IBMATG 13

Chapter 13

Before working with Baeksan Group, I once worked for an Awakeners’ company called NL.

That was two years ago—meaning it had only been three years since Awakeners first appeared.

In a world that had changed overnight, companies started springing up like weeds once people realized that “diamonds” could be turned into money.

Most of them were either shady businesses or gangster-like outfits that exploited low-ranked Awakeners.

And NL was exactly one of the latter.

Not knowing any better, I rashly signed a contract with them. For a long time, I suffered under them, and even when I tried to leave, the company wouldn’t let me go quietly—not until the very last day.

—Hey, grunt. Don’t you know we’ve got a joint mission with Teams 2, 3, and 4 next week? What the hell are you doing saying you’re quitting now?

That voice belonged to the man who tormented me the most back then—Team Leader Song Hyung-joo.

Armed with nothing but the authority of being a “High-Rank Guardian Spirit” user, he treated low-rank Awakeners like slaves.

He was also the one who made me realize first-hand that inside a dungeon, you could kill someone without consequences.

—That joint mission happens every week anyway.

—…

—I already told you three months ago I was quitting. I can’t delay it anymore.

—…A damn grunt talking back now? No manners at all.

He would constantly try to intimidate me by bragging about his “backing.”

Despite only being a mid-level executive’s lackey, he boasted of his ties to upper management, as if he were someone important.

He didn’t have school ties, family connections, or anything of that sort.

He got that far purely by sucking up and buttering up the right people.

The very embodiment of a corporate sycophant.

But while he groveled to those above him, he treated anyone he deemed beneath him like absolute trash.

—Hey, if you’re gonna quit, cough up 20 million won. Right now.

—What the hell are you talking about?

—Do you know how much I spent entertaining an executive for the team’s sake? You benefited too, so pay your share.

—That’s ridiculous…

That was always his way of controlling the team—with absurd logic.

I had no clue what “benefits” he was even talking about. I didn’t care to curry favor with the company anyway.

Besides, the only one who ever gained from his scheming was him—yet he had the nerve to demand money from me.

I decided it wasn’t worth responding anymore. I turned on my heel and walked out.

After all, it wasn’t like I’d ever see that bastard again. No need to waste breath.

—Hey! You bastard!

He still shouted threats until the end.

—You’ll never work in this business again!

That was the last memory of that rotten tie.

And of course, contrary to his bold threats, nothing bad happened to me afterward.

Because really, what influence could a pathetic man with nothing but a High-Rank Guardian Spirit possibly wield?

So I thought Song Hyung-joo was gone from my life for good.

Until—

“Hey, grunt. Long time no see.”

I ran into that old grudge again in the most unexpected place.

The same arrogant face as before.

No—his sneer looked even more revolting than it used to.

And now I understood where his upgraded arrogance came from.

{Guardian Spirit: Son of Light, Cú Chulainn (Legendary)}

“Bow your head.”

Song Hyung-joo hadn’t changed one bit.

“I said bow.”

That tone, like he was ordering a pet.

“You insane? Why the hell should I—”

I cut him off with the only words I felt like saying.

“Fuck off.”

“…What?”

His face froze over.

It seemed he still thought I was someone beneath him.

No—now that he had a Legendary Guardian Spirit, he probably thought the entire world was beneath him.

“Ahh. I get it. You’ve grown since the old days.”

He slicked back his hair and smirked.

“If you’re here, that means you cleared the first stage alone… So you’ve changed too. But you know what?”

Then he puffed himself up like he owned the world.

“My Guardian Spirit is Legendary now.”

“…”

I showed no reaction.

Because I already knew that fact—and honestly, it didn’t impress me in the slightest.

If anything, it just felt like a waste for such power to land in hands like his.

‘No talent, rotten personality, but lucky as hell… The world really is fair, huh.’

His so-called “backing” was nothing but NL.

Even if the company went crazy, no way they’d invest astronomical sums into a mere team leader.

And NL wasn’t the kind of small-time company to have billions lying around anyway.

So the only way he got that Legendary Guardian Spirit… was pure luck.

He must have succeeded in re-summoning after only a handful of tries.

‘Figures. That’s just how the world works.’

It felt unfair, but not surprising.

After all, scum rising to the top wasn’t exactly rare.

The world doesn’t make value judgments.

Good people don’t automatically get lucky. Bad people aren’t automatically punished.

“Better bow to me before something really bad happens. I’m getting angry now. I might kill you here and no one would ever know.”

The world doesn’t hand out justice.

Only humans do.

If he was ever punished, it wouldn’t be divine retribution—it would be human retribution.

