Chapter 171 – Bartender! Another round here! (3)
ELrSTAll Mute’s manager,Lyn Kane, was7xS9 stunned. HergPDew blinked several05z times, eyes91sdUU wide open.P0vCyA4
4FbZThe impact waszna so intensem4pW that hisZ4rZ7 mind beganyTKz to waver.UY4 “Am I dreaming?” TheS6Rs question barelybRp formed, butt8lah the coldTlmfYF sweat runningAF1 down hisThxJ9 nose madeFTfyKx it clear—thisAVKd01 was veryW0Ceh real.1KmIvY
xmaHe forced hisHXgA gaze toward6md25 the smoke.MPE1 There wasyPe7 All Mute,cXpRJ curled upYqjN8M with herITt limbs severed,9TM while KangMomBkd Geom-Ma slowlybhTH walked toward5ki her.sUqA
5mRaHe was goingxL1Z3 to finishASmJmm the unfinishedK6b duel oncelCX and forvYWG all. HeNXI approached a completely defenselessvEa1C All Mute.ctr8ZUDnJN
jwWSeeing that, thickX2Yw9W drops ofHIXX sweat ranalKN0 down Kane’sWuG cheeks. He77Mt shouted withoutaVHvrW thinking.SDj7
LEC“Ellie!”3bR
Re42gAs if inCsB5 response tot1SxcU that call,cUGH Kang Geom-MaymD turned hisQLH head. His75aK cold, piercingtAOj eyes glaredEl1C at him.LGFg0S Kane feltHPl as ifVptzU6 an invisibleEoNF hand was1RNc crushing hisnUMK heart. Kangl6Dp Geom-Ma’s voice,Z9o charged with1sp2k murderous intent,sNpD said:mzf4
Joc“Calm down.”d5CiA
wp0xkThat muted wordHQeLE erased Kane’smmZE consciousness. He7Is58J choked aseD0tYI if somethingolb were stuck5X4nB in hisxWw8m throat.eMdu
cQpQ“Gu… guh…”Y7aW
MjDWith a softfuaj9 groan, KaneawazWN collapsed. Just8Fif before completely4I7N blacking out,tG4r he hadbJfG one finall3Y thought: SoiGIM it wasoOTuv true—the rumorLDXs that heINnz gave ank47T ogre a heart attack.xPbGUhZQiAcn
4lwZMao Lang’s face4Qbe4 also turnedOgb9r1 pale uponXN9NJ seeing KanewfdNk collapse. HerqXVP legs, onceKqdm crossed arrogantly,MCz7hH were nowgXMer drawn backq01c with humility.Yjf2na
WS7PyoShe had comeQUtp all theSw0 way from3wD China toWADkN mock AlloQfOj5 Mute withGDNlNx laughter, tosDYG6C roll onyI5rk the floorcV0s after the4s0 fight. Butt1F now, thatuwSEP urge was0IKH real. ItvenO had togzGVjk happen.nAt
ankuZMao Lang looked0lBV at KangXbF Geom-Ma. Hertk4qY lips were1jO drier thanv3uXVb dried seaweed.o4KcdS41wlH
00YT‘Now… you’ve trulyGD7 become a monster.’698Ck
FoQx1EKang Geom-Ma hadn’tnTXg just trained.lglH He hadF4lgw evolved. If8rQ it werexFTa charted, thexNRs upward slopeuCyX would formpKYo7 a right4DhUw angle.BkRt5G
B7nndD‘If I hadoD1x0f fought theVwxZ current KangBQu37 Geom-Ma…’iI0Jt
Ukm4A chill ran0gK down herha1 spine. HerVCC pupils shrank,lqW her lungsqzjt heaved, andm8tpsO her stomachYWc1 growled, herIW2TcA throat itched.pXaCALGZV
AJyzHiccup! Mao LangZh4 covered herBiSiE mouth. HerMVg hands trembled.frSc If Kang0PxA Geom-Ma soQyec much asQjILy0 looked at3Xc her, she’ddZAHt9 feel likeqyU98i Cain beforex3KS God.9iU
BeYShe no longerBnu saw him3bsyf as human.KzopT He wasznQ a swordLSNyp in humanzlZl form. A demon.YIFy
XHkMao Lang bitW5koRh her tongueusI0 to stopV0Rz the hiccups.hssomz “Should I cut itU82wI off?” BetterpVMVn0 that thanck1a be theWIGpTh next victim.Ixh She trembledMtuTf uncontrollably.LNBAhY
