Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Prison Rampage
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“He's taking too long...”
Luen spoke in a worried tone from the empty table after their meal.
“Yeah. He said he'd just take a quick look around, but it's been way too long. Should we go find him?”
She nodded at Karlan's question.
“Yes, that might be best. It's his first time on the Central Continent, after all... I'm worried.”
“Fair enough. He's incredibly skilled, but there are powerhouses everywhere here. The Dark Forest has restrictions preventing outsiders from fighting each other, right?”
He glanced around casually before continuing.
“But this place? You can kill freely, no holds barred.”
“Exactly. No restrictions make it even worse. I just hope nothing goes wrong...”
“Haha, no need to fret. What could possibly happen to Mr. Khan?”
“It's not Mr. Khan I'm worried about.”
“Huh?”
Luen stood from her seat.
“It's whoever crosses him.”
KABOOM―――!!!!
The prison door shattered into pieces.
“Ugh... Uwaaaah!!!”
“Help!!!”
The unit members inside scattered in panic, as if they'd seen a monster.
“Krak!!”
A sword plunged into the thigh of one who couldn't escape in time.
Crack... Craaaack...!
A wave of pure white frost spread from inside the cell, devouring him in an instant.
“Guh... Guhuk...”
Woojin yanked the sword free from the frozen man's thigh. His body shattered like glass.
“Hurry, tell the Captain!!”
Ding-ding-ding―――!!!
The emergency bell rang outside the prison.
“That monster bastard...!!”
“What now?”
“What do you mean, what? We stop him!”
But despite their shouts, terror filled the faces of the remaining unit members.
It was pure pandemonium.
“Damn it... Where the hell did this guy come from?”
To buy time until reinforcements arrived, the unit members charged at Woojin, weeping bitter tears.
“Die...!!!”
The lead member swung his sword.
Clang―!!!!
But it was effortlessly blocked.
Crunch―!!
Woojin twisted the man's wrist, slipped inside his guard, and reversed the grip on the sword. In a flash, he stabbed the man's waist and thigh.
“Guh, guhuk...”
Blood poured from his gaping mouth in agony. The man shuddered violently and collapsed on the spot.
“No way...”
One of the unit members gaped at Woojin, speechless.
Insight (Lv2)
Target's level confirmed.
Insight may fail if target's level exceeds user's.
“Level 49...?! How is a guy under 50 even on the Central Continent?”
“What nonsense is that!!”
“Right? A sub-50 level with that kind of ridiculous power?”
That single remark plunged the survivors into panic.
Vigilante unit members were baseline level 55 or higher.
The idea that they were being overwhelmed by someone under 50 was unacceptable.
A chill ran through their bodies.
'W-what's this?'
'My legs... won't move...'
As if beholding a demon, the remaining members collapsed, strength draining from their limbs.
“Where's the prison key?”
“I-I don't know...”
Slice.
Woojin severed the man's neck, then turned to the one beside him.
“Where's the prison key?”
“You psycho...! Anyone'd think we actually imprisoned them. It's just a damn game, and you're throwing a fit...!!”
He screamed in fury.
But all that met him was Woojin's icy gaze.
“Exactly.”
Woojin nodded toward the shouting man.
Stab―.
The sword pierced his collarbone at a diagonal.
“Kr, kaaaaah!!!”
Grind...
Woojin twisted the blade in his shoulder. Bones ground together as the man thrashed wildly.
“I'll ask again. Where's the prison key?”
“T-the Captain...”
The defiant man finally whimpered his answer.
Whoosh― Fsssh―!!!
Pulling the sword free unleashed a fountain of blood.
“P-please... spare...”
“Anyone'd think I actually killed someone.”
Woojin echoed his earlier words in a cold voice.
“Over a damn game, throwing a fit.”
The building's interior grew noisy.
Undoubtedly, unit members rushing in after hearing the bell.
Woojin wiped the blood from his sword on a fallen member's clothes, then slowly rose.
“Noisy outside.”
“Looks like the guy who came for Nisan is causing a ruckus. Probably just flipping out at the sight of the prison, clueless as he is.”
“Newbies these days... No idea how much we do for this village.”
“Tell me about it.”
BAM―――!!!
Then it happened.
A deafening crash as the captain's office door exploded inward.
“What the―?!”
