Chapter 9: A Coincidence For The Protagonist (5)

* * *On the path leading to the black market’s exit.

Instead of a bag of money, Dung Beetle was now pulling a carrier filled with weapons. As they were walking, Jang Man spoke to him.

"If you're thinking of using those weapons in the city, you should first think about your escape route. It will become a hassle if the police start trailing you after a fight."

He didn’t pry for more details. He didn’t ask about the necromancers or about his revenge.

"All the weapons you bought have short ranges. If possible, it would be better to finish the fight in close combat, as quickly as possible."

The old man offered him advice, talking about it casually, as if carried by the flowing wind.

It wasn’t detailed, but it was filled with concerns and wisdom of his own.

Perhaps this was Jang Man’s way of showing consideration.

Thinking so, Dung Beetle followed Jang Man quietly.

…And so,Jang Man spoke and Dung Beetle listened while they retraced their steps.

When they finally arrived at the warehouse entrance, which they had descended via the rusty stairs, someone with a familiar mask greeted them.

"Hello? We meet again."

It was the woman wearing a black dog mask.

Having crushed the three gatekeepers guarding the warehouse entrance, she was sitting over them in a relaxed manner.

", what a persistent young lady."

Jang Man clicked his tongue, and Dung Beetle set the carrier down quietly.

"Excuse me. Sir, I don’t have any intention of starting a fight. These people ended up like this due to a small misunderstanding."

"Is that so? Then, since there’s nothing to misunderstand, can we leave now?"

"Ei, don’t be like that. The reason I’ve been waiting here was because of you, Sir."

The woman wearing a dog mask hopped down from atop the gatekeeper's body.

"Shall we make a deal?"

"And if I refuse?"

"I do understand that you might misunderstand me because of the situation, but really, it’s not a bad deal. In fact, it’s a great deal where you can fill your pockets nicely as compared to your current work."

Even though she said that, Dung Beetle could sense something flowing through the body of the woman with the dog mask.

It was strange to feel something flowing through someone else’s body.

However, regardless of Dung Beetle’s new sensation, Jang Man and the masked woman continued with their conversation.

"Would you like to hear it?"

"I have no intention of talking to a mad person."

"Hmm… That’s a reasonable response, but it can’t be helped. I’m also in a hurry."

Without any warning, the woman stomped her foot.

With a short jump, she charged towards Jang Man at a dizzying speed.

In an instant, Dung Beetle reflexively threw himself in front of Jang Man to block her attack.

!

The initial attack was a kick. Dung Beetle raised his right arm to block it, but he was unable to withstand the force. In the next moment, his body was lifted off the ground and flung sideways.

The thrown Dung Beetle bounced twice and was able to land back on the ground only after hitting the alley wall.

—

The kick was so powerful that his right ear, which was hit, rang with tinnitus.

"Encountering two superhumans in a day… I don’t know if I’m lucky or unlucky."

The moment Jang Man’s voice reached her ear, the woman with the dog mask charged towards Dung Beetle again.

Before Dung Beetle could even react, a kick hit his side. However, unlike the first hit, this one didn’t end after a single strike.

Abdomen, thigh, then the side again, shoulder, and… chin.

The sound of heavy impact resounded following those precise, continuous attacks. She then landed the perfect finishing kick on Dung Beetle.

"."

After Dung Beetle fell to the ground, the woman with the black dog mask turned around leisurely and looked at Jang Man.

"Have you changed your mind about making a deal with me now?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet?"

Suddenly, her senses reacted to something.

As she jumped back immediately, creating some distance, Dung Beetle’s hand, which was trying to grab her ankle, sliced through the air.

"...How could?"

Seeing Dung Beetle get up, the woman with the dog mask tilted her head.

Even a superhuman would usually faint after receiving such attacks.

"Huh? Your endurance is unbelievably good. Did you eat something special?"

, Dung Beetle spat out the blood pooling in his mouth. Though his head was still throbbing from the attacks, he raised his hands and took a fighting stance.

"Enough talk, come at me."

"If you insist."

The woman with the mask kicked the ground again. And this time, she moved at a speed that couldn’t be followed. However, something had changed.

And they were Dung Beetle’s eyes.

Focusing only on his sight, the trajectory of the incoming kick appeared as a long line in Dung Beetle’s vision.

Dung Beetle twisted his waist to avoid the trajectory. Although his speed was undoubtedly slower than hers, it was enough to create a small opening.

! The kick aimed at his chin barely brushed past his hair.

He immediately followed up with an attack of his own.

Dung Beetle twisted his waist in the opposite direction and swung a punch towards her face.

However, just as his punch was about to connect, she narrowly avoided his attack with an unusual foot movement.

"...You’re quite something."

This time, Dung Beetle took the initiative. Unlike her, his attack was just him swinging his fists crudely, but he was a superhuman.

Of course, the opponent was also a superhuman.

Dung Beetle’s fists cut through the air with a fierce sound, but none of them hit the woman with the mask.

All because of the strange footwork she used.

No matter how Dung Beetle attacked, she managed to escape his attack range with just a single movement of her foot.

Instead, she took advantage of the openings to deliver short kicks and piled damage on Dung Beetle.

That was the difference between a person flying across the ground and a person trudging along.

However, at some point, the woman with the dog mask began to furrow her brows. The level of the opponent she was facing was changing too rapidly.

When she landed the first attack, the opponent was just a novice. Every movement felt awkward. He was unable to even execute a proper landing technique.

