Chapter 24
“W-what the hell is going on?!” Eugenio shouted, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at his subordinates’ corpses filling the cave.
“A-assassins!”
“They’re surely from District 1!”
“Damn Americans! We promised a ceasefire until we passed the Radanmo zone!”
The people in the cave blamed the people from District 1 for the silent massacre because of the battle against them they had last time, which resulted in several casualties on both sides.
“Gather everyone to the central cavern! There’s a higher chance of being attacked if we’re split up!” Eugenio shouted, his mustache trembling in rage.
His subordinates, whom he planned on using to take over the Mirror World, had been assassinated en masse.
“Damn Americans! How dare they trick me?!”
Eugenio summoned his D Weapon, a crude brass knuckle. It was his very first weapon since he could not afford a gun back when he was just starting as a drug trafficker, so he always had it with him as a lucky charm.
How many are there? If it took us this long to notice, it means there are only a few. We can still win!
Eugenio evaluated their chances as he stared at his subordinates slowly gathering. One of them was staring intently at Eugenio—it was Kim Su-Yeol, a sharp-looking Asian man in his early thirties from District 8.
***
The members of the Chedbell gang who had gathered at the central cavern gulped as the sounds of water dripping from stalactites echoed in the silence. There were twenty-nine of them, meaning sixty-six had been killed.
At least thirty must have infiltrated.
Those damn Americans lied about their forces. They even had assassins?!
If they’re assassins, they must have high Dexterity and Sense. Meaning, their Health and Strength have to be low! Come out into the open space. We’ll wipe you all out!
The gang members stayed alert as they observed the surroundings for thirty minutes. Just then, they heard footsteps.
“Over there!” a man with a detection skill shouted as he pointed at a tunnel.
Everyone else also looked in the direction he pointed. A mestizo covered in blood appeared.
“Urgh... help me,” the man begged with difficulty.
“Carlos!”
The Salvadorans from District 10 knew who he was—the boss’s right-hand man. He had gone out with his team in search of prey but had returned, covered in injuries.
“He was attacked!”
“Carlos! Who are the enemies?!”
Two Salvadorans ran to Carlos to help him up.
Just then, someone shouted, “He’s not Salvadoran! He’s Korean! His articulations are different!”
“What?”
“What do you—”
The sound of flesh being sliced echoed throughout the cavern. The heads of the two who went to support Carlos dropped to the ground.
“What?!”
“Carlos! You betrayed us?!” Eugenio shouted in rage.
He shouted inwardly, He killed his fellow gang members! Has Carlos sided with the bastards of District 1?
Seong-Hwi, disguised as Carlos, looked at Eugenio and asked, “Are you the boss? You’re stupider than your subordinate. Someone said my articulations are different, didn’t they?”
“Articulations?”
Eugenio noticed that the way the man’s mouth moved did not match what he was saying, despite Eugenio being able to understand his speech.
“It’s not Spanish!” Eugenio shouted.
“It’s called Korean, created by Sejong the Great,” Seong-Hwi answered as he canceled the item skill, Myriad Faces, because there was no reason to pretend he was Carlos anymore.
“W-what is that?!”
“A demon!”
“A mask?”
Seong-Hwi removed the demonic Myriad Cheoyong Mask and said, “That aside, what a shame. I could’ve killed at least five more if you had carried me there. Looks like you have a clever guy in your ranks.”
Although there were no language barriers here, the articulations of people speaking did not match what one heard since they spoke different languages. It was normal in the Mirror World, but Seong-Hwi did not expect someone to notice during the mandatory quest.
“Could that be him?” the clever man muttered.
“Do you know him, Kim Su-Yeol?”
“Yes. He’s the man I told you about last time. The murderer of District 8.”
“The one who killed someone as soon as we were Lost?”
Eugenio recalled the man whom Su-Yeol mentioned they needed to add to their ranks, no matter what. He could not feel anything special from the murderer. Although he did not like the way the man was smiling at him, he was just an average Asian man. Eugenio could never have guessed the man was the brutal murderer Su-Yeol told him about, but considering he just killed two of his men in the blink of an eye, it was likely true.
