814

[Chapter 205]

[Resentment and Deprivation(3)]

There were countless people who held grudges against Noh Eun-ha.

Unlike what was known to the public, Noh Eun-ha was far from a typical hero.

He didn't leave alone people who negatively affected his position.

Not just them.

If someone did even a little wrong to people Noh Eun-ha protected, they would be mercilessly buried.

"Noh Eun-ha is entering the abandoned factory. What business does he have there?"

"I heard Pandora Clan recently acquired a new property, there was probably a factory there."

"Then he must be going to see the land."

"Wow, does he really have that much money? Is it because he married rich women?"

2 years after the Mana Church's Anti-Soul Festival terror.

Those 2 years were a period when resentment towards Noh Eun-ha deepened even more.

In a way, it was natural.

The Fairy Government banned clan wars for 3 years after the Seoul Disaster.

And when 3 years passed was about 1 year after the Mana Church's Anti-Soul Festival terror ended.

People who had been looking at Eun-ha's actions with distaste during that time erupted with the resentment they had suppressed, using that time as a starting point.

Moreover, Eun-ha and Pandora Clan also acted more forcefully to protect their districts, anticipating that.

"Anyway, it means the prey we were aiming for has gone into a deserted place on his own feet."

"I thought so. I was thinking the time to strike Noh Eun-ha would come soon."

But an opportunity like this came.

Noh Eun-ha was seriously injured, and the majority of Pandora Clan members were in an injured state.

As a result, Pandora Clan's influence was temporarily weakened.

A golden opportunity had come for people who had been sharpening their knives of revenge against Noh Eun-ha and Pandora Clan.

"Pandora Clan is a clan that grew in a short time centered on Noh Eun-ha. If Noh Eun-ha dies, the clan will collapse in an instant."

"Groups supporting the clan will gradually withdraw their hands as the focal point of Noh Eun-ha disappears."

"In that gap, we should apply for a clan war and completely destroy those bastards."

"We should do that slowly. We should gradually dry up those Pandora Clan bastards while watching public opinion."

Whether ordinary people or players.

The thoughts of people who harbored resentment towards Noh Eun-ha were all the same.

They were all moving blinded by greed.

From people whose lives were ruined after insulting Noh Eun-ha's people on a small scale.

People who insulted Lee Yu-jung's disability.

And people who lost everything after challenging Noh Eun-ha's hegemony.

People who gathered after hovering around Noh Eun-ha wouldn't miss this chance.

After a long wait, Noh Eun-ha finally entered the abandoned factory alone.

The man guarding his side these days was just a B-rank player who hadn't properly built up achievements for years.

"─Let's go."

That they could kill Noh Eun-ha.

Everyone was confident.

They followed Eun-ha heading towards the abandoned factory while suppressing their presence as much as possible.

"But what if this is a trap set by Noh Eun-ha?"

"That could be. But think about it coldly. If you were someone revered by people as an unprecedented hero in history, and someone who became that not long ago, what do you think you'd feel?"

"I'd feel great."

"Noh Eun-ha will surely feel that way too. So his eyes watching his surroundings would have darkened. When everyone he meets cheers for him, do you think he could imagine there are people who dislike him?"

"Hmm...."

"And think about his age."

"He's 26 this year. Young."

"It would be stranger if he didn't get cocky after achieving this much at that age. He's probably thinking like this now. 'I'm someone who can do anything. There's no one as great as me in this country.'"

"He might think that way. Well, considering his age, he's still a young kid unlike his actions."

"Still be careful. He got Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu in his hands at an even younger age."

""""...."""

"But it's undeniable that he and Pandora Clan's elite forces are currently suffering from injury aftereffects."

"Even if this is a trap, this is the only chance we'll get."

"That escort isn't entering the abandoned factory."

"How stupid. Forgetting his role as an escort. Still, let's hide our presence with concealment magic and look around before entering just in case."

"It doesn't hurt to be careful. Okay."

People talked while confirming Noh Eun-ha entering the abandoned factory.

Eventually, people scattered around the abandoned factory exchanged signals.

