SWNOVELXO Chapter 81
Chapter 81. Ambush (3)
TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader
A silence descended upon the area in an instant.
“What, what’s going on?”
Out of the sudden silence, a perplexed voice drifted. It was Gong Yeolryun.
‘The mutants actually stopped?’
The mutants that should have been tearing into each other right now. They should have at least made themselves meat shields to create an opportunity for him to attack. But they stopped just because someone told them to?
Gong Yeolryun probably wasn’t the only one taken aback.
“This is impossible!”
Another flustered voice came from not too far away. Gong Yeolryun immediately shouted in that direction.
“Lim Wijung! What’s going on here?”
“I, I don’t know either! This has never happened before!”
Glasses and unkempt hair. The man called Lim Wijung frantically tapped on a device he held in his hand. Was it a product made from the remnants of the arena?
As Lim Wijung moved his hands, the device continuously emitted an unknown energy.
“Move! Move right now!”
The energy from the device grew stronger. But did it have any effect?
The mutants did not even twitch.
Instead, “Ke, keuruk?”
“Krrr…”
Like herbivores in front of their natural predator, they trembled all over and kept glancing around as if they were only looking for someone’s cues.
“Kii…”
“Kruck!”
It seemed they were even afraid to make eye contact. Constantly looking around but unable to properly raise their heads, the mutants. At that, “You, what exactly are you!”
Lim Wijung, who was fiddling with his device, shouted towards the cause of this mystery.
“What are you that the mutants don’t even budge?!”
“Well. They stopped because I told them to stop?”
Such an easy answer. Was the situation so absurd that it left them bewildered?
Or had they gone mad due to a situation they simply couldn’t accept?
“Nonsense! They would have gone wild if they were meant to! They’ve never become docile like this before!”
He yelled, veins bulging in his neck. However, Kim Shimun just smiled enigmatically.
“Damn it! Gong Yeolryun!”
Lim Wijung ended up shouting at Gong Yeolryun.
“We must take that guy with us!”
“Quit your insane babbling! Even looking at the situation now…”
“This situation is what’s insane!!”
Lim Wijung, his eyes now bloodshot, glared at Gong Yeolryun with almost a mad intensity.
“This project has been going on for over ten years! It took years just to engrave simple attack orders into those things!”
“Lim Wijung, regardless…”
“To stop such mutants without any special equipment, just with a single word! This needs to be reported immediately…”
Maybe he was oblivious to the surrounding conversations. Lim Wijung murmured to himself like a madman.
Then, “Ahhhhhh!”
A distinct female scream sounded. The battle taking place nearby. The fight between Go Malsuk and Sing had ended.
And, “You, didn’t I tell you to just sever that guy’s limbs? I’ll return him as is.”
“Oh, no!”
It ended in victory for Go Malsuk, the Silver.
“Hah…”
Gong Yeolryun let out a hollow laugh.
Reasonably so, because before the mission had even begun, ‘Is this even possible?’
Unimaginable outcomes were unfolding one after another, weren’t they?
‘Am I dreaming right now?’
Gong Yeolryun’s hanging arm.
Could a Diamond-rank player look so pathetic?
Into his ear drifted, “It seems everything’s over.”
The voice of the Grim Reaper, “Your failure.”
Then, “…Bastard!”
Murderous intent filled Gong Yeolryun’s previously empty eyes. The root cause of all this. The source of this nightmarish reality.
“I won’t let you get away!”
The nonsensical notion of capturing Kim Shimun, proposed by Lim Wijung, was long discarded.
In the moment Gong Yeolryun summoned all his remaining strength to charge, “Stop him.”
Along with a chilling, soft voice, “Gu-Luk!”
“Kraaah!”
The frozen mutants moved all at once.
“They’re moving again!”
Lim Wijung’s deranged voice echoed from behind. Transformed into enemies rather than allies, “Out of my way!”
Swoosh.
He cut down the mutants blocking his path, rushing towards Kim Shimun.
“Kim Shi-muuuuun!”
And then, crash!
Suddenly enveloped by the white brainwaves aimed at him.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Wave Annihilation Cannon.
He was completely buried by it.
* * *
Crack!
Like shattered glass, the S-rank special ability, Mirror Illusion’s barrier broke, scattering fragments of illusion everywhere. The fragments quickly turned to dust and disappeared.
“Sigh.”
Back in the heart of Gangnam, Kim Shimun breathed in the cold night air, reviving his lungs. His gaze naturally shifted to the side.
There, “Are you alright, Malsuk?”
“Yeah.”
Go Malsuk was trudging towards him.
One would think she’d be somewhat happy after battling and securing victory against Platinum Sing, “Ha, this sucks.”
Go Malsuk’s expression was hardly pleasant.
“Why?”
“Look at this. My clothes are completely ruined.”
Her clothes were torn and scorched in places. The expensive outfit given by Yujeong had turned into rags. Kim Shimun let out a forced laugh.
