Overwhelm
Player Hunter Cheong.
"You're currently streaming on your channel!"
"Request NewTube! Tell them to cut it off right now!"
"We already did, but there's no response!"
Jin Yun-ho let out a sigh.
NewTube would probably remain silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.
All to buy time until this absurd live stream by Jo Kang-tae finally ended.
"What about the suppression team's hunters?"
"Two hunters above level 60, armed and on standby."
"Assign them to me. We're taking my car."
Grabbing his keys, Jin Yun-ho headed to the parking lot.
'That crazy bastard Jo Kang-tae... he's finally gone and done it...!'
The direction Jo Kang-tae was heading was the old town where Yu Jin-hyeok's officetel was located.
It was infuriating how he'd pinpointed Yu Jin-hyeok as the Runner and even tracked down his residence.
"Suppression Team Grade 5 Hunters, Gu In-jun and Min Yu-kyung reporting."
"In-jun, Yu-kyung, it's been a while! Hop in right away! We're heading out!"
"Yes, sir."
As Jin Yun-ho walked toward his sedan, Gu In-jun and Min Yu-kyung exchanged glances.
In emergencies like this, they usually mobilized in Hunter Agency vehicles, not a personal sedan.
Gu In-jun, who had climbed into the passenger seat, finally spoke up.
"Team Leader, is this an operation that requires secrecy?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of...?"
Gu In-jun trailed off with a question mark in his tone.
If it were about protecting the promising player Jo Kang-tae, it was already far too late.
Not only had he severely injured the hunters sent to secure him, but he was also causing chaos with a live stream.
The Hunter Agency couldn't cover for this anymore.
Jin Yun-ho, starting the car, handed over an iPad.
A nondisclosure agreement.
Once the two had signed, Jin Yun-ho finally spoke.
"From now on, everything about the Honor's Book Runner—his identity, address, all of it—must be kept strictly confidential."
"The Runner? So we already knew?"
"Yeah. Only the Chief of the Personnel Division and I."
They didn't bother asking why.
The two of them were also top-climbing players.
They knew full well how massive the Runner's popularity was in the world.
If his identity got out, people would come swarming from all directions.
"Want to turn on the stream?"
"Yes, sir."
In-jun switched on the broadcast and held up the pad.
Jin Yun-ho frowned at the background visible on the camera.
With his gear fully equipped, Jo Kang-tae's speed was faster than expected.
He had already reached the outskirts of the old town where Jin-hyeok lived.
Jin Yun-ho floored the accelerator, cutting across the road.
"What do you two think? The Runner versus Jo Kang-tae."
"We can't know the Runner's awakening abilities exactly, but objectively speaking, Jo Kang-tae has a massive advantage."
"I agree. The Runner just cleared floor 30, while Jo Kang-tae cleared 45. The level gap alone, not to mention synchronization rate, is huge. What about the Runner's external gear?"
Jin Yun-ho clicked his tongue.
"Practically none."
Of course there wouldn't be.
Gear not specialized for the Tower came with exorbitant prices regardless of performance.
Jin-hyeok had only just moved into that old-town officetel.
It would be weirder if he had such equipment.
"We'll need to hurry even more. He won't overcome it. The gap in levels, synchronization rate, and gear can't be bridged by personal skill alone. That's why we're only sending the two of us in this emergency."
No need for a full swarm.
With comparable gear, there was no way Gu In-jun and Min Yu-kyung couldn't subdue Jo Kang-tae.
Given the situation, they'd just added one extra person to cover the one-in-a-million chance.
"Tch."
He hadn't asked expecting a different answer, but he couldn't really argue.
It was an objective assessment, accurate nine times out of ten.
"Hold on tight."
With his mind racing, Jin Yun-ho sped up.
Jo Kang-tae had already crossed the point of no return.
And if the Runner, Yu Jin-hyeok, ended up with a fatal injury on top of that?
This would be an utterly unacceptable loss on a national scale.
"Huuuuh!"
Jin Yun-ho steadied his breathing.
For now, he'd set aside thoughts of factions interfering with Geum Sara or Cheon Se-yeon.
Right now, he had to pour everything into preventing the worst-case scenario.
"Huh? The Honor's Book Runner!"
At Gu In-jun's shout, he turned his eyes.
As if mocking Jin Yun-ho's hopes, they had already met.
The two leads of today's show.
The rooftop of an abandoned construction site, weathered by time.
Thud.
Jo Kang-tae, who had just arrived, sneered.
"What the hell is that? That ridiculous mask?"
Atop a pile of scrap materials, Jin-hyeok sat wearing a mask fit for a masquerade ball.
@ What is that? Is that the Runner?
@ For real? I thought he'd be some overwhelming muscle-bound guy, but he looks like a local gym bro.
@ Kinda gives off neighborhood workout dude vibes?
"Hah?"
Jo Kang-tae raised his hammer.
"And what's with those iron chains? Fashion statement?"
@ You don't know Black Flame Dragon on my left arm?
@ Don't diss chain fashion. It's badass.
"This is driving me insane. For real."
Jo Kang-tae muttered under his breath.
Honestly, he was dumbfounded.
How much did this guy underestimate him to show up decked out like that?
Those iron chains would snap with one hammer blow or even a slight exertion of force.
"Whatever."
Jo Kang-tae shrugged.
The goal today was to overwhelmingly beat the Runner to a pulp anyway.
If he came out like this, it was actually better.
"Hey, Honor's Book Runner! If you've got any last words, spit 'em out! Everyone's watching!"
Thrilled, Jo Kang-tae shoved the action cam in his face.
He deliberately avoided using the name Yu Jin-hyeok.
