Chapter 192

Baek Si-hoon was just about to reach out to Wi Ho-yeon.

Splat—

“What…?”

Baek Si-hoon instinctively brought his hand to the back of his neck, feeling a sharp sting.

What he found in his hand was a needle-thin dart.

‘…A dart?’

He couldn’t understand why a dart had been thrown at him.

“What the… hell…”

Thud.

His body went limp, forcing him to his knees.

‘Paralyzing poison…!’

With trembling movements, he turned his head and saw a woman.

“You… who…”

It was a woman he didn’t recognize.

“No need to know. More importantly, impressive.”

“Huh?”

The words weren’t directed at him. The woman was looking at Wi Ho-yeon.

“Damn it… why…”

His body was so weak he couldn’t even move his tongue properly.

Who was this woman, and why had she thrown a poisoned dart at him? It was all a mystery.

“You’ve done your part. Close your eyes now. I won’t kill you.”

He couldn’t understand what she meant by “done your part,” but regardless, his eyes were closing on their own.

In the end, Baek Si-hoon lost consciousness.

******

– Master, well done.

“How’s Wi Ho-yeon’s condition?”

Right now, Wi Ho-yeon’s safety was more important than capturing Baek Si-hoon.

‘I never thought she’d take on Gwi Chang herself…’

I was watching the group through the eyes of a shadow spirit.

Just in case there was any danger to the group, I needed to keep an eye on the situation.

I left coordinates to guide the group to the Execution Society and Gwi Chang, and it was fine up until Yoon Yeon and Wi Ho-yeon headed in Gwi Chang’s direction.

The problem was after that.

My goal was to get Yoon Yeon to confront Gwi Chang.

But for some reason, Wi Ho-yeon declared she’d take on Gwi Chang herself, which was a problem.

There was a clear difference in power between Gwi Chang and Wi Ho-yeon, so I couldn’t just sit back and relax.

‘At worst, he wouldn’t kill her, but you never know.’

I was confident Gwi Chang wouldn’t kill Wi Ho-yeon since he was interested in her, but there’s always a chance.

However, contrary to my worries, as I watched the battle unfold, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

‘Crazy… genius…’

I didn’t think I needed to explain. Gwi Chang’s reaction said it all.

In the end, Wi Ho-yeon lost to Gwi Chang, but it wasn’t because she was weak. Quite the opposite.

If the wound Wi Ho-yeon inflicted on Gwi Chang had been just a bit deeper, his life would’ve been in danger.

“Master, I’ll retrieve and take care of the two. What about Yoon Yeon?”

“Yoon Yeon will handle things on her own. Leave Wi Ho-yeon and Baek Si-hoon where they are. Oh, and retrieve the dart I threw.”

I wasn’t worried about Yoon Yeon at all. I’m sure by now she’s already twisted that masked guy’s neck.

– Leave Wi Ho-yeon as she is?

“Yeah. As long as her life isn’t in danger, leave her be. Yoon Yeon will probably take care of things and come back. If Wi Ho-yeon disappears too, it’ll look suspicious.”

Wi Ho-yeon will likely be taken care of by Yoon Yeon. As for Baek Si-hoon, he’s already knocked out, so the clan members just need to retrieve him.

– …I see.

“Now, the problem is Seo Yoo-ju…”

I had no idea how the Leader of the Execution Society would act.

“Ruska, just in case, stay near Seo Yoo-ju. I’ll join you soon.”

– Understood.

It’s about time for me to move as well.

******

Seo Yoo-ju and the rest of the group faced the outlaws controlled by the Execution Society.

But these weren’t even the executives of the Execution Society, just lowly outlaws under their command.

There was no way they could put up a proper fight.

“Agh!”

“I, I don’t know! Please…”

The outlaws who charged at Seo Yoo-ju were torn apart by her spear.

Few of them were left with intact limbs. Most were missing an arm or a leg, lying dead.

The outlaws were terrified by Seo Yoo-ju’s brutal hands.

“M-monster…”

Crunch—

The head of the man who called her a monster was pierced by the spear and disappeared.

“Crazy…!”

Seo Yoo-ju questioned the outlaws, who were missing limbs.

“Where is it.”

“I, I don’t know!”

As Seo Yoo-ju raised her spear to strike again, the outlaws cried out in desperation.

“We really don’t know! We haven’t heard anything! We didn’t even receive any orders!”

Whoosh—

“Gurgle…”

Even though the outlaws claimed they didn’t know, Seo Yoo-ju didn’t stop moving her spear.

“If you don’t know, you die.”

“Aaaah!”

Watching Seo Yoo-ju slaughter the outlaws, the Eternity Clan members couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Even though the opponents were outlaws, Seo Yoo-ju’s methods were excessively cruel.

It was proof of how mentally strained she was.

Just as Seo Yoo-ju was about to pierce the corpse of a dead outlaw again—

Tap.

Someone stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Seo Yoo-ju, that’s enough. No more…”

“…..”

Ha Yu-ri swallowed hard as she met Seo Yoo-ju’s gaze.

‘What’s with those eyes…’

It might sound ridiculous, but for a moment, Ha Yu-ri felt overwhelmed by Seo Yoo-ju’s eyes.

Even though they were both top-rankers, not all rankers are on the same level.

Deep down, Ha Yu-ri had convinced herself she couldn’t possibly be weaker than Seo Yoo-ju, but after seeing her aura and gaze, she had to retract that thought.

