030. Black Foot, Gangble 1
The ceiling split open, and a massive boulder came crashing down. It was several times the size of a normal person—big enough to crush anyone flat beneath it.
The startled enemy squad sprang into action. Most of them dove under the monsters they'd been using as shields, slipping right beneath their bellies. The beasts wore looks of confusion for a split second before the boulder slammed into their heads.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Squeeeeal!"
The giant monster let out a piercing shriek as its body crumpled. At the same moment, screams erupted from the humans.
"Aaaagh!"
"Urgh!"
A few managed to shield themselves, but it was futile—like trying to block the sky with your hand.
Meanwhile, Gangble, who had drawn a single card, shouted,
"Summon."
In an instant, a hulking starfish with a massive body shielded him. It would have crushed any ordinary monster, but this one had tough skin and held firm. Using the starfish as cover, Gangble scanned his surroundings and scowled.
How much money did I sink into gathering these troops...
It wasn't their lives he cared about—it was the cost.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even as those thoughts raced through his mind, his forces were dying in droves. But the trap wasn't over yet. To make matters worse, as several monsters collapsed, they triggered more pressure plates.
Click! Click! Click!
Hearing that sound, the enemy squad couldn't hide their dread.
"N-No!"
"Fuck this shit."
Despite their cries, the walls began to shift. Arrows rained down from one side, boulders from above—and to top it off, the side walls suddenly slammed together like magnets.
Thud!
"...!"
Moments later, countless enemy soldiers burst like mosquitoes caught between clapping hands. Small puddles of red and black blood formed where they had been. The survivors stared like they'd seen ghosts, their will to fight shattered.
"......"
Most of the enemy squad had assumed, before entering the cave, that this mission would be a breeze. Kidnapping children? No big deal. But no one had anticipated this. Compared to when they'd first entered, only a tenth of their forces remained.
Gangble ground his teeth as he surveyed the fallen allies around him.
"Bascon brat... I'll make you pay for this humiliation."
* * *
Royal Tomb, Sector C entrance.
The cave entrance glowed with a bluish hue, much like the one before. In the end, only about twenty enemies had survived. And the expressions on those who made it this far were grim. They'd passed through spiderweb tunnels and lava flows, utterly exhausted, their stamina drained.
Judging that he needed to boost morale, Gangble shouted,
"Everyone, once we finish this mission and get back, I'll give you half the money from selling the kids as a bonus. So stay sharp until the end!"
At the word "bonus," the soldiers roared,
"Yes, Boss!"
Gangble nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips as he noted the complete turnaround in their morale.
Money can do anything. Even pick up spirits this low.
Gangble was grinning smugly when his head tilted. A suspicious shadow flickered behind a small boulder. Convinced of what it was, he flashed a sinister smile.
Up to some trick again... Kekeke. Not this time.
Gangble was certain the shadow was a child. No adult could hide behind a rock that small. Remembering the last time, he scanned the surroundings.
Another trap?
The floor and ceiling showed no signs of tampering—thankfully. Just a small puddle ahead. Still, an uneasy feeling lingered.
Why hide just the kid behind the rock?
His suspicions wouldn't fade, but he couldn't just ignore it. Gangble signaled his men to keep moving forward, subtly altering the path so the kid wouldn't notice. Then he whispered to another knight, pointing at the boulder.
"Check that spot carefully."
"Yes, Boss."
The enemy knight crept forward, masking his presence as much as possible, even tiptoeing to muffle his footsteps. When he reached the rock, he swiftly peered behind it.
Sure enough, there was a girl—Mia—just as Gangble had guessed.
The knight grinned lewdly and said,
"Peekaboo!"
Mia screamed at his sinister expression.
"Aaaah!"
With his hunch confirmed, Gangble relaxed.
"What, just some half-assed trick? Kekeke."
The knight grabbed Mia by the hair and dragged her toward Gangble.
"Ow! That hurts—let go!"
But the knight ignored her, yanking her roughly in his fatigued, irritable state. And one thing caught the eye: a flint in Mia's hand.
Spotting it, Gangble realized something and yelled at his subordinate,
"Everyone, stop!"
He eyed the puddle ahead and was certain.
"That puddle's oil, right, little girl?"
Mia's face hardened at his words.
"Too bad you couldn't burn us all alive, huh? Kekeke."
Gangble leered at her, but Mia stayed silent.
"......"
Then—
Slap!
Gangble backhanded her across the cheek.
"Ungrateful stray bitch doesn't recognize her master. Forgot after all this time? Answer me!"
He was furious about the trouble the escaped Shobe Cave kids had caused him. His pupils dilated as he added,
"Because of you brats, look at this mess. Time I could've used to make more money. Hah, what a pain in the ass you trash are."
Mia, knocked to the ground, got up and approached Gangble. But the usual boldness was gone. Tears streaming, she clutched his knee and looked up at the tall man.
"M-Mister, I'll be good and listen. Please, just let me see my sister... sob... I'll tell you where the kids and the dwarf are..."
Gangble let out a hollow laugh at her words.
"Kekeke, that's more like it. First, take me to that Bascon bastard. I wanna chop off his limbs right now."
