SSS-Rank Talent (5)
I watched Kim Dokja look down on Antinus with that confident expression of hers, then snuck a sidelong glance at the window of My Room right beside me.
There, Shin Yooseung was trembling in both arms and legs, wearing a tearful face as she desperately tried to support Yoo Joonghyuk.
I let out a short sigh at the sight, opened the door to My Room, stepped inside, and walked over to the two of them before addressing Yoo Joonghyuk.
"You're getting propped up by Yooseung, who's shorter and weaker than you?"
"Shut up."
"O-Oppa…."
"Aigoo. Our little Yooseung's got it rough."
I adjusted the window of My Room a little lower and bought two chairs with plush cushions from the general store so Yoo Joonghyuk and Shin Yooseung could watch in comfort.
"Sit here and enjoy the show. Stop bullying our Yooseung. Anyway, I'm heading back out."
"………Tsk."
Yoo Joonghyuk clicked her tongue while staring at me, then sat on the chair I'd set up and gazed out through the window.
…You're going to sit anyway, so why the tongue-clicking?
I found myself wondering at how often Yoo Joonghyuk acted like an asshole cat, but decided to ignore it. An asshole cat's behavior wasn't something you analyzed or figured out.
Asshole cats are creatures beyond comprehension.
That was the hard-earned wisdom from getting my arms and legs bitten for no reason and pummeled with cat punches by the asshole cat my friend used to keep.
I pulled my gaze away from Yoo Joonghyuk and handed a bag of popcorn and a bottle of cola to Shin Yooseung, who was looking up at me.
"Eat this while you watch."
"Thank you, Oppa."
I patted the head of Shin Yooseung as she smiled up at me, then stepped back outside My Room.
The moment I did, Kim Dokja seemed ready to use pressure-point strikes on Lee Seolhwa's body—she snatched Seolhwa's arm.
And then—
Pat! Pa-pat! Pat!
Just as I'd expected, Kim Dokja calmly struck pressure points on Lee Seolhwa's forehead, neck, both shoulders, and solar plexus.
Thud!
Antinus, hit by Kim Dokja's pressure points, collapsed on the spot and soon let out a scream of agony.
"Kieeeeek! It hurts! It huuurts!"
"Oof…."
I'd never been hit with pressure points myself, so I couldn't fully relate, but from the way she was screaming like that, it must have hurt like hell.
Swoosh.
That's that, but I've still got a job to do.
I pulled out the instant camera again. Lee Seolhwa's greatest black history was about to drop, and I had a duty to capture it.
All for the sake of my retirement fund (selling black-history photos of Kim Dokja Company members), of course.
"Kihiiek! Kihiit…! Kyaaaaaaak…!"
As time passed, the screams spilling from Lee Seolhwa's mouth gradually shifted from Antinus's insectile scraping voice back to Seolhwa's own original tone.
And soon, her graceful throat began to heave.
"Ugh…! Uweeeeek…!"
Gulp! Gulp!
"Shit…."
A moment later, Lee Seolhwa's throat convulsed violently, and thick yellow mucus began pouring from her mouth.
She had started vomiting up Parasite Antinus.
"Kgh… Ugh…! Uweeeek… Kkeuugh…."
Lee Seolhwa kept vomiting yellow mucus without end. It was a volume no one could possibly believe had come from a single person.
And I—
Click! Click! Click!
—photographed her shameful state from every possible angle.
"Mmm…! Nice, real nice! How about titling it 'Lee Seolhwa After a Company Dinner!'?"
"…Stop that right now, you lunatic…."
Kim Dokja finally noticed what I was doing and glared daggers at me as she started objecting. I just shrugged, snapped a few more shots, and stashed the camera and photos in My Room.
Before long, as if she'd finished expelling Antinus, Lee Seolhwa slowly lifted her head with an utterly drained expression.
Maybe vomiting Antinus had completely wiped out her stamina—there was no focus left in her eyes.
Even if she looked at us right now, she probably couldn't make out our faces properly.