‘Is this… even possible?’

Even if their levels were similar, Ha Yu-ri had far more experience.

But Seo Yoo-ju’s gaze was not one that a less experienced player could have.

Her eyes were filled with killing intent. It wasn’t directed at Ha Yu-ri, but the thick, oppressive aura was unmistakable.

As Ha Yu-ri unconsciously swallowed hard, Seo Yoo-ju…



Fortunately, the spear was retrieved from the corpse.

“Let’s move again. At full speed…”

As Yoo Ju was speaking, she sensed a presence approaching her and her group.

Boom!

In an instant, the spot where Yoo Ju had been standing was now a crater, filled with dust and debris.

“Yoo Ju unnie!”

“Big sis!”

Once the thick dust settled, what appeared was a massive giant.

Fortunately, contrary to the worries of the Eternity Clan members, Yoo Ju had already dodged the giant’s attack.

Yoo Ju’s eyes widened as she looked at the giant.

“…You.”

Seeing Yoo Ju’s reaction, the giant let out a gasp.

“You dodged that? Your reflexes are no joke.”

It was a decisive strike, meant to kill in one hit.

Yoo Ju didn’t respond to the man’s words. She just smiled chillingly as she looked at his face.

“Han Tae-geol.”

The giant flinched when Yoo Ju mentioned his name.

“…How do you know my name?”

The giant had no memory of meeting this woman, yet she seemed to know him.

“Where did Yoon Seong take him? And where is Woo Seo-heun?”

Ignoring Yoo Ju’s questions, veins popped on the giant’s forehead.

“You’re so arrogant…”

Seeing that the giant wasn’t going to answer, Yoo Ju turned to her group.

“Go ahead. I’ll handle this giant.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Just go. I’ll finish this quickly and catch up.”

Ha Yu-ri hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Though she was worried about leaving Yoo Ju alone since they didn’t know the opponent’s exact strength, for some reason, Ha Yu-ri didn’t feel like Yoo Ju would lose.

Yoo Ju’s gaze showed no sign of doubt about her victory.

As the group left under Ha Yu-ri’s direction, the giant facing Yoo Ju spoke.

“You’re so arrogant. Thinking you can take me on alone? A chick like you doesn’t know your place…”

“Where’s the other one?”

“…What?”

“The guy who always travels with you. He must be around here somewhere.”

At Yoo Ju’s words, the giant looked at her as if he’d seen a ghost.

And for good reason—there was indeed someone hiding nearby, just as Yoo Ju had said.

“You… who are you? How…”

“Tell the guy with the burn scar on his face to come out. I’ll kill both of you this time, just like last time.”

Yoo Ju clenched her teeth. In the first round, the Execution Society had been a constant nuisance, and naturally, she had clashed with them.

Not only had Yoon Seong died at their hands in the first round, but now, in this second round, they were targeting him again.

‘I have to kill them all.’

******

I had the chimera I attached to Wi Ho-yeon approach Yoo Ju.

Naturally, I could see Yoo Ju through the chimera’s eyes, and I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

‘Damn, she doesn’t seem normal.’

I had intended for this, but something about her eyes felt off.

The scene where Yoo Ju turned her head to stare at Ha Yu-ri gave me chills.

If I felt that way, Ha Yu-ri, who had exchanged glances with Yoo Ju directly, must have felt it even more.

‘But what’s this? Why did you bring Ha Yul?’

I had heard from Ha Yu-ri that they had gone to dungeons together a few times, but I never expected her to bring Ha Yul to a rescue mission.

As long as everything was under control, it wouldn’t be dangerous, but I felt like scolding Ha Yu-ri for her judgment.

Boom!

‘What the…’

Suddenly, a giant appeared, and the dust made it hard to see the situation.

Still, I wasn’t too worried. Yoo Ju wasn’t the type to fall for such an attack.

Sure enough, Yoo Ju effortlessly dodged the giant’s attack.

In fact, Yoo Ju was smiling eerily as she looked at the giant’s face. It sent chills down my spine.

“Han Tae-geol.”

Yoo Ju seemed to know the giant’s name. Knowing his name meant…

‘Did they meet in the first round?’

Moreover, even though I couldn’t see it, Yoo Ju seemed to know about the giant’s hidden companion.

The giant’s face was a mix of confusion and fear at the incomprehensible situation.

Yoo Ju kicked off the ground and thrust her spear at the giant with a terrifying force.

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

The giant blocked the spear with a guard, but he didn’t look like he was in good shape.

‘Damn… she’s too fast.’

From my perspective, it had been a long time since I’d seen Yoo Ju in combat.

Sure, I had seen her fight the White Devourer during the Swamp of Oblivion expedition, but I hadn’t witnessed her rescuing me.

At that time, Yoo Ju’s performance was beyond common sense, and I heard that’s why she rose to the ranker position.

‘Sigh…’

I had set up the stage to help Yoo Ju grow, but it felt pointless.

Seeing Yoo Ju relentlessly pressuring the giant, it was clear she didn’t feel threatened by him at all.

‘Damn, why is she so strong?’

At this rate, it would be hard to find an opponent who could match Yoo Ju’s level.

‘Our Yoo Ju noona is on a whole different level.’

The giant was still managing to block and dodge without getting injured, but seeing him drenched in sweat and barely holding on, it was only a matter of time before Yoo Ju won.

‘Damn it, why is she so strong…’

If Yoo Ju was this strong, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful a Transcendent Being would be.