Chapter 46: Chapter 38: Trap (2)

A/N: I can update? Amazing.

  Without another option, we turned around and walked down the path of the subway in silence.

Beside me, Jung Youngho yawned in boredom. He looked unconcerned with whatever was happening, and more laid-back than usual.

"Why are you so relaxed?" I couldn't help but ask, unable to reconcile the temper-flaring Jung Youngho to the one walking beside me now.

"Whatever will be, will be. You're the boss for now anyway." Jung Youngho gave a whimsical reply and returned to picking his ear, resembling a lazy lion.

It didn't seem like I would be getting any other response out of him.

But by any chance, was he annoyed to be ordered around? I mean, he didn't seem to like it when I had done so in the past. Was his response now some sort of new coping mechanism?

Although I wasn't used to the current Jung Youngho who wasn't shouting, or complaining, I couldn't figure out what had changed about him, so I decided to drop my speculation.

Up ahead, very suspicious people appeared in my vision.

And when I mean suspicious, I meant really shady.

It was a group of four men and one girl.

However, they were sporting numbers on their body like it was some sort of Bl**ch show, and coupled with their outfits and overall aura, I was questioning what they were doing near Chungmuro station.

I tensed and put up my guard, but in this area of the subway, there weren't any hiding spots.

Just as I was about to ask Jung Youngho to pull out his cloak of invisibility, the group had noticed us.

"Who are you guys?" The woman with the number '2' on her cheek asked me disdainfully. The flute in her hand caught my attention.

I had a feeling it was some sort of item, but I couldn't match it up with any of the ones in my memory at the moment.

"There's no need to ask, 2. Let's get rid of them." A raspy voice came from the person wrapped in a cloak with the number '4' sewn on it.

At this, I narrowed my eyes.

"How about we kill the dude and take the girl?" A middle-aged man sporting a pot-belly boisterously laughed, the number '7' displaying on his shoulder.

 Before action could be taken, the central figure among them spoke.

"2, 4, 7, quiet down. They're someone I asked for."

I could instantly tell that the person in the dark cloak and didn't have any visible numbers was the leader of the group.

So they must be...

"You're here to fulfill your side of the deal." It was a certain statement. The dark cloaked figure nodded toward me, though their face was covered by some sort of power from the cloak.

I knew it.

"Sure." I answered.

"Well, come over then." They waved their hands in a beckoning gesture.

Jung Youngho gave an annoyed expression at this provocation, but didn't say anything.

As we approached, one of them couldn't resist opening their mouths.

"Huh? So this is the rumored Tyrant King? He doesn't look like anything special to me." The man with the number '7' on his shoulder scanned Jung Youngho up and down.

"It's not 'Tyrant King'." Jung Youngho crossed his arms and gave the man an assessing gaze as well.

"Oh? Then what?" Number '7' challenged arrogantly.

I could tell this whole group was looking down on us.

"It's the 'legendary magic king'." Jung Youngho looked at them equally disdainfully.

There was a moment of stunned looks that appeared on each of the apostle's faces, before breaking into hooting laughter.

The person in the dark cloak was unmoved, however, and stepped past their laughing members to reach me.

In their hand was another cloak.

I eyed it, a little suspicious of what it was.

"No need to look at it like that. It's a disguise, so put it on."

Everything was getting even more shady.

Without taking the cloak, I looked at them, trying to see the person's eyes past the cloak as I questioned,

"And what are you planning?"

"You'll find out." Finding it tiring to hold the cloak in their hand, they flung it at me, and I caught it before it could cover me.

Holding the cloak in my hand, I had three options. To cooperate and go along with their plan, attack them, or leave.

Gripping the cloak tightly until it creased, I took a slow breath and relaxed my hand.

"Hey, no cloak for him?" I called to the dark cloaked figure and gestured to Jung Youngho.

"None." The dark cloaked figure answered as they walked away, not turning to look back.

Following the departing group with Jung Youngho in tow, the number '2' girl began to blow a crappy tune into the flute they held in their hand.

I straightened out the cloak with disguising abilities that I had put on and frowned, not sure what effect the flute was going to have.

