The Protagonists Are Murdered by Me
chapter-24

The three hunters who were continuously cooked by fire, burned by electricity, and frozen were in tatters on the ground.

I shrugged my shoulders, and approached them.

I felt very refreshed after scratching this itch.

Slowly approaching them, Jang Dojin, who managed to pull himself together, groaned.

I knew these three hunters very well.

There’s no way I wouldn’t remember.

These are the guys who have outright ignored me ever since I first joined the guild.

At the time, I couldn’t do anything and had to endure, but now it’s different.

“That’s amazing.”

Said Taylor Nine, slowly approaching.

She looked at the hunters on the ground, then pouted her lips and asked.

“What’s this? How did you do that? You were moving so fast and shooting laser beams out of your hands.”

I don’t remember shooting laser beams out of my hands.

“I already told you. I’m a Dimensional Returnee.”

To be precise, I’m not a Dimensionally Returnee but a Dimensioned Traveler.

In any case, I just kept it simple.

“Hmph, obviously, Dimensional Returnees use unusual powers that are different from superpowers. It’s just that I didn’t really expect you to be one…”

In fact, the place where I can use this ability is limited.

I had to use this building’s magical security system, something that’s not found on Earth.

However, since such a place existed, it was possible to use ‘Araceli’s Mana Circling’ to go wild, which is why I intentionally lured Lost Day here.

Though, I didn’t expect them to come here in the first place.

With a disheartened look, Taylor spoke.

“Is this why you asked me to come with you?””

“Yes.”

“I thought it was a date, so I even wore my nice underwear and dressed up.”

“Who wears such a thing to a dungeon?”

Of course it wasn’t just for that reason.

Usually, if a B-Rank dungeon is cleared alone, I would be paid 16 million won by the state.

A-Rank dungeon is 32 million won.

As the number of participants increases, the amount each receives would obviously be less, so I didn’t want that to happen.

Also, I was sure it wasn’t dangerous.

Since this is a S-Rank deformed dungeon, the amount varied, but the minimum would at least be 100 million won.

That is only the monetary portion of the reward.

The real reward is monopolizing all the items and knowledge found in the dungeon.

So, if I let others enter, wouldn’t I be giving away my rewards to others?

“Ugh…”

When I looked at Jang Dojin, he groaned with his head on the floor.

“To be honest, I’m doubtful. Seeing you guys spend tens of billions of won trying to get in here, and it seems like you’re putting a lot of effort into your image reform…If that is your plan, it doesn’t make sense to follow me in the first place. So I’m wondering if coming to kill me was really the reason?

Jang Dojin nodded immediately.

Thwak!!

Taylor trampled his head with her foot.

“Bullshit.”

She patted her baseball bat, and spoke.

“You’re nodding as if you already prepared an answer. Yes?”

“Kuh-uh!”

It looks like there was no pressure on her foot all.

But I knew very well that aether was leaking under the sole of her foot.

Jang Dojin would not be able to hold out as he’s already hurt.

Also I’ve heard the pain is so unbearable that even superhumans couldn’t endure it.

“Tell me.”

Said Taylor, then exactly 14 seconds later.

Jang Dojin opened his mouth after spasming like fried pork belly on a grill.

“Alright, I’ll tell you!”

“Oh. How come you’ve endured longer than the time it took to bake cheese? So what’s the reason?”

“Magic! To find out about magic!”

“…Magic?”

Taylor frowned at the strange word.

“Y-yes ma’am. I don’t know the details…There was a rumor that there’s something magical about this deformed dungeon, so the guild became interested.

“Oh, yeah? So magic. That’s amazing. Is there anything else?”

“Uh…We heard this dungeon had to do with magic. So we have to investigate it…”

Said Jang Dojin, looking at me with trembling eyes.

Well, they deserved it for getting in my way.

I also thought it was unreasonable for Lost Day to try and kill me in this deformed dungeon after my minor retaliation.

‘Magic.’

It’s been 30 years since monsters and superpowers appeared, and people have taken it for granted.

Now there are even Dimensional Returnees and people who single handedly wielded power rivaling that of an army, it’s no wonder there are people who believe magic is real and not a superstition.

But if Lost Day is really convinced in the existence of magic and has begun to go to great lengths to find it, I can’t sit back quietly.

In a sense, before they get magic, would they leave me alone when I’m in the way?

Unlikely.

That’s why I will have to deal with two things from now on.

Don’t let Lost Day harm me socially.

Don’t let Lost day harm me physically.

The first is to use the media, but the second is that I needed a group to belong to.

Which means I need a guild.

However, none of my connections have a larger group than Lost Day, but even if it did, I held no value for them to protect me.

‘This is annoying.’

Now that it has come to this, it can’t be helped.

I have no choice but to cut down some of the power on the other side.

“Yes. Besides that. Tell me more.”

“Kuh-aaah!!”

“Ah, fuck. Your spit went everywhere.”

“…Isn’t that because you used too much force?”

“Did I?”

Said Taylor with a smirk.

“I do like to tease people, but it’s not much fun teasing these bastards.”

After prying a little more information from them, Taylor drilled a hole through each of their chest, killing them instantly.

She was going to crush their heads with her baseball bat, but Seodam yelled at her to stop.

The face is the most valuable thing to have as evidence.

“Hm…Then.”

For a woman who had just killed three people, Taylor smiled with a lively face, and spoke.

“Shall we continue our date?”

---

S+ Rank monster, Demilich.

That is the boss of this dungeon.

[The target has traces of the former protagonist.]

‘The protagonist?’

< Correct. >

< The target was once the protagonist who finished their Epilogue. >

‘…Then why would the world end?’

Demilich was located at the top of the palace.

Thanks to that, I could see the spectacular view of this world.

This world is ending.

