Solo Swordmaster

Chapter 4: Choice

Anyone could become a player by making a deal with a Constellation.

But not all players were the same.

A player's standing was decided based on the rank of their Constellation and the skills it gave.

Monarchs were the zenith of all that.

Ten superhuman beings who dealt with the greatest Constellations and grew their unique skills to their limit, reaching level 100.

Even a nation's government couldn't look down on them, and every branch of power would bow their heads in front of them.

True to their name, they were the Absolute Rulers of this era.

"Why? Are you just realizing that you crossed the wrong person?"

It was an extraordinary background to have one of the ten Monarchs as your brother-in-law. On top of that, Seo Yongchan himself was a high-level player in the 80s.

No one could be as demanding as he was.

Once you've reached the stars, regular humans down on Earth would look more like mere ants.

"I told you you shouldn't have ambushed me. Why would you get on my nerves doing such a nasty thing, huh?"

"…Ambush?"

"Fucking hell, you got drunk and ambushed me while I was defenseless!"

Limon blinked and turned to Yoo Na-kyung, his eyes asking:

'Hey, does running wild on a bull count as being defenseless these days?'

'If that was defenseless, would arson count as fireworks?'

'Then what the fuck is this dude going on about?'

'I dunno… Maybe he blacked out?'

'He's gotta have heard something. There's mountains of evidence in the security footage.'

'Could it be someone lied to him about what happened?'

After a moment of being in thought with Yoo Na-kyung, Limon was frustrated. He couldn't figure out the answer himself, and decided to just ask up front.

"Just to make sure, what evidence are you going off on when you say I ambushed you?"

"What evidence do I need? Unless you used some dirty trick up your sleeve, there's no way my familiar would get destroyed by a goner like you."

Limon unknowingly furrowed his brows.

Not because of Seo Yongchan's absurdity, but because he'd realized the real reason why he was still throwing a fit.

'Hm. It seems like his pride was hurt.'

Until now, Seo Yongchan must have lived up among the stars looking down on everyone.

Now that one of the faces of his pride, his prized familiar, was utterly decimated in a single second, he probably couldn't accept it.

Especially not when it was some goner.

And Limon knew well from experience how people like him tried to boost their egos.

"A civil servant assaulting an innocent civilian, how could this be?! I get goosebumps thinking that humans like you live off my tax money, goosebumps!"

How did they do it? Simple, really.

It was strange, but people like him think that their pride would stand tall again once they brought down the other party.

"You think I'll stop with just compensation fees? You wish! Once I set my mind to it, ruining a goner like you is a no-brainer."

If that were to happen, Seo Yongchan's threats couldn't be seen as merely a facade.

Whether it was security cameras or blackbox footage, all he had to do was erase the recordings.

It really wasn't hard to do if he even had just another high-level player to work with.

And witnesses? Even easier.

As long as they didn't have a death wish, anyone would gladly keep their mouths shut if he even slightly flashed his Monarch-related background.

And with some cash, he could create brand new witnesses that weren't there before.

Just like that, the incident《The Infinite Monarch's Brother-in-Law Explodes in the Middle of Traffic!》would get completely erased, and in its place would be Seo Yongchan's Limon assault story.

But Limon wasn't the one who took Seo Yongchan's threats to heart the most.

"Mr. Seo Yongchan, are you threatening a PAB agent in front of me?"

"What? Like I can't?"

"Please talk some sense!"

Kang Jungsoo strained his face.

He had held everything in because of his Monarch-related background, but even that had a limit.

He cried out at how far Seo Yongchan had stepped out of line.

"If you keep lashing out like this, I will talk with the Infinite Monarch myself! Is that what you want?"

Seo Yongchan flinched at his stern voice.

Even if he was family, the name of the Monarch was still sacred, even to him.

Of all people, if the director of the PAB contacted him directly because of this incident, even a family member like Seo Yongchan would get greatly punished.

"Tsk… Alright, fine."

After a moment of hesitating between his pride and his fear, Seo Yongchan finally stepped back.

"Since your director is begging so earnestly, I'll make an exception this time with just compensation fees."

'Just when did I beg earnestly, you piece of shit?!'

Kang Jungsoo cowled at his cocky tone, but didn't hound him any longer.

No matter the circumstances, talking to a Monarch was still overwhelming. It was a relief if this situation could be resolved with just some money.

Pointing his finger at the man seating across him,

"...But only if that man gets on his knees and apologizes."

Upon hearing that, Kang Jungsoo froze in place and Yoo Na-kyung's eyes widened. But Limon only slightly tilted his head.

"……You want me to kneel?"

"Isn't that obvious? You gotta show basic courtesy if you hurt someone!"

"Mr. Seo Yongchan, that's…!"

"What, you don't want to? That's fine as well. I'll just get scolded by my brother-in-law and call it a day."

'Idiot!'

Kang Jungsoo held back his curses.

Negotiations and settlements were just thrown out the window.

He had looked away just in case, but also closed his eyes when he saw Limon throw a punch towards that stupid face.

Pow—!

