Max Talent Player

Chapter 125

Choi Sung-gu nearly screamed.

FUCK! IM SCARED! IM FUCKING SCARED!

Just who the hell was Ahn Seohye talking to? No one was sitting in the red chair she was facing.

Eurgh.

Why did he feel a cold wind all of a sudden?

But the window is closed.

And yet, he felt a cold wind snake past him. The red chair was giving off a weird light. And then, there was a thud behind him.

Fuck! Scared me!

The door had closed on its own.

Im so fucking scared.

The things he feared most in the world were ghosts and cockroaches. No matter what he did, those two things were just too terrifying. But he did his utmost not to show his fear. There was no knowing what changes his actions might produce, so he stayed still as a statue, desperately willing his mind into calmness as he stared at Hyukjin.

He watched Hyukjin take a few steps forward.

You must be Mr. Tycon?

Hyukjin bowed towards the chair. Sung-gu was shocked.

What the hell? Does he see something?

If he was the only one who couldnt see anything, then that, too, was frightening. Hyukjin continued.

My name is Kim Hyukjin. I have already met Charles, and I was given a quest from the System to find Charles owner.

It was utterly silent. Sung-gu didnt hear a single voice. It looked like Hyukjin was talking to the empty air.

Woosh!

A light breeze blew through the room. The candle flickering on the desk went out, and a dreary voice rang out.

[Do you see me?]

Sung-gu nearly scuttled backwards. He was screaming, Shit! No, we cant see you! in his heart.

Hyukjin answered calmly, I cannot see you.

He was invisible, but despite that, Hyukjin knew precisely where Tycon was. He was observing Seohye with Observers Eye, and picked up on everything, from the direction of her gaze, to where she was talking to, to the strength, the pitch, and even the tiny tremor of her voice. Through the action of observation, he reinterpreted his surroundings and pinpointed Tycons location. That resulted in Tycon speaking to him.

He heard the voice again.

[I do not trust humans.]

Those words meant there was a high chance Tycon wasnt human. Hyukjin slowly started to understand the situation.

This being was someone who didnt trust humans. Someone who couldnt go look for Charles himself. Someone who gave Seohye a quest, but couldnt check the quest Hyukjin was given.

The voice went on. [As such, I will not show myself. But youve located me precisely.]

Hyukjin gazed towards a certain spot.

A strange bloodthirst.

Tycon wasnt blatantly trying to kill him. But the energy he felt was far from welcoming. Eye of Perception picked up that veiled intent. This mansions master was not very happy to see him and was oozing bloodthirst.

I know where Charles is.

The voice sounded bored. [There have already been five humans who have said that.]

Hyukjin said he found Charles, but Tycon didnt seem very happy to hear it. He glanced at Seohye. She was standing still.

State: -(Cannot be read due to a special power)

He could no longer read Seohyes state. Not just her state, but all her information was obscured. Only her basic infoher name and agewere visible. All the information he had been able to see before was now protected.

In addition, he noticed a red energy coming from Seohyes eyes. Her aura subtly changed.

Please dont be my enemy.

He didnt want to kill someone.

Please dont be the Red Demon who lured and murdered people.

He hoped she wouldnt be the Red Demon he remembered. He glanced around the room with Observers Eye. He had already classified Tycon as an enemy. It would be great if that werent true, but acting according to that assumption was far more favorable for his survival.

After getting all the information out of me, hell want to kill me.

He could feel that. It was just his intuition. Hyukjin continued to take in information, never pausing his conversation with Tycon.

I really did meet the Twin-Headed Black Dog Charles. He had a group of Black Dogs with him. Charles is indeed searching for his owner.

Charles was located on the 1st floor of the U-Plex Dungeon.

[Your proof?]

The bloodthirst suddenly amplified, rushing towards Hyukjin and weighing down on him.

[Theres nothing as foolish as believing a human without proof. I would rather choose to hate than do such a thing.]

Hyukjin shrugged. I have proof.

He took out an item from his Inventory. When he met the Twin-Headed Black Dog Charles, the monster showed his belly and then regurgitated a piece of Black Yaks Lean Meat, giving it to Hyukjin as if it were a gift. Hyukjin put that in his Inventory.

[Black Yaks Lean Meat Chewed by Charles]

He placed the item on the ground. Silence descended on the room. For quite a long time, the room was still. Neither Hyukjin, Sung-gu, Seohye, nor Tycon spoke. The person who broke the long silence was Tycon.

[...There really are traces of Charles on the meat.]

Hyukjin heard a tremble in that voice. Tycon was agitated. But that agitation and tremble wasnt from happiness. He was sure of it.

Hes not the real owner.

Hyukjin continued. I know his location.

[And that is?]

Hyukjin obediently told him.

The 1st floor of the U-Plex Dungeon.

Sung-gu was a little surprised. Hyukjin was a Player who went so far as to exploit his Intermediate Administrator Senia for all she was worth, a Player Sung-gu was truly, truly grateful to have met as a friend and a teammate rather than an enemy. Such a Player would give up the location so meekly?

