The commotion was anything but ordinary.
Looking down from above, Rachel could sense the presence of that impure movement.
Black silhouettes began to slowly appear in the aisles on either side of the VIP seats. At first, she thought they were guards. But their movements were far too suspicious.
Rachel said to the guard heroes,
“I’m fine, so please keep an eye on those people.”
The guard heroes must have been thinking the same thing, because they left only the minimum number of guards behind and descended to the lower floor.
It was at that very moment.
Someone seated in the audience shot to his feet.
He stood out in particular. A man Rachel was familiar with—Kim Hajin.
Rachel was suddenly reminded of the past. He always seemed to appear wherever an incident occurred.
If so, then now as well…
“One moment.”
She stopped the guards who tried to follow her and stepped out of Clancy Hall. Before giving chase, she activated the magic effect embedded in her necklace, “Shade.” Her presence vanished, and all sound was extinguished. Rachel walked like a shadow.
At first, she tried to go down to the first floor. She had thought Kim Hajin would naturally head downward.
Contrary to her expectations, however, Kim Hajin came up.
“Hic!”
They nearly ran into each other. She hurriedly hid herself behind the wall.
Wearing sunglasses, Kim Hajin ascended the central staircase. His steps were relaxed yet confident. Rachel fell back a little farther and followed him through the emergency stairs.
In that way, Rachel eventually reached the rooftop.
However, the rooftop of Clancy Hall was not a place ordinary people could access, but somewhere technicians entered three or four times a year for repairs or maintenance.
As such, the rooftop was firmly shut.
Without a key, that door could not be opened.
Clatter, clatter—
Kim Hajin tried to open the door, but as expected, it would not budge. He tilted his head, then took out a hammer.
It was an ordinary hammer with steel attached to a wooden handle. So old that it even looked shabby, the hammer seemed all the more pitiful.
Well, Clancy Islet didn’t allow weapons to be brought in. If he hadn’t received permission, an old tool like that must have been the best he could manage.
“…?”
Suddenly, Kim Hajin took a stance as if he were about to strike the door with the hammer. As though he intended to break through it.
But it was impossible. There was no way it would work. The iron door was made of mana alloy. With a mere hammer like that…
Kim Hajin struck the door with all his might.
Kwaaaaang!
A thunderous vibration surged out.
“……”
In the very next moment, Rachel could not say a word. It felt as though her brain had stopped thinking on its own.
The iron door had been struck by the hammer. It had certainly been an old hammer that looked ready to break apart. And yet the iron door had been smashed to pieces by it. It crumpled as though it had been torn away.
Rachel stared blankly at the rooftop entrance that had been blown wide open and sank into thought.
Had magic power been wrapped around the hammer?
No, it hadn’t. Not at all.
Then if it wasn’t magic power, how on earth? Purely with physical strength? It wasn’t an ordinary iron door, but mana alloy.
Sitting on the floor, she tried to understand the incomprehensible situation.
—Kyaaaaaak!
But an even greater uproar and screams rose from the floor below.
Rachel quickly came to her senses.
* * *
—I’ve confirmed Roton’s internal documents. The item currently in Clancy Hall is genuine.
At that report, Kim Hakpyo, an executive of the Evil Society, grinned broadly.
“No matter how much that bastard tries to use his head, that’s all he can do.”
Even Kim Hakpyo had been half in doubt that they would bring the real versions of those expensive crystals and ancient relics all the way here.
But the money-mad Zelen had gone and done it after all. The hundreds of billions in profit he could gain by showing the VIPs “definitive proof,” along with the explosive rise in stock prices—he had not intended to let that slip by.
Of course, it was quite a decent method.
Clancy Islet, the island floating in the sky.
As long as personnel management was handled properly, no one could ever enter it, and since the island itself was composed of magic power, an artificial portal could not be made either.
However.
They likely never imagined that we would bring in an “aerial transport.”
“Begin the operation.”
Kim Hakpyo gave the order quietly. At the same time, mist spread beneath his feet. A pitch-black fog rose thickly. For a short while, the VIPs seemed to think the situation was part of an event, but the clear sound of flesh being torn and the single scream that followed were by no means part of any event.
Guhk!
Agh!
Aaaagh!
At the blind screams, the VIPs lost their composure and rose from their seats.
Kyaaaaaak—
Shrill screams spread like a plague, and soon, everything around them turned into pandemonium.
Kim Hakpyo sat in his seat and smiled brightly.
He had always been fond of disorder and chaos.
Now, everything would be finished in the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.
End
The twenty-two elite members of the Evil Society moved swiftly. First, they blocked the escape route onstage and slaughtered the guard personnel. However, the djinns did not distinguish whether those blocking their path were guards or ordinary civilians. Because of that, the once peaceful hall was transformed into a scene of hell, and at the very front
was Nayde, an executive of Team 1.
A grade-1 wanted djinn on the Association’s red notice.
Nayde leaped onto the stage in an instant.
“Heroes! Over here! Here!”
CEO Zelen was gathering heroes with a voice like a scream. Nayde first covered his mouth. He left the dozens of heroes who had rushed over at that rescue signal to his comrades. Then, with agile and flexible movements, he stole the Cube and crystal first.
