Cruelty
"Jin-pae."
"Haa... haa..."
"Shin Jin-pae."
"Haa, haa, haa!"
Shin Jin-pae gasped for air, desperately trying to reach for the gun. Every movement sent agonizing stabs of pain through his forearm, but he had to move.
If I don't, I die.
"Haa! Haa!"
As he fumbled along the floor, tears streaming down his face, thwack. Drae kicked the pistol away. His only lifeline was gone. Shin Jin-pae lifted his head, dazed.
BOOM!
His jaw was kicked, and he was sent flying with a sickening crunch. Incapacitated in a single blow, Shin Jin-pae could only groan, unable to move.
"Looking at you now, your mental fortitude is actually pretty impressive. Most people would be trembling and unable to do anything by this point, right?"
Shin Jin-pae couldn't believe this reality.
"H-how... are you... still alive..."
"Man... cutting a bullet is seriously hard. I managed to touch it with the blade, but it deflected and hit me in the forehead."
Shin Jin-pae didn't know what to say to this insane monster who was muttering about how it was harder than in the cartoons. At that moment, Drae stomped on his solar plexus and pressed down. Crackle. Jin-pae let out a pained, wheezing breath.
"You don't even seem to be fueled by malice, yet you resist well. You're kind of fun, you know?"
"Ugh, ughhh..."
"I won't kill you here. Wait, hold on."
Drae turned around, looking as if he still had a fun toy left to play with.
"I've still got something to play with."
Shin Jin-pae felt nothing for Drae anymore. He was simply grateful that this situation would eventually pass.
"...Haa...!"
Realizing he was being watched, the principal broke into a cold sweat and backed away. He scanned his surroundings for a weapon, and Drae slowly closed the distance, as if inviting him to look all he wanted.
"Hic. Huk! Hic!"
No matter where he looked, all he saw were corpses. Blood. Flesh. Entrails. Severed limbs... The principal couldn't grasp the reality of this absurd situation, where people who had been alive just an hour ago were now cold, dead bodies.
'This can't be reality...'
In this country, in this era, where even a single murder would be plastered all over the news, there was no way a massacre of this scale could be tolerated. This wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter. A mass murder committed by a single person. The boy before his eyes was no longer just a boy who hadn't even reached adulthood. He was a murderer who would go down in history.
Faced with such a being, the principal chose to kneel.
'Begging is the only way...!'
Even if he tried to fight, what could he do? He was old, his body ached in every joint, he was overweight, and he lacked stamina. He was facing someone who had single-handedly slaughtered dozens of healthy, robust men. He didn't even have a weapon. Even if he did, he would have just swung it around in a panic, and it was clear he wouldn't even be able to land a proper attack.
Eventually, Drae climbed onto the podium... and passed the principal.
"U-uh?"
The principal looked at Drae with a puzzled expression. He wondered if, perhaps, he was going to be spared. He noticed that there were two people on the podium, that girl over there, Shin Jin-pae, and many of the Class D students who were still alive. Was he going to spare him, too? But after watching what Drae did next, the principal realized that wasn't the case. It was thanks to the vice-principal that he faced the reality that he had only been temporarily spared.
Crunch.
"Gyaaaah...!"
The vice-principal, who had been lying on the floor, let out a scream.
"Corruption, huh? A very fine word. I'll turn a blind eye to 'livelihood-type' corruption, Vice-Principal. But collaborating with Kang Gu-han's gang to install hidden cameras all over the school and selling them for money? Isn't that crossing the line?"
Crackle. Crackle.
"Kaaak. Kaaaa...!"
Experiencing pain he had never known in his life, the old man wept and kicked the floor with his legs. The vice-principal, who had been lying there as if his soul had left his body, thinking his turn was over, felt a despair far more agonizing than before at the return of his nightmare.
Drae didn't stop. He tore and tore at the already dislocated jaw. Before long, the sound of tearing flesh, not just breaking bone, began to echo.
"Kyaaaak!"
"Well, I could let that slide, too. But I heard you were sponsored by Kang Gu-han's house, and on top of that, you were entertained by girls the age of your granddaughters. You old, ugly bastard."
"Uh, sa, sa... save...!"
"What are you saying, old man? Save? You? I don't want to. And the most fucked up part is that you tried to do that hidden camera shit to Si-young and Ye-rin, right?"
"Haa... haa...!"
"I can't forgive that. Can I?"
"Hiiiaaaaaaaa!!"
That was his end.
Crackle.
As his jaw and face separated, several unexplainable things spilled out along with them. There was no way the old man could survive such an impact. Watching the corpse twitch in a spasm, the principal realized he had wet himself. And then, Drae stood up.
