The End of the Run
"Ughhh-gya-gya-ga-ga-ga-ga!!!!"
The guy who introduced himself as McClain let out a truly unique scream. Well, he had just been run through the side with a blade, so it was to be expected. I used the Fleshing-Out skill before he could die.
"Kkeu-ge-ge-gek!!! Kkeu-ah-ah-ga-ga-gak!!!!!"
Still a bizarre scream. Just how much pain must one be in to wail like that? A message popped up.
The target has submitted to you.
As expected, humans are infinitely powerless in the face of agony. I pressed my thumbprint onto McClain’s forehead.
"Klein!!! You bastard!!!!"
As soon as I marked him, a white woman named Becky swung a dagger at me. I flicked my hand lightly in her direction. At that moment, tentacles erupted from beneath her feet, wrapping around her arms, neck, and legs, sealing her movements. I didn't even need to shoot them out from my palms or manipulate them like moving my fingers anymore. Just by extending my hand and visualizing the movement I wanted, the tentacles would automatically grab and bind the enemy. Of course, it was impossible if the distance was too great.
"Kkeu-eu-euk!!! Damn it!!! Kkeu-reu-reuk...!!"
The tentacles slowly tightened around Becky’s throat. Veins bulged on her forehead, and her face gradually flushed red.
"Don't get so worked up. The more you scream and react passionately for this man... the more the Evil Gods will look down upon you. You have no idea how heavy the attention of the Evil Gods is, do you? If you don't want to throw your life away for nothing, stay still."
I whispered to Becky. Indikron hadn't reacted to these two yet. If this woman Becky kept acting like a maniac, Indikron would surely demand one of them as a sacrifice. She would drag the thoroughly broken offering into the abyss and gloomily remodel them to her own taste.
'Of course, torturing and driving someone to despair isn't difficult...'
I had reached the level of a god when it came to breaking people. Torture was no longer a difficult or laborious task for me. If I dragged them into the Narak and roasted them for three days and nights, most humans would offer up even their own children to me. Just by repeatedly stabbing their eyeballs and healing them, most would beg me to kill them. Yes, torture and despair were no longer hard. Especially for people in a romantic relationship like this, just throwing one of them into a pit of black men for a gang rape would shatter their psyche. Or, throwing both of them in and forcing them to watch each other get gang-raped would extract quite an entertaining level of despair.
But that wasn't the real problem. The reason I truly didn't want to kill these two was that they didn't have standard classes. First, Becky had the Sword Dancer class that Areum once possessed. If I took her to Pal-us, there was a high probability she could advance to a higher-tier class. Even if that were impossible, Sword Dancer was a good class in its own right.
And then there was McClain. This guy was actually more important than Becky.
'A Spirit Master... that's a class I've never seen before. Perhaps there's a possibility for class interaction with Hee-sun noona...'
Hee-sun noona, a Druid, possessed almost every skill related to the forest keepers of the Manma-jeon. However, the depth was relatively shallow. If you dug into the specifics, related professional classes had more variations. For instance, because the Plant Farmer Joo In-hye specialized solely in plant growth, her plant-related skills were more diverse and superior to Hee-sun noona's. McClain likely had more diverse skills in spirit magic than Hee-sun noona. There would definitely be a synergy effect with her, too. Just like how the Plant Farmer and Hee-sun noona met to create an infinitely generating fruit tree, there would surely be class interactions. Perhaps through McClain, Hee-sun noona could even contract with something like a Spirit King.
'In a way... Hee-sun noona's fastest path to growth is receiving support from the Manma-jeon...'
If a Cultist was a hero class that expanded its faction like a lone wolf using Slave Brands and other skills, Hee-sun noona's Druid seemed most efficient when steadily gathering players from the Manma-jeon to build a faction.
'Nick's Savior was... just a feeling that having a large headcount was all that mattered...'
Anyway, I pressed my thumbprint onto Becky’s forehead as well.
-Ssssss...!!
"Kkeu-euk... Klein..."
"Becky... No... Becky... Becky."
The two called out to each other as if they were parting forever. I found the sight pathetic, so I ordered them not to call each other's names.
"And no betrayal. No actions that harm the group. Also... right, no self-harm. If you try to commit suicide, I'll give you pain worse than death, so keep that in mind. Do your best to learn Korean. If you can't hold a conversation with me within two months, one of you dies."
After giving a few more orders, I sent them back to the camp. I decided to leave them to Erickson for now. And later, depending on the situation, I'd have to turn McClain into a woman. She would likely be sticking close to Hee-sun noona often. I felt bad for Becky, but I'd have to castrate her fiancé.
"Now then..."
