This chapter contains racist language used by a character. These views belong solely to the character and are not those of the translator or WuxiaWorld. The terms have been preserved to reflect the character’s personality.

Gato gripped his sheathed sword, certain he had this in the bag. The bastard’s level might have been higher, but he was Level 82 himself. His Quick-Draw could shred even a mage past Level 90, and there was no question about it. With the two archers covering him, that skill-slinging bastard didn’t stand a chance.

At best, he’ll drop me or one of the archers. That’s all the shithead’s got in him.

As long as Do-Jin went down with him, it was worth it. Gato threw himself forward with everything he had as his eyes locked on the blue lightning sparking to life in Do-Jin’s hands. The skill was built to rip a man apart, but Gato never slowed. He didn’t dodge. He rushed straight in.

“Then let’s fucking die together!” he roared.

The shout meant nothing. He was certain he would live. His gear was stacked for magic defense. Flame Spear had blown him apart earlier and he had still walked away with half his HP intact. He had healed almost all of it back since then. There was no way one sloppy lightning skill would burn through everything in a single shot.

All I need to do is take the hit. Once I hold out, the archers will finish the bastard for me.

Right then the hiss of arrows cut past his shoulder. The moment stretched thin. Every move from him, Do-Jin, and the archers collided together in the same heartbeat. A blinding flash filled his vision as the Electric Shock crashed into him and set his body on fire.

“Fuck! Aaagh!”

The stun seized his limbs as pain tore through his chest. Although an agonizing scream escaped, he still managed to grin like a psychopath. The arrows were already in the air, and Do-Jin was about to get shredded. However, they never landed. A silver cloak shimmered out from Do-Jin’s shoulder, swatting the arrows away.

“What the fuck!?” Gato’s eyes went wide.

He tried to force his body to move, grateful the stun was fading, but his limbs were completely rigid. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, since Do-Jin had already closed the gap.

“What—”

A mage stepping into a swordsman’s range was insane. He had never faced anything like it. His instincts screamed for him to draw his blade and he tried, but Do-Jin was faster. He wasn’t some run-of-the-mill caster, but a veteran who lived for close-quarters fights, a monster who had cut down players up close more times than Gato could count.

Do-Jin’s hand came down like a hammer on the pommel of Gato’s blade, knocking it out of line before it could clear the sheath. A moment later, he unleashed Electric Shock at point-blank range. Gato’s body seized up again just as the previous stun had been wearing off. It lasted only a second, but it was enough time.

Do-Jin shoved Gato forward and used his body as cover. With Gato forced between them, the next volley struck his gear and skittered into the dirt. The archers split left and right, looking for an angle to shoot. They wanted to box him in and catch him in a crossfire.

In response, Do-Jin threw up a Rock Shield on one side, blocking the angle where arrows could rain down on him. At the same time, he hurled himself toward the other flank before the archer could get set and ripped off a barrage of Wind Blades. The air shrieked as blades of compressed wind howled across the gorge, tearing straight for one of the archers.

The archer tried to tank the hit on purpose, trusting the anti-mage gear he’d stacked, but it completely backfired. His body jerked as a fat chunk of his HP vanished in an instant, way more than he’d banked on. The sheer shock pinned him in place. It seemed that this heavy one-shot spell didn’t just stagger monsters, but players as well. Do-Jin took the opportunity to launch Fireball straight into the archer’s chest, knocking him flat and unconscious immediately.

Cool, one down.

When he turned, he found Gato dragging himself back onto his feet with a guttural growl. At the same time, another arrow came whistling in from the front. Although the speed was far too fast for even mages to see, react, and dodge in time, Do-Jin hardly flinched.

Anemone’s voice rang out inside his head, calling his name. The beast-shaped spirit bound to him had sharper reflexes and faster reactions than any human could ever hope for. From Do-Jin’s chest, her head shot out and snapped her jaws shut around the arrow. She bit down on the deadly Shock Arrow and shattered it between her teeth.

