Chapter 27 - Episode 5. The Dead (2)
Chapter 27: Episode 5. The Dead (2)
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Misfortune always befell those around Mino.
Looking back, it had been that way since the Tower of Nightmares.
Mino had not first gained the nickname “Witch of Massacre” in 《Chaos》.
When the Tower of Nightmares appeared in her hometown and people began clearing it, the first party Mino joined was wiped out by a monster attack after three days.
She barely made it back alive on her own. People encouraged her, telling her she was lucky.
Maybe she should have realized it then.
That annihilation had been the first sign.
She began to feel something was wrong after the second and third parties she joined were also wiped out.
Once again, she alone returned alive.
People began looking at her strangely.
After similar incidents repeated another five or six times, people began to suspect and despise her.
“That’s the famous ‘Witch of Massacre,’ right?”
A witch who drew monsters to her. A cursed girl who got her party members killed. A sixteen-year-old girl whom people pointed at and abandoned, unable to join any party.
That was Mino.
Only later did Mino learn that her misfortune had actually been caused by a Passive skill.
High-grade Skill, 「Lure」
It was the only Hidden Skill concealed within the Tower of Nightmares she had cleared.
Even now, Mino sometimes wondered what would have become of her if she had not had Companions like Claire.
When everyone in the world turned away and abandoned her, when she risked her life trying to clear the Tower alone, what if there had been no one to help her...?
That was why Mino believed in people.
No matter how terrible the things that happened in this world were, even if most of this world was made up of evildoers, there were certainly good people in it.
People without great strength or remarkable talent, but who would willingly die for someone else.
Mino had made it this far because of them.
She had tried to grow stronger to protect them. If she brought misfortune with her, if she always ended up making the people around her unhappy, then she thought she only had to become stronger than misfortune itself. That was why she joined Black Forest Hall, learned assassination skills, and built up her spiritual power.
And now, the result stood before her.
[Mino, do not hesitate after coming this far.]
Claire seemed to have been punched in the face several times. Her lips, beaded with silver, were pressed tightly together.
[Being weak does not mean you have no right to choose death.]
Mino choked up at those words.
[Just hold on a little longer, ma'am. I will save you.]
Claire gave a bitter smile. Claire knew it was impossible, and so did Mino, despite what she had said.
Still, she could not give up.
Mino quickly surveyed her surroundings.
The situation was far worse than she had expected. There were more than ten Third Adapters in sight alone. In particular, the man at the center of the group was so powerful that Mino could not properly gauge his level.
They were on an entirely different level from Red Fox Clan.
There were not many groups in Gorgon Fortress that could secretly mobilize this much force.
One of the Ten Halls of Chaos, or a force comparable to them, had made a move.
Only two of the Ten Halls of Chaos were currently in Gorgon Fortress.
Fire King Hall, led by Flame Demon Lord Kang Hwang, and Limitless Hall, led by Azure Sky Sword Shin Mugeuk.
But these people did not seem to belong to either Fire King Hall or Limitless Hall. Flame Demon Lord, with his bold temperament, and Azure Sky Sword, with his proud nature, would not hatch such petty schemes.
Besides, one of the enemies was a criminal Mino had once been assigned to assassinate.
...Desert Viper?
Desert Viper, whose face was covered in yellowish-brown bandages, was a Third Adapter who hunted humans in eastern Chaos. He hid his face, but he could not hide the cross-shaped scar near his eyes or the sunken bridge of his nose beneath the bandages.
She had given up on the request because she could not find him no matter how hard she searched. To think he had been here.
Could these bastards be...?
Looking closer, every one of them was a wanted criminal on the run.
Only then did Mino realize who they were.
There was only one organization in all of 《Chaos》 that could gather this many criminals and operate them as a group.
Geumcheon Hall.
Originally, it had been a gang formed by nobodies wandering through 《Chaos》, but it had risen rapidly in recent years.
It was the organization that had driven out Myungwol Hall, formerly the lowest-ranked among the Ten Halls of Chaos, and taken its place.
“You seem to have lost your mind, Witch of Massacre.”
The moment one of Geumcheon Hall’s members stepped forward, a chill ran down Mino’s spine.
There was no doubt about it. That person was at least a Fourth Adapter.
And there was not just one. The two behind him were also powerful figures, barely short of the fourth adaptation. Fourth Adapters were people who, working together in a group of three, could even contend with Garnak, an adult Five-Horned Beast.
Mino knew their names, too. Once someone reached the level of a Fourth Adapter, the threshold of higher adaptations, their name became known even in 《Chaos》.
“The Janya Brothers...”
They were infamous criminals around the Forest Zone. Outlaws who had never joined any Hall despite being high-ranking Adapters.
It seemed they had joined Geumcheon Hall.
“Why did you not bring him? You clearly made a promise.”
“Have you ever seen a witch keep a promise?”
Janya’s expression hardened.
“The Soulstone was ours to begin with.”
“That sounds so convincing.”
“Nokmyeong Great Family was trading with us. I do not know what happened, but that bastard stole it.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Mino narrowed her eyes.
“If you are so confident, why not take it back yourself, or send an official letter to the Fortress? Why did you have to plot this scheme and lure me in?”
“That is...”
Janya could not answer.
Mino gave a bitter smile, as though she had expected as much.
Janya spoke again in a lower voice.
“It is not too late yet. Bring him here.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You die.”
Mino did not answer.
As if taking that silence as an answer, killing intent filled Janya’s eyes. Janmyung, the second of the Janya Brothers, stepped forward with a smile.
“I heard the women of Black Forest Hall are amazing in bed.”
“You must have also heard that no one who meets Black Forest Hall women in the middle of the night returns alive.”
