HVG Ch 8

Episode 8

“Why is everyone backing off?”

Unlike the time when they started with 50,000 people, now, three months later, the number of Awakened has dwindled to 40,000.

Some might say, “Still, that’s a lot who made it,” but in just three months, over 10,000 had died.

It was by no means a small sacrifice.

As malicious as the system was, there were a few rules in place. Thanks to those, the Awakened had managed to scrape together some limited information about the Administrator.

First, the Administrator, who referred to itself as “Seonak,” only appeared during official events like the “Monster Wave.”

Second, when it did appear, a broadcast window became active, visible to the entire world. However, it wasn’t interactive. It merely created a one-way channel where the “outside” could watch what was happening in here.

Third, these “events” were likely simultaneous disasters faced by other Awakened on other islands, meaning not just Korea, China, and Japan, but also continents like Europe, the Middle East, and South America.

Fourth, the Administrator could raise the “Tutorial” level based on the Awakened’s response capabilities.

“Fall back!”

Following someone’s shout, mist gushed out all at once from the roots of the Tree of Good and Evil. Haewon, who had been carefully watching the fog, cautiously retreated, widening the distance.

<Foresight LV.6>

He activated his forward-vision skill. At first, he couldn’t even tell what he was looking at; it was just too massive.

But as the enormous body moved with a lurching gait and tore through the fog, Haewon stood frozen in disbelief for a moment before quickly bolting away.

It’s… way bigger than I thought?!

Beside him, Kim Il-hong was running for dear life, matching Haewon step for step. Haewon, who had never seen Kim Il-hong run this fast before, looked dumbfounded.

“Hey, hey! You’re a combat type, for f*ck’s sake! Why the hell are you running?! Go deal with that thing! It’s too damn big!”

“It looks huge to me too, alright?! I don’t care, just get inside the fortress! Now’s not the time for a broadcast. And why the hell are you so fast? I thought you didn’t put any stat points into speed!”

“You’ve got skills, so why wouldn’t I?! I have the ultimate skill called ‘Lucky Roulette!’ It grants a one-time ability tailored to crisis situations! They suddenly said humans could have superpowers, and now I’ve got a 70% speed buff? Heh, this too is thanks to my luck.”  

“What the hell are you even saying?!”

【 Oh? Something strange has appeared! But don’t be scared! Starting from <LV.3>, sudden quests like this one will start popping up! What does that mean? Scary things are going to jump out without any warning! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ Yes, for your sake, <LV.3-1> has been prepared with something relatively easy! 】

【 The first to reach <LV.3>: the Koreans! Team up and smash its head in! A 1,000P reward goes to the first person to kill “Ureksa”! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Oh yeah! 】

If points are involved, it’s possible.

While everyone else was focused on escaping, Haewon turned his body around and braced the rifle on his shoulder.

<Mana Shot LV.7>

Tatatatatata—!

From the muzzle, light sputtered like a gas burner before a scarlet flame burst forth.

Bang!

The heavy mana bullet struck the giant monster’s shin. As it staggered and dropped to its knees, another shot hit its other leg.

But it wasn’t the only monster. There were three in total. The moment Haewon spotted a dark shadow looming behind the creature that had collapsed, he spat out a string of curses.

You bastards… You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?

He was just about to load a wide-area round and start chanting his skill when suddenly, Kim Il-hong shouted from behind.

“Hyung!”

A slash of pitch-black sword energy cut past Haewon’s cheek.

BOOM—!

The vertical arc of energy traveled several meters and struck the monster, detonating in a massive explosion.

Startled, Haewon whipped around.

A group—three, no, four people—was walking across the battlefield.

One of them yawned with an open mouth, looking bored. Another shaded their eyes with a hand as if searching for something interesting in the distance.

Among them, one person locked eyes with Haewon and began approaching.

Beneath the cold, expressionless face, his white dress shirt was neatly buttoned, giving him a strangely composed appearance.

It was Beom Ryeohan.

Beneath his rolled-up sleeves, well-defined muscles traced firm lines along his arms.

“Look at you. Squirming around again.”

His flat, indifferent gaze swept over Haewon from head to toe beneath jet-black hair.

