Assassins (3): Crushing the System
If this had been the world I used to live in, a LV.89 player could at best control a hunting ground.
But in this world, she could do far greater things.
“Ram your fucking heads up your asses, you bastards.”
First off, she could wield public authority like her personal toy.
The police squad that rushed in urgently was neutralized in seconds. Their bodies flying every which way was downright comical.
“Giving you ten seconds. Get your wounded and fuck off.”
At those words, the cops dragged their injured away from the scene.
“Is this really okay? Won’t there be articles blowing up...?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
Master didn’t face any trouble from this. Shockingly, not a single article appeared.
Even though she’d beaten up cops—who’d come with a warrant—in broad daylight and sent them to the hospital.
Does this even make sense?
It was a sight too unbelievable even after seeing it with my own eyes. She was straight-up ignoring the entire social system.
“Let’s head to the courthouse.”
What came next was even more absurd. After brushing off the police like that, she suggested going to the courthouse.
“Is this really necessary...?”
“We need legal proof that you acted in self-defense first.”
I’d lived my life as an upstanding citizen, so I had no clue how trials worked.
But I knew damn well they didn’t wrap up in ten minutes like stir-frying beans under lightning.
“The defendant, Park Hyunwoo, was in mortal danger from hostile players and had no choice but to use violence, resulting only in necessary force to prevent murder!”
“Prosecution, your rebuttal?”
The trial flew by at breakneck speed. Was it even legal to go this fast?
“No objections.”
“Understood. Then...”
Bang bang bang.
In just ten minutes, my crimes were legally erased.
“What the hell...?”
“Didn’t know you had such a strong sense of law-abiding citizenship. What, not happy with it?”
“It’s not that, but... is this really okay? What if I get dragged into something later?”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Master handed me a block of tofu with a grin. Technically, I hadn’t even set foot in jail.
“Is it over now?”
“Nope? We haven’t even started. All the cleanup on your end is done, so time to move to the next phase.”
Next phase? What the hell was that?
“While you were out cold, a shit-ton of bitches aired a ton of news crap about you. Let’s clean them up.”
My god...
Before I could even protest, Master grabbed my waist and leaped lightly.
Her terrifying leg strength cratered the asphalt forty centimeters deep with each bound, launching us into the sky.
“Master!”
“Hold tight. Drop and you’re done.”
This woman could fly too? My vision whipped by in blurs. She moved so fast, gale-force winds lashed my face.
Moments later—BOOM!—we crash-landed at a super-famous broadcast station headquarters.
“Huh? The Sword Saint...”
Someone’s mutter quickly turned into:
“Fuck! It’s the Sword Saint!”
They all must’ve had guilty consciences. The second they saw Master’s face, they bolted—like bugs scattering when the lights flicked on, diving under desks or beds.
“Stop right there. Sword Saint, you can’t enter here.”
“Private security, huh? Knew I was coming?”
“...Well, we’ve been blasting stories about your disciple all week.”
Apparently, they’d slammed me hard enough to warrant hiring guards.
“Why pull that shit? What did I even do?”
“Sorry, Sword Dragon. I don’t think you did anything wrong myself. But the public loves seeing hotshots crash and burn.”
“You’re not seriously defending that sleazy crap, are you?”
The guard looked touched by my words. His face darkened briefly, then he spoke up.
“Call it a defense if you want. My job is to protect this station.”
“Touching loyalty. Fine, I’ll give you a special chance to back off out of respect. Decide in ten seconds.”
Even then, the guard didn’t budge.
“Step back. I’m a LV.76 player. Not your level, but enough to hurt you.”
“Ten seconds up and you didn’t piss off? Your fault now.”
BOOM!
Master showed a side unworthy of her title.
She lifted her leg and slammed a brutal middle kick into his gut.
The guard reacted to the attack and seemed poised to counter.
Of course, that effort meant nothing against overwhelming force.
Like plastic in a typhoon, he tumbled back forever—smashing through a door at the end of the long hallway.
“Did you kill him...?”
“Nah, went easy.”
A normal person’s upper body would’ve flown off from that. He tanked it because he was a player—and a high-level one at that.
“Oh, right. One more thing before we go in. Hya!”
Master scooped up some pebbles and chucked them at the helicopter on the roof.
Anything with mass hits like a bullet at certain speeds. The pebbles nailed the propellers dead-on, wrecking them.
“No one’s escaping now.”
Can’t they just use the basement or back door?
Right as I thought that, Master’s form blurred, kicking up a whirlwind as she vanished for a split second. When she returned, her hands had a bit of blood on them.
She went and smashed them.
Using superhuman hearing to pinpoint escapees and blitz them instantly. That’s how no one gets away.
“Let’s hit the director’s office.”
“Stairs?”
“Obviously. Elevators are dangerous.”
In my opinion, you’re the most dangerous thing in this building.
Though to me, she was endlessly safe.
Obstructing police on duty, assault, mocking the justice system, seizing and terrorizing a media outlet.
Not one was anything less than a major felony.
And she’d pulled all this off in under an hour since I woke from my coma. Mind-blowing.
“What the hell is this place to you?!”
The grizzled station director shot up from his chair, jabbing a finger and bellowing.
“Even in the colonial era, when Japanese dogs barged in demanding our presses, we didn’t give! You think some thug bitch scares us just ‘cause she beats up a few people?”
“You’ve milked a hundred years. Time for some fresh change.”
Ignoring him, Master raised her hand and yanked him up by the collar, hurling him aside.
“Shut your yap. You’re giving me a headache.”
“You think you’ll get away with this? This is a broadcast station! Everything you do is airing live!”
I was thinking the same. No matter how badass you are, you can’t win a PR war against a TV station.
No way to brute-force venomous reporters and writers. This scene was probably streaming live too.
“Who said you could film me?”
“It’s the people’s right to know, you ignorant bitch!”
“Some things are better left unknown. Hyunwoo? Turn on the TV. Probably channel XX for these bitches.”
I did as told.
“Huh? We’re not on.”
The 24/7 news channel showed the usual accident reports—nothing different.
A station raid should be huge news, but zilch. Even flipping channels yielded the same.
“How...? We get a pass, but the others...”
“‘Cause the president herself doesn’t want the fuss.”
She added something about hijacking airwaves to swap content, but it went over my head.
Meanwhile, still in heels, Master lifted her leg and ground the director’s finger underfoot with a smile.
“This filthy finger ordered those shitty articles, huh? Saw you pointing it like a pro earlier.”
“Gaaahhh!”
“Don’t wanna lose it and never chopstick again? Spill who’s behind it.”
Behind it? What now...?
“KFP! The Korea First Party congressmen ordered it!”
“Damn, snitching fast.”
“Everyone knows you’re tight with the president! This is their plot to drag her down!”
“Oh, really? Politicians are all slimy fucks. More work now.”
Police assault, justice mockery, media suppression...
Now threatening congressmen too?
Grand slam of major crimes.
How far was she gonna take this, our Master...?