Chapter 56
Chapter 56
[dawn department store (2)]
Noname. A player who hunts players.
No one knows his identity. They only know that he wears sunglasses everywhere and has a tattoo on his left wrist.
He is called <No name>, meaning he is a player without a name, because of his gift.
His gift <Disorder> is the ability to manifest mana within his body, which impairs cognitive abilities related to something.
It wasnt a practical gift against monsters that recognized people as humans, but it was a very practical gift against people that recognized people for who they were.
And Noname utilized his gift to the fullest, becoming a hired gun to hunt down players.
There was no job he couldnt complete. If his employer paid him enough to satisfy him, he would use his gifts to murder the target, sometimes boldly, sometimes stealthily.
No players, no politicians, no entrepreneurs.
His targets never survived.
Until he encountered the <Undead>.
When Noname attempted to kidnap the next fairy godmother, Baekryeon, he was caught by the undead and forced to die a brutal death.
And that is here now.
You died by my hand, very much.
Eunha grunted as he ran through the crowd. Now he was running for the nearest escalator.
Its unclear whether Noname is simply terrorizing a department store or trying to assassinate someone.
But Eunha didnt care what Nonames purpose was, or what his employers intentions were.
All that mattered to him right now was that this guy was trying to shit on his life.
Eunha, be careful.
Bruno pushed past the people fleeing from the other side and stepped forward. A mana-coated fist smashed into the skull of a charging Hound.
It was a remarkable strike. Best of all, he wasnt equipped with a player device, and there wasnt a single bit of mana wasted in his running, punching motion, or mana control.
The assessment of him was not wrong in the slightest.
Bruno, he was as good a player as Eunha expected.
Lets go. Come on.
Okay.
The most important thing was to save Euna and Julieta.
The purpose of or the intentions of his employer were none of his business.
Its none of my business, but.
There was one point I couldnt overlook.
This was terrorism. After the End of the Century Destruction, humanity, which felt fear of monsters, was very sensitive to acts that could manipulate mana.
So much so that the infamous death penalty was enforced.
Promoting the ubiquity of mana was therefore a criminal offense, an offense that was not only punishable by death, but a crime.
This would have been a big deal. Moreover, the location of the attack was Dawn Department Store No. 1.
But Eunha hadnt heard anything about the attack before his regression. Even if he had been living like an autistic child during this time, it would have been explained to him at the Player Academy.
What the hell is going on?
Something is happening that I dont know about.
The future had changed.
Eunha was forced to grit his teeth and admit it.
He didnt like it. Something he didnt know was happening, and he was caught in the middle of it.
he couldnt help but feel like he was being played on a board by someone he didnt recognize.
Calm down.
If Bruno hadnt spoken, he would have shown his impulsiveness.
Whoa.
With his head cooled, Eunha once again realized what he had to do first.
Rescue Eunha and Julieta.
Since the monsters had been confirmed to be omnipresent on every floor, they must have appeared on the floor they were on.
I wonder if theres anything that could be a weapon.
It didnt seem necessary to look for weapons. Bruno, with his bear-like bulk, was acting as both dealer and guardian, crushing the Hounds.
Yes, Hounds.
They had a tough connection.
Eunha frowned as he watched the pack of hounds sniff and charge. Hed killed dozens of them months ago, and he was tired of hunting them.
Of course, the hounds vanished without coming close to him.
Uncle Bruno, where are my sister and Julieta?
On the fifth floor.
Even now, people were trickling down from the upper floors. Everywhere you looked, there were people coming down the escalator against the direction of travel.
Still, their position was fixed on the fifth floor. It was clear that something had happened to get them stuck.
Eunha and Bruno were worried that something had happened to them.
And then,
Oh, so you were the one who threw the mana earlier?
The player opposite them said with a sly grin.
The two of them had deployed their mana sensors as soon as they realized the attack.
There was no way that the players who had caused the terror could not trace back and locate them.
Ive got my hands full.
Sweeping his bangs out of his face, Eunha swallowed back a rush of frustration.
It was annoying.
