Provoked by Rei’s taunt, a thug charged forward, knife in hand. Watching the man’s clumsy approach, Rei couldn't help but let out a weary sigh.
(His technique is non-existent. He’s just running at me to stab me. His movements are so sluggish it's painful.)
"Slow."
The moment the pitiful prey entered his range, Rei swung the Death Scythe.
Bound by his contract with Galahat to avoid killing, Rei struck with the back of the weapon rather than the blade. If he were using a sword, it would have been called a back-strike.
Swung with Rei’s monstrous strength, the back of the Death Scythe functioned perfectly as a blunt instrument—perhaps even better than the blade, as he didn't have to worry about accidentally cutting the man. The casual strike slammed directly into the thug's left leg.
A sickening crunch echoed through the air.
The man’s thigh bone shattered instantly. He was lucky that Rei had aimed for the thigh rather than the more delicate knee; had the Death Scythe crushed that complex joint, it was doubtful the man would have ever walked normally again, even with the best medical treatment.
"Gah... Gaaaaaaaah! It hurts! It hurts! Damn it, damn it all!"
The thug dropped his knife and collapsed, rolling on the ground in agony.
Rei looked down at the man as if he were a mere stone on the roadside before turning his gaze back to the crowd surrounding them.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. That’s what the contract says. However, don't mistake 'not killing' for 'not hurting.' If any of you are prepared to have a limb or two broken—or lost entirely—then step forward."
Rei gave the Death Scythe a massive swing, the heavy blade making an eerie whistling sound before he leveled the tip at them.
The crowd remained silent.
Only the screams of the man clutching his leg rang out. The guards looked from their fallen comrade back to Rei, who stood ready with his massive scythe.
Until a moment ago, they had assumed this would be an easy job, given their overwhelming numbers. Now, they were faced with a man wailing in a heap on the ground. None of them wanted to be next. To a man, the resolve of those surrounding Rei’s group faltered.
Yet they couldn't simply flee. Stuck between fear and duty, all they could do was maintain the status quo and pray that the high-rank adventurers inside the mansion would come out to reinforce them soon.
Rei watched them for a few seconds. Seeing that no one dared approach while the man's screams continued to pierce the air, he sighed again.
"You're being a bit too noisy. Shut up."
With a quick motion, Rei thrust the Death Scythe's shaft into the rolling man’s solar plexus, knocking him unconscious.
"Well? How long do you plan to just stand there and stare? We’re on a schedule. If you won't come to me, I’m coming to you."
Still, no one moved. Rei wondered if he had overdone it with the first guy, but true to his word, he took a step forward. Just then, a figure emerged from Boruntar's Residence.
"Move, you useless rabble! Out of my way!"
The newcomer shouted in a rage, unable to push through the wall of thugs and low-rank adventurers surrounding Rei’s group.
"Hm?"
Rei tilted his head at the sound of the voice.
(That voice... I’ve heard it somewhere before.)
Hoping the arrival would move things along, Rei stopped his advance and waited for the man to emerge from the parting crowd.
The man who stepped through was in his twenties and had a crude, rough appearance. He cast a look of pure contempt at the men around him as he stepped into the open.
Looking at the man’s face, Rei tilted his head again. He knew he had seen him before, but he couldn't quite place the name.
The man, however, had no such trouble. He stepped forward, gripped the war axe he had been carrying on his back, and flashed a malicious grin.
"I’ve been looking forward to this, Rei. It’s time I settled the score for that humiliation!"
The man gave the war axe a powerful practice swing. Even at a glance, it was clear the strike carried immense weight. It wasn't the kind of power a low-rank adventurer could muster.
(But... where did we meet? He knows me and he’s clearly pissed, so he must be someone I tangled with before.)
Rei tried to recall the face, but his own appearance tended to attract a lot of trouble. He had dealt with so many people that he simply wasn't kind enough to remember every insignificant opponent.
"Sorry, but I don't remember you," Rei said bluntly. "Care to give me a name? Maybe it’ll ring a bell."
The man’s face flushed a deep crimson with rage. To him, Rei’s failure to recognize him was the ultimate insult—it meant he wasn't even worth remembering.
"Wait, isn't that...?"
"Yeah. That’s Vargas, who led the Falcon's Claws. Rei humiliated him in front of everyone."
(Oh, right. There was a guy like that.)
Hearing the whispers from the crowd, the memory finally clicked.
"Ah, my mistake. I remember now. You're the guy who led the Goblin Drool. That Power Axe I won from you was a high-quality piece of equipment."
"Don't screw with me! That was a magic item I risked my life in a dungeon to get! And you just snatched it away..."
Vargas’s voice rose to a howl, but Rei only sighed.
"You’re the one who picked a fight with me in the first place. Ever heard of 'reaping what you sow'?"
"I don't care about your excuses! What did you do with my Power Axe? You're giving it back today!"
Rei shifted his gaze away awkwardly.
