Chapter 229
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: Murder is Planned - 4
Thud.
At the sound, Lee Beom-seok's heart sank.
His face twisted as he scanned the message.
"Hero Defense? Are you kidding me right now?"
Lee Beom-seok chuckled in disbelief before abruptly stopping.
The villain named in the quest was none other than himself.
"Why me..."
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.
According to An Geun-seok, the first quest was supposed to be low-stakes.
Was a subjugation quest considered low-stakes?
"That bastard..."
Lee Beom-seok's thoughts landed on Kang Sung-ho being a Survival Life veteran.
As a high-rank vet, he'd know all sorts of bugs, and he'd exploited them so far.
It wouldn't be strange if he knew about bugs in the quest system too.
"A bug even the developers don't know about."
Or maybe An Geun-seok was lying to him?
In any case, the hero was most likely Kang Sung-ho.
That meant he and the ten office workers had to evade Kang Sung-ho for 24 hours straight.
"Or... kill him."
But he doubted that was possible.
The guy was over level 40, a monster who'd hogged all the best gear.
His movements from the ogre kill were still fresh in his mind—and that was months ago.
He'd only gotten stronger since.
"No way I can beat him, no way..."
Unless he ate that horrific muscle tissue Go Ho-kyung had suggested...
Gulp.
Lee Beom-seok swallowed dryly without realizing it.
He'd allied with monsters, but he didn't want to become one.
Not when he had to protect his respected superior, Jang Won-taek.
As someone once said, you couldn't claim to be human with tentacles sprouting from your nostrils.
That's why he'd rejected An Geun-seok and Go Ho-kyung's persistent offers.
"This'll do, this'll..."
It wasn't a perfect substitute, but he had the ring imbued with Judecca's blessing.
It wouldn't skyrocket his growth, but it boosted his overall stats and toughened his body.
The plan was to flee with the others first, then return later to rescue Jang Won-taek.
His trait was Blink.
Low level or not, teleporting one person at a time was no issue.
That's when An Geun-seok popped out of the wall with a troubled look.
"This quest shouldn't have triggered now..."
"Even you, the developer, didn't know?"
He looked sheepish at the sarcastic jab.
"Say 'former' developer. Damn vets are pros at finding bugs. Makes it hard to counter on our end..."
"So, what's the plan?"
Lee Beom-seok cut him off.
But it seemed there was no clever solution.
"Subjugation quests end only when one side dies—the villain or the hero. Or survive 24 hours on the run."
"Guess we run. Can't beat that guy."
"Didn't my secretary give you that ugly muscle chunk? Just swallow it."
"Didn't that level 50 set who made it die to him too?"
"That was the prototype. This is the improved version. Contrary to popular belief, upgrades perform better."
"...I don't want to become a monster yet."
To be precise, he didn't want to face Jang Won-taek as one.
If he did, it'd have to be after fully securing him.
An Geun-seok cackled and squatted down.
"Truth be told, I get it. But what would an outsider think? They'd say you're already fine monsters."
"That guy probably is too."
"Cold hard truth: he's no monster—he's pureblood. Gotta admit it. That's why Judecca-sama takes special interest."
"His pureblood! Is it that big a deal?"
"Big deal... It decides Judecca-sama's future. Can't stay holed up in the Great Labyrinth forever, right?"
Judecca had taken heavy damage fighting the Empire and ended up sealed in the Great Labyrinth.
Escaping the current situation required unconventional means.
A new, sturdy vessel was needed.
Kang Sung-ho was perfect for it.
With Choi Da-jeong as a partner it'd be ideal, but a near-human ghoul substitute worked fine.
Of course, An Geun-seok didn't share that much.
No need to explain to expendables.
Lee Beom-seok sensed it from the mood.
And discovered something lurking in his heart.
Inferiority.
'I should be the one by the President's side... but...'
Whenever something happened, Jang Won-taek always sought out Sung-ho.
