Chapter 52 - 51: Unexpected

A few moments before the scream. We returned to the cafe after talking with Chang-min and Hana lee. Hyun-tae was asleep on a bench. Seo-yeon and her group had returned just before us. She was sitting near the back wall. "You’re back early," In-ji said, slumping beside her. Seo-yeon didn’t look up. "They’re not staying." In-ji blinked. "So, they are being stubborn?" "What do you mean?" I asked. "We asked them to stay with us." Ye-Rin continued, "Even yesterday when we found them. They decided to not stick with us." "They opted to form their own party," Seo-yeon murmured. "They said... it feels safer. More comfortable." There was an awkward silence around the table. In a world where monsters could rip through concrete, the only comfort left was other people. Apparently, not even that applied anymore. They’re scared of us," Mother finally added. "That much is obvious." I frowned. "It’s not like we are gonna eat them". "It’s not about what we did," Mother said slowly. "It’s about how we feel about them." "They’ve been through hell," In-ji muttered. "Maybe they don’t trust anyone anymore." Seo-yeon hesitated. Her voice dropped into something quieter. "Something about them feels... off. Like their warmth isn’t human. Like their temperature is wrong." Ye-Rin raised an eyebrow. "I held the twins’ hands. They were warm. Shaky, but alive. Just scared." Siyoon frowned. "Not the twins. The old man Mr.Kang and Min-ho, their skin was like ice. And not just physically. It felt... dead." Before anyone could respond, a crisp UI notification window blinked into existence in front of them. [All surviving players of Buk-gu Ulson, have selected their faction] Raven’s King: 95% Owl’s Sanctuary: 5% Seo-yeon groaned. "Not surprising. Raven King’s rewards were insane. Who wouldn’t pick him?" "Desperate people," I muttered. "He knows how to bait them." "But it also means we’re outnumbered," In-Ji pointed out. "Way outnumbered." Before the argument could deepen, a scream tore through the cafe. Hana lee. We all snapped to attention. Her voice rang out again, raw and terrified. We sprinted toward the commotion. Hana lee stood at the far end of the hallway, her baby boy cradled tightly in her arms, chest heaving. Her eyes were wide—locked not on us, but on him. Chang-min. He wasn’t blinking. He wasn’t breathing. His pupils were milky. His skin looked paler than paper under fluorescent lights. "Chang-min?" I called cautiously. He turned, slowly, like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by something high above us. "Something’s wrong," Ye-Rin muttered.Her instincts were screaming at him. "Why does he look like a raid boss...?" I whispered under my breath. "I offered you a generosity. Is this how you repay me? Ye-Jun took a cautious step forward. "Chen Ming, what are you—?" "Silence." The word cuts through the air like a blade. "I am Raven King Rakaroz. And you mortal! Dare to reject my offer and accept the Owl king’s offer. I will kill you myself personally." The Raven King’s voice spilled from Chen Ming’s mouth, oily and regal. "Chen Ming offered his mind when your failure became predictable. I merely accepted the gift." "That’s not how it went," I growled. "You forced it." A low chuckle. "Does it matter? Will he care when his beloved champion burns down?" [The Champion Duel begins in 36 hours.] But Changmin’s body jerked unnaturally, and his hand slammed down onto the cafe floor, causing the digital timer to glitch and flicker. [Time Altered: 00:00:01] [Duel Begins Now.] "Wait—what!?" Ye-Rin shouted. Before anyone could react, Chang-min lunged. A dark blur lashed toward us. Ye-rin swung her axe in reflex, but the blade bounced off, like hitting an invisible wall. Her body flew backward, slamming into the wall with a thud. "YE-RIN!" I shouted. "Slowness! Blindness!" Mother chanted, unleashing hexes and curses. But Chang-min didn’t even flinch. Her magic fizzled out mid-air like sparks in water. Another message flickered: Rules of Engagement: All Champions must reveal their stats. Outside help is forbidden. Only one winner may emerge. Death is the only exit. The duel had begun. Name : Shin Ye-Jun Gender : Male Age : 26 years old Nature : Primal Guardian Level : 24 (+3) Class : Druid Sub-Class : (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title : ( Unlocks after Sub-Class ) Strength : 0144 (+18) Agility : 0072 (+9) Health Points : 0432 (+54) Magic Points : 0432 (+54) Stamina : 0120 (+15) Name : Cheng-min Lee Gender : Male Age : 28 years old Nature : Soul thread Level : 17 (+10) Class : Death Architect Sub-Class : (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title : ( Unlocks after Sub-Class ) Strength: 0102 (+60) Agility: 0085 (+50) Health Points: 0170 (+100) Magic points : 0238 (+140) Stamina : 0255 (+150) Nature Ability: Soul Thread A parasitic spiritual link that allows the user to extract and assimilate abilities from foes that the user killed. Ability Slots: 2/2 Stolen Abilities: Mr. Kang — Mudborne Genesis(Instant Creation using Mud) Lee Min-ho— Electric Dash(A high-speed, electrified movement technique) Class: Death Architect A sinister manipulator of mortality and flesh, sculpting the boundary between life and death. Class Skills Life Storage: Entrust your heart to a corpse. As long as the vessel remains intact, your body regenerates rapidly. Instant Regeneration: Passive ability enabling rapid bodily repair—conditional on heart survival. Death Animation: Maintain a victim’s consciousness and sensory awareness even in a decaying body. Temporary Abilities: Urban Camouflage (Passive): Blend seamlessly into urban environments, reducing detection by enemies. Predator’s Instinct (Trait): Sense and mark enemies through solid walls. (Cooldown: 60 seconds) Ravenling Scout (Familiar): A shadowy avian companion capable of aerial recon and vision sharing. Special Title: Raven Monarch An honorific bestowed by the Raven King himself. Grants command over lesser raven-type creatures, enhancing their obedience and efficiency in battle. Weapons Talon Blades (x2) Twin daggers shrouded in ethereal shadow. These cursed weapons ignore armor and inflict persistent bleeding. Armor-piercing bleed damage. Can be recalled telekinetically if disarmed But the thing that disturbed me the most in this whole UI screen was this. Nature Ability: Soul Thread A parasitic spiritual link that allows the user to extract and assimilate abilities from foes that the user killed. Ability Slots: 2/2 Stolen Abilities: Mr. Kang Lee Min-ho "Cheng-min! What have you done?"