Black Online-Chapter 179: Throat-Killing Whiskey

Silence~

The basement turned dead quiet as everyone looked at the floor above them and listened to the creaking.

Creak~ Creak~ Creak~

Above the basement, a dark-cloaked man sat down on a stool and tapped his finger against the counter with his index finger.

He was a big man.

Broad shoulders—which pushed the cloak’s sleeves to the breaking point—led down to strong hands that ended in long fingers.

At his back, there was a crossbow. It was a very nice-looking one with intricate carvings and shiny silver bolts.

"Does no one work here? I want a drink!"

Kerr shouted.

He was greeted by nothing but silence and the echo of his own voice.

In the basement.

"..."

Machary was frowning as he was thinking about something, and then with a voice that was barely above a whisper, he asked.

"Isn’t Kerr Gehram a Ranger?"

"...Yes, and so?"

The old man asked.

"He is considered the strongest Ranger in the world. Rangers have an amazing ability to detect presences nearby.

"And with so many here... He, without a doubt, knows that we are here and is just playing around."

Machary said with a dark look.

"There are so many of us here. Let’s just jump the asshole!"

One of the players there whisper-shouted.

They exchanged gazes, and since most of them were level 2 and level 3, they believed that they might have a chance.

"Since he has come here, it doesn’t look like Kerr is that concerned about our number advantage. Rangers are especially good at fighting against big groups."

Fang Raon said.

It plummeted the mood of the players down, and they wondered whether there was anything they could do except lie down and die!

"I’ll go talk with him."

Fang Raon stood up.

Everyone looked at him in shock, and even Machary tried pulling him back down—thinking that he was being idiotic.

"Are you nuts, Raon? He’ll kill you!"

"He will kill us either way."

Fang Raon wryly smiled, then he stepped up the stairs and stepped out of the basement with a smile on his face.

Then, he saw the big man sitting by the bar counter, and he looked over with a normal gaze in his eyes.

They didn’t look overly malicious or threatening, just curious.

It was like he had actually come here just for a drink.

"What shall I get you?"

Fang Raon entered the bar and looked at all the selections of alcohol—he was pretending to be the bartender.

"You the owner? I heard the owner is old."

Kerr asked.

"I am not. The owner is busy. So, what may I get you? There is some... Brain-Shaking Rum, Gut-Punch Bourbon, and Spine-Tingling Tequila."

Fang Raon said as he looked across the different selections of drinks.

"You got some Throat-Killing Whiskey?"

Kerr asked.

Whenever he drank Throat-Killing Whiskey, he felt like he wanted to scratch his throat to get rid of the itch.

It was a rather strange feeling, but it also tasted really good, so it was one of Kerr’s favorite drinks.

"We do. You want that with ice?"

"Sure."

Fang Raon then poured some Throat-Killing Whiskey in a glass, dropped a couple of ice cubes, and handed it to Kerr.

"Mmh."

Kerr put the glass to his lips and took just a small sip, but that was enough to send a fiery burn down his throat.

"Ahhh... That’s good stuff!"

He then put the glass down and started scratching his throat. At the same time, he was constantly clearing his throat.

"Argh... Argh... Without this after-feeling, Throat-Killing Whiskey would truly be the best drink there ever was, but all of these drinks have their downsides.

"Drinking Brain-Shaking Rum makes your brain shake. It makes everything go dizzy and blurry. It’s insanely annoying.

"Gut-Punch Bourbon feels like you were punched into the gut, and you usually end up vomiting the drink all back up.

"Spine-Tingling Tequila just makes your back itch. It’s irritating as hell."

Kerr shook his head.

It was some sick joke made by the game’s developers.

"I do enjoy some Cold-Killing Whiskey, but it makes you heat up from inside, so I wouldn’t suggest drinking it in warm weather."

Fang Raon said with a wry smile.

"Advice accepted."

Kerr raised his cup and put it back to his lips to take a couple more sips.

"By the way, do you mind maybe sparing everybody in the basement? You don’t need to kill them."

Fang Raon said.

Kerr put the glass down, then he scratched his throat again and looked at him with a smile on his face.

"There are a lot of players there. A lot of money. I rarely take anyone’s stuff anymore, as I already have really good equipment.

"I usually kill players just for their items so I can sell them. I’m not doing that to increase my percentage anymore. I would need to fight level 5 or above players to even increase it anymore."

