Chapter 71: The Intruder (3)
“Guh…” Shadow Walker groaned in pain.
His ribs felt like they had cracked, and his internal organs were in turmoil, sending waves of agony through his body.
How… How is The Dark Empress here?
He imdiately recognized who had struck him. How could he not? She was the pinnacle of assassin-type rankers, just like himself.
“…Gi Soyul?”
That made it even harder to comprehend. She had always been distant, never involved in others’ conflicts, solely focused on her growth—the ultimate role model for all assassins.
Why is she here at so little workshop run by a B-rank hunter?
Shadow Walker shook his head slowly, unable to believe the situation.
Did sothing happen recently?
Since becoming a rcenary for the Ohsung Group, he had been busy wasting his ti in debauchery, utterly unaware of any recent news.
“Disappointing, Shadow Walker. I thought you were a decent hunter but never expected you would stoop to such dirty work.”
—Step, step.
Gi Soyul approached him slowly, her dagger darkly gleaming as she walked. Each step seed casual, but not a single opening could be seen in her movents.
“Ugh…”
Enduring the pain, Shadow Walker gripped his sword and forced himself to stand. He had no choice. If he didn’t, she would indeed pierce his heart instantly.
“Gi Soyul… how are you here…?” he managed to say.
“What do you an? Isn’t it natural for to be here? I’m part of Demir’s Workshop now.”
“What?”
That was absurd. When did Gi Soyul beco associated with Demir’s Workshop?
“Since when? Weren’t you always with Parang?”
Confusion clouded his thoughts. A ranker in the 300s could go anywhere and be welcod with open arms. Why would soone like her possibly be in a tiny, barely profitable workshop like this?
“…”
—Spit.
Shadow Walker spat on the ground, staining it with blood.
Damn that brat, Shin Jongoh.
Of course, now it made sense. No wonder Shin Jongoh had thrown out such an outrageous sum of 30 billion won.
Regret washed over him like a tidal wave. If he had known Gi Soyul was involved, he wouldn’t have co for any price, let alone 30 billion. His life was more valuable than money.
—Sshk.
Gi Soyul didn’t bother answering his question. She simply adjusted her stance, raising her dark blade ever so slightly.
“W-Wait!” Shadow Walker raised his hand hurriedly.
“What is it?” Gi Soyul responded coldly.
“I’ve made a mistake. This is all just a misunderstanding. Can’t we talk this out?”
“A misunderstanding, you say…” Gi Soyul smirked. “Do you usually point a blade at soone during misunderstandings?”
“Th-That’s because of Shin Jongoh, that bastard…!”
“Don’t make excuses. You were about to take a life, and that alone is reason enough for you to die.”
Her voice dripped with icy finality. A suffocating aura of murderous intent swirled around her.
This is…
—Gulp.
Shadow Walker swallowed hard. For so reason, the Dark Empress seed genuinely furious. It was like he had angered a mighty dragon, sothing no one could stop.
It seems there’s no choice.
There was no other option now. He had to fight. She might be strong, but he was still a ranker!
—Whoosh!
Shadow Walker lowered his stance and slipped into the shadows around him. In an instant, dark energy surged toward Gi Soyul from multiple directions—her flanks and her rear. It was a perfect ambush, executed with all the speed he could muster.
“…”
But Gi Soyul didn’t react. She neither flinched nor attempted to dodge. She simply flicked her wrist, waving her dagger twice. It was a clean execution, devoid of any wasteful movent.
—Shik! Slash!
The sound of sothing sharp slicing through the air echoed in the space.
“Guh! Urgh!”
The clone ant to attack Gi Soyul from the side vanished, while Shadow Walker, the real one, clutched his shoulder, blood dripping down.
He had twisted his body at the last second, or else it wouldn’t have been his shoulder that got cut—it would have been his throat.
—Tremble.
His body shook uncontrollably.
This is just… There’s no way I can match her.
He realized the overwhelming difference in their skill in just a single exchange. Gi Soyul was ranked 379th worldwide, while he was ranked 720th. He’d considered it a difference of only 341 ranks, but that was not the case.
An assassin is this strong without even relying on shadows?
The gap between them felt insurmountable, like trying to crack a boulder with an egg.
Suddenly…
—Whoosh!
Gi Soyul disappeared.
“H-Huh?”
Shadow Walker quickly whipped his head around in panic.
Where? Right? Left? Behind? Above?
But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t see her.
—Stab!
At that mont, the sound of sothing slicing through him echoed in his eardrums. Simultaneously, he felt a heavy pain in the left side of his chest.
“Wh-What…?”
In a daze, Shadow Walker looked down at his heart.
“When… When did this happen?”
A dagger was stabbed deep into his chest, and standing before him was Gi Soyul. Her cold, detached gaze locked onto him. Her movents had been ghostly, untraceable.
At the sa ti, trendous pain surged through his body.
“Gahhh!”
Agonizing pain flooded his senses. He tried to swing his sword to knock her away, but…
—Stab! Stab!
She swiftly pulled out the dagger, stepped back, and once again stabbed it into his heart. The ti it took for the dagger to be withdrawn and reinserted wasn’t even a second.
“Don’t feel too wronged. You’re just getting back what you tried to do to soone else,” she whispered coldly.
“U-Ugh…”
He could no longer speak. Blood gurgled up in his throat, and all the strength drained from his body. It felt like so dark power within the dagger had pierced his heart and shattered it completely.
