A Disaster-Level Assassin Has Been Freed

Chapter 62: Rank 11 (2)

About four months after being freed from the village.

So, around the time he was busy helping the Eddy Family with their training.

Harang's life had certainly become more stable than before, and accordingly, he slowly began to wonder about the whereabouts of his other Peers.

Naturally, it was impossible to predict what they would be doing.

Wasn't he himself living an unexpected life?

He had never dreamed that he would not only become something like the leader of thugs but also get embroiled in a dispute with a Swordsmanship Family, so there was a high probability that the other guys were also doing something unexpected.

Of course, they might be ordinarily making use of their special skills as assassins.

As he thought about such things.

‘I’d like to see them once.’

It wasn't entirely strange for such a thought to arise.

Harang carefully considered what would happen when he reunited with his other Peers.

‘First, Maya is…….’

“……”

He didn't particularly want to meet her.

Harang, who immediately skipped over the second-in-command of the Godok village, thought of the 3rd rank, Gael, and his briefly hardened expression softened.

‘With him, there’s nothing to see. He’ll charge at me asking for a spar right away.’

It wasn't bad.

Sparing with Gael was particularly intense even among the formidable Peers, so there was much to learn.

For someone who had survived the hellish village, he was surprisingly transparent, so there was nothing uncomfortable about him.

He also looked forward to meeting the 4th rank.

This was the one who had first instilled motivation in him, and he was also the only one whose activities he felt he could guess.

He was surely looking for a Red Magician.

After that, Harang recalled his Peers one by one and predicted their reactions upon meeting.

5th rank, seemed like he would avoid him with a smirk.

6th rank, wasn't sure, but seemed highly likely to attack him.

7th rank, probably sticking with the 10th rank.

Seemed like he would observe him with eyes as unpleasant as the 2nd rank.

8th rank was…….

9th rank was…….

“Hmm.”

It was when Harang, who was going through the ranks one by one, let out a groan, that he thought of the 11th rank, Hagio.

It was because there was no part of him that he could predict.

‘Too ordinary.’

Of course, ‘ordinary’ here didn't mean similar to a common person.

He was an utterly ordinary human among the ‘Godok’.

Like his other Peers, he possessed a moderate degree of coldness and cruelty.

And like the others who survived, he possessed quite outstanding swordsmanship and stealth skills.

His behavior patterns, way of speaking, and way of thinking were all the same.

It was as if Hagio was the result if the existence of Godok were to be ‘mass-produced’, which made him, paradoxically, hard to predict.

Harang, who had thought this far, smiled and muttered.

“I can roughly assume that this guy’s reaction will be the typical reaction of the Peers.”

That was right.

If the reunited Hagio showed a favorable reaction to him, the other guys would likely show a similar reaction.

If the reunited Hagio showed a hostile reaction, similarly, the other guys would likely show a similar reaction.

That was the outcome Harang had predicted for his Peers three months ago.

And now, having come to the unfamiliar city of Ruibil, the answer had finally emerged.

Fwoooosh-!

Watching the sword strike of Godok Rank 11, Hagio, flying towards him like an arrow, Harang smiled whitely.

* * *

Kaaaaang-!

The sound of metal against metal, no, Aura against Aura, echoed sharply in the dim atmosphere.

At the same time, a considerable shockwave spread out in concentric circles.

The boys watched it, tightly covering their mouths with both hands.

They absolutely did not make a sound.

“Heh.”

Despite such an incredibly fierce clash, Harang let out a laugh.

It was because he was overflowing with composure, and it would surely be the same for Hagio, who had drawn his sword.

The Black Reaper quivered with the joy of meeting a proper opponent after a long time.

Hagio looked down at him with an expressionless face.

The giant, over 2 meters tall, mechanically inhaled and greatly increased his abdominal pressure.

The greatsword, subsequently lifted above his head, was a monstrous weapon over 1.5 meters long, and when a complete, grayish-white Aura was overlaid on it, an enormous pressure was felt.

However, a smile still hung on Harang’s face as he looked at it.

He thought.

‘He has imbued the Aura of Gold.’

Metal, the hardest Aura among the seven basic elements.

With its addition, it felt as if the sheer weight of the downward strike had become several times stronger.

Hagio's specialty flashed through his mind.

In a frontal confrontation, the man liked to overwhelm his opponent with a relentless barrage of powerful sword strikes like now, robbing them of their momentum.

Perhaps, if it had been the usual Harang, he would have used ‘Dark Steps’ to prevent the confrontation itself from even forming.

To prevent the chain of attacks from even starting because the target couldn't be found.

He would have guided the situation to be difficult for the opponent and comfortable for himself, gradually seizing the flow.

But he didn't want to do that now.

He shouldn't.

To refreshingly shatter the complex thoughts in his head, he needed to properly receive a fight of strength against strength.

“Haaaap!”

Kwaaaang!

The ink-black sword obtained from the Black Hydra was swung vertically and collided with the opponent.

Unlike Hagio’s, it seemed as if no Aura was overlaid on it, but that was an illusion.

The Aura imbued with the momentarily flared-up energy of fire perfectly suppressed the Gold Strike.

Hagio's form staggered, pushed backward.

He didn't miss that opening.

Harang, using the reactive force from the clash of swords, swung his sword again.

The first Dark Lightning, Lightning Strike, fell towards the opponent's chest at a terrifying speed, but Hagio was no pushover either.

A kick that shot out in an instant deflected the sword's trajectory, and the simultaneously cast ‘Ice Steps’ reduced the coefficient of friction with the ground to near zero.

After sliding back to create distance, he glared at Harang with sunken eyes.