It was intrusive.
Even if the terrorizing player was a veteran, it was a B to C at best.
To Eunha, who judged Bruno to be as good as the Twelve, he was nothing more than a lantern that would go out before the wind.
His guess was not wrong this time.
Crack!
A punch.
The player was knocked back by Brunos fist. A few teeth clattered to the ground as he was hit squarely in the face.
Uh, uh, my, my teeth. Eek!
That was the last thing the player said.
Thats a lot of words for a little guy.
Eunha kicked the man in the lower part of his body. The player bit down on a bubble and fainted.
Eunha.
Bruno squinted at the unconscious player with a pitying gaze.
Eunha shrugged it off,
Uncle Bruno, we shouldnt kill these people unless we have to. Theyre criminals.
Before his regression, in his anger, Eunha had killed the <Noname>. He had crushed his face with his sunglasses on, so he couldnt even see his face.
How much had the fairy Im Gaeul scolded him at that time?
He still couldnt forget the way she looked at him like he was a pathetic bastard.
Eunha walked up to the second floor, stepping on the shoulders of those coming down from above.
Eunha.
Bruno, left behind, watched as the descenders screamed in pain.
He couldnt forget the way Eunha had kicked the player in his vital part.
As if it had happened to him. The look on the players face, when he lost something, didnt feel like it was someone elses.
Kids are scary these days.
I dont think Ive ever seen a kid this confident, even in Italy.
Come to think of it, the kids who follow Eunha also have an air of confidence.
Bruno realized that Koreas education fever, which is often reported in the news, was real.
Why arent you coming?
Oh, Im coming.
Bruno, who woke up from his thoughts, tried to go up to the second floor. People who had been hit by Eunhas magic made way for him, so he could easily climb up.
This place doesnt make sense.
The second floor was a mess. Products were scattered all over the place, and barking and screaming could be heard nearby.
Ha.
Eunha looked around the dome-shaped structure.
He could see roughly every floor.
Moving his gaze further up, he scanned the fifth floor and.
Found it.
He spotted the swaying blonde directly across from him.
Euna was nowhere to be seen, but she must be with Julieta.
Mister!
Hmm!
The layout of the Dawn Department Store was a staggered system of escalators. You had to go around one floor and then go up, so you had to run a distance to find the next escalator.
The duo manifested mana within their bodies to enhance their physical abilities. They passed monsters looking for food, or monsters going about their business with blood in their mouths.
When they got in the way, Bruno, who led the way, punched them.
Who the fuck are you!
Cheh, the players are already here.
The players they encountered on the second floor were not the same men they had seen downstairs.
It wasnt strange that there were terrorists on every floor.
-Get lost!!!
It was annoying. Eunha, who had shot the flesh, threw the cosmetics sample he had been given him while running.
What the fuck!
The man swatted at the flying sample, but the container shattered, its contents blocking his view.
Eunha raised the corner of his mouth. The sight of the man fumbling with his hands to wipe the cosmetics off his face was hilarious.
Fuck off.
Followed by a shot from Bruno.
This asshole.
The player, whose face crumpled at the sight of his colleague falling to the ground below, reacted instantly, attempting to slash at Bruno with a sword drawn from his waistband as his back was turned.
Uncle Bruno!
Eunhas assist shone again. He had picked up a hanger lying on the floor and threw it at Bruno.
Reaching behind his back, Bruno caught the coat hanger and jammed it into the players wrist as he fell vertically.
He yanked the coat hanger away just before the blade touched his back.
Boom!
The wrist of the man holding the knife twisted in the direction he intended.
Meanwhile, he stood up and kicked the man in the stomach.
Kirk! You, asshole!
This wasnt a player who was going to be knocked out by a single kick to the stomach.
So Bruno slashed at the mans throat with the knife hed grabbed from the coat hanger.
The mans eyes widened, and he groped for his own throat in disbelief.
At that moment, a fountain of blood gushed out of the slit.
He opened his mouth to say something, but his legs gave out and he fell backwards.
Come on.
Hmm. Wait.
