Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: ACT.24 Hunters (9)
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Park Dae-jun slowly shifted his gaze behind me.
The eight B-rank players who had been fighting Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins.
Contrary to what Park Dae-jun must have expected, half of them were already subdued and lying on the ground.
The remaining half were on the verge of defeat, in no position to help.
Choi Nam-hoon was dead, the other civilians were too scared to be of any use, and there were no reinforcements.
Although the organization Choi Nam-hoon had built was widespread, by now, it must have been completely wiped out or suppressed by the guilds.
With a stiff, hardened expression, Park Dae-jun forced the words out.
“Who are you?”
“Kim Se-hyeon.”
“That’s not what I asked!!”
His furious shout echoed fiercely.
“You know what I mean, yet you give me that answer, Kim Se-hyeon!”
“I’m answering that way because I know.”
“Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, I’ll find a way to make that mouth of yours talk.”
Park Dae-jun lowered his stance, his eyes gleaming menacingly.
An aura of mixed black and gray energy gathered around him, taking the shape of a scythe.
‘He can use that even as an A-rank?’
I knew it because I had seen it before.
Shadow Sever.
It was one of the reasons the ‘Master of Shadows’ trait was considered top-tier.
An attack that strikes the opponent’s shadow.
That description alone might sound puzzling, but in reality, it was an attack that ‘completely ignores the opponent’s defense and is impossible to evade.’
Because the damage inflicted on the shadow was transferred directly to the body.
No one exists without a shadow.
Even inanimate objects cast shadows, and every living thing, no matter how small, has one.
That’s what made the skill so powerful and destructive.
But Park Dae-jun, the one using it, wasn't unscathed.
“Keuk…!”
His face contorted in pain as the energy gathered.
It was a skill that could normally only be used properly by an S-rank.
Forcing it must have come with a backlash.
“I may have to bet everything to use this, but if I can take a dangerous bastard like you with me, it will be a great contribution to the cause…!”
Mutual destruction.
He knew he couldn't win, so he would at least die with me.
If it was true that I had single-handedly dealt with the executives who came to deliver information, then I had to be at least a high-tier S-rank.
Park Dae-jun had revised his assessment of me to that level.
In contrast, he was merely an A-rank.
This was his best option.
‘It’s almost funny that he thinks he can actually take me down with him, even after seeing Alpha’s power.’
Park Dae-jun must have already realized that Alpha was a summon from one of my abilities.
That’s likely why he made this decision.
Whether Alpha attacked or not, as long as this attack landed, mutual destruction was possible.
If I, the summoner, died, Alpha would naturally disappear.
“Your desperate resolve is commendable, but.”
Ssssk—darkness rapidly encroached on the surroundings.
It formed a dome, enclosing Park Dae-jun and me.
The moment Park Dae-jun, who had been gritting his teeth and gathering his energy, sensed something was wrong must have been then.
“What… Hey, what is this?”
The energy he had painstakingly gathered was scattering.
And that wasn’t all.
Park Dae-jun scrambled to gather it again, but it wouldn't converge anymore.
As if it had all been an illusion from the start.
Any more delay and he wouldn't be able to use the skill at all.
In the end, Park Dae-jun bit his lip and chose to use the skill with what little power he had left.
“I don’t know what you did, but even with this much, I can still inflict an irreparable injury on you!”
“How are you going to do that?”
Park Dae-jun, who was about to move, froze.
His arms and body lost their purpose, and his eyes darted around instead.
His pupils trembled violently.
“My shadow… is gone…?”
“Shadows only exist where there is light. They don’t form in darkness.”
An attack that bypasses the body to strike only the shadow.
Conversely, if no shadow exists, there is no target to attack.
With the entire area shrouded in darkness, there was no way my shadow would be visible.
Park Dae-jun, who controlled shadows, and I, who controlled darkness.
We were a bad match-up from the start.
Fssst.
Even the energy gathered in Park Dae-jun’s hand crumbled away.
The ultimate move he was about to use, risking so much, had ended in a misfire.
‘Just a little more.’
Though the light in Park Dae-jun’s eyes had faded considerably, it wasn't completely extinguished.
A sliver of hope still remained.
I suppressed a smile.
The moment that hope turns to despair.
That is the perfect moment to use ‘Eyes of Bewitchment’.
[The ‘Devil Who Mocks the Heavens’ smirks in amusement.]
[You have been sponsored 500 coins.]
Swoosh.
I dispelled the barrier of darkness.
The surrounding situation, which had been hidden for a moment, was revealed.
“Se-hyeon-nim! He’s the last one!”
“We’ve subdued almost all the hunters!”
The guild masters and the elite members of each guild.
They must have entered from different directions and only just reached the centermost area.
Their route must have had the most personnel and thus the fiercest resistance, so it was understandable that it took them a while.
The players from Paradise that Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins had been fighting were all subdued as well.
Since Alpha had discreetly hidden himself, the guild masters wouldn't have seen him.
He was acting just as I had instructed.
It was best to keep information about the Army of Darkness from leaking.
Jeong Ha-yeon and the twins already knew, so it didn't matter.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“Looks like we won the bet, didn’t we?”
Jo Min-ah beamed and gave Jo Min-woo a high-five.
Like a puppy hoping for praise.
I looked at the Paradise players, all groaning on the ground, and nodded.
As expected, they didn't kill anyone.
“Heh.”
Suddenly, the corner of Park Dae-jun’s mouth twisted into a smirk.
As if he had been waiting for this very moment.
“This is no time to be smiling. You’re all finished.”
Lee Min-hwa ignited a flame, creating a massive fireball above Park Dae-jun.
A sphere of fire the size of a giant boulder, like something out of a trap in an ancient ruin.
