Ch. 74 - Hello

"Hahaha! I just wanted to see you suffer in front of me! You look pathetic, Shin Hye-Rim!"

"Ugh..."

What’s he even saying? Is seeing me struggle with a hangover that funny to him?

If Oh Min-Ji drank as much as I did, he'd end up like this too.

He might be trying some weird attack, but I don't know what effect it’s supposed to have. Honestly, I didn’t feel a thing.

The only thing bothering me right now is the stomach acid making its presence known. I was feeling uneasy even while flying over.

I should’ve slowed down instead of speeding through; my stomach was killing me.

"Sssss, hoo..."

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my back. I can’t show any weakness in front of a villain. Let’s deal with Oh Min-Ji first, then handle this damn hangover.

"The moment I've dreamed of is finally here! To see you kneel in front of me like a fool..."

"Hey."

I cut him off, annoyed by his gleeful rambling.

"Can you shut up? My head's pounding."

"...Seems like you still don't get the situation, huh?"

"What nonsense are you spewing?"

"You still don't get it? I've gained a new power to beat you! I'm no longer the punching bag I used to be!"

–Whoosh!–

A dark crimson aura burst from Oh Min-Ji’s body, visibly unstable and ominous.

"This time, you’ll be the one thrown to the ground...!"

–Smack!–

"Guh?!"

I cut him off with a punch to the face. He tumbled and rolled across the ground.

"...What? How...?"

He looked up at me from the ground, a shocked expression on his face, blood trickling from his nose. His eyes were wide, clearly not expecting that I could knock him down like this.

"I told you to shut it. Keep your volume down, okay? My head’s killing me from this hangover."

"...Hangover? Really?"

"Yeah. Starting to feel a bit better now, though. Almost threw up. Take it easy, will you?"

Oh Min-Ji looked at me, baffled, as I rubbed my forehead.

"Wait, you mean... you're not suffering because of my attack?"  he stammered, voice shaking.

"Your attack? Yeah, you seem to have gotten some kind of new power, but I don’t feel a thing. I’m just dying from a hangover."

"...What?"

"I mean, I’m sure you did something, but... shouldn’t there be some kind of effect? I’m not even remotely hurt or suffering. If anything, I’m just about to drop from this hangover."

"......"

I don’t know why he suddenly got this strange power, or what it even does. But one thing’s certain: I know exactly what I need to do now.

"After all those lessons in manners, you still haven’t learned, have you?"

Crack.

I flexed my knuckles, then slowly walked over to him.

"...Gulp."

He looked up at me with fear in his eyes.

"This time, I’ll make sure you learn. Thoroughly."

***

"Ugh..."

Oh Min-Ji lay on the ground, groaning. He tried to fight back a few times, but he couldn’t land a single hit on me. I crouched down in front of his motionless form. Time to ask some questions.

"Hey. Where’d you get that power from?"

"You really think I’ll just tell you?"

"If you’re not going to answer, I’ll make you answer."

I grabbed his hair and lifted his head, forcing him to face me.

"Spit it out now, or things are gonna get worse. Hm?"

Just then, I noticed something strange. A faint pink light was glowing from beneath his shirt. Could it be...?

I carefully lifted his shirt a little, just enough to get a look.

"...!"

There was a tattoo on his stomach.

A suspicious dark red tattoo shaped like a heart — something you’d expect to see only in certain...adult illustrations.

My shock wasn’t because of the tattoo’s shape, but because it looked...strangely familiar.

"Hey."

I spoke to him, my voice carrying a bit of urgency.

"Who gave you this power?"

"...How did you know I got this power from someone?"

"That doesn’t matter. Just answer the question. Who was it?"

"Hah! You think I’ll just..."

–Slash!–

A thin cut appeared on his cheek, blood trickling down. I held a sword, sharp and glinting.

"Do I look like I’m playing around?"

"......Ah."

"Talk. Now."

He shivered and, finally breaking down, began telling me everything.

***

"So, one day, a strange voice just started talking in your head? And the next day, you somehow had this mysterious power?"

"Yes... I thought it was a god answering my wish for revenge."

"A god? Yeah right."

What a joke. That person isn’t a god. She’s going to die at my hands.

"And what else? Did you see this ‘voice’ or anything?"

"No. I only heard someone say I’d be given a new chance. I don’t know who it was."

"Got it... hm?"

As I listened to him, I took a closer look at the tattoo on his stomach. There was something odd. Amidst the design, there were tiny letters, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. I read it out loud.

"Been... a while, hasn’t it?"

As soon as I finished reading it:

"Nggh...!"

Suddenly, Oh Min-Ji started writhing in pain. I hadn’t done anything, but dark crimson energy began pouring out of him, and the tattoo on his stomach started fading away.

Finally, the tattoo disappeared, and he collapsed unconscious, freed from the pain.

"......"

I watched him silently. That confirmed it. The one who gave him that power is someone I know. And it seems she went out of her way to send me a little ‘message.’

"Why don’t you come see me in person instead of playing games?"

Acting like a third-rate villain... How adorable.

"Alright, time to get moving."

With Oh Min-Ji subdued, I still had work to do. The prison is in chaos from other prisoners trying to escape after he damaged the facilities.

I slung Oh Min-Ji over my shoulder and took to the air. Looking down, it was pandemonium.

"Hey! Stop that guy!"

"Hah! Like I’ll let you catch me!"

"This is my chance! Freedom is finally here!"

"Block all the surrounding roads! Don’t let any prisoners escape!"

Inmates were scrambling to escape, while guards and prison staff struggled to contain them. I cleared my throat and spoke up.

"Attention, everyone."

My mana-infused voice reverberated across the prison. With that one word, both guards and inmates stopped in their tracks to look up at me.

"Looks like everyone’s busy, but let’s keep this simple. Return to your cells. Trust me, you don’t want to end up like this."

I held up the bloodied and unconscious Oh Min-Ji for all to see.

The prisoners, seeing his limp body covered in blood, stared at me with horror in their eyes.

"You want to run? Find freedom in this chaos? Go ahead and try. But I won’t let it slide."

Some inmates who’d been edging toward the broken wall froze in their tracks.

"Anyone I catch will get a unique experience — a once-in-a-lifetime, or rather, end-of-life experience."

In other words, if they’re caught, they’re dead.

"If you don’t want that, head back to where you came from. If your cell is destroyed, report to the guards or something."

The hesitant prisoners, seeing others returning to their cells, also started heading back. Even the more determined ones turned around after a moment’s hesitation.

A few were still standing there, unsure.

"Did everyone understand? Return to your positions."

"......"

"Answer."

"Yes, ma'am!!!"

The prisoners finally scrambled to return to their cells.

After confirming that all the prisoners had gone back inside, I landed back on the ground.

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