NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
Chapter 57: What the Heck?
In this sudden situation, Si-hyun was dumbfounded.
Can this damned Paralysis Poison actually be cured?
He stared intently at the notification window once more, as if confirming it. Indeed, it was saying that Po-ahim would drink something called the Tear of the World Tree and detoxify him.
Now that he thought about it, Po-ahim and he shared a relationship where they could influence each other to some extent. It was he who had saved the starving Po-ahim by feeding him.
This meant the reverse could also be true. He didn’t know what the Tear of the World Tree was, but it definitely had to have some detoxing effect. If Po-ahim drank it, it would work on him too.
I can survive!
Suddenly, hope surged within him. His opponents firmly believed in the power of the Paralysis Poison. That’s why they didn’t even tie him up. They were caught off guard.
If he could make use of that…
Si-hyun quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes darting around. Though his mouth was paralyzed to the point he couldn’t speak, his eyes were still moving.
Hee-seung had seated Si-hyun on a wooden chair. It was a place meant for torturing bound individuals. He had to act before they restrained him. Once bound, everything would be over.
“I’ll go first?” Hee-seung said, implying torture.
“Do as you wish. I’m not interested, I’m going upstairs.”
Kyung-jin disappeared towards the stairs with an uninterested expression.
Good.
Very good. Si-hyun’s heart raced with excitement. That meant only two remained in this space. If that woman left as well, it would be easy to deal with the one man who was caught off guard.
Please.
Si-hyun silently prayed.
But it seemed his expectations were too high.
“I’ll just watch. You go ahead. I’m curious to see that guy’s expression. Oh, but don’t overdo it and kill him. Try to consider those waiting for their turn.”
Rebecca said, crossing her legs as she sat in a chair near the door.
Hee-seung smiled sinisterly.
“I’ll try my best… but my hands can be a bit brutal, so I might make a mistake.”
“Don’t mess up.”
“Got it, got it.”
Hee-seung approached the grim-looking table where torture instruments lay, picking something up.
It was a metal clamp.
You could tell immediately what he intended to do. He was going to pull out his fingernails and toenails.
“How about we start with the fingernails? You know? Torture without screams is a different kind of fun. It’s absurdly amusing how someone can be in so much pain they can’t scream, just gasping and flopping their mouth. Heh heh heh.”
Hee-seung slowly stalked towards Si-hyun.
On the outside, Si-hyun looked terrified, his eyes trembling. He had to stay off guard until the end.
However, inside he was hiding a knife.
How should he attack?
Summoning a weapon from his inventory would give them time to react. So, he would strike swiftly to the solar plexus with a strong fist, stunning them, and then draw his sword… to kill.
Si-hyun steeled himself. His opponent was a brutal torturer intent on killing him. Moreover, they were assassins who had been hired to kill innocent people.
Thinking he couldn’t kill such people only led to his own demise. There were not one, but three of them. It was an overwhelmingly disadvantageous and dangerous situation. There was no time to hesitate.
He would survive. That was all that occupied his mind.
Si-hyun steadied his trembling heart and prepared himself for the first murder.
“Alright, here we go…”
Hee-seung moved closer, raising the clamp with a joyful expression.
‘Po-ahim, now!’
Si-hyun shouted in his mind.
Then a moment flashed through his mind of the large, rugged figure drinking liquid from a flask. Shortly after, he felt the refreshing energy rush through his entire body, as his paralyzed muscles loosened.
And with no warning, he mustered all his strength and swung his right fist towards Hee-seung’s solar plexus. He felt even more energized than before the paralysis. His fist struck Hee-seung’s solar plexus with speed and force.
Thud!
“Gah…!”
Hee-seung, caught off guard and struck hard in the solar plexus, crumpled down, disbelief written on his face, gasping for breath while clutching his chest.
‘Now!’
Si-hyun promptly pulled out his sword from the inventory. It wasn’t the usual longsword he used, but rather the legendary Acureruts.
This was no time to hold back. He had to use all his strength to survive this encounter.
“You…!”
When Si-hyun gripped the Acureruts, Rebecca reacted with surprise in her eyes. Everything had unfolded in an instant.
Rebecca dove forward to stop Si-hyun.
But already, the Acureruts was raining down brilliant silver light as it headed for Hee-seung.
Slash!
Thud.
Something fell to the ground limply after being cut. Blood splattered into the air, staining it crimson.
Damn.
Si-hyun frowned.
What had been severed was Hee-seung’s right arm. He had intended to behead him but failed. He had steeled himself, yet the first kill was still no easy feat.
It was entirely different from killing a monster. In that moment, a strong sense of reluctance had caused his attack to veer off course.
Grinding his teeth, Si-hyun swung the sword again. This time, he intended to end it without hesitation for real.
But suddenly, Rebecca sprang into view right before him.
Clang!
The Acureruts clashed with her dagger.
“Huh?”
Rebecca stared wide-eyed at the fragments of broken blade scattering through the air. In a single clash, her dagger had shattered entirely.
…This can’t be.
She unconsciously took a step back. He wasn’t even using the sword’s aura, yet her blade had shattered just from the swing.
Such an extraordinary sword.
It felt like something beyond unique. There wasn’t anything like it among the unique items she had seen so far. Confusion outweighed her greed for the treasure. How could an E-rank Hunter and correctional officer possess such a glorious sword?
It made no sense.
And there was more.
The Paralysis Poison from the Ice Serpent didn’t have the property of self-detoxification. Yet, a person who had been paralyzed managed to detoxify themselves?
That was utterly impossible.
And another thing.
His movements.
Just from observing, she could tell he was absolutely not behaving like an E-rank Hunter.
Was the information the organization provided incorrect?
That had never happened before.
…It was a continuous string of situations that made no sense whatsoever.
