Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Night Raven
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‘Is he insane?’
Kim Se-hyun’s head tilted at an odd angle.
It was his habit whenever he encountered something bizarre or incomprehensible.
The man in front of him was telling him to beg for mercy.
It was ridiculous that he’d taken so seriously what Se-hyun had tossed out as a joke, but for some reason, those words lodged deep in Kim Se-hyun’s chest.
It felt like the man was truly insisting he had to beg. Like he wouldn’t let it slide otherwise.
‘Who the hell are you?’
Kim Se-hyun, who’d never faced such blatant disrespect in his own turf of Ilia, felt rage boiling up to the top of his head.
“...Me? Beg? Hey... ha, you crazy bastard...”
The woman beside the man finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
“Kuh... pfft... Hey, Se-hyun, you can’t just let this slide. It’s making me sick too.”
“I’m so shocked I can’t even speak right. I just got totally dissed, right?”
“Yeah, you did. I saw it.”
Kim Se-hyun glanced around, looking for someone.
“Fuck... where’s Kyung-soo? He still not here?”
“I sent the guys earlier. They should be almost here.”
In truth, Kim Se-hyun wasn’t the leader of their group. He had the build for it, but he was hot-headed, impulsive, and lacked backbone. That’s why he’d never earned much respect back in society either.
The real boss of the crew was Jang Kyung-soo.
He towered a full head above everyone else, with broad, sturdy shoulders and a ruthless streak.
To those who idolized lawlessness, Jang Kyung-soo was the perfect gang leader.
And he was on his way.
That single thought awakened the beast inside Kim Se-hyun’s chest.
‘I’ll kill him.’
His actions had been thwarted one after another, leaving Se-hyun furious yet bewildered.
Where the hell had these clueless idiots dropped from? Hadn’t they heard of their notoriety in Ilia?
‘Ignore the pilgrim since that could cause issues... but that bastard dies.’
Already, several Transferred had lost their lives to their gang within the city walls. In Korean society, that would’ve meant rotting away most of their lives in prison for murder. But here, they’d only gotten a slap on the wrist from the lord—no real punishment.
From that moment on, they’d grown even crueler.
Their violence targeted only other Transferred. Outwardly, they mingled well with Pandea’s locals, but inwardly, they sought to lord over their fellow Transferred.
In fact, no one in Ilia dared challenge them.
‘...Could it be that guy?’
A few days ago, Yoo Tae-rim—the woman beside him—had mentioned some mysterious anonymous figure entering Ilia.
‘Over 3 million points...’
Kim Se-hyun, Yoo Tae-rim, and Jang Kyung-soo had recently surpassed 2.2 million adventure points. At least in Ilia, they had no rivals.
Except for that anonymous newcomer from a few days back—they could’ve crushed everyone else.
Plus, it was one against three. With preparation, how could they lose?
Yoo Tae-rim shook her head at Kim Se-hyun’s glance.
“Nah, not him.”
“You sure?”
“Rumor has it he’s a woman. This guy’s a dude. Can’t you tell?”
“Fine then. Why’d this fucker make my heart skip a beat...”
While Kim Se-hyun hesitated, Carmeli apologized to Snowman.
“I’m sorry... this is all because of me...”
“No need. Step back. Pilgrims shouldn’t get involved. It could cause trouble later.”
“......”
Carmeli gazed at Snowman with dreamy eyes as he stepped up in her crisis. She seemed thoroughly mistaken about something, but she backed off anyway. Snowman focused on Kim Se-hyun and his crew.
‘A little over ten of them.’
Counting held no real significance.
It was like casually checking how many tangerines were in a black bag from the market.
Thwip-!
Something flew at Snowman.
Thwack-!
The impact made even Snowman’s catching hand tremble slightly. Opening his palm revealed a coin.
Snowman looked at Kim Se-hyun with puzzled eyes.
“Pocket change, asshole. Slow on the uptake?”
“......”
“Changed my mind. You and your pals... watching you all die together feels more satisfying.”
“Think again. Last chance.”
“Can’t hear you.”
Kim Se-hyun’s demeanor shifted.
[CoolSehyun uses Butchery.]
[Weapons easily tear through flesh.]
[Inflicts ragged wounds.]
[Consecutive hits have a chance to cause severe bleeding.]
He lunged at Snowman without warning.
A dagger in one hand, a spiked gauntlet on the other—he seemed like a close-range destroyer class.
‘Not a duelist. Street mugger type, then.’
Snowman instantly deduced his class from stance, skills, and patterns.
