ¡°¡­Yes. As you all know, we have failed to secure the vessel this time. I thought we would be able to revive it this time¡­¡± On the day when the member of the organization who had infiltrated Korea¡¯s Hero Training Institute died, the absolute being¡¯s voice rang in his head. The content was that the vessel they had been looking for was Noah. Therefore, he had immediately convened a meeting of the executives and shared what he had heard. As a result, a large-scale wanted order was issued for all members of Eighth Layer Hell. But¡­ Despite such a measure, they had failed to capture Noah. Rather, as if he had noticed their attack in advance, he had lured members of the organization out of the school and killed all of them¡­ The figure alone was about 200. Although there were naturally a lot of low-level members amongst them, it was by no means a number an ordinary hero should be able to deal with. Realizing that something had gone wrong, he ordered the reliable high-ranking members to chase after Noah. And perhaps because they were already one step too late, but there was no trace of him anywhere. Not only Goyang City, where the institute was located, or Pyongyang, his birthplace, but even all other cities in Korea were searched. They couldn¡¯t make sense of it. Especially in the modern world full of CCTVs where there would inevitably be a trace if a person moved somewhere. Nevertheless, the fact that no traces were found meant that he was deliberately hiding his whereabouts. And, seeing that he wasn¡¯t even attending the institute now, it was clear he had already noticed their existence and had disappeared completely. And now that things had gone like this, unless he came out first, there was no proper way for them to find him. As if the others gathered here were aware of that fact, the atmosphere of the meeting was heavy. ¡°Fuck! That¡¯s why I told you not to trust those bugs! What the hell kind of stupid plan was that?!¡± A man, who had been sitting in a crooked position since the beginning of the meeting, shouted. His face was densely scaled like a reptile. Expressing her soured mood, the goat-head woman retorted. ¡°What you just said, was that nonsense directed at me?¡± ¡°Of course it was directed at you. It seems you¡¯re aware. I thought you were less intelligent than a goat, but how could you not understand what people say?¡± ¡°You¡­you dirty lizard! If you wish to die, I¡¯ll grant it.¡± ¡°Ah, good. Give it a try today. For four years, I¡¯ve been in a bad mood every time I see your head, so this is great.¡± Dark mana surged from the goat-head woman. Not to be outdone, the lizard facing her licked his long tongue and also released his mana. The situation became tense as their mana collided and the unstable imaginary space distorted. However, the moment the two forces were about to collide, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± A deep, heavy voice echoed through the space. The heads of those in the meeting turn to one side. And there, sat a giant with eight arms. ¡°For now, the priority is to secure the vessel. It¡¯s not the time to watch a lover¡¯s quarrel.¡± At the man¡¯s words, the energy that seemed to burst immediately died down. Although he had a quiet personality, everyone knew that once he was angry, no one would be able to stop him, so the two quietly let go of their mana. ¡°Fuck. You¡¯re lucky today, goat-head.¡± ¡°Hmph! I can say the same thing about you.¡± ¡°What~ You two aren¡¯t going to fight today? Boring.¡± As the tumultuous atmosphere subsided, the giant folded his arms and was silent again. After the commotion had died down, the skeleton nodded and resumed the meeting. ¡°Everyone, what happened has happened¡­We are in a situation where we have to come up with a new plan. Does anyone have a good suggestion?¡± The skeleton¡¯s words left only an uncomfortable silence for a while. After what had felt like an eternity, the insect-winged man, who was sitting quietly, raised his hand. ¡°Me~¡± But the skeleton pretended not to see it. What he usually says at the meetings was that he wanted to go home or nonsense that was impossible to understand, so it wasn¡¯t hard to guess what he was going to say. ¡°Does no one really have a suggestion?¡± The insect-winged man persisted by reaching out and moving his hips like a child. ¡°Me! Me! Me!¡± Looking at the annoying behavior, the skeleton sighed. ¡°Huu¡­what is it?¡± Contrary to what he had expected, the insect-winged man replied with a rather serious look. ¡°As long as we get the vessel, the rest of the work isn¡¯t that difficult, to be honest. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then, we don¡¯t have to act in secret like now, do we?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Heuung~ It¡¯s frustrating! So. What. I¡¯m. Saying! Let¡¯s just take this opportunity to come out. No half-measures and just go all in. If we just kill his family and friends, won¡¯t he show up in the end?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± It turned out to be quite a plausible suggestion. In the first place, the organization called Eighth Layer Hell was just something of a tool to achieve their cause. Whether it was money or power, none of that was important. There would be no reason to maintain the organization afterwards if they simply could have the vessel in their hands. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying¡­Do you mean to use the members of the organization, who will soon be useless as fodder to lure the vessel out?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­that¡¯s rare of you to say something good for once.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? If someone hears that they might misunderstand. I always say the right things!¡± They finally had a solution to the problem. What was left was to discuss the plan in more detail and have those not present here today agree to it. Just as the meeting was progressing little by little, suddenly, the reptile man stood up with a scowl. ¡°Ah, fuck! Who the hell is it?¡± ¡°What is it all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Huu¡­Damn, it¡¯s troublesome. I think I better go back now. It seems that some fearless fellow has broken into the boundary I¡¯m guarding.¡± ¡°What! The relic? Is the piece safe?¡± Those around him jumped out of their chairs and shouted. The reptile man raised his hand to calm them down as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°A-ah, you don¡¯t have to make such a fuss. I¡¯ve had this problem a few times before, and most of them were vagrants who had come in unknowingly..¡± ¡°Damn it! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think such a rat will cause any trouble, but I¡¯ll be going now just in case. Anyway, I¡¯ll follow what you guys settle on in the meeting.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I see. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything for you to do for a while, so just protect your piece.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rather than me, tell goat-head to take care of the piece she¡¯s guarding.¡± ¡°Wh-what did you say? You fucking lizard!¡± ¡°Haha! Everyone, work hard.¡± Leaving behind the angry goat-head woman, the reptile man disappeared. And then¡­ ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue the meeting.¡± In the dark imaginary space, discussion to kill the people close to Noah continued. * * * * * * * * * * It had been a week since the two cartels disappeared. In the meantime, the residents of Kowloon quickly adapted to their newly changed lives. At first there were some rats trying to be kings in the den where the fox had disappeared, but after I had taken them by their throats and hung them in the square a few times, no one created a cartel organization anymore. They began to lead a healthy life in their own way. ¡°A-ah¡­I¡¯m hungry¡­ Where the hell did all the men go?¡± Red-light district women no longer sold themselves, ¡°Keuhuk! I¡¯m screwed¡­I¡¯m screwed! How can I make money when there are no customers?!¡± Merchants no longer traded illegal weapons or drugs. Indeed, eradicating villains seemed really rewarding. In the meantime, I stored the assets and weapons the two cartels had possessed in my inventory. As such, it was a time of replenishing my weapons. It was perfect. Also, in the secret safe Elizabeth had found that had belonged to the Red Blood Alliance, though not to the extent of being classified as items, there were still quite a few passable Mugong books. Hmm¡­it was a little vague for me to use, but if I get a chance, I could sell it for money. So I stayed in Kowloon for a while and farmed the hidden items here and there. But¡­while staying here, rather than farming items, I had spent more time on something else. White Face. An unidentified and rare disease that occurs only in Kowloon. From the information Elizabeth had been inquiring about, there were several characteristics of White Face. First, this disease wasn¡¯t contagious. Usually, diseases that occured simultaneously in certain areas were more likely to be infectious diseases caused by a particular virus. However, whether through physical contact or airborne, White Face wasn¡¯t transmitted through any means. And the second thing I had found out was that White Face wasn¡¯t a disease caused by a curse, but was a curse itself. In fact, at first I just thought someone had spread an AoE curse of a disease, but in Elizabeth¡¯s words, everything that was happening here was likely to be a curse. If there was a difference, this kind of disease¡­ No, unless it was a legendary potion from the fantasy world, curses like these could never be treated with modern drugs. The most standard way to break a curse was the use of divine power or appropriate spells. However, strangely, ampoules were currently in circulation in Kowloon for those suffering from White Face. But to say the drug was a fraud, that wasn¡¯t the case either. In fact, those afflicted with White Face were living their lives with the help of this drug¡­ It seemed I had gained a clue. Unless there was a better clue at the moment, it was necessary to meet the person selling this suspicious drug. Originally, it would have been hard to meet a seller if you don¡¯t pay an introduction fee to an existing buyer, but I was guided by Jane, who usually bought the drug. As such, I was able to meet one of the sellers from the rumors. ¡°Ahjussi, it¡¯ll be your right leg next.¡± ¡°Keu-keeueuk¡­R-really¡­That¡¯s all I know¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Okay, I believe you.¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­keuhok!¡± Swiik¨C! After a long conversation with the seller, I was told that he only distributed the drug and that he didn¡¯t know exactly how to make them. I followed the map he had drawn for me and went to the manufacturer he said produced this mysterious drug. ¡°Really¡­in such a place?¡± Jane muttered in disbelief. And I felt the same way. This was because the place I was led to was the underground shopping center in Kowloon that we had visited the other day. ¡°This is ridiculous¡­I know this place well and there¡¯s no such facility here. Were we deceived?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­well, let¡¯s go and see first.¡± I followed the map through the underground shopping center that twisted like a maze. After many twists and turns, at last we were able to reach the destination. *** *** And there, ¡°Kowloon Station¡­?¡± In the past, there was an entrance to the subway that was built when the Kowloon Group first began construction. But the path leading to the subway was blocked by a thick fire shutter. Was this really the right place? As expected, it was a mistake to give the seller a comfortable death. Maybe I had to go through a cumbersome process of re-catching other sellers. That was what I thought when suddenly, in one corner of the shutter, I saw a phrase written like graffiti. [Those who enter without permission will die.] ¡°Oh!¡± It seemed I had come to the right place. Normally the place where you¡¯re not supposed to enter was like a quest destination. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out?¡± Wuung¨C! I immediately pulled out my sword and cut off the shutter. The smoothly cut shutter fell to the ground and a loud noise resonated through the empty underground. Boom¨C! Beyond it was a pitch black darkness. Rather than a subway station, it was as if I had stepped into a dungeon where monsters were lurking. An unknown ominous feeling climbed up my spine. I didn¡¯t know what it was¡­but it certainly smelled suspicious. ¡°Wait here for now.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m coming with you!¡± ¡°Normally the mage is supposed to stand behind in parties. Don¡¯t troll and just stay put.¡± I left Elizabeth and Jane outside the shutter and walked in by myself. At that moment, Beep¨C! Along with an unpleasant alarm, dozens of attack spells poured out in the dark. This! I immediately operated my mana and cast my shield. A divine barrier formed and lit up the dark. Baang¨C! Bang¨C! Baaaang¨C! Fire, lightning, wind, etc¡­magic of various attributes knocked on the shield. If I had been attacked without any defense, no matter how high my durability was, I would have been unable to escape being wounded. Magic traps. How much money did they spend? These spells were many times more powerful than those set up at Elizabeth¡¯s house. But¡­ Fortunately, these expensive spells weren¡¯t enough to break through my shield and soon all disappeared. I didn¡¯t know who was behind this, but they must be having a heartache. Having wasted so much money on traps, I couldn¡¯t wait to see what kind of expression they will make. As I had such thoughts, I walked a little deeper. Chiiing¨C! Then, suddenly, along with the clear sound of metal vibrating, I felt an overwhelming energy fluctuation. This¡­? And in an instant the surroundings brightened and flames big enough to fill the wide underground passage flew toward me. I immediately activated my shield and blocked the whole passage. But its power was beyond imagination. It was similar to the dragon beam made by Dr. Jaegal in the past. It would be hard for me to withstand this. ¡°Damn it!¡± In the end, I had no choice but to reduce the size of the shield and increase its density. Thus, I was able to stop the direct attack, but the flames that leaked around me scarred my skin horrendously. Every breath I took, the heat came in and my bronchial tubes burned and I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. A second felt as long as a minute. At last, the waves of fire stopped. Chiik¨C! The residual heat from the heated passage became like a frying pan and the wolf set I was wearing burned out. Damn it¡­I¡¯ve been dressing well these days. For the time being, I may have to wear the clothes Elizabeth had chosen for me again. In the meantime, something was swaying from the ground, and soon Elizabeth, wrapped in shadow, appeared. ¡°N-Noah!¡± When she saw me shriveled and dried up, she shouted as if she was going to faint. ¡°N-no! W-what should I do? F-for now¡­¡± She covered me in the shadow that was wrapped around her body. ¡°Keuh!¡± Her skin began to burn red because of the heat of the passage that was heated like an oven. ¡°Noona, isn¡¯t it hot?¡± She held her breath and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not hot?¡± She shook her head even harder. The expression was quite interesting, but she could really burn herself after a little more, so I decided to stop playing around. Immediately releasing my mana and shaking off her shadow, I spoke. ¡°I really don¡¯t need this, so take it back. I can¡¯t have noona dying, so stop being so stubborn and quickly take care of yourself.¡± I had been working so hard to raise her. It would be such a waste to have her die in such a place. She paused at my words and stared at my body. My skin, which had been full of blisters, was recovering at a rapid pace. As she watched it carefully, she immediately covered herself with the scattered shadows. For some time she kept her head down, then she spoke in a low voice that was hard to hear. ¡°¡­Hmm. I¡¯ll try from now on.¡± Her whole body was covered by shadows, so I couldn¡¯t see her expression very well, but seeing that perhaps she was crying, it seemed to have hurt quite a bit. And perhaps because she was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t even say that she was hurt, she stood with her body fidgeting. Yeah, she had always been stubborn. I clicked my tongue. By the way¡­the attack from earlier somehow felt familiar. The violent flame was like a reproduction of a dragon¡¯s breath. It was so similar to a skill I had enjoyed in the past. This¡­maybe? As I had such thoughts, a voice was suddenly heard from inside. ¡°Who are you?¡± And at that moment, Elizabeth, who was next to me, angrily reacted before I could. ¡°You son of a bitch!!¡± In a flash, she turned into a shadow and disappeared somewhere. And a moment later, ¡°G-go away! Get away from me¡­Keuok!¡± On the other side of the darkness, I heard a little girl¡¯s resistance, and soon Elizabeth appeared again. Dragged in her hands was a girl with the appearance of someone between the age of 15-16. Elizabeth roughly threw the girl who had fainted on the ground. Then, the little girl jumped up from the ground in shock. ¡°Kyaak! H-hot!¡± The girl blew her burnt hands and cooled them down. But other than that, there weren¡¯t any abnormalities. As if it was natural to breathe in this heat and as if the burn was just simple heated water. Short height and a young appearance. And, resistant to heat. I could easily guess who she was. A dwarf. She glared at Elizabeth and snapped back. ¡°R-rude! How dare you, do you know who this one is?! Why did you do this!¡± ¡°Can I kill her now, Noah? Or can I just cut off one arm?¡± ¡°Hii-hiii!¡± Elizabeth said, thrusting a blade made of shadow in hand. I stopped her. ¡°Noona, hold on, don¡¯t kill her.¡± ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I was here to look for her, of course.¡± The purpose of my visit here was to find out information on the treatment of White Face. And there was still some information to be found in this dwarf. But¡­ Actually, in my head right now, I was full of other thoughts than White Face. Staring intently at the dwarf, I spoke. ¡°My precious¡­Do you know how much I¡¯ve missed you?¡± ¡°N-Noah¡­? Wh-what the hell¡­?¡± Elizabeth looked at me with a shocked face. Ignoring her, I approached the dwarf. She shranked back awkwardly. ¡°Wh-what are you doing, human?¡± ¡°Keuh¡­You¡¯re really shining brightly even in this darkness¡­It¡¯s really beautiful even when I look at you again.¡± ¡°Keu-keuhem¡­Well, for a lowly human, you do have eyes. It¡¯s true that this one is beautiful, but¡­Nothing will come from such praise.¡± Her lips twitched with a grin as if she was trying to hide her thoughts. At a first glance, it was obvious that she was holding back her smile. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful from a distance, but¡­It¡¯s even more beautiful up close. As expected, you are a work of art.¡± ¡°Well, well¡­If you wish, you may get a closer look.¡± She cupped her chin with both hands and stretched out her head. As a result, my precious which were on her waist were covered by the clothes. What was this crazy girl doing? I punched her in the face when she was talking nonsense. ¡°Keuk!¡± The dwarf fainted. At my action, Elizabeth nearby looked at me blankly. ¡°Wh-why¡­?¡± I ignored her gaze and grabbed the splendid thing hanging from the dwarf¡¯s waist. ¡°Hehe¡­we¡¯re finally seeing each other again. My precious.¡± A golden dragon decorated the handle, and dozens of different kinds of jewels were luxuriously embedded on the shealth. Rather than for a battlefield, it was more appropriate for art museums as a work of art. I pulled out the beautiful sword. Chiiing¨C! Along with a clear metallic sound that vibrated, what had appeared was a sword sparkling brightly. ¡°I finally got my hands on it¡­¡± I looked at the sword in my hand with a loving gaze. Dragon Sword Gram. It had the most beautiful appearance among my cherished possessions in the first round. I was wondering where Jane had gotten this guy, but it seemed she must have stolen it from this dwarf and fled. Maybe at some point she had come to get her brother¡¯s drug and took it together because it looked expensive. But that said, this sword wasn¡¯t just beautiful. The performance was also incredibly good. < Dragon Sword ¡®Gram¡¯ > Classification: Sword Grade: S Description: A sword made by the dwarves for the Warrior to kill the dragon Fafnir. However, it is said that the dwarves were destroyed by the fight between the Warrior and Fafnir. *Size can be adjusted according to one¡¯s mana. *Bonus damage against dragons. *< Dragon Breath > ¨C Absorb fire and deliver a destructive blow. Keuh¡­it was good to see it again. It was simple, but there was nothing more efficient than this. Needless to say, being able to adjust the size of a weapon in close combat was a tremendous advantage. In addition, the < Dragon Breath > option was more efficient than any other skill. As I had experienced with my body a while ago, it was absolutely not bad at all when used offensively, but in fact, the true value of this skill could be said to be revealed when used defensively. It was no exaggeration to say that this was the only reason why it was S-Grade. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be helped in the case of fire attacks with special attributes, but with this, I had nothing to fear anymore against most fire magic in the world. But¡­what was this? At the bottom of the option on the Gram, there was something else written in faint letters. [The spirit of the Warrior Siegfried is currently sealed. (Hidden).] It was an option I had never seen in the first round. No way¡­With the trait from the Dwarf gene, I could see hidden options now? I wasn¡¯t certain, but that seemed the most credible now. The first thing that came to mind when people thought of dwarves was the image of a blacksmith. As I had such thoughts, I began to hear someone¡¯s voice in my ears. ¡°No way¡­Can you hear my voice?¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°Aahh! Lucky! Finally, I can talk to someone, super lucky!!!!¡± ¡°M-my precious¡­?¡± I stared blankly at my lovely sword. The voice continued to chatter incessantly. ¡°Fucking dwarves! I did my best to defeat the dragon, and they cursed me like that! If I had been in good shape, I would have immediately cut off their limbs. Oh? Come to think of it, I¡¯m already dead?¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m now locked in a weapon like this, when I was in Nibelung, I was asked to sign autographs at every restaurant I went to, and I picked up women¡¯s skirts just about every night. Huh? You know what I mean, right? I mean the boom boom shush shush, that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Ah! I suddenly remembered that the king of the dwarves was actually my friend, but his wife was exactly my cup of tea, you know? So what did I do? That¡¯s¡­Hehe, what do you think? You want to hear it, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± My ears were bleeding. The graceful and beautiful Gram was speaking in the voice of a very frivolous man. My precious¡­had been sullied. Gram, who I had met again, was no longer the sword I knew. The sword I used to love was no longer in this world. I couldn¡¯t believe my precious sword was possessed by a perverted evil spirit. The cruel reality dug into my heart. ¡°Hmm? Are you listening to me? Hey~ Hey!¡± ¡°Damn it! This trash game can go to hell!¡± As expected, old memories of your love were best kept as just memories. ____ ____ Chapter 71 Villain Hides His True Color Chapter 71 I blankly looked down at the sword in my hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A filthy evil spirit was somehow attached to my lovely and beautiful sword. ¡°Hehe, bunga bunga! Shuk shuk! Bunga bunga! Shuk shuk!¡± (TN: Sex noises.) He spat out all kinds of obscene words in my head. For some reason, I could still hear his voice over and over again even when I put the sword in its sheath or when I put it into my inventory. Damn it! Was there any way¡­ While I racked my brain, he began to unravel his past that I had no interest in. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve heard of it before, haven¡¯t you? The fact that a dragon¡¯s human polymorph is very beautiful.¡± ¡°In fact, that was why I had accepted the request to slay the dragon. The dwarfs said there was a very beautiful dragon.¡± ¡°But it turns out that Fafnir was a guy! I was swindled by those bastards!¡± ¡°Hu¡­Don¡¯t you think it was too much? I can¡¯t believe they played with a man¡¯s pure heart. So at that time, all I could do was give up slaying the dragon and go home. If you were a man, you would understand how I feel, right?¡± The foul-mouthed evil spirit spoke to me as if we were kindred. However, I pretended not to hear and tried to ignore it. Otherwise, there would be no end to this crazy spirit once I get caught up in his blabbering. Let¡¯s not react¡­Let¡¯s not react¡­ Even if it was a little hard right now, enduring it was the only solution. If I hold on a little longer, he¡¯ll get tired and shut up. But¡­ He was more tenacious than I had expected and continued to say what he wanted to say. ¡°But¡­Fafnir¡¯s appearance was so beautiful. At that moment, I had a question in my head. Why not a guy? Regardless of gender, isn¡¯t it fine as long as it¡¯s pretty?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? Anyway, as long as it tastes good, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Keu¡­But surprisingly, guys were pretty good too. How should I say this¡­Should I say it¡¯s a delicacy that¡¯s good if you eat it occasionally? Anyway, thanks to having broadened my horizon, my world became a little wider.¡± ¡°Ah, are you curious about what happened that night? Hehe¡­What? You want to hear it? Okay, then I¡¯ll explain in detail how I had captured Fafnir.¡± Continuous mental attacks. Even though my mental strength was strengthened by all kinds of trolling and toxicity in online games, it was impossible to endure his appalling rambling. In the end, I couldn¡¯t resist and responded. ¡°¡­Can you shut up.¡± ¡°Oh! Are you answering me now?! I knew you would be interested in this story too!¡± His nonchalant tone made me boil with anger. It wasn¡¯t good enough that it was a parasite attached to my sword, but it had to be gay too? If this sword wasn¡¯t an S-Grade item, I would have already thrown it in a furnace. But as long as this damn evil spirit was attached to my weapon like an illegal tenant, in the end, there was nothing I could do at the moment. Damn it¡­I had to bear with it for now. Vowing to definitely get rid of him someday, I barely managed to suppress my annoyance. ¡°Huu¡­that¡¯s enough nonsense. Tell me who you are and how you ended up in this situation.¡± ¡°Oh, that was very rude of me since we¡¯ve just met. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve met someone I can communicate with, so I had forgotten. Haha!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ahem. My name is Siegfried, the Warrior who once upon a time saved the world by defeating the evil dragon, Fafnir.¡± ¡°¡­Warrior?¡± This crazy guy was a Warrior? I was so speechless that I almost burst into laughter. Could even dogs be called Warriors in the world he was from? Or did the word Warrior mean a lunatic in his world? While I was thinking about such things, he suddenly began to talk out of the blue again. ¡°Come to think of it, you¡­?¡± I wondered if he was going to start talking nonsense again, but the words that came out of his mouth were completely beyond my guess. ¡°Ahah. So it was like that. No wonder I felt a familiarity¡­You were born with the fate of a Warrior like me.¡± ?! How the hell did he know that? I had never told him about my Warrior skill. ¡°How did you know?¡± Contrary to his previous frivolous manner, he spoke in a rather grave tone. ¡°I see¡­Judging from your reaction, it seems you already know that you are a Warrior. Then¡­have you passed your trials?¡± ¡°Trials¡­? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°By nature, a warrior grows through trials. So you best hurry and realize what your trials are.¡± Come to think of it, similar words were written in the description of the Warrior skill. A Warrior grows through trials. Until now, I thought it was just an abstract metaphor, but was there really something called a ¡®trial¡¯ that existed? If so, where the hell would I find it? I didn¡¯t know exactly what it meant, but it seemed the meaning was similar to a job quest. That was to say, it was another chance to grow stronger! I asked him with anticipation. ¡°Then, where can I go to do it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Isn¡¯t the Warrior of this world you and not me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you feel anything? I had a strong feeling from the beginning, even if no one taught me. It¡¯s actually my first time meeting a Warrior other than myself, so I¡¯m not sure in this regard.¡± I thought he could help me, but he really didn¡¯t know. ¡°Tsk.¡± He shouldn¡¯t have brought it up in the first place if he didn¡¯t know. For no reason he made me look forward to it, and then told me to figure it out on my own. My mind that was about to give him a favorable evaluation simmered down. He, after all, was a useless evil spirit attached to my sword. ¡°Hm¡­Instead, I¡¯d love to tell you a story.¡± ¡°Huu¡­What is it?¡± I let out a sigh and asked him. It would be a waste to throw away this beautiful piece of art, so I decided I would get a proper sword and synthesize the options away if he talked nonsense again this time. Soon, he spoke in an even more serious tone. ¡°A Warrior is an existence who changes the fate of the world.¡± ¡°So you can say that this world is a stage just for you.¡± ¡°But be careful. This world xxxxxxxxxxxxx¡­¡± An unintelligible and strange voice. The words that came into my head were interfered with by noises like a radio out of frequency. This¡­? As if he had realized that his voice had changed, he suddenly stopped talking. ¡°Keuk¡­as expected, it¡¯s impossible to convey this.¡± He spat out after having returned to normal. I didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but it seemed Siegfried was under some sort of restriction. Soon, he spoke in an exhausted voice. ¡°Huu¡­ I don¡¯t think I can continue like this anymore.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s been a while since I talked a lot, but it¡¯s hard to hold out anymore¡­We¡¯ll continue the rest of the story next time.¡± ¡°Wait! Finish what you were saying!¡± ¡°Hehe¡­Don¡¯t worry. If I have another chance¡­I¡¯ll make sure to tell you the story of the hot night with Fafnir that you wanted to hear.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else after that. Even when I put mana into the sword and called him, no answer came back. ¡°Damn it!¡± He seemed to have really disappeared. When I wanted him to shut up, he spoke to his heart¡¯s content, but when something important was about to come up, he uselessly fell asleep. My annoyance was rising again. ¡°Huu¡­¡± He was indeed a man without an ounce of likeability. *** *** The vague words that he had left behind made my mind uneasy. Trials¡­ It was a concept I didn¡¯t even hear in the first round. What the hell was the existence called Warrior? Until now, I thought it was just a good growth skill, but perhaps there were a lot more hidden secrets to this ¡®Warrior¡¯ than I had thought. I¡¯ll have to look more into this matter. ¡°Huu¡­¡± If it was this world¡¯s content, I thought I had discovered most of them in the first round, but recently, it seemed things I didn¡¯t know about were popping up one after another. Was this really a good thing, or was it a bad thing? To be honest, for now, I couldn¡¯t make a good judgment. But for the time being, I was fortunate that I didn¡¯t have to listen to the guy¡¯s obnoxious voice. As I thought as such, ¡°Kyaaak!¡± On the other side of the deserted platform came a cry of someone in pain. It was the place where the dwarf had been taken to be interrogated by Elizabeth a moment ago. Huu¡­right. Rather than the Warrior, it was time to solve the Challenge. Putting what I had heard a moment ago in the back of my mind, I walked slowly to the place where the interrogation was taking place. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Hiiik!¡± The dwarf shuffled back with her butt on the ground. And in front of her was Elizabeth, who stood with the Love Whip I had lended her. While I was troubled with the evil spirit matter, perhaps because Elizabeth had taught the dwarf well, but once she tasted the whip, her arrogance was quickly patched up and she had become obedient. ¡°We know you¡¯re making the drug. What the hell is that drug, really?¡± Trembling, the dwarf answered. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t know¡­? It looks like you still haven¡¯t come to your senses.¡± ¡°W-wait! I-I really don¡¯t know too much.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a red stone over there, and if you dissolve it in water¡­¡± ¡°Red stone?¡± The dwarf explained what she knew in detail. Next to me was Elizabeth holding the whip, so I didn¡¯t think she would lie. Anyway, as she had explained, more and more red stones would pour out as construction of this subway progressed in the past. ¡°Hmm¡­I want to see it with my own eyes. Can you tell me where it is?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Perhaps it was a trade secret, but she faltered for a moment and hesitated to answer. But the moment she saw the whip waving in Elizabeth¡¯s hand, she gave up her hesitation and spat out the information. So, according to what she said, we entered the deeper parts of the subway station. Going down an underground path, it was a dark area where you couldn¡¯t even see an inch ahead. I took a lantern out of my inventory and walked carefully step by step. A cold chill ran down my spine as I felt a bad premonition. The strange and humid breeze created a loud whistling sound underground. I had felt it when I first came through the security shutter but it was a very damp and ominous atmosphere. The unpleasant feeling grew stronger and stronger the further I went inside. As expected¡­there was something at this end. After walking for some time, I was able to reach the subway passage, where neglected construction equipment was scattered everywhere. ¡°I-it¡¯s here.¡± The dwarf said timidly. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± At her words, I looked around, but let alone the red stone, I couldn¡¯t see anything. It was just a heavy gray. ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll come out soon if you wait¡­maybe.¡± As soon as her words fell, I heard a strange sound from somewhere. Squeak, squeak! A high-pitched sound unique to a rodent. Then, in the dark, bright red eyes began to shine one by one. Soon rats the size of a large dog wandered out of the shadow. I could hear the squeaky voices of those guys in my ears. ¡°Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry¡­¡± ¡°Human¡­I want to eat.¡± The mutant rats gradually closed in on us. I could understand what they were saying, so I felt like the noise was doubled. ¡°This is what you meant?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± I fired my skill at the group of rats. < Wind Cutter > The mana that was compressed to the limit flew away and cut everything in its path. Swiik¨C Countless rats were killed in just one attack. Where the bodies of half-cut rats had fallen neatly, those who had survived rushed at the corpses to eat. And because of that, I was able to clean up the rest easily. In less than a minute, the space surrounded by gray dust was stained with dark red blood. The dwarf next to me stared blankly at the sight. ¡°The red stone I got is something that comes from time to time when I kill these guys here. It¡¯s mainly in their stomach.¡± ¡°Oh¡­? Is that so?¡± If so, it was necessary to check it out. I took advantage of the dwarf¡¯s carelessness and used Marionette on her. Immediately, I could feel the invisible threads connected to her body. ¡°Y-yes¡­W-wait, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check what you just said.¡± ¡°B-but why my body¡­¡± ¡°The rats over there look a little dirty. What if I catch a disease?¡± ¡°Keuaak! D-don¡¯t! No!¡± I moved her body to search the dead rats. A rotten stench came from all directions. And sure enough, as she had said, there was a glowing red stone in one of the corpses. Was this it¡­? ¡°Heuk¡­I¡¯m going to throw up.¡± Ignoring the dwarf, I checked the stone. And¡­ ¡°?!¡± The moment I held the stone that was taken from one of the corpses, an information window appeared. < Contaminated Crystal > Classification: Material Grade: E Description: A crystal contaminated by the curse of a certain Evil God. Although it was E-Grade, it was still classified as an item. What should I think about this? The ominous feeling was growing stronger and stronger. As expected¡­there was something here. Ignoring the dwarf who was trying to stop me, I walked forward. My heart beat faster and faster with each step I took. And then¡­ When I arrived in front of a tent where construction had stopped, I realized why I had been having the ominous feeling. Boundary¡­ In the underground corner of the slums, there was such a high-level boundary? It was against common sense. What the hell was here for there to be a boundary like this¡­? The moment I had such a question, suddenly a new message popped up in front of me. Ding¨C! [Challenge ¨C Evil God¡¯s Resurrection] Condition: Stop the resurrection of the Evil God Angra Mainyu. Time: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Unknown. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± And there¡­ Was the name of a transcendent who once upon a time had caused the near extinction of humanity. ____ ____ Chapter 72 Villain Hides His True Color Chapter 72 Looking at the new Challenge, I had no choice but to stare blankly at it. Angra Mainyu. Suddenly appearing one day was the world¡¯s first villain to be designated as an SS-Rank. According to many experts in the past, with the advent of Angra Mainyu, it was said that the advancement of humanity had regressed by at least ten years, and in fact, one of the reasons why the demon army was able to conquer Earth so easily was because of the irreparable damage that was done by him prior. In any case, I didn¡¯t expect his name to appear here¡­ I was just chasing Eighth Layer Hell, and unexpectedly, somehow a bigger figure had popped up. If so¡­it was only right to think that he had something to do with Eighth Layer Hell. Alongside Angra Mainyu in the past, there were eight powerful monsters who referred to themselves as his ¡®Apostles.¡¯ Each one of them was as powerful as the best A-Rank hero. People had wondered where the hell these monsters had come from, but looking at it now, they all seemed to be related to Eighth Layer Hell. And coincidentally, there were exactly eight of them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± If I were to go by the flow of the first round, there was about five years left before Angra Mainyu would appear. But now that a Challenge had appeared, it meant that something had changed. This case was bigger than I had thought. On top of that, a God? He naturally used to call himself a ¡®God¡¯ in the past, but at the time I thought he was just a mental patient¡­ To think he was really a God¡­ Like the Turbak God I had fought, was the existence of a God so easy to come across? Until now, I was confident that I had discovered most of the content, but strangely enough, since the beginning of the second round, I felt like unknown existences were continuing to emerge. This wasn¡¯t going to be easy. It was a pleasant surprise that new content had opened, but in fact, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to deal with Angra Mainyu right now. However, the reward at stake was too sweet to quit after having come all the way here¡­ As expected¡­I couldn¡¯t just give up like this. It would be the shame of a gamer to walk away when a delicious reward was right in sight. Not to mention, according to the description of the Challenge, it simply says to stop his ¡®resurrection,¡¯ so perhaps he had not yet regained the power he had in the past. ¡­If I assume that was the case, then it wasn¡¯t like the chance of winning was a long shot. With firm determination that had almost faltered, I looked at the boundary in front of me. At a first glance, it looked like a seemingly ordinary tent at a construction site, however, on closer examination, I could see the space distorting. I didn¡¯t know what was waiting for me over there, but¡­ The more delicious a reward was, the more dangerous the hunting ground would be. I took a small deep breath before walking into the tent. Soon, the surrounding landscape twisted and the place where I was standing changed in an instant. A vast cave filled with red crystals. Due to the glistening red crystals that were coming from all sides, I felt as if I had just entered a ruby mine. ¡°Th-this is¡­?¡± Jane, who had walked in the boundary one step after, anxiously looked around. And beside her, Elizabeth also wrinkled her forehead before picking up a piece of a crystal that had fallen to the ground. ¡°Noah¡­it seems this is the stone from earlier?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­indeed.¡± I didn¡¯t have to check the item information. This ominous, sticky feeling emanating from the crystal wasn¡¯t easy to imitate. And, it was clear there was something lurking here. Maybe I could find out the cause of White Face. *** *** When I thought as such, ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that¡­?¡± The dwarf who was standing awkwardly pointed her finger at one side. I looked in the direction she was pointing. And there, bright red lights were shining in the dark. At first, I thought it was just more crystals, but¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± Whether it was due to the effect of the newly active genes, but the forms gradually came into view more clearly. A bunch of gray hairs wriggling in the dark. Squeak! Squeak, squeak¨C! The number of rats was impossible to count. In the dark, their eyes glowed an eerie red. ¡°Human, human, human, human.¡± ¡°Food is here. Food is here. Food is here.¡± Their voices craving for food came into my ears. Soon, the pack of rats hiding in the shadows slowly began to creep out. ¡°Kyaaak! I-I¡¯m going to die! If we stay here, we¡¯ll all die!¡± The dwarf standing anxiously said with a sharp scream. With an annoyed look, Elizabeth, who was next to her, calmed her down. ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss and just keep quiet. This isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± ¡°L-lie! How can we fight against such a large number? I-I¡¯m leaving! I¡¯m leaving!¡± The dwarf shook off Elizabeth and ran towards the boundary¡¯s entrance we had just entered. ¡°Ugh!¡± It was funny to see her run in a hurry and fall. I could have stopped her halfway if I wanted to catch her, but I left that kind of fellow alone. ¡°Noah, is it okay to just let her go?¡± ¡°Well, she doesn¡¯t have much use now anyway, and it would be troublesome if she had stayed. It was probably for the best.¡± I guess she didn¡¯t believe we were capable. In fact, looking at the number of rats in front of us now, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to think so. It was truly a rat horde. Because of the vast number of rats, it had reached the point where the ground couldn¡¯t be seen at all. After the dwarf had disappeared through the boundary in a hurry, Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Not long after, countless numbers of rats began to swarm us at once. Seeing such a sight, it was certainly warranted for the dwarf to have been scared. It looked as if a giant wave was flooding in. I turned to Elizabeth. ¡°Huu¡­Noona, please protect Jane.¡± ¡°Okay! Leave it up to me!¡± I immediately created a blade made of wind. A sharp wind spun atop my hand. < Wind Cutter > Squeak¨C! The rats who had been running in front were instantly split in half, splattering blood on the others. No matter how strong they had become after eating that unidentified crystal, at most they were just rats living in the sewers. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! They rushed forward without hesitation even though they had seen the dead bodies rolling around right in front of them. I continued to throw < Wind Cutter > at them whenever that happened. Squeak¨C! They were constantly cut down. Blood spilled, and more and more corpses piled up in front of my eyes, forming a frontline. However, they continued to rush in at the cost of their own lives. No matter how fast they were being cut down, the number was so high that their distance gradually closed. As a result, their frontline, which was pushed out little by little, had almost closed the distance. I didn¡¯t think I could deal with them using < Wind Cutter > anymore. Realizing that, I clicked my tongue. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t want to get blood on me.¡± Wuung¨C! I took out Red Velvet Curse and cut down the fearless rats rushing in. Squeak¨C! With a stroke of my sword that was imbued with mana, dozens of rats were cut down. The rats¡¯ dismembered bodies piled up one by one in front of my eyes. ¡°Too disgusting.¡± After an unknown time, the endless waves of rats stopped. What was left were countless rat corpses scattered everywhere. A terrible stench stung my nose. ¡°It really stinks.¡± I frowned and summoned Buldol and Alsun. They immediately began to eat the rats on their own without me having to tell him. Meanwhile, as the bodies scattered on the ground were automatically sucked into their mouths like a vacuum cleaner I wondered if they had gained some kind of new ability. A cave full of blood and stench was quickly cleaned up. Maybe I could set up a cleaning company? While I was looking at Buldol and Alsun with a pleased look, Elizabeth quietly walked up and handed me a towel. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t much. You¡¯re making a fuss over nothing.¡± I didn¡¯t like the filth and blood all over my body, but the rats were no threat to me. It was only troublesome. ¡°Hmm¡­these were the new clothes I just took out. It¡¯s dirtied again.¡± Come to think of it, it felt similar to how I had felt during the first round. At the time when I was conquering the world with the demon army, countless guys would rush at me as the rats had earlier. Although they weren¡¯t like these clumsy rats, it could be said that they had gathered like rats. While I was wiping away the blood, just in time, Buldol and Alsun had eaten up all the bodies in the area. At last, the area where the rats had clogged up was revealed properly. And there¡­ A large sarcophagus made of the red crystal. Not only were there many talismans with unknown patterns attached to the sarcophagus, a red blood-stained rope was wrapped around it. It was constantly giving off a sinister haze. ¡°This¡­?¡± At a first glance, it looked ominous. ¡°Ah!¡± Elizabeth, looking at the sarcophagus, quickly exclaimed. ¡°Noah! I found it! The energy flowing out of there feels the same as the curse.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯m sure! I think the energy flowing out of there is the cause of White Face.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It seemed a part of the quest was solved. I approached the sarcophagus that was exuding a sinister energy. Soon, I imbued mana onto my sword and slashed at it without hesitation. Swiik¨C Surprisingly, the seal that was protecting the sarcophagus was easily cut off. Opening the lid of the sarcophagus, there was an unknown arm as dry as a mummy. ¡°Hmm¡­this¡­?¡± An unidentified arm. However, looking at it like this, I could vividly feel the cause of the sinister energy was flowing from this. Black malice was spreading in all directions to the point where my skin felt numb. Red Velvet Curse was vibrating stronger than ever before. Soon, its information appeared. < Evil God¡¯s Right Arm > Classification: Body Grade: S Description: The right arm with the power of Angra Mainyu. ¡°Huu¡­¡± Although it was just a piece of body that had been cut off, the status window was recognizing it as an item. It was also an item as much as S-Grade. Ah¡­it would be a waste to just destroy it like this. It seemed to be worth keeping¡­ However, in order to solve the quest, I had to destroy this¡­ Was there any way¡­? When I was agonizing over it, all of a sudden the hairs on my body stood on end and I heard a voice from behind my back. ¡°You¡­Who are you?¡± I quickly pulled out my sword and looked back. And there¡­ A monster whose whole body was covered in scales was looking this way in disbelief. ____ ____ Chapter 73 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 73 ¡°I was wondering what kind of vagrant bastard had crawled in¡­But it had turned out to be you brats?¡± The mysterious person walked slowly towards us with a relaxed look on his face. Because of the dreadful aura emanating from him, my muscles contracted stiffly, regardless of my will. Looking to the side, Elizabeth¡¯s forehead was covered with sweat, while in Jane¡¯s case, her whole body shivered and she breathed heavily as if even standing was difficult. ¡°Hey, why are you guys really here? Did you come here by mistake? Hehe¡­¡± He let out his long tongue with a snicker. A thin body covered with red scales, dark green hair like seaweed, and even a strange face as if a dog and a lizard were mixed together. His appearance was like the common Kobold found in RPGs. At a first glance, his very unsightly appearance made him look like a miscellaneous mob. But¡­ I could never think of him as such. Rather, after starting the second round, I was feeling a sense of crisis more than ever. Damn it¡­to think I would run into him so soon. Although I didn¡¯t meet him in person, I definitely remember seeing him on the news in the first round. I had some expectations that I was mistaken, but his appearance was so unique that it was hard to forget. Without realizing it, I uttered his name out of my mouth. ¡°¡­Old Drakedog.¡± ¡°What? How do you know my name?¡± Old Drakedog looked at me with a startled expression. As expected, my guess was right. In the first round, he was one of the eight Apostles of Angra Mainyu, and an A-Rank villain notorious for brutally killing civilians. Old Drakedog, ¡®Dragon Dog.¡¯ (TN: Drakedog is a reference to a famous player from World of W*rcraft.) In particular, he was the most well-known figure among the Apostles of Angra Mainyu. Because he, unlike the other Apostles, had a habit of showing off his atrocities. In the midst of indiscriminately killing civilians, he would keep reporters alive and have them broadcast it, or sometimes would appear on the news to interview his thoughts and philosophy. To put it simply, it could be said that he was an attention-seeking individual. In fact, thanks to his past interviews, many aspects such as the existence of Angra Mainyu and the seven other apostles were made public to the media. It was really messed up. I never thought I would meet an Apostle here¡­ I cursed in my head. Since it was a Challenge related to Angra Mainyu, I thought I would encounter the Apostles sooner or later, but¡­ I never could have imagined that I would meet one right here today. It felt as if I was meeting the final boss right at the start of the game. As I thought as such, Old Drakedog tilted his head. ¡°Hmm¡­have we met before? No. You look too young for that to be the case. Hmm¡­well, it doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡± ¡°More than that, it¡¯s bothering me that you¡¯re next to the relic.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you come this way on your own? I¡¯ll be kind enough to kill you without pain.¡± From the way the Old Drakedog spoke, I could still feel an unshakeable relaxation. It was as if he was looking at a bug he could kill at any time. Fucking¡­ I didn¡¯t like his attitude very much, but it was too risky to face him in the current situation. If I risked my life here, I didn¡¯t know what kind of collateral it would cause to the luggage I was carrying for the Challenge. Huu¡­the priority should be to get out of here. I¡¯ll put off destroying the relic until later. For now, the priority was to find a way out of here. I picked up Angra Mainyu¡¯s arm that was in the sarcophagus and put it straight into my inventory. But¡­ ¡°Huh??¡± The arm I had put in my inventory instantly bounced back and a message appeared in front of my eyes. [ This item cannot be stored in the inventory. ] What was¡­this? There were items that couldn¡¯t be stored in my inventory? I looked at the message with a dumbfounded look. Naturally, sometimes there were restrictions with synthesizing items and skills, but this was really the first time I had run into an item that couldn¡¯t be stored in my inventory. Was it because it was a special quest item? Or was it because it was related to the existence called God? I didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but one thing was certain¡­ Damn it! I had no choice but to bring it with me and run away. It was unknown whether I would be able to escape with this kind of baggage, but if I left this item here it would be the same as throwing away all of the efforts I had made so far. And if I passed it up today, I didn¡¯t know how much more thoroughly Old Drakedog would guard it. It would really be the end of the reward if that happened¡­ As my mind became filled with many thoughts, he calmly spoke. ¡°I thought it was suspicious that you had unsealed it¡­As expected, you¡¯re not ordinary rats. How dare you try to steal the relic.¡± ¡°Or was it an accident? In that regard, I had already prepared for such events.¡± ¡°So take it if you can. Hehe¡­¡± He flicked his finger. Bang¨C! The arm of Angra Mainyu, which I held in my hand, was drawn into the sarcophagus like a magnet. A shallow pool of blood was formed around the sarcophagus and it sank in an instant. Where the sarcophagus had disappeared, there was only a little trace of blood left. The sarcophagus was nowhere to be found. ¡°I¡¯ve been guarding it for years. You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve prepared that much? Hehe.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He looked at me with a grin. According to the memory of the first round, I had thought he was a martial artist who mainly used hand-to-hand combat. When did he prepare this kind of magic? As a result, far from destroying the arm, even the location of the sarcophagus was unknown. Along with it, the option to escape had now disappeared. It was either me dying, or him dying and I would be able to recover the quest item. If only one of the two Challenges was at stake, I might have reluctantly given up, but unfortunately, the arm was a massive reward, so there were two rewards on the line. This has become really troublesome¡­ *** *** I frowned and stared at the place where the sarcophagus had disappeared. Old Drakedog grinned. ¡°Hehe, I would like to take the time to ask each of you what you¡¯re doing here, but¡­¡± He pulled out a long iron skewer hanging from his back. There was no decoration and it just looked like a plain toothpick. But from the skewer came a powerful aura surging with destructive power. ¡°¡­That would be tiresome. So you can just die now.¡± At that moment, his figure disappeared from my view in an instant. ?! The hairs on my whole body stood on end and an alarm rang in my head. At the same time, I instinctively flung myself to the left. Then, where I was standing, the iron skewer full of qi intent dug in. Boom¨C! I had barely dodged the fearsome force as it brushed my side. However, the sound that couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed one step later turned into a sonic boom and hit my eardrum. Bang¨C! Meanwhile, I widened the distance from him and pulled out Red Velvet Curse. Psk¨C! The wound on my side opened and through the gap, blood burst out and flowed like water. Even though it wasn¡¯t a direct hit, I was bleeding quite severely. But now, more than that, I was more concerned about the fact that I couldn¡¯t see his attack. I naturally wasn¡¯t prepared for such an attack, but his speed was so great that I had missed the instant he had moved. ¡°Euhahaha! Aren¡¯t you a really interesting guy? How did you avoid that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Instead of coming after me, he just looked at me as if he found me interesting. Like a monkey in a zoo¡­It seemed he was taking me lightly. As my irritation soared, I activated < Inner Heart >. Along with a burst of mana circulating my body, a red haze fluttered around me. ¡°Huh? All right, let¡¯s see what you can do. I was bored because I was stuck here, but that¡¯s great.¡± He still looked at me with a relaxed look. Let¡¯s see how long that expression will last. Taking advantage of his carelessness, I gathered my mana to the limit. And then¡­ < Wolf Hour > The blood in my body pumped like crazy and the world turned red. In the slowed world I sprang forward like lightning. But even in this slowed world, he was still moving at a high speed. I could see him aiming at me with the iron skewer raised. At the end of it was a murky black aura surging. There was no chance of me winning at this rate. No. I had to end it here now. I quickly gathered my thoughts and once again accelerated myself. < Wolf Hour > I felt a heavy burden on my body, but at last, his figure began to slow down. His shocked expression was clearly visible. And¡­ I cut off the head of such a person. Swiik¨C! I could feel a clear taste on my hand. Along with it, his head rolled to the ground. Soon, the world that was dyed red slowly regained its original color. ¡°Huu¡­¡± I let out a long sigh. It was a fairly hard catch, but I was lucky enough¡­ But at that very moment, Puuk¨C! [ Absolute Defense activated. ] In response to the message that had appeared, I immediately rolled to the ground and moved away from the direction of the attack. What the hell was going on here? I was sure I had killed him, so why the message¡­? The answer to my question was solved as soon as I saw where his body was supposed to be. A decapitated scaly monster with a hideous appearance stood with a skewer in his hand. ¡°?!¡± Red smoke was rising from the cut cross-section, and then the head that had fallen on the ground flew up like a magnet and rejoined it. Old Drakedog bent his neck from side to side and laughed. ¡°Hehe¡­it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had my head cut off. It¡¯s rather pretty good.¡± I stared blankly at such a guy. What kind of ability was it? In many cases, even if a person had excellent regeneration, it wasn¡¯t possible to regenerate the neck if it was cut off as it is now. It was also the reason why I preferred to cut off the necks of my enemies¡­ So how did he do it? On top of that, there was no trace of him being cut at all. On the contrary, he was more lively than a moment ago. ¡°I was caught too quickly. Now that you know I have an immortal body, you¡¯re going to lose your will to fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought I would be able to enjoy myself after a long time, but it¡¯s a shame.¡± He smacked his lips with a heartfelt regret. As for me, I slowly pointed my sword at him. ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still going to try? Well, that¡¯s good for me. It¡¯s hard to find someone like you¡­¡± Swiik¨C I used the last < Wolf Hour > charge and split him, who was chuckling to himself, in half. However, again, between his split bodies, red smoke rose and his body rejoined into one. After returning to normal, he looked at me with a deep smile. ¡°Keuhehe¡­It¡¯s no use.¡± Indeed, as he said, such actions may not work. However, I looked at him and spoke. ¡°Then¡­let¡¯s give it a try. How long you¡¯ll be able to survive.¡± And so, a drawn-out battle began. ____ ____ Chapter 74 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 74 The new figure of Noah wrapped in red mana left a long tail like a comet and collided with Old Drakedog. Bang¨C! Old Drakedog was knocked back as fast as a cannonball and became embedded in the cave walls. Rumble¨C! As a result, the crystals that clung like stalactites fell down little by little in the aftermath that had spread in all directions. In the middle of a crater that had formed, Old Drakedog had become stuck with his neck bent. ¡°Euhahaha! Is that all you can do? Why don¡¯t you try harder?¡± He burst into laughter and fitted his broken neck in place. Elizabeth stretched out her hand as a swaying darkness arose and restrained his movements. ¡°Hoho, what¡¯s this? There was one more interesting guy!¡± He looked at the shadow wrapped around him with curiosity. In that instant, Noah threw a prepared spell. Swiik¨C! Swiik¨C! With a blade of wind that had been compressed to its limit, Old Drakedog¡¯s body was cut so finely that it was impossible to even recognize its shape. But¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not going to work. Hehe.¡± Even before the cut body had fallen to the ground, his body was engulfed in a black smoke and had regained its original appearance. A situation in which regeneration was faster than getting injured. Soon, along with a shout, he easily broke the shadow that was restraining him. ¡°Oraah!¡± ¡°Keuhok!¡± Due to the backlash of her spell being forcefully broken, Elizabeth gripped her chest as she vomited blood. Meanwhile, Old Drakedog pulled out his body from the walls. Raising his iron skewer, he leisurely spoke. ¡°Then, shall I get serious now?¡± A murky-colored aura surged above the iron skewer he held in his hand. An unshakeable will that perfectly embodied qi intent. It was a technique only martial artists who had reached the Transformation Realm could exhibit. Noah breathed mana into his sword in response. A blood red energy climbed up the blade. However, compared to Old Drakedog¡¯s qi intent, it shook very precariously. Perhaps because of the forced use of mana, thick veins were visible on Noah¡¯s forehead. Old Drakedog laughed and ridiculed at the sight. ¡°Haha¡­Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overdoing it? Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you soon enough, ahjussi, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Oh? I like your guts, brat. Then let¡¯s¡­see how capable you are.¡± At that moment, the two seemed to disappear at the same time¡­ Bang¨C! Along with a deafening sonic boom, Noah and Old Drakedog clashed. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! A series of thunderous roars one after another. Red and black light left afterimages that weaved like a snake. As such, neither refused to back down even an inch and continued to swing their weapons. When an arm was cut, the other person¡¯s abdomen was penetrated. A disregard for defense, they were brutal attacks only aimed at one¡¯s life. There was blood everywhere, and at the same time, the severed body parts were repeatedly rejoined. ¡°Euhahaha! Good, good!¡± There was no room for anyone to get in between the two. Elizabeth could only stare helplessly at the fierce battle that continued so fast that it was hard to chase with the eyes. After an unknown amount of time, at last, the tense balance began to break. Puk¨C! ¡°Keuk!¡± Old Drakedog¡¯s skewer penetrated Noah¡¯s shoulder. Red blood poured from the wound that didn¡¯t heal as quickly as it had been. Noah quickly widened the distance, holding his pierced shoulder. Old Drakedog burst into laughter. ¡°Keuhahaha. I guess you¡¯re finally exhausted.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Indeed, like he had said, the qi intent on Noah¡¯s sword had become so faint that it was hard to notice unless you looked closely. On the other hand, Old Drakedog, like from the start, was still emitting a fearsome aura. ¡°You did the best you could. I had a good time thanks to you, so I¡¯ll kill you painlessly, hehe¡­¡± Old Drakedog charged straight at Noah. The fight that had stopped for a moment resumed. But unlike before, Noah was unilaterally driven on the defensive while Old Drakedog still attacked with no regard to his. As a result, Noah had no choice but to pay attention to each attack that came in. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Noah¡¯s body fluctuated roughly each time the monster swung his iron skewer. As if he had become a candle in the wind, the situation had become very precarious. And Elizabeth, who was watching, clenched her fists so tightly that her hands had turned pale. ¡°A-ah¡­Noah will be in danger if this continues..¡± However, there was nothing she could do right now. In a situation where she could barely chase the figure of the two, she would only hinder Noah if she intervened. And in the worst case, there might come a situation where he sacrifices himself to protect her¡­ ¡°If I was a little stronger¡­¡± She felt ashamed of herself. After all the fuss she had made about following him this time, she couldn¡¯t believe it was like this again when it really mattered. After learning in earnest from Lady Fortune, she didn¡¯t think she would ever be helpless again¡­ The result was that she was still not worth a salt and couldn¡¯t do anything on her own. ¡°No! I can¡¯t give up yet¡­¡± She shook off the negative emotions that were creeping into her mind. If she gave up here, Noah would really be in danger. Something¡­there must be a way. If I can figure out how he¡¯s regenerating¡­ She racked her brain more than ever before. The magical knowledge she had learned from Lady Fortune. The contents from the books she had seen while passing by her uncle¡¯s study when she was young. Even the current situation happening right now. All the bits and pieces of information, one by one, a complete picture slowly formed in her head. Every power needs a price¡­So there must be a secret to his regenerative ability. What had felt like an eternity, she was finally able to reach the truth. ¡­I have to find the sarcophagus. *** *** Earlier, Old Drakedog had sent the sarcophagus that was exuding a sinister energy somewhere. It had become clear to her that the energy from the very same sarcophagus was powering his regeneration. And¡­ With her instinct of a transcendent witch, she was able to immediately guess where the sarcophagus was. It¡¯s¡­still in this cave. At a first glance, it would seem as if it had been transferred to another place, but she was certain. It was somewhere in this large cave. More precisely, the key to solving this situation lies in the world beyond reality that cannot be seen. With the eyes of a witch, she looked at the other world that overlapped with reality. And as a result¡­ ¡°Found it!¡± The place where Noah and Old Drakedog were fighting. There was a sarcophagus in the middle of the bloody place. And from the arm contained in the sarcophagus, dark and murky energy was flowing out and it could be seen connecting to Old Drakedog. Every time he was cut down, the dark energy would seep into the wound and restore him. I have to take that arm away. She had found the solution. However, in such a fierce battle, it was impossible to take the arm away without being caught with her current ability. And, even if she was to tell Noah where the sarcophagus was, there was nothing he could do without the power to interfere with the world beyond. A-ah¡­What should I do¡­? Was this really the end? If at least Noah could be saved, she would do anything¡­ As she thought as such, she caught sight of Jane shivering in a corner of the cave. Wait¡­If it¡¯s her¡­ She had seen it clearly the other day. The figure of Jane freely walking in the world beyond. Even herself, who was more talented than any other, it was an ability that she couldn¡¯t imitate. If it was her, she might be able to take the arm out amidst the fierce battle. She didn¡¯t know if things would work out smoothly like what she thought, but¡­ There¡¯s no time to be picky about this and that anyway. She immediately ran towards Jane. * * * * * * * * * * It was like she was dreaming. It was a terrible nightmare too. She couldn¡¯t get a hold of herself after the appearance of the scaly monster. I-if I stay here, I¡¯m going to die¡­ Her body trembled against her will and she couldn¡¯t think of anything in her head. As she had lived a boring life, she thought she had gotten used to death. However, along with the bloody feeling that she felt right now, the thought of death came to her more vividly than she had imagined. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! The cave trembled as if it was going to collapse. And each time she would cower as her hands wrapped around her head. She thought she would rather have the cave collapse like this, then how great would it be if she could die without even feeling pain? Rather, she would choose death over the fear of death itself. How ironic was that? She knew that was the case, but for now, all she could think about was that it would be okay to die if she could be freed from this nightmare. Heuk, why did I follow them here? What the hell was I thinking coming all the way here?! She should have stayed behind when Noah had told her to wait at the entrance. If she had done that, she wouldn¡¯t be feeling this fear¡­ The moment she wiped away her tears, she saw Elizabeth running towards her. Elizabeth shouted with an urgent look. ¡°Jane! I need your help right now!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­for what?¡± ¡°Only with your help can we save Noah!¡± Had this woman gone crazy because she was also afraid? What could they do in the midst of such monsters? ¡°Wh-what? Wh-what can I do? What¡¯s wrong with your brain¡­¡± ¡°Stop! We don¡¯t have time for jokes! Don¡¯t ask questions and just do what I tell you to do right now.¡± Elizabeth shouted, cutting off her words firmly. Unconvinced, Jane stammered and asked. ¡°Wh-what should I do?¡± ¡°You remember when you tried to steal my stuff?¡± ¡°No¡­What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°Stop and listen to me! You can still use that ability, right?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. But what about it?¡± Elizabeth pointed her finger at one place and spoke. ¡°Do you remember the dried arm we saw earlier? It¡¯s over there, so bring it to me. You can¡¯t see it now, but if you use your ability, you¡¯ll be able to see its location.¡± Jane turned her head in the direction Elizabeth had pointed. And there, two monsters were fighting at a level that transcended human beings. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Every time they collided, the cave shook as their elaborate attacks broke the thick walls. ¡°¡­You want me to go over there? Are you crazy? Never! I won¡¯t!¡± She was already scared to death right now, so what was she talking about? Jane firmly shook her head. Elizabeth bowed her head with tears in her eyes. ¡°Please, I beg of you! You¡¯re the only one who can save Noah now. So please!¡± ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Except for things related to Noah, Elizabeth had always been merciless, but now she was shedding tears like a child. ¡°¡­¡± Jane silently watched her figure for a while. After an unknown time, ¡°Fuck, all right, leave it to me!¡± She cursed and nodded. Only then did Elizabeth straighten her back and smile. ¡°Th-thank you! Thank you so much!¡± ¡°Huu¡­okay. Let¡¯s just go and die. Die¡­¡± She still didn¡¯t quite understand why she had made such a decision. As Elizabeth had said, perhaps because it was something only she could do, or if it was something that could really save Noah. Nevertheless, she thought she could pluck up her courage to some extent. And, I owe him a debt. Sighing briefly, she asked. ¡°Tell me more precisely. What should I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll quickly explain.¡± A moment later, Jane held her breath and permeated into the world beyond. ____ ____ Chapter 75 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 75 Jane held her breath and activated her ability. Blinking her eyes once, the world was instantly flipped. It was another world unreachable by ordinary senses. A landscape far detached from reality. Blood flowed from the cracks on the walls of the cave and accumulated on the ground as it boiled, turning into bright red steam and was sucked back into the walls. The bright red crystals that filled the cave screamed in anguish as if they were tortured sinners. ¡­What¡¯s this? She had often witnessed strange phenomena she couldn¡¯t understand when she would use her ability, however the world she was looking at now was more terrifying than ever. If there was an actual hell, would it be this kind of landscape? Just looking at it gave her goosebumps all over her body. Feeling as if she was going to lose herself if she stayed here a second longer, her eyes squinted and she grimaced. Let¡¯s finish it as quickly as possible and go back. As she thought as such, she could see Noah and the monster exchanging blows. And in the midst of the two, the sarcophagus she had seen earlier was emitting an sinister air as something dark flowed out from it and seeped into Old Drakedog¡¯s body. Is this what she meant¡­? Although she didn¡¯t understand the principle behind it, in any case, it seemed they would be able to get out of this crisis as long as she stole the thing inside the sarcophagus. But¡­The current situation was that the two were still fighting fiercely. And the attacks they swung incessantly was breaking down the cave walls like crumbled cookies. No¡­do I really have to go in there? She knew in her head that as long as she was in this world she wouldn¡¯t be harmed, but when she saw such a terrifying sight, she found herself unable to take another step. Don¡¯t be scared¡­I don¡¯t have to be scared. She shook her head and gathered her thoughts. Until she met the woman called Elizabeth, no one else could interfere with her ability. As long as she was in this world, no one could ever harm her. Fuck, whatever! She bit her lips and ran toward the sarcophagus. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Broken pieces of crystal debris fell on her, but she walked right through them as if she was a ghost. Finally reaching the sarcophagus, there was the dried, withered arm in it that she had seen earlier. From the still arm, black murky energy was constantly gushing out. Let¡¯s grab it and quickly go back¡­ She suppressed her anxiousness and picked up the arm. At that moment, the dark energy began to seep into her body. ?! The red crystals scattered on the walls opened their eyes in unison and stared at her. *** *** At the same time, she heard someone¡¯s voice in her head. ¡°Jane.¡± Her brother¡¯s voice that plagued her every night. Why was she suddenly hearing his voice? More and more dark energy penetrated her body. Soon, she heard the faint voice more clearly. ¡°Why are you still alive?¡± Her brother¡¯s disheveled head whispered in her ears. ¡°I died for you¡­For what?!¡± He couldn¡¯t have been here, so this was another nightmare. But unlike usual, even though she had realized that this was all an illusion, her brother¡¯s sudden appearance tormented her and didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°It¡¯s unfair. It¡¯s unfair, why should I be the only one suffering?¡± I-I must go back. She quickly turned around, ignoring her brother¡¯s voice. At that moment, her brother¡¯s mouth tore open and he shouted. ¡°So, you too¡­feel the pain I felt!¡± Chomp¨C! Kyaaak! The head bit her thumb off. Blood constantly poured out of the severed section as she felt the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. But for some reason, no words came out of her mouth. She simply gritted her teeth. Her brother again spoke. ¡°It¡¯s not enough! It¡¯s not enough! The pain I felt wasn¡¯t this trivial!¡± Chomp¨C! He attacked her again and bit another finger. Kkuaaak¨C! A second finger was bitten off. The mental pain made it difficult for her to stay here any longer. Rather, she wanted to leave this world, but for some reason, she was still in this strange landscape. Wh-why¡­ Nevertheless, the world didn¡¯t change even though she had exhaled her breath she had held until now. Her brother appeared before her again. ¡°Jane. I¡¯ll never forgive you. Why did you give up avenging me?¡± She could no longer tell the difference whether this was an illusion or not. Had her dead brother really come back to relieve his resentment? Could she again really turn back on her brother who had sacrificed his life? In the end, she begged with tears in her eyes. I-I¡¯m sorry, oppa¡­It¡¯s my fault. Please forgive me¡­ ¡°I¡¯m already dead, what difference does apologizing make?¡± Heuk¡­I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry! ¡°If you really feel sorry for me, do as I say.¡± I-I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to do. ¡°Put the thing in your hand back in place.¡± As if she was possessed, she stood up and answered. I understand¡­ Holding the withered arm in her hand, she slowly walked toward the sarcophagus. After putting the arm back inside, the dark energy began to surge more violently than it did earlier. ¡­It¡¯s finished, oppa. ¡°Good. Well done. Now then¡­Go kill that boy over there.¡± She turned her head toward where the head was looking. And there, it was the figure of Noah fighting against Old Drakedog. Kill Noah? Why? ¡­Why? ¡°He¡¯s the enemy who did this to me. He¡¯s the person I hate the most in the world. So go and kill him.¡± The wicked voice entered her head. And at that moment, she unwittingly uttered. I¡­don¡¯t want to. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to kill him right now! Stop complaining and go kill him!¡± The head shouted fiercely. She felt her blurred mind clearing up when she heard the voice again. What the hell had she been doing so far? Why did she listen to the words of an illusion? Her head turned and she glared fiercely at the head. I don¡¯t want to, you son of a bitch. ¡°Wh-what?¡± You want me to betray him? You¡¯re talking nonsense! In her mind, events that had happened since the appearance of Noah replayed. He¡­He forgave me for trying to steal from him. And I thought I would sell my body, but I didn¡¯t. And, didn¡¯t he give me a lot of money? It was too much money to even count. But do you think that was all? You know the Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage, right? The ones who killed oppa. They¡¯re all dead. Not a single one of them was spared. Because of that, I thought I might be able to fly out of this gutter-like life one day. I never thought I could have ever dreamed of a normal life. And most importantly. He¡­He said he would save me. So¡­even if you¡¯re really my oppa, I can¡¯t betray him, you hear me, you son of a bitch? Ptooey! She spat at the head floating in the air. Then, at that moment, she began to see clearly what wasn¡¯t visible before. Behind her brother¡¯s head, a dark existence exuding an enormous presence was swaying. ¡°You¡­you¡¯re a mere ant!!¡± So that¡¯s what it was. It¡¯s just as ugly as it sounds. The dark existence spewed out a dreadful air. An overwhelming energy incomparable to previously. But her body no longer trembled. She didn¡¯t know why, but in spite of such a dangerous situation, remembering that Noah would solve it somehow, she didn¡¯t feel any terror as if she was in a trance. Taking out the arm from the sarcophagus again, she spoke. I think this is something important to you, but¡­you met the wrong person today. How dare you trick me by using my oppa? ¡°Human! Put it back right now!¡± Fuck you! You son of a bitch! She immediately ran with the arm in her arms. Countless of her brother¡¯s head appeared next to her and began to bite her. Chomp¨C! Chomp¨C! Finger. Ear. Arm. The heads pounced like a flock of piranhas and turned her body in a bloody mess. Blood was dripping down her whole body. Countless of her brother¡¯s heads surrounded her and tried to block her way. ¡°Stop! You can¡¯t leave!¡± A situation in which she couldn¡¯t even see an inch ahead. Nevertheless, she continued to move as chunks of flesh were gnawed away. Sense of time disappeared and it became harder and harder for her body to listen to her. But that was fine. Elizabeth had said Noah could be saved if she simply brought this. That was enough, even if she didn¡¯t understand why she was doing this. However, contrary to her will, she couldn¡¯t move her legs anymore. Even the muscles used to move had already been eaten away. Ah¡­no. If she falls here, Noah will die. She stretched out her arms with her remaining strength. And at that moment, Pak¨C! Something grabbed her arms that had already become bones. A soft, warm touch. The hand pulled her away. As a result, the hellish landscape disappeared and the world instantly flipped. Jane looked around in bewilderment. She was in the cave where she was a moment ago. Her body that had been eaten horribly had also returned to its original state. And in her arms was the dried, shriveled arm that she had held on until the very end. ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face came into view. ¡°Well done!¡± ¡°I-I¡­succeeded?¡± ¡°Yes! Leave the rest to me!¡± From Elizabeth¡¯s body, a dark shadow surged. The bodies of the two were covered by the shadow and were soon in a separate space. At that moment, ¡°Keuhok!¡± Old Drakedog screamed, clutching the wound on his chest. The speed of recovery was much slower than a moment ago. ¡°Wh-what the hell is going on here¡­?¡± He said with confusion. His eyes turned their way. ¡°Y-you brats! How dare you!!¡± He charged at them like lightning. The iron skewer in his hand was surging with dark energy. There would be no way for them to survive if they were penetrated by that. ¡°Now! Noah, finish it!¡± Elizabeth shouted at the same time. With the shadow wrapping them, Jane felt as if they were being pushed somewhere. And in at that moment, she could see it clearly, ¡°Ahjussi, let¡¯s wrap this up, shall we?¡± ¡°No!!¡± The figure of the monster being split in half as he screamed. ____ ____ Chapter 76 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 76 ¡°Huu¡­that was close.¡± I exhaled as I looked down at the body that had been split in half. My mana was exhausted after winning by the skin of my teeth. I haven¡¯t reached the Transformation Realm of A-Rank yet, so in order to use qi intent, I had no choice but to pour out my mana inefficiently. If he had regenerated his body a few more times, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to maintain my qi intent and collapsed. But fortunately, thanks to Elizabeth and Jane¡¯s wit, I was able to finish him off. I didn¡¯t know how on earth they had found his weakness, but they had succeeded in seizing the relic that was hidden somewhere here. In fact, until now I didn¡¯t expect anything from them. But unexpectedly they had given me a commendable assist. I¡¯ll have to praise them when we return. It had been almost six months since I started the second round. I felt as if my plan to form a team with useful party members and not solo play in this round was somewhat taking shape. As I had felt in the last round, no matter how strong I was by myself, I couldn¡¯t deal with all the demons alone. In the first place, it didn¡¯t seem like the content was designed to be done solo. The moment when I was enjoying the lingering feeling after a battle, suddenly I felt something out of place. Why wasn¡¯t there a level up message yet? After defeating such a strong opponent, at worst I should have gone up one level. Don¡¯t tell me¡­he still had a breath of life? In order to make it a little more certain, the body which had been split in half, was cut finely into smaller pieces. Now it was hard to even recognize that this had been a person. But despite that, no experience came. What was this¡­? The moment I questioned it, suddenly, the red crystals spreading in the cave began to emit light and melt to the ground. Soon, the corpse of Old Drakedog that had been chopped also melted into a pulp and was absorbed into the ground. And¡­ Rumble¨C! The inside of the cave shook loudly, then from the walls around me, gruesome blood and lumps of flesh flowed down. Blood and flesh clung to the walls little by little and solidified as the size of the cave shrunk rapidly. Shit! I tried to cut down the walls, but it was hard to do with just a sword in this spacious cave. Did a spell trigger when Old Drakedog died? At this rate, even the entrance to the boundary will disappear. It was a pity to leave here without having gained any experience from killing Old Drakedog, but it was better than being trapped in here. I ran straight to the entrance of the boundary. With the feeling of my body passing through something, the surrounding landscape changed again. The sight of the construction site scene with a tent cast over it. It was the underground passage where I had first walked in to find a red crystal. But if there was one thing that had changed since then, where the boundary originally existed, there was a dark vortex there. ¡°That¡¯s¡­the hell.¡± The vortex that I couldn¡¯t see through continued to spin and increase in size. Rumble¨C! As a result of the quickly expanding vortex, the spacious underground shook violently as if there was an earthquake. And finally, the inner walls that couldn¡¯t overcome the pressure broke and lumps of cement began to fall from the ceiling. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! I quickly transformed into gas and moved between the falling structures. Boom¡ª! Boom¨C! I continued upward as I avoided the series of collapses. After some time, I was finally able to move above ground. As thick dust soared and settled, a large bottomless sinkhole appeared. The underground was completely destroyed. Such a sight of devastation seemed as if a 9.0 magnitude earthquake had occurred. I would have liked Old Drakedog to have died along with it, but I was sure I would have leveled up if it was going to end so easily. Sure enough, Red Velvet Curse was vibrating like crazy. And then¡­ He was coming. From the bottomless pit, something with an overwhelming presence was ascending. Bang¨C! Soon, from the collapsed sinkhole, a red giant burst through. As soon as he landed on the ground on all fours, the ground shook so hard that it was hard to keep my balance. Boom¨C! And when I caught sight of him, I became at a loss for words. ¡°¡­¡± I looked at the guy I had just killed. Lustrous scales flowing down and two menacing horns on his forehead. A strange creature that seemed to be a mix of half dog and half lizard. He was about 300 meters tall? It felt as if I was standing in front of a large cruise ship. Around his neck, bright red flames swelled like a mane. Although he didn¡¯t have wings, his appearance was really similar to a dragon found in many games. ¡°What¡­the.¡± A vain laugh leaked out. Did this make sense? A guy who looked like a kobold suddenly became a dragon? In some versions of D&D, kobolds were classified as dragon type, but this seemed a little ridiculous no matter how I looked at it. ¡°Keuruuu¨C¡± Growling under his breath, a cloud of dust around him fluttered. ¡°How dare you push me this far¡­¡± My body trembled unconsciously at the killing intent he emitted. A phenomenon that happens regardless of one¡¯s will. I had felt his killing intent from the first moment I saw him, but now my body was pressed several times further than it was then. His existence was something that stimulated the instinctive fear in humans. Was this the Dragon Fear from legends? ¡°I ended up pushing my luck because I prolonged the fun. I didn¡¯t expect to make such a mistake.