—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘Damn it.’
Alright, he had to admit it.
Wang Ki-neung had been careless. It was understandable, though. The relief of subduing Ryu Kang-chul, the joy of saving his family, the worries about what to do next… all of it combined had made him too complacent.
That was why he had been caught off guard.
‘If only I hadn’t hesitated…’
As befitting a master-level expert, Wang Ki-neung had instinctively turned and counterattacked the moment before the blade pierced his back.
The problem was, he had hesitated for a split second, seeing that the attacker was another Ryu Kang-chul, identical to the one he had just subdued.
That hesitation was his undoing.
It allowed Ryu Kang-chul number 3, 4, and 5, and so on, to ambush him. And this was the result, surrounded by eight Ryu Kang-chuls, his life threatened, amidst a pile of their corpses.
‘I’m such a fool for letting my guard down.’
He wasn’t some novice martial artist. He was a master-level expert, ambushed because he got careless and chatty.
He deserved to die. But instead of lamenting his shame, Wang Ki-neung asked quietly,
“I’m genuinely curious… what kind of trick is this?”
“What trick?”
“Just believe what you see.”
“Don’t you know, doubt leads to hell?”
Ryu Kang-chul number 10, 11, and 12 replied, grinning.
Their demeanor, more than their words, confirmed that this wasn’t a mental manipulation or illusion.
Wang Ki-neung narrowed his eyes.
“So, it’s some kind of clone skill?”
“Something like that.”
“Yeah, it’s like a clone skill.”
Seeing them readily admit it, Wang Ki-neung’s eyes narrowed further.
“I’ve never heard of a Grand Duke capable of this.”
Skills like ‘Half-Formed Clone’ and ‘Clone Technique’ weren’t rare, but they were usually just illusions or weaker copies of the original.
But a skill that created multiple clones with the same combat power as the original? There was only one answer.
“Of course you haven’t. It’s my Unique Skill.”
“As I suspected.”
Wang Ki-neung frowned at the expected yet unwelcome answer.
Unlike common or rare skills, players with Unique Skills, powers exclusive to them, were dangerous even at low levels. Especially if they were a Specter of the Liberation Brigade.
“Why would a Duke-level player with a Unique Skill resort to such acts?”
“Don’t be like that. There’s no such thing as a high or low profession.”
“I don’t think ‘murderer’ is a profession.”
“Soldiers, mercenaries, we all kill for a living.”
The eight Ryu Kang-chuls grinned simultaneously. Wang Ki-neung finally understood.
Liberation Brigade or not, Ryu Kang-chul was a murderer who would have been killing people somewhere regardless.
‘The Sword Saint was right.’
And Limon’s judgment to simply kill Ryu Kang-chul, rather than interrogate him, had been correct.
The Ryu Kang-chul he had captured and tortured was probably just a disposable clone.
To think he had hit Limon and risked his family’s ruin for such a worthless piece of information… it was infuriating.
But Ryu Kang-chul wasn’t going to let Wang Ki-neung die peacefully.
“Now, let’s begin.”
“Where should we start carving?”
“I’ll stab you a hundred times before finishing you off.”
Like hyenas circling a wounded lion, the eight Ryu Kang-chuls grinned, adjusting their grips on their knives.
Wang Ki-neung gritted his teeth. He was stronger than Ryu Kang-chul, but that was only when there was only one of him, and when he was unharmed.
Fighting eight Duke-level players, perfectly coordinated, unafraid of death, and multiplying with every death… it was only a matter of how long he could last.
Unless he got lucky and killed the original, his defeat was certain.
“Don’t get cocky.”
Thud, thud.
Despite the grim situation, Wang Ki-neung channeled his psionic energy, pushing out the embedded knives and staunching the wounds.
A warrior didn’t give up just because things got tough. More importantly, he still had a reason to fight, a chance for victory.
“I’ve already sent out an emergency signal. All I have to do is hold out until reinforcements arrive.”
Wang Ki-neung’s eyes flashed.
Before he had reacted to the commotion, he had pressed a hidden emergency button under his desk.
Black Dragon Construction wasn’t part of the Guardian System, so he couldn’t expect support from the Leviathan. But if the Shanghai Royal Family’s Martial Force Unit arrived… no, even if it wasn’t them, any sufficient reinforcements would allow him to escape.
