“Keok!”

Before there was time to be shocked, Jae-hee coughed up blood again. He clutched his heart and crouched down, bracing himself against the floor. Coming to his senses, Sa-yoon hurriedly continued pouring the potion. Though he had many questions, this wasn’t the time to leisurely ask them. Left like this, it wouldn’t be strange if he died soon. He needed to save Jae-hee first.

“Stop doing stupid things and stay still, you bastard.”

It was obvious he was like this from using a skill.

Though he wondered what skill he’d used, he closed his mouth before voicing his suspicions, as he had a pretty good idea.

Jae-hee had clearly utilized both the newly created Heaven’s Secret-related skill and title.

He had read Heaven’s secrets and was now paying the price for revealing them.

Knowing this fact, Sa-yoon couldn’t just leave Jae-hee alone. Because he knew the reason for his reckless challenge was himself.

He couldn’t just watch someone dying because of him.

What kind of crazy bastard is this, fuck.

He was the most baffling person Sa-yoon had ever encountered. He’d thought Geon-joo was enough when it came to incomprehensible people, but Jae-hee was worse. In terms of endless recklessness, and in terms of being stubborn with pure goodness to a fatal degree.

‘Pure and Ultimate Good.’

Finally understanding what that title in Jae-hee’s status window meant, Sa-yoon poured every potion he had. Yet Jae-hee’s condition wouldn’t easily improve.

If anything, it got worse.

And soon, Sa-yoon learned why Jae-hee’s condition wasn’t improving.

“Are the gods… ha… binding… your destiny?”

Jae-hee hadn’t stopped using the skill.

“Stop it, you crazy bastard!”

Sa-yoon grabbed the collar of the man who was speaking with difficulty, taking several breaths between words, and shouted with an enraged face. Fuck, there should be limits to penetrating the essence.

What Jae-hee was saying wasn’t something that could be said through mere speculation and common sense.

From his mouth came words of gods and destiny. Both were close to ‘Heaven’s secrets.’

He was revealing Heaven’s secrets.

Sacrificing his lifespan for someone he’d only met twice.

Unable to comprehend such recklessness and self-sacrifice, Sa-yoon frowned at the man who grabbed his hand clutching the collar with trembling fingers. Jae-hee opened his mouth once more. Noticing he intended to reveal Heaven’s secrets again, Sa-yoon used his last resort.

Puk!

A dagger pulled from his inventory instead of a potion plunged into Jae-hee’s neck. Letting out a momentary groan, Jae-hee’s body collapsed. After confirming his eyes had rolled back, Sa-yoon quickly withdrew the dagger and poured in potion. The potion was rapidly absorbed into the wound. Though Jae-hee’s complexion was corpse-pale, his heartbeat remained steady.

It was a critical wound, but he wouldn’t die.

To knock out an S-rank like Jae-hee while being C-rank himself, this somewhat extreme measure was the only option.

That’s what you get for not listening when I told you to stop.

Thinking his stubbornness was worse than even Han Geon-joo’s, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and laid the man down flat.

He placed his hand on his stomach to check his condition. Though his breathing was shallow, it wasn’t serious. Considering an S-rank’s recovery ability, he’d probably wake up in a day or two. Sighing, Sa-yoon recalled what had just happened.

Though everything had happened so frantically in the urgent situation, he couldn’t forget it.

‘Is the system binding you?’

‘Are the gods… binding your destiny?’

The expression Jae-hee had shown and the voice that flowed from his blood-covered mouth when he asked those questions would probably be unforgettable even after ten years. When Jae-hee revealed Heaven’s secrets, Sa-yoon felt as if lightning had struck his head. It was that shocking, that surprising.

He’d called himself one who penetrates Heaven’s secrets, but Sa-yoon hadn’t expected him to discover that fact.

Bound by the system?

Gods constraining his destiny?

True Evil of Humanity – To You Who Will Be Most Unfortunate – Forced Execution.

These were just the few things that came to mind immediately.

Yes. For over ten years, he had lived bound and constrained. Those damn beings had caught hold of his life and were manipulating it at will. Even Jongsik didn’t know this much. He only knew that Sa-yoon was being swayed by the system. But Jae-hee had seen through it at once.

He needed it.

Though he felt sorry for Jae-hee, who had tried to reveal the truth to him while penetrating the essence at the cost of his lifespan, Sa-yoon needed the information he was sacrificing his life to share.

Now that Geon-joo had left his side and even the quest was frozen, this was his only hope.

It wasn’t particularly that he needed it to escape the system. Though it would be a lie to say that wasn’t part of the reason, the flame of resistance had long since died down.

Now he just wanted to know.

Why it had to be him.

Why he was the true evil of humanity.

Why his system window alone was so vicious and severe, and why his life had fallen into such a mess.

He wanted to know.

Even if that knowledge was poison.

Looking down at the blood-covered Jae-hee with a contemplative expression, Sa-yoon supported him and called a guild member. The member who had been waiting nearby immediately brought a car to the villa. As Sa-yoon supported Jae-hee and left the villa, the guild member who came running gaped in shock.

“Boss! Did that bastard attack you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Good heavens, the blood. This bastard must be quite strong. I’ve never seen you injured this badly before, Boss.”

“…”

“By the way, why are you bringing him out? Weren’t you going to kill him? Is he a new guild member?”

What the hell are you talking about?

Sa-yoon was about to ask with a frown when he caught sight of his and Jae-hee’s appearance reflected in the car window.

Fuck, what is this?

