Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Arrival at the Dock
When we arrived at the dock, a minivan was waiting for Si-hyun and his party.
It was the car from the pension we had reserved.
“I’m sorry, but there’s only one car available.”
The pension owner said apologetically, looking at the group.
“Could you wait here for a bit? It won’t take long to get to the pension. I think three round trips will be enough.”
“What should we do? Should we stop by the pension to organize our things, or go straight there?”
Si-hyun took the initiative to ask the group for their opinions.
We still had plenty of time until the scheduled attack on the gate, so it seemed fine to stop by the pension.
“Hmm, I think it’s better to finish up neatly before heading out.”
The Black Tiger Guild Leader Tae-seong said this as he looked at his guild members for confirmation.
The Black Tiger Guild members nodded in agreement with Tae-seong’s opinion.
Min-jun and Eun-hye also expressed their agreement.
“Boss, then I’ll just load the luggage and send it first. Is that fine?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
The owner nodded eagerly to Si-hyun’s words.
Since Si-hyun’s party had reserved all three rooms of the pension for the weekend, there were no other guests.
It was a short trip of two days, so there wasn’t much luggage.
As soon as the luggage was loaded, Si-hyun began again.
“Excuse me, where is Mount Bua?”
The location of the new gate was near the peak of Mount Bua.
“Mount Bua? You can’t go there right now. There’s a gate, so entry is prohibited for the time being.”
“Actually, we are hunters here to take on the gate.”
“Oh? Is that so? What a coincidence to have hunters as guests! Haha, it makes me happy to host special guests. Mount Bua is over there. Please take care! Also, I can prepare some fish I caught that day as sashimi. It’s tasty and since this is an island, the fish is cheaper than meat with legs, you know? I’ll serve it to you at a good price, so please eat a lot.”
The pension owner’s face brightened when he heard that they were hunters.
He even threw in a sales pitch with a smile at the end.
Hunters were generally seen as those with good incomes, and with the number of guests, he thought he could sell a lot of sashimi.
The owner’s main incomes came from lodging fees and selling freshly caught fish as sashimi.
“Yes, yes, catch plenty so we can eat well.”
Si-hyun replied with a smile.
Some hunters licked their lips at the mention of sashimi.
“So shall we head to Mount Bua?”
◈ ◈ ◈
Mount Bua was a low mountain, standing at 159 meters above sea level.
It was about the same height as the back mountain of the village, so it was quick to reach if one made an effort.
At the base of the mountain, there was a sign prohibiting entry, and barriers had been set up to restrict access.
Near the entrance, there was a man who appeared to be a staff member of the Hunter Association.
“What can I help you with?”
“We are hunters here to tackle the gate.”
“Let me check you for a moment. Please show me your hunter license.”
As the group presented their licenses, the staff member checked them one by one and nodded.
“The gate is near the peak of the mountain. It’s a low mountain, so you won’t get lost.”
As Si-hyun’s party started to ascend the mountain, the staff member took out their cell phone.
“Just passed the entrance with a party of hunters. Confirmed that the list matches exactly. Good luck.”
After a brief report, the staff member hung up the phone.
“Hmm?”
Then, the staff member spotted two men approaching the entrance of the mountain.
They were coming towards him at a brisk pace.
Surely, they must have seen the barrier prohibiting entry.
‘Are they tourists?’
The staff member thought.
Residents were well aware of the prohibition.
However, tourists might still be skeptical enough to approach even after seeing the barrier.
“What brings you here?”
The staff member asked first.
“Ah, we’re just going up the mountain a bit.”
A man with a smiling face replied.
“I’m sorry, but entry to Mount Bua has been prohibited due to the recent gate.”
“I know.”
“Excuse me?”
Just as the staff member thought it was strange, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his throat.
His consciousness faded away.
Thud.
With a plop, the severed head fell to the ground and rolled away.
Blood sprayed from the neck, and the body, now headless, dropped lifelessly.
In the hand of the smiling man was a Death Scythe, the infamous weapon known as Deside, cherished by Kashir in the other world.
“What a fine skill.”
Bayan, who stood beside him, gave a thumbs up.
Bayan’s face had transformed completely due to the face-avoidance technique.
The nervous expression disappeared, replaced by a plain and featureless visage.
“Let’s move on. I can’t hold back now that I’ve tasted blood.”
Kashir licked the blood splattered on his arm.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Someone’s dead.”
