Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Revenge in the Secret Room
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Bae Jeong-su's private residence, underground prison.
"Meal time, you worm. Heh heh heh. Eat it all up nice and good!"
'...Is this even food?'
For the sake of Chairman Bae Jeong-su's refined(?) hobby, they did feed the humans locked away down here to keep them alive...
But it was downright vile.
It was a mix of bugs fit for feeding pet reptiles, dog chow, and cat food—something no one could call human sustenance.
Even the water had suspicious flecks floating in it if you looked closely, clearly not straight from the tap.
'He's truly trampling human dignity. Hm?'
[......!]
What made it even more infuriating was having to watch the person trapped right in front of him eat it.
The broken woman across from him was shoving the so-called "food" into her mouth with her bare hands.
The mansion's guards watched and snickered.
"Not even a proper toilet—just that chamber pot they handed out? They say rock bottom has a basement... And they've got opposite cells so you feel the shame even more intensely."
It was a setup straight out of hell, deepening my rage and hatred.
If they saw humans as two separate classes, I didn't need to hold back either. Any shred of mercy vanished.
'Until they come, I have to play nice, so do I eat this? Or skip it to resist? But watching her is torture.'
[......!]
No sound came through the soundproof glass, but seeing her wolf down the bug-and-kibble mush up close was agony enough.
The pastor upstairs was revolting, but this guy living in the heart of Seoul wasn't much better.
'Ah, I just want to kill them right now.'
Funerals took time, though. I had to endure.
At most, three days.
I considered snacking from my inventory, but provoking the guards into a beatdown would be bad. Better to bide my time, stay patient.
'Just eat and drink enough to keep my strength up without drawing eyes... Hang in there. Stick to the plan.'
[......!]
The brutal scene playing out made my head throb.
Yoo Seongwon turned away to ignore it, lying down. But memories from his past flooded in, overlapping with the cold floor and barren walls—echoes of his orphanage days.
To shake them off, he forced other thoughts.
'Anyway, no matter how I slice it, it's weird. Why awaken a guy like me?'
With time to think, his mind grew cluttered.
By his own measure, he had no heroic qualities, no sage's wisdom, no courage. Nothing.
Yet he'd been handed immense power, too vast to handle, plus knight summons as backup. It only made him more uneasy.
'Haa~ I want to go back.'
If he could, he'd return to before awakening—those carefree days drifting through life.
Lately, wielding power brought a nagging dissonance, even on paths he'd chosen.
Like suddenly facing an S-rank monster while saving Ayoung, or clashing with the S-rank demon Jeong Min-su.
'...Meeting strong foes I never asked for—fate? Haa~'
Another brawl here, and no doubt a showdown with Seoul guilds later.
Unavoidable destiny pissed him off more.
'Give that "power" to someone proper, someone brimming with justice. Plenty of kids with dreams but no strength to back them. Like Ayoung...'
He still remembered her powerless eyes when he left her dorm, vowing to handle it alone.
She was probably begging Guild Master Shin So-mi for options now. But Shin So-mi would convince her to trust Yoo Seongwon's choice and wait.
Even if she rebelled, Baekya Guild—mid-tier at best—could do nothing.
'Anyway, once this is done, I'm bolting to the sticks for good. Let the world burn; I'll go full hermit, maybe even on that "I'm a Natural Man" show. I'll keep leveling, though...'
Fate's prank or divine whim—whatever. Yoo Seongwon could only steel his resolve to find true peace this time.
Lost in thought, how much time passed?
Vibrations from the floor announced someone's approach.
'Only a day passed... More food?'
"Hey, come out, you poor bastard. The chairman and his wife were so eager to deal with you, they wrapped up their son's funeral and cremation in a single day. Heh heh."
'Ah, cremation? Makes sense—Shin Gangnam's turf is limited; no room for graves.'
These days, wilds were overrun with monsters and beasts, so cremation was standard.
Shorter wait? Music to Yoo Seongwon's ears. He suppressed a smile and let them drag him out.
"Soon, you'll think you're the luckiest bastard alive."
