Chapter 23: I Might Be Stronger Than I Thought
Low-Rank Soldier.
Mid-Rank Soldier.
High-Rank Soldier.
Then Low-Rank NCO.
Mid-Rank NCO.
High-Rank NCO.
Even the two S-rank Hunters currently tearing apart the terrain were only High-Rank NCOs.
Then what exactly was a Third-Class Officer?
"H-Huuuuuh...!"
Scraps' mouth fell open.
His eyes filled with horror.
I'm fucked.
He had chosen the wrong target.
Not slightly wrong.
Catastrophically wrong.
Shake, shake, shake!
In a world where everyone was thinking about stabbing everyone else in the back...
"Excuse me."
The moment I called him, Scraps snapped back to reality.
He immediately dropped to his knees.
"Y-Yes! Give me your order, Third-Class Officer!"
His voice was suddenly filled with military discipline.
"What's your Hunter rank?"
"Yes, sir! I'm a B-rank Hunter!"
"Oh, I see. Then can I hit you once?"
In Scraps' ears, my question sounded more like this:
[If you survive one strike, I will spare you.]
"Huh?"
"I let you hit me twice, so it's fair, right?"
"A-Ah... hahaha. Please spare me."
"I said I'm only going to hit you once."
"Aaaaaagh!"
I lightly swung Shadow Dagger.
Slice.
A thin red line appeared across Scraps' neck.
Blood slowly ran down.
Then the line widened.
His head fell off.
[Low-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Contribution Points x100 acquired.]
So this is what it feels like.
I had barely swung.
But when I attacked, some strange energy seemed to join my strike and greatly amplify the damage.
The death was surprisingly realistic.
Then Scraps' corpse scattered into dust and vanished.
B-rank Hunter. One hit.
Let's think.
Full Tower Knights Squad Leader set.
S-rank Shadow Dagger.
With all of that...
I could kill a B-rank Hunter in one strike.
Meanwhile, when a B-rank Hunter stabbed me with full force, it only stung.
Maybe I'm stronger than I thought.
BOOM!
I quietly watched the two S-rank Hunters fight.
"Fist! Crimson Rain is coming here."
Sword warned him.
Fist grinned and clenched his fist.
"I know."
"You know, and you're still doing this?"
"I'll kill you first. Then I'll kill Crimson Rain too."
Sword shook her head.
There's no reasoning with him.
She stopped talking.
Shing!
Her blade cut through the air.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Graves flipped over.
Tombstones exploded.
They exchanged so many blows that counting became impossible.
As Sword's breathing became ragged...
Stab!
"Ugh...!"
Fist's body was pierced by her sword.
Then began scattering into dust.
"My victory, Fist."
"Next time will be different."
With those words, Fist vanished.
[High-Rank NCO defeated.]
[Contribution Points x4,800 acquired.]
"Haa... haa..."
Sword lowered her sword and breathed heavily.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat.
I barely won.
Every part of her body screamed.
She had spoken proudly after defeating him...
But the difference had been tiny.
She couldn't guarantee another victory next time.
She wanted to collapse immediately.
But she endured.
There was still something she had to do.
I crouched behind a collapsed grave and watched their battle.
Seeing the ground overturn and tombstones explode right in front of me made my legs weak.
If one of those attacks hits me, I'll die instantly.
The guy called Fist...
What if he punched me?
Before his fist even touches me...
The air pressure alone might send me flying a hundred meters.
Then...
Wooooong!
The moment their fight ended, a skeleton wearing pitch-black armor appeared near an altar.
A sword hung from its waist.
[Floor 41 Boss, "Death Knight," has appeared.]
Now!
Yoo Seorin was exhausted.
This was my chance.
"Leech!"
I quickly stood and thrust Shadow Dagger toward the Death Knight.
Slice.
The blade cut straight through its armor and ribs.
Its upper body tilted along the cut.
Then fell.
[Tower of Fate Floor 41 cleared.]
Yes!
Shadow Dagger never disappointed me.
I've been spoiled by Laser No. 1, but Shadow Dagger really earns its S-rank label.
Now I had to leave before anyone noticed.
I turned around and quietly started moving.
Then...
"...!"
I felt overwhelming killing intent behind me.
Something is there.
The instant the Death Knight fell...
Sword caught a moving shadow in the corner of her vision.
That guy from earlier.
The one without a visible rank.
He had been suspicious from the beginning.
Even exhausted, Sword had to confirm his identity.
She launched herself forward.
Crack!
Her blade aimed perfectly at the target.
But...
Whoosh.
It passed through empty air.
An attack that should have hit...
Missed.
"...What?"
Sword's eyes widened.
She had never felt anything like this.
My sword passed through his body.
She should have felt flesh being cut through the blade and into her hand.
But she felt nothing.
It was as if the target had never existed there.
Then she noticed the message log.
[Dodge!]
...Dodge?
At that moment, their eyes met.
And words appeared above the other Hunter's head.
[Third-Class Officer]
Sword stopped breathing.
"...Third... Class Officer?"
Impossible.
She and Fist were still only High-Rank NCOs.
Yet the pathetic rookie who had begged to merely hit the Boss once...
Was already Third-Class Officer?
Don't tell me this guy is...
Her mind went blank.
"Gasp!"
I twisted instinctively and swung Shadow Dagger.
Why did she suddenly attack me?!
There was no time to think.
My body simply moved to survive.
Slice!
"...!"
Yoo Seorin's eyes widened.
Normally, she probably could have dodged or blocked.
But after fighting Fist to exhaustion...
Her body couldn't manage even that.
"How...?"