¡± He said with an air of contempt. There was no more playfulness in his voice. ¡°Now it¡¯s really over for you.¡± An enormous amount of mana was drawn around him. Bright red flames surged and leaked between the slight gap of his mouth. ¡°There won¡¯t even be a corpse left.¡± As he said, if I get hit by that attack, I¡¯ll die without even leaving any ash behind. Even with the skill to regenerate, it would be impossible to recover from such an attack. That was¡­If I had to guess, he was almost S-Rank. Like the Elf King who used to control a vast forest in the past, his existence itself was a natural disaster. As such, the destructive flame erupted towards me. The enormous flame that dyed the whole world red. It felt as if the sun was coming increasingly closer. Everything in its path disappeared and the surrounding asphalt melted like butter. Along with the overwhelming heat, the surrounding landscape became distorted like an abstract painting. But¡­ ¡°Who is to say it¡¯s really over?¡± I kept Red Velvet Curse on my waist as I took out Dragon Sword Gram. [ You¡¯ve encountered a Villain. ] [ You¡¯ve encountered a Giant. ] [ You¡¯ve encountered a Dragon. ] I infused all my remaining mana to increase Gram¡¯s size to its limit. The sword that obstructed in front of me was like a giant barrier. And when the sword and the flame collided, all the flames that seemed to burn the world were sucked into Gram. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± He looked at me with a puzzled look. ¡°I¡¯ll use it well. Ahjussi.¡± I swung Gram at such a guy. The giant sword, extending to tens of meters in size, cut through the air as it fell. And finally, the moment the giant blade arrived, Bang¨C! The gigantic figure was engulfed in a pillar of fire that soared to the sky. * * * * * * * * * * Old Drakedog was a man who had everything from birth. Not only was he the successor of the Kowloon Group, Hong Kong¡¯s No. 1 company, he was a genius who had an overwhelming talent in martial arts. He became proficient in the Kowloon¡¯s breathing method that was passed down from generation to generation by the ripe age of 10, and by the time he had become like the Daeheungsa at 20 years old he had developed his skills to the extent that there were no traces of the original breathing method¡­ (T/N: Daeheungsa means Buddhist Grandmaster.) ¡°Son, you¡¯re the pride of our Kowloon.¡± His father cherished him and had high hopes for him. Although they had come to a new world called Earth and had formed such a group from nothing, there was still a feeling of inferiority compared to when they were originally called the Underworld Alliance in murim. And his son, who was born with such talent, was like an irreplaceable treasure. His father who had such a distinguished son could only live with regret each day. ¡°Son. I¡¯m ashamed to say this, but I¡¯m sorry that father has no talent.¡± ¡°Father. Don¡¯t say things like that. For me, this life is enough.¡± ¡°No. I just gave you a few pennies. I couldn¡¯t even give you a decent martial art. Still, you grew up so well.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Son, you¡¯re a dragon. You¡¯re too outstanding for this father to carry. So I¡¯m going to hand over the power worthy of you from now on.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You will reign over the scattered murim clans in the local areas. Therefore, I intend to build a castle and have you inherit it. If Kowloon Tower is completed here¡­No one will be able to ignore you in the future.¡± As such, his father purchased vast lands and began to build a castle for his son¡¯s future. He respected his father. In spite of him not having talent in martial arts, to create such a large company in an unfamiliar land, he thought it was a feat no other from murim could have ever accomplished. So in order to fulfill his father¡¯s dream, he trained day and night. For the day when Kowloon Tower was completed. *** *** To be an outstanding son worthy of the castle built by his father. But¡­ His hope was broken in an unexpected way. ¡°¡­Fuck! What is that supposed to mean? That¡¯s all lip-service, but in the end, you¡¯re telling us to die to clean up your mess!¡± A man suddenly appeared one day. He introduced himself as someone from the World Government. ¡°Hoho, don¡¯t take it the wrong way. This is simply a request for ¡®cooperation for the sake of world peace.¡± ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s no different! You¡­What do you think Kowloon is to make such a request?!¡± ¡°Rather, I¡¯m making this proposal out of respect for you. In fact, we haven¡¯t contacted you because until now you were at the level of a neighborhood gangster. So you should be proud.¡± ¡°Wh-what! A-are you looking down on me, you son of a bitch?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Well, you don¡¯t have to accept the offer if you don¡¯t want to. However, I guess you don¡¯t know because you¡¯re a first generation immigrant and it hasn¡¯t been long since you came here¡­You best learn this one thing. So far, anyone who has gone against ¡®us¡¯ has never been left intact.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you can threaten me, get lost!¡± After the man¡¯s visit, the Kowloon Group began to collapse as if it had been planned. The factory workers suddenly declared a strike, and every time a hero and a villain fought, coincidentally, facilities operated by Kowloon Group would suffer damage. In addition, as the media spread the fact that the Kowloon Group was formed from the once Underworld Alliance, all the funds of the company were blocked¡­ The Kowloon Group, once called Hong Kong¡¯s No. 1 company, in less than a few years, rapidly declined. ¡°It¡¯s the company I started¡­I can¡¯t lose everything like this¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up, father. Didn¡¯t father survive even in the Underworld Alliance? There¡¯s no way you would fall like this.¡± ¡°R-right! How have I lived my life?! I can¡¯t die like this! I¡¯ll tenaciously live and have my revenge against them!¡± But some time after that. His father took his own life after leaving a will to give all his assets to the government. A sudden death. He found it difficult to accept. Father¡­didn¡¯t kill himself. The very father who had vowed revenge just a few days ago. He refused to believe such a father would give up everything. He thought all of this was a plot by the World Government. In particular, he became convinced when no media outlet properly reported on such a big event. All relevant information was concealed and on the Internet, all pages related to the Kowloon Group were either locked or deleted. From then on, he did everything he could to uncover the truth. He abandoned his pride and asked for help from acquaintances he knew in the past, and visited courts and media outlets to voice his injustice. But no one gave him a hand. Occasionally, those who sympathize with him promised help, but even they changed their attitude shortly after. ¡°O-old man! I-Isn¡¯t this different from what you had promised?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­In order for me to live, I had no choice.¡± ¡°What the hell are you so afraid of?! No¡­Please tell me just that! What threats have you received from the World Government?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that either¡­I¡¯m so sorry.¡± It was like fighting a ghost. He was already sure who had done this, but he couldn¡¯t find any evidence. After fighting such an invisible enemy, he grew tired day by day. After some time, a man appeared in front of him. A man wearing armor engraved with sacred patterns. It was a powerful man he wasn¡¯t confident dealing with. The man was certainly someone with no good intentions who was sent by the World Government, and sure enough. Drawing his sword out of the blue, the man spoke. ¡°Everything is according to God¡¯s will. Don¡¯t resent it too much.¡± ¡°Keuk!¡± After stabbing his heart as was, the man left without looking back. Ah¡­wh-why¡­ In an increasingly blurred consciousness, he thought. He had more talent than anyone else, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t protect anything. If only he was a little stronger, he thought he wouldn¡¯t have failed to get revenge and died like this¡­ And at that moment, like an illusion, he heard someone¡¯s voice in his head. ¡°Huh? This is a pretty good vessel.¡± ¡°Human, pledge your whole self to me.¡± ¡°If you do, you¡¯ll be able to achieve your goal.¡± Just from listening to the voice full of malice made him dizzy. He could see that this existence that had approached him had no good intentions. It used honeyed words, but waiting at the end was definitely only destruction. However, he asked it. What¡­can¡­you give¡­me? ¡°I can give you unlimited power.¡± Power. It was what he wished for more than anything else. Upon hearing that, he accepted the offer. From now on¡­I¡¯ll follow your wishes. And from that day on, with his soul in a new body, he became an Apostle of Angra Mainyu. A body resembling his own spirit. Although he was of humble birth like a dog, he dreamed of becoming a dragon more than anything else, so as a mixture of dog and dragon, his body had become like Kowloon(dragon). But he didn¡¯t care how he looked. Angra Mainyu will be resurrected one day and this world that had taken everything from him will perish. When that happens, he will be reborn as a true dragon. And so, he worked hard in the dark underground for many years to revive Angra Mainyu. But¡­ The power he had gained by giving everything was losing to a simple child. And, it was a very disastrous one-sided battle. The flames wrapping his body was melting his scales that were tougher than steel. He squirmed in pain. ¡°Kueueuruu!¡± How many times has this been? Every time he spewed flames at the boy, he would absorb it and return it. Keuk¡­breath won¡¯t work. I have to attack him. He endured the pain and spun his huge body. Woom¨C! The tail as large as a ship swung at the boy. The wind pressure created by the overwhelming mass and speed created a small typhoon in the area. ¡°Diiieee!!¡± From above the tail, a giant sword as big as a building, rotated and came down. Bang¨C! The surrounding buildings were destroyed as the blade struck. Swiik¨C ¡°Keeuaak!¡± The neatly cut tail fell to the ground and smashed the nearby buildings. While screaming in pain, he heard the boy¡¯s voice full of playfulness. ¡°Tail cut!¡± A smile as if just having fun. Just as he had played with the boy earlier, now, on the contrary, the boy was mocking him. A large amount of blood poured from the cut tail. The surrounding area became flooded with bright red blood as if a dam had collapsed. He forced the bleeding to stop by blowing flames on the severed section. ¡°Keuek¡­¡± He felt his head spin. When has he ever felt this kind of pain? Without the help of the relic, he had no choice but to feel all the pain vividly. Soon, the sword of overwhelming size came down again. Wuung¨C! D-dangerous! He hurriedly twisted and lowered his head. However, it was impossible to be as nimble as before because of his enormous size. ¡°N-no!¡± Bang¨C! The head that couldn¡¯t escape was hit directly from the side by the sword. A pair of large, sharp horns fell, scattering debris in all directions. ¡°Kueaaak!¡± He couldn¡¯t understand. His scales and horns were harder than any metal in the world, so why did it break so easily as if it was a toy when it touched the blade? What ability was it? ¡°Hehe¡­let¡¯s stop destroying the place. I can kill you now, right?¡± He heard the boy¡¯s murmur in his ears. As if it was the end of a game. The boy held the giant sword and stood as if he was about to swing. Th-this is dangerous! He couldn¡¯t die here. In order to get revenge, he had to survive somehow. I-I have to get out of here! He dragged his limp legs and ran for his life. ¡°I guess it¡¯s an unwritten rule to run away when you¡¯re on the verge of dying. There¡¯s no place to hide, so how far can you go?¡± The boy¡¯s presence behind his back drew near like a messenger of death as he wielded his sword playfully, destroying buildings around him. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! The sound was getting closer and closer. N-no¡­! I¡¯m going to die at this rate. His head was filled with the fear of death that he had long forgotten. The moment when he felt the end of his life, Huh?! He saw the women from earlier hiding in one corner. These were the thieves who had stolen the relic. They still held the relic in their hands, frozen by the Dragon Fear he was emitting. Y-yes! He would be able to regenerate his body again if he regained the relic that connected to Angra Mainyu. ¡°Keuruu!¡± With a feeling of holding onto his last hope, his giant mouth came down. And at that moment, ¡°Shit! My reward!¡± Noah suddenly appeared, pushing Jane far away and taking her place instead. And¡­ Crunch¨C! The dragon¡¯s teeth, which were harder than steel, ripped the asphalt in its entirety and Noah was swallowed whole. Gulp¨C! Everything had happened in an instant, so he couldn¡¯t easily grasp what had just happened. Wh-what the hell¡­? There were only deep teeth marks when he looked down at the ground. The fearful boy was nowhere to be seen. ¡°I¡­I won¡­?¡± He uttered in a stunned voice. A moment later, ¡°I won¡­I won! Keuahaha!!!¡± At last when he finally accepted reality, he burst into laughter to the point where the air resonated. One of the women who saw it screamed. ¡°N-nooooo!!!¡± Such a voice was like music to his ears right now. ¡°Good¡­Very good! Now that I have dealt with the nuisance, all I have to do is take back the relic.¡± Having regained his composure, he looked down at the two women as his mouth tore open. ¡°But before that¡­I¡¯ll give you two an especially painful death. Keuheu.¡± * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Things had become complicated. Of all things, Elizabeth and Jane had to be there and get caught in the battle. This was why games could be ruined if there was a troll on the team. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I didn¡¯t think my second round would end like this. However, when I thought the Challenge I had been working so hard on might disappear, my body instinctively reacted. ¡°¡­I¡¯m glad I¡¯m still alive at least. But, where the hell am I?¡± There was only darkness all around me. It was a place where even I, who had gained night vision through gene awakening, cannot see a single light. < Twin Fire Eggs > I summoned Buldol and Alsun to light up the surroundings. Soon, a vast space, reminiscent of an olympic stadium, appeared in front of my eyes. ¡°What¡¯s this place¡­?¡± There was flesh all around me. And for some reason, the structure looked familiar. It was like the cave inside the boundary earlier. Perhaps the cave was somewhere in his body. However, if there was one difference from the previous situation, there was no way out of here now. While there was an entrance to the boundary earlier, now all the walls were covered with flesh with no end in sight. In addition, since there was not much mana left in the current situation, it seemed it would be difficult to force myself out. ¡°Hmm¡­what the hell am I supposed to do?¡± At that moment, a breeze came from the depths of the cave. There was still wind even in this closed space? I looked in the direction with hope. Soon, there came a voice that resembled a tortoise. Grruu¡ª! What? When I had such a question, the sound that came closer and closer finally revealed its true nature. Woosh¨C! As if a floodgate had opened, turbid colored liquids flushed in without reserve. ?! The contaminated liquid hit my body. Immediately, the flesh it had touched began to melt as if I was thrown into lava. ¡°Keuk!¡± Transcendent Regeneration was activated. Although my melted body was recovering rapidly, I couldn¡¯t hold out for long as my mana would run out at this rate and I would die. ¡°Damn it! I need an answer¡­¡± The recovery rate was getting slower and slower. As the incoming liquid melted the top layer of my skin and penetrated the layer beneath, there was only one thing on my mind. ¡­I needed mana. I instinctively put my hands on the walls and activated Vampiric Touch. Then, at that moment, along with the vast mana, like the people I had absorbed in the past, a notification appeared. [ Found xxx¡¯s genetic factor. ] [ Value will increase if you consume the same gene. (However, please be careful because the vitality of the absorbed target will permanently be reduced.) ] ¡°This¡­?¡± Was it what I thought it was? This gene was also dormant in my blood? I accepted it without needing to think twice. And as if my guess was right, once the hidden gene was uncovered, < Gene Awakening > was activated. [ Dragon genetic value has increased. ] And then¡­ When I saw it, I shouted without hiding my smile. ¡°Hehe¡­Buldol, Alsun. Don¡¯t leave anything here and eat it all! This is good for your growth!¡± And so, I became a parasite in the belly of a dragon and began to absorb its mana. ____ ____ Chapter 77 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 77 Noah had disappeared into the vicious dragon¡¯s mouth. At first Elizabeth felt as if she would lose her reasons, but after a moment, she was able to come to her senses. He¡¯s¡­alive! The deep bond connecting the two reassured her that he was still alive. And his current feelings, she had a vague feeling he was very happy. ¡­Noah is safe for the time being. It was clear he had his own plans for having taken action. And if that was the case, she shouldn¡¯t be hasty here. She should act accordingly so as to not hinder him. I have to do what Noah would have wanted¡­If I was Noah¡­ She gathered her thoughts. Then, the girl in front of her caught her eyes. Noah tried to protect Jane. Although she didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, this at least meant his plan required her. ¡°B-because of me¡­Because of me¡­¡± Jane was pulling at her hair with a panicked look. ¡°Get a hold of yourself!¡± Pak¨C! ¡°Keuk! Wh-why are you hitting me?!¡± Jane¡¯s cheek swelled bright red. Elizabeth didn¡¯t think she had hit her hard, but she wasn¡¯t in a situation to care about that right now. ¡°Hehe¡­you little rats. Do you think I can¡¯t find you even if you hide like that?¡± Bang¨C! The building where they were hiding smashed into pieces. A dragon¡¯s vertically slit pupils looked their way between the cracks. How did he find us already? Could he sense the flow of mana? He immediately found their exact location each time they ran away into the shadows. Shoo¨C! Elizabeth together with Jane went straight through a dark tunnel. ¡°Hak¡­hak¡­¡± A place not too far from where they were a while ago. Because of the fatigue from the continuous moving, it was much closer than she had wanted. At this rate, her mana will soon run out, and they might be caught by him. If I had enough time¡­ If only she had one day to spare, she could complete a long-distance travel spell that could return to Pyongyang. Without any preparation it was almost impossible to travel such a long distance with her present ability. A way¡­a way out of this. If Jane¡¯s ability could be applied to Elizabeth, they would be able to get out of this tedious pursuit¡­ ¡°Jane. Is it possible for you to use your ability with others?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t. I really don¡¯t know how to do it either!¡± ¡°Try to feel it! There¡¯s no other way right now!¡± ¡°Even if you say it like that¡­¡± At that moment, Bang¨C! The roof of the house where they were hiding blew away and the head of a giant reptile was closing in. ¡°Are you tired already? You didn¡¯t get very far this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop him, so hurry!¡± ¡°Fuck! I don¡¯t know how!¡± Elizabeth shouted, stepping in front of the dragon. She created a blade of a shadow and shot it at him. But¡­ ¡°Hehe, it tickles.¡± On his lustrous scales, there wasn¡¯t even a trace of a scratch. ¡°Jane, how long?!¡± ¡°H-hold on! I¡¯m trying my best!¡± Jane, drenched in sweat, was doing something in the house. But at this rate, she won¡¯t be able to make it in time. Elizabeth¡¯s expression hardened. Is there really no way¡­? Perhaps she was still far from capable on her own. Lady Fortune had also told her never to be impatient. But¡­ Noah said my talent is the best in the world. In that case, it should be possible. No, even if it was impossible, it must be made possible. For the sake of Noah. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this game of hide-and-seek.¡± A claw as big as a small building was coming. *** *** At that moment, Elizabeth¡¯s eyes began to turn black. And beyond it, along with the infinite universe, a sea of stars stretched out. < Witch¡¯s Record of Divination > *Foresight A witch was an existence that could glimpse into the Astral Plane. However, to do so, it was always done indirectly through dreams or other means. To observe it directly wasn¡¯t a power permitted to mortals. And for such vast amounts of knowledge, it wasn¡¯t something the human brain could handle. ¡°Keuk!¡± Due to the endless flood of information, she gradually felt as if she was going to lose her sense of self. At the same time, she began to understand all the phenomena happening in front of her eyes. Bang¨C! She moved one step away and the fearsome dragon¡¯s claw was avoided. Rumble¨C! Even the thick cement debris that fell was avoided with minimal movements. ¡°Huu, aren¡¯t you lucky?¡± What needed to be done to win was also understood perfectly. A spell she was never taught came to mind. Huung¨C! The shadows that were scattered nearby condensed into one point and only bright light existed in the place where it had disappeared. Inside the brightly lit room, the spear of shadow that had just been condensed was inserted into the open space that was momentarily exposed. Puk¨C! ¡°Kueaaak!¡± One of the dragon¡¯s pupils was pierced deeply by the spear. Just one more step. If she could put another spear into the other eye¡­ ¡°Keuk!¡± But contrary to her will, her body couldn¡¯t hold on. She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open any longer. Black tears flowed down her eyes like a waterfall, and there was a burnt smell that came up her nose and filled her lungs. In the end, she was forced to disconnect from the Astral Plane. And perhaps because the price she had paid to push her power past its limit, she could no longer see. Soon, she heard the voice of the enraged dragon in her ears. ¡°Keuaak! How dare an insect! I¡¯m going to kill you! I¡¯m going to kill you!!¡± At the same time, Jane¡¯s voice was also heard. ¡°I-it¡¯s working! It¡¯s working!!¡± Jane ran to Elizabeth who was standing with her eyes closed and hugged her. Immediately, the two disappeared from this world. ¡°Keuak! Where are they? Where did they go?¡± Bang¨C! The enraged dragon destroyed everything around him and set it ablazed. After an unknown time, he let out a dreadful killing intent. ¡°Damn insects¡­Now that it has come to this, I¡¯ll kill you all.¡± * * * * * * * * * * Tin Hau Festival. Every year on March 23rd of the lunar calendar in Hong Kong, celebrating the birth of Tin Hau, the guardian deity of the sea, a festival was held to pray for the safety and bountiful harvest of fishermen. The spectacle attracted a lot of attention, not only among Hong Kong citizens, but also photographers, reporters, and tourists from all over the world. At the place where the Tin Hau festival was being held. The streets were crowded with people who had come to see the festival. Colorful flags fluttered as young people did the dragon dance in honor of the sea goddess. In the midst of this, a family was gathered to watch the parade. ¡°How is it? It¡¯s nice to go on a vacation once in a while, right? You can even see dragons.¡± The man who appeared to be the father asked his son. The son whined with an exasperated look on his face. ¡°Tsk! What kind of dragon is that?! Dad, you liar! You said we could see a dragon here! That¡¯s fake!¡± ¡°I-is that so? Hoho¡­But since it¡¯s been a long time since we went out as a family, let¡¯s have fun.¡± ¡°No! Dad lied to me first! Liar! Liar!¡± ¡°Gosh! What¡¯s with that rude way of talking in front of so many people?!¡± The father said sternly, smacking his son on the head. The son pouted his lips and burst into tears. ¡°Heuk¡­waaaah! I want to go home! I don¡¯t like this place!¡± ¡°Are you serious? Can you stop?¡± At such a family display, people nearby glanced at them. The mother standing still beside her husband, glared at him. ¡°No, honey! Why did you hit our child?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he deserves it for acting up! He¡¯s growing up so rudely because you keep coddling him!¡± ¡°What? You never even changed his diapers when he was a baby! If you¡¯re that confident, quit being a hero and try being in my shoes!¡± The couple left their child alone as they raised their voices and started quarreling. ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s like at work? You know villains are on the rise these days that I come home tired every day!¡± ¡°Hmph! Then, I¡¯ll go out and work and you take care of the house! I was ranked higher than you anyways.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Are you really going there?¡± Suddenly, the son who was left alone stopped crying and shouted. ¡°Oh¡­Oh! It¡¯s a dragon! Mom! Dad! Look!¡± ¡°Hmm? Really¡­I don¡¯t have time to play now, so tell me later. I¡¯m going to have to settle this with your dad today.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m serious. Look over there! There¡¯s a dragon!¡± ¡°Aye! Why are you so disobedient¡­Huh?¡± Turning her head in the midst of a quarrel between husband and wife, she saw a shadow coming up from the sea. Woosh¨C! The surface of the water shook and the figure climbed onto land. A quadrupedal reptile covered with bright red scales. However, the size of its head was so massive that they had to look up. ¡°Dinosaur¡­?¡± An unrealistic appearance that could only appear in movies. The parade drummings stopped as everyone turned their head one by one. As if everyone was frozen in place, they stood still trembling while looking at the giant bizarre creature. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that¡­¡± The mouth of the monster opened wide, and there, flames that shone brightly like the sun began to swirl. Some quick-witted people shouted. ¡°R-run!¡± The scene of the joyous festival, in a flash, had turned into chaos. People pushed each other and those who fell were crushed to death by the crowd. But their efforts were of no use in the face of absolute power. ¡°All of you¡­turn to ash!¡± A blazing flame spewed out in a straight line. An area of several kilometers evaporated in an instant. And¡­ The monster turned its head as the flames coming out of its mouth incinerated everything in its path. ¡°Run! We have to run!¡± A wall of flames was gradually getting closer. The family from earlier ran as hard as they could in front of such flames. But¡­ ¡°Ugh! M-mom!¡± While holding his mother¡¯s hand, the son¡¯s foot was suddenly stuck in the crack of the pavement. Somehow he had managed to get it stuck, but it was impossible to get it out no matter how hard they tried. ¡°Waah! I-it hurts!¡± ¡°Honey!¡± At the voice of the urgent mother, the father immediately turned around. He broke the pavement and pulled out his son¡¯s foot, but the flames were already close. It was too late to run away. The father, who had realized this fact, looked around frantically. Just in time, there was a manhole on the ground, so he opened it. Unfortunately, however, it didn¡¯t seem to be in use now, and the space under the manhole was half-filled with cement. At most, it was enough for one child. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Wh-what should we do, honey?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The couple looked at each other. And as if they had made up their minds, they nodded their heads. The father looked down at his son. ¡°Son, you hide here for now.¡± ¡°Wh-what about mom and dad?¡± The couple smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll hide somewhere else.¡± ¡°N-no! Dad is lying again! N-no!¡± The mother released cold air and a thick layer of ice was created around the child. Then, the father put his hand on the sphere of ice and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got angry earlier¡­But just know one thing. We will always love you.¡± The son cried, banging on the ice, but his voice couldn¡¯t be heard. After using his own shield ability, the father put the sphere of ice into the manhole. A transparent barrier had coated the ice. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the couple continued to pour their abilities onto the manhole cover until the last moment. Jackson¡­you must survive. And then¡­ At last, the giant flames descended upon them and the existence of the two were completely erased from the world. In the end, the landscape of the Tin Hau Festival had turned to ashes, leaving behind no survivors. * * * * * * * * * * A strange creature had suddenly appeared in Hong Kong. Many parts of Hong Kong were completely devastated in less than a day by the colossal monster with red scales. The casualties amounted to more than 30,000. Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association immediately declared martial law to stop the monster and a special team was formed by deploying all available heroes. But the result was¡­ ¡°¡­All wiped out this time too.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Gyeon Sohui, vice president of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association and a top A-rank hero, was currently leading the special team in carrying out the mission. In the meantime, all that she had gained from dealing with the monster was despair knowing they couldn¡¯t win no matter what they did. They were no match for this bizarre creature. A colossal body over 300 meters that could create devastation with just a simple attack, and the flames it emitted that couldn¡¯t be stopped by any ability. It was simply a natural disaster. Under the code name Red Dragon, it was befitting for an existence with such terrifying power. A meeting of heroes including Gyeon Sohui continued without being able to come up with any countermeasures in the face of its absolute power. The atmosphere of reality loomed heavily and everyone¡¯s face was filled with nothing but deep despair. Bang¨C! ¡°When the hell is the support coming?!¡± Gyeon Sohui shouted, hitting the table. Among the heroes in Hong Kong, the person with the highest rank was Gyeon Sohui, an A-Rank. However, Red Dragon¡¯s estimated rank was the higher ¡®S-Rank.¡¯ And in front of the flames it emitted, the number of troops meant nothing, so the only hope left was to wait for a hero of the same rank to arrive on time. Suddenly, someone entered the conference room and shouted. ¡°T-trouble! Red Dragon has begun to head for the city!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Gyeon Sohui sprang to her feet. Until now, the devastation had occurred in remote areas with low population density, but if Red Dragon goes to the city, it would be another level of destruction. They must prevent such a thing from happening. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s F-Rank or anything right now, call everyone together! Those who are absent this time will be expelled!¡± She shouted and stormed out of the conference room in a hurry. Although they couldn¡¯t stop Red Dragon with their own power, at least until the heavy hitter S-Rank hero arrived, they had to stall for time at the expense of their own lives. ¡°Fuck!¡± As a result, many heroes in Hong Kong had gathered in one place. The number was more than a thousand. Among them were even retired former heroes, so in Hong Kong today, it was no exaggeration to say that all the troops who could fight had gathered. But¡­ Boom¨C! Boom¨C! In front of the approaching monster of overwhelming size, the ground shook and even those who had gathered had no choice but to tremble. Dozens of drones flying in the sky were broadcasting the scene to countless citizens. Those who were watching from home also knew their fate would be determined by the outcome of this battle. Aware of that fact, Gyeon Sohui shouted loudly. ¡°Everyone, get a hold of yourself! If we fall, countless citizens will die!¡± But contrary to her words, as the monster approached, their will faltered. Their hands trembled facing the killing intent the monster emitted. As expected¡­its killing intent is terrifying. That was the case when she had observed it for the first time in the morning. Strangely enough, the closer she was to the monster, the more her body was eaten away by fear. In any case¡­ Rather, I think it¡¯s weaker than this morning¡­? Seeing that the F-Ranks were somehow able to remain conscious, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t just her imagination. And unlike this morning, its size also appeared noticeably skinnier. Maybe¡­is it exhausted? If so, now was their chance. With a ray of hope, Gyeon Sohui shouted. ¡°He¡¯s worn out! Everyone, attack!!¡± As her voice burst out, the thousands of heroes gathered each used their abilities. Fire, ice, lightning, and all sorts of attributes. Even physical attacks such as swords and telekinesis. She even thought that they might be able to end it like this without having to wait for an S-Rank hero. But¡­ ¡°I-impossible.¡± On Red Dragon¡¯s body, there were only small scratches. Boom¨C! Boom¨C! Everyone became frightened when Red Dragon continued to approach without stopping. ¡°W-we¡¯ve tried everything! How can we beat a monster like that?!¡± ¡°Shit! I¡¯m leaving!¡± Heroes united with the determination to protect their hometown scattered in all directions. At that moment, Red Dragon stopped in its place and opened its jaw wide. Flames gathered in its mouth gave off blazing heat. When Gyeon Sohui saw it, she stared at Red Dragon with a look of despair. A-ah¡­This is really the end. Unless a miracle really happens now, everyone here will certainly die. No, not only the people here, but the same went for the citizens who were watching this. At this rate, even if an S-Rank hero arrives, it was clear that Hong Kong would be burned to ashes. When she felt imminent death. ¡°Keuook!¡± Suddenly, Red Dragon slammed its body to the ground and writhed in pain. ¡°?!¡± From its thick stomach, something bulged. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! The ground cracked each time Red Dragon rolled on the ground, nevertheless, it didn¡¯t stop going crazy. Wh-what the hell is going on¡­? Even those who were running away stopped and watched the strange sight. And at that moment, Shiik¨C! The bulging skin was torn and something huge squeezed out. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­?¡± It was a mammoth of a blade that was impossible to be thought of as a sword. The blade that had protruded out so suddenly, slowly sawed Red Dragon¡¯s body. ¡°Keeurruk! Keuruk! Keuh! Keuk!¡± Red Dragon tried to stop the sword somehow by spewing flames at its stomach. However, even such flames were sucked into the blade completely. And finally¡­ ¡°Keuoook! Th-this can¡¯t be!!¡± Swiik¡ª! Along with a terrible cry, Red Dragon¡¯s waist was cut in half. Boom¨C! The body fell on either side and the earth shook. Then came silence. ¡°No way¡­Is it dead?¡± The thousands of heroes at the scene and the countless citizens watching from home stared anxiously. And in everyone¡¯s mind, there was only one question. How the hell did it die? An incomprehensible strange phenomenon. Their intuition told them it was dead, but was it really dead? The moment they were full of such thoughts, ¡°L-look over there!¡± ¡°A-a child?¡± From the body of the cut monster, a little child with a small build walked out. And then¡­ In the child¡¯s hand was the overwhelming sword that had just cut Red Dragon¡¯s belly. The boy who had appeared looked around before tilting his head. ¡°Ah¡­? Who are you all? Are you in the same group with that ahjussi?¡± A calm voice as if asking about today¡¯s weather. But from the boy, everyone felt a suppression to the extent they couldn¡¯t even breathe. As if the killing intent they had felt from Red Dragon a while ago had been compressed to a single horrifying point. ¡°Hmm¡­seeing that you¡¯re all silent, I guess that¡¯s the case.¡± The boy lifted the giant sword he held in his hand. Everyone didn¡¯t realize it a while ago, but now on a second glance, it was long enough to cut down a building. N-no! Gyeon Sohui desperately moved her stiff lips. ¡°N-no! W-we¡¯re from the Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association. H-here¡¯s my ID¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so? I almost mistook you.¡± Seeing the holographic ID floating in the air, the boy turned around as if he had lost interest. Only then did the pressure on everyone disappear and they were able to move freely. Sounds of exhaling could be heard from here and there. Meanwhile, as if something pleasant had happened, the boy happily spoke to himself. ¡°Hehe¡­then, shall we finish this? Buldol, Alsun. Eat everything except the bones and scales.¡± Gyeon Sohui stared blankly at the boy¡¯s behavior. A suspicious person had suddenly emerged from the monster¡¯s stomach. What was the child¡¯s identity? Was it an enemy? Or was it an ally? Considering the terrifying killing intent, the boy¡¯s current appearance was probably nothing more than a shell. Perhaps it was like the legends passed among the people in murim where he was a master who had reached the level of not aging. Gyeon Sohui plucked up her courage. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The boy exclaimed and fidgeted as he took something out. ¡°Come to think of it, I had forgotten to introduce myself.¡± A holographic ID card appeared above his head. At the same time, the boy smiled brightly. ¡°My name is Choi Noah. I¡¯m a hero just like you all.¡± As such, the hero who had defeated Red Dragon was broadcast to all citizens in Hong Kong. ____ ____ Chapter 78 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 78 ¡°Haa¡­¡± A deep sigh resonated through the room. Holding her throbbing head, Samaria looked at the stack of papers in front of her. Thick dark circles could be seen beneath her eyes. ¡­Why do I have to do this? Outside the window, cherry blossoms were blooming and swaying in the spring breeze. She couldn¡¯t believe she had to stay indoors and do paperwork on such a clear spring day like this. She was so tied up with work that she couldn¡¯t even go to the institute these days. It¡¯s all because of him¡­ Noah had mercilessly slaughtered villains a little over a month ago. Even for an official hero, killing a villain wasn¡¯t just a simple matter of one or two papers to fill out, so for Noah who was still a trainee, a fairly strict procedure was required to resolve the matter. If there was one mistake, it was that she had personally guaranteed his status as an active hero on the field. On top of that, even Noah, who was supposed to be here to help resolve the matter, had disappeared out of the blue¡­ So in the meantime, for the sake of taking responsibility, she had been super busy. But¡­I¡¯ll only have to suffer for a few more days and I¡¯ll be done. The past month¡¯s events passed her mind. She was summoned in and out of the Hero Association several times each week while managing her facial expressions even in front of those who treated Noah as a criminal and not as a testifier. However, now even such interrogations were done. There were only a few problems left to deal with, so if she put in a little more effort, she¡¯ll be free from this pain. Then maybe she could go see the flowers before all the cherry blossoms had fallen. Soon, [A new message has arrived.] Suddenly, a message popped up on her monitor screen notifying her of a new mail. She felt a foreboding when she saw it. She clicked on it with a trembling hand. [Summon Request Due to Reinvestigation.] ¡°¡­¡± She stared blankly at the monitor. For a while, her fists shook, and eventually pushing the pile of papers on the desk to the floor, she shouted. ¡°No! I won¡¯t do it!¡± Did they find new clues? She had been cooperating for more than a month. She didn¡¯t know what they were relooking into now. Her indignation soared. Why did she have to stay here and be deprived of her time? If everything had gone according to plan, Noah should have been in her complete control and made into a toy by now¡­ But much less taming him, wasn¡¯t she like a babysitter? She didn¡¯t know what he was up to because her alter ego that was attached to him had completely lost track of him. Considering its active radius was close to 1,000 kilometers, she couldn¡¯t understand it at all when she thought about it. And in a few days he must be present because there was an examination at school. As his guarantor, she had no choice but to feel her liver burning. ¡°Haa¡­where the hell did he go?!¡± The moment she thought as such, breaking news from a news channel she was subscribed to appeared on the monitor screen. [Like a candle in the wind, Hong Kong¡¯s peace is restored.] [The birth of the world¡¯s first dragon slayer.] News of the end to the crisis that had appeared in Hong Kong. She tilted her head when she read the headlines. What? How the hell did they get rid of that monster? She had heard that an S-Rank monster had appeared. However, for her, who had a rough idea of Hong Kong¡¯s hero situation, she never thought the incident would end so soon. Furthermore, she knew very well that China¡¯s Hero Association wouldn¡¯t easily send support of an S-Rank hero even if Hong Kong had asked for help. For China who wished to take Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association into their hands, they wouldn¡¯t have let such an opportunity slip away. Hmm¡­what¡¯s going on? This time, it seems they had sent support quickly. She clicked on one of the articles. And there¡­ ¡°Wh-what? What is he doing there?!¡± There was a photo of Noah in a motorcade being cheered by the public. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but she had to go to Hong Kong right now and grab him. ¡°Fuck!¡± She flung the rest of the papers on the desk and headed straight for Hong Kong. * * * * * * * * * * Splendid fireworks exploded in the sky. A military band sang majestically as citizens on the street cheered and sprinkled confetti. And in the middle of the procession, my vehicle with a perforated roof was leisurely driven along. The crowd gathered on the street went wild when they looked my way. ¡°Long live! Long live Choi Noah!¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± And whenever that happened, a notification would pop up in front of my eyes. [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] . . . Keuh¡­sweet, sweet. The feeling of irritation I had until now melted away like snow. In fact, the reason why I was willing to attend this troublesome event was for the purpose of gaining reputation. It was a profitable affair if I only had to suffer briefly to gain reputation. The slow moving vehicle I was in stopped in front of a stage at the end of the road. As soon as I stepped out of the vehicle, countless citizens who had flocked to the area shouted. ¡°¡±¡±Uwaaaaaah!!!¡±¡±¡± I climbed up the stage in the midst of such cheers. Soon, a child of my own age came running and hung a flower necklace around me. On the stage, the president of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Associations and many celebrities who were gathered gave me a warm look. And then¡­ An old man with a head full of gray hair sitting in the middle stood up with shaky legs and approached me. Once an A-Rank hero, he was Hong Kong¡¯s Chief of Executive, Jackie Chan. This man, who was respected and loved by the citizens, approached me slowly and bowed deeply. ¡°Truly¡­Thank you very much. You¡¯re our benefactor.¡± ¡°No. I just did what I had to do.¡± Having managed to keep a straight face, I gave a broad smile. It was a rare opportunity to raise my reputation, so at times like this, it was beneficial to put on the most heroic image. And sure enough, Jackie Chan clenched his fists with tears in his wrinkled eyes. ¡°A-ah¡­despite such paramount help, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so humble¡­You¡¯re a true hero.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯t mention it.¡± In fact, at first, I had wondered why these nobles were making such a fuss throwing this event, but I was able to understand it after learning the situation in Hong Kong. Although they belonged to the same World Government, currently, China was seeking opportunities to occupy Hong Kong¡¯s land. Therefore, when they had asked for the support of an S-Rank hero this time, the Chinese side had made unreasonable demands to Hong Kong, which had delayed the dispatch. Amidst that, I had shown up and solved their problem, so from their point of view, it could be said that I was like their savior. ¡°The people of Hong Kong will never forget your kindness¡­You¡¯ll always be engraved in our hearts.¡± He put a fancy adorned medal on my chest. At the same time, applause and cheers came from all sides. Those on the platform bowed to me, and perhaps filled with emotions, but some even burst into tears. Soon, more notifications appeared. [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] [ Reputation has increased. ] . . . My reputation value was soaring at an alarming rate. And after a while¡­ [ Reputation has exceeded 100,000. ] [ New effect unlocked. ] Done! I immediately checked the newly added effect. < Reputation of a Warrior > Reputation: 120,100/300,000 *1st Stage Effect: Improve the abilities of those in the company of the Warrior. (The greater the trust in the Warrior, the greater the effect.) *2nd Stage Effect: Qualified to handle the Holy Sword. *3rd Stage Effect: ¨C Locked ¨C What was this¡­? My last ability was a fraudulent cheat that would give me a wide-area buff to those who accompany me, so I had expected it to be similar this time. However, let alone that, even the explanation was somewhat vague. Just a ¡®qualification¡¯ to handle the Holy Sword. It seemed to be referring to a weapon meant for the Warrior that usually appeared in games¡­ The important thing was that I didn¡¯t have that sword now. Hmm¡­ I didn¡¯t even know the immediate power of the Holy Sword, so I didn¡¯t know if this was good or bad. To be honest, considering that I had worked hard to build my reputation, the reward was a little disappointing. Huu¡­Even so, I¡¯ll have to keep building my reputation up to the next level. Cheered by the countless citizens of Hong Kong, the upgrade event successfully came to an end. * * * * * * * * * * After the entire event was over, I returned to the hotel. I wanted to immediately return to Korea, but as long as I had made an official appearance, problems might arise if I crossed the border with Elizabeth¡¯s ability or Warrior¡¯s teleport skill. According to the schedule prepared by Hong Kong, I would be returning tomorrow through the portal. After having lost track of time, I called Elizabeth and Jane to my room. To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect anything, but their help this time was considerable, so I decided to give them a rare compliment and have dinner with them. However, Jane gave me a troubled look and spoke. ¡°I¡¯d like to try the hotel food here, but¡­I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to go home for now. I¡¯ve left John alone for too long¡­¡± ¡°Well, if so, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m sorry. And¡­¡± She hugged me out of the blue. I could hear her pounding heart. ¡°¡­Thank you very much.¡± ¡°In fact, I never thought you would do this much for me¡­If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would still be living with nightmares every day and resenting the world.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t express everything I want to say because I¡¯m not good with words, but I just want you to know¡­¡± She finished her brief embrace and stepped back. And then unbecoming of her personality, she smiled brightly. ¡°Like you had told me¡­You saved my life.¡± At that moment, a status window message appeared. [ Completed Challenge ¡®Eighth Layer Hell (1).¡¯ ] [ Gained 1x Random Box (High). ] Done! Finally, the long and tedious Challenge was over. And the reward was as much as a high-grade random box. After a hard quest, the moment you check your reward seems to be the most rewarding moment in life. With a smile on her face, Jane continued. ¡°I have to leave first due to the circumstances, but I¡¯ll definitely visit Korea someday when the situation is cleared up. A-and when we meet again, I¡¯ll definitely¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The end of her words were so quiet that even my developed hearing couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°N-no! Nothing. A-anyway, why is it so hot here?¡± She fanned herself as her face turned bright red. Looking at the number on the digital thermometer in the room, it was only 18 degrees Celsius. ¡°Hot? This isn¡¯t cool enough for you?¡± ¡°A-anyway! I¡¯m going to get going! Let¡¯s eat together next time! Bye!¡± Suddenly, she even used her ability and disappeared from view. I didn¡¯t know what happened since I last saw her, but her ability had improved considerably. Silence came as soon as she was gone. Although it was a short time, perhaps because she had suddenly disappeared, it felt somewhat awkward. Looking at the empty space where she had disappeared, I had a thought. I didn¡¯t need to see her again since I had gotten the reward. In any case, I turned and looked at Elizabeth sitting on a sofa in one corner of the room. She was unusually quiet. Normally, she would be chattering loudly. For her to be so quiet like this was uncomfortable even though she was a nuisance. Well, if I ask her to join me for dinner, she¡¯ll soon go crazy again. But this time, she had made a clear achievement, so for today, I decided to turn a blind eye even if it was troublesome. As such, I asked her. ¡°Noona, do you want to go upstairs and eat with me today? I heard there¡¯s supposed to be a nice Japanese restaurant.¡± With a blank look on her face, she looked back at me in surprise. Then, with a somewhat tired smile, she spoke. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a little tired today¡­If there¡¯s nothing else, can I go to my room first and rest?¡± ¡°A-ah? Ah¡­I understand.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Sorry¡­¡± She slowly stood up and staggered back to her room. I stared blankly at her back. ¡°¡­¡± What the hell was going on? Elizabeth had turned down my offer for dinner? ¡°¡­Unbelievable.¡± Naturally, I didn¡¯t want to bother eating with her. It was just pleasantries between people since I had never done such a thing before. ¡°What, the¡­I¡¯m dumbfounded.¡± I had done my best to praise her. From now on, I wasn¡¯t going to bother with something so cumbersome. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I was busy anyway.¡± *** *** I opened my status window. Logs of what I had done were immediately displayed. [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve reached level 63. ] [ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ] [ Gained Level 60 Skill Selection. ] [ Gained achievement title ¡®Dragon Slayer.¡¯ ] Looking at the endless messages, the feeling of discomfort had somehow disappeared. I smiled broadly without concealing my joy. ¡°Keuh! Good, good.¡± Rather than catching weak mobs, experience came by leaps and bounds when I fought against a stronger opponent than myself. As a result, I had risen as much as five levels. The reward this time didn¡¯t end there. I took out the lustrous scales shining brightly and the pieces of bones that glistened like steel from my inventory. < Fire Drake¡¯s Scales > Classification: Material Grade: B Description: Scales of a dragon with the Fire attribute that are sturdier than steel. It¡¯s not only an excellent material for making weapons, but also has the beauty suitable for making works of art. < Fire Drake¡¯s Bones > Classification: Material Grade: B Description: Bones of a dragon with the Fire attribute that are sturdier than steel. It¡¯s not only an excellent material for making weapons, but also has the beauty suitable for making works of art. High-quality materials were gathered from Old Drakedog¡¯s corpse after I had killed him. If I took this material to a master craftsman in Jangdang, their eyes would surely turn upside down and rush at me. However, such materials were now piled up high in my inventory. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to laugh. As expected, in any game, dragons were like a treasure trove. I couldn¡¯t believe there was no bad spoil to throw away. And what I had gotten from his body wasn¡¯t just raw materials. < Gene Awakening > Classification: Special Grade: A Description: Awaken the dormant genes. Genes: (1) Human: 75.8% (2) Elf: 6.4%. (Active) (3) Beast: 6.5% (Active) (4) Dwarf: 5.5% (Active) (5) Dragon: 5.7% (Active) ¨C New ¨C (6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive) The fifth gene had finally awakened. I didn¡¯t know what it was because it had been unknown. But through this opportunity, I had also learned that one of my ancestors had dragon blood. And¡­ The newly active dragon gene was different from the other races I had awakened so far. [ Constitution has risen significantly. ] [ Durability has risen significantly. ] Durability that could only rise when all stats were raised to a certain extent had increased significantly. Red Velvet Curse, whose sharpness was incomparable to any sword, was cut on my body. However, other than a small scratch on the outer layer of the skin, there was no other trace. In addition, I even had the skill < Transcendent Regeneration >¡­ This was enough for me to not worry about dying any time soon. And the new ability didn¡¯t end there. I exhaled my aura at the flowerpots decorating the room. Immediately, the plants screamed and withered. ¡°Breed! Breed! Bree¡­Kuaaak!¡± An overwhelming killing intent. I had gained the Dragon Fear ability that Old Drakedog was emitting the other day. It was going to be useful in many ways. Not to mention its use in battle, it seemed it would be useful when there were people who annoyed me or when I needed to intimidate someone. And then¡­ The greatest reward after killing him. [ Completed Challenge ¡®Evil God¡¯s Resurrection.¡¯ ] [ Gained 1x Unknown. ] I carefully took out the mystery item I had received from my inventory. < Deteriorated Dragon Heart > Classification: Material Grade: S Description: Essence of a dragon containing its source of power. However, its condition isn¡¯t very good. I didn¡¯t know such a thing existed¡­ A red lustrous fist-sized gem in my hand. It was a ¡®dragon heart¡¯ that I didn¡¯t even see in the first round. Through the words of people from all over the world, I had guessed that there were legendary beings called dragons, but I didn¡¯t know that a dragon heart would appear like this. If I could make it into an elixir and consume it¡­ In any case, I was going to collect as many elixirs as I could before all of my stats reached 6.0. And consequently, a timely reward had appeared. ¡°God game is all luck!¡± I carefully put the Dragon Heart back into my inventory and settled my stats that I had put off. The Fragments of Growth were evenly distributed this time. < Level 63 (+5) > Body: 5.41 -> 5.52 (+0.11) Dexterity: 5.01 -> 5.31 (+0.30) Mana: 5.29 -> 5.41 (+0.12) Spirit: 5.21 -> 5.34 (+0.13) The notification of all stats reaching 6.0 was getting closer and closer. I thought it would take years at the earliest when I first started the second round¡­ Considering that it took nearly 10 years for all of my stats to reach 6.0 in the past, it could be said to be lightning fast growth. ¡°Huu¡­Now, let¡¯s play the main game.¡± Finally, it was time to show off my skills. I checked the goods I had to play gacha. The preparation I had this time in my inventory was a high-grade random box and a level 60 skill selection. It wasn¡¯t much compared to usual, but the high-grade random box alone more than made up for it. ¡­The achievements I had gained this time were good, so I was certain there would be something good. < Thousand Swordsman > I had obtained in the process of cleaning up Kowloon and < Dragon Slayer > I had obtained after killing Old Drakedog. Both could be said to be achievements with potential for good skills to come out. With expectations, I used the 60 level skill selection first. [ One of the following skills can be learned. ] (1) < Explosion > Classification: Magic Grade: B Description: It creates a powerful explosion in the desired area. (2) < Decay Acceleration > Classification: Ability Grade: B Description: Speed up microorganisms¡¯ activities and accelerate the rate of decay. . . . Befitting of level 60, a lot of useful skills had appeared. Whichever choice I made would be fine. But¡­ There was something bigger waiting this time. Without hesitation, I went down the list. Then, as expected, another list of skills awaited me. [Special Selection] (a) < Thousand to One > Classification: General Grade: A Description: Stats increase in proportion to the number of enemies you¡¯re against. (Increases by 0.1% per 10 people / Maximum of 10% at 1,000 enemies.) (b) < Dragon Hunter > Classification: General Grade: S Description: Seals Dragon Breath and fatal damage against dragonkind. Significantly increases resistance to dragonkind¡¯s roar. [ Level 65 Skill Selection will be forfeited if you select a Special Skill. ] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± < Thousand to One > and < Dragon Hunter >. Both skills were so good that it was hard to tell which one was better. In the case of < Thousand to One >, it was a skill I already had in the first round. At the time, it was obtained from normal selection, not special selection as it was now, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t once or twice that I had escaped a crisis thanks to this skill. So I knew the usefulness and value of this skill better than anyone else. The maximum of 10% may seem small, but as my stats increased in the second half, it could be said that its true value was gradually revealed. But¡­ It would be a real waste to throw this away too. < Dragon Hunter > A skill as high as S-Grade came to light. Did that mean my achievements this time were that amazing? S-Grade¡¯s skills weren¡¯t easy to find even with luck, so I felt like I would be losing money to give up a skill like this. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I agonized for a long time comparing the two skills. After an unknown time. At last, I closed my eyes and chose a skill. [ You¡¯ve learned the skill < Thousand to One >. ] To be honest, I couldn¡¯t help it. Not only its skill grade, but also from reading the description, I had found that < Dragon Hunter > was a very useful skill, but the problem was that I would never meet another dragon in my life. Ah¡­it was really unfortunate¡­ Shaking my head to force the word ¡®S-Grade¡¯ that continued to ring in my head away, I next pulled out the high-grade random box. Huu¡­let¡¯s not dwell on the past. Maybe I¡¯ll get another good skill this time¡­ [ Used 1x Random Box (High). ] The luxurious box rose into the air and began to spin. It turned more and more fiercely as bright lights burst out. Its color was gold. This meant that at least an A-Rank would come out. ¡°Ooooo! Let¡¯s go!¡± The lingering attachment to the S-Grade was completely gone. I clenched my fists and waited for the box to open. And at last, the lid opened. [ You¡¯ve obtained the skill < Thousand to One >. ] ¡°Huh¡­?¡± I blankly looked at the message. What? Did I see it wrong? How¡­did this skill come out? From my experience, I thought skills that came out once wouldn¡¯t come out again¡­Was that not the case? P-perhaps I was mistaken with the previous message? I quickly checked the logs. However, the record showed exactly twice that I had acquired < Thousand to One >. The same skill had come out twice. ¡°N-no¡­Noooo!!!¡± The strength in my legs gave and I fell to the floor. I would have just chosen the S-Grade skill if I had known this. ¡°Why?! Why the hell?!!¡± If there was God, I was sure it was messing with me. How could this have happened¡­I bitterly shouted. ¡°Luck game! Now even the world is against me!¡± At that moment, a status window message popped up in front of me. [ Same skill has been identified. ] [ The two skills are automatically synthesized. ] [ Materials used in Synthesis have a Synergy effect. ] . . . ¡°H-huh?¡± And then¡­ [ Synthesis completed. ] [ Gained the skill < Ten Thousand to One >. ] < Ten Thousand to One > Classification: General Grade: S Description: Stats increase in proportion to the number of enemies you¡¯re against. (Increases by 0.1% per 10 people / Maximum of 100% at 10,000 enemies.) A shining and beautiful S-Grade skill had appeared before my eyes. ¡°Yessss! This is more like it!¡± I feel this every time, but as expected, this world was a game of luck. ____ ____ Chapter 79 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 79 An imaginary space covered by darkness. Here, the flames of a skeleton flickered. ¡°This¡­What the hell is going on¡­?¡± The other strange monsters around him also had perplexed looks on their faces. ¡°It¡¯s really hard to believe¡­¡± One of the eight relics connecting their souls was suddenly severed. And the culprit behind the missing relic was none other than Noah who they had been discussing at their last meetings not too long ago. ¡°Impossible¡­I didn¡¯t expect him to be defeated.¡± A goat-head woman muttered in bewilderment. Who was Old Drakedog? Although he was useless in just about everything, when it comes to fighting power, wasn¡¯t he one of the strongest among the eight? On top of that, with the power of the relic needed for their grand plan, he was a monster strong enough to be called a living disaster. Even if an S-Rank hero, a nation¡¯s strategic weapon, was dispatched, it would be hard to say who would win. She knew his strength better than anyone else, so it was hard for her to believe he was defeated. And¡­More shocking than that, the person who had killed him was Noah, the one they had been discussing for a long time on how to find. [Yes! At this moment, our hero, Choi Noah, is cutting the stomach of the evil dragon! It¡¯s a historical moment that makes you feel so touched even when you watch it again!] Reflected on a screen in the imaginary space was a giant red dragon¡¯s stomach being split open. It was unbelievable no matter how many times they rewatched it. Noah was just a trainee, so how was he showing the power of an S-Rank? They didn¡¯t know how it was possible for the scales of Old Drakedog that were harder than steel to be cut off so easily by the sword he wielded. The monsters in the imaginary space watched the scene again and again with stricken expressions. After a long silence, the flaming skeleton opened his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­has he been hiding his strength all this time?¡± ¡°¡­Did he need to do that? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any particular benefit to gain from doing that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true under normal circumstances¡­But don¡¯t you think it would explain this whole situation if he knew our existence from the beginning and was waiting for the right moment?¡± ¡°?!¡± As he said, the current situation could be understood to some extent if they thought that Noah had intentionally hid his power so far. ¡°N-no way¡­So you¡¯re saying everything was planned by him?¡± ¡°I guess¡­It makes sense to think so given the situation.¡± Luring Eighth Layer Hell members and slaughtering them so their attention would be drawn to it while he directly attacked the place where the relic was. Now that they thought about it again, indeed, his actions could only be explained as a well-thought-out plan. ¡°Damn it!¡± The goat-head woman bit her lips with indignation. After finding out that Noah was the vessel, it was none other than herself who had insisted on sending the low-rank members of the organization. As someone who prided herself on being a schemer and plotter, she couldn¡¯t believe she had played into the hands of a child. There was no worse humiliation than this. As she trembled in anger, the insect-winged man next to her spoke. ¡°Heuuung~ Then, what about the plan we had made this time?¡± The plan to take Noah¡¯s precious people hostage and make him reveal himself. However, now that Noah had already revealed himself, it could be said that the plan was no longer useful. The eyes of the monsters turned to the skeleton who had organized the meeting. He shook his head slowly. ¡°We will go ahead with the plan.¡± ¡°No, why? Besides that, isn¡¯t it more important to take back the relic he had stolen?¡± ¡°Of course, the relic must be recovered. But¡­it¡¯s hard to figure out what he¡¯s capable of right now. We don¡¯t know if he¡¯s still hiding his strength.¡± ¡°Hooo~ since when did you become such a coward?¡± ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped. To achieve the grand plan, this is more important than anything else. Moreso, it¡¯s natural to proceed with the matter carefully until we know his true strength or purpose. Instead¡­¡± ¡°Instead?¡± ¡°¡­Given the current situation, we may need to revise our existing plan a bit. Members of the organizations will not be enough.¡± ¡°Y-you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I think we should carry out this plan ourselves. So let¡¯s just keep the minimum number of people here to maintain the altar and the rest will participate.¡± ¡°Ooooh!! Finally! Are we leaving this stuffy place?¡± The insect-winged monster looked at the skeleton excitedly. As the emerald flames in the skeleton¡¯s eye sockets swayed, he coldly spoke. ¡°Yes. The world¡­Taking this opportunity, everyone will know of our existence.¡± Because of a single person¡¯s influence, the great evil that had been hiding in the darkness for a long time was finally preparing to appear before the world. * * * * * * * * * * I arrived at the portal gate in a limousine. In front of me, Gyeon Sohui, the vice president of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association, and several high-ranking nobles stood. ¡°Be sure to visit Hong Kong again. Your visit will always be welcomed.¡± And behind her, countless Hong Kong citizens were gathered waving placards. ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t know if there will be another chance, but in any case I¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°We would have been able to properly repay you if you had stayed a little longer¡­I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re leaving like this without giving us a chance to repay you¡­All I can give you now is our sincere gratitude. Once again¡­Thank you.¡± She lowered her head deeply with misty eyes. And following her, everyone gathered here lowered their heads. As if a wave was spreading, everyone in the sight bowed one after another. At the same time, new notifications appeared. [ Favorability has increased. ] [ Favorability has increased. ] [ Favorability has increased. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Gyeon Sohui¡¯ and 31,402 other people as companions. ] The companion recruitment event was all too familiar now. Not only that, the number this time was enormous. It seemed the heroes who had participated in the battle and those who had gathered here had reached the maximum favorability. However, there was a limit to the number of party members, so it would be a waste to spare a slot for these dregs. The woman standing in front of me seemed a little useful, but seeing as I didn¡¯t remember her name from the first round, she seemed to be an ordinary person who I had killed at some point. [ Recruitment rejected. ] [ ¡®Gyeon Sohui¡¯ and 31,402 other people will be registered as the warrior¡¯s followers. ] [ Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time. ] With more intimate eyes, she smiled. ¡°If there¡¯s ever anything you need¡­Please call me. I¡¯ll run to your place anytime.¡± Soon, amidst the loud cheers, I went through the portal with Elizabeth. The surrounding landscape changed in an instant, revealing the landscape of Korea¡¯s portal gate. A smell I was used to. It was hard to describe in words, but as I smelled the familiar smell that permeated my nose, I realized that I had finally returned to Korea. Although I was only there for about a month, it felt a lot longer because of the many incidents that happened there. Maybe that was why? Elizabeth next to me looked particularly tired. She didn¡¯t talk much compared to her usual self, and when asked something, the answer was one beat slower. Not only that, we were almost late to the portal because she didn¡¯t wake up on time this morning. She was going to be a hindrance if we act together in the future if she was tired despite such a short schedule. When I use elixirs later, I¡¯ll have to feed her some of the leftovers to raise her. And I should ask Choi Bokhui to add some physical training. As I thought as such, I spoke to her. ¡°It¡¯ll be filled with reporters once we leave here. If you¡¯re tired, go home first.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to go around with noona anyway, and it¡¯s comfortable for me to move alone.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­S-sorry¡­Then, I¡¯ll go home first¡­¡± Elizabeth said as she trudged out of the terminal by herself with shoulders drooped. Through the automatic door that had opened for a moment, the crowd of reporters caught my eyes. An event that knocked down a monster as high as S-Rank. In addition, since it was only a child trainee who had solved the disaster, interest in the case was bound to be high worldwide. And from now on, I was destined to answer every reporter¡¯s questions. Just imagining it gave me a headache already. I originally thought I would just ignore it and go home since I didn¡¯t like trouble, but I had decided not to pass up the opportunity since it was a chance to make a name for myself. Huu¡­let¡¯s put in some effort. *** *** Just as I was about to walk out thinking so, I saw a woman from afar through the automatic door where Elizabeth had left. ¡°There you are!¡± A woman in a clergy uniform with her thighs showing a little. It was Samaria, my professor. She operated mana and came running straight to me at a frightening speed. ¡°Hello. Professor.¡± ¡°To hell with the hello! Do you know how much I suffered because of Mr. Noah?¡± I had greeted her after a long time, but apparently she didn¡¯t reciprocate. Meanwhile, she poured out all the suffering she had gone through without breathing properly. ¡°You can¡¯t just run away from the law suddenly like that! Do you know how many times I was called to the Hero Association? And the reason¡­¡± The ear-piercing nagging continued. After nearly half an hour of talking to herself, she finally stared at me while panting. It seemed there were many things that had troubled her. I spoke quickly before she had another seizure. ¡°If you¡¯re done talking, can I go now? I want to rest at home for a while.¡± ¡°Where are you going?! I¡¯m not finished! And home? How long did you think I waited?! In the meantime go to the institute and be my assistant¡­No, you have to take my class!¡± ¡°Hmm? Do I still have to attend classes?¡± My class with her was a special course on hunting villains. But wasn¡¯t her class meaningless now with this kind of performance? Before I went to Hong Kong, I had hunted villains from the red grade wanted group, Eighth Layer Hell, and this time, I had defeated an S-Rank monster. Maybe even if I fought her 1:1 now, it would be hard to tell who would win. ¡°I went to Hong Kong to hunt an S-Rank villain. Isn¡¯t that enough for the class? Professor, have you ever caught an S-Rank villain?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­!¡± Samaria was suddenly at a loss for words. She flustered and frowned. The only reason to go to the institute now was for the few small Challenges left. And in fact, I wasn¡¯t going to waste my time since there was nothing worth learning. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to rest at home for a while. Oh, and this temporary license guaranteed by professor can be used for a year, right? I¡¯ll use it well. Thank you.¡± There were no urgent Challenges at the institute anyway, so I¡¯ll catch up on my overdue games for now. I said my goodbye and turned around. Then, she shouted urgently. ¡°H-hold on! Th-there¡¯s something else you must do!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Th-that¡­¡± When I saw her looking like she was thinking, I felt as if she was desperately looking for an excuse to hold me. And then she exclaimed in a low voice when something came to mind. ¡°S-school festival! Yeah, shouldn¡¯t you attend the school festival?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t think I have to participate in that?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, but¡­I¡¯m sure Mr. Noah understands that this event is important, so if possible, you should participate¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°N-no! Then I¡¯ll have to clean up the mess by myself again¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what had happened since the last time we met, but she was racking her hair with a look of genuine reluctance. Well, as far as I was concerned, it didn¡¯t matter to me if it bothered her. I didn¡¯t have any Challenges related to the school festival anyway, so it was enough to go to school when I had time to do the small Challenges and the end of term exam. There was no need to waste time when there was no reward. ¡°Professor, please call me when exam time comes.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­how did this¡­¡± Leaving her sitting on the floor, just as I was heading to the terminal. Ding¨C! Along with the familiar notification, a new challenge appeared. [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (2)] Condition: Participate in the school festival. Time: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). I immediately turned around and spoke. ¡°Professor. I¡¯ve always wanted to participate in a school festival. Let¡¯s return to the institute.¡± * * * * * * * * * * At the Hero Training Institute, an event called school festival was held twice a year. Although the name meant a festival, in fact, it was more important than any other test at the institute and could be said to be another venue for evaluation. A demonstration event where outsiders were invited so the trainees could show what they had learned so far. As such, among those who came to see the event, though there were family members and friends of the trainees, most were middlemen such as scouts and matchmakers who had come with the purpose to recruit new heroes. For that reason, unless a trainee wanted to become a civil servant working for the Hero Association, this event was in fact an important place to determine their career path. And because these school festivals were usually done on a team basis, it could be said that building a good team was just as important as honing their individual skills. ¡­This much should be good. Shirahui thought while looking at the team members she had gathered. ¡°Hahaha! Rahui, I¡¯ve thought of our team name. What about Flame of Passion?¡± First, there was Yeom Gangjun. The only person here who could be said to be close to her. Although he had a carefree personality, his ability was beyond the standard of an ordinary trainee. Also, his background was that of the prestigious Daegu family, so he was bound to draw attention at the school festival. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s annoying deciding a team name. Let¡¯s just do it roughly. I¡¯m going to be working for my family after the training anyway.¡± A man in his mid-30s said grumpingly. Mousin. A rather blunt man with a useless ability and was in the faction collectively called the Choi Noah Army. He wasn¡¯t very talented in terms of capability, but he had a big background, so it was good to have him on the team for the attention. ¡°Then~ how about Team Strongest Noah?¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good! That¡¯s good! Let¡¯s go with that!¡± Next to Mousin, a woman with colorful hair blurted out a ridiculous team name. Saki. The third team member she had recruited with Mousin. With her explosive power, they would be able to produce a more spectacular performance than any other team at the event. However, that was that and this was this¡­ ¡°That, why should our team name be Strongest Noah? Choi Noah isn¡¯t even on the team! Do you think that makes sense?¡± Shirahui said with a grimace. In response, Saki tilted her head. ¡°Hmm¡­That¡¯s because Noah is the strongest?¡± ¡°Hmhm. Noah is the strongest.¡± ¡°You people, really¡­¡± Shirahui massaged her temple and sighed. In terms of individual abilities alone, it was a very incredible team, but with their unique characters, she felt like her head was already hurting when she thought she had to lead them. This is also a quality needed to be a hero. Similar to how her father was not only a hero but also was someone who showed leadership to all heroes in Korea. He said he would be attending this school festival, so¡­I have to give a good performance too. She firmly asked the last remaining member of the team. ¡°Then, Fernando. Do you have anything you want to say about the team name?¡± ¡°N¡­o.¡± The boy who was as pale as a corpse gave a short answer. And like always, he became silent and remained unmotivated. Huu¡­There¡¯s not a decent character here. Fernando¡¯s ability was just about average in every class. And his presence was obscured, so at external events such as the school festival, it wasn¡¯t a very good choice to have him as a team member. But she didn¡¯t have any other choice¡­ This is all because of Choi Noah! She was involved in an ill-relationship with him from the day she first entered the institute, so her image had become a total mess. Originally, everyone should have praised me by now¡­ She had been trying hard in her own way ever since Noah left for the special course, but it wasn¡¯t easy to restore a broken image. Among those who had already gathered here, her image was just that of a trainee with good grades. It wasn¡¯t the target of admiration like Noah. And for her who had always had followers and had things go her way, it only felt too difficult to make friends the normal way. And before she knew it, she had found herself living the life of what people would normally call an outsider. She still felt awkward with her roommates, so she would spend time outside before bedtime every day. But recently, she didn¡¯t know if it was because people hadn¡¯t seen Noah, but more and more people were starting to look at her with admiration. At this rate, if I show a good performance at the school festival like this¡­I¡¯ll be able to restore my old image again. But in order to do that, there was still one more mountain to climb. We need one more person¡­ She was able to form a team of five, but at least six people were required to participate in the school festival. They were exactly one person short. I don¡¯t care who it is, it would be good if anyone could join¡­ Just when she thought as such, someone approached her. ¡°Who¡¯s the team leader?¡± A woman in a clergy uniform who looked a bit obscene. It was Samaria, their homeroom professor who manages their daily affairs. I haven¡¯t seen her at the institute for a while. Is she back at work now? Leaving her question behind, Shirahui answered. ¡°I¡¯m the team leader.¡± ¡°Really? Hmm¡­when I looked through the list, it seemed this team wasn¡¯t complete yet.¡± Was she going to break up the team and incorporate them into other teams? That would reduce the attention she receives. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­I¡¯ll be able to find another person soon! If you give me a little more time¡­¡± She flustered and said desperately. Samaria smiled and tapped her on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s great. Actually, there was a person who couldn¡¯t find a team. Since there¡¯s a spot, can he join you?¡± ¡°Oh! That would be great for us! Thank you very much. Professor!¡± She smiled brightly. There was nothing more to worry about if the team could be filled. Whoever the new member was, she was confident it would be the best team at the school festival. As she thought as such, Samaria in front of her looked out the door and spoke. ¡°I found you a team. The rest is up to you, so please come in and introduce yourself to everyone.¡± When she finished speaking, the one who was standing outside came in and greeted everyone. ¡°Hello.¡± With black hair and purple eyes shining like jewels. There¡­ ¡°My name is Choi Noah. I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± The one she didn¡¯t want to run into the most was standing there. ____ ____ Chapter 80 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 80 At a remote meadow outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Where the blue sky meets the vast earth, clumsy tents made of tarps situated together could be seen. The tents numbered about 50, and although it couldn¡¯t be compared to cities with modern infrastructure, considering that it was situated in the middle of nowhere without electricity, water or sewage, it could be said to be an unusually large village. ¡°Hey, you rascal! I was saving this to make cheese. You shouldn¡¯t drink it!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll have just one sip, ajumma.¡± A woman milking a goat and a little girl peeking curiously next to her. It was a peaceful and picturesque scene reminiscent of a TV documentary. However, if there was one difference, it was that the villagers¡¯ appearance looked quite different from ordinary humans. From beasts with hair all over their bodies, to an old man with horns on his head like a goblin, to a minotaur woman who resembled a monster more than a human, various races could be seen living together in one place. Even though Earth had become a multi-ethnic society ever since its dimension opened up, it was still an extremely rare case for there to be so many different races living together in such a village. And, in the backdrop of this unique village, there was a secret¡­ That was, the fact that the people who were living here were illegal immigrants who had refused the World Government¡¯s control and fled. ¡°If you keep being naughty, don¡¯t you think the bad man will come and take you away?¡± The aunt who was milking the goat said to the girl in an intimidating tone. However, rather than being scared, the girl laughed hard. ¡°Eh~ Don¡¯t lie to me. Who the hell would come to a place like this? It¡¯s not scary at all.¡± ¡°Oh, my. She¡¯s not afraid anymore. The cuteness is gone.¡± ¡°Hehe, then can I have this?¡± ¡°Aye¡­fine. I don¡¯t think I can make cheese with this anyway, so just take it with you.¡± ¡°Wow! Thank you, ajumma! I¡¯ll enjoy it!¡± The girl carefully held the bucket of milk the aunt had given her and ran home precariously. I¡¯m glad¡­This will last for a while. She had been living alone in this strange world after the sudden death of her mother two years ago. But fortunately, she was able to survive somehow thanks to the neighbors living here who had felt sorry for her situation and had shared their food like earlier or had given her food behind her back. Thus, she had always felt grateful to them. When she first came to this village she was frightened by the terrifying appearance of the inhabitants, but now that she was used to it, she couldn¡¯t see them as anything but family. I want to grow up soon¡­Then I can help with the work. She had always hated her small body that couldn¡¯t be of help. As she was heading to her tent on the outskirts of the village, raindrops suddenly began to fall from the sky one by one. The weather is unpredictable today¡­ Although the weather in the meadow was normally unpredictable, the sky where the sun was shining brightly just now quickly being covered by dark clouds was truly fickle. Let¡¯s hurry¡­I might catch a cold if my clothes get wet¡­ She didn¡¯t want to get sick and cause more inconveniences to the villagers who she had been indebted to all this time. As such, she hurried her steps. But at that moment, Booooom¨C! Lightning struck from the sky with a deafening roar. ¡°Kyaak!¡± Startled, the bucket she was carrying dropped, spilling the goat milk as it seeped into the ground and disappeared. She looked at it with a stunned expression. Ah¡­It¡¯s been a while since aunty took care of me¡­ She looked towards the tent where the aunt lived with regret. And at that very moment, Boooom¨C! Another roar erupted as a blue lightning bolt fell down towards it. ¡°N-no!¡± She shouted reflexively and went back thoughtlessly the way she had just come from. Is aunty okay¡­? This was a vast plain without a single tree. On the other hand, the aunt was very big, so maybe in the worst case the lightning bolt had struck her. She couldn¡¯t shake off the bad feeling. Arriving at the aunt¡¯s house out of breath, fortunately, the aunt was fine without a scratch. Phew¡­that¡¯s a relief. She breathed a sigh of relief inside. However¡­ The aunt¡¯s expression was somehow unusual, and when she noticed her, she hastily shouted. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°What? What do you¡­?¡± Just as she felt something amiss, a light flashed again from the sky. In response, the aunt immediately rushed to hug her. Boooom¨C! The lightning that fell in an instant hit the aunt¡¯s body directly. An acrid smoke rose from the aunt¡¯s body that was covering her. The aunt¡¯s skin was completely charred and there was even a smell of cooked meat rising from her. ¡°Kyaaak! A-ajumma!¡± She shouted as the aunt collapsed on the spot. But even in such a state, the aunt was still trying to protect her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­dangerous.¡± Suddenly, lightning began to fall indiscriminately from the dark clouds. Boooooom¨C! Boom¨C! Boooom¨C! Countless lightning bolts rained down around the village. Every flash of light burned the tents as the rain gradually grew heavier. And she, under the aunt¡¯s body, closed her eyes tightly, covered her ears, and trembled. After an unknown time, the nightmare was finally over. The thunderstorm, which seemed to have lasted forever, had finally stopped. I-is it over¡­? She quietly opened her eyes and crawled out from under the aunt¡¯s body. Soon, the aunt¡¯s body, which was hard to recognize even the shape, came into view. ¡°Ah¡­a-ah¡­!¡± It wasn¡¯t just her that looked this way but so did all the residents of the village. Unlike their usual scary appearances, everyone who had always taken good care of her had turned into burnt charcoal. ¡°A-ah¡­uh¡­ah¡­¡± She stood absent-mindedly in the rain. A short time of less than ten minutes. In that short period of time, everything had disappeared. Was it the anger of God? She couldn¡¯t understand why this had happened at all. Soon, through the thick rain that was falling endlessly, someone in a black raincoat walking slowly could be seen. ¡°This¡­there was a survivor¡­¡± The man¡¯s face wrinkled as if he had come across an unexpected situation. Not only that, a long curved sword arcing blue lightning could be seen in his hand. As such, she instinctively knew the moment she saw it. The man in front of her was the one who had created this tragedy. ¡°S-spare me¡­¡± What the town elders¡¯ had always used to scare her, the very bad man had appeared. * * * * * * * * * * A very rare S-Rank hero in this world and a figure respected by many people. Shin Cheonho, ¡®Lightning Sword.