A man approached Nayde.
“Where do you think you’re going? Allow me to introduce myself. I am high-rank hero Jin Xiangchen.”
The man introduced himself in clumsy Korean. Nayde stared at him silently. If he was a high-rank hero, there was no need to go out of his way to fight him.
Nayde smirked and multiplied his body. Like a cloning technique, eight identical bodies of Nayde appeared.
“What a troublesome ability.”
Jin Xiangchen prepared himself for a simultaneous attack from the eight bodies, but Nayde had no intention of attacking.
The eight Naydes scattered in all directions and ran.
“That son of a bitch?”
Xiangchen hesitated.
Which one should he chase?
Soon, he pursued the Nayde fleeing east.
And Boss silently watched the eight bodies scatter, then headed not east, but north.
“Hmm.”
……From behind the darkness, a short breath was exhaled.
A man who had been observing the entire situation slowly rose to his feet. Step, step. He walked through the darkness and grabbed the wrist of a djinn who was about to cut down a civilian.
“Ggak!”
After twisting the wrist backward and making him drop his weapon, he seized the bastard by the throat.
One second, two seconds, and the final third second.
The djinn died, blood spraying from his entire body.
Kim Junwoo threw the corpse aside and picked up the sword the bastard had dropped. Afterward, he cut down every djinn he encountered as he went in search of Chae Nayun’s group.
“Oppa!”
Chae Nayun and her group ran toward Kim Junwoo. Without a word, Kim Junwoo threw the djinn’s sword he had just retrieved to Kim Suho. Kim Suho caught it and looked at Kim Junwoo.
Kim Junwoo smiled.
“We have to fight, don’t we?”
* * *
Just like in the original, Nayde multiplied into eight bodies and fled.
From the rooftop, I checked which Nayde had the crystal.
East. A hero was chasing him, but that Nayde did not have the crystal.
South. Jane, disguised as a djinn, was accompanying Nayde. But that Nayde didn’t have the item either.
And north, where Boss was chasing. If it followed the original, that Nayde should have the crystal.
I watched that direction closely.
—Stop!
A twelve-man djinn assault squad blocked Boss’s path.
Boss released her magic power. Outwardly, it was a small, black mass of magic power with nothing remarkable about it. However, the twelve djinns were sucked into it. They were twisted and mangled until their forms could no longer be recognized.
Black Spot.
A destructive ability that constituted only a small part of Boss’s talent.
After easily shaking off the assault squad, Boss ran toward Nayde. Now she would easily seize Nayde’s crystal.
I looked at Nayde fleeing in the distance.
“…What?”
At that moment, my mind rang—clang.
He didn’t have the crystal either. The northern Nayde was not carrying the crystal.
“What the…”
I hurriedly turned on my laptop. But there was no message. Was it because this was not a change in settings, but a situational change caused by variables?
A chill ran down my spine. My head went numb, and my heart began to pound violently.
I quickly looked over the ground, but in a place where so many people were tangled together, I could not find the crystal.
“……”
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
I had never once attempted it until now, but there was no time to hesitate.
I concentrated the magic power of Stigma into my retina.
No, to be precise, I concentrated it into my talent, “Sharpshooter—Thousand-Mile Eyes.”
The magic power of Stigma acts and manifests according to my will. If so, then temporarily strengthening Thousand-Mile Eyes should also be possible…
For an instant, the composition of my vision changed.
As though a satellite were looking down upon the earth, a wide area came into view all at once.
The civilians hastily escaping from the hall, the heroes fighting against the djinns, the primitive-shaped “demon beasts” the djinns had summoned to create confusion. And even the White Crystal I needed to find.
The White Crystal, the essence of magic power, immediately stood out to my eyes. The crystal was inside a sedan moving quickly. There was only one person in that sedan.
Snap—
But along with a sound like a blood vessel being severed, my vision narrowed again.
“…!”
Clutching my eyes, I fell to one knee. Pain so severe that even screaming felt difficult came over me. But I had no time to suffer.
I took out the Desert Eagle. I intended to snipe. However, perhaps because Thousand-Mile Eyes had been overloaded, my aim would not obey me at all.
Left with no choice, I jumped down from the rooftop. It was the power of parkour.
As soon as I landed on the ground, I searched for something to ride. Fortunately, as though luck had helped me again, a bike was parked nearby.
A black bike that looked quite expensive at a glance.
I had plenty of experience riding motorcycles. Before I went to the army, I had often worked part-time doing deliveries.
“Everyone, evacuate calmly!”
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice. It was Chae Nayun. Chae Nayun had no weapon and was holding magic power compressed into the shape of a stick. For some reason, that made me feel sorry for her, so I shouted to Chae Nayun.
“Hey!”
“Huh, what? Kim Hajin! Where were you—”
I took out the magic sword I had stored inside my Stigma and threw it to her.
“Be careful not to get hurt.”
Then I ran toward where the bike was parked.
There was no need for anything like a key. Most car keys in this world were digital, so all I had to do was hack it with my laptop.
I climbed onto the seat and murmured quietly.
“Recognition.”
The result was… 40%.
