Chapter 25

"Uh, could it be…?"

Though freezing wine was something so basic it was embarrassing to even call it a technique for a magician of his level, it was enough to startle the sailors.

Because usually only someone of captain rank had the qualification to directly deal with such high personages as magicians.

Though he hadn't revealed whether he was a knight or noble, for mere sailors either would be like a master from heaven.

"To bring such an esteemed person to such a humble place…"

"Please speak comfortably. I'm the one requesting employment."

"No, that's a bit…"

The sailors seemed even more uncomfortable at Turan's polite manner.

It was human nature to look down on powerless people bowing their heads as servile, but when powerful people bowed their heads, others became flustered as if they had done something wrong.

This was one of the things he had learned meeting people after coming down to the world.

"So, is it possible?"

"Pardon?"

"Taking me as a passenger on the ship. Of course, I'll help repel pirates or merfolk if they attack."

"That's difficult to decide with my authority."

"Then I should meet the captain."

"I'll call him right away!"

At Turan's request, the sailor who had said he was going to the Enril Desert hurriedly got up.

The one sitting opposite looked at him with a pitiful expression as if saying don't leave me alone, but the standing sailor just ran away.

"Surely he's not just running away?"

"S-surely not, haha…"

The two sat silently at the table without exchanging a word for nearly ten minutes.

Fortunately for the sailor, the silence was broken when his departed colleague returned bringing the captain.

"Well then, I'll be going."

"Let's drink again next time."

While the two sailors exchanged farewells, the person brought by the departed sailor sat opposite Turan and politely bowed his head.

A man in his forties with an eyepatch over his left eye.

His sun-darkened skin and deep wrinkles suggested experience.

"I'm Pires, captain of the Blue Marlin."

"I'm Turan."

Perhaps having met many magicians with that rank, Pires looked at Turan with observing eyes instead of groveling like the sailors.

After silently exchanging gazes for a moment, Pires spoke first.

"I heard you want to board my ship."

"Yes."

"First, I'd like to talk somewhere quieter. Server! Is there a private room available?"

"Yes, Captain."

Seeming familiar with this tavern, Pires requested and moved to a small room.

After sitting, the first topic he brought up was Turan's identity.

"First… are you a noble, or a knight?"

"A knight."

Turan lowered his status because he thought the captain might be too frightened otherwise.

While a rebellious knight might be dealt with by dozens of armed sailors rushing in, for a noble that would be mere after-dinner exercise.

As expected, the captain seemed more comfortable hearing Turan was a knight.

"Given you chose this unofficial route, you're not from the Karmaine family. May I ask your circumstances for going to Enril…?"

"It's personal."

"Well, of course."

When he showed an attitude of not wanting to answer, the captain nodded readily, suggesting he had just probed on the off chance.

Captain Pires suddenly lowered his voice sharply and said.

"While we do need a knight as you said, honestly speaking, it would be difficult to hire you without knowing if your combat ability is sufficient."

Unlike nobles, knights didn't differ much from each other in magic power amount, but that didn't mean their combat abilities were similar.

Various factors were required, from close combat and weapon skills trained to compensate for lacking magic power, to magic skill and combat experience.

And to Pires' eyes, Turan didn't seem like a particularly reliable expert.

His youthful face that looked twenty at most was without a single scar, and he had only one dagger at his waist for weapons.

If there was any positive point, it was his sturdy physique that seemed fairly well-trained.

"Ability, how should I prove it?"

"Though I'm not a magician, I know several essential skills that those working at sea must learn. Can you handle water and ice?"

These were coincidentally skills he had practiced on the way.

Turan called a server to bring a glass of water, then demonstrated simple manipulation in front of Pires.

Starting from moving water around, instantly vaporizing or freezing it, transforming ice shapes, and finally moving ice around.

Though insignificant compared to the Karmaine bloodline ability to freely control water and ice, it was sufficient to satisfy the captain.

"Excellent skill. Have you worked at sea before?"

"No, this is my first time with the sea."

"Hmm."

The captain seemed unsure whether to believe Turan's words or not.

After a while, he nodded and spoke in an even gloomier voice than before.

"Well, your skill seems sufficient. However, as you've already heard… our ship lacks the means to pay a salary befitting a knight due to budget issues."

