Mirror World: Destined Return-Chapter 25

Su-Yeol was an ordinary police officer in Korea. It was just another day at the police station when he was Lost—the only difference was that it was the day of the first snow. Seeing the panicked people in a dark forest stirred a sense of ambition hidden deep inside his heart.

As a police officer, I should step up to calm everybody down, Su-Yeol thought.

However, before he could act on his thoughts, a man named Kim Min-Su got the jump on him. He was highly proficient in assessing the situation and proposed a plan going forward based on his analysis. Su-Yeol felt a sense of disappointment and greed at the same time.

I should join him.

Su-Yeol’s thoughts did not last long because another man wearing a large backpack killed Min-Su soon after. Su-Yeol summoned his Destiny Weapon, the M60, but it was pointless because it had no bullets. He was ashamed that he let a criminal get away just because he had no bullets in his gun, but his legs refused to move because he saw the man’s eyes. They reflected indifference—it seemed as if the man did not feel anything.

Su-Yeol gathered people after the murderer disappeared. He mostly chose young people whom he could easily manipulate and planned to take them out of the safe zone to get a better idea of their situation. However, someone got the jump on him yet again—two men named Shin Jun and Park Ho-Geun had taken action first and returned as superhumans.

This isn’t good. I’ll be reduced to a lackey if I keep falling behind! Su-Yeol thought desperately.

The murderer returned to the safe zone as Su-Yeol grew more anxious. He had become a monster who could throw a tree branch as if it were a missile. Su-Yeol coveted his power and his charisma that could freeze the ninety-eight people in the safe zone. The murderer was like a tiger who reigned as king of a mountain. Su-Yeol left the safe zone with a few people because there couldn’t be two tigers ruling one mountain.

I’m a leader now, too!

However, Su-Yeol’s dreams did not last because his capability could not keep up with his greed. He invested all of the Karma he obtained through hunting into his Destiny Weapon, thinking it would certainly pay off since he was given a gun.

However, nothing happened, and the team’s leader naturally changed after three days. The younger men who treated him with respect and the young women who flattered him did not fear his gun with no bullets. They all continued to grow stronger than he. Su-Yeol detested the feeling of being left behind.

I was the one who took all of you out of the safe zone! I’m this team’s leader!

As he gritted his teeth in rage, a message appeared as if God had answered his wishes.

[Dark Seal obtained.]

[Granting Black Quests.]

...

[Trap of Betrayal (Black Quest)

Rank: F

Description: Injure your comrades by laying a trap for them.

Time Limit: 72 hours.]

Su-Yeol did not know this, but he received the Dark Seal exactly seventy-two hours after Seong-Hwi killed Min-Su.

This is it!

Su-Yeol’s eyes widened. He was given the Dark Seal and could carry out black quests. He immediately got to work and lured a pack of Black Dogs while his teammates were hunting another pack.

This isn’t a betrayal. You guys betrayed me first!

Su-Yeol justified his actions as his teammates struggled due to the numerical disadvantage. They successfully defeated the Black Dogs, but one teammate was injured and needed time to rest.

[Black Quest: Trap of Betrayal, complete.]

[300 Karma obtained.]

Su-Yeol saw the Karma he obtained, and his eyes turned red as he saw another message.

[Eliminate the Nuisance (Black Quest)

Rank: F

Description: Exclude the comrade whose mobility has fallen due to injury.

Time Limit: 72 hours.]

Su-Yeol did not hesitate. His teammates relied on him more as he got stronger, and he carried out the black quests as he pretended to be a good leader, hyung, and oppa to them. He then realized he could establish a rule for his Destiny Weapon once its stat hit F(50), raising his combat power several times over. More time passed, and his team of twelve people, including himself, was reduced to one.

I need comrades to carry out the black quests!

The meaning of the word comrade to Su-Yeol had been distorted long ago. Thankfully, the Chedbell gang he came across as he was hunting Bodies seemed like the perfect group for him to fulfill his wishes. Su-Yeol had only entered Eugenio’s command because he was planning on killing him and taking over the Chedbell gang, but a sudden attack hit the gang as he was lying low for the perfect opportunity.

This is what I’ve been waiting for! I’ll kill Eugenio today and take over the Chedbell gang!

However, his plan changed the moment he discovered who the attacker was—the true tiger who did not lose even against a hundred people, the murderer.

***

“Haha. Listen, I’m not your enemy. I’m a police officer and I’ve been undercover to find a way to wipe out this gang. Why don’t we sweep them together as fellow Koreans?”

“Kim Su-Yeol! How dare you betray us?!” Tenzin Gurung, the leader of the Nepalese from District 9, shouted as he charged at Su-Yeol with an ax.

Su-Yeol immediately pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Tenzin’s flank, and he collapsed.

“Kurgh!”

“Don’t hate me for this. I was planning on doing it from the beginning.” Su-Yeol smiled as he pulled the trigger again, aiming for Tenzin’s head, but the bullet did not go through Tenzin’s head. “W-what?”

