Envy (2)
“Haa. Seriously……”
Among the types of people who are exhausting to deal with, what’s the absolute worst? Sung-tae had never really thought about it before, but now it hit him hard.
“Annoying as hell.”
Someone overflowing with baseless envy and self-deprecation. No matter what you say, they’re trapped in their own world, not listening a damn bit. If he had to pick the most irritating bastard across Earth and this isekai world, he’d point straight at Envy without hesitation.
[Kill.]
“That’s my line.”
Sung-tae and Envy’s fists collided in midair. The shockwave ripped outward, shaking even the distant Demon King Castle.
The result was brutal. Envy’s right arm that had clashed with his was gone. And the armor encasing Sung-tae’s arm had vanished too.
“Eek!? What the—my armor’s gone?!”
[Surprised over something so trivial?]
Envy spoke as if it were nothing. But to Sung-tae, his armor was as vital as his own life—a crucial part of his body.
This guy had definitely been weaker than Sloth before gaining his flame body. Yet now, with a physical form, he’d shattered Sung-tae’s armor in one blow. Sung-tae felt a real sense of crisis.
‘Damn. If we fight up close, won’t my whole armor get wrecked?’
And Envy felt the crisis too.
‘I meant to vaporize his body. But only the armor got destroyed—and just part of it!’
Both pulled back at once. Sung-tae’s armor regenerated, and Envy’s arm reformed in a flash.
[Come on! Attack me, deceiver! I’ll kill you!]
“I’d rather not get close. Alright then…… let’s try this.”
Sung-tae’s ranged counter to Envy: the World Tree Bow.
He drew the string taut. Envy sneered at the sight.
A bow was just a bow, even if divine. Made from the World Tree, it radiated mystical power, but nothing more.
[A pathetic bow like that……]
But Envy couldn’t finish. The moment the string released, his head vanished.
Envy regenerated it, but the arrowless bow fired just as fast.
[Gaaah! Stop! Stop it!]
“It works, huh.”
‘But it won’t kill him.’
Against any other monster, it’d be devastating. No arrows needed, infinite rapid fire with insane destructive power? In a game, it’d shred even bosses—balance-breaking stuff. But reality? It just stalled Envy.
“Guess I have to ask for help after all.”
One lesson from Sloth: The Seven Deadly Sins aren’t killed by destroying their bodies—you have to shatter their minds or souls. He didn’t know exactly how Sloth died, but after entering his inner world, it vanished. Mukkebi must’ve eaten it or pulled some trick.
“Mukkebi! Help me out!”
“Yeah!”
Mukkebi materialized instantly at his call, like she’d been waiting.
She scowled at Envy, face twisting like a girl spotting a disgusting cockroach.
“What’s that thing? It stinks. Gross.”
[W-what!?]
This was no mere dismissal—it was outright insult. And a familiar one.
‘You’re gross. You stink.’
Where had he heard that? He racked his memory, but it was too old. The frustration boiled over at Mukkebi.
[How dare you insult me. Only I can insult me!]
“Mukkebi, think you can eat that guy?”
“Hmm, no. This is in the way.”
“This?”
She pointed at the scattered black flames around him. She inhaled deeply, swallowed some—but coughed it right back up.
“Worst thing I’ve ever tasted!”
“Hm. So if the flames are gone, you could eat it, right?”
Sung-tae nocked the bowstring again. Envy had gotten stronger somehow, but wasn’t aggressive—like a newbie adventurer fumbling their first sword, hesitating to attack.
“I’ll blast all the flames, so check if you can eat it then.”
“Okay!”
Sung-tae had zero archery experience. His aim sucked at first, shots veering off. But unlimited arrows. And no fatigue no matter how many he fired. He unleashed a barrage on Envy, shredding the flame body bit by bit until it dwindled.
[Guh, grrr!]
“All talk, no bite. Pathetic.”
[Shut up! I…… I! Gaaah!!!]
Last desperate thrash? Envy hurled a blazing black fireball at Sung-tae. It grazed his armor, streaking across the sky like a meteor with a long tail.
[I am!]
“Gotcha.”
Mukkebi reached through the unregenerated flames to Envy’s soul beyond. Too furious to notice, Envy startled and tried to pull away—but her hand yanked the soul free, dissolving the flame body.
[Guh! How can you grab me!?]
