Chapter 143
Are You Really That Good at Fighting? (1)
***
Poongwol Clan.
A clan that was personally established by one of South Korea’s legends and held considerable influence in Gyeongsangnam-do.
As a representative clan, they possessed astonishing power, wealth, and fame.
With that power, they diligently worked to maintain public order.
Ever since the Poongwol Clan began to involve themselves in law enforcement, criminals in Gyeongsangnam-do were too busy watching their surroundings, wary of every move.
They feared the members of the Poongwol Clan more than they did the police or any association.
In reality, the Poongwol Clan was the group that defended Gyeongsangnam-do from both monsters and criminals.
But now…
“Isn’t time so heartless?”
“Ugh, haah, huu.”
“It’s kind of strange for me to say this since I’m the one who beat you down, but honestly, you were kind of a disappointment? If I had known it would be like this, I should have handled it by myself~.”
“Cough.”
Goo Hwan-hyung, once the representative of the Poongwol Clan and a legendary hero, could only taste bitter defeat as he spit out blood.
The girl with ashen hair mocked him with a giggle, but there was nothing he could do.
After all, he had lost.
Not only that, but the other clan members were also scattered around, unconscious like discarded trash.
There wasn’t anyone who could save him now. No one.
“Wow, they sure seem busy dealing with that monster.”
Yoo Dahee peered out, looking toward a certain direction.
In the middle of the city, a rampaging monster was wreaking havoc.
It was a giant-shaped monster, spewing blazing flames as if it intended to burn everything in the world.
The giant was toppling human civilization like playthings.
“Aaaargh!”
“F-fire! No… no!”
“Get the healers…!”
“Shit! Evacuate the civilians quickly!”
“Urgh! Waaaaargh!”
Each time the giant breathed fire and swung its hands or stomped its feet, the screams of people echoed like an orchestra.
Civilians, police, and even heroes—all were engulfed by the flames and incinerated into nothing but ashes.
The sheer overwhelming dominance of the giant.
It was a level of strength nearly unseen before.
“Hmm~. It might actually be stronger than the Ouroboros I summoned last time.”
The name of the giant was Surtr.
Originally, it was meant to appear as a raid boss known as the Embodiment of Fire.
However, with the original timeline twisted, the Embodiment of Fire had appeared in the absence of the protagonist and was laying waste to Gyeongsangnam-do.
“Do you think your clan members or those people can stop that monster? Aren’t you curious?”
Most of Poongwol Clan’s members had been deployed to fight the Fire Giant.
Thanks to that, the clan’s main base had been significantly weakened.
Goo Hwan-hyung, as the leader of one of the strongest clans, couldn’t move recklessly and, due to his old age, had stayed behind to manage rear support.
However, when Yoo Dahee and her group attacked, they caught him and others at the base completely off guard.
Even though there was a relatively strong defense in place just in case something like this happened, it proved entirely inadequate to fend off Yoo Dahee and her crew.
“Everyone’s so distracted. They don’t even realize they’ve lost contact with their base~. Well, I suppose they would be too busy to notice.”
“You… ugh, ugh, cough.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Why… why are you doing something like this…? You have so much power, so much talent… why…?”
Yoo Dahee was far too powerful for her age.
Her talent, ability, and strength were utterly beyond conventional understanding.
Had she used her power for the right cause, she could have achieved anything—wealth, fame, honor, all could have been hers.
Then why was she wasting her talent by setting people ablaze?
Why, indeed…
“Hmm? Ahaha. What is it with everyone asking the same question? I’m starting to get bored of answering it.”
Yoo Dahee giggled, shrugging her shoulders.
She had heard this question more times than she’d care to count.
At this point, it was just tedious.
She was beyond tired of it.
“You know what, though? If I’m going to answer again…”
Yoo Dahee spun around slowly, raising her hand slightly against the backdrop of the fiery city.
“I just want to watch the world burn.”
“You…”
At Yoo Dahee’s insane response, Goo Hwan-hyung ground his teeth, but then, all of a sudden, Yoo Dahee cracked a playful grin, as if joking.
“Ah, just kidding, just kidding.”
She waved her hand dismissively, whispering as though sharing a secret.
“The truth is, I want to show people that this era—the age built by heroes—has come to an end.”
