A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 54: Black Poison (3)

Black Poison was strong.

Even the Scorpion-rank members possessed martial prowess surpassing Carlson, who had been a mercenary captain, and the Black Snake who commanded them was a being who had barely set foot into the Graduate realm.

This meant they were a formidable force, and the Viyan Merchant Guild hadn't been complaining for no reason.

However, the moment the being behind the tree revealed itself, they became nothing.

At least, that's how Harang felt.

‘It reminds me of the village.’

A sinister presence, so intense it briefly brought to mind the ‘inner world’.

A very slight smile touched the corners of Harang’s lips as he gripped his sword.

However, he wasn't the only one surprised.

No, rather, the mysterious figure behind the tree was far more astonished.

‘Where on earth did this bastard pop out from?’

In truth, there was no reason for him, a descendant of the ‘Great One’, to have come this far.

He had merely acted because the commission fee was unusually generous, because he happened to have leisure, and in addition, because he felt an unexplainable sense of foreboding.

That was also why he had brought many subordinates despite it being a relatively easy request.

And yet, a dark-clad fellow who appeared out of nowhere had slaughtered all 12 members of Black Poison with a single sword.

That, even including the Black Snake in their ranks.

‘……He’s not even wearing a mask.’

If it were merely a matter of skill, he might have let it pass.

The world was wide, and there were many strong people.

Even he himself couldn't guarantee victory in a direct confrontation against quite a few individuals.

However, to think that someone who looked to be at most around 20 years old had committed such an act, it was hard to believe even though he had seen it with his own two eyes.

The mysterious figure, having thought this far, spoke again.

“Your manner of speaking is insolent. But I understand. With that much skill at your age, it’s enough to be arrogant.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“……It wasn’t a compliment.”

“Ah, it wasn’t a compliment?”

“You’re a rather strange fellow…… Well, to achieve something unbecoming of one’s age, one must have a screw loose somewhere.”

“Is that an insult?”

“No, this is a compliment.”

“It’s somewhat difficult to understand.”

“I find you difficult to understand.”

“Then, how about we take some time to get to know each other from now on?”

“……What?”

The mysterious figure asked back in a bewildered voice, and Harang continued speaking with an unfazed expression.

“Don’t you have many things you’re curious about regarding me?”

“…….”

“But it’s the same for me. I have a few, no, many things I’m curious about regarding you.”

It was true.

He still didn't know the identity of the mysterious figure.

He could be affiliated with Black Poison, or he could be someone completely unrelated.

However, regardless of that, he could be certain that this person was a being involved in the world of darkness.

He couldn't give a clear reason, but Harang’s intuition was telling him so.

‘The strongest person I’ve met since coming out into the world.’

And not just strong, but someone who seemed to have a direct connection to the assassination side.

If it was such a person, perhaps he might have proper information about the identity of the ‘village’ he had belonged to.

Harang, having finished his thoughts, opened his mouth once more.

“I’m currently working as a mercenary. It’s a mission to escort a merchant guild exposed to an assassination threat. So, depending on your identity, we might have to see blood. But if you’re not Black Poison, if you just happened to meet me while trailing these people, unrelated to this assassination… there’s no need to fight, is there? Wouldn’t it be a way to just resolve what we’re mutually curious about and part peacefully?”

“…….”

“Why are you silent?”

Harang asked, and the mysterious figure still didn't open his mouth.

To be precise, he was so utterly dumbfounded that he hadn't even thought of doing so, but belatedly coming to his senses, he, kuhehe, burst into laughter and drew his sword.

Sreureung

“How absurd……”

Jeobeokjeobeok

“Absurd. Truly, so absurd it makes me laugh. Haha……”

The mysterious figure, slowly but surely closing the distance, burst into laughter.

Before long, the distance between the two became close enough for their swords to easily clash.

Despite that, neither showed any sign of tension.

Not only the mysterious figure who had approached first, but Harang too, despite having only drawn his sword, had an utterly serene face.

That.

The mysterious figure didn't like it.

To the insolent fellow who not only dared to make a ‘proposal’ before him but also looked at him with nonchalant eyes.

He began his attack abruptly.

Shhwaeaek-!

A thrust of tremendous speed flew towards Harang’s right wrist.

The longsword, of an unremarkable design and dark color, was sharply coated with a grayish-white, completed aura.

Harang wasn't flustered.

He pulled his right foot back to lower his stance and, at the same time, manipulated the energy within his body.

He could feel the power, accumulated over 15 years of overcoming life-and-death crises, concentrating towards his sword.

An Aura Sword, completed incomparably faster than what the ‘Black Snake’ had shown, rushed towards the mysterious figure’s sword.

Kaaang-!

A sharp sound echoed as if a thunderbolt had struck a clear sky, and the two, who had retreated two steps each, looked at each other.

Astonishment, and anger, were etched in the mysterious figure’s eyes.

He opened his mouth.

“Why do you withdraw your aura immediately?”

“…….”

“Does it mean you intend to prevent the waste of power? Ha, you even have that much leeway?”

It had to be seen that way because Harang, as soon as he parried the mysterious figure’s sword with his completed Aura Sword, immediately withdrew his energy.

The speed was so fast that it felt as if he had parried a Graduate’s attack with an ordinary longsword devoid of any aura.

Only masters of the sword would have been able to detect that a grayish-white energy had flickered on Harang’s sword.

Of course, this was a very good way to conserve power.

Continuously wielding a completed Aura Sword consumed an enormous amount of energy.

