Trait Hoarder Novel Chapter 27: Dagger Gang (2)

Dagger Gang — Part 2

Thud!

A dull sound echoed as sothing struck my back.

The heavy impact rippled through my entire spine, but that was all.

There was no excruciating pain stabbing into my vertebrae, no searing agony scorching my nerves.

“What, wh-what the…?”

A gasp of surprise escaped from behind .

This was my chance.

Gripping the butt of my shotgun, I swung it with all my strength.

Like a baseball bat.

Whoomph! Thud!

A solid hit.

The shadowy figure, dressed in a black coat with a hood pulled low over his face, looking like so kind of ghost, took the blow from the shotgun and tumbled to the ground.

He wasn’t ordinary, though.

Even in that brief mont, he managed to launch himself backward, minimizing the damage.

But this wasn’t a bat—it was a gun.

Just as I raised my shotgun again to aim at him, the Dagger Gang boss’s eyes flashed, and his hand whipped out.

Whoosh!

A sharp gleam of light sliced through the air.

I reflexively thrust the barrel of my shotgun forward to block.

Thunk!

The dagger clashed against the barrel with a dull sound, bouncing off.

But the problem was that the force of the throw left a deep dent in the steel barrel.

Was this even possible?

No trait, no nothing.

He simply infused mana into the throw.

And yet, it was strong enough to damage a steel shotgun barrel?

“This guy’s insane.”

“Haha… running out of tricks, are we?”

The Dagger Gang boss pulled out another dagger.

This one was identical to the one that had bounced off, except that it had a green magic circle etched into its surface, rather than purple.

A magical dagger imbued with Poison.

Its attack power was average, but the poison debuff was extrely potent.

Used together with its twin, the Cursed dagger, the debuff combination alone could easily kill a superhuman.

I bit my lower lip.

There was no ti to pull out the rifle resting in my golf bag.

Instead, I drew the sword strapped to my waist.

Shing!

The clear ring of a blade being unsheathed.

But my posture was awkward.

I’d swung blunt weapons all my life, but I had never held a sword before.

The Dagger Gang boss threw his head back and laughed, his throat fully exposed.

“Puhahaha! You call that a sword? Why don’t you surrender now? I’ll show you rcy and only cut off one arm before I let you go.”

He was laughing, but his eyes were ice cold.

The killing intent oozing from him was palpable.

He was ready to pounce at the slightest opening.

Amid the rising tension, I silently swapped my traits.

[Mountain Breaking Sword Art], [Smash], [Chain Attack].

[Mana Core], [Strength], [Toughness].

‘I’ll finish this in one go.’

It would all co down to a single exchange.

The outco would decide life or death.

Neither of us moved. We just stared at each other, locked in place.

Sweat poured down my face.

The ringing in my ears grew louder, and the world seed to waver like water ripples.

Still, I endured it.

Through sheer, superhuman willpower, I held on.

In my original world, this would’ve been impossible.

But all the experiences I’d gained in this twisted world, all the crises I’d survived—they had forged , tempered

into soone who wouldn’t falter so easily.

Bang… bang…

Gunshots rang out in the distance.

Chhhk! Chhhk!

A faint crackling sound ca from the earpiece the Dagger Gang boss was wearing.

What did he hear?

His face twisted into a feral snarl, and a vicious gleam appeared in his eyes.

Every instinct in my body scread at .

Now!

The Dagger Gang boss had lost the battle of patience.

With a light tap, he pushed off the ground and charged at .

His speed was like that of an assassin.

But it was the wrong choice.

He thought I was still the sa gunner with a depleted mana shield, unable to defend myself.

But his assumption was completely off the mark.

Ten minutes ago, I might have been a gunman, but now I was a warrior.

I was no longer a marksman but a warrior, fully ard with swordsmanship, Smash, and Chain Attack.

“Hah!”

I, too, kicked off the ground.

I poured all my mana into the sword.

In my mind, I followed the path of the technique, as if guided by the solemn figure I had envisioned.

At the sa ti, I activated Smash and Chain Attack.

It was a reckless technique.

Brutal and crude, really.

In fact, calling it a technique or a skill at all was an embarrassnt—it was nothing more than a blunt, brute-force approach.

But its effectiveness was undeniable.

