Chapter 13
Shadow (3)
The sound of a giant ventilation fan spinning filled the air, like a rough drone echoing from afar.
“Ugh… mm…”
Inha let out a faint groan as she regained consciousness.
Her vision was dark.
Her arms were tied to a chair.
Rustle, rustle—
Someone nearby was changing clothes; she could hear the faint sound.
Whatever the reason, it was clear she had been kidnapped.
“Who… are you?”
Clack, clack—
The sound of heels striking the floor approached Inha in place of an answer.
“Hmph.”
The woman gave a short, amused scoff, then sat casually on the desk and picked up a contract.
The contract detailed everything that had to be done.
The setting: an abandoned factory on the outskirts.
The hostage: confined to the second-floor office, target to be lured here immediately.
The battle: to take place on the first floor, and the hostage must witness the entire scene, and so on.
“What’s with these annoying conditions?”
The instructions were especially detailed about how to treat both the hostage and the target.
One clause, “Do not harm the hostage. Keep the target restrained on site,” was emphasized repeatedly in bold red letters.
Whip—
Thud—!
The woman tossed the contract aside and absentmindedly flipped a dagger in her hand, catching and throwing it again and again.
“That voice… You’re the one I crossed blades with earlier at the film set.”
Rustle—
When the woman removed Inha’s blindfold, she could finally see her face.
A cold-eyed woman in a coat draped over a sleeveless top.
Her makeup was different, giving her a slightly altered impression, but Inha was certain—it was the opponent she had faced before.
“You’d better keep that mouth shut. I might kill you out of habit.”
“……”
Inha quietly glanced around.
The small office was dimly lit, only a weak lamp illuminating the desk.
Through the window in front of her chair, she could see straight down into the vast lower floor.
But strangest of all—
No… door?
Every wall was sealed.
Then how did she get in here?
Whip—
Thud—!
Unconcerned with Inha’s thoughts, the woman—Phantom—kept spinning her dagger, lost in thought.
The Foundation’s conditions were annoying, but she had to admit there was a certain satisfaction when all the requirements clicked into place like puzzle pieces.
But this time was unusual.
She had never used a civilian as bait to capture a target before.
For someone like Phantom, who had slain countless players under much harsher constraints, handling a fragile civilian who looked like she’d die if touched too roughly was more bothersome than anything.
If it were the Management Division, they’d avoid involving civilians at all costs. What’s their game?
Whatever their intentions, it didn’t matter.
She had approached the target only to confirm things before starting the real job, and yet—
…Those eyes.
The chill she’d felt when their gazes met.
You can’t have eyes like that without crossing the line of death. Those were the eyes of someone whose world had crumbled before.
That uncanny aura beneath an otherwise ordinary face stirred Phantom’s curiosity.
Creaaaak—
Her sharp ears caught a noise outside the factory.
“He’s here.”
“……?”
“Who else would be coming here right now?”
Thud—!
Phantom snatched her dagger out of the air.
“Looks like your knight in shining armor’s arrived. We should give him a proper welcome.”
Fwap—!
She hurled the dagger straight toward Inha.
Eyes wide, Inha gasped—
Shnk—
But instead of piercing her, the dagger cut the rope binding her to the chair.
Inha stared at Phantom in confusion.
“There’s a condition I have to keep. And you saw for yourself—there’s no way you’re getting out of here on your own.”
“Then you’re…”
Before Inha could finish, Phantom shoved the chair back and flung herself into motion.
But the crash of a chair hitting the floor never came.
Instead, both Phantom and Inha sank into the shadows below.
“What the…?”
The next moment, they emerged on the first floor.
Creak—
The factory’s rusted iron doors groaned open.
A man entered slowly, backlit by the sunlight outside.
Phantom’s lips curled into a grin.
“They told me not to kill you, which is a bit bothersome… but.”
Don’t harm the hostage.
Keep the target restrained.
That was all the Foundation required.
“So as long as I don’t kill you, anything goes.”
The moment he stepped into the factory, Sehyun recognized her.
So it was her, after all.
This wasn’t the first time he had seen this woman.
Not the film set encounter, no.
Phantom…
He knew of her well.
Back in the Apocalypse days, she was an Outplayer whose solo abilities rivaled entire communities.
Communities had fought tooth and nail to recruit her.
Even Ha Ilhwan had once asked Sehyun to craft an artifact just to strike a deal with her.
So of course I know her weaknesses too…
He had suspected this wasn’t a simple kidnapping the moment he realized, but—
Now that he knew his opponent was Phantom, that suspicion had become certainty.
Could he really fight a perfected hitman and stand a chance?
Why do tougher enemies keep showing up, seriously…
Phantom was a specialist in hunting players.
Her combat skills were leagues above the average.
“So, you’re Nam Sehyun?”
“You already know that, don’t you? You even took my picture.”
“Target confirmation has to be certain.”
So Inha wasn’t the real target after all.
Scanning the area, Sehyun asked,
“Then you could’ve killed me back then, couldn’t you?”
“I wanted to, believe me. But the conditions were tricky. A hitman’s nothing without trust… but why am I even explaining this to you?”
She drew her dagger.
“Anyway, I’ve changed my mind. I feel like playing with you for a bit.”
“…That’s kind of terrifying, you know.”
Her chilling tone made sweat bead on his neck, but Sehyun chuckled instead.
Play with me, huh?
That meant she had no intent to kill him right away.
