The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Moments before the message was delivered to Seol, the situation had started with Yeo-myeong.

Yeo-myeong was in despair after Seol rejected his request. Still, he didn’t give up on saving his younger sister.

How could he give up after receiving his younger sister’s secret letter?

After his older sister, Sae-byeok, died, he thought it was his duty to protect Noeul.

And Noeul herself sent him a message that she was in danger.

That message was what started it all.

Yeo-myeong didn’t waste a second running out of his room.

He wasn’t able to move his right hand, he wasn’t strong, and he was scared. Still, his two feet raced to where his younger sister was.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

- Save me… Yeo-myeong, please… save me…

Sae-byeok would appear in his dreams, covered in blood, and beg for him to save her while grabbing his right hand.

Yeo-myeong would often wake up in shock after seeing something so terrifying.

It felt like he was never going to escape that nightmare. He was sure that this was a curse from his sister for him to live the rest of his life with only one arm, crushed by his guilt.

‘It doesn’t matter… I don’t care!’

It didn’t matter if his sister cursed him or if he wasn’t able to use his arm. Those weren’t what was important to Yeo-myeong.

“Please be safe Noeul, please…”

He would do anything or throw away anything as long as Noeul was able to survive in this changed world.

After their parents passed away when they were young, Sae-byeok raised her siblings.

Yeo-myeong and Noeul never whined to help their older sister and followed her every word. That was how the three grew up.

But everything changed with Sae-byeok’s death. Because Yeo-myeong thought this could be his last opportunity to be with Noeul, his legs didn’t stop moving.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

It was a moderately-built temporary building.

Despite it being quite close to the center of Kongory, there were countless guild members on guard around it.

There were rumors that this temporary building was built by misappropriating the funds from guild members under the pretense of ‘guild operation fees’.

Kyaaaaaaa! Let go!

Yeo-myeong rushed into the building without a second thought the moment he heard that shrill scream.

He had rushed in so quickly that the guards were unable to stop him in time.

“Wh-who the hell are you?!”

“Noeul! Where is Noeul!”

“Oppa!”

Yeo-myeong looked at every person in the building.

And the first person that he saw was a familiar face.

“Noeul!”

“Oppa!”

Noeul cried the moment she saw her older brother.

The time they spent apart might have made her miss him more.

She ran toward Yeo-myeong right away.

It would’ve been a happy ending if they were able to escape the temporary building but the situation was not that simple.

“Noeul, you’re just making things bigger.”

“I’m going to leave! I can’t stand being here anymore…”

“The world is not so simple, Noeul.”

“Why are you acting like that when I’m saying I want to leave…”

Woncheol, the person who made the Justice Guild, was speaking to Noeul calmly.

However, she could tell that he was in fact furious and sick and tired of her actions.

“Do you think someone who knows this much of our internal structures can really leave freely? Aren’t you looking down on us too much?”

“What do you want then?”

“Could you promise me that you won’t say anything about the Justice Guild?”

“...I won’t say anything.”

“Then 5,000 gold coins seems to be an apt price for leaving.”

“H-How would I have that much money? Don’t be ridiculous!”

Woncheol grimaced.

A crack formed on his friendly demeanor.

“I thought it was quite fair, but… I guess I have no choice if we can’t come to an agreement. What gives you the confidence to act this way?”

“What did I even do wrong to pay that much money?!”

“The Justice Guild strictly acts on our own interest. The 5,000 gold coins are to cover the time, money, and effort we gave to invest into you. And we can definitely get that expense from you.”

Clap!

Woncheol gave a light clap and a few of the guild members in the building stepped forth.

Noeul freaked out and shouted.

“H-He’s a liar! ‘Private’ isn’t here and this place isn’t to help the weak! He only thinks about selling them off or using them as meat shields! You’re all being fooled!”

It was silent.

Noeul could read the room.

It was silent because this wasn’t a surprise to them.

“No way… All of you knew about this? And you still pretended not to know?”

“What wouldn’t you do to survive? Noeul, the world has changed.”

“I thought this was the ‘Justice’ Guild! I thought you said you wouldn’t let there be innocent victims!”

“Justice isn’t set in stone. As the world changes, so does justice.”

