Chocolates from Family and Friendship Chocolates Don't Count!
"Chocolates from family and friendship chocolates don't count! And those bulk ABC Chocolates handed out to the entire class or office are just sad! Trying to find meaning in those only makes you look pathetic!"
A fatal blow!
Domian choked back his tears. To have everything denied so utterly!
"Torrential Rock-Crushing Strike!"
As Domian unleashed his attack, fueled by pure, blue-hot rage, Mari's eyes widened.
"Th-that's...!"
It was undoubtedly the exact same technique Yunjae had used during the random portal incident. Of course, Yunjae's version was vastly superior in both scale and speed, but to see the same skill!
Could it be...?
Lupinus had mentioned there were three heroes before Yunjae. If he was using the exact same technique, he had to be one of them, right?
"Ah! The Torrential Rock-Crushing Strike has a weakness."
Swoosh.
Yunjae effortlessly dodged the first blow of Domian's Torrential Rock-Crushing Strike and thrust his fist forward.
Thud!
"Gah!"
"It's powerful, but the combo chain is easily broken."
Yunjae clearly had no intention of stopping at a single strike. In the blink of an eye, he materialized right next to the flying Domian.
"And it's highly vulnerable to fast movement."
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Instead of using a skill, he unleashed a rapid barrage of basic attacks.
Boom!
"Cough!"
Domian collapsed, reeling from the devastating impact.
"You're a former hero, aren't you? But why are you attacking me?"
By nature, Yunjae was polite and kind to everyone. But even a child could tell the difference between hostility and goodwill. The emotion Domian directed at him was pure, unadulterated malice. Under the circumstances, Yunjae saw no reason to play nice.
After all, he was the type to hold a serious grudge!
"You frustrating piece of trash!"
Boasting incredible regenerative powers, Domian lunged forward to attack once more.
"You seem to be wearing something like Megrun's Armor, judging by how fast you're recovering."
Megrun's Armor! It was the best mid-tier health regeneration item, and Yunjae had used it himself in the past. But now, it was nothing more than junk he had long since sold off to a general store!
"You...!"
Domian's eyes trembled as Yunjae instantly identified his gear.
This bastard, what on earth is he...!
With that ridiculous "Slender Forearms" title floating over his head, his fragile, delicate appearance, and his pathetic inability to even lead a woman—getting all flustered just because he hugged her and felt her chest—how could someone so loser-like be this strong?
Realizing he couldn't win like this, a furious Domian decided to pull out his trump card.
"Meteor Rock Smash!"
He unleashed one of the strongest single-target damage skills in existence.
*Flash!*
In an instant, hundreds of blue energy projectiles materialized in the sky.
"What in the world is that?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Mari!"
Hearing the commotion, Akemi and Suyeon rushed out of the shop, only to witness a terrifying sight.
*Rumble!*
Hundreds of blue energy spheres rained down toward Yunjae.
"Yu-Yunjae!" the girls screamed in horror.
"I'll end you!"
Domian smirked, unleashing the true follow-up of Meteor Rock Smash—a rapid barrage of Rock-Crushing Strikes.
What made Meteor Rock Smash so terrifying was that the hundreds of blue energy projectiles locked down the target's movements, while the subsequent barrage of Rock-Crushing Strikes stacked damage with every single hit. With a base physical damage multiplier of 250% per strike, hitting the target just ten times would result in a staggering 2,500% physical damage. It was truly one of the strongest single-target skills in the game.
"Die! You frustrating bastard!"
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Domian rained merciless punches down upon Yunjae.
Thick dust billowed into the air, completely obscuring their vision.
"Yunjae!"
Mari shrieked his name. Unlike usual, she didn't see the word `MISS` floating in the air, which sent a jolt of panic through her.
Swoosh.
But at that exact moment, Yunjae materialized behind Domian's back, stepping out from the haze of dust.
"I'm sorry, but I told you—all Rock-Crushing Strike techniques are highly vulnerable to movement."
"You...!"
Startled, Domian spun around and threw a desperate backspin blow, but—
Yunjae didn't even bother to dodge, yet the attack completely failed to connect.
"You bastard...!"
Grab.
In that split second, Yunjae grabbed Domian by the head.
