###
Kang Subin was trembling as I looked at her.
Her knees were bleeding, possibly scraped from falling, and tape covered her mouth.
Her tearful, reddened eyes gazed up at me.
Anger boiled up inside. I carefully removed the tape from her lips.
“Brother…”
“Just wait a little longer.”
I wanted to comfort the other two kids as well, but now was not the time—we were in the middle of a battle.
I turned my attention to the masked man.
Byun Woo-seok seemed flustered and stammered.
“Wh-what the hell? Who are you?”
“I asked you first.”
“What?”
“I said, who the hell are you?”
Byun Woo-seok looked completely lost.
‘Where did this guy come from?’
A hole had torn open in the empty air, and I walked through it as if crossing into another space.
‘Does he have some kind of spatial skill?’
It wasn’t something he had heard of before.
Could it be invisibility?
Was this guy also an assassin, like him?
‘It’s too soon for the police to show up.’
What the hell is going on?
How did he know to wait here in advance?
Why is he covering his face with a mask?
Kang Hyun himself was slightly confused.
‘…To think I’d reach this realization like this.’
Just moments ago, he had been in the Seonghwa headquarters.
But in an instant, he had crossed over to this place.
By opening space itself, he had achieved a new level of mastery.
He pulled out an elixir and chewed it—Dried Sacred Water Elixir, used as a mana potion.
“Ptuh.”
“…? What did you just do?”
He didn’t answer.
There was no need to explain anything to someone who was about to die.
‘Spatial magic consumes an absurd amount of mana.’
He had only about 30% of his mana left after clearing the dungeon, and using that skill had drained it all at once.
It seemed unlikely he could use it again in combat for now. As he was thinking this—
Ding!
[Skill <Kyle-Style Magic Swordsmanship> has leveled up.]
[Lv.Max+1 → Lv.Max+2]
The vague understanding he had just moments ago solidified as the Words of Power for spatial manipulation surged through him.
‘Hah!’
He had ascended another level, and a thrill ran through him. Now, he felt confident that he could even use this in combat.
‘The system is truly remarkable.’
This is what you’d call an effortless growth hack.
“Thank you, my dear student. I’ll make good use of this.”
From his shimmering inventory, he drew his sword.
“【Burn】”
Whoosh—
Flames roared to life, enveloping the blade and illuminating the dark alley.
Byun Woo-seok instinctively flinched.
“Are you a swordsman or a mage? Or is that an enchanted artifact?”
“I’ll give you a chance.”
“A chance for what?”
“State your affiliation and purpose. Then I’ll make sure your death is quick.”
“You cocky little—what, you think you’re something special?”
Byun Woo-seok tried to act tough, but an uneasy feeling crept over him.
The figure standing there, sword blazing and casting shadows in the dim alley, exuded an overwhelming aura.
A chill ran down Byun Woo-seok’s spine, and he began to reconsider his options.
‘Sh*t… Should I just run?’
And so, he hesitated, torn between fight and flight.
Kang Hyun surged forward, closing the gap.
Byun Woo-seok grinned, a smug expression spreading across his face.
‘Too slow. His speed is around F-rank.’
In contrast, Byun Woo-seok prided himself on his agility. Speed was his forte.
It was game over.
He drew his dagger and swung it.
Clang, clang!
Whoosh!
Kang Hyun had the same thought.
‘Fast.’
His stats were severely lacking—especially in speed.
If he were focused on strength or durability, he could have compensated with technique, but against someone this fast?
‘He’s probably around C- or D+ rank.’
Byun Woo-seok was the most challenging opponent Kang Hyun had faced so far.
The enemies in the guild battle had been weaker and primarily mages, which was Kang Hyun’s specialty.
But Byun Woo-seok was a physical fighter, overpowering with raw stats.
‘Interesting. Let’s see how far he can go.’
Of course, Kang Hyun wasn’t implying he’d lose.
He was the former strongest hero.
If he couldn’t handle someone like this, he might as well give up.
Whoosh, Whoosh!