The guild members started to approach Noeul. Noeul screamed and hid behind Yeo-myeong.

“I-I’m scared, oppa. I don't want to be here anymore…”

“Don’t worry, Noeul. We’ll get out of here.”

He wasn’t sure of it though.

Yeo-myeong, despite saying that he would get her out of there, was shaking.

Could he really hurt someone else? It was something he had never done before.

Could he really swing his sword? That too was something he had never done before.

‘I can do it. I have to–’

Before he could even finish his thought, he was kicked.

Fwooosh

Bam!

“Krgh…”

“O-Oppa!”

“Who the hell is this idiot?”

Yeo-myeong tumbled to the floor from just one kick.

Tremble…

Despite his quivering, Yeo-myeong forced himself to stand up.

‘I need my right hand to move… move…’

Yeo-myeong couldn’t fight properly because his right hand was incapable of movement.

‘My fucking older sister… why did you…’

He despised Sae-byeok.

Not only did she fill him with guilt, but she also took away his ability to protect his younger sister.

“Let go! Let go of me!”

“Hold still before I get mad.”

“Let go! Let go!”

Slap!

Noeul’s face lashed to the side.

Her cheeks flushed red.

“Fucking bitch… know your fucking place…”

“Hrgh… Hrgh… it hurts…”

When Yeo-myeong saw that, he felt his rationality fading away.

Slide…

“Huh?”

STAAAAAAAAB!

He pulled out his sword in an instant to stab the man’s shoulder.

“Noeul, come here.”

“Kuaaaaargh, you bastard!”

“Kill him! Fucking kill him!”

It was a strange feeling.

Even though his opponent was fast, his sword was much, much faster.

CLENCH!

Yeo-myeong’s hand looked more disgusting with the veins bulging as he clenched his fist.

[Characteristic: A Haunted Hand awakens.]

[It awakens into A Haunted Hand: Black Hand.]

[Black Hand assists you in your movements.]

[For a short while, you will be able to move extremely quickly.]

[It greatly reduces the time it takes to learn a new move.]

Slice…

Slice!

“Guaaargh!”

“Wh-what are you doing?! Fucking hell… You! Notify the Predator Guild!”

“Y-Yes!”

Yeo-myeong was able to fight extremely well despite being surrounded on all sides by multiple people. And as he fought, more and more people were injured from his attacks.

“He’s too fast!”

“Surround him! We just have to prevent him from leaving! We only have to buy time!”

A long battle continued behind those locked doors.

Clang!

Claaang!

Fwoosh!

“Gasp… Gasp… I’ll kill anyone… who… who messes with Noeul. You evil bastards…”

“You fucking psycho… You’re going to die soon.”

Yeo-myeong realized that he was mistaken.

The person that Sae-byeok was begging him to save every night wasn’t her.

- Save… Noeul, Yeo-myeong…

He was finally able to clearly hear her words once his guilt was gone.

And the black hand that he received from her wasn’t a curse.

It was a request she left for her younger brother.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

He thought there was a possibility they could escape from the situation.

But that was nothing more than his hopes.

Creaaaak…

Woncheol smiled at the sound of the door opening.

“Haha! You’re rather late. I can’t believe one damned bug caused all of this mess.”

“Tch… you’re right. This is exactly why I told you to keep some of my men with you. Your men are way too soft.”

“I really should. Regardless, please.”

“I understand.”

Great White Shark approached Yeo-myeong.

Yeo-myeong, glared at him while gasping for air.

‘He’s different!’

His eyes were different from the other people he fought.

Unlike the people from before who were terrified of his sword, Great White Shark’s eyes showed annoyance by the situation more than anything.

“You’re not him… right?”

“What?”

“‘Private’.”

“What do you…”

“If you aren't, that's that.”

Swoosh!

Yeo-myeong couldn’t keep track of his movements for a second.

‘He’s dangerous!’

However, his black hand was able to react to the attack before Yeo-myeong even thought about blocking it.

Claaang!

The black hand was just barely able to defend against the attack.

“Oh, what is that? Is that a prosthetic arm?”

“Krgh… let us go.”

“Woncheol told me he doesn’t want to let you two go.”

