* * *

    The air changed.

    It wasn’t the smell of blood wafting from the sewers or the rotting stench.

    It was an intense Killing Aura thick enough to make even her senses for detecting mana shrivel.

    And before she realized it, the Saintess also turned her head toward the source of the Killing Aura.

    Standing there was the man she had been exchanging jokes with just moments ago.

    However, at this moment, the man before felt like a complete stranger to the Saintess.

    His face turned stiff, his hand gripped the sword tightly, and his golden eyes had sunk as if suppressing something.

    ?

    Somehow, she remembered Yeomyeong’s old name, which she only knew from his story, and something clicked in her mind.

    The moment the Saintess turned to check behind Seti with near certainty, the Killing Aura filling the area vanished as if it had been a lie.

    As if he were hiding his Killing Aura from the people who just arrived.

    This very act made it more certain than a hundred words. While the Saintess swallowed nervously, Yeomyeong spoke.

    “…Saintess, when I give you the signal, shoot Jeon Yunseong.”

    His voice was so soft that only the Saintess could hear it.

    If it was in the past, the Saintess would have scolded him for spouting nonsense or at the very least, she would have asked for the reason.

    However, having been influenced by him a bit too much, what came out of her mouth now was something entirely different.

    “…To kill him?”

    “No, just incapacitate him. If he becomes too much of a problem… I’ll kill him myself.”

    Instead of replying, the Saintess silently blessed the gun she was holding.

    On confirming this, Yeomyeong grabbed his sword and shotgun and then stood up.

    * * *

    How would he meet the Player, and when?

    It was a question he had pondered over countless times whenever his boiling emotions set his heart ablaze.

    Would it happen after a relentless, fierce chase, with both sides exhausted? Or would they meet in a hopelessly dangerous situation, like enemies meet on a single-log bridge1?

    Perhaps they would cross paths in a hidden hideout the guy had stashed away somewhere… That was what he thought.

    However, reality wasn’t as dramatic as his imagination. There was no fierce chase, no hopelessly dangerous situation.

    It was simply a combination of coincidences and small inevitability.

    If he hadn’t known the Player was hiding as a second-year student at the academy, if that guy didn’t have his signature sly grin on his face, and if…

    If he hadn’t seen the imperial knight’s sword hanging from Jeon Yunseong’s waist…

    Just as that guy didn’t recognize Dung Beetle, Yeomyeong wouldn’t have recognized him either.

    Dung Beetle thought as he stepped forward. If this really was fate, how ironic it was.

    It was truly unbelievable that they’d end up meeting again in a place reeking of blood and filth, just like the day this guy killed the janitors.

    With every step he took, he swallowed his rising Killing Aura. The Dung Beetle inside him screamed, and his hand, gripping the sword, began to sweat.

    However, the closer he got, the cooler his mind became.

    As Yeomyeong reached the group of four with these thoughts in mind, the Player stepped forward as if he had been waiting.

    Wearing that same sly grin, he extended his hand toward Yeomyeong.

    “You’re the transfer student from the rumors, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Arthas, a second-year student. It’s an honor to meet the savior of the first-years.” ???????????Ё?

    Instead of shaking his hands, Yeomyeong cast a glance at Seti, who was standing behind him.

    There was no need for words, as Seti, who had been frozen stiff until then, immediately understood the meaning behind Yeomyeong’s gaze.

    However, the Player simply looked at the two of them, seemingly misunderstanding the situation, and wore an awkward expression.

    “Ah, it seems like I have no sense at all, right? You lovers could…”

    Just as he began to withdraw his outstretched hand, Yeomyeong pulled the trigger of the shotgun.

    It was a perfect ambush, but the buckshot did not pierce the Player’s body.

    Instead, a translucent barrier burst forth from the bracelet he was wearing, blocking the pellet.

    “What the…!”

    The Player reacted belatedly, but Yeomyeong’s sword was a split second faster. A long silver line went for the guy’s neck.

    Again, a barrier sprang up to protect his body. But it was unable to withstand the sword imbued with the mana from the Surging Wave technique.

    The shattered barrier sprayed mana particles, and a red line blossomed on the Player’s neck.

    Yeomyeong furrowed his brow after slicing the Player’s neck. The barrier had prevented a complete decapitation and he barely nicked the guy’s uvula.

    Just as he prepared to swing the sword again, he caught sight of the look of horror in Jeon Yunseong’s eyes.

    “You… what does this…!”

    Just as he was about to instinctively reach for the imperial knight’s sword he had received from the Player, gunshots rang out from across the sewer.

