Chapter 85: I Am Not Afraid
"I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I am not afraid…."
The man closed his eyes tightly and repeated the same words over and over. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart pounded as if it might burst at any moment. But he couldn't let this fear dominating his mind control him.
"I bear a sacred mission."
Muttering in a solemn tone, the man slowly opened his eyes.
"Yes. Let's embrace it gladly."
He clenched his fist and a faint smile crept across his lips. It was a transcendent expression only someone prepared for death could wear, his eyes gleaming with resolve. Before Yoon Chang-wook stood,
"Ugh, sob…."
"D-don't do it, mister…."
"Mommy…."
the chimeric children, their faces pale as they shed tears.
How had it come to this? Surrounded by bloodstains and corpses everywhere, the children were utterly confused.
A few days earlier.
Lee Tae-ho had arranged a facility near the Association where the chimeric children could stay. The kids were thrilled. Unlike the cold, cramped basement, this place was warm and spacious. The staff managing it were so kind it brought tears to their eyes.
But the happiness didn't last.
"Don't cry, kids. Try submitting to fate like I have. Your heart will feel so much more at ease."
Thirty minutes ago, a man had entered the childcare facility where the children were. Though it was an unfamiliar face, the kids didn't think much of it. He was dressed just like the kind caretakers.
So they figured he was just a new staff member.
Until he suddenly massacred all the caretakers, that is.
"With this, the world will become a little more peaceful. Thanks to your deaths. And my sacrifice."
"Y-you think we'll just die quietly like this…?"
At that moment, one girl stepped forward on behalf of the despairing children. She was the eldest sister figure who'd looked after them all since their basement days. Bravely baring her sickle-like elongated nails in a threat, but Yoon Chang-wook just snorted dismissively.
"Kid. Don't do anything foolish."
"I-I can take you down somehow…!"
"I said don't."
Letting out a small sigh, Yoon Chang-wook reached into his pocket. When his hand emerged again, it gripped a square mechanical device tangled with wires—clearly,
"B-bomb…?"
"Smart girl. That's right. It's a time bomb. If you take even one more step, I'll blow it up."
She sensed it instinctively. This madman would detonate it without hesitation.
With no choice, the girl ground her teeth and backed away—
"Ah, well. Anyway, I planned to do this from the start, even without you."
[00:59]
"Eek, eeeeek?!"
"N-no…!"
Yoon Chang-wook smiled contentedly at the children panicking in terror. It wasn't quite pleasure or sadism—more like the satisfied look of someone who'd accomplished a grand task.
"If I can cut out the seed of danger with my one life, that's not so bad."
He intended to explode here with the children. He'd already set up a barrier outside the building, so escape was impossible anyway.
As the timer ticked down, Yoon Chang-wook fervently wished,
"I hope the Captain doesn't forget my noble sacrifice—."
But he couldn't finish his murmur.
Crunch.
A gruesome sound of flesh tearing interrupted him.
"…Huh?"
Yoon Chang-wook looked down at his solar plexus, burning like fire.
Or maybe that phrasing was a bit off.
"Wh-what…?"
Because there was no solar plexus left to look at.
The moment he registered the golf-ball-sized hole punched through it,
"Guh—."
Dark red blood gushed from Yoon Chang-wook's mouth in surges. A shrill ringing filled his ears as his vision flipped upside down.
"Wh-what…."
As his body crumpled weakly, he slowly turned to look behind him.
There stood someone he never expected, breathing heavily.
"H-Hwang Jae-min…."
Why was Hwang Jae-min here?
'M-more importantly….'
Thud.
Before the thought could continue, Yoon Chang-wook's body collapsed limply. In his fading consciousness, his last thought was a trivial question: how had Jae-min pierced the barrier?
"Not even an hour since I got back from training! Not even!"
No time for more complaints. I bolted forward and snatched the time bomb he'd dropped.
[00:05]
Five seconds left until explosion. Could I make it?
Whoooosh—!
Mana swirled into my right arm at twenty cycles per second.
[00:04]
Bam—!
I exploded the condensed power in my calf and leaped straight to the ceiling in one bound. As my missile-like body reached it, I swung my fist,
[00:03]
BOOM—!
A deafening roar punched a massive hole in the ceiling, revealing the night sky beyond.
[00:02]
The chilly night wind hit my face. I hurled the bomb in my hand as high as I could with all my strength.
And….
KABOOOM—!!
Unexpected fireworks lit up the black sky. Even thrown high enough to look like a speck, the shockwave reached us.
"…If that had really gone off, it wouldn't have just taken out this building—the whole Association would've been toast."
