Chapter 28 - The Golden Guardian
Luo's slimy tentacles relentlessly churned inside Hayeon's mouth, her body convulsing continuously between agony and ecstasy.
Her consciousness had drifted far away; her mind and body had long since severed their connection.
The whimpers escaping her lips no longer sounded human, resembling instead the pathetic cries of a tamed beast.
Though she writhed in sheer humiliation, her body—utterly saturated with aphrodisiacs and raw pleasure—obeyed his tentacles with absolute submission.
Staring blankly into the void with bloodshot eyes, her weeping face was more lewd and breathtakingly beautiful than any masterpiece in the world.
Luo wore a satisfied, twisted grin as he claimed her as his own.
Ksenia... Eonni... please...
Within Hayeon's hazy, fractured consciousness, the name of her sole savior repeated like a desperate prayer.
Even as her entire body burned with white-hot pleasure, she could not bring herself to accept this horrific reality.
I trusted only you, Eonni... Why am I reduced to this... Eonni, Eonni...
It was at that exact moment.
"Disgusting."
A frigid voice echoed through the narrow alleyway.
It was a single, sharp, and powerful utterance, cracking through the air like shattering ice.
Luo's grotesque tentacles flinched, freezing mid-motion.
Hayeon's eyes struggled to focus, turning toward the source of the voice.
Out from the shadows of the alley, a man slowly stepped forward.
Silhouetted against the moonlight, his presence was as majestic as a hero straight out of myth.
Dazzling golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and his broad, solid shoulders were draped in a dark coat.
His amber eyes gleamed coldly, piercing right through Luo. It was Gold Sun.
Before Luo could even register who he was, a flash like lightning cleaved the darkness.
Sshhhk!
Along with the flash, the tentacles binding Hayeon were severed with a sickening tear.
"Aaargh!"
Freed from her restraints, Hayeon's limp body tumbled toward the ground.
Gold Sun swiftly caught her, pulling her into his arms.
His embrace was warm, and the scent radiating from him was a crisp, refreshing fragrance—nothing like the repulsive, sweaty stench of the other men.
Only then did Luo realize what had happened, his eyes turning blood-red. The searing pain, combined with the fury of having his prize snatched away, completely shattered his remaining sanity.
"You bastard! How dare you touch what is mine! Give Hayeon back to me! For a mere insect like you... to insult me! I'll kill you!"
Luo roared at Gold Sun, completely losing his mind. His severed tentacles writhed and regenerated, swelling into even more hideous shapes as they smashed against the alley walls.
His screams, a chaotic blend of rage, jealousy, and murderous intent toward the intruder, were those of a pure monster.
"You have no idea what you've just interfered with! You think you can steal Hayeon from me? Don't make me laugh! Hayeon is mine! Only I can dominate her! Not Ksenia, not you! No one can take her away from me!"
In her fading consciousness, Hayeon desperately called out Ksenia's name.
"K-Ksenia... Eonni...?"
Though her eyes were fixed on Gold Sun's face, she was still searching for Ksenia's phantom presence.
Tears—a messy mixture of lingering pleasure, humiliation, and profound relief—welled in the corners of her eyes.
Gold Sun gently brushed her hair away from her face.
"It's alright, little lady. You're safe now."
His voice was low and firm, yet carried a subtle, complex undertone.
Resting Hayeon's head against his shoulder, he spoke coldly to the raging Luo.
"Lilia asked me to keep an eye on her. I've been watching over you from the shadows from time to time. I planned to step in and save you if you ever got into real trouble, but..."
Gold Sun paused and let out a sigh.
"To be completely honest... I got a bit distracted. A rather attractive woman caught my eye, and I ended up losing track of time in her bed. I never imagined such a filthy display would happen in the meantime. It was my oversight."
He pulled Hayeon even closer against his chest, pressing a light kiss to her cheek.
"But don't worry. Now that I'm here, no one will ever lay a finger on you again."
Feeling the warmth of Gold Sun's embrace, Hayeon looked up at his face through her blurred vision.
She saw his thick brows, his high-bridged nose, and his strong, chiseled jawline.
Finally, she caught a glimpse of a strange, flickering spark in his amber eyes.
And with that, her consciousness slipped away entirely, and she blacked out.
Luo's fury reached its absolute peak.
"You vulgar bastard! How dare you covet my Hayeon! I'll kill you! I'll tear trash like you to shreds with my bare hands! This is no place for a weakling like you to interfere! I have been chosen! I have obtained the power of a Constellation!"
Blinded by rage, Luo charged headlong at Gold Sun.
His tentacles thrashed wildly in every direction, tearing the alleyway to pieces.