They tried to immediately rush into the abandoned factory to chase Noh Eun-ha.

"Ah, so many came."

There was only Noh Eun-ha inside the abandoned factory.

Whether he muttered something or not.

People snickered.

They manifested mana in their bodies.

"He's a monster! Don't let your guard down because he's injured! Kill him in one go!"

"We have to prevent him from escaping! If we fail, it's all over there!"

Even though he was injured.

They were still afraid of Eun-ha.

So they tried to focus on killing Noh Eun-ha without letting their guard down despite having the upper hand.

And so─.

─Kwakwakwakwakwang!!

Even before rushing into the abandoned factory.

People burst magic they had prepared to activate anytime.

Magic not used on humans.

Magic used when facing large numbers of monsters or high-rank monsters exploded everywhere.

It was the will to completely annihilate Noh Eun-ha without even leaving a corpse, whether the explosion sound leaked outside or not.

That's how deeply people who had been beaten by Noh Eun-ha once remembered their fear of him.

And so─.

"─Did we get him?"

""""...."""

They said words they shouldn't have.

People tried to peer through where the magic bombardment had ended.

They clenched their sweaty hands.

They hoped Noh Eun-ha had died.

But unfortunately─.

"─That's too much. Launching such attacks as if I'm some monster."

""""...!!""""

Noh Eun-ha didn't die.

Shock was etched on their faces.

The smoke gradually cleared.

A human figure was seen in the smoke.

No, it wasn't just one.

"Eun-ha, are you hurt anywhere?"

"Fortunately the necklace of restoration and Yu-jung's handkerchief protected me. I'm fine."

There was one more figure.

<King of Shadows> Han Chang-jin.

He was protecting himself and Eun-ha by making shadows into spheres.

Eun-ha and Chang-jin's faces were glimpsed between the shadows.

It didn't end there.

Grrrr

From behind.

Two huge beasts were walking out from the darkness.

At first, people mistook them for monsters.

Even then, they only hoped the monsters would attack the two people.

But the two beasts instead stood guarding Eun-ha's left and right.

As if they would bite them immediately if given the signal.

[Wow, are there such idiotic bastards? If you have brains, shouldn't you think you'd die if you attack us? How did you think you could handle a kid I can't even handle?]

A wolf with dark blue fur.

The wolf sent telepathy and sneered, and a pure white liger growled.

Piiik!

There was a phoenix too.

The magic people poured just before had collapsed the abandoned factory's ceiling.

The phoenix flew in through that collapsed ceiling.

Soon it landed on Noh Eun-ha's shoulder.

Then─.

"─I see many familiar faces. So these bastards tried to harm the Clan Lord? Damn bastards."

""""...."""

Players who had been hiding their presence revealed themselves.

From the darkness of the abandoned factory.

On the roof.

Over dozens of players exuded pressure looking at Eun-ha's enemies.

The majority of them were people with foreign blood mixed in.

In other words, players from satellite clans allied with Pandora Clan.

Only then did the faces of people trying to kill Eun-ha turn pale.

"Dominic."

"Yes, Clan Lord."

"Just kill those who resist strongly. I bought this land with that intention. Make sure no one escapes. Well, that won't happen anyway."

Looking at each enemy's face.

Noh Eun-ha ordered Dominic who had excellently established himself as a satellite clan in Yongsan-gu over the past few years and even become Clan Lord.

His eyes shone ominously.

"Someone who's a ghost at tracking will be watching outside the abandoned factory."

Noh Eun-ha's darkness had perfectly dominated Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu.

☆

Many familiar faces were seen.

Most were players who lost influence after being pushed out by Pandora Clan's might.

Or─.

─That bastard who hit on Ha-yang was there too.

There were also people who came to hold personal grudges against him.

Eun-ha saw a man holding tools mixed among the players.

It was about 2 years ago.

At a political and business party, there was an incident where a drunk man hit on Jung Ha-yang.

'What second wife! That's just a mistress. The direct descendant of Alice Group sure jokes well.'