“Are you worried about your clothes now?”
“Well, what else should I be? I got it… from a friend my age.”
Was it too hard to call that person a friend?
Go Malsuk awkwardly referred to her as a friend of the same age, making Kim Shimun’s lips curl slightly.
‘It must be really awkward for her. Well, she did say she didn’t have friends at this time.’
According to what Malsuk had said in a previous life, ‘Do you know? You’re the first friend I’ve ever made.’
That meant, she never had a friend of the same gender before. In other words, female bonding was highly alien to her.
‘I wonder what kind of growing up she went through?’
Although he was suddenly curious, “Well, since it was borrowed, it must be worrisome.”
“Exactly!”
Instead of interrogating, Kim Shimun chose to empathize.
“Still, Yujeong isn’t someone who would fuss over something like this. She’d probably be more worried about whether you got hurt or not.”
“Ugh! That’s another burden.”
Go Malsuk shuddered with a grimace. Her unexpectedly cute reaction made Kim Shimun smile even more.
“On that note.”
His smile disappeared as he looked to the other side.
“What about that woman, Sing?”
“She’s dead.”
Go Malsuk uttered the death so nonchalantly.
“Dead?”
This made Kim Shimun’s eyes widen slightly.
“Why surprised? She tried to kill you. You’re not about to spout some nonsense like ‘killing is wrong!’, are you?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Kim Shimun shook his head slightly and said, “Whether that woman dies or not, it doesn’t concern me.”
Murder. On the previous Earth, it was an act not unfamiliar to anyone.
With successive outbreaks causing numerous nations to fall, and a world rampant with villains and crime, Especially for a Level 1 like Kim Shimun, who had been everything from a slave to a test subject, an easy prey in every sense, the act of killing, ironically, was one of the necessary deeds to live as a human being. Just a thought.
“Things are much different from my past life now.”
The official arena hadn’t even started yet.
And so, “Are you okay?”
Kim Shimun cautiously asked. It was a time before Go Malsuk became known as the Demon Mara or one of the Three Crazies. Naturally, she couldn’t be unaffected by murder.
“Me? I’m totally fine.”
Surprisingly, Go Malsuk just shrugged her shoulders, seemingly truly unbothered. Kim Shimun blinked quietly.
“You’re… okay?”
“Yeah. I didn’t kill her myself, after all. That woman commanded to cut off your limbs.”
She glanced at Sing, lying far away.
“So, I did just that to her, and would you believe it? She just died on her own. Seems the magic system is full of weaklings.”
Kim Shimun let out a forced laugh at Go Malsuk’s banter.
‘She really does seem okay.’
A completely different reaction from what he remembered in his past life. It wasn’t hard for Kim Shimun to pinpoint the reason.
‘The SSS-Rank attribute. It’s because of her Heavenslaying Star trait.’
Thanks to that, she could remain indifferent, even in the face of death.
“Anyway…”
Crossing her arms, Go Malsuk nodded towards the other side.
“What are we going to do about that?”
“That?”
As Kim Shimun shifted his gaze, “This is truly revolutionary! If we could only decipher the underlying mechanism, a whole new world could…”
Mumbling incessantly, like a paranoid, Lim Wijung was seen, clutching his messy hair and murmuring to himself.
“Ah, right. He was still here.”
“He sure looks like a civilian…”
Wearing a white lab coat and glasses, And with no direct involvement in the combat, Lim Wijung didn’t give off the aura peculiar to awakened beings.
“But considering what this guy has done, makes you just want to beat him to death.”
The deeds of Lim Wijung were no less significant than those of the assassins who came before him. Go Malsuk’s eyes turned slightly reddish. Simultaneously, a subtle, perfume-like killing intent started to waft around.
Kim Shimun quickly stepped forward to stop Go Malsuk from advancing.
“Why? Forgotten how he messed with the civilians?”
“I know better than anyone. That’s exactly why we can’t kill him.”
Because there were things they needed to find out from Lim Wijung. When Kim Shimun insisted she should not advance, “Damn.”
Go Malsuk clicked her tongue in frustration. Kim Shimun glanced back at her. The faint killing intent and the reddish hue in her eyes were gradually fading.
‘Even after mastering the Heavenly Demon Arts, she still can’t perfectly control the Heavenslaying Star trait.’
Not like the first encounter where she completely lost her senses, but even at Sing’s death, it felt like Go Malsuk still hadn’t achieved full control over her trait.
‘We’ll need to pay close attention till she reaches a higher mastery of the Heavenly Demon Arts.’
As they approached Lim Wijung, “Oh, you’re here!”
Lim Wijung’s eyes sparkled as he abruptly sat up.
“You’re Kim Shimun, right? You! Join me on a journey to the Continental! Just assist with my experiments, and whatever you want! I’ll give you anything!”