Smash granted overwhelming power, and Chain Attack allowed

to repeatedly unleash strikes using the Mountain Breaking Sword Art.

The simplest, most direct, yet devastatingly powerful move of the Mountain Breaking Sword Art: the First Form.

Mountain Shattering Slash.

A vertical slash ca crashing down, like a torrent of bullets from a machine gun!

“Hurk!”

It was an impossible strike for a beginner.

Even a Level 2 superhuman couldn’t pull off such a rapid series of strikes.

Only a Level 3, well-trained warrior or swordsman could execute such a ferocious assault.

The Dagger Gang boss’s face contorted in shock.

The terror in his eyes was clear.

His expression twisted with disbelief, the realization of his imminent death sinking in.

Then, like a wounded tiger, he let out a final roar and rushed headlong into the onslaught.

Under the barrage of slashes.

The Dagger Gang boss made his last stand.

With a wild swing of his hand, another dagger flew from his grasp, glowing green as it hurtled toward .

I wanted to deflect it, but I couldn’t.

I wasn’t skilled enough to wield my sword freely. All I could do was follow the predetermined path, like a puppet swinging my blade while Smash and Chain Attack executed their functions.

“Arrgh!”

“Gah!”

Our screams of pain overlapped.

The Dagger Gang boss’s neck, chest, and left arm were slashed, spraying blood everywhere.

It was obvious at a glance that they were fatal wounds.

His head dropped, unable to contain the fountain of blood.

I wasn’t unscathed either.

The dagger from his last desperate effort had embedded itself in my abdon.

My protective gear was tough enough to stop bullets, but a mana-infused dagger was a different story.

Especially a magical one.

“Damn it…”

But this was nothing compared to the real problem.

Mana exhaustion.

I was about to pass out.

My mana circuits felt like they were on fire, the veins tearing apart.

My limbs went weak, and I collapsed to the floor.

On top of that, I had been poisoned. My respiratory muscles were paralyzed, and I could feel my heart slowing down with every beat.

Normally, without healing potions, mana potions, and purification potions, this would be the end.

The wounds, mana depletion, and poisoning were all fatal.

But I had an ace up my sleeve.

[Mana Core], [Deep Breathing], [Mana Recovery].

[Wound Recovery], [Regeneration], [Vigor].

I switched all my traits to recovery-focused ones.

Instantly, my body began to stabilize, and a trickle of mana returned.

It still hurt, and I still felt weak, but it was manageable now.

“Hah… I survived.”

The battle was finally over.

Several strange sensations washed over .

Looking at the corpses littering the floor, I felt as if I could take down an entire army of gangsters on my own.

When I picked up the discarded shotgun, it felt as natural as if it were an extension of my own body.

Acquired traits: [Intimidation], [Firearm Mastery].

Intimidation had a chance of causing weaker enemies to flee in fear.

And Firearm Mastery was useful in close-range gunfights.

Both were excellent traits.

Especially for wiping out gang mbers like today.

“Huff… huff…”

I leaned against a pillar, catching my breath.

I wanted to rest here, but there wasn’t any ti.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

[Boss! Aaaargh! Boss! Where are you?!]

[No! Jeondong’s dead!]

[Hiiiieeeek!]

[The Iron Fist Gang is swarming in!]

[Help us! Guhhh!]

The gunfire was getting closer.

I picked up the earpiece from the dead Dagger Gang boss. Screams and groans echoed from it.

It seed they had heeded my warning and launched their assault.

“Damn.”

I switched out the shotgun for my rifle, using it as a makeshift cane to help

stand.

I had to finish up before the Iron Fist Gang arrived.

First, I looted the Dagger Gang boss’s body.

Two daggers and his black coat.

And then his right index finger and left eyeball.

“Ugh… that’s disgusting.”

I never thought I’d find myself doing sothing straight out of a horror movie.

Stumbling to the fifth floor, I climbed like a cripple.

In the ga, during Kim Chulkwon’s second and final personal quest, the Dagger Gang kidnaps Kim Chulkwon’s younger brother and holds him hostage.

The kidnapped brother is locked up in a secret room hidden in the main office on the fifth floor.

I really hoped things would play out the sa here…

“There it is.”

I scanned the large bookshelf in the corner of the office.

It was filled with pristine, leather-bound books that looked like they’d never been read—a suspicious display for a cri lord’s lair.