To him who hurt Jung Ha-yang's feelings.

Eun-ha had crushed his hand disguising it as an accident on the surface, and instilled fear in the man from behind.

And the man's business was ruined by Alice Group.

He had forgotten about it since then.

The man came to kill him in shabby attire.

Besides that─.

"─I see many people I haven't seen in a long time. How have you all been doing?"

Whether publicly or privately.

There were many people entangled for various reasons.

Eun-ha snickered looking at them.

"Dominic."

"Yes, Clan Lord."

"Pass me a gun too."

"Yes, here it is."

"Thanks."

Enemies who aimed for the gap when he was weakened.

They probably thought they had the upper hand until just before.

It was all his intention.

Eun-ha approached those kneeling on the ground subdued by his people.

Some were already dead.

Dominic and satellite clan people had killed those who resisted strongly.

Eun-ha didn't care.

He passed by fallen people and stopped in front of a kneeling person.

"P-Pandora Clan Lord...."

"It's been a while, DM Clan Lord. Ah, you stepped down from your position a few years ago? You were ousted by sub-lords, right?"

"..."

"So I heard you moved to another district and snatched a sub-lord position in some small clan.... Why did you come back to my territory instead of just living well there?"

"...I was unlucky. Who would have known the Mana Church would cause terror in Yeouido of all places."

"You were unlucky indeed. Then what did you do for 3 years after that? How did you end up flowing back here?"

"..."

"Even if you flowed back, why didn't you just stay quiet? Why did you crawl out instead of living hidden like a dead mouse?"

Including the former DM Clan Lord.

There were also people who had competed for hegemony with Eun-ha in Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu in the past but were pushed out.

The funny thing is that after they left, all the clans they had belonged to swore loyalty to Eun-ha.

2 years after the clan war ban was lifted.

Now no clan in Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu dared to defy them.

In the end, these people were abandoned by the clans they had belonged to.

"Dictator bastard."

"Me? Why am I a dictator? The clans crawl on their own."

"Because you put shackles on their necks using the power of business groups! Providing financial support, helping with jobs. Don't think we don't know you seized the clans like that."

Yet they didn't hesitate to speak harshly towards Eun-ha.

It was as good as over already.

They knew his temperament and sensed their fate.

Originally, those who wield swords should always be prepared to be cut by those swords.

It was a life-or-death gamble for them, and they failed in the gamble.

That was all.

"So how was the former DM Clan Lord going to solve that? With pure intentions?"

"..."

"I heard your plausible justification well."

Eun-ha aimed the gun muzzle at the former DM Clan Lord's forehead.

The shabby man who hadn't washed for days closed his eyes.

"Do you think this is the end?"

"..."

"You've already risen as high as you can go. I'm just the beginning. You'll have to keep checking people rising from below in the future."

Sensing his own death.

The man snickered.

"To not come down from that position, you'll have to kill, and kill, and kill again. In the end, you'll be blinded by power and go crazy. When you reach a situation where you can't even trust your own people, then you'll meet your death too."

"Former DM Clan Lord."

"What?"

"Do you know what we call the words you just spouted?"

"..."

Eun-ha called quietly.

The man opened his eyes.

Bloodshot eyes.

Eun-ha looked straight into those eyes and pronounced clearly.

"We call it a loser's bullshit."

"...!"

"The losers talk a lot."

"Noh Eun-haaaaa!!"

"Farewell."

The instant the man rose in anger.

Eun-ha pulled the trigger.

That was the end.

The man collapsed on the ground.

And he took the lives of people who tried to kill him until the bullets ran out.

"Here, I used it well."

"Clan Lord. How should we handle the other people?"

"What do you mean how to handle?"

Eun-ha handed the gun to Dominic and looked back.

People were trembling.

Eun-ha's judgment passed on them was too concise.

"Kill them all. Ask Twenty-five to handle the disposal or something."

"Yes, Clan Lord."

They tried to kill him.

That reason alone was enough for them to die.

If it was about chances, he gave plenty years ago.

Yet they harbored resentment and did this.

"Chang-jin hyung."

