Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Breaking the Chains
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“…….”
B-Rank Player.
Among them, those with exceptional PvP skills had been handpicked as Jeong Ru-han's Shadow Warriors.
And yet, they had been defeated by a mere student?
‘Did something interfere?’
Jeong Ru-han harbored the natural suspicion as he scanned his surroundings.
And there it was.
The groundskeepers and Shadow Warriors disguised as students, all staring at Jae-hyeok in stunned horror.
“Ha, are you saying your skills are on par with mine?”
Jeong Ru-han scoffed and yanked Hae-rin’s wrist with all his might.
This was to say she was his—don’t you dare covet what belongs to me.
“I heard you were only level 10 not long ago. Was that just a rumor? What trick did you pull?”
“…….”
Jae-hyeok ignored Jeong Ru-han this time as well.
He kept his hand extended to Hae-rin, gazing only at her.
Crunch!
Jeong Ru-han ground his teeth.
Being ignored by Jae-hyeok was something he’d grown used to. It hadn’t even registered to him from the start.
What enraged him was Hae-rin’s reaction.
Hesitant.
Wavering as if she wanted to take Kang Jae-hyeok’s hand—it was pathetic.
‘Why?’
I’m the one who devoted myself for so long.
I worked tirelessly to make you rely only on me.
And now you’re weighing me against some guy who dropped out of nowhere?
Squeeze!
Jeong Ru-han’s grip suddenly tightened with force.
Hae-rin’s pale skin flushed red in an instant.
Yet she didn’t even let out a small whimper.
As if she were used to this sort of thing.
“The more I see, the shittier you look.”
Jae-hyeok’s gaze finally turned to Jeong Ru-han.
His murmuring eyes darkened ominously.
“Kill him!!”
Jeong Ru-han didn’t notice, bellowing in rage.
At the same time, five Shadow Warriors lunged at Jae-hyeok.
Pulling out real weapons—not scissors or brooms.
“Well, well.”
Drawing a blade on the Kang Family heir?
Part of him wanted to snap their necks on the spot, but they were Guardian Guild members, regrettably.
He hesitated to slaughter them in front of the already unstable Park Hae-rin.
‘Just cut off their hands.’
As Jae-hyeok, holding back from murder and counting to three, reached for his sword hilt—
“Stop!”
An unexpected voice rang out loudly.
Murmurs.
Everyone at the scene was startled.
The Shadow Warriors froze in place with eyes wide, and Jeong Ru-han’s face stiffened.
“You… you just said…?”
His voice trembled as he turned to Hae-rin.
This had to be a nightmare.
Or maybe something was wrong with his hearing.
“Stop, please….”
Defying Jeong Ru-han’s hopes entirely.
Hae-rin restated her will once more.
“…Ha, for real. This is ridiculous?”
Jeong Ru-han let out a hollow laugh and glared at Hae-rin as if he wanted to devour her.
“The Guardian Guild family, who fights solely for you, lies bleeding on the ground. And what? We should be cheering for revenge, but you tell them to stop? I’m already worried what the Master will say when he hears. He’s already badly injured—imagine the shock if he gets hit with this because of you. Things could get ugly, don’t you think?”
At the mention of her father, Hae-rin squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head.
Jeong Ru-han didn’t allow it.
He seized her chin and forced her to look straight at him.
“Why do you keep repeating these foolish mistakes? The Master is heartbroken because of you. The guild’s atmosphere sours because of you. Countless people, including me, suffer because of you! Why? You just need to obey me—why can’t you even do what a bastard mutt could manage, and keep causing trouble for everyone around you!!”
Stripping off the mask of kindness and spewing malice, Jeong Ru-han’s appearance—
Crack!
Shattered something completely inside Hae-rin’s mind.
Vague memories surged in like a tidal wave.
-What an amazing skill, one that helps others. It suits the name Guardian perfectly. Your father will be overjoyed.
Sub-Master Jeong Jae-uk.
Hae-rin had called him uncle and followed him.
He managed the guild’s affairs in place of her often-deployed father and cared for Hae-rin.
That’s why, as a child, she trusted and relied on him most.
-Go on, equip it. Your shining skill will be a surprise gift to comfort your dad when he returns exhausted from battle.
[Once equipped, a First Skill cannot be undone.]
[Would you still like to equip it?]
-Haha, nervous? Don’t worry—Uncle will be right here watching over you.
Unlike the cold, mechanical system voice, her uncle’s tone was always gentle and warm.
The little girl, wanting to make her father happy, trusted and followed him.
And a few days passed.
-Hae-rin, how many times did I tell you not to rush? Choosing your First Skill without your father’s permission was too hasty. And you, heir to the Guardian Guild, thought to discard a shield? It’s heartbreaking—you lack any awareness as successor.
