Chapter 73
Reunion and Battle Once Again (2)
At last, silence settled after the chaos.
Yoo Sangah sat beside the injured, tending to the unconscious one by one, while both Arthur and Kim Dokja busied themselves collecting the ghost crystals that had fallen from the phantom creatures Arthur had slain moments earlier. The crystals were still warm, emitting a faint glow that hinted at the unstable energy within them.
After some time, Lee Hyunsung slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up on his arms, confusion evident on his face. He asked what had happened, and Yoo Sangah calmly explained everything that had occurred inside the Welcome Prison—how Kim Dokja had shattered the scenario's space, while Arthur had taken care of the ghosts.
Lee Hyunsung stood and bowed deeply to the two of them.
"Thank you… Without you, we wouldn't have made it out alive."
Kim Dokja and Arthur smiled faintly, as if what they had done wasn't worth mentioning.
Meanwhile, the two younger boys, Lee Gilyoung and Yi Shun, woke up. A painful sadness was etched into their eyes—a heavy sorrow that didn't belong to children their age.
Arthur approached Yi Shun, while Kim Dokja went to Lee Gilyoung. Without a word, each embraced the younger one. The hugs were silent, yet carried a comfort and shared pain beyond words.
At the end of the dark tunnel, a faint light began to appear.
Chungmuro Station was near.
Lee Hyunsung stood and carefully carried Jung Heewon on his back. Arthur and Kim Dokja moved to the front, and the rest followed with tired but steady steps.
But before they could take more than a few steps—
A sharp, powerful female voice cut through the silence:
"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my hunting ground?!"
Everyone turned at once.
A girl stood behind them, wearing a black cloak that covered her head and body, holding a sword that gleamed sharply. The aura emanating from her left no room for doubt—she was a strong fighter.
Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah recognized her immediately. They had seen her before in the dokkaebi Bihyung's broadcasts in the subway.
It was Lee Jihye, the sole survivor of Daebong Girls' High School.
Lee Jihye pulled back her hood and stared at the hands of Kim Dokja and Arthur, where the ghost crystals were clearly visible.
"How did you manage to kill the ghosts? Isn't my master the only one capable of that?"
After a moment, she calmed down slightly and lowered her sword.
"Follow me… I'll take you to the station."
She began walking, and everyone followed in silence.
{Main Scenario #2 (2): Meeting has concluded
Rewards will now be distributed}
They entered Chungmuro Station.
There were far more open channels than they had expected.
'Of course… This is an important main scenario in the novel—a major starting point.'
Kim Dokja thought calmly.
Arthur observed the surroundings. People spoke in low voices—some exhausted, others tense. A few men noticed Lee Jihye.
"Oh! The samurai girl… did you bring new people?"
Their voices were heavy, the smell of alcohol clinging to them.
One of them stared at Yoo Sangah.
"Oh… a pretty girl. Want to rent a room?"
Yoo Sangah looked flustered.
"Excuse me? Rent a room?"
"Oh… looks like you don't know."
Lee Jihye shot them a cold, sharp glance, and they immediately fled, their expressions shifting to fear.
She turned back to Kim Dokja and Arthur.
"I've brought you to the station. I don't intend to babysit. Goodbye."
She was about to leave when Kim Dokja's voice stopped her:
"Yoo Joonghyuk is here… isn't he?"
Her body stiffened, and her expression hardened into something dark.
"Who are you? And how do you know my master?"
Her hand moved to her sword hilt, ready to strike at any moment.
At that moment, Arthur smiled calmly and took a starting stance, placing his hand on his sword.
Lee Jihye's expression changed as she saw his posture—she felt something strange… something suffocating.
Arthur released his blade aura.
A sharp force surged outward, merging with his body, forming a pressure field that surrounded Lee Jihye—with Arthur at its center.
Sword Boundary.
It was a technique Arthur had previously bought from the dokkaebi bag. Cheap, limited—but effective in moments like this.
Arthur looked directly into Lee Jihye's eyes.
"Girl… if you don't wish to die, lower that cursed weapon."
His voice was low, calm—yet heavier than a scream.
Lee Jihye felt as if she were staring into an endless, dark cosmic void. Her hand trembled, sweat forming on her brow.
Kim Dokja placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"There's no need for that, Arthur. This girl won't do anything… I'm Yoo Joonghyuk's companion."
Arthur let out a quiet breath. He knew Kim Dokja was about to begin his own performance.
He lowered his aura and sword, adjusting his stance.
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is disappointed no exciting battle occurred}
{The constellation Maritime War King threatens Arthur's sponsoring constellation}
Arthur smiled as he looked at the windows.
"You little child… do you truly not know?"
He sighed, then spoke calmly, addressing the Maritime War King:
"I… have no sponsor."
Everyone froze.
Even Kim Dokja's group hadn't known this.
"Arthur…?"
"You didn't choose a constellation?!"
"How are you this strong without sponsorship?!"
Arthur smiled and looked at his companions steadily.
"Why would I choose to rely on a constellation… when I possess my own power?"
Silence struck like thunder.
'So… you didn't choose either.'
Kim Dokja thought, smiling faintly.
He turned to Lee Jihye, who was still stunned.
"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"My master isn't here."
"That's unfortunate… I have a lot I want to say to him."
Lee Jihye sighed, then gestured to someone beside her.
"Watch them while I go look for my master."
"Yes, ma'am."
She left to find Yoo Joonghyuk, leaving the group behind.
