Chapter 121: Uninvited Guest (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: Uninvited Guest (2)
"What's with that dumbass? Why is he stepping forward?"
"Huh? Look at that. There was a human among the elves?"
"Pwahaha! It's true. Wow, of all times to come to the Elf Forest... talk about rotten luck."
"Hey. I don't know who you are, but just consider yourself unlucky today. Stay still, and we'll make it painless."
"Hehehe. That's right. We're nice guys, so we'll just chop off a limb or two before putting you out of your misery."
When Jinhyuk first stepped out from among the elves, the players belonging to the Zhonghua Guild reacted as if they were looking at some idiot.
It was only natural.
Unless someone had completely lost their mind, they wouldn't stand up against a force that was practically a small raid team.
But.
What happened next...
...made everyone present feel the urge to slap themselves for what they had just said.
[Unique Ability 'Grave of Swords' manifests.]
Any player from China would know.
That to manifest Sword Qi, one had to experience the absolute limits of effort.
And to manifest Sword Force, one had to experience the absolute limits of talent.
And...
...if that Sword Force didn't just coat the blade but surged over a meter high...
...it meant that the moment you faced it, you had no choice but to give up on living.
Tremble, tremble!
Thirty players froze in their tracks.
They had completely lost their will to fight in the face of such overwhelming power.
"S-Sword Force...?"
"An absolute master... in a remote place like this?"
"W-we can't do this. There's absolutely no chance of winning."
Their giggling from moments ago was gone, replaced by agape mouths as they stood frozen like rats with their tails tucked.
Jinhyuk swept his cold, icy gaze over the crowd.
Those who met his eyes lowered their heads one by one.
"At first, I didn't want to meddle in someone else's business."
After all, this was the elves' territory.
No place for an outsider to interfere.
That was true.
Even if I had built a bit of a rapport with them, I was ultimately nothing more than a guest.
But still.
"You should have at least known the difference between war and a massacre."
Killing unarmed women, children, and the elderly.
That's something only trash would do.
People who have thrown their consciences to the dogs.
And...
...he didn't have a single shred of intention to treat such insect-like bastards as human beings.
Tap.
As 'Sword Demon Emperor Steps' was activated, Jinhyuk's figure vanished like a shadow.
"Aaargh!"
"Argh!"
A red mist began to spray.
Their Sword Qi couldn't even compare.
On top of that, his footwork closed the distance in an instant, leaving them no time to react.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Flesh tore and bones shattered from the sheer pressure of his sword alone.
Severed limbs rolled across the ground, painting a picture of hell.
Yet, Jinhyuk continued to swing his sword without a single moment of hesitation.
Killing.
Slashing.
Striking them down.
In less than ten seconds, more than half of the players had lost their lives.
"S-spare me!"
"My arm... my arm!"
Screams and shouts filled the air.
"You demon! We lost! We'll give up, so please, just stop already!"
Someone shrieked.
Then, in an instant, the attacks stopped as if by magic.
Jinhyuk lowered his sword.
"Unbelievable."
His voice carried a mix of emotions.
"Did you show mercy when the elves begged for their lives?"
No, you mocked them and crushed them even more brutally. And you bragged about it proudly, too.
"I'm going to do the exact same to you. No more, no less."
What it feels like to have the tables turned...
...experience it for yourselves starting now.
Jinhyuk raised his dagger high.
Crunch!
And with that, he split the body of the guy who had been shouting at him right down the middle.
As if warning them that there would be no further negotiations or conversations.
"Scatter! Damn it! We have to inform the main force somehow!"
"Ugh..."
Realizing they stood no chance, the few survivors chose to flee in different directions.
They seemed to think that if they ran with all their might, at least one or two of them would survive.
It certainly wasn't a bad strategy.
After all, a pursuer could only chase one prey at a time.
Yes, that was the textbook play...
...but unfortunately, they had picked the wrong opponent.
Jinhyuk grabbed his bow.
[Lv1 'Crimson Magic Bullet' is activated!]
A crimson flash flickered, and then—
Thwack!
The head of the man running toward the left forest vanished.
Thud!
"Gah?"
This time, a wind tunnel opened up in the heart of the woman running straight ahead.
One shot. Two shots.
As more arrows left the bowstring...
Thwack! Thud! Splat!
...the number of fleeing players dwindled.
And a moment later...
...there were no more signs of life in the forest.
* * *
[Left Ridge].
Here, at the southernmost tip of the Elf Forest, Xuehua, one of the raid leaders of the Zhonghua Guild, was stationed.
Xuehua was overseeing the overall operation from here, tasked with ensuring no one entered or left the outskirts of the forest.
Though she didn't capture prisoners directly, her role was essential for the smooth execution of the operation.
However...
"Lady Xuehua. Players from the scouting party wish to see you."
The man guarding the outside of Xuehua's tent reported.
A nod.
Xuehua waved her hand dismissively.
It meant she understood, so they should hurry in, report, and get lost.
It was only natural, given that scouting players had been filtering in and out dozens of times over the past few hours.
Soon, three players wearing black masks entered the tent.
They were the scouting party of the Zhonghua Guild, established for covert operations.
"Speak."
Xuehua, who was brewing tea leaves, spoke curtly.
"It's about the platoon-sized unit assigned to Sector 6. Upon checking just now, they were all found dead."
