NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
“So, do you know where Kim Min-seong is?”
“That man is overflowing with vanity, so he must be in a symbolic place.”
Overflowing with vanity, huh…
“The President’s office seems likely.”
“Yeah, perhaps.”
Considering his tendency to covet power and his vanity, it’s highly probable he has taken the position of the highest authority at the university.
“How’s your body feeling?”
Jung Seong-min said as he set Lumi down from his back.
Unlike when we first met, Lumi stood upright without wobbling.
[Cloak of Rest]
An [Abnormality] personally owned by Jung Seong-min. It’s nothing special, just enhancing the efficiency of rest, but for Lumi right now, it was already quite effective.
Although her broken arm was too much, she was able to recover somewhat from the pain and exhaustion of her whole body.
“I can fight.”
Jung Seong-min nodded at her determination and said.
“Then let’s part ways here.”
“Y-yes…?”
Lumi looked puzzled at Jung Seong-min’s words.
“Please go rescue the hostages somewhere.”
“But…!”
“Do you think current Lumi could fight Kim Min-seong?”
Lumi couldn’t respond to Jung Seong-min’s words.
She understood her desire for revenge, but unfortunately, the current Lumi wouldn’t be of any help in battle.
It would be better if she didn’t become a hindrance.
“Rescuing the hostages is important too.”
The power of a [Streamer] fundamentally comes from its subscribers.
While there may not be humans who don’t click subscribe on Kim Min-seong’s reckless streams, the power of a [Streamer] with his type typically comes from oppressing stronghold resources.
In other words, if we can rescue the hostages hidden somewhere in the stronghold and causally unsubscribe, then Kim Min-seong’s power would weaken significantly.
“But I—”
“Lumi.”
Lumi hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
Jung Seong-min saw that and headed towards the President’s office alone.
He spoke as if leaving a task for Lumi, but he had no intention of waiting for her to finish it.
As the enemy’s main base, it’s likely that not only Kim Min-seong’s men, but also the [Painter]’s disciples were gathered there.
Each one may be weak, but gathered in numbers would be a tough match for the current Lumi.
So.
“Make as much noise as possible.”
To draw the enemies’ gaze towards me.
Jung Seong-min drew his sword from his waist.
*
With every step, someone seems to pierce my whole body with intense pain.
The pain starting from my right arm throbs through the nerves of my entire body.
But still, I run.
The pain will subside over time, but if I hesitate, lives will be lost.
I know.
I know that I’m not of much help in combat right now.
It’s recklessness to think I’ll take revenge with my own hands.
It’s impossible for me.
“Damn…!”
It’s frustrating.
It feels like I’m the only one suffering like this.
My efforts seem meaningless.
“Get out of the way!”
With what remains of my decent left arm, I swing the bat just before it shatters.
Shockwaves spread out, and a pain intense enough to shatter my whole body surges.
The [Painter]’s disciples fly away, turned to mush without a trace.
My first kill.
No, maybe it’s not the first?
I recall the [Painter]’s disciples gathered below the stronghold.
An impulsive sin committed without realization.
Yeah.
I can kill humans now.
No hesitation.
Every swing takes down an enemy.
Not that many, though.
Even though it’s their main base.
I hear loud noises from afar.
It’s likely that man is drawing attention and luring the enemies away.
A completely unrelated third party.
I took advantage of his likable personality to get help without hesitation.
Yeah, I’m passing off the sins I commit onto others.
So, at the very least…
“Let that man win.”
I do what I can.
And so…
Lumi arrived at the auditorium.
A place that could hold a large number of humans.
The man who initially raided the university and then collected survivors while wandering outside.
A man who had most likely been treating stronghold residents like half-slaves wouldn’t release them freely, and there wouldn’t be many places that could gather that many people even if I searched the entire university.
“It’s locked.”
It’s a forced lock using chains and padlocks from the outside.
It’s clear to anyone that it’s a measure to contain something.
“Are there people inside?!”
When I shouted loudly at the door, a sound came from within.
It was like the muffled noises of people with their mouths covered.
“I found you.”
Lumi, still moving her painful right arm, lifted the bat with both hands.
“Everyone, step away from the door!”
With all her power.
With the current strength she could muster.
Lumi’s bat clashed with the door, shattering into pieces and resulting in an explosion.
*
“Are you Kim Min-seong?”
Jung Seong-min looked at the man before him.
A man with a fierce impression, muscular and broad, almost too good-looking to be a mere human.
“Well, you would know my face just from watching my streams, right? More than that, I’m curious about your identity. I haven’t seen anyone like you in this game.”
