A chilling wind brushes against the leaves, creating a bleak melody.
In one of Cube’s artificial forests, a man is sitting on a tree trunk. He is in the middle of pitch-black darkness, but his bulky body can be seen easily. The formal suit he is wearing makes him especially eye-catching.
“It is so boring.” He is Cheon Jungyeok.
“Boring?” Droon’s voice echoes in Jungyeok’s ears.
“Yeah, boring… I want to fight…”
“…” Droon’s silence says much of how exasperated he is by Cheon Jungyeok.
Cheon Jungyeok’s eyes are bloodshot. His recent defeat makes his blood boil. In his defense, it isn’t total defeat. He can imagine various ways his confrontation with Savant going right or… wrong, and he loves it.
When he watches the duels between rookies, he barely holds himself back to jump and show how a fight is properly done. He is doing his best to suppress his urge, and his instincts are contending with his reason
“How is the mission? Did you check on Kim Suho? Chae Nayun? Or Shin Jonghak?” Droon focuses on the job inquiring about Jungyeon’s progress.
Cheok Jungyeon halfheartedly gives his assessment. “Mm…. I think they are okay… Maybe not…”
“Make up your mind.” Droon is getting tired of Cheok Jungyeon.
“They are fine. Happy? I want to wait until they grow up to fight. Honestly, if it is convenient, I would rather fight them now. They give me the tingle. That... Shin Jonghak though seems to be suffering from mental demons, but if he overcomes it, he will become strong too. Oh… How is that Kim Hajin guy?”
Droon is keeping tabs on Kim Hajin, the genius, the second coming of the Great Sage. “He is a nerd.” He comments.
“Pfft…” Cheok Jungyeon suppresses a laugh. “Like you?”
Droon is feeling threatened by Kim Hajjin. Someone like that can replace him within the Chameleon Troupe. The only advantage Droon has over Kim Hajin is his combat ability which is ironic since it is that part that Droon pays less attention to improving.
At that moment…
“Who are you?”
A voice rings out from behind Cheok Jungyeon. He turns around only to see a harmless police officer who is deployed for the Combat Exams to make up for the lack of manpower. Cheok Jungyeon doesn’t notice the police officer because he is a weakling who hasn’t even learned magic power.
At this point in time, being a police officer has become a glorified job reduced to deskwork and miscellaneous tasks. Their oath to protect the people is a mere platitude in remembrance of the old world before Outcall.
“Don’t forget why Yi Byul is bringing you here.”
At Droon’s words, Cheok Jungyeon nods.
“Yeah… I know. I’m a master when it comes to recognizing the strong.”
“Right, that’s the only reason.”
The police officer approaches Cheok Jungyeon with a flashlight. “Excuse me, what are you doing here? The forest is off-limits to outsiders. Please come out.”
Cheok Jungyeon stares at the police officer with scorn. The killing intent in his eyes radiates a clear warning. But the police officer cannot see Jungyeon’s expression in the dark, walking closer to him.
"Oh right, how did you get in here in the first place? Sir? Come out!”
Cheok Jungyeon laughs. “Hey,” He calls to Droon.
“What?”
“I’ll go after I crack open a nut.”
“Sir, stop talking to yourself and come out!” The police officer shouts a final warning to Cheok Jungyeon.
Immediately afterward, Cheok Jungyeon’s fist cut through the air. To be exact, he punches the air, causing a shockwave that ravages the officer. The pressure will crush the officer’s body, reducing it to an inhuman sight.
Or… that’s what is supposed to happen.
Cheok Jungyeon senses a Déjà vu.
The police officer vanishes within the blink of an eye.
Before Cheok Jungyeon knows it, a small figure stands adjacent to him. The police officer’s blue cap covers the face of the attacker. It is the same police officer that Jungyeon is targeting.
Even now, he cannot feel any power from the strange figure… just like back then.
Tang~!
“Savant,” Jungyeon beams happily, seeing who the strange police officer is.
The sound of steel meeting steel resounds. Savant just kicked Jungyeon under his crotch, yet he did not even wince. “And here I am hoping to crack a nut.” Savant jests as he withdraws his foot. He raises his head, showing his mask with the question mark on its face.
Cheok Jungyeon cracks his knuckles, ready to counterattack. His pure power comes crashing down at Savant, but before it truly connects, he stops.
“Do you feel that?” Savant teases Jungyeon.
