Something That Shouldn't Be Here (3)
His fingers and toes had all been ripped off. His ears and nose were torn away too. But he wouldn't die from shock. Lee Chang-hoon was a challenger who surpassed ordinary humans in every way.
"……."
Even so, continuous bleeding could be dangerous for any challenger, so Yun-seok gathered scrap materials and lit a fire. Then he heated up an iron rod.
Lee Chang-hoon's face grew even paler.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"Gotta stop the bleeding, right?"
Yun-seok rubbed the moderately heated iron rod over the spots where his fingers and toes had been.
"Aaaagh! Aaaaagh! Aaagh! Stop! I was wrong! Stoooop!!"
He screamed like a madman, but he endured it while Yun-seok cauterized his hands and feet. But when it came time for his nose and ears...
Lee Chang-hoon couldn't even scream anymore. He just retched and sobbed before passing out.
Yun-seok woke him up. It was time to finish this.
"W-what?! D-don't! Please, really! D-don't do it!"
Yun-seok grabbed Lee Chang-hoon's head. Then he shoved it straight into the blazing drum barrel where the scraps were burning fiercely.
He thrashed wildly, but Yun-seok ignored it all with his overwhelming strength stat.
"Aaaagh! Aaaaagh! Aaaaaagh!"
Lee Chang-hoon screamed. It was nothing compared to his face, but Yun-seok's hands were burning too, so he shared some of the pain. Still, Yun-seok's expression was utterly blank. This level of pain was nothing.
If anything, the days when they tormented him had been far worse.
Soon, Lee Chang-hoon's screams stopped. He'd burned to death face-first while still alive.
"……."
Yun-seok had personally reduced a man to this state with his own hands, but he remained calm. His heartbeat stayed steady as ever. He'd always had a strong stomach, and by now, it was nothing new.
He'd torn into his own body like a toy while training in Blood Pact, and he'd let demons slash him to ribbons in battle from the start. He wasn't so weak-willed that ripping off a few fingers and toes would make him tremble.
Besides, this was justice. Lee Chang-hoon was scum who'd held a grudge against him and tried to harm his parents.
If I'd been a bit weaker or slower to realize, that's exactly what would've happened.
The only reason Yun-seok had protected his parents and punished Lee Chang-hoon was because he was strong.
The law of the jungle. Whether in the Tower of Heaven or here, the weak got devoured.
There are too many pieces of trash out there.
Yun-seok thought he needed to grow even stronger. Among all the trash in the world, some would surely be stronger than him now.
Like Kang Hyung-woo and Lee Chang-hoon. Trash didn't avoid you just because you tried to stay away. They crashed into your life like a car accident, sticking their filthy feet where they didn't belong.
Before, there had been at least some minimal protection within the bounds of the law. But the world now was pure chaos. Challengers had appeared, and if Raguna's guess was right, monsters would invade this world too.
A time would come when raw power trumped the law.
Just going back isn't the end. I have to prepare for what comes next.
His trip to Earth to stop Lee Chang-hoon's revenge had only solidified his sense of purpose.
He wouldn't run from the Tower of Heaven. He'd accept everything and grow strong enough to protect everyone dear to him—without ever being treated like a loser again.
Time until return: 13:27:04
Yun-seok checked the remaining time, then used the skill he'd prepared.
Corpse Decomposition.
Mana spread evenly through Lee Chang-hoon's corpse and began devouring it at rapid speed. It truly deserved the word "complete." In about three minutes, not even bones were left.
With cleanup done, Yun-seok decided to leave the area. But then...
For the first time in this abandoned construction site, where he'd sensed no presence until now, an intruder appeared.
"……?"
An anomalous signal within his 25-meter detection radius. Red—the color for danger or enemies. But it wasn't human-shaped. The outline resembled a wild dog.
What is it? A stray?
The thought flashed through Yun-seok's mind like lightning. A single dog showing up here was odd enough, but this wasn't any ordinary breed. The size and form were similar, but it had three tails.
Yun-seok whipped around to confirm with his eyes. And he was certain. This was one of the monsters Raguna had mentioned.
Did it smell the blood?
His hand instinctively went to his waist out of habit, only to remember he had no sword. He felt a twinge of panic. By then, the wolf was already within 10 meters.
"Grraaaaaang!"
The wolf bared its fangs and crouched on its forelegs, ready to pounce. Yun-seok ducked his upper body into a defensive stance, planning to evade.
But then something unexpected happened.
Crackle!
Lightning burst from one of its three tails. No time to dodge—the yellow bolt struck Yun-seok dead-on, leaving him stunned.
What? That's it?
Regret for getting hit by the preemptive strike faded quickly. The shock was just a brief tingle, then nothing.
Mana Resistance successfully perfectly resists.
Only then did he understand, seeing the delayed message.
Grab it first, ask questions later.
