Chapter 220.

My body was sent flying by a mere punch . It was neither with the help of magic power nor even the work of magic but a demonstration of pure strength .

That was why I couldn’t understand . It was even less convincing than the pain that was sweeping through my entire body right now .

How?

During my first encounter with him, I learned that letting my guard down would be an act of arrogance . So I investigated him thoroughly . From what was known about him and from what I had seen with my own eyes, he was only a sharpshooter . From him, I could not sense the ‘state of magic power’ that distinguished a master from a rookie, and it didn’t look like he consistently practiced a specific technique either .

‘…That should be the case, so what the hell is this?’

I thought so during the brief moment the pressure of the punch broke my armor and my body flew into the air . But even that thought couldn’t last for long . From a thick cloud of dirt and dust, his face popped out . He had caught up to my body in flight .

“…I told you last time . ”

A big, coarse hand clutched my face . He stopped my body . I saw him through the gap between his fingers . His icy glare became a heavy burden that weighed heavily on my mind and body .

Soon, a low whisper rang in my ears .

“That I’ll kill you if I ever see you . ”

His voice filled my head . I felt as if my head in his grip would burst . I tried to raise my hand and resist him but my body wouldn’t move .

“That it’ll be the same both inside and outside the Tower . . ”

His lips curved into a cold smile, and my heart stopped for a moment as the pressure that he put on me sloped downward .

“Why didn’t you listen? . ”

Immediately, I was smashed into the ground . My whole body was overcome with a shattering pain, but this was only the prelude to the immense pain that lay ahead .

His combat technique had neither individuality nor fundamentals . He pulled me out of the ground and slammed me into the ground on the opposite side . Then he pulled me out again and threw me to the other side .

Just like that, I swayed like the weight on a pendulum until my body was thrown into the air . This time, his kick landed on me .

KOONG—!

My ribs were crushed, and, at the same time, I was sent flying through the air . But then he caught up to me before my speed dropped and punched me in the opposite direction .

But I didn’t give up on fighting back even as I was being toyed with . I formed a barrier with magic power and shot magic power weapons towards him .

However, an unbelievable sight unfolded . My magic power shattered the moment it came in contact with him . Not a single bruise or a scratch appeared on his body .

Naturally, his beating continued without stopping .

It hurt, it hurt again, it kept hurting, and it continued to hurt until the damn end .

I clenched my teeth . Why did I have to be beaten up like this?

As that thought crossed my mind, the boiling rage and pain manifested outwards .

“GOD— DAMMIT—!”

I shouted while standing . The huge roar spread in all directions . My roar did stop him, but the magic power in my body refused to move .

When the body was damaged beyond a certain degree, magic power focused entirely on recovery . In other words, my body was too damaged to keep on fighting .

…Thud .

My diagnosis wasn’t wrong, and I quickly lost the strength to remain standing .

He began to approach me .

Tap, tap .

I could hear his footsteps .

I tried to move but it ended in vain .

Had something happened to my head from all that beating?

Suddenly, I had a terrible thought . I was scared .

Was I going to die? Die, like this, for nothing? I thought I would be indifferent even in the face of death… .

No .

I couldn’t die here .

Not now .

Not like this .

I had a wish to fulfill . I had my home, my country, my parents and my loyal subordinates .

I… .

Before I could finish my thoughts, words came out of my mouth instinctively .

“…spare… me . ”

Choked with tears, my voice trembled .

Then, he stopped . I could only see his legs now . Should I say I was glad that I couldn’t see his face?

I desperately stretched out my hand and placed it on top of his shoe .

“… . ”

A breathtaking silence descended .

In it, I held onto my faint consciousness . Then, I said out loud words that I never imagined would come out of my mouth .

“I’m… sorry . ”

With my brain this damaged, there was nothing to be ashamed of .

Only a single thought occupied my mind .

I want to live .

I… have to live… .

**

…The thought that first crossed my mind when Jin Sahyuk’s attack crushed my body was simple .

Should I use Time Reversal?

But I dismissed it before my body even touched the ground .

The side-effect of using Time Reversal was just too big . Even if I did use it, if I couldn’t finish her off in 3 minutes, I would most likely be done in . Of course, I had a choice of activating ‘Fate’ as soon as I used Time Reversal, but I believed there was a greater chance that I would die immediately from a heart attack .