"...What? Wiped out?"
Only then did Xuehua's hands pause.
At the shocking news, a frown creased her fair forehead.
"Yes. Most died instantly, but among them, we also found traces of wounds that seemed intentionally inflicted, as if to prolong their agony as much as possible."
Even at the mention of her subordinates being tortured, Xuehua didn't bat an eye.
Instead, her interest lay elsewhere.
"Hmm. Sector 6 shouldn't have many rangers. How unexpected. Is there some other variable? What did you say the composition of that platoon was?"
"Five B-ranks and twenty-six C-ranks."
"That was a bit weak... Send three A-ranks this time. Oh! Actually, I'd like Deputy Tae to go personally. I want to make sure this is handled thoroughly."
"Yes. I will go myself."
The deputy waiting at the entrance of the tent immediately bowed.
He then immediately led the players toward Sector 6.
However...
"What are you doing? If the report is finished, why haven't you dismissed yourselves?"
For some reason, the scouts, who should have already left, showed no intention of moving.
They just stood there, lingering leisurely.
In fact, wasn't the one at the very front openly scanning the inside of the tent?
The moment a sudden realization flashed through her mind—
"Who are you?!"
Rumble!
A violent surge of mana erupted from Xuehua's body.
"Oh... you only noticed now? I don't know how you managed to become a raid leader with such poor awareness."
A familiar voice flowed from the masked man.
At the same time...
Slide.
Jinhyuk pulled off his mask and took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Ah...
He really detested suffocating pieces of cloth covering his mouth.
The other two also removed their masks.
They were Silvia and another elven ranger.
"Kang... Jinhyuk...!"
Xuehua gasped.
"You know me?"
"...Of course."
How could she not?
He was the ranker who had dealt a massive blow to the Zhonghua Guild on a Korean talk show not long ago.
Due to his formidable connections and the achievements he had accumulated, Jinhyuk was already treated as one of the most wanted individuals within the Zhonghua Guild.
"What... brings you here?"
"To crush an enemy, you have to take out their eyes and ears first. It's only standard to target this place, which you're using as your operations headquarters. Of course, it would be even better if I could eliminate the raid leader in charge of it too."
On top of that, being able to see the entire tactical map inside the tent made infiltrating this place a pretty good move.
"Do you mean to make an enemy of us? Are you serious?"
"You guys started it."
Jinhyuk drew the line.
"I don't understand. To cross us just for the sake of some elves. Once you find out how many rankers are here, you will regret the decision you just made."
"No, I won't regret it. And you guys, aren't you overestimating yourselves a bit too much? Even if Namgung Cheon were here, it would be a tough fight for you. You're acting awfully confident just because you brought along a few rankers."
"Don't... make me laugh. You don't even reach Lord Namgung Cheon's feet. There's no need for him to even come here. We can easily wrap this up at our level."
The atmosphere shifted rapidly at the mention of Namgung Cheon's name.
That guy, Namgung Cheon.
He was impressive, sure, but not so incredible that they should stake their lives on him like that...
The last time he saw him was around the 18th floor of the Tower, wasn't it?
He recalled the image of the guy struggling and groaning against the giants.
He must have grown stronger since then with far more support, but even so, he would only be two or three steps above Cheon Yu-seong at best.
Of course, since Xuehua was ignorant of all this, it made sense why she could believe in him so blindly.
"I don't care about Namgung Cheon, who isn't even here right now. What matters is that all of your information has leaked."
"Even if you found that out, what do you plan to do? It's not like there's anyone else capable of taking on the other raid leaders besides you."
It was true that information was important.
However, that was only when backed by competent forces capable of executing operations based on that information.
If they only had elves, they could never be a match for the remaining raid leaders.
At those words, as if he had been waiting for them, the corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
"Actually, someone who hates stepping forward has dragged their heavy body into action this time."
Through the contractor's 'Shared Consciousness', this scene must have already been transmitted to that person far away.
Where the raid leaders of the Zhonghua Guild were located.
Where their main forces were moving.
All of it.
And probably...
"That person... if anything, she'll be even more ruthless than me, definitely not less."
Because she looked incredibly pissed off by the absolute shit you guys pulled.
* * *
Rumble!
A stream of red blood slowly surged upward.
"T-this makes no sense... such power..."
Li Keqiang's pupils shook violently.
He had confidently believed that with this number of players and these members, they could easily guarantee victory even against a floor boss monster.
But.
It was all an illusion.
In the sky, about twenty meters above the ground.
Floating on a pair of wings, the True Ancestor looked down upon all the enemies on the ground.
"I do not particularly like things like elves. In fact, I do not care what happens to them."
Neither Penheim, who laughed heartily without a care in the world...
...nor Teslon, who grumbled so crankily...
...nor Silvia, who for some reason kept clinging to her contractor...
...none of them were to her liking.
However.
Jinhyuk liked them. Being here had brought a rare, bright smile to his face. She decided that was enough.
The problem was that these pests had ruined all of it.
"You spoke insolently to my contractor."
The only one allowed to speak to Jinhyuk so freely...
...the only one allowed to approach him without hesitation...
...should be her, and her alone.
Yet, they had broken that rule.
"That is why you must die."
With those final words...
...a crimson rain began to fall from the sky.