50 – 050. Petty Heroism (2)
Why the hell did I stand up?
When I woke up, the first thought that came to my mind was that question.
Because of the pain I felt all over my body, or maybe because of the bloody water spilled out, my head was completely blank. With that blank head, I tried to ponder.
…… In fact, Kang Ha-neul is not a very important character to me.
Since she is not a main character, she will not die from a penalty like Ji Ye-won did. There will be a certain amount of penalty, but if her withdrawal application is accepted, she will not be a student at the academy. Therefore, that little penalty will also be gone.
Where is that? There was no penalty for failure in the Extra Quest.
Also, the character Kang Ha-neul does not occupy a large part in the original work. Therefore, the effect of abduction is negligible.
Although there is an uncertain future risk that comes from Na Joo-yong’s possession of Kang Ha-neul, it can be dealt with slowly in the future.
Failing Min Chaeryeong’s mission? In the first place, my mission was to prevent her from dropping out, not as a bodyguard. Even I fought to the point of being a wreck. No matter how much I am Min Chae-ryeong, you won’t be able to say anything to me.
‘…… Okay.’
Even if I missed Kang Ha-neul here, there was no immediate disadvantage to me. That was the conclusion I came to after deliberation.
There was absolutely no reason to lead a sick body and risk your life to attack them.
But why am I?
Why do I dare to stand up and prepare to fight like this?
The question that popped into my blank brain was the same as the first one. The accident didn’t lead properly and it was constantly idling.
“You are so foolish. If I had stayed there, my life would have been saved.”
At those words, Yoo Jin-soo naturally nodded. Like she said, it would have been comfortable if she had just fallen down. Wouldn’t it be better to pretend that you can’t win against your injuries again and just let them go?
“…… !”
The moment I thought that, I met eyes with Kang Ha-neul, who was being held in his hand.
The river sky was shouting without a sound. I can’t even struggle because of the knife that touched my neck, and I can’t even scream because of the grip that closed my mouth. Even so, Kang Ha-neul’s cry was clearly heard in my ears.
Please save me.
Help me.
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Looking at me, with an unspoken wish in those eyes.
Kang Ha-neul is trying hard to keep her eyes on me, even with clear tears flowing from her eyes.
Even though he’s not saying it out loud, he’s clearly shouting that.
‘…… Okay.’
I remembered. It was that gaze. Guided by that gaze, I raised myself with a blank head. I woke up at the sight of that sad, weeping expression.
It was funny. I am not a main character, and by what right am I intoxicated with trivial heroism now?
A heroic spirit that goes hand in hand is a privilege granted only to the main character.
Yes, if it were Ryu Tae-hyun, the main character, not me, who is here. If he were in this position, he would have wanted to save the river sky without hesitation. And at the end, he must have succeeded in saving Kang Ha-neul.
But what about me?
I am not the main character. It wasn’t just about the abilities he possessed. Even if it was Ryu Tae-hyeon, not Ahn Su-ho, who possessed me, it was a story that the original human nature, character and values contained in me were far from the main character.
I am a typical petit bourgeois. The life I have lived for the past 24 years has been a typical petit bourgeois life.
I hate risks and avoid risks.
I chose a comfortable snack rather than a reckless challenge.
I thought I could only go in the middle anywhere, and in reality I only went in the middle.
I had altruism and morality as much as others, and I actually put it into practice, but it was to the extent that it did not harm me.
In my life, I have never tried to help others even at the cost of a fatal loss. Is it even possible to risk one’s life for someone you don’t even know?
I dare to predict that even if the girl I possessed was Ryu Tae-hyeon, not Ahn Su-ho, I would have calculated her gains and losses by saving her before saving her river Ha-neul.
That was me, a human being. I looked at myself extremely objectively. I told myself with an objective gaze. It was a huge mistake to stand up, swayed by trivial heroism.
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Look. Heo Seong-chan is looking at me. Isn’t he ready to hit me right now with his two fists clenched tightly?
It is said that I lived a lucky life a while ago, but if I get hit by that fist again, then I might really die.
