Chapter 422 – Part 2 – The Black Reaper

“Damn, motherfucker.”

Crude curses spilled from Jeffrey Dahmer’s mouth.

He had no choice.

He had been suddenly dragged here and forced to spend boring time in the gymnasium.

Without hearing any reason.

“Jeffrey. What are you angry about today?”

“Ah, Rodney.”

Rodney, whom he had known from the same prison, approached him familiarly.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s the warden. The more I think about it, the more annoying it gets. If they’re going to lock us up in a gymnasium, they should at least tell us why. I was happy thinking it was a rare outing, but damn, how is this different from prison?”

“That’s what you’re upset about? That’s nothing.”

“What?”

“If this place feels like prison, isn’t it fine to just think you’ve come to an actual prison?”

“Huh? Is that so?”

Jeffrey scratched his head.

Now that he heard it, it made sense.

“Are you smart?”

“A guy who’s eaten women knows how to eat, and to commit crimes, you need to be smart too.”

“So you’re saying you’re great?”

“Of course.”

While Rodney puffed up his chest proudly, Jeffrey snorted.

“Hmph, how did such a smart guy get caught and end up here?”

“I told you before, I got caught on purpose. Honestly, where’s as comfortable as prison?”

“True, there aren’t many places that feed and house you for free.”

“After killing enough to get bored like me, turning yourself in is sweet as honey.”

When Rodney laughed, Jeffrey also smiled.

But contrary to appearances, Jeffrey was sneering inside.

‘Stupid bastard. Since he awakened with an F-rank trait, he has no regrets staying in prison. If he had awakened with an A-rank trait like me, he’d want to break out immediately.’

Jeffrey wanted to break out immediately and start his new life as a hunter, but…

‘I happened to awaken while in juvenile detention, so I haven’t had a chance to grow until now.’

There was nothing an F-rank hunter like him could do.

Especially a hunter who hadn’t obtained runes or items was no different from an ordinary person.

‘Damn, if I got stronger than now, I could kill as much as I wanted…’

He heard that even reaching B-rank would let you commit any crime freely with the stealth skill.

‘All those hunter bastards probably learn stealth and go around committing crimes. Since they don’t get caught. Damn, I’m so envious.’

The more Jeffrey thought about it, the more he regretted his trait.

‘Isn’t there any good method? Even though I left prison, I can’t get out.’

Jeffrey looked toward the gymnasium entrance.

Several guards were standing there, but they were just a few.

If he overpowered them by force, he felt like he could escape.

‘The problem is the handcuffs and chains.’

His hands were cuffed and he was connected to other criminals with chains like a string of sausages.

There was no way to escape alone.

“Hey, genius.”

“You mean me?”

Rodney laughed smugly.

Suppressing the urge to punch him, Jeffrey said:

“Doesn’t the security here look a bit lax? I think we could escape if we did well… what does the genius think?”

“Give it up. Don’t you see these chains? We got a sleeping bag and one water bottle and can’t even go to the bathroom, what escape?”

“It’s possible if we all move together.”

“You can get nearly 500 people to move with one heart and mind? I hear dogs barking somewhere.”

“Hey! That’s harsh!”

“Say something that makes sense, bastard. Look over there.”

Rodney pointed to where Eastland criminals were glancing this way.

“See those yellow monkeys huddled over there? Do you really think they’ll cooperate? I don’t think so. We’d be lucky if they don’t stab us in the back.”

Thinking about it, Rodney was right.

‘Eastlanders can’t be trusted.’

Jeffrey sent a look of distrust.

Part of it was because he was racist, but the perception that Eastlanders were uncivilized and untrustworthy had been ingrained since childhood.

“It’s fortunate the chain is long, but if it were a bit shorter, there would have been fights?”

“……”

“So stop thinking useless thoughts and just sleep. The warden definitely brought us to this place for some purpose. We don’t know when they might suddenly call us to work, so it’s beneficial to sleep.”

“Sigh…”

A disappointed sigh escaped Jeffrey’s lips.

He couldn’t even refute since it wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘Damn useless sex offender bastard.’

He had praised him as smart hoping for help, but only got unnecessary nagging.

‘Isn’t there any method?’

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, murmuring sounds came from behind.

When he turned his head, all the prisoners lying on sleeping bags had gotten up and were looking at something.

