The Spatial Ability User Who Puts Safety Above All Chapter 54

Baekdu Bloodline (1)

 

One of the things Seon Yul often did was ‘simulate’ situations in his head.

In particular, he constantly simulated how he should react if someone were to ambush him while he was outside Absolute Space.

In truth, in an ambush situation, the choices available to Seon Yul were broadly two.

Open Absolute Space and immediately hide.

Or open Absolute Space [Tatto] and immediately fight.

The former provided unconditional safety. However, it also carried the risk that if he fully exposed his ability to the attacker and ultimately failed to catch them, his most important secret could be revealed to the entire world.

Then what about the latter?

The latter would certainly allow him to completely conceal his ability from the attacker.

But instead, it did not guarantee absolute safety.

Seon Yul agonized deeply over this issue.

And the conclusion he reached… was to first ‘open Absolute Space [Tatto] and assess the situation.’

As always, the first option could be chosen at any time. But once the first option was chosen, the second option essentially lost its meaning.

So he decided to first open Absolute Space [Tatto] and respond to the attacker, then assess the situation and make the next move accordingly. After reaching that conclusion, he had continuously based his simulations on the second option.

And today.

Finally(?), the simulation he had practiced every single day bore fruit.

The instant someone suddenly appeared behind him and swung a dagger, Seon Yul quickly formed Absolute Space [Tatto] in his right palm.

Kkaaaang!

Naturally, the dagger was immediately blocked by the one-strike resistance effect attached to the safety helmet of Mount Taesan-like durability.

In that instant, Seon Yul turned his body and identified the attacker.

The attacker tried to retreat quickly, but faster than that was Seon Yul’s right hand.

Chwarrrrrrk!

A wire shot out from his palm and extended forward, wrapping around the attacker’s body.

Drdrdrdrk!

“Keugh!”

The attacker was caught completely off guard by Seon Yul’s unexpected counterattack.

The wire coiled around his entire body. It took only a few seconds from the moment the wire shot out of Seon Yul’s palm to the moment it tightly bound the man.

Thus, No. 6 fell backward with his whole body wrapped in wire.

But at the very moment Seon Yul blocked the first attacker…

Something pierced through his shoulder and abdomen.

Piiing! Ppufung!

“Keuk!”

It was the Air Bullet fired by No. 2.

No. 2’s awakened ability allowed him to compress air into small spheres.

The name of the ability was ‘AirBall.’

In particular, No. 2 could fire those AirBalls from long range like bullets, and their power was comparable to that of a typical assault rifle.

In a way, it felt like an inferior version of Seon Yul’s ability, but he was not limited to firing them in straight lines; he could also generate AirBalls near his body for defensive purposes.

In other words, depending on how it was used, it was an awakened ability with versatile possibilities.

The long-range Air Bullet attack launched by No. 2 was certainly powerful. But at least for the current Seon Yul, it was not particularly devastating.

Tsutsut.

His wounds healed in an instant.

For Seon Yul, who had his Hyper Regeneration ability activated, injuries of this degree were merely a brief sting before disappearing.

‘W-what is this?’

In that moment, No. 2 was greatly flustered.

But while No. 2 was panicking, No. 5, who stood to his right, lifted a large nearby boulder with his awakened ability.

Drdrdrdr.

No. 5’s awakened ability was Telekinesis (B+).

Telekinesis was inherently powerful, so even at lower grades, it was highly recognized.

Moreover, No. 5’s Telekinesis was grade B+. At that level, it was stronger than many other types of A-grade awakened abilities.

No. 5 charged forward, lifting the boulder before him and hurling it at Seon Yul.

Whiiiing! Kwaaang!

But Seon Yul lightly dodged the boulder and raised his right hand toward No. 5.

At that very moment, the GAU-19 activated inside his right arm.

Wiiiiing, dududududududududu!

An enormous volume of bullets poured from Seon Yul’s right palm toward No. 5.