If I were the main character. At this moment, like a miracle, he may be able to awaken new powers and defeat Heo Seong-chan. However, I am not the main character, and in addition, the world has not been very kind to me.
A wrong choice is death.
Yes. Let’s surrender even now. Let’s pray earnestly for his life to be saved. If you do, they will save me too. I thought so.
It was by no means embarrassing. Any normal person would do that. I was an ordinary person. I am neither Ryu Tae-hyeon nor Midwinter. It is natural for me, a person who was born as a petit bourgeois and lived as a petit bourgeois, to do so naturally and have to do so.
Know my fraction.
I kept repeating that. He repeated it, but every time he did, Kang Ha-neul’s pitiful gaze stepped on him.
I tried to avoid that gaze.
Kang Ha-neul has nothing to do with me.
Even if she is kidnapped here, there is no disadvantage for me.
Isn’t it an extra villain that has passed away from the original work in the first place? There was no reason why I would risk my life for her.
I tried to think so.
Kang Ha-neul’s face caught my eye whenever that happened.
With that sadly distorted expression.
In clear tears flowing down your cheeks.
With those eyes looking at me pitifully.
The moment I came to my senses, I was facing Heo Seong-chan with my guard raised with both hands.
You must not hand over the river sky to them.
There was no gain or loss of interest, no rationality, no justification for such a judgment. But it shouldn’t be I just thought I didn’t want to.
Because of this guilt that sits in the corner of my heart.
Kang Ha-neul was not originally destined to face such a crisis.
The fact that she, who was strong in her own way in her original work, has become so weak.
That also made her decide to give up her hunter dream and drop out.
As a result, she was captured by those who tried to kidnap her, and without any resistance, she helplessly waited for me to rescue her.
If you look closely, it’s all my fault. Wasn’t it my fault for interfering in this world at will, that her life, which would normally have gone as planned, turned so twisted?
That was not even a funny idea. Why is it my fault that Kang Ha-neul became like this? If someone was to be blamed, the Heavenly Demon of Pleasure would have to be blamed for changing Kang Ha-neul to that way. I am also a victim of being played by the Heavenly Demon of Pleasure, and definitely not the perpetrator.
However, the thoughts that had once entered my mind could not easily be erased. No matter how much I changed her life, it was a pleasure, but if the purpose was to give me a crisis, it wouldn’t be any different if I was the cause.
That thought made a guilty feeling spring up in a corner of my heart, and that guilt soon got me up and standing here.
“…… f*ck this.”
It was a foolish choice.
I was clearly aware that it was a foolish choice.
Nevertheless, why am I standing here?
The reason is a conscience that has not yet been abandoned.
The vestiges of the petty morality that others were proud to have.
The naive pride of not wanting to admit defeat.
A step of rebelliousness that I show to a writer who hates me.
However, it is not enough to express it in words, so if I have to add it.
“…… Come on It cools down.”
That was, indeed, an expression of insignificant heroism.
If you suddenly look back on this day in the distant future, you will probably think so.
“It should come out like that!”
As soon as those feelings were scattered in my mind, Heo Seong-chan rushed at me.
I didn’t avoid it. It wasn’t a speed that could be avoided, and I had no intention of avoiding it. Soon, his dull fists were thrust into my stomach.
“Kuhup!”
I managed to hold on so my body didn’t fly away. However, the shock did not go anywhere. With the power to crush the intestines at once, the blood that was swallowed with effort was purplish! And burst out of his mouth.
-Chin.
I managed to lean on Heo Seong-chan’s shoulder as I was about to collapse. A clumsy clinch. It was the only way to stand on wobbly legs. Heo Seong-chan said as if he was sorry for the unseemly resistance.
“If you can’t dodge such a simple attack, you’re really on the verge of dying.”
He was a man who enjoyed combat from his very nature. The fact that the fight itself is more important than the achievement of the goal is a negative factor for a contractor, but Yoo Jin-soo, who has a thorough personality, compensates for this as a partner.
