033. The Way He Lives
Gangble blinked his one remaining eye and raised his half-severed arm. A hollow chuckle escaped his lips.
'Kkk... To lose an eye and an arm to some green little brat.'
Just days ago, he'd been living large, strutting around without a care. Born into the Grander family—one of the three great combat noble houses—he'd enjoyed power that anyone would envy.
But now, this was his fate.
"Pathetic," Gangble muttered weakly, staring at the approaching Bin.
'Am I just going to die like this? Me...?'
A sudden thought flashed through his mind: money, the very reason he lived.
Gangble gritted his teeth, imagining the sweet scent of coin even now.
'I've got mountains of gold left to spend. I can't die here. And with enough money, crushing a punk like him would be nothing.'
He pulled a single card from his pocket with his remaining hand. His trump card: the Joker.
A sinister smile crept across his face as he looked at Bin.
"Kkk, that smug look won't last."
At that moment, a black vortex swirled from the card. From its center emerged a clown in a pierrot outfit—a garish figure in red clothes dotted with yellow circles over a stark white face.
The clown immediately supported Gangble.
Gangble, grinning widely, opened his mouth.
"You little rookie, next time we meet, I'll tear your limbs off—"
His words cut off as he slipped into the card. Bin's Luminare had flown straight into the clown's back.
Whoosh—thunk!
In an instant, the blade pierced the clown's body.
Gangble's expression darkened, the opposite of moments before. He stared in disbelief.
'H-how did he read my mind...?'
Even if Bin was just a 3rd Class knight, there should have been plenty of time to escape. It had only been a second or two.
But Bin had anticipated Gangble's move. Thanks to memories from his previous life.
Back then, Gangble had commissioned a weapon from Bin alongside a massive payment, seeking something better than his superior-grade Trump.
He'd specifically told Bin to include the Trump’s escape function in the new weapon.
That foreknowledge let Bin predict the getaway and hurl his greatsword before the ability could activate.
Bin smirked at Gangble.
"If I let you go like this, how could I face those kids?"
With that, he strode toward Gangble, step by step.
Thud. Thud.
"......"
Gangble lost his words under Bin's piercing gaze, fierce as a predator's.
He had no more ways to survive. One eye, one arm, all his mana—exhausted.
All that remained was judgment from Bin.
Finally grasping his situation, Gangble desperately bargained.
"Hey, spare me here, and I swear no revenge. Half my fortune—it's a king's ransom. Anything you want, name it."
Survival trumped revenge for him right now.
But Bin's face showed no change.
"......"
Thud thud.
He approached silently. One eye had turned a reptilian yellow.
The pressure was nothing like his usual self.
Gangble blurted in panic.
"What?! No answer? Not enough money? Hey, I'm the richest in the Grander family—half of that fortune!"
"......"
Still, Bin's cold expression gave no reply.
Reaching Gangble, he nodded to Codic.
"Yes, my lord!"
Codic dashed over, understanding instantly, and spat out items: flint, wood, gold coins...
Soon, a roaring fire blazed before Gangble, with heated coins glowing within.
Bin forced the kneeling Gangble's head back to face the ceiling.
"Y-you bastard... no way...!"
Gangble tried to turn, but exhaustion pinned him.
Bin pressed his left hand to Gangble's cheek, prying his mouth open, then dumped the red-hot coins in with his right.
"Keep all that money you made ruining other people's lives."
Gangble screamed as his mouth burned.
"Aaaargh!!"
He struggled to spit them out, but Bin clamped his right hand over the mouth. The black-scaled arm, numb since the scales appeared, felt no pain.
Anyone seeing this might call it excessive.
But not Bin.
This scum had turned innocent kids into dwarves for profit. Considering their pain and ruined futures, this was just retribution.
Having been born with one arm, Bin empathized more than most.
Gangble's head thrashed like a leaf in the wind, but soon...
Gulp.
He swallowed the molten gold, eyes rolling back as he collapsed.
Thud!
Bin gazed at the limp form, smoke billowing from its mouth, a weight lifting from his chest.
* * *
Moments later, the greatsword returned to its gray hue.
Shaking off thoughts of Gangble, Bin scanned the area without pause.
A few bound Redport soldiers and countless monster corpses caught his eye—cleaned up by the skeletal forces.
Inspecting for usable monsters, his gaze settled on Codic.
"Yes, my lord!"
The guy caught on quick, as always.
Codic raised a bony hand. A black cross appeared over the gold ring on it.
Suddenly, a massive corpse lurched to its feet.
Creeeak. Creeeak.