Cheok Jungyeon is a master when recognizing the strong. The only exception to his claim is Savant whose presence is weaker than the wick of a candlelight. He knows that Savant is strong, but not, in the same way, he usually does.
Despite that, Jungyeon’s colleagues won’t credit him short of his claim that he is a ‘master when recognizing the strong’, because he has proven so many times how accurate his assessments are.
Cheok Jungyeon grits his teeth annoyed.
Savant stands right in front of his fist without care as if confident that Jungyeon will not land it.
Jungyeon can imagine the smug smirk behind Savant’s mask. It takes a lot of willpower to take back his fist. “What is this? Did you get tired of cosplaying as some wizard, and now you are doing a police officer?”
“Oho~ deflecting, huh? How is it? Did you feel it? You can sense it, right?” Savant teases him, his voice in an annoying pitch taking great joy from Jungyeon’s indecision.
Cheok Jungyeon is feeling extreme unease as danger caresses his skin. Somewhere. Anywhere. A very powerful individual has set their eyes on him. If he does anything wrong, he will die. “I want to fight so badly even if I die…” These are his thoughts, as such, he strains his sensory abilities, trying to discern where the danger is coming from.
“It is not coming from Savant… Just who?”
***
It is annoying.
Yeonha has compiled a report on the possible actions of one and only Cheok Jungyeon. He is an unstable element, making him very dangerous. Hajin has similarly done the research, trying to predict when Jungyeon will finally explode.
After perusing the patrol data of the police officers at night, Yeonha realizes that there is more than an 89% chance that a police officer might confront Jungyeon. Hajin now having the power decides to lend a hand and avoid any casualty.
As a result, Hajin has contacted me.
I recall from TNE that Jungyeon killed a nameless police officer in their mission to infiltrate Cube and scout for talent. After devising a plan, Hajin and I moved out.
Our objective this time for this side quest is to give Jungyeon a warning and avoid any needless casualty. From a bird’s eye view, avoiding a casualty will also help the Festival of Heroes to conduct more smoothly.
This has led to me disguising myself as a police officer to test Jungyeon. The police officer’s blue cap is the disguised [Witch King], and my mask is the same mask I use as Savant.
In front of me is Jungyeon’s hulking figure.
“You are under the sights of the most powerful sharpshooter in the whole world. One wrong move, and you are dead.” That is a lie. He wouldn’t die, and while the threat is real, the harm is not.
From a faraway vantage point, Hajin is using a transformed Desert Eagle as a Sniper Rifle. He has made a bullet of pure killing intent through his Stigma.
Its effects are whoever lands on Hajin’s scope will experience dreadful killing intent. Of course, Hajin has no plan to shoot. We don’t want to clue Chameleon Troupe that we have a gunner. Essentially, this is a bluff.
This is a bluff that can only work with Jungyeon who is sensitive to killing intent and the powerful.
I just love mental games. It fucks with your brains. It is especially thrilling when I belong to the group that is doing the fucking. “I don’t really want you dead, Jungyeon… I just came here with a message…” I don’t want to provoke Jungyeon’s battle-hungriness so I mellow him. “Please… I come in peace.”
The familiar words ‘I come in peace’ make Jungyeon less bloodthirsty.
“Dead? Oh please. Try me.” Yet, he continues to provoke me.
“You just tried to kill a police officer now. What if it is just a normal police officer and not me? They would have died. I beg of you not to cause trouble. Have fun. Be merry. Enjoy the festival.”
Jungyeon scoffs irritably. “But it is not a normal police officer who received my fist.”
It appears that Jungyeon really wants a fight. He must be trying to think where the sharpshooter is. I can also imagine Droon from wherever he is, trying to search for this sharpshooter.
“This is not just for me, but also for you.” I chastise Jungyeon as if I would to a child. “I came here to share a piece of information and warn you. It is up to you to believe me or not.”
Droon’s voice echoes only to Jungyeon’s ears, but I know better. I can also hear his voice through the [Orb of Solomon].
“A kilometer and a half, there are two buildings which are possibly the sharpshooter’s nest. You can hide from it if you go southeast outside the forest!” Droon’s support is professional, and accurate despite not being a sharpshooter himself.
Cheok Jungyeon manically smiles, feeling excited at the prospect of fighting.
Before it devolves into something worse, I tell him the information I dearly wish to share. “Chae Joochul is here. So behave.” With those words, I vanish into thin air by simultaneously using and [Not Here].
That information is a warning of its own, and I hope, the Chameleon Troupe will take my words seriously.