    Blood splattered from the back of his hand gripping the sword. Before he could even react to the unexpected sniper, a flurry of gunfire erupted.

    One shot hit his knee, and another hit his ankle.

    As the blessed bullets pierced through his Superhuman physique with ease, Jeon Yunseong lost his balance and fell backwards.

    Even as he fell, he had a look of utter disbelief as he gazed in the direction the bullets had come from.

    Why was the Saintess…?

    Unfortunately, he never got the chance to voice his question. Before he could open his mouth again, Seti snapped his neck.

    With a crack as his neck bones were dislocated, Jeon Yunseong’s body went limp.

    * * *

    By the time Seti grabbed the unconscious Jeon Yunseong by the nape of his neck, Yeomyeong was already swinging his sword at the fallen Player.

    He swung the blade tinged with a light yellow hue at the sewer and the guy as if it were going to slice through both.

    However, just before the blade made contact, the Player seemed to ‘grab’ something out of the air.

    The sword sliced through the air and a light burst forth almost simultaneously.

    Yeomyeong did not feel anything against his blade. Frowning, he turned his gaze toward the light and saw the Player appear across the sewer.

    In his hand was a small jewel, and the moment the magic light faded, it disintegrated into powder.

    It wasn’t hard to identify that object as it was something any Superhuman would have heard of at least once.

    A consumable magic item commonly referred to as Magic Stone.

    And as if that wasn’t enough, the Player pulled another object from thin air. This time, it was a red vial.

    “…”

    Watching the guy pour the potion over his wound, Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes. What sort of technique was that?

    It wasn’t magic or martial arts, as he did not sense any movement of mana.

    “This motherfucker… what are you doing to your senior?”

    The potion must have been incredibly potent as the Player healed up quickly and began talking in a tone mixed with shock and anger.

    Yeomyeong didn’t respond right away. He let his sword hang and began to gather his mana as he slowly approached the guy.

    Only after they were close enough to see each other’s faces clearly did Yeomyeong finally speak.

    “…It’s been a while, Player.”

    “What? What the hell?”

    The Player’s face contorted in astonishment. His eyes opened wide in disbelief as he scanned Yeomyeong up and down.

    “Who the hell are you? How do you know the name Player?”

    The moment he voiced out that question, an immediate answer followed.

    “Dung Beetle.”

    “…”

    The Player frowned, unable to remember him.

    It was only natural. To the guy, Dung Beetle was probably nothing more than some fleeting experience points.

    But Yeomyeong—no, Dung Beetle—didn’t mind.

    If the Player couldn’t remember, he would just have to make him.

    As Dung Beetle gathered mana into his sword, a white light bloomed along the blade. The Player could only swallow hard as he watched.

    “Comet Sword…?”

    And the next moment, the light of the comet filled the sewer.

    * * *

    The sound of the Teleport Stone breaking left the Player gritting his teeth. He had only 31 left.

    “Damn it.”

    The part of his shoulder grazed by the Sword Aura throbbed in pain. He pulled another potion from his ‘inventory’ and immediately poured it over the wound, but the pain didn’t subside quickly.

    Before the healing process could finish, he heard footsteps — the unmistakable sound of Dung Beetle approaching him. Despite having jumped over 400 meters, his opponent managed to track him down instantly.

    the Player muttered with a bitter smile.

    “I guess the real protagonist was him all along…!”

    However, he still couldn’t understand why this guy was so hostile to him. And what the hell was ‘Dung Beetle’ anyway? Was it some sort of code?

    His mind itched as though it was on the verge of remembering something, but nothing came to him. He had accumulated far too many grudges over the years.

    As he briefly considered this, the Player pulled out his weapons from the ‘inventory’ in annoyance. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A submachine gun loaded with magic bullets and a sword coated with dragon scales.

    As he inspected his gear, he realized that perhaps this was for the best.

    Protagonist or not, it was better to kill an enemy before they became too powerful.

    The Player charged at Dung Beetle, pulling the trigger just as they met at the corner of the tunnel.

    Meeting the hail of bullets at point-blank range, Dung Beetle reacted instantly. He swung his sword skillfully to protect his head and heart.

    If left alive, he would undoubtedly become a bigger problem. Tossing aside the now-empty gun, the Player pulled out a semi-automatic shotgun from his inventory.

    This weapon was proven to be the most efficient against low-level superhumans in the game.

    But before he could even pull the trigger, something translucent flew through the air and pierced the muzzle of his gun.

    “Damn it, dual traits?”

    The Player cursed as he stared at the ice spike blocking his gun. Comet Sword and magic as well?

    Just as he tossed the semi-automatic shotgun aside, Dung Beetle closed the distance rapidly.

