Chapter 167: A Bitter Ending
"Did you arrange a flight again? I thought you'd use a boat." Karina smiled at Seo-woon's words. "Of course not. This plane will land at an unofficial, private airport in Japan. The local agents will take over from there."
When Ki-chan heard Karina's words, he looked at her and asked. "Aren't you coming with us this time?"
"Yes. I'm quite well-known in Japan." After saying that, she looked at Seo-woon and added, "Please be careful. Japan still holds a grudge against you, Jin Seo-woon."
"Don't worry about that. More importantly, cleanup..."
"Leave it to our government. Even if there's any harm done to the public, we'll take responsibility."
"No such thing will happen." No matter how much ill-feeling he harbored towards Japan, he had no intention of harming ordinary people. This was true even if they were the ones who first provoked it. So, Seo-woon and his team boarded the plane and took off.
The moment they arrived in Japan, an agent came out to greet them. He had a bright smile. Once they got in the car, the agent began reporting the situation. "We've dispatched agents to the area near your target and confirmed the presence of five Sergeant Guild members. We believe there's a very high probability that Kim Chi-sang is residing there."
"Sergeant Guild? Is that the name of Kim Chi-sang's guild?" The agent nodded in response to Seo-woon's question. "Yes, exactly. It's currently the third largest guild in Asia in terms of size. It's said to have over 800 guild members, including over 400 players. If you include members from other worlds, the number goes up even more."
"They've gathered quite a few people." Seo-woon nodded in agreement with Ki-chan's words. "They must have seized all the infrastructure in Korea. Have you confirmed Kim Chi-sang's whereabouts?"
"No, not yet." Juriell frowned at his words. "If we provoke them, they might go into hiding, and then we'd be in real trouble."
"You're right. It wouldn't be wise to reveal ourselves without definitive information." Lilingwei agreed.
"Don't worry. We'll know for sure if she's there when we get closer." When he pointed at his left eye with his index finger, the two women finally understood what he meant. In the quiet neighborhood, a tall building immediately stood out.
"That's that building."
"There's no one around. It's crawling with skilled fighters. There must be at least 100 of them." Seo-woon nodded, agreeing with Ki-chan's assessment of the building. His senses also detected a considerable number of people inside.
When he closed his right eye and focused on his left, the agent watching him in the rearview mirror had to swallow hard. He saw his eyes turn red. Even among Swedish agents, most of the information about Jin Seo-woon was shrouded in secrecy. Especially not much was known about his abilities.
In fact, players who had fought against him knew him better than anyone. Seo-woon's sharp eyes scanned the building's ground floor from beginning to end. He moved towards the upper floors. Finally, he spotted a familiar face on the middle floor. He was giving the players instructions.
"There it is. The 13th floor." At Seo-woon's words, Ki-chan, Juriell, and Lilingwei nodded and exited the vehicle. "Just a minute. If you go in like this..." When Seo-woon also exited the vehicle, the agent following him spoke.
"Don't worry and wait here. It won't take long." The agent couldn't say anything else to stop Seo-woon. His actions were completely different from what he'd expected. Thinking they'd find the center and wait for the enemy's weakest moment, the agent blankly watched the four people entering the building.
Staring blankly at the building the four people had entered, the agent suddenly snapped out of his daze. He saw flames gushing from the second-floor windows. They were accompanied by a surge of mana. All the windows on the second floor had been shattered. Flames gushed out, reminiscent of a massive explosion.
People nearby began to rush out, screaming for help. Everyone's attention was focused on the building. Seeing this, the agent quickly called for help and climbed into the vehicle.
"Is… is anyone still standing?" Ki-chan said, but the people scattered around him seemed unable to respond. Having knocked out a dozen people, including the man who had cursed him, with a single spell, Juriell headed straight for the elevator.
"Let's go up now. Ki-chan controls the entrance and exit on the ground floor." Ki-chan sighed, returning to the ground floor. The group boarded the elevator and went up. When the door opened on the 13th floor, as expected, dozens of players were blocking the way.
