IRNH C40

Chapter 40

At the sudden upheaval breaking out just as things were nearly wrapped up, the guild members, Kyu-min, and Yujun froze like statues, unable to move.

It all happened at once.

Flesh-colored lumps, as if pieces of human meat, began gathering together, gradually darkening into black. Taewoon suddenly dropped his sword, his face twisting in pain, and was sent rolling across the ground by a monster’s casual punch.

From that moment, even as the monster pressed the attack, Taewoon only stood there blankly, staring down at his own palm.

Naturally, Yujun’s scream tore out, and that cry brought the situation crashing to where it was now.

“Wh-what do we do… H-hyung, Sihyeon-hyung! What do we do!!!”

Yujun’s wail broke with sobs. The guild members snatched up their weapons in a panic, moving to engage the reawakened monsters, but he himself couldn’t do anything.

He was nothing but dead weight.

‘Me… I… If only I were stronger!! If only I had killed when they told me to!’

Why did regret always come only after losing something? When his parents died in the accident, when he woke from the dream, and now—always, only regret. Transparent tears streamed down Yujun’s face as he collapsed to the ground.

‘I’m so pathetic.’

Then, blue sparks began crackling around him. At first, faint static, a weak current, then suddenly flaring like a blaze, surging skyward like lightning before striking him down like a thunderbolt.

[Warning! Dormant awakening resuming.]
[…80%]
[…92%]
[…100% Hidden Shooter unlocked]

The crackling current swirled into a vortex, drawn into Yujun’s eyes. His black pupils shifted, gleaming with blue light as crosshair-like markings etched themselves within.

[Complete]

Yujun swiped away the system messages clouding his vision, then stared at his hands, glowing faintly blue. Looking at the horde of black monsters, he grinned, slowly stood, and raised both hands.

“Haha…”

In that instant, something like a machine gun materialized between his palms, its form feeding on the electric pulses and firing out streams of blue bullets.

“Ahahahahahaha!!!”

His youthful, manic laughter echoed throughout the space.

The bullets streaked forward in blue arcs, weaving unerringly between friend and foe alike, striking only the monsters even in the chaos.

Tatatatata—

In an instant, over a dozen monsters collapsed, their bodies riddled like honeycombs, writhing helplessly on the ground.

“Kkrrrraghhh!!”

The sheer suddenness of it froze everyone—guild members and even monsters alike. Yujun, however, clutched his eyes, which had reverted back to black, and gasped painfully for air.

“Haa… haa.”

It felt like his eyes were burning out. Even in that brief moment, the flood of incoming information had been overwhelming, his skull pounding violently.

‘I… I have to kill more….’

Now that he finally had a way to fight back, his mind was slipping, blurring beyond his control.

In the end, even the gun in his grasp flickered and vanished, and Yujun toppled forward.

Silence fell across the cavern.

But Kim Seongbin, never forgetting they were still mid-battle, quickly signaled to Kyu-min and shouted.

“Snap out of it! Attack!”

The clash reignited, the guild members charging forward. Thanks to Yujun’s brief outburst, the momentum seemed to lean in their favor at first. But as time wore on, the tide began to turn: ten fragile human bodies against dozens of abominations that kept fighting even with severed limbs, even biting when they had no arms left.

Ssssk—

A faint sound drifted through, so soft it could have been missed. Like the flutter of insect wings, or ripples of shallow water.

It was faint, but in moments the air filled with tiny black specks. Then, suddenly, an unbearable, head-splitting cacophony rang out.

Kim Seongbin froze mid-attack, staring at the specks swarming frighteningly close to his body.

They were tiny, yes, but moved with a revolting, writhing life of their own. And the power emanating from them was overwhelming, dark, dangerous, and absolute—nothing present could counter it.

Mouth dry, sweat pouring down his back, he wasn’t alone. Everyone else stood paralyzed, swallowing hard, unable to move.

“Natural Sword. Black Sea.”

Just two words, but the voice was low and coarse, like smoke curling from the abyss.

Shhhhk.

The hair on their arms rose, gooseflesh breaking out. Before their eyes, the monsters that had been rushing them collapsed, dissolving into puddles of blood.

