Translator: HunterW
Editor: RED
Amid the preparations to retreat, Jose Alejandro came up to me. “Mr. Lee.”
“What is it?”
“Will you be willing to stay with us for the next ten days, in case anything happens?”
“Of course I will. I can do that much for what you’re about to pay me, can’t I?” I replied with a small smile.
And so, I and the rest of the NCR Guild moved back to Mexico City and for the next ten days, I rested while receiving the VIP treatment. Of course, only I got to take it easy. Even though many of the NCR Guild believed that this was the end of Pedro, the fear of him still existed. As such, the NCR Guild was tightly guarded for the next few days, but as time passed, many began to realize that Hugo’s hypothesis was true.
——
Ten days later…
Jose and his officers were holding a meeting, with me included.
“Thank you for your past help, Mr. Lee.”
“It wasn’t much. I just wish I could have come earlier and helped more.” The past ten days had gone by without incident, prompting the NCR Guild to rule that Pedro was permanently dead, even though they didn’t know why. They did seem suspicious of me, though, but did not outright ask me, and had to be content with not knowing.
“Here you are, Mr. Lee. Thank you for everything.” Finally; the Rank 8 item and two billion golden rings.
“Thank you.” I took the payment without hesitation, but also with mixed emotions. Just about nothing had gone according to plan. Pedro couldn’t get his revenge and had almost died to the NCR Guild. I was forced to step in even though I told myself I wouldn’t. But I had gained more in the end.
I brought up the item to eye level. “Item Check.”
==[Fire Dragon’s Scale Greaves (Rank 8)
All Dragons, including the Fire Dragon, molt seven times as they grow. Each time they molt, their older, weaker, light-colored scales slough off. These greaves were made from the sloughed scales of the Fire Dragon. Furthermore, Dragon scales are extremely rare, as Dragons tend to eat their scales.
Increase all Stats by 100 points
Increase STR by 300
Increase VIT by 300
Increase Penetration Resistance by 77 points
Decrease CRIT Damage taken by 115%
Decrease all Fire-type damage taken by 15%
50% chance to ignore Fire-type damage
Durability 780,000/780,000
DEF 1700, MDEF 3000]==
Just about all of my weapon and armor were at least Rank 8, excluding accessories and greaves. But with this, my entire equipment set was now Rank 8 or over.
Once I was finished checking the item, Jose spoke to me once more. “We will be holding a weeklong feast to celebrate our victory. We would like it if you would join us.”
“Ah, I must apologize, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it. Staying here for ten days has already put a dent in my schedule.” I rejected him right away. I was done here. But once I received the item and the two billion golden rings, someone made it obvious that they didn’t like that.
==[The Chest Containing Pedro’s Unfulfilled Desire for Revenge has lost another 30 points. The Chest now has -54 points.]==
While I had stayed over at the NCR Guild’s base for the past ten days while receiving the royal treatment, the Chest was losing two to three points each day. It had lost another thirty points when I received the NCR Guild’s payment. If I had agreed to join the feast, I would have lost another good chunk of points.
I didn’t really care about losing out on whatever item could be in the box. I doubted that there could be any item that would be better than what I already had, but I had received so much from Pedro. He pretty much gave me over 5000 extra Stat points and left me with a part of his skill. I was definitely going to pay him back and get the chest to +100 points. I said a short farewell to the NCR Guild’s officers and left Mexico.
—
The next day, back at my home…
“Hmm…now should be a good time, right?” I leisurely walked out of my house and headed for the side of the base that housed the embassies of my six allied factions. It didn’t really matter where I headed, but I decided to head to the Abu Dhabi embassy. It was simple; I had dealt with them more recently than the others, and they held me in higher regard.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Lee.”
“You may head inside. Everything has been prepared for you.”
I had already notified them of my plan and the guards outside the embassy waved me in. “Thanks. Keep up the good work,” I said as I patted them on the shoulders, and I headed to a small shed off to the side, not the embassy building.
“Ah, you’re here, Mr. Lee.” The door to the shed opened as soon as I got close, and a lone man poked his head out to greet me. It was Khamil, captain of the Abu Dhabi Guild’s 3rd assault team, as well as his guild’s district leader of this side of the globe.
“Hello, Khamil,” I said, shaking his hand and followed him inside. Khamil led me down a long staircase to a large basement room. It didn’t take them long to build this room once they received my request.
“No one will ever know whatever happens inside this room.”
“Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“And, as per your request, I’ve gathered five hundred of our soldiers over there,” Khamil said, pointing to a large group of soldiers standing to one side of the room.
“I know it’s a strange request, but thank you for doing this.”
“Hahaha. Don’t sweat it. I have relatives in the royal family as well, so that practically makes us family.”
“Is that right?” I said with a laugh.
Soon, Khamil drew back, leaving me alone in the middle of the room.
