Episode 5
"You bastard!!"
When a colleague falls.
Another angry guy raised his fist without even knowing the topic.
This is because I thought Taehyun's attack was accidental.
"stop!!"
The leader stopped the guy from doing that.
The skill didn't work.
Convinced, he asked with a wrinkled expression.
"hey. "You are an awakened person, right?"
Three curse-type skills overlapped.
If the skill had worked, Taehyun should have been lying on the floor.
'I heard he's a C-rank awakened, so I have a good feeling.'
He was different from the guy who lost his colleague and couldn't even grasp the strength of his opponent.
"that… No way… ."
"ji… Really… ?"
Jaeyoung stuttered with an expression of disbelief at the leader's words.
Taehyun didn't have any intention of answering.
"You talk a lot."
Unlike the guy who was nervous about being called an awakened person, there is no mercy in his fists.
The stone skin-reinforced fist struck the face once again.
dump.
The sound of the nose sinking was a bonus.
The second bully fainted without even being able to scream.
A body that has not had any weight training at all. Moreover, even though it was downgraded to E grade, it still has this level of power.
'Stone Skin. It's a better ability than you think.'
The power of skills varied greatly depending on the awakened person's level, skill level, and physical stats.
Maybe if Bae Hyuk-soo was a little smarter.
If only Taehyun hadn't been looked down upon as a non-awakened person.
It would not have been easy to win.
It was the same for the guys in front of me.
"tongue… brother… ."
"Jaeyoung. "Let's talk later."
Taehyun's gaze turned to the leader who was left alone.
Two colleagues who were with him collapsed.
Nevertheless, his expression was more relaxed than expected.
The C-rank awakened guy's skill is 'bleeding', a curse type.
Even though I confirmed that the skill wasn't working, I kept my poker face.
'Do you have any faith in it?'
It was an attitude that I had no choice but to think about.
Suddenly the leader whistled and clapped.
"amazing. Even if it's pathetic, you can't beat two guys with one blow. "I guess you've awakened a useful skill?"
"Check it."
There is still some time to spare, but there is no benefit in talking for too long.
When Taehyun became uncompromising, the leader's face twitched.
"hey. "Do you know what this is?"
He held up the ring on his hand.
Three golden skulls sparkle in his hands.
Taehyun's expression changed subtly after checking the pattern on the ring.
Malicious guild.
A vicious guild to which numerous demons belong.
The ring in front of me was a symbolic object indicating that I was a member of a malicious guild.
'Now that I think about it, they are malicious guild guys. Did he also work with minors?'
The Players' Association is crazy about just defeating monsters.
They played a significant role in the reason why such associations worked together with the police and military to work on security activities.
However, the opponent is not even a player, but a back alley gangster.
'For a guy like that to have that... .'
"It looks like you know what this is. okay. "We, Backcross, belong to a malicious guild."
My face frowned at his words.
I thought he was just a neighborhood gangster, but if he was involved in a malicious guild, the weight would change.
The plan to get some money and end it goes awry.
Taehyun's head turned quickly.
"Kkkkkk. There's nothing to be afraid of. "Did you really think we would do this without any support?"
The leader, who thought Taehyun was scared due to his lack of response, regained his arrogance.
"We are wolves who have nothing to fear. "If I wanted to, it wouldn't be a problem to take care of your family."
It's not wrong.
It's quiet right now because they haven't started their full-scale activities yet, but it happened frequently in the future.
'If you get involved wrongly, your future plans will be disrupted.'
Above all, not only Taehyun but also his aunt's family could be in danger.
Those active in the malicious guild are at least C-grade players.
In particular, the majority of magicians are evaluated as competent within their level.
'I don't have that much power yet.'
Taehyun has made up his mind.
At that moment, the leader lifted his index finger as if to ask me to come over.
Taehyun obediently walked in front of him.
and.
Wow.
A fist reinforced with stone skin struck the leader in the face.
'It will trample you so that you won't come to your senses for at least a few months.'
The leader must have had quite a bit of training, and unlike the other guys, he had good tenacity.
It was an ability that was completely useless at this moment.
Because I had to endure Taehyun's one-sided beating without losing my mind.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Crack. Crack.
Step on it, break it, and crush it.
'Your tenacity is amazing. Anyone who sees it will think it's a tank type.'
Taehyun was impressed by the leader who did not faint even after being beaten for 30 seconds.
But that too was at the end.
"Hey, hey… Words, words… Lo ha… Sleep… . I want this... Is… the poor?"
A few teeth have already broken.
He forced his mouth, which couldn't open properly, to show the envelope he had received from Jaeyoung in his arms.
Taehyun intercepted the envelope and threw it to Jaeyoung.
and.
Trampled again.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Quad deuk.
'I want to break my vocal cords... .'
In that case, there is a greater possibility of attracting the attention of those around you.
It was a moment when a clear line was needed. Taehyun left the stunned leader alone and headed towards the other two guys.
The 10th week of displacement left ridiculous scars on my body.
[Skill is released.]
As soon as Taehyun finished the task, the skill was released.
I felt dizzy due to excessive use of magical power.
"Whoa… "I guess this is enough, right?"
Looking at the three men lying in a miserable state.
Taehyun smiled satisfied.
Of course, he didn't forget to take the ring from the leader's hand.
I turned the shiny ring around and looked at it.
'bingo.'
Unmistakably authentic.
Although the ring itself has no special abilities.
It was an item that many people looked at simply because it was a sign of a malicious guild member.
