Duo. A Forgotten Grudge.
—Boom!
"Here we go again. How many times has it been now?"
"Sixth time."
At Seowoon's reply, Namsagwang looked out the window, clearly exasperated.
It hadn't even been two full hours since they entered the high-rise apartment and started looting, but the sounds of battle had been nonstop from all directions.
When the barrage of explosions finally ceased, Namsagwang checked the list of survivors and shook his head.
"Still at 150 players."
"Everyone's too busy feeling each other out."
"Cowards. If you're going to fight, see it through."
"They all know how risky it is to overdo it on the first day."
"Then they shouldn't fight at all."
"They probably can't resist taking a jab when they see an enemy. And if the target looks weak, they'll go for the kill."
Namsagwang shook his head, dissatisfied.
"They'll end up getting hunted by a real predator instead."
"Everyone here probably thinks they are the predator."
Seowoon wasn't unaware of why Namsagwang was so full of complaints.
Despite being supposedly aligned with the righteous faction, he was surprisingly aggressive. Whatever kind of person he was in his original world, in Cloyd, he was the kind of overwhelming solo powerhouse who preferred taking on entire squads by himself.
It made sense that someone like him would get restless just focusing on looting instead of fighting.
Watching Namsagwang itch to rush out and brawl, Seowoon smiled and said,
"Just hold out until the top 100. Until then, we avoid risky plays and steer clear of fights."
"I know. Survival comes first."
For someone who knew that, Namsagwang wasn't exactly focusing on looting.
"Ugh. All we're getting is useless junk."
He opened a leather pouch, checked the contents, then tossed it on the living room floor.
Looking at the heavy pouch, Seowoon opened it to find an ordinary throwing knife.
"This is still useful. If we stock up, we'll find a use eventually."
"I'm not suited for throwing techniques."
Considering how he relied on raw power, that made sense.
But in a place where anything could happen at any moment, the best strategy was to hoard anything and everything.
As they moved to the next apartment and continued looting, a dark shadow zipped past the window, disrupting the light that had been flooding the room.
Both of them instinctively looked out the balcony window.
"What was that?"
"An assassin. And skilled enough to almost completely bypass my senses."
Seowoon furrowed his brow at Namsagwang's words.
The realization that someone had gotten that close without him noticing made his hair stand on end.
—Fwoooosh!
As they stared outside, a huge ball of fire streaked through the air, lighting up the view.
—Crash!
The window shattered instantly, and shards of glass and flames blasted into the room.
"That was aimed at us, right?"
At Namsagwang's question, Seowoon shook his head.
They had already fled to the apartment hallway the moment they saw the massive fireball coming.
Seeing the front door get blown off its hinges in their absence, Seowoon spoke.
"More likely, it was targeting that assassin crawling along the outer wall like a cockroach."
"If that's the case, then we're talking about a top-tier assassin. Be careful."
Instead of replying, Seowoon activated all of his barriers.
—I sense a disgusting gaze. Other building, across from us.—
Following Hamit's words, he shifted his gaze and saw a black shadow flit across the rooftop of the building opposite.
"Did you see it?"
"An elf. Why are they suddenly gathering here?"
"More like… they were nearby, looting. The commotion probably drew them in."
After standing silently in the corridor of the old apartment for a while, watching for any more activity, the two returned to their looting when things calmed down.
"That assassin was something else though. Think their martial arts are as good as their stealth?"
"Normally, I'd say no without hesitation. But someone who climbed all the way to the Crown level here… I can't be sure."
"Are assassins usually not that skilled in martial arts?"
As Seowoon picked up a magic scroll and stashed it in subspace, Namsagwang nodded.
"Not always, but usually, yeah. They're a weird bunch. Not like normal people at all — from how they act to how they think. They're optimized for assassinating unsuspecting targets. So instead of being good in a direct fight, they tend to rely on one-shot kill tactics. Kill fast, or die."
Seowoon nodded, starting to understand.
"Basically, they're like skill-based burst assassins. If they don't kill you with one combo, they're the ones who die."
"Still, being able to stealth that well in broad daylight…"
"Technically, that wasn't stealth. They just suppressed their presence to near zero."
"How do you even do that? Qi isn't something you can just erase like that."
This time, Namsagwang answered with a grimace.
"They've trained for that and only that, for generations. Their martial arts evolved to match."
Seowoon glanced at him and nodded.
"Still a righteous faction guy, huh. That reaction just now proves it."
There were times when Namsagwang seemed more like a dark lord, so it felt strange seeing this kind of normal response from him.
Their conversation paused for a bit as they continued looting, until Namsagwang suddenly reacted first.
—Crash!
As qi energy burst from his hand, Seowoon's gaze followed his to the window.
A figure, clad in black armor with only its eyes exposed, was hanging upside down on the outer wall.
