People always wanted to be the best. However, Gilberto Green’s wish had always been to be normal. He was an existence that wouldn’t even be considered normal if he didn’t try like crazy.

[Sword Saint Mr. Kim Woo-Joong's skills live up to his name...]

[Crimson Princess! What a brilliant battle that fits her nickname.]

[Ooohhh! The Silver Constellation Guild has knocked down the twin-headed ogre!]

…

Gilberto diligently scrolled through the Community window while he was teaching the Watchguards at the Wailing Mountain. He wanted to understand just how good Players were of this era. And then, he realized once again.

'I still can't beat them.’

There were too many talented people. They were monsters who could easily go beyond the norm he had longed for.

‘I was lucky.’

Being next to extraordinary people, even normalcy stood out. He had always considered himself to be someone who had gained too much fame for his level of ability.

‘Is it because I'm getting older… It's hard to even keep up now.'

Even though his time had stopped, the time of the world had continued to pass. The number of powerful people he couldn't even imagine in the past had increased so much. The Isaac Dvor over there was just like them.

‘You can't kill him...’

The moment Gilberto saw him through the scope, he became sure of it. No, he was actually thinking that way before he even saw Isaac with his eyes.

‘He’s at least a mage on the same level or better than Skaya.’

There was no way such a presence wouldn’t have come up with measures against unexpected attacks. In the first place, if that were the case, Isaac wouldn’t even be in that position today.

‘If I evaluate my skills rationally, I'm only comparable to an ordinary Ranker, let alone the Nine Heavens.’

Gun expert Gilberto Green may be strong against monsters, but he wasn’t even a match for the few really strong Players or fiends. He knew this fact better than anyone else.

‘My role is the cleaner.’

He was a cleaner whose job was to clean up the monsters in the vicinity so that his comrades wouldn’t get tired before they approached their target. That was what Gilberto himself usually thought of as his role.

"But my role today is… a little too much for me."

Today's homework was to kill Isaac Dvor or at least put him in a critical condition. To be honest, doing so was close to impossible. However, he still had to do it.

'…I didn't know I'd be using the last one here.'

Clack!

Gilberto unlocked the clasp on the gun. The feeling of his index finger on the trigger was the same as usual. That was inevitable. It was a sensation he had imprinted on his body by shooting hundreds of thousands; no, millions of times.

“…”

Gilberto closed his left eye. The world magnified through the scope filled his view.

‘One more step.’

He held his breath and considered the location, wind direction, wind speed, and everything regarding the target. He fixed his whole body like a stone statue and focused all of his nerves on his right index finger.

‘Now.’

As soon as the trigger was pulled, the 'special' bullet spun violently and flew to the target. Gilberto began to prepare for the next attack without even looking at the result of his first attack.

***

The windows were cracked open a little bit to aid with the ventilation in the Association President's Office. A small bullet came in through that gap.

Toong!

Just before the bullet touched Isaac’s temple, a magic barrier rose and blocked it.

'…Did I almost die just now?’

Isaac Dvor was in a daze for a while before he looked down on his chest. It was rather fortunate. Now, Isaac had confirmed what the man in front of him was believing in so firmly.

"So, Gilberto Green didn't go to the baseball stadium."

“…”

The sniping had failed, but Shim Deok-Gu did not look disappointed. He simply stared at Isaac and said, "Was the coffee I made delicious?"

“…”

Isaac felt a chill down his spine. He immediately looked at the espresso glass.

‘No, it's not poison.’

He was certain because he had cast a spell on his body that would warn him if he had taken a life-threatening poison.

'Then what the hell was that question...?’

The moment he realized that something was off, Isaac’s throat tightened.

"Cough... Cough?!”

Feeling dizzy, he knelt on one knee. As the ground came closer, a bullet fallen on the floor caught his eye.

'This is...?'

Light purple smoke was rising from the bullet.

‘…No way, Purple Noble Powder?!’

Isaac's face paled. The poison carried by the purple smoke wouldn’t kill you. The only thing that it took away was ‘magic power.’ When afflicted by this poison, the magic in one’s body would quickly dissipate in ten minutes. This poison was like a death sentence for a magician whose ability to fight in close proximity was low.

'I’m sure I heard it was all used up in the war with the fiends decades ago!’

He had no idea there was any spare left. Isaac's paled even more. Only then did he realize the purpose of the coffee.

‘Bitter!’

It was known that one would taste great bitterness when afflicted with Purple Noble Powder. He had thought the bitter tingly sensation on his tongue until now was because he had drunk the espresso.

"No, but how?”

How did Shim Deok-Gu know that Isaac would drink the coffee? Shim Deok-Gu met Isaac’s trembling eyes and shook a file.

"Isaac Dvor. Orphan. A magician from a Scottish traveling theater. That's a very unique taste. It says you liked espresso since you were young, right?”

“…!”

The information was complete despite thinking he had erased the traces of his past perfectly. Isaac bit his lips and hesitated for a while. It was a dilemma as to whether he should step down or face the opponent, even with a body that couldn’t use magic.

"…Tsk."

Isaac opened a portal with a distorted face. Perhaps because he had noticed it too late, but more than half the magic in his body had already dispersed. If he hesitated even a little longer here, he wouldn’t even be able to open a portal to run away.

‘And if my magic is scattered, my magic barrier won't work.’

