Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Pathetic, You Bastard
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Pathetic. You bastard.
Time stopped.
The world fell silent, as if a monochrome filter had drained all color away, leaving only black and white.
Black raindrops hung motionless in the air.
Students screaming with mouths agape. Instructor Na Yeo-rin with her eyes squeezed shut.
Even the Death Knight poised for its final strike.
Everything in the world except me had frozen.
"First things first, gotta save Na-yeon."
I slipped my arms under my childhood friend's armpits and hoisted her up effortlessly.
Then plopped her down on the bench.
The exact spot where I'd been lounging, sucking down honey moments ago.
Now all that was left was to kill the Death Knight, and the chaos would end.
"Big lug like you, picking on a girl."
Thud!
I gave the back of the Death Knight's knee a light kick from behind.
As it buckled to its knees, its head dropped to the perfect height for grabbing.
"This guy's got zero reaction."
That ogre thing had moved even in stopped time.
Admittedly, excruciatingly slowly.
But this one couldn't even roll its eyeballs.
I placed my palm atop the Death Knight's helmet.
When I flexed my fingers, the helmet crumpled like cheap plastic.
"Farewell. I'm no knight, so skip the formalities."
I gave my wrist a casual twist and yanked upward.
Crunch!
The sickening grind of twisting bone vibrated through my palm.
Pop!
With a crisp burst, the giant's head tore free into my grip.
Clean disassembly. No mess, no fuss.
"Undead die when you rip off the head, right? Done and dusted."
Whoosh!!
Rain lashed my eardrums as color flooded back into the frozen world.
"...Huh?"
The first to react was Yoo Na-yeon, who'd braced for death with eyes shut.
She blinked open her eyes in bewilderment.
Thud!
The headless giant flailed its sword in the air before toppling forward in a pathetic heap.
Black smoke belched from the ragged stump of its neck like chimney exhaust.
Situation resolved.
"...."
Silence blanketed the battlefield.
The legendary monster that had toyed with an S-Rank Hunter lay decapitated in the blink of an eye.
No one could process it right away.
Onlookers rubbed their eyes, then rubbed them again.
"Instructor Kim Cheol-su...?"
"Isn't that the Death Knight's head you're holding?"
"No way. Yoo Na-yeon Hunter didn't even land a hit."
Everyone's brains had stalled out, but their eyes locked straight on me.
'Yeah. Feast your eyes on this.'
I hoisted the Death Knight's head high for all to see.
'Take a good look at who deserves the bigger paycheck...! Sniff!'
Thinking of Yoo Na-yeon's daily commission fee for the day made my eyes well up.
Making money off someone else was tough work.
As the students clustered and buzzed, a booming roar erupted from the head in my hand.
"Hahaha! Splendid! Who will be the next brave warrior?!"
It was the Death Knight's voice.
The damn thing had no clue its head was severed and was yapping away merrily.
"What's this?! No one's left already...?!"
Red glow flickered from within the helmet.
"No warriors left? Then no business here. One last blaze to turn this city to ash, and I'll call it a day..."
The Death Knight trailed off mid-sentence.
Even this dimwit was starting to sense something off.
"My body... My body won't move...!"
"Shut up and fade out quietly, will ya?"
I scowled, meeting the Death Knight's gaze.
"You! What are you?! When did you...?!"
"Me? Imperial Hunter Academy. Temporary Instructor Kim Cheol-su."
"Temporary... instructor...?"
The Death Knight blinked.
"Hmph. Ahem. You boldly declare your name, so you must know the code of chivalry too."
Chivalry, huh.
I'd snuck up and decapitated it, sure, but I'd saved the woman and kids. Knightly enough.
"If you're a knight, dispel this bizarre illusion at once and face me honorably one-on-one."
Illusion? What a clown.
"And what's with you going on about knighthood?"
"You ask my name?! I am the First Imperial Knight Order of the noble Arback Empire! Vice-Captain, guardian of the empire, the Jet-Black..."
Its yap started rattling off past glories in earnest.
True to undead form, it oozed obsession with bygone days.
"Blah blah whatever. So basically, you're a remnant soldier from a fallen nation."
I cut it off with a yawn.
"...What?!"
The Death Knight bellowed.
"Remnant soldier?! We fought honorably to the end and fell gloriously!"
"If you're dead, stay dead in hell. Why harass innocent folks? Have some shame."
"Y-You insolent cur! Release me at once!"
"As you wish."
I carefully positioned the Death Knight's head on the ground like a golf ball.
Perfect view of its body dissolving into smoke.
"...Huh?"
The Death Knight gaped, then trembled violently.
Its jawbone rattled loud enough to hear from here.
