Chapter 123: Duo. Birth of the Bomb Demon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Duo. Birth of the Bomb Demon
“Aaaaaargh!”
Seo-un couldn't fathom how the man was still clinging to life. He was so emaciated he was little more than skin and bones, his complexion faded past pale into a sickly, sallow brown.
He shook his head as he watched the man let out another ragged, piercing scream.
I’m not sure who’s more impressive—the guy enduring this, or the guy hitting him with just enough precision to keep him from dying.
Between Zesk, who had survived twenty minutes of this in his condition, and Nam Sa-gwang, who was pummeling him with such terrifying vigor, Seo-un was at a loss for words. They were both incredible in their own twisted ways.
“Why don’t you just kill him already? How much longer are you going to keep this up?”
“Phew. I’m still not satisfied. Just thinking about how I almost lost my martial arts… and not even to Qi Deviation! Not even at the hands of a powerful foe! To think I almost had my skills stripped away by some freak’s sorcery… it makes a fire rage in my chest!”
—Thwack!
Nam Sa-gwang delivered a precise kick to the solar plexus. Zesk curled up like a shrimp, trembling violently as he struggled to draw breath.
“Guh! Wheeze…”
—Tap.
Nam Sa-gwang kindly patted Zesk on the back.
“Gasp!”
The moment the man’s airway opened and he sucked in a desperate breath, Nam Sa-gwang tapped him on the neck.
“Ack!”
“I’ve learned something from beating people to death in this world. Do you know when a person suffers the most?”
Seo-un played along, even though he knew the question wasn't really directed at him. He figured if he had lost his abilities to a guy like that, he would be a hundred times more furious than if he had simply been eliminated.
“I don’t know. When they can’t breathe?”
“No. It’s when they can’t see the end of the pain. When they have no idea when death will come or how long this agony will last. That’s when they usually try to commit suicide.”
—Tap.
As he finished speaking, he tapped the back of Zesk’s neck again, opening his airway once more.
“Torture like this is actually nothing. You get used to repetition, even if that repetition is pain.”
As Nam Sa-gwang spoke, a sharp, needle-like Aura rose from his fingertips. Zesk’s eyes filled with pure terror.
“As you know, the human body has countless pressure points. If you prick and stimulate them correctly, you can save a person or kill them. But do you know what’s the most terrifying thing of all?”
“I’d guess… making it so they can neither live nor die.”
Nam Sa-gwang smiled at Seo-un’s response.
“Exactly. A life spent writhing in agony, neither dead nor truly alive. This needle is made of Aura formed from my Original True Qi. Once it’s embedded in a human body, it will never disappear; it remains preserved forever.”
Having said his piece, Nam Sa-gwang ruthlessly drove an Aura needle into the man’s solar plexus.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Watching the man roll across the floor, Nam Sa-gwang stood up and spoke.
“This is actually a taboo technique that the Righteous Faction would never use. It’s a torture method called Ten Needle Double Pain. It’s named that because the pain doubles with every needle inserted. They say it makes the agony of Bone-breaking Pain seem like child's play. I imagine your Five Viscera and Six Bowels feel like they’re being turned inside out right now, don’t they?”
Nam Sa-gwang continued as he looked down at the man, who offered a desperate gaze instead of an answer.
“With the second needle, you’ll lose your sight along with the sensation of your eyes being gouged out. With the third, you’ll lose your hearing and gain a migraine. With the fourth, a toothache will start and you’ll lose your speech. With the fifth…”
“Ple… please… kill me…”
Finally, the words came. In Zesk’s eyes, there wasn't a single spark of hope, anger, or even resentment left. They were filled only with a desperate, soul-deep longing for death.
“Fine. If you want it that badly, I’ll kill you. But first, you have to tell me a few things. Now that I’ve broken that damn item, will all the power you absorbed return to where it belongs?”
“Guh! Y-yes.”
“Then the skills stored in your back and your bow—are those someone else’s abilities too?”
“No… Gasp! Those… are the item’s abilities.”
“Then one last thing. How did you buy that godforsaken item?”
“I… was lucky. I kept hiding… made it into the top ranks… and an item I happened to farm came up in a drawing… Aaaargh!”
Seeing the man unable to continue due to the pain, Nam Sa-gwang slit his throat.
Seo-un flinched as he saw the corners of the dying man’s mouth curl upward, a sense of peace settling into his fading eyes. Just how much agony must he have been in to welcome death so serenely?
“Are you sure you’re from the Righteous Faction?” The words escaped Seo-un’s mouth involuntarily.
“I was being lenient. No matter how much of a Righteous Faction member I am, I have no mercy for those who steal the martial arts of others. Besides, I learned all these torture techniques back when I was in my prime.”
Nam Sa-gwang spoke with such finality that Seo-un couldn't argue further.
“Now that I’ve vented some of my anger, let’s get going.”
