Chapter 22

It wasn't hard to guess what kind of misunderstanding they had.

People burned to death while tied up, and the villain retrieving the girl who would be the final victim…

Turan quickly observed his opponents.

Four in number.

Though hard to be certain since they were magicians, they appeared to be in their late teens to early twenties.

Notably, all four were giving off strong scents of excitement and tension.

Just like when he first went wolf hunting with his mother in childhood.

Presumably, they were inexperienced youngsters.

"Wait-"

"Ah!"

The moment Turan opened his mouth to explain, the magician holding a flame spear exclaimed and shot it.

Judging by their startled expression, they had lost control due to excessive tension.

Turan extended one arm from those holding the child to catch the spear while fully infusing magic power into his bracelet.

As the guardian bloodline power protected his entire body, the flame spear exploded and flames enveloped him.

"What are you doing!? There was a child!"

"Ah, no, by accident…"

The woman with the ice bow shouted sharply as she saw Turan and the girl in his arms both engulfed in flames.

But shortly after, they all widened their eyes in shock without exception.

Turan, who had taken the magic head-on, was perfectly fine without even a burn or singe mark.

Even the girl in his arms too.

"What in…"

"How?"

Not even countering with magic but just taking it with his body?

For those unaware of guardian magical devices, they could only interpret that the opponent either had a defense-specialized bloodline or overwhelming magic power.

Turan noticed their fear and threatened in a low voice.

"I'm not the one who attacked this village. If you attack again, I'll start defending myself from then."

The frightened flame spear wielder quickly lowered both hands to show no intention of resistance at his piercing gaze.

Shortly after, the bow woman also lowered her aimed bow.

"Bisen."

"Turan."

All fights start from not understanding each other.

Just exchanging names greatly lowered the tension.

The bow woman, Bisen, stared steadily at Turan and asked.

"How should I trust you?"

"Ask this child when she wakes up. She seems to have seen the real culprit."

"She saw the Burner?"

"The Burner?"

"Don't tell me you don't know?"

Bisen asked with twitching eyebrows at Turan's questioning.

"I don't."

At Turan's answer, she explained with a half-doubting expression.

For the past few months, some deranged magician had been periodically attacking remote villages in this area, tying people up and burning them to death.

The culprit had earned the nickname "Burner" and had an elimination order from the local city lord, but with no survivors, not even their gender was known.

Until one was rescued by Turan today.

"Then this child should be able to tell us. She's unconscious now, but when I first found her, she said a magician did this."

After saying this much, Turan laid the surviving girl down beside the trapdoor and covered her with his cloak.

Their strange standoff ended thirty minutes later when the girl opened her eyes again.

"Are you conscious?"

"Where…"

"Your home."

Turan spoke in a kind voice to avoid startling the child while first giving her water from a leather flask.

Though the girl's young face was stained with anguish as if realizing her situation, she soon recited the culprit's description point by point as Turan requested.

"Red cloak, and his face, he had a beard… looked rough like a woodcutter."

The girl said she had watched the situation hiding in the trapdoor with just her eyes out when people were being dragged away by the magician.

Then when she saw him coming back around looking for more people, she quickly closed the door and bolted it.

When Turan patted the head of the girl explaining somehow with childlike limited vocabulary, tears welled up in her round eyes.

But the girl bit her lips and didn't cry.

Pain and trials thus quickly make children into adults.

After bringing the girl away to question her once more in case she was being threatened with force, Bisen bowed deeply to Turan in apology.

"I'm sorry. Even though it was a situation prone to misunderstanding…"

Turan looked down at her for a while before nodding with a deep sigh.

Though angry at being attacked first, it was impulsive, and above all, he didn't want to be too angry since they had worried about the child's safety when attacking.

It was rare for nobles to care so much about ordinary people.

After receiving apologies from the other three as well, Turan asked what he was most curious about first.

"Did you come to catch this Burner?"

"Yes. We saw someone at a recently burned place and thought we'd finally caught them this time…"

Shaking her head saying it was a waste, Bisen confidently said they could catch them now that they had a description.

"We have a born tracker among us."

"Tracker?"

When Turan showed surprise, Bisen went "Ah" and slightly turned her head.

Her gaze was directed at one of her three companions, a woman of particularly small build.

"Could it be you're from the Zahar family? But why in a place like this?"

The Enril Desert was far from here, and moreover, going west from here was Arabion territory.

Could these be from that infamous Zahar assassination group that had attempted to kill Meisa?

But they all seemed too naive for that…

Seeming to guess Turan's thoughts, Bisen quickly shook her head.

"No, that's not it, we're-"

But Bisen couldn't continue and mumbled.

As he stared directly at her, she finally revealed her identity as if giving up.

"We're from Abacha."

"Abacha, of Karmaine?"

"I am Bisen Karmaine. These are friends from vassal families."

It was truly a coincidental meeting considering Abacha was the name of the port city Turan was heading to, Karmaine family's stronghold.

Though not really coincidence considering this village was broadly under Karmaine's influence.

"Asha is descended from a family that merged with Zahar nobles in ancestral times, but their bloodline manifested weakly, so while skilled at detection magic, she has no talent for stealth."

When multiple bloodlines combine to create great family bloodlines, they sometimes degrade, usually manifesting only one ability from before combination.

