Chapter 72

The Silent Assassin and the Enraged General

“…” Jun-sang held his breath and slowly activated Heavy Blow. One second, two seconds, and then three. As the taut muscles trembled slightly, a faint shimmer rose, heating the surrounding air. The hand grasping the iron ball shot out, and the condensed power erupted all at once.

CRASH!

A peal of thunder echoed through the silent enemy camp. Guard Captain Anyut’s tent was instantly obliterated, as if swept away by a colossal typhoon. Anyut, deep in a sweet slumber in preparation for the coming battle, suddenly snapped awake, eyes wide with the surging killing intent. But before he could even rise, he was engulfed by the torrent of power Jun-sang unleashed.

—Ugh…

Before he could react, most of Anyut’s abdomen vanished, as if ripped away by a giant beast. Anyut couldn’t scream, unable to even inhale or exhale. He merely gasped, uttering small moans, daring not to move.

“Huuuh…” Jun-sang forced his body to move, overloaded from the after-effects of Heavy Blow. He then approached the strange, long-necked monster crawling on the ground and stomped its neck with his military boot.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRACK!

Only after stomping three times, as if performing a devastating stomp, did Guard Captain Anyut’s movements cease entirely.

As Jun-sang dealt with Anyut, the squirrel, which had been sitting on his shoulder gnawing on peanuts, leaped down. It immediately began to gnaw at Anyut’s head, its eyes glowing with a red light. The squirrel quickly extracted a seed from Anyut’s head and busily scurried around, collecting a few other items. Only when all was done did it return to Jun-sang’s shoulder as if nothing had happened, resuming its nonchalant peanut-gnawing.

“Heh…” Jun-sang watched the squirrel calmly, waiting for his overheated body to cool down, then let out a small laugh before immediately using Grunwal’s Cloak to become invisible.

The sudden roar immediately woke the monsters who had been sound asleep in the camp. Realizing the sound came from Anyut’s tent, the monsters hastily armed themselves and rushed over. What they saw were the lifeless bodies of Anyut, neck broken and abdomen torn, and the shattered corpses of monsters who had been sleeping near his tent and met a horrific end, caught in Jun-sang’s fully charged Heavy Blow.

—KAAAK!

—KAAAAK!

Jun-sang slowly moved, listening to the monsters’ loud roars. The after-effects of using a fully charged Heavy Blow hadn’t completely worn off, so he had intended to retreat, but his plan was thwarted by the swarming monsters. A horde of monsters began to rush towards Jun-sang, who was walking slowly. His invisibility hadn’t been detected; he had simply encountered the monsters who were filling the path.

“Tsk.” At this rate, he would inevitably collide with them and his invisibility would break. If that was the case, it would be better to launch a surprise attack before they noticed him. With that thought, Jun-sang immediately changed his card slots.

“Blood Lord, Open Dual Storm.” As the short command left his lips, the previously equipped Martial Artist combo cards disengaged, and new cards were sequentially equipped:

Rampage (R)

Blood-soaked (R)

Blood-soaked (R)

Blood-soaked (SR)

And the newly acquired Dual Storm.

The moment these cards were equipped and the combo card ‘Yanthunsen’s Blood Lord’ was completed, a red light began to pour from Jun-sang’s eyes.

“Hmph…” Jun-sang took a short breath, then activated Dual Storm as he looked at the monsters surging towards him. The monsters, startled by the sudden roar and rushing forward, were shocked when a man, emitting a red glow from seemingly thin air, suddenly appeared before them. The terrifying red glow of the man, draped in a black cloak and wielding two massive iron balls, spread sideways like a will-o’-the-wisp. The moment it entered their vision, the monsters were caught in a massive whirlwind, their bodies shattering into pieces.

The front lines fared slightly better. At least they could see who was pulverizing them. The monsters following closely behind were struck by the iron balls that had flown from Jun-sang’s hands, their bodies obliterated before they could even comprehend what was happening.

“Huuuh…” After one attack, Jun-sang, who had literally swept through the area like a storm, flicked his wrist to retrieve the iron balls, then turned invisible again, concealing himself.

The monsters couldn’t help but be bewildered by the situation. One of their leaders, Anyut, had been attacked by something unknown and died without even a chance to resist. Then, a phenomenon like a storm sweeping through occurred in the middle of the camp, turning dozens more monsters into mincemeat without even a proper scream. Under the eerie red moonlight, as the monsters stared at the horrific scene, they realized it. A predator had entered this place. And that predator, hidden in the darkness, was hunting them!

As the monsters began to flail in disarray due to the unexpected situation, General Karkash, who had been huddled in the large tent in the center of the camp, finally appeared. A monster with bulging black skin like armor, four times larger than a normal human. Four horn-like structures, resembling a mane, ran from his forehead to the back of his head, and four more curved horns, like those of an ox, protruded from his shoulders and back. Three red eyes gleamed on his head, and from the vertically opened red eye below his forehead, an incessant stream of sinister energy poured forth.

