HACKED 18

Why do humans instinctively fear wild beasts?

Is it because of their size? If it’s just about being big, there are cows and horses. While some people are afraid of them, almost no one feels that extreme terror—the sense that they are about to be murdered or devoured right this second.

Is it because of their loud cries? If it’s about making noise, dogs and chickens are worse. The crowing of a rooster that echoes piercingly before the sun is even up is a literal mental attack for those unaccustomed to rural life.

Let’s talk about something a bit different. Let’s talk about sound.

A sharp, high-pitched screech that seems to pierce the air layers is easy to track to its source. To give a simple example, if the sound of a plate breaking rings out in a house, you immediately run toward it, no matter where you are.

But low sounds… especially infrasound that spreads as if coating the entire space, are difficult to locate. You certainly hear the sound, but you don’t know where it’s coming from. The unknown leads directly to fear.

The conclusion is this.

Active Skill: ‘Tiger Disaster (虎患)’ : To children of old, tigers, smallpox, and war were the most fearsome calamities… Stiffens the target and inflicts the status ailment ‘Fear’ at a set probability. Targets include everyone within range, including allies. The skill’s effect lasts for the duration of the battle and does not stack.

It means that in human history, the tiger was not merely a friendly creature that appeared frequently in folk tales.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

The stat difference between the user and the caster is too large. You cannot resist the skill. Will to fight is reduced by 100%. Depending on the user’s mental stats, hallucinatory symptoms ranging from ‘Mild’ to ‘Severe’ may occur.

Alarms rang consecutively from the terminal in my hand. Each time, the screen flashed and message pop-ups appeared, so I had no choice but to see them even if I didn’t want to.

‘No, but, seriously. Fuck.’

Is this what they call “ani-siating”? The three-piece set of words essential for a Korean to start a conversation flowed out naturally. The curse at the end was a bonus.

‘What is wrong with San Gun’s personality? I told him I’m falling apart.’

How could he fire off a wide-area skill that includes allies without any warning? Especially when he knew full well I was standing only a few meters away.

I am the weakest person in this Pantheon. If stats were quantified, I’d be worse than a 1-star Level 1 Incarnation. I’m a literal trash-mob that dies if poked. And a guy like me gets hit with a 5-star skill? I should be thankful I didn’t die of shock from a heart attack right then and there.

Shadows flickered beyond the corner wall where I was hiding. What was over there, regardless of its inner nature, should have been two Incarnations who at least looked like human men on the outside.

‘What on earth is that…’

From the faint shadows cast in the hallway, a massive shadow suddenly loomed. To exaggerate a bit, it was the shape of a four-legged beast the size of a house.

To make matters worse, it turned its head toward me. A posture with every muscle in its body tensed as if ready to pounce on prey at any second. Fangs sharp enough to be recognized even in silhouette. The cry, which seemed to pierce through the auditory nerves and shake the brain directly, grew even louder.

My vision went white. Rational thought was impossible. My head was filled only with the thought that I was going to die like this.

“Ugh, huff!”

My heart pounded as if it would explode. A long tinnitus followed. The hand holding the terminal began to shake violently.

Beep!

Sudden increase in the user’s respiration and heart rate detected. Please take a rest.

Beep!

The user’s vital signs are extremely unstable. Please take a rest.

‘I know, I know. Are you tactless? Stop ringing already…’

I covered and pressed down on the terminal screen with my trembling hand. The options of entering the settings menu to turn off the alarm function or turning off the power itself didn’t even occur to me. This was the best I could do in this situation.

As it turned out, my feeble efforts were useless. The moment the pitch-black shadow flickering against the wall surged forward as if to swallow me, someone wrapped an arm around my neck.

“Don’t come closer. If you come any closer, I’ll kill him.”

It wasn’t San Gun. It was a voice I was hearing for the first time. I looked at the blade pressed against my neck and thought.

‘Isn’t this the typical setup of a kidnapper and a hostage situation?’

Being chased by strange things, skin being torn, running away while trailing blood, and now I’m a hostage. Because every single event that happened to me lacked any sense of reality, I actually became calm.

By the way, this sword pointed at my throat belonged to San Gun. Did he lose it already? His 5-star dignity is completely gone.

‘Is it the <Hwarang of Half-Human Half-Ghost>?’

Since I valued my life, I stayed perfectly still in that position. Instead, I only rolled my eyes to look to the side.

The kidnapper holding me and threatening me was more than young; he was a boy. He looked to be about twenty at most. He had the kind of looks that would make him look like a high schooler in a uniform or a college freshman in casual clothes.

A pale face with no trace of blood, as if he had just come up from the underworld. I didn’t know if he was born that way or if it was the influence of his corruption level. There were several moles on his face and even on his neck, which stood out more because his skin was so white.

His hair was a pitch-black color that contrasted with his skin. Even for an Asian, hair usually has some brownish tint, but this kid’s was pure black. Even his eyes made it impossible to distinguish the boundary between the pupil and the iris. They lacked any light, looking exactly like black Go stones.

