Something stank.
It felt like the reason Heavenly Martial Castle was creaking started from the Strategist.
I couldn’t lock it in yet, but I had this feeling the Strategist was trying to weaken Heavenly Martial Castle.
I just hoped my instincts were wrong.
He was someone who built Heavenly Martial Castle together with Grandfather—if that man was a traitor to Heavenly Martial Castle, how disappointed and heartbroken would Grandfather be?
If the Strategist betrayed Grandfather and hurt him, I wouldn’t forgive him.
“Besides the Cloud Ladders in Room Seven, you have a list of the other Cloud Ladders, right?”
“Yes. I do.”
“How many?”
“There are more than thirty Cloud Ladders staying in Rank Seven right now.”
That’s a lot.
“Whenever I tell you, you can move me to the room those bastards are in, right?”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
SMACK—.
When I clapped, the scenery rippled, then cracks spread through it before it shattered.
CRACK—!
The scenery splintered into pieces and scattered, and what appeared was my office.
I hadn’t gone anywhere.
I’d just been standing right there.
“Do your job right.”
As I turned to leave, the Ascension Officer asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
“You’re just leaving like this?”
“What about it?”
“You’re not going to tell me not to talk about what happened today, or something like that?”
“Why? I’m stronger than you. Is that a problem? Is a trainee not allowed to be stronger than an Ascension Officer?”
“That’s not it, it’s just...”
“Go ahead. If you tell anyone, you’re the only one who gets humiliated. An Ascension Officer who got crushed by a trainee.”
That was true.
“If you’re that bitter, bring stronger colleagues. I’ll welcome it anytime.”
“N-no.”
“No? That’s a great idea. Perfect. There have to be other guys like you—taking money and making problems go away. Bring all of them.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve got a pretext. Say there’s someone who won’t listen, but he’s strong so you can’t handle it—ask for help. How about it?”
“Th-that...”
“Or spread a rumor. Say there’s a vicious bastard in Rank Seven and you can’t control him. How about it?”
I was pushing it even further.
And vicious bastard...
That really was a perfect nickname.
“What are you going to do if they really all gather?”
“That’s what I want. If they all gather, even better. Then I can handle everyone at once without running around.”
The way I smiled made him shudder.
“Oh, right. Not rotten ones like you. Are there Ascension Officers who aren’t like that?”
His expression twisted.
Calling him rotten to his face made him angry.
SMACK—.
In the next instant, impact exploded across his cheek.
“What. You mad?”
The icy look in my eyes erased his anger in an instant.
“N-no.”
Face throbbing, Tak Yeong bowed his head fast.
“I’m not keeping you alive because you’re cute. Got it?”
“Yes!”
My voice didn’t carry even a hint of emotion, and goosebumps crawled all over his body.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“...Huh? Ah—y-yes. There are.”
“They’re not being treated well, are they. Right?”
“Th-that’s right. They all got pushed into positions people avoid.”
“That can’t be allowed. They’re the real people of Heavenly Martial Castle.”
I looked at him coldly and spoke.
“Gather the Rank Seven ones who are the same as you into one place. And tell me where the decent ones are, and what they’re doing.”
“O-okay. Understood.”
“Do it right. This is the one chance I’m giving you.”
“Yes! I—I’ll do it right.”
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“My name is Tak Yeong.”
Tak Yeong flinched when I raised my hand.
I snorted, patted his shoulder, and walked out.
The moment I left, Tak Yeong let out the breath he’d been holding and collapsed to the floor.
In his entire life, he’d never been this scared.
Should he run far away?
The moment that thought formed, a voice sounded inside his head.
A chill ripped down his spine.
What was this?
Why was there a voice in his head?
“Yes! I—I understand!”
He answered without even realizing it.
An answer came back.
Tak Yeong stared blankly at the floor, then slowly stood.
If he wanted to live, he had things he needed to do.
If he said there was something to discuss in private, they’d come running.
Without realizing there was a devil waiting there.
Sorry, but I need to live first.
*****
“Pathetic.”
“Too embarrassing to even tell anyone.”
When Tak Yeong asked his fellow Ascension Officers for help, they mocked him.
“Not somewhere else—Rank Seven? You got handled by a Rank Seven trainee and now you’re asking us for help?”
Tak Yeong snapped.
“I’m telling you, he’s insanely strong! Go experience it yourselves! Do you think I’d be doing this if I had a choice?!”
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Fine. We get it.”
“Is he really that strong?”
“Seriously! You know my skill. I got wrecked before I could even think! Sure, I let my guard down, but still.”
“Pffft! Let your guard down, my ass. That’s just your real skill.”
“Go face him yourself before you talk. He’s the real deal.”
The Ascension Officers there grew interested.
“That bad?”
“Yeah. Go get handled yourselves and see if you can still laugh.”
“Tsk, tsk. A trainee can’t be allowed to mouth off to an Ascension Officer. You can’t keep discipline like that.”
“Sounds like some thickheaded bastard got in. We should go educate him properly.”
“Where is he right now?”
“Room Seven.”
“What? Room Seven has the Cloud Ladders.”
“What if he clashes with them and the Cloud Ladders get hurt?!”
