TDWAD 07

Chapter 7

“Fuck, how many times has it been now…?!”

Choi Ki-hyun cursed over and over like a broken recorder.

With one arm, he strangled Seo Hye-jin, while his other hand, trembling violently, fumbled for his smartphone.

‘Is the whole damn universe out to screw me? Why does it always end up like this?!’

He was suffocating.

His subordinates were obliterated in droves, the members of the Jo Yong-bae gang ended up even worse—carted off to the emergency room together.

And the name behind this crumbling chaos, one stronghold after another—”Hyun Do-yoon.”

He’d never dreamed even Jo Yong-bae, the man he believed to be an unshakable fortress, would be swept away.

“S-Stand back! Now!”

Choi Ki-hyun pressed a knife to Seo Hye-jin’s carotid artery.

Do-yoon, who had been approaching Jo Yong-bae, halted in his tracks.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret, Choi Ki-hyun.”

“You’re one to talk. I didn’t say ‘stop,’ I said ‘step back.’ You don’t want a bloodbath, do you?”

“Whose blood are we talking about?”

“You crazy bastard. Bluff all you want—it’s useless.”

Drip.

The blade soaked up a drop of Seo Hye-jin’s blood.

Do-yoon inhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the space behind Choi Ki-hyun.

“Fine.”

He took a single step back.

“Hey, what the hell? Is there a war going on? That sounded like a missile hit.”

A massive man approached on crutches—Han Sang-il.

He stopped in his tracks, startled.

“Is… is that Boss Jo?!”

“Ugh… guh… gahhh…”

Jo Yong-bae writhed in pain, groaning.

There was a gaping hole in his chest.

Tendrils—twisted together with his shoulder muscles—twitched grotesquely in agony.

Fragments of those tentacles squirmed all around him.

It looked like a nightmare made real.

“Sang-il, get over here! Hurry!”

“B-Boss?”

Han Sang-il, frozen in place, snapped out of it at Choi Ki-hyun’s desperate cry.

“We have to help him! Now!”

“…Isn’t he already dead?”

Despite his hesitation, Han Sang-il rushed forward.

Then Choi Ki-hyun shouted:

“Now, Boss Jo!”

Jo Yong-bae’s eyes gleamed.

His right tentacle was torn, the left one nearly shredded—but as long as he finished his ‘meal,’ he could regenerate.

SSSPLAAAT!

A pitch-black, snake-like tentacle lashed out.

“W-Woah?!”

Han Sang-il staggered back in panic.

His crutch tilted, unable to support his weight.

Do-yoon recalled the moment he discovered a new way to use his memory network.

First: Broad “keyword search.”

Second: Focused extraction of a specific person’s memories—“memory activation.”

“S-Save me…!”

“Sorry. If I do that, I’ll die.”

“Aaaargh!”

When Do-yoon activated Choi Ki-hyun’s memories—

He saw the man selling off debtors to Jo Yong-bae.

Then came a sudden flash—point of view shift.

Now, he was inside the memory of a human predator—tentacles devouring victims.

This was the third ability: “Memory Link.”

By connecting strongly intertwined memories, he could leap into someone else’s mind.

That’s how, when Jo Yong-bae called, Do-yoon already knew he was working with Choi Ki-hyun.

He also confirmed that Jo was an NPC from the prologue—and far stronger than himself in terms of combat ability.

Thus, he focused on two goals:

‘If he starts using Seo Hye-jin as a hostage, things will get complicated. I should aim to use the minimum amount of points, with zero waste.’

Then he came up with a plan—

A way to pierce two apples with a single arrow.

‘Growth through absorption is addictive. Even a trickle of blood? He’ll go mad trying to drain every drop.’

As expected, when Do-yoon sacrificed his shoulder to the tentacle, Jo changed tactics and prioritized capturing him alive.

That allowed Do-yoon to fake being captured, holding at level 21 without investing more into Strength.

Then he used [Limit Break] to tear Jo apart in an instant.

But even then—

The more critical issue was Seo Hye-jin’s safety.

That’s why he had saved a particular skill for a decisive moment.

[Activating ‘Guardian’s Sword (E)’]

He knew.

This was the moment to draw his blade.

[Specify summon coordinates.]

Do-yoon glanced slightly—behind Choi Ki-hyun’s back, a silver blade materialized.

“Eat him! Devour him already!”

Focused entirely on Jo Yong-bae, Choi Ki-hyun’s face…

“What… the hell is… this…?”

Contorted in horror—

SPLAAAT─

He would never make another facial expression again.

SHIIINNG.

The sword pierced Choi Ki-hyun’s forehead in an arc.

Without losing momentum, it curved and shot toward Jo Yong-bae.

He tried to block it by retracting the tentacle aimed at Han Sang-il, but it was too late.

The blade pierced his neck.

[‘World’s First’ NPC Kill!]

[‘Nation’s First’ NPC Kill!]

[‘World’s First’ A-Class Threat Eliminated!]

[‘Nation’s First’ A-Class Threat Eliminated!]

The status window confirmed the facts.

[You earned 18,000P as a First Achievement reward.]

[Bonus for 4 consecutive achievements! You gained 5,000P.]

[You have earned an achievement: “Devouring the Devourer.”]

[Achievement Rewards Granted:]

• High-grade Equipment: Blackblood Armor

• New Title Acquired

[The First Purifier (B)]: +1 Strength, +1 Stamina in battles against NPCs

• Civilians feel mild affection toward you

• NPCs become more wary of you

“Not bad.”

While the passive effect only activated occasionally, it was still a net gain.

At this stage, high-grade gear offered the presence of a hero.

