A question mark practically appeared over Kang Woojin's face.
He couldn't understand it at all.
What on earth was going on?
He tried to sit up, forcing strength into his upper body.
Boom!
It was pointless.
A longsword flew in and pierced straight through his torso.
The same thing happened again and again.
No matter how hard he struggled to crawl out of the pit, his body wouldn't move.
With the eye that had just regenerated, he barely managed to roll it upward.
At the edge of his vision, he saw a man standing above the pit.
Hands in his pockets, looking down at him.
The man was still wearing a helmet, so Woojin couldn't see his face.
What the hell is that guy?
Normally, humans trembled in fear when they faced him.
But not this one.
Far from afraid, he looked completely relaxed.
As if he'd seen someone with this kind of power and regeneration before.
"…!?"
The rain of swords suddenly stopped.
"Cough!"
Spitting out blood, Kang Woojin curled his lips into a smile.
"Run out of strength already?"
Controlling that many weapons consumed enormous resources.
It was inevitable.
"But what should I do? I'm regenerating again. Didn't I tell you? I don't die. I possess eternal life."
"Enough with the nonsense. Tell me about yourself. That's why I stopped. Let's start with what to call you. You're not human, right? What are you?"
Jinhyuk squatted down and stared at him.
He'd felt a strange sense of déjà vu earlier, but now he was sure.
This was exactly like what he'd seen in the horn's memories.
The man looked human, but the aura he gave off was identical.
"How arrogant. Do you think I'd answer you? I'm immortal. Why would I fear your questions?"
"You're not immortal."
Jinhyuk smiled and continued, ignoring Woojin's widening eyes.
"You just look immortal."
"What…?"
Jinhyuk's pupils turned blue again.
Resting his chin on his hand, he examined Woojin with his spiritual sight.
It had decreased a lot.
The number of souls inside him.
"Regeneration costs souls, doesn't it? The worse the injury, the more it takes."
Woojin didn't answer.
He was frozen.
It was a truth he'd long forgotten.
He'd accumulated so many souls that he'd convinced himself he was truly immortal.
"When you run out, you die. Your so-called eternal life is only half-baked. Immortal, my ass."
Crack.
Veins bulged on Woojin's once-relaxed face.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this humiliated.
At this point, negotiations didn't matter anymore.
He would take this man's head.
No matter what.
He quietly checked his condition.
Most of his body had recovered.
One second…
No, half a second.
That was enough to reach him.
He turned his palm toward the ground and gathered power.
Ready to launch himself in one burst.
Just a few more seconds…
"Tsk."
Jinhyuk flicked his finger.
Ratatatatatatat!
A barrage of steel weapons poured down again.
The body Woojin had barely restored was instantly reduced to rags.
Seira's innate trait: Motion Detection.
It didn't miss even the slightest movement.
Won't take long.
Each weapon that pierced him drained his souls rapidly.
And honestly, what great eyes.
He'd once worried he might start seeing ghosts with them, but they were incredibly useful.
Screeeech.
Because of the commotion, people had gathered around Namsan Tower.
Barricades were set up, and several sedans arrived.
One of them was probably Jin Yooho's.
After estimating the timing, Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.
The weapons stopped midair, right in front of Woojin's eyes.
"Ghk… gh… AAAAAAAH!"
As soon as the necessary parts regenerated, Woojin screamed in agony.
Ignoring him, Jinhyuk raised one finger.
"One left."
Woojin gasped.
He knew what it meant.
Death.
A concept he'd never thought he'd face.
The rest of his body didn't regenerate.
Proof that Jinhyuk had been telling the truth.
He barely lifted his eyes.
If he could just escape this pit, everything would be fine.
Humans were hanging right in front of him.
He could sense more people below the tower.
If he got out of here…
If he could just shake this man off once…
Today would end as a minor incident.
"One last question. I'm short on time. People will be here soon. What are you? You're not human."
Woojin swallowed dryly.
He couldn't afford bravado anymore.
One more weapon, and it was over.
Lying was dangerous too.
He had no idea how much those blue eyes could see.
"Rak… shasa."
"Rakshasa? Sounds like a dog's name."
Crack!
Blood vessels burst in his eyes.
How dare he mock that name.
He would tear him apart someday.
"We are predators who have existed since ancient times. We've been called many things—demons, spirits, evil ghosts."
"So you're an organization. What about Tokki Maredo?"
"He became a Rakshasa later."
"Explains why he got uglier."
In the game, he hadn't looked that bad.