“Damn it…!”
The intense heat of the flames on Kang Hyun’s sword left Byun Woo-seok struggling.
Moreover, every one of his strikes was blocked, while Kang Hyun’s attacks were relentlessly precise.
‘His stats should be low… So why is this happening?’
Byun Woo-seok decided to finish things with a skill.
A one-hit kill.
Struggling against the relentless heat, Byun Woo-seok shifted the trajectory of his dagger.
Unlike before, the speed was on a whole different level as he thrust it toward Kang Hyun’s forehead.
‘Got him!’
Die, you bastard!
Even Kang Hyun was briefly surprised.
‘So fast!’
Stats really were terrifying.
But instead of evading, Kang Hyun met the strike head-on.
“【Fall】.”
Byun Woo-seok’s dagger suddenly lost its momentum, veering off course.
Kang Hyun tilted his head slightly.
The blade that had been aiming for his forehead slipped past, barely grazing the side of his neck.
“What the hell!?”
With a sharp cry, Byun Woo-seok’s chest was slashed deeply.
Slash.
“Aaaah!”
No blood spilled—the wound seared shut instantly, deepening the injury even further.
From that point on, the fight was one-sided. Byun Woo-seok accumulated more and more injuries.
The three children watching from the sidelines were in awe.
Kang Hyun’s flaming sword lit up the dark alley, their silhouettes dancing wildly on the walls as the two fighters clashed.
It was a dazzling display of swordsmanship, infused with magic.
“Wow…”
“Subin, is that really your brother?”
“…Yeah.”
Byun Woo-seok made a decision.
‘I have to run! If this keeps up, I’m dead!’
He poured the last of his mana into using the skill again, speeding up his movements even further.
Throwing his dagger at Kang Hyun, he forced him to parry. Kang Hyun, with his low stats, had no choice but to deflect the blade and momentarily give up his momentum.
Seizing the opportunity, Byun Woo-seok kicked off between buildings, disappearing into the night.
“I’ll remember your face, you bastard!”
He escaped, emboldened by the thought of Palan’s retaliation.
Kang Hyun silently watched him retreating.
‘Can’t catch him.’
His agility was F-, after all.
Abandoning the chase, Kang Hyun pointed his sword into the air.
He began calculating.
With the recent skill level-up and newfound precision in his understanding, he prepared for what came next.
“【Open】.”
Whoosh!
The space in front of him tore open as though splitting apart.
On the other side, Byun Woo-seok was mid-leap, rushing straight toward Kang Hyun.
“What?”
Byun Woo-seok froze in shock.
Without hesitation, Kang Hyun’s flaming sword plunged into his stomach.
Thunk.
Sizzle—
“Agh, k-keugh, AAAAH—!”
A bloodcurdling scream filled the alley as Byun Woo-seok’s innards and bones were scorched.
Kang Hyun muttered softly from beneath his mask.
“【Silence】. 【Blind】.”
Using a significant amount of mana, Kang Hyun silenced Byun Woo-seok and shielded the eyes of the three children watching.
“Kyaaah!”
“What’s happening? I can’t see!”
What was about to unfold was too gruesome.
With swift precision, Kang Hyun pulled out the sword and swung it cleanly.
“【Vera】.”
The enhanced blade pierced through Byun Woo-seok’s durability, severing his limbs one by one.
He cauterized the wounds immediately with flames to stop the bleeding.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed Byun Woo-seok’s dismembered body and limbs into his inventory.
The situation was resolved.
As the flames around the sword extinguished, the alley returned to darkness and silence.
Only faint embers scattered across the walls and ground flickered softly, crackling as they died out.
‘If I fight without Words of Power… with this body’s current state, this is about the limit. It’ll take time, but I can still manage.’
The real challenge lay in dealing with skills. They were unpredictable, true wildcards.
Without Words of Power, defeating someone like Byun Woo-seok without sustaining injuries would have been nearly impossible.
‘Still, he fought like trash. If this had been a Thean martial artist, I’d have lost in pure physical combat.’
