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Episode 71
My Dark Past Is Too Strong
Karmar de Rabl (2)
Lucas Schäfer’s actions were remarkably fast.
Everything progressed in just a single day after a phone call.
It was as if he had been preparing for this all along.
In the Deathside Guild’s underground training room, several hunters from Germany had arrived, along with various equipment set up by Seon Seong-tae.
‘Dunkelwolf… Black Wolf in German, right?’
Since the hunters did not disclose all their information in the Tower of Records, they were listed as unidentified adventurers.
Therefore, whenever they introduced themselves, they used code names.
Among them, the notorious organization Dunkelwolf stood out.
The name came from their habit of relentlessly hunting a chosen target.
‘And their leader, Nebel… I heard he’s already killed several ranked German adventurers.’
They carefully select their prey.
It doesn’t mean they only go after opponents they can beat; it means they target those with the most to “consume.”
As a result, they usually hunted ranked adventurers, and their summons were even stronger than those of most ranked players.
‘There’s no way these guys could have come to Korea in a single day… They must have already moved their base here.’
Lucas Schäfer—the cunning man—seemed to have planned this from the start.
Seon Seong-tae clicked his tongue in his mind but quickly wiped the expression off his face and approached Nebel, extending his hand first.
“Nice to meet you. I am Seon Seong-tae, guild master of Deathside.”
Nebel looked down at the hand Seong-tae extended.
Instead of shaking it, he let out a mocking laugh.
“Korean guys really love their rituals.”
He pulled his hand back and deliberately sized Seong-tae up and down.
“The weaker someone is, the more they cling to appearances.”
Seong-tae’s eyebrows twitched.
But he held back and once again bowed. Nebel’s amusement at this was obvious.
“Why are you acting so submissive? Afraid I’ll kill you if you mess up?”
Nebel’s eyes were full of blatant contempt.
But Seon Seong-tae didn’t react.
As long as he could gain power, he could endure this kind of insult without issue.
“I will make sure you are rewarded handsomely.”
“Of course. So, what do you want me to do?”
“Just kill someone.”
“Well… that’s a problem. We’ve stopped taking contracts for assassinations.”
Seong-tae bit his lip.
‘This bastard… He already heard everything from Lucas.’
“…If there’s any equipment set you like among these, feel free to take it.”
“Haha, it’s not really about that. Let’s see… some of this equipment is actually quite good. Guys! Take one each. We’re giving this away!”
The Dunkelwolf members chuckled as they grabbed all the prime equipment.
What remained were items of little value or low utility.
“Alright, since you’ve shown good faith, I’ll accept the contract. So, who am I supposed to kill?”
“An unidentified adventurer… No, Oh Hyun-woo. He was the first in the world to clear the first floor of the Elf Tower.”
“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about him recently. I’ve been curious. What kind of arrogant guy is he?”
“…He’s not someone to underestimate.”
Seong-tae’s warning drew only a scoff from Nebel.
“We’ll see about that. So, where should we stay?”
Seong-tae quietly brought out a map and pointed to where they would wait.
“This place—a vacant factory in an open area.”
“What? You want us to sleep outside?”
“Just stay until midnight.”
“Well… there’s a roof, I see. Fine, we’ll manage that.”
“Yes. But I’d like you to be careful about one thing.”
Nebel looked at Seong-tae, annoyed.
“Refrain from entering the basement on the premises.”
“And if we refuse?”
Seong-tae lifted his head and met Nebel’s gaze directly.
The change in his demeanor was chilling, but he brushed it off as if it were trivial.
“Just kidding. Relax. But you know you’ll have to pay extra for sleeping arrangements, right?”
Nebel made a gesture as if counting money and then left the basement.
Seong-tae furrowed his brows.
‘Fools… They don’t even know their own fate.’
He clicked his tongue at Nebel’s arrogance but stopped there.
They were nothing but “sacrificial lambs.”
Once they accepted the contract, there was no need to worry further.
The real concern was Oh Hyun-woo.
That morning, a guild member reported that Oh Hyun-woo had visited the open area with a Tower of Records staff member.
‘He’s already caught the scent… But if we can just get through today… just today…’
Night fell quietly, thick and still like fog.
Nebel and his subordinates, the Dunkelwolf members, set up in the abandoned factory on the outskirts of Seoul, as Seong-tae instructed.
The night wind seeped through broken windows, damp and eerie, carrying the scent of rusted iron and old oil.
For veterans like them, this environment was hardly an inconvenience.
Instead, expressions of boredom mixed with arrogance appeared on their faces.
“The first to clear the Elf Tower, huh? Hmph, so what?”
One member spat on the floor and laughed.
“If we just wipe out his summons, all that’s left is a whining kid. Right, Nebel?”
“Claus, watch your mouth.”
Nebel spoke quietly, polishing his prized dagger with a soft cloth.
