‘Damn it.’
Naturally, I hurriedly aimed the Telescope upward. Soon, I saw the figure of someone who absolutely wasn't supposed to be here.
‘Damn it! Damn it!’
He looked like he was in a hurry. Along with a few remaining Blue Guild members, he was cautiously making his way downstairs. His face reflected a mixture of tension and haste.
‘This crazy bastard. How the hell did he find this place?’
I never imagined he would actually show up leading his troops. I thought he was done with Heren, and yet he was here. He had wounds all over, proof of the fierce battles he had to have fought outside just to get here.
If he pushed through countless chimeras to get here, of course, he would be injured. More than his injuries, what stood out most was his face. Anyone could see that he was looking for someone.
‘Don’t tell me you came here to find your bread brother...’
Kim Hyun-Sung and the remaining Blue Guild members had already realized that a battle was happening down below. Unlike Big Boy, who charged in recklessly, Hyun-Sung seemed to believe that caution was necessary. They exchanged hand signals and descended carefully, but for me, this was by no means a favorable situation.
‘I have to kill him. No, at the very least, I have to smash his face in.’
Kim Hyun-Sung was not allowed to have any recollection of Song Soo-Kyung. Honestly, I doubted whether Hyun-Sung would even remember a small fry like Song Soo-Kyung, but still, it was better to err on the side of caution.
Villain Song looked insignificant with his scrawny build and sly features, but surprisingly, he held significant weight even in the second life. If Hyun-Sung were to decapitate him on sight, the crucial narrative of the continental dungeon arc would become messy.
“Damn it! Damn it! Ugh... protect me! You useless idiots!” Song Soo-Kyung shouted.
Naturally, I had no choice but to dash toward Song Soo-Kyung in panic.
“I’ll protect you, Master! Master! Master!” I shouted.
“Sh-Shut up! Damn it!” he yelled out.
‘You’re still using honorifics?!’
I jumped and grabbed the hem of Song Soo-Kyung’s pants as he tried to flee. I only meant to buy time, but I saw Song Soo-Kyung tumble clumsily to the ground.
‘This asshole! He’s so weak that I can even take him on myself!’
Perhaps he slipped, or perhaps the wound on his shoulder was just so painful that he ended up slipping and tumbling forward, crashing hard into the floor, even though my so-called tackle wasn’t really a tackle at all.
At this point, Big Boy had already dealt with the knights and mages, tipping the battle completely in their favor. The moment he saw Song Soo-Kyung fall, Big Boy shoved aside a knight and rushed forward.
“St-Stop him!” Song Soo-Kyung shouted.
‘Why should I?’
There was no longer any reason for me to keep acting like an obedient, loyal retainer.
“I’ll protect you, Master! Master! Master!” I shouted again.
“Damn it! Stop that warrior!” Song Soo-Kyung yelled again.
“Understood! I’ll protect you! I’ll stop him! For Master’s sake, I’ll do anything!” I repeated.
“S-Stop saying the same line like a damn parrot and stop him already!” he complained.
‘Retainer Ki-Young is broken. Of course, you can't fully control me using such a cheap magic circle made from human sacrifice. Did you really think you could completely command such a high-grade retainer?’
“Yes! I’ll stop him! Just trust me, Master! I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you!” I shouted.
“Damn it! You... worthless trash!” Song Soo-Kyung screamed.
To emphasize that I was “broken,” I spewed out nonsense.
“Master! Ah... Master! Master! What experiment are we doing today?”
“...” “Ahh! I’m so happy! Ah! Ah! I love experiments! I love... experiments!” I said.
“...”
“Master, your meal is ready! A meal just for you, Master!” I shouted.
“Let go... of me!” Song Soo-Kyung said.
“I won’t let go, Master! I’ll keep holding on! You have to praise me! Master! Master! I’ll never let go, so you must praise me again tonight! Okay? Okay? You’ll do that, right? Will I get to take part in the experiment again tomorrow? Yes?” I continued.
“Damn it... what the hell is wrong with this bastard...” Song Soo-Kyung mumbled.
“Haaah... no! I don’t want to! Master! It hurts! I-It hurts! This hurts so much! Please spare me! Ahhhhh!” I yelled.
“...”
“It hurts! I said it hurts! But if you tell me to endure it, Master, I can endure it!” I said.
“...”
“No! I don’t want to go! For me, Master, you’re the only master! No! Nooo!” I shouted.
“...”
“Master! Master! Master! Master! Master! Master! Ah—AHHHHHH!!” I screamed.
I kept wailing as I clung to Song Soo-Kyung’s trousers. The setup was that memories of my previous master were colliding and creating confusion, but to Song Soo-Kyung, this had to feel terrifying.
Expressionless, I shouted “Master” again and again while clutching his pants, sticking to him relentlessly. It was the same look Ha-Yan sometimes showed to me—an empty stare filled with an obsession masquerading as devotion.
Of course, what really demanded more attention was Big Boy, who was charging in like an enraged bull.
‘Hyung! The face! Go for his face.’
Song Soo-Kyung kicked me away and finally managed to stand up, but he immediately took Big Boy’s fist to the face.
Boom! Crack!
He was blasted away. It wasn’t enough to say his face was ruined, but seeing Big Boy slam his head into the wall right afterward made me feel at least a little reassured about his appearance.
Mr. Song flailed helplessly with his face buried in the wall. He was so dazed that he couldn't even scream. The sight of him was almost pitiful.
