『Name: Rohan
Stamina: 82%
Mana: 66%
Affiliated Nation: Southern Ruins’ Echo
Affiliated Organization: Orion Academy
Attributes: [Physical] [Fire]
Status: Bleeding
Remaining Points: 273P』
Rohan’s status window was quite handy.
It gave him a real-time sense that he was still far from death and showed the negative status effects on his body.
‘It’s not severe bleeding.’
His mind was clear and sharp. His body was warm, maintaining its temperature.
It wasn’t to the point where he needed to force-stop the bleeding or cut off the flow.
With his consciousness and body now in the heat of battle, it was ideal to go kill the boss.
‘Let’s go.’
Rohan grabbed his hammer and pistol.
The knife he had been using for a short time was broken while dealing with multiple enemies at the factory.
It was a fitting end for a cheap knife—unable to withstand the force of stabbing and slashing, the handle shattered, and it now rested in someone’s gut.
Rohan followed the smell of paint carried by the wind.
And then, he encountered him.
Sssss! Sssss!
A man with a shaved head, wearing a plastic mask, spraying paint on the wall.
He was about 190 cm tall, and his bulky jacket made him look quite large.
His neck was thick enough to remind one of a quadrupedal animal.
‘Ku Shadley.’
According to Rohan’s memory, that was his name.
Facing him up close, memories of the past surfaced vividly.
And then, a short conversation.
“Today feels especially good. On days like this, I can’t stop my work midway.”
“Sure.”
Rohan pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The gun barrel flashed with fire.
The bullet aimed precisely at Shadley’s head. His head jerked back and then returned.
“That hurts, why are you doing this?”
“….”
The bullet failed to penetrate his head and fell to the ground with a thin metallic sound.
A red bruise was visible on Shadley’s forehead.
‘Firing repeatedly won’t make a difference now.’
At this point, the pistol was confirmed as a deterrent.
If he felt the need to free his hands, it might be best to just toss it away.
“Tell me. Why did you do this?”
“You’ve been sucking the life out of others your whole life, and now you’re curious about why you’re dying? Does that even make sense?”
As Rohan transparently showed his disbelief, Shadley’s knuckle-clad fist tightened with a creaking sound.
“Was it Hoken again, like last time? He’s always been jealous of my paintings, so it’s obvious without even looking.”
“Sigh…”
“Ah! Poor, pitiful Hoken. Every time he realizes his lack of talent, he must envy and hate me.”
As Shadley started to fuel his own misunderstanding and get excited, Rohan aimed his gun once more.
Knowing that ordinary shots wouldn’t work, this time the bullet was aimed, if possible, at the eye.
*Bang!*
As if reading his intentions just from the aim, Shadley dodged it like a ghost.
Then, as if convinced of something, he smirked.
“Your reaction confirms it was Hoken, right?”
“Shut up. I like chatty women, but talkative men? No thanks.”
“You… Your actions and words don’t match your baby face. It’s amusing.”
*Thud thud.*
Shadley turned his neck and closed the distance with Rohan step by step.
“…”
As Shadley’s body entered his range, Rohan swung his hammer.
Similarly, a fist was thrown.
Their fierce movements clashed.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Crack!*
Under the night sky, sparks and noises flashed.
Rohan dodged the punches but felt the difference in strength compared to the Yard-Pound brothers.
The impact alone caused shallow wounds.
And the short, quick punches thrown without using the legs.
He must have learned something.
‘Physically, I’m at a disadvantage. But still, this is manageable.’
Rohan felt the hammer bouncing off his knuckles and the pain in his palm with each swing.
He aimed the gun at Shadley’s groin and pulled the trigger.
“!”
Shadley twisted his body in a hurry at the cold sensation.
*Bang! Bang!*
The bullets hit Shadley’s thigh and fell.
Without a moment to catch his breath, the hammering continued.
Shadley smirked and stepped back as the hammer aimed to smash his head.
“Can we… at least maintain some basic manners? Your methods are too crude.”
“Playing the artist and madman all by yourself, but scared when things get rough?”
Rohan smirked.
Shadley ran his hand through his rough hair to calm his emotions.
“…Your paintings probably lack any brilliance.”
“I’m not interested in paintings.”
“Cold as ice, from one to ten, you’re just an annoying brat.”