Yet Lee Seolhwa forced strength into her trembling pupils and her mouth that was gasping for breath, and managed to open her lips with great effort.
"…W-Who are you people?"
"We're Yoo Joonghyuk's…."
"Whoa, whoa!"
I hurriedly cut Kim Dokja off, opened the window of My Room beside me, and said,
"I'm Park Jinwoo, and this beauty in the shabby brown suit next to me is Kim Dokja. And just like Dokja was about to say, we were sent by the black beast… wait, no, no. We were sent by Yoo Joonghyuk, who's right here in this window!"
"…Yoo Joonghyuk?"
Lee Seolhwa laboriously turned her head and looked at Yoo Joonghyuk inside the window beside me. Yoo Joonghyuk bombarded me with a torrent of silent curses through her eyes.
When Lee Seolhwa looked at her, Yoo Joonghyuk quietly met her gaze in return.
That was when the two archangels' indirect messages arrived.
Constellation, 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius', greatly enjoys this scene!
Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire', scrunches her face at the words of 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius'.
"You two should just change your names. Let's go with Uriel and Gabziel, period."
It suited them better, honestly.
Crackle-zap!
The moment I twisted Uriel and Gabriel's names a little, small sparks crackled in the air.
…So even mangling their true names is off-limits?
As I stared at those sparks for a moment, the two constellations' indirect messages floated up before my eyes.
Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire', whines softly at you that it stung.
Constellation, 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius', glares at you and lightly scolds that a constellation's true name is not to be spoken carelessly.
"Even twisting them is a no-go?"
Several constellations answer your question by saying it differs slightly from constellation to constellation.
"Ah, is that so?"
I'd just gained new intel from the constellations.
Right then, the yellow mucus Lee Seolhwa had vomited began to twitch little by little. I was the first to notice. I approached Lee Seolhwa, helped her up, opened the door to My Room, and looked at Kim Dokja as I spoke.
"Dokja, that thing's moving. I'm putting Seolhwa in My Room first."
"Got it."
At my words, Kim Dokja turned her head and glared at the yellow mucus—no, at Antinus.
I looked at Lee Seolhwa, who was still breathing hard with a strained expression, and said,
"We'll take care of the bug bitch who hijacked your body. Rest inside for a bit."
"…Thank you so much for saving me."
"Save the thanks for Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk, who actually rescued you earlier. All I did was watch and help you up, that's it."
Lee Seolhwa gave a small nod at my words.
I supported her and brought her into My Room. Inside, Yoo Joonghyuk was sitting on a chair glaring at me, while Shin Yooseung watched me while munching popcorn.
"Joonghyuk-ah. Don't glare at me like that. You're scaring me…."
"…Shut up. And who the hell is 'Joonghyuk'? My name is Yoo Joonghyuk."
I ignored her fierce glare and walked toward the bed while still supporting Lee Seolhwa. Then I whispered to Seolhwa in a low voice.
"That bad-tempered woman is Yoo Joonghyuk. She looks after her own people better than you'd think, so you don't have to worry too much."
"Who are you calling bad-tempered?"
"…See what I mean?"
Lee Seolhwa let out a soft chuckle at that. Then she looked at me and asked,
"You two must be quite close."
"I think we are."
"Who the hell is close with that bastard?"
Lee Seolhwa's words and both my voice and Yoo Joonghyuk's rang out through My Room at the same time. I felt a prickling gaze on my back but ignored it.
A short while later, after safely laying Lee Seolhwa on the bed, I looked down at her and said,
"Rest here until this is over. Leave the rest to us."
"…Thank you. Then I'll excuse myself for a moment."
With those words, Lee Seolhwa closed her eyes, and soon her soft breathing could be heard.
Kim Dokja's pressure points had freed her from Antinus's grip, but the stamina drain must have been severe. To pass out this instantly….
…Not much left now.
Soon we would be fighting the Disaster of Questions.
I looked down at Lee Seolhwa for a moment and sank into thought.
…Everything so far has gone according to plan.
But there was one problem.
