Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Lee Jinhyuk and Yoo Dahee (1)

***

“Heee~.”

Yoo Dahee scratched the back of her neck as if slightly troubled.

“You chased me all the way here? Overly persistent guys aren’t popular, you know~.”

While she tried to act calm, feigning confidence with a light quip, the state of Yoo Dahee and her companions was far from good.

They were nearly at their limits due to countless battles already.

Engaging in a fight in this condition could be quite dangerous.

‘One, two, three… about seventeen of them, huh?’

Yoo Dahee discreetly counted the number of people in Lee Jinhyuk’s group and clicked her tongue in frustration after realizing they were more numerous than expected.

It seemed like people from SL, the Hanyeong Clan, and the Church were mixed in.

Ah, that’s a pretty daunting number.

She didn’t expect them to gather such numbers to pursue her.

She thought they’d be too busy dealing with the endless monsters and rescuing civilians.

‘At least Jin Soyeon and Han Incheol aren’t among them.’

That was at least a relief.

If she had to face strong individuals like Jin Soyeon or Han Incheol in her current condition, there was no doubt they’d be crushed.

But with this lineup, maybe…? They might stand a chance.

“Huh, no Hong Daye or Baek Nam-il either? I got scared for no reason. Hey, Lee Jinhyuk, what do you think you’re gonna do with just this bunch of nobodies?”

“……”

Honestly, Lee Jinhyuk would have wanted to bring Hong Daye and Baek Nam-il along, but they were preoccupied fighting the monster hordes that had taken over Gwanghwamun.

Additionally, both of them had expended far too much energy fighting against the Crawling Fear.

Bringing them would’ve only been burdensome.

“So you’ve got a death wish, huh?”

“Tsk.”

“Huh?”

Yoo Dahee furrowed her brows when Lee Jinhyuk suddenly let out a mocking chuckle.

“Hey, Yoo Dahee. Are you feeling scared or what?”

“What did you say, punk?”

“Your tongue’s flapping too much. When did you become someone who only runs your mouth?”

Lee Jinhyuk spoke with a mocking grin.

“Cut the crap. We all know you’re at your limit.”

“……”

“How messed up must you be that you can’t even run away properly? Not that I’m complaining. It made catching up a lot easier.”

“……”

Though they had done some emergency treatment with healing water, it was exactly that—emergency treatment.

The accumulated damage she’d taken still lingered.

“Looks like it’s not just you either. Ryan, Seong Baeksan, and Isabelle are already at their limit too, huh?”

Lee Jinhyuk gave a side glance at the villains standing beside Yoo Dahee.

Their bodies were battered and bruised from their earlier skirmishes with his group.

Objectively, his team had lost, but considering they managed to corner Ryan, a near-Single Ranker level enemy, and Seong Baeksan, an incredibly strong High Ranker, he had to give them credit.

Their main goal wasn’t defeating Ryan and the others, but to keep them occupied until they could corner Yoo Dahee.

Ryan was originally an enemy the protagonists from the original work would’ve defeated only in the later chapters—after they’d fully grown.

And that would’ve required their combined effort.

“And most of the Rebellion members are already crushed as well.”

Isabelle and several other Rebellion members had mobilized to retrieve the orbs that summoned the monsters, but most of them had fallen prey to the traps set by the Church, Gaon Nuri, and OhSung Group.

Thanks to them, they had bought some reprieve.

If those forces had remained intact, they might have managed to aid Yoo Dahee by now.

Fighting them wouldn’t have been easy at all.

Roxanne and her team seemed to have put in a significant effort.

Ah, of course, it was a shame they lost Azerell and the Space Pouch, but they had done more than enough.

In fact, the ones who hadn’t done enough were Lee Jinhyuk, Jin Soyeon, and their group—who hadn’t even managed to take down Yoo Dahee within these past several tens of minutes.

“Let me ask you this. Do you think you, someone already on the brink of death, can hold out against this many? Do you know that your legs are shaking? Your strength is gone, isn’t it?”

Lee Jinhyuk had scraped together all the members who were still in decent shape for this fight.

Although they weren’t top-tier heroes, they were relatively unscathed, with enough stamina and magic remaining to function.

Given the current situation, he was thankful to have them.

It would be tough for Yoo Dahee’s group to deal with them.

“Yoo Dahee…”

Isabelle spoke tentatively.

“We’ll try to buy more time, so you should use the chance to escape…”

“Hmph.”

Yoo Dahee snorted dismissively as if she wasn’t even willing to hear it.

“Pointless talk.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m too far gone to properly run away. Even if I somehow manage to flee, they’ll catch up in no time.”

