I Login Alone

Although he was knocked down by a surprise attack, Kim Ha-ryong was one of the most powerful players in the world. He immediately activated his defensive skills by using mana, but he was knocked into the air by the Cruel Charge as he turned toward Jung Si-woo.

“Ahhhhhhhhh?”

Kim Ha-ryong couldn’t accept the fact that his defense skill was destroyed without leaving a trace. Then he was hit hard by Jung Si-woo’s tail, being tossed into the air once more before hitting the ground.

“You, mother-…!”

“Come on. This is just the beginning!”

Jung Si-woo originally didn’t use his tail very well in battles. The reason for this was that if it became a habit to handle tails when fighting outside unconsciously, he worried he would be caught by others. But not anymore. He was now able to proudly carry his tail, no longer hesitating to use his body for battle.

“My dream!”

“Kkuuhak!

Jung Si-woo swung Kim Ha-ryong around by the neck with his tail, hitting him once again. The basis of a battle that began with a surprise attack was not to give the opponent any chance to resist. Fighting was about momentum and flow, and Jung Si-woo was very well skilled in such fights like that.

“Travel for my dream!”

“Keugeg!”

Each blow had a melody that made Soo Ah-rin feel better. Kim Ha-ryong somehow tried to activate mana to express his skills, but surprisingly, whenever he was hit by Jung Si-woo’s mana or his neck was getting throttled, he couldn’t bear to complete the skill. Kim Ha-ryong was shocked by his mana technique, which he couldn’t imitate.

“Oh, my God…”

“No worries!”

As the song ran toward its peak, the beating followed. No one could hold on to Jung Si-woo, who was constantly throwing punches. Even Soo Ah-rin and Lee Seo-hee had to stand back.

“Because! I’m with my friend!”

“Khahakk!”

As soon as he buried his fist into Kim Ha-ryong’s stomach a dozen times, creepy energy began to wriggle in his heart.

“You…!”

Jung Si-woo smiled as he felt Kim Ha-ryong stare at him as if to kill. The exciting melody stopped.

“Take it out. Come on.”

The dragon’s dignity skill was activated at its peak. Kim Ha-ryong felt like he was about to get his neck bit off.

“Now, come on.”

“…!”

Chills ran down Kim Ha-ryong’s spine. He had a hunch. If you were a person strong enough to interfere with another’s mana and cut off their skills, that person would’ve already felt how much mana you had. Nevertheless, if he maintained that attitude, he…

“Such unreasonable violence…”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll pretend I don’t know. Okay, I’ll respect your wishes.”

In the end, Kim Ha-ryong silenced the mana that had been developing deep inside himself. Jung Si-woo could feel it, but he passed it over. He thought it would be better that way.

“You want me to sing you the second verse?”

“Keuggg…!”

Fear was the kind of emotion that could be physically identified. Once it was engraved, it remained like a stigma and didn’t disappear easily. Just like an elephant that grew up with its legs tied up to a small pillar and was unable to move, it reacted conditionally. To put it simply, you no longer act out on your own.

“Kag, keoheog…”

“Whoo.”

Jung Si-woo stopped beating Kim Ha-ryong after about ten more minutes. Kim Ha-ryong thought he would sing until the second verse, but he sang the full version of the ending song and was now automatically playing the Pokémon rap.

“Now, here’s your captain.”

Jung Si-woo smiled as he lifted him with his tail and threw him to the restless Soaring Tempest guild members.

“I will kill anyone who swears at me. But whoever swears at Ah-rin or Se-ha will die before I even try to lay a hand on you. You’d better keep that in mind.”

“I didn’t cuss, the Submaster…!”

“Then, did you swear at me?”

There was no return answer. Jung Si-woo turned around, clicking his tongue.

“Soaring Tempest, avoid my eyes from now on. Because I might want to beat you up if I see your face.”

“That was bad, Oppa…”

Contrary to what she said, Soo ah-rin looked very satisfied as she clung to Jung Si-woo. Yong Se-ha glanced at him with a strange expression that was hard to read and turned around, following Jung Si-woo’s footsteps. No one could catch him. With only Kim Ha-ryong’s continuous groans echoing, leaving the shocked and silent chairman behind, only Lee Seo-hee was chasing after him.

“Let’s go eat now, Si-woo.”

“You don’t mind following me in this situation? If you want to enter the dungeon…”

“Actually, nationality doesn’t mean much between players.”

Despite Jung Si-woo’s concerns, Lee Seo-hee had a light smile.

“All players gathered are from the Sky Castle, so you don’t have to worry about hanging together with Korean players, and what’s more…no matter if the Tempest Guild first cleared the 32nd stage of the dungeon, they used many elite mercenaries from other countries and suffered countless sacrifices…it’s nothing but a harmful reputation. You don’t have to worry too much.”

Of course, Lee Seo-hee could say that because she was an outstanding player herself. If you were an ordinary player at her level, you would probably try hard to be noticed by the Soaring Tempest guild just because you’re Korean.

“I think I can find a new party. Si-woo, you will be surprised to know who the party leader is.”

“Oh really?”

“Oh, but it’s not a man.”

“I’m sure that it’s Marina.”

“You’re quick to notice.”

“You gave me all the hints.”

