A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 108: What Rank? (4)

It wasn’t easy.

No, it was quite difficult. The fight with the fourth Hydra was tougher than I had imagined.

If it were the previous opponent, it might have been arduous but manageable.

However, clashing with her after she had absorbed three vials of the Black Magician's elixir and grown enormous was a perilous affair, requiring me to risk my life at every moment.

Nevertheless, Harang did not retract his earlier declaration. He honestly wielded his sword, stubbornly moved forward, and engaged in a direct power struggle with the opponent.

Because I knew better than anyone.

That a real combat experience, where one's life was on the line, was the greatest opportunity to improve one's skills.

‘Of course, my skills would improve even if I slowly adapted to manifesting an Aura Sword…….’

Kwang!

Kwang! Kwaaang!

Without retreating an inch from the opponent's renewed three-hit combo, Harang continued his thoughts.

That was right. Harang's current problem was simply a lack of experience.

A problem that arose because he had been forced into ‘instantaneous aura usage’ for a long time, and because he simply hadn't possessed a sword capable of imbuing it with abundant aura. This was a problem that could be solved with time.

In fact, his proficiency had significantly increased while fighting the five assassins. He could have continued to slowly and safely improve his skills by fighting less dangerous opponents, but…….

‘It’s because I need to get stronger quickly.’

That was the answer.

Harang no longer had the time or inclination to dawdle.

If it had been during the latter three years in the village, he would have harbored entirely different feelings.

Back then, Harang had been growing weary of life. He had been gradually losing the will to live, trapped by a curse he couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried.

But now that he had found meaning in life, now that he had many bonds to protect, it was different.

Get stronger, as quickly as possible.

If there was an opportunity, use it to the fullest!

Such a mindset elevated Harang's mental state to a higher plane.

Kiiiiing-!

His five senses continuously sharpened. His sensory organs, sharpening ceaselessly, absorbed ample aura and showed him a new world. Even fragments of energy that would normally be wasted and disappear bit by bit were now entirely focused on the sword. It contributed to creating an even more precise, detailed, and powerful Aura Sword.

There were no openings in his physical movements either. Without any wasted action, each and every movement drew an optimized path for swinging, thrusting, and moving the sword.

Kwaaang!

Kwang!

Kwaaaang-!

Thus, his series of attacks, moving forward as if his body and sword had become one!

Despite the difference in the total amount of absolute aura, it finally began to overwhelm the fourth Hydra.

It was then that an anomaly occurred.

Clang-!

“……!”

‘Again?’

Watching the fourth Hydra leap back and consume another vial of the Black Magician's elixir, Harang wore a surprised expression.

Although it was called an elixir, it was like a very potent poison. Since it was different from what was used in the village, I couldn't tell what an appropriate dose was, but I could tell that the opponent was pushing herself very hard.

Harang couldn't understand it.

I have no intention of killing her?

Of course, if it turned out during their conversation that the opponent was not just ‘related to the village’ but ‘a member of the village’, the story would change, but I thought the chances of that were slim. The Hydras I had met so far had shown they didn't know much about the ‘village’.

‘Perhaps they’re a splinter group with the same roots, or something like that. Maybe this is the group that attacked the carriage…… Anyway, absorbing a fourth elixir would be a bit dangerous.’

As I was thinking this and looking at the opponent with a worried(?) gaze.

The opponent, who had been making a serious face as if she had realized something, suddenly chuckled, then turned and fled far away!

“No, huh?”

Harang was flustered.

It was only natural. He had felt that the opponent was more of a warrior type than an assassin, someone who wouldn't normally flee in the middle of a fight.

But seeing her leave without any lingering attachment, as if her soul had been swapped, felt quite incongruous with her previous demeanor. That was why I couldn't immediately chase after her.

But it was alright.

Numerous scents were currently emanating from her body. As all the items in the perfume shop shattered, all sorts of fragrances had clung to her body, and if I followed them, I should be able to catch up to her, even if I was late.

‘As long as I’m not slower, that is.’

I was a little worried. The physical abilities of the opponent, who had absorbed four elixirs, would far surpass my own, and I wasn't sure if I could close that gap with aura manipulation alone.

However, even while thinking such thoughts, Harang's face was smiling.

The excitement of another confrontation beginning, the thrill of a quest that would allow him to maintain his current concentration, constantly stimulated him.

“Well then, this confrontation is…… a speed contest, I guess.”

Wooooong-

Having finished his monologue, Harang began to redistribute the aura within his body. He let the energy, which had been heavily concentrated in his sword, flow throughout his entire body, focusing it particularly on his lower half. Booooom, his muscles, powered up through ‘Enhancement (强化)’, a basic concept of aura utilization, swelled up like those of a feline predator.

After checking his body's condition, Harang nodded a couple of times, then shot forward with light footwork.

Paat

Pat, Paat-

It was a completely different sight from the fourth Hydra, who had run, creating cracks wherever her feet landed as if a boulder was being launched. Harang’s movements, much lighter yet flying at a speed that didn’t fall behind, were reminiscent of a single bird.