Hadn't they said it was because the ship's owner wouldn't provide funds to hire a knight for guard duty?

Turan nodded in agreement.

"Since I have personal reasons to go to the Enril Desert anyway, I can be satisfied with a low salary."

Actually he was willing to pay if needed, but didn't mention that far.

No need to spend what didn't need to be spent.

At Turan's words, the captain's face brightened slightly, but remained just as serious.

"And one more thing, I'm sorry to say but I can only pay your salary after arrival."

"Why is that?"

"Because we have no money at all right now."

According to the captain's explanation, they had used almost all their money buying the cargo currently loaded on the merchant ship.

He said they would only have funds after arriving at the Enril Desert and making profit from selling the cargo.

Given he said such things even though Turan offered to work cheaply, they really must have no money.

"Well… that's fine."

"That's a relief! It's an honor to work together."

But as soon as he heard the answer, his serious expression suddenly lifted into a bright smile.

Seeing such an expression from the gruff-looking one-eyed man, Turan unconsciously burst out laughing.

Anyway, he seemed like a person with decent personality.

* * *

After finishing negotiations, Turan spent the night at a well-facilitated inn nearby recommended by Captain Pires.

And since it would likely be difficult to get quality meals on the ship, he ordered the inn's best formal course for breakfast the next morning.

"Your meal is served, guest!"

Abacha's food culture, bordering the sea, was quite different from what Turan had encountered before.

From shellfish dishes to steamed and grilled seafish, seaweed, pickles, and fermented seafood.

Though things like oysters were too fishy to suit him well, the grilled fish varieties were generally enjoyable.

After finishing the meal, since there was time left, he went to a bookstore he had spotted yesterday and bought two books.

One containing various legends about merfolk, and a rulebook compiling various regulations aboard sailing ships.

By the time he attached two leather straps to the side of his bag that had no space for books and tied them on, it was about the promised time.

Going to the location he had been told earlier, he saw a huge sailing ship with three masts docked at the harbor.

Looking around, Turan approached after seeing the sailor he had met yesterday giving various instructions to others.

"Put that at the very bottom! If you put it on top the weight will make the balance strange… Welcome, Sir Knight!"

"Can I board now?"

"Yes!"

Since by naval regulations a knight responsible for ship safety was considered equal in rank to the captain, Turan spoke down to him.

Judging by his attitude, he also seemed to find this more comfortable.

"Come to think of it, we didn't properly introduce ourselves yesterday."

"First Mate Osban!"

"First Mate? So there are second and third mates too?"

"That's right!"

Though he had just said it casually, Turan was internally surprised at the serious answer, and nodded before climbing the rope ladder.

When he leaped up several meters high onto the deck with just two bounds, all the nearby sailors looked at him.

"Wow…"

"Did you see that? Did you?"

"Impressive."

"Quiet! Does everyone have nothing to do? Want to scrub the deck again?"

Such displays from knights must be rare, as the Blue Marlin's lower-ranked sailors showed startled reactions before scattering here and there at their superior's shout to get back to work.

After chasing the others away, a man in his early thirties grinned and said.

"Pleased to meet you, Sir Knight. I'm Lenak, the Boatswain."

Though his speech was rough, rather than looking down on Turan it felt more like an informal, open-hearted attitude.

He welcomed Turan's joining while rubbing his cheeks that were red as if drunk.

"Just so happens all the ones who died in the last voyage were my direct subordinates. That damn shipowner b*st*rd treats losing the kids' lives the same as filling ship holes with food, if not for the captain I'd have quit long ago."

Though his manner was rough, his affection for his subordinates was evident, so Turan internally gave this boatswain high marks.

He continued pouring out complaints about the shipowner while showing Turan to his cabin.

"Here it is."

The cabin for Turan was so narrow he could touch both walls with his arms spread out.

It had just one bed placed lengthwise and one chest for storing items, and the window was made by joining two wooden panels with hinges.

"It's a bit… narrow."

"Yes, well. That's true. Actually the captain's cabin is bigger but he has several things to handle there."

Even the jovial Lenak showed an embarrassed look, having nothing to say about that point.

Still, thinking it was fine as long as there was space to lie down, Turan simply unpacked by putting his bag in the chest.

Lying on the bed looking at the sun shining through the window, various thoughts came to mind.

