“Kkuuk, kk…”
“Crying again? So noisy.”
“Kkuuk… ahaha…!”
“Or did you go nuts?”
Suppressing a hollow laugh, Cha Eui-sung barely managed to shake his head. Lee Sang-jo nudged his body lightly with his foot and asked,
“So. You and Moon Tae-young, are you two close? Real close?”
“Heehee…”
“Don’t give me that half-assed nod. Make it clear.”
“We’re close. Yeah, we are.”
“Figures. That’s why you’d go around pulling stupid stunts like this. Does your buddy know? That you smashed up the camp?”
“I-I didn’t… hic… say anything.”
“But he probably figured it out, huh? Great. I’d be a real bastard if I left you behind then.”
He was speaking with loaded intent—sounded like the hostage act was finally about to kick off. Since Cha Eui-sung refused to cooperate, he must’ve decided to go with the original plan and use him as bait.
Lee Sang-jo picked up the phone lying on the ground and pressed Cha Eui-sung’s limp hand to unlock it. He was probably looking for Moon Tae-young’s contact info.
With all this racket, he probably doesn’t even need to call him.
Moon Tae-young was the Demon King, but before that, he was also an S-rank Awakened. He could see and hear much farther than most. And if Moon Tae-young was already working something behind the scenes here, the chances only increased.
Closing his eyes for a more refined search, he felt Lee Sang-jo tap his cheek a few times. Annoying, sure—but fortunately, one of Cha Eui-sung’s specialties was focusing even in the middle of distractions.
Saaa—
His limbs went slack as all his nerves sharpened into pure sensory perception.
The A-rank skill he gained after his Reawakening, Qi Sense, began to report every presence within several hundred meters.
Jjirreuk— jji-reuk— Swaaah—
For how chaotic things were just moments ago, the area was oddly quiet. Besides the faint rustling of insects and wind in the distance, there was practically no other sound.
Cha Eui-sung had a sharper tracking sense than most S-ranks. If he couldn’t detect Moon Tae-young’s presence, it could only mean he hadn’t arrived yet.
He should be here by now…
Drrrrr—
The ringtone stretched on like an eternity beside him. Apparently, Lee Sang-jo was already making the call.
“Why isn’t this bastard answering?” he muttered, half annoyed, half amused.
Yeah. Why wasn’t he answering? Well, considering the situation, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to ignore the call…
But it’s my number.
Sure, they weren’t exactly on midnight-calling terms yet. Still…
There was no way Moon Tae-young wouldn’t hear the ringtone, or that he’d just up and ditch Cheongseri over something this small.
Cha Eui-sung held his trembling body still, straining to hear his voice.
But before that voice came…
♪-
A faint, 8-bit default ringtone echoed from far, far away.
……
For the first time since this whole thing began, a chill crawled down his spine.
Moon Tae-young was nearby. He’d somehow managed to hide his presence so well that even Cha Eui-sung’s senses couldn’t pick it up.
At the same time, there was a quiet click, like someone reluctantly answering the phone.
Unaware of what was going on, Lee Sang-jo lowered his voice and started speaking menacingly.
“Hey, Moon Tae-young. You know who I am, right?”
—…….
“Your friend’s seriously hurt, that’s why I’m calling. Come on, let’s hear that voice of yours.”
A rough hand grabbed his hair again. Cha Eui-sung was dragged up until he was half-sitting, half-hanging.
The rush of hysterical laughter was gone now, replaced with a cold, piercing clarity.
How the hell had Moon Tae-young fooled his senses? Had he been watching from the shadows this whole time, even when Cha Eui-sung thought he wasn’t around?
Whether that was lucky or unfortunate, the bastard Lee Sang-jo interrupted his spiraling thoughts.
Thwack!
He took a blow to the head, clearly meant to hurry him up. Cha Eui-sung shoved the confusion down, panting as he opened his mouth.
“Haa… Moon Tae-young. Sorry for calling so late.”
—…….
“Sorry. I messed around with something I shouldn’t have, and now things are a bit… tangled.”
—…….
“I don’t think any explanation’s necessary. So just…”
“Tell him to come here.”
“Fuck that. Just run.”
As if he would. Not once had he ever done what he was told—and on top of that, he’d even been stabbed.
Playing the role of a good little canary for the Demon King and obediently reporting the situation earned him a sharp, cinematic smack! as his head snapped sideways with a clear burst of sound.
Right on cue, Cha Eui-sung bit the inside of his cheek hard, and vivid red blood spilled from his mouth.
“Kuhh—! Kghk!”
“If you’re late, your friend’s gonna have a rough time. You know where I am, right? See you soon.”
Click.
Lee Sang-jo abruptly ended the call and hoisted Cha Eui-sung’s limp body upright. Still tilted back, he used the opportunity to gauge Moon Tae-young’s location.
