Chapter 51

“…”

Jun-sang’s mind became complicated. The black light of the Dark Seed that had suddenly become visible. And the quest information that appeared as if waiting, along with the message stating that the special mission activation conditions were met. A simple coincidence? No. From the moment the Dark Seed was forcibly retrieved, he had a strange feeling. He hadn’t expected that strange feeling to materialize in this way in the real world, but in the end, it could be seen as something that was already planned from the moment he recognized and acquired the Dark Seed.

But this could rather easily be understood and moved past as a simple cause and effect relationship. What was currently clouding Jun-sang’s mind was the problem before the acquisition of the Dark Seed.

“Hmm…”

The target of this quest was a human. To complete the quest, he had to smash that man’s head and take out the Dark Seed residing inside. If Jun-sang were a master of delicate surgery, especially a leading authority in brain surgery, there might be room for other methods… but the only option he could choose right now was the same method he had used on zombies and other monsters: smash the head and forcibly extract the Dark Seed from within.

This was clearly an act of murder. Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t bring himself to break a person’s head now. He had countless times in past quests broken the heads of those who were originally human or resembled humans and extracted seeds from within. These were things he had done to survive, but what was clear was that Jun-sang had already become accustomed to the task itself. The problem was precisely that. The fact that the act of breaking a person’s head had become too familiar was the problem.

“…”

Could it be that the one who had dragged him into the inescapable snare of quests had wanted exactly that? Wasn’t it possible that they needed an existence that would break a person’s head as a matter of course and unhesitatingly commit the act of extracting the seed? And once that was achieved, did they go through the process of making the Dark Seed, the target, recognizable through the act of a quest, thus revealing the real target before his eyes? No, wasn’t it even possible that the very act of recklessly leaving Seoul and heading east was under the manipulation of some unknown force!

“Hoo…”

Jun-sang’s head began to throb. Starting from the moment he regained consciousness on the cliff, up to the recent quest, all the things he had experienced under the name of quests began to churn chaotically in his head. One of the thoughts that rushed through his mind suddenly tempted Jun-sang’s heart. What if he just refused this quest? Although it was being condemned with the words “evil dark seed,” the man and woman currently before Jun-sang looked like nothing more than lovers who had secretly taken time to visit the beach. Moreover, there were no coercive elements in the quest itself. He wouldn’t die if he didn’t kill them. There wouldn’t be a penalty for not completing the quest within a time limit… there were no such mandatory clauses.

In the spaces to which he was transferred for quests, he could simply rationalize everything as just a game and thoughtlessly follow instructions. That was because that was the way to get out of there, and if he succeeded, he would get good rewards, and with good rewards, he would become stronger, and being stronger increased his chances of survival. For Jun-sang, whose top priority was immediate survival, this was an undeniable justification, no matter what others thought.

But this was reality. In reality, was it okay to kill someone unrelated to him under the guise of a quest, using the same kind of logic? Should he continue to blindly follow the instructions of the quest, not knowing why, just like he had done so far?

Jun-sang now watched the man who had come up from the beach and was walking on the road. On the interface, a yellow flag was already fluttering above the man’s head. This flag was a standard for comparing the abilities of the user equipped with the interface and the enemy through the Insight ability. Jun-sang’s Insight ability was currently at level 1. At level 1 Insight, enemy and self abilities were compared through simple colors like this, with yellow implying that the enemy’s ability was equal to or similar to his own.

Another thought arose in Jun-sang’s mind as he watched the man from afar and followed behind him. It was about how that man had obtained the Dark Seed. The simplest guess was that he had obtained it from a quest, just like Jun-sang, and then immediately used it on himself, but upon careful consideration, that seemed unlikely. To use a seed, one first had to identify it. Of course, it was possible to use it without identifying it, but in the first place, it was questionable whether the Dark Seed could even be equipped to an item or card, and if it had been used in such a way, it wouldn’t have settled inside the man’s head like that.

There was another question. It was the yellow flag above the man’s head. It wasn’t a boast, but Jun-sang knew that he was currently among the strongest of all returnees. He could tell from the difficulty of the quests he had undertaken. If others had also obtained strength comparable to Jun-sang, quests with corresponding difficulty should have appeared, but there had been no such signs so far. Of course, it wasn’t entirely impossible. If others had also desperately given their all in quests like Jun-sang, it was possible that someone with similar abilities could have emerged. However, looking at the man smiling and walking along the beach with his lover, that also seemed unlikely. Where in that appearance was there any sign of anxiety about when the next quest would arrive via his phone?

No, this wasn’t entirely impossible either. If the woman was also a returnee, perhaps it was possible. If they were in a party together, they might be enjoying this moment with the intention of staying together whether they lived or died. However, the interface displayed in Jun-sang’s vision showed the woman with a white flag. A white flag meant an ordinary person whose power wasn’t even worth comparing. Could he, knowing what he knew, smile and enjoy himself so carelessly with a lover who knew nothing? No, even this wasn’t entirely impossible. They might be playing the role of a happy couple to extend their uncertain relationship even a little longer.

