The One Who Saved the Sun
Sophia's eyes widened.
The axe was unmistakably falling toward her.
An axe that should have reached its destination any moment now, sending blood spraying into the air.
And yet, for some reason, it had stopped midair.
It hadn't stopped on its own.
From somewhere, an enormously thick iron chain had flown in.
That chain halted the axe's motion.
Before anyone could even grasp what was happening—
Clang!
With another screech of metal grinding, the owner of the axe vanished from view.
Sent flying through the air, the man crashed straight into the wall of the abandoned building.
The impact was so violent that the old wall shattered into pieces and collapsed.
And then, from beneath the rubble, he emerged.
Dragging an iron chain that scraped against the ground as he walked forward—a man.
Sophia and Olivia both froze, dumbfounded.
It was a familiar face.
Someone they never thought they would meet again, yet too recent an acquaintance to have forgotten.
A heavy silence fell over the abandoned building.
It was that unexpected an appearance.
For both the one who had been saved and those who had been interrupted.
'Yoo Jinhyeok.'
Sophia murmured the name of the man who had appeared.
He hadn't gotten off at Roje Station.
He had stayed on the train and headed for the next stop.
That was certain—so how was he here?
"Th-This bastard!"
"Who sent you?!"
The ones who broke the silence were the group chasing Sophia.
Classes specialized in close combat kicked off the ground, drawing out their abilities.
Those unsuited for combat pulled firearms from their clothing and aimed them at Jinhyeok.
No matter how rampant awakened abilities had become, guns were still among the deadliest weapons in existence.
It wasn't rare for promising players to meet an empty end after being shot.
"Kill him!"
The men aiming at Jinhyeok pulled their triggers.
Click. Click. Click.
At the sound of guns failing to fire, question marks practically appeared over their heads.
They had finished reloading and maintenance after gunning down the Golden Knight Order.
There was no reason for the guns not to fire.
With practiced motions, they quickly checked their magazines.
And they could only stare in horror.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!"
What filled the magazines weren't bullets.
They were packed with an unknown white modeling clay.
Even while seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn't begin to comprehend the situation.
"Everyone check your magazines and reload!"
They were confused, but there was no time to hesitate.
They pulled out fresh magazines and swapped them in.
At that moment—
KWA-A-A-ANG!!!
An explosion burst out from the magazines, engulfing the surrounding men.
Among them were classes adept at support and defense.
But the blast detonated at point-blank range—there was no chance to react.
Half of the group chasing Sophia was instantly reduced to ash.
Those who had rushed Jinhyeok first were spared the explosion, but their fate wasn't much different.
"Gaaah!"
A chain coiled around a man's leg.
He was dragged down and slammed into the ground.
One after another, others were abducted the same way, hurled into the walls and debris of the abandoned building.
"I'll stab you to death!"
Those who survived the chain assault raised their weapons in unison.
Each weapon was imbued with its own ability—if they could only get close, victory was assured.
But—
"…?"
Since when had a sword appeared in that intruder's hand?
Having assumed his weapon was naturally the iron chain, they could only be taken aback.
Whether he noticed their confusion or not—
[Nazebel-style Quick Draw, First Sword]
Blue aura gathered around Jinhyeok's blade.
[Night Crow Hunt]
That aura scattered helplessly into the air.
There was no time to react.
It was a draw so impossibly fast that those cut didn't even realize they had been cut.
In the end, the weapons they had raised were never swung.
"Ah…"
With faint groans, blood sprayed from their bodies.
Their severed limbs rolled across the floor of the abandoned building.
Silence fell once more.
"Fuuuu…"
Jinhyeok exhaled into the stillness.
Then he straightened up and wiped the sweat beading on his forehead.
It wasn't from the fight just now.
He'd arrived by the narrowest of margins—that was why.
He glanced up toward the upper levels of the abandoned building.
Seira was hiding behind a pillar.
Wink!
He sent her a wink to thank her for the trouble.
If she hadn't carried him in, he would've been too late.
"Mr. Jinhyeok."
Supporting Olivia, Sophia approached and spoke.
Jinhyeok stepped toward them and bent slightly.
"You're both safe, right?"
"How…? You didn't get off the train."
"I jumped off in the middle."
The two of them looked even more stunned.
Sometimes, an honest answer only leaves people more flustered.
After wiping the blood from her mouth, Olivia fixed her gaze on Jinhyeok's arm.
"That chain… don't tell me?"
A player who fought with chains, performing battles close to acrobatics.
Even if acrobatics hadn't been necessary this time, there was only one such player Olivia knew.
"Runner."
Jinhyeok didn't deny it or make excuses.
He simply gave an awkward smile.
"Ah! Outside—Charles is—!"
"He's fine. He'll be safe."
Jinhyeok turned his gaze toward the old parking lot.
They would have arrived in time.
That guy was much faster than me.
Charles's eyes widened.
He didn't know who it was.
