The Gilded Fangs Mercenary Group is one of many mercenary groups in Felin City. These groups are quite common, as many awakened individuals seeking purpose in their lives join to explore forbidden zones and hunt.
Klaus has already joined one himself—the Bloodaxe Mercenaries.
It was the group his father belonged to before he went missing. Klaus joined to gain access to forbidden zones and hunt. It’s considered noble to join a group and venture into these dangerous areas.
There is a belief that the more people hunt in forbidden zones, the faster humanity will reclaim its lost Cities and forests. Thus, those who join these groups are viewed as noble by many.
However, just as there are white and black, there are noble and insidious mercenary groups. The Gilded Fangs Mercenary Group falls into the latter category.
They are what most would call scum. They have committed numerous atrocities, causing immense suffering, yet no one has been able to oppose them due to their strength.
Naturally, most of their sinister acts were directed at those without connections, leaving their victims with no means of retaliation.
A year ago, Hanna’s friend left home happy but returned broken, sad, and humiliated. Her suffering was so unbearable that she ultimately took her own life. But before dying, she left a note revealing the identities of those responsible.
Now, as Hanna nears the home of these villains, an intense hatred radiates from her—a hatred so fierce that even Klaus doesn’t understand its depth.
“Relax, sister; those bastards aren’t going anywhere,” Klaus said as they approached the house.
“Take your time dealing with them—I’ll make sure none of them escape,” he added.
“Okay, brother,” Hanna replied, though her anger was only subdued to a certain extent.
***
Inside the spacious house of the Gilded Fangs Mercenary Group, 23 men sat around a table outdoors, clearly celebrating something.
They were celebrating the recent success of one of their members, or rather, the achievement of their leader’s son, Eden Jacobs.
“Congratulations, Eden! Although you are far older than those idiots, I always knew you could make it into the academy… and you did,” said a man who appeared to be in his late 40s, patting Eden on the shoulder.
“It’s all thanks to you, Father, for making sure I never lacked anything,” Eden said, sounding pleased and happy.
They continued drinking and feasting on various delicacies.
“Too bad the last batch of girls we got all decided to end it; we could’ve been celebrating even better by now,” one man remarked, biting into his meat and gulping down an alcoholic drink.
“I know, but we need to lay low for now. The Felin Great Family seems to be prying into our operations lately; we have to be careful,” Eden’s father warned.
“Right, we’ve already lost three men because of them. We need to be more cautious,” another man added.
“By the way, Father, I saw the friend of that young girl you got for me a year ago,” Eden suddenly said.
“Oh? Which one? We’ve brought in quite a few over the year,” his father replied.
“The ones who bought the Celestial Water from our agent back then. They paid with a card, so our agent reported it to us so we could rob them” Eden clarified.
“Oh, her. What, do you want her to0? Her friend was quite… tasty,” another young man said, licking his lips.
“I think I saw her during the trial, Father, and she was with that crazy brat who massacred the people sent by the legacies in Union City,” Eden said.
“What? Are you sure?” The men’s faces turned pale at the mention. Everyone feared Klaus.
“Are you certain it was her?” one of them asked.
“Yes. Although I never actually met her before, from the images I saw on her friend’s phone, I’m confident it was her,” Eden admitted, unable to hide his panic.
The men exchanged uneasy glances, each contemplating various scenarios. They all knew what Klaus had done to the other mercenary group in Union City; if he found out about their actions, they were as good as dead.
“Ha… you don’t have to worry about anything,” Eden’s father scoffed. “From what I know, the girl died the next day, so I doubt she said anything—she was mute when she left here. And with our men in the authorities, no one filed a complaint, so we’re safe.”
“But even if she somehow knew and told that lunatic, what makes you think we’re weak?” Eden’s father continued.
“I could easily crush him if it came to it!” he boasted, beating his chest.
“Really? Why don’t we put that to the test?” Klaus’s voice suddenly filled the air, cutting off his bragging.
“Klaus!” They all jumped to their feet as Klaus and Hanna appeared.
“What? Weren’t you just talking about what you’d do to me? Well, here I am—come on, crush me,” Klaus smirked, eyeing the 23 mercenaries as their faces turned pale and their bodies shaking with fear.
‘One Sage, 15 Saints, six Grandmasters, and one Master… all worthless men. Perfect for Big Sister’s first slaughter,’ Klaus thought to himself.
“W-what… what are you doing here, Klaus?” Eden’s father stammered, his voice trembling. Hanna stood beside Klaus, glaring at the 23 men with intense hatred.
“What else? We’re here to kill a bunch of scum,” Klaus replied, an evil smile spreading across his face.
“You lot took something dear from my sister here, and she’s here for revenge. So while I’d recommend you don’t resist, it’d be even better if you do.”
“Don’t get me wrong—you’re all dying here today, even you, Eden,” Klaus said, pointing at the young man Hanna intended to kill first.
Eden trembled, utterly terrified, petrified, and above all, scared shitless.
“Now, the reason I want you to resist.” Klaus walked forward and sat down, with Hanna standing behind him, her gaze locked on the 23 men.
“When you resist, it builds intense blood flow that pumps adrenaline through your body. This gives you a burst of strength to do things you never thought possible. While that won’t change anything for you, it will for my sister.”
“I want what’s best for her, and your worthless lives will help me achieve that. By killing your struggling self, her killing intent will take a huge leap. So do your best to resist—I need that blood pumping when she kills you all.”
“Now, before we get back to you idiots, Big Sister, kindly select your weapon,” Klaus said, presenting four options: a bow, a sword, a spear, and a dagger.
The 23 men stood frozen, their minds barely functioning. Had they paid closer attention to Klaus, they would have realized he wasn’t using any force or ability on them.
It was purely their own fear that left them paralyzed—even the Sage among them.
Hanna looked over the four weapons and chose the spear.
“Good choice,” Klaus said, then he placed his hand on the dinner table.
“Gentlemen, even though you’re about to die, be grateful—you’re the first to experience my aura. Be sure to share tales about it on your way to the netherworld.”
With that, a wave of dread fell over the 23 men. All at once, they turned pale and dropped to their knees. Klaus hadn’t used his slaughter aura since awakening it, making this the first time—and the effect was exactly as he expected.
“Sister, if you would, please,” Klaus gestured, and Hanna moved forward, stopping before Eden. The young man trembled and, like a broken dam, soiled himself.
Hanna looked at him with cold indifference. “Her name was Kehlani, the most gentle and caring soul I knew, and you bastards took her from me.”
Hanna screamed, tears falling from her eyes as she raised the spear. In the next second, blood sprayed through the air.