And predicted his next move based on that.
“First, you little shi...”
“...t.”
[CoolSehyun uses Needlefish Thrust.]
[Hitting with Needlefish Thrust grants Lawless every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.]
Kim Se-hyun’s body twisted as his dagger danced.
A diagonal upward slash. Snowman’s prediction—Needlefish Thrust—was spot on.
“Die!”
The dagger aimed for Snowman’s throat or face. A hit would mean death, or a fate worse than.
But then, Kim Se-hyun’s motion froze.
“...Huh?”
A crimson-black hand extended from Snowman’s, pinning Kim Se-hyun’s right shoulder—the key to his movement.
“Wha... wha... what the...”
“Kim Se-hyun! Watch out!”
Before Yoo Tae-rim’s scream or aid could reach his ridiculous frozen pose, something else arrived first.
His own hand, gripping the dagger.
“Ah, no...”
Snowman’s sticky black hand seized Kim Se-hyun’s, stabbing straight into his opposite shoulder.
Squelch-!
“Gaaahhhh!”
His own hand attacking him—what absurdity.
The shock sent Kim Se-hyun rolling across the ground.
“You fucking bastard!”
[TaeRimi uses Victory Conviction.]
[Gains confidence when ahead in battle.]
[High confidence boosts fighting spirit.]
“You’re done!”
[TaeRimi uses Duel!]
[Duelist’s Duel activates.]
[Cannot flee the designated area.]
[Duelist gains 20% to all stats inside the area.]
[High fighting spirit state.]
[All stats +10% more.]
Yoo Tae-rim had never lost after activating Duel. She dove at Snowman’s flank as it triggered.
“Jo...”
Someone’s shout.
And the whoosh of air.
Whoosh...
‘Too late!’
Snowman’s black hand had already slipped behind her.
Grab-!
No surprises.
She slammed obliquely into the cold stone floor, caught firmly.
Boom.
Cough...
For a moment, she’d deluded herself.
Her undefeated Duel record wasn’t from absolute strength—it was from only using it against winnable foes.
‘Still... this should be...’
The impact sounded brutal, but her injuries were lighter than Kim Se-hyun’s.
Probably because her foe’s resolve had weakened. She wasn’t oblivious; he was overwhelmingly strong. Time to look for an out.
Spotting such a soft spot amid it all—she had to exploit it.
But that was another delusion.
Crack.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Snowman’s boot came down on the hand Yoo Tae-rim used to brace herself. The sound and pain screamed fracture.
She let out a scream that shredded her vocal cords.
Both Yoo Tae-rim and Kim Se-hyun—combat ineffective.
Yoo Tae-rim’s crushed hand aside, Kim Se-hyun’s own hand was still pinned to his shoulder.
“It... it won’t come off... what the fuck is this...”
“Someone... anyone...”
The sticky residue on his right hand glued the dagger to his shoulder, refusing release.
That alone was grotesque, but Yoo Tae-rim crawling on the ground, snot and tears mixing, laid bare the scene’s brutality.
No one there to help them.
The ten-strong gang lay scattered, each with their excuses, collapsed on the ground. Most had been snatched by Snowman’s black hands, hoisted airborne, then smashed down.
Rumble!
Crunch!
“Gaaahk!”
A man with a shattered right arm, a woman with a twisted ankle, and more.
He’d shown mercy by not killing, but even priestly healing wouldn’t erase the aftereffects.
“Huff... huff! Get the fuck out of the way!”
A massive man burst onto the scene with his underlings.
Despite winter, he was shirtless in broad daylight, his torso a canvas of tattoos.
Easily over 190 cm, a bulk of muscle and meat. His fierce face scanned the chaos.
“What... the hell is all this? Kim Se-hyun, what happened?”
“It hurts... fuck... help... help me... Kyung-soo. Th-that bastard...”
“...Who did this?”
“Th-that fucker!”
“Got it.”
Three who shared an unmistakable vibe at a glance.
Snowman wondered if they were Ilia’s infamous thug trio that had buzzed Audenin’s forums for a while.
“...Hey. Who the hell are you? Know what you’ve done?”
“I’ll tell you if you need to know.”
“This fucker...”
Then, one onlooker who’d watched the sudden brawl spoke up.
“W-wait, I remember that guy! It’s him, that...”
“Who? Who is it?”
“The Penitent! The labyrinth clearer!”
“Penitent? Isn’t he in Audenin?”
“Didn’t he join the Union?”