“Why?”
“Well…”
Yoo Dahee smiled brightly.
“Because I hate heroes.”
In that moment, Goo Hwan-hyung understood.
Despite her persistent laughter and carefree behavior, Yoo Dahee’s hatred for heroes was absolutely genuine.
“Roooaaaarrrrr!”
At that moment, a roaring sound exploded in the air, forcing its way into the ears of both Yoo Dahee’s group and Goo Hwan-hyung alike.
Turning her head to look, Yoo Dahee saw the sight of the Fire Giant collapsing powerlessly.
“Raoooorrrghhh?! Raaaaaarghhh!”
The raging flames that had been burning so intensely were now dying down, and the giant was rolling on the filthy ground, spraying blood.
Boom!
A tremor, like a massive earthquake, echoed through the air.
For a moment, it felt like the Poongwol Clan’s building was going to shake apart.
Kicking up thick clouds of dust, the giant writhed for a few moments, its chest heaving, before finally dropping its head.
A brief, eerie silence followed.
It seemed the Embodiment of Fire… was dead.
“Woooooaaaah!”
“Shit, it finally died. Damn monster.”
“Ugh… My arm…”
“Get the injured! Tend to them!”
“Goddamn, I thought today was my last day alive.”
Police, mercenaries, and heroes who had joined forces finally succeeded in defeating the powerful monster.
People hugged each other in elation.
There were those weeping as they looked at the bodies of those who had died, and others groaning in pain from serious injuries, but everyone was celebrating the giant’s death.
Even from where she stood, Yoo Dahee could hear the cheers of the crowd.
“Victory against an overwhelming evil by uniting together… quite the moving sight.”
Though it appeared the situation had resulted in significant casualties, Yoo Dahee was slightly impressed at the way people had never given up and ultimately brought down the Embodiment of Fire.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected them to defeat the giant before reinforcements arrived from other regions.
But somehow, they had managed to do it in such a short amount of time.
Impressive. Really.
You have to give credit where credit’s due.
They were remarkable people.
“But you know what?”
Yoo Dahee’s lips curled into a slight sneer as she looked at the people cheering in front of her.
“I hate sights like that.”
The sound of their laughter, the cheers, the looks of joy on their faces… she truly despised it.
“So I guess I’ll have to show them.”
She swiftly turned her head around.
In front of her was Goo Hwan-hyung, who had no strength left to resist.
“Show them that the age they did not want is already upon them.”
“W-wait…”
Before he could finish, Yoo Dahee approached him, tightly gripping his throat with her small hand.
“Kuh… kuh?!”
“I need to make it perfectly clear: the age of glory has already ended for good.”
And a few days later…
A suspicious package was discovered at the Gyeongsangnam-do provincial office.
It was a mysterious parcel with no tracking number or any other markings.
Who could have brought it in?
Fearing it might be some kind of explosive, people cautiously opened it, and the few people who saw what was inside fainted on the spot.
Because inside the package…
Was the well-preserved, carefully packaged head of the missing Goo Hwan-hyung, the pride of Gyeongsangnam-do.
***
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Lee Siwoon dropped his sword.
The steel training sword spun in the air and crashed to the ground.
The thud echoed throughout the sparring room, and Lee Siwoon gently rubbed his wrist, letting out a small sigh.
He hadn’t expected to lose like this.
Since he’d begun his rigorous sword training from early summer until now, he thought there were only a handful of people his age who could stand up to him.
At most, maybe Jin Soyeon, Yoo Dahee, Baek Yoorin, or Kang Daehan?
But now, he had to add one more person to that list.
Even the great swordsman himself had expressed his admiration for Lee Siwoon’s abilities, calling him on par with an upper-tier hero.
He even suggested that Lee Siwoon might one day rival the monster that was Baek Yoorin.
Yet here he was, suffering a sudden and humiliating defeat to an unexpected opponent.
Lee Siwoon’s face showed a hint of frustration.
Although he wanted to continue the fight, he had already dropped his sword. There was no way to counter now.
He couldn’t imagine holding out against his opponent without a weapon, let alone winning.
That was how much more skilled this boy was than him.
“…I lost.”
“Hmm.”
