He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 14 
Blood Battle

… A rather notorious figure?

Why did this warning window suddenly appear?

While Shi-hyun was pondering, a new alert popped up.

Warning: It is recommended to check the information on that individual.

Feeling something was off since the system had issued two warnings, Shi-hyun immediately checked the information.

[Skilled Technician] 

Name: Bayan
Gender: Male
Occupation: Skinning Technician
Fame: Notorious

The Elder who Skins Human Flesh in Dehalos Bayan was a technician who spent his life making masks in Dehalos. Obsessed with creating masks that looked as realistic as possible, he began to kill and skin human faces to make his masks. Since then, he has killed numerous people, becoming a skilled maker of human skin masks.
– Can transform into the face of a deceased person using their skin.

 
Strength: 501 (B)
Agility: 508 (B)
Wisdom: 504 (B)
Stamina: 506 (B)
Mental Power: 511 (B)
Magic Power: 520 (B)

 
Physical Resistance: 25.3%
Magic Resistance: 25.55%
Poison Resistance: 0%
Fire Resistance: 0%

 
Passive: Dexterity, Ambidextrous, Delicate Work, Technician’s Perseverance
Active: Skilled Decapitation, Skilled Heart Piercing, Skilled Eye Gouging, Skilled Face Skinning, Mimicry

“….”

What the hell is this?

Killing people to skin their faces?

What kind of insane person is this?

Shi-hyun’s expression darkened significantly.

He knew that there were technicians among awakened individuals, but he had never heard of a technician specializing in skinning human flesh before.

He had no idea there were such malicious types among the awakened. He had never heard of them in the media or online.

Could it be that they were deliberately hidden?

Awakened individuals are generally viewed positively. People see them as sacrificing for the survival of humanity.

But if they knew that such a heinous type of awakened individual existed, it would undoubtedly make them uneasy.

Or perhaps the awakened themselves desperately hide this fact.

Who would want such information to be known?

Shi-hyun stared intently at the information window again.

The modifier is “skilled.”

It’s a B-rank modifier.

The stats confirmed that he was indeed B-rank.

‘That guy…’

Shi-hyun’s gaze shifted to the pale man who had been bowing repeatedly, apologizing for being late.

He was a B-rank awakened individual.

As he pondered why the activation had occurred only at the gate, one reason came to mind.

Proximity.

As he approached the pale man a little closer than when he was outside, ‘Experienced Guard’s Insight’ activated.

‘What to do?’

Instinctively, Shi-Hyun glanced around the gate.

But the door was closed.

He couldn’t exit until the boss was defeated.

Shi-Hyun bit his lip, wearing a troubled expression.

He hoped it was just an overreaction.

That was an exaggeration.

Just because the original owner of the awakening power was a mad killer, it didn’t mean that the awakened in reality would be the same.

But an uneasy feeling began to creep up.

Above all, the fact that the system had issued two warnings made him uneasy.

Several questions arose.

A B-rank awakened individual joins a guild like this to tackle a D-rank gate?

That doesn’t make sense.

There must be some purpose behind it.

But what if that purpose aligns with the worst-case scenario?

And one more thing.

Is that face truly his real face?

Skilled maker of human skin masks.

Active skill: mimicry.

A period of silence.

The array of keywords pointed towards a single possibility with high probability.

“Oppa, aren’t you going in?”

As Shi-hyun stood lost in thought, Eunhye asked with a puzzled look.

“…Ah, yeah. Let’s go.”

In a brief moment, Shi-hyun quickly processed his thoughts.

The members of the Black Tiger Guild, whom he didn’t know well, would likely not easily believe his warnings. They probably couldn’t even imagine that there was a technician specializing in human skin masks. Not to mention mimicry. Furthermore, there was still no concrete evidence of what might happen.

But Eunhye…

Shi-hyun glanced at the Black Tiger guild members ahead and whispered into Eunhye’s ear.

“Don’t respond, just listen. Be careful of the one who was late today. He seems like someone who has committed many murders.”

