Chapter 181:

Chapter 181:

Chapter 181

As soon as he confirmed that the True Spirit Seed had exploded inside the Thought World, Lao Chen led his subordinates into the Thought World.

Originally, five of them should have entered, but this time the situation was different.

Ling Yan, who controlled the puppets, suddenly fainted with blood on her lips, so they had no choice but to enter with only four.

‘Even though she used puppetry to indirectly open it, Ling Yan still got hurt.’

Even if a puppeteer was connected to their puppet, there was never a case where the damage would fully return to them.

Lao Chen could only think that the necklace that Shamath gave him was not an ordinary item.

It was a pity that Ling Yan was absent, but it was not a big problem. She was more specialized in other areas than in actual combat ability, so the difference in power was not significant.

Lao Chen moved in the direction that Shamath had told him, leading his subordinates.

5km west from the entrance.

5km was not a long distance for them.

When they were about 2km away from their destination, Lao Chen gave an order.

“Wang Xian. Support us from the rear as always.”

“Of course.”

The giant man Wang Xian nodded and took out his huge bow that was much bigger than his height.

Behind his back, there were thick iron arrows with a dark color.

“Shoot when I signal.”

Lao Chen left those words and moved quickly.

A skinny man and an old man with a small stature followed him closely.

Lao Chen’s subordinate Wang Xian was what they called a famous archer.

His arrows were more accurate than a sniper rifle with a high-precision scope, and their power was even greater.

Among the awakened collectors, those who specialized in long-range were called shooters.

When Wang Xian put an iron arrow on the bowstring, he received an order from his leader through the talisman.

“Wang Xian. Shoot.”

Thwoong!

His [Eagle Eye] skill allowed him to see very far away.

He captured Yu-hyun who was more than 2km away.

The arrow flew like an eel cutting through water, shaking its tail left and right as it sprinted through space.

The arrow aimed at Yu-hyun’s neck.

Clang!

“Hooh.”

At the same time, Yu-hyun blocked it.

Wang Xian reported to Lao Chen through the long-range communication talisman.

“Captain. He blocked my arrow. He’s not an ordinary guy.”

“Is that so? I got it.”

Lao Chen didn’t seem too surprised either.

Among the enemies they had faced so far, there were several times when someone blocked Wang Xian’s surprise arrow.

But their end was always the same.

No matter how great a collector they were, they couldn’t avoid the death that slowly closed in on them.

Lao Chen was sure that it would be the same this time.

***

Yu-hyun looked at Lao Chen who stood still in his place and bit his tongue inwardly.

He didn’t need to read his book to know. Lao Chen and his subordinates were pros at killing someone.

They didn’t rush in recklessly even though they had secured a favorable high ground.

‘This is the worst situation.’

Yu-hyun looked around.

Kang Yura had fainted and Seo Sumin was mentally shaken by the light swarm just before.

The Blood Shadows were all lying on the ground, and Cheonma, who was the only one who had his mind left, was a time bomb that could explode at any time.

More than anything, Yu-hyun himself had also lost a lot of mental power due to being briefly affected by the True Spirit Seed’s delirium.

‘If I drag this out, I’ll be at a disadvantage.’

Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia were also gone.

He was the only one who could do something here.

Yu-hyun realized that he would definitely lose if he dragged this out and tried to move first.

“That won’t do.”

Lao Chen also read Yu-hyun’s intention.

He immediately signaled Wang Xian.

Right after that, three iron arrows flew across the forest at the same time.

“...!”

Yu-hyun widened his eyes.

One of them clearly shot at him.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

The problem was the other two.

They precisely aimed at Seo Sumin who was sitting down and Kang Yura who had fainted.

Yu-hyun gave up on stepping forward and quickly made Baekryeon into a shield.

Clang clang clang!

The three arrows were blocked by the shield almost simultaneously.

Behind the shield, Yu-hyun frowned.

The other side had no intention of fighting fair with him.

They thoroughly targeted Yu-hyun’s weakness and wanted to kill him perfectly.

They were qualitatively different from the riffraffs he had fought so far. It was not a matter of power.

Lao Chen did not let his guard down at all.

‘Damn it. You could at least be careless once.’

Yu-hyun grumbled inwardly, but he knew very well how vain his wish was.

This was not a fair duel.

It was not a fight to compare each other’s skills, but to kill each other.

Lao Chen was a pro in that regard.

He didn’t compete with his opponent or brag about his abilities. He just tried his best to kill them in the most certain and safe way.

Baekryeon asked anxiously.

[...Hey, what do we do? Do you have a way?]

“I’m thinking.”

Whoosh!

Another arrow flew at me.

This time, unlike before, the arrow curved in the air.

One from the front, one from each side.

I clenched my teeth and quickly parried the incoming arrows.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

But I was too focused on deflecting the arrows that I didn’t pay attention to Lao Chen.

The old man with a small stature next to Lao Chen spat at me.

I barely dodged it, but one of them hit my arm.

I pulled out the spit.

The spot where it hit me throbbed with pain.

‘They even use poison.’

I felt annoyed, as if I was being treated as a dangerous beast.

The old man who spat at me raised his eyebrows and looked at me.

“Lao Chen, sir. It seems that he is resistant to poison.”

“Really?”

“It’s powerful enough to knock out an elephant in one shot. But look at him. He’s not reacting much, is he? He must have some skill that neutralizes poison.”

