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It wasn’t until we entered the forest path that a sudden question popped into my mind.

“Are you and Shepiro on bad terms?”

Perhaps having regained her composure during our walk through Khaoto, Daisy replied calmly.

“It’s not so much that we’re on bad terms, but rather that he lacks the necessary qualities. Even if we’re a bit rough around the edges, there are lines we need to respect if we want to stay in Leon. Shepiro is the kind of guy who doesn’t understand that. In short, he’s no different from a common thief.”

Finally, Daisy was opening up about her true feelings.

In truth, I had already gauged the woman’s tenacity during our fight.

This kind of woman doesn’t shed tears easily.

I already knew that her earlier display of vulnerability, claiming I was trying to take advantage of her or kill her, was all an act.

“I take it he demands hefty tributes.”

“The problem is that if you don’t pay, the madman will kill you without hesitation. It’s not for nothing that the Merchant Alliance has put a bounty on Shepiro’s head. They know he’s a problem. Damn it, we used to have good relationships with all the merchants.”

“He’s a lost cause. Worse than third-rate.”

“He’s a fucking piece of shit.”

“If it’s ‘dog,’ it’s ‘dog,’ and if it’s ‘shit,’ it’s ‘shit.’ Why combine the two?”

“It has a nice ring to it.”

“Just tone it down a bit.”

“Yes, Brother Bulrai.”

I was already aware of the tyranny of Dark Soul.

Their notoriety in Leon and the bounty on Shepiro’s head were well-known.

It seemed the internal situation was a bit more complicated.

There appeared to be factions within Dark Soul, and quite a few opposed Shepiro’s actions.

Kant’s information hadn’t included these details. Perhaps Dark Soul wasn’t considered a significant enough organization to warrant attention, or maybe Daisy hadn’t revealed that much about them.

We had walked about halfway through the forest path when a lynx suddenly darted out from the side, rustling the leaves.

“Oh my, that startled me.”

Daisy instinctively grabbed my shoulder tightly and stared at the lynx for a long moment before sheepishly releasing her grip.

I looked at Daisy and asked,

“By the way, who taught you about Mana Cores?”

Daisy hesitated slightly before answering.

“I learned it on my own. I bought a basic Mana Breathing Technique manual with the money I had saved up. It was damn expensive. Anyway, I learned it from that.”

“…You learned it on your own? How long ago was that?”

“Not too long ago. About two years, I think. In this line of work, you never know when you might die, so I needed to get stronger.”

Honestly, I was surprised.

It was unexpected that she had self-taught herself Mana Cores without any foundation.

But applying it to actual combat through self-study was a whole different story.

It was difficult to achieve even after years without consistent training under the guidance of an instructor.

Yet, she had managed to utilize it in real combat to this extent without any help. It meant she possessed an innate talent for fighting.

“Why didn’t you kill Shepiro? With your current skills, you could have easily done it.”

“It’s complicated.”

Daisy shook her head.

“Honestly, at first glance, he doesn’t seem like much. But there’s something unpredictable about him. Once, a renowned bounty hunter tried to assassinate Shepiro but failed. When we went to investigate the commotion, we found him dead with his throat slit open in a single blow.”

“You mean he was killed instantly?”

“Yes, instantly.”

We walked in silence for a while, and just as the forest path was nearing its end, Daisy spoke cautiously.

“Brother Bulrai, could you perhaps reveal your true identity? I’m fine for now, but I don’t know how I’ll react when you’re not around. I get nervous, anxious, and can’t function.”

I was startled and looked at Daisy.

‘Ah, I almost misunderstood.’

Seeing the look in Daisy’s eyes, I realized the misunderstanding could deepen, so I revealed my identity right away.

“I am Ruin Samael.”

Upon hearing my true identity, Daisy exclaimed with a relieved expression.

“I’ve heard of Samael. So, has the Dark Soul branch become Samael now?”

