Chapter 23: Vagabond

When they heard his answer, Jeremiah simply sighed. What power does he have to force an expert that was on the same footing as their guild master to join their guild? He can't even lift a candle to Kaya. If he did, it would be suicide, he was only a middle manager, and he isn't even a part of the core members of the guild.

"If that is the case, we will leave this place. We don't want unnecessary bloodshed and we hope that you forgive my subordinate's reckless impudence."

This was the first time that they saw their guild leader beg for mercy. It wasn't like him at all, he was cunning and merciless yet in front of this mysterious swordsman, he was like a puppy. They didn't even dare to ridicule their leader because they know very well what he was capable of doing and even they could tell just how strong this swordsman was. They couldn't stand up at all and remained kneeling on the ground, if this was what a true expert is capable of doing then compared to them, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Kaya also didn't want any senseless killing, if his opponent asked for forgiveness, he'll give it to them, but if he see them as nothing more but wicked people then he wouldn't even show slight remorse for what he might do. He could understand the reasoning of the man and he felt at fault too. He could've chosen to flee from the sight when he had met Harold but decided to kill them due to his reasons but that in itself was not the right thing he could've done.

"If you want me to join your guild, tell your guild leader to give me something that might pique my interest."

Kaya concealed his aura back to his body so everyone could move again. Jeremiah's eyes quickly lit up upon hearing his words. Although they lost quite a bit today, recruiting a true expert was more than enough to compensate for that.

"Thank you, sir expert!"

Jeremiah bowed in 90 degrees and immediately left the scene with his subordinates. Kaya was now left alone with Roman who landed safely on the ground.

"Do you really wish to join their guild?"

Roman asked curiously. He already told him that joining the guild was bad news yet he couldn't understand Kaya's reasonings.

"No I don't, I just want to see how powerful the guild could be."

"Why? Do you wish to trample and destroy them?"

Roman jokingly said, seeing Kaya's serious expression, he doubted his words and asked again but in a colder tone.

"Are you?"

"Yes."

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Back in the guild, many of the members had left after finding out that their guild was simply a branch of the true guild. More and more of the upper echelons had left after the dissatisfaction that had occurred. Jeremiah and Charlemagne could understand them and they didn't force them to stay, only those who were loyal to him had continued to stay and he decided to let them join the Blood Carnival Guild since the secrets had been out. Although it was no special occurrence for 3rd-rate guilds to disband on a whim, the news still spread out from their sudden disbandment.

There was a player that managed to record all the scenes from nearby by using a stealth scroll after seeing the sudden arrival of the Wind Rider Guild in a low-level hunting grounds. It was a peculiar sight so he decided to follow them, thankfully, he obtained a jackpot after recording the dazzling scene of a single player trampling on numerous players at once. He immediately posted the video on the forums quickly gathering views from 10k to 5 million views in just 1 hour on upload. The clip became a hot topic and it wasn't because of the dominance of the fight but rather because the swordsman's sword style was very unique to them. It was the first time they had seen such a sword movement and since 30% of all the players in the world were composed of swordsmen, this was a great pointer for them to learn the sword techniques.

One player was able to pinpoint that the swordsman hadn't used a single skill from the entire fight but rather his movements were all done by his capabilities. This made the clip explode in popularity. Some people said that it was the same unique footwork as the many Chinese expert players of the Golden Dragon Guild called Phantom steps but some were able to tell that his footwork was a lot more advanced than theirs.

One Japanese player was even able to pinpoint that his swordsmanship was Miyamoto Musashi's unique sword style, Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū. But what confused them more was the sword style had long disappeared in history and seeing that it was revived by a player, made the Japanese prideful and believed that the player was a Japanese swordsman in real life.

They now called this mysterious swordsman, Vagabond. Inspired by the same manga name of Miyamoto Musashi, Vagabond.

Thankfully though when Jeremiah arrived at the scene, the recording had been stopped since he had directed one of his assassins to kill any witnesses in sight.

"Did the higher-ups call?"

"Yes, Black Smoke will be arriving momentarily."

