Amcheon
Yeah. That's my bastard.
"Over here!"
Ratatatatat!
Bullets were raining down in the truest sense of the word. An ordinary person would have needed ten lives and still come up short. But that kind of logic didn't apply to an Awakened.
Thud! Thud!
I put down the Non-Awakened gunmen in short order and focused on picking up the presence of people nearby.
"Seven on this floor. Eleven below that, thirteen under that."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Once I had a rough count of the bodies on each floor, I smashed through the facilities and headed downstairs. Freedom was about to go completely off the rails and pull one of their all-time stunts. I needed to leave them as much damage as possible, so even though it was a hassle I kept wrecking everything as I advanced.
Too few.
I couldn't shake the uneasy prickle at the back of my neck. This facility was a major stronghold for Freedom. And yet all they had stationed here were a handful of mediocre Awakened and a bunch of Non-Awakened. It didn't add up.
Save the captives first.
I reminded myself of my priorities and kept moving.
"Park Jae-hyun. Where would they be keeping people locked up?"
-If you go down about four more floors from there, there's a big open space.
The second I got the location from Jae-hyun I slammed my fist into the floor.
KRAAAASH! BOOM! BOOM!
I had no intention of leisurely fighting my way down floor by floor. I just punched straight through the concrete like an idiot until I reached the level Jae-hyun had pointed out. It didn't take long.
"Found you!"
Kids who looked no older than elementary schoolers were locked inside something like a giant cage. The moment I smashed the bars and stepped inside they scrambled into the corner, terrified.
"Get out, now! We don't have time!"
They flinched at my voice but started edging toward the opening one by one. I dragged out even the ones who refused to move and launched into a hurried explanation.
"Listen up. I'm going to clear a path. You guys just run—"
That was when an eerie presence swept across the back of my neck.
And then—
Thud. Thud.
"Young man, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
"Ha… shit. No wonder there were barely any people."
The reason the garrison had felt so thin the whole way here.
"It's been a while, Nogoe."
I finally understood why. With this man here, what did numbers even matter?
I looked at the middle-aged man strolling out toward me and twisted my mouth into a bitter smile. Looks like today really wasn't going to be easy.
-Boss, run! Nogoe is—
Click.
Maybe he'd heard me through the mic. Jae-hyun tried to say something, but I coldly cut the shouting voice coming through my earpiece.
"Sorry, kids. You're gonna have to run on your own. Big bro here needs to have a little chat with that ugly old man."
The children shot me uneasy glances, then began climbing the stairs one by one. I watched them go and turned my eyes back to Nogoe—Park Mun-seong.
"Was this a trap?"
"Not a trap. If you hadn't come, the experiments would have continued as planned."
Park Mun-seong closed the distance at a leisurely pace, a smile playing on his face.
"And if I came, you'd catch me?"
He answered by grinning wider and drawing the sword at his hip.
I was currently sitting pretty at the top of Freedom's blacklist. I'd redirected the heat that should have fallen on Lee Yeon-hui onto myself, then tracked down and wrecked one of their hideouts. Of course I was a thorn in their side.
The conversation didn't last long. Our positions were too clear-cut, and neither of us had any reason to bridge the gap.
"Hoo…"
I drew a breath.
Shing!
The fight began.
Nogoe.
If the Seven Heroes were the ones who stopped the calamity known as the Gates, then the people who stood at their sides and guarded their backs were the ones who made it possible. Nogoe had been one of them.
He hadn't gone by that name back then. But after turning his back on the world, he now wore the title of Nogoe—the Old Monster.
CLANG!
Shit, if you're old then act like it.
Park Yeon-chan spat curses as he caught Nogoe's blade.
Shhhhk!
He'd read the movement and stepped accordingly—yet Nogoe's sword still flashed past faster than Yeon-chan could move, slicing through the edge of his clothes.
Yeon-chan had fought plenty of Awakened and built up experience. Some of them had been swordsmen like Nogoe. But—
He's on another level.