¡¯ He looked down at the girl in front of him and let out a short sigh from the bottom of his heart. How could I be so unlucky¡­ He had wanted to use a thunderstorm from a distance instead of his hands directly. That should have been enough to get rid of the people here. But whether it was bad or good luck, the girl in front of him was alive and well. Next to her was a large charred body as if it had been struck by lightning several times She must have been hiding down there to save her life¡­ On the freckled girl¡¯s face, tears could be seen clinging to her eyes. ¡°S-spare¡­S-spare me¡­¡± Shin Cheonho¡¯s expression soon stiffened. Is what I¡¯m doing really right¡­? An order issued directly from the World Government. He didn¡¯t know what the reason was, but he had to make sure to erase this village from the world today. With his capability, it was a very easy thing to do, but for him, the kind of work he was doing now was more daunting than dealing with any villain. Looking at the girl crying her eyes out had reminded him of his daughter when she was young. He, who was loved and respected by his daughter, was doing something so horrible. Would he be able to show this side of him to his daughter? Really¡­it¡¯s a fucked up world. He stared at the girl for a moment before putting his sword back into its sheath. Next, he took out some money from his pocket. ¡°Hurry and leave here.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­A-are you letting me go?¡± ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have much time, so quickly run for it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girl had an expression of mixed nervousness and relief. However, at the bottom of such feelings was an indisputable resentment toward him. He knew very well that it was foolish to let her go. Not only was he responsible for the mission, but one day she could bare her teeth at him. However¡­ I really can¡¯t do it. *** *** No matter how much he had dirtied his hands after becoming a hero, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill such a young girl. ¡°Hurry up and go! Come on!¡± ¡°¡­S-someday¡­You¡­¡± The girl left a meaningful remark before slowly turning around and running straight in the rain. Shin Cheonho watched her back as he let out a long sigh. ¡°Really¡­It¡¯s not easy to live.¡± He didn¡¯t know how long he would have to continue to dirty his hands, but he knew it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do anymore. And especially after this mission was done since he had promised to meet his daughter for the first time in a while. He never wanted her to see this side of him. Yeah¡­with this it¡¯s done. But at that very moment, Swiik¨C Along with a sharp cutting sound, the girl¡¯s body, which was running far away, was split in half and fell. ?! He stared at the sight with wide eyes. Soon, a figure gradually approached in the pouring rain. Clank¨C The dull sound of metal hitting. A black man in full body armor trudged along, shaking off blood from his sword. Soon, he spoke in a nonchalant tone as if nothing had happened. ¡°Mister Shin. Don¡¯t you think you need to be certain of your work? I can¡¯t believe you missed one. From what I see, I think you better focus on your work a little more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± An Inspector in charge of the dirty affairs of the World Government. Pamir, ¡®Paladin.¡¯ Shin Cheonho stared at him in anger. ¡°¡­Did you have to kill her?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? That was the mission we had received. But¡­in any case, how come you don¡¯t look so happy? Do you have any complaints?¡± Pamir¡¯s eyes turned poisonous like a snake. Shin Cheonho wanted to immediately cut him with his sword, but what came out of his mouth was the exact opposite of his feelings. ¡°¡­Nonsense. It¡¯s¡­just because I¡¯m tired.¡± Pamir, as if he was reading all of his thoughts, spoke with an insidious smile. ¡°Hoho, I see. Well, even an S-Rank hero can get tired.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Soon, Pamir uttered a warning with a grave expression. ¡°But keep this in mind. If you don¡¯t want to lose everything you have¡­You better not have such idiotic thoughts from now on.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°With great power comes great responsibility. Don¡¯t ever forget it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shin Cheonho was a genius who had quickly developed his abilities from an early age. He beat up villains and continued his training with more effort than anyone else. The media praised him as someone who would become an S-Rank hero, and he too didn¡¯t doubt that one day he would become an S-Rank hero. S-Rank that transcended everything. Becoming such an absolute being was the most important goal and dream in his life. And, through all the efforts, he had finally become the S-Rank hero he had dreamed of. However¡­ When his dream was realized, the nature of an S-Rank hero was completely different from what he had imagined. If I knew this would happen¡­I would have given up my efforts back then¡­ The World Government would never allow individuals to have more than a certain level of power. Thus, he was given two choices. Get banned by the World Government and have them seal his power below a certain level, or perform their duties as he was told. In fact, up until this point, because he couldn¡¯t give up his lingering affection for power, he had eventually chosen the latter. As a result, in the name of maintaining world peace, he was mobilized for all sorts of dirty work. And among them it even included missions to kill those seemingly innocent like today. ¡°Mister Shin. I want to continue working with you for a long time. So I hope you don¡¯t have those idiotic thoughts anymore. I mean it.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I know you still have some complaints, so I¡¯ll personally explain it to you.¡± Pamir said as he narrowed his eyebrows and continued. ¡°According to Oracle¡¯s prediction, an S-Rank hero was to be born here in the near future who will cooperate with the demon army. And because of that person, more than 10,000 innocent civilians would have died. We stopped that today.¡± Shin Cheonho couldn¡¯t refute Pamir¡¯s words. He naturally knew the existence of Oracle, but he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Between the World Government¡¯s orders, couldn¡¯t they remove those who would interfere with their interests under the pretext of the Oracle¡¯s prophecy? And, such people haven¡¯t committed a crime yet, so was it the right thing to judge them? ¡°¡­¡± Even if he had such thoughts, the only thing he could do was keep it to himself. He was already a dog of the Hero Association and had learned many secrets, so even if he quit now, he didn¡¯t think they would let him go quietly. Especially his daughter who had just become a hero. The likelihood of him being at a disadvantage was very high. That¡­I can¡¯t let that happen. As a result, even if he had to get his hands dirty, he had no choice but to endure the circumstances somehow. I have to endure it for Rahui¡¯s sake. Even though he hadn¡¯t always been there for her, she was his precious daughter he couldn¡¯t be more proud of. ¡°Well, this much should be enough for you to understand¡­I¡¯ll stop here. Anyway, this is the end of the mission, so I look forward to your kind cooperation next time.¡± ¡°¡­I understand. Thank you for your efforts.¡± Shin Cheonho wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. It was hard for him to control the urge to pull out his sword when together with such a crazy fanatic. I¡¯ll have to go back quickly and find out about the school festival schedule that Rahui is going to participate in. As he thought as such, he called his companion that was hidden in the thunderclouds onto the ground. Soon, a bird fluttering with blue lightning all over its body landed. A mythical spirit with large wings. He got on the back of the lightning grouse and said goodbye to Pamir. ¡°Then¡­I¡¯ll go first.¡± At that moment, Pamir suddenly spoke. ¡°Oh, wait a minute. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t mister Shin say he was going back to Korea?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­what about it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯d like you to give me a ride to Korea on the way. Coincidentally, I have something to deal with in Korea.¡± Pamir said with a smile, showing his white teeth. Finally, the two sat on the back of the grouse and headed to Korea. * * * * * * * * * * A man with a shaggy face wiggled his thick fingers and manipulated a tablet. On the screen, the words ¡®Choi Noah¡¯s ARK fanclub¡¯ were seen. Hmm¡­is something wrong? Go Changsu had a worried expression as he looked at the tablet. Unless something special had happened recently, the president of the fan club that had been posting Noah¡¯s updates every day had stopped their activities without any notice. Looking at the pictures the president had uploaded, it seemed the person was probably someone close to Noah. Maybe the president is sick? Although he had never seen the president¡¯s face, they had always been communicating through the fan club, so his worry wasn¡¯t unwarranted. He continued to stare at the tablet screen with a worried look. Meanwhile, Kim Taehi, who was passing by Go Changsu, stopped when she saw him like that. What¡¯s up with him? A new recruit who was too energetic for his own good. Why was he frowning? She crept up behind him and peeped at the tablet screen. ¡°Choi Noah¡¯s¡­Fan club? It¡¯s still work hours, so what are you doing?¡± ¡°Heuk! Wh-when did you get here?¡± The startled Go Changsu sprang to his feet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Ah, just gathering information¡­Haha, this place always has the latest news on Noah.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± As if her interest was piqued, Kim Taehi grabbed the tablet Looking at the images on the screen, it was decorated much better than she had thought. Not only that, the membership was over 50,000. ¡°What¡¯s this? There are so many people who joined the fan club?¡± This number was equivalent to fan clubs of famous heroes. Also, it was really a surprising number considering that he wasn¡¯t even an active hero yet. Go Changsu spoke proudly. ¡°That¡¯s not all. As a large number of new members are flowing in from abroad, I think we¡¯ll easily surpass 100,000 soon.¡± ¡°Well, I see. It¡¯s understandable because of what happened this time.¡± Kim Taehi recalled the incident that was still buzzing in the media. The sudden appearance of a monster estimated to be S-Rank in Hong Kong. And a boy just 13 years old who defeated such a monster. This time, not just in Korea, but it was enough to create a sensation around the world. So far, countless heroes had made their names known to the world, but no one in history had ever done anything so drastic as what Noah had shown. I was worried for nothing¡­ She knew he was gifted from the moment she first met him. However, she never imagined that he would make his name known worldwide in such a short period of time. And recently, when she heard of the plan to use Noah as bait to draw out Eighth Layer Hell, she was so worried that she couldn¡¯t get anything done at work. However, given that situation, he had suddenly disappeared¡­ From her and other heroes¡¯ perspective at the Gyeonggi-do branch, they couldn¡¯t help but think that something bad had happened to Noah. But all such worries were for nothing¡­ Dragon Slayer¡­That¡¯s a great nickname. She didn¡¯t have to worry about him being helpless anymore. Come to think of it, I feel sorry for her. In fact, Samaria who was responsible for him had been having a hard time. To cover up his disappearance to the Hero Association headquarters, the Gyeonggi-do branch had to produce a plausible report every week. As such, Samaria was summoned every day for interrogation. Huu¡­I wanted to be his strength. Why would such an outstanding boy need her help? Recalling what she had said just a few months ago, she felt her face burning. She smiled dejectedly. Maybe what she could do now was just like Go Changsu. It may be simply joining the fan club and leaving cheerful comments. ¡°Haa¡­I have to see him soon because of the investigation anyway¡­I should at least buy him a delicious meal then.¡± ¡°Oh! That sounds good. Then, do you want me to book a restaurant for you in advance? I know Noah¡¯s taste well.¡± ¡°Okay. I had promised to buy him something delicious, so don¡¯t think about the money like at office parties and find a really nice place this time.¡± ¡°All right!¡± When the two of them were continuing their conversation, suddenly there was a loud noise. ¡°No, what are you saying right now?!¡± A shout from a very angry man. It was the voice of the Branch Manager of Gyeonggi-do, Jenon. What the hell¡¯s going on? Kim Taehi knew Jenon¡¯s personality from having worked with him to some extent, and she didn¡¯t remember seeing him ever this angry. Feeling something amiss, Kim Taehi and Go Changsu quickly headed in the direction of the noise. Then, standing there was a strange man who they were seeing for the first time. A black man dressed in holy armor shining radiantly. And on his arm was an armband indicating that he belonged to the World Government. The Inspector¡­ Kim Taehi gulped nervously when she saw him. She had often heard of their notoriety, but it was the first time she was facing one up so close. And usually, when an Inspector was dispatched, not so good things followed. What brought him here¡­? For some reason, an ominous foreboding crept up. Just then, Jenon¡¯s agitated voice was heard. ¡°That is absolutely ridiculous! How can Choi Noah, the victim of Eighth Layer Hell, suddenly become a criminal colluding with them?!¡± ¡°?!¡± She doubted her ears. Choi Noah, a criminal? In front of the Inspector, she blurted out. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± The Inspector replied with a suspicious smile. ¡°According to a cooperative investigation conducted by the World Government and the Hero Association, hero trainee Choi Noah was found guilty of working for Eighth Layer Hell.¡± She couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying. Just from the park incident alone, how many members of Eighth Layer Hell did Noah kill? Logically speaking, there was no way he was a member of the organization. It didn¡¯t add up. To the point where the man¡¯s mental state was in question. ¡°Fuck! What nonsense are you saying?¡± The agitated Go Changsu jumped up and shouted. Not only him but other members of the Gyeonggi-do branch voiced their protest. For them, who had spent more time investigating this case than anyone else, they were well aware of the nonsense the Inspector was saying. ¡°This is an abuse of authority!¡± ¡°You¡¯re framing an innocent person! What rubbish are you saying all of a sudden!¡± ¡°No, did you even read the report we wrote?!¡± A commotion quickly broke out. However, even at such a sight, the Inspector only watched them quietly. After an unknown time, terrifying mana suddenly sprang from his body. And as a result, everyone broke out in cold sweats due to the pressure. Even for Jenon, the same A-Rank hero, the pressure was so strong that his face stiffened. All those who were noisy became silent, and soon there was only silence. In the breathtaking atmosphere, the Inspector opened his mouth with a look of pity. ¡°Huu¡­you don¡¯t have any common sense. That¡¯s why you¡¯re stuck in the back of the woods like this.¡± Ignoring the others, he looked at Jenon and spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t you know best that the reason doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°What? No, that doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± ¡°After all, this is a direct order from the World Government.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jenon simply clenched his fists and gave no answer. Looking at the rest, the Inspector pulled up one corner of his mouth. ¡°If you really don¡¯t like the reason, I can change it. If it¡¯s not the Eighth Layer Hell, it¡¯s the demon army, or I could say he was planning a terrorist attack. I can make up as many reasons as you want.¡± ¡°What¡¯s important here is¡­The World Government and the Hero Association has judged Choi Noah¡¯s presence to be dangerous.¡± ¡°So for now, it¡¯s decided that Choi Noah will be arrested.¡± Kim Taehi recalled one rumor she had heard. [Heroes with more than a certain level of power are subject to special management by the World Government.] At the time, she thought they were just treated well like VIPs, but looking at it now, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Like the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, the Hero Association was managing heroes close to S-Rank. How can this be¡­ She and other employees of the Gyeonggi-do branch had stunned looks. In the end, what was the justice they¡¯ve pursued all this time? Soon, the Inspector¡¯s calm voice was heard. ¡°Anyway, now that¡¯s out of the way¡­Choi Noah¡¯s arrest, I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± As a result, everyone began to set up a plan to arrest Noah at the upcoming school festival. ____ ____ Chapter 81 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 81 Less than a week until the school festival. Trainees had been gathering each day with their teammates as they busily prepared for the upcoming event. ¡°Now! Everyone, take one of these! It was specially ordered, so accept it.¡± Mousin brought out luxurious shopping bags and handed one to each teammate. ¡°Oh! What is it? What is it? Is it beef?¡± ¡°Saki¡­why is meat the only thing ever on your mind? Hey, it¡¯s a lot more expensive than that.¡± ¡°Wah~ If it¡¯s not meat, then I don¡¯t really want it¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­See if you can say that after opening the bag. You won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± ¡°What the hell did you bring?¡± Everyone opened their shopping bags one by one when they saw Mousin with a more than usual confident expression. At a first glance, there was a coat that looked very expensive. ¡°Hiiing? What¡¯s this? Why clothes all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°I thought it would be nice to have a team uniform. So I contacted some people and had it made right away.¡± ¡°Wow~ What has gotten into you, ahjussi? This is really nice of you. Huh? But isn¡¯t this a really expensive brand?¡± ¡°Ahem. Well, I guess that¡¯s true, hehe¡­¡± The uniform was of the highest quality and was made by a famous hero company. Not only did it have the basic function of communication between teammates, it was a practical piece of clothing that could absorb the impact of bullets and help the wearer¡¯s mana circulation. ¡°Oh? This is expensive?¡± ¡°Keuh¡­I heard that you have to make a reservation at least a few months in advance to get a uniform there¡­Thank you very much for this. I¡¯ll wear it well! I especially like the flame pattern engraved here.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll wear it well.¡± Teammates who had received the gift from Mousin couldn¡¯t hide their joy. Noah looked at the coat in his hand with interest while Yeom Gangjun thanked Mousin with a deeply moved expression. Even Fernando, who was usually quiet, kept fiddling with the hem of the coat as if he liked the gift. ¡°I have a lot of friends around me. You all know, right? Even if you have money, you can¡¯t get it. This could only happen because of me, euahaha!¡± Mousin smiled with open shoulders for the first time in a while. Everyone around him also smiled after him. ¡°Ahjussi, but I might prefer beef¡­¡± ¡°H-hey, what? Do you know how hard it was for me to get this?!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Since I rarely ever get any present, I¡¯ll treat you to beef after the school festival!¡± ¡°Wow! I¡¯m excited! I feel like I¡¯m fired up all of a sudden.¡± Ever since the team was first formed, there had been an awkward tension between everyone, but with just one gift Mousin had prepared, the atmosphere of the team had become amicable in an instant. However, even in this united atmosphere, there was one person who was frowning¡­ He¡­wants me to wear this? Shirahui trembled as she crumpled the uniform she had received from Mousin. Her eyes turned to the writing on the back of the uniform. Blazing Noah. The team name was determined by combining Yeom Gangjun and Saki¡¯s suggestions from the other day. As such, even if it was a little cheesy, shouldn¡¯t the name be something like ¡®Strongest Flame¡¯ or ¡®Fiery Fervor?¡¯ Why is his name in the team¡¯s name? Wasn¡¯t she the one leading the team? This made it seemed as if the team was prepared just for Noah. She looked at Noah with venomous eyes. There¡¯s something¡¯s wrong with this! No matter how talented Noah was, wasn¡¯t he someone who was late and had barely managed to join the team? On top of that, she was certain her father would come and watch her after all this time. She never wanted to show the appearance of being a side-character in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to wear clothes like this. You guys wear it if you want to.¡± She angrily threw the uniform on the floor. Seeing that, Mousin suddenly flared up. ¡°What?! I¡¯ve been so considerate, so what¡¯s up with your attitude!¡± ¡°Hmph! Why don¡¯t you pay more attention to the school festival if you have time to prepare for such things? You know you¡¯re just the filler on our team, right?¡± ¡°Wh-what? What did you say? You¡¯re just a grasshopper, how dare you talk to me like that¡­¡± Mousin rolled up his sleeves and approached Shirahui threateningly. On the other hand, Shirahui raised her chin as if to tell him to try if he dared. A truly tense situation. At that moment, Noah, who had been quiet, opened his mouth. ¡°Ahjussi, it¡¯s noisy, so sit back down. What can you do besides getting annoyed like that?¡± Mousin, who seemed as if he was about to throw a punch, quickly changed his expression as if he was doing Bian Lian and smiled. (TN: Bian Lian is the art of face change.) ¡°Oho! What do you mean? I¡¯m not angry. Look, I¡¯m smiling like this.¡± ¡°Really? Then apologize to her.¡± ¡°Haha¡­I¡¯m sorry. I just got worked up for a second.¡± Without the slightest hesitation, Mousin apologized to Shirahui. Then, Noah looked at Shirahui. ¡°Noona, I think it¡¯s all cleared up now, so let¡¯s move on quickly?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shirahui stared at Noah as she let out a short sigh. ¡°No. It was me who got worked up. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s very good to see, Rahui! It¡¯s important for a hero to know when to admit their fault!¡± After the small disturbance, the members of team Blazing Noah began to discuss the school festival in earnest. ¡°I think everyone knows some basic information about this event.¡± In principle, the school festival at the Hero Training Institute was as its name suggested. It was the kind of school festival in which each team could freely present a theme of their choice. However, because the trainees wanted to use this opportunity to make their name known to the scouts and outside guests, the original intent of the festival was nowhere to be found. So at some point, to show their individuality to the fullest, the ¡®sparring performance¡¯ had established itself as tradition at the institute¡¯s school festival. In any case¡­ The sparring performance won¡¯t be easy¡­ Trainees wanted to showcase their most flashy skills, but it had to be thoroughly practiced so that there would be no injuries. As such, in order to keep the sparring performance going smoothly, they must constantly work together to compensate for each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. There¡¯s not much time left because the team formation was too late. It was a hard situation to begin with because they didn¡¯t even know what abilities each other had. And it could be said that there wasn¡¯t enough time before the event to practice each person¡¯s individual movements for the sparring performance to show their individuality to the fullest. Looking at her teammates in front of her, Shirahui spoke. ¡°First of all, please tell me your talents. I need to know what you¡¯re capable of so I can plan ahead.¡± Saki, the furthest, raised her hand. ¡°Me! Me! My ability is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright because I already know.¡± ¡°Hiiing¡­¡± Saki¡¯s ability was similar to a nuclear explosion. Even if Shirahui wasn¡¯t told, the whole school already knew. After her, Yeom Gangjun spoke gallantly. ¡°Haha! Then is it my turn? My ability is to burn flames in my body¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me either.¡± ¡°Really? But I can explain it one more time¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡± Shirahui cut off Yeom Gangjun¡¯s words before he could begin explaining. In fact, his ability was also well known. Born into the famous Daegu family, he, who grew up called a genius from a young age, was a celebrity who often appeared in broadcasts and newspapers. In any case, I already have something in mind on how to showcase the skills of those two, so it¡¯s okay. She looked away and asked Mousin. ¡°What¡¯s your ability?¡± Raising his chin and clearing his throat, Mousin answered. ¡°Ahem. You called me a filler earlier, but I¡¯m actually a multi-talented person with the ability to deal with everything.¡± He took out a pair of tonfas hanging from his waist. And from it, flames of a fire spirit bloomed. ¡°So¡­That means you¡¯re not particularly outstanding. Well, I roughly understand it.¡± ¡°Wh-what! Take that back right now! Do you know how well I did on the Hero Exam? Hey, Saki! Don¡¯t stay still and tell her!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Even if ahjussi isn¡¯t good at fighting, he¡¯s a good detector! If you just tie him up tightly to a pole, he¡¯s very¡­Hmm! Hmm!¡± ¡°N-no! I-I don¡¯t want to do that even if I die!¡± Once Mousin hurriedly covered Saki¡¯s mouth, Saki silently looked at Noah as muffled sounds were heard. After looking at them for a moment, Shirahui sighed inwardly. Well, I didn¡¯t expect much from him anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter. Mousin was from a prestigious family, so it was enough to use him to attract people¡¯s attention. Shirahui turned her head to the pale boy who was still fiddling with his uniform. ¡°Fernando. What exactly is your ability? I¡¯ve never heard of it properly.¡± In response, Fernando uttered a short sentence. ¡°Close Combat.¡± ¡°Is that all¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She asked again, but Fernando was silent, as if he had no intention of talking anymore. He was a very uncooperative fellow. *** *** But even if he was, given what she had seen in class, she thought that at least one more person was easy to plan for. Body enhancement from the looks of it. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter what his ability was. Now, there was someone else she wanted to know¡­ ¡°Choi Noah. What kind of ability do you have?¡± Shirahui asked Noah who was sitting idly and looking at her. Concerning Noah¡¯s ability, nothing precise had been known so far. She had used all her connections to gather information about the hotel incident and the Hero Exam, but there wasn¡¯t any useful information. She only knew that he was someone who used a sword. And if she looked at the recent video in Hong Kong, he had swung a giant sword the size of a small building, so maybe his ability was to make objects bigger. I¡¯ll take this opportunity to clearly understand what he¡¯s capable of. Just as a sense of rivalry was burning in her head, Noah tilted his head. ¡°Excuse me, noona. Before that, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes. If you have any questions, please tell me.¡± ¡°Why do you need to know our abilities?¡± ¡°That¡¯s, of course, to make a plan for the sparring performance in the upcoming school festival. Only when we know each other¡¯s capabilities can we cooperate without injury.¡± It seemed Noah didn¡¯t even know the basics. Did she have to explain the concept of the sparring performance? ¡°So, in the end, don¡¯t we just have to show our abilities to the fullest and not get hurt?¡± ¡°Yes. So hurry up and explain your abilities. We don¡¯t have much time to practice.¡± However, Noah answered with a look as if he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Hmm? Then, why do we need to do such a cumbersome thing as practice?¡± ¡°What does that mean? If you¡¯re not interested in attending the school festival now¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just that everyone should attack me at once and I stop them, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one here at the institute who can hurt me anyway.¡± Noah said, smiling brightly. * * * * * * * * * * ¡°Your application for use has been approved. You can train freely for the next 3 hours.¡± Training facilities set up at the institute. It was a kind of imaginary space created at the expense of a large budget. In such a virtual world, Shirahui and other members of Blazing Noah had entered. On one side was a magic circle control panel that controlled the environment of the facility, and on the other side, their biological signals were displayed as their bodies laid quietly outside side by side. And¡­ There was no tension in Noah¡¯s appearance as he looked at the scenery of the imaginary space with fascination. I didn¡¯t expect him to really go through with this¡­ Shirahui had wondered for a moment if Noah was bluffing, but from the look on his face, it seemed he really didn¡¯t feel any threat. Is he relieved because this is an imaginary space? However, that was obviously the wrong idea. Even though this was a separate space from reality, the injuries suffered here wasn¡¯t just a lie. If the body was cut, there would be phantom pain even if they went back to their original body. And, there were even severe cases of being unable to move the affected area. And worst of all, the mind will cease to exist and the body left outside will become a vegetative state if you were to die inside. For that reason, when training here, a lot of caution was required as if it was an actual battle. Despite being clear about the facts before coming in, Noah spoke with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great. I don¡¯t have to worry about controlling my strength here.¡± A tone of indifference as if he didn¡¯t think anyone could even put a scratch on him. It was typical of those who were drunk on power. After receiving an undeserved evaluation, he really thinks he had done it with his own strength. She naturally admits that Noah was very outstanding compared to his peers, but she knew better than anyone else that he wasn¡¯t as powerful as the media or the world made him out to be. In the first hotel incident where he stood out, he was accompanied by a former B-Rank hero. As for the special qualification of achieving A-Rank in the Hero Exam, the Hero Association had mistook him for dead, so they had just posthumus given it to him to placate the public sentiment. She also knew that the Ilsan Lake Park incident needed a bait to bring out Eighth Layer Hell. And¡­the same goes for the Hong Kong incident. Hong Kong, which wanted to be independent from China¡¯s influence, had used it as a means to show that they didn¡¯t need China¡¯s S-Rank hero support. And although the media had been busy hailing Noah as a hero who had saved the world, many heroes including herself who had seen the video had slightly different ideas. It was just mere luck. She didn¡¯t know what happened in the middle, but Noah had already been eaten by the so-called dragon. There was no one in the world who would deliberately crawl into the belly of a monster. Which meant he was already defeated by it up until that point. But as if God had helped him, his ability to magnify objects had only served as a perfect counter in such a situation. He¡¯s a hero on par with father? That¡¯s laughable! To reach S-Rank, to escape the human limit and become an absolute existence. Her father¡¯s ability she had seen was far from that level of rubbish. His strength was nothing less of a natural disaster. But the reporters don¡¯t even know that and they¡¯re talking as they please! When she took out the media bubble and thought about it objectively, she guessed that Noah¡¯s level was at the top of the B-Rank. However, if she was being generous, it was at the early A-Rank. Noah¡¯s exaggerated performance was nothing but due to various political intentions. So if all of us here really come at him, I¡¯m sure Choi Noah will get hurt. She didn¡¯t want that either. Although she wanted to lower him, who was full of misled pride, down a peg, she didn¡¯t want to be so hard on him. ¡°If you apologize to your teammates now and take back what you just said, I¡¯ll let it all go.¡± Shirahui showed patience and gave Noah a chance. However, with an expression of annoyance, he replied. ¡°Noona, stop asking. Why do you keep making me repeat the same thing?¡± In the end, the handful of conscience Shirahui had left vanished the moment she heard him. She spoke coldly. ¡°¡­You¡¯ll have to take responsibility for what you said.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it, so let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The choice was made by himself. Now no matter what happens, it really wasn¡¯t her fault. With that thought, she told the others. ¡°Since he said so¡­Do the plan as we discussed earlier.¡± ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll fall back!¡± Saki, who had an ability that could hurt allies, fell into a corner while the remaining four people stood looking at Noah. There was a desolate silence that didn¡¯t fit the background of a large city. After a moment, ¡°I wanted to have a proper fight with you again even if it wasn¡¯t for this. Please give me pointers!¡± To start off was Yeom Gangjun. Pure flames rose from his arms. ¡°I haven¡¯t been idling my time since then.¡± And in almost no time, the flames that had climbed up both arms took the shape of a burning dragon. As if Yeom Gangjun had really believed what Choi Noah had said, he went on the offense with all his might. ¡°Receive the fruits of my training¡­Double Dragon Fists!¡± And with a somewhat embarrassing skill name, he stepped forward. Boom¨C! At the same time, two flame dragons shot out of his fists and opened their mouths. But despite the attack, Noah had a nonchalant look on his face. ¡°Fire? Lucky.¡± Flames that seemed to swallow everything hit Noah. And at that moment, Swoosh¨C The burning flames were sucked into somewhere in an instant. As if everything that had just happened was a dream, there wasn¡¯t even a trace of heat left. Instead, in its place was the running figure of Yeom Gangjun covered in flames. ¡°This is the real one! Fire Fist!¡± Highly compressed flames were blazing on one of his hands. The punch that contained his full power aimed for Noah¡¯s face. Bang¨C! As if two trucks had collided, a sound that was hard to imagine to have come from a physical collision resonated. But¡­ ¡°Haha¡­Maybe it¡¯s because my durability has improved this time, but this is comfortable.¡± Noah stood there looking fine. Then, he grabbed Yeom Gangjun by the wrist and threw him to one side. Baaang¨C! A deafening roar incomparable to before. Yeom Gangjun, who flew like a cannonball, penetrated the buildings and completely disappeared from view. ¡°Ah¡­Should I have used even less strength? Don¡¯t tell me he died?¡± And¡­ At the murmur of Noah, the corner of Shirahui¡¯s eye twitched. ____ ____ Chapter 82 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 82 Idiot! I knew this would happen! Shirahui should have stopped Yeom Gangjun when he said he wanted to fight alone. Regardless of what she thought of him, it didn¡¯t need to be said that Noah¡¯s strength was incomparable to other trainees. ¡°Hmm¡­Don¡¯t hesitate. You can all come at once. I¡¯ll control my strength this time.¡± But¡­ That was just comparing individuals. Heroes always dealt with villains as a team. As such, when synergy was at play, it was bound to be several times more effective. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see how long you can be so relaxed. Everyone, start!¡± In response to Shirahui¡¯s command, Mousin and Fernando charged at Noah. Flames rose from Mousin¡¯s tonfas, and Fernando aimed for Noah¡¯s face with beastly movements. Bang! Bang! While they were occupied, Shirahui concentrated and circulated her mana. Let¡¯s see if he can handle this. She released her power that had been suppressed until now. < Lightning Calamity > *1st Stage Her hair turned golden yellow and gold arcs sparked around it. A streak of lightning was carefully drawn out from the source of power that laid dormant in her body. Soon, a lightning bolt shining like a weapon of Zeus was held in her hand. The uncontrollable force fluctuated wildly as if it was about to explode at any moment. Her talent, which even her father, an S-Rank hero, had said would surpass him one day was finally revealed. She bit her lips and shouted forcefully. ¡°Everyone, step down!¡± As soon as her words fell, the two who were attracting Noah¡¯s attention quickly backed down. Then, through the wide open gap, she threw the lightning bolt. Boom, boom, boom¨C! The lightning bolt flew, breaking the ground in its wake as it penetrated Noah¡¯s body in an instant. Pierced by the lightning bolt, Noah¡¯s body was carried along the air and flew far away. Thud¨C Noah, who fell on the ground like a dead body, didn¡¯t move at all. The moment Shirahui saw it, she belatedly realized what she had done. Wh-what have I done¡­ She rushed to Noah. Soon, a gruesome body whose entire body had been burned black caught her eyes. In particular, there was a hole in the chest where the lightning bolt had penetrated. Not only that, all the blood vessels around it were scorched and no blood flowed out. Instant death. Only those words came to her mind. ¡°Ah¡­a-ah¡­N-no¡­¡± Her father had warned her to be careful¡­ In the heat of the moment she had even used the power of lighting that she had been trying her best to suppress. ¡°I-I¡­Wh-what¡­¡± She really didn¡¯t intend to go this far. Murder at the institute. Future events were vividly depicted in her head. Not only will she be revoked as a hero immediately, she will be put before the court of law. And more painful than anything else, this incident will ruin her father¡¯s reputation and career. Just as she was floundering in despair, she heard a voice that shouldn¡¯t exist in her ears. ¡°Ah, this one hurts a little.¡± When she looked down, Noah, who had a hole in his chest, opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Kyaak!¡± Startled, she fell down on the spot. On the other hand, Noah nonchalantly raised himself up from the ground. His charred skin had returned to its original color and the hollow chest was filled with new flesh. ¡°Wh-what the hell are you¡­?¡± Even though she was looking at it with her own eyes, it was an incredibly hard to believe sight. To deny such a reality, maybe she was hallucinating? She could only stare blankly at Noah. ¡°I was wondering how strong it was, so I let it hit me¡­Honestly, it¡¯s more than I had expected. I haven¡¯t felt such a sting in a long time.¡± The attack after releasing Lightning Calamity was just a sting¡­? Even her father who had the same attribute said the power of Lightning Calamity was nothing less than dangerous¡­ So what was the limit to Noah¡¯s strength? This¡­impossible! At only the age of 13, did it make sense to have reached the peak of mankind called S-Rank? She felt as if all the common sense she had believed in until now had been completely broken. The rumors about Choi Noah¡­It was all true. And finally, the reality, which had been denied, began to take shape. She had been fearlessly burning a sense of rivalry against a person with power comparable to S-Rank. Only now did she realize how considerate he was of her. The little boy standing in front of her now felt like a monster. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were this strong. Well, then I could play a little.¡± The monster, who had recovered his entire body before she knew it, raised the corner of his mouth as he pulled out the sword he was wearing on his waist. Wuung¨C At that moment, she felt an overwhelming pressure from his body. Regardless of her will, her whole body trembled and it became difficult to breathe. She had never experienced such a terrible killing intent. I-I¡¯m going to die¡­If I stay here, I¡¯ll die! Her head became filled with the fear of death. She recalled the dismembered body at the entrance ceremony. ¡°N-no, I hate it¡­I hate it!!!!!!¡± She screamed in a panic. A bunch of bright yellow sparks began to bounce around her body at the same time. ¡°Aahh!!!¡± The lightning that she had barely managed to suppress in her body was going out of control as if her mana was overloading. Bang, bang, bang¨C! As her body became brighter and brighter, bolts of lightning flared in all directions, destroying the nearby buildings. The constantly overflowing force of Lightning Calamity was already far beyond her acceptable limit. N-no¡­please¡­ At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t be long before her body burst into pieces. Not only that, but all the others here will also die. She tried to concentrate to suppress the Lightning Calamity. However, despite her desperate efforts, there was nothing she could do once she lost control of the force. The day she had killed her mother at a very young age was also the same as now. At the time, she was at least able to suppress the force because she had her father by her side. Now, there was no one here who could help her. Ah¡­Is this really the end¡­ Just as she was about to give up hope, Pa¨C! In the light that was hard to even open her eyes, like that day a long time ago, someone had grabbed her by the shoulder. Was her life replaying in her mind before her death? She unconsciously uttered a word. ¡°¡­Dad.¡± But when she turned her head, contrary to her father being there, it was a tiny, slender hand. Soon, there came a young voice in her ears. ¡°Noona, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ch-Choi Noah¡­?¡± How come it was him¡­? Rather, how? ¡°I-it¡¯s dangerous¡­Even now¡­Run away¡­¡± Crackle¨C! Noah¡¯s body was constantly burning as if being fried due to the endless energy spewing by Lightning Calamity. However, as if he could never compromise, he spoke firmly. ¡°I will never let noona go.¡± What was wrong with his head? She couldn¡¯t understand the situation. *** *** From her understanding, a half-hearted hero was the most important thing to steer clear of. Or, was he just that confident in his strength? ¡°You¡¯ll die¡­Stop being stubborn and quickly leave¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Noah was holding on desperately despite the terrible pain. An act that simply cannot be done by a half-hearted hero. Unless he¡¯s a fool, I¡¯m sure he knows I hate him¡­ And yet, now he was risking his life to save her. Would I have done the same thing if I was in his shoes? This was a far cry from what she knew. So what made him so desperate? It was really suicidal. ¡°Why¡­why the hell¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because noona is very precious to me.¡± ¡°?!¡± Precious¡­? What was he talking about? She felt confused to the point where she had forgotten the current situation. In the meantime, Noah, who had finally broken through the repulsive force created by Lightning Calamity, pushed himself completely into the burning lightning. Then, with a smile that was brighter than the ring of light, he hugged her body tightly. ¡°So¡­I¡¯ll never let noona die.¡± At that moment, the force of Lightning Calamity that was fluctuating wildly with nowhere to go all began to flow into Noah¡¯s body. Chichichi¨C! As if he had turned into an ugly monster, his body burned black. Meanwhile, his skin continued to regenerate. Shirahui wailed in anguish at the sight. ¡°N-no¡­Stop! You can stop now!¡± The pain that Noah was feeling right now was at a level that humans could never tolerate. But as if he couldn¡¯t give up, he hugged her even tighter. What the hell¡­what the hell¡­Why is he going this far for me¡­ The hellish moment continued. She even thought it would be comfortable if she just died. However, in this short moment that felt like an eternity, Noah endured all the pain without a word, much less a scream. Soon, the force of Lightning Calamity that seemed to never dry up gradually began to fade. Now! At last, when she felt the force weakening, she was able to control Lightning Calamity after concentrating all of her nerves. Her golden hair returned to its original color and she could now see the surrounding landscape. Buildings that had been completely scorched. Fortunately, the other teammates were far away and were even taking care of Yeom Gangjun who had fainted. However, now it didn¡¯t occur to her to think of any of the other teammates. More than her own body, she checked Noah¡¯s condition first. He was breathing quietly with his eyes closed as if he was in a deep sleep. ¡°I¡¯m glad¡­I¡¯m so glad¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know if she was still nervous, but tears trickled down. The culprit behind her problems at the institute. A genius with outstanding talent to the point where she felt jealous. A hero with a more righteous heart than anyone else. And¡­ My savior. She stared blankly at the small child in her arms. * * * * * * * * * * I woke up after a full day of sleep. And since I haven¡¯t eaten for nearly 24 hours, there was a rumbling noise coming from my stomach. I took out the chicken I had packed from my inventory and took a bite. ¡°Huu¡­I suffered a lot this time.¡± [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (2)] Condition: Protect Shirahui until the end of the school festival. Time: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). Challenges were updated after I decided to participate in the school festival. Protect Shirahui. It was the kind of task I really loathe. As a result, it was really difficult this time. As expected, things like this didn¡¯t suit me¡­ But a high-grade box was at stake, so it was a Challenge I could never give up. I didn¡¯t know what I had to protect her from since nothing was specified, but¡­ Something was going to happen at the school festival. And from the looks of the Challenge¡¯s title, it seemed Eighth Layer Hell was likely to be involved. Would I have to protect her from those guys? I had a hunch that it wouldn¡¯t be as easy as I thought. Huu¡­I didn¡¯t know what it was, but let¡¯s put in more effort until the school festival was over. Soon, status logs that had been pushed back began to appear in succession. Ding¨C! [ Favorability has increased. ] [ Favorability has increased. ] [ Favorability has increased. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Shirahui¡¯ as a companion. ] Ever-rising messages of increased favorability. I looked at the message window for a moment. ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s a bit vague.¡± As for this girl, there wasn¡¯t much information available. All I knew was that she was called Lightning Calamity in the first round and that she ended up dead in my hands. And¡­The taste on my hands wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought at the time. Well, that was about it. However, this time I saw it. An unidentified great force lying dormant in her body. Just the energy from yesterday was equivalent to the power of the past when she was called Lightning Calamity¡­ Maybe in the first round she couldn¡¯t realize all of her potential when she was young? If that was the case, she may also be a potential SS-Rank. But¡­ There was no need to decide in a hurry. [ Recruitment rejected. ] [ ¡®Shirahui¡¯ will be registered as the warrior¡¯s followers. ] For now, I thought it was better to focus on getting the reward of protecting her first. Just when I thought so, Knock, knock¨C Someone knocked on my door. Who was it? I opened the door with a chicken leg in my mouth. There, huddled together were my teammates who seemed to have come to see my condition. ¡°Noah! You¡¯re up!¡± First, Saki smiled brightly and shouted. ¡°Look! What did I say? I told you it wouldn¡¯t be a problem!¡± ¡°Tsk! You kept whining to me last night texting me because you were worried about Noah.¡± ¡°Wh-when did I?! Did you have a dream?¡± Mousin, full of dark circles under his eyes, bickered with Saki. ¡°Hahaha! I didn¡¯t see what happened because I fainted again this time, but I heard all about your heroic deed. As expected, my eyes weren¡¯t wrong! Oh, and this is abalone porridge I had asked the kitchen lady to make specially.¡± Yeom Gangjun stubbornly tried to push the tray of porridge through the door, and next to him was Fernando standing with an anxious look. Fortunately, he still remembered the warning I had imprinted when he came to my room last time. And¡­ ¡°H-how are you feeling?¡± Shirahui, who seemed to be wearing a lot of makeup today, was standing with a big basket of fruits. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What about you, noona?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine too. Th-thank you very much for your concern.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I looked at every inch of her body. It looked a little red, but fortunately other than that there seemed to be no major abnormality to my reward. Soon, the clothes she was wearing suddenly caught my eyes. It was the expensive coat Mousin had prepared. Didn¡¯t she say she didn¡¯t want to wear it? Why was she wearing it? Was it a waste to just throw it away? As soon as I thought as such, as if she felt my gaze, she answered hastily by herself. ¡°W-we¡¯re on the same team¡­I-it would be weird if I¡¯m the only one not wearing it! Th-there¡¯s really no other meaning!¡± ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡± Perhaps she was embarrassed because she had really wanted to wear it. However, the fact that she had changed her mind seemed to have hurt her pride. Shirahui, as if trying to hide her sense of shame, changed the subject. ¡°N-now that we¡¯re all gathered again¡­Let¡¯s have a meeting on what to do at the school festival!¡± ¡°Again? We had a meeting all day yesterday! Let¡¯s just do it in moderation for pity¡¯s sake.¡± Mousin grumbled at her words. In response, Shirahui stared at him coldly. ¡°I say this all the time, but you¡¯re the filler. So try harder. Don¡¯t you even know the word free pass? It¡¯s a rare opportunity so of course we have to do our best to prepare¡­¡± The two bickering was about to get loud. I really wanted them to go somewhere else. I cut off their words. ¡°Can¡¯t we just do it roughly? I¡¯m tired.¡± Then for some reason, Shirahui nodded obediently in agreement at my suggestion. ¡°Y-yeah. Come to think of it, I think it¡¯s better to do it roughly. I think it¡¯s more meaningful to show our everyday skills than to make a contrived plan.¡± ¡°Hey! Why did you suddenly change?!¡± ¡°Could you please be quiet?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I sighed inwardly as I looked at them. My only wish was for this Challenge to be over as soon as possible¡­ And finally, a few days later the long-awaited school festival began. ____ ____ Chapter 83 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 83 Morning of the school festival. Families of the trainees and officials from the hero industry who had been waiting for this day crossed the main gate as the outside-only parking lot that had been empty became packed with cars for the first time in a while. Watching such a sight was the Director of the Hero Training Institute, Dokgo Hakju. ¡°Huu¡­what a terrifying crowd coming today.¡± There were always countless visits at this time of year, but there were especially many more today. From his perspective of someone who just wanted the event to end without any accidents, the situation felt very unwelcomed. It¡¯s all because of him¡­ He recalled Noah¡¯s face. Ever since his enrollment, how many accidents have he caused? Starting with the killing at the entrance ceremony, to assaulting professors in class, and then not long ago, he indiscriminately slaughtered villains from Eighth Layer Hell and even went missing. As a result, Samaria, his professor, had to pay a visit to the Hero Association every day, and he, too, had to spend every day fretting to cover up the incident at headquarters. Then, just as the situation was finally resolved and when he thought Noah wasn¡¯t ever returning to the institute again, he had returned from another accident. An accident large enough to be on the global scale. Dragon Slayer¡­ The hero who had defeated an S-Rank monster in Hong Kong and No. 1 aspiring hero with a promising future. The current interest in Noah was so hot that not just the hero industry but even ordinary citizens knew his name. Damn it! I just want to quietly serve my term and leave! In fact, since the political intentions were complicatedly intertwined, he was doubtful whether the monster that Noah had defeated was really S-Rank, but one thing was certain, I can¡¯t control him¡­anymore. At least, within this institute there was no one who could teach Noah. When he had heard that Samaria, an A-rank hero, was going to personally watch Noah, he thought he could somehow last a year, but even just from the looks of what was happening now, perhaps he had been underestimating him. The more we try to control him, the more trouble he causes! As someone with an insight learned from lifelong experience, he had seen through the consequence of having Noah around. There was an ominous foreboding that another major accident would occur if he stayed. And the moment that happens, his political ambitions will also go down the drain. As expected¡­I better get him out of the institute as soon as possible. In the long history of the institute, an early graduation had never been done before. He didn¡¯t want to shoulder that kind of political burden, so he had tried to endure it, but compared to the real burden of Noah¡¯s existence, it was all but a minor matter. I¡¯ll have to find a way as soon as possible after this event¡­ In order to carry out the ¡®Choi Noah graduation plan,¡¯ it was necessary to finish the school festival safely without any accidents first. Don¡¯t tell me¡­he¡¯s going to cause another accident just after coming back? He had an uncomfortable feeling for some reason as he moved to commence today¡¯s event. * * * * * * * * * * Located at a large training grounds in the middle of the Hero Training Institute. In the stands, which were usually empty, countless people sat still. ¡°The next team is up. To give you an introduction on this team¡­¡± Seen all around were cameras flashing as well as reporters who had come out to broadcast the activities of future heroes who will someday serve the citizens nationwide. The trainees who stood in the middle of the training grounds had nervous expressions as they showcased their skills they had honed so far to meet the expectations of such people. On the training grounds, beautiful magic embroidered the air and extraordinary abilities caught people¡¯s eyes. Sometimes impractical techniques were performed and there were minor and major injuries, but nevertheless, the enthusiasm of the venue continued to heat up. ¡°Honey¡­I¡¯m so happy right now¡­I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s really a hero¡­Heuk!¡± ¡°Our little boy grew up before we knew it¡­I¡¯m proud of you, son!¡± The trainees¡¯ families were moved to tears by the sight of their sons and daughters. ¡°Wow¡­this is awesome. I¡¯ve only seen it through videos, but seeing it in person is no joke.¡± ¡°Hehe, keep an eye on them. Because you¡¯ll see this brother in the next three years .¡± ¡°Damn, if you pass the hero exam, I¡¯ll use honorifics for the rest of my life and take you as my hyung. I have a better chance than a person with an average ability like you.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Do you want to make a bet?¡± The aspiring heroes who dreamed of becoming heroes gave a longing look, overwhelmed by the splendid performances. ¡°What¡­the. That¡¯s quite amazing.¡± Not only that¡­ The officials from the hero industry who had participated in the school festival every year were also quite surprised during the event. ¡°The trainees¡¯ level seems to be particularly high this year.¡± ¡°I heard the Hero Exam this time was especially difficult¡­I guess only the best made the cut this year.¡± The scouts watched the trainees with their eyes wide open as if they didn¡¯t want to miss a moment. Normally, there would be about one or two talents per team, but now they were pouring down in droves. Even if only a few were recruited, for the next few years, there would be no need to prepare the next generation of prospects. They continued to write something on their notepads or made calls somewhere, wary of other companies¡¯ scouts standing beside them. Just then, their sudden and busy movements stopped all at once. ¡°Now¡­let me introduce you to the next team.¡± ¡°The members of this team are so impressive that it could be said that we had saved the best for last.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why a lot of people have been waiting for this moment.¡± The host paused for a moment before continuing in a powerful tone. ¡°All right! The team led by ¡®Dragon Slayer¡¯ Choi Noah, a hot topic all over the world!¡± ¡°Team Blazing Noah will now enter!¡± At the conclusion of the host¡¯s speech, a huge cheer erupted that couldn¡¯t be compared to before. It was as if the number of attendees had increased several times in an instant. And in between, those from Choi Noah¡¯s fan club waved banners and cheering sticks. ¡°Uwaaaaah!!!¡± ¡°Choi Noah! Choi Noah! Choi Noah!¡± ¡°Kyaak! Noah! My noona came today! Please marry her!¡± Soon after, team Blazing Noah appeared before such an enthusiastic crowd. Fluttering a stylish uniform as a group, they entered in a commanding manner wearing wolf masks. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It seems like they¡¯ve prepared a performance?¡± Those who saw the masks whispered amongst themselves with raised expectations. After walking proudly, team Blazing Noah finally stood tall in the middle of the training grounds. A genius among geniuses and someone who was called the greatest in the history of the Hero Training Institute. What will they show? The crowd, who couldn¡¯t contain their enthusiasm, held their breath, as a mixture of anticipation and excitement hung in the training grounds. At that moment, ¡°Stop!¡± The crowd turned in unison at the sudden outburst. And there, standing was a group of people completely armed and dressed in combat uniforms. On their shoulders were armbands from the Hero Association. ¡°Huu, is this also a performance?¡± ¡°But to say that is a bit weird¡­?¡± As the crowd became agitated and murmurs spread, the armed group surrounded team Blazing Noah in a quick motion as if they had prepared for a long time. Soon, among the armed group, a person stepped forward. ¡°Choi Noah. You¡¯re under arrest. Please don¡¯t try any meaningless resistance.¡± A-Rank hero ¡®Spiral Man,¡¯ Jenon. It was impossible for the residents of Gyeonggi-do not to know of him since he was the strongest hero stationed here. However, there was another reason why the crowd was agitated¡­ ¡°Th-that person¡­?¡± Following Jenon was another person. Not only the residents of Gyeonggi-do but also citizens of Korea¡­No, it was a celebrity whose face most people around the world knew. Lightning Sword, Shin Cheonho. An S-Rank hero who could never easily be seen on TV had suddenly appeared at the institute. What was going on? Why was Noah under arrest all of a sudden? At the incomprehensible situation that was unfolding before their eyes, the crowd gathered at the training grounds were badly shaken. Soon, as if to answer their question, one more person stepped forward. Clank¨C A man in silver armor slowly approached team Blazing Noah. ¡°Choi Noah. You¡¯re under immediate arrest on suspicion of colluding with the Red-wanted villain group, Eighth Layer Hell.¡± ¡°?!¡± Eighth Layer Hell? Rather, wasn¡¯t Noah most famous for fighting against them? The crowd became increasingly confused. However, the man in silver armor didn¡¯t pay any attention to it and spoke to Shin Cheonho next to him. ¡°Then, please.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± With a stiff expression, Shin Cheonho ordered team Blazing Noah who had their faces covered. ¡°Reveal your faces.¡± Soon, team Blazing Noah took off their mask one by one. Except for one person. *** *** One of the smallest bodies like that of a child didn¡¯t take off their mask. ¡°Choi Noah.¡± Shin Cheonho slowly took a step forward and spoke in a coaxing tone to the child. ¡°¡­You best just obediently surrender. There¡¯s nothing you can do here anyway¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You may think it¡¯s unfair now, but¡­it can¡¯t be helped. Sometimes even if it¡¯s unreasonable, you have to adapt accordingly.¡± He spoke with a self-deprecating expression as if he was talking to himself. Beyond the mask, a tearful girl¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°I had really hoped it wasn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Your voice¡­?¡± The mask came off, and there, it was the face of Shirahui in tears. ¡°Rahui! H-how come it¡¯s you¡­?¡± ¡°This¡­Is this the justice that father speaks of?! Trying to arrest an innocent person?¡± ¡°Th-that¡­I have my reasons.¡± ¡°What the hell are the reasons?! Rather, Choi Noah was the hero who had defeated Eighth Layer Hell! It¡¯s not enough to reward him, but you¡¯re arresting him now?!¡± She looked at her father with eyes full of resentment, anger, and sadness. In front of his daughter, Shin Cheonho looked away without saying anything. Watching him was the man in silver armor, Pamir, who spoke with an expression of annoyance. ¡°Tsk, it seems there was a tip-off.¡± They had tried to arrest Noah in front of as many people as possible to keep him on a definite leash. Pamir was needlessly greedy and things had gotten annoying. I should¡¯ve just arrested him as soon as possible. He murmured in irritation as he slowly approached Shirahui. ¡°Everything is for world peace. So if you don¡¯t want to be branded as a villain, you best cooperate. Where¡¯s Choi Noah?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± Shirahui glared at Pamir with her mouth firmly shut. In response, he pulled out a sword from his waist and pointed it at her. Woosh¨C ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Now¡­Where is Choi Noah?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At his words, Shirahui closed her eyes. ¡°Hoho, looks like everyone thinks I¡¯m joking¡­It would be helpful to make an example.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Shin Cheonho rushed to Pamir and begged. ¡°P-please hold on a second. It¡¯s because they¡¯re still immature¡­I¡¯ll definitely find out where Choi Noah is.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­if you say so¡­all right. I¡¯ll leave this up to you.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Pamir put his sword back in its sheath and backed away. Then in his place, Shin Cheonho looked at the group. ¡°I think you all know me well.¡± A heavily subdued voice. His voice was as cold as a person without emotions. ¡°So¡­don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡± From his body came a terrifying aura. Also called a natural disaster, it was the aura of an S-Rank hero. The trainees in front of him, no matter how remarkable they were for their age, were like a mantis in front of a cart. ¡°¡±¡±Keuk!¡±¡±¡± Except for Shirahui, the rest of the group desperately tried to resist the aura by drawing their mana. Despite the simple pressure, their breathing became faster and their mana flow gradually distorted. ¡°S-stop! Dad, stop!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all¡­for world peace.¡± ¡°P-please¡­Dad, please¡­¡± ¡°¡­I will explain the situation to you later. So stay quiet for now.¡± Shirahui looked at her teammates who were in pain and begged her father. Her father would normally grant her favor with a kind face, but today, she felt as if he was a completely different person when she looked into his cold eyes. The group¡¯ faces were turning blue, and eventually, Mousin, who was considered the weakest, fell to the ground foaming at the mouth. Immediately, someone on the Hero Association side stood in their way and bore the aura instead. ¡°Keuk! Lightning Sword. This isn¡¯t right. Don¡¯t you know best?¡± A woman with a large stature like a bear and encased in black lead made of graphite. ¡°Now¡­what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I think is right!¡± ¡°What a fool.¡± Shin Cheonho¡¯s aura grew even stronger. As a result, a man as big as the woman, ran out of the Hero Association¡¯s pack and stood next to her. It was a man with a shaggy face. ¡°Something like this! This is really not right! What did Noah do wrong?¡± ¡°Disobeying orders. How the hell did you manage your men? Branch Manager. When this is over, take disciplinary action against these two and submit a report.¡± Shin Cheonho said to Jenon who was standing next to him. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Upon hearing him, Jenon nodded slowly. However¡­ He actually walked to the side of Hairy and began to handle the aura emitted by Shin Cheonho together. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°I mean, I knew what I should do. Huu¡­I should¡¯ve done it from the start. I¡¯m tired of walking around eggshells when it comes to headquarters.¡± ¡°I thought you would have made a wise decision¡­What a disappointment.¡± Kim Taehi looked at Jenon with her eyes wide open. ¡°B-Branch Manager? Wh-why all of a sudden¡­?¡± Unlike usual, Jenon replied with a smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost time to retire anyway, so I might as well quit at this time.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. After all, I¡¯ve been looking at plots of land whenever I had time so I could return to farming when I retired. More than that¡­I want to apologize to you guys. If I had let go of my lingering attachment and put a stop to this earlier you wouldn¡¯t have been implicated.¡± ¡°No¡­Rather¡­I¡¯m sorry for being rude last time.¡± In the end, the aura that had pressured team Blazing Noah was negated when an A-Rank hero joined. The trainees finally looked as if they had a sign of life. As such, Mousin staggered to his feet, breathing heavily. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­motherfucker. I wouldn¡¯t have retaken the Hero Exam for 10 years if I knew it was a bunch of crap! Hey! Saki, just kill them all if you have to!¡± ¡°All right, ahjussi! I like that crazy attitude of yours today!¡± Mousin took out the tonfas from his waist and Saki prepared her inner destructive power so that she could explode at any time. Behind them, Yeom Gangjun flared up and Fernando remained silent as he stood guard. Shin Cheonho who was watching them at last drew the sword from his waist. Crackle¨C Crackle¨C Deep blue sparks whirled menacingly from his blade. Soon, dark clouds quickly formed in the sky and sporadic thunders could be heard. He had begun to show his power in earnest. ¡°¡­This is the last warning. From now on, I will consider those who rebel as villains.¡± At that moment, from somewhere, a group of trainees came running and shouting. ¡°Let¡¯s go! For Noah!¡± ¡°Oraaah!¡± A group of about 100 people. They were the successful candidates from the Pyongyang branch and were collectively called the Choi Noah Army at the institute. They took out their own weapons and stood behind team Blazing Noah. However, they weren¡¯t the only ones who had stormed in. ¡°No one can take Noah away!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t take Noah!¡± ¡°Noah! Sister will protect you!¡± Choi Noah¡¯s fan club ARK, who was sitting in the stands, joined the group with light sticks in their hands. In the middle of the training grounds, a large number of people had gathered. They all glared at Shin Cheonho with grim expressions. Meanwhile, Shin Cheonho watched them with a somewhat shocked expression. ¡°Why¡­¡± In fact, in front of him, an S-Rank, these people had no meaning whether hundreds or thousands gathered. They were just more victims and won¡¯t actually help the cause. And if they were attending an event like this, they should also be well aware of the meaning of S-Rank. So why¡­? What did they believe in that they could be so courageous? Did they know who they were fighting against at the moment? Even he, one of the few S-Rank heroes in the world, had to bow his head in the face of the greater power called the World Government. Stupid¡­really stupid. It seemed these people didn¡¯t know there were opponents that couldn¡¯t be overcome simply by will alone. They were just stupid. But¡­ Nevertheless, for some reason, his irritation continued to rise. In front of them, Shirahui walked out. ¡°Rahui¡­You don¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s still not too late to change your mind¡­Please, I¡¯m asking you as your father.¡± ¡°¡­ Since I was young, my dream has been to be a daughter who wasn¡¯t ashamed of my father.¡± ¡°Yes¡­I know that better than anyone else. You¡¯ve always been my good daughter. So please change your mind.¡± Crackle¨C Shirahui¡¯s hair began to turn bright yellow. ¡°Father once told me¡­There is nothing more shameful than a hero who turns a blind eye to justice.¡± Crackle¨C! Releasing the force of Lightning Calamity, bright yellow lightning arcs exploded around Shirahui. ¡°So I¡­¡± With golden eyes, she faced her father. ¡°To be a daughter you won¡¯t be ashamed of, I will stand up to you today.¡± * * * * * * * * * * In the middle of the training grounds there was a confrontation taking place. Shirahui, the other trainees, Shin Cheonho, and the Hero Association. On the other hand, I was watching it from Hwangnyeong Mountain behind the institute through my angel familiar. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to really come.¡± A few days ago the hotline I had received from Kim Taehi at the time of the hotel incident rang. Along with her was Hairy as they told me everything regarding the Hero Association¡¯s plan. In fact, I was half in doubt at first, but since I only needed to protect Shirahui anyway, I had decided to ignore the school festival grade and hide myself for the time being. But unfortunately, the information that Kim Taehi had given was true and the current situation happened. ¡°To think I would be marked by the World Government again¡­¡± I thought I would live a steady life with the goal of being a hero in the second round. To be honest, I felt a little dumbfounded. ¡°Damn it. Arresting me for being too strong?¡± If I had known this would happen, I would have just lived without thinking about image management. The rulers of this world were as such, and perhaps without my help, the demon army could conquer Earth without difficulty. ¡°But¡­what should I do from now on?¡± I didn¡¯t know exactly what they would do, but I was sure they would try to put a shackle around my neck if I let them arrest me. It was something I loathed more than anything. I would rather die than let that happen. But to run away for the rest of my life, their information network was too tight. I had experienced it myself in the first round, so I knew it better than anyone else. In the end, I tried to enjoy the content in a different way this time around, but I was going to be on the run again. I had the option of just going back to being a villain, but it was actually not acceptable to my pride as a gamer. There was no sense of progress if I just kept doing only things I was good at. I quickly racked my brain. However, there wasn¡¯t any clear choice right now. Since they were trying to arrest me, they would have made a reason already. As expected, it seemed it would be good to escape like this¡­ But before that, there was one thing to do. I needed to kill that man before I left. The man in silver armor. According to Kim Taehi, that guy was the dog sent by the World Government¡­ How dare he troll my perfect game? Anyone who interfered with my game deserved to die. But the problem here was¡­ It was simply a direct path to the Villain Route if I killed him up front. Even if I miraculously assassinate him without attracting as much attention as possible, due to the nature of those who wanted to frame me, I was certainly going to be branded as the culprit. Ah¡­I really wanted to kill him. Was there any way¡­? All I needed was a criminal to be my scapegoat. He was as strong as A-Rank, so there wasn¡¯t a person who would fit the profile to have killed him. The moment I thought as such, Boom, boom, boom¨C The ground suddenly vibrated. At first, I thought the guys who were confronting each other had finally started to clash, but that wasn¡¯t the case when I looked closely. They, too, were looking around in bewilderment. The sky, which was full of dark clouds, had turned red as a huge barrier surrounded the institute. An unknown sinister feeling similar to what I had felt before. This¡­No way? At that moment, Shiiii¨C Bang¨C! Something fell from outside the barrier and left a deep hole in the training grounds. After a while, from the dust that was blowing in all directions, two men and a woman walked out slowly. A monster with several arms. A man with insect wings. Finally, the back of a woman with the head of a goat. They looked around as if they were looking for something. And soon enough, one of them shouted loud enough for me to hear. ¡°Where¡¯s Choi Noah?!!!!¡± Looking at them, I couldn¡¯t help but to smile. ¡°Just the people I wanted to see.¡± I didn¡¯t know why so many guests were looking for me today, but¡­ One thing was for certain. Printed in news articles, I could already see them taking the blame in my place when this was over. ¡°I should welcome the guests properly.¡± In order to greet the guests who had come all the way here, I headed for the training grounds. ____ ____ Chapter 84 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 84 Muscles as if about to burst, skin as thick as a suit of armor, and several arms sticking out behind his back. The giant, who looked like a Yaksha from the Buddhist scriptures, roared in a husky voice. ¡°Choi Noah! Where¡¯s Choi Noah?!¡± Everyone gathered at the training grounds had perplexed expressions on their faces. Who were these monsters looking for Noah? Were they friends or enemies? Depending on their alignment now, the conflict could easily shift, so neither the Hero Association nor the trainees thought to move hastily. It was the same for Pamir who was quietly gauging the situation as he looked at them full of wariness. They¡¯re not normal¡­ Even the monster with several arms. It was hard to guess his power. He was at least A-Rank. Maybe he was an existence that had reached the S-Rank like himself. In addition, the goat-head woman and insect-winged man standing beside him also seemed dangerous. As such, he slipped his hand to the sword at his waist. There was a moment of silence as everyone measured each other. Soon, one of the monsters, as if he had found it hard to bear such silence, scowled and remarked. ¡°Are you seeing this? Why isn¡¯t anyone answering this one?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hoho, I guess they don¡¯t understand if we just ask nicely.¡± From the air, the Yaksha took out a colorful gold ornament engraved with something. It was a Vajra, a Buddhist instrument used in ancient Buddhism to practice asceticism. Although these days such a thing was simply sold as a tourist souvenir or something that could only be found in museums. However, one difference from what was commonly known was that the Vajra held by the monster was big enough to be called a blunt weapon. ¡°Well, if you guys are going to be like that, I¡¯ll personally help you open your mouths.¡± The monster stamped the huge Vajra he was holding on the ground. Boom¨C! The training ground cracked like a fissure, and from the Vajra, dark red lightning erupted. Soon, the monstrous red lightning stretched out violently like a wild beast. Bang¨C! People¡¯s bodies began to explode like firecrackers one after another. Those standing nearby became soaked in blood as if they were covered with red paint. It all happened in an instant before people knew what had happened. Dozens of people had turned into a pool of blood with one simple attack. The targets included both the Hero Association¡¯s people and the trainees who supported Noah. ¡°K-kyaaak!¡± ¡°M-murder!¡± People who understood the situation one step later screamed, while those covered in blood had no choice but to freeze with their faces as white as a sheet of paper. ¡°V-villains¡­¡± ¡°V-villains! V-villains are here!¡± Only then did people realize. The monsters in front of them weren¡¯t on anyone¡¯s side but were villains who had come to kill them. Everyone sitting in the stands who were watching ran away in a fit of panic, but at some point they were forced to stop in place. ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s blocked!¡± ¡°Heuk! I want to go home¡­Let me out! Let me out!¡± An enormous barrier surrounding the institute was blocking them. In addition, even their phones were blocked, so it was a situation where the outside couldn¡¯t be contacted. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re leaving without answering this one¡¯s question. What insolence!¡± Dark red lightning rose again from the monster¡¯s body. Then, with a giant lightning bolt in hand, he pulled his arm back like an Olympic athlete preparing to hurl a javelin. ¡°You need to be punished.¡± After a short run-up, he used his tight-stretched muscles to throw the lightning bolt. Boom¨C! Along with the deafening sound of thunder, the red lightning bolt flew toward the stand. But at that very moment, Kiieeek¨C! A blue feathered grouse intercepted the lightning bolt with its body. From its body, blue electric currents flashed. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this? What a strange creature.¡± The monster couldn¡¯t believe there was a creature perfectly intact even after being struck by his lightning. He looked at the grouse full of curiosity. While he was in awe, from somewhere came the sinking voice of a man. ¡°Villains¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who the hell you are or why you¡¯re here, but¡­¡± Behind the giant grouse, a man somberly stepped forward. It was the world¡¯s most capable lightning ability user and hero of S-Rank, Shin Cheonho. Pointing the tip of his sword at the monster, he continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to make one thing clear.¡± ¡°Huu? What the hell is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The grouse standing next to Shin Cheonho turned bright before seeping into his body. His body grew increasingly blue as blue lightning arced. Soon, Shin Cheonho, who had become something like the spirit of lightning, warned the monsters coldly. ¡°The moment you kill innocent civilians, you¡¯ve already forfeited your life. So¡­don¡¯t ask me for mercy.¡± ¡°Keuhahaha! How dare an ordinary human be arrogant in front of this one. Then, shall we take a look at your skills?¡± As a result, a battle of blue and red lightning began to clash. * * * * * * * * * * Meanwhile, the goat-head woman who was watching the scene sighed briefly inside. Huu¡­I knew this would happen. Fighting Spirit King, Yaksha. Although he was one of the strongest executives in Eighth Layer Hell, one drawback was that he would get carried away and forget his original purpose once a mission started. In fact, she didn¡¯t expect much when she had set up this operation. Well, anyway, I¡¯m glad he¡¯s taking care of the strongest among them. It was important for them to move to the next part of the plan quickly while Yaksha was keeping Shin Cheonho occupied. ¡°Everyone move to the gym!¡± ¡°If anyone from the audience has a hero license, please help direct the way!¡± Dokgo Hakju, other faculties, and several trainees were seen leading people to evacuate. Was it because they were from the hero industry? Unlike what you would expect from normal citizens, their actions were quite orderly and systematic despite the sudden situation. It¡¯s just a trifling struggle in the end. In order to easily find and kill Noah, the more hostages, the better. As such, it was rather a beneficial situation for Eighth Layer Hell if they gathered in one place on their own. She turned around and looked at the man with insect wings behind her. ¡°Henri, I¡¯ll leave that over there to you.¡± ¡°Heuung~ Good. But do you mind if I play with some?¡± ¡°Fine. But, please leave some alive so we have hostages for the plan.¡± ¡°Huhu¡­All right. Even if it¡¯s hard, I¡¯ll hold it in.¡± Henri smiled wickedly and disappeared as if he had melted into the air. The goat-head woman immediately turned her head and spoke to those who were drawing their weapons at her. ¡°Thank you for waiting.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to refuse when the enemy would disperse on their own.¡± The man in silver armor said calmly. Maybe he was from the Hero Association, but surprisingly, he didn¡¯t seem to care much about the safety of the citizens. ¡°You could certainly think that. And, this isn¡¯t for me to say, but¡­Aren¡¯t you worried about those citizens?¡± ¡°For the greater cause, sacrifices are inevitable. It was judged that revealing your identity was a priority over the lives of a few citizens.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± An unexpected answer. The goat-head woman observed the man, wondering if he was up to something, but as if he had really meant it from the bottom of his heart, there was no sign of agitation. ¡°Huhu¡­as expected, this world is rotten. Thanks to you, I am convinced once again that my choice to follow his will was right.¡± *** *** She gave a pleasant smile after hearing what the man had said. Meanwhile, the man was still looking at her full of vigilance. ¡°¡­So who the hell are you people? What¡¯s your purpose?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I was just going to clean up everyone because it was cumbersome. Well, your words moved me, so I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Raising her hands in the air as if she was holding the hem of a skirt, she lowered her head. ¡°Nice to meet you, heroes. My name is Sophia.¡± Shriiik¨C Her clothes were torn and the wings of a bat revealed itself from behind her back. ¡°I¡¯m the chief executive of the villain group that you know as Eighth Layer Hell¡­¡± Her clearly exposed body had six breasts and below it were bent legs that resembled those of a goat. Along with a rush of dark red mana, a pentagram magic circle was formed around her body. ¡°¡­An Apostle who was bestowed the name ¡®Baphomet¡¯ by the great Angra Mainyu.¡± She said, smiling and revealing her teeth. ¡°In other words, the end of the world is near.¡± Yellow breath gushes out of her mouth. The smell of sulfur stung everyone¡¯s nose, and at one point, the surrounding landscape was turned into hell covered with acrid black smoke. At the same time, all over the ground, rotten blood soared like hot spring water as it suddenly swept the Hero Association workers by surprise. ¡°Huh¡­? Wh-what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°M-my body¡­Kkuaaak!¡± Just one drop. Even though it was just a little graze on their bodies, those who had touched the liquid began to rot, spewing pus from all holes. One of the workers wrenched in pain, reaching out to a colleague nearby. ¡°Keuk! S-save me¡­¡± ¡°H-hold on a second! I¡­Kueeook!¡± The colleague who was touched also began to rot and showed the same symptoms. However, one difference from earlier was that the symptoms seemed to have weakened. Sophia kindly explained. ¡°Huhu¡­this curse gets weaker the more it¡¯s divided. If you really care about your colleagues, why don¡¯t you share the pain?¡± In response to her words, those who had fallen to the ground raised their heads and began to stagger towards their colleagues. ¡°I want to live, I want to live, I want to live¡­¡± ¡°I-I have to live¡­My daughter¡­My daughter is waiting¡­¡± However, no one stood up and reached out to them. Everyone could only look away and repeat the word ¡®sorry¡¯ to themselves. Looking at such a gruesome scene, the Hero Association workers closed their eyes tightly. At that very moment, Swiik¨C! The heads of those struggling to live fell to the ground at once. ¡°I understand now. It was a filthy cult.¡± Pamir shook off the blood from his sword and scowled at Sophia. ¡°Well, for a heretic like you, I guess unsealing it will be fine.¡± Pamir threw off layers of his silver armor one by one. Light began to gush out of his body a little more each time that happened. ¡°This is just perfect¡­I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something about Eighth Layer Hell.¡± After finally throwing off the last layer of armor, he charged at Sophia with six white wings behind his back. * * * * * * * * * * It was fortunate people had scattered after the monsters¡¯ appearance since it would save me the trouble of dealing with witnesses later. Thanks to that, I safely used < Camouflage > and was able to get close to the Inspector. I was going to wait for an opportunity to stick a sword behind his back. But¡­ ¡­What the hell was that? A naked black man with angel wings while wielding a burning sword. And across from him was a naked woman with six breasts spreading all kinds of evil curses. I stared blankly at the terrible sight. Didn¡¯t Kim Taehi say he was A-Rank? According to the information she had given me, Pamir was an A-Rank hero. But the power I was sensing from him now was comparable to the dragon I had fought just a while ago. That meant¡­ He was at least S-Rank. Why wasn¡¯t anyone aware of it? It was impossible for a hero of this caliber not to be known. And the goat-head who was dealing with such a fellow was also formidable¡­ Damn¡­it seemed I needed to change my plan. I opened my status window and checked the new Challenge that had appeared a moment ago. [Challenge ¨C Evil God¡¯s Apostle(1)] Condition: Eliminate the Apostles of an Evil God. Time: Unlimited. Reward: Varies depending on performance. Originally, I was going to kill Pamir quickly and then the monster to get the reward. But to say that could be done, those two were stronger than I had thought. Frankly, when I had killed the dragon in Hong Kong, I was able to defeat it because the skills and weapons I had were good against it. But in this situation, Gram¡¯s buff was useless, and in the case of < Giant Hunter >, there wasn¡¯t much difference in size, so it was likely ineffective. And in the worst case scenario, those two would work together to subdue me. Sophia said she was here to catch me after all¡­ Huu¡­What should I do? My mind became a mess. I just wanted those two to fight each other like this and perish together. The moment I thought as such, an idea flashed across my mind. Hmm? Wait a minute¡­Perish together¡­? I stopped for a moment and tapped on a calculator quickly. And the conclusion was¡­ This¡­wasn¡¯t it possible if I do it well? Naturally it wasn¡¯t easy for me to balance the fight between these S-Ranks, but it wasn¡¯t completely out of the question either. That was all I got right now¡­ When my crazy thoughts reached up to that point, just in time someone¡¯s groan broke out from where the two were fighting. ¡°Keuk¨C!