Chapter 16: Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: One-on-One (1)

Mr. Kim always thought to himself:

'Fucking bastards. I wish they’d all just drop dead.’

So, he set everything ablaze.

Screaaam—!

His father, who beat him every day, saying he looked like the mother who had run away.

“Aaaaaah—!”

The woman who slept with another man in his house.

“Sp-spare me! Aaaahhh!”

And the factory manager who threw him out after three years of work without paying a dime.

It was the most satisfying sight to watch them all go up in flames.

Crackle! Crackle!

After serving ten years in prison for arson, he was released and lived quietly, burning only recyclables in secret.

But then…

One day, he received a "revelation."

[Mission has started.]

[Congratulations! Based on the deep-seated rage etched into your very bones, and your countless memories of fire and ashes, a skill has been unlocked!]

[Flame (Lv.1) skill has been activated!]

“Th-this is…!”

A surge of heat erupted from deep within his chest, coursing through his shoulders and arms, flowing like molten lava instead of blood.

The heat, searing enough to burst through his skin, bubbled and churned like magma from an active volcano.

Soon, his hand could no longer contain it.

It ripped through an invisible barrier and burst forth.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle. Whoosh!

It was a sign from the heavens.

The world was already a wreck, so it must be divine will to burn it all down quickly.

And so, he diligently, passionately killed.

But why…

Crunch!

Why was he being defeated by this pathetic, flimsy-looking guy?

Even with his lava-fueled fists...

“Ughhhhhh…”

‘It hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. I’m going to die.’

Kim curled his body up like a shrimp, unable to even scream through the pain in his shattered fists.

‘Th-the skill…!’

His fingers were all broken, and he truly felt like he might die.

But if he could just unleash his power, he could burn this guy to ashes.

He just needed to say one word!

“Fla...me!”

Whoosh!

As he spat out the syllables, a fierce gust of wind swept through.

The world seemed to stop and restart in a bizarre way.

“What now? Looks like you can’t use your skill anymore.”

It happened in an instant.

The damned man smirked, vanished before his eyes, and reappeared—

Thwack!

—and slammed his fist into Kim’s gut, which had already taken a beating.

‘Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!’

The punch felt strong enough to pierce through his stomach, leaving his abdomen caved in and his organs shaken to their core.

At the same time, Kim’s pupils dilated infinitely.

“Ughhh…!”

“It’s going to hurt a bit.”

Before he could even process where this all-consuming pain was coming from, another one-sided barrage followed.

Right jaw.

Abdomen.

His already-broken hands.

Then back to the right jaw.

Abdomen.

Hands…

“P-please…! Stop…ugh…”

“We’re not done yet.”

“Please, stop! Have mercy…!”

His pathetic body told him clearly.

If this continued, he’d really die.

Moving his misshapen jaw with difficulty, Kim begged.

“I’ll… I’ll give you women… Just…please…!”

Whoosh!

The man disappeared again, carried by a gust of wind, only to reappear and inflict even greater pain.

“Just as I thought.”

This time, he had been careful with his skill management.

Apparently, the man’s actions had riled him up more than expected.

“Flame—”

“Accelerate.”

Force equals mass times velocity, they say.

And so, by throwing a punch ten times faster, the impact naturally grew stronger.

Treating the man’s abdomen like a punching bag, he pounded away while counting the seconds.

Three, two, one.

Now!

“—End!”

Thwack!

He timed the strike perfectly as the skill expired, driving his stone-like fist into the target.

He wanted him to feel every ounce of pain.

Just like how a boxer delivers maximum impact by hitting the perfect spot.

Tingling—!

The overwhelming sensation of the blow made his own body tremble slightly.

“What now? Looks like you can’t use your skill anymore.”

“Ughhh…!”

“It’s going to hurt a bit.”

— Thud! Thud! Thwack!

Once. Twice. Three times. Four...

Even after the skill had ended, the assault didn’t stop.

First, the crushed fist of the man.

When he twisted in pain to evade, the abdomen.

As he coughed up his breath and lowered his head, the jaw.

Then again, the hands, the legs, the abdomen, and the jaw.

