Counterattack - Blood Flows as Ominous Mana Spreads
Blood flowed. Ominous mana energy spread through the air like a stain. Drip—
Lee Hyunseung was drenched in cold sweat, the kind that came when death breathed down your neck.
She has no intention of taking it easy at all, does she? Just how far is she planning to raise her power?
Lee Hyunseung didn’t know the exact limit of Baek Soyun’s full strength at this point in time. But the sight of that near-black mana spreading out told him she wasn’t planning to let this slide with half-hearted effort.
Fuck… Why the hell is she doing this to me…?
Some insane woman suddenly appears and tries to stab him in the throat, then starts babbling nonsense about him being her ideal type before declaring she’s going to “test” him. Her incomprehensible behavior was enough to drive anyone insane.
If she held some grudge or at least explained her reasons, he could have accepted it. Instead she committed these mad acts without offering a single word of justification.
In truth, the specific things she did weren’t all that important. If she had been weak, he could have simply beaten her down regardless. The real problem was her power. Weak opponents could be roughed up and sent packing, but not Baek Soyun. The woman standing before him possessed enough strength to tear him limb from limb right then and there.
Fuck… If only I’d worked harder and awakened sooner…
If his awakening had come even a little earlier—if he’d had enough time to raise the levels of both his Gunner and Blacksmith classes—he was certain he could have killed a woman like her with a single shot. But the gap in experience was simply too vast right now.
He regretted the past. The price of his former laziness—clinging to the naïve dream of entering the Magic Tower, avoiding dangerous work, thinking it would be enough to grow just strong enough to live comfortably while slacking off—had led him to this exact moment.
If he had acted with desperate urgency the instant he possessed this body, if he hadn’t postponed collecting hidden pieces despite the risk and had instead given everything he had, then perhaps the Baek Soyun before him wouldn’t feel like such an insurmountable threat.
His hands trembled violently. The mana pressing in from a distance felt like it was choking his throat.
Calm down… Calm the hell down. She can’t find out I’m this scared.
The moment Baek Soyun decided he was boring, it would be the day of his funeral. He understood that fact with crystal clarity. He had no choice but to understand it. Anyone who looked into the madness swirling in her eyes would reach the exact same conclusion.
Lee Hyunseung gripped his pistol tightly, sweat pouring down his face. He told himself he only needed to block one attack.
That’s easy to say…
His gaze naturally drifted toward Baek Soyun’s hand, where the mana was gathering. An overwhelming amount of energy began to whirl around her dagger. The demonic mana moved as if it possessed its own will, spinning wildly around the blade.
The way the mana moved gave a clear, intuitive picture of just how skillfully she controlled it and how high her affinity truly was.
Lee Hyunseung drew in a deep breath and raised his gun.
I can do this. No—I have to do this.
He still hadn’t seen Yoo Heeyeon get what she deserved. He hadn’t taken his revenge on those filthy Hilleon bastards yet. He hadn’t crushed that deranged woman Kim Heera’s face into a pulp. There was no way he could die so pathetically here.
“I’ll attack in ten seconds, so if you have anything to prepare, feel free to do it, kid.”
Baek Soyun had even kindly informed him of the exact time until her strike. She had revealed the weapon, the direction, the trajectory, and the timing—every variable that could have mattered.
Lee Hyunseung felt a flicker of relief. And perhaps… a sliver of possibility.
There’s enough time.
Had she attacked without warning, he would have been helpless. But with time to prepare? That changed everything.
He drew up his mana and began activating his skills.
The Gunner's Agile Steps
He activated the movement-speed skill first. If the worst happened and he needed to flee, every bit of speed would count.
Amplification [B]
Upon use, temporarily increases the power of all skills. The amount of amplification is affected by class grade and class level.
“Time’s up. Shall I attack now?” Baek Soyun smiled, her voice dripping with playful menace. “If you don’t block properly, you’ll die, so be careful, okay?”
Lee Hyunseung returned a cold, bitter smile. There was no way ten seconds had already passed, but he couldn’t exactly complain about her breaking her own rule.
More than that, her behavior felt… off.
Why is she acting like this?
From the beginning she had been telling him exactly what she would do, almost excessively. It was as if she were hoping for something specific.
Lee Hyunseung closed his eyes for a brief moment.