¡± The naked Pamir had crashed to the ground at a rapid pace. Blood could be seen leaking from his mouth. And across from him was Sophia with a dried, withered arm emitting sinister energy in her hand. ¡°Heuk, heuk¡­I didn¡¯t expect to use the power of the relic.¡± It was a body part similar to the arm in Elizabeth¡¯s safekeep. ¡°Keuk¡­What is that evil power?¡± ¡°This is the power of the great Angra Mainyu! So be honored. Kneel before his great power!¡± A vortex of dark red energy surrounded her body and in no time she began to grow in size. Her white skin became covered in pitch black fur and behind her hip a lengthy snake head grew. Finally¡­ In the middle of her forehead, an ominous-looking third eye appeared between an upside-down pentagram. ¡°This will be the end.¡± Sophia, who had really turned into a monster, lunged one of her giant legs toward Pamir. In that moment of desperation, Bang¨C! I had activated < Divine Shield > to block it. ¡°Choi Noah, A-Rank hero. It¡¯s not much, but I¡¯ll cover you!¡± ¡°Y-you¡­? Why are you here¡­?¡± In the heat of the sudden event, Pamir stared at me with a puzzled expression. I grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up. ¡°¡­This is naturally where I¡¯m supposed to be.¡± Saying so, I put on the most heroic smile I could muster. ____ ____ Chapter 85 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 85 The moment Pamir felt his death, he saw a brilliant shield of light blocking Sophia¡¯s attack. Lying on the ground, he looked up at the person that had saved him. Black hair and purple eyes. A young face that hadn¡¯t lost its baby fat yet. The boy in front of him was none other than Noah, the target of his mission this time. ¡­Why is this guy? Because of this one boy, wasn¡¯t the Hero Associations at odds with the trainees at the institute just moments ago? Even in that situation, the guy who was hiding until the end¡­he came to save me? It was a behavior that wasn¡¯t easily understood. In fact, from Noah¡¯s point of view, weren¡¯t those monsters and the Hero Association one and the same? But to reveal himself like this, he could only think that there was something else going on. Forgetting the current situation, he asked Noah in doubt. ¡°Y-you¡­? Why are you here¡­?¡± Noah stretched out his arm toward him and answered lightly. ¡°¡­This is naturally where I¡¯m supposed to be.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A calm expression that didn¡¯t match one¡¯s age. He even showed a noble sense of mission like a martyr with unwavering faith. This¡­? It was very different from the information Pamir had learned so far. He simply thought he was a lucky kid who was running wild because he couldn¡¯t control his power¡­ However, wasn¡¯t what he was showing now the complete opposite? Was there a mistake in the information collected¡­? Or is he putting on an act now? In the short moment, while many thoughts were passing by, beyond the shield came Sophia¡¯s voice. ¡°What¡¯s this shoddy shield?¡± At the same time, an attack containing tremendous mana hit the shield directly. Bang¨C! A deafening roar enough to burst a person¡¯s eardrums. Shockwaves spread from the impact as dust from the training ground soared in all directions. ¡°Keuk!¡± Noah¡¯s body staggered for a moment. And whether it was due to the impact, but there was a stream of blood flowing down his mouth. In addition, the shield that was attacked wasn¡¯t as fully formed as before. From the radiating shield, cracked pieces of light were falling to the ground. Soon, through the gap, Sophia¡¯s giant eyes glistened. ¡°Found you¡­Choi Noah!¡± Sophia¡¯s snout tore wide as she smiled. ¡°Now I don¡¯t have to go looking for you. Huhu¡­You¡¯ve saved me a lot of trouble.¡± Unlike her terrible appearance, she spoke to Noah in a seductive tone. ¡°Hurry up and put that shoddy shield away and hand me the guy next to you. I had something to ask you anyway, so as long as you cooperate with me, I¡¯ll spare your life.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Perhaps her words had contained a strange spell, but just listening to it had caused Pamir¡¯s mind to stir. Also, there was the promise she would spare Noah¡¯s life. It could be said to be an alluring offer that would shake anyone in this situation. Damn it! At Sophia¡¯s words, Pamir secretly examined Noah¡¯s reaction. If the same offer had been made to him, would he be able to resist? Maybe¡­I would accept the offer. Even though she was heretic, from a strategic point of view, it was a wise choice to accept her offer now and come up with a strategy later. Would Noah be able to resist her offer? The result was obvious without having to listen. Damn it¡­I still don¡¯t have enough time to recover¡­ Was there any way out of this situation? If only he could stall a little more time¡­ As he continued to worry, Noah finally opened his mouth. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Huhu, right. Wise choice¡­Hmm? What did you just say? Did I just hear wrong?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No, why? If you don¡¯t believe me, we can sign a contract. I won¡¯t kill you as long as you cooperate well.¡± Flabbergasted, Sophia continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand the current situation¡­Do you think you can survive here now?¡± ¡°Let me tell you one thing. That will never happen. Everyone here is going to die today. I can guarantee you that.¡± ¡°So this preferential treatment can be called a kindness only given to you.¡± She was convinced as if she was speaking the absolute truth. Pamir couldn¡¯t refute her words either. If he was to die now, the only remaining powers would be Shin Cheonho and the professors here. It would be hard for them alone to stop such monsters. ¡°And¡­If you cooperate with me, you¡¯ll have the honor of receiving the grace of becoming his vessel.¡± ¡°When that happens, you¡¯re going to become an S-Rank instantly¡­Or even stronger than that.¡± Money, authority, strength, ability¡­ There were indeed many different kinds of power in the world. And those who had ever tasted such power always craved for more. It wasn¡¯t just villains but heroes too. Especially those who were already powerful, the desire to be stronger was bound to be greater. In that sense, Noah must have a greater desire for power than anyone else. Sure enough, Noah, who had heard her, stood still for a while and looked as if he was thinking about something. Soon, he withdrew his mana and released the shield that was in front of Pamir. Sophia, who saw that, burst into laughter as her six breasts heaved. ¡°Hohoho! Wise choice. As expected, you¡¯re smarter than I thought. You¡¯ll definitely make a better vessel than that lizard¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Huu, you really don¡¯t understand.¡± Noah sighed briefly before slowly pulling out the sword he had on his waist. Wuung¨C An eerie cry resounded as blood red mana surged around his body. Then, he pointed the tip of his sword at Sophia. ¡°I told you a while ago. Didn¡¯t I say I was a hero? So I don¡¯t side with bad guys. Ajumma.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe his decision. There was a dazed look on her face as her three eyes blinked. ¡°¡­Foolish. You will surely regret your decision.¡± As her words fell, Noah¡¯s figure suddenly disappeared. And where he reappeared, it was none other than right next to Sophia. Looking at Noah¡¯s action, Pamir¡¯s eyes widened. How the hell did he¡­? Even though he was out of energy now, he didn¡¯t think he wouldn¡¯t be able to follow Noah¡¯s movements. It was as if Noah alone had momentarily entered a different dimension. Sophia was also surprised as she raised her mana with an expression of shock. However, her action was already a step too late. Swiik¨C! ¡°Kuaaak!!!¡± Noah, who ran at full speed, had sliced his sword across one of Sophia¡¯s giant legs. Immediately after, blood spurted out following the trajectory of his path. Such killing intent was too violent to have come from an ordinary trainee. Pamir stared at Noah. Was he this strong¡­? It wasn¡¯t a power an A-Rank could show. ¡°Kuaak! Y-you little rat!¡± Sophia desperately swung her arms, but she couldn¡¯t keep up with Noah¡¯s speed. Swiik¨C Swiik¨C In the short moment, Noah had frantically chipped at Sophia¡¯s body while she had no choice but to let her body receive such attacks and have her body turned into a bloody mess. He was just a trainee, so how did he get that kind of power? At this rate¡­Maybe he can finish it by himself. Facing the incredible reality, Pamir stood in a trance. But¡­ Noah¡¯s movements at some point had suddenly begun to slow down. The transcendent speed he had shown suddenly dropped to the degree of A-Rank. ¡°As expected¡­It was impossible to finish in one go.¡± Noah frowned and stepped back while Sophia was bleeding all over and staring at him. ¡°You¡­You¡¯re just a rookie¡­I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The angered Sophia shook her fists indiscriminately. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Every time she struck the ground, deep craters appeared as if a meteor had fallen in the training ground. The sinister mana from her body had also expanded its force by corroding everything around it. Noah desperately flew away whenever that happened, but his appearance seemed precarious, as if he would fall at any moment. Sophia, noticing Noah¡¯s condition, recovered her poise and smiled. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s good. Shall we see how long you can hold on? However, it seems time is on my side.¡± Pitch black liquid was seeping into Sophia wounds and rapidly recovering her torn tissues. Like this¡­it¡¯s impossible to win. What was the limit to Sophia¡¯s crazy resilience? Considering Noah¡¯s physical limitations, he was bound to be exhausted first. And if Noah was defeated, the rest here won¡¯t be safe either. Damn! If only I had a little more time¡­ Just as Pamir was cursing inside, Noah suddenly looked back at him. ¡°Ahjussi! I don¡¯t think I can hold out any longer, so hurry up and run!¡± ¡°¡­Run away?¡± What was he talking about? Running away? Is he saying he¡¯s going to sacrifice himself for me? Pamir looked at Noah to figure out his intentions. However, as if not to waste time, Noah urged him. ¡°Ahjussi, you might still be able to live! Run for it!¡± If Noah continued to stall, it was certainly possible to escape. But¡­ At the moment of hearing it, Pamir unknowingly felt an irritation rising. Who the hell does he think he¡¯s talking to? His tangled thoughts cleared. Wasn¡¯t even the Hero Association¡¯s orders more like a recommendation? He didn¡¯t want to care about such things now. There was only one thought on his mind at the moment. ¡°There¡¯s only one person who can tell me what to do. So don¡¯t be full of yourself, you little brat!¡± His mind became sober and he quickly grasped the situation. As a result, Maybe¡­maybe it¡¯s possible. However, the reason why he didn¡¯t think of such a method was because the probability of success was too low to implement in this situation. But¡­what if I had the power of his shield? For the first time, Pamir chose to trust someone. He raised his sword and asked Noah. ¡°We have no chance of winning if this continues. But¡­if you can buy me just a minute, we might have a chance.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying we can defeat her?¡± ¡°That¡­I¡¯ll guarantee you once I succeed in my skill. I¡¯m sure it can defeat her. But there shouldn¡¯t be any disruption in that one minute.¡± ¡°I understand. Just leave it to me.¡± *** *** At the same time, Noah summoned the giant shield of light again. And unlike before, it shrunk and was transformed to surround Pamir. Wrapped in the shield, Pamir felt an unknown sense of relief. It was surprising for him who usually believed in no one but his God. I never thought I¡¯d trust a kid and use this skill¡­ However, that kind of thought only lasted for a moment. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Perhaps Noah was attracting the eyes of Sophia outside, but there were rough sounds of shock. Hearing the noises, Pamir slowly closed his eyes. I only have one chance. A high-level magic that wasn¡¯t easy to cast. He arranged the mana in his body in a particular order and recited a particular prayer. After speaking in a strange dialect with his eyes closed for an unknown amount of time, at one point he lifted his eyelids. Behind it, his eyes were completely white and emitting light. And in his hand, the large crooked sword was burning with sacred flames. Just¡­one chance! Bringing God¡¯s power from his dimension was a very taxing act. As a result, there won¡¯t be any more chances after this. Barely adjusting the power that was trying to get out of control, he shouted at Noah. ¡°Keuk! Now! Move!¡± As if Noah had been waiting, he immediately lifted the divine shield and rolled across the ground further away. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­What the hell!!¡± Sophia, who saw the sword in Pamir¡¯s hand, had a very shocked expression as if she could feel the power within it. ¡°Let¡¯s end it. Monster.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute¡­¡± Pamir squeezed all of his remaining strength and flew at Sophia. She hurriedly circulated all of her mana to protect herself but it made no difference. And at last, the holy sword of sacred flame pierced her body. ¡°Pay the price for your sins.¡± ¡°N-no. Kuaaaak!!!¡± Sophia¡¯s entire body was suddenly engulfed in flames. In a split second her body disappeared, leaving nothing but white ashes. Pamir collapsed on the spot as soon as he saw it. As expected¡­I overdid it¡­ Holy Sword of Judgment. God¡¯s magic that could destroy the world with a single sword. Although it was only a fraction of time, the price of borrowing such enormous power was very painful. I don¡¯t know how much causality I¡¯m going to have to shoulder for this¡­ He had used up all his strength and it was no longer easy to even lift a finger. In any case, the power of the Holy Sword had gone back to where it belonged, and his sword, which had fallen to the ground, lay scattered in pieces in the aftermath of its power. Maybe it might have been wiser to just choose death this time. However¡­ For some reason, there wasn¡¯t much regret in his decision. ¡°You succeeded!¡± He raised his head and turned towards the black-haired boy running towards him. Choi Noah¡­ It was the new Irregular designated by the World Government recently, the very one he had to secure in this mission. The world would be out of control if there were Irregulars who had power beyond the norm. And in a world beyond control, the most weak and vulnerable would die. As such, it was his mission given by God to prevent that from happening. But¡­ Maybe¡­maybe I can keep an eye on him a little longer. Leaving such an uncertainty behind was a stupid thing to do, but for some reason, he wanted to watch the situation unfold a little more this time. While he was organizing his thoughts, Noah had walked up to him. ¡°Ahjussi, are you hurt anywhere? How¡¯s your condition?¡± To say so, Noah wasn¡¯t in very good condition either. He was covered in blood, and here and there were deep wounds. However, even in such a situation, he had worried about another person first. Pamir felt a strange feeling he had never felt before. And although the feeling was strange, it wasn¡¯t bad either. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to move my body now, but I¡¯ll slowly recover after a while.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I see. That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Yes. So you don¡¯t have to worry too much. Rather, your physical condition¡­Hmm? What the hell are you trying to do now?¡± Pamir looked at Noah with a perplexed expression. Why the hell was he suddenly bringing out his sword again? Wuung¨C An eerie cry resonated from the sword. The sound was heard vividly as if it was right in front of his nose. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s still something else to deal with.¡± Wasn¡¯t the monster defeated just now? But there was another one here? Now Pamir really couldn¡¯t move a finger. A new enemy in such a situation. It was really a crisis this time if that was the case. ¡°Where¡¯s the enemy? You mean there¡¯s a guy I didn¡¯t find?¡± Flicking and turning the red haze sword, Noah answered calmly. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t find it? It¡¯s right here.¡± ¡°What¡­A-ah? Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. We have to wrap it up cleanly.¡± Pamir saw Noah was smiling brightly. And the moment he saw it, he felt his body chilled. ¡°You villain! Did you plan to do this from the beginning?!! What the hell is the reason?! Why would a hero do this to the same hero?¡± Pamir shouted in anger. Noah raised his sword with a slight frown as if he was annoyed. ¡°I hate people who interrupt me when I play games.¡± Games? What game was he talking about? When did he ever interrupt his game?! Pamir let out his simmering anger and shouted. ¡°Keuk¡­You villain! You¡¯re gonna regret what you did today¡­¡± Swiik¨C! Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Thud¨C Tumble, tumble, tumble¨C In the end, Pamir could no longer carry on with his words. ____ ____ Chapter 86 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 86 [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve reached level 66. ] [ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ] [ Level 65 Skill Selection forfeited due to the previous Special Selection. ] I looked at the messages that filled my eyes with a proud smile. ¡°Keuh! Good.¡± I thought my growth was going to stagnate for a while¡­but unexpectedly I had leveled up. This was why instead of killing a bunch of miscellaneous mobs, killing strong mobs was the right answer. In any case, I was lucky this time. The goat-head monster I had just fought was as strong as an S-Rank. On top of that, I didn¡¯t have the same advantages as when I had fought the dragon¡­ Frankly, as far as I was now, she was certainly a difficult opponent in many ways, both by her ability and nature. As such¡­ I didn¡¯t expect to have resolved this so easily. But coincidentally, thanks to the guy who came to arrest me, I was able to deal with both. This sense of turning a crisis into an opportunity, wasn¡¯t that a virtue all great gamers should have? In other words, no matter what you¡¯re dealing with, there must be a proper strategy. Anyway¡­ Considering that, wasn¡¯t the experience a little lacking? I naturally got a lot more experience than usual, but considering I had dealt with two S-Ranks, I thought I would have gone up many more levels. Hmm¡­was this my fault? Perhaps it was because Pamir had dealt the most damage. MMORPGs usually have different experience distributions depending on contribution. Huu¡­The system was mostly good, but sometimes it was very unfriendly. There was no experience value shown and the description of newly acquired skills were vague. In fact, even now in the second round there were many ambiguities left about the system. That was one of its appeals, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be a little more gamer-friendly? I complained to myself for a moment, but soon shook away such thoughts. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± After all, even if I didn¡¯t gain much experience, there was no particular reason for complaint. Now, rather than that¡­ ¡°How am I going to deal with this?¡± I looked alternately at Pamir¡¯s body on the ground and the remains of the monster. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The monster was one thing, but it was Pamir¡¯s body that was the problem. His status was that of an Inspector. Once this situation calmed down, a separate investigation into his death was certain to be carried out. And, in order not to be summoned by the Hero Association again later, it was necessary to make sure that it was cleaned up now. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I better make sure to erase the trace of my attack first.¡± I headed for Pamir¡¯s body and used < Wind Cutter >. Swiik¨C Swiik¨C Wind blades flew in an instant and finely minced his body to a degree that was no longer recognizable. ¡°Good.¡± Just this much would make it difficult to determine what he was attacked by. However, I didn¡¯t stop there. I rummaged through the remains of the monster and changed the position of the crime scene here and there. A little later, ¡°Done!¡± Finally, having finished fabricating the evidence, I looked down proudly at Pamir¡¯s body and the monster¡¯s ashes. It certainly looked like they had killed each other. On top of that, I could testify that Pamir had died to protect me. A plausible scenario of a hero who sacrificed himself to protect a young boy. ¡°Keuh! That¡¯s a good scenario.¡± Doubts about me would naturally be relieved and I may even get some form of compensation as a consolation from the Hero Association. It was a perfect plan on second thought. Just when I thought as such, suddenly someone¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°?!¡± I quickly turned my head. Black feathers fluttered from the air and the figure of Samaria appeared. At the end of her gaze was the dead Pamir and monster on the ground. How long has she been watching? Did she see me tampering with the bodies? No, maybe she had also seen the death of Pamir. If that was the case¡­I best take care of this woman here too. Damn it, this wasn¡¯t part of the plan. As soon as I had made up my mind, she continued. ¡°Can you explain to me what the hell happened?¡± Not only was the situation twisted, it was firmly twisted. But for now, there was no other way. If two people disappeared at once, the Hero Association would certainly be suspicious, but¡­ At least to deal with her when she was off guard, it was the best choice I could make now. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­All of a sudden, a monster appeared¡­and mister hero stopped¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying both killed each other?¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­He sacrificed himself to protect me¡­¡± I played the expression of a scared child as I slowly approached her. One step, two steps. Little by little, the distance narrowed. The distance from her was about ten steps. I silently circulated my mana. It was already well within my range, but I waited for the right time to be more certain. And finally, five steps. The moment the scent from her body seeped into my nose, I quickly put my hand on the hilt of my sword. But just then, ¡°Are you going to kill me too?¡± ¡°?!¡± She, who was looking at me, asked out of the blue. Her face didn¡¯t have the expression of the benevolent saint she had constructed so far. Rather, her eyes were glistening with madness like what I had seen briefly in the past. Damn it, she already knew. There could be no further delay. In a hurry I swung my sword at her. As a result, a blade with condensed mana was released. Swiik¨C Her body was cut in exactly two. However, the feeling on my fingertips told me otherwise. I had just failed to cut this woman down. Sure enough, her dismembered body disappeared and in its place were black feathers fluttering down to the ground. Soon, she appeared in the distance. A soft smile hung on her face. ¡°Haha, I thought you would come at me like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The problem was twisted. I didn¡¯t know since when she had been watching my actions, but apparently she was aware in advance that I would attack her. In other words, the crime scene was thoroughly caught. Damn it¡­I had worked really hard to maintain my image until now. Now with just one word from her, all the efforts I had made in the second round will instantly go up in smoke. *** *** At all costs¡­she must be killed. Rather, maybe it was a good thing. I had never liked the way she approached me since the first time we met¡­ The Hero Association will likely be more suspicious if one more body was dumped here, but maybe it was best to take this opportunity to kill her and try to overcome the investigation process somehow. Now that it was like this, let¡¯s handle this swiftly. I didn¡¯t even think about hiding anymore and quickly drew my mana. A red haze soared from my body. And while I was at it, I even used < Wolf Hour >. I had to finish it in one breath. My heart started beating like crazy as the landscape was dyed red. And I¡­ In the slowed world kicked forward. Bang¨C! My body, which had been dramatically strengthened by the dragon gene, reached a terrifying speed with the added effect of < Wolf Hour >. A red wisp trajectory followed as I charged at her. What was truly an instant, my sword had already touched her neck before she knew it. And in front of me, her shocked expression was clearly visible. Then¡­ Swiik¨C This time, unlike before, blood shot out properly from her white neck. However, Damn¡­It was shallow. I didn¡¯t know what had happened at the last moment, but the trajectory of my blade was turned due to the energy surrounding her body. And as a result, unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t cut her neck completely. A superhuman like her would certainly be fine with this kind of injury. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Huu¡­it was really dangerous this time.¡± Sure enough, she had widened the distance and her cut neck was already healing. ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t stop here. This may be my last chance to keep her mouth shut. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just talk for a second? What you need to know is¡­¡± I ignored her words and quickly circulated my mana. Immediately, I ran toward her again and swung my sword at her neck. < Wolf Hour > was over, so it wasn¡¯t as explosive as it was a moment ago, but to cut off her precarious neck, it was fast enough. In response to my attack, she just stood still and looked at me, as if she had no intention of avoiding it. When I saw that, I was sure I could kill her this time. But¡­ Just as the blade was about to touch her neck again, at the words that came out of her mouth, I had no choice but to stop my blade. ¡°You¡¯ll certainly be arrested at this rate.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t change even if you kill me. Let me assure you. No matter how well you handle the evidence, you won¡¯t avoid the eyes of the Hero Association.¡± What the hell was she talking about? Pamir¡¯s body was finely minced and the crime scene was thoroughly cleaned up. I was chased by the Hero Association relentlessly in the first round, so for me, who had processed countless pieces of evidence, it was hard to understand. However, there was a first for everything, and if she was right¡­ It was worth hearing her out at least once. While I was organizing my thoughts, she gently raised the corners of her mouth and smiled. ¡°And¡­I can help you with the clean up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± What was wrong with this woman all of a sudden? Was she just saying whatever to live? She was a member of the Hero Association, so why the hell would she help me? As such, I silently stared at her. I didn¡¯t know if there really was something, but she had a fairly relaxed expression. ¡°You have to take my word for it. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try, by tomorrow the Hero Association will know everything that has happened here.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe that?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s your choice. But isn¡¯t it worth believing me now since there¡¯s nothing to lose?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Obviously, as she said, if the Hero Association really had another way of identifying the culprit, it could be said to be a real disaster for me. It was the reputation I had built with great effort, so I didn¡¯t want to be chased by the World Government again. Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to listen and decide. In any case, I could still cut her up afterwards. After quickly organizing my thoughts, I decided to listen to her a little more for now. ¡°How would the Hero Association track me?¡± ¡°Huhu, you¡¯re interested in talking. Then now¡­Why don¡¯t you put away your sword first? If you find something amiss, you can just kill me then.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She knew me too well. Once the situation settled, she tidied up her disheveled clothes. ¡°First of all, we have to clean this up before it¡¯s too late.¡± She then approached Pamir¡¯s body. It was simply flesh that was hard to even recognize. How the hell would the Hero Association identify the culprit from such a body? Perhaps because she had noticed my question, she kindly explained. ¡°You must think you¡¯ve done a perfect job of cleaning up. Obviously, it¡¯s not easy to find something out of a body that¡¯s damaged like this. Even if you use spirits to grasp the situation, it won¡¯t be easy because of the unclean mana that fills this place.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But Pamir¡¯s status is that of an Inspector. As such, the Hero Association had taken special measures in preparation for such situations.¡± Soon, she began to recite some kind of incantation while looking at the fragmented Pamir. A moment later, from his finely chopped corpse, something faint began to rise. Similar to a game¡¯s play log, there was a brief line of what he had done. And in that last line, the sentence ¡®Death from Choi Noah¡¯s fatal attack¡¯ was written. ¡°Well, you see?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As she said, if I had just let it go, I would have been caught dead. I didn¡¯t know the Hero Association was hiding this kind of ability. However, it definitely fits what the insidious Hero Association would do by trying to gather information even in death. So what should I do now? Should I just burn it? No, I didn¡¯t think that would solve the problem. From what she did just now, it seemed they would be able to get the information regardless of the state of the body¡­ While I thought as such, Samaria showed a meaningful smile. ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much. Fortunately, I can solve this problem for you.¡± Again, she began to recite some kind of cryptic incantation. A little later, ¡°It¡¯s over. Take a look.¡± Where she was pointing, the sentence written a moment ago had been modified. [Death from Sophia of Eighth Layer Hell¡¯s fatal attack.] ¡°What do you think of this? Is it like what you had planned?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She looked at me with a triumphant expression for the first time in a while. I had no choice but to say that her action was helpful this time. But, one question here was why she was helping me. Wasn¡¯t she someone who was revered as a Saintess and was a member of the Hero Association? ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± I asked, pointing the tip of my sword at her. And, as if she had been waiting for me to ask, she smiled brightly. ¡°Huhuhu¡­I was drawn to you like fate since the first time I saw you. And¡­I became very certain when I saw you today. That you¡¯re the existence I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡± ¡°Existence? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s a secret. I¡¯ll tell you when the time comes. But you can be certain of one thing. The fact that I will never hurt you.¡± Her eyes were glowing with madness. At the same time, a new message popped up in front of me. [ Favorability has increased. ] ¡°¡­¡± Killing her colleague had increased my favorability? Again, this woman¡¯s state of mind was beyond incomprehensible. The good thing was that she had also become an accomplice. Now cleaning up Pamir¡¯s body was one less worry. However, because of her sudden appearance, I was delayed longer than expected. It was gradually getting messier. I was currently carrying out two Challenges. Wiping out the monsters from Eighth Layer Hell and protecting Shirahui. I looked towards the gym where the faculties and students had just evacuated to. There, sinister mana could be seen swaying violently. In any case, Shirahui was in that gym. She should be safe¡­ However, if she died, the reward I had worked hard on until now would disappear. I better hurry. As soon as I thought so, a huge bolt of lightning suddenly struck through the roof of the gym. It was the skill I had seen from Shirahui the other day. Nevertheless, it was definitely a skill she couldn¡¯t control, so to use it again, the situation must be dire. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± Samaria next to me asked with a perplexed expression. However, there was no time to care about her words now. ¡°Hey, hold on, where are you going all of a sudden?¡± I ignored her and ran at full speed toward the gym. My reward was in danger! * * * * * * * * * * ¡°My pretties~ Is that all you can do?¡± A monster with insect wings smiled sadistically. Around him, countless flesh were scattered on the floor, indistinguishable from who it belonged to. It was a scene like hell. Screams were rampant as the voices of those who cried for help pierced his ears. ¡°Good, good~ It¡¯s very good music~ Heuheu, then whose volume should I turn up?¡± A beam made of mana from the end of his fingertip extended in a straight line. Where the beam was aimed, there was a girl shivering in hiding. At this rate, it was clear she would disappear without a trace. But then, Bang! A bright yellow lightning intercepted and blocked it. It was Shirahui who was wrapped in lightning. ¡°Haak¡­haak¡­¡± She barely managed to lift her sword as she precariously gasped for breath. ¡°Hehehe~ My pretty seems to be a bit slower than before?¡± ¡°Shut¡­up¡­!¡± But as the monster said, she could feel her limits. If this went on like this, everyone here would definitely die. As expected¡­Is that the only way? She bit her lips tightly. If I use this, I¡¯ll surely die. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Holding the necklace around her neck, she shouted. ¡°Even so, I¡¯ll save everyone at all costs!¡± Her body began to shine brighter than ever. ____ ____ Chapter 87 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 87 About 30 minutes ago. The peaceful school festival was thrown into chaos with the sudden appearance of the monsters. ¡°Euhahah! Is that all you got for an S-Rank?!¡± ¡°¡­That carelessness will eventually be your death.¡± ¡°Huu? Then try a little harder to entertain this one!¡± A monster resembling a Yaksha hurling red lightning bolts and opposing him was Shin Cheonho who was wrapped in blue lightning. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! Was this what a fight between mythical beings was like? Along with the constant explosions, the surrounding buildings were destroyed as if they were nothing. And¡­ Taking advantage of the chaos, the faculties and students evacuated everyone to the gym. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± ¡°Everyone! Please hurry a little more!¡± In a situation where no one could leave due to the barrier, the best choice now was to hide in a safe place and wait for help. As such, the gym at the institute could be said to be the best place for everyone to hide. Considering it was built for hero training purposes, it boasted a strong durability that could withstand most shocks. There were the mana-absorbing walls and even shock mitigation magic to respond to various attacks. On top of that, there was even a special barrier for emergencies¡­ ¡°All right! Activate it now!¡± Dokgo Hakju shouted as soon as everyone entered the gym. In response to his urgent shout, one of the professors hurriedly manipulated a console attached to the wall. Immediately after, mana spread in all directions and the protective system covering the gym was activated. Clank¨C Clank¨C Thick metal structures rose from the floor and surrounded the gym as the magic circles that were engraved on it glowed, adding more durability to the walls. Soon, inside the gym where the lights were completely cut off, the yellowish ceiling lights came on. ¡°Is it done¡­?¡± To confirm that it was working, Dokgo Hakju operated his mana and cast a spell at the walls to see if there was anything wrong with the system. The walls where the blade of mana met was absorbed like a sponge sucking in water. Fortunately, the barrier was working as expected. After checking it over and over again, he breathed out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Huu¡­this relieves a lot of anxiety.¡± A little later, maybe it was because he wasn¡¯t nervous anymore, but he could hear crying everywhere as voices calling the names of the scattered families resonated throughout the gym. He watched the sight with mixed emotions. Damn it¡­if there¡¯s trouble¡­ What he wanted was just to finish his term without any accidents. For some reason, he felt like he was constantly involved in one accident after another this year. Along with such a feeling, a boy¡¯s face came to mind. This is all because of Choi Noah! Didn¡¯t the monsters shout a little while ago? Give them Noah. He didn¡¯t know what kind of mess he had caused outside, but somehow big problems always followed each time. As expected¡­All the discomfort I had felt this morning was all because of him! Once this matter was safely over, he planned to send him out of here by any means. Just as he had calmed his anger inside, someone¡¯s voice was heard from the side. ¡°Hello, Director. I¡¯m Kim Taehi from Gyeonggi-do¡¯s Hero Association. Do you have a moment?¡± When he turned his head, there stood a large woman and a man with a shaggy face. Who are they? Did Noah cause another accident? Considering that he had suffered terribly by the Gyeonggi-do branch because of Noah recently, he asked politely even though he was annoyed. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Can you tell me more about the current situation? I¡¯m afraid the durability of the system will determine our future measures.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that part.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dokgo Hakju explained to Kim Taehi about the barrier surrounding the place. The metal structures surrounding the gym were made of materials that absorbed mana like those used on the training ground. In other words, most magic and abilities that use mana won¡¯t work. Therefore, it was virtually impossible to invade this place unless large-scale heavy equipment such as cranes were used to destroy it or attacks beyond the mana limit of the barrier. ¡°¡­So we¡¯re safe, at least for the time being.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I see. That¡¯s a relief.¡± Kim Taehi nodded and sighed briefly after hearing the explanation from Dokgo Hakju. After a while, she spoke to him with a cautious expression. ¡°Then, can I ask for your help with field control instead? It seems managing the chain-of-command is more important than anything else for now, so rather than us, I think it would be best for the faculties to lead.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­That certainly makes sense. Well, I see. I¡¯ll do that. But later, the Hero Association¡¯s report¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­yes, that¡¯s something to think about later, but don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ahem. Thank you.¡± When Dokgo Hakju thought about it again, he realized perhaps the current situation could be an opportunity for him. Stuck at this institute, how many chances were there to make a contribution? Okay. I¡¯d rather take this opportunity to regain my place. While Dokgo Hakju was lost in thought, suddenly someone shouted at him. ¡°I have an objection!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The eyes in the gym turned to one person in unison. Standing there was a well-kempt man. The man spoke sharply. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone heard it clearly a while ago! The monsters are looking for a trainee named Choi Noah. That means the institute had failed to manage the trainees properly and is responsible for this disaster!¡± His sudden remark put a perplexed expression on Dokgo Hakju¡¯s face. Th-this damn guy¡­! Dokgo Hakju forced his mouth open to defend Noah. ¡°Ugh! It¡¯s not like that! Choi Noah is also a victim, so let¡¯s all be a little more rational¡­¡± But before he could finish his words, more spoke up. ¡°C-cut the crap! He¡¯s the only one responsible for this! H-how are you going to take responsibility?!¡± ¡°My daughter is dead! My daughter is dead!!¡± The uproar that quickly started began to spread. Everyone seemed to be trying to shake off their anxiety and fear as they angrily shouted at the faculties. ¡°I can¡¯t trust such an institute to lead this place! Doesn¡¯t everyone think so?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Bring Choi Noah here right now!¡± Angered voices echoed from all sides. As a result, forgetting the situation they were in, chaos ensued inside the gym. Meanwhile, Shirahui, who was watching everything, felt a sense of oddity that was difficult to explain in words. This¡­Is it okay to be so calm? Her father had always reminded her to never let her guard down under any circumstances in front of a villain. Furthermore, the monsters that had appeared this time felt different from the villains she had seen so far. She had felt a terrible chill the moment she confronted them earlier. And, her foreboding told her that it wouldn¡¯t end so easily. No matter how great the facilities here are¡­they can¡¯t come in just because of a barrier? No, on second thought, that could never be the case. I should tell the professors right now¡­ Just as she thought to do so, ¡°Punish Choi Noah right now¡­Kkueeook!¡± ¡°?!¡± A man who was complaining to the faculties, suddenly vomited blood and fell down. His face immediately began to warp, and not before long, it split in half. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°H-huh? Wh-what¡¯s this?!¡± Through the skin of the man¡¯s face, tiny things covered in mucus popped out. They were a small group of beetles with colorful shells. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, back off! It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± Dokgo Hakju shouted, having quickly judged the situation. ¡°Kkeuaaak!¡± ¡°N-no, I-I want to live¡­Keuhok!¡± As if a step late, dozens of people nearby the man collapsed to the floor in pain. In an instant, people¡¯s heads were torn apart and countless beetles began to crawl out. Soon, the beetles that had hatched and gathered in one place slowly formed a human-like figure. In its place at some point, a naked man could be seen stretching leisurely in the middle of the gym. He had antennas on his head and insect wings on his back. ¡°Th-that¡¯s the guy from earlier¡­¡± ¡°D-damn it! You said the barrier was absolutely safe! What the hell is going on here?¡± Those who saw it couldn¡¯t help but to panic. How was that monster here? Meanwhile, the monster looked around before pointing at a man. ¡°I like that outfit.¡± ¡°Euaaak! D-don¡¯t come!¡± A beam of light as bright as the sun extended from the monster¡¯s fingertip to where he was pointing. The man, who was directly hit by the beam, disappeared with his whole body burning. Afterwards, the monster slowly approached and picked up the man¡¯s clothes that had fallen and wore them. ¡°Mhm~ It fits my body better than I thought.¡± Dokgo Hakju shouted at the monster. ¡°Villain! Identify yourself!¡± Befitting of an A-Rank hero, terrifying mana was swirling from his body. In response, the monster combed back his hair and gracefully introduced himself. ¡°Huhu~ Nice to meet you all~ My name is Henri. An Apostle who was bestowed the nickname Scarab.¡± ¡°Apostle¡­What the hell is that?¡± ¡°Heum~ Let¡¯s not talk about such a boring thing.¡± ¡°Villain! Enough talk!¡± Mana blades fired from the hands of Dokgo Hakju poured into Henri in an instant. However¡­ ¡°Keuhok!¡± ¡°?!¡± Henri had used the man next to him as a shield and simply fended off the flying blades. *** Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks *** ¡°I never thought there would be so many toys here, hehe¡­this is very good!¡± ¡°S-such viciousness!¡± Seeing what had happened, Dokgo Hakju trembled with a stunned expression. Meanwhile, Henri looked around leisurely. At the end of his gaze was the gym blocked by thick walls. ¡°You¡¯re all insects in a box, hehe~¡± It was impossible to release the barrier that would have protected the people for a certain period of time. And rather, it had become a prison that was restraining them. ¡°Now, shall we start the game?¡± Henri¡¯s mouth tore open into a bright smile. * * * * * * * * * * Fabre Jean-Henri. Also known as Scarab. Originally a perfectly ordinary man born on a farm in rural France. If there was something different about him from other people, it was just that he had been obsessed with collecting insect specimens since he was a kid. Unlike the other executives of Eighth Layer Hell, he lived a peaceful life in his own way, so why he had became one of the Apostles of an Evil God, even the other Apostles who were close to him didn¡¯t know properly. But if there was one thing for certain, of the eight Apostles, it was Henri who had the purest ¡®evil¡¯. ¡°Huhuhu~ Who would be good?¡± Henri twirled his finger and pointed at the people as if he was playing a game. And whenever that happens, people in the direction would busily shove one another to get away from his finger. ¡°G-get out of my way you bastard! Get lost!¡± ¡°Fuck! You¡¯re blocking the way, ajumma!¡± Chaos. People in panic didn¡¯t care about their surroundings as they struggled to save their own lives. A little boy who had missed his parents¡¯ hands fell down while dozens and hundreds of people brutally trampled over him. ¡°Aahh! N-no! My baby is under there!!!¡± Henri, who was watching everything with a bright smile, stopped his finger. ¡°I-t!¡± At that moment, a beam from his fingertip penetrated in a straight line between the fleeing people. ¡°Kkeuaak!¡± ¡°S-save me!!¡± Like a mosquito against a fire, the bodies of those who were touched by the beam instantly turned to ashes. ¡°Huhu, good, good~ Very good! I¡¯m glad I followed you!¡± An empty line was created in the thick crowd. Henri smiled contentedly and began to twirl his finger again. ¡°Okay~ Who should go next~¡± As soon as his words fell, people began to flee in all directions. Bang¨C! Bang¨C! ¡°O-open the barrier! Please open the barrier!¡± ¡°Release the barrier right now! We¡¯re all going to die like this!¡± People crowded the gym¡¯s barrier, knocking frantically on the walls¡­ ¡°No one can get out of this insect container~¡± This was a perfectly enclosed space. There was nowhere they could escape. ¡°Those who try to escape should be punished, right?¡± Another surge of light emanated from Henri¡¯s fingertip. Immediately after, the people who were in front of the barrier were turned into burnt ashes in the wind. ¡°How dare you!¡± Dokgo Hakju, who had been panicking and watching everything blankly, came to his senses belatedly and cried out. His body was exuding an overwhelming amount of mana that couldn¡¯t be compared to before. Soon, the mana turned into hundreds of blades and began to float around his body by one. ¡°How dare you kill in Dokgo Hakju¡¯s presence? You messed with the wrong person today!¡± ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you also a murderer? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Henri pointed to the body that had been dismembered by Dokgo Hakju¡¯s attack earlier. Seeing it, Dokgo Hakju shouted with a distorted expression. ¡°Enough talk! I¡¯ll kill you today to make justice right!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help you, Director!¡± Dokgo Hakju, the other professors, and some of the heroes who attended the festival stepped forward in unison as they released their abilities. On the other hand, Henri gave a strange smile when he saw such a sight. ¡°What? Did you want to play with me so badly? Everyone¡¯s in a hurry.¡± From his body, gray powder similar to coal burst out like an explosion. ¡°Euaak!¡± ¡°Avoid it, everyone!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this?! Is it poison?!¡± It would have been better if it was outdoors, but the gray powder diffused relentlessly in the enclosed space. The result was that everyone inside the gym, with nowhere to escape, became covered in the gray powder. However¡­ ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­It¡¯s okay, right?¡± After the thick dust subsided, everyone had no choice but to show a puzzled expression. They were obviously attacked, but nothing had changed. After a brief moment of silence, the people who had come to their senses one by one were able to regain their confidence soon after. ¡°Hahaha! It wasn¡¯t a big deal!¡± ¡°This is our chance! Let¡¯s all work together and get rid of him!¡± As everyone thought as such, someone¡¯s shrill scream rang out inside the gym. ¡°Kyaaak!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned in unison. Where they looked, there was the sight of a professor wielding a knife at the students around him. ¡°W-wait a minute! Professor! What is this¡­Kuaaak!¡± An unexpected murder. However, the tragedy didn¡¯t stop there. A woman with a very distorted expression stretched out her hands towards her husband. ¡°A-ah? Wh-what¡¯s w-wrong with me? M-my body isn¡¯t listening to me!¡± ¡°H-honey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The telekinesis that stretched out from her fingertips lifted her husband¡¯s body into the air. And soon, the man¡¯s joints were twisted as his arms and legs began to slowly tear. ¡°Keuaaak!!¡± ¡°N-no! Please! Please stop!¡± At the end of her bitter cry, her husband¡¯s limbs were eventually separated, scattering blood in all directions. ¡°Euaaak!!! Honey!!!¡± A difficult sight to watch. In any case, people had no time to watch. That was because others in the gym were also experiencing a similar situation. The nun who had sworn to give her life to God went up to the podium and began to undress. The father who loved his family more than anything else was beating his own family with tears of blood. As Henri watched everything unfold, he burst into laughter with a shiver. ¡°Aye~ It¡¯s such a beautiful sound! It¡¯s really the best!¡± What was more disastrous than anything else in this situation was that the same was happening to other high-ranking heroes. ¡°N-no! Get out of the way!¡± A mana sword extending from Dokgo Hakju¡¯s hand swept across the surrounding area like a windmill. ¡°Kkeuaaak!¡± ¡°H-help me¡­Keuhok!¡± Where the blade had passed was a bloodbath, as pieces of flesh rose and fell like rain. Thud, thud, thud¨C! ¡°Euaaak! No!!!¡± Dogko Hakju shouted. However, it was buried among the other screams that were already filling the gym. It was a horrible landscape where everyone was attacking one another. And because of the constant flow of blood, a blood mist was even seen rising to the ceiling. ¡°Oh, right. Sophia had told me to spare some, but¡­How can I hold it in when I see this, huhu~¡± Henri walked leisurely in the middle of such a hellish landscape. ¡°How should we play? A fight between brothers? No, that¡¯s too lame. Ah! Yes, that would be good. Brothers and sisters will stand on the stage¡­¡± Just as he slowly approached a man and woman pair after having thought of something, Crackle¨C! At that moment, a bright yellow flash came down his face. ¡°Keuk!¡± Stunned by the sudden blow, he turned his head reflexively. However, he couldn¡¯t completely avoid it and one end of his antennae was blackened. ¡°Wh-what!¡± What was going on here? Why was there an attack coming in that direction? Did the parasites make a mistake? Rather, it was an attack with a clear intention to kill. Then what¡¯s the situation¡­? While he was perplexed, a girl slowly walked out through the hellish landscape. Crackle¨C As her bright yellow hair fluttered in all directions, golden sparks flashed around her body. Impossible¡­my ability didn¡¯t work? There had never been a case where his parasites didn¡¯t work. Once it penetrated the host¡¯s body, no matter who the target was, they must obey his orders. The only exception was a beast or familiar already controlled by a summoner. However, the girl in front of him seemed far from that no matter how much he observed. In his confused state, people began to walk out next to the girl one by one. A man with tonfas in both hands. A woman with colorful hair. A giant with a lot of hair on his face. A woman as big as a bear. Nearly 100 people were rallying outside the control of his parasite. What the hell is going on here? It was a phenomenon beyond his comprehension. The power of parasites was an absolute power bestowed directly from the great Angra Mainyu. There are so many people who can go against that kind of power¡­? At the end of Henri¡¯s flustered gaze, he suddenly saw one thing they all had in common. On one side of their chest was an unidentified badge. ARK? What was ARK? What does the word mean? Perhaps it was a secret association to stop the resurrection of Angra Mainyu. Right, otherwise it doesn¡¯t make sense. Henri, who had come to such a conclusion, unlike before, asked them with a tense expression. ¡°Tell me who you are. What the hell does ARK mean?¡± The girl who had attacked him a moment ago slowly pointed the tip of her sword at him. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°ARK is¡­¡± Covered in bright lightning, she charged at Henri and shouted. ¡°Choi Noah¡¯s official fan club, you dung beetle!¡± ____ ____ Chapter 88 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 88 Shirahui pointed her sword at Henri while awakening the dormant power of Lightning Calamity within her body. < Lightning Calamity > *1st Stage Bright yellow sparks sprang from her body as high-voltage currents began to discharge. Crackle¨C A near-infinite destructive force that threatened to turn everything to ashes. However, in the midst of exuding such a terrifying energy, her expression was rather calm. Good¡­I can do it this time. It certainly wasn¡¯t the case a few days ago. She didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason it felt much easier to control the power of Lightning Calamity ever since the last overload. Let¡¯s put an end to this. The infinite power burning within her inspired a confidence that she could do anything. Taking a quick deep breath, she kicked off the floor and charged at Henri by herself. Baaaang¨C! Along with a sonic boom that resembled the sound of thunder, her body shot forward in a straight line. Was this what a lightning strike looked like from the ground? Her figure enveloped in a bright yellow light was reminiscent of a streak of lightning. Although this was her first time meeting a real villain, she was resolute in her mind. I have to stop him. As a result of her consciousness accelerating faster than ever, even a fleeting second was clearly visible in her eyes. Henri widened his eyes in surprise and twisted his body belatedly, but¡­ It¡¯s too late to avoid it! Before the sound was even heard, her sword had stretched out like lightning and penetrated his neck. Crackle¨C! Done! She was sure of her success the moment she saw it. However¡­ ¡°My pretty, you¡¯re much faster than you look. You caught me by surprise just now.¡± ¡°?!¡± Henri said as he calmly looked down at his pierced neck. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± ¡°Why? Did you think you could kill me with this kind of attack? Hehe, that¡¯s cute.¡± His mouth tore open into a bright smile as if he had really found it amusing. And, under his torn neck were countless bugs crawling around. ¡°Heuung~ If you look at my skin like that, I¡¯ll be embarrassed.¡± Where her blade was embedded, bugs began to crawl out. Then, as her blade was still embedded in his neck, he suddenly lunged at her. ¡°Keuh!¡± She threw away her sword and stepped back in a hurry. Damn it¡­I was too careless. She didn¡¯t think there would be someone who would be fine after having their neck pierced. However, no matter how soon a person realized their regret, it would always be too late. Before she knew it, his neck had completely recovered and he could be seen bending his neck side to side in a relaxed manner. ¡°Well, it was honestly a good try~¡± He slowly approached her while stretching out his finger. ¡°¡­But you¡¯re still a long way off.¡± A bright light like the sun gathered from his fingertip. The killing intent she felt from it made her breathless. Realizing that her body will disappear without a trace the moment it came into contact with that light, her body stiffened. N-no! Move! Please! Cold sweats ran down her spine and breathing became increasingly difficult. She desperately commanded her body, but as if she had forgotten how to walk, her legs didn¡¯t budge at all. ¡°You¡¯ll have to pay for your action. Huhu~¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Why did she do something so reckless at such a crucial moment? If she had thought it through a little more carefully, or if she was a little more powerful like her father¡­ Otherwise¡­this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­ She sensed her death. The moment she felt herself hanging by a rope, a familiar man¡¯s voice came from behind her. ¡°Watch out!¡± At the same time, a dragon-shaped flame struck Henri and a wall of fire rose high up toward the ceiling. Bang¨C! When Shirahui turned her head, there stood Yeom Gangjun with eyes blazing like fire. ¡°Rahui! Are you okay?¡± ¡°Gangjun¡­oraboni?¡± Following him were Mousin with his tonfas and Saki who grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°What are you doing standing in a daze? Get a hold of yourself!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­Rahui, why are you going alone again?!¡± It suddenly dawned on Shirahui the moment she saw them. Right¡­I¡¯m not alone anymore. She had made up her mind to give up trying to be the center of attention, but¡­again without thinking, she was the only one who had stepped out. Was I still chasing my father¡¯s shadow? Meanwhile, other members of Choi Noah¡¯s fan club rushed toward her and shouted. ¡°Hey new club member! Don¡¯t suddenly rush off by yourself!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one we can rely on now that Noah isn¡¯t here!¡± ¡°Yes! Please get a hold of yourself!¡± Everyone had acknowledged her strength and had expected her to lead. Not long ago, she had struggled hard to stand above others, but now that she was acknowledged by everyone, there was no excitement at all. Rather, she was full of guilt for her rash action. I¡¯ve got these amazing peers next to me, but while in the moment¡­I had forgotten. Noah had introduced her to everyone before the start of the school festival. Not only that, he had asked everyone to join forces if anyone from the Hero Association were to come. As such, everyone here had a connection to Noah. But above all else, they were irreplaceable people who had freed her from her own world. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shirahui meekly bowed her head and apologized. Then, with a distinctively different demeanor from before, she looked at everyone and continued. ¡°I¡¯ll personally lead starting now, so let¡¯s join forces and go with the plan.¡± Everyone who heard her answer smiled briefly as they lifted their weapons. ¡°That¡¯s what we practiced, so there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it, new club member.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill that monster so we can brag to Noah.¡± While everyone was preparing for battle, Yeom Gangjun¡¯s fire wall, which was burning endlessly, began to sink slowly. Seeing that, Shirahui shouted. ¡°Get ready, everyone! That monster should be weakened after being hit by Gangjun-oraboni¡¯s flames! Everyone, attack in unison once I give my signal!¡± However¡­ ¡°Huu¡­It looks hot but the temperature is a bit lukewarm?¡± Standing on the glowing red floor, Henri calmly brushed off the embers from his clothes. Then, he lifted his finger and pointed at the crowd. ¡°If you want to use fire, it should at least be this hot.¡± Compressed heat shot from his fingertip in a straight line. ¡°Everyone, dodge!¡± Yeom Gangjun, who created a shield of fire in front of everyone, collided head on with Henri¡¯s attack. Bang¨C! ¡°Keuook!¡± However, it wasn¡¯t enough to fend off the attack, and as such, along with a big explosion, his body bounced far away. *** *** Henri gave a low, mocking chuckle as if he had just hit a home run. ¡°Hahaha, his flame isn¡¯t very good, but at least he certainly has a strong body.¡± Hearing Henri¡¯s laughter, Shirahui bit her lips to the point of bleeding. I have to bear it¡­If I get worked up again, it¡¯s over. Because of the sudden change in situation, they were now dealing with a monster instead of the Hero Association. However, the fact that she had to lead everyone remained the same. Noah had entrusted me to lead everyone. I have to stay calm. Although she wanted to immediately run to Yeom Gangjun, she pulled herself together and shouted. ¡°Everyone, go with Plan C! Get ready!¡± A last resort in case there was an absolute being among those from the Hero Association. The strategy that might have been used against her father today was now being used to kill a monster. As soon as her words fell, about 30 people quickly moved to surround Henri. From the weapons in their hands, it could be seen that they were all close-combat specialists. ¡°Huu? What kind of game is this~ I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Fortunately or unfortunately, Henri just watched their movements and didn¡¯t take any action. Let¡¯s see how long that relaxed attitude will last! Shirahui immediately gave the next instruction. ¡°Suppress!¡± The trainees spun in one direction, gradually narrowing the encirclement. A basic formation widely known in the murim world. It was an array based on ¡®Sancai.¡¯ (TN: There¡¯s more to it, but in short it refers to Heaven, Earth, and Man in Chinese philosophy.) Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Not only was it a simple method to put pressure on the opponent¡¯s movements just by rallying mana, it had the advantage of being easy for anyone to learn in a short time. ¡°What¡¯s this? Don¡¯t tell me this was it? Isn¡¯t it a bit disappointing?¡± As Henri said, certainly with only this, they won¡¯t be able to do any damage to such an absolute being. However, their plan didn¡¯t end there. ¡°Move to Phase 2!¡± As if waiting, those with range attack abilities began to use their abilities at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯t spare anything and let it all out!¡± ¡°Kill him!!!¡± Trainees from murim sent their swords flying, and those who had learned magic recited the most destructive magic they knew. Not only that, but also fire, ice, gravity, telekinesis, etc¡­abilities. Various abilities flew toward Henri in unison. Baaaaang¨C! Bang¨C! Baang¨C! A series of explosions resounded. Due to the countless attacks, even Henri¡¯s figure could no longer be seen. However, beyond it came his voice. ¡°K¡­keuh¡­How¡­dare you!¡± Unlike a moment ago, there was no sense of relaxation in his tone. We can win! They couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. There won¡¯t be a next time where Henri would welcome their attacks. Without delay, Shirahui shouted. ¡°Saki-unnie!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting!¡± Trainees specialized in support that were standing in the back began to collectively use their abilities on Saki. ¡°O-oh? Oooooh! Oh! Oh!! My power is increasing! I¡¯m getting super strong!¡± Increase Strength, Increase Speed, Amplify Mana, etc¡­ Saki, who had received several buffs, confidently spoke to Shirahui. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°Good! Let¡¯s send you right away!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Let¡¯s go!¡± Trainees with space transfer abilities immediately transported Saki to where Henri was. Then, Shirahui shouted. ¡°Stop the attacks! Move to Phase 3!¡± Trainees who had been saving their strength only for this moment began to use their abilities. ¡°Ice Dome!¡± Thick spheres of ice surrounded Henri and Saki. ¡°Spirit of Earth, please lend me your power!¡± Earth walls created by a spirit. ¡°Space Constraint!¡± Various space and barrier related abilities began to layer. Soon, looking at the terrifying and thick dome in the middle of the gym, Shirahui shouted. ¡°Now!¡± Why the name of the plan was Plan C. It neither meant the third best option nor did it meant the third plan. The real meaning was¡­ ¡°Fu~ck You! Explosion!!¡± (TN: C(ssi) = ssibal = fuck.) Along with Saki¡¯s cry came a huge explosion inside the dome. Boooom¨C! Saki¡¯s explosion, strengthened by various abilities, was even more terrifying than what they had imagined. The gym¡¯s walls shook like crazy as old dust fell from the ceiling to the point where some were worried that the building might collapse at this rate. Also, because the dome was built by superimposing hundreds of layers of abilities, the inside had become like a furnace. As such, with nowhere for the heat to escape, the temperature rose endlessly. However, even with all the protective magic and armed floor, because of the overflowing heat from underneath, the dome was sinking deeper and deeper into the floor. ¡°D-damn it! I think the dome is going to break!¡± ¡°Hold on! We¡¯re all going to die if we don¡¯t make it here!¡± To maintain the dome, everyone continued to squeeze out their abilities even as their eyes became bloodshot. After an unknown amount of time, the vibration in the gym finally died down and the lingering sound of the explosion became silent. Then again through the space transfer ability, Saki was sent outside. From her completely naked body, hot steam rose as if she had just come out of a sauna. ¡°Ugh¡­I¡¯m beat¡­I want to sleep¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for the hard work, unnie.¡± Shirahui immediately handed over the uniform she was wearing. So far¡­everything is going according to plan. She, who was well aware of the power of an S-Rank, had come up with the plan herself. So in theory, if properly executed, it should be hard for any S-Rank to survive even if they were absolute beings. But¡­It¡¯s too early to jump to conclusions. She was sure of victory when she had pierced Henri¡¯s neck earlier, but he was alive and well, so although it was unlikely, there might be something up his sleeve this time too. However, she and the other trainees could only stare at the hot dome with anxious looks because they would have to release the dome first if they wanted to look inside. Just as time passed, it was none other than the voices of people all around that had put an end to their wait. ¡°M-my body¡­It¡¯s back to normal.¡± ¡°Wh-what have I done¡­¡± ¡°A-ah!!!¡± Those who were manipulated by Henri had finally regained their freedom. There were cries with a mixture of despair and relief as the gym broke out into a commotion. Seeing that, the trainees looked at one another with a somewhat stunned expression. ¡°A-ah¡­So this¡­¡± ¡°No way¡­is he dead?¡± After a short moment, smiles gradually began to bloom on the trainees¡¯ faces. ¡°Did we do it? Is it really over?¡± ¡°We won¡­We won¡­Heuk.¡± Trainees who didn¡¯t relax until the end, sat down one by one and breathed a sigh of relief. The same was true for Shirahui who had kept her composure. I¡­No, we did it! It still hadn¡¯t sunk in at all. To kill such a formidable villain on their own. In fact, she was half in doubt when she came up with the plan. Even though they had numbers on their side, was it possible for them to get together and stop the Hero Association? However, with one mind to protect Noah, everyone had tried to strive toward the success of the plan without any complaints. Their target had naturally changed, but in any case, wasn¡¯t it because of their efforts that had made this possible? I¡¯m so glad¡­ Having been nervous and stiff until now, she sighed belatedly. Just as Noah had entrusted everyone to her, somehow she had managed to protect the remaining people here. The moment she thought as such, Gugu¨C ¡°?!¡± She heard something ominous coming from inside the dome that was still exuding high heat. Just now¡­? No way¡­ But as if it wasn¡¯t an illusion, the sound was heard more clearly than before. Gugugu¨C The noisy gym became silent as everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the dome. It can¡¯t be. Meanwhile, many scenarios played out in her head. It was a plan that would be even hard for her father to withstand. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s still alive¡­ Crack¨C Contrary to her wishes, the cracks that began to form around the dome grew out of control. A little later, Baaaaang¨C! The dome¡¯s ceiling consisting of hundreds of layers exploded. Then, between the scattered fragments, like an insect hatching from an egg, a monster crawled out. The monster that had appeared was completely different from what they had faced moments ago. Henri¡¯s whole body was surrounded by a glossy, colorful shell, and the face had become more like an insect than a human. However¡­ What had changed more than anything else was the size of his aura. ¡°H-how¡­It can¡¯t be¡­¡± She stared at Henri with her eyes wide open. There was already an overwhelming gap when she faced him earlier, but now there was a terrifying killing intent incomparable to before. In this world¡­there was such a monster? Just standing here made her whole body tremble regardless of her will. Ignoring the frightened people, Henri spread his wings and flew up as a wasp-like sound coming from his wings reverberated in all directions. ¡°You¡­How dare you make me use his power! My pretties, I tried to go easy on you, but you¡¯ve crossed the line! It¡¯s unforgivable!¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Staring at everyone with eyes full of malice, the angered Henri continued. ¡°I¡¯ll now show you what hell really is. Hehehe¡­¡± And soon, just as he had said, hell unfolded before everyone. ____ ____ Chapter 89 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 89 The gym quickly became filled with screams and panic after Henri¡¯s sudden transformation. ¡°Kuaaak!!¡± ¡°N-no! Please let me out of here!!¡± People pushed each other aside towards Henri by all means to survive. The memory of being infected by parasites earlier also added an instinctive fear in their minds. ¡°Y-you¡­H-how dare you, my daughter¡­Y-you¡¯re worse than a beast!!!¡± ¡°W-wait a minute, I was being controlled¡­keuk!¡± Meanwhile, Henri was watching everything with a wicked smile. ¡°Huhuhu, you all look more like insects now~ It¡¯s very pleasing to see~¡± Slowly raising his index finger, a highly condensed light was emitted. Baaaang¨C! The beam of light penetrated through the crowd of people, causing those who were touched by it to burst into flames. ¡°Aaaaak!¡± ¡°H-hot! H-hot!!!¡± ¡°Aaaak! Somebody put out the fire! P-please!¡± An excruciating pain enough to make death feel more comfortable. However, not even a quick death was allowed to them. Unlike the attacks from earlier, the flames burned particularly slowly this time. Those who couldn¡¯t just stand and watch came closer to help, but¡­ ¡°Kyaaak!!¡± As if the flames were alive, it clung to their bodies and persistently burned. Like that, many were burned alive. The smell of burnt flesh stung the tip of everyone¡¯s nose as they watched in a daze, unable to recklessly approach. Just then, a roar like that of a lion erupted and echoed loudly. ¡°How dare you!!!¡± The angered Dokgo Hakju released his mana resolutely. Countless blades began to emerge and swirl around him. { Sword Rain } An Arcane magic unique to him that had made him an A-Rank hero. Thousands of blades created from mana. It was no exaggeration to call him a one-man army. ¡°Whatever it takes today! I¡¯ll definitely kill you right here!!!¡± Soon, the blades in the air converged towards Henri at supersonic speed. Baaaaang¨C! Baaang¨C! Bang¨C! Shockwaves erupted in the area as clouds of dust rose and obscured the view. ¡°Diiiiie!!!¡± Dokgo Hakju shouted, pouring out every drop of mana into his attacks as if he was releasing all of his pent up anger. The bombardment of blades that had fallen so indiscriminately continued for a minute before everything fell silent. ¡°Heuk¡­Heuk¡­¡± He breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face. With a mixture of anxiety and expectations, everyone looked to where Henri was. How long was it? When the cloud of dust finally settled, Henri was still standing and smiling nonchalantly like before. ¡°Ha~ Is it already over?¡± He pretended to yawn in an exaggerated manner as if to ridicule everyone. On his rainbow colored shell, other than a small scratch, there was no significant damage. ¡°I-Impossible!¡± Dokgo Hakju shouted in disbelief. He had a bewildered expression like that of a man who had all of his common sense shattered. How durable was Henri¡¯s body to have withstood such attacks? And¡­ The others who were watching the scene together lowered their heads in despair. If an attack by Dokgo Hakju, who was among the most powerful here, didn¡¯t work, then how were they supposed to defeat such a monster? ¡°Now¡­it¡¯s really over.¡± Someone unconsciously blurted out, but it could be said that everyone was thinking the same thing. Just as despair was growing, a woman¡¯s resolute voice echoed loudly in the gym. ¡°Everyone, get a hold of yourself!¡± Those who had their heads lowered turned their eyes to one place. Standing there was a large woman. It was Kim Taehi. With an imposing expression, she shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll just be playing into his hands if we give up here! Don¡¯t you think we should at least fight until the end?!¡± Was it because they had felt the sincerity contained in her voice? The eyes of those who were dull and gloomy, one by one, began to show signs of life again. ¡°Yeah¡­let¡¯s try again!¡± ¡°Right! We¡¯ve already killed him once!¡± ¡°Fuuck! It¡¯s do or die!¡± Those who had once again resolved themselves, as if trying to overcome their fear, shouted fiercely and rushed at Henri. ¡°Diiiie!¡± ¡°You dung beetle!! Fuck you!¡± At the forefront, Kim Taehi, whose entire body was covered by graphite, advanced like a rhinoceros. ¡°Huu? That armor seems pretty sturdy.¡± Another beam of light stretched out from Henri¡¯s fingertips as Kim Taehi paved the way by receiving the attack with her whole body. Baaang¨C! Struck directly by the attack, she fell back like a cannonball and rolled across the floor. In the midst of that, she squeezed out her voice and shouted. ¡°Keep¡­going, this is our last chance¡­¡± Along the path she had opened, countless people at the back charged at Henri. ¡°Oraaah!¡± ¡°Die, monster!!¡± Trainees, faculties, heroes, and reporters who had come to see the school festival. *** *** Having used up all his mana, Dokgo Hakju forced himself to throw another blade, and even Yeom Gangjun, who was on the floor with a serious injury, shot a flame as he vomited blood. Everyone fiercely shouted as they bombarded Henri with their abilities. Bang, bang, bang¨C! Bang¨CBang!! Explosions reminiscent of a war, and everyone who was risking their lives in order to kill Henri. The sight of such people with noble determination was like a scene from a movie. However¡­The ending wasn¡¯t as beautiful as such. ¡°Hehe¡­No matter how desperate insects try, they¡¯re just insects after all.¡± An earnest attempt by everyone had ended in failure. There were only a few scratches here and there on Henri¡¯s colorful shell. ¡°Ah¡­A-ah¡­¡± ¡°N-no way¡­Wh-what the hell is that monster¡­¡± How could there be such a strong monster in the world? After experiencing such a phenomenon that was completely incomprehensible to common sense firsthand, a darker shadow than before loomed over everyone¡¯s faces. Henri who was watching it all showed a look of disappointment. ¡°Well, that seems to be all. It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything else to see, so let¡¯s get down to business.¡± His wings spread fully and between it, a sphere of light resembling the sun gradually emerged. Sensing the sinister mana emanating from his body, everyone faltered back in a panic again. However, it wasn¡¯t outdoors, so how could they avoid it in this enclosed space? Eventually, the sphere of light that had risen like the sun, brightened up the inside and illuminated everyone. As a result, the temperature rapidly rose and the gym quickly became filled with hot air. Everyone felt as if they had entered the middle of the desert. ¡°Kueuuuk!¡± ¡°M-my body¡­My body is burning¡­!¡± Heat that seemed to burn their lungs every time they breathe. The moisture in their bodies was quickly evaporating, and for some reason, even their mana was drying up and gradually depleting. In such a situation, the first to collapse were the elderly and women with weak constitutions. And then one by one, the heroes also fell. A-ah¡­at this rate¡­ Kim Taehi tried to get back on her feet. However, there was no strength left in her body due to the artificial sun. ¡­Is he trying to kill everyone in one breath? Collapsed on the floor, she felt despair. Henri seemed to have read Kim Taehi¡¯s thoughts as he looked at everyone who had fallen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much~ I don¡¯t want to really kill you guys either~¡± ¡°Wh¡­at¡­?¡± Was he saying he was going to be merciful now? Even though everyone knew the evil Henri would never do that, just in case, people watched his mouth with hope in their minds. Soon, Henri¡¯s mouth tore open on both sides, forming a smile. ¡°I told you a little while ago. I¡¯ll let you experience hell. So I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you die just like this~¡± He moved leisurely and approached a man nearby. It was a hero with a sturdy build who had desperately attacked him earlier. ¡°Wh-why are you coming this way¡­Stay away! Stay away!!¡± With difficulty moving his immobile body, he slowly tried to crawl away. ¡°My pretty~ I choose you.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°G-get away! Wh-what the hell are you going to do to me?!¡± The man looked up at Henri with a deeply terrified expression. ¡°Huhu~ You¡¯ll make a good mother.¡± ¡°M-mother¡­ Wh-what do you mean?! N-no! No! No! No! N-no!¡± Piik¨C! A long stinger protruding from Henri¡¯s tail penetrated the man¡¯s stomach. And like flies laying eggs in other insects, the stinger wiggled and something was injected. ¡°Kkeuaaaak!¡± The man seemed to be in pain as he frantically screamed and struggled. While his abdomen, like a pregnant woman, swelled up more and more. After some time, the moment his abdomen had swelled to the point where it could hardly get any bigger, ¨CPwok! Through the skin of the man¡¯s abdomen, two insects crawled out. Colorful beetles resembling Henri. On their backs were still remnants of the man¡¯s blood and guts. Henri looked at them lovingly and spoke. ¡°Aiya~ My pretties must be really hungry. I knew you would be, so I had prepared food. Make sure to chew slowly and eat a lot~¡± ¡°Kieeek! Kieek!¡± The insects quickly looked around. They crawled and sank their stingers into the abdomens of those nearest on the floor. ¡°N-no!!! Stay away! Please¡­Keuk!¡± ¡°Keuaaak!¡± Soon, the victims¡¯ abdomen tore open and two insects hatched from each. ¡°Kieeeek!! The four newly hatched insects dug into the bodies of those nearby. Kim Taehi closed her eyes tightly when she saw the same terrible scene repeating itself. A-ah¡­Everyone will really die at this rate¡­ The insects doubled each time. Before long, the number would grow exponentially. And if such prolific insects attacked a nearby city¡­ It¡¯s all over¡­ Now, it wasn¡¯t just the problem of the gym or institute. If they didn¡¯t stop these insects from increasing here, there would be an unprecedented catastrophe. But when everyone had collapsed, how could they stop such insects? Meanwhile, Henri wasn¡¯t just sitting idly watching the insects. ¡°Oho~ You still have some energy left? Good, good. I was bored waiting, so play with me.¡± While wandering around the gym, he helped the insects reproduce by shooting light beams at those who could still move. We have to deal with him and his insects¡­There¡¯s really no way! Finally, an insect also started crawling towards Kim Taehi. The face of her daughter who she couldn¡¯t protect a long time ago passed through her mind. Just as she felt her own end, Crackle¨C! Along with a deafening sound of thunder, the insect was killed. This sound¡­? She immediately turned her head. And there, it was Shirahui, who was barely struggling to stand. Crackle¨C! Bang! Baaang¨C! Lightning struck the insects that were spreading in all directions and were killed one by one. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­¡± The sound of Shirahui¡¯s ragged breathing reverberated in the gym as Henri looked at her with interest. ¡°Oho~ This is interesting. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve run out of stamina and mana¡­So how can you still move? As Henri had said, Shirahui at first glance seemed to have already reached her limit. So how was such a girl moving? Kim Taehi and the others who had collapsed looked at her in disbelief. ¡°Noah entrusted me¡­¡± Shirahui willed her trembling legs and stood up completely. ¡°So¡­I will protect everyone at all costs!¡± Her hair that had returned to normal turned a bright yellow like lightning again. Henri burst into laughter so loudly that his Adam¡¯s apple could be seen. ¡°Keuhahahah! You¡¯re going to protect everyone here? Okay~ Okay~ Well, that¡¯s going to be fun.¡± Henri said, lifting his finger slowly. ¡°Shall we see how long our pretty girl will last?¡± ¡°Stop!!¡± At that moment, a beam of light from Henri ¡®s fingers stretched out towards the people on the floor. * * * * * * * * * * I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Shirahui as I headed to the gym. Damn it¡­I had a bad feeling about this. I wish she would just hide quietly and wait, but if it was her and her urge to step forward, there was a good chance she would attack the monster first. And then what if my reward flew away? No, I would never allow such a thing to happen! This was why I hated these kinds of missions where I had to save or protect someone. To earn this reward, how much effort had I put in until now¡­ And to fail it? Just thinking about it felt awful. But since there was no failure message yet¡­I had to get there as soon as possible. I stretched my body forward and speeded up by circulating mana in my legs. After running at full speed, it wasn¡¯t long before I arrived at the gym. However¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± When I arrived in front of the gym, there was a thick barrier I had never seen before surrounding the exterior. What was the deal with this barrier when I was in a rush? I immediately drew my sword and swung at it. However¡­ Bang¨C! The walls, like the metal found on the ground of the training grounds, had absorbed the mana and my blade was repelled. It was no different with my magic attack. The barrier was somewhat chipped, but the thickness was too thick for me to dare pierce it when I was pressed for time. ¡°What¡¯s¡­this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a protection system at the gym. As you can see, the barrier is made of metal that absorbs mana, so it¡¯s hard to break in with most attacks.¡± Samaria, who had caught up to me at some point, kindly explained. ¡°Oh? Does that mean the people inside are safe?¡± If that was the case, from my point of view, it would be more beneficial to keep them together in a safe place. However, at my words, she showed a somber expression. ¡°Well¡­I tried contacting the Director a little while ago, but I couldn¡¯t reach him. Looks like something has happened inside.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± As expected, there was no way everything would work out so smoothly. I looked at Samaria and asked eagerly. ¡°So there¡¯s no way to get in there right now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible unless you turn off the barrier from both the inside and outside at the same time. Otherwise, we have no choice but to use heavy equipment to demolish it layer by layer.¡± That was impossible. How long would I have to wait when I was already short on time? Haa¡­Did I really have to give up here? The efforts I had put in so far passed through my mind. I couldn¡¯t believe I was going to have to give up a reward that was right in front of me¡­ Irritation rapidly surged from deep within my heart. Just as I was getting increasingly depressed, Samaria added in an uncertain tone. ¡°Ah, actually¡­It¡¯s impossible, but there¡¯s another way¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± It wasn¡¯t time to be picky about leftover rice. Rather, for me, it was worth a try one way or the other. ¡°In fact, this metal isn¡¯t capable of absorbing mana indefinitely. So if you inject mana beyond the limits of a given volume, the barrier will instantly stop functioning.¡± ¡°You mean¡­it¡¯ll open if it¡¯s injected with a lot of mana, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­but it¡¯s practically impossible to exceed the limit of this massive structure¡­¡± Samaria looked as if she had given up all hope. However¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Huh? Relief¡­What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°If all I need is to put some mana into it¡­¡± Leaving the puzzled Samaria behind, I approached the enormous barrier. ¡°¡­Then the problem is simple for me.¡± Placing my hand on the cold metal wall, I slowly drew mana from deep within my body. In addition to my mana stat that had been steadily rising, there was also the dragon gene that was absorbed not too long ago. With the belief in my own resilience, I began to pour mana into the barrier recklessly. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t something you can solve¡­¡± Samaria who was next to me tried to stop me. However, I ignored her and continued to inject mana into the barrier. After some time, ¡°Like I said, why don¡¯t you give up and we¡¯ll find another way¡­¡± The moment Samaria had spoken again, Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Thoom, thoom, thoom¨C ¡°?!¡± The walls that seemed impossible to waver, at last, began to vibrate little by little. ____ ____ Chapter 90 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 90 An outstretched finger mimicking a gun was aimed towards one side of the gym. Soon, without fail, piercing screams of those on death¡¯s doors could be heard. ¡°Kuaaak! W-water! Water! Somebody please help me!¡± ¡°Aaak! Hot! Hot! Hot!¡± A man engulfed in fire rolled on the floor while a woman whose flesh was ghastly scorched was trying to take her own life by banging her head against the wall. It was horrible sights that were unbearable to watch even for veteran heroes who were accustomed to various brutal scenes. On the contrary, the person who was responsible for this, just like a child burning ants to death with a magnifying glass, simply watched with a pleased expression. ¡°A-ah~ Could there be more beautiful music in the world? It¡¯s truly a wonderful sound to hear.¡± However, even in such a hellish landscape, Shirahui continued to throw her body to protect the people without reserve. Engulfed in bright yellow lightning, she directly intercepted the destructive beams. Baaang¨C! A shockwave spread in all directions as a highly compressed beam was redirected towards the ceiling and carving it with soot. