Chapter 67: It’s Right in Front of You (4)

A city usually had a mayor who was responsible for the city, but Liqueur didn’t. Instead, they had gangs and guilds that regulated and dominated different regions. Each region had its own unique rules and regulations, such as a toll for passing through, or a prohibition on carrying weapons.

The Red-Eyed Gang’s district only had one rule: don’t be loud. As such, their district was quiet and calm compared to the others.

“Rise and shine! You’ve got guests, you bastards!”

Keter’s loud voice rang throughout the quiet streets. As their name suggested, gangsters with red eyes surrounded Keter and Luke in an instant. They looked a little unwell when they saw Keter, but they kept their ground, growing confident as more members joined them. As more than one hundred members gathered, the Red-Eyed Gang began chattering.

“It’s Keter the Solver! What brings you to our district?”

“That’s Keter? I’ve only heard of him, but he doesn’t look like anything much.”

“Kekeke. Will I become famous if I go and cut his head off? Maybe Lord Maran will grace me even more?!”

“Let’s kill him! No matter how great he is, there are way more of us!”

“He doesn’t have a weapon. That archer has one, but not Keter! This is our chance!”

They were all talking like they would charge at any instant, but no one stepped up first. It was because they knew that the first one to step up would certainly die.

Keter looked around at the crowd of people and clicked his tongue.

“A bunch of nobodies. Not even good enough for me to get a light exercise. Don’t waste my time, and get out of the way.”

Unlike Keter, who was calm and relaxed, Luke was sweating profusely. There were more opponents than arrows; even killing two—no, three with one arrow wasn’t enough. Although he had learned martial arts and bow-staff technique, where the bow was used like a staff, he had never done it in real battle. He had his ability, but he couldn’t do anything about the nervousness.

“You idiots! Attack from range first, then close him while he’s busy defending, and stab him in the gut! Even Keter won’t be able to handle that! Let’s go!”

One of the Red Eye gang members roused the others, and the instigator hurled an axe at Keter.

That was the trigger. A barrage of weapons flew toward Keter and Luke. Most missed their mark, clashing mid-air or hitting random spots. But with so many attacking at once, it turned into a massive area attack with no room to evade. Moreover, their weapons carried faint traces of aura.

The majority of the attacks were aimed at Luke rather than Keter. It was only natural. Compared to Keter, Luke looked like the easier target.

Luke took a deep breath. Ignoring the storm of weapons, he aimed his arrow at the closest thug and let it fly.

“You little brat of an archer! Do you really think an arrow will work against someone with red eyes like me?” the thug yelled, confident in his abilities.

He had once caught a crossbow bolt mid-flight.

I can see it! Your arrow!

True to his boast, he really could see Luke’s arrow... for a split second.

Thwack!

“Huh? Aargh!”

The thug flailed his hands only after the arrow had already struck. Luke’s arrow pierced clean through his thigh, embedding itself halfway into the shoulder of another thug behind him.

The second thug, too, had seen the arrow coming.

“Damn it! It’s too fast!”

Indeed, Luke’s arrows were in a completely different league from anything they had encountered before. They couldn’t keep up with its speed, even with enhanced perception. And even if they briefly saw it, their bodies couldn’t react in time.

This is where archery outclassed swordsmanship. It could kill people more easily if they didn’t have anything to defend themselves against the arrows.

Luke paid no mind to the incoming projectiles and nocked another arrow. Seeing this, the gang members charged at him even more recklessly.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Luke’s second arrow flew. It struck two more thugs with a single shot.

But none of them stopped. Instead, their frenzy only intensified, emboldened by the fact they hadn’t been hit.

The thrown weapons finally rained down on Luke. Yet, miraculously, not a single one hit him.

“What the fuck is going on? How is he dodging everything without even moving?”

A total of nine gang members were incapacitated just trying to get close to Luke.

“Hehehe! I’ll gouge out your eyes and infuse them in booze!”

No matter how fast Luke fired his arrows, he couldn’t stop all the gangsters from closing in. With no room to retreat, he eventually allowed one to approach, and he swung his sword at Luke.