“Before that. This item…”
Seo-un shook his head as Nam Sa-gwang held up two yellow gems that had dropped from the man’s box.
“The risk is too high. To use a Seal Stone, you have to embed that damn Absorption Stone into your body. How can you put a piece of glass in your body that drains all your strength the moment it breaks?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“And if it’s the Heavenly Demon… he might actually be able to break that seal anyway.”
At Seo-un’s words, Nam Sa-gwang crushed Merti’s items without a hint of regret.
Killing people and turning their abilities into items—even in a place where such things were the norm, Merti’s items felt alien and unsettling. After destroying them, Nam Sa-gwang continued to rummage through the box.
Then, he pulled out the item that had been hounding him.
[Spider Wire. When equipped, wires are fired toward your intended path, facilitating easy movement. By injecting energy such as Mana, you can adjust and increase your movement speed.]
“What about this damn thing? Not interested?”
“Actually, I am.”
At that, Nam Sa-gwang tossed the thin pack over with a look of surprise.
Omni-directional mobility… I wonder how many variables this can create?
With that thought, Seo-un strapped the pack to his back. Immediately, a new sensation washed over him, as if the eight wires had become extensions of his own body.
As Seo-un’s lips curled into a smile, Nam Sa-gwang tossed him one more item.
[Gleaming Reinforced Sislein's Bow Limb. Increases arrow speed by 50%. Granted the Indestructible trait. Increases arrow penetration by 20%. The exclusive skill 'Irresistible Capture' can be used once per day. Irresistible Capture: Forcibly pulls a captured enemy to a position 3 meters in front of the skill caster.]
“Oh, and this too.”
[Sislein's Bowstring. When attached to a bow, it increases arrow speed by 20% and arrow penetration by 10%.]
Compared to his current Reinforced Black Kaier's Bow, the arrow speed increase was the same at 70%, but this new bow came with options that effectively granted 30% penetration.
Indestructible, huh.
However, it was the Indestructible trait that truly caught Seo-un’s eye.
“Sa-gwang. Manifest your Hand Aura.”
Seo-un gripped the bow limb like a staff and channeled his Internal Power, making the limb go rigid. Understanding what Seo-un was trying to do just by looking at him, Nam Sa-gwang swung his Hand Aura at the bow limb.
—Clang!
Though the impact made Seo-un’s hands tingle, the bow limb, which had blocked Nam Sa-gwang’s Aura, didn't have so much as a scratch on it.
“If armor had an option like this…”
“Theoretically, you’d be unkillable, wouldn’t you?”
“I guess there’s no way such armor exists, right?”
Nam Sa-gwang thought for a moment, then twisted his lips into a smirk.
“What if your Dragon Armor was reinforced until it gleamed?”
Seo-un’s eyes sparkled at his words. Reinforcing the Black Dragon's Armor Set—an item whose value was already hard to calculate in cash? And not just once or twice, but until it gleamed? There was no doubt that if he succeeded, it would become a one-of-a-kind item in the world. However…
Doing something that crazy is…
During his three years of middle school, he had mostly played the kind of online games older men enjoyed, and he had performed item reinforcements—a core mechanic of those games—countless times. It was a momentary gamble: would the equipment he’d worked so hard for triple in value, or vanish into thin air? He had learned at a young age that the thrill of winning that gamble was so powerful it was a dangerous act that eventually led to losing everything.
The problem was that he also knew the pleasure of that gamble.
“I wonder if I can get a Sky Enhancement Stone?”
Nam Sa-gwang was startled by Seo-un’s muttered thought.
“Are you actually going to do it?!”
“N-no. I just thought it wouldn't be bad to reinforce it at least once.”
Nam Sa-gwang looked at Seo-un suspiciously for a moment before standing up and handing him a pair of earrings.
“This is all there was for accessories.”
[Earrings Bearing the Smile of the Goddess Mercury. Increases the wearer's Luck.]
“Huh?”
At the mention of increasing a stat he didn't even have, Seo-un quickly put the earrings on. He didn't have pierced ears, but he crudely pierced his earlobes on the spot and put them in. A notification sounded immediately.
—Ding! The special stat 'Luck' has been created.
“How does this work?”
—Special Stat: Luck: 20
In a game, Luck was easy to apply. It would adjust monster drop rates or gold acquisition. But he couldn't immediately grasp how it would apply in reality.
What kind of randomly dropping items… Ah!
The moment he realized that this game itself reflected Earth’s games, he got goosebumps. From the final five drawing board to the items dropped when hunting players, items dropped from monsters, and items scattered randomly across the map—the acquisition of all items was handled randomly.
“This is a bigger variable than I thought!”
After Seo-un finished explaining the concept of Luck to Nam Sa-gwang, who was looking at him questioningly, Nam Sa-gwang offered a new perspective.
