25-152

EP.152 [Bloody Revenge.] 

"Enemies!! Enemies have appeared!!!!" 

A desperate scream rang out from outside the main tent of the White Wolf Mercenary Band. The shout that enemies had appeared quickly penetrated into the main tent. 

"What the fuck is this now!!! Who the hell dares to raid a mercenary band’s tent!!!" 

Kyle responded, thinking it was a gang of bandits or thieves common in the borderlands. Usually, such groups target civilians or solo adventurers. Already irritated from being beaten by the Red Fox Mercenary Band, Kyle’s face turned red as he barked out orders, thinking bandits were now piling on. 

"!!!!!!!" 

But as Kyle stormed out with his men to deal with the supposed bandits, his eyes went wide. 

"I thought you’d have run farther, but you didn’t get as far as I expected." 

Amid the corpses of slaughtered White Wolf mercenaries, the one standing in the center was none other than Eugene Schneider. 

The Red Fox Mercenary Band had enlisted the help of the Knight Order, but their ultimate purpose wasn’t just legal punishment. If someone goes after your life once, they’ll try again and again. That’s why the only way was to wipe out all the core members of the White Wolf Mercenary Band themselves-clean and certain. 

But you can’t do that inside Pangaea. Ever since the Knight Order took charge, mercenary-on-mercenary killings in the big city are strictly cracked down on. So the Red Fox Band bribed a Knight Order member who was in league with the White Wolf Band, timing it so the White Wolf Band would flee at night. Predicting they’d hole up in the borderlands, they chased them down. 

"Shit... shit... shit..." 

The moment Kyle saw Eugene holding a blood-soaked greatsword, he realized the Red Fox Band’s plan. They were fucked. Not just fucked-dead fucked. He froze in terror. 

-Fwoooosh!!! 

Suddenly, something sliced through the air. 

-Kaaaang!! 

It was aimed at Eugene Schneider, who perfectly blocked it with his greatsword. 

"Get it together, you bastard. You want to die here?" 

Ch-ch-ch-ch! 

It was a dagger thrown by Kyle’s brother, Kasim, the leader of the White Wolf Mercenary Band. Kasim took up a fighting stance next to the frozen Kyle. 

‘Those eyes.’ 

Seeing Kasim, Eugene’s eyes widened slightly. 

‘Red eyes… Could it be the Sophist’s elixir?’ 

Kasim’s eyes were dyed red. 

"Kill that bastard!!!!" 

-Urrrrrrr!! 

With the leader’s arrival, the White Wolf mercenaries, previously frozen in fear, reformed ranks and charged at Eugene. 

-Thud! -Thud! -Thud!! 

"-Grahh!" "-Ughh!" "-Aagh!!" 

But numbers and bravado were useless. Eugene had no reason to hide his Sword Expert abilities-tonight, he would kill every last White Wolf mercenary. His greatsword swung mercilessly, and with overwhelming power, Eugene Schneider began a nighttime massacre. 

"Fuuuuuck!!!" 

-Buaaaagh!! 

Pushed from behind by his underlings, Kyle, terrified, managed to throw a punch. 

"Not even close." 

-Swoosh!! 

"-Aaaaagh!!!" 

Even with a big difference in ability, it was barely a punch. But Eugene, a Sword Expert, instantly dodged with a mana step and cut off Kyle’s right hand. 

"So it’s true, then." 

-Slaaash!!! 

Kyle’s blood splattered through the air, and from the opposite direction, sword-user Kasim charged in using mana footwork. 

"The Sophist said there was a Sword Expert in the Red Fox Band!!" 

-Buaaaagh!! 

He brought his sword down toward the top of Eugene Schneider’s head. 

"Oh..." 

-Papapapap! 

Eugene spun half a turn, dodging Kasim’s attack. 

"So you really were involved with the Sophists?" 

-Vwoooom!! 

Then, in a situation where Kasim couldn’t easily dodge, Eugene swung his greatsword diagonally. 

-Kaaaang!!! 

Kasim blocked with his sword, but- 

C-crack-Kaaaang!!! 

Kasim’s blade, unable to withstand the Sword Expert’s aura, shattered. 

"Damn...!" 

Smirk... 

Kasim’s lips curled up in a resigned smile. 

-Buaaagh!! 

Eugene’s follow-up strike landed, cutting Kasim’s body. 

"Graaagh!" 

-Crash!!! 

