Chapter 19 (1/2)

Baek Seoin asked.

“But boss, why are you trying to hunt the Wyvern of Destruction?”

“Because I need to get the attention of the ones who created this game.”

“… Is there anything good in catching their attention? Normally staying in the middle is the best.”

“I don’t know if my mom is alive or not. Kangdong District closed down at 10:30am. She should have been at work. I need to go to her workplace in Kw.a.n.gjin District.”

“… Hopefully, she’s okay… But what does that have anything to do with catching their attention?”

“Once I confirm if she’s dead or alive, I have to either protect or avenge her. For that, I need to become stronger and more unique.”

Choi Hyuk was calm.

Like a criminal on death row accepting the verdict.  No… like a judge who raised his gravel to announce the verdict. He rid himself of useless emotions and only looked at the result.

Baek Seoin felt slight s.h.i.+vers down his spine.

He realized that behind Choi Hyuk who purely enjoyed fighting was a frighteningly cold and sharp rage.

Groups were such a pain. If everyone was confined together and lived looking at each other face to face, all kinds of troubles were bound to arise. Not only were there simple complaints like ‘too smelly,’ or ‘too loud,’ but molestation, violence, isolation and other absurdities.

However, just because you didn’t like it didn’t mean you could just leave. Death would approach the moment you were alone. A monk who leaves the temple would live without a home or temple and eventually end up in a beast’s stomach.

But, even despite these circ.u.mstances, there would always be people who couldn’t stand to live among others while constantly considering other people’s feelings. And there were some who couldn’t endure it any longer.

That day, Lee Jinhee resolved herself not to fall asleep. She held two 30cm gladii in her bosom and waited for nightfall.

Her a.s.sembly area was the shopping center situated opposite of the Olympic Park Station. The monsters who were targeting this place, the [Shadow Teeth], were very unique. They stood less than 1m tall and their whole body was surrounded by a black fog. They possessed great stealth abilities so people didn’t notice when they pa.s.sed by right in front of their eyes.

The only time they would show their appearance was when they slashed the neck of a sleeping person and drank their blood.

Every night, three Shadow Teeth would enter and each one would take one life and disappear.

Three at a time, one person each. That was the gist of it.

‘You turn away from monsters even after seeing them because you’re not a victim?’

Lee Jinhee ground her teeth.

The first day, no, up until the second day, there was a fierce battle against the Shadow Teeth. The Shadow Teeth wanted to slash people’s necks and drink their blood. The surrounding people who saw them would scream and raise their weapons. A Shadow Teeth who was caught once couldn’t hide again. However, even though they were small, they were monsters. If a fight broke out, the Shadow Teeth would at least take 5 people down with it on the road to death. The first person to noticed them would definitely be killed.

That wasn’t all. If the fight was drawn out, the Shadow Teeth would cry out a strange sound to call its comrades and its comrades who were waiting outside would enter and save the Shadow Teeth. There were times where people would die but they would be unable to kill the Shadow Teeth in the end.

There was no way to know how many Shadow Teeth were waiting outside. On the first night, they killed two but the next night, like the first, three entered the shopping center.

The second night after the chaotic first.

There was a disturbance that night as well but unlike the first, only two fights broke out. The other person died silently and when the people who slept next to him testified they didn’t hear anything, Lee Jinhee just thought that was the case.

The situation became clear the third night. No fights broke out that night. But it wasn’t like no one died either. Three corpses were found. And the ones who slept right next to them all testified saying they never saw the Shadow Teeths.

… It was a lie.

Just when did that rumor start to spread? She didn’t know how but somehow everyone knew in just three nights… The fact that three Shadow Teeth would enter and that each one would kill one person. People would look the other way even if the person next to them was dying. Because the moment they took notice of it, the chance that the Shadow Teeth would go into a frenzy and kill them as well was high.

However, Lee Jinhee couldn’t stand those people.

“I’ll kill them.”

Of course, she was scared that she would die as well. However, she was someone who always fought with and challenged fear. She was the type who thought it was better to die than become a coward.

