Chapter 34:

When I leapt from the ceiling and landed between David and Lexi, a pang of regret flashed through my mind.

Facing her in battle mode made my spine tingle with the chilling sensation of placing my neck on the guillotine.

Especially since I wasn’t in my ghostly form but appeared as Yuria, wearing only the mask.

The restriction of being unable to freely use my telekinesis added to my unease.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Maybe it would’ve been better to descend wrapped in cloth instead? …No, that’s too risky. This isn’t the Western Labyrinth where I can flee; causing a commotion in the middle of the city carries too many risks.’

But this wasn’t something I could avoid.

Fighting Lexi here as a ghost wasn’t like using telekinesis in secret behind a hotel, out of sight from witnesses or CCTV.

If I tried to subdue Lexi with telekinesis, the fight’s impact would inevitably spill over beyond this space.

Just like when I fought Drakel before, it would end with a spectacular mess, turning everything around us into chaos.

If that happened, the existence of superpowers would inevitably spread, and even if I managed to escape, I’d be relentlessly pursued by those trying to uncover my identity.

Just imagining it was enough to give me a headache.

No matter how sorry I felt for David and Sabrina, I couldn’t pour oil over myself and leap into the flames.

‘In the end, I either don’t use telekinesis or find a way to make Lexi back down without being discovered.’

And then, another wave of hopelessness hit me.

How could I possibly do that against this sadistic psycho queen?

“Jin…? No, he’s not the type to make such a flashy move….”

While I was trying to calm my fraying nerves, Lexi tilted her head in confusion. Then, with a wicked smile, she muttered,

“Hm. I don’t get it. I can’t figure out what you’re trying to do by going to such lengths.”

“….”

“Well… whatever. I’ll just focus on my job. I’ll find out once it’s all over, right?”

Lexi, clearly puzzled about why I’d suddenly shown up to interfere after being in the banquet hall with Raven earlier, licked her lips and raised her whip.

Rather than pondering an unanswered question, she seemed to decide to simply bind me up and proceed with her plans.

What a terrifying queen she was.

“Snake, restrain. Minimize injuries.”

“…!”

Whip!

A black whip flew at me with such invisible speed that it wrapped tightly around my body before I could even react.

It was so fast that by the time I noticed, I was already bound so tightly that I couldn’t move a muscle.

This was the combat artifact known as Flesh-Biting Snake, regarded as first-tier in the story.

The thought that I’d already be dead if Lexi had intended to kill me sent chills down my spine.

‘Ugh… This is horrible! I don’t have that kind of kink!’

Squeeze.

The whip tightened around my arms, legs, and neck, exerting an unbearable pressure.

Was she planning to strangle me into unconsciousness?

The forced constriction around my neck brought involuntary tears to my eyes.

Lexi, unconcerned with whether I clutched at the whip choking me or not, seemed to believe she had already subdued me completely.

Leisurely, she approached and ran her finger across the edge of my mask.

“I’ve been curious about what’s behind this mask. What kind of face is so carefully hidden? If it’s an annoyingly cute face, maybe I should rough it up a bit?”

What a horrifying thing to say!

Shivering at Lexi’s menacing words, which didn’t sound like a joke at all, I discreetly guided an invisible stream of telekinetic energy along the whip’s surface.

As the energy reached a soft, hidden spot inside the whip’s handle—

I clenched the unseen, delicate tail of the artifact with telekinesis.

Screeeeech!

“What the…?! Snake!”

“…!”

The Flesh-Biting Snake wrapped around me let out a high-pitched screech.

The reason? I had mercilessly tormented its soft, vulnerable tail with my telekinesis—its sole weak spot that even Lexi didn’t know about yet.

In disbelief, Lexi frantically checked her whip, noticing its strange behavior.

I, now freed, ignored the injuries on my body and rolled to the side with all my might.

Behind me were the injured David and Sabrina, while in front of me stood Lexi, distracted by her whip.

This fleeting moment was a priceless opportunity that couldn’t be bought with all the money in the world!

“Shock!”

“Damn it!”

Boom!

