The Hero Returns

Act 4

"What's this? Did something happen? What's with all these people…?"

"Shush, don't look at them and let's just get out of here. Maybe there was a fight somewhere?"

"A fight? Petro wouldn't take that lying down. Looks like at least a few hundreds…."

"I told you, let's go."

Numerous crowds of people had gathered in various parts of the street. Quite a lot of awakeners residing on the 31st floor had gathered in one spot.

All of their attention was currently focused on one particular place, and that was a small, single-floor pub located in the middle of the very same street.

"He's rather relaxed," said Luke as he studied the face visible through the window.

Without a doubt, that was the South Korean awakener, Kim Su-hyeun. He was still relaxedly enjoying his tea even now, even though he must've sensed their approach from a while ago.

<<Does that mean he's confident?>>

Indeed, the overall level of the awakeners gathered here wasn't all that high. The highest was around B-rank, while the average was no better than C-rank.

Sure, there were a handful of A-rank awakeners including Luke himself present as well, but it was obvious that all of them combined wouldn't be able to threaten Su-hyeun, an S-Rank awakener.

However…

<<We still have a monster on our side.>>

Petro.

He was a bona fide genius who went through the ninth level of difficulty for all of his trials and eventually climbed up to the 31st floor several years ago.

His skill level was good as an S-rank. That alone might not be enough, but still, he should have been able to take on Su-hyeun regardless.

The thing was, Su-hyeun had been an S-rank for less than half a year. Regardless, no one could win against the numbers game. If hundreds of awakeners stood as his opponents, even he wouldn't be able to emerge out of here unscathed.

<<All indications say we're in an advantageous position.>>

Everything looked good in the current situation. There would definitely be some casualties, but result-wise, they had far higher odds of victory in this fight.

<<We will deplete his stamina through guerilla tactics, then Petro will come in for the climax.>>

If that really happened, then this situation might end up being a great boon for them, instead. By killing Kim Su-hyeun here, an S-rank who survived tenth level trials, the association would no longer dare to touch them ever again.

"Everyone in the surrounding areas has been evacuated."

After receiving that report from a subordinate, Luke took a sweeping look at the surroundings before asking the same underling. "Everyone, including the natives, is gone?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good."

Unless it was an awakener, harming a native of the 31st floor would put them in a very tough spot. There existed an unspoken rule that awakeners and natives would not attack each other. If they broke that rule, then it'd become that much harder to do their business here.

Thankfully, they had enough time to evacuate the natives before the fighting got underway. And during that time, additional awakeners were brought in from the nearby areas.

"Are you really going to give us double the normal amount of Blending once this event is over?"

"That's right, so you must carry out your jobs properly, got that? If you make this work, then forget about double, I'll triple your share," said Luke.

"Oh, ooooh!"

"Y-yes!"

Luke's assured answer brought about an explosion of cheering from all directions.

The reason for them all going crazy for Blending was rather obvious. Luke, too, had been abusing the drug every single day, so he knew intimately how wonderful its effects were.

<<This is why a monopoly is a good thing.>>

Making your clientele rely solely on you with no competing goods available anywhere — that was a monopoly in a nutshell.

Petro used his personal organization to regulate the manufacturing and trafficking of Blending. One couldn't manufacture this drug without his permission, and without his blessing, one couldn't transport or even sell it.

That was the strength Petro possessed. The power to rule, in other words.

<<Thanks to that, we get to control these idiots, too.>>

The prospect of fighting Kim Su-hyeun didn't sit too well with Luke, but since they would get to reaffirm their influence through this event, this whole event was proving to be a good thing for them in various ways.

After all the preparations were over and done with, Luke sent a message to Petro, who should be watching the proceedings from a far-off distance.

"No matter what happens, don't make a single move from there. You do understand that if you die here, everything will be over for us, right?" Luke sent that final warning message and opened his mouth. "Alright then. Let's get this show…"

"He-he's on the move!"

An awakener's urgent cry caused Luke to snap his neck around.

Su-hyeun, who was leisurely sipping on his tea moments ago, was now on his feet and staring straight at Luke. "I thought I'd die of boredom while waiting for you lot."

Now fully on his feet, Su-hyeun continued peer deeply into Luke's eyes.

Even though he was hidden among the large crowd of people, Su-hyeun was directly looking at Luke, and that sent creeping chills all over the latter's body.

Su-hyeun walked outside the pub all the while counting the number of people currently surrounding him. "Ten, twenty…Fifty, a hundred…You really did bring quite a lot of people, didn't you?"

He gave up in the middle of counting. This size was large enough to be at least over one-tenth of all the awakeners currently residing on the 31st floor. It signified that quite a large portion of this floor's awakeners fell under Petro's influence.

<<That also means that the number of awakeners slumming it out on the 31st floor is quite high, too.>>

They just didn't have enough time — if they wanted to call for more, then without a doubt, even more reinforcements would have shown up.

The longer time went on, Petro's territory would only grow larger. The only thing that could stop that man was none other than Su-hyeun after he had finally reached the 31st floor.

<<As for Petro…where is he?>>

That guy was nowhere to be seen, as if their plan was to wear his stamina down beforehand. What a very smart move that was. This fight would lose its meaning if Petro was killed off right off the bat, after all.

<<But if you don't want to come out, then…>>

Bang—

Su-hyeun smacked his fist on his palm as he walked forward.

<<I'll just make him come out.>>

His gait was slow.

His strides were relaxed, as if he was daring them into attacking him. However, the crowd had been completely overwhelmed by his current appearance, one where he didn't even bother to unsheathe his weapon.

"W-what the hell?"