“You bastard! You filthy bastard!” Big Boy yelled.
“Haaah...”
“Are you even human?! You bastard! How could you do that?! How could you betray a kid covered in wounds?! You asshole! Just die,” Big Boy said.
Still unsatisfied, Big Boy hurled him across the room. His paper-thin figure smacked into the opposite wall. Then, he staggered back up and got ready to run.
“Ugh... haa... damn it... damn it... Everything went according to plan... so why...” Song Soo-Kyung muttered while stumbling desperately upward.
Then, he crashed into something.
“Huh?”
Kim Hyun-Sung blocked his path.
“Uh... ah... ahh...” he groaned.
Song Soo-Kyung looked up at Kim Hyun-Sung, who was standing before him.
“...”
“...”
“Ahh... ah...”
“...”
“Me... Messi... ah...” he mumbled.
Just then, it felt as if the entire space was teleported into an icy cavern, making it difficult for us to breathe.
The basement, once filled with heat, grew extremely cold in an instant.
I could feel Kim Hyun-Sung quietly exhaling with his thick, killing intent.
Song Soo-Kyung said nothing. He couldn't hear Big Boy, and he hadn't called for his retainer as well. He simply stared blankly at Kim Hyun-Sung. As if the two of them were the only ones left in the world, his gaze locked onto Kim Hyun-Sung’s cold face.
The same went for Big Boy and the few surviving knights.
Everyone was silent, as if they were waiting for the judgement of an absolute being.
No one even had the wits left to beg for mercy, plead innocence, or claim allegiance. All had become sinners awaiting divine judgement, as they realized that the one standing before them could pass judgement on anyone without any hesitation.
When Song Soo-Kyung was jolted back to his senses, he immediately bowed.
“Ahh... heuk... ahhhhh.”
Tears streamed down his face. More than the fear of death and the fear of disappointing Kim Hyun-Sung, it seemed what weighed on him most was his own pitiful state. Meeting his messiah for the first time, this was all he could show. He regretted that fact.
‘This psychopathic bastard.’
Of course, he never wanted to meet Kim Hyun-Sung like this. Perhaps he felt unbearably sad that he was in such a broken state for their first meeting. Covering his face as much as he could, he allowed the tears to fall from his face.
“Heuk... ack... Messiah... messiah...” Song Soo-Kyung muttered.
“Messiah—” Song Soo-Kyung’s head suddenly went flying.
‘No way... damn it.’
“...”
“...”
‘No... no... no...’
Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t even look at Song Soo-Kyung, but the severed head's gaze was transfixed on him.
“...”
“...”
“Ahhhhh! Run!”
“Run! Shit! The Blue Guild's Master... why...”
The surviving knights and mages scrambled to flee, and the Blue Guild members chased them down. Yoojin and Carlton, together with Big Boy, surrounded me.
Even though it was unlikely, they acknowledged the possibility that Kim Hyun-Sung could turn his wrath on me.
“The Blue... Guild Master?”
“...”
“Kid, are you okay? Hey, kid!” Kim Hyun-Sung shouted.
“H-Hyung?” I stuttered. Once he heard my voice, he hesitated, realizing that I wasn’t the one he was looking for. The one he was looking for was a mute boy.
“You little brat...” Big Boy muttered.
“Hyung...? Is that really you?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s me, damn it. Heuk... kgh... It’s really me...” Big Boy answered.
“Heuuk... kgh...”
“Where... am I right now...” I asked.
‘It’s chaotic.’
While Big Boy’s group smothered me in their embrace, feeling overjoyed, the knights and the mages were desperately running away. Kim Hyun-Sung trudged upward with a blank face as Song Soo-Kyung’s severed head stared at him.
The Blue Guild seemed to have guessed the overall situation, but some proper debriefing was in order. As expected, Kim Hyun-Sung’s voice rang out. “Please handle the rest yourselves... I-I’ll return to Lindel.”
“Yes, sir,” a member replied.
“Write a full report of what happened here and place it on my desk,” Kim Hyun-Sung ordered.
“Yes, sir,” they said.
“And... about that...” Kim Hyun-Sung paused.
“Yes, we’ll make every effort to search for it,” a member said.
A figure with a familiar voice slowly approached. Would she try to take me away? Big Boy shielded me, Carlton held me tightly, and Yoojin lifted her weapon again as the figure came closer.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jo Hye-Jin, the sub guild master of the Blue Guild."
‘Uh...’
“You did well,” Jo Hye-Jin said.
‘Huh?’
“And... I’m sorry we came too late,” Jo Hye-Jin added.
“You’re not... dead...”
“I was lucky,” Jo Hye-Jin said.
“...”
She was unmistakably the Jo Hye-Jin I knew from the second life.
Seeing her frown slightly as she looked at me...
‘So you went, huh?’
I realized what my future self had asked of her.
“Rest assured, I have no intention of harming the boy. For now, all four of you are under the Blue Guild’s protection. The battle isn’t over yet, so please follow us,” Jo Hye-Jin said.
“...”
“...”
Big Boy’s expression flickered with doubt. He seemed to be asking whether Jo Hye-Jin could be trusted... but he had no choice but to nod silently.
‘Hye-Jin...’
For some reason, Jo Hye-Jin’s smiling face looked as if she were cursing at me.
‘You are happy to see me, aren't you?’