In the ga, you used the Dagger Gang boss’s finger and eyeball on the bookshelf to unlock the secret room. I hoped reality wasn’t too different.

After searching for a while, I found a spot that was unnaturally shiny compared to the rest.

Whirr.

When I placed the boss’s severed finger on it, part of the bookshelf slid open to reveal a biotric scanner.

I pressed the eyeball against the scanner, and the system beeped.

Click.

With a chanical sound, the locking chanism disengaged, and the bookshelf rotated, revealing the hidden room behind it.

Inside was a small, cramped space, no more than five pyeong in size.

A middle-aged man was tied up, gagged, and struggling desperately.

“Mmpph! Mmmph!”

When he saw , he started flailing wildly, his eyes wide with panic.

The man was Manager Choi Sunsoo.

I sighed and walked over to untie him.

“How did you get caught like this?”

“That, well… it’s a long story…”

He mumbled, his voice shaky as he glanced up at .

I could understand why he was so confused.

To him, I was just a low-level superhuman, barely past Level 1. Even if the Dagger Gang was a small-ti gang, it should’ve been impossible for soone at my level to wipe them out.

Killing a whole gang on my own would’ve required a Level 3 superhuman, fully ard to the teeth, according to the logic of this world.

“Let’s go. No ti for explanations.”

I gestured toward the door.

“Y-Yes, let’s go.”

Manager Choi stamred as he tried to stand, but his legs buckled beneath him.

His legs were trembling uncontrollably, covered in bruises and burn marks.

The wounds looked horrible—blistered, blackened skin from where the Dagger Gang had tortured him with fire. It wasn’t just a few knife stabs; they had literally branded him.

“I-I’m sorry. Give

a mont…”

“It’s fine. Get on my back.”

“What? No, no, I couldn’t possibly burden you, sir! I can’t ask a superhuman to carry !”

“Don’t worry about it. We need to get out of here first.”

Manager Choi hesitated but finally nodded. He seed to realize there was no ti to argue. He awkwardly climbed onto my back, and I adjusted his weight before heading toward the exit.

To be honest, Manager Choi had surprised .

I hadn’t expected him to stay loyal.

From what I knew of him, I figured the mont they started torturing him, he would have spilled everything about . Hell, he probably would’ve confessed just at the sight of a heated dagger.

But despite the brutal torture, he had found a way to send

a warning ssage rather than sell

out.

Of course, I had to help him in return.

‘I wish I had so healing potions.’

I eyed the direction where the Dagger Gang’s secret vault would be hidden.

Unfortunately, that vault wouldn’t open for .

It had both electronic and magical locks that required hacking and magic traits to bypass. In the ga, you’d need either Kim Chulkwon or a mage character to unlock it, and I had neither of those with .

‘Guess that loot’s all yours, Kim Chulkwon.’

I thought of Kim Chulkwon, the leader of the Iron Fist Gang. He’d probably be ecstatic once he got his hands on the cash, properties, and Dagger Gang’s business ledgers stored in that vault.

But I didn’t care about any of that.

Carrying Manager Choi on my back, I left the Dagger Gang’s hideout.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Gunfire and explosions sounded nearby.

I carefully avoided the chaos and made my way back to Choi’s Top Labor Office.

The building was dark.

I activated Focus and Sensitivity to check for any signs of life inside but found nothing.

“Cough, cough… ugh.”

Manager Choi, still on my back, absentmindedly touched the side of his steel cheek.

It looked like he had more than just a prosthetic.

Reflected in the glass windows, his cybernetic eye—which I had assud to be real—flashed with green characters, scrolling rapidly.

“We’re clear. No one’s inside.”

“There were people here earlier, though.”

“Haha. After their base was raided, do you really think they’d stick around? They’ve probably fled or gone into hiding. Serves them right, those bastards! I never should have trusted that damn Lee Juhee.”

Manager Choi laughed bitterly, then started crying.

“Lee Juhee?”

“Yes, that woman who worked the counter. Damn her, damn that conniving witch… I gave her everything.”

It seed like their relationship had been more than professional.

I wasn’t one to pry into soone’s personal affairs, but considering the situation, I couldn’t resist making a comnt.

“You trusted soone in this hellhole of a world? That’s on you.”

