A strong man.
Jaehyuk had always wanted to be a strong man.
Someone so strong that no one could look down on him.
That was, in a way, why he became a soldier.
He built his body, went through training, sometimes even enforced discipline.
It hadn’t been difficult. He could pretend well enough.
But—
“Everyone be caref—hiiiiiik!”
The ‘coward’ inside him never went away.
Even after training until his muscles became hard as stone.
[An overwhelming recovery ability, memories of labor etched from triceps to calves, and an extreme aversion to injury have led to the creation of a unique skill!]
Even if his extreme aversion to injury was so strong that it manifested as a superpower.
Physical wounds might heal, but wounds of the heart never do—or so they say.
Memories might fade, but they never vanish.
For Jaehyuk, blades were like that.
The screech as a blade was drawn out with a drag.
The terror when a knife approached.
The searing pain as a blade skimmed over skin.
Even the chafing sensation from hiding wounds under his clothes all day, so they wouldn’t be discovered.
He was afraid.
Of being hurt. Of anything sharp. Of being stabbed, cut, or scratched.
No matter how tough he acted, inside he was still the same bullied, tormented fifteen-year-old.
That’s why—
[All participants may freely choose the memory to disclose, and may act within the chosen memory for the set time limit.]
When he heard they would be entering the ‘memory’ of the past.
Only one thought came to mind.
‘With this…’
He could finally shed his ‘coward’ self.
He could overcome it.
Then—if he could do that—he could finally do his part as a person.
“Can you handle it? If it’s too much, you don’t have to push yourself.”
He felt sorry for his older brother, who always fought alone.
So—
— CRASH!
He threw a chair.
“Jung Chanhyung. You practiced your kicks on me every day, didn’t you?”
“Wh-what are you—aaaaargh!”
— THUD!
He kicked the bastard in the stomach while he was still spouting nonsense.
An overwhelming difference in mass, unavoidable.
On top of that, it was condensed from hundreds, thousands of attempts to escape a nightmare.
Bang!
The guy slammed into the classroom’s back door and crumpled.
And then—
“Guh! Ugh! Keheuk!”
Right foot. Right foot. Right foot.
He drove it down, putting all his weight into each stomp.
“...Stop! I said stop! Aaagh!”
Then, the ones knocked down by the chair started getting up, one by one, and rushed at him.
“Son of a bitch!”
“Is this bastard crazy?!”
The pig they’d played with like a sandbag was now charging at his owners.
Of course they had no choice but to throw punches, even if they foamed at the mouth.
“!!”
“How did you—ugh!”
Of course, their punches were nothing but a child’s light taps.
“Kim Jin-sol. The money you stole—added up, it’s a few hundred, right?”
“W-what?”
“It’s a punch for every ten thousand won.”
— WHAM! WHAM! THUD-!
A fist to the face. A kick to the wavering side. An elbow into the bowed crown of the head.
He slammed it all in.
“Gyaaaaah!”
“Y-you’re crazy…!”
“That bastard’s gone nuts! Shit, look at his eyes—they’re completely insane!”
One thrashed in agony.
It must have hurt. Of course it did.
But they were just insignificant fifteen-year-olds who only acted tough in class.
They probably had never been beaten properly like this.
“I-I’m sorry! So stop!”
“Yeah! L-let’s just talk, okay?”
How pathetic.
That he’d let himself be tormented, hurt for so long by kids like these.
Step.
The last target remaining.
“Sh-shit! Don’t come! If you come any closer, I’ll kill you!”
Slashing with a box cutter. Insulting his parents. Stealing his money. Hitting him, again and again and again…
“Don’t come any closer!”
This bastard, who still sometimes appeared in his dreams on tough days.
The moment he opened his mouth for that disgusting thrill—
“Lee Hyukjoo. You’re spec—”
— THUNK!
A sharp blade stabbed into Jaehyuk’s side.
A knife blade, tearing through his school shirt and lodging deep.
It was the knife he’d thrown to the ground earlier.
“I-I told you not to come! You son of a bitch!”
