**Chapter 6: Cursed Object (2)**
The moment I put on the ring, I heard a will from within it.
【Offer a sacrifice. Then you can achieve whatever you desire.】
That must be why the Goblin Shaman killed five of its own kind.
It was trying to escape this crisis by offering the blood and flesh of its kin as a sacrifice.
What can you do for me?
【Anything you want. I can give you gold, power, anything.】
Then how about a Hamdaria Hanwoo Bulgogi Burger large set?
【Of course I can... Hm?】
The response was slow.
Is it not confident? I guess it was all a lie that it could do anything.
【No, no! Wait! I can do it! As long as you offer a proper tribute!】
Oh. Then I’ll offer you a goblin’s junk as tribute, so give me a Hamdaria Hanwoo Bulgogi Burger large set.
【...Is there nothing else you want?】
Not really?
【Power! How about power? I can give you the power of a curse. You can wither and kill anyone you don't like!】
Does it work on monsters too?
【Of course! But you must offer a fitting tribute in return!】
What do I have to offer?
【A life. Kill three of your own kind and offer their souls—】
Not buying it.
"..."
When I came to my senses, the Hunters in front of me were glaring at me.
Confusion and wariness. Their fingers were halfway to their triggers, as if they were ready to fire at any moment.
Everyone except for Kim Tae-jin, who had been looking unwell for a while now.
"Why is everyone like that?"
"Ugh...!"
"Shit, you scared the hell out of me! You suddenly started muttering 'my precious' and all that, so I thought you were possessed!"
"Ah, sorry. Why did I do that?"
I immediately took the ring off my finger and set it back down where it was.
"But, isn't this that cursed item everyone talks about?"
"A cursed item?"
When I asked back, Park Junsik replied sharply.
"This is why rookies are... I'm talking about those Cursed Objects among artifacts that possess people."
"Yeah, yeah. Even if they're rare, if you get caught by one of those, you're done for."
"You have to hand over Cursed Objects to the Bureau, so you can't even make money off them."
"That is a Cursed Object."
"Huh?"
The Hunters' gazes turned toward me again. Seeing as it tried to strike a deal with me just now, it must be a Cursed Object like Black Heron.
"It told me it would let me use magic if I just took out three people. So I told it I wasn't buying."
"..."
The Hunters were silent for a moment before they started bursting into laughter.
"Student Gaon, I didn't think you were the type, but you've got a bit of a playful side."
"Guess that's the rookie in you, can't even tell a lie convincingly. Not funny."
"???"
The Hunters didn't believe me.
"No, I'm serious? I told you, I heard a voice and everything."
"Look here, rookie. You might not know this, but the moment you put on a Cursed Object, you're out. Even if you don't get corrupted immediately, you can't take it off yourself."
"That's right. Even the Bureau says that if you find something in a Dark Zone, you should never try to use it and get it appraised first. Cursed Objects are dangerous precisely because once you put them on, you're hooked."
The Hunters actually sounded relieved.
"Well, thanks to the rookie, it's proven. That this isn't a Cursed Object."
"Oh~ so that's how it works?"
Since I had tried it on and taken it off myself, it meant it was a safe artifact.
I tried to explain again, but I saw Kim Tae-jin staggering.
"Mr. Kim Tae-jin? Are you okay?"
"Haa... Haa! The, the filter. I think I'll be fine if I change the filter."
"Oh man, this guy's eyes are turning black. This is really dangerous, we need to get out of here."
"Mr. Kim, why don't you head out first?"
The Hunters' tone was worried about the staggering Kim Tae-jin, but their hands were moving toward their firearms.
They were preparing to shoot him at any moment if he were to 'corrupt'.
Just like they did when I put on the ring.
"Well, is that really necessary?"
"Mr. Park?"
That was when it happened. Park Junsik suddenly turned his muzzle and shot the two Hunters.
*Bang!*
The two men collapsed helplessly. Kim Tae-jin, who was in the middle of changing his filter, opened his eyes wide, but it was already too late.
*Bang!*
"Gah?!"
Kim Tae-jin was hit and collapsed in succession. Soon, Park Junsik's muzzle turned toward me.
【Dodge!】
I was already moving before Black Heron even warned me.
*Bang!* The sound of a rifle bullet embedding itself where I had been standing just a moment ago.
But the muzzle followed the direction I dodged, and the firing continued.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
I hid behind a goblin hut to shield myself, and the gunfire stopped.
Park Junsik chuckled as if disappointed.
"Your reflexes are better than I thought? I targeted you last because you were a rookie."