Originally, Turan's plan when first staying with the Berk family was to go south from the Dakein Plains, then head east toward the Enril Desert from around Maderi city where he had met Asiz.

This was also the route from the first book he had ever read, "Around the World."

The problem was that route had suddenly become a battlefield between the dark elves and the Arabion family.

If caught by the dark elf army he would be torn apart and become a meal, and Arabion too would clearly not welcome a magician of unclear family wandering nearby during wartime.

In this situation, Turan's chosen alternative was to move straight east to the North Sea, then take a ship southeast to land on the northern part of the Enril Desert.

'I wonder how Meisa is doing.'

The Arabion princess now in the midst of war with dark elves.

Though that skeletal lady was too strong for the current Turan to dare challenge, even the strongest magician wasn't invincible.

After reaching the Enril Desert, he would need to gather news from that direction too.

* * *

"Kyaaaah-!"

In front of the burned fortress, the Arabion knight saw dark elf warriors charging at him with grotesque screams.

Beings without soul power unable to handle death spirits, no different from commoners among humans…

But their strength and reflexes were not much different from skilled knights.

Due to innate racial differences.

That's how they must have been able to trample humans and rule over them long ago, before the Frea divine tribe descended.

"Hyah!"

As he enhanced his sword's speed and power with magic power, one dark elf's body was split in half.

The next one rushing in he burned the face with fire, then swung his sword again.

But there were far too many of them to kill them all like this.

Two, four, six…

His movements grew increasingly chaotic as attacks slipping through the gaps tore at his flesh tempered with magic power.

In his dizzy vision from blood loss, one longsword swinging down at him.

The moment he sensed death, thunder boomed from the sky and lightning pierced between the dark elves.

"Kyaaaah!"

A scream similar to before but mixed with more terror.

Above the darkened sky, a woman with a skeletal gaunt face flew in.

The lightning bolt shot by Meisa Arabion had instantly split into dozens of strands and burned all the dark elves to death.

"Th-thank you, my lady…"

"Join your unit."

"Yes!"

After saving the stranded knight, Meisa looked down at the battlefield with a tired face.

The fight with the dark elf army was far from a fair duel.

They repeatedly ambushed vulnerable parts of the Arabion army by sending regular soldiers through tunnels, and the knights' corpses created this way were dragged underground to become death spirits used as necromancers' forces.

Though none were strong enough to face Meisa, having an enemy that wouldn't fight head-on meant even overwhelming power was useless.

"Meisa, are you unharmed?"

"Yes, Uncle."

Meisa barely nodded in greeting to the middle-aged noble flying toward her.

His name was Kadram Arabion, the family head's half-brother and deputy commander of this subjugation force.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You're far more precious than one or two knights' lives."

"I'm fine with this much. More importantly, how's the battle situation?"

Despite Meisa's stiff tone, Kadram answered without losing his smile.

"Not bad. At this rate we should reclaim this area soon. Though we haven't found the tunnels yet."

"Let me know when you find them. I'll go myself."

"You should rest…"

Before Kadram could finish speaking, Meisa had already lifted herself with magic and flown off to one side.

"Tsk, what an ill-mannered girl. Brother raised her too loosely."

With none of his previous gentle attitude remaining, Kadram clicked his tongue and glared at where Meisa had passed.

"She'll end up like her mother and sister at this rate…”

Chapter 25: Finding a Path in the Darkness (3)

Across a vast plain lush with green, several dozen baggage wagons rolled onward. Atop them sat dozens of passengers, and escorting them were more than ten mounted warriors.

Upon the roof of the lead wagon, a banner bearing the two characters "Silver Lotus" fluttered in the wind.

"Waaah!"

A boy seated on one of the wagons in the middle of the procession let out a cry of wonder at the expansive plain.

He appeared to be only ten or eleven years of age. His face retained the softness of youth, with plump cheeks and a stocky frame to match.

The boy, who radiated an air of warmth at a glance, could not stop marveling at the sights unfolding around him.

The middle-aged man driving the wagon smiled at the sight.

"Jin-bo, is it really that wonderful?"

"Of course!"

"Were these not the same sights we saw on the way here? What is so remarkable about them?"

"But it wasn't this green back then!"