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± As a result of her quick action, the woman standing behind her was fortunately saved. However¡­ ¡°Kkeuook!¡± Unfortunately, Shirahui was only one person and naturally could only save one person at a time. The body of a man opposite where she stood was engulfed in fire. ¡°Huhu~ My pretty~ You shouted so loudly that you would save everyone. But is that all you got?¡± Henri jerked his finger and laughed at her actions. ¡°You know what? The man just died because you didn¡¯t save him. My pretty, it¡¯s no different from you letting him die~¡± ¡°Haak¡­haak¡­shut up, you son of a bitch!¡± Shirahui panted as she cursed Henri. Her lungs were burning and there was a metallic taste in her mouth. She was truly squeezing out everything she had. And in fact, even without Henri¡¯s provocation, she was keenly aware of her limits. Now more than anything else, what tormented her the most wasn¡¯t the destructive beams, rather, it was the psychological pressure from Henri constantly forcing her to make a choice. ¡°A-ah~ That guy wasn¡¯t saved because he was ugly¡­What a pity. He should pray to be born as a woman in his next life. Hehe.¡± Hearing Henri¡¯s mockery of the dead man caused her mind to waver. And whenever that happened, Shirahui would bite her lips and try to calm her heart. Don¡¯t be swayed by his words¡­That would really put everyone in danger. Her father had always said the situation will quickly become a crisis the moment a hero harbors personal feelings while on duty. So what she needed to do now was not be buried in a sense of needless guilt but to struggle and save one more person. ¡­Thinking can come later. Her eyes that were wavering sank coldly. And in front of her, Henri raised his finger again. ¡°Then~ Try to guess where it¡¯ll go this time~¡± Baaang¨C! Bang¨C! Baaaaang¨C! Deafening explosions filled the gym. Lightning constantly collided with the beams and gave off a splendid glow. Although countless people died in front of such beams, Shirahui silently continued to throw herself unperturbed. All to save even one more person. How long was it? The expression of Henri who had been smiling brightly began to crumble. And then at some point, putting down his finger like a kid who had lost interest in his toy, he bitterly spat out. ¡°Ah~ It¡¯s no fun.¡± The scene he had wanted to see was Shirahui struggling with a little more helplessness. Despair, grief, and anger to the point where she would resent God¡­That kind of desperate and ugly struggle. However, even now, she didn¡¯t show such a side. On the contrary, if Henri had to say so, she was saving people like an emotionless machine. *** *** It wasn¡¯t what he had wanted to see. ¡°Hmm~ What should I do?¡± He sat on a pile of corpses like a chair as his chin was propped up on one hand. At last came a lull. Everyone kept their eyes on Henri¡¯s next action with tensed expressions. A little later, Henri, who had been lost in thought, suddenly smiled wickedly. ¡°Hehe¡­Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± He sprang up and spoke in a loud voice so that everyone could hear. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡± Hearing Henri¡¯s words, everyone had no choice but to show uneasiness. Chance? In this extreme situation, what kind of chance would he give them? When they recalled what he had been saying and doing, they thought it would be strange if he didn¡¯t kill them. They were certain the chance he was referring to was who would like to die first or some nonsense like experiencing the most painful death. However¡­ Surprisingly, the next words that came out of Henri¡¯s mouth were enough to tempt the people here. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a task. And, those who complete it will be given a special prize.¡± He summoned a full glass of ice water and gulped it down. ¡°Kya~ Refreshing.¡± ¡°¡±¡±?!¡±¡±¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Under the artificial sun, people were suffering from a terrible thirst they had never felt in their life. To the point where they felt they could die right now if they could just drink a sip of water. However, Henri¡¯s offer was highly suspicious for them to readily accept it. They couldn¡¯t believe he was now offering them cold water. What was he plotting? As such, they glared at him full of vigilance, unable to easily believe his words. Then, as if he had read everyone¡¯s minds, he belatedly added. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry whether I¡¯m lying to you or not. I swear on the name of the existence I serve.¡± Perhaps his words had some effect this time, but people¡¯s eyes began to fluctuate fiercely. ¡°Th-then, the task, what exactly do we have to do?¡± Among those who had collapsed, a ragged voice of a man was heard. Everyone¡¯s heads turned in unison. There, it was a well-kempt man with cracked lips. He was the man who had criticized the institute earlier and had blamed Noah for everything that had transpired. ¡°Ah, that? It¡¯s very simple.¡± As if it was a really simple task, Henri spoke nonchalantly. ¡°Kill one of the people next to you. Then I¡¯ll let you drink as much water as you want.¡± ¡°¡±¡±?!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Everyone is going to dry up soon anyway. So there¡¯s no need to feel guilty. No, wouldn¡¯t it be better because you¡¯re relieving them of their suffering? Keuheu~¡± He said as he slowly poured the water he was drinking onto the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone wants to drink~ Isn¡¯t that so?¡± People¡¯s eyes shook as if they were hypnotized. Then, like a final wedge, Henri continued. ¡°Hmm~ Let me say one more thing. I¡¯ll give some of you a special life guarantee. Well, I was told to secure hostages anyway. Huhu~¡± Having listened to him thus far, Shirahui shouted desperately. ¡°D-don¡¯t listen to him! This is all a villain¡¯s scheme! If you¡¯re deceived by his words¡­¡± However before she could even finish her sentence, a shrill scream resounded through the gym. ¡°Kyaaak!¡± Looking to one place, the man who had questioned Henri a moment ago was struggling to lift himself up and clutching a bloody blade. ¡°I-I was the first one to kill, s-so please give me some water¡­¡± ¡°Oh? It was faster than I thought! Of course. Pretties who listen well should be rewarded.¡± The man tried to read the situation and hesitated, but soon staggered toward Henri as if he had made up his mind. And as Henri had promised, he summoned him a full bottle of ice water. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t hesitate and drink as much as you want~¡± Perhaps the man thought someone would take it from him, but he immediately snatched the bottle and drank it as if possessed. ¡°Ah, and since I was especially impressed by your action, I¡¯ll let you live. Go rest over there.¡± At the same time, a large shade was summoned around the man, blocking the heat from the sun above. The man¡¯s shriveled face was revitalized as mana began to return to his body. ¡°Th-this¡­¡± Noticing the change, he checked his physical condition, and soon after repeatedly bowed his head. ¡°Th-thank you! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°See~ Even though I¡¯m like this, I¡¯m good at keeping promises. So, don¡¯t be scared and come quench your thirst.¡± The eyes of those who didn¡¯t think Henri would keep his promise shook violently. Lingering in the air was the desire to drink water right now and the tension that the person next to them could turn into an enemy at any time. An oppressive silence spread in the gym. And¡­ ¡°By the way, you all know that this is first come, first served, right? You best hurry.¡± In this situation, Henri¡¯s remark was enough to take away people¡¯s last string of reason. ¡°Water! That water is mine!¡± ¡°Die! You son of a bitch!¡± ¡°Heuk¡­I-I¡¯m sorry! P-please die!¡± People who couldn¡¯t even keep their balance were desperately trying to take the life of the person next to them. There were no sophisticated techniques. Just swinging their fists as hard as they could, or just biting flesh like an animal. It was the ugly sight of human struggles that Henri wanted to see. ¡°Keuahaha! Yes, this is it! This is more like it! Keuhuhu¡­There¡¯s nothing like the sight of insects struggling!¡± ¡°A-ah, stop!¡± Shirahui tried to stop the people by all means, but her voice was drowned out in the cries of madness. ¡°Hehe, how is it? Seeing the people you¡¯ve worked so hard to protect kill each other.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shirahui trembled with her head down. Her appearance looked as if she had resigned herself in defeat. ¡°Huhu~ You don¡¯t have to be so upset. Because what you¡¯re looking at right now is human nature after all.¡± Henri approached her slowly and gently spoke. ¡°So stop the foolish struggle and behave, my pretty¡­¡± But at that very moment, Crackle¨C! A bright yellow lightning struck Henri, stopping him in his tracks. Glaring at him with her eyes shaking with lightning, Shirahui spoke. ¡°I told you to shut up, dung beetle.¡± ¡°¡­My, oh, my.¡± For a moment Henri showed signs of bewilderment, but soon after slowly raised his finger and aimed at the people. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°I guess my pretty still wants to play with me.¡± Smiling wickedly, he continued. ¡°Well, give it another try. Hehe¡­Let¡¯s see how long you¡¯ll last this time.¡± ____ ____ Chapter 91 Chapter 91 How many times was this? ¡°Haak¡­haak¡­¡± Shirahui panted as she checked the condition of the child she had just saved. Fortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be any injuries. Carefully putting down the child, she had a thought. How long can I last¡­ Just in a daze as she instinctively blocked the beams of light. Now even guessing how long she could last felt meaningless. Despite her desperate efforts to save one more person, the gym was already no different from hell. At the end of her gaze were bodies strewn across the floor. Screams of deaths and killings rang out from all sides as a strong smell of blood assaulted the tip of her nose. If it¡¯s him¡­How would he act in this situation? She recalled a person¡¯s face. A face still with baby fat and always smiling. If Noah was here, a lot more people than now might have survived. It was hard for her to imagine him losing to anyone. However, unlike him, she couldn¡¯t think of a way to solve the current crisis no matter how hard she thought. ¡­It was impossible for me in the first place. The emotions she had hidden in the corner of her heart took advantage of her moment of weakness as it ate away at her will. In fact, her stamina had already exceeded its limits. Nevertheless, she was able to move like this now simply because of the seemingly infinite surging power of Lightning Calamity. However, by the very nature of Lightning Calamity, she was rapidly losing control as her body and mind became exhausted. ¡°Hehehe~ My pretty seems to be a bit slower than before?¡± ¡°Shut¡­up¡­!¡± Shirahui was well aware even without Henri¡¯s provocation. ¡°I guess you must be tired now? Well, you did your best.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It would be a waste to kill a rare specimen like you¡­Why don¡¯t you come here and have a cold bottle of water like the rest?¡± He said in a gentle tone, waving a bottle of water. And sure enough, next to him were many people who had already decided to take a life. Showing lively faces, they all seemed to have recovered their stamina. When did it increase that much¡­? Shirahui was certain it wasn¡¯t this bad just a moment ago. There were so many people who had thrown away their morals for just a bottle of water? The already grim situation was becoming more hopeless. As expected¡­that¡¯s the only way¡­ A childhood memory that had become faint now. At some point, she had noticed that there was something else inside her. It was a transcendent and destructive power she couldn¡¯t even dare to begin to guess its limit. The power that she called Lightning Calamity started talking to her one day. [Do you want power?] A peculiar offer of willingness to lend its power whenever she wanted. For her, who had admired her father since she was a child, the words of the suspicious existence sounded too sweet. She thought she would be praised by her father if she could become an outstanding hero. In the end, with just that immature thought, she accepted the sudden offer. However, her body naturally couldn¡¯t control the power and it started to run wild. As a result, there was a tragedy in which her mother had died in her place instead. And¡­ A blessing or a curse, she had awakened the ability of lightning after that day. But as far as using Lightning Calamity, the source of her ability, she had lived with the utmost conscious restraint. In any case, her ability to control Lightning Calamity had increased a step further after experiencing the power going berserk again not too long ago. However, compared to the real power of the existence, it could be said that it was only a fraction. The immense power was simply too dangerous. But¡­there¡¯s no other way now. She broke her vow as a child and tried to call out the existence sleeping inside her. By any chance¡­can you hear me? As if the existence had been waiting for this moment, suddenly the surrounding landscape began to flow slowly. An extreme world created by splitting an instantaneous moment countless times. In the still world, there was an androgynous voice. ¡°Do you want power?¡± An overwhelming presence to the point where she felt as if she would lose consciousness at any moment. It was the same voice she had heard as a child. Fortunately, the existence still responded to her call. She nervously answered. Yes. Can you still lend me your power? ¡°Of course.¡± I¡­I need the strength to protect everyone. Please listen to my request and lend me your power. ¡°¡­It seems that servant of an Evil God over there is a problem and an enemy.¡± Yes, that¡¯s right¡­Is it possible? ¡°¡­¡± The existence didn¡¯t immediately answer when it heard her question. Was the request too much to ask? No matter how great of a force inside her was, to suddenly want the power to protect everyone was like praying for a miracle to happen. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** It was a request that cannot be granted without God. Just as she realized the reality of the situation and was about to give up, the existence spoke again. ¡°If it¡¯s just erasing that guy, it won¡¯t be very difficult.¡± R-really? ¡°It¡¯s more than possible, considering your essence.¡± Essence? What was the existence talking about? As expected, it was clear the existence knew something about herself that she didn¡¯t. But now, rather than that, there was something else she wanted to know more. That means¡­Can I protect everyone here? She asked excitedly. Henri was a monster that had played with the A-Rank hero Dokgo Hakju like a toy, and had resurrected himself despite the trump card created by all the trainees¡­ It was hard to imagine she could easily defeat such a monster. The moment when she was excited with hope, the voice spoke resolutely as if to break her delusion. ¡°But it¡¯s impossible for you right now.¡± Huh? Wh-what do you mean¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not yet qualified to handle that kind of power.¡± Th-that can¡¯t be¡­ She felt as if her last hope was disappearing right before her eyes. Hearing that there was a way, she was even prepared to die, but she had failed again because she was lacking. Just as she was about to sink into despair again, the existence spoke in an emotionless tone. ¡°However, there is another way as a last resort.¡± Her head jerked up. She hastily asked as if pleading. What¡¯s the other method? I¡¯ll do anything! So please¡­Please lend me your power. ¡°If you promise to hand me your essence in your possession, I¡¯ll help you use my power.¡± When you say essence¡­ ¡°It¡¯s also usually called the soul.¡± S-soul?! It was a common offer devils would make in fairy tales. Was the identity of this existence really a devil? No, more than that, the soul? What the existence said was so far out of touch with reality that she had no choice but to show a blank expression. Soon, the existence spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again. If you accept this offer, you¡¯ll have to live in my possession for eternity. Do you still want to go through with it?¡± The content of the transaction was unusual when she heard it. However¡­ Okay. I accept. So please lend me your power right now. Without any hesitation, she readily accepted the suspicious existence¡¯s offer. Noah and everyone had put their faith in her. Although they hadn¡¯t spent much time together, they were the only people in her life she could call friends. So if she could protect them¡­And if she could repay Noah for trusting her with everyone¡­ I¡¯ll pay any price. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s proceed with the contract now.¡± Immediately, the time that was stopped started to flow again as the unidentified power sleeping inside her began to awaken. A huge presence as if facing the open sea. In front of that overwhelming power, Shirahui felt as if all the memories that made up her entire being were going to scatter. Mother, I¡¯m sorry. She bit her lips tightly. Her mother had sacrificed her life to save her, but she was making the same choice again. I¡¯m sure you would be mad at me for being stupid if you knew. However¡­ She grabbed the necklace that her mother had left as a keepsake and cried out. ¡°Even so, I¡¯ll save everyone at all costs!¡± ¡°I accept your will. With this, you have become my perfect possession, and in return, I¡¯ll bear the law of causality and lend you my power.¡± At that moment, Shirahui¡¯s body began to shine brighter than ever. < Lightning Calamity > *Full Release Rumble, rumble¨C! Hearing the sudden sound of thunder, the people who were biting each other stopped in unison. Soon, huge dark clouds cast over the endless artificial sun. People forgot what they were fighting about as everyone stared blankly at the ceiling. ¡°Wh-what the hell is that¡­¡± ¡°R-ridiculous¡­¡± Where did it come from? The gym was certainly a perfectly enclosed space. A sight that was hard to explain by any science or magic. Rumble, rumble¨C! The clouds had completely covered the ceiling before they knew it. Standing in front of the flashing thunderclouds, they couldn¡¯t help but feel the fear imprinted from primitive times. On the other hand, the same was true for Henri who was surprised by the sudden sight. He opened his mouth with his eyes wide open. ¡°Th-this power¡­N-no¡­It can¡¯t be.¡± He denied the reality of the unbelievable situation, but the more he felt it with his skin, the more confident he was with his guess. In every dimension, all existences who could exert such omnipotent power had been called by one name¡­ ¡°Wh-why is a God here!! What the hell happened to the law of causality?!¡± He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but something was wrong. It wasn¡¯t time to play with the people here anymore. ¡°I-I have to get out of here right now!¡± Spreading his wings on his back, he soared into the air. However, this was an enclosed space. There was nowhere for him to escape. ¡°This¡­Shit! Open up! Open up now! If you don¡¯t open it right now, I¡¯ll kill everyone!!¡± He went crazy like an insect trapped in an insect container. And just as he was about to attack everyone indiscriminately, Crackle, crackle¨C! The world turned white for an instant. ¡°Keuaaak!!¡± And before he knew it, with his wings erased, he crashed to the ground. Chapter 92 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 92 Rumble¨C! Like the fable of a pupa transforming into a butterfly, the power sleeping inside Shirahui broke free of its hard shell and stretched out. Meanwhile, she looked down at her own body. No, even if she didn¡¯t look, she could understand everything happening around her, including herself. Her body had now broken the shell of a human and was in a state of being one with nature. It was no longer flesh and blood but a hot mass of plasma made up of positive and negative charges. Her sense of reality was getting increasingly further away and in its place was an omnipotent sense she had never felt before. She could sense every electrical signal traveling back and forth between the neurons in the human body. And even the countless laws that governed the world. A-ah¡­ For the first time she felt as if she was seeing the world properly. Not only that, the name of the existence she had signed a contract with naturally came to mind. Zeus. The chief God of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology and the God of sky and thunder. No way¡­God really exists. Just as she wondered why Zeus had started talking to her, she suddenly realized the identity of the power that was inside her. Zeus¡¯ weapon, Goddess of Lightning, Astrape. All this time it had been the power of Astrape inside her body. Finally realizing the identity of Lightning Calamity, she raised her hand high. Rumble¨C! Energy gathered on her outstretched hand as countless lightning struck from the dark clouds above. Dozens, and hundreds strands of lightning intertwined and combined in the air to form a giant spear. Crackle¨C! The surrounding space swayed and distorted as a seemingly blinding light wrapped around it. At the end of her gaze was the figure of Henri flapping his wings and banging on the walls. It was the very same monster that had felt like an insurmountable mountain just a moment ago. However, now it felt like a summer bug and was nothing more than a little annoyance. I¡¯ll have to erase those wings first. Looking towards Henri, she hurled the lightning bolt that was held in her hand. < Goddess of Lightning, Astrape > *God¡¯s Punishment The world was instantly enveloped in an indistinguishable white light. And immediately after, ¡°Keuaaak!!¡± An attack that had flown faster than a stream of thought had destroyed Henri¡¯s wings without a trace as he crashed to the ground screaming in pain. Boom¨C! Henri¡¯s heavy body covered by a shell collided with the floor and formed a crater. ¡°K-keuk¡­¡± His arms and legs twitched like an insect that had jumped into an electric fly swatter. And due to residual electrical currents, his body continued to give off sparks. ¡°Th-this can¡¯t be happening¡­Th-this¡­Keuhok!¡± He vomited a mouthful of blood as he staggered to his feet. Meanwhile, Shirahui approached him with an expressionless face. A giant lightning bolt was slowly forming again in her hand with each step she took. ¡°S-stay away! Stay away!!¡± Henri frantically stretched out his finger. Emanating from the end was a condensed heat that flew towards Shirahui. However, it was meaningless to Shirahui who had already taken off the shackles of a flesh body. Rather, the flame from Henri¡¯s attack was sucked into her body made of plasma and was absorbed. Seeing that, Henri shouted. ¡°Th-this is ridiculous!! It doesn¡¯t make sense!! How can a God intervene?! The law of causality! What happened to it?!!¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for existences known as ¡®God¡¯ to appear in the world. Their actions were constrained by the several invisible laws that made up the world. And it could be said that the Apostles of Eighth Layer Hell who desired to resurrect an Evil God knew that better than anyone else. ¡°But¡­What the hell is going on here?!!¡± If it was so easy to bring a God into this world, what have they been trying for all these years? While Henri was venting his anger, Shirahui had already arrived right in front of him. Soon, she coldly spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated bugs.¡± Crackle¨CCrackle¨C! The end of the lightning bolt in her hand faced Henri. Suddenly, Henri knelt down and begged. ¡°S-spare me¡­ P-please! I was wrong. I mean it! B-believe me!¡± The sight of him begging for his life was enough to shock others in the gym. Shirahui also showed a dumbfounded expression when she saw it. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any pride?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean pride¡­I was wrong. Wh-what can I say?! I-I actually did it all because the other guys told me to. It was a mistake!!¡± Henri¡¯s expression was so honest that if someone hadn¡¯t seen what he had done they would sympathize with him. But¡­ Everyone here had seen it clearly. How much he had enjoyed slaughtering people. ¡°¡­Ugly until the very end. Just die like a bug, villain.¡± Shirahui raised her hand without any lingering feelings. However, just as the lightning bolt was about to strike Henri¡­ Pointing to the people who had drank water from him, Henri shouted. ¡°W-wait! Wait! If you kill me now, they¡¯ll all die too!!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Henri¡¯s sudden outburst had forced Shirahui to stop her attack. Is it the last struggle before he dies? Rather, as much as he said their lives were in danger, it was likely just a lie to escape his current crisis. But¡­ What if it¡¯s true¡­? If it was true, could she still kill a villain like this? No, I don¡¯t need to be swayed by his words again. Her hand had stopped for a moment, but she soon shook her head and pulled herself together. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°H-hehe¡­Is that really so? You don¡¯t seem to believe me, so I¡¯ll show you.¡± Henri looked at her with a wicked smile. There was an ominous feeling the moment she met his eyes that showed confidence. No way¡­Really? She hastily concentrated her consciousness on the people that had drank the water. As a result, she could feel the bioelectrical signals coming and going from their brain cells. *** *** But now that she was looking into their heads, in between, she saw something small and foreign. It was like¡­ ¡­Insects? The moment she noticed them, the insects suddenly expanded and began to swell in size. ¡°Stop! What the hell are you doing¡­¡± She shouted at Henri in a hurry. ¡°Huhu, you¡¯ll believe me after seeing it for yourself.¡± Baaang¨C! The insects in one of the people¡¯s heads exploded, shattering the person¡¯s head into pieces. As a result, the body that had lost its head stumbled for a moment before falling down with a thud. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Angered, Shirahui immediately swung the lightning bolt in her hand. But in the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to kill Henri as the spear stopped in front of his neck. Henri who saw it spoke with an expression of renewed confidence. ¡°Huhehe¡­Yeah. I knew it! I knew it, keuhaha!¡± ¡°¡­Fuck!¡± ¡°I was just going to play with them when all the other toys were dead¡­I can¡¯t believe this was so helpful. Keuhaha!!¡± Henri burst into laughter. Meanwhile, Shirahui¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help but to become tangled. What should I do¡­? Sacrifices were inevitable in order to punish villains. Just like how Henri had mocked her earlier, this time again he was forcing her to make a choice. These people had all killed another person for a bottle of water anyway. Then wouldn¡¯t it be right to sacrifice them? To her who thought as such, the well-kempt man knelt down and begged. ¡°P-please save me¡­I-I still have a young son at home.¡± Following the man, the others also fell to their knees and wept. ¡°I-in order to live, I had no choice. I¡¯ll really atone for it¡­¡± ¡°If I die, there won¡¯t be anyone to take care of my mother¡­¡± Each spoke out, and as a result, Shirahui¡¯s mind grew increasingly complicated when she heard them. Can I decide their lives at will¡­? What was the definition of justice? Uncertainties she didn¡¯t know the answer to came one after another. But one thing was certain, whatever the outcome was, she had to make a decision as soon as possible. There¡¯s¡­not much time left. In the first place, the power she was using now wasn¡¯t entirely her own. Thanks to Zeus¡¯ support, she was barely managing to control Astrape. However, since a little while ago, Zeus¡¯ support had been growing weaker and weaker. Once Zeus¡¯ interference was completely gone, the destructive power she could no longer control would kill her. And without me, people will die again. Thus, she didn¡¯t have to think any more. I¡¯ll bear all the sins. Having made up her mind, the moment when the final attack was about to be fired, Out of the blue, Henri suddenly shouted. ¡°Stupid bitch! You shouldn¡¯t have given me time!¡± The shell that covered Henri¡¯s chest opened and through the gap black flames resembling hellfire billowed out incessantly. ¡°No!¡± Shirahui took the attack with her whole body to keep the flames out of reach of others. But this black flame, unlike the flames she had dealt with before, started burning her soul instead of her body. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± A terrible pain unimaginable. All sorts of evil and negative emotions ate away at her soul. And beyond that, she could vaguely sense the master of this flame. An absolute existence that seemed to have been created by the collection of all kinds of malice in the world. Because of the influence of that Evil God, Zeus¡¯ support quickly began to dissipate. The dark clouds above slowly cleared away and her body that was one with nature gradually returned to its original appearance. ¡°Keuahaha! It¡¯s my victory!¡± ¡°N-no, at this rate¡­¡± Hearing Henri laugh as if he was sure of his victory, she finally squeezed out her remaining strength and threw the lightning she held in her hand. Baaang¨C! ¡°Keuoook!¡± Her body bounced far away as the spear made of lightning penetrated Henri¡¯s body. However, did the power become too weak? She was certain she had thrown enough strength to destroy Henri completely, but he somehow had survived and was gasping violently. ¡°Keuk¡­fucking bitch¡­¡± Shirahui, who had completely returned to normal, laid on the floor as she looked up at Henri. Along with her fading consciousness, she spat out. ¡°A-ah¡­ No¡­¡± There was no longer the omnipotent power or laws she had perceived. It was a power she had borrowed with everything on the line, so she didn¡¯t expect it to end so vainly. ¡°Keuhue¡­Bitch, from now on, it¡¯ll be impossible for you to die unless I allow it.¡± Henri stared at her with bloodshot eyes as his body constantly spewed sinister energy. Then, to those who had drank water from him, he commanded. ¡°Go cut off that bitch¡¯s limbs right now!¡± Those who heard his order approached Shirahui without hesitation as if they had forgotten how she had saved them just a moment earlier. As such, she sensed her end. In the end¡­I couldn¡¯t protect anyone¡­ She resented her own sloppiness for having hesitated at the last moment. Why do I always make such foolish decisions¡­ Suddenly, the day of the entrance ceremony where Noah had immediately cut off a villain¡¯s neck came to mind. As expected, everything he does is the right answer¡­This wouldn¡¯t have happened if Choi Noah was here¡­ The more she recalled Noah¡¯s face, the more she felt like she would cry at her own patheticness. However, at the same time she also wanted to see his face again even if just once. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a shame killing her like this.¡± Before Shirahui knew it, people had approached her and were murmuring softly as they looked her up and down. Soon, they held her arms and legs tightly. ¡°Well, I hope you don¡¯t blame me too much. In order to live, I have no choice.¡± The well-kempt man she had saved earlier grabbed her by the hair and pulled out a sharp knife. Seeing that, she decided to let go of the Lightning Calamity she had been barely holding back. Rather than be played by them and dying, she thought it would be much better to speed up her death by overloading. One thing she regretted was that she couldn¡¯t do what Noah had asked her to do because of her own stupidity. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t keep my promise to protect everyone. The moment she was about to let go of her lingering feelings, Boom¨C! A sudden tremor resounded within the gym. ¡°Wh-what!¡± ¡°D-did you hear something just now?¡± And once again, the gym shook even louder than a second ago. Booooom¨C! The dust from the ceiling fell and there was an ominous sound as if something was splitting. ¡°W-wait a minute, is that a crack?¡± The people who heard it became agitated as they looked towards the barrier with anxiety. Crack, Crack¨C! The cracks that seemed indistinct spread rapidly and began to split. Soon, Baaaang¨C! Along with a deafening explosion, one wall of the gym collapsed completely. Soon, through the rising dust, the voices of a young boy and a woman could be heard. ¡°Hmm¡­Why was it so hard? It took a long time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to find another way.¡± People who couldn¡¯t easily adapt to the sudden situation could only stare at the collapsed wall while frozen in place. The hot air that had been trapped in the enclosed space was released and as a result the dust was cleared in an instant. And¡­ ¡°Well, it¡¯s not too late, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Standing there and smiling confidently was Noah. ____ ____ Chapter 93 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 93 Two figures emerged from the portion where the barrier had collapsed. A woman in a clergy uniform who gave an immoral impression and a black-haired boy with a big smile on his face. It was Samaria and Noah. ¡°Choi Noah¡­?¡± Henri widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of the two. How did they break through this place? The protective barrier surrounding the gym wasn¡¯t something so easy to break. Metal that could absorb mana and even a variety of magic circles that had reinforced the durability of the barrier. It was practically impossible for even S-Rank heroes to break through in such a short period of time. Regardless of a person¡¯s capability, this was simply a physically time-consuming endeavor. So¡­how did they get in here¡­? He looked at Noah. When their eyes met, Noah quietly raised the corner of his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s already low HP?¡± ¡°?!¡± Henri instantly felt goosebumps all over his body. Helplessness and absolute fear as if he was a fly caught in a spiderweb. Wh-what the hell is this feeling¡­ No matter how injured he was, Noah was merely a child of A-Rank. As such, everything he was feeling now must be an illusion. He came to such a judgment as he forcefully calmed his anxiety. It was a natural conclusion for him. According to common sense, the strength of a little boy couldn¡¯t exceed his. Right. In any case, it¡¯s a rather good thing it ended up being like this. If I could hog the credit this time¡­ The Evil God he worshiped might bestow him even more power as a reward. Sweet imaginations flowed one after another in his mind. He looked at Noah with a greedy smile. ¡°Huhu, truly idiots. I don¡¯t know why the hell you¡¯ve crawled all the way here, but I want to tell you it was a really stupid decision.¡± Although the injuries he had suffered from Shirahui earlier were deadly, nevertheless, the power bestowed by an Evil God was still sufficient. It¡¯s easy enough if it¡¯s just a child. He lifted his finger and pointed at Noah. At the end of his finger, heat began to compress and soon it stretched in a straight line. His purpose is as a vessel anyway, so keeping him barely alive is fine. In front of the incoming beam of light, Noah stood still as if he was surprised and didn¡¯t know what to do. However, at the very moment, Boom¨C! Noah had suddenly grabbed a giant sword out from somewhere and slammed it down. The beam directly hit the blade of the sword. In the end, the compressed heat contained in the beam was absorbed into the blade. Meanwhile, Noah who was holding onto the sword showed no signs of injuries. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Henri had certainly controlled his strength, but he never thought Noah would be unscathed. He once again raised his power and launched another attack. Mana and heat that were incomparable to before. The power of fire bestowed by an Evil God extended towards Noah. Baang¨C! The surrounding temperature rose in an instant and the dust in the air burned all at once as an explosion reverberated. This¡­was it too much? Without realizing it, Henri had failed to control his strength due to the ominous feeling he had felt in the moment. He belatedly realized it, but it was too late. As such, he blamed himself. However, it was a meaningless worry. Whoosh¨C ¡°?!¡± After the flames disappeared, to Henri¡¯s surprise, Noah¡¯s figure was revealed again in its place. The attack that had contained his full determination had been sucked into the sword again. Noah tilted his head behind the giant shield-like sword. He was smiling like an innocent child. ¡°Charging finished.¡± The sword in Noah¡¯s hand burned red. It emitted a ghastly heat like the sun floating in the sky. Similar to how Henri had stretched out his finger earlier, he slowly raised his sword and aimed the tip at Henri. ¡°To kill a bug, it¡¯s best to burn it to death.¡± At that moment, flames erupted from the tip of the sword. Like the dragon who died not long ago, the flames mercilessly swept Henri. Henri scrambled to defend himself by squeezing out his remaining mana. In the first place, he was highly tolerant to heat, so he thought he could somehow defend himself against such an attack. But¡­ ¡°Keuaaaak!¡± Pain far beyond imagination hit his body. This wasn¡¯t just a simple fire. He felt an unbearable pain as if I had been attacked by a divine power that opposed ¡®evil.¡¯ Th-the flames won¡¯t go out. Feeling his life at stake, he eventually used his last resort. To escape from the inextinguishable fire, he shed the hard outer skin that he was proud of. The shell that wrapped around his body disappeared and in its place was only a man of small stature left. ¡°Kuheuk¡­¡± He cursed in his heart. Meanwhile, his eyes looked towards Noah. Noah was looking at him as he raised his sword again. Henri could feel a clear killing intent in the boy¡¯s expression. In that instant he sensed his end. N-no¡­I¡¯m going to die at this rate. ¡°S-stop him right now!¡± He shouted to those who had betrayed others and drank water from him. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± They seemed hesitant but also knew they couldn¡¯t refuse Henri¡¯s order. Because they were already burdened with sin from the moment they had accepted his order and committed murder. And at that moment, the influence of an Evil God entered their bodies. ¡°A-ah?¡± ¡°M-my body¡­¡± The influence of the Evil God permeated their bodies and manipulated them. They rallied in front of Henri to protect him against their will. As a result, the number of people who had gathered reached hundreds. *** *** Noah¡¯s steps stopped. At such a sight, Henri smiled insidiously. ¡°H-hehehe¡­If you want to kill me, you¡¯ll have to deal with all these guys here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the ones who have decided to follow me. So if I die, their lives will also be forfeited.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± ¡°But I promise. If you let me out of here safely, I¡¯ll spare everyone here.¡± As soon as Henri¡¯s words fell, a well-kempt man standing in front of him knelt down. ¡°P-please save me! I beg you. Don¡¯t you see the countless people here?¡± Then, as if waiting, the others next to him knelt down and begged Noah. ¡°I-I still have a little son at home¡­¡± ¡°Heuk¡­we¡¯re victims too. I mean, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± A heartbreaking sight to anyone who saw it. Somber sobs filled the interior of the gym. Even the other survivors became sympathetic. ¡°Huhu, now that you understand the situation, hurry up and put away your sword!¡± Having regained his confidence, Henri proudly puffed out his chest. On the other hand, Noah tilted his head. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°Wh-what? I guess you didn¡¯t understand me! I-if I die, everyone here will also die!¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°?!¡± Noah asked back while showing a perplexed expression. Henri even thought Noah had made a slip of the tongue. However, Noah continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the law, but didn¡¯t you say they were murderers? If so, I don¡¯t think there will be any legal issues even if they die now.¡± What was this boy saying? Henri felt confused. Even though the many people here were murderers who had decided to follow him, it was an inevitable decision made in an extreme situation. But even so, he was saying he was going to kill them all? No¡­that can¡¯t be. He thought he understood human nature better than anyone else. That was because the number of humans he had observed and killed so far had exceeded 10,000 at the very least. If it¡¯s the nature of a hero¡­ No, it didn¡¯t have to be a hero. Anyone with normal thinking would never come to such a decision. So what Noah had said was likely a bluff. It was a trick to gain momentum and have the upper hand in negotiation. Not a chance. Having understood the situation, he uttered a threat in a low growl. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand what I¡¯m saying, so maybe this will make you believe me.¡± He pointed to a man nearby. From inside the man, mana expanded and soon his body burst into pieces as a result. Flesh and blood scattered in all directions. ¡°What do you think? This much should be enough for you to believe me, right? I¡¯m the one who is holding all these people¡¯s lives!¡± He then pointed to a woman standing nearby. In response, she shrank in fear. ¡°Honey!¡± ¡°N-no! N-not my daughter!!¡± A man and an old couple standing next to the woman stood in the way as if to protect her. However, regardless of that, the mana in the woman¡¯s body began to fluctuate. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± The woman let out a pained scream as her body gradually began to expand. ¡°Hehe, this woman is next. If you don¡¯t put down your sword right now, her life will be lost.¡± ¡°P-put down your sword! Quick!¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to die at this rate, please!¡± ¡°You brat! Hurry up and do what you¡¯re told!¡± The woman¡¯s family shouted with urgent expressions. Behind them, Henri spoke with a greedy smile. ¡°I¡¯ll guarantee this woman¡¯s life if you let me go. It¡¯s not too late, so quickly put away your sword¡­¡± As soon as Henri said as such with confidence, Swiik¨C A flash of light passed by like lightning. And at the same time, blood splattered on the floor. ¡°Wh-what the hell have you done¡­!¡± The woman whose body was expanding and was in pain. And her family who was struggling to save her. Their bodies had split in half at once. Henri couldn¡¯t easily understand what was happening in front of him. It wasn¡¯t just any hero but the most famous hero in the world right now that had just killed people so casually. Not only that, it was a young child who didn¡¯t even look to have entered elementary school. It was a fresh shock to him who was known for his viciousness. Meanwhile, Noah¡¯s voice came to his ears. ¡°It¡¯s a legal Hunting Event. Why would I hold back?¡± ¡°Wh-what the hell does that mean?¡± ¡°Well, killing these miscellaneous mobs won¡¯t amount to much anyway, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± They were words Henri couldn¡¯t understand. However, the nuance of what Noah had said was fully conveyed. ¡°The experience you give must be sweet.¡± Noah grinned, revealing his white teeth. The moment Henri faced Noah¡¯s smile, he realized that the creepy feeling he had felt earlier wasn¡¯t an illusion. Henri, who was just an ordinary rural man, was chosen by an Evil God because of his nature. A cruel nature that considered people like worms. As a result, he was bestowed power and rose to the position of an Apostle. However¡­ He¡­doesn¡¯t see people as human either¡­ No, does he even recognize people as living beings in the first place? Whoosh¨C Noah lifted his sword as the tip was filled with red mana. The people who saw it turned their backs and ran away frantically. However, even in that situation, Henri just watched blankly. Erase the innocent look, erase the appearance of a young child, and erase even the common sense and beliefs he had held so far. Only then was he able to see Noah¡¯s nature for what it was. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± There was a pure and great madness stirring that he had never experienced before. What the hell was he? Was it okay for such a thing to exist in this world? Even the Evil God he had worshiped felt insignificant in front of him. And at the same time, he completely abandoned the idea that he could live. Instead, he smiled with relief. ¡°Hehe¡­Euhahaha! Everyone was fooled. And so was I!¡± He wanted to fill this nasty world with pain. So, he had been worshiping an Evil God and plotting for many years. But now it didn¡¯t seem to mean anything. Because¡­ ¡°The real monster was already here! Euahahaha!¡± As long as Noah was around, from the start, this world was destined to perish. ¡°Hunting Event!¡± Noah wielded his sword as visible, extremely compressed mana were released. ¡°Keuaaaak!¡± ¡°Keuhuk!¡± ¡°S-spare me!¡± People who were running away and those who laid face down on the floor to hide lost their necks against the blades of wind that flew out of nowhere. An instantaneous moment where everyone had died. As if the floor was originally red, it was filled with thick blood. A child with an innocent expression walked across such a pool of blood. ¡°Huu¡­It¡¯s tiring.¡± Noah¡¯s mana had definitely become lighter than before. Maybe now there was a chance of Henri retaliating and winning. However, Henri knelt down in front of Noah. ¡°The beginning of the end¡­Please fill this world with pain.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Swiik¨C! ¡°It¡¯s a rule to skip the cutscenes.¡± Regardless of Henri¡¯s attitude, Noah wielded his sword without any hesitation. Thud¨C Tumble, tumble, tumble¨C As his vision spun, Henri had a thought. The one who will destroy this world wasn¡¯t Evil God¡­It was him¡­ For some reason, his last expression seemed to be of someone who was very happy. ____ ____ Chapter 94 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 94 Thud¨C A head that had flown up high rolled across the floor. Where people¡¯s eyes had immediately turned, blood was gushing out from the severed neck. The interior that had been filled with screams instantly became silent. There were expressions of disbelief as they watched the body of the monster spewing blood like a fountain. ¡°I-is he dead¡­?¡± Someone who had come to their senses uttered. Still holding my sword, I also watched the monster¡¯s movements in case there was a second phase. His body that was standing upright swayed here and there. Soon after, Thud¨C Eventually, the body fell to the floor and stopped moving completely. At the same time, deafening cheers resounded all around. ¡°¡±¡±Uwaaaaah!!!¡±¡±¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m alive, it¡¯s over!¡± ¡°Ah! We can go home now¡­¡± ¡°Heuk¡­Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± People who chortled in happiness. People who felt a sense of relief washed over them. And even people who lowered their heads to me in tears. Meanwhile, I shook the blood off my sword and watched the monster¡¯s body closely. Huu¡­I guess there was no second phase. In fact, I was already close to my limit from breaking through the barrier earlier. Naturally my mana and stamina were recovering little by little at this moment, but the mental fatigue sustained still remained. If a second phase had gone as it was, a pretty dangerous situation might have unfolded. It was fortunate. I never thought I would be able to kill a guy like this so easily. However, thanks to him already being low HP, I was able to easily overpower him with a last hit. I didn¡¯t know who had served him on a platter in advance, but¡­ This was why ¡®kill stealing¡¯ was the best way to hunt. The goat-head woman just earlier and this time the bug. Somehow, I felt like I had struck gold one after another. Smiling contentedly, messages began to appear in front of my eyes as if on queue. Ding¨C! [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] [ Level has risen. ] . . . [ You¡¯ve reached level 69. ] [ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ] Ah! I couldn¡¯t believe I was already level 69¡­ It was a little disappointing I couldn¡¯t hit level 70 this time, but adding the goat-head woman from earlier, I had grown 6 levels today alone. In addition, considering that it had not even been a year since the start of the second round, it was a truly amazing pace of growth. Just one more level until level 70! It was time to really prepare for the approaching metamorphosis. It could be said that the concept of metamorphosis was similar to the ¡®transcendence¡¯ system that generally appeared in MMORPGs. While the most obvious was the distinction between a newbie and an old master, the benefit was the rapid evolution of all abilities. In the first round, it was only after I had gone through this metamorphosis that I had begun to make a name for myself in earnest. Many difficult conditions had to be met in order to do this metamorphosis, but the most basic premise was to be level 70. Anyway, it seemed I was going to reach it soon¡­When this was over I¡¯ll have to get some elixirs first. Fortunately, I already had a first-class material called Dragon Heart. I only needed to find an alchemist or a dan maker to create it. ¡­But where the hell was I going to find one? There were a few figures that came to mind right now, but currently there was no information on their whereabouts or what they were doing. Also, my current identity was that of a hero. In other words, it could be said that it was a situation where it was impossible to threaten them recklessly like in the first round. Hmm¡­it¡¯ll work itself out somehow. I didn¡¯t have to worry about this yet. Before that, there were other things to think about. First, I had to wrap up this problem. The Challenge wasn¡¯t over yet. [Challenge ¨C Eighth Layer Hell (2)] Condition: Protect Shirahui until the end of the school festival. Time: 3 months. Reward: 1x Random Box (High). It was a Challenge with a high-grade box on the line! Recalling my purpose for coming here, I looked around. My reward! Where was my reward? Just then, familiar faces ran towards me while shouting. ¡°Noah!¡± ¡°Noah!¡± People from the Hero Association, Hairy, and trainees including Mousin and Saki. They suddenly came up to me and blocked my view. No, what was wrong with these guys? I was in a hurry. My annoyance flared up. While I wished to quickly complete my Challenges, these guys were being very annoying. It was troublesome managing my image. I had no choice but to tell them to get away. Just as I was about to clear the way, one step faster than me, Saki cried out. ¡°Noah! S-serious trouble!¡± She was making a fuss, but it wasn¡¯t something out of the ordinary for her, so I might have simply ignored her like usual. However, her expression was unusual this time for some reason. What? Was something really going on? She pointed in one direction with tears in her eyes. ¡°She did her best¡­Heuk, suddenly, the monster¡­But she was still trying to protect us. Th-there¡­Heuk!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say through her stuttering. But naturally I looked towards where she was pointing. A corner of the gym. The professors at the institute and some people were gathered with gloomy faces. Between them, I saw a girl lying on the floor. The girl laid motionless on the floor like a corpse, and somehow her silhouette looked quite familiar. Immaculate skin like porcelain and fine features like a doll. ¡°¡­Shirahui?¡± Wait, why was she lying there? All the others here were alive, so I thought she would be alive enough, even if not unscathed. But what the hell was this¡­? The figure of the monster from earlier passed through my mind. He was charred at the joints. At first, I thought he had just been burnt by fire¡­ What if he was electrocuted? Thinking that far, I began to understand the situation. It was clear that Shirahui had fought the monster before I came here. And, the monster must have been hard to beat for someone of her level. So she definitely¡­ Must have used that power. The great power I saw sleeping inside her the other day. Even then, how much effort was made to suppress the overloading power? If all of that power was released again this time, the current situation was understandable. She should have just kept a low profile. Why did she do something so pointless? It was a mess. I sighed and approached her. Seeing her up close, even though it was a little, she was moving her chest up and down. However, her condition couldn¡¯t be said to be very good. Pale skin and a feeble breath. Her breathing was precarious. A sudden ominous foreboding swept over me. No way¡­She isn¡¯t going to die before I complete the Challenge, is she? ¡°No! You can¡¯t die here!¡± If she¡¯s going to die, shouldn¡¯t I at least get my reward? Was it because she had heard my desperate plea? Her long eyelashes trembled, and not before long, her eyes slowly opened. She looked at me with haziness in her eyes. ¡°Choi Noah¡­?¡± ¡°Oh! Are you awake, noona?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­not dreaming? How¡­Here¡­¡± She showed a perplexed expression. I guess she must have fainted before she saw me coming in. As if she still hadn¡¯t grasped the current situation, her eyes blinked for a moment, and soon after she raised her body in surprise. ¡°N-no! I-it¡¯s dangerous here! If I don¡¯t deal with him now¡­Keuk!¡± After saying as such, she vomited blood and collapsed again. *** *** Meanwhile, I wrapped mana around her head before it could hit the floor. Damn it¡­it was worse than I thought. Checking her physical condition through my mana, she was already broken to the point where it was difficult to function. Rather, it was to the point where it felt like a miracle she was still alive. But even so, she was desperately trying to lift herself up by circulating her mana. ¡°I-I have to stop him¡­Because Choi Noah entrusted me¡­I¡­¡± Seeing that her eyes were out of focus, it seemed her consciousness was already becoming murky. If she continued to use her mana, she would only be using up her remaining life. Damn it! She couldn¡¯t die yet. I had no choice but to calm her down in the kindest voice possible. ¡°Rest easy, noona. I¡¯ve already taken care of the villain.¡± Her struggling movements sharply stopped. And again, she looked at me with somewhat focus in her eyes. ¡°I-is that really true?¡± ¡°Yes. He was already close to death when I came. As a result, I was able to handle it easily. But that¡­It was all thanks to noona, right?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked really hard alone. It¡¯s all thanks to noona that everyone here is safe and sound. So now you can relax and take care of your body.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Only then did she let go of her strength as her body drooped. Soon, she murmured in a faint voice that was hard to hear. ¡°Really¡­I¡¯m glad¡­it was enough¡­I have something to tell you¡­¡± What the hell was she glad about? Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what this girl wanted to say, but there was one thing I could tell for certain. There wasn¡¯t much time left. So somehow, before this girl dies, I must complete the Challenge and get my reward. The condition was to protect her until the end of the school festival. And maybe the criteria for such a thing was for the conclusion of this monster incident and life returning to normal. If so, what needed to be done was clear. I had to deal with the remaining monster before Shirahui died. And in the first place, I had another reason¡­ [Challenge ¨C Evil God¡¯s Apostles(1)] Condition: Eliminate the Apostles of an Evil God. Time: Unlimited. Reward: Varies depending on performance. The other Challenge I had received. Because of this, I had to move even now. Honestly, my body was completely worn out, but I stood up by forcing myself as I strained my legs. ¡°Noona, please hang in there a little longer. I¡¯ll think of something.¡± ¡°Haa¡­Haa¡­¡± She simply breathed with her eyes closed, so it was questionable whether she had heard me. Damn it, I needed to hurry. At this rate, my reward¡­ After checking my equipment, I looked at Kim Taehi who was standing next to me. ¡°Ajumma. Can you take care of the girl here for a moment?¡± ¡°Where are you going all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I still have work to do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­Are you going to fight the remaining monsters? You can¡¯t! It¡¯s too reckless in your current condition!¡± Others were startled by her words and also began to dissuade me. ¡°Wh-what? Noah! It¡¯s dangerous, what are you saying? No way!¡± ¡°Even for you, you¡¯ll die if you fight in your current state! If you¡¯re going to go, kill me first! It¡¯s suicide!¡± ¡°Yes! Or we can go together!¡± Hairy, Mousin, Saki, etc¡­Countless people blocked my way. Even without their chatter, I was in a hurry, but why are these guys hindering me? My face hardened as I felt my irritation rising. ¡°Then you¡¯re saying we should throw the noona here away?¡± ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not it¡­ I mean¡­I¡¯m just worried¡­¡± People were unable to answer. Dokgo Hakju, who was watching the situation, spoke to me in a somber voice. ¡°All heroes wish they could save everyone, but¡­ Cruelly, we always have to make a choice.¡± What, why was this man trying to preach all of a sudden? As the others quieted down, another guy had popped out again. We haven¡¯t talked to each other much, but now he was worried about me? I was slowly starting to get irritated. However, as if he didn¡¯t care for my opinion, he looked down at Shirahui and said what he wanted to say. ¡°A little while ago, she¡­was constantly forced to choose who to save. It was truly a heavy burden. But nevertheless, she didn¡¯t give up her choice. The choice to save even one more person. She knew it would be her downfall, but she never wavered.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, even if you choose to stay here, she¡¯ll understand. Unfortunately, having you here at the moment is the best choice to save more people.¡± As if agreeing with him, visitors who were listening to the conversation in the distance shouted. ¡°I-if you¡¯re a hero, you have to be responsible for the active site until the end! You didn¡¯t even learn that?¡± ¡°Everyone here is out of mana and stamina. So you should at least stay and protect us.¡± ¡°Y-yes! Student! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, but I think it¡¯s better for you to stay here until the rescue team comes at least!¡± I was wondering what they had wanted to say, so I listened¡­ In the end¡­They wanted me to stay and protect them because they thought it would be dangerous? The exact same situation as the one I had experienced at the hotel. Why did they think they could decide whatever they wanted? If I stayed here, my reward would be lost. Should I just kill everyone here and blame it on the monsters? That kind of feeling arose, but on the contrary, that could delay things further. Eventually, I couldn¡¯t hold back my irritation, so I circulated my mana. ¡°It¡¯s something I must do, so don¡¯t try to stop me.¡± Dragon fear contained in my voice spread out in all directions. The noisy people became silent, and those with weak stamina or those close to me fell down trembling. I walked between them without any hindrance. Whenever our eyes met, they avoided my gaze and lowered their heads. Huu¡­I should¡¯ve done this earlier. I had wasted too much time for nothing. As I walked past everyone and towards the collapsed wall, someone appeared again in front of me. It was Samaria. Was she trying to stop me now? Just when I thought as such, she spoke up first. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not trying to get in your way. I just want to ask you one thing, is that okay?¡± ¡°Huu¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Why the hell are you going this far? If I know Choi Noah, this behavior is¡­Ah! Are you building an image? If that¡¯s the case, even if you don¡¯t overdo it, later I¡¯ll¡­¡± As expected, this woman was unpredictable. She knew too much about me. However, there was one thing she didn¡¯t know either¡­ ¡°No. I can never give up. So get out of the way quickly. I don¡¯t have time.¡± Hearing my words, Samaria looked genuinely shocked. I passed her, and after a while, her voice muttering quietly to herself flowed into my ears. ¡°No¡­That can¡¯t be true¡­You¡¯re¡­You¡¯re not that kind of person¡­No¡­No¡­¡± As expected, this woman was crazy. I think it would be good for my health if I stayed away from her. Huu¡­Let¡¯s go to solve the last Challenge. With an earnest heart, the moment I was about to step out of the gym. Suddenly, along with a familiar notification sound, new messages appeared in front of my eyes. Ding¨C! [ Completed Challenge ¡®Evil God¡¯s Apostles(1).¡¯ ] [ Reward varies depending on performance. ] [ Gained 2x Random Box. ] ¡°Uh¡­?¡± What the hell was going on here? The second Challenge was completed automatically even though I hadn¡¯t done anything. Wasn¡¯t there a total of three monsters? What? Did he maybe commit suicide? If it had been any other time, I would have been happily dancing since I had gotten my reward, but for some reason I had a bad feeling. My hunch as a veteran gamer was warning me. A much more dangerous being than the monsters I had just met was coming here. And at that very moment, Kiiiiieek¨C! A high-frequency sound enough to pierce the ears reverberated. Boom, boom, boom¨C! Blue lightning bolts struck outside the gym, causing a huge explosion of light. And at the same time, invisible intangible energy spread in all directions. Wuung¨C! As if I was hit hard on the head, I felt nauseous and my sense of balance was disrupted. What the hell¡­ I quickly got a hold of myself by circulating my mana. But others around me, unable to overcome the shock, began to collapse one by one. Thud¨C Thud¨C After some time, when I turned my head, everyone in the gym was lying on the floor. In the bright sphere of lightning, the figure of a man slowly began to emerge. An uncompromising and upright impression. Terrifying mana spewing from his entire body. And even the eyes that looked subtly similar to Shirahui. Ah¡­come to think of it, there was still that guy left. He was the father of Shirahui, and one of the strongest heroes in Korea. ¡­Shin Cheonho, ¡®Lightning Sword.¡¯ His body was full of injuries, big and small, and even his left arm was missing as if someone had forcibly ripped it off somewhere. I see¡­he was the one that had killed the monster. That explained the messages just now. But¡­There was one thing I still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Ahjussi, why are you pointing your sword at me?¡± With the power of lightning wrapped around his body, he answered. ¡°Choi Noah. You¡¯re under arrest on charges of colluding with Eighth Layer Hell. If you resist¡­You¡¯ll be killed immediately.¡± As soon as his words fell, he, who had turned into a flash of lightning, began to fly toward me. ____ ____ Chapter 95 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 95 ¡°I¡¯m warning you. Drop your weapon now. Otherwise, I¡¯ll consider it as an act of aggression and restrain you.¡± Shin Cheonho¡¯s somber voice spread through the gym. Meanwhile, around him blue sparks crackled and an oppressive energy began to weigh down in the air. In order to finish his mission as soon as possible he had put pressure into his voice with mana. But contrary to his wish, Noah simply stood still and showed no signs of movement. Tsk, is his body frozen in fear? He inwardly clicked his tongue. No matter how talented Noah was, Shin Cheonho was already an active S-Rank hero at the peak of the world. If an analogy was to be drawn, the gap was like comparing a grown eagle to a baby chick. However, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to kindly wait for Noah to compose himself. Afterall, there was no telling when the people who had fainted would wake up. He urgently shouted again. ¡°So! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and throw away your weapon!¡± He would have no choice but to use force if Noah didn¡¯t cooperate. From the start he neither wanted to take this mission nor did he wanted to swing his sword at a child. Furthermore, didn¡¯t Noah belong in the same class as his daughter at the institute? Although he had killed countless people in the dark, now even the blood of someone in his precious daughter¡¯s life will be spilled. So please. Don¡¯t make me commit another sin. After an unknown time. Noah, who had been standing still, finally sighed and slowly lowered his sword to his waist. Fortunately, he seemed to have made up his mind to surrender. ¡°Good! You¡¯ve made the right decision. If you cooperate well, I¡¯ll guarantee your safety under my name. So you don¡¯t have to worry too much¡­¡± Shin Cheonho¡¯s words were cut off when he felt a wicked sword aura. Wuung¨C At the end of his gaze was Noah¡¯s figure raising his sword toward him. ¡°No?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± What did the boy just say? Maybe he had heard wrong? Shin Cheonho¡¯s mind was dazed by such an unexpected answer. He stared at Noah¡¯s face with a lost expression. Soon, his thoughts that came a step slower finally understood the current situation. The arrogant boy in front of him dared to go against him. Deep wrinkles formed between his forehead. ¡°You fool! Is that your answer?¡± Unlike a moment ago, not only was Shin Cheonho¡¯s body releasing an incomparable amount of sparks but the mana emanating from his body was causing the space around him to distort. The terrifying pressure that was surging was enough to kill just from being near. On the contrary, Noah seemed fine amidst the pressure and even asked back with a nonchalant expression. ¡°Huh, if ahjussi was in my shoes, would you obediently listen if you haven¡¯t done anything wrong?¡± ¡°Everything will be revealed during the investigation process if you¡¯re innocent. So stop the pointless resistance!¡± Noah suddenly raised his left arm as if to tell Shin Cheonho to stop speaking. Then, he pointed his sword to the side of the gym and spoke. ¡°How about you take a look at that first?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± When Shin Cheonho casted a glance sideways, the body of a man who was lying on the floor with his neck cut off caught his eyes. For some reason the silhouette looked familiar. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Lying there was one of the three members of Eighth Layer Hell he had seen when the venue was first attacked. The monster was at least peak A-Rank. And assuming that he had hidden his strength, he might have been closer to S-Rank. I didn¡¯t see him, so I had even thought he had run away¡­Who the hell took care of him? He had spent a considerable amount of time dealing with one of the other monsters earlier. However, there was someone who had handled one of the monsters faster than him. ¡°Who took care of him? Was it the Director of the institute?¡± Noah pointed at the body and smirked. ¡°No? Wasn¡¯t it me?¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± A child who was still a trainee killed such a monster? That was absolutely incomprehensible to Shin Cheonho. However, Noah spoke confidently. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, ask everyone later when they wake up. They all witnessed it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Shin Cheonho stared at Noah¡¯s face. Noah was smiling immaturely as if ignorant of the situation and to boast of his achievements. Seeing that, Shin Cheonho¡¯s hot head slowly cooled down. What replaced it was a bitter feeling in his stomach. I lost my composure for a second. The results won¡¯t change anyway¡­ In fact, it didn¡¯t matter who had killed the monster in this situation. Maybe the child had really helped in subduing the monster. Rumors of his exceptional talent had already spread widely in the hero industry. However, now such a child was ignorant of the situation. Because of his talent the only outcome was to be arrested. ¡°¡­The situation doesn¡¯t change even if you had really killed that monster.¡± ¡°Even with such clear evidence?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just following orders to arrest you. It¡¯s not for me to judge whether you¡¯re guilty or not.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­In other words, ahjussi is going to arrest me whether I did something wrong or not. Right?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± The child¡¯s words had pierced Shin Cheonho¡¯s heart. He felt his face burning for the first time in a long time. In fact, he knew better than anyone else that Noah was innocent. What had been said was just for the sake of justification. The real purpose behind his mission was for the World Government to control Noah in advance. They have long hated ¡®irregulars¡¯ that they couldn¡¯t control. S-Rank heroes, people from murim who had reached the pinnacle, mythical beasts, etc¡­ Transcendents with powers beyond common sense were all sealed in the name of world peace or were under special management like himself. Therefore, he could easily guess the absurdity and injustice that Noah must be feeling now. It was feelings he had felt in the past too. However¡­ I eventually realized that everything was useless in front of them. No matter how strong a person was, in front of the World Government, the ruler of the world, they were just feeble existences. Even transcendents who had come from other dimensions, didn¡¯t they also conform to this mammoth system? *** *** In particular, as long as the World Government had the absolute prediction of ¡®Oracle,¡¯ it could be said that their decisions were ¡®fate¡¯ itself. As such, Shin Cheonho had to let this talented but inexperienced child see the reality. That was what an adult like himself should do. It might seem very unreasonable and unacceptable now, but in life there were things you had to accept regardless of your will. Damn it¡­ He cursed inside and then spoke bitterly. ¡°Fine. Now that it¡¯s like this, I¡¯ll be honest with you. Your connection with EIghth Layer Hell is just a pretense.¡± ¡°What, I thought so.¡± ¡°But, just know that all of this is for world peace and was never personal.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me? I¡¯m not even a villain.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s because you¡¯re too strong. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hard to understand what I¡¯m saying now. But one day you¡¯ll understand. No, you might even thank me. Also, this wouldn¡¯t be bad for you.¡± As long as Noah dreamed of working as a hero, it could be said that it was beneficial to be under the control of the World Government. Hasn¡¯t he also received a lot of support since he went under their control? The image of him that everyone knew and respected wouldn¡¯t be as it was now if the World Government hadn¡¯t moved the media. Right¡­this shouldn¡¯t be a bad thing for him either. Shin Cheonho rationalized to himself while persuading Noah. Maybe he could finish this mission smoothly without any trouble. And, if a hero with a promising future was nurtured, maintaining world peace would also be smoother. I¡¯m not wrong¡­ Just then, Noah who had been quietly listening suddenly sat down as his shoulders trembled. Shin Cheonho simply thought that Noah was feeling angry and unjust at first. However, on closer look, Noah had an incredulous expression as if he was holding himself back from laughing. Shin Cheonho¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°¡­Was there something funny about what I just said? Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I tried to keep listening¡­But ahjussi looked so unsightly right now that I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.¡± ¡°?!¡± Noah took a deep breath and slowly stood up. He looked at Shin Cheonho with a smile. ¡°No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s just a loser who has already given up.¡± ¡°What did you say?! What do you know? You¡¯re nothing but a clueless child! If you¡¯ve met them in person, you would never say this¡­¡± ¡°No. Let me make myself clear. It¡¯s just because ahjussi is weak.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I think I¡¯ve recovered enough mana thanks to ahjussi, so stop saying useless things and come.¡± Noah raised one hand and flicked it. How he had acted so far was to buy time to recover his mana? Shin Cheonho¡¯s anger surged at the thought of being played by such a child. ¡°You brat!!!¡± Positive and negative charges spread and collided in the air as dozens of fierce electric arcs stretched out around Shin Cheonho¡¯s body. ¡°I¡¯ll fix that arrogant thinking.¡± A low-pitched voice spread out in the gym. Between the electric currents discharging like flames, Shin Cheonho¡¯s deep blue eyes were emitting light. And¡­The moment his piercing eyes faced his target, < Lightning Bolt > In no time he became a streak of lightning. * * * * * * * * * * Baang¨C! A shockwave erupted. Shin Cheonho shot straight at me like a bullet from a rail gun. It was hard to even follow with my eyes. I was sure I would be overpowered without even knowing what had hit me if I was to look away even a little. However¡­ As expected, it was like that. Maybe for someone like him it was unthinkable, but I had already guessed his technique from his stance. That was because it was none other than me who had cut his throat in the first round. So this time again there was a chance if I just focused. Naturally, it was true that my growth was lacking in many ways compared to then. In addition, Shin Cheonho was a physical hero famous among S-Ranks. To be honest, it could be said that he was a very daunting opponent in a situation where I haven¡¯t gone through my metamorphosis. But¡­ The current me had new skills to make up for that difference. I used one of my skills without delay. < Wolf Hour > My vision was dyed blood-red and my consciousness accelerated faster than ever. A world stretching like taffy. The strange sense of living in a different time zone surrounded my whole body. Even in such a world, Shin Cheonho¡¯s movements were still fast. However, it was only now that his attacks could be seen. His figure swirling in lightning and wielding a sword was clearly visible. Well, that much speed was worth a try. I planted my feet firmly on the floor of the gym.Then, I began to madly circulate mana into the Red Velvet Curse in my hand. Explosive mana wrapped around the blade, creating a crimson sword. The air around me burned and a buzzing sound rang out. Next¡­ I finally swung my blade at Shin Cheonho who was right in front of me. A sword slash beyond the speed of sound spread from my fingertips. In that short moment a look of shock flashed across his face. But contrary to his expression, he responded to my attack with superhuman reflex and blocked it. Baaang¨C! A fearsome explosion rang following the sound of metal colliding. In a single collision, the surrounding area was devastated as if it had been bombarded. ¡°Keuk!¡± A long groove formed as I was pushed back. I felt nauseous from the impact that was much stronger than expected. However, Shin Cheonho wasn¡¯t unscathed either. Unlike me who had my feet planted in advance, his body flew far away and crashed into the floor in an unseemly way. ¡°Keuhok!¡± Shin Cheonho staggered to his feet before uttering in a trembling voice. ¡°Impossible. I can¡¯t believe you stopped my attack¡­You¡¯ve been hiding your skills!¡± ¡°But I never hid it?¡± ¡°Well¡­now I understand why the World Government has put so much attention on you. I was told you were going to be irregular one day, but the information was wrong. You were already close to the ranks of transcendents.¡± Shin Cheonho fixed his disheveled clothes and raised his sword. With a more serious expression than before, he spoke. ¡°I apologize for underestimating you until now. I still can¡¯t believe it¡­I have to admit that you¡¯re an opponent who can never be taken lightly.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s end it here?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t leave you alone. Actually, it¡¯s too much to use this twice a day, but¡­It can¡¯t be helped now.¡± Shin Cheonho showed an ominous expression. Damn it, I have to finish it now. I rushed straight at him. However, there was something moving faster than me. Kiieeeek¨C At that moment, along with a shrill cry, a huge shadow flew in from behind Shin Cheonho. It was a bird whose entire body was enveloped in lightning. Wasn¡¯t this the so-called ¡®Thunderbird¡¯ from Native American mythology? The inconceivable creature transformed into a streak of lightning and permeated into Shin Cheonho¡¯s body. Soon, he gave off a presence incomparable to before. The most menacing and ferocious energy I had ever felt in the second round. ¡°What, it wasn¡¯t like this originally!¡± Where the hell did that unknown bird come from? Did he have this ability? Perhaps the same guy I had fought in the past was considerably weakened. Assuming that was the case¡­ ¡°It¡¯s hard to control my strength now that I¡¯ve become like this, so please don¡¯t die.¡± Maybe this moment today will be my last day of the second round. ____ ____ Chapter 96 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 96 In the distant past, mankind would think of God¡¯s existence whenever they saw lightning descend from the sky. Perhaps above the high clouds and beyond their reach was an omnipotent being looking down on the world. As such, people would often say it was the ¡®heaven¡¯s will¡¯ and attributed it to fate when they would face a sudden misfortune or something beyond their control. However, Shin Cheonho hated that fatalistic way of thinking when he was a child. If the outcome of everything was really fixed, then he, who was born without talent, wasn¡¯t even qualified to dream. ¡°Wow! What kind of hero doesn¡¯t have superpower? You should know your place!¡± ¡°Right. There¡¯s a thing called fate that everyone is born with. Only a miserable fate awaits you if you indulge in such ideas.¡± He was scolded by the adults around him for wanting to become a hero. A vain dream would only fester after all. On the contrary, he became more determined as his dream of becoming a hero grew in his heart. To him, fate was just an excuse for the defeatist who had given up the challenge. Limitation and fate. Who gets to decide that? I¡¯m not like those cowards. A true hero is someone who can overcome any hardships. He swung his sword to the point of exhaustion every day and worked without sparing himself just so he could stand side by side with the heroes he yearned to be. To prove to those who had once laughed at his dream. Not through luck like those born with an ability but from the strength gained through effort. However¡­ ¡°Why! Why only this far? I¡¯ve worked so hard!¡± The result was at best a third-rate mercenary after a lifetime¡¯s struggle. Those around him were also defeatists who lived by alcohol rather than sweat. It was a life very far from the ideal he had dreamed of as a child. I¡­I can¡¯t let it end here. If I just try a little harder¡­ He didn¡¯t want to admit such a reality. He wanted to believe that one day his efforts would be rewarded. However, he sank deeper into despair when he saw that his situation wasn¡¯t much different from the other mercenaries. My talent¡­From the start, was there really no way for me to become a hero? In the midst of repeated failures, the spite he had harbored gradually faded away and in the end he had no choice but to admit the truth. That there was such a thing called ¡®fate¡¯ in the world and it was beyond one¡¯s control no matter how hard you struggled. Everyone was right¡­Mankind cannot go against heaven¡¯s will. Ironically, he was saved from despair as a result of an encounter with a mythical existence from heaven. As if it was fate, he had encountered the ¡®Thunderbird¡¯ during one of his missions. He instantly became an S-Rank hero after forming a contract with it. Just like the abilities gained by luck from birth, it was a power he had gained without any effort. It was the sort of thing he had always hated. However, he was no longer ashamed of the fact. It doesn¡¯t matter. After all, now he knew that life was determined by something greater than an individual¡¯s will or effort¡­ A wife who departed the world before even saying goodbye. A daughter who always had to live with the danger of her mana running wild. And even himself who was a puppet of the World Government. The world was full of things beyond one¡¯s control. In the face of such fate, all one¡¯s efforts were simply useless. It was the same as having the common sense to not run toward lightning descending from the sky. ¡­To this child also, I need to let him understand the reality. That was what an adult like himself should do. He looked at Noah sharply. ¡°Your talent is certainly astonishing. But you still don¡¯t know the most important thing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°There are things in this world you can¡¯t overcome no matter how hard you try.¡± Dark clouds suddenly began to cover the ceiling of the gym. Rumble¨C Lightning flashed between the clouds as the gym shook like it was going to collapse due to the constant rumbling. ¡°The World Government now deserves to be called heaven. There¡¯s not a single place in the world beyond their reach. Resisting against such an existence isn¡¯t something an individual can do through effort or will!¡± The thunderclouds that had covered the ceiling in an instant seemed to have no gaps. There were no blind spots where it couldn¡¯t reach. To the point where the gym had really become Shin Cheonho¡¯s domain. Having isolated the area, he spoke to Noah. ¡°Heaven is called heaven because it¡¯s out of human reach. So I¡¯m telling you this for the last time. Surrender now and just accept it.¡± After hearing Shin Cheonho, Noah tilted his head with a perplexed expression. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve definitely grown a little strong, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s to the point where you should be so full of yourself¡­Ah! Or maybe ahjussi is just too weak?¡± ¡°How dare you! Are you still trying to provoke me?! You don¡¯t know anything about their true power! If they put their mind to it¡­¡± Noah cut off Shin Cheonho¡¯s words and spoke firmly. ¡°No. I think I know that better than ahjussi.¡± A confident expression. Noah smiled as if he really didn¡¯t care about the World Government. Seeing that, Shin Cheonho realized that there was no need for further persuasion. Perhaps it was confidence out of ignorance. He had thought it was due to Noah¡¯s inexperience rather than being blinded by his own talent. ¡°¡­Foolish. You¡¯ll regret your decision.¡± Shin Cheonho drew his sword again and raised it in the air. At that moment, deep blue lights seemingly flashed between the dark clouds and in an instant a lightning bolt descended toward Noah. Baaang¨C! A terrifying power that could split a giant tree in one breath. Had it been an ordinary person, they would have evaporated without a trace. However¡­ The attack didn¡¯t reach Noah. He had narrowly avoided it the moment the lightning bolt descended. Shin Cheonho looked at Noah with a genuinely surprised expression. ¡°¡­It was avoided?¡± The attack just now wasn¡¯t a borrowed power like usual but was the direct use of the Thunderbird¡¯s power. Its speed was naturally incomparable to earlier. Even he wasn¡¯t confident in avoiding it unless he knew the direction of the attack beforehand. An ability? Or just a fluke? In fact, there wasn¡¯t much to say. He was simply surprised by Noah¡¯s movement that had exceeded his expectations. This place had already become the Thunderbird¡¯s territory. Victory was as good as a foregone conclusion. The more I watch him, the more I¡¯m amazed¡­But there won¡¯t be a next time. Shin Cheonho silently lifted his sword and brought it down quickly. Like before, light flashed in the thunderclouds and lightning descended. Baaang¨C! As many as three lighting bolts this time. It came down one by one, but it was so fast as if three had struck simultaneously. The highly strengthened floor made specifically for training shattered like straws, scattering debris in all directions. Shin Cheonho looked to where his attack had fallen. Soon, his eyes widened so far as if they couldn¡¯t get any bigger. ¡°H-how¡­¡± Standing there was Noah unscathed. Just like before, he had narrowly avoided the attack. ¡°How the hell did you do it?!¡± Even though he had controlled the output, the speed was certainly the same. As a result, he couldn¡¯t understand how Noah had avoided his attack. This¡­is it talent? No, even for a remarkable genius, this really didn¡¯t make any sense. If Noah was really born with such a difference in talent, wouldn¡¯t such a power be unreasonable? Noah frowned and answered with a tone of annoyance. ¡°I¡¯ve told you earlier. It¡¯s because ahjussi is weak.¡± ¡°Y-you brat!!!¡± Shin Cheonho¡¯s rationale that was barely held together immediately scattered. He didn¡¯t even think to control the output anymore. Leaking from the dark clouds, countless lightning bolts descended simultaneously. Baang¨C! Baaaaaang¨C! The gym was covered in white light as the area where Noah stood boiled and melted. However¡­ In the midst of such hellish lightning, Noah had survived by a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡°N-no way¡­¡± Although the attack just now was due to Shin Cheonho¡¯s momentary inability to hold back his anger, he had put everything behind that attack. How is this possible? Shin Cheonho couldn¡¯t believe the current situation. Looking at Noah¡¯s fatigued expression, it could clearly be seen that he was already at his limit after having to move his body at an unreasonable speed. However, in the midst of that, Noah had yet to allow a single attack. No matter how good a person¡¯s reflexes were, these weren¡¯t attacks that could be avoided simply by observing it. Unless Noah had fought him in the past, this phenomenon was completely inexplicable. Even now, wasn¡¯t Noah moving one step ahead as if he knew where he would attack? However, this was naturally the first time they had met each other. If that was the case¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­does he have foresight? Shin Cheonho had only heard of it in the legends of other dimensions. However, it all pointed to that being the case given what he had seen. The reason why Noah was able to predict and respond to every attack so far. And also the reason why he was able to stand out at such a young age. Just because he can read the future doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no way. If avoiding was the cause of Shin Cheonho¡¯s dilemma, then it was enough to fire an attack that Noah knew but couldn¡¯t avoid. *** *** Shin Cheonho, who had been sending down lightning until now, suddenly stopped. He slowly lifted his sword and took a thrusting posture. Dark clouds filling the gym began to rapidly gather at the tip of his sword. The power that had spread out compressed into a single point. At last, when the power was concentrated, he thrusted his sword in Noah¡¯s direction. Kiieeek¡ª! A piercing cry rang out as lightning in the form of a grouse flew in a straight line toward Noah. An attack that threatened to vaporize everything in its path. Let¡¯s see how he can avoid this. Contrary to expectation, Noah frowned and seemed to have no intention of avoiding it. Rather, as if he had given up, he ran toward the grouse and threw himself at it with open arms. A golden shield formed in front of him and collided with the grouse, blocking its path. As a result, along with a blinding light, a huge shock wave erupted. Noah, who had blocked the attack, bounced away at a high speed and collided with the barrier of the gym. Baaaang¨C! Cracks formed in the barrier that had endured all kinds of shocks until now, and as a result, the side of the gym collapsed. Soon after, as the dust settled, the figure of Noah, who was limp like a broken doll, was revealed. Every joint was twisted in opposite directions, and his arms, which had blocked the attack directly, were charred black up to the shoulders. In the end¡­it came to this. After seeing Noah¡¯s condition, Shin Cheonho released the power he had barely maintained. His body that was surrounded by lightning returned to its original state as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. ¡°Keuhuk!