Chapter 6
Proposal
Whiiish—
A distance not even two hand spans apart.
The moment the Soul Stone left Taehun’s hand—
Sehyun poured all his energy into accelerating.
Bang—!
At near-sonic speed, a sonic boom trailed behind him as Sehyun’s figure skimmed past Taehun like an afterimage.
Crash—!
Unable to withstand the sheer momentum, Sehyun slammed straight into a building wall.
“What the hell are you…!”
Taehun, staring strangely at the guy who had just thrown himself into a wall, froze in shock.
The Soul Stone that should have been in his mouth—was gone.
Stolen?!
It had been snatched away in a fleeting instant.
Just imagining what might have happened if that speed had been directed into an attack made cold sweat run down his back.
First things first… I need to get it back!
Taehun immediately leapt forward, charging at Sehyun.
After that crash, he couldn’t possibly be in his right mind.
All he had to do was knock him out and retrieve it.
Whoosh—!
Crash—!
A massive stone fist shot straight forward, aimed directly at Sehyun.
“Ugh…!”
Sehyun barely dodged by rolling away, exhaling in relief.
Though the attack missed, Taehun curled his lips into a grin.
So that ability was only temporary, huh.
The skill of imbuing a tool with starlight to temporarily boost its performance—tool enhancement.
Common enough in the community.
He simply judged that Sehyun was just a little better at it than most.
If it’s only enhancement, there’s no rush.
Now, there weren’t even any tools around to use.
“Let’s take our time with this. Yeah?”
“……”
While Taehun laughed like he’d already regained the upper hand, Sehyun was checking his condition.
His skin burned from pushing to an inhuman speed, his head was swimming as though shaken hard.
His whole body ached so badly that groans almost slipped out.
But what he gained was worth the price.
Compared to this, the pain is nothing.
Looking down at the Soul Stone in his hand, Sehyun’s heart raced.
When a player dies, they leave behind a Soul Stone.
It holds the player’s abilities, and absorbing it allows one to inherit them.
I stopped him from gaining more power, at least…
He had prevented a greater threat, but Taehun was not yet defeated.
Sehyun fixed his gaze on the man’s arm.
A golem’s arm.
Durable, and even if broken, the fragments reassembled.
With just a swing, it could smash through nearly anything.
Perfect in both offense and defense—but even that had a weakness.
The crimson core, glimpsed through fluttering cloth whenever Taehun attacked.
The so-called Golem’s Core.
The Achilles’ heel.
There was a reason hyung never stepped forward even with that arm.
At a glance, it looked like a close-combat powerhouse.
But in truth, it wasn’t.
If the core broke, he couldn’t use the ability until it recovered, leaving him defenseless.
And yet Taehun was flailing it around recklessly.
There’s no way he didn’t know his own weakness.
Does he think he can shrug me off that easily?
Still, the core was extremely tough; ordinary skills couldn’t scratch it.
He probably assumed no one could touch it.
If I use this…
It might work, even against Taehun.
But Sehyun pulled his gaze away from the Soul Stone.
Not now.
He was already struggling with unwanted Awakening that hindered artifact crafting.
Absorbing a Soul Stone carried enormous risk.
And how could I use this, knowing whose it is?
Sehyun wasn’t shameless enough to exploit it while knowing its story.
Then the only option is… huh?
At that moment, the Soul Stone began to resonate.
A flood of explosive emotions surged into Sehyun’s mind.
—My little sister? She had such an ill-fitting power. Such a quiet girl… exploding like that.
Seongcheol’s words echoed suddenly in his head.
He had once calmed his sister, whose newfound power had erupted uncontrollably, by holding her tight.
So this… is the emotion she carried inside?
Hummm—
The Soul Stone trembled, as if agreeing with his thoughts.
“…I see. I know how to use you now.”
“What the hell are you muttering about?”
Ignoring Taehun’s sneer, Sehyun activated the seal on his right foot.
Starlight gathered dangerously, ready to burst.
His ragged shoes would never survive another use.
Tap—!
He leapt high, aiming straight for Taehun’s head.
Taehun tilted his head slightly, dodging with a smirk.
“Hah, what are you gonna do with shoes that are falling apart?”
Now that he knew where Sehyun was aiming, it seemed impossible to land a hit.
But Sehyun wasn’t shaken.
This was just bait to make him drop his guard.
The real target was the core on his back.
Landing behind Taehun, Sehyun steadied himself and clenched his fist.
I’ll borrow it, just for a moment.
He wasn’t doing anything himself—
just asking.
Asking to borrow the experience within.
Vmmm—
Blue engravings lit up along Sehyun’s arm clutching the Soul Stone.
“…Kh—!”
Agonizing pain seared his flesh as though branding iron carved into him.
“Arghhh!”
In that instant, a power far beyond Meteor-class surged into his fist.
“You bastard…!!”
Taehun realized too late and tried to move.
But his timing was off.
Sehyun’s fist slammed precisely into the Golem’s Core.
Bang—!
Craaaack—!
With an explosive crack, the core fractured, slowly shattering.
“Y-you… what… urgh…!”
Taehun groaned, collapsing to his knees.
The Golem’s Arm—believed indestructible—was crumbling piece by piece.
With the core destroyed, it was completely neutralized.
“D-damn… how…?!”
“Maybe I just overestimated you. That’s all you are.”
Watching his enemy writhing in confusion, Sehyun let out a quiet sigh.