They were both completely covered in blood.

Jae-hee from revealing Heaven’s secrets, himself from the Eyes of Genius.

With blood flowing down their entire faces, Sa-yoon understood the guild member’s words. Then he hit the idiot’s head.

The crazy bastard sees someone covered in blood and that’s all he asks?

As always, there wasn’t a single normal person in Night Rats.

Telling him to stop talking nonsense and just help, Sa-yoon got Jae-hee into the car with the guild member’s assistance, then got into the back seat himself and sighed.

“Where should we go?”

“To the guild.”

He was mentally and physically exhausted. Having somewhat overexerted his C-rank body, Sa-yoon pressed his stinging eyelids and checked Jae-hee’s condition in the seat beside him before letting out a small sigh.

Come to think of it, he never got to ask how his status window appeared.

He’d been curious how his status window looked when viewed with One Who Sees Through.

Thinking he’d ask when Jae-hee woke up, Sa-yoon felt drowsiness overtake him and closed his eyes, resting his head against the window.

It had been an extremely tiring day.

“Boss, we’ve arrived.”

The guild member woke Sa-yoon, who had apparently dozed off briefly.

Opening his eyes from his position sleeping with arms crossed, Sa-yoon first checked Jae-hee’s condition before getting out of the car.

“Take him to my room.”

“We’re not killing him?”

“No. And make sure he can’t escape.”

Escape.

The guild member’s shoulders stiffened at that word. There wasn’t a single guild member who didn’t know that the recent sharp decline in Night Rats Guild’s atmosphere and rumors of Sa-yoon being unwell were due to Geon-joo’s escape.

Feeling the responsibility, the guild member answered with a loud voice, his expression hardening. Sa-yoon waved his hand dismissively, leaving him to his work, and entered the guild building.

His destination was set.

Jongsik.

He needed to get his opinion on what to do with Jae-hee.

He was the only other person who knew that Sa-yoon was being swayed by the system and that the reason for finding trait holders was to break free from it.

Getting in the elevator and pressing the floor where Jongsik was, Sa-yoon flung open the door to Jongsik’s office as soon as he arrived. The man who had been looking at documents jumped in surprise and turned pale upon seeing Sa-yoon.

“Boss!”

“Did you watch a horror movie or something? What’s with that expression?”

“Boss, your… your face…”

“Ah.”

He’d forgotten about being covered in blood again. No wonder he felt uncomfortable.

When he asked for a wet towel, Jongsik quickly got up and brought one from the bathroom. Sa-yoon wiped the blood from his face with the pleasantly lukewarm towel. Checking in the mirror, his appearance was indeed frightening enough to rival a ghost from a horror movie.

“What in the world happened?”

“I brought someone.”

“Someone? A new guild member?”

“Not exactly.”

That’s what he’d come here to consider. Sa-yoon thoroughly wiped the blood from his face and neck with the towel, then threw the blood-stained towel in the trash. He ignored Jongsik’s muttering about how it could be washed and how wasteful it was.

How can a Night Rats executive be so stingy?

Clicking his tongue, Sa-yoon lay down on the sofa. Jongsik sat on the opposite sofa with his documents.

“So who did you bring?”

“Lee Jae-hee.”

“Ah, Lee Jae-hee… What?”

Jongsik’s eyes widened as he repeated the name casually. His questioning voice was so loud it hurt the ears.

Does this bastard realize I’m C-rank now?

While it hadn’t mattered when he was S-rank, now that his rank had dropped, being hit with such forceful speech from S-rank Jongsik would cause damage. Frowning and swallowing the blood that suddenly welled up, Sa-yoon criticized him to lower his voice. Jongsik’s mouth worked like a broken robot.

“You brought Lee Jae-hee? The hunter currently drawing the most attention in Korea of all people?”

“It’s more like he followed me than me bringing him.”

“What?”

“Or did I bring him?”

“…”

“Well, that’s not what’s important. Jongsik.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Though he still looked confused, Jongsik responded well when called. Despite wanting nothing more than to rest, Sa-yoon brought up the reason he’d visited Jongsik’s office.

“He’s a trait holder.”

“…What?”

“Lee Jae-hee, I mean.”

He was One Who Breaks the Flow.

Whether he’d unconsciously been self-deprecating or not, laughter mixed into his words. Sa-yoon, who had laughed somewhat helplessly, straightened up and looked at Jongsik.

“And that bastard knows my secret too.”

“What secret?”

“The system.”

“What?”

Jongsik’s mouth fell open at the successive shocking news. Sa-yoon shrugged and continued as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“More precisely, was I discovered? Well, something like that.”

“…”

Having received this bombshell out of nowhere, Jongsik was now completely broken. His shoulders went slack like someone whose soul had left their body, and his eyes lost focus. Sensing he’d stay that way if he kept talking at length, Sa-yoon cut straight to the conclusion.

“Should we kill him?”

“Boss, you’re C-rank!”

“Not right now, you idiot. …In your opinion, would it be better to kill Lee Jae-hee or keep him?”

Lee Jae-hee was someone he needed.

That much was certain. After all, someone who could read Heaven’s secrets wouldn’t be found anywhere else.

But Sa-yoon despised being swayed by someone again.

If he could deal effective damage to him like Geon-joo had, it would be better to kill him even at a loss. If not, keeping him would definitely be right. Finding it difficult to make this decision alone, Sa-yoon had come for advice and waited for Jongsik’s answer. Jongsik’s eyes sank as he sensed this was no joke from Sa-yoon’s low voice.