Chapter 61

“Do you remember getting beaten almost to death by Cho-i Hyeon just now?”

“Uh, yeah, so?”

“…Is that your type?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

He stretched out and said. Although he didn’t like that he lost, he thought he had made a good discovery. First, he realized that a variable named Cho-i Hyeon had appeared. He was bothered that Director Taehyeok had noticed it first, but he believed he could take it away anytime.

“Isn’t it not bad to flirt with a woman who might even surpass you in advance? You think so too, and that’s why you’re clinging to Cho-i Hyeon, aren’t you?”

“I’ve never clung to her.”

“Bullshit.”

Although Taehyeok Sa vehemently denied it, Gihyeon Park ignored him, turning his head from side to side and stretching. Crack, crack, a chilling sound was heard. It felt like his bones were resetting, making his whole body stiff. It would be good to go wild one more time in situations like this, but the circumstances were not good at all. He thought it would be a good idea to go to the Hwayeon Guild and tear up a practice room.
Rustle.
Just then, Cho-i Hyeon got up from her seat. She put on Taehyeok Sa’s coat, looking somewhat sleepy, then her eyes widened when she saw Gihyeon Park in front of her.

“Oh, you’re up—cough!”

Cho-i Hyeon lunged at him in an instant. Her white hand grabbed Gihyeon Park’s neck and immediately slammed him to the floor. There was a crash, and she held Gihyeon Park’s neck, pressing him down with all her might.

“Why are you alive? Why are you alive?”

She strangled him, her black eyes, devoid of light, wide open. Choke, gasp. Considering the power difference between a dealer and a tank, it was natural for the dealer to be stronger, but Cho-i Hyeon, with her excessively high strength stat, was different from ordinary tanks. Even as Gihyeon Park’s face turned beet red, he laughed ferociously, grabbing her hands and pulling them away with trembling force. This meant their strength was almost evenly matched.

“Waking up to this, cough, it’s intense.”

“Stop. Stop, Cho-i Hyeon.”

Taehyeok Sa watched their antics and separated them with Telekinesis, specifically lifting Cho-i Hyeon into the air. Cho-i struggled in mid-air, glaring at Taehyeok Sa.

“Cough, choke, hack!”

“Why are you interfering!”

“Because you can’t kill him. You seem to be out of your mind from sleepiness, but the duel is over, and he won’t use fire anymore.”

“He won’t use it?”

At the words that he wouldn’t use fire anymore, Cho-i’s wide-open eyelids gently lowered halfway. Taehyeok Sa, confirming that Cho-i had calmed down, moved her to the sofa and then spoke to Gihyeon Park, who was sprawled on the floor.

“That one seems dead set on not getting involved with you, so back off and get lost.”

“Damn it, I just got healed, and now I’m going to be bruised again.”

He grumbled, sitting on the floor and running his hands through his hair haphazardly. His bleached blonde hair turned into a messy bird’s nest. Cho-i Hyeon sat huddled on the sofa, quietly watching Gihyeon Park. Gihyeon Park got up from the floor, dusted off his clothes, and pulled out his wallet from his pocket.

“Call me if you’re bored.”

“Bored? For what?”

“Anything, asking me to play is good. Even better if you want to fight again.”

“I’m never playing with you again.”

“People’s hearts are like that, but there are times when you need someone.”

“No.”

“Alright. Alright.”

Gihyeon Park forced his business card into Cho-i’s hand and left. Cho-i crumpled the business card and threw it into the trash can. Taehyeok Sa watched this, sighed, and sat down opposite her.

“First, how are you feeling?”

“Not bad right now.”

“You seemed very unwell earlier.”

“I was unwell.”

“Can you tell me what happened? It seemed like a different case from when it happened to me.”

Cho-i looked at Taehyeok Sa. Her black eyes, devoid of light, seemed to be assessing something before she nodded. Still, among all the bastards, Taehyeok Sa was perhaps the least bastardly. But this guy was also just a really big bastard. Was there a need to weigh this and that? For now, Cho-i decided to consider him as someone on her side.

“I’ve gained a skill.”

“What skill?”

“A skill that makes my pain sensation twice as sensitive, and my stats temporarily increase by the amount of pain sensation I feel at that time.”

“…”

“…”

Even Dongju Kim, who had been listening quietly next to them, looked serious. Was this what they called fate? It seemed the world was not on her side.

“Should I congratulate you on your new skill?”

“Don’t congratulate me. It’s a pain in the ass.”

Cho-i Hyeon gritted her teeth. Thinking of the pain she had felt then, even grinding Gihyeon Park to dust wouldn’t be enough.

“I want to go home.”

Cho-i Hyeon looked uncharacteristically tired. She slowly got up from her seat. And just then, Taehyeok Sa’s secretary called. As Taehyeok Sa answered the phone, the secretary’s voice could be heard from the smartphone.

-The video editing is finished. “Already?” -There weren’t many usable scenes, after all.

“That’s probably true.”

Even though Choi Hyeon won in the end, she took a lot of hits in the middle, and the scene where her skin was burning from the fire was too difficult to watch. The fact that the dungeon management team managed to extract scenes from that was almost a triumph.