Namsagwang's energy slash flew, smashing through the balcony window and wall, aiming straight at the figure.
"Looks like it dodged."
Seowoon's words made Namsagwang nod silently.
— Ttiting!
Before his words could even settle, a needle shot through the hole pierced by strong energy.
Namsagwang frowned as he watched the slender needle bounce off his barrier and fall.
"He's being a pain. We better catch him."
Seowoon responded in his usual, almost teasing tone that seemed to scratch Namsagwang right where he itched.
The moment Seowoon finished speaking, both of their bodies moved through the newly opened hole and onto the apartment's exterior wall.
The enemy, who had been clinging near the rooftop like Spider-Man, started fleeing in surprise as the two closed in on him.
"Looks like he didn't expect we'd come this far, thinking he could avoid attention."
"He came prepared to be targeted. That means we should kill him for sure."
Thus began a high-speed chase across the apartment's outer wall, as if it were flat ground.
Seowoon, watching the enemy run along the wall, couldn't help but be impressed.
'That's insanely fast!'
After obtaining whirlwind, Seowoon had gained quite a bit of confidence in his light-footwork skills.
But as he saw the gap widening between them, he truly realized the saying: "There's always someone better."
"These guys really are experts at running away!"
Even Namsagwang was having trouble closing the distance. Now Seowoon understood why the enemy had been confidently lurking around.
— Swaek!
Amid the chase, Seowoon threw one of the hidden throwing knives he had picked up earlier, aiming for the man's back.
— Kang!
The blade bounced off the barrier, but Seowoon kept throwing more.
It had been a while since he used his Black Star Hidden Arts.
Namsagwang used to mock him for learning such a "trashy" technique.
But it was this very skill that saved Seowoon's life multiple times during his first mission.
And now, it finally shattered the enemy's barrier.
The moment the barrier broke, the man kicked off the wall and soared, gliding to the opposite building.
"Sagwang!!"
— Shwiik!
At Seowoon's shout, Sagwang stopped in his tracks and fired a feathered arrow. The man turned mid-air to deflect the arrow—
but it exploded on contact, engulfing him in flames.
Without hesitation, Namsagwang charged straight into the fire, wielding his Sugang blade.
— Kabang!
Seowoon hurried to stow his bow and dashed toward the flames.
In the middle of the high-rise, a hole had been blasted open.
Without pause, he leapt inside.
— Kagagak!
Inside, the enemy was desperately blocking Namsagwang's blade with a slightly shorter sword. He glanced sideways at Seowoon, who had just entered.
Compared to the powerful and unwavering energy of Sugang, the blue aura flickering on the enemy's blade looked like a candle struggling in the wind.
Seowoon immediately raised his energy and thrust his Blood Bone Claw toward the man.
It seemed to be some kind of office space, desks lined up in rows.
As Seowoon charged, the man casually kicked one of the desks toward him.
The desk briefly blocked his view, but Seowoon ripped it in two.
Just then, he saw Namsagwang sever the man's arm.
Even after losing an arm, the man didn't groan once, which unsettled Seowoon as he closed in.
— Pwoom!
Just as the Blood Bone Claw reached for the man's head, he slammed something onto the ground, and a white powdery smoke filled the room.
The moment visibility vanished, Seowoon felt his strike cut through empty air instead of flesh.
"It might be poison! Don't breathe!"
Namsagwang's voice rang out.
— Crash!
The sound of a wall being smashed followed.
Seowoon shouted.
"Get out, now!"
— KWAARRR!
A spark lit up within the pitch-black, smoke-filled office—
but before it could shine bright, flames consumed the entire space.
The explosion shattered every window, hurling fire outside in a devastating blast.
— Crackkk!
Seowoon quickly huddled close to Namsagwang and activated his barrier,
but even so, both of them looked like scorched wrecks—clothes burned black.
Grinding his teeth, Namsagwang's eyes gleamed with murderous rage.
"He's not dying cleanly."
They rushed out in the direction the enemy had fled.
But the blood trail on the floor ended barely ten meters away.
"If he's really set on hiding, can we even find him?" Seowoon asked.
Namsagwang scowled and said nothing.
"Damn it! Can't believe we fell for a kid's trick!"
"For a 'kid's trick,' that was fiery as hell. That wasn't ordinary powder—it was engineered for ignition."
Using powder to blind them and trigger a dust explosion—
it was a hidden trump card the man had been saving.
In the dim hallway of the building, now silent and scorched, Namsagwang stared at the broken blood trail and shook his head.
"The archer and this guy…"
— CRASH!
Suddenly, Seowoon launched a strike filled with energy. Namsagwang flinched, startled—
But he quickly realized what was happening and thrust Sugang upward.
If it hadn't been for Hamit's warning, even Seowoon might've been too slow.
The enemy, who had been hiding in the ceiling's ventilation shaft, had dropped down in a surprise attack.