So unreal was the sight that even as the black specks vanished back into the void, not one person moved.

Drip.

A faint splash. Likely just blood, spilled and pooling before dripping down.

Then, proving why he was their leader, Kim Seongbin snapped back to himself at that tiny sound and barked an urgent order.

“Ah! Junghyun! Heal Sihyeon now!”
“Yes, sir!!”

The guild’s sole healer, Kim Junghyun, bolted toward where Sihyeon and Taewoon lay.

But the moment he stepped within a certain range, the specks reappeared, seeping from the air to swirl around them, writhing menacingly.

“I—I can heal him! Please! Do something!!”

As he cried out, Taewoon slowly lifted his head from where he clutched Sihyeon’s unconscious body.

A faint light flickered in his once-empty eyes, and at once, the oppressive energy dispersed as if it had never been.

Junghyun’s eyes welled with tears of blood as he trembled, staring at Yeon Taewoon’s glowing red pupils, but still forced himself forward.

Taewoon did nothing, yet his very presence felt like a blade at one’s throat.

‘He’s on our side. He’s on our side….’

Junghyun repeated the mantra in his head, forcing himself to place his hands over Sihyeon’s wound and activate his skill.

A luminous green light flowed out, and the terrible gash, bones and flesh exposed, began slowly knitting together.

At last, Taewoon exhaled deeply. A hint of color returned to Sihyeon’s deathly pale face.

‘What the hell was that just now?’

[Er—error. Interference—sev-vere—]

‘Useless shit.’

Taewoon recalled the strange change that had overtaken him, fighting down the murderous impulse rising within.

The word “powerless” was foreign to him. Even as a child, when the world beat him down, when others abandoned him, he had simply lacked the will to live—not power.

But when his strength and abilities had suddenly vanished without a trace, the crushing helplessness was unbearable.

Unable even to lift a sword. And in that brief lapse, his master had been hurt. The guilt drove him to thoughts of self-destruction.

“Taewoon… Ah. You okay?”

Sihyeon’s weak voice pulled him back from the abyss. Taewoon jerked his head up, clutching him tightly, tears spilling freely.

“Master!! Why—why did you do that?!”
“Haha. I’m your master, aren’t I? Of course I would. I’m fine now. It didn’t even hurt that much.”

Pale lips curved into a faint smile as Sihyeon gently stroked Taewoon’s disheveled hair.

‘No! He almost bled out!’

Junghyun recalled vividly the gaping wound that had looked ready to spill entrails, and now the man said it hadn’t hurt? He wanted to shout at him to be careful, but seeing Taewoon’s fragile, unstable state, he kept silent and slipped away.

The wound had taken nearly everything out of him to heal, but more than exhaustion, he just wanted to leave this place.

“Hhrrk… Master. Please don’t ever do that again….”

Taewoon sobbed miserably, burying his tear-soaked face against Sihyeon’s neck. Sihyeon forced a clumsy smile, holding the boy close, eyes darting nervously.

‘Shit.’

He hadn’t meant to, but he had left Taewoon with yet another bad memory. The boy’s trembling grip on his clothes told him this wound ran deep.

‘Damn… I’ll probably do the same next time too. What the hell do I do?’

It hadn’t been thought through. He had simply seen Taewoon in danger, and his body had moved on its own.

‘But how could I just stand there and watch…?’

From within his arms came a low, muttered voice.

“Master… what am I supposed to do….”

At first, he had chosen to stay a good child, to abandon selfish desires just to remain by his master’s side for life. It had been hard, but bearable.

But then his master left, as if proving that choice had been wrong.

So when he found him again, he thought guilt might be the key—that if he instilled guilt, his master would never leave his side. He had never abandoned his weak disciple before.

But now, even that seemed like a naive thought.

‘What do I have to do to keep him by my side forever?’

His thoughts spiraled out of control, careening over the edge.

The crushing helplessness he had never known before, mixed with the pitch-black fear that his master might leave him again, drove him to madness.

It was as if his heart had lodged in his skull, pounding so hot and loud that the inside of his head felt ready to boil over.