“It’s similar but slightly different. Samael doesn’t directly manage it. I hired the Dark Sojungi Mercenary Group to manage it. The subordinates you saw earlier were all Dark Sojungi mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries?”

I nodded and replied.

“Yes, mercenaries. It’s better to be a mercenary than a third-rate thug. Besides, they won’t be collecting tributes, so calling them mercenaries is accurate.”

Daisy muttered as if she suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, come to think of it, you did tell the stew shop owner not to pay tributes anymore.”

“Not anymore. What tributes are those third-rate bastards collecting when they’re not even protecting anything?”

“…”

Daisy fell silent again, and as we walked, the forest path ended, revealing the cityscape of Leon before us.

“Wow, it’s completely different from Khaoto.”

Well-organized streets.

People wearing various clothes from different cities were walking around.

The closely built buildings had neat exteriors, and occasionally, carriages could be seen on the main streets.

“This way.”

In Leon, Daisy took the lead.

We walked for a long time, passing the grand main street bathed in the red glow of the sunset, until we reached a point where the crowds thinned, and Daisy finally stopped.

“…Brother Ruin, do you really intend to confront Shepiro?”

“Of course.”

Daisy hesitated for a moment before pointing to a small inn.

“Then wait there.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know your exact strength, Brother. But even for you, it’s dangerous to go now. Let’s wait until nightfall and assassinate him then.”

As I stared at Daisy intently, she continued.

“There’s a back entrance. I’ll go in first, assess Shepiro’s movements, and slip out at night. Then we’ll go together and kill him.”

“No, that’s pointless. I’m going now.”

“What?”

“Lead the way. If I’m Bulrai, it’s a head-on confrontation.”

I took out Tae-do, which was slung over my shoulder, and spun it around. Daisy sighed and started walking again.

At some point, the flow of people stopped, and after walking for about an hour more, a massive black wall appeared.

Inside, several buildings stood tall.

Once we arrived at the Dark Soul headquarters, it didn’t feel like we were in Leon at all.

The surroundings were desolate, with nothing around.

I stopped Daisy.

“You wait here for now.”

“What?”

“If we go in together, that coward might get suspicious. I’ll go in first, so wait and come in after I’ve taken care of things.”

Without hesitation, I walked towards the large iron gate in front of us.

* * *

Knock, knock—

“Anyone there?”

A polite greeting.

There was no answer, so I knocked on the iron gate again, louder this time. From inside, a gruff voice responded abruptly, using informal language.

“Who is it?”

I answered politely once more.

“I have an appointment with Shepiro.”

The iron gate opened slightly, and a fierce-looking face appeared through the gap in the chains.

“You have an appointment with the boss? Who are you?”

“Take a good look at my face.”

The man scanned me up and down, his expression gradually contorting into a scowl.

He didn’t recognize me even though I had Bulrai’s face. It seemed those third-rate thugs hadn’t even trained their gatekeepers properly.

The faces of Garlic and Greed flashed through my mind, and then the gatekeeper spoke to me.

“I asked who you are, you bastard.”

“You’ll remember something if you look at my hand.”

I showed my left hand to the man.

“Don’t you recognize it?”

“What are you talking about, you crazy bastard?”

When the man didn’t react, I reluctantly manifested a fireball.

The flames from my left hand struck the man’s face directly, sending him flying backward.

At that moment, I enveloped my fist in a Wind Barrier and punched the center of the thick iron gate.

Creak—

The center of the iron gate caved in and bent, and I fired another spell at the same spot.

“Fire Sphere.”

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, the entire iron gate was ripped inward.

Daisy, who had been watching from behind, had a strange glint of excitement in her eyes and muttered,

“You guys are about to get a taste of a real madman…”

As we entered, the gatekeeper was lying under the fallen gate, screaming in pain, and thugs were pouring out from all directions.

I swung Tae-do around as I walked, taking a moment to appreciate the headquarters’ courtyard.

“Wow.”