First, I’ll capture him and make him kneel before me!
“Vanguard, advance!” Eugenio shouted.
Seven men with shield items advanced step by step.
Seong-Hwi mumbled, “Sticking together like that only makes things easier for me.”
He summoned his D Weapon, Symbolic Tarot Deck.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Ace of Wands]
A red wand appeared in his hand. A fireball instantly formed at the tip of the wand, making sounds as if a fiery snake was hissing. He pointed the wand at the vanguard and shot the fireball at them.
“Urgh!”
“Dodge!”
“No, block it! Maintain the formation!”
The men who had no idea how much power the fireball contained dilly-dallied, unable to decide whether to dodge or block. The fireball slammed into their shields, punishing their blunder. The fireball exploded, growing fifty times larger, and shook the cave to the point that it felt like it was about to collapse.
“Arghhh!”
“Gurghhh.”
The three with defensive skills grunted in pain after suffering burns throughout their body. They were still breathing, but the four without defensive skills were reduced to ashes.
“Urgh! He’s not an assassin! He must have focused his stat points on Magic! Scatter! Be careful of his fire skills!” Eugenio shouted.
The twenty remaining gang members dispersed and surrounded Seong-Hwi in all directions.
“Ranged attackers, fire!”
Arrows, rocks, and throwing daggers flew toward Seong-Hwi at Eugenio’s command. Seong-Hwi canceled the Ace of Wands and embodied a new symbol.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Ace of Swords]
A light blue longsword appeared in his hand. He held the Ace of Swords perpendicularly to himself and spun. A light blue gust blew in all directions and deflected the ranged weapons.
“Being scattered is just as good for me.”
Seong-Hwi charged at the men at blinding speeds, boasting his F(99) Dexterity. He held the Ace of Swords in his right hand and the Shaco Knife in his left.
“Die!”
“Argh! My arm!”
“He’s too fast!”
Seong-Hwi attacked with the longsword and blocked with the knife. The enemies could not find a gap to exploit in his flawless two-sword style.
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
“Urgh! Get the hell out of my way!” Eugenio shouted.
Both the shieldbearers and ranged attackers failed. He couldn’t afford to lose any more men.
He surely invested his Karma into skills and items, so his stats must be low!
Eugenio trusted his physical strength because he invested the Karma he earned through murder into Strength, Health, and skills. His Strength was at F(99), enough to split a human being in two with his bare hands.
“Chaaa!” Eugenio yelled as he swung his fist with his brass knuckle D Weapon on it at Seong-Hwi.
Seong-Hwi blocked the heavy attack with his Shaco Knife and was slightly pushed backward.
He’s strong, Seong-Hwi thought.
Their Strength stats were both at F(99), but it was only natural for Eugenio to be stronger since Seong-Hwi had fought for two hours straight. Their clashes continued.
“Ahhh!” Eugenio used a skill as he pushed Seong-Hwi back.
[Activating Skill: Straight Punch.]
A faint orange light wrapped Eugenio’s fist. Seong-Hwi’s eyes gleamed.
I’ve missed seeing that skill, he thought.
“Die!”
Eugenio’s fist flew at Seong-Hwi as it ripped through the air. Seong-Hwi crossed the Ace of Swords and the Shaco Knife to block the attack. Seong-Hwi was blown upward.
“You’re the best, boss!”
“Rip his head off!”
Eugenio could hear his subordinates’ cheers, but his expression was crumpled. The synergy between the skill, Straight Punch, and his F(99) Strength was flawless; he did not think anyone could take the attack head-on.
The impact felt weak. It didn’t go through!
Cold sweat trickled down Eugenio’s forehead.
Does this mean he has that many flashy, powerful skills and high stats? That’s impossible! How did he earn that much Karma? How many people has he killed?!
Eugenio could not comprehend the Asian man before him.
“You’re confident in your strength, huh?” Seong-Hwi asked.
