Reset Life – Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Even I Was Deceived (3)

I kicked dirt towards the guy in front of me and simultaneously slashed at the legs and neck of the one on the left.

The guy in front faltered from the dirt, and the one on the left calmly retreated and met my sword. Then, the one on the right would attack my exposed back.

Clang!

I spun my dagger backward, blocking the stabbing sword, and quickly circled behind the tree, thrusting my longsword forward.

Thud!

A heavy impact resonated in my right hand. I pushed the tree away and used the recoil to create distance between myself and them.

As a result, all three of them were lined up in a straight line with me. I powerfully kicked off the ground, raised my sword, and charged forward.

Clang!

Before they could surround me, I forcefully pushed against the one who was blocking my sword.

However, he didn’t budge because the one behind him was supporting him, and in the meantime, the one at the very back showed signs of trying to escape.

Like hell I’ll let you!

“Tch!”

Ugh. Even Levidian’s passionate teachings have been tainted. I spat at the guy’s eyes, and he flinched reflexively, closing his eyes.

Immediately, I tripped him. I swung my sword sideways, causing the tripped guy to lose his balance, and his shoulder slumped down, revealing the guy who was supporting him from behind.

In that gap, I thrust my dagger.

The blade of the dagger pierced between his clavicles. There was resistance, but this is an Iperfect dagger. It cuts!

Crack!

“Kugh!”

The guy in the back finally screamed. And the one who was flinching between me and him got hit hard on the chin by the knee I raised simultaneously with the dagger thrust.

I could feel the bone shattering clearly through my knee. I pushed them together and raised my longsword, parrying the attack of the guy at the very back who was trying to circle around and strike.

Sparks flew with the clash of metal, and I retreated under the fierce assault, creating distance.

The two masked men, one with a severed clavicle and the other with a broken jaw, groaned and collapsed.

Now it’s a one-on-one! (Although if Levidian had seen this, she would’ve smiled, popped two veins on her forehead, and challenged me to a spar right away.)

Then, the guy forced me back with a fierce attack and retreated.

“You use dirty tricks.”

I heard his voice for the first time. Unlike his appearance, it was a pretty decent voice.

I smirked, looking at his burning red eyes.

“Is it clean to have ten people attack three? Well, I guess I can handle them cleanly. Where is Levidian?”

He narrowed his eyes and didn’t answer. Judging from their appearance, they must be the ones who went with Levidian.

He said,

“I’ll make you an offer.”

“What?”

“Go back. I’ll let you live.”

“You should say, ‘Please go back. I’ll let you live.’”

I replied with a friendly smile. I glanced around, and Al and Lucy were taking down the black-masked men one by one with fantastic skills.

The tide of the battle had already turned in our favor. But to say he’ll let us live if we go back, that’s a serious lack of situational awareness.

He shook his head and said,

“This is my last warning.”

“Mine too. Where is Levidian? If you lead me to her, I’ll let you live.”

“Then it’s settled.”

His mouth moved under the mask. Not to speak, but to mumble something inside.

Unsure of what he was going to do, I watched him with heightened vigilance. His mouth stopped moving.

BEEEEP-!

A loud whistle pierced the air. A whistle that couldn’t possibly have come from a human mouth came from his mouth.

Poof-! Bang!

“Gah!”

“What the, cough!”

At Al and Lucy’s voices, I unconsciously turned my head. However, they were nowhere to be seen, and only white smoke was billowing from their spots.

“Beware the night. The moon is targeting you.”

“What?”

Turning my head at his voice, I saw him take out a small bottle from his pocket and throw it towards the ground. As the bottle shattered, the liquid inside began to release white smoke.

“Ugh?! Cough!”

The sudden smoke stung my eyes and nose. Cough! What is this! Cough! Poison? Ugh! It burns!

Even holding my breath, the pungent smoke that stung my skin seeped into my lungs. I covered my mouth and hurriedly retreated.

“Cough! Cough!”

However, the wind carried the smoke with it, and I ended up performing the comical act of running away from nothing but smoke.

Cough! Ugh!

