[Phase three ■ Initiating ■ Tier 5 species ■ ■ % assimilation ]
The message had arrived in front of the eyes of all those within the hotel lobby. Some despaired while some knelt down in prayer, there were also those who completely disregarded it.
*
“You... Who are you!!?” Yeung cried out.
Old acquaintance?
Other than the scar on the no. 551's face, nothing else sparked his memories. Yeung, peering through the gaps of the fingers covering his burnt face, scrutinized the man's appearance once more.
Who? Who was he?
If it were not enough that he already had to deal with the agony of burned skin, there was a painful headache that grew stronger the longer he stared at no. 551.
No. 551 frowned at Yeung's lack of reaction and pointed at his own face, “Look again.”
Upon closer inspection, there wasn't only the large scar on the bridge of his nose. There were numerous smaller ones indicating recovery from dreadful injuries.
Yeung's thoughts were hazy, he couldn't make sense of what the man was implying.
No. 551 scoffed and smiled crookedly, revealed his missing front teeth, “What's the matter, can't recognize your own handiwork?”
At the man's words, the deep red [No. 551] that Yeung saw on top of his head started to blur, and displayed numerous incomprehensible characters.
“Ah!” Yeung screamed, “Ah!! Aaaaaah!!!” his voice echoed loud enough that many of the people in the same room covered their ears.
“Ahahahaha! That's it! Do you remember now!?” exclaimed no. 551, “F—ing brat! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have rotted away in that prison and wasted a decade of my life! [Drake Spit]”
Along with the diction of a skill, No.551 shot out a mouthful of saliva and in midair. His saliva burst into a ball of fire, about twice the size of a basketball, headed for Yeung's direction. The surrounding people gasped in horror at the figure of a man once again engulfed in flames. Those with weak stomachs paled and retched at the smell of burning flesh.
“Ahahaha! What use is brute strength in this world when we've been given gifts such as this!?”
“You... “
“—Wouldn't want to keep ma waiting, yeah? Let me help you! Ahahaha! ”
Within the fire, Yeung's eyes were still on no.551. He couldn't feel the pain from being burned alive, rather, the pounding in his head hurt more than the immolation of his body.
[???]
The [No.551] tag that he had seen before had reverted to the original question marks.
Who was this man?
Did I know him? Do I know him? Ten years...
Yeung thought back to ten years ago. It was the darkest point in his life. That was the year that his mother had died and at the same time, the house that they'd lived in was no more.
At least, so he had been told. He had woken up inside of the hospital with no memories, no recollection of the past week, and after being given the news of his mother's passing, he had emotionally broken down.
How? How did his mother die? They say she was murdered. A robbery gone wrong.
Where was he at the time? He didn't know. Maybe out fist-fighting for money with the city kids.
[???]
Yeung stared at no.551. He wasn't the murderer. If he was, then the nametag would've shown the name. The cops had already publicized the information of the killer and put him on the wanted list. The guy in front of Yeung, it wasn't him, but—
“That guy, Choi Jin-Goo, lucky bastard hasn't been caught yet. With how things are right now, bet the bastard won't even get the chance to appreciate grey walls and iron bars, Tch.”
He had an accomplice.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!”
A fire hotter than the flames burning his skin erupted from his chest and caused Yeung's vision to grow red.
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
There was the screen of text repeatedly showing itself in front of his dazed eyes.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
Yeung started clawing at his chest, there was a sharp pain spread across his body and a stinging sensation throbbing from the scar on his left forehead.
“F— it boy, if you're going to die, do it quietly. [Drake Spit]”
Yeung suddenly became quiet as he was hit, not just by the second ball of flame that no.551 had thrown out but also by an intense craving from his body.
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
He released his hands from his face and they dropped down limp to his sides. His eyes unobscured, glowed an eerie cyan hue. He had felt this once before when he received that nasty head injury from the goblin champion.
“I need to eat. My body is telling me to eat.”
[Eyes of the Yurusif]
As he rotated his head to glance around the room, all those that had met with his hungry eyes cowered in fright.
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
“Wah— No goblins... no orcs too, but— there are a couple of monsters wearing orange jumpsuits spread around.”
“The hell are you muttering!? [Drake Spit]!”
“...The guy that killed my mother, they said he had an accomplice.”
“Oh—? You finally remember? Well, you did do a number on my face. I hold quite the grudge, you know?”
“That guy... do you know where he is?” Yeung asked.
“My brother? Hell if I do. Would've ratted him out otherwise. Prison wouldn't have been so bad if I shared a cell with 'im.”
He directed his gaze past the fierce flames, back to no.551 and the glaring red tag above his head.
[Choi Min-su]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
[Mana insufficient for the full release of tier III species privileges.]
Yeung howled, “If I'm gonna eat... Then I might as well start with the guy that burned down my house!”
