Seoul Terror — Part 2
‘I should’ve been more cautious.’
To be honest, I got lucky.
If he had gone all out on defense, I wouldn’t have been able to kill him so easily.
His focus must have faltered because his target was right in front of him.
He was likely planning to kill the ambassador and escape right after.
“C-Captain!”
“This is impossible!”
“How could this happen?!”
“The Captain was a Level 5!”
The assassins visibly faltered.
Some of them were already retreating quietly, trying to slip away unnoticed.
No, you don’t. That’s not going to happen.
Swish!
I hurled my sword with the same momentum from my previous swing.
A flash of light erupted.
Instead of charging, I combined [Flash] with [Throw] to execute a ranged attack.
The Black Tiger Sword, emitting a blade aura, pierced through several assassins in quick succession.
“Guhh!”
“Argh!”
Their screams served as background noise as I moved.
I launched myself after the Black Tiger Sword, pulling out my dual pistols mid-air.
My traits shifted seamlessly, as naturally as water flowing.
By the time I began pulling the triggers, I had transformed from a traditional warrior into a perfect gunslinger.
Bang bang bang!
There was no need to use paralysis rounds.
I combined explosive and impact rounds instead.
First, I struck with the explosive round in my right hand, stunning the target.
Then, with the impact round in my left, I blew their heads off.
They were merely Level 3 assassins.
There wasn’t a single one who could withstand my attacks, especially with [Black Flame] enhancing them.
“You bastard!”
One of the assassins, desperate, let out a guttural roar.
“If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me!”
He pulled a cylindrical bomb from his coat.
For a moment, my body froze.
A tingling sensation crawled up the back of my neck, and the ring on my left index finger burned hot.
Danger Sense!
I didn’t know exactly what that bomb was, but it was clear it was dangerous—even to me.
The distance was too short.
Whether I used an explosive round or a paralysis shot, it would be faster for the bomb to detonate than for me to take him down.
The moment I realized this, I positioned myself in front of the assassin—directly between him and the ambassador’s group.
Once again, I shifted my traits.
[Domain Shield], [Mana Shield], [Shield Bash].
[Einherjar Cultivation Technique], [Mana Core], [Empathic Vision].
I channeled all my mana.
Into Aegis.
Utilizing the newly acquired [Empathic Vision] trait as well.
Fwooom!
Aegis unfolded to its full capacity.
An intangible force field solidified into a visible shield.
Combined with my mana shield and domain shield, it became one singular, impenetrable barrier.
The result was no longer transparent.
A completely opaque, pure white shield formed in front of me.
Finally, the bomb exploded.
Flash!
A brilliant light of pure mana erupted.
There was no heat, no shockwave—just a destructive force that evaporated everything it touched.
I could see it.
The assassins dissolving.
Swallowed by the light, they turned into black ash and melted away.
“Huff… Huff…”
I could hear the Indian ambassador’s labored breathing behind me.
After confirming that all the assassins were obliterated, I deactivated Aegis.
“I-Is it over?”
“Yes. It’s over.”
Activating Bright Eyes, I scanned the area.
No assassins remained.
The area was completely cleared.
“Ah…”
The ambassador’s wife, who had been holding on to her composure, fainted on the spot.
“Darling!”
“Mom!”
The ambassador and Kali hurried to support her.
Meanwhile, the bodyguards who had collapsed earlier were slowly getting back on their feet.
The same went for Baek Sorin and Janet.
Both of them looked pale and unwell.
I pulled out two bottles of high-grade healing potions from my golf bag and tossed them to the two women.
“Drink these. Stay here and protect the ambassador until dawn. Got it?”
“What about you, Teacher?”
“I’ve got somewhere to be.”
The President.
Saving the ambassador and his wife made me realize my mistake.
The current situation was several years earlier than the game’s timeline—almost a decade, in fact.
The President would likely be a different person as well.
In Arcane Seoul, the President had encountered assassins at the Blue House.
But here, who knows where the President might be?
Even if the Legion Commander and the Tower Master were taking action, there was still a chance the President could be assassinated.
