Happy Birthday 2
—KABOOM!! A deafening explosion ripped through the air. My fist slammed into Ma Gwang-su's face at the speed of light.
"Gah!" His head snapped back at an unnatural angle. No time to activate his defenses. It was a pure, raw physical strike.
His body rocketed like a cannonball, smashing through the leather sofa at the head table, then punching straight through the decorative shelf behind it.
—CRASH!! Bottles of top-shelf whiskey worth tens of millions of won shattered into pieces, raining down like confetti.
The thumping EDM music filling the VIP room cut off. The sycophantic laughter of the executives vanished just as abruptly. In the dead silence, not even a breath could be heard.
Black Rose, Ma Gwang-su's partner, clamped a hand over her mouth, trembling uncontrollably. Her brain refused to process what had just happened.
A high B-rank hunter, the BlazingWarrior who ruled Gangnam's underworld with his flame powers—sent flying with a single punch?
For a split second, she thought it must be a dream.
"Guh... ugh...."
From the wreckage amid the dust cloud and stench of alcohol, Ma Gwang-su staggered to his feet. The nose he'd always thrust so arrogantly was now collapsed. Blood poured from it like a dam bursting.
Worse, the expensive suit he'd specially prepared for today was ruined with booze and blood.
"You... you bastard!" Ma Gwang-su bellowed.
It wasn't fear. More like bewilderment. And even more than that, humiliation. At his own birthday party. In front of all his underlings and women.
"Folks say you gotta take a few hits on your birthday to live long. I came in person to wish our branch chief good health and longevity."
"You... you crazy fuck!!"
Ma Gwang-su's eyes rolled back. Crimson flames erupted from his entire body like an explosion.
—WHOOSH!
A high B-rank hunter and flame user. This was why he was called BlazingWarrior.
The room temperature shot up like a sauna in seconds. The ceiling sprinklers glowed red-hot, on the verge of melting.
"Kill him! Fucking kill that bastard right now! What are you idiots doing?!"
At Ma Gwang-su's roar, the dazed bodyguards snapped to attention. They drew mana daggers and batons from their coats and charged me.
"Hold up."
I lazily raised my palm. That languid yet intimidating gesture made dozens of bodyguards freeze mid-step.
My gaze stayed locked on Ma Gwang-su.
"Branch chief. Ending it in a dogfight feels kinda lame, don't you think? On a fine day like today."
"Dogfight?"
"Let's do it like men. You and me. One-on-one."
I loosened my tie with a provocative smirk.
"Winner gets one wish granted. Sound good?"
"Ha, this fucker's lost it."
Ma Gwang-su let out a hollow laugh. He wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, scanning me up and down.
A pretty-boy face like a gigolo. Slim build in a suit, no visible muscle. Probably looked like some host pandering to Black Rose or a slick con artist at best.
I could guess his thoughts. That lucky punch earlier? Just got me 'cause he was off-guard. Daring to challenge him, the king of Gangnam?
The gallery-addicted fool would accept this ridiculous duel, no doubt. Hell, that's why he posted that crap online in the first place.
A cruel smile curled Ma Gwang-su's lips.
"Fine. You're on. If you're walking into hellfire on your own two feet."
He ripped off his torn shirt. Over his chiseled upper body, red flame tattoos writhed like living snakes.
"I'll tell you my wish upfront. Your head's getting stuffed and mounted in my collection. The rest? I'll burn every last bone to ash."
"Talk big after you win."
"You cocky shit. Come at me!"
I fought down the rising grin. Hooked, you sucker.
—Thud!
Both men kicked off the floor simultaneously. The VIP room's marble tiles cracked under the force.
—BAM!
Fist met fist. Ma Gwang-su's packed explosive flames. Mine wrapped in an invisible thin golden membrane.
"Die! Burn!"
Ma Gwang-su swung his flaming fists like a madman. Each one hit like a grenade. Flame bursts shook the room, scorching wallpaper and filling the air with acrid smoke.
The women huddled in the corner screamed, plugging their ears.
What the hell? Why can't I hit him?
Ma Gwang-su's eyes wavered. His punches had targeted the face, the solar plexus perfectly. But right before contact, the bastard slipped away like an eel, by a hair's breadth.
Intuition (Rank: A) reads the opponent's trajectory in advance.
[Opponent's attack speed is perceived as slower.]
To my eyes, Ma Gwang-su's movements played out like a slow-motion video. A B-rank hunter's speed? After devouring the Dragon Heart and rebuilding my body, nothing could be more boring.
"What're you waiting for? You said let's start?"
I dodged his hook with a mere tilt of my head and taunted him.
"This... this fucker!"
Ma Gwang-su panicked. His flame punches melted flesh on a graze. Even dodging should make approaching impossible from the heat alone.
Yet this guy strolled through the inferno bare-handed. And worse—
—Pow!