Seong-Hwi had embodied the Ace of Pentacles to block the bullet.

“You! What are you doing? Why did you spare him?” Su-Yeol asked him.

“Don’t touch my prey,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“What?”

“I’ll kill you first if you don’t stay quiet.” Seong-Hwi stared at Su-Yeol.

He had not come to have fun or play the hero—he was only here to earn Karma and fulfill the condition to obtain the Hundred-Man Killer trait. He would kill anyone who stopped him from doing so.

“A-ahem. O-okay,” Su-Yeol answered as he averted his eyes from Seong-Hwi’s indifferent gaze.

Those eyes are like he doesn’t even care about me! Dammit, I’m not the same person as I was when I just got here!

Su-Yeol gritted his teeth and stared at Seong-Hwi, who resumed his massacre. He surprisingly stopped using his various skills and killed only with his knife.

He’s surely tired. I’d bet his mana is bottoming out. Yeah, keep your guard down and ignore me. I’ll kill you!

Su-Yeol did not shoot his gun at Seong-Hwi because he wanted to lower his guard. Not only was he unsure that he could kill the murderer with one bullet, but it was also to get him tired and give him a false sense that Su-Yeol was a friend, lowering his guard further. The fact that he blocked the bullet fired at Tenzin with the golden shield earlier confirmed that Su-Yeol made the right choice. He was hunting a tiger.

Su-Yeol wondered how much Karma and how amazing of items he would get by killing someone that powerful. On top of that, he couldn’t even imagine the thrill of it.

Hehe, I sure have changed. You know what they say: humans are adaptive creatures.

Su-Yeol waited for his chance as he watched Seong-Hwi kill the gang members one by one.

***

Seong-Hwi killed the collapsed Eugenio, whom he had left for last. With that, the Chedbell gang was wiped out—all but one. Seong-Hwi approached Su-Yeol, who put his hands up with an awkward smile to show that he had no desire to fight.

“I’m telling the truth. I acted like I was their comrade to destroy them from the inside.”

“Good for you,” Seong-Hwi smirked and stared at Su-Yeol, whose eyes were darting around. “Are you the one who told them where the District 8 safe zone is?”

“No. I was shocked to hear about that incident, too. I infiltrated the Chedbell gang on the seventh day. Eugenio mentioned hitting the jackpot on the fifth day, so I had nothing to do with that.”

Su-Yeol was telling the truth, but his opinion about it was different.

Dammit, I was so disappointed to hear about that. I could’ve been a part of it.

However, Su-Yeol instead said, “Why don’t you join me? From what I’ve seen, you can use tons of skills, but don’t have a ranged one.”

“So?”

“I’ll be your ranged support. You saw that I have a gun, right? A gun! If you and I join forces, we’ll be unstoppable.”

Seong-Hwi ignored his proposal and asked, “Is this everyone in the cave?”

“There is Carlos’s patrol team, but... excluding them, this is everyone. A total of ninety-five people, including myself.”

“What a shame.”

Seong-Hwi turned around and walked toward Eugenio’s corpse. Su-Yeol’s eyes shone, interpreting Seong-Hwi’s response as acceptance.

This is my chance!

Su-Yeol loaded his gun and waited until Seong-Hwi was far enough that his attacks wouldn’t reach him. He turned the cylinder of his M60 and pulled back the hammer. Once Seong-Hwi was far enough, he raised the gun and aimed for Seong-Hwi’s head.

Now!

Su-Yeol fired the gun. Everything had gone to plan, but he had not expected what he saw next. Seong-Hwi turned around and sliced the bullet flying at him in two with his Shaco Knife.

“I-impossible! That was a bullet!”

Su-Yeol fired the remaining two bullets, but Seong-Hwi sliced them as well.

Seong-Hwi said to Su-Yeol, expressing disbelief, “It’s a common mistake people with gun D Weapons make. They think their D Weapon is the strongest.”

A gun was a powerful weapon that allowed even a weak child to kill an adult—on Earth, of course. Guns in the Mirror World were simply one of the various emission D Weapons. Those with a high Sense stat could easily detect bullets and even cut them if their Dexterity was high enough. Good skills and a high Magic stat made bullets obsolete, and if one’s Health stat was high enough, they could fully recover almost instantly from a gunshot wound.

“T-there’s no way! Argh!”

[Activating Skill: Speedload.]

Su-Yeol felt his mana draining and five bullets being simultaneously loaded into his gun. The rule he established was to create bullets and automatically load them into his gun using mana.

Seong-Hwi mumbled in disappointment, “You could’ve come up with any rule, but all you came up with was loading bullets? Your observational skills that saw through Myriad Faces are impressive, but your imagination is terrible.”

“Shut up! Ahhh!”

Su-Yeol emptied the entire cylinder at Seong-Hwi in a single breath but was utterly disappointed by the result. The five bullets turned into ten pieces of brass metal.

“One look and I can tell your rule wasn’t made for hunting Chaos, but humans. I gave you an opening on purpose, and as I expected, you took the bait immediately. Well, I wasn’t going to spare you anyway.”

