novelraw Chapter 142 : Chapter 142
Chapter 142 : Chapter 142
Chapter 142: The Viper Organization (4)
If asked what the most troublesome and lethal attack was for Evan, it would undoubtedly be poison.
Not only did he lack innate resistance, but his frail constitution made him even more vulnerable to poison than the average person.
Of course, that was a story from his past life.
Unfortunately, his current body wasn’t much different.
Unless one was the leader of Viper, who had to build immunity to poisons to rise to that position, poison was equally deadly to everyone.
‘Fortunately, it’s not a lethal toxin. If it were, my skin would already be melting by now. Even for Viper, no human could be immune to that level of venom.’
But that didn’t mean the situation was safe.
In the confined, poorly ventilated space of the underground sewer, to survive this toxic smoke, he had to escape this area as quickly as possible.
And before that, his top priority was to subdue Viper’s leader, Mei, standing before him.
‘The key variable is how skilled she is… but I don’t need to worry too much.’
The attack moments ago, meant to gauge the gap between them, had shown that Mei barely reacted to the surprise assault and ended up wounded.
This told him she wasn’t at least on the level of Bakan or an Executor-class fighter.
If she were, she wouldn’t have allowed a scratch on her neck from such an attack, no matter how sudden.
“You…!”
Mei was initially flustered, but soon felt a surge of fierce anger.
The fact that someone dared to leave a mark on her body completely crushed her pride.
Consumed by rage, Mei directed her fury toward Evan.
“…I was going to go easy, but I have no choice.”
Mei drew her unique weapon to face Evan.
In her hand was a sharp metal chain with a keen sickle attached to its end.
“Once I draw this weapon, there’s no chance you’ll leave here alive. That’s how it’s always been, and it will be now.”
Mei spun the chain sickle skillfully, flashing a chilling smile.
“…”
Unlike her, Evan, seeing the chain sickle in her hand, smiled with intrigue.
‘She’s using that? It’s been a while since I’ve seen a chain.’
The chain was a special weapon for him.
When he first entered the Academy, the weapon he chose above all others was the chain.
Seeing a weapon he once favored in the hands of an enemy stirred a peculiar sense of nostalgia.
At the same time, the curiosity unique to a Weapon Master surfaced.
Even in this life-or-death situation, he couldn’t help but wonder how she wielded that weapon.
“No idea what’s so amusing, but let’s see how long that smile lasts!”
Mei extended the chain and swung the sickle fiercely.
―Clang! Clang-clang!
The sickle at the chain’s end scraped sharply against the sewer walls, sparking, and a relentless barrage of attacks pressed Evan fiercely.
‘I thought the narrow space would make a chain sickle hard to use, but her handling is exceptional. She adjusts the chain’s length to keep the attack tempo fast.’
Evan twisted and turned, focusing on dodging Mei’s flashy and fluid assaults.
But as he retreated and evaded, a dead-end wall soon appeared behind him.
“No more room to run!”
Mei seized the momentum, pulling the chain back swiftly.
―Whoosh!
As the chain retracted into her hand, Mei, as if waiting for this moment, threw the weighted end in a straight line.
―Swoosh!
Seeing the weight hurtling through the air, Evan quickly drew his dagger and struck it precisely.
―Clang!
The moment the weight was deflected, Mei, as if anticipating it, shook the chain forcefully.
The taut chain, guided by the weight’s trajectory, swiftly wrapped around Evan’s neck.
“Breathe even a little, and it’s over!”
Mei tightened the chain, pressing her advantage.
Her plan was to force him to breathe and inhale the poison.
‘It’s over. If you inhale even a whiff of this toxic smoke, your fate is in my hands. I have the antidote.’
But as she savored her moment of triumph, Mei noticed the corner of Evan’s mouth curling upward.
‘Why is he smiling? Could it be…?’
Only then did Mei realize her mistake.
Evan had been waiting for an opportunity to seize her chain from the start.
‘The chain, quick!’
Evan grabbed the chain around his neck with one hand, gripping it tightly.
“Ugh?!”
Mei, startled, tried to yank the chain back, but it was too late.
Evan’s grip was like steel, and the chain, stretched taut, was gradually being pulled toward him.
Instead, Mei was dragged forward by the overwhelming force, losing her balance and stumbling.
With no other choice, she cut the chain with her own sickle.
―Clang!
The moment the chain was severed, Evan swiftly unraveled the portion around his neck
and threw it toward her wrist.
―Whoosh!
With the weight attached, the chain flew in the direction Evan intended, aiming to ensnare the wrist holding her sickle.
The weighted chain precisely entangled Mei’s wrist as she gripped the sickle.
Before she could attempt to cut the chain again, Evan yanked it with force, pulling her into the air.
“Ack!”
Mei helplessly crashed into the ceiling, and the impact caused the sickle to fall from her hand.
Evan leaped, swiftly grabbing the fallen sickle, and pressed it against her neck as she landed.
Holding his breath in the toxic smoke, Evan couldn’t speak, but the message in his eyes and expression was clear.