Jun-sang clutched his throbbing head and continued to follow the two. As they walked along the road that stretched along the coast, the gloomy clouds that had hung overhead disappeared, and bright sunlight began to illuminate the surroundings. The two walked a little further, then suddenly began to move towards a nearby small wooded hill.

“…”

Jun-sang quietly opened his mouth.

“Open Gentle Breeze.”

Then, a slightly warm breeze, different from the still blowing sea breeze, surrounded Jun-sang’s body. It was the same wind, but it felt pleasant and comfortable, unlike the sticky and unpleasant sea breeze due to the saltiness. Jun-sang, thinking he should have summoned it sooner if he had known, commanded Gentle Breeze.

“Follow them carefully.”

Then, although its form was invisible to the eye, a stream of wind following the two was indicated on the interface. Although the quest marker was displayed on the minimap, he prepared a safety measure in case they strayed out of range. Jun-sang kept a reasonable distance, gauging the quest marker on the minimap and the position of Gentle Breeze as he moved.

The man stopped moving when he entered a somewhat secluded windbreak. Jun-sang cautiously recalled Gentle Breeze and approached the location of the two. As Jun-sang gradually closed the distance, he suddenly heard the rough breathing sounds of the two.

“Huff… Huff…”

“Umm…”

Jun-sang approached a position where he could see them and muttered in a small voice.

“Open Stealth.”

Then, Jun-sang’s figure blended into the surrounding windbreak, concealing his presence. The two were breathing heavily, completely engrossed in caressing each other for a long time. Jun-sang frowned and was about to turn away when, at that moment…

“Ugh!”

The woman, who had been breathing heavily, suddenly made a muffled sound as if someone had covered her mouth.

“…”

Turning his gaze back, Jun-sang saw the woman’s eyes, wide with terror. What on earth was the woman so afraid of? But there was no need to wonder. The man’s changed appearance soon became visible even from Jun-sang’s position.

“This is…”

The handsome man’s head split in two, and sharp teeth reminiscent of a shark’s filled the gap. The woman couldn’t bear to look at the gruesome sight and fainted. Just as the monster-transformed man was about to devour the woman’s head, Jun-sang burst out like a cannonball.

-Kreeek?

It was almost a perfect surprise attack, but the monster lightly leaped backward, evading Jun-sang’s Shoulder Charge. Jun-sang first checked the woman’s condition and, confirming she was unharmed, took out his knuckles from his inventory and put them on. Seeing that appearance, the complicated thoughts that had been entangled in his mind melted away cleanly, like spring snow in the warm sunlight. If the opponent was a monster that was no longer human, if the opponent was a monster trying to eat people! Jun-sang had no more reason to hesitate.

The man, his unexpected meal interrupted, returned his split head to normal and said, “Who are you?”

To that, Jun-sang replied, “Bloodlord.”

The moment that word left Jun-sang’s mouth, the card slots emptied, and new cards were equipped.

Frenzy (R),

Bloodbath (R),

Bloodbath (R),

Bloodbath (SR).

With these four cards equipped, the combo card ‘Yanthunsen’s Bloodlord’ made its first appearance in this world.

“Bloodlord? What’s that…”

The man frowned and said that, but Jun-sang had no intention of conversing further. Why bother talking when he had good fists? Jun-sang lowered his body with his arms tucked at his sides and rushed towards the man. Then, with a short shout, the man transformed his body.

WHOOSH!

The cotton pants that covered the man’s lower body swelled up, then tore apart, revealing thick legs reminiscent of a dark red reptile. No sooner had the transformation of his body finished than the man lifted his legs, now thick as logs, lowered his stance, and kicked at Jun-sang as he charged.

“…”

But Jun-sang abruptly twisted his body, dodging the leg that flew in with tremendous air pressure, and slammed into the man’s buttocks, which were exposed due to the kick. He didn’t have time to equip the Shoulder Charge card, but with this much power, he should be able to knock away an opponent who had one leg raised. However, upon hitting the man’s buttocks, Jun-sang felt as if he had collided with a solid stone wall and was instead bounced back.

“…”

Jun-sang frowned, and the man wore a triumphant expression.

“Hmph.”

The man, smirking disdainfully, seemed to briefly stop breathing, then returned his legs to normal and this time transformed one arm. The arm, now as long as an adult man’s height and as thick as a large log, was very similar to that of the Chimera Twins Jun-sang had defeated before. The man swung his enlarged arm around, then lashed it at Jun-sang. The punch crushed the air in front and flew directly towards Jun-sang, but Jun-sang ducked, easily dodging it, and then leaped into the man’s chest, activating Twin Strike.

THWACK! THWACK!

“Cough!”

The Twin Strike, which shot out in an instant and struck both sides of his ribs, made the man stagger backward. But the moment Jun-sang reached out again for a follow-up attack, the man’s chest split open, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, and it bit down hard on Jun-sang’s arm.

“Kugh!”

Jun-sang felt terrible pain and had to watch as his arm was severed.