-I’ll send it to you. “Okay.”

Choi awkwardly stood up from her seat, then sat back down. She seemed curious about how she looked. Choi was still wearing Taehyeok Sa’s coat because her own clothes were a mess, and Taehyeok Sa, seeing her like that, spoke before his secretary hung up.

“Ah, I need a woman’s dress.” -Excuse me?

The secretary asked again, surprised by the strange request. Taehyeok Sa knew his words sounded odd, but he did need clothes, so he spoke softly, as if it were nothing.

“Hunter Choi Hyeon needs clothes to wear home.” -Ah… Yes, I understand.

He said it very plainly, but it was still strange. Taehyeok Sa himself knew the Entity well. Choi Hyeon, who was hearing it firsthand, didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about it. He sighed and hung up the phone.

“Just wait a little.”

“But why women’s clothes?”

Choi Hyeon asked innocently.

“…You’ll need clothes to wear home, won’t you?”

“I was planning on wearing this.”

“Why?”

“It looks expensive.”

“…”

“Give it to me.”

“…Take it. But you should change your clothes inside before you go.”

“Alright then.”

Choi wiggled her toes. Her shoes were almost burnt and stuck, so she tapped them on the floor to put them on properly. Kim Dongju, unable to watch, knelt on one knee below the sofa and pulled off her worn-out, misshapen boots.

“I’ll take you home. Buy new shoes.”

“That sounds good to me.”

Choi seemed to be coming to her senses, gradually regaining her usual energy. Both Kim Dongju and Taehyeok Sa admired her mental resilience. If she had been a civilian, they would have understood if she had gone mad from the pain. Then, they both suddenly realized: Ah, is she already crazy, so she can’t get any crazier? Of course, they kept their mouths shut. It was obvious that if they brought it up, Choi Hyeon would immediately make eye contact with them. Choi Hyeon’s two lifeless eyes made people feel eerie when she stared at them. Not long after, Taehyeok Sa’s secretary came in holding a dress.

“I’ve sent the video to your smartphone.”

“Understood.”

Taehyeok Sa sat down and turned on his smartphone. Then, Kim Dongju and Choi Hyeon, who were sitting, moved over to stand behind him. When he looked at them with a ‘what is it?’ expression, the two stood side by side with eyes that said, ‘You’re not going to watch it alone, are you?’

“Go on, watch.”

Taehyeok Sa played the video that had been sent to his smartphone. And he could see the hard work of the dungeon management team. The video began with Park Gihyeon conjuring flames in his hands. Bright and red, and in stark contrast, Choi Hyeon’s face in the dark forest was shadowed. The color difference between the two was clear. And then.

-In the name of justice, I will not forgive you!

“This is…”

“Why did they include that…?”

As Dongju Kim and Taehyeok Sa briefly stared into space, only Cho-i clapped her hands, seemingly pleased.

“Now you get it.”

Regardless of Taehyeok Sa and Dongju Kim’s feelings, the video continued to regenerate. And first, Cho-i Hyeon rushed in. Flames erupted from the ground. Gihyeon Park broke through the Flames and approached Cho-i Hyeon, who had retreated to avoid them. The faces of the two people, close together, were zoomed in.

-Did you think that just because you became an S-Rank, the world would be yours?

Gihyeon Park threw a punch at Cho-i’s face, and Cho-i blocked his hand. Even as her hand burned, she smiled ferociously.

-No, the world has never been on my side even once.

Cho-i kicked Gihyeon Park, sending him flying far away. A loud crash echoed. In reality, Gihyeon Park regained his balance and leaped again, but the screen switched to a scene where Cho-i’s Black Hand was grabbing Gihyeon Park. And just as Cho-i was about to attack, his Flames exploded. It was a very dramatic development. Cho-i was blown away by the Flames, and all the Black Hands were withdrawn. Gihyeon Park, torn apart by the Black Hands, emerged covered in blood, and Gihyeon Park kicked Cho-i, who was writhing in pain, repeatedly. Thump, thump, the realistic sounds made people’s ears even more uncomfortable.

-Did you even think it would happen in the first place?

Taehyeok Sa finally understood why they included the line about ‘in the name of justice’ at the beginning. By having this side declare justice first, Gihyeon Park was naturally perceived as the villain. Even if it was a playful trick, it would be etched into people’s minds that way.

-Bear it…

And Cho-i Hyeon, who had been getting hit, got up, avoiding Gihyeon Park’s kicks. Her cheek was disfigured by burns, and her eyes were unfocused.

-This is…!

Gihyeon Park threw another punch, and Cho-i blocked it just like the first time. The sound of skin burning was heard. Cho-i then kicked his shin, followed by a punch to his face. Wham! And from that moment, the camera pulled back, capturing Cho-i Hyeon on top of Gihyeon Park, continuously throwing punches. And in the middle, the scene where Cho-i Hyeon screamed, feeling double the Pain Sensation, was…

-!!

It was replaced with the sound of a Shout taken from another video.