A powerful shockwave, far stronger than anything before, narrowly missed me and struck the unsuspecting Lexi.

The force was so immense that it sent her flying like she’d been hit by a truck, crashing through a wall and out of sight.

David had seized the opening I’d barely managed to create, unleashing a blast with maximum power while conserving just enough energy to stay conscious.

For someone like me, who’d been nearly strangled to death, it was an overwhelming relief.

‘Honestly, it was a half-crazed gamble, but it worked.’

Clutching my still-aching neck, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This outcome was exactly what I’d envisioned while perched on the ceiling.

If I hadn’t known Lexi harbored an obsessive fondness for Raven—making her hesitate to kill me outright—or that her whip had a weak point, I wouldn’t have dared attempt such a reckless plan.

Even now, with success so close, my heart was pounding wildly with fear and anxiety. This was a stunt I’d never dare to try twice.

“We did it! Brother! Fox! We did it!”

“Hah… hah…. Fox…? I don’t know what you did, but you helped. Thank you.”

Sabrina and David looked jubilant, thrilled by their success in dealing a solid blow to Lexi.

Their reaction wasn’t strange.

The shockwave David had unleashed had enough destructive force to punch a hole through a wall.

While Lexi, as a fixer, probably wouldn’t die from it, it seemed sufficient to at least knock her out.

But… It was too soon to celebrate.

Lexi, like Raven, was a product of human augmentation. This wouldn’t have injured her seriously.

“Khh… khaha… ahahaha! That was fun! That actually hurt a bit!”

As expected, Lexi emerged from the broken wall, blood trickling from her forehead.

Compared to earlier, this was a clear, tangible hit.

Her jacket was shredded, and her previously unscathed body was now bleeding.

But she still looked perfectly capable of fighting, which caused David and Sabrina’s joyous expressions to instantly freeze over.

Despite landing their best attack, it hadn’t been enough. The gulf in strength between them was devastatingly clear.

Lexi ignored their disheartened faces, roughly wiping the blood from her face with a hand.

Her sole visible eye was bloodshot as she fixed me with an intense glare.

“Ah, fine. I don’t care if you’re missing your limbs, as long as you’re alive. I can’t wait to see Jin’s face when you’re utterly ruined!”

Enraged, she lashed her whip furiously, with none of the restraint she’d shown before.

At this rate, my fragile body would be torn to shreds by the whip’s razor-sharp strikes.

Tang!

Suddenly, sharp gunshots rang out in quick succession from a nearby direction.

Realizing I wasn’t hurt, I opened my eyes cautiously.

Honestly, the suspense was nerve-wracking.

“What the—!”

Lexi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The seemingly invincible Flesh-Biting Snake was helplessly shredded mid-air by the successive gunshots.

Although the whip could regenerate itself using its shadowy nature, the precise shooting had forced Lexi to furrow her brows.

This level of marksmanship was beyond extraordinary, as if someone could shoot popcorn out of the air.

There was only one person who could pull off such a feat.

“Don’t tell me….”

Turning sharply toward the source of the gunfire, Lexi saw a man standing there, holding a black pistol from which smoke was rising.

“Lexi. Bullying our office rookie like that is bad form. You startled me into shooting as if I’d wet myself.”

“Jin!”

The intruder was none other than Raven.

A top-tier fixer and legendary sharpshooter capable of killing three people with a single bullet.

When he held a gun, no one felt safer.

The tension drained from my shoulders as soon as I saw him.

His arrival meant the fight was over.

Unwilling to accept this, Lexi glared furiously at Jin.

“Haha, what’s this? Am I getting stabbed in the back? Are you working on a job too? How much are they paying? What corporation?”

“Not exactly. But if you let our part-timer go, I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh? Fine. Take them and get lost. I have work to do anyway.”

Lexi stared at Raven intently, seemingly realizing that he wasn’t bluffing. Quickly, she offered a deal.

It seemed she understood that if Raven got seriously involved, everything would go sideways. Her plan was to hand me over and push Raven out of the scene.

But… I didn’t want that.

“…!”

I stretched my arms wide and stood in front of Sabrina and David, determined not to back down.