To-ya muttered as she opened her eyes.
Blood tears streamed down her face.
“What? Those damned bastards….”
William gritted his teeth.
“Hurry, we need to hurry.”
“Stay calm. We need to maintain high concentration.”
To-ya said calmly.
She took out a handkerchief to wipe her blood tears and began drawing something on the ground with chalk.
It was a teleportation magic circle.
Activation of teleportation magic didn’t just end with the casting.
If the coordinates were set incorrectly, it could lead to certain death.
For example, landing in the middle of the ocean or high up in the sky would result in a sure demise.
For this reason, it wasn’t a spell to be casually used by anyone.
To-ya focused intently on drawing the magic circle without blinking.
Her forehead glistened with beads of sweat from the strain of concentration.
William refrained from interrupting her focused state.
A little time passed.
“Done.”
To-ya said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
◈ ◈ ◈
As expected, the summit arrived quickly.
Upon reaching the peak, the expansive blue sea was visible in all directions.
The clear weather, free of clouds, allowed for visibility far into the distance.
There was even a telescope set up to admire the scene.
“That over there, that’s the gate.”
Eun-hye said.
Si-hyun also looked towards the gate.
The familiar blue light of a gate was swirling in a circular shape.
In front of it stood a staff member from the Hunter Association.
The group walked toward the gate and had their identities verified at the entrance, just like before.
The staff member checked off their names on the list with a pen.
“All confirmed. Wishing you a safe gate raid.”
As they received the staff member’s greeting, Si-hyun’s party entered the gate.
The last person stepped inside, yet the staff member did not take his eyes off the entrance to the gate.
After about five minutes had passed since the first person entered, the entrance would close.
Once the entrance was completely shut, it was necessary to check the time and record it.
‘Was it about three minutes ago?’
Just as the staff member peeked at their watch, something flickered quickly from behind.
Swish.
In an instant, the staff member’s head was severed.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
A moment later, blood gushed out, and the body that lost its head fell down.
“Kashir, you’re the only one having fun.”
“Once inside, it’ll be more fun for young master Bayan.”
Kashir grinned as he spoke.
“What can we do? If we wait here and they come out, then it’s game over, or we enter?”
“We have to go in. It’s a place where killing hundreds leaves no evidence or traces.”
Bayan said with a sinister smile, then slowly walked into the gate.
Kashir followed him, grinning as he entered.
About a minute had passed after they disappeared into the gate.
Suddenly, a soft light flickered in the empty air at the entrance of Mount Bua.
As the light faded, the silhouettes of two figures appeared.
It was To-ya and William.
“Success.”
To-ya murmured.
They had successfully transported to the location they had seen through the ‘Blood Flow Inspection’.
William offered a brief prayer over the staff member’s severed body before speaking.
“They went up there.”
He reached out and picked up To-ya.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
To-ya blinked like a rabbit in surprise.
“What am I doing? I’m in a hurry.”
William grinned.
Even though they had come as quickly as possible through teleportation, enough time had passed.
Who knows how many more people might die during that time?
So they needed to reach the place where Kashir and Bayan were as soon as possible.
“I’m going.”
William dashed up the mountain at a terrifying speed.
Before long, they reached the summit.
“Is that the gate?”
William muttered, spotting the glowing blue gate.
And nearby, just as before, another headless body lay scattered on the ground.
From the circumstances, it was clear that those men had entered the gate.
“We need to hurry.”
William sprinted towards the gate with all his might.
With every step, the distance quickly narrowed.
Soon, he arrived just in front of the gate entrance.
Only one step separated him from entering the gate.
Just as William was about to step inside, the entrance of the gate closed with a bang.
Thud!
It sounded as if he had hit a wall.
William had collided with the closed entrance of the gate.
“Damn.”
William frowned.
With the gate closed, there was no way to enter.
“Damn it, this is bad.”
Those bastards wouldn’t just enter the gate for no reason.
There had to be hunters who went in first, and they must have targeted those hunters.
At this rate, the hunters who had entered earlier would all end up dead.
“Sorry, Uncle.”
To-ya said, watching the scene with her small mouth moving.
“Huh?”
“I should have inspected the bad guys faster.”
“No, no, you did your best.”
William patted To-ya’s head.
Then he spoke with a determined voice.
“Either way, they’ve gone into the gate, so they have to come out here eventually. That’s when we’ll end them.”
◈ ◈ ◈
The gate raid was going smoothly.
