Chapter 32 : Running with Si Hoo #3 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

The overwhelming force radiates from the blade. So, this is what it feels like to become a 'powerful being'? It was a moment where I wanted more than anything to revel in my own 'strength', but now that I've become powerful, I can't afford any carelessness. Even my instincts have ascended to that of a 'powerful being'. Carelessness is a luxury I can no longer afford. I can never return to who I was before. "Ah." The energy infusing my sword now is imbued with a sense of resignation. Now, as a powerful being, I'll use all my might to dispatch you instantly. Soruz. —Flash! Pursuing Soruz, who is breaking through the rooftops and fleeing, while maintaining the blue energy flowing from my blade. "Screeee!" —Flash flash flash! It is leaping surprisingly well on its spiderlike legs. "But by now, you must know that I am your death." What does the form of death look like to you now? "Surely, it must be the form of this Kim Geun Cheol." There is nothing to fear. Perhaps it's due to reaching the pinnacle, but all my senses are sharp. There's nothing around but that creature. Just then. —Flash! Finally, the rooftop chase reached its conclusion. Soruz took a leap. Simultaneously, —Boom! —Beep beep beep! Along with the shattering sound of a car breaking, there came the sound of destruction... This damn creature?! I hurriedly rushed to look below. "You, you, you damned creature!" The Damas was wrecked! "Of all places to fall, why there?!" It's discontinued and no longer in production, yet it smashed the Damas! That insane creature... Wait. Isn't this actually a good thing? People who drive a Damas are practically ghosts. Its absurd durability means even a minor collision could be fatal. The Damas is a familiar companion and at the same time, a grim reaper driving its driver to death. This monster may have inadvertently saved a life. "Tch! Can't be helped!" I quickly turned and recklessly ran down the stairs. It's just fallen. It won't escape so easily now. "Screeeee!" As expected, Soruz was struggling to crawl from the impact of the fall. That means it will be an easy opponent. "Die." Leaving those words behind, I lunged. —Slash! I lightly swung my blade, slicing through its back. "Screeee!" The blade cut through its waist as if it were tofu. I could sense it instinctively. This was the power of the sword energy. It was power capable of effortlessly cutting through an F-rank monster. "Oh!" This was as simple as killing a holographic monster in a training room! "Guh." Soruz lay sprawled in two pieces, and I immediately extinguished the blade's energy. I realized that most of my magic had been consumed. And then, I heard it. —Ding. "Alert sound!" [You've obtained 20 Coins] But an F-rank monster only brings 20 coins? That’s ridiculously cheap. "Damn." A surge of anger boiled up momentarily, but yes. The more composed me quickly brushed aside that anger. Because that wasn't the important thing right now. "Sword energy? For real? No joke?" Sword energy came from my blade. And I could maintain it of my own will. Have I suddenly grown stronger? Have I unlocked my true strength through anger? "No." That’s not it. "Skill window." I immediately opened my skill window. _____________________ [Weapon Enchant] (Skill Rank: F) (Lv.1) -A skill that envelops a weapon with magic. The magic surrounding the blade will more easily cut through monsters' dimensional shields. _____________________ It was the Weapon Enchant skill, which I had neglected because I didn’t know how to use it. That must have been it. Surely, the sword energy just now was the manifestation of this Weapon Enchant skill. Even the description confirms it. The energy that had surrounded my blade was indeed my own magic. “Hehehe.” Well, it doesn’t matter. Although the maintenance time seems absurdly short, I am now a legitimate aura user. This makes me a sword expert. In martial arts terms, I'm at the level of a pinnacle master. Wow. With that said... I guess I’m an awakened one myself? To think I could slice through an F-rank monster in one blow during actual combat. Marveling at myself, I walked along the empty street. —Wailing sirens! The alarm finally began to sound belatedly. "Too late." However, Sihoo mentioned this was an abnormal situation. Even if the response seems slow, it might be understandable. Let's see. Should I return to the safe zone now? Or look for Sihoo? For now, this area seems safe— —Click clack. "Hmm?" Where is that clicking sound coming from? A sudden thought of Leona crossed my mind. But it seems a bit different somehow. "..." Just as I rounded the corner, following the sound. "What the...?!" I was taken aback! "Hey, hey! You there!" A blonde girl was walking along! A white shirt with a black skirt! And high socks with high heels! No matter how you look at it, it’s an incredibly distinct outfit! "No way! A kid shouldn’t be in a war zone!" The surprise shook me back to my senses! Why is a child here?! "Huh?" "Hey! Little girl! Look at me for a sec!" As I shouted fiercely, the girl turned to me. Is she a foreigner? She was a pretty little girl, with an unusual hue to her eyes. "Who are you? Oh, are you perhaps a cadet?" "For someone who knows that, why are you so calm! Hey! Can’t you see the emergency bell is ringing! Monsters have appeared!" "Ohh. Monsters?" Does she have a death wish or something? How can she be walking so casually in a war zone! I need to get her to safety quickly! "Hey! Anyway, come run with me! This way!" "Uh, uh?" I swiftly approached the little girl and grabbed her wrist. Where in the world is her mother that she’s left wandering alone like this? "Hold on a sec, mister. Calm down." "What the...!" How can a kid be this strong? "Trying to drag me off suddenly. Isn't this what humans would call kidnapping?" The girl planted her feet and smirked as she spoke. But seriously, this brat! "Kidnapping?! Are you kidding me! Hey! Hurry up and come along! You're messing with the wrong guy! If you don’t follow, you’ll regret it!" "Are