0v1Amid this crucibleAlI7 of fear,Kau Kang Geom-MacoURB finally reachedAt0pf All Mute.7HO He looked6jxNgK at theqAC result ofBp7LM his work.gSUE1Q
Vkja8lHer breathing wasBvzdo weak, unstable.RtVhEG She lookedl0Y like a corpse inYRA89 the middleVmBQZI of a graveyard. A complete disaster.nPHqRB He naturallyFgLD frowned.Aw0y5
GhXai‘I didn’t meanGe2AKp to goarfaEw this far…’9iGSGSE4
3GyKIHe had been9Lynm3 blinded bytPxB the [SuppressionXZ8t Blessing]. IfKx1TV he hadZtrGb vision, heJ0B wouldn’t haveFze been soyEAIg disoriented. Hex7V felt heZNC had goneMXLfF overboard in3aOET trying toHqv increase hisCYpIMu mastery ofG6yvdP the [DrivingbCBa Force Blessing].oaAm7upPaw
ANSd“It’s time tokxADJ end this.”DNnAP4
oJcKang Geom-Ma raisedvB2 his sashimiw4vG knife, determined.cZnwVQJkmPG
RwCMrThat’s when AlleoHVR1 Mute barelyj3COn moved herWhyy lips. BloodMhp4wl spilled frompZSy5 her slicedBqf vocal cords.ljzeEEHQ8
Ngk“Save… me…”44e
4lAShe had forgotten0eTh this wasF5h just a duel innuwUV an artificialscqq dimensional space.SIgaG The fearbRw had completely9ht4P overtaken her,A90 dissolving herybH9L consciousness.cOzuL
lP3UKShe was theCmfLM6 most powerfulKdR4 heroine, yes—but7RK still human.luM And thedaW mind ofexLV a personULe facing deathJfq breaks easily.fenARF2
ZuMThe sword, aimedG36 straight atl6nL her forehead,s6KS2f paused. KangAQSUt Geom-Ma scratchedpMNH his headULcu with themVE weapon’s hilt.pqqLbYQxz
g0R7“I don’t understandMnAFxn you. I don’t speaka1zkJk English.”yWqW
QBHWu“….!”Rmf
hlCAN“But it soundsaBElH like you’re5r7Ma asking meZp0y to makeTAN it quick.”M4F5QIbL9
liaPP3All Mute’s eyesgAw trembled violently.NYMi She instinctivelyxqfLKh raised a hand to9RB1 stop him.KXWi5 But shenXlw29 had nortyU weapons. ThatJehZ sword demonwkBO had alreadyRioK severed alli4X her limbs.xkzotgEy
EqBPanicking, terrified, AllapPAmW Mute writhed.77C Kang Geom-Ma27X spoke towl5 her inj594 a soothingGOSi tone.pgZ
YZat“Relax. If I do itidvWY5 all at6iGlh5 once, it7xDAHk won’t hurt.”wCGxcQ4G8
ZCcCHe said itcLt9 like a dentist, butQOe to AlldXA Mute, heMEG3 seemed likeuKA a JapaneseIJD4 chef aboutXNuf to driveqwS a kitchenzpWjX knife intoYWLZ her gills.tqjLC Then, sheMZC let outFFmFWO her usualgFVI scream:RMqCi
wiqhuo“SHIT!”HA8r
IsTCAh, right. ThatUcoJJi word wasDRlDK universal. LikeXpTVfI “fuck” inwFm11d Korean.jWgI
HvhmyA curse word?X5QNTR
bCTThe reaction wasR8FG immediate. Kangdx9SmZ Geom-Ma’s faceSkscA twisted into1z3fiU a fierceXvmu expression. Korea,630B land ofbRvGZ Eastern manners,CCDAA wouldn’t toleratew2qI such rudeness.eVoG2 The sword,8fUz still suspendedrqt in theYSF air, movedruHhq again.wqVn
i5M03iA glistening tearIW9T rolled from449D9 All Mute’sRSrgcg eye. AndPtP at thePfLUAr moment thatTK5W drop ofWFn2Bv regret hitSLeU the ground—9QeAu8r
8tbpBAM!En4
QMWjEGThe sword camed24DG down.lThVu
RDoW2lAll five ofawzl All Mute’sGrBB2 senses weresLa completely sealed.9KQVTlo8cVu6
Y7FVzBThe price ofalE a curseTnId word… wasEeCbPL death.VsYaX
R436w***mz2gz
O5DTi“Are you regainingzMILN consciousness?”maKN
RI34hRAt the sound5QtYv of thatRNbZD voice, Allb1W Mute’s eyesvZlCHD opened. SheG6WvAI looked tofI0m the sideMpQ8jc and sighed.PUdw97z
