In My Second Life, I Rule from the Shadows

Chapter 35: Riot (2)

In this world, the tea one drank carried a different charm than that of the Central Plains.

They said Central Plains tea was something to be appreciated by its fragrance, but on the Artenia side the taste did not leave the tongue idle.

Carl, who had originally savored tea from the Central Plains, had now reached a stage of becoming quite accustomed to the flavor of this place.

Thud.

As he leisurely gazed outside, a shadow fell beside him.

Wondering who it might be, he turned his head to see a man in disheveled attire scratching his stomach.

Bang.

Without warning, the man kicked the table and sent it flying, then spoke in a voice laced with a yawn.

“Who came to bother me like this? Hey, did you turn our kid into a cripple?”

“Hmm.”

Assessing the man’s level, Carl shook his head.

Not even worth speaking to further, he raised a finger and pointed it at the man’s eye.

“I do not like the look of your pupils.”

Then he extended his index and middle fingers and lightly swung them.

Slash─.

A clean line was drawn through the air.

At the same time, a trajectory appeared piercing the man’s pupil and blood spurted.

“…Aagh!”

In an instant, the man lost all light in his eyes. He clutched his face and collapsed to the floor.

Carl watched him and let a faint smile cross his lips.

“This brings back memories.”

Although the scenery was different, he had faced such an opponent in the Central Plains too.

Back then, during an assassination, he had deliberately provoked a rowdy person like this to draw the targeted master’s attention.

“Remove this fellow and bring the tea back.”

“……”

At Carl’s gesture, the group who had come with the man hesitated briefly, then moved.

They set the overturned table upright and dragged the man who had lost his eyes out of sight.

Soon after, a waiter came and returned steaming hot tea.

“……”

The waiter, visibly terrified, placed the tea before Carl.

But perhaps due to fear, his hand shook so much that the cup overflowed.

“…Ah!”

The waiter scrambled to regain balance, but the liquid had already spilled.

Yet as if an invisible hand intervened, the pouring tea halted mid‑stream.

“This is too good to waste.”

“……Ah.”

The waiter stared in stupefaction at the surreal sight of the tea reversing course.

Then abruptly regaining composure, he bowed deeply at Carl’s silent signal and departed.

“……”

Carl sat quietly once more, looking out at the view.

With body and mind at ease, his thoughts expanded more fluidly.

The progress at the Academy, NOX’s organization in Polfoardel, the plans ahead, and the future utopia he envisioned.

‘Steady going.’

Even if he wavered or detoured occasionally, he always ended up reaching his intended destination.

Whether in this world or the other, the most important thing was to keep moving steadily without stopping.

If one lost growth momentum and settled into comfort, that was the end.

Carl had been most wary of that ever since he was Mu‑ak.

Had he not been, he could not have become the Greatest Assassin of the Central Plains.

Shh.

Through the shards of thought, the sharp Sonic Burst pierced in.

Carl lightly extended his hand and caught something flying toward him.

It was a fountain pen engraved with a golden seal.

Spinning it lightly in his palm, he placed it neatly at the edge of the table.

“Where did you come from?”

This being’s aura was completely different from those who had approached him until now.

The man, with a beauty mark beside his mouth and eyes that looked somehow listless, was striking.

He slowly approached Carl and sat down at the seat before him, meeting his gaze calmly.

“I’ve heard you know this is Lahan’s domain. Are you affiliated with another organization? Did you bring a message?”

Carl examined the man’s body.

Even through his clothing, his musculature was well‑developed.

He must specialize in martial combat.

Just as Carl reached to finish the cup of tea that remained, the teacup split in half.

Crack.

Through the precisely halved cup, the liquid drained out.

Carl watched that and clicked his tongue with regret, then lifted his head.

“If you ask my identity, isn’t it polite that your introduction comes first?”

“I don’t think we’re among equals in etiquette… …I am Binner of Lahan.”

Carl repeated the name in his mind.

Baer = Binner was not a name on Turga’s loyal retainer list.

That meant he was one of the swordsmen they kept with them.

‘Not monster‑sized but still a decent catch.’

Carl felt slightly disappointed.

He was weaker than Shin‑Jen.

“So, what about you?”

“I came to declare war.”

Carl gathered the two halves of the split teacup and fused them back together.

“I intend to drive you out and devour this region.”

“……”

Binner frowned.

Just as he was about to speak something, Carl extended a hand and gestured calmly before continuing.

“It doesn’t matter where I came from or who I am. Either way, you won’t be able to return to your master.”

Thud─!

As Carl finished, the table shattered.

Cracks spread across the floor and shattered fragments flew while a heavy fist cut through between them.

Whoosh.

Carl reached out and gently enveloped it, redirecting the trajectory so it passed beside him.

Although the gesture was faint, it significantly twisted the path of the fist.

Bang!

The fist that had rushed toward Carl failed to hit him and instead destroyed the wall beside him.

“What…?”

“Did a fight just break out?”

The commotion had now spread beyond the shop exterior.

Carl, having dodged Binner’s attack, curled his fist lightly and spoke.