And most importantly—

He’d earned 6 times what he had invested in points.

But above all—

SSHHHHHH─

The blade stood upright in the air.

Perfectly perpendicular to the floor.

It looked ordinary enough.

But the slowly expanding silver light radiating from it hinted at the depth of its hidden potential.

Clack.

Do-yoon walked up without hesitation and grabbed the hilt.

[Civilians Protected]

[Civilians Protected]

[E-Rank Threat Eliminated!]

[A-Rank Threat Eliminated!]

[Honor Points Earned: 1,025]

He watched as its plain, humble design began transforming into a refined weapon.

A small crystal of light formed at the pommel.

Mystical runes etched themselves along the blade.

[Honor Points 1,000 Achieved! Skill Rank Upgraded.]

[‘Guardian’s Sword’ (E) → (D)]

[‘Sword of Gratitude’ has evolved into ‘Brilliant Dawnblade’]

‘Wasn’t I just short of the requirement? Oh—Han Sang-il.’

Do-yoon checked his skill window.

[Guardian’s Sword (D)]: A sword born to be a shield. Evolves by fulfilling its mission of protection.

• Current Sword: <Dawnblade>

• Can remove minor curses; summon and control at close range

• Honor Points required for next rank: (1,025 / 5,000)

A growth-type skill.

And exactly the kind he wanted.

The starting rank was laughably low—but that made it a massive bargain at just 100 points.

It was the reason he’d picked it as his top-priority skill.

‘Unsummon.’

Swoooosh.

He dismissed the Dawnblade and turned.

“W-What… just happened…?”

Seo Hye-jin’s wide eyes trembled in shock.

Sitting on the floor, hands to her neck, she stared blankly.

“It’s over. You’re safe now.”

“Wha…?”

She tried to stand but collapsed as her legs gave out.

Thud.

Do-yoon caught her with his shoulder.

“D-Do-yoon… your shoulder! It’s bleeding!”

Her voice shook.

She saw the other side of his body soaked in red.

“Call 911! Now!”

“It’s fine. Just a scratch.”

“What are you talking about?! There’s blood everywhere!”

Do-yoon lifted his sleeve to show her the wound.

“Wha—how…?”

Seo Hye-jin couldn’t believe her eyes.

The blood was just like paint—there wasn’t even a scratch.

“I told you. I’m fine. What about you? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“Good. Think you can walk?”

Nod.

“Han Sang-il.”

Do-yoon turned and extended a hand.

Han Sang-il, who’d fallen on his butt, clasped it.

“You out of your mind? Hand over the car keys.”

“H-Here.”

He took the keys and handed them to Seo Hye-jin.

“Go sit in the car and calm down. I’ll join you soon.”

“O-Okay…”

She walked off.

And before her footsteps fully faded—

“Now then. No one else watching. Everyone else is dead. You’re the only one left.”

“…!?”

Han Sang-il’s eyes widened in fear.

He saw it.

The wicked smile spreading across Do-yoon’s face.

“Shall we clean up the mess?”

“Hiiieeek?!”

Knock knock.

Seo Hye-jin jumped at the tap on the car window.

She relaxed when she saw it was Do-yoon and unlocked the door.

“You’re back already?”

“I said I’d be quick.”

“What about that guy? Did you…?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him.”

“…”

Seo Hye-jin didn’t know how to react.

Should she feel relieved?

Or should she be wary of how casually Do-yoon said such frightening things?

In the end, all she could manage was—

“Do-yoon, thank you. Really… sniffle…”

A trembling voice.

Tears of fear, relief, and gratitude.

“I didn’t mean for you to get involved…”

Do-yoon sighed deeply, lowering his gaze.

Then he said,

“Here.”

He handed her a tissue.

“By the way… do you have a driver’s license?”

“…?”

It was as if her tears stopped mid-flow.

“Y-Yeah, I do. Why?”

“We need to leave this place. I’m not confident about driving right now.”

“W-Wait, isn’t this the car those guys came in? We can’t just take it!”

“It’s fine. It’s unregistered. Can’t be tracked.”

Something about this feels fundamentally wrong…

But Seo Hye-jin took a deep breath.

She decided to trust him—for now.

Even amid the chaos, and even now—

His cold, calculating calm gave her a strange sense of confidence.

VROOOOM.

The black SUV sped off.

They stopped by a quiet riverside after leaving the abandoned factory.

“Want one?”

Do-yoon handed her a can of coffee.

“Ah… thanks.”

“Feeling calmer?”

“To be honest… no.”

She shook her head.

Her eyelashes quivered.

Her eyes shimmered, as though she were fighting to hold everything in.

“My heart’s still pounding. This… I’ll probably never forget it.”

“You will.”

“Huh…?”

“How did I and Jo Yong-bae look to you?”

Without hesitation, she replied,

“A villain… no, a horrifying monster. And you—you were the hero who defeated it.”

“See, that’s the problem. You’re framing this as good versus evil.”

Do-yoon stared into her eyes.

“It’s not. This is a survival competition, with fate on the line. You have to see the brutal truth as it is.”

“What…?”

“But you’ll survive. You’re strong enough to move past something like this.”

“M-Me? I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”

Crushing the aluminum can, Do-yoon grabbed the money bag and stepped out of the car.

“You’ll understand in time. Leave the car here. It’s better that way.”

“W-Where are you going?”

“Haenam County.”

“That’s not what I meant! Wait—Haenam?! Why there?!”

“To collect rare books.”

“…?”

Seo Hye-jin stared after him in confusion.

‘I can’t just let him go.’

She bit her lip.

SCREECH.

She stopped the car beside him.

“…Still have more questions?”

“Get in. I’ll take you there.”