Chapter 742: Understanding (3)

Chapter 742: Chapter 458: Understanding (3)

The power of such people left a deep impression on him.

‘This Elu… could he be a Professional too?’

He whispered to himself.

It was highly possible.

If he had reached a Realm like Knight or Great Knight—something ordinary people achieve by tempering their bodies and skills—he definitely wouldn’t be as thin and weak as he appeared.

Unless the other person was also a Professional.

But, there was one thing he couldn’t figure out.

If the man really was a Professional, why would he be hiding in Gray Leaf Village? What was his purpose?

Why didn’t he fight back when he was captured? Why wait until he was about to be burned at the stake to resist?

He recalled what Chat had said.

Although the man had killed several militiamen, he hadn’t escaped completely unscathed.

From this, he could deduce that even if the man was a Professional, his strength couldn’t be that great.

At most, he had just entered a Sequence.

It was even possible he was still hovering outside the Sequences.

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in Ired’s eyes.

‘My actions this time have certainly made him my enemy. If I can find him, it’d be best to just kill him.’

As he thought of this, he glanced toward the fireplace.

The next second, something strange happened.

The flames in the fireplace suddenly surged, as if fuel had just been added.

In his gray-white pupils, whether by reflection or some other cause, a flickering flame ignited.

…

After ordering a few young militiamen to bury the bodies and distributing compensation to their families, Chat mobilized the militia and some villagers to search the area, but they found nothing.

This was just as he’d expected.

After all, the culprit wasn’t likely to stick around the village after doing something like that.

By the time he finished reporting to Ired, it was nearly midnight.

Chat tossed the cloth pouch in his hand.

Dozens of copper nails jingled inside.

These were what the families of the deceased had insisted on stuffing into his hands.

After all, he couldn’t work for free.

It was just that one of the families had given him a rather small amount.

A flicker of resentment rose within him.

He wasn’t worried about it, though.

Because he had plenty of ways to deal with those mud-legs whenever he wanted.

With that thought, he opened the door to his house.

Only to find the house was very quiet.

Normally at this hour, his mistress—a dozen years his junior—would be singing and stewing a meal, waiting for him to return.

She always loved dancing barefoot on the rough wooden floor, her wheat-colored skin under her linen shirt swaying with the candlelight, exceptionally alluring.

However, he didn’t think much of it.

He just thought that because it was so late, she had fallen asleep.

At the thought, a familiar heat stirred in his loins.

‘Time for a little surprise attack.’

But just as he took two steps, he was tripped by something.

He nearly fell to the ground.

“Mmph… mmph…”

Just then, a sound reached his ears.

It was a sound he knew well.

It was the voice of his mistress.

Her voice was like a warbler’s, very distinctive.

He wouldn’t mistake it.

‘But why is she on the floor?’

The instant this thought arose, a Dagger with a cold glint appeared from nowhere, pressing firmly against his neck.

…

Night deepened.

White Bear Village once again grew quiet.

This was the time of day when people were at their drowsiest.

Aside from the occasional sound of a dog barking, everything else was silent.

Suddenly, under the cover of night, a single flame shot up in the village.

Soon, in several other locations, flames appeared one after another.

At first, they were just weak flames, swaying gently in the night wind.

In an instant, tongues of fire greedily licked at the dry thatched roofs.

Then, a second place, a third…

Several points of fire shot up almost simultaneously, like a beast that had been lying in wait for a long time finally baring its fangs.

It was late autumn, and there had been a long drought with no rain.

Most of the houses in the village were wooden structures with thatched roofs, all of which now became excellent kindling.

The speed at which the fire spread was staggering.

In the blink of an eye, the raging inferno had engulfed an entire row of houses. Searing waves of heat distorted the night sky, and thick smoke billowed into the heavens, dyeing the bright moonlight a dark, crimson red.

The sleeping villagers were choked awake by the thick smoke, and panicked shouts rose one after another.

…

“Hm?”

The moment the villagers’ cries of alarm pierced the night sky, the sleeping Ired’s eyes snapped open.

He shot up from the bed and swung his legs to the floor with a fluid motion.

Just as his fingers touched the Leather Armor hanging on the wall, a series of rushed, frantic footsteps approached from a distance.

