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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Why Does This Feel Familiar?
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Rimon sank into thought.
He had lived a long life and seen every kind of person imaginable.
Among them were plenty who claimed to see something special in him.
Of course, most were just raving lunatics or con artists.
But very rarely, there were those who were telling the truth.
People who could communicate with spirits.
Or see the souls of the dead.
Or peer through curses, that sort of thing.
To test it out, Rimon fired off a few questions at Yuna Kyung.
"Na-kyung, you got any enemies out there?"
"Hmm, probably not? With you as my team's grudge magnet, who would bother hating a runt like me?"
"What about siblings you're supposed to split a fortune with?"
"I'm an orphan, remember?"
"Or maybe you stiffed a black mage or shaman on a payment?"
"...Team leader, you feeling okay?"
Yuna Kyung eyed him suspiciously.
She had started with half-joking light answers, but the questions were getting more serious by the minute.
'Hmm, nothing rings a bell on the curse front, at least.'
She was just a bit snippier than usual.
Nothing suspicious in her attitude. Rimon stroked his chin for a moment.
Then a strange expression crossed his face.
Something had suddenly clicked while thinking about Yuna Kyung.
"...Na-kyung, you're a Player, right?"
"What, you think I'm some normie?"
"Players usually contract with a constellation to get their skills."
"Not everyone does."
Yuna Kyung shot him a look like he'd said something ridiculous.
Rimon asked her point-blank.
"Who's the constellation you're contracted with?"
"You seriously didn't know until now?!"
"Cut the chatter and just answer."
"Tch, is that any way to ask a teammate you've worked with for years?"
Yuna Kyung grumbled at his curt response.
If it were a total stranger, fine.
But for colleagues or acquaintances, knowing each other's constellations was basic courtesy.
Though it depended on the person, of course.
Knowing Rimon's usual disinterest in such things, she came clean without hesitation.
"The one I'm contracted with is 'Serpent Connecting Ends.'"
"...Hmm, I see."
"Yeah, it mainly gives the Space Movement skill, so it's pretty popular among Players."
Rimon nodded along.
Not because he was impressed by her explanation.
Her words had sparked a hunch.
'Is this snake the constellation contracted to Na-kyung? And I've gained the ability to see Players' constellations?'
It would explain why Seo Yongchan had looked like a bull's head.
Given that he'd wielded the Bronze Bull, he was probably contracted to a bull-related constellation.
If that was the case, it was a big deal.
Peering into someone's constellation without emotion-based skills was unprecedented.
'Though it's a ridiculously useless power.'
Still, Rimon wasn't thrilled.
In an era where most Players boasted about their constellations, it was something you could just Google.
So he brushed off his new ability to see them.
The real issue was Yuna Kyung's current state.
'...Seeing her like this just gives me a bad vibe.'
Rimon narrowed his eyes.
From the snake's fangs embedded in her neck, wrapping tightly around her throat and torso, down to the tail piercing her chest.
It looked less like a benevolent patron and more like a venomous serpent.
Especially those gleaming eyes, fixed on her like prey. It made Rimon's brow furrow instinctively.
They were already debating whether to hunt the Liberation Brigade.
A bad feeling right now wasn't a good omen.
"Hmm."
He crossed his arms, drumming his fingers on his bicep as he pondered long and hard.
Finally, Rimon spoke softly.
"Na-kyung."
"Yeah, team leader?"
"You really set on nabbing the Liberation Brigade?"
"Why do you think I came all the way here?"
"Even if going after them might get you killed?"
At his serious question, Yuna Kyung replied breezily, like it was nothing new.
"That's just part of the job, right? Our Special Management Bureau gig is all about risking our necks anyway."
She wasn't wrong.
The PAB mainly policed high-level Players.
Some treated punks like Seo Yongchan as rookies, and agents who crossed them often ended up as casualties. It was routine for the bureau.
"Besides, I'm not dying over something this minor."
"...What's that baseless confidence based on?"
"I have grounds."
"What grounds?"
"You."
"What?"
Her out-of-left-field answer left Rimon blinking dumbly.
Yuna Kyung grinned and replied energetically.
"Liberation Brigade or whatever, as long as I stick right by you, who would dare kill me?"
He fell silent at her bold declaration.
Then Rimon pressed a hand to his forehead.
His shoulders shook, and he burst into laughter.
"Kuh, kuhehe. Puhahaha!"
"Team leader? What's so funny?"
"Nah, nah. They say you learn from fools sometimes. Guess you do say smart things on occasion."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Whether Yuna Kyung pouted at being called a fool or not.
Rimon looked refreshed.
'Right. Since when did I care about constellations?'
He'd been thrown off by the weird sight, but there was no reason to overthink it.
Suspicious constellation glare?
Yuna Kyung might be in danger?
'Who gives a damn.'
Humans die eventually anyway.
If today was her day, he'd protect her. Simple.
If it was an unstoppable disaster, he'd cut it down. If a constellation interfered, he'd cut that too.
Brute force? Fine by him.
Times had changed, but he was still Rimon Asfelder.
The Sword Master who'd staked his life on the blade and forged his fate with steel.
"Hey, let's go."
"Huh? Where to?"
Rimon grinned at the puzzled Yuna Kyung.
