Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Result of a Small Greed
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It had been three years since he left the mountain where he trained with his master.
He was trudging endlessly through the desert under the blazing sun that beat down mercilessly.
I'm gonna die like this.
It was a genuine thought.
His entire body ached with muscle pain from the previous day's battle, and he hadn't had water for over a day, so his throat wasn't just dry—it was burning.
In this condition, walking through an endless desert with no end in sight made death feel tantalizingly close.
The Ghost of Katabi dying of thirst.
Not a good look.
Even in his dehydrated haze where his vision blurred, a chuckle escaped him.
Just yesterday, he had wiped out an entire village teeming with hundreds of assassins.
Dying like this would be disrespectful to those he killed yesterday.
Just one sip of water.
That was all he wanted right now.
He knew asking for a cool oasis or food to fill his starving stomach was too greedy.
Just one sip.
One single sip was all he craved.
Thud.
...!
He couldn't remember how long he'd been walking.
He had simply put one foot in front of the other with all his might.
And as a result...
A midsize village came into view through his hazy vision.
"Hah!"
They say when desperation hits, even the smallest things bring gratitude.
Just spotting one village filled him with unimaginable joy.
With that desperate mindset, he approached the village entrance.
"Who goes there!"
"Halt! State your identity!"
Assassins guarding the entrance blocked his path.
As expected, it seemed to be one of the villages under the Sand Nation.
He had hoped for a village without assassins.
Katabi was the world of assassins, but...
Not everyone living in Katabi was a killer.
There were ordinary folk making an honest living.
Villages without assassins weren't rare.
But not this one.
"Please, just one sip of water."
He knew it would be tough, but...
He didn't draw his dagger right away.
He had come here solely for water, after all.
"Who are you to come all this way begging for wa—?!"
The assassin's eyes widened as he approached.
He recognized who Kang Hyuk was.
Tat!
The assassin's face paled as he quickly retreated.
"The Ghost of Katabi!!"
Damn it, how far has my face been sold?
Regular folk far from the fighting might not know it, but...
No assassin was unaware of his face.
Thanks to the portraits distributed after every nation declared him a public enemy.
"I'll pass quietly. Just give me one sip of water."
It wasn't a lie—he really just wanted water.
He had once passed through a village where a handful of assassins barely scraped by.
- Spare us, Ghost of Katabi!
- We haven't fought in ages. Please, pretend you saw nothing!
They had no will to fight.
People trying to live a little apart from the kill-or-be-killed assassin world.
He spared them since they didn't attack.
He passed through quietly, as they wished.
"Ring the bell!!"
"It's the Ghost of Katabi! Everyone, out here!"
But today was the same.
He had come first.
His throat was parched, and he needed water—no need to start a fight.
"Ghost of Katabi, bounty one hundred million gold!!"
"Catch this bastard, and we escape this godforsaken hole!"
"He can't use Assassin Arts anyway! Form up and prepare the sand arts!"
But the people here thought differently.
The astronomical bounty on his head.
Everyone coveted it.
A half-baked assassin who couldn't even use Assassin Arts, despite the massive sum.
No matter his infamy, the lure of that money was irresistible.
"...It's not too late. Give me one sip of water, and I'll leave quietly."
"Shut your mouth! You think we'll let you go?"
"Haa."
No strength to fight with this thirst.
Click.
He drew his dagger and bit down on it.
Make it quick.
….
How many minutes had passed since the fight began?
Ten? No, probably not even five.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
He reached the spot after cutting down the assassins blocking his way.
Inside a house now without an owner.
Blood from others dripped from his body as he headed to the kitchen.
Gulp...!
He gulped down a sip from the water casually left on the counter.
The cool refreshment moistened his parched throat.
"Ha."
Staring at the cup he'd just drunk from, he laughed.
Just one sip of water.
Nothing more than this carelessly placed cup.
Yet he'd spilled dozens of times more blood just to drink it.
"Is this... the path of Asura?"
Blood mixed with water at his lips.
A small smile formed.
Even back in Korea, nothing had changed.
He pulled the daikon claw from his mouth.
The claw, which had tasted dozens of blood in a short time, dripped crimson.
"P-Please... spare me! I'll tell you everything!"
Lee Myung-ho, who had charged first, was now trembling in terror, his initial bravado gone.
Lee Myung-ho begged on his knees, tears streaming down.
"…."
One sip of water.
That was all he wanted.
It wasn't hard to give.
But they were blinded by the bounty on his head and brought ruin upon themselves.
