Max Talent Player

Chapter 130

I had already experienced Precognitive Dream once. That weird feeling of dj vu still lingered within hands reach, and that experience allowed me to make an inference about the sensation I was feeling now.

Just now, that was Precognitive Eye.

Precognitive Eye. An eye that sees the future.

It wasnt that I specifically saw some kind of future. But I could tell.

Someone around me is in danger.

Or they would meet danger in the future. The famous astrologist of Japan, Itachi, once said:

The ability to see the future is accompanied by constant, extreme pain. That is why seeing the future is dangerous. There are those who are unable to overcome the pain and become madmen, or even die.

I was sure of it. Someone was in danger.

Is there anything that could pose a threat at this point in time?

I thought back to the past. Today was October 10th, 2018. I couldnt recall anything in particular that happened in Korea that could bring danger to Sunhwa and my party members.

The possibility Mom or Noona are in danger is

I didnt think it was something like a car accident. The sensation I just had, what my Eye of Perception told me upon sensing danger in the future, wasnt something so mundane.

Its not Mom or Noona.

It was related to Players. That was a sure fact.

So that just leaves Sunhwa and the others

What could possibly endanger them? Even now, they were Players at the front of the pack. We hadnt even entered the Gwanghwamun Dungeon we were going to tackle soon. Nothing particularly dangerous would happen to them.

If not them, then

Could it be related to my Find the Red Eyes quest? Could it be that some danger would come to Ahn Seohye, a person I was in close contact with?

Currently, thats the most likely possibility.

I had to confirm it. The most important person to me was Sunhwa, so I called her first.

Hi, Oppa.

For now, it didnt seem like anything bad had happened to Sunhwa.

Im at home, but Im going out now.

Where are you going?

I have a date with Yeonseo unnie.

With Yeonseo? Where?

Hongdae! Were gonna eat tasty cake. Oh, right. Seohye unnie is also gonna be there

From the way she was talking, she seemed to be saying Do you want to come too, Oppa? or Itd be great if you could come too!, but she didnt say it outright. She probably thought I was too busy for that.

You said youre going to Hongdae?

Yep! Theres a place with superduper tasty carrot cake in Hongdae. Its supposed to be like suuuuuuper tasty. Youd probably like it too, Oppa. Like really really like it.

Then buy me one too.

Sunhwa gave me a slightly morose Okay! at that. After hanging up, I thought for a moment.

Hongdae.

Mid-October, 2018. Hongdae. Sword Empress. Sunhwa. Ahn Seohye. When I put these keywords together, something seemed to dislodge itself from the depths of my memory and float to the surface.

Ah.

There was one incident. It happened not in Hongdae, but the directly neighboring Hapjeong. There was an incident called the Mad Dog Tamers Hostage Crisis. It didnt have much to do with the future I was drafting, so I didnt pay much attention to it.

Some dude tamed a bunch of monsters and created a violent hostage crisis.

I didnt remember his name. By future standards, this was just one incident among many. Although people died, there were far fewer losses than the breaks of the Seoul Station Dungeon, U-Plex Dungeon, or the Gwanghwamun Dungeon that would soon open.

He killed a bunch of innocent civilians.

In the end, that tamer was killed by Players. Hongdae and Hapjeong were exactly one bus stop away. If the Precognitive Eye I felt was real, there was a high chance something could happen to the three girls.

Did that mean I should tell them not to go to Hongdae or Hapjeong because it was dangerous?

No.

I remembered what Itachi said.

The ability to see the future is a cursed ability. Do not divulge the future you glimpsed. Something terrifying is bound to happen. Do not try to change the future with your ability to see the future. That will only result in a far more terrible outcome than the misfortune you saw.

That was the wisdom left by Itachi, one of the top Players with the ability to see the future. He had met an early death at 28 years old.

I called Sunhwa again.

Are you calling again because you want to eat carrot cake too, Oppa?

Sunhwas voice was bright with anticipation. It felt like she was practically flashing Come with us, Oppa! in neon lights.

She diligently cast an incantationif you could call it thatlike she was trying to entice me into coming.

Carrot cake! Carrot cake! Su! Per! De! Li! Cious!

Sunhwa. If you happen to meet a dangerous tamer, call me right away.

A tamer?

Yeah. And you said you were meeting up with Ahn Seohye, right?

The Ahn Seohye from the past and the current Ahn Seohye were different.

In the past, Ahn Seohye wasnt in Hongdae.

