Settling Accounts (1)

As she watched the PVP, Hwa Minseo's gaze narrowed to a sliver.

Just what is he?

Hwa Minseo knew Choi Sooho. The winner of the Beginner League at the PVP Grand Prix held a year ago—that was him. The Chulgyeol Guild under her command had sent plenty of talent to that tournament as well, but none of them had managed to surpass Choi Sooho.

He had been strong even back then, and in the months since, he had grown by leaps and bounds. The mana rolling off him had, in fact, roughly doubled. And yet this man was toying with Choi Sooho the way one humors a small child.

Just how high is his skill stat?

When he cut down the mage spirit, and when he bored in to point-blank range of Choi Sooho right after, Woobin had moved so fast his figure blurred. Which meant his skill stat was on par with her own.

Did he dump everything into skill?

Before her question could even settle—THUD!!! Woobin's fist rapped against Choi Sooho's shield, and an incomprehensible spectacle burst forth.

BOOM!!!! Splat— splat—

Choi Sooho's body had simply exploded, flesh scattering in a gory spray.

Ding—

The moment the message appeared—fwoosh—Choi Sooho's figure regenerated in the very spot where he had blown apart.

"Haaah—!"

Choi Sooho sucked in a deep breath and—hurk—retched.

He exploded?

Hwa Minseo's eyes went round. Granted, PVP matches often ended with someone's neck severed or their heart skewered. But this was a first.

Judging by his speed, the man seemed to have poured every stat he had into skill—so how could his bare-handed attack be that devastating?

What the hell is he...

Hwa Minseo's eyes narrowed to slits.

She had already been wary of Woobin. How he had killed Do Minjun, what that bastard had said at the very end—she had a mountain of questions she wanted to ask him.

But watching this changed her thinking.

He's dangerous.

The Chulgyeol Guild that Hwa Minseo led specialized in disposing of Corrupted Heroes who had made the wanted list. She had met countless criminals in her time.

Toying with the residents of Elid like playthings was merely the baseline; some hunted their fellow heroes for sport. She had witnessed far too many horrific scenes.

Rape was just the opening act—they would set each other's fights upon one another and gamble on the outcome. And the worst of the lot, the absolute worst, were the sons of bitches who savored cannibalism on top of it all.

Every time she looked at that trash, Hwa Minseo renewed her vow: monsters like that had to be cut down at the root before they ever gained power.

So what would happen if that man ever turned Corrupted?

Gulp—

The mere thought raised gooseflesh.

No rash judgments.

Hwa Minseo shook her head and steadied herself. That man had committed no evil whatsoever. If anything, having disposed of Do Minjun, his Karma value had to be extraordinarily high.

But would the mere fear that he might one day turn villain really be justification enough to eliminate him? If she acted on that, wouldn't she be no different from the bastards she despised?

That doesn't mean I can just stand here and watch, though.

Just as Hwa Minseo's interest in Woobin was deepening—

"W-wait a second! This has to be a joke! Hey! Choi Sooho!!!!!"

Seo Heebin came stumbling toward Choi Sooho, breathless.

"Hey! Snap out of it! There's no way you could lose!"

She grabbed him by the collar.

No matter how Seo Heebin turned it over in her head, none of it made sense. Choi Sooho was not weak enough to be steamrolled that badly. And yet he had lost this easily—no, he had died, his whole body blown apart?

Whatever the reason, that wasn't the point.

Seo Heebin's gaze swung toward Woobin.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! Get over here!"

Gritting her teeth, she bore down menacingly on the departing Woobin and reached for his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shoulder without a moment's hesitation.

Flinch—

But her hand never closed on it.

"Don't touch me."

A voice like a blade of ice rolled out. Woobin's unshaking gaze bored into Seo Heebin.

Gulp—

That look froze her solid.

This was a woman who had joined a dragon raid. She had watched mountains melt away under dragonfire, and comrades dying had been part of her daily life. So why?

A chill—

Goosebumps swept her entire body, and then her hands were trembling uncontrollably. She couldn't do anything at all.

Thud—

She simply crumpled where she stood.

"Sob... sob..."

Weeping was all she had left.

"What was that? Wasn't he losing just now?"

"Whoa... that was incredible."

The rookie heroes who had watched the PVP between Woobin and Choi Sooho—Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun—gaped, mouths hanging open in admiration.

Only minutes ago they had been gnashing their teeth over the humiliation of being beaten down by Do Minjun, but not anymore. Swordwork and footwork straight out of a martial arts film, and the mage who had burst onto the stage midway—every moment had made their eyes shine.

There had been one rather shocking scene, though.

"He definitely exploded, right?"

"That's what it looked like to me too... I guess we saw it wrong?"

When that final strike had gone off, Choi Sooho's entire body had detonated, organs and bone spraying in every direction. And yet there he was now, alive and breathing as if nothing had happened. What in the world was going on?

"See? You really can't judge people by their looks."

"Exactly. If Juhee's right, then that man is the one who saved us?"

Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun, who had written Woobin off at a glance because of his ragged appearance, executed a complete one-eighty.

"Hello! I'm Jo Gihun."

"We heard you saved us. Thank you, truly."

At some point Woobin had drawn near, and the two of them bowed at the waist a full ninety degrees.

Woobin stopped in front of Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun and looked them over. Kim Hojun's eyes sparkled as he offered a handshake.