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Money, what else?"
*Click!* The sound of reloading. Park Junsik walked toward me leisurely.
"Getting an artifact appraised costs a fair bit of money, too. It depends on the level of the artifact, but it's about three million won."
"You said it's worth over ten million won if you sell it on the market. Isn't it profitable?"
"We have to split it five ways. Then, it's just pocket change."
What kind of nonsense is that? If you split seven million five ways, isn't that 1.4 million? Are they not satisfied with that much money?
"Even if you get out of here, the police will catch you, won't they?"
"This is why rookies are... you idiot, once you take an artifact out, the Dark Zone is cleared. They won't even find the bodies!"
Does he mean it's the perfect crime because you can't re-enter once the Gate disappears?
"Now all that's left is for our rookie to die!"
At that moment, Park Junsik's pace quickened.
I had started running the moment I heard the sound, but he popped out from behind me in an instant.
*Rat-tat-tat!*
"Damn it!"
I barely dodged it because I had started running in anticipation of the danger.
Luckily, the goblin village had plenty of stone walls and partitions, as if built by humans, so there were many corners.
"Tsk. You're quick."
Park Junsik became cautious as well.
Goblins might just rush in blindly, but this was a place perfect for hiding in alleys and launching ambushes.
He approached carefully, keeping an eye on the corners.
【Fight! Don't tell me you can't even kill a human who's trying to kill you!!】
"I'm not a saint, so of course I can."
【Then why aren't you fighting back!】
"That guy has a gun, and I've only got a moron like you."
【What?! That's insulting!】
It's hard to listen to Black Heron's whining right now.
Why did I come in here trusting only this blade?
If I hadn't donated 31.65 million won to sign a contract with this guy, I would have at least brought a gun.
No, if I didn't have this cursed sword in the first place, I wouldn't have had any reason to come here.
To think I'd end up in a place where people kill each other over mere money.
"Whew..."
What's the point of regretting it now?
One shouldn't dwell on mistakes.
What I need now is to know what I can do and what I must do.
*Rat-tat-tat!*
He's shooting like crazy. Seeing him shoot when he can't even see me, is he hoping I'll get scared and trip?
Or is he telling me not to even think about showing my face and just wait until he gets here?
"How long do you think you can hide! I'll make it quick, so get out here!"
"Would you come out if you were me!"
Just then, *click!* I heard the sound of him reloading. Taking that chance, I emerged from the corner and threw Black Heron at Park Junsik.
"What the hell!"
Startled, Park Junsik dodged the flying Black Heron.
"Damn."
"You son of a bitch!"
Having finished reloading quickly, he started running like a madman.
"You idiot! You even threw away the only weapon you had!"
He ran quickly using the power of his artifact and turned the corner without hesitation.
"Huh?"
And what he encountered was me, holding the Black Heron that I had supposedly thrown.
I swung the sword with the intent to kill, but because he reacted quickly, I only managed to slice his gun in half.
"Wow."
Park Junsik's rifle was sliced clean through. I was surprised myself, seeing it cut like a kitchen knife through tofu.
Between slicing up goblins and this, isn't this sword a bit too sharp?
"Uh, uh..."
He stammered, looking at his severed gun. I didn't hesitate to launch a follow-up attack, but he dodged by falling backward.
"Junsik! Don't dodge!"
"F, fuck!"
Park Junsik scrambled to his feet and turned his back. Black Heron slashed across his back.
"Argh!"
To think he'd get a wound on his back. What a disgrace to a swordsman.
But Park Junsik's survival instinct was desperate. Despite the disgrace of being slashed in the back, he didn't give up and started running.
"Hey! Junsik! Where are you going!"
"Eek...!"
The situation had reversed. Now he was the fugitive, and I was the pursuer.
I threw Black Heron at Junsik, who was fleeing with his back turned.
But they say the probability of a knife throw like this hitting is about fifty-fifty.
Instead of flying straight, the spinning Black Heron hit his back with the hilt.
"Ugh!"
He seemed startled by the impact, but that was all. It couldn't stop the coward whose survival adrenaline was surging.
"Junsikkkkk!!"
I chased after him, holding Black Heron, which had returned to my hand at some point.
"I won't kill you! Just an arm! Let's just cut off one arm and call it even!"
"Arghhh! You crazy bastard! Stay away!!"
Park Junsik was terrified. I threw and retrieved Black Heron while chasing him, but it wasn't easy to hit him.
It's not like I'd ever learned how to throw knives.
【Blood...! Human blood!!】
Black Heron, having tasted human blood while slashing Park Junsik's back, was still being loud.
