Everyone looked at me. There were dozens of them.
One of them raised his mug and shouted,"Who’s this handsome guy?"
The man beside me laughed."He’s a little friend we brought to drink with us tonight."
Then he shoved me forward toward one of the tables and forced me to sit down."Sit here and drink with us."
He pointed at someone else."Bring a special cup for the guest."
A large mug of beer was placed in front of me as the men around me began shouting,"Come on, drink it all!"
Just by looking at the cup and their insistence, it was obvious they had put something in it.
One of them grabbed my hand and forced it onto the handle of the mug."Drink it, or I’ll start cutting off your fingers."
I pretended to be scared, lifted the mug, and poured it all down my throat before swallowing.There was a strange taste mixed in with the drink.
I looked around at them as they waited for something to happen...But as time passed, disappointment spread across their faces.
One of them asked the man who brought the drink,"Are you sure you put the drug in it? Shouldn’t he be screaming by now?"
So that was what was in the cup...I was awakened, and on top of that, my unique body wouldn’t be affected by things like this.
"Bring him another one and double the dose this time."
Moments later, another mug was placed in front of me.I looked at it and picked it up. The men urged me to drink it quickly, but I didn’t.
I looked at one of them and asked,"Can I say something before I drink it?"
Many of them smiled and laughed."Hahaha... what a fun kid."
"...Where did you even find him?"
"Look at him, trying to act calm."
I listened to their mocking comments quietly.
In the end, I stood up on my own and began walking toward the bar, the mug still in my hand.
"Leave him... let’s see what he wants to do."
"Maybe he’ll strip and start dancing for us."
The criminals laughed as I reached the bar.
I raised the mug and took a sip before speaking."You might not know this, but this is my second life..."
Silence filled the place for a moment, before everyone burst out laughing again.
I wasn’t bothered."I lived a miserable life... but that’s not the point."
I took another sip."In that life, I despised criminals and hated them deeply... targeting the weak and bowing to the strong... that cowardly behavior is what made me truly hate them."
They laughed and mocked me."Hey, are you a clown or something?"
I continued,"In the end, I died at the hands of a criminal I reported to a corrupt police department... it ended with a knife buried in my heart."
The core within me stirred as I activated my ability.
My perception flooded the entire building, even the neighboring ones.
I felt every living soul here, and those on the upper floors.
Three rank-2s.Seven rank-1s.And twenty-one ordinary people.
"And even in this life, I still hate people like you... maybe even more."
I drank the last drop and raised the empty mug high as their laughter echoed through the building."But you know... this life is a little different."
"Hey, be careful you don’t piss your pants over there."
"This time, I have the power to carry out judgment myself."
I let the mug fall.The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly.
"And I have judged all of you..."
"To death."
I gave them no time to react.
I released my killing intent without the slightest hesitation, and at the same time pulled the swords from my ring, gripping them in my hands.
Time slowed around me...This always happened when I entered combat mode.
It was like flipping a switch in my head and becoming something else.
I looked at their faces—Shock. Disbelief. Fear.
This wasn’t like the exam where I had to hold back.Nor like escaping the lab while racing against time.
I stepped forward toward the closest man.
My sword moved with extreme precision, honed through a hundred battles.In the next instant, something hit the ground and blood sprayed through the air.
The man’s body was cut in half, his legs severed from the rest of him.Somehow, he was still alive... but not for long.
Blood poured out endlessly.
I turned to another man.Both swords moved together, severing his arms from his body.
Screams.
At last, they began to understand the situation they were in.They drew their swords and weapons.
By then, I was already on the third man.My blade split his skull in half.I saw his gray brain spill out and slap against the floor with a sickening sound.
At the same time, my other sword pierced someone’s chest.With a simple motion, I dragged the blade upward until his upper body split apart.
Blood erupted like fountains from his veins.
I felt them... all of them.
Their movements.Who among them was awakened.And how they died as their souls faded away.
I was submerged in blood.
I tore through the people around me without a shred of mercy.
Screams filled the space—some distorted and inhuman...Probably those who were still alive after their bodies had been torn apart.
Around what felt like the fifteenth person, my blade was stopped for the first time.
A bald man stood before me, his massive body covered in tattoos.
My sword collided with what seemed to be a large hammer.He was a rank-2.
I sensed another rank-2 behind me...I didn’t tense up or feel uneasy.
The core formed a thin layer over my blades.Without stopping, I poured more power into my sword.
It moved and sliced through the hammer like butter—along with the man’s arm.Yet... he didn’t scream.
All I saw on his face was disbelief,before I severed his head with my other sword.
I turned toward the man who had come up behind me.My blades pierced his stomach before tearing him apart.
Another corpse hit the ground.
Those on the upper floors had already come down and joined their companions.
I didn’t stop.
With every movement, more blood was added to the floor...And to me.
My skin grew sticky, and the metallic stench flooded my nose.
Then, at some point, everything stopped.
The screams vanished.The place fell silent.
I looked around.
Severed limbs scattered everywhere.Guts strewn across the floor.Mangled corpses.
The wooden floor was dyed red.
All that remained were a few souls on the upper floors.Without seeing them, I knew they were just women and people brought here to satisfy this filth.
And one other distinctive soul.
I looked toward the staircase.
A man stood there...The third rank-2.
Brown hair, looking fairly young—around twenty-five.
He stared at me with a desperate expression.Throughout the entire fight, he was the only one who hadn’t attacked me.
So I let him live.
I walked toward him, my boots sinking into blood.
When he saw that, he stepped back—Only to trip on the stairs and fall onto his backside.
I pressed my killing intent down on him.
When I reached him, he raised his hands."P-Please... don’t kill me."
I ignored him and placed my sword on his shoulder as he screamed,"Please! I beg you! Spare me!"
I pressed harder with my killing intent... and then I smelled it.
A foul stench.He had pissed himself.
I looked at him calmly."Do you want to live?" I asked.
He nodded frantically."Yes... please."
"Then what are you willing to do?"
He hesitated, thinking about his answer.
My sword did not hesitate.It moved, and a wound began to form on his shoulder.
He screamed in pain, but I didn’t stop until I heard the answer I wanted."I’ll do it... anything you ask."
I nodded in satisfaction and pulled my sword back—But not my killing intent.
"You have a way to contact the rest of the gang?" I asked.He nodded.
My voice came out cold—so cold it surprised even me."Then make something up. Say you were attacked and need support... and bring all of them here at once."
I saw hesitation on his face, so I placed the sword back on his shoulder.
"I’ll do it! I’ll do it!" he screamed."If I do this... will you let me live?"
I nodded."I promise."
"Just make sure you don’t forget anyone."
He nodded in fear.
"Tonight, Karthen will drown in blood."