Chapter 27
Eun Yuri’s breathing was ragged. It seemed her breath wouldn’t come as she wished.
Yet, the man continued to spew out insults.
“Still playing Player? Whose life are you going to ruin this time?”
“I… I…”
Mason frowned.
“You two don’t seem like… friends.”
Mason asked the man,
“What’s your relationship?”
“Former coworkers.”
“Quite a foul mouth for a former coworker.”
“That b*tch almost got me killed!”
Mason could roughly guess what happened.
Eun Yuri was a high-level healer, but her mobility was low. This didn’t suit the tactics of Players who valued swift movement, especially in party-based combat.
There must have been at least some discord, or… a crisis.
However, guessing didn’t mean understanding.
Mason spoke politely,
“It’s all in the past, isn’t it? We’ll be on our way, so just back off.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Then it won’t be an issue between her and you, but between you and me.”
“Issue?”
The man growled.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I don’t.”
“I am Eric Yoon-nim, KCP Middle Level Champion.”
“Mason, Mason Park.”
He probably exchanged names believing it would be a threat, but Mason showed no reaction. Eric, his pride hurt, asked,
“What level are you?”
“34.”
“Ha!”
Eric scoffed.
He looked at Eun Yuri and said,
“So, this loser is the s*cker you decided to latch onto?”
Eun Yuri stood up and tried to stop Eric.
“Stop it, Eric. Don’t pick a fight with Mason.”
As it turned out, that was a mistake.
Slap!
Eric slapped Eun Yuri across the face.
“Don’t you dare touch me!”
Eun Yuri fell to the ground, and at that moment, sparks flew from Mason’s eyes.
Eun Yuri made a mistake.
She should have tried to stop… Mason, not Eric.
“This b*stard…?”
The moment enraged Mason started to rise from his seat,
Eric felt as if a mountain was erupting from the ground.
Because of his long legs, his sitting height was ordinary, and his loose clothing hid his muscles.
But now, as the enraged Mason stood up,
Eric had to look up at an avatar of destruction made of muscle and violence.
“You, you now…”
Thump!
Mason’s punch slammed into Eric’s abdomen.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Smashing through tables and chairs, Eric’s body flew in a straight line until it crashed into the wall.
“Ugh…”
He gasped for breath, embedded in the wall.
“Hmph!”
Mason took a rough breath and looked at Eun Yuri.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Eun Yuri calmed her startled heart.
At that moment, a few people stood up from a table in the corner.
“Who the h*ll is that guy?”
“Get him!”
They seemed to be Eric’s companions.
They surrounded Mason, wielding knives, chairs, and other makeshift weapons instead of their Player gear.
Mason spoke calmly,
“He just paid the price for his rudeness. I have no intention of punishing you all, so step aside quietly.”
“This crazy b*stard…?”
Confident in their numerical superiority, they charged at Mason.
Eun Yuri screamed,
“Stop!”
Because the outcome of the fight was obvious.
Thud!
A meat cleaver plunged into Mason’s side.
Mason grabbed the hand holding the cleaver.
Crack!
“Agh!”
As the cleaver fell from the broken hand, Mason snatched it.
Crunch!
The cleaver, now a crumpled piece of scrap metal, clattered to the floor.
Wham!
Simultaneously, a metal chair smashed against Mason’s head.
Mason caught the chair and punched the man who had swung it in the stomach.
Thud…
With a heavy thud, the man’s body flew through the air.
Crash!
With the sound of shattering glass, he was flung outside the restaurant.
Seeing this, a group of people rushed in.
“Huh? Uh?”
The man who was grappling with Mason yelled,
“Is that important now? Catch this b*stard!”
There seemed to be at least a few dozen of them.
It wasn’t a big deal for Mason.
“Eun Miss.”
“Yes?”
“Hide under the table.”
“Don’t fight, please?”
“It’s not something I can control anymore.”
All the dozens of people were Players. Among them were mages, and the restaurant quickly descended into chaos.
“Skill: Fire Bolt!”
“Skill: Lightning Bolt!”
As arrows of fire and lightning flew towards him, Mason swung the chair he was holding, deflecting them. At the same time, he scanned the battlefield.
Neither tankers nor dealers could fully utilize their abilities without their equipment. However, mages could still use magic, even if its power was diminished.
He had to take out the mages first.
“Uwaaagh!”
He shoved a nearby table, sending a tidal wave of tables and chairs crashing towards the mages.
“Huh? Uh…?”
With no time to dodge, the mages were buried under the tables and chairs. At the same time, the melee fighters charged.
“Get this b*stard!”
“Everyone, get him!”
One of them clung to Mason’s leg.
