The Weight of a Brother's Sacrifice

The collision with Yoo Heeyeon felt off. It shouldn't have been like this.

Han Seonggil stared in horror at his own longsword buried in Pung Geonho's body. His hands trembled violently as he stammered out the question.

His eyes asked why his sword had pierced his senior. I could roughly piece together what had happened. The Berserker Trait had activated. Because of it, Han Seonggil had lost his sense of reason and ended up stabbing even Pung Geonho with his own hand.

Han Seonggil already knew a fair amount about the Berserker Trait itself, so he could easily infer the situation. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it. The person he cherished most. The fact that he had stabbed Pung Geonho with his own hands was harder to accept than death itself.

Tears streamed down his face.

Han Seonggil had always prided himself on never feeling affection for anyone else. But now he realized that wasn't entirely true. It seemed he had relied on Pung Geonho far more than he had ever admitted to himself.

Pung Geonho looked up at him with a weak smile.

"Bullshit! Shut the fuck up! You can still live! I'll carry you out, just wait—"

Even while collapsed, Pung Geonho reached up and firmly pressed down on Han Seonggil's head.

"Those bastards...?"

When Han Seonggil looked at him with uneasy eyes, Pung Geonho answered.

The criminal organization that controlled the black market and hid within the Labyrinth, building up its power. They would do anything for money, and their ranks were filled with people who needed it. There were mages, swordsmen, thieves, and plenty of capable individuals among them. Money had a way of drawing all kinds of people together.

Pung Geonho was losing far too much blood. Any excessive movement would surely kill him. Before his condition worsened any further, they needed to bring back at least an Epic-grade mage for healing. But even if they reached the city, finding an Epic-grade mage right away wasn't guaranteed. And making a round trip from here to the city would take well over an hour.

That meant waiting for Han Seonggil to go and return was impossible. He would either die first or get devoured by other monsters.

But one possibility remained. Asking for help from Hilleon, who were hiding in the Labyrinth.

Hilleon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn't kill Pung Geonho. They needed capable people to make money. At the very least, his life would be spared.

"Shut up... no way. I'd rather stay here with you..."

Han Seonggil knew there was no other option. But he also understood exactly what it meant for Pung Geonho to ask Hilleon for help. He might die, disappear, or suffer something even worse. Hilleon was unpredictable.

That's why he stubbornly refused.

Pung Geonho quickly straightened his thoughts.

Soft-hearted bastard.

If they both stayed here, they would eventually both get eaten by monsters. Since a Giant Skeleton had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already appeared, others could show up too. Pung Geonho was combat-incapacitated, and Han Seonggil wasn't much better. Even low-level monsters would be difficult for them to handle right now.

Having made his decision, Pung Geonho changed his tone and began shouting at Han Seonggil.

When Han Seonggil stared at him blankly, he yelled again.

"B-But what if monsters show up while I'm gone..."

Pung Geonho's veins bulged in his neck as he roared. In the midst of his confusion, Han Seonggil knew something was wrong, yet his body began to move. His eyes burned with rage.

Han Seonggil began sprinting like a madman. He ran to find a mage and head for the city.

Watching his retreating back, Pung Geonho smiled faintly and thought to himself.

Thank you for everything until now. At least you should live.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke quietly.

-Rustle.

Then, the man who had been hiding in the shadows stepped forward with heavy footsteps, sounding impressed.

"Since the Giant Skeleton appeared."

"Not bad."

The man's face was hidden beneath his robe, but it was obvious at a glance. The red robe was practically a trademark of Hilleon. The only ones who would wear those red robes that restricted visibility inside the Labyrinth all the way to the end were members of Hilleon.

Pung Geonho asked, "Why didn't you ambush us?"

Hilleon was notorious for plundering the weak inside the Labyrinth and stealing their loot. For them to leave two defenseless people like Pung Geonho and Han Seonggil alone was naturally suspicious.

The man chuckled and replied.

-Grip.

The necklace-type artifact Pung Geonho was clutching. It was a keepsake left by his father.

If you ever have someone you must protect at all costs, use this.

It was an S-grade artifact called the Oath of Death.

The man continued, "If I had tried to attack that guy, you were going to use it, weren't you? Even in your half-dead state, activating that artifact would turn you into a temporary raging monster. Right now we only have a scouting party. We don't feel like dying pointless deaths. And if you make too much noise, another Giant Skeleton might show up."

