Chapter 367: Side Story 12: Ma Gyeong-rok from Chapter 101 (Middle) |
“.......”
His father seemed surprised and remained silent for a while.
He simply looked at his son with serious eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
We’re in the 21st century, a global era. The time when one would find a partner only within the country is long gone.
Even business families now seek arranged marriages abroad.
Is that why?
After a long consideration, his father finally gave a positive response.
“Really...?”
He was more surprised to get permission from his strict and patriarchal father.
Honestly, he expected a refusal.
He had said those words prepared for a debate, but obtaining his consent was too easy.
“...Thank you. I’m sure you’ll like her when you meet her.”
“Good. Bring her someday.”
With a monotone but warm voice, Ma Gyeong-rok turned around.
And he thought that, for once, he had a genuine father-son conversation.
——————–
“Brother. I heard from Dad. Are you serious?”
His younger brother, Ma Gyeong-sang, came to ask him.
He had a mocking expression, as if he couldn’t wait to make fun of him.
“Why do you want to get engaged to a foreigner? Are the local women not enough for you? Or do you need support from her family because you feel inadequate?”
“I have no intention of talking to you, so buzz off.”
“Ha, who’d want to talk to you? It’s ridiculous.”
Ma Gyeong-sang muttered nonsense and walked away.
I also went my way without looking back.
Once the relationship between brothers cooled, there was no magical way to fix it.
I neither expected nor wished for it.
‘Now I must seem ridiculous. With the company’s shares in a freefall.’
The test from his father was to grow the company and prove his worth.
In that test, his brothers were ahead.
He could lose his place as the successor.
It was natural for their arrogance to be at its peak.
In the midst of this, saying he would get engaged to a foreigner sounded ridiculous to them.
‘Just wait and see. Though I’m struggling now, I’ll rise and put you in your place.’
The resentment towards his brothers fueled his determination.
But Ma Gyeong-rok didn’t know something.
That aversion would bring about other desires.
——————-
‘Ah...’
He couldn’t sleep.
He had tried forcing himself to sleep all night, but it was useless.
The clock on the table showed that three hours had passed.
‘Am I out of sleeping pills?’
He got out of bed and poured himself some whiskey.
Maybe using alcohol as a substitute would make that hateful insomnia disappear.
‘I wish I could rely on alcohol’s power...’
But he still couldn’t sleep.
Could it be that the stress had reached its peak?
The memories of that moment kept returning.
The memory of killing a dog at the company.
‘Ugh, why those memories...?’
His hands began to tremble.
It wasn’t from fear.
It was from excitement.
The excitement he felt when killing the dog made his body tremble.
The urge to experience that sensation once more filled his mind.
Beep-
He changed clothes and left the hotel room.
In the middle of the night, he wandered aimlessly through the streets.
“Meow.”
The sound of a cat meowing came from somewhere.
He followed the sound.
Like he was hypnotized, he approached the spot where there was a small kitten.
Crack!
He strangled it to death on the spot.
The reason for killing it without hesitation was simple.
He needed to confirm.
The origin of his urge.
‘Ah. Now I understand.’
A strange sensation of pleasure spread throughout his body.
The same pleasure he felt when he killed the company dog.
From then on, Ma Gyeong-rok admitted it.
He was different from others.
———–
“Hello. I’m An Sang-cheol, head of the first security and escort team. Starting today, I’ll be in charge of your protection. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
“Nice to work with you too. Oh, don’t call me ‘young master,’ it’s too formal. From now on, call me ‘president.’”
His father assigned a security chief as his driver and personal bodyguard.
‘He doesn’t seem like the friendly type, more like the type who just does his job.’
His first impression was positive.
“Let’s work well together, Chief An.”
Though he said that, he had no desire to form a close relationship.
A bodyguard is just a bodyguard, right?
The separation between professional and personal was one of Ma Gyeong-rok’s beliefs.
However, he didn’t know that it wouldn’t always be possible.
“P-pres... president. What are you doing here at this hour...?”
“Hm, I didn’t want Chief An to see me like this.”
He was caught killing a pig in the warehouse.
‘At this point, I have no choice.’
Ma Gyeong-rok confessed everything to An Sang-cheol.
That he had a desire to kill and satisfied it by killing pigs.
To his surprise, An Sang-cheol remained calm.
He even seemed empathetic, his eyes reflecting understanding.
“It must have been... difficult for you.”
“Hm? You understand me despite seeing my dark, psychopathic hobby?”
“There’s nothing to understand or not understand. I am the shield and limbs of the Ohsung Group. I am the hands and feet of the president. I will always be by your side.”
He looked into his eyes to see if he was sincere.
It seemed he wasn’t lying; there was no doubt in his eyes.
‘Good thing. I’ve dodged a bullet.’
That’s what he thought, but he received an unexpected proposal.
“Perhaps you don’t know, but there are many people worse than pigs in this world.”
“Are you suggesting I replace the pigs with criminals?”
“Yes. If you find it hard to contain your urge to kill, I propose that alternative.”
“Hmm...”
Though he pretended to be thoughtful, it wasn’t a new idea for him.
In fact, the first victims he considered were people.
‘The risk was too high, so I didn’t even try.’
But with An Sang-cheol’s help, the situation could change.
“It seems like a good alternative.”