He was trying to apply a knee bar.
“I’ll break your leg!”
It wasn’t a bad judgment. The shields that Players and monsters had could absorb impacts but didn’t increase their strength.
By applying a joint lock like this, he could inflict damage on his opponent regardless of their shield.
‘It, it won’t budge…?!’
Of course, that only worked on opponents of similar strength.
Could a cat break an elephant’s leg with a knee bar?
“Hmph!”
Mason lifted his leg and stomped down with a thud. The man clinging to his leg was thrown into the air, and Mason kicked him.
Crack!
Another person was embedded in the wall.
“Uwaaagh!”
A storm of muscle and violence raged.
People punched and kicked, doing their best to stop Mason, but their attacks were like sticks tapping a mountain, or swords trying to cleave the sea.
Every swing of Mason’s arm sent someone flying into the wall, and every kick sent another crashing down.
The horrified Players screamed.
“What the h*ll is this guy?!”
“Who is he?!”
Even as they panicked, Mason’s assault didn’t stop.
Almost everyone was embedded in the wall, and the remaining few hesitated, watching cautiously.
The fight was as good as over.
Except for Eric, who was staggering towards Mason.
“What, what the h*ll… who are you to attack us like this?”
“He’s with Eun Miss.”
“It’s true that she’s a cripple!”
“Yes.”
Mason looked at Eric with contempt.
“Just like it’s true that you’re not even a match for me.”
“You son of a b*tch…!”
Eric charged at Mason, wielding a chair.
Thud!
The chair Eric swung smashed against Mason’s head.
Mason didn’t dodge. He didn’t even think about dodging, nor did he need to.
Thump.
He simply grabbed Eric by the collar.
“Apologize.”
“W-what… what should I apologize for?”
“Apologize for being rude to Eun Miss. Then I’ll let you walk back on your own two feet.”
“She’s a leg crip…”
At that moment, Mason released Eric’s collar.
Simultaneously, his fist uppercut Eric’s jaw.
Crack!
The sound of his jawbone breaking traveled through the bones and into Mason’s hand.
Thump!
He heard the sound of a skull piercing the ceiling.
Looking at Eric dangling like a light fixture, Mason crossed his arms.
“If you prefer an ambulance, I won’t stop you.”
Mason crossed his arms and shouted,
“I am Mason. Barbarian Mason Park of the Holy Knights! If anyone wants to challenge me, now or later, feel free! But remember this. Those who challenge me will walk away on their own two feet, but those who mock Eun Miss will not walk back at all!”
His majesty was like a tiger standing before a pack of jackals.
Mason snorted and held out his hand to Eun Yuri.
“Let’s go get dessert.”
“I don’t want dessert.”
Eun Yuri took Mason’s hand.
“Let’s go have a drink.”
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
Eun Yuri led Mason to a nearby bar.
She filled her glass to the brim, and Mason looked at it with unease.
“…You’ll drink in moderation, right? Just a little, right?”
“No? I’m going to drink until I’m drunk?”
“…”
Eun Yuri happily refilled her glass and emptied it in one gulp.
“Mason.”
“Yes?”
“Would you be disappointed in me if I said I felt relieved seeing Eric get beaten up earlier?”
“Of course not.”
Mason chuckled.
“I did it to make you feel better, so it’s good that you feel relieved.”
“Thank you. I do feel relieved.”
Tears welled up in Eun Yuri’s eyes.
“Eric… was my former party leader. He wasn’t always so rough around the edges.”
“Then how did he become like that?”
“Just… little by little. He’d complain about the party’s slow pace or grumble at me, and eventually, it escalated to this.”
Eun Yuri wiped her eyes.
“I couldn’t say anything and just endured it.”
“Why did you endure it?”
“It’s true that I’m slow, and it’s also true that I couldn’t find another party. I just… I had to smile and pretend I didn’t hear anything. To stay in the party.”
Eun Yuri sobbed.
“If I had known I could get another chance… a better chance… I wouldn’t have had to endure it…”
“…”
“Thank you, Mason. For accepting me. And thank you for caring enough to fight for me.”
Mason patted Eun Yuri’s head.
Eun Yuri took his hand in both of hers. She brought his hand to her cheek, then to her lips.
She kissed Mason’s large, rough hand.
It was soft and moist. Mason flinched.
“Mason.”
“Yes?”
“Can I like you?”
“I don’t see why you shouldn’t.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
Mason smiled bitterly.
“If you still feel the same way tomorrow morning, I’ll seriously consider it.”
“Tomorrow morning?”
Eun Yuri smiled brightly.
Feeling a strange sense of unease, Mason nodded.
“Yes, tomorrow morning.”