The guy sometimes refused, sometimes accepted, driving him nuts.
Jang Won-taek would say this with a subordinate right there:
In the end, it meant Lee Beom-seok could never replace Sung-ho.
Environmental scans around the shelter, data building, planning—none matched his combat prowess.
His outburst recently stemmed from thinking the President was protecting that crew.
Aren't they murderers? Monsters?
Why defend them so desperately?
Words he'd wanted to say but couldn't.
'I should be by the President's side.'
Yet the President trusted Sung-ho, not him.
This tormented Lee Beom-seok.
Sensing his mood, An Geun-seok gently urged.
"Want to win? Want to pry the boss from Sung-ho's grasp? Eat it then. By the way, time's short. Sung-ho's probably rushing here to chase you down by now. Heroes get a path shown."
Lee Beom-seok scowled fiercely.
"Why design a system like that?"
"Realized post-launch we needed tracking. Chasing villains without hints is impossible."
In short, game mechanics.
And Lee Beom-seok was flailing in that game.
An Geun-seok checked the message and pressed again.
"No time. Followers down to 8 now? Guess who killed 'em?"
"Should've heard heartbeats then."
"Can't have killer system active during subjugation quests—blocks progress. So I disabled it."
Damn it.
In his panic, Lee Beom-seok flung open his inventory.
Inside writhed a muscle lump like a heart.
Eat it, jump straight to level 50.
But even that wouldn't beat Sung-ho.
An Geun-seok whispered in his ear.
"Improved version, remember? The Chinese guy hit 50 but couldn't use its full power. Just brute strength hack. But you're different. Aren't you curious what extras level 50 Blink brings?"
At 50, he could even crush that woman bragging about her level 30.
Ridiculously, Lee Beom-seok felt inferior even to Mi-kyung, young enough to be his niece.
Same trait?
Without a word, Lee Beom-seok swallowed the muscle tissue.
Pain surged, forcing his mouth wide.
"Grgh..."
"Forgot to mention the pain. Survive that, and you're..."
"Grrraaagh!"
"Hurts bad, huh. Health stats tanking... Gotta report this. Nothing beats live testing."
An Geun-seok vanished after that.
Only Lee Beom-seok remained, writhing on the floor.
.
.
.
Once composed, Lee Beom-seok rushed to find Jang Won-taek.
The office was predictably shrouded in darkness.
A flimsy door with a lock, but he couldn't bring himself to break it.
Why?
With his power, he could blast through instantly.
Instead, he called to his respected superior.
"President."
After a long pause, a weary old voice replied.
"...Is that you?"
"Yes, sir. Your Chief of Staff. Here to escort you, President."
"Sorry, but I must decline."
"President!"
"I sent you telepathy multiple times, but no connection. Why? Probably because you've become... something else."
"..."
Lee Beom-seok flinched back from the door.
His superior's trait was Conductor.
He could telepath and buff all who trusted him.
But not anymore.
Gritting his teeth, Lee Beom-seok said,
"Doesn't matter. You have to come with me."
"Where to? Somewhere monsters await, no doubt."
"Not yet."
"Sounds like 'soon.' Sorry. Go on alone."
"Forgive me, but I'll take you by force if needed."
"You've... become a monster."
As he reached for the lock, a wave of gloom made him withdraw.
Even he says it.
Even the President treats me this way.
The quest window's follower count kept dropping even now.
Down to 6...
No time.
Lee Beom-seok squeezed his eyes shut and yanked at the lock.
But a chilling brush past his shoulder made him stagger back.
Something thumped down—it was his arm.
"Kraaagh!"
Indescribable agony hit, but Judecca's blessing dulled it.
Bloodshot-eyed, Lee Beom-seok glared at the slowly approaching Sung-ho.
"You bastard..."
"Knew you'd come here, villain."
"Who's the villain..."
The bloodied mithril blade pointed straight at him.
"You."
"All your plan, huh. Keeping us from going outside too."