The old man’s analysis was accurate.

I had the power of cyan life force.

Thanks to that, I was not easily affected by most poisons.

I wasn’t immune to all poisons, but I could nullify or neutralize most of them.

Still, it wasn’t completely ineffective, so my arm felt weak.

The distance between them narrowed.

And right before Lao Chen attacked, Yu-hyun looked him in the eye.

‘He noticed me in that situation?’

Lao Chen widened his eyes.

He was surprised that he was aware of this side even while struggling to block the attacks.

It was a wise choice not to confront him head-on if he could detect this side’s surprise attack.

‘But it’s too late.’

His spear was already piercing Yu-hyun’s chest.

It was too late to realize it.

No one could avoid this attack once it came this far.

Even if they were upper-level collectors, even if they were called one in a thousand.

Lao Chen was sure of his victory.

This attack would hit for sure.

And at that moment, Lao Chen saw it.

Yu-hyun’s face smiling at him.

‘Smiling?’

Thud!

At the same time, his spear pierced Yu-hyun’s heart.

Red blood splashed.

It splashed on Seo Su-min’s cheek, who was sitting blankly on the ground.

“Ah...?”

Feeling the hot sensation on her cheek, Seo Su-min’s mind returned to reality.

She slowly turned her head and found Yu-hyun.

The back of the man who tried to protect her desperately while being wounded.

“You, you...”

“Don’t forget.”

Yu-hyun smiled with blood dripping from his lips, turning his head halfway.

“You can’t run away forever.”

Chwak!

Lao Chen pulled out his hand.

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

Yu-hyun’s body slowly tilted forward and then fell to the ground.

Lao Chen returned his hand to its original position and clenched and unclenched his right hand, looking at Yu-hyun.

He looked down at Yu-hyun, who had fallen to the floor, with an expression of incomprehension.

‘He smiled until the end. What a strange guy.’

The moment their eyes met, he was worried that Yu-hyun might use some hidden trump card that he had been hiding until now. But in the end, nothing like that happened.

Lao Chen felt the sensation of piercing his heart clearly.

No one could survive with a burst heart.

Even if he didn’t die instantly, he would die within 3 seconds at most.

It was the same even if the other party was a Tellerah.

“Why...”

Seo sumin trembled her lips, looking at Yu-hyun.

“Why did you try to protect someone like me...”

Seo sumin’s voice was filled with self-hatred.

Yu-hyun’s blood that touched her cheek turned into letters and scattered.

The traces disappeared, but the warmth and weight of life in the blood remained more intensely and tormented her.

“Why, what are you guys. Why are you dying because of me.”

Was it so wrong to try to live after losing everything? Was it such a sin worthy of death?

She hated this world that couldn’t tolerate even a small happiness.

And she despised herself who couldn’t resist it.

“Is this the woman?”

“You’re pretty cute. Too cute to just kill.”

The old man and the skinny man who had been far away approached.

Lao Chen put on his jumper again.

“Stop talking nonsense and finish it quickly.”

They didn’t care if their target was an ordinary female student.

They had come too far to be picky about such things.

The skinny man said.

“Ah. If you don’t mind, I’ll do it.”

“...Do as you please. As long as you kill her, it doesn’t matter how.”

He nodded his head with a wicked smile at Lao Chen’s answer.

He walked towards Seo Sumin.

He was already looking forward to hearing her beautiful voice scream as he tortured and killed her.

‘Her friend lying next to her also looks like a high-quality product.’

He was overjoyed to have two such good materials.

“Should I peel off your skin raw? Or, should I slowly cut off the ends of your body? Or, it would be fun to kill your precious friend first. It’s too painful to die first, right? I’ll send your friend first. How about that?”

Seo Sumin did not answer.

She just wished this painful life would end quickly.

She did not want to endure this agony any longer.

“...Tsk. Boring.”

The man, seeing that Seo Sumin had no reaction, seemed to lose interest and pulled out a knife from his wide sleeve.

“I’ve decided. But your pretty face is a pity, so I’ll peel off your skin first.”

The knife in his hand slowly approached Seo Sumin’s face.

“Ah.”

Seo Sumin saw it.

The blood that Yu-hyun spilled scattered like letters, and then slowly moved with the wind.

It did not disappear, as if it melted into thin air.

Rather, it was slowly returning to Yu-hyun, who had been its master.

Lao Chen also noticed something strange.

Thump!

“Hmm?”

The sound of a heartbeat, from a being that should have been dead, was clearly heard in his ears.

The next thing he noticed was the old man standing next to him.

Their eyes simultaneously turned to Yu-hyun’s corpse.

And then, they widened as if they were about to tear.

Yu-hyun, who had fallen on the spot, slowly lifted his body.

“Wha, what...!”

“He’s alive?”

While emitting an unidentified energy that he had never felt before.

The scattered letters swirled around him as if he was the center.

Sssss!

The white letters turned black.

And then, they were completely absorbed into Yu-hyun’s body.

His blood disappeared, and the wounds on his body healed completely.

Some of the black letters gathered near Yu-hyun’s face.

Chrrrr!

Like tiny bricks stacking up.

Like countless bugs flocking to a light.

The black letters covered Yu-hyun’s face and gradually formed a shape.

It was a mask.

A black mask that shaped like a demon.

Red glints burst out from the holes in the mask.

Everyone froze and stared at the sight.