"...D-Drae-gun."
"......"
"L-listen to me."
He desperately racked his brain on how to survive this situation. Morality. Common sense. Those things didn't work on the being before him. He moved only by his own standards. Therefore, he had to offer a benefit. A benefit so powerful that it could put even the principal himself in danger.
"Principal."
"......"
"You were entertained, just like the vice-principal."
"I-it was only once!"
It was only that one time when Kang Gu-jin invited him to ask him to look after his son. Other than that, he couldn't say he was a good teacher, but he had never done anything particularly bad.
"And you turned a blind eye to the violence committed by Kang Gu-han and his gang, pretending to punish them?"
"Th-that... y-you don't know! You don't know who their fathers are!"
The principal glanced at Shin Jin-pae in the distance. Seeing his stomach move, it seemed he was still alive. He might have been able to hear his voice, but he had to say something to save his life.
"Shin Jin-pae's father, Assemblyman Shin Jin-seung, has power that knows no bounds! Do you even know how many high-ranking officials and how many people move at his single word?"
"I don't know. Even though he's his own father, there wasn't much written about him on Shin Jin-pae's phone."
At the indifferent voice that seemed to ask, 'So what?', the principal was momentarily speechless before shouting as if screaming.
"If you knew that power, you couldn't do this to me! I'm not someone a mere civil servant like me can do anything about! And what about Mr. Kang Gu-jin, Kang Gu-han's father?"
Tremble. Fear filled the principal's face.
"That man is a beast. No, a predator would be more accurate. If I were to get on his bad side even a little, I'd be stuffed in a concrete drum and buried at the bottom of the sea."
"......"
"I-in the midst of such people, I still tried to keep my conscience! At least...!"
"Not realizing that you're a lackey for trash is the worst part."
"U-uh?"
"Just today, Shin Jin-seung only told you to conduct classes normally. You weren't even told to, yet you gathered the second-years in the auditorium to warn them to keep their mouths shut, didn't you? Well, it saved me the trouble, so that was nice."
"......"
"For now~"
Thwack! Stab!
"Gaaah! Gaaaaaaah!!"
Both thighs were stabbed with a knife. The man, nearing his twilight years, shed tears from the overwhelming pain he had never experienced in his life. Drae, looking coldly down at the fat man writhing in pain, waited until he calmed down. It took over ten minutes for him to settle.
Hic. Hic.
With a sobbing sound, the principal looked up at him.
"S-save me, Drae-gun. I have a wife and children, and a cute grandchild..."
"You were entertained by someone the age of your grandchild."
"...N-no..."
As he rolled his eyes, he suddenly gasped.
"...Yeo?"
"?"
What is this bastard saying? Drae looked down coldly with exactly that expression, but a faint smile formed on the principal's lips.
"Yeo isn't a common surname. Especially in this area..."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Are you perhaps the son of ' '?"
Drae froze. It was a reaction that showed he hadn't expected to hear that name here. Raeband and Kaits also tilted their heads.
The name was not heard. It was as if the memory world itself refused to let the name be heard.
"Ha, haha! As I thought! It was him! Uwahahaha!"
"......"
The gaze fixed on the principal, who laughed as if he had found a way to live, was cold. Whether he knew it or not, he rattled on without pause.
"Do you know that? Your father used to donate very generously to this school. I didn't know he had a son...!"
"So?"
Informal speech.
It seemed Drae felt a stir of emotion, but it didn't matter to the principal. He had to hold onto this only lifeline now.
"I was on good terms with your father. S-so..."
"You want me to save you?"
"Of course! I'm not asking you to save me for nothing! I'll tell you everything I know! So, listen to that, and s-save me."
"......"
Drae, who had been squatting, grabbed the remaining hair on the principal's head—which was already thinning—and ripped it out.
"Gyaaaaaa?!?!?"
The sensation of having so much hair pulled out at once was so painful he thought his scalp was being peeled off. But he had to endure it now.
"Tell me."
"Can't you... promise to save me first?"
Drae said nothing, and he understood that now was not the time for him to bargain. However, he held onto hope because of the condition Drae added.
"Depending on the content."
"A-alright!"
In truth, Drae didn't expect much. After all, what would a man who didn't even know about cultivation know about them?
"First, about Mr. Kang Gu-jin. He manages entertainment businesses all over the country, but the establishments that he and his executives visit directly are only in this area. There are places they visit especially often, and I'll tell you those locations."
"Hmm."
