Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Hiding It Is Useless
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Thud!
I slammed my fist into the gut of the approaching bastard.
Precisely into the left kidney area.
“Guh?”
The eyes of the horn-headed man, ‘Horn Guy,’ bulged wide.
Yeah, that shock hits hard, doesn’t it?
I felt the same when I first took it, you punk.
Grinning, I swung my fists in rapid succession.
My fists flew like homing missiles, nailing every vital point without a single miss.
Solar plexus, philtrum, temples, bridge of the nose, and so on.
And finally, right to the balls.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
The sound of thrashing a dog on the hottest day of summer echoed in all directions.
“Yeah. Now that we’ve met, let’s have a proper, all-out fight.”
Now I get how this world works.
If running into someone and beating them down turns them into a subordinate who follows my orders...
Then I just need to beat them all senseless, right?
And besides.
“...!”
“T-The boss went down that easily?”
“He’s a powerhouse! Closer to the War God than any of us!”
His underlings were watching from behind.
Which means if I crush this guy decisively, I won’t have to deal with any hassle from those others.
“So, drop dead.”
Thud!
I drove a brutal low kick into his thigh.
His body staggered atop the intense pain.
Thud, thwack!
I shoved three more punches in after that.
Then I broke his stance and sent him crashing to the ground.
The frantic ground-and-pound started up again on top of him.
Thud! Thwack! Thud! Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
There was something strangely exhilarating about the precise, rhythmic tempo of my strikes.
I regulated my breathing and hammered countless punches into every gap above his guard.
Without letting up until the battle lust faded from his eyes amid the relentless barrage.
Never slacking my power.
Never slowing my speed.
“Crazy bastard.”
The old man clicked his tongue.
“Looks like you’ve reached a whole new realm when it comes to beating someone down.”
It felt good.
Ah, not from pounding Horn Guy.
But because the old man’s been acknowledging me more lately.
And because I could feel deep in my bones that my skills were truly different now.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
How long did I keep at it?
“St-Stop! I lost! I surrender!”
The now thoroughly dejected Horn Guy finally shouted.
* * *
A mountain range rising beyond the horizon.
And atop the wasteland stretching out between it.
“Whew.”
As I sat catching my breath.
Thud!
The one-horned man dropped to his knees before me.
Not just kneeling—his face was so wrecked he looked like he needed a hospital bed right now.
“I am Wiradum. From this moment, you are my superior!”
And behind him.
“I am Gray! You’re my boss from now on!”
“You’re the real deal! Name’s Daro.”
“I acknowledge you! That fighting was impressive! The War God himself would approve!”
Around fifty of them knelt in succession, shouting their names.
Kneeling and proclaiming their names like that...
It felt just like watching some fanatic cult ritual.
That’s right.
In the blink of an eye, I’d become the leader of these battle-mad lunatics.
“Boss! Let’s hit up another village! Beat down the guys there and loot the place!”
“Nah, Boss! With your skills, we should go for a city! Word is cities have real-deal sparring arenas!”
“Sp-Sparring arenas?! You serious?!”
“Then we could brawl nonstop every damn day?!”
These insane bastards.
They didn’t seem to have any of the usual human big three desires.
Just the one.
Pure battle lust.
Not gourmet food, booze, or cozy homes.
Sparring arenas? That’s their jam?
“No way! You’re not planning to build a village here and hole up like the last boss, calling it ‘training,’ right!?”
“The boss is stronger than me! I’ll do whatever you command, but I wanna get to the War God’s side ASAP!”
“Let’s hit the road for the pilgrimage!”
From their chatter, I pieced it together.
Why villages even existed in a world consumed by nothing but fighting.
Had to be some bosses ordering their grunts to build them for short-term pit stops.
Fighting comes first.
But for survival, you’ve gotta eat, sleep... and fight.
“Ha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
So this was Bone Arm’s world?
This summon’s got a seriously off vibe.
‘Bone Arm.’
Unlike the others.
No bond built up with him so far.
Unlocked the Martial Artist class ages ago, but I’d been too focused on the rest.
I’m human too, you know—naturally bond more with the ones I’ve shared emotions with.
Cold truth, but the pre-awakened ones are just creaky skeletons, nothing more.
‘Should I summon him?’
Out of nowhere.
This urge to call out Bone Arm hit me.
Last time in the magic world.
Couldn’t summon Bone Ox, confirmed that.
But that was there.
This place might be different, right?
Vrrr!
A bit of energy stirred in my hand.
[Using skill, ‘Lord & King Summon’ (S-rank).]
[10 stamina used.]
Huh?
It’s actually working?
Crackle-crackle!
Just like always, something began materializing in midair...
But it wasn’t the usual pile of bones.
A man radiating overwhelming presence.
A sturdy build where even the muscles exuded dignity.
[‘Mugak’ appears.]
Mugak...?
I blinked.
Bone Arm’s past life?
“Master.”
He looked right at me and spoke.
????
Master?
So this isn’t Bone Arm’s past?
I was still a bit stunned by the totally different pattern when.
“At last, we meet, Master! I’ve waited so long.”
The man gazed at me with a joyful expression.
And with that.
“Now that we have, let’s fight! Master!”
“......”
What?
Damn.
This...
I’m losing my mind here?
* * *
The city presumed to be the nuke launch site, Sejed.
The magic tower mobilized every mage inside to restore the memories from there.
