Urban Vagabond: Reload

Hell Hound deliberately didn’t draw his blade. His fingers, bent like a hawk’s talons, went straight for my face mask.

“I’ll rip that mouth open first!”

The sound of nail tips carrying internal energy tearing through the air was terrifying.

SHWEEEAAAK!

Hell Hound had lost to the White-Masked Swordsman in his last match—and on top of that, he’d begged pathetically to be spared.

He was certain that was why I’d named him as my opponent.

The thought that I’d looked down on him that much sent fury surging up his throat.

‘How easy did you think I was—picking me with some rookie trash like this!’

Up to now, Hell Hound had brutally killed every opponent he’d faced except the White-Masked Swordsman, reigning as the arena’s terror.

He planned to soak the bars in blood again and reclaim that infamous reputation.

“You’re the first sacrifice!”

Hell Hound’s fingertips grazed my mask by a hair.

I arched my waist back like I was falling to dodge, but the follow-up came immediately.

My balance broke, and I hit the floor.

“Damn it!”

Dodging in a hurry, I even let go of my sword. I rolled across the ground, and Hell Hound’s blade slammed down again and again along my path.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every time the edge narrowly struck where I’d been, the excited spectators burst into cheers.

“You were acting all tough, and you’re doing the floor-roll from the start!”

Hell Hound cackled with ridicule as he swung his blade.

The floor-roll was the most humiliating move martial artists could make. Some would rather allow an attack than show themselves rolling on the ground to survive.

Of course, that didn’t apply to me. I valued results over face.

‘Alright. Let’s get started.’

After rolling for a while, I snapped my waist and sprang up, charging straight at Hell Hound.

“All or nothing!”

At that moment, Hell Hound’s blade slashed past the side of my face by a hair, and to the spectators it looked like dumb luck was protecting me.

Like I’d been getting beaten one-sidedly, then got lucky and slipped into his range—and even slammed my forehead into his face.

PYAAAK!

Hell Hound staggered hard from the headbutt. His nose must’ve cracked—blood streamed from both nostrils.

“This bastard—!”

But the distance was too tight to swing a blade.

In the end, Hell Hound threw his blade away and started swinging his fists.

THUD! THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

The moment the two martial artists tossed their weapons and got into barehand brawling, the crowd went wild.

“Ooooooh! They’re neck and neck!”

“KILL HIM! KILL HIM!”

“Hahahaha! See? Dogshit fights are always the most fun!”

I knew exactly what the underground arena crowd wanted.

‘They like bloody dogfights way more than high-level duels.’

So I was going to show them exactly the level they wanted.

I could’ve cut Hell Hound down with First Sword. I didn’t.

And if I showed overwhelming skill, the owner of Phantom Dream might get scared and hide it. That would be a problem.

“You’re Hell Hound, right? Get back to your kennel, you shit mutt!”

I grabbed Hell Hound by the hair with both hands and slammed my forehead into his face over and over. I drove his dazed body straight into the bars. Blood dripped onto the floor and the iron.

“WRAAAAGH! You bastard!”

Hell Hound didn’t just take it. He hammered my abdomen and ribs with his fists in rapid succession. I recoiled, acting like the pain drove me back.

“I’LL KILL YOU—!”

Hell Hound snatched up the saber that had fallen to the floor and charged at me. I grabbed my sword too and rushed him.

WAAAAAAAH!

KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!

The crowd’s frenzy fanned their killing intent.

Sword and saber swung at the same time and crashed together.

CLANG!

By pure coincidence, we both lost our grips again.

So the barehand brawl started all over.

“Puhahahahaha!”

“Morons! If you were gonna do that, why’d you come out with blades at all?!”

The spectators were completely sucked into the brutal dogfight.

To their eyes, we looked evenly matched—either one of us could win—so it was even more thrilling.

But a few sharp-eyed people tilted their heads, and an extremely small number realized what was really happening.

“That crazy bastard. What’s he doing?”

“Look at the odds climbing.......”

Shin Kangheon watched with a face that said he couldn’t understand it, while Kim Bokja looked impressed.

To them, it was obvious I was doing it on purpose.

Both of us were getting soaked in blood, but not a single drop of it was mine.

SHAAAAK-

My nails grazed Hell Hound’s face. The tattoos that covered him tore open, and blood began dripping down.

“WRAAAAGH! You fucking bastard—!”

“You’re the one who bites people, you rabid mutt. I’m the hunter who came to beat a shit dog to death.”

With a smirk, I provoked him and lunged again, smashing my fist into his jaw.

Honestly, making it look hard to win was way harder than winning easily.

But with the overwhelming gap between our abilities, my experience from my wandering days, and my understanding of how the unorthodox faction worked, it was nothing.

“KRAAAAGH!”

Hell Hound shrieked and rushed me like a madman, flinging out his limbs.

He raked at my face with claw techniques packed with internal energy, then chopped down with a palm strike onto my shoulder.

SHAAAAK!

But his fingers only brushed my shoulder, and his palm strike missed and clipped my side. My clothes tore and a bit of skin showed, but it felt like he was hitting empty air.

That was when I lunged, grabbed Hell Hound, and rolled with him on the floor.

Blood soaked deeper and deeper into our clothes and bodies.

But every last bit of it was Hell Hound’s.

“Incredible! A newcomer in his first match is fighting Hell Hound without being pushed back! Has the arena’s terror finally lost his edge? Maybe today he’s finally met the dog butcher—!”

