Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Sudden Downpour Free for 3 Minutes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘W-What the...!’
Bodies with crushed skulls, throats pierced, lower halves pulverized, chests ripped open, limbs torn apart, eyes gouged out and tongues severed—among other gruesome fates.
The department store was soaked in blood from the countless corpses slain in every horrific manner imaginable.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
But what made Sherung writhe in agony wasn’t the horrific sight before him, nor the pain from the knife lodged in his eye.
‘My guards... wiped out in less than ten minutes?’
Sherung couldn’t believe it.
His guards were all warriors of the Black Dragon Clan.
Though they hadn’t inherited the Seventy-Two Black Flow Styles, each was a powerhouse rivaling players over level 50.
Yet now, less than half of them were still breathing.
It had taken barely ten minutes.
And that was all at the hands of a single man—most of them already reduced to piles of corpses.
“Man, these guards here at least had some bite to ‘em. Lately, wherever I go, those powerless punks from that Militia or whatever pop up and ruin the fun.”
The man responsible for this carnage.
A young man hiding his face behind a clown mask spun a knife between his fingers, muttering lazily.
“Your leader buddy’s got no spirit left either. Back in the day, he’d keep fightin’ without a peep even if an arm got lopped off. Surrenderin’ already?”
“Who said... I surrendered?!”
Sherung gritted his teeth and shouted through the pain of his lost eye.
The young man grinned at him.
“Don’t get cocky now. No matter what ya mouth off about, your eyes are screamin’ you’ve already given up on winnin’.”
“Nonsense!”
Sherung bellowed in fury, but he couldn’t bring himself to charge at the young man.
He knew it deep down.
He couldn’t beat this guy.
He was just bluffing.
And neither he nor any of his men would make it out alive.
The gap in skill between this smug bastard and them was that vast.
‘Damn it, I underestimated him too much!’
Sherung gnashed his teeth.
He’d heard how most raids had been repelled without issue, with the fiends fleeing each time. Unconsciously, he’d assumed...
The Black Dragon Construction clan and Wang Gi-seong had just let their guard down.
The fiends weren’t that impressive; with proper preparation, they could be caught easily.
It wasn’t entirely his fault.
Many in the Black Dragon Clan thought the same.
The pride of the Seven Dragon Society—which had once dominated the world and still wielded absolute power in both business and crime—was that immense.
But it was a misjudgment.
Arrogance, even.
They’d ignored the fact that not everyone in the mighty Seven Dragon Society was mighty themselves.
And this was the result.
His one lost eye to a knife and his men slaughtered pointlessly.
‘I should’ve judged more carefully...!’
If he hadn’t underestimated the enemy.
If he’d focused on defense with his men.
If he’d abandoned his greed for glory.
He might not have won, but he wouldn’t have lost this easily.
But because Sherung had charged recklessly and lost an eye, his remaining men were massacred without proper resistance.
A fatal blunder.
“Fun playin’ with your pals, but work’s work. Time to wrap it up.”
The clown-masked young man smirked, clearly savoring Sherung’s face twisted in grief, despair, regret, and humiliation.
He gripped the spinning knife in reverse and strode forward.
Sherung instinctively took a step back.
Shame washed over him at once, and he clenched his teeth.
Instead, he stepped forward twice, tore a strip from his clothes to tightly bind his eye wound, raised his spear high, and roared.
“Form the Minor Black Flow Reversal River Formation!”
“...”
“What are you doing? Hurry and form up...”
He’d given the order with resolve to fight to the end.
But when Sherung turned to his men, who showed no sign of moving, he was left speechless by the empty space.
The moment he’d stepped forward again...
His men had fled.
Abandoning him—the one determined to fight to the last—without a second thought.
“Y-You...!”
Sherung understood.
The bravest warriors were already dead from the fight.
Those still alive weren’t as courageous or spirited as their fallen comrades.
And after watching their leader Sherung defeated in a blink and their fellows massacred, it was no wonder they were terrified.
“You damn cowards! Get back here! Even if you die, show the Black Dragon Clan’s pride!”
But understanding and forgiveness were different.
As the security chief here.
As a Black Dragon Clan warrior.
He couldn’t let subordinates cower before some fiend. Sherung slammed his spear into the floor and bellowed.
But that was a mistake.
“See that? I get you’re pissed, but with me right here, payin’ attention elsewhere ain’t smart.”
“...!”
His focus shattered.
Sherung recoiled at the voice suddenly right in front of him and swung his spear to fend off the young man.
The spear whipped out in the Jiaolong Wave Scattering Stream style—movements at the pinnacle of flashiness.
Like a serpent pursuing its prey no matter how it dodged, it was a strike that even high-level players couldn’t avoid without mortal injury.
“Ouch, just ‘cause I poked one eye, now you’re goin’ for my throat? That’s harsh.”
Puk!
One problem.
The clown-masked young man wasn’t some average high-level player.
