IRNH C39

Chapter 39

‘What the hell?’

But Sihyeon soon understood why they were acting that way.

The buffer suddenly began dancing like an idol, moving his arms and legs in rapid motions without any accompaniment, before striking a flashy hero-landing pose.

Sihyeon couldn’t bring himself to watch the entire spectacle.

[Movement speed increased by 20%. Resistance to movement penalties in special terrain increased by 50%.]

As the energy flowed into his body, Sihyeon averted his gaze and pretended to busy himself with something else, just like the rest of the guild members.

“That guy’s a Dream Walker, so his abilities are great… but his class is Idol, so all his skills look like that. Just ignore it… he gets mortified every time.”

Kyu-min whispered quietly, his tone tinged with pity.

Sihyeon now understood why, despite the buffs, no one ever acknowledged him or even said thank you.

‘Maybe it’s lucky I played martial arts games instead….’

He shook off the stray thought and followed at the rear of the now-larger group as they prepared to depart.

“Shall we go?”

He stood at the back, waiting for the march to begin. The path he had carved out led in a straight line toward the exit, so naturally that became their route.

Thoom.

But before they had even taken a few steps, an ominous energy brushed against his cheek.

It was a faint sound, but Sihyeon recognized it instantly, instinctively shifting his gaze toward Taewoon.

The eyes that met his confirmed he hadn’t imagined it.

“Wait.”

Though his voice wasn’t loud, it froze everyone in their tracks. Just as they were about to leave, they all turned to look at him.

And in that moment—

KWAANG!

“Get down!!”

The ceiling partially collapsed, blocking both the opening he had cut and the original doorway.

Sihyeon’s face twisted as he recalled the quest notification. He turned toward where the mysterious figures had appeared before.

Dozens of auras were suddenly converging in their direction.

If they were the same as the ones earlier, perhaps they weren’t too dangerous—but variables were variables, and he couldn’t relax.

“Everyone, prepare for battle. Provide proper support.”

From behind, the guild members snapped into formation.

Sihyeon’s eyes widened slightly. He had almost never fought with allies at his back. Feeling oddly embarrassed, he strode forward.

“ddllljaqlp!!!!xspw!”

“I told you, I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

Sihyeon glanced at the approaching creatures, patted Taewoon on the shoulder, and launched himself into the air.

KWAANG!

His crimson-tinged blade rose high before crashing down. A body was split nearly in half at the waist, its innards spilling out as it toppled forward.

In truth, their bodies were as tough as blood jiangshi, hard to cut without aura-infused strikes.

Confirming he still had ample reserves, Sihyeon timed his leap with Taewoon’s horizontal slash, descending as the two attacks overlapped.

Like brittle reeds, the enemies in front of them were mowed down, collapsing like bowling pins—limbs severed wherever the blade’s path touched.

Splat!

Blood drenched the battlefield, but neither Sihyeon nor Taewoon made even the faintest splash as they darted about.

To the others’ eyes, crimson energy streaked the air like flashes of lightning, each one dropping two or three grotesque monsters into heaps of flesh and rivers of blood.

“Uh… looks like we don’t even need to do anything….”
“Y-yeah… wow….”
“Ugh, but it’s so gruesome….”

The guild members, tense moments ago, slowly lowered their weapons as they murmured in awe.

Kyu-min and Yujun could only gape, stunned at the overwhelming carnage.

The monsters were falling so easily, their limbs flying everywhere—it felt unreal, more like watching a violent movie than a real battle.

But Yujun… Yujun felt something else. Watching the blindingly fast movements he could barely follow, the stark contrast hit him hard.

He had thought he might be useful in this gate, that he could help Sihyeon in some way.

Yet it turned out his role could have been filled by anyone. Even now, he needed constant protection from Sihyeon, and guilt weighed heavier and heavier on him.

‘They said Dream Walkers were all strong… why am I the only one like this? Is it because I didn’t do what they told me to in the dream…?’

He recalled the dreams he had experienced, his lips trembling as he hung his head.

And then, amid the indecipherable foreign words, he heard a shred of Korean.

“Fuck! What the hell are these things?! None of this was supposed to happen!”

The voice was frantic, like someone being pursued.

Sihyeon kicked aside chunks of flesh, forging a path without care, and headed straight for the source of the voice.

“Ugh! [Blink]!”

But just as he was about to seize him, the gray-robed man flickered like a mirage, reappearing beyond the reach of his blade.

Sihyeon narrowed his eyes, curling one corner of his lips into a smirk, resting his sword casually on his shoulder.

“Who the hell are you people? You’re hunters, aren’t you?”
“Fuck, that’s my line! What the hell are you?!”

The robed man’s monsters were nearly all slain. His eyes darted frantically as he stumbled backward.

Sihyeon pressed forward step by step, applying more pressure.

“Even if you don’t answer, I’ve got plenty of ways to make you talk. Why did you kidnap the Glory Guild members? How the hell did you sneak into this gate without anyone knowing?”

“Ghkk…!”

No reply came. But Sihyeon didn’t expect one—he was preparing for a different method.

A dark art: extracting memories from a corpse just before death. The soul would be damaged, but Sihyeon didn’t care.

Yet under the crushing pressure of his killing intent, the man made an extreme choice. Forgetting that, unlike the martial world, modern men lacked hardened mental fortitude.

The robed man muttered quickly, then shouted an incantation, his face alight with grim exultation.

“[Explosion]!”

KWAANG!!

Sihyeon lunged to seal his mouth, but a heartbeat too late—his head burst apart, showering the area in gore.

The body, now headless, melted like ash scattered in a stream, seeping into the ground and vanishing.

“What the fuck?!”

Sihyeon staggered back, startled by the grotesque sight.

Yet nothing else happened. Though he’d sensed energy flowing into the ground, no changes followed. His tension began to ease slightly—

“AAAHH!! Hyung! Sihyeon-hyung! Over here!!”

A scream ripped through from behind. A dread like ice water ran down his spine as he whipped around.

One of the patchwork abominations had transformed, its skin coated in a smooth, black sheen like polished plastic. It charged straight at Yeon Taewoon.

“Ta—Taewoon! Taewoon, move!”

The worst possible outcome.

“Hyung!!”
“Hyung-nim!!”

His vision blurred, his mind blank.

And then—he saw the last thing he wanted.

The corpses they had cut down were knitting themselves back together, slowly rising once more. Taewoon, struck, stood frozen, having dropped his sword, staring blankly at his own hand.

“Why… why would you….”

Sihyeon clutched his torn abdomen, blood gushing as he forced out words.

“M-Master…?”

The scene before Taewoon’s eyes felt like a nightmare. A fucking nightmare.

His trembling hand rose, smearing the hot blood across Sihyeon’s face—only for fresh crimson to cover the already dark stains.

Thud.

He couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. All he could do was clutch the fragile body of his master, unable to hold even a sword, staring with empty eyes.

[Connected to the Power of Chaos.]

Through his fading vision, a familiar system message flickered.

With his last strength, Sihyeon whispered:

“Taewoon… run….”

Blood splashed against Taewoon’s lashes, mixing with tears as they streamed down his pale cheeks.