The gate was like an ant nest, with a large number of monsters, but they weren’t particularly strong.
They pushed forward easily by taking down the ants without much difficulty.
Everyone was quite accustomed to raiding gates like this.
The atmosphere of the raid was somewhat excited.
It seemed that everyone was eager to finish the job well and enjoy a winter vacation.
Before long, they arrived at the boss room.
“Alright, let’s take a short break and check our gear.”
Black Tiger Guild Leader Tae-seong announced.
Normally, before tackling a boss room, it was standard to treat any injuries and check equipment one last time.
Luckily this time, they had no injuries at all.
They briefly rested and reorganized themselves.
After their break ended, the party stood up again.
The bald Black Tiger Guild member grinned and spoke.
“Let’s get our heads in the game and finish this… Kuh!”
…What just happened?
A blade pierced through his throat.
The bald Black Tiger Guild member wore a look of horror as though he wanted to say something.
But only bloody foam came from his mouth.
Soon his eyes lost their light, and he tumbled forward.
Thud.
Everything happened so fast and was so shocking that everyone froze, stiff as stone.
It felt like time had stopped for a moment.
“Heheh, it’s been a while.”
A man with an unpleasant laugh appeared from behind.
At that moment, time resumed.
Everyone’s faces were tense as they prepared to wield weapons at any moment.
“Oh? Don’t you know me? That’s a bit disappointing. I’ve never forgotten you guys. What a shame.”
“Who are you?”
Tae-seong asked, his face filled with anger.
It was unbearable seeing a guild member die right before their eyes.
“Why, we met at the tower. Hellhound. Heheh.”
“Could it be…?!”
If they had met at the tower and the name Hellhound came up, there was only one person it could refer to.
The man who disguised himself and hid to kill them after killing one of their guild members.
“Heheh, I guess that’s exactly the case.”
Bayan chuckled as if it were amusing.
‘A Face-avoidance Technician… that bastard again…’
Si-hyun frowned.
It seemed he had come back to bear a grudge for what happened back then.
This was clearly a lunatic willing to wreak havoc despite taking the damage back then.
‘But it’s different now.’
Si-hyun tightened his grip on the longsword.
He had become significantly stronger than before.
He had risen to the level of a C-rank Hunter and developed several new skills.
Having faced powerful foes like the Black Cross assassins, the Giant Monkey, and the Dark Moon, he had gained a wealth of experience.
Everything was different compared to his rookie days when he had no real experience.
“This way.”
Si-hyun gestured to Min-jun and Eun-hye.
Seeing that, Eun-hye moved behind Si-hyun while Min-jun stood beside him.
This was a formation to protect the wizard, Eun-hye.
“Haha! Are you actually planning to give it a go? Sounds good, sounds good.”
Bayan chuckled mockingly.
“Formation, form up!”
Tae-seong shouted loudly.
The Black Tiger Guild members immediately began to form up in an orderly manner.
“What’s taking so long? I’m bored with this.”
Suddenly, the empty space rippled, and a human figure jumped out.
“Oh?!”
“Another one?!”
Si-hyun and his party were caught completely off guard and looked genuinely surprised.
Simultaneously, their faces darkened.
The unusual appearance alone suggested that the opponent had extraordinary skills.
“If I leave it all to young master Bayan, it might take too long, so let me clear things up.”
Kashir muttered.
And the moment his words ended, he vanished from sight.
Swish!
“Wha…?!”
Before long, Kashir’s right hand was deeply embedded in Tae-seong’s chest.
The very spot where his heart lay.
With a look of disbelief, Tae-seong’s eyes widened, yet soon he lost the light of life and collapsed.
It was an ending unworthy of the guild leader, who had survived countless life-and-death moments.
“Well, that’s one down.”
Kashir tossed Tae-seong’s lifeless body aside like a toy.
Thud.
Tae-seong’s corpse flew off and landed messily.
“….”
A moment of silence passed.
Then.
“AAAAAH! Brother Tae-seong!”
“You bastard!”
“Kill him!”
Witnessing their strongest leader die in an instant without having a chance to fight back, the Black Tiger Guild members did not flee but charged forward.
Perhaps their anger over the death of the leader they revered outweighed their fear.
Or they sensed deep down that running away wouldn’t save their lives regardless.
“Don’t try to stop them.”
Kashir chuckled as he drew out a massive black scythe.
It was the Death Scythe.
“Kuaak!”
