Another World
Mi-ju held nothing back.
Thwip-thwip! Whoosh! Fwoooom!!!
Attacks laced with psychic energy came screaming in, and Min-hyeok’s body moved just as fast, meeting every single one.
So it was true?
He could feel it now—this girl was stronger than that Seok-yong bastard.
Whoosh.
In a flash she crushed the ground underfoot, pivoted sideways, and her leg scythed toward Min-hyeok’s cheek.
Crack!
He slapped it aside with his hand, twisted free, and stepped back.
Thwip-thwip!
She clung to him like a shadow, hands flashing in with a violent burst of force.
Fwoooosh!!!
He raised an arm and took the blow head-on.
KRAAAANG!!!
A savage shockwave rolled out across the whole area.
Hissss…
Dust billowed up. Through it, Mi-ju stepped back and locked eyes with him.
As the haze settled, Min-hyeok slowly lowered the arm he’d used to block.
“How long are you just going to keep blocking?”
“Blocking? I was dodging.”
“Same difference.”
“You’re definitely stronger than that Seok-yong guy.”
“Hmph. I told you the truth from the start.”
“Looks that way. One more question, though.”
He spoke again under her glare.
“Was everything you just threw at me the full extent of what you can do?”
“What, so you can start spouting crap about being disappointed?”
“I won’t say I’m disappointed… but if that was everything, you can’t beat me.”
Mi-ju’s brow twitched. A second later her eyes were back to normal.
“Don’t worry about that. I haven’t shown everything I can do either. And…”
Sssss…
A strange energy began to roil around Kim Mi-ju’s body.
“From here on, you’d better brace yourself!”
The words were barely out before a ferocious surge of power exploded outward. She shot forward in an instant and slammed into Min-hyeok.
KRAAAANG!
The impact thundered. Psychic energy roaring, Mi-ju’s fists hammered toward him with terrifying speed.
Bang! Shwoooosh!!!
The force behind each punch was more than double what she’d shown before. Even blocking and countering looked hard. It was an overwhelming aura that left Seok-yong’s power in the dust.
Bang!
Another heavy crack rang out. As Min-hyeok slid back, she spun and whipped a kick loaded with energy at his side.
Shwaaa-aaang!!!
A violent wave of force tore through the air, power howling from the tip of her foot.
You’re finished!
In that instant she was sure he was too late to dodge—and that one clean hit would be enough to put him down hard.
“?!”
The next second, Kim Mi-ju realized she was wrong.
Bang!
Min-hyeok met the screaming kick without trouble, wrapping it in energy and turning it aside. The impact shoved her back; a chill prickled at her side. She whipped her head around just in time to take a crushing blow that sent her flying.
“Kyaaah!!!”
With a scream Kim Mi-ju tumbled across the ground.
“You’re definitely stronger than Seok-yong. After trading blows, the gap’s even bigger than I thought.”
Internal shock still rattling her, Kim Mi-ju stared up at the standing Min-hyeok in disbelief.
“But what can you do? Looks like I’m stronger than you figured.”
Min-hyeok grinned.
“You… you little—!”
She clenched her teeth and forced herself up. She couldn’t accept that raw power had knocked her flying.
“I won’t forgive this…!”
Gritting her teeth, Mi-ju began drawing up every scrap of energy she had. Instantly an aura far stronger than before swelled and rose.
“What? You still weren’t going all-out?”
Min-hyeok watched, startled, as the killing intent poured out thicker and thicker.
“I’ll make you feel it for real right here!”
The words had barely left her mouth before Kim Mi-ju’s body moved like a bolt of light, crashing in on Min-hyeok in a single breath.
Shwaaa—!
He raised a guard against the flying fist.
KRAAAANG!!!
The shock boomed; Min-hyeok was driven back. She closed the distance at once, a savage flurry of blows streaking toward him. The power in each strike was beyond what ordinary Awakeners could even hope to block—one clean hit could end a life.
Thwip-thwip! Fwooom! Crack—!!!
Min-hyeok caught every single one, blocking and answering without missing a beat. A heavy fist suddenly shot in from the side, hunting a gap. He twisted his torso clear and smashed her knife-hand aside. Without pause he reversed and drove a fist at her solar plexus; she slipped it past, then converted the motion into an elbow that speared in like an awl.
Bababababang! Crack! Fwoooosh!!!!
Their exchange of offense and defense flickered so fast no ordinary eye could follow.
I can’t believe this…!
The more it went on, the more frantic and shaken Kim Mi-ju became.
After her Awakening finished, she hadn’t known how strong she really was. Once she started working in earnest and learned the measure of her power as an Awakener, confidence had hardened into arrogance and pride. She had believed she could handle anyone who appeared—even the one called The Absolute, Kang Jung-gil.
Papapapapat!!!
She spun and unleashed a fist form thick with power, sending it straight at Min-hyeok. He didn’t dodge. He met it head-on with a fist of his own, equally charged, driving straight in.
