Chapter 15
……
In the silence, Kang Jaeho grinned and rummaged through his pocket.
Then he stuck a cigarette in his mouth.
Sssst!
That burning cigarette in the middle of the desert looked especially sinister.
“Uh, excuse me…”
It was then that the male porter, probably the older brother, stepped forward.
He moved his sister behind him and, though trembling, asked carefully,
“Leader Kang Jaeho?”
“Yeah?”
“This boss type… what does it mean?”
[To break the seal of the Ancient Desert Scorpion King, a sacrifice must be offered.]
[Place sacrifices on the two magic circles.]
[The sacrifices must be living hunters of F-rank or higher.]
The new stage’s info was displayed for everyone in the party.
Kang Jaeho gave a smirk.
“What do you think it means? Can’t you read?”
“Huh?”
“It says to offer a sacrifice. Two living F-rank or higher hunters. Don’t you get it?”
“I mean, I understand that, but…”
“Oh, you get it? Good. So what are you waiting for? Get up there.”
He pointed to the altar.
“…What?”
The male porter was flustered.
But Kang Jaeho seemed to enjoy the situation, taking his sweet time.
“Heh, clueless kid, huh?”
“Yeah, how dense can you be?”
The hunters nearby snickered.
The porter shouted,
“A-are you insane?!”
“Insane? Hm… sure, if it’s easier for you to think of it that way.”
“What is this? Why are you doing this to us?!”
Even the younger sister spoke up from behind.
“Did you plan this from the start?!”
“Oh, come on, why even ask.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you think it was weird? Why would we pay extra and hire trash like you? Expensive pay comes with an expensive price. Didn’t you know that?”
The porters gritted their teeth at Kang Jaeho’s true colors.
I was dumbfounded too.
‘If he’s being this bold in front of me…’
There’s only one reason.
He’s confident he can overpower me, too.
Swoosh.
Unable to watch any longer, I stepped in front of Kang Jaeho.
“Hm? No need for you to get involved, is there? We’re only planning to use them as sacrifices.”
……
I stared at Kang Jaeho in silence.
Someone who treats human lives like insects.
The world calls people like that “villains.”
And I—
I have zero desire to compromise with a villain for any reason.
“Oho, so you’re a idealist after all. Or a stickler for principle?”
“Shut up. What’s your real goal?”
I asked.
“Goal? What do you mean?”
“I mean, the real reason you came all the way to the mercenary guild to bring me.”
“Heh, so you’re not as clueless as you look?”
“Talk.”
Kang Jaeho’s face hardened.
Maybe it was my attitude—something about me must have made him uneasy.
He wasn’t that strong, yet there was something cold in his stare.
“So it really wasn’t just luck that cleared that dungeon, huh?”
Kang Jaeho twisted his lips.
“Yeah, you probably figured it out. We’re interested in your ‘lucky break.’ I don’t know how you charmed that ranker chick, but that’s why we had to go through the trouble of bringing you to a dungeon.”
He flicked his sword.
The other hunters also drew their weapons and spread out.
“But listen up. We’re not looking to fight you.”
“Not looking to fight?”
“Right. That’s why I’m showing you this.”
He glanced at the trembling porters.
“We’re just showing you who we are. Do you want to join us? Of course, if you want in, you’ll have to share some of that ‘lucky break.’ Our team is all about fair splits.”
“Bullshit.”
To summarize their words:
We’re villains. Want to team up?
If you do, cough up your reward.
Yeah, screw that.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Bone3’s arrows flew at terrifying speed.
The startled hunters raised their arms quickly.
Ting!
Kang Jaeho knocked them away in a flash.
“Oh, is that your answer? You’ll regret it.”
“I don’t team up with monsters.”
My eyes were unwavering.
By my standards, they weren’t people.
If anything, they were monsters in human skin.
‘And monsters are meant to be hunted.’
Even if I lost,
I couldn’t back down here.
The kind of ranker I dream of becoming isn’t an evil ranker.
‘And above all—’
Compared to facing the old man, this was nothing.
If anything, I felt like I had a shot.
……
Having made my decision, I charged forward with my skeletons.
“You think you got strong just because you got a lucky break? You were just a porter a few days ago!”
Kang Jaeho spat out curses, realizing negotiations had failed.
But I didn’t bother responding.
To me, their shouts were nothing but “ssst!” and “guwaak!” in the background.
[‘Bone5’ uses skill, Air Shield (Lv.1).]
With the basic defensive skill activated, I charged in at full force.
—
“Huff, huff!”
My eyes were fixed on Kang Jaeho.
The other skeletons were battling the other hunters—and only Bone1 and Kang Jaeho were locked in a standoff.
‘Stronger than I thought.’
He was a C-rank hunter, but felt almost B-rank.
Way stronger than those scorpions.
‘But—’
That just made it more satisfying.
Just days ago, I was struggling with D-rank orcs.
Now I was holding my own against a top C-rank hunter.
“Heh heh heh.”