“Stop cheating, you fucker!”

The archer yelled in outrage when his attack failed and immediately unleashed Rapid Shot. However, Anemone raised her massive upper body and shielded Do-Jin with ease. All three arrows splintered harmlessly against her.

—Hmph. How pathetic.

Do-Jin’s lips curled into a grin as he whispered, “Anemone, bite.”

—Gladly!

She had been waiting for that order. Anemone moved away from covering Do-Jin and sprang forward. The archer flinched and leaped back, thinking he was the target, but he wasn’t. Instead, Gato let out a strangled cry as Anemone slammed into him.

“You’re gonna die if you chicken out,” Do-Jin said, unleashing the skill he’d been preparing.

Flash Spear struck the retreating archer head-on. He had already committed to the retreat and couldn’t change course in time. The Tier 4 offensive skill with a guaranteed critical hit killed him instantly.

—Do-Jin, what do you want me to do with this one?

He turned and saw Gato pinned under her enormous paw. Judging by the state of him, she had already bitten his neck and slammed him against the ground at least three or four times.

Do-Jin walked up without hesitation. “This is how you deal with trash.”

He pressed his palm against Gato’s skull and cast Ignite. Flames erupted, cooking him alive as he let out one final gurgle. His eyes still carried that malicious glint, like he wanted to get in one last self-righteous line before dying.

Not my fucking problem, though, Do-Jin thought.

He was the one who had been ambushed, beaten down, and forced into this fight. Do-Jin was scared, shaken, and furious, and he sure as hell didn’t have the room to spare sympathy for anyone else.

—Do-Jin, what are these things? Why are they attacking you?

Anemone bared her fangs and a let out a low growl, her throat rumbling in pure fury. Her choice of words made it clear she saw them as trash.

Seeing her all worked up, he answered, “Old enemies.”

—Enemies?

“Back in a dungeon, I had just finished killing a boss when they tried to jump me and steal the loot. These are the kind of assholes we’re dealing with.”

—What? Those complete bastards! Why the hell are they still going after you?

“I killed all of them back then, including this dumbass,” Do-Jin said, jerking his chin at Gato’s dead body.

—You killed them, and yet... wait. He’s the same as you, isn’t he?

“Yes, Regenians,” Do-Jin confirmed. “Just like me, they’re people who crossed over from another world.”

—I hate it. You’re breaking your back trying to save this place, and they’re just out here being scum. They screw around, get punished for it, and now they think they’re entitled to revenge? Next time, I’ll bite down even harder.

Do-Jin couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Anemone baring her fangs. He ran his hand across her back and said, “You sure you’re alright after taking those arrows?”

—I felt my strength dip for a bit, but you shared yours with me, so I’m fine now.

What she called strength was, of course, Spirit Power. Her natural aura had flared out to cancel the attack, burning away in the process, but Do-Jin had already refilled it with his own mana. Thanks to their special contract, they could share life and resources freely without a single drop wasted.

“That’s good to hear,” Do-Jin muttered.

—Don’t worry about me. As long as you’re safe, nothing else matters.

Her sincerity flowed into him. In turn, she felt the mix of gratitude and guilt stirring inside him. That was the nature of their bond. Their contract went deeper than anything between a normal spirit and summoner. More than just power, they shared a part of themselves.

“Sorry, Anemone. I hate to say it, but I don’t think this ambush is the end of it,” he said, his expression tightening.

—Are you saying there are more out there wanting to hurt you?

“Yeah. They said before they’d come after me with full guilds. I don’t know how many of the fuckers are wandering around out there, but odds are more of them are sniffing around for me right now.”

—Then I’ll protect you.

Seeing her brimming with determination, Do-Jin smirked. “That’s reassuring. Then, I’ll also protect you.”