Fwooosh…

Bam!

“Argh!”

The black hand was as hard as steel but Great White Shark was able to land his blows on the hand like it was nothing.

“It’s fun but you’re not that skilled. Still, since you were able to come all the way here… I’ll play with you a bit longer.

[Great White Shark uses Iron Fist.]

[Great White Shark uses Link: Monkey’s Movements.]

[Great White Shark uses Weakness Wallop.]

Bam. Bam!

Every time he swung his fists, the surroundings rang.

He was incredibly skilled. Yeo-myeong, once again, started to despair.

“Wh-why are you doing this?! When you’re this strong, why…”

“Oppa… Hrgh…”

“You’re pissing me off…”

Bam!

Yeo-myeong flew across the room and hit the wall.

Great White Shark slowly lumbered over to him before grabbing him by his hair.

“Saying that makes me sound like a villain, you bastard.”

“That’s because… you are a villain. You fucking asshole…”

“Haha! You’re right. But is being a villain such a bad thing? Here, I’ll even explain it to your stupid sister. What’s important isn’t whether you’re good or bad. It’s whether you’re strong or weak.”

“Gurrr… raaaaaaah!”

Yeo-myeong was shouting in frustration but was helpless. He was completely restrained by Great White Shark.

“The strong are in the right and the weak are in the wrong. Violence is king now.”

Yeo-myeong’s mind was getting hazy.

It could’ve been because of the loss of blood… but he also had a sickly feeling in his stomach.

Yeo-myeong thought he was going to fail to save his sister despite doing his best. He thought he was going to lose his younger sister the same way he lost his older sister in front of him.

‘No, I can’t let that happen!’

Fwooosh!

“Hyungnim!”

“That bastard’s dangerou–”

Yeo-myeong’s black hand aimed for Great White Shark’s neck with a sword like a bolt of lightning.

Grab!

“......”

“I told you I can see it, you bastard.”

Crush.

Clatter…

Great White Shark had caught Yeo-myeong’s sword with his index and middle finger. He then broke it with a snap.

The sword being low quality was a problem but the gap in skill between them was way too large.

‘Is this it…’

Yeo-myeong stared at the floor.

Reality wasn’t a television show.

He fought well but he wasn’t strong enough to overturn the situation.

Was it the pointless struggle of the weak?

* * *

Knock knock…

“Excuse me.”

It might have been a pointless struggle but it had still managed to change the flow of the situation.

The temporary house was covered in fresh blood.

And someone was knocking on its entrance.

‘Who could it be?’

The person had a low, quiet voice, but… Yeo-myeong could hear them clearly. Very clearly.

“What the hell? Who’s knocking?”

“Maybe someone came because of the noise.”

“Chase them away. They ruined the fucking mood…”

And then…

Knock Knock Knock Knock!

The person outside pounded on the door. It sounded like thunder.

“Open the door. I already know what’s going on.”

The guild members did nothing more than look at Great White Shark and Woncheol.

Woncheol sighed.

“It seems like you made the situation quite dirty, Noeul. Let’s take care of them too,” said Woncheol.

Great White Shark nodded in response.

“Block the door the moment they come inside. Don’t let them run away.”

“Okay.”

Click.

“Yeo-myeong, are you alright?”

“Who…”

Yeo-myeong’s eyes were swollen like a bee had stung them. Still, he managed to look at the man who entered the room.

“Do you not remember me?”

“I thought you… rejected my request.”

“I didn’t come here specifically for your request. I had business to take care of before I left. Still, I am curious how you ended up like this.”

The person who entered the temporary building was Seol, the person who rejected his cry for help. Yeo-myeong still remembered Seol’s words for him.

- I didn’t become strong to save people who do nothing while they wait to be saved by others. Save yourself, Yeo-myeong.

Yeo-myeong finally realized the true meaning behind those words.

Yeo-myeong was embarrassed by how he stupidly, naively expected someone he met for the first time to help him with their life on the line.

And after that, he was overcome with sadness.

“Krgh… I tried… I tried my best… but… but it didn’t go well.”

“I see.”

Seol planned to fight the Predator Guild’s Guildmaster, Great White Shark, before he left Nobira.