“Hooooop……!”

Immediately after inhaling, he charged with even more explosive power than before.

Shweeeeeeeek-!

An endless, seemingly unending, infinite barrage of sword strikes!

A tyrannical chain of attacks unfolded, like a storm stirred by thousands of steel butterflies.

It was a mixture of the village's swordsmanship, Continuous Flash, and the Aura of metal; if met with mediocre swordsmanship, one would likely be minced meat in an instant.

Of course, Harang was no mediocre person.

And Harang's swordsmanship was not at a mediocre level either.

From the hand of him, who had been catching his breath and waiting until the first butterfly approached, the same swordsmanship began to unfold.

Kwang!

Kwakwang!

Kwakwakwakwang-!

A thunderous roar echoed.

It echoed without signs of stopping, endlessly.

The sound of collision, spreading beyond the alley to the entire vicinity, engulfed a few drunks in an inexplicable fear, and even a few Guards who happened to be on patrol clattered their teeth and busied themselves fleeing as soon as they approached.

It couldn't be helped.

Not an Aura User.

Not an Aura Expert.

There were two beings who had reached the Graduate level.

Moreover, they weren't just any Graduates.

Masters whose skills surpassed even Philip Portville, Marzen's top swordsman, were swinging their swords like madmen, so ordinary people simply couldn't stop them.

It was the same even when the seemingly endless pair of Continuous Flashes ended, and the fight briefly entered a lull.

“Hoo.”

Hagio exhaled.

And once again, he took a stance to swing his sword at the heart of the steel giant.

“Heuu.”

Harang also exhaled.

A sound completely different from his usual expressionless and emotionless demeanor, like a beast whimpering, escaped from behind his smile.

Though he pretended otherwise, Hagio found that appearance of his extremely burdensome.

He felt such intense pressure that if it weren't for a reason he absolutely couldn't back down from, he would have immediately retreated and fled.

It was then.

“Stop!”

One of the children, who had been holding their breath and clinging to a corner to avoid being caught in the fight, intervened between the two.

It was the audacious brat who had pressed a sword to Harang’s neck.

‘What is this?’

Harang looked at the kid with surprised, and slightly worried, eyes.

He was more spirited than an ordinary child, but he was definitely not someone who could intervene between himself and Hagio.

While feeling amazed that he had nevertheless intervened between them, his mind became complicated about how to protect the boy from Hagio, the killing machine.

The surprising thing happened next.

“I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! I won’t threaten people, and I’ll stop ripping off gullible people…… I’ll live a good life from now on! I’ll listen well, and I won’t cause trouble for others! So…… so, Teacher, please calm your anger, and mister, please don’t bully the teacher!”

“……”

Teacher?

Harang, muttering the boy’s words to himself, frowned deeply.

It was a word he didn't understand.

He wondered if it was a title used to elevate himself, but it definitely wasn't that.

When the kid mentioned ‘Teacher’, his gaze was clearly directed towards Hagio.

“Hmm.”

Harang, who had been staring blankly at the boy, turned his eyes to look at Hagio.

The man's expression was extremely strange.

A face contorted as if unbearably worried about someone.

A drop of sweat was even trickling down his forehead.

His expression, his appearance, his atmosphere—things never seen in the village.

Harang, who was earnestly pondering about him, decided that stopping the fight was the first order of business and sheathed his sword.

Shhrrng, tak.

“I don't know what's what, but it doesn't seem like a mood to fight anymore.”

“……You want to stop?”

“Why, want to go on?”

“No, that’s not it. Absolutely not. But……”

“But?”

Harang asked, and Hagio fell silent.

He too seemed to have a complicated mind, so Harang waited quietly for his old Peer without saying or doing anything.

It was a good decision.

A moment later, Hagio, who seemed to have organized his thoughts to some extent, nodded and spoke with a slightly less suspicious voice.

“Well, it’s not the village. There’s no reason to fight to the death just because Godoks met.”

“Right. You're right. Of course……”

“……Whether it’s the village or not, there are guys who’d draw their swords first, but you wouldn't be that kind of guy.”

“It’s a bit funny. You were the one who drew your sword first, you know. I just fought back.”

Of course, he couldn't deny that he had gotten quite excited in the process, but in any case, Hagio had started it.

Harang pointed that out, and Hagio nodded in agreement.

“Right. You're right. I made a mistake. I'm sorry.”

“Well, no need to be sorry……”

Harang, with an awkward expression, scratched the back of his head with his left hand.

The atmosphere was strange.

When the mood, where it wouldn't have been strange if someone had died, suddenly softened, he couldn't hide his awkwardness.

Feeling he had to say something, Harang pointed at the kid blocking his way with open arms.

“But, what’s with this kid?”

“Hmm.”

“He called you teacher, have you already taken a disciple? What happened?”

“That’s……”

Hagio hesitated.

He seemed to be contemplating whether it was okay to say this, whether it would harm the child.

At this, Harang looked at the other person as harmlessly as possible, and soon, the man, who let out a sigh, opened his mouth.

“……These kids here are from the orphanage.”

“Ah, is that it. A place where orphans gather?”

“Yes. And I…… am one of the teachers there.”

“……”

“……”

“……Um, so…… is it similar to something like a village administrator?”

“Hoo.”

‘He doesn’t understand properly,’ Hagio muttered, shaking his head before adding his next words.

“A favor, could you wait a bit? First, I need to take these kids to the orphanage, scold them a bit, give them a warning…… and then let’s talk.”

“Sounds good.”

Harang nodded.

Thus, the two Godoks and the four children headed to the orphanage in an atmosphere completely different from their first encounter.