She paused in the doorway, casting a skeptical glance at Johan.
"Princess, please help me! I'm the prince of Alrada, an ally of your kingdom! I came to rescue you!" Johan forced a shout.
Neve remained silent.
"He attacked me! He's a threat! If you don't intervene, he'll kill us both!"
Still nothing.
"Neve, head to your room. I'll deal with this intruder"
She nodded and gave him a small, smile before turning away.
Johan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Why are you listening to this commoner? Get back here!"
Luck's face contorts into an arrogant, sneering smile as he speaks with a condescending tone.
"What do you mean? She's my girl! Of course she'd believe me! Are you on drugs?"
Johan's face turned red with anger and disbelief. "Your girl? Since when?!"
"Well, I'm not really the type to brag about my private life, so I'll keep that a secret. But honestly, I feel kind of bad for you. You came all this way looking for her, and now you're going to end up dead."
"Wait, wait—hold on! Let's not get violent. Maybe we can talk this out?"
Luck paused, a smirk crossing his face. "Talk it out... like two grown men? Using words and understanding?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
A moment of silence passed between them.
"System, should I spare him?"
[DING!]
[Absolutely not]
Luck sighed. He didn't want to be that cruel, but hey, the system was basically peer-pressuring him into murder.
And right now, he was also a hostage. Had to follow orders. Sure, the guy could've been spared—but no, missions were mission.
"Yeah, we were way past that the second you tried to kill me. You could've shown some respect, but nah—you just kept running your mouth, calling me a commoner."
Johan struggled to break free, but Luck tightened his grip. "I'm sorry, are you not a commoner then?"
"I am," Luck replied.
"Then what's wrong with calling you that?" Johan shot back.
"I..." Luck hesitated. He could swear this prince reminded him of himself somehow.
Maybe that was why he hated him. Loudmouths hate other loudmouths—they just fight over who gets the spotlight.
Basically, a battle for the biggest ego.
"I'm seriously going to kill you. You talk too much, and there's not enough room for the both of us."
"Please, spare me! I'm the prince of Alrada. Let me go, and I'll come back with riches beyond your imagination."
Luck's eyes narrowed. "Or you could come back with a goddamn army. But it's smarter to kill you right here. Nobody would ever know it was me."
Before the prince could say anything, he lost consciousness.
This could have ended sooner, but he wanted to teach Johan a lesson for trying to steal her girl.
Luck seemed easygoing, but he didn't take kindly to anyone trying to steal what was his.
'Damn, maybe I do have more in common with my grandfather than I thought.'
In his old world, he didn't break the law—not because he was good citizen, but because he simply followed the rule out of necessity.
Here, in this lawless place, he found himself more comfortable. It was like a fish that used to swim in a small tank now free in the open ocean.
'I need to watch my mental health, or I'll end up like the villains in those animes.'
He didn't dislike those characters, but pure violence felt dull and plain.
If he had to choose a favorite, it would be the anti-heroes—kind during normal times, ruthless when necessary.
Standing up, he straightened his clothes and brushed off the dirt. Then he picked up the sword and started swinging it—it felt lighter than he expected.
Next, his attention turned to Johan lying on the ground—completely defenseless
"It was a fair fight. I just got lucky. If the roles were reversed, you'd probably be laughing your ass off right now—and trying to take advantage of my Neve."
Raising the sword, he angled it toward the neck—right where the bone gave way easiest. A quick death, his last act of mercy.
"No need to thank me,"
Then came the swing—fast, hard, no hesitation. Steel met flesh, and in a split second, the head separated from the body.
Blood pooled across the ground.
For a split second, the prince's eyes snapped open, staring at Luck as if he couldn't believe he had actually been beheaded like an animal.
"Fuck, you scared me. Thought you were gonna pull some 'come back from the dead' trick or something," Luck said, half annoyed, half impressed as Johan spat out blood.
"You..." the severed head gasped, coughing up more blood.
"Man, you could've stayed down. Why make a scene at the very end?"
He gave the head a light kick, turning it away so he didn't have to look at the gruesome face anymore, and feel more guilty.
[MISSION COMPLETE]
[Reward: Silver Box – Exclusive.]
He grabbed the silver box and opened it. As expected, it was the same as the dwarves'—a gas slipped into his body—but this time, it didn't hurt as much.
Since they were both humanoid, the gas affected him less. Still, excitement rushed through him, wondering what he would gain.
[Congratulations, Host. You have endured the Sword God's Curse and successfully stolen one of the blessings. The resistance was minimal because your body already met the prerequisites to receive it.]
[Sword God Blessing – 1%.]
The message continued:
[Once you reach 100%, your body will gain perfect control, allowing you to master the way of the sword.]
[You'll learn sword-related skills faster than normal.]
[Any sword attack will increase as your blessing grows. Reaching 100% means all sword attacks deal double damage.]
"Woah, now I don't feel so bad about killing you."
He excitedly reached out and pressed his hand against the corpse. In an instant, it dissolved, leaving only the items scattered on the ground.
[Sword God Blessing – 10%.]
'No wonder he was so tough. I gained more from absorbing him than from those three dwarves combined.'