“I say, Big Brother,” the grey-haired youth, “Assassin,” who was sprawled on the ground, addressed the man lying prostrate beside him. Watching his companion, the youth seemed to be mustering his courage.
“What is it?” The man, feeling somewhat drowsy, barely managed to rouse himself upon hearing the grey-haired youth’s question.
“Could it be that… they aren’t coming?” the grey-haired youth murmured, a hint of doubt in his voice.
The man gazed at the sky, pondering for a long moment. “Unlikely,” he finally said. “Besides, if there’s an intelligence error on this kind of mission, the fault isn’t ours. At worst, we’ll just stake out for a few more days, then head straight back. We’ll get some compensation anyway, so we won’t be at a loss.”
The grey-haired youth scratched his head. “That’s true. After spending so much time with Boss Keton, I’ve become just like him, always thinking about how to complete the mission.”
The man clicked his tongue. “Boss Keton isn’t wrong either. It’s naturally better if we can complete the mission, but if we truly can’t, then there’s nothing we can do, wouldn’t you agree?”
The grey-haired youth nodded, then suddenly felt an urgent need. “Ah, I need to take a quick piss.” With that, he hastily scurried towards the other side of the hill.
****
Lavishly Karafar and I were traveling as planned towards Dara City, our designated meeting point. As we passed through a stretch of woods, I suddenly felt the urge to relieve myself.
I whispered a quick word to Liu Han, who was beside me, then darted into the trees.
A rustling sound of water reached my ears, making me pause. ‘Is someone there?’ I wondered.
I glanced around cautiously and spotted a grey-haired man in the act of urinating.
Our eyes met, and the grey-haired man’s entire body stiffened, an awkward expression blooming on his face. In contrast, I remained completely calm, showing no reaction whatsoever.
“Oh, so someone was here after all,” I stated, standing still and simply watching him.
The grey-haired youth’s embarrassment deepened. Imagine, if you will: a grown man, relieving himself in a small patch of woods, when a young girl suddenly emerges, leaving him completely exposed before her.
Yet, this wasn’t the most crucial part. If the girl had simply blushed and run away, it might have been fine.
Instead, she was staring with incredibly clear eyes, and had softly uttered, “Oh, so someone was here after all.” Then, she remained utterly motionless.
The grey-haired man felt he had to do something. ‘I’m an assassin, after all,’ he thought, ‘I can definitely scare her away.’
With this resolve, he adopted a fierce and menacing demeanor.
“Little girl, let me tell you, I’m a killer,” he declared, puffing out his chest as if to emphasize his prowess. “I’m currently on a mission. Believe me, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut you down.”
‘A killer? On a mission? Here?’
“Then, who… who are you trying to kill?” I feigned a pitiful, startled yet curious expression, an act so convincing even I was impressed by my own performance.
Predictably, the grey-haired man was quite pleased with my reaction. “Hmph, hmph, I’m preparing to slay a god, so step aside.”
He believed that with just a little more effort, he could scare me away.
‘Slay a god?’ I pretended to be terrified, trembling slightly. “Kill… kill, which deity…?”
The grey-haired man smirked triumphantly. “It’s a High God, a super deity with elemental attributes: Moe God Ye Menghan.”
‘Oh? Killing Moe God Ye Menghan? Tsk, tsk, tsk…’
I slowly approached, completely shedding my previous timid demeanor. The grey-haired youth, astonished by my sudden change, failed to react in time.
I put on a “kindly” smile, though in the grey-haired youth’s eyes, it was more akin to a mischievous devil’s grin. Then, this little devil before him slowly parted her lips.
“Well then, thank you for the compliment~”
‘Thank you for what? What does that mean? I don’t recall complimenting her.’
Even as he pondered, I had already moved softly to his side, my hands gently grasping his forearm. He snapped back to attention, perplexed by my actions.
Suddenly, I exerted force, executing a brutal over-the-shoulder throw.
“Thud—” The grey-haired man was slammed violently onto the ground, letting out several pained cries.
I then pulled out that exceptionally useful “brick”—yes, the Moe God’s Codex—and directly applied it to him.
A few minutes later, a twitching, lifeless ‘fish’ lay sprawled on the ground.
It seemed I had accidentally used a bit too much force. There was nothing for it; I’d been feeling quite frustrated lately.
The last time I beat up thugs, I had to hold back, but this time, it was rather satisfying, so…
Still, it was fine. I figured a quick divine spell would have him bouncing back to life soon enough. This way, I wouldn’t even need to tie him up; how convenient.
And so, dragging him by the leg, I hauled him all the way back to where Lavishly Karafar and the others waited.
Lavishly Karafar and the others stared in astonishment at the blurry mass I was dragging. “What… what is this situation?” they asked.
I released the leg I’d been clutching, and pursed my lips. “This guy was just peeing in the woods. I stumbled upon him, and then he started claiming he was a killer, threatening to kill me. So, I conveniently dealt with him and dragged him back.”
Lavishly Karafar and the others gazed at the blurry mass with expressions of utter horror, their eyes also catching the trail of blood left behind. Mifeier, in particular, squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight.
A chill ran down Ryan’s spine. ‘This terrifying? So violent. Is the Moe God truly this powerful?’
Though he had never directly fought her, the faint sensation emanating from the blurry figure being dragged suggested this was no ordinary individual.
Observing their reactions, I glanced back. ‘Oh dear, it seems I dragged him all the way here…’
I offered an apologetic expression.
[Divine Art: Heal]
A flash of light erupted, and the blurry ‘mosaic’ vanished at a visible pace, revealing the man’s form beneath. Though his clothes were somewhat tattered, there were no longer any obvious injuries on his body.
The young man looked around, then spotted me and immediately flinched. “Moe God, please, in your great generosity, spare me! Don’t hit me, let’s talk this out… I’ll tell you anything…”
Seeing his terrified state, it seemed I had left him with a considerable psychological trauma. ‘Was I really that terrifying just now?’