The side effect of the 3-minute Time Reversal wasn’t specifically outlined . But I knew it made me feel like my heart was being squeezed dry, and it caused all of my stats to decrease by 3~4 points for a day . So my assumption that similar side effects would exist for [Fate] was well-grounded .

In all likelihood, [Fate] and [Time Reversal] were designed so that they couldn’t be used consecutively .

As such, I activated [Fate] before any more blows landed on me .

As I had set Jin Sahyuk as my target of Fate during the sunrise in Prestige, my stats were amplified by 300% .

As soon as I activated [Fate], an absolutely absurd amount of power manifested in my body . Instantly, all phenomena of the world slowed down .

In it, I only had one opponent .

“…This will be my first close-range combat . ”

I dashed towards Jin Sahyuk . My body, engrossed in excitement, moved on its own . Perhaps it only maneuvered as Aether told it to .

I sent her flying with a punch, then chased after her and grabbed her face before her body could even touch the ground .

KWANG—!

Then, I slammed her body to the ground . KWANG! I pulled her out and then threw her again . KWANG! I pulled her out once more and continued to smash her back and forth .

As I said, this was my first time in close-ranged combat, so I might have been subconsciously imitating the ‘Hulk’ I saw in a movie .

After that… I blacked out for a moment .

“GOD— DAMMIT—!”

A sudden roar woke me up .

I stood still and stared at her . She glared at me with half-open eyes, then fell on the ground with a thud .

“Hmm… . ”

The outcome of the battle was decided in a very short time .

I approached Jin Sahyuk, who was unconscious and sprawled on the ground . Her sturdy body was indeed broken and somewhat distorted but it was still functioning . In fact, it was healing slowly .

It was time to kill her .

But at that moment, words I never expected to hear came out of her mouth .

“…spare… me . ”

“… . ”

My legs stopped without me noticing . I stared at Jin Sahyuk . What did she just say? Was I hearing things?

“I’m… sorry . ”

But this time, the words I heard were more vivid and more ridiculous than before . Goosebumps shot up all over my body . I had no idea what she just said, so I decided to pretend not to have heard anything . She was better off dead .

…I reached out but stopped .

Hands covered in blood entered my vision .

My subconscious defence mechanism was what stopped me .

There was a limit even to the numbed mind and high tenacity .

Until now, I had never killed anyone without a ‘tool’ .

So I needed a tool now .

I tried to take the Desert Eagle out of my pocket .

“Freeze—!”

At this point, 3 minutes had already gone by and Fate had lost its effect . I sensed an undulation of magic power that arrived with multiple presences .

I stared at the obstructors who suddenly appeared .

“This is the Hero Association’s Special Task Force! Put your weapon down!”

“…What . ”

Ten or so elite members of the Hero Association introduced themselves as the members of a special task force . They pointed their swords and spears at me and raised their magic power .

“You guys, move over a little . ”

Suddenly, a woman walked through them in an imposing manner .

Well, she wasn’t exactly ‘imposing’ but that was beside the point .

It was the short Aileen .

It looked as if she was participating in this mission as a commander . She made a dramatic entrance and looked at me .

“What are you doing here?”

“… . ”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer her . My body was starting to stiffen . It was likely the side effect of using Fate .

Aileen pointed at Jin Sahyuk .

“She’s not a Djinn . Why are you fighting her?”

“… . ”

“It’s also way too intense… to be a quarrel between lovers . ”

Aileen mumbled as she looked at the blood splattered between the two of us .

There was nothing I could do now .

Without a word, I lied down on the ground . Aileen frowned a little as she stared at me .

“What should we do?”

Aileen’s subordinate asked carefully .

“What do you mean ‘what should we do’? That’s Fenrir . A guild probably hired him . As for the girl… well, I don’t know who she is, but let’s just leave these two alone and take care of them . ”

Aileen said as she pointed in the opposite direction .

Just like the Hero Association, the Djinns had also called for their reinforcements .

“That’s Kim Ohsung, right?”

A slender man caught Aileen’s eye .

He was Kim Ohsung, an executive of Satan’s Servants . He was a Djinn 3~4 times stronger than Gunyuden who was only a bottom-rung Djinn .

“Yes, I think you’re right . ”

“Then let’s go . ”

Aileen threw a glance at me and walked towards the battlefield . Swirls of blade-like magic power shot up with each of her footsteps . However, the overwhelming magic power was soon put under control, and Aileen shouted .

“Listen well—! The ground will turn upside down—!”