—Thud.
His body collapsed to the ground, blood trailing from his lips as his eyes slowly closed.
Thus ended a ranker’s life.
The global rankings were about to shift once again.
Shadow Walker was dead. The fearso ranker had drawn his last breath.
And it had only taken three strikes.
“My lord…” Sunny murmured. “I’m sorry. We let you get into danger because we couldn’t handle soone like that…”
“I need to train harder too. My body still can’t fully keep up with what I want it to do.” Eldrin added, sharing in the guilt.
Their voices carried a clear sense of regret.
“…”
It wasn’t their fault. The issue was that I was still B-rank. Because I wasn’t a ranker yet, their growth also had its limits.
They must have felt frustrated too. They would have easily been stronger than Gi Soyul if they were at their full strength.
You guys did great.
We held off a ranker for this long thanks to their experience and battle-hardened skills, allowing them to hold him off with minimal force.
“Donghoon.”
Gi Soyul approached after carefully wiping off her dagger with a disposable cloth. There was sothing… different about her. Maybe it was because of the recent battle, but she seed unusually angered, her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped her weapon.
“…Are you alright? You would’ve been in great danger if I’d co a second later.”
“Thanks to you, Dark Empress, I’m fine. Thank you for saving .” I bowed my head in genuine gratitude.
Once again, I owed her my life.
That dagger was well worth it.
A satisfied smile crept onto my face.
Treat your benefactors with the highest respect.
This was the creed I had set for myself, and this mont was proof of its value.
When my blacksmithing skills reach their peak, I’d make her an even better weapon. VIPs of Demir’s Workshop would always remain VIPs. That’s how you elevated a brand’s worth.
“By the way, what was that about earlier? You said you left Parang?”
—Flinch!
When I asked, she visibly tensed.
Huh?
What was that about?
Co to think of it, I’d also heard her say sothing about being part of Demir’s Workshop.
“Well, uh… About that. Actually…”
As she hesitated, Kim Jinah ca down from the third floor, now looking calm and composed after the earlier chaos.
“Dark Empress, I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for your help.”
“No, it’s nothing… But, uh, who are you…?” Gi Soyul scratched her cheek awkwardly, tilting her head in confusion.
For the record, this was the first ti she and Kim Jinah were eting.
“Ahaha, I’m Kim Jinah. I’ve recently taken the role of vice master of this workshop.”
“Kim Jinah…? Wait, are you the Kim Jinah from the Hunter Bank?”
“You’ve heard of ?”
“My brother’s ntioned you before. He always said you were soone Parang desperately wanted to recruit… But how did you end up here?”
“It just so happened to be. It’s a great honor that Parang evaluated that highly.”
Kim Jinah smiled gently as if she knew her worth well. Her confidence was evident as if it was a matter of fact.
Soon, Gi Soyul turned to look at again. “I’ll be honest… I anticipated this sort of thing happening after announcing the S-rank weapon. It just took a little longer than expected to sort everything out.”
“I see.”
“Donghoon.”
“Yes?”
“You’re a hunter who has received the recomndation of the Five Stars of Seoul. I have an obligation to protect you.”
“…”
“Frankly, Donghoon, you’re still weak. Not as a person, but rather there’s hidden potential within you that needs to grow. And for that to bloom, you need protection. The world is a tough place.”
I understood perfectly what she was saying. She wanted to join Demir’s Workshop. That was why she had left Parang to co here. It was a sentint I was deeply grateful for.
But…
The old man had told once:
“That girl who once challenged … How long do you plan on keeping her by your side?
“You’ve got soone too strong watching over you.”
I couldn’t beco stronger by just hiding behind soone else. No matter how harsh the world might be, I had to face it head-on and fight.
“…Oh my gosh. Shop Master? What need is there to even think about?” Kim Jinah cut in, seeing lost in thought. “You should be celebrating! The Dark Empress herself is offering to join! Do you even know who she is? She’s ranked 379th in the world! 379th!”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Oh my goodness.” Kim Jinah shook her head in disbelief before smiling brightly at Gi soyul. “Teehee, Dark Empress!”
“Y-Yes?” Gi soyul seed slightly taken aback.
“If you’re joining us, we’ll welco you with open arms! Co on in! Any hiring issues can be discussed with , the vice shop master!”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course! Our shop master here tends to overthink things! Co right on up to the third floor. Let’s have a chat in the consultation room! Would you like so coffee? A sweet latte? Or maybe an iced Aricano?”
Hmm.
Kim Jinah shot a sharp look as I hesitated.
Stay quiet. If you don’t want to accept the blessings that fall into your lap, at least don’t kick them away, her eyes seed to say.
True…
It wouldn’t hurt. The old man’s words were out of his desire for to grow stronger. But in reality, Gi Soyul’s presence was necessary. Especially in situations like the one I’d just faced—situations beyond my control. Her involvent would undoubtedly be a huge benefit to the growth of the workshop as well.
Most importantly, my heart wanted to accept her presence. As I embraced this realization, a smile crept onto my face.
Honestly, when have I ever fully obeyed the old man?
I turned my gaze forward once again.
Gi Soyul was still quietly watching , waiting for my response rather than Kim Jinah’s chatter. She wanted to hear it from .
Alright then.
“Dark Empress.”
“Yes?”
One of my strengths was making decisions quickly.
“Thank you for coming. I look forward to working with you.”
And so, Demir’s Workshop gained its first ranked hunter.
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