However, no matter how much he is a partner, he will not be able to limit his every action as he enters battle.
The moment I stood up, Heo Seong-chan put on a happy expression. It was a face I believed I would show. That’s why I didn’t end it at once. I didn’t finish to see my next move. That’s why even now, even though I’m close to his body, he doesn’t push me away.
I thought that would be the case with Heo Seong-chan. He didn’t think he’d be able to make it this far in just one shot, but it was a fluke.
-Chin.
I lifted my right arm from Heo Seong-chan’s shoulder and grabbed his head.
A slow motion with no energy.
That’s why it was a cowardly blow that was able to get out of its bounds.
-Kiiiiing!
As soon as I activated the talisman as hard as I could, the jewel in the ring shone blue with a clear resonance.
“Huh?”
“Sacrament! Avoid! Something is wrong!”
We reacted belatedly, but it was already too late. The black smoke that flowed from my right hand, a black snake compressed to the level of almost viscous liquid, burrowed into Heo Seong-chan’s ear.
“Wow?! What’s this-“
Immediately after that, the snake that had coiled itself inside his ear secretly swelled up.
– Boom!
Compared to the noise of the past, it was a small explosion.
However, the results were by no means shabby.
“What did you do to me… …. Uh huh?”
Heo Seong-chan staggered back and sat down on the floor.
-Jureureuk.
“Uh, uh uh?”
Red blood flowed from one ear of Heo Seong-chan. Those eyes that were wet with bewilderment were bloodshot red.
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Looking at it, I intuitively felt that my attempt had been successful.
My most powerful attack is to compress a large amount of smoke created through Talisman and explode it all at once. Of course, if I activate it in a small room, I will be caught in the attack. The blow I had just taken was a kind of last resort.
In order to damage the enemy with minimal smoke, a small compressed smoke bursts from the enemy’s body and shocks only the enemy.
There were several hurdles to overcome in order to succeed. First of all, as a prerequisite, you had to be able to approach closer than the distance your fists came and go, you had to aim for a hole connected to the enemy’s body, and lastly, the enemy had to wait for a slight delay to activate Talisman. That kind of compression ratio is originally impossible with only my magic power.
Anyway, originally, it was an extremely difficult technique to succeed. However, as difficult as it was to succeed, the effect was certain.
“What, why can’t I see? Besides, can’t you hear? What? Uh huh?”
Heo Seong-chan held onto one ear and was bleeding from every orifice on his face. The smoke that exploded in his ears must have traveled all over his head. Apparently, the hearing in his left ear, as well as his sense of balance, and sight in his left eye seemed to have gone to taste.
‘I tried to kill him at once, but the power wasn’t enough.’
I couldn’t help it because it was a blow that hadn’t taken much time to recharge. If he had taken a little more time and compressed the smoke to roughly 10 to 20 seconds, it would have been possible to explode his head altogether, but even if Heo Seong-chan was careless, he wouldn’t have waited that long.
However, as a result, Heo Seong-chan fell incapable of fighting. Seeing him struggling to stand up somehow but not being able to control himself, he probably won’t be able to fight anymore.
‘Well then.’
Feeling the recoil of Talisman slowly rising, I looked at Yoo Jin-soo with eyes wondering what to do now.
Yoo Jin-soo couldn’t contain his astonishment. He had no choice but to do so. As for the battle, his partner, who was entrusted with it, was helpless.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight at all. If he attacked me with a fight between the two, he honestly didn’t have the confidence to win.
“Hey.”
That’s why I took the lead. Lest he have any other thoughts.
“It’s a deal. Gently hand over the river sky to me. Then I’ll hand over your partner. Of course I won’t chase you. How is it?”
As I said that, black smoke rose from my hand. Toward Heo Seong-chan, who had collapsed in front of him. Like I could kill him at any moment.
A look of worry crossed Yoo Jin-soo’s face at my action.
Are you risking the quest to complete the quest, or taking the failure of the quest for the comfort of your partner and stepping back?