And at that moment, the eight Ryu Kang-chuls burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
“You’re expecting backup?”
“That’s a nice thought.”
“How many of your comrades do you think have the luxury of rushing to your aid right now?”
“What…?”
Wang Ki-neung frowned, then a chill ran down his spine.
Looking at the eight Ryu Kang-chuls, all wearing the same mocking smirk, a terrifying thought struck him.
“…No way.”
He refused to believe it. Even Unique Skills had limits. What he was thinking was impossible. But Ryu Kang-chul’s meaningful smile mocked his logic.
“Did you really think I was only attacking here?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Crash!
“Gah!”
The one-eyed young man in casual clothes, Xue-reung, crashed into a display of mannequins, scattering them like bowling pins. He rolled away reflexively.
Clang!
A knife embedded itself in the floor where he had just been, a weapon that would have pierced his skull. But Xue-reung felt no relief.
He scrambled to his feet, gripping his spear tightly, aiming it at his attacker.
“Unexpected.”
The attacker, Ryu Kang-chul, calmly retrieved the knife from the floor. Twirling it in his hand, he said casually,
“I thought you’d run with your tail between your legs after losing one eye, afraid of losing the other. Why are you still resisting?”
“Do you think a warrior of the Black Dragon Clan would flee from a villain like you?!”
“Yet, there’s a noticeable lack of your comrades.”
“Hmph! I simply dismissed the dead weight.”
Xue-reung retorted sharply.
The moment he confirmed Ryu Kang-chul’s attack on the Cheonhwa Department Store, his first action was to send the night guards away under the guise of calling for reinforcements.
Most of the remaining guards had fled during Ryu Kang-chul’s previous attack, they were nothing but a liability.
He regretted not replenishing his forces sooner, but the clan’s current situation made it difficult.
“If you’re expecting backup, give up. This isn’t the only place under attack.”
“I know!”
“Hmm? Then you’re just waiting to die here?”
Xue-reung’s face turned red with rage.
He had his reasons. As the security captain, fleeing without a fight would ruin his career as a warrior. And with his ambition to rise through the ranks and get revenge on Wei-ling, he couldn’t do that.
So he chose to fight a delaying action, retreating strategically within the department store to buy time. That was why he had sent the guards away, he couldn’t be seen fleeing as the captain.
It had worked well at first. He was an elite of the Black Dragon Clan, and the department store’s security and formations had been reinforced since the last attack, allowing him to evade capture for a while.
The problem was, no reinforcements were coming. Hearing Ryu Kang-chul’s words, Xue-reung felt a pang of despair.
‘Simultaneous attacks on all affiliates? These lunatics!!!’
At this moment, Wang Ki-neung and Xue-reung weren’t the only ones fighting Ryu Kang-chul.
All of the Black Dragon Clan’s affiliates in the metropolitan area, from major ones like Black Dragon Construction and Cheonhwa Department Store to smaller ones, were under simultaneous attack by dozens of Ryu Kang-chul clones.
‘This is insane…!’
Even a single Ryu Kang-chul, a Duke-level player, was a threat.
He had single-handedly wiped out the security team, including Xue-reung, during his previous attack. But now, dozens of him were rampaging through their affiliates.
Xue-reung, who had initially planned to put on a show of resistance for political reasons, now found himself fighting for his life, a situation he found utterly absurd.
Unable to bear Ryu Kang-chul’s taunts any longer, Xue-reung snapped.
“Fine, I’m going to die! So what?!”
“I wasn’t asking with any particular intention.”
“Then don’t ask, bastard!”
“…Your language has become rather crude.”
“Do you expect me to speak politely when I’m about to die, you moron?!”
Ryu Kang-chul chuckled at Xue-reung’s outburst.
“Alright. Considering your frustration, I’ll end this quickly and painlessly.”
Ryu Kang-chul approached, his knife held in a reverse grip.
Xue-reung gritted his teeth.
Trapped, he had no escape, no energy, no hope left.
‘Damn it, I shouldn’t have trusted that Guardian System.’
He regretted signing Wei-ling’s contract, swallowing his pride for a safety net that had failed him. He would have rather refused and maintained his dignity.
‘Curse you, Sword Saint! Chao Wei-ling!’
Unaware of Xue-reung’s inner turmoil, Ryu Kang-chul swung his knife, impressed by his fighting spirit.
“Farewell, Comrade.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