Such cases were called 'primitive bloodlines' and even great families didn't bother collecting such bloodlines.

Because the possibility of degraded bloodlines becoming stronger through recombination was extremely rare.

"I don't know how Karmaine family nobles ended up hunting a magician here, but it doesn't seem very prudent. Especially without even bringing knights."

Shouldn't nobles, even from humble families, be accompanied by plenty of knights?

As attendants, or though Turan disliked the method, as meat shields.

At his words, Bisen's group showed incredulous expressions.

"That's, not something someone who travels completely alone should say…"

"Because I can sufficiently ensure my own safety."

When the man who had shot the flame spear spoke in a timid voice, Turan answered proudly.

Having shown taking the flame spear head-on earlier, those words had plenty of persuasiveness.

"Besides, you four don't seem very old, did you get permission from your family to come out?"

Seeing them flinch, he could be certain.

That these four were runaway nobles who had left their family without permission.

What other reason would young nobles have for wandering such places without even one knight?

"You should give up hunting the magician and return. It's dangerous."

Though the Burner was likely not very skilled given they only harassed helpless country folk, these people seemed so careless they might lose even to such an unremarkable magician.

If Turan fought them, it wouldn't take even ten minutes to hunt them all.

Before even considering magic power strength, they all clearly showed unfamiliarity with fighting.

"We can't do that."

Bisen shook her head and explained their circumstances.

They were those pushed aside in their family for lacking innate qualities or succession rank, and thus couldn't receive enough magic power for growth within the family.

Since monsters supplied to the family went first to members with excellent qualities, they had to supplement their power and build achievements this way.

This was one of the problems many great families had.

Though stronger bloodlines meant higher chances of children being born as noble-class magicians, there weren't enough monsters to go around to all of them.

While "pilgrimage" like Asiz was one solution, considering costs and safety issues, it was hard for benefits to reach everyone.

Since the number of knights was also limited.

"Lord Turan, could you help us hunt the Burner? Magic power might be difficult since we're already four, but we'll give you all the bounty. Or… I could give up my share of magic power."

"What are you saying, Sister!"

"Sister!"

"Don't say foolish things. I'd rather give up my share."

The other three objecting to Bisen's words suggested she was quite a decent leader among them.

That sight reminded Turan of Midan.

The leader of the monster hunters he met in Murei city.

"This Burner, their skill level isn't known at all?"

"They're definitely noble-class. Some villages they attacked had several knights specifically guarding them, but they were all killed too."

This was also why the local city lord hadn't been able to eliminate the Burner yet.

Apparently knights weren't enough answer and a noble, perhaps the family head directly, needed to go, but they didn't even know where they lived or what they did so it was hard to chase, and with attack timing and location random it was hard to wait in villages.

If they were just a vicious one attacking all passersby like the monkey monster above Baltas before, they could just go find them.

This was why human villains were more troublesome than monsters.

"Alright."

He recalled feeling quite unpleasant seeing the monster hunters torn to death by the rabbit monster.

While he might not care about complete strangers, after talking this much, he'd probably feel similar if these people died.

It also felt bad that a shepherd would indiscriminately kill rather than protect sheep.

Moreover, if the Burner was stronger than expected, it could be a chance to gain more magic power.

Now that Turan had built up noble-class intermediate or higher magic power, common low-grade monsters scattered along roads didn't easily increase his power anymore.

"Since we'll be working together now, may I ask which family you belong to, Lord Turan?"

"I can use guardian bloodline power."

Though there was no real need to desperately hide his bloodline anymore, Turan still concealed it.

He didn't want his identity spreading even as rumor to the Arabion people he had become close with.

The Zahar stealth ability was also most useful while unknown.

"I see."

Most families born with combat-specialized bloodlines from guardian onwards didn't have their own territory.

They had been weeded out long ago for being disadvantageous in fights between nobles, especially large-scale wars.

The few survivors either stayed as vassals of other families like Haram or wandered, and Bisen's group thought Turan was such a wandering noble.

Anyway, it was enough that he was certainly quite skilled.

* * *

Turan and Bisen's group first took the village's only survivor, the girl, to another nearby village.

That village's chief looked half-dazed when nobles like gods suddenly appeared and left a child from the neighboring village in his care.

"Here, I'll give plenty of money so take good care of her until she becomes an adult."

"How could there be any question, of course!"

"I'll come back to check in a few years."

Of course, he likely wouldn't come back to check barring extreme circumstances, but saying this would prevent them from treating her carelessly.

Turan was someone who had directly experienced how cruel small village residents could be to outsiders, especially children.

"You're kind. Even though she's just a commoner girl with no connection to you."

"Well, yeah."

The one who spoke to Turan was Kebek, the oldest youth among the four.

He had healer bloodline and said though non-combat bloodlines usually had high priority so no need to run away, he came along out of loyalty to Bisen.

He was also the one who gave up his share of magic power for Turan's portion.

"You don't need to worry, I'm not interested in Bisen."

"W-what…"

"It shows a lot in your attitude."

At Turan's words, Kebek blushed in embarrassment.

Honestly rather than knowing from attitude, it was because Kebek gave off mating scent when looking at Bisen.

That Asha girl with half Zahar bloodline probably knew too if she had keen smell like Turan.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!"

