Chapter 84

*Thud!*

A dull impact sound echoed.

“Kehack!”

“That’s the Inch Punch technique. Even at close range, it can deliver a strong blow to the solar plexus.”

“Gwaaah!”

Wow, that nymph brat must have eaten a ton of broccoli today. Just looking at the amount of broccoli spewing from its mouth, you could almost mistake it for the mother of all living broccoli. If we could get a few of those nymphs from the broccoli farms and hit them with an Inch Punch to the solar plexus, wouldn’t they just start producing broccoli on their own?

“Done puking yet?”

“Grrr… what?”

*Crash!*

Its body slammed into the ground. It seemed to have barely managed to break its fall, but if it had died quickly, it would have been a bit disappointing.

“Kehack!”

“Ah, this is a throwing technique. It’s used for subduing, but if you slam them headfirst, it’s a lethal move. But the power control is a pain, so I don’t use it much.”

“This brat, how far will you go to—”

“Your tone is so trashy, you trashy brat!”

It shattered all my illusions about nymphs. Like a child finding out Santa isn’t real, or an otaku learning the protagonist’s death in advance, that heartbreak is irreversible.

“Nymphs don’t talk like this…! Trashy brats learn things like this…!”

I climbed on top of the guy and started punching his face. My fists can deliver 13 jabs per second. I smashed his nose, shattered his teeth, and broke his cheekbone.

But it wasn’t like the brat was just sitting there doing nothing. It stabbed my thigh with its fingers. Finger stabs can break your fingers if done wrong, but it seemed like it had trained its fingers quite well.

“The Prison of Solitude… forbids magic and weapons… only allowing the use of the body… but poison-coated fingers are allowed… I’ve coated them with neurotoxin…”

“So what?”

I’ve been eating neurotoxins since I was seven. Some were sweet, some sour, some spicy, and some bitter. It was like enjoying 31 flavors of ice cream all at once.

“It’s a bit tingly, but so what?”

“That’s impossible… even beasts writhe in pain from this poison…”

“Hey, did you think I was just some beast?”

Even beasts are just untrained, thoughtless animals. Are you comparing this smart, Confucian me to a beast? This calls for a good punishment. Now, which martial art should I let you experience next?

I opened Werner’s Martial Arts Experience Hall for the dwarf scum nymph brat. The entrance fee is this brat’s blood and screams. It’s a massive hemorrhage sale, of course, meaning the blood is from the brat, not me.

I stood up and gave the guest nymph the choice of which facility to visit.

“Krav Maga? Silat? Kali Arnis? Boxing? Judo? MMA? Masteema? Karate? Wrestling? Taekwondo? Which one do you want? I’ll let you choose.”

The nymph brat, barely standing and trying to create distance, spoke.

“What the hell are you talking about…”

Ah, there are too many facilities, and our guest is having trouble deciding. But don’t worry. A great sage from the past once said:

[If you’re unsure what to eat among many options, go to a buffet. And if you’re unsure which choice to make, try them all.]

I’ll serve you the full course. I’ll get top marks in customer satisfaction and win Employee of the Month.

“No need to agonize over what I’m saying. You’re going to die here anyway.”

Then the nymph-hating nymph brat spat blood and said:

“Meragius, reserve executive of the Black Round Table! I’ll kill you here with my dying resolve!”

Then Meragius stabbed his own chest with his left index finger. I thought it was suicide, but his skin turned red and heated up. Some kind of buff, I guess.

“Don’t think I’m the same as before… my physical abilities are now five times stronger…”

“Ah, I see.”

Meragius charged at me with a roar.

“Die for the Black Round Table!!!”

“Hey, if the sword dies for the Round Table, what happens to the shield?”

It was a decent joke, but the guy didn’t laugh. This nymph brat has zero sense of humor. They say laughter brings good fortune, but no fortune is coming your way.

—

In a room so vast it’s hard to imagine it’s in a sewer.

A man was blocking the attacks of two heroes. Despite the heroes’ relentless strikes, the man deflected every single one. And he did it with his sword still sheathed.

Ricardo thrust his spear. It was a strike that could shatter even a steel shield like an eggshell, but the man’s sword easily blocked it.

“Your shield skills are impressive, but your spear handling has some flaws. Isn’t the charm of a spear its unpredictable trajectory?”

“Shut up! Where’s Werner?”

“I’ve told you three times. He’s inside the Prison of Solitude. And he’s unlikely to survive.”

Enraged by the mention of Werner’s likely death, Camellia unleashed a slash. It was so fast it surpassed the speed of sound, but the man easily dodged it.

He blocked the unblockable and dodged the undodgeable. It was a taunt, showing off his superior skill while mocking their attacks.

Of course, Camellia was angry for a different reason.

“What the hell is this Prison of Solitude you’re talking about?”

“Those sucked inside can’t come out until one of them dies.”

“Then Werner will obviously win. Do you think anyone can withstand his magic?”

“True, Meragius can’t withstand it. Unless that Werner guy is a full-fledged Archmage.”

Ricardo and Camellia frowned. That was supposed to be their secret, but this enemy knew it. If he knew, then the entire Black Round Table likely knew that Werner couldn’t use Great Magic.

“Even with just regular magic—”

“To add, inside the Prison of Solitude, only bare hands and feet are allowed. Weapons and magic are forbidden.”

“What?”

Everyone’s hearts sank. Sure, Werner could mimic the Heavenly Demon Old Man’s techniques, but it was just mimicry. Ricardo was deeply worried.

From what he’d seen of Werner’s martial arts, it was above average. But after seeing Meragius’s movements, he knew. That guy’s martial arts were anything but ordinary…

If what Werner had shown so far was the extent of his skills, he would definitely be killed.

Ricardo’s face twisted in anger.

“Hey, you damn brat. If you lay a finger on my brother, I’ll kill you.”

“Hmm… with that arm?”

The man pointed at Ricardo’s right arm with his finger. The armor on his right arm was shattered, and his arm was mutilated.

“With that arm, you can’t even peel an apple.”

“Why not?”

Ricardo wrapped a chain from the sewer floor around his right arm, bit down on it, and charged at the man with his spear fixed in place.

“Now you’re no different from a beast.”

The man, realizing he couldn’t block Ricardo’s charge, shifted his body to evade. But what greeted him was Camellia’s sword. It was incomparably faster and sharper than before.

He judged this attack would be hard to dodge.

*Clang!*

A sword with a deep blue blade was drawn from the man’s sheath, blocking Camellia’s strike.

“To think I’d have to draw my sword. I’ve grown dull.”

“If you’ve grown dull, you die. Isn’t that the fate of those who wield swords?”

Camellia’s words were a blatant declaration of intent to kill, and she radiated an extraordinary killing intent. Ricardo was the same. Faced with the combined killing intent of the two heroes, the man chuckled.

“In front of me is a white tiger with a sword, and behind me is a bear with a spear and shield… Interesting.”

“Seems like you’re finally ready to fight seriously.”

“No, I’m just showing the difference to you foolish brats.”

The man’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

“That Werner mage, and you two, will all die here. No matter who you are.”

The man declared Werner’s death, and Camellia and Ricardo glared at him, their tension palpable. But it didn’t last long.

“What, you die just from a little liver blow? How boring.”

Werner appeared, holding the battered corpse of Meragius.