Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Kangrim (2)

***

The crack in the sky was large enough to cover the entire skyline of Seoul.

From the gaping rupture, monsters began flooding through.

These creatures, diverse in form and color, drooled as they glanced maliciously at the people, then began ravaging the streets of Seoul.

“Kyaaaa! Aaaaahhhhhh!”

“M-Monsters? C-Call the heroes!”

“Shit! Get out of the way!?! Aargh!”

“Mommyyyyy!”

Screams echoed endlessly throughout the city.

Some heroes and police officers hurriedly moved to save civilians.

“Well, we’re leaving now.”

“Goddammit! Yoo Dahee, you—!”

Taking advantage of the chaos, Yoo Dahee’s group made a hasty retreat.

Lee Jinhyuk’s face twisted in frustration. He was about to chase after them when—

“!”

Suddenly, his body froze as he was struck by an overwhelming wave of killing intent.

It was so strong it practically glued him in place, something only someone using extraordinary abilities like Lee Jinhyuk could perceive. This foreboding, ominous aura was beyond anything he’s ever felt before.

“W-What is this?”

“It’s coming from beyond the crack.”

“No… Could it be the killing intent of a monster?”

It wasn’t just Lee Jinhyuk.

All the heroes present were exposed to the unknown killing intent, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

This was a kind of sensation they had never experienced before—an overwhelming, crushing force.

What on earth could it be?

Before long, something unidentified plummeted to the ground from within the crack, landing near the heroes.

Boom!

A dust cloud rose from the impact.

As the dust settled, the figure within began to reveal itself.

“Krrrk… kre-r-rrr.”

The creature, emitting a guttural growl, spewed out sticky, black liquid as it howled softly.

It looked somewhat like a human formed from pitch-black mud.

The creature’s height was similar to that of a human. Compared to other monsters, it was much smaller. It assumed a quadrupedal stance, slowly scanning the heroes in its surroundings.

“What… What the hell is that?”

A jet-black creature they’d never seen before.

The heroes gulped nervously as tension filled the air.

None of them had any information on this creature, but there was one fact that became immediately apparent.

That creature was dangerous.

That thought was shared unanimously among everyone.

“…Shit.”

“Jinhyuk?”

Lee Jinhyuk let out a curse.

He recognized the creature.

“Of all times, why now? That thing shouldn’t have appeared here.”

“What? Do you know what that is?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Jinhyuk nodded slowly.

Of course he knew it. He had suffered terribly because of that monster during the first timeline. Damn it.

“That creature’s name is Crawling Fear.”

“Oh, that name… I think I saw it in your notebook.”

Crawling Fear.

In the original story, this monster was supposed to appear during the final battle.

It was so powerful that it almost retired the main characters, even after they’d grown far stronger.

To be honest, there’s no way we can defeat that thing with our current strength.

Maybe if we were in perfect condition. But right now, we’re all utterly exhausted and injured.

“That thing’s far stronger than Ouroboros, the one we fought in Busan.”

“W-What?”

Jin Soyeon was shocked.

That small, human-like creature was stronger than the Ouroboros, which had towered over entire buildings?

“Krrrrk? Krrrk.”

Crawling Fear suddenly jerked its head, sensing several presences nearby.

Its jaw opened wide.

It began gathering magic into its mouth, the energy rapidly condensing into a small, dense sphere.

And then, it fired the magic sphere toward a group of civilians—no, it’s aiming at the people over there?!

“Soyeon! Block it! Don’t take it head-on! Deflect it upward!”

“Got it!”

Jin Soyeon grabbed the Aegis shield that had been lying nearby.

She rushed forward and positioned the shield at an angle towards the magic sphere.

In an instant, the magic sphere collided with Aegis.

Jin Soyeon twisted the shield slightly, diverting the dense mass of energy upwards into the sky.

The high-density magic sphere soared into the sky.

It ascended several kilometers until it finally stopped in mid-air, trembling slightly before erupting into a brilliant explosion.

Boom!

The deafening soundwave ripped through the air, followed by an immense burst of heat and shockwaves, causing all the surrounding buildings’ windows to shatter.

The heroes braced themselves for the impact, turning their heads away from the blinding light and sound.

Civilians hiding in apartments, houses, and buildings were left trembling in fear, unable to calm themselves after the sudden explosion.

The blast was so massive that it could be seen from all over Seoul.

“Th-The power…”

Jin Soyeon swallowed nervously as she stared at the empty sky where the explosion had occurred.

It obliterated a radius of hundreds of meters.

If that had hit a crowd, it could’ve caused thousands of casualties.

That thing was incredibly dangerous.

That monster was far too dangerous.

“Ugh?! Jinhyuk! What was that explosion just now?”

“Jinhyuk? We just arrived! But what was that? What happened?”

Yoo Seolhyun, Sunari, and Roxanne had arrived at the scene.

They, too, were startled by the powerful explosion, their faces showing clear signs of shock.

“It’s because of that.”

“That monster… I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

They looked confused, but Lee Jinhyuk quickly shouted out to the other heroes.

“That thing can’t fire at close range without getting caught in its own blast! So we’re the ones who have to stop it! We can’t let it reach the people!”

“…You’re right.”

Baek Il-nam, who was still somewhat unharmed, nodded.

“Cough, cough… Yes, we have to.”

