The crowd erupted into confusion, shouting and scrambling.
"Wha—what's now!?" Ren yelled, his eyes darting toward the metal door now exploded and shrouded in dust.
BOOOOM!
CRASH!
SCREAMS!
Julius remained unnervingly calm, standing and brushing dust off his shoulders. "Don't forget what I told you," he said with a grin as he stepped from his seat.
Ren's mind raced—he remembered Julius' warning about running with his tail. He leapt up, eyes sharp, ready.
"Didn't I say you'd get it in time?" Julius added, excitement flickering in his eyes.
Through the settling dust, the massive entry gate revealed the city guards, rifles aimed at the crowd inside.
[ We're doomed! ]
Ren hissed, ducking behind a seat.
"Don't jinx it, you moron," he muttered as Julius mirrored his cover.
Ren peeked over the seat, face calm but eyes cold. "Isn't slave trading legal here…? Then why the hell are city guards here?" His words dripped with suspicion and barely-contained anger.
Julius hesitated, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Well… slave trading isn't illegal, but this auction… Haha. You can only get rare diamonds beneath the darkness."
Ren was left speechless. "You…! Why the hell didn't you tell me beforehand?!"
The city guard vice-captain's voice boomed, authoritative. "I am the vice-captain of the city guard. I repeat—don't try to run. You are covered from all directions. There is no escape."
Ren gritted his teeth. "I'll deal with you later!" He yanked the seat in front of him like it weighed nothing.
"Yes, brother. First… focus on getting out of here," Julius murmured, crawling toward safety.
"Who's running!?" Ren snapped, excitement crackling in his voice. "I'm going nowhere without my goods!" He lifted the seat with brute force, tossing it like a battering ram.
CRASH!
[ Let's beat their asses… ]
Ren shook his head in disbelief. Are you even allowed to use those words, trash?
Julius thought, What the—! Brother is on another level…
The vice-captain bellowed, "I will not repeat myself! Surrender, or you will not be spared!"
Panic rippled through the crowd. Shouts, running, people diving for cover.
"Like hell we will!" Ren growled. He hurled the seat at the vice-captain.
THUD!
The vice-captain's gun clattered to the ground. Guards fired, but none lethal, bullets pinging harmlessly.
Julius crawled slowly toward the side, muttering, Better get out now…
The crowd spiraled into chaos—shouts, screams, furniture crashing.
Ren grabbed Julius' shoulder, eyes icy. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Nowhere, brother… just—" Julius stammered, a nervous laugh escaping.
Ren yanked him back and, with a swift motion, threw him backstage. "Go secure our goods first!"
"Harsh, brother!" Julius shouted midair, landing safely and disappearing backstage.
Ren's grin widened, excitement creeping over him. "Now… time for the show."
DING!
[ You have obtained a random skill card for exceeding the limit of excitement. ]
[ Looks like we're lucky today… ]
Ren's eyes sparkled. Now that's some timing!
A bronze card floated before him. Without hesitation, he touched it.
[ Skill – Unlimited Knife Throw Skill ]
[ Description – User can produce any number of knives at hand. The skill lasts 30 minutes. Throwing skill and accuracy are drastically increased. One-time use skill card. ]
[ USE ]
[ STORE ]
Ren murmured with a smile, "Just what I needed… I didn't bring my weapon, so I was wondering how I'd take care of them."
[ Showtime… now show them who the real boss is. ]
Ren glanced at trash, mock irritation in his eyes. "You just stole my line! But don't worry—I'll give you a show."
He pressed USE.
[ Activating: Unlimited Knife Throw Skill ]
Ren vaulted out of cover, eyes gleaming with arrogance. "You guys ruined my mood… now I'll ruin yours everything!"
A knife appeared in his hand out of nowhere. Without hesitation, he hurled it toward the nearest guard.
SHING!
THUNK!
The knife embedded itself in the wall behind the guard, who flinched in terror.