Yet, right after he fell, something changed.

His reaction to her kicks became faster and faster, and his method of swinging fists and foot movements became more refined.

As she extended her foot, his hand was already flying towards the spot, and when she kicked the ground, he started running towards her supposed destination.

It was like he knew exactly how she would move.

She felt both interest and irritation.

Interest in an opponent who could counter the techniques she had struggled to learn in real-time, and irritation at the opponent’s endurance, who could persist even after taking repeated kicks.

It would be possible for her to gain the upper hand if she used a different technique, but…

The ensuing exchange of attacks continued along similar lines.

Dung Beetle kept charging forward relentlessly, despite taking a barrage of kicks, and the woman with the dog mask continued to kick while keeping her distance. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

However, the balance was broken once Dung Beetle started mimicking her footwork.

“…!”

Though it was closer to a push-off footwork rather than a bounce, it was enough to narrow the difference in speed.

The woman with the mask gritted her teeth and moved her feet even faster.

Until then, she was confident of her victory. She had landed dozens of kicks and blows on Dung Beetle, and she still had plenty of stamina left.

In this situation, she was confident she wouldn't lose to someone who was not even a hero candidate but just a novice superhuman.

…And she was proven wrong.…

Amidst their monotonous exchange, Dung Beetle suddenly dove between her steps.

“Huh?”

The timing was perfect, making it impossible for her to avoid it.

“Damn it…!”

By the time she realized it, it was already too late. Dung Beetle caught her kick and tossed her.

! The woman with the mask crashed into the alley wall Dung Beetle had been thrown against earlier.

Dust flew up. The mask she was wearing was knocked off, and flew far away.

“Ugh…”

After rolling on the ground a couple of times, she briefly groaned as she got up.

“That fucking hurts…”

As she struggled to raise her head, her face hidden beneath the mask was revealed.

A beauty.

At the very least, she was the most beautiful woman Dung Beetle had ever seen.

With facial features as if crafted by the gods, her long ebony hair flowed down her forehead. Through the silky, cascading hair, her cold blue eyes met Dung Beetle’s gaze.

“You’re… quite something, huh?”

After two breaths and pushing off the ground, she charged at Dung Beetle again.

This time, her kicks mixed with that strange footwork were aimed at Dung Beetle’s head, but his eyes had already become accustomed to her attacks.

Dung Beetle nimbly moved out of the trajectory of the long kick.

And in that short interval, he mimicked the kick she had just shown.

His whip kick was aimed at her torso.

With a loud thud, her body was hit by the kick. Just like when Dung Beetle was first kicked by her, she lost her balance and flew through the air.

However, unlike Dung Beetle, who didn't even know how to land properly, she quickly regained her posture and stared at him with a look of disbelief.

“My Flying Kick1 technique! How did you manage to replicate it in such a short time?”

“Flying Kick technique?”

“...The name’s pretty corny, isn’t it? I think so too.”

She sighed deeply and swept her hair back. She then noticed blood trickling from her nose, perhaps due to a burst microvessel.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve had a nosebleed.”

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand with a baffled expression. It seemed like the sight of blood had really irritated her as she furrowed her pretty forehead.

“Anyway, the name might be corny, but the Flying Kick technique isn’t some low-difficulty technique. I can't believe this; you were able to steal such a technique in real-time… , I can't even…”

She muttered something, starting with "sh—" while looking down at the ground, then raised her head again.

“Alright, I’m lagging behind in a hand-to-hand fight. I admit it! But if I pull out a weapon… one of us would have to die. How about we settle this with a conversation?”

Her question was directed at Dung Beetle. He frowned and clenched his fists. Since they had already started, they should see it through to the end, right?

However, before he could answer her, an unexpected response came from elsewhere.

“Conversation, huh? Not a bad idea. But, just make sure you don’t move anything other than your mouth.”

.

Holding the submachine gun that the fallen guards had missed, Jang Man was now pointing the gun at her.

She only gave the gun a slight glance before responding confidently.

“Well, that’s fine. My request won’t be a loss for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“I want to buy a certain item from Joseph, but it seems like he’s not willing to deal with me.”

“It’s only natural that someone like him will not accept a greenhorn.”

“Yes, well, it’s a bit unfair for a novice who’s listening.”

She sighed exaggeratedly and continued.

“From the looks of it, I guess that you’re close with Joseph, Sir. If you could get the item on my behalf, I’ll make sure to not only give you the item’s price but a hefty commission as well.”

“Commission?”

“Aside from the item’s price, a commission of 500 million won. And I can give you even more if the item is cheaper than I expected. How does that sound?”

500 million?

Dung Beetle, who still had the janitor’s sense of money, raised an eyebrow at her offer of such a large commission.

“The better the offer, the greater the risk. What item are we talking about?”

“It’s an item that doesn’t look like a weapon. Hmm, how should I describe it…”

She paused for a moment as if trying to recall something, then spoke again.

“A rod made from a unicorn’s horn…? That’s the best description I can give you. It doesn’t really match its original name.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jang Man and Dung Beetle looked at each other simultaneously.

Through the snake and sun masks, strange looks were exchanged. The girl who had been excluded from their conversation tilted her head in confusion.

“...What’s with this atmosphere? Perhaps, you’re not thinking of something strange, are you?”

Although her guess was slightly off, that ‘perhaps’ was indeed correct.

***

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