"Well, I suppose…"

The middle-aged man driving the wagon, Bang Woo-gwang, nodded in agreement.

The boy who kept exclaiming in admiration was his son, Bang Jin-bo.

Bang Woo-gwang gazed at his son with eyes full of tenderness.

'Poor boy! If only his mother were alive, he would not have to endure this hardship, trailing after his father.'

It was then.

"We shall camp here for the night. Everyone, prepare yourselves."

From the front of the column, a voice rang out.

"Yes, sir!"

The wagon drivers answered in unison. Bang Woo-gwang's voice was among them.

The dozens of wagons gathered in the open field.

As though by prior arrangement, they arranged the wagons in a circle to form a makeshift wall, and began preparing to camp.

Bang Woo-gwang parked his wagon among the others and hastily spoke to his son.

"Quickly, unload the cooking implements."

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo began unloading the items from the back of the wagon.

The first to come down was a large iron wok—a shallow, wide Cantonese-style wok with handles on both sides—and a deep, round Sichuan-style pot, both lowered at the same time.

"Heave!"

Next, Bang Jin-bo brought down a massive iron cauldron. Bang Woo-gwang gestured to his son.

"Bring the cauldron over here."

Bang Woo-gwang gathered nearby stones and constructed a makeshift hearth. He placed the iron cauldron his son had brought upon it.

"Bring the rest as well."

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo unloaded the chopping knife and various steamers. The cooking implements were down, but his work was not yet finished.

He ferried large cuts of meat and vegetables that had been loaded on one side of the wagon. Though sweat dripped from his brow, Bang Jin-bo kept smiling.

In the meantime, Bang Woo-gwang had completed four makeshift hearths. Upon each he placed a wok or cauldron.

It was now time to light the fires. Bang Woo-gwang rummaged through a crate at the back of the wagon and produced something.

The hardened lumps were a mixture of dried dung and hay. When thoroughly dried, they produced almost no odor and burned with excellent heat—a material that Bang Woo-gwang favored.

He placed the dried dung into the hearth and set it alight. The well-dried dung caught fire instantly.

"Hoo!"

Only then could Bang Woo-gwang catch his breath briefly. But the respite was short-lived, and he was soon moving busily once more.

Before the hearth, a thick, long wooden board was set down. Its surface bore countless knife marks. The board was a cutting board.

Bang Jin-bo stood before it.

Bang Woo-gwang looked at his son and smiled warmly.

"Shall we begin, then?"

"Yes!"

With that answer, Bang Jin-bo picked up the chopping knife and set to work.

Thwack! Thwack!

The large blade sliced through the meat with ease.

The rectangular knife, heavy and imposing, was wielded by Bang Jin-bo with practiced ease.

He broke down the massive cut of meat in moments, trimmed the various vegetables, and cut them to bite-sized pieces.

"Heh heh!"

Laughter spilled from between Bang Jin-bo's teeth. Bang Woo-gwang watched his son and laughed.

"You rascal!"

Now it was his turn.

He placed the ingredients his son had prepared into the searingly hot wok and began to stir-fry.

Sizzle!

White smoke billowed upward in an instant.

Bang Woo-gwang held a wok in each hand and worked them simultaneously. Even the most seasoned chef would rarely attempt to handle two woks at once over an open flame.

But on Bang Woo-gwang's face, there was no sign of strain as he manipulated both woks in tandem.

Bang Jin-bo watched his father with eyes of admiration.

No matter how many times he saw it, his father's skill with the wok was extraordinary. It was not merely the handling of the woks. In the intervals, he also added meat and various vegetables to the iron cauldron to prepare a stew—and the aroma was sublime.

Bang Woo-gwang cooked three entirely different dishes at once.

Golden Coin Beef, Roast Pork, and a stew brimming with pork.

Golden Coin Beef was a beef dish; Roast Pork and the stew were pork. Though all were meat dishes, the methods of preparation and the ingredients differed, making it exceedingly difficult to cook them simultaneously.

"Hoo!"

Bang Woo-gwang wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and looked at his son. Bang Jin-bo smiled.

"The rice is already done! Heh heh!"

At some point, Bang Jin-bo had set a cauldron over the last remaining hearth and cooked the rice.

"You rascal! You no longer need to be told— you act on your own now."

