The Price of Greed

"W-what are they doing?" Ziwei stared at the Japanese hunters with a look of utter bewilderment. They were launching attacks at a completely empty wall. Was it some kind of combat training? Ziwei shook his head. Their expressions were far too serious for it to be mere practice. Then why on earth were they doing it?

Just as he was filled with confusion, Yushin clicked his tongue while watching them. "Tsk, tsk. They got played. They really got played."

"...Excuse me? They got played?" Ziwei's gaze shifted to Yushin. He scanned the surroundings, but there were no monsters. So, what exactly had they been played by?

"Can't you see it?" Yushin pointed toward a corner with his chin. It was a spot cast in particularly deep shadow. Yet, there was nothing to be seen.

"Well, I suppose..." Yushin nodded slowly. Right now, Yushin had his Ghost Eye activated. The Ghost Eye allowed him to see what others could not—including piercing through illusions.

"In the eyes of those idiots, there's a monster standing against that empty wall right now."

"Over there?" There was nothing where Ziwei pointed. And yet, they were still pouring concentrated attacks into that very spot. Pieces of memory clicked into place in Yushin's mind. He had encountered these strange beings in the Abyss before.

'They must have spoken to them.'

"It's ultrasound. They probably used some method to carry ultrasound waves and plant hallucinations in their minds. Otherwise, there's no way they'd be acting like such morons."

"Then what should we do?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? We have to stop them from acting like idiots." Yushin, who had been walking, stopped and said to Ziwei, "Stay here. Don't get caught in the illusion and end up attacking your own allies."

"A-ah, understood." Ziwei nodded with a serious expression, as if Yushin's words were a direct order. Yushin began to walk toward them. And then—

"What are you doing, you morons? You're wasting your time on complete bullshit."

"What did you say?" Seiko, who had been observing the situation from the very back, reacted to Yushin's voice.

"I asked what you're doing, you idiot. Why are you attacking empty space like a bunch of lunatics?"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Ugh..." Yushin sighed as if frustrated and waved his hand.

"W-what was that?" Seiko's voice trembled. As if glass were breaking, the Human-faced Spider they had been attacking until now scattered like a mirage. Seiko and the other Japanese hunters wore expressions of utter confusion. Yushin looked at them and spoke coldly.

"Can you see it now? Just how much of a moronic act you were pulling?"

Seiko and the others turned pale. "But what we saw was..." someone stammered, but Yushin cut them off.

"You were hit by an illusion. You were tricked, you idiots."

Silence descended. Everyone stared at Yushin. "Then does that mean the boss monster wasn't there from the start?"

At that, Yushin furrowed his brow deeply. "No, you damn bastards, when did I say there was no monster? I said you were acting like idiots. How can you call yourselves hunters when you can't even see properly despite having eyes? It's a miracle you've survived this long, isn't it?"

Seiko was momentarily speechless. Yushin was right. They had been acting like fools. He could see the hunters, exhausted as if they had already drained all their mana. A deep sense of defeat washed over him. They were already spent before the fight had even truly begun. Then, Yushin's voice reached his ears.

"So get to the back. I'll handle the boss."

"......"

Yushin left them behind and stepped forward. Then, he turned his gaze toward a corner. "Aren't you coming out? Do you want to just die there?"

'What is he doing?' Seiko looked in the direction Yushin was watching. There was clearly nothing there. That's right, he must be caught in an illusion too. Just as he thought that—

"If you won't come out, just die there."

The moment Yushin flicked his hand, a Dark Spear manifested in the air and shot toward that spot.

It was a humanoid shape. A long, pale face, sharp teeth, a wide and wrinkled hideous nose, and abnormally developed ears. At the same time, it possessed the characteristics of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spider.

"W-what is that?" Seiko said in a trembling voice.

"It's the boss monster you were looking for. That's it right there."

It had been right in front of them, yet they couldn't find it. What if it hadn't been for Cheon Yushin? They would have exhausted themselves attacking empty ground and died at that thing's hands. Thinking of that, the hair on his entire body stood on end. That was when the creature's mouth opened grotesquely.

