The Terminally Ill Prince is the Mad Dog of the Underworld (Novel) - Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Awakening After 17 Years

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Around dawn, I was finally surrounded in a dead end. The encirclement was so perfect that there was no way to escape. They probably planned to drive me here from the start.

“You b*st*rds, did you think I was stupid enough to walk into a boiling pot? Get lost! Before I destroy you all!”

I took out the jewel box from my breast and waved it threateningly at them.

Regardless, the black-clad men surrounding me just stared at me silently, as if they hadn’t just been cursing moments ago.

“Karzan, stop running already. This is maddening.”

Ivan, the pursuit team leader, stepped forward with a sigh.

“Don’t you realize there’s no way for you to survive no matter what you do? You can’t be that stupid.”

“That’s exactly why I’m struggling.”

“That’s true enough.”

Anyway, I was now cornered. But I was confident I could keep my mouth floating even if I fell into the ice-cold North Sea.

I rolled my eyes in all directions and rambled whatever came to mind.

“Nice moonlight. I’m a man whose madness rises with the moonlight. Meaning I still have strength left to rampage.”

I pointed my stolen sword at Ivan.

“Ivan. Are you going to push all your subordinates to their deaths? Is that how a leader should act? Instead, come face me yourself. If I lose to you, I’ll offer my neck without hesitation.”

Of course, I wasn’t saying this expecting to win. In a direct fight with Ivan, even I could only guarantee about a 40% chance of victory.

While I was confident I wouldn’t lose in a death match, predators of the plains don’t fight opponents of equal strength.

In other words, I’m saying I’m pretty worn out too. With such an opponent bringing a mob of subordinates, you could say there was no chance of winning.

Still, wouldn’t fighting one-on-one create more variables than being surrounded and beaten?

‘Even better if I could take him hostage.’

“Cut the crap.”

Ivan coldly replied to my desperate hope.

“You can’t believe you’d win against me with your guts spilling out, so are you planning to throw dirt in my eyes for revenge? If you’re lucky, you might get to hold a blade to my neck and take me hostage.”

He was accurate.

‘Smart young man.’

“Don’t feel too wronged. How many people have died with your blade in them? It would be shameless to claim injustice after spilling so much blood.”

“Of all people, you’re talking about shame? That’s ridiculous.”

The rash that grew on the Dark King’s right arm waved his hand.

“Farewell, Karzan. Struggle all you want until you die.”

“You fool. I plan to struggle even after death.”

Ivan sneered.

“Haha. How exactly?”

“If I become a headless ghost, I plan to visit your bedchamber every night and raise hell.”

“Interesting.”

“If I’m reborn as a dog, I intend to jump out from some alley and tear your throat out.”

“Truly worthy of being called the Mad Dog.”

Ivan picked his ear and replied indifferently.

“Though I suppose there’s no need for that? Eventually, when you outlive your usefulness, you’ll die miserably like me. The ones following you now will be the ones to stick a knife in your back then.”

I spat on the ground and cackled in a shrill voice.

“You fool. After all that swagger, this is how you die. On your way out, drink this elder’s piss. Isn’t that what the one standing to your right might say?”

“…”

Ivan didn’t get riled up at my mockery.

“Good expression control. Very calm. Then why do you lose so much when gambling? Ivan, let me give you sincere advice. Retire from gambling. You have no talent for it.”

Ivan waved his hand as if used to my nonsense.

“Make him shut up. My ears are about to bleed.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t like what you hear? You won’t be able to shut my mouth until you split my lips and cut out my tongue.”

Ivan looked back at his subordinates.

“You heard him? Give him what he wants.”

“Yes!”

“Whoa there.”

Even I felt a bit chilled at those words.

“Wait, wait. What are you going to do? You’ll let me destroy this? Are you serious? Planning to die after killing me? I don’t think we were close enough to die together.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Even in this situation, your mouth runs like flowing water.”

‘This would be a total disaster.’

This was another unexpected development. While they considered this jewel box so important, they showed no hesitation in trying to kill me?

‘They must have something they’re counting on. What is it?’

I tried to use my sharp intuition to deduce their intentions.

‘Ah.’

Could they believe I can’t destroy this with my power?

Right now, I’m cornered. And Ivan, who had been chasing me with bulging neck veins, was now acting leisurely with a triumphant face.

In other words, they were only concerned about me escaping and hiding the item, not whether I could destroy it or not.

“Hehehe. Now I get it, you cunning b*st*rd.”

I burst out laughing, shoulders shaking.

“He’s laughing. Have you finally lost your mind?”

“Ivan, Ivan.”

I asked while shaking the jewel box.

“Do you believe I can’t destroy this? Are you that confident?”

“…”

Ivan smiled ominously.

“Still sharp as ever. That’s why you’re dying.”

“The killer blaming the victim, you absolute trash.”

“Shut up.”

Ivan pointed at me as if ready to tell the truth now that it had come to this.

“I’ll praise you. You’re right.”

“I knew it.”

“So what? If anything, this is the worst situation for you.”

I examined the jewel box while asking.

“Just how sturdy is this thing? Is it made of adamantium or something?”

“That’s none of your business. I’ll tell you one thing though – even an 8th-rank master couldn’t easily destroy it.”

Ivan raised the corner of his mouth.

“Even Lord Amilcar couldn’t handle it, so what could a street blade wielder like you possibly do?”

“Amilcar?”

He was an absolute powerhouse known to everyone in the underworld. His name was always mentioned when discussing the kingdom’s top 10 masters.

In other words, he was the ‘Dark King’s Blade.’ If I escaped from here, he would be the executioner leading the royal guard to find me.

“Then I’ll have to break through that wall today.”

“Wahahahaha!”

Ivan and his minions held their bellies in laughter.

