Chapter 12 (2/2): Uninvited Guest (3)

02.

“…….”

Whether it was because the accumulated damage reduced his HP to zero, or because he froze and his whole body shattered into pieces right away, the sight of the assassin’s final moments— becoming a single snowflake and melting into the asphalt— was more impressive than I expected.

“…You should have acted more carefully.”

I spoke my last words to the man who no longer even had a body left. 

The choice to raid this neighborhood tonight was his own, and with that choice came the responsibility for its consequences.

If his life was precious to him, he should have been more cautious in every action and chosen the right option.

Who could blame anyone for that death?

“….”

Perhaps due to the influence of Selberion, even though I technically killed someone, I felt no particular thrill. 

I shifted my gaze to another man, presumably the assassin’s companion.

“Mo-monster, d-don’t come any closer!!”

He looked like a rogue-type supporter and was wildly swinging a small dagger to block my approach.

But such a cheap dagger was no threat to me— Selberion. 

I calmly ignored his threats and slowly started moving toward him.

[Kim Jinho (Panty Goblin)]

Level: 1132

Class: Rogue

Attribute: Darkness

Guild: Ace

Status: None

Thanks to Selberion’s passive skill ‘Piercing Frost,’ detailed information about him came clearly into view. 

When I saw his guild, I couldn’t help but frown.

‘…Ace Guild.’

His guild was the same as the assassin who just died— the core guild of SPR, a large guild in charge of the metropolitan area, known as ‘Ace.’

“Ha…”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment that what I feared had come true. 

A deep sigh passed through the mask and echoed outward.

If the Ace guild members, entrusted with full authority over metropolitan law enforcement, commit crimes themselves, and with the police and military incapacitated, there is effectively no one to stop them.

Even if the Ace guild tries to punish their own, it would be mere slap-on-the-wrist protection of their own members, so Seoul would soon become their lawless kingdom, their own realm.

There are only two in front of me now, but if more of the Ace guild intoxicate themselves with power and act only for personal gain, Seoul, already chaotic, would fall into even greater disorder.

It was already showing signs, and it was truly frustrating.

“D- don’t come any closer, okay?! Do you know who I belong to?! I’m from Ace. One more step and it’ll be considered a guild-level declaration of war.”

“…….”

Did they even understand the butterfly effect their wrongdoing could cause? 

The rogue named Kim Jinho was only trembling and threatening me.

Whether he belonged to Ace or not, robbery, rape, and murder targeting civilians— especially murder in my neighborhood— were absolutely unforgivable.

That was why I didn’t stop advancing toward him.

“Fuck! Can’t you hear me?! I said don’t come! Do you even know what you’re doing?! Do you think you can handle us Ace?!”

“…So annoying.”

Kim Jinho, who had an enormous sense of pride in the Ace guild, made me frown in disgust.

Ace was a traditional and popular large guild, and after fighting alongside its members dozens or hundreds of times, it was natural to feel loyalty— but using that loyalty to threaten others felt utterly repugnant.

“Don’t come closer, I said don’t!!”

“…….”

“Don’t come!! Ugh, damn it!!”

After various threats failed to stop me, he changed tactics.

“Kyah, kyahhhhhhh!!”

“Don’t come. Put down that greatsword right now. Or this woman dies.”

The rogue, grabbing tightly a female priest standing behind him— presumably a companion of the paladin who had already fought them— pressed a dagger to her neck and shouted.

“One more step and this innocent woman dies. Because of you.”

“…….”

A completely obvious hostage situation. 

The captured female priest began to sob, and her paladin companion hurriedly stood up.

“Ji- Jia!! You bastard! Take your hand off her… Ugh…”

The paladin tried to rush the rogue but clutched his abdomen in pain and collapsed. 

Even if he had been fine, he had lost his shield to the rogue— perhaps through ‘steal’— so there was little he could do.

“…Turn around and get lost right now. If you don’t want to see anyone die because of you.”

“Huff…”

Clearly, this threat was far better than mentioning the Ace guild. 

At this distance, the priest’s neck would be pierced before I could even act.

If this had been other players, they might have obediently followed his words first. 

Because stubbornness risking the death of a hostage, an innocent person, would be a disaster.

But I was not just any ordinary ‘other player’ right now. 

No, I wasn’t even a player to begin with.

I was a monster now — the stage boss, and one of the strongest, the Frost of Ruin, Selberion.

…There were certainly ways to overcome this situation.

