Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Part 3

Grit.

At Lee Hyeoksu’s words, Cha Mincheol ground his teeth.

Originally, Lee Hyeoksu had been his senior from high school.

They had been in the same athletic club and had also been party members who climbed the tower together.

Then, after learning Lee Hyeoksu’s true nature, he had said he wanted to leave the party.

And as a result, he had ended up like this.

“Just the forty-fifth floor. Clear that one floor with us, and I’ll let you go. I’ll send your mother back unharmed too.”

Lee Hyeoksu lightly patted Cha Mincheol’s cheek.

“If not... your mother dies here.”

“...”

Cha Mincheol’s eyes turned blood-red.

The whites of his eyes were so bloodshot they had turned red.

He clenched his teeth so hard it sounded as though his molars might crack.

“If you touch my mother...”

“?”

“You bastards...”

The veins in Cha Mincheol’s neck bulged.

“I’ll tear every last one of you apart with my own hands.”

Struggle. Struggle.

Cha Mincheol violently twisted his body, trying to break free of his restraints.

But the restraints were made of mithril and would not come loose.

‘These fucking bastards...’

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Cha Mincheol slammed his head against the floor.

This anger was directed at himself.

He had fallen for their nonsense about throwing him a farewell party and had been placed under a mana restriction.

He should never have drunk alcohol given to him by trash like these...

“I’ll kill every one of you painfully. So don’t touch my mother.”

“...”

The basement fell silent.

Lee Hyeoksu shrugged, then let out a short sigh.

“Haa... If you keep acting like this, I don’t have a choice either.”

Lee Hyeoksu stepped back.

‘Tch... What a waste. But if he insists on going this far, I don’t have a choice.’

Lee Hyeoksu sighed as he lit a cigarette.

Cha Mincheol.

This man was a beast.

A beast covered from head to toe in armor.

They had carelessly provoked a beast, so if they could not tame it, they had to kill it.

Swoosh.

“Last chance. Clearing the forty-fifth floor. Are you doing it with us or not?”

Lee Hyeoksu raised his hand as he looked down at Cha Mincheol.

The moment he lowered that hand, Cha Mincheol’s mother would die.

At that moment.

Shing.

One of his subordinates drew a knife from his waist and held it to the mother’s neck.

“?!”

Lee Hyeoksu’s eyes widened.

“Hey! Not yet, you bastard! Not yet—”

Too late.

Having misunderstood the signal, the subordinate began drawing the blade sideways across Cha Mincheol’s mother’s neck.

“Mom!!”

Right then.

Bang!

The basement’s iron door burst open with a tremendous sound.

Flinch.

“?!”

Startled, the subordinate’s hand stopped moving.

Blood was running down Cha Mincheol’s mother’s neck, but fortunately, the wound was not deep.

Step. Step.

Someone descended from the dark staircase.

A black hoodie, an expressionless face.

It was Han Yugeon.

His steps were so natural that it looked as though he were walking into his own bedroom.

“This place smells no different from the tower.”

“Who the hell is this bastard? Hey! Who are you?!”

As Yugeon approached, one of the subordinates frowned and cursed at him.

But Yugeon ignored the gangsters and looked at Cha Mincheol’s mother.

Yugeon’s gaze went to Cha Mincheol’s mother’s neck.

‘I arrived just in time.’

A thin line of blood was running down her neck.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep.

“...Hey, everyone, draw your weapons.”

Looking at the expressionless Yugeon, Lee Hyeoksu ordered his subordinates.

He did not know who that man was, but he had a bad feeling.

He could not sense any particular energy from him, nor did he look strong, but goosebumps rose all over his body.

“Huh? Our weapons?”

“Yes, you idiots!”

In the end, Lee Hyeoksu shouted at his stupid subordinates.

Shing.

“Hey! I don’t know who you are... but what business do you have here?”

“...”

There were eight people in the basement.

Excluding Cha Mincheol and his mother, there were six gangsters in total.

Yugeon did not answer Lee Hyeoksu’s question and instead looked over the gangsters.

【Level 58】Lee Hyeoksu

‘Lee Hyeoksu is level 58.’

Cha Mincheol was level 50.

Lee Hyeoksu was eight levels higher than Cha Mincheol.

‘The subordinates are fairly strong too.’

Every one of them was above level 30.

Thanks to the passive effect of Transcendent Eye, the gangsters’ levels were clearly visible.

Shing.

Without saying a word, Yugeon drew the sword at his waist.

“Haa... Who the hell are you? Why are you drawing a weapon? We shouldn’t have anything to do with each other.”

When Yugeon drew his sword, Lee Hyeoksu scratched his head roughly.

He had felt uneasy, so he had tried his best to avoid a fight.

“Do I need a reason to dispose of insects like you?”

“Khuhuhu, insects... You’re making quite a hasty judgment for someone who’s never met us before.”

“Just looking at those two is enough to judge you.”

Yugeon pointed at Cha Mincheol and his mother.

“Hey! That’s none of an outsider’s business.”

“Pfft...”

“?”

When Yugeon let out a mocking laugh, Lee Hyeoksu’s brow furrowed.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“...”

“Even though I appeared like this, you’ve done nothing but ramble on since earlier... You don’t have the courage to attack, but something about me bothers you, so you just want to send me away... Right?”

“...You really take me for a fool. Kill him.”