With omens tossed to the dogs.
His destination was set.
"To catch those bastards."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"This the place?"
"Yep."
Exactly three minutes.
From Rimon's decision to depart.
To arriving at the Liberation Brigade's hideout.
Most of that was spent digging his coat out from under the laundry.
Considering that, it was terrifying speed.
Only possible because it was Yuna Kyung.
Few Players could teleport that distance with a passenger in one go.
Thanks to her, Rimon stroked his chin in front of their base.
"A crime syndicate using a spot like this as a hideout... These guys are nuts, right?"
"They're psychos by nature. Plus, there's that saying about unclear origins."
"This is under the lamp? Right under the tiger's nose."
Rimon clicked his tongue.
Remote forests, abandoned factories, deserted islands.
That's where he'd expected them.
Instead, mocking him, their base was smack in the city center.
Not just anywhere, either.
Police HQ right in front, Player Association nearby, military base in the distance.
A perfect vantage point.
And disguised as Haecheong Trading Co., looking like a legit business.
If you didn't know, you'd never peg it as a psycho group's lair.
"How the hell did you even find this place?"
"Heh, info just flows to a charming lady like me."
"Yeah, sure, know your place."
"I'm a peerless beauty."
Rimon stared at her like, you shameless?
But she didn't bat an eye.
Just flashed a brazen smile and asked.
"So, what's the plan? Straight through the front?"
"Well..."
Rimon paused at her question.
He stared at the Haecheong Trading entrance, thought for a bit, then continued.
"Let's do divide and conquer."
"...Divide what?"
"Sneak in and take 'em out one by one quietly."
"Team leader, you know ways besides frontal assault?!"
"What do you take me for?"
"A brainless brute who lives by charge, rampage, and bulldoze as his three strategies...!"
Smack!
"Eek!"
Rimon dealt heavenly punishment to his insolent subordinate and tsked.
"Think before you speak. If we charge in, they'll scatter like roaches trying to save their skins."
"Your usual line is just cut 'em down before they run..."
"Want another?"
"No, you're so wise, team leader."
Rimon snorted at Yuna Kyung, who clutched her forehead and backpedaled.
She had a point, actually.
Normally, he'd smash straight in, crush them all, chase down runners, and beat them senseless.
But this time, he chose the hassle of divide and conquer.
Half because of a hunch.
'Something bugs me about going in the front.'
No real basis.
Yuna Kyung no longer looked snake-wrapped; just normal now.
But unease alone was reason enough for stealth.
He preferred frontal assaults to save time, not because he couldn't infiltrate.
Especially with Yuna Kyung along.
"Who... Gack!"
"Why's a PAB agent here...? Guh?!"
"Intruders...! Urk!"
Thud, smack, crunch!
Once they started infiltrating.
Rimon and Yuna Kyung swept through the Liberation Brigade base like a storm.
It wasn't hard.
Yuna's Space Movement took out the guard room first.
Then they dropped from above, knocking out presences one by one.
Some high-level Players tried resisting.
Futile.
Lightning-fast accelerators.
Telekinesis shielders.
Stealthed hiders.
One flat of Rimon's blade, and they all saw stars and crumpled.
So they cleared at breakneck speed, almost like a frontal assault.
"Call it obvious, but watching you makes me think 'Players are superhuman' is nonsense."
Yuna Kyung stuck out her tongue in awe.
Not killing superhuman Players beyond human limits, just knocking them out with one hit.
To her, the fallen looked less like Liberation Brigade thugs and more like nursing home elders.
'Weird.'
Rimon let her words slide in one ear and out the other.
Not because they weren't worth answering.
A strange sensation permeated the Liberation Brigade base.
'Why does this feel so familiar?'
He first chalked it up to imagination.
Modern buildings all looked alike; just deja vu from the layout.
But the deeper they went, the more it hit from everywhere.
Thwack!
"Team leader? Why two hits on this one?"
"Regeneration skill. One hit and he'd bounce back."
"You knew this criminal?"
"Nah, first time seeing him."
"...How'd you know he had regen then?"
"Just felt like it."
"..."
Yuna Kyung stared like he was crazy, then nodded. "Ah, right, you're the mad dog." She got it.
He fidgeted with his fingers briefly.
Then decided to show mercy.
It sounded pretty insane even to him.
But he didn't think he was wrong.
Every Liberation Brigade encounter, their abilities popped into his head before they activated.
As if he'd swept through here before.
'Side effect of seeing constellations?'
Not like with Seo Yongchan or Yuna; no visible ones.
Just instinctive knowledge.
No prior experience, so maybe tied to his new power.
'No, this isn't just a hunch.'
But Rimon rejected that himself.
If it were mere instinct, the tactile memory of striking them wouldn't linger twice over.
And Rimon was the Sword Master.
He might miscount the sun's rays, but never the feel of his swung blade.
Why did one-time foes feel struck twice?
Pondering as they cleared the building.
Finally, midway up after mopping up the upper floors.
Rimon realized.
'Right.'
A massive, sturdy metal door, more bunker than office.
Definitely first time seeing it.
Yet familiar. Staring at it, Rimon was certain.
The source of his eerie deja vu.
'I've been here before.'