After receiving a generous helping of insults like crazy b*st*rd, ignorant fool, all talk and no action, lunatic, and worthless nobody, I raised my hand.

“If you’re so confident, let’s make a bet. If I can’t break this, I’ll kill myself right away.”

Ivan showed his palm.

“Go ahead. This should be entertaining.”

Seeing that suspicious b*st*rd being so confident, it must be quite sturdy indeed.

‘Looks like some protection magic cast by an 8th-tier archmage or something.’

Those magic users have never been helpful throughout my life.

‘No choice then.’

It was do or die anyway.

“Take this!”

Clang!

When I struck the jewel box, a transparent blue barrier deflected the blade.

“Whoa.”

The recoil was tremendous. Thought my wrist would break.

“Pathetic. Is that all? Keep your promise and kill yourself.”

“Shut up. That was just a test.”

I closed my eyes and sank into the deep abyss of unconsciousness. Though my spine chilled at the thought of blades suddenly flying at me, fortunately Ivan and his minions seemed to be watching me with smirks.

‘I can’t break through this magic with my current strength. Then…’

I’ll borrow someone else’s power. I realized it was time to play my last gamble.

‘A few years ago, I saw the corpse of a knight who had supposedly reached the realm of blade invincibility.’

His body had wounds that twisted like a whirlpool. It was a strange wound as if someone had pinched and twisted his entire flesh clockwise.

I long wondered about the principle behind the wound but never figured it out.

I arbitrarily named this technique that broke through blade invincibility as ‘Spiral’ and studied it.

‘After thrusting the blade, turning the handle ensures the wound is torn open and the intestines are severed, leading to instant death.’

Though crude, this was my theory about its essence.

‘And another.’

There was an underworld master who died challenging a martial arts master who could knock down opponents wearing the strongest armor with just one punch.

Rumors said that the challenger’s tightly wrapped armor wasn’t even scratched, let alone broken. Yet the corpse was completely pulverized.

‘Why didn’t the armor break? As if it had passed through the armor.’

I named this incomprehensible technique ‘Penetration’ and studied it. However, it was impossible to replicate a technique I’d never seen.

‘I feel like I can do it now.’

Though my body was at its limit with depleted strength and blood loss facing death, my mind was clearer than ever.

‘Think of the protective magic around the jewel box as armor.’

What if I penetrate past that magic to deliver impact inside? What if I compensate for insufficient power by twisting the attack into a spiral?

I drew out my last bit of mana and wrapped it around my sword. The blade I held in my mind was especially clear today.

‘Good. Something’s different today?’

It felt right. Some insight flashed through my mind.

‘Penetration, and Spiral.’

With only these two concepts in mind, I let out a battle cry drawn from deep within my gut.

“Haiyaaah!”

“What nonsense, that idiot.”

The single sword strike accompanied by that strange cry caused something no one expected.

“Huh?”

“Eh…?”

Crack!

The beautifully gold-crafted jewel box began to split with an intense light.

“Ah.”

A deflating sound came from Ivan’s mouth.

“Hehehehe. Hey, what do you make of this? It broke?”

Though my wrist gave out from the strong recoil, I’m the kind of man who laughs even louder at such times.

“What was that about an 8th-tier master?”

Only then did focus return to Ivan’s eyes.

“Y-y-you crazy b*st*rd!”

“It’s over. You’re all dead men. Even if you return alive, do you think he’ll let you live? At this point, you’d be better off joining hands with me and leaving the country.”

“Aaaaargh! Karzan, you son of a dooooog!”

Ivan lost his mind and tore at his hair.

“Kill him! Kill hiiim!”

“Stand back. Lord Karzan has achieved greatness by breaking through the wall today, you’re all dead men.”

“…!”

Actually, I don’t know if that’s true or not. Probably not.

‘I just developed a technique to break something hard.’

My body had been in tatters for a while. Awakening doesn’t reattach torn organs.

But my words had their intended effect.

“You b*st*rds dare to hesitate?”

Ivan stared at his hesitating subordinates with bloodshot eyes and spoke, biting off each word.

“I’ll behead and disembowel anyone who hesitates.”

“Wow, what a brutal b*st*rd.”

Just as the extremely enraged Ivan and his subordinates were about to approach.

“Huh?”

A massive explosion erupted from the ominously glowing jewel box.

BOOM!

There wasn’t even time to feel the intense pain. My body, enveloped in light, began to disappear.

‘Ah… to die in such an absurd way.’

It was futile. In the end, I was dying without even properly challenging the fortress the Dark King had built.

‘I was too weak. The outcome of this fight was determined from the moment of birth.’

No matter how skilled an underworld blade wielder might be, they couldn’t do anything against the Dark King who was born noble and seized control of the underworld.

‘If I had started with the same conditions as him.’

I wouldn’t have ended my life as an insect struggling futilely before being crushed.

‘Let’s stop. These are all just excuses.’

But it was clear that I was dying like this because I lived in the underworld without knowing the light of day.

What if I had actively approached and joined hands with the nobles instead?

At least I wouldn’t have met this end.

‘I should have been smarter. These regrets come too late, Karzan.’

It’s only natural that I die like this today, having lived going with the flow without realizing this fact.

‘…I’m weary.’

Among regret and relief, I quietly closed my eyes.

This was my death.

* * *

Seventeen years passed.

One morning, after barely surviving several days of delirium from a sudden high fever.

‘Terminally ill Young Master’ Allenbert suddenly realized he was the reincarnation of Karzan, ‘The Mad Dog of the Underworld.’

“Wow, this is crazy.”

Maybe I just woke up from a wild nightmare?

Young Master Allenbert got up from his bed and slapped his cheek hard.

Smack!

“Wow, it wasn’t a dream.”

That certainly woke me up.