In the end, enraged by Yugeon’s words, Lee Hyeoksu gave the order to his subordinates.

“You bastard!”

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The moment Lee Hyeoksu gave the order, the gangster closest to Yugeon charged forward with his weapon.

“Cha Mincheol’s mother.”

“...?”

“Close your eyes for a moment. It’s going to be brutal.”

Squeeze.

Cha Mincheol’s mother immediately squeezed her eyes shut.

At the same time, the gangster’s sword moved swiftly.

Whoosh.

Ding!

【Infinite Realm】 has been activated.

[Consumes 1 Feat.]

Bzzzzzz.

The moment he used Infinite Realm, everything in the world began to tremble faintly.

Then the subtle trembling stopped, and everything turned gray.

The world fell silent, and everything slowed.

No, it went beyond slowing.

Everything stopped.

The weapon that had been rushing toward him froze right in front of his nose, and even the voices of the gangsters who had been cursing nonstop could no longer be heard.

At the same time, red lines began appearing over openings in the gangsters’ defenses.

And within that frozen world.

Swoosh.

Only Yugeon began to move.

‘Things the world has no need for.’

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

In a world where everything had stopped.

Yugeon’s sword moved forward, cutting through the gangsters’ necks.

Crunch.

Crack.

The sounds of skin tearing and bone grinding came from the tip of his sword.

At last.

Bzzzzzz.

When he deactivated Infinite Realm, time began flowing once more.

Ssssh.

“What just...”

Thud.

Thump.

Thud-thud.

Lee Hyeoksu stared at his subordinates with utter disbelief.

In the span of a single blink.

His subordinates’ heads were all falling from their shoulders at once.

At the same time.

Gush.

Grab.

“You... fucking...”

Lee Hyeoksu himself felt hot blood flowing as he grabbed his own neck.

But there was no head left for his hands to hold in place.

Whirl.

Thud.

In the end, Lee Hyeoksu’s head also fell to the floor.

Ding!

[Accumulated growth has been reflected in your attributes.]

Strength　　　+1

Agility　　　+1

Senses　　　+1

_____________

Swoosh.

Click.

The bedroom door closed quietly.

Mincheol stood in front of it for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief.

His mother had finally calmed down and fallen asleep.

After all the gangsters died.

As soon as they returned home, he disinfected the wound on her neck and applied medicine to the bruised areas.

His mother had not said much.

She had simply stared at her son’s face for a long time before closing her eyes, apparently exhausted.

He had tried to prepare her a meal, but perhaps because of what had happened that day, she did not eat.

‘...Thank goodness.’

Relieved that the situation had improved, Mincheol quietly left the house.

Creak.

Thud.

When he stepped outside, Yugeon was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Your mother?”

“She’s sleeping. The wound wasn’t serious, so I only had to apply some medicine.”

“I see.”

Yugeon gave a brief reply, then took the lead and started walking.

Mincheol hurried after him.

____________

Grrrrr.

They had not walked far when a loud sound came from Mincheol’s stomach.

Mincheol’s face instantly turned red.

“S-Sorry...”

“How many days have you gone without eating?”

“...Four days.”

“Four days. No wonder you’re hungry.”

Yugeon let out a hollow laugh.

While he had been held by the gangsters, they must have offered him food, but apparently he had refused to eat until the very end and starved himself.

That explained why a body that looked so sturdy had been taking blows so helplessly in the basement.

“Follow me.”

Yugeon changed direction and headed toward a pork soup restaurant in a nearby alley.

An old signboard and windows clouded with steam.

Mincheol hesitantly followed behind.

“I don’t have any money in my wallet right now...”

“I’m not asking you to pay, so stop talking and follow me.”

_____________

“Two large pork soup meals, please.”

“Sure.”

As soon as they sat down, Yugeon ordered two large bowls.

Clatter.

A few minutes later, the woman began setting down the earthenware bowls.

“Please put both bowls in front of him.”

“Huh? Young man, you’re not eating?”

“I ate on the way here.”

Mincheol glanced around awkwardly.

“Are both of these large bowls really for me?”

“One bowl doesn’t look like it’ll be enough for you.”

“...Ah.”

Mincheol scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed expression.

People had always called him a big eater.

Slurp.

“Ah... Hot...”

“Eat slowly. I’m not going to take it from you.”

Mincheol began shoveling down the pork soup.

He ate so frantically that it almost looked as though he had buried his face in the bowl.

Yugeon folded his arms and quietly watched him.

Twitch. Twitch.

‘As expected... worthy of being the greatest shield of the future.’

The muscles in Mincheol’s forearms twitched visibly every time he ate.

Even after starving for four days, the volume of his muscles had not decreased in the slightest.

If anything, once food entered his body, the muscles seemed to finally return to their proper state, swelling taut once more.

‘A naturally gifted body.’

The density of his muscles itself was different from that of an ordinary person.

That was a body bestowed by heaven.

And then there was the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait, which still lay dormant within him.

‘If I hadn’t stopped what happened today, Cha Mincheol would have come to hate humanity.’

After witnessing his mother’s throat being cut right before his eyes.

Cha Mincheol would lose his reason and awaken the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait.

Then, on the spot, he would tear the gangsters limb from limb, fall into hatred for humanity.

And transform into the worst kind of Murder Fiend, one who wished to kill every human being.