Meanwhile, the boy accompanying her began speaking with Kim Dokja and the others, calmly explaining everything happening inside Chungmuro Station: the relative safety level, food supplies, the Landlord Alliance, the green rooms, and the unwritten rules governing the place.
They moved up to the second floor, where the Landlord Alliance's territory was located. There, they noticed a large crowd gathered around a single place.
Arthur pointed toward the crowd and asked calmly:
"What's that place?"
The boy hesitated before answering, clearly embarrassed:
"It's… the bathroom."
The moment Yi Shun and Lee Gilyoung heard the word "bathroom," their eyes lit up, and they rushed into the crowd with childish urgency. They struggled past the adults, but at the last moment, they tripped and fell together onto the ground.
A green light surrounded the bathroom, but the moment the children fell, it suddenly turned into a dark red.
One of the older men smiled, holding a large wooden club, and approached them slowly.
"You stupid kids… do you know where you've just walked into?"
Lee Gilyoung raised his head innocently.
"Isn't this the public bathroom?"
The man burst out laughing.
"Public bathroom? Hahaha… maybe it was once. But now—"
He leaned closer, looking at them with disdain.
"Tell me, where are your parents, you little brats? Didn't they teach you not to trespass on others' property?"
As soon as he finished speaking, cannons emerged from the ground around the children.
{1000 coins required to pass through private property}
The man's grin widened.
"Now… either you pay, or you die."
He raised the club and placed it on Yi Shun's head, ready to strike.
In that instant, Arthur moved like a dark flash, pulling the children out of the room's boundary in a single motion. He stood before the man, his body forming a silent barrier.
Arthur spoke calmly:
"It was a mistake. These children meant no harm. Let's forget this, shall we?"
He moved the children behind him and faced the man with the club.
The man smiled as if agreeing, then turned away…
But in the next moment, he suddenly spun back and swung the wooden club with full force toward Arthur's face.
Arthur saw it coming from afar.
Slow… slow enough to notice.
Maybe I should take a hit or two to end this… I don't want to kill everyone right now.
He sighed softly and received the blow with his face.
Arthur's body shook slightly. Despite the slow motion, there was real power behind it. His head turned to the right from the impact.
The man smiled, as if he had achieved a great victory.
Kim Dokja moved quickly to intervene, but from where he stood, he noticed something terrifying—
Arthur's eyes.
His head was still tilted to the right, but his eyes burned blood-red, filled with silent hatred.
His hair fluttered as his dark aura exploded outward, and fear spread through the area like a contagion.
Everyone felt suffocated.
Fear crept into their hearts without permission.
Kim Dokja followed Arthur's gaze.
What was he looking at?
He turned—
And saw Lee Jihye…
And behind her, a man with a muscular build, a powerful aura, and a sword at his waist.
Yoo Joonghyuk.
Arthur smiled faintly beneath his mask, then shouted with overwhelming force:
"Yoo Joonghyuk!"
His aura erupted with his voice, shaking the entire area. Everyone who heard it trembled.
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is excited}
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire warns you of danger}
{The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon laughs at your ignorance}
"Sword Boundary."
Arthur formed the boundary with his aura, then gripped his black sword and adjusted his stance, fixing his gaze on Yoo Joonghyuk.
For the first time…
Their eyes met.
Yoo Joonghyuk spoke in genuine shock:
"How… how are you still alive? I killed you. I broke your arms, your ribs—even your spine. I saw your legs separate from your body… how?!"
He wasn't the only one shocked.
Everyone who heard his words began looking at Arthur differently.
If anyone else had said it, no one would have believed it.
But the one who said it was Yoo Joonghyuk—
their strongest.
Even the man who had struck Arthur earlier froze in place, nearly losing control from sheer terror.
Kim Dokja rushed forward and stood in front of Arthur.
"Stop, Arthur. This isn't the right time."
Arthur's burning eyes turned toward him, then scanned the surroundings.
Everyone… afraid.
Terrified.
"Arthur, listen to me. You can't defeat him."
Arthur's entire body trembled.
A memory returned—one that had never left him.
The only being… the only entity…
he had never been able to defeat.
Cthulhu… the destroyer of worlds.
Its image and overwhelming presence still haunted him.
Arthur exhaled deeply, easing the pressure of his aura.
The atmosphere slowly calmed.
Arthur stepped toward Yoo Joonghyuk, a strange, peaceful look on his face.
Everyone sighed in relief, realizing Arthur had chosen to postpone his hatred.
He stood before Yoo Joonghyuk, then looked at Yi Shun and said quietly:
"Yi Shun… from now on, listen to Kim Dokja."
Arthur removed his mask and gave the boy a brief, gentle smile, then turned toward Yoo Joonghyuk with his blessed, angelic face.
Everyone was stunned by the sanctity of his features.
Arthur smiled calmly… then turned his back on Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes and sighed, as if he already knew what would happen.
Suddenly—
Arthur slammed his foot into the ground with terrifying force, then lifted his other leg and delivered a violent kick to Yoo Joonghyuk's chest.
Yoo Joonghyuk's body flew ten steps backward.
Arthur shouted with suppressed fury:
"I swore I would kill you, you arrogant bastard!"
He gripped his sword and launched himself forward, soaring toward him. He raised the blade and struck down at Yoo Joonghyuk's head with unimaginable force.
Dust filled the air…
Then the sound of blood dripping onto the ground echoed.
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