¡± It was the result from having used such a power twice today. Let alone his physical condition, his lifespan must have also been drastically reduced. However, Noah was simply a talented genius who couldn¡¯t be dealt with unless risks were taken. Maybe in the next few years he would have become a fearsome monster that even he cannot handle. I can¡¯t believe I broke that diamond with my own hands¡­ Perhaps he could have suppressed Noah without injury if he had been a little weaker. Or if he wasn¡¯t talented in the first place, then he wouldn¡¯t have caught the World Government¡¯s attention and could live in peace. This is also a fixed fate¡­ Shin Cheonho frowned as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The moment he was about to turn his back, Noah¡¯s faint voice was heard. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± ¡°?!¡± At first he thought he had heard wrongly. However, when he looked at the fallen Noah again, he could see that his chest was moving up and down, even if just slightly. ¡°Oh my god! How is he still breathing?¡± Shin Cheonho ran straight to Noah. When he saw his appearance up close, he opened his mouth in surprise. ¡°Really, this guy¡­is a monster.¡± Noah¡¯s condition was still grave. It was a gruesome sight to the point where it felt like a miracle he was alive. However, his body was recovering so quickly that the changes were visible. The twisted joints regained their place, and the skin tissues, which had been charred black, began to show a luster. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before he completely recovered. Huu¡­Good. Shin Cheonho thought he could complete his mission without killing Noah after all. He took out restraints from his chest with the intention of suppressing him before he could fully recover. Looking down at Noah, he spoke bitterly. ¡°I know you¡¯re innocent. You deserve to be called a hero even more than someone like me. But¡­in the first place, justice exists for the strong. You can call it whatever sin you want. So, Choi Noah. I¡¯m arresting you here on suspicion of colluding with Eighth Layer Hell.¡± Shin Cheonho activated the restraints in his hand and brought it to Noah who was recovering quickly. ¡°¡­You can curse me all you want.¡± As he was about to arrest Noah, a familiar voice came from behind him. ¡°F-father?¡± When Shin Cheonho looked back in surprise, Shirahui was looking at him with an extremely shocked expression. ¡°?!¡± His thoughts stopped temporarily the moment he saw her. Why was she here? Was she unconscious all this time? A-ah¡­What the hell did I do?! His pounding heart sank. He had poured out all those attacks while unaware that his precious daughter was here. If Choi Noah had avoided the last attack¡­ He inadvertently examined where the two had clashed. Then, he suddenly noticed the truth. D-don¡¯t tell me¡­In order to protect everyone, did he deliberately block my attack?! He didn¡¯t want to believe it, but he had no choice but to admit it the more he thought about it. Shame and guilt. An unbearable self-loathing pressed down on his chest. While Shin Cheonho was in a state of chaos, Shirahui asked. ¡°F-father, what the hell did you just say¡­commiting a sin¡­¡± Shirahui staggered. Her body looked precarious as if it was going to break at any second. ¡°R-Rahui!¡± What had happened here? How come he couldn¡¯t feel any life from his daughter? Startled, Shin Cheonho hurriedly approached Shirahui and put his hand on her shoulder. However¡­ Pa¨C! Shirahui swept away his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­touch me. More than that¡­Answer me.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­I¡¯ll explain it all later! S-so please calm down first¡­¡± However, Shirahui gripped Shin Cheonho¡¯s collar as if her body was fine. ¡°How¡­can you¡­It¡¯s not someone else but my father¡­My father who taught me the meaning of justice!¡± A powerful cry to the end. At that moment, Shirahui¡¯s body faltered greatly. She fell to the floor and lost consciousness. ¡°N-no!!¡± Shin Cheonho hugged Shirahui with his remaining left arm. He immediately instilled mana into her and tried to seize her flame of life. ¡°I-it can¡¯t be. No, Rahui! If you also leave me¡­!¡± He prayed earnestly to fate that was tormenting him again. For it to please overlook it this time. However, contrary to his earnest wish, Shirahui¡¯s breathing became thinner and thinner. And in the end, her breath completely stopped. ¡°Euaaaaah!!!!¡± Shin Cheonho cried out. His animal-like howl vainly spread out in the gym. He had done all kinds of dirty things without hesitation to protect his daughter from the World Government. In the case they would harm his family, he had conformed to their will. But was this karma? If so, it was a cruel punishment. ¡°If it¡¯s like that, then take me instead!!!¡± As he fell into endless despair, Shirahui¡¯s body suddenly floated up in front of him and dark clouds began to wrap around it. ¡°?!¡± In the space that was connected beyond such clouds, a mysterious giant figure shrouded in light could be seen. A pressure that made it hard to even breathe. An overwhelming presence he had never felt before weighed on his spirit. Wh-what the hell is this¡­ If fate had a form, perhaps it would look something like this. He instinctively realized. Every creature in this world could never go against this existence. From that kind of existence came its voice directly in his mind. ¡°The child¡¯s breath has stopped, so I¡¯ll take her in accordance with the contract.¡± The giant said as it stretched out its huge arm from beyond the clouds and grabbed Shirahui¡¯s body. No!!!!! Although Shin Cheonho didn¡¯t know the giant¡¯s identity, he wasn¡¯t going to let it take his daughter. He tried to stop it, but his body was as stiff as a statue and wouldn¡¯t move. Please move! Biting his tongue and circulating his mana, he tried desperately to move his body, but it was no use. Even his old partner, the Thunderbird, hid itself under the overwhelming pressure of the giant¡¯s presence. A-ah¡­No¡­ There was no way anymore. Like the story of his life of having always conformed to a greater power, his body refused to move as if it was conforming to the existence in front of him. Meanwhile, the giant¡¯s arm holding Shirahui was already disappearing beyond the clouds. All he could do was curse heaven for such a fate. Don¡¯t take anymore from me!!! As Shin Cheonho screamed in his heart, a voice in the same vein as his inner thoughts was heard from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t take my reward!¡± Something carrying a red trajectory brushed past him. Th-this guy?! It was none other than Noah who was lying on the floor moments ago. Noah had fully recovered, and before Shin Cheonho knew it, he had kicked off the ground and leapt into the air. Without any hesitation, he threw himself beyond the clouds that were slowly closing. Like that, he disappeared along with the clouds. As if nothing had happened here. ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­¡± Shin Cheonho, who had witnessed everything, finally lost strength in his legs and collapsed. He stared vacantly at where his daughter and Noah had disappeared. * * * * * * * * * * After entering through the clouds, an unfamiliar landscape welcomed me. Tall snow mountains stretched in the horizon, and countless constellations filled the sky. A bastard was stealing my reward, so I had followed him blindly and arrived at this unknown place. However, there were no signs of Shirahui or the thief anywhere. ¡°Where am I?¡± As if to answer my question, a message appeared in front of me. [ You¡¯ve entered the dimension ¡®Olympus.¡¯ ] ¡°Olympus?¡± The same place from Greek mythology? I wasn¡¯t even aware of the existence of Gods in the first round¡­It was unbelievable that this kind of hidden content existed. [ A new dimension has been discovered. ] [ Condition for the Challenge ¨C Dimensional Traveler has been met (2/3). ] ¡°Oh!¡± This was the quest I had received when I had found a dimensional gate in Choi Bokhui¡¯s castle. Along with the fact that I had briefly visited the demon world when I was kidnapped by Azazel, this was already the second dimension. That meant one more dimension and I¡¯ll be rewarded¡­ I had left it alone for the time being because there was no way to do it, so this was really an unexpected harvest. By the way, it can¡¯t be that I failed the Challenge¡­? I had followed her in a hurry, but now that I think about it, I wonder what will happen to the Challenge to protect Shirahui until the end of the school festival. Just as I thought as such, more messages appeared before me. [ Part of a Challenge completed. ] [ Challenge updated. ] ¡°Oh! So that was the case.¡± Fortunately, it seemed the Challenge didn¡¯t fail. But how come it was updated and not completed? I had a bad feeling. I checked the contents of the updated Challenge. And in the end, I had no choice but to give a deep sigh. [ Save Shirahui. ] ¡°As expected¡­I thought it would be like this.¡± Like what I had experienced before, there were many things to pay attention to when it came to ¡®save¡¯ Challenges because the conditions were vague. Well, in this case, it could literally mean saving Shirahui, but I think I¡¯ll need to wait and see the exact situation. However, I was certain of one thing. ¡°God or whatever, I won¡¯t let anyone take my reward.¡± I walked toward the snow mountains in front of me step by step. ____ ____ Chapter 97 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 97 Where the hell am I? Shirahui was looking at her surroundings after having slowly woken up. A floor covered with foam mats. A bulletin board with poorly drawn pictures. And in such a classroom, even children sitting huddled together. It was a common everyday sight seen in a kindergarten. A scenery where she could feel an unknown nostalgia. But why am I in a place like this¡­? She recalled her last memory. Screams could be heard from all directions. It was a hellish landscape filled with dismembered bodies and blood. In the middle of such a place she had lost consciousness. When she had come to her senses, she suddenly saw her father putting restraints on Noah. After that, she definitely¡­ ¡­I was yelling at my father, and then I collapsed again. So why did she open her eyes in a place like this? Was the incident resolved? Regardless of the outcome, she couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. She approached the teacher who was conducting class. Excuse me. Do you know what the hell is going on here? What happened to the villain attack? ¡°Now, shall we have the next person present?¡± However, the teacher didn¡¯t answer her and just continued teaching. Maybe the teacher didn¡¯t hear her? She came closer, and just as she was about to call out, a little girl jumped up and began her presentation with a confident expression. ¡°Yes! My dream is to become a great hero like my father someday!¡± The moment Shirahui heard the voice, she felt an indescribable, strange feeling. She inadvertently turned her head. Her gaze stopped on the chest of the little girl presenting. And there, attached to her chest was a name tag with the name ¡®Shin Shirahui.¡¯ (T/N: Her name is Shin Rahui, but the author made a typo when she was first introduced and I¡¯ve kept it as Shirahui ever since.) ?! ¡°Rahui, is it your dream to be a hero? Good. I¡¯m sure Rahui will be a great hero like Cheonho-nim.¡± ¡°It must be nice to have a great dad like Rahui¡¯s! I¡¯m so jealous!¡± ¡°Right, right! I wish my dad was a hero.¡± The little girl lifted her head proudly after having finished her presentation. Meanwhile, the teacher and children looked at her with envy and praised her father. Shirahui felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¢ vu. She began to faintly recall her childhood memories. Wh-what the hell is this¡­? The little girl twitching her lips and trying to hold back her smile was none other than herself in the past. What¡¯s happening¡­ Was she dreaming? Or did she get caught in some kind of scheme and was seeing an illusion? She could only watch the current situation in a chaotic mood. Meanwhile, children began to flock around little Shirahui as they chattered. ¡°Rahui! Please tell us about hero-nim like last time!¡± ¡°Right! Right! I want to hear the story about Cheonho-nim defeating the villains!¡± Little Shirahui smiled proudly at the sight of such children. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you about it last time. But you still want to hear about my dad?¡± ¡°Hmhm! It¡¯s fun to hear stories about Cheonho-nim no matter how many times I hear it!¡± ¡°Right! Right!¡± ¡°W-well, if you want to hear it that badly, tsk, I have no choice but to tell you again.¡± ¡°¡±¡±Waaah!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Ahem. So, you see. Last time, my father¡­¡± Little Shirahui, who had pretended to be unwilling, began to talk about her father with an excited look on her face. After an unknown time, the doors of the kindergarten suddenly opened and parents who came to pick up their children came in. ¡°Aye, my princess. Are you done with your class? Why don¡¯t you go on a date with daddy?¡± ¡°Daddyyyy!!¡± Children who were listening to little Shirahui¡¯s story rushed out of their seats and ran to their parents. ¡°W-wait¡­Don¡¯t you want to hear the most important part¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rahui! I have to go to the zoo with my dad today! See you next time!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Before long, the children disappeared. Soon, the teacher approached little Shirahui and asked. ¡°Little Rahui. I just got a call from your mother and she said she¡¯ll be a little late today. Should I stay with you until then?¡± ¡°No¡­I can wait by myself.¡± ¡°Really? Then, teacher will be over there doing some work, so call me if you need anything.¡± As a result, little Shirahui was left alone. All of her feelings were vividly conveyed to Shirahui. She knew what she was experiencing now could never be a dream or illusion. It was undeniably her memory. The emotions she had felt at that time could never be reproduced by a dream or illusion. Regarding this phenomenon where she was vividly seeing her past, she could already guess. It¡¯s different from what I had imagined¡­but this is probably¡­ She realized that she was reliving her memories just before death. * * * * * * * * * * The scene changed. A neatly decorated interior. An interior where a housewife¡¯s touch could be felt. Every sight that caught Shirahui¡¯s eyes permeated her memory with familiarity. This¡­? This was her childhood home where her family had lived before moving to Seoul. A place filled with memories made by three. However, after her mother¡¯s death, her father had decided to sell the house and move to Seoul as if he was running away. So she wanted to visit here again someday if she had a chance¡­ I never thought I¡¯d see it again like this¡­ From somewhere came the savory smell of soybean paste stew and the sound of restless chopsticks. She stepped toward the sound as if she was possessed. Soon, she came to a big marble table filled with heartfelt food. However, sitting at the big table was only little Shirahui. With puffed cheeks, she was fiddling with her chopsticks. Why did I complain so much back then¡­If I could eat any food my mom made, even side dishes would be good¡­ A woman walked out of the kitchen and to the table with a plate of sliced fruits. As if Shirahui was looking into a mirror, it was a woman with a soft smile and eyes. The woman smiled affectionately at little Shirahui. ¡°My Rahui, why do you look so sad?¡± M-mom!!!! Shirahui ran to her. However, her body passed in vain and she couldn¡¯t reach her mother. A-ah¡­ She collapsed along with a feeling of helplessness. It was her past self with a sour face that answered instead. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s nothing? Don¡¯t be like that and tell me~ Hmm? Did you have a fight with your friend today?¡± ¡°Hmph! I won¡¯t tell you!¡± Little Shirahui didn¡¯t make eye contact with her mother as she restlessly poked the fish on the table. Her mother smiled and held out an apple cut in the shape of a rabbit. ¡°I¡¯ll give Rahui the rabbit apple that she likes, so can¡¯t you just tell mom? Come on, the rabbit is hopping~ Ah~¡± ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s no use. I¡¯m really not going to tell you¡­heup!¡± Little Shirahui opened her mouth and skillfully pushed the apple into her mouth. With the apple in her mouth, she looked at her mother reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s tasty, right? Your dad got it from the Daegu family last time. The house of your friend Gangjun-oppa.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After chewing the apple silently for a while and hesitating, little Shirahui soon spoke. ¡°Mom¡­why isn¡¯t dad home? I¡­want to go to the zoo with mom and dad¡­¡± Her mother, surprised by the question, widened her eyes. Soon, she approached little Shirahui¡¯s side and asked her at eye level. ¡°What animal does Rahui want to see the most at the zoo?¡± ¡°Wolf¡­¡± ¡°Wolf? Why a wolf? There are a lot of cute animals.¡± ¡°I¡­want to ride a wolf.¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh! You mean what you saw in a cartoon recently.¡± Looking at little Shirahui, her mother smiled. She patted her head and continued. ¡°You know, your dad. He¡¯s scolding the mean people who might disturb Rahui, so that someday you can play with the wolves.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t someone else do it besides dad?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Instead of answering, her mother hugged little Shirahui tightly. She spoke in an apologetic tone. ¡°¡­That¡¯s because it¡¯s something only your dad can do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s because your dad is the best in the world. Didn¡¯t you know that, Rahui?¡± ¡°I know, but¡­¡± ¡°Like what your dad always said. The strong must protect the weak. So can you hang in there a little longer, Rahui?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But since he said he¡¯d certainly come to Parents¡¯ Day, shall we all go to the zoo then?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Little Shirahui¡¯s eyes sparkled like the stars. ¡°Of course! When has mom ever lied? So let¡¯s finish eating with mom and make a carnation for your dad.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Little Shirahui picked up her chopsticks in a hurry as her mother smiled warmly. Shirahui slowly closed her eyes after watching the two. * * * * * * * * * * Shuwah¨C When Shirahui opened her eyes, the scene had changed again. Heavy rain was pouring down from the sky, and amidst the gloomy background, a kindergarten¡¯s talent show could be heard. Th-this day¡­?! She immediately recognized what the scene she was watching meant. N-no! You don¡¯t have to show me this! Please!! She shouted for her voice to be heard. However, the scene before her eyes continued to flow regardless of her will. At a time when everyone was having a good time, little Shirahui was sitting alone on the kindergarten¡¯s stairs. Tightly held in her hands was a crudely made carnation. To the little Shirahui who had her head lowered, her mother approached and spoke affectionately. ¡°Rahui, don¡¯t stay here, shall we go in and sing together? Rahui practiced a lot.¡± ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t want to.¡± Her mother sighed quietly at the sight of her daughter. She said in the most soothing tone possible. ¡°Your dad must be a little late because it¡¯s raining. He¡¯ll be here soon if you go in. Okay?¡± ¡°Liar!!!¡± ¡°Rahui!!¡± Little Shirahui shook off her mother¡¯s hand and ran into the rain. She hated everyone. Her mother, her father. Such thoughts flowed into her head. She just wanted to be with her family like her other friends. She didn¡¯t want her father to be a great hero¡­ If only she had strength. She wished she could have scolded the bad villains instead of her father. Just as she thought as such, someone¡¯s voice came into her ears. ¡°Do you want to be strong?¡± The mysterious voice said enticingly as its words reverberated in her head. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± ¡°If you do as I say, you can be stronger than anyone else.¡° N-no! You can¡¯t listen to that!!! Shirahui desperately tried to block the voice. She wanted to somehow prevent the wrong decision she had made in the past. However, her words simply faded vainly in the rain, impossible to reach her past self. And¡­ ¡°I¡­I want to be strong!¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll help you find your true self.¡± The scars of the past began to repeat. * * * * * * * * * * Was this a punishment for her past mistake? Despite trying to stop it, the scene changed again. Shirahui no longer spoke. She simply watched the punishment given to her with sunken eyes. ¡°Rahui! Rahui!¡± The figure of her mother running around and screaming hoarsely. Her blouse, dressed for the first time in a long time, was completely drenched from the rain. ¡°Where the hell did she go when it¡¯s raining like this¡­¡± Her mother¡¯s face was full of worries. After running for a long time, a wet carnation that had fallen on the ground caught her eyes. She ran straight along the path. Soon, little Shirahui floating in the air and emitting an electric field could be seen. ¡°Rahui!!!¡± ¡°Heuk! M-mom!!!¡± Little Shirahui showed a very pained expression on her face. Seeing her like that, her mother quickly ran to her. ¡°H-hold on! I¡¯ll save you in a second¡­Kyak!¡± The lightning arcs extending from little Shirahui¡¯s body had knocked back her mother. A voice of something with a huge presence resonated from the sky. ¡°Mortal. Don¡¯t interfere with my plan.¡± Her mother looked up at the pouring rain and screamed at her invisible opponent. ¡°Are you the one who made Rahui like this? If you don¡¯t want to die, release Rahui right now!!!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m just helping her return to her true self. If she can¡¯t overcome that power and dies, then that is her fate too. So leave now, mortal.¡± It was just a voice, but a terrible pressure weighed on the surroundings. A pressure that an average person could never handle. However, although her mother trembled, she didn¡¯t back down. ¡°S-son of a bitch! Rahui is my daughter! Who are you to decide that?!¡± ¡°This is a legitimate contract. And under that contract, after death, her soul will belong to me.¡± ¡°A load of crap!! Who gave you the right?!!¡± Ignoring the voice, her mother ran to little Shirahui. Colliding, bouncing off, and rolling in the mud. Still, she continued to move forward. Did her desperation come through? ¡°Without any mana in your body, how¡­?¡± Finally, her mother miraculously was able to reach where little Shirahui was. Hugging her body tightly, she asked. ¡°Keuk¡­Rahui. A-are you okay?¡± ¡°M-mom¡­It hurts. It hurts so much. My stomach is hot.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­Mom will take care of everything! Rahui trusts mom, right?¡± Her mother looked at little Shirahui and smiled. After holding her tightly, she accepted all the mana and lightning little Shirahui was emitting into her own body. ¡°How dare you, mortal! Are you trying to interfere with my plan?! Get away from there right now!!¡± An ever-increasing electrical storm. Her mother¡¯s flesh burned and scorched. *** *** However, she didn¡¯t scream. Rather, in spite of the unbearable pain beyond what humans were capable of, she smiled. ¡°Rahui, I¡¯m so proud of you. Can you hang in there a little longer?¡± ¡°Hm-hm¡­¡± She endured all the uncontrollable mana. As a result, her body began to turn to ashes and slowly crumble. ¡°Today¡­We were supposed to go to the zoo¡­I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t go with you¡­¡± ¡°M-mom?¡± A crack appeared on her mother¡¯s body that had reached its limit after embracing the mana. Meanwhile, a scream came from her father who had found them. ¡°H-honey!! Rahui!!!¡± Her mother pushed little Shirahui toward her father. And as always, she spoke with a warm smile. ¡°The zoo¡­Your dad will go with you instead of mom. Even without mom¡­You have to have fun, okay? Honey, please take care of Rahui.¡± ¡°N-no!! Mom!!¡± ¡°Honey!!¡± Her mother looked up at the pouring rain and shouted. ¡°God or whatever. No one can touch my daughter!!¡± ¡°H-how dare a mortal interfere with my plan!!!¡± At that moment, the mana that was raging inside little Shirahui exploded, bursting her mother¡¯s body and spreading in all directions. In such a terrible storm, little Shirahui lost consciousness in her father¡¯s arms. That was Shirahui¡¯s last memory of her mother. * * * * * * * * * * It¡¯s finally over¡­ Shirahui collapsed and wiped away her tears. Her childhood was like a nightmare. The resurfaced memories, which had been consciously shut off her entire life, had finally ended. What was in front of her now was just nothingness. Nothing but utter darkness. Will death welcome me now? Ever since her mother¡¯s death she had always wondered what happened after death. And now her curiosity will be answered. What kind of place was the afterlife? If there really was a place like that, would her mother be doing well there? No, maybe she herself was already dead. The scenes she had experienced a while ago were nothing short of hell¡¯s punishment. Soon, she heard someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Mortal, do you remember the contract you made with me?¡± Zeus¡­ In the past, he had tempted her by saying he would give her strength, which had led to her mother¡¯s death. I made the stupid descision to contract him again¡­ However, she was able to save everyone. As such, she had no regrets about her decision. She only felt sorry for her mother who had risked her life to protect her. As to not be intimidated, she shouted confidently. Of course I remember. I¡¯ll do as you wish. What do you want? ¡°Astrape. You¡¯ll return to your true self and be my instrument.¡± Instrument? ¡°Yes. However, your soul cannot be my instrument yet because it still has lingering attachments. Even though I showed you what happened in the past. What a tenacious soul.¡± Y-you mean what happened just now was because of you¡­? She trembled with anger. She didn¡¯t know his reason for doing it, but he had intentionally dug up her scars. Despite her reaction, Zeus continued. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯d better show you what happened after this. Only then will you understand where you belong.¡± W-wait! Her vision changed again. The location was the vacant lot where the incident had taken place. However, the landscape had changed beyond recognizable. I-impossible¡­ The surrounding area was in ruins. Not only the vacant lot, but also the kindergarten she had attended, nearby hospitals, schools, family homes, etc¡­ Every place in sight was in a shade of black and crumbling. In the middle of such destruction, her father was carefully holding little Shirahui. Blood flowing down the corner of his mouth, his body was also not unscathed. Standing there was a completely unexpected figure. That person¡­? Clink¨C A black man covered in silver armor. It was the man named Pamir who was sent to the school festival to catch Noah. Why was he here? Pamir smiled slyly. ¡°Hoho, oh my. It exploded splendidly, Mr. Shin.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Everyone within a kilometer evaporated. That¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her father remained silent. He simply gave strength to his arms that embraced little Shirahui. Pamir, who had been smiling, spoke hoarsely with a grimace. ¡°Say something. This is all because of your daughter.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thousands of people have died. Including innocent children! How will you take responsibility for this crime? Well, first of all, we¡¯ll have to punish your daughter for causing this incident.¡± At the end of Pamir¡¯s words, her father, who had been silent all this time, stood up. After walking slowly to Pamir, he knelt down on the ground with a thud. ¡°Please¡­Please¡­Please don¡¯t hold my daughter accountable. In fact, the parents are to blame for failing to control the situation. So I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡± ¡°Huu, I can¡¯t believe Mr. Shin is on his knees. Is this what they call paternal love? This is a really precious sight.¡± Pamir squatted in front of her father and looked at little Shirahui with an expression of interest. Soon, he smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll take full responsibility¡­Then, can I interpret it as accepting my offer?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Shin?¡± For a while her father was silent. He simply looked down at little Shirahui¡¯s face. A little later, ¡°¡­I understand. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Her father accepted Pamir¡¯s offer. Offer? What kind of offer was it for him to make such a face? A feeble look on her father¡¯s face she had never seen before. Seeing that, the unpleasant memories of her family passed through her mind. ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s great. You can leave the rest to me. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± ¡°¡­Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see~ Since it¡¯s raining today, hmm, I guess it¡¯s enough to say there was a lightning accident here. Hahaha! Isn¡¯t this all fate? I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Pamir stood up. As soon as he turned his back, he spoke to her father as if he had remembered something. ¡°Ah, just so you know. If you had accepted the offer a little sooner, we would have also informed you of your wife¡¯s death that was predicted today. Well, it would have been a happy Parents¡¯ Day for everyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­So let¡¯s not make the same mistake twice. Mr. Shin?¡± Shirahui¡¯s mind went blank as soon as she saw the scene. Only then did all the pieces fit together. Why her father had decided to sell the family home and move. And why her father, who pursued justice more than anyone else, had acted like a coward this time. Th-the reason why my father wanted to arrest Choi Noah¡­It was all because of me. Since then, countless scenes were shown in succession. The image of her father killing civilians, torturing people, assassinating politicians, and doing all sorts of dirty work as commanded. N-no more¡­I can¡¯t do this. Her father became a dog of the World Government and became increasingly haggard. And yet, he taught her to be a righteous person with a forced smile whenever he came home. A-ah¡­Ah¡­ The figure of her father she had never seen before. At last, overlapping such a father was her yelling sharply at him. [Someone like you¡­a hero¡­you¡¯re not my father!] Her father looked at her vacantly as if he had lost everything. The expression he had shown at that time was still imprinted in her mind. A-ah¡­No¡­I didn¡¯t know¡­No, dad¡­ She regretted so much of what she had said. If she could turn back time, she wanted to sincerely apologize to her father. However, that was just an unattainable wish. Soon, she heard Zeus¡¯ voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure you saw clearly. All your family¡¯s misfortunes were caused by you alone. Not just that. Countless innocent souls who died. And those who died at the hands of your father to protect you.¡± A¡­A-ah¡­ ¡°It¡¯s all because you chose the wrong place to be. You were supposed to be in my hands as Astrape, not as a mortal. Give up now and return to your true self.¡± My true self¡­ If she hadn¡¯t been born¡­ Her mother would still be alive. Her father would have kept his beliefs and protected justice. And the lives of the people who died because of me¡­ ¡°Stop trying to go against your fate.¡± Right¡­I only bring misfortune to everyone¡­ No one in the world would wish to be that kind of person. Her existence itself brought disaster, so was there a need for her to exist? Yeah. I¡¯d rather¡­ The moment Shirahui was about to let go of her lingering attachments, ¡°Stooooop!!¡± Someone¡¯s voice woke her up. * * * * * * * * * * This voice? A very familiar voice. A voice that Shirahui really wanted to hear before death. She wondered why she was hearing it now. Choi Noah. At that moment, the scene of nothingness changed. As a result, the imaginary world faded and she saw the real world. The summit of Mount Olympus. At the nearest place to the sky. There was a temple altar built of stones, and above a table lay her unconscious body. She looked down at her body in her soul state. In the sky, a giant existence made of light and clouds was overseeing everything. Gasping for breath, Noah approached Zeus. No¡­why the hell is he here?! She yelled. However, it was impossible for her voice to reach him. Someone close to her will be hurt again because of her. ¡°You¡­Mortal, how did you get here? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re also trying to sabotage my plan?!¡± A tremendous pressure that cannot be measured descended. However, Noah didn¡¯t succumb to it and continued to approach one step at a time. After an unknown time, just like her mother had done. The last cry her mother had left in the past erupted from Noah¡¯s mouth. ¡°God or whatever. No one can touch what¡¯s mine!!¡± Thump¨C Wh-why is he going this far for me¡­ Noah, who had finally reached the altar, grabbed Shirahui¡¯s body. ¡°I need this person! I¡¯ll be troubled without her!!¡± Thump, thump¨C H-he needs me? What did he mean? Her mind became chaotic. Can I¡­continue to live? She was someone who regularly ignored people around her and someone who only brought misfortunes. However, since he had said he needed her¡­ I¡­want to live again. Her soul that was floating in the air returned to its original place. The fierce thunderstorms fluctuating in her body quelled like a tamed beast. ¡°Noona!!!¡± Noah was smiling so brightly to the point it was blinding. She felt so thankful and warm when she saw it. However¡­ ¡°You!!! A mere mortal wants to ruin my, Zeus¡¯, plan?!!!¡± The price was that Noah was put in danger because of her again. Zeus¡¯ anger pierced the sky. Thunder rumbled and lightning fell in all directions, destroying the mountain peaks. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here to save me, but¡­Why did you come? Is there a way?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just trust me.¡± Shirahui had been worried that someone precious to her would be hurt because of her again, but when she faced Noah¡¯s smiling face, such feelings disappeared magically. Like the time she was in her father¡¯s arms when she was a child. Yes¡­with Choi Noah, anything can be solved. At that moment, Noah suddenly pulled Shirahui into his arms. ¡°?!¡± Wh-wh-wh-what?! Shirahui¡¯s eyes grew large. H-how can he be so bold¡­? They haven¡¯t even held hands yet, and before that, they weren¡¯t even dating¡­ Noah pulled out a sword and shouted. ¡°You¡¯ll never take this girl.¡± ¡°Impudent! How dare you take what is mine, mortal!¡± Did he think of me that much¡­? She blushed, forgetting her current situation. Her heart was beating like it was going to explode. ¡°If I can¡¯t have her, neither can you.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly a cold blade touched her neck. What did it mean? Noah¡¯s confident voice came to her ears. ¡°Obediently give up if you don¡¯t want me to kill this girl!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± As such, the first hostage crisis against a God in human history began. ____ ____ Chapter 98 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 98 Silence had fallen upon the summit of Mount Olympus. Shirahui had a bewildered expression, and the giant made of light and clouds was blinking his eyes with a blank look. After a brief moment, Zeus who had belatedly understood the situation exploded in a thunderous roar. ¡°S-such impudence!!¡± The clouds that formed Zeus turned bright red and hot steam rose. ¡°How dare you threaten me, Zeus! Don¡¯t think I would fall for such a trifle!¡± Terrifying mana began to rage around his body. Lightning arcs fluctuated violently as if it was going to descend at any moment. Seeing that, I spoke. ¡°Ahjussi, you must think I¡¯m bluffing.¡± ¡°What a coincidence! I didn¡¯t know you were bluffing¡­¡± ¡°Right. So you¡¯re saying I can kill her?¡± I gripped the sword in my hand. The sharp Red Velvet Curse dug into Shirahui¡¯s flesh and blood trickled down from her neck. Immediately after, ¡°W-wait!!¡± Zeus hurriedly shouted as the lightning that seemed to descend at any moment scattered. ¡°What? I can¡¯t kill her?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t you want to save that child?¡± ¡°Ah, of course I want to save her. But I told you earlier. If I can¡¯t have her, neither can you.¡± ¡°Mortal, your soul will fall to the abyss of Tartarus! Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself for doing such a dirty thing?!¡± ¡°Hehe, thank you for the compliment.¡± Being called dirty was the best kind of compliment to a gamer. As if Zeus couldn¡¯t contain his anger any longer, his body of clouds shook and emitted lightning. ¡°Kueaaak!!¡± Boom, boom, boom¨C! Lightning erupted from his body and struck the surrounding mountain peaks. Snow burst and evaporated in an instant, destroying the giant mountains. ¡­Oh my, that was scary. That power was truly worthy for him to call himself a God. It was at a level incomparable to the people I had dealt with so far. Perhaps even if I had fought him at my prime in the first round it would have been hard to say who would win. After seeing that, I quickly organized my thoughts. What was I supposed to do now? I had stalled for time on a spur of the moment, but it didn¡¯t make sense to fight him like this. A simple whim of his lightning was enough to destroy a mountain, so facing him head-on was nothing short of suicide. In the first place, I didn¡¯t come here to fight¡­Whatever happens, I just needed to rescue Shirahui. Looking at the rampaging Zeus in front of me, I whispered into Shirahui¡¯s ears. ¡°Noona. Hold on tightly to my fur.¡± ¡°F-fur?! Wh-what do you mean¡­¡± I ignored her bewilderment and immediately used my skill. < Transformation > *Dire Wolf Bright light wrapped around my body and soon a beast with fierce teeth took its place. ¡°A w-wolf?!¡± ¡°Hurry up and get on! You don¡¯t have to be scared¡­¡± ¡°Good!!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I was worried that Shirahui might have hesitated due to my ferocious appearance. However, on the contrary, she had climbed onto my back as if she had been waiting. Was it just his imagination that she even seemed happy? ¡°A-ah¡­I can¡¯t believe my dream came true like this¡­¡± She seemed to be muttering something to herself, but now I couldn¡¯t afford to listen to her. I only had one chance. My mana exploded momentarily as I put focus on my feet. Baang¨C! Snow that was piled high collapsed and formed a snowstorm. I ran straight down the mountain using the blind spot caused by the avalanche. A giant wave of snow followed behind me as a cold piercing wind grazed my ears. ¡°Brat! Where are you trying to escape?!¡± Damn it! Already¡­ Although I didn¡¯t think I would be able to get rid of such a monster, he had found me so quickly that my efforts were simply in vain. ¡°Foolish! There¡¯s nothing under the sky that can escape my eyes! If you ask me for forgiveness now, I¡¯ll give you a painless death!¡± However, I hadn¡¯t risked my life to give up here. Whether it was kill or be killed, I would struggle to the end. ¡°Your face!¡± (TN: Childish slang children say.) ¡°I-I¡¯m going to strike you down!¡± Zeus¡¯ angered voice caused Mount Olympus to shake. For some reason, the back of my neck felt itchy. As a result, I instinctively changed direction. At that moment, Booom¨C! Lightning fell where I originally was and completely extinguished the surrounding area. Damn it! He was suddenly trying to kill me. If I was hit directly by such an attack, besides me, even Shirahui who I had wanted to save wouldn¡¯t be safe. Zeus didn¡¯t care about her anymore? Booom¨C! Bang¨C! Bang¨C! As if Zeus really didn¡¯t care what would happen, he kept scattering lightning. Each time I would twist my whole body and avoid the attacks. However, that didn¡¯t last long. As the number of falling lightning increased, it became increasingly difficult to avoid it. ¡°A mere mortal thought he could avoid the sky! Obediently accept your fate!¡± Damn it. At this rate¡­ Although I was running to the point of being out of breath, there was still a long distance before I could escape this mountain. Perhaps because Shirahui had sensed the dire situation, she spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so¡­Just leave me here. The fact that you came all the way here¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that! I¡¯ll never give up!¡± ¡°B-but then you¡¯ll¡­heuk.¡± I could feel Shirahui¡¯s hands clutching my fur. And a little later, she buried her face into my back and started sniffling. I didn¡¯t know if it was tears or a runny nose, but the dampness was very unpleasant. This headache was really going to be the death of me! As I was distracted by Shirahui¡¯s trolling, light suddenly flashed in front of my eyes and a huge lightning bolt struck. Baang¨C! [ Absolute Defense activated. ] The ground I ran on exploded and the impact threw my body away like a kite that had its string cut. ¡°Kyaaak!¡± ¡°Keuk!¡± < Absolute Defense > had activated at the last second and the fatal attack was nullified. However¡­ ¡°Damn it!¡± Looking ahead, a giant crevasse was blocking my path. * * * * * * * * * * The situation was a mess. I would have to cross in the direction of Zeus to escape. However, would he allow such a gap? To make matters worse, it was impossible to see where Shirahui had fallen. It was like losing a key item for a quest. Soon, Zeus¡¯ voice came from the sky. ¡°Keuhaha! How dare you think you can escape from this almighty.¡± Damn it! A way¡­ A truly desperate crisis. I thought of all the skills and abilities I had and calculated dozens and hundreds of methods, but I couldn¡¯t find a way out of this. Was it really going to end here¡­? Perhaps this outcome was predetermined from the beginning. I hadn¡¯t regained my strength from the first round, yet I had tried to confront such an opponent. The reward for the Challenge was so tempting that I had inadvertently become greedy. However, it wasn¡¯t an unwarranted belief. The Challenge appeared, which meant clearing it wasn¡¯t impossible. As a result, I had naturally thought there would be a way this time. Perhaps I needed other items or conditions to clear it¡­ While regretting it, dark clouds forming an angry giant¡¯s face hung over my head. ¡°A long time ago, there was a mortal who challenged the sky with wings he had made. With the delusion that he could go against the sky, he dared to challenge me. But do you know what happened to that foolish human?¡± Rumble, rumble¨C! Lightning flashed in the dark clouds. The terrifying energy gathering was incomparable to before. ¡°His wings melted before the vast sky and his soul was burned to ashes, leaving no traces behind. That¡¯s heaven¡¯s punishment. No one can go against fate! So I¡¯ll turn you into ashes too and scatter you in the deepest part of Tartarus! I¡¯ll let you repent for your stupidity there!¡± From the clouds, the arm of a giant made of light appeared. A terrifying energy converged between its grasp, forming a streak of lightning. The force was so powerful that the surrounding sky was torn apart and the space beyond the dimension was reflected. So this was his true power¡­ I didn¡¯t even think to avoid it. No, in the first place, could I avoid it with my skills? Even with all the skills I had, it never crossed my mind that I could stand up to that attack. Looking at it, I felt as if my fate to die here had been set since the beginning. However¡­ *** *** What the hell was this?! Even if it was a boss designed to be unwinnable from the start and even if it was a buggy game, gamers were those who would always find a way to clear it! I returned to human form and took out an item I had kept in my inventory until now. An item called ¡®Transcend Skill.¡¯ (TN: Author had called it Strengthen Skill in chapter 17, but it has been so long that he probably forgot.) It was an item that could open up new possibilities beyond a skill¡¯s limit by enhancing it. The probability of it appearing from a box was heinous, and the effect usually obtained through transcendence showed a power beyond its grade, so I was saving it to use someday if I found a good skill. However, now I wasn¡¯t in a position to care about this or that. If I die while trying to save a consumable in a boss fight, what kind of foolishness would that be? Damn it¡­I never thought I would use this here. There were currently two skills that had been enhanced to the intermediate level. < Phase Change > brought by Inherit at the start of the second round and < Vampiric Touch > obtained from the first skill selection. In fact, they were both low-grade skills that were too wasteful to ¡®transcend.¡¯ However¡­ I had no choice but to bet on this now. As such, I chose < Phase Change >. [ Used < Transcend Skill > on < Phase Change >. ] [ < Phase Change ¨C Intermediate > transcended to < Phase Change ¨C Advanced >. ] And the result, < Phase Change ¨C Advanced > Classification: Ability Grade: D (Transcended) Description: Changes the body¡¯s state of matter. *Elementary: Liquid *Intermediate: Gas *Advanced: Plasma *New* Yes!! Fortunately, my prediction was right and the gamble was a success. Plasma. The fourth state of matter that followed solid, liquid, and gas. According to a children¡¯s science book I had read a few months ago at the nursery, the commonly found neon signs and fluorescent lights were representative of such plasma phenomena. And¡­ Lightning was also plasma. I didn¡¯t actually know how much turning my body into plasma would help, but there was no other way at the moment. Meanwhile, the lightning that had left Zeus¡¯ hand finally began to fall. ¡°Disappear, mortal!¡± Baaang¨C! Was it because I was feeling more threatened than ever? The accelerated lightning slowly illuminated the world as if it had stopped for a moment. I could clearly see the lightning falling towards me. A destructive force that divided the world as if tearing it in two. To fight against it was as reckless as a child jumping in front of a truck. However¡­ When has it ever been easy? In the first round, my enemy was the world itself. Endless battles with heroes every day. To win against such a world, I had used everything I could and had always squeezed out more power than I had. But as a result, I had reached the pinnacle by knocking down enemies greater than myself. So this wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve ever had a crisis like this! [ You¡¯ve encountered a Giant. ] [ < Giant Hunter > activated. ] With an unyielding fighting spirit, I was going to confront an impossible enemy. < Phase Change ¨C Advanced > *Plasma All the cells in my body ionized as it turned into a purple current. < Inner Heart > In between the air current, red mana intertwined like a snake. < Divine Shield > Overlapping it was a shield radiating light. This was the best decision I could make now. All that was left was to believe in my resilience and my durability enhanced by the dragon gene. I was gambling everything on this to resist Zeus. Finally, the attack that was descending collided with my shield. Baaang¨C!!! Ding¨C! My trusted shield was shattered like glass in less than a second. As a result, the lightning that had penetrated struck me directly. Duung¨C! ¡°Kkeuaaak!!¡± My pain tolerance was nothing short of a skill itself, but this time, even I couldn¡¯t resist screaming. A splitting pain as if my soul was being torn apart. The attack that had penetrated my body felt like it was trying to erase my existence from this world. If I hadn¡¯t changed my body into a kind of lightning-like plasma, I would have disappeared without even time to think. The lightning thrown by Zeus and the resilience of my < Transcendent Regeneration > began a close tug of war. When will this hellish attack end? A moment felt like an eternity. But nevertheless, I was still alive. And this fight¡­it was my victory. ¡°Haak¡­haak¡­¡± I fell to the ground and looked up at the giant in the sky, breathing heavily. Zeus had such a look of shock that it even showed in the clouds. ¡°Y-you brat! Who the hell are you?! H-how can you go against ordained fate when you¡¯re just a mortal?!!!¡± Looking at him, I smiled victoriously. I could tell from this fight. It wasn¡¯t possible to identify it exactly, but there was something different in Zeus¡¯ attack beyond it being simple energy. In that sense, he was a formidable enemy where victory couldn¡¯t be guaranteed even if it was the first round. And, I had just blocked an attack from such an enemy head-on. Not only that, it was with an ordinary body that hadn¡¯t yet undergone metamorphosis. However¡­ It seemed my victory was just this much. Haa¡­This was a bit problematic. Did I underestimate Zeus too much? The aftermath of the attack was much greater than expected. Body, mana, soul. It was all tattered. I couldn¡¯t move at all. My original plan was to take advantage of the gap after the major attack to run straight past him. However, now it was impossible to escape. ¡°It can¡¯t be that there¡¯s something wrong with my divinity¡­Ah, or maybe there was a dimensional error of some kind¡­No, that can¡¯t be.¡± With me like this, Zeus muttered something to himself. After his brief moment of confusion, he spoke to me. ¡°I don¡¯t know how the hell you managed to divert your fate, but¡­Now that it¡¯s like this, you must be removed at all cost.¡± Zeus raised his lightning again. It wasn¡¯t an attack with a huge force behind it like earlier. However, I didn¡¯t have the strength to stop even that much now. ¡°N-no!!! N-Noah-ssi!!!!¡± I caught sight of Shirahui who had fallen somewhere running towards me. And¡­ The lightning falling down my defenseless self. As expected, I shouldn¡¯t have played in a hunting ground beyond my level. Huu¡­I shouldn¡¯t have been greedy for no reason. I instinctively felt my end. However at that very moment, Baaang¨C! Suddenly, an unidentified blue light gushed out from my forehead and the falling lightning scattered as it was. ¡°?!¡± ¡°You brat! What trick did you pull this time?!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Even if he asked me, I didn¡¯t have an answer. Rather, I wanted to ask him. What was going on here? Just then, from somewhere came the voice of an icy woman. ¡°Who dares persecute the child I love!¡± Space split between the cracks of the blue light and a woman in a turquoise robe walked out. She glanced at Zeus floating in the sky and clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, still as ugly as ever.¡± She seemed to be an old acquaintance of his. Though, the relationship didn¡¯t seem very friendly. ¡°Bitch, I don¡¯t know where you appeared from all of a sudden, but do you know who you¡¯re saying such nonsense to right now?¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re so arrogant after gaining only that much divinity.¡± ¡°Wh-what?! You brat!! Insignificant mortal!! Do you really want to die?!¡± The woman slowly took off her hood. Between the indigo hair that flowed down, her face was revealed. Ice-cold eyes and skin as spotless as porcelain. Even features with the ideal balance. She had the most perfect ¡®aesthetic¡¯ face I had ever seen in my life. The only peculiar point was the two ears that looked like a wolf swaying above her head. ¡°Tsk. Did you just call me a mortal? How absurd.¡± ¡°Y-y-you¡­?!¡± Zeus stammered in a very flustered voice when he saw her appearance. Who was this woman that had startled Zeus so much? I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. Did she feel my gaze? She turned and looked at me. And as if the frozen snow was melting away, she immediately spoke with a cheerful smile. ¡°Aiya. I¡¯m so glad to meet you in person like this.¡± ¡°Noona, do I know you?¡± ¡°Huhu¡­I¡¯m disappointed. Have you forgotten me already?¡± It seemed the woman knew me, but for me, even if I looked back in the first and second round, I had no recollection of her at all. ¡°Hmm¡­I really don¡¯t know who you are.¡± ¡°Maybe it would be best if I formally introduce myself.¡± She approached me with light and graceful steps. And like a beast looking at its prey, she spoke. ¡°This one is the mother of all beasts, the master of the Frigid Steel Forest, Turbak!¡± Her white and slender finger gently touched my forehead. Tuk¨C ¡°Huhu, do you still not know who I am? My male.¡± ¡°??!!??¡± The perverted and suspiciously clingy savage God had appeared. ____ ____ Chapter 99 Villain Hides His True Colors Chapter 99 Indigo hair fluttered right in front of me. Turbak had suddenly brought her face close to mine after she had aggressively approached me. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you so soon. I¡¯m really glad. Let me see, are you hurt?¡± Like a beast checking the condition of its prey, she sniffed at every corner of my body. What she was doing was really no different from a beast. I pushed the beast¡¯s head away and took a step back. Then, as if she was hurt, the two ears above her head drooped. ¡°Ah, why are you avoiding me? Are you not happy with our first meeting? It¡¯s been a while, but you¡¯re so heartless¡­¡± Her appearance was like that of a dying dog, but I didn¡¯t relax. The savage God, Turbak¡­ I could still clearly recall our meetings. The second time was after I had killed Hongir in Guangcheng. She had tried to kill me with the possessed body of the dead Hongir. However, for some reason she stopped attacking and used a very terrible way to bless me. Damn it, I still felt dirty. My irritation soared when I recalled what had happened at that time. From time to time I would recall the face of Hongir rubbing his lips against my forehead. Because of that, I had promised myself I would get back at her if we met one day, but¡­ I didn¡¯t think that was possible now. The existence in front of me was simply a monster. ¡°Huhu, is the face of this one so beautiful? Feel free to look at it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At first glance, she looked like a normal woman without any strength. However, considering that she had just defended Zeus¡¯ attack, that could never be the case. In other words, it was impossible for the current me to fully gauge her true strength. The gap was too wide. How would I compare to her if it was me from the first round? Well, frankly, I wouldn¡¯t know the outcome until we fought, but it was unlikely I would win if I faced her head-on. ¡­Maybe nine defeats out of ten times. I was convinced even though I didn¡¯t know her exact strength. My instinct, more than ever, was screaming danger. Including the first round, the woman in front of me right now was the most dangerous existence I had ever met. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re giving off a nice male scent. Sniff~ Ha! Come a little closer!¡± Fortunately, she was quite friendly towards me for some reason. My only hope of getting out of this situation was to use her. So for now my best choice was to keep quiet and look for a chance. As I thought as such, Zeus, who had been absent minded for a while, spoke warily. ¡°Turbak! I¡¯ll ask you again. What the hell is your purpose for showing up here? I still haven¡¯t heard your answer yet.¡± Turbak¡¯s head, which was pushed towards me to the point of it being uncomfortable, turned sharply. With an annoyed expression, she spoke to Zeus. ¡°You¡¯re asking the obvious. Isn¡¯t it because my lovely child is here?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s your avatar? Come to think of it, he was also in the form of a beast¡­¡± ¡°No. Unfortunately, this child isn¡¯t in my avatar yet. He had only received a little blessing from me.¡± ¡°Good. Then, you don¡¯t have the right to interfere. Step aside now. I still have business with him.¡± As expected, Zeus had asked Turbak in a rather polite manner as if it would be troublesome to deal with her. Smiling meaningfully, Turbak replied. ¡°Well, is that so?¡± She appeared behind me in an instant and whispered in a soothing breath. ¡°My beloved child. Do you happen to need my help?¡± ¡°Turbak! What the hell are you up to?¡± ¡°Huhu, child. You don¡¯t have to mind that guy over there. As long as you wish for it, I¡¯ll save you.¡± For a moment, I had thought she would hand me over, but it seemed she was an ally in this Challenge. No wonder the difficulty was incredibly high. From the beginning, this Challenge was designed to be cleared by using this woman. As such, there was no reason to refuse. It was going to be easier than I thought. Acting as cheerfully as I could, I answered her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°But, in order for me to do that, there¡¯s one condition.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Huhu¡­To be precise, become my avatar. If you do, I¡¯ll protect not only you but also that girl over there.¡± [ The savage god Turbak has suggested you become its ¡®avatar.¡¯ ] [ Instead of receiving power from a God through possession, your body and soul will belong to it. ] Messages I had seen in the past appeared in front of me. In other words, if I want to live, I would have to dedicate my soul and become her avatar. As expected, there was something. I frowned. ¡°And what if I don¡¯t become your avatar?¡± ¡°If so, in fact, I have no reason to save you here. But, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to be my avatar?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m not too keen on it¡­¡± Turbak looked at me in disbelief. ¡°Wh-what!? Wh-why not! If you become my avatar, you¡¯ll have unparalleled power! You can live forever by my side!¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°A-ah! There¡¯s more! If you become my avatar, you could reign as king of all beasts! Ah! Th-there¡¯s a lot of delicious meat in this one¡¯s home, and¡­¡± Turbak began to gesture with her hands the benefits. Somehow it felt similar to the devil who had come to me a long time ago. In a way, to have the backing of this kind of existence was a great opportunity. A power someone other than me would give a fortune to obtain if they were given the chance. I would have gladly accepted it if it was free, but what if the price was freedom? It was like rotten water. No matter how thirsty you are, you don¡¯t drink rotten water. When I played MMORGPs, I also hated guilds. Even with the promise of good items, the moment you¡¯re controlled by someone, the fun of playing would die completely. Fuck¡­it was regrettable, but I had no choice. *** *** I decided to turn down her offer. Thinking about all my efforts so far, I felt like I would vomit blood from the time wasted, but I couldn¡¯t sign a contract with someone I didn¡¯t even know just for one reward. As soon as I thought as such, a loud roar of anger suddenly burst out from the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you take the boy under your protection. But! You can¡¯t take the girl next to him!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little difficult. If my child wants it, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Turbak! Are you really trying to sabotage my plan?! That soul is the power of this almighty! My Astrape!¡± Turbak looked up at Zeus with an expression of pity. ¡°Truly pitiful. It seems xxx¡¯s is already xxxx. Is xxx xxxx xx still there?¡± ¡°Wh-what?! Even you xxx xxx¡­¡± There was static mixed in the middle of their conversation. Like a filtered chat, I couldn¡¯t hear their conversation properly. The voice of the guy called Siegfried sleeping in Gram sounded just like this¡­Was this somehow related to him? Before I could cast such doubts, the noise disappeared shortly after as if it had never happened and soon the sound of their conversation returned to normal. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve signed a contract for me to take her soul! You can¡¯t just do as you please as if it never happened!¡± ¡°Huhu, that won¡¯t be a problem. Have you forgotten that I have a higher divinity? If that child is my avatar, I can overwrite a contract of this degree.¡± ¡°Wh-what?! Are you really going to fight me, Turbak?!!!!¡± ¡°Huh? How dare you protest my decision?¡± Thunder and lightning struck from the sky, but as if going against it, a cold blizzard began to swirl around Turbak. A terrifying battle of momentum. My skin throbbed with a numb sensation just from standing here. But rather than their fight, I was preoccupied with another thought. I could overwrite it with a higher contract¡­? Turbak had certainly said as such. Maybe¡­? An idea flashed in my head. I stealthily approached Shirahui while the two were confronting each other. ¡°Rahui noona.¡± ¡°N-Noah-ssi?!¡± Shirahui, who had a vacant look as if she had given up, looked back at me in shock. Showing a serious expression to reassure her, I asked. ¡°Noona. Do you trust me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Shirahui¡¯s eyes widened with a look of confusion as if she couldn¡¯t understand me. However, she soon smiled softly and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking me that, but¡­I believe you. Much more than Noah-ssi thinks.¡± Was it because she was registered as my follower? Fortunately, her favorability seemed to still be in effect. Good. This much should satisfy the requirements¡­ Facing her, I asked. ¡°Then, will you stay with me for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°Wh-wh-wh-what?!! What the hell are you saying all of a sudden?!! W-well, I¡¯m not saying no, but¡­I-if you ask me s-something like that at a time like this¡­¡± For some reason, she started blushing and talking gibberish. We were in a hurry, so what the hell was this girl doing? I cut off her words and asked pressingly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking at a time like this. So, do you want to or not? Hurry up and answer!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Her lips quivered for a moment, but soon she lowered her head and spoke in a small voice. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± At that moment, the messages I had been waiting for appeared. [ Follower ¡®Shin Shirahui¡¯ has officially joined your party. ] [ The target cannot betray you once they¡¯ve been designated as a companion. ] ¡°Noah-ssi¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Shirahui looked at me in surprise as if she had felt something different. At the same time, Zeus¡¯ shocked voice came from the sky. ¡°Wh-why did the contract disappear?!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Judging from his attitude, he must have noticed the problem with his contract. When I had heard that the contract could be overwritten by a higher level contract, I thought it would work out somehow with my gamer ability that even an Evil God was wary of. It seemed my idea was the right answer. ¡°H-hold on¡­Y-you brat! Wh-what is that power?!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­How can a mortal overwrite such a contract¡­¡± Zeus and Turbak looked at me with their mouths open as if they had seen a monster. They showed not the least bit of dignity befitting a God. ¡°Y-you brat!! I don¡¯t know what the hell you did, but give me back my Astrape right now!!¡± Thunder and lightning struck around Zeus. From his trembling figure it seemed like he had lost control of his anger. It was refreshing to see when I recalled the pain I had suffered from him earlier. However, it was regrettable that it would end like this. I put my hand on Shirahui¡¯s shoulder and spoke to Zeus. ¡°Hehe¡­this girl is mine now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine! It¡¯s mine, so give it back to me right now!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a moron for having it taken.¡± ¡°Kueaaaak!!! You!! How dare you!! You¡¯re a mere mortal!!¡± Rumble, rumble¨C Deception after stealing was one of the best acts to do. Zeus roared like a little child who had his cherished possession taken away. However, this was far from over. As lightning from his body stretched out in all directions, the sky cracked and the mountains collapsed. It was as if the whole world was belching in anger. Looking at it, I could feel the gap between me and him once again. A powerful enemy that was now impossible to deal with. However¡­ I¡¯ll kill him next time. Holding Shirahui¡¯s shoulder, I used my skill. < Warrior¡¯s Journey > *Hero Training Institute Fortunately, I was out of combat thanks to the battle between Turbak and Zeus and the skill was activated successfully. In that instant, Zeus threw a lightning bolt at me. ¡°Insect!! Die!!!!¡± Baaaang¨C! I looked at the falling lightning bolt and spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s see each other again after I raise my level.¡± Immediately after, my body and Shirahui¡¯s were covered by light and the landscape began to change. ____ ____ Chapter 100 The snowy mountain landscape changed. Soon, in front of my eyes were the training grounds that seemed to have been hit by a heavy storm. Looking at it, I took a deep breath. The vivid smell of blood brushed the tip of my nose as littered corpses caught my eyes. It was only then that I felt I was back. ¡°Huu¡­success.¡± To my side, Shirahui had also returned safely. Although she was unconscious on the ground, her breath was alive and well. It seemed she couldn¡¯t withstand Zeus¡¯ pressure and had fainted at the last moment. ¡°Well, as long as she¡¯s back.¡± Soon, pleasant messages began to appear in front of my eyes one after another. [ Gained achievement title ¡®Mythology Explorer.¡¯ ] [ Next selectable skill will vary depending on your achievements. ] { Mythology Explorer } Tendency: Feat Description: Truly surprising! I salute you for exploring the lands of the Gods! Your name will be recorded in the history pages of the Gods. ¡°Oh?¡± It had been a while since the last ¡®feat.¡¯ The reason was self-explanatory at a glance. What kind of skill will appear to reflect this achievement? The description was rather grand, so I expected something quite good. By the way¡­ What the hell was this? [ Gained an additional achievement title ¡®One Who Defies Fate.¡¯ ] { One Who Defies Fate } Tendency: None Description: Always be cautious so as not to be swallowed by xxx. Has there ever been such a description? I felt as if I was being warned of danger. What the hell was I supposed to be cautious of? If you¡¯re going to warn me, at least do it properly. The part covered by the x¡¯s for some reason gave me a troubling feeling. However, there was no way of knowing what it was at the moment. Well¡­I would find out when the time came. As such, I shook off my discomfort. Right now there was something more important than such an unanswerable question¡­ [ Completed Challenge ¡®Eighth Layer Hell (2).¡¯ ] [ Gained 1x Unknown. ] (TN: The reward was a high-grade box originally in chapter 82, but the author must have forgotten.) Finally¡­! The very exhausting Challenge was completed. In fact, it had only been a few weeks since my preparation for the school festival, but perhaps because I had suffered so much this time it had felt like it had taken more than a few months. It would have been hard to hold back my anger if the Challenge had another part. However, the reward was sweet enough for me to forget the hardships. { Perennial Snow Ginseng } Classification: Material Grade: S Description: In a snowy field beyond human reach, an immemorial herb that had grown for over 10,000 years absorbing pure energy. I never imagined I would get such a reward¡­ A truly amazing thing had come into my hands. The most common ingredient used to make elixirs by people from murim were the millennial ginsengs. However, the Perennial Snow Ginseng that was awarded this time was an excellent material incomparable to those millennial ginsengs. It was something that would only appear in the legends of murim. ¡°Hehe¡­this was more like it.¡± As expected, life was a game of luck. Elixirs were necessary for me to undergo metamorphosis. The result would certainly be really good if one was created with the Dragon Heart from earlier and the Perennial Snow Ginseng I had obtained this time. However, if there was a problem, it would be finding a master who can use such materials to make the elixir. The wise man of the East, Jabir. The medical saint siblings. The plague doctor, Yansen. And so on¡­ Looking back on the first round, there were a few people that immediately came to mind, but there was no way to find them at the moment. In Jabir¡¯s case, he was so mysterious that I had never even seen him in person. Meanwhile, it had been at least five years since the last sighting of the medical saint siblings, so there was no clue where they were now. And in the case of the plague doctor¡­ Hmm¡­Maybe it was too much to ask that drug addict. Yansen was the director of the secret research laboratory belonging to the World Government. I remembered it was quite troublesome dealing with the heroes in the first round as a result of all the advancements he had made. Naturally he had died in my hands. Anyway, with the World Government keeping an eye on me right now, it was absolutely impossible to ask him. ¡°Huu¡­I can¡¯t even eat such good ingredients.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean I could ignore the elixir forever. In particular, as I proceeded with this Challenge, I felt the need even more. In any case, I didn¡¯t expect it would be that one-sided¡­ Zeus and Turbak. The self-proclaimed Gods I came to know for the first time after the start of the second round. I thought I had enjoyed everything this world had to offer, but it seemed there was still hidden content. Surprisingly, there was a huge gap between me and them that I couldn¡¯t possibly close. Even compared to me in the first round. I had resisted with all my might, but the result was, at best, stopping one of Zeus¡¯ attacks. So honestly, I could only say that it was sheer luck to have run away and be alive like this. Come to think of it, how long has it been since I had run away from someone? It felt like I was back to the time when I was a low-level villain in the first round. I, who was no different from a newbie at the time, experienced numerous defeats, and each time I had chosen to run away from the heroes who came after me. Ah, of course, that didn¡¯t hurt my pride or anything. In any game, as a newbie, the basic strategy was to hit and run. However, I had also craved greater power. Not overwhelming power but just enough to hunt head-on. When was the last time I had felt a thirst for that kind of power? A motivation for growth. For a while I had forgotten such a feeling. I had relaxed without realizing it. Objectively speaking, even now my growth was still fast enough. No, I had grown this much in less than a year, so it could be said to be unprecedented. *** [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] *** Maybe that was why I was quite satisfied with myself. A judgment that it was enough. The conceit of knowing everything about this world. Frankly, I was careless. Unlike the previous round, the situation in the second round had already deviated too much. The future that had changed by my actions. It was no longer easy to predict what would happen next. In fact, this sudden Challenge was due to the butterfly effect of my actions¡­ I didn¡¯t know what would emerge in the future. Which meant there was no telling when or if something like today would happen again. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s fun.¡± I felt as if my blood was boiling again after a long time. The World Government watching me. Eighth Layer Hell after me for some reason. And the Gods. As the enemy¡¯s level had suddenly risen to such a degree, I also needed to restore my strength from the first round as soon as possible. Honestly, I had been living like a casual gamer thinking I could take it easy in second round¡­It seemed it was time to return to being a hardcore gamer. Well, for that, I would have to settle my account first. I opened my status window and checked the gains from today. [ 2x Random Box (High). ] Two beautiful boxes shone before my eyes. Watching it, the thought of today¡¯s hardships melted like snow. Hehe¡­nothing was better than gacha boxes when it came to growing stronger in a short time. I opened the boxes without delay. [ Used 2x Random Box (High). ] The boxes floated up into the air and began to spin. And as if to reward me for my hardships, the boxes were stained with bright lights. ¡°Oh¡­?!¡± It meant they were both at least A-Grade. I thought maybe I would hit the jackpot with both boxes, but I didn¡¯t want to jinx it for no reason, so I held my breath and kept my mouth closed. After an unknown time, along with bright lights, the fruits of my hardship were finally revealed. { Object Control } Classification: Ability Grade: A Description: Objects within your field of vision can be moved to your will. *As the distance or weight of the object increases, the mental energy consumed increases. *Inapplicable on living objects. *Cannot be strengthened. ¡°Yes!!!!¡± I raised my arms and screamed. An A-Grade ability. It also looked to have a high versatility. Should I test it right now? I looked at someone¡¯s sword on the ground and activated the skill. { Object Control } As if someone was lifting the sword, it rose into the air. The sensation was so natural, like an extension of my body. Swiik¨C The sword in the air had neatly cut a nearby corpse. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± So what was the maximum distance? With the sword in the air, I sent it flying the furthest I could see. Woosh¨C! The sword shot forward in an instant as if it was an arrow. It went further and further, and then as if I was holding onto the end of a long pole, my mental energy was exhausted exponentially. Eventually, I felt a throbbing headache and the skill was canceled. There were some restrictions, but¡­I didn¡¯t expect it to work this smoothly. Countless thoughts on how to use this skill to my advantage began to come to mind. Hehe¡­this was certainly going to be helpful in the future. I was really lucky from the get-go. However, the second reward wasn¡¯t any worse. { Air Step } Classification: Mortal Grade: A Description: Walk on air using mana. *Cannot be strengthened. ¡°Kya!! This is it!!!¡± This was a skill I had in the first round. Therefore, I knew the effectiveness of it better than anyone. Anyway, I had also been feeling like I was lacking mobility. Gathering mana at the tip of my toes, I stepped into the air. I quickly moved as if there were invisible footholds. Rushing up, kicking back, and accelerating my descent. Keuh¡­It had been a long time since I felt this sensation. This skill was simple, but the effect couldn¡¯t be any more perfect. { Object Control } and { Air Step }. The gacha this time was a complete success. In particular, I liked that both skills could be used as my strengths immediately. Huu¡­that was enough for now. Next was my overdued stats. I opened my status window with a satisfied smile. { Level 69 (+6) } Body: 5.52 Dexterity: 5.31 Mana: 5.41 Spirit: 5.34 *6 Fragments of Growth Level 69¡­ Until just a while ago, I was satisfied with my growth, but to deal with those rude bastards this was far from enough. It was best to go back to the basics and improve my body first. I invested every fragment I had into Body without regret. { Level 69 (+6) } Body: 5.52 -} 6.04 (+0.52) Dexterity: 5.31 Mana: 5.41 Spirit: 5.34 My Body stat finally exceeded 6.0. As a result, all of my senses used to feel the world became clearer than before. A small grain of sand rolling around the playground. The direction of the wind that brushed against my skin. The sound of Shirahui¡¯s breath. And¡­ It was very faint, but even the sweet smell of perfume. Hmm¡­What was this? It was certainly a perfume I had smelled somewhere before. Where was it? I turned my head in the direction of the smell. A place not too far from me. Obviously, there was nothing in the air. However, with my senses gained from the genes of different races and stats, I couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling that there was something there. Shiik¨C I immediately drew my sword and pierced forward. Then¡­ ¡°Kyaak!¡± Black feathers fluttered in the air, revealing Samaria in a black clergy uniform. As expected¡­it was her. I had suddenly lost sight of her the moment Shin Cheonho attacked me. It seemed she had hidden herself somewhere and watched. ¡°What are you doing there?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­haha.¡± With a flushed face, she turned her head. After a while, as if nothing had happened, she tidied her clothes and spoke gracefully. ¡°Choi Noah. Do you have a moment to talk?¡± ¡°No.¡± She was hiding by herself when I was in danger. So why was she pretending to be close now? I rejected her and immediately turned around. However, she hurriedly reached out her hand. ¡°H-hold on! Wh-what I¡¯m about to tell you will certainly be of help!¡± ¡°What now?¡± Turning back in annoyance, I suddenly saw her begin to take off her clergy uniform. ¡°Can you take a look at this?¡± Woosh¨CPa. After her clergy uniform fell to the ground, her naked body in only her underwear was revealed. ¡°Hmm?¡± Winding around her navel was a geometrical tattoo. What the hell was I looking at? The moment I had my doubt, ¡°This is a seal that binds me.¡± All of a sudden the tattoo began to glow red, and then it began to emit light. ¡°And¡­what I¡¯m going to say is, maybe by now, the Gods you¡¯re curious about.¡± ¡°?!¡± Along with her words, a halo like that of an angel shone brightly above her head. Chapter 101 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 101 From a long time ago. A time when science and technology was in its infancy. Samaria, under a nameless God, opened her eyes on a dimension called Earth. Where¡­am I? Her memories were murky. She didn¡¯t know why she was here on this unfamiliar land, or why the God she served was silent. As if her head was shrouded in fog, her thoughts didn¡¯t flow properly. So she looked ahead and walked aimlessly down the road. The place that appeared in front of her was a barren desert. The humans there were suffering day by day. Because of that, she couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to them. A single doctrine was imprinted in her mind. Maintain peace in this world. Although this wasn¡¯t her homeland, she helped them according to the words of God that still remained in her head. She hunted the dangerous predators and gave the civilization reason to reclaim the barren land. Not only that, she taught them ten wisdom to live harmoniously. Everyone praised her achievements by calling the rules she had taught them the ¡®Ten Commandments.¡¯ Striving for peace in this strange world, she continued walking down the road. At times she judged corrupted cities, and at times she told people to prepare for the imminent floods. The more deeds she did, the more anecdotes about her spread through people¡¯s mouths. She wandered around the world as she pursued the vestige of a lost God. People praised her as the ¡®messenger of God,¡¯ but in fact, God was nowhere to be found on Earth. Those years lasted for a long time. And then she finally came to a realization. That in this world, unlike her own, Gods of any kind didn¡¯t exist. A land of freedom in which fate had yet to be determined. It was a dimension unmanaged by a ¡®God.¡¯ Earth was such a special place. She also learned that strangers in a similar position to her sometimes fell to Earth. Giants, vampires, dragons, etc¡­ Coming from other dimensions, they were known by different names to humans, but nonetheless, their legends were left throughout history. However, with mankind¡¯s gradual advancements, such ancient existences eventually went into hiding. Like that, the years passed. And then, one day, an unexpected event happened on Earth. Superpowers that were thought to only exist in cartoons and games suddenly appeared, and Earth that had been isolated until now began to connect with other dimensions. Residents of various dimensions came to Earth one by one, and Gods from other dimensions began to watch such a planet. At some point, ¡®fate¡¯ began to be written on Earth. A set ¡®story¡¯ moving towards an end. Those in power who discovered the existence of fate attempted to control Earth by reading it beforehand. In this way, all ¡®Irregulars¡¯ that might interfere with their interest were removed or had their power sealed. Samaria once thought such a method was right. She was willing to lend them her strength because she had thought it was the most efficient way to maintain world peace. However, as soon as they had consolidated power, her power was sealed like the other ancient existences. After innumerable years of dedication to world peace, her efforts had eventually returned as betrayal. She had no choice but to live a normal life among mankind. In front of the World Government, who were reading all the fate of Earth, she couldn¡¯t even resist. As a result, she lost hope and became more and more lost. She hated their arrogance, and she hated herself for not being able to do anything. Her only pleasure was to toy with the humans who were weaker than her to vent her anger. And then, one day. Like fate, she came to discover something. Someone who could free her. The ¡®Warrior,¡¯ Noah. * ¡°So¡­Professor, you¡¯re saying the one in the Bible¡­¡± ¡°H-hold on! Stop there! Please don¡¯t mention that part any more!¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, okay.¡± ¡°Huu¡­Anyway, that¡¯s all I had to say. Thank you for listening.¡± Samaria gave a short sigh. I didn¡¯t know where the hell to start believing her, but the contents itself were more interesting than I thought. It was like reading an information dump of a game with an expansive background setting. I normally didn¡¯t care about these detailed settings, but sometimes unexpected tips could be found in these conversations¡­ There was also no harm in knowing it. I calmly organized the facts in my head the best I could. 1. There was a fixed future called ¡®fate¡¯ in this world. Well, there wasn¡¯t much to go on, so I could only ignore it for now. 2. Gods were those who managed ¡®fate¡¯ in their respective dimensions. Although I still didn¡¯t know exactly what that entailed, perhaps it was similar to an administrator who maintained a game server. 3. The World Government knew of all ¡®fates¡¯ in advance, and through this, controlled this world. I already had some guesses on this part. During the first round they always appeared to have moved one step ahead of me. 4. Only existences called the ¡®Warrior¡¯ and the ¡®Beast of Chaos¡¯ could change ¡®fate.¡¯ In other words¡­the World Government was wary of me because they suspected I was a Warrior. It was too bitter to think about. How well have I behaved for the sake of becoming a hero in this round? However, I was being persecuted for such a ridiculous reason. Wasn¡¯t this like the first round when I was chased by them? Ah, of course, since my official title was Hero, they wouldn¡¯t be able to arrest me openly. Anyway, whether it was true or not, the important thing right now was that the World Government believed so. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] I couldn¡¯t just go see them in person and deny it. This was really troublesome. There was no suitable way. Various obstacles had arisen in my goal of becoming a great hero in the second round. Huu¡­It was a real headache. Was there any way? Just as I thought as such, Samaria walked up to me with light steps. ¡°Hey¡­as I said a little while ago, my power was sealed. So, what I¡¯m saying is¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything yet¡­¡± ¡°You want my help. No. Why should I do something so troublesome?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Like a child being abandoned by her parents, she looked at me with a childlike expression. However, there was no reason for me to be swayed. ¡°I-it¡¯s not just for me but for everyone who¡¯s in the same situation as me!¡± ¡°You should ask someone else.¡± ¡°Wh-why? I-if I did anything to upset you, I¡¯ll apologize. A-and if you free me, I¡¯ll do anything I can for you!¡± Samaria knelt down in front of me and bowed her head. Her big eyes were filled with tears as if her situation was very pitiful. It was only her expression that had changed, but she looked like a completely different person. ¡°I believe Choi Noah¡­No, there¡¯s only Choi Noah! So, p-please! Please help! Heuk!¡± ¡°Ah, geeze! Get out of my way!¡± The moment she clung to my legs in an unsightly manner, Ding¨C! A message appeared in front of my eyes. [Challenge ¨C Fallen Angel] Condition: Save the Saintess ¡®Samaria.¡¯ Time: Unlimited. Reward: 1x Holy Sword Fragment, 1x Unknown. Holy Sword? After unlocking the second second stage of < Reputation of a Warrior >, it said I was qualified to handle the Holy Sword. At the time, I had wondered where I would go to get it¡­Unexpectedly it was from here. ¡°Euheh, uehuekuk¡­unseal me¡­Why won¡¯t you help me undo the seal?!¡± While I was momentarily looking at the message, Samaria was hitting the ground and weeping loudly. ¡°There¡¯s no one else but you! Fuck! Woohoo~!¡± Was there so much pent up? She was crying sorrowfully. In only her underwear, she had tears and snot running down her face. Her nostrils were flaring up enough to fit a coin. Had she been trying to manage her image until now? Looking at the unsightly figure in front of me, the image I had of her collapsed in an instant. Before I saw anything more unsightly, I spoke to her. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you.¡± Her crying stopped and she looked up at me. ¡°Hiieuk¡­R-really? Are you really going to help me?¡± ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to help.¡± ¡°Really¡­You¡¯re really not lying¡­You¡¯re going to help me? Choi Noah-nim is good at lying.¡± ¡°Oh, then don¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Aaah! No! No! I believe you! But¡­really?¡± ¡°Really! You¡¯re driving me crazy!