Thud!
“Ahh!”
A heavy blow landed. The man’s face caved in, blood spurting out in a crimson spray.
He collapsed, twitching once or twice before going completely limp. Another user was dead.
Baek Hyung-sik calmly flexed his fist. To confirm the kill, he kicked the fallen man a couple of times, then glanced indifferently at the remaining users.
Only four were left now: Shin Jae-ryong, Ahn Hyun, Go Oh-hwan, and the female archer. From the original seven, nearly half had been wiped out.
Baek Hyung-sik’s dull, vacant eyes fixed on one man. His blurred gaze seemed to say, “You’re next.”
Shin Jae-ryong clenched his teeth tightly. A chill ran down his spine. It wasn’t just the monster’s physical strength that terrified him—it was the cold, emotionless way Baek Hyung-sik killed. Like it was nothing, like it was just natural.
Of course, expecting human emotions from a monster was foolish.
Once human, Baek Hyung-sik was no longer human. Though memories of his past life lingered in his mind, recalling them stirred no feeling. Because the Baek Hyung-sik before them was essentially a newborn infant.
Absorbed into the Father’s body and reborn as a mutant through the host, Baek Hyung-sik’s original personality was lost. In its place sat the monster’s persona, granted by the Father. The human Baek Hyung-sik no longer existed.
In other words, he wasn’t processing those memories as a human, but as a monster.
That’s why Baek Hyung-sik killed without hesitation. Having yet to experience growth or development as a monster, he was heavily influenced by the Father’s perspective on the users.
No matter the memories of his human past, Baek Hyung-sik saw the users only as food or hosts.
Moments later, Baek Hyung-sik moved with lightning speed. His body left afterimages as he charged straight at Shin Jae-ryong.
But Go Oh-hwan and Ahn Hyun didn’t stand idly by. Shin Jae-ryong’s desperate coordination had kept them alive so far. The priest had to be protected at all costs.
With that in mind, Go Oh-hwan summoned a surge of magic into his greatsword and stepped forward to intercept. He swung the blade, glowing with blue magic, down with all his might at the charging Baek Hyung-sik.
The attack was explosive, but Baek Hyung-sik dodged by spinning his body, closing the distance to land a punch.
Bang!
Crack, crunch!
Despite being just a fist, the impact sounded like a bomb going off. Luckily, Go Oh-hwan survived. The shield Shin Jae-ryong had cast absorbed the blow, preventing a fatal hit.
Still, it wasn’t a reason to celebrate. The battle had been repeating the same pattern for some time.
Shin Jae-ryong had been continuously casting holy spells since the fight began, but he could feel his magic waning. The protective spell had been conjured with the last reserves of his energy.
Startled, Go Oh-hwan hastily retreated. Just as Baek Hyung-sik lunged to pursue, Ahn Hyun suddenly appeared from behind. Since Go Oh-hwan’s attack, Ahn Hyun had quietly circled around, planning a powerful strike from Baek Hyung-sik’s blind spot.
Seizing the moment, Ahn Hyun aimed his spear at Baek Hyung-sik’s head with full force.
Shush-shush-shush!
Four spear strikes shot out from the tip, targeting Baek Hyung-sik’s skull. It was Ahn Hyun’s signature spear shooting technique.
At the same time, Ahn Hyun thought:
This guy is no pushover.
Judging from the battle so far, this attack will probably fail.
While Go Oh-hwan draws aggro, a follow-up combo is necessary.
Gripping his spear tightly, Ahn Hyun slid in with a second strike following the first.
But Baek Hyung-sik sensed the attack aimed at the back of his head.
For a moment, his cloudy eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
Pew pew pew pew!
All four spear strikes hit squarely. Baek Hyung-sik’s body naturally pitched forward. In that momentum, he threw a punch, driving it into Go Oh-hwan’s chest as he retreated.
Crack! Clang!
The fist shattered the barely holding shield mercilessly. Go Oh-hwan instinctively knew he couldn’t dodge. He gathered magic to block with his sword, but the punch deflected even that and slammed into his chest.
“Ugh!”
Blood gushed from Go Oh-hwan’s mouth as he groaned and staggered back. Baek Hyung-sik spun around, eyes on Ahn Hyun, who was raising his spear high.
He made no other move.
In other words, he was ready to take the hit.
Since Ahn Hyun had the initiative, his attack would land first, even if just by a fraction of a second.
But if that strike didn’t kill Baek Hyung-sik, the raised leg would immediately counterattack. No matter the defensive tools, considering Baek Hyung-sik’s destructive power so far, there was no room for complacency.
In fact, if the kick landed on the crown of the head, it could be Ahn Hyun who died instantly.
Still, Ahn Hyun trusted Shin Jae-ryong and chose to go through with it.
The spear slammed down with a fierce roar, slicing through the air.
The waiting foot descended diagonally toward Ahn Hyun.
And in the split second when Shin Jae-ryong aimed his staff at Ahn Hyun—
Bang!
Suddenly, a sharp gunshot echoed in Shin Jae-ryong’s ear.
One second.