A familiar roar boomed from the hulking beast.
"Who'll be my meal?"
It was the 3rd Grade starfish monster, now revived in a skeletal body.
Ront's eyes widened at the rampaging form.
"D-did he turn the starfish to his side...?!"
Without Luminare, it would've been a tough foe. Bin smirked at its famed defenses.
'Definitely useful...'
But that thought lasted only a moment.
The starfish bellowed and charged forward.
"Raaargh!!"
It had lost reason at the sight of a fallen Redport soldier's red armor.
Crashing wildly, trampling corpses.
Clang crash!
Bin realized "useful" might be premature.
He mentally tallied the skeletons around him.
'Thirty-four skeleton soldiers, four elite skeleton knights, ten ghouls, one starfish, plus the original skeleton. Exactly fifty.'
Codic could've summoned more basic soldiers, but higher-grade ones limited the total.
At the center, Codic bowed to Bin.
"Worship my lord."
The horde of skeletons bowed toward Bin—
Just as the starfish charged them.
"Raaargh!!"
Blind rampage. If it hit, countless skeletons would shatter.
Bin hurriedly raised his greatsword, but it slapped the ground with a thunk!
'This is bad...'
Post-battle with Gangble, his mana was low. Luminare felt impossibly heavy.
The elite skeleton knights swarmed the incoming starfish, leading to a brutal clash.
"Urgh..."
"Raaargh!!"
They pushed evenly, roaring.
It seemed balanced, but a 3rd Grade monster proved too much.
Splat! Splat...!
The four elites flew back.
Codic panicked, dumbfounded.
"M-my lord, forgive—"
But blaming him wouldn't help.
Thud!
Bin stabbed his sword into the ground and leaped high behind the starfish, thin silken cord in hand.
Whoosh!
He looped Gleipnir around its neck.
'Behave before you break everything.'
As Gleipnir tightened...
Shing! Shiiing! Shiiiing!!
Golden lines spiderwebbed across the starfish's body—arms, legs, horns, everywhere bound.
"Raaargh!!"
It shook its head wildly, but escape was impossible.
Bin smiled dismissively.
"Think a thing like you can break the dwarves' masterpiece?"
"Raaargh!!"
Its thrashing slowed, mana depleting.
Finally, bound by Gleipnir, it knelt before Bin.
Thud!
Chaos over, Codic shouted at it.
"How dare you threaten my lord...! K-kill it, please!"
Bin sighed at Codic.
"Hah, enough. Stand down."
Codic's face lit with emotion. He sniffled dramatically.
"Sniff... sniff..."
No tears, of course.
"Your mercy leaves this Codic at a loss!"
Bin replied indifferently.
"When did I say to smash it."
Rest interrupted by the starfish fiasco, Ront approached Bin.
He eyed Luminare.
"Side effects are rough, eh? At this rate, even a top-grade weapon's useless."
Bin silently regarded Luminare, agreeing.
"......"
A few swings, and he'd be done. In this era of touching Grander nerves, it was dangerous. Battlefields turned on single clashes.
Pondering solutions, Ront spoke.
"But this body knows one sharp fix."
"Sharp fix?"
"That weirdo could do it."
Bin tilted his head at "weirdo."
Then it clicked.
"The weirdo—Dwarf Noni?"
Ront gaped.
"How do you know that name...?"
Dwarves had hidden for years. Yet a mid-teen like Bin knew "Noni."
Recalling past-life memories, Bin just smiled.
"Overheard it."
"Noni's name must be getting around... Shouldn't be..."
Ront let his true feelings slip. He wanted to stay the most famous dwarf.
Master smith? Fine. But Noni ruled alchemy, his student. No way he wanted to lose prestige.
Hand to chin, frowning.
'That greatsword's bound for fame. If Noni contributes... my credit fades. But no. Can't think that. We need to save Ria, Mia's sister, ASAP.'
Sorting his thoughts, Ront glanced at Mia behind him.
"One favor each. I'll take you to Noni if you hear my request. But there's a hitch..."
"Hitch?"
Ront nodded gravely.
"Super Nova Hobas is there."
Super Nova: The Gana Empire's top ten picks from 3rd Class and above for the Imperial Guard—high-potential elites.
Others might flinch, but Bin smirked.
"Perfect. I had business with him anyway."
He had reason to smile. Super Nova Hobas was one who'd stabbed blades into his body in his past life.
Ront blinked in surprise.
"You know Hobas...?!"
Bin smiled.
"I owe him a debt."
Unlike puzzled Ront, Bin turned to Luminare behind him.
'Your turn now.'