Jackpot. The number 40 was etched into the bike’s pitch-black body.
In this way, the “Random Reinforcement System” could also be applied to vehicles.
“Hey, where are you going!”
Chae Nayun asked in a rush. I started the engine without answering.
Buaaaaaang—! A powerful, rough engine roar, like the roar of a beast, rang out in every direction.
“Whoa!”
The bike shot forward the instant I gripped the accelerator. Its speed was so fast that I dared not say I could handle it.
Covering my insufficient driving skill as much as possible with my dynamic visual acuity, I raced down the road.
The direction was southeast. Pushing the air away in every direction, the bike charged like a streak of light.
Three minutes would be enough to reach the target.
At the end of that light-speed sprint, the sedan’s rear came into view.
What I was about to do from now on was stupidly simple.
I wrapped the bike in Aether and gripped the accelerator even harder.
Its speed soared endlessly. The rushing wind battered my entire body. The pressure of the air choked my breathing.
Even so, I did not let go of the accelerator.
……The bike slammed into the sedan’s rear bumper.
Kwaaaang—!
The collision between bike and sedan.
Ordinarily, it would have been an accident where the motorcycle went tumbling away. But this time was different.
From the impact, the rear of the sedan shot high into the air. The sedan flipped over like a tin can, bounced with heavy thuds, and crashed into the base of a tree.
“…Haa.”
I stopped the bike and let out the breath I had been holding until then.
* * *
“……”
Chae Nayun stared blankly ahead. Her eyes and ears were focused entirely on one spot. The bike that had sped onto the road had already shrunk to a dot.
To be honest, the spectacle that had just unfolded was her fantasy.
A high-speed bike. And me, driving it coolly...
"Kyaaaah!"
But a desperate scream ringing out dragged her back to reality.
"What."
Chae Nayun looked down at the mana sword she had blankly received. Where did this expensive thing come from? I heard he raked in 2 billion won. Did he buy this with that? Surely not to give to me? No, no matter what, that couldn’t be it.
Regardless, it was welcome support. She grinned and infused mana into the mana sword.
Vwing—
A pure and vivid blade of mana shot up.
"......Hup."
Chae Nayun continued pouring mana into the mana sword. The blade gradually lengthened, becoming a greatsword reaching 4 meters. That blade burning brilliantly and flawlessly was evidence of Chae Nayun’s outstanding talent.
"Save me!"
In that moment, someone’s scream pierced her ears.
Chae Nayun shouted, gripping her sword.
"I’m coming!"
* * *
I approached the overturned sedan. Mana flowing from the Stigma gathered in my grasp, becoming a Desert Eagle.
Clunk—
The sedan’s front door opened, and a Main crawled out from behind it. The bastard was holding a briefcase in one hand.
"You crazy bastard......"
Main muttered curses as he looked at me.
"You’re dead."
What gave him such confidence? Thinking carefully, I saw a flickering object in the distance. It was a stealth aerial transporter. A look of delight spread across Main’s face.
But very calmly, I took out my laptop.
"Here, over here! Bosses! Right here!"
Main even fired a flare gun to reveal his position.
I didn’t interfere. No, there was no need to interfere. Instead, I used my laptop to connect to the [Surrounding Server].
Discovered 'A0937-B Transport'.
The SP required was a whopping 100. It was a waste, but worth paying.
Clack.
I closed the laptop.
Suddenly, the transporter began reversing backward.
"Uh, u-uh, where are you going! It’s here! Ah! Fuck, where are you going! Where are you going! Everyone—!"
It was the moment Main was frantically screaming as if vomiting blood.
A tremendous air pressure rushed this way, and something massive descended onto the ground.
Boom!
The shockwave generated the moment it landed shook the entire area. The shockwave was accompanied by rocks. A rock that shot up from somewhere smashed Main’s head.
I looked in that direction.
"......."
A giant measuring a whopping 2 meters and 20 centimeters. This man radiated an overwhelming presence just by standing there—'at least when it came to close combat,' the strongest of the Wisaekdan, a man named Cheok Jun-gyeong.
Yet in his hand, some woman was held like a pet.
"L-let go! Let go!"
Rachel struggled with all her might, but Cheok Jun-gyeong didn’t budge an inch.
"Let me go! This is British soil, and I am a princess of Britain......"
When I looked at her, Cheok Jun-gyeong smirked and answered.
"Ah, this girl? She seemed to be following you, so I brought her along."
Rachel met eyes with me. Rachel clamped her mouth shut.
For now, leaving Rachel as she was, I picked up the ownerless briefcase first.
Cheok Jun-gyeong spoke in a low voice.
"Put that down."
I retorted briefly.
"You first."
"......."
Cheok Jun-gyeong didn’t react. He merely stared at me with dead fish eyes.
Having no other choice, I pressed the gun barrel against the briefcase. In that moment, a dramatic change came over Cheok Jun-gyeong’s expression.
"Huh? Hey, hey. Do you even know how much that’s worth, doing that?"
Without a word, I transformed the pistol into a shotgun.
"Fine. Let’s see. Between me tearing this woman’s head off, and you shoving your gun in there. Which one will be faster?"