Long, slit eyes without double eyelids—and he had “frozen fish eyes” to boot. Is this what they call a snake-like face? To put it nicely, he was full of dark energy; to be honest, he had a face that looked devious and sinister. The kind of physiognomy that looked like he would slit a person’s throat without even blinking.

Because the distance was so close, the ends of his long hair, tied back in a single ponytail, tickled my skin. Seeing it reach down to his back even when tied, it seemed it would reach his waist if let down.

Actually, none of this was important. There was something much more important than that. He was suffering from an injury far worse than mine. Under the feet of the Hwarang and me as we stood close together, a puddle of bright red blood began to spread slowly. No wonder my back had felt damp for a while.

A hole had been pierced in his side—no, his torso was almost halfway torn away. It wasn’t a wound from a sword. It was a wound bitten by teeth, and at that, the teeth of some very large, primitive, and savage being.

“…What are you looking at.”

I must have been caught peeking. Along with a blunt rebuke, the arm gripping me tightened. I worried that Chirpy, tucked in my hood, might be crushed to death between that guy and me.

This Hwarang bastard, was his personality like this in the game too? I don’t really know because I only gave action orders and skipped all the dialogue.

Ah, come to think of it… I think I once thought, while looking at the in-game standing illustration, ‘Wow, he looks like the type who would bash an ally’s head in with a rock if things didn’t go his way.’

‘Should I pull out that silver dagger I got earlier and stab him?’

I immediately retracted the thought. He wasn’t an opponent who would fall for a cute attack from a normal person with zero martial power.

“I told you to stop. It’s not a lie that I’ll kill him.”

Then, San Gun revealed himself a few meters away. He was in a state not much different from before, except for the fact that his mouth was covered in bright red blood.

“Kill? You? The Master?”

He asked as he roughly wiped the blood smeared on his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Why. Do you think I can’t? A guy like this, I can kill him this instant.”

San Gun said nothing to the spirited retort. He neither came closer nor retreated, simply standing still in the hallway where light and shadow fell in equal halves.

“Acting all tame now after biting and tearing so much. I guess you don’t want to show your beastly side in front of the Master?”

The Hwarang sneered, letting out ragged breaths. There was still no answer from San Gun.

“After turning me, turning everyone into this mess, you show up far too late… and just stare with a face that knows nothing. The more I look at that stupid face, the more I hate it. Why should I let a human like this live?”

His words are quite harsh. Especially since the person in question is listening right next to him.

“Unable to die, unable to live, I’ve endured that long time waiting only for this moment. You’re the same. Aren’t you?”

The blade pressed even tighter against my neck. I could clearly feel the sensation of the sharp metal, as if it were about to slice my skin right now.

Unlike his monotonous, gloomy voice, the Hwarang’s body was shaking intermittently. It was natural. There was no way he’d be fine while bleeding out like this. Though he was shaking a bit too much for that.

‘…Ah.’

In an instant, a certain guess flashed through my mind. I fell into thought for a moment. And… I grabbed the Hwarang’s arm that was holding the sword.

“…!”

He flinched so hard I could feel it. It was a more violent reaction than I expected. Facing that face as pale as marble, I gave him a grin.

“Go ahead, you punk. Slit my throat with that sword or shove an arrow in it.”

“What…”

“You can’t kill me anyway.”

He might be able to hurt me, but he cannot kill me.

Passive Skill: ‘Life and Death Choice (殺生有擇)’ : When killing a living thing, there must be discrimination. Cannot kill an opponent who does not harbor murderous intent toward oneself.

Also, he cannot run away in this situation.

Passive Skill: ‘No Retreat in Battle (臨戰無退)’ : When going into battle, there must be no retreating. Cannot voluntarily withdraw from a battle once participated in.

If he truly wanted to kill me, there were many ways other than the cumbersome method of sniping. If he had come close and beaten me up, or even strangled me, it would have been quiet and simple. Even for a Ranged-specialized Incarnation, that much would be possible against an ordinary human.

Yet the Hwarang only fired a few arrows from afar. He didn’t desperately pursue me as I ran away. Despite being so full of murderous intent. Even now, isn’t he engaging in the irrational act of taking a hostage?

From that, I realized. Perhaps some kind of restriction is placed on this Incarnation.

“Let go! Damn it…!”

The Hwarang swung his arm and shook off my hand. Even from that light movement, my palm felt tingly. As expected, I am no match for him in terms of physical strength.

‘If I can’t grab his arm…’

I reached out again. But this time, the target wasn’t the opponent’s arm. I grabbed the long, pitch-black ponytail that had been swaying in my peripheral vision and bothering me.

“Ugh!”

The Hwarang’s head was jerked back. A young face, heavily distorted, glared at me fiercely. So much for ‘Life and Death Choice.’ He looked like he could kill a person with his eyes alone.

But I didn’t loosen my grip. Instead, I wrapped the hair around my fingers and tangled it even tighter as I shouted toward the other side.

“Now! Hurry!”