Seowoon barely managed to block the blade aimed straight at Namsagwang's head.
Namsagwang countered in an instant—Sugang pierced straight through the attacker's torso, slamming him to the ground where he coughed up blood.
The man's hood had been ripped, revealing his expressionless face as he vomited blood.
It was an eerie sight.
"These bastards always manage to make even killing them feel unsettling," Namsagwang muttered.
Seowoon nodded.
That lack of emotion—even in the face of death—was deeply unnerving.
Only then did Seowoon truly understand what Namsagwang meant by "not ordinary humans."
Just as Namsagwang raised his blade for the final strike, he locked eyes with Seowoon.
Seowoon, too, widened his eyes and stared back.
Then, as if they had agreed without words, the two of them leapt through the building's window at the same time.
An overwhelming surge of mana erupted into the sky—
so powerful it was impossible not to feel.
This sensation wasn't new to Seowoon and Namsagwang.
"Damn it! What kind of lunatic—!"
Namsagwang shouted angrily.
"We need to move even farther!"
The two figures darted swiftly, gliding beneath buildings and leaping across the rooftops of slightly lower structures.
They could see enemies scattering in all directions, but there was no time to care about them now.
Not just the two of them — no one was paying attention to anything else but running.
Like birds scattering at the sound of a hunter's gunshot, the players spread out in every direction.
And then, someone appeared in Namsagwang's path.
—Namsagwang!!!
As a thunderous roar of fury rang out, the expressions on both Seowoon and Namsagwang's faces twisted in irritation.
"No time to fight!"
Seowoon shouted, and Namsagwang gave a quick nod.
In an instant, Seowoon grabbed a handful of his own hair.
The old man who had just raised his staff to strike them was suddenly taken aback.
Because Namsagwang had suddenly multiplied into five copies.
"Tch."
With a scoff, the old man slashed the air with his staff — and from the sky, a torrential downpour of lightning crashed down.
Lightning Storm.
The most powerful 8th-circle lightning magic.
As the storm poured down, the five Namsagwang copies multiplied into dozens.
Expending all his energy and inner force, Seowoon unleashed Silent footwork technique, a high-level body duplication technique, and desperately scattered past the old man, fleeing in all directions.
Many of Namsagwang's illusions were obliterated by the lightning storm and the old man's erratic spells, but Seowoon continued to multiply himself and managed to narrowly escape the old man's grasp.
—Don't think this is the end!
The old man's vengeful, blood-soaked voice echoed in all directions.
And before long, a massive meteor loomed ominously in the sky.
Upon seeing the falling meteor, the old man swung his staff and vanished from the scene.
—KRRRRAAAAAA-BOOOOM!!!
As the Meteor crashed down, a massive dust cloud spread outward with a shockwave, engulfing all nearby buildings.
Seowoon and Namsagwang dove underground at the same moment the deafening roar erupted.
—RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
The underground tunnel they entered trembled, and before long, a thick gray dust filled the air, tightening their chests with every breath.
"Wind Ball."
Seowoon cast the first basic spell he ever learned.
As the summoned Wind Balls began to swirl through the dust, gathering it in concentrated spots, visibility gradually returned.
"Even though we made it to the terminal station, there's still aftershock."
—Ding! kaieron – Jinderhwa (Killed by magic). Remaining survivors: 149/150.
At the sound of the alert, Seowoon collapsed onto the floor with a sigh.
"They even notify us individually now."
"Damn old man. Even stole my kill."
Seowoon shook his head at Namsagwang's grumble.
"That old man… it's from back then, isn't it? That grudge?"
Neither of them could forget that moment burned into their memories.
For Seowoon, it was the first time he had seen the true power of a wizard.
For Namsagwang, it was the moment he died at Seowoon's hand — thanks to that power.
"Yeah."
"I can guess, but… what did you actually do?"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
"Sigh…"
Shaking his head in dismay, Seowoon muttered:
"If only we'd looted that assassin's item… it would've come in handy. No chance we'll find it now, right?"
"Like finding a needle in the desert. But seriously, why does your world have caves like this?"
Only then did Namsagwang look around inside Incheon Terminal Station, curiously eyeing the dark subway tunnels.
"This is a subway. It's where our transportation runs."
"You carry people through these tunnels in wagons?"
"Pretty much. Anyway, we've got a new pain in the ass. He'll come at us every time we cross paths."
"We'll just kill him like last time."
"You think he'll fall for the same trick twice? Didn't you see? First thing he did was drop a Meteor. And the fact that he survived… he must've cast it and teleported out right after."
At Seowoon's words, Namsagwang looked troubled.
"If that's the case, it won't even be a proper fight."
"There's gotta be a way. This game's turning out to be tougher than I thought. Sun's almost down, and we've already lost one."
With a shake of his head, Seowoon began walking into the dark tunnel where the subway once ran.
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