Unfortunately, that thief seemed unaware of Selberion’s ‘Ashen Eye Bind,’ or hadn’t realized my true identity yet.

“…Ice Temptation.”

I reached out my hand and activated the skill, Ice Temptation.

Ice Temptation was one of Selberion’s unrevealed skills. 

It placed a ‘Frozen Temptation’ effect on the designated target, instantly rendering them unable to attack and forcing them to move toward me.

It was a perfect skill for a situation like this.

“…?! W-What is this?! Wh-What did you do…?! Ugh?!”

“…”

As I activated the skill, a blue heart-shaped magic circle appeared above the thief’s head, and the Frozen Temptation effect immediately took hold.

Now he couldn’t perform any ‘attack’ actions, and his every step would be directed solely toward me, Selberion.

“What?! My, my body?! My feet are moving on their own?! Damn it, what did you do?! Why is my body moving on its own?!”

I wished I could silence his mouth a bit, but that would be too much to ask. 

The tempted thief dropped his dagger to the ground and slowly started walking toward me.

“Huff! Huff, huff…”

“Jia! Jia, are you okay?!”

Thanks to that, the female priest was freed and collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out from the tension. 

The holy knight hurried to her side and supported her weakened body.

“Uh? Uh? W-Wait, wait a minute, ah, no, no…”

“…”

The thief was steadily approaching right in front of me, against his will. 

When he finally reached me, I grabbed his neck — so maliciously that it could be called a hostage situation — and lifted him into the air.

“Kuh, kuhhk…!! Wh-What kind of strength is this…!!”

“…”

The thief hung limply in my grasp.

I was Selberion, with abnormal stats. 

Even though I was in a girl’s body, lifting a measly thief like this was nothing.

“Kuhk, y- you’re not letting go?! Do you even know what you’re doing, kuhk!!”

He struggled for breath as I squeezed tighter, but there was no way a mere player’s strength could overpower Selberion’s power. 

Finally, he glared at me with hateful eyes and made his best threat.

“You know what’ll happen if you kill me?! Woojin and I are really close to the guild leader, and the entire Ace guild will come to kill you.”

“…”

“How close we are, huh? Can a lowly player like you handle the entire Ace guild?! You’ll regret it to your bones.”

“…Interesting.”

I chuckled softly upon hearing his words.

Yeah, maybe showing is better than telling a hundred times. 

And I didn’t want this hateful man to die with hope that his comrades would come for revenge — not while he was smiling.

I removed the mask-like ‘Dreamlike Tiara’ that had covered my entire face and the cheap gray hoodie I had been wearing, reverting to Selberion’s original appearance.

“…”

A blue light enveloped me, and I revealed the complete form of the stage boss guarding the ‘End of the World’ — the Frost of Ruin, the God of Destruction, my true form — right before his eyes.

“…”

White short hair and bright red eyes.

A beautiful face accentuated further by a black tiara.

A sophisticated dress mixing black and crimson hues.

And the Death and Frost Chain, which had returned from a greatsword form to its original chained form.

…The strongest being in the season’s off-fantasy, the God of Destruction — Selberion.

“Uh…?”

The thief’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale as he confirmed my appearance.

“Uh? Uh? W-Wait, you, you are…?”

Although he didn’t know my passive skills, he must have recognized my appearance. 

Unable to hide his shock and confusion, his lips finally spilled my name.

“Se-Selberion…? Selberion? Why are you here…? W-Wait, what is this…?”

Was he finally realizing what was going on?

The thief’s expression quickly turned to despair as he understood whose territory they had dared to plunder and whom they had threatened.

I smiled faintly and whispered coldly into his ear.

“Ace guild…?”

The Ace guild — Korea’s largest, most prestigious guild. 

The thief belonged to it, firmly believing that if I killed him, they would trample me in retaliation.

I smiled broadly and spoke to the thief who was frozen stiff all over.

“…Yes, bring them all.”

“Ugh, uugh, uh…”

“Tell them to come for revenge. Tell them to come fight.”

“Ugh, ugh, no, no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Bring all the so-called Top 4 guilds here.”

The thief seemed to weep tears of regret for his mistakes. 

But it was already too late. 

Every choice he made from here on out had to be cautious, because time gone by would never return.

I whispered my final words into his ear — colder than any winter, chilling to the bone.

“…I’ll kill Ace, the legends, everyone.”

Then, all of thief Kim Jinho’s essence froze solid.