Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Judgment Window
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Do they have confidence in their own skills, at least?
Or are they relying on their meager numbers?
The Chinese men approached me quite boldly.
"Hmm."
Well, them coming closer was a good thing.
But.
"Isn't the smell way too strong?"
I instinctively pinched my nose and muttered.
"Whoa, the stench of blood... it smells worse than the poison mushrooms I just ate..."
I wasn't talking about that peculiar Chinese smell.
This was.
At minimum.
The smell of someone who had killed several people within the last week.
'Killers.'
I instinctively raised my guard in my mind.
At the same time, I felt a strange emotion.
Was I gradually becoming a veteran myself?
To be able to tell if someone was a killer just by the smell.
It left a bittersweet feeling.
"Hey."
I spoke bluntly without any sign of panic.
One of them called out to me with an intrigued expression.
"You've got a pretty good nose, like a dog's. But your grasp of the situation must be zero, huh?"
"Grasp of the situation?"
"You smelled the blood, right? Ever imagine that blood smell could be yours?"
Kek, ptui!
The man spat on the ground and cackled.
"Well, fine. A Necromancer might have confidence in their own skills, so that makes sense."
"......"
"But hey, have you ever thought about this?"
"Thought about what?"
"That we showed up here even though we know you're a Necromancer, and even though we saw you eat dozens of poison mushrooms unharmed."
"......Yeah, why did you?"
Woooong!
As I replied, I slowly began to draw up my energy.
Sss! Sss!
At my signal, the bones around us encircled my position in a circle.
"I wouldn't have done that."
Eldrin and Eldrin's subordinates were on the tree branches.
The rest gradually revealed themselves between the tree trunks.
Thud! Thud!
The shield soldiers led by Bone General.
Clang! Chaaang!
The melee attackers led by Bone One and Sun-yi.
And even Healer Bone Seven supporting them.
All of them were A-rank, B-rank monsters.
"What a strange feeling."
Seeing the four A-rank-looking hunters in front of me brought back old memories.
'Was it Assassin Go Jae-young?'
One of the Shadow Squad members who tried to kill me.
'I barely survived thanks to Gi So-yul.'
Back then, an A-rank hunter seemed like an insurmountable giant.
But now, I could afford to be this relaxed. It felt new.
It meant I'd grown a lot, right?
"H-Hey."
My summons' killing intent must have been intense, as one of the men stammered.
"How about we talk before fighting? There must be a reason God left a hole in the human group, right? Why so hasty?"
"......I was going to, but one of you seemed eager to see my blood."
Clearly.
They had threatened first.
"Whoa, you seem Korean. Is that why? Hasty, and you even have a bit of that scholar vibe. It was just a greeting, a greeting. A tough guy greeting between men."
Hmm.
In our country, we don't call that a greeting.
We call it having no manners.
Well, it could be a cultural difference, so I'll acknowledge it.
"So, what do you want to say?"
"Wanna join our team?"
"Team?"
That was an unexpected approach.
They saw me eat the poison mushrooms, came to steal points, and now they're offering a team-up?
Planning to take me out when I'm off guard?
"Sudden team-up? You guys reek."
"Well, I get why you'd think that. Showing up out of nowhere with this offer must seem ridiculous. But you don't want to risk coming all the way here either, right?"
That Chinese man.
He started off acting tough, but why was his tongue suddenly so slick?
"Let me be straight. The secret to being unaffected by poison. Just tell us that, and I'll guarantee your safety through this trial. As you've felt, we've been killers even before coming here. Killing people? We've done it like eating rice. That means we can handle all the dirty work for you as much as you want."
Oh dear.
Proud of killing people, are we?
"What if I refuse?"
"Then we have no choice. We're not the type to back down after saying this much; we have our pride."
Swish!
The killers drew their weapons threateningly.
At the same time, sticky killing intent filled the space.
'Can't be helped, huh?'
I didn't want to team up with such scum.
I wanted to refuse, but they say they'll fight if I don't join.
What to do then.
Fight, of course.
As you know, my creed is.
Don't let anyone who messes with me get away.
Give it back in equal measure.
"......"
I was about to smile and signal my bones to attack.
"Hm?"
The hairs all over my body stood on end.
The sensation of something powerful flying in from outside my vision.
'Something.'
There was something.
Not them. Another presence.
One far stronger than them.
"Found you. You filthy killers."
It was then that a curt voice flowed from behind the bushes.
'Right on cue.'
That man.
The one whose Taiqing Heart Method energy was dangerous enough to warn me.
"Y-You...?"
The killers panicked.
Why were they all so flustered? Who was this guy?
"J-Judgment Window, Zhang Wei...?"
Zhang Wei?
"You've killed three people recently... for reasons of [pleasure] and [greed]."
The man muttered in a flat voice.
His eyes showed no emotion.
Just a mechanical tone, like judging the guilty.
"Damn, it's him. Judgment Window was here."
"Crazy bastard. We just followed the rules here, so why the hell again?"