"Yeah, usually they keep you locked till your humanity's gone, call you out just before you turn beast! Hahaha!"
'Well, lucky? Can't deny that... But not how they mean.'
Pitying his shackled escorts, Yoo Seongwon braced himself. The time had come.
They led him to a hidden chamber in the mansion, stocked with cruel blades and torture tools clearly meant for people.
Plastic sheets lined the floor for easy cleanup—meticulously prepared.
"Finally here, you worm."
"......"
Chairman Bae Jeong-su and his wife wore pitch-black scrubs, a clear sign they often indulged in torturing and killing here.
Yoo Seongwon held back, eavesdropping.
The door was shut; he could act anytime. But he wanted the perfect ambush.
"Hm? Just one day, and you're already like this? Chil-seong, didn't I say go easy? That's what makes it fun."
"Dear, we can make them scream ourselves now. Come on, strap him to the restraint chair."
"Yes, ma'am. This way..."
Now grasping the situation, Yoo Seongwon braced for chaos. Gwak Chil-seong stepped up personally, dragging him to the chair.
Yoo Seongwon played along until Gwak tried securing him—then dropped Titan's stake from above.
"Urk!"
Thud! Crunch!
Gwak sensed it coming instinctively, but it was his last thought.
Even with SS-rank strength barely lifting it, the stake's freefall pulverized his head like a balloon, spraying blood and brains.
"What the—?"
"You little shit!"
"Chairman, step back—"
The other guards lunged the instant their B-rank captain died.
But Yoo Seongwon, claws out, was faster.
None here could block him—not after their strongest fell so pathetically to the stake.
"Arrrgh!"
"Uwaaa! He's E+ rank, right?"
"M-My barrier... Gahk!"
Wherever Titan's stake passed, only blood, flesh chunks, and bone shards remained. The small chamber reeked of gore in moments.
Only the Bae couple survived.
They scrambled for the door first, but it was over long before they reached it.
"Y-You bastard, do you know who I am? I'm the... of Shin Gangnam... Guh!"
"No way a noble Shin Gangnam resident like you would stoop to talk with a worm like me. Shut your trap."
"Grrraaagghhk!"
Crack!
Past talking, Yoo Seongwon seized Chairman Bae's jaw and crushed it with raw force.
He had no interest in the babble, but it also broke the wife's spirit.
He bound them both, blindfolding and deafening them.
'Need them as hostages. Can't be helped.'
Doomed anyway, but useful alive for now.
They'd seen his face, and as his captors' bosses, no long-term mercy planned.
"Mmmph!"
"Mmph!"
'Perks of a torture room—everything's here.'
Primed for restraint and execution, it had ample tools.
No CCTV inside, judging by the guards' escort. Yoo Seongwon began crafting his alibi in earnest.
"Gaulp."
[You called? Contractor.]
"After I leave, about a minute later, drag those bound trashes out. Kill any interference, but keep them alive. I have to run looking sloppy for the footage... Got it?"
"Hmm~ One more thing. If I stick to that, can I have some fun?"
"Do what you want."
Conversation done, Yoo Seongwon bolted from the chamber.
He ran toward CCTV zones and guard patrols, exposing himself deliberately.
They gave chase as expected. He let himself get "caught," feigning panic.
"Ah, demons! Demons appeared! Uwaaa! In the secret room! Th-There, the secret room! Monsters!"
"What? No way!"
"Wait, isn't this the guy we grabbed yesterday...?"
[ZZZT! ...Idiots! Ignore that trash! Secret room! Black knight appeared, grabbed the chairman and wife. Rescue them first!]
Gaulp's timing was perfect. The CCTV monitors relayed via radio.
Bewildered but obedient, the guards rushed to save their masters.
Alibi secured, Yoo Seongwon smirked faintly and vaulted the wall, vanishing from the mansion.
'Perfect. Nothing holding me back now.'
Flawless.
If questioned later, he'd play innocent victim, "escaping" only because Gaulp targeted them specifically.
All that remained: hide, don the golden armor, and storm in with his knights.