A hopeless fight was one thing—but stalling, he could manage.
Shrrk—
Sehyun unsheathed his sword, its blade gleaming with a crimson-blue glow.
“Well, well. That’s an interesting toy you’ve brought.”
Phantom gave a small sound of amusement—then vanished.
“…!!!”
Sehyun spun around instantly, his blade tracing a semicircle.
Clang—!
Her dagger clashed against his sword from behind.
Through the crossed blades, her cold eyes glared into his.
“Not bad. Your reflexes aren’t half bad.”
Not bad? He had only survived because he knew her powers.
[ShadeWalker].
The ability to move anywhere within her line of sight through shadows.
She went for my back just because that’s her style.
That stroke of luck wouldn’t happen again.
Any further hesitation and he’d be finished.
He knocked her dagger aside and swung his sword down.
Phantom sneered dismissively even as the blade came for her.
BOOM—!
An explosion burst from the back of Sehyun’s blade.
The accelerated strike reached Phantom’s face in an instant.
“What the—!!”
Startled, she raised her dagger to block.
CLANG—!
Steel rang through the air.
Sehyun immediately pressed his attack, twisting and accelerating his blade with another burst.
She barely dodged, leaning back, but he relentlessly pursued, twisting the weapon and chaining more strikes together.
Using the blast’s recoil to break inertia, he unleashed a barrage with no room to breathe.
Shff—
Sliding back on shadows, Phantom widened the gap.
She should’ve been shaken, but instead she smiled, amused.
“So you’re not ordinary, huh? Then I guess I’ll…”
Her form vanished from his vision.
“…!!!”
Suddenly she appeared right in front of him, dagger reversed, striking down.
Whip—
Sehyun barely dodged—but then she flung the dagger into the floor.
It sank into the shadow and disappeared.
Shhk—!
“Ghh…!”
At the same time, another dagger shot up from his own shadow.
Then Phantom kicked him in the chest, soaring up to snatch the rising blade.
“How long can you keep dodging?”
Thk-thk-thk—!
She pulled out several more daggers, driving them into the ground.
They vanished into the shadows, only to reappear all across the factory, flying at him.
Clang! Clang!
He parried and dodged several.
But—
Whoosh—!
The daggers he had just deflected suddenly flew back again.
She was retrieving and relaunching them from the shadows.
Clang—!
Meanwhile, Phantom herself pressed forward, striking directly.
Blades from every direction.
A dagger thrust at his chest.
A relentless juggling act of attacks.
He had known she was dangerous, but this…
I can’t just defend forever…!
Sehyun suddenly drove his sword into the ground, holding it in reverse.
Thud—!
“Ghh!”
A dagger pierced his leg at the same moment.
But sacrificing a limb gave him an opening.
Vrrrrmmm—!
The sword’s engravings lit up blue, the blade vibrating.
“You—!!”
BOOM—!!!!
A massive blast erupted around him.
A searing flash swallowed all the shadows nearby.
Without shadows, no more daggers came.
“Heh… took a hit there.”
Phantom chuckled.
She had been forced back, but she was virtually unscathed—only a bit of singed fabric.
She had reacted instantly, escaping with distance before the blast hit.
So I’m the one who really took the hit…
Sehyun cursed at himself.
His body was wrecked from the explosion.
Since it was his artifact’s power, the backlash on him was inevitable.
The leg stabbed earlier was almost numb now.
“Looks like you’re at your limit. Then how about this?”
“……!”
She vanished again.
When he came to, he was already on the ground, disarmed, her foot having knocked him down.
Phantom held his explosive sword to his throat, its crimson-blue light glowing on her face.
Damn… this is bad…
Sweat dripped down Sehyun’s forehead.
His life was hanging by a thread.
But Phantom didn’t strike the killing blow.
The request wasn’t an assassination, after all.
“First, I should make sure this thing’s unusable.”
She tossed the explosive sword into her shadow.
Her shadows worked like subspace—she could store objects there.
But—
Clatter—!
“…Huh?”
The blade refused to sink into the shadow, clattering to the floor.
Confusion flickered in Phantom’s eyes.
It shouldn’t have resisted; it wasn’t a living thing.
At that moment—
Sehyun rolled and snatched the fallen sword.
“Too bad. This weapon’s immune to your tricks.”
The instant she realized, he swung upward.
BOOM—!
It was a swift strike—but her reflexes were sharper.
Whip—
Not only did the blow miss, but his grip gave out, and the sword flew from his hand.
It clattered uselessly to the distance.
Phantom waved away the dust from the explosion and crouched before him.
“What now? That was supposed to be your finishing move, wasn’t it?”
“……”
Her mocking words only made Sehyun chuckle faintly.
“You’re still so full of confidence. If it’s just bluster, I’ll be disappointed.”
“Sorry, but that was all I had.”
“Really? Shame.”
“But from here on, it won’t be me you’re fighting.”
“…What?”
BOOM—!!!
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted behind her.
“No way…”
Through the smoke and debris, a figure emerged.
A silken robe fluttered as she strode forward gracefully.
In her hand was the explosive sword Sehyun had just lost.
“You… you dropped it on purpose…”
Phantom’s eyes widened in surprise, but Sehyun was already looking past her.
“Inha.”
Vrrrrmmm—!
“Show them. Your Personal Myth.”
The curved blade in Inha’s hand began to shine with an overwhelming brilliance.
