Chapter 603
The contract formed by the [Brand of Soul Flame]—
Once stamped, it bound its target for life, creating slaves useful in more ways than one.
Like now, for example.
Jinhyuk nodded as he looked at Lee Yuri and Min Jungwoo.
He’d told them to stay on standby, waiting for an opening in the weakened barrier—and their preparation had paid off.
From the opposite side, another group appeared one after another.
“Peh! You dare attack my master in his own house? Wanna taste how spicy Korean kimchi really is?”
It was Kim Heewoong, the head of the Black Crow Guild, along with a host of players he’d gathered under him.
Granted full authority by Jinhyuk, Kim Heewoong had indoctrinated new players, forging them into a kind of army through strict brainwashing—mixing reward and punishment, and even a bit of gaslighting—creating modern-day fanatics.
“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“How dare they insult our god!”
“This is an unforgivable sin!”
They weren’t ranked players, just a mob of low-level ones. Yet their unity and fearlessness rivaled that of actual rankers.
And with Lee Yuri and Min Jungwoo—both apostles bound by contracts with Egyptian deities—joining in, the odds were looking good.
At least enough to buy time for Jinhyuk’s group to reach the Awakeners’ Association.
“Well then, I’d love to stay and play, but my followers are just too enthusiastic. Bye-bye.”
Jinhyuk flashed Gandhara a bright, taunting smile.
“Beee~.”
Alice stuck out her tongue playfully from the seat behind him.
Vroooom!
Three bikes shot off like arrows.
An open challenge—catch us if you can.
“Those bastards…!”
“Contact the Awakeners’ Association. Tell them to block all roads and have our guild members predict and intercept their route. Move out!”
Kumar headed straight for his car.
Of course—
BOOOOM!
Lee Yuri and Min Jungwoo weren’t about to just let them go.
“Sorry, but it’s the boss’s orders. You’ll be playing with us for a while.”
Yuri pulled out glowing yellow statues from subspace.
An upgraded version of the ability she’d once shown at the National Museum.
[Lee Yuri activates the Limited Unique Holy Spear ‘Hounds of the Black Desert’!]
“Grrr…”
“Arf! Arf! Arrr!”
Dozens of Anubis Guardians bared their fangs, brandishing heavy weapons.
Controlling so many summons at once made her blood feel as if it were boiling away.
A self-devouring ability—her life fueling the power.
“When you sign contracts, always choose your master wisely. Pick wrong, and even in your twilight years, your body pays for it.”
Min Jungwoo summoned radiant orbs of sunlight into both hands.
[Min Jungwoo activates the Limited Unique Holy Spear ‘Banner of Ra, the Sun God’!]
Fwoooosh!
A limited weapon usable only by those who had ascended as Apostles of the Desert.
After enduring a hellish corporate life, it was finally time for his survival skills to shine.
—
Above, sparks still rippled across the sky where [Astrape] had struck.
“They got us once.”
The old man frowned at the cracked barrier.
The encirclement had vanished, and Jinhyuk’s core members had escaped from Signiel.
Their easiest victory had slipped through their fingers.
“Gandhara sent pursuit teams. They’re numerous and adept at guerrilla tactics—they’ll at least stall until the operation begins.”
“No. The plan is our last resort. And since he’s now capable of using [System Manipulation], we can’t predict what variables might occur.”
Replication and fusion were already troublesome—but for him to access Administrator-level power was a grievous oversight.
The Sleeper Owl cutting off their information network had only worsened the situation.
“If we fail to stop him again, the next will be the 40th floor. If he gathers all clues to the [Necronomicon] and finds the book, it’ll be irreversible.”
“What are your orders?”
“Accelerate the Outbreak and deploy Unknown once more.”
“Understood.”
They intended to end everything before the time limit expired, tightening pressure with every possible advantage.
At that same moment—
Vrooooom!
A deafening roar echoed through the night streets.
The highway—once bustling—was now eerily empty under lockdown.
“You know, we actually pulled it off.”
Jinhyuk glanced behind him.
Thanks to Yuri, Jungwoo, and Heewoong, Gandhara’s rankers were pinned down.
They should reach their destination without trouble.
“Contractor, contractor! Faster, faster! My heart’s racing for the first time in ages!”
The childish queen behind him clung tightly around his waist, sunglasses on, fully enjoying the thrill—even while the world teetered on destruction.
