Chapter 642
Chapter 642
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 642
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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BOOOOM!
A sudden explosion rocked the entire confinement cell, and the shockwave forced open the locked door.
Weeee-ooo-weeee-ooo!
A blaring siren echoed through the air.
"Yu-jin-ssi!"
"Yeah! This is our chance from the heavens!"
I summoned a blade of qi to my fingertip and sliced through the rope binding her neck.
Rilsne gently rubbed her throat with her hand. She seemed unaccustomed to the rope's absence and her newfound freedom.
"Rilsne! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—let's escape!"
"Yes!"
We clasped hands, naked as the day we were born, and dashed out of the confinement cell. From here on, I had to keep a closer eye on Rilsne. If I lost sight of her and she stumbled upon something odd, she might start suspecting me.
We sprinted down a pitch-black corridor where not even a sliver of light penetrated.
"Yu-jin-ssi! There's a room over there!"
"That's not the exit! That's the room where I was locked up!"
I couldn't lead her into that room. It held Alboju's belongings—and mine. I'd have to return later to retrieve them.
At the end of the corridor, we found stairs leading upward. No time to hesitate—we bolted up them. A door blocked the ceiling. Screeech. I shoved it open, and we emerged onto the floor of some ramshackle hut.
The hut was a mess. There was a bed, a table, and empty liquor bottles scattered about. Through the window, we could see outside.
"That damned bastard! Betrayal! Betrayal!"
"The boss betrayed us!"
The Alberg Bandits gnashed their teeth and shouted curses as they chased each other through the woods, weapons in hand.
"Kill Alberg, the boss!"
"Fuck! Does it make sense for the boss to betray us?!"
"Don't even call that fucker the boss anymore!"
I exchanged glances with Rilsne. Their irritated shouts painted a clear picture of the chaos unfolding.
Alberg. Right on schedule, as per our deal.
The Alberg Bandits had taken my money and cooperated. But my contract wasn't with the band—it was one-on-one with Alberg himself. They'd received the advance payment, but only their boss knew the exact terms.
Precisely on the seventh day—today—Alberg would kill all his underlings.
"Yu-jin-ssi! Infighting! Just like you said, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
"Exactly. Hiding here will just get us caught. We need to run."
I scanned the room. Bandit clothes hung on the wall. I grabbed a pair of pants for myself and handed the rest to her. I'd prepared them in advance. Naturally, my smartphone was tucked inside the pants pocket.
"Rilsne, throw on these clothes for now, even if they don't fit perfectly. I'm stepping out for a bit."
"Out... outside?"
"I need a weapon. It'll be fine. It's chaos out there—I can snag one easily. Stay hidden here, just in case."
I slipped out before she could respond. I pulled a suitable sword from my inventory and charged into the forest.
"Gaaahhh!"
Not far off, Alberg was slaughtering his own men.
"Oh. You've come out, have you."
Drenched in blood from head to toe, Alberg grinned at me.
"All wrapped up?"
"Seven left. I know where they all are—ten minutes tops. But... what the hell were you doing in there for a week?"
"Good deeds."
"You're a scheming bastard yourself. Kahaha."
I grabbed one of the bandit corpses strewn across the ground. Its neck was half-severed, a spear lodged in its chest.
"I'm taking this."
"Suit yourself. But what's with the body? Planning to eat it?"
"If I were into human flesh, you lot are the last thing I'd touch."
Alberg laughed in agreement, then suddenly turned serious.
"Forgot something?"
"Right, the agreed payment."
I pulled an envelope from my pocket and tossed it to him.
The contract's reward.
A letter of introduction to Helten, Atlantis's top crime syndicate.
"Kahaha! Now I can swim with the big fish!"
"Head to the location written on the envelope and hand it to the guy there."
I turned away. My deal with Alberg was done. No more entanglements with that scum.
"Kaha. We're gonna be allies, and you're this cold?"
"Good luck."
I walked back to the hut without a backward glance. Alberg would finish off the remaining seven. To join Helten, he'd erase every trace of his pathetic past here.
As I neared the hut, I activated Deception (SS).
The corpse I was dragging transformed. A scrawny bandit's body became Alboju's likeness.
Confirming Deception (SS) had taken hold perfectly, I called out from the hut's entrance in a moderate voice.
"Rilsne! Come out! Alboju's dead!"
"Really?!"
Rilsne emerged. She'd draped only a bandit shirt over her naked body, barely covering her chest. One wrong move, and her pink pussy would peek out.
"See? The body's right here."
"......"
Rilsne fell silent.
Unease crept in. Had she seen through the fake?
Thankfully, no.
Her face twisted. Tears welled in her eyes, and her clenched fists trembled with rage.
"I wanted to kill him myself... To die so pointlessly..."
"Rilsne. He's gone now."
"Yes. I know."
She wiped her tears and met my gaze steadily.
"Yu-jin-ssi. We need to escape now, before it's too late."
"I found a path clear of bandits. Let's go."
"Yes!"
We fled into the forest. None of the bandits pursued us.
