Chapter 99
Were they confident in their skills?
Or simply emboldened by their numbers?
The Chinese men approached me with unwarranted boldness.
“Hmm.”
Well, coming closer was fine.
But—
“This smell is way too strong.”
I instinctively covered my nose.
“Wow, the stench of blood… honestly, this is worse than the poison mushroom I just ate.”
I didn’t mean the typical scent foreigners sometimes carried.
No.
This was the unmistakable smell of fresh blood.
At least a few kills within the past week.
‘Murderers.’
My instincts sharpened immediately.
At the same time, I felt oddly impressed.
Had I become a veteran already?
To be able to distinguish murderers just by scent…
There was something bitter in that realization.
“Hey.”
As I spoke bluntly without hesitation, one of them called out to me with an amused expression.
“You’ve got a good nose like a damn dog, but your sense of danger is nonexistent, huh?”
“Sense of danger?”
“You smelled blood, right? Didn’t occur to you that blood might soon be yours?”
Kak, ptew!
The man spat on the ground, cackling.
“Well, sure. I get it. A necromancer probably has confidence. Makes sense.”
“……”
“But hey. Ever wonder something?”
“What exactly?”
“You know we’re aware you’re a necromancer… and that you’ve eaten dozens of poison mushrooms without collapsing. Yet we still walked up to you. Ever think why?”
“Good question. Why indeed?”
Vrrrm—!
I answered while slowly raising my energy.
Rustle—! Rustle—!
At my signal, the skeletons hidden around me formed a circular formation.
“I wouldn’t have approached if I were you.”
Eldrin and his subordinates perched in the branches.
Others stepped out from between tree trunks.
Boom! Boom!
The shield-bearing skeletons Bone Four commanded.
Clang! Shaaang!
Bone One and Sunny led the close-range attackers.
And Bone Seven the healer supported them from behind.
All A- and B-grade monsters.
“A strange feeling.”
Seeing the four A-grade hunters before me brought back memories.
‘That assassin… was it Go Jaeyoung?’
One of the Dark Shadows who tried to kill me.
‘Ki Soyul saved me by pure luck back then.’
Once, A-grade hunters were an insurmountable wall.
But now?
Now I could face them calmly.
I had grown that much.
“H-Hey.”
Perhaps startled by the killing intent of my summons, one of the men stammered.
“How about we talk first before fighting? God gave us mouths for a reason, right? Why so hasty?”
“…I intended to. But one of you said he wanted to see my blood.”
They were the ones who threatened first.
“Wow, you sound like a Korean, huh? Impatient and a bit moralistic. Relax, it’s just how men greet men.”
Sure.
In Korea we call that “being an asshole,” not a greeting.
But fine, maybe that was cultural difference.
“So? What do you want?”
“Join our team.”
“A team?”
That was unexpected.
After watching me eat poison for days… these guys wanted to team up?
Did they think they could ambush me afterward?
“A team out of nowhere? Smells fishy.”
“Fair point. It probably looks sketchy. But hey—you didn’t come all the way here to risk your life, did you?”
The man who had acted tough earlier suddenly grew talkative.
“Let’s be honest. Just tell us how you can eat poison like that. Give us that secret, and we’ll guarantee your safety during this trial. We’ve been killing long before coming here. Murder? That’s lunch for us. Meaning, we can take on all the dirty work for you.”
Good grief.
Boasting about murder now?
“What if I refuse?”
“Then we’ve got no choice. We’re not pride-less enough to walk away after saying all this.”
Shing—!
They unsheathed their weapons threateningly.
A sticky, murderous intent filled the air.
‘As expected.’
I had no intention of teaming up with trash like this.
They threatened a fight if I refused.
Well then.
We fight.
My creed was simple.
If someone messes with me, I pay them back equally.
No exceptions.
“……”
I smiled, ready to signal the skeletons—
“…Hmm?”
Every hair on my body stood up.
Something powerful moved in from beyond my field of view.
‘Something.’
Someone far stronger than these men.
And not on their side.
“Found you. You filthy murderers.”
A blunt voice emerged from behind the bushes.
‘Right. It’s him.’
A man whose presence even the Supreme Azure Mind Method warned me about.
“Y-You…”
The murderers froze.
Why were they so shocked?
“J… Judgment Spear… Zhang Wei…?”
Zhang Wei?
“You have killed three people recently… motive: [pleasure], [greed].”
The man muttered mechanically.
His eyes held no emotion.
He felt like an executioner, delivering judgment.
“Damn. It really is him. That bastard.”