Because of me, Kim Dokja hadn't obtained the Imuntar Talisman. Thanks to that, she still had no idea just how terrible her talent was, and she seemed to have somewhat let go of her lingering attachment to the Path of the Wind.
If things went wrong, Kim Dokja might never learn the Path of the Wind because of me.
I propped my chin and thought about the male Kim Dokja who appeared in the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint webtoon.
In the webtoon, male Kim Dokja's main techniques had clearly been two.
One was Kyrgios Rodgraim's Electrification.
The other was Lycaon's Path of the Wind.
If Kim Dokja can't learn the Path of the Wind here, it leads to a weakening of her combat power. That could seriously hinder scenario progress.
If that happened, both Kim Dokja Company and I would be in deep trouble.
"Hmm…."
I'd decide on this problem a little later. If it really came down to it, I could just pretend to retire or something.
Right then, the Imuntar tribe's talisman I'd tucked in my pocket began to tremble faintly.
Wooooong!
He's here. Lycaon.
I hurriedly dashed out of My Room. At the same time, a silver flash of light could be seen racing toward us from far away.
"Lycaon!"
Whoosh!
Whether he heard my shout or not, Lycaon flew toward me at high speed and landed precisely in front of me.
"I apologize for my lateness, Hoju."
Lycaon bowed his head to me with an expression of deep shame, then rose to his feet.
Antinus, who had been behind Lycaon, looked at him with a startled face and spoke.
"Lycaon…?"
Swoosh.
When Antinus mentioned his name, Lycaon turned his back, bared his fangs, and glared fiercely at her.
Grrrr—!
"Antinus. What in the world is this?"
At Lycaon's question, a sneer curled at the corner of Antinus's mouth. Seeing that sneer, Lycaon's expression hardened as he asked,
"Have you forgotten our mission? Why are you fighting the humans of this world?"
"Kit-kit, mission? Did we ever have such a thing?"
I watched Antinus as she wore a mocking expression while looking at Lycaon. If I wasn't mistaken, self-loathing filled her pupils.
Then who was that sneer directed at? At us humans, the same species as the Disaster of Questions? Or at Lycaon, one of the five survivors of Chronos who shared her position?
Or was it at herself—the one who had survived in place of her destroyed world and kingdom, her exterminated species, and her own children?
Unable to find the answer, I simply watched Antinus in silence.
Then Lycaon began speaking to Antinus in a tone that sounded almost like admonishment.
"We are guides. Beings who show the correct path to the inhabitants of other worlds so they may stand against the disasters that come."
Antinus wiped the sneer from her lips and looked at Lycaon as she spoke.
"You've already been bewitched by the dokkaebis. Snap out of it, Lycaon."
"The one who needs to snap out of it is you, Antinus!"
Lycaon glared at Antinus with eyes full of regret, then answered her in a voice thick with agitation.
"Have you forgotten the sacrifices of Chronos's warriors? We must stop the disaster here. Cooperating with the lifeforms of this place to protect the terraformed planet and rebuild Chronos's civilization in this world! That is our sacred mission!"
Antinus listened to Lycaon's words in silence, then let out a sigh laced with lament and opened her mouth.
"Lycaon, that is impossible. This planet will meet the same end as our Chronos. That is the fate of a planet chosen by the 'scenarios'."
"No. This time is different."
Lycaon turned his head slightly and glanced at me as he spoke.
"My Hoju is one who slew a lesser disaster before the disasters even began. As proof, he even holds our tribe's talisman. Perhaps… just perhaps… he may be able to stop the destruction."
"Snap out of it, Lycaon! It was merely a lesser disaster! Not even the original—just a lesser disaster. A degraded copy like that is something even the warriors of Chronos could have stopped any number of times."
"I know. The warriors of Chronos could certainly have stopped a lesser disaster. But remember this, Antinus! Earth is only now at its fifth scenario! There has never been a planet that slew a lesser disaster before the fifth even began! Especially since Hoju here toyed with that lesser disaster as he killed it! There is still hope on this planet!!"
Antinus turned her head and looked at me. I met her gaze in return.
After locking eyes with me for a moment, Antinus turned back, glared at Lycaon, and continued in a trembling voice.