Luke dodged the blade and stabbed the gangster in the thigh with an arrow before pulling it out. He had aimed for the artery, and blood gushed out as the arrow was pulled out. Yet he didn’t back off and swung his sword again.

Luke was taken aback.

Doesn’t he realize he’ll die if he doesn’t treat that wound immediately?

Expecting the gangster to retreat, Luke twisted and struck his head with the shaft of his bow. But the unexpected attack cost him precious time, and more gang members managed to close the distance.

Even so, Luke remained calm, dodging attacks as his ability guided him, striking them in the head or swinging at them.

They all use aura, which is intimidating, but their attacks are simple. I can avoid them even without my misfortune detector.

They didn’t have a technique. Their attacks were driven purely by malice and the intent to kill. Of course, they would have been dismembered quickly if they were up against a typical knight, but Luke’s ability was especially effective for defense and evasion.

The Red-Eyed Gang’s attacks failed to injure Luke physically, though they succeeded in wounding his spirit.

Why are they fighting so desperately? Don’t they realize they can’t win?

The difference in strength, speed, and skill was overwhelming. Yet the gang members charged recklessly, willing to face death.

“Hahaha! This kid is fucking strong!”

“If we kill him, we’ll screw over Keter! Kehehe!”

They acted as if they were moments away from killing Luke, but he neither grew tired nor dropped his guard. Instead, he became sharper, faster, and more focused.

To conserve his arrows, Luke began using martial arts to knock them out. The sensation of striking human flesh was unpleasant, but he couldn’t stop.

Swords, axes, spears, scythes, and other unrecognizable weapons rained down on him from all directions. In line with the knightly code, Luke tried his best to avoid killing. Even so, the number of dead far exceeded those merely incapacitated, as some continued charging even after they were already incapacitated.

“Ha... Ha...”

Luke looked down at his hands. They were drenched in blood—none of it his own. His clothes, his entire body, were soaked in it. Human blood was far stickier and more unpleasant than he had imagined.

This was nothing like his first fight against Jordic.

Luke turned to find Keter, seeking comfort in the thought that Keter must be in a similar state.

But...

“...?!”

Keter was surrounded by groaning gang members. Not a drop of blood was on him. He was completely clean. No one had shed blood near Keter, so naturally, he was spotless.

“Keter...? How did you do that?”

Luke had been so focused on his own fight that he hadn’t seen how Keter fought. He began approaching Keter, curious.

Keter gestured for Luke to stay where he was and said, “What do you mean?”

“How did you beat all of them without shedding a single drop of blood?”

“You have to kick them in the balls.”

Now, Luke saw that everyone who was on the ground was holding their crotch, groaning in pain, or completely unconscious.

“You’re insane...”

Luke, who nearly had all his mental energy drained by the unpleasantness of violence, felt an even greater fear grip him, causing a sharp ache in his crotch.

* * *

Those observing the fight between Keter and the Red-Eyed Gang from a safe distance felt chills. They stared at Keter and Luke, casually standing amidst the countless casualties and chatting, like they were monsters.

"The rumors were true. They say you’re considered lucky if you die fighting Keter."

Nearly forty gang members who had challenged Keter became eunuchs. To top it off, Keter displayed an unsettling sense of fairness, showing no discrimination based on gender. Of course, the gangsters weren’t complete fools—they tried to defend their groins by lowering their arms. Unfortunately, those who did so ended up losing the use of their arms as well.

"That kid isn’t ordinary, either. He might lack experience, but his precise technique completely overwhelmed us."

Although Luke was mentally shaken, he had executed his part in the battle with impressive skill.

Keter turned to the onlookers and shouted, "If you’ve been watching, pay up! Bring us some water to clean up our little rookie."

No one dared to defy the monstrous display of power Keter had shown. Without hesitation, they rushed to fetch water in buckets and basins.

Keter wasted no time pouring the water over Luke, washing off most of the blood that had drenched him. While Luke now looked like a soaked cat, instead of appearing pitiful, he looked oddly endearing.

