Chapter 101 …
Kkukku-dak Kkukku. Nicknamed Ssamdak.
At first glance, his nickname sounded cute. The reason he was called Ssamdak, however, was simple.
“…Ssambak? If you’re talking about that crazy bastard, don’t even bring it up.”
“In all my life, I’ve never seen someone that reckless. There’s no mind games, no nothing. He just charges in like a damn maniac.”
“That’s not fighting—that’s ‘you die, I die,’ isn’t it?”
Extreme infighting.
With his small frame, he burrowed into enemies and tore at them until one side died. He was the very image of a berserker.
There was even a joke that if someone had first designed the Berserker class, they must have used Ssamdak as the model.
There were no mind games in a fight against him.
“That crazy Ssamdak? He just rushes in, no matter what. Harassment? Zoning? None of that.”
“He stacks every buff imaginable and forces ultra-close combat. What room is there for mind games? It just turns into a straight-up brawl.”
Only charge.
Whether there was one enemy, ten, or a hundred, Kkukku-dak Kkukku never retreated.
As if he would die the moment he stepped back, he focused solely on biting into his opponent.
From that alone, “rabid dog” would’ve suited him—but…
“Hey. Why do you keep staring at me like that? Wanna die?”
“…Huh?”
“Huh? Why are you flinching? Come here.”
He earned the nickname Ssamdak because of his fight-crazed habit of picking fights over the slightest annoyance.
“If you make eye contact with him, you’re dead. That’s it.”
That was the kind of rumor that spread.
From this alone, Kkukku-dak Kkukku might seem like trash who went around starting PKs with anyone and everyone—but that was only half true.
He did seem to pick fights randomly, yet when you looked closer, every single target turned out to be someone harboring ulterior motives or an outright villain.
Once, out of sheer curiosity, someone asked him how he knew.
-How did I know? You just get a feeling, you know?
-You can tell by their eyes. Some people just have those annoying eyes. Physiognomy’s a science, man.
-…I see.
-Huh? Your eyes looked weird just now. Fix your eyes.
In the end, no proper answer was ever given.
Anyway, Kkukku, who had established a peculiar combat style that could only be described as “human spear,” had certain must-use skills. One of them was Madness.
‘A skill that steadily drains HP per second, but makes you stronger over time.’
It was a double-edged sword.
Used poorly, it was nothing but a suicide skill that shaved away your health. But in the hands of a physical monster like Kkukku, there was no more chilling buff.
And he didn’t stop there.
‘He even stacked five or six more on top of that.’
Like Madness, he wrapped himself in bizarre skills that mixed buffs and debuffs together—at least five of them.
The so-called “Ssamdak Mode.” That was the secret behind why people called him insane.
‘Even if you’re playing up the berserker concept, there’s a limit…’
Most players used one or two. Any more than that, and it was considered suicidal. Yet Kkukku carried five or more risks and fought for over an hour like a monster.
That was why he never retreated, no matter how many enemies came.
Once he entered Ssamdak Mode, retreating meant self-destruction anyway. Might as well kill at least one more before going down.
And sometimes, thanks to life-steal, he survived.
-If you’re prepared to die, you live. If you try to live, you die. What was it—who said that…? The Immortal Lord, wasn’t it?
-…Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
-Ah, right. Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
Grinning like that, even his teammate Kaiser thought he wasn’t normal.
Who could call someone sane when more than half their skill slots were filled with things like that?
‘Even I wouldn’t take that kind of gamble.’
Whether to call Kkukku insane or amazing for walking that tightrope for three straight years…
He was someone who pushed the Berserker concept to its absolute extreme.
Anyway, among all Berserker skills, Madness was his favorite.
‘He said he liked how it felt to grow stronger as his HP dropped.’
For someone who always kept his HP below 20%, it probably did feel good.
That was why Kkukku always activated Madness first when entering battle, and Dohyun used to watch him with cold eyes.
‘And now it’s mine?’
Dohyun chuckled.
As an All-Master, he’d expected to use the skills of his former teammates someday—but now that it was reality, it felt strange.
‘I wonder how they’d react if I met them later with all their signature skills equipped.’
Would they foam at the mouth, saying I’d gone so far as to steal their skills now?
He could already picture Kkukku charging at him, Sword Emperor mocking him in disgust, and Bora Ajusshi bursting into laughter before the two started fighting.
‘They’ve probably heard about me.’
After achieving Rank 1 in Raven and causing such an uproar, anyone playing God of the World would’ve heard.
They couldn’t meet now due to the barriers between cities, but someday they would. Smirking, Dohyun turned his steps.
‘I’ll make good use of Madness.’
He’d watched a mad berserker who wielded Madness better than anyone for over two years.
How to use it. How to combine it with other skills. He could picture it all instantly.
So now wasn’t the time to focus on skills.
“Let’s go. Time to investigate.”
-Huh? What? That was quick this time.
-Liza!
“I told you. I’ve got a good feeling.”
Jihad, who had been staring at him, suddenly asked:
-Card pack opening? You must’ve pulled something good. You look happy.
“Hmm?”
Dohyun paused and looked at him.
Compared to when they first met, Jihad’s eyes were unbelievably clear now. How did he immediately know Dohyun was in a good mood?
“Well, yeah.”
-Ah, too bad. Would’ve been more fun if you got junk.
“…You haven’t been hit lately, have you?”
-N-No. Eliza, block him.
-L-Liza?
Grabbing Eliza from his robe pocket and backing away, Jihad made Dohyun shake his head.