Irritated by the unwelcome scrutiny, Haewon responded with equal coldness.

“There are plenty of zones to manage. What are you doing here, Sunbae? If you came to get in the way, I won’t let it slide today.”

“Getting cocky now. And what if I don’t leave you alone?”

“……”

He hadn’t really thought that far, but if Beom Ryeohan tried to interfere, Haewon was willing to retaliate.

So then, what would you call this?

“…H-head chop?”

Pfft.

Someone behind Beom Ryeohan clamped a hand over their mouth, trying not to laugh.

“Hyung, Geumtteok’s stuttering is killing me. ‘Head chop’? Seriously? That’s just cutting off the head, man. Damn, I’m crying.”

“……”

I can hear you, you know.

As his hastily named technique became a joke, Haewon’s ears burned red, and he averted his gaze.

“Getting tired of fooling around, and now you’re threatening to kill your hyung too?”

“I never said I’d kill you. And even if I did go for a headshot, you wouldn’t die, Sunbae.”

“How do you know whether I’d die or not?”

“I just know.”

“So, how do you know?”

Beom Ryeohan grinned as he pressed for an answer.

For some reason, Haewon’s heart pounded.

One wrong word and it could be his head flying off instead.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, fidgeting for a moment, then finally lifted his chin and answered.

“If you don’t believe me, I can start with your carotid artery as a demonstration—”

“Planning your funeral now, are you? Seo Haewon.”

He was about to demonstrate by striking at the neck muscle, but his sentence was cut short.

Beom Ryeohan slightly furrowed his brows and let out a dry laugh.

Haewon instinctively clasped his hands behind his back, like a soldier standing at attention.

“Come here.”

“…Why?”

“I said come here.”

He crooked a finger, motioning Haewon to come closer.

Haewon hesitated for a moment, then unclasped his hands behind his back and approached.

As soon as he did, a hand shot out.

Startled, Haewon instinctively jerked his head to the side, bracing to get hit.

However, the outstretched hand was faster.

“Wha—ugh! What are you—ah!”

“What am I doing? I’m scolding you. I let it slide ’cause you’re cute, but seriously. What the hell is supposed to be cute about this?”

His cheek was pinched by a large, pincer-like hand, and it hurt like hell. Haewon quickly scanned the surroundings.

At some point, everyone had cleared out, leaving the area completely deserted.

What the… did everyone run away?

“Seo Haewon. What were you doing, squirming around out here all by yourself?”

“W-wait… Ow! Let go! That hurts!”

“It’s supposed to hurt, that’s why I’m pinching you. And now you’ve got the nerve to talk back.”

How am I supposed to stay quiet when it hurts?!

Haewon tried prying Beom Ryeohan’s arm off, but it didn’t budge an inch.

He even kicked the man’s shin a few times out of desperation, but Beom Ryeohan didn’t seem fazed at all.

Ironically, it was Jo Seolhyeok, the guy who’d been lazily standing behind them yawning, who ended up saving Haewon.

“What the hell are you doing? The kid’s gonna die, you bastard. You tore through a guild like a madman, and now you’re acting all calm?”

At the sarcastic remark, Beom Ryeohan let go of Haewon’s cheek, which had been stretched and pinched mercilessly.

Seizing the opportunity, Haewon quickly stepped back and rubbed his abused cheek over and over.

“It’s been a while since Shijosae ate some dirt. Your skull’s still empty, huh?”

“Yeah, screw off. I’m still smarter than you.”

Despite being grown adults, the two began kicking dirt at each other. It was ridiculously childish, but no one around them tried to stop it. In fact, they doubled over laughing.

Beom Ryeohan and Jo Seolhyeok even flung dirt at the bystanders who were laughing too hard. Then Beom Ryeohan turned back to Haewon.

“Oh, right. On my way here, I dropped by the fortress. Seo Kangyeol’s still the same. Bleeding his little brother dry as usual.”

“Wait, hold on—Sunbae. You didn’t say anything weird to my hyung, did you?”

“Weird?”

Beom Ryeohan approached, dragging his sword along the ground, and tilted his head as he came to stand in front of Haewon.