“Suppose two players with identical conditions are fighting. One has Luck, and the other doesn't. If they both plunge their swords into each other's chests at the same time, who do you think wins?”
Seo-un was struck by his words.
I don’t know when the Luck system appeared, but those in the know must already be eyes-wide and using it.
After discussing the new stat for a while, the two finally began to move.
“Don’t go getting kidnapped again in the future.”
Nam Sa-gwang’s face soured at Seo-un’s joke.
“My reputation is in tatters.”
As they stepped out of the station and began to run, the Munhak Tunnel soon came into view.
—Stay sharp. There are definitely people camping nearby.
Nam Sa-gwang nodded at Seo-un’s Voice Transmission.
This wasn't just anywhere; it was a Buff Monster’s territory. Since only Crown Rankers were gathered here, no one was making reckless attempts, but they were certainly guarding the perimeter. Since they had decided not to avoid an encounter with the Heavenly Demon, the two decided to target those players.
—Kuwaaaaaaaaah!
The moment a roar laced with a subtle mechanical sound echoed out of the tunnel, Seo-un and Nam Sa-gwang looked at each other.
—Sounds like someone’s attempting it right now.
—What’s the move?
Seo-un pondered Nam Sa-gwang’s question for a moment.
—Since it’s come to this, Plan A.
Ending the Voice Transmission, Seo-un plucked out some hairs. With various things hanging from his waist, Seo-un dashed into the tunnel.
With a deep scowl and every nerve on edge, he ran inside, only to find a scene that defied imagination.
No way! How can something like that exist on Earth?!
The Buff Monster, shaped like a giant lizard, wasn't actually that jarring. However, a creature with horns sprouting from its back and a tail shaped like a mace definitely didn't exist on modern-day Earth.
Are they bringing back extinct dinosaurs now…?
—Boom!
The dinosaur swung its tail, pushing back two players who were fighting it. It roared and curled its body into a ball.
Don’t tell me…
At that moment, it began to roll rapidly through the tunnel, which seemed narrow for its size. It was nothing short of a disaster. The two players, who had already spotted Seo-un, were trying their best to avoid the monster’s attacks while ensuring they didn't turn their backs to Seo-un, rather than actively fighting the beast.
Seo-un charged toward the monster, which was already covered in blood and splattering it everywhere, and the players who were wary of both the beast and him.
The expressions of the two players fighting the Buff Monster twisted as they saw him charging in. He held two grenades in his hands, flicking the safety clips with his thumbs and pulling the pins with his teeth. Whether they felt insulted by the arrogance of an enemy charging in with so many openings, or they were simply furious at being interrupted while trying to take an objective, one knight raised a sword wreathed in Aura and charged to meet him.
As Seo-un drew close to the knight, the monster, still curled in a ball, came rolling up behind him.
—Click! Roll, roll, roll.
In the midst of it all, the grenades left Seo-un’s hands and rolled between the two.
—K-boom!
Along with the sound of the explosion, the middle of the tunnel collapsed. To the two people monitoring the tunnel from a distance, gray dust could be seen billowing out of the tunnel entrance simultaneously with the thunderous roar.
—At some point, you started looking like a guy obsessed with blowing things up.
Seo-un didn't particularly deny Nam Sa-gwang’s comment.
The power of Mana Explosion spells varied depending on the scroll, but they were incredibly efficient. There was no better way to shake up a battlefield and cause chaos and damage to enemies. Furthermore, now that he could handle physical clones, he could use them to deliver bombs, gaining the dual advantages of ensuring his own safety and drawing in the enemy.
—Is there any reason not to take such a profitable deal?
Just as Nam Sa-gwang shook his head at Seo-un’s words, the blood-soaked monster raised its head above the debris of the collapsed tunnel and roared.
—Kuaaaaaauuuuuh!
—I don’t see any notifications, so I guess neither of them is dead yet?
—Whether they’ve lost consciousness or are just pretending, we’ll find out soon enough. They’re in a Buff Monster’s territory, after all.
—Bam! Bam! Bam!
The monster finished its roar and began pounding the debris with its rage-filled tail. Two players, covered in gray dust, leaped out from the rubble.
At that sight, Seo-un smiled.
The knight, who was bleeding from his armor just like the dinosaur, and the martial artist, whose clothes were completely tattered, looked significantly damaged.
Seo-un pulled out his new bow and notched a pyeonjeon into the tonga. He aimed at the knight, who was bleeding profusely while dealing with the dinosaur. Beside him, Nam Sa-gwang raised his hand, ready to give the signal.
Finally, the moment his hand dropped, Seo-un released the bowstring.
—Swish!
—K-boom!
Hardly had he fired the pyeonjeon when two of Seo-un’s clones detonated the Claymores they had set up and reverted back into hair.
Just when they thought the explosions were over, another blast engulfed them from the front and back, and Seo-un’s pyeonjeon flew into the heart of the chaos.
Now this is what I call a bomb drop.