The Downfall of the Golden Lion
I leaned back in my chair, watching Ban Dahee intently. Despite Go Yeonju’s powerful strikes landing twice, Dahee hadn’t lost her composure. I wanted to applaud her resilience and tenacity, but the sight of her still-flapping lips quickly extinguished any admiration.
“I’ll… kill you. I swear I’ll kill you.”
“Oh my, dear. Speak clearly, will you? Ah, you had your head down. Silly me,” Go Yeonju chuckled, her voice light and teasing as she moved her foot away. Instantly, Dahee lifted her head and unleashed a torrent of curses. Most of her insults boiled down to one thing: “I’ll kill you.” Watching her, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I turned to where Yoo Hyunah and Cha Seunghyun stood. Hyunah looked anxious, her eyes darting between the two. Seunghyun appeared calm, but the way he raised and lowered his hand betrayed his inner turmoil. Seeing them, I felt a chill run through my mind.
This was an unexpected opportunity, one that could only exist within the confines of this hall. But I didn’t want to act on impulse. Seizing an opportunity without careful thought was the act of a fool. What I needed now was a clear, rational mind to assess the situation accurately. I decided to weigh my options carefully.
The most crucial factor was justification. Under that premise, I had to consider Dahee’s fate. She had initiated an attack on the others, provoked me intentionally, and challenged Go Yeonju, a top-tier fighter. Yeonju responded, and Dahee, unable to contain her rage, lunged with the intent to kill.
From this perspective, Yeonju had every reason to deal with Dahee decisively. While there is a moral argument to be made, in this place, appearances often take precedence over ethics. That’s why Hyunah and Seunghyun were so on edge. Conversely, Dahee could claim justification for retaliating against Yeonju, but the victor and the one holding the power now was Yeonju.
So, what would be the benefits and risks of eliminating Dahee? By executing her, I could preemptively remove a potential future threat, a formidable contender. It was a tempting choice, but there were complications.
If it were just Yeonju and me, I wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them all. But we were in a city, surrounded by other users. The truth was, there was no justification for killing Hyunah and Seunghyun. They had consistently tried to restrain Dahee, who ignored their pleas and acted on her own. They had no intention of fighting us.
Even if we killed them all, the Beech Clan was the leading clan of the small city of Mule. The death of a city’s leading clan’s lord was not something that could be brushed aside. Sooner or later, the identities of the killers would likely be revealed. This was another reason to hesitate in killing Clan Lord Yoo Hyunah.
Moreover, with the upcoming promotional boost, having an incident involving the murder of fellow users would undoubtedly have a negative impact. Until the vagrants were driven out, there was still a line that users adhered to.
Given the situation, it was safe to say that the Mercenaries and the Beech Clan had crossed a point of no return. From now on, I needed to find a justification or method to minimize or eliminate the risks.
I decided to expand my thinking. How could I minimize the risks while maximizing efficiency? At that moment, my eyes fell on Cha Seunghyun. Without breaking my gaze, I activated my third eye.
Name: Cha Seunghyun (3rd Year)
Class: Normal Lancer Master
Nation: Babara
Clan: Beech
True Name · Nationality: Unyielding Conviction · South Korea
Sex: Male (27)
Height · Weight: 187.5cm · 89.6kg
Disposition: Pride · Neutral
(Remaining stat points: 0)
(Remaining stat points: 12)
[Strength 96(+2)] [Endurance 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
(No remaining stat points)
[Strength 89] [Endurance 90] [Agility 97] [Stamina 85] [Magic 93] [Luck 82]
[Strength 92] [Endurance 91] [Agility 85] [Stamina 89] [Magic 73] [Luck 72]
As expected. Even in his third year, his stats were impressive, and considering his potential for growth, it was remarkable. If it were just Dahee, it might be a tough call, but including Seunghyun made it a profitable venture. I needed to provoke Seunghyun into attacking us first.
As long as Hyunah was alive, the incident would draw attention. This was why it was necessary not to kill Hyunah immediately. It needed to be framed as a simple clash with the clan’s subordinates, not the murder of a clan lord. By downplaying the incident, we could minimize the attention it attracted. And Yeonju’s status as a top-tier fighter could overshadow the event.
This plan was feasible because the Beech Clan wasn’t a major clan. It was a temporary representative clan, established for ulterior motives, with no real reputation. Most users wouldn’t care much about what happened to a small, unknown clan.