“A-ahhh! Fucking monster!”

Su-Yeol turned around and frantically ran away, thinking he couldn’t defeat someone who could slice bullets in midair. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Seong-Hwi chuckled exasperatedly. “Hah, are you seriously turning your back on an enemy during combat? Even if you’re a newbie, I can’t let that slide. Oh, you said I didn't have a ranged weapon earlier, right?”

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Chasing Bow, one of the symbols of No.3 The Hunter.]

The card, No.3 The Hunter, which he had used to embody the Hunting Feather, came out of the Symbolic Tarot Deck. However, Seong-Hwi embodied a different symbol this time. It was the Chasing Bow, a recurve bow made from the horns of a black water buffalo. Seong-Hwi drew the bowstring, and a black arrow was automatically nocked.

“You’re the hundredth.”

Seong-Hwi let go of the bowstring, and the arrow shot forward. Su-Yeol quickly ducked after hearing the sound of the arrow flying, but as if it had eyes, the arrow suddenly dove like a waterfall and pierced Su-Yeol’s back.

“Kurgh!” Su-Yeol’s eyes widened from the intense pain he could feel in his back.

He even has a ranged skill? How many goddamn skills does he have?!

“Cough! This is... unfair!” Su-Yeol shouted as he vomited blood.

If only I had overpowered skills like that, too!

Seong-Hwi drew the bowstring again and said, “You think this is unfair? I wonder what you’d say if you met a dragon in the Mirror World.”

The world was naturally unfair. Even if one was frustrated by the filthy fact, they had to admit it—otherwise, they could never overcome it. Seong-Hwi let the arrow loose, and it penetrated Su-Yeol’s neck. Su-Yeol convulsed as he drowned in his tears and blood, and stopped breathing.

It was always miserable to see one’s desires die out. Su-Yeol was a highly ambitious police officer on Earth, but that ambition was twisted in a negative direction after suffering several breakdowns. The broken-down and suppressed always returned sooner or later as a monster. It was unavoidable since it was also part of human destiny.

***

“Huuu,” Seong-Hwi exhaled.

He lay flat on the ground after killing Su-Yeol and closed his fatigued eyes, feeling the faint warmth from his eyelids.

I’ve used up my mana and Destiny Force.

His overworked muscles screamed in agony once the mana that kept his body filled with energy was depleted. On top of that, the depletion of Destiny Force filled him with anxiety and worries about the future. If having plenty of Destiny Force was like an unending state of epiphany, the opposite was like despair after coming face to face with one’s limited talent. Seong-Hwi took deep breaths to calm his mind.

Anyway, I got everything I wanted.

Seong-Hwi read the Akasha Messages.

[Trait Quest: Collect One Hundred Souls, complete.]

[Unlocking Trait: Hundred-Man Killer.]

...

[Hundred-Man Killer (Trait)

Rank: F(0)

Description: The energy of one who has killed one hundred humans. The hundred souls can be converted to bloodlust. A Hundred-Man Mark can be stamped on one person per 24 hours. Additional Karma is rewarded when killing a human stamped with the Hundred-Man Mark.]

Most malicious and infamous Black Humans possessed the trait Hundred-Man Killer. Some black clans even assessed an individual’s value by checking if they had the trait when selecting elite members. Bloodlust was the malignant energy exuded by murderers—it was what hikers felt when they came across a tiger on a mountain. If one had thick bloodlust, its energy was added to their attacks to make the attack stronger.

The effect of bloodlust shone even brighter in one-versus-many situations. Because the energy stimulated the instinctive fear in humans, it blunted the opponent’s actions and induced hesitation. On top of that, bloodlust could wreck the opponent’s body if strong enough. Hence, the intangible power was a force to be reckoned with despite not being classified as a skill.

Seong-Hwi checked the Karma he had accumulated from the massacre.

[Karma: 14,620]

“Hah!” He laughed.

He only had 219 Karma when he walked into the cave, so he had earned 14,401 Karma in just two hours.

“I got what they owed me for taking away my hunting Karma. The blood of my people sure is expensive.”

Despite sounding nonchalant, Seong-Hwi did not feel good about it. Humans could kill and die all too easily. If killing one person was equivalent to destroying their world, Seong-Hwi had destroyed a hundred worlds.

This is also my destiny.

However, Seong-Hwi did not regret it. He would never hesitate to destroy even thousands of worlds if it meant he could keep the one world that he wanted alive.

I’ll probably become a Fiend.

Everything he had worked so hard for in his past life failed.

Humans struggle so frantically to protect mere laws, ethics, morals, and humanity, but does it mean anything before absolute power?

Seong-Hwi had no idea, but one thing he knew for sure was that he could never return to his former self, who fought for humanity’s rights.

***

Firm in my principles because those I formed are sound and were formed very early, I always act in accordance with them; they have made me understand the emptiness and nullity of virtue; I hate virtue, and never will I be seen resorting to it.

Marquis de Sade, 120 Days of Sodom