Chapter 102: Verification of Doom (8)

Sa-hyeok exited the root gate.

He had come out by forcibly opening the gate door with his telekinesis.

He had a double-edged sword at his waist.

It was the artifact dropped by the boss after it died.

This was the inside of the warehouse-like building where the root gate had been stored.

Just then, footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the building.

A man in his 60s, wearing a thick gold necklace, walked in.

He was the manager of this warehouse.

“Oh my, you’ve worked hard. You’ve done a great job handling it this time too……”

“Handling? Handling who?”

Hearing Sa-hyeok’s voice, the manager froze in place.

The manager spoke.

“Ah, well, um, did the raid end well?”

“It ended well.”

“Well, the other Hunters……”

“They’re dead.”

“What?!”

“They died by my hand after fighting bravely against the monsters.”

“What does that……”

“They tried to k*ll me.”

The manager immediately grasped the situation.

‘He got them.’

The Hunters who had gone in to k*ll Sa-hyeok were all killed instead.

Swoosh-

The manager stealthily reached for the stun gun on his waist.

At that moment, Sa-hyeok pointed his finger at the manager’s neck.

Thud!

The thick gold necklace the manager was wearing began to strangle him.

“You were planning to handle me from the beginning, weren’t you?”

“Gurk, ugh……”

The manager couldn’t speak.

He gradually turned pale and soon went limp.

He fainted.

Sa-hyeok threw the unconscious manager to the floor.

Just then.

Beep beep beep-

Sa-hyeok’s phone rang.

It was Bang-ul-i.

As soon as he answered the phone, Bang-ul-i’s urgent voice came from the other end.

[Brother, you just came out of the gate, right?]

“Yeah, how did you know?”

[I can see everything. There are CCTVs installed inside that building, right?]

“Are you in the CCTV room right now?”

[Yes. But brother…… this isn’t just a simple CCTV room.]

“What do you mean?”

[You know the drones we saw? They’re all for surveillance! All the videos they take are being transmitted here.]

“……!”

[Everything in the village is being monitored by CCTVs and drones! And…… Oh my g*d, this is a crazy bastards’ den!]

“Calm down and tell me.”

[I looked through the remaining past recordings…… I don’t know, it’s crazy. They buried people alive for trying to leave the village, burned them at the stake for not listening to the village head…… Wait, what is this?!]

“What?”

[Go to Sung In-su’s house as quickly as possible! Right now!]

“What’s going on……”

[Sung In-su is trying to k*ll Sung Jang-hoon! Hurry!!]

“……!!”

Bang!

Sa-hyeok kicked the door open and ran out, saying,

“First, extract all the data there and back it up!”

[I’m already doing it!]

Sa-hyeok hung up the phone and started running towards Sung In-su’s house.

Whoosh!

Sa-hyeok’s body quickly cut through the air.

══════════════════

Sung In-su’s house, front yard.

Jang-hoon was completely bound by thick vines, unable to move an inch.

In-su was sitting in a chair, looking at Jang-hoon.

Behind him, four villagers were cleaning up the overturned table.

In-su spoke to Jang-hoon.

“This could have gone much smoother.”

“Shut…… up……”

“No, you will beg me.”

“Bullshit……”

“You feel it, don’t you? The effects of the drug flowing through your body.”

“……!”

Swoosh.

In-su approached Jang-hoon and said,

“The apple tea you drank in the kitchen, the tea you drank on the walking path, and the alcohol you drank in my yard. I put the drug in all of them.”

“You b*stard……!”

Jang-hoon had harbored a strong animosity towards In-su even before coming here.

The reason why Jang-hoon’s attitude had changed so quickly was entirely due to the drug’s effect.

“It’s a drug you can’t find anywhere else in the world. It’s extracted from a special crop that can only be grown with my plant magic and the soil here. I call it Chosu (Grass Water).”

“You……!”

“It’s highly addictive and induces pleasure, but the truly frightening thing about this drug is that it’s irreplaceable. It blocks the effects of almost all psychoactive drugs in the world. In the end, you’ll live with unbearable pain that can only be relieved by this drug.”

“You f*cking……!”

“But if you become a member of this village, I’ll supply you with this for life. As much as you want, anytime.”

“Why…… why are you doing this!!”

“I told you, it’s my dream. For my family to live together in a peaceful place.”