They lived off extorting merchants, yet they had decorated the place lavishly, rivaling any noble family’s estate.

There was a neat garden with high-quality stone paving and even a small pond on one side.

Even as I leisurely admired the courtyard, no one dared to attack me.

The combination of my power, demonstrated by shattering the iron gate with a single blow, and the relaxed atmosphere I exuded as I strolled through the courtyard created an eerie sense of intimidation.

The thugs surrounded me from a distance, not daring to approach any closer.

It was typical behavior of third-rate gangsters.

I sat down on a sculpture in the center of the courtyard.

‘Hmm.’

In front of me, I could see the main hall of a building with a white marble floor. Finally, the executives were starting to appear one by one on the platform.

“Which madman is causing such a ruckus… Branch Manager Bulrai?”

I looked around at the executives and said,

“I sent a messenger, didn’t I? I said I’d come to take Shepiro’s head.”

“What?”

I spotted a familiar face among the executives, pointed at him, and said,

“What happened, Jackson? Did you deliver the message correctly? I said I was coming to take his head. You bastard, you didn’t intercept the message, did you?”

Jackson clutched his face and replied,

“I conveyed it exactly as you said, without missing a single word.”

“Then why is this happening? You should have informed the underlings. Don’t tell me Shepiro, that coward, is hiding in fear?”

While the executives hurled insults at me, only the two who seemed to be vice-captains tilted their heads in confusion.

At that moment, the executives parted to the left and right, and a man walked out from behind them.

Ordinary looks, ordinary physique.

He was too ordinary to be the boss of these thugs. He was the typical kind of guy you’d see once or twice a day walking down the street.

“Bulrai.”

“Ah, yes. You’re Shepiro?”

Shepiro replied without any change in expression.

“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to see you alive.”

“I feel like I saw you just yesterday. Why do you look so ordinary? But don’t worry, one of us will die today.”

Shepiro suddenly tilted his head and asked,

“What happened to Daisy?”

“You’ve got some nerve. Are you talking about the woman you tried to violate? I heard her story and was so heartbroken that I shed tears with her.”

I clutched my chest and shouted at the underlings.

“Listen carefully, everyone! This rotten bastard not only coveted his subordinate but also tried to take advantage of her. He’s not even a man! Daisy denounced him in front of me and, unable to bear the shame, took her own life.”

“Shut up! You killed Daisy and now you’re trying to frame the boss!”

The two vice-captains next to Shepiro flared up and interrupted me.

Surprisingly, however, I could sense that many of the underlings were swayed by my nonsense.

Shepiro picked up a large spear from behind him, slowly descended the stairs, and spoke.

“Bulrai, it’s been too long. I should have educated you from time to time. I guess I neglected you too much, thinking you were a discard.”

Shepiro stepped into the courtyard and said,

“It’s hard to believe that Daisy is dead. You’re not skilled enough to do that. But anyway, I didn’t expect you to actually come here alive.”

“I sent a messenger, saying I’d come to take your head. Looking at you now, it seems you’re not fit to lead. No wonder. If you received bribes from Bayern, you should have shared some with your subordinates. Look at their clothes. They’re all in rags.”

“…”

“And you’re a coward who only knows how to hide.”

Shepiro’s expression remained blank, but a smirk curled his lips.

“A coward?”

“Yes. If you weren’t a coward, you’d face me in a duel.”

Even as I spouted nonsense, I carefully observed Shepiro’s Aura.

Even his Aura was utterly ordinary.

He wasn’t someone Daisy couldn’t have killed in a surprise attack.

However…

‘This is strange.’

There was one thing that felt off.

“Let’s have a duel. Even if you’re terrible at managing your subordinates, you wouldn’t go this far in this situation, would you? You saw me smash the iron gate, so you must have some sense. Don’t kill your innocent subordinates, come at me alone.”

“You want a one-on-one duel?”

“Yes.”

“Attack!”

The hesitant subordinates rushed towards me all at once.

——–