Using that data as a foundation.
U.S. government agencies and the World Hunter Association pooled their strength and sprang into action.
They combed through every scrap of data and intel to identify everyone who’d been there.
The result.
They rounded up and detained the vast majority.
Surprisingly, even in this manhunt.
China and Russia shared their intel.
Virtually every nation except the Hungarian border states had joined in.
Whooo!
Sejed Plains, chilled by the wind from the nearby nuclear blast city.
Right there on the ground.
BOOM!
A muscle-bound man slammed his fist down.
It cratered so deep it looked like a meteor strike.
“Who’s the bastard responsible?”
The man was Berserker Jang Dae-woong.
World ranking 19th, a top-tier ranker.
“You lot are clearly the ones who developed and fired that nuke, but which one of you did it? I’m asking who’s the backer. Huh? Who the hell launched a nuke at my little brother!”
Under Jang Dae-woong’s blazing glare.
The faces of the bound researchers drained white.
“You think I can’t take down your backer, so you’re clamming up? Or are you begging for a collapsed jaw?”
BOOM!
His fist cratered the plain once more.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
How could a human fist shake the earth like that?
“W-We really don’t know!”
“We’re the victims here too! We just took the money! They didn’t teach us a thing!”
“Ughhhh.”
The suspects trembled in terror.
Some screamed, others pissed themselves.
And beside them.
Vrrr!
A professor-level mage had his eyes shut, channeling a spell.
Sweat pouring down his face, his staff glowing white.
Flash!
The light faded.
And then.
“B-Berserker?”
“Yeah?”
“Seems like... they really don’t know anything?”
“...For real?”
The Berserker’s brow furrowed deep.
“Yes. At the very least, they’re not lying.”
“Then...”
Rumble-rumble!
An immense aura erupted from his body.
“No issue with smashing them all, right?”
Backer known or not.
These were the developers who’d secretly researched and launched a nuke on the international community.
Roooooooar...!
Jang Dae-woong’s killing intent blanketed the entire Sejed region.
* * *
Border nations conference room.
‘Stay calm.’
Klaus swallowed hard in secret.
‘No way they’ll trace it back.’
That Star Heavens Guide person on the hunt?
Magic tower plus U.S., China, Russia, World Hunter Association all teamed up?
CIA and FBI dropping everything for the investigation?
‘Pointless.’
It was a project planned with massive funds and airtight precision.
Every single person involved in the launch had been kept in the dark about the backer.
The nuke wasn’t fired by Romania.
It was the Black Divination Organization.
One so ruthlessly laundered clean that no matter how deep you dug, it went nowhere.
“Star Heavens’ Kim Jin-ah, was it? Well, if you say you’ve got it under control, I’ll play along.”
That was why Romanian President Klaus could afford to act so brazen.
“No power? Then you won’t obey, you say?”
Swipe.
He casually nudged Gi So-yul’s dagger aside with thumb and index finger.
Then returned to his seat with bold confidence.
“But.”
As he sat back down politely.
“You all must take responsibility for what you’ve done.”
He naturally interlaced his fingers.
Romania’s Defense Minister, watching from behind, inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘As expected of the President. No ordinary man.’
Of course.
That’s how he could flaunt such guts even after committing an atrocity no human would dare.
“Responsibility?”
Kim Jin-ah, who’d been listening quietly, let out a chuckle.
“No need for that.”
Not even a ranker.
Yet she radiated a charisma surpassing any.
“Just sit tight in your seats and wait—that’s all.”
Her tone sounded kind, but it brimmed with icy chill.
Gazing at Kim Jin-ah.
‘Hmph.’
Klaus sneered to himself.
‘What’re you gonna do about it?’
Go ahead, lock ’em up and interrogate forever.
See what you dig up.
There was a reason he’d been able to make that call in his office, cognac in hand.
It was that flawless.
That meticulous.
Klaus rubbed his interlaced fingers while staring at Kim Jin-ah.
Her rigid expression.
It was then that the corner of her mouth twitched upward just a fraction.
Why was that.
Klaus suddenly found the sight utterly terrifying.
Sweat slicked his interlaced hands.
Cold sweat began slowly soaking through his shirt from his back.
How much time passed like that.
“Ah, she’s here.”
That was when Kim Jin-ah nodded.
“Come on in.”
She called toward the back.
At the same moment, from that direction.
Step.
A lone man with his spear slung low approached slowly.
‘That guy...’
Someone with an unsettling, eerie vibe.
Staring me down intently the moment he entered.
Halt!
The approaching man stopped in his tracks.
“Judgment Spear Jang Wei. Just point out the one to judge here.”
“That all?”
The man’s voice made Klaus’s heart pound even faster.
“Yes.”
“Simple enough.”
With that.
The Judgment Spear’s gaze locked onto Klaus.
In that instant, Klaus felt a shiver crawl up his spine.
Whoosh!
The Judgment Spear thrust out his spear, pointing.
Straight at Klaus.
“Trying to mask that filthy, ugly stench by slathering on even worse rot?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
His heart hammered wildly.
‘How in the world.’
Klaus reeled inwardly.
‘How’d they find out?’
“Hm. To cover up your secret illegal experiments, you fired a nuke at Hungary.”
The Judgment Spear’s voice sent a chill rippling through the conference room.
“You’ve done deeds even demons would shun, yet how can you stand so brazenly. Klaus.”