Killing Ghost, Brutal Blade.

His weapon of choice was a katana. It was a long, single-bladed, curved sword. It had poor durability, but it specialized in slashing.

Brutal Blade swung his sword downwards.

Ghost Slash!

An ultrafast slash that could even cut through ghosts!

Kang Oh responded immediately.

Slash!

He quickly swung Blood horizontally.

Clang!

The two blades collided. Neither side yielded an inch.

Brutal Blade quickly withdrew his sword, and then thrust it at Kang Oh's heart. His strike was extremely sharp.

Kang Oh's Hyper Intuition sent him a cold warning, so he immediately turned his body.

Swish!

Brutal Blade's sword left a small incision on Kang Oh's armor. However, he hadn't cut flesh, so no shards of light came out.

Kang Oh counterattacked, swinging Ubist upwards.

Brutal Blade immediately retreated.

Whoosh!

A strike that'd be able to fell a tree swept through where he'd once been.

Brutal Blade rushed forward and swung diagonally.

Clang!

Kang Oh blocked it with Blood, and aimed for Brutal Blade's neck with Ubist.

Brutal Blade ducked, avoiding his attack, and swung downwards.

'Hmm?'

It was strange. Brutal Blade's sword was coming at him one way, yet his Hyper Intuition made him feel cold in a completely different area. It must be a feint.

'This is my chance!'

Kang Oh swung Ubist, acting as though he'd fallen for it. He would use his opponent's plan against him!

As expected, Brutal Blade's sword shifted midway. He switched from a stab to a slash!

Ghost Trick!

Switching his attack midway was Brutal Blade's specialty. He'd killed countless people with this trick of his.

However, it was completely ineffective against Kang Oh.

With Hyper Intuition at his side, Kang Oh saw through this tactic, and easily avoided his unusual attack.

And...

Transcendent Blade!

Kang Oh swung Blood with transcendent speed.

His blade flashed through the air!

Bam!

Shards of red light exploded from Brutal Blade's neck like firecrackers.

Kang Oh pushed him back from there.

However, Brutal Blade was a skilled player with plenty of experience. He didn't panic at Kang Oh's unexpected counterattack, and kept swinging his sword like normal.

Ghost Slash!

Kang Oh reacted too late. Shards of light burst from his body.

Then...

That was the end of his one-on-one with Brutal Blade. After all, Brutal Blade's subordinates, the Killing Ghost Squad, rushed in.

* * *

The Killing Ghost Squad gave him the feeling that it consisted of players that were no stranger to combat, and were specialized in a certain craft.

They used weapons best suited for striking at one's vitals, such as a dagger or a hook, and their movements were secretive, yet quick. They preferred to use techniques that'd cause bleeding, reduce one's defenses, slow, etc, rather than flashy and/or AoE moves.

They were also rather skilled too. The squad members were about as strong as one of the 4 great guild's elites.

However, they were fighting against Kang Oh here.

Kang Oh fought better against other players than monsters.

It was due to his Hyper Intuition!

Not only would it warn him of danger prior, but it would also point out a person's weak points. It was a mysterious ability that was best suited for PvP.

He blocked and/or avoided all their attacks, while retaliating with his own, killing them one at a time.

Like right now!

Festival of Blood!

His snow-white blade was covered in blood red energy.

Swish!

His blood sword left a red arc in the air. Then, an assassin's neck exploded with red shards of light like fireworks.

[You have defeated the notorious assassin, Duhring.]

[Fame has increased.]

The assassin dropped a gray cloak. Killing an enemy with Red Eye significantly increased the chance that they'd drop an item upon death. And it wasn't just any item; they'd usually drop their best item!

Kang Oh immediately picked up the gray cloak. It was an S-rank item. However, he didn't have the time to look over it in detail.

He quickly swung Ubist, and pierced an approaching assassin's heart.

Stab!

Brutal Blade retreated. He was watching Kang Oh engage the Killing Ghost Squad, and then turned his attention to Sephiro.

Yaksha and his men were really giving Sephiro a hard time. Just as planned.

