Chapter 8
Chapter 8:
It was the fifth day since Jincheol entered the Sewers, the day of the first tribute.
And the morning of the day he had promised with Choi Taesik had dawned.
Having completed all preparations the previous night, Jincheol waited leisurely.
‘It’s about time he showed up.’
Not long after, a familiar figure appeared at the dwelling.
“Hey, rookie.”
It was Choi Taesik.
For some reason, he seemed a bit different from usual.
His stiff expression and low, growling voice made it clear he was in a foul mood, radiating displeasure with his entire being.
‘Thinking back, he must’ve decided he didn’t like something, huh?’
It seemed he had come with a purpose.
As if to prove it, a cold voice spilled from Choi Taesik’s mouth.
“If you dodge giving an answer today, you’ll taste some bitterness.”
“Of course, a promise is a promise.”
At the affirmative response, Choi Taesik’s face softened for a moment.
Realizing his slip, he quickly reverted to his original expression.
It was only a fleeting moment, but Jincheol naturally caught it.
‘This guy’s just too funny.’
Trying so hard to act tough for no reason.
Jincheol suppressed the chuckle rising in his throat.
Unaware of these thoughts, Choi Taesik asked with a glimmer of expectation in his eyes.
“So, what’s your answer?”
Jincheol decided to gladly meet that expectation.
“I’m refusing. It just doesn’t add up for me.”
“Great! That’s the spirit! You thought it through, wait, what?!”
Had he been absolutely certain the offer would be accepted?
Choi Taesik reacted a bit late.
So, Jincheol kindly repeated himself.
“I said I’m refusing. Refusing.”
“What, what did you say?”
Finally grasping it, Choi Taesik’s face twisted like a malevolent spirit.
“You bastard! You dare mess with me?!”
“I didn’t mean to mess with you, but isn’t the choice mine to make?”
“You insolent punk! I went easy on you all this time…!”
“What, gonna hit me? You’ll regret it.”
Jincheol smirked, muttering provocatively.
Getting into a fight was exactly what he wanted.
He planned to use this confrontation to move on to the next step.
However, he had no intention of striking first.
‘In these things, legitimacy matters.’
This was a calculated move, considering not just Choi Taesik but also the eventual confrontation with the Crew Leaders.
“Tch! You brought this on yourself, so don’t regret it when you get beaten!”
Choi Taesik gritted his teeth and strode forward.
The moment Jincheol smirked and got into a stance.
“Today, I’ll put you in your place and restore the hierarchy!”
Choi Taesik charged fiercely.
Tadad!
Despite his large frame, his speed was impressive.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
“Die, you bastard!”
Choi Taesik’s fist came flying with ferocious speed.
The moment it seemed about to smash into Jincheol’s face.
Whoosh—
Jincheol twisted his upper body at the last second.
He dodged the punch by a hair’s breadth.
The fist, with nowhere to go, slammed into the wall.
Boom—!
A tremendous crash.
The result was just as devastating.
It punched straight through the stone wall.
Most would have flinched, but Jincheol didn’t care in the slightest.
Instead, he used the momentum to drive a fist into Choi Taesik’s side.
Thud!
A counterattack executed in an instant.
Choi Taesik, unable to react, took a clean hit.
But—
“Kha! Is that all you’ve got?”
As if unfazed, Choi Taesik immediately swung his left fist.
Whoosh—!
His stance and technique were utterly sloppy.
It was the kind of raw, unrefined brawling you’d see on the streets.
But with sheer strength and speed behind it, it was a different story.
The sloppy attack transformed into a formidable assault.
Jincheol dodged again by a paper-thin margin, thinking,
‘Ho, he’s got a strength enhancement skill.’
One of the four so-called ‘Sewer Graduation Skills.’
It was undoubtedly a strength enhancement skill.
The proof was in the wall destroyed in a single blow and the fact that Jincheol’s counterattack
didn’t faze him.
‘Even for a Sewer Rat, a first-year’s body is something else, huh?’
Choi Taesik had the body of a Player with a strength skill.
Meanwhile, Jincheol’s body was still that of a powerless nobody.
Strength, speed, stamina, even physical durability.
Choi Taesik held the advantage in nearly every factor that decided a fight.
Normally, Jincheol wouldn’t stand a chance.
But—
‘Normally, that is.’
Jincheol was confident.
He was the War God.
A Player who had transcended the ‘normal’ and reached a divine level through combat.
In a fight, he wouldn’t lose.
Even if it was a crude street brawl, it made no difference.
‘No matter how strong you are, if it doesn’t hit, it’s meaningless.’
The same went for stamina.
All he had to do was end it before his opponent’s energy ran out.
The combat prowess he had built as the War God would make it possible.
‘The rest is piercing his speed and durability with a spear.’
That was no issue either.
Jincheol smirked and fully unleashed the reins of his Demonic Nature.
The moment Demonic Nature reared its head.
A blood-red aura began to swirl in his faint Golden Eye.
Flash—
A surge of exhilaration coursed through his body, and all his senses sharpened.
His honed reflexes easily kept up with Choi Taesik’s ferocious speed.
Finally, physical durability.
The spear to pierce Choi Taesik’s skill-enhanced body Mana began circulating fully within Jincheol.
‘With this amount of Mana, I’ve got two chances at most…’
He’d settle it in two moves.
With that decision, he locked eyes with Choi Taesik.
As his gaze radiated a sinister light.
Choi Taesik, who had been swinging his fists wildly, suddenly flinched.
Seeing this, Jincheol let out a soft exclamation.
‘Ho, this guy’s got good instincts.’
