------------------
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
------------------
Chapter 91: Jose del Pablo (1)
The sun had already set, yet Joo Hayun still hadn’t emerged from the dungeon.
“She’s really late.”
Kwon Hanul murmured as he stared at the dungeon gate.
When she told them they could head back without her because she’d be a while, she wasn’t just being polite.
“Whoa.”
“Woooow…”
Just then, he heard voices of admiration beside him. Mei Hong and Kwon Hudon were watching something on their phones.
“What’s got you two so hooked?”
“Oh, Hanul! Wanna watch too?”
Kwon Hudon held out his phone. A YouTube video was playing.
“What is it?”
“It’s footage of a fight involving the Brothers of the Desert, an assassin guild.”
Kwon Hanul blanked out for a second.
“They just upload videos of assassins fighting publicly like this?”
“They edited out the graphic parts.”
“And it’s age-restricted,” Mei Hong added.
Hanul looked unconvinced.
“No, I mean… if assassins get this much exposure…”
He trailed off.
Well, it is said that since the rise of the internet, there are no secrets anymore. In that case, what’s a few assassin videos?
“Just give it a look. Even if they’re assassins, their skills are top-tier!”
Hanul peered at the screen.
Contrary to the stealth associated with assassins, they were fighting in broad daylight.
Five assassins in black robes were clashing with a well-equipped Hunter.
The Hunter’s no pushover either.
It wasn’t easy to tell from a video, but the aura coating his weapon burned vividly—he was clearly a powerhouse.
Even more shocking, however, was the assassins’ technique.
Chains?
The five assassins hurled chains from all directions.
The long chains lashed against the Hunter’s armor, each strike making him stagger.
He blocked them, though… didn’t he?
The Hunter wasn’t just taking it. He parried or deflected the chains with his weapon.
But even then, the force of impact knocked the weapon from his grip.
He dodged that one.
The Hunter ducked so low he nearly hit the ground, letting a chain whip over his head.
The chain smashed into a nearby freight truck.
And in that instant, the truck crumpled.
…What?
It didn’t just dent or break. It was flattened—like dough squashed under a boot.
“Incredible, right?” Mei Hong paused the video.
“It’s one of the signature moves of the assassins from the Brothers of the Desert. They say it can decapitate most monsters in a single strike.”
The Brothers of the Desert had begun their move.
There wasn’t even the faintest rustle of fabric or footstep. They moved like shadows.
* * *
“So they did take down the Triple Numbering.”
Jose del Pablo grinned viciously.
“No wonder the atmosphere’s different.”
He swung his jagged sword in wide arcs. The weapon was so massive it kicked up gusts of wind with every swing.
“Enough sizing me up. Just come at me already.”
Before he even finished speaking, the assassins’ black cloaks flared.
From within them, chains gleamed silver as they shot out.
Chains flew at him from every direction, leaving no room to dodge.
Normally, such an attack would shatter bones and tear muscle.
But just before impact, the chains froze in midair—suspended as if gripped by invisible hands.
“Did you really come at me without even checking what my skill is?”
Jose slammed his jagged sword into the ground.
The chains snapped backward—not as if they’d been repelled, but like they were being rewound.
The assassins tried to regain control of the chains, but it was no use.
The redirected chains struck their wielders.
With a sickening crunch of breaking bones, the assassins were flung backward, smashing into walls.
“They’re the ones who supposedly took down the Triple Numbering… and they’re dropping like flies?”
Then it happened.
Something glinted from the broken wall—a barrage of throwing knives flew at him.
But like the chains, they halted midair.
Jose clicked his tongue and raised his sword.
“No learning curve, huh?”
Just as he was about to strike the ground again, he caught sight of something.
Through a gap in the broken wall, one assassin was spinning something in his hands.
A massive circular blade—larger than a car tire.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Front, back, left, right—four assassins simultaneously hurled their chakrams.
“Well, well. Look at you.”
Jose didn’t strike downward. Instead, he swung his sword horizontally to intercept the incoming chakrams.
“So you did do your homework before showing up!”
His blade met one of the chakrams.
At that moment, it lit up. A massive burst of aura exploded, transforming into a colossal energy slash.
The aura cleaved straight through Jose del Pablo.
* * *
“This one’s good too.”
Mei Hong queued up another video. This time, the assassins were throwing throwing knives.
The speed of the knives was faster than bullets—dozens were unleashed in the blink of an eye.
Then, one of the assassins pulled out something unusual.
