Chapter 124

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 124: Night Stroll (3)

Splat!

Mud poured down.

Mud.

Mud...

Because I had approached too closely to reveal their positions, my clothes were splattered with the thick sludge.

Before I could even feel disgusted by the sticky sensation—

— The prey... walked right into our grasp...

A ghoul, writhing in a deeper kind of revulsion, crept toward me.

Chomp!

A large ghoul opened its maw wide.

A gaping mouth that took up half its featureless face, lacking eyes or a nose.

Clatter!

As its crooked, misaligned teeth rattled like jagged saw blades—

"There it is! Guard!"

Right on time, the old man used his skill, having pinpointed its location.

Whoosh—!

Boom—!

A dazzling, multicolored barrier expanded outward from the old man.

However, since my left arm was slightly outside its initial range—

"Urgh!"

A freezing wind slashed across my exposed skin.

[Due to the effect of 'Bladed Wind,' your life force is gradually decreasing.]

Flash—!

[Your wounds are healed by Healer Yoon Sola!]

I quickly recovered, but—

"Eunho! Duck!"

"Got it!"

Swish!

Dozens of blades, led by Jieun’s dagger, surged toward the ghoul’s gaping mouth.

Buzz—!

The bloodthirsty Skybreaker followed suit, eager to drink its fill.

As the ghoul snapped its jaws shut to avoid the incoming blades, writhing in pain—

Thunk!

I drove my sword into its nape.

Crack! Fwoooosh—!

And set it ablaze.

Then—

— F-Fire... No more...!

— Kuaaaaahhhhhh!

"Get back!"

"Ahhh!"

Flailing like a dying cockroach, the ghoul twitched violently before collapsing.

[Congratulations!]

[You have defeated 'Cold Wind Ghoul'!]

[You have earned 3,000 Welfare Points!]

A welcome notification appeared.

"Watch out on your side!"

"Ack!"

[You have defeated 'Cold Wind Ghoul'!]

[You have earned 1,000 Welfare Points!]

"We’ll handle this side!"

"Please do!"

[You have defeated 'Cold Wind Ghoul'!]

[You have earned 500 Welfare Points!]

"Huff..."

"I'm exhausted..."

"One last one left!"

[You have defeated 'Cold Wind Ghoul'!]

[You have earned 1,000 Welfare Points!]

And then—

[Congratulations!]

[You have purified 'Cold Wind Ghoul’s Banquet'!]

[Your title 'Demon Slayer' has been upgraded to 'Exterminator of Demons'!]

Huh?

[Lower-class demons tremble in fear at the presence of the Exterminator.]

[Your attack power increases by 50% when fighting mid-tier demons.]

[Your attack power increases by 20% when fighting high-tier demons.]

[Beings not of this world sense the aura of the Exterminator.]

An unexpected bonus.

[The Bloodstone of Ten Thousand Souls reacts to the massive influx of blood.]

[The absorption rate of the bloodstone has increased!]

[Resurrection (Lv.-) charging... 19%, 20%]

A flood of welcome notifications.

"Huff... That was seriously tough..."

"At least we earned a ton of Welfare Points."

"Since we couldn't see them, they weren’t as scary as I thought..."

"Thanks to you…! Really, thank you…!"

From this hunt, we gained a total of 5,500 Welfare Points.

Considering we shared points with others who had thrown their weapons, it was a significant amount.

There were some monsters I hadn’t even touched.

"This should be enough for our first settlement."

"Yeah, looks like it."

We had achieved our goal.

However, the reason everyone’s faces weren’t entirely bright—

"These people... It looks like they died right after being stationed here."

"They didn’t even get a chance to fight back..."

In front of the dilapidated house, people lay piled like firewood for a campfire.

Most were already dead or dying.

There weren’t many who could celebrate surviving while faced with such a scene.

But—

"The third one from the top, the one in the sky-blue shirt. Next to them, the girl in the brown-haired dress. Below them, the man wearing a ring."

"Huh?"

There were still survivors.

「0.2%」

「0.1%」

「0.6%」

Hanging by the thinnest thread of life.

"We need to get them out now! Jieun, can you help?"

"Huh? Yes! Got it!"

Using my Omniscient Observer’s Eye, I quickly identified the survivors.

"I’ll help too, hyung!"

"Unnie! Move them here! I’ll start healing right away!"

Under my direction, Park Gongchan and the stronger ones pulled the survivors from the pile of bodies, while the swifter ones transported them to the cleared ground Bora had prepared.

As Sola’s glowing hands enveloped them, keeping them barely alive—

Ding!

A long-awaited notification rang in my ears.

[Congratulations!]

[You have reconnected the severed thread of life.]

[A special reward is granted for possessing the ‘Rebel’ trait.]

[Resistance stat (+110)]

110 survivors.

Out of 2,000 people, only 110 made it out alive.

Even in this utterly devastating situation—

"Th-Thank you! Thank you so much…!"

