Max Talent Player

I stared at Seo Joohwan and his group of three, numbering four in total.

He said to me, “You don’t seem all that surprised?”

His way of speech had suddenly become very casual. I, of course, responded in the same manner.

“I had a vague idea of what you would do. Though I didn’t think you’d really go for it.”

“Really?” He smirked. “Then we can cut the useless chatter.”

He took out his weapon, the ‘dagger’. He had come here determined.

“There’s no video surveillance here and no police to protect you, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

Of course I was. There were tons of cases where people went into dungeons and their bodies could not even be found. Murders occurred frequently within. Later on, the Players Association would be established and there would be implicit promises and rules between Players, but that was a thing of the future.

“Your reason for doing this?”

“I just find you really annoying. You’re real irritating, see?” Seo Joohwan stared at me in distaste before adding one more thing. “But if you give me that girl, I’ll let you go this time.”

Seo Joohwan turned to Yoohyun and offered him the proposal as well. “How about it, Yoohyun? All you have to do is give me that girl and this situation can be settled nice and neatly.”

Sunhwa clutched the hem of my clothes. I could feel how small her hand was, just how small a 14-year-old girl just barely out of elementary school was.

“I just don’t understand why you’re asking for Sunhwa,” I said.

Actually, I knew the truth. His summary had laid his nature bare.

Summary: Violent Pedophile

In other words, he was a psychopath. I stared at the man. Right now, the Seo Joohwan in my eyes didn’t look that strong.

“You said it. There are no surveillance cameras here.”

That also applies to you, you psychopath.

He snickered. “What? You can’t be thinking of fighting us, right? I’m sure Yoohyun will be neutral. You think you and that tiny little girl will be a match for us four?”

I was so dumbfounded I had to laugh. What in the world had him so confident that Yoohyun would be neutral?

Yoohyun also clarified. “But I’m on hyungnim’s side?” he said, his raised fists making him seem like a cow determined to butt heads with Seo Joohwan.

That didn’t seem to faze our opponent much. “Well, whatever. I’ve already seen the full extent of your skills.” His eyes grew serious. “I’ll give you one last chance.”

Eye of Perception relayed an electrifying sensation to me. It was as if a sharp blade were pricking my body. I had learned this feeling through Eye of Perception.

‘Murderous intent.’

It was his bloodthirst, his desire to kill someone. That man was serious right now.

He spoke, as if giving a final warning. “We’re about tied when it comes to hunting monsters. But I—”

Knowing what he was about to say, I cut in. “Have an ability specialized for PVP.”

“…”

Joohwan was briefly taken aback, having had the words taken from his mouth. However, he quickly recovered his relaxed air.

“You’re well-informed.”

I smiled. “Have you learned Shadow Ambush, at least?”

“…”

He probably hadn’t yet. He hadn’t even advanced to a class. From his reaction, I could tell he hadn’t learned any techniques like ‘Shadow Ambush’. If so, I wasn’t all that worried.

“Let me ask you one more time.”

“Feel free.”

“If I don’t give you Sunhwa, you really intend on killing us?”

Seo Joohwan grinned. “I told you already. There’s no surveillance here. This is really your last chance. Decide. Whether you’ll all die, or just give that girl to me.”

Because there were no police here, no laws. Because this was a dungeon.

‘That’s right. That’s the sort of place this is.’

I hadn’t forgotten. I hadn’t experienced it before in the past, but the dungeons during the beginning period were all lawless zones.

“How about it? Decided in your heart?”

“My answer to you is…”

This.

I shot towards Seo Joohwan first, bending slightly for a takedown tackle.

‘He’ll dodge.’

I could see his movements as clearly as day. His trajectory, and how he would move, they were all drawn out in my head.

“You crazy bastard—!”

The long-ranged DPS nocked an arrow at me, an action that was not lost on me. My Eye of Perception that had absorbed Sixth Sense completely read his movements.

“Slow.”

From the beginning, Joohwan wasn’t my objective. My target was the irritating long-ranged DPS, Go Janghan. 

‘I hoped I wouldn’t have to use it, but…’

I twisted in place and used the ‘thing’ I had prepared in Janghan’s direction.

* * *

So Yoohyun was instantly stunned.

‘Huh?’

It was already surprising that Kim Hyukjin had predicted all of this, but more surprising was that his movements were completely different from before.

‘He was hiding his full strength?’

That was the only explanation. Hyukjin’s movements were incredibly clean. Yoohyun had always been well-versed in various martial arts, and in his eyes, Hyukjin’s movements just now looked like they had come from a long-time wrestler.

‘He purposely… didn’t show all of his strength,’ Yoohyun realized. Hyukjin had done so exactly for a situation like this. That one movement just now had proven it without a trace of doubt.

Yoohyun also steeled himself to fight. It was all or nothing.

“You assholes.”

He started running towards one Player. Just then, Kang Sunhwa jumped in.

[Using the skill Platinum Shield.]

Clang!

A loud clang echoed out. Sunhwa had blocked Joohwan’s dagger attack, protecting Yoohyun.

“Thanks.”

This child who was only 14, a kid whose talent plates hadn’t even fully opened up yet, had read the attack of a man specialized in surprise attacks.

[Using the skill Power Fist.]

White light gathered in Yoohyun’s fist. He landed his fist squarely in the abdomen of a Player.

