Chapter 131: The Well of Chaos (3)
Chapter 131: The Well of Chaos (3)
Faster.
Faster.
I moved my feet.
Boom.
The ground, unable to withstand the force, cracked deeply.
In the aftermath, shards of concrete—lethal enough to kill a man—sprayed backward like shrapnel.
As someone who had already caused trouble by failing to control my strength, this was an action I should have avoided, but I increased my speed regardless.
It wasn't as if there would be any civilians around here anyway.
I was currently sprinting across the topmost level of Nanjido. There was no way an ordinary civilian would be in a place like this.
And the other reason was…
I was running out of time.
No matter how I calculated it, there wasn't nearly enough time to do everything that needed to be done.
If that was the case, I had no choice but to cut down the time spent elsewhere.
With that thought, I continued to accelerate, and soon, figures in bizarre outfits entered my field of vision.
One man was smoking a cigarette with a massive minigun slung over his shoulder.
Another was leaning against a wall with a sword at his hip, listening to music through earphones.
At a glance, they looked like the typical predators residing in Nanjido.
But the scent they gave off was different.
They lacked the specific tension unique to Nanjido residents—that constant, high-strung alertness born from never knowing what might happen.
Nor was there anything to suggest they belonged to a single group.
Looking at the two of them now, one wore a black suit while the other wore a Japanese kimono; there was absolutely no sense of uniformity.
It was as if a group of completely unrelated individuals had gathered.
One thing was certain: they weren't Nanjido civilians, they didn't belong to Elder Li’s group, and they weren't with the Management Bureau.
That left only one conclusion.
They were villains recruited by Kim Tae-jun.
Since they were likely villains, I could have just struck them down and passed by, but…
…These guys are stronger than I thought.
I’d only caught a glimpse, but I sensed a considerable amount of power.
Low to mid A-Rank.
To think there were two of them stronger than Baek Si-hyun.
No matter.
They aren't my disciples, so I can exert my full strength.
To end this as quickly as possible, I pushed my speed even further.
“…Enemy.”
“Don’t meddle. I already knew.”
“You didn't even take your earphones out, so I thought you were asleep.”
As I drew near, the two villains traded insults while taking up combat stances.
The Martial Artist lowered his posture as if preparing for a quick-draw and charged toward me.
The gunman began to spin his barrels and opened fire.
As expected of a villain group.
Despite having the numerical advantage, their combat style was bizarre, showing no consideration for coordination.
Even though the melee fighter was rushing in, the long-range attacker poured out minigun fire as if he didn't care at all about friendly fire.
It wasn't just the long-range type; the melee fighter was a problem too. If your partner has heavy weaponry, common sense dictates that the melee fighter should focus on protecting the partner who is creating the curtain of fire.
A melee fighter who charges in while abandoning his partner’s protection, and a long-range fighter who sprays bullets regardless of whether his partner gets hit or not.
Just in case, I shifted my gaze to check the trajectory of the bullets.
No supernatural phenomena occurred—the bullets weren't homing, nor were they passing through the Martial Artist.
They were simply flying toward me, barely avoiding their ally by passing between his arms and legs.
Was he just that confident in his aim? Then again, this wasn't Prohibition; there was no reason for bullets to exhibit such anomalies.
Still, it was clumsy.
Clink.
With a metallic sound, a gauntlet formed over my left hand, which I had raised in front of my face.
It was a strange posture—maintaining my sprinting legs while lifting my upper body and using my left hand to shield my vision.
Seeing that bizarre stance, the man’s face contorted.
It was an expression filled with clear confusion, as if he couldn't understand what I was doing.
Even so, he didn't seem inclined to let those emotions interfere with the fight; with a disciplined motion, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
A quick-draw?
All style and no substance.
With that thought, I moved my left hand, which I had held before my head.
My head, my right shoulder joint, my left knee, and the spot where my right foot would step next.
Countless other bullets were pouring in, but those were the vital points.
With my current senses, I could only barely track where the bullets would land, so I circulated my mana to expand my perception.
In a world where everything stretched out long and fast, I could grasp the minute movements of every bullet.
I slowly moved my left hand.
I moved it precisely so that the bullets ricocheting off the gauntlet would fly toward The Enemy in front of me.
So that the ricochets could never, under any circumstances, be directed back at me.
This was why I used the gauntlet instead of The Hammer.
My Cognitive Acceleration, pushed to its limit, made it possible.
Ka-ang—
The first bullet struck the gauntlet, creating a drawn-out sound, and a pressure beyond expectations weighed on the metal.
I suppose an A-Rank is an A-Rank.
To imbue this much power into an ordinary bullet, not even a special one.
That said, there was no way I would be overpowered now that I had released my Limiter.
Feeling the lead bullet deform against the back of my hand, I flicked my wrist to deflect it.
Then, I moved my hand toward the next bullet.
I must have repeated that about ten times.
Only then did The Enemy in front of me seem to realize what I was doing. His face contorted as he continued his move.
By slightly lifting the hilt of the sword he held, he altered his predicted path upward.
And then, he swung his arm.
A silver flash.
It was fast.
Fast enough that I could only barely capture it even with my perception accelerated.
However, it had no effect on me.
His blade merely swatted away a bullet; it failed to cut even a single strand of my hair.
You were too greedy. Trying to cut the bullet and me at the same time. You should have been prepared to take a bullet if it meant cutting me.
I slowed my stride slightly and gathered strength in my feet.
The Enemy, having failed his attack, lowered his gaze toward me, but it was already too late.
Boom.
The ground where my feet had been planted exploded.
The distance closed instantly, and I swung my right arm.
As if proving he was indeed an A-Rank, the man reacted quickly.