Sung-tae grabbing him? Fine, he’d seen that raw life force. Tough enough to seize a mental being like himself. Killing was another story, impossible.
But now……
[How the hell did you grab me!?]
Mukkebi. No overflowing life force like Sung-tae. Just a normal girl—yet she’d extracted his soul.
“Who knows? Who could she be?”
Mukkebi pulled Envy close. Up close, he felt something eerie.
‘Where do I know her from?’
Her current look resembled Saintess Aria. But Envy sensed her aura and soul. Familiar…… somewhere…… but it wouldn’t come.
‘Gross. Stinks.’‘Guh. Why that memory now……’
“Mukkebi, can you eat it now?”
Eat? Me? What……
‘Wait. Eat?’
It all clicked. Ages ago, her face when they first met—calling him filthy, telling him never to come near.
“Lemme check.”
As she leaned in, Envy’s guess hardened to certainty. But she’d died, hadn’t she? How was she alive? Reborn?
Doubts raced through his mind.
“Hmm……”
Mukkebi peered closer, face chilling. Her murmur cut deep into his soul like ice—whisper-soft, but thunder-loud to him.
“Nice to see you again, Envy.”
[Y-you! It is you!]
“Shh! Quiet. Don’t want Sung-tae finding out, do we?”
Ahh. No chance of winning from the start. Even without that man, she was here.
[You…… how…… are you really you?]
Just in case. For any miracle, he rasped.
A cold smile spread on Mukkebi’s face. She murmured the one answer he dreaded most.
“Nice to see you again.”
‘Is she okay?’
Sung-tae worried, watching Mukkebi go quiet after extracting Envy’s soul. Had Envy done something to her? Infiltrated her mind like he did others?
“Why so shocked? You thought I died or something?”
But his worry was unfounded. She’d just been whispering with Envy out of his earshot.
[Impossible……]
Envy trembled at the unbelievable reality. Soul and mind only, yet it plummeted to abyss. Terrifying. Of all people, her. Thought dead, now alive!
[How…… are you alive?]
“Dunno. Guess I was barely clinging like scraps. You know us bodiless types don’t die easy.”
[B-but!]
“No buts. This is reality. But yeah, you’re Envy, right? Memories still fuzzy…… only snatched Sloth’s power so far, old stuff’s blurry.”
She’d been active all this time? Luring him with a powerful human for revenge? Killed Sloth, so him next.
Envy surrendered to crushing futility and despair. However she survived, regained power or not, she was her. And the indelible mark deep in his soul: unbeatable.
But……
“Don’t be scared. Won’t kill you. Just taking back my power you hold. That’s it.”
[……Why?]
“Well……”
Her icy smile melted like spring snow. Now it was bittersweet resignation, like eyeing a mischievous little brother.
“You’re the baby. The weak one.”
[D-don’t…… treat me like that!]
“Sorry. You haven’t changed a bit. Same as ever. ……Same? Hmm.”
She frowned, trying to recall Envy—but knew him well without specifics. Still not enough power.
“Fine, I’ll treat you how you want.”
Her eyes flashed crimson, locking on him. Terror engulfed Envy like drowning in a blood-red lake.
She inhaled deeply. He got sucked in slowly.
“Huuuup!”
[G-gaaah!]
Turning to smoke, Envy vanished into Mukkebi completely.
She smacked her lips, feeling oddly empty.
“Tastes different from Sloth. Something’s missing.”
No time to ponder—her form shifted. From Aria-like saintess to her original, but taller now. Womanly enough. An 18-year-old caught between girl and adult.
“Mukkebi? You grew again?”
“Yup! Hehe.”
“Hm. Eating Envy made you grow? Do the Seven Deadly Sins make you level up or something?”
Sung-tae pondered. Mukkebi, a mental life-form like the Sins. Eating them grows her. Maybe she’s……
“Sung-tae, check this out.”
“Huh?”
But before conclusions, she diverted him. Urgent issue.
“There’s a hole in the air.”
“Yeah. A hole opened up.”
Envy’s black flame body had burned space itself where he stood. Even after flames faded, the hole lingered.
Sung-tae approached, peered in curiously, tossed a nearby rock. No sound.
“……”
“I’ll check inside.”
Her body turned transparent. Using Sung-tae’s life force for materialization, she reverted to spirit form.