It was an amazing sight.

And a Godlike Presence that elicited admiration.

Therefore.

Sssrrrk-

“……Just where did that guy come from?”

The being who had been watching the fight between the two monstrosities until now couldn't help but let out a bewildered reaction.

“Really…… what is this? It’s so unexpected, it’s beyond absurd, it’s astounding. What should I do? Should I report first?”

A woman with an imposing physique, dressed in a pretty dress and a brimmed hat, similar to the ladies residing in Kalbaron's Inner District.

Boasting a height of 187cm, taller than most men, she exuded a somewhat unnatural feeling with her expressionless face, which was at odds with her flustered words.

However, that wasn't the important part.

She hadn't been harmed in the slightest even as the fierce battle, intense enough to change the surrounding scenery, continued, and she hadn't been detected by their senses.

That meant she was a being with definite skills, different from the Outer District's rabble.

No, even that expression felt like an understatement for the woman.

Perhaps one of the leaders of the Five Major Guilds.

Or an individual presumed to possess skills even greater than theirs continued her thoughts.

‘Following the traces of Black Hydra here and successfully infiltrating the Inner District was good, but…….’

That was right. Up to that point, I thought things would proceed smoothly.

I flinched a little when I found out that those who seemed to be Black Hydra were encroaching on the leadership of the Five Major Guilds, but I thought that too wasn't a big problem. I could handle them to some extent on my own, and if I needed support, I could just contact them.

However, the real incident started after that.

A mysterious young man from who-knows-where single-handedly crushed the Five Major Guilds.

And as if that wasn't enough, he even discovered a high-ranking member of Black Hydra whose tracks even I couldn't find.

Even this much was an achievement astonishing enough to make one fall over, but it didn't end there.

‘The fourth Hydra…… to not just hold her own against someone far, far stronger than I thought, but to overwhelm her. And as if that wasn't enough, to even chase after her!’

“Haa, really, what is this?”

It was a series of incomprehensible events. So many things transcending common sense had poured out so quickly that her brain needed time to process it all.

Therefore, the woman in the dress sat down on a pile of rubble and gently closed her eyes to organize her thoughts a little more.

Should I chase after them? No. I didn't have that kind of mobility in the first place. Pass.

Then, should I report what happened today? Yes. Although I had regrettably missed the chance to reach the heart of Black Hydra, just finding out the full strength of the fourth Hydra was a pretty good achievement.

In addition, the fact that there was someone else besides us chasing them was also an extremely important piece of information to report.

Of course, I wouldn't be able to form an alliance with him. My organization was too reclusive for that. There was no way they, stained with numerous scars, would form a united front with anyone.

‘Including me, that is. But…….’

If he wasn't a being obstructing their goals, was there really a need to target him as well?

“Ugh, but…… even if the leader is one thing, ‘that person’ wouldn't like such variables.”

The woman in the dress muttered, still with her eyes closed.

That was true. ‘That person’, despite just cooping himself up in the mountains and training, loved to interfere with the group's direction more than anyone. I had frowned more than once or twice at him acting as if he were the leader.

But what could I do? His martial prowess was crucial to achieving the group's objective.

Having thought this far, the woman in the dress let out a deep sigh, poook, then opened her closed eyes. There was nothing more to do here anyway, so I was thinking of returning to a safe place to write a report.

However.

She couldn't do that.

“Hello?”

“……Hic.”

“Ah, hiccups! I knew it, the way to stop hiccups was…… holding your nose and swallowing saliva, was it? That’s probably right. Why don’t you give it a try?”

The black-haired young man, who had been fighting the fourth Hydra just moments before, was now in front of me, having approached without me even noticing.

“You…… you!”

“Yes, hello. My name is Harang. I’m a member of the Eddy Mercenary Corps active in Marzen, and I received a Special Gold Plate from Mr. Austin.”

“That’s not what’s important! No! Well, your identity is important too, of course, but…….”

“Important too, but?”

“W-weren’t you! Weren’t you chasing that woman? How, how are you back here? Don’t tell me, a shadow clone technique?”

“I’m not a Magician, so there’s no way something like that is possible.”

“Then……?”

“I gave up.”

“What?”

“I said, I gave up. She was just a tiny bit faster than me. Of course, the elixir's effects won't last forever, so if I chased her to the death, it's not like I couldn't have caught her, but……”

Harang paused for a breath, his eyes shining as he asked.

“Someone more interesting has appeared. That’s you.”

It was true.

A person I hadn't been able to immediately detect despite my keen senses.

A person armed with the unique mana of a Magician, but from whom I also felt something more sinister and damp.

A person who seemed to know about Black Hydra.

Above all…….

“My gut is telling me. That I’ll regret it a lot if I let you go. And I tend to trust this gut feeling of mine quite a bit.”

“……”

“It has saved my life quite a few times, you see. So…… please tell me. Who are you?”

As Harang continued to speak, his eyes sparkled with interest and anticipation.