player POV-Chapter 52: Trap 7

I turned my gaze toward Kar, and the anger burning inside him was obvious. His features were tense, his eyes narrowing sharply.

As I focused on his face more closely, a small laugh slipped from my mouth unconsciously—light, but genuine.

The moment Kar heard my laughter, his rage intensified. He shouted at me furiously:

"What are you laughing at?!"

I looked at his furious face... and somehow, it looked unbelievably ridiculous.

"Hahaha—"

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I burst out laughing from the depths of my chest.

I raised my eyes to him and said with clear mockery:

"You know... it would’ve been better for you to become a clown instead of a warrior."

Then I added in a sarcastic tone:

"At least then, you would’ve become really famous."

He glared at me, sparks flying from his eyes. He clenched his teeth so hard I could hear them grind, then spoke in a low voice, heavy with threat:

"Say that again... if you dare."

He took a single step toward me, as if the ground beneath his feet trembled from the sheer force of his anger. But my smile didn’t fade—in fact, it widened, as though his rage was nothing more than a comedic performance to me.

I wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of my eye, looked at him calmly, and said:

"Look at yourself..."

Then I added quietly, mockingly:

"Even now, you’re just proving my point."

Kar’s anger intensified further, to the point where he could no longer control it.

His features were unnaturally strained, his eyes shining with clear madness, as if all that remained inside him was the desire to crush me right here and now, without caring about the consequences.

He screamed hoarsely, as if his patience had shattered all at once:

"Kill him!!"

At that exact moment, I felt a faint disturbance in the air behind me. A cold shiver ran up my neck.

I didn’t turn around immediately.

Instead, I lunged forward on pure

instinct, and the moment I moved

—Shrr!—

A sharp blade passed right beside my neck, close enough to cut a lock of my hair.

I felt the cold of the metal before hearing a mocking voice behind me.

"Tch!"

I spun around instantly, turning toward the source of the sound, and fired Altaria threads toward it as a reflexive response.

—Fwoosh!—

But they hit nothing but air. The owner of the voice had vanished once again.

Damn it...

Anger surged through me for a few seconds, but I forced myself to calm down. Instead, I closed my eyes briefly and focused on sensing the space around me.

I spread Altaria threads in all directions around me.

—Tap—

I heard the sound of a small stone being stepped on behind me. I opened my eyes instantly, turned, and attacked the spot where I heard the sound without hesitation.

—Clang!—

My blade collided with that of an invisible opponent. His arm appeared for a brief moment only, revealed by the force of our clash.

He stepped back, trying to vanish again—but I didn’t allow it.

I lunged toward him using Ghost Step, deliberately forcing him toward the position I wanted.

—Shsh!—

He blocked my attack quickly, but still retreated several steps backward.

And in that same instant

—Rip!—

I activated the Altaria threads I had already maneuvered around him and caught his right leg.

I said with a hint of delight in my voice:

"Got you."

I pulled the threads with force. His leg was torn to shreds, and his concealment skill immediately deactivated.

The body of a slender young man appeared, his eyes wide with shock.

He screamed unconsciously:

"Kar—!"

I didn’t give him even a moment to finish his words. I swung my sword in a fast horizontal slash toward his chest.

—Slash!—

The blow wasn’t deep enough to be fatal, but it struck his side with enough force to knock him to the ground.

—Thud!—

He rolled across the ground, screaming in pain, clutching the wound. His breathing was ragged, his voice echoing through the area.

Kar finally stepped forward toward me. He drew his daggers and released his Ania.

Red threads wrapped tightly around his entire body—from head to toe—before suddenly contracting and concentrating around his daggers, coating them completely in crimson energy.

He looked at me and said, his voice overflowing with rage:

"I’ll make you regret mocking me. I’ll burn you alive.

How dare someone like you—talentless—mock someone as great as me?!"

I stared at him in silence, confused.

Why was he this angry?

I hadn’t done anything worth mentioning... just laughed a little without meaning to. Shouldn’t I be the one angry, considering he mocked me first?

Honestly, at that moment, he looked like a third-rate villain—the kind you usually see in novels, whose only purpose is to get beaten senseless.

Kar suddenly charged at me.

He stomped the ground violently and launched himself forward at surprising speed, his daggers crossing through the air, leaving behind glowing red trails.

—Shrrr!—

I sidestepped, but one of the daggers grazed my shoulder, leaving a burning cut.

"Tch..."

The pain was sharp. There wasn’t much blood, but the heat left behind by the Ania made the wound throb intensely.

Kar laughed—a short, distorted laugh.

"Hah? What happened? Weren’t you confident just a moment ago?!"

I didn’t respond. I was honestly astonished by his stupidity, which only further confirmed that he was nothing more than a third-rate villain.

I lowered my body slightly and thrust Altaria threads forward toward him in a single burst.

—Fwoosh!—

I wasn’t aiming to hit him directly.

Instead, I tried to spread a net around him to disrupt his vision. He hesitated for a moment—just one moment—but it was enough.

I dashed toward him using Ghost Step.

I appeared at his side, my sword slashing toward his waist.

—Clash!—

Kar raised his dagger at the last moment and managed to block the strike, but the impact was violent enough to throw him off balance.

His body slid half a step backward, scorch marks appearing beneath his feet.

I didn’t pursue immediately.

I was preparing to execute the plan I’d formed since the beginning of our fight.

The Altaria threads had already sealed off the space around him.

He tried to retreat, but a single step was enough for him to feel something wrap around his ankle.

"What is this—?!"

I yanked without hesitation.

He completely lost his balance and fell forward. And at the moment he tried to raise his other dagger—

I struck his wrist with a quick, precise blow. The dagger slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

Kar froze in place. His hands trembled as the weapon fell, his breathing quickened, and the fury in his eyes rapidly turned into shock and confusion.

I stepped closer and placed my sword at his throat, close enough for him to feel its cold edge.

I looked into his eyes and saw fear clearly reflected there—not an act, but a belated realization of the situation he was in.

For a moment, the thought of killing him crossed my mind. It would’ve ended the problem at its root. He’d never bother me again.

But I rejected the idea quickly.

I wasn’t ready to kill someone again.

Instead, I considered a more rational option: crippling him—causing permanent damage that would prevent him from fighting.

That way, I’d ensure he’d never trouble me again, without crossing the line set by the academy.

Just as I was about to act on that decision, I heard a voice coming from ahead.

"Could you stop what you’re about to do?"

I raised my gaze toward the source and saw a silver-haired young man approaching me with calm steps.

Damn it...

What is Silvar doing here?