    He was fast—not giving the Player enough time to draw another gun.

    Their swords collided. The jolt traveled up the hilt and sent a tingle through his hand.

    However…

    The corners of the Player’s mouth were lifted in a smirk as that thought crossed his mind after exchanging a few blows with Dung Beetle.

    He considered whether this was some kind of bait to draw him in, but he became certain after a few more exchanges.

    This guy had never learned how to wield a sword properly.

    While it was better than the swordsmanship taught at the academy, it was only on that level. It barely surpassed the basic elven techniques for low-level attacks.

    It wasn’t surprising. Since he didn’t belong to a Superhuman training academy but was a mercenary instead, it was likely that he never had the opportunity to learn proper swordsmanship.

    If one found a weakness, it was only natural to exploit it.

    As he narrowed the distance to prevent Dung Bettle from unleashing the Comet Sword, the Player activated a certain skill in his mind.

    Nine Palaces Heaven-Reversing Sword.

    Before the first expansion pack was released, this was the true swordsmanship that academy students couldn’t even catch a glimpse of.

    It was truly a hassle to slay countless annoying NPCs to obtain it, but the skill was worth the trouble.

    As he infused mana, a milky-white Sword Aura enveloped the Player’s sword.

    Dung Beetle tried to resist it with his own Sword Aura, but that was all he could do. The power in the first strike and the finesse of the Sword Aura were on a different level.

    As their Sword Auras clashed, the difference in skill became more evident.

    The Player barely felt a gust of wind rush past him while Dung Beetle had his uniform torn, exposing his bare skin.

    Recognizing the disparity in their levels, the Player continued to unleash his attacks relentlessly. He struck down, sliced, and thrust at Dung Beetle.

    “You should’ve stuck to shooting the Comet Sword. Getting into close combat is going to cost you!”

    He sneered while they clashed swords, sparks flying from the blade coated in dragon scales.

    Dung Beetle shook him off and continued swinging his sword in complete silence.

    As the Player felt the sensation rising from the tip of his sword, he became certain.

    He didn’t even need to rely on game knowledge. The outcome was already evident from what he could see.

    The wounds accumulating on Dung Beetle’s body in real-time, the blood flowing down, and his ragged breathing all painted a clear picture.

    “Hey, don’t you have anything else?”

    Confident in his victory, he began to relax.Showing off his swordsmanship intentionally, he began to toy with Dung Beetle, widening his wounds.

    Just as the Player was lost in that thought and swung his sword—

    Dung Beetle deflected his blade. The Heaven Striking Lightning movement, which were consistently landing effective hits until now, was blocked, causing mana to flow through the Player’s sword in reverse.

    The player narrowed his eyes and stepped back.

    Just in case his opponent unleashed the Comet Sword, the Player pulled out a Teleport Stone. However, instead of using the Comet Sword, Dung Beetle threw himself forward again, continuing the sword fight.

    It was at that moment the Player started to feel something was off.

    Sure, the Comet Sword couldn’t be used at such close range, but the fact that Dung Beetle hadn’t even used the ice spike he had shown earlier…

    And the next moment, after blocking Dung Beetle’s sword, the Player realized what the unsettling feeling was.

    The gap in their swordsmanship was reducing.

    It had been narrowing in real-time, so subtly, that the Player hadn’t even noticed it until now.

    Trying to shake off the suspicion rising in his mind, the Player activated his skill with even more aggression. He swung his sword with the intent to kill.

    However, for some reason, the gap between them continued to shrink.

    The sword fight, a game of chasing and being chased, went on, and by the time both of them were drenched in sweat, Dung Beetle suddenly leaped backwards, creating some distance. The Player didn’t pursue him but simply took the moment to catch his breath.

    Amidst the sound of their ragged breathing, Dung Beetle lowered his sword slightly and asked.

    “What’s the name of that swordsmanship?”

    It was an unexpected question. The Player responded by raising his middle finger.

    However, it didn’t seem like Dung Beetle was expecting an actual answer and calmly raised his sword once more.

    And at that very moment—

    A Sword Aura enveloped his sword. It was the same milky-white Sword Aura as the Player’s Nine Palaces Heaven-Reversing Sword.

    Footnotes

    1. "Enemies meet on a single-log bridge," is a proverb that refers to an inescapable encounter with someone you''d rather not see. It is typically used to describe an "unavoidable bad encounter with someone you''d rather avoid," similar to Murphy''s Law. In Aesop''s Fables, there is a story where two goats fight on a narrow bridge, and both die, serving as a cautionary tale about mutual destruction and the dangers of a shared fate.