Rookie: Baek Jaesung 31

I sensed multiple dots appearing on my Darkness Radar as I was about to finish off Do Byeong-seok and Woo Sang-ho. Four of them were Kim Sun-wook's party. They were scouting the adjacent fork right next to the path I was exploring.

The other three dots trailing behind them had to be the remnants of Do Byeong-seok's party. No matter how I looked at it, their movement didn't resemble monsters. The Evil Bat variants that appeared in this place always moved in groups of at least ten. Distinguishing them was a piece of cake.

What the hell was going on? It wasn't hard to predict. Do Byeong-seok's party was moving in to PK Kim Sun-wook's group.

I didn't know if this was party leader Do Byeong-seok's orders or if they were acting on their own, but either way, Kim Sun-wook's party was in danger.

'Anyone else can drop dead for all I care, but not Jang Hana.'

I hadn't fucked her as much as I wanted yet. It was obvious what would happen if she got caught by these scummy demonic bastards. She'd be gang-raped right up to the brink of death. The thought made me want to puke.

'Touching a woman I've already slobbered over? No fucking way. Unless you're some psycho who gets off on NTR, who the hell would like that?'

Stealing another guy's woman? That's fine by me. Jang Hana had already mixed bodies with Kim Sun-wook. Taking her gave me a special sense of superiority.

In this scenario, Kim Sun-wook was the cuck, and I was the one doing the cucking. That worked perfectly, but the reverse? Hell no. I'm not some retard who enjoys getting NTR'd.

'Gotta head to Kim Sun-wook's party.'

No time to loop back around, obviously. I gauged the thickness of the cave wall.

'Looks like it'd shatter with just a bit of force.'

While beating down Do Byeong-seok and Woo Sang-ho, I'd gotten a solid read on my output. Smashing a cave wall like this? Easy. Break through here, and no need to take the long way.

'Won't affect Sujin's area even if I smash a bit here.'

Decision made, plan clear: Smash the wall, rescue Jang Hana. Simple.

"Grraaah!"

A guttural groan of rage echoed from behind. Woo Sang-ho, both arms broken, was struggling to rise unsteadily.

His eyes burned with fanatic determination. Even with his limp arms dangling, that resolve sharpened into killing intent. Any normal person would've pissed themselves just from that glare.

Of course, I wasn't fazed. A crippled-arm bitch like him? I could take on a truckload without breaking a sweat. He should be the one fearing me.

Woo Sang-ho bit his lip, spitting curses with every word as he yelled at me.

"You won't live peacefully. I'll rip off all your limbs and sever every damn tendon!"

Did he even know his own situation while spewing that bullshit? My fists were itching.

"Want that? Sure, not hard."

I replied casually. Wasting time on these punks was already too much.

'Time Acceleration.'

I accelerated time. My agility was already over 300 without it. With Time Acceleration, it doubled.

The speed gap between me and Woo Sang-ho was obvious. Before he could even raise his guard, I was in his face.

Woo Sang-ho's wrecked body reacted slower than before. Even at his initial speed, I'd have beaten him like a dog in summer heat. Now? His fate was sealed.

My hand with the Light Saber moved on instinct. The blade traced his tendons with lethal precision—something his speed couldn't dodge. Plus, the damage he'd taken slowed him to a crawl.

Sheer malice doesn't win fights. Woo Sang-ho crumpled pathetically, his resolve meaningless. The Light Saber shredded flesh, sliced bone, severed tendons. I turned him into a ragged mess.

"Gaaahhh!"

Like a third-rate manga villain, Woo Sang-ho screamed lamely and collapsed. Just as he'd boasted, limbs torn, tendons cut. Wriggling like a bug on the ground, he writhed in agony from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what little remained.

My focus shifted from Woo Sang-ho to Do Byeong-seok. He'd chosen to flee, abandoning his comrade and bolting down the opposite passage.

Smart move. "Comrade" means jack shit when survival's on the line—worthless as fallen autumn leaves.

"Gaaaah! B-Byeong-seok! Now! Attack!"

Woo Sang-ho yelled, oblivious to his abandonment. His dying breath, squeezing out every ounce. Pathetic, meaningless end, like most demonics. Boring as hell.

I extended my hand toward the fleeing Do Byeong-seok. He was injured too—couldn't get far. Movement sluggish.

'Darkness Cannon.'

A sphere of condensed darkness formed before my hand. Caves were perfect for Darkness Control. Among natural abilities, it boasted the highest destructive power.