In front of her enraged father, who had returned from expedition and seen Hae-rin’s First Skill.
Her uncle didn’t defend her but instead scolded her further.
Hae-rin was deeply shocked.
Why are you doing this, uncle? Don’t, it’s scary, that’s not true.
She had so much to say, but her words wouldn’t form properly. They kept tangling.
-Me? I see. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry to our Hae-rin.
-Miss! How can you blame the Sub-Master for something caused purely by your greed and impulsiveness? Seeing your nasty temperament already, I worry for Guardian’s future!
-The Sub-Master urged you to equip the First Skill? We’ve all witnessed daily his devotion to you over Young Master Ru-han—how could you spout such nonsense…
-Young children often can’t distinguish reality from imagination. That’s when the closest person takes the blame. We shouldn’t just condemn the young miss—we need to understand.
The more Hae-rin spoke, the more she was treated like a liar.
Her unpolished, incoherent words only fueled their suspicions.
That day, Hae-rin realized.
Defying her uncle in the Guardian Guild would be immensely difficult.
The guild’s many adults trusted him more than her.
Even her father was no different.
-Jae-uk, put more effort into the heir’s training. The child’s talent isn’t bad, so there may be a chance to recover.
-Yes, brother.
***
“…Hae-rin? Park Hae-rin!”
An event too shocking for a child to bear.
Hae-rin had wished it was all a dream.
As she continued receiving her uncle’s gentle “education,” that wish intensified, leading her to seal the memories to protect herself.
But years later, today.
Having recalled the forgotten memories, Hae-rin stared blankly at Jeong Ru-han’s face.
“Your face, speech, expressions… everything is just like your dad.”
“…!”
Jeong Ru-han clearly sensed Hae-rin’s change.
Her eyes and voice were calm and serene.
Far from how she usually acted around him.
“Have you decided?”
Jae-hyeok also felt her change and asked again.
“Yeah.”
A newfound determination dwelled in Hae-rin’s large eyes as she looked at him.
“Breakfast… want to eat it with me, Jae-hyeok?”
“Fuck!”
Crunch!
Jeong Ru-han stomped the sandwich Hae-rin had returned into mush, drawing his sword and shield.
“Park Hae-rin, you’re mine. Nothing but my property! What do you think you’re doing with another guy? Ungrateful bitch acting so cheap!”
Unable to suppress his rage, he spewed vitriol and glared at Jae-hyeok.
“Fine. A loose leash just needs the cause removed and retied.”
With all meaning gone from conversation.
Jeong Ru-han stomped the ground hard.
He rammed Jae-hyeok with a massive shield perforated with small holes in the mid and upper sections, then thrust his sharp longsword through the mid hole.
An advanced Guardian Guild combat technique.
Restrict the target’s movements and block their vision with the shield, then strike fatally through the tiny gap—a high-difficulty skill wielded masterfully by the still-young boy.
Stab!
The sound of flesh piercing rang out clearly.
“Ah!”
The Shadow Warriors exclaimed.
Jeong Ru-han’s lips curled smugly.
He’d felled the hated Kang Jae-hyeok in one blow—joy…
“Cough!”
What?
Collapsing in excruciating pain, Jeong Ru-han finally saw it.
A blade tip protruding from the shield’s upper hole, embedded in his clavicle.
“This… possible?”
He’d instantly grasped and exploited the shield’s blind-spot structure as it closed in?
Even worse, the holes were designed to appear much smaller from the front.
Combined with color illusions, it was hard to even notice them when standing still.
Yet this guy had precisely…
“You, who the hell…”
Crunch!
The special alloy shield crumpled, smashing Jeong Ru-han’s face.
Jae-hyeok had retracted his sword and kicked the shield away.
His current strength was 129.
A realm even B-Rank Players struggled to reach.
“One more step, and this bastard’s skull shatters.”
Warning the horrified Shadow Warriors, Jae-hyeok stomped.
Boom, boom, boom!
Each time his foot crushed the shield pinning Jeong Ru-han, blood gushed out.
The chilling sound of bones shattering permeated the silent scene.
“W-We haven’t moved…?”
One Shadow Warrior finally voiced confusion.
“So his head’s still intact.”
Jae-hyeok replied indifferently.
Boom!!
After one final stomp on the shield, he confirmed Jeong Ru-han’s form—more mangled than the sandwich—then approached Hae-rin.
“Let’s go. Eat whatever you want, wherever you want.”
What a pain just to grab a meal because of trash.
Muttering complaints, Jae-hyeok led the way as Hae-rin hurried after him with quick steps.