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

We rolled on the ground and kept throwing punches. Every hit made bodies jolt.

But only one man’s breathing grew ragged.

“Huhk... huuhk.......”

As time passed, Hell Hound realized it too.

No matter how many punches he threw, there was no real impact. Every finishing blow brushed past, and the other guy made pain gestures without even being hit.

Goggle Killer had been able to kill him long ago—yet he was playing with him like a toy.

Fear started tightening around his throat.

He’d killed countless people, but when that moment came for him, the desire to live became desperate.

“Ghh... s-save me.......”

Pinned under me, Hell Hound begged to be spared in a frantic voice.

This was already the second time today he’d groveled for his life.

A pathetic sight, considering he’d sworn he’d peel my flesh off while I was still alive.

But I just kept raining down punches on top of him without stopping.

“I-I’ll give you all the money I’ve made in the arena so far! Just spare me!”

I stopped my blood-smeared fist.

The last offer a loser in this place could make.

Most people here were crazy for money, so they usually accepted.

And sure enough, an interested voice came from behind the goggles.

“How much have you saved up?”

“Th-that is......”

When I heard the amount Hell Hound stammered out, I stood up.

Then I picked up Hell Hound’s saber from the floor.

Hell Hound panicked and shouted.

“M-more! I’ll give you more! I’ve got more saved! I’ll give you everything!”

KRRRUNCH!

The blade buried itself into the ground right beside Hell Hound’s neck.

Hell Hound’s eyes bulged—then he let out a laugh like he’d lost his mind. In an instant, it felt like he’d gone from hell to heaven and back.

“H-heh... heh-heh-heh. I’ll transfer the money the moment we get out. It’s not a clean account, so it’ll take a little time, but.......”

KIIIK.

That was when I pulled the blade out and twisted it sideways.

As the blue edge drifted toward his throat, Hell Hound’s face drained white.

“Wait! No, stop! Don’t! STOOOP! I said I’d pay! I said I’d give you the money! Then why—!”

“Because it’s chump change. Way less than I expected.”

I didn’t bother preaching sloppy justice to an evil bastard on the verge of death.

Trash like this didn’t repent. They’d mock the people they killed.

It was better this way—telling him his money wasn’t enough would feel even more miserable.

“YOU FUCKING BASTAAARD!”

The instant his fear and rage hit their peak, I whipped my sword sideways.

FWOOOOSH!

Blood shot up in a high spray.

Hell Hound’s terror-frozen face, right before death, flashed across the giant screen in vivid detail.

WAAAAAAAH!

A monstrous roar erupted.

Whistling, the crowd threw bundles of cash into the cage at the scorching performance I’d delivered.

It was the underground arena’s highest praise.

“The winner is Goggle Killer! Please give applause and cheers to the fighter who showed an incredible match!”

I wiped the blood off my goggles and waved at the stands.

The arena’s roar swelled like it could tear the ceiling off.

*****

The underground arena was a cauldron of frenzy.

A rookie in his very first match had caused an upset by killing Hell Hound—and the odds had hit the jackpot. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Goggle Killer! Goggle Killer!

Goggle Killer! Goggle Killer!

The chanting for the newcomer who’d proven his star power in a single fight went on for a long while.

“Killer, sir—!”

When I stepped out of the cage and entered the lounge, Park Gwangtae—the manager waiting for me—greeted me with the brightest grin of all.

“It was the best debut match I’ve ever seen!”

Park Gwangtae threw up both thumbs and started making a huge fuss.

“That line about wiping out guys who deserve to die was so awesome! And the conviction thing—perfect. I fell completely in love with that tough fighting style!”

“Well, I got lucky.”

“It wasn’t luck, it was skill!”

Park Gwangtae hadn’t properly trained in martial arts, but he patted the sword at his waist like he’d been the one fighting and winning.

“I guarantee it—Killer, sir, you’re going to be the best! Let’s go together for life!”

“Then I become the best killer?”

“Hahaha! I guess that’s what that means!”

Had he found someone he thought would change his life?

Park Gwangtae looked like he’d hand over his liver if I asked.

I drank the water he brought and asked,

“Where are my friends?”

“They’re waiting outside. As you know, outsiders can’t enter the lounge, so...... I could just bring them in for a moment. Regulations always end up having exceptions!”

I shook my head, saying that wasn’t necessary.

“No. More importantly, there are a few things I’m curious about. Can you look into them?”

“You’re already curious about your next opponent, right? I’ll dig up everything.”

Park Gwangtae rubbed his palms together, trying to please me—

And then a cold voice cut in.

“It was a disgusting show.”

I turned.

Gu Hyeonwoo was walking toward us, his eyes sharp with anger.

“W-why is White-Masked Swordsman.......”

Leaving the flustered Park Gwangtae behind, I stepped forward.

“Were you talking about me just now?”

Gu Hyeonwoo stopped about five steps away.

Disappointment radiated off him.

“It was needlessly cruel and filthy. You didn’t look like the type to toy with people...... I had you wrong.”

We’d only talked briefly in the infirmary, but the me he’d seen then had carried a strange resemblance to him—and maybe that was why he was even angrier now.

I shrugged, perfectly calm.

“Didn’t you hear me earlier? I told you—this is my conviction.”

“What you did was just murder.”

“Hey. You stubborn heroic-swordsman uncle.”

I curled a finger at Gu Hyeonwoo, who looked like he was barely holding his temper down.

“If it pisses you off, how about you fight me?”