Mino pretended to be relaxed. If she lost in momentum, she would not even be able to fight.
“You seem to have gotten full of yourselves after driving out Myungwol Hall, but you will regret this today. The name Black Forest does not carry as little weight as Myungwol.”
She had already sent word to the nearest Black Forest branch. Still, even if they hurried here as fast as possible, it would take at least an hour. The question was whether she could stall them for that long.
Janmang, the youngest, gave an eerie smile.
“You do not think we are idiots, do you?”
“...”
“We already know there is no Black Forest branch in Gorgon Fortress. By the time they arrive, there will not even be a trace of your corpse left.”
“...Black Forest will come after you.”
“What comes afterward is for our Hall Master to handle.”
At Janya’s gesture, Geumcheon Hall’s members surrounded Mino in a circle.
“That is enough chatter. If we delay any longer, things will go as that woman intends.”
Mino cursed internally.
The Janya Brothers specialized in the 「Shadow Secret Art」 they performed together. She had heard it was a leaked skill created by Black Shadow Great Family, one of the Five Great Families of the 《Great Realm》. It could not compare to the real technique used by Black Shadow Great Family, but its power was still well known. Countless Adapters had fallen to it.
But Mino’s skills were no weaker.
Seven daggers rose behind her.
High-grade Skill, 「Akaram’s Seven Sword Forms」
「Akaram’s Seven Sword Forms」 was a skill she had inherited directly from the Hall Master of Black Forest Hall. She had heard that an eminent Dream Demon had taught it to them. Perhaps because a Dream Demon had personally passed it on, its power was considerable.
“Hahaha! Not bad!”
The Janya Brothers moved, leaving countless doppelgangers behind them like shadows. Blades hidden within those shadows flew at her from every direction like an animal’s fangs.
Mino’s clothes were becoming rags. White skin showed through the tears at her waist, and a long cut had opened across her right arm.
“Let us take our time and enjoy this.”
She took down two or three Third Adapters by herself, but there were still many enemies left. Above all, the Janya Brothers, who seemed to be attacking halfheartedly, were difficult opponents. When she guarded her right, her left opened up. When she guarded her left, her back was exposed. Whenever she barely escaped, her path was blocked from the front before she knew it.
If only this had been outside the Fortress.
If she could have used 「Lure」, she could have gathered monsters and forced a chaotic melee. But this was inside the Fortress.
Mino boldly hurled several daggers filled with spiritual power, blowing apart one side of the roof. It was not quite a roar, but the sound that rang out was loud enough to be called an explosion. Everyone nearby must have heard it.
Janya said, “Trying to be clever?”
“...”
“It is useless. We already set up a soundproof barrier.”
Her last resort had failed.
Then again, if they had come this prepared, it would have been stranger if they did not have someone capable of soundproofing. They might have even bribed the guards.
That was exactly the sort of thing Geumcheon Hall’s people would do.
“They call you Massacre on the hunting grounds, but what about here?”
The shadow blade Janmyung swung sliced through one of Mino’s thighs. It was not a shallow wound.
“Would not Bare Skin suit her better now, brother?”
Janmang laughed as though it was funny.
This was already too one-sided to call a fight.
Some of Geumcheon Hall’s members even watched while yawning, or searched through the bodies of the dead employees. They knew there was no need for them to join the battle.
Ah, this was infuriating.
If she had known it would end this way, she should have sent word to Black Forest sooner.
The criminals of Geumcheon Hall grabbed unconscious Claire by the hair and shook her.
“It is not too late, so why do you not call him already? Before this old bitch gets any more ruined.”
Claire’s body shook like a doll with its strings cut.
Mino’s patience reached its limit.
Secret Form of 「Akaram’s Seven Sword Forms」.
Bitter Cold Sword Form.
The seven blades, having absorbed all the spiritual power they could hold, collided with one another and shone with a cold light.
Then, a pure white vortex formed by the blades swept over the Janya Brothers like a blizzard.
When the storm passed, Janmyung and Janmang had retreated with minor injuries.
Janya had blocked the skill head-on.
“I have entertained you long enough.”
Mino’s spiritual power had nearly fallen to zero, and her knees buckled. She pressed herself against the doorway, determined not to kneel.
Janya approached one step at a time.
Through her wavering vision, Mino thought:
Was this world truly without hope?
It was a world where dogshit bastards ran rampant. No matter how many good people there were, as long as people like that ruled from above, this world was nothing but hell.
The humans Jaehwan spoke of, and the humans Mino spoke of, would only be trampled to death one by one by people like them.
Mino closed her eyes as she watched the approaching blade.
For the brief moment as she slowly drew breath and waited for death, Mino wanted to return to the past for the first time in her life.
What would have happened if she had followed him down that fork in the road?
Perhaps she would have seen this world’s destruction.
Perhaps, after seeing that destruction with her own eyes, she could have told people about it.
“It was incredible, you know? You know, that destruction.”
She envied the version of herself in that imagined future.
She knew there was no such future.
She would never see Jaehwan again.
The sound of rough breathing filled her ears until they seemed ready to burst.
...
She realized something was wrong a moment later.
No matter how much time passed, she did not feel the blade’s threat. The air around her was contracting in a strange way.
She remembered this sensation.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the Janya Brothers staring at her with startled expressions.
Mino had seen that look in others before.
Could it be?
Of course it would be.
Even as she thought that she really hated this kind of development, the strength left her legs.
Someone caught her.
A rough but warm hand. A solid, dependable embrace, like stone and wood.
Mino looked up at the man’s face.
“...What happened to destroying the world? Why are you here?”
At that, Jaehwan slightly raised the bag in his left hand.
It was the bag containing the clothes Mino had bought for him.
“The clothes do not fit.”
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion