◈ Episode 188

Since their reunion, Leila has been restless. It was only natural. Kushan had been involved in Leila's birth and had been by her side throughout her entire growth process.

A person who had always been in his place like a tree was suddenly taken away. Furthermore, he was no different from a fugitive in that he had fled the lab in a hurry. There was no hope that he would ever return to his original state.

'I can't help but be mentally exhausted.'

The other agents were similar. They could not hide their anxiety, although to varying degrees. To them, Kushan was not a superficial representative, but a trustworthy spiritual leader.

On the other hand, Kim Lee-hyun remained completely calm.

"You all, take a rest for now."

"No, we're pressed for time, so that's not possible…."

"I don't plan on leaving today anyway."

He said it bluntly.

"We need to prepare."

Episode 21, The Brand.

This is the first major episode of the second half. Just like in previous Dustborns, the professor and his party travel around various places, encountering small incidents, and suddenly come into conflict with the Shiran Empire.

Up until the middle stage, things proceeded without much difference.

'The time zone has been moved forward by a few years compared to before…'

It was something I had been prepared for since long ago. On the contrary, in some ways, it was also positive. In the end, the faster I ran, the less damage I would suffer from the disaster.

As of now, it can be seen that things are going very smoothly.

'This is where the problem starts.'

The game's scenario is originally like this.

The CellLogics Lab spared no effort in getting Kushan back. They appealed internationally, negotiated with Shiran, and even planned to break him out of the camp.

All attempts were frustrated. The emperor cleverly used the secret history of the Lab to trap Kushan. Kushan could not easily open his mouth because if the whole truth was revealed, the Lab's reputation would fall.

As a result, Kushan ends up standing on the execution ground.

Rap, cornered and unable to abandon his leader, ends up doing something crazy.

'Let's just raid the execution grounds.'

There were almost no civilian casualties. The rescue was successful. The security at the execution grounds was lax, as if they had let him go on purpose. And this incident became an issue in an instant.

In this way, rap's prestige falls to the ground.

All the hard work you've done so far will go down the drain.

'Time flies by, and insults come in the form of insults.'

This is an episode that I personally really hate. It wasn't a hopeful story from the beginning, but the first and second half mainly focused on the tragedies of others, so users were able to accept it.

Until then, the rap had been in a helpful position. In the end, when things were dangerous, all you had to do was ignore the Legion and get out. Even if you didn't actually do that, it was important to have a choice.

However, in the second half, the rap encounters direct difficulties.

It is said that the sweet potatoes are overflowing to the point where your throat is blocked and you feel suffocated.

It's not for nothing that the community calls it the worst main story ever.

'In that case, it's better to just leave from the beginning.'

It's a complicated, long, unpleasant, and tragic episode.

If you add the Dustborne patch, you can easily overcome it several times.

Kim Yi-hyeon sent the guests to the hotel and left the company himself. The rough plan had already been made, so it was time to work on the details. It was past 9 p.m., and the sun had long since set.

As he left the downtown area, the surroundings became relatively quiet. The neon lights cast dark shadows on the streets. He suddenly stopped walking and entered a nearby park.

"...."

There are few passers-by. Surveillance cameras are everywhere to establish self-defense. Footsteps are barely audible, and even the presence of people is skillfully suppressed, but even the eyes of machines cannot be fooled.

The conditions are not bad.

"Take this!"

A woman approached with a normal smile and a normal footstep. She was wearing a blouse and a skirt. You couldn't tell the difference between a Cilicia and an outsider just by their attire.

"This is the newly opened Emily Pub. Come visit us sometime!"

The woman handed me a tissue with the store's logo on it.

A natural action, like flowing water. On the other hand, the situation itself has an artificial aspect. If you think about it calmly, you can catch various feelings of discomfort, but it is enough to induce a momentary letdown.

Immediately after Kim Yi-hyeon exposed his bare hands to receive a tissue.

A dagger came down the woman's sleeve.

The streetlight's light filtered through the sharp blade.

A surprise attack. The gap is less than a few steps. It is a distance that can be used to target a vital point with just a little digging. Nevertheless, the blade aimed for Kim Yi-Hyeon's palm.

Even the momentary delay that occurs while digging has been eliminated. Instead of dealing a fatal blow with a single strike, the goal is to inflict a significant blow without giving anyone time to react. If you haven't prepared in advance, it's unavoidable.

If you weren't prepared, that is.

widely!

The blade that Kim Yi-hyeon swung struck the woman's wrist. Despite considerable force, the woman did not let go of the handle. However, the trajectory was distorted. The dagger passed through the skin, making a shallow cut.

Neither those who were surprised nor those who were stopped were confused.

The two immediately moved on to the next action. Kim Yi-hyeon kicked the woman's ankle. As the woman's posture collapsed and she fell, he pulled out a pistol that he had hidden somewhere and aimed it at Kim Yi-hyeon.

The woman needed to draw her weapon.

That made a crucial difference between the two.

Phew!

As soon as the woman put her finger on the trigger, the blade sank into her forehead. It was an instant death. Even though he had dealt with the attacker in an instant, Kim I-Hyeon did not let his guard down at all.

'Are we surrounded in the meantime?'

By excluding one, the number had increased to seven. Just like the women, they had completely blended into the landscape of Cilicia. Because their attention was briefly drawn, they were unable to pay attention to their surroundings.

I couldn't find any organized identity in the enemies that appeared out of nowhere. I don't know for sure, but they probably didn't have any items that could prove their affiliation.

But if it's stagnation, it's obvious.

"I don't know why Shiran is acting like this to me."

"...."

"Aren't you going to answer?"

I didn't hear the answer, but I thought it was certain.