Kerr said.

"...You’re level 6?"

Fang Raon asked.

"Yep."

Kerr said.

He was at the peak of High Ranker, and if he leveled up, he would enter Divine Rankers there were only a couple of them in the entire tower.

"What if every player resigns their items to you, and you’ll spare them then?"

Fang Raon asked.

"I don’t trust them to give their best stuff. Players are very greedy. Even if there is a chance that they might die, they will still try to hide their stuff.

"So, I’ll just usually kill them so there is zero chance that I can get fooled."

Kerr said.

He then finished the drink and slowly stood up—he was slightly tipsy after just one drink because these drinks were very strong.

"I’ll fight you then."

Fang Raon said, and he then equipped King’s Armor, King’s Shortsword, and King’s Shield.

It made him look like some kind of heroic knight—the armor had a color scheme of silver and light yellow—the shield was decorated with a regal lion symbol, and the shortsword gleamed menacingly in the dim light of the tavern.

"Don’t do that. You made me a drink. I’ll spare you, even though it looks like you’re donning some valuable stuff. You can leave."

Kerr nonchalantly waved his hand.

In that moment, Fang Raon jumped over the counter and swung his sword at him, and Kerr bent backwards.

The sword nearly grazed Kerr’s throat but missed, and Kerr bent backward so much that his brown hair grazed the floorboard.

"What an aggressive fellow you are..."

Kerr straightened back up, pulled out a knife from his waist belt, and threw it straight at Fang Raon.

’It’s going to hit the armor’s chestplate.’

Fang Raon thought.

He didn’t do anything, and let the knife hit the chestplate—he thought it wouldn’t do anything—but he suddenly got sent flying backwards into a wall.

The wall was dented with many cracks on it, and Fang Raon struggled to stand up, feeling the numbness in his entire body.

’What the hell is that strength? How could his knife throw be so... strong? It makes zero sense. I don’t understand.’

Fang Raon thought with a frown.

Bang!

At that moment, the basement door slammed open, and another young man appeared—he was wielding a katana.

"Slayer Slash!"

Machary swung his beloved katana at Kerr, and he effortlessly dodged it—just watching as the blade went past his face.

"Raon, you alright?"

Machary asked.

"Yeah..."

Fang Raon grabbed his shortsword harder and pointed it at Kerr, who looked between the two young men.

"Heh~"

"We’re the members of Rose Records. Attacking us is the same as attacking Rose Records. I’d urge you to think carefully about your next move."

Machary said with a frown.

"Why the hell should I give a single fuck about who you’re with? I am part of Dead Redemption, and we fear no one!"

Kerr shouted, and he pulled out two knives from his belt and swung them at both young men—quickly overwhelming them.

King Shortsword and Katana got pushed back by those ordinary-looking knives—it was like their weapons were actually fake ones!

’Those knives are definitely ordinary, but because of Kerr’s overwhelming strength and skill, he can overwhelm with just ordinary weapons!’

Fang Raon thought with an ugly expression.

He then exchanged a gaze with Machary, and as if they were able to hear each other’s thoughts, they moved simultaneously.

Just like against White Tiger King.

They worked together, and Machary attacked from high, and Fang Raon attacked from low—trying to make it so that there were too many angles for Kerr to defend against.

However.

Kerr twirled his knives and stopped their attack with apparent ease—the knives stopped the swinging swords—they tried pushing their swords through the knife, but failed.

"Hmph!"

Kerr swung his knives and sent both young men flying backward—they flew until their bodies crashed against the stone wall.

"This will be a good lesson to you, and I hope you remember it when you start back from the bottom. Your own survival is what matters in the tower.

"In Dead Redemption... We share that same sentiment... None of us are willing to risk our own lives to save one another."

Kerr said.

"Gugh..."

Fang Raon wiped the blood off his lips and slowly stood back up—his sword-wielding hand was still steady.

"Fang Raon, I will attack from the back. You take the front!"

Machary shouted.

He wasn’t done fighting just yet and was going to fight till his last breath—but he also realized that if he died here, he would most likely never touch Black Online again.

There was no way he would be able to get another Game Card—his father would never allow him to get another one.

"Alright!"

Fang Raon shouted.

"...Fang... Raon...?"

Kerr muttered the name with a frown on his face, and then he asked.

"Are you related to Fang Raizen?"