Chapter 35
“Son of a bitch!” Seung-Jun shouted as he charged at Seong-Tae, whose fists were covered in crimson flames.
He thought, It doesn’t matter. I’ll still win!
It looked like Seong-Tae had rushed to establish a rule, so Seung-Jun was sure it was a sloppy ability. It couldn’t be a match for his Blood Drinker. Seung-Jun swung down his cutlass with a red aura lingering around it, but Seong-Tae reached out and grabbed the cutlass with his right hand.
Grabbing a sword with his bare hand? I knew he’d gone crazy!
However, no one could have expected the result. When Seong-Tae grabbed the sword with his hand covered by the Fiery Gloves, the red aura wrapping the sword evaporated along with black smoke.
“Urgh!” Seung-Jun grunted, pulling his sword away from Seong-Tae’s grasp and jumping backward.
The red aura of the Blood Drinker was burned away.
“What the hell did you do, Na Seong-Tae?!” Seung-Jun shouted in rage, glaring at Seong-Tae.
Seong-Tae stared at his hands and smiled. “Heh! True premium is different from cheap knockoffs!”
It was like he was wearing crimson leather gloves. The dancing flames resembled a red lotus, blazing intensely like it was making its mark on the world. They pulsed in unison with Seong-Tae’s heartbeat, making them feel alive. The flames were exactly as Seong-Tae had imagined.
Dammit! Seung-Jun shouted inwardly.
He realized what had happened. His skill, Blood Drinker, converted the blood it absorbed into a red aura. Blood was a fluid, meaning it had evaporated once it made contact with the flames. In other words, Seong-Tae was the worst possible opponent for Seung-Jun.
Change of plan!
Seung-Jun planned on killing Seong-Tae quickly using the destructive force of Blood Drinker, but decided to use his Dexterity instead.
He’s slow. He can’t keep up with my speed!
Seung-Jun changed his strategy, rapidly dashing at Seong-Tae. He feigned slashing horizontally and suddenly vanished, appearing at Seong-Tae’s flank.
“Die!” he shouted.
“Goddamn hyena!”
Seung-Jun focused on attacking Seong-Tae’s flank injury. Seong-Tae outstretched his hand, sent large amounts of mana to his gloves, and ignited them. It had been instinctual, but the mana pattern resembled that of an emission ability, which had good synergy with conjuration. Flames burst from the Fiery Gloves, shocking Seung-Jun and forcing him to fall back.
“Kurgh! Dumbass! You won’t last long if you keep wasting your mana like that!”
“I know you’re on the same boat!”
Seong-Tae had focused his Karma investments on Health and Magic, but his mana rapidly depleted like firewood whenever he created flames with the Fiery Gloves. However, he was not worried.
His skill is also reaching its limit!
The red aura wrapping Seung-Jun’s sword via Blood Drinker had considerably lessened, indicating he was almost out of the blood he had collected.
I’ll end it with the next attack!
This will be my final attack!
They both squeezed out what remaining mana they had to prepare for their final attack. Seung-Jun charged again, so fast that he even left afterimages. Seong-Tae failed to keep his eyes on Seung-Jun, leaving him with no choice but to cover all directions by emitting flames.
Now’s my chance! Seung-Jun thought.
He had been waiting for the opening created by the rapid depletion of mana moments before the flames went out. Seung-Jun cut his left arm with his sword, using his blood to activate his skill. The Blood Drinker’s aura became vivid again and exuded the metallic scent of blood. Seung-Jun charged into the clearing flames.
“Chaaa!”
Seung-Jun thrust his sword, aiming for Seong-Tae’s injured flank again. It was only natural to attack the enemy’s weak points in battle. The cutlass sank into Seong-Tae’s flank.
I did it! Now I just have to twist the sword to make the wound bigger—
Just then, a red hand grabbed the sword and interrupted Seung-Jun’s thoughts.
“Heh! I knew you would do that!”
Seong-Tae held onto the sword tightly with a smile. Seung-Jun was undoubtedly faster than him, but Seong-Tae could prepare for him if he knew where he would attack. Seong-Tae could tell from the violence Seung-Jun inflicted on Hwa-Yeon that he tended to hyper-focus on aiming for the opponent’s weakness like a hyena. It might be an advantage in the animal kingdom, but in battle, it was a fatal flaw that an enemy could take advantage of.