***

***

'As I planned.'

Limon had thrown a punch at his face.

Watching his fierce expression, triumph washed over Seo Yongchan's face.

'He really got mad just like that, that stupid old man'.

From the moment he barged in till now.

Seo Yongchan's entitlement wasn't the only reason why he acted so cocky the entire time.

He was trying to provoke Limon on purpose so he'd come at him like this.

He had a reason for that — to knock down Limon head first to get even with him!

Of course, that plan was only possible if he took down Limon one on one, but Seo Yongchan was confident.

Before, he was drunk and didn't have his gear equipped — which was why he couldn't block the attack. As long as he had his gear equipped and prepped for combat, there was no way he couldn't handle a goner like Limon.

Seo Yongchan had no doubt in himself.

Until he was decked squarely in the gut by Limon.

"Urk?!"

Seo Yongchan was taken aback. Before he knew it, the fist he was sure he blocked was embedded in his stomach.

But suitting his title as a high-level player, Seo Yongchan was able to tank the hit, and tried to counterattack.

Although, reality is sometimes disappointing.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Hey, you little son of a bitch."

Kick! Kick! Kick! Kick!

"If you did something wrong, you should know how. To. Feel. Remorse."

Baam—!

"Compensation fees? Kneel? You have an earnest death wish, don't you?!"

'Th-this can't be.'

His cheeks were swollen from getting slapped.

His body was kicked around like a football.

His face was punched several times.

Getting dunked on by Limon, not even allowed a moment to breathe, let alone counterattack. Rather than rage, Seo Yongchan felt a sense of bewilderment.

High-level players were the embodiment of superhuman beings. Their levels made their bodies as strong as steel, and their reflexes fast enough to catch a flying arrow.

And armed with items, Seo Yongchan could crush a tank with one hand.

So how could Limon, no more than an 'ordinary person', hurt so badly?

Seo Yongchan couldn't understand, but that didn't last long. The pain from the unending physical abuse caused him to flip out.

"Y-you son of a bitch! You think you can get away with this?! If I tell this to my brother-in-law.....!"

"Tell him, my ass. It won't change the fact you're going to die soon."

"Eh?"

Limon finally stopped his barrage. He pulled Seo Yongchan up by his hair and met his eyes with a bleak smirk.

"I could say the same for you. Did you think you could get away with your life talking to me like that?"

"……!"

Chills ran over Seo Yongchan's back. He was quite the troublemaker himself. As soon as he saw the bloodthirst glowing in Limon's golden eyes, he knew.

Limon was equally—

No, he was undeniably a crazier scumbag than he could ever be.

'That bastard, he means it!'

At that moment, Seo Yongchan let go of all the rage and resentment he had, and his survival instincts rushed in to do the talking.

"W-wait. Let's talk…"

"Too late, you son of a bitch."

"Aaargh!"

Not even giving him a chance to speak, Limon smashed Seo Yongchan's chin into his knee. He smashed it in so hard, broken teeth swarmed out of his mouth.

But Limon didn't stop there.

He pinned Seo Yongchan writhing on the floor with his foot, and faintly grinned.

"A dead man won't need this either, right?"

Amidst struggling in pain, Seo Yongchan's eyes widened.

Limon had murder in his eyes.

"N-not there…!"

"Yes there, you little bitch!"

Ignoring Seo Yongchan's desperate cries, Limon ruthlessly landed a kick.

Snap—

"AAAAAAGH!"

The cry of a man.

***

Seo Yongchan ended up passing out.

It was inevitable. It wouldn't be possible to maintain consciousness after all that awful shock.

What was even more awful was that Limon's beating still didn't stop.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

"How dare you pass out, you son of a bitch! You think this is your living room?! Alright then, sleep as much as you like! I'll make you sleep forever!"

"S-sir! Please settle down. He might actually die if this goes on!"

Kang Jungsoo couldn't bear to see any more of the brutality and stopped Limon.

But Limon's response only made him freeze.

"But… I am going to kill him…?"

"…What?"

"I said, I'm beating him to death," Limon answered nonchalantly. "What? Did you think I said I'd kill him as a joke?"

"I mean, he's…! He's the Infinite Monarch's brother-in-law! What are you going to do if the Infinite Monarch finds out about this?!"

"Then we'll make sure he doesn't. There's plenty of people in the PAB who erase this kind of evidence."

"Do you think we're a crime syndicate?! Besides, dozens of people probably saw him break in all the way here, you can't hide that!"

"What, and you can't?"

"Please, talk some sense!"

"Welp."

Limon licked his lips listening to Kang Jungsoo's hollering and glanced down at a ragged Seo Yongchan.

'Do I kill him or not?'

Should he ignore the Infinite Monarch and the law, and just kill this bastard?

Or should he hold back like a law-abiding civil servant?

While he was deep in thought, Seo Yongchan started to change.

Wisp—

"The hell?"

His eyes may have rolled to the back of his head, but he had still resembled a human being.

A black glow flashed across his eyes.

And as his vision cleared, Limon could only look shocked.

——

——