"I… I thought I was dead…"

Perhaps it was the sincerity in their trembling voices as they bowed their heads repeatedly, their bodies in shambles.

A mixture of fear, relief, and guilt wove through their sobs, twisting the faces of those who listened.

"…Enough with the thanks. Take care of your bodies first."

"Sob… Y-Yes…!"

As the quiet commotion continued, I busied myself peeling bits of flesh off my sword.

That was when Jaehyuk, forcing some cheer into his voice, approached me.

"Great job, hyung!"

"You too. How’s your leg? Is it okay?"

"Oh… You saw that?"

At my question, Jaehyuk scratched his head.

I had seen it earlier—the moment when even his armor and the security guard’s barrier couldn’t stop the blade of wind from slicing into him.

With his regeneration ability, I hadn’t been too worried, but the pain must have been real.

"It’s all healed now, but… it was horrifying. I never want to go through that again."

Jaehyuk shook his head, flinging off the grime and bits of monster flesh clinging to his hair.

Hmm.

Sorry, but…

"Then, shall we go?"

"Ugh… Fine. Let’s head back to the ship and finally get some—"

"No."

Go back?

What are you talking about?

"The Silver Blades, there were four of them."

"…What?"

"There are three left."

We still had a mountain of enemies to deal with.

"I… I must have misheard…?"

Thud!

Jaehyuk collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly at the ship.

* * *

[Huh?]

As she was leaving the gallery, Sera abruptly stopped in her tracks.

[This is…!]

Her pupils rapidly dilated as she locked eyes on a single artwork.

Then, with a trembling voice, she shouted—

[Administrator!]

[Yes, Lady Sera?]

[Why is the color like this?]

The administrator followed her gaze.

A painting carved into a stark white canvas with what looked like a sharp engraving knife.

[Wait, why is this…?]

The moment they saw it, their pupils, too, expanded in shock.

Wuuuung—!

The blurry painting trembled.

Like a child writhing in pain, shivering uncontrollably.

And then—

Shhhh—!

The piercingly bright silver blade of paint coalesced.

Srrrrrrrr—!

It darkened, deepening into the same shade as the Moonlight Slumber lying beside it.

[This… this is impossible…]

[Is the system malfunctioning?]

[If that were the case, the protocol would have activated.]

The administrator firmly shook their head and added—

[It seems to be a temporary phenomenon. If we wait a little—]

Srrrrrrrr—!

…Another painting cried out, making that claim lose all credibility.

[No way!]

[Ugh… I mean… That is to say…]

Srrrrrrrr—!

[Here too! Three pieces have all changed color—how is that possible?!]

[Uh, I… I have no idea…]

Sera’s voice sharpened.

She was always a lively presence, but her role as the company’s official host was not granted to her for mere cheerfulness alone.

Behind her bright and energetic demeanor lay a thorough professionalism and a perfectionist nature.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

[How have you been managing this?! The trainees are still in the middle of their session—what if something goes wrong?! Who’s going to take responsibility?!]

The administrator thumped their chest in frustration.

[If anything, I should be the one asking you! Lady Sera, did you perhaps make a mistake? In all my years as an administrator, I have never seen anything like this!]

[What mistake could I have made?! All I did was present the pieces, and the participants made their own choices…]

She froze mid-sentence.

[Why did you stop? Did something come to mind…?]

A face flashed through her mind.

There had been one.

One person whose eyes had gleamed dangerously when he reacted to the Silver Blade.

The representative of the new recruits—Lee Eunho.

[I gave him a hint about the hunt, but…]

[Excuse me?]

But that was supposed to be more of a trap than a clue.

Even if he had managed to kill a cold ghoul or two by sheer luck, it should have cost the lives of many.

[I only gave him that hint to keep the balance with the other sections…]

[Still, even if the participants did pick a fight, the ghouls aren’t weak enough to fall to ordinary trainees.]

So why…?

[I'll investigate at daybreak. It could still be a system glitch.]

[Sigh… What the hell is happening?]

Sera bit her lip.

[There have been small scuffles between trainees before, but never has the space itself trembled like this.]

[If this gets out, we’re in deep trouble…]

The Silver Blade was a garden personally designed by a high-ranking figure.

In exchange for their significant investment in building the training grounds, they had been allowed to let their failed creations—their discarded remnants—roam free within it.

If something were to go wrong there…

Shudder!

A chill ran up her spine, making Sera’s high ponytail sway as she quickly gave an order.

[Request activation of the defensive protocol. Immediately!]

[Understood!]

* * *

"A true assassin must be able to erase their presence so even a deer would fail to sense them, yet unleash a killing intent so fierce that even a tiger collapses from a single glare."

Saito instinctively understood.

The moment his entire body bristled in alarm, he knew—

Something was here.

Something exuding a ghastly, unnatural aura.

Something that did not belong to this world.

But—

"Kyaaaaaah!"

"M-My arm! Aaaaaargh…!"

Just because one recognizes a presence—

Does not mean they can fight against it.