“Is something happening?”

Jeffrey and Rodney were looking with curious eyes from a distance.

“Keuak!”

“Kueok!”

Sudden screams began to be heard.

“Someone died! Someone died… kueok!”

“You, what are you, damn… kuk!”

“Wh-what is that guy? What!”

“Run… keuok!”

The epicenter of the sound quickly turned into chaos.

“Wh-what? Rodney? What’s the situation?”

“How would I know that, damn.”

They needed to see something to understand what was happening, but being far from the epicenter, they couldn’t tell at all.

All they could hear were sounds of something tearing and falling, and desperate screams.

But fortunately for them being away from the epicenter, there was an opportunity.

A chance to run away.

“Jeffrey! Let’s run away tactfully for now!”

“Idiot! How can we run with chains!”

“Look behind! Everyone’s running with one heart and mind!”

“What?”

At Rodney’s words, Jeffrey turned his head.

And he could finally confirm it.

‘It’s true?’

Hundreds of criminals bound by chains were all moving without exception.

Even the Eastlanders who seemed impossible to communicate with were trying to exit the gymnasium with united hearts.

Clang clang clang-!

Since only he wasn’t moving, the chains pulled taut and his body swayed.

Even if he wanted to stay still, he had to move.

‘Damn, run!’

Jeffrey started running with Rodney.

His instincts were telling him.

If he didn’t run now, he would die.

Everyone must be running without looking back with such feelings.

“Keuak!”

“Ueok!”

“Keuheuok!”

Desperate sounds constantly hit his eardrums from behind.

Out of curiosity, the moment he turned his head…

‘Huh?’

Jeffrey had no choice but to doubt his eyes.

Blood splattered and heads flew.

Arms and legs tangled as prisoners collapsed.

Mountains of corpses were piling up layer by layer.

‘Cr-crazy! What is all this?’

He didn’t know who was carrying out the slaughter.

He couldn’t see how they were being attacked.

He didn’t know why they were massacring the prisoners here.

However, one thing he could know was that if he didn’t run diligently, his head could fly off like the others.

Then someone must have tripped on the chains as they fell like dominoes in front.

Naturally, Jeffrey and Rodney had no choice but to fall along.

“Damn, get up quickly! We don’t have time for this!”

Since everyone fell in front, they could no longer advance.

Even if they wanted to step over them, it was impossible due to the chain limitations.

“Go quickly! Go quickly! You idiots!”

The desire to live is human instinct.

Even criminals who had committed numerous murders valued their own lives.

Jeffrey was the same, and having a stronger desire than anyone to start a new life, he screamed desperately.

“If you don’t want to die, get up and run quickly, you slugs!”

The reason he could scream so frantically was that the wave of death had reached right behind them.

‘I-I’m going to die!’

Jeffrey, feeling fear, reflexively ducked his head.

At that moment.

Thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk-!

Five daggers flew and pierced through the heads of five people nearby.

Rodney was included among them.

‘Gasp, crazy…!’

Jeffrey was horrified seeing Rodney dead with his head almost split.

But there was no time to mourn his cellmate’s death.

He had no such loyalty either.

‘I’m really going to die.’

He guessed it would soon be his turn, but…

‘Huh?’

Jeffrey saw it.

The chain connected to him was severed.

‘Could it be from that attack just now?’

Apparently the dagger had pierced through the head and cut the chain behind it too.

Hope filled Jeffrey’s eyes.

‘Ch-chance! Now’s the chance to escape.’

If he escaped well taking advantage of the chaos, he might survive.

Jeffrey immediately got up and ran without looking back.

His destination was the gymnasium exit 100 meters ahead.

He ran toward only his destination, not caring about stepping on and jumping over his comrades’ corpses.

Meanwhile, screams continued to be heard, but he didn’t care.

‘I just need to survive. Just me.’

The guards had probably run away long ago as the exit was open.

The question was whether he could reach there.

‘Almost there! Just a little more! Just a little…!’

After running with all his might, Jeffrey was finally able to step on the exit.

“Haak, haak, I’m alive. Haak…!”

Flowers of laughter suddenly bloomed on Jeffrey’s face as he gasped roughly.

‘I’m alive. I’m alive!’

He was the only one who had escaped from the space of death.

The screams that had been piercing his ears were no longer heard.