He canceled the Ace of Swords and pulled out a new card from the tarot deck. A woman wearing a floral wreath made of roses on her head was petting a terrifying black lion like a puppy. The lion’s tail was lowered as if it had submitted to the woman.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Rose Wreath of Strength, one of the symbols of No.8 Strength.]
A rose wreath appeared on Seong-Hwi’s head, and his Strength stat changed.
[Temporarily boosting the Strength stat as per the effect of Rose Wreath of Strength.]
[Strength F(99) → E(33)]
[Duration: 00:00:59]
[Duration: 00:00:58]
...
No.8 Strength, one of the Major Cards, symbolized all forms of strength—external and internal. Among its symbols, the Rose Wreath of Strength boosted external strength—in other words, the Strength stat. Although only for one minute, his Strength rose to E(33).
Seong-Hwi felt his enhanced strength and said to Eugenio, “Straight Punch is a good skill, but it’s not flashy and has a very short range. That’s why people with that skill judged it had F-rank potential and stopped investing Karma into it.”
“W-what the hell are you talking about?!”
Eugenio noticed something had changed about Seong-Hwi and charged at him after getting a feeling that he shouldn’t give Seong-Hwi any time.
The one who attacks first wins!
Eugenio used his skill again, but infused all of his mana into it this time.
[Activating Skill: Straight Punch.]
Seong-Hwi continued, “But I know someone who invested only in that skill, and he later became known as Nuclear Punch, although the man himself hated the alias because of how childish it sounded.”
Seong-Hwi got into a stance as he stared at the charging Eugenio. It was the boxing stance that his comrade Hector Jameson took when activating his skill.
“I miss him. He loved hunting Black Humans, too.”
“Die!” Eugenio roared.
Seong-Hwi also swung his fist at Eugenio, but did not infuse any special powers into it. It was just a regular punch. The two fists collided. Seeing that, Eugenio was sure of his victory.
I win! I’m even wearing my brass knuckles—
Eugenio heard a strange sound once the two fists collided before he could even finish his thoughts.
What was that sound?
Eugenio stared at Seong-Hwi, who had thrust his fist forward unfalteringly.
Wait. Where is my fist? It should have collided with his.
“Ahhh! Boss!”
“Y-your arm!”
Eugenio stared at his right arm as he heard his subordinates’ screams. However, his right arm, which should have been attached to his shoulder, was not there.
“What... the hell?”
His arm had turned into mangled pieces of flesh the moment his fist made contact with Seong-Hwi’s fist, and splattered all over the ground.
“Ahhh! My arm!” Eugenio screamed after realizing what had happened and stumbled backward in intense pain as he clenched his empty shoulder with his remaining hand.
“Huuu,” Seong-Hwi exhaled.
[Duration: 00:00:01]
[Duration: 00:00:00]
...
[Canceling Rose Wreath of Strength.]
[Strength E(33) → F(99)]
Seong-Hwi felt fatigued once his Strength stat returned to its normal value.
I’m tired despite raising my Magic and Destiny Force stats. I should hold off on using skills.
There was no issue with that since the morale of the rest would be destroyed once he killed their armless boss, who was pathetically running away. Only about ten were left.
I’ll kill the boss first.
Just as Seong-Hwi was about to move, the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the cavern. The fleeing Eugenio bled from his thigh and collapsed.
“Ahhh! K-Kim Su-Yeol, you bastard!”
“How could a boss leave his subordinates behind to die?”
It was Kim Su-Yeol, the leader of the District 8 members of the Chedbell gang. He was smiling with a .38 Smith & Wesson Special, a revolver D Weapon, in his hand. It was the New Nambu M60, a revolver used by the Korean police. Seong-Hwi’s eyes shone as he saw the D Weapon.
An emission D Weapon. He has already established a rule.
Su-Yeol smiled at Seong-Hwi and said, “Oh, don’t worry. I know he’s your prey. I aimed for his leg. We Korean police officers are trained to aim for the lower extremity, no matter how heinous the criminal is.”