[Item: Cloak of Deceit]

Rating: C

- It has no physical enhancing abilities or defense. It only has one ability, which is to disguise the user's identity.

+

"What are you doing?" I questioned in an attempt to poke out more information.

The girl with the number '2' on her cheek smiled deviously, "Just a little surprise."

I just stared at her with wariness, but didn't do anything.

"Stop asking so many questions." The person with '4' sewn on the cloak stopped me.

I was about to reply to that, but then realized something was wrong when I felt the ground beneath me shake.

What was going on?

It sounded like the stampede of creatures, and the occasional blasts and strong shockwaves that came periodically seemed to be from something akin to cannon.

The sounds and tremors of battle became more apparent as we got closer and closer to Chungmuro Station.

The corpses of ground rats with holes blasted through them piled up around the floor, but as if not heeding the signs of death, more ground rats rushed over their dead brethren.

What is-

"As expected, Hamelin's flute is not enough?" The girl with the number '2' expressed with little emotion.

"How can the 9th grade species compare to a place eaten by Yoo Junghyuk?" Number '4' chuckled.

As we walked out of the tunnel, I looked up and was greeted to the sight of turrets being mounted in the station.

And behind them was a middle-aged man.

There was only one person in this station with those trademarks.

"Dammit...quickly call the samurai girl!" Gong Pildu, one of the future ten evils, clenched his teeth.

Just as I was absorbing the situation, the voice of my companion I worked with in the hidden scenario pronounced coldly,

"I am already here. And don't call me samurai, if you don't want to get beaten up."

I was about to shout her name, when the dark cloaked figure took the chance of my lapse in attention to push me into the middle of the chaos.

"Go on and attack them, boss!" The dark cloaked figure, or that person's avatar, shouted at me.

What?

"Huh? But I wanted to -" Number '7' began his sentence, but stopped when he looked at the avatar.

Lee Jihye's attention turned to me, studying her future opponent warily.

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In that split moment, I felt our eyes meet, and there was a conclusive determination in her gaze that unnerved me.

"So you're the ringleader of this attack? Fine by me!" Lee Jihye gave her battle cry and sprung into action immediately, followed by the support of Gong Pildu's turrets.

You're jumping to conclusions already?!

The air split from the strikes of her sword, each movement pivoted with optimization of every muscle in Lee Jihye's body.

I would stop to admire it, if it weren't for the fact that she was hacking at me.

"W-Wait! Lee Jihye, it's me!" I tried to communicate, dodging the attacks filled with deadly intent.

It didn't seem to work.

"How do you know my name? Did you plan this attack beforehand?" Lee Jihye's expression hardened and her attacks increased in ferocity.

It didn't help that the avatar on the sidelines was adding fuel to the fire as they led the charge onto the platform of Chungmuro Station.

"Charge! Our boss demands the capture of Chungmuro station!" The avatar's voice projected loud and clear through the chaos.

"No! I'm being set up! Lee Jihye, believe me!" I grew flustered.

"You're wearing a cloak that I can't see through and you've got the number '1' written on it. Besides, they're all following your command. If you aren't suspicious, then what?" Lee Jihye growled.

No wonder that avatar wanted me to wear that cloak -

Quickly reacting, I attempted to undo the knots on the cloak with my agility, but then there was another interruption.

"I'm here to support, Jihye!"

Na Bori!

[Stigma, "Inspiration lv. 5" has activated!]

[Constellation, Lily Blooming in Aquarius, is cheering for her incarnation.]

A white and pure halo spun from behind Na Bori, along with an unfurling lily in her hair that shone brightly in the subway, capturing everyone's attention.

Instantly, I felt more pressured. Lee Jihye and Gong Pildu's attacks had sped up, shortening the duration in which they moved, as if they didn't need to think.

I had felt Na Bori's buff once, even if it was a long time ago, so I could tell.

It was a buff that increased and shortened thought process outputs, such as reaction speed, but it wasn't as powerful as it was now.

 Now, it seems it could even increase skill proficiency.

As Gong Pildu's control over the turrets increased, precisely predicting and sealing various movement routes, I felt it harder to doge, along with Lee Jihye's pincer attack coordinating along with the turrets better than she did seconds ago.