Running his wet hair back with his fingers and shaking himself off, Luke grumbled, "This is exactly why I didn’t want to come along."

"If you can’t avoid it, embrace it. Feels refreshing, doesn’t it?"

"Not as easy as you make it sound."

As Luke wrung the water out of his clothes, a group suddenly appeared. Their eyes glowed red. Of course, they were also members of the Red-Eyed Gang, but they seemed far more disciplined.

One stepped forward—a strikingly handsome young man with both eyes closed—and bowed respectfully.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Keter, I am Contact, and I was lucky to have recently been promoted to officer."

Keter, looking utterly bored, asked, "Where’s Gyro? I came here to find him."

“Unfortunately, he’s currently fighting Lord Maran, sir."

"I figured as much."

"Maran has strictly ordered no one to interfere in their battle."

"Then hurry up and attack me already. Thanks for saving me the trouble. At least you might make for decent exercise."

The members of the Red-Eyed Gang Contact certainly did not look like the usual third-rate thugs. All of them appeared to be at least Gold-ranked mercenaries, and Contact was a Platinum-rank who could use aura.

Keter gestured impatiently for them to come at him, but Contact shook his head.

“How could my friends and I possibly be enough to block your path, Lord Keter? We're merely pretending to stand in your way to avoid being scolded too harshly by Lord Maran."

Contact clapped his hands lightly, and the gang members blocking the path immediately stepped aside.

"Please forgive our rudeness and kindly proceed along this path, Lord Keter," he said, bowing respectfully.

"Alright," Keter replied, striding forward without hesitation.

Luke, tense and on high alert, followed closely behind.

The atmosphere shifted as Keter passed by Contact, turning his back to him.

"...But of course, you'd try to ambush me, wouldn't you?"

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Smack!

Keter abruptly turned and backhanded Contact across the face, sending him sprawling across the ground. The gang members standing in formation flinched in unison. Contact, however, gestured for them to stay put.

"Why would I do such a thing? I'm innocent,” he said.

"You were grinning slyly."

“I have a naturally smiling face.”

"If I see you not smiling next time, I'll make sure you grin for twenty-four hours straight."

"Truly, luck is not on my side today."

Contact quickly retreated far back to avoid getting hit again. The gang members followed suit, shuffling back step by step, making sure to maintain some space from Keter.

Once they passed through, no one dared to block Keter's way. The gang's executives had already agreed not to stop him and create unnecessary casualties.

As they entered deeper into the Red-Eyed Gang's territory, a series of thunderous booms echoed in the distance.

The sheer intensity of the sound sent chills down Luke's spine. He didn’t even need to see the source to know—this was a clash of incredible powers. Those people could only be Gyro, Keter’s subordinate, and Maran, the infamous Eye Collector.

Until now, Luke had inadvertently thought that neither of them were powerful beings. After all, why would an exceptional warrior choose to serve as Keter's subordinate or lead a gang in the lawless city?

But the level of power conveyed by the sounds of their battle was beyond anything Luke had ever imagined. He hadn’t encountered many great warriors in his life. Before meeting Keter, the strongest person he knew was the vice-captain of the Sacred Order of Sefira.

But Jordic, whom Luke fought in Hacose Village, had been even stronger than that vice-captain.

As for Keter... his strength is beyond words, so let’s set him aside.

Still, Luke couldn’t believe it.

It was obvious from the current battle between Gyro and Maran that both were far stronger than Jordic. Compared to them, the Red-Eye Gang members they had just fought felt less like humans and more like insects.

Luke glanced over at Keter and examined him. Like him, Keter also looked worried.

“You’re nervous too, aren’t you, Keter?”

Then, Keter responded like he didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, and replied, “I was thinking about what we should have for lunch. Let’s deal with this quickly and get some food.”

Keter, who was walking leisurely, began running to the battlefield.

With a dazed expression, Luke muttered, “I think we have much more work to do.”

With things as they were, Luke couldn’t help but worry about when they would finally get to meet the Sword of the South.