* * *
[Player! I cannot allow you to twist the scenario any further!]
Pla… what? What was that supposed to mean?
His mind, freshly awakened from his trance, couldn’t keep up with the situation.
However, his body had already prepared itself for battle in an instant. Every muscle tensed, and mana pulsed through his veins
It was instinctive—a Dzhugashvili’s response to Killing Aura.
Indeed, the red arm flying toward him was a massive embodiment of Killing Aura.
What the hell was that thing to exude such a Killing Aura? However, Yeomyeong’s confusion didn’t last long.
In the next moment, a giant shadow loomed over his head.
But Yeomyeong didn’t dodge.
Was it because he had no room to evade? No, it was because he couldn’t put Seti and the Saintess behind him at the risk of being crushed by the hand.
Mustering the strength in his waist and legs, he planted his feet and raised both arms to catch the massive red palm.
Boom!
The sound of concrete cracking accompanied the sight of Yeomyeong’s ankles sinking into the ground. The impact crushed his entire body and made his joints scream in protest.
[There’s no doubt it was you who ruined the scenarios of Manchuria and the Academy.]
Player? What nonsense was it spouting? Yeomyeong wanted to retort but gritted his teeth instead because even a momentary lapse in focus would mean being crushed completely.
[Did you believe that stealing the Protagonist’s strange fateful encounters and disrupting the prepared scenarios would make you the protagonist?]
The voice, as grand as dozens of men speaking at once, bellowed.
[There’s no way that a being with the intelligence of a mere gaming addict like you would ever understand! The number of sacrifices! How much suffering it took to get this far!]
The red arm stressed on its words with an even greater force pressing down.
As soon as Yeomyeong felt the bones in his lower body start to shift out of place, he didn’t hesitate to invoke Dzhugashvili—the martial art that transformed Killing Aura into mana, to enhance his regeneration and physical strength.
Red Killing Aura engulfed Yeomyeong’s body. Soon, it wasn’t just his own Killing Aura—he even began absorbing the Killing Aura that made up the arm itself.
[Dzhugashvili? How dare you…!]
The arm’s reaction was violent. It roared like a dragon robbed of its treasure and clenched itself into a fist.
And then…
Crash!!
The fist came crashing down on Yeomyeong, its impact incomparable to the previous pressure from the palm.
The arms he was using to block it broke, and the unabsorbed shock made the ground quake.
Yeomyeong began regenerating his injuries immediately, but the fist paid him no heed and continued its relentless assault.
Once, twice, thrice… five times, ten times…
Like a hammer driving a nail, the fist struck Yeomyeong’s head endlessly.
It wasn’t just a metaphor—Yeomyeong’s body was genuinely being driven into the ground.
He was buried up to his ankles, then his calves.
The near-infinite regeneration of Dzhugashvili was keeping him alive for now, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to hold out once his body was fully embedded in the ground.
Yeomyeong racked his brains desperately, trying to search for a way out. He tried casting spells and twisting his arms to deflect the blows.
But no amount of resistance was able to shake off the red arm.
Perhaps if he had a sword, because with just his bare hands, even defending himself was a struggle.
…Right, the sword. Sёarᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Yeomyeong extended his senses, searching for the sword.
Unfortunately, the sword he had dropped while deflecting the spear strikes earlier was too far away.
Given the distance, even telekinesis couldn’t retrieve it easily.
And just as he was about to abandon the sword and reluctantly shift his focus elsewhere, it suddenly began to shimmer.
It wasn’t a brilliant burst of light—just a momentary flicker, no more than that.
However, in that fleeting moment, Yeomyeong suddenly remembered something about the inventory.
The Player—how did that guy store items into the inventory?
He already knew how to retrieve items: envision the item and grasp the empty air.
Typically, putting items into a bag shouldn’t be much different from taking them out.
Then perhaps, inserting an item could be done by…
Suspended between doubt and certainty, between possibility and death, Yeomyeong reached towards the sword.
And in the next moment, he closed his hand.
* * *
The red arm, sensing the inventory—or the Player’s subspace—opening, increased the strength in its fist.
[You filthy little rat. Your petty resistance ends here.]
Wholly intent on crushing Yeomyeong’s head entirely, the arm delivered a mighty blow.
However, just before the fist could make contact with Yeomyeong’s head, a burst of light erupted from his right hand and the dazzling beam collided with the incoming red fist.
[!!!]
The fist was split apart as a soundless scream filled the control room. It was a scream that transcended human eardrums and resonated with mana itself.
Covering his ears, Yeomyeong pried his legs free from the ground.
And once he finally stood on solid ground, he tightened his grip on the Mountain Tear he had retrieved from his inventory and thought.
…What’s this? Why does the sword feel so empowered all of a sudden?
