Beatdown in the Dimensional Rift
The dolls scattered to their positions, settling into place. I knew exactly what roles they were meant to play.
As expected, the sorcery activated, and the background around Kim Hyun-cheol and me began to ripple and distort.
"Huh? What the hell? What kind of bullshit is this?"
Kim Hyun-cheol finally snapped out of his daze, looking around wildly. But regardless of his reaction, the sorcery pulled us into the dimensional rift without a hitch.
This was probably the same kind of spell Valentina had used when she snuck into my room. The surrounding scenery hadn't changed, but this specific space had been carved out and dumped into a rift.
"Darling~ I'll be waiting for you~"
With Valentina's voice as the last echo, everyone around us vanished. Even the nearby background of Kim Seol-bi's house shattered into fragments and got sucked away.
Kim Hyun-cheol's face was a mask of shock. Even under his bravado, it was clear he'd never seen sorcery like this before.
"What? Weren't you the one who wanted to fight me?"
"Are you fucking insane? What the hell are you relying on to pull this off?"
Kim Hyun-cheol looked utterly bewildered.
"What is this shit? Can we even get back?"
His focus had completely shifted to the altered background. He was anxious about whether he could return to the real world.
"You see this in anime sometimes, right? Beat me, and you can leave. Got it?"
I explained it in simple terms, tailored to Kim Hyun-cheol's childish mindset. The details were different, but the big picture was roughly that concept.
Kim Hyun-cheol's face lit up with understanding at my explanation.
"Haha, this is ridiculous. So you set all this up just for a one-on-one with me? You really think you're S-rank or some shit?"
"See for yourself."
I manifested my mana. As it swelled, Kim Hyun-cheol's expression shifted upon sensing it.
"Wait, no way? That can't be... How...?"
He kept pumping his own mana, as if verifying something. It seemed like he wanted to compare it to his after realizing I was outputting mana way beyond normal levels.
Our mana surged against each other. The power gap became blatantly obvious.
"Ah..."
Kim Hyun-cheol muttered in a daze.
"Bro, you're S-rank?"
"Yeah."
I'd seen S-rank hunters act outside the norm plenty of times, but Kim Hyun-cheol's behavior wasn't exactly sane either. What was with suddenly calling me "bro"?
"Whoa~ You should've said so sooner~ When did you awaken? Ah! That's why!"
The bastard clapped his hands together.
"That's why Kim Seol-bi and Kang A-jin are head over heels for you~ And Na-yeon noona too—she looked totally smitten. Wow~ For real~~"
He flashed a thumbs-up.
"You're amazing, bro. I respect you!"
"Cut the bullshit."
Seeing me furrow my brow, Kim Hyun-cheol killed his mana output and waved his hands frantically.
"Why so serious~ It was all a misunderstanding~ If I'd known you were S-rank, and this strong, would I have done that? That idiot Hyun-jun jumped to conclusions and spun some dumb story. What a fucking asshole, right?"
"I said cut the bullshit."
"Ah..."
When his words fell on deaf ears, Kim Hyun-cheol finally dropped to his knees.
"Got it! I totally get how you feel, bro! I've committed a grave sin!"
He added in his defense.
"But this was all because of that fucker Hyun-jun. If he'd just explained properly..."
Thwack! I chucked a rock at him to shut his trap. The new background was a barren wasteland, after all. I didn't know where we were, but the ground was littered with stones.
Kim Hyun-cheol's forehead split open, blood trickling down.
"Ow, why's this happening lately? First Na-yeon noona, now this—keep getting hit..."
He prostrated himself flat.
"Bro! Forgive me! From now on, I'll serve you with absolute loyalty! If you're still pissed, hit me a few times to vent! I won't fight back—I'll just take it!"
"Of course you won't fight back. You'd die if you tried."
"Th-that's..."
This guy was hopeless. His sleaziness exceeded imagination. Probably why he'd talked down to Park Hyun-jun and acted recklessly—it stemmed from this personality. The moment he sensed someone stronger, he flipped his attitude.
