Chapter 14: The Black Hammer Gang (4) 

Krevan had no intention of letting the barbarian get close. 

Thud, thud! 

"Fire!" 

As the stone hammer struck the ground twice, the crossbow men pulled their triggers in unison. The taut strings snapped back to their original position, launching the bolts with all their stored energy. 

Twang, thud-thud-thud, thud-thud! 

Six streaks cut through the air in straight lines. The arrow shafts wobbled slightly as they rode the gentle canyon breeze. 

Kadim had been waiting for this moment; he grabbed Graham by the scruff of his neck and hoisted him up. 

"Huh?" 

Thwack, thwack! 

"Ugh, ughhh... AAAAHHHHH!!" 

One bolt to the ribs, another to the thigh. A total of two shots hit the human shield. Thanks to that meat barrier, Kadim could advance without so much as a scratch from the crossbow fire. 

‘What the hell is that bastard doing...?’ 

Krevan's jaw dropped as he watched the barbarian use his employer as a human shield without a moment's hesitation. He barely managed to collect himself and barked orders at his crossbow men. 

"Aim for the parts sticking out to the sides! He's way too big to hide completely behind that guy! Once you're done reloading, fire all together in a volley!" 

Indeed, the barbarian’s frame was far larger than the man being used as a shield. Just hitting the exposed edges should be enough to stop his charge. The crossbow men hooked the claws connected to their leather belts onto the strings, stepped on the bowstaves, and struggled to draw the strings again. 

But not every crossbow man would get the chance to finish reloading safely. 

Crunch—! 

"Ugh..." 

"...What?" 

A hand axe smashed into someone's temple. 

The blade was so dull that the impact sounded more like a blunt weapon than a cutting tool. The crossbow man's skull caved in as he collapsed face-first. The handle of that axe dislodged from the head as it reached the end of its lifespan. 

"Shit, shit! Get down! The barbarian is throwing axes! Hide behind the wall and reload!" 

Cold sweat ran down Krevan's back. That had been the barbarian's only throwing weapon, but his men had no way of knowing that. 

The panicked crossbow men forgot all about coordinated volleys. The moment they finished reloading, they fired their bolts indiscriminately like they were taking a piss in a hurry. 

Twang, thud-thud, twang, twang! 

There was no way arrows fired like that could properly hit their target. The best they managed was a single shot to the human shield's forearm. 

Thwack! 

"AAAAHHHHH! Fuck, you piece of shit! What the hell are you doooooing!! Just kill meeeee!!!” 

...Well, at least they'd managed to make a survival expert give up on living. That was quite the achievement in its own right. 

The barbarian had already gotten close to the wall. Krevan kicked one of his crossbow men in the ribs and roared at the top of his lungs. 

"What the hell are you doing, you morons! I told you to fire together because individual shots won't hit! Goddammit, stop shooting! Everyone else, charge him now!" 

"UAAAHHHHH!" 

"WAAAHHHHH!" 

The subordinates who had been hiding in the bushes charged forward with a yell. Now that friendlies were mixed in, they wouldn't be able to keep up the crossbow fire. Kadim tossed Graham aside and cracked his neck muscles. 

‘…There are too many of them.’ 

They were, at best, bandits from the frontier. Their weapons were shabby, and they were poorly trained grunts. 

But their numbers were too great, and his position was not ideal. If he fought while surrounded on all sides like this, an unexpected injury could occur at any moment. 

‘Well, thanks to Mosquito, most injuries will heal while I'm fighting but...’ 

The Blood Drain effect couldn't recover fatigue. If he got tired after killing most of them and then took a hit, that would be troublesome. Where was he going to find dozens of monsters or dozens more humans to kill without consequences? 

So he'd need to handle this more swiftly and decisively. 

Kadim opened his leather canteen and drank the demon's blood. 

A searing heat raced through his blood vessels, and his heart began a furious thrashing beneath his ribs. His quadriceps, calves, biceps, and deltoids swelled dramatically, preparing to unleash explosive speed. 

From his encounter with the wolves, he knew the blood would give him an Agility Enhancement buff. 

But Kadim felt a sense of exhilaration far more intense than before. 

‘Well, back then I drank it while I was half-dead...’ 

Buffs naturally worked better when your body was in peak condition. His heated muscles were crying out for a rampage. Right now, the burning desire to test this body's swiftness was burning fiercely within him. 

Kadim stomped down hard. 

Before a single exhale could pass, he was already in front of the bandit pack. 

"What? What the fu—" 

A blade sliced upward, cutting off the words and the throat. 

Splurt—crack! 