Three men, with bloodshot eyes, runny noses, and tears streaming down their faces as if they had just had a good cry, huddled together.

“Damn you…… Hmph!”

I grumbled and blew my nose.

Those guys released that strange smoke and ran away with their comrades.

It was the moment that proved we were powerless against biochemical attacks, no matter how physically trained we were.

“Ugh! That was truly awful. To make this Lucy-nim shed tears, that’s the first time since onions.”

Onions? You’ve cooked before?

Al silently wet his handkerchief and wiped his eyes. However, it was quite funny to see the traces of tears on his stoic face.

Since we were all in the same boat, we could laugh freely at each other’s faces, but we still knew when to laugh and when not to.

Al wiped away the gathering tears as if annoyed.

“What was that?”

“Ugh! A strong tear gas. Mostly used for escapes. Surprisingly expensive.”

Lucy answered, sniffling. I knew the coughing and tears were incessant. This is why expensive things are bad! I briefly cursed the uselessness of expensive items to the heavens.

“Damn it. We were completely tricked.”

“Ugh! Indeed. Just wait till I get my hands on them. I’ll hold a cutting board in front of their faces and chop a whole pile of onions.”

“Who chops onions like that?”

“I’ll develop an automatic onion-chopping spell!”

If Lucy is making such silly jokes, it seems she’s recovered to a reasonably good state.

Al took a sip of water and rinsed his mouth. His throat also stung from breathing through his mouth.

“Do you know where they went?”

“Hmm, well. For this, you need shamanistic aptitude, not magical aptitude. But they couldn’t have gone that far. I should be able to track them.”

Lucy took out her magic book and started flipping through it. I coughed, still feeling the lingering effects of the gas, and said,

“Come to think of it, the guy I fought said, ‘Beware the night. The moon is targeting you.’ What did he mean?”

“What?”

Al’s head snapped up. His bloodshot eyes glinting looked somewhat eerie. I tilted my head.

“Why?”

“Are you sure?”

“Ah, yeah. I’m sure. I think it means they’ll keep targeting us…… Why, Al?”

“Hmm. I heard this story.”

Al quietly brought up a story he heard during his mercenary days. Someone who was his friend told him,

<‘Beware the night. The moon is targeting you.’ If you hear this, you’d better start cleaning up your surroundings quickly. Because it’s an assassination warning from the Black New Moon.>

Lucy and I looked dumbfounded.

Black New Moon?!

That Mangya is saying that?

“Wait! Why is the Black New Moon here? And what does it have to do with Risel’s Teacher?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a story I heard.”

“Risel, is your Teacher a former assassin by any chance?”

“Huh? Th-That’s definitely not the case……?”

She’s the Sword King, not the Assassination King. I’m sure of that, at least.

She definitely wouldn’t have anything to do with the Black New Moon, right?

“Why would Mangya……?”

“Mangya? What’s that?”

Lucy tilted her head at my mumbling. I tilted my head back and said,

“Black New Moon. They’re called Mangya, right?”

“Huh? Isn’t the Black New Moon just the Black New Moon?”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback by Lucy’s matter-of-fact tone.

Clearly, in my memory, Black New Moon was another term for Mangya.

Wasn’t it an organization called ‘Mangya’ that was also called ‘Black New Moon’?

I looked at Al. He pondered for a moment and said,

“Lucy is right. The Black New Moon doesn’t have another name.”

“Huh?”

I hurriedly rechecked my memory.

The Black New Moon, also called Mangya, stirs in Yorchensia in the year 373. The once most famous assassin group on the continent rises again and begins their activities.

They are a group of professionals who meticulously carry out any request, regardless of age or status, and their hands are known to be capable of killing even mercy itself.

However, they suffer a major blow at the hands of two back alley giants, Jay and Old Man, who control the night in Azot.

The two put up a good fight against Mangya but ultimately meet their demise, and Mangya ends its short-lived activity and disappears back into the darkness.

This is the story I remember. It was such a famous story that there’s no way it could be wrong.

But…… why do these two only know about the Black New Moon and not Mangya?

