Chapter 28

Curse (1)

Did he attack Seo Jin-wook with the determination to kill him?

"Was it an instruction you received from Han-Seol? To kill me?"

A much more intense flame burned in the eyes of Park Chang-hee, who heard me. It was a different type of anger than before. A violent reaction emerged, as if asking how I dared to say that.

"Crazy, delusional bastard!"

He poured out profanities, and I was more and more confused by his reaction.

Seeing that he was getting mad all by himself made it seem like he was the crazy, delusional bastard. Were the symptoms of Seo Jin-wook like that before the possession?

In the middle of thinking about that, he moved. I ran as well.

Clang!

Park Chang-hee swung his sword like a gust of wind. I also blocked it with my long sword. Whenever the blades clashed, sparks appeared. Park Chang-hee's movement was relaxed until the first few hits, and there was a determination and assurance to cut my throat right as soon as possible.

However, the more the clash continued, the more surprised his expressions became.

"How?!"

When all attacks were blocked, he displayed a face full of disbelief.

'It was fortunate that I took extra time to prepare it well because of this!'

-Active Mana: 13,500 (+8,700 )/4,800

-Potential Mana: 79,000

Thanks to core absorption, my active Mana had already reached the level of an A-class hunter.

Clang! Clang!

The offense was getting more and more brutal. As I swung the sword, I saw the pattern of artifacts he had all over his body.

As an expedition leader and a melee line, he possessed the most number of equipment, including the supporter type that stabilized Mana's flow, the dispel type and detoxification type of rank A and the defense type of specific attributes.

I could see all of them. However, unlike me, he couldn't see what I have.

Cling!

Swoosh!

As I let his blade flow, a curved shock wave cut the cave wall behind my back. I moved my body and noticed the condition of my long sword.

'It's already starting to deteriorate.'

The quality of artifacts that would be assigned to E-Class was apparent. After blocking a few times, the durability was almost seeing its end.

As if he noticed it as well, he continued to attack heavier rather than critically. A master plan to destroy the sword for good.

Clang!

He aimed for the neck and stabbed, but it was easily blocked—the moment when the blades intersected, and tension was tight. I released the long sword from my hand and removed my body.

"···?!"

His response was a little late, as if he didn't think I would give up the weapon so quickly.

At that moment, I took out Lorto's dagger. The eyes of a guy who saw an unreported item, where there would be no way to bring it in, widened. I did not miss the opportunity and cut him in the blink of an eye.

Swish!

Thanks to that brief moment, the blade touched Park Chang-hee's arm. His skin cut open, and blood splattered.

Weeeng!

His detoxification artifacts emitted Mana.

Realizing that he was about to be poisoned, he frowned for a moment and immediately launched an attack. There was no sign of paralysis. He continued his attack on me with caution.

Knowing that the artifact was disposable, I swung the dagger even more intimidatingly.

'If I stab him once more, he would be poisoned!'

The problem was that Park Chang-hee would also be thinking about it. He clenched his jaw.

"Damn it!"

He couldn't believe that he was struggling with me like this. Park Chang-hee activated a skill as if he couldn't keep this up. Red Mana created a storm and wrapped around Park Chang-hee's body.

'Unique skill!'

[Flame Skin (Rank: B)!]

Boosh!

Insane amounts of heat burned in the narrow space where we were confronting.

A high intensity-heat flame covered Park Chang-hee's body, like wearing an armor that smelted flames instead of metal. The guy's equipment, which was commissioned by the world's best enchanters and applied intense flame immunity, stood without any soot in flames.

On the other hand...

Crackle!

Tiny sparks popped up and fell all over my combat suit. Sparks scattered through the fiery air.

"Keup!"

It was damaged by this much just by being nearby without even direct contact. The temperature was enough to destroy the airways and lungs when inhaled. However, I did not fall, and he guessed why.

"Did you also bring an item for flame immunity?"

Park Chang-hee, who checked together, knew that there was no such thing in my belongings. It was natural because it was an item that was stored and brought inside by the [Five Snake Bracelets].

Boosh!

Whenever Park Chang-hee swung his sword, a fierce flame flew in. The heat that burned the cheeks followed the trajectory of the pillar of fire that I managed to avoid. Without a break, it poured out fierce flames as it followed the path of the sword. I managed to block it with a dagger.

Cling!

The two blades clash with each other once more.

Flames were burning in front of my nose. The existence of Park Chang-hee, who wrapped his whole body in an incandescent flame, was also a weapon.

Sizzle!

The simple act of narrowing the distance was like an attack. He poured high heat as it pierced my Mana shield and through the artifact effects. Pain ruled my whole body. It smoked as the skin was ruined and burned. The smell of burning hair and flesh pierced my nose.

At that time, white light covered the burnt area. The burnt wound disappeared in an instant. Auto-Heal was triggered by the [Five Snake Bracelets].

But the problem was, injuries happened endlessly.

Boosh!

Weeing!

