It was a close call.
Whether it was due to my penetrating gaze skill or Sung Hyunjae underestimating me, or perhaps both. I could barely perceive his approaching movements. However, he surely didn't expect me to retaliate.
Activating my earring's defensive shield was almost an instinctive reaction. While I couldn't predict it consciously, my body seemed to sense it. With stats that had risen to C-grade over the five years of accumulated experience, I barely managed to activate the shield before taking a hit. But...
A solid, stabbing kick effortlessly broke through the shield. Then, combat boots struck my abdomen. With a suppressed groan, I rolled onto the ground. It should have left a dark bruise, but it wasn't unbearable. If I hadn't used the shield, I might have been knocked unconscious at least.
Still, he didn't seem intent on killing me.
"Darn, what the heck...!"
I managed to kick back, but questions still lingered in my mind. Wait, isn't that Sung Hyunjae? Or not? Even if my eyes were blurry, I couldn't have mistaken that face. Why?
"Ugh!"
As I tried to get up, my hair was violently grabbed before I could even raise my body. My head tilted as it was pulled, and my gaze met the ground. Then, a low voice reached my ears.
"No mana signature, no protection signature."
Certainly a familiar voice, but at the same time, it felt unfamiliar. While I knew about mana signatures, what was a protection signature? I shook off the hand grabbing my hair, and he simply let go. Staggering to my feet, I faced the figure that was likely Sung Hyunjae.
"...What the heck are you doing?"
I took a step back. Quickly scanning the surroundings, my gaze returned to the man in front of me. Though his appearance was familiar, the atmosphere was different. What should I call it?
He looked emaciated. Lifeless. Boring. More so than when I felt the repetitive sensation from returning to the same place. His expression seemed indifferent, as if there was nothing interesting in the world, not even a hint of vitality.
...I've sung the 'I'm bored, I'm bored' song before, but I've never seen someone look so faded.
"Stealth and shield, roughly S-grade and B-grade, it seems. Stats look around C-grade, which is peculiar."
He evaluated me. There was some interest, but only a faint curiosity could be felt. Something was still strange. He didn't seem like the person I knew.
I took another step back.
"Could it be that your name is Sung Hyunjae?"
"Do you not know me?"
"I've seen your face a lot, but your name doesn't ring a bell."
My voice slightly trembled at the end. That meant his name wasn't Sung Hyunjjae. Was he really a different person, or did I get hit on the back of my head wrongly when I entered here?
However, his attitude wasn't that of someone who lost their memory. His actions to confirm something about me belonged to someone familiar with this place, someone familiar with this world.
"...I was just passing by, but can I keep going like this? I might be a bit annoyed by the unexpected hit, but should the lower grade crawl on its own? What do you think?"
"Being a mere C-grade, you should crawl on your own. You're not even worth the annoyance of an SS-grade."
Once I stepped back, he approached. A slow pressure enveloped me. My fear resistance was S-grade, while his grade was SS. Even though my actual fear resistance was somewhat higher due to increased basic stats and mental stat, it didn't seem to match SS-grade.
My spine tingled, and I swallowed dry saliva. Even if the fear resistance was S-grade, this guy's grade was SS. It felt less effective than when dealing with an unknown sense of repetition. Despite that, he didn't approach further. ...Considering that, he seemed quite different even if he's the same guy.
"Do you also have fear resistance?"
"Well, it's just a common C-grade. Let's not waste any more time."
I almost liked how things were going smoothly for a moment, but darn it. It was a trap. He mentioned that someone had sent a message, but the guy in front of me seemed clueless. He didn't even recognize me.
Maybe he's a different person. If so, I need to escape from here. But how?
'I don't want to lose my life over this.'
Blaming myself, I backed away and drew my gun. His eyes narrowed at the gun pointed at him.
"Not a good choice. It's both useless and foolish."
"Even for a mere C-grade, I have my pride. If the SS-grade is going to hit me, at least be generous. After all, with my abilities, it won't even tickle."
The white gun started absorbing my mana rapidly. The Sung Hyun-jae lookalike tilted his head slightly. If he's like my partner and has a similar personality, he might watch my C-grade sudden actions.
"A generous hit, and the price?"
"Well, how about I willingly follow you? As long as my body stays intact, that is."
"I won't scratch your throat, but I'll make sure my throat remains untouched."
If I continued to attack the guy who had kicked me away, I would end up hurting myself first. It wasn't funny, but he was different. Though not someone I could let my guard down against.
"Thank you for your patience, kind sir."
I pulled the trigger, simultaneously absorbing the recoil and springing up from the ground.
A handgun. As small as its size, its usual power was generally weak. However, what erupted from the white muzzle could be described as nothing short of a storm of magical power.
Even calling it a bullet would be an understatement; a massive surge of energy burst forth, propelling my body as if I were an arrow.
Quagga─!
The swirling white light and the rough dance of crumbling debris performed a chaotic spectacle that quickly receded from my sight. As I turned mid-air to change direction, I saw a five-story building that had been far away rapidly approaching. The place I had scouted beforehand.