The same with these guys.
The dacon and daikon corpses from the dungeon.
If they'd just taken those and left peacefully, they wouldn't be lying there now.
A tiny greed.
Choosing death over nothing—same as those Katabi fools.
Swipe.
He looked up at the scattered bodies around him.
That was why Lee Myung-ho was scared witless.
The Miru Guild hunters and cleaners who filled the factory.
All lay dead around Lee Myung-ho.
"Where's Yullas's magic stone?"
Blood entered his mouth with every word.
He hadn't expected to be drenched in human blood so quickly after coming to Korea.
"In the Donga Village building!"
"I know that. Tell me about Dae-wook there."
"K-Kim Dae-wook, Brother! He's the Miru Guild branch chief! Heavy Arm class, second advancement!"
Level didn't matter—he wouldn't know it anyway.
"The cleaners live off dungeon monster corpses. Why take human bodies?"
He had a guess from the hunter in the Yullas garden, but...
He asked Lee Myung-ho to confirm.
"Th-That..."
Crack!
"Gaaahhh!"
He stomped on Lee Myung-ho's ankle as he hesitated.
Lee Myung-ho screamed, snot and tears flowing.
"Organs! We need organs! That's the Donga branch's job for Miru Guild!"
Miru Guild's notoriety had its reasons.
Monster corpses were one thing, but humans too?
Having committed countless murders in Katabi, he wasn't about to call Miru inhumane.
Just that greed knows no bounds. He sighed.
"Where do the organs go?"
Not necessary, but...
Better gather all info—who knew what might happen later.
"I-I don't know! Really! I'm just a regular guild member guarding the factory!"
Didn't seem like a lie.
He looked the youngest among the hunters.
Probably everything Lee Myung-ho knew.
"The magic stone is definitely with Kim Dae-wook?"
"Y-Yes! Right! He found a shimmering gem from the dungeon boss! He cleared the dungeon too!"
He nodded at Lee Myung-ho's words.
A gem from boss Yullas had to be the magic stone.
"Got it."
"Th-Then!"
A glimmer of hope in Lee Myung-ho's terrified eyes.
He'd cooperated fully—spare me, it said.
"Should've listened when I told you to stand down at first."
"P-Pardon...?"
Swoosh... Boom!
He whipped his foot fast, kicking Lee Myung-ho's face as he knelt.
Crack!
Lee Myung-ho's body toppled without a final scream.
"Those who bare their fangs at me first..."
He turned slowly.
"I don't spare."
….
As he moved to head straight to Donga Village without delay...
Oh Myung-yoon and Kim Gil-sang caught his eye, dumped carelessly behind.
Left like that, they'd become mountain beast food or get casually culled upon discovery.
None of his business.
None of his business, yet his mind was unsettled.
He didn't know why.
Not revenge for anyone—just to clear that nagging feeling inside.
"Haa...!"
None of his business, but...
Payment for the meat was due.
Thud.
He turned toward the vehicles.
A few hours after Kang Hyuk left.
A vehicle pulled up to the factory.
"What the hell is this?"
Lee Seo-yeon, stepping out, clicked her tongue.
Click.
She drew two pistols from her waist and scanned the surroundings.
Following her was her junior, Ra Kyung-joo.
Ra Kyung-joo's face was etched with shock.
"Sunbae! I told you not to come alone!"
They'd followed the river where bodies floated, with no backup.
Seeing corpses at the checkpoint, they sensed something had gone down.
- Report first!
Ignoring Ra Kyung-joo, Lee Seo-yeon drove up anyway.
Lee Seo-yeon lowered her gun and eyed the bodies strewn everywhere.
"…."
Bodies openly wearing Miru Guild insignias.
'Miru bastards, no way.'
Everyone knew Miru dabbled in illegal shit.
Just no evidence to bust them.
….
The factory was eerily quiet.
Probably all the bodies outside were the entire crew.
"Sunbae, looks like they were transporting something."
Ra Kyung-joo checked the vehicles.
Blood-soaked interiors suggested monster corpses.
Whatever was loaded was gone now.
Swipe.
Lee Seo-yeon crouched, examining the fallen hunters' bodies.
'…!'
Strong monster attack? No.
Each body had one wound.
Two types visible: vital spots crushed or snapped with brute force.
Or pierced/slashed with something sharp.
Gulp.
Flawless precision targeting vitals—pure murder.
Lee Seo-yeon swallowed dryly without realizing.
'What the hell came and went?'