Fresh blood sprayed as the severed neck muscles twitched and spasmed. Eyes that hadn't yet grasped the situation wandered aimlessly, still looking toward where the barbarian had been standing just moments before. 

Slice, stab! 

The blade cut through another bandit's neck as he tried to turn, then pierced the heart of the guy next to him. Their gazes finally caught up to the barbarian, but it was too late; Death had already claimed them. They only managed to utter final words. 

"Uh, uhh..." 

"What, what is..." 

His speed had already outpaced the enemy's consciousness. Kadim tore his blade free and brutally kicked the man’s chest. 

Thwack! 

The terrifying force of the kick slammed into the front line. With choked gasps, the bandits directly behind collapsed, and those behind them grabbed their neighbors to keep from falling. But this only caused them all to lose their balance simultaneously, causing the bandits to topple like dominoes. 

Kadim dove into the collapsed formation. He stabbed the ones still struggling, cut down the ones frozen in shock, and split open the one slowly swinging a club. 

His advance was as unstoppable as if he were treading on the wind, his blade as swift as a predator pouncing on prey. Severed heads, blood, and torn pieces of entrails flew through the air. Those who fell never rose again. 

After slaughtering all the fallen in an instant, the berserker leaped toward the remaining group. 

“Hooooooaaaaah!” 

The bandits who were finally starting to grasp the situation were horror-struck. 

“W-What? How is he so fa—” 

“Fuck, what kind of monst—” 

“…Ah! H-He’s coming this wa—” 

Dying screams scattered into meaningless syllables. The sword danced with a single sweeping stroke carved sharp lines across the bandits' throats, brains, lungs, and hearts. Every exclamation punctuated with a red period of blood. 

Resistance was impossible. By the time they decided to fight back, the barbarian had already cut their throats and was busy tearing apart their comrades in the rear ranks. Their strikes came a beat too late, slicing only empty air. The blade voraciously devoured blood, piling up the corpses. 

Krevan's jaw hung open. The scrap of map hadn't even finished going down his throat, but dozens of his men had already become permanent guests of the afterlife. He couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. 

‘Damn it, that's not a level you can reach just by training your body. A barbarian couldn't have received Elga's divine blessing, so what the hell did he do? Shit, why would a monster like that come to a backwater place like this...’ 

He didn’t know the specifics, but it was clear he had provoked a monster that transcended humanity. Regret was useless now. At this rate, the barbarian really would "retrieve" that map from him. 

Krevan decided to use every means at his disposal. 

"Give me that crossbow. With the bolts." 

“What? B-But boss, if you shoot that now, you might hit our own men…” 

“Dammit, we’re all about to die, and you’re worried about a few guys getting killed?! Shut up and give it to me!” 

Whether it was misfortune or luck, the chaotic battle had devolved into his terrified men running away while the barbarian pursued them. This meant Krevan could aim solely at the barbarian. 

Twang! 

"..." 

But the arrow was blocked in the most ridiculous way possible. 

The barbarian had raised his hand in front of his face. At first, Krevan thought the arrow had pierced through the barbarian's palm. Only when he saw him casually brush the arrow away did he realize the bastard had caught it with his bare hand. 

‘That doesn't make any fucking sense...’ 

Twang! 

The second shot was the same. 

The barbarian snatched the arrow from the air as easily as catching a fish. His hand moved so fast that the process was barely visible. Krevan and his crossbow men stared in stunned disbelief. 

Meanwhile, the barbarian glanced toward the wall and twisted his body. 

“B-Boss! He’s coming this way!” 

“Uh, uuh, what do we do, boss?” 

Apparently, being a nuisance had changed his elimination priority. The hand with which Krevan gripped his stone hammer trembled. His mind spun frantically, searching for a way to survive. 

‘A head-on fight is hopeless. With that speed, he'll take my head off before I can even swing this hammer properly. In that case...’ 

"Bring me two crossbows now, with the strings locked in place. Give me the bolts separately.” 

“What? B-But boss… that monster, he catches all the arrows, what are you going to…” 

"Damn it, there's no time to explain! Do what I say if you don't want to die!" 

His subordinate did as ordered, drawing and locking the strings before setting the crossbows down. Krevan held his hammer in both hands and placed a crossbow at each of his feet. Then he swallowed hard as he watched the barbarian charging toward him like an enraged bull. 

‘I only get one chance...’ 

The moment the barbarian had closed the distance to a mere twenty paces. 

Krevan summoned every ounce of strength he had and hurled his hammer. 

Whooom! 

The stone hammer flew with tremendous force, but it was too slow to hit the barbarian. Kadim casually stepped aside to avoid the clumsy trajectory. 