"Oh, Eun-ha."

"There's no mastermind?"

"It doesn't seem like there's a mastermind. It seems they just happened to act together by chance."

"If you and Twenty-five say there isn't, then I guess that's how it is. I got it."

"But Eun-ha. Are you really going to kill them all?"

"Yeah."

"If Eun-ah finds out..."

"We have to make sure noona doesn't know."

"...I see."

"So hyung be careful not to get caught by noona too."

Dominic and the satellite clan people would handle the rest.

Eun-ha left the abandoned factory with Jin Pa-rang, Kang, Buldak, and Han Chang-jin.

Han Chang-jin had a sour face.

But he soon resigned himself.

Han Chang-jin also decided to be in charge of Eun-ha's darkness after becoming a 3rd generation Twelve Seats.

He was prepared for this kind of thing.

"Still don't go beyond the limit."

"I know that too."

So he stopped at warning not to use darkness for personal greed.

Eun-ha knew too.

If he dipped too deeply into darkness, he would walk a life that couldn't be turned back then.

He had no intention of that at all.

☆

The incident was handled quietly.

The jealousy towards Eun-ha and Pandora Clan ended without causing any ripples in society.

No, that's how it appeared.

"Damn it..."

There was a man.

The man lost his job today.

The reason for losing his job was simple.

The man was usually lazy and didn't achieve good results in his work.

So when someone more diligent and better at work appeared, he was easily fired.

That's right.

It's the man's fault.

But the man had something to say too.

"I studied so hard in high school, went to a good university, and got good grades there too.... After working so hard, I just wanted to live a bit more leisurely, is that not allowed?"

I even got a job at a small company that doesn't match my specs.

The man staggered along the street, chugging alcohol straight from the bottle.

People passing by treated him as a pathetic human and avoided him, pretending not to see.

"But why!! Why on earth!!!"

The man was heated.

While spewing a stream of curses.

The man glared at the huge monitor installed on top of a building.

[He's the hottest player these days, right? It's Twelve Seats <Azure Wind> Jin Pa-rang player, the hero Ains want to become the most!!]

An entertainment program was being broadcast.

Jin Pa-rang appeared there.

Jin Pa-rang was sitting with celebrities talking about his achievement of subjugating Maegu.

The man looked at that and got angry.

"Some people study like this and live on a measly monthly salary... Why are kids like you who didn't study well and grew up stealing other people's money laughing there?!"

Since when was it?

Right, after the Seoul Disaster.

<Azure Wind> Jin Pa-rang, <Golden Tiger> Jin Seo-na, <Mermaid > Ariel.

As the epithets of these three people became known, the image of Ains improved.

And now the position of Ains was improving even more as Jin Pa-rang became a Twelve Seats.

Today, the person who appeared as the man's replacement was also an Ain.

Now Ains could be easily seen in various occupations besides players.

It happened over the past few years.

"It's unfair, unfair. The country must have gone to ruin! To think Ains are occupying quality jobs... If they take the good jobs, does that mean people like me who only have graduating from a good university as a merit should take bad jobs?"

Many factors would have influenced the man becoming like this.

However, what's certain at this moment is that the man harbored many complaints about society.

Is it just this man?

There were countless people who couldn't attribute the problem to themselves when their work wasn't going well.

And instead of trying to find problems internally, they tried to find problems externally which was relatively easier.

At that time, unfortunately what caught their eyes were Ains whose social treatment was improving.

This is unfair. I've lived receiving the set education as society told me to until now.

But how can Ains who grew up like problem children live better lives than me?

Ains are stealing jobs.

Ains are stealing houses.

If this goes wrong, Ains might even come to rule over us.

Malice is far from rational and reasonable.

Malice arises irrationally, unreasonably, and emotionally.

It's also instantaneous.

The darkness of society sensitively detects malice with reason, but cannot detect malice without reason.

Therefore─.

─We can only improve our lives by expelling Ains from this society.

We must reclaim all rights stolen by Ains.

When the darkness detects that malice.

By then, it will already be widely spread throughout society.