Chapter 403

“Stop.”

Hound first halted the army’s advance.

It wasn’t because enemy defensive forces had appeared.

If that were the case, he would have rather immediately ordered an attack.

What was in front was not a group, but merely one person.

That was what prompted a different response from Hound.

“That bastard…”

Hound stared at the other side with a piercing gaze.

And soon, he was able to recognize the identity.

There was no way he wouldn’t know.

Because he was the one who had ruined the organization’s work several times.

Max Celtrine.

It was none other than him.

Moreover, that bastard was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette in front of a large army that could crush him just by advancing.

An act impossible unless one was insane.

“This is ridiculous.”

Hound shook his head and spat out.

His eyes became lost in thought.

Dismissing him as a madman and simply crushing him would be the easiest way.

Hound would have chosen that method with a high probability.

If only the human in front of him wasn’t that particular bastard.

“Annoying.”

It was annoying.

Because he wasn’t the type to do crazy things.

Rather, he was a human who had repeatedly led to victory with near-divine strategies and tactics in the imperial civil war, even earning a reputation for invincibility.

He was an enemy, but his extraordinary mind was at a level that couldn’t be denied.

Such a bastard was doing such an insane thing alone in front?

It would be stranger if there wasn’t some ulterior motive.

There was definitely some ulterior motive.

Hound’s suspicious eyes glared intently at Max.

Then.

“Hmph, fine. Let’s see what kind of dog-like trick it is.”

He snorted coldly, as if realizing that he couldn’t find out anything more just by glaring.

He seemed intent on probing.

“Go, skeleton.”

Hound nodded his head.

Soon, the skeleton soldier at the very front rushed towards Max.

* * *

‘It worked for now.’

Just the fact that the army had stopped meant my plan had worked for now.

Of course, how much time I could buy here depended on what I did.

*Flick.*

I threw away the shortened cigarette butt and took out a new cigarette.

What was important in a bluff was the outward appearance.

Tension? Impatience?

The moment such emotions were revealed even slightly, it was over.

One had to be absolutely nonchalant and calm.

Only then could one deceive the opponent.

“Phew.”

Casually smoking a cigarette was also part of it.

I absolutely could not show any weakness.

A strong appearance, unshaken in the slightest.

That was all that was needed.

Even at this moment, time continued to flow.

An unparalleled situation for me.

But soon.

Movement was felt from the enemy camp.

‘Yes, there’s no way they’d just stay still.’

My gaze stared straight ahead.

*Clatter, clatter!*

A skeleton soldier approaching, making bone-rattling sounds.

An insignificant fellow.

A fellow that even I, in my delinquent days, could have easily dealt with.

Such a fellow, not even in a group, but just one.

If I couldn’t read the hidden intention there, I wouldn’t have survived until now.

‘Poison.’

It was poison.

Definitely poison.

They were trying to probe me with poison.

Then, having read that, should I simply dispatch the skeleton from a distance with an arrow?

No, that was just the response of someone who knew how to use their head.

Deceiving a Red Rain executive with that level of skill?

Absurd.

That wouldn’t be enough.

I had to respond in a way that would play with their psychology.

I had to arouse even more suspicion and doubt.

To do that.

I simply stared blankly at the approaching skeleton soldier.

“Phew.”

While exhaling cigarette smoke.

The skeleton soldier, brandishing a sword and shield, charged forward.

The distance grew shorter and shorter.

And.

*Clack!*

Eventually, the skeleton soldier leaped forward and attacked me with a fairly sharp momentum.

But I didn’t spit out my cigarette.

I simply moved my right hand.

*Swish.*

*Thwack!*

A sword draw in the blink of an eye.

It was a scene that showed my improved skills.

The Turtle Sword had split the skeleton soldier horizontally.

A single strike.

That was enough.

However.

I saw it clearly.

Fine, unpleasant blue particles spreading out from the split skeleton soldier’s body into the surroundings.

‘Hmph, as expected.’

That was poison.

Poison particles.

I didn’t know how deadly the poison was, but it was clear that it would have a significantly negative impact on the body.

Normally, I should have immediately held my breath and retreated.

That was the natural response.

However, far from avoiding it, I stood still and exhaled cigarette smoke.

I could vividly feel the poison particles infiltrating my lungs.

Nevertheless, I didn’t show even the slightest hint of tension outwardly.

Was it because of the desperate acting ability that could be displayed even in a life-threatening moment?

No, it couldn’t be just that.

It was an action I could take because I had something to rely on.

One of the hero’s traits obtained after clearing Regina.

<hero’s>

– A strong mind resides in a strong body.

– The hero’s body must be strong.

– The strong hero’s body will withstand various external attacks like armor and possess strong resistance to poison and curses.

A fraudulent defensive trait, truly befitting a hero’s characteristic.

And among them, precisely the strong resistance to poison and curses.

That was what I was relying on.

Using the Empty Fort Strategy against a poison master would have been impossible without this trait.

“Phew.”

Exhaling cigarette smoke, I observed my body.

To check the condition of my body, which was full of poison particles.

And.

“Not bad.”

I flicked the cigarette butt away and twisted the corner of my mouth into a smile.

It was a triumphant smile.

* * *

“…Unharmed?”

Hound’s eyes narrowed.

He had definitely confirmed it just now.

That the poison particles had reached the bastard’s open eyeballs in overwhelming amounts.

And when that poison touched the eyeballs, the entire eye would immediately begin to break down miserably.

