Amidst the chaos of clashing bodies and the desperate cries of those fighting for survival, I stood face-to-face with Shin Jinhyuk.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and madness. It was definitely uncomfortable and while it was a dangerous position to be in, I had no choice. If I wanted to move forward, if I wanted to survive, this confrontation was inevitable.
Shin Jinhyuk looked at me as if he was puzzled then a disturbing smile formed on his lips. Anyone would be disturbed if soomeone told them they were going to kill them, but that mad demon Infront of me was smiling instead.
"Why me though?" He spoke with a mocking voice. "There are plenty of people here you could kill. Wait, is it because of the woman?" His eyes darted toward the figure of the woman bleeding on the floor, as if trying to find some resemblance. "But you two don't look alike."
I shook my head slowly, not breaking eye contact. "No, I'm not related to her."
"Then..."
"I'm simply here to kill you. Do I need any other reason?"
"Oh?" Shin Jinhyuk's smile seemed to widen even more. "Is that so? Are you trying to play the hero by killing me here? I thought someone like you would show up sooner or later. Even if you manage to kill me, it won't make a difference. You can't save these people."
He gestured lazily to the chaos around us, as if the lives of everyone here were nothing but a joke to him.
"I think you are misunderstanding something here."
His smile faltered slightly. "Hmm? What's that?"
"I'm not trying to save this people. They are going to die anyways."
"Hahaha! Of course! You're right. They're all going to die, aren't they?"
Even if these people attacked each other with all their might, killing someone is not easy. In the end, not everyone can be saved.
If they joined hands to take down the monsters then maybe more people will survive. But that was simply impossible with their current state of mind.
... More importantly, how do I deal with him?
Shin Jinhyuk was dangerous—dangerous enough to warrant caution. Killing him was necessary if I wanted to survive and see the next trial. But a direct approach wasn't going to work.
Evolutionary and Serial Killer
If my memory was correct, those were the primary attributes of Shin Jinhyuk.
Those attributes didn't go well together unless you wanted absolute destruction. There were good reasons for coming to this evaluation.
The Evolutioary was one of the few evolutionary attributes in the narrative. It was ranked 'common' but it had the potential to evolve into something far more powerful and frightening, but only in the hands of the right person. The problem was that it was mixed with the Serial Killer attribute, which was selected for people who loved killing and senseless slaughter.
Not only that, the bastard also possessed perfect adaptability. His evolutionary evolved into the Mad Demon and with it, he would become one of the 20 strongest players in the Song of Nightmares.
"Hey," Shin Jinhyuk's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I like you. What do you say we team up? We could tear through the stories together."
Anyone who hadn't read the novel would be tempted to accept. With his strength, surviving the beginning Fables would be much easier.
But I knew better. Shin Jinhyuk was a snake. He'd backstab me the moment I let my guard down.
"Sorry, but I have to refuse."
"That's a shame. I was expecting you would say that. Now then..."
Shin Jinhyuk slowly approached with the blade. At the same time, I pulled the hidden firearm, and took aim at his forehead.
His confident smug disappeared from his face and panic settled in his gaze. But I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
A sound echoed and the entire space fell into silence.
There was only the whistling sound of the very air parting and the sound of impact. However, Shin Jinhyuk wasn't hit or even collapsed.
In fact, he disappeared before the bullet could hit them.
It was like he completely vanished from the world.
What the hell was that?
"?!"
I abruptly felt a huge presence behind me. Without thinking, I jerked my head to the side just in time, the blade barely grazing my cheek.
Blood dripped from the fresh wound.
Shin Jinhyuk almost looked shocked like he couldn't believe I managed to dodge his stealth attack.
"What the hell? You bastard, you dodged that? You don't look like the athletic-type though. Did you used to work in the military?"
Despite that, his voice still sounded somewhat calm. On the other hand, my mind was chatoic.
What the hell was with that ridiculous speed?
Was it possible for a human to dodge a bullet?
Even if his stats was high, his speed didn't make any sense because his power still laid within the territory of humans.
... Wait, what was that?
My brows furrowed.