Marina always wanted talented players. Although Jung Si-woo was chosen as her partner, he couldn’t play in the Sky Castle dungeon since he was an underground player. Therefore, the party to clear the Sky Castle dungeon was always conceived and organized in her own way, and Lee Seo-hee was noticed by her. Lee Seo-hee had a unique ability, talent, and courage, so she was an excellent choice.

“I’m glad you’re with her. You won’t get retired easily if you work together.”

Jung Si-woo sincerely congratulated her. Lee Seo-hee had been watching him closely and quietly asked.

“You must have a lot of faith…are you two really just friends?”

“Just friends.”

“I see.”

Lee Seo-hee nodded in relief and crossed arms with Jung Si-woo. Jung Si-woo squinted his eyes.

“You said you’d stand alone.”

“You’re my friend. Can’t I put my arms around a friend?”

“Ha.”

Jung Si-woo just laughed, out-witted, and Lee Seo-hee smiled humbly but didn’t move to untangle from him. Soo Ah-rin gritted her teeth.

“Hyeong-nim.”

However, only Yong Se-ha had a serious voice that didn’t fit the friendly atmosphere.

“Is it too late?”

“…Se-ha, you have a good feeling about strange things.”

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

Soo Ah-rin and Lee Seo-hee tilted their heads. Jung Si-woo decided to explain briefly.

“It’s about Kim Ha-ryong, the master of the Soaring Tempest Guild. I don’t know if he’s really the god of fire, but he’s already taken the power of god and transformed.”

“…What?”

“Oh, my gosh, he looks the same on the outside!”

It was easy for them to be shocked. However…Jung Si-woo clearly remembered the moment when his eyes were filled with hatred.

“I’m sure of it. It’s hard to tell because he was hiding it, but the major changes are over. If he shows his strength fully, it may be followed by a change in appearance. It’ll probably be exciting. Mm-hmm.

“Whew, showoff.”

“You’re a meticulous man, unlike the way you look. I can’t believe you were hiding that even when you were so furious…”

“It was my mistake.”

Jung Si-woo clicked his tongue.

“I made it obvious that I knew too much. He would’ve let his guard down if I acted like I could’ve been beaten. He’ll be wary of me from now on. I mean, that’s a good thing, but jeez.”

“Hyeong-nim”

“I’m sorry, Se-ha. But I think he’d better give up.”

“Will he end up like…Seria Wilson?”

Yong Se-ha already knew that it would be impossible, but he still asked the question. As expected, Jung Si-woo smiled bitterly and nodded.

“The progress and his determination are different. In the worst-case scenario, he could turn away from the human race. Of course, I’ll judge carefully. But when it comes to making a conclusion…I’ll finish him with my own hands.”

“I believe in your judgment, Hyeong-nim.”

In response to his frustrated voice, he slowly crawled back into Jung Si-woo’s arms. It was no wonder that Yong Se-ha, who grew up trusting and relying on that man since childhood, was disturbed by his degeneration. Soo Ah-rin, who consistently disliked him even though she was with him since childhood, looked rather unusual.

“Let’s go eat. That’s the future. We don’t have to think about it now…I’m going to train more fire resistance.”

“Yes.”

For no reason, Soo Ah-rin and Lee Seo-hee were feeling down. He led them with a bitter smile. The lunch was very delicious that day, but no one remembered the taste in detail.

“Then I’ll get going, Si-woo.”

“Okay.”

Lee Seo-hee wanted to be with Jung Si-woo more and act silly, but she decided to step down from here because the atmosphere wasn’t very good.

“You’ll answer if I call you, right?”

“Anytime…ah.”

Jung Si-woo was anxious to let her go and suddenly came up with an idea.

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Whoo…”

As he concentrated his consciousness on the tattoo, he was able to fully detect a group of ghosts wandering in search of monsters. He summoned one of them. He thought it would be hard, but it really worked. It was possible because the incomplete soul was subordinate to Jung Si-woo! Lee Seo-hee stepped back uneasily.

“Wha-what? Si-woo, did you do that?”

“Yes, take it.”

“…”

If it was a gift, she didn’t want to receive it. However, Jung Si-woo didn’t back down.

“I don’t know if it can get inside the dungeon, but I’m sure it can follow you around there. Then, I can roughly locate the dungeon you entered.”

“Then…?”

“And if you think you’re going to retire, I’ll run to you right away.”

“…”

Although she didn’t like the fact that their medium was a ghost, Lee Seo-hee felt quite touched because Jung Si-woo seemed to be worried about her. She eventually nodded softly, accepting his favor.

“Thank you. I won’t blame you if you’re not on time.”

“Don’t say such unnecessary things.”

“Alright, alright. Okay then. Bye.”

She smirked and turned around. The ghost followed her after turning transparent so that it wouldn’t be seen by people around them. Jung Si-woo watched her back and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll give one to my parents.”

“Now it’ll perfect to learn the art of repositioning the ghosts, Oppa.”

“There’s no such thing as that.”

As soon as he blankly replied, he remembered that it appeared in a ninja cartoon when he was young, and an idea came to his mind.

“…Maybe the opposite of that is possible?”

“What?”

“It’s not accompanying anyone right now, so training won’t mean anything…alright, let’s think about it later and go back to the resting place for now. I’m going to train my five senses.”

“Oppa, why would you make me curious and not tell me the details?”

“If I told you this much, you can guess the rest. Cheer up!”

“I hate you!”

The group returned to their resting place, even though they were quarreling. There was still quite a long time before the World Player Representative Conference.