"Of course! My experience is considerable, you know. I've been trailing after you for eight years now. I am fully qualified to be a proper chef."

"Ha! Has it really been that long?"

A shadow crossed Bang Woo-gwang's face.

After his wife had died, he had wandered the land with Bang Jin-bo. That meant eight years had passed since her death.

"Just endure a little longer. When we return this time, we will settle down."

"Then we will finally open our own tavern?"

"Heh heh! That is right."

"Waaah!"

Bang Jin-bo bounced up and down in excitement. Bang Woo-gwang smiled at the sight.

The earnings from this journey were considerable. Combined with what they had saved, they could open a small tavern. When that time came, he intended to formally teach his son the culinary arts.

"But first, we must visit the Pavilion of Heavenly Cuisine at the Eastern Lake."

"Finally, we will taste the food of the greatest chef in the world?"

"Yes! Your father will taste his dishes and then make the same for you later."

"You promise?"

"Of course. Ha ha ha!"

It was as Bang Woo-gwang burst into hearty laughter.

"My, the aroma is exquisite!"

"As expected of Chef Bang! To have finished the meal already."

At the smell of the food, people gathered around. They were the guards and merchants of the Silver Lotus Trading Company.

Bang Woo-gwang and his son were chefs employed by the trading company. On a journey lasting nearly a year, the company had specifically engaged their services.

Whenever they camped in the open, the father and son prepared food for the group. The merchants and guards, who subsisted on dry rations during their travels, greeted the meals that Bang Woo-gwang conjured with enthusiasm.

Bang Woo-gwang's skill was on par with the renowned chefs of famous taverns. Already talented, his culinary abilities had deepened and matured over the course of the year-long journey. He had tasted and studied a vast array of spices obtained from the Western Regions alongside the merchants.

In the wagon that Bang Woo-gwang and his son rode, the spices he had personally procured were stored.

It was then that a middle-aged martial artist approached. The man with the unkempt beard was none other than Cho Su-gwang, the owner of the Silver Lotus Trading Company.

"What culinary delight have you prepared for us today, Chef Bang?"

"I managed to acquire some fine beef and pork from the village we stopped at previously, so I made Golden Coin Beef, Roast Pork, and a pork stew."

"Oh! Golden Coin Beef? My palate is in for a treat today."

Cho Su-gwang smiled.

He looked at Bang Jin-bo.

"Jin-bo, you should learn your father's culinary skills quickly."

"His sense for food surpasses mine."

"Heh heh! I look forward to that."

"You may well look forward to it."

Bang Woo-gwang patted his son's shoulder lightly. Bang Jin-bo looked up at his father's face and beamed.

Cho Su-gwang clapped his hands and called out.

"Everyone, well done. Chef Bang has prepared a delicious meal. Let us all eat together."

"Thank you for the meal."

The guards and merchants answered and began eating the food that Bang Woo-gwang and his son had prepared.

Watching them savor the food with such evident pleasure, Bang Jin-bo smiled happily.

'Ah, this is good.'

At dawn the next day, the Silver Lotus Trading Company broke camp early. They extinguished the campfires, packed the luggage, and the morning sun had barely risen.

Unlike the others, the father and son had a bit more leeway, for they had prepared the group's meals in advance while everyone slept.

Breakfast consisted of porridge made from the previous day's leftovers. Though a simple porridge, it was loaded with meat and made for a proper meal.

After everyone had eaten, the father and son hurriedly packed up. As they loaded the cooking implements onto the wagon, the Silver Lotus Trading Company set off.

Lying in the back seat of the wagon driven by his father, Bang Jin-bo gazed up at the sky.

'Soon we will enter the Central Plains.'

Looking back, the past year had passed so quickly he barely remembered how. Bang Woo-gwang had found employment with the Silver Lotus Trading Company, and Bang Jin-bo, with no say in the matter, had been swept along to the Western Regions.

At first, Bang Jin-bo had resented his father, but now there was not a trace of that feeling.

Bang Jin-bo produced a small booklet from his bosom. It was a book in which his father had written down his culinary secrets whenever time permitted.

During the journey, Bang Jin-bo had studied the cookbook while riding in the wagon. Of course, it was still only theory, but once they entered the Central Plains, he would begin formal culinary training.

"Heh heh!"

It was as Bang Jin-bo let out a carefree laugh.