The boy, who was standing with his sword pointed at Lee Siwoon, nodded at his surrender and then lowered his sword.
He seemed somewhat surprised by the outcome.
Of course, he had expected to win against Lee Siwoon, but actually being victorious felt a bit surreal.
It was natural since Lee Siwoon was originally an insurmountable obstacle.
Even though it had merely been sparring, defeating the main character of this world left him feeling a mix of excitement and disbelief.
‘…This ability is really absurd.’
Lee Jinhyuk clenched his fist subtly as he pondered.
Over the past few weeks, he had conducted numerous experiments to understand the nature of his power, and he had finally come to a realization.
The ability he possessed was utterly ridiculous.
In short, as long as certain conditions were met, he could grow endlessly powerful; conversely, if those conditions weren’t met, he would be endlessly weak.
The potential was astronomically high, but so were the risks.
‘If this ability is ever revealed, it would be completely useless…’
His ability was borderline worthless if anyone else found out about it.
It had immense potential but carried a hefty risk.
He didn’t know the limits of his power yet, but theoretically, it was possible for him to become stronger than anyone else.
At least, in theory.
“For you to have been hiding this kind of skill all this time… I fought you during the midterms, but even then, you must’ve held back…”
“Sorry about that.”
“And during the evaluation too, when the Black-Handed Long-Armed Monkey suddenly weakened… that was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. Something like that.”
Thanks to apple juice, of course.
– Clap, clap, clap.
Yoo Seolhyun, who had been watching the sparring quietly, clapped her hands with a wide grin as she approached them.
She had the look of someone who had thoroughly enjoyed the show.
“Haha. You really did manage to beat Lee Siwoon, didn’t you? Well, considering your true identity, I guess the result was inevitable.”
“…..”
Lee Jinhyuk scratched his cheek, silently.
Having lied to Yoo Seolhyun about his so-called hidden identity, she was now thoroughly convinced of it.
Normally, most people would have dismissed it as nonsensical talk, but Yoo Seolhyun had taken a great interest in what Lee Jinhyuk was supposedly hiding.
Thanks to that, it had been much easier to deceive her.
Besides, it wasn’t just words—he had shown her directly.
Who he really was.
“Hidden identity?”
“Oh, come on, Jinhyuk. You still haven’t told him? You promised you would.”
At Lee Siwoon’s puzzled expression, Yoo Seolhyun chuckled softly.
“It might be hard to believe, but Jinhyuk… well, he’s actually that person.”
“Which person?”
“You know, the one who was pretty infamous a few years ago, the one they called the ‘Butcher of Villains.’”
“…The Butcher of Villains? No way.”
“Yeah.”
Yoo Seolhyun nodded.
“Vigilante. Jinhyuk was Vigilante.”
Lee Siwoon’s eyes widened slightly in shock as he looked at Lee Jinhyuk anew.
Vigilante was a somewhat famous dark hero, wasn’t he?
And now you’re telling me that Vigilante is actually Lee Jinhyuk?
Then does that mean he’s been active since middle school? At that age, with that level of skill…?
Well, considering people like Yoo Dahee, Baek Yoorin, and Jin Soyeon, it might not be entirely impossible.
So, did he focus on his studies during the day and act as Vigilante by night? Hmm.
The more he thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.
“…”
All Lee Jinhyuk could do was smile bitterly in silence.
Of course, he wasn’t Vigilante.
Back then, he was too busy staying up late studying to pull off anything like Vigilante’s nightly activities.
But still, he had to lie about being Vigilante.
Why?
Because claiming to be Vigilante was highly useful in deploying his ability to its maximum potential.
Though the lie did carry some inherent risks of being discovered.
But wasn’t Vigilante already dead?
And Lee Jinhyuk had long since secured one of Vigilante’s remaining relics—the sword and its sheath.
Thanks to that, the lie that he was actually Vigilante had become much easier to pull off.
Sure, if someone examined the timeline and activities of Vigilante, they might be able to pinpoint contradictions. But so what?
Vigilante had always been a shadowy figure, someone who moved in secrecy.
Even if there were some discrepancies, Lee Jinhyuk could always claim he was just a copycat.
There were plenty of imitators who had committed similar crimes while inspired by Vigilante.
End of Chapter