Chapter 417 – Part 2 – Peter Fields

Peter escaped from the Pentagon through the emergency exit.

“Huff, huff…”

Running without rest made him breathless.

Someone with his high stamina stats shouldn’t be out of breath from this much running, but…

‘I-I need to escape quickly.’

Was it because he was running tensely as if being chased?

Cold sweat even formed on his forehead.

‘That damn Woo Seong-jae! He screwed me over? That bastard should be ground up and eaten!’

Peter had no choice but to explode with anger toward Woo Seong-jae.

And for good reason, since listening to Woo Seong-jae’s words had cost him all his precious subordinates.

‘I shouldn’t have listened to that bastard in the first place! I should have abandoned the Pentagon instead of concentrating forces there!’

When the black mask first walked boldly from the west gate, he wondered what kind of crazy bastard it was.

He couldn’t understand what confidence made him act so boldly when even a surprise attack would be insufficient.

But.

After seeing the black mask sweep away 70 ground forces in 2 minutes, he realized.

Why he had walked so boldly.

Why he had shown such confidence.

‘The black mask is… a monster beyond imagination.’

As soon as he realized this fact, Peter ran away.

He didn’t care what happened to his subordinates.

What mattered was his own life, wasn’t it?

Subordinates could be gathered again anytime later.

“Huff, huff…”

He had already gotten sufficiently far from the Pentagon, but he didn’t stop running.

Thinking of the black mask’s prowess still gave him goosebumps.

‘Even I with 4 million combat power couldn’t show such skills.’

Unless you were at Woo Seong-jae’s level, you couldn’t defeat S-rank hunters so easily.

‘Wait, if it’s Woo Seong-jae level, could it be? Is the black mask Hunter Choi Seong-min…?’

It was a thought that just occurred to him, but it was likely.

Judging by the skills the black mask showed, he could be estimated to have at least 5 million combat power.

‘There’s no one in Westland with over 5 million.’

Then it would be someone from Eastland, and there was exactly one suitable candidate.

‘The black mask is Hunter Choi Seong-min…!’

After realizing this fact, a certain hypothesis came to Peter’s mind.

‘Could it be that Woo Seong-jae and Choi Seong-min cooperated…?’

It was possible.

Realizing that he was secretly trying to recruit Choi Seong-min for independence, Woo Seong-jae could have made a proposal.

To join hands and eliminate him.

‘Those bastards…! No wonder it seemed suspicious. They had a private conversation at the White House and then plotted like this!’

He was furious, but it quickly subsided.

Getting sufficiently far away was the priority now.

Peter only stopped running when he felt safe.

“Phew…”

Looking back, he had come quite far, far enough that the Pentagon was barely visible.

He had rushed out without thinking to take a car.

“This should be safe enough?”

Peter let out a sigh of relief.

Even if they chased him, if he crossed the mountain visible ahead, they would never find him.

‘Maybe they won’t even chase me.’

According to Woo Seong-jae, the black mask’s purpose was the Magic Core.

Maybe he had just taken the Magic Core and left leisurely.

‘That’s exactly what should happen. That’s why I left the Magic Core behind.’

It was when Peter was about to climb the mountain with such thoughts.

“When did you get all the way here?”

At the voice from behind his head, Peter was startled and turned around.

The black mask he so desperately wanted to avoid was looking at him covered in blood.

“Th-that’s impossible. How so soon…”

“I have a teleportation skill. Meaning running away is useless.”

At those words, Peter made a dumbfounded expression.

‘No wonder he was appearing here and there during the fight…’

Realizing there was nowhere to retreat, Peter bit his lips and summoned his weapon.

Crackle- Crackle-

Mjolnir, a hammer imbued with lightning, appeared in his hand.

It was an EX-grade weapon born from strengthening a legendary sword with a Magic Core.

It was also Peter’s only EX-grade item.

‘Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to fight.’

Once he gripped his weapon, confidence appeared on Peter’s face.