Considering this, Seunghyun and Dahee were skilled but not yet widely recognized. If things went according to my plan, it would be seen as a mere skirmish between the Mercenaries and the Beech Clan. By putting Yeonju at the forefront, we could make it seem plausible. Therefore, it was crucial to secure the maximum justification for our actions.
Killing those two would significantly alter Hyunah’s future. Whether it would benefit or harm me was uncertain. It was all speculation based on subjective judgment. Rather than debating an unpredictable future, it seemed more practical to seize the immediate benefits.
There was an element of risk involved. It was uncertain if Dahee would react as I anticipated or if I could unsettle Seunghyun. But despite all this, my mind was leaning in one direction, and I began to organize my thoughts. It was worth trying as far as I could.
“Ban Dahee! Are you really going to ignore your sister’s words?!”
“You promised to stay quiet, and now you’re causing this chaos!”
“Damn it! Why are you all on my case?! That bastard started it, and this bitch slapped me!”
Watching Dahee scream and curse, I let out a deep sigh. Foolish girl. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she had initiated the real threat. More importantly, she was trampling on Hyunah and Seunghyun’s efforts to save her. I stood up and slowly closed the distance between us.
I ran a hand through my hair, glancing at Yeonju. She would understand my signal. As I crouched in front of Dahee, who was still on the ground, silence fell over the room. Since Yeonju was my clan member, I had a right to intervene.
With all eyes on me, I spoke slowly.
“Apologize. I don’t want this to escalate further. I’m not asking you to apologize to everyone. Just apologize to those you insulted—me, Yeonju, and the others—and we’ll let this go. If you do, we’ll also apologize for going too far.”
“User Kim Suhyun! Ah~.”
“Whew.”
As I finished speaking, I heard Hyunah’s exclamation and Seunghyun’s sigh of relief. They must have thought the worst was over. But there was a reason I crouched in front of Dahee.
“Spit!”
“Oh my!”
“Ban Dahee!”
Dahee spat at me with a murderous glare, and I didn’t dodge. Hyunah and Seunghyun, who had just relaxed, screamed again. At the same time, a dagger with a cold, silver gleam was pressed against Dahee’s throat.
Feeling the spit mixed with blood trickle down my cheek, I allowed myself a triumphant smile. Perhaps the smirk I had let slip earlier had played a part.
“Screw you. You little bastard, who do you think you are to boss me around?”
“Keep talking. You’ll really die if you do. No, please, keep talking. That way, I can kill you with a clear conscience.”
Go Yeon-joo’s voice was far from its usual gentle tone. It carried a menacing edge, sharp enough to cut. The atmosphere around Yoo Hyun-ah, Cha Seung-hyun, and their group turned icy, as if they sensed her seriousness. As I heard someone faintly chanting behind me, I calmly sheathed my dagger.
“User Kim Soo-hyun! Let me apologize on their behalf! I’m sorry! We won’t bother you anymore! Please!”
Yoo Hyun-ah’s desperate voice reached my ears. I glanced at her, feeling a twinge of pity. If this were a major clan like the Golden Lion Clan in its prime, rather than a mere beech tree, I would have walked away without a second thought. She lacked power—not entirely, but certainly compared to us. That’s why she’s in this predicament.
“User Yoo Hyun-ah. What I want is not your apology, but an apology from the person responsible. I don’t need apologies from others.”
“But… but… Da-hee!”
“Idiot. Go ahead, kill me if you can. Acting all high and mighty with zero experience.”
Does she not realize that the dagger at her throat belongs to Go Yeon-joo? Or does she think I won’t let her die now that I’m here? Her crude insults didn’t faze me. If enduring a bit of verbal abuse meant I could eliminate one of the future top ten, it was a small price to pay.
“I’m not asking you to grovel. Just a sincere apology. Is that so hard?”
“Shut up with your nonsense. You two are just making a scene. Hah! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t apologize. Kim Soo-hyun, right? And you, the shadow whore. I’ll kill you both someday. Someday, I really will…”
This was exactly what I wanted to hear from her.
“I’ll kill you for real… urgh!”
Ban Da-hee couldn’t finish her sentence. As she lowered her head slightly, a silver dagger, mercilessly driven in by Go Yeon-joo, came into view. Blood gushed from her neck, and she looked up at me and Go Yeon-joo with wide, disbelieving eyes. The die was cast.
“Gurgle… gurgle!”
