Episode 6 – Destroyer of Santicity (1)

Lee Gyeong tilted her head, confused.

"What's that?"

What's with that reaction? She must already know yet she was asking me. Was she trying to deny reality?

I sighed and began to explain.

"That seal is called the 'Mark of the Plague'. Basically, when this seal is stamped on a person, their soul will be sold to a devil. They become a sacrifice."

"...."

"It is a fake seal used to trick gullible people. Upon death, the marked person's life force and soul are instantly taken. The life force will go to the host and become a source of power while the soul goes to the devil. It's seriously messed up."

Lee Gyeong trembled on the ground. She must have understood her current predicament by now.

"Wait... does this mean I'm going to die?"

There was no response.

She must have taken my silence as a 'Yes' because she suddenly turned pale. Wouldn't be the expression of someone that just had all their blood drained from their body?

In the meantime, many trouble thoughts raced through my mind upon seeing the mark.

'There is no way an amateur like Minhyuk would be able to create a seal this high level.'

I narrowed my gaze at the mark.

From the get-go, it was impossible for an amateur to imitate the seal of Athena. Marks and Seals of the constellations were not easy to draw. They were like divine relics, infused with the power of the constellations. Which brings a troubling question.

Just how was a newbie like Minhyuk able to imitate the Seal of Athena who was a Myth grade constellation?

There was only one way. If a demon was indeed responsible then it would have to be...

'A great devil with the Demon King status.'

Names of constellations belonging to the Absolute Evil faction came to mind. However, It didn't still make sense.

Beings of Absolute Evil don't tolerate any troublesome things. If they wanted to cause destruction, they will simply cause destruction. In fact, High-Ranking Demons wouldn't be even interested in a low ranking world like Earth.

Only two scenarios that came to mind.

'One is that Minhyuk was talented enough to catch the attention of one of the Demon Kings from the Abyss.'

No, just thinking about it felt wrong. From what I have seen, Minhyuk didn't have the potential to catch the attention of any high-ranking constellation. If he did possess such a talent, he wouldn't waste his time gathering lackeys.

'Then It has to be that.'

I stopped thinking about it. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter if a great demon arrived because of the Third Nightmare. What was needed to done did not change.

'Now, what to do with this girl.'

My gaze landed on the Lee Gyeong who was trembling on the floor. There was no need to help her even though she was practically forced to do this. The same goes for the other survivors that were deceived by Minhyuk.

They gained the mainframe group on their own free will. It was basic common sense. People had to take responsibility for their actions. Even if it was cruel, that was reality.

At the moment, I started to think of a solution. Then suddenly, a brilliant idea erupted in my head.

'Hold on, there is no need to abandon this girl right now. In fact, there is a role that only she can perform.'

I looked down at Lee Gyeong. As if feeling my gaze, Gyeong raised her head up and met my eyes.

"Listen here, you committed a grave sin. It doesn't matter if you were deceived or not, you still tried to kill everyone here. Normally, I'm supposed to kill you but I've changed my mind. If you want to live then you have to help us out. Maybe I can even undo the effects of the seal."

"Really? You can do that?"

Says the surprised Lee Gyeong. She looked really cute right now.

"Yeah. But that depends on your answer. If you aren't interested then..."

"No... Wait..."

Lee Gyeong stretched out her hand and grabbed my sleeve. It seems she have made up her mind.

"Please, don't go... I will do it. If I can survive, then I will do anything you say."

A chuckle escaped my lips without me noticing.

"Are you sure you're really willing to do anything?"

[The constellation 'Witch of the Golden Dawn' is curious about your plan.]

[The constellation 'Witch of the Golden Dawn' is wondering what a sly bastard like you is thinking.]

Without hesitation, Lee Gyeong nodded and answered, "Yes, anything."

"Good."

I approached Yunhee and expanded my hand like a tax collector.

"Give me your knife."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm just borrowing it. I will give it when I'm done."

"Tck, fine."

Yunhee gave me her swiss knife. Then Jong-ho approached and whispered.

"Are you sure we should be helping this woman?"

"I know you have your doubts but trust me she will be very useful."

I walked past Jong-ho and reached Lee Gyeong before crunching down with the blade.

Lee Gyeong looked at the blade and tilted her head as if she was confused.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to modify the seal."

"Modify?"

"Yes. To be honest, this is my first time doing this so please don't move."

"Huh? What do you mean this is your first time? Don't tell me..."

"Anyways, stop talking. Jongho-ssi, please hold her down."

"Um... Alright."

"Wait, wait, wait... Arrgghhh!!!"

The deafening screams of Lee Gyeong echoed throughout the place.