If you sell it privately at auction, you could get at least 20 million won.
When Taehyun was satisfied with the unexpected harp, Jaeyoung started to backtrack.
This is a slum with no CCTV.
The only person who watched all of this was my younger cousin, Jaeyoung.
In order to commit the perfect crime, crackdown was essential.
"Jaeyoung, where are you going? "We need to get rid of these guys."
"tongue… brother… ."
Jaeyoung felt scared and trembled without realizing it.
"What I saw today. "It's a secret from your aunt and uncle?"
Taehyun said as he put the ring in his pocket.
"ah… Okay… uh… ."
"and."
Taehyun put his hand on Jaeyoung's shoulder.
"You should do something together with me."
It was a moment when Jaeyoung's life, who had been trying to walk down the wrong path, changed.
* * *
Dinner didn't start until after 9 o'clock.
It was because my aunt and uncle came home from work late.
A small table and simple side dishes.
Since it was the first time in a while that the four of us were together, there was an awkward atmosphere.
"You left school early?"
The aunt who put the kimchi stew on the table asked with a worried expression.
"yes. "I'm not feeling well."
"Something's wrong, right?"
"no. "I guess I've been overdoing it these past few days just because of homework."
"still… ."
"Oh, it's okay. "Please give me some more food during this time to worry."
My uncle, who was watching quietly, said as he placed a fried egg on Taehyun.
"At your age, you need to eat a lot to get better quickly."
"yes. "I will eat well."
Taehyun smiled and bit into a fried egg.
I had called the school in advance.
When I told her that I was not feeling well and would take a few days off, my homeroom teacher sighed and gave me permission.
I fought three students in one day.
They thought that Taehyun's body would not be able to thrive.
"okay. "Please rest well for at least three days before leaving."
My aunt spoke reluctantly, with an expression that did not completely shake off her worry.
Taehyun answered that he would, although there would be no need to go to school for a while after three days.
"And you, Jaeyoung."
Unlike Taehyun, the aunt looked at Jaeyoung with bewildered eyes.
"uh… uh? "No, yes?"
"How nice is it to have a meal together after such a long time? "Please go early from now on."
"ah… all right… ."
Jaeyoung, who was feeling prickly, answered in a hushed voice.
Taehyun looked at the sight happily and took a big bite with his spoon.
It was a peaceful dinner after a long time.
* * *
In a room that is not large.
"Huh... Huh... ."
Sweat flowed continuously from Taehyun's body as he did push-ups.
"eight… ten… ."
dump.
Taehyun sighed, not even reaching half of his target number.
"under… "My physical strength is really messed up."
I started weight training in earnest when I turned 20.
At that time, I accepted that I was an unawakened person and decided to do what I could.
"I'm not wasting any more time."
Taehyun, recalling the past and gathering his will to fight, stood up.
This time, I was just about to do squats.
Someone knocked on the door.
"brother… it's me… ."
Taehyun released his squat and opened the door.
Jaeyoung was standing there with a puzzled expression.
"why?"
"I… excuse me… Are we going to be okay? ?"
Taehyun burst out laughing as he saw Jaeyoung unable to make eye contact with him.
"If you just shut up, nothing will happen."
The three guys, who were claiming to be members of Backcross, threw it into a nearby alley and called an ambulance.
He would have been receiving treatment by now, so his life would not be in danger.
'Of course, he won't be conscious for a while.'
"B-but… ."
Taehyun patted Jaeyoung on the shoulder again, seeing that he was very nervous, unlike himself.
"Jaeyoung Hwang. "Don't worry, just think about what I said."
"Yes… ."
"If I have time, I'll do some physical exercise."
With those words, Taehyun closed the door.
'After I deal with the ring, I'll have to quit going to the gym first.'
It's a whopping 20 million won.
I smiled when I saw the ring on the desk.
In the past, it was a gate break that made me feel sad.
This time, I felt excited, like a child about to go on a picnic.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
April 4th.
Taehyun was drinking coffee at a cafe near Konkuk High School.
Since he didn't go to school, he was dressed normally in jeans and a hoodie.
Slurp.
Taehyun, who was drinking coffee, opened the status window.
Name: Taehyun Kim
Age: 19
Grade: E
Strength: 3 Stamina: 6 Speed: 5 Horsepower: 10
Fatigue: 10%
Remaining horsepower: 10/10
[skill]
Predation (1%) – Can prey on the desired target. Magic Power: 5
Stone Skin (E) – Can strengthen the body. Magic Power: 1
Twenty million won earned by selling a skull ring at auction.
I set aside 10 million won as an emergency fund and used the remaining 10 million won to upgrade the status window.
It was much more detailed than the previous normal status window.
Although it can be converted to other forms if you spend money.
Right now, I'm most satisfied with this shape.
More than anything, it was great to be able to check my physical abilities.
Taehyun's magical power level is 10.
As you can see in the status window.
It was nearly twice as high as the average ability of an E-class awakened person.
'At this level, you could say he's a D-class magic awakener.'
It was around this time that I began to question whether magic-type skills could also be absorbed.
Kugugugugugugung.
The cafe began to shake.
"It's an earthquake!!"
"Everyone go outside!!"
"Elderly and children first!!"
The cafe and the entire area immediately became noisy.
It was not an earthquake but a class A gate break, but there was no way ordinary people would have known such a thing.
'Is it finally starting?'
Taehyun emptied all the coffee in his cup and stood up.
It was the start of a busy day.