But Eugene didn’t slice him in two-just enough to incapacitate him. Kasim collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain. 

Step, step, step. 

"Guh... cough! Kuhulgh!" 

Eugene slowly approached the bleeding Kasim. 

"How did you contact the Sophists? And how did you hear about me, Kasim?" 

-Chok!! 

Eugene pressed the tip of his greatsword to Kasim’s neck, demanding information-a signal that if he talked, he’d at least get a quick death; otherwise, he’d lose his limbs first. 

"Heh... the Sophists. They’re connected everywhere now. I even tried to join them myself." 

Kasim boasted, trying to maintain his mercenary pride even in his final moments. 

"Those red eyes-I hear the Sophist’s elixir does that? Can you really get it just by having a connection?" 

Eugene pressed for details about the elixir. 

"You really are suspicious, aren’t you. Damn... I should’ve listened more to those guys." 

Kasim, who had inside connections to the Sophists, had only learned about the goblin expedition after the fact. But when Eugene mentioned not just the Sophists but the elixir itself, Kasim realized Eugene was on a whole different level. 

"The elixir is incomplete. That’s why they need test subjects. For a sword-user like me, they’re happy to provide it." 

Deciding there was no point in boasting anymore, Kasim spilled what he knew. The Sophists are still developing the elixir and monitoring its effects on awakened individuals. Since Kasim knew the inside story, getting an unfinished elixir wasn’t hard if you had the right connections. 

"Okay. Then I’ll keep my promise." 

Chok...! 

Satisfied with the information, Eugene raised his greatsword. 

-Buaaagh!!! 

And brought it down, severing Kasim’s head. 

"People in the Pangaea mercenary district look at us completely differently now, don’t they?" 

A few days later, another meeting was held at the Red Fox Mercenary Band’s warehouse headquarters. 

With Jeanne still not arrived, medic Peter shared stories about how he was being treated in the mercenary district. 

"Of course. We’ve got the Plus, and everyone knows we completed the Alexandria quest. And word’s spreading that we secretly took out the White Wolf Band, too." 

Ivan, the Red Fox Band’s advisor, folded his arms and nodded. The Red Fox Band, with a hundred members, was now at the center of Pangaea’s mercenary world. But it wasn’t just hype-there was a sense of caution and respect. In other words, no one underestimated them anymore. 

There are systems and rules, but in the end, mercenary society is ruled by strength. News of the White Wolf Band’s annihilation in the borderlands quickly spread, and veteran mercenaries realized it was the Red Fox Band’s work. Their skill in wiping out a much larger band, along with their decisiveness and execution, meant the Pangaea mercenaries now viewed the Red Fox Band with respect and fear. 

"Honestly, I thought we’d have to bring more people. The captain’s planning is really something, huh?" 

Thomas said to Eugene, sticking out his tongue in amazement. 

Only three people were sent to take down the White Wolf Band: Eugene, Jeanne, and the elf Priscilla. If the whole Red Fox Band moved, it would have caused too much noise. 

"They never expected us to follow them, so they were totally unprepared. That’s why it went easier than I thought." 

Eugene deflected. In reality, he’d destroyed most of the White Wolf Band himself. Priscilla guarded the rear to catch any escapees, and Jeanne managed things by picking off additional units. 

‘But, the miasma didn’t flare up as much as I thought?’ 

Afterward, Eugene looked puzzled. 

The reason for sending only three was not just to minimize noise, but also to hide Eugene’s Sword Expert abilities and to prepare for the possibility of miasma flaring up. If it got bad, Jeanne and Eugene planned to have sex immediately. But even after slaughtering about 30 people, Eugene’s miasma barely rose. 

‘Maybe it takes more than just killing?’ 

He pondered this for days, but he and Jeanne couldn’t figure it out. 

"Ooh, already??" 

About 30 minutes later, Jeanne arrived at the Red Fox Band’s warehouse meeting room. After taking her seat and explaining why she was late and the reason for today’s meeting, Ivan, the band’s advisor, couldn’t hide his admiration. 

"Yes. We’ve received another quest request, Advisor." 

Another collaboration quest had come in. 

"Where is it this time, Captain? Another mercenary band? Or a noble knight order?" 

Hearing that another lucrative Plus collaboration quest had come in, secular priest Sophia’s eyes sparkled with interest. 

"Neither. This time, the ones requesting our collaboration are the Imperial Knights." 

Jeanne’s answer was explosive.