Chapter 92

After the Kiss

A moment later, Heness pulled away from Jun-sang, her head bowed deep. She had desperately mustered the courage to steal a kiss, but even to herself, it felt incredibly bold.

“I’m… I’m not a loose woman, you know?” As soon as she said it, she wondered what on earth she was talking about. “No, what I mean is, it’s not that… I mean…” Jun-sang, who had been momentarily stunned, couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Heness’s flustered state after boldly taking his lips.

“Hmph.”

“D-don’t laugh.”

“Puhahaha…”

“I said don’t laugh!”

“Puhahahahah!” Heness, her face beet red, glared at Jun-sang, who was roaring with laughter.

“Geez… Don’t laugh…” But she had to stop speaking when Jun-sang suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around her. Heness looked bewildered for a moment at Jun-sang’s abrupt action, then startled as his voice whispered in her ear.

“Heness.”

“Yes!” At her answer, sharp as a new recruit’s, Jun-sang chuckled again and quietly whispered in her ear, “Don’t get hurt.” At his words, much gentler than before, Heness slowly raised her hands, wrapped them around his back, and replied, “Yes…”

They savored each other’s warmth for a moment, then reluctantly pulled apart as the wolves waiting outside began to bark in unison.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The three people, shivering by a bonfire outside, sprang to their feet when they suddenly heard the wolves barking.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Get up. Just in case.” The three quickly began to loosen their bodies, stiff from the cold wind blowing from the canyon. But before they could even fully limber up, black shadows appeared on the distant ridge.

“Don’t those guys ever sleep?”

“Tell me about it.” They grumbled, yet sharpened their senses and checked their equipment. Just then, the door of the container house opened, and the brown-haired girl and the scary man appeared. The two seemed to be talking about something, then the man suddenly vanished.

“Oh!”

“H-he disappeared?” They remembered him vanishing like a ghost when they first saw him, but as Jun-sang’s figure disappeared right before their eyes like an illusion, they couldn’t hide their astonishment again.

As the three whispered, blocking the bridge entrance, Heness tightly clenched her fists, watching the black shadows slowly approaching from beyond. Thanks to Jun-sang’s training and the regeneration rate of the Blood-Soaked Card or Berserker Combo, her physical abilities had rapidly increased. However, only a week ago, she was a young lady from a noble family who had never even imagined hitting someone with her small fists.

“Huuuufff…” Heness took a deep breath to calm her trembling heart. And she quietly glared at the approaching enemy in the distance. Just then, Jun-sang suddenly appeared in the middle of the enemy line, took out two iron balls from his inventory, and unleashed Dual Storm. A dozen or so monsters, cautiously approaching to attack the bridge, were utterly crushed by Jun-sang’s sudden ambush, without even a chance to resist.

“Oh?”

“Th-that…” The three, who had been guarding the bridge entrance nervously, were utterly dumbfounded. Something appeared in a flash, and then the monsters were just obliterated.

“What… what just happened?”

“W-well. It happened so fast.”

But whether they were having their bewildered conversation or not, Jun-sang unleashed Restrain, grabbing the neck of one monster he had deliberately left behind, then returned to Heness’s side via Phase Shift.

“Heness.”

“Yes.”

“Fight it.”

“…” Jun-sang said that, then threw the captured monster in front of her. The monster was momentarily stunned, then, released from the man’s hand who had instantly turned its comrades into bloody pulp, it scrambled to escape. But the wolves and spirits blocked its path. Realizing it was suddenly surrounded, the monster panicked. It quickly pulled out a crude dagger from its waist and threatened them, but none of the surrounding beings reacted. Except for one, Heness.

“Kyaaak!” The monster immediately understood from her appearance. The weakest among them was this human woman. Perhaps it could escape by taking this woman hostage. As that thought crossed its mind, the monster immediately shrieked and lunged at the human woman in front of it, Heness.

“Kyaak!” As the short monster lunged, lowering its stance even further, Heness flinched. But she soon remembered Jun-sang’s teachings and took her stance.

• The most important thing in defense is to block the opponent’s centerline.
• The centerline is the folded line that would form if you imagined folding your body in half. Of course, you’d die if you actually folded your body like that.
• Most vital weak points exist on the body’s centerline. The crown of the head, the glabella, the philtrum, the throat, the solar plexus, the Qihai (lower abdomen), and the perineum are such places.
• These vital points can cause respiratory or motor impairment if directly hit hard, and in severe cases, can be fatal, leading to instant death.
• The basic principle of combat is to protect your own centerline while overwhelming the opponent’s.
• Always raise your heels when entering combat. If your entire foot is flat on the ground, your reaction speed will be slower.
• Always keep three-quarters of your weight forward. If your center of gravity shifts backward, your defense might become solid, but your movement and changes in direction will be slow.
• Your eyes should be on the enemy’s eyes, but your vision should always encompass the enemy’s entire body.

