Chapter 5 :

Episode 5. Making a Choice.

 

For a moment, Limon blinked at the sight of a human head suddenly turning into a bull’s head.

 

Then, without realizing it, he looked toward Kang Jeong-su and Yu Na-kyung.

 

“Hey, is this one of his Skills too?”

 

“What?”

 

“This. This thing. Can’t you see it?”

 

“What do you mean by ‘this,’ Team Leader?”

 

Seeing how confused the two of them looked, Limon made a strange expression.

 

From the way their eyes moved around, he realized that neither of them could see Seo Yong-chan’s head transformed into that of a bull.

 

‘Am I the only one who can see this?’

 

If something like this had happened in the old days, Limon would have drawn his sword first.

 

Back then, whenever something bizarre happened, common sense dictated that nine times out of ten, a Priest or Witch’s magic was behind it.

 

But not anymore.

 

Because common sense itself had changed.

 

“Hey, are there Skills that only activate after you lose consciousness?”

 

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

 

Flick!

 

‘Hmm. It does seem like some kind of skill.’

 

Although Limon was not a player, he was still an agent of the PAB.

 

He knew perfectly well that there were all kinds of Skills capable of altering the body.

 

That was exactly why he was confused.

 

“Kyaaah! You hit me again!”

 

“When your superior asks you something, don’t answer with ridiculous nonsense!”

 

“Then ask a sensible question! What kind of skill in the world only activates after someone passes out?”

 

“So it really doesn’t make sense?”

 

“Of course it doesn’t!”

 

‘…Then why did a transformation skill suddenly activate?’

 

Skills were activated by the user’s own will.

 

That was basic common sense.

 

But Seo Yong-chan had already been unconscious for quite some time.

 

Seeing that even after his head had become a bull’s, his eyes were still rolled back, Limon could not help feeling unsettled.

 

Limon subtly shifted his gaze.

 

Then, seeing Kang Jeong-su’s expression as if wondering what kind of idiotic question that was, he nodded.

 

‘Right. If there were cases like this, there’s no way they wouldn’t be known.’

 

Constellations that demanded living sacrifices.

 

Elixirs capable of reviving even the dead.

 

Rumors of Players who had contracted with multiple Constellations.

 

The world of Players was full of absurd rumors circulating like urban legends.

 

But Limon had never even heard a rumor about a player using a Skill while unconscious.

 

That was how ridiculous the idea was.

 

If he told them that Seo Yong-chan looked like he had a bull’s head, would the two of them be shocked and impressed?

 

Or would they think he had gone insane and stare at him suspiciously?

 

Judging from their reaction earlier, unfortunately, it would probably be the latter.

 

“No, forget it.”

 

‘…The problem is that this ridiculous thing is actually happening.’

 

In the end, Limon gave up on asking them.

 

Instead, he poked Seo Yong-chan’s bull head a few times with his finger.

 

Limon fell into thought.

 

Why was this happening?

 

But no matter how far back he searched his memory, nothing came to mind.

 

‘At least it doesn’t seem to be an illusion.’

 

“Why did you even ask something like that?”

 

“Hmm, well…”

 

Limon suddenly closed his mouth.

 

Then he looked at Yu Na-kyung and Kang Jeong-su, whose faces were filled with curiosity, and thought.

 

From the horns protruding from his head to the texture of the fur covering his face.

 

After repeatedly confirming Seo Yong-chan’s bull head through touch, Limon made an odd expression.

 

He was a Sword Master.

 

He was not some inexperienced brat who could not distinguish a trivial illusion from reality.

 

And if this was not an illusion, that meant only one thing.

 

“Was this bastard originally a bull-headed freak who was hiding it with a Skill?”

 

‘So, what do I do now?’

 

Logically speaking, that was the most reasonable conclusion.

 

If Seo Yong-chan had been hiding his head with a Skill, then it made sense that his true appearance would be revealed after he lost consciousness.

 

Of course, that meant accepting the shocking fact that Seo Yong-chan had originally possessed a bull’s head.

 

But that was easy enough.

 

From the Demon God War that had taken place in Europe, to the Great Spirit Calamity that swept across the American continent, to the uprising of the Seven Dragons Association that overturned Asia.

 

As a Sword Master, Limon had participated in all sorts of major wars and had seen countless monsters and bizarre beings.

 

At this point, adding one more bull-headed man to the list was hardly something worth being shocked over.

 

Limon stared quietly at the bull-headed Seo Yong-chan.

 

He had already been debating whether to kill him or spare him.

 

Now, the fact that Seo Yong-chan was apparently a bull-headed freak had simply been added to the scale.

 

And between the two choices of killing him or letting him live, Limon had known from the beginning which one he preferred.

 

“Jeong-su.”

 

‘The real problem is why I’m the only one who can see this…’

 

“If anyone complains later, tell them it was all my responsibility.”

 

“Who else’s responsibility would it be besides yours, Elder?”

 

Was it because Limon had beaten Seo Yong-chan unconscious?

 

Or simply because he was a Sword Master?

 

Either way, it was clear that only Limon could see Seo Yong-chan’s bull head.

 

And no matter how much he talked about it, neither Yu Na-kyung nor Kang Jeong-su, nor probably anyone else, would believe him.

 

In other words, if he killed Seo Yong-chan like this, it would unquestionably be murder.

 

Kang Jeong-su stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

 

Then, seeing Limon place his foot on Seo Yong-chan’s body, his eyes widened.

 

Without thinking, he tried to stop him.

 

“Elder, wait…!”

 

But he was already too late.

 

Before Kang Jeong-su could even finish speaking, Limon was already delivering the final blow to Seo Yong-chan.

 

***

 

With rimless glasses and an unusually calm expression,

 

the man gave off a distinctly composed atmosphere.