Seol even had plans to kill him if Great White Shark was capable of endangering him in the future.

But as he planned to fight him, he heard about Yeo-myeong. And because of that, he decided to act sooner.

‘Was it going to end up like this regardless?’

Seol didn’t particularly enjoy helping other people solve their problems but because he couldn’t let Yeo-myeong die, he decided to intervene.

“I roughly understand what’s happened. I’ll take care of it.”

“...What?”

Great White Shark, Woncheol, and the other guild members were all confused about what was happening. They paused out of sheer disbelief. However, once they realized that Seol was alone, they thought Seol was more ridiculous than anything else.

“H-He must be out of his mind.”

“Who is in charge here?”

Even though no one had to answer him, they all naturally looked at Woncheol.

Seol’s words were strangely powerful.

“It’s me.”

“I’m going to be taking them. Let them go.”

“You fucking… I don’t want to.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Woncheol was no longer smiling or respectful. Seol’s actions looked nothing more than arrogant to him.

“Hah! You fucking crazy… Who the hell are you? Do you not see the person in front of you?” said Woncheol while pointing at Great White Shark.

One of the Predator Guild’s members finally realized who Seol was.

“Hyungnim, it’s him,” said the guild member to Great White Shark.

“What? Who?”

“That Snowman guy or whatever his name was.”

“Ah… So he was someone who was going to die anyway, I see. Hey, guy.”

Seol was walking towards Noeul while supporting Yeo-myeong.

Great White Shark gave a sinister smile when he realized Seol was ignoring him. His gold teeth showed once more.

“I don’t think I can let you go. Snowman, you know who Sang-gyu and Jincheol are, right?”

“I do.”

“Did you kill them?”

“I didn’t.”

“...Am I supposed to just believe that?”

“And? What do you want?”

Seol’s golden eyes watched Great White Shark. Great White Shark let out a chuckle after Seol’s mood shifted.

Everyone around him was on his side.

He had roughly 20 people ready to fight Seol.

Seol was definitely in a situation where it was difficult to survive even if he got on his knees and begged.

“You’re going to have to die.”

“In the end… it’s all going in the direction that I expected it to go.”

“What the hell are you talking about you bastard… Hey!”

“If you’re done talking, let me ask a question to everyone in this room. I came here knowing everything that had gone on in this guild. So, do any of you repent your wrongdoings?” asked Seol.

“Wrongdoing?”

“So there aren’t, I understand.”

“G-Get rid of that bastard right now,” said Woncheol to Great White Shark.

“I also want to tear and rip this arrogant bastard that killed my members to shreds.”

Great White Shark approached Seol.

BAM!

[Great White Shark uses Trample.]

[Great White Shark will become faster the more he moves.]

Great White Shark was furious but became excited at the thought of releasing it all.

One of his bad habits was enjoying watching his victims fall to despair after all.

“My point total is ‘Private’. Do you even understand the meaning behind that?”

Great White Shark was boasting that he was a ranker in Kongory. That he was a skilled individual who overcame hell to get to where he was right now.

And with his skill level, there was only one person in Kongory who could defeat him.

He wanted Seol to get scared and even become terrified. It was because he would only be satisfied after beating the hell out of his terrified face.

But… Seol’s response was different from what he expected.

Gloooow…

Seol gathered black energy in both of his hands.

Swiiiirl…

Prshhh!

The black energy in his left hand created an armored knight and the black energy in his right hand created a massive troll.

Karuna’s stalwart expression and Jamad’s terrifying size made people freeze up.

“Wh-why is it so b-big?!”

“Don’t tell me that troll’s…”

Great White Shark’s eyes were shocked wide open.

He didn’t know who the knight was but it wasn’t difficult to tell who the troll was.

He was from an Adventure with hell-like difficulty that he only barely cleared after killing one of the five leaders.

Great White Shark was sure that the troll was the final boss of ‘The 5 Good Brothers’, Jamad.

It was the first existence that made him feel fear in this unknown world.

And there was someone in front of him who made that embodiment of fear into his summon.

“...Wh-who the hell are you?”

“‘Private’. Do you understand the meaning behind that?” said Seol.

Everyone thought for a moment to understand what he meant.

And then, they were terrified.