Chapter 17: Trash
Norn, who had been watching everything from the back, stood frozen, his eyes wide open and his mouth hanging open. For a moment, he even forgot the seeping blood from his lips and the excruciating pain blooming in his chest.
"W–what the hell? How is he this strong?! Did Zolton lie to us? I am sure he has a high-ranking Soul! And that beast—where the hell did it even come from?! It looks like the cat he mentioned, but… its power—!"
He stumbled back, panic flooding his face.
"S–shit… I might actually die here!"
Juan's screams were abruptly cut short as Shyra's fangs tore through his throat in a single, clean motion.
"Th-this beast… it killed Juan!!" Norn gasped, stammering as he struggled to push himself upright. "I-I need to run!"
Meanwhile, not far away, Lans—bloodied and barely conscious—noticed Leo's shadow creeping closer. His eyes widened in pure terror. Just moments ago, Juan had been alive… and then the black beast ripped him apart.
Now, it was his turn.
Lans tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. The severe concussions and fractures along his head and spine had left him completely immobile and helpless.
"W-wait… Leo, no—Sir Leo, I was just follo—!"
His plea was cut off as Leo drove a kick into his gut, knocking him out cold.
Leo didn't even blink at the gruesome sight before him.
He had long grown numb to seeing bloodshed. When he was on the battlefield, he had watched many of his friends die in cold blood, and he himself had taken countless lives.
Having blood on his hand was something he was already used to. So, the bloodshed he was making now wasn't affecting him in the slightest. If anything, it… it gave him a sense of satisfaction.
Satisfaction of avenging for this body's previous owner, something that was evident by the subtle curve on the corner of his lips.
The previous owner of this body hadn't merely been killed; he had been tortured by them. Though the damage from the outside didn't seem much, Leo's body from the inside was injured to a great degree.
Even if it wasn't much for 'Leonel Draven', for a regular, average man, these injuries were no less than death sentences.
They hadn't just killed Leo.
They clearly had taken their time to torture 'Leo' and enjoyed doing it.
Norn watched Leo's every action, his body trembling with horror and eyes trembling, while his thoughts spiralled into a mess.
"I-is this really the same guy we tortured before…? F-fuck… I shouldn't have taken the work to kill someone for money…" he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking with regret and fear.
"I should have known something was wrong when he was still alive… even after I made sure he was dead. Who knew he was such a monster…"
Norn muttered as his mind raced, desperately trying to think of ways to get out of this situation.
But that bastard baron's son, Zolton Milti, got me good right when I was drowning in debt and then threw an offer of 20 Bronze coins… who could refuse in such a situation? Especially when he even said he would cover us for only a supposed killing of a commoner. Damn, I need to figure out some way to get out of this… somehow… Norn Thought
"Damn it… Y-you really think you can get away with killing us?" Norn stammered
"We are working under Zolton Milti, the Baron's son! And now that he has awakened, he will definitely figure out who killed us and will come after your ass," Norn gulped down as he tried thinking harder.
Leo said nothing. He simply stared at him, his eyes silent and menacing. The beast was already out of sight, and he didn't doubt it wouldn't attack him from anywhere, making him feel even worse.
"B-but… if you let me live…" Norn swallowed hard. "I swear—I won't say anything! I'll tell them these two died fighting each other! I'll—"
Leo just let out a quiet sigh.
"You are right… he will come after me…"
Norn's eyes lit up with a flicker of hope.
"So, do you—"
"But didn't you say…"
Leo interrupted him, his tone turning cold.
"That no one recognises a man without a head?"
The grin that appeared on Leo's lips was enough to drain the colour from Norn's face.
Next, Leo's foot came down—hard.
Crunch.
Lans' skull gave way under the force, and blood splattered across the dirt from his nose and ears.
"Y-you're a madman!" Norn screamed.
"Please—spare me! I have a wife! Kids! They need me!"
But Leo wasn't taking any of that.
"Are you suggesting I should spare someone who came to kill me for a few coins—and pity a family who I don't even know exists?" Leo scoffed. "Forget stranger. Even if the person trying to kill me was a close relative, I would kill him without hesitation."
The next moment, Shyra appeared and slashed Norn's tendons.
Already struggling to stand, Norn collapsed onto the ground as Leo squatted and picked up Lans' sword.
"Tsk. These swords seem even worse than white-grade weapons."
Leo examined the blade briefly before stepping over Juan's corpse. With a few deliberate slashes, he masked Shyra's handiwork, then drove the sword into Juan's chest and crushed his skull. He repeated the process with Lans' body using Norn's sword, then tossed the sword beside his corpse.
Norn could only watch, helpless, dread deepening in his eyes with every passing moment. When Leo finally turned toward him like a grim reaper, he broke completely, scrambling forward and bowing desperately.
"I—I will do anything, please."
Leo stopped in front of him.
"I would have loved to take my time torturing you," he said coldly, "but that would ruin the story I am trying to create. Consider yourself lucky for a quick death."
With that, Leo's fist shot forward.
Norn's head burst apart, splattering the brain matter on the ground as his body fell back lifelessly.
"Phew… dealt with the trash. Now, for the rewards…"
Ding!
*****
Killed Hunter Juan - 467 credits - 47 XP
Killed Hunter Lans - 498 credits - 50 XP
Killed Hunter Norn - 531 credits - 53 XP
Level Up!
Level 4 - 67/220
+4 unassigned stat points.
*****
Leo didn't forget to loot them thoroughly, but his expression quickly soured when he saw the amount.
"Tsk. Only 32 Bronze coins from all three? Poor assholes."
For all the trouble he went through, it was barely anything!
"Well… at least I leveled up."
He quickly shifted their bodies, once again making sure their faces were unrecognizable and everything was according to his plan.
It was simple: make it look like they had filled each other, and when the last one remained, barely alive, a third party finished the job and killed the last member before disfiguring their faces and looting all their money.
"Good, everything's done!"
Leo said as he gently stroked Shyra's fur; she had found her way over his shoulders and was purring softly as she nuzzled his neck.
[Chain Bond - 85% -> 87%]