Mob Feast and Gay Bastard Beatdown
I had a decent conversation with Zawil. Sneering inwardly, I studied him.
‘The guy’s a 2nd-circle mage, lightning attribute—the fastest casting speed and proportionally higher destructive power.’
With his level of skill, Zawil could have easily ordered his subordinates to use friend-shield tactics and drown the Water Rascal in a water fight. He was more than capable.
Fortunately for me, he had reasons not to.
‘Dozens of failed attempts by the men he’s sent so far, plus his own chicken-hearted nature. The bastard never hesitates to commit crimes, but the moment he has to step up alone and risk his life, he turns into a total coward.’
Of course, that suited me just fine. I planned to use that weakness to take everything he owned.
A back-alley nouveau riche calling himself a boss was already pathetic enough, recruiting mercenaries in such a disgraceful manner.
And I knew he had one more shameful secret.
While I was licking my lips in anticipation, Zawil stood up and called his men.
“Shall we get moving, boys? Let’s go! To Eros Lake!”
The operation was finally underway.
We stepped out into the streets together with Zawil’s crew. The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The black market, in particular, was a sight to behold.
‘What the—?’
The merchants who had openly sneered or glared at me moments ago now frantically looked away the instant they spotted Zawil’s group, like pathetic losers avoiding eye contact.
Some even whispered among themselves.
“Hey, don’t make eye contact. Absolutely not.”
“Damn it, why’d they have to come out now? I’m shaking like a leaf, fuck.”
“Please, please, ugh…!”
The black market was dangerous enough to handle any incident, yet these battle-hardened veterans trembled at the sight of Zawil’s crew.
‘Shows just how vicious Zawil is around here.’
He was a natural-born criminal. I couldn’t help but admire that in a twisted way.
Then Winz crossed my mind.
‘I wonder how Winz is doing. We haven’t been apart that long, yet I already miss her.’
While I sighed, Zawil glanced back with a sleazy grin.
“Nervous, are we? Honestly, I am too. That Water Rascal is no pushover.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Haaah.”
“Why the sigh, Boss Devilrenov?”
“There’s someone I want to see.”
“Who?”
“My nephew, Jerome. You’ve probably heard of him—he’s famous. Such a lovely kid.”
A chill ran down my spine. I pretended not to notice.
We entered the forest at the western edge of Womanchester.
“Look. This endless forest will soon be mine!”
“Heh.”
Never mind that he’d bought it illegally. The moment the lord found out, the whole place would be razed.
“The forest itself is beautiful, but the lake here is truly exquisite!”
“Mhm.”
Completely oblivious to my boredom, Zawil kept bragging.
“I’m going to build a mansion right by the lake. Could turn it into a tourist spot, but who cares? Heh-heh.”
“Mhm-mhm.”
God, this bastard never shut up. Was he giving a speech before a life-or-death battle or something?
If he was nervous, he could just say so.
A question occurred to me.
“Aren’t there a lot of monsters here?”
“My men can handle anything up to a certain point. The only problem is the one that appeared in the lake this time.”
“I see.”
“Still… I wish every monster in the world would just disappear. They’re nothing but obstacles to humanity.”
Zawil clicked his tongue.
Honestly, the one who deserved the tongue-clicking was the Water Rascal.
‘You’re the one who provoked it by messing with its territory just to satisfy your greed.’
Obvious.
The Water Rascal possessed intelligence befitting its rank. It wouldn’t have attacked people without reason.
Let’s see.
I wanted to dig a little deeper into the rumors.
“Once you build the mansion, I’m sure you and your wife will get along wonderfully.”
“Huh? Haha. I’m still single.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. I plan to live with my nephew Jerome. He’s still growing, so I’ll have to teach him all sorts of good things.”
“Does the nephew get along with you well?”
“Of course! I was even the first one to witness his… ah, his first magic. Hahaha.”
Zawil awkwardly trailed off, his laugh sounding forced.
I didn’t feel like laughing at all.
‘There’ve been rumors he’s gay for a while. Turns out he really is a shit-stirring pervert?’
Disgusting.
The crazy bastard wasn’t just gay—he was involved with his own nephew.
And judging by how casually he spoke, Jerome had probably consented.
Otherwise Zawil wouldn’t have been able to say all this.
‘Gay and incestuous. What the hell.’
My head spun.
The subordinates walking ahead suddenly stopped.
“H-Hiik! Boss, it’s here!”
Zawil stepped forward and pointed at the lake. His hand trembled.
“K-Kugh. That bastard’s been waiting for us from the start? Why…?!”
His face had gone deathly pale, like he’d seen the grim reaper.
In the direction he pointed stood a massive figure.
Nearly two meters tall, covered in scales like a fish-human hybrid, with thick lower limbs. Its entire body gleamed with bluish scales, and it opened its hideous maw.
“Kkeheeeaaak!”
