RG 34

Including Cha Sahyeon, who is classified as the antagonist, there are three other main characters—Kwon Taehyeok, Ryu Seonghyeon, and the man in front of me. I can use the skill of one of them randomly?

‘Wait, if that’s the case…’ 

After thinking up to that point, I urgently shouted out the name of one person in my mind, Please, Ryu Seonghyeon, Ryu Seonghyeon, Ryu Seonghyeon!

If I could use the skill of one of the four people, my choice would undoubtedly be Ryu Seonghyeon. No, there was nothing good except Ryu Seonghyeon.

Kwon Taehyeok’s skill, Blade Rush. Of course, it was a very powerful skill, but for me, who only had one longsword in hand, it was not very useful.

In that sense, Cha Sahyeon’s Living Shadow skill had higher utility, but being a B-class skill, it was insufficient to face the man of S-class. Moreover, since I could only use it once, I would fall behind in terms of firepower.

The remaining options were Ryu Seonghyeon and the skill of the man in front of me… Even if I tried to use the Chain Summoning and Manipulation skill the man had, it wouldn’t work on the owner of the skill. Besides, I might be misunderstood as having the ability to copy others’ skills.

‘…That doesn’t sound too bad?’

Although I would gladly give the unlucky man a hard time, I didn’t want to waste the opportunity I had just barely obtained by simply giving him a hard time.

Anyway, for various reasons, after excluding the candidates, Ryu Seonghyeon was the only one left. The skill was called Manifestation of Light, just hearing the name, you knew it must be impressive. It was an excellent skill that could be used with just a point of light in even the darkest places.

It was a dark night, just the two of us on the rooftop, but there was enough light around to use the skill. The shining lights from distant commercial buildings, streetlights, car headlights, and so on, provided abundant light.

So, please—

《We are currently selecting the target to acquire the skill.》

《Loading…》

Here goes…!

《Selection is complete.》

《Skill acquired automatically!》

《Acquired Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S)》

[Manifestation of Light (Class S)]

Amplify light to change it into desired forms.

*Caution! This skill can only be used once.

I couldn’t contain my excitement at my incredible luck and shouted with joy, “This is it!”

“What is it?”

The man, whom I had been fighting with frantically, looked at me with confusion as I suddenly burst into laughter. Ignoring his question, I immediately used the skill. I had already thought about how to use the Manifestation of Light skill. It was regrettable to use it against an opponent that wouldn’t truly retaliate, but I had no choice.

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated》

A status window appeared, and a golden light burst from my body.

“What…!”

The faint light quickly expanded in size at a rapid pace. Even with a mask on, the man couldn’t withstand the intense light and instinctively raised his arm to shield his face.

Not missing the opportunity, I maintained the light and dashed forward, narrowing the distance between us. As I ran toward the man, the status window began its countdown.

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated (Remaining Time: 10 seconds)》

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated (Remaining Time: 9 seconds)》

‘Even if it’s disposable, giving only 10 seconds is too much, isn’t it?’

I wondered if for once it would be something helpful to me. I knew it. Determinedly, before the 10 seconds elapsed, I reached the man and extended my hand that wasn’t holding a sword.

“Ugh!”

With a swift motion, I grabbed the man’s collar and swiftly brought him down while he was unable to see my position due to the strong light.

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated (Remaining Time: 3 seconds)》

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated (Remaining Time: 2 seconds)》

《Skill: Manifestation of Light (Class S) Activated (Remaining Time: 1 seconds)》

Thud!

I mounted the fallen man and pressed the edge of the sword against his throat. At the same time, as the countdown ended, the light disappeared.

《Time’s up. The new hidden skill will be removed.》

The man, finally realizing the situation, let out a hollow laugh. While looking down at him, I closed my eyes as if showing off and chuckled. “You shouldn’t have made fun of me.” I lightly tapped the blade against the man’s throat a couple of times as if teasing. “I’ll spare you this time.”

No matter how unlucky or shady he was, as long as the tag ‘main character’ was attached to him in the status, I couldn’t kill him. Not to mention, I couldn’t push too hard since he might become a colleague later.

