Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Soobin sobered up in an instant .
He wasn’t embarra.s.sed because he had been urinating on the street . If he was capable of feeling shame, he wouldn’t have drunkenly yelled out his grievances in public . He wouldn’t have inconvenienced others in the first place .
He hadn"t sobered up because he heard a stranger"s voice in a deserted alley . He was a d.a.m.ned Connector . Even if a gang of thugs ambushed him, he was confident he could beat them up .
He had sobered up because the voice behind him was creepy and chilling . He subconsciously looked for his Devices and Gems, which he didn’t have on him .
Soobin slowly turned around . Even if the opponent was the devil or a ghost, he had to face it .
Fortunately, his opponent was human . However, Soobin increased his guard .
It was early spring, so it was still cold outside . Most people wore long sleeves and a light jacket . However, the man in front of him wasn’t wearing anything like that . Even if there was a cold snap in the middle of winter, no one would wear clothes like the man in front of him .
A black robe covered his entire body, and a hood enveloped his face . As if that wasn’t enough, Soobin caught sight of a mask underneath the hood .
To all appearances, he looked very suspicious .
He was tall and stocky, yet he had worn a weird outfit . Soobin wondered if the outfit hid the man’s exact height and build .
“Who are you?”
He no longer slurred his words . Soobin discreetly got into his fighting stance as he asked the question . Even if he was being chased out of his company for his lack of abilities, he had fought live battles for the past couple of years . Due to his diligence, his fighting form was impeccable .
It seemed the man held a similar opinion .
“Amazing! Even if you are a 1st Gen, it shows that you have fought against monsters for the past couple of years . ”
The man spoke .
This man really didn"t want to reveal his ident.i.ty . His voice sounded very distorted . It seemed he had installed a voice changer underneath the mask .
His words suggested he was giving a compliment, but from the way he had spoken, it sounded as if he was looking down on Soobin . Soobin was already suffering from an inferiority complex, so even if it was a compliment, he misconstrued the man’s words . It was as if the man had poured oil on the fire within Soobin .
“Are you trying to pick a fight with me!”
Soobin swung his fists into the empty air to threaten the man . However, the masked man just ignored the threat .
“Kim Soobin . ”
The man spoke in a calm manner .
“First Gen Connector . Early on in your career, you received attention for growing pretty fast, and you were able to sign a contract with one of the leading conglomerates of the world . As a 1st Gen, you were a success . However, you met your limitations soon, so you were judged to be a mediocre 1st Gen . You were chased out of your company . Now, you go around trying to find a new company . However, none of them hire you . ”
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
He was beyond mad . The calm words of the man were akin to rubbing salt on his wound . Soobin didn’t want to hear anymore, so he swung his fist towards .
A powerful strike sliced through the air . As expected of a Connector, he was faster than a normal person who worked out for a living .
However, Soobin couldn’t achieve his goal .
Tuhk!
His eyes turned round . His fist should have smashed through the mask and hood, yet it had been stopped, that too with one hand .
The man had stopped Soobin’s fist with the palm of his hand . Then, infusing a bit of strength into his arm, he pushed away the fist of Soobin, who staggered as he retreated backward .
“You are a Connector . ”
Only another Connector could stop an attack from a Connector . The masked man could keep up with Soobin"s speed, and he had used enormous strength to push him away . The masked man was a higher-ranked Connector . Soobin’s guard went up another notch .
“Now, now! Please calm down . I’m not here to fight you . ”
However, Soobin didn’t lower his guard .
“I came here because I want to make you an offer . ”
“An offer?”
As always, the hood and the mask hid the man’s face . However, Soobin was sure he was letting out a creepy and ominous laugh behind the mask .
“Do you not want to reclaim what is yours?”
“What is mine?”
“Yes . I’m talking about reclaiming what you are ent.i.tled to . You should have a power unbefitting a 1st Gen . You should have fame and fortune . Those ignoring you should have no choice but to crawl in front of you . This is the future you imagined . It is about reclaiming everything that should have been yours . ”
Soobin gulped . His inner self shook when he heard the man’s words . He had been confident and proud when he had contracted himself to a large conglomerate . He remembered the time when he dreamed about his rosy future . At that time, he thought everything would turn out well . The masked man was speaking about the future that Soobin had dreamed about in the past .
However, at this point, all of it was merely a dream .
“It is as you"ve said . Do you really think it is possible for me to achieve all that as a 1st Gen?”
The more he spoke, the more he became miserable .
“What if it is possible?”
Maybe, this was why he became interested in the words of this very suspicious person in front of him .
“It’s possible?”
“Yes, it’s possible . ”
Soobin shut his mouth .
Was this masked man playing a prank on him? That was the only conclusion he could make . The fact he was taking this seriously was laughable .
However, what if this man’s words were true? Soobin had been pushed to the brink, and at this point, he was willing to grasp at straws .
“… how is it possible?”
In the end, he asked the question . It was probably a prank, and Soobin was ready for something absurd and stupid .
The man took something out of his pocket and presented it to Soobin . Soobin stared at the item on the man’s palm, and his gaze became dyed with surprise .
It was a Gem .
“How do you have that here?”
When Connectors returned to earth, their Devices and Gems were confiscated . All countries did this .
“Well, I have my ways . ”
The masked man didn’t reveal any details .
Soobin also didn’t dig any further . The man had worn a robe, a hood, and a mask to hide his ident.i.ty . Of course, he wouldn’t tell Soobin about anything illegal he had committed .