Right up until the PVP, Woobin had felt them looking at him the way one eyes garbage. Not anymore. Call it the expression of men who had just met a Fortune 500 executive—thick with the pretense of currying favor and mooching whatever they could.

He didn't like it, but there was something he needed to verify.

"What are your Traits, by any chance?"

"Huh? Our Traits? Oh! The thing written on the system window. One moment."

Kim Hojun and Jo Gihun fiddled with something in the empty air. Woobin's eyes narrowed at the sight.

Just to be safe.

If their Traits proved more useful than expected, he was willing to keep them around. Worst case, he could always lock them inside Chronos's Secret Workshop and wring their Traits dry.

But that didn't look necessary.

Not bad.

Kim Hojun's Trait raised skill proficiency by 800 percent; Jo Gihun's enhanced cultivation skills. Kim Hojun's especially was good. No—it was outright broken.

Unpacked, that Trait meant that a skill-card grind that would take anyone else ten years could be finished in a single one.

But set against Chronos's Secret Workshop, it felt worse than obsolete—as worthless as garbage.

"Thank you for telling me. What will you two do now? I'm setting off at once."

"Huh? Ah, well, that's..."

"..."

Woobin's question left Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun tongue-tied. However impressive his strength had looked, that was all they had seen of him.

On top of that, with even his lower armor blasted apart during the PVP, Woobin looked more wretched than ever.

He had never intended to take them along in the first place, but there was one thing he wanted to make absolutely clear.

"Who are you going to follow?"

Their options boiled down to four.

1. Follow Seo Heebin of Saber Guild.

2. Follow Hwa Minseo, Guild Master of Chulgyeol.

3. Follow Woobin.

4. Follow no one and play it solo.

Woobin's eyes narrowed, cold.

Whatever they chose was their own business—but there was exactly one outcome he could never tolerate.

Saber Guild.

Rather than hand the 18th Batch Privilege over to those bastards, it would be far more right to eliminate them here and now, even if it meant wrecking his Karma value.

"I..."

Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun's lips moved slowly.

Crunch—

Strength gathered in Woobin's grip. The instant they chose Saber, he had meant to take their heads. But it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

"I'm going to follow her."

"Same here."

Jo Gihun and Kim Hojun pointed at a woman—and at the end of their outstretched fingers stood Hwa Minseo.

It made sense, really. Choi Sooho of Saber had been crushed pitifully by Woobin, and Seo Heebin, the only one who had seemed even remotely dependable, was now sobbing like a child. It was a situation bound to dissolve what little trust they had left.

"What about you, Juhee?"

"I'm going with him."

"That's a shame. I was hoping we'd all go together..."

At Juhee's answer, Jo Gihun let his words trail off in disappointment.

Why is she so obsessed with him?

Jo Gihun scratched his cheek, staring at Min Juhee. No matter how he turned it over, her behavior defied understanding.

Sure, he had seen with his own eyes that the man was strong. But that was all. Trusting someone enough to follow them was a matter belonging to an entirely different realm.

Just look at the man—he seemed too broke to afford a single decent set of clothes.

Hwa Minseo, on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other hand, was a different story. Her skin was so meticulously maintained it practically glowed. And her attire—immaculate to the point of carrying an almost classical elegance. So why on earth was she so desperate to cling to that man...?

"Please take good care of Jia."

Min Juhee handed Yoon Jia over to Jo Gihun, and Woobin started walking.

"Wait! Stick together! Then we'll all survive and meet again, I promise!"

Min Juhee bowed her head and followed after him.

That was when it happened. Hwa Minseo, who had been nothing but an observer until now, stepped out in front of Woobin.

"Hello. Forgive the late introductions. I'm Hwa Minseo—Guild Master of Chulgyeol, and Rank 42."

She offered Woobin a handshake. Woobin stared at her open palm, lost in thought.

So she was lying in wait, after all.

He had expected her to approach him sooner or later. She had been watching his every move without pause ever since the moment she burst out of nowhere and pounded Do Minjun's mangled flesh into paste.

"Are you busy? I'd like a word."

"Yes. I am."

"Just a moment!"

Ignoring her entirely, Woobin walked on.

Ding—

Neigh—!

A colossal horse burst into being before Woobin. Hwa Minseo picked up right where she had left off.

"If you're busy, allow me to help. It will carry you wherever you wish to go."

A frame that topped three meters even on a rough estimate. The mane and horn rising from its head spoke volumes about what this mount was worth.

"Whoa..."

Jo Gihun, who had been watching Woobin and Hwa Minseo, went wide-eyed at the sheer majesty of the beast.

"Holy shit, that's badass."

Wonder and relief welled up inside him at once.

Good thing I chose that woman.

Even the sacred beasts of legend couldn't be that magnificent. And she could summon a creature like that without any conditions attached.

I have to talk her round, right now.

Jo Gihun's eyes shifted. He had to somehow persuade Min Juhee out of the foolish choice she had made. That, at least, was what he had firmly believed.

"No need. I have one too."

But that conviction was about to prove a colossal misjudgment.

Ding—

"Whoa!"

The instant Woobin finished speaking, a wolf burst out in front of Min Juhee. And it was no ordinary wolf.

One and a half times the size of the unicorn Hwa Minseo had summoned. Its lion-like mane and ancient, archaic pelt were so breathtaking he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Whoa..."

Jo Gihun swallowed drily at the sight of Fenrir.

"Should I have picked him after all...?"