[The 1st floor of the U-Plex Dungeon. Where is it?]

It is the name of a dungeon located in Sinchon in the Korean server, Hyukjin responded, paying close attention to Tycons answer. If he was related to Guardians, he would know about servers. Hyukjin framed his answer to sound out Tycons identity.

[Server? Sinchon? Which plane is that?]

Tycon wasnt connected to Guardians. He didnt know about servers.

But hes not a regular NPC.

If he were, he would have verified Hyukjin through the quest System and asked to go find Charles. Tycon wasnt an NPC.

If he wasnt an NPC and not related to Guardians, then he was most likely

A monster.

* * *

* * *

It was highly likely he was a monster with extremely high intelligence. But even so, he couldnt leave this place.

Its odd that Seohye is standing there quietly.

Because the invisible Tycon was here, Hyukjin couldnt afford to blatantly observe Ahn Seohye. However, his eyes searched and observed her all the same.

The fact I cant read her

That was because the Ahn Seohye standing there right now wasnt Ahn Seohye at all.

That thing

After observing her for a long time, he was certain of it.

Is a shell.

It was like a doll with Ahn Seohyes outer appearance.

Wheres the real Seohye?

His eyes couldnt see the real one. He knew what was happening.

Stealth skill.

Darongi had Stealth as well. It seemed Seohye had a similar skill.

But how come?

Why did she leave a shell and fade out of sight? Without telling him, no less. Was Ahn Seohye truly the Red Demon? Did the current Ahn Seohye have the same character as the future Red Demon? Was he in a trap?

No.

That wasnt the answer. Hyukjin was sure of it. He knew he wasnt in a trap, and that conviction was, again, inexplicable. The energy surrounding Ahn Seohye, her appearance, her tiny, minute movements, her breathing, he compiled all of that into a portfolio of information, from which he then based his conclusion and assessment.

Ahn Seohye isnt dangerous.

That was what he decided to believe, at least right now. Actually, he couldnt do much other than trust her. After all, Tycon was in front of him.

Hyukjin extended a map.

This is a map of the Predator Tree Colony connected to your garden. At the end of the cave is a gate, and you can go through the gate into the Korean server. Inside the Korean server is a place called Sinchon, and there exists a dungeon called the U-Plex Dungeon. Charles is on the 1st floor of that dungeon.

He added one more sentence.

It is structured so that Charles cannot come out on his own.

That was a roundabout way of saying, You have to go there and bring him out yourself. Hyukjin had to confirm. He had to confirm how Tycon would act after getting all the information, as well as how Seohye would act.

I see.

A hazy form began to appear on the red chair. It took the shape of a person, the same black bearded man Hyukjin saw in the portrait on the wall going from the 1st floor to the 2nd.

Then Ill have to kill you now and go get Charles.

The entire room suddenly darkened, as if it were enveloped in darkness. Sung-gu lit a fire.

Hyukjin!

The magician fired the flames at the door, reacting quickly because he was ready to move just in case.

The hazy form spoke again.

You think shoddy magic can deceive me?

It wasnt shoddy at all. Sung-gus fire opened a hole in the door, and as long as the path was open, Hyukjin could move quickly.

[Using the special skill Flash Step.]

From point to point, a 2D line formed between two 1D points.

Hyukjins body surged forward in a straight line towards the gap in the door, so quick you couldnt see him.

But Tycon was fast, too.

Laughable!

After using Flash Step, Hyukjin dashed off with all his strength, and Tycon followed hot on his tail. Tycon had no legs, and he floated in the air as he chased Hyukjin with a huge scythe in his hands.

Whumpf!

Tycon swung the scythe.

Hyukjin ducked and dodged it, feeling the air rush past the crown of his head.

Hes strong.

He was indeed qualified to claim he was a Twin-Headed Black Dogs owner. However, Hyukjin had already finished figuring this place out.

He knew what Tycon was. Their names differed, but they were categorically called Evil Spirit monsters. Of those monsters, Tycon was a Region-Bound Spirit that couldnt escape a specified region.

The Evil Spirit monster named Tycon shouted, Halt!

Black rings appeared under Hyukjins feet. He couldnt dodge them and was frozen in place.

[You cannot move.]

He was hit with restraint magic, but Hyukjin didnt panic.

Come closer.

He was well informed about Evil Spirits. They were very difficult foes for mankind, monsters that drilled insidiously into weak points and dark places. Despite that, they had an obvious weakness.

Especially if its a Region-Bound Spirit.

Hyukjin was someone who hunted a Lycanthrope, an impossible foe for his level, in the Tutorial field. He achieved that feat by using his knowledge from the future. He judged that as long as he had knowledge, strategy, and the courage and ability to put those two in practice, it wasnt impossible to hunt Tycon.

This time as well Ill pull it off.

As he watched Tycon slowly approach while holding a scythe, Kim Hyukjin grinned.