Shadley was convinced by the brief exchange.
‘He looks young, but it must be a disguise. Creepy guy.’
If not, it doesn’t make sense. I can’t accept it.
To Shadley, those movements were too raw to have received professional training.
The bloody experiences piled up and created something, simply the creepy kind.
‘Gotta finish this quickly.’
Having sensed the guy approaching and preemptively administered the drug, the effect is definitely kicking in.
Thanks to that, his physical abilities are superior.
Yet, the chance to smash something and seize the upper hand doesn’t come. He dodges punches like a rat.
‘If the drug wears off like this…’
A break in concentration.
Rohan, sensing that unique vibe from Shadley’s gaze, jumped in.
*Thud!*
The wrench embedded itself into the forearm that desperately protected his head.
“Tch!”
Then, he saw Rohan’s gun move as fluidly as water.
Shadley roughly extended his fist, imbued with magic.
The pistol, hit directly by the knuckle, shattered into pieces and scattered into the air.
But Shadley couldn’t rejoice over the disappearance of the annoying weapon.
Because he saw Rohan let go of the pistol mid-fight.
*Thump.*
Rohan’s empty hand grabbed Shadley’s arm as if telling it not to run away.
He dramatically lifted the wrench.
As Shadley’s attention was naturally drawn to the weapon, he tried to counterattack.
“!?”
Shadley, feeling something off from the hand in contact with Rohan, startled and stepped back.
Rohan, instead of pursuing, nodded satisfactorily in place.
“Hmm, as expected.”
“You… did something.”
The remnants of magic Rohan left. Shadley forced a smile and rubbed his forearm.
The sensation flowing through his skin was unfamiliar beyond words.
[Weakness Affliction is applied to the target as a physical attribute.]
‘Good info.’
The doubts he felt while using the skill in the skirmish with Shadley’s underlings were cleared.
Now he was sure about Rohan.
‘Weakness Affliction shows differences in magic consumption depending on the opponent’s skill level.’
Additionally, from a certain level, one starts to feel the anomaly the skill invades.
Such ambiguous explanations always have elements that need to be understood through experience.
“Did you get your hands on a dirty good skill or something?”
“Enough.”
“…”
“Don’t even think about talking.”
As Rohan cut him off and extended his foot, Shadley leaned forward, showing an aggressive stance.
He must have scraped the bottom of his magic reserves, as his presence is more intense than before.
‘A tackle?’
Not a bad strategy. He’s big and has superior physical abilities, so he’d want to grab him.
Rohan understands Shadley’s intentions.
Having been hit on the arm earlier, he must be prepared to take a hit with his body.
But.
You’ll know once you get hit with a hammer.
What kind of changes happen to the body.
“Ugh!”
Shadley, like a bull, stomped the ground and threw his body forward.
A tackle coming straight at you.
There is a variable that changes the timing by decelerating or accelerating.
Still, without thinking too much, Rohan swung the hammer down like he was catching a mole.
*****
“…”
The Princess, having arrived near the meeting point, instinctively hid herself.
Looking at the clock on the communication device, the scheduled time had just passed.
What should I do in this situation? Is it okay to just go back?
It was hard to make a quick decision.
But I also don’t feel like calling the elder.
‘Let’s wait just 10 more minutes.’
Making her final decision, the Princess leaned her back against the wall and sat down.
How long did she sit there, staring blankly at the starry night sky?
The promised 10 minutes had clearly passed.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Footsteps could be heard from afar, getting closer.
The Princess, still sitting, took out a small mirror and carefully checked outside.
‘Is that person the VIP the elder mentioned?’
All she could see was a man, and he didn’t seem to be just passing by.
This wasn’t a place one would just pass through anyway.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t the elder say guest”s”…?’
I don’t know. I’m not sure. My memory has been hazy lately.
Losing confidence, the Princess decided to observe the person for a while.
He didn’t seem as rough as the humans the elders had summoned last time.
He also appeared to be around her age.
Yet, there was an unusually intense aura about him, making the Princess hesitate as she watched his actions.
The man stood in place, fiddling with his smartphone.
Then, he looked around as if searching for someone.
“…”
Watching this quietly, the Princess gathered the equipment she had prepared, stood up, and revealed herself.
