Chapter 14
The defensive range that could even make a spider cry.
If you thought, No way this can be blocked…, it would be blocked right before your eyes.
Even if it didn’t meet the full requirement, partial blocking and reduction effects still applied.
Versatile, with no wasted stats.
That was why “Resistance” had risen to the level of a first-tier ability.
Even with his previous stat of 20(+1), he should have been able to reflect a considerable amount of damage.
Now, having reached 24(+1), “Blood Bond” had completely lost its restraining power.
Gigantes should have known this truth.
What the…? Did Chiron lose his powers or something?
Swoooosh!
His body swelled like it had been hit with an enlargement beam.
Muscles bulged as if they would burst.
“Die, you bastard!”
It was like two massive pillars were crashing down.
Gigantes slammed his arms down at Do-yoon—then his eyes widened in shock.
That was a rash assumption…!
CRAAACK!
The ground beneath his feet shattered, and a terrible impact struck Gigantes like a natural disaster he had brought upon himself.
“Are you stupid?”
Do-yoon smirked and shifted his gaze.
The other members were pale.
Eyes wide in shock.
“I-Is this because of Eidos?”
Chiron hurried to speak.
“You must’ve felt it too—we don’t even care about each other. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have given you the test.”
“I don’t care about the past either.”
“Th-Then why…?”
For the first time, Chiron’s always-cool mind was thrown into confusion.
He couldn’t figure out Do-yoon’s intentions. Couldn’t see a way out.
But one thing was clear—
That gaze…
It wasn’t madness, or rage, or confusion.
Chiron recognized it.
The cold, sunken eyes of a predator.
“…We’re screwed. Run, all of you—!”
SPLAAASH!
A storm of blood erupted.
“H-How is this possible?!”
“Aaaaargh!”
Amid screams and chaos, the Sword of Radiant Light shone unchanged, illuminating Do-yoon’s path.
Minotaurus.
Do-yoon’s gaze fell on the broad back of the man.
The same back that had made the guardian gods sigh in dismay.
In the second cycle—the most infamous one—he had been called:
The Berserker of Ruin.
Now he was just a terrified fugitive.
Fwoooosh!
The Radiant Sword, resonating with Do-yoon’s will, chased Minotaurus.
“How many damn powers do you have?!”
A dark metallic sheen coated Minotaurus’s forearm.
CLANG!
The sound wasn’t what you’d expect from metal hitting bone or a blade cutting flesh—it was heavier, more solid.
“Oh?”
Different from the opponents he’d faced so far.
Do-yoon dismissed the sword and immediately summoned it again.
Gripping the hilt, he drew on his internal energy.
“In that case, I will too.”
With just a flicker of his eyes—
[Acquired] – [Martial Arts]
A swordmaster believes that half of victory is decided by whether to fight or retreat, and the other half is decided the moment the sword is drawn.
The rest—exchanging blows—was merely the process of confirming the predetermined outcome.
Pierce with your gaze. The foundation of the greatest sword under heaven: the Eye Technique.
[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [0th Second – Insightful Eye]
Minotaurus’s entire body came into view, and inside, crimson lumps curled up and began to glow in various spots.
Those were his weak points.
Especially between the eyes—a molten, lava-like glow pulsed intensely.
Swoosh!
But the Radiant Sword didn’t target the glint between the brows.
It shot for the ribs.
THUD!
With the sound of steel piercing, the blade drove into a vulnerable point in his abdomen.
“H-How…?”
“Well, it’s like buying accident insurance—you’ll get into a car crash right after.”
Do-yoon twisted the blade hard.
GRRRRK!
[NPC Kill!]
[NPC Consecutive Kill!]
[World First – Martial Arts Kill!]
[Domestic First – Martial Arts Kill!]
[World First – NPC Kill with Martial Arts!]
[Domestic First – NPC Kill with Martial Arts!]
First-time achievement rewards: 5,600P earned.