Inside, Do-Jin’s thoughts turned dark. What was wrong with these idiots? Of all the places to stage an ambush, they chose this dump? Who plans an attack in a cramped, chaotic mess full of hiding spots and no way to track anything?

If they were serious, they should’ve chosen a wide-open spot where numbers alone could’ve crushed him. Yet, they had to pick a back alley of a battlefield like this.

He shook his head. Not that I’m complaining. It works out in my favor.

He called Anemone back and started walking toward the deep, shadow-drenched part of the woods, ready for a real blood bath.

***

Outside the gorge, the Blood King’s face twisted in pure rage as the reports came flooding in.

—Contact with Party Six has been lost.

—We reached the flare site, but all we found were the corpses of Party Nine. The target appears to have escaped.

—Party Five is on the move toward the flare’s location.

—Reporting from Party Five! The target used the flare as bait to lure us...

The plan had looked perfect on paper. Teams of three would sweep the gorge systematically. The instant anyone laid eyes on the target, they were supposed to fire a flare to signal his position. Once the flare went up, everyone nearby would collapse inward, form a perimeter, and crush him under sheer numbers. It was simple, efficient, and clean. There should have been no room for failure.

However, the second the operation began, the whole plan fell apart.

“Useless motherfuckers!” the Blood King roared. “How the hell are you letting one rat jerk you around like this? Do I seriously have to drag my ass out there and do everything myself? Every last one of you incompetent bastards ought to gut yourselves right now and save me the fucking headache!”

A quick glance at Nobunaga told him the Rōnin Guild wasn’t faring any better. In fact, they were a circus. That lunatic had promised a fat reward to anyone who personally brought him Do-Jin’s head. Thanks to that order, his men were ignoring the entire strategy. Even when they spotted the target, they refused to fire their flares. Instead, they tried to hog the kill for themselves and cash in the bounty. The result was complete sabotage of the operation.

Fucking greedy, brain-dead Jap monkey bastards.

—Report from Party Three. Parties One and Two have been confirmed wiped. We are pursuing the target’s trail. Request immediate support. The flare we fire in five seconds is real. This is not a decoy.

There was no way in hell Do-Jin was carrying signal flares. The only explanation was that some poor bastard had dropped his when he got killed, and the survivors were scrambling to use it.

They were stuck blasting out pathetic crap, swearing the flare was real, not the enemy’s trick, and practically begging their allies to get their asses over there. Just thinking about it made the Blood King want to rip his own hair out. He steadied himself just enough to bark new orders into the channel.

—The old plan of sweeping in three-man squads is scrapped. From now on, move in groups of five. Full parties only. Everyone is to return to camp immediately for reassignment. Those blocking the entrances to the gorge will hold your positions. If the target slips out of the gorge, then every last thing we’ve done here is fucked.

The guild members who had followed the Blood King’s orders and pushed into the gorge began to return one after another. However, a significant number never made it back. Everyone knew that in a battlefield, the most casualties came during retreat. This time was no different. While pulling out of the gorge, three parties were cut down by Do-Jin. Out of those eight players, only a single survivor was on his way back.

If I don’t kill that bastard, I’m going to drop dead from rage before long, the Blood King thought.

His head throbbed, his chest heaved, and for a moment, he nearly lost his balance. Just when he thought he couldn’t get any angrier, the next report hit like gasoline on a fire. The only survivor stumbled into camp, torn apart and barely alive. Once the healers stabilized him, he delivered Do-Jin’s message.

“What... what did he say?” the Blood King’s eyes went wide.

The half-dead guild member swallowed hard before repeating, “He said he was tired, so he logged off to rest. He told us he’d be back tomorrow, and that you could come find him then.”

The Blood King’s breath caught in his throat. Fury swelled in his chest so violently that he thought he might explode. His mouth opened to roar, but before he could, a scream split the air from the Rōnin Guild’s side.

“You motherfucking son of a bitch!”

It seemed Nobunaga had heard the exact same thing.