Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 173

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 173

Episode 173. Secret Auction (1)

Dungarrd, the Dark City was engulfed in unprecedented chaos.

The streets, which were already bustling, were now packed with far more crowds than usual, and the murmur of all kinds of rumors and speculation filled every corner of the city.

Among them, the hottest topic was undoubtedly one thing.

The death of Karayan, the Ruined Guild Master.

“Did you hear that news? The Ruined Guild Master has died.”

“What?”

“Last night, the Headquarters of the Ruins Guild was completely turned upside down. That’s why the guards have been searching the entire city since morning.”

“Really? Karayan is dead? ‘That’ Karayan?”

Murmur murmur-.

The whispering of people never ceased throughout the streets.

The rumor that someone had attacked Karayan the night before spread like wildfire.

At first, it was nothing more than simple gossip, but as time passed, the content became increasingly specific and vivid.

Particularly, this rumor spread rapidly among the major merchant guilds participating in the secret auction.

“There were at least ten assassins.”

“I heard corpses piled up like mountains came out of the Ruin Guild headquarters.”

“Bullshit. What force in the Dark City would dare touch the Ruined Guild Master.”

“There was also talk that it was the work of worshippers of evil gods targeting the auction items.”

“What? Somewhere else they were saying it was the work of Heresy Inquisitors of the Middle Temple trying to crack down on illegal trading.”

“Damn it. Everyone’s spouting different nonsense.”

“Where the hell did this rumor start from… No, did the Ruined Guild Master really die in the first place?”

Some accepted the death of the Ruined Guild Master as a foregone conclusion, while others snorted and dismissed it as baseless rumors.

No one could know the truth. There were many rumors, but the intentions contained within them were ambiguous and the true meaning was unclear.

However.

There was one fact that everyone felt the same way about.

The atmosphere of Dungarrd, the Dark City had definitely changed.

An indescribable sense of pressure slowly spread. An ominous premonition that something was about to explode began to touch the merchants’ intuition.

* * *

The conference room inside the Ruin Guild.

Major guild masters and power holders participating in the secret auction had gathered in one place.

Thanks to this, the tension surrounding the conference room was heavier than ever.

Normally, these were people who would have engaged in psychological warfare, but today everyone kept their mouths tightly shut.

In a situation where rumors about the Ruined Guild Master’s death were shaking the entire city, no one was foolish enough to step forward and run their mouth carelessly.

“As you all already know…”

Swoosh-.

In the midst of this, everyone’s gaze focused on one figure.

A man wearing a barn owl mask and dressed neatly in a black suit.

It was the Spokesperson of the Ruin Guild.

“Last night, there was indeed an attempted attack on our Guild Master.”

“…!”

For a moment, the conference room stirred.

It was the moment when the story that had been treated as mere rumors until now was officially confirmed.

Small gasps and murmurs erupted here and there.

“However.”

The Spokesperson spoke in an even more resolute voice.

“The attack by the assailants ended in complete failure.”

“…”

“Our Guild Master is still safe, and I want to clearly state that there are no problems with his personal safety.”

The Spokesperson looked around the conference room and continued calmly.

“Therefore, the scheduled auction will proceed as planned. There will be no changes to the schedule, nor any cancellation.”

“…”

“All participants, please rest assured and participate in the auction. The Ruin Guild will continue to repay your trust unchanged, just as we have done until now…”

“Hey.”

When someone interrupted the Spokesperson’s words, all eyes in the conference room turned in one direction.

Disheveled brown hair. A long scar running across the left side of his face. Even his left eye covered with a black eyepatch.

One-Eyed Jack.

He began to express his dissatisfaction in a rough voice.

“Don’t you think you need to explain last night’s attack more clearly? If you just gloss over things like this before such an important schedule, how can we participate in the auction with peace of mind?”

“…”

“At the very least, shouldn’t the Ruined Guild Master himself have come out to explain? You say there’s nothing wrong with his personal safety, but does it make sense to send just one spokesperson to such an important occasion?”

The Spokesperson responded in a calm voice.

“I fully understand Jack’s concerns. However, as I mentioned, our Guild Master is currently in a situation where it’s difficult for him to appear in public due to last night’s attack.”