Krevan never intended to actually hit him with it. That was just to restrict his movement; the real attack was this. 

Krevan flicked his foot, grabbed a crossbow, placed a bolt on the stock, and fired instantly. 

Twang! 

This one missed too. Even at point-blank range, the barbarian easily caught the arrow again. 

But Krevan didn't lose heart. 

‘One hand has an arrow, the other has a sword. Now he's got no hands left.’ 

He kicked up the other crossbow, smoothly loaded the prepared arrow, aimed right at the center of the barbarian's head so he couldn't dodge, held his breath, and carefully squeezed the trigger. 

Twang! 

Thwack! 

The moment it was fired, the barbarian’s head snapped back. 

Krevan clenched his fist. 

Got him! 

This time, even the barbarian couldn't dodge. He could clearly see the arrow lodged in the corner of his mouth. Now he should drop his sword and collapse... 

That's what should have happened. 

Huh? 

For some reason, the barbarian didn't stop but kept charging forward. 

Stab, stab! 

"AAAAHHH!" 

The sword tip shot through both his thighs like lightning. Strength drained from his legs where they'd been pierced. Krevan collapsed, his face showing complete bewilderment. 

Kadim slowly sheathed his sword. Then he bit down hard on what he'd been holding with a crunch. The broken arrow shaft fell to the ground, and when he spat, the arrowhead came flying out of his mouth as well. 

Only then did Krevan understand what had happened. 

His pupils trembled uncontrollably, and his mind went completely blank. 

‘Insane, he bit the arrow with his teeth to block it...? Dear God, Elga... is that thing really one of your creations?’ 

Unconcerned with the bandit’s theological crisis, Kadim spoke with an indifferent tone. 

"I'm going to go clean up the rest of your men. Wait here quietly." 

And he kept his word. 

It was a one-sided slaughter. The remaining subordinates were dealt with without mounting any meaningful resistance. The Black Hammer Gang, which had nearly dominated the entire area, was wiped out in less than an hour, leaving only their leader alive. 

Kadim roughly wiped his blood-stained face with one hand. The blood had dried and wouldn't come off easily. When he raised his sword hilt with his other hand, Krevan finally understood the terror of livestock being dragged to slaughter. 

“…I know it’s a bit late to say this, but could you please spare me?” 

"I have no intention of killing you. I just need to cut open your belly and take out the map." 

“…There’s no need to go through such trouble. I have already memorized the contents of the map. I will explain it to you right now.” 

Krevan described the map's illustrations and text with utmost sincerity. 

In the very center of Molden Castle, beneath a fist-shaped rock. Enter the deep hole and you'll find an ancient treasure hidden in a black chest. 

Kadim's brow furrowed with suspicion. 

"If you knew where the treasure was, why didn't you go get it yourself? Were you scared of the lord's guards because you're a bandit?" 

The lone surviving leader gave a bitter smile. 

“If we wanted to retrieve it, we could have just secretly sent a few men into the castle, so the punishment isn't the main issue. The problem is that Molden is currently surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. Because of that, even our Black Hammer Gang had to narrow our scope of operations and move our base here..." 

"I don't give a damn about your circumstances. What forces are surrounding Molden and why?" 

"...It's Viscount Adlen's army. The official reason is to execute Molden's lord, the Demon Baron, for making a pact with demons... but there are likely other circumstances involved. If there were real proof that the lord had joined hands with a demon, the Paladins of the Order of Elga would have stepped in immediately.” 

"..." 

Kadim clicked his tongue silently. He'd thought he just needed to get the map, but things seemed to be getting more and more complicated, like a chain quest that kept leading to other quests. 

‘I should ask the merchant about the situation in Molden.’ 

He needed to wrap this up and hurry back. He'd dealt with all the bandits in the cave, but leaving a guide who couldn't even catch goblins alone for too long wasn't advisable. Kadim gripped his sword hilt. 

Krevan raised his hands in terror. 

“Wh-Why are you doing this! I told you everything on the map!” 

"I don't trust anything a bandit says. I'm going to take out the map and compare it. To see if what you said is really true." 

"..." 

“Didn’t you say to take it, if I could?” 

The inevitable death drew closer and closer. 

Krevan squeezed his eyes shut and let out a groan. 

He had brought all of this upon himself. A single act of bravado, thinking he would insult some insignificant barbarian, had led to this. What was so important about that scrap of map anyway? He should have just handed it over quietly... 

Stab! 

"Ah, damn it..." 

With regrets that came far too late, the leader of the Black Hammer Gang breathed his final breath. 

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