The name “Penitent” rippled out, igniting the crowd into frenzy.
Those who’d idly watched another’s misfortune now buzzed about where things would lead.
“Penitent... means Union, right? Wow... they’re screwed.”
“They’re picking a fight with the Union now? No way they stand a chance...”
“Doesn’t this mean the Union’s reaching into Ilia now?”
The murmurs swelled.
No matter how pumped Jang Kyung-soo was, talk of the Union backing him made him flinch.
Union members were individually weak, but their sheer size dwarfed any Ilia outfit.
Jang Kyung-soo turned to Kim Se-hyun.
“Penitent? What the hell have you been doing?”
“I... didn’t know... ugh... Yoo Tae-rim was in on it too!”
“Hurts... hurts...”
Yoo Tae-rim out of it, Kim Se-hyun still fused hand-to-shoulder.
Jang Kyung-soo realized the mess was worse than thought.
‘Damn it... Thought it was just Kim Se-hyun stirring minor shit I could clean up...’
Of all the bad luck, tangling with the most famed adventurer around here.
“Kyung-soo... w-what do we do?”
“Ugh...”
Jang Kyung-soo finally decided.
He stepped forward to Snowman.
“He’s gonna fight!”
“They’re fucked, wow...”
Then bowed his head deeply.
“Sorry! My friends messed up and picked the wrong guy...”
“Step aside.”
“...Pardon?”
“My business is with him.”
“But...”
Snowman brushed past Jang Kyung-soo toward Kim Se-hyun.
“D-don’t come closer...”
He flailed his legs on the ground, scrambling back. But escape was impossible.
“I’ll beg! Begging’s fine, right?”
“Too late.”
“Please... like this...”
Snowman threw Kim Se-hyun’s earlier words right back.
“Can’t hear you.”
“Someone! Anyone help... this psycho fuck...”
No one answered Kim Se-hyun’s pleas.
A situation much like Jo Kyung-taek’s earlier—eerily recreated by Snowman.
“I’m pulling your teeth now. That won’t change.”
“Don’t... Kyung-soo! Kyung-soo, kill this bastard...”
Grind...
Jang Kyung-soo just watched, teeth clenched, taking no action. He judged any rash move would only stoke Snowman’s wrath further.
‘Do that, and we all die...’
He sensed it instinctively.
Every breath from Snowman reeked of fury. No defiance could be tolerated.
Power crushes greater power. The world’s simple, ironclad law.
“Se-hyun, endure it... if you don’t wanna die...”
“What? H-hey!”
Snowman gripped Kim Se-hyun’s jaw and yanked out a tooth.
Crack...
“G... gaaahk!”
“Leave Ilia today.”
“Fuck... fuuuck... hurts...”
Snowman’s eyes met Kim Se-hyun’s. A gaze utterly unlike the start.
Toki’s final words in the labyrinth had indeed opened new paths for Snowman.
- As long as you live, try doing good deeds now and then when you can.
Now, with leisure born not of haste but benevolence, he could survey his surroundings.
But that benevolence’s light never touched villains.
His eyes blazed infernal fire.
“Cross paths again, and I’ll take every last tooth.”
“......”
“Hear me now?”
His voice echoed lonely amid the hundreds. Those who heard it felt chills grip their hearts.
“O-okay. We’ll go.”
Jang Kyung-soo helped his friends limp away dejectedly.
Jo Kyung-taek approached Snowman.
He looked far more at ease than before—likely thanks to the pilgrims’ healing.
“Hyung...”
“Kyung-taek.”
“Thanks, hyung... really... I was so pissed and wronged...”
Carmeli stepped up.
“Brothers, save the reunion for later. The injured need rest—go with the pilgrims.”
“Ah... yeah.”
“And Snowman-nim, we should head straight there. We’re late for the meeting.”
“Kyung-taek, catch up later.”
“Huh? Oh, sure, hyung.”
With that, Jo Kyung-taek’s group left with the pilgrims. Snowman and Carmeli headed to the rendezvous.
It wasn’t far—a building visible even from the incident square.
“What if they left ’cause we’re too late... Oh! There they are.”
A figure nodding off by the window.
An enormous bow strapped to her back, long hair peeking from her hood.
Carmeli approached.
“S-sister...”
“Snort... Y-yes?”
“We ran into some trouble and got delayed. Sorry.”
The woman ignored Carmeli’s apology, turning to eye Snowman.
He met her gaze steadily. A split-second passed.
Her voice emerged.
“...Night Raven?”
“...Pardon?”