“What?”

“All schedules before the auction starts have been canceled, and this is purely a measure taken considering the Ruined Guild Master’s safety…”

“Ha!”

One-Eyed Jack let out a hollow laugh and cut off his words.

“So only the Ruined Guild Master’s safety matters, and we auction participants don’t even matter?”

His voice grew louder and louder.

“We’re equally confused and anxious about the situation, but is it okay for the person responsible for the auction to be absent like this! Was the Ruined Guild Master always such an irresponsible person?”

Murmur murmur-.

The atmosphere in the conference room began to turn hostile. Other attendees also began to murmur and express their dissatisfaction at One-Eyed Jack’s words.

Just then, another man sitting in one corner of the conference room interjected.

“Listen here, Mr. Spokesperson.”

It was a Bearded Man with a thick beard. His voice was calmer than One-Eyed Jack’s, but the dissatisfaction contained within it was by no means light.

“The fact that the Ruined Guild Master was attacked is something everyone in the Dark City knows. Even the innkeeper of the tavern ‘The Black Rooster’ knows about that rumor.”

“…”

“The major merchants participating in the secret auction have reason to understand more than that. We didn’t come here just to hear such obvious content.”

At his words, other guild masters also began to murmur.

“That’s right.”

When Harten Ryu of Cheonghae Trading Company nodded in agreement, the atmosphere became even more heated.

Other merchants who had been quietly watching the situation also began to voice their agreement one by one.

“That’s right! We have the right to know too!”

“In such an unstable situation, how can we trust the Ruin Guild and participate in the auction!”

“The security of the auction house is solid, right? There are rumors that those Middle Temple bastards were involved!”

“Couldn’t we also become targets of attack?”

The conference room grew increasingly noisy. As the guild masters’ complaints erupted one by one, the situation began to spiral out of control.

Whew-.

The Spokesperson let out a deep sigh.

His expression couldn’t be seen through the barn owl mask, but his posture remained unwavering and straight. As if he had already anticipated this situation.

He raised both hands to request silence, then spoke in an even firmer voice.

“I fully understand everyone’s concerns.”

“…”

“The Ruin Guild plans to clearly reveal the truth of this incident and transparently share the corresponding countermeasures. All of this is a measure to maintain the transparency and trust of the auction.”

“…”

“However, to avoid leaving room for misinterpretation, we need proper order and procedures for conveying the facts. Please, just wait a little longer.”

At those words, the guild masters began to show signs of calming down. Those who had risen from their seats and caused a commotion also started to sit back down one by one.

* * *

The spokesperson’s explanation was shocking.

“Last night, it was the Five Nightmares who attacked our guild.”

Instantly, a heavy silence descended upon the conference room.

The merchants gathered here were all individuals who possessed the continent’s highest level of intelligence networks. Naturally, there was no way they wouldn’t know who the Five Nightmares were.

The most dangerous beings among the Evil God worshippers. Legendary monsters who had once plunged the entire continent into a crucible of terror.

It was only natural that their very names would send chills down one’s spine.

“The purpose of the attack is presumed to be the theft of auction items. Particularly, they seem to have targeted the Celestial Dragon’s corpse.”

The merchants’ expressions grew even darker.

The Celestial Dragon was the core product of this auction.

The fact that the Five Nightmares had moved to target such a rare item was in itself shocking.

“Fortunately, Middletemple had grasped this information in advance.”

“…?”

“And last night… when this fact was confirmed through the Five Nightmares’ attack, they decided on unprecedented cooperation with our guild.”

“What?”

An incredulous voice burst out from somewhere.

The mention of cooperation between the Ruin Guild and Middletemple was inherently incongruous.

The Ruin Guild was an organization that would stop at nothing for money.

From human trafficking and drug dealing to operating the inhumane gambling facility known as the Underground Arena.

At least until this very moment, everyone believed that to be true.

But….

‘These two joining hands?’

In this unbelievable situation, the guild masters were wearing dazed expressions.

“Middletemple plans to directly dispatch Sword Masters to maintain order in Dungarrd during the auction period.”

“…!”

