Yellow Toad.
It was also the title used to refer to the organization’s leader, Wi Hang.
The members of the organization were characterized by tattoos of creatures that seemed to be either frogs or toads on their bodies. They favored black vans with dark-tinted windows that prevented anyone from seeing inside.
The license plate on those vans? 4885.
Rohan immediately recalled the number because it was frequently mentioned as a point of aggro in the Abyss City community. Despite being nothing more than a sudden quest for beginners, it often drew attention as clickbait in online discussions.
The group’s main business involved human trafficking and organ smuggling.
As a side business, they boldly collected protection fees, creating a deliberately ambiguous and delinquent image that sowed confusion.
By relying on their main business, they quietly expanded their presence in the underworld. However, currently, they had been driven out of their territory after losing a conflict with another organization.
Why had they come to the Academy City of Elysium instead of staying nearby to plot revenge?
They had heard that the Public Safety Department was relentless and thorough, but that same reputation meant that highly valuable “goods” could be found there.
“You decided to take advantage of the fact that inexperienced academy students with a little power tend to roam deserted places at odd hours. You thought you could start a new business in a bigger pond.”
“….…”
“How is it? If there’s anything I got wrong, feel free to correct me. Or you could just share your thoughts.”
“Cough…!”
“Wow, who knew my memory was this good? I even remember all these little details.”
Rohan had summarized the situation concisely.
Even as Wi Hang lay beaten and collapsed on the ground, he couldn’t conceal his rage. Perhaps he hadn’t been able to conceal it at all.
“You little brat. You think you can just storm into someone else’s territory and disrupt their business without any regard for…?”
With his mangled arm, Wi Hang attempted to move his large hammer again with his heavy body struggling to rise.
“You’re just like the first guy I met. So predictable, so boring.”
With that, Rohan pulled out the SMG he had seized from one of the organization’s members.
Drrrrrrrrk—!
Without any warning, he emptied an entire magazine into Wi Hang’s bulging stomach.
“Lose some weight. The bullets aren’t going through properly.”
“Grrr…! You damned brat…!”
Without any magical reinforcement, the bullets would have left only superficial red marks at most.
But Wi Hang had already been afflicted by Rohan’s Inflict Weakness skill.
The bullets didn’t pierce all the way through, but they tore into the layers of magical power protecting his stomach without hesitation.
Whether the rounds had broken through the fat and reached his organs was unclear. However, they certainly seemed to deliver pain effectively.
Thick veins bulged on Wi Hang’s bald head.
It’s coming soon.
Even in a completely one-sided situation, there was a reason Wi Hang didn’t lose his composure.
It wasn’t because he was brave or had unshakable pride. He simply had one last move left to play.
Click!
Rohan deftly reloaded his magazine, secured the gun at his waist, and drew a second weapon he had looted earlier on his way.
It was a machete he drew from its leather sheath.
Regardless of its length, the weapon fit snugly in his grip. It had already proven itself in his fight with Wi Hang.
“Let’s finish this.”
Rohan said and started closing the distance confidently.
As he approached, Wi Hang who had been slumped against the wall allowed a faint smirk to curl his lips.
At the same time—
“Kuhhhhhh—!”
Wi Hang’s neck began to swell like a balloon as he channeled his magical power for a skill.
The sight unmistakably resembled the toad that inspired the organization’s name.
Seeing it in person, it really is just like a toad.’
Rohan thought as he moved swiftly.
But he wasn’t aiming to slice Wi Hang’s neck and finish him off before he could act.
Instead, Rohan spun around, kicked open the door, and exited the room without hesitation.
In the game, killing him like that would just trigger an explosion and deal damage. Plus, his defense skyrockets.
The skill, while powerful for its rank, came with its own risks.
Rohan also knew that once the skill was charged, it couldn’t be canceled, nor could Wi Hang move while preparing it.
“Gwaaahhh—!”
As soon as Rohan left the room, a torrent of acid created from magical power poured out of Wi Hang’s mouth like a waterfall.
The spot where Rohan had been standing moments earlier, along with the room’s walls, melted entirely.
Judging by the range and ferocity of the eruption, no temporary measures like hiding behind a table or using furniture as a shield could stop the skill.
“This bastard is disgusting. Both his looks and his skills.”
“Guhhh…”
When Rohan calmly strode back into the room, brandishing his blade, Wi Hang was left dripping remnants of acid from his mouth. He looked at Rohan with fearful eyes.
“What’s this? Where’s that look you had earlier? The one saying you’d turn my guts into pickled fish? What’s with your sorry state now?”
“…….”
Having failed with his final trump card, Wi Hang was left in utter defeat.
All the hostility and killing intent he had radiated had vanished completely.
Thunk! Thunk!
Rohan struck Wi Hang on the head with the flat of his blade as if to provoke him, but Wi Hang did not resist.
Instead, he lowered his gaze.
“I lost… What do you want?”
“Hmm?”
Rohan looked puzzled at Wi Hang’s voice, which sounded like a deflated balloon.
“Why did you attack this place? Were you after money? Or is there someone who claims ownership of this territory?”
“Money? Ah, money’s good. It’s essential to survive.”
“…I’ll pay the price for my life properly.”
“You’re offering money in exchange for your life?”
At Rohan’s question, Wi Hang nodded his head and even added that it would be an amount he’d be satisfied with.