“Try it, if you can.”

“…This bastard, even now…”

His smug smile twisted into fury.

He drew the spear slung on his back, pointed it at me, and snarled:

“I never liked you. Now you’ll make me shed blood. Today, you die.”

His eyes burned with bloodlust.

To think he would kill someone just for refusing to bow… He was a true psychopath.

But if that was his game, I wasn’t planning to show mercy either.

“Gáe Bolg.”

He shouted the skill name unnecessarily and projected his weapon.

Mana wrapped around the spear, glowing bright blue.

“Die.”

He hurled it at me.

Whssssh!

Of course, there was no way I’d be hit by such a predictable attack.

I ducked under the throw and charged forward.

At the same time, I swung a full-force right hook.

“Ugh!”

Slaaash!

The dragon’s claw extending from my cestus slashed across his body.

Crack!

The blow shattered his barrier instantly.

I moved to press the attack—

Tch!

“You bastard!”

But he wasn’t completely useless. With the speed granted by a Legendary Spirit, he retreated fast.

His lackeys rushed forward, weapons drawn, blocking my way.

“You—you dared to hit me?!”

Stuttering in shock, he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

He had assumed I was far beneath him, but I’d struck back faster than he could react.

“Move, unless you want to die.”

I didn’t want to hurt the others.

They were probably just poor guys suffering under this bastard’s leadership anyway.

“What are you waiting for?! Attack him!”

But since they came at me, I’d answer in kind.

“Haaah!”

The front man swung a greatsword down at me.

They all had Rare Guardian Spirits.

No match for me.

I snapped a jab forward with my left hand.

Boom!

A dragon’s paw shot straight forward, blasting the man away.

He crashed into his comrades, bowling several of them down in a heap.

The path to Song Hyung-joo was wide open.

‘Time to end this.’

Tak tak tak!

I surged forward, determination burning.

Another right hook—

Whoosh!

But a projectile whizzed at my back, forcing me to halt my attack.

I caught it midair instead.

Clack!

It was his spear.

‘A returning weapon…’

A common trait for such armaments—especially Legendary ones.

But with Gáe Bolg, that wasn’t all.

“Idiot!”

Song Hyung-joo laughed, thinking he’d caught me.

I sensed something wrong and immediately let go of the spear—

But too late.

Shhk-shhk-shhk!

Dozens of barbed spikes shot from the spear, lancing toward me.

I tried to dodge, but their range was several meters long, and they moved too fast.

Crack!

My barrier shattered under the impact.

“Ha ha!”

He recalled his spear, grinning, ready for another strike.

Thud. Thud, thud.

Then came the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

All of his lackeys.

The attack hadn’t distinguished friend from foe.

They’d all been skewered by the same spikes.

‘This lunatic…’

He was laughing even after killing his own men.

All he cared about was defeating me.

“I don’t know how you got such power, but my spear—you can’t dodge it…”

Tch!

I didn’t wait for him to finish.

I closed the distance in a blink.

If I gave him space, he’d throw the spear again.

If I stayed close, he couldn’t use it.

“Rrgh!”

Boom! Bam! Bam!

I canceled my own weapon projection and fought bare-fisted, at nose-to-nose range.

Even the dragon’s claw needed some distance to work, so I didn’t use it.

Clang! Thud!

“Urgh!”

We exchanged a flurry of blows.

He held up decently—strength clearly bolstered by Cú Chulainn.

But strength has limits.

Wham!

“Gah!”

My fist, weighted with full body momentum, sank into his solar plexus.

He collapsed, clutching his stomach, gasping in agony.

“Wh-why… why am I… losing…?”

He groaned, face twisted in disbelief.

No wonder—Cú Chulainn boosted his strength immensely.

But no matter how high strength goes, without reflexes, you can’t land a hit. Without vitality, your stamina gives out.

Against me—whose stats were all balanced at the highest tier—his brute strength was meaningless.

And truthfully, even his “strength” wasn’t that much higher than mine.

I was simply overwhelming him with raw stats.

Step.

I planted my foot right in front of his face.

“Shin-woo… You’re not… gonna kill me, right?”

“…”

I stared down at him coldly as he begged for his life.

“T-think about it… We have history…”

I turned away, as if sparing him.

“Yes! That’s right! I knew you wouldn’t—”

Squelch.

I picked up the spear lying on the ground and drove it deep into his chest.

“Gahhh…!”

The spear pierced straight through his heart.

I looked into his dying eyes and said:

“You should’ve known—if you try to kill someone, you’ll be killed in return.”