"Also, I'll tell you information about the upper echelons, including the politicians associated with Assemblyman Shin. Haha. I investigated this independently, so no one..."
"All of them."
"U-uh?"
"Give me all of those locations. No need to filter them."
Understanding the meaning of those words, the principal gulped. This guy, this insane demon bastard, intended to kill everyone associated with Shin Jin-seung. The principal had tried to say he would give them later to save his life, but Drae told him to speak right here, and the principal couldn't refuse. About three minutes passed. Silence flowed.
In the discomfort, cold sweat poured down the principal's entire body. Before long, Drae opened his mouth.
"But is that all?"
"U-uh?"
"That level of information seems like something I'd find out on my own if I just went around fighting... Do you perhaps know about the masked men?"
"Masked men...?"
Drae laughed.
"No. Never mind. I know enough."
As Drae seemed to be about to stand up with a look of disappointment, the principal grabbed him urgently.
"W-wait! Wait! Right, this isn't certain, but there's a hospital!"
"?"
What is this pig bastard talking about? Hospitals are everywhere, aren't they? However, at the principal's following words, even Drae couldn't help but be impressed.
"Assemblyman Shin seems to have a private hospital to cover up all sorts of violence and criminal incidents, like the ones Kang Gu-han or Shin Jin-pae caused. I heard the hospital is huge, but I've never been there."
"......"
It was information not on Shin Jin-pae's phone. Was it a lie? Or was the principal mistaken? But it made sense. It would explain why he couldn't find out which hospital Su-ryeon had been taken to.
"How did you know about such a secret facility?"
"I overheard Assemblyman Shin mention it. It was a hospital that didn't show up even if you searched for it."
"And you don't know the location?"
"I-I told you. It's not certain... Eek!"
The principal was terrified as Drae stood up. And Drae pointed with his hand to the firmly closed entrance, not the entrance he had come through.
"Crawl."
"U-uh?"
"Crawl on your hands and knees like a coward, and go out through that entrance. Then I'll give you a chance to live. Show me some 'teacher-like passion.' Hurry."
"......!!"
It was a truly humiliating act, but to the principal, it was no different from an angel's revelation.
"Thank you! Thank you!!"
The principal crawled toward the entrance just as Drae said. In fact, because the pain in his thighs was so severe, he couldn't have done otherwise even if he hadn't been told to. Crawling was difficult, so he moved using his buttocks and hands halfway through.
Thump, thump.
He rolled down the stairs from the podium. Pain flared, but he continued to move forward.
'I-I'll live. I can live! I can live!'
Let's get out of here. He would think about excuses for Shin Jin-seung and Kang Gu-jin later. First, save his life. Let's get out of here.
Once he escaped this nightmare reality, once he got out of here, he would take revenge on that brat. ...Thinking such thoughts, he moved forward.
"Man."
Drae muttered bitterly.
"His own students are lying around, and he doesn't even look back."
He had at least expected him to look back at Shin Jin-pae once. In the end, he was never sincere about anything other than himself. Drae didn't look at him anymore and jumped off the podium.
He remembered hearing a strange sound when he killed Shin Jin-pae's butler. It seemed there was a machine that notified them of an abnormal situation if something happened to him or Shin Jin-pae. Drae pressed the switch of the machine he had put in his pocket. It was a special item he had obtained when he raided Kang Gu-jin's hideout. It was a jammer controller. He had taken it out of curiosity, thinking it was just a gadget, but it had been a great help so far.
With this, the jamming should be gone. Support troops would probably arrive soon.
So, let's finish the cleanup. Drae pressed another switch to deactivate the magnet-like machine that was blocking the entrance. Then, he beat a dozen or so Class D students who were lying around to wake them up. Drae smiled as he watched them gasp in terror.
"Clear your classmates out. Quietly. Got it?"
"......"
"You won't listen?"
"W-we will! We will!"
Most of the Class D students were athletes. Even they, who had physical abilities far superior to ordinary students, were just gentle lambs before Drae. Watching them move their classmates, Drae ordered the third-year senior and the male senior who was standing there trembling to get out.
"Leave quietly instead. If I hear running, I'll shoot."
Drae didn't have a gun in his hand anymore, but they weren't in a state to make rational judgments. The two went outside, stifling even their sobs. This time, Drae approached Yoon Ha-min, who was still whimpering in fear.
"Hic... hic...!"
"Shh. Quiet."
"Hiiiiiic...!"
"Ayy..."
Crunch.
Drae grabbed her by the neck. Ha-min struggled, begging to be saved. Soon, she went limp, and Drae dragged her by the back of her neck. The principal had almost reached the entrance. He still hadn't looked back.