6 Consecutive Kill Bonus: 9,500P earned.
“Insane! Wh-What the hell are you?!”
Cerberus’s knees shook uncontrollably.
Like the others, he had thought of himself as an aristocrat of a new age, ruling over the old humanity.
But now, standing in Do-yoon’s shadow, he felt like his powerless, inferior past had come flooding back.
I… I need to do something. Attack? Counter? Run?
Do-yoon approached.
Time seemed to stop.
“Move.”
Just two words.
Cerberus couldn’t breathe.
He simply stepped aside without resistance.
Wh… Why?
His thoughts tangled like knotted string.
…Why did he spare me?
Do-yoon’s lips curled.
“Nobodies aren’t worth my attention.”
His gaze slid past Cerberus to two other members.
“Why… why won’t it open?!”
“It’s locked from outside. Who the hell did this…?!”
A man and woman at the door to the lobby, clawing at the handle.
Morpheus and Lamia.
There was no need to enter the Great Library of Memories—
They were from the 4th and 7th cycles, respectively.
Morpheus, the self-proclaimed Lord of Nightmares, had manipulated the dreams of ten million people, turning Seoul into a city of insomniacs.
Lamia, the Vampire Witch, had drained the vitality of tens of thousands, turning real life into a realm of fear.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“KYAAAH!”
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
But here, in the 13th cycle, they were the ones reduced to prey.
SLASH! SLASH!
[NPC Kill!]
[NPC Kill!]
[NPC Consecutive Kill!]
3 Consecutive Kill Bonus: 3,500P earned.
[Achievement Unlocked: “Smells like blood from the very start.”]
Rewards:
80,000 Points
Rare Equipment: Theseus’s Belt
New Title Acquired
[NPC Executioner (A)]: Increases Regeneration +1, Resistance +1, Combat Sense +1 in battles with NPCs.
Non-player civilians feel goodwill toward you.
Instills unease in NPCs.
A new path… and it’s profitable.
The sweetest early-game bounty!
Even if these NPCs were considered “the clown of the prologue,” at this stage they were among the strongest beings.
Naturally, the system provided worthy rewards.
If a 4th-cycle regressor had slowly milked them for a pension, Do-yoon had taken the lump sum in one bold stroke.
Not that the reward was his only motive.
“Ugh…”
Cerberus stared at his hands, groaning in despair.
“Hey, you.”
“Y-Yes?!”
He snapped to attention at Do-yoon’s voice.
“Bring your friends and follow me.”
“…?”
“You’re not gonna run anyway, so why bother thinking about it?”
It was Han Sang-il who had locked the doors from outside—penetrating the building’s security and trapping them like rats in a jar.
Well, may as well make use of him.
Cerberus and Medusa flanked Gigantes, helping him walk as they followed Do-yoon.
Inside the meeting room—
Eidos lay collapsed, Chiron crouched in the corner, lifting only his eyes.
“…Heracles.”
In that instant, myths of the hero who had slain countless beasts—including the Hydra—flashed through Chiron’s mind.
I shouldn’t have given him that name.
Regret and doubt flooded in too late.
“You came here on your own… so this was your plan from the start? How is that even possible?”
Think all you want. Without knowing about Resistance…
“Why go this far?! Do you have anger management issues?!”
Chiron clutched his head.
“Fine, kill the Griffin, Python, and Minotaurus—but why murder non-combatants like Lamia and Morpheus?! You didn’t even touch Eidos!”
They don’t understand the danger of growth-type NPCs.
Combat type or not—it didn’t matter.
These were NPCs who, in certain cycles, grew into calamities worse than any great evil.
Do-yoon had resolved to rip them out by the roots the moment he was invited to the New Humanity Society.
“Forget it. The loser doesn’t get to talk. Just kill me.”
Chiron stuck out his neck, resigned.
But the Radiant Sword didn’t move.
“Heracles… terrible name choice.”
“…?”
“‘Messiah’ would’ve been better. Because I’m actually your only hope for salvation.”