No matter how many enemies Dustborne has, the timing is perfect. The professor and his party may have been caught off guard. Or maybe they had planned to hit Lab and Dustborne at the same time.

It's okay to have detailed information.

'Seven. I can't just take it lightly.'

In the game, each of Shiran's agents is portrayed as a powerful enemy.

Of course, unlike games where each class has a uniform ability value, this is reality. Individual skills may vary greatly, but the average can be estimated. Just looking at the woman, she wasn't a total idiot.

Since the surprise attack has already failed, they won't spare themselves. Even though I sent a signal to the terminal, it will take time for reinforcements to arrive. I have to hold out on my own for at least a few minutes.

It may be a difficult situation for a mere 5-star agent―

'There's nothing I can't do.'

Kim Yi-hyeon immediately took out a plastic bottle from his pocket. He removed the cork and inserted the exposed needle into his neck. The faintly blue-tinged drug began to flow through his blood vessels and throughout his body.

It felt similar to the last three times, but somehow different.

The five senses become sharper, and all cells become more active than usual.

The enemies were already closing in on him. Seven agents attacked Kim Yi-Hyeon in a short space of time. The enhanced kinetic vision detected their movements without fail.

An alloy axe and shield appeared in Kim Yi-Hyeon's hands.

Instead, he pushed his shield forward to face the sword coming from the front.

Kikkik!

There was an unpleasant noise of scraping iron. As I pressed the switch while touching it, the [Static Tower] started to spurt out electricity.

The blade was also fired from the side. Kim Yi-hyeon lightly shook the axe as if he was swatting away a fly. The knife in his hand and the entire wrist of one agent were broken.

"Excuse me, what's that over there?"

"Who should report…."

As the full-scale battle began, the attention of the pedestrians was drawn. Some hesitated, not knowing what to do, while others hurriedly left the scene. No one got caught up in a shallow sense of justice.

In short, I was able to fight with peace of mind.

"Take it, kerchuck!"

The raised shield broke the middle-aged man's chin. The axe blade sank into the back of the head of a falling woman, and the young man who was hit in the leg was lifted low.

It wasn't at the level of holding out. On the contrary, Kim Yi-Hyun was overwhelming. He was so fast, clever, and powerful that his numerical disadvantage was meaningless. The agents' faces turned red with shock.

'The difference is that big?'

None of them expected it. Aside from the fact that he was a current partner of Dustborne Corporation and Cellbrox Labs, there were only vague rumors about him. Was he really this strong?

Third-class executioner Werner Kruger quickly retreated and assessed the damage. There were only two survivors, including himself. Even with seven people attacking together, they were helpless, so there was no way they could win.

'We must retreat.'

If things continue like this, we will be wiped out. We need to save at least one person to plan for the future. Since we know that the target's skills are far beyond our expectations, we will have to choose other means than a direct attack.

It was a time when he secretly sent signals to his colleagues.

Chorus!

The hook flew sharply and dug into Werner's thigh. There was a wire under the hook. The wire soon became taut and then began to shorten rapidly.

"Ugh…!"

Werner's body was dragged by the force of the pull. The hook was so deeply embedded that it did not come out. As he lost his balance and fell, his comrade's face collided with the shield and caved in.

"Hey kid, you touched me first and then you ran off somewhere?"

Werner met the dark brown eyes looking down at him. His body trembled involuntarily at the fierce and cold gaze. It was a fear that he could not avoid despite the harsh training and countless battles he had endured.

He knew very well how to escape this fear.

For His Majesty the Emperor, for the people of the Empire.

He muttered to himself and bit into the capsule he had hidden in his mouth.

The poison spread and foam flowed out of his mouth. A clean suicide. Kim Yi-Hyeon snorted as he looked at his enemy who had quickly turned into a corpse.

"Okay, that's fine."

There was no need to feel sorry. He was a difficult opponent to capture anyway. He probably wouldn't open his mouth by any means necessary. There was no information that could be extracted by torture in the first place.

However, it was not a meaningless victory.

[Mutation rate 49.0193%]

[Mutation rate 46.1145%]

[Mutation rate 44.8722%]

As the effect subsided, the mutation rate dropped again. The fixed figure was 44.8%. It was previously 42%, so it only increased by 2%. The experimental results were encouraging.

"It's definitely worth using."

The drug injected this time is an improved version of Helixivir. Immediately after the disaster, Kim I-Hyeon had separately requested the lab to develop it, and today, he was finally able to receive the prototype.

As the focus was on suppressing side effects, the effects themselves were not as effective as the existing Helixivir. First of all, it was not possible to produce 6-star equipment. Only the enhancement of physical abilities was confirmed.

It wasn't disappointing.

'It's just the level I can control.'

If before, I had been stepping on the accelerator like crazy without any brakes, this time I didn't let go of the reins. In fact, since I had more control, I might have been better at hand-to-hand combat.

'It just so happens that it has been tested in practice.'

The shield and axe in Kim Yi-Hyeon's hands turned into light and disappeared.

Suddenly, I noticed a tissue lying with a corpse at my feet. The blood on my cheek was also bothering me, but I had no intention of using it. I felt a sense of rejection that was hard to express.

I had no choice but to stand still for a moment and catch my breath.

"Hyun! What are these kids? Are they hurt?"

"Why, sir. I was wondering what was going on when you suddenly called me."

Familiar faces came running in a panic. Asterique looked worried, and Chelsea and Edwin looked around with sharp eyes, as if they had figured out the situation.

They were really solid guys.

This time I didn't do anything though.

"Chelsea. Put a call in to Congress."

Since I got hit first, I plan to pay back with a stinging blow.