When Bisen returned after exchanging a few more words with the village chief, Kebek hurriedly covered it up.

Nodding "I see," she looked at Turan and said.

"That child's words keep bothering me."

"Could it be true?"

"I don't know. It's something I've never heard of… probably just a madman's ravings."

The girl Turan had saved recalled on the way to the next village that she had heard a few words the Burner was saying in the basement.

The content was truly bizarre beyond measure.

[I offer these sacrifices here, oh gods! Your descendant advances toward you by burning souls and flesh!]

The magician shouted that they were becoming closer to godhood by killing villagers.

So the girl testified.

Chapter 22: Rising Where You Fell (4)

When Dam Ho opened his eyes, the first sensation he felt was excruciating pain. It was as though his entire body was being dismantled, an agony that seized every fiber of his being.

"Am I… still alive?"

He tried moving his hand first.

It moved.

His foot moved as well.

Only then did Dam Ho release a breath of relief. The pain was present, but there was no difficulty in movement.

Dam Ho looked around. But all he could see was utter darkness—he could not distinguish a thing even a foot ahead.

"Was I buried under the rubble?"

Yet if that were the case, he would have felt far more pressure on his body. Breathing was not particularly difficult, either.

Dam Ho lay still, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. How much time had passed? Gradually, as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, the surroundings began to emerge.

"Where is this?"

Dam Ho's pupils trembled.

He lay in an immense cavern.

One wall of the cavern had collapsed, and through the breach, a massive quantity of earth and boulders had poured in. It appeared the gorge's collapse had caused the underground cavern to cave in as well.

Dam Ho himself seemed to have been swept in by the flood of debris.

"Heh heh!"

A bitter laugh escaped through his lips.

He could detect no sign of life.

In this vast underground space, he existed alone. He was, for all practical purposes, buried alive.

The crushing loneliness and sense of loss were beyond the power of words to express. No matter how strong his will, even Dam Ho could not help but despair in such circumstances.

Dam Ho's shoulders trembled with faint spasms.

It was as though an earthquake had struck. The explosion that began deep within the gorge had spread to the entrance, and the entire gorge had collapsed. It seemed impossible that anyone could have survived within.

"Cunning bastards! To think they would choose mutual destruction."

Cheong-heo the Sage gnashed his teeth.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings. Several of the Wudang Sect's disciples were missing. They had failed to escape the gorge in time and had been swept away by the collapse.

The situation was the same for the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect. Several disciples were nowhere to be seen. The faces of those who had barely survived were etched with grief.

Yeom Joong-hwa ground his teeth.

"Truly fearsome, those wretches. To choose self-destruction upon discovery."

"It is fortunate, at least. This way, we have prevented their resurgence."

At the words of Geum Han-su beside him, Yeom Joong-hwa nodded.

"That is true. With this, the remnants of the Demonic Cult are all but annihilated."

Yeom Joong-hwa's gaze shifted subtly toward the Mount Hua Sect's encampment.

The Mount Hua Sect's disciples had gathered in a cluster. At their center stood Sage Hyeon-so.

"Ho-a!"

Sage Hyeon-so's voice quavered.

He stared at the collapsed gorge with an expression of disbelief.

Most of the Mount Hua Sect's disciples had escaped, but Dam Ho was nowhere to be found.

Mu-gyeong answered with a somber expression.

"I am sorry, Martial Uncle. We tried to save him, but we were too late."

"…"

While Mu-gyeong made his excuses, Un-gyeong said nothing at all. He simply bit his lip and stared into the distant sky.

"How can this be?"

Sage Hyeon-so's legs gave way, and he collapsed on the spot.

With a look on his face as though he had lost the entire world, he gazed at the gorge, and no one could offer him consolation.

Woon-ho and the Second Generation Disciples felt gratitude toward Dam Ho.

They owed their lives to him. Had they escaped at the same time as everyone else, they would have been buried in the gorge due to their poor lightness art skills.

"Martial Uncle."

Mu-gyeong clenched his teeth.

His face was suffused with shame.

He was mortified that he had to make such excuses when he had not even entertained the thought of saving Dam Ho. But now was not the time to speak the truth. He was not yet prepared.

And so he could only watch Sage Hyeon-so in silence.

"No, Ho-a is not dead. He would not die so meaninglessly. That child is not so easily killed."

Sage Hyeon-so struggled to his feet.

"Martial Uncle."

"I am fine. I am fine…"

Un-gyeong tried to support him, but Sage Hyeon-so refused.

Like a stone statue, Sage Hyeon-so stood motionless, staring at the collapsed gorge.

"Ho-a."

***

Dam Ho opened his eyes.

He could not even begin to gauge how much time had passed.

It felt as though he had lost consciousness briefly, or perhaps days had elapsed. In a dark space, the passage of time was almost impossible to perceive.

Dam Ho lay on his back, staring vacantly at the ceiling.

It took a long while before any focus returned to his eyes, which had seemed devoid of all will.

An odd sight greeted Dam Ho's vision. From one side of the cavern, a faint light was perceptible.

Dam Ho sharpened his gaze. Then he saw it—a small stone embedded in the ceiling, emitting a dim glow.

"A night-luminescent pearl?"

Even spending a fortune would not easily procure a night-luminescent pearl. But the shape of this one seemed unnatural.