In a dark shopping center. The room Lee Jinhee was in was originally a PC Bang. In a room with no furnace, people were lying on sleeping bags on the cold, hard floor. Lee Jinhee was sitting next to the door holding blades. Most electronics were dead but simple ones like lights were still working.

“f.u.c.k… That’s scary.”

In the dark hallway, a green exit light added to the bleakness of the night.

The light would occasionally flicker and each time, the shadows would waver. Lee Jinhee endured her increasing drowsiness and looked out into the darkness. Just in case she saw the shadow of a Shadow Teeth. However…

“Urk…”

A suppressed scream sounded out from inside the PC Bang.

s.h.i.+ck…. Schiick…. Save…. s.h.i.+ck….

Rustle, rustle.

A hoa.r.s.e cry for help was barely able to escape from the victim’s ripped throat. She could hear him struggle with his suppressed body. A Shadow Teeth had pa.s.sed by Lee Jinhee, without her noticing, and had gotten on top of a victim and slashed his throat.

Lee Jinhee got up abruptly. And she saw it. A person who was lying next to the victim waving his hand telling her to sit back down.

She ground her teeth.

Stomp.

She jumped swiftly like a cat. She grabbed the part.i.tion with her hands and jumped over it. She stretched her arms out holding onto the next part.i.tion before jumping over it as well. In two jumps, she had approached the Shadow Teeth. She held her two gladii in her hands and shouted out loud to wake the surrounding people.

“DIE!!!!”

[Kyahhhhh!]

The Shadow Teeth looked at Lee Jinhee and screamed.

“You sc.u.m! You f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h!!”

The man next to the victim, who waved his hand at her previously, stood up in surprise and swore while running away. The people who were still lying down didn’t pay any attention to the commotion.

Kakang!

The Shadow Teeth’s claws and Lee Jinhee’s gladii tangled together. A scream. People who were still half asleep ran away in confusion.

The Shadow Teeth was cunning. As Lee Jinhee’s attacks were tough to deal with, it jumped up like a cat and attempted to escape, “Hak!” “Urk!” while piercing the necks of the escaping people on its way.

“Hup!”

However, Lee Jinhee was quite formidable. Her awakened karma added to her energy. In two jumps, she leaped over people and blocked the path of the Shadow Teeth.

[KiKik!!]

Lee Jinhee ferociously slashed her gladius at the fl.u.s.tered Shadow Teeth. The Shadow Teeth blocked it and

Slam!

Lee Jinhee’s foot stepped on it.

“You’re only a monster b.a.s.t.a.r.d…”

Lee Jinhee suppressed the Shadow Teeth and stabbed its neck with her blade.

[Grrk… Grrr….]

Lee Jinhee had gone outside on the excuse for reconnaissance and was even victorious against three Crooks. The weaker Shadow Teeth was no match for her.

“Hoooo.”

Lee Jinhee let out a breath and stretched her back.

Soon after, criticism poured down on her.

“What the h.e.l.l were you doing!!”

The man, who was lying down next the victim, shouted.

If a student who experienced the [Ring of Rebirth] saw this, he would be surprised. The strong in this situation was Lee Jinhee, not the man so the student wouldn’t be able to comprehend the man who lashed out.

However, this place was a normal a.s.sembly area. A place where no one had committed murder. A place where even fighting monsters had a limit. There were still lingering signs of everyday life.

It was the same for Lee Jinhee. She was slightly taken back so she replied.

“What am I doing? I saved a person and killed a monster.”

“Save? What the f.u.c.k do you mean by save! Don’t you see there are wounded people because of you?”

The man who saw the fl.u.s.tered Lee Jinhee inwardly felt delighted.

‘I have to take this opportunity to take her down a notch!’

Vigor was half the battle. The man flapped his arms as he increased his vigor.

“What are you going to do about the wounded people?! Huh?!”

There were many people who were wounded and were bleeding. They, too, looked at Lee Jinhee in resentment.

Lee Jinhee was at loss for words.

She knew there would be people unhappy with her actions but she never imagined someone so full of themselves that they would confidently lash out at her.