Nectar — Part 3
In front of the Dagger Gang hideout.
It looked like an ordinary villa building.
On the first floor, there was a small café and even a restaurant selling rice soup.
But it would be a mistake to judge it by appearances alone.
I glanced at the buildings connected to the villa, their walls almost merging into one another.
‘This was a dungeon too.’
Though calling it a “dungeon” felt ridiculous—it was more like a partitioned gym at best.
I slowly recalled the memories.
I’d been through the Dagger Gang dungeon more times than I cared to remember. It was required for Kim Chulkwon’s personal quest, the second character you joined with during Arcane Seoul’s tutorial.
The developers had milked it dry, reusing it to the point where you’d run into the same—or eerily similar—dungeons elsewhere.
‘There are two entrances.’
The front door is just a trick.
The real one was in the building to the right.
In fact, the Dagger Gang’s base was a complex dungeon made by connecting six villa buildings. On the surface, it pretended to be a regular residential area, complete with tenants. But in reality, they operated an illegal gambling den in its hidden chambers.
And it wasn’t just a gambling den. They also ran a brothel, drug operation, and underground fight club. That’s why they chose this place as their base.
If all this became public, the Dagger Gang would be in serious trouble.
‘Now then…’
I climbed to the rooftop of a nearby studio apartment building and pulled out a rifle.
It was the same model as the one Roe Deer had broken in two.
I attached an underbarrel grenade launcher.
As I slid a grenade into place, it made a satisfying click, the metallic sound echoing.
I leaned against the railing and aimed at the front entrance of the villa.
Since it was nighttime, there wasn’t much foot traffic. All I could hear were sounds of someone drunkenly belting out songs and a couple loudly fighting, shouting at each other.
The inside was likely a different story.
In their soundproofed secret chambers, the flames of debauchery, indulgence, and sin were surely burning brightly.
To enter that space—the real Dagger Gang base—you had to go through an entrance other than the front.
But I deliberately chose the decoy entrance and pulled the trigger.
Thunk!
A dull noise accompanied the launch of the grenade.
Boom!
But the explosion was anything but dull.
With a thunderous blast, shards of metal shredded everything in their path.
There was no way the old, rusty villa door could withstand the force of the grenade explosion.
It was instantly obliterated, and smoke billowed up.
Along with it came the shrill sound of an alarm.
WEEEEEEEEEEE!
“Huh?”
“Ahhh!”
“Terrorist attack! It’s a terrorist attack!”
“Somebody help!”
The once-quiet alley erupted in screams.
Lights flickered on in every house.
The building that had taken the hit reacted immediately.
Residents came flooding out in a panic, like hornets from a disturbed nest.
Not just from that building, but from the connected ones too.
Some were nearly naked, others so high on drugs they could barely stand.
“Hmph.”
I didn’t just stand there watching.
Instead of reloading another grenade, I cradled the rifle and leaped.
I hopped from rooftop to rooftop, moving between the nearby buildings like I was performing parkour.
It was possible because the whole area was packed with studio apartments, villas, and boarding houses.
The buildings were all similar in height, and they were crammed so close together.
Thud, thud, thud!
I climbed down an exterior emergency staircase to the ground.
Right behind the Dagger Gang’s base.
I heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Damn it! Where is it? Where did the shot come from?”
“We need to beat the shit out of the guy who was supposed to be on watch! That idiot must’ve been asleep, right? It wasn’t a rocket, it was probably a grenade. It’s impossible not to notice a grenade flying toward you!”
“You idiot. If someone fires from hundreds of meters away, how the hell are you supposed to see it in the middle of the night? If you can do that, you’d be a superhuman, dumbass.”
“Those filthy Iron Fist Gang bastards! How dare they stab us in the back like this!”
“Just wait until we catch you. We’ll turn you into minced meat!”
I hid in the shadows between two alleyways, watching them.
They were all heavily armed.
Not as much as I was, but at least they were wearing bulletproof vests and carrying rifles. They also had goggles. They were probably using infrared and laser detection equipment.
I lowered my hood and equipped a folding helmet.
It was an integrated helmet with a goggle system and a gas mask.
At first, the world looked pitch black, but soon the lights came on, turning my vision to full color. The gas mask latched onto my nose and mouth, supplying air with a hiss.
“Sir! There’s no one around here!”
“How can that be? Search every inch! Don’t go too far, though! The Iron Fist Gang bastards might be targeting the boss!”
“Yes, sir!”
Tat-tat-tat!
A few gang members ran into the alley where I was hiding.
No problem.
I leaned against the wall, activated Feign Death, and stayed still.
My heartbeat slowed, my body temperature dropped, and all the blood drained from my face.
