The Expert's Method (3)
The seething awakening energy cooled the instant Sagosul appeared.
The Constellations’ reactions froze over just as fast.
Beep—!
Beep—!
The exit bells were being slammed without mercy. Of course they were—Hae-il had just watched the same bastard murder his father twice. He’d lost his one shot at awakening completely. Nothing was more vicious than having victory snatched away the moment it was within reach.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
Ram screamed at the top of her lungs. She wanted to hit the exit button herself if she could. This goddamn job.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Aaaargh!”
I just want to quit. Our client is a total psycho!
“Ram, calm down!”
“Do I look like I can calm down!? Huh? Our last hope for an awakening—just like that! That son of a bitch blocked it all!!!”
Her voice was so loud Sam had to clamp his hands over his ears.
“B-but still…!”
Sam scrambled for anything that might comfort his boss.
“Still? Still what? You got something smart to say?”
“…Well… Hae-il might still catch Julian! Look how furious he is right now!”
“Hah?!”
Ram scoffed.
“You’re still clinging to that nonsense!?”
She suddenly struck a perfect Sagosul pose.
“Didn’t you see that sword strike? If Kang Hae-il had been even two steps closer, he would’ve been cut clean in half!”
“E-even if it’s not Hae-il! The necromancer boss! That guy could still—”
Right. The necromancer boss was here. This entire mess had started because of him in the first place.
“Him? He ran away earlier!”
“!?”
Ran away. After being ordered to kill Julian, one glimpse of the Mana Blade and he’d bolted.
“What!? That disloyal piece of—”
Even Sam hadn’t seen that coming.
“That’s exactly how strong it was. The power Julian showed earlier.”
It had only been ten percent, yet at this stage it was overwhelmingly dominant.
“Hae-il charging in won’t solve anything. If he rushes recklessly…”
Ram stared at the sword in Julian’s hand. It was clearly a cheap blade only goblins would carry, yet the mana edge extending from it looked terrifyingly lethal.
“He’d get sliced apart by that thing!”
Mana Blade. The skill Julian had awakened with in his first round. It was an awakening skill, after all. S-rank or not, there was no competing with it.
“Then what do we do?!”
“What else! We stop Kang Hae-il from charging in, somehow—!”
But it was already too late.
He had watched his father die twice right in front of him. By the same person.
The Constellations had reached the absolute limit of their rage. How much worse must it be for Kang Hae-il?
[DIEeeeeeeeeeee!]
Tadadadak!
He sprinted toward Julian at full speed, like a moth hurling itself into flame.
“N-no…!”
Ram covered her eyes, unable to watch. It was over. The story would be discontinued. She trembled, muttering to herself—
But—
“Huh?”
Kwaaaang!
After dodging Kang Hae-il’s strike, Julian created distance again.
“What… the hell? He’s going easy?”
Why was he holding back? Sam found it hard to understand. From Julian’s perspective, Kang Hae-il was nothing but a madman who kept trying to kill him.
“C-can I open my eyes now?”
“Yes. They’ve distanced themselves again. It’s a stalemate. Kang Hae-il is probing for weaknesses.”
“Ki-Kiriri? Why didn’t he kill him immediately?”
Ram felt relieved they weren’t watching a bloodbath, yet something still felt off. That wasn’t like him at all.
“Maybe it’s because he learned the circumstances earlier?”
Julian had indeed discovered that Hae-il’s father died during the Fourth Line incident.
“Kiriri. No way. What kind of monster is he?!”
That alone couldn’t explain it. Julian was a vicious man who had played the hero across seven lifetimes. He was crueler than most underworld mercenaries and valued human life less than a fly’s. Ram hated that inhumanity. She believed such mechanical efficiency left no room for any Lingering Imagery.
Yet… why was that same monster refusing to kill Kang Hae-il? Even though the man irritated him so much?
“Still, he’s a person. Maybe he’s showing mercy after all.”
As Sam shrugged, Ram smacked him on the head.
Thump!
“Hey! Are you still not getting it? It’s not simple mercy!”
There had to be something prepared.
“Why are you hitting me?! He really sheathed his sword!”
Julian had indeed put his blade away. He showed zero intent to fight. Kang Hae-il faltered as well.
“What… what is this!?”
A moment later, they understood exactly what was happening.
* * *
Junil bought time by keeping his distance.
‘What now.’
No matter how it looked to outsiders, fighting Kang Hae-il was extremely inconvenient for him.
‘One mistake in power control and it’s over.’
It was a duel between someone who must not be killed and someone who had to be killed. He had to be extra careful that the Mana Blade didn’t land. How uncomfortable.
‘Should I just run?’