"Hmph."
Drae snorted and muttered.
"His dad probably just consulted with a civil servant who held the title of principal. As if he had any connection to you."
Saying that, Drae exited the entrance. Immediately, the principal's hand caught the handle of the other entrance, and he opened the door with a face full of joy.
And then—.
Ting.
"Uh..."
Something like a thread snapped, and what was in front of him was... a pile of boxes stacked high in the trunk of a car. And that blinking thing visible in the gap... a bomb...?
"Uh... w-wait..."
KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!
The explosion swept through the auditorium.
***
"Damn it."
Shin Jin-seung spat out an oath. Even if he went the shortest distance now, it would take 30 minutes. Even if he manipulated the traffic lights, it would take at least 15 minutes. Kang Gu-jin was indignant.
"He's a completely insane bastard."
Shin Jin-pae's personal attendant was dead. And judging by the camera attached to his corpse, it seemed a massacre was taking place in the auditorium.
"...Let's go."
Dog Mask stood up. He had become an avatar of pure rage, with none of his usual composure left.
"Let's go, catch him, and torture him. I'll make him regret being born into this world."
"Wait."
"Wait? Did you just tell me to wait? Jin-seung? That son of a bitch. That fucked-up brat killed my brother...!"
"I said wait, you fucker."
Startle.
Shin Jin-seung treated the Dog Masks with the utmost respect unless it was something truly, truly serious. It was very rare for him to swear. In situations like this, Shin Jin-seung was usually right, so Dog Mask calmed down and became quiet.
"Did you see the CCTV?"
"...I did."
"That brat. At first, he looked uncomfortable even holding a knife."
Even so, he killed the two guarding the entrance in almost a single blow. And he overcame the absurd numerical inferiority of a hundred people by properly utilizing the winding corridors of this club. The real highlight was when he was surrounded by the masked men. He seemed flustered at first by the unknown weapon, the gun, used by the masked men, and struggled, taking attacks that would have certainly broken his arm due to the masked men's skillful coordination. That was clearly the appearance of a novice who had never fought with weapons. And a few seconds later, he showed movements that perfectly grasped the firearms and slaughtered them all.
'His learning speed is too fast.'
It was enough to give him goosebumps. There had never been such combat talent until now, other than Kang Gu-jin. Considering that Kang Gu-jin had received systematic training... Yeo-drae's talent for combat was terrifying. He had thought he wouldn't be an ordinary guy when he heard he was 'that man's' son, but he easily exceeded his imagination.
'I heard he was an adopted son, but how is he so similar to that man?'
Feeling unpleasant, Shin Jin-seung opened his mouth.
"Most people, when they commit an accident, tend to return to the scene."
Dog Mask and Kang Gu-jin listened to his words in silence.
"But that's only when their identity hasn't been discovered. A guy who caused such a commotion that everyone knows his face returns to the scene? Especially in a situation where he'll die if caught, not just go to prison? At least I've never seen such a guy until now."
He had to admit what needed to be admitted. Yeo-drae was not just a brat, but an enemy. A powerful enemy, comparable only to that annoying Rachel among the enemies that had existed so far.
"His behavior patterns are unpredictable, and his potential is enormous, so it's troublesome. Right?"
"So what are you going to do?"
Seeing Dog Mask grumbling with dissatisfaction, Shin Jin-seung smiled brightly.
"If his behavior is unpredictable, we just need to make it predictable."
He already knew why Drae was doing this. Understanding his words, the two smiled slyly.
"Let's attack the root of this incident."
In other words. It meant attacking Yeo-drae's precious people.
***
"Everyone will die soon! Because of you!"
Drae, who looked down at Shin Jin-pae, who was spewing words with a voice fueled by malice, laughed, 'Uwahaha,' as if it were truly funny.
"Man. Jin-pae. Shin Jin-pae."
"Ugh..."
"I'll say it again, you're pretty decent. Your mental state is veeery strong."
Watching Drae mutter that it was worth the effort to torment him, Shin Jin-pae, who was burning with anger, suddenly laughed.
"...I wonder what your mental state is like?"
"Hm?"
"My father and those people will be here soon. Once you're caught, you'll be the one begging to be killed."
"Hmm..."
"Haha!! Can you guarantee that you, who are so calm right now, will be dignified in such a situation?"
It was a remark he didn't really need to make. He just wanted Yeo-drae to feel bad. But Drae didn't seem to have any particular thoughts even after hearing the provocation.
"Well."
Fwoosh.
Flames rose. Drae, who was watching them blankly, replied.