"Huuuung. Surprising. How. Found."

The voice was like rough dissonance. Yushin watched it and smirked. "Kid, you talk a lot of trash."

Yushin's eyes glowed black. "Then, shall we start the second round?"

In an instant, Yushin moved. He crossed the space silently and swiftly, like a shadow. The Human-faced Spider moved its legs in surprise, attempting to dodge at high speed. But it was already too late.

The spider staggered, but soon regained its posture. Oh? It holds up pretty well. An explosive ultrasound burst from the creature's mouth. Screeeeeech! Most opponents couldn't withstand his punch. But this one endured. It even aimed for a counterattack. However, to Yushin, it was nothing more than noisy static.

"Uwaaaah!"

"My ears!"

But to the other hunters, it wasn't just noise—it was a sharp sonic attack. They covered their ears, but it was already too late. Some hunters were already bleeding from their ears.

"Shut your mouth, you bastard! Where do you think you're opening that stinking trap?"

He swung his fist, coated in Magi, and smashed the creature's mouth. Kuaaaaah! The creature screamed and was sent flying into the air. However, the Human-faced Spider used its webs to regain its posture in mid-air.

"Come down, you bastard. My neck hurts."

The Dark Spear created in Yushin's hand flew toward the creature in an instant. The spear severed the Human-faced Spider's web. The creature screamed and plummeted to the ground. Kwoooong!

Where it fell was right at Seiko's feet. The Human-faced Spider was convulsing as if having a seizure. It had been defeated far too easily for a C-rank boss monster. Now, one final blow would end it all. But then—

Greed flickered in Seiko's eyes. It was, in name and reality, the boss monster of a C-rank gate. If he caught it? It was a chance for his stagnant level to jump up several stages at once. Furthermore, it was like a lottery ticket that might drop some unknown item. If he just gritted his teeth and swung his sword, he could gain an immense advantage.

Seiko looked up at Yushin. The guy was walking toward them with a bored expression, as if everything in the world was a nuisance. If he let this boss be taken by that guy? He would only get stronger. Moreover, the news that he had lost the final kill of a C-rank gate to a Korean hunter, of all people, was something Seiko could never tolerate.

In the end, Seiko chose self-justification. "It's dangerous! The boss looks like it's going to get back up! I'll finish it off!"

With a cliché line, his sword moved. Thwack! Seiko's sword pierced the Human-faced Spider's face directly. He had killed it! As if to prove it, his level rose by two stages. Euphoria washed over him. It was always like this; killing the boss monster was the moment that signaled the end of the raid. And as always, he would become the hero. The person who dealt the final blow. And until now, the final blow had always been his share. Surely, cheers would erupt soon. But—

It was quiet. Neither the Taiwanese hunters nor Cheon Yushin cheered. Perhaps it was a natural reaction. In truth, he had essentially stolen the kill. But now was not the time to worry about that. Two small bottles were glowing where the Human-faced Spider had died. One bottle emitted a blue light, the other a red one.

The Japanese hunters muttered as they saw them. "M-mana Elixir?"

"D-daebak! It's a Strength Elixir!"

Elixirs permanently raised a hunter's stats. This system wasn't one where you could raise stats just by leveling up. To build strength, you had to do high-intensity weight training like bodybuilding. You had to lift barbells and dumbbells heavier than your own body weight with all your might. To build agility, you had to run complex obstacle courses and jump across city rooftops. That was the only way to raise stats after grueling effort. But even that only applied up to a stat of 40. From 40 onwards, no matter how hard you tried, your stats wouldn't rise anymore. As if a silent limit had been placed on them.

Then how could you raise them? There was only one known method so far. Consuming an Elixir. But the appearance rate of Elixirs was extremely low. So, quite naturally, the Mana Elixir and Strength Elixir in front of them were no different from treasures to hunters.