* * *

Minhyuk was standing nonchalantly as if unbothered and stared into the empty space.

It was because of the countless system notifications he was receiving.

[The Mark target has been killed! Their lifeforce will be absorbed.]

[The Mark target has died! Their lifeforce will be absorbed.]

[The Mark target has died! Their lifeforce will be absorbed.]

'This is good. I can feel myself growing stronger by the second.'

Minhyuk revealed a sinister smile as he looked at the glowing seal on the back of his palm. The blessing he received from his support constellation was working effectively.

When he received the message from the constellation without a name, he was skeptical at first.

But What If he refused and missed out on something great? It's not like he had any other options.

Minhyuk was filled with such fear and blindly accepted the Star Contract. But it turned out to be the right decision in the end, didn't it?

'If I refused the sponsorship and missed out on something like this, I would have killed myself.'

Minhyuk laughed. He didn't care about the amount of people that he had to sacrifice in the process. To him, branded humans were simply assets while they were alive, and nutrients when they were dead. Disposable materials can easily be replaced.

But there was a problem.

[The constellation '#### ### ###' says he will be disappointed if you fail to pass the scenario.]

Minhyuk's smile crumbled and a frown appeared.

It goes without saying that power comes with its own setbacks. Even the blessing he had received from his support constellation could easily be taken away if he was deemed useless.

[02 : 11 : 31]

Minhyuk checked the time and clicked his tongue.

Once the timer reaches zero, everyone will be able to move to the next scenario. Of course, this only applies to people who met the requirements.

[45/50]

Unfortunately for Minhyuk, he didn't belong to those category of people. He was still missing 5 cores.

Considering the fact he absorbed the lifeforce of several people through the seal and gathered alot of magic power, If he went around and killed monsters, he might be able to get the remaining cores.

But there was no guarantee he would get five cores or even survive to tell the tale. Not only low-ranking monsters were moving around, there were also massive and more dangerous creatures lingering around Seoul.

'What should I do now? Should I just kill everyone else and take their cores for myself?'

Minhyuk looked at the large number of people that have gathered at the centre of the safe zone.

Most of them have teamed up to form groups under his leadership. The people silently observed each other from a distance. They must already understood the situation and what they needed to do.

'Well, that can't blame them. If they want to survive then that method is the only way.'

In a situation where the difficulty of the mission was at an insane level, it will be obvious people will choose the easier route. Stealing another person's cores.

'They will obviously start when the timer reaches 30 minutes. No, from the atmosphere, they will start any time soon.'

The people were waiting for the perfect moment to act like beasts hunting their prey. When the right moment arrives, they will bare their fangs.

Minhyuk was waiting for this moment as well. Most of these people were already branded with the seal. If they killed each other, he will also benefit from the chaos.

Of course, he could easily pass the scenario by ordering one of his minions to hand over their cores.

But where was the fun in that? He was sure even his support constellation wouldn't agree with such a boring method. So he had no choice but to be patient.

"Huh?"

Minhyuk noticed new figures entering the safe zone.

"Excuse me."

"Sorry, coming through."

"Hey, what gives!"

"Stop pushing!"

They made their way towards the center of the safe zone by pushing through the people. They were rather brave. They pushed through Minhyuk's men as well.

'Who are those people? Hold on a minute, they look familiar.'

Two women and one man. One of the women was a blonde with long hair while the other woman had short, ink-black hair. For the man, he looked like someone who had been in the military.

They all looked familiar to Minhyuk but he couldn't remember who they are. Maybe it was because they didn't leave a lasting impression.

Well, that was until he saw another person pushing her way through the crowd. Someone he instantly recognised.

'Lee Gyeong?'

Minhyuk did not forget the people from his group. Lee Gyeong was someone he sent with that group. He didn't understand why she came to the safe zone.

Had she gathered enough cores? No, that will be Impossible.

The drop rate for cores was abysmal. Obtaining a single core after fighting a horde of monsters was like discovering an oasis in a desert.

'Wait, are they...'

It was here Minhyuk finally recognised those people. Why are they still alive? Why did they spare Lee Gyeong? Where was Kang Manshik?

Multiple questions raced through his mind. More importantly, if those guys are still alive then that must mean...

'Where is he?'

Minhyuk swung his head here and there, in search of that particular person. It didn't take long before he found him.

'He's here.'

Minhyuk's gaze landed on a man clutching a large box. His face was nondescript—neither handsome nor ugly, just forgettable. He blended seamlessly into the background as if he was a ghost. The recognition sent a chill down his spine, as if the shadows themselves had whispered his name.

Kim Jakga