His jet-black eyes gleamed under the light and then twisted into something unsettling.

“You think I’m talking nonsense, Hubae? He’s working his little brother like a dog while someone else is stuffing his face. That’s what sounds weird to you?”

The glare from above, with furrowed brows, seemed to ask if he was stupid. His already chilling expression, paired with a closed mouth, looked downright terrifying. Haewon glanced at Beom Ryeohan’s ever-shifting face and swallowed dryly. Still, he had to say what needed to be said.

“You keep saying crazy stuff, Sunbae, so…”

“Want me to pinch your cheek again? I was being gentle just now.”

“…I’m sorry. It’s just… Sunbae always treats everything Hyung says like nonsense, so I end up getting defensive…”

So maybe consider your history before blaming me…

Either way, Haewon had done nothing wrong.

It was all his fault—constantly picking fights with Seo Kangyeol, prowling into every corner of Seonak Island with that sinfully seductive face of his, and acting like some damn war demon.

“This kid still hasn’t come to his senses.”

“So, uh… What exactly did you say to him? Did you call him a lunatic or something? That’s like, my hyung’s rage trigger, you know?”

Seo Kangyeol rarely left the guild, but when it became absolutely necessary to collaborate with other guilds, he would come out for negotiations.

Haewon had occasionally heard that he’d run into Beom Ryeohan during those times, and it was almost always Beom Ryeohan who started the fights.

“What trigger? His face didn’t even twitch.”

Oh god, so he really did say it.

Well, considering the way things used to be, his brother wouldn’t have been in an environment where anyone would call him a lunatic. But ever since coming here, Beom Ryeohan’s been cursing him out so thoroughly, even in full three-part verses^[1].  

Every time Seo Kangyeol stepped out of the guild, Beom Ryeohan would appear out of nowhere like a ghost to pick a fight. Haewon was starting to suspect that this was the reason his brother barely left the guild anymore.

“Everyone knows Seo Kangyeol is insane. How come our Haewon is the only one who doesn’t know that?”

People call you a mad dog too, Sunbae…

Haewon didn’t dare say it out loud and just stood there with a sulky expression.

“Look at this. Is it Red Cloud Guild’s policy to send one member alone into a Monster Wave? Seriously? That’s how you’re ranked #1?”

“Well, I mean… If you look over there, Kim Il-hong’s here too. So technically, I’m not alone.”

Haewon answered obediently, but as he kept speaking, he started wondering why he was explaining himself in such detail. 

His brow furrowed slightly, and he clenched his hand in frustration.

Then suddenly, an unpleasant memory surfaced. It was something he’d buried for a long time.

The last time he saw Beom Ryeohan was a night two years ago. Even now, Haewon clearly remembered what Beom Ryeohan had said. He didn’t know what expression he’d had at the time, but he did remember suddenly jumping up and running out of there.

He thought things would feel awkward when they met again, but that was a huge misjudgment. Awkward? Yeah, right.

“Why’d you stop talking? Keep going.”

“…It’s just… I was going to head to the guild too, but things turned out like this, so I couldn’t.”

“That’s a problem. Because of me, right?”

“…Not really.”

“No, it’s my fault. So join my guild. If I’m the reason, I should at least take responsibility.”

“…?”

Why was the conversation suddenly heading in that direction?

Beom Ryeohan stepped a little closer and raised his hand.

Haewon flinched, thinking he was about to pinch his cheek again, but instead, Beom Ryeohan gently rubbed the reddened cheek with the back of his hand.

“Seriously, how hard did I even pinch you for it to swell like this?” he muttered, clicking his tongue over Haewon’s head.

“I told you to think about joining my guild, remember? Did you forget?”

“I… didn’t forget. But, Sunbae.”

The answer was already decided.

Haewon glanced around.

When the Wave had first begun, the area had been crowded with people, but now that the level had increased, most had retreated to the fortress to regroup. The place was practically deserted.  

“I need to earn points. I don’t have time for this.”

The guild fortress had long-range combatants stationed within, so it was effectively safer.

At the same time, it also meant this was the perfect moment to rack up a massive amount of points.