The ground and sky were slowly disappearing.

< The existence of this world was forcefully consumed by the protagonist. >

< When a world revolves around the protagonist, its energy to maintain itself is inevitably concentrated on the protagonist, and once it’s used up, the protagonist will see the Epilogue. >

< With the ending and the world having lost its energy, it will slowly collapse. >

< The collapsing worlds will roam through dimensions until they eventually cease to exist. However, it often appears in the form of a dungeon in other dimensions. >

‘Huh, was it something like that?’

< That’s why I made the contract to kill protagonists. >

Protagonists should not exist in the world.

A person who monopolizes the blessing of their world and consequently hasten the collapse of it.

< Demilich once had 12 wives, ten of thousands of loyal subjects, and everyone believed and followed him. >

< But after the Epilogue, the protagonist had consumed all the clichés and could no longer keep them with his own power. >

He took it for granted that his wives only loved him.

One by one, they left to other men after being neglected.

His loyal subjects conspired to assassinate or rebel against him, and the people revolted due to discontent.

The man who became the hero due to the world’s blessing had lost everything once the blessings disappeared, and eventually became a skeleton in front of them now.

Without blessings, he could not do anything, so in the end he couldn’t even become a proper lich.

To be honest, it isn’t hard to defeat the Demilich.

It failed to advance to a Lich, so it couldn’t even use magic properly and had to fight physically.

Taylor’s superpower is Light Refraction (S+).

A skill in which she summoned balls of light in the shape of a sphere, controlled it, and overpowered enemies with a move that disregarded the laws of physics.

Its output was almost the same as SS-Rank.

Her superpower is fraudulent, and even her equipment is fraudulent.

Exactly three days.

From entering the dungeon, to the deaths of the three hunters from Lost Day, to the fall of the once protagonist.

I could read the circuits in the palace and the structure of this dungeon, so it was easy avoiding the dangerous areas and saving time.

The dungeon will disappear once I leave.

However, I don’t intend to leave yet.

“You’re staying for four more days?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m trying to pull aggro.”

“You’re crazy.”

Taylor laughed while giggling.

I brought enough food to last a week, and it is more than enough if I count the food from the hunters of Lost Day.

If there is one problem, it’s that there isn’t much much to do here.

So I was going to take this time to practice magic.

I had decided to reveal my secret of knowing magic to Taylor.

We’ve always shared many secrets with one another.

Anyways.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?”

“What?”

Smacking her lips, Taylor slowly approached me.

“We are a young man and woman, what shall we spend four days doing?”

“Hey. Are you crazy? There are hundreds of years old dead bodies split into eight pieces scattered everywhere.”

“It’s beautiful and nice.”

“Crazy bitch.”

I think she really has a screw loose somewhere.

---

[Yes. It’s 23:50 here in Incheon City. It’s been almost a week since two hunters entered the deformed dungeon.]

The reporter continued.

[Rescue teams and numerous hunters are on standby in front of the deformed dungeon.]

A week has passed since Yoo Seodam and Taylor Nine went in.

They left exactly 00:00, and at exactly 00:00 a week later, numerous guilds will begin to enter along with the rescue team.

Among those who are waiting is Han Yoojun.

‘It’s going as planned.’

Watching the news, Han Yoojun leisurely chewed gum.

Even when the time comes, he won’t be entering the dungeon.

He is an A-Rank interpreter with no fighting capability.

However, he has told his guild members to take precautions several times because they were going in.

‘Once you’re inside the dungeon, find the three S-Rank hunters waiting somewhere.’

‘Make sure to turn on your analog signals so you can find them.’

It was a very hectic situation because reporters were camped around the dungeon.

It’s because the deadline is approaching.

Netizens were also going wild.

He looked through the posts on social media and read them.

[What can a F-Rank hunter do?]

[Did they end up dying?]

There were even malicious comments like ‘LOL.’

Of course, most were not like that.

Many posts were expressing their condolences or regret…

The important thing is that their death is a foregone conclusion.

Very few people can survive within a deformed dungeon for a week.

It’s possible that his guild members wouldn’t be able to hold out either.

To be honest, that’s fine with Han Yoojun.

Even if they died, they would have been able to deal with Yoo Seodam and investigated some of the deformed dungeon.

[There are five minutes until the deadline. Let’s hear from an expert now!]

[Uh…I think they…]

When a boring expert came on, Han Yoojun turned the news off.

They will enter any minute now.

Han Yoojun is not the only one who thought so, every other hunter here held their equipment with a solemn expression, and even the reporters lifted their camera to film the moment they would enter.

Suddenly, the entrance to the deformed dungeon disappeared, then a man and woman appeared.

“…What?”

At the same time, every reporter started talking.

[Breaking news! Hunter Yoo Seodam and hunt Taylor Nine successfully attacked a deformed dungeon and have returned!]

Ah.

Han Yoojun gulped, swallowing the gum in his mouth without realizing it.

There were cheers and sighs of relief everywhere.

However, Han Yoojun was speechless.

[God didn’t abandon them…Huh? Where’s hunter Yoo Seodam and hunter Taylor Nine going all of a sudden?]

Slowly, Han Yoojun stepped back instinctively, but Yoo Seodam was approaching him faster.

Only

No, it can’t be.

There’s no way, he thought.

[Now we can see that they came out of the dungeon with three big sacks. What the hell is that…ah!]

Thud.

Yoo Seodam and Taylor threw the three sacks in front of Han Yoojun.

Immediately, the sacks opened and the contents inside were revealed.

Han Yoojun dropped the tablet he was holding, but the reporters’ voice didn’t stop, and suddenly it all rushed into his ears.

[…The bodies of S-Rank hunters from Lost Day were found inside the dungeon…This, what the hell happened?]