"Ah, about that. There were some circumstances, so I gave it to a temporary party member. ...Wait, I think I actually sold it."
"What! Do you have any idea how much a Power Axe is worth!?"
"Sure. But don't worry. His talent with an axe was way beyond yours. As a magic item, it’s probably much happier being handled by someone who can actually use it properly."
"You... you... you arrogant brat!"
Bellowing in rage, Vargas raised his axe and lunged at Rei. He truly was a Rank D adventurer; his speed and coordination were on a different level compared to the thug from earlier. While his self-taught style made his strikes somewhat predictable, he made up for it with sheer, overwhelming force.
To an ordinary Rank D adventurer, the blow would have been impossible to stop. After all, Vargas was said to have the combat power of a Rank C. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen Rei as his enemy.
"Naive."
Rei parried the axe, which was coming down in a diagonal slash toward his left shoulder, using the Death Scythe's shaft.
A heavy metallic clang rang out. The crowd watched in stunned silence as Rei caught Vargas’s two-handed overhead swing with one hand. Despite the power behind the blow, Rei didn't budge an inch. The sight was more than just impressive; it was uncanny.
"No way... That was Vargas's strike. He caught it with one hand."
"Maybe this Vargas guy is just weak?"
"Idiot! Don't you know who Vargas is?"
"No, I'm not an adventurer."
"Good grief... Listen, Vargas was guaranteed to reach Rank C based on skill alone. He only stayed at Rank D because of his behavioral issues. Seeing this... the rumors about Rei taking out the Falcon's Claws alone must be true."
Ignoring the chatter between the adventurers and thugs, Rei looked at Vargas, who was desperately trying to push his axe down with both hands.
Vargas’s muscles were bulging with effort, yet Rei held him back with a single arm, his expression unchanging. Despite the impossible situation, the panic left Vargas’s face. The realization of the power gap seemed to have cooled his rage, leaving him strangely calm.
(Strange. He seemed like the type to let his blood boil over.)
Sensing something was off, Rei slowly began to apply pressure, his strength gradually overpowering the axe.
"Guh... d-damn it! But I’ve got you now!"
Realizing he couldn't win a contest of raw strength, Vargas maneuvered his axe to slide off the scythe's shaft, parrying the contact as he leaped backward.
"Now!" he bellowed.
The moment he cleared the area, a sharp whistling sound cut through the night air.
"Hmph. Petty tricks."
Sensing the projectile, Rei swung the magic-infused Death Scythe in a wide arc.
A sharp metallic ring echoed, and an arrow fell to the ground near Rei’s feet, its head sliced perfectly in half.
"That's a dirty way to play. Is this where your confidence was coming from?"
Rei looked at him with disdain. Despite his trump card being neutralized, Vargas wore a smirk of victory.
"Heh, you're a monster, I'll give you that. Not many people can slice an arrow out of the air. But..."
Vargas glanced toward Galahat.
"I heard the news. Your injuries haven't healed yet, have they? Can you protect yourself from arrows in that state?"
"A hostage strategy, then," Rei muttered, narrowing his eyes.
It was a sound tactic. Galahat was slow and vulnerable due to his wounds. If multiple archers fired from different directions, even Rei would find it difficult to shield him perfectly.
"I won't let you touch Galahat!" Mult barked, stepping forward.
However, Mult was the weakest of the group. Galahat would actually have a better chance of survival if he moved himself, though the strain would undoubtedly reopen his wounds.
Vargas sneered at Mult.
"Shut up, you little brat. It doesn't matter what a small fry like you does. Rei, if you value his life, don't move. Stand there and let me cut you down."
Vargas took a triumphant step forward, certain he had won.
"Your follow-through is weak, you moron," Rei muttered.
He suddenly swung the Death Scythe toward the source of the first arrow.
"Flying Slash!"
A blade of compressed air erupted from the scythe and tore through the darkness, striking a branch in the residence garden. A man let out a scream as the branch was severed, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Another one! Flying Slash!"
Rei released a second strike. This one flew toward a 2F window of Boruntar's Residence. The blast didn't just break the glass; it sliced through the wall and window frame entirely, blowing the hidden archer backward into the room.
"What!?" Vargas gasped.
He hadn't expected Rei to possess such a powerful ranged attack. However, he quickly looked back toward the mansion and shouted a command.
"Fire!"
At his signal, another arrow hissed from the mansion. The two Rei had just neutralized weren't the only ones. There was one more archer—a Rank C adventurer who had been among the few left in the house. This was the same man who had fired at Mult earlier in the back alley.
(That was the one you missed!) Vargas cheered internally.
He wore a triumphant grin, waiting for the hit, but his expression froze. Set, the Gryphon, stepped forward and effortlessly swatted the arrow out of the air with its Eagle Claw.
Before Vargas could even process the sight, Rei was already in front of him, the Death Scythe raised high.
A loud crack echoed from within Vargas’s body as the impact sent him flying. His consciousness plummeted into darkness before he even hit the ground.