One Down, Two to Go
“Stay here and rest.”
“Where are you going?”
Park Ji-hoo, who had been happily stuffing his face, set down his fork and rounded his eyes.
“I’ve got a few things I need to find.”
“Oh, then I’ll come with you.”
“Just keep eating what you’re eating. Come with me? As if.”
Wipe the meat grease smeared all over your mouth before you open it.
Park Ji-hoo hesitated a moment, then nodded.
He hadn’t realized it until they reached Chwiwolru, but the second food hit his tongue he discovered just how ravenous he truly was.
He was at the age of rapid growth. On top of that, he had always been small for his peers, so he needed every nutrient he could get.
That’s how he’ll grow.
Yujin ruffled Park Ji-hoo’s hair once, then glanced to the side.
“Everyone, keep an eye on this kid. If I’m a little late, wander the area together. Quests or whatever—fine by me.”
Inside Unmonghyang and the surrounding region, opportunities of every kind were literally piled high. Nothing as grand as what could be claimed from the cliff, but with a little luck they might still turn up something useful. Rolling around here was a waste; getting out and moving was a far better use of their time.
“Understood. I’ll look after him well.”
Combat strength-wise Park Ji-hoo was the stronger one, but having an adult nearby would still make things far more stable.
“I’m counting on you, then. You—eat plenty.”
Yujin turned on his heel and walked straight out of Chwiwolru.
“Let’s see…”
He rapidly combed through his memories. From the nearest spiritual medicines to the ones with the greatest effect, he began mapping priorities and the optimal route.
If Vivian had been beside him, Space-Time Information Collector [C] would have let him run far superior calculations. Yujin pushed the regret aside and took a step.
Paang—!
In a blink, his figure vanished.
“It’s just the same as before.”
Lee Sia gazed at the pine forest and spoke. Pine Breeze. Arriving at the small village on the 5th Floor left her looking strangely moved.
“It’s only been a few months.”
It felt like years had passed. So much had happened in that short span.
“Ji-hoo and I went through hell just to get here.”
Driven by the whip of a complete maniac, they had thrown themselves into hunting day after day. They had climbed up here without even washing, still stained with blood and scraps of flesh.
“What about you, Unnie? You had it rough too, right?”
Lee Sia asked.
“No. I was fine.”
Vivian shook her head, as if she had never endured anything particularly hard.
“Huh? Really?”
Lee Sia’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
“Because of this.”
Vivian pointed to the staff strapped across her back.
Vajra [C].
With an item that could rain down endless lightning as long as her mana held out, plus Financial Healing [C], the 5th Floor had been no harder for her than eating cold porridge. If she had snapped out of it sooner and thrown herself into hunting, she might even have reached the 5th Floor faster than Lee Sia.
“I see…”
Lee Sia stared at the blue staff with open envy, then shook her head hard. She had Black Wing [B], after all—the sword that now felt like an extension of her own body.
She stroked the hilt of Black Wing [B] and smiled.
“Anyway, let’s move. If we want to find those bastards, we’ll have to cover a lot of ground.”
The ones who had threatened her family had returned to the Tower today. That meant there was a good chance they hadn’t left Pine Breeze yet. Unless some maniac like Seong Yujin was cracking the whip, no one would be twisted enough to start climbing the moment they got back.
“Right.”
Vivian stepped up beside her.
“We should head toward the center first and ask around.”
Lee Sia remembered their features perfectly. A yellow-haired punk who looked like a thug at a glance. A hulking mass covered in tattoos from torso to neck. And a luxury-brand rich-boy type who reeked of money. Those three.
Each of them had been caught committing different crimes by Lee Sia and Park Ji-hoo, then locked down with the Binding [E] scrolls Lee Ki-seok had made. When their return day to the Tower approached, they had issued their threats and vanished.
“Their looks are distinctive, so we should find them fast.”
Lee Sia strode forward, every step heavy with rage, eyes constantly sweeping the streets.
Definitely more of them now.
Players everywhere she looked. When she had first arrived here, there had only been three of them total. Now it felt like there were more players in Pine Breeze than NPCs. Only a few months, and this much had changed.
Plenty of people must have climbed higher already, too.
Just as Seong Yujin had said, if they took it easy they would be overtaken in no time. Not that she hated the idea. She actually liked it. There were only four of them—good people, all except one—but it had been far too quiet. Lee Sia thrived on bustling, lively crowds; boredom came easily. So players catching up was something to welcome.
Except—
Thinking about how that maniac will lose his mind makes it hard to feel purely happy.
Imagine someone catching up to them. Unless they had deliberately waited like on the 16th Floor, Seong Yujin’s reaction was as clear as day. He wouldn’t just threaten the whip—he would actually use it. No, he definitely would.
A shiver ran through her at the mere thought.
“What’s wrong?”
Vivian, sensing it, looked over with her usual blank gaze.
“Ah, nothing.”
There was no way she would ever admit she had just imagined Seong Yujin whipping her.
“Yellow Hair, Tattoo Pig, Money-Flaunting Bastard… where the hell are you?”
She pretended not to notice Vivian’s stare and sang the thugs’ features under her breath, changing the subject.
