The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 229

Taktaktak-

The kid, wearing a worn-out rag that completely covered his face, ran through the alley with both hands gathered to his chest.

In the kid's arms was a small pouch he had taken from the man he had bumped into on the street a little while ago.

The kid, feeling the texture of the pouch with his fingertips, smiled faintly even as he was out of breath.

'I'm glad I took the risk and searched around the mercenary guild.'

It was a mere coincidence that the kid was loitering near the mercenary guild.

It was to see if there was anything useful among the things the mercenaries had thrown away.

While he was rummaging through the trash cans nearby, a voice reached the kid's ears.

-Wow, this is something I happened to get by chance! If you eat this, surprisingly, your energy will well up and the magic power in your body will increase! I checked by eating one, so it's definitely true!

It was so clear that even the kid who was outside the building could hear it clearly.

'Something that makes your energy well up… is it medicine?'

The kid's eyes, drawn by the voice, naturally moved towards the red-haired young man walking down the street.

"Well, I've thrown the bait, so shall we see how the situation turns out?"

'The same voice as before…'

The kid, who had noticed through the young man's muttering that he was the owner of the voice from before, pondered.

Targeting a mercenary was dangerous.

Since they were incomparably stronger than ordinary people, if he got caught, it was entirely possible that he would be hit somewhere and die.

He didn't want to die.

So it was better not to get involved with mercenaries.

Wasn't that why he had been so careful when rummaging through the trash cans of the mercenary guild a little while ago?

But for a moment, the image of his younger sibling, who was suffering from a high fever at home and was having trouble even breathing, came to the kid's mind.

Tak- Tak- Tak-

And at the same time as he thought of his younger sibling's face, the kid's feet were moving out of the alley and towards the young man.

At that, the kid gritted his teeth and, with the thought of 'it's now or never', he managed to snatch the small pouch that was the only thing in the man's pocket.

"If I give him the medicine, his fever will surely go down."

The kid who muttered that put more strength into the hand holding the pouch and kicked the ground harder.

He didn't know exactly what kind of medicine was in this pouch.

But since it was said to be a medicine that raises one's energy, he believed that it would at least not be harmful, and the kid ran through the narrow alley with all his might.

As he got closer and closer to home, he became more and more out of breath, his heart pounded, and his mind was filled with thoughts.

'His fever was really high before I came out in the morning, I wonder if he's okay now? I left clean water right next to him, I hope he drank it. I told him to hide at home and not come out, I wonder if he's okay? Don't tell me a thief broke into the house…'

And because he was so focused on getting home even a little faster with all his might.

Tuk-

The kid tripped over something that suddenly popped out and rolled on the ground.

Even while rolling on the ground, because of his younger sibling's face that flashed through his mind, the kid desperately curled up his body and protected the pouch.

"Cough… cough…"

While the kid was coughing from the impact of rolling on the ground.

"Hoo, you're pretty quick for a kid, aren't you? I almost missed you. By the way, how did you know this kid would come here?"

"I know, right? I told you, if you just trust me and follow me, you can catch him."

From the alley where the kid had tripped over something a little while ago, two men walked out, chuckling.

The kid forced his eyes open and checked the faces of the two.

Shabby leather armor, a weapon at their waist, a rough face.

Even though his vision was blurry, he could tell.

The two were mercenaries.

And they had come here targeting the kid.

"Hey, kid. You have a rough idea why you're in this state, right?"

"How about you hand over what you stole from that guy a little while ago when I'm being nice?"

'Damn it, as expected.'

The kid cursed inwardly but let out a pitiful voice.

"N, no. My younger sibling at home is sick with a high fever…"

The kid's mournful voice, along with his trembling arm, reached out to the two.

And the two's answer to the kid's action was.

"Tsk, dirty."

"Ah, so annoying."

Contempt and disregard.

"You're being annoying. Hey, kid. Your beggar sibling and a bright future mercenary like me. Isn't it obvious which one is more important?"