Just as Lee Jinhyuk said, she was at her limit.

If she foolishly tried to run now only to be caught later, she’d rather settle this here while she still had some strength left.

Yoo Dahee clenched her fists tightly and stared straight at Lee Jinhyuk as she spoke.

“Looks like the other heroes are too busy fighting the monsters… So if I take down you guys, there won’t be any more pursuit, right?”

“Who knows?”

“Kik. Playing dumb now?”

Yoo Dahee took a long, deep breath.

Her body was in terrible shape.

Moving even a finger felt difficult.

Yet despite that, she still had confidence.

She had crossed over into a new realm after her battle with Jin Soyeon.

On top of that, none of the heroes present were particularly threatening.

At best, the ones she had to worry about were Lee Jinhyuk, who made quite a name for himself as the Vigilante, and Baek Yoorin, who had grown to a High Ranker.

‘Wait a minute.’

Her thoughts wandered to Lee Jinhyuk’s current strength.

Based on the rumors about the Vigilante that circulated in the underworld, he was probably near the top of the High Rankers.

But considerable time had passed since those initial rumors, meaning he could’ve grown stronger by now.

Maybe he’s among the strongest of the High Rankers now.

It’s better to overestimate an opponent than to underestimate them.

She didn’t want to lower her guard and risk being caught off guard.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Lee Jinhyuk fight seriously today either.’

Even when a group of about thirty heroes ganged up on them earlier, all Lee Jinhyuk did was give out orders from the rear.

That meant he was still in perfect condition, having scarcely expended any energy.

Ah, how annoying.

It seemed she needed to deal with him first.

Leaving him alone would only endanger the other members.

“Fine, then. No need to drag this out any longer. Let’s wrap this up before any more interruptions show up.”

At that moment, a monster that had been hiding between the buildings let out a low growl as it crawled out.

Scenting the blood on Yoo Dahee, the monster leapt toward her, swinging its claws at her.

Yet Yoo Dahee casually swung her hand with little effort.

Boom!

The monster’s head shattered like soft tofu, its brain matter scattering through the air.

As Yoo Dahee stood amid the falling blood and bits of brain, she glared murderously at Lee Jinhyuk.

“Perfect. I was planning to kill you eventually, anyway. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll make sure to do it right this time.”

“That goes for me too.”

Lee Jinhyuk gripped his Shisan Blood Sea relic and the cube-shaped boundary relic tightly.

“I never intended to let you live.”

“Ha. Is that right? You really think you can kill me?”

Yoo Dahee sneered as she glanced back at her comrades.

“Ryan.”

“…Yeah.”

“Sorry. I know you’re in bad shape, but while I handle this guy, can you take care of the small fry?”

“…I can manage.”

“And Isabelle, Seong Baeksan, I’ll need support from the rear.”

“Understood.”

“Given the circumstances, there’s no other choice. Alright, Yoo Dahee.”

Lee Jinhyuk also looked toward his group of heroes.

“We’re going with the plan I mentioned earlier. Hold out for just a bit.”

“Yes.”

Then, he glanced at Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan.

“Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan.”

“Yeah?”

“What?”

These two had grown into Upper Rank heroes after long periods of effort.

They were only second-year students at the academy, which made their achievements quite remarkable.

Of course, they weren’t strong enough to go head-to-head against the Rebellion members, but they’d be more than capable of tying down those who were on their last legs.

Plus, they had plenty of other heroes with them as well.

“Can I trust you this time?”

“Of course.”

“Hmph, quit worrying.”

“Roxanne, the Church members will provide support from the rear.”

“Understood. I’ll do my best.”

Roxanne swallowed nervously but responded with determination.

It would’ve been great if Cynthia and Aisha were here, but they were recovering after suffering heavy injuries while fighting the Rebellion members.

“Alright then… Activate the barrier.”

Lee Jinhyuk immediately activated the cube.

A white veil slowly enveloped the area, whitening the world around them.

As if the scenery was being overlaid with white ink, the world began to dissolve, turning that pure white.

Soon, only an endless, empty space remained.

“A barrier? You know if I kill you, it’ll disappear, right? What’s the point?”

“It’s not really to trap you or anything.”

There was only one reason Lee Jinhyuk needed to activate the barrier.

Because in order to use his trump card, a barrier was essential.

Without it, the damage would spread too far and wide.

“Well then, show me what you’ve got. The skill that left so many villains crippled.”

“…Oh, sure. Go ahead, then.”

Technically, it wasn’t Lee Jinhyuk’s doing, but there was no point clarifying that now.

If Yoo Dahee thought of him as the Vigilante, then he truly could be a Vigilante.

That was, after all, Lee Jinhyuk’s unique ability.