I was about to tell them that but closed my mouth.

For now, there’s no need to doubt that the two names refer to the same organization, and I’ve confirmed that the guy who spoke to me is a member of the Black New Moon, so that’s enough.

“Hmm. Let’s just skip that for now. Anyway, we’re sure they’re the Black New Moon, right?”

“No one else uses that phrase but the Black New Moon.”

What the hell is going on?

I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought. What connection could Levidian possibly have with the Black New Moon?

Of course, they neither confirmed nor denied it. They don’t seem to speak unnecessarily, so it’s not certain if they have a connection with Levidian.

Even if they don’t, why are they here?

This isn’t Yorchensia, and it’s not a place where an assassin group like the Black New Moon would be.

We just came here to find Levidian.

It’s already suspicious that we were suddenly attacked a day’s journey away from Point 5, but could it be related to Levidian?

“Do you think they’ll be at Point 5? If they are, it seems like we’ve come to the right place.”

Lucy looked at the map and stroked her chin. The place we designated as Point 5 is relatively suitable for hiding.

It’s a terrain surrounded by rocky mountains with a narrow entrance, and with the right skills, it’s easy to escape by climbing over the mountains. There’s a valley nearby, creating a reasonably pleasant environment.

However, it’s too rugged. It’s difficult to access without proper preparation.

It’s a suitable terrain for monsters to live in, but it’s also suitable for humans.

“We’ll have to go and see.”

Al said in a quiet tone. At this point, there’s no other choice but to go. But the opponent is the infamous Black New Moon?

“Al, Lucy, I’d like to point something out here.”

“What is it?”

“What is it?”

I scratched my head and said awkwardly,

“Aren’t we the assassination targets now?”

Lucy and Al looked at each other and blinked. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

Then they said simultaneously,

“Indeed.”

“That’s right.”

Assassination is a more difficult and annoying task than one might think.

It’s a task that faithfully follows the law of mutual annoyance, being annoying for both the target and the assassin.

But can suddenly attacking people who are resting be considered an assassination technique?

I’d rather call it a surprise attack.

We discussed what had just happened as we walked towards Point 5.

First, Lucy spoke.

“Maybe they’re assassin trainees? The Black New Moon is a famous group, but they couldn’t even scratch us even though three or four of them attacked, right? They were hiding deep in the mountains, training their minds and bodies, practicing assassination, and guarding the perimeter of their hideout. Then, the enemy appeared, so they launched a surprise attack! But they couldn’t defeat the strongest man on Earth, Lucy.”

“Hold on. The weight of the story is too biased, isn’t it?”

“That’s how legends are.”

“I’d like to point out that all legends are created after the subject is dead.”

Except for the nonsense at the end, Lucy’s statement makes sense. Their movements were organized, but they didn’t seem very adept at adapting to unexpected situations.

Al touched his gauntlet and said,

“Assassins don’t necessarily have to be strong. The qualities an assassin needs are patience, agility, and explosiveness. I didn’t see anything but agility in those who fought me.”

“So, you’re saying that if they use assassination techniques, it’ll be quite troublesome?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we’re sticking our heads into an assassin’s paradise.”

“Assassination and paradise don’t go together.”

Both of their points are valid in their own way.

My skills are still lacking. I can’t handle Al, let alone Lucy’s staff more than 50 times. And there’s a vast difference between me and Levidian, and even Lea.

Why is everyone around me so much better than me?

Anyway, even I, who am far less skilled than those two, was able to injure two of the guys who attacked us.

Well, I admit that I used a dirty trick that would have made Levidian furious if she had seen it.

To make excuses for myself, I couldn’t think of any other way. I should reflect on that.

“Risel, what do you think?”

“I think this. Those guys were just testers to gauge our abilities, and they’ll prepare their assassination based on our skills. Assassins need the three qualities Al mentioned, but what’s needed for assassination is different, right?”

The conditions necessary for assassination are as follows:

Information, planning, and concealment.

You need to obtain accurate information based on the latest data, create a meticulous plan, and be able to conceal it.

The most important of these is information.

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