LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 81
Chapter 81: The Great Killing Intent
An overwhelming killing intent spread out.
Even from a distance, the chilling sensation could be felt coursing through my body.
It was an immense pressure that could no longer be described as mere intangible energy.
Kang Baek seemed to have finally realized that the aura emanating from his opponent was anything but ordinary.
With a stiffened face, he took a step back and adopted a combat stance.
Kang Baek was a D-Class mercenary, specializing as a bare-handed fighter.
But still, he was just D-Class.
He was nowhere near the average level in that other world.
In the face of an A-Class Assassin, losing his life in the blink of an eye was a certainty.
Knowing this well, Si-hyun quickly stepped forward to shield Kang Baek and opened his mouth.
“Back off….”
However, before he could finish his sentence, Kang Tae-eun’s form lunged towards Kang Baek.
‘What!’
A dizzying sensation struck him in an instant.
It was clear that Kang Baek wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow from that guy.
At this rate, he would surely suffer a fatal injury.
Although Si-hyun was closer to Kang Baek than the enemy, the speed of the A-Class Assassin was of a dimension that Si-hyun could not match.
Still, Si-hyun grit his teeth and tried to reach Kang Baek with all his might.
He was determined to at least push Kang Baek out of the way to avoid the attack.
But then…
‘Huh?’
Kang Tae-eun was moving much slower than expected.
Given the killing intent he had shown earlier, he should’ve charged in and swung his crescent blade wildly by now.
But something felt off.
It was as if he had something heavy tied to his limbs.
Si-hyun was momentarily dumbfounded.
Was he toying with his opponent before delivering the kill?
Despite this, a palpable killing intent dripped from his expression.
Si-hyun was confused by Kang Tae-eun’s behavior, but now wasn’t the time to ponder such things.
He had to reach Kang Baek… huh?
Si-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
His body felt impossibly light.
It was as if he had been turned into a feather.
Before he realized it, he had already reached Kang Baek’s side.
Staring at Kang Tae-eun with bewildered eyes, he noticed that the latter was still approaching slowly.
What was going on?
Si-hyun felt that the situation was incredibly bizarre.
The opponent was A-Class.
Moreover, an assassin specialized in agility.
Yet, he was moving like a low-level Hunter.
Caught off guard by this incomprehensible scenario, Si-hyun stood there, momentarily dumbfounded.
In the meantime, Kang Tae-eun had come right up to him.
‘What the heck…’
Kang Tae-eun was also internally flustered.
He had thought Si-hyun was a mere commoner, but his movements were anything but ordinary.
He was incredibly fast.
It seemed he needed to discard his underestimation and approach this opponent with caution.
“Quickly!”
As Kang Tae-eun closed in, Si-hyun urgently pushed Kang Baek back.
Having Kang Baek beside him would only be a hindrance, and he could easily get caught up in danger.
“What the…? Hyung?!”
Si-hyun thought he had adjusted his strength adequately, but with a startled scream, Kang Baek flew away.
Soaring through the air, he tumbled far off and crashed to the ground.
Startled and unable to land properly, he rolled on the dirt floor.
Had it not been for his status as an Awakened Being, he might have suffered severe injuries.
However, Si-hyun couldn’t fully register what had just happened from behind.
Before he knew it, Kang Tae-eun had switched his crescent blade into a reverse grip and was descending upon Si-hyun with terrifying force.
He could… probably dodge it.
No, getting hit felt even more unlikely.
In Si-hyun’s eyes, Kang Tae-eun’s attack seemed painfully obvious and slow.
The blade was approaching his chest.
The sharp edge sent chills down his spine, yet the attack itself looked sluggish.
No matter which direction it came from—left, right, above, or below—he felt he could easily evade it.
‘Is this guy really A-Class?’
A serious doubt crept into his mind.
He had confirmed the enemy’s information with his own eyes, but based on his actions, it was hard to shake off that suspicion.
With a casual demeanor, Si-hyun sidestepped to the right, dodging Kang Tae-eun’s attack.
The crescent blade struck empty air uselessly.
Kang Tae-eun expressed surprise.
‘Why are you shocked?’
Si-hyun’s expression was one of disbelief.
No one would willingly take such a dull attack.
Yet, he looked as if he couldn’t believe his attack had missed.
Now that he had dodged the attack, Si-hyun noticed Kang Tae-eun’s flaws.
There were too many to count, making him wonder if it was okay to attack at all.
‘Could it be a trap…?’
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind that it might be a deliberate feint, but it didn’t seem likely.
Concluding this, Si-hyun moved without hesitation.
It would be foolish not to attack when faced with such glaring weaknesses in his opponent.
He approached Kang Tae-eun smoothly and swung his right fist forcefully towards the abdomen.
This was one of the openings he had spotted earlier.
Kang Tae-eun was unable to dodge or block.
Si-hyun’s fist connected strongly with his midsection.
Thud!
“Cough!”
With a booming sound, a scream filled with agony escaped his lips.
He doubled over like a shrimp.
“Ugh!”
With the pain twisting his insides, Kang Tae-eun vomited what was in his stomach.
‘Damn it.’
Feeling the disgusting vomit splatter on him, Si-hyun scrunched his face slightly.
But his gaze was fixed on the crescent blade in Kang Tae-eun’s right hand.
First things first.
Si-hyun grabbed the stunned Kang Tae-eun’s wrist with both hands and delivered a powerful knee strike to his hold.
Smack!
Crack!
“Kuk!”
Unable to endure the force, Kang Tae-eun’s hands bent in an unnatural direction.
The crescent blade he had been holding clattered to the ground.
Good.
With that, Si-hyun aimed a roundhouse kick at Kang Tae-eun’s torso.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
With a dull sound, Kang Tae-eun momentarily floated in the air before crashing down hard.
