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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 58
As Fengyun said, the ring with the protective magic, 'Aesthetics of Reversal,' was two rings joined together.
Ryu Haneul's eyes sparkled as he looked at the ring.
'I'll give that brat of a brother a defensive artifact, and then Senior and I can each wear one of these rings, right?'
Fengyun channeled yellow electrical sparks from his left hand, which held the ring.
Crackle. Crackle!
Tiny cogwheels appeared, surrounding and scraping the ring.
It was the skill 'Adjuster's Terminal,' which had brought Fengyun to his current position.
The ring, enveloped in the cogwheels, trembled.
Brrr!
The vibration reached its peak, and the two joined rings separated with a thud.
"Like this."
【Aesthetics of Reversal (Heroic → Master)】
【Aesthetics of Distortion (Heroic → Master)】
"Oh!"
Baekya exclaimed in admiration.
Ryu Haneul focused on the ring's function description.
'Aesthetics of Distortion?'
The halo above his head glowed purple, and the Aitel explanation appeared.
【Deflects B-rank or lower projectile attacks in the desired direction, and A-rank or lower projectile attacks in a random direction.】
【Twin Bond: When the rings are worn by two separate people, and one activates its function, the other wearer will be notified.】
A hero only faces worthy opponents and knows where they should be.
It was a function befitting a Heroic-grade artifact.
And it even had resonance.
He was completely satisfied.
'It's mine!'
Ryu Haneul felt the call of his conscience telling him to snatch the ring and put it on.
"Senior, the ring split into two."
'So give me one, please?'
He spoke to Baekya, omitting the latter part.
Baekya smiled with relief.
"It did. I was worried that Wolha might get caught up in our affairs, but this worked out well."
It was a smile that showed he didn't understand anything.
Ryu Haneul wanted to scream and tear his hair out.
'That's not it! Give it to me! Me!'
In his experience, Baekya's 'perception' was peculiar.
'You're not pretending not to know, are you?'
The absolute strongest had a side of him that marched to his own beat.
At the same time, he had a mature side, having accumulated various experiences in countless worlds.
If his senior was deliberately acting, there weren't many ways he could figure it out.
Even that great 'Heavenly Demon' wasn't granted the power to read his true intentions.
Ryu Haneul decided to step back here.
Fengyun then proceeded to envelop the other artifacts Baekya had brought with his cogwheels.
The artifacts that touched the cogs and then separated had their ranks restored.
In the case of the 'Winter Vanguard's Standard,' even its presence felt different, and the 'World-Reflecting Mirror' changed in size.
As Ryu Haneul watched with surprise, Fengyun grinned.
"The Heavenly Demon seems surprised."
"What kind of skill is that?"
"Removing penalties isn't that difficult. It's just a matter of scraping it a bit and adding a few more circuits."
It seemed he wasn't going to explain further.
The work was finished in a couple of hours.
It was an amount that would have taken an ordinary crafting-class Awakened more than a week.
'Even if the Sun-Moon Divine Sect's exclusive craftsman repaired their specialty weapon, it would take several times longer than this.'
Ryu Haneul couldn't believe his eyes.
"Took you long enough?"
Baekya said something absurd.
'Senior? You think that took long?'
From Ryu Haneul's perspective, this was insanely fast.
Baekya didn't seem to think so.
"Why have you only been using your left hand?"
Fengyun shrugged as if he didn't understand the question.
"Who said I was only using my left hand?"
"Your hand."
"I didn't pace myself well because of this unexpected schedule..."
"Your hand!"
Fengyun muttered, "Alright, alright," and raised his right hand onto the table.
His right hand was half-covered by his uniform sleeve.
It was thick with calluses and covered in scars, big and small, with green veins bulging prominently.
It was clearly not normal.
Ryu Haneul naturally thought of one word.
'Curse?'
Baekya asked with anger in his voice—
"Why is it like this?"
Fengyun shook his head.
"I messed with something that came from America, and there was a reason they gave it to me cheap."
"Why didn't you go to the Holy Church?"
"I have my pride as a Busan man. How could I go there? Do I want everyone to know that I'm losing my touch?"
"You're from Itaewon in Seoul. You still haven't gotten the hang of the dialect, have you?"
"Ugh!"
Baekya asked—
"Haneul, this is a nightmare-type, right?"
"Hold on."
Ryu Haneul stared intently at the green light in the veins.
His halo above his head glowed as the Heavenly Demon's trait activated.
Swoosh.
In Ryu Haneul's vision, the green light in the veins grew darker.
He even seemed to hear strange whispers in his ears.
'Your senior doesn't even know you.'