It seemed he had noticed the shift in Jincheol’s aura.
But that was all.
The gap between them wasn’t something he could prepare for just by noticing.
Tadad!
As if trying to hide his momentary fear, Choi Taesik charged aggressively.
But none of his attacks landed on Jincheol.
“How long are you going to keep dodging like a coward?”
Choi Taesik’s bloodshot eyes blazed as he vented his frustration.
Not landing a single hit was driving him mad.
“You think stalling will get you anywhere? No chance!”
He was right.
So Jincheol planned to end it quickly.
Flash—
In the close-quarters skirmish, Jincheol clearly tracked Choi Taesik’s movements.
His motions were overly large due to excitement.
His entire body was needlessly brimming with strength.
This created a single opening.
‘…Found it.’
Jincheol’s Golden Eye, tinged with blood-red, seized the opportunity.
He immediately channeled Mana into his right fist.
At that moment, Choi Taesik’s fist came hurtling with fierce momentum.
Whoosh—!
Jincheol twisted his upper body to dodge.
And then.
“Hup!”
He threw a hook at Choi Taesik’s exposed side.
A punch infused with Mana.
The effect was extraordinary.
Crack—!
The sound alone was different.
Indeed, Choi Taesik doubled over like a shrimp with that single blow.
“Kuh, urk!”
A perfect counter and a clean hit.
Choi Taesik struggled to breathe, gasping heavily.
His eyes were filled with shock.
He hadn’t imagined he’d go down in one hit.
Perhaps because of that.
“Cough! H-How the hell…!”
He muttered in disbelief, the pain seemingly foreign to him.
Jincheol didn’t care.
‘This guy’s got a nice feel to him.’
Smirking, Jincheol channeled Mana again.
This time, for a finishing blow.
He raised his right leg.
Aiming at Choi Taesik, who was collapsed defenselessly, he delivered a sharp kick to his thigh.
Crack—!
The impact was phenomenal.
“Arghhh!”
Choi Taesik screamed and rolled on the stone floor.
Far from resisting, he shed tears from the overwhelming pain.
The fight was effectively over.
Jincheol smirked and tightened the reins on his Demonic Nature.
His body swayed heavily once.
Stagger—
‘…Tch, this damn weak body. Just how pathetic is it?’
The exhaustion was immense.
The aftermath of surrendering to Demonic Nature and squeezing out Mana.
Because of it, Jincheol had to catch his breath before he could even savor the victory.
‘No need to overdo it anymore, but there’s still work to be done.’
Not only did he need to thoroughly subdue Choi Taesik, but he also had to deal with the Crew Leaders who would come after hearing the commotion.
“…Hoo.”
Jincheol steadied his breathing and organized his thoughts.
‘First, this guy.’
He could think about the Crew Leaders later.
With that, Jincheol recalled the most painful spots to hit and approached Choi Taesik.
“Eek, s-stay back!”
Choi Taesik, terrified, waved his hands frantically.
Naturally, Jincheol’s steps didn’t stop.
“Talking so casually?”
“S-Stay back, please!”
“Weren’t you going to restore the hierarchy?”
“Eek!”
Just as he was about to start beating him.
Murmur, murmur—
A commotion arose outside the cave.
Not only that, but several presences were approaching rapidly.
‘Faster than I thought, tch.’
It seemed he’d have to postpone establishing discipline.
Jincheol reluctantly clicked his tongue and stepped back.
Choi Taesik, noticing this, showed a slightly brighter expression despite his pain.
But that wasn’t all.
He managed a strained smile and, with trembling fingers, pointed at Jincheol.
“…You bastard! The Crew Leaders are coming soon, so you’d better brace yourself!”
“What, you gonna tattle about getting beaten up?”
“Urk!”
Jincheol’s smirking retort left Choi Taesik speechless.
At that moment, two figures appeared at the entrance of the dwelling.
“What’s all this commotion?”
“Fighting at the crack of dawn?”
As expected, it was the leaders of JJ Crew, Josh and Johnson, the brothers.
The two scanned the dwelling with glaring eyes.
From Choi Taesik groaning on the floor to Jincheol standing leisurely.
Perhaps because the scene was contrary to their expectations, a flicker of surprise crossed their faces.
But it was brief.
Soon, their expressions turned menacing.
“Hey, rookie! Did you do this?”
“You dare commit insubordination?”
The brothers’ anger turned toward Jincheol.
They seemed to have grasped the situation.
‘Well, it’s only natural.’
Their reaction was reasonable.
Insubordination was one of the unforgivable acts in the Sewers.
That was why Choi Taesik was now wearing a triumphant expression.
‘What a funny guy.’
Jincheol only smirked, unbothered by the Crew Leaders’ anger.
Having anticipated their reaction, he had already prepared a countermeasure.
However, it was slightly different from the approach he used on Choi Taesik.
‘Choi Taesik is one thing, but crossing the Crew Leaders at this point would be unwise.’
Antagonizing the Crew Leaders meant challenging the Sewers’ system.
In other words, it would turn every crew in the Sewers against him.
‘I need time.’
It wasn’t the right moment yet.
So, Jincheol thought of a rare non-violent approach.
‘It’s been a while.’
Since becoming the War God, most non-violent methods had lost their meaning.
There was no better tool than force.
But that didn’t mean the skills honed from years in the gutters had vanished.
With a faint chuckle, Jincheol stared calmly at the Crew Leaders, who were threateningly interrogating him.
“You bastards! Explain what the hell you’ve done!”
“You’d better have a good explanation!”
‘Since I’ve warmed up my body…’
Now it was time to warm up his tongue.