Chapter 81

The two headed to the accommodation on the island. The accommodation, which looked like a rented family home, seemed as comfortable as a rural grandmother’s house, and Hyori Hyeon had already arrived and was hanging up her wet clothes. As soon as Cho-i Hyeon saw her face, she felt annoyed for no reason and immediately ran over and hit her head. Smack-!

“Ow! Why did you hit me!”

“Just because I saw your face, I wanted to hit you.”

“More importantly, why is it just the two of you?”

“Your sister killed everyone.”

“What? Did you mess up the tanking, unnie?”

“I didn’t kill them!”

“Then what’s that sound?”

“To be precise, another me inside me?”

“What kind of effing nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s like that. Move.”

Cho-i Hyeon went straight into the accommodation. The yellow linoleum floor looked very frugal. Hyori Hyeon must have turned on the boiler because the floor was warm. While she was warming herself on the floor, Zhu Rui was outside talking to Hyori Hyeon about something.

“So what was that about? Did my sister make a mistake when she went in?”

“Yes.”

Zhu Rui answered with a cold expression. Then he clicked his tongue as he watched Cho-i Hyeon sprawled on the floor.

“A very big mistake.”

At his cold expression, Hyori Hyeon looked at Cho-i Hyeon with an uneasy face. Whether she knew the situation or not, she was rolling around on the warm floor with a lazy expression.

“What kind of mistake did she make? That…”

Hyori Hyeon narrowed her eyes and spoke.

“It won’t affect me, will it?”

“…It’s true that you introduced this hunter, but I won’t hold you responsible for that.”

“…What are you going to do? Only the Entity matters.”

Then Zhu Rui lowered his voice, almost to a whisper.

“You must pay for the lives of those you let die with your own.”

“…I understand.”

Hyori Hyeon nodded with a dark expression. Zhu Rui, after saying such a chilling thing, passed through the door with an indifferent face and sat down properly on the floor. Only Cho-i Hyeon, oblivious to everything, innocently poked Zhu Rui, who was sitting on the floor.

“What were you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, come on.”

Cho-i Hyeon chuckled and lay down spread-eagled on the floor. The floor was warm, making it very easy to fall asleep. Come to think of it, do we have to share a room? The ship wouldn’t depart until the next day. Cho-i closed her eyes with that thought. Then she let out a small laugh. Zhu Rui, who had been sitting cross-legged, glanced at Cho-i Hyeon, but she closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep, a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Late at night, Hyori Hyeon quietly got up. Cho-i Hyeon was sprawled out asleep on the floor, and Zhu Rui was leaning against the floor, sleeping in the same cross-legged position as before. Hyori Hyeon had been pretending to sleep until she heard the steady breathing of the two. He then gathered his belongings and was about to leave. If Zhu Rui said he was holding him responsible, it wasn’t a joke. Hyori Hyeon hoped he wasn’t involved. That’s why he was going to leave Cho-i Hyeon behind. But he hesitated several times at the door. And in the end…

“Sister, wake up.”

He quietly whispered into Cho-i Hyeon’s ear.

“Sister.”

No matter what, she was his flesh and blood. Even if they fought a lot while she was dating that crazy bastard when they were young, she was still his sister. He eventually cursed and left home, but he couldn’t let his sister, whom he had reunited with after a long time, die. He thought that since they were both S-Ranks, at least waking her up would somehow make things work out. But then. Clang! The sound of a sword being drawn was heard, and a blade flew towards Hyori Hyeon’s neck. Hyori Hyeon squeezed his eyes shut. It seemed Zhu Rui had been awake. But…

“Who are you trying to swing a sword at?”

Cho-i Hyeon, who had gotten up at some point, caught the flying sword with her hand. Blood dripped from her cut hand. Hyori Hyeon’s eyes widened, and he involuntarily shouted,

“Sister!”

“Ah, this bastard was more loyal than I thought. I didn’t expect him to wake me up.”

“What?”

“I thought you’d just leave me behind.”

“How long have you known?”

“My hearing is pretty good.”

Could you really escape the sight of an S-Rank just by being a little quieter? That bastard Zhu Rui isn’t stupid either.

“I didn’t think you wouldn’t know.”

“Of course not. Hey, you, get out.”

“Uh, uh-oh.”

Hyori Hyeon gathered his belongings and left the room. Cho-i Hyeon grinned and spoke to him, still holding the sword.

“Any thoughts of a peaceful resolution?”

“None.”

“Isn’t your life precious?”

“…I won’t lose.”

“Really?”

Cho-i Hyeon laughed.

“What should I do? I don’t die.”

“Nonsense…”

Cho-i Hyeon brought the tip of the blade in her hand to her neck.

“So, a life for a life?”

And she slowly, silently, plunged the blade into her own neck, past the skin.

