Chapter 40
Cha Eun-joo stumbled back, her face drained of color as she cried out, "Sertina!"
I immediately thrust my arm out sideways, halting the charging Lee Min-ho and Hwang Cheol-ho. "Back off."
Throwing themselves at armed thugs? Reckless. But that spirit of theirs... wasn't half bad.
In an instant, three men encircled me. The murderous glint in their eyes told me everything.
They're not here to talk.
Those beastly pupils held no grudge, no fear—only cold purpose. Eyes fixed solely on killing.
The man in front gripped his dagger with both hands and kicked off the ground.
Tat—
What the—?
In that split second, I arched an eyebrow, analyzing his movements. Perfect thrusting form, no flaws. The blade aimed straight for my abdomen—precisely the aorta. Humanity's deadliest weak point.
This guy's killed more than once or twice.
The moment he lunged, I dove right into his guard.
Shiiik!
A chilling arc sliced the air. I gently placed my palm on his abdomen.
—Converting defense-focused mana into offense. Mana from my dantian converges to a single point, surging through my veins, ready to unleash from my palm.
"Qi Wave."
Qi Wave
Kwaaang—!
"Kuh?!"
A shockwave rattled his organs, bursting out through his back. The massive impact hurled the burly man sprawling.
Thud.
One down. I calmly withdrew my hand, eyes locked on the remaining two.
I'd dialed back the power just enough not to kill. Reading trajectories is easy—it's what I've done for centuries. His skill was impressive, but textbook. Too predictable for me.
Whirrlik.
The man to my right reversed his grip on the dagger. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but no wild emotional swing. Classic assassin.
Shuuwaaak!
The blade tore down from above, aimed at my crown, weighted with full-body momentum for extra power. But...
Stance is too wide.
I took one step back. His dagger cleaved empty air.
Shiiik!
His bewildered gaze looked up at me. In the next breath, I stomped forward hard, anchoring my ankle.
—Ankle locked.
Kwang!
Twisting my waist, I poured immense force into my fist.
—Strength enhancement, output surge. Mana assists. Rotational power from my reinforced body transfers fully to the punch.
Shuuwaaak!
Splat!
His jaw wobbled like pudding. Air exploded from his mouth past his mask. Pupils dilating, his body crumpled like a demolished building.
Thump.
Now, just one left...
The final guy stood there awkwardly clutching his dagger, eyes swimming with anxiety. Clearly mentally unstable. Glancing terrified between me and his fallen comrades, he...
...made the worst mistake possible.
Taat!
He charged—dagger in hand—but not at me.
"Wha—?!"
Cha Eun-joo startled back, tripping over herself. Without hesitation, he barreled toward her.
What... the hell?
In that instant, unbearable rage surged through me.
This bastard?
Kwaduduk.
My fist clenched with explosive force. Blood-red eyes blazed with feral light.
—Full mana release.
Full Mana Release
Kwaaang!
The blade was mere 10cm from Cha Eun-joo. In that fleeting moment, I crossed several meters to reach him.
The result was gruesome.
Splaaat!
Like a wild beast smashed by a runaway train, he burst apart without form. Blood sprayed across the road, building walls, and abandoned cars.
"Kyaaah!"
Screams erupted from onlookers. But they weren't the only ones shocked.
I stared at my fist in panic.
What? Why'd I...?
My blood-smeared hand trembled violently. Vision shook as my pupils vibrated.
Never had I felt such intense emotional turbulence. Rage I couldn't contain. Me, who'd mastered reining in emotional torrents for ages—losing control like this?
"Ah."
Snapping back, my heart pounded. Only then did I uncover the rage's hidden undercurrent.
Fear.
Yeah, I was scared. Of what? Those guys couldn't even scratch me.
My head throbbed with dizziness. Not mana depletion. Sounds muffled like I was underwater.
"Sertina! Sertina!"
Cha Eun-joo's voice jolted me back.
"Huh...?"
Only then did I realize I'd been clutching my head with one hand, as if to soothe a migraine.
"You okay?"
Her clear blue eyes brimmed with worry. I steadied my ragged breaths, closing then opening my eyes slowly.
"Yeah."
Maybe from seeing horrors during my player days, Cha Eun-joo and the guildmates stayed surprisingly calm despite the gore.
Then, a forgotten detail resurfaced: Interrogating the subdued attackers.
Their skilled moves suggested they weren't ordinary civilians. I turned to the fallen men—and felt a sudden unease.
"Huh...?"
I'd only subdued them, right? Eyebrows rising, I hurried over, flipping their bodies face-up.
And grimaced.
"Damn..."
Foam bubbled from their rolled-back eyes. Palms on their chests, fingers pressing wrist arteries—no pulse.
Dead.
"Hoo..."
I sighed softly, rising from my kneel.
"Suicide by poison."
A method Pandela assassins favored. I'd prevented it often back then. Sloppy this time. Earth's complacency, plus my momentary mental lapse.
"Tell Choi Ah-rin first."
"Choi Ah-rin?"
One thing I'd learned on Earth: Normal people don't carry weapons, train in killing arts, tote poison, or casually choose death.
Normal people, that is.
"Likely some organization or group behind it."
Lee Min-ho flinched. Hwang Cheol-ho scratched his jaw uneasily, eyeing the remaining corpses.
"Crime syndicate, huh..."
"I-I'll call her right now!"
Cha Eun-joo hurriedly dialed Choi Ah-rin. Soon, cleanup crews arrived. Once sorted, we headed back to the parked car.
"I see. Got it."
Click.
Choi Ah-rin ended the call and leaned back in her chair with a deep exhale.
"Sertina did that...?"
She murmured to the ceiling.
The brawl days ago at the National Assembly. Per Cha Eun-joo, Sertina handled three burly men solo. Subdued two. The last one...
"Hmm..."
Choi Ah-rin let out a long sigh. As Silver Tree guildmaster and holy knight on the frontlines, she'd seen more corpses than she could count.
But...
...never anyone burst like a balloon. Smashed so hard, skin and organs were unrecognizable mush.
A question arose.
"Why show me that side...?"
The flushed, breathless girl. The frail, sweat-drenched, slouched little thing—creating such carnage? She'd doubted her eyes at the scene.
"Consideration... maybe."
Hiding her strength to spare my unease. Knowing how Sertina fussed over details at our summit, it fit.
"But she looked like she'd shatter at a tap..."
Regardless, this incident confirmed one thing: Sertina could wield mana. Even during the update when everyone's powers vanished.
Maybe hers just weakened, not gone.
"Investigation results are intriguing, though."
Choi Ah-rin tapped the reports on her desk, filing them away.
The attackers on Sertina? Digging revealed shady ties galore, just as she'd suspected.
"How far ahead is she seeing?"
Amazed inwardly by Sertina's insight, Choi Ah-rin picked up the receiver to report the shocking findings ASAP.