“What crazy nonsense is that?”
“You’ll see soon enough. And why would I kill a necessary evil? You’re useful.”
Chiron almost looked relieved—until Do-yoon’s smile turned sharp, chilling the air.
“Let’s work well together, my blood-bound clanmates.”
The creeping sense of doom became clear.
Come to think of it…
Only Do-yoon was free from this restriction.
If they could sense each other, they couldn’t escape his grasp.
…This is a shackle.
Faces hardened—starting with Chiron.
* *
The clock read 11:57.
[Hyun Do-yoon’s Assets]
Bitcoin
Unrealized P/L: -2,663,641,500 KRW
Return: -23%
“…2.6 billion disappearing every minute.”
In just 10 minutes, after shorting Bitcoin at 10x leverage, his position had sunk by 2.6 billion KRW per minute.
His face should have been as blue as his account—if not like he was being strangled.
“Hm.”
Do-yoon set his phone down and grabbed a can of sikhye from the mini-fridge.
Psshh.
-…An astonishing scene in the middle of the road. A brave act at just the right moment is drawing attention.
Do-yoon’s eyes drifted toward the TV.
-A woman steps off the sidewalk with unsteady steps. Suddenly, she dashes into the street…! In that critical moment, a man throws himself without hesitation…
“Mm.”
At the sound of movement, Do-yoon turned off the TV and approached the bed.
The woman’s eyelids fluttered open.
“…!?”
In the quiet hospital room, their eyes met.
“Good. I won’t have to wash your face with sikhye.”
“Hyun… Do-yoon?”
Siren’s eyes snapped open.
Thud!
She rolled off the bed, trying to get up from the floor—
“Ah!”
A crushing pressure pressed her down.
Do-yoon’s foot was on her back.
“G-Get off me…!”
“You already know I won’t.”
A man immune to her mind control.
Especially after that shocking incident on the overpass—she could never forget it.
“Wh-What do you want?!”
“Look me in the eyes when you talk.”
He hauled her up.
Her shoulders trembled, eyes darting.
“…You came to kill me, didn’t you? Quit messing around and just do it!”
“You? Why would I?”
Do-yoon tilted his head.
“If I wanted that, I’d have stabbed you in the heart on the overpass instead of poking around a hospital at night.”
“H-How did you know I was here?”
“With my heart.”
He closed his eyes, placing a hand on his chest.
“…?”
She stared at him blankly—
Then stepped back in disbelief.
“You bastard… how could you do this to me?”
Her voice was full of betrayal.
“That traitor Chiron! You switched sides already?!”
She had felt it too—the familiar sense of another member.
In a way, she thought it was lucky.
If they were in the same group, Do-yoon wouldn’t kill her.
“Phew… am I supposed to be happy about this?”
“No reason to cry.”
“Fine. You’re not here for a friendly visit, so what do you want?”
“How’s your body?”
“Why ask what you already know?”
The thread of her life—already snapped in everyone’s eyes—was restored.
Even a non-combat NPC wasn’t bound by human limits of recovery.
“That’s good.”
“What, you feel sorry for the mouse?”
“I’m going to use those hands.”
The perfect tool… for what’s coming.
He checked the clock again—12:18 AM.
…It’s about to start.
He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
-Breaking news: Near Gangnam Station, an unexplained phenomenon has occurred. From a rift over 1km wide, unidentified life forms are emerging. Authorities have deployed military and police, urging citizens to evacuate immediately…
“Wh-Wh-What the hell is that?!”
Siren froze.
Do-yoon looked at his phone.
Well, what it is…
[Hyun Do-yoon’s Assets]
Bitcoin
Unrealized P/L: 28,266,162,000 KRW
Return: +244%
June 2, 2017.
The 8th day after the Advent.
The day that would overshadow even the Great Depression—
The day of the Great Crash.
And the day humanity’s fate would change forever—
The Day of Awakening.
The page of history was turning.