 

Even after hearing the sudden report, he did not turn his gaze away.

 

He simply kept his eyes fixed on a single painting and asked calmly.

 

The Infinite Art Museum.

 

This museum was famous for housing many world-renowned masterpieces.

 

And yet, despite its reputation, it rarely had visitors.

 

That was because the Infinite Art Museum had been established for only one person from the very beginning.

 

“Is he dead?”

 

“They say his life is not in danger.”

 

“That sounds as though everything except his life is.”

 

“…According to the Healers, he is practically half-dead. They said it is remarkable that he is still alive at all.”

 

“My, it seems our brother-in-law had quite a rough experience.”

 

“Yes. In particular, the general consensus is that his male functions will be difficult to restore unless we borrow the power of the Divine Monarch.”

 

“I have something to report.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Young Master Seo Yong-chan suffered an incident at PAB Headquarters.”

 

High-level Healers were capable of reattaching even severed limbs.

 

If even such Healers had declared themselves helpless,

 

then it was probably more accurate to describe Seo Yong-chan as a living corpse than an injured man.

 

His slicked-back hair was perfectly arranged.

 

His white suit did not have so much as a speck of dust on it.

 

“That is unfortunate.”

 

Yet even after hearing such horrifying news, the man neither showed surprise nor agitation.

 

He merely murmured quietly.

 

“I repeatedly told him to restrain himself from drinking and causing trouble. It seems my advice was insufficient.”

 

That was only natural.

 

Even Limon could not turn someone into a living corpse and simply walk away without consequences.

 

Considering that the victim was Seo Yong-chan, the punishment was actually extraordinarily lenient.

 

So lenient, in fact, that it was almost irritating.

 

His tone sounded genuinely regretful.

 

But unlike his calm voice, the man’s expression was utterly cold.

 

Although he could not see the man’s face directly, Park Hyeon-gun could easily imagine what expression he was making.

 

If the man truly felt sorry for Seo Yong-chan,

 

he would have looked for a way to ask the Divine Monarch to heal him rather than merely expressing regret with words.

 

Just as Park Hyeon-gun expected, the man asked about something else instead.

 

“Limon Asphelder.”

 

The man repeated the name.

 

Then, after checking the title of the oil painting before him, he continued quietly.

 

“The Last Sword Master, humanity’s guardian deity, and a national salvation hero. Truly a man worthy of respect.”

 

“Just to confirm, who was present when my brother-in-law suffered the incident?”

 

“Limon Asphelder.”

 

“Are you certain?”

 

“Yes. The Director of the PAB has already acknowledged that Limon Asphelder acted independently and issued him a suspension.”

 

The title of the oil painting was Hero of Dawn.

 

It was a world-famous masterpiece depicting a great swordsman who had saved the world by standing against a Demon God that descended upon the earth.

 

Even by price alone, it was worth at least tens of billions of won.

 

If it were put up for auction, it would easily exceed one hundred billion.

 

Reaching toward the painting, the man spoke coldly.

 

“It would have been better if his glorious name had remained only in textbooks.”

 

Riiip!

 

Just as knights and warriors had fallen into decline after the invention of firearms, this was now an era of Skills and Constellations.

 

To this man, Limon, who was not even a Player, was far too insignificant to personally concern himself with.

 

Instead, the man awakened his interest in someone who was actually worth paying attention to.

 

It happened in the blink of an eye.

 

That was all the time it took for a cultural treasure praised throughout the world to become scraps of paper.

 

Yet neither the man who committed the act nor Park Hyeon-gun, who witnessed it, expressed any regret.

 

Park Hyeon-gun merely answered as though he had been waiting for the question.

 

“More importantly, what happened with her?”

 

“I’ll take care of it.”

 

It was a vague statement.

 

But Park Hyeon-gun immediately understood its meaning.

 

There was only one woman this man cared enough about to ask after personally.

 

What exactly he intended to do,

 

and how he intended to do it,

 

was left unexplained.

 

Yet the man did not ask for further details.

 

It was not because he trusted Park Hyeon-gun.

 

He simply no longer cared.

 

The age when Sword Masters reigned as the strongest was already in the past.

 

It was merely a story from an era when the outcome of wars could be decided by duels between knights,

 

and when simply being skilled with a sword was enough to become a hero.

 

“We confirmed that she entered the country, but we are still tracking her movements afterward.”

 

“You mean even after assigning the best Tracker in the Guild, you still haven’t found a single clue?”

 

“…I have no excuse.”

 

Park Hyeon-gun trembled.

 

He knew that if the man became displeased by their failure to track her down, he too would be finished.

 

“I have no intention of reprimanding you. She was never an opponent who could be found easily in the first place.”

 

The man did not blame him.

 

He merely added another calm sentence.

 

“Spend as much money as necessary. Hire additional Trackers of the highest level.”

 

“Is it acceptable if that causes friction with other Guilds?”

 

“It does not matter. What matters is the result.”

 

Park Hyeon-gun understood.

 

As long as the result was good, nothing else mattered.

 

That merciful consideration, when viewed from the opposite direction, was practically a final warning that if they still failed after receiving this much support, he would not let it pass quietly.

 

“…I will keep that in mind.”

 

Even so, Park Hyeon-gun bowed his head.

 

No.

 

He had no choice but to bow.

 

The man standing before him tolerated no flaws.

 

Even among the Ten Monarchs who stood at the very summit of all Players, he was the most meticulous of them all.

 

The Infinite Monarch, Lee Cheon-gi.

 

“Then I look forward to good results.”

 

Leaving the bowing Park Hyeon-gun behind, Lee Cheon-gi began walking again.

 

He had already completely forgotten about the last Sword Master he had just been briefed on, a man who would soon disappear beyond the pages of history.