Miserable Reincarnation

15 – Gangsters (3)

“Rip that mouth apart!”

Bam!

As the man accelerated, cracks appeared on the marble floor.

An output level that was unbelievable for someone who had just been drugged.

Smoke split apart as numerous attacks assaulted Lian’s body from all directions.

Lian’s eyes sparkled as she witnessed the spectacle.

Fast.

Black Snake Society.

Lian had only recently become aware of his past life, but he had heard of this organization a few times. There were only a few people with snake tattoos on their bodies, so it was likely that they were the ones associated with the Black Snake Society.

“They were said to be giants who ruled the underworld alongside major gangs.”

He wasn’t afraid.

In fact, he was eager.

This was his first time fighting against a physical ability user.

“I need to know my own level for sure.”

He knew that his magical power level was in the 4th rank, but Lian knew better than anyone that the measure of strength couldn’t be simply represented by numbers.

He didn’t pay attention to the small variables that could cost him his life on the battlefield.

The most important thing was…

“Experience.”

Crack!

The Mantis Blade split the concrete wall like tofu.

“The strength is no joke.”

It was a strength that couldn’t be believed to be ordinary metal.

Even without channeling magic power, if it had that kind of power, it must not be ordinary metal.

Even if he wore a sturdy alloy protector, it would be cut through.

He felt like he knew why high-ranking physical ability users like Harang didn’t wear protectors.

Splat!

Lian quickly backed away, narrowly avoiding the attack.

“Rat bastard!”

The man roared, swinging his arms widely. Swish! Every clash of the dagger and blade sent sparks flying in all directions.

Clang! Clang!

As the confrontation continued, the man’s demeanor became increasingly bizarre. His face contorted, saliva dripped from his mouth. His vision blurred, and the trembling of his entire body intensified.

It was only then that the man, realizing something was amiss, hesitated.

“What is this…?”

“I guess the drug’s effects are wearing off.”

Lian chuckled and spoke. Decoding narcotics was not an easy task. Even professionally trained soldiers could succumb to a few days of agony caused by drugs.

‘Eujin. The guys we teamed up with for the mission yesterday are all dead.’

“Suddenly?”

“They said even after retiring, they have to live as plant people for the rest of their lives. I selected them as veterans… No, maybe the veterans’ journey has come to an end.”

“Captain, don’t be too disappointed. Eujin is just a monster, that’s all.”

“Crazy bastard. Wasn’t I unconscious all day?”

“If you collapsed right after swallowing it, you wouldn’t be saying this. But it’s different, right? You wandered around, beheading rebels for an hour without any issues.”

In a previous life as a mercenary, Lian had witnessed this a few times. Colleagues who simply ingested a tiny amount but ended up dozing off were not a rarity.

Especially now, with the entire corridor filled with it, what would happen?

“From the beginning, it was probably not an antidote but an awakening agent.”

Having voiced an old thought, Lian gripped the dagger in reverse.

Unbelievable.

The man’s eyes flickered open.

Just a few minutes ago, even considering the state of having consumed the awakening agent, why does Lian act as if nothing has happened?

The more vigorously one moves, the faster the drug dissolves in the bloodstream.

-Gulp.

He didn’t let his guard down. It’s true that Lian underestimated the strength of his appearance, but that’s all.

If he had let his guard down from the beginning, Lian wouldn’t have even thought of chewing and swallowing the awakening agent as soon as he realized he was maintaining his composure in this smoke.

Since Lian, like himself, is holding onto consciousness with the power of the drug, it would be more advantageous to take the awakening agent a little later in the fight.

He must have thought so, but…

Lian’s pupils did not become the least bit clouded compared to the first time.

As if not influenced at all by this smoke.

“What, how?”

The man unconsciously uttered a sound close to a scream.

‘Wasn’t he enduring it with drugs like me?’

Could it be an artifact?

But the man soon shook his head. He had never heard of an artifact that detoxifies drugs.

Rather than creating such a thing, those bastards from large corporations would rather make and sell drugs.

Then there is only one possibility left.

Lian’s body is resistant enough to withstand this level of corrosion without any problem.

At the same time, there was a prestigious school that flashed through his mind.

Specializing in memorization and extreme endurance.

