SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 23: Teaching An Asshole A Lesson... Righteously Of Course (2)

Chapter 23: Teaching An Asshole A Lesson... Righteously Of Course (2)

Godfrey didn’t waste an instant. He shot his fist forward, throwing the full weight of his massive body into it.

Hinata merely smiled at the incoming blow, feeling oddly amused.

Hinata knew all too well that he was weak compared to other awakened, but before people like this, the gap was no different than that between earth and the distant heavens.

As if sensing the shift in his demeanor, one of the several men dressed in white called out to Godfrey.

"Godfrey, hold up — I think that guy can use—"

Godfrey ignored the warning and pushed his attack forward. For a moment the world seemed to go still, then a gigantic figure materialized behind Hinata. Before Godfrey could even react, the figure towering over nine feet brought its axe down toward his hands, severing them both completely.

A raw scream tore from his lips as his hands flew past him, blood spraying in every direction. "Wait — please don’t kill me!" he pleaded, collapsing to his knees.

Hinata smirked, gesturing toward his hands. "What? I haven’t even touched you yet."

Godfrey’s trembling eyes blinked once, only then realizing his hands were still attached and no blood stained the floor. He looked back at the other guild members, whose faces bore expressions of pure bewilderment.

"Why did Godfrey suddenly start begging?"

"I always knew that the bastard was spineless." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Godfrey’s breathing grew ragged, cold sweat trickling down his spine. He was certain of what he had witnessed. A giant had severed his hands and was on the verge of killing him.

He stared up at Hinata, whose eyes were luminous. "Your eyes," he stammered. "They’re glowing."

The entire guild fell completely silent at those words, and every guard that had slackened moments before snapped back to full alert.

"Did he just say his eyes are glowing?"

"Didn’t the chief say only the awakened can make their eyes glow?"

"My old man said people with deep purple eyes are usually gift users who can mess with people’s heads."

"Damn, did we just pick a fight with an actual awakened?!"

Hinata’s eyes widened at the brief explanation of purple-eyed gift users. The person who surfaced in his mind at that moment was Albedo.

Not only did she have purple eyes, she had also been messing with his head throughout their entire fight. Did that mean she was also a gift user?

Hinata pressed his fingers to his chin. ’I guess having purple eyes is a good thing.’

’The Fool’ wasn’t exactly a mind-manipulation ability — it leaned closer to reality warping, but if he allowed others to categorize it as a purple-eyed gift, he could conceal his true strength and his identity as the inheritor of the Shadow Core.

Though Hinata was simply processing how best to use this new information, the men and women of the guild interpreted his silence very differently. To them, he was deliberating over how to end their lives.

Godfrey, visibly trembling on the ground, opened his mouth, closed it, then managed to force out words regardless. "You know Chris and Geret, right?"

Hinata’s gaze dropped toward him, expression unreadable. "Hmm..."

Godfrey produced a shaky smirk, the trace of renewed confidence feeding a fragile seed of hope in those around him. "Why don’t we make a deal... if you don’t want their families dead, then you’ll have to—"

Hinata didn’t allow him to finish. With a casual flick of his palm, he sent the large man hurtling through the air on mana alone.

The entire guild hall went still, bodies rigid, swords scraping free of their scabbards.

One man stepped in front of the others, a crimson emblem clutched in his hands. Hinata felt mana pulsing from deep within the item and immediately surged forward.

At the same time, a fireball flared into existence, its thick smoke sending several adventurers into fits of coughing.

The fireball hurtled toward Hinata. Rather than dodging, he formed a gauntlet over one hand and layered the 2x attack effect onto it.

During his journey to the city he had experimented with new techniques following his moment of enlightenment.

Since mana existed within all things, and was fundamentally a form of energy, didn’t that mean that an attack could be dispersed simply by channeling an equivalent amount of mana?

Hinata had tested this theory for a full day. He discovered not only that it held true, but that by redirecting the residual energy back into his body he could reinforce both his physical strength and his strikes, though excessive amounts still remained dangerous.

With that understanding, Hinata drove his gauntleted hand directly into the oncoming attack. The instant it made contact with the fireball, he released a surge of mana matching what he had estimated the spell’s output to be.

Luckily, his estimate proved correct. The fireball, which had already been scorching the wooden floor to cinders, dissolved without a trace.

A wave of energy surged through his body as violet fractures of light crawled across his skin.

"What in the hell did he just do to that spell?!"

The men who had been poised to attack a heartbeat ago stood frozen in place, their hands shaking against the hilts of their blades.

Hinata’s eyes swept across all of them as he steadied the energy roiling through his flesh and bones.

"What’s wrong," he said, his voice calm, almost indifferent. "Don’t tell me you’re scared now?"

The men couldn’t even respond, their bodies quivering like rats cornered in a trap. The stench of sweat, already heavy in the air, thickened further as the adventurers began inching toward the door.

Hinata no longer felt the same fury he had carried earlier, yet he knew withdrawing his mana now wasn’t wise either. It was then that the man dressed in white spoke up, his tone measured and composed.

"Mister," he said, offering a calm smile. "I believe you’ve already taught the juniors enough, don’t you think? For the sake of the common folk, and myself could you find it in you to forgive them?"

Hinata studied the smiling man for a moment, exhaled quietly, then drew his mana back in.

The moment the oppressive pressure lifted, the adventurers released a collective breath of relief, though their trembling did not entirely cease.

The man in white stepped forward and extended his hand. "Thank you for your patience, mister. I am the guild master of the North Forest Guild, and on behalf of the staff, I sincerely offer our apologies."

Hinata accepted the handshake. "I’m sorry as well for causing such a scene."

The man laughed warmly. "No, no — it was the adventurers who exhausted your patience. Truth be told, I doubt I would have shown as much restraint as you did."

Hinata allowed the faintest smile. At the very least, there was someone with common sense among the adventurers.

"So then, mister, what brought you to our lovely guild?"

’Lovely?’ Hinata thought, shaking his head faintly. "I came to register as an adventurer."

The man’s eyes went wide before he broke into laughter. "Wonderful, wonderful! I am Gunther the Shieldbreaker. A pleasure to meet you."

Hinata’s gaze sharpened. "Nishikawa Hinata, that’s my name."