"Where's Kim Chi-sang?" Instead of an answer, Seo-woon's question was met with a stream of prepared spells. "Fuzzy Setig Will." Even as a barrage of spells rained down on him, Juriell remained calm. She spoke ass he raised her staff.
In an instant, a silvery-white steel wall rose from the ground. It blocked all spells. The magic circle etched into the wall glowed brighter with each spell, yet it blocked all attacks without breaking. Instantly absorbing all attacks, the wall collapsed a moment later. The players' eyes widened.
It was clear that two of the three people in the elevator had disappeared except for one magician. "I ask again. Where is Kim Chi-sang?" The players gathered around the elevator turned in surprise. They heard the voice coming from behind them.
Standing there, glaring at them, stood Seo-woon. He released five streams of energy from his fingertips. "Kill him!" A panicked man shouted and lunged at Seo-woon, but suddenly collapsed, clutching his chest. Many other players, trying to move quickly, also collapsed, gasping for air.
"His name is 'Admiral.' The higher you bet, the faster you'll be poisoned. A poison that makes your heart beat faster. It will continue until it finally explodes and kills you… If this keeps up, I can guarantee everyone will be dead within 30 minutes."
When the players heard a woman's voice and looked up, they saw a woman sitting upside down on the ceiling. She was capping a small bottle and placing it on her chest. It was the woman who had disappeared into the elevator with Seo-woon.
"If you value your life so much that you would trade it for Kim Chi-sang's loyalty, I won't force you. I'll be nearby." After finishing her words, as Seo-woon turned to look for Kim Chi-sang, a woman cried out. She was clutching her chest.
"Oh, he's gone to the penthouse!" Hearing his words, another man nodded and spoke up. "He ran up as soon as he saw me on the ground floor security camera footage! I told you so…" The man, clutching his chest tightly, watched Lilingwei hanging from the ceiling. His voice trailed off as he pleaded for an antidote.
"The antidote isn't strong enough to kill you. If you rest properly today without exerting yourself too much, the poison will dissipate. You should be stable by tomorrow. But if you push yourself or use your inner energy… your heart may explode. If you don't believe me, you can try."
Lilingwei landed next to Seo-woon. After saying these words, she boarded the elevator with Juriell and Seo-woon. They ascended back up to the building's rooftop. The thirty or so players, instantly neutralized, looked utterly devastated.
"Is that the difference between us and Crown?" Someone muttered in disbelief, but no one else responded. In fact, they had gathered in a narrow space without even the slightest precaution against the poison. They paid no attention to Lilingwei, focusing solely on Seo-woon and Juriell. It was as if they were deliberately jumping into the poison.
Inside the ascending elevator, Lilingwei shook her head. "Their levels are dire." "They're obviously just using it to replenish their guild membership."
– Clang!
As soon as Seo-woon replied, the elevator shuddered to a halt. A moment later, Seo-woon's keen senses detected a powerful surge of mana coming from above. It was followed by intense heat and flying flames.
– Kwaaang! – Kwaaang!
The elevator, its cables severed by the explosion of flames, plummeted to the ground with a resounding crash. The entire building shook slightly. "Send more…" Kim Chi-sang couldn't finish his command to the wizards. They were staring at the dust rising from below.
The two wizards, their staffs clutched, ready to cast more spells, collapsed like broken dolls. They fell in front of the narrow elevator entrance.
– Crack! Finally, the twisted elevator ceiling appeared from the forced-open elevator door frame. It flew straight toward Kim Chi-sang.
– Swish! Kim Chi-sang quickly drew his sword and split the ceiling in two. When he stepped back, Seo-woon and the two women came into view. "Long time no see." Kim Chi-sang's brows furrowed as he saw Seo-woon greet him casually, like an old friend.
"You found me." Kim Chi-sang looked around, surprised by Seo-woon's arrival so quickly.
However, he was relieved to have managed to gather three debuff victims and his main force in the penthouse. Looking at the over 50 hurriedly gathered guild members, Kim Chi-sang pursed his lips.