“Argh!” Seung-Jun grunted.
He tried to twist his sword to widen the wound, but it did not budge. The Blood Drinker’s red aura evaporated with black smoke.
“You said you were a pirate, right? Stolen goods are always bound to disappear! True premiums shine brightly on their own!”
Seong-Tae clenched his right fist and focused all his remaining mana on it, condensing the hellfire-like crimson flames like a crimson star.
“Dammit!”
Seung-Jun tried to let go of his sword and run away, but it was too late. Seong-Tae’s fist smashed into Seung-Jun’s stomach—on his solar plexus, where he had repeatedly hit Hwa-Yeon.
“Blegh—!”
Blood and pieces of intestines poured out of Seung-Jun’s mouth. However, Seong-Tae’s attack was only just beginning. The flames ignited from Seong-Tae’s fist, engulfing Seung-Jun.
“GAAAHHH!” Seung-Jun screamed from the pain of being burned alive.
His hair, eyes, and even his bones burned. He rolled on the ground to put out the fire, but it was created with mana—it couldn’t be put out through regular means.
“Gurgh! Gurrrh!” Seung-Jun flopped like a fish being grilled alive.
His convulsions lessened over time and stopped soon after.
[You hunted an individual with Murderer Karma.]
[272 Karma obtained.]
...
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Seong-Tae heartlessly looked down at Seung-Jun’s ashen corpse as he listened to the Akasha Messages.
He muttered, “A traitor’s end is always set in stone.”
***
A traitor is a parasite of a sinner.
Jean-Paul Sartre
***
“Urgh!” Seong-Tae groaned, falling to his knees.
Fatigue took control of his body once the adrenaline from battle disappeared. On top of that, blood poured out of his flank due to the cutlass that disappeared after Seung-Jun’s death, no longer blocking the wound. Seong-Tae used the Fiery Gloves to cauterize the wound.
“Hurgh!” He gritted his teeth to keep himself from screaming, the smell of burning flesh entering his nose. “Huff! Huff!”
He took deep breaths and stood up after administering first aid. He walked to the tree where Hwa-Yeon had collapsed. She was unconscious.
“If only I had a healing ability like Card.”
Seong-Tae recalled the blue cup Card used, but the water element did not suit him. The fire element that asserted its presence in the world suited him best. Seong-Tae picked up Hwa-Yeon and walked away. The sounds and vibrations of battle still echoed from afar.
***
“W-what? Seung-Jun... did that? Seriously?”
“I... can’t believe it.”
Ho-Geun and Shin Jun were about to look for the three because they were not returning. As they were about to set out, they were shocked to see an injured Seong-Tae appearing with the unconscious Hwa-Yeon in his arms. They wondered if they had been attacked, but the truth was far more shocking.
“Seung-Jun... betrayed us?” mumbled Jun, unable to believe it.
Seung-Jun did not fit in with the others, but had never defied Jun’s commands. His contributions in battle were also high.
I knew he was impulsive, but I never imagined he’d betray us! Jun thought.
“Urgh, I wouldn’t have known either if Min-Jae hadn’t told me he might be carrying out black quests,” Seong-Tae replied.
Jun asked, “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you’re the leader. How could you lay down proper commands if you don’t trust your teammates?”
“Then you should’ve at least told me!” Ho-Geun shouted from beside Jun.
Seong-Tae shook his head and said, “Huuu, I wasn’t sure about it either, okay? I didn’t want to divide the team because of a misunderstanding! To be honest, I was skeptical about it too until I saw it with my own eyes. It just showed how great of an actor that hyena was.”
“That bastard!” Ho-Geun shouted as he punched a nearby tree.
Jun’s expression hardened in silence.
I was going to make a pillar by collecting branches, but I didn’t expect there was a rotten one among them.
Jun finally understood what Seong-Hwi had said.
“Branches will be sliced if an ax is swung down on them. It would be even easier if a few branches were rotten. But what about one steel bar? It’s far stronger than several branches.”
He wondered if Seong-Hwi had also faced this kind of betrayal. Jun shook his head. What was done was done. He needed to set aside guilt and regrets for later and prepare for what would come.
“How is Hwa-Yeon?” he asked.
“She’s just unconscious. She couldn’t breathe properly because she was hit repeatedly on her solar plexus. None of us has a healing skill, so we’ll just have to wait until she recovers naturally with her Health stat,” Seong-Tae replied. He whispered, “You should’ve just gone to the Mirror World first, stubborn woman.”