¡± At most I had said I would help her. As expected, this woman always did things that made me uneasy. She seemed to have been protecting her image of a great hero in front of others, but strangely enough, this woman continued to get on my nerves. Soon, she started picking up her clothes that had fallen on the ground. After fixing her expression, she looked back at me with a graceful expression. ¡°Hu, huhu¡­Good. Sh-shall we continue our talk?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing her puffy eyes and forcefully pretending to be fine, my head was already starting to throb. I was sure she wasn¡¯t like this the first time we met¡­ Favorability has increased. Favorability has increased. Favorability has increased. . . . Favorability has reached a certain level. You¡¯ve met the requirement to recruit ¡®Samaria¡¯ as a companion. Companions cannot betray you once they¡¯ve joined your party. I rejected it without hesitation. Tsk. Not a chance. ¡®Samaria¡¯ will be registered as the warrior¡¯s followers. After the brief disturbance, Samaria returned to her original demeanor and looked at me with a rather serious expression. ¡°Choi Noah¡­No, Choi Noah-nim. What are you going to do from now on?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even if you postpone helping me, the World Government will try to arrest Choi Noah-nim even more after this situation is over.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Come to think of it, I still haven¡¯t decided how to deal with this problem. However, I couldn¡¯t think of a way no matter how much I thought about it. I had thought I would just return to being a villain, but all of my efforts so far would be wasted if I did so. Huu¡­Was there nothing I could do? As I thought about it over and over in my head, Samaria spoke to me. ¡°Then¡­How about this way?¡± According to her, she once played a leading role in establishing the World Government, so maybe she had a good idea. ¡°Do you have a way?¡± ¡°I do, but¡­Rather, this is only possible if you trust me completely.¡± There would have been no reason for me to trust her if she had said this a moment ago. However, she was now my follower and could never betray me. I trusted my skill, so I asked her. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± ¡°Then, Choi Noah-nim¡­¡± She picked up a sword that had fallen to the ground. Slowly approaching me, she spoke with a graceful smile. ¡°Can you please die for now?¡± ¡°?!¡± It seemed I would have to die at her hands. Chapter 102 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 102 Shin Cheonho was staring into space with unfocused eyes. At the end of his gaze was where a portal had just disappeared. However, no matter how long he stared, the view remained unchanged. There was just the disastrously broken wall of the gym. The same scene repeated endlessly in his head. His lifeless daughter, and the giant made of light who took her away. ¡°Why¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t understand the situation. It didn¡¯t feel real as if he was having a bad nightmare. ¡­Maybe I¡¯m really dreaming? His nice and lovely daughter Shirahui who would regularly call him to say hello even if he was far away. Such a filial daughter wouldn¡¯t just leave him behind like this, would she? ¡°Ha¡­Right. My Rahui wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Therefore, it must be a nightmare. He had to be dreaming. And now it was time to wake up. When he turned around, his proud daughter would greet him with a smile like always. ¡°Right¡­Rahui?¡± He turned his head with a forced smile. ¡°¡­¡± However, only his cracked voice came back. The figure of his beloved daughter was nowhere to be seen. It was as if the quiet gym was whispering into his ears. That, everything was a vivid reality. ¡°A-ah¡­ah¡­¡± Drip. Tears fell down his wrinkled eyes. The grief that he had to swallow even when his wife passed away. However, he couldn¡¯t suppress it any longer. Now there was no reason to hide it. ¡°Aaaagh!!¡± He wailed like a beast. To the daughter who had left this world first, he poured out the tears he had endured all his life and cried out her name. ¡°Rahui¡­Rahui!!!¡± It was his daughter that his wife had sacrificed her life to protect. As such, he should have protected her. Regardless of the opponent, he should have fought back. Something that his wife, an ordinary housewife, was able to do, and something he, an S-Rank, had failed to do. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m sorry, honey¡­I-I¡­¡± Where did it go wrong? He had lived strictly adhering to the World Government orders. Even when they had ordered him to do something that went against his principles, he had accepted it without saying anything. Solely to protect his precious daughter. ¡°But¡­why!!!¡± Why didn¡¯t the World Government warn him of this fate beforehand? If they had told him, he wouldn¡¯t have let his daughter attend the school festival. She would certainly be alive and well. Was his loyalty not enough? Was that why they had punished him like this? In that case, if he had conformed a little more to their will, this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­ No¡­that¡¯s not it! Right. In fact, he knew it was all just an excuse. It was entirely his fault that it had turned out like this. This was the result of living cowardly and conforming to the strong. Because he was used to obeying, he couldn¡¯t move when he had something to protect. What¡¯s worse, even a little child moved¡­ Noah, who had jumped towards the giant made of light without hesitation, came to mind. The guilt pressed down on his chest. Just as he was about to fall into despair, a voice suddenly came. ¡°Shin Cheonho.¡± Slowly raising his head, he saw a woman in a clergy uniform. ¡°Saintess¡­?¡± Saintess Samaria. A woman who had been active even before he became a hero, and someone who had contributed to the establishment of the World Government a long time ago. Shin Cheonho was one of the few people who knew that the real identity of Samaria was a sealed ¡®ancient.¡¯ Why did such a woman appear in front of him? When he thought about it, he remembered that she was also a professor at the institute¡­ The moment he thought as such, he had no choice but to widen his eyes. ¡°?!¡± This was because in Samaria¡¯s arms was a person he had wanted to see more than anything else. ¡°R-Rahui!!!¡± He sprang up and ran to Samaria. And with only an arm, he grabbed Shirahui as if she was the most precious thing in the world. What was going on? Why was Samaria holding his daughter? Was he hallucinating? Many thoughts passed through his head in a short time, but the moment he saw her sleeping face showing a comfortable expression, he couldn¡¯t carry on any more thoughts. He was just relieved that his daughter was alive and well. ¡°I had found her while checking for survivors. A short time ago, a sudden spatial transition occurred at the institute, and when I got close, I found her lying there.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± Shin Cheonho stammered. Should he thank Samaria? Or should he thank the heavens for giving him this fate? He didn¡¯t know who, but he was just grateful for everything. The face of the daughter he thought he would never see again. It was certainly something that could never happen. So how was it possible? At that moment, a child¡¯s face came to his mind. Come to think of it¡­He disappeared over the portal too. Did Noah have something to do with his daughter¡¯s return? Considering the circumstances, he could only think that Noah had saved his daughter. If that was the case, where was he? His gaze naturally turned to Samaria. ¡°By the way¡­was there anyone else where my daughter fell?¡± As if confirming the intent of the question, Samaria asked back with a calm expression. ¡°Are you talking about Choi Noah?¡± ¡°Choi Noah! Did that child come with you? Where the hell is he now? How is he doing?!¡± Shin Cheonho shouted pressingly. It wasn¡¯t to complete his mission. There was something he wanted to say to the child no matter what. He wanted to thank him for saving his daughter, and that he was sorry for having done such a vile thing. Samaria shook her head with a stiff expression. She took out a wrapped cloth from her arms. It was stained with blood on one side. An ominous premonition ran through Shin Cheonho¡¯s mind. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s faster if you see it for yourself.¡± Samaria slowly unfolded the cloth. ¡°?!¡± It was a small arm that looked to have belonged to a child. Shin Cheonho looked at it with shaky eyes. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell me¡­that¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve checked it myself and found that this is Choi Noah¡¯s arm.¡± ¡°Why!! Why an arm¡­? Then, is Choi Noah okay?¡± Shin Cheonho asked anxiously. He had driven Noah to the brink of death with his own hands just moments ago, but now only concern filled his mind. Although he didn¡¯t know what to do with Noah yet, he didn¡¯t want such a talented child to live with permanent disability. Maybe even now, if they hurried to the hospital, they may be able to reattach the arm with minimal aftereffects. ¡°The barrier must have faded by now, so we need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible!¡± He cried out urgently. However, in contrast to his eagerness, Samaria spoke in a rather calm tone. ¡°This arm¡­It was found in the same place where Shin Shirahui was.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying?!¡± ¡°After examining the mana traces left by the spatial transition before it dissipated, I¡¯ve confirmed that they were attacked by something of enormous power just before the transition began. It was an attack that could wipe out the entire institute in an instant.¡± ¡°Y-you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Choi Noah is believed to have been killed in the last attack to protect Shin Shirahui. So this arm in front of us is actually all that¡¯s left of Choi Noah.¡± Thud¨C Shin Cheonho lost strength in his legs and sank on the spot. That boy¡­is dead? He recalled Noah running towards the portal. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] The child threw himself into the air with a determination to save a life. And in the end, he did what seemed impossible and brought his daughter back safely. All at the cost of his life. ¡°A-ah¡­What the hell am I¡­¡± Although today was the first time he had met Noah in person, he had heard countless stories about the boy. Starting with stopping the hotel terrorist attack in Pyongyang. Searching for members of the Eighth Layer Hell who had infiltrated the institute, and after that, using himself as bait to wipe out dozens of their members. When everyone was dragging their feet because of political tension, he moved to save Hong Kong. Dealing with the monsters at today¡¯s school festival and saving countless people in the gym. Even as he was indiscriminately attacked, he didn¡¯t shy away from the attacks to save others despite having such remarkable talent. What the hell have I been doing¡­? Shin Cheonho was more cowardly than anyone else, yet he had preached justice. Rather, didn¡¯t he try to arrest such a righteous and outstanding boy by falsely accusing him? He recalled a conversation he had with Noah earlier. [Ahjussi looked so unsightly right now that I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.] Right¡­Looking back, he had lived a very ugly life. [No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s just a loser who has already given up.] He was just a coward who had surrendered to the strong by justifying it as wise or fate. Were the decisions he had made so far really inevitable? [No. Let me make myself clear. It¡¯s just because ahjussi is weak.] The child had called him, an S-Rank, weak. He had thought it was very arrogant at the time. As such, he had forcefully tried to impose his will onto Noah. However¡­ In the end, everything he said was right. No matter how remarkable Shin Cheonho¡¯s ability was, the actual mind supporting it was worse than a 13 year old child. The boy must have seen through all of those aspects of me¡­ He suddenly recalled the dream he had as a child. Back then, he wanted to be a great hero who could help the world. How did he become such a despicable adult? If there¡¯s anyone who deserves to live in this world¡­It was him, not me. Shedding tears, he was ashamed of the pathetic life he had lived so far. To the boy named Choi Noah, he felt both sorry and thankful. I¡¯ll take what you¡¯ve taught me today and carry on your will. Now¡­rest in peace. One of the top ten heroes in the world and Korea¡¯s greatest hero, Shin Cheonho. With the will of a true hero in his heart, he became determined to resist true fate. * A quiet rural countryside located in eastern Switzerland. Over a small cottage built on the Alps¡¯ hillside, a mysterious creature with huge wings was flying at high speed. A creature with wings made up of film instead of feathers and a head adorned with colorful orange feathers. If anyone saw the creature, the long-extinct pterodactyl of the Cretaceous period would have come to mind. The pterodactyl sped and slowed in the air a couple of times before landing silently at the door of the cottage. Soon, the pterodactyl that boasted an enormous size gradually transformed and became more human-like. Crack¨CCrack! And a little later, the pterodactyl had turned into a large man with orange hair. After taking out a suit from a bag he had carried in his beak earlier and putting it on, he tidied his clothes. He knocked cautiously on the door of the cottage. Shortly after, a woman¡¯s voice came from inside. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s Ptero!¡± The man, who had identified himself as Ptero, stood stiffly at attention. After a short pause, the woman answered back. ¡°¡­Come in.¡± ¡°Then, excuse me.¡± Ptero looked very tense as he took a deep breath and walked into the cottage. A modest interior. It was much narrower than it appeared from the outside. In front of a table in such a small room sat a woman with needles inserted all over her body. ¡°We have the results from the case you mentioned.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Every terrorist from Eighth Layer Hell who attacked the Hero Training Institue was killed, and fortunately, the case was resolved safely despite the heavy casualties. And specifically, the property damage¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ptero summarized the key points of the incident and delivered precise information. However, the woman continued to listen to the report with an expressionless face. The more that went on, the more sweat began to flow down Ptero¡¯s forehead. ¡°A-and Pamir¡­He was killed during his mission.¡± ¡°Pamir?¡± The woman finally raised her eyebrows as if a little surprised. However, even that lasted only a moment. ¡°Who was the culprit? If he shows all his abilities, there won¡¯t be too many people in the world who could kill him.¡± ¡°Pamir was attacked by a monster named Sophia, one of the terrorists who attacked the institute. The result was confirmed through Pamir¡¯s death log.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Is that so? Well, he worked hard, so it was time to rest.¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± The woman¡¯s face returned expressionless. As the report continued, the woman finally asked Ptero. ¡°So what happened to the one that was suspected of being a Warrior? What was his name, Choi Noah?¡± Ptero, who was reporting, nodded. ¡°Choi Noah was pronounced dead at the scene.¡± ¡°Did you just say he died?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. The S-Rank hero, Shin Cheonho, verified it himself, so it could be considered that Choi Noah¡¯s death has been confirmed.¡± ¡°Oh¡­?¡± Her eyes, which were shaking like a dying candle, regained its vigor and lingered sharply in the air. ¡°Can you prove it?¡± ¡°Then, will you take a look at this?¡± Ptero took a tablet out from his bag and showed her a picture that was taken by Shin Cheonho. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°This is Choi Noah¡¯s arm.¡± ¡°Arm?¡± It was a picture of a child¡¯s severed arm. ¡°This arm was all that was left, and I¡¯ve heard that it was clearly confirmed through the mana probe after the spatial transition.¡± ¡°Really?¡± That was good news to hear. Although the best outcome was to put Noah on a leash and use him, disappearing like this wasn¡¯t a bad outcome at all. And even if he was alive, after losing an arm it would be difficult for him to show his full ability from now on. After seeing every picture, she sent Ptero back. Only the sound of a boiling teapot resonated in the quiet room. ¡°Whether he was a Warrior or not, a big problem is resolved for now.¡± Although the reason why the World Government had been alert of Noah was because of his remarkable talent that put him on par with Irregulars, the bigger reason was because he was judged to most likely be a Warrior. And as long as there was not something like a Warrior who could interfere with the fate of this world, The world will be perfectly controlled. Looking at the sky beyond the mountain range, she vowed to herself. She would protect world peace at all costs. * Two days after the incident at the institute, rain was falling from the sky. Pitter-patter¨C! People dressed in black held umbrellas as they gathered inside the institute. The director of the institute, Dokgo Hakju, climbed onto the podium and grabbed the microphone. ¡°Starting now¡­We¡¯ll begin a joint funeral in memory of the deceased.¡± The institute where Noah had disappeared. Those who had lost loved ones began to mourn the dead in their own way. Chapter 103 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 103 A room shrouded in darkness. In this place where only silence existed, an unidentified sound could suddenly be heard. Shiiii¨C! An ominous noise of cloth being torn. Little by little, space cracked and a long solid line was drawn in the air. It was someone¡¯s eyelid. The dense eyelashes trembled like a centipede¡¯s legs. Soon, the closed eye opened, and nestled deeply beyond it was a mysterious hole. A little later, from its depths, thick liquid similar to porridge began to trickle down. Pitter-patter, thud¨C Blood, pus, garbage, rotten flesh¡­ Mixed were all kinds of foul that existed in the world. The mass of filth exuding malice gradually took the shape of a person. ¡°Keuh¡­¡± Atop the sludge, a woman frowning was finally revealed. Surprisingly, it was Sophia, one of the three monsters who had attacked the institute a few days ago. She, who was usually more meticulous and cautious than anyone else, had kept some of her soul separated in case of an emergency, so unlike the others, she had barely managed to save her life. However in return, she had lost most of her strength she had accumulated over the years and was in a weakened state. ¡°Keuheuk¡­How the fuck¡­¡± She cursed, looking down at her body flowing to the floor. No matter how much she thought about it, the plan was supposed to be flawless this time. Even if variables occured in the course of the plan, as many as three executives had gathered. She had been certain they would be able to deal with any opponent with relative ease. However, what was the result? ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit¡­¡± As if expressing her anger, her body of filthy liquid boiled and bubbled. While she vented her anger, a somber voice came from behind her. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Sophia.¡± A burning skeleton appeared in the thick shadows. ¡°Nox¡­¡± Nox, ¡®Lich King.¡¯ The current de facto leader of Eighth Layer Hell, and the mediator of the Eight Evils who all had unique personalities. Sophia looked at Nox and bowed her head inadvertently. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­I definitely thought the plan was perfect this time¡­¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s something even I didn¡¯t expect¡­I¡¯ve read everyone¡¯s memories while you were resurrecting. I didn¡¯t expect Paladin and Lightning Sword to show up¡­¡± Nox murmured to himself in a somber tone. ¡°Keuk! If it weren¡¯t for them, I¡¯m sure this plan would have worked¡­Why the hell did they show up there? Was information leaked from the inside¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that too, but the possibility of that is extremely unlikely. If someone had done that, Evil God would have warned us.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but¡­I have no choice but to think that Choi Noah made it happen.¡± ¡°?!¡± Sophia¡¯s body made of filth trembled. In other words, a little boy who was just 13 years old had planned all of this? Was that really possible? If he really did, then his real talent wasn¡¯t his power that was known to the public, but the devilish resourcefulness to implement and carry out such plans. However, it was really hard to explain this incident other than that. For the first time, she was afraid of Noah. ¡°A monster¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­maybe the word monster is more appropriate to describe him than the likes of us.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± How far had Noah predicted? When Sophia thought about it, wasn¡¯t it all planned from the moment he had killed one of their members at the entrance ceremony? After intentionally revealing himself, he had predicted their thoughts and moved the chess pieces however he wanted through decisive actions. For such a person to exist, would they be able to achieve their great cause? We can¡¯t win¡­ It seemed like a huge wall was blocking them. Nox spoke to the frustrated Sophia. ¡°But Sophia. You don¡¯t have to worry too much. That monster died in this incident.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°Lucky us. It¡¯s the blessing of Evil God.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± The pressure that had been tightening her breath faded. Without such a monster, she thought she could rise again no matter how long it took. However, there was another problem¡­ ¡°But if Choi Noah is dead, what about the body that will be used as his vessel¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The plan has become impossible to proceed any further. I heard Choi Noah disappeared completely and all that remains is an arm. It was so hard to find the perfect vessel too.¡± Wasn¡¯t it a big deal that there was no vessel? Why have they been holding their breath for so long in the dark? It was to find a perfect vessel¡­ On top of that, as many as half of the Evil God¡¯s sealed relics were lost this time. Without a vessel, they couldn¡¯t even imagine how long they would have to endure to recover that power. However, on that matter, Nox didn¡¯t seem too gloomy. ¡°By some chance¡­Do you already have another plan?¡± The answer to Sophia¡¯s question came from another side. ¡°Kihihihi! We can solve that with a living sacrifice.¡± ¡°Euahuhu! Let¡¯s offer him meat!¡± A muscular man with a large build slowly walked out from the darkness. Bare upper body with only overalls that farmers usually wore. In either hands were giant kitchen knives. His appearance was like that of a butcher. However, if there was one characteristic that differed from ordinary people, it was that there were two heads on his shoulders. ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡°Kihihihi! We couldn¡¯t miss this when we heard about it!¡± ¡°Euahuhu! It¡¯s a blood festival!¡± Gallace and Wromit. Giant Siamese twins who were bestowed the alias ¡®Twinhead¡¯ by their almighty Evil God. However, they were only interested in killing and didn¡¯t care much about planning or achieving the great cause. For this reason, although everyone had been together for a long time, it wasn¡¯t easy to see their faces. ¡°You guys! You didn¡¯t even answer when I asked you to attend the meeting last time! If you guys had joined the plan, I wouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°Stop it, Sophia.¡± ¡°B-but they¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. And we need their help for future plans, so I hope you don¡¯t fight unnecessarily.¡± ¡°Then, what the hell is the plan?¡± Nox held back the agitated Sophia and told her the plan he had in mind. ¡°To revive him, we simply need an enormous amount of energy.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve lost half of our long-held relics. On top of that, we don¡¯t even have a vessel for him.¡± ¡°Now that the situation is so twisted, you would be right to think that it¡¯s near impossible to revive him in a complete state.¡± Nox¡¯s words reverberate heavily. In fact, she also had the same idea in her head. However, it was a blasphemous act that shouldn¡¯t even be considered. ¡°I-if we find the most suitable vessel now, even if not perfect, to some extent¡­¡± ¡°If we revive him incompletely, can it still be said to be his will?¡± ¡°So what the hell are we going to do? Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re going to give up on him like this?¡± Filth sprang in all directions from the angered Sophia¡¯s body. Nox spoke with a grim look. ¡°No. I never said I would give up on him. I meant the old way was too much.¡± ¡°You mean¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. So I¡­Intend to create a vessel for him through a living sacrifice.¡± ¡°?!¡± Living sacrifice. One of the oldest customs that had existed since the beginning of human history. It was a kind of primitive ritual to realize one¡¯s desire by using the grudge of living sacrifices. However, the reason why such a method had disappeared in every dimension was because it was extremely inefficient. It¡¯s definitely not impossible¡­But if we try to revive him through a living sacrifice¡­How many sacrifices would we need? It wasn¡¯t something that could be done with only a hundred or a thousand. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Much bigger than that¡­The number of sacrifices needed went far beyond what the eyes could grasp. Maybe it¡¯s possible if we sacrifice a whole nation¡­ While Sophia was calculating the possibility of the new plan, Nox shook his head with a small sigh as if he was having a headache. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s why I asked for that person, but they didn¡¯t show up today either.¡± ¡°Is there anyone else who was supposed to come?¡± ¡°This meeting is being held because of the complete change to our existing plan. So if possible, everyone should have attended.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But since the one in the deep sea won¡¯t be able to come here¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± At that moment, the sound of high heels rang out in the complete darkness. Clack¨C Clack¨C ¡°What~? It was annoying, but I came anyway. Were you talking behind my back? Should I just go back like this?¡± Everyone¡¯s head turned to one place. In front of them, a pink-haired woman dressed in style walked out. ¡°Y-you¡­?!¡± Sophia looked at the woman in front of her with a look of shock. It was Arin. An executive who was bestowed the alias ¡®Ninetail¡¯ by their Evil God, and the most differing among the villains in Eighth Layer Hell. She had attended so few meetings that it could be counted on one hand. Not only that, she hadn¡¯t even touched the most basic task of managing the low-level members of the organization. And unlike the other executives who hid themselves, she was even an active K-pop idol who regularly appeared in public. Whenever Sophia saw Arin, she would wonder why she belonged to Eighth Layer Hell as an executive. Perhaps she had an ulterior motive for joining their great cause. However, on the other hand, her strength was as powerful as Fighting Spirit King who had died this time¡­ In other words, she was someone who did as she pleased and could be said to be Eighth Layer Hell¡¯s number one headache. Sure enough, she had spoken in a terribly crooked manner as soon as she had arrived. ¡°Cya later~ You guys do your best on your own this time too.¡± ¡°Huu¡­Ninetail. As you can see, our situation isn¡¯t very good right now. So I hope you can help us as his Apostle this time.¡± Nox asked eagerly. However, Arin only looked at the nail art on her nails as she answered in a sour manner. ¡°No? What time period do you think this is, but you¡¯re still talking about living sacrifice. Please don¡¯t involve me in such an old-fashioned thing. It¡¯s degrading.¡± Sophia became angry when she heard Arin. Old-fashioned? Degrading? Then, what of those who had sacrificed themselves so they could achieve their great cause? Even the strength she had spent her entire life accumulating was lost. ¡°Why do you always act like that to your own kind? If things go wrong because of you, are you confident you¡¯ll be able to take responsibility if he can¡¯t revive?¡± ¡°Well~ I have a lot of time anyway, so I don¡¯t care what happens right now. More than that, our Sophia. You¡¯ve gotten a lot prettier while we haven¡¯t seen each other~ When did you get plastic surgery?¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?! Wh-what did you just say¡­¡± ¡°Aye~ Can you move further away? Your breath smells like shit.¡± ¡°Keuaaak! Fox bitch, I¡¯m going to rip off that mouth of yours!¡± Sophia shouted, finally letting go of her string of reason and charging at Arin. In response, nine tails sprout behind Arin as if she had been waiting for this moment. ¡°Huhu, can I take this as you attacking me first?¡± Arin flicked her long and slender finger. Sophia¡¯s body, which had been rushing wildly, stopped. From it, the essence of her soul began to be pulled out. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been curious for a long time. What the other Apostles would taste like.¡± Arin¡¯s eyes glowed bright red like blood. The brighter it glowed, the more Sophia screamed. Sophia¡¯s body writhed as all kinds of filth spilled out like an unclogged sewer. ¡°Y-you¡­Stop¡­¡± The moment Sophia¡¯s body was about to return to trash. Whoosh¨C! Wicked flame burned as Nox stood in front of Sophia. And before long, Gallace and Wromit drew their kitchen knives and eyed Arin. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop there?¡± ¡°Kihihihi! Are you playing without us?¡± ¡°Euahuhu! Meat! It¡¯s fox meat!¡± Seeing that, Arin eventually smacked her lips and released Sophia¡¯s soul. The mushy filth gathered and slowly took the shape of a woman. ¡°Why is everyone so scary~ I was just playing. Rather, I wasn¡¯t going to take that dirty garbage.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Was it not fun? The atmosphere is weird.¡± A heavily subdued atmosphere. Arin tilted her head with a playful smile. For a moment, her eyes glow red again. She erased the mischief from her face and spoke with a serious expression. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care what you guys do amongst yourselves, but let me give you a word of advice. You guys have the tendency to underestimate humans.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°Humans are ugly people who fight and blame each other even in small crises¡­But unexpectedly, it only takes a very small ripple for them to unite and perform miracles.¡± ¡°Humans uniting?¡± ¡°Yes. For example¡­something like a real hero who is respected by everyone showing up.¡± ¡°A hero¡­come to think of it, those guys at the Hero Training Institute¡­¡± Nox had a pensive look as if he was recalling something. Meanwhile, Arin¡¯s red-hot eyes returned to its original black color. With a playful look, she added. ¡°Or, well, if a cute idol like me appears, they¡¯ll unite as one. Huhu.¡± ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll keep your advice in mind.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m leaving. You guys too, don¡¯t gather in this gloomy place every day. Go see life outside sometimes~¡± Arin turned her back without hesitation as if she had done everything she had to do. However, as if she had suddenly recalled something, she looked back. ¡°I¡¯ll send you tickets to my concert next time, so you can all come and watch~ Ah, of course, the smelly one on the floor is banned~¡± ¡°D-damn fox bitch, you had to get the last word in?!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Then, I¡¯m really leaving. Bye everyone!¡± Poof¨C! Like that, Arin abruptly vanished in the darkness. After she left, Nox recalled her advice. She was someone who did as she pleased, but whenever she spoke, her words often contained wisdom. A real hero¡­ He recalled the dead Henri¡¯s memories. Just because of a single person named Noah, the students at the institute had become more united than what was thought possible. They showed a miraculous fighting spirit to the point where it was enough to wear out Henri. Certainly, it was dangerous. A hero who was supported and respected by everyone, not just a hero with power, had created a miracle as Arin had said. However¡­ Other than Choi Noah, I don¡¯t think there will be another hero like that. Now that he was dead, wouldn¡¯t this be their best chance to realize their great cause? Nox looked at the others. ¡°Excluding Arin, the plan will be carried out with four people.¡± ¡°Then¡­Are you saying the one in the deep sea will join us?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already told that person that we really needed their help in this plan.¡± As Nox waved in the air, a model globe of Earth appeared. ¡°Like what I said earlier, the core of this plan isn¡¯t to find a vessel as it has been, but to create a whole new body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy.¡± ¡°Success or failure, we have to give it our all.¡± The globe floating in the air began to rotate automatically, and soon it slowly stopped at a point. An island currently home to the largest number of people in the world with a population of over 500 million. It was Japan. Pointing to the map, Nox continued. ¡°And, the moment the long preparation is completed! His glory will finally spread throughout the land!¡± Flames swayed from his eye sockets. In a secret space unbeknownst to others, a great event was gradually put into motion that would change the fate of the world. Chapter 104 Q s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 104 A devastating terrorist attack on the Hero Training Institute in broad daylight. It brought shock and fear worldwide. 598 people died, and more than 5,000 estimated to have been injured. Considering that among those currently tallied were seriously injured, the percentage of deaths was expected to increase further. [Yes! We¡¯re currently in front of the main gate of the Hero Training Institute where the attack took place. As you can see from the collapsed main building and traces of destruction everywhere, it can¡¯t be overstated the horrific act this time¡­] Media outlets around the world rushed to report the incident. No matter which TV channel, similar live footage was being broadcast, and on the internet, various social media was plastered with articles. In today¡¯s world, villains committing crimes were a near everyday news that could be heard anytime and anywhere. Occasionally, there were even crimes that had more casualties. Nevertheless, the reason why the incident this time had become such a hot topic was because the target was none other than the Hero Training Institute. Normally, no matter how terrible a criminal was, it was common for them to run away from the police. The same principle applied to heroes and villains. Until now, citizens didn¡¯t doubt such a belief and had thought that the great safeguard known as a hero could maintain society. However, the attack this time, which had taken place in the aftermath of the demon army¡¯s attack on the hero exam sites was enough to break the beliefs of such citizens. [The Hero Association is currently discussing the possibility of upgrading the grade of Eighth Layer Hell, which was previously red, to black like the demon army. If the agenda is passed, there will be two black-wanted groups in less than a year¡­] [¡­Following last time, talks of the Hero Association¡¯s incompetence are spreading around the internet once again. And now, statements from various civic groups on this matter¡­] [¡­Yes, yes. So in my opinion, this should be seen as a declaration of war. I mean. Two cases one after another. From my perspective as a profiler, this is just the beginning. Now that the crime deterrent of a hero has disappeared. From now on, a series of similar copycat criminals¡­] News, internet, civic groups, TV debates, etc¡­Countless people were anxious and worried about the future. Was it really okay to believe in the fence called a hero? Faced with such a situation, the Hero Association had no choice but to feel a sense of crisis. It wasn¡¯t in their interest to lose the support of the public while non-association heroes grew in influence. For that reason, they were resolved to settle the case quickly and reassure everyone. As a result, in just two days, they had not only settled the case, but had also set up a memorial altar for the victims¡¯ families. It was like losing all your cattle but fixing the barn. Many still criticized them, saying that it was just a publicity stunt. Nevertheless, considering their usual slow and delayed response, it was clear that this incident, whatever its intention, was handled unusually fast. ¡°Many people here today have come to share their grief. I¡¯m sure words cannot express the sorrow you¡¯re all feeling deep down, but nevertheless, to those who had lost loved ones¡­¡± On the podium, Dokgo Hakju read the memorial speech in a stifled tone. Many people watched as he gave his speech. From the victims¡¯ families, to citizens who came after hearing the news, to students who came with their teachers as a group, and even famous politicians and celebrities. Whimpers could be heard everywhere as cameras zoomed in on the faces of such people and broadcast live around the world. Go Changsu, standing in one corner of the training grounds and watching the scene, quietly cursed. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Click¨CClick¨C He clicked his lighter while holding a cigarette in his mouth. However, because of the wind, only sparks flew from the flint and it didn¡¯t ignite. At that moment, someone snatched the cigarette from his mouth. In response, he turned his head sharply. Standing there was a woman with a large build holding his cigarette. It was his direct superior Kim Taehi. He glared at her with bloodshot eyes for a moment before turning his head. ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have your boss in your eyes now? You¡¯re going to hit me?¡± ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Go Changsu clicked his tongue and took out another cigarette. However, the lighter was faulty again this time. ¡°Fuck! Why isn¡¯t it working?!¡± ¡°Give it here.¡± Kim Taehi, who was standing next to him, grabbed the lighter. Click¨C Skillfully lighting it, she held out the fire to Go Changsu. ¡°On a windy day like today, it works well if you curl your fingers like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing? The fire is going out. Hurry up and light it.¡± Go Changsu looked at her and the lighter alternately for a moment before lighting his cigarette. The tip of his cigarette burned red as the smoke he exhaled quickly fluttered in the wind and scattered. A little later, still looking away from Kim Taehi, he uttered bluntly. ¡°Why are you here? You must be busy now that you were promoted. You don¡¯t have to come here, do you?¡± Gyeonggi-do¡¯s Hero Association had suffered the most damage to their personnel this time. They were dragged here by Pamir against their will and were brutally killed by the hands of Eighth Layer Hell. Even their bodies were beyond recoverable because they had melted. In addition, Jenon, the Branch Manager who had led the Gyeonggi-do branch, had died in the gym. He said he was looking for a place when he retired¡­ The image of Jenon¡¯s daughter looking at the sky absentmindedly was still vivid in Kim Taehi¡¯s mind. This fucking world¡­ It was as if an entire branch had disappeared. As a result, the Hero Association had chosen to entrust Kim Taehi, who was dispatched to Gyeonggi-do, to the post of Branch Manager. According to normal procedure, it was a matter that would have taken over several months of administration. However, for the people at the top who had wanted to stabilize the situation quickly, it didn¡¯t really matter to them who became the Branch Manager. ¡°¡­Do you think I wanted to sit here? You of all people should understand the situation!¡± ¡°Oh~ Really? You¡¯ve been complaining about your narrow desk for a long time, so I thought everything went well.¡± ¡°Son of a bitch¡­If I quit now, who¡¯s going to take care of the bereaved families of our branch?! Do you have any idea how difficult compensation screening is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about such complicated things because I was originally a detective.¡± ¡°Hey! Go Changsu! Are you really going to do this? Are you going to keep acting crooked like that? Huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± In fact, it wasn¡¯t that Go Changsu wasn¡¯t aware of the situation. The reason why Kim Taehi had accepted the promotion. And how immature and out of character his disobedience was. However¡­ ¡°Of course! Only the people in the Gyeonggi-do branch are important?! Are you saying no one else matters?¡± Go Changsu¡¯s expression became distorted. With bloodshot eyes, he grabbed Kim Taehi by the collar. ¡°Noah! The little boy disappeared with only an arm left! Why don¡¯t you think to continue searching for him?!! Didn¡¯t our Branch Manager care a lot about Noah too?!!¡± ¡°¡­Let go.¡± ¡°What good is that promotion? Treating it as if he had died just so you could wrap up the case quickly!¡± ¡°I said let go.¡± ¡°Why am I here?! If you won¡¯t search for Noah, even if it¡¯s just me¡­Keuaaahuk!¡± Thud¨C! Kim Taehi¡¯s thick fist struck Go Changsu¡¯s abdomen. His body flew like a bowling pin and rolled across the training grounds before hitting a tree trunk. ¡°Son of a bitch. Listen to me when I say it nicely. Huu¡­¡± ¡°Keuhuk¡­kek! Kek! What the hell¡­¡± Kim Taehi shook off her hand and looked at Go Changsu who was on the ground with tears and snot running down his face. She took out a cigarette and skillfully lit it. Smokes in the shape of a doughnut scattered in the air. ¡°Shuu~ Hu~¡± ¡°?!¡± Go Changsu watched with his eyes wide open. Who was Kim Taehi? Her personality and way of speaking may be dirty, but wasn¡¯t she the most spotless person in terms of self-image? How could she be smoking? ¡°Keukeuk. Why? Can¡¯t I smoke?¡± Kim Taehi squatted down like a local bully and inhaled the cigarette confidently. ¡°Haa~ It¡¯s been a while since I smoked, so I feel dizzy. When I was young, I would burn two packs a day¡­¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know you smoked.¡± ¡°Right. I stopped once I had a daughter.¡± At Kim Taehi¡¯s words, Go Changsu¡¯ eyes widened again. She had a daughter? With an unknown sense of betrayal for having not told him, he asked. ¡°You¡­have a family?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re shocked because I look like I can¡¯t have a family, right?¡± [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± Go Changsu scrambled up his guard to avoid her fists. As he did that, Kim Taehi stared at her cigarette and flicked the end on the ground. Soon, she said with a bitter smile. ¡°I did. The most beautiful daughter in the world. But¡­I miss her a lot these days.¡± ¡°By chance¡­are you living apart?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing like that. She died a few years ago. Because of terrorism.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Go Changsu pursed his lips. He never could have imagined something like that happening when he thought about how Kim Taehi usually presented herself day to day. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked¡­¡± ¡°Most people already know. You¡¯re just slow on the information. Keukeuk. But don¡¯t worry about it. You seem to be in a similar situation, so what¡¯s the point of apologizing to one and the same?¡± ¡°You¡­knew?¡± Instead of answering, Kim Taehi stood up and rubbed the cigarette butts on her pocket. She stared into space as if she was thinking about something for a moment, and then she said with a light smile. ¡°What an amazing kid. That boy.¡± Go Changsu knew she was talking about Noah without her having to say who. When he recalled Noah¡¯s face, his facial muscles wriggled as if they were broken. The emotion that had been subdued like a lie until now became turbulent again. He gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­Yes. He was an amazing kid.¡± When they first met, Noah looked more unhappy than anyone else. A father who was a waste and drug addict. Born to a victim who was kidnapped. Especially after his mother was killed, his eyes were always looking at death. So he had vowed to save him when his revenge was over. To the boy who didn¡¯t know joy, he wanted to let him know that this world was still worth living. However, Noah had managed to weather the adversities with his own strength, becoming a great hero in the process and saving countless lives. Looking back on it, maybe he, who had lived without knowing anything other than revenge, had also been saved by him. Truly, he was an amazing kid. Kim Taehi seemed to have thought the same way. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but when I first met Noah, I actually thought I would fill my daughter¡¯s vacancy through him. With the excuse that I was doing it all for him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It was a terrible thing to do. Maybe the reason why he refused to be my adopted son at that time was because he had noticed it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°But I can say one thing for certain. It may have been like that at the start, but Noah is not someone¡¯s else¡¯s replacement. He¡¯s precious to me. So¡­how could I give up on him so easily?¡± ¡°Y-you mean¡­?¡± Go Changsu¡¯s eyes rose. The moment a guess flashed through his mind and he was about to blurt it out, Huuk¨C Kim Taehi approached him and whispered. ¡°Shut up and listen. I¡¯m¡­guessing there¡¯s a good chance he¡¯s still alive.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m already moving with that conviction.¡± Go Changsu covered his mouth to calm down his surprised heart. He sat up straight and asked her with a serious expression. ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± ¡°I handed the kid a hotline when we first met. It¡¯s also the same bio-mana rechargable that headquarters uses these days.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± The bio-mana rechargeable Kim Taehi spoke of was a mechanism in which electricity was automatically charged through the weak mana flowing from a person. Unless there was something wrong with the machine, it wouldn¡¯t turn off as long as you kept it on you. ¡°So if he¡¯s really dead, the hotline would have run out of mana and it would no longer be possible to reach him. But¡­¡± Kim Taehi took out her hotline. There was a clear ¡®[CONNECTED]¡¯ next to the name Choi Noah. ¡°N-Noah!! What are you doing?! Call him right now!¡± ¡°Shh! Calm down! There¡¯s a possibility that Noah will be in danger if we contact him now.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean? The hell!¡± ¡°Maybe¡­I¡¯m not sure, but I think the kid is intentionally hiding himself.¡± ¡°Wh-why would he do that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Kim Taehi confided her speculation to Go Changsu. The Inspector and S-Rank hero who had suddenly visited the Gyeonggi-do branch. And even rumors of the World Government intervening in the Hero Association¡¯s decisions, which has been spreading secretly for a long time. If it hadn¡¯t been for the sudden attack from Eighth Layer Hell this time, they would have arrested Noah indiscriminately. ¡°Therefore, I think the reason why Noah is hiding has something to do with the sudden arrest order. He¡¯s got a good head on his shoulders.¡± ¡°This¡­I¡¯m going to tear those bastards!!¡± Go Changsu became agitated and hit the tree trunk he was leaning on. However, with the exception of a little spirit affinity, his body, which was just an ordinary man, left no trace on the tree. On the contrary, only his fist that had hit the tree swelled. He felt as if it represented his situation. An incompetent person who was inferior to the trees on the side of the road. What the hell should I do¡­ According to Kim Taehi¡¯s hypothesis, what Noah was dealing with now was nothing short of the world itself. If the Hero Association was a colossal organization, then beyond that would be the World Government¡­ ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± ¡°Calm down and think straight. Actually, there¡¯s nothing we can do for that kid right now.¡± ¡°Damn it! I already know that!¡± However¡­ ¡­Was it okay to stay still? He had never felt so helpless as he did now. Even though Noah needed help more than ever, he could only sit and watch¡­ At that moment, a bombshell came out of Kim Taehi¡¯s mouth. ¡°I decided to get rid of those dirty guys and become the top of the Hero Association myself.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°In fact, that was why I accepted the position of Branch Manager. Even if just a little, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be advantageous to build up my influence.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± ¡°I originally didn¡¯t want anyone to give me the position of Branch Manager. I didn¡¯t want to eye a position of power once I retired as a hero. But for now, this is the best thing I can do.¡± When she had been in despair for days, she calmly judged the situation and was looking for ways to help. Go Changsu felt ashamed and couldn¡¯t bear to look her in the face. ¡°B-Branch Manager¡­I-I¡­¡± Kim Taehi held out her thick palm. ¡°So can you lend me your strength? So that this doesn¡¯t happen again when the kid comes back one day.¡± She looked at Go Changsu and smiled faintly. What should he say? A lot of thoughts flashed through his head. Did she have any specific plans? Wasn¡¯t she afraid of such a huge enemy? What would she do if she failed? And¡­ What could I do without any abilities? However, what came out of his mouth contradicted his thoughts. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s try it!¡± He firmly clasped Kim Taehi¡¯s hand as a smile spread across their faces. They, who shared the same wound, if they tried harder than anyone else for justice, he thought they might be able to change this dirty world. Yes, Noah. I¡¯ll make sure you have a place to come back to, so until then¡­Please take care of yourself. While Go Changsu became heated with resolve, Kim Taehi, who was next to him, spoke as if she had suddenly remembered something. ¡°But you little punk. What¡¯s with smoking outside? Think you¡¯re the only one going through a rough time? Keuheuk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Go Changsu¡¯s face became as red as a boiled octopus. Chapter 105 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 105 A back alley embracing the darkness of a city. As fog rose from the sewers under the dim streetlights, from somewhere, drunkards cursing could be heard. ¡°Ah, fuck! Those girls from earlier are quick-witted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said to get them more drunk before we left! You¡¯re too impatient, bastard.¡± ¡°Hey, quit it. There are days like this. Let¡¯s go have some more drinks ourselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pissed! I already set up the camera and everything in the motel. I¡¯m losing money here!¡± Bang¨C! The angered drunkard kicked a street sign, leaving a deep dent on the iron pole. ¡°Keukeuk, there the bastard goes again.¡± ¡°Huu¡­I really wanted to catch one today.¡± The group strutted along the narrow alley side by side. Meanwhile, they broke the side mirrors of parked cars and glared menacingly at passers-by. ¡°Hey, ahjussi. Is there a problem? Why do you keep looking at me?¡± ¡°N-n-nothing.¡± ¡°Tsk. I¡¯ll kill you if you look at me one more time.¡± ¡°Y-yes, yes. I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± People hurried their steps and tried not to make eye contact when they ran into the group. Before long, they were the only ones left on the streets. In such a deserted place, a man with a long hood could soon be seen walking. However, perhaps because he had his head lowered, he unfortunately didn¡¯t notice the group in front of him. Thud¨C His shoulder collided with one of the drunkards. ¡°Hey bastard, have you lost your mind?¡± The group grabbed the man by the collar and slammed him into a shop¡¯s shutter. Bang¨C! ¡°Bastard, which shithole did you get your home education from? You should at least apologize if you bump into someone!¡± ¡°Hehe, this bastard is shit out of luck.¡± They surrounded the man like a siege. Without saying anything, he tried to get away from them, but each time they would use their shoulders to push him back into the corner. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to apologize? Still not apologizing? Ignoring people until the end.¡± ¡°Wah~ This. I can¡¯t hold back. Somebody keep a lookout. It¡¯s been awhile since I put someone in their place.¡± ¡°Hey, then what about the corpse afterwards?¡± The largest drunkard grabbed the man by the collar with one hand and lifted him up. Veins swelled from his thick forearm as the man dangled like a doll in the air. ¡°Does this bastard think he¡¯s a serial killer? Take off his gloomy hood.¡± Whiip¨C The hood came off, and what was revealed was a boy who at most looked like a high school student. ¡°What? It was a little brat?¡± ¡°No wonder he didn¡¯t react. He must be sulking, keukeuk.¡± ¡°Good. A cheeky brat like him needs to be hit.¡± Just as the man was about to raise his fist at the boy, their eyes met. ¡°?!¡± Eyes that were as lifeless as a corpse. Facing such a gaze, somehow the hand holding the boy¡¯s collar began to tremble. With an emotionless expression, the boy asked. ¡°Are you bad guys?¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­?¡± The man clutching the boy¡¯s collar found it impossible to answer. A suffocating killing intent. His whole body hardened like a herbivore in front of a beast. Th-this guy is dangerous. He didn¡¯t know the boy¡¯s identity, but it seemed he had touched the wrong person. Alarms were going off in his head as he slowly loosened his grip and tried to put the boy down. ¡°Well, there¡¯s been some misunderstanding¡­¡± However, contrary to his intentions, his companions still didn¡¯t seem to have noticed the boy¡¯s oddity. ¡°Keuahaha! Are we bad guys? Look at this bastard¡¯s choice of words. That¡¯s so funny.¡± ¡°We¡¯re bad guys. Very scary people who kill people~¡± ¡°Hey, but this bastard doesn¡¯t look so bad either. If you have an older or younger sister, can you tell them to come?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. The motel is all set up anyway. Keukeuk.¡± They giggled and burst into laughter. Meanwhile, the boy listened to them before finally opening his mouth. ¡°I see¡­.You¡¯re bad guys¡­¡± Feeling something amiss, the man holding the boy¡¯s collar quickly let go and waved his hands. ¡°W-wait¡­¡± However¡­ Whoosh¨CCrunch! His head was ripped off like a bottle cap. Blood gushed out like a fountain as his companions watched in a daze and became covered in hot blood. In the meantime, the boy calmly chewed the ripped head. Crunch¨CCrunch¨C ¡°H-huh¡­?¡± ¡°Fuck! Wh-what the hell¡­¡± A sight that could only be seen in a horror movie. The remaining men trembled as they stared at the boy. They wanted to immediately turn around and run, but their bodies were frozen in fear. Looking at them, the boy smiled. ¡°I was hungry¡­lucky¡­¡± For a while, screams filled the alley. * ¡°Huu, a little late¡­maybe.¡± After Fernando wiped off the blood from his mouth, he put on his hood and walked down the streets again. He passed through a congested alley and headed towards the dark side of the city. Where he stopped was a dark alley with not even street lights. In front of him was an old building covered in graffiti. At the building¡¯s entrance leading to an underground shop was an old neon sign. [Den of Evil] Glowing was a devil with a cocktail in hand. He looked up at the sign for a moment and sighed quietly. ¡­It¡¯s really in bad taste. Whether it was closed today or hadn¡¯t opened yet, there was a sign that read ¡®Closed¡¯ in front of the shop door. However, he ignored it and entered the shop. Ding-ling¨C The little bell on the door shook, and he walked down the iron stairs leading underground. Soon, an old-fashioned bar with soft lights came into view. A gentleman with a stylish mustache wiping a glass cup greeted him. ¡°Huhu. Welcome.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Azazel, a member of the demon army¡¯s special forces. After giving the dead Fernando new power, also gave him the life of an avenger as a reason to live. He glanced at the blood on Fernando¡¯s clothes and smiled quietly. ¡°Hoho, I had prepared a special meal today, but¡­it seems you¡¯ve already eaten on your way here.¡± ¡°Hmph! Hmph!¡± When Fernando looked in the direction of Azazel¡¯s gaze, there was a man completely bound lying on the floor. It seemed he was the prepared food for today. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­as long as he¡¯s a bad guy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m already well aware of your taste. I¡¯ll wrap him up in a lunch box when you head back later.¡± ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t really matter. I can¡¯t fill my hunger with just this.¡± While the two talked, a boy who looked to be an elementary schooler suddenly climbed out from the inner room of the bar. ¡°Hyuuung!¡± Pa! The boy clung to Fernando¡¯s leg like a cicada. Without hiding his bothered expression, Fernando spoke. ¡°¡­Get off.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Huhu, Jackson has been waiting for you. Why don¡¯t you pamper him a bit?¡± Azazel watched the two as if he was looking at two loving brothers. Eventually, Fernando sighed quietly and walked to a bar table while the child clung to him. Annoying¡­ The boy named Jackson was suddenly brought here by Azazel one day. [Please take good care of this child from now on. It¡¯s someone who you¡¯ll really need.] Jackson was a survivor of the incident in Hong Kong. A dragon had burned down everyone who attended the Tin Hau festival at the time, but he was said to have managed to survive thanks to his parents¡¯ sacrifice. He had awakened an ability afterwards and was able to emit heavy cold air from his body ever since. According to Azazel, it was a necessary ability to aid the undead in replenishing their yin energy. ¡°Hyung, hyung! Look at this! I¡¯m awesome, right?¡± Jackson wriggled his hands to create a spherical essence of pure cold air. After doing so, he gave the essence to Fernando. ¡°I¡¯ll give this to you as a gift!¡± ¡°¡­No need.¡± ¡°No! Azazel ahjussi said hyung should eat a lot of cold food! So you have to hurry up and eat it!¡± ¡°¡­¡± At the constant pestering, Fernando eventually took the essence of cold air and ate it. Fresh cold air spread out in his mouth. ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t it delicious?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­taste anything anyway.¡± Jackson, a boy about the same age as Fernando¡¯s sister that had died first. It was as if Fernando saw the shadow of his sister in the boy, and perhaps that was why he felt bothered whenever he saw him. Not only that, all living beings would feel uneasy when they saw the undead. No matter how well hidden, it was a vital instinct. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] However, for some reason the boy was very attached to him. He followed him like a duckling following its mother. As expected¡­there¡¯s something wrong with this kid. Did the death of his parents twisted him too? Well¡­it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ He shook his head. Whatever problem the boy had, it had nothing to do with him. It was just out of mere necessity that he was tolerating it. In any case¡­ ¡°Azazel. Who are they?¡± He turned his head and looked around. A man sitting at a bar table sipping vodka and a pair of man and woman leaning against the wall in arms. Unfamiliar faces he had never seen before. Looking at their attitude, it didn¡¯t seem like they were here out of coincidence. There was no way there would be ordinary customers who visited this place disguised as a bar. Azazel stroked his mustache. ¡°Haha, I was going to tell you even if you didn¡¯t mention it. Everyone, please introduce yourself.¡± The man sitting at the bar table sat up and walked towards Fernando. Fernando wouldn¡¯t have guessed it because he was sitting down but the man was really big. He was about 2.3 meters tall. Even more peculiar were the eye-catching Scandinavian tattoos on his arms. ¡°Hmm? Hey Azazel! When you told me to look forward to my colleagues, did you mean these little guys?¡± The man looked at Fernando and frowned. Scared by this, Jackson hid behind Fernando¡¯s legs. ¡°Grimmer, they¡¯re much stronger than you think.¡± ¡°These guys who are still wet behind the ears?¡± He looked into Fernando¡¯s eyes for a moment, then gave a short sigh. ¡°Haa, anyway, a contract is a contract¡­My name is Grimmer. In Northern Europe where I¡¯m from, they normally call me Death Scythe.¡± ¡°Death Scythe?¡± ¡°Well, it would be faster to see it in person.¡± A translucent scythe instantly appeared from his hand. A giant sickle made for harvesting in bulk. ¡°Let¡¯s see how useful your soul is.¡± ¡°Heumph! Hmph!¡± Swiik¨C He swung his scythe at the bound man wriggling on the floor. Fernando quietly moved his legs to cover Jackson, but the scene he was worried about didn¡¯t happen. There was no blood or wound left on the man¡¯s body. Instead, a group of cloudy colored lights hung from the end of Grimmer¡¯s scythe. ¡°Tsk, you look like a priest, but your soul is filthy.¡± Flicking the soul made of lights up and down in his hand, he continued. ¡°Let¡¯s see, this guy¡¯s power is¡­fire? Is that so?¡± Flames rose from his hand. Whoosh¨C! ¡°Well, as you can roughly see, I can steal other people¡¯s souls and use their abilities. And¡­¡± Pak¨C! He tore apart the soul in his hand. As a result, the man who was lying on the floor died without any resistance. ¡°Life and death, I can control it however I want. Hehe¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fernando looked at Grimmer with a rather startled expression. He hadn¡¯t met many people with abilities so far, but certainly his ability was special and dangerous. Azazel added. ¡°Huhu, even though he looks like that, he¡¯s currently a hero. A hero with an A-Rank license.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with that?!¡± ¡°Grimmer¡¯s ability will be of a big help to your ¡®eating¡¯ in the future.¡± When Grimmer¡¯s introduction was over, the man and woman who were leaning against the wall until now, leisurely approached Fernando. A woman in a kimono smiling playfully, and a man in a formal suit who gave off a feeble impression. The two had different impressions, but somehow they were an oddly fitting combination. ¡°The gentleman over here is Yasi. And the lady next to him is Karane. Ah, by the way, the two are married.¡± (TN: Yes, these are their names. Grimmer¡¯s name is also a reference.) ¡°Ah, hello? M-my name is Yasi.¡± ¡°Ora~ Aren¡¯t you a handsome boy? Huhu, I think I¡¯m going to get carried away. Husband! Can I have an affair with him?¡± ¡°Keuheuk¡­F-fine. I¡¯m not a l-loser. I-I won¡¯t get jealous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding~ Kidding! As expected, my husband is the cutest. Come here, my husband.¡± ¡°Heup!¡± Karane kissed Yasi on the lips. Regardless of the gazes around them, they roughly tore each others¡¯ clothes and coveted each other more and more intensely. ¡°?!¡± What were they doing? Fernando covered Jackson¡¯s eyes to prevent him from seeing the scene. However, for some reason that question only lasted a moment before another thought popped into his mind. That was, it was natural for a couple to show off their affection on the first meeting. It was common sense to everyone in the world. At times like this, wasn¡¯t it necessary I cheered them on so they could have children? Fernando lifted up his sleeves and cheered the two. Passionate heat was added to the narrow room, and the sound of breathing coming from the two people became rougher. Just as he was watching the couple¡¯s affectionate display, ¡°Ugh!¡± He felt a momentary dizziness. When he suddenly came to his senses, he saw the couple perfectly dressed and standing in front of him. ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Th-this¡­?¡± Fernando had a bewildered expression. What had happened just now? The couple were definitely engaged in something ridiculous. However, now he could only recall greeting them. And from what he could tell, their clothes were intact. On top of that, other people except him were standing as if nothing had happened. As he doubted himself, Karane grinned. ¡°My husband Yasi¡¯s ability is to ¡®replace¡¯ the information that is transmitted to the brain in a desired form. You can think of it as similar to hallucination¡­but the only difference is that it manipulates the brain waves and is unrelated to mental defense.¡± Was the ability part of a sequence? But that alone didn¡¯t explain everything. Even if Fernando had received false information, why didn¡¯t he question it? It was obvious what he had seen was illogical. ¡°Is that your ability by chance?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. My ability is to ¡®prove¡¯ the information by adding the probability of it being true. Like just now, no matter how strange the scene was, I can make it so you don¡¯t doubt that it¡¯s false.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Huhu, I think that¡¯s enough for our introduction. Then, shall I taste my cute husband¡¯s lips this time?¡± ¡°Heup!¡± Karane kissed Yasi on the lips again. The same scene Fernando had seen earlier. He again doubted whether information had been replaced¡­ ¡°Wh-what? Do you think this is your bedroom?! Are you crazy? There are children over there!¡± ¡°Hy-hyung¡­wh-what are the ajumma and ahjussi doing?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed to be really happening this time. Fernando couldn¡¯t tell the truth from false at all. He looked at them stiffly. Those are scary abilities. While the room was becoming increasingly noisy, Azazel approached him. ¡°What do you think? Their abilities?¡± ¡°Honestly¡­it¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Right. If they go all out with their abilities, they can even distort the history of a nation to some extent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s certainly possible¡­¡± ¡°Their abilities will be of great help to you in your future mission.¡± ¡°Mission?¡± Currently, the only mission given to him was to get close to Noah. However, with his death, it was no longer possible. ¡°Come to think of it¡­Choi Noah died this time. What should I do¡­now?¡± ¡°Haha, the reason why I invited everyone here today is to explain the new mission.¡± Azazel, who said that much, clapped his hands gracefully. Pa¨C Everyone stopped and looked at him. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to tell you the mission.¡± He looked at each of the people gathered here one by one. ¡°Soul reaper, Grimmer.¡± ¡°Replacing truths, Yasi.¡± ¡°Proving lies, Karane.¡± ¡°Frozen mana, Jackson.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be Fernando¡¯s faithful companions from now on. Do you all agree?¡± They readily nodded as if they had been told beforehand. Companions? What was Azazel trying to do by gathering all these people here? As Fernando had such thoughts, Azazel gently smiled. ¡°The reason why I¡¯ve gathered you and your companions is because mankind needs hope in this world.¡± ¡°Mankind needs hope?¡± Fernando hadn¡¯t expected such words to come from a devil¡¯s mouth. The others couldn¡¯t hide similar expressions of bewilderment. ¡°Haha, please don¡¯t make such faces. As I said before, our demon army¡¯s goal is to save mankind.¡± ¡°Huu¡­The hope of mankind¡­and Choi Noah¡¯s death¡­what does that have to do with us?¡± ¡°In fact, I was under assumption that Choi Noah would play that role. So the original plan was to make you his trusted companion.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°However, Choi Noah is now dead. Well, I don¡¯t really believe it completely, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s gone anyway¡­Now that the situation is like this, we have to rethink our plan.¡± Azazel¡¯s eyes swayed a purplish glow as he looked at Fernando. ¡°In other words¡­Fernando. You¡¯ll be the hero who opposes the demons from now on.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± At a bar called Den of Evil located in the darkest back streets of a city, a new hero party claiming to be the hope of mankind was born. Chapter 106 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 106 At the large training grounds located within the Hero Training Institute. In a place that was usually filled with inspirational speeches, mournful cries resonated. ¡°Aigo, my son! If you leave first like this¡­¡± ¡°A-aaah! My daughter, why¡­Why!¡± ¡°Heuk! Heuh, heuk¡­Where¡¯s mom¡­¡± Smell of incense pricked the nose as bereaved families collapsed and cried in front of the portraits of the deceased. Saki watched the sight of such a memorial altar with a blank expression. At the end of her gaze was a portrait of someone. A woman in glasses who gave off an orderly impression. It was a familiar face. What¡­was her name? They hadn¡¯t particularly spoken to one another, but she remembered that she was a classmate who sat in the front row and frequently asked questions during class. Sometimes classes finished late and the other trainees would complain¡­ Turning to the side, there was a portrait of an irresponsible-looking man. A man who always bragged that his family was very rich. He even made a bet that he would invite all the trainees to his villa and prove it himself when holiday came¡­ In front of the portrait, an old couple with a shabby appearance was sobbing. As expected¡­wasn¡¯t that a lie? So what happens to the bet now? She could only pretend it never happened¡­ As she walked across the training grounds, she looked at the portraits sitting on the wall one by one. A classmate who had a point deducted for talking during a lecture. A classmate who would diligently write down notes in order to earn a scholarship. A classmate who was secretly dating outside while exchanging letters in the dormitory. They were all familiar faces. However¡­Why did such a sight where they were all gathered felt so strange? She continued to walk along the altar¡¯s long line. The reality of the situation hadn¡¯t hit her yet. Rather, it seemed the situation was getting increasingly farther from reality with each step. After walking for an unknown time, at last her steps stopped. Gathered in front of her were many of her classmates from the institute who had been discharged from the hospital. Her eyes turned to a portrait sitting on the altar. The face of a young boy who looked especially young compared to the other trainees. Her dry lips slowly opened. ¡°¡­Noah.¡± Noah¡¯s portrait alone showed an annoyed look. It was taken not long ago for the purpose of using it in the school festival¡¯s pamphlet. She remembered everyone putting their heads together and coming up with a plan to take the photo. Just looking at this portrait perhaps other people would have the wrong idea of Noah. He usually smiles a lot, and he¡¯s such a sweet child¡­ If she had known it was the last time, she would have asked to take the photo again and again¡­ ¡°Heuk¡­¡± She bit her lips and forced herself to swallow the tears that were about to leak out. If she cried here, she would really be admitting that Noah was dead. N-no. The body hasn¡¯t been found yet¡­ Noah couldn¡¯t be dead. It wasn¡¯t just anyone but Noah. But why was everyone making sad faces? They¡¯re all idiots. He used to disappear without saying a word. So¡­It was obvious he would reappear in a few days this time too. ¡°I-isn¡¯t that right¡­Noah? Please¡­say yes.¡± However, around the corner of her eyes, tears were already leaking out without break. ¡°A-ah¡­Th-this c-can¡¯t be¡­heuk!¡± When she had left the hospital, she had promised herself she wouldn¡¯t cry anymore today. She had cried her heart out in advance so that she could no longer cry. Nevertheless, the emotions that had erupted were too hard to control. ¡°Heuk, Noah¡­No¡­Noah!!!!!¡± Thud¨C Eventually, she collapsed to the ground. She had called his name with lingering hope, but naturally there was no answer. In fact, in the corner of her heart, there was an unfounded belief that Noah was still alive. However, everything she was seeing in front of her was pointing to Noah¡¯s death¡­ Maybe enough was enough and it was time to accept reality. How¡­can this happen to a child as kind as Noah¡­ Noah, a selfless person who would move for others. Even before he became a hero, he had saved countless people by preventing a terrorist attack. At Pyongyang¡¯s exam site, he had overpowered the supervisor who had gone berserk and saved the lives of many candidates, including her. And what about after passing the exam? As a trainee, he had fought against an international crime syndicate, and had gone all the way to Hong Kong to subdue a monster believed to be S-Rank. Brilliant talent like the stars and a noble spirit that shone even brighter than that. Saki considered Noah¡¯s friendship her lifelong pride. She didn¡¯t read newspapers very often, but she would always scrape articles related to him. She would fall asleep every night vowing to be a great person like him one day. For today, she really resented his selfless personality. And¡­ Rather¡­if Noah had been a little more selfish¡­ If it had been so¡­wouldn¡¯t he still be alive? At least, just this once. Noah had always tried his best to save everyone, but citing ridiculous reasons, the Hero Association had tried to arrest him. It was a deeply resentful and unjust circumstance. When she had first learned of their plan, she was so angry that she couldn¡¯t sleep well for a few days. If she had been in a similar situation, she might have just turned into a villain regardless of whether she was a hero or not. Not only her, everyone had advised Noah to leave the institute and run away after they had learned about the motive behind the Hero Association¡¯s plan. [I can¡¯t do that. I have to stay here.] However, Noah had chosen to attend the school festival despite such an unreasonable circumstance. At the time, she didn¡¯t understand why he had made such a decision¡­only now did she realize why. Perhaps Noah had guessed in advance that the monsters from Eighth Layer Hell would invade this place. With such a simple commitment to protect everyone, he had returned to this dangerous place where he may be arrested. If he hadn¡¯t come back here, everyone in the gym would have died. In the end, he had sacrificed himself and saved everyone. Noah¡­why the hell¡­ At such a young age, how could he do this? Maybe she didn¡¯t deserve to complain. Because of Noah¡¯s spirit of self-sacrifice she was able to live. I wish I could turn back time¡­ A trail of regrets followed one after another. If she had somehow persuaded Noah not to attend the school festival. Or if she and the other trainees were strong enough not to need his help. Would Noah still be alive¡­? No one could answer such a question now. However, if there was one thing she was certain of¡­ Noah was someone who should never die in vain like this. What should I do now¡­ She had wanted to work hard and become a helpful person to Noah one day. It was the first goal she, who had just tried to become a hero without thinking, had in her life. However, with Noah missing to lead the goal, was it the right choice to continue being a hero? What reasons do I have for becoming a hero now? For the Hero Association that had treated Noah like a criminal? Or for the citizens who had made Noah sacrifice his life? She vacantly stared into space. At that moment, a soju bottle suddenly flew from somewhere, hitting the altar and shattering into pieces. Bang¨C Sand in the incense burner spilled out, and the portrait sitting on the altar fell to the ground. ¡°?!¡± Turning her head, a middle-aged man with a bottle in his hand was seen shouting and pointing at the broken portrait. ¡°Choi Noah!! It¡¯s all because of him! Bring back my daughter!¡± ¡°Y-you can¡¯t do this here.¡± The trainees stood in the man¡¯s way and tried to calm him. But even so, his outburst didn¡¯t end there. ¡°S-son of a bitch! Wasn¡¯t this whole thing that bastard, Choi Noah¡¯s, fault? He brought the monsters here!¡± ¡°Hey! What nonsense is that? Don¡¯t cause trouble here and leave!¡± A woman usually known for her hot temper blocked the man, but nevertheless, he pushed her shoulder. ¡°What an impudent woman! What did you say?! You¡¯re with that villain Choi Noah, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Other victims¡¯ families around the man began to sympathize and shout one by one. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! When the villains first appeared, wouldn¡¯t they have looked for Choi Noah first?¡± ¡°We need to revoke Choi Noah¡¯s license right now and re-investigate this case!¡± ¡°The Hero Association needs to get to the bottom of this!¡± Saki watched the scene with unfocused eyes. What were they talking about? It was definitely not a foreign language, but strangely, she couldn¡¯t understand anything at all. ¡°It¡¯s a scoop! Run this way!¡± ¡°Hey, pick a sensational title. Times like this are money.¡± Reporters who had come to cover the funeral were welcoming the sudden disturbance with camera flashes. Next to such reporters, celebrities and individual broadcasters holding cameras to take proof shots so they could post on social media were also seen. ¡°Damn it. The photos aren¡¯t coming out well today.¡± ¡°Thank you for the support. Hyung-nims~ The support today will all go towards charity~ What? I¡¯m going to eat it all? Eh~ What do you mean by that? Hyung-nims.¡± Saki¡¯s mind went blank. She couldn¡¯t understand it by any stretch of her imagination. Why were they cursing Noah? How could they laugh and talk so casually as if they didn¡¯t care? Why were they¡­ ¡­A waste of air. Saki¡¯s face sank like a corpse. Rumble¨C The emotions she had endured so far exploded, and the destructive energy in her body wriggled little by little. Noah had sacrificed so much to save everyone¡­ But for what? For such people? You¡­How dare you ungrateful bastards¡­ ¡°You disgusting son of bitches!¡± Her expression, which usually floundered like an airhead, distorted like a demon. The huge amount of energy that had fallen asleep in the depths began to rumble. She didn¡¯t care anymore. It wasn¡¯t even worth living in this dirty world. ¡°To hell with everything.¡± Within her eyes, a fiery red glow like a fuse rose. The moment she lost her rationale and was about to blow up her ability, Pa¨C Someone put a hand on her shoulder. Turning around with eyes twitching, there stood Mousin with a stiff expression. ¡°Calm down. Saki.¡± ¡°¡­Ahjussi?¡± ¡°Are you also going to blow up your classmates? I don¡¯t want to die yet.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°Think about how Noah would feel if he was here. If you act like that¡­What sort of expression would that kind boy have on his face?¡± ¡°?!¡± Noah¡¯s face, which was always smiling brightly, came to mind. Her seething emotion subsided. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Mousin normally talked nonsense, but for once, he was right. If it was Noah who had a warmer heart than anyone else in the world, he would have smiled kindly even in front of people who were cursing him. She still felt like wiping out everything in front of her, but¡­ I shouldn¡¯t do that¡­ Even though Noah wasn¡¯t here, she didn¡¯t want to do anything that would make him sad. The expression full of malice returned to her usual self, and the energy rumbling inside her slowly subsided. What took its place was an indescribable sense of emptiness and sorrow. ¡°Heup¡­heuk, heuuuk!! Ahjussi, our Noah didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but these bastards keep cursing him¡­¡± With tears and a runny nose, Saki pointed to the agitated families that were causing a disturbance. The families threw things while the trainees gradually released their abilities to stop them. However, the trainees were gradually being pushed back without being able to attack. ¡°Haa, fuck! They¡¯re driving me crazy. Hey, leave this to me. I¡¯m better at this than you are.¡± On behalf of Saki, Mousin walked to the altar that was gradually being trashed. Soon, he bowed to the families with a servile look. ¡°Aigo, everyone, why don¡¯t you calm down a little bit?¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re upset, but let¡¯s calm down first¡­¡± Pak¨C! Mousin¡¯s head turned sharply and a red hand mark was clearly left on his cheek. ¡°Get lost! You¡¯re with that Choi Noah bastard, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re a villain like that bastard!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The atmosphere quickly subsided by a slap no one expected. ¡°Wh-what, hitting someone? Isn¡¯t that ahjussi crazy?¡± ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t stop me. He crossed the line. Where does he think this is¡­¡± [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] The moment the trainees couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and was about to subdue the crowd, Mousin reached out his hand to stop them and bowed his head in a servile manner. ¡°I fully understand that you¡¯re having a hard time controlling your grief. I¡¯m in the same boat having lost someone precious¡­¡± It was an uncharacteristically polite manner. However, the families grabbed him by the collar and began to scream even louder. ¡°Shut up! What do you know?! My nephew¡­He was a good boy¡­keuk!¡± ¡°This is all because of Choi Noah! Who doesn¡¯t know this tragedy happened because of him?¡± ¡°I heard he was actually colluding with Eighth Layer Hell! No matter how hard you heroes try to cover up the case, I¡¯ll make sure the truth comes out!¡± Camera shutters went off without stopping. For those who were looking for a sensational story, the situation was like a deliciously prepared prey. If there was physical conflict here, the sensational story of ¡®hero trainees attacking the bereaved families¡¯ would be completed. It was like an insult to the deeds Noah had accomplished. Mousin had a better grasp of the current situation than anyone else in this position. He sighed quietly and whispered so quietly that the reporters couldn¡¯t hear him. Soon, the faces of those who had heard him turned blue. Mousin smiled, no longer hiding his aloof appearance. ¡°If you¡¯ve roughly understood what I¡¯m saying, let¡¯s stop now. What you¡¯re doing isn¡¯t going to bring the dead back to life. Don¡¯t take it out here for no reason and ruin your life.¡± Tsk¨C ¡°¡­I¡¯ll make sure to reveal the truth of this incident.¡± The families stared at him for a long time, but eventually gritted their teeth and withdrew. In the meantime, Mousin¡¯s entourage took out envelopes and handed it to the reporters one by one, or chased away the onlookers who were doing personal broadcasts. ¡°Huu¡­I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Saki sighed and approached Mousin. ¡°Ahjussi¡­What did you say to those bastards for them to just leave like that?¡± ¡°A-ah, just. All I told them was the identity of Noah¡¯s guardian.¡± ¡°¡­They back off with just that? I thought they were angry to the point that they had lost all reason?¡± ¡°What reason? Since Noah¡¯s image is so good, they came here to vent their anger under the impression that he was an easy target. I¡¯m so sad right now~ Please know that~ Fuck!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The trainees reorganized the altar that had turned into a mess. They swept sand into the fallen incense burner and removed broken soju bottles or trash. Saki carefully returned the portrait that had fallen on the ground. Noah¡¯s face was badly distorted because of the broken frame. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± The sight made her angry again, but Mousin opened his mouth a step faster before her emotions became unstable. ¡°Everyone, please hear me out for a second. There¡¯s something I really want to tell you guys.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not important, do it later. I¡¯m not in the mood now¡­¡± ¡°No. You really have to hear it now.¡± Mousin, who had said so, showed the most serious expression Saki had ever seen. * Was it because of Mousin¡¯s serious expression? The trainees who were looking at the portrait in a pitiful manner, gathered next to him one by one. People from the Pyongyang branch who originally followed Noah, and even those who were saved by him in the gym. In fact, except for the few still hospitalized, everyone had gathered. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­This should do.¡± After Mousin looked around, he used an artifact to create a soundproof barrier. What did he want to say for him to be so thoroughly guarded? The moment everyone was looking at him with such a question, he looked back at them with a serious expression. ¡°Investigator Kim Taehi¡­No, she¡¯s the Branch Manager now. Anyway, I¡¯m sure you all know her, right? The whistleblower who had informed Noah of the danger in advance.¡± The trainees nodded softly at his words. There was an upper faction within the Hero Association that had aimed to frame Noah. Opposing that was Kim Taehi¡¯s faction who had kept their consciences by informing him in advance. Ordinary citizens weren¡¯t aware of it, but most of the trainees who were directly involved in the case already knew. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve heard some information from her¡­¡± Mousin, who had lowered his voice even further, uttered shocking words to everyone. ¡°Anyhow¡­it seems Noah is alive.¡± ¡°¡±¡±?!¡±¡±¡± The trainees¡¯ eyes inadvertently turned to the portrait on the altar. For a moment, they alternated between the portrait and Mousin. ¡°Wh-wh-what?!¡± ¡°A-ahjussi, what did you just say?!¡± ¡°You son of a bitch¡­If you¡¯re messing with us, I¡¯ll really never let you go.¡± Soon, there was panic all around. Mousin calmed them down by putting his index finger on his lips. ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t cause a scene and shut up!¡± He quickly conveyed the evidence he had heard from Kim Taehi and the situation Noah was currently in. ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened, so I think it¡¯s best to keep it a secret that he¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­That¡¯s a relief. I¡¯m glad.¡± ¡°Heuk¡­I knew it. He can¡¯t die so easily!¡± Cries were heard everywhere. However, the meaning was different from a while ago. Their expressions, as if they had lost everything, were filled with a ray of hope. Mousin continued. ¡°I heard there will be an early graduation ceremony in a couple of weeks. Did you all hear that?