"I believe I've gone easy on you long enough."
"S-shut up!"
Whoosh!
"Gah!"
Yunjae hurled Domian high into the sky.
"If you can't even grasp the difference in our levels, there's no point in holding back anymore."
"Whoa!"
As Domian hurtled upward at terrifying speed, utterly bewildered, a chillingly calm voice echoed from below.
"Let's finish this."
"Meteor Rock Smash."
At that moment, the heavens rumbled.
*Rumble!*
"Th-this is...!"
Blue energy spheres began to paint the sky, but their scale was on an entirely different dimension compared to the ones Domian had summoned.
"Ah...!"
The blue light blanketing the sky looked like a grand fireworks festival—no, like a brilliant aurora. It was a sight of pure, breathtaking wonder.
A glowing, blue night sky. It was an incredibly beautiful and romantic view, but—
*Shiver!*
Domian knew better than anyone what would happen once that colossal mass of energy rained down.
"Wh-who on earth are you...?!"
Suspended in midair, unable to move or dodge, Domian stared down in sheer despair at Yunjae—a monster who outclassed him hundreds of times over in both experience and raw power.
"Ah! I'm 'frustrating,' remember?"
With that petty, grudge-fueled retort—
*Flash!*
The blue meteors of the Meteor Rock Smash engulfed Domian.
"Aaaaargh!"
Even the powerful regeneration of Megrun's Armor was utterly useless against hundreds of meteors unleashed by a max-level player.
*Boom-boom-boom-boom!*
Domian writhed in agony, feeling as if his entire body was being torn to shreds. But—
This isn't even the real attack!
The terrifying truth was that this was only the setup.
"Whew..."
Down below, Yunjae was taking a deep breath, preparing the true finishing blow of Meteor Rock Smash—the rapid-fire barrage of Rock-Crushing Strikes!
*Shiver!*
This wasn't just some Demon King-class power! No, this felt even stronger than the Great Demon King-class entity that had forced Domian to his knees.
I'm going to die! I'm going to be killed!
This wasn't the game world anymore. If he died here, it was over for good!
"S-spare me...!"
Just as Domian's raw survival instinct burst forth in a desperate plea, a soft *swoosh* echoed.
A portal suddenly snapped open.
"Wh-what is that?!"
*Flash!*
The portal instantly swallowed Domian and vanished.
While everyone stood dazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened, Yunjae kept his eyes locked onto a single spot in the air.
"...Who are you?"
He was looking at the beautiful girl with icy-blue hair and deep blue eyes who had appeared alongside the portal, gazing down at him.
It was Rozamy!
"As I thought, you are the greatest obstacle."
At the sound of her voice, Mari, Akemi, and Suyeon quickly rushed to Yunjae's side.
"The mastermind?!"
But wasn't she far too delicate to be a mastermind? The girl possessed a breathtaking beauty that could rival even the Goddess Lupinus. As the girls stared in disbelief, Yunjae's face flushed red as he stammered out a question.
"You are...?"
"I will eliminate you soon. Prepare yourself, Slender Forearms!"
Yunjae flinched.
"Ah! It's so embarrassing when you shout that name with such a serious face!"
Seeing him turn bright red and squirm in sheer embarrassment, Rozamy's own face flushed.
"S-shut up! I'm embarrassed too!"
As it turned out, she was just as mortified as he was!
"M-my name is Lim Yunjae! Please call me that instead of Slender Forearms from now on!"
It had been a long time since Yunjae had found himself in such an awkward situation. When he made his plea, Rozamy, equally embarrassed, nodded in agreement.
"I-I will do that!"
For a confrontation between mortal enemies, the atmosphere was bizarrely shy and awkward.
"What is even happening..."
If anyone was truly bewildered, it was Rozamy.
"I will remember that, Lim Yunjae!"
She had been so incredibly embarrassed and mortified having to shout that ridiculous username! Relieved that she could finally escape the nightmare of saying it, Rozamy's expression brightened slightly as she shouted.
Yunjae nodded politely.
"Yes! Thank you!"
Hearing his bright, cheerful response, Rozamy's face flushed red once more.
W-what is wrong with this guy?