"As always, you're still hiding behind numbers. If you're planning to use teleportation again, don't bother. From now on, anyone who picks up a scroll will die.
If you help him and show any intent to attack, you'll either die or be left with a permanent disability that you'll have to live with for the rest of your life. If you surrender quietly, I promise I won't harm you."
Seo-woon had finished speaking, but no one showed any intention of surrendering. Looking at the players gathered nearby, he saw Kim Chi-sang make a gesture with his eyes. At the same moment, just as Seo-woon was about to draw out his power and move, a shocking sight caught his eye.
"Aaaaaaaahhh!"
"Cough! Cough… Cough…"
"Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!"
One man rolled on the ground, screaming in flames. Another clutched his throat, tearing his skin until his carotid artery severed. His intestines became a bloodbath as he died. The last man writhed in agony, vomiting bright red metal from his stomach; something that shouldn't have been there.
Distracted by this bizarre scene, Seo-woon saw black energy shooting towards him from the bodies of the three dead men. He quickly moved to escape. However, no matter how many afterimages he created or how many clones he summoned, he couldn't stop the three energies from reaching him.
– Ding! You have received a curse that will cost you your life. (All stats will be reduced by 30% for 30 minutes.)
– Ding! You have received a curse that will cost you your life. (Gravity will increase to 10 times normal for 30 minutes.)
– Ding! You have been cursed with the curse of sacrificing your life. (Your defense will be halved for 30 minutes.)
Seo-woon's eyes widened as he felt his body grow heavy and his strength drain. The defense drop and stat reduction weren't serious enough to cause serious concern. This was especially true since his opponent was Kim Chi-sang and his makeshift team. However, the 10x gravity weakening was enough to make him frown.
Withstanding 10Gs of pressure in real time was a significant challenge. It was difficult even for Seo-woon, who was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. Frowning under the pressure of gravity, which was completely different from the sudden increase in body weight, Seo-woon raised his head. He glared at Kim Chi-sang.
"If I didn't have bones as hard as diamonds, I would have suffered serious fractures." Feeling like his feet were about to burst from the pressure of the blood rushing into his legs, Seo-woon forced himself to breathe. He used his internal energy to circulate his blood.
As his heart began to beat faster than normal to move the blood, he naturally felt tension building in his heart.
"The rest… I leave it to you." Seo-woon glared at Kim Chi-sang. After telling Juriell and Lilingwei this, he tensed his body and lunged at Kim Chi-sang. At that moment, the three women rushed forward, heading towards ground level.
Seo-woon, who was rushing to slit Kim Chi-sang's throat, felt his dantian being restricted.
– Ding! You've entered Jinjejin. Your internal energy will decrease by 50% while in this area. (Your internal energy will return to normal when you exit the area.) "How prepared you were!"
With that, he tried to escape the enveloping area. But Kim Chi-sang drew his sword and charged forward. "I can't let you go that easily!"
– Knock, knock! Despite clashing with his powerful energy, the sword didn't seem like an ordinary weapon. Kim Chi-sang didn't engage in a lengthy sword fight with Seo-woon. He attempted to wear him down with hit-and-run tactics.
Seo-woon's brows furrowed, struggling to hold on with only his internal strength due to the gravity weakening. In his current state, it was impossible to defeat this man's slow movements. The man who had been draining Seo-woon's strength for some time now pulled out the yellow Metis sealing stone from his subspace. Seo-woon's eyes flashed.
The moment the creature, certain it couldn't outrun Seo-woon in this realm, lifted the sealing stone, a whip appeared in Seo-woon's hand. It hadn't been there before. As the whip extended outward, Kim Chi-sang, about to activate the Metis sealing stone, felt a grip on his waist. He realized, albeit belatedly, that he had been caught in Seo-woon's whip.
"What?" Before he could break free from the whip, Seo-woon approached him. He instantly pulled him towards her. Kim Chi-sang panicked, his precious arms falling to the ground.
– Knock! Not a single drop of blood flowed from the clean cut on his shoulders.