He leaned back to evade the spear, then lightning-fast slashed his knife across Sherung’s wrist, carving a long gash.
Sherung twisted in pain but desperately kept swinging his spear at the young man—only for every attack to miss wildly.
In contrast, the young man’s casual knife swings never missed, leaving wounds on Sherung’s body without fail.
“Hmm, your tenacity ain’t bad...”
A few exchanges later.
Sherung, drenched in blood and barely propped up by his spear, was a ragged mess.
Tsking his tongue at the sight, the young man said,
“Your skill just ain’t keepin’ up—such a shame. If you’d clung on and resisted desperately, even I’d have felt some satisfaction.”
“...”
“Well, it was fun enough. See ya.”
As if he’d had his fill of fun.
The young man leisurely thrust his knife forward.
Sherung couldn’t dodge that sinister blade.
Shaaak!!
“Huh?”
And so, the chilling sound of blade tearing flesh echoed.
A large hole punched through a shoulder.
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Not from the blood-soaked Sherung, but from the young man who’d been about to stab his remaining eye.
“...Damn, that surprised me.”
Just before the sneak attack pierced his back.
He’d spun around at the last instant to deflect the blade, countering with his knife to halt the pursuit.
Despite the shoulder wound, he didn’t even furrow his brow.
Instead, he genuinely seemed impressed.
Grinning as he turned his head.
“Thought this place was full of nothin’ but lanky losers—disappointed me. Didn’t expect another expert hidin’ here.”
Sherung was the shocked one.
Because the one who’d ambushed the clown-masked young man was someone who absolutely shouldn’t be here.
“Chao Weiling!?”
“...Have you forgotten the warning not to call me by my false name so casually? Or do you want a duel that badly?”
What irked her more than the failed ambush was Sherung flying off the handle.
Sherung stared in astonishment at the androgynous woman—her face cold as ever, now openly displeased.
“Why are you here?!”
“Heard the commotion on my way and came back.”
“This is our guards’ duty! No place for the Sword Duke’s dog!”
“It’s an emergency, so I’m exercising defensive authority as a Guardian per regulations. File complaints with HQ later.”
“Y-You...!!!”
Sherung’s face flushed crimson.
Better to die than this.
Not content with saving his life, now handing the fiend over to her? Unbearable.
But neither she nor the young man cared for Sherung’s opinion.
The young man just eyed Weiling—who gripped her sword and glared at him—with amusement.
“So, you’re my opponent from now on?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Got spirit, but can ya handle me alone?”
The young man sneered coldly.
Weiling replied calmly.
“No.”
“...Hey now, even if it’s true, givin’ up that quick?”
“Just objective assessment.”
Weiling stated coolly.
Of course, she was stronger than Sherung.
She was one of the rare division leaders in the Seven Dragon Society, entrusted with protecting Princess Li Chingwei at a young age.
But strength was relative.
Considering this fiend was one who’d killed Wang Gi-seong—a superior expert—the clown-masked man was unlikely weaker than her.
He’d effortlessly dodged her signature stealth art, the Shadowless Sword Style ambush.
And in that split second, he’d even grazed her skin in counterattack.
That proved it.
The moment her ambush failed, her odds vanished.
“And I haven’t given up.”
“Hm?”
Yet her eyes burned sharp.
Unlike Sherung, who’d crumbled after one eye stab, she hadn’t abandoned the fight. The young man looked puzzled.
“What’s that mean? Somethin’ like you can’t win alone, but together you could?”
“Unfortunately impossible. Sherung right now would hinder more than help.”
“Weiling!”
Sherung bristled.
The young man ignored him and asked,
“Then ya gonna run?”
“Alone, maybe. But with baggage like this? No.”
“You callin’ me baggage right now?!”
“Ya know it.”
“I messed up once from poor self-assessment. Now I’m judging myself as objectively as possible.”
Sherung’s outburst was ignored as usual.
So thoroughly that he wondered if he’d already died and become an invisible ghost.
“So, how ya plannin’ to beat me?”
“Thought I’d try this.”
What gave her the fire to ignite her will despite knowing she was outmatched?
The young man watched with interest.
But when he saw what Weiling pulled out...
He blinked.
It wasn’t a weapon or item—just a plain smartphone.
“...What’re ya doin’? Callin’ the cops now?”
Both the young man and Sherung stared in disbelief as Weiling frowned and selected a number, hitting call.
Ring ring ring... Click.
[What is it? I already got today’s report.]
“Official request.”
[Huh? What request?]
“You once said learning swordsmanship from you would let me handle fiends. Were you serious?”
[Of course I was.]
“Perfect timing then.”
After a brief connection tone, a familiar voice came through.
Weiling uttered words she’d die before saying personally—but as Guardian rep secretary, she had to.
“Then teach me a sword technique to beat this fiend one-on-one. In three minutes.”
[...You been day-drinking???]