Chapter 18: Is Ize the Virgin Mary?

The cold, mechanical system notification echoed in Izar’s mind like the Final Judgment, leaving no room for withdrawal or negotiation.

【Choice completed, Protagonist Value +10】 This line blazed in his eyes like a death countdown.

At the same time, the two young men—one fat, one thin—were scared out of their wits by this sudden turn of events.

The two figures before them were like ghosts; until the very moment they struck to intercept, neither had sensed even the slightest presence!

“Wh-who are you?!” the fat one shouted, his voice tough but quavering, long sword trembling as he pointed it at Izar and Luke.

The thin one readied the opening move of a spell, the pair standing back to back, like cornered animals.

To hide so perfectly and even crush Sword Qi bare-handed—these were definitely not ordinary people!

However, at this moment, Izar completely ignored their wariness.

All his attention was focused on his “culprit” right hand.

“Idiot! Useless thing! Out of control!” he (in a girl’s voice) sobbed, slapping the back of his own right hand harshly with his left, the crisp sound echoing sharply in the silent alley. “Who told you to butt in?! Huh?! Are you showing off?!”

His inner collapse was like a dam breaking: Why? I, Izar, have been keeping a low profile for years, living cautiously, treading on thin ice—how could I do something so foolish as to ‘draw my sword for a stranger’?!

Is it possible I’m a hidden saint deep down?!

No! That was never his intention! It was all because of this disobedient hand! It had acted on its own!

“In a world where people eat each other alive, what are you trying to be, a hero?!”

Izar was filled with grief and anger as he addressed his own right hand, murderous intent surging out uncontrollably, but not directed at enemies—instead, aimed at his own disappointing hand. “You got me killed, you’ll rot with me! Maybe I should just cripple you now!”

This scene of self-harm and split personality left everyone present utterly stunned.

The two youths exchanged looks, reading the same message in each other’s eyes: This guy’s a lunatic, right?

Even Luke was startled by Izar’s sudden behavior. Still, after following for so long, he could somewhat understand his Senior’s unique way of thinking.

He carefully nudged Izar with his elbow as a reminder, “Senior, things aren’t over yet…”

Izar jerked his head to look at him.

That single turn made Luke’s whole body go stiff, nearly making him scream.

Two clear streams of tears were silently sliding down from beneath Izar’s mask, dripping onto the cold stone slabs below.

Senior Izar… was crying?!

Yes, Izar was truly crying.

Those tears were a mix of fear for the future, anger at his own “mistake,” and regret that cut to the bone.

“To save Swan”—S-rank Difficulty! That judgment hit his heart like a sledgehammer.

What happened the last time he chose S-rank Difficulty?

He’d been trapped by Angelica in a spiritual magic array for an entire month, forced to relive every social death and horror from his past and present! That kind of spiritual torture—he never wanted to experience it a second time!

And all for a measly 10 points of Protagonist Value (still 70 points away from the next reward, meaning he’d have to risk his life seven more times!)—he’d pushed himself into a deadly situation! The loss couldn’t be greater! And all of it stemmed from this damned hand!

Luke looked at the silent tears on Izar’s face and, recalling his earlier self-sacrificing rescue, was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of emotion and admiration.

He misunderstood! He thought Izar was crying because he’d betrayed his code of “lying low,” struggling and suffering inside!

Senior… is so upright and kind-hearted, willing to endure pain just to uphold justice in his heart?!

He’d definitely chosen the right person to follow!

The two youths exchanged another look, seeing both wariness and… a trace of opportunity in each other’s faces.

The fat one gritted his teeth, a fierce glint in his eye—he couldn’t let this lunatic recover his senses!

He suddenly pushed off with his feet, his plump frame bursting forth at shocking speed, rolling along the ground like a ball, circling behind Izar, who had his back turned. His sword flashed with cold light as he poured all his Aura into it, slashing ruthlessly at Izar’s slender-looking neck! This slash was meant to be fatal—he would take Izar’s head, no holding back!