"Lycaon…. You know full well what Earth means to us Chronosians."
"That is…."
The thick despair and hatred in her eyes and voice left Lycaon looking speechless for the first time.
"See?! You know it too, Lycaon!! What that 'disaster' born on Earth did to us Chronosians—especially to our 'Parasite' and your 'Imuntar' tribes?!"
"…………."
"That 'disaster' was born on this Earth, crossed over to our Chronos planet, and slaughtered you and our species! No—exterminated us!! It killed my world, my kingdom, my kin, even my precious children—every last one of them!!"
"……Antinus."
"Don't play the hypocrite, Lycaon!! You came here to stop the disaster? If you truly intended to help these people, why didn't you oppose it from the start when the disaster's destination was set as 'Earth'?"
"That is…."
"The other Chronos survivors of different tribes are the same! That haughty bird bitch of the Belkia tribe! That self-proclaimed sage of Mistylene! That monkey bastard from the center! Not a single one of them opposed it when the disaster's destination was decided as 'Earth'!!"
"………………."
No one could speak in the face of Antinus's voice, thick with despair, screams, and hatred.
Antinus gasped for breath, then tightly gripped the carapace over her chest and muttered in a hate-filled whisper.
"…I will absolutely take revenge on Earth and on the humans who brought disaster upon my world, my species, and my precious children."
At that moment, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah, who had been secretly listening to Lycaon and Antinus's conversation, approached me and Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung glanced at the guides of Chronos and asked,
"Hey, what the hell are those guys talking about right now?"
"…………."
Kim Dokja remained silent at Han Sooyoung's question, glaring hard at the guides of Chronos.
Antinus flapped her wings and continued.
"Lycaon. You are the same as me. We guides of Chronos came to this planet for revenge! To repay the ones who brought disaster upon us with the exact same disaster!!"
"Antinus! If you do such a thing, you will die as well. The probability of the Star Stream will not forgive a guide's unilateral actions. And your Parasite species will vanish forever from this universe!"
Lycaon looked straight at Antinus and continued.
"Benevolent queen of the Parasites, Antinus. Think once more. For the sake of your species, your kingdom, and your children, you must not die so meaninglessly like this."
"Lycaon! The 'Antinus' you knew died long ago in our homeland along with the Parasites!"
"…Is that so. Completely consumed by hatred, then. Has the wise and benevolent Antinus of those days already become a ghost of the past?"
Lycaon glared at Antinus with murderous eyes, then bared his fangs and growled low.
"Antinus. You have thrown away even your final chance."
"Kit-kit-kit! Lycaon! Pitiful wolf of the Imuntar! Have you forgotten the history of Chronos?"
Confirming Lycaon's murderous demeanor, Antinus flapped her wings and rose higher.
"That a wolf has never once defeated the insects!"
Grrrrrrr—!!
"I am not the 'Imuntar' you knew! Antinus!!"
At Lycaon's roar, Antinus giggled and mocked him.
"Kiit… How amusing! I shall see for myself how much your 'Path' has grown!"
5th Grade Insect King Species, 'Parasite Antinus' has activated Accelerating Wings Lv.8.
Buzzzzzz!
The sound of a giant hornet's wingbeats rose from Antinus's wings. Her wingbeats gradually quickened, and then—
she charged straight at Lycaon.
Whoosh!!
5th Grade Insect King Species, 'Parasite Antinus' has activated Mantis Ironbreaker Lv.8.
Antinus's arms transformed into mantis scythes and slammed down toward Lycaon.
It was a technique that combined speed, mass, and the razor edge of the scythes. Anyone here who took that attack would suffer at least a critical wound.
If they took it, that is.
Crack!
Lycaon watched Antinus's movements with calm eyes and lightly dodged her attack with effortless motion.
Even though her first strike missed, Antinus showed no panic and immediately began swinging her scythes at Lycaon again.
Swish! Swish! Swiiish!
Her scythes were so sharp that every swing tore the air with a ripping sound.
"Can you take revenge with only this much, Antinus?"