***

The heroes and villains clashed.

While the heroes had the advantage in numbers, the villains were far superior in raw strength.

Nevertheless, the battle remained a close one, largely because the heroes were in relatively good condition while the villains were on the verge of breaking down.

Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan, Roxanne, and several other heroes worked tirelessly to distract Ryan, Seong Baeksan, and Isabelle.

If things continued as they were, they could likely hold them off for at least ten minutes.

For now, it seemed possible to engage in a one-on-one fight with Yoo Dahee.

She also seemed to want to finish Lee Jinhyuk off without the interference of the other heroes.

It was the same for Lee Jinhyuk.

He, too, planned to fight her one-on-one without the interference of the remaining villains.

“Haaaah!”

Yoo Dahee charged in with a loud battle cry.

Her power was undeniable.

There was no questioning her terrifying strength.

A foe that grows stronger the more they fight—isn’t that the definition of an absolute nightmare?

Her innate battle sense and beast-like instincts made her worthy to be called one of the strongest villains.

No matter how much Lee Jinhyuk had strengthened himself through his unique powers, replicating her natural-born talent for battle was impossible.

Under normal circumstances, dozens of heroes would struggle to take her down.

But.

Even knowing all of this, Lee Jinhyuk was confident.

Not because Yoo Dahee was severely injured and weakened.

But because after observing her fight with Jin Soyeon, he had come to understand one critical thing.

Oh, you’re wondering what it is?

Well, you’ll see soon enough…

Swoosh!

A red line of blood arced through the air.

Lee Jinhyuk had swung his Shisan Blood Sea sword and sliced through Yoo Dahee’s forearm.

A spray of red liquid scattered around them as Yoo Dahee bit her lower lip and stepped back.

“You… You read my movements…?!”

“Tired, huh? Your movements are sluggish. And well, you haven’t changed much from before.”

Lee Jinhyuk shrugged as he eyed the blood on his sword.

As expected, she hadn’t gotten rid of it.

Her old habits and tells.

Although Yoo Dahee had grown stronger, the subtle movements ingrained in her were still the same.

Everything he had studied and memorized for so long in preparation for this very fight was now paying off.

Thanks to this, he had been able to predict her attacks based on the smallest hints.

As a matter of fact, Lee Jinhyuk had once deflected her attacks during a midterm exam by exploiting those very habits.

It wasn’t the first time he’d used her own tendencies against her.

While much weaker than now, he had even succeeded in wounding her back then, when she’d been in top condition.

So what could he do now?

Now that Lee Jinhyuk possessed the power of a High Ranker?

All thanks to his unique ability.

Lee Jinhyuk’s special power was that he grew stronger according to how powerful his opponents believed him to be.

Right now, Yoo Dahee, bloodied and exhausted, wasn’t underestimating him at all.

Instead, because she was careful not to let her guard down, she overestimated him.

That was her ultimate downfall.

Because the more highly she thought of him, the stronger Lee Jinhyuk became.

“Ugh! If only I were in better shape, I could…!”

Yoo Dahee quickly retaliated.

A fist imbued with magic twisted like a snake as it lashed towards him.

In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Lee Jinhyuk’s nose.

What the hell? That speed?

Lee Jinhyuk briefly marveled as he dodged.

Yoo Dahee was still Yoo Dahee.

He couldn’t let himself relax around her.

“Hah!”

A solid blow struck Lee Jinhyuk’s jaw.

Thwack! The sharp sound of impact rippled through the air.

An ordinary hero’s head would’ve been shattered by such a powerful hit!

“How’s that feel?”

But Lee Jinhyuk was fine.

Why?

Well, because…

“You call that a hit? You really are tired, aren’t you?”

“What?!”

He stood there, completely unfazed.

If anything, Yoo Dahee’s fist seemed to have taken more damage than Lee Jinhyuk.

Her knuckles had smashed up against something invisible, stopping them in their tracks.

Ah, shit. Yoo Dahee suddenly recalled.

Right—he had an artifact that could block attacks like this.

“It won’t be as easy as before, when you sucker-punched me in Busan. Back then, I didn’t have my forcefields up properly. But now, I’ve come fully prepared.”

“Ugh!”

Guardian’s Barrier, Black Star Assembly, Aegis’ Shield, Tears of the Moon, Shisan Blood Sea, Thousand-League Boots, and a slew of other artifacts.

Lee Jinhyuk was armed to the teeth with powerful relics and equipment.

‘Even if Yoo Dahee gets a power-up in this fight, it doesn’t matter.’

No matter how much she might grow over the course of this fight, he had a near-certain way to finish it once and for all.

End of Chapter