Charlemagne responded. Jeremiah simply sighed as he watched the nowempty mansion with a feeling of regret and longing. Just recently, this place was bustling with its members but now it was as empty as my heart (Nobody loves me).

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Kaya and Roman on the other hand grind for more monsters in the forest. With his ID still red, Kaya wouldn't dare to enter the city unless he wanted to get captured by the city guards and put in jail so he decided to join Roman on his quest. The quest was to infiltrate a centipede nest and collect the Coil of Healing. It was an incense that allowed prolonged healing as long as you are in the area of the incense's scent, this healing is so strong that it's able to heal any visible wound in a matter of seconds and even regenerate lost limb in just a minute. The healing buff could last for 10-20 hours and could be brought portably. Unfortunately, the Coil of Healing was a very fragile item and a simple smudge could break it to pieces. Fortunately, the Coil of Healing that the NPC was asking for was a lost item, the NPC had dropped the item after accidentally disturbing a Mother Centipede.

(Note: If you don't know what I'm talking about, just search Incense Coil in Google.)

They could just simply scour the surroundings to where the NPC might have dropped it but centipede and millipede monsters were attracted to the essence of healing, energy, and luck. This only meant that the Mother Centipede had brought the Coil of Essence to their nest and as fortunate as they were that it had been encased in reinforced glass. But it wouldn't last long for the glass to shatter since the centipedes were probably crawling around or even surrounding the glass thus also breaking the coil as a result. This meant that the quest had a time limit and currently, Roman only had 90 minutes remaining to get the coil.

"So where are we heading?"

Kaya asked. Roman was in the lead and he was surprised at how nimble and cautious he was with each of his movements. It was as if Roman was calculating each step he made so that it didn't look awkward and wasteful causing him to exert less stamina. Even though Roman was barely in the Half-step of the Water Realm, he had the potential in reaching the Demon Realm if he was taught by a proper master. He could choose to teach Roman but he wouldn't get anything of the same value in return if he was to teach a stranger. If he was really rich and was one of the biggest tycoons in the world, maybe he could ask him to invest in his grandfather's company, and then would he think of teaching him but for now, he disregarded that idea.

"We'll be going on the murky lands of Rotten Swamp, it's where the Centipedes inhabit and they usually cover in groups of 100. Unless we meet a mixed habitat then capturing the Coil will be easy as long as we stealthily sneak in."

Upon nearing the Rotten Swamp, as the name suggested, they could immediately smell a foul odor. It was a mix of shit, rotten eggs, decaying corpses, and more shit. It was no wonder that players rarely hunt in these parts since the smell was just too much to take in. Roman hurriedly pulled out a mask that block the smell and gave one to Kaya too which he accepted and wore. Although he was used to this kind of odor since the forest he previously lived was littered with dead bodies due to the many predators that hunt their prey and then leave the half-eaten corpse around, he was still obliged to wear the face mask since he wouldn't refuse someone's goodwill.

From their travel, they started meeting insect monsters that smell just as horrible as the environment and when Roman tried to avoid them, Kaya fought them head-on. A single slash from his mandible swords sliced their bodies in half and although Kaya would love to taste the grubs, seeing that Roman was in a hurry, he decided to leave the corpses on the ground.

A few minutes passed, and they finally reach the center of the swamp. The water was rather shallow only reaching half deep in their bodies but from the center of the swamp, they found hundreds of human-size centipedes crawling around each other and 5 Mother Centipedes circling the swamp, taking care of their babies. Seeing such a horrendous sight, Roman felt a tingling sensation crawl to his spine. Just the thought of these centipedes crawling around his body made him shiver and cringe.

"I was not expecting this many centipedes. Should we continue? I think we should give up on this quest, I can't even see any signs of the coil around, it must've been crushed already. Oh well."

Roman wanted to leave right away since he couldn't stand such a sight. He was confident in his stealth and speed but seeing the hundreds of crawling bugs in a smelly swamp made him rethink his ideas. He was only here so that he could trade the rewards he would get for an armor set from the NPC but he had already attained that goal after meeting Kaya, he didn't want to risk getting killed by this centipede, no, he'd rather die in the hands of Kaya, since at the very least he'd get over it in a short while.