Of course, the Wind Archer, Sephiro, was by no means an easy foe. Neither was his partner, Waryong!

But their objective wasn't to kill Sephiro; it was to gradually push Kang Oh and Sephiro apart.

'Just a little bit more.'

Brutal Blade continually sent the Killing Ghost Squad at Kang Oh like lambs to the slaughter.

Befitting his title as Predator, Kang Oh continuously killed every Killing Ghost Squad member that came his way.

'Now.'

Once it was time, Brutal Blade joined his subordinates and attacked Kang Oh.

A flashing blade came flying at Kang Oh.

'Good of you to come,' Kang Oh thought. After all, Brutal Blade had the highest bounty here.

'I'll be sure to capture you.'

If he dragged his ass to the Security Bureau, then he'd be rewarded with a huge sum of money. Kang Oh wasn't the type to lose an opportunity to make money.

Kang Oh dodged Brutal Blade's sword, and then stabbed his shoulder joint with Ubist.

Stab!

"Ugh." Brutal Blade grimaced in pain, and quickly retreated.

Kang Oh followed up with another attack, but the Killing Ghost Squad got in his way, so his blade didn't reach him.

"Out of my way!" Kang Oh rampaged about like an angry beast. He killed every single assassin in his way.

Brutal Blade would wait for his opportunity and attack again, but he'd fail time after time. Not to mention the fact that Kang Oh would have a counterattack waiting for him too.

Ultimately...

"Retreat," Brutal Blade yelled, and the Killing Ghost Squad retreated like an ebbing tide.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Kang Oh chased after Brutal Blade.

'Stop right there, you wad of cash!'

"Stop him!" Brutal Blade yelled.

The Killing Ghost Squad literally threw themselves at Kang Oh in an attempt to slow him down.

Kang Oh activated Devil Trigger.

He unfurled his dark red wings, soared into the air, and flew right at Brutal Blade.

"Shit!" Brutal Blade suddenly pulled an item out of his inventory and threw it. Then, a round purple portal formed in the air.

"See you next time," Brutal Blade said, and threw himself into the portal.

"Do you really think I'll let you go that easily!?" Kang Oh flew right into the portal.

At that moment...

The portal closed, and Brutal Blade was smiling.

[Entering the dungeon, Lupel Temple.]

Brutal Blade had accomplished his mission. He had led Kang Oh right into their trap.

* * *

Brutal Blade and Demon Kang Oh stood atop a giant, seven-decker altar.

"He succeeded," the Poisonous Scorpion, Scapi, said.

"Hehehe." Taboo cracked his knuckles.

"Then, let's begin the hunt." Clown opened his arms.

Activate Trap!

Creak!

It sounded like a wind up spring.

Whoosh!

Arrows fell from the ceiling overhead. The arrowheads were shining, so they had to be coated in poison.

"Tch."

Once he saw the traps and Brutal Blade's smile, Kang Oh realized he'd been had.

'They got me.'

He couldn't erase that feeling; the feeling that they'd gotten one over him. However, it was already too late now. He had already sprung the trap.

What mattered now was that he safely got through all the traps.

Kang Oh flung himself out of the arrows' way. However, there was another trap there too.

Giant, sharp rakes popped out of the ground. Like a Venus flytrap, the rakes were situated on either side, and attempted to devour him whole. The ends of the rakes were, like the arrows, coated in all kinds of poison.

"Tasha!"

"Be careful!" Tasha forcefully flapped his wings, raising him into the air.

But that activated yet another trap. An iron net fell from the ceiling, and thick harpoons shot out from the walls.

"Tasha, just dodge the net for me. I'll take care of the harpoons," Kang Oh quickly assessed the situation and yelled.

"Got it."

His dark red wings flapped forcefully, and he shot up like a rocket ship. He just barely slipped past a small gap in the net. As expected of Tasha!

Whoosh!

The harpoons came rushing over.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kang Oh easily deflected the harpoons with his dual demon swords.

However, that wasn't the end of all the traps.

Rumble!

A portion of the ceiling crumbled, releasing sticky liquid.

Even Kang Oh wouldn't be able to dodge that too.