He wanted every viewer glued to the screen.
Not some nobody in his early twenties getting smashed, but the Honor's Book Runner being brought down.
'Hmm.'
Jin-hyeok didn't respond.
The action cam thrust in his face was a bit uncomfortable, though.
'Good thing I grabbed the mask.'
He'd originally planned to just show up as is.
They'd already crossed paths in Dongdaemun anyway.
But with the live stream blowing up on NewTube, he'd quickly snatched up the mask.
His name would come out if Jo Kang-tae said it, but there was no need to broadcast his face to the world.
Swish.
Rising from his seat, Jin-hyeok stared at Jo Kang-tae.
Then he extended his hand.
"!!!"
Jo Kang-tae's brow furrowed.
Jin-hyeok was beckoning him with a crooked finger.
"How long do you think you can keep up the bluff?!"
Kicking off the ground, Jo Kang-tae launched toward Jin-hyeok.
He hefted the hammer with all his might.
A guy with no weapons at all.
No need to watch for openings.
"First, one arm!!"
He swung the hammer full force toward Jin-hyeok's shoulder.
In that instant, Jin-hyeok, who had been staring from atop the pile, seemed to lower his stance.
Swoosh!
And then he vanished from Jo Kang-tae's sight.
Kwaaang!
The hammer cleaved through empty air, slamming into the scrap pile.
"This rat bastard, running aw—?"
Clatter!
When had he set it up?
The chain wrapped around the hammer moved swiftly.
By the time he turned around, Jin-hyeok's knee was already right in front of him.
Creeeeash!!
"Keheuk!"
Jo Kang-tae's head snapped back.
@ What is this? Is that Silas?
@ The Runner's lost it. 3D maneuvering gear or what?
Question marks flooded the chat.
He had the Berserker's Blessing wrapped around him.
He was even wearing a helmet.
So why did his brain feel like it was rattling like this?
Grinding his molars, Jo Kang-tae swung the hammer.
But it missed again.
Jin-hyeok was already swinging across to the opposite building, chain hooked and gliding through the air.
"Did you awaken monkey powers or something?!"
A red aura surged from Jo Kang-tae's body.
His movements accelerated in tandem.
Chasing Jin-hyeok, he began swinging the hammer wildly at anything in his path.
'Just one hit, just one hit, just oooone hiiiit!!!'
Blood seeped from his clenched molars.
Yet the hammer never connected with Jin-hyeok.
Every opponent Jo Kang-tae had faced so far were monsters that lumbered in with heavy, straightforward attacks.
It was impossible from the start for his hammer to catch up to Jin-hyeok, who shifted positions so fluidly.
Creeeng!! Kwaang!!
In contrast, not a single one of Jin-hyeok's attacks missed.
A fist, knee, or elbow thrust after dodging once.
Each landed as a solid hit, accumulating damage on Jo Kang-tae's body.
"Kuhak!"
Another strike to the face burst his nose open, blood spraying.
Without missing a beat, Jin-hyeok hooked a chain around Jo Kang-tae's ankle and yanked.
Thud!
The armored, hefty body crashed to the rooftop.
"You fucking bastard...! Get buried!!!"
Jo Kang-tae slammed the hammer into the rooftop floor.
The site had been neglected for years already.
Weakened further by the recent clash, the concrete cracked, and the entire building began to collapse inward.
Strengthening his blessing, Jo Kang-tae wrapped his arms around his head.
He'd get buried too, but it didn't matter.
His expensive armor and blessing would protect him.
Rumble...!!
As the building caved in completely, a massive cloud of dust billowed around them.
Visibility dropped to zero.
"Hoo. Hoo. Hoo."
Brushing aside debris, Jo Kang-tae rose and caught his breath.
If he couldn't see, neither could the other guy.
A temporary truce for a while... Clatter!
"!?"
An ominous sound came from somewhere.
By the time he realized it had snaked around his ankle, his balance was already crumbling.
Jo Kang-tae, having never faced anything like this, hadn't even considered it.
That someone could read him even without sight.
Thud!
Off-balance, Jo Kang-tae sprawled out again.
Meanwhile, Jin-hyeok hooked the chain to an opposite steel beam and leaped high.
Wrapping the thick chain around one fist.
And from there.
Saaaaah.
A blue aura bloomed.
It didn't have to be a sword.
Aura was enlightenment, after all.
Whiiiiiish!!!
With fall speed added, Jin-hyeok shot downward like a bolt.
And right on cue, the fist thrust out.
As that fist met the breastplate of the armor.
Kwaaaaaang!!
A deafening roar echoed as Jo Kang-tae's body buckled.
The armor, which he'd trusted implicitly due to its high price, failed to shield its owner from the damage.
Cracks that had been forming since earlier spiderwebbed out, shattering it to pieces.
It was now nothing more than ordinary scrap metal.
"Kuhuuuk!!"
Blood gushed from Jo Kang-tae's mouth.
Through his blurring vision, he saw Jin-hyeok, mask and all.
His head didn't need to think.
Instinct had already realized it.
He couldn't win against that.
Thud.
Jo Kang-tae's head lolled as he lost consciousness.
"Suuuuuuh."
Exhaling slowly, Jin-hyeok looked down at Jo Kang-tae.
And through the cracked lens, countless viewers faced Jin-hyeok in turn.
No one typed in the chat.
They simply held their breath, like deer frozen before a predator, staring at Jin-hyeok.
Step.
Jin-hyeok turned slowly and walked away.
The thought that flashed through every viewer's mind as they watched his back was one and the same.
The Honor's Book Runner, who had appeared like a comet.
He was the real deal.
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T/N:
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