Fwoooom—!!!
The energies collided in a thunderous blast.
“Kyaaah~!!!”
Another scream tore free as Kim Mi-ju was hurled back and sprawled across the floor.
“See? Told you. I’m stronger. Heh…”
Min-hyeok looked down at the fallen Kim Mi-ju with a sly grin.
“Is it good?”
“…Yes… it’s good… What about you, Seong-min…?”
“Mine’s good too.”
A-reum was dipping Gorgonzola pizza into honey and eating it with her vongole pasta. Seong-min had ordered a basic tomato pasta; even if it was the simplest item on the menu, it suited his taste best.
A-reum ate more than he’d expected. Before long she’d nearly finished a whole bowl of pasta and an entire pizza. Seong-min had maybe two slices.
“You really like sweet things, don’t you, A-reum-noona?”
“I… like sweet things… But… cocoa… I like that more…”
“Cocoa’s your favorite, right?”
“…Yes…”
Just thinking about cocoa seemed to lift her spirits. The happy smile that bloomed on her face pulled one onto Seong-min’s lips as well.
They finished the pasta and pizza, rinsed their mouths with lemonade, and left the shop.
“Want to stop by a café for a quick coffee before we head back?”
A-reum nodded.
“Okay… let’s do that…”
He settled her in the passenger seat and drove toward a café.
Has Min-hyeok gone home by now?
Some time had passed; he wondered whether the talk had gone well.
He’ll handle it fine.
Min-hyeok wasn’t weak.
“You awake?”
“……?!”
Kim Mi-ju pushed herself up and fixed Min-hyeok with a wary stare.
“No need to look at me like that. It’s over.”
She glanced around. They were inside a car. She’d been lying in the passenger seat.
“You brought me here?”
“Pretty much.”
“……”
“You’re strong, no question. Strong enough that I can say you were being a real pain without feeling bad about it.”
Kim Mi-ju glared at him.
“Glare all you want—you were being a pain. That’s a fact.”
“…I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“How does someone like you end up working construction?”
Kim Mi-ju genuinely couldn’t understand him. Someone that strong, wasting his talent on a construction site instead of working as an Awakener—it made no sense.
“You don’t need to understand. As long as I’m satisfied and get something out of the work I do, isn’t that enough? And how much do you even make?”
“What?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I bet I make more than you.”
“Hmph.”
“You don’t believe me, but it’s true.”
“……”
“And since you lost, just accept it cleanly and stop bothering me.”
Min-hyeok buckled his seatbelt.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think? Time to leave.”
He turned the key.
“Buckle up. We’re going.”
Min-hyeok pulled out slowly and rolled free of the abandoned factory at an easy pace.
“How did it go?”
The front door opened. Kim Mi-ju stepped inside, kicked off her shoes, and headed straight for her room without answering. Jin-su followed her through the living room.
“You went to settle things with that guy, didn’t you?”
In the unlit room Kim Mi-ju lay on the bed, an arm over her eyes, and said nothing.
“Don’t tell me… you lost to him too?”
“I’m not in the mood to talk, so get out, Oppa.”
“You actually lost?”
“……”
“He’s… that strong?”
“……”
Kim Mi-ju didn’t answer. Jin-su quietly left the room and shut the door. He walked to the sofa and sat.
Mi-ju lost?
It was impossible to believe. No one knew better than he did how strong she was. Even if that guy had beaten Seok-yong, Seok-yong and Mi-ju weren’t even in the same league.
The kids in the Phoenix Guild had no idea—about Mi-ju, or about him. Even after founding the guild and starting operations, they had never shown their true faces. Mi-ju herself had only ever displayed mid-tier strength inside the guild.
That was why, even after the guy beat Seok-yong, Jin-su hadn’t worried when Mi-ju stepped in. The result had been different.
That guy… was that strong.
The outcome hit him like a shockwave.
“Once we’re inside, there’s no telling what will happen. Stay sharp and stay ready.”
“Yes, sir!”
The ranks answered in one voice. The guild Awakeners standing off to the side who would enter with them did the same.
Fifty from each guild, fifty, fifty—they stood sorted by group. Each guild would be led by its own guild master; overall command, of course, rested with Deputy Director Jeon Dok-jin.
“If everyone’s ready, let’s go in.”
Three more waited to one side: Executive Im Seong-woo, Seo Gang-jae, and Lee Seok-pil, prepared to enter together. Park Chang-jun would remain outside with the Commander of Unit 14, standing by and keeping watch for anything unexpected.
When every preparation was complete—
“Starting with the Commander of Unit 15, all units enter the Monster Hole!”
They had already dug through every scrap of data. Cases of people entering Monster Holes existed overseas; the information those survivors brought back was limited, but one point was clear—the interior was a completely different world.
The important thing is that the ones who went in came back out safely.
“Move out!”
At the order the formation locked into place. The Commander of Unit 15 led the vanguard group forward toward the Monster Hole.