CHAPTER 548: A LUCKY ONE

Clyde and the other two froze in the middle of their step as the sharp and desperate scream ripped through the air. It was Mina’s cue, she was already starting to act, and it was his cue as well.

The two men flanking him spun toward the store, panic flashing in their eyes.

"What the hell was that?!" one of them said. .

"S-Something is wrong!" the other started, his voice cracking.

They exchanged a frantic glance, and in that heartbeat of confusion, Clyde moved.

He didn’t reach for his spear. His hands would do for this kind of bandit.

Before the man on his right could even react, Clyde’s arm shot out, gripping his jaw and the back of his head in a single motion.

With a sharp twist and a sickening crack sound, the man collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

The other froze for half a second, horror and rage flashing across his face while looking at Clyde.

"You—!"

Clyde didn’t give him the chance to finish.

The man lunged, fists swinging wild but desperate.

Clyde stepped aside and catching his wrist and drove a knee into his ribs.

Bone thudded under the impact, and the man staggered back, coughing.

"Couggh cough...Who the hell are you?!" the bandit spat, clutching his body. "And how the hell are you this strong?!"

Clyde made a low and amused chuckle as if this was all some twisted joke.

"Ironic, isn’t it? You were planning to ambush us and instead, you got ambushed."

The bandit roared and charged, but Clyde sidestepped again, letting him overextend before catching his arm and slamming an elbow into his face.

Blood spattered from the man’s nose.

Clyde didn’t press for a quick kill for this kind of person. It was too easy.

He toyed with him, blocking blows with ease, shoving him off balance, and making him swing at empty air.

Each failed attack only made the bandit more desperate, his breathing ragged and his movements became sloppy.

Clyde could see the fear settling in.

That wide-eyed flicker when the man realized this wasn’t a fight, this was a slow execution.

"Why are you so fast and strong!" the bandit grunted, trying to keep his stance.

"No," Clyde corrected calmly, brushing aside another clumsy punch, "you’re just too slow and weak."

Another shove sent the man stumbling. Clyde caught him by the collar, yanking him forward before driving a fist deep into his stomach.

The air left the bandit in a violent cough.

Then Clyde’s hands were at his throat. The bandit clawed at him, gasping, but Clyde’s grip was unyielding.

"You picked the wrong prey," he said quietly.

The man’s struggles weakened, his eyes glazing as Clyde’s fingers tightened. There was a brief sharp crack, and the bandit went limp, crumpling to the dirt.

Clyde straightened, brushing the blood from his knuckles. Inside the store, Mina’s fight raged on. Outside, two corpses lay silent at his feet.

The other ambushers, hearing the commotion inside, broke into a run.

Their expressions were tight with worry, knowing the scream had belonged to their leader.

Heavy footsteps and the scrape of weapons echoed as they approached the store’s entrance.

Clyde stepped back inside, his boots leaving faint prints on the dusty floor.

Mina stood at the center of the room in a poised and unyielding attitude. Her gaze fixed on the man kneeling before her.

The leader clutched his wrist, pain etched into every line of his face. His breath came in sharp bursts and his curses spat through clenched teeth.

"Fuck... what the hell..." he growled, his voice low and venomous and full of hatred.

Without warning, his other hand slipped beneath his shirt and pulled free a short jagged dagger the color of blackened steel.

The blade seemed to drink in the light around it and as soon as it cleared the fabric, a dark red aura began to coil around his body.

Clyde’s eyes narrowed. He recognized the surge instantly. This was no ordinary weapon. The energy wrapped around the man’s body was also the mark of a skill that was supposed to be very rare. This man actually was lucky enough to have a skill and a weapon.

A combination like that will be dangerous in the hands of someone like him.

"So, the bastard was lucky enough to have a skill and weapon with power," Clyde muttered.

The leader’s posture straightened slightly despite the pain, the aura lashing out like heat from a forge.

Clyde tensed and ready to move, the weight of his spear already calling to him from where it leaned nearby.

But then he caught a closer look at Mina.

She hadn’t moved an inch. Her stance was calm, her face was hard as stone and she had the cold edge in her eyes.

There was no fear, no hesitation. Only an unspoken promise that she would not need his help.

Clyde eased his grip on the urge to intervene. He knew that look. This was her fight now so he would just let her have it.

A faint sound behind him drew his attention to the doorway.

Four figures emerged from the shadows outside, their silhouettes resolving into armed men.

Their faces were grim, their weapons already drawn as they advanced in a tight formation.

Clyde’s lips curled into something that was not quite a smile but more a baring of teeth. The familiar burn of anticipation crawled through his veins.

"Finally you come," he muttered under his breath.

He reached over his pocket and finally pulled his spear free in one smooth motion. The metal gleamed faintly in the sunlight.

His grip tightened along the shaft.

The four men closed in on them while thinking they had cornered their prey.

Clyde took a step forward to meet them.

The four men then noticed the corpses of their friend. Their faces paled. Some of them even cried already.

"You will pay for this, you son of a bitch!" One of them shouted and then charged at Clyde with a baseball bat. The other four followed immediately.

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