As soon as Karkash emerged from his tent, he raised his two massive, siege-ram-like fists into the air and roared.

—KUUWAAAH!

As the monstrous roar echoed everywhere, the fear and anxiety in the eyes of the monsters, who had been bewildered by the unexpected situation, vanished as if washed away. Karkash, with a single roar, dispelled his subordinate monsters’ unease, then clapped his two fists together and let out another mighty roar.

—KHEUHEONG!

Upon hearing that roar, reminiscent of a lion’s, red lights similar to those emanating from Karkash’s eyes began to pour from the monsters’ eyes. It was Rage! No, it was the power of Frenzy beyond mere rage.

“Tsk…” Jun-sang had no difficulty recognizing the nature of the power surging from the monsters’ bodies. He had experienced similar power himself several times. The essence of that power was none other than Rampage. General Karkash possessed the ability to instantly induce a state of Rampage in his subordinate troops through his roar.

“So that’s why he’s a general.” Jun-sang clicked his tongue and moved cautiously. Engaging them immediately would be incredibly dangerous. Rampage was a technique that sacrificed defense to amplify attack power. While it meant they could be defeated more easily due to lower defense, even a single amplified attack from an enemy could put Jun-sang in a perilous situation. There was no need to face an enemy whose momentum was at its peak. Since the effective duration of Rampage wasn’t very long, he could wait for a moment. When their momentum faded and they fell into a state of lethargy, engaging them then would be far more effective in demoralizing them.

Jun-sang quietly waited, hidden in the darkness. The monsters frantically searched their surroundings, emitting red light from their eyes, but none could find Jun-sang, hidden in the shadows. Karkash, seeing his subordinates literally bloodshot and scouring the area, returned to his tent.

However, after about five minutes, the aura of Rampage that Karkash had awakened gradually began to fade from the monsters’ eyes. And in its place, a sense of deep lethargy, as if their strength was suddenly drained, began to dominate the monsters.

It was then that Jun-sang moved again. He slowly walked into the midst of the monsters, who were staggering in lethargy, and once again deployed Dual Storm. The monsters saw it again. The man in the black cloak, emitting a crimson glow from his eyes, wielding two massive iron balls and performing a dance of destruction in the heart of the camp. The dance of destruction, unfolding under the red moonlight, swept through the monsters in an instant, then vanished without a trace.

The monsters thought they were dreaming. Otherwise, there was no way to comprehend what had just happened. But it wasn’t a dream. The monsters, who witnessed their comrades standing next to them instantly dismembered, their bones separated from their flesh, felt it even more acutely.

Stumble. One monster, without realizing it, took a step back. That action immediately began to spread among all the monsters gathered.

Stumble, stumble. The lethargy from the after-effects of Rampage further amplified the fear that had arisen in the monsters’ hearts.

It was then that Jun-sang reappeared. This time, he again appeared silently, emitting a red glow, his black cloak fluttering like a flag, and once more performed his dance of destruction.

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

Before they could even react, another group of monsters was turned into mincemeat and scattered in all directions. Only then did the monsters realize. They shouldn’t be gathered. If they gathered, that reaper would appear and shatter everything with its dance of death! Realizing this, the monsters unconsciously stumbled back, creating distance from their comrades. But this action, paradoxically, resulted in freeing up Jun-sang’s movements.

Jun-sang silently widened the distance, walked into the gaps between the monsters, and unleashed Dual Storm once more.

ROAR!

Another storm of death swept through, and the monsters could only tremble. They belatedly realized that they had no way to fight against this illusory enemy.

Suddenly, two or three monsters urgently rushed into General Karkash’s tent. And immediately, the massive figure of Karkash reappeared.

—KRAAAAH!

As soon as Karkash appeared, he roared at his subordinates as if scolding them. The fear in the eyes of the terrified monsters slowly began to return to normal. Karkash pounded his chest, as if expressing satisfaction with his great ability. But he had no idea. The very person who had created this entire situation was gathering strength right in front of him.

Karkash took another deep breath to roar and draw out his subordinates’ power. At that very moment, Jun-sang, having switched back to the Martial Artist combo, unleashed his fully gathered strength directly at General Karkash.

FLASH!

The monsters, who had been looking at Karkash, expecting their commanding general’s power to manifest once more, suddenly saw a flash of light erupt in their vision. And immediately, a thunderous roar, as if tearing the atmosphere, erupted, and Karkash’s massive body was flung backward, completely destroying the tent he had been in.

The monsters simply stood with their mouths agape, staring at the man who had caused the phenomenon that had just occurred.

“Tsk…” However, Jun-sang, the cause of the monsters’ bewilderment, frowned and clicked his tongue. Karkash hadn’t been flung back by the recoil of a direct hit from Heavy Blow. When an attack of immense power suddenly erupted before him, he had instinctively lunged his body to absorb the impact and escape the attack’s radius.

Karkash rubbed the back of his head and slowly, perfectly fine, stood up. He then grinned at Jun-sang, who was rigid, still radiating heat from the after-effects of using a fully charged Heavy Blow.