I directed the dark orb at Do Byeong-seok. It oozed ominous power, overflowing with deathly mana. Aimed at his fleeing back, it shot straight like a bullet.

Shwooo!

Boom!

The Darkness Cannon slammed into Do Byeong-seok's back with a dull thud and exploded. Black smoke billowed everywhere. The shockwave matched the deafening blast.

Do Byeong-seok flew far down the narrow passage—no room to dodge, especially mid-flee with no fight left.

My attack dropped him effortlessly. His body was already at its limit. I approached.

"Grk…!"

Do Byeong-seok spat blood. His back, hit dead-on, was grotesquely charred like a burn victim.

If not for his armor, he'd be shredded. Expensive gear, now rags. I made sure he couldn't run—snapped both legs clean.

"Could kill you here, but that wouldn't suit your temperament."

Immobilized, I turned to the cave wall. Radar showed Kim Sun-wook's party clashing with Do Byeong-seok's scraps.

I fired another Darkness Cannon. This time, way more mana. The last was tuned down to just neutralize. Even so, it'd shredded his armor and crippled him perfectly.

Now, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠max output for the skill. Like most skills, Darkness Cannon's power scaled exponentially with charge time. Limits existed, sure.

Mana surged from my heart, condensing into a dark sphere. Mana transmuted to darkness, unleashing cataclysmic destruction.

No interruptions. Nearly a full minute of focus, gathering mana. Ready, but firing this straight-up? Backlash would suck.

'Whatever.'

Charged enough, I unleashed at the wall. The orb hurtling at solid rock evoked "egg against boulder."

But on impact—thunderous roar shook my body. Echoing in the tight cave, the explosion mimicked an air raid's terror.

Rumble! Boom! Boom!

Effect undeniable. The sturdy wall blocking paths crumbled amid earth-shaking noise. If I'd used this on the earlier cavern obstacle, problem solved.

Dirt and debris flew. Backlash hit me too.

'Wind Wall.'

I erected a wind barrier, deflecting all incoming shrapnel. Elemental Mastery let me combo attributes seamlessly.

Blocked the grenade-like fragments, then used Wind Control to clear the dust. A massive hole gaped where the Cannon hit.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I chucked Woo Sang-ho's ragdoll corpse through. It sailed like a shell. Screams erupted from the other side.

"Sang-ho!"

I sauntered in. Artificial wind cleared the blast haze, revealing the scene beyond.

Kim Sun-wook was down, unconscious. Blood from his head suggested concussion. Not dead—faint life signs.

Jang Hana was surrounded by the scraps. Pants yanked down—situation clear. Good thing I wasn't late. If their dicks touched her pussy even a second, I'd have burned them alive.

The other two in Kim Sun-wook's party were also out cold, but in better shape than him or Jang Hana.

"PK after all. Good thing the radar's top-notch."

"You…"

The guy with wicked upturned eyes glared hostilely. His stare made me want to gouge them out.

"You're Sim Chun-sik, right? Exster Clan sub-master?"

Mentioning Exster Clan made him twitch visibly. But no further flinch. Sim Chun-sik glared silently, waiting his chance. I felt him channeling mana.

Suddenly, invisible force crushed my shoulders. The heavy pressure across my body was disorienting—for a split second.

'Time Pause.'

I halted time. The massive cost's lethargy and despair? I was used to it. Casually offset by pulling jujubes from inventory and munching. No penalty for that insane toll.

"Telekinesis? Nah, gravity manipulation."

In the frozen world, I walked to Sim Chun-sik. One minute's not endless, but plenty. Light Saber severed both his hands. They dropped cleanly. Stump cross-sections textbook-perfect.

Could've killed him outright, but nah. Too merciful. Eyeing my stuff? No mercy death for him.

Time resumed. I saw his pupils dilate up close. To him, I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠teleported right in his face.

"You're a Gravity Control user, huh. Almost tricky."

I chatted him up. His combat stance was crisp—trained martial artist or fighter. Too bad his weapons were trashed.

"Close quarters? I'm confident!"

His words cracked me up. Only after opening his mouth did he notice the numbness in his hands. Staring at gushing stumps, his face twisted in shock, horror, fear, pain. Scream delayed a beat.

"Aaaaagh!"

Sim Chun-sik collapsed helplessly. I stomped his head.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A couple stomps, and he passed out. Boring. Alive, though. Not "lucky" from his view.

"W-who the hell are you!?"

The pantsless dude with his dick flopping spoke in terror. Eyesore. Decided to castrate him.

"One dealer, one healer?"

Finishing the scraps was cakewalk easy.