'How long will your senior see you as a younger brother? He has a real younger brother now.'
'You know, you were once pushed aside by Cheong Siyeol too.'
Ryu Haneul closed his eyes and then opened them.
As his blurry vision returned to focus, he immediately declared—
"Yes, it's definitely a nightmare-type."
Baekya clasped Fengyun's hand.
Firmly.
"Shall we burn it?"
Fengyun panicked and tried to pull his hand away.
"So suddenly? Wait a minute. If something goes wrong, my hand could get blown off!"
Baekya raised an eyebrow as if to say, "Stop nagging."
"You look like you haven't slept in a month. Do you still have the energy to bluff?"
Ryu Haneul looked at Fengyun's face.
'This is serious.'
Dark circles reached down to his cheeks.
If an Awakened who was supposed to be A-rank looked like that, it wasn't a curse that time could heal.
Fengyun nodded heavily.
Baekya gathered his mana.
Flash.
* * *
Just before the Aitel era dawned.
Fengyun was a young man exceptionally filled with patriotism.
He had mastered various martial arts from a young age, graduated at the top of his class from the Naval Academy, and was commissioned into the special forces.
Everyone liked him for his sincere attitude.
He became a captain at a young age.
'Sir! Reporting for duty. Lieutenant ■■■ has been ordered to be promoted to Captain...'
He thought he would lead a fulfilling life like that.
That was until a stormy summer day.
'Captain ■. A young man has gone missing on that island over there.'
'Are there any fishermen out at sea in this weather?'
'No, it seems the son of a high-ranking official from the Presidential Office went to the island with his friends. The higher-ups are making a fuss. Just pretend to search for him.'
'That's not possible. It's really dangerous to send a boat out in this weather!'
'Hey!'
'Why are we even being mobilized for a missing person search in the first place? Tell them to report it to the Coast Guard.'
'Think of the parents' feelings.'
'Please also consider the commander's feelings. How can I send my subordinates out into this sea?'
'Hey!'
The outcome was disastrous.
He lost his subordinates.
The attempt to make it a public issue failed.
[Special Forces Captain Orders Subordinates to Search in Typhoon!]
[Allegations of Presidential Office Involvement. Controversy over Pre-Election Opinion Manipulation?!]
He was forced to take off his uniform.
Perhaps due to a shred of conscience, he wasn't dishonorably discharged.
All he knew was the life of a soldier, living and dying by orders.
He was confused.
'What should I have done?'
The country was also in chaos.
A white tower rose in the capital, monsters fell from the sky, and people with superpowers who could shoot fire appeared.
But Fengyun didn't stop.
He used his experience to join the police special forces.
He was assigned to Busan.
He was worried he'd be looked down upon, but most people understood him.
'You've been through a lot, son.'
'That bastard Division Commander Jo was infamous. You're not the first one to be used as cannon fodder.'
'Cheer up. You're still serving the country, just like before. In times like these, being a police officer might be even more rewarding.'
How big could the South Korean special forces community be?
Even with the difference between the military and the police, everyone knew each other after a few connections.
His turbulent heart calmed down.
Fengyun transformed from a patriotic soldier to a patriotic police officer.
His exceptional skills and diligent personality remained the same, and he quickly accumulated achievements.
One day, he was assigned to an international drug smuggling ring arrest operation.
After much effort, they made the arrests, but it sparked controversy over excessive force.
The criminals were eventually released.
'What in the world is going on?!'
'Keep your voice down!'
'Excessive force? Those bastards had guns!'
'Regardless, they were Russians, not Koreans. Did any Koreans have guns?'
Rumors were rampant that the executive who made that decision was taking bribes behind the scenes.
'Didn't you cause trouble in the military before? Want me to bring that up too?'
Fengyun had to take off his police uniform as well.
As soon as he did, the gangsters he had put away before came back.
They threatened his girlfriend instead of him.
'These bastards.'
Fengyun crushed them.
And then, in handcuffs, he met his former superior.
'What the hell are you doing? You're a former cop.'
'You ordered it, didn't you?'
'Who are you calling "you"?'
'It's because of the drugs, isn't it?'
'...Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused me? Do you even know where those drugs were headed?'
When he came to his senses, Fengyun was strangling the officer with his handcuffs.
'Grrr.'
'...Ah.'
Fengyun was the ace of Korea's top special forces unit.
Even before Awakening, he was close to superhuman.
He couldn't stop now.
He fled to Southeast Asia on any ship he could find from Busan Harbor.
It was a winter day with strong winds and crashing waves.
Six months later.
Fengyun returned, a completely different person.
'....'
He wiped out the existing organization with firearms he brought from Southeast Asia.