Ired rushed to the door in a few quick strides and yanked it open.

He saw Chat, with his little mustache, stumbling into the courtyard. Halfway across, he tripped on a stone and nearly fell flat on his face.

“Lord Ired! It’s terrible! The village… the village is on fire!”

The words were entirely unnecessary as far as Ired was concerned.

He could already see the thick smoke and flames in the night sky.

Seeing this, his brow furrowed tightly.

It was late autumn, a dry season, so a fire wasn’t unusual.

But for it to happen at this particular juncture was a little too coincidental…

‘Could it be that man’s doing?’

At this thought, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He was about to go back inside to put on his Leather Armor and grab his weapon.

However, the instant he turned, a sense of mortal danger made the hairs on his body stand on end.

Without a second thought, Ired dodged to one side.

But unfortunately, he was still too slow.

PFFT!

The sound of flesh and bone being torn apart rang out.

Pain flared in his right arm!

The next second, his own sturdy arm flew high into the air, spraying blood.

The air was instantly filled with the pungent smell of blood.

“AAAAH!”

Ired let out a miserable scream. He rolled desperately across the ground and into the house.

However, the person who had just attacked him didn’t let him go.

A whoosh cut through the air.

A blood-stained Dagger, like a bolt of lightning, shot straight for his face.

BOOM!

The next second, a flash of fire exploded outwards and forced the shadowy assailant back.

“Chat, you dare betray me!”

In the firelight, Ired looked up. The attacker was none other than Chat—that old fool, past fifty, who couldn’t even walk without tripping.

“Interesting! I didn’t expect a mere village head to have mastered this kind of power!”

In contrast to Ired’s fury, ‘Chat’s’ expression was calm, with no trace of his previous humble demeanor.

Instead, his gaze sized up Ired with great interest.

That gaze was like someone looking at a monkey.

This gaze made Ired extremely uncomfortable.

But more than that, something else concerned him.

“You’re not Chat? Who are you!”

His gaze was like a knife, fixed firmly on the person before him.

Although Chat’s appearance was the same, the aura emanating from his very bones and the unfamiliar accent when he spoke clearly showed that this was not Chat himself.

Hu Qi completely ignored Ired’s question.

His gaze was locked firmly on Ired.

At this moment, lines of fire snaked out from the fireplace, coiling and circling around Ired in an incredibly strange sight.

It was these flames that had blocked him just now.

Hu Qi calmly glanced at the right arm holding the Dagger; its sleeve had turned to Ashes.

The surface of his skin was scorched black, and the Dagger in his hand had become scorching hot from the high temperature.

At this moment, Ired, opposite him, let out a muffled groan.

His body swayed.

“You… you even coated the Dagger with poison?”

Ired’s shocked and furious voice rang out.

The wound on his severed arm had already turned a purplish color.

“Go to hell!”

His face twisted as he raised his remaining left hand and thrust it forward.

HISS!

The lines of fire that had been circling him instantly shot towards Hu Qi.

Faced with this, Hu Qi’s wrist suddenly flicked, and the Dagger shot through the air like a silver bolt of lightning.

At the same time, his body leaned forward. The ball of his foot ground into the floor, his toes hooking into the wood as his knee bent, coiling with power.

BANG!

A sonic boom erupted from under his foot.

Releasing his coiled muscles like a compressed spring, he shot forward like a cannonball, leaving two deep impressions in the floorboards as dust and splinters flew.

Hu Qi became a blur. The Dagger he’d thrown tore a gap in the net of fire, and in the instant sparks flew, Hu Qi threw a punch, straight for Ired’s throat!

BAM!

KRAK!

A horrifying sound of bone breaking rang out.

Ired stumbled back, only stopping when he hit the wall.

His only remaining left arm hung twisted at an unnatural angle by his side.

The next second, Hu Qi was before him.

A low Sweeping Leg sent Ired off-balance and down to his knees.

Then Hu Qi slammed a palm onto the back of Ired’s head and smashed it downwards!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three times in a row.

The wooden floorboards shattered under the impact. Blood splattered from Ired’s face, and the flames enveloping his body completely dissipated.