People dying, unable even to let out their final screams.

“C-Captain! We can’t just stand here and take this!”

“What should we do…? Aaargh!”

“You fool… Hide behind the clones! Now!”

Puhwak!

[Clone has been destroyed.]

[Clone has been destroyed.]

[Clone has been destroyed.]

……

A gap in power so vast that seeing or not seeing made no difference.

Clones formed and vanished, over and over again.

Even so, they fought desperately.

But—

“Clone Technique!”

[Failed!]

[Not enough stamina.]

It was impossible now.

Was he just supposed to wait for death?

Like the comrades piling up around him?

“S-Saito! Please, save me!”

“……”

Saito clenched his eyes shut as he looked at the man, reduced to just his upper torso, clinging to his leg.

Tears of blood welled up.

He couldn’t even lie and say he would save him.

“Jun, take the others and run.”

“What? But in this situation, how…?”

“I… will buy you time.”

“Captain…!”

With those grim words, he gathered the last of his strength and picked up a few shuriken.

Then—

"!!"

His body lifted off the ground.

Thudududuk!

The shuriken in his hand missed their target and stabbed into the earth instead.

His neck—

‘Kaaah…!’

It was being ripped off.

At that moment—

A pain so blinding it turned his mind white.

Skeug—!

A faint sound of a blade slicing through the air.

Thud!

The world flipped upside down, and his head slammed into the dirt.

As the taste of soil filled his mouth, he barely managed to lift his head.

Swish!

Under the pitch-black night sky, a dark blade reflected a single beam of moonlight.

‘…?’

His entire head was drenched in crimson blood, with dirt clinging to him in patches.

His face was a complete mess, yet his eyes gleamed with a chilling brilliance.

For a moment, he thought a demon had revealed itself.

But the man…

“…Ha.”

Seeing the blood-soaked battlefield, the man let out a deep sigh.

“…Bastards.”

He gritted his teeth and muttered.

‘That voice…’

The familiar voice helped Saito steady his fading vision.

The moment their sharp eyes met, he felt a killing intent like needles piercing his skin.

‘Is that… Eunho?’

A born assassin.

A murderous aura strong enough to surpass even the invisible demons.

He wasn’t trying to exude it—it simply radiated from his very existence.

The sheer presence.

The pressure.

The dominance.

Ta-at!

Without a word, the man leaped forward, and Saito trembled.

Puk! Skeug—!

His sword carved through the air like a crescent moon against the ominous sky.

With one slash, blood sprayed from the empty space.

With another, crimson flesh was severed.

It was as if he radiated moonlight, an illusion so mesmerizing that Saito unknowingly let his mouth hang open.

He barely managed to speak again.

“How did you…”

Swish—!

“…get here.”

‘!!’

He hadn’t blinked.

He hadn’t looked away.

Yet, the man was gone.

He must have been possessed by a ghost.

Otherwise…

Thudududuk!

Puhwaaaah!

There was no way dozens of demons, who had toyed with them like playthings, could have been torn apart and stacked like corpses in mere moments.

[You have slain ‘Cold Wind Ghoul’!]

[Welfare Points +200!]

“Hah…”

Saito’s raw throat could only let out a wheezing sound.

A long-haired girl rushed over at the faintest sign of life and shouted, but her words barely registered in his ears.

“This man! He’s still breathing!”

He was too dazed, having come face to face with a being beyond death.

“Sola! Save him!”

Saito couldn’t believe it.

Even after such an intense battle, his breathing was steady.

Not only that, but his posture was completely unshaken as he walked forward with unwavering steps.

“A-Alright!”

Duuung—!

A five-colored barrier spread around him, wrapping his body in light.

Staring blankly at it, Saito thought:

‘It’s him.’

The certainty rising from within started to restore his fading consciousness.

Then—

Beeeep!

A soul-shaking warning tone rang out.

[Critical danger detected near ‘Silver Blade’.]

[Defense protocol activated.]

‘!!’

Beeeep!

The darkness lifted.

The sky turned blood-red.

Then, within the crimson sky, oily-black voids began to spread like stains.

Beeeep!

The ground erupted in multiple places.

Something massive, buried deep within, began to stir.

He barely managed to pull his body away.

Beeeep!

“Guh…!”

An overwhelming murderous aura pierced his entire body.

It was like being wrapped in countless razor-sharp sawblades, twisted and torn apart piece by piece.

“Just… kill me…”

Without realizing it, he was about to beg for death.

—♩♬!

Fwoooosh!

A melody played, and an even greater barrier than before spread out like a massive dome.

Then—

[How peculiar.]

A thunderous, deep voice rumbled.

[The wretched souls screamed so much that I granted this ‘protocol’ or whatever it is… I nearly harmed a precious musician.]

—!

Eunho’s hand stopped.

In that instant, the music, the barrier, and even the wind ceased.

A silence as if the entire world had frozen.

[Answer me, child. Have you passed the test of the Lute?]

Eunho opened his mouth to speak.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]