Chapter 106

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 106: The Domain of Talent (3)

“Seungtae, remember this. Not all people are the same. If they're born with different capacities, how could they possibly be treated the same?”

It had been obvious since birth.

“You need to get used to managing people. That’s actually helping the pitiful ones.”

Selecting the talented, placing them in the right positions, and using them like limbs—

For Myung Seungtae, this was as natural as eating and sleeping.

So.

“Jiwoong, was it?”

“…Yes?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

While Lee Eunho took Kim Jiwoong away, Seungtae spoke up.

He lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t hear.

“Jieun, was it? I think I heard your name earlier.”

“Huh?”

“Hah… I was really surprised. Who would've thought Jiwoong’s sister was still alive? I was honestly glad to hear it.”

The short-haired girl’s attention was caught.

She had kept her head down, her hands and feet tightly bound, but when her brother’s name was mentioned, she finally met his gaze.

“Did Jiwoong never tell you about me? I don’t want to brag, but… if it weren’t for me, Jiwoong would’ve been long gone.”

“What? You saved Jiwoong?”

“That’s right. You know as well as I do… Jiwoong is smart, but he’s not exactly physically strong. My friends and I made sure to look out for him.”

The girl’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

As she blinked like a startled rabbit, Seungtae thought she looked rather cute.

[Subjugation in progress... 32%, 33%]

A message appeared.

“As his sister, you must know. Jiwoong has spent his whole life studying, so he doesn’t know much about the world… He needs someone to take care of him.”

“Ah… Yeah, Jiwoong does need some looking after.”

[Subjugation in progress... 66%, 67%]

‘Idiot.’

Leaving himself in the hands of someone so obviously naive.

And on top of that, she had a nice face, and the curves visible through her dress were quite appealing.

This was practically a setup.

Not just leaving a fish to a cat, but seasoning it and serving it on a plate.

“How about you join Jiwoong? He’s your only remaining family—no reason to be separated, right?”

“What?”

“Why are you surprised? Jieun, you wouldn’t want to leave your only brother all alone, would you?”

There was no need to overthink things with people like her.

The ones who patiently listened to everything others had to say.

‘Honestly, she’d be safer with me.’

Better to serve under him than to suffer under some lunatic.

They could all be happy this way.

Seungtae sincerely believed that.

And as if to confirm it—

Ding!

[Subjugation complete.]

Done!

‘Easy.’

“From now on, you’ll follow Jiwoong and do as you’re told. Got it?”

“Do as I’m told…?”

[‘Gaslighting (Lv.6)’ activated!]

[Command input complete.]

Flash!

As the message appeared, Seungtae smiled in satisfaction.

Now, no matter what he told her, she would follow.

There was a time limit, but as long as he reactivated the skill before she regained her senses, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“The guy you’re with—just leave him. He looked completely insane, swinging his sword like a madman.”

“A madman…?”

He’d have her untie him first, then gradually turn Lee Eunho’s people to his side.

And if needed, even Eunho himself.

“Yeah, a madman. His eyes were practically rolling back in his head when he was fighting. Gave me a bad feeling—”

Or so he thought.

“That’s not true. You attacked first, and Eunho protected me.”

“…What?”

Seungtae was taken aback.

Why was she arguing?

Did the skill not work?

“Maybe I misheard? Look me in the eyes and say it. I’m your—”

“How old are you?”

Huh?

“How old are you that you keep calling yourself ‘oppa’?”

And at that moment—

Beeeeep!

[Target ‘Kim Jieun’ has exceptionally high mental resistance!]

[‘Gaslighting (Lv.6)’ activation failed!]

‘Failed?!’

Exceptionally high mental resistance?

Wait, mental resistance was a thing?

‘The skill activated, so why…’

“How old are you?”

“T-Twenty-six…”

Seungtae, too flustered, stammered out an answer.

Then—

“Oh, we’re the same age!”

She playfully smacked his back.

“Th-The same age?”

“That’s right, Seungtae!”

Something was terribly wrong.

He never imagined there would be someone immune to his ability!

“If you say anything weird about Eunho again, I won’t let it slide.”

“T-That’s not what I meant…”

As he continued to stutter—

“Jieun.”

Lee Eunho had returned, calling out to the short-haired girl.

“Eunho!”

And as if waiting for it, she ran over to him.

Then—

“What kind of…?”

“…Shall we try?”

“…You mean…?”

They whispered among themselves, nodding in agreement.