That was a definite fact. If she hadnt become friends with Yeonseo or Sunhwa, she would have never gone to hang out on such a busy street. In the past, she might have even been nursing the wounds Seo Joohwan inflicted on her while becoming the Red Demon.

The key is Ahn Seohye.

Starting from the Predator Tree Colony, the threads of fate that bound us were running unsevered. It was even possible that me sensing future danger out of the blue had something to do with the Red-Eyed Girl.

Also, Sunhwa.

I decided to say the most I could tell her in the current situation.

If by any chance you see Seohyes eyes turn red, be sure to call me.

* * *

* * *

Hongdae University Station, Exit 9. Feeling a little nervous, Ahn Seohye met up with Shin Yeonseo.

Its so fascinating to me that Ive become friends with you, Unnie.

Really?

Yeonseo flashed her a bright smile. Facing those dazzling smiling eyes, Seohye actually felt her heart flutter.

I think Im getting a crush on you, Unnie.

The fluttering in her heart was a little different from attraction towards the opposite sex, but in any case, her heart was thumping, since Shin Yeonseo was something of an idol to Seohye.

At some point, Sunhwa arrived as well.

Hehe. Sorry for being late!

The three walked together to their destination. Yeonseo sighed.

Whys it so complicated to get there?

Of course, the path wasnt hard at all. They just had to go in a straight line. It was just that Yeonseo had an incredibly hopeless sense of direction. Seohye didnt bother to point that out.

We just have to go this way. Its in between Hongdae and Hapjeong.

Wow. Youre a real pro at reading the map.

No, its because the app has gotten really good these days.

For Sunhwa, the path there was of zero concern. Her attention was completely absorbed by the prospect of carrot cake.

Carrot cake! Carrot cake!

The three girls entered the caf, where they proceeded to spend a staggering three hours chattering about this and that. Even after all that talking, it still wasnt enough.

Seohye hesitantly spoke up. Kim Hyukjin. That person What kind of person is he, really?

My oppa?

Seohye noticed that Sunhwa put special emphasis on the word my.

Looks like you guys have a close sibling relationship. Thats pretty rare.

I really like Oppa.

Naturally, the groups subject of choice became Kim Hyukjin.

He seems like a really fascinating person, said Seohye.

My oppa is fascinating?

Yeah. Or should I say mysterious?

My oppa somehow feels way adult-like, right?

Because Sunhwa insisted on peppering every sentence with my oppa, the flow of the conversation was a little awkward, but Seohye just disregarded that.

Yeah. Your oppa really is.

Sunhwa puffed her chest out at that, smiling happily like she was the one who had been complimented. Thats just how my oppa is.

While saying so, Sunhwa examined Seohyes eyes.

Red eyes?

They werent completely red.

Since when?

It was only a hint of , like she was wearing very slightly tinted circle lenses. 

I think theyve been like that since we started talking about Oppa.

Sunhwa didnt outwardly display her thoughts. She just naturally picked up her phone and sent Hyukjin a message, telling him that Seohye unnies eyes had turned just a little red. It was faint enough that you could only tell with close inspection, but they were definitely red.

The next moment, a siren went off outside.

Blaaaaaaare!

All civilians, please evacuate.

An evacuation notice was broadcasted. The people inside the coffee shop jumped to their feet.

Wh-Whats going on?

Wasnt that an evacuation notice?

Have monsters appeared?

They checked the situation with their phones.

Oh my God!

There was a hostage crisis in Hapjeong. A crazy Player was leading strange monsters from Hapjeong towards Hongdae.

Articles and social media posts poured out in real time.

[Random Killing in Hapjeong]

[Random Murder Incident Using a Players Strength]

Some tamer started killing people for no reason and was now holding hostages in a standoff with the dispatched police. Seohye also jumped up.

Lets go. Its right next to us. If we run, itll only take ten minutes.

Yeonseos reaction was a little more cautious than Seohyes. The police have surrounded him. Even if we come forward, not much will change.

There were even people streaming the scene live through mediums like YouTube. The man on the screen was throwing his head back in mad laughter.

This is it! This is what I wanted! This is what I always wanted!

The broadcast suddenly cut off. Someone had been ripped apart by a monster.

* * *

Even the police found their hands tied in the sudden wanton murder and hostage crisis in Hapjeong. Strangely enough, weapons like guns didnt work on Players.

A man named Kang Younghan walked step by step from Hapjeong towards Hongdae University Station.