Han Incheol, who had regained some of his composure, was still coughing up blood due to internal injuries.

Even though he had downed a healing potion provided by another hero, it didn’t seem to be enough to fully heal his wounds.

“Sir, your body isn’t in good shape. You should leave this to us and retreat for now…”

“Quiet, boy. How could I retreat in a situation like this?”

Despite Baek Nam-il’s attempts to dissuade him, the elder ignored him and picked up his broken Yeoui Cudgel before stepping forward.

“Even that brat Baek Yeonghyun wouldn’t have backed down in this situation.”

“Elder…”

The old man lengthened his broken Yeoui Cudgel to its regular size.

“Any hero who can still fight, stand up. At the very least, we need to hold that thing off until backup arrives, don’t we?”

“Yes.”

“Y-Yes!”

With one of the legends, Han Incheol, taking the lead, many of the exhausted heroes regained some of their morale.

“Ah, what kind of situation is this, really…”

“Jinhyuk, we’ll help too. Just give us the orders.”

Yoo Seolhyun, Sunari, and Roxanne decided to lend a hand for now.

“Krrrkrrrrrr, krrrrrr.”

Did it sense the heroes’ intent to fight?

Crawling Fear rushed toward the heroes without hesitation.

Han Incheol and several other heroes, dragging their tired bodies, began their fight against Crawling Fear.

***

“Ah!?”

“S-Soyeon! Jin Soyeon!”

To protect the other heroes, Jin Soyeon had been pushing herself too hard, and soon enough, she was struck by Crawling Fear and sent flying.

She soared dozens of meters into the air before crashing into a distant building.

Lee Jinhyuk raced towards her in a panic.

‘She overdid it. Soyeon pushed herself too much.’

Fighting against Crawling Fear after accumulating damage from the battle with Yoo Dahee had proven too much.

“Soyeon, are you okay? Stay with me.”

“…Ah, I’m sorry. Urgh.”

Jin Soyeon lay inside the half-collapsed building, staring up quietly at the ceiling.

She tried to sit up, but pain shot through her abdomen, causing her to grimace, and she coughed up a bit of blood.

“Here, drink this healing potion!”

“Glug, glug, whew… Thanks, Jinhyuk. I feel a little better now.”

After downing the entire healing potion Lee Jinhyuk handed her, Jin Soyeon gave him a strained smile, but in reality, the potion seemed to have little effect.

It appeared the potion’s regenerative properties had reached their limit.

“Kuh, I guess I let my guard down. Cough, cough. Don’t worry, Jinhyuk, I’m fine. I’m really fine… I’ll finish off that monster in no time.”

“…No, that’s enough.”

“Jinhyuk, huh?”

“…You’ve done enough. Take a break now.”

Lee Jinhyuk pressed down on Jin Soyeon’s shoulder as she tried to rise. He shook his head firmly.

“From now on, I’ll fight.”

“W-What?”

He couldn’t keep relying on Jin Soyeon anymore.

No matter how much of a genius she was, no matter that she was the protagonist, both her body and mind had reached their limits.

If this continued, Jin Soyeon would end up seriously hurt.

So, Lee Jinhyuk decided.

He had to step up now.

“You’ve fulfilled your role. From now on, just leave it to me and rest, Soyeon.”

Jin Soyeon had done her best as the protagonist and carried her share of the load.

But Lee Jinhyuk had failed to do his part.

Everything up until now had been his mistake.

So, he would have to clean up the mess.

Of course, it’s not like he thought he could defeat that monster easily.

Still, the cooldown for the barrier should be over soon, so maybe he could use the method he had planned for Yoo Dahee on this monster instead.

Who knows?

It might work.

“So, I’m going to borrow your coat and sword for a bit.”

“Huh?”

Lee Jinhyuk swiftly slipped off Jin Soyeon’s black trench coat, the Black Star Assembly.

“Since it’s a relic, the size automatically adjusts when I wear it.”

The Black Star Assembly immediately adjusted to fit him perfectly.

“Alright, now for the sword.”

“…Jinhyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“…You just don’t give up, do you?”

As he was about to reach for the Shisan Blood Sea, he hesitated.

Something felt off.

The atmosphere was different from usual.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it didn’t feel like the Jin Soyeon he knew down to her core.

What is it? Why do I feel like this all of a sudden?

Puzzled, Lee Jinhyuk looked down at Jin Soyeon.

And then—

“Soyeon, are you…?”

“I’ve been debating whether or not I should get involved directly. But… I’ve made my decision.”

Slowly, Jin Soyeon began to rise.

“Because you didn’t give up, I can finally make this choice as well.”

Up until a moment ago, she had been in agony, with shattered ribs and torn internal organs, barely able to move.

But now, she stood calmly, brushing the dust and debris off her body as though nothing had happened.

Her golden eyes met Lee Jinhyuk’s, unusually forlorn and laced with resignation.

It wasn’t the gaze of the Jin Soyeon he had always known.

It was the gaze of someone who had lived through countless hardships, their heart worn out from the battles.

Yet, within that gaze brimming with world-weariness, there was still an undeniable warmth directed solely at Lee Jinhyuk.

“You’ve come this far after all… Good job, Jinhyuk.”

“Who… are you?”

“Who am I?”

With an indifferent expression, Jin Soyeon offered a vague smile.

“You know who I am.”

End of Chapter