Due to the nature of [Streamers], one’s face and abilities can’t help but be known.
They gain power through streams, and there are minimal restrictions when it comes to watching those streams.
But Jung Seong-min didn’t have any memories of seeing the man before him on his streams.
Aside from pretty girls, he only learned to recognize the faces of those who could be threatening, and it’s odd to think that he wouldn’t remember someone capable of taking down the lackeys like that.
“That makes sense. I’m not a [Streamer].”
Jung Seong-min pointed his sword at Kim Min-seong.
There was no time for chit-chat.
The loud explosions from earlier were Lumi’s [Skill].
Considering Lumi’s condition, just using it must be causing her body to deteriorate in real time.
Even though he entrusted her with the rescue of the hostages…
‘There’s no need to wait for that.’
“What’s the rush? Let’s talk…!”
In an instant, the blade brushed past Kim Min-seong’s neck.
“Did I just graze you?”
I had intended to slice his neck cleanly.
“Oh no, hell no!”
Kim Min-seong, holding his neck where the skin had been cut and blood emerged, was genuinely startled.
[Auto Control]
If it wasn’t for this skill that automatically moves the body, his head would have surely rolled away.
Or rather…
‘Despite the skill activating, I still couldn’t evade entirely?!’
He had not seen it.
The process of Jung Seong-min’s sword brushing against his neck while pointing it at him.
He didn’t even recognize it visually, and it was only after the blade touched his neck that the [Skill] acknowledged the attack and attempted to evade.
“I’m still immature.”
Retrieving his sword, Jung Seong-min aimed it at Kim Min-seong once more.
“You! What are you?”
Kim Min-seong shouted in fear.
At that moment, Jung Seong-min’s hand moved his sword.
“Me? Just an ordinary agent.”
In an instant, a line was drawn before Kim Min-seong.
*
Jung Seong-min was an agent of the [Alliance].
And not just any agent; he was a prodigy directly under the Alliance Leader at the young age of 20.
It didn’t end there.
Among that elite group, he stood out with his unparalleled genius.
And his shining talent surely caught the attention of those who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
“Oho? A genius! A blessing for humanity! Care to learn from me?”
Those who understood the affairs of the [Alliance] referred to him in this way.
The successor of the [Alliance].
The talent that radiates like stars in the sky, which Han Yu-seong once mentioned.
Those who are destined to become the protagonists of the world awaken that.
Jung Seong-min’s sword tears through the fabric of space.
The immature sword of Jung Seong-min does not transcend space or disperse it.
It merely seeps into the void.
It erases its form.
And once more, it reveals itself under the enemy’s throat.
Swish—
“Damn it!”
Kim Min-seong dodged Jung Seong-min’s sword again.
“That [Skill] is quite bothersome.”
Again.
The moment the sword cut through his skin, [Skill] recognized it and activated to move Kim Min-seong’s body.
Jung Seong-min frowned.
It was more troublesome than he imagined.
It was merely a ploy avoiding the touching of the sword rather than a technique transcending space, so it couldn’t breach the recognition range of that [Skill].
To easily counter it, he would either have to slice through the space beyond the scope of recognition like the Alliance Leader or strike in such a wide area that it couldn’t help but get hit like Lumi’s [Skill].
Both were impossible for Jung Seong-min in his current state.
While Jung Seong-min was in trouble, it wasn’t a favorable situation for Kim Min-seong either.
He could hardly think of switching to offense and couldn’t even completely evade.
The instant he recognized and dodged the attack, his skin had already been sliced, creating excess bleeding.
Kim Min-seong couldn’t believe the current situation.
He had thought of himself as invincible ever since acquiring [Auto Control] but could he not resist at all?
For the first time in a long while, fear washed over Kim Min-seong.
It’s impossible.
I can’t win.
I can’t win.
If this continues…
Images flashed in Kim Min-seong’s mind of himself collapsing from loss of blood.
Defeat.
As the two words popped into his head, he shouted.
“Damn it! Hurry up! That damn woman!”
He spotted a woman behind Jung Seong-min and yelled.
“Companion?”
When Jung Seong-min quickly turned around, there she was…
“Lumi?!”
A woman with the same appearance as Lumi.
“No.”
The woman swung the brush in her right hand.
Instantly sensing a sense of discomfort, Jung Seong-min rolled to the side to evade.
Green thorns erupted from the ground where he had just been standing.
“That’s…?”
An attack method similar to the known information.
A direct projection of reality using a brush, not a painting.
“I am [Painter]. From now on, that shall be my name.”
The woman said with a beautiful smile.