Chapter 119

“…Are you ready?”

“Yes, brother. Will he come today?”

“…He has to. I can’t just let that bastard who messed up our clan’s business go.”

*Crack.*

Lee Yun-seong. The guy who not only ruined our clan’s business but also somehow bewitched Yanagiya Riki.

Today will be his funeral. Of course, I don’t plan to kill him right away. First, I’ll capture him and make him suffer every kind of pain.

‘Riki, I’ll make that bitch regret it too. How dare she choose that trash over me…’

“Today’s the day he’s supposed to return to the neutral country, right? How many outlaws did you say are on it?”

“Yes, brother. And the outlaws are pretty skilled since they’ve been living as drifters. No loose ends, it’ll be fine.”

“Riki must not find out. Seeing how she’s protecting him, it won’t be good if she finds out it was us.”

“Don’t worry, brother. At most, it’s just him and one woman. The Sword Monarch is a bit dangerous, but… no matter how strong he is, can he really handle a surprise attack?”

“That’s true.”

“Actually, the outlaws are fighting over who gets to do this job. When I said the reward would be the Sword Monarch, they went crazy…”

“Really?”

“Yes. And there’s one particularly surprising piece of news.”

“Surprising news?”

“Apparently, Gwi Chang Baek Si-hoon wants in on this job.”

“What? Baek Si-hoon?”

Gwi Chang Baek Si-hoon. People say he has everything except a good personality.

Looks, martial prowess, you name it—he was a top-ranked player in Eras, especially adored by women.

That was until he turned outlaw.

It’s a famous story how Baek Si-hoon, after becoming an outlaw, killed the wife of a Tayos Kingdom marquis to satisfy his own desires.

“Why would Baek Si-hoon want in? A big shot like him?”

“Yes. It seems Gwi Chang is after the Sword Monarch. You know how he was obsessed with the Sword Monarch even before becoming an outlaw.”

“That makes sense…”

“Gwi Chang is notorious for being a lecher, after all.”

“Tch… Well, given his personality, it’s not surprising. Anyway, be careful. Send a few capable guys from our side too.”

“Yes, brother.”

“I can’t wait to see that bastard beg in front of me. Damn bastard, he looks like a dog, doesn’t he?”

“…….”

Kim Nam-gi’s mood soured when his subordinate didn’t answer his question, and his voice turned harsh.

“Hey, I asked you, doesn’t he?”

“…….”

‘What’s going on?’

Just as he felt an inexplicable chill and was about to turn around—

**”I see.”**

Kim Nam-gi’s hair stood on end at the voice coming from behind him.

In that moment of fear and goosebumps, he quickly drew his sword and pointed it behind him, but—

“Gaaah!”

He couldn’t help but scream at the sight before him.

The subordinate he had just been talking to was now dead, his eyes gouged out.

“What the…! What the hell! Who, who are you!”

Next to the corpse stood someone with a hood pulled over their head, holding a dagger in one hand.

“Kim Nam-gi, Clan Master of the Predator Clan, right?”

‘A woman?’

The intruder’s voice was unmistakably female—a very alluring voice at that.

“Who, who are you! You know who I am, and yet you dare…!”

Whether the intruder was a woman or not, Kim Nam-gi was too terrified to speak properly.

The dead subordinate was at least a top-tier player on this continent. He wasn’t someone who could die so easily, without a sound.

If the intruder could kill him so quickly and silently, it meant they were at least a ranker, if not someone with even greater power.

‘Wait. How did they even get in here? What about the clan members outside…?’

“You ask who I am? On the surface, you’re in the weapon business, but in the shadows, you’re in the slave trade, aren’t you? You must’ve taken quite a hit. Your share in the black market in Silan, the neutral country, was pretty big, wasn’t it?”

“What are you… How do you know all that? You’re not a ranker… There’s no female ranker who uses a dagger. Who the hell are you…?”

“Death is near, and your mind is finally working, huh? Humans are fascinating. In a crisis, they become stronger than any other species.”

“What… You talk as if you’re not human…”

“Originally, I’m not a foreigner but a native. And… today is the day the Predator Clan disappears.”

“What… What nonsense! My clan disappearing?!”

“If the Clan Master dies and the business foundation is destroyed, the clan will have no choice but to disappear.”

Kim Nam-gi broke into a cold sweat at the woman’s words. They didn’t sound like empty threats.

“Why… Why are you doing this to me? Why…?”

“Because you’re trying to mess with someone you shouldn’t.”

“…What?”

“Whether you’re in the weapon business, the slave trade, or messing with trainees at the training facility, I don’t care. But touching my master is a different story.”

He didn’t know how the woman knew about the slave trade and even the trainees, but he couldn’t understand her words.

“Master…? What are you talking about? The one I’m targeting is Lee Yun-seong…”

“Don’t you dare speak his name so casually.”

*Crack.*

“Gaaah! You b*tch!”

Before he knew it, the woman had closed the distance and broken his hand.

Despite the pain, Kim Nam-gi knew that if he just screamed, he’d die, so he immediately counterattacked.

“Huh…”

The woman seemed slightly surprised that he could counterattack despite the pain of his shattered hand.

Kim Nam-gi’s sword didn’t hit her, but it grazed the hood she was wearing.

In that moment, Kim Nam-gi saw her ears. They weren’t human ears.

“You… those ears… an elf? No, a dark elf…?”