“….”

“Don’t show any signs. Come to my side during the break.”

True to her clever and perceptive nature, Eunhye maintained her composure despite hearing Shi-hyun’s warning.

But she must have felt tense inside due to the sudden alert.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

Shi-hyun acted nonchalantly as he stepped inside the tower.

—

Throughout the hunt, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease about that guy.

Instead of actively attacking the monsters, as usual, he played a defensive role, tanking while keeping a close eye on him.

That guy was hunting monsters at the far right end.

He could slaughter monsters in the blink of an eye, yet he displayed only D-rank movements.

His weapon was an ordinary-looking sword that didn’t seem expensive at all.

To an untrained eye, he would appear to be nothing more than a D-rank hunter.

It was a skilled disguise.

This only heightened the suspicion.

“Alright, pack up the items and magic stones, and let’s take a short break.”

Having reached the fifth floor without much trouble, the Black Tiger guild leader was in a good mood.

With a well-organized group, the low-level demons of the tower posed no problem.

During the break, Shi-hyun continued to subtly observe that guy. He was as careful as possible to avoid detection.

At the same time, he constantly thought about how to respond if that guy revealed his true nature.

Could they handle him, considering the group consisted of two C-ranks, four D-ranks, and three E-ranks? No, since he was effectively D-rank, that made it five.

In any case, he had never experienced the true level of a B-rank firsthand, so he couldn’t gauge it accurately.

“Oppa, are you hurt anywhere?”

Eunhye approached him, checking on his condition.

It seemed like a natural act as a fellow guild member.

Shi-hyun secretly slipped the note he had written during the last break behind Eunhye’s back.

The note read, “If you see suspicious behavior, use magic immediately.”

—

‘Is this an overreaction?’

Shi-Hyun thought with a questioning gaze.

If he wanted to cause trouble, there had been plenty of opportunities up to this point.

Yet he had willingly entered the boss’s room.

Could it be that the raid would end without any of the concerns he had feared?

If that were the case, it would be the best outcome.

“Hellhound.”

One of the guild members muttered.

A hellhound, the guardian of the gates of hell.

That was the boss of this gate.

The more heads a hellhound has, the stronger it is.

Fortunately, this hellhound had only one head.

“Uh?”

At that moment, a puzzled voice broke out.

That guy was slowly walking toward the hellhound alone.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Even if it was a single-headed hellhound, it was not a boss that a D-rank hunter could handle alone.

The hunters imagined him being torn apart in an instant.

But then…

“Yip, yip.”

Suddenly, the hellhound began to back away, looking frightened. Its tail drooped to the ground. It seemed to recognize a stronger presence through its animal instincts.

“Oh my, what a cute little dog, knowing its place.”

Approaching the cornered hellhound, that guy smiled and patted its head.

It was an absurd sight, as if he were handling a neighborhood puppy.

“What, what’s going on?!”

“What on earth?”

The hunters were left speechless, their mouths agape in shock.

“I’ll give you a treat in return, okay?”

That guy, Bayan, finally revealed his hidden fangs.

“Now, bite!”

As Bayan picked up the hellhound to throw it toward the hunters, Eunhye’s fireball flew in first.

“Whoa?”

Bayan twisted his mouth and jumped back to evade the fireball.

Boom!

With the loud explosion of the fireball, the Black Tiger guild leader finally came to his senses and shouted.

“That that bastard! Everyone, focus and form a line!”

Shi-hyun joined the formation of the Black Tiger Guild.

This was not an enemy they could recklessly engage with alone.

“Damn it, I didn’t expect this.”

He thought that he would act alone, but he never imagined he would use the boss monster.

“No matter what you do, you all die here today.”

Bayan wore a cruel smile.

In his hands, sharp daggers had appeared.

“Just run and bite, you stupid little dog!”

Bayan kicked the hellhound’s rear.

The hellhound then began to charge toward the hunters like a dog with its tail on fire.