"P, please… my younger sibling at home is so sick he's about to die…"

"If you want to die, how about you just say so?"

At the two's words, the kid lowered his head as if he had given up and held out the pouch he had been holding in his trembling hand.

Pfft-

"At least you seem to know your place, so that's a relief."

The man, laughing at the kid, took a step towards him.

The moment he bent down to take the pouch, the distance between the two became incomparably closer than before.

Shuk-

The kid, who had been waiting for an opportunity, rushed at the man, swinging a sharp awl made by grinding an animal's fang.

A surprise attack launched at the optimal moment, using the man's blind spot and the gap in his mind.

The fang, moving to aim for the man's neck, contained enough power and sharpness to pierce the skin of a careless adult in one go.

Peok!

"Keuleok! Keuleok!"

But unfortunately for the kid, the two were not ordinary people.

Although they were bronze-ranked, they were veterans of surprise attacks, having hunted monsters.

"I knew this would happen."

And in the first place, the man who had walked towards the kid was not careless.

No, beyond that, the man was sure that the kid would attack him.

"I don't know how you street kids are all so alike. You cling on pathetically and then, with what's in your pocket, whoosh!"

"Kkeuk! Ughhh!"

The man said, kicking the kid in the stomach.

"What, you want to know how I knew? Ah, it's actually a secret, but I'm actually from the streets too. I'm a case where I made some money through mercenary work after I got a little older. Thanks to that, I don't look at you guys with a particularly disgusted eye."

The man said that and stomped on the hand of the kid who was secretly trying to pick up the awl.

"On the contrary, I think you're pretty cute."

The kid gritted his teeth and endured the scream, and the man sneered at the kid's appearance.

"You're so cute that I want to play a prank like this."

The man said that and kicked the kid in the stomach once more.

The kid rolled on the ground once more from the impact.

But this time, he gritted his teeth, got up, and quickly rushed at the man.

"Ouch, scary!"

'That guy's bad habit has started again.'

His companion clicked his tongue and looked at the man, then said.

"It's fine to hit him, but hit him well. Guys like that always hide one or two medicines on their bodies."

"Yeah, how much is it worth, I can't just crush it. I'm being so careful not to get the kid's dirty blood on me."

At his companion's words, the man said that and shook the pouch he had taken from the kid a little while ago.

At that, the kid gritted his teeth, and the man said with a sneering face, looking at the kid.

"Hey, but aren't you curious? How do you think we knew you were here?"

The kid's face trembled slightly at the man's words, feeling a kind of anxiety.

Seeing the kid's appearance, the man said in a voice full of laughter.

"You're pretty famous in this village."

Grin-

"As a street kid who's taking care of his younger sibling, of all things."

"Don't tell me…"

Hearing the kid's trembling voice, the man said teasingly.

"Even though there are many empty houses because of the cataclysm, you can't just live anywhere. A bad person might break into your house."

The man, who had said that, playfully raised his head.

"It's about time he came~ Ah, he's here."

At those words, the kid turned his head, knowing he shouldn't.

And there, the worst situation the kid had imagined was unfolding.

"Hah, isn't this some kind of disease? It's so disgusting, really…"

A man who looked like a mercenary, just like the other two, was walking, holding his younger sibling in one hand.

His younger sibling, held in one hand like a piece of luggage, was having trouble even breathing properly, and was just lying limp with his eyes closed, breathing faintly.

"What, I thought you were lying about your younger sibling being sick, but you weren't."

The man said that and tapped the pouch with the medicine in it, as if to provoke him.

In a complete checkmate, the kid gritted his teeth.

This was the first time a situation like this had happened.

A situation like the one just now was common.

The back alleys were a place ruled by the logic of power and vagrants, and so, many people had come at him, a kid.

But until now, the kid had defeated all of them.

Therefore, he had thought that he could somehow resolve this situation, and in case of an emergency, he had been thinking that he had to somehow take the medicine and run away.

But now, he couldn't use that last resort.

Because he couldn't leave his younger sibling behind, even if he died.