Yoo Seorin staggered.
Before collapsing, her eyes swept across me.
More precisely...
Across my equipment.
Helmet.
Top.
Bottoms.
Gloves.
Boots.
And badge.
Her pupils shook again.
She recognized the full Tower Knights Squad Leader set.
"Don't tell me you're..."
Sword couldn't finish.
Her body scattered into dust.
Yoo Seorin's house.
Her eyes opened.
Sword, no, Yoo Seorin, stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment.
Then sat up.
"Ugh!"
Her body was unharmed.
But the sensation of what had happened remained vivid.
Yoo Seorin closed her eyes and replayed everything from the beginning.
First.
Her blade had aimed perfectly at the target.
Yet cut through empty air.
Dodge.
Not a normal dodge.
It had felt as if the opponent's body moved before he himself could react.
Only one answer made sense.
Assassin.
At least A-rank.
Possibly S-rank.
Wait. Then is he not Crimson Rain?
When Yoo Seorin saw his equipment at the final moment, she'd been more than ninety percent convinced he was Crimson Rain.
But the realization that he might be an Assassin created confusion.
Let's keep thinking. Second.
His rank.
[Third-Class Officer]
At this point, even she was barely High-Rank NCO.
Of course, she'd lost many Contribution Points while fighting Fist.
[You have died.]
[Contribution Points x7,200 lost.]
[Demoted to Mid-Rank NCO.]
Defeating a High-Rank NCO gave 4,800 points.
Dying as one cost 7,200.
A 1.5x loss.
It was a hardcore system where fighting someone of equal rank carried more risk than reward.
Unfortunately, Fist was exactly the type who never hesitated to accept that risk.
[Current Contribution Points: 58,400]
[Total Contribution Points: 499,100]
[Current Rank: Mid-Rank NCO]
An expected loss.
That didn't matter.
There was something far more important.
Third.
Right before dying, she'd clearly seen it.
Armor.
Badge.
Every slot.
A full Tower Knights Squad Leader set.
Sword opened her eyes.
I couldn't see his face.
Everything had happened too quickly.
He had been wearing a hood.
Floor 41 was extremely dark.
There were no clues that could identify him.
No nickname.
No affiliation.
Nothing.
Should I report this to the Association?
Of course she should.
An unidentified existence with combat strength estimated to be S-rank or higher.
Worse, an Assassin whose presence created neither sound nor warning.
If someone like that existed beyond Association control, it should be reported immediately.
But...
"..."
Sword hesitated.
The Association had assigned this mission under the excuse of "restoring order."
She had no idea what higher authorities would do once the man's identity was exposed.
If I rush and lose him...
She didn't have enough evidence yet.
Until I'm more certain...
Yoo Seorin decided.
I'll investigate him myself.
She would keep this within her own hands for now.
An unidentified S-rank Hunter was surprising.
But it wasn't unheard of.
Light. Heaven. Hero...
Unregistered S-rank Hunters.
The Association already knew they existed.
They simply kept quiet because public knowledge that S-rank Hunters ignored Association control could cause social chaos.
Yoo Seorin deleted the long report she'd prepared.
Then left only one line.
[Third-Class Officer confirmed. Investigation begun.]
That single message threw the Hunter Association into an emergency.
Tower of Fate, Floor 13.
"Aaagh!"
"R-Run!"
A group of low-rank Hunters scattered while screaming.
One man stood casually in the center with one hand in his pocket.
Bam!
"Ugh!"
A single kick sent a lower-rank Hunter flying.
[Low-Rank Soldier defeated.]
[Contribution Points x100 acquired.]
"Kahahahaha!"
The man threw his head back and laughed.
"This PvP update is fantastic! Feels like the Tower finally became my stage!"
Bam! Bam!
[Low-Rank Soldier defeated...]
[Contribution Points x100...]
"Become my Contribution Point fodder, weaklings! Hahahaha!"
One fleeing Hunter tripped and fell at his feet.
"P-Please spare me..."
"Spare you?"
The man tilted his head and grinned.
"No."
Crunch.
[Low-Rank Soldier defeated...]
[Contribution Points x100...]
The body scattered into dust.
The man smiled and brushed off his hands.
Then checked his information.
[Body Enhancement (S)]
He was an unregistered Hunter who had awakened an S-rank body-enhancement ability.
Register with the Association? Why would I?
S-rank Hunters who registered were subjected to all kinds of regulations and surveillance.
They received authority and benefits in return.
But he preferred doing whatever he wanted.
He wasn't short on money anyway.
This place is my playground.
Lower floors were perfect.
There were many people.
Most couldn't even resist.
"Who's next?"
Just as he moved...
Whistle!
An arrow grazed his cheek.
"...Huh?"
An arrow had approached him...
And he, an S-rank body-enhancement Hunter, hadn't noticed?
He turned.
Far away, someone was drawing a bow.
Five words floated overhead.
[Low-Rank NCO]
"...Low-Rank NCO? Who are you?"
"Light."
"Light? Never heard of an S-rank archer."
"I got bored of climbing and quit early. PvP looked entertaining, though. What's your nickname?"
"Hero."
"Your behavior doesn't match the name."
"Ha. You're only Low-Rank NCO yourself. What bullshit are you talking?"
Hero's mouth twitched.
Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!
Light fired multiple golden arrows.
Hero immediately dodged.
"Hey! Wait! Let's talk! Use words!"
"Did you use words with the people you killed?"
"You...!"
Hero clenched his teeth and ran.
I hate ranged bastards!
The changes inside the Tower were drawing hidden monsters back into the open.
