Chapter 23: The Player with Maxed-Out Talent

An alert sounded in my ears.

[Unique Ability – ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ has been unlocked.]

[Would you like to check your Unique Ability?]

‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ is a relatively common Unique Ability. Many people acquire it, but it is still a common one among Unique Abilities. And yet, there is a famous player who made a name for themselves based on this ability.

‘Sword Emperor Shin Yeon-Seo.’

The Sword Emperor never explicitly revealed the name of his Unique Ability as ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’

‘It’s probably a higher-tier Unique Ability than that.’

The Sword Emperor from ten years later. It is said that his Unique Ability was known as ‘Hammurabi.’ Of course, this is speculation.

‘In any case, the essence is the same. It’s highly likely that this was indeed the starting point for the Sword Emperor as well.’

While the Sword Emperor was very skilled at raiding, he was even more outstanding in PVP. According to rumors circulating on the internet, even the Fist King, Ma Sang-Hyeon, and the Flame Emperor, Kang Sang-Ku, lost to him in one-on-one PVP battles.

‘A tie with Typhoon Kwak Tae-Woon, was it?’

The Sword Emperor had superior skills, but due to the nature of their playstyles, Kwak Tae-Woon had the advantage. Although it wasn’t officially confirmed by them, those interested in ‘players’ and studying for public examinations that kept changing every moment, knew this story all too well.

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[Status Window]

Name: Kim Hyuk-Jin (Player)

Level: 18

Title: [The First Pioneer] [Excellent Player]

Unique Ability: [Sensing Eye (感覺眼)] [An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth]

Strength: 17 Intelligence: 17

Agility: 23 Sense: 17

Stamina: 17 Mental Strength: 17(+30)

Bonus Stats: 6

Random Stats: 3

Remaining Stats: 9

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I clicked to check the Unique Ability.

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[An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth]

It is only right to return what has been received, especially grudges. This Unique Ability applies when ‘attacked first by a player’. However, if no counteraction is taken after being attacked first, all buffs will apply as debuffs.

1) Attack Power +7%

2) Attack Speed +7%

3) Critical Hit Chance +7%

4) M/P Consumption -7%

* If no counteraction is taken after being attacked first, items 1) to 3) apply at -7%

* In the same circumstance, item 4) applies at +7%

* With no response after being attacked first, a low chance of having a seizure occurs.

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‘A better ability against players who attack first.’ Considering it’s still early in the game, it’s almost like a special privilege.

‘Is it fine for me to have this early on?’

Getting it early on means there’s a lot of growth potential. It’s easier to upgrade titles and such if given early on. In that sense, I’m not sure if it’s okay in ‘Seoul Station Dungeon,’ which can just be considered as ‘the first dungeon’ outside the tutorial.

‘But if you think about it… Unique abilities are talents my body inherently has.’

Whether they’re awakened or not is the difference. In other words, these two Unique Abilities

are fundamentally mine.

Then another alert came through.

[Intermediate Manager ‘Senia’ requests a ‘conversation’.]

[Would you like to accept the whisper? Y/N]

But it was no ordinary conversation.

[You are being placed in a ‘pause’ state by Intermediate Manager ‘Senia’.]

* * *

Senia initiated communication first with Kim Hyuk-Jin. She, or rather the Guardians, were too curious. In particular, ‘Ananke of the Scales’ who had shown great disappointment in Kim Hyuk-Jin.

“Pause has been applied. No one else here will hear our conversation. It’s just between you and me, player Kim Hyuk-Jin,” Senia said. However, Kim Hyuk-Jin already knew that wasn’t entirely true.

‘The Guardians are listening.’

It’s not merely a conversation between two. If it were, we would’ve whispered to each other. This was more like a ‘play video’ displayed for the Guardians, and Kim Hyuk-Jin realized this quickly. Senia asked,

“What was that flash of light just now?”

Kim Hyuk-Jin looked around. The screen had turned grayscale. The ‘PAUSE’ ability had been applied.