“Huh!”

In that instant, No. 5 thrust both arms forward to block the attack pouring toward him.

Papapapapat!

Indeed, hundreds of bullets raining toward him stopped in midair.

However.

Even more bullets continued to pour from Seon Yul’s right hand, and No. 5 could not block them all with telekinesis.

“Keuuugh!”

Ultimately, No. 5’s telekinetic defense shattered in an instant, and bullets rained madly upon him.

Dududududu, kwagwagwagwagwang!

Before No. 2 or No. 4 beside him could even assist, No. 5 was erased in a single moment.

The place where No. 5 had stood was completely devastated by the concentrated fire of the GAU-19, and No. 5 vanished without leaving even a trace.

And at that moment, No. 4 leapt an enormous distance with a super jump and executed a powerful body slam against Seon Yul.

Kwaaang!

Because this attack overlapped almost simultaneously with the Gatling gun assault that erased No. 5, Seon Yul could not evade it.

Whiiing, kwagwagwagwang!

From No. 4’s powerful tackle, Seon Yul’s body was sent flying backward, breaking the surrounding trees.

For an ordinary user, this single blow would have inflicted severe, possibly fatal injuries.

But from the direction where Seon Yul had flown back, a single gunshot rang out.

Taaang!

Along with that gunshot, a single 12.7×99mm armor-piercing round flew and pierced No. 4’s right shoulder.

“Aaaagh!”

It had originally aimed for No. 4’s head, but in that split second, No. 4 reacted and twisted his body, causing it to strike his shoulder instead.

Ssswk, thud thud.

Seon Yul casually dusted himself off and walked forward.

No matter how powerful No. 4’s tackle had been, it could not deal significant damage to Seon Yul, who possessed Hyper Regeneration.

In an instant, Nos. 6 and 5 were retired, and only Nos. 4 and 2 remained. And even No. 4 was now injured.

‘Strong. Insanely strong.’

It had only been a brief skirmish, but at that moment, No. 2 felt they had touched something they should never have provoked.

But it was already irreversible.

Knowing this, No. 4 ignored his shoulder injury and immediately charged at Seon Yul again.

His intention was simple.

He would buy time for No. 2 to prepare a fatal strike.

“Uaaah!”

Letting out a roar, No. 4 dashed toward Seon Yul and immediately swung his right fist.

Whiiing! Ppeoong!

Seon Yul grabbed No. 4’s fist with his left hand.

No. 4’s movements, with Physical Enhancement pushed to its limit, were astonishingly fast and powerful… but Seon Yul was no less formidable.

Drdrdrk.

Activating the muscle booster aspect of Hyper Regeneration, Seon Yul endured No. 4’s strength.

‘W-what? A reinforcement-type user?’

Seeing Seon Yul catch and withstand his full-force punch with a single hand, No. 4 was greatly shocked.

At this level of strength, he could only assume Seon Yul was a reinforcement-type ability user.

‘There’s no way I’d lose in strength!’

Ppudeudeudeuk.

Believing he could never lose in raw power, No. 4 activated Physical Enhancement [Maximum], swelling the muscles across his entire body to their peak.

Physical Enhancement Maximum was one of No. 4’s level perks, enabling him to unleash maximum muscle strength for a short time (20 seconds).

However, after using it, there was a penalty of reduced strength by 50% for 10 seconds. But at this moment, No. 4 judged subduing Seon Yul to be more urgent than worrying about the penalty.

But at the moment his muscles bulged, and he attempted to crush Seon Yul with overwhelming force…

Seon Yul’s right hand, which remained free to move, was already pressed against No. 4’s abdomen.

Drdrdrdrdrdrdr! Ppupupupupupupung!

That was the end of it. Faster than No. 4 could exert his power, hundreds of bullets pouring from Seon Yul’s right hand tore his body apart, reducing him to a handful of smoke.

Following No. 5, No. 4 was erased as well.