An ominous crimson aura rose from Shin Jinhyuk shoulders. It was as if I was staring at a Terror, instead of a human being.
Blood Demon Aura (血魔气息)
It was a Skill!
Skill were a special form of Mysteries (神秘) created by «Soul Link», that inscribed supernatural effects known as Gifts (力量) into Walkers.
The nature of skill powers varied widely. Some were weak, others were strong, and some could even rival «Magic».
This particular skill was born from the user's twisted desires for murder and bloodlust, granting them the ability to amplify their physical strength.
That very same skill was the one that had transformed a serial killer like Shin Jinhyuk into an unstoppable force in the World of Darkness.
"Haha! This power... Isn't it awesome!!"
Shin Jinhyuk laughed excitedly. He was amazed by his own power.
Damnit. If he started to use that skill now, I won't be able to win.
"!"
Before I could brink, Shin Jinhyuk was already infront of me. I didn't even have time to raise my pistol and instinctively rolled to one side. His attack, however, struck someone else, tearing through their back and leaving behind a gaping, see-through hole.
There was no scream, cry or groan. He simply died in an instant before he could gain the opportunity to spit out a single utterance.
[✧ Shin Jinhyuk has slain a Walker.]
"Ohhhh, I can still get coins from killing other people! Isn't this the best?!"
Shin Jinhyuk laughed and swept his gaze around like a predator.
The other people backed away upon sensing that predatory gaze. Yes, that bastard was like a wild animal.
This was my chance while he was distracted.
Thinking so, I emptied the shell and took aim before pulling the trigger.
Bang!
Shin Jinhyuk, with his sharp instincts, evaded the bullet and rushed towards me with the same speed.
I clicked my tongue and fired two more rounds.
Bang! Bang!
The bullets tore through the air, but Shin Jinhyuk evaded them gracefully with his carnivorous like movement. In no time, The distance between us was ten metres. But Shin Jinhyuk casually covered that distance with just three mightly steps.
Murderous intent (杀意)
The blade swung with lethal precision, brimming with an intent to kill. It was an unrelenting assault, devoid of any trace of hesitation or mercy.
I barely managed to dodge the blade, but a powerful kick slammed into my stomach.
"Ugh!"
The impact caved in my abdomen, and my body was hurled several meters backward, crashing onto the floor.
My vision blurred, the world spinning around me, and a wave of nausea surged up.
It felt like something had snapped inside me—perhaps a rib. The pain was unbearable, sharp and overwhelming, as though I was teetering on the brink of death. Breathing became a struggle, each gasp feeling like knives stabbing into my lungs.
Damn it. Was that thing starting now?
No. No. No. No. No! This was the worst possible moment for me to act up!
[Personal skill, Black Box, has activated.]
[The Black Box has reduced some of the pain.]
Huh?
Before I knew it, the pain gradually lessened. There was still some lingering pain, but I could somewhat breathe properly.
Black Box?
What was this skill?
Unlike the others, it wasn't just any ordinary ability—it was a Personal Skill. Much like Shin Jinhyuk's Blood Demon Aura, Personal Skills belonged to an entirely different category, unique and exclusive to their wielder.
This meant one thing: Black Box was mine alone. An ability that no one else could wield.
[You have fulfilled the conditions to activate the Personal Authority — Envy.]
Personal Authority? Envy?
I was completely lost. Was it a Divine Authority?
No way! That couldn't be right!
No matter how I thought about It, didn't make sense for someone to possess a divine authority!
Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps!
Shin Jinhyuk was rushing towards me while killing all the other people on the way. His eyes was glowing with immense bloodlust.
Instinctually, I activated the skill without thinking.
[Personal skill, 'Black Box' has activated.]
[The Authority of Envy has been activated for the first time.]
+
[Soul Information]
Name: Shin Jinhyuk.
Age: 23
Star Constellation: None.
Main Attributes: Evolutionary (Common), Serial Killer (Rare)
Personal Skills:
| Growth Acceleration Lv. 1 |
| Blood Demon Aura Lv. 1 |
Overall Stats:
Strength Lv. 5, Agility Lv. 5, Physique Lv. 3, Spiritual Power Lv. 4.