‘A pause.’

It’s uncommon for an intermediary manager to use the ‘Pause’ power during dungeon play. Usually, it means some Guardian—likely with substantial funds—has requested a pause.

‘A Guardian stepping in means…’

It implies the Guardian is rabidly curious.

‘There was a flash of light as if something had been gained.’

It wasn’t even time to level up yet. There shouldn’t have been any light flashing. Kim Hyuk-Jin was well aware of that.

‘They’re probably crying out to find out.’

These curious Guardians; I imagine they must be desperate to discover what happened. It was a picture painted in Kim Hyuk-Jin’s mind. Currently, as a ‘player,’ he was just entertainment for the Guardians, yet he had the power to make them anxious. If played well, he might even manipulate and control the Guardians. It wasn’t possible right away, but Kim Hyuk-Jin saw the potential.

“I received an urgent quest.”

…

Senia said nothing, maintaining her usual stoic expression and only listening to Kim Hyuk-Jin’s words.

‘A clear lie. What is that player plotting?’

The unpredictable, mysterious player. Even with a mere level 18, what this strange player might say was a matter of curiosity even for Senia.

‘Does he realize that his speech is being transmitted to the Guardians?’

We are currently paused. He wasn’t told that much, but does he know?

Senia spoke again.

“Please continue.”

* * *

“To summarize the quest… Kill those who wish to kill me. However, I’m not allowed to kill them directly,” I said.

I was very much aware of ‘Ananke of the Scales’ when I said this. I even received an alert that the ‘Ananke of the Scales’ was quite disappointed.

‘Anyway, I killed humans, so it wouldn’t have been pleasing to her.’

To put it extremely, ‘Ananke of the Scales’ has a personality akin to that of a moralist among the Guardians. Regardless of the circumstances before or after, the fact that I killed them made them disappointed in me. That’s why absolute good sentiments can be so exhausting.

“That yellow light indicated that I had received the quest reward.”

I paused for a moment and observed Senia’s expression. What could the Guardians be talking about? Senia remained expressionless, giving away no clues.

“The quest reward was an opportunity to unlock a Unique Ability.”

I decided to tell her the truth this time.

‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. A Unique Ability that obliges me to retaliate against those who strike me first or show malicious intent. If I’m struck and do nothing… there are side effects. I can seize up too. You can scan me if you want.”

Hopefully, this explanation was enough to convince ‘Ananke of the Scales’. I was simply following the rules of the system. A player’s role is to follow scenarios and complete quests. That is the ‘absolute proposition.’

‘It seems like the time for ‘Ananke of the Scales’ to take the bait.’

Now I received a true whisper, a voice that only I could hear. The Guardians would not receive this voice.

-Why did you lie?

-Is the reason important?

-A lie might cause problems later on.

This BJ is still so naïve. You can tell just from the fact that she’s blatantly whispering.

-Your goal is COIN, and my goal is to live well. If we can help each other, there’s no need for obstacles.

-So you really obtained it?

I indeed had the Unique Ability ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ Senia continued to speak in her business-like tone.

-If, by mistake, your lie is exposed, it could be problematic. Guardians are sensitive to lies. They might command you to be executed for fabricating a quest.

How cute, her naivety. I smirked inwardly since I couldn’t let my expression show to the Guardians.

-What’s more likely? That I make a mistake, or that you make a mistake?

By turning a blind eye to my lie, Senia was already in the same boat as me.

-You too have let my lie slide. If you slip up, you might get marked by the Guardians. They can’t tolerate being deceived by their inferiors.

Luckily she’s an intermediary manager of few words and actions—not prone to verbal slip-ups.

‘Better to be silent than chatty.’

Though her talent as a BJ is basement-level, if she has premium content that more than compensates for her lack of talent, she’ll survive.

I added a few more words via voice, not to make the whispering too long—otherwise, the Guardians might start wondering. This frustrating BJ doesn’t seem to realize that either.

I wore a gloomy expression.

