Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 174

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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 174

Episode 174. Secret Auction (2)

Puppet Master Batu.

He was an especially troublesome opponent even among the Five Nightmares.

In surveys targeting high-level players, he ranked first in the ‘Most Disgusting NPC’ category, so his infamy was already proven.

The reason Batu became everyone’s object of hatred was simple.

‘Because he’s the bastard who plunges players into endless suspicion.’

NPCs who treated you friendly. Merchants you’d traded with dozens of times. Even close comrades who had crossed life-and-death situations together.

No one could predict which of them would suddenly transform into his puppets and when.

─Could this bastard have turned into a puppet too?

An existence that made you suspicious dozens, hundreds of times while playing the game.

Even worse, those anxieties often became reality.

At the most crucial moment, in that instant when your most trusted ally stabbed you in the back.

Players’ mentality would be completely shattered.

‘…There’s a reason Puppet Master Batu earned the title “Nightmare.”‘

Perhaps that’s why?

If you occasionally looked at the community, you could frequently witness crude criticism directed at Batu.

[Kongiabum]: Ah fuck, got backstabbed by that Batu bastard and died again

[Muwolcha]: Why the hell did they even create this kind of character? I’d understand if it was at least fun, but it just causes irritation;;;

└[Holy Bronze]: Agreed

[Roel Lover]: Dorico Shiro is cute, and Camillo has his subtle charm… but Batu bastard is just unpleasant.

[Strawberry Latte]: Batu bastard is the main culprit who ruined Roel. He probably accounts for at least 80% of it.

└[Roel Lover]: Roel isn’t ruined don’t ignore it Roel isn’t ruined don’t ignore it

Right.

Without a doubt, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Batu was the most hated existence among Roel’s players.

‘But…’

What if you could identify all of Batu’s puppets?

What if there was a way to detect the puppets he controlled in advance and completely see through their disguises?

Need I say more?

From that moment on, Batu would no longer be a threatening enemy.

Batu’s terror was only effective when you couldn’t tell who was a puppet and who was real.

The moment you could distinguish between puppets and the real thing, he would fall from a troublesome opponent to merely a ridiculous existence.

Just like right now.

─Are you saying only the Ruined Guild Master’s safety matters, and we auction participants don’t even matter!

Heh-.

Recalling the meeting from earlier, I let out a chuckle.

At first glance, it looked like various guild masters were harshly protesting against the Ruin Guild’s spokesperson…

But after knowing who were Batu’s puppets, all of this looked like nothing more than a farce.

One-Eyed Jack, who first raised complaints in the meeting. The Shaggy Merchant who agreed with him. And even the Cheonghe Trade Association Chairman.

All of them were Batu’s puppets. The bastard was putting on a one-man show by himself.

‘Pean played a big role in this.’

Thanks to his supersense, I was able to grasp Batu’s puppet technique at once.

If Pean hadn’t been there, I would have had to deal with Batu in a much more difficult way.

I do have [Supersense Remnant], but my skill proficiency isn’t quite that high yet.

‘Anyway.’

While I was having such thoughts alone.

“Gaon.”

Pean turned to look at me and asked.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is there perhaps a puppet I missed?”

“…”

“Now that you handle supersense more skillfully than I do, I suppose I should ask you to confirm, ahaha.”

…What is he talking about?

I can’t even properly handle [Supersense Remnant] yet.

Of course, I couldn’t say this directly, so I left a brief comment.

“Trust your senses, Pean. Since when did you start relying on others’ judgment?”

“…Ah.”

Pean nodded with an ‘oops’ expression.

“You’re right. I was being rash.”

Swoosh-.

I didn’t give any response and turned my gaze elsewhere.

The seat across the table.

Ruined Guild Master Karayan was biting her lips tightly with a serious expression.

Her face showed she was quite shocked by the fact that more people than expected had fallen to Batu.

That was understandable.

Those five that Batu was controlling were quite substantial merchants.

“Whew.”

She let out a low sigh, furrowed her brow, and continued speaking.

“We’ve been thoroughly had. I already knew the Cheonghe Trade Association Chairman had fallen to the puppeteer, but I never thought the others were being controlled too…”

Karayan didn’t even finish her sentence properly and rubbed her face.

Though her face was as cold and rational as usual, there was fatigue somewhere in her eyes.

She looked at me and finished her question.

“So, Benefactor. What’s the next plan?”

“…”

“The Ruin Guild has finished all preparations. Please give us your orders.”

I fell into thought for a moment.

Now that all of Puppet Master Batu’s puppets had been identified, the initiative had completely shifted to our side.

Now it was time to expand the game.

Just as I had done until now, in my own way.

* * *

─The fourth item is the ‘Blue Magic Eye’ created by alchemist Kazwell!

That evening.

The auctioneer’s booming voice filled the venue.

The Secret Auction House of the Ruined Guild.

This space, located in the deepest part of Dungarrd, the Dark City, was bustling with wealthy individuals and power holders gathered from all over the continent.

“…”

Swoosh-.

I looked down from the window of the VVIP room.

Figures wearing fancy masks sat in the tiered seating arrangement.

Each revealing their own personality while thoroughly hiding their identity.

This was already the fourth auction item.