After all, what was the point of all this effort if I stopped here?

Perhaps sensing my resolve, the two fixers hesitated briefly, watching each other. Then, Lexi made the first move.

“Snake! Kill him!”

The previously shredded Flesh-Biting Snake sprang back to life, lunging at Raven from all directions.

And almost at the same time, Raven’s black pistol erupted with fire.

Crack! Crack! Crash!

Every bullet precisely shredded the serpent’s body into pieces, leaving only fragments of the black snake swirling around Raven.

“Tch…!”

“It’s no use, Lexi. You and I have always had a fixed match-up. That won’t change now.”

“Shut up! Do I still look like the idiot I was back then?!”

Lexi kept attacking with the regenerative snake, while Raven calmly countered each strike with his pistol. This back-and-forth repeated several times until the snake finally hit its limit.

As the Flesh-Biting Snake dropped low, unable to regenerate any further, Lexi clutched her forehead, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Hah… How do you even hit a snake with a gun? Are you reading the future or something?”

“Hmph. No matter how fast your snake is, it’ll never be faster than a bullet. That’s just the way it is. Like a light bulb under the sun—it’s practically off.”

“…You haven’t changed. How many times are you going to brag about that one time you deflected a bullet with another bullet?”

Grinding her teeth at Raven’s smug tone, Lexi holstered her whip with an annoyed motion.

Then, as if completely drained of her will to fight, she clicked her tongue, looking back and forth between Raven and me.

“I’m not risking my life over pocket change, not even against Jin. Fine, I’ll give up. Do whatever you want.”

Lexi raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

It seemed she had concluded that even if she used her trump cards, her slim chances of victory weren’t worth the meager payment from her client.

That made sense. No matter how big Nemesis was, they wouldn’t pour an excessive amount of money into hiring fixers just to cover potential complications.

Even in the original story, once Raven got involved, Lexi prodded a little before retreating.

Her efficiency-driven nature always stood out—she worked only as much as she was paid to.

As Lexi prepared to leave, she glanced at me one last time and said,

“…You. You work at Jin’s office, right?”

“….”

“See you again.”

“…!”

Huh?! Why?!

Startled by Lexi’s sudden promise of a next meeting, I turned to Raven, who shrugged as if to say, What can you do? What do you mean, “What can you do”?!

But before I could protest, Lexi simply walked away without looking back.

Was she planning to come after me again later? If so, that was a terrifying prospect.

‘…At least I’m just a temporary one-month hire. Once my time’s up, I’ll quit and bolt.’

Still, I felt a bit relieved.

If Lexi ever came to the office again, it would likely be far in the future.

By then, I’d probably be working at Greg’s shop, far away from her grasp.

…Right?

“F-Fox, this is….”

“….”

Anyway, with Lexi out of the way, there was no one left to stop David’s plan. All that remained was for the knight to charge forward and rescue the captured princess.

I gently patted Sabrina’s shoulder to reassure her as she nervously clung to my back. Then I nodded toward David, who had been quietly observing.

He seemed to get the message: handle the rest, and let Sabrina explain things here. Dragging his injured body, David rushed toward the VIP banquet hall, leaving me and Sabrina behind.

Raven approached us leisurely, his expression calm.

“Man… Rookie. I’ve been looking all over for you. And what’s this? Dropping stuff all over the place?”

“…!”

In his hand was my necktie.

Earlier, during David and Lexi’s intense fight, I had discreetly slid it into the hallway with telekinesis—a small signal calling for help.

It was essentially a silent SOS: Please save me. This is dangerous.

Of course, it was more likely that he came because of the commotion from the shockwaves, but at least the necktie might’ve helped him get here on time.

As I took the tie from Raven and loosely draped it around my neck, he firmly pressed down on the top of my head, forcing me to stare at the floor.

Stop pressing down. You’re heavy.

“So, care to explain? What the hell were you doing here when you said you were going to the restroom?”

“….”

“Ah! I-I’ll explain for her…!”

Nice, Sabrina!

I flashed her a thumbs-up.

She could calm this slightly annoyed man down for me.

Before he crushed my poor head any further… hurry!