He immediately used Moon's Protection. Kang Oh was surrounded by a barrier, which resembled the full moon, and landed on the floor.

Thud!

Kang Oh fell into the middle of the altar, and then began rolling down the stairs.

"It's my turn!" Taboo rushed out. His entire body tingled, and he couldn't help himself anymore.

"Wait!" Clown urgently yelled, but it was no use. "Tch, that idiot!" With no other choice, Clown deactivated the traps.

Then, Brutal Blade moved. He hadn't moved a muscle before so that he wouldn't get caught in the traps.

He also believed that it was time for them to kill Kang Oh.

"Die!"

Taboo's weapon of choice was a giant mace. He made it to Kang Oh first, and swung downwards with his mace.

Whoosh!

Kang Oh sensed danger. That strike could crush his skull.

But where there's danger, there's opportunity!

Deactivating the traps had given Kang Oh a chance to counterattack.

He rolled to the side and avoided Taboo's mace.

Bam!

His strike was so powerful that the ground cracked, and pieces of rock went flying everywhere.

Kang Oh immediately stood up and swung his sword.

Ubist cleaved through Taboo's armor.

Bam!

Black shards of light burst out.

Fang Bearing Blade!

His strike had completely ignored all of Taboo's defenses!

However, Taboo wasn't concerned in the least, and continually swung his mace.

Bam!

Eventually, Taboo got a hit in. Kang Oh floated into the air and then plummeted to the ground.

"Die!"

Brutal Blade, who'd come sometime in-between, swung his katana.

Although things were so hectic, Kang Oh instinctively responded to his Hyper Intuition's warning. He rolled to the side, avoiding Brutal Blade's katana, and threw a Blood Spear at his face.

In order to dodge the spear, Brutal Blade leapt into the air. Kang Oh used that opportunity to stand up.

However, Taboo's mace came flying at him from behind.

Abyss Shield!

A black, swirling vortex appeared behind him.

However, it wasn't enough to block Taboo's attack. Fortunately, its swamp-like properties bought Kang Oh enough time to react.

Red Butterfly's Dance!

Bam!

Kang Oh's skull was crushed. Or it should've been, had it not been an afterimage.

The real Kang Oh rushed at Taboo.

"Hehe, c'mon!" Taboo beamed. He really wanted to fight one of the Numbers.

Kang Oh raised both of his blades like outstretched wings, and simultaneously swung them.

Abyss Claw!

Fresh Blood Wave!

A black beast and a red bat came flying at him simultaneously.

"Huaahp!"

Golden energy surged from Taboo's mace.

Raging Dragon's Energy!

A golden, dragon-shaped energy crashed into Kang Oh's two auras.

Bam!

This resulted in a massive explosion, an ear-splitting 'boom', and a fierce shockwave.

Then...

Brutal Blade swung his katana at Kang Oh's back.

Ghost Slash!

However, Kang Oh's Hyper Intuition basically gave him a set of eyes on the back of his head.

He just barely turned his body in time, and dodged Brutal Blade's attack. Then, he grabbed Brutal Blade's arm and threw him at Taboo.

Bam!

Brutal Blade clumsily fell on top of Taboo.

In that time, Kang Oh pulled out an item from his inventory. It was the S-rank gray cloak that he'd pilfered off the Killing Ghost Squad member.

Gluttony!

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed Secret Seranka's Cloak.]

[It is an S-rank item.]

[Entering Gluttony mode.]

[For 25 minutes, the demon sword and your character's abilities are tripled.]

[You may use up to two of the consumed item's abilities.]

[Ghost-Possessed Sword and Smokescreen have been chosen.]

'Smokescreen!'

Kang Oh hadn't had the time to check what its abilities were. He had just used Gluttony on it because it was an S-rank item.

However, this particular S-rank item had quite the useful ability. It was none other than the Smokescreen ability.

Poof!

In an instant, his surroundings were covered in cloudy smoke. Kang Oh, Taboo, and Brutal Blade's forms couldn't be seen.

Bam! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Only the sound of battle could be heard from within. However, the people outside had no way of knowing what was going on inside.