episode_0135

135.

“……”

“Heuk, heuk, kkyuk.”

“……”

“Ha, uk, ugh, ugyuk……”

Joo Seung-hyun, the manager of the drug manufacturing plant, looked up at the girl with black hair, half-collapsed, as he struggled to cough up blood.

The girl silently stared down at Joo Seung-hyun without saying a word.

Her eyes, as cold as ice, stared endlessly at Joo Seung-hyun, causing his shoulders to tremble involuntarily.

The merciless gaze beyond her cold expression instilled fear in Joo Seung-hyun.

What was the girl thinking behind that cold expression?

Joo Seung-hyun couldn’t possibly know in his current state.

“……Ha, ha, kkyuk, this monster-like girl.”

Joo Seung-hyun intermittently gasped for breath and cursed.

“I never thought it would be this bad, koolk, koolk.”

That girl.

She had easily taken down a dozen or so villains who had come to the illegal drug manufacturing plant.

Rumors of a monster who roamed the underworld, swiftly defeating villains, were well-known, but the reality exceeded imagination.

“I thought it was an exaggeration……”

It was not an exaggeration at all.

Her skills were beyond what the rumors suggested.

Despite the tight security at the illegal drug manufacturing plant, with one swipe of her blade, she made blood gush out like falling autumn leaves.

…How did she acquire such skills at such a young age?

Joo Seung-hyun cautiously observed the girl, his lower lip slightly trembling.

The girl was covered in bloodstains from head to toe.

From the dirty trench coat draped over her shoulders to her hair and face, everything was stained with blood.

Blood droplets fell from her hair ends.

A beautiful girl, covered in blood, with a ruthless expression, swiftly eliminating villains.

Her appearance was terrifying yet beautiful.

The rumors about the girl, known as the Bloodthirster, who traveled through the underworld, destroying evil organizations, seemed to be true.

“W-what are you… why are you like this… ugh?!”

“I just hate villains.”

She plunged her sword deep into Joo Seung-hyun’s shoulder.

The sensation of flesh being pierced deeply crept up from her fingertips, but the girl didn’t even blink.

She callously ruffled Joo Seung-hyun’s shoulder.

“You casually harm people.”

“Kkyuk.”

“You commit heinous acts without any sense of guilt.”

“Kkyyuug!”

The girl struck the villain’s wounds more forcefully.

“I truly hate it.”

She had witnessed many despicable acts while dismantling various illegal organizations.

She had seen how despicable humans could become for a few coins.

And how they played with the lives of innocent people like toys to fulfill their desires.

She had seen enough in the past few months.

“Damn it! Is this how a hero should be?!”

“…Do I look like a hero to you?”

A hero, a hero.

She had once dreamed of becoming the greatest hero.

A true hero would not inflict unnecessary harm on incapacitated villains.

But Jin So-yeon was not a hero.

She could never be a hero to achieve what she wanted.

“Do I look like a hero to you?”

“Ugh, enough!”

Subduing villains without any harm was akin to a foolish ideal.

Because of such weak thoughts, how many times have I faced death?

Because I fear hurting people.

Because I dislike seeing blood.

Because I’m afraid of the screams of pain.

At first, I acted cautiously, but it resulted in putting not only her but also the hostage’s life in danger.

The villains relentlessly dug into Jin Soyeon’s weak points.

Realizing her resistance to harming people, she bared her teeth and targeted Jin Soyeon’s weaknesses, forcing her to engage in unnecessary battles.

Suddenly, Jin Soyeon realized.

That she was too arrogant.

The idea of taking down opponents without major injuries was just a fantasy of a rookie who didn’t know the field.

No matter how skilled she was, she was ultimately alone.

Without a reliable ally to entrust her back to, it meant that if she made a mistake, it would be difficult to respond skillfully.

It was a job where even a small mistake could lead to great danger.

Therefore, she couldn’t afford to make mistakes.

If Jin Soyeon were to make a mistake and face death, who would settle her grudges, her grievances, her revenge?

Due to Jin Soyeon’s meager guilt and conscience, she couldn’t bear to take foolish risks.

So Jin Soyeon made a vow.

To cut people.

No, villains.

Not to take lives, but to render them unable to function properly.

She cut off arms, legs, to incapacitate them. Many times, she would be attacked again while trying to subdue them, as the villains would pretend to be unconscious or fallen.

So she chose a surefire way to neutralize them.

Even if it was cruel.

A definite method.

“You, you…!”

When she first cut someone, she couldn’t control herself.

Her hands and feet trembled like aspen leaves, and she retched at the sight of blood.

That disgusting sensation seemed to linger in her hands, and she could only bite her lips tightly for a long time.

She even vomited bile in the bathroom and shivered all over with an unknown sense of guilt, dreaming of nightmares.

But she didn’t give up.

Ignoring such pain, she gritted her teeth and silently continued to eliminate the villains.

Revenge was all she had left.

For that, Jin Soyeon could endure any pain.

“I won’t kill. But you won’t be able to function normally again.”

Jin Soyeon pulled out the sword she had placed on her shoulder.

And she imbued the blade with magic to form a sword energy.

To destroy the man’s magical organs, she slowly extended the sword.

“Wait! You, Yoo Dahee, you have something to do with her, right? I might have information that could help…”

“Not needed.”

Cutting off Joo Seunghyun’s desperate words with a single stroke, Jin Soyeon’s gaze was ruthlessly cold.

“A small fry like you couldn’t possibly know enough about that woman, and besides, I already have enough information about Yoo Dahee.”

“Ugh, aaaaah!”