"Has a human hand touched this? How?"

He could not believe that human hands had reached this vast underground space.

A single word surfaced in Dam Ho's mind.

"The Thousand Gold Demonic Prison."

Eum Yu-gyeong had said as much. Dam Ho was now certain that this place was indeed the Thousand Gold Demonic Prison.

It was where the Demonic Cult's madmen had hidden and lived. If so, it meant the environment was habitable for others as well.

He had to verify it for himself.

Dam Ho forced his body upright.

"Kugh!"

A groan escaped him involuntarily, but he fought through the pain.

Even a single step was agony. Yet Dam Ho endured and moved.

First, he had to ascertain his situation with precision. Only then could he form a judgment and devise a plan.

The underground cavern was extraordinarily vast. Dam Ho found traces of countless people who had resided here. They must have left in great haste, for all manner of belongings lay scattered about.

"People lived here?"

Several tunnels radiated outward from the great cavern.

Following one of the tunnels, Dam Ho entered a space that, while smaller than the main cavern, was still considerable in size. A night-luminescent pearl was embedded here as well.

Footprints marked the solid floor in various places. Dam Ho recognized them as the traces of martial arts practice.

"A training ground?"

Dam Ho frowned.

He was a martial artist himself and could not fail to recognize the marks left by martial arts practice.

Dam Ho moved on to the next space.

"Huff!"

Overexerting himself produced ragged breaths, but Dam Ho did not rest. No—he could not afford to rest.

'I must survive. By any means necessary.'

What was needed to survive in this enclosed underground space was water and food.

Dam Ho searched the underground cavern thoroughly. And at last, he found what he had been seeking.

Inside a small stone chamber, wooden crates filled to the brim came into view. When he opened one, it was packed with dark pills.

A faint scent of grain drifted from the pills.

"Hunger-Quelling Pills."

These were undoubtedly the Hunger-Quelling Pills that the Demonic Cult's cultivators had stored for emergencies. There were quite a数量—enough to sustain him for some time.

"Very well."

In the endless darkness, a single ray of light had pierced through.

Dam Ho's grip tightened on the crate.

He clenched his teeth.

Sage Hyeon-so's voice seemed to ring in his ears like an echo.

"All I need is an unyielding heart…"

Then Heaven would open the way of its own accord.

By now, everyone in the Extreme Poison Sect knew who that “brat” was that Mang-ryo had become so obsessively fixated on.

The masters of the Extreme Poison Sect sighed.

“Elder Mang, don’t you think this is going too far? Is that child some kind of demon? How could someone who fell into the Mixed Spring Ground a month ago have returned, and even if he did somehow return, what could he possibly have done to Bloody Hand?”

Mang-ryo paid little attention to their words.

“Kee hee hee. Think whatever you want.”

Another master asked.

“So where exactly is this brat now?”

Mang-ryo cackled as he answered.

“Triple Mountain Peak!”

Mang-ryo pointed to a distant peak with confident assurance.

“He’s gone to Triple Mountain Peak, where Bloody Hand was guarding!”

Everyone gathered there began to murmur.

“But the incident occurred here, so why would he be at Triple Mountain Peak?”

Mang-ryo answered decisively.

“Only fools who don’t know what kind of person he is would ask such a question. Do you have any idea how tenacious he is? He’s someone who survived a whole month in a cave reeking with poison, who crawled out of the Mixed Spring Ground.”

The face of the master who had questioned Mang-ryo wrinkled in displeasure.

Mang-ryo continued to cackle.

“Recently, I used a slave child from his sect as bait to lure him. Usually, he would have waited patiently for a month, but this time he took the bait immediately. For whatever reason, he was in a great hurry. So would such a tenacious person go to Triple Mountain Peak without any preparations? No. He must have been scheming. So you shouldn’t think he’s still here just because there was an incident here.”

Mang-ryo declared loudly.

“Making noise in the east while attacking in the west! After leaving the Mixed Spring Ground, he secretly poisoned one of the garbage collectors. He arranged for the poison to take effect around this time. So while we’re combing through this area, he’s planning to rescue the people of Hundred Flower Valley at Triple Mountain Peak.”

“But we already sent the Hundred Flower Valley people to the underground tunnels.”

“Of course they’re not here. This is a trap I set. But he believes his people are still alive, which is why he’s doing this.”

Another master inquired.

“Then who was the poisoned person?”

“He was carrying a book called the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture, so it must be that fellow Gwak-o. I gave him that book.”

A master of the Extreme Poison Sect ordered the warriors.

“Find this Gwak-o!”

Mang-ryo clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, there’s no point looking for him. By now, he’s probably just a corpse lying somewhere.”

“Where could a mere child have obtained such poison?”

“Do you think I didn’t consider that? This is what happens when you underestimate him, just like what happened to me.”

Mang-ryo tapped his cane sharply, as if to show how his eye and leg had ended up in this condition. His expression seemed to ask who had done this to him.

“Even when he left me in this state, I never dreamed he would have poison at his disposal.”

Mang-ryo removed his deerskin gloves and prepared to move.

“Just in case we miss him, strengthen the guards around this area. The rest of you, head to Triple Mountain Peak immediately!”

