Choi Kwang-hyun, Jin Soo-hyun, and Me
Choi Kwang-hyun, Jin Soo-hyun, and me. Just as the three of us were about to shout "We Are the World" and head off to beat the crap out of Oh Chae-rin,
Screeech! Three armored vehicles suddenly burst into the scene from outside the barricade.
For a split second, I thought they might be reinforcements from the Association, but unfortunately, the vehicles were emblazoned with the clear Mad Dog emblem.
"Hurry up and get out!"
"Damn it! We just came out of the dungeon, and they won't even give us a break!"
The vehicle doors flew open, and a group of players poured out in a rush.
Choi Kwang-hyun and Jin Soo-hyun clicked their tongues in annoyance, each muttering a comment.
"Looks like the team that was out raiding externally. They must've heard the headquarters was under attack and rushed back."
"Those worthless scum. No one else to follow, so they end up as dogs for a piece of trash like Oh Chae-rin? Pathetic."
Her speech style feels just like my type, so 'Sung Hyun-sook' shows subtle fondness toward 'Jin Soo-hyun'!
"Uh... yeah. Jin Soo-hyun and Mom do have some similarities somewhere."
I whispered quietly, swallowing the afterthought, 'They're both foul-tempered.'
At that moment.
"Gasp! Choi, Choi Kwang-hyun... and Hwang Jae-min too?!"
"What the hell...! No one said those two were here!"
"No, more than that, what the hell is this...? And who are those kids?"
The Mad Dog members, who had just properly taken in the scene, looked utterly confused. Yeah, they'd be confused. Even overlooking the fact that there were three S-rank players right here,
"Are those kids monsters Jin Soo-hyun brought?"
"They look... kinda human?"
With these bizarre-looking children mixed in, they had no choice but to freeze in shock. They weren't mid-level execs like Kang Tae-sik or Kwon Yong-hwan—just lowly grunts. What would they even know?
Still, maybe...
"You guys probably have no idea what horrific experiments were being conducted in the basement of your own guild."
This could be a good chance to avoid spilling unnecessary blood.
I raised my voice toward the Mad Dog members, who stared at me with blank, dumbfounded expressions. Just like before, I hit the key points crisply, telling them about the experiments.
Then,
"What..."
"Is, is that really true...?"
"No way. Even if... it can't be. No way..."
As the story continued, their faces grew paler and paler by the second.
No point in saying "trust me" over and over—the kids wouldn't disappear just because of that.
"Anyone who wants to believe my words are lies can keep believing that. I'm not in the mood to waste energy convincing you."
「……」
"If looking at these kids still makes you want to fight for Oh Chae-rin, then come at me."
My mana-infused voice echoed widely, like a reverberation.
"I'll gladly take on the blade of anyone with that level of unwavering loyalty."
At this point, seeing this mess and still going for it? I'd have to acknowledge them then.
But clang!thud! The guys, who had been listening silently to my speech, began dropping their weapons one by one.
They glanced sideways at the kids with guilt-ridden faces, then soon hung their heads low.
They're not complete idiots who can't understand words.
At least they have the bare minimum of common sense—'Sung Hyun-sook' glares with bulging eyes!
Being in Mad Dog doesn't mean they're all psychopaths like Oh Chae-rin, right? Seems like they get it, so maybe push a bit more.
"We were just about to head out to beat your boss."
「……」
"Anyone who wants to come along, pick up your weapons again."
A tense atmosphere of conflict flowed quietly among them once more.
Eventually.
"I knew the guild wasn't clean, but this is too much..."
"This shit... yeah, this ain't right..."
"That trash bitch. Even so, messing with kids is crossing the line."
They started picking up their weapons again, indignant. Without a single exception—all of them.
"Looks like all the humans who would side with that lunatic are gone."
"At this point, Oh Chae-rin might as well just end her own life."
Choi Kwang-hyun and Jin Soo-hyun watched the scene with satisfaction, then turned to look up at the top of the building.
The red barriers firmly enveloping the outer walls near the top. Those barriers were turning Mad Dog's headquarters into an impregnable fortress.
Jin Soo-hyun, who had been wrestling with the barriers just moments ago, clicked her tongue.
"Ah, damn it. I get pissed every time I see those. What's the point if her side's all gone? The main culprit's holed up inside, not budging."
"No choice. It'll take time, but we have to call the Association for specialists."
It'd be way more efficient if I just burned them away with ether. But I didn't suggest that optimal solution.
...Or rather, more precisely.
"No need for that."
Just as I said, suggesting a plan was pointless now.
The two turned to me, wondering what I meant by that, and sharply inhaled.
They were seeing the same sight I was.
"...Looks like the main culprit has decided to grace us with her presence personally."
Shhh. In the space between us and the Mad Dog members—right in the middle, bisecting the distance perfectly.
A pitch-black fog like an abyss gathered rapidly, then dispersed.
