Episode 9.
“You’re going… alone?”
At Yunchan’s words, Yuhyeon, the leader of the group, seemed to receive a shock and couldn’t continue speaking for a while.
“Yeah, it’s more comfortable that way.”
Yunchan, the very one who had made the shocking statement, showed no sign of caring whatsoever.
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“What’s so nonsensical about it?”
“Just how many fanatics do you think there are, and what level of force do you think they possess?”
Even if we led the entire group there, we couldn’t guarantee victory.
No, it was a difference in military might so severe that if we fought a hundred times, we would lose ninety-nine of them.
And yet he was saying he would enter that place, that deathtrap, alone?
“If you want to kill yourself, you might as well hang yourself right here.”
“Why would I kill myself? I’m going to live a long time. Until I’m old enough to smear shit on the walls.”
“Then shit— you shouldn’t say things like that!”
Yuhyeon, who rarely ever got worked up, continued speaking, curses mixed in.
At the sight of him so agitated—always calm, always so focused on maintaining his gravity as the group’s leader—
“Wow, you know how to curse too. I thought you were the typical virtuous scholar.”
“That’s because it’s that nonsensical!”
With the apocalypse, fanatics had appeared.
Claiming all of this was God’s arrangement and that salvation could be obtained only by following him—the sole one—they were the very picture of a pseudo-religious cult, and they rapidly expanded their influence.
A mighty force, one that could be counted on one hand among the powers active on the stage of the apocalypse.
And now Yunchan was declaring he would enter that deathtrap alone.
“It has to be done. If we stay like this, ‘God’s Fragment’ will end up in their hands.”
“….”
God’s Fragment.
If it fell into the hands of the fanatics—or more precisely, into the hands of their leader Park Jangil who ruled over them—it was a treasure that would essentially hasten the apocalypse.
If it fell into the hands of a madman who believed salvation could be obtained through the apocalypse, this world would end.
“You stupid bastard. Why are you trying to bear that burden alone….”
He finally revealed his true feelings.
This wasn’t just this once.
Yunchan had leaped into deathtraps as if he absolutely had to save all his comrades.
How many times had he nearly died because of those acts, caring nothing for his own body?
It was a miracle he had survived until now.
Of course, thanks to him making all those impossibilities a reality, the group had been able to grow even stronger, but watching him always broke Yuhyeon’s heart.
Like a lamp that burns its own body to illuminate the world, he was devouring himself.
“Hey, anyone listening would think I’m some great saint.”
“That’s right. I don’t know about others, but at least to us, you’re a saint—no, a great hero.”
“…Haha. Hearing that from you is making me feel shy.”
Yuhyeon was called a savior not only by the group but by outsiders as well.
It was only natural to feel embarrassed hearing such high praise from such an incredible person.
“Let’s go together instead. Even if our chances are low, that would be….”
“No.”
But Yunchan shook his head firmly.
“Everyone will die. You know that better than anyone.”
“….”
He fell silent.
If Yuhyeon’s condition had been normal—no, even if he had been at half his usual capacity—it would have been a fight worth trying.
But repeated battles and taking the vanguard without regard for his body had broken his physical form.
*Shake, shake, shake—*
His body trembled even when he was still; the injuries were that severe.
“To stop God’s Fragment from falling into their hands, and to use it to heal you, me going alone is the correct choice.”
His goal wasn’t merely to seize the Fragment from the cult leader, but to return Yuhyeon’s body to normal through it.
“How does that make sense….”
“It makes sense.”
Everyone said it was impossible, but he was confident.
*Flutter!*
He unfurled the prepared cloak.
A black cloak that seemed to swallow light.
“Who do you think was the scariest opponent I’ve ever faced?”
An out-of-nowhere question.
But Yuhyeon couldn’t answer.
Because most of the enemies Yunchan had faced so far were among the strongest on the stage of destruction.
“Everyone would pick the Butcher, or the Blood Demon, but no. The answer is the Hermit (隱者).”
The Hermit.
He wasn’t outstanding in combat ability.
He was simply a thief who approached and stole things without a soul knowing.
Those words couldn’t help but be unexpected.
“If he had wanted to, there would have been hundreds of powerful individuals who lost their lives.”
But Yunchan, who had faced countless strong foes, ranked him—the Hermit—as the greatest.
He had actually survived countless near-death crises in his battle with him.
“After fighting him, I realized. The most dangerous enemy isn’t a visible warrior or hero, but an invisible thief.”
He draped the cloak over his body—the one the Hermit had used, the one that granted him secret abilities.
And so Yunchan’s figure disappeared, and afterward, a certain rumor began to spread.
The fanatics.
The absurd rumor that they, who had tried to lead the world to its end, were annihilated by a single person.
*
“He definitely went this way?”
At Gang Cheoljun’s words, which held an indescribable chill.
“Yes. The subordinates I had tailing him lost his trail here.”
A man who, unlike ordinary gangsters, boasted a compact, sturdy build rather than a large frame.
He was none other than Choe Deokgu, the boss of the Gangsan Faction and someone who could be called Gang Cheoljun’s right-hand man.
The underworld emperor who had turned the nameless Gangsan Faction into a nationwide power with his fists alone.
Of course, behind that was the great contribution of Gang Cheoljun, his sponsor and formidable backing.
It was only natural that if you received, you had to give as well.
To maintain that backing, he was ready to commit murder, kidnapping, or any other dirty deed if it was his order.
And what they were about to do here was also a bloody, rather filthy affair.
“You lost his trail? You can’t find a single high school brat?”
“…My apologies.”
But it couldn’t be helped.
He had suddenly disappeared as if sinking into the ground while being tailed.
“Anyway, he is definitely here.”