I drew my dagger and threw it towards the building. With a thud, the dagger stuck to the outer wall. Almost immediately afterward, stepping on the exposed handle, I leaped upward. A sharp sound, as the dagger unsuccessfully scratched the outer wall before falling to the ground.
My ascending hand barely caught the rooftop railing. Pulling myself up, I crossed the railing and landed on the rooftop.
'...Ugh.'
Due to the rough movement, my kicked abdomen ached. Observing the spot where I assumed the imposter of Seong Hyeonjae stood, I bit my lip.
Although the surroundings were a mess, as if a giant beast had scratched it, still this Seong Hyeonjae was unharmed. No, a portion of the sleeve on one arm was torn. Whether he had also sustained injuries was unclear, hidden beneath the tattered fabric.
Nonetheless, he was casually smiling. Even from a distance, if my heart decided, he would quickly catch up. So, I needed to run, but...
"This son of a b**ch."
Feeling unjust and angry, I raised my middle finger. Here, the intention might be different, but still. And then, I immediately turned my body. Crossing the rooftop to the opposite railing, I attached a wire to the railing and leaped outside.
Thud, thud─ Holding the wire, I descended by sliding down the building. When I pulled the stretched wire with force, it broke some parts of the railing, allowing me to land smoothly. After quickly retrieving the wire and stowing it in the inventory, I drank a mana potion and activated the stealth skill.
My bike was parked on the completely opposite side, damn.
'This son of a b**ch, Seong Hyeon-ae!'
Whether it was a coincidence that there were three people who looked the same or just happened to resemble each other, who knows?
...D*mn, their behavior patterns are similar. Even their skills. Or did this guy get hit by a bolt from the blue? Anyway, even if it's another guy, it's Seong Hyeonjae's fault.
With no means to escape using my own strength, I reluctantly hopped away. My abdomen continued to hurt, and my head was still dizzy. Despite drinking a mana potion, the aftereffect of rapid mana consumption didn't vanish immediately.
'I should've listened to Yoohyeon.'
I missed my dongsaeng I missed Yerim, Peace, Noah-ssi and hyuna-ssi, It hasn't even been a day since we parted, but I already felt lonely. I hope everyone is doing well. Is this Seong Hyunjae guy here?
'...But, no way are others acting like this guy too?
Hey, newbie did you handle things properly? Did you send a message? I don't have a way to contact you. Create customer service. I think there's a bug. Report it properly.
Although lower-grade monsters appeared intermittently, they didn't notice me. I ran along the road for a while, then entered a narrow alley between buildings. Even though the scenery was a bit similar to modern times, it made me a little sad as I became a homeless person in this situation. Before the regression, I at least had a small house.
Even money is non-existent. The quest reward for finding someone here is only 1,000L. It's not a thousand won, is it? Even if it's ten thousand won, it's not enough for accommodation.
'...Isn't there a service for new users? Completely a lousy game.'
Usually, you get some initial funds. Sure, there are more sub-quests now, but I don't have the energy to look into them. I just closed my eyes. Let's take a short nap and then figure out how to find others.
...Seong Hyunjae, you d*mn guy.
---
He stared at the empty rooftop where the unfamiliar C-grade had disappeared. C-grades were common. However, a C-grade wandering alone like that was rare. Typically, C-grades were either guards' assistants or fuel.
But the C-grade from earlier was peculiar.
Stats higher than mine, and undoubtedly high-level skills and weapons. And...
'Was I disappointed in me?
It was a natural reaction to be surprised and bewildered. Feeling unjust and angry was also a natural emotion. However, what about disappointment? What exactly did he expect? A C-grade facing an SS-grade.
"Master! Zone 5-B has been cleared. Zone 3-A was also finished a little while ago."
A group of people appeared. The man and woman at the forefront approached him. Both were S-grade guards.
"What's going on?"
"I encountered something unusual."
The woman widened her eyes, elbowing the man next to her as if asking, "Isn't it surprising?" It was an expression and attitude as if wondering how someone who easily got bored with everything could find something unusual. Even a hint of enjoyment was felt.
The man, who had lost interest in almost everything around him and spent his days listlessly, encountered something unusual.
"Good job. Where is this unusual thing?"
"It escaped."
"Shall we go catch it?"
There was no response. Instead, this time, the man spoke.
"A few days ago, the alpha of Akates City went berserk. They said the entire commercial zone 2 burned down. It seems calm now, but the City Defense Department has requested standby for suppression."
"Refuse the suppression. If it's extermination, accept it."
"In essence, it's a refusal. I'll convey that message."
There is no defense department willing to dispose of precious SS-grade guards just because the city suffered damage, unless the SS-grade monster becomes indistinguishable from madness.
"Now that there's no higher-grade monster alert, let's go inside."
"Can't we really skip the capture mission? I don't know what it is."
Instead of answering, he glanced at the rooftop once more before turning away.
---