Rebecca could not help but feel serious suspicion regarding Si-hyun’s true identity. Seizing on her moment of hesitation, Si-hyun aimed once more at Hee-seung, preparing to end him.
Although dazed from the impact, Hee-seung instinctively tried to stagger back to avoid the attack.
However, that movement was too sluggish compared to usual. He narrowly dodged the first blow, but Si-hyun didn’t hesitate to strike a second time.
He lunged Acureruts into Hee-seung’s chest. Seeing this, Rebecca hastily reached out to intercept, perfectly aligning her dagger to block the incoming thrust.
But.
Clang!
This time, a loud metallic sound signaled the complete destruction of her dagger. Its durability had considerably weakened after the first break.
Poof!
“Gah… cough…!”
Unimpeded, the Acureruts plunged deeply into Hee-seung’s chest.
Gasping for breath, Hee-seung’s eyes bulged in disbelief as he spat blood. With his final ounce of strength, he began to convulse, then dropped his head heavily.
Before even confirming his death, Si-hyun withdrew the sword, preparing for Rebecca’s retaliation.
Yet she made no advance. Instead, she stepped back, bursting a bag filled with the poisonous powder from a Skull Poison Butterfly and quickly swallowed the antidote.
Moments later, the black poison powder filled the room. In such a confined space, there were few more lethal methods of attack.
He would need to hold his breath, but that was something only highly experienced Hunters could manage.
Si-hyun was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Having never experienced such an attack, it didn’t even occur to him to hold his breath. He belatedly covered his mouth, but he had already inhaled a significant amount of poisonous powder.
Rebecca, noticing this, spoke coldly with certainty.
“You will die. In ten seconds.”
The poison of the Skull Poison Butterfly was not like the Paralysis Poison type. It was a horrific toxin that dissolved human organs. Most people would not survive even ten seconds, bleeding black blood before they met their end.
“…!”
At these words, color drained from Si-hyun’s face. His heart raced, and his whole body trembled. He was momentarily devoid of any thoughts, praying only that the effect of the Tear of the World Tree Po-ahim had consumed would still linger, and that it would work against the poison he had just inhaled.
With a kind smile, Rebecca began counting down time, deliberately showing her fingers one by one. When the last finger folded down, the anticipated spectacle did not unfold.
With a grim face, Rebecca waited another five seconds.
But still, Si-hyun remained unfazed.
Rebecca’s expression turned to one of utter disbelief. Her eyes widened in horror, and she shook her head repeatedly.
“…What the heck? This is impossible… Immune to all poisons? No way, that doesn’t make sense. That can’t be true. Then he shouldn’t have even been affected by the Paralysis Poison… No, was he pretending to be affected? No, that can’t be….”
Muttering continuously in confusion, it was clear that the shock weighed heavily on her.
‘Phew.’
Seeing her, Si-hyun heaved a sigh of relief inside. Thankfully, the Tear of the World Tree had worked.
Si-hyun prepared to attack again, gripping his sword tightly.
One enemy was down. Now only two remained. If he could deal with that woman, only one would be left.
But hesitation crept in. Having succeeded in killing one amidst the chaos, he had steeled himself, yet killing a woman felt more repulsive. Perhaps it was a primitive instinct of being a man.
‘What to do.’
Si-hyun paused in thought.
Should he kill her or not? If he had to, could he do it?
The situation was turning in his favor. With the group on the first floor silent, it appeared that what was happening here wasn’t reaching their ears. The soundproofing was evidently very effective.
If sounds could easily escape from here, there would be no point in having built a secret door. In that case, it was just one woman left. Luckily, her skill, the Poison Art, didn’t seem to affect him right now.
Then, it was worth a try. After clashing before, he felt surprisingly capable. He felt lighter and more vigorous than usual.
Clearly, the Tear of the World Tree Po-ahim drank must have not only detoxifying effects but also some buffing capabilities. Moreover, there was the Acureruts.
The sharpness of the Acureruts was beyond imagination. With a single blow, he had shattered the enemy’s blade and completely broken the second.
He could do this!
Despite the perilous situation with two C-rank assassins remaining, he felt no hint of intimidation. Instead, a bizarre confidence welled up within him. It almost raised doubts whether the Tear of the World Tree had a mind-enhancing effect.
‘I’ll take out her legs.’
Si-hyun made a decision. Initially intending to flee, he had changed his mind. He would sever the woman’s leg, rendering her unable to fight, then go upstairs to finish off the last foe. If possible, he would return to extract information from the woman.
While Si-hyun pondered, Rebecca was equally troubled by a whirlwind of thoughts. She had embarked on this because of the organization’s orders, with little thought. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was entangled in a remarkably troublesome matter.
Legendary?
Such items were stories meant for S-class monsters and should have nothing to do with someone of her caliber as a C-rank assassin. As a correctional officer and E-rank Hunter, it was even less likely.
So what was the deal here? And was he actually not E-rank?
Moreover, the poison didn’t affect him.
What was going on?
Endless questions plagued her mind with no answers.
Could it be…
Suddenly, she recalled that Cheonbyeon was in Korea. She had wondered why someone who usually operated between major nations would come to this small country.
But if it was related to that man?
Moreover, this mission had been directed personally by Cheonbyeon. Realizing that Cheonbyeon had taken personal interest in eliminating just an E-rank Hunter felt suspicious. Once she started to doubt, the suspicion unraveled endlessly.
“Who the hell are you?”
Before Si-hyun could move, Rebecca asked first.
He chuckled incredulously.
“Don’t you know better? You came all this way to find me, after all.”
“I know, Si-hyun Lee. Just a lowly correctional officer and E-rank Hunter, right? But I thought I wasn’t supposed to ask such things. Who’s behind you? Who is your backer?”