"...Yeah, that's right. You don't need to come to me."
And when the fog fully cleared.
We finally came face-to-face with the visage we'd been dying to see.
"As you wanted, I've come down here myself."
Oh Chae-rin. She revealed herself, her eyes gleaming with cold cruelty.
The first to speak was Jin Soo-hyun, who had been especially eager to find Oh Chae-rin among us.
"Where'd you sell your right arm?"
Her endearing speech style grows on me more each time—'Sung Hyun-sook' rests her chin on her hand and nods slowly!
Keep doing that, and Mom's face really starts overlapping with Jin Soo-hyun's. Stop it.
Anyway, honestly, I'm curious too. Where the hell did she really sell that right arm?
Right then.
"You..."
Jin Soo-hyun was the one picking the fight, but Oh Chae-rin suddenly glared sharply at me.
Her eyes dripped with such intense killing intent, it felt like she could kill with a look alone.
"Because of you, I lost my right arm, and now I'm about to lose everything...!"
"...How is losing your right arm my fault?"
That natural-born psycho is now trying incitement and fabrication—'Sung Hyun-sook' expresses her rage!
"Sorry for exposing your filthy crimes, but don't go fabricating things that never happened."
"Heh, hehehe... UHAHAHA...!"
Suddenly, Oh Chae-rin threw her head back halfway and burst into mad laughter.
What part of what I said was so funny?
"Uh, hehe...! Heehee... Kehihihi...!"
Once it started, the laughter wouldn't stop. She even clutched her stomach, choking and sputtering.
Choi Kwang-hyun and Jin Soo-hyun grimaced in disgust at the laughter dripping with madness.
"Looks like she's finally lost it."
"She was always crazy. Well, good for us. Chopping off a lunatic's head is like lying down for rice cake—"
Jin Soo-hyun stepped forward boldly but couldn't finish her sentence.
Krunch! Suddenly, black flame tentacles erupted from Oh Chae-rin's left hand.
Toward the kids outside the barricade.
BOOM! But the black tentacles shattered into pieces in mid-air the moment they surged up.
"With that action, I can now judge you on the spot."
Choi Kwang-hyun. One of the top S-rank players. The man called the "Fist King of the Peninsula," was already standing protectively in front of the kids like a guardian deity.
"Hot-blooded—I like it. Yeah. Come at me like that, and I can beat you to death without holding back!"
Choi Kwang-hyun's arms swelled explosively as he slammed them down onto the ground with ferocious force.
-BOOM!
The horrifying seismic wave that erupted from the upheaved earth struck Oh Chae-rin head-on.
A terrific explosion rang out, dust clouds enveloping her, but,
"...Without holding back?"
Shhh. Once the dust cleared, Oh Chae-rin emerged unscathed, without a single scratch.
In front of her stoic expression, a curtain of darkness fluttered lightly.
"Talking about holding back when you've got all those tails behind you? Against me, no less?"
"...Damn Dark Barrier."
Choi Kwang-hyun spat in complaint.
Dark Barrier was a skill that automatically defended against attacks the moment it activated. Seeing the black barrier surrounding her, he furrowed his brow.
"From what I know, Dark Barrier consumes life force instead of mana. What the hell are you planning?"
"Just kill all of you before my life force runs out, problem solved."
"Dreaming with your eyes wide open."
Rumble! At that instant.
A barrage of lightning bolts from the sky scorched the ground where Oh Chae-rin stood into a wasteland.
Beyond the rising white dust, Oh Chae-rin's fierce glare turned upward.
"No matter what, keep pounding it with damage that exceeds the skill's defense, and it'll break eventually, right?"
Jin Soo-hyun taunted from atop the monstrous bird gliding through the sky.
Oh Chae-rin smirked dismissively in response.
"Go ahead and try breaking it, then."
As if her words ignited everyone's fighting spirit.
BOOM! Crackle-boom!
A relentless barrage focused solely on Oh Chae-rin poured in from all directions.
Choi Kwang-hyun's close-range flurry spat fire, and the monstrous bird's lightning at full power unleashed ceaseless thunderbolts.
And it didn't end there.
"Let's join in!"
"Uwaaaah...!"
The Mad Dog members, who had been standing around hesitantly, jumped in too, unleashing their ultimate skills like a storm.
Rat-tat-tat! Everyone uniting to pummel Oh Chae-rin—a beautiful sight.
Watching it made the tip of my nose tingle. Must be my imagination.
...But why have I just been spectating this whole time?
Throw Eye - Form 2 cooldown has not yet ended.
Throw Eye - Form 2 cooldown has not yet ended.
Because I'm charging up my ultimate.
It's about time...
Throw Eye - Form 2 activates!
Seals one skill effect and one trait effect of the opponent for 10 minutes!
"I nearly died straining my eyes this whole time."
