Only I Am A Reader

"Don't worry, no one blabbered about it. I had my own 'special' way of knowing about this place."

The tall man was naturally Leo, but he was far from being drunk. Not to mention being under-aged back on Earth, even if Arthur's body was finally older than him, the last thing he would do was get a drink that messes up the mind.

In any case, acting up being drunk was easy, but Leo didn't come unequipped. As an introvert, one of the things used his ability for was to learn 'acting', so he was confident none of the 'waiters' would notice his little play.

"You-"

"Shshshsh. We don't want to cause anyone panic."

Ironically enough, the organization's main 'lab' that Ray went searching for in a death zone like the Evil Sword Jungle wasn't located anywhere else other than under Sky-Pierce City itself. In a sense, the organization was stretching the concept of how to 'hide in plain sight'.

Swish!

Without delay, Leo had already taken a long step towards the dumbfounded 'waiter', his sword slashing out to claim another life in a very short period of time.

'First step complete.'

Knowing his target was simple for Leo considering the author's compulsory mention of schemes 'elsewhere' while the protagonist ran in circles, but he didn't expect the place to be so… special.

The bartender and the waiters aside, in order to keep up appearances, all of the 'customers' were also in on the 'cover' act. Leo guessed they had actual customers at night, but the current ones' acting was all over the place in his eyes.

Geekkk…

Pushing the stone door open with one hand, Leo tightened his grip around Sword Breaker. A little act and disguise might have got him through without attracting outer attention, but the real hard part was what came next.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Despite having no accurate information regarding the interior of the organization's hidden 'lab', Leo immediately ran forward upon seeing the empty stone tunnel in order not to waste time.

At second glance, Leo recognized a few things through his run through the tunnel. It wasn't too obvious, but the forked tunnel was similar to the one mentioned in detail during Ray's Evil Sword Jungle raid. Leo couldn't afford to lose focus so that he wouldn't fall into any traps. However, the similarity made things easier to notice.

'This is convenient.'

Perhaps due to being confident of their 'front', the tunnel was mostly empty for the most part. It wasn't until he was halfway through that other people appeared. The trouble of hiding Sword Breaker under his disguise was really worth it!

"Intruder!"

Unlike those who were left to clean up the transported lab, the first person Leo came upon was a bonafide Sword Grandmaster. However…

Swish!

"He is…"

The man's sword was barely taken out of its sheath before he lost his life. Unlike protagonists who would exchange a few strikes for expositions, Leo used his superiority to immediately end the battle. All of his training to this point was for this moment's sake!

"A peak Grandmaster!"

The guard who ran over due to his dead colleague's alert could immediately feel direct pressure as soon as his Sword Breath Observation caught nothing!

The phenomenon that Leo felt after ascending to the peak wasn't a fake sensation, upon being completely 'filled' with it, a peak Sword Grandmaster's Sword Breath presence would blend in with that in the surroundings. This was exactly why Leo dared to disguise himself as a scoundrel!

Unlike the deceased 'waiter' who had no reason to believe a peak Grandmaster would stoop so low, acting like a drunkard, the guard automatically acknowledged Leo's status as a Swordsman from having made it here with blood on his blade! This was the end for him!

Swish!

"Quick thinking."

Even as he took another life, Leo's running didn't slow down. It wasn't long since he came here, but he had already killed almost half a dozen men. Even though he was prepared for this, Leo didn't expect to be so chill as he did…

Was it because he completely believed these people deserved it? Or was it because it was a means to an end? Perhaps his nature as a Reader who read all kinds of things made it easier for him to accept it?

Regardless of his earlier experiences where he killed people who were targeting him, Leo was currently wholeheartedly massacring the guards before they even had the chance to attack. It was both a new and an unexpected experience.

'Maybe I'm just broken.'

Shrugging off the questions that always wanted to pop out of his head, Leo focused on what was in front of him. After killing a dozen more Grandmasters, he could see the end of the tunnel! That was where his objective laid! However, there were also…

Compared to the killings that didn't phase him, Leo believed that he needed to get his heart ready for what he was about to see inside.

There was only a curtain in the way, so Leo easily went past it, but he froze upon seeing what hid behind the veil.

It was just a simple large stone chamber, but all the walls within were completely covered with… iron-barred cages.

The cages were extremely small, just like the bodies of those held inside of it. They were all children around the age of his siblings, yet they were extremely malnourished and covered in restraints like some sort of beast…

"Hm? Who are you?"

Even as he prepared himself from it, Leo couldn't help the feelings invoked by what he saw. To make it worse, one of those responsible for this was coldly looking at him with annoyance.

"Don't you know you should stay out unless you are called?"

The man didn't seem alerted by Leo's presence. No one had access to here other than the guards, otherwise, they would be informed about it in advance to evacuate like last time. He simply paid Leo no heed as he approached one of the cages, grabbing the child inside by the chain around his neck, bringing the cup in his hand to the child's mouth.

"Are you sure you didn't call?"

Disturbed by the voice, the man stopped midway, intending to glare at the annoying guard. However…

Swish!

…These annoying words were the last thing his memory registered.