A chilling wind brushes against the leaves, creating a bleak melody.
In one of Cube’s artificial forests, a man is sitting on a tree trunk. He is in the middle of pitch-black darkness, but his bulky body can be seen easily. The formal suit he is wearing makes him especially eye-catching.
“It is so boring.” He is Cheon Jungyeok.
“Boring?” Droon’s voice echoes in Jungyeok’s ears.
“Yeah, boring… I want to fight…”
“…” Droon’s silence says much of how exasperated he is by Cheon Jungyeok.
Cheon Jungyeok’s eyes are bloodshot. His recent defeat makes his blood boil. In his defense, it isn’t total defeat. He can imagine various ways his confrontation with Savant going right or… wrong, and he loves it.
When he watches the duels between rookies, he barely holds himself back to jump and show how a fight is properly done. He is doing his best to suppress his urge, and his instincts are contending with his reason
“How is the mission? Did you check on Kim Suho? Chae Nayun? Or Shin Jonghak?” Droon focuses on the job inquiring about Jungyeon’s progress.
Cheok Jungyeon halfheartedly gives his assessment. “Mm…. I think they are okay… Maybe not…”
“Make up your mind.” Droon is getting tired of Cheok Jungyeon.
“They are fine. Happy? I want to wait until they grow up to fight. Honestly, if it is convenient, I would rather fight them now. They give me the tingle. That... Shin Jonghak though seems to be suffering from mental demons, but if he overcomes it, he will become strong too. Oh… How is that Kim Hajin guy?”
Droon is keeping tabs on Kim Hajin, the genius, the second coming of the Great Sage. “He is a nerd.” He comments.
“Pfft…” Cheok Jungyeon suppresses a laugh. “Like you?”
Droon is feeling threatened by Kim Hajjin. Someone like that can replace him within the Chameleon Troupe. The only advantage Droon has over Kim Hajin is his combat ability which is ironic since it is that part that Droon pays less attention to improving.
At that moment…
“Who are you?”
A voice rings out from behind Cheok Jungyeon. He turns around only to see a harmless police officer who is deployed for the Combat Exams to make up for the lack of manpower. Cheok Jungyeon doesn’t notice the police officer because he is a weakling who hasn’t even learned magic power.
At this point in time, being a police officer has become a glorified job reduced to deskwork and miscellaneous tasks. Their oath to protect the people is a mere platitude in remembrance of the old world before Outcall.
“Don’t forget why Yi Byul is bringing you here.”
At Droon’s words, Cheok Jungyeon nods.
“Yeah… I know. I’m a master when it comes to recognizing the strong.”
“Right, that’s the only reason.”
The police officer approaches Cheok Jungyeon with a flashlight. “Excuse me, what are you doing here? The forest is off-limits to outsiders. Please come out.”
Cheok Jungyeon stares at the police officer with scorn. The killing intent in his eyes radiates a clear warning. But the police officer cannot see Jungyeon’s expression in the dark, walking closer to him.
"Oh right, how did you get in here in the first place? Sir? Come out!”
Cheok Jungyeon laughs. “Hey,” He calls to Droon.
“What?”
“I’ll go after I crack open a nut.”
“Sir, stop talking to yourself and come out!” The police officer shouts a final warning to Cheok Jungyeon.
Immediately afterward, Cheok Jungyeon’s fist cut through the air. To be exact, he punches the air, causing a shockwave that ravages the officer. The pressure will crush the officer’s body, reducing it to an inhuman sight.
Or… that’s what is supposed to happen.
Cheok Jungyeon senses a Déjà vu.
The police officer vanishes within the blink of an eye.
Before Cheok Jungyeon knows it, a small figure stands adjacent to him. The police officer’s blue cap covers the face of the attacker. It is the same police officer that Jungyeon is targeting.
Even now, he cannot feel any power from the strange figure… just like back then.
Tang~!
“Savant,” Jungyeon beams happily, seeing who the strange police officer is.
The sound of steel meeting steel resounds. Savant just kicked Jungyeon under his crotch, yet he did not even wince. “And here I am hoping to crack a nut.” Savant jests as he withdraws his foot. He raises his head, showing his mask with the question mark on its face.
Cheok Jungyeon cracks his knuckles, ready to counterattack. His pure power comes crashing down at Savant, but before it truly connects, he stops.
“Do you feel that?” Savant teases Jungyeon.
