Overwhelm
At the same moment, a notification popped up.
Eliminate 36 Enemies!
📍 Rank:A
💰 Cash Reward: 500 cash per enemy
🎁 Reward:Skill Scan
⚠️ Penalty for Failure: -500 cash per enemy
Mocked and gathered to kill you. Show them exactly who you are by slaughtering them.
'Exactly, huh.'
Arthur smirked.
Yeah, I'll show them exactly.
The number 36 appeared in the upper left corner of Arthur's vision.
"Ah, I can't see..."
Puk!
"Gahhh!"
Arthur moved.
He approached the man at the front, sparkling with light.
He thrust his spear into the man with all his might.
The man, pierced in the chest, staggered back.
"Huk!"
"Grab him! He's definitely in here!"
The screaming man collapsed with the spear in his chest.
The apprentice lords gathered around, swinging their weapons wildly at empty air.
Arthur seized one swinging hand in the air.
Then he twisted the man's wrist, snatching his dagger.
"Ugh!"
Crack!
"Over here!"
They could only rely on sound, allies' screams, and the glowing luminous moss.
A spear was highly disadvantageous in this situation.
Especially when needing to hunt humans as quickly as possible—a short-range, easy-to-swing dagger was far better.
Psssh!
"Gaaaaah!"
One man clutched his throat.
"U, uwaaa! What the hell is this!"
Blood spurted from his neck, drenching the face of the man in front.
Taken by terror, the man swung his weapon mercilessly.
"Die! Die, you damn bastard!"
Pshik!
"Euk! M-my arm, you crazy fuck!"
"Everyone shut the fuck up, please!"
Chaos bred more chaos.
Some babbled incoherently from fear, others chased Arthur's footsteps.
But there was no controlling it.
Pshik!
"Euk!"
Splatter!
Psssh!
"Gahhh!"
Screams echoed everywhere.
Soon, they clustered toward the left end.
Sounds of flesh tearing and screams from the left.
They rushed toward the noise.
But Arthur had already pulled back, pressing tight against the cave wall.
From the wall, Arthur scanned his surroundings and lunged into the chest of a man groping the stone.
In that position, he thrust the dagger upward with full force.
Puk!
"Euk!"
He yanked the dagger out in one motion.
The man with a pierced jaw collapsed with a thud.
You hunted 10 more.
Probability Ring has been upgraded to Plain Rare.
Arthur wore a satisfied expression as he began systematically killing the apprentice lords in the darkness.
Whoosh!
'Ugh!'
A blind hand axe grazed Arthur's arm.
"Over here!"
Arthur quickly pulled his arm free from the hand axe and created distance.
A snake shot out from his left wrist.
The snake pursued corpses even in the dark.
It sucked blood and was drawn back into the bracelet.
Sizzle.
Arthur's gouged wound healed rapidly.
'Huuu.'
Breathing evenly, Arthur shot into the gaps between the apprentice lords.
He sliced the throat of a groping man.
Ducking low, he moved behind a wildly swinging man and stabbed the nape, then quickly withdrew.
Pshik!
Puk! Puk! Puk!
Splatter!
Psssh!
Splaaatter!
"Gaaaaah!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Euk!"
Screams burst from everywhere.
The pitch-black darkness eroded them like stone from fear.
"P-please stop!"
"I surrender!"
"You idiots, don't move a muscle!"
Freight yelled at them, but it wouldn't reach the terrified bunch.
Nor did Arthur intend to spare those who surrendered.
There was no guarantee those who'd once tried to take his life wouldn't try again.
Leaving any loose ends was unacceptable.
Who knew what harm survivors might cause later.
"P-please, spare m— Euk!"
A trembling man's throat was slit.
He clutched it and crumpled.
"Uuuu!"
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Someone had pissed themselves; water hit the floor.
All were gripped by terror.
Freight too.
'T-this is impossible!'
Just one brat.
Thirty-six nobles were being massacred pitifully by that single kid.
He was cunningly taking lives one by one.
'No, it won't end here!'
Freight popped his last two pills into his mouth and chewed.
Power surged through his body.
The five issued pills stacked.
One pill gave 30%, the second 40% stat boost.
Having taken one before engaging Arthur, Freight could now output 150% power.
Arthur didn't stop, continuing to slash.
'Finish them before their eyes adjust to the dark.'
Human eyes gradually adapt to darkness over time, starting to see faintly.
He had to end it before then.
* * *
Freight, who had retreated to the rear and calmly observed, began adapting to the darkness.
Arthur's swift movements came into gradual view.
But Freight's legs shook.