Yet Izar, still wallowing in regret and terror over his “reckless hand” and S-rank Difficulty, didn’t dodge at all, almost as if waiting for death.

“CLANG—!!!!!!!!!”

A deafening explosion echoed in the alley!

The fat man felt an irresistible, terrifying backlash from the blade, his grip torn apart in an instant, blood pouring out, his entire right arm going numb and throbbing with pain. The sword itself vibrated and flew from his hand with a buzz, snapping in two in mid-air!

He stumbled back seven or eight steps, landing on his butt, staring at his bloodied palm, then at Izar’s neck—which showed not even a single white mark—his face drained of color, eyes full of abject terror.

Is… is this guy even human?!

In the sudden silence, Luke suddenly pointed at Izar’s shoulder, letting out a genuine “exclamation” in his pinched voice: “Oh… my… Senior… he… he… cut… your… hair…!!!”

On Izar’s shoulder, two insignificant strands of hair, cut by Sword Qi, drifted softly to the ground.

The fat man: “……” He nearly spat blood. Was this a mockery? It had to be!

Luke’s shout snapped Izar from his regret.

He touched his unharmed neck, glanced at the snapped sword and the dumbfounded fat man, and instantly regained his composure.

What’s done is done; crying won’t help! Time to stop the losses!

The system’s S-rank judgment meant extreme danger, but that danger might not strike immediately.

The priority now was to handle the situation, gather information, and… continue lying low!

He wiped the tears from beneath his mask—an inscrutable gesture to the two young men.

Then, under everyone’s watchful and uncertain eyes, Izar suddenly, without warning, lifted his foot—

“Ah!” The fat man thought he was about to be kicked and shut his eyes, screaming.

“Ah—!” A second, even more anguished scream rang out—from Swan, lying on the ground.

Izar’s foot landed with perfect accuracy and control on the back of Swan’s head.

Swan’s body stiffened, and without so much as a groan, he fainted dead away.

The two young men: “!!!”

Luke: “Se…nior… you…?!”

The pair, both startled and suspicious, retreated another step, lowering their voices to exchange words:

Fat man: “…An ally? Sent by the Lord?”

Thin man: “Ne…never heard of it… but that skill… and way of doing things…”

Izar caught their words, mind racing.

The Lord? So there’s someone pulling the strings! Not just a personal vendetta! And from their earlier words, it seemed the Sis Family wasn’t responsible for the massacre?

A bold (by his standards) plan formed instantly—pretend! Gather intelligence!

He cleared his throat, using that sweet girl’s voice, but with a haughty and scolding tone: “The Lord was uneasy, so he sent me to assist you. You two idiots—acting before figuring out the situation?!”

He pointed at the unconscious Swan: “That boy is now Clea’s disciple! If you kill him on Starshine Academy’s turf, do you want to bring more trouble to the Lord? You want him to face the wrath of an enraged 8th-level Archmage?!”

These words sounded perfectly reasonable—especially the way he referred to Clea as “that old woman” and displayed knowledge of her protective temper—instantly dissolving most of the young men’s doubts.

The fat man immediately scrambled to his feet and defended himself: “Please don’t be angry, sir! We didn’t mean to actually kill him, just wanted to force him to fight back, see how much power he’s hiding! You don’t know—this boy’s as slippery as an eel. Without getting rough, he won’t show his cards!”

The thin one quickly added, “Yes, sir! We’re just anxious! The Raymond Family was wiped out by monsters, but now everyone’s saying the Sis Family did it—we’re being framed! Swan is the only survivor; he must know the truth. We just wanted to make him talk and clear the Sis Family’s name!”

The Sis Family is innocent?

Izar’s brows furrowed tightly under the mask.

This situation is even murkier than he imagined! The downfall of the Raymond Family might hide an even greater secret…