Clearly, they were discussing what to do with him.

But.

‘Even better!’

Now that it had come to this, he might as well go for it directly.

The girl was an anomaly, but there was no way another one existed.

Myung Seungtae believed so.

So.

"Hey, look at me! Just for a moment... Let's talk!"

He shouted, flailing like a fly with its wings torn off.

But Lee Eunho only gave him a brief glance and spat out a single word.

"Why?"

'This arrogant bastard!'

Hold it in.

Just hold it in for a little while.

Once the skill activates, it'll all be over.

Then he would make him kneel, beg, and even lick his shoes.

Clinging to that thought, Myung Seungtae suppressed the anger bubbling inside him and forced a smile onto his face.

"I-I want to apologize!"

"Apologize?"

"Y-yeah! I didn’t attack you because I had a problem with you. If that illegitimate brat hadn’t picked a fight first..."

"Hmm. Shouldn't you be apologizing to someone else, not me?"

Cunning bastard.

He’s not falling for it, but it doesn’t matter.

At least there’s progress.

[Subjugation in progress... 32%, 33%]

"If you're done talking, should we wrap this up?"

"W-wait!"

Not yet.

He needed more time.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"I may look like this, but I'm ranked 5th in the nation. You can’t afford to take me out. Think about it—this is for the national competition!"

"It's fine. There are plenty of others in better shape than you."

"......"

[Subjugation in progress... 66%, 67%]

Hold on.

Just a little more!

"M-money?"

"Money?"

"Y-yeah! Don’t you need money? If you want, I’ll share! You saw those guys earlier, right? Their weapons were top-tier! I bought them all!"

"Ah. The money you stole from others?"

"Uh...? How do you...?"

The guy holding his ultimate weapon smirked.

That was a sneer.

Myung Seungtae was certain of it.

And he was furious.

[Subjugation complete.]

['Gaslighting (Lv.6)' activated!]

BEEP—!

[Target 'Lee Eunho’s' mental barrier skill prevents activation!]

['Gaslighting (Lv.6)' activation failed!]

'Again?!'

Why isn’t it working?

This has never happened before.

Two people in one day managed to resist gaslighting?

On top of that...

"Why? Is your skill not working?"

Flinch!

Myung Seungtae’s body jolted at the confident remark.

"It was just luck. My special trait still has a few hours left."

"What?"

"Anyway..."

Lee Eunho crouched down in front of Myung Seungtae, who was practically kneeling.

"I’ll give you a choice."

"A choice?"

"Option 1: You go confess everything you’ve done to everyone, right now."

"......?!"

"Option 2: I beat you up, and then you go confess."

Drip.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

Even so, he averted his gaze and blurted out in rapid succession.

"Choose."

"I-I don’t know! What do you even want me to confess? I haven’t done anything wrong!"

Sigh.

Lee Eunho let out a breath.

Flinch!

That exhale was as cold as ice, but Myung Seungtae had no other options.

Because 'Gaslighting' was powerful, but it had a fatal flaw—if he explained the skill to someone, he could never use it on them again.

But Lee Eunho didn’t know that.

"Honestly, I didn’t want to use this..."

"W-what are you trying to do? I told you, I didn’t do anything wr—"

With a look of mild annoyance, Eunho reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Then he uttered four piercing syllables.

"Tendon Tearing, Bone Splitting."

The moment those words ended...

'Kuaaaaaaaagh!'

A scream that barely sounded human.

Agonizing pain radiated from the spot where Eunho’s fingers touched his shoulder.

His whole body crumpled like a used tissue.

Then it straightened out, only to crumple again.

Crunch! Crackle-crackle-crack!

Snap! Crack-crunch!

Stop! Stop! Please, stop!

"…Aaaaaaah!"

At that moment, he could no longer distinguish between the screams inside his head and the ones escaping his lips.

"What’s the skill’s name?"

"Gas...!"

Crack!

"…Gaslighting!!"

"What’s the activation condition?"

"E-eye contact… and conversation! More than 10 seconds!"

"How do you break it?"

"It wears off… over time! Or if I explain it… myself…!"

"Then name all the people you've used it on."

"The… those eight guys… Kim Jiwoong… Ahrin, Serin, Minji, Jiho, Yooah…."

"And?"

"Sohye, Jooeun, Boyoung, Joohee…."

The names poured out, one after another.

Finally, Eunho pulled his hand away.

"Huff…."

Myung Seungtae was in a daze.

