Villain wants to live as a commoner chapter 29

[Choi Hyungoh’s’ domination ends.]

The memory of the domination period is erased.

The domination ended just in time. The man slumped sideways. I pulled out my phone to check the location of the 3rd shelter.

The 3rd shelter wasn’t far from here. I briefly considered whether I should chase Shin Chaeyoung alone.

Since I knew her escape location, I could get there the fastest. I couldn’t afford to let Shin Chaeyoung slip away again.

I decided to pursue and headed towards the 3rd shelter. The shelter doors are usually tightly shut until a gate alarm goes off.

I headed for the emergency exit near the main entrance. I planned to use my skills to tear the door off its hinges. Fortunately, the doorknob was already broken before I got to it.

Did Shin Chaeyoung come in through here? If so, it made things easier for me. It would be easier to track her.

I entered the 3rd shelter immediately. The shelter, designed to accommodate people during gate incidents, was vast.

I entered one of the many passageways that showed signs of being forced open.

The narrowed corridor was a complex maze designed to confuse any intruding monsters. It would be difficult to pursue her in here.

But I didn’t need to struggle by foot. I pulled out an item made by Lee Shinhae from my inventory. It was used to find people in dungeons.

The item responded quickly.

I used telekinesis to lift myself. Footsteps would give me away, so I moved as silently as possible.

Soon, I spotted Shin Chaeyoung. She was running frantically with a backpack. She wasn’t alone; two others were running ahead of her.

I turned into a side passage to get ahead of them. I stopped at a suitable fork in the path. Shortly after, I heard the footsteps of the three running.

I let the first two pass, then quickly grabbed Shin Chaeyoung’s hand.

Startled, Shin Chaeyoung stumbled to a stop. Our eyes met, and I grinned brightly.

“Hello?”

“Gasp…”

Shin Chaeyoung was so shocked she couldn’t even scream, just gasping for air like she had seen a ghost in the middle of the night.

The two people ahead of her turned around, frozen in shock. I checked their faces.

They were Park Taeoh and Lee Jihee, who were also wanted along with Shin Chaeyoung.

“How…?”

“That’s a trade secret.”

I pulled out a gun from my inventory and aimed it at Shin Chaeyoung’s head.

“Don’t move, and raise your hands. Unless you want your head blown off.”

“Ha. Have you ever killed someone before?”

Shin Chaeyoung, who had quickly regained her composure, snorted.

Though she was on high alert, her reaction indicated that she didn’t actually think I would kill her.

“Do you think I can’t kill you?”

I tried to bluff. Yeah, it’s a bluff. This isn’t a game; it’s reality. How could I kill someone?

I wish I had the guts to break someone’s leg without batting an eye, like Baek Gunho. But I don’t even have that.

Unfortunately, my threat full of bravado didn’t work at all.

“Get him.”

At Shin Chaeyoung’s command, Park Taeoh charged at me first.

The massive spear he pulled from his inventory rushed towards me.

He was relentless, even though Shin Chaeyoung was in the attack path.

Just before the spear could stab Shin Chaeyoung, its blade bent like a reed. Then it veered towards me, avoiding her.

I can’t dodge this.

I used a skill to grab the spearhead. Park Taeoh’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting it to be blocked.

I let go of the spearhead that was pulling with force and shot at the spear.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound echoed. The spear seemed to be a high-grade item, as it didn’t break. I should have put in more force.

As I aimed to shoot again, Lee Jihee, who had approached unnoticed, kicked at me.

I barely dodged the strike aimed at my head, but in doing so, I lost sight of Shin Chaeyoung.

Park Taeoh grabbed the stumbling Shin Chaeyoung and flung her backward. She fell to the ground but managed to escape my grasp.

Hugging her bag, Shin Chaeyoung shouted.

“As long as you don’t kill him, subdue him!”

It was a brutal command, especially considering I was just an ordinary citizen. The eyes of the two people, devoid of any mercy, turned murderous.

Lee Jihee extended her hand. Suddenly, stone spikes shot up from the ground, striking my hand.

