“Ah, shit. Here we go again.”

Hwang Taeseong scratched the back of his head as he eyed the man sitting on the bench. This time, too—whether it was a bus driver or not—a single foot movement made the floor shriek.

Hwang Taeseong dragged a palm across his forehead, his expression hardening.

*I want to get my job change done faster.*

He wanted to head to the Tower of Job Change as soon as possible, finish the process even an hour sooner. But yet another annoying situation had blown up.

Hwang Taeseong grabbed Kim Ryujun by the shoulder, trying to hold him back.

“Hey! Let’s just ignore him and go—I need to get my job change! Just today, let it slide!”

Just five minutes ago, they’d turned that Player—the one who set off that stupid ball—into pulp. No, since coming here with that bastard, about ten guys had been carried out.

PVP that crossed the line into pure violence. It was behavior that violated Association regulations.

Even the Association supervisor had already gotten a warning because of it. If they stirred up another incident, things would get messy.

But Hwang Taeseong knew.

Now that the man on the bench had popped that ball, Kim Ryujun would move—no question.

Sure enough, ignoring Hwang Taeseong’s words, Kim Ryujun strode toward the man.

*Seriously! You fucking idiot—the moment I find someone half-decent, I’m ditching you.*

Hwang Taeseong’s face twisted as he followed behind Kim Ryujun. For now, there was no one to replace him. He had no choice but to watch his back.

*God, what a pain in the ass.*

Hwang Taeseong sighed deeply, half-resigned.

As they drew closer to the man on the bench, Hwang Taeseong’s expression stiffened.

“What… what the…”

Without even realizing it, Hwang Taeseong kept tapping his fist against the armor on his thigh.

*That… armor.*

The armor the man on the bench was wearing. It was armor he’d seen a lot somewhere before.

*No… no way…*

Hwang Taeseong tried to comfort himself with a forced “Can’t be,” but the closer he got, the more fear crept into his expression.

Hwang Taeseong suddenly stopped walking and slumped down to the ground, sitting. His legs trembled like aspen leaves, shaking uncontrollably.

*Ha… Ha Gangwoo…*

The moment Hwang Taeseong’s eyes met Ha Gangwoo’s, he found himself lowering his gaze to the floor, unable to help it.

Had he sworn revenge? What a ridiculous thought.

*I… I have to run.*

Hwang Taeseong’s instincts screamed at him to flee. As he crawled backward across the ground, moving toward the opposite side without thinking—

He suddenly stopped.

Because a past remark had surfaced in his mind.

[You’re not so easily broken, are you.]

The moment he’d resolved to take revenge, that psychopath had spat out those words.

And then—

[I’ll have to deal with you outside.]

Along with those chilling words—

*Squelch*—his head hit the floor.

The reason the psychopath had said that was simple enough.

‘A threat.’

The message was clear: the moment I go after you outside the Tower, I won’t stay still.

Until just now, I’d wanted to grow faster than the psychopath and take revenge personally.

But now I realized that had been a foolish delusion.

‘I have to stop this!’

But if Kim Ryujun, my own pawn, touched Ha Gangwoo?

How would that psychopath interpret it?

Naturally, he’d take it as hiring a Player to settle old scores.

In that instant, Hwang Taeseong’s face went bone-white.

That could never happen. Never.

Hwang Taeseong scrambled on his hands and knees, lurched up, and dashed like a mad dog. He grabbed Kim Ryujun’s shoulder.

“W-wait. Let’s just go.”

But Kim Ryujun didn’t stop. Instead, Hwang Taeseong’s body was dragged across the floor.

He was utterly powerless against Kim Ryujun’s overwhelming Strength stat.

“I said STOP!!!”

Finally, Hwang Taeseong rushed in front of Kim Ryujun, bracing against him like stopping a car. But his feet just scraped along the ground.

“I’ll double your contract fee! Let’s just go!!!”

The moment Hwang Taeseong threw out his last resort, Kim Ryujun finally halted.

‘Right. Money talks.’

Hwang Taeseong let out a relieved sigh.

Then a low rumble came from behind him.

“We meet again, huh?”

A jolt of terror made every hair on his body stand on end.

Hwang Taeseong slowly turned his head toward the voice,

“Eeek!!!!”

There stood that man.

Without thinking, Hwang Taeseong hid behind Kim Ryujun’s back.

‘Hm…’

Ha Gangwoo massaged his own right shoulder, watching Hwang Taeseong.

‘No need to deal with him separately?’

The moment their eyes met, he knew it at once.