“What…” “Cough…”

Cho-i Hyeon laughed, spitting out the blood rising from her throat. Crimson blood seeped out between her teeth. The sword plunged deeper into her neck. She had no reaction that a person should have. No struggle to live. No instinctive movement to pull away when a sharp object entered her body. Zhu Rui watched with wide eyes, unable to fully grasp the situation. Gulp. Thud. When the sword had finally gone all the way through and pierced her neck, her body collapsed forward. The floor was soaked with blood flowing from her neck. Zhu Rui froze, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Gasp.”

But soon after, a sound of breathing was heard again. Zhu Rui, startled, pulled out his own sword that had pierced her neck.

“Ugh.”

He heard the gurgling sound of bloody foam coming from the hole in her neck. Unconsciously, he raised his sword and struck her head. Crunch, thud! He swung the sword. More blood pooled on the floor, like a lake of blood. But once again.

“Damn, you’re so impatient.”

The woman with the split head stood up again. He saw her bones and flesh slowly regenerating before his eyes. Her eyes gleamed, and her entire face was contorted, like a demon risen from hell.

“I said a life for a life.”

She said, brushing back her blood-soaked hair.

“What about taking my life twice?”

She moved her blood-soaked lips and smiled.

Meanwhile, Hyori Hyeon, who had gone outside, stood there, unable to decide what to do. There was no boat to leave the island at this hour, and she was also worried about Cho-i Hyeon. For S-Ranks fighting, the house was too quiet.

“There’s no way those two are resolving this with a conversation…”

And then. Bang! With a loud noise, the ceiling of the house shattered. And the one who leaped out instantly was Zhu Rui.

“Gasp!”

Hyori Hyeon crouched down and hid behind a nearby wall. Then she saw Cho-i Hyeon climbing after him. Cho-i Hyeon grabbed him in mid-air and slammed him straight to the ground. Bang!

“I’m asking what you’re going to do!”

“Ugh!”

Zhu Rui, who had been pinned to the ground, quickly regained his stance and raised his sword. Cho-i Hyeon immediately landed on the ground and confronted him, holding her shield. There was no sword in her hand. Seeing this, Hyori Hyeon ran far away and disappeared. Cho-i Hyeon snorted once after watching Hyori Hyeon disappear into the distance.

‘Well, it’s a miracle that he woke me up, so I guess I’ll let him live.’

Cho-i Hyeon refocused on her enemy, Zhu Rui. Zhu Rui seemed very wary of her. It couldn’t be helped, as he had died and come back to life twice right before his eyes. Cho-i Hyeon charged at Zhu Rui, who showed no intention of attacking first.

“Coward!”

“Shut up!”

Clang! The sword and shield clashed with a roar. Cho-i Hyeon slid the sword off her shield, then immediately threw a punch at his face. Thwack!

“Ugh!”

He staggered back a few steps after being punched in the face. Cho-i didn’t stop there; she immediately kicked him in the stomach. Zhu Rui was sent flying and slammed into the wall where Hyori Hyeon was hiding. Cho-i Hyeon pushed off the ground and swung her shield at the flying Zhu Rui. Crash! Crunch.

“Ugh!”

Crack, crunch. The sound of Zhu Rui’s bones breaking between the wall and the shield was heard. Rumble, crash! And with a loud noise, the wall collapsed. Zhu Rui, with blood streaming from his head, swung his sword at her. Clang! Cho-i blocked the sword with her shield and swung her fist again, but Zhu Rui nimbly dodged into the collapsed wall. She shook her wrist once and said,

“Don’t you wish you hadn’t started this?”

“…”

“I’m a tank. You might have more damage, but I’m the one blocking and attacking from the front. I’m better than you.”

Zhu Rui, covered in blood, glared at her as if to kill her.

“And you’re the one who started it.”

She charged again. Zhu Rui was already injured from fighting the Entity inside Cho-i Hyeon’s body in the dungeon. Therefore, Cho-i Hyeon, who was currently in perfect condition, was not a difficult opponent to defeat. However, Cho-i Hyeon was missing one final blow. It was because she didn’t have a sword. The standoff continued for a long time. Then, panting breaths were heard from somewhere.

“Sister!”

It was Hyori Hyeon.

“Here!”

What he threw was the sword Cho-i Hyeon was supposed to have. With that sound, both their gazes fixed on the flying sword. Without a moment’s hesitation, they both lunged for the sword. And then,

“Not a chance!”

Cho-i grabbed the sword. She looked at Zhu Rui flying through the air and, in that fleeting moment, bared her teeth and smiled.

“A life for a life, right?”

She swung her sword at him. From head to toe. Swish! The figure was split in half. The scattered blood, organs, and bone fragments were vividly visible even in the darkness. Cho-i Hyeon smiled even wider, exhilarated by the thought that she had killed the one who tried to kill her. But then. Ding.

[All stats have increased by 3!]

The notification window filled her vision.