‘I don’t know what crazy bastard it was, but thanks. For creating a situation to break out. Keke.’

Now all that remained was to safely exit the gymnasium and make a fresh start as a hunter.

‘Then I can kill as much as I want…’

His imagination went that far.

“There was a rat here.”

The black reaper wearing a mask was suddenly in front of him.

“Ah.”

Before he could even think he had swung his arm, Jeffrey’s head popped off like a spring.

Thud-

“With this guy, the garbage cleanup is finished.”

Choi Seong-min, who had killed all 474 criminal hunters, disappeared once again.

* * *

“Is, is this real…?”

Jeon Byeong-cheol, looking down at the scene from the second floor, rubbed his eyes several times.

It wasn’t unreasonable since Choi Seong-min’s prowess was unbelievable even when seen.

‘Just how many times is he using shadow step? He’s even using stealth without cooldown!’

In the blink of an eye, he would kill dozens of people and appear from another person’s shadow, making it hard to follow with the eyes.

‘Just as Lord Woo Seong-jae said. He really came to massacre.’

He had wondered if the reason Choi Seong-min told them to gather criminals was really to kill them, and it turned out to be true.

‘Why is he killing them? Why such meaningless murder…’

Since he hadn’t heard about being able to absorb traits, questions naturally arose.

‘But what’s with that mask?’

The sight of him massacring like crazy while wearing a black mask seemed like a reaper.

‘Crazy, it’s crazy.’

Jeon Byeong-cheol, who had experienced all sorts of things working beside Woo Seong-jae, had never seen such a massacre in his life.

He wondered if he was dreaming.

‘Incredible. Nearly 500 people are being cleared out in an instant.’

Jeon Byeong-cheol caught every movement of Choi Seong-min with wide eyes.

Because there were instructions from Woo Seong-jae to report as soon as the massacre ended.

‘Infinitely used stealth and blade scatter, and shadow step…’

It was amazing that there was no cooldown, but the truly amazing technique was something else.

‘Right there.’

Jeon Byeong-cheol’s gaze turned to the criminals running away like waves.

“Uaak!”

“What the hell!”

“Who’s pulling me!”

The criminals who had reached the exit were gathered together as if someone had pulled them.

Then within a few seconds, they fell victim to Choi Seong-min and became corpses.

Such situations happened several times.

Each time they reached the exit, the criminals were drawn by an unknown force and eventually died at Choi Seong-min’s hands.

Like falling into a black hole.

‘What ability is that? Could he be manipulating gravity?’

The unbelievable technique was enough to make Jeon Byeong-cheol’s tongue wag.

“It’s, it’s over.”

Choi Seong-min had finally killed all 474 people.

Jeon Byeong-cheol reflexively checked the time.

‘To kill 474 people in just 3 minutes…’

A speed that could only be called incredible.

It was force that even he, an S-rank, could feel thrilled by.

‘I, I should report first…’

Jeon Byeong-cheol immediately picked up his phone and called Woo Seong-jae.

“Ah, Lord Woo Seong-jae. This is Jeon Byeong-cheol.”

“I know, so speak quickly. How’s the situation?”

“It just ended, and all the criminals are dead.”

“Expected result. What about Hunter Choi Seong-min?”

“Well. I can’t see where he went.”

“Then what about Hunter Choi Seong-min’s abilities? You saw what techniques he used to massacre the criminals, right?”

“Of course. First… kuk!”

Jeon Byeong-cheol couldn’t continue speaking.

Because a dagger was sticking out past his throat.

“Keuruk, keuk…”

He just made gurgling sounds before powerlessly burying his head on the floor.

Thud-

Before Jeon Byeong-cheol’s corpse fell, Choi Seong-min, who was behind him, snatched the phone.

“Hey, Woo Seong-jae.”

“……”

“What are you going to do knowing my techniques? Challenge me?”

“It, it’s not that…”

“If you wanted to see my techniques, you should have said so earlier. It would be simple if I visited you directly.”

“You don’t need to…”

“Wait a little. We’ll meet soon.”

Saying that, Choi Seong-min put strength in his fingers and smashed the phone.

He was thinking of meeting Woo Seong-jae, but there was one thing to do before that.

‘I should go home.’

Soon Choi Seong-min’s figure disappeared completely.

Leaving only 475 corpses in the gymnasium.