"I'm curious about how I'll be, too. But, at least I have no intention of just taking it lying down."
"......"
"More than that, Shin Jin-pae. I'm curious about information only you know."
"What, are you talking about."
"About Su-ryeon."
Shin Jin-pae was silent, then said in a sunken voice.
"Do you think I'll tell you where she is... Gyaaaaa!"
Just by sticking his hand into the sword wound on his forearm and pulling it open, Shin Jin-pae's eyes rolled back as if he were about to faint. Oops. Drae pulled his hand out.
"Gyaaa...!! You. Son of a bitch...!"
Even after hearing the curse, he laughed as if he were pleased. Shin Jin-pae, whose heart was bursting with rage, screamed.
"Regret, it...! Once you've gone this far, the next target is you... no, it's not..."
"Hm?"
"Han Si-young. Seong Si-hyun. I heard they're still alive? Besides them, everyone involved with you will meet a terrible end. All because of you...! Before you, those guys will die...!"
"...Hmm."
"What do you think about that? Huh? Do you still think you're some kind of apostle of justice?"
Shin Jin-pae shouted, spitting saliva from his mouth.
"You're just a bastard who relies on a little bit of power and acts out! Everyone will die because of you, what do you think, you idiot!!"
***
Tremble.
Shin Jin-pae stopped recalling the memory and shook his body. Perhaps. It must have been from then on. After that answer, Shin Jin-pae began to truly fear Yeo-drae.
Yes.
From 'that answer' that revealed the essence of that guy.
***
"Kya-hahahahaha!"
He laughed while crying. Takashi had never experienced such an absurd thing in his life. The hideout of the Gold Taeyang Clan, which had been a clean place, was stained with blood here and there. Truth game? What was that? They classified the liars, saying there was a penalty, and then committed such acts. He would never forgive them. Soon, Rikka's spell would be activated. And he would have no way to counter it. He would pay him back several times over then. With such thoughts, Takashi, who already had three holes in his body, screamed as if he were shouting.
"Yeo-drae!"
"Hm?"
He, who had been calmly gouging out the eyeball of a Gold Taeyang member, turned his head. After throwing away an extra who couldn't even scream properly, Yeo-drae sent a gaze as if asking why he was calling.
"Soon! Soon!"
Rikka sent a gaze telling him to shut up, and fortunately, Takashi wasn't so thoughtless as to blurt out the effect of the spell.
"Your acquaintances! Friends! Women! Everyone, everyone will be caught! Because of you, they will meet a terrible end!"
"...Hm. Ah..."
Yeo-drae made a face as if he were recalling something. But he didn't look particularly troubled. Takashi, whose rage exploded at that, vomited blood from his mouth and shouted.
"Whether it's Meich Love Yarte! Or Frostia! Or the wife and children of that guy called Blan or whatever! Or Rena! Or Asita! I'll make sure they all hear that they're in this state because of you and get raped! It's all because of you! You'll be resented a lot, won't you?!"
He was just spewing whatever came to mind in his rage, but these words were unexpectedly effective on good guys. Takashi thought so and grinned. He thought that at least now, there would definitely be hesitation.
And.
Drae scratched his head as if he were troubled. Almost expressionless. As if he weren't particularly interested. Seeing that, Takashi couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"...What are you?"
"Hm?"
"Do you have no feelings for those guys at all?"
"Uh, hm...?"
Takashi shouted at the damn guy who showed an expression asking what he meant.
"Aren't they your women! They're going to be in that state, how do you feel?! Huh?! Huh?!"
And.
Drae answered.
"Well, I suppose I'd be sorry."
***
"...What?"
At Shin Jin-pae's question, Drae answered with a smile.
"I'd be sorry. You guys are the ones doing it, but if they were dragged in because of me. Well... hm. My heart would ache a little."
"......"
"But well. It's not like they'd be fine if I died. Even if I died and they were fine."
Grin.
The distorted smile, the space flickering with the heat of the flames, made his face look like something transcendental.
"Is there a need for me to sacrifice myself?"
"......"
"Well, I'll make sure to put as much effort into screwing over the guys who made those friends of mine suffer. I'll have to pay off my apologies with that."
Now, he couldn't hear what he was saying.
Tremble.
The vibration of his body, trembling like an aspen tree, wouldn't stop. Shin Jin-pae understood. He understood it all. He wasn't a guy who could be reasoned with. He wasn't a guy who understood common sense... he thought he had understood.
What a delusion that was.
This guy is not a villain. He's not even a villain.
This being did not possess human emotions. Something that transcended humans. It was wearing the shape of a human.