It felt like his soul had been ripped out.

His whole body was numb, his mind blank.

So.

"Thanks for the detailed explanation."

What is he talking about?

Myung Seungtae didn’t understand.

He simply stared up at him in a daze.

"……?"

"You look better on screen."

Following his gaze, his eyes landed on…

"!!"

A massive stage in the center of the field.

A giant screen standing tall on that very stage, watched by a hundred thousand people.

【Many observers find the unique stage setup intriguing!】

【'Sales Bureau Top Performer' is excited to see a play from District 13 for the first time!】

【Many observers are hoping for a satisfying lesson in humility!】

…A dumbfounded expression.

And a rapidly scrolling chat window filled with messages.

* * *

"Oh my, is that woman the second young master's mistress? She even brought her son—I guess the rumors were true!"

"She should have just stayed quiet. What does she think she’ll gain by crawling all the way here…?"

It had always been a given since birth.

"What should we play today? I want to play superheroes!"

"Sorry… my mom told me not to play with you. She said you’re dirty…."

To exist as someone’s shame, as undeniable proof of wrongdoing, as nothing more than a target for children's ridicule.

"Hey! I heard your mom seduced a married man and hit the jackpot! Was she really that prett—"

"Shut the fuck up, you son of a—!"

So, I surrounded myself with sharp thorns.

Whether out of fear or disgust, no one would dare come near.

But—

"It's your turn."

Maybe, deep down, I had been hoping for it.

To prove that I was just as capable as anyone else.

To stand side by side and fight with my 'comrades.'

Just like the heroes in the movies.

Swoosh!

Lee Eunho covered Myung Seungtae’s eyes.

And said,

"Swear. Say whatever you want, as much as you want."

Had there ever been anyone—

Anyone who looked at me as I was and acknowledged me?

If I could earn his recognition, and the recognition of the others—

"You fucking Myungtae bastard…"

Then I'd drag up every curse I could find in the filthiest gutter and spit it out.

"You look like a fucking rotten fish, just as disgusting as your face, picking up nasty little tricks just like yourself."

【Many observers nod at the spot-on comparison!】

【1,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"I mean, if you didn’t pull shit like that, who would even stick around you? Everyone would’ve run away ages ago."

"Shut up! You uneducated bastard, who do you think you are to lecture me?!"

[Measuring data required to unlock skill.]

[Strong emotions are accelerating data measurement.]

"Uneducated? You little shit. You’ve had tutors worth tens of millions of won your whole life, but you never had time for basic decency? How the fuck are you still acting like an elementary school bitch?"

"You—you bastard…!"

【A small group of observers is eager for even more provocative content!】

【3,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"A bastard like you—how dare you be so shameless?! You're the child of a mistress!"

"Shit! Was I the one who had the affair?! Was it me, huh?!"

"Like mother, like son…"

【'PR Department’s Smiling Angel' asks if this is the infamous drama of District 13.】

【'Investigation Department’s Hook' nods, saying a secret birth story is essential.】

【A small group of observers is thrilled by the dramatic turn of events!】

【5,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"You’re a pathetic coward who can’t even go to the bathroom alone without backup!"

"What did you say…?"

"A spineless little shit who’s so—beep—afraid of—beep—that you—beep—like a wimp!"

"You’re fucking—"

"Beep——!"

"You bastard!"

【'PR Department’s Smiling Angel' is shocked to hear such crude language for the first time!】

【'Investigation Department’s Hook' is amazed at the depths of vulgarity!】

【A small group of observers is ecstatic over the colorful insults!】

【10,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"Wait, why the hell are these freaks getting excited over this?!"

【'PR Department’s Smiling Angel' blushes, saying they’ve never been spoken to so roughly before!】

【3,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"Shit! You’re all fucking insane!"

【'Sales Bureau Top Performer' grabs onto their pant leg, begging for more!】

【5,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"Holy shit! This is disgusting, shut the fuck up already!"

【A small group of observers is discovering a new preference!】

【30,000 Welfare Points donated!】

"Enough already!"

And in the midst of all the chaos—

[Data collection for skill unlock is complete.]

A long-awaited message echoed in the ears of the foul-mouthed fighter.

[Congratulations!]

[A unique skill has been created, based on the memories etched into your sharp tongue, your habit of running your mouth without action, and your petty rage against the world!]

'What the hell do you mean, petty…?'

[Unique Ability: Insult (Lv.1) has been unlocked!]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]