Pung Geonho lowered his head and asked, "What happens to me?"

The man thought for a moment before answering.

"Impossible. If you're going to make me do such filthy work, just kill me instead."

When Pung Geonho answered, the man spoke again.

-Step.

He approached Pung Geonho and whispered quietly.

Pung Geonho's eyes turned bloodshot. In a chilling voice that sounded like he might devour the man at any moment, he said, "How can I trust you?"

The man pulled out a contract-type artifact.

-Unfurl!

The scroll of the contract-type artifact opened.

Pung Geonho's eyes widened as he muttered, "Not just until he leaves the Labyrinth. Protect him for the rest of today. He'll come back into the Labyrinth again. Promise to protect him so he can escape safely then as well, and swear you won't kill Han Seonggil for the next ten years."

The man sighed.

Then he nodded.

Pung Geonho didn't care about any of that. Without a word, he reached out, poured mana into the artifact, and sealed the contract.

A short while later, Han Seonggil returned to the Labyrinth with an Epic-grade mage.

"H-Here... This is where Hyung Geonho was—!"

But the spot where Pung Geonho had been was empty. The only thing left was the sword he had given as a gift, lying there alone.

Pung Geonho's disappearance.

After that, Han Seonggil became obsessed with power. To find Pung Geonho, whether he was dead or kidnapped. But the organization called Hilleon was far too powerful for one person to handle alone.

He had charged at them several times, only to be brutally beaten. He got beaten to the point of becoming a half-cripple, but strangely, they never killed him.

I can't reach them... There's nothing I can do...

He had no connections, no power, no money. There was nothing he could do. The only remaining hope was the Berserker Trait. If he could push the Berserker Trait to its extreme, maybe he could face Hilleon alone. Maybe he could take back Pung Geonho, who had been kidnapped by them.

That's what he thought, but every time the Berserker Trait activated, he lost consciousness, and the speed at which he gained strength slowed down.

Gradually, he began to twist.

Come at me, you trash bastards.

He started taking out the stress he received on the weak, using his meager power to console himself. Every time Pung Geonho came to mind, the guilt of being too weak to do anything crushed him. So he tormented others and drove himself harder. It was the only way he could endure.

But hope finally came to him. Because Lee Hyunseung had said he knew a way to control the Berserker Trait.

"I know a way to stabilize the Berserker Trait."

Han Seonggil looked into Lee Hyunseung's eyes and muttered in disbelief.

He could become stronger. With overwhelming power, alone, the only key that might allow him to oppose Hilleon and rescue the kidnapped Pung Geonho. He would give his life to obtain that key.

Looking into those desperate eyes, Lee Hyunseung answered.

"If it's a lie, I'll tear you apart no matter what it takes."

Han Seonggil growled, glaring fiercely. Strangely, he wasn't afraid or shaking. Lee Hyunseung nodded at the sight.

Then Lee Hyunseung pointed outside.

Lee Hyunseung and Han Seonggil opened the door and stepped out.

Step. Step. Step.

As they walked down the corridor, the people around them gave them strange looks. It was because the two had been trying to kill each other not long ago in the Class Annihilation Match. But what was even stranger was how Han Seonggil was obediently following behind Lee Hyunseung like some kind of pet.

Han Seonggil had such a nasty personality that he wouldn't even bow to Yoo Heeyeon. That's why everyone found the current situation so bizarre.

At that moment, Yoo Heeyeon's figure appeared in the distance. The moment she saw Lee Hyunseung and Han Seonggil, she walked straight toward them. As if she had been waiting for them.

Then Yoo Heeyeon spoke.

When Lee Hyunseung didn't respond and simply stayed quiet, Yoo Heeyeon grew even more arrogant and pressed harder.

At that moment, Han Seonggil, who was standing beside them, let out a snort and muttered.

Instantly, Yoo Heeyeon's expression twisted.

Han Seonggil cracked his neck from side to side as he looked at Yoo Heeyeon.

-Crrrack.

Yoo Heeyeon gathered her mana and muttered.

But Han Seonggil placed his hand on the sword at his waist as if he couldn't care less.

Han Seonggil gave her a grotesque smile and said to Yoo Heeyeon.