The Indian ambassador’s face turned grim.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster, isn’t it too dangerous? Please, stay here at the embassy. You’ve already saved me and my family—I can’t bear to send you into more danger.”
“This is something I have to do.”
“If you insist… I understand. But please allow me the chance to repay this debt in the future.”
“Of course.”
The ambassador opened a reinforced door, revealing a secure, well-equipped safe room.
The ambassador and his wife entered first, followed by the bodyguards.
Just before stepping inside, Baek Sorin and Janet turned back to look at me.
“Teacher, please be careful.”
“I trust you, Teacher.”
“Don’t worry. Get some rest in there. This will all be over soon.”
I moved swiftly, like the wind, and exited into the garden.
The embassy was littered with corpses.
Most were assassins, but there were also bodies of staff members and even a few superhumans.
Not even the honorary paladins had been free from losses.
As I reached the garden, I noticed a bright red sports car descending from the sky, its engine humming.
[Welcome aboard, Master.]
The ownership transfer had updated the car’s title, even changing its method of addressing me.
“Search for the President’s location. Cross-reference it with his residence.”
[Understood, Master. Initiating search… Checking the Blue House’s publicly posted schedule… The Divine Festival itinerary includes only morning and afternoon events… Analyzing personal movements… Scanning news articles and television reports… Searching gossip columns…]
No evening schedule?
The Divine Festival only truly comes alive at night.
Finally, the results appeared.
A series of small holographic screens projected before me, displaying the President—a bald, elderly man—arm in arm with a young actress.
[The woman is the President’s lover. They’ve spent the past two Divine Festivals together.]
“Isn’t the President married?”
[He is currently separated.]
“This isn’t France, for crying out loud.”
[France? I’m afraid I don’t understand your comparison, Master.]
If this were my original world, it would’ve been a scandal.
His approval ratings would’ve plummeted.
Was the sense of dissonance I felt every time I saw things like this because I came from a Confucian-like country?
“So, where is he now?”
[Searching… Hacking into traffic data… Unable to hack national traffic systems with my current capabilities and those of the mansion’s magic spirit… Attempting to hack black boxes of cars parked near the actress’s residence… Failed, failed, failed, failed… Success, success… Confirmed. The President’s car has entered the apartment complex where the actress resides.]
The address? Cheongdam.
Nice neighborhood.
I grabbed the controls immediately.
“Let’s go!”
Fwoooosh!
All propulsion systems roared to life.
Rapid acceleration.
Even faster than when Kim Mabeob drives.
But sharper. Flawless stability.
The magic spirit, excited, cheered me on.
[Limiters removed! Step on it, Master! Push it beyond its limits!]
Unfortunately, the destination was far too close.
The Indian embassy was in Hannam-dong.
From Hannam to Cheongdam was barely 4 kilometers.
I hadn’t even pushed it to full speed before I was already looking down at a luxury apartment complex in Cheongdam.
Through augmented reality, one specific building was highlighted in blue.
The actress’s residence was on the top floor.
The magic spirit extended a glowing blue ladder from the flying car to the rooftop, marking a clear landing path.
[Master, you can land over there.]
“No time for that.”
[But isn’t that your destination?]
“There’s no need to land.”
[…I don’t understand what you mea—Huh?! Master?!]
I opened the door mid-flight.
Beep beep beep beep!
Warning alarms blared, but I ignored them.
And then, I jumped.
Whoosh!
The wind felt refreshing.
A dizzying height.
And winter. By the calendar of my original world, it was Christmas Eve.
The biting December 24 wind lashed against my entire body.
The apartment building approached rapidly.
What had looked like the size of a cigarette pack quickly grew larger and larger.
No wingsuit, no parachute. I used the wind to adjust my trajectory.
My eyes locked on the floor I had seen marked in augmented reality.
‘Nineteen… Eighteen… Seventeen… Sixteen…’
I counted silently as I descended.
Approaching the gap between two apartment buildings.
As I reached a 45-degree angle with the top floor—double the height of a typical apartment in my original world—I shouted internally.
‘One. Now!’
Fwoooom!
I flipped my body and unleashed my mana.