"Since we're already here, it wouldn't hurt to try right?"

"Are you crazy? Look at how many centipedes there are! I know you are strong but you couldn't simply think of facing so many foes at once. Let's just leave, don't worry, I'll compensate you by finding a suitable environment to take on another quest."

When Roman was about to leave, Kaya suddenly vanished from his sight he immediately averted his eyes and saw him from above descending like a falcon punching its prey.

(Note: Falcon punch is a real thing. It's how falcons hunt, they fly as fast as a bullet descending to the air and throw a punch at their prey by curling their talons like a fist. Watch it on YouTube, a chunk of a duck's neck was dismembered from its body as it tried to wriggle away from death. It was one of the dopest shit I've seen this year.)

Overload!

Overdrive!

His body brimmed with power as he thrust both blades downward descending like a meteor. As soon as he reached the center, an explosion occurred causing the area of impact to splash as both the water and the centipedes in the area flew off the air. In an instant, Kaya's sensitivity allowed him to detect every movement and presence around him and he quickly saw a spread of the centipedes being centered by one bluish glass that was as big as a watermelon.

'There you are.'

Before they could drop to the ground, Kaya activated his Monarch's Authority and grabbed the coil throwing it towards Roman who quickly caught it like a quarterback catching a rugby ball.

"Run!"

Kaya shouted right at Roman when he saw that the centipede's attention was averted towards the ranger. Their little eyes flashed in red and went in pursuit of him so he immediately activated a haste scroll and his speed enhancement skills.

"Don't you dare look away when I'm in front of you?"

With his blistering speed, he weaved his sword around like a Beyblade as he sliced their bodies into pieces turning them to mince meat. They could only writhe in pain as dozens of centipedes die in Kaya's hand with one spin of his body. Their squeals were enough to retract the gazes of the centipedes back to him, especially the Mother Centipedes whose eyes turned into a flash of blood red. They gape their mouths ready to dive into Kaya like a bulldozer but he did not care one bit and charged at them like a madman.

Peng!

Peng!

Sparks flew out when his blades struck their mandibles but due to Kaya's overwhelming strength, they were the ones that were pushed back. Despite drenching in the murky water, his body could still freely move but with hundreds of centipedes surrounding him, it wouldn't take long before they started coiling him around.

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Roman who had run away felt both exhilarated and regretful. He finally had the coil in his hands but how he got it gave the feeling of dissatisfaction. Where did his pride go when he said to himself that he wants to use his power to get what he wants? He was being carried by Kaya who not only helped him retrieve the coil but also sacrificed himself to allow his escape.

'Well he did do it without asking for a return, I never asked him to get it, I already said we should just give up.'

Roman shrugged his shoulders and continued to run away, but his gut wrenched with a horrible feeling as he stopped his steps.

"Why the hell am I thinking like this? The man just helped me get what I want by putting himself in danger, at the very least, I have to help him in return."

Gritting his teeth, he immediately made a U-turn. He hoped that he won't regret this decision and even if he did, at least he wouldn't feel like a bad guy, leeching off to someone else's goodwill.

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More and more of the centipede bodies piled up in the center of the swamp. Due to how many had died in the center, it had turned into a mini land on which Kaya could step on without being constricted by the murky water. The Mother Centipedes had a change of attack pattern as now their grimy bodies rose in the air and dug straight down to the ground to ambush Kaya but even with the change in attack patterns, he did not give a shit. His domain allowed him to sense everything inside, he could even see where the Mother Centipedes would appear once they dug through the ground.

It seems that being in their natural habitat, the Mother Centipedes had more defensive and offensive capabilities compared to the previous Mother Centipede he had killed but Kaya was also holding back. He wasn't even using his full capacity, he only wanted to check out how much is the limit of his swordsmanship at this level and it seems that he was still far from reaching it.

One Mother Centipede appeared from the waters and Kaya immediately slashed his swords to block the attack but more and more appeared in every direction hitting Kaya's blind spot and when one Mother Centipede was about to pierce its sharp mandibles to Kaya's back, a loud bang resonated around the swamp.