"Didn't expect the quest tonight. Even less your minions' theft timing. Plain luck, in a word."
At the mocking tone, Lee Beom-seok screamed, ripping.
"Raaaaagh!"
From the severed forearm, tentacles burst out shwaaak.
Sung-ho furrowed his brow.
"Chose that in the end, huh."
"Yeah! I chose it! Disappointed it's not from your nostrils?"
"Keep hitting, and it'll sprout from there too. Don't worry."
"You prick!"
Cornered folks spout the same lines.
Lee Beom-seok vanished, and Sung-ho lost his trail.
Gone in an instant.
Thwack!
A tentacle whipped Sung-ho's face, shoving him back.
Ecstasy flooded Lee Beom-seok from that hit.
I can win!
He lunged again but hesitated at the writhing tentacles, eyes shut.
Never imagined it'd come to this when he first met Go Ho-kyung...
'No choice!'
He shook his head.
Once you ride the tiger, stick till you're meat or meal.
Otherwise, you fall and get eaten.
Lee Beom-seok extended tentacles long, assaulting Sung-ho.
But he endured far better than expected.
And kept yapping.
"Ditching Blink for tentacles? Act your age. Mi-kyung'd laugh."
"Shut your mouth!"
Shwaaaak!
Tentacles filled the hall, lashing out.
Yet Sung-ho took minimal damage.
Blue Scale offset the attacks, super regen knit his skin.
Thus, Sung-ho waited.
For Jang Won-taek's permission.
'Gets I need to kill a cherished subordinate, but...'
Couldn't stall forever.
Annoyance overrode efficiency.
This no-Blink geezer wasn't worth it.
Thwack!
One tentacle pierced the dimensional barrier, smacking Sung-ho's jaw.
His body flew; only then could Lee Beom-seok smirk.
"Nothing special! Show off more!"
"..."
Sung-ho gripped tight, slicing incoming tentacles.
Chop after chop, endless.
Needed to kill the core, but current power couldn't breach.
'Worst matchup ever...'
Gun would work, but he wanted counters without relying on it.
Solving everything with guns led to stagnation and obsolescence.
As Sung-ho endured, Jang Won-taek's telepathy finally came.
The moment it ended, golden light enveloped Sung-ho.
Jang Won-taek's Conductor trait buffed him.
Sung-ho's stats exploded.
Lee Beom-seok, knowing the situation well, watched wide-eyed.
"No way... impossible..."
"Said to kill you."
Sung-ho calmly equipped his bracelet.
Transformation began; Lee Beom-seok shook his head wildly.
"No! He wouldn't! President Jang!"
As tentacles smashed the frail door, Abomination emerged.
He suppressed Roar Instinct, seized a tentacle, and yanked Lee Beom-seok's core.
That was it.
Thud.
A dull sound, then dozens of tentacles went limp.
Heart destroyed, no survival.
Let alone chest impaled.
Lee Beom-seok stared at the thick forearm piercing his chest.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
Sung-ho thought revival, but no.
Light faded from Lee Beom-seok's eyes.
"Re... sur..."
Why no revival?
Arm withdrew; he crumpled.
Something's off.
Shouldn't die like this.
Revive or tentacles drag him—either way.
As Sung-ho pondered, the wound suddenly regenerated.
And he slowly rose.
Thud.
Fist flew again; body ragdolled.
"Kraaagh!"
Abomination's massive bulk charged.
Thud, thud, thud!
Brutal punches shredded the frail body to rags.
But he didn't die.
Bones shattered, muscles caved, form warped—still alive.
Finally, Sung-ho grabbed his throat.
Crunch―
Head snapped at odd angle, yet popped back like a bobblehead.
Now Sung-ho got it.
He slammed the body into the wall.
Judecca, you?
Shattered jaw reformed weirdly, trembling as it spoke.
"King of all beasts, harbinger of doom..."
Splat!
Sung-ho's fist pulverized the head completely.
End of Murder is Planned - 4