Divine Authorities:
None
Description: A man on the verge of becoming a monster. Left unchecked, he may evolve into a great demon. Eliminate him before his potential blooms into catastrophe.
+
This was Shin Jinhyuk's window interface.
I see. So this was one of the benefits of the Black Box.
My eyes narrowed.
A strange level of calmness and indifference settled over me that was a stark contrast to the chaos from just moments ago. It felt like a shift, perhaps another hidden benefit of my personal skill. But I pushed the thought aside and focused instead on the system window before me.
Hmm... The stats gap is not as huge as I expected. The problem itself is the Blood Demon Aura skill.
The gap in level between Shin Jinhyuk and me wasn't as insurmountable as it seemed. Despite my frail constitution, I managed to evade some of his attacks.
Therefore,
If his attacks cannot be predicted, then I would be able to dodge. But that was extremely ricky. One wrong move and I'm dead.
Anticipating his attacks and dodging them felt as futile as trying to avoid a bullet the moment the trigger was pulled. But there was no other choice.
Besides, I wasn't the same person I had been just moments ago.
Swish! Swish!
Several swings flew towards my neck. I moved my body and dodged all the slash attacks.
But It didn't end there.
The blade, reinforced with the Blood Demon Aura, flew towards me with incredible speed and velocity. Fortunately, none of those attacks landed on me.
With each passing moment, Shin Jinhyuk became more and more frustrated.
"What the hell?! Are you some kind of eel? Stop squirming and stay still, damn it!"
What an absurd demand. If I stopped moving, I'd be skewered for sure.
Shin Jinhyuk's relentless assault continued without pause.
A fist, powerful enough to knock me unconscious with a single blow, shot toward my face. Instinctively, I tilted my head to the side, narrowly avoiding it.
The blade followed next, descending with lethal intent. I sidestepped just in time to evade it.
Every dodge felt like a miracle. I had no formal combat training, no skills to anticipate his movements, yet somehow, I was keeping up.
Shin Jinhyuk wasn't a skilled fighter.
To be more precise, he had no experience in prolonged fights and his moves were straightforward enough to be predicted by someone like me.
If the opponent attacks could be predicted, then It could be dodged.
This scenario was such a scenario.
However, It was much difficult than it appeared. My body had a weak constitution, which made dodging and even moving extremely difficult.
With every attack I avoided, I felt my stamina draining faster, my strength fading as I pushed myself to keep moving.
In the end, I couldn't win by evading.
I would inevitably lose in a stamina fight.
Swish!
After narrowly dodging another swing of the blade, I jumped back and hurled something at Shin Jinhyuk.
A pen.
However, Shin Jinhyuk perceived that object as a threat and swiftly dodged. Anticipating his movement, I quickly ejected the shell, raised the pistol in a fluid motion, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Shin Jinhyuk let out a scream and collapsed, the bullet piercing his leg. He was now immobilized, unable to escape.
Raising the pistol once more, Shin Jinhyuk became desperate and moved much faster than I had anticipated.
His target was not me, but someone else.
"Kyaaa! No!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Shin Jinhyuk grabbed a woman and dragged her infront of him, pressing the blade to her throat.
He was using her as a human shield.
This bastard was really cunning.
Shin Jinhyuk laughed triumphantly, as though he had won something. "Hahaha! You failed to kill me. That's really too bad! It's such a shame. Now, back away slowly or else, I'll slit her throat."
"No! No! Please save me!"
"What will you do? Will you back down, or let her die? I'm sure a hero like you wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?"
The woman, taken as hostage, looked at me with pleading eyes. She really looked like a lost puppy.
A certain memory played inside my mind and I could only smile wryly.
There was a time when I genuinely wanted to become a hero, but killing this woman would undoubtedly cast me into the opposite role. Unfortunately, that was the dream from the past.
I looked into the eyes of the clown known as Shin Jinhyuk and asked:
"Hey, I think you're really misunderstanding the situation."
"Huh?"
"When did I ever say I was a hero?"
Before the fool could utter a word, I raised the pistol and squeezed the trigger.