"You're overlooking one thing."
"Yes! Tell me, bro!"
"You think saying 'hit me' means I won't?"
"Huh?"
Kim Hyun-cheol's pupils dilated as he looked up. No matter how much he groveled and changed his tune, I had zero intention of letting him off. Not even a light smack.
"B-bro, please, let's talk this out..."
"Gaaahhh!!"
I wondered if Kim Hyun-cheol's screams echoed outside the rift.
#
"I was wrong. I was wrong..."
When we returned from the dimensional rift to reality, Kim Hyun-cheol kept muttering nonstop. It wasn't directed at anyone—just reflexive babble spilling from his lips.
I'd beaten him to a pulp. Midway, he even tried fighting back when he realized it wasn't working. But the power gap was clear. Fighting him let me gauge my own abilities, too.
I pulled out various weapons from my inventory and tested the skills I'd learned from Lisa one by one. Since it was one-sided, by the end I wasn't even angry—just using him as a punching bag to practice skills.
Outside, Park Hyun-jun was in a similar state. Who'd worked him over? Too many suspects, and it didn't matter anyway.
"Oppa..."
Seo Na-yeon gaped, alternating between the battered Kim Hyun-cheol and me, unscathed.
"You're really S-rank..."
"Baby, you've been calling our darling 'oppa' way too sweetly lately."
Valentina chimed in, displeased that Seo Na-yeon was addressing me so intimately.
"Ah..."
Seo Na-yeon froze like a buffering video, then quietly bowed her head.
"Sorry. I'll be careful."
Something must've gone down while I was in the rift. A hierarchy sort-out, maybe?
Kang A-jin asked me,
"Are you alright? No injuries?"
"Yeah, thanks for coming quick."
"I was worried when you said you'd go alone. Though... you weren't really alone..."
Her eyes narrowed slightly—she clearly wasn't thrilled I'd been with Seo Na-yeon. I'd thought my earlier explanation covered it, but maybe I skimmed that part. Probably because I emphasized Park Hyun-jun breaking in again, glossing over this side.
"Thanks, Sung-gi."
Kim Seol-bi, now recovered—probably from potions while passed out—spoke up.
"I'm so glad you're safe. You have no idea how scared I was."
"Sorry."
Seo Na-yeon, reading the room, knelt on her own.
"I hung out with these idiots and plotted something rotten. Hit me if you want—I won't complain."
She echoed Kim Hyun-cheol exactly. But unlike with him, I had no urge to lay hands on her.
"Just know that. I'll be watching you from now on."
"Yes! I won't do anything to get on your bad side, oppa!"
The women sighed in unison at her words. Even Lisa. They were getting used to new additions, but not thrilled about it.
I had no plans to make Seo Na-yeon a core member. The issue was my ability.
Unreasonable Favor wasn't some ordinary skill. It had seduced S-rank hunters even when I was a regular awakener. The only way to make Seo Na-yeon give up on me was to kill her—and that wasn't easy.
"Time for some work."
Kang A-jin rolled up her sleeves. I'd seen this ritual before—the one that castrated Park Hyun-jun. This time, the target was Kim Hyun-cheol.
As the curse took effect, his body trembled violently. All he could mutter was, "Sorry, sorry."
"How's it feel? Same as Park Hyun-jun, the guy you looked down on—castrated now?"
Only then did he snap to with a "Hiiik!"
"Castrated?"
He looked down and wailed.
"Castrated?! Me, castrated~~!!"
"Any reason to keep these alive?"
Valentina tossed out casually. Park Hyun-jun was unconscious and silent; Kim Hyun-cheol switched from shrieking "Castrated!" to slamming his head on the floor.
"Spare me! If you do, I'll be loyal forever!!"
No matter what he said, it rang hollow. Castrated or not, he hadn't lost his hunter abilities. But Kang A-jin had no intention of stopping there.
She activated another spell—the same one used to drain Park Hyun-jun's mana before.