'T-two Elixirs?' That was the reason Seiko's eyes couldn't help but widen. His hand moved rapidly toward the Elixirs. As soon as he grabbed them, he put them into his inventory. Now, no matter who it was, no one could take the Elixirs from him. A smile spread across his lips without him realizing it. 'D-daebak.'

Only after they were in his inventory did it feel real. Just how big of a jackpot he had hit. But he couldn't just be happy. The silence in the surroundings pulled him back to reality. Seiko looked around. Complex emotions were etched onto the faces of the Japanese hunters. Excitement, embarrassment, shame, disappointment. Conversely, the expressions of the Taiwanese hunters were grave. Open anger was etched onto their faces. Seiko tried to ignore their gazes. What he had just done was clearly a shameless act. But Yushin's expression was indifferent. He had even stopped walking toward them at some point.

Seiko gulped. Without realizing it, his hand moved toward the hilt of his sword. Even if it meant a battle, he would never yield the Elixirs he had just obtained. "This... this is my share. I was the one who dealt the final blow!" Seiko spat out as if making an excuse. Yushin, who had been looking at him with indifferent eyes, opened his mouth.

"Do you really think so? I'm asking if you're sure you won't regret it."

"Regret? Never. I obtained these Elixirs by defeating the boss monster. No one can take these away from me!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A chilling silence hung over the room. And then, Cheon Yushin smirked.

'He's laughing? In this situation?' Seiko blinked as if he couldn't understand.

"Since we caught the boss, let's head out." Yushin's indifferent voice rang through the room. Yushin turned his back. Then, one by one, they began to walk toward the exit gate following him. Countless people were in the same space, but the only sound heard was that of footsteps. They soon arrived at the exit gate. One by one, they were heading outside through the gate. And finally, only Yushin and Seiko remained. The moment Seiko ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was about to take a step through the exit gate, Yushin grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"W-what are you doing?" A smile spread across Yushin's lips.

"You and I have something to settle, don't we?"

A chill began to run down Seiko's spine.

***

"W-why aren't they coming out?" Park Haesu stared at the gate with a grave expression. The Japanese hunters and the Taiwanese hunters had all come out already. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only Yushin hadn't emerged. No, not even the captain of the Japanese attack team, Seiko.

"It seems something happened inside." Turning his head, he saw Ziwei approaching.

"Something happened? What do you mean?" Ziwei stared at the Japanese side for a moment before opening his mouth with a heavy expression.

"First, please take a look at this video." It was a recording camera he handed over. Park Haesu fast-forwarded through the video. As the video progressed, Park Haesu's expression hardened.

"Wait, this Japanese bastard? This is a kill-steal!"

Even in games, kill-stealing was an act that could never be tolerated. Then what if it wasn't a game, but reality? It wouldn't be strange at all if a sword fight broke out. And in the video, Seiko had gulped down the boss monster that Yushin had done all the work to catch. Furthermore, the two items he came out with. They were Elixirs. And not just one, but two. Without even a shred of conscience, he had snatched both of them. Seeing that he didn't put them in his pockets, it was clear he had put them in his inventory. Park Haesu's gaze quickly shifted to the Japanese hunters. They, too, seemed to have realized that their captain, who should have followed, hadn't emerged, and their expressions were stiff. Once you come out of a gate, you can't go back in. They began to slowly form a formation around the gate. It was a combat formation. Their intentions were clear.

How much time had passed? Yushin popped out from the gate. "Y-Yushin-ssi!" As Park Haesu tried to run to him, Yushin raised his hand and shook his head. It meant not to come over. Did he really already? Did he take care of it?

Just then, one of the Japanese hunters spoke up. "What happened to our captain?"

Everyone held their breath. "Who knows? Is there any reason I should tell you?"

Unlike the grave atmosphere, Yushin's words were nonchalant. Shing, shing, shing, shing! At the same time, the Japanese hunters began to draw their weapons. It was an explosive situation. Watching them, Yushin smirked.

"So, you want to play with me?"