I mustn’t give him any room to fight back.

That was the reason for targeting the same weakened areas relentlessly.

It wasn’t just about breaking him with pain.

More importantly, it was to conceal the fact that the petrification skill had ended.

He must also be aware of the cooldown period.

Acceleration and petrification were indeed powerful skills, but the opponent had enough firepower to turn the tide.

"P-Please stop...! I beg you, urgh..."

The man collapsed, letting out a sound akin to a pig being slaughtered.

He looked down at his broken joints, twisted in pain and dismay.

"I-I’ll... I’ll give you the girls...!"

At that moment, the man’s pitiful words pierced through my thoughts.

"Please..."

"Acceleration."

Whoosh!

Once again, I rushed at him with fierce winds trailing behind, striking his abdomen and then his legs.

This time, I used petrification again.

"Aaaaaaaagh! Gaaah!"

"What are you saying?"

"......!"

The man’s limp limbs trembled, and pitiful groans escaped from his mouth.

"Grrr... P-Please... spare me..."

"You’re going to give them to me?"

It was so absurd I had to ask again.

Yet, he seemed to take my question as agreement and desperately nodded, his face contorted in panic.

But.

"I’m thinking of giving you to them. What about that?"

"......?"

Bewilderment filled his clouded eyes, but my part ended there.

Taking a step back, I called out.

"Student!"

The person who would decide how this ends.

"How should we finish this?"

"!!"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Before my words fully left my lips, a long-haired schoolgirl walked over, her steps deliberate.

Her piercing gaze burned with a chilling resolve.

"Spare... spare me...! Aaaaaah!"

"......"

"Aaaahhhhhh!"

The sound that echoed in the office was neither entirely human nor beastlike.

Screech.

Seung, who had been staring blankly at the screen, rubbed his sweaty palms on his suit trousers.

It seemed he had clenched them too tightly without realizing it.

[We’re still in the early stages, but this is brutal...]

— Bang!

Flinch.

The loud noise, reverberating through the massive desk, the room, and even his boss's body, interrupted his musings.

Seung quickly closed his mouth and glanced nervously at his superior.

— Tap. Tap. Tap.

The rapid tapping of fingers on the desk.

The occasional sound of a tongue clicking.

Furrowed brows drawn tight.

[Harona?]

Harona glared at the screen silently.

To make matters worse, her twin pigtails twitched and bounced erratically.

Ah! Could it be?

[Is it because of Subject Kim Deokgu? That’s unfortunate. He unlocked a useful skill, after all.]

Flame skills are powerful early-game abilities for achieving "results."

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From a manager’s perspective, losing him must sting.

[Another with the same unlock will emerge. It’s not a rare ability, so if we look—]

[What nonsense are you spouting?]

[Isn’t it Subject Kim Deokgu you’re lamenting over?]

[Hah?]

At her subordinate’s clueless words, Harona let out a deflated sound.

[Not that!]

She pointed her finger at the screen, directing his attention to "that"—the charred remains of Kim Deokgu.

So then, what she lamented was...

[Subject Lee Eunho! I wanted to see more of his fight!]

[...That’s what you’re lamenting?]

What else could it be?

Harona shrugged, as if to say it was obvious.

[He’s a master at exploiting weaknesses. Did you see the way he timed his moves earlier?]

Harona's large eyes sparkled as she chattered excitedly.

How ruthless and clever Subject Lee Eunho was.

And.

[What cunning.]

Seung interpreted it as cunning.

Being called cunning—

The highest praise in a "company" where predation and survival were the norms.

[Acceleration and petrification. I thought they were lacking as offensive skills... I was wrong.]

He used them more aggressively than actual attack skills.

All Seung could do was nod in agreement.

And just as he opened his mouth to add a comment—

【An anonymous observer is highly satisfied with Subject "Lee Eunho's" performance.】

【A gift has arrived!】

Ding!

[A Gift Has Arrived!]

Ding!

A cheerful sound rang out—an impossible notification sound—emanating from the screen where acrid smoke was rising, replacing the dying flames.

[A gift?!]

[Could it be a sponsorship item?]

Both turned their heads sharply at the same time.