"Not foreigners, but fellow countrymen, and he has to do this?"
The killers turned their bodies in disbelief.
I decided to step back a bit and watch.
The situation was getting interesting.
'Judgment Window, Zhang Wei...'
I mulled over the name the killers shouted.
'I think I've heard of him once.'
Not a ranker, so I hadn't stored him long-term in my mind, but it vaguely came to me.
Nicknamed the Judge of Evil.
He utterly despised motiveless killings.
And his skill.
[Detection (S-rank)] apparently shows plainly who the opponent killed recently and why.
Of course.
He had an even more famous descriptor.
Namely.
China's once-in-a-generation genius.
World Ranking 10th.
Spear King's—Chen Ziyi's—sole disciple.
"......Shut up."
Killing intent flashed in the man's eyes.
"Those who sin must face punishment. In place of the innocents you wronged, I will judge you."
Clang!
Before the killers could make excuses.
Flash!
Judgment Window moved.
Whoosh!
A spear swung at tremendous speed grazed past the Chinese men's bodies.
"Hup!"
Cling! Claaang!
The panicked killers drew their weapons to block.
"No choice. Everyone, weapons up!"
"Yes, boss! We should've buried Judgment Window anyway."
"Killer of killers. Filthy hypocrite. That bastard's killed way more than us, bet?"
Being fellow countrymen.
There seemed to be some backstory between them I didn't know.
Swish!
I raised my hand to pull back the skeletons.
No need to get involved in their fight.
'But still.'
One curiosity.
'Disciple of the Spear King—how good is his spearwork?'
At my gesture, Sun-yi approached.
"Lord."
"Come on, let's sit here and pop some popcorn."
"Popcorn... you say?"
Sun-yi tilted his head, then crouched beside me.
He must have recalled Kim Jin-ah munching popcorn during the fierce battle with Eldrin.
"Yeah, let's enjoy the best show in the world—a dogfight."
"As you command."
Whoosh!
Turning my gaze, Judgment Window was gracefully wielding his spear.
Clang!
He deflected one killer's weapon.
Thud!
Followed by a dull sound as his sole slammed into the abdomen.
"Keuk!"
Judgment Window's movements didn't end in single strikes.
Every motion linked into the next.
Spearwork as if the spear were alive.
"Impressive realm."
"Oh?"
I was startled.
Who was Sun-yi?
In his previous life, a monstrous being who devoured a world's absolute with one spear.
And even he called it an impressive realm?
"Still immature, but I can clearly see the final form of spearwork he's aiming for. And his understanding is high enough to achieve it. Makes me curious who his master is."
"Really?"
The spearwork continued.
Judgment Window's movements were so fierce that the killers' momentum was breaking.
"Sh-Shit!"
"H-Hey. We were wrong, so stop! There were reasons!"
Despite the killers' pleas, Judgment Window kept moving.
Head, chest, legs.
Unpredictable attack positions.
Puk!
Soon, a hole pierced one killer's throat.
"K-Keurk!"
He clutched his throat with both hands, face in utter disbelief.
"Damn!"
"B-Boss! Shouldn't we bolt?"
The remaining killers freaked out.
Even with a comrade dead, no anger from them.
Only their own survival mattered.
"B-Boss?"
Thud!
Judgment Window's shin grazed the killer's calf.
He lost balance from the instant paralysis and collapsed.
Puk!
Judgment Window's spear plunged into his throat.
"Kuhuk!"
Two down already.
The overwhelming power gap took less than a minute total.
"Th-This isn't right. Boss, I'm out!"
Finally, one underling tossed his weapon and fled.
"Y-You bastard?"
The flustered Chinese boss glared, but.
Judgment Window was already upon him.
"Crazy."
Not even close in a 1:4, let alone 1:1.
He hastily raised his weapon to parry.
Puk!
What could he do?
His heart was pierced instantly.
Even if he tried to dodge, the unavoidable trajectory left no choice.
"K-Keurk!"
Even in the act of taking life, Judgment Window's eyes showed no tremor.
He emotionlessly stepped on the killer's stomach.
Then sharply yanked out the embedded spear.
Splash!
Crimson blood painted the air.
At the same time.
Using the stepped stomach as a pivot, he hurled the spear with all his might.
Whoooosh!
Such immense force.
The spear flew almost straight, no arc, embedding in the back of the last fleeing killer.
"......"
A scene straight out of a movie.
Flashy action.
Swish!
Having dispatched four in an instant, Judgment Window turned and stared at me.
'Whoa.'
Indeed, a chilling gaze.
I thought simultaneously.
If anyone besides me becomes a ranker leaving this place, it'd be him.
'Wonder who would win if we fought.'
He approached me with a solemn expression.
Then spoke to me, sitting.
"You alright? Hope I didn't overstep."
Whoa?
Pretty sweet tone for someone who just wrecked four people.
Yes.
As expected of his moniker.
He was scary only to those he judged.