“Why are you dragging me into your dream, you crazy b*stard!”

“The world is going to end soon, Jang-hoon.”

“What……?”

“There’s not much time left, even to indulge in peace and pleasure. Come here, Jang-hoon. In this kingdom, together……”

“The end, oh right, you came here because of that.”

“Jang-hoon?”

“What did you do with Sa-hyeok?”

“He’s dead.”

“What……!”

Veins bulged on Jang-hoon’s forehead.

“I told the Hunters I sent on the raid with him. To k*ll him after using him. He’s probably melting in lava by now.”

“You b*stard!!”

“Why are you so upset? I heard you haven’t even known him for half a year. Why are you so angry about the death of such a guy?”

“You son of a…… Ugh……!”

At that moment, excruciating pain overwhelmed Jang-hoon.

Pain as if every pore on his body was being pricked with needles.

Seeing that, In-su said,

“It’s withdrawal symptoms. It seems the symptoms appeared a bit early because your blood flow accelerated due to anger.”

“Ughhhhh!”

“When the symptoms fully manifest, you’ll feel like you’re rolling on a bed of thorns even when lying in bed, and you’ll feel like you’re being cut by razor blades when exposed to sunlight. You’ll suffer from that pain forever unless you take the drug I give you.”

In-su looked at his younger brother, writhing in pain while tied up in vines, with an utterly indifferent gaze.

“I believe in you, brother. That you will definitely choose this place.”

Saying that, In-su caressed Jang-hoon’s cheek……

“Get your hand off him, you b*stard.”

Rumble-

A voice came from somewhere.

A shadow loomed overhead.

In-su looked up at the sky.

“……Oh.”

Huge boulders floating in the air.

They weren’t just floating, they were flying towards them.

Swoosh!

The boulders crashed down on the front yard of In-su’s house like meteors.

Crash!

The impact was so strong that the ground in the front yard caved in.

In-su was also caught in the bombardment and thrown down the slope.

The only thing left unscathed in the devastated front yard was Jang-hoon.

Thud!

Sa-hyeok landed in front of Jang-hoon.

“What happened?!”

Crack!

Sa-hyeok tore the vines that were binding Jang-hoon and pulled him out.

“Brother! Jang-hoon brother! Are you okay?!”

“Ugh……”

Jang-hoon couldn’t come to his senses properly.

Sa-hyeok took out the Mandrake Bile from his hip sack and poured it into Jang-hoon’s mouth.

Only then did Jang-hoon’s mind slowly begin to return.

Although Chosu (Grass Water) was said to block the effects of psychoactive drugs, the Mandrake Bile was even stronger.

“Are you alright?”

Jang-hoon managed to nod.

His voice was hoarse and wouldn’t come out.

“Wait here. I’ll finish things up and come back.”

Thud!

Sa-hyeok jumped down the slope where In-su had rolled down.

Seeing that, Jang-hoon shouted inwardly.

‘No……!’

Jang-hoon staggered and tried to follow Sa-hyeok.

But Sa-hyeok had already gone to In-su.

Jang-hoon’s legs gave way again, and he collapsed.

‘You can’t do it with your current skills…… Sung In-su, that b*stard, is S-rank……!’

But no matter what he did, he couldn’t convey those words to Sa-hyeok.

All Jang-hoon could do now was pray for Sa-hyeok’s survival.

══════════════════

Kurururuk-

The people farming at the foot of the mountain were startled.

A meteorite had suddenly fallen in the front yard of the village head’s house.

Moreover……

“What, what is that?”

“A ball?”

A large ball made of vines rolled down along with the rocks.

Thud-

Soon, the vine ball split in half.

Inside was In-su.

He had protected himself from Sa-hyeok’s rock bombardment by wrapping himself in vines.

“V-Village Head-nim!”

“Everyone, please stay in your homes. This place will soon become a battlefield.”

The people who were farming started to run away all at once.

And-

Step.

Sa-hyeok stood in front of In-su.

In-su said,

“You survived. Unfortunately.”

“You’re one to talk. You’re the one who told me to k*ll you, right?”

“Yes. Honestly, I’m surprised. I never thought you’d survive against an A-rank Flame Sorcerer in a Flame Dungeon.”

Actually, there was something else that In-su was truly surprised about.

‘He definitely drank the Cho-su, so why is he fine?’