“Heh, you’re right, sir. How foolish of . I must’ve gotten soft, trusting soone in this miserable world… trusting a person. I was an idiot.”

Manager Choi wiped his tears and composed himself quickly, despite the emotional breakdown.

We entered the labor office, locking all the security asures behind us.

After activating the hidden safe room that even his girlfriend hadn’t known about, we sat down together.

Manager Choi took out so healing potions from a secret stash in his vault, spraying the liquid over his wounds and drinking what remained.

Then he handed

a new set of potions—healing potions, mana potions, and even a lower-grade holy water.

“Here, sir. Drink these.”

I gulped down the three potions in order.

A warm sensation spread through my body, my mana circuits refilled, and a refreshing feeling rose from my stomach.

At the sa ti, the poison that had been slowly killing

was neutralized, and I gained a new trait as if it were a gift.

[Poison Resistance].

It had been a tough ordeal, but the rewards were plentiful.

I felt like I’d hit the jackpot today.

“However… sir…”

Manager Choi, now fully recovered, spoke up cautiously as he eyed .

“Did you drink the Nectar?”

Ah.

I had forgotten to switch off Black Fla.

It was inevitable, though.

I hadn’t even had a free trait slot for Black Fla earlier, as I’d needed every slot for recovery traits just to survive the triple threat of injury, mana depletion, and poisoning.

“Yes.”

It was too late to lie, so I slowly nodded.

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to save you, Manager.”

Manager Choi’s face contorted in horror.

“I—I can’t believe it! You… you used that precious Nectar because of ?”

Well, it wasn’t really because of him, but I let him believe that.

I lowered my voice and spoke solemnly.

“Let’s keep this a secret. In fact, I never obtained the Nectar in the first place. Understand?”

“But sir, the Divine Fever will give you away soon enough.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

I smirked and switched my traits again.

This ti, I swapped in Black Fla.

Dark flas flickered to life from my fingertips, eyebrows, spine, and knees. The flas danced around

like will-o’-the-wisps, swirling ominously, much like the fever that followed after drinking Nectar.

Manager Choi stared at

and the black flas, utterly dumbfounded.

“Black Fla…”

“How does it look? Think it’ll pass for a while?”

I knew I couldn’t hide it forever, but it would buy

a month or two.

Manager Choi nodded like a broken puppet, his head bobbing up and down frantically.

“Yes! Of course, sir! That should work perfectly!”

“I trust you’ll keep this secret.”

“Of course! You saved my life, sir! I’d be the scum of the earth to betray you now. Even if it costs

my life, I will keep this secret.”

“I’ll trust you on that.”

Though, in reality, I didn’t fully trust anyone.

I had already said it—people, humans, aren’t to be trusted.

Still, I was curious.

Why had Manager Choi kept his loyalty to ? He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would.

“Manager Choi, can I ask you sothing?”

“Of course, sir. Anything.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way.”

I paused for a mont before continuing.

“I was surprised when I got your ssage.”

Manager Choi imdiately understood what I ant.

“You were surprised I didn’t betray you?”

“Yes. Honestly, my first impression of you wasn’t the best.”

“I’ll admit, I’m not the most trustworthy person. I’m just a guy scraping by at the bottom of society, living off workers’ wages. Who would trust soone like ? But sir, I’m no fool.”

Manager Choi’s eyes glead with determination.

He looked

straight in the eye, his voice serious.

“Would I have survived if I had handed you over to the Dagger Gang?”

“No, you wouldn’t have.”

“Exactly. They would’ve killed

the mont they got what they wanted. That’s why I bet on you, sir. You’re the superhuman who healed Seo Woojin. You’re no ordinary person. Betting on you was my only option.”

I stared at Manager Choi in stunned silence.

Had he really calculated all of that while being tortured?

“Uh?”

Before I could respond, Manager Choi flinched.

He touched his cybernetic cheek and quickly turned on the CCTV monitor.

The screen flickered to life, showing several heavily ard n approaching the labor office.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One of them was pounding on the steel-reinforced door.

“Sir, what… what do we do?”

All the bravado Manager Choi had just shown vanished as he started trembling again.

anwhile, I remained calm.

Standing at the door, hands behind his back, was a man I imdiately recognized.

–TL Notes–

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support

or give

feedback, you can do it at /InsanityTheGa

Join my Discord! .gg/BWaP3AHHpt