Kang Hyun sighed.
It was frustrating to have such low stats.
‘Ah, right.’
He restored the children’s vision.
“Are you all okay?”
“Brother…”
“Waaah… Mom!”
“T-thank you so much!”
Subin’s friend sobbed uncontrollably, while Yang Sujin seemed relatively composed, though her eyes were red and puffy.
Yang Sujin stared at Kang Hyun in awe.
‘This… this is an Awakened from Seonghwa…’
Were all members of the top 10 guilds this incredible?
Could she ever become that strong someday?
“Brother, you’re an Awakened?”
“I suppose you could say that.”
“Um… Are you a mage or a swordsman?”
“I use both. Let’s call it a Magic Swordsman.”
“Wow…”
A Magic Swordsman!
That was the same as the legendary Kyle.
The children’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
Thankfully, they couldn’t differentiate between Words of Power and magic.
Since 1-Circle spells bore a strong resemblance to Words of Power, and Yang Sujin was just a fledgling Awakened, the distinction was lost on them.
“Scary, wasn’t it? Let’s go home.”
“…Sniff…”
With their tension finally dissipating, the tears began to flow freely.
Before leaving, Kang Hyun ensured everything was cleaned up.
He contacted Yoo Chae-young.
<I’ll take care of the injured children.>
And then reached out to Choi Young-ho.
<I’ll make sure there won’t be any official issues from this urban battle.>
Between Seonghwa’s corporate backing and the government’s support, Kang Hyun felt confident.
###
Kang Subin was admitted to a university hospital affiliated with Seonghwa.
“Fortunately, there are no physical issues, but we’re concerned about potential psychological aftereffects. We recommend hospitalization and close counseling.”
“But I have to go to school.”
“Then do it from the hospital.”
“Brother, are you a child?”
In the end, Kang Subin listened.
For a few days, Kang Hyun stayed by her side. He kept the attack a secret from their parents to avoid worrying them.
“But what are we going to do now? What if strange people come again when you’re not here, Brother…?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll assign bodyguards to you. And the ones who sent them—I’ll take care of them soon.”
“You can assign bodyguards?”
“Of course.”
They wouldn’t be from Seonghwa’s staff, but as the Perfect Clear Awakened, he was sure the government would accommodate at least this much.
“I still can’t believe it… That the person who suddenly appeared and fought like that in the alley was you, Brother.”
“What, was I cool?”
“Can you not interrupt my moment of awe, please?”
Judging by her use of “awe”, it seemed she thought he was pretty cool. Satisfaction welled up within him.
“How strong are you, really?”
“Very strong.”
“Like, where do you rank among Awakened?”
“The strongest in the world.”
“Aww, can you act a little more mature?”
“But it’s true.”
Why did no one around him ever believe what he said?
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Ring Ring—
“Let me take this call real quick.”
“Are you busy? If you are, you can go.”
“You sure? I’ll really leave if you say so.”
“…!”
“Heh. I’m not going anywhere, you brat. Look at you glaring at me like that.”
Leaving the room, Kang Hyun answered the call—it was from Chief Choi.
<The incident site has been handled.>
“Good.”
<This was my oversight. I deeply apologize. I should have assigned bodyguards to your family, knowing something like this could happen.>
“We had to keep my identity hidden, so it couldn’t be helped.”
But now, the time for hiding had passed.
He couldn’t stay in the shadows forever.
<I’ll arrange 24-hour Awakened bodyguards. They’ll be undercover, so your family won’t experience any inconvenience to their privacy. That includes Miss Aden as well.>
“Understood. Also—”
<Yes, go on.>
“Oh Hyuk-jun, do you know where that brat is?”
<…>
Kang Hyun had already finished interrogating Byun Woo-seok.
It was Palan—specifically, Oh Hyuk-jun—who had sent him.
Why? To punish Ghost?
To kill the Perfect Clear Awakened and manipulate progress for their gain?
It didn’t matter anymore.
He was a dead man walking.
“Send me the information. I’m going to kill him now.”
