Chapter 42: Sword Demon, How Dare You Challenge Me!

Chapter 42: Sword Demon, How Dare You Challenge Me!

“Aargh, what did you—!” I grabbed onto both his arms as I yelled.

His expression contorted fiercely. “This fucking punk! You’re just asking for it!”

As soon as I strengthened my grip on him, his face began turning pale.

“W-wait a min—!”

“No.”

Craaack!

Along with the muffled scream, his arm was crushed! I was so shocked by it that I inadvertently let go at the same time.

Like a wrung rag, blood streamed out of his crushed arm and onto the floor, creating a giant puddle. He wasn't lying when he said he was a B-rank Hunter. Despite that level of injury, this bastard was still standing.

“You fucking bastard!”

With bloodshot eyes, he glared at me, swinging his uninjured fist. He moved with the speed of a bullet, tearing the air. Briefly, I wondered if he was even hurt at all.

“Gasp!”

I reflexively raised my arms and curled my body up like a tortoise, but it was no use.

Like a trained sparring athlete, the bastard changed the trajectory of his punch, aiming for the gap between my arms. His fist struck me like an awl.

I didn’t fail to see it. He flashed me a smug grin.

Craaack!

A sharp crack of bone breaking to pieces—except it wasn’t from me, but his fist.

“Aaargh! My hand!”

Just how the attacker ended up suffering from a bone fracture instead of the victim remained a mystery. Anyhow, now was my chance!

“Muuuuscles!”

Don't ask me why I yelled that word in this situation, because I had no idea myself.

My palm—now the size of a cauldron lid—shot through the air and sent a punch flying into his face.

Smaaack!

The sound of armor shattering rang through the air, and the bastard's body vanished without a trace.

Huh? Where did he go?

I looked for him and eventually found him sprawled on the street, 10 meters away from my front door. Scattered around him were what seemed like roughly twenty popcorn. They turned out to be his teeth.

“Wow, how did I become so strong...?” I took a look at myself in the mirror, wondering what was going on.

Huh? Who the heck?!

Instead of looking like the usual scrawny writer, I was now a muscular hunk with a towering height of almost 2 meters. Not to mention, my skin was red hot like heated iron.

Under those broad thoracic muscles were shredded washboard abs. My tattered trousers struggled to cover my rippling, national-treasure-level thighs.

Is this really my body?

Just then, my appraisal skill activated.

-----

[Yu Il-Shin]

Planet Antrinia’s Low-tier God. Originally known as Nameless God. Eventually attained status through the faith of the black tribe that presides over the World Tree.

Special note: Skill Sharing his follower Il-Ho’s Strong Body.

Duration left: 4 minutes 32 seconds.

-----

The timer under the special note was decreasing rapidly.

“Ah! Now isn’t the time to be spacing out! Ms. Sung Mi-Ri!”

I could always revisit this later. Right now, my utmost priority was to make sure if that Salvation Quest was real.

— The number you are calling cannot be reached. You will be connected to the voicemail...

When I called her, it didn’t go through. Shit! What now?

Ah, God-Maker!

I quickly opened the APP.

Ding!

[Launching Yu Il-Shin’s Follower Management system.]

[Yu Il-Shin currently has a total of 102 followers.]

-----

[Earth branch (1 pax)]

Sung Mi-Ri

[Antrinia branch (101 pax)]

Gayami tribe’s Saintess and 100 others/pax

-----

Sung Mi-Ri staggered, the blood from her injury pooling around her. She seemed to have used up all her power earlier.

“Is that all?”

Trudge trudge.

Sword Demon began to approach Sung Mi-Ri. As she stared at the encroaching figure, pure despair flashed across her eyes.

“P-please spare me. I still have an unfinished job... I can’t die before avenging my parents’ death. Please...”

“Like I said, I have nothing against you.” Sword Demon raised his sword. “Rest assured. You won’t feel any pain. I’ll finish you off with a single blow,” he said solemnly, as if that was the greatest mercy he could offer.

“Teacher...”

Tears welled in Sung Mi-Ri’s eyes. Then, as I watched her, our gazes interlocked.

Tzz!

Static appeared on God-Maker, and just like that, I lost sight of Sung Mi-Ri.

“Ugh!”

Drip!

Stinging tears overflowed from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks, as messages from God-Maker appeared.

Ding!

[The power “???” gifted by the Silently Crawling Nightmare has allowed you to see the fate of your follower.]

[This has yet to happen in real life, so it is simply a nightmare.]

[But, it is also fate, so it is bound to happen.]

I had experienced something like this before! It happened during the onslaught of the red ants back then! Right when Sung Mi-Ri almost died by the mantis equipped with a divine sword!

I recognized the place where she was at! It should be around here!

Despite my inner turmoil, my mind was extremely calm. Her soon-to-be attacker was a man known as Sword Demon. He crept up on her and easily defeated her—the A-rank Hunter, Thunder Emperor, who should have been a notch above due to her Lightning abilities.

In that case, he should at least be an S-rank Hunter. Would I be able to save Sung Mi-Ri from him? I honestly wasn’t certain. Sure, I had an easy victory over that B-rank bastard, Department Head Kim, but that was only because I was Skill Sharing with Il-Ho.

As a writer, imagination was my greatest strength. I racked my brain for a short while. Hadn’t I obtained a small yet mysterious power after playing God-Maker for so long?

Think, think! There has to be a way to save Sung Mi-Ri from that psychopathic Sword Demon...!

Wait, what? Sword? My gaze fell on the drawer that was sealed with box tape.

[God Yu Il-Shin, you have the potential to defy mortal fate.]

[Would you like to use your divine power to alter her destiny? (Yes/No)]

I reached for the shelf and yelled my decision, “Yes!”

Ding!

[You paid 100,000 Gcoins for the alteration of her fate.]

[The effects of the title Benevolent Savior (C) and the Second Moon created by Yu Il-Shin trigger an “incredible miracle.”]

Flash!

A blinding light enveloped me, and I vanished on the spot.

***

“Mister, please save me...”

“It’s no us—”

Thud.

Just before his sword could slit Sung Mi-Ri’s throat, Sword Demon froze.

“...Who? How long have you been standing behind me?” Sword Demon turned his head around in surprise. “How did I fail to notice you? Is your stealth that good?”

“...”

“Did the Brilliance Guild send you as well?”

“...”

“Speak, or I’ll consider you my enemy and kill you as well.”

“...Heh, hehehehe...” A twisted laugh escaped from my lips.

“Are you laughing at me? Do you even know who I am?” Sword Demon’s face contorted like a beast.

“Hahahaha!” I couldn’t stop laughing at all.

“Tsk, just a crazy guy.”

Thinking that I wasn’t even worth the effort, Sword Demon ferociously swung his sword at my neck, about to cut my throat.

Clank clank clank!

Yet, his sword never reached its intended target.

“D-did you just block my demon sword?” His voice faltered slightly. “...Using that dull sword?”

That’s right.

In my hand was a knife I had obtained before, which led to the incident at the Chinese restaurant.

“Keke, I want to kill...” I grinned at him with glee.