"We got lucky. Who'd have thought infighting would break out among them."
"Yu-jin-ssi, do you know why they turned on each other?"
"Bandit squabbles are over money 90% of the time. This is no different. Let's focus on getting away. First, we'll hit the nearest village... and get you some proper clothes."
The next day, we arrived safely at the Eflea Legion.
Rilsne and I kissed and agreed not to report the past seven days' events to Kang Myung-jin separately. He didn't press us for details either, so the matter passed smoothly.
That didn't mean I'd given up on revenge.
Rilsne and I searched for Alberg on our own. But days passed with no trace. Alberg had vanished, and we'd never hear of him again.
Of course, I knew exactly what had become of him.
Zone 20, the Silent Plains.
Alberg arrived at the location specified in the envelope. Massive boulders clustered atop the grassland.
His gaze fixed on one rock at the center.
A man sat quietly atop it.
He wore a stark white octagonal mask devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth.
Alberg addressed him.
"You the boss of Helten?"
"That's right. I'm the head of Helten."
"Your voice doesn't inspire much confidence. No presence. No presence at all."
"Is that so? Doesn't change the fact that I'm Helten's leader."
Alberg sized him up out of habit.
Hard to tell, but I don't think I'd lose. Is this really Helten's boss?
Alberg eyed him suspiciously before speaking.
"I'm here to join Helten. And this is my introduction."
He infused mana into the letter and tossed it over—a petty test of the man's power. The recipient caught and read it effortlessly.
"Why? You're a pretty infamous bandit. What's drawing you to Helten?"
"I wanna play in the big leagues. Too good for just banditry."
"I see."
"What's with that reaction? Is the intro letter fake?"
"The letter's fine. Definitely from Heavenly Demon. But what you want is an executive position, right?"
"Yeah. I'm more than qualified."
"You're not."
The white octagon stated it without hesitation.
"Far from it. Heavenly Demon had something special, even if raw, and he's growing fast. Most executives acknowledge him. You? No spark to catch their eye, and your skills fall way short."
Alberg scowled deeply. No one had ever called out his inadequacies so bluntly. It had been ages since he'd felt this furious.
"So you're saying I'm not cut out to be a Helten exec because of my 'shortcomings'?"
"Yes."
"...Bullshit. Who the hell are you to judge me? I'll show you my power."
Alberg drew his sword and stabbed his own gut. The blade pierced straight through his back.
"Huh?"
Panicking, he tried to pull it out. His arm drove it deeper instead.
He reached with his other hand to extract it. But that hand gouged out his left eye and flung it to the ground.
"What the... hell...?!"
Vomiting blood, he decided to flee. His legs wouldn't obey. They buckled, sending him crashing down.
"Simple illusion."
The voice came from behind. He wrenched his head around.
A cloaked figure in a mirror mask stood there. The mirror reflected Alberg's dying form.
"An illusion that swaps sensory perception. Anyone with decent skill could spot and counter it... but you couldn't even manage that. Feel your incompetence now?"
"Damn... you...!"
Alberg yanked the sword from his belly and hurled it at the mirror mask. It flew straight into his own throat.
"Idiot."
The last thing Alberg heard was the mirror mask's mocking sneer.
"Mirror. You didn't need to step in."
"Heavenly Demon asked me to kill him."
"Huh? Heavenly Demon told me through you that he'd introduce this guy."
"He just said it. Never imagined you'd handle it personally. Surprising, you going out of your way for trash like this."
"Had some free time. And I'm surprised too. You didn't need to intervene."
"I owed him a few favors."
"He must've really grown on you?"
"......"
Mirror fell silent. Octagon savored the quiet before speaking.
"Got some intriguing info on the Decennial."
"Oh? What?"
Octagon shared the details about the Decennial.
"...Thanks. That would've been a hassle without it."
"No biggie. I hate those guys too. Allies gotta help each other."
"Help each other, huh... Found what you're after?"
"Got a rough lead, like always. The real challenge starts now."
"Hmm. Got it. Anything else?"
"Nah. Have fun with the Decennial."
Octagon vanished.
The mirror mask glanced at the boulder where he'd sat, then disappeared.
Only a corpse remained, spilling warm blood.
Back to reality.
I'd amassed over 2,000 points.
More than usual. The reason? Level-up rewards.
+ 700 Points
+ Blank Card
And not just that—I'd scored a special item: the Blank Card.
This Blank Card is incredible.
Blank Card Can be exchanged for any item in the Random Gacha shop. Price: –
※ Note: Can only exchange for one item.
Blank Cards are obtainable only as rewards.
In other words, I could trade this Blank Card for something like a [Playful Life Reset Ticket], [Resurrection of the Dead], or a [30-Day Regression Ticket].
No immediate need right now. But if I do use it, probably for Resurrection of the Dead?
My hands itched. With something this good, I wanted to use it right away.
It's rare—save it for when I need it. Spend the points first...
Total: 2,227 points.
Invest in stats? Or upgrade skills and traits?
The happy dilemma began.