BOOM!

Without warning, thunder roared from a clear sky.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Whoa, whoa!"

The people of the Silver Lotus Trading Company calmed the startled horses and looked around.

In the distance, beyond a hill, a massive cloud of dust was rising.

"What is that?"

"What in the world is happening?"

The merchants and guards murmured among themselves.

Cho Su-gwang, the trading company's master, looked at his chief guard, Oh Gi-o.

"What is going on?"

"Wait a moment. Yoo Pyo and Cheong-o will go with me to investigate. Everyone, remain on high alert."

"Understood."

Oh Gi-o led Yoo Pyo and Cheong-o toward the source of the dust cloud.

'Has something happened at the Hell Gorge?'

He did not know when it had acquired the name Hell Gorge. What had once been a ravine had one day collapsed and become flatland.

Though the ravine had been leveled, people still called it Hell Gorge. It had been rendered a wasteland by massive boulders and earth, and even merchant caravans gave it a wide berth.

Yoo Pyo and Cheong-o were seasoned guards whom Oh Gi-o trusted. Having weathered every manner of hardship, they were fearless in the face of most events.

But when they arrived at the scene, their entire bodies trembled as though caught in a storm.

"What is this—"

The area around Hell Gorge had been devastated as though a volcano had erupted. The dust that had been kicked up hung in the air, leaving the entire vista shrouded in haze.

"Gasp!"

Oh Gi-o, Yoo Pyo, and the others suddenly gasped.

In the gray dust, two blue flames hovered.

Like hellfire blooming from the abyss, the twin flames stared directly at them.

"A… a person?"

Oh Gi-o realized that those were the eyes of a human.

Jin Ja-gang counted the final number loud enough for everyone to hear.

Then he finally stood up, shaking off the loosely tied ropes.

Great Desert Saber flinched.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t emit any aura or pressure whatsoever. But Great Desert Saber tensed momentarily because Jin Ja-gang was acting as if he had something up his sleeve.

However, Great Desert Saber soon found it ridiculous that he’d become tense because of a mere child, and smirked.

“Impudent brat, trying to fool your elder with such amateur tricks. Is it you? Are you really the one who escaped?”

Jin Ja-gang pointed his finger at Great Desert Saber.

“…”

Of course, nothing happened. Great Desert Saber grew angry. Moreover, his mouth felt strangely hot, and his stomach was starting to ache slightly, making him very uncomfortable.

“You little b*st*rd, stay right there.”

Great Desert Saber dug his heels into the horse’s sides and leapt high into the air.

He intended to jump onto the cart in one bound, stepping on its edge to either beat Jin Ja-gang or behead him…

But absurdly, Great Desert Saber slipped after missing his footing on the cart’s edge.

“Huh?”

Not only did he slip, but he slid outward, falling forward and hitting his head on the edge of the cart.

Crash!

Great Desert Saber fell outside the cart.

Everyone was speechless at this bizarre incident.

How could a master of Great Desert Saber’s caliber make a mistake while jumping just a few steps’ distance?

The Extreme Poison Sect warriors, Relentless Dagger, and even the messenger couldn’t understand it.

But what was even stranger was that Great Desert Saber, who had fallen beneath the cart, wasn’t getting up.

“Hey, Desert.”

Relentless Dagger, who was at the front, called out to Great Desert Saber.

“Desert!”

But there was no response from Great Desert Saber.

Even if he was embarrassed, a master like Great Desert Saber wouldn’t die just from hitting his head.

Relentless Dagger moved a step to the side to look at Great Desert Saber who had fallen under the cart.

“Kkeuk, kkeuk!”

Great Desert Saber was foaming blood at the mouth and thrashing his body.

Relentless Dagger was shocked.

“Poison!”

The Extreme Poison Sect warriors were startled by these words and moved away from the cart.

“When did that…!”

Relentless Dagger glared at Jin Ja-gang, who was standing quietly on the cart, and shouted.

“You! What did you do to Great Desert Saber!”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer and just stared silently at Relentless Dagger.

Though it was disconcerting, Relentless Dagger felt pressured by just that look.

“This b*st*rd…”

Relentless Dagger gripped his dagger and gritted his teeth. But since he had no idea what Jin Ja-gang had done or how he’d done it, he couldn’t act rashly.

