Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Avenger (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After running for a good while, I spotted the makeshift checkpoint blocking the road.
It had been set up to stop civilians from heading toward the combat zone.
I came to a stop nearby and set her down.
Yang Min-seo hobbled once her feet touched the ground.
‘Oh right. Her leg tendon was severed.’
I handed her a potion and said,
“Go over there and ask for help.”
Yang Min-seo bowed deeply in thanks.
“Thank you so much for saving me. I’d love to repay you somehow, even if it’s just money. Oh, no need to feel burdened. My grandfather is the chairman of K Group.”
I shook my head.
I wasn’t one to turn down a reward, but anything but cash would leave a trail.
“I see. I figured as much.”
Yang Min-seo nodded, her face lighting up with understanding.
She seemed to have misunderstood something, but I let it slide.
Yang Min-seo pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to me.
“If things ever get too tough, give me a call. I’ll definitely help you out once.”
I took the business card.
‘A high schooler with a business card?’
As I slipped it into my pocket, I couldn’t help but think that chaebol daughters really were on another level.
I headed off again toward the K Comprehensive Tech Institute.
Without me, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
***
Ma Bo-seong’s face twisted in a hideous grimace.
The gift he’d prepared for the K Group chairman had been crushed before it could even be unwrapped.
“Dark Knight!”
Before things had escalated this far, he’d been a frequent visitor to the ‘Dark Knight’ fan cafe.
Especially the ‘Punish Them!’ board.
It was a place filled with civilians’ desperate pleas for private sanctions.
They’d post details on their enemies or villains, praying the Dark Knight would take care of them.
Ma Bo-seong had even posted the names of the K Pharma president and the K Group chairman.
But ‘Dark Knight’ never helped.
No matter how long he waited, those K Pharma bastards lived on comfortably.
Deeply disappointed, he’d resolved to take matters into his own hands—and that was the origin story of the ‘K Pharma Villain,’ born even earlier than in the original work.
He seethed inwardly.
‘You bastard! You ignored me when I begged for help! And you’re just another guy dishing out private sanctions!’
With ‘Dark Knight’ gone, Ma Bo-seong’s rage turned to ‘Boltman.’
“I’ll kill you at least.”
He extended his hand toward ‘Boltman.’
He cast the black magic ‘Corruption’ from the Necronomicon.
A sinister energy wrapped around ‘Boltman.’
He convulsed in agony across his entire body and vomited blood.
His skin tore open, blood bursting forth.
His bodysuit stained red.
“Boltman. Consider it bad luck!”
Deacon debated whether to add a mosaic.
If ‘Boltman’ died on stream, even on ‘Black Streaming,’ he might face some light penalties.
“Boltman seems to be struggling! Huh? Dark Knight’s gone too, so if Boltman loses, what happens to me?”
The viewers mocked him.
[What happens? You turn into Zombie Deacon lololol]
[Yeah, who told you to go somewhere dangerous lol]
[But where’d Dark Knight go? Boltman said something snarky earlier, did he leave in a huff?]
[My friend’s parents are trapped at K Comprehensive Tech Institute, what do we do..]
‘Boltman’ was an A-rank ability user.
No pushover by any means.
He unleashed his ability at maximum output.
‘Acceleration 5x.’
‘Boltman’ vanished from sight in an instant.
The ‘K Pharma Villain’ scanned his surroundings.
“Where are you, you rat!”
A white afterimage trailed long behind him as it circled Ma Bo-seong.
Soon, ‘Boltman’s’ razor-sharp blade targeted his throat.
A speed that allowed no reaction.
For a brief moment, he could unleash Agility SSS-rank prowess.
That was ‘Boltman.’
Ma Bo-seong suddenly realized his vision was spinning wildly.
In the blur, he saw a fountain of blood and his own decapitated body.
His head, which had flown briefly into the sky, soon thudded onto the cold asphalt.
‘Boltman’ plunged his blade into Ma Bo-seong’s face and said,
“For summoners like you, slicing the caster is enough… Ugh.”
