CHAPTER 53: A NEW TERRITORY (1)

"That is it!" Noah barked as he drew out his sword and revealed himself.

The activities within the group came to an abrupt halt as they turned to look at Noah.

"Who is this scrawny-looking kid?"

"Which Hamlet are you from, kid? Better move on before you incur the wrath of the Ironhand Gang."

"Turn away and no one will hurt you, kiddo."

The guards began spewing mockery and threats, judging Noah by his scrawny appearance and underestimating him.

The women who were being assaulted appreciated the scrawny kid in their hearts. At the same time, they pitied him. They quickly grabbed their water bags and took several steps away from their aggressors, who were now focused on Noah.

Noah, on the other hand, did not seem to mind the mockery and insults. His eyes were coldly fixed on the guards as he kept advancing toward them with steady strides.

’Crap!’ Seeing his friend moving forward, Ragnar had no choice but to reveal himself.

"Ho ho ho, he brought a friend along. Too bad we don’t like boys." The guards kept teasing as they saw Ragnar and Noah.

Noah soon made it to the banks of the stream dividing them.

"Are you going to swim?"

"Come on, give up," the guards kept taunting.

However, to their surprise, Noah leapt the entire width of the stream, which was more than a dozen feet.

"Fuck!" The guards reached for their weapons and got ready to engage.

Unfortunately for them, the moment Noah’s feet landed on the ground, he exploded toward them with a speed they hadn’t seen from a human before.

"Sick fucks like you deserve to die!"

Noah barked as he appeared before his first opponent, who was still in the process of sheathing his sword. Before the guard could even make any effort, the cold blade of Noah’s sword stabbed his chest.

"He killed Baije! Fuck!"

"Fuck! Who is this kid!"

The other two guards began to panic as they took battle-ready stances, pointing their weapons at Noah, who was still standing close to the corpse of his first victim.

His eyes turned to his next target as he took the first step toward him.

"You bastard! I’ll kill you today!"

The guard summoned all his strength and began charging toward Noah.

He closed the distance and swung his blade downward, attempting to tear through Noah’s head.

"Pathetic."

Noah could already anticipate the direction of his opponent’s attack thanks to his improved agility.

With a simple sidestep, he made the guard lose balance.

Noah caught him by the collar of his leather armor before he could touch the ground. He turned his body to face him.

BOOM!

Then, with fury, he punched the guard in the face.

"Ahh!"

The guard cried out in pain.

"Let go of him!"

The third guard made a move, attempting to deal with Noah while he was focused on his colleague.

"You’re too slow."

A cold whisper sounded behind his ear.

The guard reflexively swung his sword behind him, but there was nobody there. ’Am I imagining things? I could’ve sworn someone was behind me just now.’ he thought.

On the other hand, the three young ladies observing the scene from afar had their eyes and mouths agape in shock.

They had witnessed Ragnar cross the stream and arrive behind the third guard in a matter of seconds.

They even saw the guard swinging his sword at him, but before the sword could reach him, he suddenly disappeared from his location.

Then, under their speculation, Ragnar appeared behind the guard once again at an impossible speed and ran his blade through his back, killing him.

"Who are they?" the three women wondered.

At the same time, Noah continued punching the shit out of the remaining guard—it was the same one who had pressed the married woman against the tree and forced his way on her.

"How dare you! Do you not have mothers and sisters at home!" Noah reprimanded as he landed another punch on his face.

The guard was helpless and weakened in the clutches of Noah. He had already lost the strength in his arms, and his sword was now on the ground, leaving him harmless.

====

Man — Level 2

Physique: 2.1

Agility: 1.8

Spirit: 1.0

"Just level 2? Tsk." Ragnar scoffed.

With the way the guards bragged earlier, one would expect them to at least be as strong as Noah, who is level 5.

Ragnar closed the information of the guard and strolled toward the three young ladies.

As he walked closer, the young ladies felt a great sense of fear—what if they had killed the guards because they wanted to have their way with them? They panicked.

"Calm down, ladies." Ragnar flashed them an assuring smile. "I have a few questions to have. Consider your answers payment for me and my friend rescuing you."

Ragnar halted in front of them.

The three of them exchanged panicked glances. Although Ragnar was much younger than them, witnessing his extraordinary strength, they became timid in his presence.

Ragnar had to repeat his statement once again before they stuttered and nodded their heads.

"Nice, where are you guys from?" Ragnar began.

"11th Hamlet," they responded.

"11th Hamlet, I see," Ragnar nodded his head gently and proceeded with more inquiries, this time asking about the gang, the nature of their Hamlet, and the relationship they had with the gang.

The young ladies revealed that their Hamlet was under the leadership of the Ironhand Gang. They spoke about how the Ironhand Gang usually collected food tasks for them and how the members of the gang were allowed to use the young women in the territory however they wanted.

They broke into tears as they shared their experience. One of them even claimed that she had been sexually assaulted every single day by the gang members, even though she was married.

As Ragnar listened to their complaints, a frown appeared on his face. ’It is just as Merlina explained—these gangs are something else,’ he thought.

He asked the women about the current situation in their Hamlet and the number of gang members within it.

"Aside from these three, there are another six gang members. Since we lack a leader, they are currently playing that role."

"Great." Ragnar grinned.