Though Jin Ja-gang hadn’t intended it, thanks to Mang-ryo raising a commotion and moving the Extreme Poison Sect masters to Triple Mountain Peak, Jin Ja-gang was able to move relatively freely.

After descending for quite some time, he saw a group of people, just as Gwak-o had described, tied together and leaning on each other as they slept.

‘Could these be the people from the Medicine King Sect?’

There were eleven of them in total.

Large carts for transporting them were placed nearby. Jin Ja-gang wanted to hide among them, but the vigilant eyes of the guard warriors were so intense that he couldn’t find an opportunity.

It had been well past midnight when he retrieved the book from Mang-ryo, and while he was waiting, dawn had already begun to break.

At that moment, he saw a warrior approaching from the distance, knocking on doors of quarters and speaking to people.

Jin Ja-gang tensed up and pressed himself closer behind the tree to hide.

The warrior approached the guards watching over the Medicine King Sect people.

“Everything alright here?”

“What’s going on?”

“Something’s happened at the main compound. Someone has escaped or something like that.”

“We’re about to leave anyway.”

“Just be careful.”

With everyone’s attention focused on this warrior, it was the perfect opportunity. If he waited any longer, it would be too bright for such a chance to come again.

Jin Ja-gang crawled along the ground until he reached the captured people. Sweat formed all over his body from the fear of being discovered at any moment. The distance to the cart wasn’t far, just a short run away.

Fortunately, he made it safely to the shadow of the cart wheels. Then he stealthily approached the people, but suddenly felt someone’s gaze on him.

The bound people had awakened from the commotion and some of them were looking at Jin Ja-gang.

Their eyes showed a mixture of suspicion and wariness.

They didn’t say anything to Jin Ja-gang. They had ears too. They had just heard someone mention an escape.

“…”

Jin Ja-gang swallowed dryly. Now there was no way to retreat or flee. He could only hope they would remain silent.

The tense moment passed. If he lost their trust now, he would be discovered.

Then Jin Ja-gang suddenly remembered something.

He whispered to a middle-aged man who was closest to him.

“Herbal Cultivation Method.”

The expression of the middle-aged man, who had whipping marks on his face from severe torture, changed instantly.

Jin Ja-gang opened his garment slightly to show the Herbal Cultivation Method book he had taken along with the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture.

The middle-aged man pulled Jin Ja-gang closer.

He whispered in Jin Ja-gang’s ear.

“Where did you come from?”

“Hundred Flower Valley.”

When the middle-aged man relayed this to the others, some of their expressions darkened.

“Even Hundred Flower Valley…”

They even sighed seeing Jin Ja-gang’s appearance.

“Those wretches.”

But they themselves didn’t look much better. After months of torture, their faces were haggard and their bodies covered with scabs.

The middle-aged man said.

“I am Yong-myeong, the vice sect leader of the Medicine King Sect. The Herbal Cultivation Method is our sect’s secret manual that was stolen by the Extreme Poison Sect. If you’re from Hundred Flower Valley, then you too are from a medicinal sect like us.”

His kind face and tone didn’t seem like those of a bad person, so Jin Ja-gang revealed his name too.

Since it wasn’t a name Yong-myeong would recognize, he didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Are you the one they said escaped?”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

Yong-myeong told Jin Ja-gang.

“If that’s true, you shouldn’t have come here. We’re about to be taken to underground tunnels in Nanhua. Once we go there, we’ll never be able to return to the outside world.”

“I had nowhere else to go. And here, take this.”

Jin Ja-gang tried to give him the Herbal Cultivation Method.

“We’ve been affected by Energy-Dispersing Poison, so we’ve lost our internal energy. Even if you show us kindness, we can’t help you.”

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t been thinking of asking for help from anyone.

“I’ll manage on my own.”

Suddenly, the guard warriors began to move about busily.

“Shh. Put it away for now.”

Following Yong-myeong’s gaze, Jin Ja-gang saw two masters of the Extreme Poison Sect approaching from a distance. They seemed to be the ones who would escort them to the underground tunnels in Nanhua.

A day in the mountains is short. That’s why they were preparing to leave early in the morning.

Yong-myeong loosely wrapped the extra rope around Jin Ja-gang to make it look like he was tied up.

The two Extreme Poison Sect masters approached. They looked over the captives indifferently and said.

“We have a long journey ahead. Let’s depart.”

“Yes!”

The guard warriors hitched horses to two carts and began loading people onto them. Jin Ja-gang was also placed on a cart.

The carts headed toward the mountain gate.

Due to strict security orders, numerous warriors and masters were guarding the route. However, they didn’t thoroughly check the Medicine King Sect prisoners.

They just gave them a cursory glance before letting them pass.

‘It’s working. I can get out now!’

Jin Ja-gang was filled with emotion as he saw the mountain gate not far ahead.

After months, he would finally be leaving the Extreme Poison Sect.

Now all that remained was figuring out how to escape from this cart.

* * *

Mang-ryo, with one leg and unable to use lightness skills, arrived at Triple Mountain Peak later than the others.

By the time Mang-ryo arrived, it was already mid-morning, and the other masters had already come and begun searching the area.

As soon as he arrived, Mang-ryo checked the brick houses that had been disguised as holding the survivors of Hundred Flower Valley, but they were naturally empty.

“What about Bloody Hand?”