“Crazy freak. We followed the rules of this place, so why the hell is he here?”
“Same country or not, why’s he gotta be like this?”
The murderers backed away in frustration.
I stepped aside slightly, choosing to observe.
The situation had become interesting.
‘Judgment Spear, Zhang Wei…’
I repeated the name.
‘I’ve heard of him before.’
Not a Ranker, so I hadn’t stored it deeply, but the memory flickered.
A man nicknamed “Judge of Evil.”
One who despised senseless murder.
His skill—
[Search (S-grade)]
Revealed the motive and details of someone’s recent kills.
But above all—
He was the sole disciple of the greatest spear-user China had ever produced.
World Rank 10.
Spear King Chen Ziyi.
“…Noisy.”
A cold killing intent spread from Zhang Wei’s eyes.
“Those who have sinned shall be punished. I shall judge you on behalf of those you wronged.”
Clack.
Before the murderers could even reply—
Fwoosh—!
The Judgment Spear moved.
Whirr—!
The spear swept across the murderers with terrifying force.
“Hurk!”
Tiinng! Taaang!
They frantically raised their weapons to block.
“We’ve got no choice! Weapons up!”
“Yes, boss! We needed to kill him eventually!”
“That sanctimonious bastard kills more than we do!”
Maybe there was something among them I didn’t know.
Swoosh—
I raised a hand, signaling my skeletons to stand down.
There was no need to interfere in someone else’s fight.
‘But.’
I was curious.
‘How skilled is the disciple of the Spear King?’
When I gestured, Sunny approached.
“Master.”
“Let’s sit and enjoy the show.”
“…Popcorn, my lord?”
Sunny tilted his head then crouched beside me, remembering Jin-Ah and Eldrin’s fight.
“Yes. We’re here to watch the best entertainment in the world—other people fighting.”
“By your command.”
Fwoosh—!
I looked back.
The Judgment Spear was moving gracefully.
Taaang!
He deflected a murderer’s weapon.
Thud!
Then drove his heel into the man’s stomach.
“Kugh!”
His movements didn’t end there.
Each strike flowed into the next.
Living spearwork.
“A magnificent level.”
“Oh?”
I was surprised.
Sunny—who in his past life used a spear to devour the absolute ruler of an entire world—
Sunny was impressed?
“A bit unrefined, but I can clearly see what form his spear will reach. And he has enough understanding to achieve it. I wonder who his teacher is.”
“…Really?”
The spearwork continued.
The murderers’ initial aggression waned as Zhang Wei’s attacks grew sharper.
“S-Shit!”
“W-Wait! We were wrong! Stop! We had reasons!”
Zhang Wei ignored their pleas.
Head, chest, legs—
All potential targets.
Thud!
One murderer’s throat burst open.
“K-Kughh!”
He clutched his neck in disbelief.
“Damn!”
“B-Boss! Shouldn’t we run?!”
The remaining killers panicked.
One died, yet they felt no anger.
Only fear for their own skins.
“B-Boss?”
Thud!
Zhang Wei’s shin crashed against another’s calf.
He collapsed instantly—
Stab.
The spear pierced his neck.
“K-Kuhak!”
Two down.
Not even a full minute had passed.
“Th-This is insane! Boss, I’m running!”
One finally threw down his weapon and ran.
“You bastard—!”
The leader glared, but—
Zhang Wei was already before him.
“Damn.”
He wasn’t going to win 1v4.
He couldn’t win 1v1.
He raised his weapon in desperation—
Stab.
But fate was inevitable.
His heart was pierced instantly.
“K-Kghh!”
With zero hesitation, Zhang Wei stomped on his stomach—
Schluk!
He tore the spear free.
A fountain of blood filled the air.
Then—
He hurled the spear with immense force.
Fwoooosh—!
Without even an arc, the spear tore through the air in a straight line—
And impaled the back of the final fleeing murderer.
“……”
It was a scene straight out of a movie.
A dazzling action sequence.
Swoosh—
Having dispatched all four at once, the Judgment Spear turned his gaze to me.
‘Wow.’
Truly terrifying eyes.
At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.
If someone besides me is going to leave this place as a Ranker…
It’ll be him.
‘Fighting him would be interesting.’
He approached with a solemn expression.
And spoke to me—still sitting.
“Are you unharmed? Forgive me if I intruded unnecessarily.”
…Huh?
For someone who had just slaughtered four people, he spoke incredibly gently.
Indeed.
He was exactly what his title implied—
A man terrifying only to those he judged guilty.