Click!
With the heavy creak of the doors, the entrance swung open.
Standing in the doorway was Martial Lord Go Gin, towering over three meters tall. His immense shadow, like a green wall, loomed over Sakeer, while his white beard-like hair quivered with each breath.
Sharp, jagged teeth jutted out from both sides of his mouth, and his cold, white eyes fixed on Sakeer, radiating an indescribable pressure that seemed to smother the air itself.
"Martial Lord Go Gin?"
Sakeer instinctively looked up.
The massive figure before him appeared stocky, almost overweight, but beneath that bulk was an undeniable display of overwhelming strength.
He was both surprised and puzzled by the arrival of the Martial Lord.
They had never crossed paths before.
As for how Go Gin had found this new address—there was no need to ask.
Boom!
The ground trembled slightly.
Go Gin gave Sakeer a passing glance, then dismissed him entirely, stepping forward with thundering strides as he entered the spacious courtyard.
Sakeer frowned and turned his gaze toward the street outside.
A crowd had already gathered, drawn by the sheer presence of the Martial Lord. Among them, he could even spot several figures clad in standard imperial armor.
Clearly, Go Gin's presence alone had caused a commotion.
Without a word, Sakeer shut the heavy doors behind him, cutting off the curious stares from outside. Then, his gaze returned to Go Gin, who had already advanced into the courtyard.
Boom. Boom.
Every step rattled the earth, sending faint vibrations through the stone pavement.
Go Gin paid no attention to Sakeer—the rightful owner of the estate. Instead, he surveyed the courtyard, his gaze sharp and unyielding, before striding toward a specific spot in the center.
Sakeer followed his gaze.
A glimmer of understanding flashed through his eyes.
"That's my important property, Your Excellency Go Gin."
His calm voice cut through the silence.
Go Gin's red-marked nose wrinkled in distaste, and without turning around, he spoke in a low, gruff tone:
"I don't like nonsense, human alchemist."
His voice was thick and rough, laced with undisguised indifference—and disgust.
Then—
Go Gin stopped.
Before him, bound tightly in the center of the courtyard, was a thin, frail-looking troll.
Compared to Go Gin, who loomed at over three meters, the troll—barely two meters tall—seemed like a mere child in front of him.
"Mmmph! Mmmph—!"
The troll's wild eyes locked onto Go Gin in terror.
Its dull, lifeless gaze suddenly flickered with a hint of recognition—as if it understood something terrible was about to happen.
It squirmed and struggled, emitting muffled whimpers, desperately trying to communicate something.
But with its mouth gagged, all that came out were meaningless cries.
Go Gin's cold, white eyes remained emotionless.
"Weak. Pathetic. Disgusting."
There was not a shred of pity in his tone.
Swish!
Without warning, Go Gin's massive arm shot forward, his thick fingers clamping around the troll's entire head.
With a single effortless motion, he lifted it off the ground, the troll's body dangling helplessly in the air.
The ropes that bound it strained and snapped, unable to withstand the overwhelming force.
"Mmmph—!"
The troll shrieked, its limbs flailing wildly in desperation.
Click!
With a sudden, violent clench, Go Gin's green-skinned fingers dug deep into the troll's skull—
And crushed it.
Blood splattered in every direction, mixed with milky-white brain matter, staining Go Gin's thick arms and chest.
Boom!
The headless body collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud.
Yet, even with its skull obliterated, the troll's body still twitched, its unnatural vitality refusing to fade immediately.
Boom!
Go Gin raised his foot—
And brought it down with a deafening stomp.
The sheer force caved in the troll's chest, shattering its ribcage and crushing its heart.
At last, the twitching ceased.
Go Gin exhaled heavily, then turned without a word and strode back toward the gate.
The blood splattered across his body, combined with his cold, savage expression, made him seem even more terrifying—
A true embodiment of brute force and dominance.
From beginning to end, he had completely ignored Sakeer's presence.
The stench of blood filled the courtyard.
It even overpowered the sweet floral scents drifting from the small aristocratic garden nearby.
Sakeer sighed softly as he observed the gruesome scene.
"I told you."
His voice was calm, yet firm.
