Chapter 89
It snapped shut as if it had never opened its mouth.
The blade didn’t even cut me. The Tooth Sword simply grazed past me.
Seomun Chan stepped back, creating distance.
"Hah, what on earth is this?"
The most bewildered person was Seomun Chan.
As the owner of the weapon, he knew better than anyone how absurd this situation was.
The Troublemaker Predator was a violent weapon, fitting its name and form.
It unleashed such aggressive attacks that sometimes even its owner couldn’t handle it.
If anything, it was known for biting enemies more than necessary; a case like this was unheard of, as far as I knew.
’Why isn’t it attacking me?’
I couldn’t understand it either, so I stared at the Tooth Sword.
Seomun Chan let out a huff, swung his sword around a few times, and then lunged again.
Won Tae-beom immediately blocked with his gauntlet.
However, with Mok Sae-hwa and Seomun Chan attacking me simultaneously, he soon reached his limit.
This time, Mok Sae-hwa succeeded in hitting me with a bullet.
Or rather, she almost succeeded.
"Whoa, Goyo-nim!"
Mok Sae-hwa let out an exclamation, and I was even more surprised than before.
Just before the bullet touched me, it made a pop sound and turned into a flower blossom.
Suddenly turned into a person being hit by flowers, I reflexively caught the falling blossom.
Normally, a flower should bloom from a bullet embedded in the skin and suck the host’s life force.
But this one simply became a flower and fell.
At this second anomaly, even Won Tae-beom had to ask me.
"Is it...usually like this?"
But there was no way I had an answer for him.
"Uh, well, I’m not really sure either."
Dominic, who had been watching the battle, floated down softly onto my head and provided the answer.
"Roasted Chestnut. No matter how insignificant a creature may be, the instinct to revere and serve a god cannot be defied."
He explained to me that there was no reason to be surprised, as this was only natural.
Of course, I was very surprised.
The idea of items serving me was as unbelievable as the idea that I was a young god.
I wondered what on earth he was talking about, but the current situation was clear.
’So they can’t attack me?’
I changed the plan I had been formulating in my head and called out to Won Tae-beom.
"Lieutenant Won."
Then, I raised my right hand, which was wearing the gauntlet.
"I’ll apply the brand."
The Paladins Oath required the use of both gauntlets to exert its full ability.
The mechanism was simple.
Brand the enemy with the right gauntlet.
When the branded enemy is attacked with the left gauntlet, the damage increases significantly.
The damage increase rate seemed to be determined by Won Tae-beom’s status, but I didn’t know the details of that.
Currently, Won Tae-beom was wearing only the left gauntlet because of me.
I intended to wear the right gauntlet and apply the brand instead.
Since the items were on my side, the Directors couldn’t attack me at all.
It meant I could move more boldly.
While it would be difficult with Mok Sae-hwa’s long-range attacks, Seomun Chan would keep approaching to attack Won Tae-beom, and I planned to aim for that moment.
Won Tae-beom grasped what I was planning after hearing just one sentence.
However, his reaction was not great.
"Trainee Han. Do you act like this in the Special Task Team as well?"
"Huh?"
I thought it was a good plan, but Won Tae-beom only replied coldly.
"The gauntlet was issued to Trainee Han for defense. Please focus only on your own safety."
"Yes..."
I immediately shrank back.
However, Won Tae-beom also seemed intent on utilizing the advantage of the current situation.
Won Tae-beom clenched and then opened the hand wearing the gauntlet. He held me more firmly and said,
LI will move quickly."
He leaped forward.
Kwang!
The gauntlet struck the Tooth Sword head-on.
The Tooth Sword, hit by the heavy fist, vibrated.
As Seomun Chan immediately deflected the gauntlet and stepped back, bullets flew through the gap.
Won Tae-beom swatted away the bullets aimed at him with the gauntlet.
The deflected bullets embedded themselves in the wall and soon turned into petals and disappeared.
Following that, Won Tae-beom narrowly evaded the Tooth Sword lunging for his head and drove a heavy punch into Seomun Chan’s abdomen.
Seomun Chan avoided the punch targeting him without much trouble.
In doing so, he also avoided my hand, which had almost reached him.
’Aw, Goyo-nim, that’s cheating.’
Having barely grazed him, I withdrew my hand with regret.
Won Tae-beom glanced at me, but the battle was too urgent for him to scold me.
Several exchanges followed.
Won Tae-beom, who no longer needed to protect me as much, moved much better, and while he hadn’t seized victory, he held his ground precariously.
As time passed, the advantage shifted to our side.
Mok Sae-hwa shouted impatiently.
"Director Seomun! At this rate, we won’t be able to get Goyo-nim’s signature!"
She fired her gun at herself.
Bang, bang! As the gunshots rang out, flowers bloomed across Mok Sae-hwa’s body.
I was horrified to see what she was doing.
The method of sacrificing one’s own life force to increase attack power was something Mok Sae-hwa only used in battles she absolutely had to win.
Mok Sae-hwa’s eyes became bloodshot.
Her face flushed, she plucked withered flowers from the magazine and threw them on the ground.
Then, breathing heavily with her chest heaving, she looked at me.
"Goyo-nim.. haah, please, huu, just sign the contract once... please?"
I felt goosebumps all over my body.
Mok Sae-hwa smiled brightly at me. Then, with a clack, she loaded her gun, aimed at Won Tae-beom, and shouted.
"I’m sorry, but I’m going for an 8-week recovery period. Please don’t be too heartbroken!"