“A chakram?”
But it was far larger than usual.
Spinning like a shot-put athlete, the assassin hurled it with full force.
The chakram soared through the air, aimed at a distant Hunter.
The Hunter rolled to evade it.
The chakram buried itself into a three-story building behind him.
And then—
A flash of light, and the building was sliced clean in half.
Not just that one. Like dominoes, the buildings behind it were also cut through, one after another.
“They say it’s a technique that releases compressed aura.”
“Creepy…”
The slicing power was enough to cut through five or six buildings in a single swing.
Let alone blocking—it didn’t even seem dodgeable.
“Now I get it.”
Why these videos were allowed to exist. And why the Brothers of the Desert didn’t care.
Because even knowing about these techniques, there’s no way to stop them.
“Hudon oppa, don’t you think you could handle it?”
“Me? Uh… well…”
Kwon Hudon scratched his head. He didn’t sound confident.
Which was surprising.
The Blackscale Armor was so tough that even experienced fighters shook their heads at the idea of breaking it.
And Hudon had a rare talent for wielding it.
But even he wasn’t sure he could block that technique.
“You might not be able to now. But you will.”
Kwon Hanul said it firmly.
The Blackscale Armor’s powers had that much potential. If the Black Dragon Bloodline synchronization rate increased, and he honed its abilities, this kind of technique would be nothing.
“Got any more videos?”
“I knew you’d get into this!” Mei Hong lit up and started searching.
“Ah, here’s the highlight reel!”
She played it and added some commentary.
“This will show you why the Brothers of the Desert are so famous.”
* * *
“Tch.”
Jose del Pablo clicked his tongue and turned around.
Where a solid wall should’ve been, the outside was now in plain view.
The clash earlier had completely destroyed part of the building.
“This is why I hate fighting indoors. The place never survives when I go all-out.”
He looked down at his shredded clothes.
“And the outfit’s always ruined, too.”
He stripped off the rags. Beneath the torn-up uniform, his body didn’t have a single scratch.
“No one left?”
The assassins flinched at his words.
“If not, then we’re done here.”
Jose gripped his sword tightly, then lunged forward.
In a flash, he was right above one assassin. He brought his sword down on their head.
The assassin’s body was crushed—like a tomato under a hammer.
The rest scattered quickly, putting distance between themselves and Jose.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Jose grabbed at the air with his empty hand and pulled.
The retreating assassins were yanked forward—as if something was dragging them back.
Aura coiled around his sword.
But unlike typical aura, it didn’t form a clean blade—it twisted and swirled violently.
“Hraaagh!”
Jose swung with all his strength.
The storm of aura engulfed the assassins.
Not just them—everything nearby was obliterated, ground to dust.
“Clean-up’s done.”
Jose turned around.
Through the club’s wreckage, Ricardo del Pablo was visible, surrounded by bodyguards.
“Uncle. You said you prepared this for me. Is this all?”
Ricardo clenched his teeth.
“You insolent—!”
“Come on now, don’t just yell. This can’t possibly be your trump card against me, Jose del Pablo, can it?”
Jose stepped toward him.
With every step, Ricardo’s face grew paler.
It happened then.
Jose del Pablo suddenly stopped walking. A sharp sensation pricked at his elbow.
"Huh?"
Looking down, Jose del Pablo saw a translucent thread piercing through his elbow and anchored deep into the ground.
"What the hell is this?"
He touched the thread with his finger—and in that instant, it felt like fire surged through his nerves.
"Khgh?"
Suddenly, a bundle of threads rained down from the ceiling, piercing through Jose del Pablo’s entire body.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
A scream tore from his throat as searing pain engulfed his entire body like wildfire.
Assassins dropped from the ceiling. One of them, an older man with a white beard, stepped forward and said:
"These threads were crafted from Inmyeon Jiju—a special material treated for a very specific purpose."
Jose del Pablo groaned in agony.
"They’re incredibly thin, so they can easily pierce human flesh. But after a few minutes, they dissolve completely and leave no lasting damage. However..."
The old man lightly touched one of the threads. Jose del Pablo screamed again.
"...they’re perfect for restraining someone through sheer, excruciating pain."
"Kuh… kuheh… heh..."
Despite the pain, Jose del Pablo chuckled darkly.
"So this is your ‘premium service’... hell of a way to roll it out..."
The old man motioned with his hand. One of the assassins brought over an axe.
Gripping the axe, the old man let out a crimson aura that completely enveloped the blade.