Heness repeated each of those words to herself and took her stance. In Heness’s lowered stance, with both elbows tucked into her sides, she saw the dagger in the monster’s hand rapidly lunging towards her. Suddenly, a small voice escaped Heness’s lips.

“Idiot.” The monster, which had been ferociously thrusting its dagger, momentarily paused. Heness didn’t miss the opportunity, swaying from side to side as she charged at the monster. The monster was bewildered by the sudden sinking feeling in its chest. As the human woman rapidly closed the distance and charged, it frantically pulled back its dagger to defend itself. But just then, another word escaped Heness’s lips.

“Moron.” The monster felt its body freeze once again, and in that opening, Heness’s fist slammed into the monster’s abdomen.

“Gah!” Though slightly off the solar plexus, Heness’s small fist dug beneath the monster’s ribs. Unfortunately for the monster, that was where its liver and gallbladder were located. Heness tried to launch an additional attack on the monster, which was bending and retreating, but its cheek was cut by the dagger it wildly swung in desperation.

“Ugh!” Thanks to the regeneration effect of the Blood-Soaked Card, the wound quickly healed, but the chilling sensation of the blade grazing her skin made Heness, who was not yet accustomed to combat, hesitate. She belatedly realized she had missed a good opportunity, but the monster was already grimacing and regaining its stance.

Heness bit her lip. The monster now realized that Heness was far more formidable than it had thought and was focusing on defense rather than offense. With its weight shifted back and the dagger swinging from side to side, it was difficult for Heness, who was unarmed, to penetrate its guard again.

What should she do? The answer was surprisingly simple. Heness was unarmed. But that didn’t mean she had no weapon.

“Dung beetle.”

“K-kik?” At the whispered word, the monster flinched, and Heness, seizing the opportunity, kicked the outstretched dagger with her boot.

“Hick!” Joo Kwang-myung, who had been staring blankly, wondering what was happening, jumped in surprise as the dagger flew towards him. But at that moment, Heness, with both elbows tucked into her sides and a low stance, was rapidly approaching the disarmed monster. The monster, having lost its only weapon, frantically waved its hands in confusion, but before it could properly defend itself, Heness’s two fists rained down on its head repeatedly.

“Gah!” Realizing she had completely gained the initiative, another word escaped Heness’s lips.

“Berserker.” Then, the Foul-mouthed Granny cards she had previously equipped were removed, and Janthunsen’s Berserker Combo was equipped in their place. An additional 100% increase in attack power, and a 30% chance of inducing additional fear. Heness felt powerful energy surging through her body and swung her arm, slamming her elbow into the monster’s jaw. The monster, unable to withstand the powerful impact, its neck snapped, and it tumbled to the ground.

“Hoo… hoo…” Heness looked at Jun-sang, seeing the monster lying unconscious on the ground. As her gaze turned to him, Jun-sang calmly opened his mouth.

“Kill it.”

“…” Heness flinched slightly at his somewhat cold words. She had fought and won, but she realized that wasn’t the end. But her hesitation didn’t last long. Heness bit her lip tightly, approached the monster, and kicked its head with all her might. However, her strength wasn’t enough to kill the monster in one go. So, she had to attack repeatedly, two, three more times. Finally, due to the continuous blows, the monster’s skull was caved in and its neck broken, leading to its demise.

After she had completely finished off the monster, Jun-sang finally approached, pulled her head to his chest, and embraced her.

“Well done.”

“…” Heness didn’t answer. She just trembled faintly and wrapped her arms around Jun-sang’s waist. Jun-sang slowly took Heness, who was trembling with silent sobs throughout her body, into the container house.

The three people, who had been staring blankly from the bridge entrance, finally spoke.

“Somehow… I feel very excluded.”

“Because we’re props.”

“…”

Jun-sang entered the container house and said to Heness again, “Wash up and rest now.” But Heness shook her head, burying her face in Jun-sang’s chest. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, “I just… want to stay like this.”

“…” Jun-sang nodded and gently raised his hand to stroke her hair. Time passed silently, and soon the early morning hours gave way to dawn. The two, savoring each other’s warmth in the quiet container house, suddenly heard something scratching and gnawing at the door.

“…” Jun-sang and Heness looked at each other and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll open it.”

“Okay.” Heness, with a slightly regretful expression, released her arms from around Jun-sang and turned to open the door. A small something then darted in like an arrow and quickly jumped onto the unfolded table. It was none other than Mongmong. The little squirrel, Mongmong, sat on the table and shivered, as if cold. And then, as if protesting for being forgotten, it tapped the table with its front paws.

“Heh!” Jun-sang and Heness couldn’t help but laugh at Mongmong’s antics.