However, Rohan’s answer was resolute.
He didn’t hesitate for a moment.
“No.”
“!?”
“I don’t want to deal with this kind of mess from the start. Letting you go would set a bad precedent.”
How could he allow himself to be swayed by money at the very beginning of his journey with Clara?
As magical power surged violently from Rohan’s body, Wi Hang’s voice grew louder.
“I-I’ll give you everything I have! If you let me go now, I’ll hand over everything I own and give up the merchandise too!”
“Shh.”
With an irritated expression, Rohan motioned for silence. He was clearly annoyed by the guy’s loud voice.
Wi Hang who sensed the shift in the atmosphere shut his mouth and waited for Rohan to speak.
“Pig. You tied up a person in the basement to harvest their organs, didn’t you? And the ones locked upstairs? Waiting to be sold off somewhere, aren’t they?”
“That…”
Rohan had already been to the basement with Clara.
Perhaps Wi Hang judged that the person’s value as merchandise had diminished. A man had been tied up, with crude markings drawn all over his body in pen.
Whether he had been drugged or not, he didn’t wake up when called, and there were medical tools with an ominous purpose scattered around.
“Those people must have begged for their lives over and over again, didn’t they?”
“……”
It was a familiar story. Wi Hang realized what Rohan was about to say next.
They were words he would never be able to refute.
“You’ve never spared anyone either.”
“….…”
“Money? If I cut off your head and hand it to the authorities, wouldn’t that bring in plenty of money? If not, at least I’d get a good meal while being questioned.”
“I-I heard that if you bring me in alive, the bounty is higher…!”
Was this his final desperate plea?
Rohan smiled with an amused expression as he began to speak.
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of changing the framework of the story I’ve already outlined.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I planned it like this: I tried to subdue the one who seemed to be the boss, but the resistance was too fierce. That’s the general outline of the incident.”
“What?!”
From the beginning, Rohan had decided to handle things this way. On his way here, he had deliberately spared the ones he encountered. He merely beat them to the point where they couldn’t move.
Those who could serve as evidence, ones who hadn’t seen Clara, were valuable materials.
“Well, it’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
Clara had agreed when Rohan suggested handing the matter over to the Elysium Public Safety Department. However, when he mentioned that she would need to go and give a statement, she panicked and begged to be excused.
She wasn’t the type to find it easy to talk to strangers, and Rohan understood that.
“Got nothing left to say, do you?”
“Wa-wait—!”
“Sleep.”
As Rohan’s hand moved, his sword swung cleanly.
Wi Hang couldn’t finish his sentence.
…
…
When Rohan descended the stairs, the girl was waiting for him.
Behind her was a heap of corpses.
“Oppa…!”
“You’ve worked hard.”
As soon as Clara saw Rohan, she skillfully spun her butterfly knife, folding it and tucking it away between the ribbons of her clothing.
At some point, even the handgun she’d been holding was nowhere to be seen.
Clara approached Rohan and began checking his body for injuries with a worried look on her face.
When she saw the wounds scattered across him, her eyes welled with tears.
“Are… are you hurt badly?!”
“They’re not serious wounds. Besides, if we’re going to report this to the Public Safety Department, these marks will serve as proof.”
“Still…”
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you, Clara?”
– Nod-nod.
She nodded vigorously. Her lips were trembling and her eyes looked ready to spill over with tears.
“That’s a relief. You did well.”
Rohan approached the corpses Clara had created and couldn’t help but admire her work.
So that’s why there wasn’t even a single scream.
All the bullets had cleanly pierced through the heads. The dagger had struck only the vital points, efficiently bringing instant death.
Rohan figured he would need to call the Public Safety Department and then add separate wounds with his own sword to erase Clara’s traces.
“If I had gone up there, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt…”
“This doesn’t even count as being hurt. Everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”
“Mm… Mhmm…”
It was clear that if Clara had acted alone, things would have ended in an instant.
The possibility was high that the target wouldn’t even realize his life had been cut short.
“I need to build my strength by gaining experience too.”
“Just sitting and waiting like this feels so frustrating…”
Rohan comforted Clara, telling her that everything was fine.
He suggested she head back before the authorities arrived. As a small bonus, he pressed some money into her hands, insisting she buy herself something nice to eat.
With a reluctant nod, Clara agreed and turned to leave but then stopped and looked back.
She met his eyes and asked cautiously,
“Oppa… did I do well today?”
“Today made it clear; I can’t do this without you, Clara. If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have gotten away with just these minor injuries.”
The girl’s lips quivered as if she was trying to hold back a smile of joy.
Shyly, she took a small step closer.
“Then… can you pat my head?”
This girl really needed affection.
With a warm smile, Rohan gently patted Clara’s head.
He would definitely compensate her with any other material things later.
When Rohan dropped his hand from Clara’s head, she tugged lightly at the hem of his clothes.
With her gaze lowered, Rohan couldn’t see what kind of expression she was making.
“Um, you’ll… let me know when it’s over, right?”
When Rohan replied that he would, Clara quickly vanished without a sound and hid her face as she disappeared.
Rohan who was left standing in the now empty room pulled out his phone.
“Yes, this is the location—”
He swung his sword with “Blazing Blade” to leave marks on the corpses while simultaneously finishing his report to the Public Safety Department.
Then, Rohan pressed the call button again.
This time, it was to report to his instructor Joo-eon.
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