In that single second, Shin Jae-ryong instinctively knew the shot was aimed at him.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
“— — —. — — —. — — —. Protect!”
But before he could even decide, he was already shouting.
At Ahn Hyun.
Thud!
He twisted his body quickly, but felt something like pellets strike his side. Clenching his teeth reflexively, Shin Jae-ryong steadied himself.
Bang! Bang!
Before he could recover, two more shots rang out.
The strike Ahn Hyun had hoped would be decisive had failed. Stunned, he stared at the cracked shield before him.
“Cough, cough! R-retreat! Hyun…!”
Shin Jae-ryong coughed violently but urged a fallback. Only then did Ahn Hyun snap out of it, quickly pulling back his spear. What was happening?
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
Before he could gather his thoughts, slow, mocking applause echoed. Ahn Hyun hesitated, turning his head toward the sound.
There, staggering but unhurried, was the grotesque figure of Joo Hyun-ho, his body looking like a rag soaked in filth.
“Impressive… truly admirable…” Joo Hyun-ho muttered in his usual slick tone, stopping beside Baek Hyung-sik. Slowly, he raised his hand, thumb and index finger extended, and wiggled them as if to say, “Look at this.” At the tip of his index finger glowed a cold orb surrounded by an icy light, radiating a chilling aura.
“Risking your own life to save a comrade… Is that what it means to be a priest?”
At that moment, Ahn Hyun couldn’t believe his ears. Risking his own life? Because he’s a priest?
“Don’t be swayed by his words! Don’t look back at me—focus only ahead!”
Ahn Hyun tried to turn, but Shin Jae-ryong’s shout stopped him. Though alive, an inexplicable unease washed over him.
Joo Hyun-ho smirked. He casually draped an arm over Baek Hyung-sik’s shoulder, leaning in slightly.
“So, how’s it feel facing Hyung-sik? A pretty useful guy, right?”
“…”
“Not just because he’s my friend—this guy’s really something. Well, that’s partly why I made him like this.”
“…”
“So, how do you feel now? The tables have turned completely.”
“…”
He asked and answered himself, tapping one foot in a clearly teasing tone.
But the users said nothing. Or rather, couldn’t. Because Joo Hyun-ho’s words were true. Even Go Oh-hwan lay on the ground, unwilling to get up. From seven at the start, only three remained.
“Oh, by the way, did you know? That archer girl ran off earlier.”
At those words, Ahn Hyun’s eyes widened like lanterns. Come to think of it, the arrow support had stopped at some point.
Half in disbelief, Ahn Hyun quickly scanned the area. But as Joo Hyun-ho said, there was no sign of the female archer anywhere. She had abandoned her comrades and fled.
Only Ahn Hyun and Shin Jae-ryong remained.
Realizing this, the unease Ahn Hyun felt exploded into overwhelming despair like a tidal wave. Unable to withstand the rising terror, he squeezed his eyes shut.
He had always been the one supporting Kim Soo-hyun.
But now, he had to step forward.
He had to take responsibility, defeat the enemies, and protect Shin Jae-ryong.
But for Ahn Hyun, accepting that reality was nearly impossible. No matter how hard he tried, he could barely handle one opponent—now there were two. Even if one looked battered and worn, just the newcomer alone was overwhelming.
He didn’t stand a chance.
No, at this rate, he was going to die.
The terror of death.
The helplessness of being unable to do anything.
And yet, the pitiful hope that maybe his brother would come to help.
What kind of martial artist was he, really?
What had he been thinking, trying to do anything at all?
The moment he thought that, a wave of crushing despair washed over him.
He knew he shouldn’t give in, but Ahn Hyun couldn’t help but lower his head. His vision blurred and clouded.
“You… don’t tell me you’re crying? Crying? Hehehe! What a pathetic loser! You should’ve said something earlier if that was the case… hehehehehe!”
Joo Hyun-ho laughed loudly. Shin Jae-ryong, meanwhile, wore a grave expression, seemingly at a loss for what to do.
After a round of chuckling, Joo Hyun-ho gave Baek Hyung-sik a light pat on the shoulder.
“Alright… let’s wrap this up. It’d be a real pain if that runaway woman comes back with reinforcements, huh?”
Then—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Baek Hyung-sik’s entire body was bathed in a brilliant light.
Startled, Joo Hyun-ho quickly stepped back.
“What the…?!”
Without any warning, this strange phenomenon unfolded. Ahn Hyun, who had been biting his lip tightly, slowly lifted his head—and saw the radiant glow spreading out.
The light wasn’t coming from just one place. From somewhere else, another cluster of light was illuminating the King’s Cave.
“Hey, hey! Hyung-sik! What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Just as Joo Hyun-ho grabbed Baek Hyung-sik, now engulfed in light—
“Krk!”
A raspy sound escaped, and bright energy began to swirl in his previously dull eyes.
“Kraaaaaaah!”
At that moment, a scream of agony burst forth like a waterfall.
Something was terribly wrong.
Joo Hyun-ho instinctively stepped back, his gaze darting toward Helena. But she was already lying on the ground, peacefully with her eyes closed.
So then, what on earth was happening to Baek Hyung-sik right now?