Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Pursuit and Mystery
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Gilgamesh clicked his tongue as he watched Dart practically butcher the heroes.
"Spaceking's descended in full force, huh."
Most of the heroes were either dead or out cold, not moving a muscle. The few still alive were writhing in agony, each missing a limb or having some massive injury.
Even though Goldbunker and Spaceking had teamed up to fight, this hellscape was entirely Dart's creation.
Sure, it was a game inside the game, so that made sense—but doing this in reality too?
He was definitely out of his mind.
Still, there was no room to complain, because Dart had every reason to lose it.
Spaceking's brutal heroes had gotten four guildmates killed, one from Goldbunker too, and now they'd even messed with Fullminak.
Thwack! Thud!
One hero who was still in one piece was getting pummeled to death by Dart.
Fullminak's one and only traitor, apparently.
Dart paused his fists for a moment and spat out a harsh voice through gritted teeth.
"I'm asking one more time."
Dart's fists were a mess of blood. Not just the heroes'—probably his own mixed in.
His eyes gleamed with cold fury.
"Who's the bastard behind you?"
The hero shook his head frantically.
His face screamed frustration—like he wanted to talk but was too terrified to, on the verge of bursting—but no one cared.
Gilgamesh spoke up.
"Enough already. You think beating it out of him is gonna make him spill nicely? And isn't that guy supposed to go to Fullminak?"
Dart shot back immediately.
"I sent a pic, and their vice guild master said to handle him quietly without telling Kaisha—said he's connected to Prince Hiron."
"What? Who?"
"Fullminak's vice guild master."
"Ah."
While Kaisha was off fighting, Dart had checked with Fullminak's vice guild master, Kali, on how to deal with the traitor.
Dart finally decided to end it, pulling a sword from his inventory.
Terror filled the traitor's eyes.
Stab.
"Arrrghhh!!"
The guildmates winced.
Gilgamesh shot Dart a disgusted look as he finished off the hero.
"Ugh, fuck. That's a talent in itself."
In this modern world, where people were sensitive to violence and had fragile, normal psyches, killing wasn't easy. But Dart stepping up to handle it all himself made things convenient for everyone.
In this situation, it even felt like diligent duty.
Whether Spaceking's NPCs had pissed them off or not, they couldn't just let these murdering heroes walk.
Especially today, with so many civilian injuries. There might even be fatalities.
Gilgamesh glanced toward Kaisha.
"Looks like Kaisha's taking them alive."
Dart froze at Gilgamesh's words and peeked in the direction he was looking.
The cleanup was wrapping up.
As always, Kaisha handled things her way.
Once she started capturing them alive, the heroes who had lost the will to fight surrendered swiftly and obediently, letting themselves be bound without resistance.
Gilgamesh remarked,
"That woman's something else. Hard to make a reputation work that effectively."
Kaisha could pull off surrenders because of her stellar rep.
Dart? No chance.
Like the heroes he'd mangled, they'd have gone berserk with skills in terror, fighting to the death or fleeing desperately instead of surrendering.
Kaisha was patting Leonhardt's shoulder—the one she'd been battling moments ago.
As if to say good job surrendering.
Even Leonhardt, who'd freaked out hunters with his freakish buffs and brainpower, had dropped his sword and surrendered.
Dart asked Gilgamesh,
"What about Fullminak's hostages?"
"Dunno, haven't spotted any, but the vibe says it's handled."
Dart's expression softened a bit at "handled," then hardened again.
He scanned the surroundings.
"Where you going?"
Ignoring Gilgamesh's question, Dart opened the hero management window and started striding quickly somewhere.
Then broke into a run.
With Dart gone, the remaining guildmates exchanged glances before one spoke up.
"Tracking Hellcannon, probably."
"Should we follow?"
"Ugh..."
They all looked thoroughly unenthused.
Fighting Midgard's strongest, Hellcannon? The thought alone was nightmare fuel.
Dart, Gilgamesh, and their crew hadn't taken down every traitor.
They'd let plenty slip away.
Spaceking would need to discuss specifics on handling the escapees later.
Gilgamesh watched Dart run off and addressed Spaceking's guildmates.
"Yeah, yeah. Better to deal with that dangerous fucker for sure today. Especially since he didn't unbind him just to kill him personally."
Hellcannon was one of the things Dart had been itching to settle.
Spaceking's top guildmates hesitated with heavy sighs, but eventually chased after Dart.
Gilgamesh gave a quick salute.
"Come back safe, everyone."
Goldbunker's remaining members followed his lead with mock-solemn salutes, then got to cleaning up.
Gilgamesh sheathed his blood-soaked katana.
Click.
He turned on his voice chat mic and glanced toward the police.
"How's it going over there?"
["Almost wrapped up."]
Goldbunker's vice guild master, Credit, replied.
That side was a mess too.
Ambulances packed with the injured had mostly cleared out.