He considered leaving the scene entirely, but—
‘That would weaken Sagosul’s presence too much.’
He needed to claim the main villain role. Running away like some third-rate henchman? Unacceptable.
‘Guess it’s that, then.’
Now playing — Dramatic Villain Theme
Tap—
Junil sheathed his sword again to clearly signal he had no intention of fighting. He lowered his voice to its deepest register.
“How boring, Kang Hae-il.”
“Far below my expectations.”
He pulled a small utility knife from his pocket.
“For you right now, this should be enough.”
Scraaape—
Kang Hae-il’s eyes twitched at the sight of the tiny blade.
“…What?”
The Constellations, however, were thrilled.
Utility knife. Since mana reinforcement would increase its strength anyway, the small, thin blade was simply convenient to carry. ‘With this, there’s no way he’ll die.’ Against a monster like Kang Hae-il, it wouldn’t be lethal unless he hit a vital point.
“Your last words…”
Kang Hae-il growled.
“Is that all you’ve got!”
Kwaaaang!
He charged like a flaming cannonball.
‘No more holding back. Hae-il hyung~’
Click.
His stance was completely different from when he’d held the Mana Blade.
‘Flash Step.’
Paht!
His form scattered, reappearing behind Hae-il.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from the back of Kang Hae-il’s knee.
“Urk!”
Thud.
Kang Hae-il’s knee hit the ground before he realized it. Several tendons had been severed. His eyes trembled.
“Th-this is…”
It was completely different from any enemy he had faced before. Overwhelming speed, perfect accuracy, flawless targeting. The work of a true professional.
But—
“Grrrrr…!”
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from behind his knee, healing the wound. Kang Hae-il stood once more.
“Oh?”
Junil adjusted his mask and asked calmly.
“You can endure that?”
Whoosh!
Enormous flames gathered around both of Kang Hae-il’s fists. The heat wave alone charred the grass beneath him black.
“Even though I can kill you, there’s nothing I can’t endure.”
With those rather cool words, Kang Hae-il charged again.
‘Flash Step.’
Pat!
He closed the distance in an instant using Flash Step properly.
“Your strength is decent, but,”
Junil appeared above Kang Hae-il’s head with another Flash Step.
“It’s too obvious.”
Whirl—
Junil spun powerfully, driving a kick into Hae-il’s jaw.
“!?”
——Bam!
A pure physical spinning back kick with almost no mana infused. Yet Hae-il was sent flying into the distance. The massive flames around him extinguished as if they had never existed.
Junil’s own Constellations were ecstatic.
Most of the others, however, were boiling with rage.
The Constellations might have been burning with as much fury as Kang Hae-il himself. If this continued, some might actually develop stress sickness.
Unfortunately for them, Junil had finished gauging Kang Hae-il’s durability.
‘I roughly know how far he can endure.’
Now it was time for the real show.
“Kang Hae-il. You’re far too much of an amateur.”
Whirl.
Junil spun the utility knife once and walked forward slowly.
“Watch the expert’s way closely.”
He would show them. The skill of a professional hero.
“Shut—”
As Kang Hae-il tried to stand and fight again—
——Slash!
A blur of motion. Junil’s coat fluttered, and blood sprayed.
“!?”
There was no more mercy. The coat fluttered again. This time a slash from behind.
Slash!
Tendons snapped one after another. Kang Hae-il’s shoulder drooped. He tried to swing his arm anyway.
Whoosh!
‘Not there…?’
Junil was already gone.
“I can predict every move.”
Slash!
From the side again. The muscles at his waist were cut.
“Urk…!”
Excruciating pain flooded in. Finally Junil lowered his stance and began slashing wildly at the lower body.
Slaaaaaash!
The afterimages of the utility knife seemed to multiply into dozens with the sheer speed.
Slash!
Slash!
Thud—
His knees finally hit the ground. Because his spirit was so stubbornly strong, the defeat looked even more miserable.
Sagosul stood tall before him.
“Damn it…! Damn it!!!”
It was infuriating. Even with the man right in front of him, Kang Hae-il could no longer do anything.
Facing that rage head-on, the masked man calmly assessed Hae-il’s condition.
‘This much should take about a day to recover.’
He couldn’t move right now, but it wouldn’t interfere with daily activity. After the final check, he delivered his closing line.
“Get stronger and come back.”
Whirl.
He turned with an extra dramatic flutter of his coat and made his exit.
[Playback Ended]
Once he was far enough away, Junil couldn’t hold it in any longer and muttered to himself.
“Wow… Sagosul. That was so fucking charismatic.”
Even without being the protagonist, Junil felt quite satisfied.
.
.
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Current Viewing Constellations: 1,239