Chapter 4
Part 3
Grit.
Cha Mincheol ground his teeth.
Lee Hyeoksu had been his senior in high school.
They had both been members of the same sports club.
They had even climbed the Tower together as party members.
Then Cha Mincheol discovered what kind of person Lee Hyeoksu truly was.
He told him he wanted to leave the party.
And that decision had led to this.
“Just Floor 45. Clear that one floor with us, and I'll let you go. I'll send your mother home safely too.”
Lee Hyeoksu lightly slapped Cha Mincheol's cheek.
“But if you refuse... your mother dies here.”
“...”
Cha Mincheol's eyes turned completely red.
Blood vessels filled the whites of his eyes.
He clenched his teeth so hard that his molars sounded ready to crack.
“If you touch my mother...”
“?”
“Every last one of you...”
Veins bulged from Cha Mincheol's neck.
“I'll tear apart with my own hands.”
He thrashed violently, trying to break his restraints.
But the bindings were made of mithril.
They did not move.
These fucking bastards...
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Cha Mincheol smashed his forehead against the floor.
His anger was directed at himself.
He had fallen for their nonsense about throwing him a farewell party.
Then they placed a mana restriction on him.
He should never have accepted a drink from these pieces of trash.
“I'm going to kill every one of you painfully. So don't touch my mother.”
“...”
The basement became silent.
Lee Hyeoksu shrugged and sighed.
“Ha... If you keep acting like this, then I have no choice.”
He stepped backward.
Damn. What a waste.
Cha Mincheol was a beast.
A beast wearing armor across its entire body.
They had already provoked him.
If they could not tame him, then they had to kill him.
Lee Hyeoksu lit another cigarette.
“Last chance. Are you helping us clear Floor 45 or not?”
He raised his hand while staring down at Cha Mincheol.
The moment that hand came down...
Cha Mincheol's mother would die.
Then...
Shing.
One of his men drew a knife and placed it against her neck.
“?!”
Lee Hyeoksu's eyes widened.
“Hey! Not yet, you idiot! I didn't give the signal yet...!”
Too late.
The subordinate had misunderstood.
His hand began cutting across Cha Mincheol's mother's throat.
“Mom!!”
At that exact moment...
BOOOOM!
The iron door of the basement burst open with a deafening crash.
Everyone flinched.
“?!”
The subordinate's hand stopped in shock.
A thin line of blood ran down the woman's neck.
Fortunately, the wound was not deep.
Step.
Step.
Someone slowly descended the dark staircase.
A black hoodie.
An emotionless face.
Han Yugeon.
He walked inside as naturally as though entering his own home.
“The smell here isn't much different from the Tower.”
“Who the hell are you? Hey! Who are you?!”
One of the gang members cursed when Yugeon approached.
Yugeon ignored him.
His gaze moved toward Cha Mincheol's mother.
Then to the wound on her neck.
I made it just in time.
A single drop of blood ran down her skin.
Fortunately, the injury was shallow.
“...Everyone, take out your weapons.”
Lee Hyeoksu stared at Yugeon and gave the order.
He had no idea who this man was.
But something felt wrong.
Yugeon did not release any noticeable energy.
He did not look especially powerful.
Yet chills covered Lee Hyeoksu's entire body.
“Sir? Our weapons?”
“Yes, you idiots!”
Lee Hyeoksu snapped at his slow-witted subordinates.
Shing.
“Hey. I don't know who you are, but... why did you come here?”
“...”
There were eight people in the basement.
Aside from Cha Mincheol and his mother, there were six gang members.
Yugeon ignored Lee Hyeoksu's question and examined them.
[Lv. 58] Lee Hyeoksu
Lee Hyeoksu is Level 58.
Cha Mincheol was Level 50.
That made Lee Hyeoksu eight levels higher.
His subordinates are fairly strong too.
Every one of them was above Level 30.
Thanks to the passive effect of Transcendent Eye, Yugeon could clearly see their levels.
Shing.
Without saying anything, Yugeon drew the sword at his waist.
“Ha... Who the hell are you? Why are you drawing your weapon? We shouldn't have any business with each other.”
Lee Hyeoksu scratched his head.
He had tried to avoid fighting because something about Yugeon made him uneasy.
“Do I need a reason to get rid of insects like you?”
“Hehehe. Insects, huh? We just met. Aren't you judging us a little too quickly?”
“Those two over there are enough for me to judge you.”
Yugeon pointed toward Cha Mincheol and his mother.
“Hey! That's none of an outsider's business.”
“Pfft...”
“?”
Yugeon laughed.
Lee Hyeoksu frowned.
“You're scared.”
“...”
“I came in here like this, and you've been talking nonstop ever since. You don't have the courage to attack, but something about me makes you uncomfortable, so you're hoping I'll just leave. Right?”
“...You really think I'm a pushover.”
Lee Hyeoksu's expression twisted.
“Kill him.”
That was enough.
At his order, the closest gang member charged Yugeon with a weapon in hand.
“Cha Mincheol's mother.”
“...?”
Yugeon looked at her.
“Close your eyes for a moment. This will be brutal.”
She immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
At the same moment, the gang member's blade rushed toward Yugeon.