No telling how far heal spells went, so hospitals were the safe bet even after a heal.
Credit asked,
["Where's Dart?"]
"Off to nab Hellcannon. All of Spaceking's elites went with him."
["Great. Hope there're no more casualties."]
"But where'd this guy wander off to?"
["Who?"]
"Kaisha."
She'd vanished in the meantime.
"No way she went after Hellcannon too."
["Why would Kaisha chase Hellcannon?"]
"She's his biggest fan."
["Even so, in this mess? She can't track him without being Spaceking."]
"Feels like she's got a Hellcannon radar."
Credit chuckled in disbelief.
With Dart off to kill Hellcannon and now Kaisha missing too, Gilgamesh's face grew complicated.
Should he say something? She was their lifesaver, after all.
He pulled up chat to voice Kaisha—asking where she was—but hesitated and dropped his hand.
"Nah. No point meddling."
["What?"]
"Nothing. Dart and Kaisha are gone, so let's just finish cleanup."
Gilgamesh figured offing Hellcannon like Dart wanted left no loose ends. But if Kaisha took him in, that'd work too.
Though Spaceking's crew might push back on the latter.
It'd make them uneasy, scared.
Gilgamesh scowled, ruffling his blond hair.
"Ah, Hellcannon. You sinful bastard."
Whatever happened to Hellcannon, Gilgamesh had a bad feeling it'd spark a huge fight between Kaisha and Dart.
* * *
"Abyss."
["Yes."]
"Find Hellcannon for me. He grabbed a hostage and bolted. Check my position—this direction."
["...Want me to find and kill him?"]
Her voice was chilling.
"Oh, no. Looked like he took Kirin-nim to protect him."
["Got it."]
Abyss must've seen Hellcannon save me from the gate.
Relieved at her quick understanding, I sprinted toward the building back where Hellcannon had run off carrying Kirin-nim.
"!"
Right.
Still running, I pulled up chat, found Kirin-nim in the guild list.
Hit [Emergency Contact].
Guild voice chat let you force a message in emergencies during wartime.
"Kirin-nim, can you hear me?"
Map on—his position deep in the alley.
Response came quick.
["Guild master! Ngh..."]
"You okay?!"
["Y-yeah. Someone's helping me. Ambulance is coming soon."]
"Someone helping? Hellcannon?"
["Yeah. He saved me, but ditched as soon as he saw people. Not here now..."]
A surge of emotion.
That's my Cannon. I knew I could count on you, Cannon.
Dart had been grinding his teeth to kill Hellcannon since Midgard. I needed to find him fast, convince him, make him my bound hero.
"Remember where he went?"
["From here, right—back toward the site."]
I panted into the alley.
Might catch him.
No idea how without him by Kirin-nim, but baseless determination surged.
["Ambulance finally he—"]
"？!"
Sudden, unidentified energy slashed through me like a butcher's knife. I skidded to a halt.
Nothing?
"..."
Chill swept me. I scanned around, muted voice chat.
Step, step.
Slowly advancing, I spotted a little girl at the alley's deeper entrance.
Her tiny, childlike presence almost made me relax—but my senses screamed she wasn't normal.
"Hello."
The unfamiliar girl bowed politely.
It felt eerie somehow.
That unidentified aura from her crushed me, suffocating.
"I don't show my true form often, but I couldn't resist rushing here because I wanted to see you so badly."
The angelic-looking girl stood demurely, smiling.
Blond hair, but Eastern features, perfect Korean.
Her doll-like face wore a worried expression.
"I hope you don't go deeper. There are swarms of black, dangerous snakes lurking inside."
"...Snakes?"
Not literal snakes, surely.
"Care to chat here instead of going in?"
Yeah.
No ordinary kid.
Old gaming habit kicked in—I talked to the eerily pretty girl.
"Were you the one helping Leonhardt?"
First thought on seeing her.
Hard to imagine another superhuman who wasn't a hunter, but facing this odd being, I was sure.
Something was up.
She smiled softly at my question, enveloped in white light, slowly floating up.
I instantly knew it matched the light Leonhardt had emitted.
Flash!
Light-wing fragments formed behind her, bursting radiant.
"!"
Blinded, I stumbled back. High in the air, the girl smiled doll-like down at me.
"Too bad the system's not open yet, so I can't make an avatar contract with this world's humans."
Boom!!
A massive crash and piercing killing intent erupted from the alley depths. The mystery girl flinched, whipping around.
Whoosh.
She summoned a rippling light sword from thin air and shot away like a bullet.
Silence blanketed the empty alley.
"..."
Our brief encounter and certainty sparked thoughts racing through my head.
Voice chat on.
"Kali."
["What?"]
"Something's up."
["Huh?"]
"Definitely something. Another backer. Not a hunter."
["What do you—"]
I cut voice chat there and dashed into the deep alley the girl had warned against.