Kai would be lying if he said getting to this floor had been easy. It hadn't. But it was relatively manageable, thanks to the fact that most of the combatants were outside, locked in battle with Zara. The few who stayed in the mansion were nothing special—message runners, lazy bandits pretending to act as guards, and some who act like glorified cleaners. They weren't particularly strong compared to the warriors outside, which made sense. Why would the Boss, the strongest among them, demand their protection when manpower was already thin?
With the odds in his favor, Kai had slipped in through the mansion's back door under the cover of darkness. He had killed whoever stood in his way, interrogating one unlucky bandit until he revealed Ariella's location. Unfortunately, he had to pass the Boss office to get there, spoiling his plan to snatch her unnoticed. The mansion, though large, was almost empty, with most of the gang outside fighting.
Eventually bringing him to this point.
After severing the man's hand, Kai had planned to follow up with a swift thrust to end the fight quickly. But something made him hesitate. An instinct, a feeling of danger that made him freeze. His eyes locked on the Boss, and a chill ran down his spine.
The fat man, with brownish skin and streaks of grey in his hair, looked calm. Too calm for someone who had just lost a hand. Kai had seen men like this before—ones who hid monstrous strength beneath layers of fat. Age only meant experience in their case. And this one, Kai could tell, was no stranger to violence.
As if to confirm his suspicion, the Boss met his gaze without so much as a wince, his eyes cold and calculating. Strangely, the blood from his severed hand had already slowed, dripping in thick, deliberate drops.
"You caught me off guard, you sneaky brat," the man growled, his voice rough yet steady. "But I'll have you know, I'm a descendant of one of the original Players in this land. Bakar, the Undying. Did you really think a mere cut would be enough to defeat me?!"
Kai's muscles tensed. The Bandit Boss's bulky silhouette loomed against the window, where moonlight poured in, casting deep shadows over his face. His presence radiated power.
Kai's mind raced, trying to process the unexpected revelation about "Players," but before he could dwell on it, the Boss moved. Fast. Kai had expected a straightforward charge, maybe a bare-handed lunge since the man was unarmed. Instead, the Boss grabbed a nearby wooden chair and hurled it straight at him with terrifying speed.
Kai barely managed to duck in time, and his earlier grin twisted into a grimace as he heard the deafening *crack* of the chair splintering against the doorframe. Where his head had been mere seconds ago, the wood was shattered, raining debris all around him.
'Damn it' Kai cursed inwardly, realizing just how out of his depth he was. What was he thinking, going up against the leader of the bandits like this?
But before Kai could recollect himself, the Boss had already seized the opportunity. He grabbed a heavy axe mounted on the wall and swung it in a wide arc toward Kai.
Kai backstep just in time, the blade grazing his cheek as it buried itself in the doorframe with a sickening thud, shattering part of the wall in the process. The sheer power behind that blow was staggering—if it had connected, Kai didn't even want to imagine what would've happened. He knew that without Sacred Bond's stat boosts, he'd have never been quick enough to dodge.
The Boss cursed under his breath, but didn't pause. Using the momentum of his missed strike, he twisted his hips and brought the axe around again in a fluid motion, but this time, he let go of it, sending it flying to his direction in a frenzied spin.
Kai, sobered by the reality of the situation, managed to block the attack with the flat of his sword. Steel collided with steel in a harsh screech, but the force of the projectile was far too much for Kai's amateur footing. He was sent flying backward, crashing through the door into another room, landing hard on his back.
His sword flew from his grasp, landing several feet away with a loud *clatter*. The blade was cracked—on the verge of breaking. While the spinning Axe struck the wall, its sharp edge stuck on the crack it made.
Kai gasped for breath, his entire body aching. He was completely outmatched. The difference between an amateur and a seasoned warrior was glaringly obvious now.
'Damn... He's strong' Kai thought.
The Bandit Boss calmly stepped through the broken doorway, his gait unhurried, as if he knew Kai was no real threat. His heavy footsteps echoed in the room, his eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement.
"This is what happens when kids play games they don't understand," the Boss sneered. "You don't even know how to hold a sword properly, and you dared to challenge me? Now... Pay for your arrogance."
Kai tried to move, but his body screamed in protest. Before he could even sit up, the Boss was standing over him, towering like a giant.
"Why is a brat like you even here, anyway? What are those lazy bastards downstairs doing, letting you get this far? Pui!"
With that, the Boss spat on him, the glob of saliva landing on Kai's chest.
Kai glared up at him, rage simmering beneath his calm exterior.
But the fight wasn't over yet. A grin tugged at the corner of Kai's lips, hidden beneath the pain and dirt. As the Bandit Boss stood towering over him, confident in his supposed victory, Kai's mind raced with one last plan.
He was unarmed, lacked refined skill, and though he possessed speed and strength, it wasn't enough to match the seasoned brute in front of him—at least, that's what the Boss thought.
The moment the Boss stepped closer, entering his range, Kai lifted one of his feet to deliver a front kick. With explosive speed and strength far beyond his earlier display, his body moved in a blur. His foot shot upward like a bolt of lightning, aimed at the one spot that made every man's blood run cold.
