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Hao Yun then went to the boarding gate.
Deep down, he was excited. He didn't show it, but this was his first time flying.
He looked everywhere, leaving not a single corner. After stepping onto the plane, a flight attendant greeted him.
"Sir, may I see your ticket?"
He handed it to her.
"Oh! I didn't realize... you're in first class. Let me show you the way."
Hao Yun's eyes lit up. It was his first flight ever, and he was flying in first class.
"If Mom and Joo Na are watching from heaven, they must be smiling. Their boy is flying first class," he thought.
He entered his private suite. The walls were lined with walnut wood, and his seat looked like a plush gray leather sofa, complete with silver stitching. A control panel at his side let him adjust the lighting, entertainment, and seat position. A minibar on the other side opened at the press of a button.
"Do you like your seat, sir?" the flight attendant asked.
"Yeah... It's great. Thank you."
"If you need anything, just press this button. Here's our menu. You can order anything, it's all included."
"Sure."
Instead of ordering right away, Hao Yun put on the headphones, an eye mask, and turned on the chair's massage feature. Light music played as he reclined.
"Ahhh... now it finally feels like I've accomplished something."
Two hours later.
Hao Yun woke up.
He felt that if he used any more time for sleeping, it would be a waste.
Tilting his head, Hao Yun stared at the window... too dark to see anything.
He came out of his cabin and checked the other services the airline offered to him.
There was a bar with a good collection of drinks. The Bartender looked skilled; his gaze was gentle, like that of an old man. Yet, the moment a customer ordered a drink, he completely changed.
Hao Yun sat on the counter seat, looked into the Bartender's eyes, and said, "Master, it's my first time in a bar, can you recommend something?"
With a warm smile, the Bartender looks at Hao Yun. There's nothing but honesty and innocence on his face, like he was a well-sheltered child.
He placed a glass on the counter. Pulled out a bottle from his collection. On its label, there was written 'Pure Spirytus Rektyfikowany'. He opened the cap and filled 20 percent of the glass with it. Hao Yun just looked at what he was doing in excitement. He didn't know the Bartender in front of him was trying to give him the infamous 96% ABV Polish rectified spirit.
The Bartender then added an espresso shot for some bitterness, black sesame syrup for a nutty and complex taste, A splash of dark rum, and finished it with some edible silver dust.
He pushed the glass towards Hao Yun and said, "Black Dragon. My signature drink."
Hao Yun held the glass in his hand; it was his first time trying a cocktail.
Slowly, with excitement and nervousness, he took his first sip.
Gulp...
"Aaaah... It's got a strangely delicious taste, Master. I love it."
Hao Yun relaxed and felt the warmth and bitterness of the drink.
The old Bartender has already figured out with a glance that Hao Yun won't get drunk even with his strongest alcohol. So, he just wanted him to enjoy the taste of his original recipe.
Meanwhile, in the cockpit, one of the pilots took a break, "Hyun Soo, I'm still feeling something's wrong with my stomach, give me around 30 minutes and I'll be back, okay?" Jin Seok told Hyun Soo and went to the restroom.
Hyun Soo couldn't do anything, even though he was feeling the same as Jin Seok, but he couldn't go. After all, he could see there were thunder clouds at some distance.
Even the plane's autopilot won't be able to handle long turbulence. He restrained himself, "Ah, just one more hour, and we'll be at Irkutsk Airport. Just a bit more, Hyun-soo. You can do it."
The plane entered the thunder cloud and faced strong turbulence. The sound was loud, and Hyun Soo couldn't hear anything at all.
Then...
▂▃▄▅▆▇█▓▒░ SYSTEM ░▒▓█▇▆▅▄▃▂
[Warning]
[Task Remaining Time: 10]
[9...]
[8...]
[7...]
[6...]
Finally, the plane came out of the thundercloud, and the turbulence was over.
Hyun Soo heard a robotic sound. He turned his head.
The system countdown was going on.
[3...]
"What?!"
[2...]
[1...]
[System expresses its condolences to Host.]
[Host failed to complete its task.]
[Detected Host didn't try to complete his task.]
[Penalty: 4x]
As soon as the alert came, Hyun-soo's body began inflating, like someone was pumping air into him.
He screamed, "Aaaaaa! Don't do this! It Hurts! Please don't do this!"
But nobody heard it.
After 5 seconds, his body swelled to the point it couldn't hold itself together and exploded.
The explosion caused Hyun Soo's remaining body and flesh chunks to slam into the control panel.
The autopilot mode turned off. The plane went out of control.
Inside the restroom, Jin Seok's head hit the ceiling, and he passed out.
The flight attendants and other cabin crew rush to check what happened in the cockpit, only to see the pool of blood.
One of the flight attendants screamed and fainted. A panic erupted among the passengers.
Meanwhile, Hao Yun, who was enjoying his drinks in the bar, couldn't understand what had just happened.
He looked at his surroundings. Passengers and staff were running. Some of them took the parachutes and jumped out of the plane.
A cabin crew member announced something.
"Dear passengers, I'm sorry to say, but it looks like our time has come, the plane is about to crash... We're all going to die..." The announcer began crying midway.
Hao Yun knew even with his current strength, falling from this height... He won't be saved.
He looked around. The Bartender was calm. Standing in a corner to avoid getting in others' way as if he had accepted his fate.
Hao Yun approached him. "Do you want to live more?"
The Bartender still had a smile on his face. He gently opened his right eye and said, "Yeah, if I'm allowed to."
Hao Yun took a deep breath and used one of his skills.
PREDATOR INSTINCT!
In an instant, his body senses grew sharp... like a beast.
It was his first time using this skill, but he felt as if it was normal.
He carried the old man in his hands. Kicked the plane's door and jumped out.
The wind was strong, too strong. Hao Yun felt as if he were a bird whose wings were cut off.
He fell continuously.
The old man was a few meters above Hao Yun since he was lighter than him.
Hao Yun thought desperately, looking if he could use his skills in any way.
Suddenly, Evelyn's fight scene flashed in front of his eyes. The time she used her skills against the Monsters.
"Got the lead!"
Breathe in...
Breathe out...
SINGULARITY BLADE.
As soon as Hao Yun says those words, countless void blades materialize around him.
He used his imagination, ordering the blades to collide in a way that forms a small platform.
One for him, and the other one for the old man.
Suddenly, both stopped in mid-air.
Hao Yun's trick worked.
However, this skill used too much of his energy.
If he moved, he wouldn't be able to maintain this state until they are on the ground.
Then...
He used Evelyn's other skill.
ABYSSAL THRONE.
A void Throne materialized behind Hao Yun.
And the moment he sat on it, his Mana regeneration speed increased 5x.
"Sigh! Finally, I'm saved."
"Are you all right, Master?"
"Hah... I'm fine! But you're really amazing."
"What's amazing is not me, but Evelyn's skills."
"Thanks, Evelyn. If it weren't for you, I would've died today!"
In Korea, Evelyn, in a meeting, sneezed out of nowhere.
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