Chapter 30

Gravity and repulsion.

Push and pull forces.

Very simple, but powerful forces.

Because the ability is simple, its versatility is also excellent.

With gravity, you can pull the opponent in for a fatal strike, and with repulsion, you can push the enemy away to block their approach.

Just that alone makes my ability strong enough in this world.

Though compared to the real Quaker, it’s child’s play.

So—

“Interesting. I can see why you’re so bold without fear.”

Salmusa looked at me with an intrigued gaze.

Instead of answering, I clicked my tongue while looking at the giant man gripping my arm.

“You can hide it, right?”

“Of course. You need at least one hidden dagger to survive.”

The recoil when I pushed him was oddly heavy, so maybe his ability is to increase or decrease his own weight…?

In other words, he doesn’t get pushed back by my repulsion.

And that wasn’t good news for me.

It means my ability doesn’t work on him.

“The python wasn’t great at direct combat, so I could take him down with tricks, but these guys are different.”

“What’s different?”

“Hmm. Kangseok, blow off one of his arms. Seems like we need to teach him some manners.”

“Yes.”

“Did you search the office yet?”

Just because my arm was grabbed, just because I couldn’t push him away with my repulsion, does he think I’m powerless?

If that’s what he’s thinking, I’m genuinely disappointed.

“No point in bluffing—”

“Bluffing? What bluffing?”

I grab the wrist of the guy holding my wrist.

Kangseok’s eyes twitch at my action.

Yeah, you’re confused, right?

Why am I doing this when my ability doesn’t work?

But hey.

You’re not a physical enhancement user, are you?

And—since you’re touching me, you should realize you’re within the range of my ability.

I generate gravity.

At full power.

The target… is the big guy’s body.

The gravity generated from his body starts pulling objects in the room.

And there were plenty of things to pull in this office.

From tools to furniture.

The gravity I generated at full power starts slamming objects into his body.

“What the hell is this…”

So he’s not a physical enhancement user after all.

I rub my freed wrist and repel the hand of Salmusa’s subordinate aiming for the back of my head with repulsion. Then, I generate strong gravity around my body.

The bodies of the guys trying to surround me are pulled in.

And once again—

“Interesting.”

So he’s a body transformation user. Guess he doesn’t get pulled in by something like this.

I glance at Salmusa sitting motionless on the sofa and repel his lackeys.

They scream and tumble messily.

“Ugh…”

“I’ll have to charge you for the window repair.”

“You’re the one who broke it.”

“If you hadn’t barged in, it wouldn’t have broken in the first place.”

It’s not like I go around breaking windows for fun.

Finally, Salmusa adjusts his clothes and stands up.

“If you want to fight, why don’t you come at me yourself? Don’t send these small fries. Don’t you know about leading by example?”

These guys combined aren’t even half of what the Security Chief is.

How long are you going to keep posing?

“Aren’t you being too arrogant?”

“Oh? Isn’t that your thing?”

I deliberately provoke him, gauging his reaction.

His expression barely changes, but his gaze sharpens.

Seems like I’m really getting under his skin.

“You’re even more ill-mannered than I thought.”

“I’m not the type to show courtesy to enemies.”

We exchange glares, engaging in a battle of nerves.

Weapons.

I need a decent weapon to fight him.

His decades of experience using body transformation abilities to survive in the underworld are on a completely different level from these small fries.

At the very least, he’s stronger than the Security Chief.

In terms of ability strength and experience.

So…

“Salmusa. You ran away from Seoul, and now you want to get chased out of here too?”

“What?”

Opening!

I take advantage of his moment of distraction to create a repulsion field right in front of him.

His body naturally flies toward the wall.

I immediately dash toward the window, grab the upper frame, and launch myself upward.

Up.

Using gravity to stick to the wall, I spread my palm and generate gravity. The target is the glass shards. The fragments scattered below the broken window start gathering in my palm.

A high-level technique requiring simultaneous use of repulsion and gravity in one hand.

But it’s also something I’ve been practicing like crazy for the past few days.

The gathered glass shards take on the shape of a transparent sea urchin.

I’ll feed this to him.

A simple but difficult plan.

It’s not hard to land a hit when he’s distracted like now, but to make it count as a critical hit… that’s the hard part.

If I can land this properly, even a body transformation user would suffer a fatal wound.

But… that’s the hardest part.

“You damn brat!”

Salmusa, who had pulled out a bone knife from the palm of his hand, smashed the window frame and leaped out.

Bones popping out like that—is that what all body transformation abilities are like?

I marvel at Salmusa’s ability while sticking to the wall and looking at him as he spots me.

“How’s the surprise party?”

“You brat… I’ll make you spill where you learned that.”

“Can you make me talk?”

I run along the wall.

Thanks to gravity sticking my feet to the wall, this movement is possible.

A normal human can’t follow my movements.

Humans aren’t designed for three-dimensional movement.

But…

“Do you think you can escape from me with just that?”

“No.”

He blocks my path in a single leap.

The gap in physical abilities is bigger than I thought.

At this rate, I could end up as minced meat without even reacting.

Not to mention, with his body transformation ability, unexpected attacks could come at any time, making it even trickier.

If I were a normal ability user, my chances would be slim.

But I came out here because I thought I had a chance.

“I get that you’re angry, but hey, how much longer do you have?”

“You brat… how do you know that?”

“With an ability like that, the maintenance cost can’t be cheap.”

Even if it’s a superpower, it’s still something that exists in reality.

There’s no ability that can be used without any cost.

So, of course, he has to pay a price for using his ability.

“Then let’s play a game of tag.”

I push myself back with repulsion.

The distance widens instantly.

Salmusa’s body flies toward me at a speed comparable to a truck.

But that alone can’t match my instantaneous acceleration.

So…

“I’ll make you regret being born.”

His arm stretches. His arm, extended to an inhuman length, swings down in a sharp trajectory toward my head.

If it hits, my face would be torn off.

I have no intention of taking it quietly.

I change the direction of the repulsion pushing me back to the right.

Naturally, the twisted trajectory narrowly avoids his hand.

“You dodge like a rat.”

“Or maybe you just can’t aim?”

“…Do you enjoy provoking people?”

“With reactions like yours, it’d be rude not to.”

The sound of walls breaking echoes repeatedly. His arms and legs are smashing through the building walls as he moves, so it’s only natural.

I should probably stop fighting on the wall.

I retract the gravity from my feet and drop to the ground.

A sudden descent.

Naturally, his arm, having lost its target, slashes through the air.

I push myself back again to widen the distance.

The distance, which was less than 5 meters, is now about 20 meters.

I calmly assess the situation while spinning the clump of glass shards in my right hand.

He’s glaring at me, grinding his teeth.

The situation isn’t bad.

The fact that the battlefield has moved from indoors to outdoors increases my options.

From his perspective, if I just run away here, he’d be in big trouble.

Even if my office is on the outskirts, it’s still within the Crocodile Bird’s territory. If he messes with that and fails to deal with me, he won’t hear anything good.

Among the factions in the underworld, his voice would grow smaller.

Well, that’s better than dying here by my hand.

“Are you expecting someone from Crocodile Bird to come?”

“No.”

There’s no backup.

This is a remote area, and it’ll take time for anyone to get here.

So, I have to kill him using the objects around here.

From the clump of glass shards floating in my hand to the head-smashing rock in the corner of my vision, and a few iron balls.

Can I win?

No, I can win.

“Then let’s get serious.”

I’ll fill his mouth with glass shards!

I kick off the ground and charge at him.