“I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t do it, he looked like he was going to kill me. That’s why I’m asking you for help! We have to stop him before he causes an incident.”
“Damn it! You should’ve said that first.”
“Let’s go. Catch that thickheaded bastard.”
Tak Yeong stepped forward.
“I’ll lure him out to the waterfall on the outskirts.”
“Fine. We’ll wait there.”
*****
The outer waterfall.
The Ascension Officers gathered there with murderous expressions.
“When’s he coming?”
“What, did he get caught again and he’s getting beaten right now?”
“Pathetic piece of shit. He’s disgracing the Ascension Officers.”
“How does it make sense to seat a moron like that at the same level as us?”
“We should tell the higher-ups to replace him. This is humiliating.”
Everyone was full of complaints about Tak Yeong.
“Quiet. He’s still our colleague. Let’s just wrap the job up.”
At the one who looked like the leader, everyone nodded.
“Huh? That’s Tak Yeong.”
“Yeah. Is that the guy next to him?”
“He looks scrawnier than I expected.”
“You’re saying Tak Yeong got handled by that?”
“This is disappointing. I thought he’d at least look like someone with some bite.”
“We’ll know when we meet him.”
The instant Tak Yeong arrived, he slipped behind the trainee he’d brought.
The Ascension Officers stared at him like they couldn’t believe it.
“What the hell? Did you just hide behind the trainee instead of behind us?”
“This is unbelievable. The more we see, the more you disgrace us.”
“After we finish educating the trainee, you’re getting educated too.”
They were furious at Tak Yeong’s ridiculous behavior.
And then the trainee walked forward.
Me.
I raised my hand and asked,
“Alright. Among you, anyone who’s never taken dirty money from the Cloud Ladders—hand up.”
At my words, they just stared at me, blank.
“No one? So you all took money?”
“What the fuck is this bastard babbling about?”
“Do you not understand? I think I said it as simply and concisely as possible. I’ll say it again. If you’ve never taken dirty money from the Cloud Ladders, raise your hand.”
No one moved.
“So you all took it.”
“You crazy bastard! What the hell are you saying?!”
The Ascension Officer in front charged at me with a terrifying rush.
SWISH—.
The dagger in his hand grazed past my face by a hair.
CRUNCH—.
“GUHK—!”
My fist was already buried in his abdomen.
THUD—.
I kicked his face while he clutched his stomach and writhed.
WHAM—!
SKRRRRAAAPE—!
SPLASH—!
He tumbled across the ground for a long distance and fell into the stream beneath the waterfall.
Another Ascension Officer sprinted over and yanked him out.
“He’s out.”
“He’s not normal!”
“Everyone rush him!”
They all charged at me at once.
For a split second, it felt like my body split into multiple afterimages—
CRRK—! WHAM—! BOOM—!
Every Ascension Officer who rushed me went sprawling across the ground.
“KUHK!”
“UGH!”
Groans of pain rose from all directions.
Gritting through it, they glared at me with savage faces.
“It’s not your job to drop trainees who train hard and promote rich bastards, is it? Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Shut up!”
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”
SHING—!
One of them drew a weapon, and the others followed suit, drawing theirs.
Seeing that, I snorted.
“What. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Feeling guilty?”
The moment I laughed at them, they snapped and surged in all at once.
“You fucking bastard! You dare laugh at us?”
“I’ll kill you!”
Eyes bloodshot, they sprayed killing intent as they charged.
“People who should be protecting and leading trainees are charging in to kill a trainee instead.”
WHOOSH—.
SWISH—.
WHUFF— WHOOOSH—.
Their weapons missed me by hairsbreadths.
I dodged and considered it.
Put them to sleep in one hit?
Or start right now?
Why drag it out.
Start right now.
Once I settled it, my fist shot out toward the Ascension Officers rushing me like moths into flame.
WHAMWHAMWHAM—!
“KUHK!”
“KEHUK!”
They fell, gasping, crushed by my punches.
But they endured the pain and charged again.
“Hoh.”
Unexpected.
Usually, at this level of pain, people realize something’s wrong and hesitate—or try to assess the situation.
Not these bastards.
They endured and came again.
Was rage dulling the pain?
“We can’t lose to some trainee bastard!”
“This kind of pain—I can endure as much as I want!”
They had more grit than I expected.
I snorted.
“You’re not completely rotten.”
I liked that.
Which was exactly why I was going to educate them properly.
So they could never rot again.
CRUNCH—.
“GUHK—!”
My fist drove deep into the abdomen of an Ascension Officer charging in with his sword.
THUD—.
“KUHK—! KUHK—!”
He couldn’t breathe, just kept trying to suck air.
I kicked his face and sent him flying, and the Ascension Officers who’d been charging jerked back in panic.
When they pulled back, openings formed.
And that meant they became my prey.
CRRK—! WHAM—! CRUNCH—!
A heavier, deeper impact than before—Ascension Officers dropping in all directions.
They tried to grit through the pain and stand again—
“KUHK!”
“UGH!”
They couldn’t.
This wasn’t pain you could endure.
Only then did their minds start coming back.
They looked at me and understood.
I wasn’t someone they could beat.
“Y-you are not someone we can defeat. Your strength is at least three ranks above. We will promote you to Rank Three.”
“So let’s stop here.”