Mjolnir was that fraudulent of a weapon.

It converted mana into weapon attack power and exponentially increased attack speed with each swing.

‘It can even call down lightning as an additional function.’

Each time he swung the weapon, stacks accumulated, and once charged, he could strike lightning at any desired target.

‘No one who’s been hit by lightning has ever survived.’

Peter had experienced person-to-person combat several times in his life.

Each time he fired charged lightning, 100% died in one hit.

The lightning was too fast to dodge.

‘I’ll charge up lightning and kill him in one shot.’

Having made his plan, Peter swung Mjolnir toward the air.

Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh-

Just swinging in advance like this not only increased attack speed but also built stacks.

‘I need to buy time by talking until the lightning charges.’

Just as Peter was about to open his mouth with such thoughts.

“Where are you pulling tricks? Want to die?”

In the blink of an eye, the black mask had moved behind him and pressed a dagger to Peter’s neck.

‘Damn, what kind of shadow step is this fast?’

Usually with shadow step, you could see them sinking into the ground, allowing some response.

But the technique the black mask used didn’t give even that time.

‘He literally moved behind me the moment I blinked?’

It looked like shadow step, but it wasn’t.

It was a much superior technique.

“Oh my. Haven’t grasped the situation yet? Still swinging your hammer even with a blade at your neck?”

“……”

Startled, Peter quietly stopped moving.

He had been discretely swinging Mjolnir but was caught.

‘Damn, I need to build stacks quickly to counterattack…’

“Don’t even dream of counterattacking. Unless you want to see a headless body.”

“……”

Had he read his thoughts?

Rather than shrinking from the black mask’s threat, Peter was surprised.

‘No, that can’t be.’

“It can be.”

Seeing the black mask answer immediately, Peter’s eyes bulged as if they would pop out.

“How did you read my thoughts… Wait, you couldn’t be?”

If it was the ability to read thoughts, there was one person who came to mind.

“Song Chi-hyeon? Are you Song Chi-hyeon?”

“This bastard is talking nonsense. Song Chi-hyeon is dead.”

“Ah. Th-then…”

“You’re thinking of the right person.”

At the black mask’s words, Peter couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Choi Seong-min? The black mask is Choi Seong-min…?”

“That’s right, but… could you stop moving your hammer? Unless you want your hand cut off?”

“……”

Caught again, Peter stopped moving with an embarrassed face.

“While I’m being nice, put away your hammer. Don’t think about shooting lightning.”

“Ah, understood.”

Peter had no choice but to dismiss Mjolnir.

Deep regret appeared on Peter’s face.

‘Counterattack is now out of the question.’

Then there was only one way to break through the situation.

“Black mask, no. Hunter Choi Seong-min. It’s nice to meet you like this…”

“I’m not happy, so cut the crap? And if you’re thinking of getting out of this situation with flattery, you’d better stop. I might cut out your tongue because I don’t like hearing it.”

“H-how do you know my thoughts…”

“You don’t need to know that. Want to sleep for a bit?”

It was when Choi Seong-min lowered his dagger and raised his hand to strike the back of the neck.

Thud-

Peter’s knees hit the ground.

“Pl-please spare me! Hunter Choi Seong-min! If there’s anything you want, just say it. I’ll give you anything!”

He seemed to have misunderstood “sleep for a bit” as “kill.”

Peter looked up with desperate eyes, but Choi Seong-min, who was watching, only clicked his tongue.

“After flattery, now it’s begging for life?”

“You may mock me. In front of you, I can throw away my pride like a piece of tissue. If you just spare my life, I’ll live the rest of my life grateful for that grace. So please have mercy…”

“You like mercy. There’s no such thing in my dictionary.”

When Choi Seong-min raised his hand once more, Peter urgently shouted.

“Le-legendary items! I’ll give you the legendary armor and legendary helmet I’m wearing! Not only the 300 billion in my account, but I’ll sell real estate, stocks, and everything to scrape together every bit of money for you!”