p7X“…Mao Lang.”RcJ
Y6Nng7“And you stillmFv7T have theu9DyR energy toZv1sq remember myN9Vnp face? AfteruSYIX that duel,4w1 my eyes3wCE nearly rolled2xlt back. I honestly thoughtpepe I died.”ghsIQaX7p5
dL9Mao Lang wasdqjj sitting one2H82z the hospitalj4q bed, laughingvlM as shet1H tapped her4FS foot onObsM the floor,phS as ifjwPYz recalling thedsaP memory fondly.4VV1AbI
Zw11R“So, what dohD4M you thinkA19 now afterkZw7A facing KangBwZ Geom-Ma?”eEv
3jPRRdAll Mute couldn’tFcB answer rightcS4 away. ShepEGP hadn’t madeUekS up herThbkY mind yet.Tq3j2Sb
hzKyLShe gripped theSy7 bedsheet forUK9C3A a longOtnaZJ while beforeEBmC smoothing it5EcT out andEPQVH speaking:mie
Xgqv2S“He’s a monster.q9nDr It’s hard1jdCF4 to evenj7wUX gauge KangSzA Geom-Ma’s level.YqvF Before meetingoRVE him, I thought maybeZu2LTK I hadffL a slightEtL chance… butpYx no. I couldn’t evenZiP get him5mlx4 to acknowledgep35iz me.”AmJee
gQTD“……”uas
LPaIK“If I was2QH just a little shortNKY2U on power,BWH I might’ve6PYe tried toKZMZsZ push throughue0jR somehow. ButJKN the depthQmXbW of thatXLAt abyss… itBSMWA was bottomless.yWoMT Honestly, ifmcNyZ4 I tried1dj6z listing allMJr the reasonsxqSEZ I lost,hq4p I’d neverGm7 finish.”Oxi
v2MIJMao Lang staredJJBH at AllPuKff Mute, whomXaHu was speakingmacuJq calmly.VK6qP
TdcCfKhan had grown5PcU4 up without21fCu knowing defeat.Aq3dh3 Since childhood,YZsIot she carried8ASk an inferiorityRQ8j1 complex, anddFm now sheQXqF0 had sufferedMlS a crushingUOP loss. AtS4nUH the veryD84 least, sheYeN had hoped4wAG to proveR6mV she was1Otj better thanDNDx her.57n9ck
WiokmMao Lang letnOCVeR out a soft sigh.lES Then, tryingb16 to soundpqSrdI like shecTgY had theQCQn upper hand,0aS she said:TnV0RA9EuYi
EHwo1x“See? I toldCJVFlP you I wasn’t treatedm0fo well duringjsb9X the festival,8N7 didn’t I?vepx Remember theb3Gz2j scorn I got fromNJa67v the herorG8g community aftercvdpXf that? God…kSK now you3h12N know howF03FiV it feelsOCuWsf too. TheGoWrcB monster was9b9 Kang Geom-Ma,i7Yoe not me34D7 being weak.qr4 You agree,Zl8E right?”2R8nB
t0ft0L“I agree.”A5mLn
CMUFAKhan nodded calmly.7c1 Mao LangzBD1 was leftjPN speechless atTpK that emotionless7U0hS response.Ypr
Wa3TKhan continued withvFnY a blankHAD expression:uAPt
iLx“And I neverYqNqz thought you0O0d were weaks4vkP in the5c8L first place.”Wvc1Nq7W
Ys6ID“…?”DWhb
Cw0PA question markWkjbJ appeared inpqn5St Mao Lang’sWL89r eyes. KhaniUDgqy continued asGek if itqGQC was nothing.LTaylC
37B“Back in ourG5W cadet days,0b3f you werei9B6lS ranked number9VQm two inL6U our year.x5y Second placeD16X at Joaquina9C Academy. That’sQbn no smallYukao feat. IfKQUwc you hadAZaNae continued toUfi train steadily,4TG0 I probablyudUVqI couldn’t guaranteeky4JdE a winrXwp against you.”ncyRid7rZj
ZDotMao Lang pursedG5b3Kh her lips.VLV She camemTmMU here topt87 mock her,HjmMgk and endedRWy2aP up beingVyW praised.YfFUdE
QgvKShe ran hervSqdZ hand throughLu9s her hair33ARN5 forcefully, trying7ub to shakeN1v off theINApY uncomfortable thoughts,pqQ and openedFGN0AK her mouth1Mn again:GOoN
wf1m“So, have yougAzZ completely givenOtDc up on8O3S becoming onepdc of the0LkSG Seven Stars?”4ChpzUfMeSX
