TDWAD 17

Chapter 17

The ground beneath his feet was trembling.

Thwap!

Do-yoon’s body shot straight up into the air.
Superhuman jumping power.
A hang time so long, it was as if time itself had stopped.
This was the result of his Strength 22 (+1) combined with his internal energy.

KUKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAK!

The concrete floor cracked like parched farmland, debris and fragments scattering everywhere.
From those widening fissures seeped an ominous, creeping aura.
The ground bulged upward—

KWO-OOOOOO!

—and a massive silhouette burst through the earth.

[Activating ‘Guardian’s Sword (D)’]

Using the Radiant Sword as a stepping stone, Do-yoon landed beyond the danger zone, then turned to observe the creature that had appeared.

“This is…”

Its wrinkled eyelid blinked open.
Bloodshot sclera streaked with grotesque veins.
Floating in midair—
—a giant eyeball the size of a disco ball.

Slrk—

The edge of the eyeball rotated, bringing the front into view.
A blood-red pupil fixed on him, slowly, chillingly locking its gaze.

…The tunnel’s mid-boss, the One-Eyed Demon.

In the past twelve runs, it had swallowed any passengers who strayed from the train.
It had wiped out countless hunter subjugation squads.

Ssssshhhhh—

From its body, countless black lines spread outward like spiderwebs.

“KYAAAAA!”

Countless wraiths were dragged in like prey, sucked into its body.
Do-yoon frowned.

A type that gets stronger by absorbing…? This is going to be a pain.

The black aura around the eyeball thickened, its size swelling, its mass writhing as if alive.
In an instant, it morphed into a giant’s arm and slammed toward him.

KWAZAJAJAJAK!

The shadow scraped along the ground, freezing and shattering whatever it touched.
Do-yoon barely dodged, exhaling sharply.

His toes tingled—
He’d nearly lost everything below his ankle.

And it has lethal frost on top of that.

Crk, crk, crk…

The shadows, like spider legs, supported the eyeball’s body.
They gripped nearby structures with an eerie sound—

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

—turning into deafening booms that shattered the tunnel’s silence and rang in Do-yoon’s ears.
The One-Eyed Demon smashed the ground as it charged straight at him.

Do-yoon’s eyes sharpened.

[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [0th Move: Eye of Insight]

His gaze, cold and honed like a burning spear, pierced the monster.
The structure inside its eyeball came into focus.

There you are.

Do-yoon charged forward without retreating.

KANG!

The Radiant Sword clashed against the monster’s massive arm.
The impact traveled up his wrist, into his shoulder, all the way down his spine.

KANG! KANG! KAGAGANG!

The monster’s arm didn’t come out unscathed either—
Asphalt-like black liquid dripped from it as it staggered.

Do-yoon didn’t pause to breathe—he poured his internal energy into the assault.

Swoosh! Slash! Slash! Crack!

One leg at a time.
Every flash of the Radiant Sword scattered black debris.

Wobble—

The One-Eyed Demon lost its balance.
The sword clashed against its remaining spider legs in rapid succession.

Now.

Do-yoon’s eyes flashed again.

[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [1st Move: Flash Strike]

FWOOOOSH!

The tunnel filled with blinding light.
The Radiant Sword shot forward at blistering speed—
Its target wasn’t the pupil, but the underside of the eyeball.

From the 0th Move’s insight, he’d found the monster’s lifeline—
The core of condensed grudges, hidden there.

Squish—

“…?”

What was this unpleasant, squishy sensation?

Before his brain processed it, his hand felt it—
A miss?

Do-yoon’s eyes widened.
He saw it—
The red core slipping toward the back of the eyeball, then sliding back into place.

“Damn.”

While he was distracted, the monster’s arm swung back at him.

Do-yoon twisted to evade, but the black palm smashed into his waist.

ZZZZZZZT!

“Ghh…!”

First came the bone-crushing force, then the freezing cold that stabbed into him.