A warrior guarding Triple Mountain Peak came to report.

“It’s been more than two days since he went out on patrol and hasn’t returned.”

“What?”

Mang-ryo was momentarily confused.

“The timing doesn’t add up.”

He had thought Jin Ja-gang had moved yesterday. He assumed that yesterday morning, Jin Ja-gang had climbed out of the Mixed Spring Ground, done something to Gwak-o, and then headed straight here to Triple Mountain Peak.

But Bloody Hand had been missing for more than two days?

Could Jin Ja-gang have come here first?

Unless Bloody Hand had died in some natural disaster, a master of his caliber wouldn’t abandon his duty and flee.

Just then, a long whistle sounded from nearby.

“Found him! We’ve found Bloody Hand!”

Mang-ryo and the masters immediately moved in that direction. It was in the forest, some distance from the brick houses.

There, Bloody Hand Miao Weng lay buried under fallen leaves, a cold corpse. His arm was swollen enormously, and his skin had turned black.

Everyone kept their distance, fearing poisoning, but Mang-ryo approached without hesitation. Wearing deerskin gloves, he examined the swollen hand and inside the mouth.

“It’s exactly the same as before. The fingertips have keratinized, developing calluses. He was poisoned with arsenic.”

The Extreme Poison Sect masters were puzzled.

“Judging by his blackened face, wasn’t he strangled?”

“There are no signs of strangulation.”

“His face is that color because blood couldn’t circulate…”

“There are traces of a dissolved Clear Heart Pill under his tongue. Bloody Hand was a master. The moment he was poisoned, he knew it and placed the pill under his tongue, stopping his own heart to prevent the poison from spreading.”

Mang-ryo gritted his teeth.

“But what circumstances would prevent someone like Bloody Hand from restarting his heart?”

The Extreme Poison Sect masters gulped nervously.

Even when Mang-ryo had been constantly going on about Jin Ja-gang, they had honestly ridiculed him.

But now, witnessing Bloody Hand’s death, presumably caused by that child, they couldn’t help but believe.

How could this be possible?

One master said:

“Perhaps an external accomplice infiltrated…”

Mang-ryo showed them Bloody Hand’s eyes, which were pulled back. The blood vessels in his eyes were completely congested, making them bright red.

“If that were the case, they would have used a more effective poison. Look. There are wounds on his cornea and blisters around his eyes. He blinded Bloody Hand’s eyes with a common plant poison.”

Mang-ryo looked around for plants that could have been poisonous. He didn’t have to look far. He saw yellow flowers scattered abundantly nearby.

“Buttercups.”

While the cause of Bloody Hand’s torment had been found, the question of when Jin Ja-gang had come here remained a mystery.

“Perhaps he’s waiting somewhere for us to leave here empty-handed?”

It was entirely possible with Jin Ja-gang. If that were the case, he might be watching from somewhere.

But if not?

“If he visited here the day before yesterday and infiltrated our main compound last night…”

Thinking about his objectives, there were probably two.

Killing the traitor Gwak-o and escaping from the Extreme Poison Sect.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, he recalled that the person who was poisoned yesterday, presumed to be Gwak-o, was carrying the Hundred Flower Secret Scripture.

“He tried to bring the book, but it seemed to be coated with poison, as anyone who touched it would be poisoned.”

The Hundred Flower Secret Scripture he had given to Gwak-o was a blank book with no value. But Gwak-o was holding it as he was dying?

At the time, he had thoughtlessly assumed the book had poison on it. But on reflection, Gwak-o wouldn’t have carried around such a useless book; he would have just kept it stashed away at home.

Could that mean Jin Ja-gang had already infiltrated the Extreme Poison Sect when the poison was applied to the book?

Mang-ryo’s thoughts became tangled.

Just then, a warrior nervously approached Mang-ryo.

“Um… I have something to report.”

Chapter 22: Arbitrary Position Change

The 4th platoon leader made a trivial remark.

Encrid responded nonchalantly, realizing that this person had something to say.

“If you have something to say, feel free to say it.”

He was enjoying the cool breeze after being drenched in sweat.

Now was the perfect time. It was a moment to enjoy the wind with a moderate sense of relaxation.

So, he hoped the person would quickly say what they had to say and leave.

“…I want you to join the reconnaissance team and carry out a mission.”

The 4th platoon leader said, crossing his arms.

His posture showed not the firmness of a commander but a defensive attitude.

Encrid thought.

Reconnaissance team.

It wasn’t a common draft. Moreover, Encrid knew his position was quite ambiguous.

The reason he could stay at the squad leader level was because this was the 444th squad.

And they wanted to transfer him to the reconnaissance team?

“Are you sure? Even if you take our squad leader?”

Rem suddenly poked his head out from behind and said.

Rem rested his chin on Encrid’s shoulder.

There wasn’t much of a height difference, so it was a comfortable position.

“Are you serious?”

He asked with a half-smile, as if protesting against taking him away.

“It’s an order, Rem.”

The 4th platoon leader glared. It was a bluff. Encrid recognized it immediately.

Rem was a troublemaker. If things didn’t go his way, he would swing his axe.

Invoking the commander’s authority against such a rogue was meaningless.

The 4th platoon leader knew it, Encrid knew it, and Rem knew it.