In-su had secretly given Cho-su not only to Jang-hoon, but also to Sa-hyeok.

When Sa-hyeok, Jang-hoon, and In-su were drinking apple tea inside the house.

He had applied Cho-su to Sa-hyeok and Jang-hoon’s teacups beforehand.

It was a small amount, not enough to be fatal, but enough to weaken the body.

But Sa-hyeok didn’t even show the slightest symptom.

‘Does he have an abnormally strong drug resistance?’

But it didn’t matter.

He had many other ways to subdue Sa-hyeok.

Whoosh!

Step!

Two swordsmen with longswords landed in front of In-su.

In-su’s closest bodyguards.

Both were A-rank Combat-type Hunters.

“Are you alright, Village Head-nim?”

“I’m fine. First, let’s take care of that guy……”

Sa-hyeok wasn’t going to wait for their conversation to finish.

Whoosh!

Sa-hyeok threw two Mubuchamdo towards them.

“Hmm!”

Clang!

One swordsman saw the incoming Mubuchamdo and drew his longsword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He deflected the continuous attacks of the Mubuchamdo solely with his swordsmanship.

A swift sword with a perfect blend of speed and accuracy.

He succeeded in deflecting all of the Mubuchamdo’s thrusts without allowing a single hit.

Swish-

Clack!

Sa-hyeok recalled the Mubuchamdo he had thrown.

Seeing that, the swordsman said,

“You’re using a useless trick.”

“Your sword doesn’t seem to think so.”

“What?!”

Crack!

Clang!

The swordsman’s blade shattered into several pieces and fell to the ground.

He had succeeded in deflecting the Mubuchamdo’s attacks, but his blade couldn’t withstand the Mubuchamdo’s sharpness.

Sa-hyeok flicked his finger towards the fallen blade pieces.

Swish-

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The fallen blade pieces soared back up and pierced the swordsman’s body.

Because he hadn’t activated his Protective Aura in time, the blades easily penetrated his body.

“Cough!”

“Brother!!”

The other swordsman drew his sword and rushed towards Sa-hyeok.

He was different from his brother.

He had his Protective Aura activated and moved even faster than his brother.

Now, the distance between Sa-hyeok and the swordsman was only 1 meter.

The swordsman swung his sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A rapid barrage of sword attacks.

There were no flaws in his technique.

But for a moment, the swordsman doubted his eyes.

Because Sa-hyeok had deflected all of his attacks with just his bare hands.

With his arms wrapped in metal bandages.

‘That’s impossible……!’

He clearly saw Sa-hyeok as a mage.

But a mage responding to swordsmanship with only bare hands?

‘Crazy……!’

His composure was shaken.

The tip of his sword didn’t lie.

The accuracy and speed he had shown just a moment ago had vanished.

His swordsmanship became increasingly rough and dull.

It would be strange if such attacks weren’t blocked.

Grab!

Sa-hyeok grabbed the swordsman’s blade.

Clatter!

Then, he wrapped the blade with his metal bandages, rendering it immobile.

And-

Crack!

He struck the swordsman’s side with his right fist.

With a single blow, the Protective Aura shattered.

His side, which had been hit, was completely crushed.

Thud!

After turning the two A-ranks into mush in an instant, Sa-hyeok thought.

‘This is strange.’

The fact that they could use Protective Aura meant they were at least A-rank.

‘But they’re much weaker than Master Han Do-sik?’

This was actually the blind spot of the Hunter ranking system.

The rank only indicated the upper limit of the destructive power a Hunter could exert, and it didn’t reflect the technical aspects of the Hunter.

As a reference, the reason Sa-hyeok received a C-rank was due to his low mana capacity, despite his destructive power.

The examiner had judged that ‘the sustainability of destructive power is very low’ due to the low mana capacity.

Anyway.

The only enemy left was Sung In-su.

In-su said to Sa-hyeok,

“You’re impressive.”

“Impressive. Enough to crush you.”

“Let me tell you in advance, I’m an S-rank Plant Sorcerer.”

“So?”

“My roots are spread throughout this entire village. The moment you set foot on this land, you already lost, Sa-hyeok-ssi.”

“Well, in any case, you fight with trees, right?”

Sa-hyeok said, clenching his hand wearing the Flame Ring.

“Good. I’ll just burn them all.”