He vomited blood.
‘Acceleration 5x’ was his maximum output.
He couldn’t sustain it long, and using it left him with severe internal injuries.
“But at least I took him down…….”
He sheathed his blade and walked away slowly.
Deacon cheered.
This was the first time he’d seen ‘Boltman’ go all out.
He might be the first to capture his full power on video.
‘If I sell this on the dark web, I could make a fortune.’
The viewers reacted positively too.
[Whoa, Boltman’s that badass?]
[Thought he was a total pushover, but damn he’s savage]
[But what about that resurrection spell he memorized?]
[Didn’t see shit. Just whoosh whoosh and the villain’s head flies off]
That’s when a familiar voice came from behind ‘Boltman.’
“If you think that’s the end, you’re mistaken.”
The Abomination, which wouldn’t move without orders from its master, swung its massive arm.
“Gah!”
‘Boltman’ flew like a paper doll after taking the hit.
Already riddled with internal injuries, the external blow shook him to his core.
He rolled far away, crashing into a roadside tree and losing consciousness.
Ma Bo-seong’s head floated up into the air.
It flew back to his body and ‘clicked’ onto the severed neck.
He grinned.
“No!”
Deacon shouted before he could stop himself.
Without ‘Boltman,’ who would hold back that undead horde?
That’s when the sound of air tearing came from the sky.
Deacon whipped his head toward the noise.
A squadron of fighter jets streaked by, leaving contrails.
He panted heavily, thanking the heavens.
“Phew. Guess it’s not my time yet. Looks like they’re going for airstrikes.”
[Hey, but what about Boltman with the bombing?]
[Boltman gets hit too, right?]
[Is that the priority now? He’s dead anyway if we leave him, so at least save the civilians at the Tech Institute]
[True, but still kinda sucks..]
The ‘K Pharma Villain’ spotted the distant jets and opened the Necronomicon.
The pages flipped on their own to the desired spell.
His eyes glowed blue as he extended his hand toward the squadron.
He murmured lowly.
“Dragon Crash.”
In that instant, dozens of zombies in the undead horde collapsed.
Blue energy drained from the corpses into the Necronomicon.
They’d been offered as sacrifices.
A spell ancient mages had crafted to counter dragons now worked on fighter jets from another world.
A mystical force enveloped the squadron.
Then, an immense gravity crushed down.
The jets couldn’t withstand it and plummeted to the ground.
Boom. Crash. Crash.
The fighters exploded into shards.
Everyone watching fell silent.
Deacon’s mouth hung open, words failing him.
“……What the hell.”
The viewers were stunned too.
[That’s just an A-rank…? No way.]
[This is insane.]
[Deacon, you ok?]
Ma Bo-seong advanced his undead legion.
Inside the barricade, only non-awakened soldiers and a handful of B- and C-rank heroes remained.
No one left to stop him.
Except one.
The ‘K Pharma Villain’ ignored the gunfire from ahead and turned.
A mysterious man in a black robe.
He’d returned.
“You came after all. Dark Knight.”
“…….”
‘Dark Knight’ drew his dagger.
***
Laura was furious, thrashing about wildly.
The mana in my body churned violently.
[How dare that filth use that!]
She’d been nagging me nonstop ever since seeing Ma Bo-seong’s ‘Dragon Crash’ spell.
“You’ve been hit by that before, haven’t you?”
She scoffed.
[Hmph. As if. Only the dimwitted newly ascended holy dragons would fall to it. But the spell itself is profane. To dare drop a dragon, guardian of the world!]
I didn’t bother pointing out why a world guardian was in someone else’s world.
Ignoring Laura’s whining, I approached Ma Bo-seong.
He sensed me and turned.
“You came after all. Dark Knight.”
“…….”
I silently drew the Dragon Flame Sword.
The ‘K Pharma Villain’ had a special item called the Necronomicon, letting him cast spells not on any skill list freely.
That’s how he pulled off feats beyond his level.
A spell turning his body undead (lich) for immortal life.