The subordinate beside the captain drew his sword and yelled at the splintered doorway.
“That's what I'd like to know. What makes you think you can lock people up and beat them senseless for the village?”
“You lunatic― Do you know where you are?! What are you all doing? Grab that bastard NOW?!”
The subordinate bellowed, but no one answered his call.
“You're slow on the uptake. Don't you get what it means that I came up from below?”
The subordinate's face hardened at Woojin's question.
'No way. He took down over twenty members alone?'
Crack―!!!
Glared bulging, the man charged Woojin, fists flying wildly.
Whoooosh―!!!
Vortexes of force erupted from his gauntlets with every punch.
“Die!!!”
But just before his fist connected,
Woojin slipped through the raging whirlwind with absurd ease.
'Weaker than Colson's.'
Even among brawlers, it paled against the rare skill Fist Wind that Woojin had faced.
Likely a magic-grade skill, inferior to rare rank.
“...Guhk!!!”
Woojin burrowed inside and smashed an open palm into the man's jaw—no need to draw his sword.
Crash―!!!
The impact hurled the subordinate through the glass window and out into the air.
“U, uwaaaah!!!”
Thud―!!!!
A dull impact echoed as he hit the ground, twitching before crumbling to ash.
“You... what are you?”
Watching his subordinate die, the captain sensed something was deeply wrong.
“Doesn't matter. Hand over the prison key.”
“And if I don't?”
“You already know the answer.”
The captain smirked coldly, hand creeping toward the sword at his waist.
“Think I've never seen trash like you? Paid for a few skills, wanna play hero? We locked 'em up 'cause they're guilty.”
“That's why I'm asking for the key—to hear their side of the 'crimes.'”
A tense silence fell.
They stared each other down, waiting for an opening.
The captain moved first.
But as he rose from his chair, Woojin kicked the desk in front of him.
Thud―!!!
The captain toppled backward with the desk pinning him.
“Kghk!!”
He shoved the desk aside roughly and tried to stand—then staggered.
“...Huh?”
A foreign sense of imbalance. Looking down, one leg was missing.
“U, uwaaaah!!!”
He toppled forward with a scream.
“The key.”
“You psycho bastard...!!”
Swoosh―!! Whoosh―!
The captain lurched up on one leg and slashed wildly at Woojin.
But his attacks never landed.
Bleeding Status
HP below 30%
Healing required
How much time had passed?
The alerts barely registered now.
His face ashen, he swung his sword desperately—but far slower than before.
“C-Captain...”
“What do we do?”
Vigilantes revived at the shrine stared in horror at the scene.
The captain—one leg severed, body covered in wounds—shattered their will to fight.
“W-what do you mean what? Attack him NOW!!”
The deputy captain, who had been flung out the window to instant death, stormed back in yelling.
But none stepped forward eagerly.
Unlike the deputy, who fought one-on-one, they'd charged in a group—and still been swept away. They'd felt Woojin's strength in their bones.
'He's a monster...'
Their eyes held the same dread.
“Tch...”
The deputy gritted his teeth, but Woojin's cold gaze unnerved him too.
“Damn! Damn it!!!”
His ragged breaths slowed his furious barrage.
“...”
Woojin watched impassively.
“Last chance. Hand over the key.”
“Eat this, you punk.”
The captain flipped him off, grinning through bloodied teeth.
Slice―.
“Kraaaah...!!”
His raised left arm severed clean off.
Woojin lifted the captain's rolling head.
“Hey. Why go this far? Something in that prison you can't let out?”
“Screw... kkh, khulk... Wait. Reinforcements from the unit are coming. You're dead.”
“Unit?”
“Yeah!! The Genesis Unit. When they get here, scum like you... ugh... guhk!”
Thud―!!!
Woojin slammed the captain's head to the floor, voice low.
“Fine by me.”
A pure white glow shimmered around him.
'Insane... He really wasn't 50 yet?'
'...What kind of freak is this guy?'
Unlike standard level-ups, the unique level 50 effect left them speechless.
“Genesis Unit, huh...”
Creeeak―.
Woojin righted a toppled chair, sat astride it, and began scribbling something.
“Let's see how you handle this.”
After sending the memo, he leaned back and calmly closed his eyes.
“...”
Dozens of unit members stood frozen, staring at Woojin.