"Wow, life's really worth living. Seriously. If this were reality, it would be even better. Heh heh."
I muttered to myself, staggering through the dawn-lit streets. After leaving the bustling entertainment district, I found myself on deserted streets where not a soul was in sight.
Normally, I would have just gone to a nearby motel to sleep. For the past ten days, alternating between hotel rooms and motels had become my routine.
But tonight, I was deliberately swaying through the streets, pretending to be drunk. I'd downed about five bottles of whiskey, yet my mind remained perfectly clear and my vision sharp.
"Three of them. Two are following on foot, keeping their distance, while one is driving a van."
As soon as I left K-Flex, I noticed I was being tailed.
To my knowledge, I hadn't made any enemies in this world. I'd had a scuffle with the gatekeeper at Yeong Hyejeong, but that was long over.
Chief of Security Park Chanseong wouldn't have any trouble keeping his subordinate in line.
The girls I'd slept with in the VIP room? I never forced myself on them. I paid them handsomely for their services.
"A vampire sent by Kang Wook-sung? ...No, that old man wouldn't resort to such clumsy methods. Besides, we're still in a legitimate business relationship. Our ties haven't soured yet."
My mind raced, systematically eliminating suspects one by one.
The worst-case scenario would be if my identity as a Taker had been exposed. In that case, operating openly would become nearly impossible.
Could it be a vampire hunter from the Black Cross Society? Had the bus bombing been discovered? But there's no way it could have been exposed.
"This vampire is too weak to be a hunter. They're more like the gangsters from K-Flex."
Then I remembered the backpack slung over my shoulder.
Money. Or rather, 320 million won was inside.
"Ah, it's money. That gangster was watching when I first paid Madam."
300 million won. Divided among three, that's 100 million each.
And it's all in cash. It's only natural for greed to arise.
"What a hassle. Should I start carrying cards from now on? ...No, that won't work. Then I can't throw tips around."
I decided to just deal with them properly. If word of this gets out, the small-time thugs will keep their heads down. The bigger players won't bother messing with me for just 300 million won.
I moved toward an alley without CCTV, a narrow passage between two shops. Since the shop employees would have already left for the day, it was a safe place to make noise. The alley was usually deserted, and there was quite a bit of trash lying around.
I expected them to rush me immediately, but they didn't.
They only revealed themselves when I was deep in the alley.
Three men in total, including the driver of the van.
Their weapons: a hammer, a baseball bat, and a sashimi knife.
I stared at the man with the sashimi knife. It was the gangster I'd seen earlier at the store.
"You son of a bitch. You're going to die here today."
"...Killing me for no reason? Just be honest. You're after my money, aren't you?"
I casually tossed my backpack to the ground. The other two gangsters' eyes darted to the bag, but the man with the sashimi knife continued to glare at me intently.
"Money's part of it, but you deserve to die, you bastard. Taking pictures like that?"
"...Ah, did you see that? Was there a camera in the room?"
It seems money isn't his real motive. Then what is?
I pondered for a moment before chuckling softly. Ra Young, the girl I'd made a bet with, was the only one who'd taken proper photos.
"Is this about Ra Young? Were you her boyfriend? Lucky bastard. Hey, Ra Young was fucking delicious. Her pussy and tits were so tight and juicy."
"You fucking bastard..."
The hand holding the sashimi tightened, trembling violently. He must be itching to plunge the blade into my gut right now.
The goons beside him glanced between me and their boss, clearly clueless about what was happening. I had a rough idea though: this guy was the mastermind.
I smirked, curling my lips into a cruel grin, and subtly shook my phone.
"I'm planning to blackmail Ra Young and fuck her every day. Someone like her is too good to just use once and throw away. ...Fuck.
Just thinking about it makes me so fucking excited. When I slap her ass, her pussy clenches so tight it's just..."
"Kill that bastard!"
The man lunged at me first, his subordinates scrambling to catch up, startled by his sudden attack.
I exhaled softly, clenched my fist, and strode toward them.
"Die!"
A sashimi knife stabbed toward my abdomen. I moved to grab his wrist and twist it, aiming to disarm him.
Clang!
I managed to grab his wrist. Just as I was about to twist it with force, a hammer flew in from the side. Startled, I had no choice but to retreat.
But then a baseball bat swung at me, and I had to raise my arm to block it. If I didn't, it would hit my head.
Crack!
"...Ugh."
The force behind the baseball bat was no joke, likely due to their consistent physical training. I think I might have fractured a bone in my right wrist. Suppressing a groan, I hastily backed away.
I had thought dealing with three gangsters would be easy. But the reality of the fight was far different from what I'd imagined.
...Damn it. These guys aren't messing around.
If I were unarmed, I would have definitely beaten them. But they had weapons, and their movements weren't random; they were clearly trained.
"Do you know how many punks like you we've drowned?!" the sashimi-wielding thug charged again.
Fuck. This isn't how my plan was supposed to go.
I dodged the sashimi blade slicing through the air. In a one-on-one fight, I could easily win. The problem was, they weren't fighting fair.
The moment I focused on the sashimi, the other thugs attacked as if they'd been waiting for the opportunity.
I'd fought goblins one-on-one in real combat before, but I'd never faced multiple opponents, even in training simulations. Meanwhile, these guys moved with perfect coordination.
If this keeps up... I'm going to lose. Fuck.
A razor-sharp sashimi knife sliced across my right forearm, the crimson blood soaking through my shirt.
The wound burned fiercely, and I felt something draining from my body.
"..."
As the blood flowed, my head rapidly cooled.