I didn’t just use Feign Death. I was also in Stealth mode.
The gang members with goggles rushed past without even noticing me.
Only after some time had passed did I release Feign Death and stand up.
There was no one in front of me in the alley.
Still, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
I cautiously approached the hideout building, keeping a close eye on my surroundings.
‘Ah, CCTV.’
Several brick-shaped CCTVs were mounted on the walls of the building.
They had even planted trees and grown vines to obscure the view of the cameras.
It was almost impossible to spot them unless you knew they were there.
The CCTVs were focused on a secret entrance disguised as a trash bin.
If I just casually walked in, I’d be immediately spotted.
I clicked my tongue.
‘Maybe I should’ve unlocked the [Hacking] trait?’
Nah, hacking was out of the question.
Hacking was the domain of Reinforced soldiers and Mages.
A warrior should act like a warrior.
I attached a suppressor to my rifle.
Even with a suppressor, gunfire isn’t completely silent. But the entire area was already in chaos, a frenzy of fear and panic spreading from that single grenade.
With all this going on, a few suppressed shots would easily go unnoticed.
Tat! Tat! Tat!
Three consecutive shots.
I destroyed all the brick-shaped CCTVs.
Then, I moved immediately.
I quickly lifted the trash bin lid, squeezed inside, and opened the sliding door to enter.
“What the hell?”
“Shit, an intruder!”
“Do you know where you are?!”
“Hit the alarm!”
Behind the sliding door was a long, narrow hallway.
CCTVs lined the ceiling, and security rooms were positioned on both sides of the corridor.
In an emergency, they could close the steel doors and fire at will.
But I had entered too quickly, and, thanks to Arcane Seoul, I knew exactly how this layout worked.
Tat! Tat! Tat! Tat!
Four shots, fired with perfect precision thanks to the Shooting trait.
Even I had to admit my form was flawless.
I shot a gang member in the head as he tried to rise from behind an open steel door.
Another gang member, who had been reaching for the emergency button, was hit squarely between the eyes or in the throat.
Both were equally dead.
My goggles displayed the words [Deceased].
“Hoo…”
Something felt odd.
I had just killed four people, but there was no emotion. Nothing.
Instead, my mind became sharper, colder, like a bucket of ice water had been poured over it.
‘I’ve become… numb.’
They say if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you.
If you fight monsters long enough, you eventually become one.
It seemed I had finally adapted to this hellish world.
What else could I do?
Survival was the only option. I had to keep living.
Squish, squish.
I walked down the corridor, my boots stepping through pools of blood.
Behind me, a long, vivid trail of bloody footprints stretched out.
WEEEEEEEEEEE!
At that moment, an alarm blared throughout the entire building.
[Emergency! Emergency!]
[We are under attack! The enemy is attacking!]
[All brothers are to arm themselves and assemble at the designated rally points!]
[Warning! Warning!]
[Anyone not part of the Dagger Gang must immediately disarm, raise their hands, and lie face down! Failure to comply will result in immediate execution!]
Annoying.
Tat! Tat!
I shot out the remaining CCTVs and speakers.
Standing before a sturdy steel door at the end of the hallway, I paused for a moment to catch my breath.
I already had the layout of the area behind this door clear in my mind.
A hallway bent at a right angle, and ahead, there would be a large space like a hotel lobby. Normally, it served as a waiting area, but in emergencies like this, it became a fortified defensive line.
If I charged in recklessly, I’d be turned into Swiss cheese immediately.
But for a superhuman, there’s a different way to fight. And as Warrior Kim, I had my own battle methods.
I shot the door lock with my rifle, quickly opened it, and peeked around the corner of the hallway.
Just as I expected.
Layer upon layer of barricades, with gang members sticking their rifles out, aiming right in my direction.
Their menacing killing intent sent a cold shiver up my spine, grazing my carotid artery.
“Take him down!”
Tatatata!
Dozens of rifles fired in unison, spitting fire.
But I was faster.
Thunk!
The muffled sound of a grenade launcher going off for the second time.
Without even watching the grenade’s trajectory, I immediately pulled back behind the steel door.
Boom!
“Aaargh!”
“Kuhk!”
“Gah!”
The explosion was followed by the sound of agonized screams.
See? Grenades are the best.
Still, one wasn’t enough to completely wipe them out. I grabbed a few more grenades from my golf bag and tossed them over the barricades.
After several more loud blasts, even the faint groans I had heard ceased completely.
The skirmish was over.
But I couldn’t let my guard down. A single shot could kill me just as easily as it could anyone else. My magic barrier and protective gear could handle rifle rounds, but not heavy-caliber sniper bullets or machine gun fire.