I rubbed my sore eye sockets, and a slew of skill lists floated before me.
Of course, no need to agonize over what to pick.
'Fools.'
Oh Chae-rin snorted at the barrage of skills flying from all directions.
Pointless thrashing when they knew it wouldn't work.
These puny skills were like eggs against a rock.
Explosions rang out continuously, the ground shaking nonstop, but her face somehow held a monk-like detachment.
'...Whatever, let these idiots have their fun.'
Even amid the crossfire, Oh Chae-rin's attention was fixed on one place only.
'Hwang Jae-min...!'
The trash who ruined my life. Because of him, my perfect plan had hit an irreversible snag.
'Not content with seducing Lee Ji-yoon and taking the guardian stone, now he's wrecked the lab too...?!'
Constellation 'Witch of Eternal Sleep' glares coldly at agent 'Hwang Jae-min'.
Constellation 'Witch of Eternal Sleep' resolves to definitely kill that bastard!
Setting everything else aside.
If things went wrong one more time because of him, the Witch of Eternal Sleep might really kill me.
'I'll crush your guts and splatter your brains, you damn bastard!'
Sizzle! Dark malice surged over Oh Chae-rin's left hand, fueled by her murderous intent.
At the same time, Choi Kwang-hyun's punch tore through the air from the side.
But Oh Chae-rin didn't even glance at the incoming attack.
Dark Barrier would block it anyway—
-BOOM!!
"Wha, guh...?!"
A force that could shatter steel burrowed into Oh Chae-rin's side.
Her slender body bent like the letter "ㄱ," crushed organs spewing blood from her mouth.
"Hahaha! It's me, Choi Kwang-hyun!"
As the unbreakable Dark Barrier crumbled under his fist, Choi Kwang-hyun burst into a broad grin.
Of course, he had no idea that Jae-min was the real MVP who broke it.
Feeling that thrilling catharsis, Choi Kwang-hyun suddenly teased Jin Soo-hyun.
"Haha! Jin Soo-hyun! Looks like my fist is way stronger than that pet you baby so much after all!"
"What?! You muscle pig, watch your mouth!"
While the two unexpectedly burned with rivalry,
"Hurk, hurk... Uweeeek—!"
Oh Chae-rin, caught off-guard by the blow, braced on the ground and vomited her guts out.
Separate from the soul-exiting pain, she couldn't comprehend the situation.
Wh-why did Dark Barrier break—
But she couldn't even finish that simple thought.
Rumble! Jin Soo-hyun's thunderbird fired lightning from its wings, incinerating the ground and striking her.
"Gaaaaah—?!"
Enveloped in terrifying voltage, her skin charred black, her neat hair standing on end.
After taking Choi Kwang-hyun's straight punch, her body was already wrecked beyond repair.
And in that state, taking another S-rank attack?
Impressive that an S-rank player only ended up hovering between life and death instead of instant death—'Sung Hyun-sook' smacks her lips!
"Fitting for an S-rank. Good thing, though."
Jae-min approached Oh Chae-rin, who lay twitching on the ground, and whoosh wrapped his clenched fist in explosive ether.
"I get to deliver the finishing blow to this natural-born psycho myself."
If she'd died just like that, I'd have felt a bit bitter.
He lowered into a crouch, tensed his thighs, and kicked off the ground like he was pushing it away.
Bang! Jae-min's form shot like a bullet, passing Choi Kwang-hyun and Jin Soo-hyun, arriving before Oh Chae-rin in the blink of an eye.
In his hyper-heightened senses, Oh Chae-rin's fear-filled eyes slowly turned toward him.
Feeling not a shred of pity in that gaze, Jae-min slammed his fist toward her face.
Or rather.
"Wh-what do you mean..."
He tried to.
That terror-stricken gaze wasn't directed at him, and,
"You'll come down here yourself...?!"
Before Jae-min realized it, majestic black flames erupted from Oh Chae-rin's ragged body.
BOOM! A ferocious shockwave hurled the nearest target—Jae-min—far away.
"What the—... Ugh?!"
"Guh, hurk—!"
Choi Kwang-hyun, Jin Soo-hyun, and the Mad Dog members, realizing the anomaly too late, all spat blood under the crushing presence.
As savage killing intent raged like a fire demon over the area.
Foolish was I to trust lowly creatures of the mortal world.
The true words of a colossal being, sapping all will to fight, echoed in everyone's ears.
In a sense of helplessness like their souls were evaporating whole, Jae-min slowly raised his head.
There,
"What the hell..."
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' is disheartened.
A woman clad in pitch-black armor, as if condensed from all the darkness in the world, floated emitting overwhelming majesty.
Her features and build matched Oh Chae-rin's, but no one could perceive the woman before them as Oh Chae-rin.
I shall end this myself.
Witch of Eternal Sleep. The worst constellation had devoured Oh Chae-rin's body and descended upon this place.