Park Mun-seong was a man for whom the phrase "a different class entirely" was simply accurate.
Slash! Shhhk!
Mun-seong's blade carved sharp lines across Yeon-chan's body.
I'm not trying to win.
After the very first exchange, Yeon-chan made that call. Not win—endure. He would move with the sole intention of lasting.
And even then—
Shhhk!
The gap in skill was simply too vast. Yeon-chan still couldn't fully evade Mun-seong's attacks.
"You dodge anything that might be fatal like a ghost."
"Then how about taking it easy on me out of pure admiration?"
"Very well."
He said that, yet Mun-seong's blade only grew sharper as it hunted Yeon-chan. One by one, wounds multiplied across Yeon-chan's body.
How far have the kids gotten by now?
He'd been in a hurry to finish things, so he'd smashed a path through while ignoring some of the personnel. If the escaping children ran into any of them it would be bad—
The thought flickered for only a second.
Thrust!
"…!"
Mun-seong's blade punched straight through Yeon-chan's side.
"You shouldn't let your mind wander when you're already at a disadvantage."
This wasn't one of the shallow cuts from before. The sword had cleanly pierced Yeon-chan's flank—anyone could see it was a perfect critical wound. Convinced the match was already decided, Mun-seong started to pull the blade free.
Grip.
"…!"
Yeon-chan's hand clamped down on the sword trying to slide out of his side.
"You shouldn't get careless just because you're winning, either."
Blood ran from Yeon-chan's mouth as he grinned.
He set his stance. Someone's words rose unbidden in his mind.
-What do you do when you meet someone stronger than you?
-An overwhelmingly unfavorable situation. A skill gap so obvious it hurts. Even then, don't even think about losing.
He scowled as if trying to erase the memory, but it wouldn't go away.
-In fights between Awakened there's no such thing as a one-hit finishing move that overturns a skill gap? Don't make me laugh. Only small-time punks decide something doesn't exist just because they can't do it.
That smug face and those words kept rolling on.
Hoooo—!
-I'll turn you into a monster that loses to no one. So—
"That form…!"
-Overturn the heavens.
First Form.
Amcheon.
First Form — Amcheon
Dark Heaven
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!
Rumble…
Debris began raining from the ceiling.
This won't do.
They were underground—deep underground—so the building wouldn't collapse immediately. But that last attack had gone too far.
"Elder!"
A gunman came sprinting toward Park Mun-seong from the far side.
"We've got a problem! Word is the Heroes are on their way to raid this place!"
"This location is already lost. Take the men and withdraw."
"Yes, sir! But… are you all right, Elder?"
Noticing that Mun-seong looked somehow off, the man asked. Mun-seong simply grinned.
"Of course I am. Where would I get hurt?"
"Right… of course."
Park Mun-seong was known as one of the strongest fighters even within Freedom. If word got out that he had taken a wound, the entire organization would be thrown into chaos.
"The building will come down soon. Get everyone out immediately."
"And you, Elder?"
"I'll take my time. Who's worrying about whom here?"
The man muttered an agreement and hurried upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Mun-seong ran a hand along his own side. Carefully lifting his clothes, he found a blackened mark as if the flesh had been seared.
He let out a hollow laugh without meaning to.
That final exchange. To a swordsman, the blade was life itself. The moment you let go, you had to be ready to die.
I let go of it.
Crushed for an instant by the pressure pouring off Park Yeon-chan, Mun-seong had released his sword just to put a little distance between them. If he hadn't, the injury would have been far worse.
And yet I still ended up like this…
Not only had he failed to catch the young Park Yeon-chan—he'd taken a clean hit. And whatever that hit had done, his body still refused to move properly. It would probably return to normal with a little time, but still.
An overwhelming skill gap. Situational superiority born from that gap. All of it overturned by a single punch.
As far as Mun-seong knew, only one person in the world could make something like that possible.