But the roughly ten seconds No. 4 had managed to buy allowed No. 2 to prepare the strongest attack he could use.

“Dieee!!”

What No. 2 prepared was an attack skill called AirBall [Heavy Rain], which literally caused lethal AirBalls to pour down from the sky like a torrential downpour.

Shwaaaaaa!

Kwagwagwagwagwang!

Like a bombardment, countless AirBalls rained madly upon the place where Seon Yul stood.

No. 2 believed that at this scale, even someone with regenerative ability would suffer serious damage.

But the AirBalls pouring like rain did not fall onto Seon Yul.

Above Seon Yul’s head, the entrance to Absolute Space opened.

Seon Yul effortlessly opened the entrance above his head and directed all the falling AirBalls into Absolute Space, making them disappear.

“H-huh!”

No. 2 was momentarily stunned, but the moment he exposed a gap in that panic, Seon Yul swiftly extended his right hand toward him.

And once again, he spewed hellfire.

Wiiiiing, drdrdrdrdrdrdr!

In that instant, No. 2 attempted to use AirBall [Air Shield], but before he could complete it, hundreds of bullets had already engulfed him.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!

The insane firepower of the GAU-19 ground even No. 2 to pieces.

Among mana users, it was commonly thought that firearms were not especially threatening.

But enchanted firearms like the GAU-19 used by Seon Yul possessed absurd firepower that defied common sense.

The reason firearms had previously been ineffective against mana users was simple.

They simply lacked firepower.

Thus, whether monster or user, before Seon Yul’s firepower, all were equal.

If those who had claimed Seon Yul’s awakened ability was only suited for anti-monster combat had witnessed this scene, they would have been forced to reflect upon their ignorance.

After erasing three assassins in an instant, Seon Yul approached No. 6, whom he had initially subdued and bound tightly with wire.

“Uuugh!”

No. 6 was still writhing on the ground, feeling as though his entire body was being crushed.

He wished to cut the wire and escape, but his awakened ability was completely useless in situations like this, leaving him unable to do anything.

Seon Yul approached the subdued No. 6 and looked down at him with eyes filled with coldness.

Naturally, Seon Yul had intentionally spared No. 6, the first attacker.

In the past, before awakening, Seon Yul would never have dared to engage in such a bold battle… but now he was different.

If provoked, he could retaliate and punish. Now that it was possible, so this time too, he chose to fight rather than flee.

Seon Yul dragged the subdued No. 6 into Absolute Space.

He firmly believed there was unquestionably a backing force behind this ambush. It made no sense that four PvP users would simultaneously appear against him, someone hunting inside a zone controlled by the Management Bureau.

This was, by any standard, a planned assassination attempt.

‘They dare threaten my safety like this?’

No matter how much he had changed, Seon Yul’s ‘safety’ remained an untouchable reverse scale.

If someone threatened his safety, he had to retaliate with even greater force.

‘They dare aim for my life?’

The more Seon Yul thought about it, the angrier he became.

Drurrrr.

As he had once done when dealing with Citizen No. 95 in the past, Seon Yul hung No. 6 upside down inside Absolute Space, still tightly bound in wire.

“You have two choices.”

Seon Yul spoke while taking out the plastic sheets he had used before.

“First, you obediently tell me everything and die after suffering an appropriate amount of pain.”

After spreading all the plastic sheets across the floor, Seon Yul continued.

“Second, you don’t tell me everything you know, you don’t get to die, and you just continue to suffer here.”

Hearing Seon Yul’s words, No. 6 thought to himself, ‘Why isn’t there an option where I tell everything and die without pain?’

But thinking that did not create a new choice.

From the start, Seon Yul had absolutely no intention of giving comfort to someone who had threatened his safety to this extent.

Seon Yul’s gaze shifted to the Spear of Legend resting against the wall.

If it truly was a Spear of Legend forged from death… it felt as though it could forcibly drag even forgotten information out of someone’s mind and make them speak.