The red arm seemed to be having similar thoughts, growling as it glared at Yeomyeong and his sword.
[How… how could that mere scrap of a sword—]
However, regardless of what it was babbling, Yeomyeong had no intention of giving it time or indulging in conversation.
He sprang off the ground and swung the sword downward with all his might.
The wave from the Surging Wave technique surged ahead, leaving a milky-white Sword Aura trailing in its wake.
And where the line passed, severed fingers tumbled to the ground.
Instead of blood, red Killing Aura spilled out.
The red arm didn’t scream. Instead, it calmly withdrew, creating some distance between itself and Yeomyeong.
The arm, having leaped far enough, regenerated its severed fingers as it muttered.
[Mana metal… it must be the revolting weapon created by those filthy furballs.]
Furballs? Yeomyeong frowned instinctively. It was a derogatory slur used for dwarves and it hadn’t been used in decades.
Even if the arm recognized Mountain Tear as a dwarven-made weapon, for something that wasn’t even human to use such a slur…
Tsk, he clicked his tongue and raised his sword again.
Having confirmed that the sword was highly effective against it, Yeomyeong resolved himself to finish the fight then and there…
[Kuhuk!]
Suddenly, the red arm began to fade. Was it because Yeomyeong had absorbed too much of its Killing Aura? No, that wasn’t it.
The reason behind its dwindling Killing Aura was the darkness engulfing the control room.
It was Mignium’s shadow, a darkness Yeomyeong was all too familiar with.
As the shadow, indistinguishable from pure darkness, slowly crept out of the control room, the red arm’s Killing Aura dwindled noticeably.
[After using me like this…! Are you any different from the Five Gods?]
Screaming in outrage, the arm abruptly changed directions and flew toward the center of the control room—the place where Seti and the Saintess remained frozen in place.
Yeomyeong immediately activated his Flying Kick technique to pursue the red arm.
A brief chase ensued, and just as the red arm cast a shadow over Seti’s head—
Yeomyeong’s sword barely managed to reach it.
The blade sliced the arm clean in half, yet it didn’t stop. Instead, it increased its speed while dragging its Killing Aura away.
Yeomyeong, who was about to pursue, hesitated when he saw the arm’s destination.
Its target wasn’t Seti or the Saintess.
What it was aiming for was…
The central monitor?
Crash! The severed arm smashed into the monitor, destroying all surrounding equipment.
In particular, the keyboard for inputting launch codes was obliterated beyond recognition.
…What’s this? Yeomyeong squinted as he observed the thrashing arm near the monitor.
It had abandoned the battle just to destroy a monitor? Why?
Of course, the monitor wasn’t any ordinary device. It was the central control computer for entering nuclear launch codes.
However, that was only useful before the launch codes were entered.
Once the codes were entered, any computer connected to the control room’s mainframe would suffice.
…Could it be?
Raising his head in suspicion, Yeomyeong’s thoughts turned to certainty the moment the red arm confirmed his doubts.
[Neither the nuke launched by Bykov nor the ones remaining in the arsenal will fall into your hands.]
“…”
[The scenario is already set. You’ve lost, Player.]
Hearing the voice that was half sneering, half filled with disdain, Yeomyeong swallowed a bitter laugh.
…As I thought, it seems it doesn’t realize that I’ve already entered the launch codes. But why?
Was it because entering the launch codes wasn’t part of the original ‘scenario’?
Well, he couldn’t be sure of the exact reason.
However, one thing was certain: there was a critical reason why the entry of the launch codes had to be prevented.
And that reason was probably…
“…The inventory’s retrieval ability.”
[…]
“Assuming the inventory owner can put any item they can see into their bag…”
Yeomyeong’s thoughts connected hypothesis to hypothesis before arriving at a single conclusion.
“Does it mean that entering the launch codes transfers ownership of the nukes to that person? Is that why you destroyed the monitor to stop me from entering the codes? Am I right?”
The words were ambiguous, teetering between a question and a statement. Even Yeomyeong himself wasn’t sure.
And instead of giving an answer, the red arm only sneered.
[Even if you just realize it, it’s already too late. I have already destroyed the monitor for inputting the launch codes.]
Yeomyeong turned his gaze silently to the large monitor on the control room wall. More specifically, to the image of the nuclear missiles displayed on it.
Unlike the sword in the control room, the missile was hundreds—perhaps thousands—of kilometers away.
Could he even put that in his bag? He wasn’t sure.
However, as all good deeds are, it was worth attempting.
After a brief pause, Yeomyeong extended his hand toward the large monitor and said.
“…You should’ve destroyed the large monitor instead of the central one.”
A tremendous surge of mana crossed the spatial boundary as he clenched his hand.
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