That Hwang Taeseong was terrified of him—utterly.

He couldn’t even meet his gaze, and just being looked at made his hands tremble.

If he’d been nursing even a sliver of a revenge fantasy, I would’ve quietly taken care of him. But it didn’t seem necessary.

‘Gotta put more fear into him.’

Still, I wasn’t about to let it end here.

Didn’t I learn from Kim Ducheol and Choi Jangbok? I needed to be thorough.

‘But what the hell is this guy?’

Ha Gangwoo looked at the short man before him.

Ever since I used Seismic Stomp, he’s been radiating murderous intent.

‘Annoying.’

As Ha Gangwoo stared down coldly, Kim Ryujun clicked the large shield on his back into his right hand.

In that moment, a chilling bloodlust swept through Ha Gangwoo’s entire body.

‘Interesting.’

Just as Ha Gangwoo felt a flicker of interest toward Kim Ryujun, Hwang Taeseong scrambled backward, shouting.

“I’ve got nothing to do with this! This bastard’s just a lunatic!”

The cry was urgent, but Ha Gangwoo couldn’t make sense of it.

Only one thing was certain.

*Vwoom*—the man before him was attacking.

Gangwoo watched the shield charge toward him and spread his Sense wide open.

‘Slow.’

The attack speed was below average. Pathetically slow. But something felt off.

‘Stronger than a Golem, though.’

That was because his Sense Stat told him this man was no pushover. If speed wasn’t the threat, there had to be something else.

Curiosity flickered in Gangwoo.

*BOOM!*

The shield crashed square into Gangwoo’s shoulder.

“Tch!”

He grimaced and slid backward from the impact.

‘Hell of a lot of Strength.’

The shock was unlike anything he’d felt before. The shield was heavy and solid, like ramming his body into a sheer cliff face.

‘A Tank type.’

Gangwoo fixed Kim Ryujun with a sharp glare.

A guy who ran with Hwang Taeseong. Probably a Party member or someone on his payroll.

Given the Strength he’d just shown, he was at least a level-50 Player. Perfect test subject.

‘Convenient. I was curious anyway.’

Gangwoo licked his lips and summoned his shortbow into his hand.

‘If I’m fighting, I might as well get paid.’

But he wasn’t about to fight for free.

*Ding-*

A sly smile spread across Gangwoo’s face as he sent a system window toward Kim Ryujun.

***

Kim Ryujun licked his lips with interest.

‘He blocked that?’

Ryujun’s Trait boosted his Defense by the amount of his Strength Stat. That was why he’d poured every point into Strength.

He’d thought no one in Scenario 1 could stop that hit, yet this man had deflected it like nothing.

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

Ryujun smiled, licking his lips in delight.

Just then, a system window arrived.

*Ding-*

[Player Ha Gangwoo has requested a PVP match.]

[Win condition: Opponent’s surrender or incapacitation.]

[Win reward: All held Gold transfers to the winner.]

(Warning: This action is irreversible upon acceptance.)

[Do you accept?]

[Yes / No]

The other guy had challenged him.

Ryujun’s expression instantly chilled.

“Interesting bastard.”

Not only was this guy entertaining, he was offering up his money too.

Ryujun saw no reason to refuse.

With this shield, he was confident he was unbeatable in PVP among anyone under level 100.

*Ding-*

[PVP request accepted.]

And so, without a second thought, Kim Ryujun accepted Ha Gangwoo’s PVP.

***

“Hey, they’re doing PVP.”

“PVP? Seen it a hundred times.”

Players began gathering around Ha Gangwoo and Kim Ryujun.

PVP was a daily occurrence in Scenario 1—nothing worth paying much attention to.

“Huh? Isn’t that the crazy bastard who was beating the shit out of that bus driver player back at level 60?”

“That’s right, I heard the story. They said he’s with the Dice Guild, picking fights everywhere he goes.”

But when the figure standing across from him turned out to be someone special, the whole mood shifted.

The man currently embroiled in a fight was the one who had pummeled a bus driver. Curiosity drew the crowd in, bit by bit.

“That guy’s stepped in it for real. The way he wails on people is brutal…”

“The Association’s already warned him, and that says it all. I should report him again myself.”

Everyone threw looks of pity toward Kim Ryujun’s opponent. The Association didn’t step in over trivial matters.

But a man who’d earned a formal warning from the Association for violence? There was no way he was normal.

Then one man squinted, rubbing his eyes as he stared at Ryujun’s adversary.

“Hey?! Isn’t that the player who got the L-Grade? The red armor and hairstyle are a perfect match!”

