Ethan’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light as he activated [Shadow Step], his form blurring as he appeared beside the thug in an instant.
Startled by the sudden interference, the hooligans fumbled for their weapons, but Ethan was already moving with lethal precision. His only focus was on saving the little girl.
The thug holding Emily barely had time to react before Ethan’s hand transformed into deadly claws, a result of his Razor Claws skill. His fingers elongated into sharp, gleaming blades, resembling the talons of a ferocious wolf.
“Slash!” With a swift, decisive motion, Ethan severed the thug’s hand at the wrist. Blood spurted from the wound as the severed hand fell to the ground, freeing Emily from its deadly grip.
As Emily began to fall, Ethan caught her gently with his left hand, cradling her against his chest.
“Ahh… my hand, my hand!” The thug screamed in horror, clutching the bloody stump where his hand used to be.
“Too noisy!” Ethan’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. With another few casual strikes of his claws, he sliced through the thug’s body with ease, the blade-like claws tearing through flesh and bone as if they were paper. The thug’s body crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, his guttural roars silenced forever.
The remaining thugs recoiled in fear, their faces draining of color as they stared at Ethan in horror. To them, he wasn’t human—he was a monster, a force of nature that had descended upon them with the fury of a thousand storms.
The leader, who had been so confident moments ago, felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. His hands trembled as he instinctively released Innkeeper Greta, taking a cautious step back.
Emily slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she found herself in Ethan’s protective embrace.
“Big brother, you’re finally here… I knew you would keep your promise. Please, save my mother,” she whispered, her voice weak but filled with trust and hope.
Ethan looked down at her, a gentle smile breaking through the cold mask he had worn. “Don’t worry, Emily. Everything will be alright. I’m sorry I took so long.” The thought of what could have happened if he had been even a second later sent a chill down his spine.
He gently set Emily down beside her mother, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Stay here for a moment, Emily. I’ll take care of these scums first.”
Emily nodded, her gaze fixed on her mother’s pale, unconscious face, worry etched in her young features.
Ethan turned his attention back to the remaining hooligans, his expression hardening as he drew his sword from its scabbard. Each step he took toward them echoed like a death knell in the silent evening, filling the air with a sense of impending doom. The leader’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, the sound of his own fear drowning out all else as Ethan closed the distance.
The leader studied the young man before him, noting the intensity in his eyes and the deadly calm in his demeanor. Despite Ethan’s youth, the leader felt an overwhelming sense of danger radiating from him, a threat that was impossible to ignore.
As the leader scrutinized Ethan’s features, something clicked in his mind—a flash of recognition. His eyes widened in shock as he realized who he was facing.
“Y-you? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in jail?” The leader’s voice quivered with disbelief as he finally remembered the boy he had encountered before the Fire Toad’s dungeon nearly a week ago.
Ethan’s gaze narrowed as he looked at the leader’s face and then at his prosthetic right arm. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning—this was the same man who had led the group of thugs, the one who had tried to steal his sword and his locket. The memory of that encounter sent a chill through Ethan, and his resolve hardened. This time, he would not show any mercy.
The underlings exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the tension in their leader’s voice and the palpable hostility radiating from Ethan. Unlike their leader, they had no personal history with this young man, but they could see the fear in their leader’s eyes, and it made them nervous.
They weren’t the same underlings who had been with the leader during the previous encounter; those men had abandoned him, unwilling to risk their lives for a man who seemed to attract danger like a magnet. But the leader, driven by pride and a thirst for revenge, had not learned his lesson.
He had even bribed some officials to send Ethan to prison forever. However he didn’t know all of his efforts had turned into vain long ago.
As Ethan continued his slow approach, the leader took an involuntary step back, his bravado crumbling under the weight of Ethan’s silent fury. The realization that he was facing the same boy he had underestimated before, now stronger and more determined than ever, filled him with dread. He knew in that moment that there would be no escape.
He turned to his subordinates and barked, “What are you waiting for?Go Kill him, or we’ll all be dead!”
But his men were no fools. They exchanged nervous glances before turning to flee for their lives.
However, Ethan couldn’t let them escape. He knew if they were spared, they would do this heinous acts once again.
In an instant, he activated [Shadow Step] repeatedly, swiftly decapitating them one by one.
The leader of the group was paralyzed with fear.
The thug leader’s mind raced as he watched Ethan effortlessly cut down his men. “How… How is he so strong? Just a week ago, he was nothing more than an F-Rank hunter, and now… he’s slaughtered my men like they were nothing, and they were nearly D-Rank!”
Despite being a D-Rank himself, the leader found it impossible to track Ethan’s eerie, swift movements.
“D-Don’t come any closer! You demon… You must be using some kind of dark arts. I-I warn you, if you step any closer, I’ll call the Knights!”
But Ethan remained unfazed by the desperate threats. In a blink, he was beside the leader, his presence like a looming shadow.
Goosebumps crawled over the thug leader’s skin, his instincts screaming at him to act. Fueled by adrenaline and sheer terror, he gripped his sword and swung it down at Ethan with a manic grin. “Die, demon… Die… Hahaha!”
His crazed laughter echoed in the silent evening, until it was abruptly cut off. In the span of a heartbeat, Ethan’s blade flashed, and the leader’s body was severed cleanly at the waist. As his vision dimmed, the manic grin faded, replaced by the haunting realization of his sins. He saw the faces of the innocents he had tormented—children, the elderly, young girls—all flashing before him as he fell into the abyss, the gates of hell welcoming him to an eternity of torment and repentance.
Ethan looked at the dead body without a trace of remorse. Instead, his mind weighed the decision of whether to use Skill Absorption.
He decided to use it at last and what he got left him disappointed, but it was as expected of such a trashy person.
He got some basic sword skill and physical enhancement Skill which he assimilated using synthesis to make progress with the skill levels.
His expression twisted with disgust as he turned away, walking toward Emily and her mother.
When Ethan reached them, his gaze softened as it fell on Innkeeper Greta. Her severed arm lay lifeless, the same arm that had once provided warmth and comfort to those she loved. Deep, angry slap marks marred her aged face, telling a silent story of brutality.
Emily, standing beside him, stared at the scene, her tears falling silently as she processed the horror before her.
With a heavy heart, Ethan turned to Emily and asked, “Did those thugs do this too?” He was talking about the severed arm. From Its look, it didn’t seem so.