Cheok Jungyeon is a master when recognizing the strong. The only exception to his claim is Savant whose presence is weaker than the wick of a candlelight. He knows that Savant is strong, but not, in the same way, he usually does.
Despite that, Jungyeon’s colleagues won’t credit him short of his claim that he is a ‘master when recognizing the strong’, because he has proven so many times how accurate his assessments are.
Cheok Jungyeon grits his teeth annoyed.
Savant stands right in front of his fist without care as if confident that Jungyeon will not land it.
Jungyeon can imagine the smug smirk behind Savant’s mask. It takes a lot of willpower to take back his fist. “What is this? Did you get tired of cosplaying as some wizard, and now you are doing a police officer?”
“Oho~ deflecting, huh? How is it? Did you feel it? You can sense it, right?” Savant teases him, his voice in an annoying pitch taking great joy from Jungyeon’s indecision.
Cheok Jungyeon is feeling extreme unease as danger caresses his skin. Somewhere. Anywhere. A very powerful individual has set their eyes on him. If he does anything wrong, he will die. “I want to fight so badly even if I die…” These are his thoughts, as such, he strains his sensory abilities, trying to discern where the danger is coming from.
“It is not coming from Savant… Just who?”
***
It is annoying.
Yeonha has compiled a report on the possible actions of one and only Cheok Jungyeon. He is an unstable element, making him very dangerous. Hajin has similarly done the research, trying to predict when Jungyeon will finally explode.
After perusing the patrol data of the police officers at night, Yeonha realizes that there is more than an 89% chance that a police officer might confront Jungyeon. Hajin now having the power decides to lend a hand and avoid any casualty.
As a result, Hajin has contacted me.
I recall from TNE that Jungyeon killed a nameless police officer in their mission to infiltrate Cube and scout for talent. After devising a plan, Hajin and I moved out.
Our objective this time for this side quest is to give Jungyeon a warning and avoid any needless casualty. From a bird’s eye view, avoiding a casualty will also help the Festival of Heroes to conduct more smoothly.
This has led to me disguising myself as a police officer to test Jungyeon. The police officer’s blue cap is the disguised [Witch King], and my mask is the same mask I use as Savant.
In front of me is Jungyeon’s hulking figure.
“You are under the sights of the most powerful sharpshooter in the whole world. One wrong move, and you are dead.” That is a lie. He wouldn’t die, and while the threat is real, the harm is not.
From a faraway vantage point, Hajin is using a transformed Desert Eagle as a Sniper Rifle. He has made a bullet of pure killing intent through his Stigma.
Its effects are whoever lands on Hajin’s scope will experience dreadful killing intent. Of course, Hajin has no plan to shoot. We don’t want to clue Chameleon Troupe that we have a gunner. Essentially, this is a bluff.
This is a bluff that can only work with Jungyeon who is sensitive to killing intent and the powerful.
I just love mental games. It fucks with your brains. It is especially thrilling when I belong to the group that is doing the fucking. “I don’t really want you dead, Jungyeon… I just came here with a message…” I don’t want to provoke Jungyeon’s battle-hungriness so I mellow him. “Please… I come in peace.”
The familiar words ‘I come in peace’ make Jungyeon less bloodthirsty.
“Dead? Oh please. Try me.” Yet, he continues to provoke me.
“You just tried to kill a police officer now. What if it is just a normal police officer and not me? They would have died. I beg of you not to cause trouble. Have fun. Be merry. Enjoy the festival.”
Jungyeon scoffs irritably. “But it is not a normal police officer who received my fist.”
It appears that Jungyeon really wants a fight. He must be trying to think where the sharpshooter is. I can also imagine Droon from wherever he is, trying to search for this sharpshooter.
“This is not just for me, but also for you.” I chastise Jungyeon as if I would to a child. “I came here to share a piece of information and warn you. It is up to you to believe me or not.”
Droon’s voice echoes only to Jungyeon’s ears, but I know better. I can also hear his voice through the [Orb of Solomon].
“A kilometer and a half, there are two buildings which are possibly the sharpshooter’s nest. You can hide from it if you go southeast outside the forest!” Droon’s support is professional, and accurate despite not being a sharpshooter himself.
Cheok Jungyeon manically smiles, feeling excited at the prospect of fighting.
Before it devolves into something worse, I tell him the information I dearly wish to share. “Chae Joochul is here. So behave.” With those words, I vanish into thin air by simultaneously using and [Not Here].
That information is a warning of its own, and I hope, the Chameleon Troupe will take my words seriously.