However, there was a drawback greater than the advantage: moving energy rapidly within the body was an extremely difficult task.

This could be compared to a swordsman not just focusing on swordsmanship, but performing a feat akin to juggling while riding a unicycle.

Therefore, from the mysterious figure’s perspective, it was a situation where he couldn't help but be angry.

“Why are you angry? If anything, I should be the one angry.”

However, Harang didn't understand the opponent’s anger.

Rather, he was on the verge of irritation.

Seeing the opponent who brandished a sword abruptly in response to his moderate request reminded him of the village.

The village administrators too had never accepted any of his questions, and were merely busy enforcing their orders.

That stimulated his trauma.

Of course, the mysterious figure had no way of knowing Harang’s past.

In such a situation where both were only growing more irritated with each other.

“…….”

“…….”

Shhwaeaek!

Shhwaeaek-!

Kaaaaang!

The only thing the two could do was to cross swords.

“Hyaaaaaap!”

The mysterious figure, executing a powerful diagonal slash, let out a loud kiai.

And using the repulsive force from clashing with the opponent’s sword, he unleashed a series of slashes to the left and right.

The sight was so destructive it felt incongruous with his assassin-like atmosphere, but it carried that much terrifying power.

However, the truly dangerous moves were something else: the various hidden weapons that shot out from his body in the midst of his swordsmanship.

Shushuk-!

Along with a horizontal slash that seemed to bisect the waist, a dagger flew in.

Pyupyupyut!

From the opposite path of an overbearing upward slash that seemed capable of cleaving even a waterfall, shurikens rained down.

It was truly a level close to divine skill.

While brandishing a longsword with his right hand, he launched hidden weapons with his left; it was a sight that even Harang, with his abundant combat experience, had never seen before.

His face filled with interest.

‘There was a fellow among my peers who was good with hidden weapons, but his style wasn't like this.’

Of course, it wasn't to say that fellow was inferior.

They were just different.

In any case, it was certain that the mysterious figure’s techniques had aroused Harang’s excitement.

He moved, swung, and occasionally counterattacked, savoring the mysterious figure’s attacks.

It was the first banquet he had encountered since leaving the village.

At that, it was rather the mysterious figure who was flustered.

Feeling sweat trickling down his eyebrows before he knew it, he wore an expression of disbelief.

‘How, how can such a young brat!’

It was impossible.

Of course, he didn't think that being young necessarily meant being weak.

The world was wide, and among them were many geniuses great enough to ignore the passage of time.

However, the mysterious figure had the personal details of such geniuses all memorized.

And the fellow before him bore no resemblance to any of them.

‘Then this fellow too is one of the secret weapons of the organizations belonging to the darkness… Which one? Heukdang? Iris? Or… Akanthus?’

The names of several organizations came to mind.

His intuition leaned particularly towards Akanthus.

It was even more so because he had felt they were recently tailing him.

If he had his way, he would have wanted to stop the fight for a moment and ask about this.

But he couldn't.

The fight had already begun, and once the sword was drawn, he had to see it through to the end.

Things he was curious about should be resolved slowly after cutting off the fellow’s limbs; resolving them by begging in a subservient posture didn't suit his temperament.

‘If so…….’

Bbaduk, the mysterious figure, gritting his molars, made a decision.

A swordsmanship he had only recently perfected, one he had never used in actual combat.

Through that swordsmanship, descended from the ‘Great One’, he would subdue the fellow in an instant and unearth what he ought to find out!

Taat!

Having finished his thought, he took a large step back.

And quickly assumed a high stance.

A slight opening was visible in the process, but Harang didn't bother to aim for it.

It was because his excitement had peaked.

He was immensely curious about what technique the one who had continuously shown interesting skills would display this time.

However, when the technique was completed, when the aura condensed on the sword emitted an even sharper presence, and when it drew an unpredictable trajectory like lightning striking the earth.

A killing intent, incomparably denser than anything before, flowed from Harang’s body.

It was a presence so strong that the mysterious figure, who had executed Lightning Strike, flinched for a moment.

Of course, that was all.

No matter how great the opponent’s presence was, it was just presence; he was the one who had seized the chance for victory.

It might have been different before the technique unfolded, but now that the form of lightning had already been created and was falling towards the fellow’s left arm…….

“……?”

Before that thought could even finish, an anomaly occurred.

Chijijik-

Kwaaaaaaaang-!

Lightning bloomed.

It didn't fall from the tip of the mysterious figure’s sword.

Surging up from the dark, dark shadows on the ground, it merely aimed upwards from below, extending along the exact same path as the one that had bloomed first.

However, the destructive power was worlds apart.

Far more sinister.

Far more bizarre.

And far sharper.

Thus, the Lightning Strike, struck by the lightning that extended in reverse, lost all its power and could only return to being a single sword.

Hwiriririk……

Cheolkeodeok-!

The sword, rotating dozens of times in mid-air, fell to the ground far away.

Even though the process took several seconds, the mysterious figure couldn't make any move.

Even as blood dripped from the hand that had lost the sword, he couldn't utter any words, merely staring blankly at Harang.

Thus, a few more seconds passed.

The voice that finally emerged from trembling lips was filled with astonishment and terror.

“You… how, the swordsmanship of the Great One?”

“That’s what I should be saying.”

Harang’s face, turned chillingly cold.

From his lips, as if he had returned to a year ago, an ice-cold voice flowed out.

“How do you know the swordsmanship of the ‘village’?”