I saw the face of the man holding the sashimi knife. His sweat-drenched face wore a smug grin.
"You shouldn't have messed with Ra Young. We'll take good care of your money. And your phone too, as a bonus."
The expression vanished from my face. I lunged at him.
"What the fuck? What are you gonna do, charge at me?"
He was certain of his victory.
I had to admit, I'd been arrogant. I'd thought my superior stats from the Pleasure World App made me stronger than ordinary people. But I was wrong.
In a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't know. Without weapons, I wouldn't know.
Such hypotheticals were meaningless. Reality always mocked my imagination.
I muttered under my breath, "...There's no such thing as 'just enough.' Kill them."
The sashimi knife plunged into me. As a bonus, a hammer and baseball bat hovered nearby, waiting for their moment.
I willingly sacrificed my right arm. With my left hand, I gripped the sashimi's blade tightly. Blood flowed from my hand, but I ignored it.
The knife couldn't be withdrawn. My physical abilities far surpassed theirs.
"...Kill him!"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Die!"
I raised my right arm to block the hammer and baseball bat. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I delivered a kick that struck the sashimi wielder squarely in the groin.
"...!!"
The man collapsed under the immense pain, unable to even scream. His grip on the sashimi knife loosened, and I snatched it with my left hand.
"Hyung!"
"You bastard!"
"Complete recovery," I muttered.
In an instant, my right arm was fully healed, and the pain vanished. My stamina restored, I ducked under the hammer and plunged the sashimi knife into his neck, then withdrew it.
Blood gushed from the wound as the man with the hammer crumpled to the ground.
"Cheolwoo!"
I didn't stop. I twisted my body slightly to narrowly dodge the baseball bat and repeatedly stabbed the man in the abdomen.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Aaaaaaaah!"
After stabbing him seven times, I slit his throat to ensure he was dead.
I immediately turned around. The captain, whose groin had been ruptured, was still kneeling on the floor, trembling. The fact that he hadn't passed out spoke volumes about his mental fortitude.
"Ugh... ugh..."
I kicked his face, silencing his pained groans. His head slammed against the wall, and he looked up at me.
"...Ah. Shit, fuck..."
He seemed to finally grasp the situation. I crouched down in front of him, holding the bloodstained sashimi.
"Thank you."
"...What?"
"Thanks to you, I know my place now. But..."
The sashimi slowly pierced the man's shoulder.
"Aaaaargh!"
"That's one thing. This is another."
I twisted the knife's hilt, and his scream intensified. I'd considered torturing him, but the moment I saw his face, the thought vanished. Wasting time torturing a piece of trash like him would only be a loss for me.
I plunged the sashimi into his solar plexus.
He convulsed briefly before dying.
"...Hah."
I sighed and checked their belongings.
Ma Bongcheon, Park Cheolwoo, Kim Daehyun.
Their IDs revealed their names.
"...What should I do with this?"
Subduing three armed gangsters was impossible, so I'd killed them.
The problem was the remaining corpse.
The drama was still in its early stages. My goal, obtaining the Life Orb, was still a long way off. I didn't want to become a wanted murderer and live as a fugitive.
I can't go to a room while being chased by the police. Even if I did, they wouldn't let me in.
Even in this situation, I found it absurd that I was still thinking about women.
But what could I do? That's just who I am.
After pondering for a while, I pulled out my smartphone and launched the Pleasure World App. To be precise, I opened my Inventory.
[Inventory]
1. -
2. Iron Sword
3. Tracksuit
"Ah, right. I put the sword away. I should have used it."
I sighed softly. I hadn't thought of it in the heat of the moment. Even if I had, I probably wouldn't have drawn it. I had initially tried to subdue them without killing them.
"Oh."
I'd half-expected it, but Ma Bongcheon's corpse had been added to my inventory list.
[Inventory List]
1. Human Corpse
2. Iron Sword
3. Tracksuit
The corpse was no longer a living being but an object, which likely explained why it could be stored.
"Even if living humans can't be stored, maybe small animals could? I should test that later."
I retrieved Ma Bongcheon's corpse again.
I couldn't dispose of the body in the real world. That would be the worst possible choice. Leaving it here was better than bringing it back to reality.
"Should I just dump it in another Game World?"
That seemed like the best option. Without a body, the murder would become a missing person case. The key to a perfect crime was concealing the corpse completely.
"...No. Let's handle it in this world. I don't want to abandon the body in another Game World."
I didn't want to choose another Game World just to dispose of a corpse.
Besides, I had an ability I conveniently called "Inventory." With it, committing the perfect crime was a breeze just a little effort required.
"Then we'll need to prepare. Let's return to reality first."
[Game terminated.]
[Commencing experience point calculation.]
[Kim Miok's Affinity Level is now 2.]
[Affinity Level 2 bonus: 1 point earned.]
[...]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[17 points earned.]
Back in reality, I immediately checked my body.
There was no scent of blood, no wounds. I paused the time in "Vampire Detective" and sat down at my computer.
I'd think about the points I'd earned later. For now...
"Body disposal methods. Search."
A list of gruesome murder cases scrolled down the screen. Most of them were useless. I clicked my tongue and started brainstorming.
Two options come to mind: dumping the body in the sea or burying it in the mountains. The sea would be safer, but I'd have to go all the way there.
I could just weigh it down with bricks and toss it in.
...No. The sea's too far. I need to get back to the room. I don't have time for that.
The thought of going to the sea already felt like a hassle.
Just dump it in the Han River. As long as I don't get caught.
I had the Pleasure World App. I was confident I wouldn't get caught.