Chapter 16: #King of Insects

Chapter 16: #King of Insects

“Crushing Forefinger of God.”

A brief silence ensued.

The flame guy glared at me, his expression twisted like a devil, as I pointed my finger.

“Ha! Bastard, what kind of bullshit is this?!”

Pzz, pzzt!

A strange noise came from the armor...

Boom!

Like short-circuiting wires, the golden glow around the armor was gone in a flash!

-----

[Old Scrap Metal Armor in Yu Il-Shin’s Eyes]

Armor made of scrap metal. Around for 29 years.

Special note: Just melt it already.

-----

The armor had reverted to its original state, consistent with the appraisal result. What was once dazzling Mithril Armor had turned into rusty junk that would crumble at the slightest touch.

Heh, did you see that?

I wasn't actually confident that this would work, but I'm glad it did. The idea occurred to me because I could turn off the porch lights without using the switch.

“Need we say more?” I smirked at the flame guy.

In truth, my heart was racing.

What if he gives me hell for that? Should I call the police now?

“You just ruined our goldmine! You’re gonna pay for that!”

His bulky underlings got furious and raised their fists all at once. I didn’t doubt they could crush my skull easily like a watermelon with those.

Argh! I’m gonna die!

But thankfully, I got to keep my head. Someone I least expected had saved me.

Slap!

“Enough, you moron! Acting as you please!”

“H-hyung-nim?”

After being slapped by the flame guy, his underling stared at him in bewilderment.

“Do you have holes for eyes?! Be quiet!” The flame guy roared.

Not daring to make eye contact, the bulky underling hung his head. The atmosphere in the shop felt like carnage.

Then, the flame guy shifted his attention to me. As if his previous outburst had been a lie, he had a humble smile on his face.

“Haha, they’re so cheeky. You should’ve told me that you’re a high-ranking Hunter.”

Eh? A high-ranking Hunter? Who, me?

“Please excuse us. Mind if we leave?” The flame guy gave a polite ninety-degree bow.

“Mm.” I casually nodded, trying to hide my apparent awkwardness.

“Thank you! Let's go!”

“Hyung? Wait, what?”

“You dimwits! We have to go!”

The flame guy and his muscular underlings ran out of the shop.

“Phew, I almost got a heart attack.”

Thankfully, they let things go. I wasn’t really sure how the misunderstanding came to be, though. My guess was because of how I had easily dispelled the enhancement and deception skills. Nevertheless, the fact remained that I was a G-rank Hunter.

Still, my abilities turned out to be much more useful than I thought. Maybe if I struggle to make ends meet as a writer, I could make a living as an appraiser?

Just then, the store owner grabbed my hands.

“Thank you so much! We’ve been trading with him since my mother’s time... If not for your help, I’d be in deep water.”

“I’m not a Hunter, though...”

Yeah, I should stop. It might be better to approach him sometime later in a more proper manner.

She was about to turn and leave when she heard a voice.

“Thun... no, Ms. Sung Mi-Ri?”

Surprised and flustered, she turned around in the direction of the voice, only to see Yu Il-Shin standing there.

But how...?

Despite the fact that she had a cap and a mask on, Yu Il-Shin easily spotted her amidst the crowd. His eyes were clear and profound, as if he were a sage.

Yu Il-Shin looked around briefly, before starting cautiously, “Uhm, you might think I’m crazy for saying something like this out of the blue...”

He placed something in Sung Mi-Ri’s hand and continued.

“Please take this. It will definitely help you.”

What she received was a small ring that looked like a toy. But as soon as it was in her hand...

Pzz! Pzz!

The blue gemstone on the ring turned yellow, shining mysteriously.

“T-this is...!”

Sung Mi-Ri snapped to her senses and looked for Yu Il-Shin, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.

***

I hid under my covers. Fuck. My face was still flushed.

Thunder Emperor may be greatly admired and respected by many, but Ms. Sung Mi-Ri herself was still a young teenage girl.

For an adult like me to hand her a toy ring while blurting those words... I couldn’t stop cringing.

Even if she had covered her face with a cap and a mask, it wasn’t difficult for me to spot her in the crowd. She stood out to me like light shining in the dark.

But it ended up becoming my newest dark chapter...

It’s still a good thing, right?

As soon as I handed her the Druid’s Ring, the special note for Thunder Emperor changed instantly.

-----

[Sung Mi-Ri]

A female human. Has been around for 19 years.

Special note: Extremely electrifying.

-----

A new modifier was attached to the existing word.

...Was that ring really beneficial for her?

Ugh, how do I stop myself from cringing?

Whiiing~!

Ah, right, the hole in the wall. Spring might have arrived, but the weather was still chilly. I wrapped myself in the blanket I had borrowed from my older sister, trying to fall asleep.

Ding!

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

***

I had a dream that I was in a palace.

The palace itself was much larger and more extravagant than any other architecture that had existed across all eras in this world. The grand hall, the size of Jamsil Stadium, was filled with hundreds of thousands of insects. They ranged from wasps, beetles, spiders, and even the red ants similar to the ones I had killed. They were lying on the floor, shaking their heads.

On a closer look, they didn’t seem to be ordinary insects. Each had a bizarre appearance, seemingly a mix of human and insect. If anything, they looked like insectoid aliens that came out of a Sci-Fi movie or comic. The only thing they had in common was their red color.

Bowing their heads toward the altar, the insects had a look of fear and awe on their faces. The faint silhouette behind the thick veil spoke languidly.

-A monster worshiped by the uncivilized black tribe had wiped out a 100,000-strong army...? Are you sure this report is true?

His soft voice was heard clearly by everyone, as if it had been spoken directly into their minds.

The insects buried their heads onto the ground, trembling like mad.

“I am immensely sorry, Your Majesty! Your incompetent followers deserve to die!”

...Your Majesty?