What did Baek Soyun want right now? What kind of reaction was she expecting that she kept announcing her moves? What was she hoping to see from him?
Wait…
He finally understood. He didn’t need to focus solely on desperately blocking her attack. Baek Soyun wasn’t a normal person. She was a lunatic who could commit murder without a trace of killing intent. Someone like that would likely be generous with the actions of others as well.
His eyes snapped open. He swallowed hard.
Please let this work.
Lee Hyunseung raised his pistol. In response, Baek Soyun twirled her dagger once, twice, then hurled it forward.
BOOM—!
The dagger shot forward at terrifying speed. Just as she had announced, its trajectory headed straight for his forehead.
A massive wave of mana erupted from the blade. The energy slicing through the air carried such oppressive force it felt as though it could melt anything it touched. If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, no one would have believed a mage could throw a dagger with this much power.
“Kyaha!”
Baek Soyun watched the flying dagger and giggled, wrapping her cheeks with both hands in pure ecstasy.
“What will you do, kid? Show me.”
She smiled, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
In that instant, Lee Hyunseung crouched low—then hurled himself to the right.
WHOOSH—!
SLICE—!
The dagger missed his head by a razor’s edge, close enough to shear off a few strands of hair.
Click—!
◈ After traveling a set distance, the bullet emits a blinding flash in mid-air.
◈ Does not deal physical damage, but can temporarily blind nearby enemies.
◈ Cartridge containing special effects.
◈ Special Effect [Transformation]: Bullet and cartridge shape adapt to the equipped firearm.
◈ Contains 33 rounds.
BANG—!
Lee Hyunseung fired instantly toward Baek Soyun.
She somehow endured the flashbang’s effect and charged straight at him, eyes burning with murderous intent.
“You think you can live after pulling a stunt like that? Kid… I told you I’d kill you if you dodged, didn’t I? Do you really believe you can run from me? You’ve disappointed me. If you seriously thought you could escape, you’ve made the worst choice possible.”
Yet Lee Hyunseung remained calm. He aimed his gun at her once more. Baek Soyun never once turned her head, simply glaring straight ahead as she closed the distance with terrifying speed.
“Trying to blind me with a pathetic little flashbang? How many years do you think I’ve trained to adapt to every possible environment? Something like that is—”
The moment she spoke those words—
Last Bullet
Consumes remaining flashbang rounds to fire one powerful shot.
Maximizes the flashbang effect.
BANG—!
A piercing white flash swallowed everything.
Baek Soyun’s vision went completely white.
This… this crazy bastard…!
She had trained her eyes and body with mana every single day so she could respond to any situation. Ordinary flashbangs had never affected her in the slightest. But this shot—amplified by a Legendary-grade effect and further boosted by Last Bullet—had completely sealed her sight.
“Kgh!”
She closed her eyes and immediately began tracking his scent. Even without vision, she could follow his smell.
He’s close. He hasn’t run yet?
She leaped toward the source of the scent.
At that exact moment, her vision began to return. She opened her eyes, expecting to see Lee Hyunseung’s back as he fled in terror, face pale with fear.
That was what humans did. When they encountered a predator stronger than themselves, they trembled and ran. That was simply how humans were.
“Kid, don’t run awa… y…?”
Baek Soyun froze.
Instead of fleeing, Lee Hyunseung was kneeling on one knee, perfectly still, holding his breath. He gripped the pistol with both hands, aiming it at her with absolute focus. There was no hesitation, no thought of escape—only the iron will to land this one decisive shot.
“What…?”
For the first time, genuine confusion crossed Baek Soyun’s face.
He’s trying to fight me head-on? Has he lost his mind?
Click—!
Last Bullet
Consumes every bullet in the current magazine to fire one powerful round.
Damage is increased by the Amplification effect.
Additional damage applied due to [Legendary] grade correction.
BOOOOOOM—!
The bullet screamed toward Baek Soyun.
“What the hell are you—!”
She frantically reached for the dagger at her waist, but it was already too late. Drawing a weapon now would leave her a fraction of a second too slow.
She had no choice but to raise her bare hand to shield her face. She was certain she could block a single bullet with her palm. She had been utterly convinced of it.
Until—
Squelch—!
A horrifying sound echoed across the area.
Drip.
Drip.
Blood began to fall from Baek Soyun’s hand.