The creature’s eyes flashed as it charged.
Zawil panicked.
“U-Uh, what are you doing?! Get it! Kill it, damn it!”
The three subordinates rushed forward together.
But they were nothing more than back-alley thugs with big frames—nowhere near even Runner Initial rank.
“Puhuuu!”
Fwoooosh! Splash.
The Water Rascal spewed water. The moment it hit them, their bodies melted away in an instant.
“Kkuaaaak, Boss, uwaaaak!”
Wrapped in pale smoke, they dissolved and died. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.
Zawil trembled violently, cold sweat pouring down his face.
I used the opening to circle behind the monster.
“Oh? So that’s the Water Rascal?”
“H-Hey! What are you doing?! I’ll give you five thousand gold—kill it right now!”
The price had suddenly gone up.
All this trash knew how to do was oppress the weak and throw money around for profit. The fact that someone like him carried noble blood was laughable.
I pulled the collapsed Zawil to his feet.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Huh?”
“Do you like the person named Jerome?”
“What the hell are you saying all of a sudden? Just hurry up and—”
“Answer.”
I gave him a look that said I wouldn’t fight unless he answered.
Zawil glanced at the approaching Water Rascal, then nodded.
“…I do. Yeah, it’s weird, I know. But it’s normal. You wouldn’t understand how pure and beautiful a man’s love can be! It’s true agape…!”
“Aigoo.”
A sigh escaped me. I spoke anyway.
“Hey, is the anus really an organ meant to be pierced by that thing?”
“Don’t speak so vulgarly of a sacred act!”
“Whatever. Here’s a gift for you.”
“A gift…?”
“Courage, you shit-stirring pervert!”
Whoosh—thud! Roll, roll.
I grabbed him by the nape and hurled him straight at the Water Rascal.
Caught off guard, Zawil let out a pig-like squeal as he tumbled across the ground.
He rolled and crashed right into the monster’s legs.
“U-Ugh… What the hell are you doing?! Gah!”
“Keheeeek!”
The Water Rascal flared its gills as if pleased by the offering.
Zawil desperately punched downward.
His fist slammed into the creature’s chest.
Thwack!
“Kehk!”
Zawil coughed up blood.
But he also frantically activated his mana in desperation.
[Lightning Spear]
Zzzap! Crackle! Shring!
A flash of white light burst forth.
The lightning-formed spear pierced straight through the Water Rascal’s chest and vanished.
The monster staggered backward, clutching its chest. It looked critically wounded.
A fine mutual destruction.
I clapped as I approached.
“See? You can do it if you try, you little pervert. If you’d done this from the start, your innocent subordinates wouldn’t have had to die.”
“Kuh, kuhek…!”
“You’re pretty badly hurt, huh? Can you still talk?”
“Kkureuk… You fucking bitch, what…?”
I shrugged.
“Lungs must be messed up. Can’t even speak properly, can you? Breathing’s probably all you can manage now.”
“Kihik, sh-shit, gek…”
The bastard glared at me and began channeling mana.
If he actually cast that lightning magic, even I would have to rely on luck to dodge.
So I needed to provoke him and create an opening.
“That Jerome you like so much? I turned him into a vegetable.”
“Ugh… My… lo… ve…”
“Kept acting like a retard, so now he probably can’t even function as a man anymore. Congratulations. I don’t know if you’re top or bottom, but you’re a permanent top-solo player now.”
I applauded in mock celebration. Jerome’s eyes turned blood-red.
What a tearfully devoted little pervert.
“So go ahead and die in peace.”
[Origin Divine Art – Shunpo]
Crack!
I slammed my fist—wrapped in energy—straight into Zawil’s face.
His head burst open in one blow, yellow brain matter splattering everywhere.
Only the Water Rascal remained.
Despite its injuries, it agilely closed in on me.
It unleashed a barrage of attacks.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
I lifted my heels. Right hand guarding my chin, left hand extended forward in guard. I moved lightly. The advantage of boxing footwork was that, with heels raised, I could dodge anywhere, anytime.
I evaded every strike and countered whenever an opening appeared—punching its arms, chest, and face again and again.
Already critically wounded, each hit made the monster noticeably slower.
“Kkeheeeek!”
The Water Rascal threw a desperate, powerful punch.
But this was exactly the situation I loved most.
[Origin Divine Art – Parry]
I parried its fist. Then came a left hook, left jab, and right straight.
Thud!
The monster’s face caved in grotesquely. I delivered the finishing blow to that ruined face.
I drove my knee into the fallen Water Rascal’s neck and ended it.
I stored the Water Rascal’s head and other byproducts in my ring.
Next, I looted Zawil.
His wallet, money pouch, and a rhombus-shaped pure gold piece came out.
‘This is a vault key that opens a specific safe.’
I also took his family crest. Only one thing left to do.
‘Alright, time to clean house.’
I headed for Zawil’s office.