Meanwhile, Jinhyuk felt like his chest was being crushed by the weight of everything.
And then—
……!
Unfamiliar mana surged from the side.
Parked cars lining the road suddenly flared their headlights—and began to move, engines roaring to life, chasing them.
The gap closed fast.
Bikes excelled in crowded streets, but on an empty straight road, cars held the advantage.
“Damn it. They’ve surrounded us.”
Shing!
Chun Yoosung unsheathed his sword, Ryuhwa.
Blue energy surged along its blade.
“Looks like we’ll have to fight.”
Even Teresa, who wished to avoid casualties, clenched her jaw.
Vroooom!
Black sedans swerved, trying to ram them.
Windows rolled down, revealing armed attackers.
“There! That flashy guy in front—that’s Kang Jinhyuk!”
“Haha! Catch him and we’ll live rich forever!”
Their eyes were unfocused—pupils dilated.
They’d clearly taken hallucinogens to drown out fear.
Lotus-engraved magic tools—fire and lightning spells fired all at once.
Boom!
BANG!
Jinhyuk swerved narrowly. The road behind them turned to rubble.
“How dare these lesser insects attempt to harm my noble body?”
A few strands of Alice’s hair fluttered down.
[Alice activates ‘Blood Spears’!]
Through warped subspace, crimson lances burst forth.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Gyaaaah!”
Cars were skewered, then consumed by blazing fire.
The wreckage exploded, scattering into twisted metal and ash.
The road filled with screams that soon fell silent.
Even for Jinhyuk, it was a reminder—Alice enraged was terrifying.
To her, human lives were as light as feathers.
But it wasn’t over.
The chase had only just begun.
Step, step—
Moments after the vehicles were obliterated, new figures emerged.
Seven massive, bipedal birdlike beasts, three meters tall, approached from the front.
Players armed with spears and swords rode upon their backs.
[Beast Species – Garuda.]
Synthetic versions, cloned from the DNA of real Garudas.
Weaker than the original by far—but still powerful enough to bear the title of beast species.
There were seven in total, each ridden by high-tier players.
“Grrr…”
“Kriiik! Kreeehk!”
Drool dripped from their hooked beaks.
More vehicles approached from behind—reinforcements.
“This is getting ridiculous. The Olympic Highway at rush hour feels less packed.”
Chun Yoosung gathered his mana.
“Attack.”
The lead ranker thrust his spear forward.
Six Garudas leapt simultaneously toward the group.
Their movements were unnervingly fast for their size.
One slashed down at Chun Yoosung in a killing strike—
But the flash of a blade came first.
Slash!
“Grrrk…?”
The Garuda’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Kh!”
The rider leapt high, hurling his spear downward.
Vwoooom!
An ambush through the blood mist—dodging was impossible mid-swing.
But Chun Yoosung wasn’t alone.
CLANG!
Teresa stepped forward, deflecting the spear with her shield.
A holy radiance shimmered from her armor—bathed in moonlight, glowing with the [Blessing of the Stars].
Perfect teamwork.
Tae-min seized the moment and unleashed every remaining drone.
[Lee Tae-min activates Unique Ability ‘Machine Lord’!]
Hundreds of drones dropped their payloads.
BOOM! BOOM!
The road erupted into crimson fire.
The air turned searing hot, skin burning just from proximity.
“I can’t see!”
“What kind of lunatic fight is this?!”
“Damn…”
The Garuda riders faltered, retreating from the inferno.
Even with mana shielding, walking into that blaze was suicide.
“Now it’s our turn to hit back. Let’s crush them.”
From within the smoke, Jinhyuk’s mocking voice rang out.
The Veteran Corporation had stopped running.
It was their counterattack.
The air grew colder—an icy pressure cutting through the heat.
Something was coming.
Something terrifying.
“Stay sharp!”
The leader yelled.
[Defense Skill ‘Garuda’s Feather’ activated!]
[Awareness Skill ‘Mana Sense’ activated!]
[Defense Skill ‘Scripture of the Millennium’ activated!]
They braced, every nerve tense.
Crackling silence filled the air.
Drip… drip…
But no further attacks came.
“What the…?”
Minutes passed before unease sank in.
And as the smoke cleared—
They realized the truth.
The Veteran Corporation had completely vanished from the Olympic Highway.