The God of Fighting.
"So that crazy old man wasn't just sitting around. He was raising a monster."
"Boss!"
"Yeon-chan!"
Park Yeon-chan staggered into the house. Blood poured from his side; cuts and gashes marked him everywhere. And above all—
"Hah…! Hah…!"
—his breathing was far too ragged. The longer they looked, the worse the wounds seemed. Hearts hammered wildly while bodies locked up solid.
"Boss! Drink this first!"
Park Jae-hyun shoved a bottle he'd grabbed from somewhere against Yeon-chan's lips. Whatever it was, it must have helped with recovery.
"Haa… haa…"
Yeon-chan's harsh breathing eased a fraction. But his condition hadn't suddenly improved. He still leaned against the wall, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"I'm… fine… With time this much will… heal on its own…"
"Like hell it will! Just wait, I'll find something—"
"I'll do it!"
Jae-hyun, frantically trying to do anything useful, froze solid at Choi A-rin's words.
"…Are you sure?"
A-rin understood exactly what that question meant. She was an Awakened with the power to heal wounds—yet psychological trauma kept her from using it. Every time she tried, the memories flooded back.
Maybe it had been the sudden appearance of a Tower near their home. A-rin had Awakened at the early age of eight, and her rare recovery-type ability could have brought her all kinds of support if made public. But—
-A-rin, could you heal this person for us?
—her parents had wanted money more than fame. They hid her from the world and sold her power to the underworld for high prices. Making money would have been one thing, but—
-Just one more time! We can always make more money!
—they gambled the fortunes away and used her again and again to earn more. Until finally—
-Right here. Stamp the seal.
—they sold their own daughter.
-AAAAAAGH!
-Hmm… I'd like to see that reaction one more time.
An experimental subject collapsed foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back. The researcher in the white coat barely reacted as he looked at A-rin. As if that were the signal, she approached the unconscious subject and healed him.
-Fuck! Stop it! Just let me die already!
Whenever she tried to stop at those bitter screams—
-Then that man dies because of you. And if he dies, the next one comes in, so that person dies because of you too.
—they bound her with those horrible words. After enough repetitions, a psychological rejection response locked her ability away. Even so, the researchers treated her carefully; she was one of their few precious samples.
She had finally clawed her way out of that hell into peace.
I can't ruin it like this!
She seized her trembling hands and forced them still. Pure white mana surged and billowed from her body. She aimed those shaking fingertips at Yeon-chan.
Tap.
The moment her fingers touched him—
Fwoooosh!
—the white mana leapt onto Yeon-chan as if oil had caught fire.
"Nngh…!"
A-rin squeezed her eyes shut and let out a thin, strained moan. Nausea rose; her head spun. She wanted to stop right now. But—
If I can't do this and Yeon-chan dies…?
The thought flashed through her mind and everything went white. She gritted her teeth against the rising vomit and held on.
"It's okay now."
"……"
Something warm settled gently on top of her head.
-Hurry! A-rin! Do something with your power!
"It's okay. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
His wounds weren't fully healed yet. In the middle of recovery the pain should have been enough to make him scream. How could he say something like that?
-I said stop! Just let me die!
"Thank you. I would've died without you."
The soft smile that came with those words drained the strength from her body. At the same time the light of mana pouring from A-rin began to fade. Her eyes burned hot and red; tears spilled down in streams.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Why are you apologizing?"
No matter how many times she said it, it wasn't enough. He had given her freedom, peace, warmth. And she hadn't even been able to properly heal a single one of his wounds. Yet he still asked if she was all right. Still said thank you. How was that possible?
Yeon-chan had to be in terrible pain even now. He needed rest. And still she couldn't stop the tears.
Night had long since turned to dawn. Park Jae-hyun, who had stayed up nursing me, was dozing against the wall. The blanket he'd been using had slipped off, so I shifted to pull it back over him.