"Aaaaah!" Kim Chi-sang screamed in agony after losing his arms. The mental pain seemed greater than the physical. His dark pupils were dilated, trembling rapidly. "Ah. You placed it in your right arm. Why do all of you who use this item place the absorption stone in your arms? Is it impossible to place it somewhere else?"
Seo-woon picked up his fallen arm, rolled up his sleeve, and spoke while crushing the absorption stone. "No, no…"
"I prepared a lot, but did you know so little about me? You're not the only one who has various items. In fact, I'm in the top five in Cloud for the amount of money. Didn't you have any items you could use in dangerous situations?"
Seo-woon's words didn't quite reach Kim Chi-sang's ears. This wasn't just because one of his ears had been cut off by Seo-woon. He still hadn't gotten over the shock of losing both his arms. "Alright… Let's see what you do."
When Seo-woon took a step towards Kim Chi-sang, he took a large step back. "Please, forgive me…"
"Let's see what you do." Seo-woon's answer caused Kim Chi-sang's mind, which had slowed down, to speed up again. He was convinced there might be a way for him to survive.
"This arm. I'm not sure, but there's almost no bleeding and the cut is very clean. If we operate quickly, it can be reattached. With the help of a healer, there might be almost no side effects." "What do you want? If you do that, I'll give you everything."
At Kim Chi-sang's words, Seo-woon lifted Kim Chi-sang's right arm into the air. "There must be some pretty valuable items in this area. I hope you take them all out." The players' expressions froze as they saw Seo-woon speak. He glanced at the dying players around.
"Take it out! Take it all out! Take everything out, you bastards!" Kim Chi-sang shouted wildly, half-lost in his mind. "How are you going to take it out? You don't have an arm..."
As Seo-woon finished, a player knelt in front of him. He pressed his forehead against the ring in his pocket, and items began falling out around him, one by one.
"Oh?! I didn't know it could be used that way... How did you know?"
"...I figured it out when I was scouting players in Korea back then. My spatial ring is completely empty right now." Seo-woon nodded, seeing the countless items and gold bars scattered around Kim Chi-sang. "You've accumulated quite a bit."
"Now give me back my arms…"
– Hang! Before he could finish his sentence, his head fell to the ground. This time, there wasn't any bleeding like when his arm was cut off. Blood was gushing from where his arms were cut off and from his neck.
Seo-woon left Kim Chi-sang's body on the ground. He gathered up the blood-soaked items. The eyes of the surviving players around Seo-woon were filled with fear as they saw him. "Who is the highest-ranking after this man?" At Seo-woon's words, everyone's gaze turned to one man.
The man lying on the ground, wearing expensive-looking armor, quickly crawled towards Seo-woon. "If you tell me the truth, I'll spare you."
Instead of responding to Seo-woon's words, the man nodded. His eyes betrayed his uneasy mood. Since he had lied once before and caused Kim Chi-sang's death, it was only natural that he would hesitate to trust Seo-woon.
"I know you don't believe me, but this is real. This is your only chance of survival." The man shook his head fervently once more. While not a criminal, not many people in real life could take someone's life so easily. The thought of risking his life against a man who seemed so at ease after committing murder hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Who devised this plan? It must have been the Japanese government, right?" "It was planned and executed using the Japanese government's infrastructure, but it was all Representative Kim… Kim Chi-sang's work."
"There's no way the Japanese government wasn't even the slightest bit involved…"
As he was interrupted, Seo-woon released five streams of energy. The man told him everything that had happened, without leaving out a single detail. "…That's all."
"Really? Didn't you take the credit? Clever. Damn bastards." After saying that, Seo-woon looked at Juriell, who was preparing a Flame Explosion. He also looked at Lilingwei, who had a vision of his family blackened in his hands, and nodded.
– Puuuuh! Kvaaang! – Kyaaaah!
The agent, watching from the ground of a high-rise building's rooftop, squeezed his eyes shut once more. He saw the rooftop explode into flames. However, the players' painful screams still pierced his ears from the open door.