At the same time, the ground that the Djinn’s were standing on shot up to the sky .

A single sentence had caused the reversal of the earth and the sky . It was a man-made disaster in which the entire layer of earth soared far above the sky .

—Kuaaak!

—W-What’s going on!?

—Uwoah! H-Hold on…!

Most Djinns were killed by the reverse landslide or were crushed to death by the pressure from the magic power . It didn’t matter how they were killed; the results were the same . No matter what, they didn’t stand a chance against Aileen .

“Woah… . ”

I wanted to watch her fight a bit longer, but I didn’t have enough time .

I came here secretly, so why were there so many guests today?

Soon, another voice tickled my ears .

“Were you hiding it, or did you learn it from the Tower?”

“… . ”

I turned my gaze .

A cat was speaking to me .

“It’s just that Sahyuk also learned a pretty good skill . So I didn’t think she would lose… . ”

Staring at Jin Sahyuk on the ground, the cat gave a small smile .

“How awful . ”

It was then I realized who he was . The Gift, ‘Magic Power Body’, had all sorts of applications . This had to be Bell .

I said just one thing to him .

“Take her . ”

The cat widened its eyes .

“Really?”

I nodded weakly .

“Tell her I was touched by her genuine plead . ”

Today, I saw a possibility in Jin Sahyuk . In the original story, Jin Sahyuk was an almighty character who was far from the word ‘death’ . Not even Kim Suho could defeat her, and she actually overpowered him for half of the novel .

But that wasn’t the case now .

Suddenly the cat spoke again .

“…You might regret it later . ”

I didn’t answer him and instead raised my head a little to take a peek inside the excavation site .

My fight had ended, and Chae Nayun’s revenge was also reaching its climax .

—…Please spare me .

Sprawled on the ground, Gunyuden begged her .

A chuckle escaped from me even though this wasn’t the time to laugh .

For some reason, she was in the same situation as I was .

**

“…Please spare me . ”

Pft .

The man who had been overflowing with confidence until a moment ago was now lying on the ground begging for his life . With a cynical smile, Chae Nayun raised her claymore .

“You… . ”

Chae Nayun continued with a stern face . Gunyuden studied her claymore . The monstrous weapon was still raging with magic power .

But the longsword which he assumed would penetrate his heart returned to the scabbard on Chae Nayun’s back .

“Do you think I’m like you?”

“…What?”

Chae Nayun took something out of her pocket . They looked no different than ordinary handcuffs, but they were an item that could suppress magic power . She put them on the wrists of Gunyuden and Yudoren .

“I’ll cut your magic core out and interrogate you thoroughly . I’ll also lock you up in the Djinn Prison so that you won’t be able to kill yourself . ”

“… . ”

“You won’t be able to die even if you want to, you bastard . ”

Chae Nayun looked Gunyuden straight in his eyes and hissed .

“…Really . ”

“Yup . You can look forward to it . I’ll have you spill the beans about that client of yours . ”

Thwack!

She smacked Gunyuden on head with her scabbard . Gunyuden, whose magic power was now sealed, easily passed out, and Chae Nayun stood back up unsteadily .

A sudden dizziness overtook her .

The world spun and her vision turned upside down .

“Uwoaah… . ”

Someone caught her as she was falling .

“Ah…?”

Chae Nayun looked up amidst the dizziness . At first, a faint hallucination overlapped with the figure who caught her . The face in front of her undoubtedly belonged to Kim Hajin . He was looking down at her with that familiar expressionless look of his .

“You… . ”

“Nayun! Are you okay?”

“…Yi Jiyoon?”

But the hallucination soon dissipated, and Kim Hajin’s face became Yi Jiyoon’s .

‘Am I going crazy?’

Chae Nayun quickly returned to her senses and pulled herself back up .

“Are you feeling alright? I came here as quickly as I could!”

“I’m fine . I already have these two captured…?”

It was then Chae Nayun finally noticed the man beside Yi Jiyoon .

Although ‘Desolate Moon’ should have been in charge of the 4th floor, Shin Jonghak was standing behind Yi Jiyoon for whatever reason .

“What . ”

Shin Jonghak stared at her . His spear and armor were covered in blood and dirt . It seemed he had quite a fight .

“Why is Shin Jonghak here?”

“… . ”

Faced with Chae Nayun’s innocent question, Shin Jonghak was silent for a moment . He couldn’t tell her that the spy he had planted in Essence of the Strait informed him of the situation . The trace of tears underneath her eyes also left him wordless .