Stop right there! If you move, well shoot! warned the policemen.

Try it then.

Bang! Bang!

The policemen really fired.

Hihihihi! You think guns can do anything to me? After laughing his heart out, Kang Younghan shouted, SIC EM! Bite to your hearts content! Rip everyone apart! Kill them all!

He didnt have a particular reason to kill. He just found it fun.

This is a game, a game!

Yes, a game. This was all a game. He never knew that watching begging and screaming people get eaten alive could be so fun.

[Weredogs level has increased.]

[Weredogs level has increased.]

The levels of his monsters were even going up. How wonderful was that?!

Soon, theyll evolve to Warriordogs.

Then, they would become much stronger. He began to feel confidence that his monsters might even be able to devour the hugely famous Tutorial Ender, So Yoohyun.

Sic em!

Weredogs. Just like how Lycanthropes were humanoid wolves, Weredogs were humanoid dogs. Their original level was 20, but after taming and buffing, and through the hunting of humans, his Weredogs had become level 30. EXP went up exponentially by hunting humans, and it didnt even take that long to reach this point.

Six Weredogs peeled away from the pack and ran off. Two went in the direction of Yeouido, and four towards Hongdae.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

The bipedal dogs ran around in a frenzy of bloody activity, ripping apart policemen and civilians alike.

The Hapjeong and Hongdae areas were in absolute and utter chaos.

One of the Weredogs stood in place, sniffing. It continued to flare its nose, as if it were looking for something.

Shortly afterwards, it began to howl. Its cry also reached Kang Younghan.

Oho? Theres tasty prey that way, you say?

Prey more delicious than regular people. Even more delicious if they were Players, who possessed magical power. Right now, Younghan was full of confidence. He felt like he could hunt down any Player, no matter who, as long as he had his twenty Weredogs specialized for hunting.

The Weredogs that had run off towards Yeouido also rejoined the pack.

The police cant stop me!

The police were helpless against him, and people were fleeing from him in terror.

What absolute ecstasy!

Just then, he spotted someone.

Hrm?

It was a Player who was renowned for 1 vs. 1 PVP. Even from afar, she was truly pretty. In his eyes, Shin Yeonseo was like an angel.

Shin Yeonseo?

How beautiful would it be if he ripped that angels arms and legs off her body? She would look like a bleeding doll, wouldnt she?

Shes strong in 1 vs. 1, but

His Weredogs stood in front of him like sturdy soldiers.

Go. You have new prey, children.

The Weredogs began to sprint towards Shin Yeonseo. She took out her sword.

Individually, theyre weak.

But there were just a bit too many of them.

Twenty in total.

Could she face them all? There was no need for that.

Sunhwa?

Got it.

She had a tank second to none by her side. The Weredogs teeth couldnt penetrate Sunhwas defenses.

[!] marks popped up over the heads of the Weredogs at the same time. Sunhwa successfully pulled every single one of them. The Weredogs swerved to rush towards Sunhwa.

Sunhwa, hold tight for a bit.

Got it!

Yeonseo knew that this monster swarm wasnt naturally made. That man over there, who she figured was the tamer, was the culprit behind all this.

I have to kill him.

It just so happened that the path to him was free. If she rushed through, she could kill that man. However, she didnt heedlessly run in.

I have a bad feeling somehow.

That feeling was something akin to instinct. The way was clear, but she didnt rush through. She could make a beeline towards him, but she didnt. Was it because that man was dangerous? No.

Seohyes eyes

Ahn Seohyes eyes were red. The world of new culture where anything was possible had arrived, and someones eyes becoming red wasnt that remarkable on its own. How could someones eyes turning red be a big deal in a world where magic existed?

But theyre ominous.

Yeonseo got a bad feeling from them. That was why she didnt take action.

While she was thinking, one of the de-aggroed Weredogs made a mad rush towards Seohye and bit the back of her neck. Yeonseo swiftly brought down her sword on it.

Seohye. Are you okay?

The Weredogs teeth didnt cut deep into the skin. Yeonseo had acted quickly. It wasnt a serious injury. A little blood ran down Seohyes neck.

Blood she mumbled to herself. Blood.!

She continued to mumble. 

Blood!

Ahn Seohye touched the blood with her index finger and brought it to her lips and licked it. Her eyes turned crimson red, becoming Red Eyes in full.

And that change was witnessed by the Observer Kim Hyukjin, who was watching the situation some distance away.