Overly obsessed with appearance and brute strength, he had ignored what truly mattered.
Thud—
The starlight drained away through the broken core, snuffing out Taehun’s life.
The Golem’s Arm turned to dust, and his corpse disintegrated into ashes that blew away in the wind.
All that remained was a single Soul Stone.
Such was the end of a player—
not even a corpse left behind.
“First time I’ve actually seen it in person…”
Sehyun wasn’t a warrior of the battlefield.
He was a craftsman of weapons.
“Tch…”
Shaking off a fleeting pang of pity, he picked up Taehun’s Soul Stone.
The essence of the Golem’s Arm.
One day, Seongcheol was meant to inherit it.
By some twist of fate, both this and his sister’s Soul Stone were now in Sehyun’s hands.
“I’ll figure out what to do later. For now…”
Looking around at the wreckage, he grimaced.
“…Will this even be covered under workplace accident insurance?”
* * *
The next day, in front of the workshop.
Usually, the street was quiet.
But not today.
A group of men in black suits bustled about.
“Wow, what a flashy mess…”
A blond man, Rachel, muttered with exasperation as he stood at the yellow police tape.
“So much for lunch.”
With an entire street reduced to rubble, cleanup would take time.
He missed the bowl of jjambbong he’d had to abandon when the sudden call came.
Resigned, he stepped across the line into the site.
“Team leader, you’re here!”
The suited men greeted him as he waved dismissively.
Rachel went straight to a marked spot where photos had been taken and flags placed.
Raising his hand, a blue aura swelled.
Vmmm. Vmmm. Vmmm—
He closed his eyes, sensing the waves.
Then, with a sigh, he recognized the familiar signature.
That guy again…
Yoo Taehun.
A notorious troublemaker in the community.
Unable to control his temper, he often recklessly used his powers, causing incidents large and small.
Naturally, it was always Rachel and the management team who had to clean up afterward.
I knew he’d cause a big one someday… damn brat.
The management team’s job was to maintain community stability.
To keep players’ problems from spilling out to the public.
But in practice, it was nothing more than cleaning up delinquents’ messes.
Crunch—
Already irritated, Rachel’s nerves twitched at the sound.
“…What are you doing?”
“Eating lunch.”
His junior, Kael, was calmly munching on an apple.
This kid… even here?
“Want some, senior?”
“No. Just analyze this.”
Kael pouted. “But it’s tasty…” Still, she placed her hand on his.
Vmmm—
A blue glow flared between their joined hands.
When Kael withdrew, a glowing candy sat in Rachel’s once-empty palm.
She popped it into her mouth, rolling it around like savoring a flavor.
“Mmm~ Yep, definitely his. You were right, senior.”
“And this one?”
Rachel repeated the process.
Kael’s lips curved as she picked it up.
“See? Nobody but me’s this useful to you.”
“Cut the chatter. Just analyze.”
“Yes, sir~.”
She put it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully—
“Mm?!”
Her expression grew grave. At last, she spoke.
“Senior… this one—”
“I already know it’s odd. Just tell me the traits.”
Rachel cut her off.
“Male, early twenties. Wave amplitude looks Meteor-class starlight. But the pattern is… unstable.”
“Different, huh? Unlike any player’s.”
“…Yes. I’ve never seen data like this.”
So that was the strange sense he’d felt earlier.
There was someone else… Maybe even stronger than Yoo Taehun.
He had thought it was just the brat causing trouble again.
But if there was another involved, that changed things.
Two problem players instead of one.
And this erratic starlight…
Click, click—
The sound of approaching shoes.
“Um…”
Rachel turned to see a tall, beautiful woman hesitantly standing there.
“What are you doing here?”
Long legs, striking looks—an elegant figure.
Rachel whispered to Kael.
“Who’s she?”
“You don’t know? That’s Chae Inha! Up-and-coming model. And the workshop owner.”
“I don’t watch TV. Too old.”
“You’re only thirty…”
The celebrity part didn’t matter to Rachel.
What mattered was she owned the workshop—
the site of the incident.
He put on a professional smile and extended his hand.
“Hello. I’m Rachel Adams.”
Inha flinched but shook it.
“Chae Inha.”
Let’s see then.
Using the handshake as cover, Rachel activated his starlight.
[Wave Detection]
He could sense the unique starlight wavelength each player carried.
For detailed analysis, Kael’s ability was required—but he could still glean basics.
Huh? Why is her wave so weak?
Even ordinary people had stronger signatures. Hers was barely detectable.
Well, at least I confirmed she’s not a player.
He ended the handshake, handing her a business card.
“…Adams Foundation?”
“Yes. We support promising artists and professionals.”
A foreign foundation known for generously sponsoring talent in the arts.
But in truth, it was just a front the management team used to avoid suspicion.
“And what brings you here?”
“I heard about the incident at this workshop. I thought perhaps we could offer sponsorship.”
“S-Sponsorship?”
“Yes. Not only one-time compensation, but official long-term support for you, Miss Chae Inha.”
In reality, it was all about investigating and monitoring anyone connected to Yoo Taehun’s mess.
That was how the management team handled incidents discreetly.
Rachel beckoned to a subordinate, who handed him some papers.
“If you could just fill these out, we’ll review and proceed with sponsorship. And one more thing…”
He added, as she stood dumbfounded.
“There’s a condition.”
“A condition?”
“Yes. It’s nothing difficult.”
Rachel hid a sly smile inside.