“What? L-Grade? Now that you mention it, I did hear a rumor that an L-Grade newbie player took down the monsters that attacked the Association’s bus… Is it true?”

At one man’s words, the gaze of the crowd shifted in an instant.

“I think he’s right—I watched a video of a Golem being taken down, and the armor is identical!”

“Jackpot! I need to film this!”

Everyone raised their smartphones, pressing in around Ha Gangwoo and Kim Ryujun with gleeful interest.

Meanwhile,

Hwang Taeseong stared at Ha Gangwoo with a dazed, confused expression.

“An L-Grade player?!”

Taeseong, who had poured everything into his growth, had no way of knowing about Gangwoo’s news.

*Wasn’t L-Grade supposed to be Cha Yuseong’s exclusive grade?*

For a moment, he couldn’t believe what the people around him were saying.

That someone who’d only just come out of the Tutorial had been rated L-Grade? It had to be a lie.

*Unless… a psycho could pull it off…*

It was clearly a lie, yet Hwang Taeseong found himself subconsciously accepting it.

Hwang Taeseong had never placed lower than second at his prestigious academy.

On the 5th floor alone, he’d been confident he could win—except for Kang Seongbin. Yet he’d been trampled like garbage.

Unfathomable power. And on top of that, the way Gangwoo had tortured him. He was a demon incarnate.

*With that kind of venom, maybe it’s enough.*

Before he knew it, Hwang Taeseong had fully acknowledged it, his fist clenched tight. His hands had stopped trembling.

*But if it’s Kim Ryujun…*

A vague hope flickered to life in his chest.

*Crush him!*

Kim Ryujun. The reason he hired and kept such a broken personality around was simple: he had the skills to back it up.

*Besides, he’s got that shield, right?*

An A-Grade Artifact. With that alone, no one in Scenario 1 would be able to stop Kim Ryujun.

*Yeah.*

A smile curled at the corner of Hwang Taeseong’s mouth.

*Kill him.*

That lunatic Kim Ryujun, who’d been nothing but a pain, picking constant fights with everyone.

At some point, that behavior had become a source of joy.

And so Hwang Taeseong watched the two of them PVP, palms slick with sweat.

***

Ding-

[Mr. Kim Ryujun has accepted the PVP.]

A sharp smile flickered across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

Accepting a fight for all his assets this easily — he must have real confidence in his skills.

‘That’s how it should be.’

If it were up to him, he’d add a death clause to the victory conditions, but the venue here was under Association management.

There were rules to follow.

‘I’ll have to take it easy.’

Ha Gangwoo spread his palm and summoned a Wooden Arrow.

[10 MP consumed.]

[The weight of the Wooden Arrow has increased by 1 KG.]

[10 MP consumed.]

[The weight of the Wooden Arrow has increased by 1 KG.]

…..

…

..

In an instant, his MP drained away steadily.

But a smile spread across Ha Gangwoo’s face.

[2 MP recovered.]

[2 MP recovered.]

[2 MP recovered.]

…..

….

…

.

MP filling by 2 every second.

It replenished at a speed on a whole different level from when it came back 1 at a time.

‘Efficiency’s good after all.’

Before he knew it, even with Strength topping 200, the Wooden Arrow had reached a point where it felt heavy.

Ha Gangwoo fixed a sharp gaze on the man before him.

From the moment he accepted the PVP until now, the man had done nothing but stare from behind his shield, without any real movement.

‘Hmm…..’

The moment Ha Gangwoo saw how the other party carried himself, he understood. The opponent was a Tank-type. And clearly a well-trained elite at that.

There was only one reason he held up his shield without making a move:

‘So you’re going to analyze me.’

Figure out the opponent’s Trait. Not a bad strategy.

Then he’d definitely wait until the first attack came. With the guy acting so defensive, there was no reason to back off.

[10 MP consumed.]

[The weight of the Wooden Arrow has increased by 1 KG.]

[10 MP consumed.]

[The weight of the Wooden Arrow has increased by 1 KG.]

…..

…

..

.

The moment the Wooden Arrow’s weight hit 120 kg.

Ha Gangwoo nocked the arrow onto his shortbow.

As Ha Gangwoo raised the bow and took aim, the onlookers murmured in confusion.

“What the hell? He’s firing an arrow at a guy holding up a shield like that?”

“Is he really an L-Grade Player?”

A shield’s natural counter was a ranged weapon like a bow.

Anyone dreaming of becoming a Player would know that. Yet here he was, acting like he didn’t grasp basiccommon sense, boldly aiming his bow.