“Rem.”

Encrid called his name and shrugged his shoulder to push Rem back before he could say anything more.

“Well, do as you please.”

Rem grumbled as he stepped back.

“I can go instead.”

Ragna, who had been watching quietly, said indifferently.

“…Was being lost your dream?”

Rem chuckled at that. Ragna almost flared up but suppressed his anger.

It wasn’t wrong.

Ragna had no talent for finding his way.

Even if given a map and instructions, he would end up somewhere else.

And he wasn’t good at coordinating with others either.

He ended up here because he fought on his own, ignoring orders in every squad he was in.

He wasn’t suitable for a reconnaissance soldier.

“No matter what, you can’t.”

The 4th platoon leader had no choice but to shake his head at Ragna.

Encrid felt that the situation itself was a bad sign.

‘If I weigh everything, I’m the most suitable.’

His ambiguous position only had meaning among the 444th squad members.

Even being absent for a week caused quite a stir.

And yet, they specifically called for him?

It sounded like there was no one else to call.

The talk of curses quickly died down, but the impact remained.

Bo, Jack, and Rotten were all part of the reconnaissance team.

They were short on numbers.

“Phew, I’m in trouble too. One platoon leader has a stomach ache and can’t move.”

It was understandable to think it was a curse.

Such things only happened to the reconnaissance platoon.

The platoon leader looked exhausted.

He didn’t seem particularly eager to call Encrid.

‘It feels oddly out of place.’

Thinking that, he stared intently.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll tell you everything.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t look at me with those eyes.”

‘What did I do?’

He was just looking, but the 4th platoon leader sighed deeply and overreacted.

“Hey, what are you going to do if you curse with your eyes? Sometimes, you should consider the feelings of the person being cursed. Especially if they’re your superior.”

Rem laughed.

Reacting to that joke would be endless.

Encrid decided to listen to the platoon leader again.

“To increase the reconnaissance team’s numbers, we arbitrarily promoted a squad leader to platoon leader, but we’re still short on numbers. So, we were ordered to draft individuals capable of reconnaissance from each unit. And the higher-ups suggested including you, so here we are.”

“The higher-ups?”

“The new company commander. You’re not marked, are you?”

Knowing the secret, they would send him to the reconnaissance team to kill him quietly?

No, if that were the case, there would be no need for this.

There were many ways to kill him quietly.

Not that he would die easily, but from the other side’s perspective, that’s how it seemed.

So.

‘It seems like they said it without much thought.’

Encrid judged.

“It’s an order from the higher-ups. So, let’s go.”

Rem glared from the side.

Ragna insisted he could go instead.

In front of the barracks, a squad member, much taller than an average soldier, who looked like he could beat a bear with his bare hands, was praying to the sky.

“Oh, holy Lord, please do not take away my small and precious squad leader. Do not test this small and fragile servant.”

The 4th platoon leader couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Who was taking him away?

And who was small and fragile?

The praying soldier’s arm muscles bulged.

Exaggerating a bit, his arm was as big as an average soldier’s thigh.

He was tall and had long limbs, so many didn’t notice, but his arm itself was a weapon.

If that devout soldier was fragile, there were few normal people in the world.

“It will be just this once. Winter is coming, and this expedition will end soon.”

The next expedition would reorganize the reconnaissance team anyway.

They wouldn’t keep the 444th squad leader in the reconnaissance team.

Encrid understood the platoon leader’s words.

Few fools continue war in winter.

So, this war would likely stop after autumn.

There was no need to worry.

It was a common occurrence.

Being called to fill in for various tasks.

He wasn’t particularly talented in fighting, but he was above average in other tasks.

Reconnaissance missions were the same.

However, perhaps because he had been absent due to injury, his squad members didn’t welcome his departure.

‘I’m the most suitable.’

It wasn’t baseless confidence.

If he got lost and died, he could repeat the day.

This mission was more advantageous to him than anyone else.

Avoiding danger was his specialty.

“It’s an order, squad leader.”

The platoon leader said it was an order, but it sounded like he was asking for help.

Encrid looked back.

Rem started sharpening his axe.

Ragna insisted he could go.

The last squad member kept muttering, “Is this a test from the Lord?”

‘The atmosphere is strange.’

If he got hit somewhere, it seemed like they would all rise up together.

Was it always like this?

It didn’t seem so.

When he first joined the squad, they didn’t seem so involved with each other.

When did it become like this?

‘Did they have a hard time while I was gone?’

Even the big-eyed one shook his head.

But what could he do about the higher-ups’ orders?

Even if his squad members were reckless, Encrid wasn’t.

“I have to go.”

He sighed and said.

It was a decision from the higher-ups. Defying orders was not an option.

He could find a way out if he wanted, but there was no need.

Encrid’s words settled the atmosphere. It was natural.

No matter how small the squad, he was the leader of this six-member squad.

“Do as you please.”

Rem snorted and answered.

“I said I could go.”

Ragna insisted, but it was futile.

A reconnaissance soldier who got lost even within the camp? That wouldn’t work.

Encrid found it more amazing how Ragna managed to live a wandering life.

Did he say he went to the eastern sea?

Was it because he got lost and ended up there? It was a reasonable question.

But there was no need to ask.

Encrid always kept a proper distance from them.

