The Jiangshi Trap
At that moment, on the path leading to the first rest area of the sixth vertebra.
A single carriage escorted by over a dozen guards was precariously making its way along the narrow road.
The carriage looked luxurious at first glance, and the middle-aged man seated in the driver's position wore armor that anyone could tell was exorbitantly expensive.
Perhaps it was the tension.
A heavy silence blanketed the area around the carriage when suddenly a group dropped from the trees ahead.
“Wahahahaha!”
“You bastards! Perfect timing!”
“Count yourselves lucky! You’re the first customers we’ve had in this world!”
“Hehehe, I’m so damn glad to see you! You sons of bitches!”
The horse pulling the carriage froze in shock at the sudden appearance of the group.
Hiiiiiiing!
“Whoa, easy there. We’re not robbing you.”
“Technically, aren’t we robbing them? We have to take them with us.”
“You idiot! We’re robbing their owner, not these guys.”
“Haha, guess you’re right.”
Far too cheerful for people who had just leaped out of nowhere.
They were the bandits of the True Dragon Fortress.
At the head of the bandits stood Bbakbbaki.
The greatsword once used by the orc chieftain Kanakku rested on his shoulder.
The very blade he had received from Jin Chen and had repaired by Jang Old Man.
Wielding it for the first time, Bbakbbaki scanned the carriage with eyes burning with strange heat.
He too felt a surge of excitement at committing his first act of banditry since arriving in this world.
The rest of the bandits felt the same.
Barkan and the mercenaries gripped their weapons tightly, half tension and half thrill running through them.
It’s not enough to just twist your face. Study actions that actually scare the opponent.
Lick the axe blade, scratch your head with the sword, smear animal blood on the weapon before setting out.
Move sloppily, spit now and then, and glare like you’re about to kill them.
Barkan and the others faithfully applied every trick they had learned from the bandits and stared down the carriage.
We are bandits.
We are the True Dragon Fortress.
As he repeated the words, a sudden thought struck him.
Life really is strange.
In all his years, he had never once imagined becoming a bandit.
During his mercenary days he had even encountered bandits.
Every time he had pitied them, wondering why they lived that way.
Yet here he was, working harder than anyone to become one.
Still, he felt no regret.
Because he served a fortress leader stronger than a dragon!
Barkan and the mercenaries recalled the dragon fangs and claws displayed in front of the leader’s quarters.
Overwhelming excitement and confidence surged through them uncontrollably.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”
“We are the True Dragon Fortress, you bastards!”
“Come on! Come at us! We’ll rob the entire empire clean!”
The bandits chuckled at the sight of Barkan and the others.
“Our new recruits are really fired up.”
“No kidding. I wondered when we’d give them their initiation, but these guys got lucky.”
“All right! Let’s hand this robbery over to the newbies.”
“Tsk, I wanted to try out this translation bracelet. Shame.”
“You’re already using it. Pretty sure those guys understand every word we’re saying.”
While the bandits chatted cheerfully, Bbakbbaki suddenly hardened his face.
He slowly lowered the greatsword from his shoulder and spoke in a low, stern voice.
“Everyone… prepare for battle.”
The bandits’ expressions flipped instantly from laughter to deadly focus.
With faces like stone they gripped their weapons and raised their internal energy.
Barkan and the others also stiffened and stared ahead at the abrupt shift in mood.
Having spent years as mercenaries, their situational awareness was second to none.
Once the bandits’ atmosphere had turned ice-cold, Bbakbbaki spoke again.
“You bastards… were you waiting for us?”
They were the ones doing the ambushing.
They had set out after receiving word from the crows responsible for surveillance around the fortress.
Logically, Bbakbbaki’s words made no sense.
Yet none of the bandits questioned him.
They simply glared at the carriage with even graver expressions.
Watching them, the coachman curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“Pretty sharp. Thanks to you, we won’t waste any time.”
“Do you know about us?”
“I plan to find out right now. But where did you get that translation artifact? I’m certain I didn’t see it when I scouted you earlier.”
“So you were watching our fortress?”
“I originally intended to watch the orc village, but then you people settled in. A whole crowd of black-haired, black-eyed individuals—rare on this continent.”
“So you set this trap? To lure us out?”
“Correct. I wanted to test what kind of people you were. Black hair holds special meaning for us as well.”
The coachman continued with a sly grin.
“But how did you figure it out? You even prepared a carriage and put on this uncomfortable armor. Quite the preparation.”
“The guards didn’t react at all when we appeared. It was as if… they were being controlled.”
Bbakbbaki’s eyes sank like cold steel as he studied the mercenaries guarding the carriage.
They stood in leather armor, each holding a single sword.
Pale faces showing no emotion, eyes completely devoid of life.
After confirming it, Bbakbbaki narrowed his brows.
“Jiangshi?”
“Now that’s surprising! I never imagined that word would come out—and pronounced perfectly!”
“So they really are Jiangshi.”
“Perfect! It took me a long time to learn to say it correctly!”
The coachman kept expressing his astonishment.
Bbakbbaki tightened his grip on the greatsword, eyes cold as ice.