Then, suddenly—
“Huh?”
At the far end of an alley, something yellowish slipped out of sight.
Found him.
The distance was a bit far and she had been distracted, so she hadn’t gotten a clear look—just a glimpse of the back. Even so, Lee Sia was certain. The hair burned into her eyes like a photograph matched the yellow-haired bastard in her memory exactly.
“Come on, Unnie.”
Lee Sia grabbed Vivian’s hand and sprinted toward the alley.
Pababababak—!
They didn’t bother hiding their strength. Their full-power movement was faster than the wind.
“Wh-what the hell?”
“Is that even human speed?”
“What level are they…?”
Players’ eyes bulged. To people who were only around level 20, the two of them were beings from another dimension. Some didn’t even register them at all.
Lee Sia ignored the sudden stir in the village.
“This way!”
She reached the alley in a single breath and cut hard without slowing.
Kwaduk—!
The ground cracked; stone chips flew upward. Lee Sia stamped across the shattered pavement and plunged deeper into the alley.
The structure blocked the light, and the surroundings darkened in an instant. It didn’t matter. Both of them had eyes sharp enough to identify objects from the tiniest scrap of light. Shadows this shallow were no obstacle at all.
“Hey!”
Lee Sia bellowed.
The figure swaggering a short distance ahead turned his head. Same hairstyle. Same clothes. Same gait. Certainty hardened into absolute conviction.
“Perfect timing, you son of a bitch!”
No need for questions—this was exactly when that phrase applied. Before the bastard’s mouth could even open, Lee Sia’s feet sliced through the air.
“Dropkick!”
Kwaang—!
A thunderous impact exploded—impossible to believe it came from two human bodies colliding.
“Guaaaaagh!”
A scream tore free, and the sensation of bones shattering to pieces traveled up her legs. Lee Sia spun once in midair and landed cleanly. The one who took the dropkick did not. His chest caved in a full handspan; he coughed blood and tumbled across the ground.
“Is it him?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
Even faced with the shocking scene, Vivian asked in her usual flat tone. Lee Sia checked the yellow-haired man’s face once more and nodded.
Vivian walked toward the man, who was still too lost in agony to form a coherent thought.
“What are you going to do?”
She asked quietly. A question whose answer was already decided. The way she looked down at him was somehow chilling. Yet Lee Sia couldn’t speak right away.
She knew what had to be done. Seong Yujin’s last words rose in her mind.
—So handle it properly. You understand what I mean, right?
She had hardened her face and nodded then.
“If it’s hard, I’ll do it.”
Vivian said. Was it consideration? Lee Sia smiled faintly. Calm as the words were, the warmth inside them was impossible to miss.
“Y-you… that bitch…”
In that moment the yellow-haired man recognized Lee Sia and spat curses along with blood.
“You remember me?”
“I-I’ll… kill you… kill…”
The killing intent was thick. He must have slaughtered quite a few monsters since then. Lee Sia wiped the smile from her face and crouched by his head.
“Just one question.”
“You think I’ll… answer you?”
He bared bloodstained teeth in a grin. Even with the agony of shattered bones wracking his body, he seemed ready to stake his life on mocking her.
“Have you seen Tattoo Pig since you got here? The one locked up next to you in SID.”
“Fuck off. Your parents are… already dead meat…”
His trembling hand rose and flipped her the middle finger.
“Yeah. Figured. I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.”
Lee Sia stood without a trace of disappointment and looked at Vivian.
“Unnie.”
“Say the word. I can do it for you.”
“No.”
She shook her head. She had hesitated for only a second, but the conversation had made everything clear.
“I’ll do it.”
A man like this could not be left alive. If she needed a lofty excuse, she could claim she was upholding social justice and removing a dangerous element from society. Lee Sia didn’t bother with anything that grand.
“You fucking bastard. You just said something you shouldn’t have.”
This was simply venting. That was how she defined her own action.
Seogeok—!
When had she even drawn it? The black blade of Black Wing [B] whispered past the yellow-haired man’s throat.
Beolgeok-beolgeok—!
It had severed the carotid cleanly; crimson blood gushed out. He bulged his eyes and clamped both hands over his neck, but nothing could stop the flood pouring from a throat half cut through.
“Ghk… ghk-rk—”
As if he had never imagined he might actually die, he stared up at Lee Sia with desperate, resentful eyes.
“Eyes down, you piece of trash.”
She watched him die without the slightest change of expression.
“You okay?”
It took less than five minutes for the yellow-haired man to stop breathing. Vivian stepped up beside Lee Sia, who had stood without blinking the entire time, and asked calmly.
“I’m fine.”
Her first kill. Not in the heat of battle—she had cut the throat of a defenseless person. He had deserved to die, but it was still the kind of thing that could leave a scar. Lee Sia only smiled faintly and shook her head. She had been steeling herself for this ever since they came down from the 20th Floor. Claiming she felt nothing at all would be a lie, but…
“It was something I had to do.”
“Alright.”
Vivian patted her shoulder.
“Two left.”
Ignoring the stares of players pouring in from outside the alley, Lee Sia sheathed her sword.
Tak—.