I had to go and brand the rest of the guys that Son Haeun, Killian, and Dante were tracking.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Mustang carried Meiling in his arms and ran forward, looking only ahead. The energy of those who had been chasing them from behind had all cut off. They must have all been taken care of. The only ones left in this place were Mustang, Meiling, and the Alchemist, Ryu-jin.
"Heeuk...!!! These persistent bastards!!!"
"Ryu-jin, it's harder if you talk."
"Kkeu-euk!! I want to hang onto Mustang and go too!"
"Kikik... No room. Go back."
"Kkeu-euk!!! Damn it!!!"
Ryu-jin was running like a bush warbler trying to chase a stork, looking like his crotch might rip at any moment. As he wasn't a combat-oriented class to begin with, he felt like he wanted to collapse and faint right then and there. Soon, they exited the forest and dashed across a vast pasture. At that moment, Meiling felt a stinging sensation.
"Hmmmm. Mustang."
"Hoo... Yes, my lady."
"Not that strange tone. Answer normally."
"Yes, Meiling. What is it?"
"They're right on our tail. Perhaps... it's useless to run now, isn't it?"
"Yes?"
"Eek. They're here."
Something slammed into Mustang's back. -Boom!!!! An explosive shell detonated, and Mustang rolled forward several times, hugging Meiling to ensure she wouldn't be harmed. His back was scorched pitch black. In truth, it was a miracle his entire back hadn't exploded like a smashed pumpkin. The fact that he ended up with only this much damage showed just how sturdy this man, Mustang, was.
"Keuheok..."
"Mustang. Are you alive?"
"Yes..."
"Endure it a little longer."
Meiling cleanly healed the wounds on Mustang, who had collapsed and was coughing up blood. Then, she spoke to Ryu-jin, who was taking out a healing potion.
"Ryu-jin. Engrave His seal on Mustang's back."
"What...?"
"Hurry."
"B-but then Mustang will..."
"Mustang. Are you okay?"
"Yes... If it's for my family who went to France... I'll do anything."
"Good. That's it? Engrave it, Ryu-jin."
"O-okay..."
Ryu-jin began to draw countless mysterious transmutation circles on Mustang's back. He also handed two bottles each of his special pills and potions to Mustang and Meiling. The pills released all the body's limits the moment they were consumed. They were dangerous but useful. The potions, meanwhile, induced a berserk state along with an absurd sense of euphoria the moment they were consumed.
"Mustang... It's done."
"Keu-he-he... Good... Then before we fight..."
Mustang downed all the pills and potions on the spot. Soon, his eyes rolled back, and his rampage began. Around that time, a man with short hair wearing glowing gauntlets walked out of the forest, laughing.
"Surrender quietly!!! I have to capture you for my face to be saved!!! I don't want to get beaten up by that damn cultist bastard anymore!!!"
It was Dante, the Giant Slayer. The ones closely tracking Meiling and her group were Killian, the Beast Hunter, and Dante, the Giant Slayer. The rest of the companions, including Son Haeun, were busy holding down the assassins, including Yan Hong-ya. For reference, Killian did not reveal himself. He was aiming at Meiling's forehead with a magic gun from inside the forest. He intended to knock her out with a single blow that would cause a concussion.
-Bang!!
As the gunshot rang out, Meiling tilted her head and dodged the rubber bullet that was flying toward her. Ryu-jin, terrified by the gunshot, prostrated himself on the grass and covered his head. He then began drawing something frantically on the ground. Around that time, Mustang stood up from behind Meiling, snorting like he was excited. His body was dyed in a red light. His class was Giant Warrior. Since 'Giant Warrior' was Mustang's job, he gradually grew larger.
"U-uh-uh-uh!!!!"
Mustang's body grew to nearly 5 meters in size. Mustang, having entered a berserk state, let out a war cry and charged toward his target, Dante.
"What... was he a giant? Keu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! How dare you, do you know who I am!! A mere giant!!!"
Dante burst into wild laughter and lunged at Mustang. Soon, the giant and the giant slayer began a fierce brawl.
-Bang!!!
The gunshot rang out once more. This time, Meiling slightly twisted her body and dodged the rubber bullet again. Because he had used non-lethal rubber bullets to subdue Meiling as safely as possible, the velocity of the projectiles was too slow.
"Damn it... she's got sharp ears."
In the end, Killian decided to take one of Meiling's arms or legs. After all, if it were his abnormal master, he would perform the miracle of reattaching the severed arm or leg as if to show it off. But before that, Meiling thrust her hand toward the forest.
"I can't be defeated by someone like you yet... So, freeze, all of you."
Soon, cold air began to erupt from her palm. The entire surrounding area touched by that cold froze over, and the forest, including Killian and the tree he was in, began to freeze solid and shatter.