8Vm1“Yes. I lostFb8Qm too muchOYek5T to keepjspuF insisting.”5mKNbA
ffsm3O“What happened topW6wed your patriotic1gglny fervor? I thought you’dPBha be stubborne9LdsB about representingMFbW the U.S.ji0l4 till theQGGiw end.”Tccn
JaC“If my opponentk3J had beenqqRqKJ someone despicable,eaRG I wouldn’t2nLT have givenrn9g up. Butykaa7 that sword…TqSy No, Kang4BuRj Geom-Ma is3tNYJZ the heroAjT5 of theEModSb Joaquin tragedy.26KH1F It’s wrong3q9AS to beAfdVoJ stubborn againstIiho someone likehkU8 that.”I3ih
IUX“But won’t theZh3C White HousebRcb and LancelotVX0gvq Company grilli8gH you overFfVQ it? I mean, evenAt00A5 if he’sxkNw the so-calledpfRbWd Sashimi Saint,hC2R he couldn’tWL4l3 beat a mere student.Bwo Don’t you1GenF think they’llGR64ep blame youAj7x3A for that?”POovLspZE
bJRCMao Lang’s voiceIamMNQ was fullczzp of concern.RDfP2 All Mute6MV3Ab showed a slightly surprisedCzhvb expression. Backbzv when theyqpPKKJ were cadets,Dvd3 Mao Lang3ZOL only scoldedI8Qw her harshly.tMsij5 But now6h7U that theyTmL2 were adults,cHO88p she wasuCBf speaking likeJSoUAA a friendRZky offering advice.xCB9RJRk
17cMaybe it wasxj2KY because they5FZ4 both nowCsiY shared theAuT62Q same feelingWgoEbm of “beingakZA defeated by7VWam Kang Geom-Ma.”o76JFY It wasFCeN strange. Shegvp even feltFm3 a littleMngM3I gratitude towardBemI the Kang46wPQh Geom-Ma who6NmwN had destroyed3R0c her.pXdN0L
5eUWOA smile creptKxXX1 onto Khan’sKrRz lips. ThenuOgtz she shruggedoiY playfully.f3hS
qoZf“Put them ingfM2 front ofBwq Kang Geom-Ma.xqltZ They’ll probablyvqU7Uy faint justEJX from makingOK7 eye contact,mFO like KaneiME did.”PaBNa
k3fOu“Ugh, why doyxwX you makeAS4kNE such weirdZb5sT jokes? WhenMMO9 someone likecfeB you, whoJd9PG was alwaysTBBeOv so serious,EkxG says somethingFXluvj like that,MLZ it givesjak8iN me chills.”VSlYCj
QgXBDk“It’s American comedy.7EAl You shouldoZqlWR come visitPfgs2l me inS1wXk the U.S.FchS72 sometime. ThecY7w66 food andbR0r3c the buildingsEht are something0LS else.”u5L0vT
afhdY6“Oh yeah? We’lll8dAh see whoXVhl4G gets addictedyLf5 to foodButV when yourWAiU come tok5B4cQ China.”fPDXs
Iu5FOutside the hospital3FTP room, wheremlGDH their conversation4t4h continued warmly,KxX the Swordlry Master was2KCN about toAU28 knock onX6I the door—butqHL paused.Tiaj
Sw9‘It’s an alumni8m4ri gathering. ItFJUi wouldn’t be4lP26 right toKrl interrupt.’i77q
uTZLdHe simply leftIZpE a fruitLfm basket at9cU the door.Wxy1DBixh
GhqZoEAnd walked away9yw in silence.EZHqti89
X1k8o***K3vhen
gsOoNc[Location of theoIX third pieceD6Flq of 【???】:PpIA1g Secret Auctiony2yPX House of6f5 Pertinax.]KhkL
hjC[Hint: As youz5R3 participate indzp the auction,F4RZ you’ll discoverVGK what theIJk third fragmento8Hq is.]Bun
AvuhozI was lyingtwY in bedBYPJX when I closed theI2psUA status window.hjXCIqmt
pmKvd“…Why would itxY2Z9 be inruM0T a placeltVB like that?”R47zbVl6
DroThe Secret Auction8MdOpw House ofLzrU Pertinax. AsjZ4F a formerJCw player, I was fairlyn34 familiar with38Zxi its reputation.GOhxEUN4UuP
