Chereads / Ethereal World Online / Chapter 24 - Being Targeted by the Members of the Iron Fist Gang

Chapter 24 - Being Targeted by the Members of the Iron Fist Gang

At 6 p.m., Mark punctually logged in to the game.

He packed up his supplies and headed out of the Mystic Cloud Inn. Before he left the inn, he handed a letter to the receptionist and told her to give it to the people who would look for him during his absence.

Mark quietly left the village and headed to the Enchanted Woodlands. What he didn't know was that there were actually four people following him discreetly.

"Why do we need four people to catch this guy? Isn't he just a newly ascended cultivator?" A man with thick facial hair and muscular muscles snorted.

"That's right! Just one of us would be enough to make this rookie beg for mercy. I think Sir Keith is thinking too much by sending us here." Another person added.

"Shut up the both of you!" The leader of the group reprimanded them. He was a bald middle-aged man with a tiger tattoo on the right side of his face.

The two discontented men immediately shut their mouths upon hearing his words. This person was stronger than them so no matter how dissatisfied they were, they had to hold it in.

"I don't care if he is a rookie or a veteran. We have to capture him as soon as possible! Whatever treasure he has will be distributed among you guys equally!" The man with a tiger tattoo said.

Hearing this, the eyes of the three individuals flashed with excitement.

Meanwhile, Mark was still unaware that there were people aiming for him. "Why do I feel chilly all of us a sudden?" He muttered to himself as he scanned his surroundings with a wary gaze.

After looking around, he didn't find anything suspicious. "Weird. I feel like there is someone watching me…" He muttered. He then shook his head before he walked forward.

Behind the bushes nearby, the four people heaved a sigh of relief.

"This guy has some sharp senses. Don't let him discover your presence." The man with a tiger tattoo warned his team in a whispering voice.

The three people nodded their heads sternly, no longer looking down on Mark.

Two hours later, Mark encountered a ferocious animal. It wasn't a mystical beast so he managed to kill it in just one swing of his sword. After killing the creature, he grabbed his knife and started to skin it.

He brought a week's worth of food with him, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn't run out of food.

While he was taking his time to remove the animal's skin, he suddenly felt an extreme sense of danger behind him. "Hm?!"

Mark instinctively rolled to the side.

Bang!

He heard a loud noise. When he turned his gaze, he saw a bald man with a tiger tattoo punching a deep hole in the ground.

Mark was stunned and he couldn't comprehend what just happened.

He slowly reached out to his sword and frowned. "Who are you?!"

He had never met this person. He also didn't recall provoking someone in the village so why did this guy attack him all of a sudden?

Looking at the damage on the ground, that punch would have broken his bones and seriously injured him.

Thinking about this, Mark felt a trace of unease.

The man with a tiger tattoo retracted his arm and stared coldly at Mark. "You are slow and your movements are stiff, but you have a quick reaction time. It seems like Sir Keith is right to send the four of us to capture you. If you want to blame someone, then blame yourself for being Jason's subordinate!"

The man's words made Mark furrow his eyebrows. He didn't know who Sir Keith was, but the only people who had a deep grudge against Jason were the members of the Iron Fist Gang.

"Are you from the Iron Fist Gang?" Mark's voice was cold as he spoke those words. It would only make sense if this guy was a member of that group.

The man with a tiger tattoo wasn't surprised that his identity was exposed. "Attack him!" He shouted.

"Hm?" Mark's face fell. He discovered that three more people were acting together with this person. Furthermore, all of them were cultivators.

Facing the attack of four people, Mark hastily took out his shield.

The anxiousness in his heart was becoming increasingly intense.

This was his first time fighting against other cultivators. Although he was already a Second Level Body Strengthening cultivator, he was inexperienced in real combat so revealed a lot of weak spots.

The four people from the Iron Fist Gang weren't rookies and they quickly spotted these openings.

"So you're just a greenhorn! This makes things easier for us!" One of them laughed savagely as he brandished his sword with more ferocity.

Clang! Clang!

At this point, Mark was feeling pressured. He didn't even know how he managed to parry their attacks with his sword and shield.

'I have to escape here quickly! These people are not your average bandits! This shouldn't be their first time fighting against other cultivators!' Mark was at a disadvantage because of his inexperience. If not for his superior cultivation, he would have already been killed by these people.

'This guy with the tiger tattoo should be a Second Level Body Strengthening cultivator, while the other three are at the first level.' Mark thought to himself. After exchanging blows with them, he could vaguely gauge their strength.

"I have underestimated you!" The man with a tiger tattoo was surprised that Mark was still able to fight back despite being outnumbered.

"Sir Edmund, I think this guy is a Second Level Body Strengthening cultivator like you." The man with thick facial hair muttered in a serious voice. Other than Edmund, the rest of them were at the First Level of Body Strengthening. They thought that Mark would be an easy opponent after seeing his clumsy performance, but they quickly discovered his abnormal strength.

Edmond, the man with a tiger tattoo nodded his head. "Surround him! He should be exhausted after fighting us simultaneously!"

"Yes, sir!"

Mark's face turned increasingly solemn. He took a deep breath and adjusted his stance. This time, he was going to use the techniques that he had learned when he was still the heir of his father's company. During his younger days, he received strict business and management training from the elite people under his father's command. Other than that, he also received guidance in self-defense from professional martial artists.

The teachings from his mentors resurfaced in his mind like a torrent.

Last time, he didn't manage to show his techniques when he fought against the Green Wolves and the Black Scaled Boar. He was enveloped by fear at that time that he had forgotten about his training during his youth. However, it was different now. He was already a Second Level Body Strengthening cultivator and his physical strength had undergone a major change.

The sudden change in his aura stunned Edmund and his subordinates, but they didn't think much of it and proceeded to attack Mark from four directions.

Mark's nervousness disappeared and his face became tranquil. He narrowly evaded the attacks by twisting his body. He then kicked Edmund away, sending him back by more than five steps.

"Ugh!" Edmund grabbed his chest and looked down to see a dirty footprint. He quickly raised his head and saw Mark cutting off the arm of one of his subordinates.

"Ahhhh!!!" The man who had his arm chopped screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.

Mark lifted his sword, intending to cut off the man's head, but he suddenly saw a sword sweeping towards him.

Whoosh!

Mark evaded the sword by a hair's breadth. He then quickly distanced himself and stared at Edmund who had taken out a long saber from his storage bag. "Who are you?! You shouldn't be a nobody with those skills!" He shouted while pointing the tip of his saber towards Mark.

Instead of answering, Mark grinned at him and ran away without hesitation. Although he managed to severely injure one of those people, he knew that he would be at a disadvantage in prolonged combat. Furthermore, the person named Edmund was quite skilled and his cultivation was also on the same level as him. He would only be courting death if he stayed there to fight them.

"Chase him! Don't let him escape!"

Mark could hear Edmund's furious voice from behind.