Landing back on the floor through the hole in the ceiling, I turned to the children.
"Kids, you okay?"
"Sob, sob…."
"…Looks like no one's hurt, at least."
But it was hard to relax fully with all the dead Association staff around.
"What the hell is all this…."
I'd thought the training would take three months, but it ended early, leaving me with just over two months of spare time. I hadn't planned to slack off completely, but….
"That doesn't mean I wanted a crisis the second I got back!"
'What if our son♡ collapses from overwork?' Sung Hyun-sook is fretting!
The moment I returned to Earth, the first thing I did was check my phone. And the very first message I saw was,
…from Uncle Tae-ho. I imagine this is how George Bush felt watching 9/11. After that, well, I raced here like a bullet and took charge, as you can see.
Damn suicide bomber punk— one pebble from behind and he keeled over on his own. The barrier he'd set up outside melted away with Ether.
'Where the hell did this psycho come from?' Sung Hyun-sook is pissed!
"Guess it's time to check that now."
He looks like Association staff at a glance… but obviously a disguise. Pretty calculated suicide attack. Timed perfectly when Choi Kwang-hyun and the other Association players are out raiding gates.
"Player Hwang Jae-min! Are you inside? We're entering too!"
Shouts from the military and police outside. I quickly replied,
"Not yet! There's still unexploded ordnance—processing it now!"
Of course, the only bomb was the one I tossed into the sky earlier. Just a lie to buy time for Greed Photography.
"Kids. What you're about to see? Don't tell anyone."
I pressed a finger to my lips, and they nodded obediently. Cute kids.
Click—!
I snapped a photo of the terrorist with the camera summoned from Pandora's Box.
Successfully preserved the target's memories on the 'Film'!
Play back the photographed target's memories?
"Play."
***
Yoon Chang-wook took a deep breath in front of a door made of fine wood. He knocked—tap tap.
—Come in.
The voice was in English, but there was no issue understanding it. Subtitles appeared, after all.
Wow, great service.
—Then, pardon the intrusion.
Yoon Chang-wook opened the door to an ordinary office. Its owner sat with his back turned.
Greed Photography was first-person view by default, so the man's identity in the chair remained unknown.
Yoon Chang-wook spoke politely.
—I heard you called for me.
—Sit.
Yoon Chang-wook sat in the opposite chair, and the real talk began.
—It's been nearly three years since you joined our guild.
—Yes, that's right.
—Any regrets?
—Regrets? On the contrary, I feel like my real life began after joining.
The backdrop was a guild in an English-speaking country— a big one, judging by the office size.
—Your contributions have been… more than noteworthy.
—The Captain gave me the power and chance to get revenge on monsters. I've been ready to give my life for the guild.
—…Your fiancée, betrothed even, died to a monster, right? Such a tragic story.
Boring. Let's fast-forward a bit.
Soon, Yoon Chang-wook's hand grabbed a newspaper from the desk corner. I paused the fast-forward at the headline.
—I hear a Korean guild called Mad Dog experimented by grafting monster body parts onto kids.
—I've heard about it.
—Then we'll talk fast.
The front page featured photos of the chimeric children.
—Monster genes synthesized into human bodies before egos fully form…. Do you know what that means?
—…High risk they'll go berserk.
—Exactly.
Exactly my ass. What kind of brain jumps like that in conversation?
…No, calm down. Fine, it's a valid point, even if I can't agree.
The problem was,
—Huge potential for casualties from these chimeras. Walking bombs.
—Bombs should be defused. Better someone puts them down mercifully.
—Better to be killed than live as unstable monsters, I say.
These two's bullshit was getting refreshingly absurd.
'Did they both get Botox in their brains?' Sung Hyun-sook is baffled!
Yeah. Spouting that crap with straight faces—pure comedy gold.
Anyway, the rest is obvious. Yoon Chang-wook disguises as Association staff and carries out the suicide bombing on his boss's orders—something like that.
What I'm curious about is the identity of this so-called boss who gave the order.
'Is that guy a photosynthesizing plant?' Sung Hyun-sook is frustrated!
"This guy's been staring out the window for minutes while talking to a person."
About to fast-forward to ID him,
—You said you're ready to give your life for the guild, right?
Creak.
Finally, the boss spun his chair, revealing his face.
—Can you prove it?
"Bigger scale than I thought…."
I clicked my tongue. This blond middle-aged man with a dignified air was Milo Holt, captain of Britain's Giant Guild Sword and Glory—and a mega ranker at 13th in the World Player Rankings.