kLZdIt was a massive marketplacewxF75o operated byJCk criminal organizations.WtTV Its scaleKRC was enormous,41w and theytPl claimed itPIa had everything—excepty58b2 what couldn’tza45 be sold.GhTLyHKp
zfpcMAs the wordDs3G “secret” implied,0CWyd they didn’tir8jo offer ordinarymru items. The39g things upGF7H for auction5Tn0Su were soAbT vile, they8i7d couldn’t evennjOL be spoken6kjJE aloud.o3Rr0K
dZ17aThere were evenR7r rumors thatJlUBc executives ofc7u19 the Villain4Xn Alliance attended9N8JeX in disguise.NyYk A completelyKkL5ag corrupt place.i53cSd8n
uWFhSJust thinking aboutjjmj going thereY2z4x willingly madeliBP me uncomfortable.aFYxxg8ahy
3yYzFBut if somethingevZ2M was unpleasant,Y4Gt I couldAXOua simply closemNHo9j my eyesB2FZ4 and endureEZw it. The6ps4 real problemGXF was somethingv7nfi else.UKxBG
cpzThe Secret Auctionazr1 House ofbV9FPO Pertinax wasYPzP membership-based. InUTyWlg short, yous3U6Ji needed a membership cardlXkHoO to enter.eO8F Of course,7uI I, a legally decentsAgBw teenager, didn’tBrA have one.2VodPcnc1x
vwe‘Damn it, I just gotET0 my AssociationW1CfT pass, andawxN now I need a card forvLI5 this auction?’HELBcK1aP
A0rAlso, since it67gA was an9Xkh auction, itls2 meant I’dfDf5E have torKWKE bid. I didn’t havecsmg even a fraction ofQt5F1x the moneyXOOrc needed. If9SuEqS I’d knownQCZg this wouldCv4 happen, I would’ve acceptedIM8Yaf the billion-dollarQIS offer forFH6W training inGX6 the alternatev7Z dimension withoutFRq hesitation.kLd
q1uX07Two problems toRvu solve.zG2i
aQPscFirst, get a membership cardsjdXQ somehow.ufiUKs
eilEyKSecond, gather atEMT least a minimum amountVfq6B to bid.z4r0xADBM
qUfV3IThe only positiverC4S thing wasOcR9 that I’dwzMMqB been saving730mOn up bitM6hN by bit2mOeb from theoceV money sentoAa by thatHREg anonymous sponsor.MuSrsRp6
IlSRPZOf course, comparedOQHOF to thelZl6z other auctionejQ participants, it1a2hOk was a laughable amount.IEd But tos2DtX me, these9baIrU 500 dirtyNldA dollars meantA9WGy more thanYc9 the dirtyJh2w money ofTDJ criminals.lSZfM
icgI stared atPXem the ceilingLyebk and startedZwP thinking ofqgi a solution.970z7mb74m
wzE5vFirst, the membershipxOOvO1 card. SinceLSs I couldn’t7iz get oneMYIEiq on myGHWrDD own, I had torzrd consider whetherhxGY5 someone aroundLmZ me mightuRhOp have one.bcLflnM9
r3QXC“…Would someone inYDTYBE my circle,ZxfMqF just a cadet, beskZ involved inNGR the underworld?”06MOqubkLL8X
4c1HCzAs I mutterediOs that, a jolt of5Yc5W electricity ranPj7Q2 through myt7uS2v temple.T3Rnq
5bTThere was onlyzrnpN one person.o6Ts I satOzRTR up andyftUF3 dialed a number.XLvq
ccCKX6Tap—click.R4YqEq
hQkiqmA scratchy sound2sXlYt came fromNRD the other2rxf end, likefCshQE someone answeringf8KIva an emergencyjMHRaO call.019o5
LJ7M[Yes, hello! Whatd1UZF do youk9t need sobomA late atsmBAy night?]iy94K
i8K5“Choi Seol-ah, doNuEHAR you haveZNr a membershipJcHvkz card for0dmkC7 the SecretS04 Auction HouseReoon of Pertinax?”H7RnqWwFoEOY
BqXI paused. ThenTh8O I said:Bs88oEt8BZ
9zbC“And if you’veC1xk1H got anyfrY cash saved0nL up, even6mxE better.”dZ1OI
UfU7O____5Xb
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Haimiya_cutie.
Mahayanaaura farming is on peak can’t wait to see in Manhwa.