My entire body became a rocket booster, expelling mana like the tail of a comet.
The direction of my descent, initially at a sharp 90-degree angle, suddenly adjusted to 45 degrees.
Then I added Geumo Leap, a skill of the Tiger King Sword Technique.
This allowed me to practically fly horizontally, smashing through the apartment’s window.
The impact was enough to shatter the special reinforced glass, which had been designed to withstand bullets and even rocket-propelled grenades—appropriate for a VIP penthouse in a high-rise building.
Crash!
“What the hell?!”
A burly man turned to look at me, his face twisted in shock.
My entry took less than 0.1 seconds.
In that split moment, I assessed the situation.
The penthouse spanned over 100 pyeong.
Even the living room alone was massive enough to host a futsal match.
At its center stood the President and the actress, surrounded by a group of attackers.
The superhumans who had been protecting the President lay dead, having clearly failed in their defense.
As I descended upon them, I drew the Black Tiger Sword.
Swoosh!
Once again, my Swordsmanship Expert trait proved invaluable.
The Tiger King Sword Technique, augmented with sword aura, came into play.
Thanks to Einherjar Cultivation Technique and Mana Core, I maintained perfect control over my mana.
A blinding flash erupted, sweeping through the assassins.
“Gahhh!”
“Block him!”
“Carefu—Guhk!”
“Where did this bastard come from?!”
My attack, which converted all of my kinetic energy into destructive force, struck with devastating power.
Combined with my high-level traits, it was unstoppable.
Even a Level 5 superhuman couldn’t withstand it.
One such superhuman, whom I had been watching closely, attempted to block my strike but was sent flying, coughing up blood.
He was a mutated bio-enhanced soldier.
His entire body had hardened, his stature towering as if he had integrated troll DNA into himself.
In close combat, he wasn’t far behind a warrior-class superhuman.
But his opponent was the wrong one.
The difference in power was overwhelming.
Still, he didn’t die in one blow.
Even as blood poured from his mouth and his body trembled, his muscles contracted as he forced himself back to his feet.
So, a troll-enhanced soldier, huh?
It didn’t matter.
While I slashed through other assassins with Crescent Moon Slash, I grabbed Mjolnir with my left hand and hurled it at him.
BOOM!
The sound of thunder erupted.
I hadn’t even infused additional mana into Mjolnir—just the combination of [Throw] and [Empathic Vision] was enough.
That alone sufficed.
The hammer’s massive head smashed into the troll-enhanced soldier’s skull.
Thud!
The hulking body, momentarily standing, began to collapse.
When the heavy, troll-enhanced body hit the floor with a resounding crash, the only person left standing in the room was me.
I had cut down all the superhuman attackers with the Black Tiger Sword.
“Phew…”
I really have gotten stronger.
Back when I fought the Dagger Gang, I swung my sword like a baseball bat.
Now, it truly felt like an extension of my body.
But there was no room for complacency.
One by one, I ensured that the remaining assassins—those still clinging to life—were dispatched with a clean decapitation.
As ten heads rolled across the floor, the actress, who had been trembling, let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“Kyahhhh!”
And then, she fainted on the spot.
She’s surprisingly delicate for someone living in this messed-up world.
In contrast, the President remained calm.
“Are you the Black Tiger Swordmaster?”
“Yes. I’m here to rescue you.”
“Hah… Thank you. If you had been five seconds later, I’d be dead.”
He appeared composed on the surface.
But his heartbeat was racing like crazy.
That’s a President for you.
Still, to survive in this savage world, you’d need nerves of steel.
“For now, let’s leave this place. The Blue House will be safer.”
“Do you have anything with you?”
“My flying car, but…”
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Zuuuuung!
An intangible wave spread out from the entrance, sealing the entire area.
A barrier isolating the inside from the outside.
It was a space-disruption magic resembling a Forbidden Zone.
At the same time, a horde of assassins poured in.
“There’s been interference.”
The assassins’ cold, piercing eyes fixated on me.
Their levels were low.
Only their captain was Level 5, while the rest were Level 3 or even ordinary humans.