[‘Black-Blood Armor (Advanced)’ is half-destroyed.]
[Durability: 47%]
[‘Theseus’s Belt (Rare)’ is damaged.]
[Durability: 68%]

“Khack!”

A line of blood dripped from Do-yoon’s lips as he crashed into a dusty crater.

A grim realization flashed in his mind—
If its weak point kept moving, even repeated Flash Strikes would be useless.

“At this rate… odds of winning are slim—”

Ssssshhhhh—

To make matters worse, the black lines spread again, capturing more wraiths.

“…No, make that zero.”

In an instant, the One-Eyed Demon regrew its limbs.

Crunch!

Do-yoon used the Radiant Sword as a brace to pull himself up.
His grip tightened, one finger at a time.
He drew all his internal energy at once.

[Skill mastery insufficient.]
[Internal energy unstable.]
[VVIP Advice: 99.79% chance of damaging your meridians.]

“Like I care.”

Warnings floated up, but Do-yoon didn’t care.
He wasn’t about to collapse from just this.
Not when he hadn’t even descended as far as sacrificing his divinity.

KWAAAAANG!

A strike with his full strength.
The monster’s arm faltered, its spider legs bristling to shield its core.

THWAP!

Do-yoon kicked off the ground and shot upward like lightning.

He wasn’t aiming for the weak spot.

SWISH!

The Radiant Sword came crashing down on the top of its head—

[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [2nd Move: Annihilation]

The blade pierced its tough hide—
And from the tip spread a web of destructive shockwaves.

BZZZZZZT!

They tore apart the inside of the eyeball, finally piercing the core itself.

The One-Eyed Demon froze.

THUD.

With its supporting shadows gone, its massive body toppled over.

[Your meridians are tangled.]
[Internal energy is in reverse flow.]
[Status: Severe Internal Injury]
[VVIP Advice: Take ‘Internal Injury Medicine’ immediately.]

“Ha… ha ha…”

Cold sweat dripped down his face.
His insides burned with agony, yet a faint laugh escaped him—
For one reason.

[You have slain the One-Eyed Demon.]
[AA-class Threat Neutralized!]
[Honor Points Gained: 2,000]
[World’s First Champion Kill!]
[Korea’s First Champion Kill!]
[World’s First Champion Kill with Martial Arts!]
[Korea’s First Champion Kill with Martial Arts!]
[World’s First AA-class Threat Neutralization!]
[Korea’s First AA-class Threat Neutralization!]
[First-time reward: 50,000P]
[6 consecutive achievements bonus: 9,500P]

He was still one step ahead of everyone else.
From the moment this monster was an unknown, he’d taken the first kill and cleared the first gate.
Now, even on the chaotic “Day of Awakening,” he’d hunted a Champion-class target solo.

These swift accomplishments would stack into an overwhelming gap that crushed others’ morale.

…Boss-class enemies are manageable, but Champions can get taken down the same day in faster runs. Securing this first is huge.

And the bonus rewards were just icing on the cake.

[Unequipping ‘Black-Blood Armor (Advanced)’]
[Activating ‘Toy Repairman’s Tool Belt (S)’]

It looked a little silly—
A belt over another belt.
A practical design, with X-shaped shoulder straps and plenty of pouches.

Standing atop the One-Eyed Demon, Do-yoon reached for a side pocket.

[Borrowed—‘Toy Repairman’s Battery’]

He wedged a fluorescent battery between his fingers and shoved it into the monster’s pupil.

Twitch!

Its wrinkled eyelid snapped open, convulsing—
As if forcibly reactivated.

Grrrrr…

Perhaps even the vengeful spirit couldn’t believe it had been revived.
Its wide eye rolled about—

GWAAAAAAAAH!

Ignoring the details, it started releasing its aura again.

[Borrowed—‘Toy Repairman’s Hammer’]

Do-yoon swung his arm.

CLANG!

GWAAAAAAAH!

Miniature?
The handle didn’t even reach past his ring finger.
With the stubby little hammer, he smacked the squishy eyeball.

GWAAAAH…

CLANG!

GWAAAK!

Another hit.