“Gugh!”

The Player curled like a shrimp. At the same time, Kim Hyukjin approached and scattered something sweet-smelling.

Hyukjin was sure of it.

‘We can beat them.’

The other side had underestimated them too much.

‘No, we will beat them.’

Yoohyun moved far better and faster than he expected. Sunhwa’s sense for combat was second to none. She was completely different from the scared and cowering girl she had been moments before.

‘The moment the battle started, Sunhwa completely changed.’

Sunhwa blocked a whopping three of Seo Joohwan’s rather tricky attacks, even though she was breathing hard and trembling because she had used ‘Platinum Shield’ many times in succession.

Hyukjin poured honey water over Seo Joohwan, like he had already done with Go Janghan. That was the honey his sister had bought for him. He had diluted it into honey water.

“The fuck are you doing?!”

Seo Joohwan had the feeling that things were not going as planned. Both Yoohyun and Sunhwa were far stronger than he expected. He thought they’d be able to overwhelm the three of them, but his group was the one getting overwhelmed.

‘No, the problem isn’t Yoohyun or Sunhwa.’

It wasn’t them. The person completely responsible for this situation was Kim Hyukjin. His movements were difficult to chase. As if he were using some kind of special footwork, Hyukjin attacked them while nimbly dodging.

‘Just how fucking high is his Agility?!’

Joohwan had invested a ton of his points into Agility. But Hyukjin was still faster. The rat weaved in and out, breaking their center of gravity. There were also Yoohyun’s powerful blows to contend with, and Sunhwa blocked their occasional attacks.

‘Fuck!’

That bastard. He had to catch that bastard. As long as they could do something about Hyukjin, everything would work out. He thought Yoohyun would be the biggest problem, but it was actually Hyukjin. Joohwan’s entire body felt sticky. His hair and clothes were a mess of sweat and honey water.

‘Is he trying to rile us up?’

Hyukjin could have easily gone for a fatal blow, but he didn’t use any weapons and simply poured honey water on them.

Booooom–!

Booooom–!

He started to hear loud booms coming from deeper along the pathway.

* * *

“Get down!”

At my shout, Yoohyun and Sunhwa immediately ducked. When we first came in here, I had told them in advance:

[On the off chance that something happens, if I tell you to get down, get down no matter what’s going on. Got it?]

Both Yoohyun and Sunhwa got down immediately, as did I. A swarm of bees rushed past our heads. They were far bigger than regular bees, even bigger than the Asian giant hornets that were frequently called the scariest bees.

[The attack of the Buzzing Bees has begun.] Buzzing Bee LVL 18

Their individual levels weren’t that high, but there were thousands of them in a swarm. Without a fire mage, it was better to not even consider trying to kill them.

“W-What the fuck?!?”

The screams began.

Buzzing Bees were very sensitive to sweet smells.

“U-Uaaaghhhhh!”

“S-Save meeee!”

“P-Please save me!”

And they had a habit of drinking Players’ blood.

“I-I beg you…!

“Save…”

“No…”

Covered from head to toe in thousands of Buzzing Bees, the screams of the four Players sticky with honey water became quieter and quieter.

[The attack of the Buzzing Bees has ended.]

Hundreds of Buzzing Bees that had become bloated from drinking too much blood had fallen to the ground, along with four Players who had become as desiccated as mummies.

‘It’s over.’

Eye of Perception couldn’t sense anything from them anymore. There was no trace of life. Now, they could no longer be considered living.

‘They died.’

Technically, I was the one who killed them.

‘I don’t… feel as much as I thought I would.’

I was more emotionless than I expected. Even though I had just committed murder, I didn’t feel much guilt or pangs of conscience, nor was I nauseated or scared by the sight of those mummified bodies. I was so calm I was a little scared of myself.

I cast one last glance at Seo Joohwan, whose body had become mummified.

‘You brought this on yourself.’

If you were resolved to kill someone, you had to be resolved to meet your own death. 

The bodies were sucked dry of their blood. The Buzzing Bees scattered on the ground, round as balloons with blood. I had created this situation, almost like a conductor directing an orchestra.

The reactions of the Guardians were mixed.

[The ‘Lady of the Scales’ is greatly disappointed in you.]

[The ‘Nameless Observer’ is silent.]

[The ‘Whispering Devil’ claps his hands in glee.]

Standing behind me, Yoohyun and Sunhwa held their silence for a moment. After all, what had just happened before them was not something they had seen in their everyday life. The calmest person here wasn’t the future Fist King So Yoohyun, but actually me, Kim Hyukjin. The same Kim Hyukjin who had received a [No Talent] evaluation.

I heard some notices.

[A special situation has been exposed.]

[The System has recognized the situation as a PK (Player Kill).]

[Forcibly awakening your dormant Innate Ability due to your first PK.]

I had already heard a notice like this before. Back when we were running from the magic troll, there was a notice like this. That was when I awakened my innate ability ‘Sixth Sense’, and that Sixth Sense had been fused into the ‘Eye of Perception’ I currently possessed.

‘I had another innate ability?’

Most Players only got one innate ability, and it was orthodox for it to unlock at around level 60. Fast Players would get it at around level 40. But I already had two of them.

[Awakening your Innate Ability.]

‘Huh?’

And to my surprise, that innate ability… was one I was already very familiar with.