Chapter 15
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Another Conspiracy (2)
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As soon as he took cover, a low voice rang out once more.
"I'll ask. What are you doing there, you little rat?"
A chilling voice, like metal scraping against metal. Jinwoo slowly turned his head.
Emerging from the darkness was a man whose presence felt utterly alien among the bandits.
He was clad head to toe in seamless black leather armor.
His face was shrouded in shadow, but the aura radiating from him was like that of a finely honed blade.
'Cain. Personal bodyguard captain to Trade Federation executive Silas. Assassin-type character who uses shadow stealth and a repeating crossbow.'
The game's data flashed through Jinwoo's mind.
Cain was the final line of defense, lurking in the deepest shadows of this cave from the start.
'I thought I could slip past if I stayed quiet. Guess not.'
This might force him into that tricky boss fight after all.
Cain didn't shout.
Instead, he let out a short, sharp whistle.
Whiiieee!
The atmosphere in the entire cave shifted in an instant.
"Intruder!"
"Seal the cave!"
Rumble!
Amid the clamor, dozens of bandits rushed in from the tunnel Jinwoo had entered, torches and pistols in hand.
Jinwoo was completely surrounded.
This cave was now a perfect sealed chamber—a execution ground designed to kill intruders!
The bandit leader Grak, who had been negotiating the deal, and Trade Federation executive Silas both rose from their seats.
Grak's face flushed with rage, but Silas wore an intrigued smile.
"Well, well. If it's crawled all the way in here, it's no ordinary rat. Your men are incompetent, Grak."
"Shut your mouth, Silas! I'll tear that bastard apart myself!"
"Calm down. We've got an entertaining show for once—no need to rush. Cain, test that one's skill."
At Silas's command, Cain silently drew his repeating crossbow.
Dozens of bandits encircled them on all sides.
Beyond them stood the executives and the assassin boss.
It was a desperate, do-or-die crisis.
"What are you, rat? Why so calm? Or are you frozen in fear?"
Cain taunted mockingly, but Jinwoo's expression didn't flicker.
His eyes pierced not the enemies before him, but a point on the cave ceiling.
'That unstable support beam behind them.'
'And the powder kegs stacked right next to it. A route I've exploited plenty in the game.'
Jinwoo locked eyes straight ahead with Silas and Grak, standing by the bonfire beyond the encirclement.
Then, as if conversing right in front of them, he spoke lowly.
"Sorry for ruining your deal."
"Begging for your life? Ha! Dream on. Rebel? Militia? Doesn't matter. You're dead today!"
Grak's voice rang out with unnatural clarity amid the cave's chaos.
"You'll pay with your lives."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a flash erupted from Jinwoo's hand.
Phush!
The muzzle wasn't aimed at the surrounding bandits.
The bullet grazed over their heads and slammed into the rickety wooden support beam precariously holding up the ceiling right behind where Silas and Grak stood.
Crack!
The wooden pillar shrieked as it began to split.
The impact sent a red powder keg, carelessly stacked right beside it, tumbling toward the bonfire.
"What the...?"
"Wait! Everyone, run!"
A cold smile crept onto Jinwoo's lips.
Time seemed to freeze.
The red powder keg rolled inexorably toward the heart of the roaring bonfire.
Horror flashed across bandit leader Grak's and Silas's faces.
The assassin Cain was just about to leap away reflexively.
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive roar swallowed every sound, shaking the cave.
The explosion's shockwave blasted outward, scattering the bandits like paper.
But that was just the beginning.
"Th-those things...!"
One bandit screamed.
Flames from the first blast had leaped to the crates of Trade Federation magic-engineered rifles stacked for the deal.
Sizzle, sizzzzzle...!
Unstable blue magic stone energy leaked from the crates, rampaging wildly.
Jinwoo, watching the scene, moved calmly, already anticipating what came next.
'Just as expected. The initial blast triggers secondary explosions in the magic rifles' stones, and the shock collapses the weakened supports completely. In 30 seconds, this space will split in two.'
As others screamed and flailed in panic, Jinwoo moved like a ghost.
He made the most efficient use of those 30 seconds.
'Take out the most annoying ones first!'
His muzzle turned toward the bandits—not the regular ones, but the sniper calmly readying his long rifle amid the chaos and the warlock beginning to chant.
Phush! Phew!
Two silent flashes, and the two most dangerous ranged attackers crumpled without a sound.
No one noticed Jinwoo's movements in the pandemonium.
Just then, another roar echoed from outside the cave.
As other bandits peered out, a blue meteor streaked from the dark night sky, a massive shadow engulfing them.
"Kieeeek!"
"Damn it! Pellicon! Uwaaaak!"
"Kill it!"
It was Falcon. Jinwoo's loyal partner, who perfectly understood the plan, was tearing through the external enemies, blocking reinforcements and escape routes simultaneously.
And finally, the 30 seconds Jinwoo had calculated passed.
Rumble rumble!
Kwa-gwagwang!
The weakened ceiling supports shattered under the chain explosions.
Dozens of tons of rock and debris cascaded down like a waterfall.
The cave split in two, screams and dust swallowing everything.
How much time passed? The choking dust began to settle.