To block the heavy hammer flying toward him, he gave up on retrieving his sword and instead raised the scabbard in his left hand.
The scabbard instead of the sword.
It was a sound judgment.
However.
Crack.
His opponent was the wrong one.
Wood splinters scattered before my eyes.
The scabbard, unable to withstand even a fraction of The Hammer’s power, turned into fragments.
Crunch.
And then, the waist of The Enemy who had held it snapped.
A twisted sensation of impact traveled up my right hand.
Based on that feeling, his spine must be completely gone.
Lower-body paralysis.
A fair enough sentence.
It’s quite difficult to control my strength so they don't die, after all.
Pushing aside The Enemy who had lost all combat capability with my left hand, I turned my gaze toward the next foe.
The insane man who continued to fire bullets without hesitation, even though his partner had fallen.
“Tch, can’t even act as a meat shield. Moron. This is why work—”
Kakakakak. Thump.
A second sensation of impact.
This time, perhaps because I had struck metal, a heavy recoil returned.
“You’re the moron.”
To think he’d keep firing instead of retreating after seeing a melee specialist taken down at such an impossible speed.
I spoke those words to the villain whose right hand had become one with his minigun.
The man’s crushed right hand was hideously fused with the broken weapon.
“…Ah?”
Did he not understand the situation?
The pain must be immense, yet he seemed not to feel it, an idiotic sound escaping his lips.
He looks pitiful even to me, so perhaps I should show some mercy.
I reached out with my right hand and grabbed the head of the man, whose eyes were beginning to well up with tears.
“Go to sleep.”
Slam.
I drove him straight into The Wall.
The man was sturdier than expected and twitched for a moment.
Slam.
I pulled him out and slammed him into The Wall once more, and his body went limp, all movement ceasing.
After confirming the man I’d shown mercy to was unconscious, I turned back to the man with the broken spine.
There, I saw the pathetic sight of a villain desperately crawling along the ground.
To stop him, I placed my foot on his lower back.
“Don’t bother. You’ll end up living like that forever if you keep it up.”
“Aaaaaagh!”
So noisy.
Feeling slightly annoyed, I applied a bit more pressure to my foot.
“Ag-gug-geok.”
“You don't want to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair, do you? Then shut your mouth.”
As I spoke, I shifted my center of gravity slightly forward.
“Kh-hup… ugh…”
I felt something crumble beneath the sole of my boot; it seemed there were fragments of vertebrae.
Regardless of such trivial matters, the man gritted his teeth and suppressed his screams.
“Now you look ready to talk. You can answer my questions, right? If you can, nod. If you think you can’t, nod.”
“…Pardon?”
Did he fail to understand my command? The man raised his head, his voice laced with confusion.
“Who gave you permission to talk back?”
I lifted my foot.
Snap.
And stomped down.
Through my boot, I felt another vertebra go.
“Uuu-gu-guk.”
Having finally grasped my intent, the man gritted his teeth through the hellish pain and nodded his head frantically.
“Good, good. All you have to do is answer my questions.”
As a reward, I took my foot off his back and grabbed him by the hair instead.
“First question. Are you part of the villain group associated with Kim Tae-jun?”
Thump, thump, thump.
The man shook his head—or rather, nodded so hard his chin hit the ground.
“Are you a mute? Why aren't you speaking?”
I slammed his head into the ground.
“Keok…”
The man hadn't expected that attack and let out a pained groan, but I continued regardless.
“Now. Question again. Are you the villain group that has Kim Tae-jun?”
“That’s… right…”
It was a voice mixed with groans, squeezed out with great effort.
“Yes, well done. If you keep that up, it won't hurt anymore. Got it?”
“Ugh… yes…”
This is how it works. For an interrogation, it’s enough to instill the perception that you are a madman with whom they cannot negotiate.
Of course, the price is that the subject becomes unable to provide logical and precise information, but I didn't need that.
“Roughly how many of you are there? Ah, it doesn't have to be an exact number.”
“About… 20… people.”
Probably closer to 30, then.
“How many A-Ranks? Are you considered high-tier?”
“Six… I’m… low-tier.”
Now that was an exact number.
Is it an organization that runs on power rankings? It means he knows the number of superiors, even if he doesn't know the number of subordinates.
“Why did you all gather?”
“…….”
Hmm?
“Not talking?”
The moment I asked that, I swung my foot and kicked the man in the stomach.
“Ugh…”
The man’s face contorted in immense agony, yet he didn't scream.
Seeing him desperately hold back his cries, it wasn't that his fear of me had vanished.
“Why did you gather? What value does Kim Tae-jun have?”
I asked a more detailed question.
“…….”
And once again, silence returned.
“Whew…”
Nothing for it, then.
I’m already in a hurry; I can’t waste any more time.
I’ve gathered most of the necessary information anyway.
“Thanks. You go to sleep too.”
Boom.
I slammed his head into the ground.
Fortunately, this man was knocked out in one blow, escaping his pain.
Afterward, I walked slowly, organizing my thoughts for a moment.
Every second counted, but I needed time to synthesize the information I’d gained.
Six A-Ranks stronger than these guys, and about thirty subordinates.
I don't know how strong the leader is, but at most, they’d be mid-to-high A-Rank.
Unless those A-Ranks are Meteor-class, I won't lose even if all six attack at once, but…
Time might be tight.
I thought there would be one or two A-Ranks at most since it was a villain group, but to have six expected members.
Just what is Kim Tae-jun that so many villains, who usually live for their own egos, gathered like that?
It wasn't a question I could answer just by thinking about it. Regretting that the man hadn't spoken, I took my stance again and headed forward.