If he wasn’t careful, he might end up dying like Great Desert Saber without knowing why.

In that interval, Jin Ja-gang spoke to Yong-myeong.

“Go.”

“But…”

Yong-myeong hesitated.

Having observed Jin Ja-gang up close, Yong-myeong knew what he had done.

It happened right after Great Desert Saber had beheaded the old man on the cart.

While others were making a commotion and struggling, tangled together, Jin Ja-gang had hidden himself among them and moved his hand without blinking an eye.

He couldn’t see clearly, but it appeared that Jin Ja-gang had sprinkled his own blood droplets onto Great Desert Saber’s sword.

There was no killing intent, and the action of sprinkling blood was completely concealed by the others’ commotion, making it a natural movement that was difficult to notice.

At the time, Yong-myeong wondered what significance it could have, but immediately afterward, Great Desert Saber licked the blood on his sword.

And after Jin Ja-gang counted to ten, Great Desert Saber died of poisoning.

The numbers Jin Ja-gang had counted were calculating the time it would take for the poison to spread through the body.

It was truly astonishing.

Even though Yong-myeong was watching from the side, he couldn’t tell that poison was being used. That’s why Great Desert Saber had become poisoned without knowing it.

Having witnessed the entire process, Yong-myeong knew that Jin Ja-gang would find it difficult to do anything more to Relentless Dagger. That’s why he was telling them to go.

Soon, all the Medicine King Sect prisoners untied their ropes and quietly stood up, climbing down from the cart.

The warriors and the messenger looked at Relentless Dagger, not knowing what to do.

Relentless Dagger shouted.

“Stop them! That little brat…”

Jin Ja-gang also shouted back.

“If you move, I’ll kill you all!”

At these words, the warriors who were about to move stopped again.

Great Desert Saber was a master far beyond comparison with these men. Just moments ago, he had taken two lives in an instant, showing off his martial prowess.

Yet that same Great Desert Saber had died without being able to do anything, as if struck by a bolt from the blue. What could ordinary warriors do?

They couldn’t not block the way, but they also didn’t want to die pointlessly by standing in the way. They were simply stuck, unable to do one thing or another.

During this pause, the Medicine King Sect prisoners headed toward the mountain. They planned to climb up and escape.

Naturally, Relentless Dagger wouldn’t allow that.

With Great Desert Saber dead and himself now in charge, he couldn’t tolerate this any longer.

‘Because of just one child!’

Relentless Dagger exuded killing intent and shouted with internal energy.

“Stop them! I’ll take care of the child! If even one escapes, I’ll kill you all!”

The four Extreme Poison Sect warriors had no choice but to chase after the Medicine King Sect prisoners. A fight broke out.

“Waaaa!”

“Kill them!”

“Aaagh!”

“Kuk!”

Screams erupted.

Most of the Medicine King Sect people were weakened from torture, so the screams mainly came from their side, but they were numerous enough to somewhat hold their ground.

However, when Jin Ja-gang saw that people couldn’t escape and a fight had broken out, he unconsciously turned his gaze.

No matter how intelligent and bold he might be, he was still a child, and his concentration inevitably wavered momentarily.

That was an extremely dangerous act when facing an enemy.

Especially against a master like Relentless Dagger, who prided himself on his long-range throwing daggers!

“You!”

A throwing dagger left Relentless Dagger’s outstretched hand.

The dagger instantly cut through the air, aiming for Jin Ja-gang’s heart.

“No!”

Yong-myeong, who hadn’t yet left Jin Ja-gang’s side, sensed the danger the moment Jin Ja-gang turned his gaze. He threw his body forward to shield Jin Ja-gang.

Thunk!

The dagger deeply penetrated his shoulder. No, it went through his shoulder and embedded itself in Jin Ja-gang’s abdomen.

When Relentless Dagger pulled the string attached to the dagger, Jin Ja-gang screamed. The tip of the dagger was hook-shaped, making it impossible to pull out.

“Aaaargh!”

Yong-myeong resisted being pulled away, but being skewered together with Jin Ja-gang, they were both dragged toward Relentless Dagger.

“Nngh!”

“Vice Sect Leader!”

Fortunately, one of the Medicine King Sect prisoners picked up the sword Great Desert Saber had dropped and cut the string.