The mastermind and the hero had finally met, so why was the atmosphere so incredibly bashful? He was entirely different from any hero she had ever known. Even compared to Domian, whom she had just rescued, the difference was night and day. Looking at his pure, clear eyes and his shy demeanor...
I miss him.
For a fleeting second, a deep sorrow flickered in Rozamy's eyes.
"Ah...?"
Noticing the sudden shift in her expression, Yunjae tilted his head in confusion.
"Ngh!"
Feeling his gaze, Rozamy grew even more flustered. Moreover, the realization of how passionately she had just yelled "Slender Forearms" came crashing back, making her face burn with intense embarrassment.
*Sizzle!*
"A-anyway, just you wait!"
She hastily opened a portal and vanished into it.
"Eee?!"
Seeing Yunjae stand completely still until the very end, the girls cried out in disbelief.
"Why did you just let her go, Yunjae?!"
"Yeah! She's clearly the mastermind!"
"She is!"
Even the usually quiet Suyeon raised her voice. They couldn't understand why he had let her escape when she was clearly the enemy they needed to stop.
With a bright red face, Yunjae mumbled, "But... she was wearing a skirt and floating in the sky, so I couldn't grab her...!"
So that was why he had been blushing and acting so embarrassed ever since Rozamy appeared.
"You pervert! You let her go just because you got a free show?!"
"Ah! Actually, she felt like one of those characters who's secretly a good person!"
Mari snapped at his excuse. "Shut up! She's only a 'good person' to you because she flashed her panties!"
"Ah! Th-that's not all of it, but I really have a weak spot for white...!"
"You even saw the color?! You're not just secretly a pervert, you're doing it out in the open!"
"Yeah! You're a pervert, Yunjae!"
"Ah! I only called white 'white,' why is everyone ganging up on me?! And I've always been like this! I've been a virgin for seventy-seven years!"
Seeing how he openly admitted to being a pervert despite his blushing, he clearly had no intention of hiding his true thoughts. It made one wonder if he had been corrupted by Lupinus's influence.
"Shut up, you dummy!"
Amused but inexplicably annoyed, Mari playfully smacked his arm. Of course, there was no way it would actually hit...
*Smack!*
"Ow! That hurt, Mari!"
"Huh?"
Unlike usual, there was no `MISS` text floating above his head. Instead, she felt the solid impact of her hand against his skin.
"...Oh?"
Mari stared at her hand, utterly dumbfounded.
Watching her reaction, Yunjae chuckled softly.
"It wasn't registered as a physical attack."
It didn't trigger the combat system.
Ah!
Did that mean he had opened his heart to her, so the system no longer recognized her actions as hostile?
*Thump!*
Realizing this, Mari felt her heart skip a beat, a sudden warmth spreading through her chest.
"Me too!"
Akemi immediately copied Mari and smacked Yunjae's arm, but—
The result was different.
"Eee?! Why?!"
"Ah! I don't really know either! But earlier, it just didn't register as a physical attack!"
As Yunjae flusteredly explained his ignorance, Akemi turned to Suyeon.
"Suyeon, you try too!"
"Huh? M-me too...?"
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Urged on, Suyeon gently tapped Yunjae's arm.
Akemi stared at Mari with an incredibly solemn expression.
"W-why are you looking at me like that?!"
Even though they were close friends, Akemi liked Yunjae just as much as Taerin did, so she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Unable to find any logical explanation for the difference, she asked with a thoroughly dejected face:
"...Mari, are you wearing white underwear today?"
The Dignity of a Hero 1
"That absolute bastard!"
*Slam!*
Domian could not contain his fury.
"Aaaaargh!"
Ever since his crushing defeat at the hands of the Great Demon King Zola, he had been consumed by darkness for a very long time. Having already fallen from grace and lost his qualifications as a hero long before that, his prolonged exposure to the darkness had stripped away his self-control, leaving him far more violent and unstable than ever before.
"How dare that frustrating piece of trash...!"
Thanks to the power of Megrun's Armor, his physical wounds had already healed, but the crushing weight of his defeat against Yunjae refused to fade. He hadn't landed a single blow. Worse, he had been forced to experience the agonizing terror of his own signature skill, Meteor Rock Smash, unleashed at a scale so vastly superior to his own that it had left him on the very brink of death.