The man holding the pouch chuckled at the kid's appearance.

The guy who had been like a wildcat just a moment ago was now letting his tail droop, knowing that his younger sibling was being held hostage, and was pouring all his attention there.

"Now, I'm not a bad person. If we talk it out, I might let you go."

"Hmm? That's a little troublesome."

At that moment, a light and playful voice interrupted.

The three men and the kid turned their heads to where the voice had come from.

Tabak- Tabak-

At the entrance of the alley, a red-haired young man was walking, his crescent-moon-like eyes sparkling.

"I have some business with him too."

◎ ◎ ◎

"Tsk, did I drag it out too long?"

At Lee Shin's appearance, he clicked his tongue, taking the pouch.

"What should we do? That guy is strong."

"Idiot, there are three of us, why are you scared?"

Seuk-

"If you don't get provoked, it's simple."

"I know, right? That guy doesn't even seem to have a proper weapon…"

The man, who had forced himself to be determined, sneered at Lee Shin and said.

"Hey, we'll be using this medicine well now, so how about you just go?"

It was a kind of threat, but in Lee Shin's eyes, it didn't even look like a trick.

So Lee Shin ignored them and asked the kid below.

"I don't know much, but is it okay if a few corpses are added to these back alleys?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This bastard, I was trying to let it go nicely!"

"It seems you're crazy to die."

They frowned and pulled out their respective weapons.

Even in the explosive situation, Lee Shin stared only at the kid without any trembling.

"It's… okay."

The kid, who felt pressured by the strange appearance, nodded his head without realizing it and answered Lee Shin's words.

"Really?"

At that answer, Lee Shin smiled with satisfaction.

Seogeok-

He took out the [Yagong] he had hidden in the [Black Room] and swung it.

A single light swing.

Tuk-

That was the end of it.

Their bodies lost their heads and fell to the ground.

The weapons they were holding broke and littered the ground.

The kid, who couldn't even grasp the situation that had happened in an instant, just stared blankly with his mouth open.

At that, Lee Shin walked towards the kid and said with a bright smile.

"Then it's your turn, right?"

The moment he heard those words, the kid thought.

He was screwed.

"How are you going to take responsibility for taking my things… hmm?"

Lee Shin's eyes, which were staring at the kid, turned slightly.

The pupils that had turned were pointing at the kid's younger sibling, who had been cut down by Lee Shin's spear a little while ago and had lost his life in vain.

The kid who noticed that opened his mouth urgently.

"That eye from my younger sibling…!"

"So noisy."

But before the kid could finish his words, he was blocked.

Lee Shin, who had easily neutralized the kid with a pressure point strike, lightly flicked his fingertip.

'It seems pressure point strikes work even in another world.'

-Strange.

Lee Shin felt a small satisfaction and moved his feet towards the kid's younger sibling.

Of course, the kid tried to stop Lee Shin somehow, but his body, which had been hit with a pressure point strike and even a mute point, couldn't even flick a finger, let alone speak.

"What is this?"

Lee Shin squatted down and looked at the kid's younger sibling with curious eyes.

'What's with this kid, why is he so full of dense magic power?'

In Lee Shin's eyes, he could see the movement of dense magic power flowing from the kid's younger sibling, who was gasping for breath.

At that, Lee Shin reached out with curiosity and lowered the hood that was covering the kid's younger sibling.

At that moment, the kid's eyes widened to their limit.

"Hmm, on the outside, it doesn't look like much…"

At that moment, something came into Lee Shin's eyes.

"A horn?"

The kid's pupils shook greatly at those words.

Lee Shin, just in case, approached the kid and took off his hood.

Then, he could see that there was a single horn on the opposite side of where his younger sibling's head was.

And after looking twice, he could roughly figure out what kind of horn it was.

No, he couldn't not know.

Because Irehgue had been shouting the identity of the horn in his ear for a while now.

-You there! That's a dragon's horn!

What was on the two kids' heads.

It was half, but it was definitely a dragon's horn.