While confronted with force, the figure of Park Chang-hee, who was burning in my sight, disappeared and reappeared. This was because the cornea burned due to the high temperature, and the loss of vision and recovery were repeated.

'It's dangerous to keep up in this way!'

Knowing that the snakes would soon run into their limits, I made a critical move.

By surprise, I drove a tremendous amount of Mana into the blade. Even A-class hunters ran the risk of ruining their organs doing so by the sudden movement of Mana.

"You!"

Park Chang-hee seemed to be baffled, increasing his force, but unlike me, he took time to collect the corresponding Mana.

As a side effect, when the Mana supply to the shield covering his body seemed to decrease, the embarrassed opponent mobilized another energy instead of Mana. The fiery flames and flame skins that wrapped his whole body are concentrated in the sword. Park Chang-hee condensed all the fire only on the blade. He intended to explode the flame bomb after focusing it all on the sword.

Naturally, the body of the guy wrapped in flames appeared again. It was the timing I had been waiting for.

"Now!"

On the signal of my yell-

"Kyaaaak!"

"Hiss!"

Five black snakes in the form of bracelets suddenly returned to their original state and attacked. They bit all over Park Chang-hee's body, where the shield weakened, and even the flame disappeared.

Crack!

Crush!

"This···"

Before their scales burn out by high temperatures, I quickly put the snakes back into bracelets.

"Such a cunning move!"

Park Chang-hee did not care about the bite and struck down the blade. There were ugly tooth marks all over his body.

I was waiting. It was enough just to bite it once.

'It's done!'

The flame that was driven by the sword had now weakened.

"······"

In the meantime, I found out another ability of the snakes.

Written on the bracelet's description, the black snake's 'circulating power' was to provide healing from fed flesh and blood, and it was more than returning items as it functioned as an inventory.

Without knowing when to give up, these guys who continued to eat the poisoned prey by the dagger and repeatedly awakened from being paralyzed were able to spew poison from their firm, sharp teeth, incomparable to any snakes of the Earth.

It was of the same properties as stored in Lorto's dagger.

"My... God!"

As Park Chang-hee felt the danger, he distanced himself.

The detoxification artifact that had already been used was useless, but the A-class hunter's reinforced body was resisting paralysis poison a little.

"Lunatic!"

He took a stance while swearing. He didn't collapse right away, nor did he completely lose his freedom of movement. But he was definitely slow, and that was enough.

I activated the Mana I have left so far for only one skill.

Dash!

Unlike the light rays of Mana, there was a light that anyone could see in my arms. Park Chang-hee, who knew the source of the light, was surprised.

"Even magic!"

A runestone that cannot be distributed to me who hasn't officially learned magic skills shone in my arms. A magic circle floated in front of my eyes.

At the same time, Park Chang-hee moved.

"Gaaah!"

Boosh!

He, who couldn't read the magic circle, rushed to me like a cannonball, leaving a ray of heat like a shadow. It was an act of trusting in a piece of equipment that could reliably block A-rank or lower spells at least once.

The moment Park Chang-hee jumped on the ground, and I spat out the spell.

[Neutralizing Chains!]

The magic circle expanded and covered all the sides.

If the poison had not spread, it was of enough speed to avoid, but instead of avoiding, Park Chang-hee crashed into the spell as he was. He would have imagined a scene where his artifacts would negate magic, and a sword that ran without hindrance would split my head open.

Of course, that expectation was betrayed.

Rumble!

Park Chang-hee widened his eyes.

"This... this...!"

He trembled while screaming. Then, there was a moment of silence.

"······"

His pupils looked around, flustered.

"What the hell... are you?"

When the magic was activated, he couldn't move anymore. A thick chain had been created through the distortion of space.

The summons that protruded from all sides tied Park Chang-hee's hands and feet together. Park Chang-hee, whose body was locked, hung with his limbs outstretched in the air. He struggled, but the chain refused to move. The flame was burned more aggressively as if to melt it, but the heat was not conducted through the chain that violated the laws of the physical world.

Only then did he realize the situation.

"S-rank magic?!"

He shouted as if he couldn't believe it.

"Nonsense. This is nonsense. How?!"

His body kept struggling, but the chain stood firm. He began shouting in agony.

"No matter how powerful Seo Gyu-cheol is, he does not have ways to deliver S-rank magic cards to you!"

It was like that in this era.

Among the randomly given cards, magic was rare, and certain international guilds were collecting most of the S-rank or higher magic skill cards.

I watched Park Chang-hee consuming Mana while burning only the flames as he was completely tied up. His rebellion, closer to a struggle, did not work. It was an S-rank skill that I unleashed by consuming almost all of my remaining Mana just because I had to.

Gulp! Gulp!

I took out a Mana potion and drank it, and my active Mana recharged.

-Active Mana: 4,800/4,800

-Potential Mana: 79,000

Mana that could be recovered with potions had a limit of 4,800, matching the original Mana capacity.

If there had been a time for Park Chang-hee to drink potions during the battle, I would have been defeated. Unlike me, he can restore to the entire Mana capacity.