¡± Due to the incident, the institute was in a situation where it was difficult to operate normally. This was because the number of trainees as well as professors who taught them had decreased too much. To try and calm public unrest, the Hero Association had decided to hold an early graduation for all trainees, including the victims who had died in the incident. ¡°So in a few days, everyone here will become official heroes. Do you have any plans or things you want to do?¡± ¡°Plans¡­¡± Each trainee looked lost in thought when asked. Becoming an official hero was something they had always dreamed of. However, for some reason, their expressions were neither excited nor pleased. Rather, the atmosphere, which had been brightened by news of Noah a moment ago, was starting to become heavier. A deathly silence lingered, and after a while, Saki slowly opened her mouth. ¡°Becoming heroes¡­will it be meaningful now?¡± ¡°¡±¡±¡­¡±¡±¡± What she had said represented the feelings of everyone gathered here. They had no choice but to feel bitter after experiencing it firsthand. The justice they had believed in didn¡¯t exist. Mousin, who was watching such a sight, stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going straight home after this funeral. And I¡¯m determined to take control of my family business that I had been putting off.¡± ¡°Why all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t ahjussi say you weren¡¯t interested in your family business any more?¡± When Saki asked, Mousin smirked and continued with a bitter expression. ¡°Yes, I did. However, I realized once again after having gone through this incident. This world is a dirty place. I¡¯ve been around that innocent boy as of late, so I had lost sight of that for a while. It takes strength to protect him from such dirty things. So from now on, I intend to develop that power by all means. Because¡­I don¡¯t want to hold him back ever again.¡± ¡°¡±¡±?!¡±¡±¡± The trainees recalled the terrible helplessness they had experienced in the gym and Noah saving them. Mousin made eye contact with each of them. ¡°In that sense, I¡­plan to use the power of my family in order to gather people and help him. What are you guys going to do?¡± ¡°Of course we¡¯ll help Noah¡­¡± ¡°Wait. Think carefully before you answer.¡± Mousin warned those who had nodded immediately. ¡°As you know after seeing it this time, among Noah¡¯s enemies are the upper ranks of the Hero Association. No matter how corrupt and wrong they are, the power they have is very real. So in the worst case scenario, you could be branded a villain and become wanted criminals. And yet you¡¯re really going to help him?¡± They, who had finally become official heroes after much effort. The reality that they could become villains was too harsh. Therefore, Mousin wasn¡¯t expecting much when he had brought it up. However¡­ ¡°Ahjussi, you brought up a good point. Well, that¡¯s what I was going to do originally.¡± Saki answered faster than anyone else. ¡°Haha! Choi Noah is the most righteous and wonderful person I¡¯ve ever met! There¡¯s no need to hesitate to help him!¡± Yeom Gangjun, who was like a wet match after Noah¡¯s death, shouted as he burned again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. Villain or whatever, I¡¯m all for helping cute Noah.¡± ¡°Right! Right! I can¡¯t just let uncle Mousin look cool by himself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only talked to Noah a few times, but I¡¯m indebted to him.¡± Not only those from the Pyongyang branch collectively called the Choi Noah Army, but also all the other trainees. They nodded calmly to the point where Mousin¡¯s worries were overshadowed. ¡°You guys¡­¡± Mousin looked at the trainees with tears in his eyes. The elite talents who had passed the hero exam that was said to have been the most difficult in its history, at last were united as one. * Meanwhile, a pink-haired woman watching the action from afar, muttered something to herself as she took off her sunglasses. ¡°Heung~ It ended in a boring way.¡± The woman was Arin. She was one of the eight executives of Eighth Layer Hell and a K-pop idol who had gained recognition worldwide. ¡°Should I have poked the hornet¡¯s nest a little harder?¡± A moment ago, she had used her unique ability to stimulate the feelings of the victims¡¯ families. She had induced them to make a disturbance, but it had ended more frivolously than expected. However, she didn¡¯t care much about the outcome. ¡°Well, it was just entertainment in the first place.¡± And more than that, the trainees she had seen just now were much more interesting. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were so united. Finally some interesting guys! Huhu.¡± She had been around countless humans, but it had been a long time since she last saw them so tightly united like the trainees in front of her. The center of them was none other than one figure¡­ ¡°Choi Noah was it? He must have been a real piece of work.¡± Even though he was already dead, his name alone had brought so many people together. He would have certainly been a painstaking opponent for Eighth Layer Hell. ¡°I wish I had met him when he was alive. That¡¯s too bad~¡± Looking at the portrait of Noah, she smacked her lips before turning around. Behind her were broadcasting stations¡¯ officials waiting with vacant looks on their faces. Arin whispered to them in a mysterious voice. ¡°The video shots from earlier are enough, right? I was on standby.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Arin-nim.¡± ¡°Also, please edit the part where I cried a little while ago. Also, don¡¯t just show my pretty sides, but show the realistic bit of me too. You know what I mean, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­I understand.¡± ¡°Good. Then go ahead. Oh, and forget that we talked.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The broadcasting stations¡¯ officials walked away with heavy steps. Arin watched their backs for a moment, and when everyone was gone, she looked towards a space where no one was around. ¡°¡­So what can I help you with?¡± At that moment, black feathers fluttered in the air and a woman in a revealing clergy uniform appeared. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you noticed. Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± ¡°I could smell the scent of perfume, so it would be weird not to notice. So what do you want? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re here for an autograph.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m late to introduce myself.¡± Covering the surroundings in black feathers, the woman gracefully introduced herself. ¡°My name is Samaria. Even though it¡¯s only for this semester, I¡¯m a professor at this institute.¡± Samaria said, approaching Arin with a delighted look as if she had met an old friend by chance. ¡°And I¡¯m an ¡®ancient¡¯ like you.¡± ¡°?!¡± Was it because Arin hadn¡¯t expected to hear such words? She looked at Samaria with a perplexed look on her face. Samaria slowly lifted up her uniform, revealing a seal mark on her abdomen that was hidden. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not looking for me to blow on your stomach like a baby?¡± Arin said when she saw it, revealing her true nature and not the expression of an idol she had shown so far. Nine tails soared behind her. ¡°Huhu, did you say your name was Samaria? It looks like we have a lot to talk about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was hoping for.¡± Beings that had been forgotten, after many years, were preparing their return to the world. Chapter 107 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 107 ¡°Haa¡­There¡¯s no end in sight.¡± Gyeon Sohui sighed as she looked at the mountain of papers on her desk. As the vice president, the position of president was handed over to her unanimously after the previous president of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association was removed for mishandling the dragon incident. It went without saying that a hole had formed in the organization due to the casualties, and with the heavy responsibility that came with being the president of the association, the pressure she had been feeling lately had become too much to describe in words. Especially for her who had only known fighting, the paperworks was a much more daunting task than life-threatening suppression operations. ¡°Damn them!¡± Bang¨C! She angrily threw the stack of papers in her hand on the desk. Security personnel request for ¡®Ancient Artifact Exhibition.¡¯ It was an official letter handed down directly from the Hero Association headquarters not long ago. ¡°There was no support when everyone was dying, and now they¡¯re going to unload this on me?¡± She wanted to immediately visit headquarters and grab them by the collar, but unfortunately, she was powerless. ¡°Huu¡­I¡¯m really going to die of frustration¡­¡± Recalling the recent mood of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association, she sighed to let out steam. Ever since Noah¡¯s death, most people in Hong Kong had been deeply saddened. As if a king of a nation had died, all festivals and concerts were canceled, and citizens refused to work due to mass depression. After hearing the news of his death, she also had to fight the occasional sadness. Why¡­He was such an amazing person¡­ Where everyone had given up, he was a benefactor who had helped Hong Kong at no cost. For her, Noah was a real hero who couldn¡¯t even be compared to those at headquarters that were just hell bent on the fight for power. ¡°Keuheuk¡­damn it!¡± She had cried so much all night, but when she recalled him, she felt like tears would leak out again. The moment she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, Knock, knock¨C There was a sudden knock. She hurriedly wiped away the evidence of her tears. ¡°C-come in.¡± Squeak¨C Between the crack, a woman with a hostile impression peeked her head inside. ¡°¡­Do you have a moment?¡± ¡°Jane?¡± It was Jane Doe. Like others from Kowloon, she was also someone saved by Noah. At first, Gyeon Sohui was just friendly towards her because she was related to Noah. However, she had helped in many ways in stabilizing the areas around Kowloon, which had become lawless. For this reason and the lack of manpower, she and her brother had been staying in the association¡¯s dormitory and helping with the work. However, she had been lying in the corner of the room with a dead face like a corpse ever since she had heard of Noah¡¯s recent death. Gyeon Sohui was worried and was going to check on her, but for some reason, she had come to her office on her own accord today. She cleared her throat. ¡°Ahem, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Uh¡­That¡¯s, actually, I¡¯d like to ask you a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± Jane hesitated to speak, unlike her usual self. How serious was it for her to act like that? ¡°Okay. What can I do for you? I¡¯ll try to help you as long as it¡¯s within my power.¡± ¡°You know¡­Um¡­If you don¡¯t mind, can you keep an eye on my brother?¡± ¡°Your brother? Ah, John. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. John¡¯s treatment is still going well¡­¡± ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not it¡­Ah, fuck. How should I say this? I mean, if you can take care of him for me.¡± Although Jane didn¡¯t show it on the surface, she was someone who cared about her brother dearly. Yet she was asking someone to take care of her brother? Gyeon Sohui asked with a faint sense of uneasiness in her voice. ¡°¡­Why are you asking for such a favor? Are you going somewhere for a while?¡± ¡°Well, something like that?¡± ¡°Okay? So where are you going and for what? And how long will you be gone?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t answer that.¡± Jane¡¯s expression was rather unusual. Like someone who was going to leave somewhere and never come back. Gyeon Sohui had an ominous feeling. She recalled Jane refusing to eat a few days ago, saying she would rather die. D-don¡¯t tell me¡­? Meanwhile, Jane continued with a more somber expression. ¡°I know. That it¡¯s shameless of me to ask. But it¡¯s because you¡¯re the only person I can trust around me. I can give you as much money as you want¡­so please, I beg you.¡± The Jane she knew wasn¡¯t a person who would lower her head and beg. She was someone who wasn¡¯t good at expressing her feelings and couldn¡¯t be honest with her heart even if she died. It was said that people would change when they had accepted death¡­ A-as expected, is she¡­? Gyeon Sohui, finally convinced of her thoughts, sprang up and shouted. ¡°Jane! Don¡¯t give up your life easily! Even if it¡¯s hard and painful to the point you want to die, never make such an extreme choice¡­¡± A heartfelt cry. However, Jane grimaced as if wondering what Gyeon Sohui was talking about. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Did you drink while on duty?¡± ¡°Heum??¡± Jane let out a short sigh when she saw Gyeon Sohui staring at her. ¡°I can roughly guess what you¡¯ve imagined, but it¡¯s not that. Why would I kill myself?¡± ¡°So what the hell are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Ha, Sohui-ssi. It¡¯s difficult for me to say¡­¡± Jane hesitated again, showing an uneasiness. After moving her lips for a while, she finally managed to open his mouth. ¡°Uh¡­you know. Actually, I¡¯m going to steal some stuff. Hehe.¡± ¡°?!¡± ¡°You know the dwarf kid I introduced to you before? It turns out she¡¯s really good at sniffing weapons and artifacts. So I¡¯m going to go treasure hunting with her¡­¡± Gyeon Sohui stared blankly at Jane who had proudly declared she would commit a crime in front of her. Understanding the meaning a beat later, she frowned and rubbed her forehead as if she was having a headache. ¡°Huu¡­Wait, before that, read what it says here.¡± ¡°President of Hong Kong¡¯s Hero Association, Gyeon Sohui. What about it?¡± ¡°Then, tell me what a hero does.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it someone who beat down villains?¡± ¡°Yes, you punk!! I¡¯m the one who beats up villains. But did you just confidently declare in front of me that you will commit a crime?¡± As Gyeon Sohui agitately shouted, Jane raised her hand and shook her head with a brazen look. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a prejudice that stealing is all bad. You can borrow it for a while and do something more beneficial. Don¡¯t you think so? Like Robin Hood.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You said you would live a decent life for the one who saved you back then! Everything you said at the time was a lie?!¡± ¡°That hasn¡¯t changed in my heart.¡± ¡°So why the hell are you spouting such crap? Are you going to live like that again just because he¡¯s dead?¡± Gyeon Sohui stared at Jane, trembling with betrayal. With a different serious look than before, Jane responded. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Because¡­Choi Noah is alive.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± A totally unexpected answer. Gyeon Sohui raised her eyes and fiercely shouted. ¡°If you¡¯re talking nonsense now¡­I¡¯ll never let you go even if it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°On what grounds?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you would believe me if I say this¡­He told me before that I had the makings of a witch. I saw it clearly in my dream. He¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°?!¡± Gyeon Sohui stared at Jane. There was an undeniable confidence. A witch was an existence that could touch the astral world. They saw things that ordinary people cannot see, sometimes predicting the future, or reading great fates. If she had really blossomed such a witch¡¯s talent, it was highly likely that Noah was alive as she had said. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] No, the truth may be that she just wanted to believe that. However, what if there was a chance he was still alive¡­? She asked with a sliver of hope. ¡°Are you confident in that information¡­?¡± ¡°Confident enough to risk my life.¡± ¡°Then¡­where is he now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. But I could vaguely feel what was on his mind. That he wants to be stronger more than ever.¡± ¡°So¡­Is that why you¡¯re going to steal¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to be his strength in the way I can.¡± The desire to be Noah¡¯s strength was a reason Gyeon Sohui could fully relate to. However, no matter the reason, theft was a serious criminal offense. In particular, the Hero Association would immediately register you as a villain if you commit a crime using your ability. You would live your entire life as a fugitive, deprived of the rights to enjoy a normal life. ¡°Do you understand? Once registered as a villain, the record won¡¯t be erased until you die. Are you really sure you¡¯re okay with that?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. For him, I¡¯ll even take on the Hero Association headquarters. That¡¯s how much I¡¯m indebted to him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As if the last few days never happened, Jane¡¯s eyes were shining brighter than ever. Seeing her like that, Gyeon Sohui couldn¡¯t bring herself to stop her. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how it is. Please take care of John from now on. I don¡¯t want to make him worry needlessly.¡± Jane turned her back as if she had finished everything she wanted to say. Gyeon Sohui watched her back for a moment before shouting. ¡°A-ah~ I¡¯m just talking to myself¡­Did I hear that the Ancient Artifact Exhibition will be held early next year?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Ha~ But what should I do? Since we¡¯re so short on manpower these days¡­I have a hunch we won¡¯t be able to catch one or two thieves that day.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± Startled, Jane widened her eyes and looked at Gyeon Sohui. As a result, Gyeon Sohui turned her head with an awkward expression. ¡°Ahem. It means you¡¯re not the only one indebted to him.¡± ¡°Huh. Now I¡¯ve seen everything.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been unhappy with the guys at headquarters for a while. Huhu.¡± On Gyeon Sohui¡¯s face there was a devilish smile that resembled Jane. * Southwest of the United States. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park located on an Indian Reservation. Once a sacred land for native americans and a major source of tourism for the Navajo tribe, for quite some time had been off-limits to civilians. An unstable portal appearing inside the park had completely changed the surrounding environment at some point. The distorted sky was covered with mana storms all year round, and the red desert, which was once admired by tourists, was rampant with all kinds of hideous monsters from other dimensions. A landscape where the name ¡®land of death¡¯ was appropriate. Shirahui, carrying a large backpack on her back, was seen walking alone in such a place. ¡°Haak, haa¡­¡± Her ragged breathing resonated in the silent desert as bodies of charred monsters were strewn around her. ¡°Huu¡­There¡¯s really no end in sight. How the hell did my father navigate this place¡­¡± She let out a tired sigh as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. The reason she had come to such a dangerous place was because she had felt the limit of her strength. As such, her father who had signed a contract with the Thunderbird here in the past had advised that she would be able to better control her inner power if she trained here for a while. ¡°I have to be stronger than I am now¡­¡± Biting her lips tightly, she took another step forward. She had felt it keenly after recent events. Her strength was simply unstable and insignificant. In particular, there was nothing worse if such a weakness put a burden on Noah again. ¡°Haa, I miss you already¡­heup!¡± Having inadvertently uttered her innermost thoughts, she hurriedly closed her mouth. Although there were no humans in sight, let alone eavesdroppers, she blushed when she realized what she had unconsciously said. ¡°Ah, I should be more careful from now on.¡± She glanced stealthily at the corner of her view. Translucent letters that started appearing a few days ago. It was a picture of Noah and his name. [Companion] The new ability Noah had passed on in order to protect her. Ever since she had acquired this ability, she had felt a sense of unity as if their souls were connected. It felt like she was with him at all times. In fact, using this ability they could contact each other, so it wasn¡¯t completely wrong. As a result, contrary to the reports that were known to the world, she was convinced that he was alive. She kept his survival a secret from her father, thinking that he might have a plan for not coming clean about his death. It was regrettable, but there was nothing she could do as long as his safety was at stake. However, she really wanted to formally introduce him to her father one day. For example, a meeting with one¡¯s parents¡­? ¡°Euhehe¡­¡± In her head, scenes from the summit of Mount Olympus were replayed in a rather glorified sense. After rescuing her from danger, he deeply professed his love. She felt as if she was floating on clouds every time she recalled it. Although he was shorter and younger than her right now, her heart was still pounding from what she had felt at that time. Wouldn¡¯t he definitely become the most wonderful man in a few years? She foolishly grinned as she imagined the future to come. After some time, she shook her head and quickly came to her senses. ¡°N-no. I can¡¯t do this here.¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to daydream in a place like this. She needed to hurry a little more and reach her destination before dark. She quickened her steps again with a sharp look. As such, she dealt with the monsters that appeared endlessly and gradually moved forward. Finally, her steps stopped. ¡°The rock resembling a temple pillar¡­is that it?¡± A rock that looked exactly like what her father had described came into view. Without further hesitation, she took out an old trinket from her pocket. It was a tourist bracelet that Indians had made and sold long ago. With it, she injected mana into the rock. At some point, in front of her eyes was an entrance to a fantasy world raging with thunderstorms. It¡­really exist? She glimpsed at the landscape beyond the entrance with a surprised expression. A space filled with all kinds of divine spirits. Inside was dense lightning energy ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able withstand. On the contrary, such a harsh environment could be said to be the best place for her to train the power of Lightning Calamity. And¡­if possible, it would be great to bring back a present for Noah. According to her father, there were all kinds of spirits and cute creatures living in this fantasy world. Perhaps she could find a suitable pet for Noah. ¡°Huu¡­I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Noah had left for somewhere to become stronger than he was now. They had just become a couple, so it was a shame to be apart like this. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Omnipotent Gods, mass villains, and corrupt government. As long as such powerful existences were after Noah, he needed much more power than he had now. ¡°So¡­I have to become strong too.¡± Resolving herself in a determined voice, she stepped through the entrance leading to the fantasy world raging with thunderstorms. Chapter 108 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 108 One day, countless strange posters were posted all around the Guangcheng District. [Bad adults who bully children will be judged.] A sentence as if scribbled by the neighborhood children as a prank. It was written in bright red paint and looked rather creepy, but naturally, most of the underworld organizations snorted and ignored the warning. ¡°Judged? Go fuck yourself. What a fucking joke!¡± There was no way they, who had committed all kinds of atrocities, would be intimidated by a piece of paper of unknown origin. However¡­ A few months had passed since then and there was no longer anyone who dismissed it as a joke. ¡°Have you heard? The pimp in the neighborhood was murdered last night.¡± ¡°What? He was someone who had even awakened an ability. Yet he was still killed?¡± ¡°Yes. And all the clients were brutally murdered. Of course, all the children were taken away this time too.¡± ¡°Fuck! What kind of madman is doing this?!¡± Organizations that bought and sold orphans were uprooted overnight while factories that used children to manufacture illegal drugs exploded. Naturally not all organizations sat still. Employing mercenaries from outside, stealing high-value children elsewhere, etc¡­They racked their brains to come up with countermeasures. However, as if to ridicule their efforts, the mysterious assailant would exterminate the members of their organization and take the children away each time. No longer able to deal with the situation, they had no choice but to release the children and seek mercy by disposing of their assets and quietly leaving Guangcheng District. ¡°Hey! Do a body count when you load the children into the truck. Make sure no one runs away.¡± ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡± A somber night. Men of sturdy build moved busily, wary of their surroundings. They were human traffickers who primarily supplied young girls to brothels, and were now sneaking away the goods they had kidnapped to avoid the wind of blood in Guangcheng District. ¡°Hurry up and move! We don¡¯t know when the attack will come.¡± The gang leader nervously rushed his subordinates. Meanwhile, in the corner of his eye he saw a girl gradually falling behind. ¡°You bitch! Didn¡¯t you hear there¡¯s no time? What are you dawdling for?!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s because my feet hurt so much.¡± An unpaved road full of pointed gravel. Without shoes, the girl had no choice but to walk slower than others. However, as if the gang leader didn¡¯t care about her predicament, he suddenly approached and slapped her. Pak¨C! ¡°Kehuek!¡± Struck by the thick palm, the girl stumbled and fell to the ground. ¡°Keuh, keuk¡­¡± She held her cheek, unable to stand up. The young face, which hadn¡¯t even lost its baby fat, was swollen black with blood vessels visible. ¡°You¡¯re fucking wasting my time! Why aren¡¯t you getting up?¡± ¡°Kyaaak!!! L-let go!!¡± The gang leader tugged at the girl¡¯s hair. Painful screams rang out as the struggling girl¡¯s feet created long marks on the ground. After dragging the girl like a luggage bag, he eventually handed her over to a nearby subordinate. ¡°She should be the last one, so get a body count and finish it quickly. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± The subordinate quickly answered and bowed his head. At that moment, Baang¨C! A loud gunshot resembling artillery firing resounded. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± When the subordinate came to his senses, his body was falling to the ground regardless of his will. Looking down, his left leg had been separated and laying on the ground mutilated. ¡°?!¡± Belatedly realizing the pain, he let out a terrible scream. ¡°Keuaaak!!¡± ¡°B-boss!¡± At that moment, another gunshot rang out. Baang¨C! In front of the gang leader¡¯s eyes, the head of a subordinate who had been with him for a long time exploded. The sight resembled a watermelon that had fallen from a high place as blood and guts scattered in all directions. He stared blankly at the headless figure while covered in the blood that was gushing out. Then came a series of gunshots. Baang¨C! Bang¨C! Each time, the heads of his subordinates disappeared one by one. ¡°I-it¡¯s an attack! Everyone, be careful!¡± ¡°It¡¯s him! He¡¯s here!¡± The men hid behind the truck or fell on the ground in a hurry to cover themselves. However, for some reason, the bullets twisted and turned as if it was alive and exploded their heads one after another. ¡°Fuck! Where the hell is it coming from?!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t avoid it! Just run!¡± Realizing that it was useless to hide, they began to run away at full speed with their backs turned. In the direction of their escape, dozens of people wearing night vision goggles appeared one after another as if they had been waiting. Small children standing with firearms that reached their waist. However, the pressure they emitted was too fearsome for them to be ordinary children. The boy at the forefront among them spoke coldly. ¡°It¡¯s time for judgment.¡± ¡°¡±¡±Ya!¡±¡±¡± As soon as the order was given, bullets poured out from all sides and illuminated the night. Dudududududu¡ª! ¡°Keuaak!¡± ¡°Kehuek!¡± Gang members died helplessly without any resistance. It took only a few seconds for the dust to settle. After all the gang members had collapsed, the boy spoke in a pious tone. ¡°And God said¡­All¡¯s well that ends well.¡± ¡°¡±¡±Amen.¡±¡±¡± The children lowered their heads as if praying. Soon, they skillfully pulled a pistol from their waists as if they had done it countless times. Next, they began to insert bullets into the foreheads of the fallen gang members with great care. Wh-what the hell are they doing¡­?! The gang leader, forgetting the pain in his legs, could only watch the scene blankly. Would a monster in a child¡¯s mask look like this? He felt extreme fear as he watched the children who he had regarded only as products. While he trembled, a girl carrying a firearm taller than her walked forward. Her eyes were brightly reflecting light in the dark like that of a cat. ¡°You know, ahjussi! I have a question. All the children here, is that everyone?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± ¡°Yay! The interrogation is over!¡± ¡°?!¡± The girl¡¯s voice was so carefree that the gang leader had answered without a second thought. And, he had immediately realized his mistake. W-was that the reason why I was kept alive¡­? If so, he no longer had any value. Wanting to extend his short life even a little longer, he desperately racked his head. ¡°Wh-who the hell are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m Pie! And~ Pumpkin oppa is the one over there. The rest of the children just came in, so I haven¡¯t memorized their names yet. Is that all?¡± As the girl fiddled with her firearm, the gang leader hurriedly shouted. ¡°N-no! I still have more questions!¡± ¡°Aeyo. What else do you want to know?¡± ¡°Uh¡­Y-yes! Why are you guys doing this?¡± Although it was thrown out of the blue, in fact, this question was also on the minds of every underworld organization in Guangcheng District. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Perhaps it was a new organization trying to dominate the underworld. Or perhaps it was a game played by a great evil beneath Guangcheng District for fun. A flurry of speculations came and went. In a soft tone filled with admiration, the girl answered. ¡°Hmm¡­Noah oppa said children like us are precious¡­ubies? Newbies? Well, something like that.¡± Clack¨C A giant firearm that was closer to a cannon than a gun was aimed at the gang leader¡¯s head. ¡°So we have to protect them all.¡± ¡°W-wait!! I-I still have questions¡­¡± ¡°Bye.¡± The gang leader shook his arms desperately, but the girl pulled the trigger without hesitation. Baaang¨C! * ¡°Sisters. Today¡¯s meeting with you sisters is his holiness¡¯ ordained fate. The light in the pit of fire! Noah¡¯s kingdom of heaven! Now, you¡¯ll be able to obtain a new life like me after you receive this Bible here.¡± ¡°I-is that true?¡± In the midst of Pumpkin preaching to the children that were just rescued, Pie took him aside and reported what she had just learned. ¡°It¡¯s finished! There¡¯s no one else.¡± ¡°Well done. Sister Pie. This will increase the number of people receiving his grace.¡± ¡°Not again! You¡¯re talking weird! Ugh.¡± ¡°Sister Pie. As I¡¯ve said before, we are the Apostles who convey his words to the world, and accordingly¡­¡± ¡°A-ah~, I can¡¯t hear you, I can¡¯t hear you, lalala.¡± Seeing Pie close her ears and pretending to not listen, Pumpkin eventually shook his head and sighed. ¡°Haa¡­Okay, I got it. Still, be careful with your attitude in front of the other believers.¡± ¡°I know! Hehe.¡± As the two talked, from somewhere came the composed voice of a man. ¡°Huu~ You settled the request neatly again this time.¡± An old man of short stature and resembling a toad approached Pumpkin and Pie. His name was Ogama, and he was a reputable informant and contract broker who had been active in Guangcheng District for a long time. Pumpkin and Pie needed more money to achieve their goal, so if possible, they tended to accept his requests when they would rescue children. ¡°As expected, reaching out to you back then was the correct choice.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Pie showed a blatant disgust when Ogama looked at them with a pleased smile. The conversation had soured with his arrival, but nonetheless, he narrowed his eyes and spoke. ¡°¡­By the way, have you heard the news?¡± ¡°What news are you talking about?¡± Pumpkin gave Ogama a puzzled look. As such, Ogama spoke with a meaningful smile. ¡°The news about Choi Noah. The one you always talk about.¡± ¡°Noah oppa?!¡± ¡°What about him¡­?¡± Ogama took out his tablet and showed the current news. ¡°Hehe, seeing is believing.¡± There was a funeral hall where numerous portraits of hero trainees, including Noah, hung. Ogama looked at the two suggestively as if expecting something. He thought the two who followed Noah religiously would show a rather interesting reaction. However¡­ ¡°Hahaha, what a ridiculous joke.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Noah oppa is dead? Nonsense!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Somehow the two weren¡¯t in the least perturbed. At first, he thought perhaps they were denying reality, but their eyes were too clear for that to be the case. ¡°Huh¡­? How come you don¡¯t care?¡± Ogama asked dejectedly. And as if it was an undeniable fact like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, Pumpkin and Pie answered in a tone that carried no doubt. ¡°That¡¯s a given. He¡¯s God and is eternal, so there¡¯s no way he would die. This news is obviously fake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right! Noah oppa is invincible! Absolutely invincible!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ogama silently looked at the two. It was amazing he had hunted Hongir, but¡­ What was more surprising was how Noah was loved and trusted by others. At one time, Ogama was also unquestionably loved and trusted by humans, so he knew how valuable it was. A hero who is loved and trusted can rally people and¡­In the end, the emotions of humans rallied like that¡­ Looking at the two who were talking about Noah¡¯s deed, he fell into the brilliant memories of his past. And unlike his usual composed demeanor, his face became ice cold. ¡°Hmm? Ahjussi, what¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing. Let me give you the next request.¡± Ogama quickly regained his composure and thought to himself. Like these children had said, if he assumed Noah was really alive¡­ I¡¯ll have to call that vixen sooner or later. * A pink room filled with the touch of a girl. Lady Fortune tilted her head as cards floated into the air. She normally divined the fate of the world out of habit, but for some reason the divination couldn¡¯t be read today. ¡°¡­Is it because I¡¯m not in a good state of mind?¡± She concentrated and shuffled the cards again. But again, the cards were a hodgepodge in the air and only meaningless results were deduced. It was the same no matter how many times she tried. It was a very incomprehensible phenomenon. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± Unless the ¡®fate¡¯ that existed in the world had disappeared, she should be able to feel something, even if very negligible. That was why at first she had thought there was a problem with her ability. But to say that, there was another divination that could be read normally¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She looked at the three cards floating in front of her. The 0 major arcana card THE FOOL intercepting THE DEVIL and DEATH. It was this divination that had made her quickly adopt Noah in the past. ¡°Why is this fate still readable?¡± In fact, the meaning of a divination wasn¡¯t always clearly understood. It was just a metaphorical expression of the world¡¯s fate using various tools and mediums. For this reason, there was sufficient leeway for the meaning to change depending on the interpretation. Nevertheless, many questions remained regarding this divination that she was seeing now. I adopted him at the time because I was led by fate, but¡­ She didn¡¯t know how her death was related to Noah, and even now, after almost a year had passed and she still didn¡¯t know. Perhaps by adopting Noah she had unknowingly prevented her fate to die. If not¡­Has the event related to my death not even begun in full yet¡­? She frowned as if she was having a headache. ¡°Huu¡­I can¡¯t understand it at all.¡± Nothing was predictable when it was related to Noah. It was the same last time. Not long ago, she had told Noah of a fate she had read. It was a very ominous divination that represented the equivalent of death. ¡°I was wrong this time.¡± Did she grow attached to the boy? For some reason, she even thought it was fortunate that her divination was wrong. Contrary to what the world knew, Noah was very alive and well. Her throbbing heart sank when she learned of his death in the news. However, when she had received a call from him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to come home for a while, her heart seemed to sink in a different sense. ¡°Huu¡­Where and what the hell kind of accident are you going to cause this time?¡± She sighed and came out of her room. At the end of her gaze was Elizabeth sitting in a terrace armchair looking out the window. She was staring blankly at the sky for no apparent reason. Lady Fortune looked at it for a moment and sighed. ¡°Haa, tsk. She¡¯s doing it again¡­¡± A disciple she had accepted on a whim because of her contract with Noah. Before Elizabeth came, she had never allowed anyone else to invade her territory. However, now that she was used to such a life, she felt like this wide castle was especially lonely when Elizabeth wasn¡¯t being loud. ¡°Elizabeth.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nonetheless, Elizabeth was still silently staring out the window with unfocused eyes. ¡°Aeya¡­What should I do with this?¡± Elizabeth had become like this after her visit to Hong Kong with Noah not long ago. Lady Fortune didn¡¯t know what had happened there, but Elizabeth would now often fall into the astral world regardless of her will like a narcolepsy patient. Even now, her mind was probably wandering around the astral world. And, the frequency was rapidly increasing. This is worrying¡­ No matter how talented a witch was, if they continued to see places that were far from reality, eventually their mind would completely collapse and they would become a vegetable. Although Lady Fortune had the ability of a witch, she couldn¡¯t directly access the astral world like Elizabeth. As a result, there was nothing she could do for her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m worried about someone¡­It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Not only Elizabeth but Noah too. It was the hateful thing called affection. While living together, perhaps she had come to think of them as her real family to some extent. It was a word she had thought she would have no connection to even though she had lived for a long time¡­ Please make it through this. It would be the birth of an unfathomable monster so long as Elizabeth could overcome this situation. After staring at Elizabeth for a moment, she approached her and draped a blanket over her shoulders. ¡°If you¡¯re going to leave her unattended like this, why did you bring her here¡­Haa, tsk.¡± She resented Noah for not being here. Chapter 109 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 109 A white building in Geneva, Switzerland called the Palace of Nations, which served as the home of the United Nation Office at Geneva a long time ago. After having gone through various expansions and renovations, it currently serves as the central government building of the World Government. The garden, furnished with marble and grass, was decorated with circular structures symbolizing peace. Here, flags and symbols of several federations and cities under the World Government could be seen fluttering. ¡°¡­It¡¯s still how I remembered it.¡± Shin Cheonho murmured quietly, looking at the central government building. On his first visit with Pamir 10 years ago, and now years later having accumulated karma as the government¡¯s dog. The landscape here was just as beautiful as then. However, for him who had immersed himself deeper than anyone else in the darkness it was hiding, he had no choice but to feel alienated by such a peaceful sight. The World Government clamored for the sake of mankind on the surface, but he had seen firsthand the atrocities they had committed. And¡­I had played a role in it all. Even though he was ordered, how many sins had he committed? If only I had known their true nature a little sooner¡­ No, rather, if he had the courage to resist when he realized something was wrong¡­ If he did, at least he could have been a decent father to his daughter. I¡¯m a cowardly man. He looked at the symbol of peace filled with remorse. Soon, he recalled the face of the boy who had enlightened him. ¡­Choi Noah. A hero who was more righteous and courageous than anyone else. The boy had shown him the truth with his own life. The fact that a true hero was someone who stood up in the face of fate. Like what you had taught me¡­I¡¯ll live as a hero until the end. Coincidentally, his current visit was to take over the position that was left vacant by the death of Pamir. Pamir, who in the past had to control powerful Irregulars, was granted one particular privilege. It was the authority to utilize the information from the future observer called ¡®Oracle.¡¯ However, in order to first obtain that authority, there was a restriction that the contract must be carried out where Oracle was located. That meant that anyone who came to replace Pamir, it was only once, but they would have direct access to Oracle. This is my one and only chance. A golden chance of a lifetime created by overlapped coincidences. If he missed this chance, he might never have the chance to come in contact with Oracle again. Therefore, he was here today with the intention of cutting off the root of evil that had plagued him. Although initially he was worried about the repercussions that would befall his daughter after he died, that part was also solved. He had sent her to a fantasy world under the pretext of training. By the time she got back, everything would be over. Without Oracle, the World Government wouldn¡¯t be able to monitor and control everyone¡¯s fate as it did now. It¡¯s time to be freed from this sickening fate. His eyes sank deeply. The moment he resolved himself to burn his vitality and die today, there came someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Haha, I thought you would be a little late, but you¡¯re already here.¡± When Shin Cheonho turned his head, there stood a giant. Vivid orange hair, and pinch-nose glasses with no frames. Contrary to his muscular body, he gave off a fairly intelligent air. The man reached out his hand with a friendly smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you like this. My name is Ptero, and I¡¯m the Director of Peacekeeping here.¡± This guy¡­is Ptero? Although Shin Cheonho had often heard Pamir mention the name Ptero, it was his first time meeting him in person like this. Ptero, the Director of Peacekeeping who was in charge of all kinds of dirty work in the name of peace. In a way, it was no exaggeration to say that he was the one responsible for Shin Cheonho being shackled the last 10 years. His anger boiled when he saw him smiling casually, but he shook his hand without making it obvious on the outside. ¡°Aigo, it¡¯s an honor to meet you. The name is Shin Cheonho.¡± ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re more cheerful than I thought. I heard you had a very serious personality.¡± ¡°Haha, no. I just manage my image in public.¡± ¡°Aha! Is that so? Image management is important. Well, then I¡¯ll show you around, so follow me this way.¡± The two entered the building while exchanging pleasantries. Passing through a colorful lobby opened for tourists, they reached an office-like interior. After that, they went past several security checkpoints, and then stairs leading down. Soon, what appeared and stood out was a thick metal door similar to a safe. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t it a bit crude? This was originally used as an underground bunker in the past, so the interior is a little weird.¡± Beep, beep¨C Card key and fingerprint recognition. While going through several security procedures, Shin Cheonho looked at his surroundings. What caught his eyes was a small symbol engraved on the metal door. An equilateral triangle containing an eye. Eye of Providence? The symbol, commonly referred to as the Eye of Providence, was so famous that it was printed on U.S. dollar bills in the past. He also understood that it was mainly used by groups and architects affiliated with Christianity¡­but why was it engraved in the basement of the World Government building? Is it a symbol representing the Oracle seeing into the future? It wasn¡¯t a baseless guess, but nevertheless, he somehow felt an unknown sense of alienation. I feel like there¡¯s a different meaning to it¡­ ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± While Shin Cheonho was lost in thought, the security procedures ended and the thick metal door opened. Creak¨C He looked inside with a tense expression. What appeared was an interior that resembled an elevator. ¡°Haha, we still have to go a little further down before we reach Oracle.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Shin Cheonho followed after Ptero. Something like a mechanism was immediately heard as the whole room began to descend slowly. At that moment, along with a sudden sense of his strength being drained, he felt his whole body becoming heavy. ¡°Th-this?¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you. From here, please don¡¯t be too surprised because the nature of this facility is to suppress mana and ability to a certain extent.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­yes.¡± Shin Cheonho nodded, hiding his disappointment. If his mana and ability were suppressed to such an extent, he would likely only be able to operate one-tenth of his usual power at best. But there¡¯s still a chance. Perhaps it would be a problem for others, but the source of his strength was the Thunderbird. Therefore, even if his body was suppressed, a momentary possession of the Thunderbird was enough to destroy this place. I¡¯ve been ashamed that it¡¯s not my own strength¡­but this time it¡¯s rather helpful. Silence came as he fell into his own thoughts. Only the sound of the mechanism was heard as an awkward air flowed between the two. Then suddenly Ptero opened his mouth. ¡°By the way¡­I never thought someone like Shin Cheonho-nim would apply to replace Pamir-nim.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you were often dissatisfied with your missions¡­But am I mistaken?¡± Ptero asked sharply, showing an expression unlike his usual self. Beyond his glasses, the vertical pupils like that of a reptile shone. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t deny it.¡± ¡°Huu? What do you mean¡­?¡± Ptero¡¯s eyes glowed red and his teeth gradually turned as sharp as those of a carnivore. Shin Cheonho looked straight at him. ¡°I mean. Now that I¡¯ve become like this, I had a realization.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Shin Cheonho smiled deprecatingly as he lifted his empty sleeve. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve lived too stupidly. So I¡¯ve decided to live a little more sensibly. Well¡­that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ptero stared at Shin Cheonho for a moment as if trying to read him. And a little later, ¡°Keuahaha! I see. Okay. Good. It¡¯s always important for a person to reflect on their past. I¡¯m glad you realized that even now.¡± ¡°Yes. I really think so too.¡± Shin Cheonho calmly smiled to himself. Yes. I¡¯m glad. I found what I had to do before it was too late. Boom¨C! The elevator stopped when there was a pause in the conversation. ¡°Well, we¡¯re here.¡± At last the thick metal door opened, revealing artificial light that welcomed Shin Cheonho¡¯s eyes from all sides. And¡­ ¡°?!¡± Seeing the inside, he had no choice but to open his mouth inadvertently. ¡°Th-this¡­?¡± ¡°Haha, you must be surprised.¡± The interior was so vast that Shin Cheonho couldn¡¯t tell where it ended. How could such a vast space exist underground? [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] The surprise didn¡¯t end there. Within the underground space, silver water tanks filled his vision. Inside such tanks, a brain connected to wires was floating around. Each brain was different in size, some as small as a child, and others as large as the width of an outstretched arms. Where the hell did they get all these brains¡­? He couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. However, one thing was clear. Even if he used his full ability on the tanks here, it would be difficult to destroy them all given how many there were. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Huhu. What do you think? This is the absolute power maintaining world peace. This is the Oracle system.¡± A vast structure that cannot be broken by human power. It was as if the fate that had always plagued Shin Cheonho was playing another trick on him. I was prepared to die this time¡­But why the same result? In front of the almighty Oracle system, he had no choice but to fall into despair. * On the other hand, Ptero smiled smugly as he watched Shin Cheonho¡¯s reaction. Huhu, seeing such a sight it¡¯s only right to give up any ridiculous ideas. He didn¡¯t believe in people. Instead, he had always believed in the correlation of power. More than a promise of words, a single gun is a greater war deterrent. No matter how powerful an S-Rank was, it was impossible for anyone to break such a large facility while their ability and mana were restrained. Therefore, Shin Cheonho¡¯s true intention wasn¡¯t important to him in the first place. It didn¡¯t matter whether he was really here for the promotion, or if he was here with impure intentions. Everyone was bound to obey in the face of an irresistible, absolute power. It¡¯s the same in this world. The enormous power called the World Government that annihilated the will to rebel and naturally suppressing all conflicts. One could say it was a dictatorship, but he believed that surveillance and control through power was the best way to maintain peace. As long as Oracle exists, this world will remain peaceful forever. Huhu. Looking at Shin Cheonho, it seemed he had realized the situation. The only thing left was to sign the contract with Oracle and start his mission training for the future. Ptero approached Shin Cheonho who was still standing in a daze. ¡°So Shin Cheonho-nim? This way please¡­¡± At that moment, Beeeeep¨C!! A sudden sharp alarm rang out. The lights inside the facility flashed red as warnings constantly appeared on the screen in the control box. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on here? Wh-why all of a sudden¡­?¡± Although there had been trivial problems here and there in the past, there had never been such an ominous warning sound. Ptero manipulated the control box with a panicked expression, but nevertheless, the alarm continued. As the temperature in the tanks containing the brains rose, bubbles gradually started to form. ¡°Wh-what the hell is going on¡­¡± He scrambled to read the error messages being outputted on the screen. The moment he understood the content, his eyes widened and he shouted. ¡°N-no!!!¡± ¡°Ptero. What¡¯s wrong with Oracle?¡± Ptero had no time to pay attention to Shin Cheonho¡¯s question. Instead, he mumbled something incessantly like a madman. ¡°Wh-why, the s-singularity¡­This can¡¯t be happening¡­It must be the Warrior of this world¡­¡± The Oracle system, a future observation tool made by connecting brains with prophetic aptitude, was like a terminal. It connected the countless brains to the astral world where they would read the fundamental language that made up the universe. There wasn¡¯t much information a single brain could read, but by gathering and integrating such information, it was possible to read even the timeline that had existed since the creation of the world. This great fate was an absolutely immutable truth that cannot be changed by ordinary human power. Although mankind had free will like what was written in Christian doctrines, the choices that came from that were only a small variable in the great fate that had existed since the beginning. For this reason, the World Government had ruled the world by reading fate and changing the future at will. Nevertheless, even that was all accounted for in the great fate. However¡­ Sometimes there were existences that could twist this great fate¡­ The Warrior or the Beast of Chaos. Evident from other dimensions, they had the power to intervene directly with fate. Simply put, depending on their choices, the world¡¯s fixed future may be twisted any number of times. In that regard, the World Government had been vigilant to a Warrior or a Beast of Chaos appearing in this world more than anything else. As such, they sealed strong beings coming from other dimensions and removed variables by killing or suppressing those presumed to be Irregulars as much as possible. Their efforts seemed to have paid off. But now¡­ ¡°Singularity divergence¡­¡± Timelines were diverging indefinitely. Someone¡¯s intervention had twisted fate. A state of chaos and infinite freedom coexisting out of order. Because so many scenarios could occur in the future, the brains couldn¡¯t handle the computations and had eventually begun to overheat. The alarm was getting increasingly worse, and the water tanks, which had been gradually boiling, finally reached the boiling point. Mutated brain cells no longer functioned and were destroyed. Raw information from the astral world, which wasn¡¯t properly processed, began to transfer over. As a result, unintelligible languages appeared on the screen. [¡ö¡ö??¡ì¡ö?¡ï¡ö|???¡ö?:?¡ö?>] [¦¤?¡ô?¡ö>??¡ö¡ö¨L??©´¢ø?>¡ö¡ö] Shin Cheonho, who had inadvertently looked at the screen, felt as if his mind was collapsing. The moment he understood what was in front of him, he felt like his sense of self was going to disappear. ¡°Keuhuek!¡± Eventually, he collapsed on the spot and vomited blood. What was that? Blood trickled down his eyes like a weeping statue. ¡°Keueuk!!¡± ¡°L-look away! That¡¯s the language of the universe that us mortals shouldn¡¯t see!¡± Ptero managed to turn Shin Cheonho¡¯s gaze away. It was originally a large collection of information that should have been processed through the countless connected brains. If a single person tried to understand it, their mind would collapse. There was no telling what kind of danger would come to this place connected to the astral world if Oracle became further congested. ¡°Keuk¡­there¡¯s no other way.¡± Ptero crawled to the control box with his eyes fixed on the floor. Feeling with his hands, he forced the system to power down. Chiii¨C! All the content displayed on the screen disappeared, and even the boiling water tanks settled quietly. He looked around the interior with a miserable look. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this¡­¡± Broken water tanks and boiled brain matter lay scattered everywhere. Fortunately, powering down the system had prevented Oracle from being completely destroyed. Nevertheless, it was clear that it would take a considerable amount of time to replace the brains that had become obsolete and restore the damaged facility. Naturally the Oracle system would be unusable in the meantime. In other words, there was now a vacuum in the World Government¡¯s biggest source of power. Ptero¡¯s face turned pale when he realized that fact. ¡°Ah, fuck! Why¡­Why did fate suddenly change? Did a Warrior really show up in this world¡­?¡± Noah, who was most suspected of being a Warrior, was dead. Did that mean that beside Noah there was still a Warrior in this world? There was no clue to go on at this time. However, if there was one thing he was certain of¡­ ¡°I-I need to hurry and make a call¡­!¡± In this world, a monumental change had begun. Chapter 110 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 110 The day Elizabeth first came to Lady Fortune¡¯s castle. Lady Fortune asked her new apprentice, Elizabeth. ¡°What do you think a witch is?¡± Elizabeth showed a pensive expression, and soon spoke hesitantly. ¡°W-well? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay if you get it wrong, so speak freely.¡± ¡°Then¡­S-someone who wears a cone hat and carries a broomstick?¡± ¡°No way, how can that be?! If so, all the street cleaners would have been called witches!¡± ¡°You said I could speak freely¡­¡± Lady Fortune, who had inadvertently shouted at the ridiculous answer, massaged her temple as if she was having a headache. ¡°Haa¡­It seems I¡¯ll have to teach you the basics first.¡± She gave a short sigh when she saw Elizabeth with a vacant expression. Even though she knew Elizabeth had little knowledge regarding witches, she never thought she would be ignorant to such an extent. ¡°Listen carefully. Witches are beings who can communicate with the astral world. Wait¡­I¡¯m sure you already know what I mean when I say astral world, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­um¡­I mean¡­I think I¡¯ve heard of it¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe I have to teach such an airhead. Signing the contract was a mistake the more I think about it.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Lady Fortune let out another sigh with a face full of regrets. Flicking her finger, a teddy bear standing next to her dragged a big blackboard from somewhere. After picking up a piece of chalk, a round shape similar to Earth was drawn on the blackboard. ¡°In simple terms, the concept of the universe is largely divided two ways. First, an observable universe in which time and space are represented. Naturally, this is the real world we live in.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Lady Fortune stood on her tiptoes and drew another circle opposite of the first circle. ¡°And here opposite the real world is the astral world. However, this place doesn¡¯t actually exist and is a universe made up of pure information. So it¡¯s impossible to observe it by normal means.¡± ¡°Ah! R-right! That¡¯s exactly what I was going to say!¡± ¡°Just stay quiet and listen.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s ears drooped in a despondent manner. Meanwhile, Lady Fortune drew a thin dotted line between the two circles. ¡°Every soul is born on this channel connected to the astral world. So to speak, it would explain things like intuition or sixth sense. But¡­¡± Swoosh¨C Swoosh¨C She suddenly picked up a blackboard eraser and erased the dotted line connecting the two circles. ¡°The channel is blocked for most beings not long after birth. Do you understand up to this point?¡± ¡°Uh¡­maybe¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Haa¡­I hope that¡¯s true.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s vacant expression wasn¡¯t very credible, but nevertheless, Lady Fortune continued her explanation. ¡°Sometimes this channel doesn¡¯t close, or there are beings that are born more extraordinary and brighter than others.¡± Unlike before, she drew a clear solid line in place of the erased line. As a result, a thick solid line was created between the two circles, connecting the real world and the astral world. ¡°The name may vary depending on the time and dimension, but¡­ these beings are often referred to as witches today.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± ¡°The reason why witches can predict the future using tarots or crystal balls is because their souls are connected to this channel.¡± Lady Fortune paused and picked up a different colored chalk. The chalk was then laid flat and placed next to the solid line on the blackboard. ¡°And¡­¡± Screech¨C Screech¨C As the chalk scratched the blackboard, an unpleasant fricative sound was heard. Soon, she pointed to the new line. ¡°¡­This is what the channel your soul is connected to looks like.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A thick line connecting the real world and the astral world. It was incomparable to the solid line from earlier¡­The thickness was more suited to be called a shape than a line. Elizabeth stared blankly at the blackboard, then she asked in a tentative tone. ¡°Uh¡­So, that¡¯s good¡­right?¡± ¡°If you simply consider it in terms of a witch¡¯s talent, you can say it¡¯s a great talent that would be hard to find in the entire history of mankind.¡± ¡°Huh! Noah was right! It seems I really was talented!! So, can I be of help to him?¡± Elizabeth shouted with an expression full of hope. The way her ears were twitching and her cheeks were red, it seemed she was in a rather good mood. However, Lady Fortune answered with a bitter look. ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t something to be so happy about.¡± ¡°Wh-why? Didn¡¯t you say I had great talent?¡± ¡°Huu¡­the astral world is a forbidden place not permitted to mortals. The thick channel connecting it comes with a risk.¡± Lady Fortune summoned her usual tarot deck. Cards unfolded in the air, conveying information received from the astral world in an abstract form in which humans could interpret. ¡°It¡¯s also the reason why I use these indirect objects when I predict the future. Rather than as a means to supplement my spirituality, it¡¯s more so that I don¡¯t look directly into the astral world.¡± ¡°S-so are you going to teach me how to read cards?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s something to learn later. The important issue at hand is to stop the precognitive dream that you¡¯re having. Afterall, the path in which a carriage passes through every day is bound to become wider and wider.¡± ¡°Heuk! D-don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m not allowed to sleep at night from now on?¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t need to be so extreme. It¡¯s not to the point where it¡¯s serious, so if you don¡¯t force yourself to open the channel, there won¡¯t be a big problem. From now on I¡¯ll slowly teach you how to control it.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­That¡¯s a relief.¡± Elizabeth sighed. When Lady Fortune saw Elizabeth¡¯s bumbling expression, she warned her in a stern tone. ¡°But you should never forget. If a mortal looks too deep into the astral world¡­One day they¡¯ll get lost and become a wandering soul.¡± In fact, it wasn¡¯t something ordinary witches had to normally worry about. However, for a special talent like Elizabeth, it was better to be careful in advance. Elizabeth lowered her head with a rather modest expression like that of a new bride. ¡°Thank you for your concern. Mother. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Who is your mother?! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to call me that?!¡± ¡°Hehe, I understand. Teacher!¡± ¡°Heung, tsk.¡± Lady Fortune clicked her tongue briefly when she saw Elizabeth smiling brightly. Elizabeth, who began to be taught by Lady Fortune, was soon able to completely escape the nightmares that had plagued her. Not only that, she had been growing at an incredible rate ever since. If this continued, it seemed that someday the legendary king of witches would be born. Lady Fortune was also relieved there wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble for her in the future. However, this was all before the incident in Hong Kong that would happen a few months later. * Uhmm¡­ Elizabeth, who had suddenly come to her senses, lifted her eyelids and blinked heavily. What caught her eyes was the procession of countless stars that sparkled like jewels in an endless universe. Huh? Speechless, she stared blankly at the expanse with her mouth agape. Wh-what? When she looked down, she found that her body was translucent. She seemed to have entered the astral world again without realizing it. Ever since the Hong Kong incident, she had been waking up more frequently in the astral world. Like an asteroid under the influence of gravity, it was closer to an instinctive attraction that was beyond her control. A recent phenomenon she had been experiencing regardless of time. As such, there was a considerable sense of familiarity now and it wasn¡¯t a big surprise. However¡­ Wh-where the hell am I? Until now, even if she entered the astral world, her body wasn¡¯t far from the real world¡­ Where she was floating now was a place she had never experienced before. She looked around with a stiff expression. No matter where she looked, there was nowhere for her body to return to. Instead, what caught her eye was an overwhelming sight that couldn¡¯t be fully expressed in mere human language. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Flames of a supernova on the brink of extinction lighting up the darkness like an incandescent light bulb, and in the distance, something indescribable was swimming among the blue nebulae and devouring the stars. Despite only trying to understand the phenomena reflected in her retina, she felt like she was going to lose consciousness under the weight of their boundless concept. H-how did I end up in a place like this¡­ It seemed she had inadvertently entered too deep. A warning from Lady Fortune came to mind. [If a mortal looks too deep into the astral world¡­One day they¡¯ll get lost and become a wandering soul.] Did the warning she gave meant the current situation? Elizabeth felt as if her heart was sinking. If she couldn¡¯t find her way back, would she have to wander around the astral world forever? I-I can¡¯t! There were still many things she wanted to do. She had to go shopping with Noah. She had to watch a movie with Noah. She had to visit a good restaurant with Noah. When Noah grew up, they had to go on a trip to a remote island village, but because it was overbooked by mistake, they would have to sleep in the same room, and then the cute underwear she wore by chance that day¡­ In any case, she didn¡¯t want to wander around in this dark space where there was no one for the rest of her life. I-I have to go back! She shouted in desperation. However, no matter how much she focused, she couldn¡¯t see any way back. On the contrary, her surroundings became increasingly incomprehensible. An entire winding tree withering in a vivid blue light. A fragrance emanating from flowers that bloomed in water flowing backwards. An empty scream from somewhere burrowing into her ears. Birth and death. Past and Future. Conflicting concepts that could never coexist in the real world were entangled, creating strange phenomenons beyond what was perceivable. Don¡¯t try to understand it¡­No, let¡¯s not even look. She couldn¡¯t let herself be misled by what she was seeing. As such, she closed her eyes tightly. Then, a bright darkness came and revealed her surroundings in the dark. She seized onto her fading consciousness and forced her steps. No, was she walking in the first place? Heuk, huk¡­ As soon as she took a step to the right, there was a self who took a step to the left. A myriad of possibilities constantly diverging at the same time as her choices. Every time it happened, she felt her sense of self become increasingly disconnected. N-no, at this rate¡­ What awaited her was to be swallowed, engulfed by the huge flow of information. The self called Elizabeth would disappear, and what would be left was a nameless soul. A-ah¡­Noah. Her memories and all the elements that defined her were scattering. The moment her soul finally reached its limit, Shii¨C Shii¨C From somewhere, there was a sound of heavy cloth rustling against the floor. ?! Soon, a soft curtain like velvet covered everything. Then came pure darkness where not a single speck of light leaked through. Another bizarre sight she couldn¡¯t understand. However, there was no longer the terrible star-eating existence. Like the night that embraced everything, a warm energy wrapped around her, and before she knew it, her soul that had been scattering regained its place. I-I was definitely¡­ She hurriedly checked her condition when she came to her senses. The body that was superimposed with endless possibilities had returned to a single form. Wh-what happened¡­? She looked around with a bewildered expression. At the end of her gaze was a bright light. Like the spotlight on a stage, it was the only place where light shone in the dark. She could feel it instinctively. The reason why she could maintain her sense of self was because of the existence there. Everything became clearly visible as she got a little closer. A single tea table sat alone like a prop on the stage of a play. And a woman in a cone hat, holding a teacup in one hand and sipping coffee gracefully. As if bewitched, she spoke to the woman. ¡°Uh¡­excuse me¡­?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes slowly turned to Elizabeth. Pitch black hair, and eyes like rubies beneath them. Features that felt so familiar as if Elizabeth was looking into a mirror. ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­¡± She stared at the woman with a shocked expression. The woman smiled with her eyes. ¡°Hello? This should be our first time meeting?¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­No, that can¡¯t be¡­¡± Elizabeth trembled. It was because the woman in front of her had a face that looked exactly like hers. ¡°D-doppelganger? O-or is it like illusion magic¡­?¡± ¡°Huhu, you really think that¡¯s what this is?¡± ¡°T-tell me! Tell me¡­! Wh-what the hell are you?¡± ¡°Well? I think you already know that.¡± Elizabeth shook her head fiercely as if in denial of the woman in front of her. Even though they were just having a conversation, she felt a more instinctive incongruity towards her than anyone else she had ever met. However, she could already feel it. She could tell without hearing an answer. The woman¡¯s identity¡­ ¡°I¡¯m you. Neither a doppelganger nor an illusion. In other words, the same Elizabeth.¡± Elizabeth put down her teacup and approached Elizabeth. ¡°B-but that¡¯s impossible! I¡¯m Elizabeth!¡± ¡°Uhm, Elizabeth is you in the current world. That¡¯s not wrong. Then I¡­Should I call myself Elizabeth from the first round?¡± ¡°F-first round? What the hell are you saying¡­?¡± ¡°Well, even if you didn¡¯t ask, I was going to explain it slowly. Because I¡¯ve been waiting a long time for you just for this moment.¡± With a red glint in her eyes, Elizabeth stared at Elizabeth and asked. ¡°Elizabeth. You¡­How much do you know about the secrets of the world?¡± Soon, the two sat face to face and began talking. Chapter 111 s [Translator ¨C Yasi ] [Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Chapter 111 In life, there would often be moments where you wish you could turn back time. Like when you miss the deadline of an important company project, or when you suddenly hear about the passing of a precious person¡­ The reason varies, but most probably have had a similar thought at least once. You didn¡¯t have to look far to see that it was true. Take for example the popularity of science-fiction movies related to time travel released annually, or our ancestors who didn¡¯t understand time travel but had written similar stories in their myths. Although countless people had dreamed of returning to the past, it wasn¡¯t something people of the modern era thought seriously of. Afterall, who would want to be treated like a fool? Let alone the Theory of Relativity, it had already become common sense that you couldn¡¯t turn back time. Even witches who could foretell the future would instantly snort if they heard such nonsense. In any case¡­ ¡°S-so what you¡¯re saying is¡­that this world had gone through a regression and it¡¯s actually the second world?¡± ¡°To be more precise, we can be certain that the ¡®minimum¡¯ is second. Maybe there had been other regressions before it.¡± ¡°N-no way! Do you want me to believe that?¡± The words from the self-proclaimed first round Elizabeth¡¯s mouth fundamentally went against all the science and magic common sense that had existed in the world. Elizabeth stared at the existence that looked just like her. Regression? Second round? And the one in front of her was her future self? It was difficult for her to come to terms with what first-round Elizabeth had said. If it hadn¡¯t been for the special circumstances surrounding their meeting, she wouldn¡¯t have even entertained such ridiculous words in the first place. Frankly, it wasn¡¯t much different from the babbling of a delusional patient. But¡­ ¡°You already know it well. ¡®We¡¯re¡¯ not the type to lie about such things.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s intuition she had felt ever since their meeting was shouting that everything she had heard so far were true. If this existence was really herself¡­ No, she could be certain because it was her. The other ¡®her¡¯ in front of her now had only told the truth. But to accept her words as they were, there were still some parts she didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°If, as you say, the whole world had regressed¡­ Why were you unaffected?¡± A logical fallacy that would appear regularly in works based on time travel. The so-called Time Paradox. If they were truly the same person, then they could never exist here at the same time. When she gave a suspicious look, first-round Elizabeth immediately answered with a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s normal to think that way. But that¡¯s because I¡¯m already a separate existence completely banished from the real world.¡± ¡°¡­Banished? What the hell happened?¡± ¡°Well, to put it simply, I wasn¡¯t as lucky as you were.¡± First-round Elizabeth calmly explained what had happened in her past and future. Unlike the present Elizabeth, it could be said that she had experienced a rather unfortunate life. The decisive turning point for such a difference was the meeting with Noah. Having not met him, she had to face the constant terrible nightmares. Her uncle Rastus eventually carried out his ambition as planned, and she was reduced to just a tool for slaughter and the reproduction of the elves. A worn-out life both mentally and physically. In that environment, she began to obsess over greater and greater power, and the monster born at the end was an SS-Rank villain, the ¡®Black Witch¡¯ Elizabeth. ¡°¡­And the surest way for me to grow stronger was to glimpse into the truth through the astral world. Haven¡¯t you also experienced this?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± Elizabeth recalled her fight against the dragon in Hong Kong. She had experienced a deep and vast flow of knowledge the moment she looked into the astral world and went beyond her limits. It had allowed her to temporarily exert power past her means as if she had enabled a cheat in a game. However, the side-effects were absolutely not light. Her eyesight deteriorated to the point where the world appeared blurry, and wasn¡¯t she in the current predicament because of it? It was just once¡­ If first-round Elizabeth had done something similar over and over again¡­ ¡°Yes. I kept pursuing power even though I knew it was dangerous, and eventually I had learned a secret that mortals shouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°As a result, I was completely banished from the real world. So you better be careful from now on too.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Haa, if I hadn¡¯t been banished like this, I would have been saved by darling¡­¡± First-round Elizabeth sighed and grumbled softly. Certainly, listening to her, the current situation was somewhat understandable. However, there was still one unresolved question. The most fundamental question that encompassed this whole situation. ¡°Then, why did the regression occur?¡± ¡°Huhu, well? I can¡¯t tell you that part. You might end up like me if you learn too much. But I can tell you one thing.¡± With a serious expression, she continued. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for that regression, the real world wouldn¡¯t have existed right now.¡± ¡°You mean Earth would have been destroyed?¡± ¡°Destroyed? Ahah. Well, you can think of it that way. But even if it wasn¡¯t destroyed and it was a peaceful era, the result would have been the same.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Every story must have an ending. Regardless of whether it¡¯s a happy ending or a bad ending. So you can think of it as being this world¡¯s fate to come to an end someday.¡± What first-round Elizabeth had said was hard to understand. Happy ending? Bad ending? This wasn¡¯t a novel or a movie, so what the hell was she saying? ¡°Ummm¡­I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s expression became distorted as if she couldn¡¯t understand. First-round Elizabeth continued. ¡°You don¡¯t have to try to understand it. In the first place, it¡¯s not even knowledge you¡¯re allowed to know. Anyway, there¡¯s something else I want to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Choi Noah, who you love so much.¡± ¡°?!¡± Why had Noah¡¯s name come up? As soon as Elizabeth wondered, a shining sphere was created in the hand of first-round Elizabeth. ¡°One day, when the time comes, he¡¯ll decide the fate of this world.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± The pitch black sphere first-round Elizabeth held in her hand began to circulate like a star, repeating its creation and destruction. At first glance, Elizabeth could see that there was an unusual power contained within it. ¡°Choi Noah is the only one who can change the fate of this world. The story will be rewritten according to his choices. And to be next to him like that, you¡¯ll need power.¡± While looking at the sphere in her hand, she continued. ¡°This is the power that my future self will have anyway. So even if I do this, there won¡¯t be a big problem with the law of causality.¡± ¡°H-hold on! What the hell are you trying to do now¡­¡± Elizabeth tried to step back, but somehow her feet wouldn¡¯t budge. Meanwhile, the swirling dark energy approached her eyes and blocked her view. ¡°So I¡¯ll give you my strength. You need to be a little stronger.¡± Puuk¨C First-round Elizabeth¡¯s hand pierced Elizabeth¡¯s eyes and the sphere was placed inside. ¡°Kyaaak!!¡± It felt tens or hundreds of times more painful than when she was regulated by her uncle a long time ago. Soon, there came a voice in her ears that seemed to be very tired. ¡°Huu¡­that should be everything I can do for you. All that¡¯s left is to wait for the results.¡± Snap¨C! First-round Elizabeth flicked her finger and the world completely changed. The space covered in shadow disappeared, and a passage to the real world was created in the void. ¡°Let¡¯s meet again at the end of this story someday.¡± Saying so, she pushed Elizabeth into the passage. Along with the end of Elizabeth¡¯s struggle and disappearance, a sense of loneliness came again in the vast universe. Looking at the empty space, she murmured softly. ¡°Well, it should be fine to see those scenes ¡®by chance¡¯ on the way back.¡± A soft smile bloomed on her lips. * In a dazed state, various scenes pass by in front of Elizabeth¡¯s eyes. The first thing that caught her eyes were strange-looking figures talking in a dark space. They felt similar to the monster she had met in Hong Kong. An ominous feeling as if they were made with all the evil intentions of the world. The sound of their conversation was barely audible. ¡°The next destination is Japan¡­¡± ¡°His resurrection¡­¡± Japan? Resurrection? It was difficult to hear, so it was hard to understand what they had meant. Who the hell are they? Wondering so, the scene changed. The ominous space disappeared, and what caught her eyes was a large training ground and a crowded sight. Here¡­? It was the Hero Training Center Noah had attended. In such a place, people¡¯s cries could be heard. ¡°Noah¡­¡± ¡°Heuk¡­Noah can¡¯t die like this!¡± In the distance was an unkempt man with a determined expression and a woman with a large build. There were also trainees paying respect in memory of Noah. For her, who had observed Noah¡¯s every move, she could say there were some rather familiar faces. Uh? Aren¡¯t they¡­? As soon as she recognized them, the scene changed again. This time, a dirty underground bar. There, she saw a man dressed as a bartender. It was also someone she recognized. Devil! He spoke to those indoors. ¡°The hope of mankind¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be the hero who opposes the demons from now on¡­¡± A conversation between an executive of the demon army and unidentified humans. However, this time too, the voices were too small to be heard properly. Since then, various scenes continued to pass by quickly. The face of Jane, who she had met in Hong Kong, and the face of a child named Shirahui, who she knew was close to Noah. Still half conscious, she accepted all such information. Then finally, the scenes that swirled like a torrent ended, and her soul stopped at a point. Th-this is¡­? She looked around in an astral state. It was a strange place she had never seen before. [ Translator ¨C Yasi ] [ Proofreader ¨C Karane ] Countless tanks were placed all around, and in them were floating ¡®brains¡¯ of different sizes. Where the hell am I¡­? At that moment, two figures came into her sight. It was a man with orange colorful hair wearing rimless glasses, and Shin Cheonho, the most famous hero in Korea. The two were talking about something with serious expressions. An atmosphere that was certainly dangerous. She thought it would be better to get out of here quickly and return to her original body. But at that moment, Beeep¨C! Suddenly, an alarm went off inside. The water in the tanks began to boil, and the two quickly began to panic. ¡°L-look away!¡± The man with orange hair shouted. Look away? She inadvertently turned her head towards the direction. Incomprehensible information was constantly being printed on a screen. [xxxxxxxxxx¡­] [xxxxxxxxxx¡­] Kueeeuk! Information that made your brain melt just by staring. It was like the incomprehensible landscapes that she had seen in the depths of the astral world. When she was in so much pain, Shiiik¨C Dark energy from her eyes, flowing down like tears, wrapped around her body. It was the same power first-round Elizabeth had put into her body earlier. As a result, she was able to come to her senses. At the same time, letters that couldn¡¯t be understood began to be deciphered one by one. At that moment, a clear and refreshing sound came from the indoor speakers. Riing¨C Fragmented information floating on the screen was finally printed with proper content. ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª [$Event.Chapter_Release (¡°Japan Submerged¡±):Active=True] [$Event.Chapter_Release (¡°A False Hero¡±):Active=True] [$Event.Chapter_Release (¡°Prelude to Rebellion¡±):Active=True] [$Event.Chapter_Release (¡°Ancients¡±):Active=True] . . . ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª Wh-what the hell is this? Just as she was taken aback, the screen suddenly went black. The two people inside had turned off the machine. It seemed they couldn¡¯t see the words that were on the screen just now. What the hell did I just see¡­? While thinking about it, as if she had seen everything she had to see, her body was sucked into another place. What greeted her was Lady Fortune¡¯s familiar antique castle. After finally returning to her body, she opened her eyes. ¡°Heuk¡­heuk¡­¡± Her whole body was covered in cold sweat. Breathing heavily, she looked around. ¡°I-I can see¡­?¡± Her murky eyesight as a result of the last incident had returned to normal. In addition, she could feel that there was a tremendous but difficult to control power in her body. However¡­ Rather than her own changes, only the sceneries she had seen earlier were hovering on her mind. ¡°Wh-what the hell was that¡­?¡± She recalled the last scene she had seen. ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª Fython 99.9.0 (v99.9.0:145123123124123) def (): >>> Print (¡°Main scenario has changed.¡±) Main scenario has changed. >>> Print (¡°New content has been released.¡±) New content has been released. . . . ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª Messages that looked like it had come from a system in a game. But aside from games, she already knew what else it resembled. A special connection ability called the ¡®power of friendship¡¯ that was passed on by Noah a long time ago. Her eyes naturally moved to the corner of her vision. And there, it was a hologram-like icon of Noah. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± For a while, she stared blankly at Noah¡¯s icon that was blinking brightly. * Riing¨C Main scenario has changed. New content has been released. ¡°Oh!¡± I exclaimed as I looked at the messages that had appeared after a long time. In the past during the first round, such sentences would appear whenever a big episode began. This appearing now meant a new matter would begin in earnest, right? It seemed it was the right choice to go into hiding. ¡°Anyway, the plan worked out well.¡± Looking at my arm that had regrown without problem, I recalled what had happened with Samaria not long ago. [So to disguise my death, you need some blood?] [Y-yeah¡­ I-is that possible? If you really can¡¯t, it might not be as effective, but it could just be your clothes¡­] She had suggested that I disguise my death. In fact, the initial plan was to use my blood, but I chose to cut off my arm myself to make it more certain. She was very surprised by that, but in fact, I could recover with my regenerative skill if given enough time. Having deceived the eyes of the World Government, I needed a place to hide and develop my strength for a while. [They owe me something a long time ago, so if you have this token, it won¡¯t be too much trouble to stay.] She recommended a place while giving me a finely carved token. As a result, I had to go through all sorts of hardships over the past few days. I crossed the sea on a stowaway ship and crossed several strange rocky mountains out of the city. But finally¡­ ¡°Is it here¡­?¡± I looked up at the huge signboard in front of me. On it were letters in magnificent handwriting. Cheonma Order. The only existence on Earth that could escape the World Government¡¯s interference, and the world¡¯s strongest independent group. In fact, even in the first round, I had never fought these guys properly. I came here after hearing the rumors, but most of them had already left for other dimensions before I had arrived. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m here like this.¡± Here, I could also prepare the elixir for my metamorphosis. Since I have been working hard on Challenges, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to focus on my growth for the time being. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, he said he lives here, right?¡± I recalled the face of the new friend I had made in the second round. My best friend who always generously gave me items. ¡°Hehe¡­your friend came to play from afar. You¡¯re going to treat me right?¡± While thinking about the items I could take this time, I stepped through the giant gate.