Yun-seok charged straight at the wolf. Panicked by its failed attack, the wolf raised its tail for a second strike upon seeing him approach. But...
D- rank agility. Or D+ with Heavenly Demon Body's boosts. Yun-seok was several steps faster.
Splat!
His body shot forward like lightning, halting abruptly as he used the rebound to thrust his bare fist. Yun-seok was stunned by what happened next.
He hadn't expected a single blow to explode its head without any resistance. And this was without even holding his left hand sword with +2 strength.
Minus the weird abilities, it's just a wolf. Are all monsters like this...?
He'd just been honing his resolve against monsters moments ago, so it felt anticlimactic. But recalling Raguna's words—that only challengers could harm them, and neither magic nor swordsmanship worked—he shifted his mindset.
If guns don't work either...
Then Earth would be defenseless against them.
Yun-seok focused elsewhere.
They said monsters appear a year after challengers emerge. Why so soon...?
Speculations abounded. Raguna might be wrong, this cycle could be different, or maybe a year had already passed on Earth since challengers appeared without him knowing.
As his brow furrowed in thought...
"Vital signs?"
"...Malfunction? The signal just vanished."
"What? Last location?"
"Here."
"We gotta check it out, so shields up, everyone—stay sharp!"
Sudden commotion echoed. Yun-seok peeked through the tarp on the outer wall at the noisy ground below. Dozens in suppression gear had entered the site.
What the hell...?
Black suppression uniforms with no affiliation marks. Suspicious enough, and their words were far from normal.
He had Absolute Stealth, but one might be a challenger. Yun-seok headed to the rooftop.
Soon, he heard them climbing the stairs.
"Team leader! Entity spotted! Looks like someone already killed it!"
The officials found the wolf corpse and radioed excitedly. A man who seemed in charge arrived and sighed deeply.
"Why'd a wolf pup head to an empty construction site? Again? Damn, this tiny country popping out challengers left and right—it's insane."
One thing was clear from the mutterings. They were from some group tied to challengers.
Yun-seok listened silently. Useful info poured out just from eavesdropping.
"Man, if we could detect challenger waves like monsters, it'd be so much easier. Endless supply, fuck."
Detecting challenger waves. It seemed the monster finding him wasn't coincidence. They'd tracked it here and sensed an unknown challenger—Yun-seok.
"Secure all CCTV in the area. And that on the floor? Human blood for sure—bag it quick!"
At the man's order, agents collected Lee Chang-hoon's bloodstains in bags. They figured it was from fighting the wolf.
"Move fast! Gotta catch that unknown challenger before we're dragged back to that shithole! You wanna go or not?!"
They were hunting him. Yun-seok hesitated briefly. Revealing himself might yield info on the Tower or let him meet other challengers.
But he decided against it. The word "capture" didn't scream friendly. Exposing his identity would just bring headaches and bullshit.
"Hey, rooftop? Checked?"
"Not yet!"
"Useless—always doing whatever. Fine, I'll check."
The leader lit a cigarette and climbed the rooftop stairs. Yun-seok grew urgent.
Stealth was active, but if the guy was a challenger, he might spot his face.
He eyed the mountain behind the site. About 25 meters away. The drop was even farther. Miss it, and a nine-story fall meant death.
Still, he could make it. Why did that feel so natural?
Yun-seok leaped without hesitation. A perfect landing would at worst shatter his legs—Blood Pact could heal that quick.
Thud!
A sharp jolt shot up his spine from his feet. But no need for Blood Pact healing. He'd truly jumped 25 meters and landed on the mountain.
Guess I'm not human anymore.
A wry smile crossed his face as he hurried away.
F-Rank Ticket has expired.
Moving to 4th Floor Waiting Room.
Nothing left to do, nothing he wanted. Even on Earth, Yun-seok had meditated in stealth in a quiet spot until time was up, returning to the waiting room.
First, he reported to Raguna as promised.
RapeseedFlower was Raguna's nickname. He'd been surprised the same flower existed in her dimension, but her bright yellow blonde hair made it fitting.
Relieved her issue—advised by her—had resolved well, Yun-seok chatted a bit more before closing the chat and opening the [Info] window.
Predation, Weapon Enhancement, One Flash, Shadowless Chant, Blood Pact, Heavenly Demon Body, Death Merchant
Backstep (F-), Mana Resistance (E-), Sword Mastery (E-), War Stomp (F+), Iron Mastery (E-), Stealth (F), Tracking (F-), Detection (F-), Eye of Truth (E-)
A far cry from his pathetic first day. With his current 96,000 AP, he could grow stronger here. Mixed feelings bubbled up, but Yun-seok shoved them aside.
Just once more. One more duel win, and he'd claim 256,000 AP. Enough for the C-rank full return ticket—his first goal, once so distant, now within reach.
Yet his eyes were calm. After this Earth trip, his purpose had crystallized.
He knew now. This wasn't the end.
Purchased item has arrived.
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Now it begins.