Du-du-du-du!
The gun, which had been firing single shots until now, switched to automatic and poured out a barrage of bullets.
Won Tae-beoms range of movement was severely restricted by the bullets raining down like a submachine gun.
Seomun Chan didn’t miss the opportunity and dove in with the Tooth Sword.
Won Tae-beom evaded the blade, but as if it had been waiting, the sword opened its mouth wide and bit the gauntlet.
Kang! There was a clashing sound, but neither the teeth nor the gauntlet were damaged.
However, the surface of the gauntlet was now drenched in venom.
Since it could cause immediate poisoning if it splashed onto the skin, Won Tae-beom tried to distance himself from Seomun Chan and shake off the venom.
In the process, he was hit by a bullet.
Won Tae-beom winced with one eye. A brilliant flower bloomed instantly on his shoulder.
Mok Sae-hwa’s gaze became even more glistening.
Having absorbed someone else’s life force, she unleashed an even more violent barrage of fire.
I tried my best to deflect the bullets, but it wasn’t easy with Seomun Chan lunging as well.
It was also because Won Tae-beom’s movements were further restricted by the venom on his gauntlet.
’We have to hold out for at least five more minutes.’
At this rate, I was practically forced to sign the contract.
I decided to rely on my item power.
"Lieutenant Won! Just take the hits! I have a health recovery item!"
Won Tae-beom’s gaze landed on me.
I gave him a look that pleaded for him to trust me.
Mok Sae-hwa shouted as if she were disappointed.
"Recovery items aren’t enough for the bullets I fire, Goyo-nim!"
I knew that.
The life force sucked away when being riddled by the Blooming Funeral couldn’t be filled by some mere recovery item.
But?
’Because it’s not an ordinary recovery item.!’
If it was the Phoenix Meringue Cookie that earned a six-star rating in S2P, it should be more than enough.
The problem was whether Won Tae-beom would listen to me.
It was essentially asking him to put his life in my hands, and there was no way that much trust existed between Won Tae-beom and me.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had just ignored me completely.
If he ignored me, I planned to suggest another strategy.
But surprisingly, Won Tae-beom immediately charged at Seomun Chan.
Kwang!
Seomun Chan, who blocked the punch thrown by the gauntlet, let out a hollow laugh.
"Lieutenant Won, were you always someone who listened to his subordinates so well?"
Numerous flowers bloomed on Won Tae-beoms body.
A bullet embedded in his cheek, forming a flower bud, but Won Tae-beom did not waver.
Seomun Chan sneered while effortlessly blocking the punches being poured out.
"Even so, it’s a bit much to think you can beat me with just one arm."
I agreed.
That is why I planned to make it so he wasn’t just using one arm.
In the midst of the increasingly rapid exchange, the moment Won Tae-beom and Seomun Chan’s bodies came completely close.
I reached out my hand.
Exactly into the trajectory where the Tooth Sword was being swung.
Seomun Chan’s eyes widened.
Before he could react, the Tooth Sword opened its mouth first.
Thanks to the Tooth Sword opening its mouth, I narrowly avoided being cut.
However, in doing so, the tip of the teeth pointed exactly toward Dominic.
I noticed this, but I didn’t care.
Unless it was a god, it couldn’t affect Dominic
I thought it would be fine since an item would just pass right through him.
But Dominic, who disliked dirty things, clung to me even more flatly.
He seemed to dislike the idea of something passing through him as well.
As he squished himself with an annoyed air, the teeth of the sword snapped with a crunch.
The culprit was, without a doubt, Dominic.
The moment Seomun Chan flinched at the unexpected situation, I grabbed Seomun Chan by the collar.
"Goyo-nim!"
I pulled my arm and threw myself into Seomun Chan’s embrace.
Seomun Chan, already shaken once by the Tooth Sword, reflexively caught me.
I branded Seomun Chan with the right gauntlet.
"Lieutenant Won!!"
Before I could even shout, Won Tae-beom was already moving.
Now free, he swung his fist at Seomun Chan while covered in flowers.
Seomun Chan immediately threw me aside and defended with the Tooth Sword, but his timing was slightly off.
"Keu-heuk!"
Seomun Chan, who finally took a hit to the abdomen, spat out blood.
The bespectacled man in the suit flew far away and crashed into a building with a thud.
Rolling on the floor, I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from curling up.
Won Tae-beom hurriedly picked me up again.
At the same time, he barked at me in a low voice.
"Are you insane?"
"Eat this first."
With one hand, I plucked the flowers blooming on his body, and with the other, I pulled a cookie from my inventory and held it out.
Won Tae-beom, who swallowed the meringue cookie in one bite, narrowed his eyes.
Having recovered his body in an instant, he glared at me with even more suspicious eyes.
I hurriedly made an excuse.
"It’s an item from S2P. I brought it out when it closed."
Meanwhile, Mok Sae-hwa, who had lowered her gun, marveled with a voice full of sincerity.
"Seriously...Goyo-nim really needs to come to Pasung..."
Just as she was arguing for the Pasung Talent Theory.
Flash!
The surroundings became as bright as broad daylight.
The explosion of immense light meant only one thing.
The Great Sun Tathagata.
The moment I worried about the safety of the Three Realms, a wind blew.
I frowned at the fierce wind that made my hair flutter, and then something wrapped around my waist.
My body was pulled violently and collided with something like a solid wall.
I turned my head.
"...!"
I saw a white mask.
"Han Goyo."
CEO Cha spoke in a mechanical voice.
"Are you ready to sign?"