Park Junsik, obsessed with money.
Black Heron, the cursed sword obsessed with blood.
Am I the only normal one in this situation?
"Aaaaaarm! Just one aaaaaarm!!"
The distance to Park Junsik didn't close easily.
It was because of the artifact he possessed. To think he had an artifact that could cast Haste.
I had been training my stamina consistently under the director, and I felt like I had become a bit faster after absorbing the goblins' blood, but it wasn't enough to beat Haste.
If it's a cursed sword, shouldn't it at least be able to use something like Wind Cutter?
"Ha!"
How long had I been chasing him like this? I heard a sound of joyful relief from the man moving further away.
Ahead, I saw the corpses of the Hunters. More importantly, I saw the rifles they had dropped.
"You, you! You're dead!"
The guy’s face lit up as he picked up speed. Just as I felt a sense of despair,
"Gaaah...!"
I saw someone among the Hunters stand up.
It was the Hunter wearing a gas mask with the filter torn off. It was Kim Tae-jin.
Even from a distance, it was clear that Kim Tae-jin’s condition was far from normal.
It was expected since he’d been shot, but something... something was different.
The sight was grotesque, as if he were... sucking the souls out of the other two Hunters.
"Alright! Damn it, you’re finished now!"
Park Junsik, having snatched up a fallen rifle, glared at Kim Tae-jin.
"Mr. Kim, you’re still not dead? I guess the morphine is keeping you moving? Just wait a second. I’ll shoot that bastard dead first, then I’ll put you out of your misery... or not?"
Realizing something was wrong only after picking up the gun, Park Junsik looked up at the slowly rising Kim Tae-jin.
He must have felt it, too.
Was Kim Tae-jin always this big?
"Mr. Kim?"
*Thwack!*
Park Junsik was sent flying by the arm Kim Tae-jin swung.
Could a person’s head really be severed that cleanly?
It felt so much like a cartoon that it didn't even feel real.
"Grrr...!"
I quickly ducked behind a hut to avoid Kim Tae-jin’s gaze.
The Kim Tae-jin I caught a glimpse of was completely different from before.
Hair had sprouted all over his body like a beast, his height had reached at least two meters, and his muscles had expanded like some kind of monster straight out of a comic book.
He was no longer in human form.
"What the hell is that..."
【It is Corruption.】
"Corruption?"
Come to think of it, Mr. Kim Tae-jin’s condition really was terrible. But they said it wasn't enough to cause Corruption, didn't they?
【The man has equipped a Cursed Object. As one who has contracted with me, you should have felt that energy, should you not?】
I did feel like something was being sucked out of the Hunters' bodies.
Now that I think about it, I think he had a ring on his finger.
I had completely ignored the ring’s offer, but what if Mr. Kim Tae-jin had accepted it?
What if he had offered the corpses of the surrounding Hunters as a tribute?
The Karma Index he gained by contracting with a Cursed Object might have corrupted him in an instant.
"This is insane."
I finally got rid of the gunman, and now a Corrupted One?
Could I even win if I fought him?
I stole a glance at Mr. Kim Tae-jin, and he was chewing and swallowing Park Junsik with his hideously distorted teeth.
He’s eating a person?
If I lose, I won't even be able to donate my organs.
"Let’s run."
【Stand and fight!】
Look at him talking big because it’s not his life on the line.
I admit he’s sharp, but don't force me to fight a monster like that.
【You fool! It is not because I crave blood that I say this! Though I do crave blood, of course!】
Black Heron calmly persuaded me.
【If he has contracted with a Cursed Object, he will crave more blood and seek to absorb more. Naturally, he will be aware of your existence as well. With that physique, his running speed will be immense. You cannot escape.】
"Can’t I just sneak away?"
【If you can silence your footsteps like a master assassin, then by all means, try.】
Black Heron told me that escaping to the Gate was impossible.
【Therefore, stand and fight! Even if you die, die as a warrior!】
I guess a Cursed Object really doesn't value human life at all.
But as Black Heron said, sneaking away didn't seem easy.
While he was busy munching on Park Junsik, I saw the mutated Mr. Kim Tae-jin looking around here and there.
He must be looking for me.
The Cursed Object Mr. Kim Tae-jin contracted with would also know of my existence, so it would want to kill me for rejecting its offer.
But the difference in size is too great to just charge in blindly...
"Hey, Black Heron. Do you eat people killed by others, too?"
【You, don't tell me?】
A way for me to win.
Actually, it wasn't impossible.
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