Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Inner Demon (1)
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When I was first designated a public enemy of the martial world, I wasn't too worried.
In fact, I thought it was a good thing.
Since I'd already decided to change my goal to becoming the Martial Alliance Lord, there was no reason to refuse them coming to me.
But it didn't take long for that thought to change.
“We will return your deposit, so please leave our inn.”
I was kicked out as soon as I returned to the inn from the imperial palace.
Well, I thought a penalty like this wouldn't matter much, but no inn would take me in.
The attacks continued, even in the marketplace, on the roads, and in the mountains.
Everyone who passed by, regardless of age or gender, was after us.
To be more precise, they were assassins disguised as ordinary people.
Ah, of course, their skills weren't that great, so it wasn't a huge problem, but being ostracized by people was a bit troublesome.
No inn would accept us.
Even ordinary people, not assassins, avoided us as if they'd seen a ghost whenever we tried to speak to them.
It seemed to be because we were constantly being attacked.
To prevent others from getting caught up in it, we left the city.
Of course, the attacks continued even after we left.
“Mister, this is really endless.”
Even Rina looked fed up, and everyone else was clearly exhausted.
Their skill level wasn't very high, but their numbers were staggering.
Today alone, I've already killed over thirty people.
If you add the number of people my companions killed, it would probably be over a hundred.
It's ironic, considering that when I met the emperor a little while ago, I said I thought of the residents of the 65th floor as people too.
Ah, of course, I wasn't being insincere when I said that, but I couldn't show mercy to assassins charging at me with swords.
It was a kill-or-be-killed situation, so I had no choice.
Still, it's the first time I've killed so many people, so I don't feel very good about it.
If they were monsters, I wouldn't have felt this way...
Among the assassins who attacked us, there were even many young kids who looked to be barely in their teens.
They had never even met me, simply because I was a public enemy of the martial world...
Bio, who was watching our companions clean up the scene, took a step toward me.
“You seem greatly troubled.”
“I killed too many people today.”
“Weren't they all people who attacked you? It was a situation where you would have died if you didn't kill them, so don't worry about it too much.”
I know Bio is right.
“Yeah... Bio, is it possible to teleport to the Martial Alliance Lord's location?”
I asked, hoping to quickly deal with the Martial Alliance Lord and move on without taking more lives, but Bio slowly shook his head.
“That would be difficult. If you stay in one place without moving, he will eventually come to you.”
I suppose so.
But how many more people will I have to kill before that Martial Alliance Lord fellow shows up?
“Bio, is this right?”
Of course, I have no intention of letting myself be killed, but I'm not some psychopath who enjoys murder.
“When the mind is in turmoil, the sword dulls. Think of your goal.”
My goal...
I swung my sword once, shaking off the blood that coated it.
There's still a long way to the 100th floor. I can't break down here.
But is it right to kill so many lives for my goal?
I'm not so sure.
****
After one night, the Public Enemy of the Martial World penalty was strengthened.
[Day 2 Public Enemy Penalty: Go It Alone is now in effect.]
As midnight passed, a notification window appeared, and at the same time, all my companions around me disappeared.
I immediately tried to take out their cards to summon them again, but it was no use.
[While the Public Enemy Penalty: Go It Alone is active, summoning companions is impossible.]
And so, the only ones left by my side were Geum-yong and Nix.
“Ppoyo! Ppoyo!”
KABOOM—
The red flames erupting from Nix's body incinerated the assassins before me without a trace.
[You have defeated Sangcheon Sect Leader Gal Ma-hyeok.]
[You have defeated Sangcheon Sect Elder Sam Gi-ung.]
[You have defeated Sangcheon Sect Protector Gam Su.]
[You have defeated Sangcheon Sect's First Disciple Baek Ji-hwa.]
Even though this was a quiet hill some distance from the city, this was already the fifteenth attack today.
“Good work, Nix.”
“Ppoyo!”
Of course, even with just Nix and me, we can handle most assassins without a problem.
Geum-yong waddled over and began to search the corpses.
[Obtained Sangcheon Sect Leader's Token x1.]
[Obtained Sangcheon Sect Protector's Token x1.]
[Obtained Gold Ingots x12, Silver Coins x27.]
“Kkyuing!”
“Right. You did a good job too, Geum-yong.”
Our Geum-yong is consistently pulling his weight.
But the problem is the Martial Alliance Lord.
He's obviously not on the same level as the emperor, but if he's on par with the Heavenly Demon, one of the three great powers, he'll be no pushover.
Since Bio had promised to help, for once, I wasn't too worried, but...
*Grumble—*
My stomach churned, demanding to be fed.
Come to think of it, I've been under constant attack since dawn today, just like yesterday, so I haven't eaten anything.
I spread my consciousness and, thankfully, it seemed there were no more enemies nearby, so I slumped down under a tree.
“Nix, keep an eye on our surroundings.”
“Ppoyo! Ppoyo!”
Still, just in case, I asked Nix to stand guard and took out some hardtack and beef jerky from my inventory.
There's other food in the icebox, but since I don't know when the next attack will come, it's better to eat something simple.
I also took out one of the few remaining bottles of cola from the icebox.
As I bit into the hardtack, a dry, chalky taste filled my mouth, and I felt my throat close up.
I don't think even the hardtack I ate in the military was this bad...
I gulped down some cola to wash it down and tore off a piece of jerky to chew.
I miss the Chinese food they sold at the inn.
It wasn't as good as Kabisa's, but it was quite unique and tasty. What is this miserable life...