Support provided by spectators to their chosen participant.

It’s not common, but it’s certainly possible.

The restructuring process is streamed live through the “Eye,” and anyone with proper authorization can freely access and observe.

Toward the end of the restructuring process, large-scale betting on who will survive often occurs.

Spectators sometimes shower their chosen participant with sponsorship.

[We need to send it back, Harona.]

[Hmmm.]

But that’s a far-off scenario.

District 13 has just begun its restructuring phase.

Sponsorship for a participant not yet officially selected?

That’s against the rules.

Hoping it was sent by mistake, they double-checked, but the recipient’s name, “Eunho Lee,” was boldly displayed, leaving no room for doubt.

[The manual clearly states that sponsorship cannot be sent to unselected participants…]

[Wait a second. But this is a gift, not sponsorship, isn’t it?]

[…Excuse me?]

What difference does it make whether it’s sponsorship or a gift?

Points are for sending sponsorship funds—essentially sponsorship—while items are for sending gifts.

[Harona! What if you get another warning for this?]

[Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. This is nothing serious. Besides, they probably can’t even use it properly.]

[That may be true, but still…]

Seung shouted in protest, but Harona waved him off dismissively with her pale hand.

Then, rubbing her hands together, her eyes gleamed with a colorful light.

[Let’s start the next mission right away.]

[This is supposed to be the last mission for today…]

[No, start it immediately.]

Seung couldn’t help but sigh deeply, but his boss was no longer listening.

She simply beamed with a wide, knowing smile.

[It’s been a while since we’ve had such an interesting observer join us. Let’s give them a good show. Make them open their wallets wide.]

Wallets?

It seemed his boss was planning something on a larger scale.

[Hmm—what would be good?]

* * *

“Ugh… It hurts.”

Even though I focused on hitting with my stone-hardened right hand, maybe I overdid it.

Are my fingers broken?

Clutching my throbbing arm, I collapsed to the ground.

A long-haired girl, Yoon Sola, approached.

After sobbing uncontrollably with her friend, she finally calmed down, her face still red.

“...Here.”

“Hm?”

Yoon Sola, her eyes puffy, extended a hand toward me, her small palm contrasting with her tall stature.

‘What’s with the hand… Oh, right.’

“Finish healing me later. You can do that, right?”

She remembered what I had said back then.

“Please.”

Yoon Sola’s gaze as she examined my injured arm was deep—watchful, yet warm.

Nothing like the fierce look she’d had earlier.

‘Of course, she didn’t get a healing ability for no reason.’

—Shine!

A radiant glow emanated from her slender fingers.

It wasn’t purely white or blue—an indescribable, ethereal light seeped into my skin.

The sensation enveloped my arm like stepping into a cool, dry room on a scorching summer day.

[Due to the influence of Healer Yoon Sola, your injuries are being healed.]

[Burn recovery rate: 100%.]

[Fracture recovery rate: 100%.]

The bones in my fingers realigned, and the scorched, blackened skin reversed itself as new flesh emerged.

Just like in those pharmaceutical company ads with CGI effects.

‘Completely healed.’

An incredible ability.

With this, I wouldn’t need to waste precious rewards to heal injuries.

Not just for herself—this is the best ability for her allies too.

‘I need to stay on her good side.’

“Ahhh! Thank goodness, hyung!”

“You’re healed, Eunho!”

Jaehyuk, who’d been nervously pacing while watching me sprawled out, shouted in relief.

Likewise, Jieun, who had been anxiously biting her lip.

“That’s a relief. By the way…”

Gratitude aside, Yoon Sola’s side-glances from earlier were suspicious.

She looked like she had something to say.

“Thanks for healing me.”

“…I kept my promise.”

Wanting to stay on her good side, I broke the silence first as she fidgeted, lips moving soundlessly.

Finally, she spoke.

“And… thank y—”

Just as Sola, fumbling with her words and nervously fiddling with her fingers, started to speak.

—Ding!

That cheerful sound from earlier echoed in my mind, just like when I first received the random box.

And a translucent message window appeared before me.

[You have received a gift from an anonymous observer!]

[Would you like to check it?]

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