"Shall we start the conversation again?"

My eyes met with those of Park Chang-hee, who had been disabled. He stared at me as if he was going to eat me alive. The process of finding out the answer I want from a hunter with a physical condition like that of him would be complicated, so I grasped the knife.

'This motherfucker, he just babbled some strange words.'

He made an analogy as if Han-Seol was not involved in all of this. I can't believe it as it is. Above all...

"I will ask again. If not for Han-Seol's instructions, how did you curse me? I do not think you have that kind of ability."

"······"

His reaction was strange. It's not the look I expected.

"······ curse?"

His face was distorted.

"What a crazy bastard! Can't you distinguish between reality and delusions? What? Curse?! If there was such a thing in the world..." He spat out words full of malice.

"I would have melted you alive without leaving a single piece of bone!"

Watching Park Chang-hee's reaction, I continued to feel uncomfortable.

Although it was said that he was impulsive, trying to kill Seo Jin-wook while there were many witnesses in the conference room...

Who in the world wanted to kill the Guild Master's son during a meeting by impulsive anger?

Since Seo Jin-wook first attacked, would he have gone for negligence or over-defense? But it was considered as a Hunter attacking the non-Awakened?

'There were so many lunatics in the guild.'

No, this bastard was more severe.

Seo Jin-wook also did many crazy things before becoming possessed. Still, self-injury was most dominant, and attempting to give a flying kick to Park Chang- Hee was the worst physical violence against others.

'Is Park Chang-hee originally this kind of a person? Why didn't anyone know?'

Even now, considering how emotional he was, his words and actions were strange. He was literally mad and mentally ill. I could tell just by looking at those flipped eyes.

"······"

At that moment, I stopped thinking because his Mana boiled in a strange direction.

'My God!'

He would have thought that I wouldn't notice. When the magic chain absorbed all the Mana that Park Chang-hee released, he began to reverse the flow direction.

I could see it. He was condensing all Mana in his core.

"Why does 'that person' deal with a bastard like you to...!"

When the torrent of blue light, which was initially supposed to erupt from the heart like a waterfall, flowed in the opposite direction, it collided with the flow in the expected direction, creating a terrible stagnation and pressure.

If he forced Mana to move like that, the nature of the core in it will...

'Self-destruct!'

I rushed. A smile of giving up everything hung on his mouth, flowing irrational and blind hate.

"I will at least... kill you. At least you!"

The last attack created by the A-class hunter by destroying all of himself. Will the chain be able to stop it all?

I couldn't gamble. I had judged and acted simultaneously. Reflexively, I poke the tip of my hands toward the boiling Mana core.

Crush!

His ribs broke, and my fingers made it through.

"Keup!"

Blood emanated from Park Chang-hee's mouth.

His phenomenal physiology avoided immediate death and maintained consciousness even in the case of a pierced heart. The man who continued to live his limited life force with my finger in his heart opened his eyes and glared at me.

Thanks to this, I was able to do something I couldn't have tried with other hunters so far. After clearly reaching his core with my fingertips, I activated the skill.

[Mana Drain!]

Woong!

Park Chang-hee spat out a silent scream with his whole body.

In that short moment before death, I touched his Mana core, absorbing the Mana that was about to explode. The blood vessels were thrilled, and the feeling of excitement rose.

'Is it... a success?!'

I absorbed the rest of the energy in it. The time it took was close to an instant. Eventually, even the last vortex of Mana left in the body disappeared.

"Huh... Ugh!"

The expression of panic, anger, and meaninglessness gradually faded. Park Chang-hee's self-destruction failed.

The light disappeared from his pupil. Then...

"······"

I saw something in my eyes, and an unexpected system message resounds.

-The unknown caster's skill [Seed of Mercardius (Super Moderator Rank: SSS Semi-Active)] was activated!

"What?"

I thought of it in the agitation.

'The day I first opened my eyes as Seo Jin-wook!'

There was so much potential Mana stored in my core that I couldn't find anything alien hidden in it.

It was similar this time. Park Chang-hee's potential Mana was not remarkable, but unlike me at the time, he who had already awakened was always releasing intense active Mana from his core. I didn't see it because of the blue waves.

Mana possessed by one hunter hid it as if wrapping it.

I faced the bafflement I felt at the time again.

Geeeeeek!

The cry of a little beast. But this time, it didn't come from my body.

I could feel it at my fingertips. The red energy that I hadn't yet absorbed remained where Park Chang-hee's Mana core was.

Because it was in contact with the skill effect, [The Successor's Eyes] read the identity like then.

[Seeds of Mercadius (Rank: SSS, Semi-active)]

Skill effect: Intervenes in the host's mind to amplify the most intense desires and emotions and induce thoughts. After growth is over, the seeds that encroach entirely on the host will bloom, and what it will become depends on the caster's intention and the characteristics of the host.

Restrictions: As the host's mental health and resistance are stronger, the encroach rate slows down, and there is the danger of the 'voice' being exposed.