As I narrowly slid past a cut from Jihye's sword, Gong Pildu's magic bullets from the turrets he could spare were instantly hot on my trail, forcing me to have no time to catch my breath, much less take off my cloak.

Twisting my body into an awkward position, sweat was dripping from my forehead in rare physical exertion. My physique couldn't keep up with sustaining my agility.

Gong Pildu, Lee Jihye, and Na Bori far surpassed their novel versions of themselves in this current turn.

What should I do?

The longer this went on, the more I forced myself to move, would be the time I collapsed. Even now, my feet felt heavy whenever I stopped for even a fraction of a second.

But Na Bori and Lee Jihye's people from the station were dying before my eyes.

This was the complete opposite situation to the one that I wanted.

I never wanted to be their enemy.

"Jung Youngho! [Help me]!" I shouted through the commotion of battle as a last resort.

Jung Youngho, who had been passively defending, flew over the blows of the turrets with impressive footwork, just in time to block Lee Jihye's downward slash.

"Kuh!" Lee Jihye was pushed back by Jung Youngho's timely block, not expecting that much resistance behind Jung Youngho's own slash.

It was my chance.

Gathering all strength into my feet, I leapt through the mayhem with full speed.

Gong Pildu's turret blows fired a split second where I once was.

"What!" He exclaimed, unused to my new speed.

The first within my reach was the middle-aged man with a pot-belly, number '7'.

Sensing something approaching with incredible speed, he turned around, but it was already too late by then.

"Agh!" In a reaction toward pain, number '7's leg gave out as I pulled the dagger out swiftly.

He was quickly buried by the firing of turrets by Gong Pildu as I departed.

Advancing along, I reached number '2' quickly.

She had seen what happened to number '7', and controlled the ground rats with that flute to pounce at me and slow me down.

But I had the highest level of agility, even if I never had any skills to back it up.

As I passed the ground rats, I quickly pierced through the arm that was holding the flute.

She cried in pain as the flute dropped from her hand. Her arm trembled in pain as she applied pressure to the puncture wound, but she should have turned her attention to the ground rats she once used as guards around her.

Without looking to check her fate, I rushed to the next target, number '4'.

He was farther away from the other two, and wasn't prepared at all as I stabbed forward with my dagger.

Clutching his side, he staggered backward.

"What the f-" Number '4' couldn't even get a word out before being assaulted by the other station members waiting for this chance.

At last, I was about to rush over to chop the head off of that godd*mn avatar, but stiffened when I noticed what was in their hand.

This psycho-

[Mass Destruction Magic Bullet]

Contrary to all the other members they had brought along, the avatar was the most relaxed, watching the happenings around them.

The avatar grinned at me, and then proceeded to light up the bomb in their hand.

With an alarm screeching loudly across my body, my mind went blank, and my body moved.

Squeezing out the last possible speed my physique could sustain, I snatched the bomb midair that the avatar had carelessly tossed, and threw it out of the station as far away as possible.

A resounding BOOM! crackled in the distance, and then the delayed energy explosion slammed out aggressively.

Despite not being at the epicenter, we were still within range, and the blast covered all of us, regardless of enemy or ally.

Without any means to defend myself, I slammed into a wall and fell, immobile.

I wheezed and coughed, feeling a sickening sweetness rushing out of my throat. Blood leaked unsightly from my nose, ears and mouth, and my insides felt like they had been scrambled. My arms trembled as I tried to crawl upwards, but they gave out on me.

Even blinking was a chore, as an annoying ringing in my ears caused me unable to think straight, much less the swaying double-vision that were being fed to my sensors.

The shock was overcoming the pain at the moment.

I think I saw a pair of feet in-front of me next. Black boots.

My eyes looked upwards, but it was hard to see who the tall swaying figure was. A man with a black coat? 

I think they were saying something, but I couldn't hear anything.

Then something cold pierced my shoulder.

Did I scream? I felt like I might have.

Next, dull thuds rang out and the man backed away.

Another pair of feet came into vision, but this time, it seemed to be more protective.

My surroundings began to dim.

When I blinked, there were three pairs of feet around me.

But...I was...losing...consciousness...

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