Go Yeon-joo twisted the dagger in her neck, causing more blood to spurt out, and Ban Da-hee’s eyes rolled back. She died instantly.
Thud!
The sudden noise made me turn my head to see Yoo Hyun-ah sitting on the floor, having fallen in shock. Next to her, Cha Seung-hyun stood frozen, his mouth agape, reaching out with a helpless arm. I feigned surprise for a moment, then rose with a look of deep regret and sighed heavily.
“Ah… ah… ah…?”
”…”
Yoo Hyun-ah and Cha Seung-hyun could only stare at Ban Da-hee’s lifeless body with pale faces. Watching them, I spoke in a low voice.
“I’m sorry about your clan member. But she crossed a line she shouldn’t have, and she refused the final offer. If you understand the ways of this world, you may not agree, but I trust you can at least see reason.”
“No need for long explanations or apologies, Lord. She deserved to die. Heh.”
Right on cue, Go Yeon-joo chimed in, twirling her blood-stained dagger with a languid smile. Blood droplets fell from the dagger, splattering onto the floor. I watched them for a moment before addressing the group holding their breath behind me.
“Pack your things. We’re leaving.”
I tossed the words out as if nothing had happened, though I didn’t forget to glance at Cha Seung-hyun. There was no response, but the urgency of the situation seemed to have sunk in, and they moved faster than ever.
Once the clan members had gathered their belongings, I gave a slight nod to the two of them. Just as I was about to head towards the inn’s entrance with an indifferent expression, a voice stopped me.
“Hold it right there.”
A deep, resonant voice echoed through the lobby. Though low, it carried undeniable power. Turning slowly, I saw Cha Seung-hyun glaring at me with a sunken face. He appeared calm on the surface, but his flushed face and burning eyes betrayed his anger.
Bingo.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Thankfully, today’s exam went okay. However, tomorrow’s exam covers a lot more material. ㅜ.ㅠ I pondered a lot over this chapter. It wasn’t about whether to kill or spare them, but how to best portray Soo-hyun’s true nature. “Kill them!” “Okay.” Stab! This might work with vagrants, but not with fellow users. Not yet, anyway. :) So, I crafted a clever scenario to maximize justification and efficiency. Once Soo-hyun decided to kill, he thought it best to deal with both Ban Da-hee and Cha Seung-hyun. Whether Yoo Hyun-ah, caught in the chaos, will intervene remains to be seen. Hahaha. :)
『 Reader Comments 』
Sensitive: Oh wow, congratulations on being first two times in a row! You’ve made it past many formidable contenders! It must be even more meaningful since it’s twice in a row. (?) Enjoy this chapter!
Sinsa-dong Kojiro: Haha. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but there were unavoidable circumstances. I wanted to just let it go, but it couldn’t be helped. ㅜ.ㅠ
Choyo: I’m sorry. But this part can’t be rushed with my current abilities. If I mess it up, the world-building could be significantly disrupted. That would mean either increasing the length or doing consecutive updates, but with exams, even one chapter a day is tough. I’ll consider consecutive updates when I have more time, so please bear with me for now!
Bartholomew: Rather than killing sloppily, the protagonist prefers to cut off future threats entirely. However, Soo-hyun doesn’t always act this way. He considers the circumstances and conditions. There are exceptions. Although all three were his enemies in the first timeline, he spared Go Yeon-joo. He also let Woo Jung-min’s group go. Yoo Hyun-ah is tricky to kill given the situation, and with the other two dealt with, she’s essentially broken or finished, so she’s excluded.
KKKranuse: Hahaha. I can’t handle them like vagrants. It would be much easier for me to write that way, but they’re still fellow users and a city’s representative clan.
Goksd: Killing vagrants is one thing, but killing fellow users and a representative clan can’t be spun positively. Not yet, anyway. Of course, different users perceive it differently. :)
Sereson: Haha! Imagine them however you like. I have my own settings, but feel free to envision them as you wish. I believe imagining them in a way that suits you will enhance your reading experience. :D
Toranoanal: Ah, it’s been a while. It’s really been a long time. Where have you been? ㅜ.ㅠ Thank you for pointing out the typo! It’s been corrected. :)
Kane: Thank you for the coupon. I’ll keep running towards the conclusion. Hehehe.
pgh21c: Ah, I’m glad. It was a serious gag I aimed for. It was surprisingly funny when I saw it. Hahaha.
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