Seeing it, Jo Min-ah’s eyes sparkled.
Come to think of it, Lee Min-hwa had shown some interest in Jo Min-ah.
With similar names and traits, it was inevitable she’d pay attention.
If I used that, I could probably help the twins grow even stronger without lifting a finger.
“You all think you’ve won.”
Life returned to his eyes.
Park Dae-jun’s expression turned fierce, and in an instant, he vanished into the shadows.
He reappeared on the roof of a building some distance away.
Emerging from the shadow of a water tank, Park Dae-jun was now holding some kind of switch.
I forced my lips, which wanted to curve into a smile, to stay straight.
That’s right. Press it.
With that, my plan will be complete.
“This will be your tomb!”
“Damn it!?”
“Too late!”
Seong Woo-hyeon moved urgently to stop Park Dae-jun, but the switch was pressed much faster.
Beep.
He triumphantly pressed the switch in his hand.
Were we caught in a trap?
The guild masters, who had tensed up at that thought, looked puzzled when nothing happened.
“…Huh?”
Of course, the most bewildered person was none other than Park Dae-jun himself.
With a baffled expression, he repeatedly pressed the switch, but it remained silent.
“What, what is this? Why…?”
“There were quite a lot of bombs planted inside the hideout.”
At my words, Park Dae-jun flinched and turned back to me.
His eyes screamed, *How did you know that?*
He must have been watching from nearby when his disposable pawn, Choi Nam-hoon, was being pushed back, only stepping in later.
He must have seen me come from the direction of the hideout.
Did it not occur to him that I might have discovered the bombs?
“They’re all useless.”
“Damn it…!”
Deciding there was no other way, Park Dae-jun immediately slipped back into the shadows.
His presence vanished in an instant.
Was his plan to flee and report now that everything had failed?
“He disappeared!?”
“I’ll go after him. You two, please handle the cleanup here.”
I sped up, passing Seong Woo-hyeon and Lee Min-hwa.
Hiding in the shadows worked on the same principle as when I hid Lee Do-hyeon in darkness.
It could conceal one’s appearance and scent.
But since the person’s fundamental existence didn't vanish from that location, it couldn't evade mana detection.
“Huff, huff, huff…”
“Are you done running?”
“Gasp!?”
Park Dae-jun moved nimbly through the safety zone between Red Zones.
He must have scouted a retreat route in advance and was following it.
He had used his ability repeatedly, to the point where he was gasping for breath.
Yet, not only had I caught up to him, but I also showed no signs of fatigue. He was so shocked that he stumbled backward and fell.
“You, you crazy…”
“An A-rank Master of Shadows can move about 50 meters with ‘Moving Shadow’. Considering the post-cast delay, it takes about one second per move. In other words, you were moving at 50 meters per second, yet how did I catch up without looking tired at all? Is that what you’re wondering?”
“You monster…!”
Gritting his teeth, Park Dae-jun frantically moved his hand.
Swish!
Alpha appeared out of nowhere and sliced off the hand that Park Dae-jun had reached into his pocket.
The hand, which had been grabbing something, was severed at the wrist and tumbled to the ground.
Unsurprisingly, the man’s hand was clutching a Sojeok-hwan.
“Aaargh!!!”
“First one guy, now another. Are you all in such a hurry to die?”
I looked down at Park Dae-jun, who was writhing on the ground, screaming from the pain of his severed hand.
At this point, I was curious.
Did they use it knowing the side effects?
Or did they truly not know and just use it when cornered?
They were probably given one each as a last resort for an inescapable crisis, but taking a Sojeok-hwan would truly make it their ‘last’ resort.
“Ughhh…”
“Why did you do all this?”
“Heh, you’re the one who knows about us… and you’re asking for a reason…?”
He answered with a sneer instead of a reply.
“The annihilation of the players in Seoul. That’s all.”
“That’s just a means to achieve your true objective.”
Paradise’s goal wasn't simply to annihilate players.
‘The annihilation of all players’ would include themselves.
There were target players, and there were those who weren't.
“Weaken the five major guilds, then secretly bring in the Phoenix and Pentagon Eagle guilds to wipe out Korea’s players and ruin this place. That’s the real goal, isn't it?”
“…”
Park Dae-jun kept his mouth shut, avoiding the question.
No matter how much I asked, if the other party refused to answer, there was nothing I could do.
Short of torture, that is.
“You have a Sojeok-hwan, so you must know a thing or two. Let’s not pretend you don’t.”
“…You think I’m going to answer you?”
“It’s not something you can refuse.”
The blood loss from his severed wrist seemed to have drained a lot of his stamina, but it was enough to extract information.
I had no intention of letting this one live anyway.
[Activating skill, ‘Eyes of Bewitchment’.]
The focus in Park Dae-jun’s eyes began to fade.
But only for a moment.
His focus returned, and he gritted his teeth, shouting defiantly.
“Don’t make me laugh… with something like this…!”
‘He resisted it?’
I was slightly surprised, but it wasn’t unheard of.
Those with strong mental fortitude could sometimes overcome mind-affecting powers on their own, even without a special trait.
I used more mana and reactivated the skill.
The difference in our mana stats was huge.
No matter how hard he tried to resist, he stood no chance against the sheer amount of mana I poured in.
“Ah, ugh…”
He trembled like a leaf in the wind, and his head slumped forward.
I lifted his head to check his eyes and saw that the focus was completely gone.
Proof that he was under my bewitchment.
The words Choi Nam-hoon had tried to say but couldn't finish.
And the deeper information that Choi Nam-hoon could never have found through his own investigation.
Now that so much had changed, I needed all of it.
“Tell me everything you know, Park Dae-jun.”