Jun organized his thoughts.
Seung-Jun is dead, and Hwa-Yeon is incapacitated. We only have three people capable of fighting. Seong-Tae hyung and I are tanks. Even if Ho-Geun ahjussi destroys the Fallen Knight’s armor, we don’t have an attacker to break its os.
[Remaining Teleport Rocks: 31]
[Time Remaining: 39:25:34]
“This isn’t good,” Jun mumbled.
They had less than two days remaining and only thirty-one Teleport Rocks available.
Jun’s eyes gleamed unsettlingly as he thought, There’s only one option left—
However, Seong-Tae interrupted his thought. “Oh, and there’s something else I haven’t told you guys.”
“Why is there so much you’re hiding?! Are you sure you’re on our team?” Ho-Geun shouted.
Seong-Tae shrugged and answered, “You’re so impatient... I haven’t had the chance to tell you this one because I only just got it.”
He summoned his D Weapon, Premium Clutch Bag, and opened its zipper. Two balls of crimson fire jumped out and enveloped Seong-Tae’s hands. They were the Fiery Gloves.
Seong-Tae stared satisfyingly at the beautifully dancing flames and said, “I’m done being a sub-tank. I can deal damage now, hehe!”
***
[Remaining Teleport Rocks: 6]
[Time Remaining: 00:41:12]
Less than an hour remained until the mandatory quest was over. Seong-Hwi looked down at himself and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. I should do something about these clothes once I’m in the Mirror World.”
His black combat boots, green cargo pants, and black hoodie were filthy due to the bloodstains, but they reflected his life in the Dark Forest for the past month.
It’s about time I got ready.
The Demon Knight would appear soon. Seong-Hwi had a lot riding on this face-off, so he had to be in the best possible condition.
First, I’ll open stat cubes—hm?
Seong-Hwi detected a presence. It was so faint that he would have undoubtedly missed it if it weren’t for his E-rank Sense stat. He summoned the Symbolic Tarot Deck, and a card flew out of it.
It showed an old man wearing a grey robe. He had a lantern holding a hexagram in his right hand, and a black staff in his left. Golden earrings were also dangling from his large earlobes. He was a hermit whose presence was so faint due to his seclusion from the mundane world, and a sage who could see everything even with his eyes closed.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Observer’s Earring, one of the symbols of No.9 The Hermit]
A golden hoop earring appeared on Seong-Hwi’s right earlobe, allowing him to see the world in third-person view. It was like seeing the world in the eyes of a flying bird.
There.
Seong-Hwi stared at a tree about twenty meters behind him, but the enemy was still invisible.
Was there a stealth skill like that in the F-rank skill cube?
Seong-Hwi shook his head. He reckoned a skill like that would have at least E-rank potential.
It’s a D Weapon's unique skill.
It piqued Seong-Hwi’s curiosity. Someone with such an amazing stealth skill this early possessed immense talent. The presence walked in circles around Seong-Hwi once he stopped. The enemy was like an assassin waiting for the perfect opening. Seong-Hwi grabbed the handle of his Shaco Knife and waited for an attack.
Alright, bring it!
However, Seong-Hwi felt something was off as nothing happened despite the minutes continuing to pass.
What’s with them?
Seong-Hwi purposefully created an opening for the opponent to exploit, but he could feel hesitation from them.
Are they hesitant to kill? How could they have gotten this far, then?
Seong-Hwi lost interest. No matter how exceptional one’s stealth was, it was pointless if the assassin hesitated to kill. As Seong-Hwi was about to move, the opponent moved first. However, it was not to attack Seong-Hwi from behind but to show himself before Seong-Hwi.
A brown-skinned, black-haired boy, seemingly around fifteen years old, appeared like a transparent dye washing away. His black eyes were filled with resolve, and his body was highly toned, unbefitting his age.
The boy said, “You have a Teleport Rock, don’t you? Then fight me. If I win, you will give me your Teleport Rock. My name is Chaya Singh Rai, a brave Gurkha warrior!”
The boy raised his sword. It was a kukri knife, which looked like a sickle combined with a boomerang.
Chaya Singh Rai? Seong-Hwi’s eyes widened from hearing that name. The Cecil Hotel’s Chief of Execution!