For a second, Jinyoung held his breath. Seunghyo, or the dark figure that vaguely resembled him, just stood there. Whatever infection had taken hold of Youngho’s arm had taken over the full scope of Seunghyo’s skin.

  The clothes around one shoulder were shredded, almost burnt in fact. The skin underneath was completely black and cracked, almost if he were carved out of granite. Any exposed skin on his arms were likewise covered in black. Enough so that it looked less like skin and almost like they were covered in a fluid.

  His face was similarly covered in black, with some small spots of pink flesh showing through. But his eyes were the worst of it. In the shadow, Jinyoung couldn’t see them properly, but they shone with an unnatural light.

  [Details]

  Name: Seunghyo

  Class: Pathfinder

  Level: –

  It was second nature for Jinyoung to use his [scan] skill. He had gotten accustomed to using the skill to learn more about the people and objects around him, but this was wrong.

  “No…”

  The details were all wrong. While the lack of a level was concerning, there were other details whose absence hinted at something worse. There were no affiliations whether it be clan or otherwise. Seunghyo had admitted to working for the Cha Bell Corporation which meant it should’ve appeared in his details just as it had for Henry. Not to mention any titles or accolades that a seasoned player like Seunghyo would have collected during his time in the field.

  But worse still, the word “player” wasn’t visible anywhere in his description.

  Jinyoung motioned at the young magic user, “Willow, get back.”

  His pulse quickened as he took stock of the room. The armored stranger stood tall, but her armor was badly dented. Willow on the other hand was barely standing and [scan] told him that she was dangerously low on mana. Too many more spells and they’d be carrying her out of here. Finally, a cursory glance told him that Hana was still kneeling next to Youngho who was still unconscious on the floor.

  That left Jinyoung and the stranger. And Jinyoung was still unarmed.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  He looked around the room, hoping to find something to fight with. But there wasn’t anything and judging by the growing amount of mana surging in Seunghyo, he suspected didn’t have time to find something.

  And he was right.

  Seunghyo moved with frightening speed. One second he was just standing there and the next he had the armored stranger by the neck and was driving her into the wall.

  An armored fist caught him square in the jaw and he barely flinched. But his grip loosened enough that the second punch put some distance between them.

  An [arcane shot] buzzed in and knocked him further off balance. Whatever reserves Willow had were running low though and they wouldn’t be able to rely on her for more attacks.

  “I hope this works.”

  Jinyoung [dashed] in and [charged]. Once was close enough, he drew his fish back and punched as hard as he could. He connected with Seunghyo’s chest and rocketed him back against the wall behind him.

  “What are you doing?!”

  He turned to see Hana, shield up and sword drawn. He nodded at her before turning back to Seunghyo. “Hana, you need to slow him down. The spear’s the only thing that’ll stop him long enough for-”

  He felt it before he saw it. The light touch of steel against his neck.

  Slowly, he turned to face Hana. “Hana, put the sword down.”

  Her face was grim and set. If there was any hesitation in her now, Jinyoung didn’t see it. Her shield was raised up and her sword arm was fully extended. He’d seen her take on this stance dozens of times over the past few weeks. Of course, this was the first time he’d ever been on the receiving end.

  “Hana, you don’t understand. He’s been infected, just like Youngho.”

  Jinyoung pleaded with his sister, but his words fell on deaf ears. Hana’s stare didn’t waver and her voice didn’t shake.

  “I’ve always known you were selfish, oppa. But I never thought you’d let that get the best of you.”

  Her voice was monotone, almost as if all emotion had left her body and instinct had taken over. And, by the steadiness of her sword, it was a warrior’s instinct.

  “It’s the purified sin, Hana. It must’ve been on the bastard’s blade! That’s how Youngho was infected and Seunghyo…”

  On the other side of the laboratory, Seunghyo and the stranger fought an uneven battle. Whether it was the damage wrought to her armor or maybe just the raw difference in power, Seunghyo was proving himself to be his opponent’s better.

  Jinyoung tried again to lower his sister’s blade. “Hana, you have to listen to me. He’s been infected and-”

  “Shutup!” her voice lashed out like the crack of a whip. “I don’t have to listen to you!”

  He raised his hands and tried to convey as little threat as possible.

  “Jinyoung, you wouldn’t understand. He is my husband. And you’ve never cared about any of us enough to come close to knowing how I feel.”

  The words struck home and stung. But more than anything, Jinyoung realized that there was nothing he could say to convince his sister.

  ***

  Hana watched her brother carefully while listening carefully to the battle occurring next to her. She could hear the spear sing as it cut through the air, but had yet to hear it pierce flesh. On the other hand, she could hear the dull thud of blows landing on armor.

  So focused was Hana on the battle and her brother that she failed to notice another presence slowly making its way to her. It wasn’t until Youngho placed his hand on her sword arm that she noticed his presence.

  “Oh, darling,” he whispered. “This isn’t what you want to do.”