Chapter 26 of 100
Chapter 26
6 min read1,399 words
<Chapter 26: The Martial God Who Regressed to Level 2>
* * *
“Se, Seong Jihan?!”
What, what is this?
Why are you here?
That guy, who was far below the tower, how did he get here so quickly….
“Let’s start with a death.”
Boom!
As Seong Jihan’s hand enveloped Kim Gyuhyuk’s head, it burst like a balloon.
If this were real life, it would have been a horrific sight.
Seong Jihan nodded slightly to Masid.
“Thanks. For stopping him.”
Masid merely shrugged.
Thud, thud.
Seong Jihan walked to the spot where Kim Gyuhyuk would respawn.
“What a shit game! How did a Bronze get from there to here…!”
Kim Gyuhyuk, who had just respawned, immediately started cursing.
Despite his head exploding, he was still full of energy.
After all, dying only resulted in a level drop, not the loss of skills.
‘No one’s going to save me, and it seems like the mission is already ruined. I might as well curse and get some support.’
With that thought, Kim Gyuhyuk opened his mouth.
“Hey! You f***...”
His mouth, which was about to spew curses, suddenly stopped.
“Huh?!”
Seong Jihan’s left hand instantly clamped down on his mouth.
“Since this is a game, you probably thought there was nothing to fear.”
Seong Jihan spoke calmly, as if reciting.
“Most of the pain is filtered out by the BattleNet Connector. Dying only lowers your level, so that’s the general understanding, right?”
“Ugh! Buh!”
Splat.
Seong Jihan’s right hand tightly gripped Kim Gyuhyuk’s shoulder.
“I’ll show you a world you don’t know.”
Whoosh.
Kim Gyuhyuk felt an unknown energy penetrate his body through his shoulder, spreading throughout his body.
It was similar to the sensation a mage feels when manipulating the magic in their heart, but this energy was completely different—very cold and sharp.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
The energy spread through Kim Gyuhyuk’s entire body, tearing his muscles and twisting his bones.
It was a technique called Fen Jin Cuogu (分筋錯骨), which only a few martial artists who had mastered certain skills could use.
Kim Gyuhyuk, seeing his body contort in ways it shouldn’t, broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Thank goodness I bought an expensive BattleNet Connector.’
This was a moment when the Korean trait of wanting the best equipment, even at a lower tier, shone through.
‘Actually, my whole body hurts right now. But at this level…’
If he had used a cheap connector, he would have gone mad long ago.
The top-tier BattleNet Connector, which reduced pain by a staggering 95%, was incredibly reassuring.
Still, he needed to take damage and die quickly.
“Heal.”
Seong Jihan cast a healing spell on Kim Gyuhyuk, who was waiting for death.
His twisted body was restored, only to be twisted again by the Fen Jin Cuogu.
‘Damn… What a bastard.’
Is he not going to let me die?
Seong Jihan just continued to cast Heal with a blank expression.
“Heal.”
“Heal.”
Kim Gyuhyuk’s life was maintained as he received the healing spell multiple times.
‘You damn bastard. Do you think I’ll lose… Wait, what?’
Kim Gyuhyuk, determined to endure the pain and stand firm, suddenly felt something.
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Kim Gyuhyuk suddenly rolled his eyes and fell to the ground.
Until now, his pride had kept him from even groaning.
But the sudden, needle-like pain was unbearable.
‘What, what is this? Why is it so painful!’
Kim Gyuhyuk screamed and rolled on the ground.
It was a pain of a different dimension from what he had experienced before.
His entire body was on edge, and he felt like he wanted to die.
‘Guh… System check!’
[Beep— Normal.]
For a moment, he thought the BattleNet Connector had malfunctioned.
But the connector was working fine.
“Heal.”
Seong Jihan, regardless of whether Kim Gyuhyuk was rolling on the ground, mechanically cast Heal.
Heal, Heal.
The sound of the healing spell echoed repeatedly.
“Guh!”
Kim Gyuhyuk, writhing in pain, felt a sense of foreboding.
It was as if something bigger was coming.
Specifically, the feeling that this wouldn’t end with Seong Jihan’s character.
Sure enough.
When the next Heal hit Kim Gyuhyuk’s body.
“Ugh, Ugh, Ugh!”
Suddenly, Kim Gyuhyuk let out a beast-like scream, and his body turned into light and disappeared.