"Is no one going to attack him?"

"You goddamn cowards! What the hell are you doing?" Luke yelled out while witnessing the scared awakeners distance themselves more and more as Su-hyeun walked closer.

The fools called out here to fight were busy retreating right now instead of doing their jobs, so how could he not be frustrated at the moment?

<<These g*ddamn morons!>>

Did that man anticipate such a reaction?

Su-hyeun's strides remained relaxed even now. Luke glanced at him getting closer and clenched his fists.

<<As I thought, at this point I need to…>>

Luke was a genius himself who had reached the A-rank. Sure, he was now a drugged-up criminal living on the 31st floor, but he used to be a respected awakener up until a few years ago.

An S-Rank and an A-Rank. The wall existing between these ranks was undoubtedly tall, but that didn't mean Luke shouldn't have a go here.

<<Let's go.>>

The moment Luke clenched his fists and dashed forward—

Ka-boom—!

An explosion went off right before his nose and at the same time, his vision was dyed pitch-black.

<<…Uh?>>

Pow—!

Luke was flung away to a far-off distance and collided with awakeners at the rear. The impact force knocked them all down like a bunch of bowling pins.

And so, in the briefest of brief moments, Luke lost his grip on consciousness, not even understanding what had happened to him.

"He-he's coming!"

"Get ready!"

Su-hyeun's slow-moving figure suddenly gained afterburners. With both of his fists firmly clenched, he dug into the awakeners' midst and started punching their lights out.

Boom, ka-boom—!

Every time he swung his fist, a person's face was caved in.

Wu-du-duk—

Heads shattered and faces were smashed in. Some people collapsed on the ground with their backs bent in the wrong direction, too.

"S-stop him!"

"Does anyone possess confinement skills?"

"Just throw everything at him!"

Kwa-aaahk—

Wu-dududuk—

A hand rising up from the ground below grabbed onto Su-hyeun's foot. At the same time, spinning chains flew in quickly and tightly wrapped around him, confining him on the spot.

"We did it!"

"You did what, exactly?"

Clang—

Right next second, the hand holding Su-hyeun's foot broke and returned to being soil, scattering back to the ground. Even the chains confining him snapped into pieces in an instant.

He continued to swing his fists as if nothing had happened to him.

Bang—!

Thud—

Yet another sound of someone's breathing cutting out, yet another body hitting the ground. Su-hyeun spun his arms around and took a sweeping look at the people still surrounding him.

"T-that guy, was he originally a brawler?"

"But I heard he used a sword….?"

"His sword is attached to his hips, isn't it?"

The crowd surrounding Su-hyeun was falling into confusion.

In that short space of time, dozens of them were already taken out of the equation. Luke was supposed to command the battle from the frontlines but he was out of commission already, while Petro showed no signs of making his appearance anytime soon.

"What do they expect us to do about such a monster?"

It was just one man.

Even if that's true, the differences in their skill levels were just too absolute.

"Where is Petro?" Su-hyeun asked, and the people nearby began distancing themselves even further away from him. He frowned deeply when no one answered him, before reaching towards the sword's hilt. "Well, he's probably watching from somewhere anyway."

His gaze was then directed to the sky above.

"Watch closely from wherever you are."

Shu-ru-rung—

The sword was unsheathed, and Su-hyeun's atmosphere shifted in an instant.

"Watch as everything you've built up until now comes crashing down today."

<hr />

Petro was viewing the location of his choosing through a small crystal ball.

The figure of Su-hyeun fighting against his underlings was displayed on the crystal ball's surface. He was currently sweeping everything away using his stunning martial skills.

In the midst of doing that, he suddenly came to a stop and spoke up.

"Watch closely from wherever you are. Watch as everything you've built up until now comes crashing down today."

Su-hyeun was staring at Petro beyond the crystal ball.

What an incredible b*stard he was. To think that he detected Petro's skill despite the distance between them and decided to start a conversation first.

<<The reason why he didn't destroy my skill is…he probably wants me to witness everything.>>

If he wanted to, Su-hyeun could've easily annulled Petro's skill. However, he didn't do that, instead choosing to continue on with the battle.

Splaaash—

Crimson blood could be seen splattering around beyond the crystal ball.

In that short window of time, another dozen or so had been defeated.

Petro's shoulders quivered. "This, this b*stard…."

Su-hyeun's fist slammed into the belly of yet another target, a male awakener.

That man, staggering before collapsing on the ground, didn't have any focus in his eyes, something caused by his abuse of the drugs. He just tried to attack Su-hyeun, hoping to earn his share of Blending somehow.

<<He's subduing the addicted, and killing those with clear minds.>>

The reason had to be one of the two. Either he wasn't callous enough to kill those opponents who weren't themselves, or…

<<Or he knows about my ability.>>

Petro hurriedly shook his head. That was impossible. It had to be a coincidence.

He watched the proceedings through the crystal ball just a little bit more. He didn't have any thoughts of stepping up at the moment.

<<Dammit.>>

Petro clenched his fist tightly and endured. The foundation he had been building for a long time was currently crumbling away at the hands of just one man.

However, this didn't present a big problem.

<<Expendables can always be acquired later.>>

There were plenty of awakeners reaching the 31st floor all the time.

He knew how addictive Blending was as its manufacturer and distributor. With that drug, he could rebuild his influence and power base, once more at any time he wanted.

It didn't matter whether they died or not. For the time being, surviving this danger was his priority.

<<Just a little bit more, just a little….>>

Petro watched through the crystal ball and continued to buy time. But then…

"Found you."

Su-hyeun's voice reached the shivering Petro and his ears.