"That... that's my body?"
"Yup. Your body."
"Then my head... You... You did this?!"
"Finally catching on? Dumber than a slime."
"Impossible...!"
It rolled around, shrieking.
"Me... I lost? Don't make me laugh! I never took a single hit! What sorcery did you pull?!"
"If you win, it's fair play. If you lose, it's sorcery?"
"This can't be... Urgh... Strength fading from my body... This is a dream! I didn't even unleash my century-honed martial arts..."
Denial stage.
Classic loser's playbook.
The previous Saintess and Sword Saint you supposedly shredded in 30 seconds probably thought the same.
Impossible.
Those who run ride atop those who leap.
Should've lived humbly and cautiously like me.
"Um, excuse me..."
One of the stunned students approached timidly.
The aura of fear had long dissipated.
"Did... did the instructor win?"
I nodded quietly.
Realization dawned, and joy lit the kids' faces.
"Wooooaaah!!"
"Kim Cheol-su! Kim Cheol-su! Kim Cheol-su!"
"Insane! Our instructor's badass!!"
The kids hugged and jumped for joy.
Exhausted from the fight, yet their cheers shook the training grounds.
"Urgh... This can't be...!"
The Death Knight's head quivered, spewing demonic energy.
"A knight like me... mocked by children...!"
The fading glow in its helmet flared an eerie purple.
"Raaargh! I won't forgive this! I refuse! Such defeat... my pride forbids it!!"
It roared skyward.
"Vile sorcerer! Does victory by deceit taste so sweet?! Cross swords with me properly!!"
Boom!!
Lightning cracked from a clear sky.
From the rift in dimensions poured violet mana like a waterfall.
"Wh-What's that?!"
Kids charging in for cartwheels screamed and backpedaled.
The ground quaked; pebbles floated into the air.
"King of the Abyss!!"
The Death Knight's head on the ground wailed.
"Take my soul! Grant me one more chance!! Give me the power to rip that arrogant human apart!!"
Mud from the rift swallowed its head and body whole like a flood.
Moments later, the Death Knight emerged from the cascade astride a skeletal horse.
Its shattered armor regenerated; its bulk had swelled enormously.
Raging mana threatened to incinerate everything around.
"No way..."
Dazed Yoo Na-yeon shot to her feet, pale as a ghost.
"Sang-hyuk!! It's dangerous! Death Knights only revive one way!!"
Undead are souls returned from death.
Die once more, and even the reaper can't retrieve them from the abyss—no second resurrections.
But very rarely... some clawed back even from there.
Superior specimens of Death Knights that conquered death twice.
"It's an Abyss Knight...!"
One student whispered the name and collapsed.
By my count, this was Korea's second sighting ever.
"Kuhahaha!! Power! Such overflowing power!!"
The revived Jet-Black Knight cackled madly.
Purple muscles bulged between its bony joints; the helmet sprouted demonic horns.
Neigh!!
The skeletal steed ballooned house-sized, spewing hellfire as it galloped with the Abyss Knight aboard.
It lapped the surrounding woods excitedly, violet flames walling off escape routes.
Terror and despair smothered the training grounds.
"An Abyss Knight..."
"No way... We're all dead."
"I wanna go home... Mom..."
To history-studying hunters, Abyss Knights were cosmic horror incarnate.
Monsters even squads of S-Rank Hunters couldn't guarantee victory against.
No one dared even think of fighting back.
"Heh heh heh hahaha!!"
"Pathetic. Now I get why you ended up undead, you bastard."
"No more tricks work twice! Hand over your neck, humaaaan!!"
The instant it charged straight at me, sword raised.
"Swiftness."
Time stopped again.
"Gr... grrrgh!"
"Huh?"
I was mildly surprised.
The Abyss Knight was groaning in stopped time.
This punk could...?
"I said it doesn't work!!"
The Abyss Knight barreled forward on its skeletal horse through frozen time.
I circled behind in a flash and booted its back.
It couldn't react to my speed at all and tumbled off.
Frustratingly slow.
"Grraaack!!"
After rolling on the ground, the Abyss Knight froze like a statue, movement ceased.
Same for the skeletal horse.
"Phew. Gave me a scare."
Skeletal horse and Abyss Knight.
Combined mana let them resist my skill somewhat.
"This time, not just ripping the head—gonna grind it to dust."
As I approached, the sprawled Abyss Knight barely twitched its eyes to track me.
"What're you staring at?"
"W-Wait... Timeout. Let me mount up. We fight fair."
"Fair? I told you."
"What... did you say...?"
"You're pathetic, you bastard!!"
Thud!!
I punted its face with my foot.