“Call.”
==[Call List
Sung Sooyeon (Mortal)
Jose Alejandro (Deva)
Cantana Alejandro (Deva)]==
“Cantana Alejandro.” I selected the man directly responsible for Pedro’s pain.
==[Summoning Cantana Alejandro.]==
Soon, Cantana Alejandro appeared before me, snoring away in his birthday suit. It was 8 PM here in Seoul, meaning it was five in the morning in Mexico. It was prime time for him to be sleeping, especially since the NCR Guild was well into its festivities by now.
I tapped Cantana’s side with my foot.
“Leave me alone…go away…”
“Hah! You’ve got some nerve.” No one talked to me like that; not even the Mad Butcher. I kicked him a little harder.
“Ah fuck! Who the fuck do you think you are? I’m going to kill you!” Cantana finally opened his eyes.
“Hello there.”
“Ahk!” Cantana’s furious face soon paled in horror when he looked up at me. “Lee…Lee Jiwon?”
“That’s right. How’ve you been?”
“Where…am I?”
“Seoul.”
“Seoul?”
“Yup.”
“Why…am I in Seoul…?”
“It’s simple. I’m going to imprison you here before I kill you. I’m going to seed fear and despair into your heart so that you will lose your Mad Butcher skill.” Everyone knew about his Mad Butcher skill. The idiot bragged about it so much that he even revealed his one weakness.
==[The Mad Butcher (1/1), (Passive)
Cantana Alejandro’s exclusive skill.
Kill and kill again! Make them all squirm and scream in pain! Their pain and suffering will grant you strength.
The Mad Butcher increases ATT and MATT by 10%.
If Butcher leaves pain:
Obtain a small amount of EXP
10% chance to obtain 1 bonus stat point
If Butcher leaves pain and despair:
Obtain a large amount of EXP
10% chance to obtain 2 bonus stat points
If the user feels pain and despair, the Mad Butcher skill will be removed along with all obtained EXP and Stat points.]==
The report on the NCR Guild I had received from the Sunbin Guild had a clear description of the Mad Butcher skill, and explained that Pedro’s family and many other mortals had fallen victim to this skill. I also did not like the fact that a skill like this even existed. I decided that not only was I going to take revenge for Pedro, I was also going to make sure to delete this skill from the system.
“I have to thank you for not keeping your skill a secret. Moron,” I said, as I kicked his face.
“Gah!” Cantana rolled backwards three times, his nose bleeding from both nostrils. “Lee Jiwon, you son of a bitch! You’re not going to get away with this!”
“Yes, I will. No one knows that I’ve brought you here.” I didn’t bring him here; I Summoned him, but I didn’t want him to know that, just in case.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be joining you soon,” I said with a grin as I looked straight into Cantana’s eyes. “Your father, that is.” I never really knew that I would be using Call this way when I first got it, but I was glad I had decided to register both Jose and Cantana when I first met them.
“Die! Hellfire!” From the detailed report I had received, I knew that Cantana was a Fire Mage, so I actually found it ironic that his father actually gave me a piece of equipment that would decrease the damage Cantana tried to deal to me or could negate his spells altogether.
I watched as the fireballs flew towards me. “Blink 2.” The fireballs exploded when they collided on the ground where I once stood.
“Fire Wall!” Cantana must have learned something about how I fought and quickly put up a wall of fire between me and him, but he also must have known that something like this could never stop me.
“Gah!” My spear went straight through the Fire Wall and stabbed Cantana in the chest. I did not activate any of my battle skills. I wanted him to suffer for as long as possible, that way he would lose his Mad Butcher skill.
“Fuck! Shackle my enemy! Manacles of Fire!” Four shackles made of fire homed in on me, but I did not move. I actually let my wrists and ankles get caught in the shackles instead.
There was a slight smoke and a short sizzling of flesh as my skin made contact with the shackles of fire, but that was it. I gave each shackle a slight yank and they broke without much resistance. I brought my left wrist up to my mouth and blew on it. “Your fire isn’t hot enough…I don’t think you can have a proper barbecue like that.”
“…” Cantana just stared at me with his mouth gaping open in shock.
I stabbed down at him with my spear.
“Gah!”
—
Three minutes later…
Cantana was lying on the floor, bleeding all over the place and panting heavily. Just about everything was going as I had expected, except for the part where Cantana’s eyes were still full of hate and anger. I had warned him that I wasn’t going to let him go until he lost his Mad Butcher skill, but from his eyes, I could tell that this was going to be a while. But that was why I had prepared something that all devas feared; imprisonment and regression.
I slowly walked over to Cantana. “Since you’ve done the same to others many times before, you know what to expect, right? Because I’ve prepared the same. I’m going to incarcerate you here,” I said as I gestured to the five hundred soldiers off to the side.