"Jose del Pablo, I’ll be completing the contract right here."
He brought the axe down toward Jose del Pablo’s head—
But it didn’t land. The axe shattered upon impact.
"...Even in this state, you didn’t release your mana control?"
The old man shouted in disbelief.
Just by circulating mana inside his body, the threads should’ve reacted and inflicted unbearable pain.
But Jose del Pablo was enduring it.
No—he wasn’t just enduring it.
"I was hoping to end this without much collateral."
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. The assassins looked around, confused.
And then they realized—
It wasn’t the ground trembling.
The sheer magnitude of mana erupting from Jose del Pablo was causing the entire building to shake.
"Guess that’s out of the question."
Jose del Pablo’s eyes glowed.
And the building collapsed.
* * *
Kwon Hanul instinctively looked up, his brow furrowing as he scanned his surroundings.
"Hanul, what's wrong?"
"Is everything alright, Lord Kwon?"
"It’s nothing."
He shook his head and sat back down. For a moment, he thought he felt an overwhelming surge of mana… but maybe it was just his imagination.
"Hey, Hanul. Look over there."
Kwon Hudon pointed toward the dungeon gate. Its surface rippled before Joo Hayun emerged from within.
"Hayun!"
"Sir Kwon? I told you to stay inside and rest."
"Is it all over?"
"There’s one more task left."
Joo Hayun pulled a small box out from her subspace. She placed it on the ground and stepped back.
"Oh?"
The dungeon gate started being sucked into the box. As it absorbed the gate, the box expanded in size.
Eventually, the entire dungeon gate disappeared, and the box had grown to the size of a small building.
"Now we just need to take this with us."
Joo Hayun tapped the box as she spoke.
"Can we just carry it out?"
"Want to give it a try?"
Kwon Hanul tried lifting the box. No matter how much strength he used, it didn’t budge an inch.
"That’s why we need a separate transport team. It’s ridiculously heavy."
He let go of the box without hesitation.
"Guess I’ll need to call my aunt tomorrow."
* * *
Ghibli City.
A city so prosperous that people said its lights never turned off—365 days a year.
But now, Ghibli City was cloaked in darkness.
The cause? A sudden explosion in the city’s center. Buildings collapsed in its wake, and the city’s entire infrastructure ground to a halt.
"Ugh… Damn. Almost died back there."
Perched atop the rubble, Jose del Pablo was rubbing his neck.
The threads that had once pierced through him had all vanished.
"Calling them assassins… they sure brought some weird toys."
"Kh… khuhhh!"
A horrible scream rang out. Beneath Jose del Pablo’s feet, the old man was pinned under debris.
"That’s all you had? If you’ve got more, you better bring it out."
"AAAAARGH!"
"If not, guess you’re done here."
Jose del Pablo pressed down with his foot. The man’s chest caved in, and his breathing stopped.
Then—
The rubble shifted, and from underneath crawled Ricardo Pablo.
"Gah… haah…"
He looked utterly wrecked, his face pale from the struggle below.
"Uncle. Still breathing, huh?"
Ricardo Pablo flinched at the sound of that voice and turned.
"Uncle, look around. Thanks to your little stunt, the city you cared so much about? It’s ruined."
"You… You monster…!"
"What’re you talking about? You raised me."
Jose del Pablo chuckled.
"Anyway, Uncle—when you get to the afterlife, do me a favor and say hi to my mom."
He grabbed his stone blade. Ricardo Pablo’s face twisted in terror.
"J-Jose, wait—"
Ricardo begged, but Jose del Pablo didn’t hesitate.
He brought the blade down onto Ricardo’s skull.
“Sylphid.”
The wind howled.
A man suddenly appeared, standing between Jose del Pablo and the aftermath.
Surprised but unfazed, Jose del Pablo didn’t stop—he swung his blade at the stranger.
“Ogre.”
The man’s skin turned green, and with both fists, he slammed into Jose del Pablo’s gut.
The hit sent him flying from the unexpected power.
"The hell is this guy?!"
Jose del Pablo landed with a shout.
But when he looked up—no one was there.
"...What the? Where the hell did they go?"
He looked around, scanning the area, but couldn’t see either of them.
"Those f***ing bastards…"
Just then, his phone buzzed.
It was a message—from Ricardo Pablo’s number.
If you want your uncle back, come alone to the place I mentioned.
—GG—
A vein bulged on Jose del Pablo’s forehead.
------------------
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
------------------