“Naturally, the Five Nightmares will also be eliminated as soon as they are discovered.”

The conference room stirred once again.

The news that even Sword Masters, Middletemple’s greatest force, would be deployed meant a substantial alliance beyond mere cooperation.

The merchants looked at each other’s faces, unable to hide their bewilderment. It was an utterly absurd story, but at the same time, it was too large-scale to dismiss as a lie.

The spokesperson slowly looked around the conference room and concluded with a solemn voice.

“It is certainly a dangerous situation.”

“….”

“However, through cooperation with Middletemple and the presence of Sword Masters, all dangers are at a sufficiently controllable level.”

After pausing briefly, he declared with an even more confident voice.

“The Ruin Guild promises to use this crisis as a stepping stone to conduct a safer and more successful auction than ever before.”

* * *

After the meeting ended.

Inside a hotel in Dungarrd, the Dark City.

“Damn, what kind of fucked up situation is this?”

Harten Ryu… no, Puppet Master Batu wearing that shell began grumbling to the Golem Knight beside him.

“The, the, the Five Nightmares attacked the Ruin Guild’s headquarters? Bullshit. I’ve been quietly collecting information this whole time.”

“….”

“Su, su, surely it wasn’t that crazy bitch Dorico Shiro who interfered? That bastard has been singing about wanting to see Gaon since way back….”

“That’s speculation, Batu. Dorico may be insane, but she’s not someone who lacks that much common sense.”

“Then, then… those Ataraxy bastards pretended to be the Five Nightmares and caused a riot….”

“That’s also impossible. I contacted the leader recently, but they were preoccupied with something else.”

Batu’s expression was mixed with injustice and anger. After pondering for a moment, he soon reached one conclusion.

“Ah, ah, I got it. It’s definitely that bastard Gaon’s doing.”

“Gaon?”

“Yeah. That bastard recognized me at a glance last time. This time he must have spilled everything about my identity to the Ruin Guild.”

Batu’s reasoning continued rapidly. Gaon had informed the Ruin Guild of his existence, and based on that, they had orchestrated this entire situation.

“They intentionally spread rumors that the Ruined Guild Master was dead to draw the attention of the entire city, while also creating justification for a strong response. At the same time, they justified the full intervention of Sword Masters.”

“….”

“Th, think about it. Is it natural for such rumors to spread throughout the entire city overnight? No matter how much words without feet travel a thousand miles, spreading that quickly is beyond common sense.”

“….”

“Besides, for an organization like the Ruin Guild, controlling a single rumor would be a piece of cake. This was just intentionally letting the story spread.”

Whew-.

Batu let out a deep sigh.

But surprisingly, his expression showed composure.

“St, st, still, it’s fine.”

“….”

“That bastard Gaon won’t be able to see through the puppet I’ve crafted so meticulously.”

Hadn’t he resolved this through his last failure?

Unless one was particularly sensitive.

Unless one possessed truly transcendent senses.

He would disguise himself so thoroughly and meticulously that they wouldn’t even realize the shell before their eyes was a ‘puppet.’

“Be, besides, the Ruined Guild Master has already been completely fooled by me. He called for a meeting tomorrow morning, didn’t he?”

“….”

“Rather, in a situation where my appearance has destabilized things, he might try to handle the brain core more safely through Cheonghae Trading Company’s deal. He might prefer a certain preliminary transaction over a risky auction.”

A strange light flashed in Batu’s eyes.

“Le, let’s also view this situation as an opportunity. The more chaotic it gets, the more advantageous the situation becomes.”

Batu began drawing up new plans in his mind.

No matter how meticulously Gaon and the Ruin Guild had set up the board, he was not some mere piece moving on that board.

Absolutely not.

* * *

The Ruin Guild’s headquarters.

Pean, who was with me in the room next to the conference room, muttered quietly.

“Hairy Brute, one-eyed, black hair with green glasses, the guild leader of Cheonghae Trading Company and the guild master of Black Flame Guild….”

Soon he turned to look at me and said.

“Well, these are the puppets I’ve identified so far. They hid the ‘strings’ quite cleverly, but not enough to fool supersenses.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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