But their equipment was flawless.
Every single one of them carried mana-enhanced rifles, and their gloves were mana storage gloves.
Even the backpacks on their shoulders radiated mana waves.
“Kill him!”
Ratatatatatata!
A barrage of concentrated gunfire rained down.
The deafening sound of gunshots tore through the night, aimed directly at me.
“Eek!”
Even the seemingly composed President ducked and hid his head.
It appeared he thought no one, not even someone who looked like a warrior, could possibly withstand the onslaught of dozens of mana-enhanced rifles.
But soon, his eyes widened in shock.
Because of Aegis, which I had deployed.
The milky-white mana shield glowed as it absorbed the attacks.
Bang bang bang!
The mana-enhanced rifles were certainly powerful.
Each shot dealt significant damage, not quite on par with my Dasan Rifle, but still formidable.
However, it wasn’t enough to pierce my barrier.
For every hit the shield absorbed, I supplied it with additional mana.
“A magic-shield warrior?!”
The Level 5 warrior leading the assassins exclaimed in disbelief.
Wrong.
I’m a PVP-specialized gunslinger.
Now that the assassins had emptied their magazines and were reloading…
[Gunslinger], [Shooting], [Aim].
[Rapid Fire], [Quick Reload], [Black Flame].
I unleashed the shotgun.
The entire 10-round magazine was emptied in a flash.
The assassins, though trained and swift in reloading, couldn’t keep up with me.
With my high-tier Gunslinger trait and stacked Quick Reload, I was naturally faster.
Each shotgun round, infused with [Impact] and [Black Flame], shredded the assassins into dozens of pieces.
“Aaagh!”
“Urgh!”
“Screeaah!”
Even as I reloaded the magazine once, I continued to fire.
The difference in skill was overwhelming.
My hands moved so fast they appeared blurred, my motions seamless and precise.
By the time I finished, half of the assassins were dead.
“Damn it!”
The lead assassin ground his teeth in frustration.
But what could you do?
He wasn’t a magic-shield warrior or a tank—just a regular assassin.
He couldn’t step forward to block my attacks, and hiding in the shadows to strike was impossible since his position had already been exposed.
All he could do was helplessly watch as his subordinates were slaughtered.
“Kill him! Kill him now!”
Another barrage of gunfire was unleashed.
I held up Aegis again to block the shots.
Since I couldn’t reload the shotgun with one hand, I discarded it.
Instead, I drew my pistol.
I chose the heavier, larger-caliber one.
Bang!
I fired each shot with precision.
Even though I had allocated five slots for defense and mana traits, I had still made room for my gunslinger traits.
My firepower might have been reduced by half, but it was still highly effective.
Every shot hit its mark perfectly.
Each trigger pull shattered a helmet on the first hit, crushed the skull on the second, and blew the brain apart on the third.
It was an attack utilizing the [Destruction] and [Impact] attributes.
The helmets they wore were high-quality but meaningless in the face of my pistol.
When the magazine was empty, I threw the pistol into the air and reloaded in one fluid motion—a signature gunslinger move.
The remaining assassins were completely wiped out.
Heads exploded, and bodies crumpled to the ground.
I felt strangely light.
My hands and feet felt weightless, as if I could float into the air at any moment.
The thought crossed my mind: even if hundreds or thousands of assassins like these swarmed me, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
I understood why.
Acquired the trait: [Massacre].
A trait that dealt bonus damage to low-level enemies and restored health and mana with each kill.
From now on, sheer numbers were meaningless against me.
These enemies were nothing more than walking experience points.
“Ha… Hahaha…”
The lead assassin let out a hollow laugh, his spirit completely broken.
“If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me!”
He clutched a bomb close to his chest and charged at me.
But it was already too late.
I had already seen it coming with Bright Eyes and shot him with my pistol.
The bullet was a [Paralysis] round.
Before his fingers could press the detonator, he froze in place.
“What…”
That was all he could utter before my sword pierced through him.
The Black Tiger Sword, glowing with a meteor-like brilliance, had already impaled him.
–TL Notes–
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Nice. Kim is goated