He looked troubled, but I knew the answer he would choose. What, Heo Seong-chan and Yoo Jin-soo were partners who valued each other more than anything else. For him, the option of giving up Heo Seong-chan’s life did not exist from the beginning.
“…… Great. I accept the deal.”
The time to worry was not long. I winked at Yoo Jin-soo, who nodded reluctantly, and he slowly let go of his hand that had threatened Kang Ha-neul.
– Blame it!
The river sky ran away from me as if it was half-crawling on its wobbly legs. I trembled as she hid behind her on my back.
After looking at her for a while, I took the smoke I had made in her hand. Then, he grabbed Heo Seong-chan’s ankle from a distance and threw it at Yoo Jin-soo. Yoo Jin-soo, who accepted the body, whispered in the ear on the other side of Heo Seong-chan, who was still fine.
“Sacrament. Are you okay?”
“Jinsu! Don’t give up on the quest because of me! Attack him now! Hurry!”
“That can’t be. I alone cannot defeat him and kidnap Kang Ha-neul while protecting you. Besides, the police will come soon. It is our defeat.”
“Defeat?! I didn’t lose! We didn’t lose! If only that bastard hadn’t done anything cowardly-“
“Is that so? But sometimes you have to step back to win. And now is the time, sacrament.”
“Damn it…… !”
Heo Seong-chan, who gritted his teeth as if he was in trouble, shouted while pointing in the direction slightly different from me.
“I remembered your face! Wait and see! Don’t be offended next time! I’m sure I’ll win! Got it?!”
“…… Why don’t you take me soon?”
“…… Thank you for your mercy.”
Yoo Jin-soo left the front door carrying Heo Seong-chan, who was running wild in spite of himself. The sound of a police car siren could be heard from a distance through the open door.
At the sound of the siren, the last tension that had been holding me up was released.
– Plopped.
“Uh, uh uh? Gwa, are you okay?”
Kang Ha-neul, who accepted the day when I collapsed unexpectedly, asked in a panic. However, he didn’t even have the energy to nod. In addition to the accumulated injuries, it seemed that he would lose consciousness at any moment due to the recoil of the Talisman he used at the last minute.
“…… Are you okay?”
I managed to ask that in my fading consciousness. He asked in a casual manner, but Kang Ha-neul didn’t seem to care at all about it.
“Yes! I’m fine! More than that, the wound is too severe……. This, starting with 119…….”
“Yes. If it’s okay…….”
As I slowly began to close my eyes, Kang Ha-neul was visibly startled. You don’t have to be so fussy. If anyone saw me, I thought I was going to die.
No, it was an injury to the extent that it wouldn’t be strange to die if you think about it.
…… Wait, then could it be that I’m dying right now?
‘What the f*ck.’
Belated regret came to me at the thought that I might die. The determination that I had made in my own way, whether it was guilt or heroism, disappeared without a trace.
I’m crazy. What kind of preoccupation did he make to save Kang Ha-neul when it was difficult to take care of himself?
“Hey, wake up! You can’t close your eyes! If you lose consciousness, that’s it!”
“…… Ah, f*ck…….”
“Yes! You’re holding on to consciousness by swearing! The police and ambulance will come soon, so just a little more…….”
“…… So why did you say that you were dropping out…….”
“Eh, yes?”
In my fading consciousness, I inadvertently blamed Kang Ha-neul. Seeing how she blames her for her poor quality, I guess I’m the one who can’t be the main character.
“I’m sorry. Because of me. Just because I’m quitting…….”
Muttering that, Kang Ha-neul looked down at me and shed tears like chicken droppings. It was like watching a vegetable lotion, chewing your lips and crying.
‘…… Ah.’
A thought came to me at that moment.
‘…… If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have brought a vegetable kite with me…….’
It was a belated regret. Soon my energy ran out, and I helplessly closed my eyes. Kang Ha-neul shouted something to me, but I couldn’t hear it because my ears were deaf.
‘Oh my gosh… ….’
With the end of that curse word, my consciousness sank far below the depths of sleep.
finally