“What do you want me to do with this Gem?”
It was too dark to tell the color of the Gem . Even if it was the greatest rank Gem, the Diamond rank Gem, it would be useless in Soobin’s hands . He would be able to forcefully activate it, but he could wield its great power only a single time . It wouldn’t guarantee the future he had once dreamed about .
“Please look at it closely . ”
The man moved the Gem closer to Soobin . Soobin looked doubtful as he turned on the light on his handphone . He wanted a better look at this Gem .
“It is a Red Gem . ”
He had thought it would be a rare Gem, but he was disappointed . A Red Gem was the highest rank amongst the Rainbow rank Gems . However, in the entire hierarchy of Gems, it was considered to be the middle of the pack .
The man laughed out loud . It was a twisted laugh, as if he was mocking Soobin .
“No, it isn’t a Red Gem . It is something much more valuable . ”
Soobin looked suspicious of the claim, but he decided to inspect the Gem once again .
‘What the h.e.l.l?’
He was sure the Gem had been red before . However, the Gem looked a bit different now . The color was a bit darker, and a murkiness had appeared in it .
“What the h.e.l.l is this?”
“It is called the Blood Gem . ”
An ominous name flowed out of his mouth .
As if the devil was tempting him, Soobin gulped . It was the appearance of a Gem he had never heard of before . It must be beyond rare, and it gave legitimacy to the man’s words .
‘This . . . this will bring me success . ’
Soobin looked mesmerized as he reached for the Gem . However, he couldn’t grab it . The man had retracted his hand . The Gem disappeared from Soobin’s sight as if it was a midsummer dream .
Soobin looked like a child, whose present had been taken away . His eyes turned sharp as he glared at the man .
“This is obvious, but this item is beyond precious . If it was up to me, I would gladly give it to you, so you could achieve your future . However, I’m not doing this for free . ”
The man spoke in a hesitant manner . However, there was no way this man was embarra.s.sed or afraid . He was just playing with Soobin .
Soobin realized this . This was the devil’s temptation . An unknown man was offering an item that could bring about the future he wanted .
Of course, this man wanted something from him .
It was obvious that this man wanted him to do something dangerous . It would be best for him to leave this place . He should ignore this man . However, Soobin didn’t do that .
If he could pay back the humiliation, anger, and despair he felt, he would sell his soul to the devil . He was willing . Soobin was that desperate right now .
“What do you want?”
In the end, he asked the question .
“If this can really bring about the future I want, I’m willing to do almost everything you ask . ”
“As expected, I knew you were someone I could talk to . ”
His words sounded like a compliment . However, his att.i.tude and the way he said it indicated that the man didn’t respect Soobin .
However, Soobin didn’t care . He was willing to sell his soul to the devil . At this point, he didn’t care about someone else’s att.i.tude .
“I just need you to do one simple task . ”
The man raised one finger .
“I just need you to kill an upstart 1st Gen without anyone finding out about it . ”
* * *
After Sungyoon arrived at Armstrong, he had to spend three days there . It was an unexpected delay . He had asked a professional map maker to remake the map, but the map maker said he needed some time to complete it . Sungyoon tried to forget the look of bafflement on the map maker’s face upon seeing his map . He had worked very hard to draw it, but it was a mess . Fortunately, the map maker didn’t say it was impossible .
If everything went to plan, he would have stayed in Armstrong only for a day . At the latest, he would have stayed two days . However, his plan had been thrown out of the window . He had already replenished his supply of water and vitamin packs . He had time to burn . Normally, people would gladly rest when given an unexpected downtime .
However, Sungyoon couldn’t do it .
Puh-uhk!
He used his s.h.i.+eld to deflect the sharp tusks of the Fang Boar . He didn’t take the attack head-on and received the attack at an angle . The tusks of Fang Boar slid off to the side after he blocked it .
-Gweeeeeek!
The Fang Boar was as angry as it could be . It let out a scream of anger . However, it was the last cry it could make .
Boom!
The mace ruthlessly struck the monster"s head . The Fang Boar couldn’t even let out a short cry and fell to the ground .
‘The 4th floor is easy for me now . ’
He thought as he picked up the moonstone .
It had been a while since Sungyoon had entered the Beginner’s Labyrinth . The monsters on the 4th floor were already a no match for him . He wanted to go down further, but he knew that time wouldn’t allow him to do that . Still, he had made a good amount of money .
He had entered the Beginner’s Labyrinth to burn some time and to make some extra money . However, it was time to exit the labyrinth . Sungyoon didn’t want to overextend himself . He left the Beginner’s Labyrinth .
He walked towards the outer edge of Armstrong . Since a Personal Labyrinth had been a.s.signed to him, he couldn’t receive any support from the Support Center . If he wanted to rent a room, he would have to pay a lot . Jimin had given him a card containing a lot of money to use for food and lodging, but Sungyoon didn’t spend that money . He didn’t want to overburden Jimin, who he considered to be his savior . Also, he didn’t feel the need to spend the money .
‘I can eat a vitamin pack for a meal, and I can sleep inside my Moon Surface Vehicle . ’
When it came to spending money on himself, he was worse than a monk . He really did his best not to spend any money .
He delivered the moonstones to the professional transport company and slowly walked towards the exit of Armstrong . He moved towards where his Moon Surface Vehicle was parked .
However, Sungyoon was oblivious at that moment .
At a short distance away, someone was watching him with a b.l.o.o.d.y smile on his face .