Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 23. High and Mighty. (3)
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At a glance, it looked like a grand showdown was underway, drawing a crowd of spectators.
Regardless of the men encircling the Cockroach Boss and me at the center, I spoke up.
"Just come at me. It's fine."
Tae-young and Jun-hyeok looked at me, gasping for breath.
Anxiety flickered in their eyes.
"Ha."
The Cockroach Boss let out a incredulous laugh.
"This fucking punk doesn't even know his place and is acting all cool?"
Laughter erupted from all around.
Mocking jeers.
The Cockroach Boss bared his teeth as he spoke.
"Hey. Look at me. I said look at me."
I turned to face the Cockroach Boss.
Short, unkempt hair that had grown wild.
Dark stubble creeping up.
He'd gotten pretty rough-looking since I last saw him.
A sign he'd been rolling in the streets.
While beating his own comrades to death.
The Cockroach Boss said,
"Do my words sound like bullshit to you? Huh?!"
His hand shot up.
Slow.
His hand rising.
Even amid it all, I kept my eyes on the Cockroach Boss.
I'd planned to kill him if he made a move.
But now that the moment had come, he seemed so pathetic and insignificant that all my drive fizzled out.
I needed to get a little pissed off first.
Acceleration ended.
Smack!
My head barely turned.
My eyes stayed fixed on the Cockroach Boss.
But the sting rose from my cheek.
Yeah...
This is it...
My gut twisted.
The Cockroach Boss said,
"You fucking—"
Thud.
I gripped the two swords with both hands.
As I stood, I shoved my arms out to the side.
The swords slid free.
Shing.
I walked past the Cockroach Boss to the bastard behind him.
They were packed tight, so one step put me right in their faces.
I thrust the sword.
Puk, the blade sank into his neck.
To the sword's left, the pig who'd hit Jun-hyeok.
Seeing the tattooed pig made my teeth grind.
Grind.
I slashed the sword to the right with all my strength.
The feel of flesh and bone slicing transmitted up my arm.
I tensed my back and twisted my body.
In one motion, I severed both their necks and chests.
I'd mastered the timing of Acceleration.
I could instinctively tell when it ended now.
Maintaining Acceleration, I kept swinging the sword.
Flesh and bone sliced cleanly through clothes.
I carved through the circled men one by one.
Blood sprayed like fireworks in my wake.
Slash, hack!
Arms, necks, chests, bellies, heads—endlessly severed.
Then I reached the one holding Tae-young.
This fucking bastard was a tattooed pig too.
Crazy fuck.
I held the sword to his neck.
Then swung my arm out to the right.
His neck cleanly severed to the bone.
This one's dead.
He just didn't know it yet.
I walked back to the go board.
And looked down at the Cockroach Boss.
The hand that had slapped my cheek.
It was still raised in the air.
I pressed the blade to the back of his hand.
Horizontally, not vertically.
As I thrust in, the grating of his hand bones against the blade traveled up.
Acceleration ended.
I slammed the sword into the go board.
Bam!
At the same time, blood fountained from all directions.
Those with necks still attached let out death rattles.
A chill ran down spines as screams erupted in waves.
Splatter, spurt!
Blood poured like water.
Livers and intestines spilled onto the floor.
Severed body parts tumbled down amid the mess.
The Cockroach Boss was drenched in blood over his whole body and face.
His face froze.
He had no idea what had just happened.
The next instant, his eyes trembled.
He looked down at his hand.
"...Gaaahhh!"
The Cockroach Boss screamed.
At the same time, the surrounding men screamed in unison.
The Cockroach Boss clutched his wrist, shrieking and trembling all over.
I released the sword.
It was deeply embedded in the go board.
No one but me could pull it out.
I raised my eyes.
Soaked in blood, droplets fell from my hair.
I walked past the screaming Cockroach Boss to the tattooed pig holding Jun-hyeok.
The tattooed pig's eyes widened.
His mouth hung half-open.
His jowls quivered.
I said,
"...Hands."
The tattooed pig seemed not to understand.
But he quickly realized and let go with a start.
Jun-hyeok and Tae-young were freed.
I picked up the sword.
The tattooed pig flinched back.
I'd pierced over a thousand heads already.
Left hand or right, I never missed what I aimed for.
He took a step back.
I advanced a step.
Naturally.
But swiftly.
I pierced his neck.
"Guh!"
I pulled the sword out.
Blood gushed out.
The tattooed pig clutched his neck and dropped to his knees.
Intestines squished under him on the floor.
"Guk! Kek, gruk!"
I said,
"...I told you you'd die if you touched them."
I'd only pierced his neck.
Blood poured out.
He couldn't breathe because of the blood.
The more he struggled for air, the more flooded into his lungs.
This bastard would drown in his own blood over a good long time.
It'd be pretty agonizing.
I looked around.
The initial burst of screams had died down.
The old cockroaches.
The newly recruited ones.
Horror and terror filled the cockroaches' eyes.
I met each of their gazes one by one.
Blood dripped from my hair.
I turned and walked back to the go board.
Then sat in the folding chair.
The Cockroach Boss clutched his pierced wrist, screaming.
