Should I Just Beat That Bastard Up?

Whoosh—!

The corpse of the ground mole rat burned like a stack of firewood. That made five of them.

Honestly, it had been pretty easy. The Cinq Association itself specialized in all-out warfare, so sheer numbers barely mattered. The result of combining an Identity with my stats far exceeded anything I had expected. The monsters were sliced apart as cleanly as raw meat, and the flames roaring from the single sword reduced the ground mole rats to ash.

"...What?"

Why the hell are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you showing up here?

Protecting Courage. Better known as Gebura—a combat specialist from Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina. In life she had climbed all the way to Color Fixer, leaving behind a legend even the City itself still whispered about. And that person had been watching my fight?

"...I'd like an honest evaluation, please."

"That's right!"

"Hayeon-ssi? What's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing. Ha... haha..."

I forced an awkward smile and let the moment pass. The Red Mist herself had said there was room for growth. It hadn't been my full strength, but still—this was something. Honestly, I felt fantastic.

"Um. There's something I'd like to ask, if you don't mind."

"Dokja-ssi, do you... happen to know something about this situation?"

Ah. While I'd been lost in my own little world, we had already reached that scene. Which meant the timing was just about right...

"Ugh, uwaaaargh!!"

As expected, our Han Myungoh never disappointed. Wait—no, Han Myungoh.

"S-Save meee...!!"

"G-Grab this thing!"

"W-What...? Kyaaaah!!"

"Yoo Sangah-ssi...!!"

"I agree."

Honestly, at that level, future Demon King subordinate or not—wouldn't just beating the crap out of him be perfectly legal? The nasty thought rose, but I carefully folded it away deep inside. The only reason I hadn't abandoned him already was because Han Myungoh was such complete trash.

"What do we do now? Do you have any kind of plan, Dokja-ssi?"

"Yes. Gilyoung, Hayeon-ssi, and I will go."

"Just the three of you?!"

"Gilyoung's ability will help us track them. And Hayeon-ssi will be useful if any unexpected combat breaks out."

"But...!"

Jung Heewon opened her mouth as if to protest, only to be cut off by Kim Dokja.

"And Hyunsung-ssi."

"Heewon-ssi's condition isn't good, so please look after her carefully."

With that, Dokja led us into the burrow.

"This way."

We held each other's hands and pushed through the tunnels, relying entirely on Gilyoung's power. Dokja's grip on my hand tightened a little—probably just my imagination.

"Hey, hyung. Noona."

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

"Earlier... you did that on purpose, right?"

(Gulp.)

"Huh? D-Did what?"

"When the monsters grabbed noona and the ajusshi, you deliberately let them take them. I was watching both your faces the whole time. Why?"

Honestly, I had expected Dokja to notice. But me too? Our Gilyoung really was destined for greatness.

"I just stayed still because Dokja-ssi stayed still. Dokja-ssi always looks like she has a plan."

Gilyoung gave me a suspicious look before turning away again. Dokja's eyes widened slightly as she stared at me. After a moment she cleared her throat and answered.

"It was because of the ground mole rats' habits. They stockpile ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their captured prey in one place. Sometimes they even collect rare items, but the path to that spot is complicated—you can only find it by following the tunnels they dig themselves. I expected Han Myungoh, but I didn't think Yoo Sangah-ssi would get dragged along too."

Dokja admitted it more cleanly than I expected. She must have decided there was no point hiding anything from a sharp kid like Gilyoung.

"So noona's goal was the items?"

"Yeah. Disappointed?"

"No. Noona's a terrible liar. If you were really that kind of person, you wouldn't have saved me on the subway. I trust you."

"...Sniff."

Ah. That was way too touching. Of course, Dokja was probably still thinking of Gilyoung as just a kid on the inside.

"Dokja-ssi."

"Yes? What is it, Hayeon-ssi?"

"I like that side of you."

Dokja's face went bright red. She hurriedly turned her head, but she couldn't hide the crimson tips of her ears. I bit back a laugh and kept walking.

"Let's hurry. We're almost there."

Seriously, she was so cute I could die.

"We're almost there."

"Noona."

"Noona, are you a god? Or the 'protagonist'?"

Dokja's body went rigid at those words. She must have been thrown off by the unexpected vocabulary.

"I'm neither a god nor the protagonist. If anything, I've always envied the protagonist."

"But you know something about this world, right?"

"...That's true."

"Then once we clear every scenario, can we make a wish come true? Stories like this usually have a reward at the end, don't they?"

Reward. A word that had no place in a ruined world. This small, fragile child was enduring the current hell solely for the sake of that hope. Dokja couldn't bring herself to crush it.

"Yeah. There is."

"Hyung! Noona! That's—"

"Shh."

I clamped a hand over Gilyoung's mouth the instant he started to shout.

"Just because it's called a treasure warehouse doesn't mean only treasure is waiting inside."

As if answering Dokja's words, more ground mole rats gradually came into view. And from farther ahead came a voice I really didn't want to hear.

"This is all because of you, Yoo Sangah-ssi!"

"Because of me? What on earth do you mean?"

"I-If you hadn't taken the subway that day, none of this would have happened!"

"What does me taking the subway have to do with our current situation?"

"Th-That's... because you always ride that bicycle of yours..."

"Wait a second. Did you steal my bicycle, Manager?!"

"L-Look, people! I clearly offered to give you a ride in my car!"

"When someone shows you kindness, you should know how to accept it!"

"Answer me. Did you steal my bicycle or not?"

What absolute garbage. Honestly, wouldn't it be fine to just kill someone like that? Yeah... a bastard of that level...

Shhhhk—!!

The thorn Kim Dokja threw buried itself in the wall right beside Han Myungoh's head. At the same moment, whatever had been rising inside me settled back down.

"Wh-What the hell?!"

"Dokja-ssi!"

Cracks began spreading from the wall where the thorn had struck. In seconds they raced across the entire surface, producing an ominous sound.

Crrrack—!

Thud!

Thud-thud!

Bugs burst open and the ground mole rats trembled in terror. I knew exactly what this was. So did Kim Dokja.

"Ugh, hyung, noona, I..."

"It's okay. Go ahead."

"Just let it all out, Gilyoung."

At our words, Gilyoung emptied the contents of his stomach. The backlash from the exploding bugs must have hit him hard. In the next instant Dokja moved behind the Dark Sentinel and rescued the two of them.

"Identity Equipment."

I swapped to the duel-specialized Cinq Association Identity.

I challenge you to a duel, you skull-faced bastard.