Besides, the Dagger Gang’s boss and their chief enforcer were both Level 2 superhumans.
And on top of that, they were warrior-type assassins.
If I got careless and let them snipe me or strike from behind, I could still meet a quick end.
Tat! Tat!
“Ugh!”
“Kah!”
I made sure to finish off the surviving gang members as I moved forward.
This dungeon was normally a business site, so there were no traps to worry about.
Everything was going shockingly smoothly.
The gang members came out exactly where I expected, firing in predictable patterns.
In modern warfare, knowing the enemy’s location is half the battle.
First, I’d toss a grenade or flashbang before charging in. I didn’t hesitate to use up my remaining grenades. That’s how I bulldozed my way through to the third floor.
I’d taken a few hits myself, but my protective gear had absorbed the impact.
Then, just as I was catching my breath, a strange sensation made my hair stand on end.
Acquired trait: [Sensitivity].
I switched out my Bright Eyes trait for Sensitivity.
‘It’s about time.’
In the game, enemies didn’t move from their designated positions.
But this was reality.
If the Dagger Gang’s boss and their chief enforcer had any sense, they wouldn’t just sit around waiting for me.
Tensing up, I cautiously ascended the stairs.
I swapped out my rifle for a shotgun. I’d already used up all my grenades, and the suppressor had long outlived its usefulness. At this point, increasing firepower was the only option.
“Huh?”
Something felt off.
The fourth floor was supposed to be the final line of defense.
The fifth floor only had the main office and a few meeting rooms—nothing worth defending.
So naturally, the gang members should have been dug in at the fourth-floor VIP casino, ready for a fight.
But it was empty.
All I could see were the casino tables, scattered cards and chips, and, for some reason, bloodstains on the floor.
“What the hell?”
I heightened my senses to their peak.
Lowering my body, I took cover behind a casino table and slowly crept forward.
I kept an eye on all directions as I moved.
Then, suddenly—
Buzzzzzz!
A small drone dropped down from the ceiling vent and released a thin rod.
A flashbang.
I cursed instinctively.
“Shit!”
It was too late to do anything.
Flash!
A brilliant white light seared my retinas, and the deafening noise hit my ears like a hammer to the skull.
I staggered back, momentarily disoriented.
Crackle.
My goggles responded to the flashbang, shutting the aperture tightly. Good thing, too, or I would’ve been blinded for several seconds.
Bzzz.
But the ringing in my ears remained. I could barely keep my balance.
I gripped my shotgun tighter and shouted at myself internally.
‘Get a grip! Warrior Kim! Get your head together!’
Fsshh! Fsshh!
More drones appeared, spewing tear gas into the casino.
Thick white smoke billowed up, and red warnings flashed inside my goggles.
[Activating gas mask.]
Poison gas!
These crazy bastards were releasing poison gas in their own base?!
But this wasn’t the end.
I had destroyed every CCTV I saw, but they’d probably managed to capture a photo of me wearing my helmet with the built-in goggles and gas mask.
What would be their next move?
A full-on assault?
A sniper? An ambush?
I already knew the answer.
It was the chain attack that started as soon as you entered the Dagger Gang boss room in the game.
That had to be it.
I immediately switched my traits.
[Mana Shield], [Defense], [Sensitivity].
[Mana Core], [Endurance], [Toughness].
Then, I focused on the window.
I knew exactly where they would aim, and the path their attack would take.
If I concentrated my mana shield on my arm guard and activated Defense, even their chief enforcer’s sniper rifle wouldn’t be able to penetrate.
Worst case scenario, I’d lose an arm.
In this world, losing an arm wasn’t that big of a deal. I could always regenerate it or get a prosthetic. Either way, it would be a win for me.
‘When will it happen?’
My vision zoomed in through the goggles.
The rooftop of the building where the enforcer was likely hiding came into sharp focus.
I saw something slowly emerge over the rooftop railing.
It wasn’t a sniper rifle.
What appeared over the railing wasn’t the sleek barrel of a sniper rifle but something much thicker and more menacing.
A dark green warhead.
Compared to a sniper rifle, it was much bulkier and heavier.
It looked exactly like the RPG-7 from the real world—the infamous “Magic Wand of Allah.”
And it was aimed directly at me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
There wasn’t even time to be surprised.
The rocket was already ignited.
The rocket accelerated toward me, not like in the game with its slow, leisurely pace.
This was real. A rocket moving at hundreds of meters per second was flying at me, like a brilliant flash of light!
Boom!
Then, an explosion.
The world was swallowed up in a blinding flash of white light.
–TL Notes–
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