Ren leapt into the chaos, knives spinning like a lethal storm. His grin was sharp, teeth flashing behind his mask.
"Come on! Who's next? Don't be shy!"
SHING!
THUNK!
A guard charged, swinging a baton. Ren sidestepped, throwing a knife that sliced clean through the man's forearm.
SPLAT!
ARAAHH! the guard screamed, clutching the stump as blood sprayed in a perfect arc.
Ren chuckled. "Ah… looks like you lost your grip!"
He kicked the man backward, sending him crashing into a table. Bones snapped audibly.
CRUNCH!
CRASH!
Another guard fired his rifle. Ren ducked behind a seat just in time.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets pinged off metal, splintering wood.
Another guard shouted, trying to raise his gun. Ren's knife leapt from his hand, piercing through the man's mouth as he opened it to shout.
SHING! THUNK!
The knife came out the back of his skull, eyes wide in frozen shock. Ren winked. "Oh… should've stayed silent!"
He twirled, knives appearing instantly in both hands, spinning like deadly dancers. A third guard tried to tackle him—Ren jabbed a knife through one cheek, piercing it cleanly from side to side.
SLASH! SLASH!
AAAHHH!
Another guard swung the butt of his rifle at him. Ren ducked, then kicked him backward, sending him sprawling across the floor. Blood sprayed across the polished tiles.
SPLAT!
CRASH!
Gunfire rang out again.
RAT-A-TAT! RAT-A-TAT!
Ren rolled behind another overturned table, tossing knives mid-roll.
A guard raised a rifle to fire. Ren threw a knife with perfect aim… straight between the legs.
THUNK!
The guard collapsed, screaming as blood pooled around him. Ren patted his shoulder mockingly. "Tough luck, buddy. That's gotta hurt in the morning."
HAHAHAHA! Ren's laugh rang through the hall, echoing over screams.
He grabbed a fallen gun from a guard and spun it, aiming at another who was hiding behind a barricade. With a brutal smirk, he fired.
BANG!
The bullet entered the guard's rear, pierced through the body, and exited cleanly through his mouth. The man's scream was cut brutally short, blood spraying everywhere. Ren tossed the gun aside, wiping his blade on the floor.
Another guard tried to charge him, hands raised. Ren threw a knife high, aiming for the temple.
SHING!
The blade embedded perfectly in the man's head. He fell forward like a rag doll.
Ren twirled, knives flashing, and kicked a nearby man to the ground. With a swift throw, a knife pierced through his neck.
SPLAT!
THUNK!
AAAHHH!
The crowd was panicked beyond words. Shouts, screams, crashing furniture, and gunfire filled the hall.
"Anyone else?" Ren taunted, stepping over the fallen bodies, blood dripping from his mask. "I'm just warming up!"
A guard tried to sneak up behind him. Ren spun, thrusting a knife straight through the man's jaw, exiting cleanly through the skull.
SHING! THUNK!
SCREAM!
The vice-captain, watching from the side, froze. His eyes wide, trembling uncontrollably. "This… this guy… he's insane…"
Ren's chest rose and fell, knives spinning and flashing, blood covering his mask and uniform. Every movement was precise, deadly, merciless.
BANG! BANG! RAT-A-TAT!
Bullets whizzed past, splintering seats as Ren rolled behind cover, tossing knives mid-dodge.
The hall was carnage. Guards lay mutilated, blood pooling across the floor, limbs severed, screams echoing. Yet Ren's grin never faded.
"Now… now that's what I call a productive day!" he said, voice dripping with amusement and sadistic joy.
The vice-captain swallowed hard, still trembling, unable to move. "I… I can't… he… he's… insane…"
Ren wiped a streak of blood from his mask, smirk widening. "Ah… finally, some peace and quiet."
SCREAMS
THUDS
SHING!
CRASH!
BANG! BANG! RAT-A-TAT!