If they didn’t want to talk, he didn’t ask. That was squad leader Encrid.

“Alright, fine.”

The 4th platoon leader said and turned away.

His steps were lighter than when he came. It was as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

After the platoon leader left, while washing and resting, there was a small commotion in the barracks.

“Are you still practicing what you learned?”

Jaxen, half-leaning on his bed, started the conversation.

Jaxen’s bed was the furthest inside.

Encrid’s was the closest to the entrance.

Everyone in the barracks heard Jaxen’s voice.

Encrid nodded reflexively.

He had learned to train his hearing from Jaxen and repeated it every day, so it was worth asking.

But Rem reacted unpleasantly.

“What did you learn?”

Encrid had been under the care of several squad members.

From Rem, from Ragna, from the devout squad member, he had learned various things.

They were all survival skills for the battlefield.

Encrid learned diligently but didn’t master everything, using them roughly.

They were too difficult to master perfectly.

At least now, he had properly attached the heart of a beast.

But he had never learned anything from Jaxen.

“What did you teach?”

Rem, who was lying down, sat up and asked.

“Keep practicing. It helps.”

Jaxen’s eyes flared with anger at being ignored.

“This b*st*rd?”

“Don’t.”

Encrid grabbed Rem’s shoulder, who was about to explode.

“What did you learn from that sly guy? You shouldn’t learn just anything.”

“Hmph.”

Jaxen, listening to Encrid and Rem’s conversation, snorted.

“Oh, right, it’s your time to die. Today. You want to become food for the monsters wandering the plains, right?”

Jaxen remained indifferent.

Encrid sighed deeply and pulled Rem’s arm.

“Take it easy. We’re not going to kill each other.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll survive.”

No, that’s not what I meant.

“Who’s going to survive?”

“Oh, Lord, can I send this faithless fool to you? If you allow it, I will.”

Ragna and the devout squad member reacted to Rem’s words.

“Stop, stop, stop. I’ll stop you no matter how many times you fight. Don’t waste your energy on pointless things.”

Encrid regretted taking the reconnaissance mission.

Was it right to leave them behind?

“Don’t worry too much. They don’t usually go to the end. They clash weapons a few times and stop.”

Kreis said, counting silver coins from his pocket.

That’s the problem. Those few clashes.

To others, it looked like a life-and-death fight.

Despite being troublemakers, the commander didn’t abandon them.

The reason? Their outstanding abilities.

On the battlefield, they were soldiers with superior combat power, worth ten men each.

So, it made sense for Encrid to join the reconnaissance team.

‘I’m not a loss of power.’

But they were different.

Realizing his inadequacy, Encrid thought again.

‘I have no talent.’

He lost to a twelve-year-old kid.

Even if the kid was a genius.

An adult who couldn’t handle the weight of a sword lost to a kid wielding a sword.

It wasn’t about pride.

It wasn’t about despair.

It was just a reminder of his own shortcomings.

But did he give up?

No.

He chewed over the situation repeatedly, understanding himself.

So, was this the end?

No.

If he had no talent.

‘Someday.’

If he couldn’t take one step, he would take half a step.

As long as he didn’t stop moving forward.

Encrid had never stopped moving forward.

Feeling he wouldn’t sleep, Encrid took his sword and went outside.

He felt he needed to swing his sword and sweat to fall asleep.

Seeing this, Ragna got up and followed.

“Let’s check your stance.”

“I’m here too.”

Rem got up late and said.

Their eyes met, and a fierce aura passed between them.

It seemed like a vortex would form where their eyes met.

“Consistent practice will help. More than clumsy swordsmanship.”

Jaxen, lying in bed, said.

The two, who were glaring at each other, turned their eyes to Jaxen.

“Clumsy?”

Rem said.

“Swordsmanship?”

Ragna continued.

“Didn’t you say you’d check my stance?”

Encrid intervened between the three.

Finally, calming them down, Encrid went outside the barracks.

He swung his sword repeatedly, based on their advice and nagging.

A day of sweating passed.

When the morning sun rose, he had to leave, temporarily reassigned to the reconnaissance platoon.

He wasn’t too worried.

He didn’t think it was a difficult task.

After sweating, everyone seemed to have calmed down.

After sweating and washing in the stream, Encrid slept soundly.

* * *

“Company commander, why did you specifically assign that guy to the reconnaissance team?”

The elf company commander saw the 1st platoon leader standing near the perch and said.

“Step away from the perch. If it falls, it could cause a fire.”

“Pardon?”

“Step aside.”

“Yes.”

The 1st platoon leader stepped aside a few steps.

The company commander’s tent was taller and wider than a regular tent. There was a perch in the middle to light a fire.

It was crude, but there was also a table for meetings.

It was a place to decide the company’s reconnaissance route.

In the midst of this, the 1st platoon leader asked.

It was worth asking.

The 1st platoon leader also served as the company commander’s staff officer. It was an old tradition of the Cypress Division.

“A soldier who is quick-witted and knows how to survive would fit well.”

“Yes, I see.”

It wasn’t a heavily weighted judgment.

It was an intuitive assignment.

There was no particular reason. If someone asked, he would just say it was a hunch.

Of course, the company commander’s judgment was correct.

The elf’s intuition was sometimes sharper than a prophet’s words.