“You sure? Looks dangerous.”
“Should be fine? Just a quick look……”
She stuck her head in. Less than a second later, yanked it out. Face twisted in horror.
“How was it?”
“Dunno. Peeked real thorough for over an hour—nothing.”
“An hour?”
Clearly under a second outside.
“Seriously over an hour?”
“Yup. Took forever.”
“Hm.”
Time warped inside. Unknown world, but time flowed differently—fact.
“But Sung-tae, it’s getting bigger.”
“Hold up. This is bad.”
Not good. Demon King Castle nearby, even if distant. Wouldn’t want his home swallowed by the abyss.
Sung-tae brainstormed fixes with Mukkebi.
“Try chucking stuff in first.”
“I’ll try mana.”
He grabbed nearby junk, tossed into the hole. Swallowed silently.
She gathered ambient mana, shoved it in. Abyss didn’t budge.
“How do we close this……?”
“Ugh…… try this? Blech!”
Rematerialized, she vomited golden liquid—part of Sung-tae’s life force she’d eaten. Grimaced, splashed it in.
“Yup!”
“Oh! Hole’s shrinking.”
Life force worked—the hole contracted. But cracks around it remained. She puked more, smeared like cement.
Cracks persisted.
“Hmm. Cracks won’t go. Gotta apply from inside? Sung-tae, hold my legs.”
“Careful, Mukkebi.”
She dove in again. He gripped her ankle to anchor.
Popped out in under a second—like ejected.
“Urk. Applied inside—cracks gone!”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
Hole and cracks vanished without him seeing.
“Kinda scary. Dimensional rift or something.”
“Dimensional rift?”
“Yeah. Broke like a passage to another dimension.”
Maybe entering led elsewhere? No desire to test. Just speculation.
“Anyway, Envy and the rift handled. Back to the castle.”
“Okay! Hehe.”
Too big now for shoulder rides. She clasped his hand tight, heading home happily.
“But Mukkebi. What are you really?”
“Just Mukkebi? The name you gave me.”
“Hm. Fair enough…… Tell me whenever you want.”
“Really? No more prying?”
“If you don’t wanna say, why push? Just makes you uncomfortable.”
“Sung-tae……”
“Whoa! Don’t glomp! You’ll hurt yourself! This armor’s rock-hard, y’know?”
“’Cause it feels good. Hehe.”
Far from Demon King Castle, at the lava zone-forest border—the forest where Sung-tae first emerged. A black meteor with a long tail streaked across the sky.
Envy’s black flame from mid-fight.
BOOM!!!
It crashed into the forest, exploding. Extreme heat melted earth instead of scorching trees—minimal damage.
Black smoke rose from the molten crater.
A voice echoed through the silent woods.
[Guh! Almost died.]
The smoke was Envy. After the first clash with Sung-tae, he’d planned escape—knowing he couldn’t win. Split his soul, hid a piece in the flame shot. Missing Sung-tae? Intentional.
[Too strong……]
Even using his trauma-item, no match. Fought harder, maybe dissolved the armor fully. But exposed arm’s overwhelming power crushed his will. Reality forced flight.
[Damn! Goddamn it! Why’s the world full of such monsters!?]
But hope remained. That item birthed a body. First try, but housed his mind—pure ecstasy.
[Why didn’t I use it sooner? Idiot……]
“Well, well. Here you are. That item’s aura, huh? Knew it……”
[!?]
A voice pierced the dark woods. Envy whipped toward it. Tense at the familiar tone buried in old memories.
“Jackpot. Haha! Good thing I came.”
A man emerged from shadows. Black leather vest, bronze skin, short-cropped hair. Sunglasses hid his eyes despite the night; a suited woman stood blankly behind.
[Y-you……!]
“Ah, you recognize me? Haven’t crossed paths much since you got a body. Brothers know each other quick!”
How could he forget? Body changed, but voice and aura same.
The man pushed up his slipping shades, arms wide in welcome.
“Long time no see.”
The doll-like woman behind quipped dryly.
“Chairman, that’s a tree.”
“……Too damn dark? Can’t see shit.”
Pocketed shades, turned properly. Hawk-sharp eyes, slit pupils gleaming with Four Hundred Eyes—locked on Envy.
“Long time no see, brother.”
[You……]
Envy named the man. Unforgettable brother.
[Greed!]