A few torches and lanterns miraculously survived, faintly illuminating the hellscape inside the cave.
The once vast space was gone.
A massive rubble pile completely blocked the cave's center.
Most bandits near the entrance were buried under rocks, groaning or fleeing in terror through narrow gaps.
And beyond the rubble, in the deepest part of the cave, now like a throne room.
"...Kuhuk!"
Bandit leader Grak rose, bleeding. Beside him stood Silas, uniform in tatters, and Cain, unflinchingly re-gripping his repeating crossbow.
Behind them lingered only a handful of surviving elite soldiers.
And about 20 meters away from them.
Jinwoo quietly brushed off the dust and revealed himself.
Now, only Jinwoo and a few enemies remained.
The numbers were still against him, but the battlefield had completely flipped.
The vast cavern square had become a narrow, brutal arena where no one could escape.
"Now, let's end this."
In the dust-settled cave, three forces faced off in a triangle.
Rage-filled bandit leader Grak, coldly observing Trade Federation executive Silas.
And Jinwoo, standing at the center of all the chaos.
"You... you dare wreck my base...! Kill him!"
As Grak gnashed his teeth and shouted, his last loyal subordinates roared and drew shotguns.
Phushushushuk!
But their bravery was futile. Without moving a step, Jinwoo unleashed four flashes into the air.
His elite subordinates collapsed with precise holes in their foreheads, not even a scream escaping.
Stage cleared for the duel.
"......"
At the sight, Grak's rage turned to terror in an instant.
In that moment, assassin Cain melted into the cave shadows.
'Gone. But it won't help.'
Jinwoo didn't spare Cain a glance.
His eyes fixed solely on the two leaders, Silas and Grak. But all his senses focused on the thickest shadow behind him—the stalactite gloom.
"...This is a problem."
Silas dropped his amused facade for the first time, muttering in annoyance.
He slowly parted his uniform coat, revealing the blue-glowing magic-engineered pistol at his waist.
"No choice. I needed a test subject for my latest toy. Perfect timing."
Grak too drew a massive revolver. A suffocating silence filled the cave. Flickering torch flames, distant dripping water,
and the three men's heartbeats were all that echoed. Their hands hovered over their gun grips.
A classic Western showdown.
In that instant, the shadow writhed, and a crossbow thrust out.
Pew-puk! Pew-puk!
A silent volley of arrows stabbed toward Jinwoo's heart.
"Die."
Jinwoo's vision reddened once more. Showering arrows.
A blurry silhouette. What it aimed for: fanning stance.
'He might dodge one or two, but not a barrage.'
Phushushushuk!
Bullets poured out at Gatling-gun speed!
Jinwoo sprayed his gun. His bullets precisely struck and deflected Cain's arrows.
"All of them? Why don't his bullets run out?"
The shock threw Cain off balance momentarily. Jinwoo's second bullet lodged in his forehead.
The shadow vanished, enemies tumbling from the ceiling.
The assassin fell without a word.
Next to move was Grak.
Unable to hold back, he bellowed and drew his revolver.
Taang-!
But Jinwoo's muzzle flashed first.
Before Grak's revolver could fire, a red dot appeared on his forehead. He collapsed his massive frame to the ground, unaware of his own death.
Thud!
Almost simultaneously, Silas's magic pistol spat a blue beam.
Jinwoo leaped aside, but the beam grazed his shoulder, burning through leather armor. Agonizing pain seared as flesh charred.
"Kuk...!"
But Jinwoo's counter came at the same instant.
Even mid-leap, his aim held steady.
Taang!
The third gunshot. Jinwoo's bullet pierced Silas's heart dead center.
Silas stared disbelievingly at the hole in his chest before kneeling emptily.
"No... way... Me... to some nobody like you...."
Jinwoo clutched his burning shoulder and stood.
He approached the fallen Silas and pulled a glinting item from his pocket.
"Found it."
[Acquired the Trade Federation's Secret Communicator.]
[Decrypting stored magic within. 'Asset Recovery Plan' confirmed.]
[Special Quest: Find the Legendary Weapon, Hawk Eye!]
Rumble!
At that moment, the entire cave let out a final scream and began collapsing.
Jinwoo wasted no more time, tucking the communicator away and leaping out of the cave.
The instant he emerged, the entrance fully caved in, burying all evidence forever underground.
Dawn was breaking.
"Bandit gang wiped out, executive killed. The Trade Federation's regional disruption plan will be delayed for a bit."
This would give the rebels more breathing room.
After the all-night battle, Jinwoo felt exhaustion creeping in.
"No matter how good the abilities or weapons, can't do much about this fragile body."
In the end, fight even more thoroughly.
That was the only answer.
Jinwoo whistled.
Whiiieee!
A cry echoed from afar.
"Kieeeek!"
Falcon came bounding over as if waiting.
Jinwoo grabbed the canteen from Falcon's saddle and gulped it down. Lukewarm, but it quenched his thirst.
He turned the reins toward the new coordinates.
"Alright. Let's go."
The next quest was exactly what he needed.
Main quest progress.
And Infinite Ammo Pistol upgrade.
Time to catch both rabbits.