There was no smile in his eyes.
“Getting careless in front of prey is the mark of an amateur. That doesn’t mean he’s a threat to us, of course.”
But a smile soon spread across his face.
Killing the strong was an honor for hunters.
“Most importantly, don’t forget—he’s my prey. Only I shall take his life.”
His mind was already filled with a blueprint for dealing with Oh Hyun-woo.
The immense reward promised by Lucas Schäfer.
And the perfect chance to etch “Dunkelwolf” into the Korean adventurer world with fear.
Using a foolish guild master like Seong-tae as a stepping stone to dominate the shadows of this country.
Even thinking about it made his lips curl in pleasure.
“But that damn guy… his surveillance is relentless.”
Nebel recalled Seong-tae insisting he would come to the open area tonight and sighed in irritation.
He didn’t care what Seong-tae could possibly be hiding in that shabby basement.
At that moment, two curious members approached the tightly shut basement door.
“Hey, Hans. What’s in there that he told us not to go in? Maybe some treasure?”
“Judging by Seong-tae’s face, I doubt it… but I’m bored. Shall we take a look?”
Before Nebel could stop them, they pushed the heavy iron door, giggling.
Creakkkkk—
The old hinges screamed in agony, and a foul energy burst forth from within.
It wasn’t simple dust or mold.
It smelled like decades of blood and rotting corpses from an old slaughterhouse—a scent that could freeze the soul.
“Ugh! What is this smell…”
As one member stepped inside, blocking his nose, something red flashed in the pitch darkness.
It was a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent.
Eyes of a being that could no longer be called living, filled with ancient hatred and hunger.
“Graaah…!”
In an instant, the intruding member screamed as his neck was crushed.
What followed were the gruesome sounds of bones and flesh being torn apart.
“Hans! What… Aaaah!”
The second member was dragged in after him, screaming in terror.
In a matter of seconds, two powerful hunters from Europe were slaughtered like animals, unable to resist.
Nebel and the remaining members were shocked.
Their arrogance and boredom melted away, replaced by instinctive wariness and confusion.
‘Damn it, Seong-tae! What the hell did he hide in there?!’
Nebel shouted.
“Summon everything!”
He watched the basement entrance.
Then, the door opened wide.
Amidst the blood mist and darkness, a figure appeared, calm and commanding, like the protagonist of a play.
Wearing an immaculate old-fashioned shirt and a crimson cape like fresh blood, he was a man of nobility: Karmar de Rabl.
He licked the fresh blood from his lips with a long, elegant tongue, smiling with complete satisfaction.
“Hmm. Very nutritious blood. Perfect as an appetizer.”
The moment Nebel heard Karmar’s voice, he sensed the truth.
They had walked straight into a massive trap.
This wasn’t a simple assassination.
From the start, they were the prey.
‘This crazy bastard! He tricked us!’
At that moment, Seong-tae led his guild members to the open area.
He knelt directly in front of Karmar like a slave.
“Karmar de Rabl! As planned, you’ve absorbed the hunters! We will defend this open area to ensure Jeong Bulmo doesn’t interfere with your meal!”
Seong-tae’s voice carried no guilt for sacrificing his own comrades.
Only blind loyalty and greed shone.
Karmar smiled softly, but his eyes shone coldly, like a predator observing its prey.
“Good. Your loyalty is commendable, my little servant.”
With a simple gesture, dozens of sharp blood spikes shot up from the ground.
Shush-shush! Puuuuh!
They targeted not only Nebel’s terrified group but also Seong-tae and his loyal guild members bowing before him.
“Gah?!”
Shush-shush! Puuuuh!
Seong-tae watched in horror as a blood spike pierced his chest.
His guild members were equally paralyzed.
Before they could scream, their blood and life force began to be drained.
Their skin shriveled, their muscles dried like mummies.
Seong-tae’s eyes bulged with terror and betrayal.
“K-Karmar…! Why…! Why us…! We are your loyal servants…! Didn’t you promise to spare us?!”
Seong-tae screamed with his last strength.
Karmar looked down at him like a bug and mocked the most insignificant thing in the world.
“Do you even keep promises made to worms?”
With that, the light left Seong-tae’s eyes.
Only the horrific end created by his own foolish ambition remained reflected in his vacant gaze.
Karmar, having absorbed the blood and magic of dozens in an instant, radiated explosive energy.
The surrounding air seemed to cry out under his magical pressure.
Now stronger and more complete, he turned his gaze toward a building rooftop 1 km away, as if he had known all along who was there.
“Finally, I meet a worthy opponent. Adventurer…”
A cruel, anticipatory smile appeared on his lips.
“Waiting was boring. As dessert for this feast… your blood will suffice! Come down!”
His declaration, tearing through the night sky, was the overture for the bloody festival about to begin.