All the previous items had been sold at considerable prices, and thanks to that, the auction house’s atmosphere was getting hotter and hotter.

─Blue Demon Eye! Starting bid is 500 million shillings!

Murmur murmur-.

Whispers arose from below.

The reactions seemed burdened by the starting price of 500 million shillings, but soon paddles began rising here and there.

“550 million!”

“600 million!”

“650 million!”

“Ah, 800 million! We have 800 million!”

The auction was proceeding as fiercely as expected.

But…

All of this felt utterly meaningless to me.

Not just me, but everyone sitting in this VVIP room would be feeling the same thing.

All of them had a different real objective.

The Celestial Dragon’s corpse. The true highlight of this auction.

Before that overwhelming presence, all other auction items were bound to lose their luster.

“…”

Of course, my true interest lay elsewhere.

In something far more intriguing than auction items or winning bids.

Thud, thud-.

And just then.

That ‘interest’ began slowly moving toward me.

“Ahem!”

Someone who had approached cleared their throat.

Blue hair visible through the mask. Polite bearing and calm gait.

Harten Ryu of the Cheonghae Trading Company.

More precisely… Puppet Master Batu wearing his shell.

Click-.

As he approached right beside me, I silently pressed a small button next to my chair.

Instantly, a small dome made of mana enveloped us both.

Whirrrr-!

A veil of silence plus external vision blocking.

It was a device that allowed auction participants to have private conversations.

‘Truly befitting a VVIP room.’

It showed how meticulously the Ruin Guild had prepared.

What level the people who conducted business in such places were at, and how much they valued secrecy.

Once the barrier was completely erected, Batu politely bowed his head.

“Pleased to meet you for the first time.”

His voice was calm and courteous.

“I am Harten Ryu of the Cheonghae Trading Company.”

“…”

I didn’t respond. I simply watched him quietly.

He showed a slightly flustered expression, then continued with an awkward smile.

“Haha, everyone in this VVIP room wears masks, but… we actually all know who each other are. Since we’re all merchants, we have many exchanges and our information gathering is quite thorough.”

“…”

“However, among all the people here, you’re the only one I’m meeting for the first time. That’s why I came to greet you.”

Saying this, Batu looked me up and down. It was a gaze as if trying to figure out who I was.

“By the way, this is really curious. No matter how recently you obtained VVIP status, if you were from a merchant background, there’s no way I wouldn’t know you. Perhaps… you’re not a merchant, but from a different field?”

Of course, I knew.

That this was all an act.

He knew my identity and had deliberately approached me.

As always, to probe his opponent.

* * *

[Muwolcha] : Why the hell did they even create this kind of character? I wouldn’t mind if he was at least fun, but he just causes irritation;;;

Why does Puppet Master Batu feel so unpleasant?

I had thought about this reason carefully before.

And eventually reached one conclusion.

Batu plunging users into endless suspicion was certainly annoying. But that wasn’t the real problem.

There was a much more fundamental reason.

‘Batu is a loser.’

And losers were inherently unpleasant beings.

Because they couldn’t grasp at all what kind of existence they were or how they appeared to others.

That misplaced confidence and subtle awkwardness instinctively provoked rejection in observers.

‘Ultimately, everything stems from a lack of self-objectification.’

The reason he couldn’t get along with others and lacked social skills was also due to this.

In that sense…

‘Batu, lacking in self-objectification, mistakenly believes himself to be clever.’

The role of a mastermind hiding in darkness and manipulating others like puppets. He was completely intoxicated by that game.

Then he acts as if he’s a genius who sees through everything.

‘When in reality, he’s the stupidest among the Five Nightmares.’

In terms of pure intelligence alone, he falls far short of even Dorico Shiro.

But…

Intelligence issues were never an obstacle for Batu.

Because his ability as a puppet master was so overwhelming that it more than compensated for his low intelligence.

‘This ability doesn’t require the user to be smart in the first place.’

Complex schemes and meticulous calculations were meaningless.

Just plant a puppet and that’s it. Then quietly wait until the right timing comes.

Even if his identity is suspected, it’s fine. Puppetry is a risk-free ability anyway. From Batu’s perspective, he just needs to repeat until he succeeds.

‘Constant suspicion gnaws at the mind.’

People can’t live suspecting everything, and eventually they’ll let their guard down at some point.

Batu persistently waited for just that one opening.

That’s why he could always hold the initiative.

‘But…’

Now the situation is different.

I know everything. Who’s real and who’s fake. Which words are sincere and which actions are acting.

But I can’t show my hand right away.

I need to make Batu keep believing until the end.

That he’s still one step ahead. That he’s perfectly deceiving his opponent this time too.

Right.

Now it’s our turn to target his ‘opening.’

“Ah, could it be!”

But still.

Even so, this is too much.

“There was a meeting for VVIP members yesterday. Along with news that the Five Nightmares had appeared, there was talk of Middle Temple dispatching Sword Masters… Could you perhaps be that person?”

Obvious acting, transparent speech patterns, and shallow mind games.

From the way he believes he’s controlling the situation, his stupidity becomes even more apparent.

This is getting on my nerves.

‘Should I just kill him?’

[Please restrain yourself, Master.]

Feather Sword, reading my thoughts, calmly interjected.

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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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