'You. You crazy bastard!'
In a world still in chaos due to the Aitel system, no one paid attention to a few dead gangsters.
He bribed his friends who were still serving in the police special forces.
'Your kid's starting middle school soon, isn't he?'
'Hey. Hey.'
His friends, who knew the whole story, couldn't be harsh with him.
That's how Fengyun became the master of Busan's night.
'Help!'
First, he entombed all the druggie bastards in concrete and threw them into the sea.
His end came on a stormy summer day, just like before.
'This bastard dared to touch my boys?'
Some high-ranking officials from Seoul sent professionals after him.
He took down dozens, but in the end, he was overwhelmed by their numbers and fell.
Click.
“Crazy bastard. This guy.”
Just before being shot to death.
As the barrel of the pistol pressed against his chest.
【You have been selected for the Aitel System tutorial.】
【You will be transferred to the tutorial location in 02 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds.】
An opportunity had been given.
“What the hell is this? Shit!”
“I’ll terminate the target.”
At that time, in Busan, a three-way battle was unfolding between the Fengyun organization, a killer from Seoul, and Busan's special forces.
In the brief moment of distraction as the killer reacted to the Aitel alert...
Bang.
The Busan Special Forces took him down, and Fengyun was apprehended.
Public sentiment was unwavering.
"Execute him!"
Fengyun, a criminal, needed to be executed before he could complete the Tutorial and become superhuman.
The thought of him gaining supernatural powers was unacceptable.
At the time, the government was eager to demonstrate its tough stance on crime to quell the social unrest caused by the Aitel system.
It was possible that the death penalty, dormant for decades, would be reinstated.
Fengyun gave a bitter smile from within his cell.
He loved his country.
He had intended to dedicate his life to its service.
He couldn't fathom how things had gone so wrong.
He thought back to that stormy summer night.
Should he have stayed indoors, away from the typhoon?
Was this his punishment for mistaking a high-ranking official for the nation itself?
Lost in these thoughts...
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Someone entered his cell.
"I heard a lot from Chief Joo in Busan. You know him, right? He was your senior in the military."
"Baek... Ya?"
The man's presence alone seemed to illuminate the entire space.
An Awakened, renowned in the news and on YouTube.
"I'm not offering you a chance. I just believe Aitel had a reason for choosing you."
The sun-like Hunter extended a hand to Fengyun.
"This is your chance to sever ties with your past and serve your country once more. It's also a punishment. The nation will never truly accept you."
"...."
"You smuggled some gold bars back when you were a gangster, right? I'll be assigning you something similar. Can you handle it?"
Fengyun didn't hesitate for long.
His country had betrayed him, and he had lost his girlfriend.
He would no longer give his body or heart to anyone.
From now on, he lived on borrowed time.
He would live like the wind in the sky, like the clouds.
He stood and took Baekya's hand.
Baekya spoke.
"Yes. Rise."
A blinding white light erupted.
【Law of Light】
Fwaaaa!
The space within the cell melted away.
The damp smell and sense of despair vanished like melting snow.
Fwoosh!
Green mist touched the white light and burned with a noxious smoke.
The green mist was incredibly dense.
But the white flames, like a demolition expert targeting key support structures to bring down a building, dispersed the mist in an instant.
'He's gotten even stronger.'
The Baekya he knew relied on overwhelming power, not this kind of finesse.
The flames pierced through the mist, burning it away.
A green halo, like a graceful brushstroke, flickered briefly within the flames.
A pair of narrow, long eyes, seemingly familiar, appeared, offering a bittersweet smile.
'Ah, hahaha.'
A laughter-like hallucination echoed in his ears.
The green mist completely dissipated.
* * *
Baekya slowly let go of Fengyun's hand.
His grip had been so firm that it left a distinct imprint.
'The technique went smoothly, but... what was that just now?'
He had used Law of Light in a new way.
With his mana depleted, he couldn't keep obliterating everything entirely.
He'd tried to find the framework of the curse and trigger a chain collapse by destroying one part.
The joy of success was fleeting.
The halo pattern, the strange eyes, and that laughter bothered him.
The curse wasn't a typical one either.
"...Hmm."
Fengyun raised his head.
Baekya met his gaze and asked—
"Are you back to your senses? Do you remember anything?"
Fengyun blinked a few times before answering.
"...Thank you. I saw it. It wasn't an ordinary curse, was it?"
Baekya nodded.
As expected, his senses were sharp.
"Yes, it's a proliferating curse. It feeds on your memories and willpower, growing stronger. It's not something that would accidentally attach itself to an artifact."
"So..."
"Someone deliberately cursed you."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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