Bruno didnt listen to Eunhas urging; he searched the players soaked body on the floor for a weapon he could use.
It was a flawless movement.
This should do, right?
Bruno tossed him a knife, just the right size for a child to wield.
Thanks, thatll do.
You dont need armor?
It gets in the way.
Bruno and Eunha talked as casually as if they were picking out a menu at a restaurant.
Neither of them realized how informal and abnormal this conversation was.
This is endless.
The situation didnt change when they reached the third floor.
In fact, it was worse than downstairs. Blood soaked the floor and was dripping downstairs.
Gu, help!
The woman screamed for help, her legs twisted in bizarre directions.
Ehk, ack, save me!
A man being bitten by a hound, being torn apart.
While most of the people downstairs were able to escape the department store, there were still quite a few people upstairs who hadnt made it out.
Whats more.
Disgusting.
Eunha frowned at the scene in front of the restrooms.
Someone running for their lives, and someone in a position where it wouldnt be strange if they died right now.
Hm, hma, humu. Sa, save me!
Save me from what? Haah, haah Did I say I was going to kill you? Huh?
The untethered player was in the middle of doing just that.
The mans face was filled with glee as he swayed his hips. Breathing heavily and acting on instinct, he was worse than a monster.
Disgusting.
Very disgusting.
To think that guys like that lurked in every corner of a department store.
To think that Euna might have encountered one of them.
Huh? Kid, what are you.
The man was speechless.
Eunha had quietly approached him and plunged a knife into his throat.
Lets go up to the next floor.
He said casually as he killed him.
Eunha wiped the blood from his face. Turning away from the sobbing woman with her white back exposed, he took another step.
One step.
Irritation surged through him.
Another step.
Anger boiled up inside him.
Another step.
A fiery spark turned his insides inside out.
Shit.
The more he worried about Eun-ah. The more he watched the <Noname> pass by and get away with everything.
Mr. Bruno.
Hmm.
My sister, may I ask a favor?
Bruno narrowed his eyes.
He, too, had been looking at the man walking in the direction Eunha had been looking.
The man didnt look familiar. Maybe he was the one who planned this attack.
But his priority was Julieta. He couldnt afford to waste any more time.
It seemed to him that neither could Eunha.
Im going to turn around now, Yama. (1)
Yama?
It was the first time hed heard the word.
Yes, Yama.
Bruno guessed the meaning as his poker-faced face grew increasingly grim.
I will protect your sister.
Please.
In his heart, Eunha wanted to go and get his sister himself.
But he couldnt just let himself be pushed around like this.
He couldnt just be a pushover.
You get what you deserve.
An eye for an eye. If hes attacked, hell repay them twice over.
Aside from that
Good luck.
You too. Please take care of my sister.
If you dont like it, kill it.
Just like that.
Notes!
(1) Yama: In Korean slang, can be used as a shortened version of the word (pronounced yamang), which means failure or loser. It can also be used as an insult. BUT it can have a variety of meanings depending on the context. Here are some examples:
- Drugs: Yama can be used to refer to illegal drugs such as methamphetamine or ecstasy.
- Money: Yama can also be used to refer to a large sum of money.
- Alcohol: In some contexts, yama can be used to refer to alcoholic drinks.
- Sex: Yama can also be used as a slang term for sex or sexual activity.
Its important to note that the use of slang can be highly contextual and regional, so the meanings and connotations of the word yama can vary depending on the speaker and the specific situation.
Its also worth noting that even if yama is a slang term in this context, its possible that the author is using it in a fictional or invented sense that may not correspond to any real-world usage.
ALSO As an insult, can be used to describe someone who is ambitious to the point of being greedy or selfish, and who is willing to do anything to achieve their goals, even if it means hurting others. In this context, it can be translated as ambition or greed, and is used to criticize someones character. For example, if someone is described as having (yamang-i manhda), it means they are very ambitious or greedy, but in a negative way.
In other words, I believe is an insult but this might change in the future if the author gives a proper meaning to this word in some contextI literally could have omitted that word thoughhaha-