“……”

“A dark elf? I thought elves and dark elves were extinct…”

“You shouldn’t have found out.”

“What…?”

*Stab.*

That was Kim Nam-gi’s last word.

******

Three days after returning to the neutral country from the Eastern Alliance.

I had gotten everything I needed from the Eastern Alliance.

Fate is a strange thing.

When I was dragged to the Eastern Alliance by Riki, I thought I was screwed. But…



She became my benefactor, and I never imagined things would turn out this well.

‘And I even got the medicine.’

Before returning, I asked her for a favor and managed to get a decent amount of drugs.

I still remember the expression on her face and the words she spat out when I first asked her for some drugs.

I almost laughed when the drug dealer started saying things like, “Are you planning to do drugs? Are you crazy?” and so on.

I knew she was saying it out of concern, but seriously, the drug kingpin of the Eastern Alliance saying that to me… it’s a bit much, isn’t it?

Fortunately, after explaining the purpose of the drugs, I managed to get them. Riki was quite surprised when she found out what they were for.

‘Anyway… enough about the drugs.’

In Yoo Ju’s case, she was relieved that I returned safely without any issues.

It seems she couldn’t help but worry about me.

While I was resting in my office, leaning back in my chair, Wi Ho-yeon came in and spoke to me.

“Yun-seong. Could you take a look at this?”

“Ah, Ho-yeon, what is this?”

“…Well, it’s like a combined newspaper from Eras. It says that an entire clan from the Eastern Alliance has disappeared.”

“Huh?”

I immediately picked up the newspaper and started reading.

『The Predator Clan of the Eastern Alliance has collapsed overnight.』

『Only a few regular clan members survived. It has been revealed that the clan master, Kim Nam-gi, and the executives were all assassinated by someone…』

『The atrocities committed by the Predator Clan have been exposed, shocking the people of Eras. While they presented themselves as a weapons business clan, it was revealed that they were involved in the slave trade behind the scenes… even selling trainees as slaves.』

『With attention now focused on the Predator Clan’s atrocities, who is the mastermind behind their overnight downfall? Despite investigations, nothing has been uncovered, leaving everyone in shock.』

『People are speculating that it might be the work of a Ranker. It’s hard to explain how a clan like the Predator Clan could be taken down overnight unless it was done by a Ranker.』

『According to experts, the perpetrator must have at least the military power of a Ranker…』

“Wow…”

Kim Nam-gi… I definitely met that man at the banquet.

‘…What on earth happened?’

It hasn’t been that long since I met him. At most, it’s been less than a week.

‘The clan master and all the executives are dead?’

I couldn’t understand it. Even if it was a Ranker, it’s nearly impossible to wipe out a medium to large-sized clan overnight.

No, even if it were possible, doing it quietly is out of the question.

Even someone like Yoon Yeon or Riki couldn’t take down a clan like the Predator Clan overnight without leaving a trace.

‘If it were a conflict between clans, maybe, but this is a conflict between an individual and a clan. This outcome doesn’t make sense.’

“Ho-yeon, is what’s written in this newspaper even possible? Taking out all the key figures of a clan quietly in one night…”

“…It’s impossible for a typical Ranker.”

“What do you mean by a typical Ranker?”

“Someone like the master of the Myth Clan or Yanagiya Riki, a combatant, couldn’t do it. It’s not about military power; quietly killing them is a different matter.”

“…..”

“However, if the perpetrator is an assassin with the military power of a Ranker… then it’s not impossible.”

“An assassin with the power of a Ranker? But there are no Rankers with assassin-type professions, are there?”

As far as I know, there are no players among the current Rankers who have assassin-type professions.

Sure enough, Ho-yeon nodded in agreement.

“You’re right, Yun-seong. There are no Rankers with assassin-type professions. But just because someone isn’t a Ranker doesn’t mean they don’t have the military power of one.”

“Ah…”

“And… there’s no guarantee that the perpetrator is even a player.”

“…That’s true. But what are the chances that an indigenous person would attack a player’s clan?”

“Actually, I also think the perpetrator is a player. As you said, there’s no reason for an indigenous person to attack a player’s clan.”

“Hmm…”

‘Is this… the same flow as the first round?’

I suddenly wondered if this incident also happened in the first round.

‘I need to talk to Yoo Ju.’

Honestly, it’s not really my concern, so I don’t need to worry about it, but for some reason, it’s bothering me.

‘…Is it just my imagination, or why did this happen right after meeting me?’

Normally, I wouldn’t have paid attention to this.

But it just so happens that Kim Nam-gi died not long after meeting me.

‘Something’s off.’

Ever since I was attacked by the Outlaw, things have been flowing differently than I expected.

I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of dissonance.

“…Ho-yeon, I’m going to see Yoo Ju for a moment.”

“Ah, okay. Got it.”

I left my office and headed to Yoo Ju’s office.

After knocking and entering Yoo Ju’s office, I saw her also reading the newspaper.

“Yoo Ju.”

“Ah… Yun-seong.”

I glanced at the newspaper she was reading, and it was the same one I had seen.

“What’s the matter? Did you come to see me…”

Unfortunately, the answer she was hoping for didn’t come out of my mouth.

“I came to ask you about the contents of the newspaper you’re reading.”

“Ah… I see…”

Yoo Ju looked disappointed, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Yoo Ju, do you know anything about what happened in the Eastern Alliance this time?”