“Ugh!”
Kashir moved with an unimaginable speed.
With each swing of the Death Scythe, blood splattered all around.
Necks, chests, waists—Black Tiger Guild members fell to the ground, sliced apart by the blade of the Death Scythe.
“Don’t move!”
Si-hyun shouted with a stiffening expression at Eun-hye and Min-jun.
Eun-hye and Min-jun halted upon hearing Si-hyun’s command.
Though it was brief, they sensed Si-hyun’s intentions.
He was determined to save them at all costs.
And his warning was clear: moving meant losing their lives.
It was the first time Si-hyun had spoken with such a desperate and serious expression.
“Don’t move!”
Si-hyun shouted again.
He had seen it.
He had seen the warning message.
A warning indicating that he had sensed someone with the most fearsome notoriety.
It was the same phrase he had noticed when he encountered Cheonbyeon.
…S-Class.
Si-hyun was resolved to discern the enemy’s information despite the deadly situation making his skin crawl.
He needed to know who it was.
Si-hyun quickly opened the info window and read as fast as he could.
[Legendary Murderer]
Name: Kashir
Gender: Male
Occupation: Murderer (Main), Priest (Sub)
Notoriety: Extremely Notorious
<Reputation>
1) The Human Butcher of Ashila – Kashir is one of the worst murderers with a bounty on his head in every country of the Reiter continent. He first gained notoriety by mercilessly slaughtering every person in his birthplace, Ashila. From then, people referred to him as Ashila’s Human Butcher – His strength and agility increase by 444% when dealing with humans. – He derives immense pleasure from killing.
2) The Smiling Priest – Kashir was originally a priest serving the deity Illyria. However, he was excommunicated for committing murder. – He was always smiling, hence he was called the smiling priest. – He can hide a blade within his smile. When facing your skilled acting, there is a 30% chance that the opponent’s wariness will be lowered. – Worshippers of the Church of Illyria will harbor strong animosity towards you.
<Stats>
Strength: 904 (S)
Agility: 930 (S)
Wisdom: 302 (C)
Stamina: 901 (S)
Mental Power: 944 (S)
Magic Power: 909 (S)
‘A murderer…’
A murderer, you say?
Such a profession exists?
Massacring people in an entire village, he’s insane.
Now’s not the time to be shocked by that, though.
I need to think.
Absolutely think.
Of a method.
What method?
Si-hyun racked his brain wildly.
All the while, people continued to be slaughtered.
“Si-hyun, oppa….”
Eun-hye trembled, her face pale.
Min-jun also had a grim expression, biting his lip until it bled.
It seemed they were struggling to hold back the urge to rush at Kashir right away.
“Hey, Kashir! What are you going to do if you kill them all? Stop it!”
Bayan shouted, looking displeased.
“Haha, I’m sorry. If you charge at me, I can’t help it. Well, sure. I won’t touch the ones over there, so feel free to deal with them however you like, young master Bayan.”
Upon hearing Kashir’s words, Bayan’s gaze shifted towards Si-hyun.
“Ooh, so it’s you. The girl who used to have a pretty face.”
Bayan licked his lips when he saw Eun-hye’s face.
Then, he turned to look at Si-hyun.
“Oh my, you’re that guy from back then. Since you stick around with her, are you perhaps her boyfriend?”
Bayan said with a grin.
“Don’t worry. I know just how to kill brats like you. I’ll make sure you watch your girlfriend get assaulted and murdered before you die. Heheh.”
“….”
Eun-hye’s face turned ashen when she heard that.
She struggled to bite her lip, trying to suppress her terror.
Si-hyun’s fists tightened to the point of crumbling.
A method….
What to do.
He had tried to project the might of the Iron-Blooded Guard, but it had no effect.
Think of something.
Think!
Bayan was approaching from this side.
“Kugh!”
Kashir was finishing off the last remaining Black Tiger Guild member with the scythe.
At that moment, an idea flashed through Si-hyun’s mind.
‘Cold-blooded!’
There was no time to hesitate.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Si-hyun employed the Executioner’s Cold-bloodedness.
A technique that enabled one to remain calm under any circumstances.
Si-hyun’s expression swiftly turned ice-cold.
“Enough.”
Swish! Swish!
As though he couldn’t hear, Kashir continued to plunge the blade into the body of the lifeless Black Tiger Guild member.
Bayan was still moving closer.
“Stop it, you lunatic!”