“Enemies. Extermination protocol.”
The dozen bandits kicked off the ground without answering.
When Barkan and the others tried to follow, Bbakbbaki shouted.
“You return to the fortress! Report the situation immediately!”
Barkan ground his teeth at the order.
It wasn’t exclusion. They were simply the weakest.
He honestly had no idea what a jiangshi even was.
But the bandits’ atmosphere made it clear there was no time to hesitate.
Barkan called to his men.
“Move!”
“Yes sir!”
Barkan and his subordinates quickly left the path and began sprinting away.
Watching them go, the coachman—Squad Leader Lee—smiled coldly.
“Those can be killed. Go deal with them.”
At Squad Leader Lee’s command, the two jiangshi at the rear of the carriage shot forward.
They raced after the rapidly disappearing Barkan and his men.
That was when it happened.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A massive explosion sent the two jiangshi tumbling across the ground.
Step. Step.
Bbakbbaki slowly raised his greatsword and leveled it at Squad Leader Lee.
“The only one allowed to surpass me is the fortress leader.”
Black Dragon Divine Sea
Wooooooooooooong.
As if to prove his claim, dark energy erupted from the greatsword.
Squad Leader Lee let out a short laugh.
“Kukukuku, I’ve always wondered. Just how effective jiangshi are. I’ve only faced monsters until now, so I never had the chance to test it… but today I finally will.”
“You should save your breath. You’ll soon be answering our questions obediently!”
Bbakbbaki kicked off the ground and hurtled toward Squad Leader Lee.
Dark Transfer
Black energy swallowed Squad Leader Lee and he vanished.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
The spot where he had been sitting shattered beneath Bbakbbaki’s greatsword.
Where is he!
Bbakbbaki scanned the surroundings, but the coachman was nowhere to be seen.
A metallic sound rang in his ears.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Ugh!”
Ten against ten.
Yet the ones being pushed back were the bandits.
Even though sword energy coated their weapons, they couldn’t cut the jiangshi down and were repelled.
Still, none of the bandits had taken any damage yet.
They were all dodging the jiangshi attacks perfectly using their footwork techniques.
Bbakbbaki gripped his greatsword harder.
He had never fought jiangshi before.
He had only watched Jin Chen face them right before falling into this world.
That was why he knew.
Just what kind of monstrous strength jiangshi possessed!
If this continued, they would be the ones to tire first.
With a firm heart he leaped into the middle of his subordinates.
Wooooooooong.
He poured sword qi into the blade and swung.
Kwaaaaaaaaang.
Three jiangshi flew back in a huge explosion.
Even with severed arms they rose to their feet as if nothing had happened.
Kraaaaaaaaa!
Whether ignited by pure ferocity, they roared and charged even more madly.
Bbakbbaki shouted.
“Everyone, form up!”
Instead of answering, the bandits gathered rapidly using their footwork.
With Bbakbbaki at the front, the bandits assembled in a diamond formation.
They began to meet the jiangshi swarming from every direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, Squad Leader Lee hid himself among the thick trees.
He gazed down at the battlefield, eyes glinting coldly.
A top-tier sword master, and all ten others top-tier sword experts.
He had assessed Bbakbbaki and the bandits’ realms at a glance.
Just where did people like this come from?
The answer arrived quickly.
Different language, bizarre movements, black hair and black eyes.
As those details clicked, a chilly smile spread across Squad Leader Lee’s face.
Kukukuku, they really are similar to that man.
If he captured these bastards alive?
He would surely receive a tremendous reward.
But that anticipation did not last long.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ten jiangshi were being flung aside helplessly.
Seeing them fail to inflict any damage on the bandits, Squad Leader Lee narrowed his eyes.
I can’t drag this out.
Some had already gone to report the news.
If everyone in that fortress possessed this level of skill?
Ten jiangshi would not be enough.
Squad Leader Lee’s eyes flashed coldly as he made his decision.
He would abandon his greed.
Having resolved himself, he activated the circles in his heart.
Ziiiiiiing.
"Barus Gru."
⟨ Jiangshi Self-Destruct ⟩
The self-destruct incantation for the jiangshi.
It displayed far greater power when they could still be controlled rather than when they were mere corpses.
And with that power, it should be enough to handle the bandits.
He would take only one—the strongest bald man!
The moment the spell finished, three of the jiangshi charging the bandits emitted black smoke from their entire bodies and exploded.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Within the deafening blast, Bbakbbaki’s roar rang out.
“Black Dragon Divine Sea!”
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Flesh and bone fragments of the jiangshi flew in every direction.
The power was so immense that every nearby tree toppled, yet the bandits remained unharmed.
A dark curtain stood before them.
As Squad Leader Lee’s face twisted in fury, Bbakbbaki staggered with a short groan.
Squad Leader Lee immediately began chanting again.
"Barus Gru."
⟨ Jiangshi Self-Destruct ⟩
Three more jiangshi charged the bandits, and Squad Leader Lee smiled brightly.
Kukukuku, it’s over.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
An enormous explosion erupted from where the bandits stood.