Gang Cheoljun scanned the surroundings.
Surprisingly, the place where the target, Sin Yuchan, had disappeared was a sparsely populated mountain path.
A place filled with trees with bare branches and fallen leaves.
Anyone could see that he had intentionally lured them here.
“He certainly has guts.”
He had heard the news of the previous incident.
A whopping six of his subordinates had been found with their arms and legs mangled.
According to their testimony, he had used a firearm.
‘An airsoft gun? Those idiots must really think I’m a fool.’
No matter how modified it was, it was impossible to pierce flesh with a BB gun.
He didn’t know how a mere high schooler had acquired a gun, but—
*Swish—*
What he pulled from inside his coat was a Glock.
He wasn’t the only one.
Several members belonging to the Gangsan Faction, including Choe Deokgu, were armed with automatic pistols such as Glocks or M1911s.
Guns were illegal in Korea.
But for those who had brought them in through smuggling, possessing firearms wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Spread out. And bring him to me right now.”
He had brought along over a hundred Gangsan Faction members.
Finding and presenting a single high schooler shouldn’t be all that difficult.
*Rustle—*
The Gangsan Faction began moving to find their vanished target, Sin Yuchan.
Of course, for their personal safety, Gang Cheoljun and Choe Deokgu held their position.
“If he comes before me….”
*Grind—*
He clenched his teeth so hard they felt like they would break.
That bastard would soon realize.
What it means that dying is easier, and what true pain really is.
In that moment, as he was swearing revenge.
*Fwing!*
With the sound of something sharp slicing through the air.
“Argh!”
A scream erupted.
Was it him?
His gaze snapped around.
But what he saw there was an organization member collapsed on the ground, clutching his leg as blood gushed out.
“What? What happened?”
The nearby members urgently tried to rush over, but—
*Ping, fwing—*
With two whistling sounds of air being torn.
“Keuk!”
“Kkeok!”
Like the member who had fallen moments ago, they clutched their legs and sides as they collapsed.
Though the areas differed, both had wounds pierced by something sharp.
‘A gun?’
No.
No matter how silenced it was, there was no way a firearm would produce no noise at all.
“Aaack!”
While questions piled upon questions, another one was hit.
*Pak!*
And fragments bounced from the ground upon impact.
“A rock?”
Amazingly, it was a fragment of a small pebble.
What was harming the members right now was nothing more than a pebble smaller than a thumb—not a bullet, not any other weapon.
*
‘Welcome to hell.’
Lying prone atop a thick pile of fallen leaves, I took aim.
In my hand was a slingshot.
Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary slingshot.
『+99(★) Sparrow-Catcher Slingshot
Category: Thrown Weapon (Slingshot)
Durability: 8/10
Unique Effect: Accuracy, Penetration slightly increased
Reinforcement Effect (9/99): Power slightly increased
Reinforcement Effect (15/99): Projectile launch speed slightly increased
Reinforcement Effect (20/99): Accuracy moderately increased
Reinforcement Effect (30/99): Penetration slightly increased
……
Reinforcement Effect (99/99): Power moderately increased while in ‘Stealth’ state undetected by enemies
Max Reinforcement Effect (Max): Low chance to inflict ‘Bleeding’ abnormal status
Transcendence Effect: Bounces once after collision, dealing area-of-effect damage to nearby enemies
Description: A slingshot reinforced in power to catch sparrows. Having undergone repeated reinforcement and transcendence, this slingshot displays tremendous power like David’s sling that felled Goliath.』
One-star Transcendence.
That was why its power was unlike any ordinary slingshot.
With penetration and power rivaling ordinary firearms, crushing a human made of bone and flesh was simple.
Moreover, because it was a slingshot, it didn’t produce much noise.
*Fwing!*
A pebble fired in that manner pierced a gangster’s thigh.
“Keuk!”
Moreover.
*Pat!*
“Aaack!”
Fragments created from the collision with the ground caused two nearby gangsters to collapse at the same time.
*Gush, gush, gush.*
Perhaps the Bleeding effect had triggered; blood poured out like a waterfall.
That made seven.
Only a few dozen seconds had passed, but I had already taken down seven gangsters.
“Fuck, where is he!”
“Where are you hiding!”
Shouts burst forth with tension and anxiety.
But even though that large number had surrounded the area, they couldn’t discover where I was hidden.
Of course.
『+99(★) Ghillie Suit for Children and Adults Purchased Online (Brown)
Category: Combat Support (Stealth Tool)
Durability: 1/1 (Stealth available for 1,000 seconds (Remaining time: 975 seconds…))
Unique Effect: Assimilates with surroundings to hide body (Especially drastically reduces chance of being detected by enemies in deserts, fallen-leaf zones)
Max Reinforcement Effect (Max): Accuracy moderately increased when using all ranged weapons
Transcendence Effect: Blocks all noise at a moderate probability
Description: A cosplay tool that can be purchased online and used by both children and adults. Through reinforcement and transcendence, it has evolved into true war material rivaling the ghillie suits used on battlefields.』
Though it lacked reinforcement effects, it had become a powerful stealth tool through its unique, max, and transcendence effects.
The very reason I had lured them to this fallen-leaf zone was to maximize the ghillie suit’s ability.
‘They must’ve thought it was good because it’s a sparsely populated area.’
They would’ve been armed with guns just in case.
But did they think I wouldn’t notice even that?
This is the hell I’ve dug for them.
They’ll never be able to find me, and they’ll collapse without even knowing why.
*Fwing!*
As if to prove it, another flying pebble pierced another gangster’s body and inflicted fatal damage.
‘Gang Cheoljun.’
He won’t get to play an active role in the apocalypse.
Today, he will lose all his power here.