"That was my important property. Even as the Martial Lord of the Imperial Arena, you don't have the right to destroy someone else's possessions, do you?"
Go Gin paused in his steps.
The two copper rings dangling from his ears clinked lightly as he turned slightly, his disdainful gaze falling on Sakeer.
A sneer curled his lips.
"You're not afraid of me, human alchemist?"
His voice carried a note of mockery.
"Is it because you can use troll blood to refine some... unique alchemical potion?"
His sneer deepened.
"Forget it."
His tone was dismissive, almost bored.
"Someone will send you compensation for the troll tomorrow. But hear me well—
From this moment on, you will never be able to buy another troll in the Imperial Capital."
He took another step forward.
"Leaving this city would be your best option."
Then, as though losing all interest, he muttered:
"You should be grateful, human alchemist."
His cold, white eyes flickered with scorn as he glanced at Sakeer one final time.
"I have no interest in the weak."
Without another word, Go Gin turned and left, leaving behind only the scent of blood, the shattered corpse of the troll, and a lingering sense of dominance that hung thick in the air.
To Martial Lord Go Gin, this was nothing short of an insult.
Osk had already forbidden the trade of trolls, yet this human alchemist not only continued selling alchemical potions but had ramped up production—even driving the price of a single bottle to a staggering 500 gold coins.
Having spent years living among humans, especially in the brutal world of the Imperial Arena, Go Gin understood human greed all too well.
He hadn't come here just to destroy the trolls in the alchemist's possession.
This was also a warning—to everyone.
Sakeer's eyes flickered as understanding dawned.
So that's why he came.
More than just a powerful brute, Go Gin had just demonstrated a level of intelligence and reasoning far beyond that of the primitive trolls that roamed the Great Forest of Tob.
This wasn't just a difference in strength.
This was a gap in intellect.
A difference in wisdom.
Sakeer sighed.
"What a shame."
He gazed at Go Gin's towering green form, his voice laced with something between pity and mockery.
"'Weakling'?"
He let out a soft chuckle.
"Are you describing yourself?"
Go Gin paused for the briefest moment.
Then, he continued walking—ignoring the mockery entirely.
Why would the strong bother responding to the taunts of the weak?
Sakeer, however, wasn't done.
"Do you think I'm upset that you killed those trolls?"
His voice remained calm.
"Or maybe… you think of yourself as a great warrior?"
He chuckled.
"Ah, I nearly forgot—you're hailed as the strongest Martial Lord in the history of the Imperial Arena, aren't you?"
When he uttered the words "Imperial Arena," his tone noticeably deepened, carrying a subtle weight.
And then he smiled.
"In the Baharuth Empire, there's no doubt—you are the strongest warrior, second only to Fluder Paradyne, the famed 'Triad Magic Caster' and Chief Court Mage."
"In the realm of warriors, you stand unmatched."
His voice took on a mocking lilt.
"So tell me, Go Gin… how many years has it been since you joined the Imperial Arena?"
"Six years?"
"For six long years, you've been fighting nothing but weaklings.
"Is that how you hone your martial arts?"
His words hung heavy in the air.
"Do you truly believe that crushing weaklings… and basking in the cheers of countless humans… makes you strong?"
Sakeer's tone grew colder.
"'Martial Lord'—that's a grand title."
He crossed his arms, his gaze piercing.
"You live in a world of 'strength'—but it's a strength woven by humans."
His voice dropped, laced with undeniable scorn.
"You have long stagnated."
"You are no longer worthy of being called strong."
His words cut deep.
"You have become exactly what you despise, Your Excellency—'weakling'."
To Sakeer, Go Gin was without a doubt one of the most gifted warriors he had ever encountered.
His current power level was around level 30—a formidable force.
But his strength came solely from his racial lineage as a Troll and an Elite Battle Troll.
At the professional level, however—
His class level was not high.
Which meant only one thing:
Go Gin's potential was immense.
Sakeer estimated that his true potential could reach level 50—perhaps even beyond.
And that—
That was the fundamental difference between subhumans and humans.
A difference that could never be bridged.
For humans, there was always a ceiling.
For subhumans, the sky was the limit.
(End of Chapter)