Despite the Heal, he had died.
The cause of death was a fainting judgment due to extreme pain.
Seong Jihan, looking at the spot where Kim Gyuhyuk had disappeared, muttered expressionlessly.
“Can’t even handle this much.”
Seong Jihan waited at the spot where Kim Gyuhyuk would respawn for the third time.
And.
Whoosh—
“Sorry! No, I’m sorry! I was wrong… Ugh!”
As Kim Gyuhyuk, trembling, respawned, Seong Jihan, with a blank face, once again covered his mouth.
* * *
—Scary.
—Suddenly, the mood is horror.
—I can’t watch anymore. 😢
The viewers watching Seong Jihan’s channel were shaken.
While Kim Gyuhyuk’s contorted body was uncomfortable to watch, most viewers found his current situation somewhat satisfying because they had heard his curses.
However.
Sometimes, he would seem fine, but suddenly he would foam at the mouth and roll on the ground, which felt beyond uncomfortable.
Kim Gyuhyuk looked like he was genuinely in pain.
—But why is he having a seizure?
—Yeah, the BattleNet Connector reduces pain, right?
—Is he faking it?
—But it’s too realistic. 😱
While the general viewers didn’t understand why Kim Gyuhyuk was acting this way, the BattleNet experts, the scouts, seemed to have a hunch and continued their heated discussion.
—Is this… a side effect of the healer?
—A side effect? Isn’t it something that happens when healing sustained damage?
—If you think about it, it seems like a real side effect. Seong Jihan’s technique seems to cause sustained damage.
—Wow, he’s using it like that.
Side effect.
When a healing spell is used on a player suffering from dot (damage over time) damage, it can sometimes cause a sudden spike in pain.
The cause was unknown, but since this phenomenon disappeared with the use of the upgraded Great Heal, most players didn’t even know it existed.
“Ugh, Ugh… Ahhhh!”
Flash!
This time, perhaps because the Fen Jin Cuogu was applied more gently, Kim Gyuhyuk lasted longer but ultimately couldn’t endure the pain and died.
“Hmm, I need to make it a bit gentler.”
When Seong Jihan went back to the spot where Kim Gyuhyuk would respawn, the viewers looked horrified.
—Again?
—No kidding, he’s relentless.
—It’s the first time I’ve seen a troll look pitiful. 😱
“S-Sorry! Please, let me live! No, just kill me cleanly!”
As soon as Kim Gyuhyuk respawned, he burst into tears and clung to Seong Jihan’s pants.
His previous determination was nowhere to be seen.
—Why did he open his mouth?
—The education is satisfying, but… it’s too adult.
—If you think about it, BattleNet is already for adults.
—Oh, that’s true. Someone always bursts during the game.
If this were a streaming site on Earth, it might have been blocked long ago.
However, BattleNet, being a game with bloody battles, had no such restrictions.
“This time, I’ll be gentle.”
“A… Ah… Please!”
Seong Jihan ignored Kim Gyuhyuk’s pleas and extended his hand again.
He wanted to show him what would happen if he spoke carelessly.
However.
[SeoA0822 has donated 10,000GP.]
[Uncle! Stop it. I’m fine! Keep going, and you’ll lose subscribers!]
SeoA0822’s donation message made Seong Jihan pause.
0822. August 22.
The ID, which included Yoon Seo-a’s birthday, was probably not a fake.
‘Still… it’s a bit lacking.’
Seong Jihan looked at the prostrate Kim Gyuhyuk.
By the standards of his past life, he should have shown a more severe example.
‘…Alright, that’s enough.’
It was still a peaceful time.
The moral standards of the present were very different from those of his past life, when the world had been destroyed.
This was enough for now.
There was one more issue to resolve.
“Who hired you?”
“S-Save me. No, just kill me… What?”
“Who told you to destroy that crystal? Surely you didn’t act alone?”
Under Seong Jihan’s cold gaze, Kim Gyuhyuk hurriedly answered.
“The Sword King Family, the Sword King Family ordered me! You can see the mission on my channel! It’s worth 55,000GP!”
“The Sword King Family offered that much GP?”
“Yes, yes. That… That guy, SwordKing898! This guy bet 50,000GP! And, who… SwordKingluv124! This guy! He sponsored me to curse!”
Kim Gyuhyuk confessed the entire list of sponsors.
It