In other words, if he got shot, he would surely lose his life. Such an undeniable fact made Isaac withdraw timidly.

"…You are prepared better than I thought. But don't think this is the end...”

"I won't see you off. Now, get out of my room.”

Isaac trembled at Shim Deok-Gu's casual response.

Crack!

At the same time, he used the vestiges of his magic power to deploy a magic barrier.

"…I won't forget this humiliation."

Eventually, Isaac was forced to suppress his anger and scramble into the portal.

***

“…”

“…”

The quiet baseball stadium became even quieter. To be exact, it was from the moment blood had started to drip down Specter’s mask. The Hero of mankind, regarded as a legend, was being helplessly beaten up by the Heavenly Demon. No one could speak at the shocking scene. No, no one dared to open their mouths. If their feelings as bystanders were like this, then how were Specter’s feelings?

"…You can do it," a boy muttered in tears.

For the child, Specter was a cartoon hero. He grew up watching a cartoon movie where Specter defeated villains. He even bought several comic books about Specter by pestering his parents.

"…Don't lose."

It wasn't a very loud voice. Considering the size of the baseball stadium, common sense would make one think that Specter would not be able to hear the voices from where he was on the mound. However, his head turned slowly. Looking back exactly in the direction of the child, he raised his fist, calming his rough breathing. Sometimes, the meaning could be conveyed even without speaking.

‘Thank you.’

The child's face brightened when he received a response from his hero.

"Wooooooow!"

"C-child!"

The emotional child shouted, but his mouth was soon blocked by his mother's hand.

The Heavenly Demon saw it, and he sympathized. "…Poor thing."

Specter was an existence who couldn’t fall even if he wanted to.

"What an empty existence. Being a hero."

"Not at all." Specter stretched out his chest and straightened his waist.

The Heavenly Demon stared at him. "…Just what are you doing that for? You’re not in a condition to be doing that."

Specter had several broken ribs. By now, it had to be relentlessly piercing his intestines. It wouldn't be a level of pain that could be endured from just perseverance.

"What the hell are you talking about?" However, Specter went beyond simply enduring pain. "I’m completely fine."

"…If you deceive others like that, you will end up deceiving yourself."

That end would be nothing but ruin. In exchange for neglecting one's emotions, the wound would eat away at one's soul. The Heavenly Demon shook his head, waiting for something.

"Are you waiting for Isaac's call?"

“…”

The Heavenly Demon turned his head and looked at Specter. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes seemed to be asking how he knew.

"Give up. Deok-Gu would have already fled to safety."

"…How did you know?"

"It's obvious. Wasn't that what you wanted? To tarnish my existence as a relic of the past and make people turn their backs on me."

It would dissolve the humans who had united through Specter and raise the spirits of the fiends. From one to ten, it was the flow of the stage the Heavenly Demon had set. And everything had been going according to plan so far.

"Too bad for you. Your operation failed. Isaac is not coming."

“…”

At Specter’s affirmation, the Heavenly Demon looked up at the dark sky with nary a cloud.

"Is that so?"

He didn't show his irritation even though things had gone wrong. However, his white eyes had lost their focus and had become cloudier.

"There's no reason to keep you alive, then."

According to his plan, Specter would have already died after showing his ugly side till the end. However, if that plan failed, it was necessary to kill Specter as miserably as possible.

"You sound like you can kill me anytime you wish."

"Are you still thinking about fighting back?" the Heavenly Demon spoke in a relaxed voice.

The night was long, and there was plenty of time. The more Specter struggled, the more the Heavenly Demon could show people how weak Specter was, so there was no reason to refuse.

"Inventory open."

What Specter took out of his bag was neither a great sword to split a dragon nor a sharp spear to pierce the opponent as soon as the blow connected. It was a flute. It was a spiritual object that had been designated as a national treasure of Silla—an early nation established on the Korean Peninsula.

“…”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes narrowed at the unusual energy being emitted by the flute, The Flute of Tidal Breath.[1]

"What's that?"

"It’s something created to drive away guys like you."

The effect of the Flute of Tidal Breath from the previous appraisal was simple.

[Flute of Tidal Breath]

Grade: Unique

Playing the flute will grant one of the following abilities.

1. King’s Army

2. King’s Space

3. King’s Armor

This item will break after three uses. (0/3)

Use requirements: Level 20.

Possession of title ‘Helper of Ascension.’

He could only use one ability for each blow into the flute. Furthermore, it was a ‘consumable item’ that would be permanently destroyed after blowing it three times.

'Usually, the effects of consumable items are greater compared to equivalent non-consumable items.’

Additionally, the item’s grade was Unique. Specter lifted his mask slightly and held the flute in his mouth.

- Whee ♬

A clear and fine sound reminiscent of the cool east coast rang out. The sound didn't end with just one.

- Whee ♪ Bbee~ ♬

The Flute of Tidal Breath made as many as three sounds and asked.

[What effect would you like to use?]

Inside the mask, Specter’s eyes staring at the Heavenly Demon coldly shone.

"All of them."

At the same time, a brilliant light burst out of the Flute of Tidal Breath.

1. The Flute of Tidal Breath is a flute of legend from the ancient Korean kingdom, Silla. To the readers who have already forgotten, Jun-Ho got this flute on chapter 31. More info about the flute appeared on chapter 33. So go there if you’re curious xD. ☜