Even while cradling Hayeon in his arms, Gold Sun's movements were those of a seasoned, master warrior.
Every single step was calculated, precise, and devastating.
Despite his monstrous form and sheer ferocity, Luo was utterly outmatched by Gold Sun's skill and speed.
Gold Sun effortlessly dodged Luo's frantic onslaught, cleanly slicing through his regenerating limbs with pinpoint accuracy.
Though Luo's tentacles shattered the brick walls as they lunged, Gold Sun moved like a shadow, carrying Hayeon while letting every strike slide harmlessly past.
"This can't be happening! I received the power of a Constellation! This is impossible! How could I lose to a mere adventurer like you?! Aaagh!"
He shrieked in madness, unleashing a desperate barrage of attacks, but none of them could even graze Gold Sun.
Gold Sun's blade slipped through Luo's defenses like a living entity, finding every opening.
Gold Sun sneered with utter contempt.
"The power of a Constellation? You pathetic insect. It's nothing more than a grotesque mutation born of your filthy desires and unearned power. It's absolutely sickening. Let me show you what real power looks like."
His blade danced dozens, hundreds of times in a blur. In an instant, Luo's monstrous body was carved into countless fragments, scattering across the cold ground.
Gasping for his final breath, Luo muttered.
"The Constellation... I should have... had the power of... the Constellation..."
Even in his final moments, his eyes burned with a mixture of vengeful fury and incomprehensible madness.
Gold Sun looked down coldly at Luo's remains.
"The Gaze of the Sacred Stars... Those damn heretics. This is going to be a pain."
Muttering to himself, he looked down at Hayeon cradled in his arms.
Along with the sticky fluids Luo had left on her body, an ominous, dark energy was faintly writhing beneath her skin.
Her breathing was shallow, and her face was deathly pale.
"Tsk, her condition is terrible. That bastard's filthy energy must have seeped into her."
He hesitated for a brief moment, then, as if making up his mind, reached into his coat and pulled out a small glass vial.
Inside the vial, a single drop of brilliant liquid radiated a soft, ethereal glow.
"Lacrima Lumen... Dammit, this was my very last bottle. I can't believe I'm using it like this."
Though he grumbled, he uncorked the vial without a second thought.
The miraculous panacea rumored to be made from the blood of ancient gods, the 'Tears of Light,' reacted to his touch, rising from the vial like a gentle white mist.
As Gold Sun held the vial to Hayeon's lips, the misty liquid seemed to come alive, flowing naturally between her parted lips.
A few minutes later, a miracle occurred.
A dark, smoke-like energy slowly seeped out of Hayeon's body, dissolving into the air.
Her skin, which had been soiled by Luo's fluids, regained its original milky radiance, and a healthy color returned to her pale cheeks. Her ragged breathing gradually grew steady and peaceful.
Gold Sun gazed down at her purified form for a moment, then held her tighter and vanished into the darkness.
You have been saved from a mutated entity and purified by the 'Holy Relic' of a new 'Guardian'.
Luo's curse has been completely purified. Mental Pollution has been drastically reduced.
Title: [Victim of the Monster] has been deleted. You have acquired new titles!
Name: Lee Hayeon (Lee Hangyeol)
Level: 12
Status: Extreme physical fatigue, alleviated mental trauma, residual mild pleasure addiction, confusion, feeling of security from Gold Sun's scent.
Titles: [Overcomer of the Past], [Xenia's Lover], [Xenia's Trainee], [Standing Alone], [Golden Guardian] (New!), [One Blessed by Light] (New!)
[Golden Guardian]: When protected by 'Gold Sun', all physical and magical damage is slightly reduced. The closer 'Gold Sun' is, the stronger the effect.
[One Blessed by Light]: Resistance to holy magic is drastically increased, and immunity to curses and pollution-type status ailments is granted.
Ego Synchronization Rate: 80% (+5%) (Contact with a new savior increases awareness of reality.)
Mental Pollution: 35% (-50%) (Escaping the horrific experience purifies the mind. However, remnants of pleasure still linger.)
Not long after Gold Sun departed, a shadow quietly rose from among the shattered tentacles and the dark, spreading pool of blood.
On the floor slick with blood and mucus, a single writhing tentacle and a piece of flesh were still twitching with life.
Without hesitation, the shadow collected them with careful, precise movements.
Beneath the hood, a fleeting expression of mysterious satisfaction crossed their face.
"That's enough for this experiment... Not bad. An intriguing sample."
Carefully placing the harvested sample into a small test tube, the figure cast one final glance over the soiled alleyway before melting silently into the darkness, as if they had never existed at all.
All that remained was the alleyway stained with blood and bodily fluids, and the shattered ruins of destroyed desire.