A man who suddenly intervened in the fight, forcing his way between Joypin and Charles.
The man brushed back his white hair and smiled at Charles.
And just as he was about to say something, more than a dozen épées pierced straight through his body.
Fwoooosh!
An enormous amount of blood burst forth.
Behind the man, Joypin let out a mocking sneer.
"Did you think we'd wait just because you made a dramatic entrance? What are you, an amateur?"
Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust!!
As if determined to finish him completely, Joypin continued stabbing with her épée.
She might look casual, but she was a professional.
Given how suddenly he'd appeared, there was no telling what kind of variable he might become.
She chose swift elimination without hesitation.
Thunk!
The épée pierced through near the heart and came out the other side.
Joypin took a couple of steps back, shaking the blood off her blade.
"Didn't even scream. Impressive. Can't feel pain or something?"
She'd gotten quite a show out of it.
A corpse that died standing.
Charles stared at the man who had taken the blade in his place.
"Just who are you…?"
He didn't ask if the man was okay.
His heart had been pierced.
His life should fade any moment now.
Then—
"!!!"
Shock filled Charles's eyes.
Instead of writhing in pain, the man's lips slowly curled upward.
"Was going to ask if you were okay, you know."
He even spoke.
Despite his lungs, liver, and heart all being pierced.
"I'm in pretty rough shape. But since I'm here anyway, figured I'd ask. You alright?"
"Y-Yes. I'm fine."
Charles had been struck by the épée several times himself, but he'd avoided fatal wounds.
His life wasn't in danger.
"That's good."
Once again, Charles's eyes widened.
Anyone could see—it was a fatal wound.
An injury that should have meant instant death.
And yet, at that single "I'm fine," Charles found himself feeling inexplicably relieved.
"What are you?"
Sensing something off, Joypin frowned.
'How is he still standing?'
This wasn't a matter of willpower or mental strength.
Enough time had passed that he should have already been dead.
"What am I?"
Dark tilted his head back.
"What do people say these days? Something like—no fucking manners, was it?"
"Hah? You're funny."
"Funny?"
Dark cocked his head, genuinely curious as he asked,
"Do prey usually say things like that?"
Dark fully turned his body and walked toward Joypin.
Sssss—
An inexplicable chill washed over Joypin's body.
She rubbed her eyes and shook her head violently.
For just a moment, Dark approaching her looked impossibly gigantic.
"You ragged piece of shit, showing off!!"
She started stabbing with her épée again.
Just like before, Dark didn't dodge.
He took the blows head-on, continuing to walk forward.
The ease drained from Joypin's face.
Something was wrong.
She was clearly the one attacking unilaterally.
So why was she the one growing more terrified with each step back?
"You monster bastard!!"
Gritting her teeth, Joypin thrust her épée with all her strength.
Or rather—she tried to.
Dark lightly reached out and touched her arm.
With a dull thud, the frozen arm fell off.
"Huh…? Oh?"
Why did it fall off?
The lack of reality made Joypin smile in confusion.
"You smile a lot, kid."
Dark reached out.
Both of Dark's thumbs went into Joypin's mouth.
That was the end of it.
Joypin's body scattered in an instant.
Dark brushed off his hands roughly and shrugged.
"Guess I'll have to throw these away too. Or maybe not? I heard vintage is in these days."
Muttering something he'd half-remembered from TV, Dark turned to Charles.
"What do you think? Should I throw these clothes away?"
Charles couldn't answer.
The situation and conversation were far too removed from common sense for someone as normal as him to follow.
"Let's throw them away, then."
Dark tossed the clothes aside.
Once again, shock filled Charles's face.
'The wounds… are gone.'
He'd been stabbed dozens of times.
Yet there wasn't even a scar—no, not even a scratch.
Dark walked right up to him and bent forward.
Then he looked straight into Charles's eyes.
"Was it Charles?"
"Yes. That's right."
"You grateful I saved you, right? The two you were with are safe too."
Only then did Charles come to his senses and try to move, intending to show proper respect.
"Save it. If you want to thank someone, thank the guy over there. You'll recognize him."
As Dark chuckled, Charles finally bowed his head.
"Thank you so much for saving me."
"Oh, and if you're really grateful—"
A smile spread across Dark's lips.
"Forget it."
"Forget… what?"
"I wasn't here. Think of it like a midsummer night's dream."
He didn't know why.
But Charles understood instantly and nodded.
"Good. You're quick."
"You are…?"
As Charles tried to ask more, Dark vanished.
As if he'd never existed at all.
It truly felt like a dream.
Rubbing his eyes, Charles slowly looked around.
All that remained were Joypin's tattered corpse and a shirt left behind by an unidentified man.
Step.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned his head.
A familiar-faced man approached, supporting Olivia alongside Sophia.
—You'll recognize him.
Charles quietly fixed his gaze on the approaching man, Yoo Jinhyeok.
He needed to burn that face into his memory.
The benefactor who had saved the sun of England.
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T/N:
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