A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 105: What Rank? (1)

“Thank you. The commission… ends here.”

“Ends?” I asked, puzzled. The commission I’d received was to “help deal with the assassins lurking in the five major guilds.”

By that measure, much remained to be done. If even the guilds’ leadership was in this state, who knew how many assassins lurked below or how many had been swayed to betray?

But Jindel shook his head.

A weary voice escaped him.

“Yes. With the leadership’s assassins all dealt with, taking over the five guilds will be easy. The underlings? We just need to check their faces by hand to see if the skin is real… There’s nothing more for you to do. Thank you, truly.”

“Couldn’t issues arise in that process?”

“Probably not. You’ve already taken out eight Graduate-level swordsmen… The rest are small fry.”

“I see.”

“Exactly.”

“…”

“…”

Anger.

Sadness.

Regret, and emptiness.

A whirlwind of negative emotions swirled in the eyes of Red Cloud Guild Leader Jindel.

Some might not understand.

After all, wasn’t Jindel now poised to become Kalbaron’s undisputed ruler? With the other four guilds—Shadow Sword included—fallen, Red Cloud’s dominance was inevitable.

But Jindel’s heart wasn’t purely joyful or so simple.

Shakin, his brother, seemed to understand.

The top executives of the five guilds… weren’t just enemies to Brother.

Nor were they exactly allies. How many times had they clashed over the years? Countless. He’d often imagined driving a sword into another guild leader’s heart before bed.

But their relationships weren’t always hostile.

Sometimes, they were friendly rivals.

Sometimes, allies against external pressures.

Sometimes, drinking buddies, setting aside complexities—an almost frenemy-like bond.

For over a decade, these people, who held significant weight in his life, had vanished in an instant.

Had Jindel personally slain them all and unified Kalbaron, it might’ve been different. But in a situation orchestrated by an external force, feeling emptiness wasn’t strange.

Is it time to leave Kalbaron?

Though he doubted his brother would make that choice.

The masterminds behind this upheaval were still unknown, so the matter wasn’t fully resolved. With the city’s top executives dead, quelling the chaos would take time.

And…

To handle all that… we might need Harang’s help again.

He shifted his gaze from Jindel to me.

An incredible person.

No, incredible didn’t suffice. Honestly, without this young man, resolving this incident would’ve been unthinkable. How could anyone face eight Graduate-level swordsmen?

Just…

Who was he?

What history, what life had he lived to amass such skill?

It was incomprehensible.

Even the Holy Kingdom’s prodigies or the swordsmanship-renowned western kingdoms’ talents likely didn’t match him.

No, even expanding to veteran swordsmen… how many could stand toe-to-toe with him?

No one came to mind.

The few who did were unrivaled, save for Masters, making Shakin shudder.

I thought the Mercenary King, the south’s iconic warrior, had merely recruited a promising youth with the Special Gold Plate. I was wrong. This man… is already plenty strong. No need to think of his future!

Yes.

He wasn’t a future powerhouse. Not a Next Generation leader for the coming era, but a force making even current titans wary.

Can we secure him again?

Shakin thought not.

They’d already been extraordinarily lucky. For a being stronger than all of Kalbaron’s forces combined to complete a commission cleanly, without ulterior motives, was cause for gratitude.

Another commission?

With what?

What could Kalbaron offer to hire a powerhouse like Harang?

…That’s when it happened.

“Sorry, but could you provide a place to stay?”

“A place to stay?”

“Yes. I’m not sure how many days… I want to refine my swordsmanship. It won’t take long. Oh! A training ground would be nice too…”

“Of course, of course it’s possible. Not just briefly—you can stay as long as you like. In fact…”

Shakin glanced at the pile of corpses and continued.

“…Several high-end mansions just hit the market.”

“I see. I’ll make myself at home then.”

“Oh, that was a joke. We have plenty of spare rooms in Red Cloud… I’ll guide you myself. I’ll handle the servants for your needs too. It might be chaotic today, but by tomorrow, it’ll be fine. Yes, yes.”

“It’s fine as is, but if you’re offering, I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Of course, uh, Brother. I’ll take Harang and go.”

“…Go.”

Following a much more polite Shakin, I walked.

Jindel silently watched our backs.

“…”

No thought of smoking or drinking crossed his mind.

In the blood-scented meeting room, Red Cloud Guild Leader Jindel leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the void.

***

He’s not a good person.

Yes.

Jindel, who commissioned me, was far from good. His twenty-year reign over Kalbaron proved it. To control vile, sinister, filthy beings, one had to be more ruthless and cruel. Though I hadn’t seen it directly, I thought Jindel was likely as horrific as the ‘village people.’

But.

Separately… he was a shining person.

I like people with dreams.

I find those who take pride in their work and burn with passion the coolest.

In that sense, Jindel was plenty charismatic.

Like Sheratiya Viyan, striving to grow her merchant guild.

Like Philip Portville, striving to elevate his family.

Like Bronze Plate mercenaries Jack and Matthew, upholding their beliefs, Jindel was sincere about his dreams and goals, dedicating his life to them.

Maybe part of why I took his commission was because of that. Not just to find Neumann.

A belated realization.

With that thought, I slowly drew my sword from its sheath with a shing.

I recalled the recent Red Cloud Guild Leader.

Like a broken man, aged decades faster than others, weathered by time’s storms.

It was the look of someone who’d lost something precious, whose life had been denied.

I felt it wasn’t someone else’s story.

What if my precious things vanished?

Eddy, Pale, Glen, the Fist Brothers, Sheratiya Viyan, Jack, Matthew, Hagio, my Godok peers… If those I’d bonded with suffered because of my shortcomings? Could I accept such a reality?

No.

I wasn’t ready for that.

No, not just now—I never wanted to be ready for it.

Whoosh—!

So, I swung my sword.

Whoooosh—!

So, I didn’t stop training.

I finely tuned my swordsmanship to my new sword, incorporating insights from battling multiple assassins into my existing techniques. I set imaginary foes, engaging in sparring as brutal as real combat, and took a day to rest, focusing on peak condition.

Five days passed.

Checking my physical state, I nodded and muttered,

“Good.”

Not entirely good.

Against the village, I still lacked much.

The Holy Kingdom, where conflict was possible, was the same. Thinking of a superpower with seven Masters made my heart race, like during village training.

This opponent was no different.

Perhaps I was underprepared.

Perhaps it was too much for now. That was the logical thought. Someone commanding nearly ten Graduate-level swordsmen couldn’t be weak. They were surely stronger than anyone I’d faced so far.

Maybe stepping back to build my strength is the right move…

But I didn’t for two reasons.

First, I thought it better to settle this here than drag it to Marzen.

Second, I couldn’t suppress my rising curiosity.

Whoosh, whooosh—!

“Alright, no more thinking.”

Muttering firmly, I swung my sword a few more times before walking through Kalbaron’s Inner District.

It was strange.

Despite staying in Shakin’s provided mansion for days, unfamiliar with Kalbaron’s layout, my steps were unhesitant. I wasn’t heading to Neumann’s antique shop, the only place I knew. Instead, I moved toward the most upscale shops in the bustling district.

I arrived at a perfume shop filled with fragrant scents.

Peering through the window, I saw it had just opened, with no customers. A young-looking woman, likely the perfumer, bustled about. Notably, a sword sheath hung at her waist, but in Kalbaron, that wasn’t odd.

Jingle, jingle.

I entered. The bell on the door chimed clearly, and the beautiful woman turned, greeting me.

“Hello, sir? What brings you…”

“Black Hydra.”

“…”

“Right?”

Meeting my confident gaze, the woman gave an intrigued expression.