Caught off guard, I dropped my gun.

The spike attack didn’t end there.

The spikes wrapped around my wrist and quickly spread to cover my entire palm, likely to prevent me from pulling items from my inventory.

Moreover, it wasn’t just one spike. Dozens of spikes sprouted from the ground, grazing my body.

The spikes, which caused injuries here and there, eventually wrapped around my entire body, even reaching my neck.

The spikes around my neck started to tighten, gradually choking me.

Lee Jihee, who had been attacking continuously, briefly wiped the sweat from her brow.

As she did, Shin Chaeyoung and Park Taeoh, who had become more relaxed, approached.

“How did a mere F-rank manage to follow us?”

Shin Chaeyoung sneered arrogantly and gestured to Lee Jihee.

“He’s annoying. It’s better to break something.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jihee responded calmly. Simultaneously, the spikes around my ankles tightened.

The force was strong enough to break them at any moment, causing cold sweat to drip down my face.

“He’s tougher than I thought.”

“Don’t hold back. Break him.”

Shin Chaeyoung’s eyes were cold, determined to break me no matter what.

This is hopeless.

I struck Lee Jihee and Park Taeoh hard from the side. The immense invisible force caused a gust of wind, scattering my hair.

The two were thrown against the wall without a proper reaction.

Almost simultaneously, I used force on Shin Chaeyoung’s solar plexus. Struck in a vital spot, Shin Chaeyoung’s eyes rolled back as she fainted.

“Ha…”

Even with Lee Jihee unconscious, the skill didn’t release. I shattered the stone encasing my body into powder using my skill.

As I brushed off the stone powder clinging to me, I picked up my gun.

“I’ve caused trouble…”

It’s hard to claim this was due to an item’s power. A deep sigh escaped me. I should have endured it, but… these crazy bastards tried to break my ankle, so I had no choice.

Are they insane? How could they think of breaking someone’s ankle…

Well, there is someone near me who does that without batting an eye.

It’s terrifying when it happens to me, though I was indifferent when it happened to others.

Realizing I was escaping reality with such thoughts, I snapped back.

“First, I need to forge evidence…”

“Do you think forging will work?”

A familiar voice came from behind. A voice that shouldn’t be heard here. I stiffly turned my head like a rusty machine.

Baek Gunho stood behind me, looking at the three people thrown into the corner with a crooked smile.

As I looked at him, Baek Gunho turned to me and slowly spread his arms.

“Come here.”

“…What?”

“I’ll hug you. You were scared, right?”

What is he talking about?

I had no room to rebut Baek Gunho’s absurd words.

As I stood there frozen, Baek Gunho approached and hugged me, patting my back. My mind was filled with question marks.

He must not have seen it, right?

But his words bothered me.

As I stood there unable to do anything, Baek Gunho released his arms from around me.

“Say I did it.”

Hearing him say this left no room for denial.

He saw it, this guy.

Moreover, this reaction… he’s way too calm to be finding out for the first time.

Baek Gunho looked at my face calmly.

“It’s okay. I won’t let you get caught.”

“Since when…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence, trailing off. Baek Gunho, who understood, answered nonchalantly.

“I’ve known for a long time.”

“How?”

“I know everything about you.”

Baek Gunho replied casually. His words made my heart skip a beat.

He doesn’t know everything… he doesn’t know I like him.

“Aren’t you bothered?”

“About what?”

“That I lied to you.”

Baek Gunho stared at me intensely. His gaze was piercing, making my mouth dry.

“You didn’t deceive me. I already knew.”

“No, but…”

“It doesn’t matter. I can accept that much.”

Baek Gunho confidently spoke and reached out to touch my cheeks. His gaze, as he held my face, was unyielding.

“If you behave, I’ll give you anything you want. Understand?”

His seemingly kind words were closer to an order. Watching me stiffen, Baek Gunho let go.

“What are you talking about? Crazy bastard…”

Even as I criticized him, Baek Gunho just smiled.

He’s consistently a lunatic.

Strangely, my cheeks felt hot.