“If it's about fists, I’m fairly confident too.”

He twisted his waist and pushed his shoulder forward.

At the same time, a concentrated punch pierced forward with a Sonic Burst nearly shredding the eardrums.

“…!”

Binner crossed his hands to block Carl’s punch.

But he couldn’t fully deflect the impact, so his entire body took the blow.

Crash!

He smashed every nearby table and bounced across the floor, demolishing the far wall and burying himself in the rubble.

Carl lightly rolled his wrist and watched the dust puff up.

Shhh!

Before the dust could settle, the air expanded and dozens of shadows crashed down.

Each one was a heavy death‑laden fist shadow (拳影).

‘Quick.’

Carl backed away smoothly and evaded Binner’s incoming fists.

The randomly swung strikes ravaged the interior, soon obliterating any recognisable layout.

Thud! Thud!

No trickery—just earnest, heavy fists.

Carl quite liked the sturdy weight, even if it was rough.

“Shall we test your durability a bit?”

He again clenched his fist and collided with one of the attacks hurled at him.

Zzhhh─!

An enormous shockwave erupted around them.

Carl held his stance motionless, while Binner grit his teeth, a shiver of agony sweeping through his body.

“…Guh.”

Yet despite the pain, he couldn’t stop the moan, his fingertips trembling.

“You mustn't doubt your hardness. If you do, you’ll shatter.”

Boom!

Their fists clashed again.

But this time he couldn’t block perfectly as before.

“…!”

Over the rugged fist, bone shattered and flesh tore, spraying blood.

Binner’s face contorted in intense pain, but he still swung the other fist back.

‘This man doesn’t suit an affiliation like this place.’

He seemed more fitting for a secluded martial lineage heir than a foot soldier under Lahan.

What story led him to serve beneath Lahan?

Carl found himself intrigued.

“Hmm.”

Carl changed his mind.

Originally, he intended to kill everyone to leave a message, but at this rate letting him live would deliver more vivid impact.

Fwoosh.

A pure white chill pulsed from under Carl’s sleeve.

He was using extreme ice energy mastered through the Ice Crystal of Frost.

After all, this expedition aimed to test the power he’d gained from it.

‘It doesn’t suit Heavenly Demon Divine Art.’

Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a blazing flame.

If anything had to be picked apart, it was a martial art of extreme yang energy.

It did not suit the Extreme Yin Energy carried by the Ice Crystal of Frost.

Therefore Carl mixed the extreme yin with Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Thock.

He caught Binner’s sharply swinging hand toward him and injected yin energy.

Then, starting at the contacted wrist, Binner’s body began to freeze.

“…Urk…ugh.”

Ice shards jagged over his entire body.

Eventually rendering him completely immobile.

Thunk.

Carl flicked the surface with his finger and smiled.

“I quite liked that. If you survive, let’s talk again.”

The Extreme Yin Energy mixed with Primordial Unity Divine Art had shown proper power.

The target was the Ice Ability used by Nerian.

It was not comparable to the true ability yet, but with higher martial art proficiency and refinement, perhaps he could mimic it fairly well.

“What the hell!”

“From up there…!”

It seemed this disturbance was starting to spread outside.

His objective had been sufficiently achieved, so there was no reason to remain here any longer.

Thwip.

His figure flew beyond the shop window frame onto the street and vanished at once.

He rode the wind flowing through the flick and moved freely, heading swiftly toward the exit.

“…Is it still daytime.”

Soon emerging to ground level, Carl looked at the sunlight shining from the blue sky.

In the Central Plains, even if he had wanted to return, there was nowhere to go.

A Killing Veil assassin was a comrade, not family.

But now he had a family.

Tap‑tap.

Carl returned with light footsteps to the slum area where NOX was located.

It had been a fulfilling day—stirring up Turga’s side and finding a pretty capable fellow.

“…?”

But for some reason, inside NOX was bustling.

Carl moved inward so as not to interrupt his subordinates and descended toward the center.

“…Ah, damn.”

He saw Queen wearing NOX’s coat over pajamas.

She seemed to have rolled out of bed hastily, head in complete disarray.

Her face—usually immaculate—was now deeply furrowed in anger.

‘What happened?’

As Carl approached and was about to ask, Queen’s irritable voice cut in first.

“What insane bastard caused trouble in Turga’s territory?”

“……”

“There’s also a possibility it was another faction. That needs checking.”

“It was a blind spot. Other factions might have guessed internal Lahan affairs within this area—so we should have expected this kind of move.”

Polfoardel’s underworld was said to have precisely delineated divisions.

Thus while disputes within one area were common, those fights rarely crossed the borders—that was an unspoken rule.

That was why the possibility of outside involvement was considered low, but it was wrong to subject something like the underworld to those rules.

“What about identifying the mastermind? You weren’t drawn into it, right?”

“No news has come in yet. Nine is currently scattering the entire information network to investigate.”

“Make that your top priority. If necessary, we go full offensive.”

“Understood. I’ll tell everyone to prepare.”

After seeing the grim atmosphere of his subordinates, Carl scratched his cheek awkwardly.