Did he sense my composure?
Kang Jaeho laughed as if amused.
“Think you’re doing well just because you’re fighting me? Big mistake.”
“…?”
“Do you know why we wander around unknown-rank dungeons without fear?”
I frowned.
Because he was staring off into space, as if waiting for someone.
At that moment, I felt a chill.
‘Killing intent?’
A razor-sharp sense that my throat was about to be slit made me jump back.
At the same time, I shouted,
“Bone1!”
Chaaang!
Bone1 deflected a dagger that flew out of the darkness.
It was chilling.
If I’d been a second slower, my throat would have been pierced.
“Kh….”
It was so powerful, even I felt the shock as the summoner.
‘What…?’
My heart went cold.
No presence, incredibly fast.
Definitely a high-rank hunter.
“Heh heh heh.”
Kang Jaeho answered my confusion with a laugh.
“Because someone’s always watching our back. People call us the Shadow Severance.”
“Shadow Severance?!”
I shouted before I realized.
Even as an E-rank merc, I’d heard that name a thousand times.
A vicious criminal syndicate hiding in the underworld.
The Association and legal guilds are constantly struggling to deal with them.
“Heh heh heh. Yeah, poor thing. The hunter you’re facing now is an A-rank assassin sent by the Shadow Severance.”
“A-rank…”
Despair.
I was barely managing with a C-rank.
Now an A-rank, not even B-rank?
The difference between ranks was so huge, there was no hoping for luck.
Sssshk.
That’s when a hooded figure emerged from the darkness.
“So this is the one? The guy who cleared the dungeon Ki Soyul failed?”
He asked in a low voice.
Kang Jaeho bowed respectfully.
“Yes, sir.”
His presence was overwhelming.
The fierce battle came to a sudden halt.
Behind me, the two porters stood, looking hopeless.
Behind the assassin, the five hunters watched with easy smiles.
“Sigh.”
I let out a long breath.
Honestly, there was no answer.
No way out.
The porters clung to my shirt from behind.
“We’re sorry. You’re just getting caught up in this because of us…”
“Thank you. Sniff. I think… this is the end… but… thank you so much. Sob, I’m sorry.”
The siblings’ sobbing.
They did nothing wrong.
Just because they were weak, did that mean they deserved to be sacrificed?
Something inside me began to boil.
My emotions burned.
‘I don’t want to give up.’
I wanted to save them.
So I racked my brain.
The only thing I could count on now was—
‘The old man.’
I nodded.
There was nothing else.
The only one who could call an A-rank “just a guy”—a true powerhouse’s advice.
‘And the cooldown is up.’
[Skill, ‘Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts’ (S-rank) activated.]
[Consumes 20 energy.]
[‘Master of Ten Thousand Arts’ appears.]
I summoned my master to this place.
—
“Hmmm.”
The old man, hands behind his back, let out a heavy sigh.
Then he shook his head.
“Tsk tsk, see? I knew you’d run off before you even got the basics, kid.”
His form was transparent and his voice echoed only in my head—so the hunters in front of me couldn’t sense a thing.
‘Sir, this is urgent. Give me some advice!’
I called out inside.
The old man snorted.
“Advice? Hmph. Even if you died and came back, you still wouldn’t be able to beat them. Tsk tsk… It’s a tragedy. My so-called disciple can’t even deal with a piece of trash like that.”
‘Don’t just sigh! If I die, you can’t fulfill your regrets either!’
“Who told you to get into this mess? I’m the one who should be upset! No matter how skilled I am, I can’t make the impossible happen!”
‘Dammit!’
Shit.
I scowled.
So all I did was waste energy?
“Urgh…”
The situation got worse by the second.
The assassin’s killing intent kept growing.
He spoke.
“This is your first time, so I’ll be nice. What’s the ‘lucky break’ you got?”
“……”
The assassin demanded to know my secret.
His eyes sharpened.
Since they brought me here for that purpose, they probably wouldn’t just kill me right away.
In other words, negotiation was possible.
“Oh? So there is a way?”
Even the old man seemed interested.
“Right, if you face only that assassin, it’s not impossible. I can’t guarantee a win, but you could take him down with you. Good. Try it. If you succeed, I’ll help you.”
“Mutual destruction.”
A last-resort move—taking down a stronger opponent by being ready to die with them.
I stared at the assassin and spoke.
“…You want to know my secret?”
“That’s right.”
He nodded.
“A dungeon even Ki Soyul couldn’t clear—of course I’m interested.”
“Then I’ll tell you. Of course I’ll tell you, you’re an A-rank hunter.”
“Good choice. Smarter than you look.”
The assassin eased up, dropping his killing intent.
“But.”
I said,
“I’m not saying a word until I’ve dealt with those backstabbers first. I can’t let it go while I’m still this angry—so do whatever you want.”
“What?”
The assassin scowled again.
“I’m not talking until I’ve settled things with them. If you want my answer, you’ll just have to wait—or finish me off right here.”