That moment.

“Too many thoughts.”

The dagger in Lian’s hand was wrapped in a crimson glow. Then, it swiftly closed the distance with a terrifying speed.

“Wha, the glow…!”

The man’s eyes were filled with astonishment at the overwhelmingly powerful attack compared to before.

‘It can’t be true!’

Although he had modified some parts of his body, fundamentally, the man was still a physical adept.

That’s why he knew. Handling a glow at that age was an utterly absurd thing.

Trembling…!

Along with the sound of the blade whistling, the man’s body was forcefully pushed back as if repelled.

He couldn’t withstand the tremendous magical power contained in the glow.

Blood flowed from his entire body due to the overwhelming impact.

“Ughhh…!”

Even though he maximized the output of his physique, it was just barely holding on.

Thud! Squeak! Squeak!

Little by little, the man’s body began to kneel. Lian pressed on with an indifferent face.

The magical power contained in the man’s body was incomparable to Lian’s. The method of usage was also the same.

However, the reason for this prolonged confrontation was that the performance of the cyberware the man equipped was exceptionally outstanding.

Bang!

No matter how soundproof the VIP room was, if such a loud noise resonated a few times, the floor below would notice something was amiss.

‘Finish it quickly.’

Consciously sensing the flow of mana, intentionally twisting it with one hand, and gathering it. Precision in control to the extent that even high-level adepts would be astonished. However, for Rian, it was as simple as pulling the trigger.

Gooooo…!

The man facing the blade, tinged with an unprecedented chilling aura, swallowed dryly.

I’m going to die.

The man stared at the rapidly approaching blade with eyes filled with fear.

Hastily pulling out a vial from his pocket, he poured dozens of pills into his mouth. A desperate struggle, like a rebellion against death.

Gulp-!

Perhaps due to consuming too much at once, the veins throughout his body began to bulge like earthworms, and soon his entire skin turned red.

“Kraaa!”

Steam rose from the man’s body as if boiling. Suppressing the pounding heartbeat as if it would burst, he rushed towards Rian.

Shyaaak!

The blade closing in on him in an instant.

But faster than that, Rian’s dagger transformed its shape.

“…!!”

The muzzle pressed against his nose. The man, realizing only now that he had fallen into a trap, desperately tried to change direction, but it was already too late.

‘From the beginning-.’

Was revealing the weapon openly for the sake of this moment?

A flash of light.

Simultaneously, the man’s head twisted backward.

Tang Clan (당가).

In the final moment, the word that surfaced in the man’s mind was none other than that.

“Huuh.”

Lian exhaled a faint breath, harnessing his magic. The man’s face left no trace of his form.

‘What’s happening!’

‘Hurry, go upstairs and check!’

Urgent voices echoed from all directions. Lian frowned, gazing at the man’s lifeless body.

‘It took much longer than I expected.’

It was due to never encountering a modified human even in the tumultuous experiences of his past lives.

Lian headed straight to the server room. There, he discovered a device identical to the one he had seen in the mysterious machinery crevices.

‘Is this where it goes?’

Click…!

The moment he plugged in the received USB, a strange voice flowed from the screen along with noise.

[The processing speed is faster than expected. Is this a mercenary group worth the money?]

“…What is this?”

[Don’t be too surprised. I just hijacked the server’s voice system; I wasn’t monitoring you from the beginning.]

“The hacker hired by the government, is it you?”

[Well, not entirely wrong. By the way, it seems like you’re using quite a decent scrambler. Devices that don’t give off as much interference are uncommon. Most people would believe you’re just a little kid messing around.]

“…”

Lian silently closed his mouth. There was no need for unnecessary explanations.

[We’ve obtained the data… and the payment should be deposited by the end of today.]

“I have a question I want to ask.”

“Well, if it’s something simple.”

Normally, I would have ignored it, but the other party was a skilled individual who had completed the request twice as fast as planned. Talking openly with such a skilled individual, even as a hacker, wouldn’t be a disadvantage.

After thinking for a moment, Lian decided to ask about something he had been curious about for a while.

Coincidentally, the person he was talking to was an expert in this field.

“How much does a forged identity cost?”

“…What?”

It was a bit illegal, to be honest.