Bang!

Roman shot both his flintlock pistols and barraged the eyes of the Mother Centipede with very high accuracy. He managed to deal full critical strike despite being so far from the area.

"I'll take care of your blind spot!"

"Thanks!"

Kaya smiled. Technically, he didn't have a blind spot since due to his hypersensitivity, his senses made it possible for him to have a 360 view of his surroundings. He had long known that the Mother Centipede would try to attack him from behind when he was busy confronting those from the front but he didn't expect Roman to return and help him. He was even surprised at his gunmanship. Just like his movements, his shots was both practical and precise, he did not waste a single bullet and made each shot show its full worth.

'To think my first friend in this game would be a real G. Much respect for you my guy.'

Kaya smiled in thought. It was hard to find friends in this world that you could rely your back on but even if Kaya didn't need any reliance, just the fact that he knew he had one made him glad.

'Even if this response is only a means of payback, I won't refute it. I know that it is not what he has or even what he does which expresses the worth of a man, but what he is.'

Kaya thought to himself as he observed Roman more. When a few centipedes shift their gaze at Roman, he immediately threw out red musket bullets in the air and reload the flintlock pistols with them and aimed at the incoming centipedes.

Musket Bomb!

Each of these bullets shot right through the centipede's eyes and when it pierced its sockets, it exploded causing their soft membranes to splatter into chunks and bits instantly killing them. He then shot his flintlocks aimed right through Kaya's head and although it looked like it was gonna hit Kaya, the bullet bent in a very unorderly manner as it struck the centipede on his side. Seeing such a bullet shot, Kaya couldn't help but be surprised. He knew that what he did was not a skill but rather pure techniques, he didn't know that it was possible to do that with a gun. Although he had all the knowledge of martial arts in the world, he had a bare minimum of knowledge about guns, he only know how to use them.

Bang!

'Shit!'

Roman exclaimed, he tried to bend the bullet once again but this time, he failed and it was about to hit right through Kaya's head but Kaya simply responded by slicing the bullet coming right at him cutting it into two which split both ways hitting the final two weakened Mother Centipedes in the open wounds in their heads killing them instantly.

Ting~

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[Level Up]

After killing them all, Kaya only gained as much as one level despite the huge level difference. Roman on the other hand had also leveled up and he slumped down to the ground as the prolonged focus placed a strain on his body.

'That last shot was the coolest shit I've seen this month.'

Roman couldn't help but revere and admire Kaya more. Not only was he capable of aggroing hundreds of centipedes by himself but also dominating them with his dazzling swordsmanship. If this was how experts played then this only showed how much of a gap normal players had with them, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

"Should we get going?"

Roman asked. Kaya simply raised his palm and asked him to wait as he used his Monarch's Authority to raise all the bodies on the ground then proceed to cleanly cut them with his Serrated Knife.

In an instant, all the centipede corpses turned into meat chunks that made it possible for him to put them in his inventory. But using so many cuts with their hard exoskeletons, his Serrated Knife's durability fell abruptly, and only had 10 points remaining.

'Shit, I need to somehow get this knife repaired.'

Kaya contemplated as he watched the knife in his hands in which he placed back in his inventory. He then used his Monarch's Authority to pull out all the centipedes' mandibles since he could use the small mandibles as a dagger or a throwable since they were very sharp and could be coated with poison. He also discarded his mandible swords since they only had 1 and 2 points remaining in their durability, one more strike was enough to destroy them.

'What the fuck did I just watch?'

Roman who was watching from afar had his eyes widened in shock. He had just seen Kaya raise the hundreds of centipede corpses including the mother centipede corpses in the air then used a small knife and controlled it to cut their bodies cleanly into parts which he immediately placed in his Inventory. It was stunning to watch and he wondered how Kaya was able to do that. Telekinesis was a tier 2 skill that mage classes could acquire but since Kaya was a swordsman, it should've been impossible yet he showed full capabilities of the advanced spell with much ease that could even make tier 2 mages cry in envy.

'Just who the hell is this guy?'