“……”

“Not only that, but I’ll hand over all the top-grade slaves under me so you can play with them for life! I guarantee you’ll think it’s heaven itself!”

Choi Seong-min just let out a deep sigh.

“Haven’t come to your senses yet.”

“What?”

There was no need to listen further.

Thunk-

With one punch from Choi Seong-min, Peter showed the whites of his eyes and fainted.

“Let me see if there are any interesting memories.”

Choi Seong-min placed his hand on Peter’s head and examined his memories.

‘He already used up his Potion of Life.’

Peter had already used the potion to save a subordinate named Roger.

Roger was moved by this and pledged loyalty.

Anyone watching might think his heart for his subordinates was genuine, but it wasn’t.

The person who had attacked and killed Roger was none other than Peter himself.

‘It was self-orchestrated drama just to win Roger’s heart. He used a precious potion for just that reason.’

It was a passage that clearly showed Peter’s personality of not hesitating to do anything to gain strong subordinates.

Choi Seong-min continued examining the memories.

He saw Peter slapping a slave he was having relations with.

The reason was that she had dared to offer to listen to his worries despite her lowly status.

‘As expected, a piece of trash.’

Just as Peter was about to beat the slave while shouting he’d kill her, a phone call came.

It was Woo Seong-jae’s call.

‘Thanks to that, the slave lived.’

Soon the scene of Woo Seong-jae and Peter’s phone conversation appeared.

‘Woo Seong-jae definitely ordered Peter. To gather criminal hunters from Westland.’

Peter followed Woo Seong-jae’s orders and found hunters from prisons nationwide, confining them in one place.

‘Though it was interrupted because of me, it was almost complete.’

Peter was unexpectedly fast at handling work.

It seemed he could meet criminal hunters faster than expected.

‘Woo Seong-jae is gathering criminal hunters in Eastland, so good news should come soon.’

Thinking he didn’t need to worry about gathering criminal hunters, he continued examining memories.

However, seeing the next memory, Choi Seong-min swallowed curses inwardly.

‘Peter, this bastard… In the end, he went and killed the slave.’

Though he could have spared her, he deliberately went to kill her with his bare hands, saying it was punishment for trying to match him.

There were no more noteworthy memories after that.

Choi Seong-min removed his hand from the head.

As a side effect of viewing memories, Peter was in a dazed state for 1 minute.

It was the perfect timing to kill him without resistance.

But Choi Seong-min deliberately waited for that time.

Because killing him like that seemed too easy.

“Mmm…”

After a minute passed, Peter blinked and came to his senses.

Since no memories were deleted, he flinched upon seeing Choi Seong-min, then bowed his head again.

“Please spare me!”

“Want to live?”

At Choi Seong-min’s different reaction from before, Peter’s complexion brightened.

He seemed to think a chance to live had arisen.

“Yes! I want to live!”

“How much?”

“Really, really, more desperately than anyone, tremendously want to live!”

“Right. I’ll let you live.”

Choi Seong-min’s dagger instantly pierced Peter’s arm.

“Aaak!”

“Until you beg me to kill you.”

Stab stab stab-!

“Aaaaak! Kuaaaak!”

Peter had to endure torture from Choi Seong-min for a while.

Though he couldn’t hear the reason, he could feel contempt and anger in his eyes.

“Aaaaak!”

“Kuheuheuuk!”

“Uiik!”

With holes pierced all over his body, Peter had no choice but to say:

“Pl-please kill me. Pl-please…”

He surrendered without lasting even a minute.

The pain was bad enough, but what made him decide to surrender was Choi Seong-min’s chilling expression.

Choi Seong-min’s expression seemed to enjoy his pain as he smiled.

“This should be enough.”

“Pl-please kill me…”

“Die slowly on your own.”

Shortly after, Peter’s head snapped.

It was a miserable and painful death.