Seeing the mercenary's words grow increasingly offensive, Lauren couldn't hold back. She stepped forward, intending to reason with him.
But before she could speak, Cipher, who was standing nearby, stopped her.
"What kind of thing are you?"
"What?"
The mercenary was stunned, seemingly not understanding what Cipher was saying.
"I! Said! What kind of thing are you? A rabid dog that bites everyone it sees, hasn't been spayed, and is still in heat?"
"You called me a rabid dog!? You! You f***ing..."
"You what? Has your tongue been rotted by alcohol, so you can't even speak? Or can't you form other words, only barking repeatedly like a rabid dog?"
Before the mercenary could finish, Cipher immediately cut him off, not giving him a chance to continue speaking.
"Hmph, constantly calling people 'women' and 'useless'... Then why are you still here drinking instead of taking on quests? At the end of the day, aren't you also useless, unable to take quests, so you can only sit at a table with 'women'?"
"And 'might makes right'... How big is your fist then? You talk so much, but if you're really capable, why don't you challenge the rule-makers?"
At this point, Cipher propped her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful, then suddenly realized something.
"Oh~ I know! Is it because they only need one finger to crush your so-called 'fist' to pieces~"
"So you only talk big, hiding behind the 'rule-makers' facade, then strut around everywhere, barking at everyone you see?"
"After all... aren't those who bark the loudest often the most cowardly watchdogs~"
"Like this, Woof~ Woof~ Woof?"
As she said this, Cipher even put her two hands in front of her, opening and closing her palms with each "Woof," as if imitating a dog opening its mouth.
Facing Cipher's taunts, the mercenary's face turned as red as a freshly ripened apple, though unfortunately, it was a low-quality apple with a pitted skin.
His hand, gripping the wine glass, trembled slightly, not even noticing the cheap alcohol spilling out.
"What's wrong? Can't speak now, only capable of impotent rage?"
Seeing that the mercenary couldn't squeeze out a single word for a long time, Cipher suddenly felt very bored. She had thought that since he had cursed so foully before, she would be able to unleash the skills of her long-dormant Zuan pianist from her previous life. But after only a few sentences, she hadn't even reached one-tenth of her peak in her past life, and he was already deflating.
She had originally wanted to try the Six Arts of a Gentleman from the Tieba forums in her previous life, but it was boring.
"Sigh, I waited for a long time, but no new words, I'm not satisfied at all."
Cipher sighed, then bent down, her blue pupils staring directly at the mercenary.
"So I said it from the beginning..."
As she spoke, she propped herself up with her left hand, while her other hand was placed in front of her, pointing at the mercenary's face.
After completing these actions, Cipher continued, enunciating each word:
"What—on—earth—are—you—exactly?!"
Each time Cipher spoke a word, her finger, adorned with golden nail polish, would lightly poke his nose.
"You stinking b*tch, you're f***ing asking for death!"
Finally, the feeling of being humiliated by being pointed at the nose was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The mercenary, whose rationality had plummeted to zero due to his rage, threw a punch directly at Cipher.
"Watch out!"
Seeing the mercenary suddenly erupt, Lauren immediately shouted a warning and stepped forward, wanting to stop his attack.
But before she could do anything, Cipher, as if she had anticipated it, stepped back and avoided the attack.
"Oh dear, oh dear~ It seems the rabid dog is getting anxious, actually trying to bite people now, how terrifying~"
Cipher clutched her chest, feigning fright, but her expression remained one of playful mockery, grinning mischievously at the mercenary, who was trembling with anger.
The mercenary said nothing, only charging at Cipher with bloodshot eyes.
Seeing this, Lauren pulled out a stick and prepared to join the fray, but before she could step forward, Cipher gently pushed her away, removing her from the battle.
Pushed away, Lauren looked at Cipher with some confusion. She didn't understand why Cipher kept preventing her from acting.
Meanwhile, Cipher easily dodged the mercenary's attacks while leisurely explaining to Lauren:
"Don't worry... He can't do anything to me, I'll play with him a bit longer."
'I can also use this opportunity to adapt to my body more. Anyway, it doesn't hurt if I get hit.'
Seeing that Cipher was actually distracted and talking to someone else while he was attacking her furiously, and crucially, even while she was distracted, he still couldn't even touch a cat's whisker, he broke down again.
The mercenary stopped his attack, stood still, and, with bloodshot eyes, pointed at Cipher and roared loudly:
"You stinking b*tch, you were so good with your words before, but when it comes to fighting, you only know how to dodge?! Damn it, if you're so capable, don't dodge!"
Cipher rolled her eyes, then jumped back, putting a considerable distance between herself and the mercenary.
"Full of foul language, I can tell your mouth is indeed unclean. It seems you ate too much of a certain substance when you were a dog."
"Since you're so eager for a beating, then I shall..."
Before she finished speaking, Cipher instantly vanished from her spot.
The people of the Mercenary Association, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, only felt a flash of golden-purple lightning. The next moment, to the mercenary's terrified gaze, Cipher appeared before him.
"Fulfill your wish."
With that, Cipher suddenly leaned back.
Before the mercenary could react, the tip of her golden high-heeled boot precisely struck his chin.
Then, everyone saw the mercenary... fly into the air.
He flew about five meters high, then quickly fell, and with a dull thud, the mercenary accurately smashed the seat he had originally been sitting on to smithereens.
Wine and wood chips flew everywhere, red, white (beer foam and foamy saliva, don't get the wrong idea, no one died), and green wood chips all mixed together, like an abstract graffiti piece.
As for Cipher, she performed a backflip in the air before gracefully landing on the ground.
After brushing off non-existent dust from her hands, Cipher lifted her cat-like head and turned towards Lauren with a proud expression.
"See, I told you before, I'm very strong."