He was newly turned, so flesh still clung, but soon it’d rot away to bones.
A lich couldn’t be killed by stabbing the body.
The key was the ‘Life Vessel,’ like an external heart.
Find and destroy the ‘Life Vessel’ to kill it.
I’d seen it in the game, so I roughly knew where his was.
Dozens of ‘Abominations.’
Hidden in one of them.
I could kill them all, but I had Laura.
A smarter way.
“Lady Laura, the Life Vessel is inside an Abomination. Can you find which one?”
[They’re too weak; I can’t sense clearly. But I’ll number them by life force, highest first. Individuals vary, but the one with the Life Vessel should have relatively high vitality.]
Red numbers appeared above the Abominations’ heads.
I’d known Laura could interfere with the ‘system,’ but seeing it in real time was impressive.
I used ‘Throat Slash’ to teleport behind the number 1 Abomination.
I stabbed the Dragon Flame Sword into the nape of its neck.
A message flashed in the corner of my vision.
『Critical Hit』
Come to think of it, ‘Throat Slash’ attacks counted as criticals.
The massive flesh heap collapsed.
“Don’t look away! Your opponent is me!”
Ma Bo-seong rushed over in a panic.
I grinned and spoke.
“You seem awfully desperate.”
Laura’s silence meant this one was a bust.
I moved to number 2.
Ma Bo-seong flailed his hand desperately.
The spell wouldn’t cast; panic twisted his face.
“Why, why won’t it work?!”
He opened the Necronomicon.
Pages flipped smoothly.
He tried casting again.
『Critical Hit』
I slit the next one’s throat.
“Arrrgh! Why won’t it work!”
The ‘K Pharma Villain’ tore at his hair, screaming.
Gone was his earlier grandeur.
“Not this one either.”
Ma Bo-seong finally caught on.
“You, you! You know about it?!”
“Know what? Oh, your Life Vessel?”
“How?!”
His mouth gaped in shock and wariness.
I shrugged and slit the next target’s throat.
『Critical Hit』
The third Abomination spewed a blood fountain and fell.
These grotesque lumps couldn’t withstand Strength and Agility A-rank criticals.
They dropped like autumn leaves.
“W-Wait. Hold on. Please wait.”
Ma Bo-seong started begging pathetically for his life.
“I-I’m just like you! I had a grudge too, and I just handled it with private sanctions!”
I used ‘Throat Slash’ on the fourth monster.
Ma Bo-seong charged me desperately.
“Please. Please. If I die, I can’t go to heaven or hell! I made a pact with a demon; I’ll suffer eternally. Please.”
“Have you ever granted a plea for mercy?”
His frenzy suggested this was the one.
I thrust the Dragon Flame Sword into the Abomination’s nape.
『Critical Hit』
Thud.
The hulking mass hit the ground.
[Ah, now I see it. Near the right chest.]
I flipped the Abomination’s corpse and sliced open the chest area.
A blue-glowing orb came into view.
Unmistakably ominous, it had to be the Life Vessel.
I pulled it out and held it.
I crushed it.
Crack.
A crack formed in the Life Vessel.
Inside gleamed a red gem.
Liches could use ‘Inheritance’ via the Life Vessel instead of the heart, apparently.
“Arrrgh! Please!”
The ‘K Pharma Villain,’ now upon me, swung a fist.
‘Can’t use magic, so fists now.’
Unfortunately, his punch passed through my body.
Black mist rippled from me.
I’d used Mist Form.
I extracted the red gem from the orb.
As Ma Bo-seong kicked and punched my misty form, blue flames ignited on his body.
“Nooo!”
The flames roared, cremating Ma Bo-seong.
Soon, only ashes remained.
-------------<Inheritance>-------------
[Strength 033 permanently increased]
[Agility 021 permanently increased]
[Intelligence 064 permanently increased]
[Luck 047 permanently increased]
-----------------------------------
I pulled out a sticky note, wrote ‘Murder’ on it, and placed it on top.