"Gaaahhh! Uwaaah, aaaahhh!"
"Shut up."
I flipped the sword and smacked his head with the flat.
Crack!
The blunt side of the blade.
So his head didn't come off.
"Guh!"
The Cockroach Boss's screams cut off.
I said,
"Anyone who runs dies."
Whether frozen in fear, panicked, or understanding my words, the cockroaches stood rooted, unmoving.
I looked at Tae-young and Jun-hyeok.
What rose in their eyes.
Astoundment.
In an instant, nearly twenty men had been hacked to pieces.
A sight neither they nor the cockroaches had ever witnessed.
I said,
"Come take this and share it with everyone."
I pointed to the wooden crate of bows and arrows.
The shock on Tae-young and Jun-hyeok's faces faded quickly.
"Y-yes. Got it."
"Yeah, Seong-hun."
They'd taken a lot of hits.
They okay?
Not suffering another brain bleed or concussion or something.
The two walked over.
No staggering.
Faces bruised, but heads seemed fine.
At least that was a relief.
The two lifted the wooden crate together.
A grunt—heavy, apparently.
The cockroaches parted hesitantly.
Stealing glances at me.
I shifted my gaze from their backs to glare at each cockroach.
Then turned my head.
The Cockroach Boss.
Clutching his pierced wrist, trembling.
Panting, sweat—or tears—pouring.
Mixed with blood, streaming down his cheek.
I said,
"That's why you were covered in blood back then too. Now you get it."
The Cockroach Boss panted, looking around.
Intestines strewn everywhere.
Sliced guts spilling food and shit mixed with blood, fouling the floor.
The Cockroach Boss stared at the scene.
He'd beaten his own men to death, but nothing this brutal.
He didn't even seem to grasp my words.
Didn't matter.
I said,
"I knew you were spying on us. I let it slide 'cause I've been busy."
Busy leveling up.
The Cockroach Boss slowly raised his eyes.
No trace of his earlier bluster.
I said,
"Looks like you gathered some people while I ignored you. Got cocky with some backup, huh. Cockroach."
He just panted wordlessly.
Meeting my eyes.
I could feel the emotion in them.
He couldn't dare look away.
I slowly tilted my head.
"Look at these dead guys. All because of you. Don't you feel sorry?"
The Cockroach Boss didn't answer.
Just sweat, tears, blood streaming as he stared at me.
I smirked lightly.
"Found something out before. Wanna know what?"
Not really asking for a reply.
I smiled at him.
A pretty feral grin.
"Killing people doesn't take any effort."
Literal. Strength stat doesn't deplete when killing humans.
Only against evil creatures.
That was my meaning, but the Cockroach Boss—and the other cockroaches—took it differently.
Their faces paled.
No way they knew about me.
I crossed my arms and looked at the Cockroach Boss.
His ashen face filled with fear and shock.
His eyes pitiful.
I sighed.
"Haa, jeez."
I stood, gripping the embedded sword.
And pulled it out.
"Kuh!"
The Cockroach Boss clutched his arm, trembling.
I said,
"Go home. I'm sparing you."
The Cockroach Boss slowly raised his head to look at me.
I smiled.
"I'm letting you live. Go home. Can't you hear?"
His jaw quivered.
He didn't move.
I raised the sword, pointing at the cockroaches in the back.
And beckoned.
"Come here. Take this fucker."
The cockroaches still panted raggedly, some retching, some pissing themselves.
The underlings I pointed at exchanged looks, then approached slowly.
They grabbed the Cockroach Boss's arms on either side, eyes on me.
"L-let's go..."
"...Kuh."
The Cockroach Boss stood.
The three cockroaches eyed me warily and slowly turned.
I said,
"Hey."
The cockroaches turned back.
I smiled.
I gripped the sword in both hands and approached the Cockroach Boss.
I swung at his right elbow.
Swish—
The arm came off.
One more step, and I severed his left elbow too.
Both arms gone.
I stood face-to-face with the Cockroach Boss.
Gripped the swords backward and raised both arms.
The two blade tips aligned with his eyes.
Acceleration ended.
I thrust the swords in.
The blades buried into the Cockroach Boss's eyes.
His face contorted in an instant.
"...Gaaaaahhhh!"
Thud.
The severed forearms hit the floor.
The cockroaches screamed in horror.
I slowly withdrew the swords.
The Cockroach Boss wailed in agony.
I said,
"I'm letting you live. From now on, don't look, don't touch. Just live like that."
I smiled.
"Gaaahhh! Uwaaaahhh!"
He raised his bleeding arms to cover his bleeding eyes. But no hands.
The Cockroach Boss clung to the cockroaches, screaming endlessly.
I said,
"Hey, stop the bleeding. What are you doing? He'll die."
One trembling cockroach hastily undid his belt and wrapped the Cockroach Boss's arms.
The one next to him followed suit.
I shifted my gaze from the cockroaches staunching the blood to the rest around.
"You lot. Clean up these bodies. Then get out."
The cockroaches didn't dare move, watching my every twitch.
I bared my teeth.
"Show up again, and I'll slaughter you all."