"Mmh…"
Choi A-rin, who had been sleeping against my shoulder, rubbed her eyes and woke up.
"…Park Yeon-chan."
"Morning."
I greeted the half-asleep A-rin. Her eyes flew wide open in an instant. The look reminded me so much of a startled puppy that I huffed a quiet laugh.
"Yeah. It's me, Park Yeon-chan."
"Y-your body… is it okay now?"
"Thanks to you."
"Thank goodness."
She burrowed straight into me. Coming home half-dead must have shaken her badly.
"Hey… if I get better at using my power, would that help you?"
It would help enormously, no question. In the original story A-rin's ability had been far beyond what it was now. Support like that would open up a huge range of options.
"I already told you. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
"I want to. I want to be useful to you."
"……"
"Tell me. What do I need to do to control my power better?"
The arms wrapped tightly around me carried unmistakable resolve. She'd already made up her mind. In that case I had no right to stop her anymore.
"You might have to leave this place. Is that still okay?"
"……"
A brief hesitation.
"It's okay."
But the resolve she'd hardened didn't crack; her voice came out just as firm as before.
"Just one thing."
She was putting as much strength into her voice as she could, yet her body trembled faintly—nervous about something. I patted her back gently, hoping to ease even a little of that anxiety. Maybe it worked; her next words came out calmer.
"We'll… see each other again, right…?"
"Of course."
"Then that's enough."
A-rin hugged me even tighter than before. I stroked her hair as gently as I could, encouraging the resolve she had chosen.
Ordinarily the Hero Association's response would have been much slower. But Jae-hyun, already carrying a mountain of anxiety about this whole operation, had contacted Team Leader Jang Il-seok and gotten Association personnel moving right away. The building started collapsing from the attack I'd unleashed, and while Freedom's people scrambled to evacuate, the children escaped safely. A fairly large structure came down, yet the Heroes who had arrived early evacuated the surrounding civilians, so civilian casualties ended at zero. All things considered, I could call it a success.
That said—
"Ugh… hic… sob…!"
"Hey, quit crying already."
"But! But! If A-rin noona leaves, I won't get to eat that delicious food anymore!"
"So you were just treating me like a meal ticket…"
Sometimes I really wondered whether Jae-hyun's social anxiety was fake.
"If I just take this, they'll handle everything?"
A-rin waved the envelope of documents I'd handed her.
"Well, it would work without it, but having it should speed things up a bit."
"Got it."
Jae-hyun and I were standing in front of the Hero Association's Gangbuk branch to see A-rin off. The moment I was fully recovered she had declared she was leaving, as if putting her decision into action immediately. Which brought us here.
"Stay healthy out there."
"You two take care of yourselves. At least cook real meals."
Without A-rin the house was definitely going to turn into a disaster zone in no time.
"I'll try."
I scratched my head as I answered.
Bonk.
Before I knew it she had stepped right up and bumped her forehead lightly against mine, then spoke quietly.
"I'll try hard too."
And then she sprinted straight into the Association branch.
"Boss, go die in a ditch."
"Shut up."
I ignored Jae-hyun's stream of curses and turned on my heel as well.
"Haa… what's so great about a guy like that?"
"I'm just that good-looking."
"Blech. Honestly I think I'm better-looking."
"A sneaky-looking bastard like you? Don't even try."
Our deeply meaningful debate over who was handsomer only grew hotter. Right in the middle of pouring out passionate arguments—
"It's only because I have to hide my face right now. If I walked around the streets people would be begging for my number every d—"
"Excuse me, you're exactly my type. Could I get your number?"
I flashed a triumphant grin at Jae-hyun's look of pure horror and spun around with supreme confidence.
"See? I'm on this level."
"Yeah. That's my bastard."
"Huh?"
I could have sworn I just heard someone curse—
WHAAAAAM!
A crisp impact launched my body into the air. In the spinning world I caught a hazy glimpse of blonde hair whipping through the wind.