Ting!

As the string broke, Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang tumbled backward.

“Don’t interfere!”

Relentless Dagger rushed forward and threw another dagger. But the one who had cut the string didn’t dodge and took the dagger with his body.

“Keogh!”

The throwing dagger pierced the center of the Medicine King Sect prisoner’s chest. But as if determined never to let go, he gripped the dagger tightly and fell forward.

Because the dagger had a string attached, Relentless Dagger had no choice but to abandon it and draw a new dagger.

During this time, more Medicine King Sect people rushed over and stood in front of Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang.

“You scum! Get out of my way!”

Relentless Dagger drew two more daggers, intending to cut down the Medicine King Sect people directly.

But in the meantime, the Medicine King Sect people had knocked the messenger off his horse and put Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang on it.

The only problem was finding a way to escape.

The path behind led back to the Extreme Poison Sect, and ahead was the fearsome master Relentless Dagger, approaching with terrifying momentum.

The remaining Medicine King Sect people looked at each other and swallowed dryly.

Relentless Dagger shouted.

“Move aside or die!”

Rather than backing down at Relentless Dagger’s shout, they were ignited with fighting spirit. Then they charged toward Relentless Dagger.

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Kill him, kill him!”

They ran toward Relentless Dagger with their arms wide open, and even when Relentless Dagger cut them with his dagger, it was useless. Even as they fell, they desperately grabbed hold of Relentless Dagger’s clothing.

Relentless Dagger instantly cut down three people but couldn’t advance further.

At that moment, a shadow fell over Relentless Dagger’s head.

Neigh!

Relentless Dagger quickly ducked and rolled.

A horse jumped over Relentless Dagger and passed by. He could see Yong-myeong’s back on the horse.

Relentless Dagger raised his dagger.

With his view obstructed by the cart, he jumped onto it to throw his dagger.

But his foot wouldn’t lift.

“Eek!”

Looking down, he saw a young man from the Medicine King Sect, his facial skin partially peeled from torture, holding onto Relentless Dagger’s foot.

“Hehe, you can’t go…”

Before the young man could finish his sentence, Relentless Dagger, with a terrifying expression, stabbed the young man’s head with his dagger.

The young man’s eyes instantly lost their light.

When Relentless Dagger looked up again, the horse carrying Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang had already galloped beyond the reach of his daggers.

It was too late.

“Damn it.”

Looking around, the situation was chaotic.

Three warriors and the messenger were either dead or severely injured, with only one surviving with minor injuries.

All the Medicine King Sect people were dead.

“Urrrgh!”

Relentless Dagger gritted his teeth.

Losing Jin Ja-gang was his responsibility.

But the situation had reached this point because Mang-ryo had lost Jin Ja-gang in the first place.

“Mang-ryo! That stupid old man!”

Furious, Relentless Dagger stomped on the young man who was still holding his leg.

Thump, thump!

Already a cold corpse, the young man couldn’t even scream.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Jin Ja-gang, carried on the front of the saddle by Yong-myeong, looked back.

He could see the Medicine King Sect people dying. He also saw how they were blocking Relentless Dagger with their lives until the very end.

“Run.”

His mother, who was dying after being bitten by the Five-Colored Centipede, had done the same. Even as she was dying, his mother had worried about Jin Ja-gang until the very end.

Remembering that scene, tears streamed down Jin Ja-gang’s face.

They were people he didn’t even know and had only been with for a short time. Even if their sacrifice wasn’t solely for Jin Ja-gang, it was thanks to their sacrifice that Jin Ja-gang had finally survived.

“Because of me…”

Jin Ja-gang sobbed.

A warm hand gently rested on his head.

“No. It’s not because of you. They chose to die proudly here rather than live and die as slaves to the Extreme Poison Sect for the rest of their lives.”

But even as he said this, Yong-myeong was also crying. He had just lost everyone from his sect, who were like family to him.

Jin Ja-gang knew that pain all too well.

“I will never forgive them. I’ll kill them all without leaving any behind. I swear to the gods of heaven and earth! I will never give up until I’ve killed them all!”

Jin Ja-gang cried out.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Clop, clop, clop!

Leaving behind Jin Ja-gang’s tears and painful cries, the horse continued to gallop without stopping.