GWAAK…

It was working.

In that case—

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The repeated blows echoed.

Weirdly enough—
How’s a jelly blob making that sound…? No, that’s not the point.

With each splatter of fluid, the monster’s body shrank—
Like it had been hit by a shrink ray.

CLANG!

Gr…

CLANG!

…ak.

Finally, the eyeball was small enough to fit in his palm.
It stared up at him, a mix of resentment and disbelief.

“…No wonder they call me twisted.”

[Borrowed—‘Toy Repairman’s Magnifying Glass’]

Do-yoon took out a magnifying glass and inspected his palm.

One-Eyed Marble
: The remains of the One-Eyed Demon, a Champion-class monster of Tunnel 187 born from the grudges of vengeful spirits. Floats around the user to protect them and can absorb nearby wraiths to grow stronger.

[Repaired aberration detected.]

To a Toy Repairman, aberrations were nothing more than defective products found in safety checks.
He’d approach, lay out his infamous tools—
Clean, tighten, beat the malice out—
Then lock it away in a display case forever.

That was the Toy Repairman’s way.
Of course, Do-yoon fully intended to take it out whenever it suited him.

[You may ‘collect’ the repaired aberration. Slots remaining: 3/3]
[Collect? Y/N]

“Right now.”

That was when it happened—
The thin thread barely holding on snapped.

“Ghk…!”

Blood welled up his throat and spilled from his lips as Do-yoon dropped to one knee.
The aftereffects of his internal injuries spread through every corner of his body.

But he grit his teeth and straightened his back.

“Summon… One-Eyed Marble.”

At his words—
What had once been the One-Eyed Demon appeared in the air, emitting a ghostly blue light.

Wraiths would be no problem now.
And with Theseus’s Thread, the maze wouldn’t be an issue either.
He just had to make it back.

The train doors opened.
Faces mixed with relief and worry turned to him.

“A-are you all right?!”

The trembling voice of the conductor was met with Siren’s cold reply, as if sealing a lid on it:

“Overreacting. That guy could chew through steel. He’s fine.”

Do-yoon shook his head.

“No, it feels like my guts are being wrung out. At this rate, I’ll be a cripple in 30 minutes, easy.”

“Y-you’re joking—”

“I’m serious. Where’s Han Yeon-ha? If she’s hurt, even a hair—”

“You’re making no sense! You are fine!”

When Siren stepped aside, Han Yeon-ha came into view behind her.

Tear-brimmed eyes.

“There you are.”

Do-yoon reached out a hand.

“Ah…”

Seeing him barely able to hold himself up made her heart ache—
Yet strangely, a warmth stirred deep inside her chest.

She clasped his trembling fingertips—

[Stats temporarily increased. ‘Regeneration’ 20 → 21]

“This… shouldn’t be possible.”

“…What?”

Do-yoon gripped her hand tightly.

[Stats temporarily increased. ‘Regeneration’ 21 → 22]

“As I thought. Sorry, but I need you.”

He pulled Han Yeon-ha into an embrace.

“…?!”

Her eyes went wide like a startled rabbit, and everyone nearby froze.

“W-what are you doing, Hyun Do-yoon, you crazy bastard?!”

[Stats temporarily increased. ‘Regeneration’ 22 → 23]
[Stats temporarily increased. ‘Regeneration’ 23 → 24]
[Stats temporarily increased. ‘Regeneration’ 24 → 25]

Do-yoon was just as surprised.

Just contact alone boosts regeneration by 25%…

But that was only the tip of the iceberg compared to her true power.

—Because on this train… no, in all of Namdo, she’s the most important person.

That wasn’t an exaggeration.
She was the descendant of a great cause, someone who’d supported the country through every early crisis.
A fragile, delicate being who seemed like she could shatter at any moment.

In the two runs where the “Snow White Saintess” Han Yeon-ha managed to stay sane, and the ten where she broke—
The difficulty difference was like heaven and earth.

And the event that carved a deep fracture into her glass-like mind…
…was the “Tunnel Vanishing.”