Chapter 40
After sending his siblings off to school early in the morning, Junhyuk finished his preparations and headed toward the Gangnam beginner zone. Through Force Life, he had confirmed that Cha Jinsoo was indeed active in the Gangnam beginner zone, just as Yongwook had said.
“How should I kill this bastard to make it legendary?”
Cha Jinsoo was someone he had momentarily forgotten amidst various matters. But as memories of him resurfaced, Junhyuk felt anger rising within him. Even if it hadn’t happened yet, wasn’t he the bastard who had betrayed him?
Grinding his teeth, Junhyuk arrived at a high school in Sinsa-dong, the base camp for the Gangnam area, but it was eerily quiet—likely because everyone was out hunting.
“Seems everyone’s hunting. Should I head to the hunting grounds first?”
He knew that blindly searching wouldn’t guarantee finding Jinsoo. But he couldn’t just sit still. What if, by sheer coincidence, he encountered that bastard who deserved to be torn apart?
Just as he was about to leave the base camp—
“Gasp! Gasp! Did you contact the association?”
“Already did. Damn it! That fucking villain Cha Jinsoo!”
“Wasn’t that bastard active near the Daegu area? Why’d he suddenly come here…”
“Since when do villain bastards stay in one place? They come and go as they please. But this won’t end here…”
The name from their conversation struck him.
No way…
Wondering if he’d misheard, Junhyuk hurriedly approached them.
“Cha Jinsoo?”
The two men, startled by his sudden intrusion, turned their heads.
“Huh! Wh-who are you?!”
Junhyuk asked again, seeing their confusion.
“Did you just say Cha Jinsoo?”
“Ah, yes. But who…?”
“Just a passing Hunter. But are you sure it’s Cha Jinsoo?”
The man nodded in response.
“The party leader who died by his hand said so. It’s probably accurate.”
Junhyuk urgently asked for his location.
“So where is that bastard now?”
The man, feeling compelled to answer, replied hesitantly.
“Well… we were hunting near Sinsa Magpie Park… but by now, he’s probably moved elsewhere.”
“Are there other parties nearby?”
“Ah, yes. Not exactly close, but I heard there’s a party hunting at the Gangnam OO Hospital intersection. If Cha Jinsoo headed there, he should be arriving soon.”
Junhyuk immediately set off.
“Ah, thank you. Then I’ll be going.”
Whoosh!
Thanks to Kim Yunho’s passive skill Speed Master, Junhyuk vanished from sight at an incredible speed.
The two men left behind stared blankly as Junhyuk disappeared instantly upon touching the ground.
“….”
“…Wait, who was that?”
“He said he was a passing Hunter.”
“Ah!”
They simply accepted it at face value.
Meanwhile, Junhyuk—swiftly making his way toward the Gangnam OO Hospital intersection where Cha Jinsoo was expected to be—wore a vicious grin on his lips.
Lucky me. If he’d been hiding tightly, finding him would’ve been tough. But here he is, showing up on his own.
Truth be told, Junhyuk had prepared himself for at least a month of searching. Even then, the chances of encountering him weren’t high. But since Jinsoo had appeared like this, how could he not be grateful?
As Junhyuk sped along, his expression subtly twisted.
At this rate, I might be late.
Judging that Speed Master alone wouldn’t cut it, Junhyuk immediately activated another skill:
Swift Movement!
When Swift Movement combined with Speed Master, an incredible synergy erupted.
Swoosh!
Already moving fast thanks to Speed Master, Junhyuk now reached speeds barely visible to the naked eye. After running nonstop for several minutes, buildings near the Gangnam OO Hospital intersection came into view.
That direction should do it. Blink!
Using Blink—an option skill from the Twilight Bracelet—Junhyuk instantly teleported to a rooftop and surveyed his surroundings.
“Hmm…”
Rooooar!
Thud! Crash!
On the intersection below, a lone tank struggled desperately against a rampaging monster while corpses of what appeared to be dealers littered nearby.
Looks like they’ve already been wiped out. That tank won’t last much longer either.
After assessing things roughly from behind the rooftop railings, Junhyuk activated another skill:
Mapping!
A hologram of the terrain around him materialized before his eyes.
Weeeeeng!
Only three lifeforms showed up within the vicinity: one being the berserk monster, another barely holding out against it (the tank), and the last one marked inside a third-floor building across the street—likely the target himself…
So this bastard here must be Cha Jinsoo.
Deactivating the map, Junhyuk rose to his feet and stared intently toward the suspected location. Without hesitation, he cast another spell:
Lightning Flash!
Spot!
The skill activated simultaneously with his arrival atop the opposite building’s roof. Though instantaneous like Blink, Lightning Flash allowed situational awareness during transit—a skill specialized for combat rather than pure movement.
“Time to get going. Force Weapon!”
Upon activation, menu options cascaded down:
[Select weapon form]
Longsword
Dagger
Lance
Short spear
Longbow
Crossbow
Mace
Double-edged axe
“Summon dagger.”
Without pause, Junhyuk selected the second option. Considering critical effects and stealth efficiency, the dagger was optimal. A gleaming light materialized into an elegant-looking blade.
With the dagger summoned, Junhyuk promptly activated two more skills:
“Invisibility. Stealth.”
Invisibility concealed his appearance but not his presence, while Stealth masked his presence but not his form. Possessing both, he erased all traces perfectly.
Descending the stairs with a cruel smile, he moved like a shadow.
Meanwhile, Cha Jinsoo watched the tank’s desperate struggle through a window, amusement etched on his face.
“Kekeke. Bastard. Your flailing is adorable.”
His cheerful grin faded as he checked the time.
“Tch. It’s already this late. If I hadn’t lost those runts, I could’ve enjoyed this leisurely… Ah, well. Time to wrap up.”
Cha Jinsoo, who rarely let targets escape, had encountered an unexpected situation earlier. While eliminating a party’s ranged dealers, two melee fighters had abandoned their tank and fled.
“Damned melee bastards. No loyalty to their party. How dare they run without looking back? Tch.”
By the time he noticed, pursuit had become impractical. Now, he drew his bowstring toward the exhausted tank below.
“You’ve worked hard. Die cleanly.”
Twang!
A luminous arrow streaked toward the tank’s back.
Thwack!
“Ghk!”
The tank staggered but survived the sniper shot—only to be crushed moments later by the monster’s fist.
Crash!
With the tank’s death, Cha Jinsoo turned away, smirking.
“Now to loot and leave—”
Stab!
A searing pain erupted in his abdomen as a blade pierced him.
“Kgh!”
Cha Jinsoo’s eyes widened. A voice whispered in his ear:
“Tsk. If you’d stayed still, it’d have been a clean critical hit. Why twist and invite suffering? Bad luck, eh?”
The dagger withdrew with a sickening shluck, blood gushing from the wound.
“Cough! Kgh!”
Clutching his abdomen, Cha Jinsoo collapsed.
Thud!
Even as an Awakened, pain and blood loss were real. The air distorted before him, revealing Junhyuk’s smirking face.
“Cha Jinsoo. Long time no see? Well—this version of you wouldn’t know. Still, nice to meet you again.”
Cha Jinsoo stared, baffled.
“…Who…?”
“Oh, Jinsoo! I didn’t know you could make such a clueless face. Pity I’ll never see it again after today. Tch. Should’ve behaved better. Even for a villain, betraying people like it’s breakfast? Really.”
Betrayal? Cha Jinsoo’s mind raced. He’d never worked closely enough with anyone to betray them.
Junhyuk’s grin widened. The past—or future—was a burden only he carried.