————–
Since then, I killed people instead of pigs.
A serial killer.
Killing animals and killing people is a completely different matter.
But the pleasure I gained was also completely different.
‘Killing criminals makes the insomnia go away. It feels like I’m filling a void inside me.’
For over a month, I was able to sleep peacefully.
I didn’t need the help of sleeping pills.
However, when sleepless nights became more frequent, my inner darkness told me.
That it was time to kill again.
“Chief An. If you can’t find a suitable criminal as a target, consider the homeless too.”
“Even the homeless?”
“Yes. After all, they’re also street trash, aren’t they?”
“Understood.”
An Sang-cheol obeyed Ma Gyeong-rok’s orders without question.
He seemed like a loyal dog who would obey even if ordered to kill his own family without hesitation.
‘I should thank my father. For assigning me someone like this.’
Though deep down he was grateful, he didn’t express it.
Right now, he was too busy.
As long as he was on the battlefield of the succession competition, he had no time to worry about other things.
‘Now is the time to focus on growing the company.’
The new year promised to bring more effort into growing the company.
Though he committed to that idea, Ma Gyeong-rok didn’t know that a great crisis would shake him.
——————-
January 1st.
On that day, while enjoying the New Year, Ma Gyeong-rok was captured.
To another world.
[Please state the username you want to register in the system within the next 30 seconds.]
[If you don’t choose one within the time limit, your real name will be automatically registered.]
‘Damn. What is all this...?’
He had already received an explanation from an angel.
That people aged 15 to 29 worldwide had been trapped in a game.
‘So, are Ma Gyeong-sang and Ma Gyeong-su also here?’
He didn’t care what happened to them.
Setting aside their sibling relationship worse than that of strangers, he first had to choose his username.
“The username will be Black Scythe.”
[There are no duplicates of the username. It has been registered.]
After customizing his character, he found himself in a vast meadow that just looking at it made him feel calm.
But he didn’t let his guard down.
‘What kind of mission am I supposed to do in a place like this?’
He looked around cautiously.
He didn’t see any familiar faces.
‘Did Chief An also get trapped? And the actress Seo?’
Probably yes.
Everyone must be confused by the new situation.
Just like him.
[Hohoho, nice to see you all. It’s amusing to see how confused you are. Anyway, since we’re all in this together, don’t get discouraged and stand strong. First, open your inventories. There’s a gift for you.]
Following the angel’s instructions, everyone checked their inventories.
Inside, there was an item called Random Rune Shard.
“Damn it!”
“Ohhh...!”
“What, what is this...?”
Apparently, luck varied for each person.
‘Should I use mine too? Use.’
[You have used the Random Rune Shard.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the ‘Rune of the Black Knight’.]
[The obtained rune will automatically be engraved on the player’s body.]
[Rune of the Black Knight]
Effect: By killing a target, you can absorb its soul and accumulate dark energy (maximum 50).
For every unit of dark energy accumulated, all your stats increase by 1%.
You can use dark energy to create a Dark Aura.
The Dark Aura can be used to bite targets or imbue your weapons, enhancing their cutting power.
The dark energy fades over time.
By using the Dark Aura to kill a target, you gain more dark energy.
Upon reaching level 10, you will automatically transform into a Dark Knight.
A single rune had many explanations.
‘What is this? Rune of the Black Knight? Automatic transformation at level 10?’
He didn’t even know transformations existed.
Dark Aura? Dark Energy?
Although there were many things he didn’t understand, he had no time to process them.
A horde of goblins appeared.
“Kieeeet!”
“Kieet!”
“Run!”
“Aaaah!”
The green waves clashed, blood splattering everywhere.
People screamed and fled in terror.
Helpless.
No matter how small those monsters barely reaching waist height were, with knives in hand, they were extremely menacing.
However.
Ssshhh...
Ma Gyeong-rok felt no fear.
Instead, he felt intense excitement.
What kind of pleasure would he feel by killing these monsters?
How would it differ from stabbing an animal or a human?
That excitement led him to pick up a dropped dagger and stab without hesitation.
Plop!
“Ke, Kerrk!”
He indifferently watched the goblin fall to the ground, bleeding green.
[You have killed a goblin!]
[Experience +4%]
[Gold +10]
[Dark Energy +1]
[Current accumulated dark energy: 1/50]
[The effect of the Rune of the Black Knight increases all your stats by 1%.]
Though the messages flashed before his eyes, what truly caught his attention was something else.
‘What is this feeling of euphoria?’
A dark energy penetrated his body.
It was as if by killing the goblin, he had absorbed its soul.
Beyond pleasure, he felt something filling his chest.
Plop! Plop!
He calmly stabbed and killed the goblins that approached him.
The same euphoria flooded him again.
‘It’s true. By killing goblins, something enters me.’
He didn’t know if it was dark energy or what, but one thing was certain: he felt the same joy as when killing a human.
And without anyone explaining it to him, he instinctively understood.
Chssshhh...
How to envelop his weapon with dark aura.
“Come.”
“Kieee!”
The goblins charged at him, and he cut them down without hesitation.
That day, Ma Gyeong-rok completed the first round in a record time of 17 minutes and 7 seconds, and the name Black Scythe ranked third in the entire region.
Naturally, he was first in his zone.