Suspicion was only natural.

Kim Ryujun felt the same way.

‘Is this guy really an L-Grade Player?’

For a moment, hearing the crowd’s chatter made him start.

The opponent in a PVP staking all his assets, and it turned out to be the legendary L-Grade Player.

But watching that idiotic move now, it seemed there was no need to be tense.

Which left only one thing to think about:

‘How strong could they be?’

All that mattered was how much fun they’d give him. Everything else was just entertainment.

Kim Ryujun smirked and hoisted his shield.

‘Just in case. Let’s play it safe.’

The guy had a bow, sure, and the way he stood there taking aim seemed almost relaxed—nothing to worry about, really. But still. This was an L-Grade Player.

Better to go with a sure, reliable approach.

The shield Kim Ryujun held was nothing less than an A-Grade Artifact.

[Reflection Shield]

Grade: A

Durability: 5/5

Defense: 552

Vitality: +112

Description: A shield crafted from processed Pleite Ore, capable of reflecting all incoming force.

Effect

– While guarding, nullifies attacks with power equal to or below (Strength) x1.5. Repels the attack back at 2x damage.

An item that could attack and defend at the same time. Its durability was low, but the effect was just that broken.

If your Strength was high enough, it could outright nullify attacks. And with Kim Ryujun’s Strength sitting at 220—

No Player in early Scenario 2 would be able to stop him.

‘Yeah, that’s right. Destroy yourself with your own strength.’

The longer he waited, the wider Kim Ryujun’s grin grew.

‘This is it. I’ll be famous in an instant.’

The opponent was an L-Grade Player. No matter how the fight started, once he won, the fame would follow on its own.

And on top of that—the contract payoff for an L-Grade.

Who knew a PVP he’d started just for fun would turn into such a stroke of luck?

‘Come on, attack already!’

Kim Ryujun crouched behind his shield, soaking in the thrill.

And then it happened.

A violet aura rippled across Ha Gangwoo’s entire body—then Crack! The arrow shot forward.

Whoosh—a sound far too heavy for any ordinary arrow, tearing through the air as it flew.

Watching the arrow streak toward him, Kim Ryujun spread his legs wide and planted his feet firmly into the ground.

‘Iron Shield.’

Ding-

[Defense increased by 20%.]

‘Mount Shield.’

Ding-

[Reduces incoming damage by 10%.]

‘Come on!’

With every contingency locked down tight,

Kim Ryujun grinned viciously and thrust his shield forward.

The arrow met the shield,

CRAAAACK!!!!!!

With a cataclysmic shatter of sound.

“Kugh…”

Kim Ryujun’s consciousness cut to black.

***

“Wha—what just happened…”

“No way…”

Every face went blank, disbelief plastered across them as they stared at the scene before them.

A shield shattered into fragments. The figure of a man hurled nearly three hundred meters backward.

And from a single arrow. Just one shot—yet the ground where it had clashed with the shield was cratered as if a meteor had fallen.

“Th-that’s impossible…”

Of the whole crowd, no one was more stunned than Hwang Taeseong himself.

“That shield… it’s an A-Grade Artifact…”

An A-Grade Artifact, of all things.

Its durability was low, but considering its effect, it should have been unbreachable anywhere in Scenario 1 territory.

An A-Grade Artifact. Reduced to splinters. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.

And Hwang Taeseong knew Kim Ryujun’s level better than anyone.

‘That bastard has an S-Rank Trait… and he broke through that shield with just a bow?’

No matter how he turned it over in his head, the scene before him refused to make sense.

Without realizing it, Hwang Taeseong’s hands were trembling again.

“Hey! Is there a healer here? I think I’m pretty badly hurt…”

Players crowded around Kim Ryujun, who was writhing pitifully on the ground.

Thankfully, his life wasn’t in danger. But Hwang Taeseong couldn’t care less about Ryujun’s condition.

A chill shot through him.

The moment Hwang Taeseong caught Ha Gangwoo’s sinister smile, he understood.

‘I’m next.’

Kim Ryujun’s fate was his own, just seconds away.

Hwang Taeseong shoved through the gathered crowd and started to run.

Meanwhile.

Ha Gangwoo stared at the system window floating before his eyes.

[PVP has ended.]

[Winner: Ha Gangwoo]

[Victory rewards have been granted.]

‘That’s insane.’

A grin spread across Gangwoo’s face as he looked at the reward.

[You have acquired 232,502,000 Gold.]

Kim Ryujun had been carrying a staggering 230 million Gold.