Rakshasa…
Jinhyuk repeated the name in his mind.
A race that appears in Hinduism, Jainism, and other ancient Indian religions.
Usually cast as evil beings.
"Why did you make Maredo's Box drop only in Korea?"
"To find a traitor."
"A traitor? You mean…"
Jinhyuk took out the horn from his inventory.
Woojin's face went pale.
"Where did you get that?!"
Jinhyuk recoiled slightly, frowning.
Is this guy stupid?
They'd brought him into their own domain, and now he was asking where it came from.
"Hand it over! That's not something a human should have!"
He dropped the honorifics.
Long ago, they'd sealed that horn so no one could ever find it.
How was it in a human's hands?
Seeing his reaction, Jinhyuk smiled.
"Isn't the owner of this horn your natural enemy? Didn't he wipe you guys out?"
Woojin stared in disbelief.
The man in front of him was barely in his early twenties.
How could he know so much?
Jinhyuk turned toward the stairs.
Footsteps were approaching.
Time to leave.
"I'm heading out."
There were still many things he wanted to ask.
How Maredo had been trapped in the Tower of Despair.
What he planned to do with the collected souls.
And more.
But he didn't need to cling to this guy.
He was just one Rakshasa.
There were plenty more.
And if he met the horn's original owner, most of his questions would be answered.
He brushed off his clothes and stood.
Then he withdrew his weapons.
As expected, Genex. Not a scratch.
"Bye."
He waved once and vanished.
"Huff… huff…"
As the tension left him, Woojin gasped for breath.
I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'll kill him.
Grinding his teeth, he crawled out of the pit.
That man had spared him because he thought he could kill him anytime.
A huge mistake.
He would kill him first.
In the most brutal way possible.
First, he needed more souls.
He'd take them from the humans climbing up—
Suddenly, something appeared.
A fluffy mass of fur.
Not human.
What the—?
Plop.
Something rolled into his mouth.
Sticky. Disgusting.
"Boss said to clean things up properly. See ya~"
The creature struck an infuriating pose and vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
A moment later—
An explosion went off inside his body.
Just strong enough to shred Kang Woojin completely.
Ten minutes later.
Jin Yoonho looked down into the crater.
It was a mess, twisted and shattered.
So fragmented that it was impossible to tell what had been there.
"All hostages have been rescued. Four died, the rest only have dehydration."
"Don't let anyone go. We need to investigate."
Reporter Min Yujin had already provided detailed testimony.
All the captives were closely connected to Kang Woojin.
"And Woojin was alive until the helmeted man left. After that, he suddenly exploded."
Yoonho rubbed his chin.
So Jinhyuk had subdued him and left.
Did he kill himself to protect information?
"Team Leader."
Yoon Miri approached with Min Yujin.
"Where's Jinhyuk?"
"He went home. Said he'd rest and climb the tower later."
Yoonho sighed in relief.
If he was climbing, he must be fine.
"The police will take over soon. Let's head back."
"Yes, sir."
They'd only come because of Jinhyuk's request and Min Yujin's disappearance.
From here on, it was police business.
Jinhyuk would explain the box later.
"Oh, I'll handle things now. Go be with your friend. She must be shaken."
Miri smiled.
"Thank you."
She walked toward Min Yujin.
Unlike Yoonho's worries, Min Yujin looked perfectly fine.
Not traumatized at all—more like excited.
"Right? It was him, wasn't it? The Runner."
"No."
"He wore a helmet, but you can at least tell me, right?"
Miri shrugged firmly.
"He was. The way you deny it proves it."
Min Yujin held her forehead.
"That Runner saved me… insane. What an honor. From today on, anyone who leaves hate comments about him is dead."
"You almost died, you know."
"I can still see it clearly. The moment he saved me."
Miri shook her head.
As expected, her friend wasn't normal.
"But most of all…"
Min Yujin wrapped an arm around her neck.
"Thank you. For coming to save me."
"Why are you getting awkward now? If you're grateful, buy me beef."
"You know journalists are underpaid. How about tripe?"
"Fine, tripe. Let's go to the hospital first."
Supporting Min Yujin, Miri glanced in the direction Jinhyuk had gone.
And smiled.
She owed him again.
Next time, she'd treat him to something really good.
"Ughhh!"
Stretching, Jinhyuk checked the time.
Almost midnight.
Running around all day made time fly.
Crack. Crack.
He loosened up, waiting for his alarm.
It was time to hunt for traces of the Black Dragon.
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T/N:
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