'Most are dead.'
By the time his eyes adjusted, Arthur had already killed most apprentice lords.
Four remained.
The other four seemed somewhat adapted too.
But Arthur subdued them swiftly.
Pshik!
Splaaah!
Arthur stabbed a dagger near the heart and yanked his sword free.
Blood surely splattered his face.
The last man slumped to the floor.
Pissing himself, he clasped his hands in desperate plea.
"P-please. Spare me. Please... I was just scared of that guy Freight..."
Arthur said nothing.
No mercy or words for enemies before killing.
Talking only weakens the resolve to kill.
Arthur could offer one thing.
A swift end.
Moving behind, Arthur snapped his neck without hesitation.
Crack!
Thud.
The man hit the floor.
Freight forced a grin.
"Ha, haha. Impressive. I admit it."
Arthur's coldly sunken eyes gleamed ominously in the dark.
He walked slowly, step by step, toward Freight.
Drenched in blood, Arthur wiped it from his face with his arm and spat on the ground.
"Ptoo! Never get used to the taste of blood."
Freight flinched.
That single phrase struck him with immense terror.
"W-what the hell were you in the real world?"
Arthur checked the '1' in his upper left vision.
'He has a Leadership skill.'
Using 400 cash to unlock Important Information View had revealed Freight's status.
He'd received five pills from instructor Kaiser and prior intel on monster hunts.
Among 200, one or two get special skills in monster hunts—Freight must be one.
Arthur examined the Probability Ring, now Faded Rare.
Trash Rare was 10% chance for 1.3x crit; Faded Rare was 15% for 1.4x.
Soon, another upgrade.
As he gazed indifferently, a hologram appeared before Arthur.
Overwhelm
📍 Rank:C
💰 Cash Reward:2,000
🎁 Rewards: Strength +2, Plunder Freight's Leadership
⚠️ Penalty for Failure: All stats -1
Freight thinks losing initiative last time was the cause. Yield ten moves and overwhelm him—show him who you are.
Arthur gave a wry smile at plundering Freight's Leadership.
'What doesn't this system have?'
He accepted for now.
Then, in a flat voice:
"I've been on battlefields. Slashed enemies to survive. At first from fear, then to grow stronger. When starving, ripped raw meat from live old crows. When no rations, teared into dead comrades' flesh with tears. You trained with the sword since childhood? So what? What do you want me to do about it."
Arthur chuckled, gazing at his bloodied dagger.
"Freight, I'll give you ten free attacks first. If even one lands during that, I'll back off myself."
"Y-you expect me to believe that?"
Arthur scoffed.
The guy was thoroughly spooked.
Talking big about trash like you moments ago, now biting at the offered chance.
"Believe it or not, I don't care. Honestly."
"A-alright."
"Come on."
Freight always regretted yielding the first move in their spar.
Yet he believed he'd have won without it.
Now Arthur offered ten moves.
Could he even land one?
Plus, he could output 150% power now.
Freight gripped his sword tight.
'I grabbed a sword at five, called a genius by knights.'
Little real combat, but Freight trusted himself fully.
"Hah!"
Freight leaped at Arthur.
His sword swung.
'One.'
Arthur began counting mentally.
Whoosh!
Freight's sword attacked swiftly.
Arthur dodged fluidly like flowing water.
'Three.'
"You bastard!"
Freight charged madly at Arthur.
Arthur retreated swiftly backward.
Swoosh!
He tilted his head back, narrowly dodging.
Thinking he'd seized momentum, Freight thrust—but Arthur twisted sideways, evading.
Freight's breath grew ragged; his sword sharper.
Arthur's eyes sank colder, predicting calmly.
Swoosh!
'Eight.'
Freight raised his knee.
He bit his lip hard.
Since childhood, he'd killed slaves and commoners like ants.
No one could stand above him; none on this land his equal.
Even decent knights sparred and cried, "Aaaah! Amazing, Lord Freight!"
Yet this brat—his sword hadn't touched once.
Swing after swing, no contact.
Arthur blocked the rising knee with both hands.
'Nine.'
Freight gnashed his teeth.
"Just die, you damn rookie shit!"
'Ten.'
Arthur's eyes changed.
Crack!
"Guk!"
Finishing ten, Arthur seized Freight's throat.
His gaze turned chilling.
Immediately, the quest completion rang.
Overwhelm completed.
Gained Strength +2.
Gained 2,000 cash.
Plundering Leadership skill.
Throat gripped, Freight choked, eyes fixated on Arthur's slowly opening mouth.
In a cold voice, Arthur said,
"This is the difference between you and me."