He seemed to be in immense pain, groaning and writhing on the ground without getting up.
All this happened in an instant.
Kang Baek, who had been sent flying by Si-hyun, wore a shocked expression, mouth agape, his eyes blinking rapidly.
He couldn’t comprehend how the exchange had unfolded.
In a blur, the guy had gotten beaten and thrown out.
“You’re not A-Class, are you?”
Si-hyun asked incredulously.
“Uh….”
Kang Tae-eun, groaning in pain, barely managed to lift his body.
But his legs were trembling.
It wasn’t just from the pain.
He had tangibly felt the stark difference in strength compared to his opponent after that brief exchange.
Kang Tae-eun was an adept Predator.
The way to survive long as a Predator was to feast on those weaker than oneself and to thoroughly avoid the strong.
And Kang Tae-eun had a supernatural ability to do just that.
Yet this time, he had failed to recognize the strong in advance.
He was A-Class.
And only an S-Class could push someone like him so unilaterally.
‘Damn it…’
Having his anticipated meal interrupted had him so riled up that it seemed like his eye might pop out.
Not recognizing an S-Class was a huge blunder.
Now all he could think about was how to escape this situation unscathed.
“No, I need to confirm it myself.”
Si-hyun said, tilting his head.
What was he confirming?
Kang Tae-eun looked at Si-hyun with wary eyes, but it didn’t seem like he was doing anything in particular.
Without paying heed, Si-hyun checked the information once more.
‘Huh?’
[Stats] Strength 2,087 (+1,473) (S+) Agility 3,122 (+2,133, +100) (S++) Wisdom 1,485 (+1,048) (S) Stamina 2,570 (+1,814) (S+) Mental Strength 2,794 (+1,972) (S+) Magic Power 2,560 (+1,807) (S+)
“What the hell….”
His stats were beyond imagination.
Given that the battle wasn’t over yet, they were dazzling stats adorned with various buffs.
Moreover, regarding his affinity with darkness, it stated that all stats would increase by 240% in dark places.
But how…?
If this was his ability, he would have been long dead many times over.
With a face full of bewilderment, Si-hyun opened his own stats window.
“Hah… Huh?”
And he froze, staring into space.
Even if he had become C-Class, his stats were mostly in the mid-300s.
But what on earth was this…?
[Stats] Strength 5,488 (+5,145) (SS+) Agility 5,536 (+5,190) (SS+) Wisdom 5,600 (+5,250) (SS+) Stamina 5,552 (+5,205) (SS+) Mental Strength 8,160 (+7,650) (SSS+) Magic Power 1,616 (+1,515) (S)
Was this really his power level?
At first, he could only doubt his eyes.
But soon, he found himself drifting to one possible conclusion.
There were only two techniques that could inflate his stats like this.
The Iron-Blooded Guard and the Fanatical Executioner.
Iron-Blooded Guard grants a 1,000% stat boost to prisoners.
Fanatical Executioner grants a 500% stat boost to death row inmates.
Yet, from what he saw, it seemed his stats had gone up by 1,500%.
Death row inmate?
Si-hyun turned his gaze to Kang Tae-eun.
A death row inmate was, of course, a prisoner as well.
Thus, if his stats had risen by 1,500%, he could only think of a death row inmate.
“Are you a death row inmate?”
Si-hyun asked.
Kang Tae-eun flinched.
He had never mentioned such a thing to the human before him.
…In that case, did this guy know his true identity?
No, no. That was too far-fetched.
That couldn’t be possible.
He had completely altered his appearance with plastic surgery; there was no way he could be recognized.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
Si-hyun exuded the aura of the Iron-Blooded Guard.
It felt strangely fitting to wield this outside of a prison or detention center.
“Urk?!”
Kang Tae-eun broke into a noticeable tremble, taking cautious steps back.
“Answer me.”
“Uh… W-What answer…?”
“Oh?”
Si-hyun’s eyes sparkled with interest.
It seemed clear he was gripped by fear, yet he was holding out and not answering.
This had never happened during his time in the correctional facility.
Could it be?
Si-hyun suddenly had a thought.
Kang Tae-eun’s mental strength stat was so high that it appeared he was somewhat resisting the aura of the Iron-Blooded Guard.
“Huff… Huff… What is this…?”
Kang Tae-eun was not in his right mind.
No, he was straining hard to maintain his composure.
He was standing firm against an extraordinary pressure he had never felt before.
Sweat trickled from his forehead.
His entire body was drenched in tension-induced perspiration.
“Hey, Black Moon.”
Si-hyun opened his mouth again.
“Huh?!”
Kang Tae-eun was startled.
That was not a name anyone should know.
Only a very select few were aware of that name.
So…
Did he know?
Was it that he came here knowing about it?
How?
It didn’t make sense.
Unless he was part of the Black Cross, there was no way he could know Si-hyun was Black Moon…
Could it be that man was also part of the Black Cross?
No, that was stretching things too far.
Then how the heck did he find out?
Could there be a rat among them?
Kang Tae-eun’s eyes shook nervously as confusion washed over his face.
“Answer me, Black Moon.”
“Wh… Who are you?”
“Right, it seems this isn’t sufficient. How about this?”
Si-hyun murmured.
The Fanatical Executioner also possessed the ability to throw the opponent into a state of panic.
However, since the opponent was a death row inmate, he had never had a chance to use it.
The Daehan Correctional Facility had no death row inmates.
So this was essentially the first time.
It was now time for him to unleash the aura of the Fanatical Executioner.
As Si-hyun slowly approached Kang Tae-eun, he intertwined the power of the Iron-Blooded Guard and the Fanatical Executioner, pouring it out toward him.