"Guh?"
A light jab sank into Ma Gwang-su's jaw. Brain-rattling impact.
"Weak."
I yawned deliberately. My eyes dismissed him as no real opponent. Total disregard.
"Shouldn't you be working on upper-body strength before worrying about your dick?"
"You... you... motherfucker!!"
An irremovable scar on Ma Gwang-su's pride. Reason fled, leaving only murderous rage. He slammed all his mana into his circuits.
"It's over! I'll burn you to nothing!!"
—RUMBLE!!
Ma Gwang-su's body lost human form, becoming a massive pillar of fire. The whole club shook from the high-output spell.
"Inferno Burst!!"
A hellfire pillar like a tsunami engulfed me. No escape. Everything in the room would turn to ash in an instant.
"Kyaaah!"
Black Rose and the other women screamed, diving to the floor.
—ROAR!!
My vision drowned in red. Ma Gwang-su burst into mad laughter.
"Hahaha! Nice! Vanish without a trace, not even bones left!"
The laugh didn't last.
—Step, step.
Footsteps echoed from the flames. Ma Gwang-su's eyes bulged. I emerged, shoving aside the roaring inferno.
Dragon Heart's Blessing
[Nullifies 99% of flame attribute attacks B-rank and below.]
"Even in a one-on-one—"
The Dragon Heart's Blessing. No way a human's fire trick would faze someone who'd swallowed a dragon's raging heart.
I strode right up to Ma Gwang-su, mouth agape in shock, and whispered devilishly in his frozen ear.
"BlazingWarrior-nim. Your keyboard warrior skills are worlds apart from this, huh?"
"...!!"
Ma Gwang-su's heart pounded wildly. That nickname. The one hiding behind anonymity to mock the saintess and slander Lee Han.
"Gonna die before you fix that impotence, right?"
My gaze bored down on him. The seductive eyes that had charmed Black Rose vanished. Only the breath of an apex predator closing the kill—and draconic pupils—gleamed.
Dragon's Intimidation crushes the target's soul.
"L-Lee Han?"
The vision-distortion spell Adel had cast on my face unraveled. Ma Gwang-su screamed and collapsed. His legs shook too hard to stand.
Now he got it. Who stood before him.
The monster who'd killed the saintess's cherished guardian beast and swallowed Red Skull overnight: Lee Han.
And he'd lured that monster here with his keyboard bullshit.
"S-spare me! Please!"
Ma Gwang-su threw pride away, kneeling and clasping his hands.
"G-gifts! I'll give gifts! Any wish, I'll grant it!"
"Anything?"
"Black Moon 1st Branch location! That's why you're here, right? I'll tell you! I'll spill everything!"
My fist halted mid-air.
Reasonable enough.
"B-but... I don't know the exact address.... Just the rough area...."
Ma Gwang-su stammered, shivering.
"G-Gangwon-do. Somewhere in a mountain valley, that's all I know. Detailed coordinates are secured...."
My eyebrow twitched. Expectation turned to disappointment, then irritation.
"So you don't know after all."
"No! Not that I don't know! I'm not core staff! Low security clearance, no access—but I know roughly! For real! Believe me!"
Ma Gwang-su wailed and begged. On the verge of pissing himself.
I sighed deeply. A 2nd Branch Chief who didn't know the 1st Branch location? Figurehead boss. Black Moon's compartmentalized security was airtight.
"Sigh. My fault for expecting anything from small fry like you."
"S-spare me! Money! Take the safe here! Women too! Just my life!!"
Ma Gwang-su clung to my pant leg. Once broken, his own branch would handle him anyway.
"Whatever."
I grabbed his collar and hoisted him up like a feather.
"Eat some cake."
"Wha? Gyaaaaah!!"
Ma Gwang-su's airborne body hurtled toward the squashed five-tier birthday cake in the table's center.
—SPLAT!!
His head smashed dead center into the cake. Whipped cream, cake bits, and fruit toppings exploded like fireworks.
His body twitched in the mess, then went limp.
I scooped a splattered cake chunk into my mouth. Mmm. Sweet.
The executives and bodyguards stood frozen like statues. No one dared touch the monster who'd cake-dunked their 2nd Branch Chief. Move, and they'd be next.
"Um...."
Black Rose approached unsteadily from her corner huddle. Her face, which should have been pale with terror, flushed strangely red.
"I've... always dreamed of this moment."
She clasped her hands, gazing up at me like a devotee before her savior.
"Shall we... start now? You can have me tonight."
Now I felt the Desolatus pheromone side effects firsthand.
This is gonna be a hassle.
"Busy today. Talk next time."
I left the clingy woman behind and exited Club Elysium.
Gangnam's night streets glittered with neon. The cool night air felt good.
I'd aimed to squeeze the 1st Branch location out of him during the beatdown, but got greedy.
"Not a bad day overall."