Chapter 50: I Was Never a Genius. I’m Just an Ordinary Person.

Chapter 50: I Was Never a Genius. I’m Just an Ordinary Person.

“Who are you?” Chen Kong demanded.

Yong Amsan chuckled, his tone casual, almost playful.

“Who I am doesn’t matter,” he said, lifting his gaze. “Because you’re about to die. And the dead… don’t need to know too much.”

He spread his arms slightly, as if to stretch.

“Not that I wouldn’t love to chat a bit longer,” he went on, “but I’m afraid time isn’t on my side.”

His crimson eyes glowed.

“Well then, ‘genius’ Chen Kong—are you ready to die?”

The next instant, Yong Amsan raised his hand.

A torrent of molten heat erupted from his palm.

The blazing magma stream melted through the supermarket’s glass doors in an instant and roared forward—straight toward the checkout counter where Chen Kong stood.

Faced with that terrifying inferno, Chen Kong’s first instinct was to dodge.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the terrified cashier behind him—frozen in fear, unable to move.

His expression hardened.

Instead of retreating, Chen Kong stepped forward, placing himself between the magma and the girl.

He thrust out his right hand.

Void Mark—Return to Dust!

The moment the molten stream touched his palm, it began to unravel.

Like snow meeting sunlight, it dissolved—vanishing completely into thin air.

“What?!”

Yong Amsan’s eyes widened.

He could feel it—Chen Kong had used some kind of Star Origin ability to neutralize his magma.

But the problem was…

He couldn’t tell how Chen Kong did it.

Nor could he determine what Chen Kong’s Star Origin or even his type was.

And for a Starbearer, that kind of unknown was the most dangerous thing in the world.

So even though Yong Amsan’s words were dripping with arrogance, his movements were anything but careless.

Boom—!

Once again, magma flared from his palm.

But this time, his attack wasn’t aimed at Chen Kong.

It was aimed at the terrified civilians hiding behind the shelves.

Chen Kong’s face darkened instantly, fury flashing in his eyes.

But even through the anger, he didn’t lose control.

He dashed forward, positioning himself before the helpless people, and once again raised his hand.

Just like before, the searing magma vanished into nothingness the moment it touched his Void Mark.

He had stopped the attack.

But Yong Amsan’s gaze no longer held any trace of caution.

Because now, he understood.

He had seen through this so-called genius.

He had found his weakness.

“…I didn’t expect this, truly,” Yong Amsan said with a low laugh. 

“Chen Kong, I never imagined that the great ‘genius’ would care so deeply for a bunch of ordinary people.”

He tilted his head mockingly.

“To the point you’d throw away your own life for them.”

“Chen Kong, you really are the definition of an idealistic fool.”

“But you know…”

Yong Amsan’s grin widened, his eyes burning like lava.

“As an enemy, someone like you makes me feel surprisingly safe.”

“Since you love saving people so much,” Yong Amsan sneered, spreading his arms wide, “then why don’t I let you save them all at once?”

In an instant, the man’s skin flushed red, bulging grotesquely in dozens—no, hundreds—of places. His body twisted and writhed, covered in pulsing, sickly lumps that made one’s stomach churn just to look at.

But a closer look revealed—they weren’t tumors at all.

They were miniature volcanoes.

BOOM—!

Yong Amsan’s star energy surged through his veins.

A storm of molten magma burst forth from every “volcano” dotting his body, roaring outward in a furious blaze.

Streams of molten fire shot across the air like a meteor shower, raining down upon the supermarket in a deadly, fiery downpour.

Chen Kong’s eyes widened.

The sheer number—there was no way he could block them all!

But the people inside had finally recovered from their initial shock. Shrieks and cries echoed through the aisles as everyone bolted toward the emergency exit at the back, desperate to flee from the inferno blazing near the front entrance.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Chen Kong raised his hand, Void Mark blazing, neutralizing wave after wave of molten flame.

But even with all his strength, he could only stop seventy percent of them.

