Chapter 5:  A Snarling Dog Must Die

It was unexpected.  

I never imagined there would be an Awakener within such an organization.  

And not just any Awakener.  

One with a ‘Nullification Barrier.’  

In an instant, I analyzed the opponent’s trait.  

Despite having no detection or search abilities, this was possible thanks to the Soul-Reading Mind’s Eye.  

This absolute eye doesn’t just perceive an opponent’s emotions.  

It had proven invaluable even on the Gritia Continent, one of its uses being the ability to discern a Knight’s Sword Soul.  

Sword Soul is a kind of skill manifested by a Knight.  

In other words, it allows one to see through whether the opponent wields Speed Sword, based on agility, or Destructive Sword, focused on power, and similar attributes.  

This principle applied equally to traits.  

The moment I sensed the surrounding veil, my Mind’s Eye activated, allowing me to grasp the extent of its influence.  

Combined with long experience, I was able to predict and strategize accordingly.  

Its weakness was the limited range.

It must be a trait specialized for guarding or base defense.  

Of course, the narrow range was a downside, but it seemed especially useful for protecting someone or defending a stronghold.  

I didn’t know much about traits or Awakeners in detail.  

But to think that someone possessing a trait like this would be a mere member of an organization…  

‘It must be ties of fate. Not force, but bonds of affection.’  

People naturally form many relationships—by blood, by locality, or by gratitude.  

For this Awakener, Kim Sang-pil was probably someone they prioritized above their own ambitions.  

But that was a grave mistake.  

Unfortunately, one wrong choice often leads to misfortune.  

Just like now.  

Pop!  

The moment willpower moved, the body followed instinctively.  

A perfect synchronization of intent and physical form.  

The speed of that movement was impossible to detect even by an enhanced Awakener.  

Bam!  

A lightly thrown punch shattered the Awakener’s head.  

“…W-what?!”  

At such a hollow death, Kim Sang-pil screamed in shock.  

All I could say to a bastard like that was:  “Sorry about this.”  

A brief apology.  

“Not the Awakener I was expecting.”  

Awakener?  

Sadly, I never awakened a trait.  

Of course, I had imagined it once or twice.  

If I developed a powerful trait, wouldn’t I become stronger than I am now?

That small hope lingered.  

But for over a hundred years, I had never received the blessing of Awakening.  

Or perhaps, being transported dimensionally to the Gritia Continent was a trait in itself.  

Either way, it was not the typical form of Awakening.  

The source of my strength was my body, honed over centuries of relentless training.  

Pure Martial Power born from flesh and bone painstakingly forged.  

That was why the Nullification Barrier could have no effect on me.  

Confusion, surprise, horror.  

Kim Sang-pil couldn’t control the swirl of emotions within him.  

But I had no time to wait for him to regain composure.  

“I’m asking.”  

Startled, he snapped back to attention, “Y-you… you…. “

“Who sent you?”  

He hastily sealed his lips.  

Even that faint reaction was enough to confirm my suspicion.  

‘There’s someone behind this.’  

My prediction was right.  

“Don’t spout nonsense…! I’m warning you, answer only the question I asked. Otherwise—”  

I grabbed the sword the dead Awakener had held—a Japanese Sword boasting a razor-sharp edge.  

Familiar.  

Though quite different from the Knight Sword I used on the Gritia Continent, the moment I gripped the blade, a sense of stability washed over me.  

“…You’ll pay the price for your nonsense.”  

“You bastard!”  

Despite my warning, he babbled foolishly.  

Swish!  

A straight trajectory of blood from my blade grazed his left shoulder.  

Of course, Kim Sang-pil didn’t even notice it.  

“Do you know who I am?”  

He kept spewing nonsense but then—  

Clunk.  

His eyes widened in horror at what fell away.  

“M-my arm! Aaaah!”  

His left arm, severed from the shoulder, writhed violently.  

“Four chances left. First the arm, next the leg, and finally the neck.”  

If he used up all four chances, he would die.  

Even if someone had ordered this, I had no intention of sparing those who bared their teeth at me with hostility.  