They were in a heavily wooded area. At this distance, the trees would’ve blocked the view—Moon Tae-young wouldn’t have seen his sorry state.
He might’ve heard the commotion, sure. But they hadn’t made much noise overall, so he likely hadn’t caught the details of the conversation. That was a relief. If he’d seen him groveling like this… even if Cha Eui-sung had no combat experience and was ambushed, it would still be suspicious for someone with S-rank power to look this pitiful.
What mattered now wasn’t Lee Sang-jo—it was how Moon Tae-young saw him.
But seriously, why is this bastard so sure Moon Tae-young will show up here?
Thinking of Moon Tae-young naturally led to that line of thought.
Of course, Cha Eui-sung had played up their friendship to manipulate the situation. And yes, Moon Tae-young really was nearby. Still, in this kind of scenario, who the hell walks into danger to save a friend—not family, friend?
Just what had Lee Sang-jo observed while keeping tabs on Moon Tae-young that made him so sure the guy wouldn’t just bolt? Cha Eui-sung couldn’t figure it out.
Crunch, crunch—
As he was lost in thought, time flew by again. Before long, the sound of footsteps on dirt echoed nearby.
Emerging from the darkness was the Demon King, just as expected—wearing simple clothes without a single weapon, not even a wooden stick.
When their eyes met, Cha Eui-sung lowered his eyebrows slightly, wearing an awkward expression.
“Stop. Raise your hands and turn around.”
Lee Sang-jo immediately yanked on his hair as a warning. His head dragged left and right, and a thought crossed Cha Eui-sung’s mind—maybe letting this asshole grab his hair was a mistake.
The plan wasn’t derailed or anything, but it did sting his pride. Showing himself like this in front of Moon Tae-young… it didn’t sit right.
“Good. Now walk. Slowly.”
Strangely enough, Moon Tae-young actually followed the command and slowly walked toward them.
Hands behind his head as instructed, he approached carefully, as if trying not to provoke the man. It was unexpected—Cha Eui-sung thought he’d just overpower Lee Sang-jo. Was he pretending to be weak?
Sneaking a glance, he saw Moon Tae-young’s face was calm—eerily calm—but a thick vein pulsed across his forehead. His black eyes flicked to Cha Eui-sung’s side.
Don’t worry about the stab. It’s my doing.
The closer they got, the more Lee Sang-jo’s nerves and muscles locked onto the unregistered Awakened standing before him.
Thanks to that, the grip on Cha Eui-sung’s hair had loosened considerably. At this point, a single punch could break free from his restraint—it was that weak.
If he could exploit the moment when Lee Sang-jo moved to attack Moon Tae-young, he could break free and turn the tables. At least the guy wouldn’t be yanking his damn hair anymore.
Cha Eui-sung was measuring the distance when a thought struck him—
Come to think of it, this bastard will have to use The Silent Blade again.
He’d completely forgotten. To restrain Moon Tae-young, Lee Sang-jo needed to retrieve the item. And that item was currently lodged in his new meat-sheath of a side.
Sure enough, Lee Sang-jo’s hand moved toward the hilt protruding from his flank. Why is it that all the most annoying guesses turn out to be right?
Cha Eui-sung clenched his jaw, locking eyes with Moon Tae-young in stunned frustration.
“Hrrgh!”
Schlak!
The blade tore free in an instant, and a blinding flash filled his vision. His side burned in a rush of searing heat.
Lee Sang-jo tossed him aside and dashed forward, dagger in hand.
Cha Eui-sung barely had time to register the bleeding wound before biting down hard and forcing himself upright. He didn’t believe for a second that Moon Tae-young would be defeated— But if that item turned out to be some god-tier artifact that activated with just a nick, then this whole gut-splitting injury would’ve been for nothing.
Whoosh! Whish!
The sound of the wind being cleaved rang out as Lee Sang-jo lunged. Moon Tae-young sidestepped easily, calmly watching the whole thing unfold.
And just as feared, the moment Lee Sang-jo reached for The Silent Blade—
“You motherfucker!”
Unable to wait any longer, Cha Eui-sung lashed out and slammed his foot into Lee Sang-jo’s leg.
WHAM!
Awakened without training or battle experience often messed up. One of the most common mistakes? Losing control of their strength when emotional.
And so, with a bone-cracking sound, Lee Sang-jo’s body flew.
“GUH—!”
His severed leg flew back like it’d been hit by a cannon, and his head slammed into the ground with a brutal thud.
Frozen like stone in the face of the brutal scene, Cha Eui-sung watched as Moon Tae-young strode over and seized Lee Sang-jo by the throat, silencing any chance of a scream.
“Gkkk—!”
“……”
“Khhk—!”
“……”
Lee Sang-jo thrashed in agony for a moment, but soon his body went limp.
After all the noise and chaos that had gone on for what felt like forever, an eerie silence settled over the clearing.