As I tore off another piece of jerky, Nix flew toward me at high speed.
“Ppoyo!”
Judging by its urgent warning, another enemy must have arrived.
I hastily stuffed the hardtack and jerky into my mouth, washed it down with cola, and stood up.
I'd barely satisfied my hunger, but it seemed I wouldn't even get time to properly digest.
A moment later, dozens of people appeared one after another, led by an old man in a blue uniform, and surrounded me.
“Public Enemy of the Martial World, Oh Hyeon-ung! Throw down your sword and obediently offer your neck!”
The old man with a bushy beard at the front spouted nonsense.
“What foolish words. Do you think anyone would actually say, ‘Yes, please take it,’ after hearing that?”
My taunt made the old man's face flush red.
“You wicked Otherworlder! The Alliance Lord said he is nearly here, so just hold on for a little longer!”
It seemed he was trying to boost his allies' morale by announcing the Alliance Lord's arrival, but I was actually happier to hear it.
“Hey, old man! If the Martial Alliance Lord is nearby, how about we wait for him? I have no desire to slaughter the weak.”
If I could just deal with the Martial Alliance Lord quickly, there would be no need to kill these people.
“What nonsense are you spouting! Attack now!”
At the old man's command, the people in uniforms drew their weapons and charged at me.
I didn't want to kill anymore...
A man who looked to be in his early thirties was the first to reach me, swinging his sword.
It was quite fast, but not by my standards.
When I caught the blade with my bare hand, a look of bewilderment appeared on my opponent's face.
“I'm sorry.”
*Snap—*
I broke the sword and struck his chest with the hilt.
*Thwack—*
[You have defeated Martial Alliance's Bicheon Hall Vice-Leader Yeon Sin-ho.]
I didn't use much force, but it seems he died in a single blow.
“Senior Brother Yeon!”
“You vile demonic fiend, how dare you!”
Demonic fiend?
They were the ones who swung their swords first, so I don't understand why they're denouncing me like this.
“When you swing a sword, shouldn't you consider that you might die as well?”
I have no personal grudge against them, but I can't just let them kill me.
“Shut up, you son of a bitch!”
A woman with short hair, who seemed close to the Yeon fellow who just died, screamed and charged at me.
“How dare you kill Senior Brother Yeon... Die!”
She aimed for my stomach, but she was slow.
Even slower than that Yeon guy from before.
*Clang— Crash—*
I twisted my body lightly to dodge and, imbuing my will into my hand, struck the incoming blade.
The sword shattered into pieces, showering the woman.
*Thud- thud- thud-*
The flying blade fragments embedded themselves all over the woman's body, turning her into a porcupine.
[You have defeated Martial Alliance's Bicheon Hall member Hwa Ran.]
It was a gruesome sight, as if she had been hit by shrapnel from a grenade.
“Ran-ah!”
“You wicked demonic fiend! How could you do this to Ran so horribly...”
“I won't let you get away with this!”
Everyone glared at me, their eyes bloodshot.
Man or woman, if they swing a sword at me, they are an enemy.
A sword does not discriminate based on gender.
“Weren't you the ones who charged first? I believe I said I would wait for the Martial Alliance Lord.”
I answered calmly, but the atmosphere among those in the blue uniforms did not settle.
Another sword flew at me.
Absurdly slow.
I dodged a few times, but I couldn't stall forever, so in the end, I had no choice but to extinguish their lives one by one.
[You have achieved the feat of annihilating the Martial Alliance's Bicheon Hall. Agility Stat +1]
The achievement notification appeared, but I felt nothing.
There were about thirty of them remaining, a large number, but their skills were all pathetic.
It felt like about ten minutes.
The old man who was giving orders, the Bicheon Hall Leader, was it?
He managed to dodge my attack just once, but whether it was luck or not, a miracle didn't happen a second time.
Could you even call this a battle?
This was just a one-sided slaughter.
The earth was stained with blood.
Corpses were strewn everywhere.
Geum-yong scurried between them, collecting items.
I used to be unable to watch even horror movies, let alone gore.
Normally, this gruesome scene before my eyes would have made me want to vomit dozens of times.
But now, I feel nothing of the sort.
Just yesterday, I felt incredibly uncomfortable about it...
Have I already grown accustomed to killing?
“Kkyuing!”
As soon as Geum-yong returned after collecting the items, I used my will to overturn the earth and bury the corpses.
Of course, bloodstains still remained here and there, and the metallic scent of blood lingered, but I clasped my hands and bowed my head.
“I'm sorry.”
Honestly, that's a lie.
I don't feel any sense of apology at all.
Still, if I don't at least do this, it feels like something inside me will break...
That's how I felt.
I miss my companions.
Without my companions, my heart weakens, and it feels like an inner demon is creeping in...
Sensing a murderous intent, I unfurled my wings and quickly retreated.
KABOOM—
Almost simultaneously, a massive impact shook the ground, leaving a deep crater.
Embedded in the center was a huge black greatsword.
The corpses I had just gone to the trouble of burying were exposed again.
“You dodged that? Just as I heard, you're no ordinary fellow!”
A man in white, who looked to be in his forties, hovered in the air, glaring at me.
My skin tingled, and the hair on my body stood on end.
He's on a completely different level from the attackers so far.
“Are you the Martial Alliance Lord?”
“That's right, you Otherworlder! Obediently offer your neck.”
It's annoying how they all spout the same nonsense as if by agreement, but I'm truly relieved.
If I just take care of him, I can see my companions again,
and I won't have to kill any more people.