Joo Seunghyun thought.

There was no room for further persuasion.

So, with a heart of determination, he used his psychic abilities.

Squeezing out the remaining strength, he unleashed a blazing fire with all his might.

He was a pyrokinetic.

With considerable heat, he had a history of burning dozens of people.

Even if he was considered a pro hero, his immense firepower could melt anyone in an instant.

Of course, he knew that it wouldn’t work on that monster.

But wasn’t it his duty not to just stand by and let it happen?

Moreover, there was always a chance, so if he was lucky, he might be able to withstand the monster… Ugh?!

“…Ugh, aaaaah!”

Crack!

It was a moment of unexpected surprise.

The man’s right hand, spewing flames, was severed.

Despite being hit by flames reaching thousands of degrees Celsius, the man moved his sword as if nothing had happened, slicing through the man’s wrist in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, my hand, my hand!”

“Your comrades are lying nearby, and you don’t seem to care about this level of firepower… Are you not concerned about whether they live or die? How villainous.”

With a wave of Jin Soyeon’s hand, the blazing flames, like hellfire, extinguished as if they were mere candles.

It was truly unbelievable.

Was it because of that woman’s extraordinary abilities?

Despite trying every attack against her in their previous battles, nothing had worked. Magic, poison, nothing could penetrate her defenses.

‘How is it possible for another monster like that, besides Yoo Da-hee, to be in South Korea…’

Her absurd abilities and skills far beyond her age reminded him of Yoo Da-hee, the leader of the Rebellion.

Perhaps she truly possessed the potential similar to that of Yoo Da-hee.

“Do you value your life that much? Engaging in drug production and human trafficking by kidnapping innocent people?”

“Wait, wait…!”

“Shut up.”

Swish.

She didn’t want to hear any more.

Jin Soyeon swiftly thrust her sword.

Penetrating the man’s magical mechanism.

Concentrating her magic, she incinerated the man’s insides.

Not enough to kill him.

But it would be quite painful.

The man fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Jin Soyeon glanced at the man for a moment before moving on.

The factory was filled with signs of battle.

The ground was dug up, there were burn marks from the fire, and bullet marks on the walls.

All evidence of Jin Soyeon’s fights.

But despite the villains’ desperate resistance, they were no match for Jin Soyeon.

Her power was not something a mere villain could handle.

The villains lay scattered on the ground, bleeding.

Jin Soyeon finally reached the place where people were being held captive.

Young children with frightened eyes looked at her through the iron bars.

Children who had been kidnapped, used for drug production, and then sold into human trafficking by the villains.

Jin Soyeon was disgusted by the villains’ actions.

With a slight sigh, she swung her sword, cutting through the iron bars.

The sight of the trembling children on the other side of the severed iron bars was heartbreaking.

Taking a phone she had snatched from one of the villains, she called the police and handed the phone to one of the children.

“Keep it.”

“P-please, please save us…”

“I said keep it.”

“Y-yes…!”

The children were visibly scared.

To them, Jin Soyeon was just as frightening as anyone else.

The distant screams, the sickening smell of blood, the sight of people covered in blood… It was understandable that the children feared her.

But there was something else.

The look in their eyes, as if they were seeing a monster.

Seeing the fear in their faces, Jin Soyeon couldn’t help but feel like she had become a monster herself.

Villains, hostages, everyone was afraid of Jin Soyeon.

“…A monster.”

“Ugh.”

She couldn’t bear to watch the children trembling at the mere muttering of a word, so Jin Soyeon left with a final message.

“You’re free now, go.”

“Okay.”

From behind, the murmurs of people could be heard, but Jin Soyeon flipped her transparent cloak and slipped out of the drug factory.

She waited for the police car in the distance, and soon she was completely out of the drug factory.

How long had she walked?

She was able to return to the old hideout without realizing it.

Jin Soyeon stepped into the worn-out hideout shower room.

She immediately took off her clothes and vigorously wiped the bloodstains off her body. However, no matter how much she wiped, it felt like the stains wouldn’t disappear.

The sensation of bloodstains and the heat of blood still seemed to linger.

Even though she had cleaned herself thoroughly, why…

She suddenly turned her head.

Through the bathroom mirror, all she could see were bloodstains.

Jin Soyeon’s body, without a single thread of clothing, was completely covered in bloodstains and blood, as if a mix of the blood of villains, hostages, and monsters.

“….”

Jin Soyeon slammed her fist against the mirror.

Beyond the cracked mirror stood a decadent woman.

Her eyes, which once sparkled with golden light that he had praised, had lost their shine and sunk into a dull and gloomy state.

Her gentle eyes were now sharp, and the bright area under her eyes was filled with dark circles.

She looked very different from a few months ago.

“…What would Jinhyuk say if he saw me like this.”

But the dead cannot speak.

The already deceased Lee Jinhyuk couldn’t do anything for her.

No warm comfort, no worried gaze, no mischievous jokes, no terrifying scolding, nothing.

“….Ha.”

Jin Soyeon hesitated for a moment.

“….Ha, huh.”

She started to laugh without reason.

The cold expression she had just had was nowhere to be found, and Jin Soyeon burst into laughter as if she would collapse at any moment.

“….Ha, huh, huh.”

Eventually, she sat down as if she were collapsing.

The cold water from the shower poured over her body, and Jin Soyeon muttered as she blankly received the water.

“….I’m still far away, I’m still far away.”

She needed to fight more villains.

She needed to obtain more artifacts.

She needed to harden her heart.

She needed to become stronger.

…In order to defeat that monster-like woman, Yoo Dahee.