All the blood vessels in the eye, swollen by abnormal pressure, would rapidly burst.

Natural loss of sight.

The gruesome blood flowing from the ruined eye was a bonus.

He had easily shattered the defense of the West Gate with this very poison.

A poison of that much power.

But that bastard…

“Hmm.”

Hound’s mind became complicated.

Probing to find out what ulterior motive he had, had only made his head more complicated.

If he had taken even the slightest action to avoid the poison, this wouldn’t have happened.

Because being wary of poison itself was revealing his own weakness.

He would have immediately launched an attack, persistently using poison.

But what actually happened was a situation that only aroused more suspicion.

Hound, after pondering, finally organized his thoughts.

“Fine, well, he might have some resistance.”

Just as there were countless poisons, people’s resistance to poison also varied greatly.

Among them, there were cases where individuals possessed strong resistance to specific poisons.

If one assumed such a case, it wasn’t unexplainable.

“If so.”

He had to test again.

A test using three poisons with vastly different properties.

That would be more than enough.

Of course, if he responded the same way as before, the result would only be death.

As the best poison master, Hound was confident.

Because absolutely no one in the world could be resistant to those three poisons simultaneously.

*Flick. Swish.*

With simple hand gestures, Hound spread three types of poison onto the skeleton soldiers in front.

An astonishing skill befitting the best poison master.

“Go.”

Hound gestured.

Soon, three skeleton soldiers, imbued with poison, charged towards Max in unison.

Hound watched the scene leisurely.

What will you do?

The bastard must know it’s poison.

But his response method would have to be different from before.

Because he would know it was even more dangerous poison.

A long-range attack using arrows or magic?

Or the activation of a trap?

Or perhaps, retreat for now?

It didn’t matter what.

Because he could thoroughly grasp what the bastard’s hidden ulterior motive was.

“Bastard, let me see.”

Hound watched Max’s actions with sharply glinting eyes.

However…

“Huh?”

Max did nothing until the distance closed.

He was just leisurely exhaling cigarette smoke.

A sound of disbelief escaped Hound.

“Is he really insane?”

At that very moment.

Max’s sword moved.

*Thwack! Thump! Slice!*

Skeleton soldiers easily cut down.

It didn’t matter.

Because the real thing wasn’t those skeletons.

Particles of three types of poison spewing out in all directions.

It’s already too late to avoid that.

He could clearly see the poison particles seeping into Max.

“Tsk.”

Hound clicked his tongue, as if there was no need to watch further.

The bastard would die.

Definitely.

Spilling blood miserably from his five orifices.

Hound had already cut off his attention and was preparing to order the advance.

Hound raised his hand.

“Everyone, ad…”

Before he could finish his words, Hound’s movement abruptly stopped.

A face engulfed in horror.

It was inevitable.

Because he had seen it.

Max, standing there unharmed.

“N-No way…!”

His voice trembled greatly.

There was no way those three poisons wouldn’t work.

They absolutely worked.

But what on earth was this?

Hound couldn’t help but be crushed by great shock.

“K-Kuuuh?!”

Hound’s mind froze.

It would be more accurate to say that his thoughts couldn’t connect.

Poison.

That was Hound’s absolute weapon.

That poison was Hound himself.

Confidence, cruelty, composure… all those emotions could exist on top of the absolute poison.

That absolute weapon doesn’t work?

It was no different from the most important pillar supporting Hound shattering into pieces.

“W-What should I do… W-What should I do…?”

Hound stammered, his anxious eyes darting around like an immature novice.

In that appearance, there was not a trace of the demeanor befitting an executive of the evil organization that had shattered the West Gate defense.

“A-Attack? N-No, if the poison doesn’t work… Sh-Should I retreat? N-No, retreating is…”

Hound, clutching his head, didn’t know what to do.

Time continued to flow.

Even at that moment.

* * *

“Phew.”

Exhaling cigarette smoke, I forcibly suppressed the cough that threatened to escape.

Because I couldn’t show even the slightest weakness.

This poison was a bit tingly.

In a bad way.

If it had been the old me, I would have already died and collapsed.

The fact that I could endure like this showed how fraudulent the hero’s trait was.

Anyway.

My stratagem had worked perfectly.

The bastard was clearly flustered.

It must be because he had clearly seen with his own two eyes that his best weapon didn’t work.

That was my aim.

In the end, even an evil executive wavered when they lost faith in the source of their own power.

‘Just a little more.’

I calmly took out my pocket watch and checked it.

Exactly 10 minutes.

It was the promised time to escape.

They weren’t idiots.

10 minutes was enough.

30 seconds left.

I counted the numbers.

* * *

“N-No! I have to attack! That’s the only way!”

That was the conclusion Hound barely reached.

Numerical superiority.

He still had that.

He would crush them with a large army.

He definitely would.

Because there was nothing else he could believe in.

“A-Attack! Everyone, attack! Advance immediately!”

Hound shouted until his throat was sore.

* * *

“Oh?”

The large army that had begun to move.

My eyes glinted with interest.

It wasn’t a bad choice.

No, rather, it was a good choice.

Because it was the surest way to break the Empty Fort Strategy.

If he had moved just a little faster, I wouldn’t have had any particular way to deal with it.

However.

“It’s already too late.”

*Flick.*

I flicked the cigarette I was smoking up into the air.

That was the signal.

The moment the rising cigarette fell to the ground.

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A massive explosion occurred.</hero’s>