In point blank range and pure beastial power. The kick connected with devastating force, landing squarely between the Boss's legs.
Kai knew he was facing a powerful opponent, someone who had earned his position among the overwhelming numbers of bandits outside. Without much combat experience of his own, a direct confrontation would end in certain defeat. But under unfavorable circumstances, underhanded methods were fair game. And he had one advantage left—the element of surprise. Earlier, he could have dodged fasted with his augmented strength, but didn't do so all for this moment.
By deliberately holding back in the earlier exchanges, Kai had made himself seem weak. And it was true, in terms of skill, he was no match. But physically? The Sacred Bond made him as strong and swift as Zara, though without her deadly precision. Still, that raw strength, combined with the element of surprise, was enough to deliver one devastating blow to a vital spot.
Kai had thrown everything he had into that kick, making it as fast and punishing as possible. The impact was so forceful that the Boss's heavy body was momentarily lifted off the ground. His eyes bulged in shock, his face contorting in agony as he stumbled backward.
The arrogant confidence that had filled the Boss moments ago vanished in an instant. His legs buckled as he let out a horrified, guttural scream, clutching desperately at his groin.
"AGHHH! F*CK! YOU... DAMN... MO..."
His words trailed off into incoherent curses, the searing pain stealing his breath. Even the toughest of men were reduced to quivering wrecks when their most vulnerable spot was struck, and the Boss was no exception.
Kai, not pretending to be helpless anymore stands tall, and dusted himself off with a mocking smile. "Sorry about that," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "I hope I didn't break anything too important."
The Bandit Boss, still writhing in agony, had no reply—his once invincible presence shattered by one perfectly timed, underhanded strike.
Without wasting a moment, Kai retrieved his sword, stepping over the boss with deliberate slowness. It was strange how quickly the situation had flipped. Just minutes ago, Kai had been the one pinned down, the one facing certain death. Now, he was standing over his adversary, ready to deliver the final blow.
He raised his sword high, his gaze locked onto the struggling man before him. The once-formidable leader of the bandits was now reduced to a pitiful figure, groaning in pain, clutching at his broken pride. Kai felt a dark sense of satisfaction bloom in his chest, a grim triumph over his toughest foe yet. Part of him wanted to say something—a dramatic one-liner like in the action movies back on Earth—but in the end, he decided it wasn't necessary. His actions spoke louder than any words ever could.
His thoughts only lasted an instant. Kaiser was already bringing the sword down with every ounce of strength he had, aiming for the kill.
But then, something unexpected happened. The blade, which had already seen plenty of action that night, snapped upon impact. The blade cracked in two, leaving Kai holding a hilt with a jagged piece of metal attached. The strike that was supposed to end the fight left only a minor cut on the boss's torso. Nothing severe, let alone deadly.
He froze for a moment, cursing luck.
"...Sh*t," Staring in disbelief at the broken weapon. His heart sank. His chance to end the fight had slipped through his fingers, and now, with a broken sword and no backup plan, he was in trouble.
The bandit leader, still groaning from the earlier blow, was already starting to recover. His unnatural ability to heal was terrifyingly fast. In mere seconds, he was back on his feet, his expression contorting from pain to pure, unadulterated rage. His eyes were locked on Kai, and they burned with murderous intent.
Kai barely had time to register the danger before the boss moved with surprising speed for a man of his size, not holding anything back. His recovery was so fast it seemed almost unnatural—like a machine resetting itself for another round. Kai instinctively stepped back, but the cramped room offered little space to maneuver. The bandit leader lunged at him, his large, burly hand reaching out like a vice, and before Kai could fully react, that hand closed around his throat. Having predicted where he'll go with pure battle intuition honed for many years.
The grip was like iron, crushing the air from his lungs with terrifying ease. Kai gasped, his hands flying up to pry the man's fingers loose, but it was no use. The boss's strength was overwhelming. Kai's vision blurred as he was lifted off the ground and slammed against the wall with a sickening thud. His back hit the solid stone with such force that the breath was knocked out of him, leaving him choking and gasping for air.
The bandit leader's face was twisted in fury, his eyes filled with malice as he glared at Kai. "You little piece of sh*t," he growled, his voice thick with rage. "You think you can come here, challenge me, and get away with it? I'm going to make you regret ever stepping foot in this place."
Kai's vision darkened at the edges as the pressure on his throat increased. His body screamed for oxygen, but there was none to be found. His fingers clawed helplessly at the boss's arm, but the man's grip was unyielding. It was like trying to move a mountain.
'Looks like it's time to die… again,' Kai thought bitterly, the world around him was fading into a haze of pain and suffocation.
Just as he felt himself on the brink of unconsciousness, a loud crash echoed through the other room, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The pressure on his throat suddenly released, and Kai dropped to the floor, gasping for air, his lungs burning with the sweet relief of oxygen.
"I hope I'm not too late," a familiar voice called out, calm yet commanding.
Kai grinned through his labored breathing.
'But not today.'