With a click of my tongue, I sheathed the sword and stood up from the man who was lying on the ground. It wasn’t the time to lament. Even now, Cha Sahyeon’s condition must be worsening.

The man intently watched me put the sword back in its sheath, sat, and asked, “…Are you really going to let me go like this? I understand if you’re hesitant about killing. But at least, you could vent your frustration… Are you really going to let it slide like this?”

My brow furrowed involuntarily at the pointless question. “So what? You want me to beat you up into dust?”

“…”

The man tilted his head in response to my visibly irritated reaction. After a moment of silence, he continued, “No, I lost. You’re the number one ‘Cover.’ I apologize for not recognizing you earlier.”

The subtle expression that was visible just a moment ago disappeared as the man, now composed, apologized with a calm voice. There was no point in accepting the apology now, so I simply turned away without a word.

As I began to leave, the man raised his voice from behind me, “I’ll accept the deal you proposed earlier. You agree, don’t you?”

“Do as you wish.”

After leaving my final response, I threw myself unhesitatingly off the building.

Whooosh! My body plummeted without resistance, and my hair flew wildly in the strong wind. I grabbed onto iron pipes and railings attached to the building’s exterior at intervals during the descent, landing safely on the ground.

“This is insane…”

I muttered as I adjusted my crooked mask and briskly walked away. My blood ran cold at the thought of leaving a bomb at home, uncertain when it might explode.

Fortunately, the status window hadn’t issued any warnings about Cha Sahyeon yet, but I couldn’t relax. The progress of the seed was linked to Cha Sahyeon’s emotions, and the worse his mood, the higher the likelihood the progress would increase.

‘He should be out of the bathroom…’

I hurriedly ran, imagining what Cha Sahyeon might be doing.

Would he be sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting for me like he did after the ranking match last time? The image of him sitting alone in the darkness with an expressionless face, devoid of any emotions, sent a shiver down my spine.

Unlike before, this time I couldn’t figure out how to soothe the situation since it was my fault, and I didn’t know how to make amends. If I failed to lighten the mood and ended up further angering him, it felt like things could really go downhill.

‘How can I appease him… How can I appease him…’

As I crossed the bustling shopping street, trying to return via the shortest route, an idea struck me.

“Huh?”

A somewhat familiar sign caught my eye.

‘Maybe that could work?’

As a way to appease him… It was worth a try, right?

I stopped on the street, pondered over what to do, and I quickly made a decision and headed toward the sign. If everything was going to fail anyway, it was better to at least give it a shot. I could only hope that our esteemed Calamity would show some mercy.

***

“Ahem.”

Standing in front of the office door upon my return, I cleared my throat needlessly. Cha Sahyeon’s presence felt palpable from behind the door.

I had to go in… But I just couldn’t bring myself to open the door. It was terrifying to think about what awkward reality might be waiting for me on the other side.

‘Maybe he destroyed all the furnishings?’

I imagined the furniture being shattered like a tornado had swept through, and I nodded to myself. If Cha Sahyeon’s anger only resulted in a few broken pieces of furniture, I’d be relieved.

“Phew…”

After mentally preparing for the worst-case scenarios, I finally mustered the courage to grab the doorknob. Well, maybe it was less about courage and more about resignation?

Why did I have to face this trial? I just wanted to give up and run away.

Swallowing back tears, I cautiously turned the doorknob and opened the door. Running away now seemed utterly cowardly.

“Um… Kid? I’m back… Huh?” I halted my greeting and gripped the handle of the paper bag tightly, unable to finish my sentence. “What… is this?”

Beyond the door was pitch-black darkness, nothing visible. Facing the darkness that filled the room like dense ink, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“This is…”

I couldn’t bring myself to step into the room, frozen in place.

Snap!

Something unknown within the room extended out like tentacles and swiftly wrapped around my ankle. The horrifically cold sensation creeping up my spine from my ankle sent shivers down my back.

“Gah, wait…!”

Before I could even detach the black tendrils, a strong force yanked my ankle, dragging me helplessly into the room without any resistance.