―Want to keep going?
The cold metal pressed against her throat.
Mei finally realized.
‘I lost… completely. Despite being at a disadvantage, he didn’t care. I’ve been defeated.’
Having operated in the underworld and defeated countless foes, this kind of loss was a first.
Continuing this reckless fight would only worsen the situation, and the best way to salvage anything was to surrender.
Mei slowly raised both hands, signaling her surrender.
“I surrender…”
Declaring her defeat, Mei reached into her pocket for the antidote.
“This is the antidote. You don’t have to hold your breath anymore…”
At that moment, Jaina burst through the thick smoke, covering her mouth and nose, and charged forward.
Without hesitation, she aimed a powerful kick at the back of Mei’s head.
―Thud!
“Agh!”
Mei instinctively raised her arm to block, but the force knocked her off balance, sending her tumbling to the ground.
At the same time, the vial containing the antidote flew into the air.
‘No!’
Evan leaped, barely catching the vial mid-air, and immediately poured the antidote into his mouth.
“Haa~”
As Jaina prepared to charge again, Evan quickly restrained her with one hand.
“You’ve gotten a lot fiercer since we last met, huh? It’s over. Viper surrendered.”
“??”
Hearing the situation was resolved, Jaina stood still, glancing between Evan and Mei.
Then, Jack emerged through the smoke as well.
With the same menacing expression as Jaina, he looked ready to lunge at Mei.
“You two have really changed a lot. Oh, maybe not Jack?”
Evan chuckled, feeling both proud and grateful for their fearless loyalty, but his priority now was to get them out of the toxic smoke.
With one arm, Evan pulled Jack and Jaina close, and with powerful strides, he began to exit the smoke-filled area.
He called out urgently to Mei, who sat dazed beyond the smoke.
“Let’s finish our talk outside! In case you didn’t notice, it stinks in here!”
Watching Evan disappear, Mei pulled her clothes to her nose and sniffed.
***
Evan, having turned the sewer into chaos, emerged above ground with Jack and Jaina.
Their destination was a tavern located at the sewer’s entrance.
Naturally, the tavern was already filled with Viper members.
But Evan, unfazed, casually browsed the old liquor bottles while waiting for Mei.
“If anyone wants to try me, go ahead. If you don’t value your life, that is.”
His cold, sharp warning kept everyone at bay.
Moments later, Mei appeared, cutting through the suffocating tension.
“Everyone, leave. This incident is partly our fault.”
“But…”
“That’s an order.”
“…Understood.”
After a brief hesitation, the members quietly withdrew at her firm command.
Leaving only a single guard at the tavern’s door, Mei and Evan were finally alone.
Mei spoke first.
“How about we forget what happened?”
“Fine, let’s call it even with today’s outburst.”
“Outburst?”
“You know, accepting the contract to kill me.”
Mei smiled smoothly, unshaken.
“Don’t misunderstand. In Viper, choosing contracts is strictly individual freedom. I don’t personally approve or interfere.”
Mei clearly wanted to distance herself from the recent Lafard Family incident.
Evan, too, had no intention of escalating that issue now.
“We’ll discuss that later. I came here today for another important purpose.”
“Alright, let’s hear it. Why has the kingdom’s duke personally visited this dark place?”
Not only Mei but also Jack and Jaina fixed their eyes on Evan’s lips.
“I heard someone supplied siege weapons and warship blueprints to Morcal of the Kandahr Tribe. Do you know anything about them?”
Evan’s sharp gaze pierced Mei.
She hesitated briefly but eventually spoke honestly.
“…I know. To be frank, that person used our services to secure passage to the Kandahr Tribe.”
Her quick admission caused Jaina to leap up in anger.
“You crazy traitors!”
The atmosphere turned hostile, and Mei hurriedly raised her hands to calm Jaina.
“Don’t misunderstand! I didn’t know things would escalate this far.”
“You call that an excuse? Anyone could’ve predicted the Kandahr Tribe would invade our kingdom.”
Under Evan’s cold stare, Mei reluctantly continued.
“I mean, I genuinely didn’t know they were siege weapon blueprints. Really. Though I had a bad feeling about their destination…”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you show your face when they actually invaded the kingdom?”
Evan’s relentless probing forced Mei to finally unleash her pent-up words.
“Fine! I admit it. We’re people who only care about money. We don’t have a shred of patriotism, just a bunch of lowlifes. So we stayed hidden, not caring if the kingdom fell or not!”
Her cynical but honest response prompted Evan to nod calmly.
“Fair enough. It’s better that you admit it. If you feel even a sliver of guilt toward the kingdom, how about taking on a job?”
Mei quickly grasped his meaning.
“…You want us to find the one who handed over the blueprints?”
“Exactly. For you, it’d be as easy as sipping cold soup.”
“Our intelligence network is a mess due to the war, but we’ll handle that job cleanly.”
Evan had finally found a lead to pursue the ominous shadow tied to the Empire.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“What?”
“This one, I’ll pay for personally. If you can handle another job cleanly.”
Evan’s request wasn’t over yet.