The remaining streams crashed into shelves, igniting everything they touched.

Within seconds, the supermarket was engulfed in flames.

Plastic packaging melted into thick, choking smoke that filled every corner of the building.

The air grew thin and suffocating.

Fire raged like wild horses breaking free, crashing from one aisle to another, devouring everything in sight.

People screamed and pushed their way toward the only escape route—the narrow emergency stairwell.

But so many people rushing in at once… it was chaos.

The passageway was jammed almost instantly.

Amid the panic, women and children were shoved, stumbling and falling hard onto the ground.

And through the smoke, a faint voice could be heard—

A little girl in a teddy bear T-shirt was kneeling beside a collapsed shelf, frozen in fear, completely unaware that the ceiling above her was cracking, seconds away from collapse.

“Watch out!”

In that instant, Chen Kong dashed forward.

He grabbed the girl and pulled her into his arms, shielding her with his body—

CRASH!

A heavy slab of ceiling smashed down on his back.

The impact forced a strangled grunt from his throat, the pain sharp and bone-deep.

Warm blood trickled down from his forehead, blurring his vision.

But even through the agony, Chen Kong’s first thought wasn’t himself.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, forcing a smile through the pain.

“Are you okay?”

His voice trembled, but he still smiled—that same gentle, reassuring smile.

In the flickering firelight, his bloodied face looked pale as ash.

And it was only then—only in that moment—that one would realize something that should’ve been obvious from the start.

That the one risking everything to protect others…was himself just a twelve-year-old boy who needed protection too.

The little girl didn’t fully understand what had happened.

But seeing his smile, she nodded instinctively, her small head trembling.

“I’m… I’m okay…” she whispered.

Chen Kong let out a long, shaky breath of relief.

Chen Kong gently set the little girl down, pointing toward the now-cleared fire escape.

“Go. Get out through there. Don’t stay here any longer.”

The girl nodded hard, tears streaking her smoke-stained cheeks. Then, with her short little legs, she stumbled off toward the exit, disappearing into the thick haze.

From behind the flames came a mocking laugh.

“I’ll never understand you hypocritical types,” Yong Amsan said, his voice echoing amid the crackling fire. “Even when death’s right in front of you, you still waste your breath worrying about others.”

He stepped forward, molten footprints sizzling against the tiled floor.

“Tell me, boy—are you really not afraid to die?”

Chen Kong lifted his head. Through the wavering heat, he could see him clearly now—Yong Amsan had entered the burning supermarket, standing only ten paces away.

His body screamed in pain as he forced himself upright, but his gaze didn’t waver.

“I am afraid,” Chen Kong said softly.

“Oh?” Yong Amsan arched a brow, smirking. “Then why don’t you run?”

There was a brief silence. The flames roared between them.

Then, Chen Kong answered.

“…Because if I run,” he said, “they won’t have anywhere left to run to.”

His tone was calm—too calm.

He wiped the blood from his eyes with a trembling hand, his fingers slick and red.

“And besides,” he added quietly, “I was never a genius. I’ve just been… a lucky ordinary person, that’s all.”

His hand reached to his waist, pulling out the custom-made black pistol he always carried.

He raised it—aimed straight at Yong Amsan’s head.

The barrel shook.

His arm quivered violently from both fear and pain.

But his eyes… his eyes were steady.

BANG!

The shot rang out, slicing through the smoke-filled air.

The black bullet tore through the burning supermarket, cutting a straight line toward Yong Amsan’s forehead.

Perfect aim.

But, Yong Amsan didn’t even move.

He just stood there, the flames dancing around him, lips curling into a twisted smile of mockery.

. . .

“Xing, I’m heading to the store for a bit. Keep an eye on the house, will you? And about the meat cutting—guess I’ll leave that to you. No way my knife skills can compare to yours!”

“Tendou!!!”

The furious roar from inside the villa went unanswered.

By then, Tendou had already dashed out through the front gates—racing down the empty streets at impossible speed, heading straight toward the shopping district supermarket.

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