you really a kidnapper?" "This isn't the time for jokes! There are monsters around here! Damn it, this won't do!" —Flash! "Kyaa?!" All tactics are off now! I'll focus on getting this kid to safety! Sihoo can handle himself just fine with his strength! "Stay still!" I picked the little girl up and slung her over my shoulder like a brigand carrying off a damsel in distress. "What's the big idea, mister!" "Quiet! We need to run! Unless you want to get hurt! I’ll make sure you get to safety no matter what!" —Flash! With the girl over my shoulder, I dashed off. Heading towards the school should be the safest bet. "Hey, mister. Hold on. Can you calm down a bit?" "Calm down my foot...! Hey! Where’s your mom! Who let you wander around like this in danger?" This is definitely this girl’s mom’s fault. What kind of parent doesn’t drill into their kid's head to run when the emergency alarm sounds? In today’s world, any responsible parent would have taught them to do that. If I were a dad, I’d make sure it was ingrained in their head one way or another. "I don’t have a mom..." "Agh!" Is she an orphan then?! I’m so sorry! "That’s too harsh of you..." "Hey! Hey! Sorry! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!" "..." "I’m an orphan too! So cut me some slack!" "Huh? Mister, you're an orphan?" "Yeah." "Really? Then there's no need to feel sorry. I still have a sister." At least she has a sister. "But, mister. Can’t I wander around on my own?" "Of course not, you dummy! It's dangerous out here! Gates keep appearing! I literally just killed a monster!" "Wow. You killed a monster? A Soruz?" Exactly that! "Yeah. It was like something straight out of a myth. You know Greek and Roman mythology? Kinda similar to one of them. Literally death incarnate. That's how dangerous it was, and a few of those are roaming around now." "Ha...! Oh mister, what do you mean Greek and Roman mythology. Soruz is the weakest of the bunch." "Even an F-rank monster can’t be taken lightly, kid." "They’re not that dangerous..." This kid knows nothing yet. Even if monsters are ranked, they’re still monsters. If there’s a rank, there must be a reason for the danger associated. Honestly, since I'm an awakened, if I carelessly took hits from an F-rank monster, I'd likely be done for. "Not dangerous? What nonsense is that! Anyway, just stay put before I get really mad. I’ll get you to a safe place, okay? Kids should be protected." "Pro-protected?" The girl looked puzzled at my words. Like she’d never heard them before. "Yeah. Protected." With her over my shoulder, I kept running. —Rumble rumble! The helicopter that had flown in became my guide. —Rumble! And then, even armored vehicles showed up. "Alright! Our brave soldiers are finally here... huh?" But it wasn’t just that. Behind the armored vehicles... there were soldiers in red power suits, trailing behind? "What on earth is that!" —Whoosh! They even had jetpacks on their backs! One armored soldier leaped slightly and began low-altitude flight, landing on the building’s rooftop! They were carrying machine guns akin to the size of an M60, too! "Wow! Soldiers here even use those!" "Soldiers here?" "Yeah, they exist!" "But... Geun Cheol, mister? Could you put me down already?" "Can’t do that now. We need to stick together until it's safe. Let’s at least get to the safe zone so I can hand you over to the soldiers." "Hmm... You're really kind, mister, saving kids like this." "If a kid's in a war zone, they need to be saved, period." "Is that common sense... Yes, kids should be protected." Heading towards the armored soldiers, —March march march. An armored sergeant with insignia on his helmet approached me. "Hello, um, civilian? Cadet? We need to commence our operation. If you’re going to participate, there’s a sodeum over there. Could you head that way?" They really are military personnel. That 'civilian’ term is a sort of formality military uses during operations or training when they encounter civilians. Typically, they address people as sir or mister. "Oh yes, um, sir? I’m not participating; I’m retreating. Should I head that way then?" "Yes, just go that way." "Oh, alright. Thank you, and good luck." "Yes." I finished the exchange with the armored sergeant and headed in the direction he indicated. "Hey. We need to head that w—huh?" What? "She’s gone?" The girl I had slung over my shoulder was... gone. What? How did this happen? She was just there! The girl disappeared without a trace. "Damn it...!" Where did I lose her?! I rushed towards the soldiers! "Excuse me! Sergeant, sir!" "Yes? Cadet? What’s the issue?" "Did you see a girl? I had rescued her, and she was on my shoulder!" "A girl? I didn't see one... Ah! You mean there's a girl stranded in the operation area! Understood! To all units, notice from the Cadet reports a civilian girl within the operation area. Cadet, can you give us her description?" "Yes...!" I quickly relayed the girl's appearance to the sergeant and dashed off. "Damn it! Why'd she vanish all of a sudden?!" Did she slip away while we were talking? What the heck is going on with her? "Crazy girl!" Worry began to tighten its grip on me. Wandering around alone, she could easily run into a monster and be killed instantly...! Searching aimlessly would be foolish. I decided to head to a nearby building’s rooftop to secure a better view. Upon reaching the rooftop and peering out, "What on earth?!" —Boom! —Crash! There, off in the distance, Sihoo was locked in battle against flying monsters resembling giant moths the size of mid-sized cars! That crazy guy! Fighting those things on his own! I wanted to help, but I feared I’d only get in his way with my current skills! —Ratatatatata! Meanwhile, attack helicopters circled above, and armored soldiers with machine guns had already taken positions on nearby rooftops, aiming at the creatures. —Attention! Attention! A hero is en route! All personnel clear the area! A loud broadcast echoed through the surroundings. Simultaneously. —Flash! A man in a suit, holding a lance like something a knight would wield, leaped into view.