Chapter 44 - Actually, I Have a Cheat Too

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Chapter 44: This Sword Is Too Dull

 

 

The voice rang clear and bright, brimming with the vitality unique to youth.

 

Frank instinctively turned around. At the mouth of the alley stood a young man, bathed in golden sunlight, the light forming a halo above his head. He was smiling.

 

Frank's expression instantly changed. He recognized this youth. In fact, it was partly because of them that he'd ended up in this wretched state. His eyes briefly flashed with viciousness.

 

And the man who was always at this boy's side—how could Frank ever forget him?

 

Where was he?

 

Frank's gaze flicked behind the young man, then scanned the alley with sudden panic. Seeing no sign of the other man, he began to relax—until the corner of his eye caught a tall figure emerging from the shadows just behind the boy.

 

Backlit by the sun, Rex's silhouette seemed to expand, becoming impossibly tall and imposing. The narrow alley suddenly felt suffocating.

 

At the sight of Rex, Frank's mind involuntarily replayed that disastrous day. Back then, he had been in peak condition—and still lost utterly. Now? He stood no chance.

 

Every instinct screamed at him to run.

 

These two hadn't come to chat. That much, he knew.

 

And of all times, they had chosen this exact moment to find him.

 

So he ran.

 

Ge Yan remained standing where he was, watching Rex disappear into the alley after him. He had no intention of getting involved in what came next.

 

Not even ten minutes had passed when Rex returned from the alley's depths. He walked toward Ge Yan with steady, unhurried steps. Not a drop of blood stained his hands, his clothes, or his face—but there was a faint, unmistakable scent of blood on him.

 

Ge Yan had never realized his nose was this sensitive.

 

"All done?" he asked as Rex drew near, his tone casual, as if he had fully adapted to the harsh rules of this world.

 

Rex gave a slight nod. "Let's go."

 

It was time to move on to their next objective.

 

In truth, Lauren—the leader of the Earth Scorpion Mercenary Corps—was not as stupid as Frank assumed. On the contrary, when it came to matters of money, Lauren had always been sharp. No sooner had Frank left than Lauren summoned the scout he had sent earlier and asked several pointed questions. The answers drew a meaningful smirk across his face, laced with cruelty.

 

"That bastard Frank thinks I'm an idiot. Did he really think I wouldn't know? It wasn't just the Raven Mercenary Corps fighting over the sacred beast—the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps' captain, Locke, was even more desperate to get it."

 

"Boss, aren't we about to strike it rich, then?" one of his men said excitedly. "I heard the Black Wolf Corps has more money than the Raven Corps. Back when they were looking for someone, they put out a bounty of a thousand gold coins for a single lead. If we're bringing them this kind of news, it's gotta be worth at least ten thousand gold, easy."

 

Lauren grinned. "Ten thousand? That's nothing. We're talking about a sacred beast cub here—a magic beast whose value can't be measured in gold. At least a hundred thousand."

 

"You're right, boss. Should we head to the Black Wolf Corps first?"

 

"Exactly. That snake Frank kept quiet on purpose. He must be planning to strike a deal with them himself. But if we beat him to it and sell the info first, we'll cash in before he even gets the chance. Once we get what we want from the Black Wolf Corps, then we can hit up the Raven Corps too."

 

Lauren and his men thought they were making a brilliant move. But little did they know—they were walking straight into Rex and Ge Yan's hands.

 

The Raven Mercenary Corps was staying in a busy market district. Too many people; Rex had no opportunity to act. But the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps was different—they had a permanent estate in Sarge, located in a quieter part of town. To get there, one had to pass through a secluded alley. That was where Rex and Ge Yan would strike.

 

The Earth Scorpion group wasn't exactly subtle. As soon as they entered view, Ge Yan spotted them.

 

"They're here."

 

Lauren hadn't brought his full crew—just seven in total. Aside from himself, a high-rank swordsman, the rest were mid-rank or lower. Even Ge Yan thought they looked pathetically easy to deal with.

 

Rex dropped silently from a rooftop. His movement was so light, not even Lauren noticed. It wasn't until they rounded a corner and found a man standing in the center of the road that they stopped.

 

"You—who are you?" Lauren barked, his gaze narrowing as he locked eyes with Rex, who stared back, silent and cold.

 

Without a word, Rex began walking forward.

 

Lauren immediately drew his sword and pointed it toward him, a killing intent flashing across his face. "Stop right there! One more step and I won't be polite!"

 

Rex didn't stop. He lifted his sword—and without saying a word, slashed.

 

Clang!

 

The sound of metal breaking echoed. Lauren's blade snapped clean in two. The broken half landed tip-first in a crack between the stone slabs, trembled briefly, and stilled.

 

Lauren stared in disbelief. Never before had his weapon failed him like this.

 

"You're… a Greatswordsman?"

 

A level above high-rank swordsman—only a Greatswordsman could shatter his blade so effortlessly.

 

Panic overtook Lauren. He had no idea how or when he'd provoked such a terrifying man. He opened his mouth to claim it was all a misunderstanding, but Rex didn't give him a chance.

 

In one swift strike, blood spurted as Lauren fell. His companions recoiled in terror, some even splattering with their leader's blood. Fearing for their lives, the remaining six scrambled to flee.

 

Rex advanced, sword in hand—one stroke, one fallen mercenary.

 

One quick-thinking mercenary deviated from the pack, slipping down a side street. Seeing that Rex hadn't pursued, he breathed a sigh of relief—only to be met by a young man leaping down ahead.

 

"Sorry, you can't leave," the young man said. It was Ge Yan.

 

The mercenary instantly understood he was in cahoots with Rex. Though he feared Rex, he didn't fear Ge Yan. Judging by that clumsy leap just now, the guy was clearly weak as hell. Without hesitation, the mercenary charged toward him, eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

 

Truthfully, Ge Yan was a bit weak—he'd never been formally trained in combat. But he wasn't alone.

 

Nyx, the Shadow Winged Tiger, jumped from his chest and spat at the mercenary. A purple flash of lightning erupted, striking the man. It wasn't fatal—but it left him incapacitated, half-burned and twitching on the ground, eyes wide with shock as he stared at Nyx, perched with cold disdain.

 

Ge Yan approached, retrieved the fallen sword, and tapped the mercenary a few times to confirm he was done for before stroking Nyx's head lovingly.

 

"Good job," he praised.

 

Nyx blinked contentedly.

 

Soon after, Rex appeared with his sword dripping red. Noting that the mercenary was still alive, and smelling lingering electricity in the air, he raised an eyebrow.

 

"Why didn't you finish him?" he asked.

 

"I was waiting for you," Ge Yan replied.

 

Rex regarded him thoughtfully. "There's always a first," he said carefully.

 

Ge Yan paused, then admitted sheepishly: "In my old world, killing was a crime."

 

"And this land is Azelra," Rex reminded him.

 

Ge Yan sighed up at the sky, sadness in his eyes. "I am trying to adapt. Haven't you noticed I've come a long way?"

 

"No," Rex answered harshly.

 

Ge Yan fell silent for a moment before conceding: "Alright… I'll try."

 

He drove the sword into the mercenary a dozen times—until death finally claimed him. In that final moment, the man's eyes reflected the abyss of despair. He must've regretted not choosing to bite his tongue instead.

 

Under Rex's unnerving gaze, Ge Yan discarded the sword with disgust.

"This blade is way too dull," he muttered.

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