“Waaah, waaah—”  

Kim Sang-pil screamed, suddenly missing an arm.  

“Who sent you?” I repeated my question.  

For a brief moment, our eyes met in the empty space.  

If he had risen to lead an organization, he wasn’t lacking in perception.  

As if sensing the beast lurking within me,  he shuddered.  

After trembling once, he finally spoke.  

“Th-the Shinhwa Guild.”  

Shinhwa.  

At first, I didn’t recall immediately.  

But then the name hit me.  

‘Shinhwa.’  

The Shinhwa Guild.  

The strongest guild in the country, indisputably No.1.  

The same guild Ha Yeon Lee belonged to.  

“Be precise. Who from the Shinhwa Guild?”  

I had my suspicions but it was too soon to be certain.  

He hesitated for a moment.  

The weight of the name Shinhwa Guild must have outweighed his own life in importance.  

If so—  

“Swish!”  

To push him for an answer, I cut off his left leg.  

Crash!  

Kim Sang-pil collapsed noisily from the pain.  

“Aaah!”  

Screaming from the agony and loss of his leg.  

“Who from the Shinhwa Guild sent you?”  

I swung my sword once more.  

“T-the team leader of Shinhwa Guild’s Team 10, Jung Seok-hwan.”  

Even amidst his screams, he answered, suppressing his groans as his life hung by a thread.  

‘Jung Seok-hwan…?’  

A name I’d never heard before.  

Maybe famous among Awakeners, but I was just an ordinary man now and didn’t know the details.  

“Ughh… I tried arranging several meetings to gain the Shinhwa Guild’s backing, and during one of those rare successful meetings, he casually mentioned that Kim Si-won was quite a nuisance.”  

The fact that he brought me up during a meeting with an organization desperate for backing meant only one thing.  

They wanted me dealt with.  

“I swear, if he hadn’t said that, they wouldn’t have resorted to such extreme measures against you.”  

Even in this situation, his mouth was still working.  

And cunning.  

It wasn’t mere shirking of responsibility.  

He was signaling the presence of the Shinhwa Guild behind this, intending to pit me against them.  

Of course,  ‘There’s no avoiding it.’  

To get revenge on Ha Yeon Lee, I had to overcome the mountain that was the Shinhwa Guild.  

That was inevitable, not only because she was a Supporter affiliated with the guild but also because of ‘Chulwoo Shin.’  

The guild master, and her fiancé.  

What did that mean?  

Touching her meant declaring war on the entire Shinhwa Guild.  

In the past, as Myers—the pinnacle Knight of the Gritia Continent—I might have dared.  

But now?  

‘Impossible.’  

No matter how backward South Korea was in terms of Awakening, facing off head-on against the country’s strongest guild was a death sentence for me in my current state.  

Sure, I might cause some damage.  

But what I wanted was not mere damage, but perfect revenge.  

To bring down the Shinhwa Guild and make Ha Yeon Lee pay for everything she put me through.  

And this plan included my entire future life.  

For that, the most important thing was—  

‘Power.’  

I needed overwhelming power sufficient to crush the Shinhwa Guild standing at the peak of South Korea.  

Fortunately, I had a clue.  

Crinkle.  

A note in my pocket.  

‘If I go to the Tower, maybe I can find something that will serve as a clue.’  

The Tower.  

Perhaps the answer to all this lay there.  

“I’ve told you everything. Please, have mercy.” Kim Sang-pil begged for his life.  

“Strange.”  

But he was mistaken about one thing.  

“Did I ever say I’d spare your life?”  

I said I’d kill him if he didn’t talk, but I never promised to keep him alive.  

“You—you…!”  

Only then did he realize I had no intention of mercy and tried to scream.  

“Swish!”  

Still, I showed a sliver of mercy.  

Unlike the Awakener whose head had just exploded, he was left with some semblance of a form.  

“I have no intention of sparing any dog that bares its teeth at me.”  

I have only one rule.  

If anyone shows even the slightest hostility, whatever the reason, they die.  

Any being recognized as an enemy must be killed.  

That was how I survived on the Gritia Continent.  

And that would never change, even now, back in the present day.