At some point, Lycaon—now wrapped in the Path of the Wind—sneered at Antinus.
"Shut up, Lycaon…!!"
Bang! Bang! Kwaaang!
Antinus's face twisted in alarm at Lycaon's mystical movements as he continued to casually evade her attacks.
Crack-crack! Crunch! Thud!
As time passed, Antinus's speed—which had initially overwhelmed Lycaon's—visibly began to slow.
"What… what kind of trick did you pull, Lycaon!"
"Did I not tell you, Antinus? I am not the 'Imuntar' you knew."
Then Yoo Sangah, who had been watching the two otherworlders' fight in a daze, asked in a flustered voice at their overwhelming speed.
"W-What kind of technique is that? Is it 'Instant Acceleration'?"
"No. That's the 'Path of the Wind'."
Antinus gritted her teeth as she watched the wind raging fiercely around Lycaon and brushing past every part of her body, muttering,
"Kit, damn wind…!"
"…Even if you've noticed, it's far too late, Antinus."
The wind around Lycaon surged violently. Sensing something ominous, Antinus tried to spread her wings and put distance between herself and Lycaon.
Crunch!
"W-What?! My wings?!"
The moment Antinus tried to spread her wings, Lycaon manipulated the atmosphere and applied pressure to them.
"A flightless insect is nothing more than easy prey for a wolf, Antinus."
"…Lycaon!!"
"Hoju was right. He said that if you just pin down the wings of a winged insect, it can't do a thing."
Lycaon roared at Antinus, who was glaring at him.
"Queen of insects! Kneel before the wind!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!
The wind existing in the vicinity began to move according to one wolf's will. The wind gathered in one place, and soon compressed air shot toward Antinus.
"Gyaaaaaaak……!!"
The wind fired by Lycaon's will gradually shattered Antinus's carapace. The cracks that began at her chest spread across her entire body, and the scythes and wings she had been so proud of shattered into pieces.
Crackle!!
"Haaah…! Haaah…! Ki, kiiik…!!"
Antinus, subdued by Lycaon's attack, crawled across the ground. She glared at the one who had reduced her to this state.
Zap! Crackle!
That is…? The aftershock of probability?
Black sparks began crackling around Antinus's body. The Star Stream had started applying pressure to Antinus, who had refused her role as a 'guide'.
Then Antinus flapped the wings that Lycaon's wind had torn to shreds and began flying toward the disaster meteor.
"Kiiit! It won't end like this…!"
Kim Dokja and Lycaon's expressions twisted as they watched, and Lycaon shouted at Antinus.
"You're planning to pour your remaining mana into the meteor…!"
Antinus paid no mind to the green ichor flowing from the cracks in her destroyed carapace and reached the front of the disaster meteor in an instant.
She began pouring every last drop of her mana into the disaster meteor. Then Antinus shed tears and screamed in a voice steeped in hatred and despair.
"My world, my species…! My children…! I will absolutely extract the price for destroying my world!"
At the same time, Kim Dokja and Lycaon moved belatedly.
Slash!
Kim Dokja severed Antinus's head with her sword, while Lycaon's wind scattered the mana Antinus was feeding into the disaster meteor along the Path of the Wind, cutting off the supply.
Kim Dokja looked at the disaster meteor with a tense expression, and right after, Lycaon turned his head toward me and whispered as if ashamed.
"Grr… Hoju, I apologi—"
Crack!
The moment those words left Lycaon's mouth, a crack formed on the disaster meteor. That crack gradually widened until it spread across the entire meteor.
"It's fine. Good work, Lycaon."
I installed a door to My Room at Kim Dokja and Lycaon's feet and shoved the two of them inside. At the same time, I snatched Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah by the waists beside me, installed a door to My Room behind us, and fled inside.
And then—
Kwagagagak! Kwaaaaaang!!
Just then, outside My Room, an ominous purple light flickered on the disaster meteor before it erupted in a massive explosion.
You have failed to clear the scenario.
I smiled at the system messages floating before my eyes.
Here you come, our little caveman.