He thought Jihad had changed a bit, but he was the same as ever.
After bickering for a while, they soon exited the alley and found a decent-sized temple. Dohyun stretched.
‘Gamilion will be waiting. Let’s finish this quickly.’
It was time to focus on the main quest.
In conclusion, they gained no meaningful information.
“Who… ah, an Outsi—no, an Apostle. My apologies for earlier. Given the situation, ahem.”
“The Abyss? I’m looking into it myself, but nothing’s turning up. It’s so elusive…”
“Destroyer Geyman? Dangerous fellow. We must ensure the citizens can evacuate immediately if something happens. If you encounter him, Apostle, please retreat and inform us. He’s dangerous.”
Instead, they only heard warnings.
“Trying to solve it while Sir Lebed is away… I don’t know. I feel uneasy. He needs to return.”
“But we still have Sir Taksinel.”
“True. We can trust him. It’s a blessing he wasn’t sent on this mission. I never thought someone that loyal would stay behind…”
“I heard he had personal matters. He seemed frustrated… but in hindsight, perhaps it’s for the best.”
“High Priest Gildeti must be preparing something as well. For now, we wait.”
That was all—anxious priests murmuring among themselves.
They spoke of trusting someone and waiting. There was no useful information.
Leaving the temple, Dohyun scratched his head.
A message floated before him.
Investigate the Brion Temple (2 / 3)
Verdic Temple and Zerdia Temple.
Those two visits had filled the quest objective.
‘Why does nobody know anything?’
They were sizable temples—not as grand as the Grand Temple of Lyre, but still significant. Yet they’d learned nothing.
They were scared. That was it.
‘Gamilion knows more than they do.’
Was this really a city famed for producing three Abyss contractors?
No one had said that outright, but that was Dohyun’s interpretation.
When he reached near the central plaza—
“Successor, you’ve returned.”
“Ah, Gamilion.”
They met near the fountain. Gamilion had just finished his own investigation.
“Have you completed your inquiries?”
“Not yet. I checked Verdic and Zerdia, but they didn’t know anything. You?”
Gamilion shook his head.
“I visited four places. Nothing useful. Only warnings to prepare for Geyman’s attack.”
“Same here.”
“Well… that’s understandable. So little is known about the Abyss. Naturally, attention is focused on the immediate threat—the Destroyer.”
As he spoke, Gamilion’s gaze drifted toward a grand structure.
The Grisd Grand Temple, second only to the Grand Temple of Lyre.
“Let’s check that place last. Would you mind going together?”
“I don’t mind.”
Dohyun answered casually.
He hadn’t expected useful information anyway. Visit, wrap it up, move on.
…That’s what he thought.
“Hmm?”
“Is something wrong?”
Before he casually glanced to the side.
He froze, staring at a certain temple.
“That is… the Lirarr Temple. Do you have business there?”
Smaller than Grisd, though still fairly large.
Also known for having minimal interaction with other priests.
Naturally, Dohyun had no reason to visit. He didn’t even know what deity it served.
Yet he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
“…Gamilion, we don’t have to go to Grisd, right?”
“It’s not mandatory… Why?”
He had no choice.
[Eye of Truth activates.]
Beyond the temple, he saw a red dot.
Not the ghostly silhouette that appeared when someone hid.
Something smaller. Closer to an object.
Something eerily similar to what he’d seen when looking at a Fragment of Fate.
His instincts screamed.
‘There’s something there.’
Without another word, Dohyun turned.
“Let’s go there instead. I’ve got a feeling.”
“…A feeling? What does that mean?”
“There’s just something about it. It feels right.”
Though he didn’t understand, Gamilion followed.
Investigation was the goal, after all. And if needed, they could visit Grisd afterward.
Soon, they stood before Lirarr Temple.
“…There are no guards.”
“Indeed.”
A temple should have guards.
They exchanged puzzled glances and stepped inside.
It was eerily quiet. No users. No priests.
Sensing something wrong, they quickened their pace.
Tap. Tap.
At the end of the corridor, before a single door—
‘Here.’
A faint red glow seeped from beyond it.
Without hesitation, Dohyun opened the door.
And saw—
“Ghh… kkh…”
The high priest, suspended midair, throat gripped by suffocating darkness.
And the thing holding him.
[…]
A humanoid silhouette.
Horns protruding from its head. Sinister darkness consuming its entire body.
Red eyes gleaming within the shadows. Over two meters tall—clearly not human.
“What the—”
Dohyun muttered instinctively.
The creature’s head snapped toward him.
He met its dreadful face—a mask of the Abyss that would trigger instinctive fear in any human.
Ding—
[You have encountered the Abyss contractor who broke the taboo, ‘Destroyer Geyman.’]
[Warning! You may lose your life.]
[Sudden Quest ‘Rescue Rondrik’ has been triggered.]
[Rescue Rondrik]
Grade: Sudden Quest
Description: Lirarr Temple has been attacked by Destroyer Geyman. Rescue the High Priest ‘Rondrik’ and learn what happened.
If not rescued within the time limit, Rondrik will die and the quest will fail.Reward: Large EXP, Rondrik’s Favorability, Trace of the Destroyer
Failure: You will lose track of Destroyer Geyman and may be falsely accused.
Time Limit: 20 seconds
Messages flooded his vision.
Dohyun pressed a hand to his forehead.
‘…What is this, some kind of Conan episode? Why does an incident happen everywhere I go?’
And just like that, Dohyun found himself face-to-face with Destroyer Geyman.