“I, too, am not at peace. Until a few days ago, I was just an ordinary person, and it’s terrifying and frightening to drive someone to death like this. Even at this very moment.”

‘Ananke of the Scales’, are you listening? I didn’t want to go this far, but…

“However, the thought of my loved ones getting hurt is even more terrifying. Rather than neglecting the terrible fate awaiting the child who risked his life instead of mine, I’d rather become a murderer.”

Was this the final straw?

Finally, an alert came.

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ has resolved her misunderstanding.]

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ acknowledges the ‘absolute proposition’.]

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ understands your sincerity.]

A series of pleasing alerts followed.

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ has gifted you 300COIN.]

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ is seriously considering bestowing a ‘great gift’.]

[‘Ananke of the Scales’ has decided to hold off on bestowing the ‘great gift’.]

Ah, somewhat disappointing. I should’ve made her feel more remorseful, staged a more dramatic show, not just a consideration but an actual bestowal.

‘At least, I’ve obtained the chance for a grand gift.’

You can’t be fully satisfied on the first spoonful, can you?

‘Seems like the pause will lift soon.’

Shortly after, the pause state was lifted.

* * *

Ma Sang-Hyeon is a future Ranker. He will ascend to the position of ‘Fist King’ without my help or interference. Naturally, he is a player overflowing with talent, and I thought he would quickly adapt to death as well.

“It’s the same what I would have done. They deserved to die. Brother, don’t feel guilty.”

Ma Sang-Hyeon’s response was as expected, but Seon-Hwa’s reaction was surprising. She was extraordinarily calm and unfazed by the indirect murder I had orchestrated.

“It was really scary, but those people were bad.”

She didn’t go as far as saying they deserved to die, but Seon-Hwa seemed undisturbed by their demise. The phrase ‘Talent lies even in becoming accustomed to such situations,’ after all, is a renowned statement.

‘Wait?’

Come to think of it.

‘I’m the one who’s the most unfazed by this situation.’

It’s as good as having killed Seo Ju-Hwan’s group directly. Yet, I haven’t been affected by any mental trauma. Rather, I’ve used the situation to appease Ananke of the Scales and shape it to my advantage. It makes me wonder if I’m a psychopath.

‘Though they deserved to die.’

Still, the fact that I could remain so detached from someone’s death was astonishing.

“I believe in you, oppa.”

A strong emotion came through ‘Sensing Eye’.

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State: Trust/Dependence/Admiration

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Ma Sang-Hyeon and Kang Seon-Hwa followed my lead, hunting the ‘Buzz-Buzz Bees’ that had bloated red bodies and fell to the ground. The hunt was barely a challenge, as merely touching them made them burst, plop! It was a side effect of consuming too much human blood.

No significant items dropped.

[You have obtained a Buzz-Buzz Bee’s Stinger.]

…

…

[You have obtained a Buzz-Buzz Bee’s Stinger.]

At most, a Buzz-Buzz Bee’s stinger dropped. They weren’t creatures that provided much experience, so we didn’t gain much there either.

We had hunted all visible Buzz-Buzz Bees. It was time to move on.

“Let’s go.”

At the end of this path lies a ‘Crystal’—the one that allows the ‘Seoul Station Dungeon’ to be cleared.

‘I just need two of them.’

One at this intersection, and one down the path Seo Ju-Hwan had taken. With only these two, I could achieve what I desired.

We hunted down Black Yacks and Purple Yacks that stood in our way.

[You have obtained Black Yack meat.]

[You have obtained Black Yack meat.]

Ma Sang-Hyeon and Kang Seon-Hwa demonstrated quite impressive play.

“Brother, it’s over there.”

A crystal, floating in mid-air radiating purple light and about 30cm in size, came into view.

Then, an alert came.

[The ‘Seoul Station Crystal’ does not welcome intruders.]

A menacing purple aura began to rise from the crystal like smoke.

[The Sensing Eye (感覺眼) senses danger.]

It was ferocious toxic gas.