No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

"Shut up if you don't want to die!"

"Ah! Yes boss! I will shut up now!"

Damien Bloodbane strode away toward the bustling bazaar, his heavy footsteps thudding against the cobblestone path, the heated jeers of the red-armored youths echoed behind him. 

"Yeah, walk away, loser. You really think that by completing missions you would be able to make yourself worthy of our heavenly princess, Jennifer Aquafrost? Hah! Dream on!"

"Make sure you stay out of sight of our Aquafrost Clan. The next time I see you, I might just lose control of my blade… And cut off your little stubby dick!"

"Bahahaha! Stubby dick! E-rank is really E-rank! Even his dick is E-rank!"

The metallic clank of their gauntlets and the sharp ring of their mocking laughter followed like gnats buzzing in his ears.

Damien Bloodbane stopped and sighed deeply. 

He didn't want to attract too much attention to himself. 

The less that knew about his strength, the better.

He still had much to do, and being completely anonymous still had its advantages.

"But I guess taking out a little bit of the trash is fine." Damien Bloodbane thought to himself. 

"Huh? Why have you stopped walking away with your tail between your legs?" The lead youth, a tall, sharp-featured brute with a jagged scar running down his cheek and a perpetual sneer twisted across his lips, tilted his head with exaggerated curiosity.

"Could it be… That you're actually pissed off by our words? And you want to deal with us?" He exclaimed with mock surprise.

"Oh no! What should we do? Brothers! The E-rank trash is angry! Should we call the Aquafrost Elder for help? Ah! I am so scared! Hahahahaha!" Another youth next to him cackled loudly, his gauntlet-clad hand slapping his thigh as tears of laughter welled in his eyes.

"Maybe we should form a protective formation," he sneered, wiping his eyes, "after all, the E-rank trash might trip and accidentally take one of us down with him!"

The rest of the red-armored youths roared with laughter. "Oh my Lord, stop making me laugh so hard! Hahaha!"

Damien Bloodbane chuckled at their words.

After so many hellish years of training within the Super Soldier Basic Training Program, he had completely detached himself from the concept of being a trashy E Rank.

Unknowingly, his self-esteem - which was previously like a solid wall, merely able to stand firm beneath a barrage of constant assault - had transformed to become that of an unshakable fortress. 

No insult could breach it, no taunt could stir even a flicker of doubt.

And so, he was actually able to appreciate the humor behind the mocking words of the Aquafrost youths.

"Sure, why not? I will allow you one minute to get your asses in formation. After that, I will go over and beat you up one by one until you are one single inch away from death." Damien Bloodbane said with a friendly smile as though he was patiently playing with a bunch of little boys instead of threatening them with grievous bodily assault.

"You… truly have a death wish!" The lead youth's eyes narrowed in anger. 

He was angry that his mocking words had no effect on Damien Bloodbane. Heck, even worse, that E rank trash even dared to taunt them!

""In that case, die!" the Aquafrost youth snarled, lunging forward with reckless abandon, his sword cleaving through the air in a wide, vicious arc aimed straight at Damien Bloodbane's neck.

Damien's brow lifted as his sharp eyes tracked the swing. He was actually more curious than concerned. 

"Seriously? A wild, overextended slash aimed at such an easily defensible target?" He exhaled softly, the faintest hint of disappointment flickering across his face. 

"How has this guy even survived this long?"

The blade whistled through the air, but Damien didn't flinch. With calm precision, he shifted his weight and took a small, calculated step back—just enough for the sword to slice harmlessly through empty space and miss him by a breath.

"Horyaaa!!" the Aquafrost youth bellowed and swung his sword towards Damien Bloodbane once more, mistaking the near miss for a lucky break. His eyes dilated, obviously already drunk on the thrill of battle.

Damien Bloodbane sighed. "He's just swinging blindly without even thinking. Pathetic."

There was no tension in Damien's stance, no urgency in his movements. 

He didn't even have to use [Sovereign Stride]. Just his reflex speed and instinctive movements were more than enough.

To him, this wasn't a fight. 

It was a lesson and the poor fool didn't even know he was about to be schooled.

Shua. Shua. Shua.

Damien Bloodbane's feet shifted lightly across the cobblestones, barely more than a whisper of motion.

The lead youth's blade cut through the air in wild, aggressive arcs but every strike met only empty air.

Damien Bloodbane's head tilted lazily to the side, letting a wide slash whistle past his ear. 

The lead youth staggered forward from his own momentum, teeth bared as bloodlust slowly turned into frustration.

Another downward swing came, brutal and heavy. 

But Damien Bloodbane merely shifted his weight onto his back foot and allowed the blade to slam into the ground with a deafening clang.

"Huh? Big Bro Jet! What are you doing? Stop playing with him and kill him already!" One of his underlings shouted out in an uneasy voice.

"Yeah, Big Bro, finish him and let's go. We still have to submit our mission!" Yelled another one in a similarly uneasy voice. 

They were no fools. 

They could see that Damien Bloodbane's footwork and speed were beyond exquisite. 

But they were unwilling to face reality, and so they hoped that by urging their strongest Big Bro Jet to defeat him, he might actually succeed and put their fears to rest.

Then they could say "Ah, we were just seeing things. How could an E rank trash's footwork and speed be so awesome? Ha ha ha!"

They were in denial.

"You bastard. You actually dare to play with me?" The lead Aquafrost youth, Jethro Aquafrost, wheezed in anger.

As the one most involved in combat, he felt it in every missed swing, in every failed thrust.

Damien Bloodbane hadn't even broken a sweat.