Bright red blood seeped through the shirt.
If it were the old days, he probably would have trembled and recoiled in fear.
But now—
Pop—!
He just pulled it out.
The blade, and those damn memories too.
“Something like this can’t hurt me.”
And if he couldn’t pull it out—
“To a bug like you, never.”
“I-I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry!!”
He could just bury it.
With other memories.
“Aaaargh! S-stop! Please!!”
Because he was different now.
He was no longer the same helpless, silent Jaehyuk he used to be.
【‘The Bureau’s Face’ cheers for the refreshing justice!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
【‘Admin Department’s Cool Guy’ shouts to stomp them even harder!】
【‘Sales Department’s #1’ says your punches are finally getting somewhere and praises you!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
The spectators’ cheers, once aimed at the bullies, now poured onto Jaehyuk.
And a box popped up before his eyes.
— POP!
[A gift has arrived from ‘Lee Eunho’!]
[Would you like to check it?]
“!!”
A sudden gift.
The box was too heavy for just a message as usual.
Inside it was a vial filled with rippling blue liquid.
▣ Fatigue Recovery Potion
- A recovery potion brewed from medicinal herbs.
It seems it can recover everyday fatigue and minor wounds.
A potion that restored fatigue and healed minor wounds.
But why—
‘Why did he send three bottles?’
There were three potions in the box.
Coincidentally, there were three bullies sprawled on the floor, blood-crusted from their beatings.
Ah.
Jaehyuk, clueless as he usually was, still understood instinctively.
So—
“Did you say you’re sorry?”
“!!”
“Yeah! Y-yes!”
“Then drink this.”
Once more.
He was being told to keep going, until he felt satisfied.
“We’re not done yet, you bastards.”
A smile slipped out.
He felt lucky, that such a persistent and tough person was on his side.
That’s what Jaehyuk thought.
***
【You have selected ‘Fatigue Recovery Potion.’】
【Recipient: ‘Choi Jaehyuk.’ Sponsorship complete!】
Jaehyuk was smiling, holding all three bottles of the potion.
Seeing that goofy smile put me at ease, if only a little.
I’d worried he might lose himself, blinded by rage as he beat them.
‘You’ve grown up. Kid.’
I hope he gets his fill and lets it all go.
Thinking that, I waved my hand to exit the channel.
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained the title ‘First Sponsor’!]
A voice I didn’t expect rang out.
[Would you like to check the effect of the ‘First Sponsor’ title?]
“Check.”
[When you sponsor a recipient, you permanently receive a 10% discount.]
[Effects of sponsored items through the ‘Eye’ are increased by 10%.]
Hm?
This felt like an unexpected bonus.
In any case…
【Purchasing ‘Fatigue Recovery Potion.’】
【Purchasing ‘Fatigue Recovery Potion.’】
【Purchasing ‘Fatigue Recovery Potion.’】
……
I should send him a good supply.
***
[Returning to HRN-GENERAL channel.]
I reviewed the memories of the others, starting with Ji-eun and Jaehyuk.
And then I returned to the all-screen display.
The countless screens filling my vision were filled with all sorts of stimulation.
If there was any difference from when it all started—
‘Ugh.’
Some of the memories now were full of bare flesh here and there.
Certainly stimulating, but the viewers beyond the ‘Eye’ didn’t seem to be into that kind of thing.
In fact—
【‘Admin Department’s Badger’ clicks his tongue, saying is this all you’ve got.】
【‘Sales Department’s Dorothy’ ends observation, saying it’s disappointing.】
Rather than this—
[Connecting to HRN-X#1 channel.]
“P-please spare me! Please…!”
“Put the gun down and… let’s talk. How about that?”
“I have three kids. If I die here, my wife—…”
This kind of stimulation was more to their taste.
Taking people who looked harmless enough and locking them up in a basement.
Whether a prettily dressed college girl, an old man in his eighties, or a middle-aged man kneeling and begging—it made no difference. He blew them away without a second thought.
‘Anyone can see this is a crime scene.’
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
With every pull of the trigger, a head burst open.