His eyes burned with killing intent. He meant it—he planned to cripple Bin and force his submission.
Mia nodded, her tears stopping at that gaze.
"Sniff. Yes, I'll take you to him right away."
She bowed her head, wiping her tears on her clothes. Then, as she looked up again, she pulled something out toward Gangble: Codic's shrunken head, small enough for one hand.
"Nice to meet you, you scum."
In that instant, Codic's head expanded, and Bin emerged from its mouth.
The enemy squad and Gangble's eyes went wide.
"......!!"
Bin swiftly swung his Bow Sword at Gangble.
Whoosh—
Shadows layered around Gangble's body, letting him dodge just in time. But Bin had anticipated his escape route and swung deeper.
"Urgh..."
Gangble groaned, clutching one eye.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood poured from it. The enemy squad cried out in unison.
"B-Boss!!"
The tall Gangble collapsed to his knees.
Thud.
Bin looked down at him and spoke.
"A bit of a waste to settle for just an eye in this plan."
He tapped his sword against his shoulder, looking far more at ease. Gangble rose at Bin's confident demeanor, opening his eye to find half his vision dark. Realizing he'd lost it, he burst into incredulous laughter.
"Kekeke. Quite the bold brat. Doing this to me."
His face flushed red. Bin, still relaxed, replied casually,
"It's just the beginning compared to what you've done. Don't overreact over one eye."
"One eye? Kekeke. Let's see if you say that when all your limbs are gone. You dug into Shobe Cave—no Bascon can escape death now."
With that, one of Gangble's arms swelled, hurling a red card at Bin.
Whoosh—
Bin frowned at the flying card.
Mana of Strength...
Blood trickled from his left arm.
"......"
The card flew like a dart—small and hard to spot. Bin quickly unwrapped the bandage from his right arm and bound his left. As he grimaced, Gangble smirked.
"Pathetic."
Gangble's smile was one of certainty. A mere graze, and he already tasted victory. Even Codic couldn't comprehend it. With both wounded, Gangble had taken the worse hit—or so it seemed.
The confident Gangble raised the red card.
"This red card? Bleeding. In other words, you'll bleed out soon enough. Kekeke."
Bin checked his left arm.
"......!"
Despite the bandage, the blood kept flowing, just as he said. The pain intensified.
"Urgh...!"
Blood poured like rain from Bin's arm. Dizziness set in. Only now did he realize the card carried substantial mana. Codic glared, watching Bin wince.
M-My lord... Blacksmith, you ready yet...?
Codic was anxious. He'd hoped to drop Gangble in one go, per the plan. A 5th-class knight like Bin against a 3rd-class like Gangble? It should have been easy. To compound things, the enemy squad chased after Mia.
"You cheeky little brat! Tricking the boss like that."
"I'll teach you a lesson!"
As they reached for her head, a crystal flew in.
Whoosh.
"You scum's opponent is me!"
The enemy knight yelled in shock at the moving skull.
"Wh-What the hell...!"
As Codic clashed with the squad, Bin—staggering—smiled.
Dying this pathetically would be too boring...
He drew Shabest and pressed it to the bleeding spot.
Crack.
The wound froze solid in an instant. The blood finally stopped. Bin had known Gangble's ability in advance, allowing quick countermeasures.
Gangble's lip curled.
"Kekeke. Freezing your own arm? Not bad for a kid."
"I'll do the same to you soon enough. Let's keep going."
"Kekeke. Cocky bastard. I'll rip that mouth first."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Red cards flew at Bin in succession. He focused on them. Bleeding—a tricky ability. A graze meant ongoing damage.
Bin raised an ice wall from the ground—not dodging, but blocking.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The cards embedded in the ice, as expected. But relief was short-lived. Gangble had circled behind, hurling three cards at once from point-blank range. Impossible to evade.
Shadows layered around Bin's body again. He slipped past the cards in a flash.
Gangble frowned.
"......Pure Bascon blood, even at that age."
Bin's agility outpaced his own—movements unbelievable for his age. Gangble faltered briefly. But he quickly eyed Bin's arm: skin reddened under the ice, surely agonizing. Yet Bin didn't flinch.
Impressive mental fortitude for his age.
Impressed, Gangble spoke.
"Must hurt like hell to handle it that way, but you're holding up."
"This is nothing. Compared to the pain you've inflicted on those kids."
"Kids' pain?! Kekeke, most of them were abandoned by their parents anyway. Trash, plain and simple. I turned trash into dwarves—should be grateful. Tsk tsk."
"......"
"That's how we built our capital, making House Grander what it is today. Sacrificing other houses for your own—what's wrong with that?"
"Sorry about this."
Gangble tilted his head at Bin's words.
"Sorry?"
"Sorry, Gangble Grander. Looks like I can't kill you easily."
Gangble scoffed in disbelief.
"Kekeke, you've lost too much blood. Gone to your head? Delusions of grandeur. Look at the floor— all your blood."
"Blood? Irrelevant when it comes to killing you."
"......"
Then, Ront emerged from Codic's mouth and tossed Luminare to Bin.
"A bit late, but bear with me. Best I could do."
Thud!
Bin caught it and smiled at Gangble.
"Do me a favor. Don't end it in one strike."