Knowing well that Kim Shimun had dealt with his colleagues, “Need a woman? Money? Or an SSS-Rank item? You could even become the General Secretary! We can truly give you anything!”
He passionately pleaded, his eyes bloodshot. Kim Shimun casually observed Lim Wijung.
‘The General Secretary… So they started extending their reach from the regular arena to the political realm?’
The General Secretary of China, a position equivalent to the president in other countries. Especially for a country like China, it represents an immense power. And to offer that position in exchange for participation in experiments, to a foreigner, no less?
‘The Continental Guild. Their influence over the state seems deeper than I thought.’
Adjusting the information from his past life slightly, Kim Shimun fiddled with his ‘phone in his pocket’.
“Now, that’s interesting.”
Kim Shimun slightly lifted the corner of his lips, “To appear suddenly, turn civilians into monsters, and now offer the position of General Secretary?”
He looked directly into Lim Wijung’s eyes.
“Lim Wijung, was it? How do you think I’d feel about this situation, if I were in your shoes?”
“…It wouldn’t be believable. Right, that’s normal! So, what now?”
Why indeed?
Like someone being chased.
“Ugh! No! There’s no time… We must persuade them…!”
Lim Wijung couldn’t hide his desperation, frantically biting his nails.
Though slightly baffled, Kim Shimun didn’t let the opportunity slip.
“There’s no reason to spout nonsense in situations like this.”
“Exactly! How could I be making things up in a situation like this?!”
“Then everything is true—from the attempts on my life to the experiments turning civilians into monsters?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“Hmm…”
Kim Shimun stroked his chin thoughtfully before asking naturally, “I can’t find a reason not to believe you since you’ve experienced it all, but there’s just one thing that doesn’t make sense to me.”
“What? Tell me now!”
Lim Wijung eagerly pressed for an answer, and Kim Shimun’s eyes slightly curved in response.
“You’re a civilian, but you’re affiliated with Continental, right?”
“Of course! I can’t tell you exactly where, but you’ll find out if you go with me!”
“So, you’re saying you’re Chinese. And so are your colleagues. How did you enter Korea, then?”
Given that Awakened individuals, especially those more powerful than average civilians, are subject to strict immigration scrutiny. It was only natural. The powers they possess could lead to numerous problems, after all.
“With so many armed Awakened individuals entering the country, it surely would’ve made the news?”
Especially since they are members of Continental, one of the world’s top guilds. It seemed improbable that a group with high-ranking players could enter the country so quietly.
Lim Wijung readily provided the answer.
“It’s because we entered illegally!”
“Illegally?”
“Yes. Ah! Right. There’s a witness!”
Lim Wijung’s eyes sparkled as if he had found the answer, clapping his hands.
“Kim Muyeol! Ask Kim Muyeol!”
“Kim Muyeol? Are you referring to the president of the Korean Awakened Association?”
“Yes! Even though he withdrew from this mission unexpectedly, he was the one who helped us enter…”
At that moment.
Beep beep beep!
A threatening mechanical sound came from Lim Wijung.
“Right! Curse words!”
Lim Wijung’s face turned pale.
Then.
“Ah, no! Save me―!”
Before he could finish his sentence, boom!
Lim Wijung’s chest exploded.
Click.
Having snapped his fingers a moment earlier, Kim Shimun converted the ground into a wall, shielding himself from the explosion and the remnants of Lim Wijung.
As Kim Shimun dispelled the dirt wall, “Aish. What kind of crap is this?”
Go Malsuk frowned at the sight of Lim Wijung’s lower half left behind. She then turned to look at Kim Shimun standing next to her.
“Kim Shimun, are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
His expression was somber, but that was it.
‘The bastards from Continental, still up to their dirty tricks.’
Having had his fill of experiencing Continental’s maneuvers, Kim Shimun shook his head. Nevertheless.
‘I’ve got what I came for.’
Fiddling with the phone in his pocket, Kim Shimun.
Click.
He covered Lim Wijung’s corpse with converted ground and turned away.
* * *
Tap, tap, tap.
Long fingers drummed on the luxurious wooden table.
“How long has the barrier been up?”
“Three hours.”
A towering figure near 2 meters tall, with angular features—Choi Changwook.
Tap, tap.
The man started tapping on the table again in response to Choi Changwook’s answer.
Soon, ring-ring.
The phone in Choi Changwook’s possession rang.
“Alright, got it.”
After taking the call, Choi Changwook, resembling a blade, looked at Kim Muyeol.
“President-nim, a visitor is here. They’re on their way up…”
“Tsk. Foolish.”
Kim Muyeol finally ceased his tapping.
“Even late at night, coming here directly is dangerous.”
Despite his pointed words, his face seemed somewhat brighter. But not for long.
“It’s not from Continental,” they said.
“What?”
The visitor was not the person he had been waiting for.
“Uncle? I received your gift well.”
“You! How did you!”
Because it wasn’t the individual he was anticipating.