He couldn’t bring himself to say what he wanted to say .

Instead, he answered with a bitter smile .

“I was always here . ”

**

…The drama unfolding before my eyes was an interesting scene of youth .

Chae Nayun defeated her enemy but didn’t kill him, and Shin Jonghak announced once again that he wouldn’t give up on Chae Nayun . Soon, Kim Suho would join them too .

Their story would continue to unfold without me… as always .

I made a bitter smile .

“Kim Hajin . ”

A cold voice called me all of sudden . I barely breathed as I turned around .

I already knew who it was the moment I heard the voice, and it was indeed Boss .

Boss clearly showed that she was angry through the frown on her face .

“Ah, Boss . You came?”

“Is that all you have to say? I thought I told you not to participate . ”

“… . ”

Boss looked down at me, and I looked up at Boss in silence .

Boss frowned even harder when she noticed that I wasn’t as frightened as she intended .

Of course, she still wasn’t scary .

I saw her white, coarse hands underneath her robe .

“Hmm… . ”

Looking at those hands, I suddenly remembered the ‘ring’ .

I didn’t know why .

Was it because I had just seen Chae Nayun and Shin Jonghak? I remembered ‘Homer’s Ring’, rotting inside Stigma’s extradimensional space, still without a proper owner .

Did I really have to give that ring to Chae Nayun?

The high-grade artifact could amplify Chae Nayun’s strength and remedy her weakness— magic power capacity and stupidity—but could I really bring myself to hand it over to her?

It wasn’t entirely impossible .

Just like in the original story, if Chae Nayun asked her father for help, Chae Shinhyuk would search for a fitting artifact and possibly obtain the information about ‘Homer’s Ring’ . By chance, he might find my Truth Agency and, again by chance, request Truth Agency for Homer’s Ring’s whereabouts . I could then present him with the reward fit for such coincidences .

But now, I could see Chae Nayun’s face . Today, she achieved victory on her own and didn’t end her revenge with murder . She was happy . At least for today, she was proud of herself .

So she probably wouldn’t ask her father for help . More so if it would only end with her depending on an item .

…However .

If one day Chae Nayun actually asked for such a thing… if her desire to become stronger reached me by chance…

“…I can just make one for her myself . ”

I was most likely the sole heir of the dwarves’ legacy .

‘Intelligence stat increase’ would be impossible, but I could easily reproduce the [Magic Power Amplification] that Homer’s Ring had . All I would have to do is gather the world’s best materials and put in 1~2 hours of work a day for about three months .

“Make what?”

Boss, who was still staring at me, snapped .

I chuckled .

Now, to continue from where we left off: Boss was no less of a magic power monster than Chae Nayun .

Chae Nayun’s magic power capacity was ‘limited to swords’, so Boss wouldn’t be as efficient as her, but the ring was suitable for Boss as well . Since it would be my gift, she also wouldn’t sell it like she did in the original story .

“Boss, come here for a second . ”

“Kim Hajin . I’m not joking . Depending on your answer—“

“I have something…”

Plus, I wanted to appease Boss .

“…that I want to give to you . ”

“…Haa . ”

Boss let out a heated sigh with the most sour expression on her face but approached me nevertheless .

“What?”

Boss squatted down in front of me and asked .

I forced my creaking joints to move .

“Close your eyes . ”

“…You weren’t supposed to be here during the mission . You weren’t even supposed to be nearby . Jain was able to lure in both the Association and the Djinns, but if you’re here they’ll have suspicions that—”

“Hush . ”

It didn’t look like she was going to close her eyes any time soon, so I put my hands over her eyes directly . Then, I tried to put the ring on her finger… but stopped .

Was this okay?

It was kind of weird for me to put the ring on her directly .

Ring finger, index finger… it didn’t matter . It just felt wrong for me to put it on her myself .

So instead, I opened Boss’ hand and placed the ring on her palm .

“Here, all done . ”

“What is…?”

She didn’t finish her sentence .

I smiled softly and looked at Boss . She stood firm as if time had stopped only for her . She stared at the ring with her mouth half open, without even blinking .

“…”

And, just like that, the owner of the ring changed .

Of course, I might regret this decision later .

But at least for today, being able to witness the expression on Boss’ face as she looked down at the ring on her palm made it worth it .

“How is it? I picked it up on my way here . ”

It was more than enough .

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