‘!!’
Three bullets pierced dead center of their foreheads, embedding into the floor.
【‘Admin Department’s Gunfighter’ thrills at the chain of massacres!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
【‘Admin Department’s Iron Fist’ hopes the rampage continues!】
【Welfare Points: 500 sponsored!】
【‘Audit Department’s Detective’ begs for just one look at the face!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
Drawing, aiming, firing—not a moment’s delay in each movement.
Murders flowed like water, one after another.
A dangerous person.
‘I’d rather not get involved, if I can help it.’
If it weren’t for this situation, I never would have crossed paths with him.
But the fact that I’m watching his memories means he’s also inside Yongsan-gu.
There are only about two hundred survivors left.
‘I’ll definitely run into him.’
The killer wore a suit and a mask.
Would I recognize him if we met?
No—I have to.
【An anonymous observer is closely watching target ‘X’!】
A target with no name, no age, not even a face—just ‘X.’
〔Real-time Sponsorship Leaderboard〕
1. Lee Eunho (20,000 pts)
2. X (14,000 pts)
3. Cha Jin-sol (8,100 pts)
4. Kim Ji-eun (7,500 pts)
5. Kim Gwinam (5,150 pts)
But still—being called X, that can’t be his real name.
There was too little information.
Even so, I was memorizing this mysterious survivor’s body proportions, head shape, and build, just in case.
[To all ‘Observation’ mission participants: please listen.]
An announcement sounded.
“…?!”
It seemed to be broadcast to everyone participating in the mission.
Even the killer, cleaning his gun among the corpses, flinched at the sound.
And the content was—
[The ‘Observation’ mission will soon end.]
[In relation to this, we are revealing a special reward in advance to encourage active participation!]
[The special reward is…]
It was something that would make anyone’s eyes go wide.
Both the butcher and I.
[The All-seeing Observer’s Eye!]
‘…?!’
A screen floated in the air, like an ad balloon in the sky.
The image filling the screen was something with two white lids attached side by side.
Something smaller than a palm.
‘That looks just like…’
A lens case.
The moment I thought that—
▣ All-seeing Observer’s Eye
- Specially crafted contact lenses from the HQ lab.
When activated, you can see the remaining health of anyone in your field of view.
But only as a percentage.
- When worn, your pupils become clear and bright.
‘They really are lenses?’
Haa.
They looked normal at a glance, but the more I thought about it, the better the reward seemed.
If you could see an enemy’s remaining health—
If only you could know, and not them—you could plan out your strategy with ease.
‘I can fight from a position of strategic advantage!’
Deciding to quickly check on my own channel first, I was about to turn back when—
Tap!
X picked up something long and started up the stairs.
Apparently, this basement had been in some building until now.
‘Can’t see his face…’
Even the moonlight was dim that night.
He wore a mask covering his whole head, with only holes for the eyes.
He slipped out into a deserted alley under the dark sky, ran a short distance—
—CLUNK!
“Welco—kyyaaaaaa!”
“Uwaaaaaaa! I-it’s a gun?!”
He’d entered a nearby bar.
RATATATATATAT! RATATATATATAT!
He fired a machine gun indiscriminately.
Heads exploded like fireworks.
The bar’s ceiling, walls, and floor were drenched red in an instant.
【‘Admin Department’s Gunfighter’ cheers at the blood-soaked rampage!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
【‘Admin Department’s Iron Fist’ applauds the electrifying action noir!】
【Welfare Points: 1,000 sponsored!】
The more the observers cheered—
“Kyaaaa! S-someone save—!”
The killer went even more berserk.
‘He’s getting desperate.’
To claim the special reward.
It was as effective as it was shocking.
‘16,000 points. He’s almost caught up.’
I can’t let this happen.
Especially not to a bastard like him.
I felt tension, unfamiliar for a long time, crawling up my spine.
Whish!
I waved my hand, closing all screens and got up from my seat.
[Connection terminated.]
I wonder if they had fun.
My dear clients.
Chapter 54: Competitor X
Log in to join the discussion